The Thaumaturge Ch 05

I sat in the booth for a few more minutes, finishing my beer, processing what had just happened as my erection slowly subsided. I tried to put the arousal out of my mind, and focus on what I'd learned.

I was unconsciously flexing my hand, I realized. It ached. How strong Diana had felt, the sensation of trying to pin her hand with both of mine, was etched into my memory.

Magic was real.

I was a thaumaturge.

As much as my mind was spinning, I think I expected to feel different, or something, y'know? She had said thaumaturges turned effort into power. But I didn't

feel

any hidden well of power in me, any new potential waiting to be tapped.

I just felt confused. I had a million questions, and I needed more answers.

But who to get them from?

Diana was obviously avoiding Vivian. Viv had said they "didn't get together anymore" when I had asked her about her friends in that photo, last night. Whether Diana's brief summary was leaving important things out, it was clear there was some bad blood.

Viv was right in front of me. I looked up, mulling over what to do. Viv was still sitting at the bar with that guy, having an animated conversation. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I watched them for a few minutes.

Viv looked like her usual bubbly self, and seemed to be doing most of the talking. As I watched, she made some point, touching him on his forearm for emphasis. The guy looked...well, a little annoyed, if anything. Stony-faced. Monosyllabic replies.

If it was a date, it was going badly.

I

could

talk to Viv. Except Diana had just told me to be careful who I trusted, and had clearly been talking

about

Viv.

But I wanted more answers. I didn't know enough. And if Diana wasn't going to give them to me...

I stood up, walking towards Viv.

And I know what you're thinking.

Wow, what a surprising decision, Matt. Who could've known you'd follow up with the hot, outgoing blonde with the great set of tits in spite of being warned against it. Really had to think hard about this one, huh?

Look. I said before, I'm superficial, but not

that

superficial, okay? I didn't remember every single detail of the text message exchange I had seen two days ago, but I remembered that last message on Lauren's phone with crystal clarity:

Viv: little Laur's first thaumaturge! Finally! LMK when you know for sure

To me, that made it sound like Viv was experienced.

Knew

more. Would have answers for me.

That clinched it.

And besides, Diana had really turned me on, and Viv might help with

that

, too.

I'd just be careful.

---

Viv was sitting at the bar, facing away from me; I came up from behind her and to the side, so she hadn't seen me yet. She was wearing light wash jean shorts that were so tight and short they barely qualified as shorts, treating me to an expanse of long, tanned thigh. The t-shirt she was wearing was white, tight enough that I could see the bra strap outlined across her back.

The guy she was talking to was watching me approach over Viv's shoulder, curiosity in his gaze. He was tall. Dark blonde hair cropped close, a short beard. Biceps bulged in a polo. Tall and

jacked

. Maybe mid-thirties or so?

The handsome features were familiar -- I recognized him from somewhere, vaguely. A little old to be a classmate of mine, though...

And then Viv turned around, following his gaze, and saw me. Emotions flickered across her face -- first surprise, then concern -- but it landed on excitement in the end. "Matt! Hi!" She hopped off the stool and gave me a hug.

"Hi, Viv." I felt her crush her tits against my chest, and recalled again just how the date had gone last night. Especially how

quickly

it had ended.

"Clint, this is Matt. Matt, this is my friend, Clint." She said it as she was pulling away from me.

"We are not friends," Clint said. He said it pleasantly enough, but matter-of-factly. Like he was making an observation about the weather. He had a trace of an accent -- something Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean, perhaps.

"Friend

ly

, though," Viv enthused. "Friendly business associates!"

Clint shrugged, as if he'd accept that label. He was wearing, I realized, a polo that had a little lion on the breast -- the school's football team logo. It jogged my memory --

he was coaching staff on the school's football team

, I thought. I had seen him on the sidelines at games, at university events, that sort of thing.

He stood up, extended his hand, shook mine. He was clearly the kind of guy who viewed handshakes as a dominance ritual, aggressively squeezing my hand. His grip was iron.

But there wasn't as much iron in it as there had been in Diana's grip, just a few minutes ago.

The contrast was striking.

I realized in my head that some part of me had still been feeling like maybe Diana had been pulling some trick, or that I was having an off day or something where I was weaker than usual.

But Clint was fucking huge -- and his grip wasn't

remotely

as strong as hers.

That was the moment I believed, in my bones, that magic was real.

Anyway, Clint released my hand after a moment and glanced at Viv. "Our conversation is concluded. And as I said at the outset, it is simple: we will continue to honor our side of the agreement --

if

you all continue to honor yours."

He nodded, firmly, as if that settled things, and turned to leave.

I watched him go, curious, until Viv slapped my arm, playfully.

"Matt! Are you stalking me?"

I looked at Viv. Her smile was infectious. It promised trouble...or maybe that she had a secret she was just about to let you in on. I smiled back at her. "No. I was here already..."

"Here? Why? You weren't on a

date

, were you?" she pouted. "And after you didn't even text me back. What's a girl supposed to think..."

I laughed in spite of myself. I tried to remind myself that whatever chemistry I was feeling might just be Viv using me, like Diana had said. With Viv in front of me, it was admittedly hard to keep that in mind.

"No, not a date..." I hesitated. I didn't want to tell her about Diana, that was for sure.

"...maybe you were just too

embarrassed

to text me back, then. You know. After your

performance

." The words came out as a flirty purr and my face reddened. My eyes drifted down to her tight t-shirt. The way her tits filled it out was outrageous. All I could think about was how good they had felt last night.

"You're staring again, Matt," she said, amused.

"Uh, I was just...

disappointed

..." I said the words haltingly, distracted, and not exactly sure what I was going to say. I tried to pull myself together, meeting her eyes.

She arched one eyebrow.

"...that you weren't the one to explain

thaumaturgy

to me." Well, I finished the sentence more confidently than I had begun it, at least.

"Oh." Viv's eyes widened in shock, but she recovered quickly. "So you're...in the know now, huh?"

I nodded. How

much

I was in the know was very unclear. But I wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Wow. Well, hey, congrats. This calls for a drink, then." She flagged down the bartender, and ordered two shots of tequila. The bartender did a double take when she saw me, obviously a little surprised to have seen me move from hanging out with Diana, to Viv, but went to gather the shots.

"So. Who told you?" Viv pursed her lips.

I wondered how she'd react to the news that it had been Diana...but I decided to play my cards closer to my chest than that. I folded my arms and gave her a frown. "The important thing is that it wasn't

you

, Viv. And it could've been."

I had to admit, I wasn't actually that annoyed. It wasn't as if I had been incredibly direct about things during our date last night. And I

liked

Viv. But playing it up a bit seemed like a good idea.

She gave a little helpless shrug followed by an apologetic smile. "Hey, sorry, Matt. But one, I have to be careful these days. Two, you understand now, I assume. You knowing

changes

things."

I kept my face expressionless and didn't say anything. I wasn't exactly sure what she meant. There was a long pause. I let the silence stretch.

Eventually, she sighed. "But I

should've

told you. Sorry. I'm not in

too

much trouble, am I?" Her voice was quiet.

"As I recall, you said you were at your

best

when you were in trouble," I said, grinning wryly.

She broke out into a smile. "You might think so too. After all, I've got to make it up to you, now," she purred. She rested her hand on my thigh.

My heart accelerated a bit at that. "Oh?"

She nodded, seriously. "I mean, I can't have my favorite

thaumaturge

upset with me..."

"Am I your favorite?" I put as much skepticism into my voice as possible.

She leaned close to me, and whispered, "Early to say. But last night was a very fun start."

I felt her lips brush against my ear.

Fuck

.

She pulled back and grinned at me for a moment. The bartender set two shotglasses in front of us.

Then Viv picked one up and raised it. "To newfound power and renewed friendship?"

I tried to recover my equilibrium. I did my best to imitate Clint's accent. "We are not friends."

She burst out laughing.

And then, dropping the accent and filling my voice with as much implication as I could muster, I said, "At least, I hope we're not

friends

."

She looked delighted. "Mmm. I guess we aren't, are we? Just to power, then."

"Power is good," I agreed.

We did the shot, sharp citrus and honey hitting me smoothly. Warmth blossomed in my stomach.

Looking at Viv -- genuine smile on her pretty face, laughter still in her eyes from my joke -- I was

glad

I had come to talk to her in spite of Diana's warning. Maybe she wasn't playing things totally on the level with me, but I didn't care. She was funny, gorgeous, we got along great...what wasn't to like?

She met my gaze steadily, enjoying the silence, this time. "Maybe we should continue our conversation someplace more private," she suggested.

I thought about my roommates, about the likely Sunday afternoon reception I'd get if I strolled in with Viv, after I'd showed them Lauren's dating profile only the day before. They'd probably think I was hiring escorts, or something. "Sure...I've got roommates, though, so it won't be

that

private at my place."

"

I

don't have roommates. It'd be

very

private at mine," She had that smile on, again, the one that promised mischief.

"Your place it is, then." My mouth was dry.

Fuck, yes.

"Think you'll repeat your...

performance,

from last night?" She glanced down at her chest in the tight t-shirt. I followed her gaze, taking in the way her tits strained against the fabric.

"I, uh..." I couldn't wait to get that shirt off her.

She didn't let me finish the thought. "I can't wait to find out."

She waved the bartender over to ask her to close out the tab. "I'll be right back." Viv stood up and headed to the bathroom. As with Diana, I stared, watching those long tan thighs flexing as she walked off.

But I was startled out of my contemplation of her legs a moment later.

"Unbelievable. What's your secret?" It was the bartender, who slapped the check down in front of Viv's empty seat.

"Huh?"

"Ten inch tongue? Ten inch dick? Are you a billionaire? What is it? You were in here two nights ago with another attractive girl,

then

the chick with all the tats earlier, and now

Viv's

taking you home. Viv never takes

anybody

home."

I glanced sharply away from Viv's retreating backside, to the bartender. This was not a conversation I wanted Viv to hear us having.

"And, I mean, you look...

fine.

Like, a solid seven or eight, maybe. You're not..." She realized I was glaring at her and held up her hands. "Hey, easy, buddy, I'm not trying to roast you. Or cockblock you, for that matter. I'm just impressed."

I nodded, still feeling guarded. "Thanks, I guess?" A thought occurred to me. "Hey, the guy who was here before, with Viv...are they here together often?"

"Oh, you don't want me talking about who

you're

getting drinks with, but happy to have me reporting on other people?" She rolled her eyes. "That's shitty. Not your stand-up personality that's attracting these women, I guess."

She had a point. I shrugged, feeling a little bad. "I guess not."

But the prospect of time with Viv was too exciting to bring my mood down much. After a moment, the bartender sniffed, and moved down the bar in a huff.

Another thought occurred to me as she walked away.

I pulled out the photo on my phone I had screenshotted from Vivian's profile on the dating app. The one of her and her friends, all dressed up as witches. I stared at them. Viv, Lauren, Diana...

there were a few others, too

.

None of them were the bartender, which was what I'd been worried about. But I realized it'd probably be useful to recognize the other women in the photo if I ran into them. Diana had said to be careful who I trusted. I didn't need to be surprised by meeting one of these other witches. I stared at the photo, trying to commit the other faces to memory.

But I had to hurriedly put my phone away as Viv returned.

"That

asshole

," Viv muttered, next to me. She had picked up the bill. "Clint didn't even pay for his own drink.

And

he ordered the most expensive bourbon on the shelf." She sighed. "He's such a dick."

I glanced over at her. "He seemed friendly to me?"

She was pinching the bridge of her nose. "He was polite. They're always polite. Until they're not."

"Okay...you said he was a friendly business associate, though?" I had to admit, I was curious about her relationship with Clint. They didn't seem

involved

, but...

"Yeah, we have this business arrangement, but...well," she said, earnestly. "You could probably help me with the little issue I'm having with him and his...colleagues. I'd owe you one." She gave me a winning smile.

I shook my head, enjoying this. "You're in trouble, remember? You

already

owe me one."

"Well, we had better even the score then, huh? C'mon, I'm sure you can think of ways I could pay you back..." She pulled herself off the barstool.

I smiled as I stood as well. "I can, as it happens."

She hooked her arm through mine, and we walked out.

---

We flirted some more, on the walk back to her place. Her apartment was off-campus, one of the expensive apartment buildings...it was, in fact, the same apartment building as

Lauren

lived in, I realized with a sense of deja vu as we entered the lobby and got in the elevator..

Her apartment was really nice, on the top floor. I wondered if she had family money. But I didn't get much of a look at it before she was all over me.

Her mouth was on mine, her arms wrapped around me, the second the door closed. I responded automatically, kissing her back, my hands going to the small of her back. She tasted faintly of the tequila we'd had, but mostly she tasted bright, clean and exciting.

I broke the kiss off after a long stretch of our tongues mingling. The flirty banter, that kiss -- I felt a sense of impending urgency. Diana had gotten me so turned on; I knew that if Viv and I kept going, there wasn't going to be more talking.

And I

wanted

to talk first. I had questions, lots of them. About magic, Viv, Diana, Clint, everything. "H-hey, I actually wanted to ask you--"

"

After

," she whispered, urgent, in my ear. "Then I'll answer any question you want." She reached down and palmed my cock -- which wasn't fully hard yet, but was well on its way after that kiss -- through my jeans.

Well. I knew that she got power from sex with me, or whatever. That doing the sex first probably gave her what she wanted with no guarantee I'd get my answers.

But in that moment I didn't care. I wanted her.

I slid my hands from her waist down to her ass, picking her up and pulling her against me. She arched her back, pressing her full tits against my face.

I hadn't gotten to

touch

her last night, not really. She'd touched me, obviously. But this was my first time putting my hands on her. Her skin was smooth under my touch, and warm. It was intoxicating.

Over the last 30 seconds, I had gone from half mast to rock hard so fast that I was surprised I hadn't torn my jeans. I carried her further into her apartment.

"The door on your left," she murmured.

I carried her down the hallway and nudged it open with my foot. A bedside table lamp dimly lit up a tastefully appointed bedroom -- big king-sized bed, mahogany bedframe, nightstand, dresser and closet, vanity.

But mostly, I was paying attention to Viv. I tossed her onto the bed, lowered myself on top of her and started pulling her shirt up.

"You're so

eager

," she giggled in my ear. She put her arms over her head, helping me to remove her shirt.

Well, I felt some very familiar performance anxiety at the giggle in her voice, the word

eager

. I remember the way she'd laughed last night, when she'd started titfucking me and I realized I wouldn't be able to last.

But then she twisted and struggled the rest of the way out of that tight t-shirt, and thoughts escaped me.

Her blonde hair was fanned out around her head and neck. She had a simple t-shirt bra on, just plain fabric. With the way she was lying on her back, the bra's support mounded her tits up impressively. Her waist was lean, trim, just the hint of muscle under the bronzed skin.

Viv was looking up at me "You've done so much staring...don't you want to touch them? I mean, you didn't get to last night," she teased. She shifted her hips, grinding into my hard length.

I pushed my thick cock against her through our jeans, and reached down with my hands, kneading her tits through her bra.

Fuck

. They felt so good in my hands, full, soft. I started kissing her collarbone as I squeezed them.

I heard the sound of her breath catching in her throat, and then she managed to pant out, "Fuck -- yes -- your hands feel nice, keep playing with them."

There was a frantic, jumbled moment of both of us pulling the rest of our clothes off. I reached under her and unhooked her bra. While I did that, she was struggling out of her jean shorts and panties. Then she unbuttoned my pants, moving with urgency. I helped her drag them down my thighs.

As amazing as the titfuck had been last night, I realized I liked horny, aroused, out-of-control Viv...maybe more than I liked teasing, mocking, in-control Viv.

When I rested my weight back on top of her, I could feel that my cock was against naked skin. She was shaved completely bare. I adjusted, slightly, so my shaft was pressing against wet, soft folds. I let out a groan at the sensation.

But admittedly, my attention was captured by her glorious tits. I had never seen her naked. Flawless tan skin was almost golden in the dim light; there were no tan lines. Freed from the bra, her tits fell away slightly to the sides of her chest. Her areolae were slightly darker than her tan skin, and each was tipped by a full, nut-brown nipple, proudly erect.

I reached down, squeezing them. I was obsessed with the feel of her, especially the warm, soft, round fullness of her tits in my hands. I rolled her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers and she gasped, bucking her hips against me.

"Oh--

oh

," Viv moaned. As she made the sound, I felt my cock grind along her wet pussy. I wasn't inside her -- but the sensation of my thick length sliding along her folds, paired with that sound coming from her -- was incredible.