The next few days were uneventful. I went through my usual routine, rising early for a run, puttering around the house, and of course, working on the latest chapter of the new book.

Katie was never far from my mind, though. I knew she probably wouldn't call anytime soon, but I still found myself checking my phone. Making sure I hadn’t missed a message. Making sure I had turned the ringer up properly. I usually did that about every 5 minutes, but who’s counting?

I considered driving by her business. What if I went there, waited for hours, and accidentally bumped into her outside, and swept her off her feet? I knew that was a monumentally bad idea, and quickly abandoned it. What she had asked of me was completely reasonable. I wanted to respect her wishes.

I was watching a movie late Wednesday when my phone beeped. It was a message that just said, “I just got home, but wanted to let you know I was thinking of you. Please be patient.”

A wave of relief washed over me. I guess somewhere, my poor, insecure brain had expected her to forget about me, but she hadn’t.

I responded, “It’s difficult to be patient, but I will. Get some rest and take care of yourself.” I hit the send button quickly, before I had a chance to slap a bunch of heart emojis on it.

A few days later Katie sent me another message. “I just had a cancellation. I wanted to take a few minutes and tell you again how much I enjoyed talking with you. There’s a little Italian place I know downtown. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to take me there when we get together. Would that work for you?”

“Do they have good meatballs?”

“The best! – and the bread and noodles are made in-house.”

“Ok – count me in. Just let me know when, and I’ll be there!”

“You can count on it, Sweety. I need to go – there is some sort of emergency going on out front. Talk later.”

I was wondering what I could do to keep things rolling when I received a large box. My publisher had reissued my books as a hardcover box set, and they’d shipped me some early samples. I got one out, signed each of the books for her, and added a note that said, “Katie, meet me at the temple of Garhan at 7. I hear the meatballs are the best! Don’t be late. Jim.”

I shipped it over to the spa and waited.

The next day I got a message from her. “Jim, that was a really sweet gift. Thanks so much! Oh! Tina wants to know where the hell her set is.”

Well, there were a few more, so I did the same thing, except I added a message to the first book. “To Tina, my only sister. You’re in this book, Squirt. You just have to find yourself. All my love, Jim.”

I shipped it over. She nearly went nuts wondering which character I meant. For the next few months, she’d take every opportunity to wheedle the information out of me. I had a lot of fun dropping little clues that went nowhere.

It was fun to tease her, but I had to be merciful. We were at her wedding rehearsal dinner a few months later. It was finally my time to make a toast. I told the guests about the riddle I’d set for her, then gave them the answer. I told her she was Ellen Marsden’s courage. And she was Sylvia Woo’s knack for getting into trouble. And she was Wendy Allison’s kindness. But the truth was some part of her was in every single female character I’d ever written. Whenever I didn’t know what one of my girls should do or say, I thought of her, and the answer would just come to me. She had been my muse from my very first page, and she always would be. She cried when I said that.

Her fiancé, Terry, approached me afterward and said, “You know, Jim, there’s going to be no living with her now.”

I just laughed and told him he’d muddle through. He wasn’t really a bad guy. If I couldn’t have Tina, I guessed he’d do okay.

When my fourth book finally came out, the dedication said: “To Katie, who is my guiding star, and Tina, who was always with me.” After that, I was a very popular guy with both of them.

Katie and I continued chatting for the next three weeks. Our chats became longer, more frequent, and very much more personal. One morning in early June, I got a message from her that really changed things.

“Good morning, Sweety. Are you up?”

I’m not sure why she asked. She knew I had a habit of going out for a run at 7 AM. “Sure! Did you sleep well?”

“I did!” she said. “I had the loveliest dream about you last night. We were together in a hotel room. It was somewhere tropical. I could see the ocean from our bed. We had made love the night before, and you were holding me so tenderly. It was absolutely wonderful. I know I keep telling you to be patient, but I don’t think I can wait much longer.”

I sat there trying to think of some response to that, but she had taken me by surprise with this. Eventually I just typed “Wow. I wish that were real.”

After a pause, another message came up on my phone. “Do you ever dream about me?”

I responded with the truth. “Of course I do. Mostly when I’m awake, though. My schedule isn’t as hectic as yours, so I have lots of time to think about you.”

She immediately responded with some emojis and said, “I need to get ready for work. Keep thinking of me, and it will be real very soon. I promise.”

That Saturday night I had a video call with her. This was the first time I’d actually seen her face since we met at Mike’s place last month. In the meantime, I'd made do with some photos on the spa's website. They were cold comfort, but better than nothing.

She mentioned that I had offered to help her if I could, and wondered if that offer was still good.

“Of course! What do you need?”

She explained that she had software she used to help customers choose from various makeup designs. The software displayed pictures called ‘head shots’, and clients could indicate what they liked and didn’t like. She’d been using it for about a year, but it had just occurred to her that it would also be helpful to ask men in general, and grooms in particular, what they liked. It would help her to understand how to really know the best thing to do for a given client. She wondered if I would be willing to use the program and give her my opinions.

“Of course. I don’t know anything about makeup or fashion, but I guess I know what I like to look at. What do I need to do?”

“Well, I’ll send you an email. If you click on the link in it, it will download the software on your computer. When you start the program, it will ask you a few questions, and then start showing you some pictures. At first, it will show you a wide variety of different looks and ask you to rate them from 1 to 10. Once you’ve done that, it will start a process a little bit like going to the eye doctor. It will alternate between two similar pictures, and you can choose which one you like better. It’s actually kind of fun to do, and shouldn’t take too long.”

“Oh! A couple of other things. You can leave comments on the pictures if you see something really attractive, or something that turns you off. Feel free to say whatever comes into your head. Also, don’t worry about absolute accuracy when you rate things. If you see a picture that is a 10 for you, but then another picture comes up that is even better, just call that a 10 as well. The software checks things like how long you look at a picture to help it come up with a final rating.”

“Ok – I’ll get a cold drink and wait for your email. Do you want me to call you when I’m done?”

“No, you don’t need to.”, she said. “The program will send me a bunch of data and notify me when you’ve finished. I’ll take a look at the results and give you a call. Thanks so much for doing this, sweetheart.”

So, presently I had the software installed on my computer and had started it up. I was pleasantly surprised to see the first picture that came up was Katie herself. She looked very natural, with almost no signs of cosmetics at all. She was the girl next door, and she was gorgeous. I was just getting started, so I rated it a 7. That would leave lots of room above and below.

Soon another picture came up. It was very different. It was still Katie, but she had taken a page from Marilyn Monroe. Sort of a 50s glamour shot. That one got an 8.

The next one was some girl doing a goth sort of thing. Very creepy. Way too much makeup. Lots of black. Lots of piercings. That one was a 3, and I actually commented ‘definite turnoff’.

Things progressed through several more pictures, until I hit one that really rocked me. It was Katie again, but her lovely auburn hair was pulled back tight, with gel that made it look wet and shiny. Her face was pale, with heavy eyeliner and vivid red lips. She was wearing long triangular earrings that reminded me of knives. She was looking at the camera in a way that seemed to pierce right through the screen. I marked it as a 10, and commented, ‘This is terrifying. I like it though’. I lingered on it for a while, staring at those dangerous green eyes.

I soon moved into the comparison portion of the program, and saw dozens of photos. Some of them were Katie, but many were other women. Eventually the process ended, and I hit the “Submit” button that popped up. Honestly, I was a bit exhausted by the whole ordeal.

Then a question popped up on the screen. Would I like hardcopy printouts of my top 5 choices?

Of course I would. I knew that they would all be pictures of Katie.

After about an hour, another video call came in. It was Katie, of course. When I answered the call, I nearly had a heart attack. There she was, with that dangerous, deadly look from the program. She was wearing a wicked smile.

“So, I see you liked number 17 the best. I call it ‘The Mistress’. Do you like it live, darling?”

“Wow – that is amazing. I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Well, it is, and I decided that since we’ve become so close, we should have a little fun, if you’re up for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know I always play it straight with you, Sweety. I’ll tell you what’s on my mind.”

“I recently told you that I had a dream about you, but that’s not strictly true. It wasn't just one dream. I dream about you nearly every night. I think of you when I’m working, when I get home, and I think about you while I masturbate. Do you think of me when you masturbate? I’d hate to think I’m in this all alone.”

After a moment, I realized she knew the truth already. She was testing me to see if I'd lie about it. I leaned into the camera and told her, “Of course I do. I can’t get you out of my mind. Sometimes it’s two or three times a day. I’m absolutely desperate to make love with you.”

She smiled and said, “Well then, I think you'll love what I have planned.”

She rose and stepped back from the camera. She was dressed in a black lace bra, panties, and garter belt. She stood back so I could see everything. Then she turned her back to me, so I could see the seams running up the back of her stockings. She wiggled her gorgeous ass.

“Do you like what you see, darling?”

“Oh, my God! You are exquisite!”

“I’m so glad you like it. Now, fair’s fair. Take off your clothes, and stand back so I can see what I’m working with. I noticed your muscles at the party, and I want to see them. All of them. Strip for Katie.”

I quickly did as she asked. I was in good shape, and I’d never had any complaints about my cock. Being naked with her was something I’d wanted for weeks. I wasn’t going to let a video call get in the way.

“Oh, that’s very nice! Better than I’d hoped for. We can definitely work with that,” she said.

She soon pulled a low chair in front of the desk and readjusted things so the camera pointed right at the chair. “Do you have some lotion or something like that nearby, sweetie?”

She had asked it so casually, like we were talking about the weather. Meanwhile, my heart was pounding so hard I could barely function.

I ran and got some. When I got back, she was seated in the chair with her legs spread. The panties were gone, and I was able to see a little of her beautiful pussy.

I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Who was this woman? She could have any man on earth. Why was she wasting her time with me?

“You know what I want you to do, don’t you, baby?” She produced a vibrator from somewhere, and immediately started working on her labia. Soon, she reached up and started pinching her nipples.

Without hesitation, I squirted some lotion in my hand and started pumping as hard as I could. I couldn’t remember ever being this aroused.

Suddenly she flashed that wicked smile at me, and said, “Not until I say so, honey. You wait for me. If you want to play this game, Katie always cums first. That's just the rule. Take it nice and slow, and watch Katie play. If you feel like you’re going to cum, just take your hand away.”

I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Just hearing her say that almost pushed me over the edge. This was so much different than anything I’d ever experienced before.

Somehow I got myself under control and did what she asked. I stared at the screen and watched her every move. Soon, she began making the most erotic noises I’d ever heard. The moaning and little gasps were driving me insane. Presently, I could see her body tense up, and she started cursing and moaning even louder. Then the wave broke, and she rocked back and forth, gasping.

Eventually she came back down to Earth, and looked into the camera. “Did you enjoy my little show, sweetheart?”

I just nodded. I seemed to have lost the power of speech.

“Well, then, I think it’s your turn. Show me how you milk that lovely thing. Take your time and enjoy it. I need to see it. Right now!”

Well, she didn’t have to tell me twice. I started pumping it, and she began talking to me in a way I couldn’t believe. It was a steady stream of obscenity and filth, telling me how much she liked what she was seeing, how much she wanted to feel my cock exploding in her belly. Occasionally she'd tell me to stop for a moment, and then resume. She told me that she ached to see me cum. That she wanted to feel how my cock would swell when I was close, and fill her pussy with my hot goo. On and on. Eventually she just said, "Go ahead now honey, cum for Katie."

It was like magic. I began spraying ropes of cum onto the carpet in front of me.

She began applauding and laughing. “Nicely done! That was quite a load. I bet it feels good to get that out of your system.”

I collapsed into my chair, and she said, “I hope you enjoyed that. If my schedule weren’t so crowded, I would have surely fucked your sweet little brains out by now. I figured I owed you some fun.”

“Oh, Katie! That was incredible. How much longer do I have to wait to be with you? I can’t stand it anymore.”

“It won’t be much longer, baby. And now that we’ve opened this particular door, I’m sure we can keep each other entertained while we wait. Would you like that?”

“Of course I would. It’s just that I want to be with you so much. It's driving me crazy!”

“I know, honey. Don't worry. It'll happen very soon.”

She appeared to have a sudden idea pop into her beautiful head. “You know, as good as tonight was, I know a way we can make it even more special. Would you like to try something for me?”

“Sure.” At this point, I would have stuck nails in my eyes if she asked.

“I know you’re milking that big snake as often as you can, but I’m going to ask you to stop doing that. Instead, save it for me, save it for your Katie. I like watching you. It really gets me hot. We’ll do this every other night or so. I’ll message you during the day to set an appointment. You’ll build up a much bigger load if you wait, and it will feel so much more intense when I finally let you cum. Do you think you can do that for me?”

It was a really strange request. The phrase ‘when I finally let you cum’ really got to me, and I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I eventually said, “I’ll try.” She was so hot. I’d have agreed to anything.

“That’s good, Puppy,” she said. “And remember. I can read your body language like a book. Don’t you dare try to lie to me about it. That would make me very cross.”

I’d never heard ‘puppy’ used as a term of endearment, but I didn’t care. She could call me anything she liked. I just nodded.

“Oh! I see you printed out my pictures. I want you to take about fifteen minutes every night when you go to bed. Look at my pictures, say my name over and over, and stroke your sweet cock. Just don’t cum. Save that for Katie.”

She flashed that predatory smile at me for a moment. I felt like a mouse, and the cat was taking its time, trying to figure out which part to eat first. “I want you to do that every single night, and send me a message when you're finished. I really like knowing that you’re thinking about me, and I want you to dream about me, the way I dream about you.”

Suddenly she broke eye contact with me. I felt like I'd just fallen off a ledge. “Well, I need to get ready for bed. You have sweet dreams, darling.”, and she reached up to hang up the call. Before she did, she laughed and said, “Oh! You better get busy cleaning up. That stuff was flying everywhere!”

And she was gone.