Plaything

It was such a deep blush that Nicholas could make it out clearly even from where he was. "No," she whispered, "I'm not."

Allegra grinned. "Good," she stated with a nod.

And then another voice joined the conversation, a male voice Nicholas knew quite well, and slowly the puzzle pieces began to fall into place in his mind: Parker Wellington had arrived, which meant something sinister was afoot.

"Hello, ladies," the boy said. Wellington was twenty years old and more of a man than a boy in terms of his look, but often acted so young and irresponsible that every member of the crew used the word "boy" when referring to him.

Allegra squealed and splashed the water of the jacuzzi. "Parker!" she exclaimed.

His appearance, however, startled Danielle quite a bit. Her eyes were wide and she slipped further down into the water, submerging herself up to her neck. She looked from the boy to Allegra and back again.

Wellington approached the hot tub. He was wearing a light gray long-sleeve shirt and khaki shorts, and carried with him a bottle of champagne and three glass flutes. "How's the water?" he asked pleasantly.

Allegra rose to her feet, which were the moments Nicholas lived for: her bikini was miniscule and her slick flesh shimmered in the moonlight. Her body was incredible and had been the source of much imaginative self-pleasure for Nicholas on lonely nights at sea.

"Hot and wet," the girl replied, "just the way you like it."

"Indeed," the boy said as he set the flutes down. He turned to the other girl in the tub. "And who do we have here?"

Allegra grinned and plopped down in the water next to her friend. "This is Danielle," she said happily. "Danielle, this is Parker. He's one of my best guy friends. He's a sweetie."

Nicholas did not think "sweetie" was the best characterization of Parker Wellington. In fact, it did not even come close.

The boy himself, however, just smiled. "How can I not be when I'm around someone as cheerful and playful as Miss Widmore, here," he said, and it was clear to Nicholas that the little back-and-forth between he and Allegra was designed to get the other girl comfortable.

It worked.

Danielle rose slowly out of the water (she had been submerged up to her neck) and took a more natural seated position, which meant most of the upper swell of her breasts was visible above the surface. "Hi," she said simply. It was clear she was still skeptical.

"Pleasure," the boy replied. He unzipped his khaki shorts and dropped them around his ankles, revealing a pair of tight black board shorts. He pulled his shirt over his head to reveal a body that was well cared for and very well-defined. "Mind if I join you, ladies?"

Allegra rose again to her feet. What an incredible body, Nicholas thought again, in tandem with thoughts centering on all the things he would do to that body if he had the chance. Her hands were on her hips again and now there was a questioning look on her face.

"How did you get here?" she asked in a demanding voice.

Parker smiled, much in the way a teacher might smile at a young child. "My dear Allegra," he said with some degree of condescension, "have you forgotten that my own yacht often docks right next to yours? I was speaking to one of your crewmen, heard you were on-board and entertaining and setting sail for Catalina, and so I invited myself along. It's nothing you haven't yourself done to me. If you'd like, I can always leave . . ."

Nicholas was no fool. He knew beyond shadow of doubt what was going on.

Allegra pouted. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said in her girlishly ashamed voice. "We don't want you to leave, do we, Danielle?" And she turned to the other girl with a very pointed expression.

Danielle looked at Allegra and then over at Parker, watching expectantly with an easy and charming smile on his face, and then back to Allegra. It was easy to read what was going on inside her head, but it was also quite obvious what the outcome would be.

"No," the girl said softly as she lowered herself a little bit further into the water, as if to protect herself from her own words, "we don't."

"Great!" Parker said as he popped the cork off the champagne bottle. He poured three full glasses and passed two of them to the girls, then took the third and climbed into the water himself.

Despite how much the rest of the crew disliked it, being wedged inside the hutch was not such a bad thing; at least, for Nicholas it was not such a bad thing (as long as there was ample opportunity to view the bodies of the girls and listen in on their discreet and often sexually charged conversations). Which is why, however, he was thoroughly disappointed with the arrival of the boy: it was infinitely less likely that any deep talk or girlish playfulness would occur while he was around, despite the alcohol that was likely to be consumed.

And that sentiment was exactly right for the next twenty minutes or so as the three young people yammered on and on (well, mostly Allegra and Parker, with Danielle sitting there quietly sipping her champagne) about some silly thing or another: this party, that party, this person, that person, famous friends, bad habits, expensive toys, luxurious trips and yada blah etcetera (aka the fabulously fabulous lives of rich and beautiful young socialites, basically, which Nicholas had heard about many times before).

It was almost half-past-nine when the situation began to change, however, and as usual it was Miss Allegra Widmore who steered things in her preferred direction. Nicholas, who had been starting to feel the cramping in his legs and stiffness in his back from being cooped up in the hutch for so long, felt his discomfort wash away with nine simple little words.

"Parker," the girl said thoughtfully and quite suddenly after long moments of pleasant silence, "you know, you've got a pretty good body."

Parker inclined his head. "Thank you, Allegra. How nice of you to say."

"Stand up," Allegra ordered then, and the boy rose to his feet in the Jacuzzi. The water covered his board shorts up to where they began a few inches below his navel, but left the whole of his upper body exposed.

Nicholas had to agree with the girl: the guy had a pretty good body. His muscles were of the lean variety, not overly big, but very well defined with a noticeable six-pack. For as much as he did nothing with his life (did not work, slept in late, partied all night, etcetera, from what Nicholas heard) he did still manage to make time for working out and exercising. That much was obvious.

"Yes, very nice," Allegra murmured. "What do you think, Danielle?"

The girl had not said much, nor shown much excitement of any kind, which is why when she grinned and nodded enthusiastically all of a sudden, then hiccupped, then blushed shyly and then said, "It's very nice," Nicholas knew the girl was a little buzzed off the booze.

Which meant things might get interesting.

"Maybe," Parker said with a shrug, "but my body doesn't hold a candle to you ladies. The female body is a beautiful thing in general, far more so than the male body, but you girls have taken gorgeousness to the next level."

Allegra smiled and sighed in that very girlish way that meant she thought his words were cute. "See what I mean?" she cooed to her friend, who was also smiling and looking at Parker with far more appreciative and approving eyes than she had before. "Such a sweetie." Then she turned back to Parker and added, "What do you like best about us?"

Wellington considered. The look on his face was thoughtful and contemplative, but Nicholas was not fooled and the eventual answer only confirmed his suspicions.

"Well," the boy said finally, "you girls have quite a bit going for you. I mean, you're both very blonde and very beautiful. But as far as your bodies go, well, I can't say that I've seen enough of the whole to comment, although you ladies do have lovely breasts."

Danielle's eyes widened and her arms crossed her chest defensively, but Allegra just giggled. "You need to see more?" she asked, and jumped up to her feet. She pulled on the arm of her friend and in moments, a reluctant Danielle was standing, too.

It was a magnificent sight that Nicholas knew would be etched in his brain for a long time to come. Both girls wore little tiny bikinis and both girls had sensational bodies (with long legs, tight butts and big tits) which shimmered as the moonlight stuck their slick flesh. In many ways, because he was watching from a hidden position, it was like something out of a movie: two beautiful teenage girls in bikinis showing themselves off in the Jacuzzi.

"What do you think of us now?" Allegra said haughtily as she twisted her body back and forth to show the boy herself from all angles.

Parker nodded. "Lovely," he said enthusiastically. "You girls have exceptional bodies. Some of the best I've seen in a long time, actually."

Allegra frowned. "Some of the best?" she repeated briskly. "How could other bodies be better than this?" She stuck her chest out for dramatic effect.

Parker shrugged. "I wouldn't want to call anyone the best anything, Allegra," he told her. "It sets a man up for failure. Although like I said, you and Danielle here have excellent bodies."

Allegra pouted, then giggled and grinned. "How about now?" she asked, and with that she reached around behind her back, tugged at the strings of her top and flipped the garment up and over her head, and off.

Nicholas grinned lecherously. It was exactly what he had hoped would happen. He had been privy to the sight of the tits of Allegra Widmore a few times in the past (she was not exactly shy, to be perfectly frank) and he relished every opportunity to view those two perfect teardrops.

"Very nice," Parker agreed, then he grinned and added, "although four might sway me better than two."

Allegra seemed outraged. "Bad boy!" she cried. "Danielle is far too sweet and innocent to show you her boobs!" But then the crafty blonde turned to her innocent friend and said with a girlish giggle, "Unless you want to help me stand up to this bad little boy. He's the only one around. It might be fun!"

Danielle was buzzed, that was much obvious, but still her arms again crossed her chest defensively. "Take off my top?" she asked incredulously.

Allegra leaned closer as if she was going to whisper, but her words rang out clearly across the deck. It was quite obvious she did not care who heard. "He doesn't think you'll do it," she said in a voice that encouraged proving him wrong. "It's not a big deal, really, they're just boobs. Come on, do it with me!"

And in the next moment Nicholas knew that the girl who was Allegra's guest for the weekend was in some serious trouble as long as she was at the mercy of the other two, for she was far too beautiful and far too naïve and far too manipulatable.

Danielle nodded once, almost imperceptibly, and Allegra shrieked and deftly undid the strings of her friend's top, which was stripped away seconds later to leave Danielle naked but for the pair of tiny bikini bottoms she wore. Her breasts were magnificent, full and round and exactly what Nicholas imagined an excellent pair of breasts would look like in his dreams, only now he had living proof. The two beauties stood side-by-side in the Jacuzzi, four lovely tits exposed to the air.

Parker shrugged. "Ok, maybe you two have the best bodies I've seen. I'll admit it, they're very high up on the list."

Allegra clapped with glee and plopped down into the water. She did not bother putting her top back on. Danielle followed her an instant later, submerging her uncovered breasts below the surface of the water to keep them out of sight.

And so the three young people continued their yammering for the next thirty minutes or so, although this time Nicholas did not care (they could yammer all they wanted to as far as he was concerned): his eyes were glued to the tits of Allegra and, when permitted, those of her friend.

And when the three retired for the evening and after Nicholas had given his report to the captain (sans nudity, of course), he retired himself to his comfortable quarters and within moments had his dick firmly clutched in his hand. It was a nice night for self-pleasure, he thought with a grin, although sadly he did not last long at all.

* * *

Danielle woke up with a headache. It was not overbearing, but rather the kind of dull and annoying ache that bothered but did not measure up as actual classifiable pain. There had been a lot to drink the night before, first before the hot tub and then during the hot tub itself. Danielle was not a big drinker (actually her experience was rather limited) but in situations such as this on a yacht as glamorous as the one she was on, it was difficult not to be. No wonder Allegra was so experienced with alcohol; she had access to pretty much anything she wanted.

The arrival of Parker Wellington had been a surprise; surprising and disconcerting, since she promised her grandmother there would be no boys and also parental supervision (which there wasn't really, not parents, although Allegra described the staff of her yacht as more responsible than her actual parents). Parker's arrival had been a surprise for Allegra, too, though, the girl admitted later: she had promised there would be no boys on the yacht and had been stunned by his appearance. But Parker and Allegra were old friends and Allegra said she trusted him, which was enough for Danielle despite looking back on the events of the previous night.

It was not like her to take her top off in front of strangers. She was protective of her body and not the most adventurous type. But the insistence of Allegra and the cool challenge in the eyes of Parker, combined with the significant alcohol-induced buzz she was sporting, had tipped the scales and taken her to a place she rarely visited.

Of course, Parker's vocal appreciation of her breasts (both before they were exposed and after) had helped some, too. He was a very good-looking guy and he made Danielle just a little bit nervous because of it.

Saturday was a blur and flew by faster than Danielle would have thought possible. When the girls awoke in the morning they found they were anchored off the Catalina coast and the two had breakfast (Parker was still asleep) on the deck overlooking the island. It was beautiful, the food was wonderful and Danielle grew happier as her headache faded.

Parker joined them later for some jet ski adventures. Danielle had never ridden one before and the experience was exhilarating. They must have been out there for hours because it was already mid-afternoon when they came in for lunch, which was also wonderful (the stewardess, Mrs. Wentworth, was a kind lady and an excellent cook) and Danielle hungrily wolfed down the meal.

They followed up by hitting the sun deck again, this time just to lounge about under the warmth of the late afternoon rays, which Allegra said were the best for leveling out and deepening a tan. Parker did not join them during the tanning session, preferring instead to take a nap before the dinner and night's activities, which Allegra said with a cryptic grin would be very satisfying.

Parker did join them for the dinner, which was delicious (braised short ribs). Danielle could not remember a time when so much food had been so consistently tasty and she relished every opportunity to savor it. She did not care one iota how much she ate; she would make it up later by working out harder for a couple of weeks. For the time being, she would enjoy herself.

And then the dinner ended and the alcohol returned again in force, and Parker and Allegra took her into the party area called the sky lounge where there was a stereo system and wet bar, and three stiff drinks later (somewhere around nine o'clock, she figured) she began to feel very strange, indeed, and so Danielle whispered with a buzzed giggle to her host that she did not think she should have any more alcohol, and then went over to rest for a bit on the couch.

And that is when everything started to feel funny.

Part Four: The Setting of the Snare

It was the night of Wednesday earlier that same week when Parker Wellington got the call. He was lounging on the couch of his Santa Monica condominium, fondling the luscious breasts of his latest beautiful, gold-digging, status-loving, young and struggling model-actress as they watched some ridiculous movie he often used only as a precursor to fucking hot young bitches.

He wiggled out of his position with her on his lap and moved to where his phone lay next to an empty bottle of vodka and saw who was calling.

"Business call, babe," he told the girl watching him with drunken fuck-me eyes from the couch. "I'll be back in a minute. Why don't you have another drink and get naked? I'll give you something really expensive when I get back."

The girl grinned dreamily and started to shimmy out of her mini-skirt. What a slut, Parker thought, which was awesome.

Parker flipped open the phone once he got back into his excessively large and extravagantly decorated bedroom. "Allegra, my sweet," he said with a grin, "how is that beautiful ass of yours feeling today?"

Allegra Widmore giggled. "Sore," she admitted. "It might need more of your medicine."

Parker chuckled. "You're a hot little bitch, Allegra," he told her.

"I have a gift for you, Parker," she said proudly.

He rolled his eyes. Her gifts were usually as worthless as they were costly. "How nice," he replied unenthusiastically. "How much?"

He could practically see the wicked grin on her face as she said, "Oh, it won't cost me anything. It might cost you a little bit, but not me."

Parker was confused, which rarely happened. "I'm listening," he said slowly. "What for?"

"To cure your boredom," she told him smugly. "I'm going to get you the one thing you can't have without my help."

"And what is that?" he asked.

"A beautiful, young, innocent and unsuspecting girl to play with," she said triumphantly.

Parker was quiet a long moment. "How?" he asked, and there was a sudden excitement in the pit of his soul that he had not experienced in what seemed like forever.

"Just be on my yacht by eight o'clock Friday night. We'll be in the hot tub after dinner. Oh, and you might want to visit our old friend Rich before you come."

Rich was the son of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company Chief Executive Officer and the resident dealer for the affluent and elite young socialites of Los Angeles. He was not as well-off as Parker and Allegra, but he did just fine for himself.

Parker grinned. "I think I understand," he said, and once again was surprised by the cunning and delicious wickedness of his wealthy fuck-buddy friend, Allegra Widmore.

The weekend was looking up.

* * *

The following is a transcript of portions of an article published in the Magazine of Medicine, a leading news and opinion publication for the field, in August of this year:

"MDMA, most commonly known by the street name Ecstasy (which is often abbreviated to E or X or XTC) is a semi-synthetic empathogen-entactogen of the phenethylamine family with greater stimulant effects and fewer visual effects than other kinds of "trip-producing" substances. It is considered mainly a recreational drug, but has often been used as an entheogen and/or tool to supplement various practices for transcendence, including meditation, psychonautics and illegal psychedelic psychotherapy, whether self-administered or not. MDMA is illegal in most countries, and its possession, manufacture or sale may result in criminal prosecution.

MDMA reaches maximal concentrations in the blood around two hours after ingestion. It is then slowly metabolized and excreted as levels decrease to roughly half their peak concentration over eight hours. Overdose on MDMA alone is unlikely under normal usage conditions, although with prescription medication or other illegal narcotic substances in play the probability increases.