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Waiting for Purple

By: ShyChiWriter



(Hello Literotica Readers! I've been gone from the site for a while, but I've loved the continued feedback and votes that my work had gotten. Literotica is truly one of the most wonderful sites on the net and it is the readers who make it so.

Here is my entry for this year's Nude Day Contest. A bit of a departure for me, I suppose, but I I always like to keep things fresh and not tell the same story twice. There will be romance, though, I promise - though perhaps maybe not where you would expect at first.

I hope you enjoy, I love your comments always appreciate your votes. Those things are the reasons I'm here. )

***

Ken looked around at their group of friends nervously.

It was a Saturday night tradition. The second Saturday of every month, one of them would pick a restaurant in the Chicago area and they would all meet there for dinner. The group changed depending upon availability, but it consisted mainly of their close friends from high school and college. Some came from Sarah's past, some came from Ken's, but everyone got along very well.

The talk of the evening was the 'snatchings'. The news had been buzzing about how more than twenty people had gone missing with no explanation. More reports were coming in by the hour, and the police and the FBI were absolutely stymied. There was no evidence, no clues, these people were simply gone.

Still, it was a large city and twenty people wasn't all that noticeable in the big picture.

Life went on. For example, they still went ahead with their monthly dinner.

Ken swallowed nervously.

"Now?" he asked in a whisper to Sarah.

She nodded and reached under the table to take his hand in hers.

"Everyone, I would like to make an announcement..." he began.

No one was surprised by their news. He and Sarah had been together for two years. 'About damn time' was the most common phrase they heard from their friends.

It was a wonderful evening. Drinks flowed freely and there were many, many toasts. Sarah proudly displayed her ring to anyone who wished to see it (and to some who didn't). The two of them practically poured out of the cab when they got back to their Bucktown town home.

Their lovemaking was intense, but fast. Both of them climaxed quickly and Ken was, drunkenly, in the mood for another round.

"In the morning," murmured Sarah. "I promise we'll have a very fun Sunday."

She was right, his eyes were soon drifting shut. They fell asleep within moments, their hands clasped together.

***

Ken awoke with a bit of a headache.

Something was different.

The sheets felt different and he knew instantly that Sarah was not beside him.

His eyes flew open.

He was not at home.

He was in what looked to be an average-sized hotel room.

He was still naked, just as he'd been when he'd fallen asleep.

In a panic he jumped up to take stock of the room.

The bed was large, king-sized. It was very sturdy with a slatted metal headboard and footboard covered in white enamel paint.

There was a separate area with stuffed chairs and a table.

The door to the room was not a regular door, but looked like it belonged to an elevator. There were no buttons or anything else with which to call the elevator.

Near the elevator was an opening that looked pretty much like the pneumatic transport systems they used in banks, though there was no 'call' button.

There was a bathroom, complete with shower, shower curtain, and towels. He grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist before inspecting the room further.

There was no phone, no buttons, no TV. He inspected the elevator door again. It was clear that if the elevator was going to arrive, it would be coming to him

He was surprised that he'd been so calm thus far. The panic finally set in.

He shouted. He screamed. He even cried. He called for help. He cursed. He called for Sarah.

He caught a look of himself in the mirror. He had at least two-days' growth of beard on his face.

"Look at that," Ken mused. "How long have I been here?"

Finally, defeated, he decided to take a shower. The water felt good and seemed to wash away the effects of a couple of days sleep.

As he washed his hair, he found the lump. It was small, right on top of his head. He felt closer and it itched a little bit. There was something there, something implanted. He started to dig into his skin with his nails, but a small burst of pain surged through his system.

An image flashed,. It was just a red 'X'. The image seemed to be 'inside' his eyes. It was almost like an LED had lit up inside his head.

'Don't touch the thing in my head,' thought Ken to himself. "Okay, I get it," he said, out loud.

He finished his shower and looked at the supplies on the counter. There were scissors, an electric razor, a blow drier...all the comforts of home. He shaved with simple twin-blade razor, and then went back to the bedroom to lie on the bed.

He noticed something that he hadn't seen before. The lighting in the room was normal, but spread around the room were small translucent panels resembling LED nightlights. Looking around, he saw that there were several in the room. One near the ceiling, one near the floor. Observing their placement, he realized there probably wasn't a spot in the room where one of them couldn't be seen. They were currently glowing an yellowish hue with a tint of orange at the edges.

He heard machinery. He watched the elevator door with fascination.

The doors slid open. On the opposite wall of the elevator was another door which was closed. He realized it must be a two-way elevator that could open on the other side, so there must be a room across.

A head peered from around the side of the door. It was a woman's head. She looked at Ken fearfully and then her body suddenly jumped from some sort of jolt.

"I'm going, I'm going," said the woman, shouting at the air.

Ken could only guess that she had received some sort of instructions like he'd seen in the shower.

She stepped into the room reluctantly. She was also naked. She covered herself as well as she could with her hands and the door closed behind her.

"I uh, there are towels in the bathroom," said Ken.

"Thank you," said the woman.

Ken had no choice but to notice her body. She was of average height and average build but she was certainly nice and curvy in all the right places.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" asked Ken. "I'm engaged, I'm locked in some odd hell, why in the hell would I check this poor woman out."

The devil sitting on his other shoulder would have whispered "Because she's naked," but it didn't have the chance to before the woman reappeared.

"You wouldn't have any painkillers, would you?" asked the woman. "After that thing zapped me I think I'm getting a migraine."

"I'm afraid not," said Ken.

They heard a sudden whoosh of air. In the chute that Ken had noticed, there was now a pneumatic canister. They removed it and inside were several foil packets of medicine, the kind you would find behind the counter at a convenience store; Bayer, Bufferin, Aleve, etc. The woman selected Aleve and popped the pills.

"Thanks for nothing," she shouted to the ceiling.

"Where are we?" asked Ken once she'd swallowed some more water.

"I don't have a clue," said the woman.

They introduced each other. She was Kimberly Green from Deerfield. She had a husband, no kids, and had found herself in this place just like Ken. He told her his story, that he was engaged and how he'd woken up there.

"Did they zap you, too?" she asked.

"Zap?"

"Pain? Unbelievable pain? You'd know if it happened." she explained.

"I guess not," said Ken. "I mean, they kind of tickled me and gave me a signal when I tried digging into my head, but it wasn't too bad."

"Just wait," said the woman.

They waited calmly, but Kim grew more and more anxious as time went on.

"I'm going to lie down," she said. "I don't want to be standing when it hits."

She laid down, still wrapped in the towel. Ken decided to join her.

"Where did you go to college?" he asked after they'd been lying in silence for a while.

"Iowa State," she said. "But I can't talk right now, I really, really can't."

She had Ken nervous now. He just looked around at the room and his eyes came to focus on the small colored panel that was attached the wall near the ceiling on his side of the bed. It was sort of a ruby red orange in color and seemed to be getting darker.

Kim whimpered at his side.

"It's coming," she whispered. "You'd think if they can signal stop or go in my head, they could tell me what I'm supposed to be doing. All I know is that when those lights hit red, it will be very bad. And... they are getting red again."

Ken looked up and saw that they light panels were indeed moving from a soft orange toward a more angry orange that was beginning to cycle toward the red end of the spectrum.

Kim's body was trembling with fear.

The two of them sat on the bed in their towels and looked up at the panel nearest them in frightened silence. Kim whimpered and Ken instinctively put his arm around her bare shoulders.

"Does getting zapped hurt that bad?" asked Ken.

"Take your worst pain and multiply it by ten," she said. "I don't think that's an exaggeration."

They kept watching.

"This feels good though," said Kim. "Just having you here, you touching me. It makes it a little better."

Ken gave her shoulder a squeeze.

They'd been staring up at the panel while she spoke and they noticed the light shift from orange back toward a yellow.

"What the hell?" said Kim. "How did we move it back?"

"What do you mean, back?" asked Ken.

"This happened before, in the other room," she said. "ROY G BIV. The color spectrum. Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet. If red is the end that zaps us, what we need to do is move it toward the other end, toward the blue side of things."

"But what did we do?" asked Ken. "I don't think of anything we did that would have made it change colors."

"Wait, you squeezed me," said Kim. "You squeezed my shoulder. That was what made it move. Fuck, it's going red again. Squeeze me one more time."

Ken did as she asked and there was a barely perceptible shift in the color.

"Maybe it wants more," said Kim.

"Well, here," said Ken.

He turned her away from him and began rubbing her shoulders. She moaned with pleasure, and she moaned even louder upon seeing the light shift almost to green.

Ken kept rubbing... but it seemed what they were doing wasn't enough. The light soon started shifting toward the 'angry' end once more.

"I'll do you," said Kim.

She turned toward him and began rubbing his shoulders and back. It felt surprisingly good. As odd as the situation was, the comfort of a human touch was a wonderful touchstone in the frightening environment. This, too, moved the spectrum back toward blue, but it was also temporary and they saw it shift again.

"Switch back," said Ken.

They switched again. Ken started in on her shoulders when suddenly her towel fell. Her back was now bare to him. Her front, by way of the mirror, was also exposed. The blush in her face was magnified by the color in the panels... which had rapidly shifted to a light blue... the first blue they had seen since her arrival.

It was clear that their actions, and their bodies' response to their actions, was what was controlling the color.

Ken let his hands drop lower. He rubbed her lower back and then his hands worked their way up her sides. Her breathing quickened, as did hers, before he pulled away suddenly.

The light switched to yellow and was well on its way to orange.

"Ken, you know what this means, don't you?" she said quietly.

"I do," he said. "But Kim, I can't. I'm engaged."

"I know," she said quietly. "I'm married, but... I'd be willing to, if you..."

She trailed off, knowing what Ken's expression mean.

"Look, I understand. But you haven't been through the pain before. But if we have to, we have to. Just... just brace yourself, Ken."

They laid down on the bed beside each other. They watched the ceiling panel grow more and more red. It was the shade of ruby-red grapefruit and was well on its way to the unmistakable hue of a fire engine.

"Is it really that bad?" asked Ken with a tremor in his voice.

"Worse," she whispered.

They turned to face each other as the jolt shot through their bodies. There was pain, and there was this! His body stiffened and his mouth was stuck in a noiseless scream. The pain was so bad he couldn't even work his vocal chords.

Somehow, through it all, he started to understand the mechanics of what was happening. The thing in his head, it was an implant. It was tied into his nervous system and must be going directly to the pain centers of his brain. There was no other explanation of how so much pain could be inflicted. There must be other sensors, tied directly into his optic nerves which would explain the symbol he'd seen.

Though the torture might have only been ten or twenty seconds, it felt like minutes or even hours. He cried out when it was done and saw Kim's face in front his. Her hand was stroking his cheek gently. Tears were falling from both of their eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, too," he said. "If I would have known how bad it was, I never would have put you through that. I would have done anything."

"I know," she said. "I think it is time for anyone in this god-forsaken place to write new rules. I don't know if I can survive many more of those."

A circle and an icon of a door appeared in Ken's eyes. The symbols were very clear. 'X - stop. 'O' - go. So, go to the door = leave

"I have to go," said Ken.

He stood up, completely naked. The memory of the pain was so strong he didn't care about his state of dress.

Kim leaned up and kissed him tenderly.

"Good luck, Ken," she said softly. "We'll get out of here, somehow."

He boarded the elevator. As best as he could tell, it went up. The door on the opposite side of where he'd entered opened. He steeled himself and walked in.

A woman stepped into view. She was tall and willowy with deep blue eyes, but those eyes were also disarming. She had a panicked look about her that Ken couldn't quite fathom.

She walked up to him and looked into his eyes with a challenging glare.

"Hit me," she ordered.

"What, but..."

"Fuck, dude, look at the light!"

He looked up and the panels were already bright orange and seemed to be throbbing as they pulsed.

"I don't understand," stammered Ken. "Why so fast, and why..."

"I said, hit me!" she cried.

"But it's about pleasure," said Ken.

"Yes, and I like it rough" she shouted. "I'm a switch. Come on, just slap me, you can have whatever you want.

"But..."

"No time," she cried.

The panels were approaching red. She hauled back and before Ken knew what was happening, her hand lashed out and slapped him with such force it left a handprint on his cheek.

"What the fuck?" gasped Ken. "What is wrong with... mmph."

He didn't have the chance to finish his thought. With surprising strength, the woman tackled him and had him down on the bed. She grabbed his wrist and suddenly he felt a click. Just as quickly, her naked body pinning him down, his other wrist was caught. Suddenly, he was handcuffed to the bed. Within moments, his ankles were attached, too. He had no idea where she had gotten the gear. He would learn later that they had been supplied by 'them' through the pneumatic tube.

"Just lay back and enjoy," said the woman.

She pounced on the bed and was between his spread legs. She took out a leather cock ring and wrapped it around his member which was about half erect.

Slurp, the woman sucked his cock.

"What are you doing?" he moaned.

"You couldn't fucking listen could you," she growled. "You almost got us zapped. All you had to do was give me a little slap to get me going. It could have been me tied up here instead of you."

"They just want sex. I would have given you that." he said, confused. "I'd just figured that out."

"Wrong," she said calmly. "They want passion. they want what pushes our buttons. I've been here four days, baby. Trust me, I know. I would have been more than willing to be your sub or your bottom..."

"I uh... what does that mean?" asked Ken.

"Oh boy, a vanilla boy," said the woman while she stroked away at his cock. "Here, let me educate you a little bit - I think you'll need it. Dom = dominant, or the one who dominates. Sub equals subordinate, pretty self explanatory. Top and bottom, also self-explanatory. Who is in charge, who is being controlled. Master, slave you might be hearing that, too."

"What... is this like some sort of dungeon?"

"No baby," she said, sucking him to full firmness. His cock was now almost painfully full, the expertly applied cock ring not allowing as much blood to escape as went in.

"Come here," she whispered.

She climbed up on him and slid herself down upon him, purring. She rested her hands on her chest and cupped her chin to stare down at him as she spoke and rolled her hips slowly.

"From what I can tell, we've got all types down here," she said. "I've been here four days and I've been with six guys and one girl. It's like they are trying to figure us out. I've been with two nice guys, an innocent nineteen year old, an older gentleman who was... well, gentle. I had a gorgeous lady who was oh so talented, and I've had two guys tie me up and fuck the hell out of me. I like the rough stuff, and it seems like they're figuring that out. What that means is you might also have a few control kinks in you. Now, let's take advantage of that little friend I put on your little friend.

"But I don't," protested Ken. "I've never even thought about something like this.

"Look at the light, sweetheart," said the woman. "I tied you down, and we went from almost orange back to yellow. Now I'm riding you and and we're heading into green. It is show time, baby. Let's move the dial over to purple. You get to violet, we all call it purple, they leave us alone for a while."

She started moving more athletically on his swollen cock. There were countless emotions and sensations coursing through his system: Shame, at being unfaithful to Sarah; Fear, at being controlled by this woman; and finally, Arousal mixed with pain and pleasure. His cock hurt at the tightness, but there was no denying the sensual excitement the nerves in his cock were transmitting to his brain at the feeling of her hot sheath wrapped around him. As she descended all the way to the base, the light shifted to aqueous green.

"Hello, lover," she purred, wresting her arms on his chest and cradling her chin in her hands.

"How long again... how many?" Ken said. He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't find all of the words because of how conflicted and overwhelmed he felt.

"You're my seventh," said the woman. "With the first two, I got zapped, with the third one, I almost got zapped until he figured out that I liked it rough. He was my first purple. It's a beautiful thing," she replied. "You get the deep blue, indigo and then the violet, the purple comes in and trumpets practically blare when you climax."

"I can't," said Ken. "I just can't, do this."

"Oh, but you are, baby," said the woman. "You can. The light doesn't lie, and it says you are enjoying this."

She rode up and down his so-stiff cock.

"You see," she whispered into his ear. "You are doing it, and you'll thank me. It's this, or getting zapped."

To emphasize her point, she gave a gentle squeeze of his cock with her pussy muscles.

"I don't want to," he cried. "I'm engaged."

"Big fucking deal," said the woman. "I'm married with a kid. Wherever the fuck this is, all I know is I'll do anything to keep away the pain."


Waiting for Purple



She rode him for several more minutes. Ken watched coldly with a few sad tears pouring from his eyes as she rode him rapidly to an intense climax.

"Oh fuck yeah, lover," she moaned after her spasms subsided.

The light was light blue.

She reached down below her and pulled the cock ring off of him.

"Looks like we don't really need this do we?" she said.

With him still inside of her, she began riding him again. Ken was now resigned. He simply looked up at the light and watched it shift from the blue it had reached again, back to a deep purple. Even when he climaxed, he gave no reaction.

"That's it baby, fill me up," said the woman.

Ken felt his balls unload, but he didn't feel any of the pleasure. Part of his mind was already resigned to having sex with a stranger if it mean avoiding getting zapped, but he'd wanted it on his terms. Not like this.

"Ooh, that feels so good," purred the woman.

She looked up at the light with a smile, but then hopped off of Ken in alarm.

"What the fuck?" she cried. "Why is it only dark blue? Where's the violet? Where's the purple?"

Even worse, the light was already sliding back through the dark blue range to light blue.

"I give up," cried the woman. "I just give up, I don't know what they want."

She reached up and undid the cuffs on his hands.

She left him alone and went and sat in a stuffed chair in the room, staring up at the light in sadness.

Ken reached down and untied his feet, then walked toward her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, looking down at the ground. '"I thought if I got my kinks off it would get us through."

Anger had been building in Ken's mind. He was angry at the situation and at this odd world they'd been thrust into. He was angry at himself for having been tempted by Kim before, and by the pleasure he knew he'd experienced with this woman. Right then, he was angriest at the blonde woman and what she'd done to him.

The light was yellow.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

He reached down and grabbed her by the hair.

"How dare you," he growled. "How dare you do that to me."

"I thought... I thought it would work," she said. "Anything not to get zapped. I said I was sorry."

She was looking down. As a result, she didn't see what Ken saw.

The light was green.

"Maybe there's still a chance," he thought to himself.

"Make it up to me," he growled.

Still with a firm grasp on her hair, he pulled her face toward his crotch.

There was no doubt about how she could make it up.

"Alright," she said. "I'll do it."

"You're damned right you will," he ordered.

He kept his fingers wrapped through her hair as her lips sought out the softened tip of his cock. In truth, it didn't take her much to get him stiff again. Her full pouty lips excited him, and the idea that he was controlling his recent tormenter seemed to excite his body in ways that surprised him.

She was soon taking him all the way into her mouth, but it wasn't enough. The anger lingering in his mind made him not to not only control her, but own her.

"Deeper," he ordered.

She looked up at him with fearful eyes and pushed his cock further down her throat. She kept it there for several seconds before coming up for breath.

"Deeper," he insisted.

Now his cock went even further in, but it still wasn't enough.

On the next plunge, he grabbed her hair and pulled her all the way to him. Her lips were crushed against his pelvis and balls as his stiff shaft rubbed her throat raw. Again and again, he pulled her face into him until she was forced to pull off of him and gasp for breath. Any remorse he had was erased by the fact that the light was now a deep blue. Whatever it was they were supposed to do, they were doing something right.

Still grasping her hair, he lifted her up to a standing position, but then grabbed her arm and twisted it around behind her. She gave a whimper of pain, followed by one of pleasure upon feeling his cock pressed against her ass.

"Come on," he groaned into her ear.

He led her forcibly into the bathroom, shoving her before him. He pushed her against the bathroom counter and she bent over it, leaning upon it with her arms. It was clear she wasn't going to move. He was in control now.

There was a small light panel in the bathroom, it was about the size of a nightlight.

It was Indigo... deep blue.

He turned off the light and closed the door. Now they could only see their faces by the deep blue light of the panel.

He pushed his hand between her legs to spread them wide. She moaned with the pleasure of the feeling and spread them willingly.

"I know your secret," he said. "You like to be controlled, don't you?"

"Mm hmm," was all she could say.

"Now that I control you, you'd do anything for me, wouldn't you?"

"Anything," she whispered. "Anything you told me. You own me."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because... I need to," she murmured. "I need to be controlled."

"Why?" he asked again.

"Everything... everything I do is about control. My house is clean. My kid is well behaved. I have a job, too. I'm the one who keeps everything in its place. Just.... sometimes I want to be told. I want to be told what to do."

"Do you now?" asked Ken.

He pushed himself harder against her.

"Oh, yes," she moaned.

"Then put me inside of you," he ordered.

She obeyed. She reached down between her legs and slid him in. She moaned as his shoved himself into her.

He bent over her, his entire chest touching her back. His mouth was now right beside her ear.

"Tell me your name," he growled into her ear.

"Donna," she moaned.

"Where are you from, Donna?" he asked.

"Plainfield," she moaned.

"Well, Donna from Plainfield, I'll make you a promise."

"What?" she said in a whimper.

"If we ever get out of her and our paths happen to cross, I'll be in control. I don't care if your husband is there, or I'm married, or what the scenario is. If I find you, I'll pull you aside that very instant and fuck you raw. You'll do as I say, is that clear?"

"Absolutely," she murmured. "Anything. I'll do anything you want."

"Good!" he said.

"Ahh!" she cried out. With his last word he had thrust into her, almost lifting her off the ground. He pulled back and pummeled her again.

This was not making love. This was fucking. Beyond that, it was grudge fucking. He was still punishing her for what she had done to him (almost) against his will. His hips smashed into her ass, but she did not resist. Their bodies slapped together with audible force as they watched each others' eyes via the mirror in the dim blue light.

Soon, her body was rocking back against his with each plunge.

His fingers sought out her hair again and she moaned with the pleasure of her head being jerked back.

The light was now approaching purple.

Ken felt his balls tense, but he didn't stop the methodical fucking he was giving to Donna. Even as his cock unloaded, he kept slamming into her. The added lubrication of his second blast of cum was all Donna needed and she cried out with pleasure as her own orgasm surged through her body. They finally stopped moving, Ken falling on top of her back, both of them struggling to even stand in their post-coital exhaustion.

They looked at the light. It was undeniably purple.

"Is that the color?" asked Ken.

"It is, I'm sure of it," said Donna.

"Well, I guess that means one of us has to go," said Ken.

Circle, Bed were the two icons in their heads. 'Go to bed' was the message.

"Well, that's something new," said Donna. "I could definitely use a nap."

They retired to the bedroom and fell asleep wrapped in each others' arms. After their intense fuck, it was a wonderful relief. They were trapped in some odd perversion of hell and to simply know the comfort of another person, anyone, was a welcome feeling.

With no windows and no clocks, they had no idea how long they slept.

Ken awoke to the feeling of soft lips around his cock, bringing him to firmness

Circle, Door. Flashed in Donna's mind.

"Oh well," she said, pulling off his cock with a smile. "I suppose we just learned another rule. No second helpings after purple."

She crawled up the bed to place a firm kiss on his lips.

"Goodbye, Ken," she said in a sultry voice.

"Goodbye, Donna from Plainfield," said Ken.

"Don't forget your promise," she said.

With that, she was gone.

Ken looked down at his stiff cock and contemplated covering himself. He shrugged and simply waited. Soon enough, he heard the door opening and footsteps approaching.

His next partner was a chocolate-skinned black woman with wide hips and perfect, full breasts. Though her face was not conventionally beautiful, the smile which lit it up made all the difference.

"Oh sweetie," she said with a grin, "you give me that thing, we'll be purpling it up before you know it."

***

To follow were several lovers. Some had been in their odd prison slightly longer, others were newer.

One thing Ken quickly learned was the key to success was being communicative. He would tell the women what he liked and they would tell them what they liked.

Some women loved it rough, others soft. Some wanted to be controlled, others liked playing games. Some got off on giving blowjobs, others just wanted straight sex..

One woman in particular had to have it anally. They made love for over an hour, but still, the light kept drifting toward red. Finally, Ken buried himself in her ass and all it took was the first burst of his hot seed into her dark channel to send her over the precipice into bliss... it was as though the first drop of cum in her ass turned the light to a scintillating purple.

The days, the lovers, and the liaisons started to blur together. Food arrived at times, sleep was allowed, but there was no explanation. The lights in their heads provided no insight. They were simply signals that represented things like 'Go', 'No', 'Yes', 'Sleep', 'Eat'. Nothing more. No explanation, no apologies.

There was a slightly haunted look about the 'inmates' as they called themselves. As much as the place sounded like a sexual paradise, the fear around the forced encounters gave it a pervasive air of trepidation. After twenty lovers, Ken realized he had been zapped four times. Try as they might, he and those lovers had not been able to surmise what it was 'they' wanted. Both he and his lovers had achieved orgasms, but whatever criteria they were expected to meet, they hadn't found them.

In the conversations they had with each other, the consensus was that the masters of the place were a 'they' not an 'it'. Everyone just knew that it must be a group of people, or beings, who were watching and controlling them.

They were all keenly aware of the lights and learned to react as quickly as possible. For example, one woman Ken was partnered with had extra sensitive nipples. Ken learned this by watching the light. The closer his lips got to the tips of her breasts, the more the light moved toward violet.

***

Ken had grown so used to the light, he could tell even the slightest shift in wavelengths. He was buried inside of that woman and he was pumping slowly, but once his lips reached her nipples he saw the shift in the spectrum. Eventually, he stopped even moving his cock and focused entirely on her breasts. With his tongue and lips playing with her right nipple, and his fingers pinching and tweaking her left nipple, he was able to let the light itself guide him to bringing her to an orgasm with her breasts alone. They had finished that session with his cock enveloped between her breasts while he titfucked her until he spilled out over her neck and lovely mounds. They achieved a full 'purpling' as they all called it.

***

A few days later, Ken was exhausted and weary. He'd just been zapped for the fifth time and his entire body felt like it was going to fall apart.

His partner had been a capable, lovely, willing woman in her early forties named Ginny. They had pleased each other in every way they could think of, but still the light had drifted toward the wrong end of the rainbow. They'd fucked each other desperately as the clock ticked down, but red had arrived with them joined together and they had only been able to cling to each other as lightning bolts of agony shot through the pain centers of their brains.

'They' had ordered Ginny to leave and Ken had covered his head with the pillow to try and block out any light and sound. His head was pounding from the pain and he just wanted to shut himself away from any external sensations.

Through the muffling of the pillow he heard the elevator door open. Through vibrations in the floor, he heard the approach of feet toward the bed. Whoever it was laid down beside him and snuggled into him. Though he wasn't looking he could feel that her body was nubile and something about the skin seemed to indicate she was fairly young. Her voice in his ear seemed to bear up that observation.

"Hello, my name is Akshaya."

Her voice bore the trace of an accent, and the tone of it mixed with that made it positively hypnotizing.

"I'm Ken," he said.

"Did they zap you?" she asked.

"God, yes," he moaned. "I don't know why either, we tried everything."

"Don't worry," she said. "You're only my sixth and I've been zapped all five times before."

"And you're still alive?" asked Ken in surprise.

"Somehow," she said matter-of-factly.

"How do you feel?"

"Sore," she said. "Sore everywhere. My head, my body... down there, everywhere."

"What's the color?" Ken asked.

"Not bad," she said. "Right in the middle. Sky blue with a touch of green."

"Stay here then," he whispered. "Maybe we can nap."

"I'd like that," she said.

Her curvaceous but tender body snuggled closer to him. He felt her breathing relax almost instantly as her hand draped across her chest.

"Goodnight Ken," she whispered in her mesmerizing voice.

They drifted off to sleep wrapped around each other.

When Ken awoke several hours later, the headache was gone. He looked up at the ceiling and was pleased to see that the panel was still blue. He looked down at the girl sleeping with him and found her lovely, what he could see of her. Her skin was of a dusky brown hue. Her legs were shapely and her ass was round in just the right ways. He couldn't see her breasts, but based on what he felt pressed against her, he knew they were more than ample. He could only see a slight part of her face because her hair had fallen over the rest. He was so curious, he had to sneak a peak. As he brushed her hair back she stirred and then looked up at him with a smile.

He had seen women of many shapes and varieties since entering the asylum. Many had been beautiful, many had been athletic, many had been lusty and amorous.

But now, for the first time, he was smitten.

"Hello," she said in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he said. "I just... I just wanted to see what you looked like."

"Don't be," she said. "I feel so good! It's as though I slept for a week."

"Who knows, maybe we did," said Ken.

She suddenly remembered and her head snapped up to look at the panel.

"Still blue," she marveled. "How nice of them. Perhaps they are giving us a vacation. So, how do I look?"

"I uh... what?"

"You said you wanted to see what I look like. What do you think?"

"Frankly, I'm stunned."

"Why thank you," she said with a blush. "I suppose compliments might not mean too much in this place, but I'll take whatever I can get."

Her voice was beginning to hypnotize him again. There was something in it like chalk on a chalkboard, or the gentle rasp of pottery sliding across a hard surface. Whatever it was made the hair on the back of Ken's neck stand up at attention, but in a good way. Just listening to her made him feel half drowsy and half awake at the same time.

"So, what do you think?" he heard her saying.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

She giggled.

"I asked why you think we are here."

"Oh," he said. I've almost given up wondering. At first I thought it was a government experiment. Then I thought it was aliens, then I... I just stopped wondering and started counting."

"Counting?"

Everyone counts how many they've been with. You are twenty-eight for me."

"Why does everyone count?"

"I think because we're thinking there might be a magic number. Like, when twenty-five came around, I thought for sure they'd let me out after that. Then I wondered if ones where I got zapped didn't count."

"Oh dear," said Akshaya. "If that was the case, I'd still be on zero."

"Tell me your story," said Ken. "Tell me all about yourself. As long as the light stays blue, let's get to know each other."

"Very well," said Akshaya, but let me get more comfortable.

She rolled up on top of him, though she didn't slide down upon his swiftly hardening cock.

"My name is Akshaya Jayasuriya. My father is from Sri Lanka and my mother is from Southern India. Theirs was an arranged marriage. I was born in Sri Lanka, but we moved to the States when I was eleven. We've lived in Glen Ellyn ever since then. I went to Glen Ellyn North High School and I was attending North Central College in Naperville until... until. Well, until here."

"Until I entered this horrible place I was a virgin. I remained a virgin with the first two men I was paired with. They were both gentlemen, and because of that we got zapped. I insisted that the third man take me... and still we were zapped. I couldn't stop crying. The fourth man was rough and clumsy. Zapped. The fifth man, Henry, was good.. but I cried and again we were zapped. And now, I am with you, and for some reason we have been here for hours and gotten to sleep and we haven't started anything and the light is still blue and I think that is just lovely. Now, what is your story?"

"Well," said Ken, "My name is Ken Baker and I'm twenty-seven years old. I went to school at OPRF in Oak Park and went to college at Lakeland College in Wisconsin. I graduated, got a job in traditional advertising, and then started my own online agency with a couple of friends. We've been doing pretty well. Before I came here, I'd just gotten engaged to my girlfriend, Sarah... and now, I'm here. I hope, if we ever get out, she'll understand my being unfaithful."

"I think she will," said Akshaya. "Tell me about her."

Ken started to tell Akshaya about Sarah. With Akshaya's full breasts resting on his chest, it should have been hard to tell her about his fiancé - but something in Akshaya's easy nature made it seem like the most natural thing in the world to be discussing his fiancé with a naked, exotic beauty lying atop him.

She asked him more questions and he asked his own in turn. A couple of hours later, they realized the light was still blue and they had yet to commence making any sort of love.

"How scared were you with the first guy?" asked Ken. "I bet you were just devastated and terrified at the same time."

"I was," she agreed.

"My first time was scary, but it was just my senior prom," he said. "I can't imagine having to do it my first time here."

"It was indeed terrifying," said Akshaya. "But what do you know about being scared. You're a man. Your first time must have been the most joyful night of your life."

"Hardly," said Ken.

He went on to tell her about the awkwardness of the night of his Senior Prom and they both laughed about it.

"Ken, can I ask you something?" she said when they were done laughing.

"Anything," said Ken.

"Would you like to take a shower with me? I know I could do it on my own, but I like spending time with you."

"I'd love to," said Ken.

They walked to the bathroom and Akshaya started the shower and stepped in. Ken took the vision of her in and marveled at the way the shower simply enhanced her beauty. her breasts were indeed full, but rode high as they only can with a 19 year-old. Her eyes were huge and brown with a bit of an almond shape. Her smile was beyond beguiling. Her waist and legs and ass only seemed more shapely when viewed with her standing up. Her pubic hair was trimmed in a tight bikini cut.




Waiting for Purple



She seemed just as pleased with the look of him and finally giggled at the way he was gawking.

"Well, Ken, aren't you going to join me?"

He stepped in and they kissed for the very first time. She couldn't have helped but be aware of the effect that kiss had upon his cock but she merely pulled it against her body as she kissed him more fervently.

"Can I make a suggestion?" she asked when they came up for air from the kiss.

"Anything," he said.

"As long as they keep giving us the blue, let's take things slow. I'm enjoying... I'm enjoying being with you so much, I'd hate to lose out on any time we might be able to spend together. I hope Sarah won't be jealous."

"Like you said," said Ken. "I think she'd understand."

"Thank you, Sarah," said Akshaya to the air. "I'll take good care of him."

They soaped each other up and washed each other off, falling into a kiss now and again - but tried to proceed cautiously so as not to enflame each other too much.

Eventually, Ken had Akshaya pinned against the wall of the shower from behind. She was kissing him over her shoulder and he was grinding his cock between her ass cheeks... and she was grinding right back.

It was Ken who backed off. He reached down and turned off the water.

"Maybe we should dry off," he said.

"Good idea," she panted.

Taking a break, they dried themselves off, each watching the other.

"Akshaya, do you have a nickname?" he asked.

"So many," she said with a giggle. "Akshi is the one I hear the most."

"I like Akshi," he said. "Akshi, have you ever had anyone go down on you?"

"I... uh... no. No, as a matter of fact, I haven't," she said.

She was blushing from head to toe, and Ken could see every inch of that lovely brush spread across her light brown skin.

"Well then, Akshi from Glen Ellyn, can I have the honor?"

"Ken from Oak Park, you most certainly may."

He bent down to kiss her tenderly and then reached below her thighs and lifted her up. With a squeal, she giggled as he placed her on the counter and then knelt on the floor.

"Now Ken, I'm not sure if I'll play my part right, I've never... oh my god!" she moaned.

His lips had found her labia and the touch of his lips alone brought her unexpected pleasure. Her fingers were soon tangled up in his hair and she was gasping as his tongue sought out the hidden treasures below.

"Ken, what is this... how are you... aiih what are you doing to me?"

It took a surprisingly short time before Akshaya experienced her first ever orgasm brought on by another human being. Ken kept kissing her down there, tenderly and gently as her climax roiled through her body.

"Your lips feel so good," she moaned. "As soon as you touched me, I knew I was gone."

She slid off the counter and into his arms. Even the taste of her own juices on his lips merely enhanced the dizzying passion between them.

"Come on then," she said.

She led him by the hand into bedroom and turned him to face her.

"Fair is fair," she said. "You did that for me, now I will do it for you. However, I have never done it before, so you'll have to teach me."

She knelt before him and began kissing his cock.

He was surprised at her enthusiasm given her relative inexperience. She did have a fair amount to learn, however. Drawing on his experience with many others, he coached her on how to lick certain parts, how to use her hands to stroke while sucking, and any other tricks he could think of. She was a fast learner, though, and soon he simply surrendered to her ministrations.

She found the perfect rhythm, sliding his shaft in and out of her mouth while stroking his shaft - corkscrewing her hands around him with a fervor.

"Akshi, I'm close," he murmured.

She only hummed her approval around his cock.

"But you might not want it in your mouth," he said. "Not the first time."

In response, she only increase the pace of her hands stroking him.

"Oh Akshaya," he groaned.

She pulled him further into her mouth and sucked hungrily. With no hesitation, she swallowed and swallowed as Ken unloosed a surprising blast. When she thought he was done she pulled off and he surprised her with another spurt which went spraying down her chin and over her brown and perfect breasts.

"Darn it," she said. "I wanted all of it."

"Trust me, it looks good there, too," said Ken. "I've never seen a more beautiful pearl necklace."

"Pearl necklace?" mused Akshaya. "I've heard that expression before, but I've never understood... oh, I get it."

She giggled, looking down at the white 'pearls' shining in lovely contrast to her brown skin.

"Oh my god, that was hot," she cried and jumped up to throw herself into his arms.

Not ready for her, fell back onto the bed and they just kept kissing.

"You're sure you've never done that before?" he asked in wonder.

"You know I haven't," she said with a playful slap. "You just taught me how. Why would you say that?"

"It's just that most girls would never... it just usually takes a while before someone is ready to swallow."

"I had to," she whispered. "I just luh... I like you so much, I had to taste you. I mean, that's you Ken. I like kissing you, for sure, but to get to drink the very life of you. To taste and swallow you. It was delicious."

"Let me just say, if I was a kiss and tell sort of guy, I'd be bragging about you for the next year at least, talking about a girl who swallowed the first time she ever went down on someone."

They looked at the light. It was now just a darker blue.

"I never would have thought it," said Ken. "All this time, I've just been racing to get to violet. Now, as long as it doesn't move toward red, the last color I want to see is purple.

"I know how you feel," said Akshaya. "Oh, what's that?"

She had drifted down toward his pelvis and his surprisingly resilient member had risen up to meet her.

"I thought it took awhile," she said, "you know, to get hard again."

"It usually does, but I guess it likes you."

"Does it now?" she said.

She slid off of him and looked down at his stiffened member, speaking directly to it.

"Thank you, kind sir?" she said in her hypnotic, joyful tones. "I'm rather fond of you, too. But if you don't mind, I'd like to wait a little while to make your better acquaintance."

Akshaya laid at Ken's side again and her fingers toyed playfully with his small patch of chest hair. They kissed now and again, but talked for the most part. They learned about each other's childhoods and discovered their likes and dislikes. They were diametrically opposed when it came to music, but had almost identical taste when it came to literature. On TV and movies they were split down the middle, but they both were huge fans of the old TV show "How I met your Mother, and exchanged HIMYM stories for a while.

"Ken, could I make a... a silly request?"

"I can't think of anything that would be silly.

"I... would you shave me? I keep thinking about the way your lips felt on me and I want to feel all of you. I want you to kiss every part of me down there. I know that's embarrassing, but..."

"You think that's silly? That you want me to shave you?" interrupted Ken.

"Well, yeah." she said, blushing.

"Akshi, you just went from 'amazing' to 'legend' in one night. You swallowed on your first try and now you want to be shaved. Come on!"

He took her to the bathroom and got the scissors out. He'd wondered about those at first, but guessed that the keepers would most definitely zap anyone who tried to harm themselves or someone else with any sharp objects.

They stood in the shower and Ken carefully trimmed her remaining pubic hair. From there, he trimmed began slowly shaving away and looked up proudly upon seeing her bald pussy, free from hair and he'd done it with no nicks and cuts.

"Now, what did you want me to do again?" he asked.

"I think you know," she whispered in her sultry and seductive voice.

He pressed his lips against her newly bared skin and she moaned with pleasure.

"Take me to bed, Ken," she moaned. "I know I won't be able to stay standing if you keep doing this."

He did as she wished and she was soon laying on her back in bed, Ken kneeling between her legs and kissing his way down her stomach and over the newly shaved skin.

"Is it like you hoped?" he whispered.

"Better," she moaned. "I've never felt anything like this... oh, except for that."

His tongue had explored even lower, and she had no other words to say.

When Ken was done a few minutes later, she beckoned to him with one finger and he crawled up to place himself between her legs.

"Ken, would you humor me with one more thing?" she asked.

"Anything," he said.

"Can we pretend that you're my first?"

"Okay?" he said, confused.

"It's just that I didn't have any choice, not really. If I could have chosen, I would have chosen you. So, if we could pretend just at first, it would mean a lot to me."

"You bet," said Ken.

He placed himself at her entrance."

"Are you ready?" he asked tenderly.

She could only nod, biting her lip fearfully.

"Just let me know if anything hurts," he said.

She nodded again. Ken slowly slid into her warm opening, well-moistened by his recent attentions. He pushed in slowly at first and then he slid into her rapidly and she hissed with pleasure.

"Oh god," said Akshaya.

Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Hurt?" he asked softly.

"No, the opposite," said Akshaya. "I've never felt anything like this before. Oh Ken, this is my first time. The other men, it was nothing like this. Oh, do that again."

He had just pulled out and slid back into her slowly.

Ken knew exactly what she was saying. Ever since she had arrived, every touch between them had been electric. Though it didn't feel like a first time to him, it was certainly the most invigorating sex he had experienced since he had arrived.

They began moving together in a slow, yet perfect rhythm together. Their lips were pressed together in a kiss more often than not as their bodies continued exploring each other. Whatever Akshaya lacked in experience was soon made up for by her enthusiasm and her absolute surrender to the instinctive drives of her body.

The fact that Ken had cum so recently gave him extra stamina, but the (now) dreaded purple also loomed in his mind every time he felt a climax approaching.

"Oh. Oh, wait, Ken," she moaned suddenly after they'd been making love for almost twenty minutes with him on top of her. "Right there... there, just a little bit more. Now stop. Ooohhh!"

He felt her suddenly tighten around him and her arms also grasped desperately at his back as her first vaginal orgasm overtook her. Her nails scratched across her back but he took no notice as he continued gliding in and out of her, doing his best to prolong her climax for as long as he could.

"You should get on top," he said once she settled down.

"If you insist," she whispered with a grin.

His motives were somewhat selfish. He already worshiped her body and one of his favorite views in the world was of a woman riding him cowgirl style.

Once they switched positions and Akshaya slid his cock back into her, Ken knew the vision above him would be forever emblazoned into his mind. Akshi's high breasts began to bounce with every rise and fall upon him. Her hands luxuriously played over her own skin, across her breasts and up to her neck and hair. Her eyes closed she rode his manhood with absolute abandon, surrendering to every whim of her body as she rode up and down his stiff shaft. His hands wrapped around her waist as she did, and he knew the sensation and vision of her was something he would never, ever forget. After several minutes of that, he couldn't resist any longer and lifted up to kiss her breasts hungrily.

"Oh, that's it, Ken. That feels so good," she murmured.

As if by instinct, she lifted her feet up and placed them behind him as he sat up. Now they were facing each other, her seated in his lap.

"Mmm, this is called the Lotus in the Kama Sutra," she whispered into his ear.

"I thought you were a virgin, Akshi," he said, teasing her.

"What? Do you think virgins don't know anything about sex? I've read books. Lots of books."

"Such a good student, you are, too." he said.

Akshi rode him more swiftly after that. The new position allowed her to both ride up and down on him, but also to roll her hips back and forth. Ken looked up at the panel and saw it was deepest blue. Any self-restraint within him evaporated as she writhed her hips in impossible ways. He couldn't hold back any longer and he buried his face into her breasts as he moaned.

"Oh, are you?' she cried. "Are you cumming?"

"Oh Akshi," he moaned.

"Oh god yes!" she cried. "Fill me up, Ken. Oh, it's so hot. It's so, so hot, baby."

Ken poured more and more of himself into her. When he was done they kissed and each of them wiped tears from each other's faces.

The panel was violet.

"Now let us sleep!" she ordered at the panel. "We need our sleep. Let us have it together."

The keepers seemed to be listening, because Ken and Akshi fell into a deep slumber, Ken's head cradled upon Akshi's perfect breasts.

He awoke to her gentle caresses on his back. It was his turn to stir now.

"Sorry for waking you," she said. "I just hoped we might get one more, before they make us leave."

"We can at least try," whispered Ken.

Her body against his had him hard immediately and he slid up and into her with ease.

"There you are," she said, giggling. "I missed you."

They heard the elevator door open.

Circle/Door were the symbols behind Ken's eyes. X said was the symbol in Akshi's head. He was to leave, she was to stop kissing him.

"Well, at least we had this," she said, crying.

There were now numbers in Ken's head. 20 - 19- 18.

"I'll find you," said Ken, climbing out of the bed.

Even the tenderness they felt together couldn't win out over the agony they knew they would feel if zapped.

17 -- 16 - 15...

"What about Sarah?" asked Akshi.

"I... I'll find you," insisted Ken. "Akshaya Jayasuriya, Glen Ellyn."

14 -- 13 -- 12

"You'll have to find me," said Akshi. "I won't come for you. If you go back to Sarah, I'll understand, but I won't be the one to get in between."

11 -- 10 -- 9

"I'll find you," Ken repeated.

He leaned in and kissed her deeply.

8 -- 7 -- 6

"Go!" she insisted, pushing him away.

He dashed for the elevator and dove in, just as the doors were closing.

***

By his fiftieth partner, he learned there were essentially four types of women in the asylum. His terms for them went like so:

1) Lusties. These were fairly straight-forward. They were into sex, straight and simple. Perhaps it was how they reacted to him, or perhaps it was simply their way of getting through the ordeal. However, they entered the room with a clear purpose and Ken learned not to question them. They wanted to fuck.

2) Bodice-Rippers. Though there were no bodices to rip, these women wanted the lovemaking to be more drawn out. Perhaps not too much talking, but definitely more kissing was involved and these women were more 'feminine' wanting a man who was stronger and more assertive in bed.

3) Fighters. There were only a few of them, which Ken was thankful for. These were the dom/sub-leaning women. Ken learned to recognize the look in their eyes almost immediately and he learned to proceed with caution. He was surprised to find that dom and sub were often two sides of the same sword. Like a sorcerer trying to tame a demon and shape it into a desired shape, he had to prove to many of these women that he could be in charge. If he wasn't careful, they would conquer him. He was, in fact, conquered by two such women who were surprisingly strong. He learned to surrender to the situation either way, and at least avoid a zap.

4) Talkers. These were his favorites because they were more relaxing. It was clear that the keepers expected the inmates to extract pleasure from each other. What Ken had learned from Akshi was 'pleasure' was a relative term. The relatively brief moments he had spent with Akshi were certainly some of the most pleasurable times he had spent since arriving at the tower. Since then, he had always tried to open up his encounters with a snippet of conversation. If the women responded positively, he tried to get to know them.

Talkers were soon the only thing he looked forward to. It's like the analogy of if you only have candy to eat, or only have perfect weather, you will soon grow tired of it because there is nothing to contrast it to. Every time the elevator door opened, Ken found himself hoping that he'd get another talker. He wanted to get to know someone, if only for a little while.

He found himself falling for many of the women, in a fashion. It seemed inevitable. To be locked in a room with someone he was expected to sleep with eventually - it was just natural that he would develop feelings for them.

However, there was one catch. With every one of them, he found himself comparing them to a special woman in his life... and it wasn't Sarah. It was Akshaya. In his mind, he would compare this woman's sense of humor with Akshi's, or that woman's empathy with Akshi's. Her body was burned into his mind as well. If a woman with lovely, wide hips would walk in he would mentally overlay a silhouette of Akshi's curvy waist over the top. If the woman had full breasts, he would compare.

Above all, he missed her voice. It called to him. In his sleep, in his fantasies, he would hear her spellbinding voice whispering in his ear, or her hypnotic moans of pleasure.

Just how badly he was smitten became clear when he was partnered with a talker (number sixty-four) and they were talking about each other's life stories.

The woman's name was Lisa. She had only been married a couple of years and she lived in Wrigleyville. She told him about her childhood, her first loves, the whole routine. Then it was Ken's turn. He told her his story and then he got to the recent times.

"So, Akshaya had gotten engaged just before I was pulled in here."

"I'm sorry, what did you say her name was?" asked Lisa. "Aksha... something."

"Oh," said Ken.

He was blushing furiously.

"Yes, Akshaya," said Ken. "That's the girl I love. She's the most beautiful person I've ever known."

"I think she's here," said the woman.

"What do you mean?" asked Ken in surprise.

"I've run across at least three men who have told me about an Akshaya and they say she's some sort of sex goddess. Skilled, uninhibited, energetic. She's the competition, that's for sure. One guy said they got to purple in less than three minutes. Imagine that, three."

"Hmm..." said Ken, noncommittally.

"Do you think it could be her?" asked Lisa.

"I suppose," mused Ken. "Stranger things have happened."

"Well, if you ever get out, it sounds like you are a very lucky man."

After Lisa and Ken had made love and Lisa left, Ken looked at the ceiling musing about Akshi.

"That'a girl Akshi," he muttered to the air. "If you're going to do it, do it right."

He was, surprisingly, not jealous. He was more aroused at the idea.

He knew that Akshi didn't have a choice. It was either do it right or get zapped. From the sounds of it, she was doing it as right as she could.

His number kept growing. He did not know days or nights, but he knew partners. He reached ninety with eight zaps (so, eighty-two successes). Still, he wondered. Would one-hundred mean freedom?

Before he got to there, he received his biggest surprise.

He boarded an elevator and it began to ascend. Then, he felt the sideways motion they'd learned to identify. At first, they had all thought they were in some gigantic tower. Later, as one woman put it, the place was 'all Wonka'd out.' Like Charlie's glass elevator, these mechanisms went up, down, and horizontal. The frightening aspect of this was the sheer number of people that might be there. The number of inhabitants was impossible to fathom.




Waiting for Purple



As for the surprise, Ken stepped off the elevator and into the room. The light was already yellow.

"Come on, dude," said a voice from around the corner. "We're short on time."

The voice has hauntingly familiar.

Ken stepped around the corner and there she was.

Sarah.

She was just as beautiful as ever. She was laying on the bed, head propped up on one hand.

She took him in from the feet up. He saw a slight hint of surprise in her eyes as she reached his waist and torso, and then the full surprise when she took in his face.

"Kenny!" she cried.

She was out of the bed in a minute and leapt into his arms. He held her there and they kissed tenderly.

The light was light blue.

She cried and buried her face into his neck.

"Oh Kenny," she sobbed. "I'm so sorr..."

"Don't," said Ken in a stern tone. "Don't you dare apologize. We've all done what we've had to do. Don't ever, ever apologize."

They slid into bed, touching each other in ways only found through familiarity.

"So, how long did you last?" she asked. "Before, you know."

"I guess you'd say one and a half," said Ken. I thought about holding out on number two, but she didn't give me any choice."

He told her about Donna and her rough play. Sarah nodded with understanding.

"I only lasted one," she said softly. "After that first zap, I couldn't. I just couldn't.

What's your number?" asked Ken.

"Eighty-seven," she said.

"Ninety-three," he replied.

"That's one thing that doesn't quite make sense to me," she said. "It seems like we all got here at around the same time. How are the numbers so different?"

Ken told her his theory about categories and personality types.

"It depends on that," said Ken. "Even without a clock, I know that a talker takes at least a half a day, sometimes longer. Lusties are always quick, fighters, too. I think part of it is the luck of the draw of who you get."

"True," said Sarah. "Of course, I don't know about Lusties. I met one guy and we kept each other at the edge for about a day, I'm pretty sure. I'm telling you, the way he knew how to keep me right there...Oh, god. I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"It's fine, Sarah. What else are we going to talk about?"

"I guess you're right," she said.

The light was drifting back through yellow. She looked up in alarm and kissed him.

"So Ken, are we going to do this thing?"

Bodies learn each other. With Ken atop her the muscle memories quickly flooded back for both of them. Their hands knew the spots to find, their lips knew the places to kiss... but something was missing.

After several minutes, and the light still threatening at orange, Sarah stopped and looked deeply into Ken's eyes.

"Ken, what's her name?"

"What?" he said. "What do you mean?"

"The girl who has your heart now? What's her name?"

Ken looked down in shame. He was unable to look Sarah in the eyes.

"Akshaya," he said quietly.

"What a beautiful name," she said.

She lifted his chin to force him to look in her eyes.

"Remember what you said, baby," she said softly. "No apologies. All I know is this is different. We're not making love right now, we're having sex. And, judging by the color of the panel, we'd better have some real sex if we want to escape the zapper. Come here, I have an idea."

She rolled off of him and laid on her side, facing away from him.

"Remember how much we used to like this, sweetie?"

He snuggled into her and she reached between her legs to guide him into her.

"Oh god yes, I remember this," she sighed.

They started out gently. Ken's hand reached around to caress her breasts, his lips kissed her neck. The angle was perfect and their bodies fit together wonderfully. As Ken began to thrust harder, the panel faded again to yellow and then into green.

"That's it, baby," she moaned. "When you walked in this room, little did you know this was going to be a closing fuck."

The legendary closing fuck. The one final fuck that most relationships had. Break-up sex. Due to the insane circumstances, they were now officially broken up and were forced to have breakup sex. The also needed to make it good.

Ken's hand drifted down her belly and further below. With ease, he found her clit and began rubbing with the perfect circles he knew would drive her crazy.

"Oh God, Kenny. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

His other hand snaked below her body and wrapped around to find her breasts again. Between his fingers on her nipples and his other hand working her clit, she was moaning and groaning uncontrollably.

"Fuck yeah, Ken," she growled. "Keep it up. Oh yes, right there, right there, right therrre!"

The climax ripped through her body. Her hips bucked back against him in almost seizure-like spasms. He pulled her close against his body and smiled at the feeling of her tremors.

"Oh my god that was amazing," she sighed when the last spasms left her panting and exhausted in his arms.

The light was indigo, but with a tinge of lighter blue. Sarah reached over her shoulder and kissed him tenderly.

"Looks like I need to take care of you now, baby. Why don't we keep this party going the same way."

She pulled off of him and then rolled up onto her hands and knees.

"Let's see how sore you can make me, Kenny," she said.

Ken raised up on his knees and needed no guidance to slide his cock into Sarah's well-moistened interior. They began moving slowly and then picked up the pace. He was somewhat reserved at first, but Sarah would have none of it.

"Come on, baby," she said. "Don't hold back. Fuck me."

"As you wish," he said with a grin.

He pulled back and waited for a second or more. They both knew what was coming. The excitement was the anticipation of when.

Smack.

Ken's hips slammed into Sarah's ass so hard he could see the shock waves roll through her body.

Slam.

Sarah gasped out with the surprise and pleasure.

"Oh god yes, fuck me Ken. Keep fucking me."

Ken did just that. Soon, he backed off on the strength of his thrusts and traded the force for an increase in speed. Sarah's ass was red from the repeated impact of his hips against it, but she didn't complain.

After several minutes of that, Ken heard a familiar tone in her voice and he backed off slightly.

"Do you want it?" he murmured.

"I... I don't know if I can take it," she whispered.

"I didn't ask if you could take it," said Ken. "I asked if you want it."

She looked back at him and nodded with a plaintive look on her face.

Ken knew just what to do. He began pistoning in and out of her pussy, but he was no longer hitting her ass. Instead, he was working his cock in and out in short strokes, perhaps an inch or so at a time. The shortness of the strokes allowed him to move even more quickly. The effect was evident upon Sarah. She dropped her head down and rested it on the pillow, moaning with ecstasy.

"Oh my god, that's it, Ken," she rasped. "Don't stop. Don't stop. Oh!!!"

She came so hard she couldn't even stay upon her knees. Falling down upon her belly, Ken fell atop her and kept working his cock as she came again and again. He knew there was practically no limit to how long her climax might last in this fashion.

The light was deep blue with shades of purple drifting in. It was evident Ken could continue this for as a great while longer. All that remained was his own climax.

"Oh Kenny," moaned Sarah. "I don't know how much more I can take. Let's finish this."

She raised back up on her hands and knees and squeezed his cock hard with her pussy.

"Hey, do you remember what we used to do before I was on the pill?" she said.

"Yep," said Ken. "Condoms and then I'd pull out, rip them off, and cum on you."

"Or the times we risked it and you'd pull out. Come on, Ken. One more time."

Ken didn't have far to go. He'd been holding back for a while and all he needed was to let his system go. He took Sarah from behind for a few more wonderful thrusts and then groaned as he felt his body tense.

"Yes, Kenny!" cried Sarah. "I can't wait!"

She slid off of him and actually dropped off the bed. Ken kept hold of the base of his cock, squeezing to delay his ejaculation.

"Come on, baby," she whispered.

He slid off the bed and stood over her. She eyed his rigid and slickened cock hungrily.

"Cum for me, Kenny. Cum in my mouth and on my tits. Cum all over me."

He did exactly that. The first blast sprayed into her mouth and she let it pool there as she moaned with pleasure. His next spray hit her chin and then poured down over her breasts. It still wasn't enough for her, however, and she leaned back.

"You missed a spot," she said, indicating her pussy.

Ken aimed his last major blast in that direction and he painted a white trail from her belly down to between her legs.

"Well done, my love," she moaned.

She swallowed the remnants in her mouth and then stood to kiss Ken tenderly.

"We'll work this out," she said tenderly. "If we get out of here, we'll make it all work. We might not be in love anymore, but I still love you. See you on the other side, I hope."

"You bet," said Ken.

"And, I've got to go," she said.

She'd just gotten the message.

"Do you want to wash up?" he asked.

She looked down at the trails of cum dripping down her body.

"Hello no," she said with a grin. "I can shower at the next stop. Besides, it'll give the guy an idea of what he's in for."

"He's in for a treat, that's for sure," said Ken.

"Don't I know it," she said.

He watched her go.

Sadness wasn't the proper word. Regret, possibly, but not sad. Their world had been turned too upside down for sadness. Their minds were too numb to do sad.

***

#137

Ken tried to do the math in his head. They were allowed to sleep and it seemed like a normal length of time. Some partnerings lasted just a few minutes and others lasted what had to be a full 24-hour day. As close he could figure, he was averaging one and a half partners a day... but there had been many rest periods. Those had been times where he'd been allowed time by himself. Books had appeared in the room. Television screens had appeared. They didn't show any news or other outside sources, but they did show sitcoms and movies. 1.5 partners a day, take away breaks, it came out to more like one a day. One hundred and thirty-seven, so he'd been in the asylum for over four months.

It was getting easier.

There was something happening. There was some sort of pattern occurring. He had gone over twenty-five partners without meeting a fighter and the other varieties had come started to emerge in a pattern. Lusty, Bodice-ripper, Talker, Talker. Lusty, bodice-ripper, talker, talker. Then it was three Talkers in a row, then four, with them becoming the norm. He asked some of them if they had seen something similar.

Number 137, Graciela, Grace, a young sexy Latina housewife from Indiana, mused on that.

"I was a fighter," she said. "My husband Herman and I were really into the dom/sub thing, and get this, I was the dom. I started out in here playing those games, but I'd say that at about my number 50 or so, I got tired of the game. I guess you'd say I became a bodice-ripper then. I just wanted to kiss and be held. By number 80, I turned into a talker. For all I know, we're down here forever. If this is my lot, I'm at least going to get to know some guys."

Her thoughts echoed Ken's exactly.

They talked for a while more, but her comments about how she started got Ken's wheels spinning. As they talked, he slowly put things in place.

Ten minutes later, she found herself face down on the bed, her hands tied to the headboard.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she asked.

"So, you're a fighter?"

"I was, but not so much any more. And I like to dominate, not be dominated, motherfucker."

She threw in several more choice curse words in Spanish.

"Sorry, no habla Spanish, chica," said Ken.

"What do you want, damn it?" cried Grace.

"I want you to suck my cock, Grace, isn't that obvious?" he said.

Grace's eyes were flashing with a mix of anger and amusement. She knew it was a game, but she wasn't necessarily happy about playing it.

"I would have sucked your cock," said Grace, "and you would have loved it. But now, you can forget about these lips getting anywhere near that dick."

"We'll see about that," said Ken slyly.

He had not tied her feet to the footboard. He knew that would make things easier, but he wanted to experiment with his companion.

"Spread your legs," he said coldly.

"Fuck you," she said through gritted teeth.

They had all developed a sixth sense when it came to the panels. He was very aware that the light had shifted from green toward blue. She was enjoying this, counter to what her lovely mouth was saying.

"Spread your legs," he repeated again.

She was still not amenable.

"So, you want to play it like that," said Ken.

His hand came down with a hard smack on her shapely ass.

"Ow! Fuck, Ken. Stop it."

"I could gag you," said Ken, "I could ask them for a gag, but I like to hear you complain. Just keep it talking."

That shut her up. Her mouth clamped shut and she closed her eyes, not even looking at Ken.

Another hard smack fell on her ass. Now, the only sounds were the slap of his hand and her deep intakes of breath with each spank.

Smack.

Her breathing quickened.

Smack.

She gave a barely perceptible moan.

Ken followed with several rapid smacks. He didn't spank her as hard, he knew he didn't need to. Her ass was already sore.

He lowered his mouth to her ear.

"What did I tell you to do?"

Her legs, which had been tightly closed together, spread out into a lovely 'V' shape on the bed. Below her reddened ass, her moist pussy was now clearly visible.

Ken bent down and examined her lovely privates. His mouth was an inch away from her labia and she knew it. He could feel her heavy breathing through the mattress.

He reached down and lifted her a slight amount, giving her enough leverage to roll her hips up and give him an even better view.

He kissed her red ass cheeks tenderly and she moaned from the pleasure. He kissed down and to her thighs and then back up toward her pussy. He paused there, letting his warm breath wash over her lips. He waited.

"Please."

The word was barely audible.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I said, please," she said.

"Please what, Grace?"

"Please lick my pussy."

"Please lick your what?" asked Ken.

She knew what to say.

"Please lick my cunt," she whispered.

"Like this?" he asked.

His tongue brushed lightly over her labia.

"Harder," she moaned.

"Harder what?" Ken asked.

"Harder, please."

"I'll tell you what," he said. "I've never been all that comfortable with the master/slave thing. Isn't the Spanish word for boss, 'jefe'?"

"Yes,"

"Then why don't we use that?" he suggested.

"Please lick my cunt, Jefe," she whispered. "Please lick it harder."

He complied. Soon, she was writhing with pleasure as his tongue worked its way from near her clit and downward (or upward, in that position) to the other side of her dripping pussy.

She almost came... almost, but Ken stopped several times with her at the very brink.

He stood up and walked to sit beside her.

"Do I own you yet?" he whispered into her ear.

She didn't speak, but could only shake her head slightly side to side.

'No' said her lips.

"I didn't think so," he said.

By now, most beds had ropes permanently attached to the headboards and footboards, as well as some extra lengths for whatever uses.

Ken untied Grace's left hand and pulled it backward. Grasping her leg, he pulled bent it backward and upward. She gave a sigh of fear mixed with excitement upon realizing what he was doing.

"Have you done this before?" he asked.

"Not for a long time, Jefe," she whispered.

Her other leg soon joined the first. She was sprawled upon her belly, her legs pulled backward, her wrists tied to her ankles.

Ken wasn't comfortable with knots around the neck, but he saw an elegant solution. Her hair was tied back in a neat pony tail. With some inventive braiding, he attached length of rope to her hair and then tied it the other end to the ropes restricting her ankles. Her head was now pulled back and she was officially hogtied

"Now that's a beautiful picture," said Ken, circling around the bed to survey his handiwork. "Comfy?"

"Not really," she muttered.

"What was that?" he said in a stern voice.

"I said... I love it, Jefe."

"Good," he said.

He placed himself behind her. The way her legs were tied gave him perfect leverage for fucking her. He had the perfect angle, and even better, he was able to grasp her legs to pull against. He started slowly, but worked his way up to pounding her in a rhythmic fashion. He kept her right near the edge for two reasons. One, because he knew if he gave her the release of climax he would lose much of the sway he had over her. Also, her voice had a seductive, husky tone about it and he knew if he heard her cum, he wouldn't be far behind.

He kept rocking her body, moving her closer and closer to orgasm. Eventually he had her teetering on the edge of climax and had her gasping in frustration when he stopped once again.

"Please, Jefe," she pleaded. "Just finish me, I promise I'll do anything you want. You own me, I promise."

He pulled out and stepped off the bed. Reaching over, he slid her immobilized body to the edge. Her head pulled back, her eyes looked up to him entreatingly.

"Do I really own you?" he asked.

"Oh yes, Jefe," she moaned.

"Prove it."

He offered her his cock. Though she could barely move her head, she leaned forward to swallow up his juice-slickened member. He kept it hovering there, just beyond the reach of her lips and she begged him.

"Please, Jefe," she moaned. "Please let me taste it."

He let her taste it and then some. With one slow motion he leaned further and further forward, pushing his cock past her teeth, then tongue, and all the way down her throat. She took it all and he kept it there until he felt her throat tightening around his cock and saw her struggling. He pulled out and let her breathe again before plunging in once more. Within minutes, he was fucking her throat and she was gasping and moaning with pleasure.

"Don't stop Jefe," she pleaded. "Fuck me! Punish my throat!"

He did, but he still didn't cum. After throatfucking her for several minutes At last, he saw she'd had enough and pulled out.

He untied the ropes and then kissed her ankles and wrists to make it better. Once he was done he climbed up and laid on his back to wait for her.

She responded. He was soon treated to having the fiery Latina straddling him and sliding down onto his well-used cock.

She laid her head down on his chest and rested there. She was still tired from the treatment he'd given her.

"It's been awhile since I did anything like that," she said. "You surprised me."

"I wanted to," he said. "As fun as it was getting to know you, I wanted to be sure you remembered me. Do I still own you?"

"Si, papi," she purred before kissing him. "You got me wrapped around your little finger just like I'm wrapped around that stiff cock of yours."

The sex to follow was just as gentle as their dom play had been rough, but there was no doubt about who was in charge. Grace's every move was aimed entirely at pleasing Ken. Though that wasn't always the way he enjoyed things, he did get a great deal of pleasure from the absolute subservience and adoration in her eyes. They climaxed together, with Grace riding him reverse cowgirl. She kept him inside of her as long as she could, lying back to rest upon his chest as his cock slowly softened. When he did slip out the sign flashed in his head. He had to go.




Waiting for Purple



She knew he had to go, but walked him to the door.

"Graciela Perez," she said. "Highland, Indiana."

Though people often exchanged life stories, the parting shot of name and location was an unmistakable compliment. It meant, "if we ever get out of here, look me up."

***

The numbers kept adding up.

Ken did the math and realized he had gotten really good at the game. It had been fifty seven lovers since he'd been zapped.

Then he realized something. Perhaps the game was getting good at him.

Each interlude was more easy. Ken was familiar with search engines and how they worked. The key to the good ones was their algorithms. They studied what people searched for and what they clicked on, and adjusted their formulas. He strongly suspected the keepers were doing just that.

Each partner was easier to talk to. Each lover sensed what he liked more quickly, as he did with them. They were almost all talkers now. Just having sex wasn't pleasure enough. The interludes grew longer, too. They would talk, get to know each other, and then start the sexual games. Often there were one or two sleep periods before they even kissed.

It was lovely, but it also wasn't easy. With each one, Ken felt like he was giving away part of his heart which he knew he would never get back. For a while, he tried to stay guarded, but the light 'knew'. If he wasn't open and vulnerable to his partners, it drifted inexorably toward red.

His breakthrough finally came with number 318. He had just finished a phenomenal multi-day encounter with Sayo, a beautiful woman of Japanese descent who he knew would be a lifelong friend, provided he was ever allowed to see her again.

After she left, he shouted at the ceiling.

"Send me Ashki! She's the one! Don't you get it? Whatever formula you're trying to figure out, you've already figured mine out. If you want pleasure, send her my way! I'll show you more pleasure than your fucking computers could ever calculate."

There was no response.

Food eventually arrived and he ate in silence. He looked up with anticipation as the doors opened. There was a tiny shred of hope that Ashki would be there.

She wasn't.

It was someone else. Her skin was as dark as night and her body was athletic and tantalizing. But she wasn't Ashki. Ken's heart sank, even as he was kissing her.

They tried everything, but the light kept moving toward red. He and woman tried everything, but they couldn't stop it. For the first time in more than seventy lovers, Ken felt the pain. It was the worst he could ever remember.

He was sure he would die. The only thing that got him through was Ashkaya. He was positive he was going to die and the only thing he could think to do was call out her name. He hoped that the echoes of that cry would carry forward into the afterlife and they would help her find him. Her face was the last thing he envisioned as the world went black from unconsciousness.

***

September 7, 2016.

FBI Report - Case #3477-1222 - The Asylum.

On Thursday, May 14th, 2015, residents of Chicago, Illinois and surrounding areas began to disappear from their homes. The police discounted the first few as over-anxious spouses or family members. However, within a few hours it was clear there was some sort of epidemic. By the following Monday, nearly ten thousand people had gone missing and just as quickly as the disappearances began, they stopped. Data was gathered and estimates placed the number missing at almost exactly 10,000.

There was no correlating factor among those who disappeared. Their ages ranged from 18 to 57, with a mean age of 29. There was no common racial, marital, or socioeconomic aspect of their background. The suspects seemed to have been taken arbitrarily.

There were no traces or motives identified.

The weeks stretched into months in the asylum, as they called it. The 'victims' were forced to learn to live without their loved ones.

Then, eight months and seven days after the first disappearance, the first victims began to inexplicably resurface. As when they vanished, they reappeared in their homes -- often in the very beds in which they'd last been seen.

The tales they told were doubted at first, but as more and more victims began reappearing-- their stories corroborated down to almost every detail.

Upon physical examination, it was confirmed that some sort of sensors and electrodes had been implanted and subsequently removed. All women had been given some sort of birth control which halted both egg production and menses. By inference, investigators concluded that some form of vaccination had taken place for none of the subjects emerged with any sort of sexually transmitted diseases, and several were known to have entered 'the asylum' with various forms of herpes or other communicable infections.

To date, roughly eight thousand victims have returned. Of those who have attended voluntarily counseling, a variety of conditions have been reported:

*Almost universally, the victims will not ride in elevators or even enter buildings where one can be found.

*A surprising number of married individuals have returned happily to their spouses. Estimates place this number at almost thirty percent, with children at home being a strong factor.

*Another thirty percent of married individuals are now separated because of the spouse's inability to come to terms with the victim's experience. As one husband put it, "I know she had to do it and I would have never wished that she have the kind of pain described. The problem is, every time I look at her I see her with all of those men. It's just too much."

*Between eleven and thirteen percent of the victims have reported behavior best described as nymphomania or satyriasis. They have been conditioned toward hypersexuality by the experience and report an overwhelming anxiety when going more than a day without a new partner. Counseling is being offered and special security forces have been deployed to keep a gentle watch on victims still subjected to such drives.

*Over ten percent of those who were taken have entered into polyamorous relationships and several commune-like communities have sprung up to accommodate the victims, many of whom have actively sought out others they encountered in the asylum.

*Of the remaining survivors, behaviors cannot be categorized so easily. Some have sought out and married people they met during their experience, others have sought isolation. Surprisingly, a relatively small number seem to have suffered ill effects -- so far. The full impact of this unusual experience is yet to be determined.

*One final factor... there is a noted tendency toward nudism among those who have returned. There was no clothing in the asylum, and nearly every person who was there prefers not to wear any clothing while at home.

There is also the question of those still in there, wherever 'there' is. Behavioral professionals are still postulating about the motives of the keepers and what factors might be shaping those still in the secret complex.

***

Ken was dead. He was sure of it. The last thing he remembered was being with the dark-skinned woman and zapped by a red light. The pain had been crippling.

He was lying on sheets in a bed. The warm light on his face was waking him, but he didn't want to open his eyes and see the damned room once again.

The warm light...

His mind spun around this fact. Warm light.

There was never warm light in the asylum. There were no windows and only artificial light.

The only way the light could be warm was...

His eyes flew open.

He was home! He was back at their townhouse in Bucktown!

He leapt out of bed. This was the place. He reached out to feel the walls and the windows. He looked out at the Chicago skyline. He couldn't laugh or cry. He was too stunned to commit to the belief that anything was truly real.

He walked to the stairs and started down to the living room. Halfway down, he stopped. Sarah was there, and she wasn't alone.

She was on the couch and her hands were wrapped around a lover's head as she rode him.

Ken didn't know how to feel. A small part of him had clung desperately to the idea that the entire thing had been a dream. He'd thought he might walk down stairs and find Sarah eating breakfast, admiring her engagement ring that she'd shown off the night before.

That clearly wasn't the case.

Ken sat down on the stairs and just watched. It was beautiful, really. Sarah's eyes were closed and she was surrendering entirely to the experience with her new lover. Ken wondered if it might be the man she'd mentioned to him -- the one who had rocked her world for an entire day.

It was odd to be watching them. Though his past year had been filled with sex, it had all been with individual women. He had never been in the room with anyone else, never watched another couple. Yet, the disgust or excitement or... whatever emotion he should supposedly feel was entirely erased by the numbness brought on by the unreal sensations he was feeling.

"God yes, Chris," whispered Sarah. "Fuck me. Fuck me and don't ever stop."

Her eyes opened and she finally noticed Ken for the first time.

"Oh my God!" she cried.

She leapt off of her lover and went running to Ken. She showered his face with kisses and hugged him fiercely.

"You're back," she sobbed. "Oh Kenny, you're back! Come here, sit."

She led him to the couch and sat down with him, holding his hand. The man, Chris, remained where he was. There was a stark informality among them which made it clear all three had been 'inside'.

"How long?" was all Ken could say.

"Let's see," said Sarah. "I've been back for six weeks. Chris has been back for three. That would mean you were in for almost fourteen months, give or take."

"Are you... together?"

"God no," said Sarah. "I'm playing the field. I'm just not ready."

"I see," said Ken. "How do we still have this place."

"They paid for it," explained Sarah.

"Who?" asked Ken.

"The Keepers. They set up a fund with instructions. We're all basically salaried for the next ten years."

"Who are they?" asked Ken. "Who are the Keepers?"

His head was still spinning.

"Nobody knows," said Sarah. "With all of the technology we have at our disposal, the government is still stymied. Chicago, Bangalore, Cape Town, and Cairo. Ten thousand people apiece. No explanation."

"I see," said Ken. "Do we have a car?"

She looked at him with a soft gaze and stroked his cheek tenderly.

"Kenny, sweetie. I'm so sorry. I know how hard this must be. Coming home to find me like this, not knowing where you are or who who you are. Give it some time. You don't know what she..."

"Do we have a car?" he asked again, more forcefully.

"There's a service," she explained. "A lot of us pooled our money together and we have a fleet of limos available. The drivers are trustworthy and the cars are private... for a variety of reasons. I'll call one right now."

Ken went upstairs, showered, shaved and got dressed. He debated for fifteen minutes over whether to go formal or casual. Finally, he put on a good suit, but no tie and went back downstairs.

Sarah and Chris were dressed in robes and Sarah gave him a loving hug.

"The driver has a complete database and a GPS. He'll take you wherever you need to go."

"Okay," said Ken quietly.

"Kenny, good luck," she said. "A lot happened in there, we all know that. You just... you just don't know what you might find."

He nodded.

With a gentle kiss on his cheek, she took his hand and led him out to the black sedan waiting at the front steps.

"Hello there, Ken," said the driver's voice.

It was a woman's voice. He looked up in surprise to see that it there was something familiar.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

She was dressed in a smart suit and even wore a driver's cap. She had dark hair that contrasted wonderfully with her blue eyes.

"Ken from Bucktown," said the woman. "Raised in Oak Park, went to school in Wisconsin."

"Oh my god!" he said. "You were somewhere around two-hundred, I think. Sherry, was it?"

"Very good, sweetie," she said with a smile. "I don't remember everyone, but I liked to keep track of my favorites. You were one of my favorites."

"You were..lovely," said Ken. "Wonderful, really. I'm sorry that I'm not more effusive, I just got out, though."

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," she said in a tender tone. "I know what you feel like. My first month out, I just sat and stared at the walls. I took this job driving to get me out more. Now, where are we going?"

"I'm trying to find a girl named Akshi. Akshaya was her full name. I can't remember her last name, but she lives in Glen Ellyn. Do you have a listing of people who have returned."

"Akshaya Jayasuriya," said Sherry. "I know her. I've already driven six guys to her place. She must've been something else."

"Oh," said Ken.

He couldn't hide how crestfallen he was.

"If it helps, I drove six of them right back home. They didn't stay."

"Oh," said Ken with a little more brightness in his voice.

The drive out I-290 and I-88 was essentially an orientation back to the real world. Sherry told him about her own adjustments and about the good things and bad things about the real world. She was friendly and compassionate, caring and understanding. Just her casual tone helped in bringing him out to reality. The drive helped, too. For the first time in over a year Ken was seeing sights beyond identical hotel rooms and naked women's bodies.

He felt his pulse quickening as they pulled onto the onramp. As they wound through suburban streets, he grew more and more quiet. Before turning down Akshi's street, Sherry pulled over and then turned around to look at him over the seat.

"Ken, I want you to listen to me. There has been a lot of joy, but also a lot of heartbreak since we were inside. I know how much you've set your heart on something happening today. I hope it does, I really do. But if it doesn't, you're staying with me tonight. No strings, no sex, nothing. You'll have someone to talk to, someone to hold. Okay?"

"Okay," said Ken.

Curiously, her words calmed him down and as they turned the corner he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but Akshi's house was not it. He had to chuckle that somehow, given her family background, he had expected to see something like the Taj Mahal or a Jaipur palace, or a stone temple. Instead, it was a typical suburban Cape Cod. Driveway, trees, hedges... just a family home.

Sherry did the whole driver routine and walked around to open his door. She handed him a cell phone.

"My number is programmed in there," said Sherry. "I'm going to hit a Starbucks down by the train station. If I don't hear from you within half an hour, I'll assume you don't need me."

"Okay," he said.

She gave him a hug.

"And I truly hope I don't hear from you, sweetie."

The car pulled away and Ken walked slowly to the door. It felt like hours that he stood there trying to gather the willpower to push the doorbell. Before he had the chance, the door opened and he was greeted by the sight of a lovely woman in a sari.

There's an old, rather sexist adage that says before you think about marrying a girl, you should see what her mother looks like.

Sexist or not. True or not, the thought did race through his mind when he saw the woman who opened the door.

Akshaya's mother, Sabeetha, had often been compared to her namesake, Sabeetha Perera, the Sri Lankan actress who had risen to fame in the 1980s. Many said that Akshi's mother had actually aged better than the actress.

"Hello," said the woman. "My name is Sabeetha. Do come in."

She was the epitome of grace and elegance. Every movement she made was almost like something from a dance. She led him to the couch.

"Sit, dear," she said.

Her voice was reminiscent of Askhaya's. She had a bit more of an accent, but that made it hypnotic in its own way.

"My... my name is Kenneth," he said. "Ken, to my friends."

"It is nice to meet you, Ken," said Sabeetha. "I think it is safe to assume how you know my daughter, yes?"

Ken blushed furiously.

"Don't be embarrassed dear," said Sabeetha. "In my homeland, we have been studying sex since before Westerners even knew what to call it. There is no shame in what happened. I hope that you found far more beauty than ugliness in that odd place you were all sent to. Now, tell me about yourself."

Ken found himself telling his life story to Akshaya's mother. She was an attentive listener, knowing when to prompt with questions and when to just let him keep talking. She seemed impressed that he took the time to ask questions about her own childhood and family and they were soon laughing together. Just like that, they were friends.

At last, the conversation reached a lull and Sabeetha contemplated him for a few moments.

"God, I hope you are the one," she said. "For over a year,my daughter lived like an Apsara, entertaining countless men in her bed. Yet, ever since she's returned, she's lived the life of an ascetic, holing herself away in her room, waiting for 'the one'. I can't tell you how many men have come to visit, but she's turned all of them away."

Ken's heart leapt at those words. He stood up as Sabeetha walked to the base of the stairs and called up.

"Akshi, dear?"

"Yes, Mama?" called the voice that had haunted Ken through his entire stay.

"You have another gentleman caller. Put on some clothes and get down here."

Sabeetha turned to Ken. "She never wears clothes if she doesn't have to. I hear it is very common among you have been in."

Up the stairs, Ken heard the sound of of a door opening and the sound of footsteps.

As she came into view, Ken wasn't sure if his legs would support him. She was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, had done nothing with her hair, and wore no make-up, but she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Her expression was cold and removed. It was evident that she was tired of these visitors. Men who had shared a wonderful night with her, seeking her out for more. Most, she had sent away, a few she had visited with because she felt friendship for them. None of them, though, had been the right one.

Her eyes lighted on Ken's face.

A look of disbelief crossed her face and she peered at him even more closely.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she began to shake.

Her other hand reached out for the railing on the landing. In almost slow motion, she descended to her knees and stayed there, sobbing.

Ken wanted to go to her but his legs wouldn't move. He could only stand there in shock as the girl who had haunted his dreams and fantasies cried above him.

At last, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Go to her," said Sabeetha. "She needs you."

He climbed the stairs and sat down beside her. She turned to him and cradled his face in her hands, wanting nothing more than to prove to herself that he was real.

"Your fiance?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"She was in there, too," he said. "We even spent a night together. As soon as we touched each other, we knew that it was over."

"How terrible," said Akshi.

"Not it wasn't," said Ken. "What was terrible were the months to follow when the only thing in the world I wanted was you."

"Don't lie," said Akshi. "You were taking good care of yourself. I've checked the message boards for people who have been inside. You have some great admirers... and some interesting fetishes, I might add."

"What about you?" said Ken, grinning. "I heard about you from other women. If your name spreads that far, you know you are doing something right."

"I suppose I was," said Akshi, lifting her head proudly.

"But I'm not lying," said Ken. "Akshi, whenever rode the the elevator, I would shout out your name as loudly as I could, hoping you might be in one of the rooms I was passing."