Orazio (Vol. 1) Orazio and the Isis hormone.

Orazia takes the reins.

A few days pass. You attend college classes at Etherspace. You walk around campus trying to look suave and cool. But in Etherspace Virtual Reality everyone looks suave and cool.

Orazio contacts you again and asks you to meet him at the same spot where you met, a small cafeteria on the first floor of a pension.

"Come on over when you get this message."

You wonder why he wants to meet you again, but you ignore these thoughts and walk towards the cafeteria.
When you arrive, Orazio is already sitting by himself. You walk over to him and sit down.

"Didn't think I'd get you so fast, did you?" he smiles at you.

Okay, the kid is pretty cocky. He needs to be brought down a peg or two.
"You're not that special."

This comment catches him off guard and he looks hurt. You smile at him.
"How are you, how are you doing with Jane?" you say, changing the subject.
"Oh. Yeah, we're good." He pauses. Orazio seems a bit pre-occupied, almost distant.

You get serious. You don't want to bring it up, but you think you need to talk about what happened at Mrs. Johnson's mansion if your strange relationship is going anywhere.
"Okay, look. I'm sorry about what happened."
"What?" he says, taken aback again.
"Listen, I've thought a lot about what happened. I think I drank too much wine. I hope... I don't know... I'd hate to have hurt you." you say choosing your words carefully. He sighs. He also seems uncomfortable talking about it.

"Don't worry, it was nothing." he says taking your hand and smiling.

You think about it. You wouldn't say "it was nothing." You spanked him in front of Mrs. Johnson and then masturbated him over your lap. You feel really weird remembering it. It's like a dream you remember after it happened, but it wasn't a dream.

"You know what? Fuck it. It was something." You say.
"What?"
"It was fucking humiliating. The way you acted was humiliating. That rich bitch was humiliating. I think the most humiliating part is how I enjoyed it. I wanted it to happen."

Orazio lowers his head. You look to see if the old Italian woman who runs the business has heard you. Luckily you are alone.

"It only happened once. Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. I think we both know what the fourth time means."

He looks into your eyes.

"What?" you say without understanding. Sometimes you get the feeling that Orazio is... too peculiar. Maybe all men are like that, you don't know. But, you don't care. If something is going to stop this relationship before it starts, now is the time to do it.

"Nothing," he says and moves in to kiss you.
"Wait. We need to clear this up. Did you like it?" you say without letting him kiss you.
"Sure."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I mean yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

It all makes sense now. So much makes sense that you have a hard time concentrating on just one thought.

"Wait a minute. Do you like being hit?" you ask making a sincere effort to understand.

Orazio thinks about it before answering.

"Not exactly. It's complicated. It hurts and I don't like it, but at the same time it excites me and then it excites me to remember it. I don't know, I can't help it." he shrugs as if giving up.

You blow and remove the hair from your forehead. Orazio is right, it is complicated. In part you understand what he feels because you feel something similar. Morally some of the things you did that night seem horrible to you, but you'd feel like a hypocrite if you didn't acknowledge that you liked it. And remembering it makes you want to do it again.