Hollow Pleasure

*** Disclaimer ***

The following installment contains themes of hypnosis, mind control, non-consent, voyeurism and incest. You've been warned.

This is a work of fiction. All characters depicted are at least 18 years of age. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Hollow Pleasure chapter 08

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2B

The next several days passed in a blur. Things at the apartment only seemed to be getting weirder and weirder, and Ethan was trying to distance himself from it all as much as possible... with the exception of Galloway, of course. But she was a rock. She was the only one in the building who didn't seem to be acting out of sorts.

Ethan hadn't told her exactly why he was uneasy. He was afraid of what might happen if he did. But Galloway read him well, regardless, because she had shown up at his door that morning in torn jeans, looking ready for battle and carrying her bag of equipment.

When she asked if he would like to spend the day with her, Ethan jumped at the suggestion, no questions asked.

But now, he was starting to think that he should have asked a few questions. He had been hoping it would be just the two of them, enjoying some sort of quiet special time together.

Today was nothing like that.

He sat on a canvas folding chair that smelled like camping. His toes were on the ground, pointing toward each other, and his crutches rested beside him in the grass. Ethan felt more anxiety than ever before, and to prove that, the muscles in his legs and feet were spasming uncontrollably. The silence was heavy with discomfort. Quinn sat beside him in his own chair- dressed in gym shorts and a grey t-shirt. Apparently he had a rare day off.

In truth, Galloway had her own reasons for inviting Ethan along, and much of it had to do with wanting Ethan and Quinn to bond more. Both were important to her, and they needed to warm up to each other so that they could eventually all hang out together without the inherent awkwardness.

Which was exactly why they now sat alone, side by side, staring across a wide grassy field. The sun shone in their eyes, the air was warm, with a light breeze, and the sky was crystal clear.

It was just the two of them, and Ethan didn't know how to make conversation with Quinn. He was from a different world- Ethan the introverted nerd, and Quinn, who had once been the rugged tough guy. Quinn seemed to not know what to talk about either.

"Are you nervous?" Quinn asked.

"Kind of," Ethan said.

"Me too," he admitted.

"Why?" Ethan asked.

Quinn didn't elaborate. "I just am."

Ethan glanced around. They weren't entirely alone. Standing in little clusters around the field, groups of State Policemen milled about. Most of them were dressed in casual gear instead of formal uniforms. Some in gym clothes, and some in fatigue pants and shirts.

To Ethan's immediate left stood a blonde muscular man in a black military-style uniform. He had a scar that ran from his eye down his cheek. He didn't pay any attention to the pair in the lawn chairs. He was holding binoculars to his eyes and staring at the horizon.

Ethan kicked slightly at the dirt, listening to the drone of cicadas in the trees. Despite what he told Quinn, he felt an incredible anxiety. He was nervous for Galloway. He glanced at Quinn, trying to read his face. Quinn looked over and offered him an assured smile.

Ethan looked away again.

Quinn considered this. "I'm glad Galloway has you looking out for her," he said, trying to sound light-hearted.

"I don't know about me looking out for her," Ethan replied.

"You do. She totally needs a friend like you."

Ethan didn't say anything.

"I hope you don't mind me asking... why the notes?"

Ethan looked up, a little surprised.

"She told me you leave her notes. She really likes them. It puts her in a good mood."

Ethan was worried that maybe he had crossed a line, but after scanning Quinn's face, saw that Quinn wasn't at all bothered by this. Apparently he didn't feel threatened. He was just curious.

Finally Ethan shrugged. "I don't know. It makes Galloway feel good. It's what I'd want someone to do for me. If I was having a bad day, or was scared, I'd want someone to leave me a little note. Nobody does, so I figured if I want something to happen for me, I should do it for someone else. Tell them something that I'd want to hear. It matters."

Quinn looked thoughtful. He smiled and was about to say more when somewhere in the distance, they heard it. They forgot the conversation instantly.

Ethan saw Quinn take a deep breath, and then he found himself taking one as well. The sound of an engine. It grew steadily louder, becoming more defined. The drone turned to a THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP sound. It matched the beating of Ethan's own heart.

It came fast. Astonishingly fast. One second it was just a black speck on the horizon, and suddenly the big gray helicopter burst into view, sailing over their heads with a roar that was overwhelming and deafening.

Ethan felt a moment of panic at how loud it was. It flew low. Less than a hundred feet above them. The rotors kicked up the wind and whipped it into their faces.

Quinn stood up at once, staring up at the copter. Despite himself, Ethan grabbed for his crutches and also clambered to his feet, shielding his eyes against the wind.

The helicopter banked and circled above. The man in the black uniform with the scar watched it with a calm detachment that Ethan found reassuring.

Ethan, himself, felt his heart pounding hard. His legs trembled, and he was dimly aware of how damp his palms were. He looked again to Quinn, and saw that he was pale. His eyes looked far away as he watched. He's remembering something.

The helicopter made one final pass overhead, steadied, and began to hover fifty feet above the field in front of them. To Ethan, it looked like it could have been miles above the earth. Dirt and loose grass flew in all directions, stinging his face and bare arms. But he couldn't bring himself to look away.

The cabin doors on either side of the chopper pulled open.

Ropes were cast out, falling to the ground, whipping around in the wind.

Men appeared, two on each side, moving backwards out of the cabin. They all stood on the landing rails together, backs facing out to the world far below them.

This is it, his mind screamed, and Ethan found his chest rising and falling so fast. He was breathing through his mouth to catch his breath.

Quinn nudged him and pointed.

He spotted Galloway at once on the right side. It was hard to miss her. Unlike the other three men who were in uniform, Galloway wore her casual jeans and t-shirt beneath her vest. Her eyes were shielded with goggles, but her maroon hair stood out beneath her cap. Her rifle was slung across her back, and she wore heavy-duty black gloves.

Then Ethan's heart dropped.

All four, including Galloway, were jumping. They fell backwards in unison, like scuba divers rolling off a boat. They fell fast, then their hands steadied on the rope, and their descents slowed, making them swing softly as they came down. They resembled spiders, descending on webs. There was a grace and an elegance to their falls.

They dropped further and further, swaying.

Quinn rested a hand on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan could feel a tremble to the man's palm. But he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Then Galloway's boots hit the dirt at the same time as the men around her, and Ethan and Quinn shared a sigh of relief. The ropes were cut free, falling to the ground and the helicopter was roaring off.

Then exhilaration overcame Ethan's anxiety. Galloway had actually roped out of a helicopter! He couldn't help but let out a cheer. She had always been so cool, but to the boy, she looked positively like a superhero. Nothing like Spiderman or Batman. He was certain Galloway could kick their asses, because unlike them, she was the real thing.

Quinn began to clap.

Galloway spotted the two of them in an instant, and raised her goggles. She gave them a cocky half smirk and began to slowly strut across the field toward them, looking like the star of an action movie.

Halfway across the field, however, her cool demeanor broke and her real jubilation came out. She broke into a run. "There's my men," she shouted as she dashed up to them. Ethan was first, she threw her arms around him and gave him a huge bear hug. He winced, then smiled sheepishly.

"That was so cool!" Ethan couldn't help but blurt out.

"Was it? I almost peed myself," she said. Then she turned to Quinn. "Catch me, lover," she threw her arms around his neck and playfully jumped into his arms. Ethan felt a little envious, but he was just glad to have been included in this whole day.

Quinn grunted as he caught her and instantly cried out, "Back, back, bad back." He groaned in pain as he eased her down.

"Sorry, are you alright?" she asked, remembering.

He nodded, taking a second to recover.

As he did, the man with the scar approached. Galloway straightened slightly. "How'd I do, Captain?" she asked.

Ethan eyed this man. So he was her Captain? He carried himself like a soldier, and he looked tough, but his eyes seemed just a little too... kind. And even though Galloway addressed him respectfully, there wasn't the type of reverence to her tone that suggested that she was nervous around him. She spoke to him like they were old friends.

"You did good, Kate," he said.

"Even for a first time?"

"You could have fooled me. I would think you've been doing that for years."

"Me too," Ethan chimed in, forgetting his usual bashfulness around strangers.

The Captain eyed Ethan.

"This is my friend, Ethan, from across the hall," Galloway explained. "I wanted him here for moral support."

Captain Graver extended his hand. Ethan shook it nervously, but only before taking a moment to wipe the cold sweat off on the leg of his shorts. The man's palm was hard and calloused.

"Let's get you set up with some ropes, Ethan," Captain Graver grinned. "It's your turn."

Ethan paled.

Captain Graver grinned wider.

"He's kidding," Galloway assured him. Ethan let out a nervous breath.

"How about you, Quinn? Want to get back up on the horse?" Captain Graver asked.

Quinn's response was immediate. "Hell no!"

"Even with Morgan flying?" Galloway teased. "She asked about you. Wanted to know how you were."

"If she's flying, especially hell no."

It took a little while for Galloway and the group of State Troopers that she was training with to finish up their exercises and go over their after-action reports. Then they packed up their gear and piled into Quinn's truck.

The entire drive home, the three of them talked non-stop- mostly about Galloway's jump, and what it looked like, how each of them felt, what they saw, and what they were thinking. It was exciting and they were all glad to share it with each other. Galloway's side of the story was the most exciting of all- what had been going through her head building up to the moment where she had to step backwards off the landing rails and into space.

Regardless, the day's event had given Ethan and Quinn a lot of excited back-and-forth. A common expression on the ride was "And did you see when..." followed by "I know!" The way the two chattered brought a smile to Galloway's lips. The guys were bonding, though they might not realize it.

The sun was beginning to go down. They hardly noticed the new cars in front of the apartment building, and by the time they got inside, the banter felt as natural as could be.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Galloway asked Ethan.

"No, I'm starting my new job at the library tomorrow, and I want to get to bed early," he explained, before thanking Galloway profusely for inviting him.

"You're welcome. Thank you for coming. When they told me what I'd be doing today, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd like to share that with. I'm glad you came."

Ethan blushed, said his goodbyes— even to Quinn, and hurried inside.

As soon as Ethan shut the door, Quinn couldn't resist remarking, "Oh he's crushing on you, hard. Did you see that blush?"

Galloway merely shook her head. "Don't know why. I'm not that charming."

"I think I'm growing on him," Quinn smiled.

As they turned to head into Galloway's apartment, a pair of footsteps came thundering up the stairs beside them. Robert Bradford from 3A was hurrying past, looking pale and nervous as ever— although that could just be his normal ghost-white complexion and awkward demeanor. Galloway could never quite tell. He was gripping a wireless computer keyboard in one arm, and feverishly typing away one-handed as he went. His fingers clattering over the keyboard were determined and purposeful, although without an actual computer screen in front of him, the act appeared completely mindless and insane.

He brushed past them, then momentarily paused. He gave Quinn, with his beefy arms and rugged appearance, an uncomfortable glance, then looked curiously to Galloway. There was something in his stare that felt off, and it went on just long enough that Galloway was about to ask "What's your problem?"

But then Rob apologized and continued on his way. "Sorry, Officer Wild Cherry. You just startled me."

Galloway startled at that nickname. She was about to press him, but Rob was already out of sight, hurrying up to the next landing.

"What?" Quinn asked with a bemused smirk. "Wild Cherry?"

Galloway's expression had turned haunted. She'd grown slightly pale. She had heard that nickname before— it was so amusing and outlandish that it was impossible to forget. But the part that alarmed her was that she'd heard it in one of her dreams— one of the bad ones where she was taken by force by a group of dangerous men... men who stripped her from her clothes and disrespectfully violated her, all the while she'd moaned and begged and craved the abuse.

Something clicked into place in Galloway's mind, but she didn't understand it. How the hell...?

Trailing behind Rob, so silently that neither she nor Quinn had noticed him until he was literally behind them on the landing was a gangly man with glasses and dark curly hair. Galloway had met him once or twice— Chris Berger from 1B. He barely looked twice at Galloway and Quinn, his eyes were looking up the stairs, following Rob. The man wasn't wearing shoes either— only socks.

'He's following Rob, and trying not to make a sound,' Galloway's mind concluded.

"Everything alright, there?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Huh?" Chris startled, then seemed to snap out of it. He regarded both Galloway and Quinn. "Umm... fine, fine." He spoke in a low voice.

"He's weird, right?" Quinn asked, figuring Chris's following was mere curiosity over Rob's odd behavior. "What's up with the keyboard he was carrying?"

Chris scrutinized Quinn, and seemed to make up his mind about something. Then he regarded Galloway— particularly the way she was dressed. Muddy military issued boots, knee pads, a duty belt with a pistol and the type of tools that only a cop would carry, heavy tactical vest with a name patch and unit insignia, and black camouflage cap with the same insignia.

"Are you in law enforcement?" Chris asked. It wasn't a conversational question. He sounded... hopeful. Desperate.

"A private contracting police firm," Galloway answered. "And I'm still in training. Quinn used to be a state trooper."

Quinn blushed.

Chris regarded the both of them, and despite Galloway's dismissal that neither of them were real police, he looked even more hopeful than before. He was weighing what she had said, and very carefully at that.

"Why? Do you need the police for something? Something going on that we should know about?"

For the briefest moment, Chris looked like he wanted to say something... confess something. But he seemed to think the better of it. "No." He said. Before they could press the matter further, he turned and hurried back downstairs, leaving Quinn and Galloway alone on the second floor landing scratching their heads.

"What do you make of that?" Quinn shrugged.

Galloway considered it. "Something is on his mind. But it looks like he's still trying to figure it out, himself."

"I was getting that vibe, too."

Both of them glanced at the ceiling above them— at the third floor.

***

3A

Robert Bradford had an army.

When he was otherwise occupied, he had begun to assign tasks to his neighbors— his harem. Little things that they could do to prepare for his urges and guard his well being. After Kelsey's boyfriend had shown up unexpectedly, he wasn't taking any chances. Lucy, the chubby redheaded college student with the enormous breasts in 1A had been assigned the duty of being his protector. He was aware that such a task would be better suited to a stronger and more capable woman— a warrior like Galloway, but he was still working on Galloway. And Lucy, with her sweet young face, nerdy glasses, and meek demeanor was the perfect spy to run interception on unwanted guests, because nobody would expect it. Her looks were disarming. She hardly had anything in the way of family or friends (therefore nobody that she needed to regularly answer to). And from a tactical standpoint, she was the most ideally located— her front door was the closest to the apartment entrance, so she could watch for visitors, and respond accordingly.

Plus, out of everyone in the building, Rob had the least use for Lucy as sexual entertainment. He felt a little bad about that, because she was attractive. Her body had just the right amount of plump to it that appealed to him— doughy and curvy without being too heavy. A natural redhead with huge tits and a thick ass. What wasn't there to like? She just wasn't that interesting, and didn't come with many... quirks that he could exploit. Every plaything needed a theme. Unfortunately Lucy just didn't have one that captured Rob's imagination. So, in a way, this arrangement was ingenious.

This realization delighted him, but there was no time to actually celebrate. Because Lucy had come to him with urgent news— Tina's parents were stopping by to talk to her about her failing performance in school. Rob hadn't been doing a good job of making sure the college girls in 1A kept up steady routines in their regular lives. It was fine for an introvert like Lucy, and a girl like Danni (whose only real family was on the other side of the world), but he'd completely forgotten about Tina. The wonder-girl with the proud parents and the fixation on good grades.

Rob cursed himself for not thinking that through. Tina's abrupt nose-dive in school was probably so out of character for her, that her parents were worried sick. And after checking things out for himself, Rob had spotted their cars out front.

As soon as he reached his apartment, he hurried to his computer console and pulled up the surveillance program he'd installed. He flipped through them until he found the images for apartment 1A. There... they were standing in the kitchen, talking to Tina. Rob dialed up the volume to listen in.

Indeed they were talking about her grades, and her poor attendance. Rob cursed at himself. He was getting sloppy.

So that just left one problem— how to counter this new development. And as Rob watched the lengthy discussion taking place in 1A between wild and exotic Tina, and her stern, well dressed parents, Rob smiled to himself. Why not? He figured. He wanted to have fun, so why not turn the tables in the most fun way possible?

***

1A

"What is going on with you?" George Weaver stood in the kitchen with his arms folded. He was resting his back against the countertop as he regarded his daughter.