Podcast appearances and mentions of Katie Couric

This week on From the Front Porch, it's another episode From the Archives! In this series, we're sharing some of our favorite past episodes of the show while Annie is on maternity leave. Enjoy today's episode from 2022 all about audiobooks with beloved guest and Annie's husband, Jordan Jones, just in time for road trip season. To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 538) or download and shop on The Bookshelf's official app: Annie's picks: Anna K by Jenny Lee, narrated by Jenna Ushkowitz (Libro.fm link) Falling by TJ Newman, narrated by Steven Weber (Libro.fm link) Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, narrated by Kristen Sieh (Libro.fm link) Going There by Katie Couric, narrated by Katie Couric (Libro.fm link) How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz, narrated by Kimberly Wetherell and Rossmery Almonte (Libro.fm link) Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett, narrated by Katie Schorr (Libro.fm link) River of the Gods by Candice Millard, narrated by Paul Michael (Libro.fm link) Taste by Stanley Tucci, narrated by Stanley Tucci (Libro.fm link) Upgrade by Blake Crouch, narrated by Henry Leyva (Libro.fm link) The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson, narrated by Casey Wilson (Libro.fm link) You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, narrated by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar (Libro.fm link) Jordan's picks: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, narrated by a full cast (Libro.fm link) The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien, narrated by Rob Inglis (Libro.fm link) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, narrated by a full cast (Libro.fm link) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, narrated by Jeff Woodman (Libro.fm link) Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough, narrated by a full cast (Libro.fm link) Defending Jacob by William Landay, narrated by Grover Gardner (Libro.fm link) When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, with multiple narrators (Libro.fm link) Furious Hours by Casey Cep, narrated by Hillary Huber (Libro.fm link) Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, narrated by Daniel Nayeri (Libro.fm link) Death Is But a Dream by Christopher Kerr, narrated by Fred Sanders (Libro.fm link) The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe, narrated by Tom Parks (Libro.fm link) From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is listening to The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner, narrated by Dakota Fanning (Libro.fm link). If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Have you ever told yourself you're "fine" when deep down you felt like you were disappearing? Like your life force was gone and you were just going through the motions? This conversation is for you. In this episode, I talk with bestselling author, speaker, and teacher, Jen Pastiloff. She is also the author of the brand new book, Proof of Life, which is about owning your worthiness and giving yourself permission to live.Today, we dive into the messy, beautiful process of waking up to your truth, reclaiming your voice, and finally choosing a life that feels fully yours. From divorce, to sobriety, to rediscovering her creativity, Jen shares the real story behind what it takes to stop pretending and start truly living.From our chat, you'll learn:-How to recognize when you're stuck in survival mode-What your body might be telling you when you're abandoning yourself-The powerful connection between shame, people-pleasing, and self-worth-How to stop waiting for permission and take up space and live-Ways to use creativity as a tool for healing and reconnectionIf you've been numbing, hiding, or quietly shrinking to fit a life that doesn't fit you, this episode is your permission to begin again.Jennifer Pastiloff trots the globe as a public speaker and to host her retreats to Italy, as well as her one-of-a-kind workshops, which she has taught to thousands of people all over the world. The author of the popular Substack, also called Proof of Life, she teaches writing and creativity classes called Allow, and workshops called Shame Loss, when she isn't painting and selling her art. She has been featured on Good Morning America, and Katie Couric, and in New York magazine, People, Shape, Health magazine, and other media outlets for her authenticity and unique voice. She is deaf, reads lips, and mishears almost everything, but what she hears is usually funnier (at least she thinks so). The author of the national bestseller On Being Human, Pastiloff lives in Southern California with her son, Charlie Mel.

Advice for young writers and communicators: “Care about storytelling, care about voice, care about the opinions that you are honing and developing as a person in the world.”In this episode, Womenheard: Changemakers host Georgia Galanoudis speaks with Lucy Kaylin, 2025 Matrix Honoree and Editorial Director at the world's largest lifestyle publisher, Hearst Magazines. Prior, Lucy served as executive editor at Marie Claire and deputy editor at O, The Oprah Magazine before becoming editor-in-chief. During her seven years at the helm, the magazine boasted one of the largest monthly magazine circulations and was named Advertising Age's Magazine of the Year. Listen to this episode for behind-the-scenes info on her collaboration for Katie Couric's memoir and how Lucy puts storytelling's impact at the intersection of everything she does. 

Send us a textThe Epic List You've Been Waiting For: What Women Physicians Are DONE Caring AboutWelcome back to the revolution, my friends. This is Part 2 of our "We Do Not Care Club" series, and today we're sharing the crowdsourced, unfiltered, absolutely brilliant list of things that women physicians are officially done caring about.But first, let's give proper credit where it's due:This entire movement exists because of Melani Sanders (@justbeingmelani) - an African-American content creator who courageously started sharing her perimenopause experience from a Whole Foods parking lot. She felt like a hot mess and decided she wasn't going to care about it anymore. That single moment of authenticity has created a viral movement with over a million followers and has been featured in the New York Times and on Katie Couric's platform.Melani gave women permission to speak up about experiences we've been silent about for far too long. This is her movement, and we're honored to be part of it.Why This Matters for Women PhysiciansWe are a special group. We care for others professionally, but we're also women navigating our own health transitions in a system that expects us to be superhuman. We've been socialized to:Care that our appearance is 100% professionalNever show emotions (while somehow conveying empathy)Be team players who give 110% but never be "too loud"Micromanage our appearance more than our male colleaguesPut everyone else first, alwaysThe result? We're exhausted from caring about the wrong things.The Epic List: What We Do NOT Care About AnymoreNote: This list came directly from women physicians who responded to my call. It's unorganized on purpose - because perimenopause isn't organized, and we're giving ourselves permission to say "this is good enough."The Medical System BS We're Done With:Online wellness modules (seriously, stop)C-suite leadership telling us to be more "resilient" (we hate that word)Insurance formularies and their secrecyEfficiency training and metrics (we're just trying to get through the day)Corporate medicine profitabilityAcademic titles earned by sacrificing mental healthExecutives losing money because we did the right thing for patientsPatient Nonsense We're Over:"What you saw on TikTok" (vinegar isn't going to help here)How happy people look in drug commercials (you don't have rheumatoid arthritis)The internet telling you that you have ADHD (it's probably perimenopause)How "explosive" your diarrhea was (that doesn't help me help you)College roommate's third cousin's reaction to sertraline (it's still a good choice)Kardashians getting full-body MRIsLife Stuff We're Liberated From:Wearing bras (special shoutout to the contributor who said "I only have one nipple after canc Support the showTo learn more about my coaching practice and group offerings, head over to www.healthierforgood.com. I help Physicians and Allied Health Professional women to let go of toxic perfectionist and people-pleasing habits that leave them frustrated and exhausted. If you are ready to learn skills that help you set boundaries and prioritize yourself, without becoming a cynical a-hole, come work with me.Want to contact me directly?Email: megan@healthierforgood.comFollow me on Instagram!@MeganMeloMD

“With brilliant, razor-sharp writing and deep reporting of the case, he proves to be the perfect narrator as we witness two lives on an inevitable collision course.” That's what  award winning journalist, Katie Couric, said describing the book ‘Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story and the author, Rich Cohen. We spoke with Cohen about his book and why it's a unique take on the high-profile case.   IMAGE CREDIT: Rich Cohen / https://www.authorrichcohen.com/

Jennifer Pastiloff joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about getting out of our own way, practicing curiosity, feeling like we have a right to tell our stories and be creative, finding a way into our work, the yes and, tapping into other art forms, not throwing people under the bus, harnessing the mental space to write, accepting change as a necessary part of living, when “fine” is not fine, putting ourselves out there, sharing deeply, refusing to hide in shame, leaving her marriage, and her new book Proof of Life. Also in this episode:  -genre schmenre -getting past the inner a*shole -when change feels like it will equal death Books mentioned in this episode: The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch Reading the Waves by  Lidia Yuknavitch From Under the Truck: A Memoir by Josh Brolin Everyone at This Party Has Two Names by Brad Aaron Modlin Stolen focus by Johann Hari Fired Up by Anna Durand The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin   Jennifer Pastiloff trots the globe as a public speaker and to host her retreats to Italy, as well as her one-of-a-kind workshops, which she has taught to thousands of people all over the world. The author of the popular Substack, also called Proof of Life, she teaches writing and creativity classes called Allow, and workshops called Shame Loss, when she isn't painting and selling her art. She has been featured on Good Morning America, and Katie Couric, and in New York magazine, People, Shape, Health magazine, and other media outlets for her authenticity and unique voice. She is deaf, reads lips, and mishears almost everything, but what she hears is usually funnier (at least she thinks so). The author of the national bestseller On Being Human, Pastiloff lives in Southern California with her son, Charlie Mel. Connect with Jen: Website: JenniferPastiloff.com Substack: https://proofoflifewithjen.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenpastiloff – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Tell your smart speaker to "Play One Oh Three One Austin."

In a world flooded with information about women’s health - from TikTok trends to wellness influencers - separating fact from fiction has never been more challenging. This candid conversation between Katie Couric and gynecologist Dr. Karen Tang tackles the most persistent myths and misinformation surrounding women's health, with special focus on menstruation and incontinence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could Vanzan be the key to unlock potential criminal dealings lead by Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds? Let's discuss the shell company at the heart of her lawsuit with Justin Baldoni. Stars like Charlize Theron, Olivia Munn, and Katie Couric drag Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez over $50M wedding.    Get your tour tickets to see No Filter with Zack Peter LIVE: https://www.x1entertainment.com/zackpeter     Shop New Merch now: https://merchlabs.com/collections/zack-peter?srsltid=AfmBOoqqnV3kfsOYPubFFxCQdpCuGjVgssGIXZRXHcLPH9t4GjiKoaio   Book a personalized message on Cameo: https://v.cameo.com/e/QxWQhpd1TIb   Listen to The Pop Report: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-report/id1746150111   Watch Disaster Daters: https://open.spotify.com/show/3L4GLnKwz9Uy5dT8Ey1VPi   Join the Zack Pack Community to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3Zs51YaK-xw2U5ypi5eqg/join   Couldn't get enough? Follow @justplainzack or @nofilterwithzack

From Katie Couric’s viral jab at Lauren Sánchez’s over-the-top wedding gown (“Tacky is back!”), to Prince Harry’s raw defense of Meghan Markle as “the most trolled person in the world,” and legal experts warning that Sean “Diddy” Combs “might be cooked” as a jury prepares to deliberate—this week, the spotlight doesn’t just burn, it scorches.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Airdate: 6.30.25) We're diving headfirst into celebrity drama with a side of sequins and surprise cameos. First up, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's $50 million wedding in Venice wraps up with fireworks, a star-studded guest list, and just a few protest banners. But the real heat? Katie Couric throwing major shade at Lauren's lacey Dolce & Gabbana gown—calling it “tacky” and a flashback to the 1980s. Couric may not have gotten an invite, but she definitely RSVP'd to the comment section. And in much less controversial fashion news: John Travolta shocks a packed Hollywood Bowl by popping up at a Grease sing-along dressed as Danny Zuko himself. The audience went wild, Travolta said his iconic “I thought you were going back to Australia!” line. And @HalleBerry Listen to the daily Van Camp and Morgan radio show at: https://vancampandmorgan.com/stations buy us a coffee    

TRENDING - Jeff Bezos wedding recap, couple holds one-year birthday party for broken street light, reporters cheer as Trump extends press conference, Florida GOP launches Alligator Alcatraz merch store, assassinated Democrat Rep. Melissa Hortman lies in state in Minnesota Capitol along with her husband and dog, Diddy jury to begin deliberations today.

Over the last few years, Bob Chapman has been honored to present the message of Truly Human Leadership to more and more audiences. Whether to a group of manufacturing executives, city government leaders, business students, human resources professionals, and countless others, the goal remains the same. Bob wants people to understand that the way we lead impacts the way people live. Bob has long been inspired by the work of The Aspen Institute and their contribution to the conversation around leadership in the world. So, it was an honor when he was invited to speak at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival alongside a diverse slate of names, such as New York Times columnist David Brooks, Sen. Cory Booker, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost, Katie Couric, Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Pulitzer-Prize winner Thomas Friedman, Political Writer Bill Kristol, and Author Susan Orlean. “The Privilege of Leadership” was the theme of his talk, where he was able to tell the stories of our learnings and journey at Barry-Wehmiller to this esteemed audience. It is our hope that our message took root in many of the discussions that occurred and will continue to resonate afterward, causing action and change in more and more organizations. On this podcast we share an edited version of Bob's presentation. 

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 19 Jade makes her request of Andy. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 33 Andy sort of cocked his head to one side, as Emily started to break down the camera and the microphones. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you mean by that, Jade," he said with a soft chuckle. "What does 'something else in mind' mean here?" Jade blushed a little, looking away for just a moment before turning back to look at him. "I've, I've been giving it a lot of thought, Andy," she said, pausing a bit in between the words, as if she was making sure she didn't chicken out of saying any of this. "And I've been talking with Lauren some, and she's been an utter sweetheart about all of this, and she's made me realize something,” "Stop," Andy said. "Before you go any further, I want you to make sure whatever it is you're about to ask for, it's what you want. Not what Lauren wants, or what someone else suggested. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and I don't want you to regret any aspect of it." "Oh. Oh! Oh, no! I wasn't,” she said, giggling a bit. "I wasn't going to suggest I wanted this to be my first time! No no no, not at all, Andy! Gosh! But, you remember I told you I wanted to record a video to send to my father, to show him that he couldn't control me any more, right?" "Oh," he said, understanding where this was going. "Sure, and you've changed your mind and don't want to do that any more, no I get that." "No!" Jade said, shaking her head quite determined. "I still super want to do that, but I realized, uh, I'm going to go a bit, no, a lot further than I think you're expecting me to. And I don't want it to come as any great shock to you when I do." Andy got a strange smile on his face, arching an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I'm glad you're telling me in advance, because it might've come as a surprise to me, but let's be real here, do you think you're going to go further than anyone in this house has?" Jade's eyes widened a little bit, then nodded with a little impish smile. "Kinda? I mean, I'm not going to do anything you haven't seen before, but I'm certainly gonna say some stuff that might shock you a bit." "Like...?" The blonde woman sighed a little bit, folding her arms over her ample chest. "So, in talking with Lauren a lot today, I realize that I've been so darn shy with boys because of my dad, because of all the stupid bull honk he told me over the years, because of all the expectations he put on me, and I need,” She looked away again, trying to find the words she wanted to say before looking back at him with those gorgeous green eyes of hers. "I need to make as much of a break from him as I can. I need to make him want to disown me, to get me out of his life, so he can't try and control me any more, can't try and control you because I'm with you." "This is starting to sound serious," he said, as Emily tucked the camera into the bag, pushing it to one side. "You don't need to do any editing with the footage from Tala?" The tiny Brit shook her head. "Framed it clean and only recorded what we needed, so no need to do any post work," she said. "Besides, I need to be here to help support Jade. What she's going to ask of you is, very brave." "Very brave?" Andy said, looking at Emily before looking back at Jade. "What are you going to ask of me?" "I'm going to,” she said, stopping then starting again. "I'm going to ask you to be okay with whatever I say during the whole imprinting process, to not interrupt me, to let me get all of this out onto film, that I'm going to send to my dad, so that he knows I don't want him in my life, I don't need him in my life, and that he's not welcome in my life." "He's still your father. Are you sure you want to kick him out for good?" Jade sighed a little bit, sitting down on the bed next to him. "That's just it, Andy. You don't know him like I do. You don't know what I've been through growing up. How much he stressed that I had to be a prim and proper lady. Proper forks, curtsying to the right depth, never speak at a party unless spoken to first. That I couldn't have any fun because fun reflected poorly on the family's legacy. He scared off every boy I tried dating in high school and even well into college. He tried to keep me in some protective bubble, where I would be reliant on him for everything, so that I would do whatever he wanted me to. Did I tell you yet that he wanted me to have an arranged marriage?" "What? No! Really? In this day and age?" "It gets worse," Emily said, taking the camera bag to the door of the bedroom, handing it off to Nicolette, who was standing there. "Take that downstairs and when Katie Couric's crew comes to pick it up, hand it off to them with our thanks." "Yes ma'am," Nicolette said, taking the bag from her before heading down the hallway. Emily closed the door after she went, leaving Andy in the room with four conscious women,  Jade, Emily, Sheridan and Lauren,  and three unconscious women,  Tala, Fiona and Moira. "Tell him who the person he wanted you to marry was, Jade," Emily said, annoyance plain on her face. "He won't believe it." "It won't mean anything to him," Jade said, "but okay. My father wanted me to get married to Benjamin Watkins. He's  " "I know who the fuck he is, Jade." Suddenly, Andy was furious on Jade's behalf. "You've got to be fucking shitting me," he said angrily. "He's almost a decade younger than you, he's an asshole and he's a selfish little prick. How could your father possibly think that would be a good idea?" "Wait, how do you even know who Benjamin is?" Jade said, looking at her hands nervously. Andy gave Jade the short version of the poker story, explaining how he had originally gone to protect some of Niko's friends, but had ended up winning even more people, and the last one, Deborah, had been claimed by Benny before she could be brought over to Andy, which was why Hannah had joined the family instead. Benny's awful behavior on his doorstep had left Andy with a very bitter impression of the boy too stupid to be called a young man. "I mean," Andy said, "I can't imagine Nathaniel, Benny's father, even going along with that. Had your dad talked about it with him?" "I think he wanted to convince me to go along with it first before talking with the Watkins family," she grumbled. "But I never agreed to it, because I wasn't going to let my father tell me who I could or couldn't love, the jerk. And a couple of years ago, he stopped talking about that entirely, and I think I finally figured out why." "So what do you need from me with all of this, Jade?" he said to her. She smiled warmly at him. "See, that right there is how I know I made the right dang choice, Andy," she said. "You're always just asking how you can help, what you can do to make other people happy first. It's never about what you want or need." "I'm surrounded by a large number of beautiful women all competing for my time and affection," he said with a laugh. "If I ever start complaining about that, people should start punching me in the kidneys." "But yer still doin' a bangup job of makin' sure such a diverse buncha Sheilas get along with one another, Andy," Lauren said to him. "It's the least I can do." "Anyway," Jade said, "what I need is for you to be okay with whatever I'm going to say in this video we're going to make. It's, it's not going to be what you expect from me, and honestly, it might be pushing your boundaries a little bit, but I need you to know that I'm okay with it, and just because it's stuff I'm saying in the video doesn't mean it's anything we have to actually do if you don't want to." He reached over and brushed a hand across Jade's face tenderly. "I mean, I only have a couple of complete hard passes in my repertoire, but nobody's come up against any of those yet." "Anything I should know about?" "You don't want to peg, pee or poop on me, do you?" Jade giggled intensely, shaking her head. "God no." "Then it's probably fine." "We'll see if you say that after you're done imprinting me," she grinned. "You won't hear anything I say right after I'm done imprinting you," he chuckled "How long does that last, anyway?" Jade asked. "Well, I expect Whitney woke up a couple of hours ago, and Tala will wake up tomorrow midday. Fi and Moira got it this morning, so technically they should wake up in the middle of the night, but because it'll be dark outside, they may just keep on sleeping until morning. You'll be out a little longer than Tala will. It'll screw up your sleep schedule for a few days, but before you know it, it'll be back to normal." "I think we're pretty far from normal, Andy," Jade said with a nervous laugh. "You know what I mean." "Sure sure, I know what you mean." Behind her, Sheridan and Lauren helped moved Tala up, laying her down next to Moira and Fiona's sleeping bodies. "Do you want us to leave her here tonight, Andy, or put her in her own bed?" Sheridan asked him, as they made sure that the three women were close to each other without overlapping too much. Women in the imprinting process made almost no movements when they were out, so it was important to position them so they didn't have muscle cramps when they awoke. "She said wanted to wake up in the main bed for her first morning after imprinting, so she can just stay here," he said. "Jade? What about you?" "I'd like to do the same, if that's okay." "Of course it's okay," he said, leaning in to give her a sweet kiss, his fingertips brushing against her face once more. "I'm trying to get you to relax." "I know. I know I know, and I appreciate it," she said with a shy smile. "You're so gosh darn sweet. But you don't know how far I'm about to go down a path of depravity." "You don't have “ " "Andy," she said, resolve strong in her voice. "I do have to do this, so just let me do it, okay?" "Sure, okay." "Should we, are you ready to get started?" she said, looking up at him. "Are you sure you don't want me to go hop through a shower first? I'm still kinda sticky from my time spent with Tala." "No no, that'll make this all the better," she said, moving to stand up. For her interview outfit, she'd chosen a long skirt that hung down past her knees, but wasn't quite long enough to be considered a dress, and a red silk blouse that hung loosely over her ample bosom. "Emily, are you ready to start filming?" "You're sure you want me to capture everything, Jade?" Emily said. "I know we talked about this, but, everything? Nudity and everything? To your father?" Jade nodded, her gaze resolved. "I need to do this, Em, so just film it all." Emily shrugged a little, grabbing Jade's phone from the nightstand next to the bed. "If you say so, love." "Andy, could you stand up?" Jade said, as Emily moved over towards Jade, getting ready to capture what was about to happen on the iPhone. He nodded, sliding up and off the bed, moving to stand, glad that someone had turned on the heat in the house earlier in the day so he wasn't cold, standing nude in the middle of his insanely large bedroom. "Don't say much during this, okay, Andy?" Jade asked him, imploringly. "I mean, if I ask you a direct question, and it doesn't feel rhetorical, maybe answer, but err on the side of not saying anything. I need this to be all about me rather than you, no matter how much I'm going to talk about you during all of this." "Okay, I'll try and be quiet as much as I can then." "Great. Super. Thank you. Oh, if you hear me calling myself Button, it was his nickname for me growing up. So that's where that comes from. Anyway, let's get to it. Em?" she said, looking over to Emily, who was framing all of Jade in the shot on the phone. "Aaaaand, action!" Emily said, just before she hit the record button. Jade offered a brief, almost reticent smile, and it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Hi Daddy. Button here and this is going to be the last time I reach out to you." She started slowly unbuttoning her blouse, letting it fall open, to reveal an ornate black lacy bra on beneath. "I know you wanted me to move back home until the whole plague passed, but that's not going to happen. I'm done living by your rules, not just regarding this, but everything." Andy actually felt a little bit nervous, not about being seen naked on camera, but for what Jade was going to say. She'd been purposefully vague with him, but he trusted her that she was only doing whatever she thought was necessary. "You always wanted to keep your little Button under your thumb, didn't you Daddy?" she said, sliding the blouse entirely off, tossing it aside. "But a couple of years ago, around the five year anniversary of Mom's passing, the things you said to me changed and started getting creepy. You kept talking about how much I reminded you of Mom when she was my age, how much you missed her and how your needs weren't being met." Oh, Andy thought to himself. OH. Oh shit. "I tried to tell myself that you didn't mean it, that you didn't realize what you were saying, or how inappropriate it was to be talking about your own daughter that way, but the more I told myself that, the more you seemed to be doing it." She unhooked the waist of her skirt and then let it drop to her ankles, stepping out of it before kicking off her boots, leaving her in the black bra and a matching set of black panties. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized you weren't looking at me thinking about Mom. You were looking at me thinking I could replace Mom, and that's fucking creepy, Dad." She was fit, more fit than Andy had realized when she'd shown up in the cheerleader outfit yesterday, and her body was as toned and lithe as Sheridan's was, although maybe a little more muscular. She was an athlete, more like Piper, and she took great pride in showing her body to Andy, it seemed, or maybe showing off to her father, lashing out at him for his actions. "You wanted me to move back into the mansion so you could get me imprinted to you, didn't you, you sick fuck? You wanted your own daughter bound to you by science, reliant on your cum to keep her alive? Do you know how disgusting that is? How much it horrifies me?" She unclasped her bra behind her back and pulled it forward and off, tossing it aside, exposing her tits to both Andy and the camera, large proud swells that were just the perfect size for her body, as tanned as the rest of her, although her nipples were a bright rosy pink. "But you've lusted after your own daughter, haven't you, you sicko? You thought your wealth would let you get away with the ultimate betrayal, to have a perversion that you should have never even thought about," she growled. Andy understood now why she'd been so angry when she'd talked to him earlier in the day. Jade had clearly been thinking about her father's actions in light of what she knew about the process now, and had put two and two together to get a pretty unpleasant four. And now she was making sure her father understood that he was dead to her. "It bothers you, doesn't it, Daddy, hearing your precious little Button talking like some dirty whore? Swearing so fucking casually when you tried to drill it into her head that she should always be ladylike? Never act like some kind of cheap slut, never let a boy see or touch her special places." Jade's face was one of rage now, as she grabbed her panties and shoved them down, stepping out of them, leaving her fully exposed. She had a large triangle shaped blonde bush, neatly trimmed but still of a decent size. She also had no tanlines of any kind, making it clear she tanned in the buff, her whole skin that golden shade, the perfect California girl. "I hope seeing this video gives you a fucking heart attack, you asshole, because you're going to witness me guaranteeing that you can never fucking have me," she said, her hands on her hips, not making any effort to hide or conceal any of her gorgeous body. Andy hoped that the video did the trick, but if his time in New Eden had taught him anything, it was that the super rich were capable of nearly anything, and there were no other words to describe Jade's father, Cormack Dillon, quite so succinctly as "super rich," and that meant the man stood every chance of continuing to be a problem. "I took the DuoHalo immunity treatment yesterday, which means I'm going to get imprinted onto a man, to get the other half of it, and I know you know what that means," she said, sliding one hand over one of her tits, cupping it, for both the camera's eye as well as Andy's. "That means I'm going to be imprinted onto a man, a man who isn't you." Jade's nipple stiffened to her touch, and Andy could hear Lauren and Sheridan moving a little behind him, making sure they were completely out of the path, but he also wondered if the two weren't starting to play with themselves at least a little, because Jade had gone from schoolmarm to raw sexual carnage faster than a Lambo went from 0 to 60. "You know what that means?" Jade said, a coy smile on her face as her tongue licked her lips. "He's going to be my new Daddy, a better Daddy, a good Daddy, and he's gonna reap all the benefits that a good Daddy deserves." Her other hand moved to rub between her thighs, stroking across her cunt quite nervously, but her smile was practically eager. "I laid awake so many nights, playing with my cunt, wondering what my life was going to be like when I finally gave my cherry to someone, your words ringing in my ears how I needed to choose carefully, to pick someone who would make the family proud over someone who made me feel all warm and wobbly." Andy could feel her slowly closing the distance between them, Emily doing her best to keep her framed in the shot the entire time. "But that was what you wanted, and you're dead to me now. So I'm gonna give my cherry to my new Daddy, to a man that I chose to be with. And I'm not gonna be prim and proper about it, oh no," she purred. "I'm gonna be every bit the slut you were afraid I would turn into and more." She was only a few feet away from him when she slowly moved down onto her knees, keeping her head tipped up proudly. "He wanted to wash his cock off before I sucked him off, but I told him no," Jade giggled, scooting on her knees closer to Andy now. "I liked the idea of his cock being slick from the cunt of some other girl he'd just fucked when I blew him for the first time, so I'd get my first taste of cunt with Daddy's cock." She reached forward and grabbed Andy's shaft, giving it a gentle stroke. "See how much bigger my Daddy's cock is than yours, you senile old fucker? See how slick it is with the juices of some bitch he just met yesterday, another slut who's going to tend to his needs just like I'm going to? God, it smells so fucking good. Can I have a lick, Daddy? Just a little one?" Her intense green eyes were looking up at him, so Andy just nodded in response, as Jade let out a thankful, eager moan. "Oh thank you Daddy," she purred. "I just can't wait to be a good little Daddy's girl." Andy was glad she'd had the talk with him before this, because she'd been right,  he might have been a little uncomfortable with this had she not given him some advance warning. But she seemed to be enjoying stroking his cock for the camera, and when she leaned in, he knew what was going to happen, even if she didn't, not entirely. She'd intended to drag her tongue from the base of his cock to the tip, but only got about half way up before the mix of his semen and Tala's juices sunk into her bloodstream enough to begin the priming process, and she suddenly leaned her head back, looking straight up at the ceiling with completely defocused eyes, an intensely shredded moan erupting from her throat, that priming orgasm exploding through her body. Jade was back on her haunches, practically sitting on her heels, as her entire body shivered and quaked, the intensity of the orgasm a surprise even to Andy, who'd seen this thing happen more than anyone. The imprinting process had affected Jade stronger than anyone he'd previously paired with. "Jesus Fucking Christ," Jade hissed, finally having recovered enough strength to pull her head forward again. "That was the most intense fucking thing I've ever felt, Daddy. And I'm just getting started, because I have to thank Daddy for the gift he's giving me by taking me into his family." She kissed along the length of his cock slowly, never once taking her eyes off of Andy's, Emily having moved in, standing on the bed behind him, so she could look down with the camera. He even felt one of Emily's hand on his shoulder, making sure she was balanced properly. "I'm gonna be such a good little slut for you, Daddy," she whimpered. "I can't wait to feel you inside my cherry cheerleader cunt, to be the first and only cock I ever have inside of my sweet snatch. God, you're gonna feel so good, aren't you, Daddy?" Andy couldn't help but smirk for a moment, because he could feel Emily's nipples were rock hard through her top, pressed against his back while she continued to film. Clearly, the Brit was getting turned on by what she was watching. "That's not all I'm gonna give you, Daddy," Jade said, licking the taste of him and Tala from her lips. "I'm gonna give you everything. I'm gonna do everything. After an entire life of saying no no no, all I'm gonna tell my new Daddy is yes yes yes." She was starting to cradle his balls now, and he felt like that was a warning that she was about to crank up the tempo on him. "If Daddy wants to fuck me, I'll ask what position while I'm spreading my legs to show him I'm already wet for him. If Daddy wants me to blow him, I'll start sucking on his cock right away, no matter where we are or who's around. If he wants to knock me up, I'll beg him to breed me like his good little bitch in heat, even if we aren't married." She shivered a little bit, looking down for a second before gazing back up. "If Daddy wants to fuck me in the ass, I'll hold my cheeks apart and beg him to do it to me hard and fast, just like a good little slut, just like his good little slut should." He couldn't help himself, and his cock throbbed at that, not just from her description of it, but from the look in her eyes as she said it, like she was revealing some hidden desire that she hadn't known she wanted until she spoke the words aloud, and now that she had, it was burrowing hold in her psyche, not for now, but something definitely to be revisited lately. The look on her face was one of eagerness, like she was reveling in who she was after hiding it for so long. "To keep boys from fucking me, I had to learn how to become not just a good cocksucker, but the best cocksucker, able to get a boy off within just a minute or two of wrapping my lips around his cock, but I don't want my new Daddy to feel like he's being rushed, so enjoy this Daddy." Jade wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and slowly pushed her face down onto it, her lustrous green eyes holding his gaze the entire time, until she had her lips down around the base of his cock, no sign of coughing or choking, like she'd managed to suppress her gag reflex entirely. She slowly drew her head back, sliding her mouth off his cock with a wet pop as she grinned up at the camera. "You see that, Cormack? That's the view you always wanted of your daughter, isn't it, you twisted asshole? Down on her fucking knees with her tits out, looking up at you, her lips wrapped around your cock? But it's not your cock, is it shithead?" As she pushed her head back down onto his cock again, Andy did everything he could to keep his moan quiet, but a little bit of it slipped out, and that made Jade smile as she pulled back from his cock once more. "Hear that, Cormack? That's my new Daddy, enjoying what a good little cocksucker he's got. I asked him to stay quiet, but I'm just too skilled at sucking cock that he can't keep still. So I hope you fuck off and die, because I'm gonna get what I want now, I'm gonna be happy without you, I'm gonna get bonded to this beautiful fucking stud of a man, and he's gonna be my Daddy forever, and you're just going to be dead to me, so the sooner you fuck off and die, the better. Goodbye forever Cormack." After she said that, she started thrusting her head down his cock over and over, going from tip to base time and time again, making as much noise as she could, as much performance as it was blowjob, but damn if she wasn't right, and it was the best blowjob he'd ever gotten. Jade had total control over when his orgasm was going to hit, and just when he thought he was about to pop, she backed him away from it, just to prove that she could, then when he thought she was slowing down to prolong the video, she attacked once more, and started bobbing her head across his shaft faster and faster, and there was no stopping the collision course they were headed on. He wanted to put his hands on her head, but Emily seemed to have the shot framed exactly as she wanted, and Jade was doing her best to keep her eyes on his face and the camera the entire time, and when the moment of his release happened, he wasn't even sure where she was looking, because the intensity of the orgasm was brutal, easily the hardest he'd ever come from a blowjob. His cock blasted a hot load of cum against the back of her throat, as her lips sealed in a vacuum lock around the head of his cock, sealing him in there, not letting a drop of it spill out, all of it pouring directly into her belly, as her green eyes finally rolled back in her skull. Her mouth finally popped off his cock as she started to fall backwards, and Lauren darted in suddenly to slide her arms beneath Jade's shoulders, catching her and cradling her to lower her down onto her back, pulling her away slightly to let her legs unfold from beneath her, as Emily moved off the bed, jumping to the floor, slowly crouching down to finish on Jade's face, as the bubbly blonde proudly said 'imprinting' over and over again, an accomplished smile wide on her face. Emily tapped the Stop Recording button on the phone, and then exhaled a deep breath. "Holy fuck!" she shouted, taking one of her hands to fan her face. "I know she said to expect it to be out of character for her, but can I once again reiterate, holy fuck!" She giggled wildly, licking her lips. "I can't tell if I should send her father this video first or do my best to convince you that you can handle another round right here and now, Andrew, because, in closing, holy fuck was that hot!" Andy laughed a little bit, shaking his head. "No more. No more rounds for today. The House of Rook is officially doing no more deliveries tonight!" He crouched down and scooped Jade up into his arms,  she was light, although Emily and Lauren helped him anyway,  as he lifted her up and onto the bed, laying her down next to Tala. Once there, he moved the four of them,  Jade, Tala, Fiona and Moira,  over to one side of the bed, not pushing them off, but making sure there would still be room for his usual group of people to crawl into the bed as well in a few hours time. "Well, at the very least, I can take care of you in the shower before you make your run to Target tonight," Emily said to him. "God, can't it wait until tomorrow?" he groaned, before raising his hand. "No no, I know, we need to do it, and I agreed to do it tonight. Okay, let's go shower, and then a handful of us can make the run out and pick up supplies." After a very nice shower with Emily and Sheridan, where both girls steadfastly avoided getting their hair wet, Andy felt cleaned up and ready to round out his day. He hadn't even had dinner yet, but he decided that could wait until after the Target run. One of the things he'd learned early on, before they'd even gotten to New Eden even, was that women who lived together didn't really sync their periods up, but with a typical period lasting about five days, the more women in a household, the more likely it was someone needed additional feminine supplies. With the size of household now, he'd learned they were the most vital supply the household needed, and never, ever ever to be without. Whenever he went on a supply run, the girls drew names from a hat to decide who would go with him, because inevitably whoever went found a handful of things they just had to have and brought them home, and going to a Target with his entire family was beyond unwieldy. So as Andy checked his shopping list, the girls did their little drawing. Hannah, Aisling and Sarah won, and so the four loaded up into the Tesla Model Y and headed down to the Target. There were many things he was appreciative of about the home in New Eden that the government had gifted him with, but the one he noticed the most was its completely self reliance. The entire roof of the mansion was covered in solar panels, and Andy had been told there was a small field of them further out on his property, in the middle of a natural glade, that ran back to his house, which had power walls, storing all of that excess power. The cars were all electric. Phil had joked around that if New Eden were hit by the worst possible of storms, the town would be self sustaining for a few months before food would be the eventual first issue. Target was one of the few well established brand stores within the walls of New Eden, but it was handy enough that everyone seemed to overlook it not being a local business. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot, but it looked far from crowded. Andy parked the car and then headed in, as Hannah grabbed them a shopping cart. Andy hoped they'd only need the one, but at least half of the time, these trips involved getting a second cart. Most of his list was relatively short,  cat food, cat litter, cleaning fluid for his electric shaver, vanilla Coke if he could find it,  but the girls had their own list, and it was compiled from all the girls in the house. They mostly didn't have to do groceries,  Jenny and Katie made their own weekly run to the grocery store to keep the house stocked,  but everyone had little things they wanted for themselves. Nicolette had toilet paper delivered in bulk and was trying to convince the household to bulk order feminine supplies as well, but it seemed like each of the women in the house had their own deeply held preferences. Andy suspected Nicolette would win out in the end, and that bulk deliveries in the near future would start including things like pads and tampons (as well as diapers and other such baby supplies) eventually. For now, though, everyone was still eager to get out of the house every chance they could, the fatigue of being quarantined to a single space, even one as wonderful as the Rook Manor, getting to each of them a little bit. "Okay girls, let's split up and cover ground a bit," Ash said to the other two, "and we can meet up with Andy back in the pet supplies." Sarah, Hannah and Aisling each put a hand on top of one of the others and then said in unison "Go Rookies!" And like that, they each went their own separate direction into the large Super Target, as Andy headed over to pick up his electric razor cleaning fluid. Since their arrival, both Sarah and Emily had been trying to convince Andy to move to disposable razor blades, or even a straight razor, for shaving, but Andy had been using an electric since college and found the convenience of it too great to give up. Jenny had assured the two actresses that once Alexis showed up, Andy would learn the joy of having his face shaven by a woman with a straight razor, and once he did, he'd never want to go back. But even when she showed up tomorrow, she'd need to convince him it was the right call, so until then, he would stick to his old ways. Before he could make his way out of the razor section, Sarah came bounding around the corner, a package full of pads in one hand, a handful of make up supplies in the other, tossing all of them into the cart. "Hey, like, did you know Nate Watkins was gonna be here tonight? I saw him and one of his partners coming in as I was heading here," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I didn't," Andy said, "but it's not that big a community, so people are bound to run into one another here." "Did Phil tell you how many households are here in New Eden?" she said, sliding her arm around his waist, her body taller than his, something he still hadn't fully gotten used to. "I asked him, and I think he said about 400, although it's pretty scattered out, and some of the households are way bigger than others. We're definitely one of the bigger ones, although there's pressure on everyone to grow a bit, considering the news that'll be hitting in a couple of days." The two of them headed over to the soft drinks, and Andy was delighted to find that not only did they have vanilla Coke, they also had vanilla cherry Coke and orange vanilla Coke, so he grabbed a twelve pack of each, sliding them on the flat tray beneath the main cart itself, knowing to leave as much of the basket open for the girls as he could. "I imagine that poor Lily's going to go mental when she hears she's going to have to share poor Eric with even more girls," Ash said, tossing her collection of things into the basket. She'd come from behind Sarah and Andy, so neither had seen her coming. "But she'll just have to cope like the rest of us have." "She'll be extra picky on Eric's behalf," Andy said with a quiet smirk. "He won't want to kick up a fuss about who they send, so she'll take over the whole process and make sure nobody rocks the boat over there." "I meant to ask," Sarah said. "How come Eric's got a Chinese last name when he's Japanese?" "Well, he's actually half and half," Andy said, "but he prefers to think of himself as Japanese first and foremost, I guess, so that's how I've always thought of him. His Dad's Chinese but his mom is Japanese. They met after they'd both immigrated here in the 70s to work for tech companies. It's kind of a cute love story. They met in a class to learn English as a second language, so his dad never learned any Japanese and his mom never learned any Mandarin or Cantonese, and they only ever spoke English to each other in the house. They're both very nice people. Eric sort of speaks all three languages, but none of them that well. His Japanese is better than his Cantonese, though, or so he tells me." "That's funny," Ash said. "Lily's story is pretty much the same, half Chinese half Japanese. I guess their kids will keep the same ratio then." "Once they get around to them," Andy said. "You heard Lily, love," Ash giggled. "She's gonna get a child out of Eric even if it kills him. Her clock isn't just ticking, it's pounding out a drum beat." "No no, that's just Lily taking him Amazon style," Andy said, and both Sarah and Ash descended into fits of laughter at that, as he smirked and pushed the cart onward. They kept walking as Sarah and Ash each picked up a few things here and there,  scented candles, Fabreeze, some picture frames,  as they headed towards the pet section. "Don't freak out, Andy," Sarah said, "but I'm going to be grabbing some dog food for Maya's two pups." Andy arched an eyebrow. "Not once did you or Emily ever mention that Maya had dogs," he said, trying to put on his most disappointed look. "Don't you think that's something you should've mentioned, what with me having a couple of cats?" "That's fair, completely fair, but hear me out, just for a moment, on a counter argument," Sarah said, talking slowly, as if she was struggling to think of what she wanted to say. "Ok,” Sarah glanced over at Ash, who offered a sympathetic shrug, then back at Andy, and suddenly she grabbed him and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around him in a constrictive hug before she pulled from the kiss and clenched him more tightly. "Okay, so we totally didn't mention it, and that's totally on Emily and me, but they're just two little Pomeranians, and they're super cute, and they're named Stan and Ollie, and I know we should've told you, but we asked Ash, and she said you're not allergic, and she didn't think you'd be upset, and I don't know why we didn't mention it during the presentations, but we didn't, and then you said yes, and we were both just so excited, and at that point, you were into the idea, and it didn't even occur to us that you might not like dogs, because I mean who doesn't love dogs, am I right, and I wasn't even thinking about it because Emily said she was gonna tell you but then she put dog food on the list for me to grab and now here I am, trying to convince you that it would be criminal to turn those two sweet little adorable faces away or hide them out back or anything when they're super well trained and lovable and  " She suddenly pulled back, glanced over at Ash, who was desperately trying to keep from breaking out into laughter, then back at Andy, sighing. "And you totally knew the dogs were coming and were fucking with me, weren't you?" At that point, Andy could finally let out the laughter that had been building and building and building inside of him as Sarah had just kept talking and talking and talking and some part of him had wanted to let her off the hook right away, but it had just so much funnier with every word. Ash was leaning against the cart, she was laughing so hard, once she finally broke. Andy squeezed Sarah tightly then pulled back and kissed her softly. "Of course the dogs are okay, Sarah," he said. "But you two definitely should have told me during the pitch, just in case I was allergic to dogs, which I'm not. But Emily brought it up to me yesterday, and I gave her a bit of stick for it, and she suggested this was how I gave you stick for your part in the matter." "Emily knew you were gonna put me up to this?" Sarah said, tilting her head to look upward. "Oh, the shit I'm gonna give that bitch when I see her,” Andy swatted his hand on Sarah's ass with a loud slap, which made her jolt a little bit into him. "Now now, I said the matter's closed, and the matter's closed, got it?" "You're fucking lucky you're so damn lovable yourself, mister man," she joked, rolling her eyes. "But okay, I guess we earned that." "Oh, Ker rist I wish I'd recorded that," Ash said, finally easing off of her laughing. "I don't know how she let that sentence run that far, but I think it could have sprinted past Piper!" As they arrived in the pet section, Hannah came to meet up with them, Nathaniel and his female partner in tow. She saw that Ash was wiping tears from her eyes still and pouted. "Aw, I missed the whole dog food fake fight, didn't I?" she said. "Oh well, look who I ran into!" It didn't surprise Andy that Hannah had stopped to talk to Nathaniel Watkins and his partner, as Watkins had been the man to bring Hannah over to him originally, which meant he'd know the Asian cheerleader longer than he had. Watkins was dressed, as ever, in cargo shorts, a bright Hawaiian shirt, socks and sandals, his black hair drawn back into a man bun, a pair of thin spectacles over his eyes. The woman next to him looked five to ten years younger than him, in probably her early to mid thirties, with eastern European features, jet black hair in bangs that hung down to her collarbone, dressed in a large loose t shirt that said "Cal Poly" on the front of it, and baggy sweatpants. It was clear, both had just decided to run errands in whatever they'd been lounging around the house in, although Watkins himself hadn't looked all that different at the poker night, or either of the times he'd come over to Andy's house, so Andy couldn't help but wonder if that was the man's standard look. Chapter 34 Uncharacteristically, Andy woke up at around 6 a.m., noticing that Fiona wasn't in the bed with all of them. He'd suspected that both she and Moira would wake up sometime in the middle of the night, but he'd hoped that they'd still sleep in some and get accustomed to local time a bit more. Fi, it seemed, couldn't do that. As carefully as he could, Andy extricated himself from the pile of naked female bodies around him and slipped out of bed. When it had been just him, Ash, Lauren and Niko, in the early days, anyone trying to leave the bed would wake everyone up, but now, after the last month or so of constant additions, people had grown much more acclimated to people moving, sliding in and out of the bed during the night without waking up. Currently the bed held Moira, Niko, Sarah, Emily, Tala, Sheridan, Lauren and Jade. He'd been a little surprised the night before when both Sheridan and Lauren had crawled into the bed as everyone was shutting down for the night, but both women insisted they each wanted their friend to have a familiar face nearby when they woke up in the house for the first time. He said he completely understood and respected that. He grabbed one his big t shirts, this one for the Chapterhouse album "Whirlpool," pulled on some boxers and some sweatpants and went to go find where Fiona had gotten herself to. Andy didn't have far to look. When he pulled the shirt on, he could see motion on the covered balcony just outside of the master bedroom, and figured it had to be her. He opened the sliding door as quietly as he possible, hearing the sound of heavy raindrops falling just feet away from the balcony, the wind not heavy enough to force them beneath the overhang. Fiona was wearing a cable knit sweater and Lululemon yoga pants, leaning against the railing, it still cool enough outside for her breath to leave a telltale cloud in the air in front of her. "This is California," she said, her voice laying plain her amusement with the weather. "I was promised sunshine and warm weather all the damn time." "It's raining," he said, moving to stand beside her. "And we need it, so don't jinx it and make it stop. Besides, it was raining the day you asked me and Xander to move in with you." She laughed a little bit, shaking her head slightly. "I can't believe you remember that," she said. "And, for the record, I asked you to move in with me, and I knew that Xander came as part of the deal at the time, because you weren't going to leave him hanging. How's he doing, anyway? I haven't talked to him since college." "You can ask him yourself when he gets here in a while." Fi turned to look at him, arching one of her impeccably well kept eyebrows in his direction. "He is not moving into this house, Andrew. This isn't the old days." Andy laughed, shaking his head. "I didn't mean here here, as in Rook Manor, but he's moving into New Eden, so he won't be too far away." He went to slide an arm around her waist, just a little hesitation in his motion, but she immediately slid in firmly against him, pressing her body against his. "I knew that, Andy. I was fucking with you. Jesus, you're an idiot sometimes," she sighed with a wide smile on her face. "So it's lucky you're so damn cute." He rolled his eyes a little bit. "Nobody thinks I'm cute but you." "Bullshit. Moira thinks you're cute." "Fine. Nobody but you and Moira." "And Niko and Emily and,” "Okay, okay, I get the point," he laughed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "God, I missed you, Fi." "Me too. So next time, maybe call, huh?" He smirked. "You're gonna hold this over my head for a while, aren't you?" She giggled a little, nodding. "Oh yeah, bigtime. But you know me. I'll get bored with it at some point, and tease you about something new, once I have something new." Her right hand rested on his left arm, which was folded and pressed against the railing. "How the hell did we get to here, Andy?" "I mean, there's all of my life before May of this year, and then there's this year, and one of them is a lot more boring than the other, but I'll tell you all about both, given enough time. I am sorry I didn't try and find you after you cut me out, but to be fair, I didn't think you wanted me to." She nodded, giving a little shrug. "I was angry and I was dumb, Andy. It wasn't a good combination. And when I was old enough to know better, I was too scared, thinking you'd just moved on and didn't ever think about me any more." He had a short bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Yeah, get that fucking idea right out of your head now. After we split, I only had one serious girlfriend, and that was because I was comparing them to you all the time and nobody ever lived up to you." "Not even the one serious girlfriend?" "Especially not the one serious girlfriend, but at that point, I thought maybe it was me, and I was the one doing things wrong, so I stuck with it longer than I should've. You'll end up meeting her at some point around New Eden and then you'll ask yourself how she and I ever dated as long as we did." "That bad, huh?" she said, giving his arm a squeeze. She always knew exactly the level of physical touch he needed to feel reassured or put at ease. "That bad and a whole hell of a lot worse." That hung in the air for a minute or two with nobody saying anything. "You seem to have done alright for yourself this year, though," she teased. "Two actresses, two cheerleaders, an Irish lass, an Aussie, a Native knockout, a couple of athletes, an Indian knockout and your own personal staff including an honest to god French maid. I'm shocked you could find time to pencil me and Moira in." "I certainly never intended  " She reached a fingertip up to his lips to stop him from talking. "I spent a great deal of time between my arrival at the base and my injection with the serum talking about you with Niko, and she assures me that you've done everything you can to be the best man anyone here can ask for, so whatever you intended, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it? What matters now is that you've got a wonderful, if a bit immense, family, and that you wanted me and Moira to be a part of it." "Speaking of Moira, how long have you two been together?" Fi grinned, leaning her head against his chest. "About four years now. It's the reason I didn't put anything about my relationship status on my Facebook page. Didn't want Mom and Dad throwing a shitfit about it. Well, mostly Mom, I think." "So it's been serious for a while now." "Very," she said. "And she's the one who's been bitching at me to reach out to you for the last couple of years, so don't worry about her being jealous of you or anything. On our way here, she was telling me that it's felt like the entire time we've been together, there's been a part of me missing, and how she was sure that you had the missing part of me. I'm surprised you never reached out to her." "I never got her contact information all those years ago," he chuckled. "Hell, I didn't even get her last name. I still didn't know it until Niko told me yesterday." "Oh my god, really?" Fi giggled. "I guess that makes sense, because I know you would've remembered it if you'd ever learned it. You loved that damn silly movie." "Madam, I will not permit you to impugn 'Highlander' on these grounds." "Oh hush," she said. "But yes, you're going to be taking a bride from the Clan MacLeod, but there cannot only be one. You owe me a ring as well, mister." "You think that'll satiate the bloodlust of Mr. & Mrs. Smith?" he said, referring to her parents. "They already know you're back in this picture and are ecstatic," she said, kissing his cheek. "I mean, Mom's a little less thrilled with how many wives you're going to have, but I told her with all the deaths, that's the way it's going to work in this country for our generation. She's still wrapping her head around it." "Everyone in your family okay? All your brothers?" "All three were smart and locked down immediately, so everyone's okay. I'm glad you asked." "And Moira's family?" "Her mom's all that's left, and Scotland's not had a lot of problems with DuoHalo, since they seemed to take lockdown extremely seriously in the smaller villages. You can talk to her about her mom when she's up. It'll mean a lot to her that you're asking." "So how did you two hook up again?" Fiona sighed again, slumping into his body a little more. "How much of my writing career did you follow after we split?" "Most of it?" he chuckled. "I set up a Google Alert to notify me whenever your byline appeared." "You stalker," she giggled, waiting just the perfect beat before speaking again. "It's okay; I had one set up on you as well. Uh, two, actually, one for your real name and one for your pen name, once I read an article about that. Thanks for making that hard on me." "I didn't expect anyone to be following my fiction writing, Fi. But carry on with your story." "Do you remember that story I wrote about about five years back on the Syrian civil war?" "I remember you wrote a whole series of them. What, seven or eight different pieces?" She smiled up at him. "Gold star for robot boy," she said with a smirk. "You really were paying attention. That's nice to know. Anyway, the one about the Doctors Without Borders that were crossing into the firefights to provide medical aid to civilians caught in the crossfire." "Oh yeah," he said. "Those people sounded amazingly brave." "Moira was one of those people," Fi said. "Running out into firefights, scooping up kids and pulling shrapnel out of them. One of the bravest people I'd ever met, but she's been doing it for a few years, and it was starting to take a real toll on her, so I invited her to come and visit DC. A few weeks later she'd gotten a job at a hospital in Georgetown. A couple of months later we started dating. Half a year later, she moved in with me. About two years ago, we decided we both wanted to get the fuck out of DC forever, but weren't sure where to go." "Around the time you added me and Xander on Facebook." "Actually, I have a confession to make,  Moira sent you the friend request from my account," she sighed. "I was convinced you didn't even think about me any more, so one day when we were fighting, she just sat down at my computer, found you on Facebook and sent you the friend request before I could stop her." "And then you and I played the biggest, dumbest game of virtual chicken ever, waiting for the other one to reach out first," he sighed. "God, we're fucking stupid some days." To be continued in part 20, by CorruptingPower for Literotica.

In this episode we will continue our conversation with Chantal Traub about nurturing the amazing process of birth with optimal biomechanics as well as interoception and the polyvagal principles of nervous system harmony. Chantal Traub, NBC-HWC, CD(DONA), LCCE, CCCE is an experienced birth doula, childbirth educator and wellness coach. In her 20-plus years in practice, she has gained international recognition for her expertise on pelvic health and her innovative Pushing Power method. Through her classes, her one-on-one work and her doula practice, she helped thousands of moms to successfully journey through childbirth with increased understanding, ultimately minimizing trauma and enhancing the birth experience. You can find Chantal on podcasts such as “Next Question” with Katie Couric, “The Women's Health Podcast” and the Polyvagal Institute Conference. She co-authored an Amazon #1 best selling book, The Pelvic Floor: Everything you needed to know sooner. Find her Pushing Power workshops and one-on-one birth-coaching at chantaltraub.com. Current and past editions of the magazine can be found at: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 18 Andy tells the press his side of the story. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. As he told her the story, Katie Couric mostly let him talk, asking the occasional question,  how had he known that Dr. Varma and Asha were going to be there, what did plan to do if he lost, etc.,  before letting him continue. Andy zipped through the actual poker tournament very quickly, although he did make a point not to name names of anyone else who was there, other than Covington, despite Katie asking twice. The rush of winning lasted very briefly, he told her, as almost right after, they met Piper. When Andy described how they'd found her, in a near feral state, he spared no detail, making sure that Katie understood just how cruel Covington had been to the women he'd had under his household. He even paused to asked Katie what she thought a man like that would want both a mother and daughter for, and he watched the reporter visibly blanch at that. "How did this game even get started?" she asked him. He shrugged a little. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Niko manipulated the situation into me getting an invite, and Emily herself contributed, trying to make sure that I would win, since she wanted her and her partner Sarah to be assigned to me, since Sarah is such a huge fan of my writing." "How do you make that kind of decision? How do you decide to gamble with a woman's life in your hands?" "Very, very carefully, and not without long consideration," he sighed, sitting back in his chair. "Like I was telling you earlier, sometimes bad people do good things, and sometimes good people have to do bad things for good reasons. Niko was very close friends with Dr. Charlotte Varma, and she'd met Mister Covington more than a couple of times. One of Covington's partners, Rachel, works at the base, and helps with the scheduling and directing of where people are going, so she's probably how Covington got the game started, when he realized he could manipulate the system. I mean, I'm sure other people on the base have to be in on it, but who that is, I certainly couldn't tell you." "People like Phil Marcos?" Andy scowled at her, pointing a finger her direction. "You try and blame this on Phil and I will go to every single one of your competitors and tell them how you made that shit up to get ratings," he said angrily. "Phil's a damn good man, one of the best, and while I'm sure he's aware of the game, I'm also fairly certain that he probably can't do anything to interfere with it." "I thought Mr. Marcos was the head of the project." "Doctor Marcos is high up on the team that's developing and implementing the process, but he's certainly not in charge. There's at least a handful of people above him, and besides, Phil's only working on the process itself, not the pairing and matching of individuals. I'm sure they must've mentioned there's two divisions on the base during your tour. Phil's half works on the biology. The other team works on the sociology and matchmaking, and while Phil can trade the occasional favor to get things done a certain way on that team, he'd never have gone along with this poker thing, or for people being used as chips. Shit, he damn near tore my head off after he heard I'd gone and played in the tournament even the once. Made me promise I'd never do it again. So yes, Ms. Couric, I can guarantee you that Phil has nothing to do with the poker tournament." "You mentioned one of Covington's partners, a woman you called Rachel, was on the coordinating team. Would that be Rachel DeMarco?" "I don't know," he said. "I've never met her. Niko would know. I could ask her. Why?" "Well, Rachel DeMarco is the person who told me about your involvement in the tournament. She actually made it sound like you were running the event." "Running it?" he laughed, almost incredulous. "Fuck off. No, Ms. Couric, I was not running the tournament, nor have I played in it more than once. I went the one time as a favor to Niko, to try and keep her friends Dr. Varma and her daughter Asha safe." "So you won both Dr. Varma and her daughter Asha?" "I did." "How come Dr. Varma isn't here as well? Asha was at our first group interview." "Dr. Varma isn't attracted to white men, so she asked if she could be paired up with Phil instead. I respected her wishes, obviously." "Wait, Dr. Varma is one of Dr. Marcos' partners?" "When she arrived at the base, she was married, but her husband died very early in the initial stages of research into the DuoHalo Virus," Andy said. "In fact, Phil said quite a lot of men died on the base due to whatever incident it was that happened in the early days. He couldn't get into details, but he seemed pretty frustrated by it. But after her husband died, she slowly started falling for Phil, a sort of second act if you will, so when I rescued her and her daughter from Covington, she asked if I thought she could be paired up with Phil. I called Phil up, and he agreed, so she's paired with him, and her daughter Asha is paired up with me. We all agreed that a mother and daughter being paired up with the same man just had an ick factor that none of us were comfortable with." "The woman who died. Where did you say you met her?" "I didn't, and I know you know that. But I met her at Covington's home. She was originally scheduled to be the dealer for the poker game that night, but I made a point about never trusting a house dealer, so she was relieved of the job, and the participants all took turns acting as dealer, so no one player could sway the game that much. I suspected Covington might have been using the dealer being a member of his house to fix the game, and the last thing I wanted was a cheat." "Who else was playing?" "Where are you going with this, Ms. Couric?" "Look, Mr. Rook, you seem like a good man, a decent man, but this kind of thing, it can't be allowed to continue, a handful of men trading women like cattle. We're better than that as a country, and I believe you when you say that you were only doing it to help some people. But think about all the women who don't have someone like you looking out for them." "Right, but in giving you this list of names, I'm painting a huge target on my back here in New Eden. Are you planning on running a story just on what I tell you? Because that's a sure fire way to only make things worse." "Of course not, Mr. Rook," she said with a sigh. "But I can talk with the White House, or the Senate, and expose some of this, and get it shut down." "Well, I'm glad you believe that, Ms. Couric, but I can't say that I do. Still, I hope you succeed." "So who else was there?" "You had myself and Covington. The Mayor of New Eden, James Haunton. Financial investor Gregor Vikovic. And Jake Jacobson, ower of the AllStore group." "That's it?" Andy considered for a moment, and decided that he should let Nathaniel Watkins name slip his mind for a moment. "There was one other person there, but I don't remember who it was. Nobody I immediately recognized, and I was very focused on the game, and making sure that I didn't screw up." Andy wasn't entirely sure why he decided to conceal Watkins identity, but suspected it was because Nathaniel was the only person who'd treated him as a human being, and the fact that he'd given Andy a few hundred mil didn't hurt either. But for the most part, Watkins had seemed like a good enough person that Andy felt like giving him a pass. In the short period of time he'd talked to him, it had almost seemed like Watkins' presence at the poker game was for the same reasons he was there,  to try and protect people caught up in the mess. "And you said it's Covington who's running the event?" "Yes," Andy said. "It's always at his house, and they've apparently run it a few times before. I expect having the Mayor in his pocket certainly helped him set the whole thing up and keep it quiet, but I expect he's also got someone over at the base helping him, someone in the logistics and organzational team, but who that is, I couldn't tell you. Niko said she's been trying to find out, but that the scientists on that half of the team tend to be a bit rude to women, including those working in the security detail." "Wait a moment. You said Veronica DeLaCruz, the women who died a few days ago, she was originally supposed to be the dealer at the poker tournament?" "That's right." Katie Couric paled a moment, before she looked at Andy. "Do you think her death is at all connected to her not being able to fix the poker tournament in Mr. Covington's favor?" "Oh shit," Andy said, a little shook by the suggestion. "I hadn't even thought about that, but it's certainly possible. Believe me when I tell you that Arthur Covington strikes me as the kind of man who's capable of just about anything. And I did mention that Emily was attempting to convince Veronica to cheat on her behalf, to ensure that she and Sarah could guarantee coming to our family and not anyone else's, so it's also possible that he somehow found out about that." "Who knew about that?" "As far as I know, just Emily and myself, although I've mentioned it to a couple of the girls here, all of whom I obviously trust with my life," he said. "But it's not impossible that somehow Veronica told someone else, or that she was so frustrated with Covington that she just wanted a way out. As I said, I didn't really know her at all, so I can't say. But if you're asking me if I think it's possible Covington had her murdered, either for failing to rig the game in his favor or planning to rig the game against him and failing in that, I think it absolutely something the man is capable of." "If I informed the President's office about all of this, do you think you would manage to stay safe of repercussions, or would you be at risk?" "Don't worry about us, Ms. Couric," Andy said. "If you think you can make sure these bastards aren't trading the lives of women with no regard for their wants or desires, you absolutely should do everything you can to put a stop to it. If that means Covington wants to take a run at me because of it, well, I'll handle that when it comes up. He's exceptionally rich, but he's not invincible." "Not to remind you of things you already know, Mr. Rook," she answered, "but you were just saying a few hours ago how your health is now responsible for the well being of over a dozen women. Do you think they would all be okay with you being so cavalier with their safety?" "If it meant that hundreds if not thousands of women would get to fairly choose their partners instead of being saddled up with people they can't stand, I'm sure they would." He sighed, leaning back in his chair a little. "So how do you want to play all of this?" "It won't be part of the main story, but I'll threaten to run it if the President doesn't do something to ensure that a stop comes to this kind of thing," she said. "I just got word this morning the Presidential election's being delayed again this morning, and that'll be another thing they're going to include in the announcements. The special election will be in February, and the new President will be instated in office in March, as well as Representatives and Senators to replace all those who've been killed by the DuoHalo Virus. The Republican Party apparently wanted time to have a mini primary for the new Presidential election, so they won't know their candidate for a month, and plans to have the election in December have been scrapped. So President Pelosi will remain in power until March, and that should give her a little bit of time to try and get this mess sorted out. Because if it's happening here, I imagine it's happening in other places, and that kind of damage could scar our country for centuries." "Forgive me for asking, but you know a lot more about this than any of us do," he said. "How many centers like the base in New Eden are out there?" "They started mass production about a month or so ago, and the goal is to have every man paired with at least a couple of women before January 1st, because the casualty rates for men are so insanely high. The hope is the news story will light a fire under those who have been afraid to get vaccinated, when they hear just how many people have died because the DuoHalo virus. But there are still enclaves of men who insist they aren't going to pair up with women, because the treatment will install 5G microchips in their penises, or some such nonsense." "If we've got problems like this poker game here at the source, I imagine there's this sort of thing starting up in a number of the other pairing centers around the country, so I don't mind you showing this conversation to the President, or the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if it means ensuring that women get to decide who they get paired up with." "It's very noble of you to say that, Mr. Rook, but you know as well as I do that some men are unlikely to get paired up with women they would like. I was a little leery of the Level system when I heard about it, men being classified in terms of priority from level 1 to level 5, but I suppose it's the least worst option out of all the ones we have," she sighed. "And you assure me if I talk to any of the women here in your house individually, without you around, they will all tell me they chose to be here, in your company?" "Well, no," he admitted, "but I think they will all tell you they are happy here. But Piper, and to some extent Niko I suppose, they weren't really in their right minds when they arrived." "What do you mean by that?" "Did they not cover this when they were talking about the process with you at the base?" "No, they most assuredly did not." Andy let out another deep sigh. "Okay, so after women are administered the treatment at the base, they're kept there for 24 hours observation, to make sure there aren't any unusual reactions to the process, which is normal. Then they're delivered to their male partners whom they're going to be imprinted to." "Yes, they told us all this." "So, the longer a woman goes without imprinting, the more the chemicals start to affect her ability to think clearly. That's how Piper got into the state she was in when Niko and I first met her. She couldn't think, couldn't speak. She's thanked me, repeatedly, that we rescued her from Covington, and she's told me again and again that she's happy with us, here in our family, but the ability to make that decision was taken away from her by Covington. There is a limited window after a woman receives the initial treatment where her cognitive functions are full, and the longer she goes before imprinting, the more compromised those functions are, albeit temporarily, at least I hope." "Have you heard of women being made to wait longer before imprinting?" "Hell, I haven't heard of anything like what happened to Piper anywhere and if I had, I'd be kicking up a fucking storm," he said angrily. "I was so livid that I wanted to go and beat the shit out of Covington myself right then and there, but I also needed to make sure I got everyone out of their situations first. We were still at his home, and I'm sure he has some sort of security. What he did to Piper wasn't just unforgivable, it was criminal, or at least it should be, but we're in uncharted waters here, Ms. Couric. There's going to be an entire new wing of legislature and legal decisions spiraling out of this for decades. And nobody knows how any of it's going to turn out, because all the signposts people used to use to predict these sorts of things have been tossed in the woodchipper. I don't know how many people in Congress died, but I imagine you do." "Around 60% of the Representatives and about 70% of the Senators, as well as five of the Supreme Court Justices, although Ruth Bader Ginsberg died from cancer complications, not the DuoHalo Virus. It's an almost incomprehensible strain of the system." "I'm sure some of those people who will be elected to Congress to fill those vacancies will be men, but the overwhelming majority of them are going to be women. And that's going to change a lot about how the country operates. Not as much as I'd like, I'm sure, but a lot." "Why do you say not as much as you like?" she asked him. "I was very lucky to get level 5 status, but you know who else got level 5 status, Katie? The billionaires of America. Jeff Bezos. Bill Gates. Elon Musk. Warren Buffet. And you know the most fascinating thing about it, that I hope you focus on in your story? You know how many of those people refused treatment?" "Very few?" "Absolutely none," he said. "In fact, what I have heard is that the ultrarich were bumped to the highest possible priority, and were the very first in line to get paired up with people. Now, what level of scrutiny did those people go through in their pairing process? Not a whole lot, I imagine. In fact, I'm willing to bet that on the other side of this, when we start to see what the new world looks like, you're going to see those men with impossibly beautiful women, celebrities, athletes, women who probably wouldn't have given these men the time of day even with all their money. They did it because it ensured their survival. I know the fatality rate for women with the DuoHalo Virus is only a fraction of what it is for men, but it's still a risk. And I'm worried that those people who have insane amounts of money are going to continue to do what they've always done,  spend that money to ensure they keep making money at the expense of those without it. They will attempt to buy their way into power once again, and will simply adapt so they don't get knocked off their pedestals." "Are you considering running for office, Mr. Rook?" Andy laughed a bit at that, shaking his head. "Fuck no," he said. "But if one of the women of my household wanted to run for office, I would absolutely encourage them to do so. Despite how political I know I'm coming off right now, Ms. Couric, I would not consider myself a political activist. But I want women and men to have equal rights under the eyes of the law, the same for the rich and the poor. And this country is going to see a shakeup the likes of which it has never seen before over the coming few years, as it tries to decide and define what the new normal is, such as it is. We're in danger of having our own little French Revolution here, guillotines and all." "So let's get back on track and get back to things I can likely use when we air the special," she said with a laugh. "Has it been complicated, navigating this many relationships with this many women at all once?" "I'm not going to lie to you and say no, Katie," he chuckled. "Of course it has. But some of the decisions I made early on have helped that a lot, and thankfully, I have an amazing collection of women who have chosen to spend their lives with me." "What kinds of decisions did you make early on that you would say helped?" "Some of it is stuff that seems obvious in retrospect. No kink shaming, for example. No body shaming. No shame in general, I suppose. That was a big start. But there were also things like making sure nobody got too possessive of anyone's time." "You mean managing the amount time the women could spend with you." "Well, yes and no. I mean, obviously, yes, there's only so much of me to go around, but I also made sure that everyone made time to get to know one another in the family, even with all of our busy lives. And we do our best to try and keep arguments from getting out of hand. It helps that there's always someone else around to try and play neutral observer. Not going to bed angry is a big deal around here, and that hasn't always been easy." "How so?" "Well, when Taylor showed up, Lauren was furious. They weren't currently together before they both came here. In fact, Lauren originally wanted me to turn Taylor away, to get her out of the house, because the breakup had gone so badly. But I sat Lauren down and talked it over with her, made sure she had time to think it all out and make a decision with a clear head, rather than out of anger, which is what she would've done if I'd taken her first opinion. At the end of the day, they've repaired that relationship, but it wasn't easy going at first." "Do you ever feel like you're going to upset one of the girls by spending too much time with another, or that you have to do or say something to keep the peace between some of them?" "My relationship with each of these women is a unique thing, and they're all very different from one another. Also, they all have relationships with each other, so when I'm not around, they have their own preferred cliques and groups." "Anyone left out?" "Not that I know of. I certainly hope not. I've tried to make sure that everyone in the house has at least a few people other than me that they feel they can go and hang out with, talk with, spend time with, so if I'm busy, which happens from time to time, there's always someone else just as important to them to talk out whatever's going on." "Can you tell me a little bit about those groups?" "Well, some are based on existing relationships. Lauren and Taylor, obviously. The same for Emily and Sarah. Aisling and Niko have been with me the longest, and have had the most time to get to know one another, so there's another group there. But Emily and Sarah also connect with Sheridan and Tala, because they all share a love of performing. Lauren and Piper connect on their athletic backgrounds, but Sheridan's an acrobat, so she can fall into that group as well. That's just the start, though. Everyone here, I think, falls into multiple groups, so nobody's limited." "And how do you determine how you distribute your sexual time evenly?" "Again, I don't know that evenly is the right word, but I suppose fairly would be a better one, because some women want more sexual time than others. Some of my partners are content just having one sexual encounter every ten days or so, but others like to make sure they're having intimate time every day or two," he said. "We actually have a chart, in one of the hallways, where we make sure every woman updates each time she's had an encounter with me that's resulted in dosing, so we don't let anyone go too long without one, because we know what happens when they do." "The people at the base were a little vague about that," she said. "I'll bet they were," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. "The longer someone goes without pairing with their imprinted partner, the more intense the need to do so gets. After around ten or eleven days, the craving can get so bad that rational thought becomes almost impossible, and the woman becomes overly sexually aggressive, to the point of basically just taking what she needs from her partner. It's something we take great strides to avoid around here. You can ask Lauren about it; she's the one who decided to test how long she could last." "And did she become overly sexually aggressive at the end of it?" "Very much so," he said, trying to hide a slight laugh of amusement. "She basically cornered me and had her way with me, not that I was complaining all that much, but still. It's a thing all women should be informed of, and I was given the impression they were telling women that when they received their treatment." "Sarah said you have four fiancees currently?" "That's right,  Aisling, Niko, Emily and Sarah." "Are you going to have more wives than that?" "I mean,” he said, trailing off. "Even that feels greedy, but I also know we're being encouraged to do this kind of thing, because of the huge amount of fatalities America's endured in the past eight months. So we'll play it by ear. Most of the women here are very new to me still, and that means there's lots to learn about each other in terms of how we integrate. I wouldn't have leaped in so fast with Sarah and Emily but they seemed so sure, and I clicked so well with them right from the start, so I decided to trust my instinct on the matter." "I have to ask you, Andy,  do you have a type? I feel like other than a few minor exceptions, all the women in your family are quite different from one another." "Physically, yeah, they're pretty different, but mentally? They're all smart, independent, capable, free spirited women. I mean, I guess I've gotten pretty lucky in that I haven't run the risk of pairing up with anyone who would be a bad fit for me. Except, I guess, my ex, but I wasn't going to let that happen." "How did that happen, anyway?" Andy shrugged. "I'm guessing that she still fell into my general type, and since she requested to be paired with me, they sent her to me, assuming I could just refuse to pair with her and send her back to the base if I had a real problem with her." "You said you found another solution for her?" "Well, she was chosen by someone else in the poker game, but the man who took her, the guy who's name I can't remember, he seemed like a good enough man, and my ex seemed happy enough to take the match, so I'm assuming they worked it out between them." "Why do I have the feeling you know the man's name but are protecting him?" "Even if I was, which I'm not saying that I am, it would be for the right reasons and not the wrong ones. I got the impression that the man was doing his best to try and get women away from men they didn't want to be with. I can't prove that, obviously, but I've learned to trust my instinct on these things, and I wouldn't want to get him in the soup for trying to do the right thing." "Well, we'll edit that part out for the show. Were there any of your partners who initially gave you concern?" "I won't lie,  I was a little nervous about both Asha and Hannah, simply because of the age gap. I mean, I'm basically their age put together, but as both women have insisted to me, they are of legal age, capable of making their own decisions, and are happy with having me as their partner. So if the age gap doesn't bother them, who am I to let it bother me? It's just taking some getting used to." "Are you ever overwhelmed with the amount of sex you're having?" He laughed at that, then started to say something, then started laughing again before finally being able to speak. "It's almost insane to say, but there are days where it can feel like a bit much, mostly because I'm trying to make everyone happy, and I don't always remember who likes what, at least not yet. I'm sure a few years down the line it'll all be second nature, but right now, I still have to ask people what they do and don't like, even when we've already had sex a dozen times, just because I want to please them, and that goes a long way." "You said you weren't kink shaming anyone. Were you kink shamed before all of this?" "Oh sure," he said. "I have a love of dirty talk, and not everyone's into that kind of thing, and I get it. Different strokes for different folks. But we do our best and try and lean into everyone's kink at least a little bit. Some just take more getting used to than others." "Who would you say has been the hardest to adjust to?" "Nicolette, hands down," he laughed. "It's not that I'm incapable of being a dominant person; it's just not something that comes naturally to me. When we first met, and she insisted on calling me Master, that just felt odd for a while, but the last time she and I had a session together, she seemed incredibly satisfied that I'd gotten my groove with what she wanted from me. And her friend Whitney, who we inducted into the family yesterday, has similar tastes, so the two can work together to make sure I'm satisfying both of them." "Who would you say came most naturally?" "Ash, easily. We clicked immediately, and she was that perfect blend of aggressive and coy that hit all my triggers right away. All four of my fiancees, though, I have incredibly strong rapports with, so don't let me imply that I'm selling any of them short." "I don't really have time to interview them all today, so who do you think I should do one on ones with?" "Well, you should definitely interview Sarah and Emily together, as they want to make sure people understand they chose this, but also that they were a couple before any of this even started, and I know Emily wants to drive home the point that just because a woman is imprinted to a man doesn't mean she's giving up her independence or her identity, and that she certainly doesn't have to be submissive to a man if she doesn't want to." "Yes, I'd planned to talk to both of them together. I probably have time for two or three others before we do the final group interview and before you get the footage of Tala being imprinted. Thank you again for that. The base said we would obviously need to get someone's permission to show that kind of thing." "You should definitely take some time and talk with Ash, since she's certainly got the most experience at watching all of this out of anyone. She's been imprinted the longest of anyone you're likely to meet, so she has a very unique perspective on it all. It might help if you had Niko in that room as well, just because the two of them bounce off one another very well, and would help fill in some gaps for each other. And that would probably make a good link to your footage of Niko from the base." "Excellent, excellent. And one more." "I would say either take Hannah and Asha together as the last interview, or maybe interview Tala, although she's likely to be a little fidgety for the interview." "Oh? Why's that?" Andy smirked a little bit. "Well, we don't kink shame in this house, so, Tala's personal kink is to feel that sort intense sexual need someone gets from edging before getting their dosage. So she actually started the priming process for imprinting yesterday, but hasn't been imprinted yet. That's something it's not recommended you do, but it hasn't hit her too hard. We had an accident with that before, where Nicolette gave Sheridan a bit of my cum that she had stored, hoping it would take the edge off, and didn't realize it started the priming process. It was on a very chaotic day, so we found Sheridan in her room several hours later, her whole body burning up with need, having masturbated unsuccessfully for at least a few hours. It wasn't a smart thing to do, but Nicolette didn't know better and was just trying to help Sheridan. She's fine now, obviously, but it was a scary day, where Sheridan felt like her body was betraying her. Tala went into it knowing how it was going to feel, and is managing it better than Sheridan was, but I think that's because Tala wanted it to be." "Do you mind if I show the footage I'm not going to air to the President and the Joint Chiefs?" "To the President, no, but I would prefer you not show it to the Joint Chiefs, simply because that offers me at least a little anonymity. While I want to help, I also don't want to needlessly risk the lives of my family. Is that acceptable to you?" "I can agree to that, I suppose," she said. "Is there anything else I should know before we wrap up our interview?" "Did the base cover the changes that men encounter as a result of the treatment?" "Not extensively?" He grinned. "Well, I do think it's important that someone tell you that the longer men are exposed to the treatment, the more short their refractory period becomes and the more semen their testicles generate, so men shouldn't be worried about not being able to keep up. Their bodies will adapt. Just be open and transparent about what does and doesn't turn you on, and people should do fine. I mean, I have my suspicions that the brain post treatment is generating more mood stabilizing hormones, but I can't prove that for certain. I know I've certainly felt better than I have for years, but that could also just be the result of all the exercise I'm getting from all the sex I'm having, so, hard to say, but that's my theory anyway." "What's the biggest fight you've had with a partner since this all started?" He sighed, shrugging a little. "It all tends to blend together. I was pretty angry when Niko volunteered me for the poker game, but after I found out why, I understood, even if I still wasn't thrilled with the whole thing. But at some point, you have to learn to accept there's going to be little hiccups along the way. What's that maxim? Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's almost all small stuff." "I appreciate you being honest with me about the whole poker game, Mr. Rook," she said to him. "If I'm honest, I was expecting you to try and dodge the question." "What Covington's doing is horrible, and the only reason I went into that game at all was to try and save one of my partner's friends. I'm just more surprised you knew about it, since I would've figured Covington would have wanted to keep it quiet." "Maybe Rachel was acting on her own accord?" "Then why try and paint me as the person organizing it?" He shook his head. "Not likely. Anyway, if you can do me the favor and leave at least a little of me talking about the Druid Gunslinger books in the segment, that'll make us even. My agent would kill me if I wasn't trying to push for it, at least a little." "Sure, I'm okay making that exchange. Why don't I take ten to freshen up, then I'll meet Emily and Sarah in their office and start their interview?" "Sounds good," he said, shaking her hand. "I'll see you again later this afternoon." Andy took off the mic pack and then headed out of the room, moving upstairs to the master bedroom, where he expected to find most of the girls hanging out, which was where he found them. "How did it go, love?" Emily said to him, as she and Sarah walked over to him. "They know about the poker game." The girls' faces fell, and Emily looked panicked. "What do you mean?" For the next few minutes, Andy related to them what he'd just told Katie Couric, and how Ms. Couric had agreed to keep it all private between them, but was going to take it to the President, which put the two actresses at ease especially. "Is she going to ask us about it?" Sarah asked him. "I don't think so, but I can't be certain," he told her. "I think she's mostly going to focus on the relationship you two had before you got here, and how you decided to both come and join me, so however you want to spin that, I think she'll mostly go along with the story." "So other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?" Niko joked. "How do you think it went?" "Pretty well? I think?" He wasn't entirely sure. As he expected for a reporter of her caliber, she had a remarkable poker face, and he wasn't entirely certain how she was going to use what they'd talked about. "She seemed to get the impression that I was the one holding the poker game at first, but I dissuaded her of that notion quickly." "Who the hell gave her such a stupid idea?" Em asked. "One of Covington's partners, Rachel." "Oh that bitch," Niko fumed. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted her." "She was probably doing it on Covington's explicit orders," Andy said. "One of the things that Ms. Couric suggested is that maybe Veronica's death wasn't an accident, and that maybe Covington had a hand in it. I hadn't even considered it before she said it, but it made total sense after she did." One of the producers knocked on the door and then peeked her head into the bedroom. "Ms. Stevens? Ms. Washington? We're ready for you down in your office." "We will be down in just a moment," Emily said. "Thank you." The producer ducked back out, as Emily and Sarah moved to share a hug with Andy. "You're certain we will be alright, Andrew?" "If you aren't, Katie Couric'll answer to me," he laughed. "Now go get'em." Emily and Sarah released him, took each others' hand, then headed out of the bedroom towards the stairs to take them to their office on the floor below. Ash moved over to give him a long hug, snuggling her face into his shoulder for a moment before looking up at him. "Should we be worried about Covington?" "Not any more now than usually, so yes?" he grumbled. "Tala, how are you feeling? Regretting taking that early lick yesterday?" "Not regretting it at all, babe," she said with a laugh, "although if I said I wasn't feeling it, I'd definitely be lying. I feel like I've had too much sugar or caffeine, this sort of jittery buzz that makes it hard to sit still." "An itch?" Sheridan said with a laugh. "Exactly, babe, and you know just where," Tala replied, winking. "Not too much longer before you're imprinting me, yeah?" "Couple of hours, give or take." "Fab," she said, "I should be just about fully marinaded by then." For the next hour or so, Andy kept himself busy and tried to ignore the crews, although they mostly kept within Emily and Sarah's office. As tempted as he was to go and peep on their interview, he respected the two women far too much for that, and decided to just let them be. About an hour later, Sarah came to find him in his office, where he'd been doing some initial edits on the most recent draft of 'The Fatal Solstice,' and took his laptop from his lap, setting it aside. After that, before she'd even said a word to him, she slid down into his lap, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him tenderly. "You totally don't need to worry, Andy," she said to him. "It went very smoothly, and I'm sure we made you look like a champ." He leaned his head against hers a bit, letting out a relieved sigh. "Who're they talking to next?" "Ash and Niko. Katie thought it would be best to get a woman's perspective who's been imprinted since the first week the program was rolled out." "Holy shit," he said, "I didn't realize she was that early in the queue." "Seems like. We agreed to let them use our little studio for that interview as well, but they said to make sure and get everyone together again for the pick up group interview. They said they only have a couple of questions, but want to get everyone together for it." She took her hand and smoothed it over his shaved head affectionately. "You square?" "Just a little taken aback by the poker game getting talked about. It isn't exactly something I was expecting to be brought up, but I guess it's okay that it's out to a few people if it means that can put a stop to them." She leaned down and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his head before she slid off his lap and pulled him to his feet. "Let's just hope Covington doesn't do something stupid." "Yeah, well, hope in one hand, shit in the other, see which fills up first." "I thought you weren't into coprophilia," she teased. "I'm not even going to ask why you know what the name of that philia is," he laughed. "But no, I'm most definitely not into that kind of thing." The two spent most of the hour talking through her feedback on the new book, her offering minor suggestions in a way that not only was helpful, but felt insightful. No major changes, but tiny tweaks here and there that would really tighten everything up. Before they knew it, Ash had come to find them to bring them down to the big room again, for their second group interview, which felt more like a formality, really, a chance for them to do some pick up shots, and follow up on the fact that Andy was officially engaged to four women, and that this was not only going to be legal, but encouraged under the new laws. He had expected a more indepth series of second round questions, but mostly it was simple fill ins, and a few clarifying questions. Within half an hour or so, they were done, and Katie Couric was thanking them all, Niko especially, for helping establish a single narrative thread they could follow through the entire process, as well as reiterating how brave she was, volunteering what her experiences had been like in the process of getting imprinted. Andy found himself wondering a little bit what exactly Ash and Niko had said during their private interview with the journalist, but trusted they knew what they were doing. "So all that's left is the footage of the imprinting actually happening," Katie said, as the producers were starting to pack up all the camera gear. "I understand Skip walked you through the camera set up, Ms. Stevens?" "I think we're past 'Ms. Stevens' at this point, don't you think, Katie?" Emily said to her with a soft laugh. "And yes, Skip was very helpful in answering my questions about a few key differences, but it's not all that different than the camera we have in our office, except of course for the audio set up. He did walk me through it quite well, though." "Great," she said. "I'll have them set it up in your bedroom, and you will have total control over framing, lighting, so on. I understand you've got your own editing bay here on site?" "We have been getting prepared for auditions and the like in our little studio, so yes, if there's anything we need to cut out or prune off, we will do so before we pass the footage off to you in the morning. When should we expect someone to come by?" "I was actually going to ask if we could pick up the footage and the camera later this evening," she said. "I know it's not what we originally agreed upon, but I want us to be heading back to the studio and starting to put all this together on the last flight out tonight, if at all possible." "That's really up to Andy, I think," Em said. "No, it's mostly up to Tala, let's be real," Andy said with a smirk. "I'm ready now now," Tala said, a nervous titter of laughter rolling from her lips. "I know I was all Billy Badass about being able to wait, but it's getting pretty real, dude, and, like, the faster we get up to the bedroom, I think the better off I'm gonna be, obv." "Then why don't I head upstairs with a Tala and Em and a couple of the others, and you can circle back in an hour or two for the footage," Andy told Katie. "Sound good?" "Excellent Mr. Rook, thank you once again for being so charitable, and for being so transparent about the less savory aspects of the new world you've endured." Sarah bounded over with a stack of Andy's books, one of every book in the series, all of which he'd autographed earlier in the day, and handed them to Katie Couric. "It might not be your speed, but hey, give them a read and maybe you'll fall in love with the story as much as I have," she said to the reporter. "Just the story, though," Katie said with a grin. "I already have a husband." "I wouldn't share him with you anyway, girl," Sarah chuckled, leaning down to kiss Katie on the cheek. "I think you'll really like them though." Katie scooped up the stack of books and smiled. "Thanks again, to all of you. My producer will be back in two hours to pick up the footage, the camera and the mic. I truly appreciate you being willing to share that moment with the world, Tala. It should put a lot of people's minds at ease." "Hey, Imma have a more famous sex face than Linda Lovelace," Tala said with a wink. "I can learn to live with that." "You should call your next band Sex Face, Tala," Niko said, nudging her. "OMG, I should totally call my next band Sex Face!" Tala cackled. "Anyhoo, shoo. I've got a man to get bonded to." She grabbed Andy with one hand, Emily with the other, and started leading them out of the room, heading towards the stairwell. "So who do you want around for this, Tala?" Andy said, as they started up the stairs. "Well, you and Emily, totes obvs, but my Sherbear's gonna be around as well," Tala said. "I never even asked you if you were into women as well as men," he said, a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought to bring it up before now. "Mostly dudes, well, dude singular now I s'pose, but having a bit of playtime with the girls now and again can be fun, so I'll experiment from time to time, see what feels right." "Don't forget, you're also going to imprint Jade after you're finished with Tala," Em told him. "Oh, sure sure," Tala said, "she can come up to the room as well, and she can bring Lauren with her, since I know that'll make her feel more comfortable. Honestly, whoever wants to come and hang around for it can. I totes don't care that much." "Well, too many people and it becomes harder to catch the audio of it," Em said. "Most of the audio's gonna be unairable," Tala giggled, "but I'll clean up my mouth right before he and I pop." As they reached the top of the stairs, she stopped, turned and pulled Andy down for a soft kiss, looking up at him with eyes that showed the only sign of nervousness he'd seen from the brazen Persian woman so far. "In case it hasn't sunk through your thick skull, doll, I am very grateful that you took me in and are willing to take a chance on me. I know I'm a bit more thicc than the other girls in the house, but variety is the spice of life, and Imma love you like no other." He smiled at her, his hand stroking her face a little. "As long as we make each other happy most of the time, Tala, that's all anyone can ask for." "Imma be more happy once I get my Vitamin D, if you know what I'm sayin'," she giggled, turning to walk towards the bedroom again. "She's a vixen that one," Emily whispered into his ear, nibbling on it a little. "Spicy. I like it." They headed into the bedroom, and Emily moved over to the camera, which had already been set up by the newsteam before they'd left. Em made to sure test the lighting and the sound, however, while other people slowly filtered into the room, Lauren and Jade, as well as Sheridan and Ash. "It's your first time, Tala," he said, "and I always want to make sure everyone's first time is exactly how they want it. So how do you want to do this?" "Mmm, I mostly just want you to lay there," she said, kicking off her shoes. "Let me set the pace, let me control the tempo, let me have a ride." She pulled her shirt off, tossing it aside, leaving her in a sports bra and her jeans. "I'm both a top and a bottom, babe, but this time, we need to make sure my face is in shot for it, and as happy as I am for that to happen, I don't really feel like giving the world a peekaboo of my tits. That's just for fam." She unbuttoned her jeans and slowly unzipped them, shimmying them down over her hips. Tala certainly was curvier than almost anyone else in the household, with a slightly paunchy belly, but she somehow made it look cute. The sports bra was certainly doing hard work, as the extra pounds had certainly enhanced both her bust and her ass. "So that means doggie is out, and on my back gets a bit dicey as well," she said with a smirk. "But if I'm atop you, then Em can frame my face just right." "We may need to have a couple of people hold you up at the very end," Emily said, "so when you pass out, the camera can still have a few seconds of your face while you're beginning the imprinting process." "Good looking out," Tala said as she pointed at Emily. "Sher, I know you got me on this, right?" "You know it." "Jade? You want in for the other side?" The blonde licked her lips a little bit, then nodded, saying nothing. "A'ight then, c'mon girl." Tala glanced over at Andy then cocked her head to one side quizzically. "You gonna make me beg for it, or are you gonna get undressed so we can get to this?" He laughed a little, waving a hand as he sat down on the edge of the bed and unzipped his shoes, then slid them off. He had these tactical boots he loved to wear, and the fact that they had zippers on them meant they were always snug. After shucking those, he unbuttoned the shirt and tossed it over towards the incredibly large dirty clothes hamper the room had, standing up again to unbutton his jeans, unzipping them. "Umm hmm hmm,” Tala said. "I know I've seen it a couple of times already, but damn if you aren't a mighty fine lookin' man." She pulled her sports bra up and over her head, as her mammoth tits slipped free of it, giant mounds of soft flesh capped with almost chocolate colored nipples. "These puppies are gonna do some bouncing today," she said, feeling one up, whether for her own gratification or to get Andy's engine revved up, it was hard to tell. He slipped out of his boxers and then moved up to lay down on the bed. It seemed like all of his sexual activity today was apparently going to be done on his back, he thought to himself, between Fiona and Moira riding him earlier and Tala riding him now. He wondered if Jade would just want to keep him on his back for her turn afterwards, although he assumed he was going to take a shower in between. "Let me just get a couple of pillows lined up here," he said, adjusting so that he was where he thought he needed to be for Tala to hit her mark. "Excellent, love," Emily said. "Now whenever our star is ready,” Tala slipped off her thong, and Andy saw her completely naked for the first time, her cunt shaven clean except for a small rectangle of black pubes high above it, her hips sashaying as she strode over to the bed with as much confidence as he had expected. "How's your head?" he asked her. "Still clear or is it getting harder t  " She cut him off by leaning down and kissing him hard, her hand on his chest practically pinning him down on the bed, as she slowly brought one knee up, then the other, moving to crawl atop of him, her tongue not giving him a chance to finish that sentence for at least a minute, her calloused fingertips dragging down his chest with firm intent. Tala pulled her lips back from his, as she smirked down at him. "Regretting this yet?" "Not even a little," he shot back. "You?" "Nuh uh," she replied. "I kinda wish I could've held out longer, but my cunt feels like I'm smuggling a space heater in it right now, and I think if I tried to hold out much longer, I wouldn't be able to say much." Her hips were grinding against his, his cock not lined up yet, not inside of her, like she was trying to tease them both just a little bit longer. "You don't have to say much if you don't want to, Tala." "Oh but I so very much want to, Andy," she purred at him. "I talked a bit with Sher about what gets you off, and she told me you love a dirty mouth, so I am gonna be one sweary slut for you." She kissed his nose, almost like the look on his face amused her. "I'm gonna shove your cock so deep in my snatch that you're gonna wonder if you're tapping my lungs. Gonna smack my ass down on your thighs and bounce on this glorious cock so hard, we're gonna test if this bed's strong enough. And if I break it? Well, then I'll just have to build a new one for the room, one done properly, one built to handle the sort of good hard fuckings this family is always gonna be up to." He could feel her hand reaching down to grab his shaft, stroking it just a little, but mostly guiding it to get into position. "Normally I tell someone it's their last chance to back out right before they do this, but you started the priming yesterday, which means you couldn't back out now if you wanted to," he said to her. "Does This" she said, slamming her hips down onto his cock, impaling herself until he was hilt deep inside of her cunt, "feel like I want to back out? Fuck no. You feel so fucking good inside of me, I don't even want to fucking move." She giggled a little bit, her eyes looking defocused for a second. "Oh that feels so fucking dope,”

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 17 Andy has his interview for primetime. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.   It turned out that a dozen women all getting ready for television appearances was, in fact, a major operation. The master bathroom was large enough that four of the girls could use the mirror at the same time, but beyond that, they had to party up with "prep buddies," each making sure they were getting themselves ready as well as their prep buddy. Andy was, of course, ready long before anyone else was, even with Emily, Sarah, Ash and Niko sharing him in the shower. He left the four of them in there, although they emerged not long after, each running a hair dryer while they applied their make up and got into their outfits. He was glad to escape the bathroom as early as he did. The girls were in go mode now, and the last thing he wanted to do was get in anyone's way, so he took the time to prep the house. The house had a large empty room that seemed like it was meant to be used as a ballroom. They'd used it as their poker room on and off, but it was also just a nice place where lots of people could stand around and talk. It also had French windows opening into the garden, so the lighting of the room was excellent. Andy figured it would be the best place for the group interviews to take place. Katie and Nicolette helped him get enough chairs for everyone into the room, while Jenny was prepping a large lunch for all of them, a massive batch of jambalaya, so they would have a bit of leftovers in case the 60 Minutes crew arrived hungry. They were scheduled to arrive at one in the afternoon, and had asked them not to make plans into the evening, so clearly the interviews would take as long as they took. Nicolette had been doing cleaning a bit at a time for the last two weeks, so the only thing that really needed to get a major touch up was Andy's writing room, which the 60 Minutes people had asked to use for their one on one interviews, something he'd agreed to, although he was going to lock his laptop away before they arrived. He didn't imagine they'd want to steal his writing, but he was notoriously paranoid when it came to that sort of thing. The cats seemed extremely confused by all the hustle and bustle, but also seemed content to just rub up against the leg of whoever was closest, and follow people around when it seemed like they were going from one place to another. Andy also took time to check in with both Tala and Jade, making sure they doing okay and still on board with talking to 60 Minutes, something he was glad he did. Tala, as expected, was starting to feel the mental itch from having been primed the day before but not yet imprinted, though she was handling it far better than Sheridan had, even if she wasn't as far along with it. She said she'd never felt quite so sexually frustrated before, but that it was a great feeling to have, and that she enjoyed her body acting with wills and wants of its own. Jade had news for him as well. "I want you to imprint me as soon as you're done imprinting Tala, Andy," the bubbly blonde said to him. "And I want you to record it. Not for 60 Minutes, though, but for my father. He has tried to control me my entire life, and I'm just friggin' sick of it, so I want him to see that his dang control is broken, and that I'm giving that control to another man, a better man. So you can use my phone to make the video of it, and I don't care what it shows and what it doesn't, as long as he sees my face when I'm taking that orgasm, when I'm starting that imprinting process, so he knows that he can't push me around any more." She'd been talking with a sort of intensity that he'd never seen from her before, and he let her finish. When she stopped talking, it was almost as thought it dawned on her how forcefully she'd been lecturing him on what to do. "That's, that's okay, right?" "You're sure about this, Jade?" he said, taking her hand in his own. "I'm sure he's done some rough things over the years, but he's still your father, and you want to be careful not to do anything you'll come to regret." "The only thing I regret is being that asshole's daughter," she said, wrath in her voice. "I know it's a lot to ask, especially since I'll be sucking you off, which means that it'll be hard not to get your cock at least a little in the shot, but it's important to me, okay? I'm, I'm reclaiming a part of myself that bastard's taken from me. So you asked me earlier what I wanted, and that's what I want. And I want him to see it while I'm imprinting, so there's no way he can talk to me about it." He nodded. "Alright then. You can change your mind at any time between now and then, but if you don't, then that's what we'll do, just for your father, just at your request. Although, you probably also want to record a message for him to go along with it before hand, so he's not just randomly getting that video without any context." She bristled in mirth, nodding quickly. "Good point. I'll record that on my phone after lunch." "Or during the time they're doing one on one interviews with anyone else. I know they're planning on doing smaller interviews, one with Emily and Sarah and one with just me, but I don't know who else they're going to want to talk to." "If they want to talk to me, they can, and if the 49ers organization has a problem with it, well, the heck with them, I don't have to continue being a cheerleader for them anymore." "Give it some thought. You've still got time." By lunchtime, everyone was ready except for the staff, who'd gone to get themselves ready once lunch had been served. Nobody was sure if the 60 Minutes crew would want to talk to them, but Andy felt it best to make sure that anyone who was willing to have a conversation with Katie Couric was in a state where they could. Nicolette had said she didn't care one way or another, and while Katie wasn't thrilled about the idea of being interviewed, she agreed that if Katie Couric wanted to talk to the two of them, she and Jenny would make themselves available for it. Over the course of lunch, it was clear the girls were doing everything they could to keep Andy's mind off the interview, as the family got to know both Tala and Jade better, while Whitney was still in Nicolette's chambers, in the middle of the imprinting process, and Fiona and Moira were in the early stages of it in the master bedroom. Tala had decided that her first project, once she got her workshop set up in the poolhouse, was going to be to make Andy a puzzle desk of his very own, and once that idea had been voiced, all the girls had thoughts and ideas on things to incorporate, with Sarah filling in suggestions based on his books, and Aisling filling in suggestions based on his life. Niko thought it should also incorporate all the girls' names, so that he might have a better time remembering everyone, which made everybody laugh, simply because the family had indeed grown so large. They were just finishing cleaning up after lunch when the doorbell rang, and Andy's heart felt like it stopped just a little. Ash poked him with a smile. "It's just the media, babes," she teased. "You'll do fine. Go say hi." He headed up from the dining room and down to the front door, where Nicolette was standing in the doorway, greeting the visitors. Standing in the doorway was Katie Couric, one of the best known journalists in America, with a couple of crew members behind her. "Hey, Ms. Couric," he said to her as he approached. "Welcome to my home." He held out his hand and she seemed thankful for the normalcy of shaking hands. "Please, Mr. Rook, call me Katie," she said, "and thank you for inviting us for the interview. I know the President's office had something to do with it, but you could have said no if you didn't want to. Having a couple of famous faces like Miss Stevens and Miss Washington selling the new normal will help the general population of the nation make more sense out of this tragic new normal." "Well, I'll call you Katie if you'll call me Andy," he said. "How's your tour of New Eden been so far? Niko mentioned you did a short interview with her at the base, although you mostly just talked with Dr. Varma and my boy Phil." "You're friends with Mr. Marcos?" she said. "Is that how you got in here?" "Well, there's a story behind that. I can tell you now, but I suspect you'd rather get it down on camera. It's not all that long a story, nor is it really that interesting. I suspect Phil's story was a lot more engaging than mine will be." "Did you get your writing room all set up for our interview?" "I did," he said, "and we also set up our ballroom with chairs, so you can talk to all of us together first. I know Em and Sarah are willing to talk to you either in their little studio, or you can use my writing study instead. It's up to you." "I'll have my team take a look at both locations while we're getting set up in the ballroom. Is everyone in the house willing to take part in the interviews?" "Two of my partners have chosen not to take part, simply because they aren't sure how their employers would react to it, but everyone else in the house is willing to chat," he said, as he felt a hand sliding onto his shoulder. He turned around to see Lauren standing behind him. "Actually, Andy, Sheridan and I have decided we're going to do it anyway, and if the Niners or the people at Cirque have a problem with it, fuck'em, we'll sue their asses into the ground," the tall blonde Aussie told him. "If this is gonna be the new normal, pretendin' like it's not is just as bad as sayin' it ain't, so we'll be there." "You're sure, Lauren?" he asked her, smoothing his hand over her hip, knowing it usually soothed her nervous when she was wound up. She placed her hand over his and gave it a soft squeeze, smiling at him. "Yeh, 'sides I dunno how much of management's gone at this point already. You gambled with us, so let us have a turn at the plow fer a change." He leaned up and kissed her softly. "Well, I've known you long enough, hon, to know if your mind's made up, there's no point in trying to talk you out of it." Andy glanced back at Katie Couric, shrugging. "Guess you get your pick of the litter then." Behind her, the crew had started ferrying in lights, tripods and camera equipment. While Andy had thought he'd only seen two additional people at first, it turned out Katie Couric traveled with a crew of nine, and there had been a second and third S U V behind the van that he hadn't seen. It felt a little like his house was being invaded, but he did his best to not get in anyone's way, as Nicolette started to lead a producer away, to show her where both Andy's writing room and the actresses' little studio were located. "C'mon, I'll take you down to the ballroom, and we can get settled there," he said, starting to lead Katie and her two companions down the hallway. One of them, Geraldine Amato, was the unit's head producer, and the other, Poppy Delgato, was the lead camera woman. "Was your crew mostly women before the plague hit?" "Mostly," she said, "although I've got a couple of men in here as well, and thankfully, they've been given the treatment via their wives. My husband has been getting it through myself as well, for about a month now." "I'm a little surprised they let your whole crew into New Eden," he said, as they headed down the stairs to the lower level. "They've been fairly paranoid about letting people in, I've been told, so I imagine you had to quarantine for a little bit after you got here." "We did," she said, stopping to look at one of the promotional posters on the wall, this one in particular for "The Trouble With Werebears." She glanced over at him with that winning smile she loved flashing on the news regularly. "In fact, Geraldine here's now sharing my husband with me, because she didn't have anyone before hand, and needed someone she could count on to be around while doing her job." She reached up and tapped at the words 'New York Times Bestselling Author' on the poster. "It says here you're a bestselling author, but I have to admit that before preparing for this interview, I'd never heard of you." He shrugged with a little smile. "There's leagues of difference between a Bestselling Fiction author and a Bestselling Genre Fiction author, I'm afraid. When you're talking non genre, you're talking hundreds of thousands of copies, but for genre, well, drop a zero off there, so if you're not into urban fantasy, I won't take it as a slight. Jim Butcher, who's probably the most popular of us working in the field, only sold a couple hundred thousand copies for his most recent Dresden Files book, and that series has a huge following, far bigger than my little corner. Hell, I think the reason a publisher finally took a gamble on me was that I was playing in a similar wheelhouse and they were hoping to piggyback off his success." "E. F. Winston is a genre writer, but her books have sold in the hundreds of millions," Katie countered. "So clearly there are breakout stars." "Ah, but those are young adult books, and the teen fiction genre has a handful of crossover success that never seemed to roll over into other things in our genres," he sighed. "The Dagger Academy books were definitely science fiction, but you didn't see a spike in sales for people like John Scalzi or William Gibson when those books took off, did you? The same for those Harry Potter books. Sold by the truckload, and yet, did many of those kids go and read works from Roger Zelazny, Fred Saberhagen, Emma Bull, Terry Pratchett, Steven Brust, Simon R. Green or any of the other massively prolific fantasy masterminds we've had working for decades? No, we're not all that different than any other form of entertainment,  everyone's just hoping that they get one big bite from the apple at some point during their career." "But I heard they're making a movie based on your books?" "Well, when two high profile actresses are willing to sign onto a project, that goes a long way into pushing it out of Movie Hell," he laughed. "The option had been signed years before that, but once Sarah and Emily expressed interest in playing supporting roles, well, that got the whole thing into turnaround quite quickly. It's like the screenwriter William Goldman always said, 'Nobody in Hollywood knows anything.'" Andy shrugged a little bit as they entered the ballroom. "Besides, I figured you'd want to get all this out during the on camera interview." "Oh, we'll go over it again then, but it doesn't hurt to do a little pre camera screening, just so I know what kinds of things you're likely to say, so I can facilitate the conversation in moving in the right directions," she said. "You've been interviewed several times before. Hasn't anyone ever done that?" "Nope," he said, moving to sit in one of the chairs in the front row. "But then again, I've never been interviewed for television before." They'd originally set up the 17 chairs as one chair facing two rows of eight, but Geraldine started moving the two rows of eight into four staggered rows of four. "We'll bring in some risers, so we can get everyone into one big shot," Geraldine told Katie. Poppy nodded. "We'll need to set up four cameras in here," she said, as she started to help Geraldine block out the room. "One for the group shot, one for Katie, one for Andy and one to rove to whoever's answering questions in the group setting. We can use fixed cameras for the first three, and I'll manage the fourth. We'll have them all rolling all the time and you can just pick and choose what you want in the editing room." "How do you want to order them, Katie?" Geraldine asked her. "Well, Andy here in the front corner, then Niko, the woman we interviewed yesterday next to him. That'll be our link between the segments. Then Sarah and Emily next to her, because star power up front. Beyond that, we can figure it out." "I'd like to insist Aisling, my first partner, be up front with me," he said, just as Ash was walking into the room, along with Emily. "The balance might be a little weird," Poppy frowned. "No no," Geraldine, "we can make that work. We'll just do five in front and three in the top row, so we frame Andy in the center, with Niko and Aisling on one side, Emily and Sarah on the other." "Good," Katie said, "that reinforces the whole 'large family' front and forward as our first visual cue, so that the viewer has to confront it right away. Does that work for you?" she said, asking Andy his opinion for the first time. "That'll work," he replied. "You can even put the three staff at the back, since they're willing to be here for this, but aren't likely to volunteer much in the way of answers." "Jenny and Katie, er, Kate might not, Master," Nicolette said, entering the room with the rest of Katie Couric's crew in tow, "but I'm certainly planning on speaking my mind given a chance, because I don't want people to be given the wrong idea." "What's the wrong idea?" Katie asked, tilting her head just a little bit. "That we're here involuntarily, or that this isn't what we wanted, or, hell, even that Master Rook here wouldn't let us change if we wanted," the French maid teased. "You know if I had a nickel for every time he's sort of reminded me I don't have to call him Master, and I've had to remind him that I like calling him Master, well, I could enjoy a nice two week stay in the Bahamas, once it's opened up again. In fact, little secret, every time he reminds me of it lately, I've just gone out of my way to say it even more, so I can watch him blush." "I think you like watching him blush," Ash said, moving to close in around Andy. "Katie Couric," Andy said, "this is my first partner, Ash Blake, and I'm sure you've probably already met Emily Stevens." Katie made it a point to shake Ash's hand first. "A pleasure, Miss Blake." She then turned to Emily, taking the tiny blonde's hand and shaking it as well. "I've actually interviewed you before, Miss Stevens, although I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember. You seemed quite busy on that press junket, and I know they were just wheeling journalists in and out for you." "I keep a diary of anyone who's interviewing me, Ms. Couric," Em said, a wry grin on her face, "so I assure you, I remember the interview quite well. Any surprises we should be wary of?" "Oh, I've always got a few things planned to lighten up an interview," the journalist said, somewhat evasively. "It's not like I'm interviewing Vladimir Putin or anything. You're not going to have me murdered for a question you don't like." "Well," the Brit said, "I still wouldn't anger Sarah too much. She's, excitable, and prone to fits of exaggeration." "I'm fairly certain she's never poisoned anyone to win a role, Em," Andy said to her. Emily clicked her tongue in amusement. "Let's not be too hasty with that judgment, Andy. Anyway, shall I round everyone up and we can get started?" "Yes, I think my team will be ready to start in about twenty minutes, so if you can get everyone together, that would be excellent." By the time all the girls were in the ballroom, risers had been placed under the seats, the lights and sound were set up, a boom microphone used to cover the majority of the girls, although clip on mics were used for Katie and Andy. They also had a handheld microphone that the girls could pass around if anyone wanted to give a detailed answer. They were structured as had been discussed, with Niko and Aisling to Andy's left in the front row, and Emily and Sarah to his right. Behind them, Lauren, Taylor, Sheridan and Piper sat. The third row had Asha, Hannah, Tala and Jade. In the back row sat the staff, Kate (his Katie), Jenny and Nicolette. All of the fiancees were up front, and everyone else was sat in order of arrival, with the exception of the staff, who were at the back, at their own request. It felt right that Ash was on one side of him and Emily was on the other, as if the two of them wanted to be close in case he needed support. It wasn't until Andy saw it framed up in the monitor as they were showing Katie that it dawned on him just how big his household was growing, and even still, he knew there were already three more in the house not in this shot. He was always aware of how big his family was, but seeing everyone together in one single framing shot, it really drove the size of it home, and it felt huge. "Okay, Andy, let's start with how you telling us a little bit about yourself and how you got here." For the next few minutes, Andy gave the shortest possible version of his bio, how he'd moved to California a decade and a half ago, his writing for the Silicon Valley companies, as well as his novels, which transitioned nicely into him talking about how he got his vaunted level 5 status, regaling 60 Minutes with the story of how the guy who'd come to test them, Dave, had been a big fan and given he and his then roommate Eric level 5 status as a return gift for Andy having given him an advanced copy of his next novel. "I hope I'm not getting Dave in any trouble by telling that story," he finished. "No no, each member of the initial Bay Area team was given five level 5 statuses to give away as they saw fit," Katie Couric told him. "Most of them just gave them to friends or family, but Dr. David Straussman hadn't used any of his until he met you, and there were no rules on who he could or couldn't give them to, so that's fine." "Straussman," Andy repeated. "Huh. You know, I didn't even know his last name until right now. I hope he's doing okay." "He's doing quite well," Niko said. "I see him every so often wandering around the base." "So Andy," Katie said, bringing them back on task, "how did you fill out the form you were given with the testing process?" "Well," Andy said, "Dave stressed to us when he gave us the link that we should be honest, and to answer the questions knowing we wouldn't be judged for our responses. I don't actually remember a lot of it, because it was a very long questionnaire, like, ridiculously thorough. But I suppose what you're getting at is what key things do I remember answering." "Yes, that's what I'm asking." "There were definitely questions about my sexual preferences, like, a lot of those, but there were also basic demographic questions about what range of people I felt comfortable dating, was I into women, men or both, and how did I feel about polyamory." "Did that surprise you?" she asked him. "Sure, but not as much as I expect it probably shocked people back in the Midwest. It's not what I would call common place around here, but you see it mentioned often enough in people's online dating profiles that most people have at least some awareness of it here in the Bay." "And how did you answer the polyamory question?" "I actually put 'no preference,' but you have to remember, to some extent when this started, we thought this was all some temporary thing, and we certainly didn't know that the casualties to men in America were going to be as high as they were," Andy said, sighing a little bit, Ash taking his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Do you remember what ages you put that you would be comfortable with?" "The low end was set to 18, and I didn't adjust it, and I set the high end to 35. I suspected no one younger than their mid twenties would be interested in me, so the low end didn't really matter." "You can start to see how his mind works," Hannah teased, "and how he just misses things sometimes." That let the girls have a soft laugh, releasing a little bit of the tension. "Were there any things that you said were absolute deal breakers?" Katie asked. "Just two," Andy admitted. "Must not be allergic to cats, and must not smoke, although we ended up with someone who vapes." "And who is that?" "That'd be me," Sheridan said, "but I'm working on quitting, so, it's a stopgap on the way to that. And it's been much easier stepping down from that than it was stepping to that from smoking." "Who showed up first?" "Aisling showed up I think it was actually the very next day," Andy said. "I was a little surprised how quickly everything moved. Usually anything the government's managing is a total clusterfuck, but I think since we were basically right by the site where the treatment was developed, they were rushing it out in order to keep as many people safe as they could." "Aisling, let me ask you Aisling, was Andy the sort of man you dreamed about ending up with when you entered into the process?" "At first, my head was a little clouded, because the process when it started wasn't as refined as it is now, so when I met Andy, my mind was a little fogged up with lust, but he ticked all the boxes of what I wanted out of a man. He didn't look exactly like I expected him to, but yeah, within a couple of days, I knew I loved him pretty hard. Still do." "Would he have been the kind of person you would've gravitated to in a bar?" Katie asked her. "I would've thought he was cute, but I was horrible at dating, and only had a couple'a boyfriends before him, so I'm a bad judge of character for that sort of question." "How many of you would've approached Andy in a bar?" Katie asked the group of them. Andy chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Be honest." Sarah put her hand up immediately, and Tala raised her hand as well, as the rest of the group giggled a little bit. "As progressive as we all like to think we are, Katie," Niko said, "women still generally don't approach men in bars, so maybe that's more on us than saying anything about our tastes." "Sarah, I saw you put your hand up," Katie asked. "You're an Oscar nominated actress who's know worldwide. What about Andy would've made you approach him?" Over the next couple of minutes, Sarah and Emily related the story of how they'd attended one of Andy's Q&As at ComicCon in costume, so that nobody would recognize them, and talked about how she'd had a crush on him because of his writing for a long time, which Katie laughed about, and Andy was certain would make for good television. "So how many of you would say you're in love with Andy now?" she asked the group after Sarah finished her story. About half of women raised their hands, although several of the others looked like they were considering raising their hands. The front row all raised their hands, as expected, but Lauren and Piper also raised their hands, which surprised Andy a little. "So those of you who wouldn't say you're in love with him, how would you describe your relationship with him?" "Deep respect and affection, but not at the love stage, not yet anyway," Sheridan said. Most of the other girls seemed to nod and agree with that. "Why do you say 'not yet,' Sheridan?" "You have to keep in mind, Katie, a lot of us have only known Andy a few weeks right now," she said, leaning forward just a little bit. "We had to make probably the biggest choice of our lives, and we had to do it basically on a hunch. Our choices were to defer treatment and go on being afraid we were going to die, or take the treatment and get paired up with a man for the indefinite future. That's a hell of a gamble to ask of anyone." "Who's unhappy with the decision they made, raise your hand," Katie said, only to get no hands raised in response. "Everyone's happy being paired with Andy, maybe for the rest of your lives?" "Look, Ms. Couric," Hannah said. "You're going to find every one of us girls has a different story, a unique story, and each one of us came to where we are now on an entirely different path, m'kay? But we'll all tell you the same thing,  Andy's treated us with an immense amount of respect and affection, and he's made sure that nobody's doing anything they aren't comfortable with. Shit, he's even done stuff he's been a little uncomfortable with because it's made us feel more comfortable, and how many women can say that about their partner? So while a bunch of us aren't in love with him, yet, we all admire and respect how much he's gone out of his way to make sure we feel like we're part of a goddamn family, a good goddamn family." "Do you want to continue to grow the family, Andy?" "If you ask him," Em said, jumping in before he could respond, "he wanted to stop growing it a while ago." All the girls laughed at that. "But at this point, I think we're all doing what we can to stick together, and a lot of us girls wanted to protect our friends, to keep them safe, so we took turns presenting them all to Andy, trying to convince him to bring them into our home and into our family." "Everyone had someone they wanted to pitch?" Katie said, smiling at Andy. "That must have been overwhelming." "Not everyone wanted to pitch someone, but almost everyone," he said with a laugh. "And it was a lot of names and faces that were presented all at once. I said upfront, though, that I wasn't going to bring everyone on, and that there was only so much of me to go around. In the end, I think we mostly made it work to everyone's satisfaction." "So how many more people are coming?" "Well, we have three people who are in the imprinting process right now, and two more people arriving tomorrow, and if I have any say in the matter, that will absolutely, positively, definitively be the limit of women I can handle in my life," he chuckled. "And how much say do you actually have in that matter, Andy?" "Very little!" Emily joked, and all the girls laughed, as did Katie. "It would take a super compelling case for us to add, like, anyone else to the family past that," Sarah said, "but I think it's totally for the best that we never say never. Sometimes exceptions have to be made." "Like I told you yesterday, Katie," Niko said, "I think if Andy had total control of the matter, he would've probably put a hard limit in after myself, Ash and Lauren were in his life. He told me multiple times early on that he barely felt like he deserved one amazing woman, and at that point, he already had three, so it's been a growth process." "But this is the new normal now," Katie said. "Or at least it's going to be. Families with one man and several women, because so many men in the US have died. Raise your hand if you know a man who's lost their life to the plague here in the US." All the women raised their hands, and of course Andy had his raised as well. "How does that feel?" "I think we're all suffering from some degree of post traumatic stress disorder," Piper said. "The losses, they're too big for any of us to process, so we're sort of clinging to one another, holding on to the only family that we know for certain that we can protect." "Piper, you were actually supposed to have competed in the Olympics by now. How does that feel, knowing that when it starts up again next year, the US basically doesn't have almost any of their male athletes to compete?" "At this point, it's impossible for it to even make sense in my head any more, Katie," she sighed. "Most of the people I trained with have died over the last several months. A lot of my trainers died. I've lost colleagues, friends and family members. I don't even know where to start mourning, because there's so damn many people to mourn. I consider myself lucky that my sister's husband took everything seriously, and completely refused to leave the house this year since the word of the plague got out." "It's something we've talked about in here a bunch," Andy said. "And we sort of keep coming back to that famous Stalin quote. 'A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic.' It's so many dead men that the mind can't even make sense of it. It's like 9/11, but if each of the Twin Towers was holding exclusively almost every man each of us knew and loved. My own brother died a few weeks back, and he was one of the kindest and most careful souls I know, but he ran out to help someone get their storm shutters up before a particular bad thunderstorm rolled through, and a few weeks later, he was just gone, almost overnight. It happened so fast, I didn't even hear about it until after he was already gone." "It's actually unproven that's a real Stalin quote," Tala said. "I read an article that said it was attributed to a French humorist." "Sure, but even if Stalin didn't say it," Andy said, "it's still pretty relevant here. It doesn't really matter who said it, it's the sentiment that's important. We're talking about a matter of scale, and the human mind's capacity to comprehend that scale. At the end of the day, that's a hell of a lot for anyone to handle. So we're all just doing our best." "Normally," Emily said, "when a friend or loved one dies, there is typically a funeral or a wake, a gathering of all that person's surviving circle coming together, to celebrate their passing and remember them, but we have been denied that, and it has made all their passings that much harder to process, somehow transformed them all into seeming less real, because our normal emotional milestones haven't happened along the way. We are adrift in our emotional morass." "That's true," Katie said. "We, as Americans, haven't had to confront all the deaths simply because we aren't allowed to go out and do so, and that somehow makes it feel less concrete." "It hits you every day," Jade said, "little by little. Lauren described it to me a few weeks ago as a slow motion car crash that we're all stuck in, and nobody can get out of." "So, Jade, I understand you're one of the newest arrivals here," Katie said. "Have you gone through the imprinting process yet?" "Not yet," she said. "Tala and I arrived yesterday, but we wanted to wait a little bit, to spend some time with Andy and his family, to makes sure that we would be happy getting melted into their pot. I'm happy to say we're both going to do it, but it's the kind of commitment you gotta be certain of, you know?" "Have you seen what the imprinting process is like?" "Um, yes?" she said, trying not to blush a little. "When we arrived yesterday, we had a third person with us, another woman who was joining the staff and faculty of the house, but not the family itself, a young woman named Whitney." "So, Andy, explain to me the difference between family and staff, and how you decide that." He immediately put his hands up, almost like he was at gunpoint. "First and foremost, I do not decide that," he laughed, and all the girls laughed with him. "When the military came and relocated us from our little condo and brought us here to New Eden, the house also came with three members of staff attached with it, all of whom I was told had been selected to mesh with me, and whose boxes I would tick as well." "That was the three of you in the back, Nicolette, Jenny and Kate, yes?" Katie asked. "We had all been told a bit about Andy before he arrived," Nicolette said, "and his answers to the questionnaire implied that he would eventually be willing to play into our tastes." "Eventually?" Katie asked. "Well, sure," Nicolette giggled. "I know the first few times I called him Master, it rattled his cage a little bit, but he eventually realized I liked saying it, and nobody was making me do it. One of the things that we girls all figured out early on was that just because Andy was okay with something didn't mean he had any real experience with it, so we would need to hand hold him a bit through it. So while Andy said he was okay with bondage and discipline stuff in his questionnaire, he didn't have any real practical experience in it. So we've found ways to teach him about that kind of thing without it ever feeling like we were lecturing to him. He sort of set that expectation up front when he told us communication was everything, and he couldn't have been more right." "And Kate? I hear that you and Jenny had a different experience," Katie asked. "Damn, uh? Andy?" Kate (his Katie) asked. "How real you want us to get here?" "We're not hiding anything," he chuckled, "so fire away." "So, uh, Katie," Kate coughed. "I'm actually a lesbian. Not a bisexual who mostly identifies as a lesbian, I mean straight up, hardcore, one hundred percent, unrepentant fully committed lesbian. And Jenny here is my wife, but she's bisexual." "Hi!" Jenny cheerily said with a wave. "When we signed up for this, we, ah, we were planning on hiding that from Andy, and I was simply going to fake it, and go along with the ruse, so that we could stay together, and we could still get the treatment, which, as you already know, takes both a female and a male component to work," she sighed. "So I, er, we lied, and claimed we were both bisexual. Since we were married, wherever we went, we were going to go together, and we figured we could just keep up that lie as long as we needed and make it work." "And what happened?" Katie asked. "Day two, I folded, before we'd even been imprinted," Jenny said with a shrug. "When we met him, Andy wasn't at all what any of us were expecting him to be, but I mean that in a really good way. It didn't feel right lying to him. We'd had a few days together before he showed up, the three of us, us two and Nicolette. We'd talked about it, and Nicolette volunteered to go first, so that if it didn't go well, my Katie and I could request to be moved elsewhere, since we were a little more particular than she was about how we got paired up." "What do you mean, you folded?" "I started talking to Andy, and, and it all just came tumbling out, how we were a little unsure, how my Katie wasn't really into men, and, I just felt like I had to tell him everything before we were committed to anything." "How did you react to that, Andy?" "I could tell they were afraid that I was going to be angry," Andy said, his tone as breezy and relaxed as he could keep it, "but I wasn't. Why would I be? I simply wanted to talk with them about how they wanted to handle it, because at that point, I knew a bit more about the physiological affects of the treatment than they did, so I wanted to prepare them for it, if they wanted to move forward." "Do you still consider yourself a lesbian, Kate?" Katie asked her. "Absolutely. I don't feel any sexual attraction to Andy what so ever," she said. "Now, with that said, I can also admit that I have received biochemically induced orgasms from him regularly as part of the treatment process, and I don't think that affects my sexual identity in any way. But Andy and I haven't ever had direct sex. He's offered, but he's also never pressured. I might take him up on it some day, to see if the chemical and neurological changes the treatment have made to me might compensate for my lack of sexual attraction to him, but then again, I may not. That's my decision, well, our decision, to make," she said, taking Jenny's hand in hers. "And nobody's going to tell me who and what I am. I get to decide that, and fuck anyone who says otherwise." "So if you haven't had direct sex with him, how are you getting what you need from him to keep your treatment managed? Go ahead and be as direct as you want, and we can bleep parts of it out if we need to, but I think they're just going to air it as we send it." "Well, to be frank about it, I don't ever actually fuck Andy, but that doesn't mean I don't swallow his semen. I do that around once a week, either directly from him, or second hand from my wife. I consider sucking his cock just to be another task around the house that needs doing now and again. No offense, Andy." He laughed, waving a hand in his air. "None taken, but you already know that." "And that's enough?" Katie asked. "Just swallowing semen, either directly or second hand?" Kate nodded. "It's fine. I haven't had any adverse side effects, and it's easy enough right before he's about to pop for him to point it elsewhere, or for Jenny and I to split it after he does pop. I'm never going to have an encounter with Andy without Jenny present, and she's always my focus, not him, because she's my wife, and he's just, my boss." "And everyone in the house is okay with that?" "This is the world we live in now," Lauren said. "Lotsa fellas used to get all hung up onna things that they did and didn't like, but who's got time for that anymore? Life's too short to hold onta old grudges, so if we can, we're all gonna take it on the chin and just keep movin' on together." "Now Lauren, I understand you're also a lesbian." "Nah Katie," the tall blonde Aussie corrected. "I'm definitely bisexual, but I just lean a lot more towards the ladies than I do the fellas. I very much enjoy my sexual encounters with Andy, but I'm not one of his primary partners, despite showing up so early. I'm in love with him, like he is with me, but he's not my Big Love, if you folla. I've got me own primary partner here, in Taylor. We'd split before New Eden, and when she came back, I was right pissed off, but we've worked it out, and now she and I are back to being a couple again." "Does that put you on the outs with Andy?" "Nah," she laughed, "it just means the master bed doesn't need triple reinforcement. I love Andy and all he's done for me, for alla us, but I ain't interested in being one of his wives. I wanna marry Taylor at some point, but that doesn't mean I don' wanna stay part of this family. That works for us, so, y'know, fair play." "How many people do sleep in bed with you on any given night, Andy?" "There's always at least five of us in the bed," he answered. "Myself, Ash, Niko, Emily and Sarah. But sometimes more people want to cram in, and we never say no." "What's the most the bed's ever held for a night?" "Oh, uh, everyone who isn't staff, I think, but last week, so before some people had arrived," he said, trying to remember, "so, what, 11?" "Yes, that was the maximum. On the day when we found out Andy's brother died," Emily said, "we all crawled into bed with him and just wrapped our arms around him, as we all shared a good cry, then fell asleep holding one another, but that's extremely uncommon." "Five or six would definitely be the average," Ash said. "So the four of you would say you're closer to Andy than the rest of the women in the house?" "Well, we're all his fiancees, so we'd better be, Katie!" Sarah laughed. "He asked Ash first, and then Niko asked him before he could even get the words out to her, so once he freakin' told us, me and Em, we both demanded he propose to us as well immediately, because we come as a package deal." "What do you mean by that, Sarah?" "Okay, well, here's the thing. Emily and I have been a couple for almost two years now, but we're both, well, we're both totally into dudes and chicks. So while we super love each other, we also knew we were going to need a regular cock in the equation. When we found out that the writer of my favorite freaking book series of all time was in play, we decided we had to freaking have him." Andy was a little amazed Sarah could do so much to self censor, but realized she'd probably been doing it for interviews forever. "So you put in a request for the two of you to be paired up with Andy, and the government made that happen?" There was a long pause, as everyone was trying to decide what to say and how to say it, but eventually Emily broke the silence. "Something like that, yes," she lied. "We'll put a pin in that and come back to it later," Katie said, and Andy's guard was immediately up. He'd been wondering what sort of problems this interview was going to throw up, and now he felt like he knew what one of them was. "Have you had to send anyone back, Andy? Had any partners show up that you didn't think would be compatible?" "Just one," he admitted. "My ex girlfriend was sent to me, because she hadn't disclosed that we'd been together about a decade ago. She was eager to rekindle the relationship, but I was not. It ended on terms that made me unwilling to revisit it again, so we helped her make other arrangements. We hadn't been compatible back then, and I didn't feel comfortable gambling that she'd grown enough that I would've been compatible with her now." "You didn't send her back to the government?" "New Eden isn't that large of a community, so sometimes we just see if we can make things work among ourselves first, and we found a solution that everyone seemed happy with, including my ex. In fact, the people that my partners here pitched to me that I didn't think would be good matches for our family, we worked to pair them up with other people here in New Eden instead, so they were still local and safe. It's a small town, so we have to look out for one another. Problems here are rare and generally manageable." "Not always, though, we've heard," Katie said. "I take it you've heard about the fatality that New Eden had last week?" Everyone nodded. "It was horrible, hearing about someone dying from something so easily preventable," Hannah said. "Like, they totes warned us about that ish before we left the base, so why the hell would someone chance it?" "They did warn you?" "Very thoroughly," Emily insisted, horror in her voice. "They told us multiple times, again and again and again, that if we took in semen from any man other than the one we were paired up with, it would be toxic, if not fatal. They even showed us a recording of a woman who'd already been imprinted getting semen from a man she wasn't paired up with on her skin, and the large, violent rash that immediately broke out. I am told they show that footage to everyone, to drive the point home. Seeing that sort of instantaneous reaction should've been enough to discourage anyone from testing those boundaries." "They're talking on base about showing some of the autopsy photos from the fatality to the people who are getting the treatment now," Niko said, "to make sure everyone understands how serious it is not to dally outside your family." "Have any of you ever been tempted?" "I think we all value our lives too much for that," Sarah joked. "And love Andy far too much for that," Ash said. "Definitely," Emily agreed. "Why would anyone task such a pointless risk?" "Did any of you know the woman who died, or the man she partook from that killed her?" Katie asked them. "I met her briefly," Andy said, "but I wouldn't say I knew her. And none of us ever even met the man accused of doing it to her." "Major Peters told us yesterday he's currently imprisoned at the base, pending local law enforcement being able to take custody of him. They're going to charge him with murder, they were telling us." "They should," Sarah said. "They told everyone when they brought them here to New Eden what would happen if people engaged in any form of sexual activity with anyone they're not paired with, and they fucking did it anyway!" "The problem," Andy sighed, "is that the man, whoever he is, already has multiple women paired up with him, which means that whatever they do to him is going to affect those women as well, even if it's just that they have to come to a prison for their weekly intake. Those women are already tied to him. I'm sure they're looking into some way to remove the binding and reimprint a woman onto a new person, but there's only so many problems they can solve at once." "Does it bother any of you that your health is tied to Andy's?" Katie asked the group. "Bother is the wrong word," Sheridan said, annoyance in her tone of voice. "Concern is the right word. We're very protective of Andy, because he knows our lives are all fully dependent on his for the time being, and that if he dies, we all probably die with him. So, sure, we're concerned, but I think all of us feel comfortable in knowing that Andy's got our best interests at heart, and is keeping that all in mind." "One of the two people arriving tomorrow is going to be his bodyguard," Jenny said. "A friend of mine from college, who's going to guard his life with her own." "Who's the other?" "A director friend of mine," Emily said, "whom I thought would be an excellent addition to the house. She was one of the AD's on some of the latter Dagger Academy movies." Katie Couric clapped her hands together. "Okay, why don't we take a break, then do some of the one on ones, and then we can circle back and do another group interview to close out the day. Our team can leave you one of our cameras here tonight, so you can get that video of someone being imprinted, and we'll come by and pick it up tomorrow before we leave town. We appreciate you trusting us with that, as I know it can't have been an easy decision to make, but I think that footage will go a long way to convincing people this treatment is in their best interest. As for today, we'll go ahead and finish getting set up in Andy's office, and when you're ready Andy, we can sit down and do our one on one and drill down on some things I've got further questions on." "Sure," he said, as all the girls were standing up and stretching. "Let me go grab a quick drink, and I'll meet you in my office in about ten minutes, okay?" "Sounds good." Katie and her crew were escorted by Nicolette down to Andy's office, while the girls stood up and started chatting among themselves, while Emily and Ash closed it around Andy. "That went about as well as can be expected," Emily said to them. "I feel like we've got some kind of curveball coming," Ash said, taking Andy's hand in her left and Emily's hand in her right. "After you're done, Andy, we'll talk a bit again. I'm sure you'll get surprises before any of us do." He took his time, grabbed a bottle of Vanilla Coke, drank it then headed down to his office, which today felt a little like going into a lion's den. With all the girls in the ballroom, the large group session had allowed the attention to bounce around a great deal, and he felt like he could catch his breath, but here, it was just going to be the two of them, and he didn't have anyone to run interference for him from time to time. Andy headed into his office and saw that even his cats weren't in there, likely having been moved by the production crew, as Andy moved to sit down in his writing chair, Katie Couric sitting across from him. "Are you ready?" she said to him. "Yep," he answered. "Let's do it." After the mics were checked, the cameras were tested and the lights were adjusting, Andy's one on one began with a softball question. "So how'd you fall into writing urban fantasy, Andy?" "The best advice I ever got was 'if the stories you want to read don't exist in the world, it's your job to put them there,' so I've stuck with that," he said. "I knew what kind of stories I wanted to read, and nobody was really writing those, a sort of fantasy western/samurai hybrid. I mean, you had Butcher's Dresden books, but those were more of fantasy noir hybrids, and I wanted to get into the sort of stories that people like Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone used to tell, where you could kill off characters, where actions had consequences and where you never really knew when the next gunfight was coming, because it felt like they could happen at any time. Joe Abercrombie does it in high fantasy, but I wanted something that was happening in our time, in our world.&am

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 16 The girls play a game with Andy on the day of the interview. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 30 It came as a complete surprise to Andy when he awoke to find that opening his eyes had no effect. More than a moment passed before he realized what had happened, and it was with a bit of confusion that he realized he had awoken blindfolded. He went to lift his right arm to remove the blindfold, and realized there was a warm body resting over it. He began to try and lift the left arm instead, and found the same there, another warm body keeping his arm in place. He tried to slip one of his arms back, and felt a soft hand squeeze on his, holding him in place. "Looks like someone's awake," Sarah whispered into his left ear, her teeth nibbling on the earlobe. "I wondered how long he was gonna sleep in," Ash whispered into his right ear, letting her tongue trail along the shell of it. "But now that he's awake, th' fun can begin." Andy gave a tug of one of his arms, only to realize he had restraints around his wrists, and that they were likely connected to the bedframe. For a moment, he felt nervous. Like most people, he didn't enjoy being held captive, but after a moment, the anxiousness passed. Ash and Sarah were here, so he couldn't be in all that much of trouble. Today was the day of the interview, and so he'd sort of suspected the girls would do something to keep his mind off of it until it was time to talk to the reporter. They'd been a little gossipy and whispery last night. He'd guessed they were up to something, and this was apparently it. A morning being blindfolded. "Relax, love," Ash said from his right side, her form clearly naked, as he could feel her stiff nipples pressed against his side. "There's nothing for you to fucking worry about, as long as you trust us," Sarah cooed at him. "And you do fucking trust your future wives, don't you, Andy?" "I do," he laughed, "but it doesn't feel like I have much of a choice at this point." "Oh Andrew," Emily said from somewhere down around his feet, "if you only knew what an interesting morning we have planned for you. It's going to be such a wonderful time, I can barely contain myself." It sounded like she was standing just past the edge of the bed, although Andy had never needed to consider just distances based purely on sound like he was using some sort of echo location before now. It was around this point that he realized he was spread eagle, and he went to try and pull his legs together only to realize there was someone sitting on each of them, keeping him from doing so. His ankles weren't bound, so if he really wanted to, he was fairly certain that he could've kicked them loose, but the girls were having fun, so he didn't see any reason to dissuade them of that. Right around then, he felt a mouth wrapping around the head of his cock, a tongue slowly lashing against the head of it, mostly pressing tiny kisses, but occasionally suckling on the very end of it, not pushing her head down onto the shaft itself. If anything, he felt a little like his cock was being toyed with. It was a strange sensation. "So in order to keep you from getting all nervous about the rest of the day," Emily said, "we're going to play ourselves a game this morning, you versus all of us." She giggled a little, a sound that never failed to delight him. "Perhaps it shan't be a fair fight, but let us say that you have a sporting chance, and leave it at that." "Dare I ask what the game is?" Sarah laughed into his ear, as if she'd been waiting for him to ask. "It's called 'Who's Sucking My Cock Now?'" "Why Sarah," Andy teased, "I'm almost entirely certain you don't have a cock." "Oh, I have this one right fucking here," she said, reaching down to tease a fingertip against a tiny section of his exposed shaft. "It's mine. Well, mine and all the other girls, but y'know, mostly mine. Anyway, you're the one playing the game, not me,” "How many guesses do I get?" he said, feeling the tongue starting to flick a little beneath the mushroom tip of it. "Only one," Emily said. "If you're correct, you get a point. If you're wrong, we get a point." "Keeping score, are we?" he chuckled. One thing he couldn't deny about the girls of his household,  they did love to get competitive with one another, and especially with him. "Honestly, Andrew," she replied, mocking annoyance in her voice, "if we didn't, what would be the point? Now pay attention. Here's your first contestant." The mouth that had been toying with the head of his cock suddenly slid all the way down to the base, trying to hold there for as long as possible before pulling back. He didn't hear a gasp of air, even as the lips closed around the midsection of his cock, tongue dragging in a clockwise spiral along the flesh before the lips slowly drew back, then dove deep again, holding down for another long moment then pulling back, and finally sliding off. "Now Andrew, are you ready to play 'Who Just Sucked That Cock?'" Emily giggled. "You girls can't even keep the name strai, Ow!" he said, as Sarah pinched his nipple in between her fingertips. "No making fun of us to get out of this one," Sarah said to him. "You told me you do that fucking trick, trying to joke around to buy yourself time, but I know, Mr. Rook! Oh I know all too well, and it's not gonna fucking work on us! Not this morning!" She giggled again, and several of the other girls giggled with her. "So who's your guess?" Emily asked once more. He considered for a moment, trying to figure if there were any clues. He did know that it wouldn't be Jade, since she'd certainly want them to have something more intimate for their first time, nor Whitney, as she was definitely still in the middle of the imprinting process, unless he'd overslept massively. Tala wouldn't have wanted to risk him accidentally going off, so that meant three people were out immediately. He decided to talk out loud through the rest and see if it made the girls give any more information away. It was a trick he sometimes used in poker. "So the enthusiasm makes me think it's one of the younger girls, trying to compensate for their lack of experience with gusto and gumption." He rolled it over in his head a moment. "I think I'm going to say,” "Now remember Andrew," Emily said, "for each one you get right, you will get a point, and for each one you get wrong, the girls get a point." "Is there a prize?" "Beyond pride?" she asked him. "Is pride enough?" he countered, tilting his head just a little, teasing her back. "Fine," she said, amusement apparent in her voice. "If you win, then you can see your surprise, but if you can't, then you have to remain blindfolded for all of it. It's being filmed so you can watch it later and see we weren't cheating." "This isn't my surprise?" "This is the start of it, but it has a grand finale. One that I am certain is going to shock you to your very core," Emily said, glee in her voice. "Now you need to guess. Stop stalling." "Alright, I'm going to say it was Taylor." "Will Cocksucker Number One please identify herself?" she said like a gameshow host. The giggle from down near his feet told him immediately he was wrong, but the voice only confirmed it. "Sorry Andy," Hannah said. "You were close, but not close enough." "Damn," he laughed. "I was right about the youthful exuberance, though." "Here's the next contestant," Emily said. He felt a soft and tender kiss to the head of his cock, the woman's tongue leisurely in its brush along the surface. As he felt fingertips grazing along his balls, in that instant he knew exactly who it was. The tongue continued its slow and languid bathing of his shaft, never once pushing her lips down and around the shaft, merely pressing against the sides of it, before the mouth and the hand pulled back, and his cock was left standing at attention, unattended once more. "So who was that?" Emily asked. He grinned, impish and playful. "You gave yourself away, Emily. There was no mistaking those finely manicured nails on my ballsack, so I know for certain that was you. Final answer." Emily giggled, sounding mildly cross with herself. "Damn me and my impeccably pedicured digits. One all. Next!" The third mouth wrapped around his cock and began to slowly push down, the tongue drawing downward before dragging back up again, painting vertical lines along the length of his shaft, while the lips moved almost in time with it. "Does the contest include staff or not?" he asked Emily. "Sares, you think that's a fair question?" "I think if he spots us a point, then we should tell him, otherwise let him wonder." "Andrew?" He considered for a half a second, although to be honest, he was also just enjoying the tender blowjob he was getting. He did, however, do the math, and reducing the possible options by over 20% seemed worth the price. "Alright, that's fair. It sizably narrows down the number of wrong answers I could make, so I'll spot you the point." "Two us, one you," Emily said. "And no, the staff is not involved in this morning's activity, although Nicolette is present and watching." "Good morning, Master!" Nicolette said cheerily. "Good morning Nicolette." The woman on his cock ignored the polite exchange and pushed her mouth down a bit lower, then slowly pursed her lips tightly against his shaft and drew them back until she slid off the tip of his cock with a wet pop. "So who do you think that was, Andrew?" "It's tricky," he said, trying to think back to all the sensations, comparing them against all his memories, but at the end of the day, he had a lot of partners, and he'd never been entirely concerned with being able to differentiate between their blowjobs before. "But the speed and deliberation makes me think it was Piper." From the foot of the bed came a confident laugh. "Toldja I could fool'em," Asha said, giving his calf a pat. "Quite different than our first go 'round, eh?" He and Asha had only had a trio of sexual encounters since her arrival, so he didn't feel too bad about not being able to identify her style. "I was gettin' out'a me own head for a bit." "Three to one," Emily chided. "You're not putting up a good showing, Andrew. How about this?" A new mouth moved to wrap around his cock, pushing slowly but surely all the way down his cock, before drawing back up to the tip, only to repeat the motion again, faster, then once more, far slower than the first two. Then she settled in for a regular pace, sliding his cock deep into her mouth before slipping back, until her lips were around just the head, and her tongue gave a curling flick against the slit at the tip. After five or six more long thrusts, the woman pulled her head from his cock and left it wet and exposed to the morning air again. If it wasn't for all the girls' bodies pressed against him, he might have been cold, but they were all sharing their warmth excellently. "So who was that?" Emily asked him. He smirked, nodding his head. "I've got your number. She was trying to fool me, but that was Lauren," he said, confidently. He could tell he was correct, as he heard a deep sigh from around the same place Emily was standing. "Strewth," Lauren grumbled. "What gave me away?" "Now why should I give away my trade secrets?" "Because if ya don't, I might just reach down and give ya a hard thump in yer todger!" she laughed brashly. "Fine fine, no tallywacking for me," he said. "You do this little flick with your tongue against the hole of my cock, and you couldn't help but do it here too. You're the only one in the house that does it. And we've had plenty of times together, Lauren. If I can't get you or Ash on the first go, I deserve to lose this game." "Well, at least I've got meself a signature move," Lauren cackled, tickling his foot for a second. His leg tried to tug inward, but whoever was sitting on his leg held him firmly in place. If the girls tried to make a serious go at tickling him, however, he was fairly certain his legs would've yanked themselves free, whether he wanted them to or not. "Three two our favor," Emily said. "But we need to shift this up a bit to make this a fair fight for us again. Ash, Sares, you two hop up, and Hannah and I will take your places." Andy could feel Sarah sliding off his left arm, only to be immediately replaced by Emily's slender form, as she turned his head so she could give him a quick kiss. Aisling turned his head back and then kissed him far more firmly before pulling away, sliding off only to be replaced by Hannah's curvy form. She seemed to assume that his head was in position for her to kiss him, so she did, even as he felt her massive tits pressing into his chest for a moment before she settled into the crook of his arm, nuzzling up against him. "There we go," Emily purred, wriggling to get her body comfortably snuggled in against his. "This is a much nicer place for me to be, and it opens the field back up a bit. You had such an advantage, knowing Sarah and Ash were comfied up to you the entire time, guaranteeing it couldn't possibly be them around your John Thomas." "You're the one who set up the rules to the game, Em, not me," he laughed. "Besides, if they'd stayed quiet, I wouldn't have even been sure it was them. I mean, I'm pretty good at recognizing whose body's pressed up against me, but I can't guarantee I would've gotten that right." "Oh damn," she grumbled, although she didn't sound genuinely cross over it. "Something I'll have to remember in case we do such a thing again." "Oh no," he chuckled. "I've told you girls what your tells are now, which means I wouldn't stand a fighting chance." "Perhaps, perhaps not," Emily said, kissing his ear. "So tell us, who's this sucking your cock?" The newest mouth pressed along the side of his cock and slid down the side of it, the very tip of the tongue flicking out to doodle little shapes in the skin while the lips did much of the work. The kisses continued down to his nutsack, hot breath blowing over tender skin just slightly wet by the woman's tongue. Then the kisses drew back upwards, pressing against the very tip, flicking the tip of her tongue against the opening of his cock, as if trying to steal Lauren's signature move. "Well, here's another one I think I get a little lucky on," he said. "She didn't slide her mouth on my cock, and only used the tip of her tongue, which means I'm fairly certain it's Sheridan, and she's trying to hide her tongue barbell." Sheridan was the only one of his partners with her tongue pierced, and the unwillingness to use more of the tongue felt like a definite attempt to conceal such a thing. "Ya got me," Sheridan grumbled down by his knees, then laughed and flicked the top of his cock with her tongue barbell, the cool metal thumping his skin a little bit. "Told you he'd know it was me right away," she said. "There's no way to hide the damn thing." "Why would you want to hide it?" he teased her, which seemed to make her laugh a little. "You see, Andrew?" Emily said to him, nibbling on his earlobe. "You're doing quite well at this. Three all, so it's time for the tie breaker." "You could've kept score like tennis, if it came to this." "That would make this deuce then, I suppose," she said. "So this is the deciding mouth. Let's see if you can tell who's sucking your cock now,” The woman in question slowly wrapped her mouth around his cock and held there for a moment, her tongue dragging around the ridge of the tip of his cock like a finger around a wine glass. After a few revolutions, she slowly pushed her mouth downwards onto his cock until the head of his cock was against her throat, staying there for a long moment before pulling back to half length, only to go deep again. "Well, the remaining options are Taylor, Ash, Sarah and Piper," he said with considerable effort, a low moan of pleasure chasing the words. Whoever it was had clearly paid attention to the things that made him shake and shiver, as he felt lips seal around the base of his cock, breath hot on his skin before her head drew back, slobbering saliva over his shaft. Ever since Emily'd been picked out by her nails, none of the girls had used their hands, afraid that he might glean some details from the touch. He almost wanted the blowjob to continue to completion, but he nodded when he felt the lips pop off his cock and leave it exposed for all the girls to look at. "So who was that?" Emily asked him. "And remember, this one is for the full Monty." "See, that was someone who knows me very well, someone who's spent more than a few weeks learning how to suck my cock in all the best ways, knows where all the soft spots are, and where to flick her tongue for maximum effect," Andy said. "So it's gotta be Ash." From his feet, Niko giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment then," she said to him. "Hey!" Andy said, actually annoyed for the briefest of moments. "Shouldn't you be at the base this morning? I distinctly recall you saying yesterday that you were going to go in for the morning and then come back to the house midday for the interview." "Katie Couric's people called this morning and said they didn't need any more base footage and were going to get a bit more of New Eden before heading over here. So, since they didn't need me to play tour guide, I just stayed in," she said, kissing one of his calves. "Good thing I did, too, otherwise we might've been in real trouble." "I almost feel like you cheated," he said, scolding with his tone. "You could've corrected me when I listed the remaining players." "Oh, but of course we could've, darling," Emily said, "but it's so much more fun this way anyway. Now let us hear you say it." "thegirlswin," he said as quietly as he could. "Ah ah ah," Emily tsked. "Let's not be a poor sport about it. A mite louder, if you please?" "Fine," he sighed, doing his impression of an angsty teenager. "The girls win. There? Are you happy now?" "Exceptionally," Emily said, loads of mirth in her voice. "It's best that we won anyway. It means all of this gets to remain a surprise, and who doesn't love surprises? Ash, hand the camera to Nicolette, would you? We're going to need all hands on deck for this next bit." "Got it, Emily," the Irish girl said. "Okay, let's let him have it!" At that moment, he suddenly felt the bodies move off of his legs, only to be replaced by hands and lips, tongues flicking along his calves and thighs, as well and on his chest. With so many sensations all hitting him at once, he couldn't tell who was doing what or where. It was overwhelming, so many different hands caressing his skin, each with their own thermal signature, some girls warmer or cooler, but because there were so many of them, other than knowing he had Emily on his left and Hannah on his right, he literally couldn't differentiate one girl from another. "Nicolette, be a dear and make sure the camera pans over each and every one of us, so that Andrew can see what's happening in great detail when he watches this back later, would you, dear?" "Absolutely madam," Nicolette purred. "I'll do my best to keep both hands on the camera and none on myself, although that may be tricky, considering just how fucking hot all this is." "Now now, Nicolette," Emily chided. "I'm counting on you for this, so I expect you not to let me down." "Yes madam. Sorry madam. I won't madam." "Good girl," she giggled. "How are you holding up, Andrew?" Clearly it was Emily's fingertip trailing along his neck and the underside of his chin, because her nails were still the most distinct from his family. "It's, it's, ah, it's actually pretty hard to focus on any one thing, Em," he said. With so many hands and mouths on him, everything was blurring together a little bit. Two or three different hands were stroking his cock, and he was fairly certain at least two of the girls were taking turns suckling on the tip of it, maybe more. He was also certain there were at least two different hands on his balls as well, one of them tickling a fingertip against his perineum. With Nicolette filming, that meant there were ten women crowded around him or pressed against him right now, each working to get some contact with his body. There were so many points of pressure, he couldn't even be sure that they hadn't roped Jenny and Katie in to join the fun. "That's the point, love," Emily said to him. "Well, part of the point, anyway." Andy felt someone stand up on the bed and then move a little, bodies having to shift to adapt a bit, as he could feel that body sliding down one knee on either side of his thighs, the two hands on his cock moving to get it aligned up before he felt a body slip down onto his cock, pushing right up into someone's cunt, but with the barrage of sensations, he wasn't at all sure who it was, her ass resting against his pelvis. If he had to guess, based on the feeling of her body temperature against his, he would suspect it was Asha or Sheridan, maybe Piper, his partners that he had the least experience with. He felt semi confident that he'd spent enough time with Ash, Lauren and Niko slumbering against him that he would recognize them when he felt their touch. Whoever it was, her body went through a hard shudder when she first slid onto his cock, her cunt butterfly clenching on his cock as she settled on his lap. He didn't think he could feel her hands on his ankles, so he wondered if the other girls were holding her up. The sound of her moaning was muffled by what sounded like someone kissing her, their mouths mashed together to keep the sound in check, and him in confusion. It was hard to hear clearly with Emily humming in one of his ears, and Hannah buzzing in the other, as if the girls were trying to make sure all his senses were constantly under assault. "This is very hot to watch," Hannah said, raking her fingernails through the hair on his chest. "Especially since I have to keep both hands on you and can't play with myself. It's killing me, not gonna lie. If only you could see what I see." "Shush, Hannah," Emily said. "He'll see in time. Just let him enjoy the sensations for now." She leaned across him and pulled the curvy Asian teen the other half of the distance, because Andy could practically feel them kissing right in front of him, before they tilted their kiss, leaning down to mesh his lips into the mix, all three of them tangling up tongues together before both girls pulled back once more, settling back in against his sides. The person on his lap started to bounce and buck in a deliberate pace, not too hurried, but still a hint of eagerness in the tempo. A few of the hands had slipped off his body, and he suspected they may have been on the hips of whoever was straddling him, helping push her down even harder as she thrust her body onto his cock. "God, this is so hard to keep a clear head," Andy mumbled. "I don't know how long I can hold out, so I hope one of you will remember to update the chart." Emily giggled into his ear. "I'll handle it when we're done, darling, never you fret." Since moving to New Eden, it had become abundantly clear to Andy that there was going to need to be some organization to his sex life, keeping tabs on when every girl had gotten their most recent fix filled, so they'd set up a chart with each girl's name and the day she'd most recently gotten some of his cum. The chart also included the next "must be taken care of by" date for each girl, so they didn't run into problems with scheduling where everyone was running hot in need. After the ride back from the poker game a few weeks ago, Dr. Charlotte Varma had filled Andy in with more information on what changes the process had done to his body. He expected the news story would talk more about it for the populace at large, but he'd already disseminated the information to his household. His body was burning energy at a higher rate now, which was why his appetite had increased, but he'd actually lost a little weight. His balls were capable of generating semen at a far higher rate than they had before. Where as this time last year he'd have been lucky to get a third load in a day, now his body could accommodate five or six, if needed. "No need to hold back, Andrew," Emily purred at him. "We want you to let off a couple of loads this morning, and it looks like she's doing an excellent job thrusting down onto your cock, while the rest of us kiss and caress your flesh. You should know by now that there's no sensation any of us love more than that feeling of you nutting up inside of us. So don't keep it in. Let it fly! You can't see it, but she wants to feel your cum inside of her so much it's eating her up inside." "C'mon big daddy," Hannah teased, "give it to that little slut good. Fill her up. Cream her tight little pie. God, I fucking wish it was me getting that hot load." "We all do," Emily cooed. "Let me kiss you while you're cumming, Andrew." She turned his head towards her as she pressed her lips against his, and her kiss was hungrier than normal, as if she was trying to make sure he was lost in the moment. "Do it do it do it fucking fill that cunt!" Hannah hissed at him as Andy felt each of his balls being grabbed by a different hand. At that point, the sensations were simply too much to be contained, and his heels dug down into the bed as his hips pushed up as much as he could, trying to pin his cock as deep as he could into whoever's cunt was clamping around his cock as he began to orgasm, seven or eight surges of hot jism blasting into the body atop of him that began to vibrate again before giving a very sudden shift, a couple of the girls around him quickly adjusting. "Oh my god, that was so fucking hot, daddy," Hannah said, her teeth pinching on his earlobe, her tongue glazing it with her saliva. "Fuck, you gotta watch that shit later, holy fucking shit, dude." As soon as he broke from the kiss with Emily, he drew in a deep breath. "Damn, that was intense," he said, as he felt the woman sliding off his lap. It almost felt like she was being lifted off more than actually climbing off herself, but with all the sea of hands and bodies, he knew he had to just be imagining things. "It's not over yet, Andrew," Em said to him. "I think one more load from you will take the edge off for the morning, so let's carry on, shall we?" "You really don't have to  " "Of course we don't, Andrew," she said, pressing a fingertip to his lips to silence him. "But we want to. We're enjoying this. It's fun for us. Aren't you having fun?" "You know Em," he panted, "they say when one of your senses is temporarily disabled, the others amplify to compensate, but I think all of you ladies are threatening to overload my goddamn sense of touch. Fuck, it's a lot of sensations all at once." The collection of women around him giggled, all the voices at various pitches and tones, before the assault of hands began anew. He felt someone step up and onto the bed, standing astraddle him before moving down onto her knees, this woman facing him as opposed to the last woman who'd been facing away from him. It was hard to keep everything straight with all the sensory assault, but that much at least he could differentiate. The legs pressed against the outside of his thighs were slender, more slim the woman before her, and if he had to guess, he would've said it was Asha or maybe Sheridan, since Emily was still pressed against his side. The woman sitting in his lap had his cock nestled against her snatch without pushing onto it, sliding back and forth against the shaft. He could feel a little tickle of hair against the head of his cock. That meant he was nearly certain it was Sheridan who sat atop him now. Asha was clean shaven, although she was considering growing a bit of hair out since finding out that Andy didn't mind. In fact, it seemed like almost all of the girls had arrived nearly bare of pubic hair (Ash and Sarah were notable exceptions, as both wanted to prove they were natural gingers), and each of them had told Andy that they thought all men preferred it that way. Andy's response had been that he didn't mind some hair, as long as it wasn't complete 1970s overgrowth bush. Since then many of the girls had grown landing strips, Vs or even started to get a little more ornate with it. Taylor had shaven a small blonde tuft above her cunt into a heart shape, which Lauren had both loved and never stopped teasing her over, saying over and over again that it was the girliest thing anyone in the house had ever done. Another girl moved up onto her knees to the left of him and moved in close, leaning in to kiss the girl atop of him, even as she lifted up, got his cock lined up, then pushed down on it hard, impaling herself firmly upon it. She moaned wantonly into the mouth of the girl she had locked lips with, who moaned back at her, the two pitches blended into one. As they did, all the other girls dragged their fingernails across his skin,  his chest, his stomach, his legs, even a few fingers at his balls beneath the body he suspected was Sheridan's,  as if to try and distract him even further. Whoever she was, his partner who'd screwed herself onto his cock, she had clenched down intently around his cock even as she settled, both of her hands on his chest, although just the fingertips only, the palms tented upwards. Andy expected her to sit there and settle, but whoever was atop his cock had other ideas in mind, rocking her hips back and upward, sliding partially off his cock only to thrust down and forward with a sharp snap once more. The tempo was a bit more rushed, wanton and insistent. One of her hands lifted from his chest and he was fairly certain she moved it down to rub on her own clit, even while she continued to snap down into him, making sure his cock was lodged deep inside of her cunt as much as she could. Her other hand was dragging short fingernails hard against the valley of his chest, raking through the dark curls there. "Fuck's sake, lookiter go," Sheridan said, her voice down near his ankles, which confused Andy a lot further. He'd been nearly certain it had been Sheridan atop of him, and now that he knew for a fact that it wasn't, he didn't have a clue who was posting on his cock, but whoever it was, they were drenching his shaft, and the rhythm they were setting wasn't giving him much a chance to resist the impending orgasm that was rapidly building up inside of his balls. He decided thinking about who it was wouldn't do him any good, so he resolved to just enjoy the experience, the feeling of the velvety cunt trying to milk the next load out of him, as she started jumping up and down even quicker atop of him, her ass smacking against the tops of his thighs. She was impaling his shaft hilt down to the base again and again, the speed practically a gallop. The number of hands on his body slowly decreased, and he thought they were all taking hold on the woman atop of him, pushing her down, forcing her to keep up her pace. He was trying to stop himself from going off too soon, but even with having just come a couple minutes earlier, the barrage of sensations was too much for him to resist for long. "Stop fighting it, darling," Emma whispered into his ear, her breath hot and fierce on his skin. "She wants this. She wants this so bad it's eating her up inside. You are the answer. You are her tonic. Let her have what she wants. Fill her belly with your gift." He was just about ready to pop when the girl riding atop of him said something, but it was too late for him to try and reel it back in. Past the point of no return, she said "I cannae take it any longer, a loue ye, do it ta me ya numpty, make me yer gare rul!" As his cock began to spew hot cum into the body atop of him, it dawned on him what was happening, and that it was already done. There was no turning back now, and more than anything, he had questions, loads and loads of questions. When the cum left his cock and filled the cunt wrapped around it, he felt her body violently tremble before falling deathly still, being held in place by the hands keeping her from toppling over. He was gasping and panting for breath as Emily rolled off his left arm, and the body atop of him was lowered forward, taking her place. Then Hannah rolled off his right arm, and another body, the first woman to have gotten his load today, was laid down in that spot, wedging him in once more. On both sides of him, he heard the same thing, only the voice on the left was saying it in a Scottish brogue. Two separate voices, each repeating that word, that oh so familiar singular word, repeated over and over and over again. "Imprinting," on his right. "Imprintin'," on his left. And, stuck there in the middle, Andy could think but one single thing. "Oh Fuck." Chapter 31 Before they even took the blindfold off, Andy knew exactly who was pressed against his left and right sides, even if he hadn't seen either of them in person in over a decade. Emily pulled the blindfold off him and he looked to his right, seeing Fiona's smiling face resting against his shoulder. She was older, certainly, but the years had been far kinder to her than they had any right to be, and if DC had put her through any sort of hell, she certainly didn't wear it on her face. Mostly, she looked just like she had on their final night together, right before he'd moved west to California, and while that warmed his heart, he also felt a bit nervous about it. He'd put on some weight over the years, and the skin around his eyes was definitely showing initial wrinkles. The years hadn't been nearly as kind to him as they had to her. Then it occurred to him that she'd had several minutes to watch him, blindfolded and splayed out, time in which she could have changed her mind, and didn't, so it meant that she knew what she wanted, and, for all his flaws and mistakes, he was it. So then he decided to look to his left, and the face there certainly had aged, but mostly because she'd barely been more than a girl last time he'd seen her, then eighteen and full of life, now thirty three and much more wizened. Moira. She bore a tiny nose stud now, a diamond he thought, which was new, but the explosion of her crimson curls was as gloriously unruly as ever. She had some tattoos now, although he couldn't see them too clearly this close up. Also, he could feel her small tits were capped with pierced nipples, and that was also definitely a change. So much had changed about Moira over a decade and a half, and yet, that mischievous little smile of hers was exactly as he'd remembered it. It wasn't the only thing, though. She was still slender and lithe, willowy in frame but also short in stature. Many differences and yet, somehow, still fundamentally the same Moira he'd met a decade and a half ago. But how the hell had she come to be here? His mind was filled with endless questions, and he found himself slightly annoyed that he wasn't going to get real answers until tomorrow. Click! went the sound of a cell phone camera as the tiny L E D flash bulb lit him up, and he looked to see Niko holding a phone there, taking a handful of pictures as Emily moved to remove the restraints from his left arm, Sarah getting his right, Lauren getting his left leg and Hannah getting his right leg, all four of them moving quickly to make sure he wasn't imprisoned any longer. "Remember what I said," Ash said, as she helped him slide out from between the two slumbering bodies. "Say thank you when you're given a gift." He grinned, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Yes, well, I'll have to wait until they're both conscious before I can tell them thank you, now won't I?" He slipped back onto the bed so he could pull the covers over the two of them, making sure they were settled well into the bed. He made sure to put not only the sheet on them but also the comforter, so that they would awake warm and toasty in the bed. Of course, he realized, considering how early it was the morning, the rest of them were likely to be back in this bed before either of them woke up from the imprinting process. After getting them tucked in, he slid back to sit on the edge of the bed, seeing the girls were standing around him, all eager for a story, to explain how they'd come to this. "I asked Fiona if she was sure you'd be okay with Moira, and asked Moira if she was sure she wanted this, and Moira told me she was very excited to see you again, so clearly you two have some kind of history," Niko said, stepping close to rub her hand along Andy's shoulder. "Fi said you'd be anxious for about five minutes and then exuberant after that." Andy chuckled. "I think the five minutes has passed, and now I'm mostly just full of questions about what happened between then and now. We don't have to worry about waking them, but maybe we should go sit in one of the living rooms so everyone has a place to sit." While Andy grabbed a pair of boxers and a t shirt, the girls all did the same, pillaging his t shirt collection so that each of them was wearing one of his shirts as well as panties or boxers. Once all of them had some clothing on, they moved out of the bedroom and down the hall to the second story living room, filled with couches and chairs. He hopped onto a couch, as Sarah and Aisling immediately closed in on either side of him, as the rest of the girls gathered around, finding seats where they could all watch Andy, eager for him to spill the details they'd been unable to get from Fiona or Moira. "So I'm guessing you got to spend the most time with them, Niko," he said with a sly smile. "What did they tell you at the base? How much do you already know?" "Almost nothing!" she huffed in mock indignation, although the smile on her face made it clear it was simply a ploy. "Fiona's a troublemaker, and I kinda love her already. She said you'd slept with Moira before, and you hadn't complained when it happened, so that you would be okay with it happening again on a more regular basis." "That's it?" "Well, I asked Moira to tell me something she knew about you sexually to prove that she'd really slept with you before," Niko giggled, "and she said you loved that she had a foul mouth, so I knew she really had." Andy's eyebrows hopped in amusement as he nodded. "Yes. Well. I suppose I have to tell the story now, don't I?" "I mean, you don't," Sarah said, leaning in firmly against his right side, "but I think if you don't, you should be worried about all of us fucking dogpiling on you and tickling you until you can't breathe, and we all know how much you hate being tickled, so,” "Absolutely!" Emily giggled, tenting her fingertips like she was getting ready to tickle him. "Tea! Spill it!" "I can't tell if this story's going to be better or worse than you expected, but okay, here goes," he said, feeling Ash's fingertips stroking along the back of his head, trying to keep him at ease. "So in the fall of 2005, during Fi and my's last year of college, her older brother, Julian, got married to a Scottish girl named Alana. Naturally, Fi and I were invited to the wedding,  we were pretty established into our coupledom back then,  so even though the wedding was in Scotland, I knew it was important enough for her that we went. The two of us took a week off of classes to fly out to Aberdeen, as the wedding was in a little villa called Newburgh, just to the north of it." "Scottish weather in the fall is no great picnic, especially that far north," Emily said. "I'm surprised they didn't wait until the spring or summer." "The plan had been to hold the wedding the following year, actually, but Alana's mother had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, and they didn't think she had that long, so the timetable was pushed up. Thankfully, Newburgh isn't a particularly large village, so making the accommodations wasn't tricky. It just meant that we had to move the timetable of our trip up by a lot." "Always tricky," Piper said. "Any massive problems?" Hannah asked. "Well, we were a little worried that my passport wasn't going to arrive in time, but you girls know me, I prepare for everything a billion years in advance, so it showed up about two weeks before we were scheduled to leave. I'd never been out of the country before, whereas Fiona's passport had more stamps in it than library book." "They stamp library books?" Asha asked. Andy decided to let that slide. "I'd also never been someone's date to a wedding before either, so I didn't realize quite how much conversation there was going to be from her family about our future, whether we should get married, if either of us wanted children, the whole nine yards. And remember, we spent basically a full day just getting there, and another full day just getting back, so a lot of that conversation was had between the two of us before we'd gotten there. We were close and serious, but I hadn't realized that the possibility of marriage was on Fi's mind until we were on an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic and I didn't have anywhere to run." He chuckled a little, as the girls all shot him some degree of dirty looks. "I wasn't opposed to the idea, but I just didn't think she'd felt that attached to me, really. We'd already started having some of the conversations about how I wanted to go west and she wanted to go to DC, and I knew that was going to be a loggerhead we were going to come to at some point." "You're getting off topic, love," Emily chided. "You were getting to Moira." "Are you going to tell me how to tell a story, Em?" he countered, which made her snicker. "Anyway, marriage wasn't the only thing we talked about on the way up. We had a short taxi ride from Aberdeen to Newburgh where Fi thanked me for coming along, because she knew I'm not a big party person. I told her that of course I was going to come, since she was a bridesmaid and we'd been together as a couple for a few years at that point. Her whole family was going to be there, and it would've looked terrible if her boyfriend hadn't come along to her brother's wedding, no matter how he felt about it." "You've never seemed anti party at any of our parties," Ash said. "Well, no," he admitted, "but that's because I know everyone at our parties. I don't do quite as well in large social situations where there's a hundred people introducing themselves and you're expected to keep a dozen different conversations spinning in your head for hours on end. Those things I don't do as well with." "Just imagine how much fucking fun you're going to have meeting all our families and friends," Sarah teased. "Shit, our wedding's gonna be a small city." "Yes yes," Andy laughed, "we'll rent out the Fox Theatre in Oakland. It fits 2,800 people and if that isn't enough for you ladies, then the wedding's off." He tossed his hand into the air at the end for comic effect. All the girls giggled a little bit at that. "So how was Fiona's brother's wedding?" Sheridan asked. "Relatively small and intimate, to my shock. Fi's family isn't that big, and it seemed like Alana's wasn't either, although both sides had a smattering of friends who had flown or driven in. Alana's side was certainly more full, as Newburgh was her home town. Julian had gotten into international finance and was working out of London, helping manage some hedge fund, which is where he'd met Alana. So for all of her friends, it was just a couple of hours. For his family and most of his older friends, it was a transatlantic voyage. But we came anyway, and I think there were about fifty people at the wedding, so it wasn't as overwhelming as I expected, and Fiona looked amazing in the bridesmaid's dress." "Keep going," Piper prompted. "Well, Moira was one of the other bridesmaids, a childhood friend of Alana's, well, someone Alana had babysat growing up, actually. I was 23, Fiona was 22, Julian was 27, Alana was 25 and Moira was 18, but only just. Alana and Moira were still tight friends even all the years later, and so when she'd decided to get married, she'd asked her two sisters, Julian's sister, her best friend and Moira to be in her wedding party." "Here's where the plot thickens, I reckon," Lauren said. "Wait," Sarah said. "The threesome you were telling Jade about?" "Can I tell my story, or do you girls want to continue jumping to any conclusion you can get your hands on?" he said, trying to put as much 'disappointed parent' as he could into his tone, placing his hands on his hips in exasperation. "Sorry baby," Sarah replied, kissing his cheek. "Carry on." "Thank you," he sighed, although he wasn't genuinely annoyed. It was simply fun keeping the girls in the dark a little longer, since they'd enjoyed having him blindfolded so much. "So the wedding itself was nice, mostly a low key affair. One thing I'd told Fiona was that the heavy Scottish accents were crazy hard to understand, especially as we were all starting to have more than a few drinks at the reception. I dunno if any of you ladies have been drinking with Scots before,” Emily cleared her throat and he shot her a wink. "...but for those of you who haven't, heavens, you can't tell if you're way more drunk than you thought, or if their language has just devolved into raw sounds." "Usually a bit of both," Emily said as she nodded. "It's true,  I've grown up hearing Scottish voices now and again, and even I have trouble making out what they're saying after they've a few pints in them." "So, picture that, me at a wedding reception, a little tipsy, unable to hold a conversation with at least half of the people in the building, and Fi pulls me out onto the dance floor, where I am just drunk enough that I don't give a shit of how badly I'm dancing." "You aren't that awkward, love," Ash teased. "You're fibbing, love, but I'll let it slide. Anyway, Fi and I are out there dancing on the floor, and the DJ puts on a slower song, some Robbie Williams number I think, but basically all that sort of stuff blends together for me. And while we're there slow dancing, Fi whispers into my ear and asks me if I've ever considered a threesome." "I fucking knew it!" Sarah said, shoving her fist into the air, before realizing everyone was staring at her, and she giggled furiously, burying her face in Andy's neck for a second. "Sorry, sorry, carry on. Just super fucking proud of myself for figuring it out." "I told Fi that she was all the woman I needed, and the idea of sharing her with another man was enough to make me soft. She giggled, said she didn't want another man, and that she didn't want us to have Miss Forever, but that we were at a wedding, so there wasn't any shame in having fun with Miss Right Now." "That little minx," Niko mumbled. "She even had someone in mind, and pointed out Moira, who was dancing by herself in the center of the room, slow dancing alone like nobody was watching, having shrugged off a couple of Julian's friends from London. She didn't have the nose stud back then, but she certainly had the long curly dark red hair. It had been up for the ceremony, but as soon as she'd gotten to the reception, she'd let her hair down, both figuratively and literally." "You certainly do have a fucking type, Andy," Sarah teased, poking him in the ribs. Andy blushed a little bit, looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up again. "Moira was actually my first redhead, and I didn't have another in my life until I met Ash. Most of the time, before and after Fi, I dated blondes, actually. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Moira certainly went a long way into shaping my sexual tastes." "How so?" "She was so confident, so playful, so open and free. She loved to swear, and I know that Fi picked up on that, because she swore way more when we got back from Scotland than before we'd left. Moira was only 18 at the time but she felt like this dynamo of energy, and she wore her sexuality so blatantly on her sleeve. She seemed worldly, far more experienced than either Fi or I were, and while we were nervous when the whole thing started, to Moira, it seemed like just another in a long list of adventures, one that she was going to dive into without reservation. The Scottish accent was hot too, I'm not gonna lie, but you girls know how I have a love of accents." At that, Emily began to giggle frantically, a frenzied laugh that made all the other girls and even Andy as well turn to look at her, her face turning red, waving her arms in the air for everyone to fall silent for a moment, and eventually the laughing fit faded and she was finally able to speak. "I know that you said the family was full after this, Andrew, but Niko absolutely, positively, unequivocally has to remain vigilant for a Welsh girl to bring into the house, so you can complete the set." Andy cocked his head to one side, so she explained. "English," she said, pointing at herself. "Irish," she said, pointing at Aisling. "Scottish," she said, pointing back at the bedroom. "You can't leave the set unfinished like that. We've got to get you a taff to round out the set." "Taff?" Niko asked. "The river that runs through the Welsh capital of Cardiff is the river Taff, so a lot of people call the Welsh taffs or taffys," Emily said. "Anyway, you will make an exception if we find the right Welsh girl to complete the house. I've decided for you." "I don't get a say in the matter?" he asked, realizing it was futile trying to argue with her. "Oh, of course you do, Andrew, and your say is 'whatever you think is best, my darling Emily.'" He grinned, chastised. "Whatever you think is best, my darling Emily." "There's a good boy." "Did you keep in touch with Moira after your tryst?" "I didn't, and I thought Fi hadn't either. It was only one day, well, I guess it was technically two nights and one day. But it felt very much like a fling, a very intense series of sexual experiences that were wonderful, but definitely fleeting. I mean, I told Moira that if she ever wanted to come to the states, we'd be happy to show her around, and I gave her my email address, but I never heard from her after that. Shit, I don't even know her last name!" "It's MacLeod," Niko said. "What, like the Highlander?" Sarah asked. "It's one of the most common surnames in Scotland, Sares, so hush," Emily said to her. "I wonder if there's such a thing as too Scottish," Andy muttered to himself. "I went and got them from the base earlier this morning at their request," Niko said. "Myself, Ash and Emily chatted with them a little bit before we brought them into the bedroom. They're both genuinely very eager to join the family." "Moira was a little starstruck by me at first," Em confessed, "but I told her she was going to have to get over that and she agreed." "We didn't have a lot of time to talk to them this morning, but we did vet them a little bit," Aisling said to him. "Fiona seemed exactly like you described her as, and Moira seemed proper class." "You did agree to whatever Fiona's condition was, Andy," Niko said to him. "Moira was that condition. I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you why when they're both awake." "We wouldn't have let them in if we didn't think they wanted to be with you for any reasons other than the right ones, Andrew," Emily said. "And we vetted them as a team, so each of us could make certain there weren't any red flags lying about, and be certain that the others hadn't overlooked any possible deal breakers." "I'm surprised you didn't join them in grilling them over, Sarah," Andy said to her. She laughed a little and shrugged. "I'm klutzy and I'd have only screwed it up or said something awkward. Besides, I had to make sure you stayed pinn

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 15 Andy meets Tala, Jade and Whitney. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. "What's the agenda going to be like tomorrow?" Lily asked Andy while Ash got up from the table and headed outside so her conversation with Niko wouldn't disturb them. "Tour of the house first, a one on one with me and the reporter second, then a group interview with me and basically all the girls including the staff, then a handful of one on ones with some of the girls afterwards. I know Emily and Sarah are going to do one together, so they can talk a little about their relationship before the plague and how it affected them. Neither Sarah or Emily were out as bi before, and it certainly wasn't public knowledge that they were a couple, so I'm sure the reporter's going to have some questions on why they kept it quiet, but that's typical Hollywood bullshit. They'll handle it just fine without me getting in the way." "Didn't you say you had some girls showing up today?" Eric said. "Yeah, three people today, but I imagine they'll probably still be in the imprinting process by tomorrow, so they won't be around for interviews, although we'll see, I guess." "Speaking of handling it," Eric sighed, "how are you holding up with Matty's death? It's awful that he got sick and died from trying to help someone." "Yeah, but that was classic Matty," Andy shrugged. "He never stopped to think about these things if he thought someone needed his help. I'm dealing with it, some days better than others. From time to time, I just want to call him and talk to him about all of this, but then I remember I can't, and I have a good cry for a bit. But Xander's moving here to New Eden, and that's going to help, I'm sure." "Cool," Eric said. "Xander's always been a good guy, and it's smart to keep in touch with the people who knew you back when you were young and foolish." "I was young and foolish then, I feel old and foolish now." "Having Xander around will be good for you. He's always been better at calling you out on your bullshit than I am," Eric said, picking up a french fry. "And your long history with him means he knows when you're not saying something." "You know, I still think it's unfair you got both Sarah Washington and Emily Stevens, Andy," Lily joked. "You should've sent one of them over to me, er, Eric. I'm, I mean, he's jealous." "They're a set, Lily," Andy laughed. "You would've had to take both of them, and I think you probably would've gotten Sarah killed when she found out I was here. I know everyone's in love with Emily. You didn't strike me as a Dagger Academy fan when we were sharing the condo, though." "I'm not," Lily said, raising her empty glass, making sure a waitress caught her eye and started heading over to refill it. "But I fucking loved the Badass Ballerina movies, and I would've done Sarah in a heartbeat. Is she ask spunky as she seems on TV? That time she was on The Daily Show, and that girl in the audience told Sarah that she was on her boyfriend's list, and she started flirting with the guy immediately, that fucking killed me. Tell me she's really like that." "She's absolutely really like that," Andy said, as a waitress refilled all of their glasses. He'd been trying to cut down on his soda intake, but when he was stressed, he tended to double down on it a bit, so he was drinking Pepsi, same as Lily and Eric. "She's also a massive fan of the Druid Gunslinger books, if you can believe it." "Bullshit," Eric snorted. "I don't think there's any possibility she's a bigger fan than Dave, who got us in here just to get a copy of the new book six months early." "Wanna bet?" Andy grinned. For the next few minutes, Andy related the story of Comic Con panel from last year, where Emily and Sarah had participated in his Q&A, asking questions while being disguised in head to toe cosplay, so nobody could recognize them. By the point that Andy was telling them about how Emily had done her best to maneuver both her and Sarah into his care, Eric and Lily were both laughing quite openly, incredulous to the surrealistic twists and turns their lives had taken this year. "Holy fuck," Lily said. "I guess you weren't kidding when you Sarah would've raised hell if she found out you were here and she wasn't paired with you. I bet she fucking devoured the new book as soon as she arrived." "Well, I didn't tell her it was done until the day after she was imprinted, but yeah, as soon as I did, she grabbed it and refused to do anything other than read it until she'd finished it." "What did she think of it?" Eric asked. "She thinks it's the second best one in the series, after 'Have Totem, Will Travel.'" "Yeah, I still think that's the best one as well, but you're not done yet. On that topic, how's it coming?" "I've finally got a draft I'm mostly happy with, and I'll be sending it over for your thoughts probably in the next couple of days or so." Eric grinned from ear to ear. "Well, that just made my day. First draft?" Andy clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes in frustration at the challenge the book had presented to him in the writing. "More like fifth. I finished the first draft like a month and a half ago, but when I sat down and reread the fucking thing, I tore a shitload of it apart and rebuilt the entire second act so that it didn't suck." "I'm sure it didn't suck before." "Well, it's better now, that's all that matters." "Can I read it as well?" Lily asked. "I don't want to intrude if it's not cool,” "Of course you can, Lil," Andy told her, a little delighted and surprised. "I thought you weren't a fan of the books." "Well, I'd only read one of them before meeting you and it was the one you weren't a fan of yourself, so Eric made me read the first one about three weeks ago, and since then I've read them all. 'The Problem With Were Bears' really is a terrible place to start." "I know, I know, alright?" he laughed. "If I could unpublish it and rewrite it from the ground up, I would, but it's out there, and I can't." "Stephen King rewrote the first book of The Dark Tower and published it a second time," Eric pointed out. "Stephen King I ain't, Eric," Andy deadpanned in return. "So what's this new one finally called? You seemed like you went through a dozen titles." "It's called 'The Fatal Solstice,' although I have to see if Nicole thinks it works." "Nice fucking title, dude!" Eric cheered. "I think that sounds badass." "Sarah started reading it this morning, so she'll have my first set of fresh eyes on it." "You're just now letting her read it?" "I just finished the draft yesterday! I didn't want her reading it until I felt like I had a semi finished final draft." There was a jingle of a bell as the front door to the restaurant opened and Ash moved back inside, heading to the table, a grin from ear to ear on her face, one that almost worried Andy a little as the Irish redhead slid back into the booth next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Okay, I'll bite," Andy said, after a few seconds of silence, with Ash not saying anything, just grinning at them in an expression that bordered on derangement. "What's up? What did Niko have to say? Everything fine at the base?" "So Tala, Whitney and Jade will all be arriving soon," Ash said. "Tala seems like a gas. Niko let me talk ta her for a couple of minutes, and I cannot tell ya how glad I am you chose her, having now spoken with her a bit. She's going to fit right in." "Dare I ask what that means?" "She and Niko seem like kindred spirits, that's all I'm saying." "Yeah, well, Niko once blew me in a public park because she thought I needed to take the edge off, so maybe that doesn't put me as much as ease as it does you," Andy smirked. "Did it?" Lily asked. "Did it what?" "Did it take the edge off?" "I don't have to answer that." "I suspect it did take the edge off." Andy scowled at her, narrowing his eyes. "That's not the point." "I rather think that it is," she teased. "Fine," he admitted. "Yes, it did. But that doesn't mean it was a good idea." "No," Ash said, "that means it was a great idea. Waitress? Can we get the check please?" The woman at the counter nodded. "How do you want it split?" "No split," Andy said. "I'm covering it." "Andy, man, you don't have to do that," Eric said, looking a little pained. Andy waved his hand. "I told you that Watkins just gave me a shitload of cash, so let me spend a little bit of it on my friends from time to time. Speaking of which,” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a personal check he'd written a few hours ago, sliding it across the table to Eric. "That's for you." "What's this for?" Eric said, not even looking at it yet. "Look, I know you were undercharging me rent for years and years, Eric, because you knew I couldn't afford more, and because you liked having someone else sharing the condo with you, but now I do have a bunch of money, so consider it me paying off back rent." "I'll remind you that there were a couple of years where we were both out of work." "So that just makes it even in more important that I settle up my debts," Andy said, handing his credit card to the waitress, not even looking at the bill. Eric picked up the check, looking at it, shaking his head. "C'mon, Andy! Man! This is too much! I can't take this!" "You already did," Andy said with a grin. "I don't often get a chance to do nice things for my friends any more, Eric, so you're just gonna have to give me this one." "I mean, you brought me into New Eden," Eric laughed. "I think that would've settled all our debts right then and there. I mean, my house isn't quite as nice as yours, but it's still a fucking fifteen room mansion here in the Bay, so between that and this," he said, waving the check around, "we are now absolutely, unequivocally even, okay?" "Yeah, alright," Andy answered, as the waitress handed him the credit card receipt and his card. Andy filled in the tip amount at 25% of the bill, then signed the slip and pocketed the card back into his wallet. As soon as he stood up, Eric hugged him hard. "Thanks again, Andy," Eric said. "It's good to have friends in this place." "I always promised you that if I got success, I wouldn't let it turn me into an asshole, Eric," Andy laughed, as his friend finally released him from the bear hug. "I just thought it would've been from my own doing rather than the generosity of some random guy I played poker with." "If you think all of this isn't of your own doing, Andy," Lily said, giving him a quick hug, "then you haven't been paying attention." "I suppose." Lily and Aisling exchanged hugs and they all walked out together to the parking lot. Andy laughed, as Eric pulled out the keys from his pocket and pushed a button, as a red Porsche 911 beeped in recognition. Eric shrugged a little with a smile. "Came with the house. Seemed rude to say no." He and Lily hopped into the sporty car and sped off, heading back towards their house, which was just down the street from Andy's. Andy and Lily climbed into the Tesla Roadster and brought the vehicle into motion so they could head back to the house. As the Tesla curved across the road, Andy asked "So how did Niko sound after her interview? Was she feeling okay?" Ash reached over and took his hand in hers, squeezing it. "Yer always so worried about all of us, Andy. We're nae made of glass. She sounded fine, I promise. She was laughing about th' whole thing, and she said she thought you'll do fine. She spent a bit of time today talking with all three of th' new girls, answering any questions they had and getting 'em set ta get acclimated in the house." "Should I even ask what kind of questions the girls had about me?" Ash rolled her eyes with a smirk. "The usual kind of stuff. Anything they should know not to talk about, or things you particularly like. Nothing ya need ta worry about. But I have a request, for me, something that'll take a little bit of work on yer part, but you can manage. You just have to keep yer mind on it." "That sounds ominous," he laughed. "It's really not, love," she giggled back. "A few times over the next few days, you're going to feel like yer first instinct is to get mad at something, but y'need to promise me that you won't, alright? That you'll take a deep breath and you'll say thank you when yer given a gift. If you have any one flaw, Andrew Rook, it's that sometimes ya get inside of yer own head too much. So I'm going to need you to trust in others, that the amazing women who you've allowed inta yer life are doing not only what they think you want, but what they want as well. Y'think ya can handle that?" "I'm not entirely sure what the hell any of that means, Ash, but I promise you, I will try and keep my wits about me and not lose my temper at any gifts that I'm given." "That's all ya need to keep in mind, love." When Andy brought the Roadster back to the house and parked it in the garage, he saw that all the cars were in the garage, which meant both Niko and Lauren were home. Niko being home also clued Andy in that the new girls had actually already arrived a bit ago, which was good. It would've let all of them have a chance to talk with one another without the pressure of his presence. He'd sort of learned that the first time he met any new partner, there was the weight of expectations already surrounding his arrival. Some of the girls had been eager to get on with it immediately, some had been willing to chat and talk with him a bit before hand. As he'd done more and more first impressions, he'd gotten better and better at it. But these three, each was so unique, and so different from each other, and this was the most people who had ever shown up at one time, so Andy wasn't even sure how he wanted to approach this. He hoped that the girls would've mostly figured it out for him before he arrived. He got out of the Roadster with Ash, and they headed into the house. "I imagine they're in the main living room, love," Ash said to him, as they walked down the hallway. They'd had a few months to get used to the layout of the massive manor, but if he wasn't paying attention, he could still get a bit turned about. They arrived to the basement living room, and before they'd even gotten to the room, he could hear the rush of voices interspersed with bouts of laughter and giggles. The sound warmed his heart, and he was pleased to see all the familiar faces gathered around the three new ones, everyone turning to look at him when he entered with Ash pushing him on the ass when he paused a little bit in the entryway. "Hey there, ladies," Andy said, grinning. "Welcome to the House of Rook, I suppose." The first person to rush him was Tala Jordan. The Iranian American woman, Sheridan's friend, was certainly the curviest woman to join his family, dressed in a tight white t shirt underneath a pair of jean overalls that clearly seen more than its fair share of paint, and still bore a wild array of multi colored splotch scars. The shirt and centerpiece of the overalls were straining against her heavy tits that were large enough to give Hannah's a run for her money. The white shirt was semi sheer, and Andy could see the outer edges of her dark aerola just peeking from beneath the overalls. Her dark hair hung loose, long and down her back, framing her rounder face. She had painted her lips a bright shade of rose, lush and vibrant. And she had on the most shit kickery of brown leather cowboy boots that he'd ever seen. "Hey there, studboy," she grinned, as she strolled up to him with an overconfident saunter, reaching up to pull Andy's lips down into an almost domineering kiss, not giving him an inch of control. Not that he minded. While her tongue was busy burrowing into his mouth, one of her hands pushed down the front of his pants, rubbing against his cock before sliding back out as she drew back from the kiss. "Here we go now. Just what I was looking for," she said, raising her hand up to the light, a bit of precum gleaming on the skin of her palm. Before Andy could say a word, she snaked her tongue out and licked up that smear of clear liquid, and as soon as she did, he had to lunge forward to grab beneath her arms, keeping her from falling down to the ground as that priming orgasm shattered her mind for a moment, all without a fraction of a sound escaping her trembling body. A few moments later, her breathing had returned to normal and she looked up at him with adoring brown eyes, wide and aroused. "Fuck that was great!" she moaned, looking a little fuck drunk already. "Sorry, I just couldn't wait to get that first fix so my clock could get started." She flashed him a saucy little wink. "Sher told me all about that delayed activation she went through, and while she made it sound like hell for her, I think it sounds boss to me so I didn't wanna give you a chance to say no." "Well hello to you too, Tala," he chuckled. "I couldn't get those words out before you basically manhandled me." "Oh c'mon," Tala said, "you wouldn't have complained even if my tongue wasn't pinning yours down. And because I know you're gonna be worried about all of this, the reporter tomorrow's going to ask if they can get footage of someone being imprinted for the show, and I agreed to be filmed, but by Emily and not their camera person." Emily waved a little bit. "I've done some camera work before, so I know what I'm doing. I'll frame it so that you only see her face, Andrew, if you're alright with it. Katie Couric asked Niko if it was okay, since you did have three new women arriving today, if one of them could wait until tomorrow and get filmed being imprinted. She did say both you and the woman in question would have to give permission, but Tala volunteered, so it's in your hands." "I mean, if you're okay with the entire world seeing your sex face, Tala," Andy shrugged, "who am I to say you can't?" "Well, you're going to eventually be my husband, dude," Tala said, that wide grin of hers never going away. "So you can't just pawn it off as entirely my decision. If you don't wanna do it, we won't do it. But I think it'd be good for their story, and fuck do I care if people see my O face?" "You're also okay waiting a full day after being primed to be imprinted?" he asked. "That damn near drove Sheridan crazy." "Oh, I'm hella hoping it's gonna," Tala said, braggadocio and swagger in her voice. "But I'll manage. And if it's too much to take, we can do that as soon as Katie arrives, before you do any interviews. I'm a big girl, and I've got on my big girl panties. I'll hold fast and stay true." "I'll give ten to one odds that you aren't wearing any panties right now, Tala," Sheridan teased. "I refuse to cover those odds!" She giggled, leaning up to kiss Andy on the cheek again. "And I can't hog all of your time, so you and I will just have to have our fuckdate tomorrow." "Hopefully you brought all your music gear with you," Andy said to her. "I remember when you were fronting The Grendelles, because I saw you open for Mike Doughty at The Independent. You guys were pretty good, although your drummer looked like he was high as fuck, so his tempos were all over the goddamn place." "Yeah, Casey was a fuckin' drag and hella fucked up so many gigs," she sighed. "But he OD'd a couple'a years back, so that ended that band." "Thought the band name wasn't great either, but you made fun of it yourself at that show, so I figured you knew that already." She reached behind him to give his ass a quick goose. "Daphne, the band's guitarist, came up with it, and we got a little bit of heat, so we were stuck with it, at least until Casey died. Last I heard from Daphne, she was down in L A and had taken up working as a studio rat, engineering for other people's shit, writing songs for suckers that can't do it their own damn selves. But don't you worry,  all my gear'll show up in the next couple of days, and I'll turn one of the bedrooms into a little music studio. I'll even make sure it's soundproofed and a good distance from your writing nook, so you won't even know when I'm hella getting my jam on." "Damn, girl," Sheridan said, "you're gonna take up so much of our damn space, between your music studio and your workshop. Maybe you should just convert the pool house into your working area. You could make the living room into your wood working studio, convert one bedroom in there into your music studio and the other into your own little living quarters." "That's a dope idea!" Tala said, not letting go of Andy, keeping her full tits pressed hard against his side. "Assuming you're cool with me changing the living room over there into a maker's room. And sorta commandeering the pool house. I don't wanna come in here all Bossy Magoo and shit, but it would mean everyone else wouldn't have to deal with the sound of heavy saws when I'm working on furniture, 'cause even I get tired of that shit some of the time." "You'd have to make certain you came into the main house regularly, though, and didn't just spend all your time out there alone. I mean, it's probably fine, but let me have a couple of days to think about it before I say yes, okay?" "Oh, totes, totes," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek again. "Anyway, don't let me steal all the spotlight." She pulled his head down in another firm kiss before she slipped away from him with a mischievous giggle. Andy immediately knew why all the girls liked Tala,  she was approachable, personable and generally just seemed like a good time. The second girl to approach him was Jade Dillon, who had decided to show up wearing her 49ers cheerleader outfit, gold hotpants shorts and white crop top that left most of her toned abs exposed to the eye, her skin a sun kissed tan that clearly had enjoyed having a summer off without any children to teach. She looked as fit as Sheridan, Piper and Lauren, but a touch more muscular and a little less flexible. Her honey colored hair hung in loose corkscrews down to the middle of her back. She, thankfully, wasn't wearing the sort of heavy makeup that seemed to be necessary for performances at football games, instead electing to just have some basics. Her eyes were a vibrant green, the shade of summer grass in its prime, and her smile beamed in his direction, her teeth an almost reflective level of white. She strolled right up to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging onto him tightly. "I know that we just met, but I just wanted to tell you how super grateful I am that you chose me," she said, burying her face in his chest. "I know you didn't have to take me in, and I'm sure that Lauren told you about my, ah, inexperience, and I totally know how that can make so many guys super nervous, but it didn't make you nervous, and that's great, it's just so darn great, and gosh, I just can't even tell you how happy that makes me, how all this makes me, getting to be a part of such a marvelous family. I know I'm talking like a mile a minute, but I have to get all of it out before any of it slips my mind, or I just get too nervous and tongued to talk." She was trying not to cry, and then she giggled to herself for a minute. "I'm Jade. I know it's silly to tell you that, but golly, I just feel like if I didn't, I'm not properly introducing myself." "Hey Jade, welcome to the family," he said with a smile. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" "Oh shucks, yes please! That sounds wonderful!" Andy helped her lean her head back so he could look into her eyes again, then leaned down and kissed her. She was only a couple of inches shorter than he was, so it didn't take much adjustment. Whereas Tala had been intensely eager, Jade was a bit more shy and reticent in her kiss at first, but she quickly warmed up to him, as if she was worried that she was being too reserved and was attempting to overcompensate by going all at it. "I changed into the Gold Rush outfit after I got here," Jade said, "because Hannah said she thought you'd like it. I can't say I blame you. Every man loves a cheerleader." She looked over to the curvy Asian teen, who gave her a wide smile and a pair of enthusiastic thumbs up. "You didn't have to wear it if you didn't want to," Andy said, a little shyly. "Oh, I totally don't mind! I mean, you're doing so much for me, it's the very least I could do!" "Thank you for accepting the offer to join the family, Jade." "No no, thank you! You have an amazing bunch of women here! So, I kinda sorta have a special request, if that'd be okay with you?" she said, looking up at him. She wasn't as massively confident as Lauren had made her out to be, at least for just that moment, but Andy was pretty sure he knew why. "All you have to do is ask, Jade," he said, trying to put her more at ease. "I talked with Niko about how this whole imprinting thing works, and, well, I'm very much looking forward to making love with you, but I don't want my first time,” She blushed a deep shade of red a moment before carrying on. "I don't want my first time.. having sex, I don't want that to be the thing that imprints me. So I was hoping maybe I could just, ah, go down on you to get imprinted? And then I can have my first time a little later? Without the added extra pressure of knowing it's doubly going to change my world completely?" She smiled up at him, that wide expanse of pearly teeth flashing at him. "Is that okay with you? I know it might be a bit much to ask, but golly, I feel like it's just so gosh darn important to me that I'd better speak up about it, right?" "That's not a problem at all, Jade, but I'm gonna have to ask a favor of you in return, if you're okay with it." "Oh, shucks, that seems totally fair! What can I do to make us square?" Andy laughed a little. "You absolutely, positively have to ditch the fake cussing here in the house, before it drives me bonkers." Most of the other girls laughed at that, and Jade blushed a little once more, but she also smiled, maybe even a touch embarrassed by it. "I understand you've gotten into the habit of it because you're teaching young children all day, but when you're at the house, around the grown ups, you gotta either just swear or at very least stop using fake cuss words. It's like goddamn nails on a chalkboard to me." "I know, I know," Jade laughed. "It's really hard, considering I spend so much time teaching kindergarten, but I'll work on it, I promise. I mean, I am a grown ass woman capable of saying the word 'fuck' now and again." Lauren smirked and waggled a finger in her direction. "I've known you three years, Jade, and that's the first time that I've ever heard you say it." "I mean, is it really that big of a deal?" she asked, looking up at Andy. "It's, actually kinda creepy to me," Andy said. "Fake cussing drives me up the fucking wall. If you don't want to cuss, then don't, but please don't use that weird G rated shit in its place, because it's just, it's just unsettling." "And besides," Emily said to her, "Andrew truly does love actual cussing. When a girl is willing to get more and more salty for him, the faster his cock grows nice and hard for us." Sarah grinned broadly, moving over to put her arm around Jade's shoulders. "You know what you fucking need? A motherfucking profanity coach! And I'm the shit when it comes to swearing! The absolute tits! I can be! That! Fucking! Coach!" she said, punching the air with her other hand. "Well, no. I can be your coach on teaching you how to say 'fuck' a lot more, but not how to fuck. Although I suppose I could teach you how to do that as well? Whatever. We'll fucking figure it out. You just stick with me, bitch, and I'll turn Mary Poppins into a major slut in the best fucking way." Jade looked up at Sarah, a strange look on her face. "I don't think I can say no, can I?" she giggled. "A profanity coach? Really? What makes you qualified for that?" "Oh, I'm like the most fucking qualified," Sarah said, as she pulled Jade away from Andy slowly. "I'm more fucking qualified to teach swearing than any sailor you're ever going to fucking meet. I learned the power of a good swear word early in life, and it's, like, my fucking superpower. I can work filthy language into any goddamn conversation I want to, all without offending anybody, because I'm good and super fucking cute at doing so! You can be that way too!" Jade looked back at Andy. "Saying no to her isn't an option, is it?" "Oh, you could try," he chuckled. "But you're just going to lose in the end, so I dunno why you'd even want to try." "Wait!" Sarah said suddenly, as if remembering something. She slid away from Jade and ran over to grab Andy, wrapping her long arms around him to hold his body against hers as she kissed him hard and fierce, teasing her fingernails against the back of his skull for a moment, her body trying to press his into hers as hard as she could for what felt like an eternity before finally breaking the kiss for air. "That's for letting me read the new book before anybody else got the fucking chance to, even your goddamn agent or your legit best fucking friend. I have some notes and a handful of suggestions, but mostly? I think it's your best fucking work yet, absolutely lit. And the sex scenes were good before, but the one in this book? When Dr. Shirow practically fucking devours the Gunslinger? Ohmyfuckinggod, was that so fucking intense! I kinda broke out a vibe and had a go at myself when I was reading it. I'm not ashamed! Like, I totally knew they'd had, like, this creeping sexual tension in books before, but fuck was it hot when she just ripped his clothes off him after patching up his wounds, then fucked him on the operating table when he was too wiped out to do anything more but lay there and enjoy it. Total sploosh moment. She kinda reminds me of Niko a bit." Niko brought her hand to her mouth to cover her laugh, which made everyone turn to look at her. She was still in her camo from the base, not having changed into more casual clothes after getting home, meaning she must have brought the new girls right here and never left to get changed into something less intimidating. "Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class, dear?" Emily asked her, arching one of her finely plucked blonde eyebrows in amusement. "I dressed as Dr. Shirow for Halloween a few weeks back, at the party where Covington stopped by to convince Andy to play in the poker game that resulted in you and Sarah being here," she said, almost uncharacteristically shy for her. "After he agreed to do it, I, uh, might have kinda forcefully taken him later in the evening to say thank you, because he only agreed to go to protect my friend Charlotte, Asha's mom." "Remind me ta thank you for that," Asha said to her. "That got me here." "Did, did you base that sex scene on our little tryst in the bathroom, Andy?" Niko asked him. He looked around the room, realizing that every single other pair of eyes in the room was focused on him. "Uh, am I in trouble if I did?" "Not in the least." "I might have, sort of, kind of, just a little, I wrote it the next morning, and yeah, they say write what you know, so,” he said, trailing off. Niko started giggling furiously before Sarah brought Jade over with her, moving to high five the soldier. "Oh my fucking god. I'm a fictional super hot as fuck doctor now, and people all over the fucking planet are going to read about how great I fuck, this fucking rules," she said. Sarah grabbed Niko's face and leaned down to kiss the mixed race woman in a fierce mash of lips, while Jade was basically prevented from moving anywhere by Sarah's other arm. Niko moaned a little bit into it, even as the kiss parted quickly, Sarah biting onto Niko's bottom lip for a moment to pull it back then letting it pop from her teeth. "You, Emily and I have a date to have ourselves some fun in the next few days, bitch." Niko nodded, almost a little frantically. "Oh yes, please." "That sort of thing's okay in the house?" Jade asked Andy. "Definitely, if that's what you're into," he said, leaning against the arm of one of the couches. "Look, there's only so much of me to go around, and a lot of the women here are into other women, and that's safe and fine, so it's not only okay, it's encouraged, if that's what you want to do. Emily and Sarah were lovers long before they got here. Same for Lauren and Taylor, despite a rough patch in the middle. But for the most part, nearly everyone here is still pretty new to one another." Aisling nodded. "We may all feel like we've known each other forever, Jade, but I'm the first of Andy's partners, and we only met seven months ago. Lauren and Niko showed up a few weeks later, but after that, we remained as that group for a while." "Right, but Emily's got to be have been here for months, right? She seems like she knows Andy so well!" Jade said. Emily giggled, shaking her head, her blonde hair covering her face for a minute before she flipped it out of her face. "We've only been here a couple of weeks, love," she said, an almost shy smile on her face. "But Andrew, Sares and I have an indirect history that I might suspect contributes to us giving off that impression. We all still have so much to learn about one another, which is part of the reason I won't sleep anywhere that he isn't, ever ever ever." Niko reached to place a hand on Sarah's ass, as the tall redhead was framed between the smaller solider on one side and the 49ers cheerleader on the other. "Andy really is who I told you he is back at the base, Jade," she said, looking past Sarah. "Whatever you do and don't want out of this family, he's going to be completely cool with it. I've kinda wanted to play with Sarah and Emily a bit, and I knew Andy would be okay with it, but I just didn't know how to bring it up to them." "I'll bet he might even want to watch, or participate," Emily teased. "No comment," Andy laughed, "but you girls are more than welcome to have fun without me." "But if you wanted to, and you knew he'd be fine with it," Jade asked, "why haven't you?" Niko reddened slightly. "I mean, they're fucking gorgeous! I know they're going to be co wives with me and Ash, but Ash and I have had a lot more time to get comfortable with each other! I figured I'd get around to seeing if Emily and Sarah wanted to play with me when I was ready." Sarah reached down and bopped Niko on the nose with one of her fingertips. "You're totes adorbs, Neeks," she giggled. "I'm gonna enjoy making you fucking squirm when I make you cum. It's gonna be hella cute." "What.. what if I'm not into women?" Jade asked. The look on her face said that it was something she'd never really considered one way or another, and to suddenly have so many options in front of her was a tad overwhelming, like a starving man presented with an all you can eat smorgasbord. "Then you don't have to play with anyone you don't want to," Andy said. "But if you want to experiment, that's okay too. Lauren told me you don't have a lot of sexual experience, and that's completely fine. Nobody here is gonna judge you for it, and if they do, I'll paddle their ass for it, unless it's Lauren, in which case I'll just tie her up and not paddle her ass, because she likes that sort of thing." "Spoilsport," Lauren said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Look, Jade, before Aisling came into my life, the most adventurous sexual encounter I'd ever had was a slightly drunken threesome in my youth. Since then, I've have all sorts of wild experiences, and I've had space to learn what I do and what I don't like." Sarah leaned down and mocked a stage whisper to Jade. "Spoiler alert: He fucking loves a sweary slut." All the girls laughed at that before Andy spread his hands in a 'you got me' motion before continuing. "Nobody in this house is going to judge you for what or who does and doesn't turn you on, Jade. I do not allow kink shaming in my fucking house. Everyone here is getting something out of being here, being part of this household, but I'm not making anyone do anything they don't want to do. Nor will I, ever. Take Katie here, for example," he said, gesturing to the Latina groundskeeper, who had joined all the staff to meet the new housemates. "She's married to Jenny," he said, gesturing to the blonde cook whom Katie already had her arms around, "and she's entirely a lesbian. Completely sexually disinterested in men. But she and Jenny wanted the security of being in a house where they were safe and taken care of. Katie's said she's never going to want to fuck me, and that's completely fine. She needs to get my semen regularly, but the first time she did it, she and Jenny took turns blowing me." "The most recent time, I tried sucking some out of Jenny's cunt after he'd fucked her," Katie said, "and that worked just fine. Both Jenny and I got our fix from that one load. I might eventually want to try fucking Andy once, just to see if I can get my head around it, but I also may never want to do that, and he's okay with it either way. I was worried he was gonna be mad at us for lying to the government, claiming I was bisexual instead of a lesbian, but he wasn't. We got lucky. And so are you. I genuinely feel that way. So be you, ma'am. That's all I can tell you, and you'll do fine." "It's a little shocking, but it's refreshing to see everyone so open and body positive about their sexuality," Jade said. "And you three are all okay with being treated like staff instead of being treated like family?" "We are family," Nicolette said, "but we like being staff. Jenny and Katie are committed to each other, and Andy's cum is just part of their salaries. The same's true for me, but I also especially enjoy being submissive. And speaking of which,” With that, Nicolette brought Whitney forward. She looked much as she had in her pictures, her skin a shade of alabaster, her hair onyx black, her ocean blue eyes looking up at him behind large circular glasses with thick frames. She wore a semi sheer white silk blouse beneath a gray blazer, the deep crimson colors of her bra covering her apple sized tits visible plainly through the fabric. She also wore a black leather skirt, with gray stockings disappearing up beneath it. She was shorter than many of the other girls in the family, halfway between five and six feet tall, if he needed to guess, and slender, not so thin as to look unhealthy, but certainly the thinnest member of his family. (Andy made a mental note to insist that she eat a healthy amount moving forward, and not starve himself for his benefit.) Her lips were painted with lipstick the same shade as her lingerie, a lustrous red the shade of fresh blood, a hue meant to evoke both lust and portents. Nicolette's hand was on Whitney's back, almost gently pushing her in front of Andy. The pale girl had her arms in front of her, her wrists crossed, almost as if she instinctively kept them in that pose, in case they were about to be bound in rope. Her fingernails were painted the same color as her lips. Her black hair was drawn back, pulled tight along her head and drawn into a neat bun, with a single lock of it loose and dangling along the side of her face. Her head was tilted slightly downward, but her eyes were lifted up to focus on his gaze. "This slut is very pleased to meet you, sir, and hopes you will take her to be part of your staff and your property." The look in her eyes was smoldering with more lust than even Piper's had held when she'd nearly blindly raped him when they first met. "She very much wants that." "I, ah, I wouldn't have extended the invitation to you if I didn't want to bring you into the House of Rook." "This slut understands, sir, but there should be a bit of formality and ritual to all of this, rather than simply bringing this slut underneath your house's protective wing with a smile and a handshake." "That's fair, Whitney. So tell me what you want." "This slut wants a bit of ceremony to it, sir. For you to collar her, and then claim her by imprinting her, in front of as many members of the house as possible. In speaking with Nicolette, it was made clear to this slut that you might be a bit nervous about collaring her, but she wants to ensure to you that this is what she wants, what she truly wants." Whitney had a deliberate intensity to her that Andy might have found overwhelming if Nicolette hadn't helped prepare him for it. Thankfully, Nicolette had spent a few minutes each day since the decision was made to invite Whitney helping mentally prepare him for what to expect. "You brought a collar that you'll feel comfortable wearing?" "This slut has, sir." "Well, then. Would you like to wait or would you prefer to do it sooner?" "Sooner, sir," she said, clenching her fingers in and out of fists, as if the waiting was difficult for her. She leaned over to the couch, opening her purse, taking out a collar that was both simple and elegant, a long leather strip with a gold clasp in the front that featured a stylized rook chess piece on the face of it. She held it out to him, and he took it from her with his left hand. "This slut had originally hoped the ritual might take place outside, but the weather has gotten too chilly, so indoors will have to suffice, with your permission, sir." Andy reached down and brought one fingertip along Whitney's cheek, and she turned her cheek to lean into his touch, her skin cool to the touch, and her eyes never once leaving his face. She followed his finger back for just a moment longer than seemed necessary, a soft smile on her face. "So, attendance for this is entirely voluntary, and anyone who doesn't want to attend doesn't have to, but anyone who wants to is completely welcome. Tala, Jade, obviously, if you want to go pick an open bedroom and settle in, that's fine." Tala had a grand belly laugh at that, shaking her head, almost with tears in her eyes. "You couldn't fucking bar me from watching this, baby," she said, putting her arm around Sheridan's shoulder. "I already tossed my suitcase into the room next to Sheridan's so let's get the show on the road already!" Andy looked over to Jade, who smiled at him, shaking her head, adamant to remain in the room. "I'm getting into this family, by hell or highwater, Andy," Jade said to him, "so I definitely want to see if all the things they told us at the Air Force base were true. Well, I guess the whole thing about the first taste of cum making us orgasm is true. Tala just proved that." "God, bitch," Tala laughed, "you have no idea how fucking great that was. I've had a good amount of sex in my life, and that little taste was the best fucking orgasm I've ever had, so if the imprinting one is even stronger,” She shivered with an impish grin on her face. "The waiting is the hardest fucking part." "And I'm not ashamed about sex, Andy," Jade giggled. "I just haven't had it yet. I threw my suitcase into an open bedroom when I first got here. Lauren suggested I do it before you got home. So I agree with my new friend, Tala. Let's go team!" Nicolette made her way over to stand next to Whitney for a second, as Whitney unlocked her cellphone and handed it to Nicolette. "This slut would like her friend to film all of this for her, so she may watch it later, with sir's permission of course," Whitney said to him, as Nicolette stepped back a few paces, holding the iPhone sideways, to get a good wide angle that framed both Whitney and Andy in the same shot. "That's fine," Andy said, tipping his head a little. "Although I'll also want a copy of the video for myself." "Of course, sir." Andy gestured for the women of the family to move and form up around Andy and Whitney, a ring of beauty encircling them, giving the whole thing a bit more sense of ceremony. Then he turned his eyes back to Whitney. "Now strip." "Yes sir." First, she slid off the blazer, moving to fold it over the back of a nearby couch. Next she unbuttoned the white silk shirt that was so sheer, she might as well not have been wearing it at all. After that came the skirt, and when it dropped he could see she was wearing red panties that matched her lacy crimson bra, as well as a red garter belt that clipped onto the stockings. She unclipped them one at a time, rolling them down her legs, setting them with the rest of her clothes, never once turning away from him. When she removed the bra, her tits came into view, small and perky, with tiny pink nipples atop them that were rock hard, She slipped the garter belt off, then pushed her panties downward, crouching as she did, stepping out of them before laying them atop the stack of her clothes. She had a small thick triangle of black curls above her otherwise shaven cunt. Once she was naked, her arms crossed at the wrists in front of her once more. "This slut spoke with her friend, and she told her that you were fine with both shaven and unshaven cunts, so this slut tried to split the difference, but if you prefer something else, you need only speak and it will be done, sir." "Your body is your own domain, Whitney," Andy said. "You should keep your pubic hair how is most comfortable to you and you alone." Whitney frowned for just a moment, then nodded. "Yes sir." Andy knew it wasn't the answer she'd been hoping for, that he would dictate her every move, but Andy wanted to hold firm that she would need to decide a few things for herself. But, to reassure her that those things would be few, he decided to exert a bit of control again. He reached forward and grabbed one of her wrists, pulling her arm away from her body, then pushed it down the front of his jeans, before bringing it back out, making sure there was a streak of precum on her palm, as he'd intended. "Keep that hand out, and don't lick it until I tell you." "Yes sir." "Now get down on your knees." That made her smile again. "Yes sir." She moved down to her knees before him, but kept her head raised the entire time, her back not bending in the slightest, remaining perpendicular to the floor, sitting on her heels. The entire time, she kept her right hand palm up. "Thank you sir." "I'm still a little nervous about this, so I'm going to require you to ask me for what I'm holding in my hand here," he said, shaking the collar in her direction. "Yes sir," she answered. "This slut,” "No." The sudden interruption caught her off guard and she seemed confused, so he elaborated. "For this, in this moment where you are choosing to surrender everything to me, I want to hear it directly from you. None of this third person language. That's a passive way of doing it. If you want to return to that afterwards, that's fine, but for here, this singular moment, you have to be you. Either you want this, or you don't. And if you can't say it, out loud, to me, I'm not going to believe that you truly want it. You have to convince me. Try again." Whitney smiled a little bit more now in understanding, nodding once. "This,” she started before catching herself and beginning one final time. "I want you to collar me, sir. I want you to claim me, to put that leather around my neck, to make me your possession, a member of your household, but more importantly, a person that you own, that you have total dominance over, to exert whenever and where ever you want to. I, Whitney Ophelia Wells, want you, Andrew Rook, to give me a collar, your collar, that I can proudly wear, so that anyone who sees me knows that I am your property, by choice, and that knowing what I truly am is exposed to the world at all times brings me the greatest joy anyone could ever imagine. By placing the collar around my neck, you will take control of my body, mind and soul, and they will always be yours, to do with what you please, and that is what I want most in this world. So please, sir, fulfill my greatest wishes and desires. I want you to collar me, and make me your slut. Will you bestow upon me that most holy of honors? Sir?" "When this latch clicks, Whitney," he said, lifting the leather collar, bringing it towards her neck, "I want you to lick your hand, so the moment is seared into your brain." "Yes sir." He'd given this a bunch of thought over the last few days, and Nicolette had made it clear to him that he should try and imbue this moment with as much ritual and ceremony as he could, to make it feel like something that had been done throughout the ages, that there was a history to it, even if he was simply making it all up off the top of his head. He'd prepared a few things, in his mind, and he hoped they would be enough. As he began to slide the leather against her skin, seeing the tiny shiver of excitement from her body, he began to speak, trying to keep his voice steady and calm, as if he wasn't as nervous about all of this as Whitney seemed to be. "With this collar, I, Andrew Rook, hereby claim and take possession of you, Whitney Ophelia Wells, and bring you into the House of Rook, where you will serve the family as our technical expert first and foremost, but also as my personal plaything. You surrender your mind, your body, your will and your soul to this family, and to me, as its head. This is what you have chosen, what you have asked of me, and now, I have granted it to you. I claim you. I own you. You belong to me. You are,” He waited until he had the latch mechanism figured out and said the last word in time with his hooking of the latch. "Mine." Once the final word left his lips, she immediately brought her palm to her lips and licked the spot of precum clean. Her entire body tried to hold perfectly still after her tongue touched the liquid, but Andy could still see those blue eyes roll back into her skull in sudden shock and brainfry. Her eyelids fluttered frantically, but other than that, she held perfectly still and made no noise at all, despite the overwhelming rush of pleasure that was tearing through her body. All the women gathered around them closed in a step or two, as if tightening the circle in some long forgotten ritual. Andy hadn't asked them to do that, so he figured they were simply getting as caught up in the moment as he was. He didn't want to interrupt her moment, so he waited until she seemed to have regained her composure, her deep blue eyes opening to look at him once more, now in much more exposed adoration. "Your slut thanks You, Master." Andy had to prevent his smile from growing too wide, as he still had a part to play, but he immediately noted the change in her language. No longer 'this slut,' but 'your slut.' No longer 'sir,' but 'Master.' Before, he had simply been a respected man standing before her. Now, he had claimed her and given her Purpose. "She would very much like to be imprinted now, Master, if that is to Your pleasure." "I believe that seems appropriate," he said, and the gathered girls giggled a little at that. "Nicolette, I want you to sit down on the couch here. Whitney, you are going to stand up, keep your legs straight, bend at the waist, and place your hands on Nicolette's shoulders, so she can film your face the entire time while you're being imprinted." "Yes, Master. Thank You, Master." Whitney rose to her feet, then spun around, which was the moment Andy saw it, and everything nearly fell apart for a split second. There, on the small of her back, was a fresh tattoo, clearly less than a day or two old, as the skin around it was still reddish and angry, and the colors were still that insanely brilliant tone that only the newest of tattoos had. When the first Druid Gunslinger book had been nearing publication, the publisher had suggested Andy mak

3x Emmy Award Winner ~ How can we become a more positively peaceful being in a 24/7 Pop Culture-Social Media World? My Guest this week has some solutions.Dr. Carole Lieberman's multi-dimensional career as an internationally renowned "Media Psychiatrist" is always leading edge! Dr.Carole is "the doctor who helps you stay sane in an insane world!" On TV, Radio, the Internet, in Film, Print, as a Speaker and as the first Shrink on Board airline in-flight entertainment, Dr. Carole's insights help people seize the moment to live happier, more fulfilling lives. Today, called upon more than ever to help people cope with terrorism and other 21st century challenges… the doctor is in!Maintaining a star-studded practice in Beverly Hills, Dr. Lieberman is also well known as a psychiatric expert witness who testifies in high profile trials, and analyzes trials in the media Dr. Lieberman has testified before Congress on several occasions, as well, notably regarding the harmful impact of media violence.A three-time Honoree by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences & The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Daytime Emmy Awards, Dr. Carole Lieberman analyzes the psychological impact of world events, as a guest and/or host on all major media outlets. Her passionate commentary is far more than entertaining and exciting -- it dauntlessly cuts to the heart of the issue! Perhaps that explains why everyone from Oprah to Larry King, Katie Couric and countless others, think of Dr. Carole when they need a 'house call'. Viewers will recognize her from frequent appearances on  CNN, BBC, "The Today Show", "Good Morning America", Court TV, "Entertainment Tonight" and many more.All Rights Reserved © 2025 Building Abundant Success!!Join Me on ~ iHeart Media @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASSpot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23baAmazon Music ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud 

(I write at length about many of the ideas below in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age,” out now. Order this week get enrolled for free in Firestarter University, a year-long, online course starting in the Fall.)It was so great to have a conversation with Katie Couric. We talked about the need for everyone to get off the sidelines, how increment steps forward lead to revolutions, and the importance of finding your people — all topics I explore in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age.” Watch our replay above. And be sure you're following Katie's new Substack!Join me on my book tour! For dates and tickets, visit firedupbook.com.For women ready to stop living on autopilot and playing it small, Fired Up will show you how to shatter your self imposed limitations and unleash your potential so you can finally start living the life you've always wanted. Click to order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you Richard DeWald, Michael Mann, Dr Avneesh Khare, Maud Pasturaud, Lower Dementia Risk, and many others for tuning into my live video with Katie Couric! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

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Throughout the crisis we currently find our country in, the role our media has played has grown increasingly important. Steve Schmidt sits down with Katie Couric to discuss Fox News, Joe Biden and the media's role in creating false narratives. Subscribe for more and follow me here: Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribe Store: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES

He grew up in a Fox News household and once campaigned for Trump. But today, Aaron Parnas is a rising progressive voice with millions of followers—and no patience for the media status quo. In this conversation with Katie Couric, he shares how his worldview changed, and why he’s using TikTok and Substack to rewire how we consume the news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming up on this episode of Flirtations, we're talking limerence, longing, and connection with our guest, Amanda McCracken, a journalist, speaker, and host of the insightful The Longing Lab podcast and author of the forthcoming book, When Longing Becomes Your Lover. Inside the episode, we breakdown limerence and the limerence cycle, and how this intense and often obsessive infatuation we may develop for someone ultimately keeps us from developing the connections and relationships we desire.  We'll also explore the neuroscience behind limerence and how our brains are wired to desire what we don't have, and why this longing can become a comforting distraction.  But that's not all, you all came through with questions and we've got answers, like how to break the limerence cycle? What if I just can't get over someone? I have a crush, how can I not go into limerence? What are some strategies for obsessive thoughts? What role does social media and the dating apps play in all of this? As we begin to wrap up the conversation, Amanda shares her decision to wait until 41 to have sex, which garnered national attention and sparked conversations about intimacy, self-worth, and the societal narratives that shape our romantic lives. Alright flirties, let's prepare to examine our desires and the stories we tell ourselves about love.  Time to meet Amanda! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Flirtations on your favorite podcast platform, and share this episode to spread BFE - big flirt energy- all over the world! Enjoying the show and want to support my work? Buy the Flirt Coach a coffee! About our guest:  Amanda McCracken is an award-winning journalist whose writing has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, NPR, Elle, National Geographic, Vogue, Runner's World, Outside and elsewhere. Her TEDx talk "How longing keeps us from healthy relationships" was one of only 200 talks chosen in 2023 as a TEDx editors' pick. She is now a TEDxCU speaker coach and a writing consultant at the University of Colorado. McCracken has been interviewed about her essays on intimacy by Katie Couric, the BBC World News, USA Today, and various podcasts. After over a decade of research and interviews with 100+ people, her hybrid memoir on limerence When Longing Becomes Your Lover will be published Februrary 2026, but the greatest result of her investigative journey was meeting her husband and having their daughter.  McCracken is also an endurance athlete and triathlon coach of 25 years. Learn more about her at www.amandajmccracken.com, on Instagram @amandajmccracken,  or discover more about the science and culture of longing at her podcast The Longing Lab. About your host:  Benjamin is a flirt and dating coach sharing his love of flirting and BFE - big flirt energy - with the world! A lifelong introvert and socially anxious member of society, Benjamin now helps singles and daters alike flirt with more confidence, clarity, and fun! As the flirt is all about connection, Benjamin helps the flirt community (the Flirties!) date from a place that allows the value of connection in all forms - platonic, romantic, and with the self - to take center stage. Ultimately, this practice of connection helps flirters and daters alike create stronger relationships, transcend limiting beliefs, and develop an unwavering love for the self. His work has been featured in Fortune, NBC News, The Huffington Post, and Yoga Journal. You can connect with Benjamin on Instagram, TikTok, stream the Flirtations Flirtcast everywhere you listen to podcasts (like right here!), and find out more about working together 1:1 here.

Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks about Original Sin author and CNN host Jake Tapper's disastrous appearance on Megyn Kelly's podcast where she grilled him for ignoring signs of Joe Biden's cognitive decline during his presidency and mocking guests like Lara Trump for trying to bring attention to it; Jake Tapper explaining to Katie Couric the shocking amount of power and influence Hunter Biden had over Joe Biden in the White House; Senator Chris Van Hollen having his questions for Marco Rubio about deporting illegal immigrants like Kilmar Ábrego García blow up in his face; Marco Rubio turning "Face the Nation's" Margaret Brennan's question about South African refugees against her; Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stunned reaction to a reporter asking him to his face about his racism and his prioritizing of hiring black people over white people; Elon Musk having some harsh words for a reporter who questioned the DOGE's ability to make substantial cuts in wasteful government spending; and much more. WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/   ----------   Today's Sponsors: BlueChew - BlueChew is the original brand offering chewable tablets for better sex combining the active ingredients of Viagra and Cialis into ONE chewable. Try your first month of Blue Chew tablets FREE when you use promo code RUBIN. Go to: http://bluechew.com/ and use promo code RUBIN  Home Title Lock - Ensure that your home title is safe from thieves. Sign up today and you'll get a FREE Title History Report plus a FREE trial of their Million Dollar TripleLock Protection—that's 24/7 monitoring of your title, urgent alerts to any changes, and if fraud should happen they'll spend up to ONE MILLION dollars to fix it. Go to: http://hometitlelock.com/rubinreport and USE promo code RUBIN CBDistillery.com- Struggling with poor sleep or aches and pains? Take the advice of our over 2 million satisfied customers. Use CBD after physical activity for reductions in stress and pain. Don't miss the Memorial Day Sale, use code RUMBLE to save up to 40% off. Go to: http://CBDistillery.com and enter PROMO CODE: RUMBLE

Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks about Original Sin author and CNN host Jake Tapper's disastrous appearance on Megyn Kelly's podcast where she grilled him for ignoring signs of Joe Biden's cognitive decline during his presidency and mocking guests like Lara Trump for trying to bring attention to it; Jake Tapper explaining to Katie Couric the shocking amount of power and influence Hunter Biden had over Joe Biden in the White House; Senator Chris Van Hollen having his questions for Marco Rubio about deporting illegal immigrants like Kilmar Ábrego García blow up in his face; Marco Rubio turning "Face the Nation's" Margaret Brennan's question about South African refugees against her; Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stunned reaction to a reporter asking him to his face about his racism and his prioritizing of hiring black people over white people; Elon Musk having some harsh words for a reporter who questioned the DOGE's ability to make substantial cuts in wasteful government spending; and much more. WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/ ---------- Today's Sponsors: BlueChew - BlueChew is the original brand offering chewable tablets for better sex combining the active ingredients of Viagra and Cialis into ONE chewable. Try your first month of Blue Chew tablets FREE when you use promo code RUBIN. Go to: http://bluechew.com/ and use promo code RUBIN Home Title Lock - Ensure that your home title is safe from thieves. Sign up today and you'll get a FREE Title History Report plus a FREE trial of their Million Dollar TripleLock Protection—that's 24/7 monitoring of your title, urgent alerts to any changes, and if fraud should happen they'll spend up to ONE MILLION dollars to fix it. Go to: http://hometitlelock.com/rubinreport and USE promo code RUBIN CBDistillery.com- Struggling with poor sleep or aches and pains? Take the advice of our over 2 million satisfied customers. Use CBD after physical activity for reductions in stress and pain. Don't miss the Memorial Day Sale, use code RUMBLE to save up to 40% off. Go to: http://CBDistillery.com and enter PROMO CODE: RUMBLE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh my God this man is my hero. I'm still stunned by his extraordinary depth, insights, wisdom, generosity and tearful smiling love for his wife. What a privilege and blessing to dive deep into what it truly takes to go beyond defensiveness and create conversations that deepen love when consistent criticism can often lead to divorce. And this still pinching myself conversation, which I would be happy to have for an entire weekend long, we also discussed... -The healing power of 'sharing and caring' sessions to shift people from surviving to thriving and support them in creating a 'conflict free zone' relationship -How when you know you're going to have a 'sharing and caring' conversation, how anger, violence, yelling and sarcasm diminish because you know you're going to be heard -How it's biologically unnatural to receive criticism without defensiveness yet openness and connection can be learned and more importantly practiced to turn almost any relationship around -How underneath anger is vulnerability and how overtime through practice responding with compassion and focusing on appreciation, you can learn to hear behind the cranky words to the heart's unmet needs behind it -I shared how I still haven't been able to get through listening to the Boy Crisis Book because it triggers so much about my own personal situation. Warren invited a follow-up call about this with me, I was floored, humbly grateful, prayers answered in such an unexpected way -He supported my own coaching practice by teaching me that young adults on antidepressants have often not been taught boundaries, limits or delayed gratification. The mothers on antidepressants often feel like a failure when the children don't respect them -We teased about instead of creating work-life balance, he and his wife Liz create work-work balance! One of his latest sharing and caring sessions with her was about taking 3 months off a year! -And as the Divine would have it, we were able to invite her on the After the Show segment on Patreon... there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Please get your copy of Rolemate to Soulmate and the next step of the Online Course because reading is great, but practice is where the lasting transformation happens. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637744560 ➡️ Go check out patreon.com/allanapratt for Exclusive content! About Dr. Warren Farrell:   Warren Farrell, PhD, has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times bestseller Why Men Are the Way They Are, and the international bestseller The Myth of Male Power. Dr. Farrell presented the findings of The Boy Crisis (2018) worldwide, from the White House to the Norwegian Parliament. It was a catalyst for bipartisan legislation for father involvement in Florida. He is currently working on The Man Crisis. Dr. Farrell's most recent book, Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Seven Secrets to Lifelong Love (2024), is based on his teaching couples' communication for the past 30 years to more than a thousand couples and psychologists. Warren Farrell has been a pioneer in both the women's movement (elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC) and the men's movement (called by GQ “The Martin Luther King of the men's movement”). He advocates for a “Gender Liberation Movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past.” The challenges he faced also advocating for boys and men is the subject of a 2025 documentary, The Boy Crisis: Cancel Warren Farrell, nominated for “Best Documentary” by the Idyllwild Film Festival. Dr. Farrell has been interviewed repeatedly by Oprah, Barbara Walters, Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson, and also by Peter Jennings, Sean Hannity, Katie Couric, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Charlie Rose. He has frequently written for and been featured in The New York Times and publications worldwide. Warren has two daughters and lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California, and virtually at warrenfarrell.com. Role Mate to Soul Mate book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637744560 YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/drwarrenfarrell/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/drwarrenfarrell/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/drwarrenfarrell/ X: https://x.com/drwarrenfarrell Schedule your Intimacy Breakthrough Experience with me today https://allanapratt.com/connect Scholarship Code: READYNOW ________________________________________________________ ❤️ Finding the One is Bullsh*t. Becoming the One is brilliant and beautiful, and ironically the key to attracting your ideal partner. Move beyond the fear of getting hurt again. Register for Become the One Introductory Program. http://allanapratt.com/becomeintro Use Code: BTO22 to get over 40% off ________________________________________________________ ❤️ We're thrilled to partner with Magic Mind for this episode. Go to https://magicmind.com/INTIMATECONVERSATIONS40 to avail exciting offers! ________________________________________________________ ❤️ Let's stay connected: Exclusive Video Newsletter: http://allanapratt.com/newsletter Instagram - @allanapratt [ / allanapratt ] Facebook - @coachallanapratt [ / coachallanapratt ]

Warren Farrell, PhD, has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times bestseller Why Men Are the Way They Are, and the international bestseller, The Myth of Male Power. Dr. Farrell presented the findings of The Boy Crisis (2018) worldwide, from the White House to the Norwegian Parliament. It was a catalyst for bipartisan legislation for father involvement in Florida. Dr. Farrell's most recent book, Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Seven Secrets to Lifelong Love (20024), is based on his teaching couples' communication for the past 30 years to more than a thousand couples and psychologists. Warren Farrell has been a pioneer in both the women's movement (elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC) and the men's movement (called by GQ "The Martin Luther King of the men's movement"). He advocates for a "Gender Liberation Movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past." His life journey is the subject of a forthcoming documentary. Dr. Farrell has been interviewed repeatedly during ratings periods by Oprah and Barbara Walters, as well as frequent interviews with Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson, and also by Peter Jennings, Sean Hannity, Katie Couric, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Charlie Rose. He has frequently written for and been featured in The New York Times and publications worldwide.

Today our guest is Alex Kajitani the 2009 California Teacher of the Year and also The Rappin' Mathematician. We talk to Alex about the foundational role that relationships play in education. He unpacks the three essential components every relationship must have and highlights the different types of relationships students navigate daily—with themselves, their peers, the adults on campus, and the content they're learning. Alex challenges the common belief that confidence leads to competence, offering a powerful reframe. He leaves us with a compelling reminder: the simple act of consistently showing up can make a profound difference in a student's life. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Visit the CharacterStrong Website   Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year.  He is the author of several books, including Owning It, which **was named “Recommended Reading” by the U.S. Department of Education. He also has a new book out, for new teachers, titled “You're a Teacher Now! What's Next?” and it's getting rave reviews. Alex is known around the world as “The Rappin' Mathematician, has a popular TED Talk, and was honored at The White House. He was also featured on The CBS Evening News, where Katie Couric exclaimed, “I LOVE that guy!” (and you will too!). For more info, visit www.AlexKajitani.com

Full episode on www.patreon.com/benbankasTickets & Tour Schedule: www.benbankas.comThis episode Ben touches on being in Canada during the election. In the full episode on Patreon Ben talks about how he was supposed to go on Katie Couric and Breakfast Television in Canada but had his appearances cancelled at the last second. Ben talks about the love of comedy and how the moments he's having now elicit feelings he had when he did his first open mics.

"Microbiome" is a buzzword these days--but many people don't know what it means. As we re-assess the lasting impact diet may have on our health, researchers are examining the role of gut health as possible causes for the dramatic uptick in colorectal cancer in young people. Katie Couric, founder of Katie Couric Media and Stand Up To Cancer, hosts an expert-led panel including Dr. Nancy You, a surgeon and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Program at MD Anderson, Dr. Susan Bullman–an Associate Professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, to discuss the impact of diet on the gut microbiome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we will speak with Chantal Traub about the nature of pushing, birth skills, and the imporance of the right support. Chantal Traub, NBC-HWC, CD(DONA), LCCE, CCCE is an experienced birth doula, childbirth educator and wellness coach. In her 20-plus years in practice, she has gained international recognition for her expertise on pelvic health and her innovative Pushing Power method. Through her classes, her one-on-one work and her doula practice, she helped thousands of moms to successfully journey through childbirth with increased understanding, ultimately minimizing trauma and enhancing the birth experience. You can find Chantal on podcasts such as “Next Question” with Katie Couric, “The Women's Health Podcast” and the Polyvagal Institute Conference. She co-authored an Amazon #1 best selling book, The Pelvic Floor: Everything you needed to know sooner. Find her Pushing Power workshops and one-on-one birth-coaching at chantaltraub.com. Current and past editions of the magazine can be found at: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/

America's Top Psychic Medium, James Van Praagh is interviewed about the deeper journey of the soul to the other side, opening up to the spirit world, 2025 predictions, U.S elections, E.T contact, and more. In this podcast, James Van Praagh & Emilio Ortiz explore the intricate relationship between grief, spirit communication, and the evolution of human consciousness.James Van Praagh is hailed throughout the world as a pioneer of the mediumship movement and considered one of the most widely recognized and accurate spiritual mediums working today.A “survival evidence medium,” he provides evidential proof of life after death through highly detailed messages from the spiritual realm. He is recognized annually on Watkins List of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People – a prestigious list of spiritual teachers, activists, authors, and thinkers. He has worked with international heads of state, religious world leaders, and celebrities including Cher, Goldie Hawn, Shirley Maclaine, Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Rivers, Katie Couric, Loretta Lynn, Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Wesley Snipes, and so many more. The #1 New York Times best-selling author of over a dozen international best-sellers, including his debut, Talking to Heaven, Van Praagh's book titles include: Talking To Heaven, Reaching to Heaven, Healing Grief, Heaven and Earth, Looking Beyond, Meditations, Ghosts Among Us, Unfinished Business, Growing Up In Heaven, Adventures of the Soul, How to Heal a Grieving Heart, and The Power of Love.Several years back, he launched The James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts which offers a variety of multimedia online learning experiences. He was the host of his own internationally syndicated television show, Beyond, and was a successful producer for CBS, creating a mini-series based on his life, Living with the Dead starring Ted Danson, and the very successful movie of the week, The Dead Will Tell starring Eva Longoria. He was also the executive producer of CBS's long-running series The Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.___________________PODCAST CHAPTERS00:00 - James Van Praagh Intro02:01 - Discussing Human Rights and Voting in the U.S.03:46 - Soul Rights vs. Human Rights07:37 - Incarnating as Advanced Souls09:54 - Life Review and Consequences of Actions11:02 - Exploring Spiritual Realms and Spheres16:29 - Materializing Memories in the Afterlife18:39 - Soul's Journey After Death27:59 - Healing Grief and Spirit Communication33:18 - Mass Exodus of Souls and Purpose Behind World Events36:15 - Higher Purpose of Potential World Conflicts39:40 - Divine Will vs. Human Free Will44:38 - Aligning with Destiny Points48:29 - Power Without Ignorance53:23 - The Significance of Upcoming U.S. Elections57:30 - Preparing Humanity for Open Contact with Extraterrestrial Beings01:02:19 - Voice Frequency and Spirit Connection01:10:47 - The Joy of Teaching and the “Light Bulb” Moments01:17:20 - Advanced Lessons Humanity is Meant to Learn___________________Guest: James Van Praagh | World Renowned Psychic Medium✦ Website | https://vanpraagh.com/✦ JVP School of Mystical Arts | https://jvpschoolofmysticalarts.com/✦ Books & Cards | https://vanpraagh.com/books/✦ Live Events | https://vanpraagh.com/events/✦ Instagram | ​⁠   / jamesvanpraagh   YouTube | ‪@vanpraaghdotcom‬ Host: Emilio Ortiz✦ Instagram |   / iamemilioortiz  ✦ Subscribe to YouTube Channel | ‪@EmilioOrtiz‬ ✦ Watch Emilio's latest series on 4biddenknowledge TV l https://bit.ly/AwakenThe6thSense© 2024 Emilio Ortiz. All rights reserved. Content from Just Tap In Podcast is protected under copyright law.Legal Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by guests on Just Tap In are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Emilio Ortiz or the Just Tap In Podcast. All content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.

Today, approximately 10,000 rare diseases collectively affect as many as 400 million people around the world, and women leaders have long been at the forefront of bringing awareness to these diseases and driving change. Katie Couric moderates a panel that includes Tania Simoncelli of Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, whose “Rare as One” campaign gives to rare disease researchers and support groups, Tara Zier who founded the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation, Susan Dando of the Smith-Kingsmore Syndrome Foundation, and Dr. Christina Miyake, a researcher studying TANGO2 deficiency disorder. This panel will explore the resilience, determination, and ingenuity required to address the unique challenges in rare disease advocacy and research. Panelists will share their experiences in breaking barriers, leading patient-centered initiatives, and building collaborations that move the needle toward treatments and cures. #SponsoredbyCZISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  "With the right training, nutrition, lifestyle strategies, and the power of the mind, women in their fifties and beyond can still [accomplish amazing feats] . . . women prove every day that our best years can be ahead of us no matter how old we are now . . . you've accumulated hard-earned wisdom and power over the years. You're higher on the totem pole of life. There are countless opportunities that lie ahead." —Dr. Stacy Sims, phD, International exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist The beautiful gift of stepping into another year of life is that we have the opportunity, but not the promise, to enjoy the application of wisdom learned along the way. As someone who lives with awareness and pays attention to the reality of life, we know that our bodies need to be taken care of properly so that they can take care of us. Knowing how our bodies change as we age is crucial to knowing how to give it the care it needs for optimal quality of living. Which brings me to a reality that Dr. Stacy T. Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, pointed out in a recent interview on The Mel Robbins podcast (listen here), the majority, and arguably supermajority of all fitness studies and how the body responds to exercise for weight loss and strength building has been done with men as their test subjects, and the few studies that did involve women, were women who were pre-menopausal age. In fact, she points out in her latest book Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause that in a 2019 study published by the Mayo Clinic Proceedings "found that of 177 resident physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, and even obstetrics/gynecology who were surveyed, 20 percent received zero lectures on menopause during their training. Fewer than 7 percent reported feeling prepared to help manage the care of women through their menopausal years." However, thankfully, awareness and discussion and knowledge are being more readily shared thanks to many high profile individuals - Michelle Obama, Oprah, Naomi Watts, Halle Berry, Katie Couric, Maria Shriver and more. What is most important is understanding what we can do and how it will benefit us not only in the short-term but in the long-term. And as someone who has been active all of my life, and now am at the age of 46, I began to realize I need to learn more about what I can do to keep my body strong, reduce the symptoms and continue to enjoy working out while seeing results. That is why I was thrilled to be introduced to Dr. Stacy Sims, and I have a long-time TSLL reader and member to thank for this - Janet M. Janet sent me the link to the Mel Robbin's podcast episode with Dr. Stacy Sims that essentially just blasts so many myths out of the water about how to eat, workout and think about what we do to ourselves as women as we step into the perimenopausal and then postmenopausal period of our life, which is the rest of our life - we think we need to eat less and work out more and the exact opposite is true. I cannot tell you how refreshing, validating and inspiring that episode was, so I encourage you to listen to it so you can meet Dr. Stacy Sims and get an introduction to what we're going to talk about today and why I highly recommend picking up her latest book Next Level. With all of that said, I have simultaneously been reading a book about how to strengthen our memory to do all that we can, whatever our age, to prevent dementia and Alzheimer's, and what I discovered, which will not likely surprise you, is that so much of what we can do for our physical health that will also benefit our brain health and strong memory. So today's episode is the episode that will share with you 17 specific life habits, practices and approaches to keep both your body and mind healthy for the rest of our lives, specifically dedicated to women as we move through perimenopause, then menopause (which is essentially one day), and the postmenopause which will be for the rest of our lives. Why not discover how to thrive and enjoy this awesome time of our lives because as a favorite quote of my shares, "The climax of the story always occurs in the second act. It's the best part." as written for the dramatized show Julia about Julia Child. The other reason I wanted to bring this episode to you is because the more we talk about and celebrate and model how to live amazingly through this inevitable change, we destigmatize what has been for centuries seen as a negative along the journey of womanhood. No longer! And that can only change with women - the words we use, how we talk about it, how we live, etc. The mindset we bring, the attitude, the wisdom, the support, it will all make a powerful difference that not only will help each of us, but those around us and those who will arrive into the latter half of their life after us undaunted and eager to do so because of the women who came before who refused to be seen as less-than or a incapable of achieving amazing things. ~Find the Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog — https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast402 

Mimi Donaldson, 77, is known for her rousing keynote speeches, compelling workshops, and in-house training programs.   She has shared the keynote platform with Colin Powell, Katie Couric and Maya Angelou.She is now a speaker coach for TED Talkers, keynote speakers and businessOwners. Since 2018, she has coached 24 speakers to the TEDx stage. I don't want people to be boring!Mimi holds a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Dramatic Arts from the University of Iowa, and a Masters Degree in Education from Columbia University. For 10 years, she was a staff Human Resources Specialist with Walt Disney Company, Northrop Aircraft, and Rockwell International.Mimi has been a visiting professor at Harvard University's Center for Public Leadershipat the Kennedy School of Government. Her latest book is designed to improve the quality of how you present yourself: Pitch Perfect: Speak to Grow Your Business in Seven Simple Steps.CONNECT WITH MIMI:EMAIL:  mimi@mimidonaldson.comWEBSITE: www.mimidonaldson.comBook: Pitch Perfect: Speak to Grow Your Business in Seven Simple StepsPhone: 310-577-0229

Turn off the WB & get ready to want to a fight a TV pastor as we gain a broader understanding of the sins of Stephen Collins and how he was the hell lurking behind the hit series 7th Heaven. We go over the success of the show, the accusations against him and discuss what becomes of media when one person has damaged so much behind the scenes.Sources:Stephen Collins Interview with Katie Couric, ABC 2015Hollywood Demons: S1E1Max/ID March 2025The Cast of 7th Heaven RespondsET Tonight CW: SA, abuse against childrenBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/broads-next-door--5803223/support.

Season 11 of Next Question with Katie Couric is cutting through the noise. Tired of political headlines that feel like déjà vu? Wondering if you actually need to care about every controversy? This season, Katie’s asking the same questions—and talking to the people who have real answers. From political insiders to sharp-eyed journalists, she’s breaking down what’s worth your attention (and what’s not), with smarts, sanity, and even a little humor. Because none of us can be tuned in 24/7—but we can stay informed without losing our minds. Premiering April 10th, wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Danielle sits down with the powerhouse women behind 21 Seeds Tequila—Kat Hantas, Sarika Singh, and Nicole Emanuel—to reveal how they built a $160+ million brand from their kitchen. This is also happens to be Danielle's FAVORITE (infused) tequila!  The journey from infusing tequila at home to becoming the No. 1 flavored tequila in the U.S. Why traditional tequila marketing missed the mark for women—and how they flipped the script The moment they knew 21 Seeds was bigger than just a fun side hustle Behind-the-scenes of their first disastrous production run and how they turned failure into momentum How they caught the attention of  Oprah, and the entire spirits industry. What it was like to have celebrities like Jessica Alba and Katie Couric organically fall in love with their brand How being outsiders in the spirits industry gave them an advantage over legacy brands The strategy that helped them land on the shelves of Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe's, and major liquor stores nationwide The lessons they learned from selling their brand to Diageo, the parent company of Casamigos and Don Julio Why moms make the best entrepreneurs and how motherhood prepared them for building a business The future of 21 Seeds and their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break into competitive industries If you love entrepreneurship, tequila, brand-building, and female founders shaking up male-populated spaces, this episode is a must-listen. Find out how these women called the shots—and changed the industry. Grab your limited edition Shot Callers card game here. Follow 21SEEDS here

Warren Farrell, PhD, has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times bestseller Why Men Are the Way They Are, and the international bestseller The Myth of Male Power. Dr. Farrell presented the findings of The Boy Crisis (2018) worldwide, from the White House to the Norwegian Parliament. It was a catalyst for bipartisan legislation for father involvement in Florida. Dr. Farrell's most recent book, Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Seven Secrets to Lifelong Love (2004), is based on his teaching couples' communication for the past 30 years to more than a thousand couples and psychologists. Warren Farrell has been a pioneer in both the women's movement (elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC) and the men's movement (called by GQ "The Martin Luther King of the men's movement"). He advocates for a "Gender Liberation Movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past." His life journey is the subject of a forthcoming documentary. Dr. Farrell has been interviewed repeatedly during ratings periods by Oprah and Barbara Walters, as well as frequent interviews with Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson, and also by Peter Jennings, Sean Hannity, Katie Couric, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Charlie Rose. He has frequently written for and been featured in The New York Times and publications worldwide.

Warren Farrell, PhD, has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times bestseller Why Men Are the Way They Are, and the international bestseller The Myth of Male Power. Dr. Farrell presented the findings of The Boy Crisis (2018) worldwide, from the White House to the Norwegian Parliament. It was a catalyst for bipartisan legislation for father involvement in Florida. Dr. Farrell's most recent book, Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Seven Secrets to Lifelong Love (2004), is based on his teaching couples' communication for the past 30 years to more than a thousand couples and psychologists. Warren Farrell has been a pioneer in both the women's movement (elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC) and the men's movement (called by GQ "The Martin Luther King of the men's movement"). He advocates for a "Gender Liberation Movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past." His life journey is the subject of a forthcoming documentary. Dr. Farrell has been interviewed repeatedly during ratings periods by Oprah and Barbara Walters, as well as frequent interviews with Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson, and also by Peter Jennings, Sean Hannity, Katie Couric, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Charlie Rose. He has frequently written for and been featured in The New York Times and publications worldwide.

Warren Farrell, PhD, has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world's top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times bestseller Why Men Are the Way They Are, and the international bestseller The Myth of Male Power.Dr. Farrell presented the findings of The Boy Crisis (2018) worldwide, from the White House to the Norwegian Parliament. It was a catalyst for bipartisan legislation for father involvement in Florida. He is currently working on The Man Crisis.Dr. Farrell's most recent book, Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Seven Secrets to Lifelong Love (2024), is based on his teaching couples' communication for the past 30 years to more than a thousand couples and psychologists. Warren Farrell has been a pioneer in both the women's movement (elected three times to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC) and the men's movement (called by GQ “The Martin Luther King of the men's movement”). He advocates for a “Gender Liberation Movement, freeing both sexes from the rigid roles of the past.” The challenges he faced also advocating for boys and men is the subject of a 2025 documentary, The Boy Crisis: Cancel Warren Farrell, nominated for “Best Documentary” by the Idyllwild Film Festival.Dr. Farrell has been interviewed repeatedly by Oprah, Barbara Walters, Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson, and also by Peter Jennings, Sean Hannity, Katie Couric, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and Charlie Rose. He has frequently written for and been featured in The New York Times and publications worldwide. Warren has two daughters and lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California, and virtually at warrenfarrell.com.Support the show

Mike White is the creator of HBO’s pandemic hit, The White Lotus. With its third season in progress, we look back at a conversation with White about his life before the lux world of The White Lotus. Mike White spent his time on the periphery, creating offbeat characters in movies like ‘Chuck and Buck,’ ‘The Year of the Dog,’ ‘The Good Girl,’ and ‘School of Rock.’ He has also had a few notorious and fairly successful stints on reality tv shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race. What does all of that have to do with the success of The White Lotus? Come find out on this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric! You can stream The White Lotus on HBO Max. The final episode of the third season airs April 6.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dads, ever feel like you're on autopilot, where each day is just running through the same motions? You're not alone. Dad of three Chris Robbins joins us to discuss how Soul Degree seeks to help men interrupt the flow, get outside, and take some well-deserved time to focus on bettering ourselves. Chris also shares candidly about being a new "empty nester" along with his wife, legendary podcaster, author, and self-help thought leader, Mel Robbins. Listen to the end to learn about Marc's "bloody good" weekend! Episode 119 of Modern Dadhood opens with Adam & Marc discussing a few exciting podcast updates:1. Adam published an article on Katie Couric Media which references some great child-calming tactics gleaned from Modern Dadhood episodes!2. The guys will be attending Podcast Movement's Evolutions conference in Chicago in early April and would love to connect with any listeners or fellow podcasters there!3. The guys have released a podcast trailer for Modern Dadhood (only 5 years too late!) and the video trailer can be seen here.The guys welcome Chris Robbins into the conversation. Chris is an entrepreneur with a versatile career which took him from the corporate world to owning restaurants, becoming a death doula, opening a world-class podcasting studio in Boston, and founding Soul Degree, a men's personal development program centered around outdoor retreats. Chris shares candidly about this, along with his fatherhood experience, which includes supporting a creative collaboration between his daughter Sawyer and his legendary wife Mel Robbins. Other topics include:•  Chris and Mel Robbins becoming new "empty nesters" after dropping their youngest of three off at college recently•  The importance of slowing down, reflecting, and engaging in meaningful conversations about our lives, roles, and mental health.•  The influence of Chris' father on his own entrepreneurial and fatherhood journeys.•  The power of listening versus offering unsolicited advice.•  And more!After the interview, Marc shares a recent story of a sibling scuffle that ended in a visit to the local emergency room. (But it didn't stop him from making a great pot of chili!)LINKS:Soul Degree (official)Soul Degree (Instagram)Chris Robbins (Instagram)Mel Robbins "Let Them Theory" (book)Caspar BabypantsSpencer AlbeeModern Dadhood (website)AdamFlaherty.tvStuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)MD (Instagram)MD (Facebook)MD (YouTube)MD (TikTok) #moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

We're back with another round of Letters to The Coop, and y'all keep bringing the good questions! In this episode, we dive into everything from dating after divorce (Katie Couric gave us GREAT advice for dating in your 50s!) to handling a friend who's suddenly way too critical. We also talk about surviving the college admissions process (spoiler: the stress is real, but we've got tips!), and of course, middle school drama—because is there anything more brutal than those tween years? Plus, Kit spills her best parenting hack for making middle school a little easier (trust us, this one's a game-changer). Whether you're in the thick of it or just here for things that make us all laugh, we've got you!Today we cover:Dating After Divorce – Okay, deep breath. We talk about confidence, embracing the unknown, and why we're all about the “don't chase, attract” mindset and the slow burn (thank you Katie Couric!).When Your Friend Gets a Little Too Critical – We've all been there—one of your closest friends suddenly starts questioning your decisions. How do you handle it without blowing up the friendship? College Admissions Stress – If you're a parent going through this process, we see you! We're sharing what's worked for us (and what definitely didn't) to help keep the stress levels down—for you and your kid.Middle School Madness – The mean girl phase? The friend drama? The why-is-this-so-hard moments? We get into all of it.Fav quote of Kit's this week:The lotus flower grows in the mud—sometimes, you've got to sit in the mess before you bloom.---Got a question you want us to tackle? Drop it in the comments or send it our way through our Contact Us on our website (thecoopwithkit.com) — we love hearing from you!Follow The Coop with Kit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen or stream!--This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Business Development by Casey Ladd. Editing by You & Me Media.--To learn more about our sponsors:OluKaiLive the Ohana Life with OluKai.Incredible lifestyle shoes and sandals for everyday comfort and style.Check out their new pickleball and golf shoes!https://olukai.comUse code COOP for Free EXPEDITED Shipping.Erin GrayThe perfect white Tshirt has been found.The softest Pima cotton from Peru.Pre shrunk and pre washed and no tags.https://eringraydesign.comUse code COOP20 for 20% off your next order.Blue Delta JeansThere is nothing like custom-fit jeans.Once you try them, you will never go back.Easy measuring system to your best-fitting jeans ever.bluedeltajeans.comUse code COOP20 for 20% off your next order Follow The Coop with Kit on Instagram @kithoover and @thecoopwithkithoover

We’re looking back at Katie’s 2022 conversation with Adam Scott, who you’ll know from some truly bingeable TV, including “Parks and Rec,” the cult-fave “Party Down,” “Big Little Lies,” and now the psychological thriller, “Severance” from Apple TV. Adam is one of those actors you feel like you know. But going into this conversation, Katie realized she didn’t really know anything about him. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie and Adam talk about his cuss-loving hippie mom, his fondness for forts, and his youthful, almost delusional, drive to become an actor. They dive into the uncanny timeliness of “Severance” and also go back to Adam’s youth and his Harrison Ford ah ha moment. No doubt, you’ll come away loving Adam Scott just as much as you thought you did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a live conversation at The Strand bookstore, Bill Gates sits down with Katie Couric to reflect on the moments that shaped his journey in life and technology. Gates admits he doesn’t look back often, but in this conversation, he shares generously about his early life: how his parents’ decision to send him to therapy helped him grow, the unforgettable moment when Paul Allen rushed into his Harvard dorm with the spark that led to Microsoft, and how his initial tech optimism has evolved with time. As we approach the AI revolution, Gates reflects on the unexpected consequences of technology and the ways our online lives have rewired how we think. Shifting to today’s political landscape, Gates addresses the disruption caused by the gutting of key agencies under Trump and Elon Musk, while stressing the importance of finding a path forward. It’s a reflective conversation about growth, change, and navigating the challenges of an evolving digital world. NOTABLE MOMENTS (00:53) Bill Gates' Memoir: Early Life and Influences (01:45) Family and Childhood Reflections (03:09) Lessons from Card Games and Family Dynamics (07:30) Rebellious Teen Years and Therapy (14:55) The Birth of Microsoft (20:42) Technology's Impact on Society (23:11) AI and Future Innovations (25:49) Political Views and Global Health (36:00) Pandemic Preparedness and Future GoalsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks about Joe Rogan expressing his horror to Rick Strassman about Democrats' unprecedented talk of giving a pre-emptive presidential pardon to Dr. Fauci; “The View's” Sunny Hostin being surprised by Bill Clinton's surprisingly candid answer about the idea of Biden pre-emptively pardoning his wife, Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump telling “Meet the Press'” Kristen Welker whether he had plans to fire Christopher Wray as the director of the FBI; Argentina's Javier Milei announcing how his policies to control government spending have created the first fiscal surplus for the country in 123 years; the 92nd Street Y in NYC losing complete control of pro-Palestine protesters during Katie Couric's interview with Nancy Pelosi; Van Jones' brutally honest message for the Democratic Party and divisive movements like BLM and #MeToo; and much more. Dave also does a special “ask me anything” question-and-answer session on a wide-ranging host of topics, answering questions from the Rubin Report Locals community. WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/ ---------- Today's Sponsors: MAHA Contagion Emergency Kit - This prescription Contagion Emergency Kit from The Wellness Company provides you with a carefully selected assortment of effective medications for bird flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory illnesses. Rubin Report viewers save $45 at checkout PLUS free shipping when they use code: RUBIN. Kits are ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE USA. Go to: https://TWC.health/RUBIN and use CODE: RUBIN Rumble Premium - Corporate America is fighting to remove speech, Rumble is fighting to keep it. If you really believe in this fight Rumble is offering $10 off with the promo code RUBIN when you purchase an annual subscription, Go to: https://Rumble.com/premium/RUBIN and use promo code RUBIN 1775 Coffee - Peaberry coffee isn't your average bean—it's coffee's best-kept secret. It's denser, more flavorful, and packed with bold energy to kickstart your mornings. Rubin Report viewers get 15% off their order. Go to: https://1775coffee.com/RUBIN and use code RUBIN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices