Episode 38 Recalibration (Part 1/3) (Patreon)

Jack Routh

“What are you looking at me like that?” Zoe asked as she checked herself in front of the mirror.

He just smiled and shook his head. It was surreal to know he would become a father soon. He was nervous and scared at the same time, but right now, he was mesmerized by how beautiful his wife looked.

She was still naked after drying off from her shower. One of the things he loved about Zoe was her lack of modesty around him, along with her adventurous streak. She knew he always found her attractive, and he enjoyed her attempts to show off for him. Sheer teddies, tight leggings, thong panties, and cupless bras. He relished every second of her teasing in the privacy of their home.

Her confidence in her body and looks never failed to excite him. His eyes watched as a drop of water trickled down from her collarbone to her firm breast and just missed her nipple. He let his eyes trail down to her toned body and stomach, past her navel, and to her sex.

From her reflection, Zoe’s long and toned thighs glistened with recently applied lotion, and he let his gaze move further down, to her knees, calves, and feet. His eyes moved up, and he enjoyed watching the jiggle of his wife’s ass as it jiggled when she moved, and he was tempted to take her right there and then when she bent down to apply lotion to her legs.

She was so beautiful.

Seeing as Zoe was almost finished with her skin care routine, he stood up from where he was sitting on the bed and moved beside her in front of the mirror, and wrapped a hand around her waist.

“It won’t show yet for at least a couple of months.” His wife smiled and ran her hand over her belly.

“I can’t wait.” He replied.

“Me too.” Zoe took a deep breath. “I’m so nervous.”

“We both are.” He didn’t have a first clue about being a father, but he was determined to be a good and loving parent. With a little one on the way, he realized he needed to make some changes.

He initially wanted to resign from Metro, but Zoe had convinced him to stay until the program’s first batch of participants completed their training.

“I still don’t see why we have to attend the Miss California party.” He once again adjusted the collar of his long-sleeved gray polo shirt.

“Optics.” Zoe explained. He admired his wife’s buttocks as she put on a thong and started to slip into a light gray cocktail dress. “Can you help me with the back zipper?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah, you might have caught Bloom, but you have to understand how Federal agencies work.” Zoe straightened up in her cocktail dress and then started to check the dress in front of the mirror. He was happy that she kept her hair up, revealing her graceful neck, and it matched well with her dress, which showed off her shoulders and upper back. “With a large task force that involves the FBI and the DHS, you need to understand the logistics required for that joint operation.”

“That means hotel rooms and other expenses are already paid for.” His wife continued to explain. “Not using them is a waste of money. Just think of the last few days of the preliminaries as a vacation for these agents. And it’s you who caught the killer, so you have to be there if you want to maintain good relations with the FBI and Homeland Security.”

“Their people were easy to work with.” Jack mused.

“They should be.” His wife smirked. “Both want you to join their agencies.”

Zoe was once again right when they arrived at the hotel premises. He spotted familiar faces from the surveillance team lounging by the restaurant pool, wearing colorful shirts and looking like they didn’t have a care in the world. One of the team members even raised his fruity cocktail drink at him as a greeting and leaned back on his cozy chair.

“Technically, they are still doing a surveillance operation.” He whispered to Zoe, who noticed the exchange.

"With Garza away, federal agents will play." She replied with a smirk.

They headed to one of the private restaurants, and he was surprised to see a few familiar faces seated at one of the tables at the corner of the venue.

“I called them to meet me here,” Zoe explained as Pam, Reese, and Liz waved at them.

“Congratulations!” Pam reached them first as soon as they reached the table and hugged his wife tight. “I’m so happy for you, Zoey!”

Reese and Liz also gave warm greetings to the two of them, and once again, he felt a strange sensation inside of him as he stared at the beaming, joyful face of his wife.

“Look at you two lovebirds.” Liz gave her own round of hugs. “Zoe, you’re practically glowing!”

“And not because she just had sex.” Reese teased. “This is on a whole other level!”

“Thanks for coming,” Zoe replied. “I had to tell my best friends as soon as I learned of the news.”

“And I’ll be disappointed if you didn’t,” Pam replied, her eyes on the verge of crying. He could tell how truly happy Pam was for them, and it was touching.

“So, are you planning a gender reveal party?” Reese asked.

“Not really,” Zoe replied after they both shared a look of understanding. “Maybe a baby shower will be nice when I’m in my third term?”

“Perfect!” Reese clapped her hands in delight.

“So, boy or girl?” Pam asked him. “Any preference for the gender?”

He leaned back on his seat, giving the question some thought. “I really don’t care, as long as the baby and Zoe are healthy.”

“Good answer, honey.” Zoe nodded in agreement, and they both shared a smile. Unable to control himself, he leaned over and gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek.

“So sweet.” Liz shook her head.

“Reminds me of the time they made up after a fight.” Pam revealed. “They were so lovey dovey back then too.”

“Remember when Zoe fed Jack food while he was playing the piano?” Reese asked. “The bridesmaids were looking at the two of them with envy.”

“When was this?” Liz asked.

“It was during my wedding reception,” Pam answered. “It was also there that Jack sang that spicy song.”

“Oh!” Liz suddenly snapped her fingers. “Is that the song about the Versace dress?”

“Yup.” Pam nodded. “Let me tell you, that song’s the best for a honeymoon!”

“Imagine if Jack performed that song here for the contestants!” Reese suggested.

“They would lose their minds.” Zoe joined in on the fun.

“I’m sure Taylor could accommodate you and give you a spot.” Liz turned to him.

“Taylor’s here?”

“Yeah.” The actress nodded. “She agreed to perform a small, private concert for the contestants when she learned how many of them are fans of her music. She’s doing rehearsals right now at the ballroom.”

“So that’s why she’s late,” Zoe replied. “She messaged in the group chat that she’d be here.”

“So, will you perform that song if there’s an opportunity?” Reese asked him. “Because there’s no sexier song than that!”

“I don’t know.” He replied. Sure, his wife’s friends were just joking, but he wasn’t opposed to the idea. He sang that song for Zoe and wondered what song could do the same right now.

“I bet there’s no sexier song than the one you sang at Pam’s wedding reception.” Reese declared.

“I don’t know, maybe there are older songs that could rival that.” Liz looked thoughtful, a finger pressed on her chin.

“You have to be there to appreciate the moment!” Reese replied. “Wanna bet that Jack’s performance will blow out everything you previously heard before?”

“Deal!” Liz grinned. “The winner is the head planner for the party for Jack and Zoe’s baby!”

“Fine!” Reese sealed the bet and shook Liz’s hand.

“I guess you have to perform then.” Zoe laughed and nudged him using her elbow. “I do miss your singing. Make sure this latest one puts me in the mood.”

That comment caused a round of laughter from their table from the other women.

“Oh, really?” Jack suddenly had an idea.  A thought formed in his head, and he stared at his wife, whose smile slowly vanished when she saw the expression on his face.

"What are you up to?" Zoe asked.

Zoe Andersen Routh

“No!”

She felt the cold chill in her heart at what she had just heard from her husband. She simply couldn’t believe he would say that to her.

“Please? It will be easy, I promise.” Jack knelt on one knee and held her hands in his. “There are only a few solo lines for you, and most of the time we will sing together.”

“I never sing.” She shook her head. She’d rather go and lead an operation against a few corrupt generals than do what Jack suggested. She ignored the amused faces of her friends seated at the table beside her.

“You sing well enough in the shower.” Jack grinned.

“C’mon, Zoe! You can do it!” Pam giggled.

“Why can’t they sing it with you?” She glanced at Liz and Reese, who were looking at their antics, clearly enjoying her suffering. She was here to simply accompany her husband to the party of Miss California. How did she suddenly find herself in this difficult position?

“I can’t sing this song with anyone else.” Jack replied. “Only you, love.”

Stupid organizers for immediately agreeing to her husband’s offer to perform. Stupid Reese and her bet. Stupid Liz, who agreed to the bet.

Jack was in a happy and amorous mood ever since he found out she was having their baby yesterday. She felt the same, and she felt like she was floating in the clouds the whole time, until she crashed back to reality when Jack asked her to perform with him. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water was thrown over her head after she took a nice warm shower.

“I heard Jack’s going to perform from the organizers!” She heard Taylor’s voice. It looked like the tall blonde had just run a mile, judging from how hard she was breathing. “I rushed here and ended rehearsal for my last song when I heard the news!”

“Zoe’s going to sing with Jack!” Pam declared. Traitor!

“You will?” Taylor squealed in excitement and hugged her. “That’s going to be amazing! I haven’t heard you sing before!”

“She’s a decent singer.” She heard Jack reply. “We were just about to go and practice.”

“Is it a new song?” Taylor asked.

“You’ll see.” Her husband took her hand and slowly guided her away from her friends. She gave one last look at the table filled with eager faces and reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged to a practice room by her husband. Jack said they had a few hours to practice.

Taylor Swift

She had just finished the last song on her set. The pageant contestants were still screaming and clapping, and the noise they made could still be heard and felt behind the curtain. It was nice to perform in a smaller venue every now and then, since there were fewer headaches and she didn’t have to bring in her full crew.

She played with the arrangements, some of the songs she sang with an acoustic flair to show off more of her developing vocal skills. The smaller ballroom seemed more appropriate for it, and the giant, massive speakers would overwhelm her audience.

“Ready to head back?” Her aide asked. When she was on tour, she would immediately get in the shower after a performance. Since this set only took 45 minutes, she was still fine, just a bit thirsty. Besides… she wanted to see Jack sing.

“No, I’m going down there.” She told her aide after she accepted a towel. “I want a good view.”

She rushed from the backstage and a few minutes later arrived at the table in the middle where her friends were seated. Her timing was perfect as the MC started speaking once more after handing out various minor awards to the contestants. 

“And as a special surprise from one of our preliminary judges, a performance by Sugar!”

Shrieks and applause greeted the announcement as the curtains moved up, revealing Jack seated in front of the piano with a microphone set up in front of him so he could sing while playing.

This time, his wife Zoe was there, standing beside a white grand piano like those lounge singers of the sixties used to do, and holding a tambourine with metal jingles on one hand with a microphone with a stand set up in front of her.

Jack wasted no time, and she leaned closer, surprised to hear music she didn’t recognize suddenly fill the air. His voice had that quality to it that very few male singers could replicate, and immediately captured her attention.

“It thought Jack was singing Versace?” She asked Liz.

“So do I.” Her friend replied, looking puzzled.

“This is a new song!” She gasped in excitement.

[Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth]

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on…

You got the healing that I want…

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get in on…

“Oh my.” She spoke out loud. Zoe looked a bit nervous, but she was able to slap the tambourines in rhythm with Jack’s singing. Her friend looked completely at ease, but she noticed that he was not interacting with the audience this time. No, his focus was completely focused on his wife, who was also looking back at him as well.

And those lyrics! Goodness. Combined with his voice and musicality, it was a devastating combination, and she shifted in her seat, eager to hear more.

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on!

Jack lowered the tone of his voice and added a new layer to the music with the piano. He was looking at his wife with a look that shouted he wanted her. Damn. Fuck.

We’ve got this king size to ourselves,

Don’t have to share with no one else…

Don’t keep your secrets to yourself,

It’s Kama Sutra show and tell… yeah

Screams erupted all around the venue. The sheer eroticism of Jack’s latest song was on a whole other level. Along with goosebumps on her skin, she suddenly felt hot. Fuck, she was horny.

Whoa oh oh

There’s… lovin’ in your eyes that pulls me closer…. (oh it pulls me closer)

It’s so subtle (it’s so subtle),

I’m in trouble (I’m in trouble),

But I’d love to be in trouble with you!

Zoe’s voice finally joined with her husband’s, and it wasn’t bad for an untrained singer. They blended well, Jack adjusting to his singing and guiding his wife to their first-ever duet.

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on…

You got the healing that I want…

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get in on…

You’ve got to give it up to me,

I’m screaming, Mercy, Mercy please!

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on!

“Go Zoe!” Pam stood up and screamed and she joined him and stood up to whistle as Zoe sang her first solo part.

And when you leave me all alone…

I’m like a stray without a home,

I’m like a dog without a bone,

I just want you for my own…

I got to have you babe…

“It’s like they’re having sex through singing,” Liz observed. She looked to her friend and saw the flush that covered her cheeks. She knew she looked the same, and the melody and Jack’s singing were having an effect on everyone inside the venue.  

She agreed with Liz, what she was seeing made her feel like she was intruding and watching an intimate moment between a man and a woman.

Whoa oh oh

There’s… lovin’ in your eyes that pulls me closer…. (oh it pulls me closer)

It’s so subtle (it’s so subtle),

I’m in trouble (I’m in trouble),

But I’d love to be in trouble with you!

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on…

Ohh…baby…  got that healing that you want… yes,

Like they say it in the songs

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get in on…

She didn’t realize she was now moving her body, swaying to the music, until she felt her hip hit a nearby chair. She looked around and realized that all of the contestants were up on their feet and clustered closer to the stage to get a better look.

Jack’s vocals soared, like he was having sex and reached his climax, with Zoe right along with him as they sang the chorus once more.

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on…

You got the healing that I want…

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get in on babe!

You’ve got to give it up to me!

I’m screaming, Mercy, Mercy please!

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on!

Just like they say it in the song,

Until the dawn,

Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on…

The music abruptly stopped as Jack stopped playing and stood up from his seat. Zoe dropped the tambourine, and she could hear it clearly as it fell to the ground. Cheers and whistles erupted as Jack engulfed Zoe in his arms and gave her a searing, passionate kiss in front of everyone. She realized that having a baby just increased their love and passion for each other.

“Fuck.” She turned when Liz suddenly cursed. “I lost the bet.”

“I’m the head organizer for the party, then!” Reese looked smug in her victory.

They sat back once more as the curtains closed. She waited, and waited, gamely posing for the pageant contestants that approached her and signing her autograph for her fans. Ten minutes in, and there was still no sign of Jack and Zoe.

Liz got tired of waiting and searched for them, and she was surprised when the actress returned with a full-on blush on her cheeks.

“Did you find them?” Pam asked.

“They’re… busy.” Liz sat back on her chair. “They’ll be here in a bit.”

 “Unless they go for a second round,” Pam smirked. Why were her friends sharing that look?

Her eyes widened when she realized what her friends were doing in the reserved practice room. She imagined what they looked like, and it was easy since she already had a visual reference from before. Damn, after hearing Jack’s latest song, she needed to find a boyfriend of her own, asap.

She had time anyway, after clearing her schedule for next year, after she decided to take a break. But it was times like this that made her realize it was nice to have a nice man with her on her bed to relieve some urges. She looked back at one of her aides, who handed her a phone, and she immediately played it, showing a video of Jack’s latest performance.

This was a real banger.