The Cursed Tattoo Pt 01

Prologue

The storm was raging when they reached the top of the ramparts. The wind howled in their ears as they peered over the edge. They heard shouting behind them, from the direction of the castle. Beams from flashlights swept the old stone walls in search of them.

Ryan was just an average guy, maybe a bit taller, but definitely not an action hero. The woman he was with, though, was a goddess. Her golden hair seemed to glow even in the in the darkness of the stormy night. Eleftheria was almost as tall as him, and even in the soaking rain, she carried herself with the elegance and poise of a bygone age.

Her Ancient-Greek-style dress was unnecessarily sexy. As far as Ryan knew, some of those ancient statues surviving in museums might actually portray her.

The rope was here somewhere, but where? Ryan was trying to recognize any details to guide him. Eleftheria's glare was frustrated as she pushed past him. She took a left and then a right, running along the wet stone paths on top of the old castle walls.

Sure enough, Ryan could see something that might be a coil of rope stashed in the shadows. Eleftheria ran right for it and started to feed the heavy rope over the edge, her toned muscles gleaming in the low light, wet from the rain. Ryan stopped to stare. Even though he knew their lives were in danger, and his heart was beating so fast he was about to puke, there was nothing he could do but marvel at her beauty. The motion of her body was so fascinating that, for a few seconds, everything else melted away.

Just as she turned to shout at him to help her, another gust of wind hit them from across the yard. With a yelp, she slipped, and started to fall. A pang of gut-wrenching panic snapped Ryan out of his daze and he lunged to grab her. He got to her, just in time. Eleftheria managed to grab the rope with her other hand. It was the first time Ryan had ever seen her falter, even a little bit.

A huge wave of relief washed over him and it almost felt like she was about to smile at him -- just a little smile, but still. Instead, he saw her tiny little beginning of a smile turn into an ugly grimace of absolute terror, and then disgust. Ryan went pale when he realized what had happened.

Sure enough, when he looked down, he could see that his glove was missing and he was now holding on to her wrist with his bare hand. This was bad.

Several Months Earlier

It had been just a normal day. Ryan was walking home from work. The streets of the big city were, as always, full of life and energy. Cars, cyclists, pedestrians, everybody in a hurry, surrounded by a cacophony of noise. It was easy, though, for Ryan to shut out the chaos. He was listening to his favorite podcast, the in-ear headphones isolating him from his surroundings. He paid just enough attention not to bump into anyone, but other than that, he was blissfully disconnected from the hustle around him.

His isolation may have contributed significantly to him not seeing the strange woman coming at him. A deep middle-eastern skin tone crowned her exotic beauty, her unusual clothes were like a costume from a movie. She was dressed like an oriental princess, or maybe more like a harem girl. Half naked, bare footed, she slammed into Ryan like a linebacker. She practically threw him into a fruit stand, of all things. He felt a sting in his gut and hot breath on his ear while the assailant whispered something to him in an unknown language.

His earbuds had fallen out and the sudden onrush of street noises added to his confusion. The first time he even saw her was when her firm little buttocks where already disappearing into the crowd, and then around the corner. He couldn't believe such a petite girl could have exerted so much force.

Two men -- wearing suits, and built like actual linebackers -- rushed past Ryan, apparently chasing the girl. Ryan was sure, though, that it was the girl who had tackled him, and not one of the spooks.

The show was over as fast as it had started, most of the people who had stopped to stare were already moving on. A cute sales girl came from the store and started to help Ryan up, grabbing his hands.

"Are you okay?" she said.

"Ow, oh fuck. Yeah. Thank you," he said, taking a look around, still confused as hell.

"What happened?" she said.

"Some girl bumped into me, I guess I wasn't looking."

He finally took a good look at his rescuer. The smile on her full lips was radiant and her big eyes were a deep green. Her brown hair was tied into a high ponytail. Even though she was just wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and an apron, she looked beautiful. Ryan was instantly flustered.

"Oh hell," she said, looking at the broken stand, and all the mushed fruit.

Ryan felt a twist of guilt rise up in him. He started to stammer out some sort of an apology.

"Oh? Oh no. No, it's not your fault," she said, definitely lying. She looked back at the mess and then at him again. It was at this point they both realized they were still holding hands. It was the clerk's turn to blush, but for some reason, she still wouldn't let go. The awkward pause was beginning to grow long and Ryan was too stunned do anything, either.

"Look," she finally said, lifting their hands and shaking them in rhythm with her speech, "if someone pushed you, then it's not your fault. Maybe you should just go home and take a shower or something."

It was at this point Ryan realized he was soaked in fruit pulp.

"I'm sure Dave can fix the stand," the cute clerk continued, "and... uh..."

She lifted their hands higher, somehow zoning out as she stared at them. Ryan tried to wriggle out of her hold. She squinted her eyes, as if trying to remember something, or figure out a math problem.

Maybe she's just confused about something. Did she lose her train of thought?

After another pause, even more awkward than the last, Ryan yanked his hands from hers. She snapped back to reality with a little gasp. Ryan dug some cash from his wallet and gave it to her. He mumbled another apology before he hurried off.

"I'm Lizzy!" she shouted after him.

"Nice to meet you," she added, with a small voice, after Ryan was already gone. She watched her hands and rubbed them together, as if they'd gone numb.

---

Ryan got home as fast as he could. He collapsed on his bed with a sigh.

What the hell was that? All of it? The tackle, the whisper, the spooks, Lizzy the clerk acting weird?

None of it made sense.

After catching his breath he got up and prepared for a shower.

His place was a big open plan thing with high ceilings. An uncle had left him some money and Ryan had invested it into this apartment. He had rented it out at first, but when he had had to move to the city he had decided to live in it himself. In addition to the large, open, studio-like kitchen-and-living-room-space the apartment also had a master bedroom with an en suite, a guest room, and another bathroom.

The large windows let lots of light in, but at night the space often felt cavernous and lonely with just him in it. The apartment was the only expensive thing Ryan owned.

As he walked by a mirror Ryan noticed a big hole in his shirt. It was perfectly circular and its edges were singed. He remembered the sting he'd felt when the strange girl had landed on top of him. He had aches and pains from the tumble all over his body but that sting had been different.

As he got closer to the mirror, Ryan could see through the hole. There was some kind of a stain on the side of his abdomen but it didn't look like a bruise. Scared, he took off his shirt, and walked closer to the mirror.

To his horror, he saw what looked like a tattoo on his flank.

The image was exactly the same size as the hole in the shirt, perfectly round, and very intricate. It was a wheel with jagged spokes, or maybe a depiction of the sun. He tried to touch it but it stung horribly. The more he looked at it, the more it seemed like a real tattoo, made of actual ink under his skin.

He didn't want to touch it again, but even after his shower the mark was still there, exactly where his mysterious assailant had somehow put it.

The scenes of the day kept racing through his mind.

Maybe I should go see a doctor,

he thought,

just to make sure I wasn't poisoned or something.

As the night went on, his exhaustion won over his confusion, and he fell into a deep, empty sleep.

Just a Normal Day at Work

As soon as he woke up, Ryan realized he'd overslept. He didn't even have to check. He shot up and got ready, as fast as he could, and was soon out the door. He was glad he was in a hurry so he didn't have to think about yesterday's events any more. Even so, he ended up taking a different route to work, just to avoid that corner shop, the scene of his strange encounter.

He got to the office less than an hour late but that was still worse than ever before. He got some looks as he rushed in, flush from the extra effort of walking faster than usual, but no one said anything.

After sitting at his desk for a while he calmed down and realized he was actually feeling good. In his hurry he hadn't realized he'd actually handled his whole morning with unusual vigor and efficiency. His body, his whole being, felt somehow supercharged. He felt cocky and confident and he was ready for action. He didn't even feel bad about being late. There was an overwhelming urge in him to just do something, anything. He was going to answer the hell out of all those e-mails.

Ryan zoned out completely and by early afternoon he was already finished with every mail, note, memo, and presentation he could think of -- practically a week's worth of work. He would have missed lunch, too, if someone hadn't teased him about trying too hard.

After snapping out of his daze he headed for the break room. Not having brought any lunch, he decided he wasn't really that hungry, anyway. He stole some orange juice from the fridge and poured himself a coffee. While bustling about, he totally missed Annie -- one of the secretaries -- walking into the room.

Annie was one of the most beautiful women working in the whole building. She was tall but not overly thin. She had all the curves in all the right places and her face could go on a cover of a magazine. It was a kind and friendly face, though, and that made her even hotter. Her long dress was a clever combination of sexy, casual, and professional. The sexiness might be unavoidable with a body like hers, though. Her auburn hair fell to her mid back in thick, luscious waves.

Still, the best thing about her was the warmth of her smile. Unless, of course, you don't see her there, and then bump into her hard enough to almost topple her over. Ryan instinctively grabbed her hands to keep her from falling to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't see you at all," Ryan said. He would normally be more embarrassed about something like this, maybe even so much so that he wouldn't know what to say, but something about his newfound energy made him bypass the awkwardness and go directly to genuine concern. He was now confident and compassionate instead of just apologetic.

"No, its okay, I didn't see you either, I..." she started to answer.

By this point, Ryan had pulled her close to him. He swept her hair from her face, gently caressing her cheek. She gasped and gazed into his eyes.

Ryan's other hand still held hers. He could feel it now. Some kind of an energy, an electrifying buzz, was flowing through his body and into hers. Annie looked like she was lost in a daydream, just like that clerk had done yesterday. The energy was emanating from Ryan's new tattoo. He had no idea what it was or what it was doing but he didn't want to break the magical moment. Annie was so beautiful, previously such a distant dream, but now she was right there, slowly leaning her body against his, closing her eyes, pursing her lips, lost in her reverie. Her progress was excruciatingly gentle. It seemed like time almost stood still, and just when their lips were mere millimeters from touching, Andy stumbled into the room.

The scare snapped Annie out of her fugue state. Her knees buckled and she almost fell again. Ryan acted quickly, continuing where they had left off. "Whoa, didn't see you there, you almost fell, are you okay?" he said, holding her up by her arms.

"What? Oh." She saw Andy and caught up on the act. "I'm fine, thank you, just didn't see you, either," she continued.

Andy gave them a casual nod on his way to the fridge while Ryan offered a chair to Annie.

"Fuck. Someone stole my juice again... I mean, heck," Andy said.

Ryan proceeded to hide the empty juice glass among the other dishes in the sink. They sat down and everyone got on with their lunch.

Ryan took some time savor his coffee. Annie kept taking long, perplexed looks at him. As Ryan stood up to leave, Annie finally said "Oh, I almost forgot, you need to go see the boss, right now."

Yesterday, Ryan had not noticed his new energy at all. This morning it had felt more like just a normal pep in the step, the kind you sometimes get after a good meal or a good night's sleep, or something. Now, after touching and almost kissing Annie, he could feel it for what it really was. It was an actual force, new and strange, rising from the mysterious symbol he was now marked with. It felt almost like a drug.

The boss is probably just going to do some posturing,

he thought. He was usually never late, and hadn't been that late this morning, either. He knew he wasn't in trouble. This was another one of those situations that would have bothered him much more, were he not high on this newfound energy.

He knocked on the door of the boss's office.

"Come in," a female voice answered.

A cold, blue stare guided him across the large room. From behind sleek, black-rimmed glasses, those eyes directed him to a chair next to the desk. The woman, sharp and meticulous, had her black hair in a tight bun. She always wore custom tailored dark suits, with tight, knee-length skirts. This commanding creature was Ryan's boss.

"Good day, Mr. Dobbs," she began.

"Nice to see you too, Ms. Chandler," Ryan answered, a bit too casually.

"It has come to my attention that you arrived late this morning. While I can see you have had no previous issues, this one will be noted in your record, and should you keep having problems with timeliness in the future, the marks can add up. Do you have anything you wish to add?"

Confident and controlled, Ms. Chandler had a natural charisma. It was obvious she belonged in an executive position. But there was something more to her -- something Ryan had not seen before -- some kind of a tight, burning emotion hidden beneath the surface. For the first time ever, Ryan was not intimidated by her, and could see her in a different light.

She was charged up and ready to go off but also somehow passionate under the cold veneer. She was obviously beautiful, but Ryan had never dwelt on how hot she was, how feminine, despite her toughness. And how young, too, despite her status.

He felt the energy rush through him, rising to a new level. It had been building up since the incident with Annie, Ryan realized, and was getting kind of ridiculous now. He could not stop himself from standing up from his chair. The boss's eyes widened in surprise but before she could say anything he was right next to her.

Ryan took her hands and pulled her up from her chair. Ms. Chandler gasped and her body jolted as the energy hit her. Ryan could feel it flow into her like a flood. Her jagged breathing grew heavier, and her cheeks blushed. She stepped into him, burying her cheek into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and slithered against him, as if trying to get every part of herself to touch him.

Ryan felt the flow break when she let go of his hands and he felt a twist of panic in his stomach. He quickly placed his palms on her cheeks. A new rush of energy made her give a delirious moan. She lifted her eyes to his and tried to say something.

As soon as her lips parted, Ryan kissed her, harder than he had ever kissed anybody. Mouths open wide, they reached deep inside each other with their tongues. The tattoo was now burning like never before and the energy was flowing into the boss through the kiss.

Ryan realized he'd given her all of the excess energy he had been carrying. His own head started to clear. He was extremely aroused, locked in a passionate kiss with a beautiful woman, his hands running all over her body, but he could now realize this was not right, not natural. He started to slow down, to ease off, wanting to break the connection. His body resisted but he knew he could not do this to her. Whatever the tattoo was doing, none of this would be happening without it.

Their lips parted with a wet sound as he pushed her away. Her eyes had changed -- the sheer raw lust he could see in them made his knees weak. "I'm sorry Ms. Chandler, I don't know what's happening here," Ryan panted.

Her only answer was a guttural grunt as she ripped his shirt open, followed by her own. Ryan managed to take a few steps back, toward the door.

Ms. Chandler yanked at her lacy bra so hard it snapped clean off. Ryan had a fraction of a second to appreciate her breasts. They were as flawless, as tight, and as controlled as the rest of her, perfectly formed and surprisingly large. Some women wore push-ups and padding to idealize their figure. The boss had been hiding some extra, instead. From her tight areolas, her erect nipples pointed accusingly at Ryan.

She slammed her naked midsection against his with a meaty slap and they fell to the floor. Ryan crawled backward while Ms. Chandler, his boss, was grinding herself into him, moaning more audibly than before. Ryan's back hit the wall.

The boss grabbed his face and buried it into her boobs. She lifted his face for a kiss. After a moment passionate smooching, she started to grind her face into his, like a cat, instead of just kissing him.

The energy kept flowing through every point of skin contact they made. Ryan had already dumped the excess he had been carrying but the tattoo was constantly generating more.

Ms. Chandler yanked on Ryan's belt so hard it made him cough. She pulled his pants to his knees, revealing a raging erection. Ryan, scared and aroused, was resigned to his fate by this point and just hoped this savage female wouldn't literally eat him alive.

She rose to her feet and pulled her skirt up. She ripped her pantyhose, revealing her thighs. A glistening wetness stuck to her fingers as she pulled aside her panties. The scent was intoxicating and Ryan could not help but to lean in, to try and kiss his boss's wet inner thighs. She held him back and seated herself right onto his throbbing member instead, taking the whole thing inside in one go.

Ryan gasped and his whole body tightened. The wantonness of the sudden act had almost made him come. For some unfathomable reason, he instinctively held back.

As he gained back control of his body, he could feel Ms. Chandler slam into him again and again, with furious speed. She was riding him like race horse. She was moaning and grunting louder than ever, and Ryan, still dimly aware of where they were, felt he had to try to keep her silent. He put his hand over her mouth. The boss rubbed her face into his palm and licked it.

This endless kiss his hand was receiving was more passionate than any his lips had ever felt.

Ryan shifted his hips to dampen the sound their bodies were making. After pulling her closer, he felt Ms. Chandler glue herself against his chest once again. Their necks entwined -- his hand still over her mouth -- and their torsos rubbed tightly against one another. Her thighs wrapped around his. Ryan started to push into her, trying to further dampen the meaty slapping. His other hand was wrapped around her back. He did his best to hold on while she fucked him with all her might.