Bait and Switch

Author's note: This story consists of multiple chapters. Some chapters will contain subjects that some may find objectionable, such as incest, anal, and perhaps even violence. While this chapter doesn't contain any of these, you are here forewarned not to get into this series if these subjects bother/offend you. All characters are over eighteen, as I can't abide kiddy-porn. If all this is suitable to your tastes, please enjoy my series, Bait and Switch.

(Quick FYI: The Robbie in this story is not the Rob in another of my series.)

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I woke up with a start, heart thumping in my chest, and sweat dripping from my brow, and looked around my room. Just a dream. It was just another nightmare, I kept telling myself. Images of strange pink creatures burning, dying, and the sounds of screams still echoed in my throbbing head.

Looking to the clock, I groaned. There was still a half-hour till my alarm was set to go off. The thought of trying to get more sleep and possibly continuing that dream were enough to get me out of bed.

I reached for the light switch with my mind, and as soon as I felt it, tried to flip it. Sharp, lancing pain drove into my mind. It felt like a spike was slowly being pounded between my eyes, and I stopped trying to move the switch. The pain lessened markedly, but the echo of it could still be felt, as I realized that I'd fallen to the floor.

"Are you alright in there, man?" Dennis said a few moments later, knocking on my door. "I heard you yell."

I got up on my knees, and held my head in my hands as I answered back, "Yeah, just a bad dream. Sorry I woke you."

As Dennis walked away, I wondered what had happened? I could still feel the switch with my mind, but I didn't dare try and flip it again. I could still feel the pain between my eyes, though it was only a pale shadow of what it had been. Had I overused my new ability yesterday, or did I somehow break it?

Deciding that I needed to rest my mind for a bit, I brought up my laptop. The latest episode of Big Bang Theory had downloaded last night, and it usually put me in a much better mood.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The sound of my alarm going off scared me all over again, which ruined the final scene of the episode I'd been watching, and turned my mood sour all over again. I quickly grabbed my Android phone, and turned it off. Considering the dreams I'd had last night, I decided that I really should follow Dennis's advice and change the alarm sound. I chose Aeris's Theme from Final Fantasy VII, as that was a soothing song, and hoped that it would be better to wake up to.

I changed out of my Batman pajamas, rubbing my eyes, and wishing I had slept better.

"Hey," Dennis said around a mouthful of cereal as I walked out of my room, "I've done some more checking online, and found even more people who claim to have gotten special abilities."

I froze as I heard him say that, trying to recall if I had told him what I could do now. Or rather, what I had been able to do yesterday. Then I remembered the conversation he'd had with me yesterday morning about the news reports he'd seen on T.V.

"Don't give me that look. I thought you were into this kind of weird stuff."

"What did you find now?" I asked, trying to act uninterested, but after the events of yesterday, he had my full attention.

"Some guy down in Brazil can make himself change colors like a chameleon. It almost makes him invisible." As he talked, bits of cereal spewed from his mouth, but he just kept talking excitedly. "Man, if I could do that, I'd hide out in the cheerleader's locker room. Can you imagine what goes on in there?"

I could only shake my head at his behavior, but wondered if what he was telling me was real. If I had received new abilities, it was completely likely that others might have too. The only thing I couldn't figure out was: what had the catalyst been?

"I forgot to ask you," my roommate said, finally swallowing his mouthful, "How did your date go with Gina?"

"It wasn't a date," I answered immediately. "It was a tutoring session." I couldn't hide my smile though, and knew I'd been somewhat busted.

"Tutoring... Right... Somehow I think she did more teaching than you did, from that smile of yours!"

I could feel the blood rushing to my face. "Let's just say, she may no longer be interested in Robbie." I remembered that he'd had a date last night too, and I wanted to change the subject. "What about your date? How'd it go?"

"Did you see a sock on the door? No? Then you know how it went." Dennis suddenly turned sullen, and I wondered what had happened. Being a Jock, he normally had his pick of women. From the noises that had emanated from his room on past occasions, I knew he got plenty of action. That was part of the reason we had instituted the 'sock on the doorknob': I had walked in on him on more than one occasion.

Knowing that I wasn't going to get any details, I ate my own cereal,, showered, brushed my teeth, and got out the door.

Wind and snow pelted me in the face as soon as I stepped outside, and I rushed to my car. Normally I prefer to walk to the campus, but in bad weather like this, I was glad I had my car. It took me a few minutes to get it warmed up, and I had to keep my wipers going and defrost running just to see the mushy road. The snow was coming down hard, and I envied the guy from Japan that could start himself on fire. That was a feat that would come in handy at the moment.

Slick as the roads were, I arrived on campus at the same time I usually did when I walked. By the time I made it to class, I was covered in snow, and slightly out of breath from running. On the plus side, no one threw any snowballs at me, or called me any derogatory names. Everyone was too busy trying to get out of this storm.

On the bad side, despite running and the cold, I fell asleep halfway through my science class, and couldn't get my programs to compile in my programming class; all the switches I wrote into my code kept failing. The Irony of that didn't escape me.

Lunch was a welcome break, but I couldn't get my mind off my failure with the switches. I was lost in thought, when something struck the back of my head. My headache had completely dissipated, thankfully.

"Look what we have here," Robbie's voice boomed above me, and I cringed, "a geek who thinks too highly of himself."

"Leave me alone, Robbie," I murmured, cradling my head in my hands. With my new ability out of commission, I knew I was no match for the bigger man.

"Weave me awone, Wobbie," he repeated in baby talk, laughing. "Gina told me you tried to come on to her, and she had to kick you out. She's mine, understand? Leave her alone, or you will have to deal with me." Robbie's tone made my head throb, but his words made my blood boil. Gina claimed *I* had come onto HER? Sure, I had flipped some of her switches, but in the end, she had been the one to kiss me.

I stood up from my chair, turning to face the bigger man, and spoke before I could think better of it. "Really, Robbie? I have a question for you: how bow-legged was she walking this morning?"

I could see that I struck home by the flash of red that blossomed across his cheeks. Quicker than I could think, he shoved me back, and I fell hard back into my chair. I knew I didn't stand a chance against him in a fight, and with my anger rising, I started to act before I could think. I made a switch in him to make him weaker, and firmly started moving it.

Standing back on my feet, I looked up to him, wishing I were the taller one. My fists were clenched at my side, as I glared at the bigger man.

"Look at the dweeb," someone said behind Robbie, and I realized he'd brought one of his cronies, "looks like he wants to fight you, Robbie. You'd better be careful, he looks angry." The mocking tone just added fuel to my ire, and I pushed more on Robbie's 'weak' switch, and remembered that I had created another switch yesterday.

"Maybe if you were a big enough man to satisfy your girlfriend, she wouldn't have come to me." The words were out of my mouth before I could think better of them.

Again Robbie's hands pushed against me, but in his weakened state, he fell back and almost tripped over Derek Peterson. Derek caught his leader, however, and helped him back to his feet. Robbie tried to shove me again, bracing himself this time, but he barely had any strength left in his arms.

"Leave me alone, Robbie, and never bother me again," I told the bully, menace dripping from my voice. "I'd hate for you to have any more accidents."

Robbie's arm cocked back, ready to strike me, but his eyes grew large as I flipped his other switch. In horror he looked down, to see the puddle forming at his feet.

"Come on, Robbie!" Derek cheered him on, not noticing what had happened. "Show this dweeb where he stands... Robbie?" It was too late. Robbie had turned and fled, an unmistakable dark stain still growing as he ran. "What the...?" he said, slowly turning back to me.

"Better follow him, unless you want the same," I threatened, feeling full of myself.

"Freak," Derek yelled, but turned tail, and followed the yellowish trail out of the cafeteria.

It wasn't until I sat down, that I realized my switches were working again, and my anger fled. A second later, the pain struck and everything went black.

* * *

Soft talking brought me out of a dreamless sleep, and I looked around. Under me was a stiff mattress, with white sheets. A white curtain hung from the ceiling, and everything seemed to be white around me. I've died, I figured, and let my head drop back to the pillow. I overused my ability, and it killed me.

"I see you finally woke up," a soft feminine voice sounded, and I looked up to see old Mrs. Polkins, her grey hair tucked neatly into a bun on the back of her head, and her large smock hugging tightly to her massive frame.

"Wh-What happaened?" I asked, finding my throat dry. Not dead then, I realized. Mrs. Polkins looked nothing like an angel.

"I was hoping you could tell me." Mrs. Polkins, the campus nurse, was a nice enough woman, I had heard, but this was the first time I'd had to come here. The lights flickered as she spoke, and I wondered if the storm was still going strong outside.

I just shook my head and lay back down. She kept an eye on me for another hour, before releasing me, telling me I should see a doctor when I got the chance.

Leaving her office, I noted that my head no longer hurt, and remembering the look on Robbie's face as he ran away brought a smile to my face. Hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with him again.

Checking my watch, I saw that I had already missed half my last class of the day, and just decided to go home, and get ready for work tonight.

The drive home took nearly as long as the drive to school this morning, the storm had gotten worse, and I noticed more than a couple cars had slid off the slick road. I took my sweet time, and made it back to my apartment safely.

Walking into my room, I plopped myself down on my bed, and braced myself, before trying to mentally turn off the light. The pain hit me almost immediately, but it was duller than it had been this morning. Either I was getting used to it, or it wasn't as bad. Better yet, the light had turned off, and I was still conscious.

The power flickered a few more times as I dressed for work, and I wondered if the restaurant would still be open in this storm. Deciding that I was better safe than sorry, I called my boss. He informed me in no uncertain terms that I was either to show up for work, or I could find a new job. I cursed him soundly, as I trudged through the snow to my car, and even louder as my car slid more than drove down the slippery roads.

I was ten minutes late, when I walked through the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" Thundered Bradley (Don't call him Brad) Cooper, my boss. He was a big bull of a man, and ran this restaurant with an iron fist. He was also the owner's son. The lights in the restaurant shone of his shaved head, and I could see he was already in a foul mood.

Looking around, I couldn't understand what his rush was, with the storm blowing outside, the restaurant was mostly empty, but I wasn't about to point that out to him.

Turning to point outside, I opened my mouth to explain, but he cut me off.

"Don't blame the storm. You knew what it was like when you called, and should have left earlier to make up for it. Now get back to the kitchens, and get to work."

All I could do was nod my head, and nearly run back to the kitchens. For a moment I was tempted to use my ability on him, but decided he wasn't worth the headache.

For the next hour, I cooked what few orders came my way, and otherwise kept to myself.

"We're out of juice up front," Shanna, a new waitress, called back.

"It's in the fridge, but make sure you get one out of the freezer to thaw out," I told her. I saw the brunette take one of the concentrated juice jugs out of the fridge, and take it up front. A few minutes later, she returned and walked into the freezer, only to come out a second later, shivering and empty handed.

"I can't find it in there, and it's freezing!" She walked up to me, rubbing her arms, and asking, "Can you help me find it, Nick?"

Shanna was a new waitress, so it was understandable that she wanted help. I followed her back to the freezer, and noticed that she had a pretty nice frame. Her hips were a little wide, but her waist was small, and she had a rather nice walk. Normally, all the cooks see of the waitresses were their faces, and while she was cute enough, she was no Gina.

"It's freezing in here," Shanna repeated herself, and I couldn't stop my retort.

"That's why they call it a freezer."

She gave me a look, like I was the idiot, but I just brushed it off. I noticed her eyes were a light blue, and she had really long lashes.

I heard the door close behind us, electronically latching, and decided to quickly look for the juice before we both froze.

"It's right here, next to the--" I cut off as the lights went off, and Shanna gave a small scream. Before I could act or think I felt her grab a hold of me, pinning my arm to my side and shivering from cold and fear. "Don't worry; the lights will come back on shortly. The power shouldn't stay off long. Let's see if we can find the door." It was a little hard groping for the door one handed, with her holding on tight to me, and somehow I'd become turned around, in the meantime.

"I hate the dark," she confided in me. I patted her back in an effort to calm her, and she pulled me tighter to her body. I couldn't help but feel her breasts pressed against my arm, and after a moment I realized her crotch was pressed to the back of my hand. All of a sudden, I felt myself growing hard, and a plan hatched in my mind, as I finally found the door.

"It's locked," I lied. "With the power out, we're locked in here till it comes back on." I could feel her shaking against my body, whether from fear or the cold I wasn't sure. "The good news is that with the power out, it won't get any colder in here."

"At home, when the power goes out, my sister Shannon and I comfort each other till it comes back on." I placed my free arm around her waist, pulling her tighter to me as I listen to her talk. "Sometimes we'll just hold each other, and talk about whatever comes to mind. My parents say we're two peas in a pod, but that's just silly. What else would twins be?"

Shanna has a twin? For a moment I was tempted to start using my ability on her, but then thought better of it. I didn't want to get caught in here doing something I shouldn't be, and have Bradley fire me, and the last thing I needed was a bigger headache. Besides, how much sweeter it would be if I won her over without making switches?

I let her continue talking, only saying a little here and there, letting our shared body warmth fight off the chill room. I knew it was helping to keep her calm.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Shanna asked unexpectedly, and I wracked my mind trying to figure out who she was. She laughed, after I remained silent for a few seconds. "It's okay. I wouldn't expect you to remember me with the likes of Gina in the same class, or even Prof. Frankens." She must have felt me tense up then. "Ha, I know all the men look at the professor, and Gina IS one of the hottest girls in school." She laughed again, and I sensed more than saw her look up at me. "Do you know why I got a job here?"

I shook my head before I realized she couldn't see me, and then said, "Because the tips are really good?"

"No," she suddenly grew quiet for a few seconds. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I've had a crush on you for the longest time."

"Me?" I blurted out. No woman has ever had a crush on me that I'd ever heard of. "Why me?"

"Why not?" She replied, matter-of-factly. "I don't go for the jocks; most of them are assholes anyway. I prefer a man that is smart, and for some reason I like pale skin, versus tanned. I dunno," she hesitated, growing shy again, "I guess I also think you're rather cute."

My heart was thumping in my chest as she spoke. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was aware of every inch of her body pressed to mine, her legs around my left leg, my left hand trapped between my jeans and her soft khaki-covered crotch, her breasts heaving against my arm, and it occurred to me that she was just as nervous as I was.

Despite what she had just revealed, I thought I was being bold as I leaned my head down to where I thought her lips might be, and ended up kissing her nose.

She giggled, and I thought it was rather cute to listen to. I felt her hands travel up my body to the back of my head, turning it, and then felt her lips touch mine.

Despite the frigid temperature in here, I felt a delicious warmth spread from where our lips made contact, then travel through my head, down into my body, and ignite in my loins. I had already been a bit hard, but now it was throbbing in my pants.

With the arm still around Shanna, I pulled her tighter to me, deepening the kiss, when she pulled away from me. "I can't-- I mean, we shouldn't," her voice was breathy, and suddenly I became self conscious.

Was I a bad kisser? Did my breath stink? The sudden absence of her body heat next to me made me shiver. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," I murmured.

"No," she said, and I could hear her move closer to me, her arms wrapped around my body, "I wanted it to happen. I've wanted this to happen for a long time, but..." She trailed off, and I could tell she was just as nervous as I was. "What if the power comes back on, and someone finds us... You know..."

This time I was the one to laugh, but I tried to sound reassuring as I spoke. "The first thing Bradley is going to do is count the tills. It'll be a bit before anyone checks the freezer, and we can slip out before they do." I paused, and let my own arms wrap tightly around her, "And besides... We need to keep our temperatures up. I'd hate to freeze in here."

Shanna tittered, and I knew I'd won her over. "Keeping our temperatures up, huh? Is that what we're doing?" I felt her lips along the underside of my jaw, and turned my face down to hers, enjoying how soft her lips felt against mine.

Her tongue pressed against my teeth, and I opened my mouth to let it in. Our mouths writhed against each other, as her hands roamed my back. I let mine drop down to her ass, cupping a cheek in each hand.

"Oh, really?" she giggled playfully, breaking the kiss.

"Absolutely," I replied, more confident now as I groped her more firmly.

Her hands slid down my back, till she had a hold of my own rear. "Oh yeah?" She gave my cheeks a squeeze, and this time I had to laugh at her playfulness, till her hands slid around to my front, and grasped my manhood through my jeans. "Holy shit!" she stepped back from me for a second, and I wondered what was wrong this time. "Is that thing for real? It must be huge!" Her hands were then fumbling with my zipper, and despite the cold air, when she pulled my member out, it stood tall and firm. It was a little odd, doing this in the complete dark, but it just seemed to add to the eroticism. "Mmm, I can't wait to see this in the light!" she declared, gripping it around the middle. Her fingers weren't able to make it all the way around, and despite myself, I was grinning from ear to ear (not that she could see it).