The Reality Engine Ch 15

Hi!

Thank you for reading my story.

A couple of points to know:

Chapters of this story are going to take longer to come out going forward due to my day job consuming more of my time as the economy opens back up.

I started publishing this story last year when I had a wealth of free time due to the lock downs, which is, thankfully, no longer the case.

Events in this chapter pick up the morning after the events at the end of chapter 14.

Thank you for taking the time, and please be sure to vote and offer any feedback you can.

If you like what I do, offering feedback is the best thing you can do to help, there is nothing which aids a writer more than seeing the story through someone else's eyes.

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Chapter 15

On Sunday morning, Scott woke up with a mild headache. He looked around him, as the world started to come into focus. He found, much to his surprise, that he was asleep on the floor, and he found, even more surprisingly, that he was naked, and that Pepper was also naked, asleep next to him, with her arms wrapped lovingly around him. Finally, he was surprised to find that his penis was wedged firmly up her pussy, and that it smelled like they had passionate sex the night before.

He looked around, and saw that he was in Pepper and Marisol's room, and that a bunch of other girls were also asleep on the floor, and that there were beer and vodka bottles here and there about the place. Try as he might, Scott could not remember how he wound up in such a wonderful place to spend the night. He suspected he had come over to Pepper and Marisol's room for the Saturday evening strip poker game, and that nature had run its course, but he could not immediately recall.

It was a situation which presented several points of interest.

He kissed Pepper on the cheek, and slowly, she woke up as well.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Scott said, with a smile.

"Good morning to you as well," Pepper said. "Last night was wonderful, thank you so much for all of it."

"You're welcome," Scott said. "Do you want to get up and take a shower, or do you want to sleep in?"

"I have a term paper due tomorrow morning that I have to finish, and I need to get cracking," Pepper said. "We should probably get up, much as I'd prefer to stay here."

"Okay," Scott said, as he pulled his penis out of Pepper, and was greatly relieved to learn that he had used a condom the night before. "Let's get going."

Pepper jumped up to her feet as soon as Scott pulled out of her, and she walked over to her closet, and she handed him a towel, and took one for herself, before producing her shower things. She smiled at Scott, and he got the message. He went to her desk and picked up her keys, and followed her out of the room, and to the girl's bathroom.

Inside the shower area, Pepper started the hot water, while Scott hung up their towels. Just as they were about to jump in, Rebecca walked into the shower area.

"Hey guys, good morning!" Rebecca said, as she took off her towel, and put it on a hook. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"The more the merrier, and it will help save water too," Scott said, as Pepper nodded. Scott, Pepper, and Rebecca got into the shower together.

"So, how did it go with Elizabeth and Jessica last night at the naked mile?" Rebecca asked, as Scott applied shampoo to her hair.

"The contract was sealed," Scott said. "The girls are moving into the Digit brother's home today, they'll get a marriage license tomorrow, and a marriage certificate on Thursday. Actual wedding will be sometime in the spring, with a honeymoon immediately thereafter. It all came off without a hitch."

"That's so good to know," Rebecca said, as she put shampoo in Scott's hair. "I'm rooting for them both. What they told me when I met them a few nights ago? It did the trick."

"Oh yeah, your issue with your sugar daddy, Kumar?" Pepper asked, as Scott rubbed soap all over her body. "How did their advice help you?"

"They were right," Rebecca said. "Kumar has an inferiority complex, that's why he had so much trouble getting two words out to me. He's 39, and his family is from India, meaning they are putting out all the stops to get him married. However, every time his folks set him up with someone, it blows a gasket because he just can't relax. He feels the pressure to get married, and everytime he can't seem to get married, he just goes further and further into a shell and loses confidence. He hired me because he hoped I could help."

"His principle is a sound one," Scott said. "In order to build confidence around women, one must first spend a lot of time around women."

"I think so too," Pepper said, as she rinsed her body off. "Who would have thought that being a sugar baby also meant being a therapist?"

"We're a lot safer than therapists can be sometimes," Rebecca said, laughing. "Kumar finally opened up to me the other night, and he confessed that he had seen therapists to help him with his problem, but nothing they suggested seemed to make a difference."

"So, Elizabeth and Jessica, one, therapists, zero?" Scott asked.

"Pretty much," Rebecca said. "When I came dressed like a tramp on our date Friday night, he finally managed to turn the big head off. I didn't wear panties, or a bra, and when I bent over to adjust my shoes, and flashed him my cunt, as we waited in line at the movie theater, the little head started to do all the thinking. He said more to me last night than in all the other dates we've been on put together. I have a clear idea of what my job is now: I've got to get him prepared for the next girl his parents want to fix him up with."

"Any idea what their time frame is?" Scott asked.

"He's headed back home to visit his folks in three weeks," Rebecca said. "He figures that will be the next time they try to set him up with someone. I've got that long to get him ready to meet this girl, and to make a good impression so that he can get married."

"Let me know if you run into any problems," Scott said, as Pepper turned off the shower and the three young people toweled off. "I'd like to help, if I can. My heart bleeds for Kumar."

"You'll be the first person I tell if there's anything I can't handle," Rebecca said, as she gave Scott a quick kiss on the cheek. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help. You might not have known the answer, but you were able to introduce me to someone who did. That's the next best thing, in my book."

Scott went back with Pepper to her room to get dressed, after which, she escorted him out of her room, and into the hallway.

"Thank you so much for last night again," Pepper said, as she kissed him. "You are a really special guy."

"Thanks, and don't worry, I know what the deal is," Scott said. "I cherish our time together, but I won't fall in love with you, as hard as that is."

"I know," Pepper said, as she kissed him again. "If I was Elizabeth or Jessica's age, I'd absolutely feel differently. They had a good point the other night, it's not smart for a lady to close off options that might be needed later on in life. However, I'm an 18-year-old college freshman, with four full years of the biggest party of my life ahead of me. I don't want to miss that once in a lifetime experience, and I don't want to be tied down right now. Hell, if I was Sonya's age, and I was graduating in seven months, I'd probably feel like, okay, I've had my fun, it's time to get serious and look for something more long-term. I'm not ready for that yet, Scott, please understand, okay? If you decide you want to get serious with someone else, I completely understand, and I won't ask you to wait for me. However, if you are still available when I'm ready, well, I really do love you."

"I really don't know who else would want me," Scott said.

"Don't say that," Pepper replied. "I know how things were for you at the University of Iowa and everything, but this is a different situation. You've won a lot of ladies over, and they might not say so to your face, but believe me, we all talk to each other, and you're very popular. Cherry was extremely reluctant about you, for a while, but you've won her over. I know how sexy you think she is, and you should know that you could absolutely fuck her, no problem, if you ever wanted to."

Scott registered a look of surprise, and Pepper smiled, kissed him again, ducked into her room, and closed the door behind her. Scott went back to his own room to check his email, and catch up on reading more of the materials that Dr. Karlov routinely sent him. As he worked, he received a phone call from Calvin, who gave Scott a status update. After a few hours, Chad came by to ask Scott to lunch, so the two friends set off for the Light Fingers Five Dinning Commons.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Chad asked Scott, as the two friends sat down to eat.

"I received a text from Calvin that he's left Fuggville," Scott said. "He figures he'll arrive in Frostbite Falls around 6 PM, as it's about a five-hour drive, including coffee, food, and bathroom breaks. I've reserved a table for all of us tonight at Rosario's. He'll text us when he's about half an hour away, and we'll meet him at the restaurant."

"Wow, the priciest joint in town, huh?" Chad asked. "You're really sparing no expense."

"I have a feeling, deep down inside, that this is going to be a really important first meeting," Scott said.

"Rocky?" Chad asked.

"Yeah," Scott replied. "Whatever it is he wants, it involves both Calvin and I. He can't accomplish it with just one of us, or the other, he needs us both."

"Do we tell Calvin about Rocky?" Chad asked.

"I don't know," Scott said. "Play it by ear, if a chance presents itself, then yes."

"Is anyone else coming tonight except for you, me, Bridget, Kloe, Steve, Henry, Calvin, and Shauna?" Chad asked.

"Yeah," Scott said. "Calvin said that Shauna's best friend, Mia, is also going to make the trip. Ironic."

"Ironic how?" Chad asked.

"Mia is the girl Bridget initially wanted to pick to date Calvin," Scott said. "I shot it down, because I thought Mia was far too attractive, and I wanted someone who was pretty, but also non-threatening."

"Wow, so they're best friends?" Chad asked. "I mean, I suppose it makes sense, if one girl applied for the job, it stands to reason that other girls in her immediate social circle would as well."

"True that," Scott said. "I can't wait to meet them, and I am positive tonight will be a night we never forget."

"I hope so, and I hope good things come of it," Chad said. "How long are they staying for?"

"Not long," Scott said. "Calvin said that he and his group have to race back home as soon as our dinner engagement is done. He said something about an important meeting he and Shauna have to attend tomorrow afternoon."

"So, they're going to drive back home through the night?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, they should arrive back in Fuggville in the very early hours of tomorrow morning. They should still be able to get a full night's sleep, and be ready for their afternoon meeting," Scott said. "It does involve close to ten hours of driving in half a day, but there are three of them, and they will be able to take turns behind the wheel."

Just then, a text message came in on Scott's phone.

"What is it?" Chad asked.

"It's from Ted Digit," Scott said. "It's a picture of him and Frank packing up all of Elizabeth and Jessica's stuff, and loading it into a U-haul to move them out of their apartment. See for yourself."

Scott handed his phone over to Chad, who glanced at the photo.

"Be honest with me, do you think they have a chance to make it?" Chad asked.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, not understanding the question.

"I mean, do you think Elizabeth and Jessica stay in this marriage for a few years, then get a divorce, and get rewarded with cash and prizes?" Chad asked.

"What makes you think that would happen?" Scott asked.

"The eagerness with which they wanted to consummate the legal aspect of marriage last night rubbed me the wrong way," Chad said, as he handed Scott's phone back to him. "I've seen many eager women who want to tie the knot, so they can get the clock started on a divorce."

"That's always a risk," Scott replied. "I don't see that happening in this case. Elizabeth and Jessica are marrying precisely because the real world is terrifying to them, and they want to avoid it all costs. Funny thing about a divorce, it means you don't have a spouse anymore, and you're on your own. I can't see Elizabeth or Jessica liking that one bit."

"So, you think these two marriages go the distance because the two wives are too afraid of reality to get a divorce?" Chad asked, with a smirk.

"It does sound funny when you put it like that, but yeah, that's essentially it," Scott said. "Marriage is a crapshoot, and love is no guarantee of anything, not these days. Love is an emotion, and sometimes, emotions fade with time. Money is the best predictor of marital success; marriages with plenty of money last a long time. Ted and Frank Digit will always be good for the check."

"I hope you're right," Chad said, as the two friends ate their lunch.

"I believe so," Scott said. "Remember how often I've said this particular situation reminds me of a Jane Austen novel?"

"Yeah, and every time you have, I've always said that makes perfect sense, since you'd have to be insane not to love Jane," Chad replied, with a smile.

"When I read her novels, marriage is never a matter of love or emotion," Scott said. "Sure, characters want to fall in love, as we all do, but marriage, in her novels, has a lot more in common with a high stakes diplomatic agreement between two nations, than it does a duel of the heartstrings."

"I'm thinking of the marriage between Wickham and Lydia, in

Pride and Prejudice,

in particular, when you mention that," Chad said. "It was infatuation on her side, and practicality on his side, but at the end of the day, it was always about the price."

"Exactly, and the strategic maneuvering to save a family's reputation from ruin," Scott said. "The reason why I think Elizabeth's marriage to Ted and Jessica's marriage to Frank will go the distance is because each side has something the other side desperately needs. The gentlemen need families. The ladies need to avoid ever having to get jobs outside the home. So long as each side has a need to stay in the marriage, I don't see it dissolving."

"When you put it that way, it seems like our friend's marriages are on stronger ground than any of the ones in

Pride and Prejudice

," Chad said. "Each of the three Bennet sisters in that novel married for feelings."

"Right, they wanted to marry for love," Scott replied. "Needs are stronger motivators than wants, that's creative writing 101, and it also works in the real world."

At 6:30 PM, at Rosario's Italian Restaurant, Frostbite Falls finally met Fuggville, as many hugs and kisses were exchanged for the first time.

"How is everything back home?" Bridget asked her brother, as the appetizers were served.

Calvin spent the next ten minutes telling everyone how the sex tape of Ingred, which was a big scandal that Henry and Bridget both well remembered, had unraveled.

"Wow, you were there when it all went down?" Henry asked.

"Shauna and I both were, in the flesh," Calvin said.

"That's why we have to leave tonight, and can't stay long," Shauna said. "Tomorrow, after school, there's going to be a meeting to figure a way out of this mess."

"The police?" Scott asked.

"Also, the DA's office, and the press," Calvin said. "If the papers get a hold of this, and run a story on it, it might ruin Ingred and Belize for life. It's contained right now, but if it gets out, it's pure dynamite."

"It seems to me that marriage might be the one easy answer," Steve said.

"Seems to me that way too," Calvin replied. "Principal Acker and Mr. Bennet both have legitimate pull in our community. If Ingred and Belize are both married, our local institutions will probably go easy on them, out of respect for their husbands. It's the best shot they have."

"Well, funny that," Chad said. "We had a similar situation here in Frostbite Falls."

Chad filled in Calvin, Shauna, and Mia on what happened with Elizabeth, Jessica, and the two Digit brothers.

"You don't say," Calvin replied. "That is strange."

"The two situations do seem vaguely similar," Shauna said.

"Yeah, in the sense that they are roughly mirror images of each other," Calvin said. "In one case, the biological relatives were both young ladies, Ingred and Belize, and in the other, they were older men, Ted and Frank Digit. The other party was a pair that had a strong relationship with each other, Principal Acker and Mr. Bennet have been co-workers for years, and Elizabeth and Jessica have been best friends since childhood. In both cases, the marriage was arranged in order to protect the girls from the real world. Our situation in Fuggville hasn't quite reached a happy conclusion yet, but, as Steve pointed out, marriage is probably the best solution to this problem."

"What do you figure the odds are on that?" Kloe asked.

"Hard to say," Calvin replied. "Marriage might be enough, but it would help to have an ace in the hole."

"I think that Mr. Sormenknocker is the key to the whole thing," Mia said. "If they can get him to go along with it, Ingred and Belize should be in the clear."

"Yeah, now that I think about it, you're probably right, Mia," Bridget said. "For those of you at this table who didn't attend Edgar Jonesy High School in Fuggville, Minnesota, Mr. Soremknocker is a 77-year-old math teacher who has taught at our High School for over half a century. Most of the faculty at Edgar Jonesy High are former students, who were taught and mentored by him when they were our age. Before Mr. Acker became principal, Mr. Soremknocker was offered the job, but he turned it down, and then led the recruitment effort that hired Principal Acker. Former students of his make up all levels of our local community. The police would listen to him, the media would too, as would the District Attorney's office. Everyone either was once his student, and have fond memories of him, or their kids are his students now. He's the president of the Fuggville teacher's union, and he's the chairman of the town school board. A word from him, and Ingred and Belize are in the clear."

"You guys think you can talk him into it?" Steve asked.

"Maybe," Calvin said. "That's might be what this meeting tomorrow is about: what does Mr. Soremknocker want in exchange for using his influence to free the girls?"

"If I know him, and I had him for trigonometry last year, he's going to demand a wedding," Shauna replied. "He's really old-fashioned, and he's going to want to be sure Ingred and Belize are serious about cleaning up their act."

"Yeah, I totally agree with you, Shauna," Henry said. "Bridget and I had calculus with him last year, and if there's one word that defines him, it's accountability. He's not just going to take them at their word that they've turned over a new leaf, he's going to want good, hard evidence. He always taught us to write out the entire proof, no short cuts."

"He's also going to want to do what he can to safeguard the school's reputation," Bridget said. "In his mind, if Ingred and Belize get off easy, there's nothing to stop other girls from doing the same thing they did, and creating similar scandals in the future. I'm sorry to say that probably means they're going to be made an example of, in some capacity."

"I had the same thought, sis," Calvin said. "I think all of this has been discussed already behind closed doors, and an agreement might have already been reached. Tomorrow is just the public flogging, and there's only one real question left to be answered: will Ingred and Belize comply with the demands made of them?"