Chapter 39 - Visitor
At around ten in the evening Zaire was missing Claude and about to message him to ask him to come over, marriage proposal or not, when there was a knock at the door.
When she opened the door, she was completely unready for a good-looking guy in a caftan and sandals to suddenly fall to his knees and call her mother; before rapping his arms around her lower thighs and burying his face in the front of her dress.
She pushed him off and backed away into her apartment but he fell forward and kissed her feet.
By this time, he was halfway into her hallway so she couldn't shut the door on him. As soon as she stepped back, he crawled towards her, saying: "Have pity on me mother."
This was impossible. The guy was obviously, around her own age. She said: "Ok, get inside." She shut the door lest one of her new neighbours see and wonder who this strange woman was. There were already some strange looks. She looks like a Bogan with her tats. Where was Claude when she needed him? She'd call the police.
What would she tell the police robot: "There's a strange man in my house crawling on his knees and claiming I'm his mother?"
She walked into her living room and he followed on his knees, holding the hem of his caftan in his mouth to avoid crawling onto it. He seemed idiotic but harmless.
"Get up," she said; and he did.
"What do you want?"
"Whatever you do mistress." Now it was mistress!
"Then go away!"
"I can't mistress. I have to serve you."
This went on for some time. He insisting that he could do anything for her but go away.
Finally, she told him: "Then sit on the floor, over there in the corner, and take your sandals off."
He had long hair and a beard and the caftan the sandals made him look like pictures she'd seen of Jesus. He obeyed her quite happily. Now it was very late and Claude had still not messaged her.
The next morning the Jesus guy was still there. It hadn't been a bizarre dream. She offered him breakfast and he ate it enthusiastically. As thanks he fell to his knees in front of her and grabbed her around the thighs again. She pushed him off. She ordered him back to his corner and he meekly went. This was weird. She should definitely call the police.
But instead, she went out for a run to think about her options. When she returned, he was still in his corner where she'd left him. He asked if he could go to the toilet and she gave him permission. He asked if she wanted to watch. She was shocked. Who was this creature? She told him to leave again. He repeated his earlier objection.
Later she gave him some more food. She stepped back before he could kneel and grab her around the thighs. He was like a stray dog that has adopted a family and now she was feeding him. Again, she thought of calling the police but he was starting to feel sorry for him. And Claude still hadn't messaged her in any way.
He was obviously, a bit stupid. When she fed him or showed any concern for him, he was so happy. That evening she reached out and patted his head. He was so pleased he crawled towards her and buried his face in her pubic area again.
He was sort of cute. After a while she pushed him off and sent him back to his corner again. That night she put on a nightie, for modesty's sake, cleaned her teeth and went in to say good night. As she expected he did it again. This time she let him do it for several minutes, he seemed so pleased. Claude was still 'missing in action'.
She went to bed and shed the nightie. She always slept naked. She tossed and turned, annoyed with Claude. She couldn't sleep and wanted company. She would she if her new pet was asleep. She didn't bother about the nightie.
He was so excited to see her. After wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him, he followed her into her bedroom and she didn't stop him. He had been having difficulty crawling, with the hem of his caftan in his mouth, and as she was naked, she told him to remove it. It seemed more natural. He was still in his little hipster underpants. She sat on the side of her bed and examined him. He was a fine figure of a man and appeared well-endowed after his obvious excitement earlier. "Why not," she thought. This would teach Claude for not contacting her. She motioned her puppy, as she now thought of him, to lick her. He was surprisingly expert.
After a little while, she had enjoyed that as much as she needed. Now she thought better of cheating on Claude by having actual sex with this strange guy. She pushed him back. But when she looked again the tip of his erection was projecting from his waistband. It reminded her of an excited dog. She told him she was sorry but that he would have to deal with that himself. To her amazement he lowered his briefs and began to do just that. She quickly got a towel and put it in front of him to protect her hand-woven carpet. She watched fascinated and he slowed for her benefit. When he'd finished, she bundled up the towel and went to clean him up. At the touch of the towel, he bit her softly on the neck, more with his lips than his teeth, yet it would leave a mark
"Naughty boy!" she yelled in surprise - and slapped him really hard across his face.
He immediately prostrated himself and began licking her foot.
"That's better," she found herself saying and then she presented the other foot for him to lick.
"Now lie there," she ordered, pointing to a place on the floor at the end of her bed. She was enjoying this game.
He was shivering so she threw the bedspread over him and tossed him a pillow. He curled up happily as she got into bed and went to sleep.
She was awoken by her door bell.
"Mistress the door, the door, the door," he kept telling her.
"Ok, Ok, I can hear it" she said as she threw on a robe.
Thank goodness it was Bianca. She'd pushed him into her bathroom but he kept asking to come out. He might have been difficult to explain to Claude.
The situation was bizarre so she decided to give Bianca an expurgated version of the story.
Bianca said that she knew what was going on. So, they called 'puppy' out into the living room and Zaire commanded him to answer Bianca's questions honestly.
***
Somehow Bianca already knew that his name was Woodsman. She also knew that he had been sicked onto Zaire by Margery. The moment she mentioned Kat there was an immediate reaction. He actually cowered. He refused to answer any questions about Kat. He'd been ordered not to mention her under any circumstance.
Obviously, his presence was planned to separate Zaire from Claude, presumably so that Margery had a chance of getting Claude back. Claude was obviously, supposed to come over and find Woodsman in Zaire's bed. But Claude was locked up at home, terrified by Margery attempting to see him. She'd actually stationed herself outside his door and this had confirmed his fear that she was waiting to enchant him and he needed to avoid her at all costs. He wasn't even taking messages in case there was a verbal trigger. Yet somehow, Bianca was able to message him the following morning. She told him he was right to be concerned about Margery and to stay there until the coast was clear.
"She really is a piece of work," Bianca remarked to Zaire. "We need to send Woodsman back with a message that you and Claude are now together and she needs to get lost."
"Oh, do I have to send him back! I've always wanted a puppy. And he's so cute," begged Zaire.
"No, he belongs to Margery and you can't keep him. In any case she didn't plant him on you for your benefit. At any time, she could come and order him to do something dreadful. He's big and strong and might turn nasty."
"I suppose you're right. But how will we return him?"
"We can handle that together but we need to keep my part in this a secret. I'll give you her contact details. You'll send her a message telling her that she can find her Woodsman on a park bench in Centennial Park near the statue of Charles Dickens."
They told Woodsman to get dressed because they were going for a walk. He'd been worried that he'd disobeyed Kat but now things seemed to be back on track. That woman, who already knew everything, had told him that he could forget their conversation. And he certainly wouldn't mention her to Kat - goodness knows what she might do.
The walk was bizarre. First, they went to a pet store where his new mistress got him a collar and a leash.
He found the prospect of acting like Zaire's dog a huge turn-on. He had been commanded to act like an imbecile. A dog was a much better option. His imagination ran riot. And he looked so cute in his collar that Zaire wanted to take him home immediately. He was already excited at that prospect. Then they took him to the park where he got into character and they played chasings. He even tried 'woofing' a few times. After that Zaire attached his leash to the collar and tied it to the bench. She told him to be a good boy and wait there for them to come back. Under no circumstances was he to undo his leash. He was reluctant but she insisted and like a dog tied up outside a shop he sat down and waited obediently.
Zaire was upset for the rest of the day. Bianca called Claude again to say Zaire had also been under attack but that Margery was now otherwise engaged and he could escape. He rushed over and Zaire brightened up considerably.
***
Initially Margery's plan went like clockwork. After the meeting with the Bishop she followed them from above on her hover-bike. As expected, Claude dropped Zaire off and then went home. That was Woodsman's cue to come over and go into his act. She waited to ensure he'd got in and that Zaire was therefore occupied, then she flew to Claude's. All she needed was for him to see her and he'd have to let her in. After that, she would have all night, by which time she might have him back or at least prepared to come down to her apartment, where she could keep him away from Zaire for as long as it takes her to get full control, before letting him discover Woodsman in that sleazy tart's bed. But Claude didn't answer his door and pretended to be out. She knew he was in there so why was he being so evasive? She'd been very careful to ensure that he forgot that she could enchant him with her hypnotic gesture in which she pretended to be about to faint so that he would rush to catch her. Of course, it would be Claude who would lose consciousness.
After an hour waiting outside; messaging him; knocking; and even shouting she sat on the floor outside his door and eventually went to sleep. Towards morning she awoke and feeling very stiff, went down to her own apartment. Claude had to come out sometime. She would try again when she had the devastating news that Zaire had left him. She had some breakfast and got in the shower. When she got out and was wandering around her apartment naked, she felt a lot better. She'd caught her image in her mirror wall. She was a goddess, the product of good genes and some clever surgery. How could Claude resist her once Zaire was in the arms of another? She would send him a selfi-vidi right now to remind him and suggest that they meet. To her surprise her Message was rejected and Circe was unable to get through to his VPA. It was as if there was a communications nothingness around him. She went back down and hammered on his door. Then she had an idea, she would put another micro-camera in the lift foyer on his level and have Circe watch to see if he came out. There was something wrong with the one she had put their previously. It showed some of his visitors but never Claude. She went back down to her level and tried to relive some of her best recordings but her mind was elsewhere and she ended up watching MV and eventually falling asleep.
She was woken when a message came in from Zaire's VPA, Pip. The image of a handsome young man, rose from her screen, telling her that she could collect her 'puppy' from a seat in Centennial Park, near a statue of his creator Charles Dickens. He added that her great expectations has been in vain, as if this was some kind of joke. She missed the point as she often did with literary jokes. In any case this was not a laughing matter, Zaire had somehow, resisted Woodsman's infectious innocence, well-honed body and even better-honed erogeneity.
If she didn't think it was impossible, she could almost imagine Bianca's hand in this somewhere. She still had no idea that Bianca and Zaire are friends. Who would guess, it's such an unlikely friendship?