18. Consented
"Ok Keira," Kelly said into her phone. "I miss you. When all this has settled down we need to get together. Maybe another double-date? Anyways, I better go. Talk later. I love you!"
I could tell by her tone my girlfriend was half-teasing about the double-date part. Otherwise, I was actually amazed. That was the longest conversation I'd witnessed between the two of them that didn't include any arguing or any bets, challenges, or competitions.
As she put her phone down, I asked "So how's Keira doing? And how is Amy?"
Kelly sighed, "Her and Amy had a fight on Sunday, but they're patching things up. She agreed that neither of us won that stupid bet on Saturday, but she had to tell Amy she won to try and save face, to try and make it seem like the whole thing was worth it. And she told Amy that I dumped the old you and hooked up with the new you. She's not sure yet where Mom's going to make her move to, but she's worried about being lonely so she's trying to convince Amy that the two of them should move in together."
I frowned slightly. I didn't really know Keira that well, and I barely knew Amy at all, but I hoped they'd both be ok. "That double-date thing actually wouldn't be a bad idea. I mean, maybe your mom's right, separating you both might make you a little closer in the end?"
"Maybe," Kelly shrugged, though she sounded a little sad.
Ms. Connolly had left after the crisis with my mom was over and she'd delivered the news about her father's plans. Now it was about seven o'clock and I was getting hungry, but I didn't really feel like going out, and wasn't interested in cooking.
"Are you up for some Asian Fusion again? Or do you feel like something else?" I asked Kelly.
She thought it over the nodded, "Yeah, ok."
I logged into their site, but before I ordered I changed the name on the account. It meant seeing the old name for a few moments, but it didn't upset me so much this time. I'm not sure if it's because 'that me' felt so far away now, or if it's because I was getting more comfortable and settled into who I'd become.
After fixing that, I went with our regular order except I cut a half dozen sushi and dropped the spicy orange beef.
While we waited, I grabbed us two more vodka-lemonades from the fridge.
Kelly raised an eyebrow and teased, "A second drink, huh? You planning on getting drunk tonight?"
I blushed, but sighed "Honestly I'm still really stressed right now? Having my mom just walk in like that... She might have called the police or something, if I hadn't been able to convince her. Then having to tell her everything. Then your mom and her news, and learning that we could all be in danger because of me."
I sighed again and had a few gulps of my drink. "I don't really want to get drunk, but I really do need to unwind."
She put an arm around my shoulders, "I'm sorry babe. I know it's a lot. And I know all this is hard on you."
I leaned against her, and had another gulp of my drink. I was starting to feel the buzz now. I think the first one was a dud, because I'd sipped it so slowly while all that stress was still happening, with my mom and Ms. Connolly and everything.
Even with the growing buzz I was still uptight, and I couldn't get my mind off the stressful topics. I was starting to worry I'd end up pushing myself into another meltdown or something, when I got an idea. Though maybe the alcohol helped.
"Hey Kelly? I know you promised you wouldn't use that spell to stop me from freaking out. You said you'd only use it when I said it was ok, for fun. But what if I said it was ok to use it to make me not freak out? Like, if I said it was ok, and asked you to do that?"
I felt her muscles tense slightly, I knew I'd just made her uncomfortable by asking that. But I knew she could probably tell how stressed and uptight I was too. And she could probably tell it was getting worse, despite my second drink.
"I'm not sure, Tegan. That feels like it could be a mistake." She glanced at my drink and added, "And you're halfway through your second hard lemonade, I'm not sure you're really able to give consent when your judgement might be impaired."
I sighed and set the bottle down on the coffee table. "I'm not drunk. Not yet. That first one didn't do anything for me, I'm too stressed and I probably drank it too slow. And that was like an hour ago."
She still seemed reluctant, as she thought it over. Finally she asked, "What if we try first, without the spell?"
"What do you mean?" I frowned. "Try what, exactly?"
She kissed me on the cheek and replied, "Try and get the same result, but without actually triggering the spell."
I sighed, "I guess we can try. If it doesn't work though and I stay stressed, will you change your mind?"
"We'll see," she replied. "I won't rule it out, I'm just saying let's start small before we break out the magic."
My shoulders slumped slightly but I nodded "Ok."
Kelly kept her arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek again then whispered in my ear, "You remember how that spell affected you? It's activated when I use the right tone of voice. And like I said, when the spell isn't triggered, it's completely inactive."
I nodded quietly.
She continued whispering, "When it's active, the spell responds to the tone of my voice, and you respond to what I say. I can control how intensely the spell affects you by carefully controlling my tone. And by watching how you respond to what I say, I can choose my words so you're more or less receptive. It's a bit like a feedback loop, I suppose? I watch how you're affected, and adjust my voice and my words accordingly, to achieve the desired result."
My eyes widened slightly as I realized what she was saying. The spell wasn't all-or-nothing. That explained why it didn't make me melt to a puddle at the posh cafe, but then Saturday night she had me quivering after using it just once or twice.
I also remembered thinking at the time, how intoxicating it was knowing that she could make me feel that way just by talking to me. And right now, I knew she wasn't using it. She was whispering softly, there was nothing bossy or dommy at all in her voice. Her tone was caring, and her words weren't even all that sexy at the moment.
And yet my heart-rate had jumped slightly, and I was breathing faster. I felt a little flush in my cheeks as I realized I was getting turned on, just thinking about this stuff.
She continued, "On Saturday, I never did try and push the spell to its full potential. You still haven't felt what it can do at full strength."
My eyes widened a little more and I gulped. I thought back to Saturday again, and my heart rate got a little quicker as I wondered just how much stronger it might get if she pushed it all the way.
Kelly could obviously see what was happening. She was still holding me close, her lips by my ear.
She whispered, "I can tell you're already a little excited, Tegan. You know our dinner will be here soon... If I used the spell like you asked, think of the state you might be in. What if I asked you to answer the door in that state? Cheeks pink, breathing hard... Your nipples are already trying to poke through your bra and shirt. I bet you're getting wet right now just thinking about this. Why, if I triggered the spell, I could probably get you wet enough to soak right through your jeans."
By now my heart was racing and my cheeks were burning. I could already feel my nipples straining against my bra, but I glanced down anyways and sure enough they were visibly poking at the fabric of my shirt.
I shifted my legs slightly and pressed my thighs together. I could feel that warm wetness, and I started to become aware of the yearning sensation.
I hadn't had a chance to say anything but I didn't have to. Kelly could easily tell all this was going on from my body-language alone.
She held me even tighter and kissed my cheek, then whispered softly "You know Tegan... If I triggered the spell and used it just the right way, I could probably make you come just with the sound of my voice."
My breath caught for a moment and my heart skipped a beat. I bit my lower lip and took a few deep breaths, then finally whispered "I...you...what..?" I was too flustered to even form a sentence.
Kelly gave me another kiss, then smiled and said quietly, "There. I didn't need the spell at all, and I think I've managed to get you a little worked up?"
I took a few deep breaths to settle down slightly, and nodded "Uh, yeah... Wow. I didn't... I didn't think that'd work..."
She smiled, "Remember when I told you, even Keira noticed you were really passive as a guy? I think you've always had a submissive side. But same as being cute or being playful, you suppressed it. Society says guys can't be cute, shouldn't be playful, and isn't kind to submissive men. Now you're Tegan and you can allow yourself to be all those things. You can enjoy being cute and playful. And you can enjoy being submissive."
I bit my lower lip and nodded slowly. "Ok...Yeah."
She gave me another kiss and said, "So we may as well just get rid of that spell then."
"No!" My blush went from pink to bright red as soon as I said it. I gulped and whispered, "All that stuff you just said you could do with it... I still want to try that."
Kelly smiled, she had a kind but knowing look in her eyes, and replied softly "Good girl."
I knew she still hadn't triggered the spell, but those two words hit me almost as if she had. Maybe because I was already worked up, maybe because it reminded me again of Saturday night. There was a flutter in my stomach and between my legs, and it took another few moments to get my breath under control once more.
She let me settle down again, then said "We'll have dinner first, then afterwards we can play."
I gulped and nodded, "O-ok. Thank you."
When dinner arrived, Kelly got the door while I grabbed the plates and napkins. We ate quietly, but I was still flustered and honestly I was barely aware of the food. I was much more interested in what would be coming afterwards.
Kelly didn't let me rush, she made sure we had a relaxing meal and tidied up afterwards. The dishes cleaned and put away, left-overs were in the fridge.
We finished our hard lemonades and had some water. I knew she was being careful and making sure we both stayed hydrated and all that, but I was frustrated. I was positive she was dragging things out and making me wait on purpose, just to get me a little more eager.
And of course it worked. By the time she was finally ready to play, I was feeling stressed and jumpy again. It had nothing to do with my earlier worries though, and everything to do with her making me wait so long.
She finished the last of her water then looked at me with a teasing smile. "Now that you've eaten, and had some water, I think that's probably taken alcohol out of the equation. So I can trust your judgement now, to properly give consent. So Tegan, do you want me to use that spell again? And you want to try those things I mentioned, before dinner?"
I bit my lip and tried not to look too enthusiastic or excited. I nodded quietly, and whispered "Yes please."