Gift From A God Ch. 10

I've had to trim down the sex in this story as it was causing me most of my writers block. I'm betting that most of you agree with the people who have been pleading for this, that even without the hardcore sex you find the story readable. I hope you like it. If not, you're always welcome to tell me.

Thanks,

The Author

I got out of my car and squinted, trying to block out the sun's penetrating rays. The sunglasses I had on made little difference but I wouldn't dare take them off. Winter, summer, fall, it didn't matter; the sun in Arizona is always brutal. If it's not baking you like a thanksgiving turkey then it's burning the retinas out of your skull like a demented twelve year old with a magnifying glass who's just stumbled across an anthill.

I made my way up the manicured walkway, to the front door of Katie's house, and prepared to do some heavy-duty groveling. Yes, you read right: Groveling.

It had been about a week since I'd gotten back from the desert and I had spent the time doing damage control. There were the cops, for one.

"Are you," the uniformed cop looked down at his binder, "Stephen, apartment one forty-eight?"

"Yep, that's me," I said through the crack in the door. "Can I help you with something?"

"I'm Officer Capshaw, I'm looking into the act of vandalism that occurred here the other night. We're just going around getting statements from all the residents. Can I step inside, please?"

"No. What can I do for you?" It was early, I was tired, and not feeling at all polite.

He gave me an annoyed look and began his questioning. "Where have you been the last two weeks? And what can you tell me anything about what happened on the night of October twelfth at the swimming pool area?"

"I've been away on business," I told him, and then moved in to his mind. I figured it would be easier if I did my Jedi Mind Trick then trying to lie in the old fashioned way. "And it doesn't matter about the pool, I had nothing to do with it."

"No," he repeated after me, "Nothing at all. Have a nice day."

I shut the door and crawled back in bed. Easy-peasy, George and Weasy.

Then there was the situation with Brandon and Carlos. I'd almost forgotten about them. It seems that in all the excitement Angela and Tasha were still operating on the commands I had given them at Gameworks. They were basically love slaves to Carlos and Brandon's every whim. While that was all well and good for the guys, it was not what I had intended. I'm not in the business of creating slaves. I had to break it to them gently that both girls had to go back to their lives but as you can imagine, they weren't very happy. Even Carlos was upset. The one who had shown so much reluctance to take a girl in the first place.

"Brandon, all I promised you guys was a night of fun, you can't keep her."

"But...why? We're not hurting them," he complained. "Come on Steve, just a couple more days, please?"

"Yeah Steve, why not." Carlos pleaded.

"Look, I'm not going to sit here and try to explain to you why it's so wrong that you've got two sex slaves." Noticing the lack of females around them I asked, "Where are they, anyway?"

They both shared a look and mild embarrassment and glanced back at me.

"Guys?"

"They're back...in the bedroom. Sleeping. Hell, they need it after last night." Carlos tipped his head to the back of the apartment. "We sort of got them together."

I laughed. I couldn't help it, it was funny.

"Steve," Brandon said excitedly, "you should have seen them go at each other. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw. It was like a religious experience."

"Actually he could see it," Carlos said slyly. "We taped it that one night, remember."

"Oh yeah! That was awesome. We should sell that shit. Steve didn't you say that Pasquale guy you had a class with got a job doing a porno site out in Scottsdale? Do you think you could get a hold of him?"

I'd created monsters. So I had to take away their new toys. I softened the blow by getting them both jobs. Carlos at the Arizona Republic doing illustrations, and Brandon at a place called Imperial Litho, one of the largest printers in the world, located in downtown Phoenix. It eased the pain a bit. Angela and Tasha both went home, none the wiser, and that was settled too.

I decided as an after thought to tweak their memories so, while the guys would remember what happened, it wouldn't be directly attributed to me. I figured the less people who knew about what I could do the better. I had been a little too impulsive with telling them and now that I was having some trouble in the Devine department it was safer this way. And fewer things to worry about in the future as well.

From there I went and got my finances straightened out. I had a grand total of three accountants handling my funds (the real ones that had CPA attached to their names) and working in tandem with some investment bankers. I had a diversified portfolio, mutual funds, overseas investments, the works. If you had asked me I couldn't have told you what any of them meant or how they worked, I kept my hands off. I wasn't worried about any of it, that's what I paid them to do. I knew the money would keep coming in no matter what and my debit and credit cards would always work, so that's all I concerned myself with. They even paid the electric bill. I found it hilarious that I would shortly have more money then I could ever spend and I was still living in an apartment that cost a grand total of seven hundred a month, with a patio door that you had to fight to open.

It had also taken me few days to pull the strings I needed to get Katie's present. It was all still new back then and finding people with the right connections had taken a bit of time. I certainly didn't have to go through all the trouble I did, but flowers just seemed to ordinary. Besides, I felt bad. I wanted to get her something nice.

The door to Katie's house was locked, and there were no cars in the driveway but I knew she was home. I'd done a little scan of the place before heading over. It felt very Star Trek-y when I did stuff like that. I could almost hear Captain Picard (or Kirk if you're a classic ST fan) in my head ordering a sensor sweep.

"Mr. Data, send out a deep-space probe to sector alpha-gamma-Katie's house. Look for any signs of parental life. Make it so."

Yeah, so I'm a dork. Deal with it.

The door was locked, but if I can enslave minds, blow up pools and teleport around the world, I could handle a dead bolt. It slid back with a soft thunk and I was in.

I waited in the foyer for a few minutes, getting a feel for the place. Somewhere there was some cinnamon and clove potpourri sending off a very pleasing sent. Someone had eaten biscuits and gravy for breakfast and...they had dog. A little one by the smell of it. Big dogs have a heavier odor. I didn't sense the animal in the house so it was either outside or out with one of the parents. Katie was the only one I was concerned with, anyway. I could hear her upstairs in her room. She was lying on her bed studying, and I could hear her heartbeat thumping rhythmically in her chest, even over the Dave Mathews that was coming from her stereo. Her lavender presence ran all through the house and it was very arousing. I could also smell her mother, she liked Calvin Kline, and her dad apparently went with Polo. It was heavy and musky though. He smelled like a saddlebag.

I knew the layout of the house before I got there. The floor I was standing on, a smooth, lightly colored stone tile, extended out about fifteen feet until it met the back of the couch that was recessed in the floor in what was the formal living room. The stone made a graceful curve and at either end where three carpeted steps let you down in to that level. It faced a very nice entertainment center, all built in to the wall with shelves on either side filled with pictures, some plants and nick-knacks. The shelves ran up about fourteen feet to the bottom of some rectangular windows before you got to the vaulted ceiling. Large, exposed beams, about the size of railroad ties crossed the ceiling and disappeared into the wall over my head.

Just out of site of that and to my left was the kitchen. It was all open, with a large marble topped island in the center that had it's own sink and cooking range, it's larger twin occupying the counter top against the wall. It was very modern and elegant. Katie's father was a contractor, incase you were wondering. Apparently he was doing very well for himself. Which, considering that the housing market in the outlying areas was booming, was no big surprise.

If I stepped out of the foyer and went right I would have found myself walking down a small hallway that led to the master bedroom and an office. To my left, before the kitchen, was a stairway that went to the second floor where there were three bedrooms, the one at the very end and to the left was Katie's. My destination.

I walked quietly up the steps, the packet carrying my gift tucked under my arm, and thought about how I would approach her. I'd hurt her feelings and I resolved not to use any powers on her. If I couldn't win her back on my own then I didn't deserve her.

Which brings us back to the beginning. You're probably wondering why I would bother to try and suck-up. I've got the powers of a god and I'm groveling? I'll explain. We've all heard of the paradigm that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I'm sure it's crossed your mind, dear reader, more then once as you follow my tale. You're waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it were. Here's how I feel it relates to me: It would be so easy to give in and do whatever I wanted. Everyday is a constant struggle between my id, ego and superego. Every time I think about it though, every time I feel like going nuts and taking over the world (something a lot easier to do then you might think) I hear Amber's tortured screams in the back of my head, reminding me of the dangers of going down that road. So I do my best to keep myself acting decent. Well okay, maybe not decent by the traditional sense of the word, but...decent enough. Which is why I wouldn't just go in and take Katie anyway I wanted her. And it's also why I didn't just take Kristel when I had the opportunity.

I approached her door and heard the soft sound of Dave Mathews drifting out. I knocked lightly and waited.

"Yeah, come on in," she said from the other side. I pushed the latch down and the door opened slowly. I could see Katie, she was lying on her stomach in bed, facing the other way, going over her homework. Her ass was covered in some little red cotton shorts with the word 'Sexy' in big yellow letters across the back and she was wearing a plain white t-shirt with little sleeves. The shorts themselves were particularly distracting, stretched over her butt as they were. Sexy indeed. She didn't look up as I came in.

"Hey."

She turned her head quickly at hearing a somewhat unfamiliar voice in her room and it sent her beautiful red hair spinning about in a wide arc. I stayed in the open doorway, waiting to be invited in further. You may have noticed that about Kritsel's room as well. I've always felt that a person's bedroom, and especially their bed, are very private spaces. I never go in without getting permission first.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, annoyed, but underneath it, still glad to see me. She turned around and sat up and I heard her telling herself that she was very pissed at me.

"I come to beg forgiveness," I said. "If you'll have me after I behaved so badly. I know I screwed up and I'm sorry I didn't call you, but I had a bit of an emergency and I had to go out of town for awhile."

"What kind of emergency?" Her clover green eyes narrowed as she sat cross-legged and folded her arms over her ample chest, waiting for me to explain myself. I actually took that as a positive sign. She wasn't ordering me out.

"It's a long story and I can't really go in to it, but I promise there was no way to get in touch with you while I was gone. I don't really pick up women casually, and never had any intention of skipping out like that. I was kind of hoping you would give me a second chance? I got you a present." I told her, and gave the folder a little wiggle.

Katie bit her lip and thought it over. She wanted to make me sweat it out, but she was also very glad that I was here. Our night together had taken on a very magical quality to her. She'd been swept off her feet and then I just disappeared. It left her feeling very hurt and confused and embarrassed.

"I think," Katie said slowly, "That it depends on what my present is. It better be good, that's all I'm saying."

"Oh, I think you'll like it," I said, stretching my arm out and handing her the folder. She reached out and took it and gave me a dubious look.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see." I couldn't help but smile. "Just my humble attempts to show how sorry I am."

One thing I had picked up from Katie in our time together was her hope to study at Oxford after she graduated. It'd been her dream ever since she was twelve years old and saw an old Rob Lowe movie called Oxford Blues. I've seen the movie, and while it's okay, I don't know why it inspired her so much, but it did. And this was no idle schoolgirl fantasy. She worked her ass off. Despite her best efforts however, she just couldn't crack the top five percent of her class. Corona Del Sol was a large school and very competitive. Without any possibility of a scholarship she'd never be able to go. Her parents did well, but not that well. A good school in the States they could swing, but not tuition for Oxford. She understood this and it broke her heart, but it didn't stop her from trying. So, like I said, I pulled some strings.

She settled in and opened the folder, pulling out the acceptance letter that was on top. I saw her lips moving as she read it, and about ten seconds in, her hand began to shake. She looked up at me after finishing it and she was angry.

"This isn't funny, Stephen. In fact," she said, with tears beginning to drip from her eyes, "this is the meanest thing anyone has ever done to me. I don't know how you knew about Oxford but to make this up...To act like I got in-"

"No no no, Katie," I said in a rush, "It's real. One hundred percent. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line and you're going to Oxford, babe. I wouldn't lie about something like this."

Her watery eyes met mine and she was trembling. She couldn't believe the truth, even though it was staring up at her from Oxford letterhead. "Really? I really get to go? You promise?"

"I promise sweetheart, a full ride. Assuming your parents will let you. But, just between you and me, I bet I could convince them to let you go if they say no." I winked at her. "I hope you have a passport."

Katie let out a scream/sob/laugh and threw herself at me. It carried us both over to the floor where I barely missed cracking my head on the corner of her dresser. We landed with a thud, me taking most of the force, and she was peppering my face with kisses and tear drops.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Gravity pulled her warm and supple body tight against mine and that sensuous smell of lavender came with her. I don't know if that was her natural smell or if it was some kind of lotion but I didn't really care. It fit her and to this day I can't smell it without thinking of her.

"Mm...Babe, Katie," I tried to say through her kisses, "Calm down. Hey, that tickles."

"How did you get me in?" she asked after she finished her tender assault on my face. She was straddling my waist with her hands on either side of me and leaning in just above me with her long curls of hair draping down.

"Come here and I'll tell you," I told her, and motioned her closer to me. She bent her arms and leaned down till her cheek slid along mine and I felt her breath on my ear. "Magic," I whispered to her, and then dug my fingers into her sides, tickling her and sending squealing off of me in a fit of laughter.

Magic didn't have much to do with it, either. I knew some people that knew some people. Several of Phoenix's richest people, (CEO's mostly, of all the companies that were paying me), were now in my back pocket. If one didn't have the connection I wanted, then I called another one. It was a simple once you got down to it.

All those super rich people tend to know one another, or if not, they're only separated by a degree or two. It didn't take long to find one who knew someone who knew someone who was a friend of some Pro-Chancellor on the board at Oxford. A little 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' and I had a nice, pretty enrollment package from the FedEx man three days later.

"I want to say thank you, but that doesn't even seem big enough," Katie said after I'd stopped tickling her and she joined me lying on the floor, breathing heavily. The weight of her head rested pleasantly on my chest and I pulled my fingers idly through her hair.

"It's a gift, sweetheart. But if you say you'll come out with me tonight, we'll call it even, how's that?"

She sat up and kissed me and brought her leg up and began to rub over my thigh. I slipped my hand up the back of her shirt and stroked her back as her hand began to travel slowly down my shirt to where it was tucked into my pants. She pressed her chest into me and I started to move my hand down to her ass.

"Ahem!"

Katie jerked up and looked in the direction of her door.

"Mom! Hey. Hi. Umm...this is Steve, I told you about him, remember."

"Hi Mrs. Ashford." I gave a little wave from the floor. I was so rapped up in Katie I didn't hear her mother come in.

Katie's mom gave me a tight smile that never reached her eyes. "Hello. Could you excuse us for a minute please, Stephen? I need to have a little talk with my daughter."

"Yeah, sure." I said somewhat sheepishly. I disentangled myself from Katie, who picked herself up and stood with her hands in front of her and her head down just a bit.

*I'll be downstairs, I'll know if you need me so just ask and I can do at little bit of my magic on your mom.*

"Okay," she said out loud, then cringed. Her mother just sort of scowled, not really comprehending and I winked at her again.

"Oh and don't forget to tell her about your present."

"What present?" Her mother asked.

Katie and I raced down the 101 from Chandler headed towards Scottsdale where I was meeting Kristel at a club called Martini Ranch.

It had taken a little longer then I had anticipated at Katie's house. Her mother showing up was a bit unexpected and Katie had declined my offer for help at first until it looked like her mom might not let her go to Oxford, especially without her father there to make a decision. I could understand her mother's trepidation about accepting such an extravagant gift, especially when I told her it wouldn't cost her a thing, but I didn't go through all that trouble to have it turned down.

Katie hadn't stopped smiling since we left the house. It was infectious and after awhile I was grinning too. Of course I had more on my mind then Oxford. Visions of the two ladies in my life rolling around together had been torturing me for days.

"When do you think I can leave for Oxford? Do you think I'll live in a dorm or could I get my own place? They call them flats or something, don't they? Man, that would be so cool to have my own flat in London. Either way it will be great. Where are we going?

She was bubbling over and could hardly sit still. I can't say I blamed her, her childhood wish had just been fulfilled, I'd be excited too.

"You remember Kristel, you talked to her on the phone a couple of times while I was gone?"