WSIM24B Ch. 02

Jane had brought her blanket (which we really didn't need at night, because it was so warm). She spread it on the parquet floor, and lay down so that I could eat her pussy and then take her in the missionary position. For round two, she wanted doggie. I admired the line of her back and the sway of her heavy breasts beneath her.

After that, I thought we would head back, but Jane thought that we could 'study' here. Her idea of studying was to tell me everything she knew about Camp 2. Running, shooting, running and shooting, armed and unarmed combat were the primary activities.

- "We don't really need to study for those." I said.

- "See?" she said, with a big smile.

After a bit of a rest, Jane pinned me against the wall, and then dropped to her knees in front of me. A little later, we had one final fuck with me on the blanket, and Jane riding me in reverse cowgirl.

When we got back to the base, I managed to find an hour for studying before dinner. After our meal, Jane wanted to go back to the love-nests. I pleaded fatigue. I'd come four times already that day, but I knew that if anyone could coax another couple of orgasms out of me, it would be Jane.

I got in another hour of study before I passed out.

***

Running isn't so bad, even with loaded packs. It's just mind over matter. Shooting is easy, even if the trainers tried to put pressure on us by matching us against each other, and making the loser run again.

It was their damn biathlon ideas. I know - a traditional biathlon involves snow, cross-country skis, and shooting. But our trainers had imagination. We would do ten minutes of hard calisthenics, and then shoot. Or a five mile run, followed by long-range shooting. And then a ten mile run, just before a session of unarmed combat.

Tired bodies and tired minds make mistakes. Jane didn't seem to worry about mistakes. She wasn't stupid: she'd been careful when we were boating, and especially when diving in the lagoon. But she didn't seem too concerned by how she scored on our tests, or our runs.

- "Look, Thorn, I do well in UC and AC, and I'm a pretty good shot. That balances things out, you know? Besides, we both know why they're going to want me in ISEC - and it's not for my running times."

She had a point.

- "Maybe it's just me." I said. "I hate to come second in anything."

She laughed. "I dunno. You seem to always make sure that I come first."

- "You know what I mean. I like to do the best I possibly can."

- "I know. We're just built differently. And that's a good thing." She leaned closer, to press her breast against my arm even as she passed her hand over my package.

Jane understood what I was saying, though. She relented, just a little, in her sexual demands. We only had sex twice, the next Saturday, and twice more on Sunday.

I lost a few pounds that month. I just wasn't sure if it was because of the long runs in the heat, or the trysts in the abandoned house and the love nests.

- "I really hope that I see you again." said Jane, on moving day.

- "Me too." I think that I actually meant it.

***

My next two-week placement was in a school. It had been a school; several of the rooms had been converted into small dorms for four or even six trainees. The classrooms were still used, by ISEC, and several had been equipped with state-of-the-art computers and program stations.

There were twelve of us, all male. We learned encryption, encryption-breaking, coding, and hacking. We were taught to do research - you might laugh, but when a search for 'spotted-lantern fly' comes up with 4.6 million sources, you have to learn to refine your searches.

It was surprisingly hard work. I wasn't the only one who saw our calisthenics and UC sessions as a bit of a break. Work all day, eat, sleepread. There was a hacking contest in our second week: I finished 8th out of 12. That was a little humbling.

I wasn't too sad when that interval was over, and it was time to move on to our seventh month - back in the city.

In fact, I was very pleased when I saw one of the trainees who had arrived before me. One of them was Erika. She looked amazing in a half-shirt that left most her midriff bare. Had I forgotten, or had she always been that toned?

- "Thorn?" she said, as I approached. She accepted a light hug, but quickly stepped back.

- "You look great!" I told her.

Her face fell. I knew right away that I'd said the wrong thing.

- "Umm..."

- "Sorry." I said. "You do. But I'm mostly happy to see you because the last urban pod was difficult. I could really use a partner with skills."

- "Yeah." she said. "This is my second time, too. I agree with you - it can be pretty demanding." She paused, and looked down.

- "But?"

- "But I don't... I don't want you to think that because we had sex before, that we're going to again. I'm not looking for a sexual partner this time, Thorn. Just a teammate."

- "I understand." I said - even though I didn't. I thought that we'd been really good together, both ways. "I can be that teammate. If you want to work together."

Erika smiled a bit. "That would be great. If you're sure..."

- "I'm sure."

I was sure that she was the best training partner I could have. She was serious, dedicated, and driven, and she had great skills. Was I disappointed that she didn't want to partner all the way? Of course.

Look, if I was only interested in sex, and I had seen Becca, Destiny, Jane and Erika in a shop window... or let's say, naked in a shop window... well, Erika might have been the fourth choice. I say might, because she was hot, and her intelligence and skills were a big part of her appeal.

I could always contact Amethyst if I got really horny. In the meantime, I had the best partner I could get.

And I needed her, because the trainers got sneaky right off the bat.

We had tailing exercises, working as a team, where the target knew they were being tailed, and actively tried to lose us. Then there was a similar test where at least a dozen supposedly innocent bystanders seemed to be trying to impede or interfere with us.

We had to try to shed a tail, with the assistance of our partner, but it wasn't easy, because the tails all seemed to be trained professionals. We also had to try picking pockets, or taking a bag or briefcase from a mark. Some of our targets were unsuspecting civilians, but more than a few were plants, out to make it difficult for us.

There were a few moments when I wished that I'd had Jane as a partner, to provide a distraction as only she could. But Erika was fantastic. And I think that I impressed her, a little; no one expects a pickpocket to be someone my size. My legerdemain might not be world class, but I did benefit from the element of surprise.

We were both exhausted, that first Friday night. We put in an hour of study, and then agreed to catch up on sleep. On Saturday, we studied hard. I was horny, but I didn't think that Erika would appreciate it if I took off to go see Amethyst. Besides... I didn't want Amethyst. I wanted Erika.

Was it the thrill of the chase? I was pretty sure that Erika didn't even know that there was a chase on. But I remembered our time together, and I knew that she was worth waiting for. I got through that first weekend without bailing on her.

The second week was gruelling. Marksmanship at the pistol range was the only break we got, other than running. The trainers were sadistic (or they'd been talking to the sadistic trainers at Camp 2); they had us do a 5k, and then go straight into tailing exercises without giving us a chance to shower or change clothes.

- "You never know." said Trainer IA. "You never know when."

These trainers thought that they could motivate us by posting our scores at the end of the week. It certainly worked on trainees like Erika and me. For the first bloc, we finished third. In the second week, Erika and I were first.

She was delighted. I was extremely pleased, too, but I thought that she might be open to a little celebration that Friday night - or maybe a little relaxation of her rules.

I kissed her.

She pushed me away hard enough to slam me into a wall. Her eyes were blazing. I immediately raised my hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

She glared at me, and then left the room. She didn't talk to me again until Monday. On Saturday, I studied alone. But I also called Amethyst. I met her at a local bar, caught up with her life over the next two hours, and then steered her back to her apartment, both of us slightly inebriated. She barely knew what hit her. I fucked her all over her bedroom, up, down and around. The only chivalry I showed her was when I refrained from tapping her tight little ass. I didn't want to hurt her.

The following week was a bit tense between Erika and me. We tried to keep it professional, but she was still ticked off. She was a bit snarky, and she balked once or twice when I made suggestions - it was like she was veering right when I said left.

On Thursday morning, during breakfast, I sat her down.

- "Do you want to dissolve our partnership?" I asked her.

- "What?"

- "I understand that I crossed the line. I apologized. In my own defence, you're a very, very attractive woman, and I can't forget how good it was when we had sex. That's my problem. Yours is that you're still trying to punish me for that minor transgression. Our performance is suffering - and it's not because of me. So you should find a new partner... or get your head out of your ass, and start working with me, instead of against me."

Erika didn't react right away. Most women - most people - would have fired right back. Nobody likes being criticized. But she had the brains to hear what I was saying, and to consider the source. We'd had considerable success together. She was smart enough to know that we could have more, if she could get over... whatever it was that was making her angry.

She did it. She stopped fighting me, and resumed working with me. We did well that day, and on Friday, we were amazing. Erika recognized that an interfering civilian was actually an assassin, out to end my day, and took him down - effectively, and with a minimum of fuss.

We finished third overall for the week.

That Friday night, we sat down together.

- "I'm sorry." she said.

- "For what? You made a superb judgment call, and a beautiful hand strike. That guy was out before he knew it. Seriously, Erika: that was impressive."

- "Thanks. But... no. I mean... I'm sorry that I was working against you. You were right: I was trying to punish you."

- "I understand."

- "I know. But I was still wrong."

- "No." I said. "You told me what you wanted, and I crossed the line."

She turned her head, and looked across the mess room - it wasn't big enough to be called a mess hall.

- "Maybe I shouldn't have drawn that line in the first place."

I could have said 'What?' - but I'd heard her perfectly. This was interesting. Everyone carries their own baggage. There are very few people who've had perfect lives, with perfect parents. So many of us are damaged, in so many ways - it's like the universe is full of the walking wounded, just trying to function in an increasingly dysfunctional environment.

Fournier, my buddy at AFOTA, had had to resist aggressive sexual advances from his own brother. I'd had a full-out fist-fight with my father, when he tried to beat up my mother. Erika had her own issues. She didn't have to bare her soul - I made sure that she knew that.

- "No." she said. "I made a mistake. I pushed you away, even though I enjoyed our time together as much as you did - if not more."

- "That's not possible."

She smiled. "See? You build me up, and I fight against it."

I got up then, and went to sit beside her. I took a slight risk, and put my arm around her.

- "I've been in seven pods, over seven months." I said. "I've had five partners, in that time. And you've been the best. By far. In every sense."

I wasn't lying. Silent Girl was a brief interlude. Becca fucked me because it was her job - even if she enjoyed it. Destiny was an impressive woman, but she didn't have Erika's skills, no matter how you defined 'skills'. I'd just spent two months with Jane, but I knew that if I needed a partner, Erika was the no-brainer choice.

- "There it is." she said. "You... you appreciate me. And I push you away."

- "You're not pushing me away now."

Erika smiled, and then tilted her head, offering me a kiss.

I took it. I normally considered kissing as a prelude, but kissing Erika was like a four-course meal. I had to break it off because I'd forgotten to breathe.

- "Come with me." she said.

Erika led me into the women's washroom, where there were fairly spacious shower stalls. She stripped down, and the helped me get my own clothing off. She positioned me under the shower spray, and picked up the soap. She didn't just lather me up; Erika devoted herself to covering every possible erogenous zone on my body with soap. She even gently fingered my earlobes.

I returned the favor. I knew several of her most sensitive spots. But when she turned her back to me, I almost gasped aloud. Her bottom was... a thing of beauty. Tiny. Taut. Delectable.

I was just tall enough that I could sit on the floor of the shower stall and eat her pussy. Erika leaned over, shielding me from the spray. She kept one hand on the wall so that she wouldn't fall down. But she didn't let me bring her all the way home; instead, she stepped back, and pulled me to my feet. Then she turned around, leaned against the opposite wall, and spread her legs a little wider.

I didn't wait for an engraved invitation. The moment I entered her, Erika pushed back at me, trying to take my full length on the very first thrust. I held onto her slender hips, and slid back and forth until my cock was completely sheathed inside her.

She wasn't expecting tenderness, or romance. I hammered her from behind, my pelvis slapping her ass hard and fast. I suspected that were both going to have bruises after this. But Erika growled, and tried to match my rhythm - it was exactly what she wanted.

She came first - and it was a good thing, too, because I only lasted a few more strokes before I felt my own orgasm boiling up. I pulled out, and shot a massive load all over her back and butt.

We were both leaning against the wall, trying to catch our breath.

- "Sorry." I said. "I was... a little out of control, there."

- "We both were. Not a... not a bad thing."

We got a few looks when we left the women's showers together. Erika didn't seem to care; once she'd made her mind up, she wasn't shy. In the hallway outside the women's dorm, she stopped and kissed me.

"I want you again, but... we both need a bit of rest."

- "Agreed."

- "Goodnight, partner." she said.

I didn't fall asleep the moment I got to my bed. Instead, I tried to think of possible places to have sex with Erika. I suspected that she might not mind another quickie in a bathroom, or something like that, but I was sure that we both wanted better than that. For a moment I even considered asking Amethyst if I could borrow her apartment.

Erika seemed to be in a pretty good mood at breakfast. She certainly had an appetite. She pushed quite a bit of food at me, too. She even snuck a couple of pieces of fruit to take with us.

- "Ready to study?" she asked.

- "Let's do it." I said. If only she had known how distracted I was. I was still thinking of sex. I had to smile when I realized that I had become the Jane in this partnership.

- "You look happy." said Erika.

- "Much happier. I hated being on the outs with you. Next time I do something stupid, just punch me in the head, or something. But don't give me the cold shoulder. That was harsh."

- "Next time? You're going to do something stupid again?"

- "I'm far from perfect, Erika." I was being serious.

- "Well, next time I'm the one who does something stupid, please remind me of this week. Or of this month. I'm sorry that I wasted so much of our time."

- "Deal."

Erika was a great study partner - by far the best I'd had. We had a very productive morning. Then she surprised me.

- "How hungry are you?" she asked, just before lunch.

- "Not that hungry. Not after you practically force-fed me at breakfast. Why?"

- "Come with me."

She led me straight to the women's dorm.

"I traded for the corner bunk." she said. "Here, help me with this."

She had affixed a couple of pieces of tape to her bed sheet, and wanted my assistance to get it fixed to the ceiling. I had to hide my face so that she didn't see my reaction.

"Everyone else will be at lunch." she said. "This is just in case someone comes back early. I heard two of the girls talking. Some couple did this a few months ago. Same spot, I think."

No, I didn't say a word. Erika didn't need to know that I'd been half of that couple.

She was out of her clothes in a flash. She seemed ultra-conscious that we were on the clock, in a way. Erika let me go down on her, but once again stopped me before she came. She pulled me up on top of her. It was as if she really just wanted to be joined. To fuck me.

I'm pretty sure that she came with me on top.

- "Change?' she asked.

- "I'm... getting close."

- "Do it. Inside." She wrapped her legs around me.

I groaned as I spent inside her.

Within minutes she had me on my back, using her hands and mouth to get another rise out of me. It didn't take too long. That done, she mounted me, and began to rock and grind. She managed to reach another orgasm, after which she lay down beside me, and arranged us so that I could enter her from behind, spoon fashion.

"When you get close, you can put me on my tummy and finish hard."

- "You're a wonder, Erika."

- "Not really. I'm hardly perfect, either."

- "You feel pretty perfect to me right now."

- "Mmm... and we still have 15 minutes, if you want to take your time."

Challenge accepted.

At least two or three people came into the dorm while we were still going. I doubt that they could see much, given our position, but it gave me an incentive to pick up the pace.

Just as Erika had asked, I flipped her onto her stomach, re-entered her, and pounded her hard until I blew up inside her.

I rolled us back into a sticky spoon position, and held her in my arms. More women came into the dorm, but Erika didn't seem to want to leave. Neither did I. In fact, I may have gotten so comfortable that I dozed off for a bit.

- "We should probably get up." she said. "Do some studying."

- "Sure. Shower first."

She laughed. "Not together. I know where that leads."

- "Good memory, though."

Erika turned around so that she faced me. "Yes. It is a good memory. Now, go shower. I'll meet you in the study hall."

We studied for a few hours. It wasn't our most productive session. I couldn't stop looking at her face. It came as a surprise to me: I found her even more attractive now. Given the choice between Erika and the other women I'd had sex with during training... I couldn't be sure that I wouldn't pick her first.

We had dinner together, and then Erika led me somewhere I'd never been - onto the roof of the building. Unfortunately, it wasn't a private space where we could have sex. There were at least a dozen other trainees up here.

It was, though, a semi-private place to talk. It was quiet enough, and there was plenty of space. It was also fascinating to have the lights of the city spreading out in three directions. We could identify particular streets where we had practiced tailing and being tailed.

- "I wanted to apologize again." she said.

- "You didn't do anything wrong."

- "I did. You were right, when we first met, at the lagoon. You said that nothing but work and sleep was counter-productive. That 'recreation' was very important. I agree with you, now."