Internship, Possible Travel (Closed)

[tcost]

(An SRP by MadameNyx and tcost)

The advertisement in the campus newspaper was fairly prosaic. "Summer Internship, Possible Travel," it read. "History Majors or Minors Wanted. Research based around original documents. Good pay and expenses."

The address listed was about a half-dozen blocks from campus, in an older, quiet, somewhat expensive neighborhood. From the front, the building appeared to be a fairly large house with two stories visible, but if you knew about the canyon in back and the multiple levels of basement, the place was revealled as a small mansion.

Calling the phone number led to a brief phone interview, followed by an appointment to come in to meet face to face. This morning, though, Ryan Brandt was turning callers away.

"Sorry, that position has already been filled." It was not strictly true. The girl he intended to hire hadn't even had her interview yet, but Ryan remembered her well from a class they'd shared together two years ago. He's always liked her, and would be glad to get to know her better. Provided that her interview wasn't a complete disaster, Ryan had every intention of bringing her back into his life again.

She was due shortly. Ryan splashed some water on his face and combed his light brown hair again, and then paced around the living room. He was tall and long-legged, and slightly overdressed in slacks and a dress shirt, but no necktie. She was due any minute now...

 

[MadameNyx]

Nailini gave herself a last look in front of the mirror and nodded to herself. She looked presentable: Not too fancy, not too casual and, what was more important to her, she wouldn't melt in the clothes once outside. Summers could be brutal here. Grabbing her purse, she made her way out of her small apartment and started walking the six blocks towards the house she was supposed to meet Mr. Brandt at.

She supposed she looked like any normal college student. She was around 5'0", her light chocolate skin standing out against the dark blue jeans and the short sleeve button down olive top she wore, the fabric clinging to her Latin curves in a pleasing manner. Her dark hair flowed loose around her, brushing along her waist while some loose curls brushed along her cheeks, framing hazel eyes and her full lips.

Finally arriving, she bit her lower lip, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. This was a huge opportunity for her. All she needed was her internship hours to graduate and this one would bring her love for languages and history together, not to mention that it would actually pay, plus she got to travel.

 

[tcost]

The doorbell! She was exactly on time. Ryan turned, and strode over to the front door, across the expanse of well-polished hardwood floor. The entry hall was filled with light from the large windows flanking the door, and his footsteps echoed a bit in the largely empty space. Ryan had yet to fully furnish his new home.

It was no wonder he remembered her. Not only was her name unique in his experience, she was just so beautiful, so sexy. He had just been another student in the classroom, even if he had had a tendancy to answer more of the professor's questions than most of the others.

When he opened the door, he looked down. She was, after all, more than a foot shorter than he was. His blue eyes took her in eagerly, from the tight jeans and top to the bare arms and especially the face. He was smiling broadly.

"Nailini," he said, stepping back and sweeping an arm back to welcome her in. "Please, come in. I've been looking forward to seeing you again. Tell me, do you have a passport? If not, we'll have to expedite getting you one."

 

[MadameNyx]

As soon as the door opened, she found herself looking up into a handsome face watching as his blue orbs studied her. It took her a moment to remember why he looked so familiar. The moment she did, though, she found herself smiling back, relaxing as he ushered her inside.

"Ryan, I didn't know it was you I'd be meeting. How are you?" she asked as she looked around her in wonder, answering his question quietly "Yes, I have one. I don't think I have to get another for a couple of years."

She remembered him alright. He was an intelligent man, and handsome to boot, but she had never approached him after class. She could blame her shyness on that.

 

[tcost]

He was so pleased to see her smile that way when she recognized him. Closing the door, he turned and gestured around; once Nailini was inside, she could catch the faint scent of his cologne.

"My new home. A little larger than I'd meant to get, but it was available, and close to the campus, which is still where most of my friends live. But we won't be here for more than a few days. How soon can you be ready to leave for Rome?"

He hadn't interviewed her at all, but it seemed that he remembered her well enough to have settled on her already. Nor had he explained at all what this was all about.

There were lots of empty bookshelves, and a hutch which displayed some fine glassware. A small chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and doors left off left, right, and center. Staircases opened going both up and down.

 

[MadameNyx]

His sudden question caught her off guard even as she looked around the beautiful home. The hardwood floors, the chandelier, the two staircases leading off to the second floor.... Even if it still looked empty, it made her feel like she was in a mansion or something. Well, if he's going to fund all this as well as pay me, I suppose he can afford it, she thought to herself before she remembered she hadn't answered his question. Taking a few seconds to answer, she finally replied "Umm well how soon would you like to leave? I can be packed and ready to go in an hour."

"Ryan? What exactly are we gonna do in Rome? What are we looking for?" she asked as she walked towards the antique bookcase. It was beautiful to her, the carvings on the wood making her brush her fingertips slowly along it, almost like a lost lover.

 

[tcost]

"Ah, that's what I'm going to explain to you now," he returned, leading her through an open door leading into a room that looked like an office or a study. This room was carpeted, and the cherry-panelled walls bore maps (one of Italy, another of the Holy Land) and fine art prints.

In the middle of the far wall sat a large desk in the style of Louis XIII. Maybe it was Louis XIII? It looked as if Ryan could afford it. Behind the desk, above some low, built-in cabinets, broad windows opened out onto a canyon vista; across the canyon, above the houses on the far rim, she could see the taller buildings on the campus.

Instead of leading her to the desk, Ryan led her to an oversized sofa upholstered in soft brown leather. Sinking down onto a seat on one end, Ryan looked at her levelly, his smiles now gone for the moment. "I have a long and unhappy story to tell you, Nailini. Some of it will be hard to believe. But before I begin, I have to ask you to promise me that this will remain strictly between you and me. You'll see why. Will you pledge to me that you will keep these secrets?"

 

[MadameNyx]

Following him through a door, she found herself in another exquisitely decorated room, her eyes briefly taking in the maps and art prints before they settled on the table. She gave it a careful glance, promising herself to ask Ryan about it later before she followed him to the big sofa, settling on the other end of it. The way he got so serious all of a sudden made her a little nervous. Nodding quietly, she answered "I will. Tell me this story."

 

[tcost]

"Almost eight years ago, now, my great uncle Howard disappeared," Ryan began. "He was a professor of History at Swarthmore, and he was the one who awakened the love of history in me. So far as we know, he never married, and after he'd been gone without a trace for seven years, his estate passed to me, as his closest living relative. That's what enabled me to buy this house, and to finance our trip, among other things."

Gesturing around, he continued. "He left a great many books and a lot of furniture, although not enough to fill this enormous place. I've been going through his things ever since then, concentrating first on his papers and journals. He did keep careful journals of his travels, although some sections of them are coded. It took me a while, but I figured out the code."

It seemed, at first at least, that Ryan liked to talk with his hands, which wasn't a trait he had shown in class. His hands and his fingers seemed constantly in motion as he spoke. "The most heavilly coded of his notebooks were, more or less, instruction manuals. They taught me how to do some interesting things. For instance, Nailini, do you remember your shoe being untied?"

He was right. Her shoe had somehow come untied. It wasn't that way when she sat down, was it?

 

[MadameNyx]

Nailini listened attentively to his words, watching his mannerisms as he did. It made her smile a little to see him so passionate about something. His story also explained what he had been doing since she last saw him, where the art and the beautiful furnishings had come from. At his question she frowned, looking down at her feet. One of her sneakers was untied. She frowned at that.

"I hadn't, no. But it could've happened at any point since I left my apartment up until now. What does that have to do with the story?" she asked him as she returned her gaze to his face.

 

[tcost]

In a card game, Ryan could keep a better poker face than this, but now he just couldn't keep the glint of mischief out of his eye. "I'm sure that it was tied when you came in. And look," he said, pointing, "Your other shoe is untied now, too."

Her gaze, naturally, followed his finger as it pointed. He used his other hand for another gesture. "Now, this is a little more bold of me, but I hope you won't mind." If she did mind, Ryan was going to be greatly disappointed. The top button on that olive top just seemed to unbutton itself, and the fabric parted a little bit.

As far as Ryan was concerned, the more that he could see of Nailini, the better.

 

[MadameNyx]

Nailini frowned, following his finger to her other shoe briefly before returning her gaze to his handsome face. He looked entirely too pleased with himself. What was going on?

For a moment, she wondered at the gesture he made with his hand. That was before she felt her top open a bit, showing off the swells of her breasts and a little cleavage. She was so surprised she didn't even react to the exposed skin, more on what he had done.

"H-how?" she asked in a soft voice, one of her hands moving up to her shirt and, almost in a dazed way, running her fingertips along the newly exposed skin and the collar of the shirt, making sure the button was still attached to the fabric.

 

[tcost]

Ryan grinned. "I hope you don't mind too much my way of demonstrating to you." Assuming a more serious expression now, he leaned a bit toward her. No one could hear them, but still it was something to be careful about.

Speaking more softly now, he asked her, "What do you think could be the only possible explanation. Remember Occam's Razor." Making no effort to hide what he was doing now, he reached out his forefinger and positioned it about two inches from her chest.

The next button unbuttoned itself.

 

[MadameNyx]

The young woman listened closely at his words. Occam's Razor was the premise that, to put it in a simple and almost crude way, said that 'the simplest explanation for something was probably the correct one'. Applying it to what was happening now, the answer was... Magic. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

She watched carefully as the next button came undone, revealing more of her breasts and some of the black lace of her bra. From the smooth way the button came undone it was obvious that even if the button had any metal content, which it didn't, and he had used a magnet, which he hadn't, it wouldn't have moved that easily.

"Magic?" she whispered it quietly

 

[tcost]

Ryan nodded, and scooted about a third of the way toward her on the sofa, speaking softly. "Telekinesis. A form of magic, yes. You're bright enough that I can probably teach it to you. Now you see why it's so important that you keep this secret? And why I'm willing to fly halfway around the world to learn what my uncle was looking into?"

Instead of pointing his finger again, he snapped his fingers this time, and the next button came undone. "I can put those back, if you like. And, by the way, I don't need to make any active gestures to make it work." One more button. "But there's a reason why I am using this particular means of demonstration. I wonder if you can guess what that is?"

 

[MadameNyx]

"So we're going to be looking for more magic? Artifacts, tomes... that sort of thing?" she asked in a soft voice as she watched him move closer. She imagined them at some ruins of some of the great civilizations, searching through rubble, deciphering frescoes thousands of years old... It sounded like quite the adventure. Another thought popped into her head. What about people? Could it be that there were actually people still alive that had fragments of knowledge that might be useful to them?

His last words made her finally notice he had undone another two buttons, revealing her lacy black bra fully and the way it tried to contain her rather ample bosom. Two more buttons and her shirt would be completely open. "Why are you demonstrating it quite like this?" she asked as she watched him, more curious than alarmed at almost being topless in front of him.

 

[tcost]

"For two reasons, really, Nailini," Ryan replied, as he telekinetically undid both of the last two buttons at the same time. That kind of trick still took him a little concentration.

"First, because some of the magic I'm reading about requires two people to make it work. Two people having sex. Sexual magic is nothing new, as I'm sure you can imagine. So I'm looking for an assistant very much like you. Provided that you're willing."

He moved closer again now. "Second, well.. I tried not to be obvious about it, when we were in class together, but I spent entirely too much of that class we shared thinking about you. If I have to have sex with any of my former fellow students, well.. What can I do but be honest. You would certainly be my first choice."

He looked away for a moment. "So, there it is. I sit here, self-revealled as a guy who's been lusting after you for nearly two years now. If you're not entirely disgusted with me -- or, if you are, but are willing to put up with that for the sake of the job, or the magic or the travel -- I hope you'll see this through."

 

[MadameNyx]

Out of the corner of her eye, Nailini noticed as the last two buttons become undone, her attention on Ryan while he moved closer. Her eyes seemed glued to his, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink even through her dark skin color when he mentioned the reasons. He had been checking her out during class? It seemed rather ironic neither of them had ever mentioned it before now.

Leaning forwards, she gently grabbed his chin and turned his face towards her. Some of her long hair draped over one side of her body, blocking his view of her right breast while her lips turned into a small smile.

"I'm not disgusted, Ryan..." she said in a soft voice before she hesitated, turning serious "but the sex will be just for the magic, right?"

It was important for her to understand this now. She had gotten hurt before, in another situation, and she didn't want to repeat that. If all he wanted was an assistant, then fine. If he wanted something more, she also needed to know. Like it or not, sex was sort of bonding for her, unless she drew herself some imaginary boundaries.

 

[tcost]

Ryan frowned and, after a moment, shook his head. "Ever since I saw your application, Nailini, I've been turning down every other applicant. I have to be honest with you, given the way that you ask me that question. If it was somebody else, I could probably keep it professional, at least for a while. But it won't just be the sex."

That soft voice of hers made matters worse. Even more than the sight of her bosom, that tone of voice had turned him on even more than he had been before. He looked back into her eyes and regarded her levelly, and he put one hand on her knee.

"For most people, what I'm planning would be the trip of a lifetime. An epic adventure, the sort of thing they make movies about. I can imagine someone making a documentary about it some day. We'll be going in search of ancient mysteries, and to find out what happened to my uncle. People bond during shared experiences like that. They sometimes fall in love."

His eyes fixed completely on hers now. "Now, I'm not in love with you yet. But I'm definitely interested in more than a physical way. And I can't imagine how for any heterosexual male that sex with you could be purely professional. You're far too sexy for that."

 

[MadameNyx]

The young woman watched him wearily while he spoke. To say that she was skeptical on 'love' was almost an understatement. So many things could go wrong and, really only one way for it to go right. Pulling her eyes away, she nodded slowly, her long hair moving to block half her face and most of her body from him.

"Alright... But I gotta warn you, it won't be easy..." she murmured softly, before she took a breath and pulled herself together. Sitting straighter, she bit her lip as a sudden thought entered her mind "Ryan? If magic exists... does everything else? You know, mythological creatures and the like?"

 

[tcost]

"Everything? I doubt it. Surely some of it has come from the imaginations of hundreds of generations of the world's most gifted storytellers. Does some of it exist? Of that I have no doubt. If my uncle's journals are to be believed -- and as you can see, the magic he refers to definitely does exist -- then he had a way of getting brownies, or at least creatures he called brownies, to do work for him. And I have yet to read most of his journals."

He drew in a breath. "I have no wish to hurt you, Nailini. What I've already told should tell you that I am willing to trust you with a great deal. If we're going to do this, on any level, you're going to have to be williing to trust me too, on levels which go beyond anything romantic. And, really, would you want to have an ongoing sexual relationship that was forbidden to stray into love? I've had to contemplate that, and I didn't like the prospect."

 

[MadameNyx]

"Hopefully we'll see some of them then..." Nailini replied while she imagined the many creatures she liked to read about when she was younger: Phoenixes, chimeras, centaurs... the list was long and colorful. There was a reason why she had considered studying veterinary sciences. They'd just have to see how many were dreamt up and how many truly existed.

"I understand that," she replied in a calm voice, "I'm just commenting that it will take some time for the trust to be there. And love... well, I dont feel anything about love right now... We'll see if that changes with time."

Looking down at herself, she finally realized her top was still open. Her first instinct was to start making the buttons again herself but, once she though it through, she lifted her eyes towards his and gave him a shy smile, trying to get the mood light again "I don't suppose you've learned to put them back on as well?"

 

[tcost]

Ryan smiled. "I haven't tried so many at once before," he told her, and made a pass with his hand. One by one, in vertical order, the buttons redid themselves.

"Telekinesis is one of the first things I've learned, and I've had a lot of practice with it. I'm nor teally such a whiz at all this stuff as this might make you think."

He had buttoned her back up by Nailini's request, but he remained seated close to her on the davenport as he laid out the specifics of what she would be paid and the medical plan that went with it. "I figured that unless you had your own coverage that you should have something," he explained. "It's not as if this might not be dangerous."

 

[MadameNyx]

Nailini watched as the buttons were redone, biting her lower lip a little at the feel of warmth his hand transferred while it was so close. She listened to the specifics of the job and nodded, agreeing. It was all more than reasonable. His last words made her laugh while she tucked some of her hair behind her ear in an unconscious gesture. "Now where would the fun be if this wasn't dangerous and mysterious?"

"When should I be ready to leave for Rome?" she asked while she thought on how soon she could get packed and ready to go.

 

[tcost]

"What time would be convenient for you?" Ryan stood up, and walked over toward his desk. "I'd suggest pretty early. We'll have to adjust to Italian time, which is about nine hours ahead of us, if I remember right. But I've told my pilot to be prepared to fly us as early as six in the morning, which would mean being at the airport by a quarter to six. I can pick you up, if you like, or, as you can see, I have plenty of room here."

Of course he wanted her to stay here. Right about now, he had hoped to be having sex with her on that sofa. Ryan was a little bit rattled, and the thought arose, somewhere in the back of his mind, that such an expectation was not very reasonable, and, in fact, pretty unlikely.

"I don't suppose that you happen to speak Italian?" That would be very handy, but it would be quite a coincidence. Probably they would have to rely on phrasebooks and English.