LACTOGENESIS XXXVI: THE RELUCTANT ONE Jeremy finished scribbling a few notes and set his pad aside to address the group. "I realize that the assignments over the last few weeks have been, shall we say, tedious to say the least." Sherri snorted. "I have just received a new assignment that involves all of you, and it's one I think you'll all get a kick out of." "It's about goddam time," Sherri said in her inimitable fashion. Chris silently echoed her sentiments. She had told herself at the outset that she would be involved with the company for only as long as it was still fun. Lately it hadn't been, and she was on the verge of quitting. She had decided that tonight would be Jeremy's last chance to inject a little fun into the proceedings; perhaps now that chance had come. "Shall we cut to the chase, Jeremy dear?" said Eleanor. "Let me state at the outset that the coffers of our little enterprise will be increased by a hefty five-digit figure tonight," Jeremy said gleefully. "Our new client is of the kind who hires people to wipe her ass with hundred-dollar bills." "A woman, then?" Eleanor said. "Yes. She's here tonight, in fact, in another part of the house, waiting for this meeting to end. I can tell you nothing about her except that she is a well- known figure in the entertainment business -- well enough known that she wishes to keep her identity a secret, so she'll be wearing a veil when you meet her, and she won't speak at all. I don't want to hear so much as a snicker out of any of you about that, clear?" He was looking directly at Sherri, who shrugged assent. "She told me she'd thought she'd done just about everything sexual there is to do, so she was practically falling over herself to contact us when she heard of our service. What she's proposed for tonight is quite...unique, shall we say. I think it could end up being our crowning achievement so far." "Wait a minute," Eleanor said. "Did you say tonight? She wants to do whatever this is tonight?" Jeremy nodded. "Jeremy, you know how I feel about this sort of thing. I don't do kink, and you know it. I'm leaving right now." She stood up. So did Jeremy. "Don't you dare," Jeremy said, a pleading note creeping into his voice. "The deal is for all of us, or none. If you leave, you'll be responsible for losing us a hell of a lot of money, as well as tarnishing our reputation from here to kingdom come. This woman knows everybody!" "I don't care! I don't like you bringing us here under false pretenses! This is not why I joined this group!" "There weren't any false pretenses! I told you earlier to cancel your plans for tonight, and you all agreed to do so, even you, Eleanor. Please, it's not that kinky anyway! It's not like she's asking us to bite the heads off bats or anything like that." "What exactly are we being asked to do, Jeremy?" Chris asked calmly but with ice in her voice. "Throw her a shower," Jeremy said. "Literally." That took a couple of seconds to sink in. Then: "Oh, my God," from Eleanor, Sherri, and Janine simultaneously. "That's sick," said Eleanor. "Far fucking out," said Sherri. "Cool," said Janine. "I have to admit, it sounds like fun," said Monique. Chris was pleasantly surprised at her own reaction. It was immediate and visceral, as if someone had planted an electrode directly into the pleasure center of her brain and sent several volts through it. She was reminded of the early days of her metamorphosis, when the hormonal cascade precipitated by her damaged pituitary gland was bombarding her unacclimated body with a flood of new sensations, most of them thrilling. She remembered how, when faced with a new sexual situation, her reaction had been just like this instead of one of uncertainty or disgust, as it would have been before The Accident modified that aspect of her personality. Over the following year, as her experience base grew, that primal rush, the feeling in her gut and pussy and breasts that she had likened to what one feels in the pit of one's stomach when zooming down a roller coaster, had happened less and less frequently, until she had almost forgotten what it was like. Upon hearing the mystery client's proposal, however, that old sensation resurfaced like a bubble bursting as her endocrine system poured a fresh batch of the hormones of arousal into her bloodstream. It was enough to make her forget the negative emotions that had weighed heavily on her since her revelation concerning Jeremy and Monique earlier that evening. Her enhanced libido decided it was time to have some fun. What was it Uwe had said? Wenn der Putz steht... For Chris, it was definitely time for the female equivalent. A memory of she and Sherri playing in her shower, squirting milk all over each other while giggling in orgasmic bliss, prompted a familiar dampening in her crotch and a rush of blood to her tingling breasts. She vigorously nodded her approval of the mystery client's proposal. Now all that was left was to change Eleanor's mind. Chris knew what button to push. "You say it's sick, but you don't mean that at all," she told her. "In fact, I'll bet you're more turned on by the idea than any of the rest of us." "That's absurd. I find the very idea repulsive." Eleanor's voice dripped with revulsion, but she made no second move to leave. Chris took that to indicate that she'd struck a nerve, so she proceeded. "Then why did you join us in the first place?" "To help the women and children who were being cheated by the milk bank." "That's the reason you're most comfortable with, but it's not the main one." "What are you talking about?" "You were our first client, Eleanor. I still remember your reaction when I first began to suckle your son that night at your house. You were the very picture of control, but as my own excitement grew, I could tell that you too were extremely aroused by what you were seeing. Your husband was creaming his pants, and you saw the look on his face and it turned you on. When I accidentally squirted all over your carpeting, your own letdown kicked in and soaked your blouse. You pretended to get all huffy about it, but I could see it in your face -- you were close to coming yourself. The truth is, Eleanor, that you joined us because you loved that sensation and wanted more. You wanted to escape the plain-vanilla sexual existence you felt trapped in. That's why you didn't let yourself dry up in order to go on playing your social butterfly role. You saw in me the sensual side of lactating and wanted it for yourself. You've been waiting for an opportunity like the one Jeremy's just given you, but your white-bread upbringing is getting in the way." Chris could tell by the deep flush spreading upward from Eleanor's throat that her words were hitting home. She decided to be less adversarial. "You're with us, Eleanor. It's okay to let go a little. We're all together in this; we share the common experience. Everything we discuss, everything we do here is held in the strictest confidence." She stared at Jeremy during this last sentence, her glare saying, Isn't that right, Jeremy? He nodded in response. Chris crossed the room to sit next to Eleanor, whose hands were now fumbling about in her lap. She was clearly undergoing the classic internal conflict which the media so often depicts as an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Chris lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'll bet that since you've kept your milk, sex with your husband has never been better, isn't that right?" Eleanor nodded yes. "You feel more in touch with your body now, don't you?" Another nod. "Not too long ago I was just like you, afraid to try new things. It took an altercation with a car to broaden my horizons. It'll be tougher for you, but the rewards are definitely worth it. Your improved relationship with Mr. Overstreet is a step in that direction. Woman does not live by superego alone, you know. You've got to let that id out once in awhile, or you'll just explode." Chris patted Eleanor's hand. "And if that's not enough incentive, just think of how this'll supplement that next trip to Neiman-Marcus." That got a weak smile. "It's not like I'd be cheating on my husband," Eleanor said. "Probably no more than your husband's getting into a circle jerk would be considered cheating on you," Sherri interjected. A puzzled look from Eleanor caused her to add, "I'll explain that term later." Eleanor looked at Chris. Her face was now so red from embarrassment that she almost looked sunburned. "I'll admit that the idea has its appeal," she confessed. "I just didn't want anybody to think I was a pervert or anything." The other women smiled, and Chris said, "Do you see any of the rest of us bolting for the door? How can perversion exist where all are of the same mind?" This last bit of logic appeared to cement the argument. Eleanor looked up from her lap as the redness drained out of her face. She turned to Jeremy and said, "Well, love, how is this supposed to go?" Impulsively the others leapt up from their seats and rushed to give Eleanor a group hug. Jeremy slapped his knee and exclaimed, "That's my girl!" When the mutual displays of affection had subsided, Jeremy said, "Our client is waiting in the spa at the rear of the house. I've drained the jacuzzi to a little less than knee-deep. That's where we'll be. Everybody ready?" Enthusiastic nods and murmurs in the affirmative. Jeremy picked up a house phone, dialed an extension, and after a few moments said simply, "We're on our way." He hung up, stood up, and gestured toward the door. As the women filed out, Chris felt Eleanor take her hand and squeeze tightly. She squeezed back reassuringly, as much to quiet the butterflies in her own stomach as in Eleanor's. She felt her breasts heat up with a fresh supply of milk as she packed her own superego away for the night and prepared to let the id monster out to play.