The Empath Cycle: 2010 Carpe Diem - Book 1

She came near fainting when soft, wet lips finally kissed her blood engorged buds, when a tongue swirled around them, its tip flicking over the flat points.

Ann was certain she would go mad with the desire to join in the dance of love, but her arms were immobilized. Try as she might, all her squirming was to no avail, she was trapped, she was at the Other's mercy. She was... She was exactly where she had always dreamed she would one day be.

In a daze, she thought she felt hands at her waist, but the mouth at her chest had all her attention. She felt a slight nudge and lifted her hips with a groan because the movement had pushed her breast in the hot, moist mouth. She tried to regain the marvelous sensation by humping her hips to no avail.

She froze when two hands settled on her thighs. She tried to spread her legs, but they would only go so far, the action restricted by her pant legs only down below the knee.

The hands pushed her legs closed as they massaged the top and sides muscles, digging deep to increase blood flow. They were replaced by sharp nails enervating the very area which had just been coaxed into relaxation. This alternation went on for a long time, until Ann's legs were quivering under the unusual stimulation.

Still caught up in the sensations, she realized that the thumbs were getting closer to her center. When she tried to open her legs, the hands kept them firmly closed. Still, the caresses went on. When she tried to hump against them, the hands pressed her down. Still, the caresses went on. And the thumbs continued their slow progression.

She was paralyzed with anticipation of the next step. She was paralysed in dread that it would not come.

She let out a deep breath she hadn't know she was holding when they gently slipped in the crease of her inner hip, pushing her mound inward, putting sweet pressure on her pearl. She gasped when the thumbs stopped and pressed back on her thighs, but sighed when they resumed the caress. On and on it went with variations that accentuated the stimulation to various areas. Somehow, the usual need for penetration was not present. The violence which had governed her passion to this day replaced by a different underpinning, a much deeper foundation.

By the time her legs were gently nudged open and the thumbs replaced by a delicate pincer formed by a thumb and an index, Ann wasn't aware of anything else. Her universe centered on the rising pressure within herself.

The gentle movement of the fingers pushed out the excess of cream she was producing, coating her mound and leaking under her until she could feel it pool under her cheeks.

When another finger joined the first and ran delicately up and down her crease, barely brushing against her pearl on the up stroke, caressing her perineum, ending with a swirl around and a light pressure on her rectum muscle with a liberally cream covered tip at the other end.

A longer delicate touch on her pearl brought Ann over the edge. Her body arched off the chair, her shoulder blades at its top and her heels on the floor, caught in a full body muscular spasm, head thrown back until the tendons in her neck stood out, her mouth open in a silent scream that, nevertheless, had her throat straining to its utmost.

Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, limp, as her muscles released all the tension which had built over the previous hour.

As wet dreams go, this one had been first class. Ann had experienced major orgasms before, but none compared to the total enervation she had felt.

"It's time to get up, my love or you'll be late for your appointment." The soft voice said.

She knew that voice. She had heard it before. It was the voice of an angel, of her very own guardian angel.

Ann opened her eyes to see the hazel gaze looking down on her.

Those were nice enough, but so was the naked body draped over hers.

"I sure could get used to waking up with you, baby." She grinned. "I would hardly sleep at all."

"You would think so, would you? Then how come you fell asleep on me? You were out so deep I had to get Martine to help me get you undressed and in bed."

"She's seen me naked before, but tell me you didn't strip in front of her, please."

"Don't be silly. Of course I didn't. She me wanted to, though. She even offered to help out of the kindness of her heart."

"I'm sure she did. She's got a sweet tongue that one."

"That she does. Is she the one you want to set up with Matt?"

"Yes. From what little I know of him, they're made for each other. You know what? While I'm gone why don't you tell her about him and give her his number?"

"I can't. It's getting late and I have to go home."

"Please stay here. I worry about you traveling at night. You saw what happened Monday morning and it was in a bus full of people in the rush hour."

"You're so sweet." Anne-Marie smiled. "You forget I'm a city girl. I've been riding the bus for years and nothing happened. I only have to be aware of my surroundings and avoid risky places and situations."

"Okay then. Come with me at the university and we'll go together."

"That's a plan I can live with." Anne-Marie grinned. "Come on, let's get dressed. I can't wait."

It was close to midnight when they arrived at the house. That late, the direct busses didn't run, so they had to transfer, which made Ann more determined to go through with her plan.

"You're such a country girl." Anne-Marie laughed. "This is life in the city. The sooner you make your peace with it, the sooner you'll begin to see the advantages."

"Oh, I like it well enough. I'm just worried for you. There must be a better way is all I'm saying."

By the time they had a late supper and showered, they fell asleep in each other's arms as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

When the radio turned on to her favorite mellow rock station came on, Anne-Marie sighed and stretched... and stretched. She opened her eyes in alarm. Ann wasn't in bed. Then she smelled coffee and relaxed.

'The sweet dear is spoiling me.' She grinned.

She padded to the bathroom where she took care of business. She thought to call out to Ann to join her for some morning water sports, but she saw that the shower had been used.

'Ah, well. 'She giggled. 'I'll have to start without her.'

Anne-Marie walked down the short flight of stairs while toweling her hair dry. She wanted to surprise Ann by arriving naked. She also hoped it would spark some fun and games.

She saw a delicate origami sculpture beside the coffee machine. It sat on top of a folded piece of paper.

'Good morning, Baby. You slept so peacefully, I didn't have the heart to wake you. Your breakfast is in the oven. I will see you at the office. I love you. Ann'

She read and re-read the note, misty eyed.

Ann looked up and smiled when Anne-Marie walked in her office. She turned her chair and patted her lap. Her girlfriend had other plans, though. She straddled her legs and wrapped her arms around Ann's neck. The kiss she gave her had nothing of the chaste peck between co-workers.

"As much as I appreciate the gestures, don't ever do that to me again. No matter the hour, I want you to wake me before you leave, if only to say goodbye. It's no fun masturbating by myself when I could have a beautiful woman do it for me."

"Anyone I know? Ouch! Why did you pinch my nipple? I'm a delicate flower you know."

"That's for your mean comment. There's only one woman in my life and it's you. Now, either you remove your hands from under my skirt or let me close the door."

"Sorry. I can't keep my hands off you. Give me a kiss and get back to work. You're not paid to go around the office assaulting unsuspecting innocent women."

"Innocent? I like that one."

Anne-Marie reluctantly pulled away from Ann's mouth and groaned when the wandering fingers slipped out of her pussy.

"See what you've done?" She whispered. "Now I'll have to go wash up before I can get to work."

"What about me?" Ann answered, rubbing her fingers on Anne-Marie's lips. "How am I supposed to work what my hand smelling of you?"

"Let me fix that for you." Holding her lover's gaze, she sensuously licked and sucked her fingers clean. "See what you missed by walking out on me?"

She was at the door when she looked over her shoulder with a mischievous grin.

"By the way, you wouldn't have any idea why Nadine winked and smiled at me this morning?"

Sylvie looked at the young woman sitting across from her. She had an air of determination about her that hadn't been there when they first met. Was that a self-satisfied smirk?

"That's what I call a progress report, Ann. I won't insult you by asking if you're sure of your figures."

"In fact, boss, I had to low ball them. This is only a preliminary report. I haven't had time to meet the salespersons who have been gouging you for years. As for the shipping, we will definitely get better rates if only because we will reduce the volume considerably."

"I get that, still..."

"Did you get to the second report?"

"I only skimmed it. I wanted to be sure I understood this one first. I must say I'm... surprized is too mild a word. Flabbergasted sounds more like it. Here we are, probably the most diverse group of bright minds in the city and nobody ever thought of that."

"I suppose you could say it's in your blind side. You are all so concentrated on your work that this is trivial. Considering the way you manage your projects, the expenses are included in the overall cost of each project and billed to the clients as line items. What really surprized me is that nobody ever noticed. I was sure it was another of your tests. Didn't the division ever get audited?"

"That would be the price of our success. As you said, the expenses were passed on to the clients so there were no anomalous spikes in the division's budget so our books were approved 'as is'."

"Still, there must have been an audit at some point."

"I think I remember something about it years ago, but I was busy at the time and I didn't pay attention."

"That's typical of scientists, I suppose, though I wouldn't hire the accountant who did it. The discrepancy jumped right out of the page that's why I was so... Hum... surprised."

"You were going to say something else, were you?"

"Well, it's not my place. I'm the new kid around here."

"Tell me. I won't hold it against you."

"Okay, then. I was angry because I thought you were giving me something so obviously wrong, I figured you were testing me and having a good laugh at my expense."

"Dear Ann, you couldn't have been further from the truth. I admit I dumped this on you without notice, but I wanted to see what you would do when faced with a real life challenge. The testing period is long past. The marketing department was to see how you would react in a 'difficult' working environment. You will not be faced with sexual harassment here, but some of our people are, shall we say, high strung, especially when they are working on a difficult problem. We needed to know how you would react, but it was essentially a Kobayashi Maru kind of test. We don't subject all of our people to it. You are a special case. Essentially, we are all scientists of one kind or another. Monique, at reception, has been adopted as a mascot of sorts, but there were some tense moments at first. As for you, once we can come up with a proper job definition, you will end up somewhat in a position of authority over our people. There will be a period of adjustment on all parts, though your impromptu meeting with a good number of our people was certainly a step in the right direction. It showed that you have the right instincts. As John explained, all you need is experience."

"I have to admit the idea wasn't mine. The first team just showed up at my office, then people just dropped in."

"We know. Still, you lead the discussion in the direction you wanted. I'd bet dollars to donuts that you ended up with exactly the information you wanted and probably more."

"I sure did. All it took were some leading questions to the folks I met on Tuesday and they all had a fairly good idea of the direction I was taking by yesterday morning."

"One of the more important qualities in a leader. When you are done with this project, they will respect your professionalism so when you are inserted into their work structure, they will give you the benefit of the doubt at first and will be more likely to discuss problems with you rather than criticize immediately since you will have shown yourself to be a problem solver, same as they are."

"So, it was a test." Ann laughed.

"Only in that we wanted to see how you would react. It was a test to the whole division too, don't doubt it. We knew we had to adjust our way of working. We have known it for some years, in fact. We just didn't know how to go about it and we wanted someone who would grow into the job. So we needed to know if all our people could adapt and who couldn't. I certainly hope you will stay with us as we move into this next phase of our professional growth."

"If you want me, you've got me. Yesterday evening, I arranged to change my curriculum to adapt it to the needs of this position. I chose general courses for the fall session because I'm late. Also because I wasn't sure of what I needed. It's going to be a non-specialized Bachelor, theoretically, but it's going to be specialized for what I need. If I didn't need the degree, I could do it even faster."

"Hum... Who says you need the degree?" Sylvie mused. "No, forget I said that. You need to follow some structure, but don't let yourself be limited by it."

"Like you did?" Ann grinned.

"Exactly. If there is something you want and need, go get it. The paper is one way to go. There are others. Why do you think I did two doctorates? One was professionally motivated. The second was for my own satisfaction. Even then, I didn't do it the traditional way, which is how I was able to do both simultaneously while I was working full time. I did it my way and put them before the fait accompli. They could have blocked me, but they would have looked like fools and they knew it. Also, by then I had some contacts at the Polytechnique and I used them shamelessly."

"That's good to know. What do you think of the HEC versus McGill? I know people who go there and they rave about their university and its cursus."

"I know a lot about McGill, though not about their Business Administration faculty or others in a similar field. I know mostly about the Engineering and Psychology faculties. HEC has a good reputation. What you can do is audit a few courses at McGill. See how you like it and gauge the difference."

"I will. Thank you. You've been a great help."

"All right then. Get back to work."

"Yes, boss." Ann laughed as she left.

Sylvie sat, looking at the door through which Ann had just left, grinning.

'I wonder if she realizes she's doing it.' She mused, then laughed out loud when she considered the implication if she did. 'The little minx was playing me.'

Ann introduced the man she had invited to the others in the meeting room.

"Mr. Leclair, these are Elexis and André our best programmers. They will be working closely with you if we can come to an agreement and I can get management to get on board with the program. This gorgeous thing making google eyes to the boxes is my girlfriend -- and an engineer -- she's only here for the food."

"Hi all. You have no idea how glad I am to be here. If I can convince you of the advantages of our product and we can make inroads in your field, it will be a major coup. Engineering is an old and established profession set in its ways. New concepts are hard to introduce."

"You have no idea." Ann laughed.

They all sat at one end of the conference table. Ostensibly to be closer to the boxes of delicious Thai food Ann had ordered. In reality, Ann had wanted to create an atmosphere of conviviality where they could discuss as colleagues.

She had invited the man for a purpose. She already knew the vast advantages of the products he pushed, both technical and financial. She also knew that the biggest point of resistance was the old mindset versus the new. The lobby of the companies who gouged their clients was powerful. She felt the best approach was to convince from within. She was in the enviable position of working with a group of people who were open-minded if the new tools could be shown to work as needed. As creators themselves, they respected innovation.

After they had made inroads in the great food and compared culinary experiences, Ann deftly guided the discussion to the reason for this meeting.

By the time the last carton was emptied, the three programmer were in deep discussion. Though Ann knew enough programming to follow the beginning of the exchange, they were soon way too deep even for her.

She sat back and talked quietly with Anne-Marie. They made plans for the week-end. After the coin came up heads, it was decided that they would ride in the Eastern Townships. Ann had heard about the region and there were some sights she wanted to see. Anne-Marie had been there many times to visit friends, so she suggested some more. They agreed to hold on to see what Mother Nature had in mind weather wise but were looking forward to a great time no matter what.

When she felt they began to repeat themselves as eventually always happens in such reunions, Ann brought the meeting to a close with a promise to Mr. Leclair that she would work hard to bring the new concept to their division. She assured him they would being a trial project within a few weeks at the latest.

Both Elexis and André joined their voices to hers. She had first sold it to Elexis who then convinced André to at least give it a shot. It had been Luc who had sealed the deal for them. What had begun as a straightforward presentation had, under her subtle direction, become a technical discussion between passionate experts in the field.

"Hum? What did you say?" Anne-Marie asked languidly. She was loath to disrupt the mood.

They had the mp3 player just loud enough to be heard in the background. Scented candles created a romantic atmosphere. But the best of all was that she was leaning against Ann, hot water to her neck, enjoying the hands caressing her sensuously.

"I asked if you would mind if we made a few stops Saturday morning. Then we could spend the afternoon visiting the region around Magog, then eat at Hovey Manor. A friend told me they serve game and their chef knows how to cook it right. I haven't had game since I left home. There's nothing as savory as a thick barbecued steak from a deer you brought out of the forest yourself."

Anne-Marie thought about it for a moment.

"I don't mind shopping with you. Is it for your secret project?"

"Yes. I made a few calls and two or three stops should be enough. If not, I have two more addresses. There's no hurry, really. If we don't like what we see, we can wait and try again later."

"Okay then. Do you really hunt?"

"Sure thing. Almost everybody hunts up North. It's a great way to get meat cheap, plus it's a good way to help with population management."

"I always found hunting for sport to be kind of..."

"You can say it, baby. It's cruel and not sportsmanlike at all. I agree, but when you hunt to feed your family, it's another thing. Also, I only hunt with a bow. My father taught us to respect Nature and a 30.06 with a scope is kind of mechanical. Imagine, some people even build blinds and wait in ambush for deer they lure with blocks of salt. They might as well go to a shooting range and buy their meat at the supermarket."

"Yuk! And they call themselves sportsmen. Ah!"

"I learned to hunt from my dad. Then, when I was sixteen, I met an old Montagnais trapper. He was sad that the old ways were getting lost, so he was glad when I showed an interest. He's the one who taught me how to hunt with a bow and how to dress a carcass the old way. To repay him, I made a video of his stories using the resources of Wapikoni mobile, a group which travels all over the reserves in the North to give the teenagers access to the technology and teach them to produce all kinds of audio-visual art. You can still find it at the Office National du Film, I'm sure. Did you know the group Kashtin comes from the Maliotenam reserve near Sept-Iles?"