Sleight of Hand
3
I Choose
“OW! OW! OW!” I screamed. I’d fallen flat on my face on a very hard floor. One arm was crumpled under me and the other was behind my back where Lisa had fallen on top of me.
“Fuck!” Lisa yelled. She rolled off me and started a methodical check of my body. “Do you have feeling in your hands?”
“Fuck, yes,” I cried. “And my nose and my shoulders. I think my nose is broken, though.”
“Oh, crap! I’m sorry, Linc. They took your chair. Who the hell dumps a man out of a wheelchair?” she shouted at no one in particular.
“I should have known. How stupid can I be?” I moaned.
“What?”
“The wheelchair. It’s made of metal and synthetics. Help me roll over. I think I sprained my right wrist.” Lisa reached around me and gently rolled me over.
“Oops!” she laughed.
“What?”
“I’m suddenly free-boobing. The metal hooks and eyes on my bra didn’t come along,” she said. We looked at each other and both snorted.
“Crap! Zippers. Snaps. Belt buckle. Rivets. We might as well have come through naked.” Lisa propped me up and I leaned back against her as we looked around. A white room. No doors or windows. I put a hand to my face to try to stop my bloody nose as I tipped my head back and moaned. A wall opened. That’s the best I could describe it. It just opened.
Into the room walked an incredibly beautiful blonde, about five-five, buxom, and dressed in a fantasy nurse’s outfit. I groaned. It was like one of those Halloween sexy nurse costumes.
“Welcome, Hero. I am Rita Hero Greeter.”
“I’m Lincoln. This is Lisa.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Yes. We fell when we came through. Are you the Rita Caretaker that cared for Hero Seth?”
“Yes. Oh! You are Hero Seth’s Lincoln!” She broke down crying. “He’s dead! I still can’t believe he’s dead. I’m sorry. I just can’t help it.”
“Rita, Seth wanted me to tell his precious Rita that he loved you till his last breath.”
“He said that?” she cried.
“He wrote it in a letter to me. I’m sorry it has taken us so long to come here and tell you.”
“Let’s go to the reception area and get you started.” She turned and headed toward another door. When she realized we weren’t following, she turned back with a puzzled look at me sitting on the floor.
“Rita, you know, don’t you, that my legs don’t work?” I said. Her eyes got big.
“Oh, no! How did you get here?”
“Well, we came through the portal, but it took away my wheelchair on the way through. If you can help her, Lisa can carry me into the next room. She’s very strong,” I said. Lisa laaughed and scooped me up in her arms.
“I can handle it. I think the gravity is lower.”
“I just assumed you would not be allowed through the portal unless you were healthy. It’s one of the rules,” Rita said.
“He’s perfectly healthy. His legs just don’t work. Seth was under the impression that your healing chamber would fix that,” Lisa said.
“We can only hope. Are you Hero Lincoln’s companion?” Rita asked.
“I am Lisa, Hero Lincoln’s caretaker.” Lisa put me down on a white couch. Rita looked at her with hands on hips.
“You can’t be. His caretaker will be a woman from Cassandra.”
“The day a Cassandran caretaker accompanies him to Earth, I’ll resign.
According to the rule books, I can go to Earth, Crossroads, and Chaos.”
“Computer, clarify the role of an Earthwoman as a caretaker.”
“She is correct, Rita Hero Greeter,” said a disembodied voice. “She is Hero Lincoln’s earthly caretaker and may accompany him to both Crossroads and Chaos. However, he will still be required to have a Cassandran caretaker here on Crossroads.”
“Very well,” Rita said, a little tightly. “Lisa Caretaker, you are welcome to Crossroads. Computer, the caretaker files, please.” Three manila folders appeared on a table in front of Lisa and me.
“What about the healing chamber?” I said. My wrist hurt. My nose was still bleeding. I tipped my head back. Rita was all business.
“You must choose a caretaker, first. She will provide all your needs here at Crossroads.” Rita sat back in her chair with her arms folded.
“Rita Hero Greeter, I take it that for some reason I have offended you and you do not like me. May I ask why?” I said. I was getting a little miffed. She stared at me.
“For years, Seth has talked about the hero candidate he found on Earth. I didn’t think he was serious. He seemed to think you would be perfect. It would merely take a little time in a healing chamber and you would be among the best. I humored him. He was the best. I didn’t think you would ever come through the portal when Seth was killed. Then when you did, I found a weakling who needed to be carried to the reception room. Choose a caretaker, go to the healing chamber, and return to Earth. You will never be back,” she said.
Lisa and I looked at the folders. They were thin. Blood dripped onto one of them. I realized my nose was still bleeding and hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Rita, could I at least have an ice pack and something to stop the blood flow?” I moaned as I pushed myself back.
“Oh, shit. Ice pack and wash cloths,” she commanded. The ice pack and cloths materialized on the table and Lisa immediately began staunching the flow. “You need to choose a caretaker,” Rita said.
“How can I choose? I can’t even see them, damn it!” I said.
“Oh, fuck this shit,” Lisa said. “Computer. Do you recognize me as Lisa, Hero Lincoln’s caretaker?”
“Yes, Lisa Caretaker.”
“Then open the fucking healing chamber so I can get the hero into it.” Another wall opened and Lisa scooped me up in her arms. I was beginning to feel woozy. She scowled at Rita and carried me into the next room. She laid me down in the tank and kissed my forehead. “Relax, my hero,” she said. Then the lid closed and I was out.
I awoke to look into Lisa’s deep blue eyes as she bent to kiss me. I was in heaven and my angel was here to greet me.
“How do you feel, my Hero?” she whispered.
“Great!” I said. I lifted my right hand and swiveled the wrist. No pain, no swelling. I gingerly touched my nose. Straight. No pain. “I think it worked,” I said.
“That’s wonderful!” Lisa shouted. “Let’s get you out of there and into a shower. The chamber heals you, but it doesn’t clean you up.” I lifted my arms to her and she pulled me out of the chamber and hugged me to her. It was a few seconds before I realized I was standing up.
“Oh! Ow! Oh! Shit!” I yelled, almost doubling over. “Pins and needles. My legs! Oh, damn! It’s like they went to sleep and now the blood is circulating. I can feel my legs!”
“Yes! Yes!” Lisa yelled. She was crying and still hugging me. “Can you walk?”
“I don’t know. I’m standing up. But they feel so weak.”
“Lean against me and let’s get to the shower.”
It was a long, slow shuffle. I felt like my legs would give out at any moment. I was exhausted by the time we got to the bathroom and I collapsed on the toilet. Lisa pulled the remains of my jeans off.
“I have to pee,” I said as she pulled my shirt off. She lifted me enough to raise the lid and I sat back on the stool. I looked down. No catheter. No colostomy bag. I pissed. “Oh, god! That feels so good!” I started crying. Who would ever think that pissing could feel so fucking good? It was the best thing I’d ever felt. I could hardly wait to shit, but there was nothing ready at that end. Lisa got the water running in the shower and stripped. I looked up at her naked body for the first time. I was getting some other responses that I hadn’t felt in nearly six years.
“Come on. Into the shower. I’ll hold you up,” she said. It took a little work to step into the shower and stay stable as the water beat down on me. It didn’t help that I was distracted by my sister-in-law’s lush body.
“Lisa, you’re naked.” I was definitely feeling the response to her presence.
“Yes, well, Computer and I had a conversation about my responsibilities as a caretaker after Rita left. I need to see to your needs and comfort,” she said. Lisa had bathed me many times. After I got mobile, I could hoist myself onto the chair in my custom shower, but for the first year, she’d bathed me, changed my bags, and handled every part of me. Even after I was mobile, she was my chief caretaker and changed the bags and catheter on a regular basis. Those were tasks she didn’t allow Cadence to do.
“What happened to Rita?” I said, trying to distract myself. When Lisa soaped her hands and washed my cock and balls, I nearly collapsed. I could hear the catch in her breath as well. She’d handled my cock when it was a little limp noodle, but never when it was a raging hard-on.
“We had a long talk while you were in the chamber.”
“How long was I out?”
“Two days. There was a lot of repair work to be done.”
“So, what did you talk about?” I asked.
“Well, in spite of his enthusiasm over having you become a hero, it seems that Seth never actually told Rita what happened. Maybe he didn’t really know. When I explained how you had rescued both Cadence and me, and how you had faced down my husband even back when you couldn’t get out of bed, her attitude changed. Once Computer confirmed that I could take care of your needs in the interim, until you chose a caretaker, Rita excused herself. She said she would be back to apologize formally before you left Crossroads. She’s really still torn up about Seth’s death. It reminds me of your mother in the last couple years.”
“Lisa? If you keep doing that, I’m going to… I don’t know if I can stand up. If…”
“Shower chair,” Lisa commanded. A chair materialized in the shower and I sank onto it just before my legs collapsed entirely. “A caretaker’s job is to see to all your needs, Hero Lincoln. There are other rules—and the fact that I’m married—that prevent me from having sex with you. But you have an obvious need for release, if for no other reason than to test your equipment. Let me do this for you, Lincoln. Relax.”
My heart rate was up and I was breathing so deeply and rapidly that I had to shift my head so I didn’t get water up my nose. I reached out tentatively and touched Lisa’s breast. She turned so I could reach it better. Her beautiful breast in my hand. Her wonderful hands on my cock. I just let it come.
You’d think that after six years of enforced abstinence that there would be a pretty big back-up of jism waiting to get out. You’d think I would come gallons, as the porn stories always say. I guess that’s not the way it really works. A spasm and spurt, and I was done. My cock was already too sensitive to have her keep touching it. I pulled her hands away and pulled her to me to kiss. That lovely, intense kiss was about as good as the ejaculation.
“I think you are going to need a lot of physical therapy down there before you are ready to perform up to hero standards,” Lisa giggled. “Oh, Lincoln, how I wish your brother was like you. Let’s get you rinsed off and go get some food.”
Towels appeared and when I was able to stand again with Lisa’s help, I stepped out of the shower. I pointed at my jeans and she held them up.
“I don’t really think you want to put these on,” she said. “There’s no zipper.”
“I know, but I’d like to check the pockets.” I didn’t carry a wallet because it was hard to get to my back pockets. Most things I carried in the pockets of the wheelchair. But I wanted to see what did come through.
“My money clip and change are gone,” I said. “But I have a few dollars and a handkerchief in that pocket.” I searched the other pocket and smiled. “And a deck of cards!”
“You and your cards!” Lisa laughed. “Comfortable silk pajamas for two, please.” Two pair of silk pajamas hovered in the air in front of us until Lisa took them. She helped me into mine and then slipped into her own.
“Don’t dress on my account,” I laughed. She scowled at me, but didn’t button the shirt.
“Prepare our lunch, please.” At first, I thought she was talking to me, but as we shuffled into the next room, I saw a table set with two chairs and a virtual banquet.
For the past six years, I’d been really careful about what I ate. My cardio program kept my heart strong, but didn’t really burn much fat. The banquet on the table included some of my favorites. My stomach growled as I took my first bite of medium rare steak, marbled to perfection, and so tender I could cut it with my fork. The baked potato was magnificent. It was loaded with sour cream and butter. The asparagus had enough butter to float a ship in. A huge slice of cheesecake was accompanied by a cup of hot coffee with cream. I was in meat and dairy heaven. By the time I finished eating, I was ready for a nap.
I woke in Lisa’s arms. She still slept, but cradled me against her breasts. Her pajama shirt, never buttoned up, gapped open and her nipple was just inches from my lips. I couldn’t resist. Tentatively at first, I reached out my tongue and licked the rapidly stiffening nub. Lisa moaned softly and I wasn’t completely sure she was still asleep. I wrapped my lips around the welcoming softness of her flesh and sucked gently on it.
“Oh, Lincoln. Nurse on me. Touch me. Let me live for an instant in this fantasy.” I shifted around so I could better reach both her breasts and then raised my lips to her welcoming mouth. Our kiss deepened as I caressed her. Her hips moved involuntarily, finding nothing to press against. I trailed kisses down her neck and latched again onto her bosom, sucking and flicking with my tongue. I was a novice at this, though Cadence had taught me how she liked gentle sucking and licking rather than rough treatment. I made the assumption that her mother’s body would respond in a similar manner. It did.
I let my hand move down to her strong abdominal muscles, rubbing in circles across her tummy. Lisa had taken care to stay more than fit. She had to be strong to lift me and help me. Her core strength was phenomenal. Eventually, I let my hand slip beneath the waist of her pajamas to play in the soft curls of her pubic hair. I found her to be moist as she parted her legs to give me better access. With a quick shift, she pushed her pajamas down and out of the way, eventually kicking them off entirely. I had complete access and explored her thoroughly. I went slowly and spread her lubrication around, eventually arriving at and focusing on her pleasure center. Lisa whimpered, convulsing against my fingers.
“Oh, Lincoln,” she cried. Her legs clamped together as she hugged me tightly and wept. I returned to her lips and kissed her, whispering words about how much I loved her. “I’ve never… That’s only the second time anyone other than myself has made me come,” she finally cried. “I love you, Lincoln. I’m so sorry we can’t be together.”
“Shh. We are together, my love.” We held each other for a long time and eventually her hand found my renewed erection. She dipped her hand into her vagina to gather as much lubricant as possible and spread it on my cock. It was not long until droplets of my own making joined in making me slick under her fingers. I found myself using newly awakened muscles to thrust up against her strokes until I came.
“We need to choose your caretaker,” Lisa whispered as we basked in the afterglow. I nodded. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone else to infringe on my time with her. “Breakfast in bed. Eggs Benedict, fresh melon, and coffee with cream. And tomato juice,” she said as we sat up against the pillows. In a few moments, two trays appeared straddling our legs. Everything was perfect. “Caretaker files, please.”
“You are very polite to Computer,” I said, as the files appeared on the bed next to us.
“It’s very intelligent and willing to answer nearly every question, but not much of a conversationalist. It prefers direct commands to questions, but I think it’s pleased that I’m polite to it. Remember that,” she said. “But at the same time, Computer has made some independent judgments that might be outside the strict interpretation of the rules. It will be easier on it if we make the selection of your Cassandran caretaker so it is not as directly responsible for our behavior.”
“Well, let’s get to it, then.” As we ate our breakfast, we pored over the three files.
Claudia Director.
Occupation: Theatrical director. Credits include fifty-seven plays and seventeen musicals on the Cassandran stage.
Qualifications: Well-versed in literature and the arts of Cassandra, Earth, and Chaos. Expert in stage combat. Seductive. Has assisted in the delivery of five Cassandra children of heroes. Versatile in performance as well as direction.
The picture was a shock at first. I wasn’t expecting it to be nude. I don’t think Lisa was either. She quickly glanced at the pictures in the other two folders and then shut them with a little catch in her throat. I had never been aware of any bisexual proclivities on Lisa’s part, but sex hadn’t really been a part of our relationship aside from rather innocent flirting and cuddling before coming to Crossroads. She pointed out some of Claudia’s prominent characteristics, including the rather pronounced inner labia that hung below her slit and the tightly trimmed hair. Claudia had black hair and flashing dark brown eyes. She had generous breasts with large, dark brown areolae and a tiny waist.
“If you like especially large breasts and big nipples, she could be your girl,” Lisa whispered. I closed the file and took a moment to look at Lisa. I traced around her nipples with my fingers. Her breasts were nowhere near as big as Claudia’s. Her nipples were larger than Cadence’s, but not in the league of Claudia. I guessed they would not have been that big had she not breastfed Cadence as a baby.
“I like these,” I said simply. She kissed me and sighed.
“You like steak,” she said. “But sometimes you’ll want chicken or fish. Variety is the spice of life.” We read through the more detailed description of Claudia and if we were on Earth, I’d find myself falling for her pretty quickly. She had talent. No doubt about that.
“Next,” I said.
Rebecca Nurse:
Occupation: Midwife. Credits include the delivery of over forty heroes’ babies. Prior to midwifery, Rebecca worked in emergency room care and is credited with saving multiple lives after the disastrous building collapse ten years ago.
Qualifications: Rebecca Nurse turned down the opportunity to become a full-fledged physician in order to minister to the poor on Cassandra. She is altruistic and often donates her income to charitable causes. She has studied injury and disease on both Cassandra and Chaos. Her treatise on the advancement of medicine on Chaos won her a doctorate from the University, though she refuses to use the title in her profession. She is also a physical fitness trainer.
The photo of Rebecca Nurse showed a woman who could only be referred to as statuesque. She was almost regal in appearance. She had red hair that reminded me of a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I’d seen in a Shakespeare textbook. She looked serious, with no smile. Still, there was a glint of something I could almost call mischief in her green eyes. It took Lisa pointing out her other attributes before I tore myself away from the eyes.
“Oh, my! She’s tall. I wonder how tall you are, now that you can be vertical again.” She glanced up. “How tall is Hero Lincoln?” she asked.
“Five feet, eleven and three-quarters inches,” the disembodied voice said.
“Okay, almost five-twelve. You’d be two inches taller than her. And look at that fiery red bush she sports. She has a few freckles across her upper torso and nipples that are so pale you can almost see through them. What do you think?”
“I think she could break me in half with a twitch of her abs,” I laughed. “Since when is five-twelve a height?”
“What? Oh!” She started laughing and we almost spilled our coffee. We went back to looking over the details of Rebecca Nurse. I found her a little intimidating. It was easy to imagine her as a dominatrix on some porn site. We finally closed the file, asked Computer to remove our breakfast trays as we opened the last file.
Persephone Student:
Occupation: Full-time student. Credits include 4.0 average in all subjects and degrees. Degrees include PhDs in Cultural Anthropology, Pre-History, and Psychology. Master of Arts in History, Anthropology, Literature, and Music. Master of Science in Psychology, Pharmacology, Astronomy, and Metallurgy. Bachelor degrees in Anthropology, History, Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Biology, Literature, Music, Psychology, Chemistry, and Art.
Qualifications: Persephone Student became the youngest person ever awarded a Bachelor’s degree at the University. Her first Master’s thesis became the secondary school textbook on the History of Chaos and Cassandra. She maintains an active lifestyle, including horseback riding at a competitive level, archery, and ballet. She is the reigning world champion rodeo barrel racer. Three of her Hero Portraits are on exhibit at the National Gallery.
“Good god!” I said. “She’s a walking encyclopedia!”
“Knowledge might not be the only thing you need to keep you alive on Chaos,” Lisa reminded me. “Let’s see the picture.”
I’d have never matched the picture with the description. She was… cute. I couldn’t think of a better word to describe her. She was five-three and slightly built. Small breasts with nipples that hardly made their presence known. She was a honey blonde with blue eyes and her privates were shaved completely bare. She had a crooked smile with her lower lip caught between her teeth. Apparently, that’s an intergalactic expression of seductive women. Cadence certainly used it. She blushed as if standing nude in front of the camera embarrassed her. She looked so…
“Innocent,” sighed Lisa. “She looks like a precious little girl. I just want to hug her and make her hot chocolate and cookies.”
“Yeah,” I breathed. I shifted so my instant hard-on wasn’t so obvious. “Let’s read the details.”
There wasn’t much more to read. She was the granddaughter of a hero, but was considered unlikely to ever conceive. The only thing that seemed absent in her profile was a social life. I could certainly understand that!
We closed the file and spread the three of them out in front of us. As we stared at them, the number on Rebecca Nurse’s folder changed from a two to a three. Now there was a three on all the folders.
“Computer, what does the three on the folder mean?” Lisa asked.
“Candidates get three chances to be selected as a hero caretaker. If they are turned down a third time, they are no longer eligible to become a caretaker. The number three on the folder indicates that this is the third chance for the candidate.”
“Which means that no matter who I choose, the other two will have their dreams of being a caretaker dashed to the ground,” I said.
“It is similar to a lottery,” said the disembodied voice. “One of six will win. If you choose to dismiss all three of these, you will receive a final three to choose from. If you are unable to choose from those, you will leave Crossroads without a caretaker forever.”
“And if I choose one of these three, are the next three also eliminated?” I asked.
“No. Since they have not been considered, they are not in the lottery until you choose to dismiss these three.”
“Thank you, Computer.” There was silence. Apparently, it didn’t understand the polite response.
“If I may say, Hero Lincoln,” Computer spoke.
“Yes?”
“If you choose to move on to another set of candidates, they will also all be on their third chance and have a similar level of qualification. There is a notation in your record that indicates you are unlikely to return to Crossroads and that if you do, you are unlikely to survive your first mission.”
Lisa and I talked—and argued—about the qualifications of the three candidates all day. She asked for and received a huge whiteboard on one wall of the living area. As I sat facing it in a very comfortable chair provided by Computer, Lisa moved back and forth with various color markers making notes under the names of the three candidates. I wasn’t even considering rejecting all three. After Computer’s pronouncement, I wasn’t about to dash five women’s hopes instead of just two. And I’d try my damnedest to make her proud. Lisa and I specifically rejected the concept of a sympathy vote. Two were going home without the prize. All three stood an equal chance of seeing my dead body returned to Crossroads. That also trumped any physical appeal. I tried— almost successfully—to put the sexy images of the three women out of my mind.
By the time we finished, it was late—way past dinner time. Lisa stood beside the board and looked at me. I just stared at her. When we’d come from the bedroom to do our deliberations, she hadn’t bothered to dress. Her hair was medium brown. Her body was firm, even though she had delivered and suckled a baby and was fifteen years my senior. Her blue eyes sparkled as she watched me scan down her body and sigh. I would choose her above all the others. She raised her eyebrows in that move that meant I was about to get a lecture. I nodded. She smiled at me.
“Computer, please prepare a formal dinner set for two,” she said glancing up at the ceiling. It was as good a place to look for the disembodied voice as any. “The first course will be crab-stuffed mushroom caps accompanying a very dry gin martini. One shot only. Please be sure water glasses are kept filled with cold water, no ice. After the appetizer has been cleared, serve a Caesar salad—hold the anchovies. This is to be followed by chateaubriand, medium rare. Hero Lincoln will slice and serve. Accompany this with a glass of 1995 Chateau Ausone Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. For dessert, serve chocolate mousse with Dom Perignon Rosé 2004. Following dessert, prepare espresso with a dollop of heavy cream floated on the surface. The pace of the meal is expected to take approximately three hours. Do not rush it. Please provide a restorative as necessary should our guests become fatigued. It has been a long day.”
“Yes, Lisa Caretaker. Will there be anything else?” The table setting appeared with chairs set at opposite ends of a six-foot rectangular table. Lisa scowled at it.
“Please change to a round table, diameter four feet, with chairs placed at ninety degrees.” The table shimmered and reset to Lisa’s specifications. “Now Hero Lincoln needs tuxedo pants, white pleated shirt—no ruffles—black bowtie, white dinner jacket, patent leather shoes. Please leave two pair of matching red silk pajamas on the bed.” Lisa went straight to work getting me dressed and when my stomach growled, she ordered a restorative for me. That settled me a little and gave me a huge boost of energy, which she encountered as she was tucking my shirt into my pants. She giggled and gave me a little squeeze. When I was dressed to her satisfaction, she stepped back and looked at me. She was still naked.
“Computer, please prepare a chamber for me to retire to now and I will order my dinner from there.” Lisa crossed to me and gave me a deep and passionate kiss as a wall opened behind her. “Do well, my hero. I love you,” she said. She retired through the door. If that was the kind of send-off I was going to get for every mission, I was already hooked. When the doorway closed, I finally spoke.
“I choose Persephone Student as my Caretaker.
Comments
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