Chapter 8: Travel Plans
At the dinner table that night, everyone's mood turned to excitement the minute Ben proposed his idea.
"We're going on a trip? Like, a vacation?" Aimee's face brightened instantly. "We can just do that?"
"We always could, sweetheart," Eleni's voice rang in reply. "We're hardly lacking in the means, or the time. Or even the connections. You ought to meet my travel agent. She's been my little secret weapon for quite a while now. I'm sure the minute I call her up, she'll get us whatever we need, wherever we want to go."
Moka leaned back in her chair, laughing lightly. "Wow. I knew we were living the high life here, but it honestly hadn't even crossed my mind to ask for a vacation. Guess I was too distracted by everything we've got right here." With a gesture, she indicated the lavish dining room around them, and beyond it, the rest of Eleni's sprawling, beautiful estate. "You hardly think about getaways when your home's already paradise."
"Don't blame you," Alicia offered. "It's been less than a week since this crazy streak started. For some of us, hardly more than a day." She glanced at Lenore, who gave a sheepish grin and shrug. "It's not moving too fast to go right to jetsetting, is it?"
"Hey," the white-haired girl offered. "Not complaining here. I like how fast things have moved. Meeting all of you. The sexy mansion. Zawadi. Not having to worry about shit anymore. And now we get to see the world?" Her smile turned into a grin. "What can I say besides 'hell yes'?"
Shaheen's eyes settled on Ben. "So, what's got you thinking about traveling all of a sudden? Not that I'm complaining, either."
"Just an interesting phone call," he answered, meeting Yuki's knowing glance; the honey-blonde Asian had been there when he'd first planned his call with Belle, and her curiosity soared high now, eager to hear what had come of that fateful, private talk. "An invitation, really. Think I've mentioned my cousin Belle to a few of you -- the one who sent me this and started everything." He held up his wrist and pointed to his bracelet. "Well, we caught up. Shared some life updates. Let's just say she's found herself in a similar situation... and invited us all over for a visit."
From there, Ben told all. He went through the beats of his conversation with Belle: her work in Kenya, the community she'd helped build, how she'd decided it was where she belonged -- and, of course, the leagues of lovers she'd amassed there.
"And she wants us to meet them?" Aimee asked excitedly. "Oh, wow. That'll be so wild."
"It's not, like, a cult, is it?" Lenore inquired, an eyebrow raised curiously. "One of those you hear about on the news, with some sexy charismatic leader running the place?" She feigned a nervous expression. "Heh, sorry. Just letting my imagination run a little."
Ben chuckled back. "Maybe, sorta -- on the sexy charismatic leader part," he admitted. "But there's nothing skeevy or sinister about it. On the contrary, the place sounds like a paradise. There's people there who've come from all over the world. Plenty of locals, too. All in on the same kind of sexy, fun magic we are."
"For the record," Shaheen said coyly, "I was in on this the minute you mentioned your cousin had a bracelet, too. If I know anything, it's that good shit always follows when that thing's steering." She pinched one bead of the bracelet between her fingers and caressed it gingerly, giving Ben a sultry glance all the while; Ben felt a pleasant thrumming of his bracelet's magic as the black girl's positive desire fed into it.
"What'll it be like when two are in the picture, anyway?" Yuki asked, resting her chin in her hand and looking momentarily at Lenore. "I mean, not that we don't have two bracelets here together already. But yours, Lenore -- no offense -- isn't the full package. You get the luck, but not your own harem, if I recall that correctly."
"None taken," the white-haired girl replied with a shrug. "Happy to be along for the ride."
"I'm curious too," Aimee chimed in. "If we're part of Ben's entourage... what happens when we're around someone like Belle, with her own charm of magic super-seduction? Would we be immune to somebody else's powers since we're already, erm, accounted for?"
Ben pondered it. "Meaning, like, you... belong to me? Can't be turned?" He didn't know how he felt about that phrasing; it seemed too possessive for his tastes. It didn't seem like Zawadi's style, either: the magic 'stamping' women as his and his alone.
Alicia picked up on his concern. "Oh, we're not saying we're property or anything. But I think it's a valid idea. Thinking logistically here, the magic ought to come with a safeguard. Can't have a perfect harem unless the devotion's absolute. And, I mean..." She glanced around at the other women around the table, who nodded back in agreement. "It's not like any of us are even thinking about going anywhere."
"But, then, we're totally down for all this sharing and play we're about to fly across the ocean to jump into," Moka added. "Maybe it's conditional."
"Built on consent," Eleni added with a smile, nodding toward Ben. "Fooling around with someone we trust, like Belle, won't be an issue for anyone here. But if some villain were to get a hold of a full-powered bracelet, and try to sweep any of us away by magical brute-force? There's no way our magic would just let that happen. Zawadi's power would surely enact a failsafe."
"No magic tug-of-wars to worry about, then," Shaheen joked. "That's a relief. Getting caught between two magical forces like that? Sounds pretty mind-melting. And not in the good way."
Ben nodded along. "I think you're all right," he said. "Sure, it'll be unfamiliar territory we're wading into. Two bracelets, two bearers -- and all of us together in one place, under all that power? It's a first. But..." He felt a little thrum from his bracelet as he thought about it; Zawadi's presence was there again, nudging him toward certainty, reassuring him that everything would be just fine. "The vibes I've been getting through the magic have only been good. No warnings or red flags. It's Belle, after all. If there's anybody I trust, it's her."
"And if everyone's down to play," Yuki added, "then it'll just be a matter of being open. Belle's girls to us. Us to hers. All for everyone's greater pleasure."
"Maybe the magic would all just multiply," Shaheen posited with a smirk. "Ooh, that would be interesting. Double the power, double the fun."
Ben pictured the possibilities of it: twin harems lined up on either side of him, all under the influence of not one but two charms. All joined with the primary purpose of mutual satisfaction and intimate joy. No part of it would be a competition. Jealousy or possessiveness wouldn't even cross anyone's minds. It would just be more women to love and enjoy; more bodies to explore; more hearts to share in. More magic in the air, more luck in play, more pleasure to be had than he could possibly imagine.
Who wouldn't jump at that?
"Well then," Eleni chimed in. "I think we can all agree there's nothing to fret over. In fact, I think we're all quite looking forward to this trip, and everything that comes with it."
"Sure, it's sudden," Aimee said. "But let's face it. When has anything we've experienced together been anything but?"
