Chapter 55: Epicurus

The closer they came to their destination, the more Mokuba's excitement mounted. He worried that fucking in someone else's bedroom without their presence would be awkward, but by the time they got there, horniness had overridden his hesitation. André's pile of smelly laundry, his novelty glass bong, his desk overflowing with papers, none of it mattered as Mokuba pulled Joan's tie-dyed shirt over her head and caressed the smooth skin underneath. His greedy mouth roamed her flesh as more of their clothes came off.

Joan pulled a condom out of her purse.

"Do we really need that now?" Mokuba asked.

"Ever heard of dripout? It wouldn't be very nice to do that to André's bed. I also haven't cleared this with Michael yet. Besides, what if someone slipped LSD into those eggplant sandwiches, and we hallucinated everything about the ring?"

"Uh . . ." Mokuba froze. "Have you ever been on LSD?"

"No, but given the crowd where we just were and all that we've been through today, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that we got spiked just yet. Don't stop, though. I want you. With a condom."

Mokuba took the condom from her and applied it. Joan wrapped her legs around Mokuba's back as he joined with her, taking him in fully. Mokuba relished every second of it, knowing that he would need to hang onto this memory while she was in Japan fucking his brother.

Mokuba wondered what Seto would think if he could see them now, fucking away in some stoner physics professor's bed. The whim suddenly turned real as Mokuba felt the all-too-familiar electric pulse surge through his brain, electrocuting his pleasure center and sending him into the most exquisite orgasm he had ever experienced.

Before he could catch his breath, Mokuba's phone buzzed to life with an incoming call from Seto. He picked it up on reflex. "What the fuck, Mokuba? I told you to stop fucking around with the magic. And where the fuck are you?"

"Sorry, that was an accident," Mokuba said sheepishly.

"Is my whore still with you?"

"Yeah, I'll put you on speaker so you can talk to her." Mokuba tapped the screen.

Seto's voice filled the room as he repeated his earlier question. "Where the fuck are you?"

"At my friends' place," Joan replied.

"What is it, some sort of rat-infested brothel?" Seto scoffed.

"Not at all. My friends live an epicurean lifestyle, not in the modern sense of the word, but in the sense the Greek philosopher Epicurus originally intended: a simple life surrounded by good friends. They're all atheists here, too. You would like them," Joan explained.

"The fuck I would. I don't care what they call it; it looks like a slum."

"If you think this is a slum, you should see my apartment."

Seto fell silent.

"OK, so André's room is messier than the rest of the house," Mokuba admitted, "but the people here are incredible. They're intelligent and talented and hospitable. Just give them a chance."

"I already told you a thousand times that friends are a waste of my time. Do what you want, but don't send me any more goddamn visions." Seto hung up before Joan or Mokuba could argue back.

Joan lay back on the bed. "He's really mad. I'm going to have to find a way to make it up to him."

Mokuba clutched his head. "But it's my fault. I just wanted him to see what I love about this place, and he took it the wrong way."

A knock at the door startled both of them out of their dilemma. "Yo Joan. We brought home tacos. You want my churro as an appetizer or dessert?" André called.

"Appetizer." Joan wanted to follow through on her bargain before time slipped away and they had to leave for the airport. "Hold on a minute, though."

Mokuba tied off his condom, tossed on his clothes, pocketed the condom, and turned back to Joan. "Don't take too long." He kissed her and caressed her breast one more time before opening the door. He gave an eager André an awkward smile as they passed each other and wondered for the umpteenth time what he'd gotten himself into.