In A Bottle Ch 06

The last day had been a blur for Alan and as he stood in the kitchen making breakfast, the whole thing ran through his mind and he finally began to naturally decompress. He had almost been fired, attacked by one of the magi, and watched a friend die and reappear. He couldn't even fathom how the magi had found out where he worked.

He yawned and briefly winced in pain. His ribs had some colorful, angry looking bruises on them from getting knocked around and he was sure they would take awhile to heal. He was especially tired today, not because of the eventful day he had, but because he had practiced his skills with illusions most of the night in anticipation of being caught unaware by another malevolent mage outside of his work--or worse. If they could find out where he worked, it was only logical to think that they obviously knew where he lived as well. He finished cooking, ate his breakfast, and left his genies to sleep in. Apparently they didn't need sleep but still enjoyed it, similar to food.

Despite his fatigue, he forced himself to go for a short run around the apartment complex twice before coming home to finish getting dressed and leaving to work. Even though this left his mouth sticky with that weird taste like sun-warmed beer that always comes from vigorous cardio, he actually enjoyed getting a little winded. It had been a long while since he had done something to improve his health and it seemed to wake him up a significant amount.

That day at work he focused on redeeming himself in the eyes of his boss and double checked every proposal he sent off. Any mistake could cost him his job with his current standing on the company shit list. He had thought about stopping to get some donuts to bring in while he was on his way, but after his morning run he hadn't really been in the mood for sugar. He was never much of an ass kisser either. Why start now? He wanted his work ethic to speak for itself, not have someone like Hannigen standing up for him.

Compounding credit scores for underwriting was child's play for Alan when he had his head in the game and he quickly caught up on his work. 4 p.m. rolled around before he knew it and the day was over. With less pressure to keep his boss from giving him the ax, he was excited to get home with his genies where he didn't have to hide his magic. He was eager to improve his skill, more now than ever before.

All week long Alan practiced his magic when he got home from work. Sometimes he would have fun with it and practice giving his genies pleasure in very mild amounts--which proved to be a good exercise of his skills since he had very little restraint when it came to using magic and had become accustomed to going full force on everything he did. This helped him assess how much power was necessary for each circumstance but he also took his vow seriously and asked his genies to create hypothetical situations for him to deal with using their limited cantrips. After getting Eneros killed, Alan knew that the magi would continue to come after them and they would hardly be using conventional means. His genies were an invaluable resource when it came to magic. He certainly couldn't do this on his own, not if he wanted to develop real experience. Although the number of unbelievable events in his life continued to pile up, he certainly wasn't living in an action movie and was no Bruce Willis--even with his new commitment to go running every morning before he showered for work.

- - -

Alan still had an ache to use his magical powers to make the world a better place. He had simply been distracted by the unbridled destruction that some magic could bring to bear. Thinking about that aspect of magic made it hard to see how it could ever be good or helpful. Ultimately, he knew that recent events were blinding him with emotion, and he forced himself to maintain a positive outlook. Alan was deep in thoughts of practicing magic and preparing for another Eneros battle when Max roused him by noisily rattling a bottle of pills out into his palm.

"Man, my back is killing me today. Too much sitting," he groused tossing back two of the little blue capsules and chasing them with his Dr.Pepper.

"You ever try going to a chiropractor?" Alan asked reflexively, half paying attention to his own question as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"No, those guys can't fix anything. It's a waste of money if you ask me. I'd rather talk to my insurance company about covering a surgery. When you get to be an old man like me you start looking for a more permanent solution."

"Hah! Old man. What are you, thirty nine?" Alan laughed.

"I'll be forty four this coming June, and I feel about ten years older than that."

"Get over here 'old man' and let me see if I can't do better than a couple of Aleve." Alan stood up from the table, an idea beginning to form in his mind. "I used to know a guy who worked as a chiropractor and did massage therapy on the side. I may remember a couple of things that he showed me."

"Yeah? I guess it can't hurt. Where do you want me?" Max walked to the middle of the room and held his arms out awkwardly.

"This isn't an episode of Xena, Max. I'm not going to magically push a bunch of pressure points on your body and paralyze you," Alan scoffed. "Relax. Now go lean with your back up against the wall."

Max walked over as directed and placed his back to the wall. Alan began focusing on something other than the lie he had told his work buddy. Something clever that he hadn't thought to do until this moment.

"Alright, cross your arms over your chest and aim your fists at the wall. Elbows higher. Good. Where did you say most of the pain was again?"

"A little lower than my ribs. Is that your lumbar spine technically, or is that farther down?" He asked, pointing awkwardly with his elbow.

"I'm not sure," he muttered as he grabbed ahold of both of Max's arms and pushed up and back into the wall. "How's this?"

Alan threw in a little dramatic flair and made some illusory popping noises that reminded him of a tree falling. He had to hide his smile when he saw the look on Maxwell's face. He liked to embellish when he could.

"I guess it's okay. Is... Is that normal?" Max asked, his skin a shade lighter than usual.

"Of course. It doesn't hurt does it?" Alan threaded in his enchantment, imagining the constant lingering pain Max must be feeling. He paused for a moment hoping he was focusing on the right area and then envisioned that feeling going away, the pain being blocked. "Try moving around."

Max gingerly stepped away from the wall twisting his torso back and forth, testing for the pain. Genuine surprise formed on his face then and he bent down to touch his toes.

"I can't believe it. No more throbbing! Whatever it was you did worked like a charm! I haven't been this flexible since I was your age," he exclaimed.

Alan had been so wrapped up in his superhero delusions that he had ignored the more mundane day-to-day ailments of humankind. He could cause illusory pain, but he could also weave enchantments to mask real pain. Unfortunately he had to release the enchantment he made for Max after a few hours so it didn't drain on him forever. He couldn't hold any enchantment permanently, no matter how small. After performing similar experiments on other co-workers to relieve them of their headaches, however, he found he could make the sensation permanent by causing a small wave of pleasure which released endorphins into their brains to naturally reduce the pain, allowing him to release both enchantments. He felt the solution was ingenious in its simplicity, using the body's natural chemistry to bypass the need for magic.

Before long he had begun to earn the reputation of office masseur.

- - -

Out for another morning run, Alan's loose thoughts tumbled around in his head like leaves in the wind. Spinning here and there, softly colliding at times for a moment only to be separated again and drift slowly, following random, obscure, and cryptic patterns to the ground, fated to be forgotten as all leaves and thoughts eventually were.

'Whatever became of Heather?' Alan wondered, his shoes rhythmically slapping the pavement. 'She had been so--what's the word? Bouncy. Upbeat. Fun. Exposed. Vulnerable. Yes, she had been very vulnerable. People are always walking around with their guard up these days. True emotion hidden behind a curtain of stone. Where are you now, Heather? Do you ever think of our brief time together? Was it a life-changing event for you or did you just need the comfort of having another caring human being touch you for a single afternoon? I wish I knew how you are doing. Hah, I wish. What an ironically funny phrase. Maybe someday you'll call...'

Alan felt his muscles burning from lack of oxygen, fatigue beginning to try and slow him down. He pressed on, forcing himself to work through the discomfort. His heart pumped blood through his body with enough force for him to hear it in his eardrums. Whump. Whump. Whump...

'Almost halfway there. Don't cramp up on me now legs. Should I cook food tonight? Maybe I could order a pizza. Lucky loves pizza. I think it's her favorite out of all the foods we've had so far.' Alan smiled at the memory of the tall blonde scarfing down her slice of pizza, eyes wide with enjoyment. 'She probably would have eaten the entire thing if I had let her. Hah, double entendre. I should let Lucky eat the entire thing. You know, she sure does give great blowjobs. Almost as good as Misty. Ah, Misty. On her knees. Tongue running in those sweet little circles. Those searing red eyes peering into my soul. Daring me to... Geez, my lungs hurt. I have to catch my breath before I faint.'

Alan couldn't keep up his pace. He was starting to get winded and had to dial it down to a brisk walk while he openly panted for a few minutes.

'I can't believe I found a genie. Four genies. How crazy is my life. Heck, I can't believe that I fought a real mage. And won... Even though Carmella...' He swallowed hard at the lump in his throat and took off sprinting, trying to outrun his thoughts. If he could get the burn back he could just focus on that. But it wasn't meant to be.

'I'm the master. Oh man, my legs are going to be jello for the rest of the day. I am responsible for the safety of my friends. That burn. It's spreading. I am out of desires. No safety net to fall back on anymore. No, don't cramp up on me now. If the rest of the magi are like Eneros this is going to be extremely dangerous. I can't trust any of them. Ah, shit. There it goes.'

As he turned the final corner the merciless cramp forced him to slow again, and he reached for a stabbing pain along his lower left ribs.

'Damn this slow healing body of mine. I'll have to stick to my original route for another few days. This is a little too far. Don't be a weakling. Jog it out. No more walking.'

"Change. Is. Pain," he grunted to himself.

The apartment complex came into view and he gritted his teeth and jogged the last hundred paces or so to the stairs below his building. Once inside he immediately peeled his shirt off to try and cool down and headed for the shower.

Alan walked into the bathroom just as Misty was getting out of the bathtub--none of his genies felt they needed privacy and failed to see the point in ever locking a bathroom door. She was nude and wet, not having had the chance to dry off yet. Alan's eyes followed the little rivulets of water made by her wet hair as they trailed down between her breasts. She smiled at him knowingly, watching his eyes explore her exposed flesh soaking up her intimate details. 'Leave it to Misty to make something as plain as water seem sexy,' he thought. He groaned inwardly, knowing that he would have to get ready for work soon.

"I know what that smile means, Misty. If I'm late for work my boss will more than likely fire me. I am already on thin ice as it is," he groused.

Without a word she immediately turned her smug grin into a pout, looking like nothing more than a little girl being told she couldn't have a puppy for her birthday. Alan sighed and glanced at the face of his watch as he undid the clasp. It was 7:23. He still had a little over an hour before he had to be at work and the drive only took 25 minutes depending on traffic. He just needed to make sure he didn't show up smelling like a sweaty farm animal. 'Screw it,' he thought. 'Why resist?'

"Fine," he relented, immediately changing the expression on Misty's face once more. "But you are hopping back into this shower with me."

He reached over, pulled the plug to drain the bath, and flicked on the knob, starting the water to the shower. He then meandered back to the bathroom door, shedding the rest of his clothes along the way.

"Magik!" He shouted out the open door.

"Yes master?" A faint voice answered from another room.

"Could you come help me with something really quick in the bathroom?"

In a few moments the brown-maned beauty poked her head around the corner and began taking in the scene in front of her: Misty was naked and a puddle had formed around her feet from the water dripping off of her. She had that telltale twinkle in her eye. Alan was now equally naked and Magik needn't look into his eyes--or even above his waist--to tell what he had in mind.

"Magik, I need you to strip down and hop in the shower to help me satisfy Misty before I need to leave for work," Alan ordered as he and Misty hopped into the shower. "I haven't even washed yet."

Despite their close relationship, Magik still blushed a dark red at the boldness of Alan's words and the situation she found herself presented with. She nodded obediently and followed his instructions, promptly stripping her purple silks off and discarding them next to Alan's clothing on the bathroom floor.

Alan watched as she revealed her body to the both of them. The smooth skin of her belly was always teasing him while she wore her silk garments, hiding only the special places. As she shed her clothing his eyes drifted, first up to her breasts and then followed the curve of her body down to the smooth little hairless patch between her legs.

Magik felt his eyes on her and followed his gaze, slowly running a hand down her ribs and across her hip before finally stopping in front of her pussy to obscure his view. Her eyes flicked up to meet his stare, sparkling with an intensity that made his skin flush with an unnatural warmth. They locked eyes and for a brief moment his breath caught in his throat before he looked away.

Magik smiled, glad that she could make him blush also, and joined them in the shower. Alan just shook his head and reached for the soap.

He needed to make sure that he got to work on time so he took the opportunity to wash himself while Misty was distracted with Magik. As he lathered the soap across his chest and down his belly he watched Magik step into the shower and close the door behind her. The close proximity of the bathtub accelerated things as Magik jostled Misty with her naked body while turning in semi-circles trying to wet herself evenly under the cascading water. Misty reached up to fondle her, grabbing a handful of Magik's breast in her right hand and a luscious butt cheek in her left. She pulled their wet bodies together and shared a languid kiss with her as she continued to grope.

Alan became aware that his idea for Magik to distract Misty had backfired when he noticed he was soaping up the same area of his body over and over as he gawked at the two of them making out. He tried to remind himself not to get involved but couldn't resist scooping up some of the bubbles running down his body and smearing them between Misty's breasts, making all three of them slippery with suds as they maneuvered around in the warm spray of water.

Misty let out an appreciative moan and Alan noticed her fingers guiding the bubbles around between Magik's cheeks before cleaning her asshole with little teasing strokes of her explorative fingers.

Alan took advantage of the situation as he tried to finish washing off the remainder of his sweat to weave a few illusions over the two of them. He might as well use this as a training exercise. At first he focused on enhancing the sensitivity of their pleasure zones, making Magik squirm at the bold touch of Misty's fingers. Her squirming in turn had the effect of rubbing her now very slippery body against Misty's nipples.

Misty finally broke their kiss with another moan, longer and deeper this time, more intense. Alan focused hard on controlling his magic. He didn't want to go overboard and needed to concentrate on not just the feeling of pleasure but how much he wanted to give. He let out a steady trickle, imagining it pulsing through Misty's body to radiate within her core, her whole body slowly becoming one giant erogenous zone. She lifted her chin, pointing her face towards the ceiling with her eyes closed and sighed. Magik continued to slide her body against Misty, reaching her arms around to grab her behind and hold her tight. Magik saw her exposed neck and took her chance, using the tips of her teeth to grate against her sensitive areas eliciting a series of shivers from Misty. She slipped a leg between Misty's open legs while her lips slithered down along her collarbone alternating kisses and little flicks of her tongue.

Misty immediately began grinding down against Magik's thigh, unable to help herself as the pleasure overcame her. Alan watched, barely able to restrain himself from joining them. They had become a tangle of arms--Misty squeezing an ass cheek here, tweaking a nipple there, and Magik wrapping her hand around Misty's head to pull her tight against her bosom as she planted sucking kisses on her other breast.

Misty rubbed her palm in little circles on Magik's stomach, sliding lower and lower each time until her fingers were passing right above her slit with each stroke. Alan continued to deliberately layer illusions of pleasure upon the two genies bringing them both closer and closer to the edge. He wove them together seamlessly, like a master puppeteer whose skill made his puppets seem so lifelike that the audience forgot the strings even existed.

Their bodies were practically vibrating with their need to orgasm, Misty shamelessly humping away at Magik's leg and Magik holding on for dear life as Misty's slick fingers flew back and forth over her clit. Magik was panting, her mouth open wide, muscles taut. She squeaked a couple of times, unable to form any kind of coherent words, and her legs turned to liquid as she finally hit her release. Alan released all of his illusions, letting her experience her orgasm on her own and eventually come back down.

Magik's cresting waves of pleasure only pushed Misty's pleasure higher and when Alan began a thrumming pulse deep within her womb using his magic she lost control. Her legs tensed up and she frantically began to rub her own clit as she screamed out the arrival her own climax. Her juices began to spray out in jets and spurts as she drenched Magik's already wet leg.

Once her screams subsided Alan turned off the shower, released the rest of his enchantments, and grabbed some towels. He handed Magik one as she stepped out of the shower and draped the other two over his shoulders.

Alan's cock was sticking straight up at this point and practically oozing pre-cum. He had been trying to resist his urges, but something about the sounds Misty made during her orgasms got to him every time. Those husky moans that seemed to come from her toes gave him shivers of delight.

"Alright Misty, you sexy little nymph, come here so I can dry you off."

"Yes master," she panted.

Alan used the first towel to dry his hair and upper body and then grabbed the second and began to do the same with her. His hands slowly massaging the water from her skin with the soft cotton. He moved from her neck down to her shoulders and, wrapping the towel around her in a sort of backwards hug, began drying her breasts. She gasped slightly as the fabric brushed her overly sensitive nipples and Alan felt his heartbeat quicken--his pulse throbbing straight to his groin. He continued to circle her breasts for a moment to make sure all of the crevices were dry, his hands gently kneading her flesh through the towel.