A quick note:

To celebrate the completion of my latest novel — TRANCE, Inc. — I wanted to release a fun commission project that I wrote for my friend/reader Mercedesbens.

This is Day 2 of my five-day release schedule.

Lots of love,

JC

P.S. Keep in mind, this isn't meant to be just a stroke story. Explicit scenes are in later chapters.

* * *

Bringgg!

The irritated ringing of the doorbell woke me up.

"Wha...?" I murmured fuzzily, rubbing my face and wishing that the espresso had helped me to avoid the nap. You know Georgio isn't sleeping on the job.

The thought of Georgio Danielli, my biggest competitor, jolted me upright. I needed to be working, researching. Wasn't there an article I was supposed to be reading?

Bringgg!

It was the doorbell again, and I remembered that that was what had woken me.

Shaking my head and coming to my feet, I reconciled myself with the nap and headed for the front door. Unexpectedly falling asleep was just one of the drawbacks of having spent quite a few years as a driven inventorpreneur. Even with my newfound wealth and freedom, quality rest sometimes seemed like a commodity I couldn't afford. That, and the fact that I used to caffeinate myself to extreme levels for days on end, made it seem like I could no longer rely on coffee to help me push through.

I took the step down into the entry and crossed the cool tile. Pulling open the door, I stopped in surprise. "Allen?"

My personal assistant stood on the front stoop. "Mr. Novak, sir. Good evening, sir." My personal assistant's voice always struck me as a little too polite, but I guess it came with the job description. "I'm here at 6 o'clock on the dot, just like you asked."

"Yo, Allen!" I said, hiding my surprise. "Thanks for swinging by. And remember, you can call me Braillen." I always tried to thank the man when he did what I asked, even when I didn't remember what it was I wanted from him.

"Right... Braillen. Of course. And you can call me..." My assistant seemed to hesitate.

"Any time of day or night?" I jumped in playfully. He'd told me himself that I should consider him at my disposal 24/7, and he took it seriously. Still, I made a game out of teasing him. I wasn't used to being taken care of, yet, and I'll admit that it had taken some getting used to. Still, I figured if I just treated Allen like one of the guys then I couldn't go too far wrong.

Allen grimaced a little. "That's right, si— Braillen."

I assumed the expression was being made at my energetic tone, and I promised myself that I'd tone it down a little.

My assistant stood there for a moment but I didn't move, just smiling blankly at him and feeling like an idiot. Eventually, I forced myself to laugh softly and give him a little grin of discomfort. "I gotta be honest with you pal," I said. "I don't remember why I asked you to come over here. I appreciate you showing up at six on the dot, but..." I gestured vaguely. "Help me out here?"

Allen's serious expression creased with a little frown, but then he controlled it. "You don't remember?" he asked.

Sorry, dude. I felt bad, really. I seemed to have actually upset the guy a little bit.

But my assistant quickly controlled himself. "Of course, Braillen," he said. "I'll just go grab what you asked me to bring."

I nodded gratefully, but he was already on his way back to his car. It was a sleek black model, and I'd not seen it before. I watched Allen open the back seat and bend over, retrieving his cargo. When he closed the door with one careful foot, I saw that the man had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a black box tucked under the opposite arm.

Ohhh! I suddenly remembered. Roses for my date and the box I forgot at the office. I'd forgotten the box when I left work last night, and I didn't usually make it in to the office on Friday. I'd texted Allen about it yesterday, but since I didn't want to force the man to make two trips I told him he could bring it to me today, along with a bouquet for Janet. I wondered if the flowers were still valid, or if Janet would be irritated with me for the reminder of our shunted date.

"Here you are," Allen said, offering me the two packages.

I accepted them, but when I took a step back from the doorway the man didn't turn and head for his car. He seemed to be waiting to ask me something, so I gave him an inquisitive look.

"Did I wake you up, sir?"

I didn't bother to correct him on my title this time as I huffed a soft laugh. "As a matter of fact you did, Allen. But don't worry, I appreciate it. I needed to be woken up anyway."

The man frowned, wringing his hands. "Is there a way I can avoid doing so, in the future? I don't want to be an inconvenience in your life. Or interrupt your personal time. I would have left this delivery outside on the step but I assumed the box was something important, if you needed it hand delivered after hours."

"No," I said quickly, "I'm glad you didn't do that." Reflexively, I pulled the box tighter against me so the metal edges dug gently into my side and I could feel the engraved initials BN against my bare skin.

The box looked fragile, but I knew that it was sturdy enough to withstand some heavy damage. And the electronic lock would only open for my thumb print. Inside was the prototype for one of my next inventions, and I needed it here so that I could work on it over the weekend. From a recent press release, I'd learned that Georgio was working on a similar project — a type of visual therapy machine — and I had to finish first. If I knew my old rival, he was working his fingers to the bone to release his product first.

Allen his weight in discomfort, and I made a decision.

"Come on in, dude," I offered, pushing the door open a bit wider with my foot and turning. "I'll set this down and see if I can't find you a spare key." I left the box and the flowers on the entry table next to our mail basket, then led the man deeper into my home.

Allen tried to make casual conversation as I searched through kitchen for the spare key. "So, you've got a new product on the way," he offered. "That must be exciting."

"Yeah," I muttered. "It's pretty cool." Where are they?

I'll admit, I can be a bit scatterbrained. Not with the really important stuff... usually. But I often misplaced things like keys, glasses of water and my phone. There were just so many thoughts and ideas whirling through my mind at all times, it was hard to keep track of an oddly-shaped bit of metal.

"I overheard a couple of the lab techs talking about the new prototype," he went on. "They said you've been getting some intriguing results from preliminary brain scans."

My new invention was designed to use a complex series of light patterns to activate brain centers relating to visualization, imagination and color. The idea was that triggering the brain in certain ways might produce sight-like effects, building up the brain's connections relating to visual perception that were deteriorating. In the partially-sighted, or those with diseases that impacted vision, the hope was to slow or reverse those effects.

"They shouldn't be talking where they can be overheard," I muttered, automatically. But the techs hadn't been lying. There was something odd going on. That was actually something I planned to work on this weekend. We'd only run a few tests, but our subjects had come out of the experience acting... strange. Still, the brain is a highly-complex organ, far more integrated and interconnected than we yet understand. It had been inevitable that we would hit some bumps in the road.

Aha! I found the spare key in the tool drawer and offered it to Allen.

The man accepted it like I was handing him something fragile and precious.

"Come on, Al," I said, trying to play it off. "It's no big deal. Just so you can better do your job and help me run things. Right?"

"Right... ah, Braillen."

I clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job, pal. You're learning."

* * *

Allen had hurried out the door, but not before asking a dozen times if there was anything else he could do for me this evening.

I practically had to order him to leave. "You go home and take the evening off!" I called after him as he walked to the new car. "And don't even think of trying to get in touch with me! I'll be out at the back of the property and I'm leaving my phone behind."

I closed the door and chuckled softly to myself at the guy's enthusiasm.

Cass should be arriving in 45 minutes, just around sunset, and we'd probably go out for dinner before the big event. For obvious reasons, I didn't think Janet would feel very charitable about sharing her special salmon.

I wanted to take a shower, but it sounded like Janet was upstairs washing off after her workout. I hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the bouquet of roses from the small table and headed up the winding staircase onto the second floor.

With my free hand, I pulled my phone free from my pocket. Half a dozen notifications begged for my attention, but I prioritized the bright red one that came from my home security system.

Unexpected visitor. Facial scan result... No Contact Found.

I strode down the landing to the master bedroom, then sight as I plopped myself down on the bed. Sure enough, I could hear the sounds of the shower running in the bathroom. Laying the bouquet on the coverlet beside me, I opened up the security app on my phone. It automatically opened up a New Contact card for me to fill out. The facial recognition software — which was connected to my front door cam — was cutting edge, but I still had to enter my visitors manually the first time they came to the house.

I typed out 'Allen' in the box provided, before checking the box marked 'Colleague' on the dropdown menu. I hesitated, then checked the box marked 'Friend,' as well. Why not? I thought. Allen was chill enough.

My home security system had been recommended by a software exec I met at a networking event for 7-figure entrepreneurs. He had said it was the perfect blend of high and low-tech to keep an easygoing inventor with too much cash from being accosted in his own home. It had been pricey, and usually crime wasn't something I felt worried about, but I had to admit that some of the features were pretty cool. Text alerts were just the start. The system would lock all the doors in the house automatically if it sensed an intruder, and there were even several hidden cubbyholes for home defense equipment. The only drawback was that the team of security experts who had installed it had pretty much taken over my house for more than a week.

The text popped up on my screen with a soft notification, distracting me from my musings on the "custom home defense" package I'd purchased on a whim from the company.

Yo, you ready? :P

It was Cass, and I couldn't help but smile.

Excited for tonight! I typed back.

Her answer was almost immediate. ZERO traffic today. I'm going to be early! See you in 7?

My eyes widened. Seven minutes? But I'm not ready! I thought. I still need to shower, get dressed...

"What're you reading, babe?"

I glanced up as the bathroom door swung open, hastily hiding my anxious expression. I didn't want Janet to think I was freaking out about Cass's visit or something. "Hmm?"

Janet huffed a quiet laugh as my eyes widened until they almost dropped out of my head. "I just wanted to know what you were reading, cutie." She seemed in a better mood post-shower, and the sight of her certainly put me in a mood. Her hair was up behind her head and her body was wrapped only in a towel that seemed far too narrow. It left bare miles of tanned thigh and a precipitous valley of cleavage.

"Oh, ahem," I muttered. What was I supposed to say, while staring at my mostly-naked girlfriend? That I was texting another woman? "Just a couple of weather sites," I fibbed. "I want to make totally sure the weather is clear."

My girlfriend made a face, and I realized my white lie probably wasn't much better. "You've been checking the weather obsessively for the past week. I think you're good."

I nodded obediently. "You're right," I told her.

Janet seemed pleased by my agreement, and her lips curved into a little smile when she saw the flowers. "For me?" she asked coyly.

"Yes!" I hastily picked them up and offered them out. "I'm sorry about our date. I didn't mean to forget, and I didn't mean to brush you off. I love you."

My girlfriend's dark eyes ran down my shirtless chest and then landed on the bulge in the front of my lounge pants. "Finally, he figures out the right thing to say," she teased, but her gaze was heated when it returned to my face. "Your guest shouldn't be here for another half an hour at least, right? What do you say we have some fun before then? And maybe you can put that apologetic tongue of yours to good use..."

I knew I should say something, but when she dropped her towel the only thing I could think was, My girlfriend is stacked...

I loved that Janet was high-powered. Sometimes, I liked to remember that she had used her steely glare to cut down industry tycoons in depositions and scare opposing witnesses silly with a single, deadly glance. It made it all the more fun when she was a naughty little minx in the bedroom. And when she took control of the situation, what was a lowly inventor like myself going to do? I couldn't even invent an excuse to stop her in time as she took several steps toward me and pushed me down onto the bed, straddling my lap and lowering her lips to meet mine.

She kissed me, and forgot that I was even trying to resist. I felt her soft groan as her hard, perky nipples rubbed across my skin, and her soft breasts molded themselves to my chest as she pulled herself closer. My straining cock throbbed pleasurably, my hips rising on instinct to grind my bulge against Janet's smoothly-shaved entrance. I heard another soft groan and knew that my girlfriend was as turned on as I was.

My fingers gently slipped up her outer thighs, across her hips and over her stomach. I captured her lower lip between my teeth and tugged gently as my hands covered her breasts, massaging her tits and making her gasp into my mouth. Janet's fingernails brushed down my shoulders and arms, leaving behind a pleasurable tingle before she shifted her weight and drew my attention back to the much more urgent sensation between my thighs. Her fingers started to push under the waistband of my pants.

I knew there was a reason we shouldn't be doing this, but it was hard to remember. The heat in my core was rising, my erection was like a steel pole that was draining all my blood from my brain to my crotch. When she was in this kind of mood, making out with my girlfriend was practically X-rated.

But wait...

"Babe?" I muttered, pulling back a little bit. "Babe..." She ignored me, and I knew that if she managed to wrap those skillful fingers around my shaft we would be done for. How was I supposed to resist this nymph then?

"Janet." I said it in the kind of stern tone you don't ever use on your lover in the bedroom, and the woman froze.

She pulled back, giving me a wounded look. "What is it, Braillen?" she asked, her hands on my shoulders.

I took a deep breath. "Cass is just a couple minutes away."

Janet jerked away abruptly. Now, she giving me the death glare. "Really?" she demanded. "You were just going to let me throw myself at you while--"

The doorbell rang, cutting her off.

My girlfriend turned, glaring at the open doorway like my old friend was just going to waltz right up the stairs and into the bedroom. I breathed a sigh of relief when Janet clambered off of me without a word. But I could read in the set of her head and the straightness of her back as she stalked away that, sooner or later, there was going to be a reckoning.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

I'll see you tomorrow for the next publication: Starry Eyed -- Ch. 3.