TV Multiverse 89 (Patreon)

He was back in Malibu by mid-afternoon, feeling energetic. One of the less glamorous benefits of his stats. He drove almost a thousand miles, with a speed that was supposed to be punishing, yet he felt fresh as a daisy as he parked in front of his beach house.

Which was why when he saw Judith driving, he waved at her. “H-hi, Ethan,” she called, blushing. “Back in LA?”

“Yep. Won’t stay much. Busy schedule.” Her face fell, disappointed. “Not that busy. I’m here until tomorrow. Are you free this afternoon?”

“Of course,” she said immediately, and he chuckled.

With everything going on, he didn’t have as much time meeting with Judith, just the occasional quickie when their paths crossed.

“So, anything to drink—“ he asked as they stepped inside a minute later.

“Screw drinks, I know what I want to drink,” she growled with a sudden passion as she pushed his pants down, went down on her knees, and started taking him with a fervor that showed she had been neglected quite a bit.

He was amused at her initiative, as when they met, for all her bluster and anger, she was surprisingly submissive and hesitant when it came to sex.

Well, she was no longer hesitant. The submissive part was still there, something easy to see by the way she reacted when he grabbed her hair hard and pushed himself deeper into her throat.

What followed was predictable. They barely managed to stumble toward the living room couch, their clothes shed halfway, and he was drilling her hard, with occasional spanks. Only for the door to click open.

It was Georgina and Berta.

Judith froze under him, while he stopped drilling her. On the couch, her head was visible, but the rest of her body wasn’t. Yet, neither Berta nor Georgina noticed, because Georgina was holding the door half open while looking at Berta, probably end of her workday while Berta went for the next house.

Georgina was dressed absurdly. Well, technically, she was dressed normally for the job, cheap jeans from Walmart, a loose top, thick clothes, but on Georgina, they looked weird.

Even dressed in a fifty-dollar ensemble, exhausted, her unique Georgina aura was sparkling.

"I'm just saying," Georgina complained, huffing as she carried a heavy bucket. “We could have used my method and cleaned the kitchen in half the time."

"Then the oil builds up, and guess who cleans it, Cinderella," Berta shot back. “Me, without a free helper.”

“I told you, don’t call me Cinderella,” Georgina responded. “I’m not a Disney princess. If anything, I’m the villain.”

“Tell that to your Disney eyes, princess,” Berta laughed.

“Does that make you my fairy godmother?”

“Only if I accidentally ate her.”

Listening to their argument was interesting. The fact that they were fighting was understandable. Berta had only three settings. Friendly insults, hostile insults, and a very convincing Bane impression when she was truly angry, making others worry about whether their back was about to be broken.

Georgina was even worse. For her, there was no distinction between insults, though her rage moments were more social than physical. Georgina always had a deep-seated casual cruelty, which she used against everyone, including people she saw as her best friends.

Seeing them trade insults with absolutely no hint of hostility, even after staying together for three days, was interesting.

It also supported his theory that Georgina’s actions, which were easy to judge as sociopathic, was learned behavior, the only way for her to get any attention in her cold, dogmatic family.

That didn’t suddenly fix Georgina, but it made her more interesting.

Ethan chose to join in. “She only has to rely on her prince, then.”

That made Georgina look back. “You’re back…” she said, then looked at Judith, her face scrunching. “And you brought a stray from the road. Maybe you should throw her to the trash,” Georgina said. “Who knows if she even has her vaccinations?”

Normally, Judith would have responded more aggressively, but Berta’s voice prevented it. Too bad for her, that Berta was too curious to pass it. She opened the door, and her eyes widened for a moment.

“Well, well, well," Berta said. "Hello, Judith."

Judith looked up in horror, not wanting to be caught by Berta. "Hi, Berta. This isn't … I'm just getting a massage! For my … thing.”

Berta laughed. “You’re getting massaged for your thing alright," Berta said as she folded her arms, thoroughly enjoying herself. "I always wondered if you were frigid, or your anal-retentive ex was just that repulsive. I had been leaning toward second after your ex bagged that bag of Skittles, but I might have to change my mind.”

“Berta. Wait, it’s not—“ Judith said, which would have been more believable if she hadn’t moaned. It wasn’t even his fault, as she started moving on her own.

“Sure it’s not,” she said with a chuckle. “And here I was, wondering why you suddenly became less of a bitch for the last few months. Thinking, isn’t it about the same time you moved into the neighborhood, Charlie Junior?”

He smirked as he nodded.

“Fun as ever, boy. Go ahead and massage her. Cinderella, your training is complete. But drop by occasionally. I can always use your tiny hands cleaning behind the cabinets.”

“I think I might,” Georgina responded, though the shock that followed was intense. Georgina even surprised herself.

Berta laughed even louder, and left, leaving Georgina frozen. It was no surprise. Georgina might be dangerously perceptive, but self-introspection was one aspect she sorely lacked.

Georgina looked dazed, clearly surprised by her own reaction. “It’s weird to meet someone who can see through your bullshit completely, yet still likes you, right?”As he asked that, he started drilling into Judith hard, who pressed her face to the pillow to contain her moans.

Georgina looked at him with petulant anger, then raised her head. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I hate that fat bitch. I don’t remember the last time I was feeling that bad. Now, I’m going to take a shower.”

He smiled, but decided not to push that much. He forced her to understand her realization. Pushing her would make her defensive.

At the same time, he needed to prevent her from spiraling. Luckily, he had the perfect way to do so.

“Take a quick shower. The living room is a dusty mess. I want you to be downstairs with a duster and start cleaning the room.” He smirked.

“You have to be kidding me,” she said.

“Well, I’m flying back to New York tomorrow to buy the apartment. I can’t bring a maid without auditioning her first, right?” he teased her.

“Fine,” she said, annoyed as she stomped hard upstairs. He watched her protest, amused by how different she was after three days. Not a complete change, but still a far greater change than she ever expected.

While Georgina disappeared upstairs, Judith kept her face in the pillow until climax.

[Achievement complete. A little exhibitionist show from Judith Harper.

Challenge: Hard]

[+10 Perception

1 Random Gold Skill

1 Random Gold Reward]

[Bonus achievement complete. Netori effect in play]

[+10 Intelligence

1 Random Gold Skill

1 Random Gold Reward]

He hummed as he noticed the change in the netori reward, from Endurance to Intelligence.

Judith’s eyes widened as the orgasm faded. "She's going to tell people,"

"She won't. Have you ever seen Berta actually gossiping about people? The most she’ll do is smirk when you walk around with your new boyfriend."

Judith tensed. “How did you know?”

He smiled. “I hear things.”

“I— I just wanted one last little adventure before he proposes,” she whispered. “He’s going fast.”

He chuckled as he spanked her. “I’m not the guardian of your relationship, Judith. I don’t mind,” he whispered. “But I’ll follow your call. If you’re saying it’s the last time, let’s make it memorable.”

“Bedroom while your maid cleans the room?”

“Nope. I’m feeling too lazy,” he responded as he switched position, and took her to his lap, with her back against his chest, invading her hard.

She just moaned, though her eyes widened when Georgina walked back, wearing a joke French maid outfit. Admittedly, the only joke was to call that an outfit. Calling it slutty was an understatement.

He wasn’t complaining. "Voilà," Georgina announced in an atrocious French accent. It was funnier because he knew she could speak fluent French. "Ze maid 'as arrived. I am 'ere to clean ze corners."

Judith looked self-conscious about her presence, but that only lasted until she saw how Georgina was dressed.

Georgina started from the coffee table shamelessly, using the duster while she bent forward. “Isn’t she a bit old for a pet,” Georgina teased as she bent over, showing off her breasts. From that angle, it stopped being cleavage, qualifying as flashing.

Not that he was complaining. From how intently Judith looked, she didn’t mind either.

Georgina noticed it, smirking as she changed attitude. She stopped insulting Judith, and instead doubled down on the sexy maid act. The really surprising part was that, even when she pulled a stripper routine, she actually cleaned rather than faking cleaning.

[Achievement complete. Take the first step toward taming Georgina.

Challenge: Hard]

[+10 Intelligence

1 Random Gold Skill

1 Random Gold Reward]

“Any chance I can convince her to clean my house,” Judith whispered after her second climax.

He chuckled. “I can see the temptation, but believe me when I say you can’t handle her,” he said. He couldn’t imagine a scenario that ended anything but Georgina burning down Judith’s house.

“I —“ she started, but he pushed deeper inside.

“You have bigger things to worry about,” he teased her, flipping her onto all fours.

“Yes!” Judith moaned.

With that, the afternoon settled into a strange, warm rhythm where he helped Judith with what she called one last adventure. Whether she would be able to stay true was another question…

Eventually, Judith left, a spring in her step despite the stumble, which was when Georgina walked to him with a washcloth. “I should clean you up after that little stray you picked up,” she said, her tone playful.

“A good point,” he teased as she leaned, treating his body like something to clean, though she quickly zeroed in on his shaft, dropping the washcloth and using her fingers to ‘clean’.

He didn’t make a move, because he could see it was a challenge. And, one didn’t impress Georgina by taking her challenges in her terms obediently.

“So, how were your first three days as a real human, Pinocchio?”

That made her pause. “Really, isn’t it a bit cliche?”

He smirked. It was clear that it hit the target nicely. “Cliche? Maybe?”

“Would you like to try again?”

He hummed. “No. Cliche doesn’t equal wrong,” he teased. “But, I can see that it affected you. Berta was an interesting boss, right?” Her fingers trembled again. He was amused by the fact that she easily handled the fact that he had been drilling Judith in the middle of the room while she played the sexy French maid, but an honest question shook her.

He was glad that he hadn’t met Georgina before he had developed quite a bit. Her mask was simple, but it was also well-practiced. It was too easy to believe the vulnerability that flickered was fake … because it often was.

“It was different,” she finally admitted. “Berta…”

“Saw through your acting immediately, yet merely smirked with amusement before delivering a devastating quip that left you angry and amused at the same time. She does that.”

“Is this how poor people live?” she asked.

He caressed her cheek. “That’s the biggest problem with growing up in the Upper East Side, or other rich enclaves. You think that the poor and the rich is somewhat different. Only the window dressing changes. The heart stays the same. Berta is just one of the lucky few who are truly comfortable in her own skin, which centers her and allows her to see through the bullshit of life. She’s happy with her life.”

“Really? But she’s always complaining.”

He shrugged. “Naturally. Just because she’s happy doesn’t mean she’s a monk, or she has no problems. She works hard, she has children with their problems, she hates the bus. The usual stuff.”

Georgina paused. “Do you think she’ll be happier if I wired her a million dollar?”

He chuckled. “First of all, good luck. If she believes that you’re pitying her, she’ll put your head through the oven door.”

“She wouldn’t,” Georgina said, then paused, giggling. “She would, wouldn’t she?”

“She certainly would. Berta is prideful. She’ll shake you down for a bigger Christmas bonus without shame or declare a raise and expect you to comply, but only because she believes she deserves it. Try to pity her … well, you won’t try it twice.”

She pulled back, the talk getting heavier. “I thought that you wanted me to humiliate myself. A little fun challenge, and I grin and bear until things get fun again.”

He smiled. “There’s that as well,” he said, touching her chin. For the first time, she avoided his gaze, because for the first time, it wasn’t a challenge, but an invitation to open herself up.

She didn’t dare to meet his gaze.

“You’re a very skilled social manipulator, but your problem is that you only have one tool. A hammer of chaos, one that you bring to every single situation, smashing every situation until it shatters.”

“You’re not that different,” she said.

He shrugged. “Oh, I never denied it,” he said. “But we have two differences. I don’t have only one tool, and I solve problems for people I like. You create chaos for the people you love, because that’s the only way you learned to connect. And cries of anger are better than silence.”

For the first time, he saw Georgina growl in real anger. “Shut up,” she gasped, her hand grabbing his shoulder, her fingers digging in. He let her, because he could see that it was involuntary. A little pain was nothing. “You don’t know me! You don’t know how the silence feels?”

“I don’t? How about I describe something? You’re standing in a room. You hate it, but you’re there out of obligation. You constantly interact with people, but you have to force a smile even when they are rude, ignorant, or dismissive. Someone makes horrible jokes that you’re forced to laugh at, or you get into trouble. Once it finishes, there’s either another event, or you return to your room, alone. You leave the TV on, because otherwise, loneliness start gnawing your bones, until you feel like an empty puppet.”

She growled. “So, you searched my childhood. Big whoop,” she growled.

He chuckled, but it was a dark sound. “Who told you that’s your childhood? That’s my own past, when I was working two jobs just to afford to go to college, working at a grocery store where everyone hated everyone. Every day ate me up a bit more.”

“You…”

He shrugged. “I told you. Life is all the same. Money solves some problems, but creates others. Highs are higher, but lows are even worse. Some will claim that with money, it’s easier to change your life, but…”

“Isn’t it?” she said. “I have literally dropped everything and come here on a passing fancy.”

“Cosmetic differences. I could have just as easily taken a gap year to rebalance myself by finding a job farther away, with coworkers that I connect with. I didn’t. It’s hard to break your cage, especially when you don’t realize you’re in one.”

Georgina caught his gaze, her eyes sharper, more incising than he had ever seen. Mirth was no longer dancing in her beautiful eyes, but it wasn’t replaced by anger. It was pure focus. She was searching for honesty.

Honesty, she found, because nothing he told her was a lie. It was from another life, but that didn’t make it a lie.

“You’re a bastard,” she growled with sudden anger. “Did anyone tell you that?”

“Almost constantly,” he responded. “But I feel like your reason might be a bit different.”

She growled and captured his lips in what might be the most violent kiss he ever had, while her fingers dug into his shoulder. Not enough to draw blood, but it was close. “Who goes around, sees a broken girl that can probably trigger a war if she’s annoyed enough, and decides to fix her for no reason!”

“Two mistakes there,” he said. “First of all, I don’t want to fix you. Or even fix you. I can only show you something. The work is yours.”

“Therapist drivel,” she growled, but he could see that his words were finding a hold. “What’s the second mistake?”

“Who told you that I’m doing it for no reason?” he said, giving her a dark, sexy half-smile, the kind that would send the heart of a sheltered girl with princess fantasies into chaos. And, at her core, it was who Georgina was.

She gulped. “What, are you going to make me your toy, and throw me away when bored?”

He touched her chin, raising while he leaned forward. “Half correct as always,” he whispered. “I don’t throw away what’s mine…”

The kiss they shared was intense, desperate, and violent, but Georgina pulled back. “I won’t come to Manhattan,” she declared. “Not yet, at least. I’ll continue working with Berta more. But with one condition.”

“Sure,” he said, and she reached for her phone, and showed a picture. One that showed Dan Humphrey with Olivia Burke, the movie star who joined NYU.

“I want you to break them up.”

“Really?”

She blushed. “I know it’s right out of my playbook, and Dan looks like a perfectly innocent—“

He laughed. “Of course not. Dan’s an asshole. Not the worst kind, but he’s still spineless and hypocritical, with a serious dose of selfishness.”

That made Georgina pause. “That’s even harsher than I was going to say. Why? Is it because he’s going on and on about how evil the Upper East Side is, yet he still can’t separate from it, determined to date every available bachelorette?”

He sighed. “That’s part of it, but if it’s that much, I wouldn’t have minded the guy. Even his droning about his writing can be ignored,” he added as he got her phone, cycling Dan’s social media until he found a picture with his sister. “That’s why,” he said.

“His sister? Why? I mean, from what I heard through the grapewine, she’s not doing anything different.”

He sighed. “That’s the problem. They don’t have the same safety net. If Blair gets caught doing something illegal, she gets a stern telling-off. The biggest punishment is that she is sent to London for private schooling. Do you know what happens to his sister when she gets arrested while his father and his sugar mommy has been broken up?”

That made Georgina pause, as consequences for actions were not a concept she was familiar with. “I’m guessing not good?”

“Not good indeed. Not to mention, even without it, just how badly she could get hurt. So, no. I’m not a big fan of Dan.”

She paused. “Good. Destroy him.”

He shrugged. “There’s no need. He’s the kind of person that would destroy himself far worse than anything I could do,” he said.

“Does that mean you’re leaving Olivia Burke alone?”

He smirked. “Oh, I didn’t say that…”

[Achievement complete. Deal with the devil.

Challenge: Hard]

[+10 Intelligence

1 Random Gold Skill

1 Random Gold Reward]

He chuckled as he picked the stat, amused that his System was calling Georgina the devil… In her own show’s context, maybe, but overall, it was just amusing.