My Only Talent

Is It Better When Her Husband Watches?

Note: The descriptions and accounts in these stories are fictional and do not portray any actual people or events. The delay in posting this chapter and perhaps the next few may be ascribed to some unexpected turbulence and travel in the author's schedule.

*****

When Lara and I walked into the front door at the Lillehammer's, there were three big Suzie signal wave fronts: one of the 'female herd envy' variety from most of the other women there; a second massed 'male desire' signal from most of the men, and a single clarion 'I want it all' signal from Veronica Tappert. She really did: she wanted Lara, she wanted me, and she also wanted most of the men and women there. She was a much stronger sender than Suzie Packard from my old neighborhood ever was. Perhaps I could have heard her clearly even before Suzie made me feel so watched and nervous back in junior high school.

It was no trouble at all to see her 'black box' sexual data history, or her fantasy channel - they were broadcasting so strongly that it actually would have been impossible for me to shut them out. She truly was devoted to her husband - in her own special way. He was totally focused on her - his only sexual interest - and he liked to see her with other people first to get him fully aroused. She plotted and planned to give him new and novel visual stimulation and not coincidentally, give herself some new and galvanically exciting experiences.

What was surprising was the relative infrequency of their little shows. They only happened once or twice per year, although they were certainly easily seen as highlights in her record, and the rest of the time she acted as his academic taskmaster and Dominatrix, seldom allowing him any release at all. What was it she said about offering her husband discipline and incentives? Perhaps he only got some real action when he had completed some goal? Was that what she meant by 'helping him accomplish so much'? I noticed something else - each 'co-star' appeared only once - there were no repeat engagements. So far there had only been one co-star at a time, but Veronica's fantasy channel images made it clear that she had plans to go well beyond that.

Oiler had told me a lot of what he heard about Rodney "Red Rock" Tappert. He was a wunderkind in some of the obscure specialties within photonics, an engineer by training who at the age of 19 (while a very youthful PhD candidate) butted heads with the theoretical physicists about what was and was not possible in photonic circuitry. They initially laughed at him, but he was twice proven correct, and later advanced theories of device operation that explained the observed performance beyond previously accepted limits, and those theories had yet to be disproved. The physicists should have thanked him for providing such fertile new ground for publications and grant applications, but they still insulted him by saying he had 'rocks in his head' and naming the two new theories for the physicists who first tried to disprove them, rather than the hated (and now Doctor, and tenured full professor) upstart Tappert.

Lara quickly scanned the room and found the only person there she had met before; our host, Dorothy Lillehammer, and she made a beeline for her. She was standing near their patio doors with Veronica Tappert and a short, young looking red-headed fellow that I took to be her husband, the aforementioned Dr. Tappert. He didn't look even 23. I bet he would get carded at every bar in town, and his probably perfectly valid ID often challenged as a fake. He had a full head of wild and curly red hair, and enough freckles for any three people. His eyes were light blue, and blazed fire from across the room, sparkling and bubbling with energy. He looked like the guy in 'Napoleon Dynamite' with even redder hair and much bluer eyes.

We approached the trio, and Victoria's Suzie signal was almost painfully strong. As Dorothy Lillehammer made the introductions, Victoria could not take her eyes off Lara. Neither could Dorothy. Red, however, was not interested in the least. He really did only have eyes for his wife.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Lara!" Victoria began. "This is my husband, Rodney Tappert. Everyone calls him "Red" for obvious reasons. "

Lara fixed them both with a gaze. Dorothy Lillehammer took Lara by the arm. "I want to introduce you to some other people, and ask you a few more questions about the care and feeding of my husband." With that she laughed nervously and steered Lara around the corner and out of sight. I suppose I need to take up the conversation.

"Robbie Roberts, Dr. Tappert. Welcome to Austin." I offered my hand. He smiled thinly, and shook politely.

"Hello Roberts. You are an engineering student and one of the new UDT members, eh? Dr. Lillehammer says he was pleasantly surprised by your grasp of basic math, and I hear your project management expertise is well above average, too. So, I have very high expectations for the scope and inventiveness of your prank. Amaze me, Mr. Roberts! Surprise and impress me. If you can, that is. "

Emphasis on the 'if' and 'you'. My first tendency had been to like this guy, but now I found myself bristling at the condescending tone he was giving me. "I'll do my best. How long have you known the Lillehammer's?"

"He was an associate professor when I was an undergrad, and my wife was friends with Dorothy even before that."

I waited to see if he would fill the silence. Finally he did.

"I tend to be pretty open and straightforward in my dealings with everyone, Roberts, although my style sometimes rankles people. Veronica told me about her conversation with you at the Honor Roll reception. How do you feel about pornography, Roberts?"

Where did that come from? "I sometimes feel overwhelmed by my roommate's obsession with certain porno websites. I don't find it as interesting as he does, but then he aspires to be a filmmaker."

"I find one and only one particular kind of pornography interesting: the live show kind that features my wife as the star. Anything else leaves me totally cold. But then she understands me completely, and she sometimes puts on a little show for me, just the right kind of thing to get me excited. I quite approve of this. I wanted you to know that, before you have further conversations with her about it. And don't forget: I expect a stunning prank!"

I paused for a moment as my inner punster twisted stunning pranks into cunning stunts and stunning cunts. Get hold of yourself, Robbie! "I will endeavor to amaze, you, Professor," I said as politely as I could manage. My inner voice ran on. Boy would I. Get ready for it, you conceited little prick! Maybe I could spend some time trying to listen to his signals instead of Veronica's and figure out his worst fears, and make them happen? Would they mirror Veronica's biggest turn-ons?

I moved around and took in the rest of the people here. I recognized a few people from some of my classes last semester, and two guys from the co-op engineering meeting, but most were new to me. There were some young guys (but no young girls) that I took to be recent grads, now employed, who were there to pitch prospects for their new employers. There were some older men and women that I assumed were there to recruit potential employees, or else they were professors I had not met. I heard my father's voice in my ear. Mix and mingle, Robbie. You never know who you might meet. Plus I want to listen for a little more detail on Veronica's fantasy carrier.

While I mixed and mingled, I watched Lara out of the corner of one eye. Most of the guys ogled her, and most of the young girls hated her. But most of the older women were very cordial to her, perhaps thanks to Dorothy Lillehammer's introductions. Every time another guy looked at her, though, it got me a little hot under the collar, and a little harder between the legs. Between introducing myself to people I did not know and discovering our degrees of separation, I was getting crazier and crazier to nail Lara.

About an hour later Lara appeared at my side and gave me a very hot look. "Hey sailor! I am looking for a cute guy to take me home. Are you the one?"

Everyone thought I was giving her a tender hug, but I actually bit her earlobe and hissed in her ear "I am the one and only guy for you, Lara. You are mine!"

She giggled as I steered her back out to my car, with one arm twisted up behind her back. We made it back to her place in record time. I didn't waste any time with the trapeze or any of her toys.

*******

Suddenly it was Friday morning, and the early alarm meant our first 0700 hours weight lifting session in Saskia's conditioning class rather than the dreaded aerobic routines of Monday and Wednesday. I dressed out and headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. About halfway down the stairwell, an email alert from someone on my VIP list sounded: Dr. Asa Weltschmerz, M.D., PhD. etc. I was invited to his 'brown bag' faculty lunch seminar at the med school next Tuesday, and I was further directed to bring one Dr. Saskia Grandael, PhD., as my "date". I read the particulars of the academic presentations, which meant almost nothing to me, as I went through the food line and loaded up my plate. At least I would have something to talk to Saskia about.

My head was still down looking at my smart phone (guilty of texting while walking) trying to puzzle out what Asa's seminar title of "Volitional and Non-Volitional Neuro-Electrodynamics" meant as I made my way to one of the few open seats in bit of a fog. When I looked up, I realized I was seated next to none other than Jean Nancy Percer, who flashed her blue eyes in surprise, but sent no Suzie for me. I suppose I had to have my family's financial statements on file to get a rise out of her, but I wasn't sure they would meet her screening criteria.

I gave her my best smile and then an unmistakably sexual leer. "Good morning, Jean Nancy. You look wonderful."

She smiled, a little self-consciously, but still sent no Suzie. I wanted to see how she reacted to someone who very frankly and openly wanted her, but upon whom she had no financial information. Nothing heard, Suzie wise, but she did put her chin up and stick her magnificent chest out a little. I vowed to keep working on her. Perhaps it would be scientifically interesting to listen to her Suzie with and without promising financial information. If she had two equally wealthy guys on the hook, would she send more Suzie for one than the other? Would that be her 'natural' Suzie rather than her pecuniary Susie? What about a wealthy guy who did not want to marry her? I stuffed my face with breakfast while trying to make some headway with her, then gave her a fond farewell and exited the dining hall, turned right, and headed down the hill for the bowels of Belmont Hall, Saskia's chosen venue for our weight lifting sessions.

I arrived right on time, entering the big room full of high tech machines just as Saskia began taking folks in alphabetical order and setting them up at their assigned stations on individual lifting machines, attaching a clip of some kind to their ear, and giving them specific instructions as to speed and number of reps to be completed in their exercise. Since Roberts was a ways down the alphabet, I had a few moments to gather my wits about me. I noticed the ear clips had little antennas on them, and that a section of the large screen display on the wall lit up as each person began their workout. Data collection with microcontrollers - human physiology edition.

Suddenly it was my turn - high speed, mid resistance free weight curls, 30 in 45 seconds or less, 4 sets of, with a 15 second rest in between sets, and I was to look up at and note my heart rate as displayed on the monitor at the end of each set. Saskia danced off to the next victim, er, ah, student, and the world began to blur around me. Lots of frantic motion and gulpy breathing ensued and my heart rate soared, and the display screen was now full of moving graphs and numbers. In a few minutes we all moved one machine counterclockwise, and each told the new occupant of our 'station' what to do. Then the whole process started over again, with even more grunting, gulping and breathing. Then it repeated, again and again, like a hyperactive game of musical chairs.

Forty five minutes later, my heart rate was just as high as during the aerobic work, and I was breathing like the little engine that (maybe) could. I had fared better than most - a few dropped out of the rotation. Saskia led us all in a little cool down dance, and then mercifully announced we were free until Monday's class. Every else fled immediately, but I walked up and fell into step with Saskia.

"I wanted to ask you to lunch next week, Saskia. Actually I have been virtually ordered to."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Roberts. I don't like to be overly familiar with my students." She gave me a challenging look.

I put my lips so very close to her ear, and spoke so only she could hear. "We'll wait until the end of the semester when you are blindfolded and restrained before we get truly familiar, my pet." She gasped involuntarily, and sent a burst of hot Suzie. Hooray!

I stood back up and spoke in a normal tone. "But for now, we are invited to a brown bag lunch hosted by Asa Weltschmerz, about something called 'neuro-electrodynamics.' Sounds good?"

She stopped and looked up at me with total shock on her face. "You mean his lunch with the author series, with Dr. Augie?"

I held up my smart phone with the e-invitation on it. She stared, open mouthed. "Holy Shit, Roberts!"

I smiled. "So you'll go?"

"Go? I would kill to get in. Most of the tenured faculty doesn't even get invited! Dr. Augie is on the very short list for the Nobel prize in medicine."

"Okay then. I'll meet you outside of the Greg gym entrance across from Jester Tuesday morning at 10:00 so we can walk over together. He wants me to stop by a little early for something."

She stayed frozen in place as I kissed her on the cheek and headed up to my room. I was certainly planning to enjoy the rest of this semester, especially Saskia, right at the end, so to speak.

*******

The first meeting of my Linguistics class last Tuesday had been a walk - the professor was out of town. I did my running routine early without giving it a second thought. The second class meeting, Thursday, consisted only of the TA walking in, putting a URL for the class 'electronic blackboard' site up on the whiteboard in the classroom, and giving us another walk. I did my running early again. It looked like a major blow off class to me. I had chosen this particular section as the only elective that I could possibly fit into my schedule, and the professor was brand new to ESU so there were no course reviews or faculty evaluation data available. My problem was that it was now Friday afternoon after my last class and I was just now looking at the URL the TA had posted.

There were of course reading assignments from the textbook, and I was already way behind. But then there were links to at least a hundred scholarly articles in journals both mainstream and obscure, and single chapters in a dozen other textbooks placed on reserve in the library. There was also a sign up area for 'study groups' to review and discuss all those materials. I smelled a trap. Just my luck to happen onto the only new to campus professor with the nightmare syllabus. I suppose I mustn't let myself get any further behind.

My plans for tonight were pretty informal and flexible. Suzanne was playing soccer against a team of nurses at Southwestern University up north in Georgetown, and Lara was going to an evening make up section for a class she had to add late. They would let me know when they finished up and see if we could get together later at Lara's. I started on the linguistics textbook chapters. I usually read pretty fast, but this stuff was really dense. I made one pass through what was assigned for this week and then took a break to go down to dinner to make sure that my brain was properly fueled before I continue my formal introduction to the study of language.

I was surprised to find both Kevin and Orinda already in line, relatively close to each other. The dining hall was pretty crowded and as I greeted them and joined the line we all just kind of fell in together and ended up sitting at the same table. I tried to get them talking to each other.

"Orinda, did you know Kevin is casting his first film?"

She was way ahead of me. "His whole damn RTF class is doing that, Robbie. I have already been offered two roles: Queen Nefertiti and Cleopatra. I turned them both down. Too damn old hat and predictable, not to mention the damn type casting thing."

Kevin didn't miss a beat. "My film is decidedly different: high camp science fiction parody. I am casting for the role of a straight-laced Vulco-Romulan Star Fleet officer who saves the Enterprise by seducing the villain but then due to post traumatic stress develops a sex addiction problem and becomes a frantic interspecies nymphomaniac. You would be perfect!"

Orinda looked fascinated. "You can't mean Lieutenant Saavik?" Who knew Orinda was a Star Trek nerd? Certainly she had to be the most beautiful one that ever lived.

Keven launched into the rationale for his parody and the major scenes. I thought it sounded like bullshit, but Orinda apparently liked it.

She suddenly interrupted him. "Would I have to appear nude, or do sex scenes?"

"You can if you want to, but you don't have too." She looked skeptical, but Kevin went on to explain his production design, shooting XXX, X and R rated versions simultaneously and then editing three different final cuts. "I can find a body double for the XXX scenes, or I can make sure that your face is always obscured in the final cut of any explicit scene. But I have to tell you, I am never going to find a suitable body double for you. Your ass is spectacular, my dear. I'll never find one that the camera will love like yours, and your face is even better."

I thought that would put Orinda off, but as usual, she surprised me by launching to into an obvious Hollywood style negotiation. "I'll do the R rated nude scenes if you use a body double for the X and XXX stuff, as long as I get full creative approval of what my character says and does." She looked at Kevin for his reaction. Poker face.

Finally he spoke. "I need you to do the X scenes in addition to the R. I'll use a body double for the XXX. We can agree to the script before shooting, but I won't allow any changes after we start shooting." His poker face versus hers.

"Only if I get top billing, above the title, in the R and X versions, and the XXX version gives my body double full billing, to make it plain I am not in those scenes."

Kevin paused for just a second, then extended his hand. "Welcome aboard, Orinda. Robbie, you were there for the making of a star!"

What a bull shitter. But I knew there was no way even Kevin could make Orinda look bad on camera. Maybe it would get her noticed by someone who could really help her. It wouldn't help me with Linguistics, though. They began discussing the script in some detail. I excused myself and went back up to the room to hit the books.

I thought Linguistics would be memorizing historical lists of dead languages and other dry stuff, but it wasn't like that at all. It was everything from basic building blocks common to all languages to what particular areas of the brain were currently thought to allow humans to develop and use language, and lots of debates about what part of the human anatomy did what. That was getting into Asa Weltschmerz territory, and kind of interesting to boot. I knew about bicameral legislatures from history class, but what exactly was a bicameral mind?