A Perfect World: An Erotic Science Fiction Short Story (2 page)

William asked if we would like some wine. We both answered
with the affirmative.

“I must find the perfect bottle. It’s not often I see
family.”

Trying to appear sophisticated, I questioned, “Do you have
many to choose from?”

I immediately felt stupid at the comment. My nerves were on
edge, like Seana’s, who continued to flip her locks back like a wild stallion.

“Several thousand.” He smiled and then exited the room.

Seana’s exterior of ease evaporated when he left. She put
her head in her hands and began to rock back and forth.

I reached over and touched her shoulder. “Sweetheart, he
might do it. We just don’t know.”

She looked up with tears welling in her eyes, her last
flicker of hope dimming.

“Have you been listening to him? He won’t do it. Why should
he? He’s perfect, and he has the perfect life. ” And with that she let out a
long resolute sigh.

We both stared at the floor. There was nothing else to say.
Tick tock
.

Moments later, William appeared with a bottle of red and
three crystal wine goblets. The cork was popped, and we all sipped silently.

“So, enough of the niceties.” He asked, “What are you two
really here for?”

Unable to help herself, Seana burst into tears with a volume
far exceeding the previous display.

“Take your time,” William coaxed.

Slowly, Seana composed herself. We told William what we
wanted. Seana was eleven months away from turning thirty-eight, the last legal
age for a woman to become pregnant. With the Zero Population Growth law, we
needed a death to have a baby—
his
.

I had this urge to run from the room. What were we thinking?
Were we so selfish that we could ask such a thing from him? I knew we were, but
the hole in Seana’s soul was so deep, I had to press on. “So, will you do it or
not?”

William stared at us. “I was wondering when you were going
to ask.”

“You already knew?” When I’d spoken with him to arrange our
trip to Dallas, I’d just told him we were taking a little vacation and wanted
to see him while we were in town. .

“It was either that or money.” I opened my mouth to protest,
but he held up his hand. “I get it. You would’ve asked for money from me a long
time ago if you were so inclined. Obviously, you’re not. So, I put two and two
together. Your age. Seana’s age. It all added up to me about what you wanted
from me.”

Seana’s body shook like a reed in the wind. “Will you help
us, William?”

“I think we might be able to come to an arrangement.”

“What?” we said in unison.

He laughed, and his eyes were even brighter, if that were
possible. I took a long drink from the heady liquid. It had a taste of smoke
and was warm going down. Seana’s tremors ended, replaced by a stillness similar
to that of
Auguste
Rodin’s Thinker, but her eyes
sparkled with hope.

I choked out, “You said
might
.
What do you mean?”

William pointed to the oil painting above the fireplace.
“That’s my wife and your relative, Greg. You’re here because of her choice to
provide a death to your mother.”

“You mean… I didn’t know.”

“Your mother told me at your high school graduation that
she’d never shared it with you. I agreed to keep her secret.”

Seana leaned forward in the chair. “So, you want to make the
same sacrifice for us that your wife did for Greg’s mom?”

He shrugged and kept gazing at the painting. “Did you know
that we never had children of our own? We both always wanted them, but it
didn’t work out.”

Realization began to dawn at what
arrangement
he had in mind. I curled my hands into fists. “We will
name the baby after you, William.”

“It’s not good enough. Not even close. I want a child of my
own.”

Seana stood up. “It’s too much to ask of Greg. Thank you,
William, for your hospitality. It’s been a long day. I’m going to our room.”
She turned to me. “You coming, honey?”

“I’ll be up in a minute, sweetheart.”

She smiled weakly then turned back to the man who had
crushed her flat. “Goodnight, William.”

I watched as Seana’s perfect hips swayed as she walked up
the stairs, When she was out of earshot, I turned back to William. “How dare
you?”

“Me? You’re asking me to end my life, Greg. Don’t you think
you’ve got it turned around a bit?”

I knew he was right, but what he’d asked was hard for me to
swallow.

He stood up. “Let’s get some air.”

I followed him to his pool area. I could see the tennis
courts off in the distance. The place was more like a resort than a home. The
patio had an outdoor kitchen and several tables with chairs. He went to the
refrigerator and brought out beers for us.

William was so self-assured. I guessed it came with age.
Much age, I thought.

We sat down.

“So, if I agree to this, what’s to say you won’t back out?”
I felt my stomach lurch into my throat.

William didn’t answer. He popped the top on one of his beers
and drained half its contents. “You love Seana?”

“More than anything.”

He finished off the remainder of the beer and started on
another one. “Then you’ll agree to do this for her, and I’ll give you what you
came here for.” He meant it. The conviction of his tone told me so. A maid
appeared, bringing us food, but William waved her away. His brow was furrowed
with intent.

I opened my first beer. I brought the bottle to my lips and
let the cold, gold liquid drain into my mouth and down my throat.

We didn’t say another word until we’d both finished three
beers. The buzz felt good and eased my frustration back into a small corner of
my mind. “Any other surprise requests you want to drop on me?”

“Just one more. Greg.” His hand trembled, which surprised
me.

I wasn’t sure that I would ever consent to him being the DNA
provider for our baby, but I also wasn’t sure I couldn’t. Seana needed to be a
mother more than anything. If I failed to agree, I’d lose her to another man
who might have some willing relative, or to remorse and misery.

A black cat jumped on the middle of the table. His coat was
shiny, and the feline stole a glance at me before sauntering up to William.

“Bennie, you know better than that.” And with that he placed
the black cat on the ground.

The wine and beer had softened the edges of my thoughts.
“How long have you had him?”

“A very long time,” he said.

“You mean his genetic code has been corrected?”

“Yes, but it was years before it became illegal for
animals,” William informed as he rubbed the purring feline’s back. “Heather
loved him.”

His affection for Bennie was clear as he continued caressing
the cat. A bird landed on the potted orange tree, temporarily commanding the
feline’s attention.

“I want the baby to be conceived through normal biology,”
William said flatly.

It took me a few minutes to absorb what he was asking.
Artificial insemination was the law. Or so I thought. “That’s not allowed.”

He bent his head closer and lowered his voice. “There are
loopholes for people with the right kind of connections.”

“And the right kind of bank account, I suspect.”

“That, too.”

“What about the vaccine?” My mind spun like a top. All men
were sterilized at birth. Only when they were approved to provide DNA to a
woman would they get the injection that allowed them to procreate. “We can’t
get one until we have a legal death.”

“I can get it early, as long as the death comes no more than
a couple of days later.”

“You want to fuck my wife? How do you expect me to deal with
this?”

“I knew the moment I saw you two that you were different.
Monogamy isn’t the norm these days, nor is it expected. But with you two, it
has been, right?”

“Yes.” I knew that current society frowned on such archaic
notions of commitment.

He nodded. “I know I’m asking a lot, but so are you. I
wanted a child as much as Heather, sometimes more. Since your very existence is
because of her sacrifice, it’ll be like Heather and I are part of this new
child’s life. Listen, I’m not asking that I do this alone. I want you there
when the child is conceived. I believe Seana would need you there, too.”

William’s words pierced through my resistance. He deserved a
child. What difference would it make if I was or wasn’t the bio-dad? I’d get to
be a part of the child’s life. “It’s Seana’s decision. Not mine.”

“I know, but she will only agree to it if you do.” William’s
use of persuasion was evidence enough of how important this was to him.

“Insemination seems so much better,” I countered.

“Better, maybe? Or maybe it isn’t.”

Bennie began rubbing against my bare legs, having a hypnotic
effect on me. I felt my body relax. I grinned as I imagined William having
wizard powers and using his familiar to bewitch me.

I downed another beer. William got up and placed two more
bottles in front of me.

“Why do you care how she gets pregnant?” What difference did
it make if his only desire was to be a father? Did he have other motives?

“Heather was conceived naturally, as was I. It was only made
illegal fifty years ago. Before then, few people opted for insemination.
Besides, with doctors running the show, you never know who the dad might really
be.”

I recalled a news expose I’d seen about a sperm bank
employee intentionally switching his semen for several would-be fathers’ semen.
“Well, if the baby comes out as perfect as you, what more could we ask?”

****

I held Seana’s trembling hand.

“Greg, this is too much to ask of you.” Her eyes darted to
William’s closed bedroom door then back to me.

She and I had talked for two days about William’s offer. I
knew she wanted to go through with it but kept pulling back worrying about what
it would do to me. She knew that I liked our monogamous relationship,
old-fashioned or not. But it didn’t matter. It was time for me to step up and
be the man she deserved. Besides, William had been fantastic to her… and to me,
giving us free rein of the house, but also allowing us time alone to discuss
everything. No pressure. And Seana was attracted to him. That made it easier
for me. In fact, I’d let myself imagine watching them fuck, and instead of
jealousy filling me up, I was aroused.

I squeezed her hand. “Nothing is too much for me when it
comes to your happiness, sweetheart.”

I opened the door. Wearing a white cotton robe that only our
host could make look chic, William sat on one of two chairs positioned to the
left of the large bed. Candles flickered throughout the room. Soft music played
through hidden speakers.
 

Seana’s knees buckled, but I caught her in time to keep her
from hitting the floor.

“I’m really going to have a baby? The doctor told the
truth?”

An hour earlier, William’s personal physician had given all
of us shots. Seana’s shot was to ensure her fertility, William’s was to reverse
his sterility, and mine was to keep me calm. I thanked God for my shot.

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Giant tears flowed out of her eyes. “Thank you, Greg.”

I lifted her up into my arms. “William, are you ready?”

“Place Seana on the bed.”

I complied.

William stood and walked next to me. He put his arm around
my shoulders. “Listen to me, I will help you both. You’ve been on this journey
for so long, holding on to every little thread of hope you could find. Now,
your dreams will become reality.”

Seana smiled and tears streamed from her eyes and down her
cheeks to the silk pillowcase as her pent-up anxiety melted out of her. William
touched her cheek. Strangely, I didn’t tense. His tenderness towards her gave
me solace.

“Seana?” I said as gently as I could.

“Yes, honey?”

“Are you ready?”

“God, yes.”

I watched her squeeze her thighs together. Her feminine
scent lured me closer.

“We better get her out of those clothes, Greg.”

I nodded, and we both stripped her of every bit of fabric
that covered her beautiful flesh. More arousal rushed into my cock at the sight
of her heaving perfect breasts and the droplets on the outside of her pussy.

“Greg, now we strip for her.” William tossed his robe to the
floor.

Seana’s gaze fixed on his dick, standing at full attention.
When she bit her lip, I shucked my clothes in an instant. I was committed to seeing
this through, all the way. Leaning down, I kissed her. Her tongue darted over
my lips, and we deepened our mouth embrace.

Ending our kiss, I traced the curves of her sides, enjoying
the feel of her soft skin. “Tonight is about you, sweetheart. And about our new
baby.”

Her eyes filled up once again. “I want this, but I’m
nervous.”

“Seana, we’re here for you.” William threaded his fingers in
her hair. He leaned in and kissed her.

The moan that left her mouth hit something deep inside me,
and my own lust roared. I needed to devour all of her. When their kiss broke
for a moment, Seana cast a glance at me.

“I’m fine, sweetheart. All I need is for you to be pleasured
out of your mind.”

She grinned. “Let’s make a baby.”

William resumed kissing Seana. My dick got even harder,
which I wouldn’t have thought possible. Their kissing intensified, and my
cravings moved me forward. I dove down on her pussy with my tongue and hands. I
grazed her clit with my lips and fingered her swollen, juicy folds. I could
feel her little trembles whenever I touched her. William moved down her neck
and sucked on one of her rosy nipples. She arched her back as we both continued
our oral assault on her body.

Using my hands but keeping my mouth on her mound, I urged
her to part her thighs wider for me. My blood pulsed hot in my veins. I could
hear William sucking on her breasts and Seana’s moans of delight from her lips.
Instead of a green-eyed monster taking hold of me, a red-hot beast urged me on.