“Are you sure you don’t want breakfast?” he asked while he watched Haley put on her shoes, her face still glowing after their explosive night, not exhausted despite only taking a short nap.
“I want to, but I still need to sneak back into the house before my parents get up.
One peril of freeloading on my family,” she said.
Then, she paused.
“As for the business … are you serious?” She asked.
“Really, really serious.
Because if it’s just something you’re saying —”
He cut her off with a kiss.
“Yes, Haley.
I’m serious about an idea that’s potentially worth millions,” he explained.
“I just need you on board and fully committed.
You’re the engine that runs the fashion and the social media; I’m the support.”
She paused, then nodded.
“I will,” she said.
“Will you arrange the models?” she asked.
He didn’t hide the nature of his smirk.
“I have a few friends that I can call,” he said.
Haley’s eyes widened just a touch, understanding the implication.
“Of course, if Madam CEO wants to use her power for evil and invoke casting couch rules…”
She blushed.
“What are you talking about?”
“Just teasing you,” he said, though he wasn’t.
He wanted her to keep the threesomes in her mind.
The fact that she fell in love with him was an unexpected detail … but if he could frame their relationship on an ambigious basis with a lot of threesomes and foursomes, it would only benefit.
Still, the business idea was interesting.
Technically, with his skills, he could run the business himself, but he had no intention of dedicating a lot of time to any business venture.
That kind of business required a lot of time from its CEO.
Meanwhile, with his Programming skill and Intelligence, he should be able to knock out a simple website in a few days.
Technically, working with models would take more, but since he enjoyed it already, it wasn’t a problem.
There were even some interesting synergies.
Penny would be a good first target for social media.
She signs as a permanent brand ambassador, and Haley runs her social media, maybe even assists as her agent.
She wouldn’t be any worse than her current one.
It was promising.
“Now, what to do?” he muttered, then decided to send a message to Judith, asking whether she was willing to give him a private yoga lesson.
It was a weak excuse that neither of them believed even for a second, but sometimes, niceties needed to be observed.
Judith was enthusiastic about accepting…
The only problem, halfway in, she called him, and changed the time of their meeting to eleven, apologizing several times, and explaining it was about her parents doing something ridiculous.
“Judith, please.
Family can be a bit much.
I’ll see you at eleven,” he said.
He sighed.
The only issue was that it was still six-thirty, and discounting the travel time, he had four hours to kill.
He tapped his cello, glad that he had brought it with him.
Only that, as he didn’t want to spook Judith with a camera … yet.
He checked the web, and saw that there was a yoga event in one of the more famous gyms near the city center, with some kind of famous trainer.
It was also three hundred dollars.
He decided it was a good place to play some cello.
Bored housewives willing to pay three hundred for an exclusive yoga class would be willing to throw some money to a skilled street musician … especially if the musician in question was handsome.
Just as he stepped out of the cab, he paused.
He saw two figures.
Two familiar women.
The first woman was blonde, wearing a yoga outfit that made her look like she was in late-twenties, which he almost believed despite knowing her age from the show.
In reality, she looked even younger.
She was pretty, genuinely pretty, but the thick tension she was carrying weighed her down.
The second woman was even more striking.
She looked even younger, especially from a distance.
He would have no trouble believing she was in her early twenties, with curves that challenged the structural integrity of her yoga outfit.
She was stunning in the specific, overwhelming way that made other women in the room fall into depression.
Claire Dunphy, and Gloria Delgado Pritchett.
Alex and Haley’s mother, and step-grandmother.
Ethan paused a moment, wondering whether he was bastardly enough to try to seduce two happily married women … then he decided that he was.
Especially since fate brought them in front of him.
It was clearly saying something.
At least, that was how he chose to interpret it.
Luckily, he brought his yoga outfit with him.
Not because he expected to use it, but it would be rude not to have them after telling Judith about it.
The reception, which had been under strict orders not to let anyone without a ticket, proved no barrier.
He just needed to mutter a little excuse about how he lost his ticket backstage last night, and his looks solved the rest.
He didn’t even need to pay.
The manager allowed his passage the moment she saw him, even advising him to stay near the front.
Ethan realized that he had been turned into eye candy for the middle-aged housewives.
Fun.
The men’s room was not as crowded.
The gym had other amenities, but Sunday morning wasn’t exactly the peak crowd.
He joined the crowd, making sure to pick a spot very close to Claire and Gloria.
For one, they looked amazing.
Their looks were closer to their first season appearance, then some extra.
Watching Gloria bend and stretch was a treat, though he had to hide his gaze.
He still didn’t know what he would do, but one thing was sure.
He couldn’t approach.
If he tried to hit on them, he would fail in seconds.
Instead, while he stretched based on the instructor’s direction, he decided to reverse the strategy.
What if they approach him first?
While doing yoga, they were being weirdly competitive, which suggested that they were going through one of their weird competitive bends, which they tend to have considering their unusual connection despite being the same age.
He watched as Claire observed Gloria from the corner of her eye, making sure that she was pushing deeper and stretching more.
Gloria looked unbothered by it whenever Claire looked, only to switch her attitude, showing that she was just as competitive.
It was an opportunity not to be missed; he decided.
From the show, he knew just obsessive Claire could be about competitions; the effect doubled with her facing Gloria.
He decided to bait them.
First, he started to take his own movements more seriously, making sure to look good; Graceful Movement once again helping him to look even better.
He expected that Perk to be useless, but it was already paying dividends.
It didn’t take long for him to catch attention.
A few women asked for his help between moves, and he ignored them until Gloria, noticing Claire’s gaze, whispered to him.
“Sir, can you help me?” she asked, her accent deliberately heavy.
“My English no good, and I no follow.”
“Sure,” he whispered back and moved to Gloria, and helped her.
Naturally, Claire asked his help as well, then Gloria again…
He was happy to help both of them, but the real challenge was to fuel their argument.
For that, he pulled the trick he had pulled on Leonard.
Whenever he worked with Gloria, he made sure to be the perfect gentleman, but let Claire catch several dubious glances and touches, as if they were flirting.
Which, naturally, made Claire feel competitive, and she tried to entice him to do the same.
He didn’t … from Claire’s perspective, while Gloria saw a different view.
If it were another day, maybe Gloria would have shrugged it off.
Usually, she wasn’t as competitive as Claire… Usually being the key word.
It was clear that today was on one of those exceptions, and she was quick to fall into the same competitive state.
For the rest of the class, his attention was split between the two, ignoring the others who were trying to get his attention.
They were decent, but they had nothing on Claire of Gloria.
Once the class ended, he had to dodge a group of housewives that wanted to chat with him, feeling like a little gazelle that got lost and fell into a pit of hyenas.
Escaping was fun, especially since he had to make sure both Claire and Gloria had seen him.
He waited for them at an obscurely placed water dispenser.
“Excuse me,” Gloria said, appearing merely thirty seconds later, and Claire wasn’t too far away, both moving hurriedly.
He had to admit, watching Gloria move was a pleasure.
“I would like to thank you for your help in the class,” she said, her heavy accent turned back to something normal.
“Oh, look, you can speak normally,” Claire muttered, thinking that only Gloria could hear her.
“Yes.
I would like to thank you as well.
You were even better than the famous instructor.”
“Thank you,” he said, making sure his smile stayed charming rather than sleazy, which was a challenge.
“That was a tough class.
You two looked strong out there.”
From there, they chatted a minute, each woman trying to get the upper hand, even trying to push their cleavage rather aggressively.
That, he didn’t surprise him.
In the show, he had seen both women strategically flirt even for simpler advantages, enjoying the act as much as the result.
And, that was without the additional competition.
“Ladies, it was fun to meet, but I have a strict schedule.
I need to be in the pool within the next five minutes.
If you’ll excuse me,” he said.
Then, he walked away, leaving the two women to argue about who he had been flirting with.
He quickly changed, not taking anything but his locker key and two hundred dollars, then went to the pool area.
This early on Sunday morning, it was practically empty.
He went to the pool guard, and passed the hundred-dollar bill.
“I’m about to do some … laps with a couple of friends.
Any chance we could have a little privacy?”
The guard at the hundred-dollar bill then him.
“Deal,” he said, then smiled.
“If that has a twin, you might even see a maintenance order dropped at the door.”
“How long?”
“Ninety minutes.
Any longer, and it brings down maintenance.”
“Deal,” he said, and the guard disappeared.
He threw himself to the pool, swimming several laps.
He wasn’t a strong swimmer, but that was without his advantages.
The laps that would have left him unconscious worked as a perfect warmup.
It didn’t take long for Claire and Gloria to arrive.
Claire wore a one-piece that covered a lot, which she was clearly unhappy about.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have pulled the bottom up to reveal her ass more than it otherwise would, almost turning it into a thong.
A good choice, as she had a tight ass, the kind that only happened with serious, dedicated exercise.
Though, he had to admit, she still paled next to Gloria, who wore a red bikini, too small for it to be casual gym fun.
On Gloria, it was devastating, emphasizing her curves, walking with the confidence of a woman who knew that she was the most beautiful person in any room she walked into.
He was glad of it.
Not only was it incredible to look at, but it would also make Claire very enthusiastic.
He waved before he continued to walk, once again drawing them in rather than chasing.
Claire jumped in.
Gloria descended the ladder, which presented her body perfectly.
However, while Gloria was an amazing beauty, she was not a strong swimmer.
Claire caught up with him, keeping pace.
Then, he took a breather on the other side of the pool, giving her a chance to approach.
“So, what brings you to Sunday yoga?
I haven’t seen you in this class before.”
“Just moved in,” he said.
“Really?” she asked, her enthusiasm fake but effective.
“For what?”
“I have a few shoots I have to do.
There’s a chance I’ll fly back after they end,” he said, another calculated bait.
No promise of departure, but imply, making her feel even safer about flirting with him.
“A professional photographer, impressive,” she said.
“It is —” he started, then a gasp came from Gloria.
“Oh my god! New chapters come out on g.com first.
A cramp, help!” she begged, the most obvious fake call.
“I got it,” he said, and helpfully swam to Gloria.
“Where?” he asked.
“My thigh,” she whispered throatily with her exaggerated sexy accent, even as she put her arms on the side of the pool, pushing herself up while arching her back.
It was a pose that made him wish that he had his camera with him.
He immediately put his hand there, glad for the excuse as he started working on her inner thigh.
“Gloria, really?” Claire said.
“I don’t know what you mean, Claire,” Gloria answered mockingly.
“I just tried to swim, then I had a cramp.”
He turned to Claire.
“Don’t worry, it must be a simple cramp.
I can barely feel it.
Just continue lapping.
I’ll join soon,” he said, and started massaging Gloria’s glorious thighs, wishing that they were clamped around his head instead.
Too bad he couldn’t just let his fingers go further and start teasing her.
He could see that, despite rather aggressive baiting, she was still in control.
Luckily, that didn’t mean he was helpless.
“That’s it, but I can also give you a back massage.
You look like it hurts,” he said.
“Always,” Gloria said as she turned her back.
He let his fingers dance with the full power of everything he had learned, dipping low enough to reach the small of her back.
He also angled his body so that it looked they were grinding.
As the massage impacted, Gloria’s moans rose, further selling that idea.
From the corner of his eye, he watched Claire secretly.
She was shocked, but her competitive drive was even stronger.
Meanwhile, Gloria’s body was reacting even faster than he expected … but maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised.
After all, she was married to a man who was currently in his late-sixties, and at some point, biology failed no matter the enthusiasm.
Gloria’s reaction showed that it had been a while since she had a proper climax.
Unfortunately, at one point, Gloria froze, no doubt realizing the pleasure from the massage passing the limit of decency.
Not in terms of what he touched, but in terms of what she felt, and the moans she was letting out.
“Something wrong, Gloria?” he asked, acting naive, as if he hadn’t realized the state of her body.
“We can stop if it’s enough?”
She bit her lip, thoughtful.
Then, she caught Claire’s gaze and scandalized expression, and her indecision turned into a sense of victory.
“Maybe a few minutes more.
It feels … amazing,” she said loudly, unaware just bad the optics were from Claire’s side.
His hands were warm against her skin as his touch started to lose its professional quality, his touch dipping down, just enough to make Gloria shuffle in indecision, yet not bad enough to make her call a stop.
“Do you want me to massage your thighs as well?” he whispered.
“Yes, please,” she answered almost immediately, her body getting closer.
She didn’t say anything when he reversed their direction, locking eyes while he worked on her inner thighs … then she started trembling.
And notifications flooded his field of view.
[Achievement complete.
Seduce Gloria Delgado Pritchett
Challenge: Medium]
[+5 Attractiveness
1 Random Silver Skill
1 Random Silver Reward]
[Achievement complete.
Help Gloria remember the joys of proper orgasms.
Challenge: Hard]
[+10 Attractiveness
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete.
Netori effect in play]
[+10 Strength
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
The choices weren’t too difficult.
Attractiveness was valuable, but not as valuable as potential skills from Gloria, considering some of the stuff the show hinted at.
Meanwhile, Strength was an interesting reward from Jay.
Maybe it didn’t factor his age.
[Intermediate Weapon Expertise: Guns]
[Uncommon Skill: You are a proficient gun user.
You can put a decent performance at a shooting range, hunt successfully, and survive in a gunfight.]
… and confirmed, he decided, surprised by the quality.
Curious, he picked the others as skills as well, curious what he would get for the second skill.
[Adept Driving]
[Rare Skill: You are a skilled driver.
You can handle cars, motorcycles, and trucks with familiarity, and you’re good enough to race locally.]
Another valuable skill, this time about her time as a taxi driver.
From Jay, he didn’t miss Strength, especially since he had no idea where he would find another Strength source.
A new stat was more valuable than another skill.
Those were some great rewards, he decided, even as he turned his attention to Gloria.
“Are you feeling alright, Gloria?
Another cramp?” he asked loudly, acting like he hadn’t realized why she was trembling … or why her nipples were pressing against her top like they wanted to cut their way out.
“I … yes … cramp,” Gloria muttered, her blush growing as she realized just what she had done.
“Maybe it has been a mistake for me to come to the pool right after yoga.
Too many cramps,” she said as she immediately used the ladder to get out of the pool, and dashed away.
Then, he swam toward Claire, who seemed to be shocked at what had happened.
After all, even the reality of the situation was incriminating enough, yet what she saw was even more intense.
Too bad it seemed to overwhelm her senses.
“I think I forgot the oven on,” she muttered dazedly as she ran away.
“See you around, Claire,” he shouted back, chuckling.
It had been a nice interlude, one that left him wanting more.
Luckily, Judith was waiting for him.