The Cory-Alice Effect

The dull thud of gunshots rang out below the mid-afternoon haze. The fog from the day before was finally lifting, and so were the spirits of a young man itching to test his mettle against a more than worthy foe.

Cory Pederson unbuttoned a worn leather scabbard and gently lifted out his only prized possession. Ol' IKE (short for IKEA) was an early 1900s model of 1896 Swedish Mauser bolt action rifle that had seen better days. Cory had painstakingly tuned up the old bolt action rifle and modified it almost beyond the point of recognition. At the start of the tournament, all of the out-of-towners got a good laugh when Cory carried Ol' IKE to the long-distance range. The locals just smiled knowingly and kept quiet. Before the weather turned sour the previous day, Cory and his Frankensteined rifle outshot almost everyone.

As Cory laid out his firearm and ammunition on the bench, his competition appeared.

"Heya!" She chirped. "I guess you are the reason I had to book my hotel room an extra night, huh?"

Cory turned to face the inquisitor. His eyes widened as the twenty-something petite autumn red-haired beauty confidently strode into the stall beside him. She wore a black leather jacket with dozens of competition patches and brand names sewn on all available real estate.

"Yes, ma'am!" He replied proudly. "You must be that famous girl everyone was talking about. Alice right? I'm Cory Pederson; nice to meet you."

He held out his hand. She took off her leather glove to shake it. He noted she squeezed a bit harder than would typically be socially acceptable. He couldn't help but respond in kind.

"Yep. Alice Cunningham, soon-to-be Olympic gold medalist, at your service," She half-joked. "I've got to say, though... I didn't anticipate having to do a tiebreaker against a guy shooting with an m1896 century-old dinosaur. Clearly, you've got at least some skill of your own."

She knelt to unlock the heavy waterproof case holding her custom-made match rifle. Her muscles barely flexed as she deftly lifted the featherweight rifle and cleared it before setting it on the bench.

"Me and Ol' IKE do ok. I couldn't see a damn thing at 800 yards when the fog rolled in yesterday," He said, then chuckled. "Had to bring the shot on target by sense of smell!"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure!" Alice laughed heartily. "You're a regular pinball wizard, aren't you."

The two continued their repartee as they prepared their rifles and PPE to warm up before starting the tie-breaker.

"I'll tell you what, miss Olympic," Cory mocked. "Clearly, neither of us is interesting enough for any crowds to show up to watch our little tie-breaker. What do you say we bend the rules a bit? There's a full-sized steel target way out there at 1000 yards... I know, I know, that's a long way for a 50m women's air rifle Olympic shooter..."

"You and your glorified musket are ON, Mr. Teddy Roosevelt," she interrupted. "Highest hit rate out of 20-rounds wins... no warm-up, no sight-in shots, and we alternate shooting and spotting every other shot."

The two negotiated the rules and flipped a coin to see who went first. Alice called it and took aim first. The shock from the muzzle of her precision rifle shook the rickety steel roof above them. After about two seconds, Cory spotted a cloud of dust through the spotter's scope. "About 50 yards short, windage looks pretty good... for a girl," he said deadpan.

"So my aim was perfect, for a guy. Is what you're saying?" She joked back as she cycled the bolt for another shot.

The next shot rang out, and Cory was dumbfounded when a metallic ding resounded from the distance. "Damn good shot..." Cory said, impressed. "Uh, I mean, wow... you barely hit it."

A smug grin grew on Alice's face as she ejected the shell and flicked the safety switch. "Your turn! Let's see what a country bumpkin with an antique can do. I bet you've never even heard of the Coriolis effect!"

With a harumph, Cory chambered a round. He knew Alice 100% had the upper hand in both skill and equipment, but he had spent every weekend for years shooting at the same 1000-yard target from the exact same position. He had the hold memorized. Right past the horizon was a tall cell phone tower. The blinking red light on the top was just visible above the berm behind the target. Cory's aiming hold lined up almost perfectly with that blinking light depending on the wind. The Coriolis effect she teased him about didn't really matter. The dynamic wind would greatly overshadow the 4" or so of drift from the effect.

Cory held his breath and gingerly pulled the trigger. A deafening blast resonated through the entire range. Cory had created his own muzzle device after extensive experimentation and calculation. His design made for a very stable recoil, but it also made the rifle unreasonably loud and oddly dissonant sounding.

Cory cursed as his first shot fell right in front of the left leg of the target stand, sending a cloud of dust skyward. "Damn! Well, that's ok; I'm sure you're still very impressed."

Cory awaited a witty reply to his prideful remark, but it didn't come. Alice just stared into space. Her crimson hair danced in the breeze in counterpoint to her static body. Just as he was about to check on her, a shiver ran down her body. In an instant, she gasped and took a deep breath before continuing as if nothing happened. "Wow! I have to admit I'm impres... I mean, that was a pretty lucky first shot... still missed, though." She said with complete normalcy.

Cory scratched his head and chalked up the whole event to her having extreme focus and not remembering him talking to her. He cycled the bolt and retook aim. His aim point shifted almost imperceptibly. At 1000 yards, Cory found aiming to be more of an art with diopter sights. It was a feeling more than anything else. He couldn't consciously see the tiny change in aim he made, but his subconscious could feel it. With trust in his subconscious, he let another shot resound across the range.

A few seconds later, a solid gong rang out. "Wellll, slap my ass and call me Sally," Cory exclaimed with a southern drawl. "I never make that on the second shot!"

Once again, Cory observed Alice frozen, unmoving, and staring into the distance. Just like last time, she shivered and gasped for air. This time, however, she stood up and jogged to Cory's stall. Before he could react, she swatted his ass and exclaimed, "Good shot, Sally! It's my turn again, so say goodbye to the tie!"

Cory was dumbfounded. "You know that's just an old southern saying, right?" He asked.

"What is?"

"Slap my ass and call me Sally."

"What are you talking about?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Why did you walk over her, slap my ass, and call me Sally?"

"I dunno, it seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, it looks like it had the unintended consequence of getting into your head," Alice smirked evilly and winked. "Good luck getting your next shots on target now!"

Alice nailed the target with her next two shots while Cory carefully watched the muscles in her beautiful face. He noted that she never froze up or gasped like she did after he shot. Cory came across as a dumb country boy, but he was far from it. In fact, he had nearly finished getting a degree in Physics before his dad passed away unexpectedly and changed his life to a different course. Regardless, Cory didn't really believe in coincidences, and Alice's actions and responses were raising some red flags in his observant mind.

Cory cleared his mind and focused on the sounds around him. The barrage of booms and plinks from distant pistol range harmonized with the soft whisper of the westerly breeze as he centered himself back into the zone.

Another shot rang out, followed by a weak ping. He skimmed the edge of the target, but it still counted. Coy rapidly glanced at his competition and saw her familiar black stare. He steeled himself before making a much more crass comment than usual.

"I'll bet it makes you hotter and hotter for me every time I make these shots." He said with a nervous laugh.

He didn't know Alice very well, but he doubted that such an accomplished woman would let that borderline harassing joke go unchallenged.

He quickly realized he was delightfully wrong, though. Like the previous two times, she shivered and gasped. This time, though, her gasp turned into almost a moan before her eyes shot to Cory and widened in surprise.

"G-great hit!" She stuttered slightly while looking him up and down appreciatively. "I guess getting into your head didn't work!"

Cory smiled as the pretty redhead checked him out. Mild confusion spread across her face. Alice was lesbian, but for the first time in her life, she was feeling a hint of heat for a man... and a farmer at that

Cory had pieced together part of what was happening to Alice but was still weakly denying it. He prided himself an observant person, and he knew Alice wasn't physically attracted to him mere moments before. But he also knew that even if she were faking things, her eyes wouldn't have dilated when they roamed his body. He stayed quiet and calmed his mind to make one more shot. His next planned comment would be outrageous enough to prove his silent hypothesis.

With pinpoint accuracy, Cory rang the steel one more time. He knew his hits mainly were pure luck, but he intended to ride that wave of luck as far as it could take him. As soon as he could, Cory turned and confirmed Alice was frozen again.

"Alice, you should strip off one piece of clothing for every shot I make..." he spoke shakily. "I've made three already... you should start at your top and work down."

Cory's knuckles were white as his nails dug into the particle board tabletop, awaiting Alice's response. In less than two seconds, though, she shivered again and gasped. This time, her gasp faded into almost a moan. Another confusing flash of heat for Cory flashed through her body since he made another shot on target. The feeling was soon overshadowed by the obvious realization that she should have been stripping off an article of clothing for each shot Cory made on target.

"We're tied again, Sally!" She chirped as she discarded her black leather jacket.

Cory slightly registered that she was still calling him Sally, but it didn't really matter to him yet. His denial of the situation had just been crushed to dust beneath a jackhammer of impossibility. He watched in awe as Alice lifted her t-shirt and sports bra before tossing them aside shamelessly. Alice's D-cup tits jiggled from their sudden freedom, and her nipples quickly hardened in the cool morning breeze.

"Hey! Eyes up here, Sally!" She said half-jokingly. She wasn't mad, but she didn't want him ogling at her tits, either. She couldn't help but feel a little thrill when his eyes roamed her body, though. Despite her confusion about her sexual preferences, she had to admit she was feeling a little turned on. Cory was making quite an impression on her, for some reason unfathomable to her.

"S-sorry." He quickly averted his eyes until she put the rifle back onto her shoulder.

Cory's mind eventually settled, and he realized that, somehow, his rifle was putting Alice into some sort of unbelievably powerful trance. He'd shot the same gun beside dozens of other women, and none had reacted this way. The only difference he could immediately make out was her high-end passthrough hearing protection. Something about the headset, coupled with his gun's unique sound, must have caused it somehow, he hypothesized.

As he was thinking thousands of thoughts per second, Alice took another shot. Cory didn't see where the it went; he was too busy watching the recoil vibrate through Alice's beautiful tits. The lack of a gong sound and the groan from his competitor made it clear she missed, though. Unfortunately, her second shot skimmed the bottom edge of the target and got her another point.

"Your turn!" She chirped. "I'll bet you won't get another piece of clothing off me this round."

"I'll take that bet." He said while looking back towards the range entrance. It was unlikely that anyone would bother them for the next hour or so, but he wanted to make sure no one was coming. It would be hard to explain why his competitor was naked beside him.

Focus wasn't as easy to find for Cory this time. He twitched slightly while pulling the trigger and sent his shot careening several yards off target. Despite the miss, Alice was still just as deeply entranced by his rifle's sound.

"Stop calling me Sally..." Cory paused and scratched his head before nervously continuing. "You should call me... M-master. Uh... unless I tell you otherwise!" He rushed the last bit of instruction to right before she shivered and gasped.

"Oof! I guess my toplessness hurt your aim a bit, Master!" She teased after a sigh of relief. "Looks like this bet is going to be mine."

Cory's breath hitched, and he felt his cock harden even more than before. He'd never been called Master, by a woman before. Hell, he hadn't even been with a woman in years. The rural area he lived in didn't have much to choose from. Most of the single women in the area were either dumber than rocks or way too old for him. Anybody with a brain left the area for greener pastures. Only family ties brought people back.

"Ethics be damned," Cory screamed internally. He was too horny, repressed, and excited to think things through. He knew this could easily be his only chance to live out something unique and fantastic. He'd never forgive himself if he let the opportunity fade away. His conscience gnawed at him, but it was far too weak. The greedy and logical side of him knew the unknown mechanism worked right then, and there was no guarantee it would ever work again. Cory decided he'd rather have to pick up the pieces from his mistakes and live with a little guilt than squander this possibly once-in-a-lifetime chance

With all his remaining focus, he aimed, fired, and once again missed the mark. It didn't really matter, though.

"Alice, every shot I've taken and will take today hits the target," He said confidently.

After shivering and gasping for air, the half-naked girl looked at Cory with wide eyes. "I can't believe I bet against you. You can't miss!" She exclaimed with astonishment. "And I owe you the rest of my clothes, I guess."

In seconds, Alice's tight jeans, cotton panties, and shoes found themselves puddled at her feet. She then casually sat her naked shapely ass down on the bench. With trained smoothness, she cycled her rifle for another shot while trying to push her growing arousal and attraction to Cory out of her head.

She rushed her shots just a bit and missed both of them. The cold breeze against her exposed body, combined with her inexplicable shifting sexuality, did not foster calm and collected shooting.

"Nobody makes every shot at this long of a range," she said. "This isn't over yet, Master!"

Cory felt relaxed and antsy at the same time. The pressure of competition was gone, but the petite naked beauty beside him was more of a temptress than he'd ever imagined. He wasn't an overly sexual person in his adulthood. Over the years, he shifted his life away from the fast-paced app-based dating of the era and into complacency. Cory was content with the satisfaction of his own imagination. If he felt really lonely and had money to burn, there was always Nevada, he figured.

This situation was undoubtedly awakening demons within him that he didn't know he had. He had always been dominant in his past relationships—especially in bed. None of his partners ever complained, but that's only because he was good at tamping down his desires. Now faced with true dominance over an attractive woman, that filter, that buffer between his subconscious fantasies and self-control, was being ripped apart with each shot from his rifle.

Another shot reverberated through Cory and Alice's souls. The bullet fell short by hundreds of yards. Cory wasn't concerned about something as dull as precision aiming, though. He just pointed the rifle in a safe direction and tapped the trigger. His eyes were on his real target.

Alice's face slackened, and her eyes grew dull the exact moment the shockwave from the muzzle blew over her lithe body. In response, Cory smiled and patted Ol' IKE like an obedient puppy. Since he didn't waste any seconds watching the target and listening for an impact, he knew he had about four extra seconds to burn before Alice recovered from her trancelike state. He intended to make the most of it.

"I'm the most attractive person you've ever seen or imagined," he said with a shaky voice. "Everything about my body is perfect for you."

Alice sucked in a desperate breath as her trance abruptly ended. Immediately, her eyes locked on Cory. She didn't know how or why, but it felt like a flash bulb exploded in her vision. Alice compulsively began rubbing her thighs together. She accidentally let out a little moan before she stifled it and bit her lip. Somehow her view of Cory went from "below-average country bumpkin" to "gleaming Adonis." She couldn't explain it, but she knew without a doubt she wasn't gay anymore. She rationalized that she hadn't ever seen the right man until then.

"Uh... Umm, t-that was a really good shot," she stuttered with star-struck eyes. "You're going to miss the next one though... if you miss- I-I'll make it... uh worth your while."

"Ha! I see you're trying to resort to bribes now!" Cory laughed heartily at her sudden change of tactics. "You've already lost cutie!"

Before the confused, lustful girl could retort, Cory loaded a new round and sent Alice back into a deep trance.

"You'll let me do anything I want—especially when it involves you," he excitedly affirmed. "It makes you happy when I do what I please."

Alice shivered and gasped for oxygen once more. Another wave of heat went through her as she incorrectly perceived Cory, making another shot on target.

"Mmm, goooood shot," Alice's hand flew to her mouth when her voice came out a bit hornier sounding than she anticipated. "I've got to give credit where it's due. You are in the zone, Master!"

Her competitive spirit was beginning to be buried by her lust. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him for very long. When she did manage to break her appreciative stare, she could still see his perfect body in her mind. She was already trying to think of an excuse to ask him out to lunch after the competition. The only thing holding her back was her drive to train for the Olympics. She knew she didn't have room in her life for any distractions like friends, family, or lovers.

As Alice futilely tried to clear her mind and steady herself for another shot, she suddenly felt his warm hand caress her naked back. Startled, she turned her head. A gasp escaped her tightened lips as her shock faded into a warm smile. Cory boldly wrapped his arms around the nude redhead and grabbed her large, firm tits.

"Mmm, that feels... I-I mean, what are you doing?" She questioned half-heartedly.

"I wanted to touch you," Cory whispered into her ear. "You don't seem to mind... Besides, I know you want me to."

Joy burst through Alice's heart. Cory was doing what he pleased, and it made her so happy. Her smile beamed as he groped her unashamedly. Yesterday she would have found the mere thought of a guy groping her tits to be absolutely revolting; now, it felt normal and so right—at least when Cory did it.

"I-I do mmmm want you to do whatever you want... but I'm not s-straight, Master." She struggled to speak as Cory played with her hard, pink nipples.