A Port in the Storm

I answered the door. The Ultimate Force's guards stood beside my "guest, " robed and hooded. Who had she been? I'd know soon enough.

"Clarkson?"

"Yes," I answered.

I showed them my ID; they took my fingerprints and scanned my irises. Everything was as it should be. I'd jumped through every hoop to get to this point. The hooded figure was ushered across my threshold. I signed every form and followed every protocol. My door closed with the Ultimate Force's people on the opposite side. The robed figure was mine. Forever!

Even though I had fantasized about this moment, now that it was here my mind went blank for a moment or two. I removed the hood from my "guest." She was blonde and beautiful! Even with everything she and the other superheroes and superheroines had been through I recognized her immediately. I almost spoke her name but remembered that their names and titles had been taken away as part of the Ultimate Force's conditions for not incinerating the known universe. She had no past any longer. No name other than what I would pick out for her. She looked at me warily, fear in her crystal blue eyes. Reflexively she opened the robe and let it flutter to the floor. She was spectacularly naked save for the discipline and control collar around her neck. The final act of the guards had been to hand me the controller. I had complete power over this beguiling figure.

I drank all of her in. A mother twice over but you would never know it judging by that body! Trim, exceptionally fit with firm prominent breasts, a wasp waist, and amazing thighs below a flat tummy and a blonde nest. I'd hit the jackpot! We stared at each other. I stepped over to my couch. From one couch arm, I removed a freshly laundered striped oxford shirt that I had put aside for this very purpose. She nodded and slipped it on. As she fastened the buttons I asked, "Care for a cup of tea?"

"That would be nice," her first words to me. Her voice was soft but sweet.

I took her hand and led her to my kitchen. I pulled out a seat for her and then set the kettle to boil.

"Do you have a preference? I have oolong, green, and some flavored teas including mint."

"Oolong would be fine."

There was a long interval of painful silence. We were both sizing each other up. The kettle wasn't long in coming to a boil and I poured out two cups and placed in the tea bags. I took the cream out of the fridge and placed it next to the sugar. We sat opposite each other and sipped.

"My name is James Clarkson, but everyone calls me Jim."

"Nice to meet you, Jim I'm..." her face froze in a contortion of pain. Her collar short-circuited her introduction. Not only was I forbidden from using her old name so was she!

"I'll pick out something nice for you in a few days. Once we get to know each other."

The pain gone, she smiled and nodded.

"What do you do for a living, Jim?"

"I write game scenarios and programming for several of the major gaming companies. I also freelance with the programming of some of the online betting casinos. I write and debug the codes that keep everything running and in harmony. Sometimes I'm balancing a dozen plotlines at once. I rarely have to venture to the office, as I can do most of my work from home. Today is an off day."

"That's nice," she replied. I could see her mostly feigned interest. She was feeling me out. She'd been assigned to me for perpetuity, and I was a completely unknown entity. She was trying to get a sense as to who I was to discern her future. I completely understood.

I reached across the table and placed my hand on her forearm. "I'm not a hard guy. I know you've dealt with a lot over the last five years and that I am a complete cipher at this point but I'm not into abuse or pain if that is what concerns you. I am a bit lonely and I'm pretty much constantly horny and I think you are phenomenally beautiful. Let's start with that."

"Thank you for your honesty, Jim. I'm yours to do with as you please. It has been very difficult. I had a life I can't refer to. A family I must deny the existence of. It is all so hard."

"The alternative is worse," I pointed out.

She teared up. "It's simple jealousy. The Ultimate Force didn't want anyone manifesting any powers that it claimed for itself! It didn't matter that we were forces for good!"

"Should you be talking about this?" I asked. I knew the collar monitored her conversations.

"That's public knowledge, Jim." She sighed forced the anger from her face and said, "I've always liked the name James and the nickname Jim. I also like that you are pretty good to look at. I was sure I would end up with an obese slob with severe body odor and Cheetos dust on his fingers!"

"Well, I do like Cheetos!" I returned.

She smiled and then emitted a soft chuckle, it was musical.

"Would you like something to eat? I was a short-order chef in college to help cover tuition. What I don't know how to make, I can fudge. Eggs? Toast? Bacon? Something more substantial?"

"Well, Jim, it's been a long time since I've had a traditional English breakfast. I can cook it if you want me to. After all, I am your...slave." The final word came out flat and bitter. I imagine it would to anyone who had been robbed of their freedom. I knew I had to go gently and patiently, or this woman was going to hate me with every fiber of her being. I hadn't enslaved her, but I could potentially represent every evil that had brought her to my front door.

"No need, one traditional English breakfast coming up."

I could tell that some of her animosity towards me had already faded somewhat.

"Jim? Where is your bathroom?"

"The door at the end of that hallway."

"Thank you."

I watched her delightful wiggle recede before I threw myself into the task of making us both breakfast. She returned to the kitchen a surprisingly long time later. I'm quite sure she had a long conversation with herself behind that door.

"You have a nice place, Jim. I'd really like to take a shower after breakfast. It has been a very long time since I've taken one in privacy."

"I don't have any problem with that. After your shower, maybe we can sit at the computer and order you a wardrobe. I don't intend to keep you naked. At least not all the time!" I added.

She smiled and nodded. Having sex with me had already been factored into her future life. She always was an intelligent and pragmatic woman.

She savored every morsel as though she was dining at a four-star Michelin restaurant. She must not have had decent food in a very long time. We were mostly silent through breakfast. I was content to just watch her eat.

"That was spectacular, Jim!" she enthused as she wiped her mouth.

"Thank you."

"Can I take that shower now?"

"Be my guest, guest."

I waited until I heard the water running before I took the remote control to her collar and had it interface with my computer. It brought up her inmate number, physical description, and front and back full-length nude booking photos. Her biography was classified but there wasn't a guy on the planet who didn't know it already. There were some processing photos. One that made me pause was that of her exceptionally sad face as she slid off her wedding and engagement rings. She and her now ex-husband had not had the happiest or most stable of marriages, what with his preoccupation with science and gadgets and her infatuation with another man, but for it to end like that! There was a short film of her being permanently depowered and then being fitted with her collar. Her old life had been removed as effectively as an atom bomb destroys a city block. All this gave me extra incentive to treat her kindly. Perhaps, when her tortured psyche healed a bit, she would find a place in her heart for me. I wanted her to like me. Her resentful and responding only out of fear and duty would get old really fast. I thought about all that time my younger self spent reading her magazine and jerking off to imaginary scenarios featuring her. I was like the dog that caught the speeding car. Now what? I knew exactly what I wanted but I was not sure at this point how to get it.

She stepped out of the bathroom. Once more in my Oxford shirt, her hair in a turbaned towel.

"I really needed that, Jim."

"Hey, my house is your house."

She looked at me, and nodded, "For forever," was her soft coda.

I took up my laptop. "Join me on the couch in the living room and let's go shopping."

"Those are words a girl always wants to hear!"

She settled next to me. It was all I could do to resist pulling her onto my lap and taking that astounding body, but I had to pace myself. No woman wants a horny gorilla for a first date!

"You better check my fashion restrictions," she offered helpfully.

I had the remote interface with my Mac.

CLOTHING RESTRICTIONS

Convict dressed in unisex attire in previous life. She is to be perpetually reminded of her status as a woman. Skirts or dresses ALWAYS. Preferably short. Suspenders and nylons always. Tights may be supplemented in cold weather or as a fashion alternative. Undergarments. Black and exceptionally lacy only or nothing at all. Jewelry. Permitted: Earrings, anklets, bracelets. Necklaces and rings are absolutely forbidden. All color options permitted for clothing save royal blue. Bathing attire. One or two pieces. White, red, pink, green only. Shoes: heels are preferred. Sporting attire, no restrictions save the royal blue injunction. Walking shoes when appropriate. Trainers for the gym. Sandals in summer or at the beach.

The words faded from the screen. I turned and faced her. She shrugged.

"It could be a lot worse!"

"Let's shop," I repeated.

For the next several hours she oohed and ahhed over stuff from Amazon and various boutiques While her hair dried. I was grateful for my recent inheritance from my late grandfather. It gave me a great deal of immediate liquidity. I really had to get around to investing the bulk of it.

Finally, we both came up for air.

"Some of the stuff will arrive as early as tomorrow and then I can take you out. The afternoon sun was spilling onto my balcony. It was a beautiful day. I opened the sliding windows. She stepped out and took the city in. This was her city once. Virtually every night she and her teammates were among the top stories on the five o'clock news. She stood at the railing lost in contemplation. I stood behind and embraced her. She didn't shiver or flinch. I looked down, she gazed up, our lips brushed against each other. After a mutual dazed reaction, we kissed again. Short but very sweet. Our third kiss was even better.

"Jim," she said softly but confidently. "I know what you want. Let's check out your bed only, can you leave the controller in the living room? It has settings that can make me come like the world's most insatiable whore. It can have me hoovering up cum like it's crack and I'm an addict. I detest my controller. I'll give you honest unfiltered me. If that is not enough then have at it with the artificiality. What I am looking for now, more than anything is normality. I think you will provide that normality. I'll give you what I can it may not be much at first, but with time?"

She tugged on my chin; we exchanged our longest kiss yet.

"I'm willing to try, so long as you are sincere and willing to open your heart to me. I don't just want to own someone; I want a relationship. Even though you wear that collar, we can be closer to equals in the bedroom. If I want things more my way, don't take it personally."

"That's the best offer I've had in years, Jim."

She looked at me smiled her sweetest smile yet turned and grasped my hand.

"Let's get intimately acquainted, Jim."

I'll admit I was nervous. She was older than me and vastly more experienced. Most of my past relationships had fizzled out for one reason or another. The former superheroine and I would have to work on our relationship. We were both stuck with each other by ties stronger than marriage or kinship. There was no place else for either of us to go. I opened my bedroom door. In the hopes of hitting this jackpot, I'd paid to have my place expertly decorated. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't much money and even if I ended up alone, it gave my place pizzaz. I could tell she liked it even before she spoke.

"Quite charming, Jim."

We kissed and drifted towards the bed. I fell into it and pulled her after me. Her hands went under my shirt, her delicate fingers and soft hands felt wonderful on my chest and stomach. She worked it up and over my head. I began unbuttoning the buttons of my Oxford, revealing her magnificent breasts and light brown areolas with chance pink nipples. For some reason, old comic stories came to mind. The folks publishing her stories were on the conservative side. She was just about the last superheroine to wear a bikini at the beach when on vacation. More than a decade later than everyone else. She never, other than one memorable incarnation of her uniform, showed much skin. Still, the forums and fan sites had compiled canonical lists of who had spied her naked and who she had slept with. We had to take the publisher's word on it, but it's been well-established that they didn't exaggerate too much. As I suckled her nipple, I recalled all the heroes and villains who were supposed to have preceded me.

I forced those thoughts away, focusing solely on her. I began to work my way down her spectacular mature body. I kissed and licked my way down one leg and then the other before circling her lightly thatched blonde box. She sighed sweetly. I forced her apart with my fingers and sought the love knot behind the hood. She began squirming with delight and panting. She came with an intensity that surprised me, squirting all over my sheets and then emitting gales of laughter. Before she had a chance to come down, I entered her with my manhood. She whispered, "Jim!" and, before long, had a second, much lighter orgasm. I grunted and collapsed on top of her. She planted a fusillade of kisses upon my lips. I rolled over and embraced her. For the longest time, we just held each other.

"That was very nice!" I said at last.

"Indeed, it was, Jim!"

After a moment she said. "I like the fact that you gave me your full attention. That really turns me on."

"You are easy to pay attention to, Gail."

"Gail?"

"Inspired by your gales of laughter and it was my grandmother's first name."

"Isn't Gail a little too close on the nose?"

"If they object, I can always change it."

"Gail is a pretty name. It's nice to be called something besides a number or convict or Blondie. Thank you for my name. Master."

"I prefer Jim."

"Only a master can impart names."

"Point taken."

"I got myself a young stud for an owner."

"I scored a major babe for a slave."

We just lay there for a while hugging and necking. It was far better than either of us expected. That was a truly hopeful sign. After the long interval, she noticed I was ready to go again. She kissed me on the lips, the nipples, my tummy, and proceeded towards my cock.

"Gail?"

"My turn to serve you, Jim."

She then provided me with the most magnificent blow job of my life. I came with a gasp and a grunt all over the back of her throat. She winked, opened her mouth to display the load, and gamely choked it down.

"Oh, my God! Gail" was all I could say. We cuddled and talked for hours. We talked mostly about me. Her past, the elephant in the room, could not be acknowledged in any way, shape, or form. She gave generalities, favorite color, favorite movie, favorite author, zodiac sign, and all the rudiments of getting to know someone. Her birthday was not far away. I vowed to pay attention over the next few weeks and determine what present I could buy her that would truly make her happy. While I could not deny the elation I had given her between the sheets, a general air of sadness hung over her constantly. I trusted that it would fade with time, it had to if we were to get anywhere as a couple.

Several hours later I rose from the bed and said, "I am sure you've worked up an appetite as well. Come help me make dinner, Gail."

We worked well together in the kitchen. A return to domesticity was exactly the tonic she needed. This is what she missed most in that hellish prison, simple human decency. Just as I was serving the meal she grasped my forearm and said, "There is nothing sexier than an assured sensitive, yet manly gentleman. I think I am going to like you very much, Jim."

We kissed. A different kiss this time somehow. Like were really starting to appreciate each other on a deeper level. I blessed my lucky stars. I knew my loneliness was at an end.

She insisted on washing the dishes by hand, even though I have a perfectly adequate dishwasher. I let her pick out a movie on Netflix and we sat on the couch, my arm around her like any number of couples in the world at that moment. The movie, the normality, and the physical closeness brought more of her out of her shell. Her personality, at heart, was vivacious and sparkling. But she had had nothing to sparkle about for quite a while.

I presented her with a fresh toothbrush and gave her privacy in the bathroom to prepare for bed. She strode nude into the bedroom.

"I always sleep in the raw, Jim. Can't sleep even in minimal clothing. They made me sleep in my prison uniform. It has been forever since I had a good night's rest. I'm sure my sleep will be aided by a bit of intimacy if that's OK with you."

Our second foray into intercourse was more assured and thoroughly enjoyable. Even if did lack a bit of the magic of our first time. As soon as Gail came, she was in the deepest slumber I had ever seen. I wrapped my body around hers and held on tight. My dreams were exemplary.

In the morning, I let Gail sleep in. I gently kissed her forehead and gazed in wonder. Her features were so relaxed and piquant, exposing her inner beauty as well. In the kitchen, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and poured through work e-mails. There was a bit of tweaking I had left hanging when I last clocked out of work. I straightened that out and checked my projects folder. Man, did they expect a lot out of me, even with my considerable salary, I was vastly underpaid. When you are basically the only guy on the continent capable of this job you should get some recognition beyond the paycheck. Maybe that's what Gail was. I had no idea the process they used in selecting me and matching me with her. The Ultimate Force figured those things out itself and sent its now considerable human staff to enact its fiats.

I was elbow-deep in another project when Gail entered wearing one of my sweatshirts. Man, oh man did she look good in it! I pulled away from my work for a moment and said,

"I have to nail down this subroutine. Help yourself to coffee, the mugs are in the cabinet above the maker and the cream is in the fridge. Sugar is on the table. I need about fifteen minutes,"

She smiled, nodded, and padded over to the kitchen. I figured I'd give her something to watch so I picked up my TV remote and turned on one of the cable news channels. That immediately caught her attention. The world had changed so much since the arrival of the Ultimate Force. "A millennium in half a decade" as one wag put it in the New York Times In exchange for our superheroes and superheroines, the Ultimate Force had given mankind free unlimited energy and the Milky Way. The story darting across the screen was typical. They announced that the three-hundredth planet had just been opened for human settlement. Already there were more than a billion humans scattered across the nearest suitable stars. It was the old pioneer days all over again but now everybody was getting into the act. There were no wars anymore because there were no longer any mineral shortages to fight over. The asteroid belt was being stripped of its iron and precious metals. If something was in short supply on earth. It could be transported from some other planet in a matter of days. As for the earth itself, it was a lot quieter and a lot cleaner. The free energy and incredibly inexpensive conversion kits had eliminated the internal combustion engine. No need to burn coal or oil or petrol for power. The only ones who had taken it in the shorts besides the superheroes were the undiversified petroleum companies.