This is the fourth chapter of the Music of the Mind series. If you just picking up the series here, I would recommend you read the first three chapters to gain an understanding of the characters, and the forces at work. For those of you who have been reading the series and waiting for the sex, this chapter is the first payoff for you. I hope you enjoy, and as always feedback is welcome. Thanks to LadyCibelle for her editing. S.T.
The Music of the Mind Chapter 4: A Symphony of Two
Freshly showered, shaved, and wearing my favorite hat I walked the twenty feet from my front door to Jill's. I had not even knocked when the door opened and there was Jill smiling with a pose of being put out.
"God Mike, I said 7:00, not 7:03!" she affected her best valley girl accent while twisting her hair before busting into laughter.
I laughed and walked in, she gave me a quick hug and I felt it ring in her note, but I let her keep her thoughts and emotions to herself. I heard laughter, and walked inside to find Jill's three best girlfriends sitting around her dining table already sipping wine and laughing. Suzan, the beautiful red head, Ellen the blond athlete, and Tuyen (pronounced Twin) with her beautiful black hair and Asian skin. Suzan and Ellen smiled, but Tuyen just scowled as usual, she had never liked me and I didn't know why.
"Good evening ladies!" They called out there hellos and I sat and took a glass of wine from Jill. She disappeared into the kitchen and shortly after that Tuyen followed her to "help". How annoying I thought, and then I realized I didn't have to be annoyed, I could find out what was up with her, and maybe change my behavior or reconcile with her.
Since the genie had enhanced my gift, I found it easy to talk and use it at the same time. I let Tuyen's note come into my mind, and I felt her annoyance that I was there. I chatted pleasantly with Suzan and Ellen, telling them about my hospital stay, answering their questions, but mainly I was elsewhere. I dug into her mind, it seemed easier to sort the notes and tones and chords now. I looked for the source of her dislike for me, and it was there not far from the surface.
She had a lousy boyfriend in high school who had hurt her badly, and looked a striking resemblance to yours truly. It only took me a matter of moments to find that memory and soothe it. It wasn't as powerful as Cynthia's negative memory, but it still felt easy to me to calm it, and let it fade in her. I also understood how to do it without dragging it to the forefront of her mind. It disappeared quietly in the background without her notice.
As I pulled to her more surface thoughts I dropped a soft, very gentle note, 'Maybe Mike is not a bad guy, I shouldn't be so harsh on him. He has always been nice to me and my friends after allβ¦' I didn't want to control her, but I would like her to give me a fair shake. I figured that was okay. God trying to be ethical with this gift was like walking a tightrope.
I pushed her note back and talked animatedly with Ellen and Suzan. Tuyen and Jill came back in with trays loaded with dinner. Jill had made her wonderful Eggplant Parmesan, with homemade rolls and Italian salad. I was seated between Jill and Tuyen, and when I passed the salad to Tuyen she smiled at me and thanked me.
Even though I had just taken my walk in her head I nearly fell out of my chair. I could swear that everyone at the table did a double take at Tuyen with the kind of look that said, 'What have you done with the real Tuyen.' If she noticed she ignored it. We all talked through dinner, I think everyone was a little surprised that Tuyen was being nice to me, well not nice maybe, but polite.
Suzan was a doctor, and talked about work and how hard it was to find time for fun and dating with the pressure of the hospital. I looked inside her high-singing note in my mind, and found her thoughts and emotions to be very organized. With a few probes and pushes I loosened up her fears about dating so that hopefully she would have an easier time. Again I found the policeman in my head questioning this.
Ellen was a therapist, and talked about a patient she had seen that afternoon that she was concerned was dangerous. It was interesting, but I didn't see any reason to go roaming around in her head. Though I did take a peak to find she was a truly caring person, and that she thought I had a cute butt. Who knew?
After dinner we sat in Jill's living room, Jill on my left on her couch, and Tuyen on my right. This also caused a raised eyebrow or two. We were on our third or fourth bottle of wine. I had cut myself off at my second glass saying it gave me a headache after my "accident", but the ladies were all to that place where they were feeling pretty loose and happy.
"Hey, let's play strip poker." It was Ellen, the first to always want to talk about sex, and things of the like. My ears perked up, I would love to see any of these beauties naked.
"No way! Besides there is only one guy here!" said Suzan, always the voice of reason, though she was smiling and blushing.
"I'm in." was all Tuyen said with a smirk. Jill burst out laughing.
"Hey, if Mike will, I will, but I'm not doing it unless our token male is..um..up for itβ¦" Jill let out another burst of laughter as she said this.
"Hey, count me in; I think the odds are in my favor." They had no idea how much they were in my favor.
Suzan caved in and we started to play. I made one very interesting discovery during the early part of the game. I could hold more then one mind open in my head at a time. Two wasn't too difficult, but to have all four I had to stay with their pretty basic surface thoughts. Still, it was enough to read their hands. Disappointment at a bad hand, or happiness at a good one. Was it cheating, sure, but hey what guy wouldn't cheat at strip poker with four pretty women? I figured it was their idea anyway, I was just tweaking the odds a little.