Beasts II

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

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This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people.

You can see a list of my stories at the Nifty Prolific Authors page by my name.

Twenty-One

I woke up in bed with Digger. I was a little disappointed that Buck wasn't there. It was still dark outside. I checked my meme for the time. It was just after 7:30.

"Are you awake?" I asked, softly.

"Yeah. It's early. Go back to sleep."

"Where did Buck sleep?"

"Here. He's at work. He'll be back around nine."

"Oh."

I let myself fall back to sleep.

When I woke the second time, I was in Buck's arms and Digger was gone. I could hear his voice, though, from another room. I reached behind me and found Buck's cock. I took it in my hand. It was soft, but it started to harden. After a few seconds, my hand was only wrapped around half of it. He nuzzled the back of my neck.

"I think you're awake."

"Yeah. I love this big thing. I love you," I said to him.

"I'd love to fuck you and feed you, but you've got a busy day ahead of you," Buck said.

I sighed.

"People are worried you are dead."

"What?" I asked. I flipped over, facing him.

"Some gossip networks on Earth are claiming the colony has been destroyed by terrorists," Buck said. "And a group has claimed responsibility."

"What? Who? How is that possible? I don't understand."

"First the shuttle explodes, and then one from the colony has been heard from."

I tried to make sense of that while still half-asleep.

"No one here has spoken to anyone on Earth because they are afraid of pissing Jeff off," Buck said. "And your interview was cut off suddenly."

"Suddenly? I said I would finish it today!"

Buck chuckled.

"The rumors are being reported by the legitimate newscasters. It's the Martian Curse, you know."

I shook my head. Then I checked my mail. I had eight from Sunvision. I opened the latest one and connected to my interviewer. "Hello, this is Eric La Roche." I was expecting a response. Then I groaned as I realized it would be sixteen minutes until my interviewer got my message. Then another sixteen minutes for his response to reach me.

"I'm just not that patient," I said.

"What do you mean?" Buck asked me.

"It's impossible to be interviewed from Earth."

"Yeah. You can't hold a train of thought with that delay."

I nodded.

Instead, I created another message for my fan clubs, filling them in on what was happening with me. I told them about the flik, and that I started receiving hormones so that I would be able to have Digger's baby. I told them that I expected to get impregnated within a week and that I would share that with them. I stopped and wondered if I should say that. I was actually hoping they would buy the flik that would be made of the impregnation. 'Share' might sound like it would be free. I revised to say they would be able to watch the impregnation. I told them about the expected opening of the first flower on Mars, and that they would be able to watch it open with me. I told them we were all doing fine. Then I explained the time delay and how frustrating it was to try to have conversations with people on Earth. Because of the delay a normal back and forth interview was nearly impossible, and that I would not be giving any. I told them that I would be sending regular updates to my favorite people, my fans. I wrote to Sunvision and told them the same thing, but told them I was willing to answer any questions they sent me, just not in interview format. I didn't send the messages, though. I wanted to be certain it wouldn't piss anyone off.

"Did Jib shoot on my face last night?" I asked Buck.

Buck chuckled. "Three times."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. I saw him have three orgasms in about thirty minutes. He gave you the first facial. I almost came when he grabbed your hair, shot on your face, and then shoved your face back up to Larry's ass. I bet that looks really hot in the video."

"Damn. That means I tasted his spunk. I ate it off Lawrence's butt and asshole."

"He also shot directly into your mouth, later on. He was clearly aiming for it. He grinned and gave me a thumbs up when a shot went in. Another shot went into your mouth, too," Buck said. "You gobbled it down. I wondered about it. He's never mentioned that he wanted you to eat his cum, before. And we talk about you all the time."

"Hmm."

Buck chuckled.

"He asked me if you like my cum. I told him yes."

I laughed.

"Understatement! I adore it!"

"Anyway, I thought about why he did it. I decided it's about age, again."

"You mean, if he's hot in a porn flik..."

"Right. He's still a stud. And he was hot," Buck said. "He hasn't forgotten how to make gay men happy. I hope it doesn't bother you when you see it. You both enjoyed it."

That made sense. Jib didn't necessarily want me to eat his cum, he just wanted to look hot. I didn't feel guilty at all. If Jib wanted to shoot in my mouth for the sake of his ego, I was fine with it. Better than fine. Then I realized that I had licked a straight guy's cum off another straight guy's asshole. That was incredibly hot.

I called Harry.

"Good morning," Harry said.

"Morning. I just found out I licked Jib's cum off Lawrence's asshole."

"You did," Harry said, chuckling.

"Have you looked at any of the footage you got last night?" I asked him.

Harry laughed.

"Do you mean, have I slept any?"

"Oh. You've been working!"

"Yeah. I want you to see this," Harry said. He sent me a clip. At first, I didn't recognize what it was.

"Is that my tongue inside Lawrence's ass?" I asked.

"It is! He was hoping you would rim him and he stuck a camera into his ass. Now look at this. It shows his reaction."

It was a split screen view of my tongue in his ass and a close-up of Lawrence's face. The expression on his face was perfect. His mouth hung lax, and his tongue lolled. His eyes were unfocused. The camera followed his body down his hairy torso to his very stiff cock. The foreskin half-covered the reddish-brown head. I watched precum spurt out of it. Some dripped off his balls. I really wished I was licking his beautiful cock. I started stroking myself. I replayed it and zoomed in on the head of his dick and the precum. I didn't remember my tongue being in him that long. I figured Harry had stretched it out to make it seem longer.

"Damn! I wish he was here. That has me hot as hell! Hot stuff!" I said.

"It is. I've jacked off four times while working on it. Lawrence came by earlier and I showed him some of it. He got very hard. He asked if I thought you'd have sex with him today. I said I was pretty sure you would. I offered to blow him, but he wants you to do it."

"Thanks, Harry."

"Íf you want to rim him, again, I'd like more video."

"OK. Sure. I want to rim him. Uh. Is Jeff still mad at me?"

"No. He's mad at us for keeping you up late. But he was impressed with what we got, so he isn't too mad."

"Buck told me Earth—"

"Has gone even more insane," Harry finished. Then he sighed. "Jeff wants you to be the head of communications and the voice of the colony. You may not know this, but the speech you gave when you landed on Mars was very positively received by the public. He reread what you said yesterday and decided it really wasn't that bad. You put a positive spin on it and that is important to him. He trusts you and your instincts. He's decided he is doing too much. He doesn't want to be responsible for everything. That's why he didn't tell everyone about his plan for an official statement about the shuttle; too much on his mind. He's giving Roy more authority, too. Buck is now head of agriculture, Richard is head of biological operations, and Jib is head of utilities. You all report to Roy, not to Jeff."

I was shocked.

"What's Jeff going to do?"

"Research, which is what he loves. He's looking into the possibility of selling nanites for humans. He wants to develop Beast 4.0. And he's going to get us a ship. By the way, you have an employee, now that you are head of communications, Lee."

"Oh. How is he going to feel about that?"

"When Jeff told him, Lee asked if he could fuck his boss."

I laughed. "That's a good question!"

"Jeff told him he expected his new boss was more interested in sucking him, but that it sounded like a good idea to him."

I smiled.

"Jeff wants to know how you feel."

I thought about it.

"Do you mean besides horny after watching that clip?"

Harry chuckled.

"I feel fine, but a little bloated."

"I told him. He wants you to come in for your daily scan after you eat."

"OK."

We disconnected. I called Roy.

"Hello, Boss Daddy," I said.

Roy chuckled.

"How are you, son."

"I'm fine. I want to send an update to my fan club. Is it OK?"

"It's up to you. You don't need my permission. I just want to be kept up to date. Send me copies of anything you send out, just so I'll be aware."

"You got it, stud Daddy."

"Well, aren't you in a good mood!" Roy said.

Roy walked into the bedroom. He was naked and hard. He climbed into bed with us and kissed me. I stroked him while we kissed. Buck lined his erection up and pushed slowly inside me. Buck began a slow fuck.

"You want my cock, son?" Roy asked by meme, while he kissed me.

"I always want it. I thought you knew that."

"I want to hear it from you, not assume it."

"I want you. I want your cock. It makes me happy. I think I'm falling in love with you."

"I'm really pleased to here that, son, because you are my future," Roy said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I don't want anyone else. Just you. I've got a hot, porn star boyfriend who seems to want me as much as I want him," he said.

I smiled at him. I reached for Roy's balls. I held them cupped in one hand while I stroked him with the other.

"I wonder if I'll be able to do things like this when I have kids," I said.

"I would have simply closed the door behind me and we would have privacy," Roy said.

I chuckled. It was so simple. But I knew nothing about the subject. Fortunately, there were people on Mars who had experience with these things.

"Something's come up," Roy said.

"It's been up," I said, squeezing his hardon.

He chuckled.

He wiped precum off his cock and wiped his fingers on my lips. I licked my lips.

"I need to go talk to Jib. Don't forget about me," Roy said, as he got out of bed.

I laughed. "Like that could happen!"

Roy grinned and then left.

"Don't shoot in my ass," I said to Buck.

Buck pulled out of me. He got up on his knees and rolled me onto my back. He straddled me and began stroking himself. I held my mouth open.

"That's a beautiful sight," Buck said.

"I agree," I said, as I watched his cock.

I reached out and fondled his balls with both hands. Buck didn't make me wait. He came and I swallowed.

We got out of bed. I put on shorts and a shirt and left the bedroom. Buck was naked and still erect.

To my surprise, we had visitors in the living room, Richard and my mother.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning, Buck," my mother said. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that!" she said, pointing at Buck's erection. "Jib is almost more than I can handle."

I got uncomfortable with the conversation. I hugged my mother.

"I want to go with you for your scan," she said. "I'm fascinated by this whole—process. I get to watch a uterus grow in my son!"

I chuckled. She blinked and her face froze.

"Maybe you should brush your teeth," she said.

I nodded.

"We think the flower will open about a quarter to one," Richard said.

"Do I need to do anything special besides mentioning how significant it is?"

"Not really."

"How easily can I get a list of all the species we've got living outside?"

Richard sent me a list. I chuckled. That was pretty easy.

As I walked to the bathroom to clean my teeth, I smelled my breath to see just how bad it was. I thought it was morning breath, but I smelled semen. That was embarrassing. While I cleaned my mouth, I sent the letter to my fan club members. I sent a shorter version to Sunvision, and in that one said I welcomed questions, but didn't have the time or patience for live interviews.

I walked back into the living room. Easy and Nex had joined Mother and Richard. Nex and Easy were seated on the sofa. Nex was wearing a loose pair of very short shorts. I could see his cock and his balls. His cock seemed to stiffen at the same time as mine. I looked at Nex's face. He was grinning at me. He seemed very pleased. He crossed his legs, maybe to hide his erection.

"Hi. Did you need me for something?" I asked Easy.

"Nex and I decided to have a baby at the same time you have yours."

"Oh! That's great," I said.

"I agree," Mother said. "There is no point in waiting until those on the ship are rescued."

Easy nodded.

"This way the children will have several playmates," I said.

"You are the first to know this, but we've decided to have twins, fraternal," Easy said. "Jeff already extracted two of my eggs."

"That's so exciting!"

I turned to Mother. "Where's Jerold?"

"Sleeping. We have two cameras in the nursery. I always monitor them, but Jib is there right now.

"Jib told me he thinks the flik you made last night will sell well," Mother said.

I didn't really want to talk about the quality of porn with my mother.

"Well, I hope so. Harry has a talent for it. We will have to make more fliks quickly. Once my pregnancy is showing, I won't be making any."

Mother nodded.

I turned to Easy.

"If you two want kids, why did you wait until now?"

"It's a little bit strange," Easy said.

"It isn't strange. I felt the same way. Eric may, too," Mother said.

"He never mentioned it," Easy said.

"What are you two talking about?"

Easy sighed.

"When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see me. The body seemed like someone else," she said.

"Well, I do understand that," I said.

"It didn't seem like...if I got pregnant, it was my baby. It wouldn't resemble me in any way. It would be a Chimp and the only time I feel like a Chimp is when I look in the mirror."

I decided not to mention that fact that I wanted the hot guy in my mirror to fuck me.

"I guess we all have to adjust. With me, I'm only able to have a baby because I'm not me, anymore...or something like that."

Digger walked into the apartment. He was carrying a tray of food.

"Breakfast, Eric. Jeff wants you on a high-protein diet and you need to eat fifty percent more than you normally do."

"Fifty percent? That's crazy!"

"He thinks if you eat less semen, you can do it," Digger said.

I'm sure I must have turned bright red. After all, my mother was standing next to me!

"Oh, Eric. It's common knowledge," Mother said. "After all, you were assassinated by a friend of your father's for doing just that."

I knew she was right, but it was still embarrassing.

"Anyone know how my dear father is doing?" I asked.

"Still alive. There was another attempted escape on the moon. This time forty-three prisoners died—"

"Awe. What a shame," I said.

"Your father didn't take part," Mother said.

"Coward!" I said. They laughed.

I didn't have to worry about those people, anymore. We were far, far away. And I knew how difficult it was to get a spaceship.

"Come on and eat," Digger said.

I walked over to the table. The food looked good, but I was not hungry. Buck had just fed me a lot of cum. I realized Jeff was probably right about eating less spunk. But I loved the stuff.

I called Digger.

"Will you ejaculate on my omelet?"

Digger chuckled.

"Do you want to tell your mother to look the other way?"

"We better not let her see your cock. She might break up with Jib."

Digger chuckled.

"Right!" he said.

"Well, it might be less painful," I said.

I started eating.

"Where's Luc?"

"He and Roy went to speak to Jib."

I nodded and disconnected the meme call.

The omelet was very good. I found myself eating enthusiastically.

"Was this made with real eggs?" I asked Digger.

"No," my mother said. "It's my recipe using eggfruit."

"It's great, Mom!"

"Thank you, dear. Until you got here, I didn't have a lot to do. I spent a lot of time experimenting with the plants that grow really well on Mars, like eggfruit. Jib isn't wild about animal protein, even lab-cultured, although he isn't really a vegan. He was my guinea pig."

Jib sounded like Digger.

"What else grows well, here?" I asked, between mouthfuls.

"Tomatoes and meat-artichokes. But the low gravity affects the texture of the 'meat'. Getting firmer 'meat' is one of Buck's goals," Mother said.

They started talking about the flik, again. Couldn't they do that somewhere else?

"You know, Nex appears in the video," Easy said to Mother.

I looked at Digger, who seemed to be trying to suppress laughter.

"Did you enjoy that, Nex?" Mother asked.

I pushed the food away from me.

"This conversation has just ruined my appetite," I said.

Digger chuckled.

"Really, Eric. I don't understand why you act like a prude around me, and the exact opposite around everyone else," Mother said to me. "I am not your father. The subject of sex does not make me uncomfortable."

I started to get annoyed. The fact that what she was saying was true, didn't help.

"That's not all true. I act the same way around Em as I do around you," I said.

Everyone laughed. It wasn't funny!

"I stand corrected. That is absolutely true. But Em thinks it's just as strange as I do," Mother said. "Em said you turned bright red when she walked into the club last night."

"He turned bright red several times," Easy said.

Thanks, Easy, I almost said.

"Em has seen you have sex with many men," Mother said. I started to ask how, but remembered I was a porn star. "She knows you've had sex with Richard many times before he met her."

Richard nodded his head. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation. I suddenly wished my mother lived in a foreign country again.

"Richard told her. She told me. The rest of us can talk about this, but you can't," she said. "I know Jib masturbated to attract customers to The Bear's Den. I've seen videos of him—and Buck at the club. Jib says he's straight, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's really bisexual."

That last statement surprised me.

I tried to explain how I felt.

"I don't feel like a porn star, and if Dad's friends hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't be one. I don't watch my fliks and I don't spend any of the money. I have sex with family and they sell it."

"I don't discuss sex with my mother," Digger said. "Do you, Easy?"

"No. But we barely speak," she said.

"Midge, I really don't think Eric is being strange," Easy said. "You think of yourself as Midge, a modern woman. But he thinks of you as the woman who changed his diapers. You told me your parents are dead, but if they weren't, would you have told them about Jib's job at that club? You aren't ashamed of it, but would you have told them?"

"I suppose you are right," Mother said. She was quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid—oh, nothing."

"Well, now you have to tell us," I said.

Mother sighed.

"I'm afraid living alone with your father, after I left, warped your mind," she told me.

"It didn't. I never paid attention to his weird religious beliefs. I was always certain he was wrong. I didn't feel the least bit guilty about being gay."

"Was Eric shy before you left his father," Digger asked her.

"Yes."

"Then I don't belief he was hurt by it. He had self-esteem issues when I met him. I thought it was because of his father, but now I think it because he got fired so many times," Digger said. "And Eric is not warped in any way."

Mother sighed.

"Let's go get the scan," I said.

"You haven't finished eating," Mother said.

"Guess why?" I said, annoyed.

As we left the apartment, I sent the messages I'd written to the fan clubs and to Sunvision. I sent copies to Roy.

Em caught up with us, while Richard had work to do.

Jeff seemed very friendly, a little too friendly, but I decided he might just be overcompensating. But he was obviously not mad at me. The scan was very quick, taking about a minute. I looked at the image, and it could have been an appendix for all I knew. It was a little, meaty blob. But Jeff was pleased.

"Do I really have to eat fifty percent more?" I asked Jeff, as he was giving me another hormone injection. "Can't I just eat food with higher calorie counts? I eat until I'm full, now. I'm not on a diet."

"He means, like adding cheese and butter," Mother said.

"I know what he means. Digger told me what he's eaten in the last two days, and I'd be surprised if Eric hasn't lost weight. You can't grow a uterus or a baby on his present diet. But, adding only fat calories won't help. You need protein."

"Protein shakes are good," Em said.

"But they fill me up," I said.

"I hate to say the e word," Em said. "Eric hates the e word."

Digger laughed.

"What's the e word," he asked her.

"Exercise. Working up an appetite. Putting some muscle on him."

I called Digger.

"If that guy in the mirror gets any hotter, I'm going to have to put mirrors on all the walls," I said to him.

Digger laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Em asked Digger.

"Eric has this problem," Digger said. "He's smitten with the man in the mirror. The first time he saw his new body, I thought he was falling in love." Everyone laughed. "So I'm afraid that if Eric beefs up, he'll forget about me."

Em looked at me and shook her head.

"Exercise is worth trying. Take long walks with Digger around the lake. Try an hour a day," Jeff said. "It probably will stimulate your appetite."

I nodded.

"It's worth trying," I said.

"Midge, you know what he likes. Tempt him," Jeff said.

"I will."

"I just thought of something. Could I impregnate myself?" I asked.

"Yes," Jeff said.

"Are you serious?" Easy asked Jeff.

Jeff ignored her. Jeff was always serious.

"I don't want to do that, I was just curious," I said.

Jeff nodded.

"How many children do you think you will want?" Jeff asked me.

"I have no idea. Buck wants one and Jock wants one, so at least three. Probably more than that though."

"Good," Jeff said. "I want this colony to grow."

"So do we," I said.

Lawrence called me.

"Hi, Eric."

"Hi, Lawrence."

"Have you seen any of what Harry shot?"

"Just my tongue inside you," I said.

"Damn! That's so fucking hot. I've been jacking off to it all morning."

"Are you doing it now?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Want to watch?" he asked.

"I do."

I watched him slowly stroke himself.

"You've got a beautiful cock," I told him.

"I'm glad you like it. I really enjoyed last night, a lot more than I thought I would."

"I want to rim you, again. And I want to suck all the cum out of your balls," I said.

I groaned as I watched him squeeze the shaft as precum came out and covered the head.

"What are you doing, Eric?" Mother asked.

I was naked and hard in front of her. And Em.

"I'm sorry. Lawrence called me and, um, showed me something."

Em burst out laughing.

"I bet it was something to do with Lawrence's work in the admin office!" Em said.

"Uh..."

"I'll call you later," Lawrence said and disconnected.

"I think Lawrence is a little obsessed with Eric, right now," Harry said. "He's been asking me about him all morning."

"He called me, too," Em said.

"What did he want?" I asked Em.

"He wanted to know things about you that aren't public knowledge. I told him about the frog," Em said.

I rolled my eyes. She would never forget that.

"What frog?" Mother asked.

Em told her the story of how I tried to help a frog in the pond behind our old apartment complex. After she heard it, Mother got tears in her eyes and hugged me. Fortunately, I had lost my erection by then.

"I never heard that story," Jeff said.

"Me, either," Harry said.

"It's a dumb story. People thought I was crazy," I said.

"Dumb, but not crazy," Jeff said. "Why didn't you just take the frog into your apartment and get some crickets from a pet shop?"

I laughed.

"I didn't think of that. It would have worked better."

"Well, I love the story," Mother said. "The thing is, you tried to help the animal."

"That's exactly how I feel," Digger said to her.

I got a message from Lawrence. There were three pictures. I wanted to look at them, but I didn't want to get hard, again, in front of Mother.

"Well, I need to get back to Jerold," Mother said.

She and Em left Jeff's lab.

I looked at the photos. One was a closeup of Lawrence's cock. The second photo was his balls, and the third was a closeup of his asshole.

"Want my tongue on all three," I sent him. "Want your cum in my ass and mouth."

"When?" he replied, instantly.

"Soon. I'm with Jeff."

"Now that my mother is gone, I need to know. Do I need to give up eating spunk for the baby?" I asked Jeff.

"That's ridiculous," Digger said to me. I was surprised he reacted so strongly.

"No. But you can't skip meals because you're full of it," Jeff said. "I've seen how much Buck's body produces..."

"Oh, Eric! What have you done now?" Jeff asked. "I suddenly have over forty messages asking about you."

I groaned when I saw I had seventy-eight messages received in the last forty-five seconds.

"All I did was give an update."

"What did you say?" Jeff asked. He looked annoyed, not angry.

"I told the people in my fan club that the first flower was opening later today and I would watch it along with them."

"OK," Jeff said.

"Then I told them I was going to get impregnated by Digger and that they could watch that happen, too. Of course, they'll have to pay to watch that. I didn't tell them that. I discussed having babies in my autobiography, so that shouldn't shock anyone. Oh, and I sent the same information to Sunvision. Should I have not mentioned the flower?"

Jeff shook his head. "I don't know. In a few hours, everyone on Earth will be able to see it. I have a feeling that if I announced it, everyone would yawn. But a media circus surrounds you, hanging on your every word. You are a million times more famous than me."

"I wish it wasn't that way," I said to Jeff. "I'm only alive because of you. I'll say it more often."

Jeff looked more annoyed. I didn't know how to please Jeff, but that was nothing new. He'd said more than once he had no interest in fame. Now he resented me for my own.

"You can leave now," Jeff said to me.

We left the lab.

"So cum is Eric's new dessert," Digger said to Buck. "We don't give it to him until he's eaten all his vegetables."

Buck and I laughed.

There was a lounge next to Jeff's lab, with chairs and a large window. I sat down. I was discouraged.

"Ignore Jeff," Digger said.

"How?"

"I read your update," Digger said. "There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Jeff's in a bad mood and he's taking it out on you, instead of Harry. You need to eat, Eric."

I looked at Digger's crotch and watched his bulge grow. Suddenly, his erection popped out of his shorts. We laughed. Digger ran his fingertip along the shaft.

"You can have this after you finish your omelet," Digger said.

I got up and ran back to our apartment. Digger and Buck followed me, laughing. When I walked into the apartment, Luc and Roy were there, sitting on the sofa, naked and stroking themselves.

"Damn, Eric. I want your tongue inside my ass," Roy said. Luc nodded. "We're watching you and Larry."

"Oh."

"Larry was just here. He was hoping you'd suck him," Luc said.

"He said he's been watching the clip all morning and his nuts are about to explode," Roy said.

"You eat. I'll call Lawrence," Digger said to me.

I nodded.

I sat and started eating the rest of my cold omelet. Roy grinned at me from the sofa. Then he pulled his legs up in the air and showed me his asshole. He ran his finger over it.

"My ass tastes great, son. Come see for yourself."

"You've got to get past this shyness, Roy," I said.

We all laughed.

"This is what you ought to be eating," Roy said, as he tapped his ass.

"Jeff said Eric has to start eating fifty percent more food," Buck said. "And semen doesn't count as food. Neither does your ass."

"I can't do it," I said.

"I've been researching the subject," Digger said. "You're thinking of it as eating until you're full and then eating another half meal."

"Exactly," I said.

"But I think having high calorie snacks between meals would work as well."

"Oh, yeah. That might be easier," I said.

"Exercise stimulates your appetite," Roy said. "If you start fucking yourself on all our cocks..."

"Instead of you doing the work," I finished for him. Roy nodded.

"I like this plan a lot!" Luc said.

We laughed.

"I like it, too!" I said.

While I ate, I checked my messages. There were lots of questions from news services, not just Sunvision. Fortunately, they were mostly asking the same things. I started replying.

"Your mother is at the door, Eric," Al the AI said.

Luc and Roy left the room.

"Come in," I called.

Mother walked in.

"For lunch, you're having macaroni and cheese and bacon," she said to me.

"Wow! Real bacon?" I asked.

"Yes."

"That's irreplaceable!" I said. "We don't have any pigs, here."

"I know. I've been saving it for a special occasion. Getting a grandchild is special enough," Mother said. "Besides, Jib won't eat it. I would have to eat it by myself."

"If you're sure."

"I am. I'm happy to do it. I wasn't a very good mother."

"I disagree, " I said. "I wish you didn't feel that way. You didn't abandon me to go to China. You tried to convince me to go with you for six months. After you left, I talked to you almost every day."

I could see I wasn't convincing her.

"You know, after you left, Dad spent a lot less time at home."

"And you were left all alone," she said, shaking her head.

I laughed.

"It was a good thing. I got to do anything I wanted. When you are seventeen, that's a good thing. I had my friends over all the time. If I had been miserable, I would have joined you in Shanghai. But I wasn't miserable. I just wanted Dad to move, too."

Mother laughed.

"Lunch will be ready after you finish with the flower."

"OK."

Mother left. I was relieved. I wasn't used to being mothered and discussing sex with her was my new least-favorite thing.