Watching Robin struggle with the shock of facing that secret was amusing; especially since, ultimately, it was a harmless one, just enough to blunt her pride a bit.
Even more effective, since at this point, even her Robin Sparkles identity should be hidden from her friends. Her eyes widened as she tried to answer. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I am not Robin Daggers. I … I haven’t even heard of the name.”
He smiled. “You’re Canadian, and you’ve never heard of her? And, you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about if I start mumbling about going to the mall,” he said.
Her eyes turned sharp. “You have no evidence. All the recordings have been destroyed.”
“Nope. I have the recording of P.S. I Love You, still on VHS tape. It should be in a storage unit somewhere,” he replied. She glared daggers. He raised his hand in surrender, and smiled disarmingly. “Hey, I didn’t realize it would be such a big issue for you. I thought I was sharing a fun anecdote,” he said, and made a show of zipping his mouth.
She relaxed at that. “Sorry. It’s just that … I’m trying to build a respectable journalism career, and it’s difficult to do as a teenage pop sensation. Luckily, after the Robin Dagger thing, the company had to pull all material from the circulation, so it stays hidden.”
He chucked. “I understand. Let’s meet again. I’m Ethan Calloway.”
“Robin Scherbatsky, serious reporter who definitely has no problem with the malls,” she said, relaxing at his assurance.
[Achievement complete. Use Robin’s secrets to engineer trust.
Challenge: Medium]
[+5 Attractiveness
1 Random Silver Skill
1 Random Silver Reward]
He wasn’t surprised to see Robin giving Attractiveness, though Charisma or Perception wouldn’t have surprised him as well. She was surprisingly capable. He was tempted to roll a skill, but at this point, intermediate skills no longer interested him. And, Attractiveness was high enough.
Instead, remembering the topics she was interested in, he decided to try his luck with rewards again.
[44mm Magnum Handgun]
He smiled at the reward happily. Not because getting his hands on a gun was difficult, but because it would be sitting in his inventory. Meaning, he could pull it whenever he actually needed it.
In the silence, Robin still added. “Lily could never know it, alright?”
“Sure,” he replied. “I have no intention of creating friendship drama and distracting Lily. It’s good that you took your time to confirm that I’m not a creep. You’re a good friend.”
“You seem to be happy about it,” Robin said, still suspicious, but nowhere near as before. “Wouldn’t you prefer to be alone?”
“Normally, yes. But, a lingerie shoot is tricky, and I much rather have someone that can help Lily feel calm rather than panicking. Especially since you’re from the industry as well, and wouldn’t react in a silly manner.”
She nodded. “You don’t seem to have much equipment. Isn’t it a bit barebones for a professional shoot.”
“It is, but it’s a test shoot,” he said. “I didn’t bother arranging any rentals for a pile equipment, and I’m not going to lug my studio from Los Angeles, only for the airline to shatter half of my expensive lights. This is my personal camera.”
“I see,” she said. “What aperture you’re shooting at?” she asked.
“Depends, I’ll probably go between 1.4 to 2. I want the background to stay a blur, selling a dreamlike quality while contrasting the opulence with Lily’s hair.”
“A good choice,” she said, and asked several other questions. Some questions were about the actual shoots, while the others were pointlessly technical, as if she was trying to make sure he was a legitimate photographer.
A bad strategy, considering the professional photographer and horny bastard who would like to make Lily bounce like a toy were not mutually exclusive, but he was happy to leave her to that particular delusion.
“Hey, you’re good. Maybe I should interview you,” she said.
He shook his head. “I prefer not to. I’m much happier in the background.” She nodded. “Anything to drink?” he asked. “We do have a nice selection.”
“Scotch, neat,” she said. “Ideally, older than me.”
He nodded. “That can be a bit of a stretch on the company budget, but I should be able to swing something less known. Does Lily drink scotch?” Robin shook her head. “No matter, I can mix her a softer cocktail if she wants to join us,” he added and placed an order.
Unsurprisingly, room service delivered it, along with a cocktail set, in two minutes. He poured Robin one, and mixed himself a cocktail. “Using this bottle to make a cocktail. That’s a crime,” she said.
He smirked, and pushed the glass to her. “You know what. Taste it, and if you still think it as a waste, I’ll destroy a certain VHS tape. And I win—”
“Deal,” she said excitedly, confident that she wouldn’t like it. Unfortunately for her, it was made by Expert Mixology, and instead of erasing the scotch aroma, it elevated it. Her eyes widened after the sip. “I want to say it’s bad, but,” she said, then took another sip. “Damn, you’re good. Really good.”
He smiled. “It’s my win,” he said. “And, since you interrupted before I could make a bet of my own, it looks like I have a favor.”
“It’s mean,” she said.
“I play to win,” he responded. She said nothing, but her nod showed respect.
They chatted while they waited Lily to appear, who did so five minutes later, wearing the black set, complete with the Venetian-style mask in black and gold. The effect was striking, even though, technically, the robe she wore covered more of her body than her usual clothing.
“Hi, Robin,” Lily greeted, her tone more confident than he expected, likely about the mask allowed her to feel like someone else. A layer of mental protection.
“Hey, Lily, looking good,” Robin said, relaxing even more after seeing what Lily was wearing, which gave her a mistaken perspective on exactly what it would look like.
“Now. It’s going to be a test shoot, so we are relying more of creativity, exploration, and your identity as a model rather than a standard set of poses. So, feel free to follow your instincts and act.”
“Sure,” she giggled. “Robin. I’m a model. Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yes, Lily, it’s exciting,” Robin agreed, rather than pulling her to the side and warning her about how show business could escalate. Which was the whole point of his reveal of Robin Daggers and other talk, which meant that, Robin, even without realizing, switched from a protector to a neutral observer.
They started. He had to admit, Lily looked good, especially once she let the robe open, revealing the black teddy underneath. Still a modest piece as far as lingerie was concerned, but far sexier.
“Mask is amazing. It feels like I’m a different person.”
He positioned her near the window. "Stand naturally. Weight on your back foot. Let your hip drop. Also, breathe deeply. The camera sees tension. If you're holding your breath, and it’s getting tense."
She breathed. The rigidity softened by a degree.
"Now tell me about the worst painting you ever made."
"What?"
"The worst one. The one you'd burn if you could."
"I — why?”
“Just follow my directions, Lily. The painting,” he said.
Lily looked at Robin, who nodded. After all, it was a common technique in camera work to make the subject relax. “There was a portrait. In college. Of my roommate. I was trying to do an abstract thing, and it came out looking like she'd been melted and reassembled by someone who hated her."
"How angry?"
"Furious. Like the painting had a personal vendetta against humanity," she said, which relaxed her even more. He hummed. Results were even better than he expected. Maybe he should actually forward them to Haley and see if she was interested in managing a second website.
"That's the shot," he said. “Now, go and change.”
While she nodded and disappeared, he moved to Robin, showing the pictures. Her eyes widened. “Damn, I can’t decide whether you’re a better bartender or photographer,” she said as she took another sip.
“I’m a man of many talents.”
"How long have you been doing this?" Robin asked, from the armchair, her notebook still conspicuously empty.
"Photography? For years, though mostly I had to keep it hidden."
"Really?"
"Grew up with an uncle who believed that photography and music were not men’s work, so I had to learn to hunt just to have an excuse to leave the house,” he said, using the same excuse, especially since he knew Robin would find it impressive as well.
Her eyes widened. “You shoot as well. That’s amazing.”
“You do as well?”
“Yes. Too bad our bet wasn’t on it, or I would have smoked you,” she declared.
"Actually, this evening, I already promised to go to the shooting range with a friend. Why don’t you come as well so I can defeat you as well."
The shift in Robin's expression was subtle but unmistakable. “I can come, but you’ll lose,” she said, then paused. “But…”
“It needs to stay secret as well. Understood,” he said. “You’re a woman of many secrets, Robin. That’s interesting.”
When he didn’t ask any follow-up questions, she relaxed, which wasn’t a surprise. She was a private person determined to compartmentalize her life as much as possible, which was another reason why her relationship with Ted was doomed to fail for at least another decade or two.
“Fine. I’ll see if I can swing by, depending on the work. It’ll be interesting,” she admitted.
Lily emerged in an ivory bodysuit, this time without a robe, and the shoot continued. The silk caught the softened light exactly as Ethan had intended, creating a magical, almost immaculate feeling, which made Robin relax even more. She sat on the side, becoming more engaged in the process.
Her attitude changed when Lily switched to the burgundy set, and the sexiness started to grow.
No longer a bodysuit, but a bra and panties, both covering significantly less than they should. Lily, wearing the mask, played along, lost in the excitement, and Robin hesitated to intervene, something she wouldn’t have done if she wasn’t getting along with him so much.
He could have left it there, but he decided to push.
“How about if we push the boundary a bit, Lily?” he asked.
“Really?”
“Drop the bra and cover your breasts with your hands,” he offered.
Lily immediately turned to Robin, who looked hesitant, her immediate rejection lost somewhere between their chat about the most overrated scotches and the invitation to the shooting range. “It’s your call, Lily,” Robin said, blushing.
“Well, I’m still wearing a mask,” Lily reasoned, even as she reached to her back and dropped it, giving him a full view of her breasts, which might not be huge, but shaped to perfection.
Robin continued to watch while he took more and more heated pictures of Lily, aware that her supposed protection was instead turning into a crutch, but not knowing what to do.
That internal conflict only lengthened when she received a call from work. She bit her lip. “Lily, it’s a call from work—“
“Go ahead and take it,” Lily said.
“I have to leave. We have a breaking story. But if you don’t want to…”
Lily smiled, still wearing her mask. “Go ahead and save New York, Robin. It’s clearly nothing to be worried about, right?”
Robin looked at him, and then Lily’s revealing state. She knew that she should drag Lily away … but then, she paused. “Well, since Marshall wants to experience being single,” she whispered to herself, which went unheard by Lily, and he only caught thanks to Perception.
Lily went to change, leaving him with Robin. He expected her to warn him, but instead, she just nodded. “I’ll text you about … the range. I don’t know if I’ll have time,” she said.
“Try to make it, it’ll be fun,” he promised.
Robin left.
Lily appeared soon after, this time wearing another black set, but this time with stockings and a garter belt. He didn’t even need to make a suggestion for her to drop her bra, she did it on her own. And, making her remove her panties required only a half-hearted suggestion about focusing on the stockings properly.
Nor was he surprised when he offered her to check the photos, and she just sat on his knee, going through the photos while he caressed her belly.
Before him, she had been feeling unwanted and struggling, affected by Marshall’s rejection. The contrast between her horrible apartment and the luxurious hotel room helped, and so did the masks, which she was still wearing.
Ironically, however, Robin was the biggest contributor to her current state. Robin’s presence allowed her to relax and embrace the moment without any concern…
[Achievement complete. Convince Lily to a naked erotic shoot.
Challenge: Hard]
[+10 Perception
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
He went with stat, as at this point, Adept skills weren’t particularly impressive, and constant accumulation was the better path; especially when it was a relatively more important stat like Perception.
“I look … fascinating,” she muttered.
“Let’s see how much better you’ll look in a different set,” he said as he brought her against the larger mirror. She watched herself, still wearing the mask. She moaned as his fingers found her clit, her wetness was incredible.
She moaned even louder when he released his shaft and pressed against her. She just leaned against the mirror, watching as he took her from behind.
She responded to his hard invasion well enough, which contrasted with her obsession with control in the show, but he wasn’t surprised. The more controlling they were in their life, the more they wanted to let go.
He pulled back, and invaded her even harder, her wetness accepting him happily.
“Fuck me hard, like I’m a whore,” she begged, which was even more than he expected. She was aroused, but she was also feeling guilty about betraying her ex-fiancee even though they were separated.
He was more than happy to follow that particular request. He pushed deep inside her, like an out-of-control battering ram. Lily took it incredibly well, showing that while she might be tiny, she was a vixen in bed.
He could have been more creative, but watching Lily watch the mirror, almost more fascinated by her own reflection than him, he decided to go with a steady yet impressive pace, slamming into her again and again as the pleasure built up.
In response, Lily just moaned and begged for more.
She climaxed hard enough to steal her breath and make her collapse due to her trembling legs. Normally, he would have grabbed, but he let Lily collapse. She looked better on her knees…
[Achievement complete. Finally add some variety in Lily’s bedroom life.
Challenge: Daring]
[+25 Perception
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete. Netori effect in play]
[+25 Strength
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
The reward was surprising, especially since, technically, she was single. But, he was starting to realize that it mostly ran on the perception of the person he was interacting with, or maybe the couple. Lily felt like it was cheating, so it counted as cheating.
He had no problems with it. Why would he, when he had two potential skills to pull instead of one?
[Expert Art Appraisal]
[Elite Skill: You are one of the leading figures in understanding, curating, and valuing art. You understand the market dynamics, artists’ lineage and artistic intent, as well as how those relate to direct valuation. Gallery owners, collectors, and artists themselves defer to your judgment.]
[Expert Lyric Writer]
[Elite Skill: You are an expert songwriter, with the ability to write incredibly catchy songs regardless of the subject matter.]
The skill from Lily was to be expected. Her love of art had always been a fundamental part of her personality. The lyric writer from Marshall surprised him, as it had mostly been a one-off joke in the show.
He wasn’t complaining. That slotted very well with his growing musical competency.
“So, Lily,” he whispered even as he lifted her easily and brought her to the bedroom. “Do you still want to treat me like a whore?” he asked.
“Yes,” she responded even as he threw her on the bed, already taking a ready position. However, he didn’t delve immediately. Instead, he reached one of the drawers.
One advantage of expensive hotels, that they had a drawer full of toys and equipments, which included some excellent lube. Lube that he not only used for himself, but Lily’s alternative access.
She gasped. “I never…” she whispered, but her tone was intrigued more than disgusted, suggesting it had less to do with her avoidance, and more to do with her ex-fiancee’s hesitance.
Drawbacks of Midwestern sensibilities.
“First time for everything,” he chuckled as he spanked her ass, then he started pushing inside slowly. Her ass parted, her moans just the right mixture of aroused and pained.
“Yes, fuck my ass,” she moaned loudly while he slowly invaded her tightness, forcing her to reshape and stretch around.
He was more than happy to follow that particular request. He grabbed her hair for leverage, grunting happily while she moaned. Experiencing her first anal experience, she didn’t take long to climax.
[Achievement complete. Take Lily’s last remaining virginity.
Challenge: Daring]
[+25 Perception
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete. Netori effect in play]
[+25 Strength
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
He thought about all the skills Lily had, and decided that there wasn’t any that would make him particularly happy even if he lucked into them. So, he went with Perception. He got another skill from Marshall.
[Expert Legal Knowledge]
[Elite Skill: You are a qualified legal expert, with comprehensive knowledge of laws, precedents, and legal cases. You can defend yourself in the court of law with great success.]
That was certainly useful in many different possible contexts, especially since it only came as an unexpected bonus. However, soon, Lily started to mewl with desire once again, and he decided to put his Endurance to good use.
After all, Lily had an incredible sex drive, yet she had been neglected for six months, relying only on toys. It would be rude to leave her wanting … especially since he still had a few hours to kill before they met at the shooting range.
Halfway in, he whispered whether she was interested in using the camera. Lily bit her lip, them shrugged. “I have the mask,” she whispered, and they immortalized the show on the camera.
With some rather welcome rewards.
[Achievement complete. Shoot a very impressive amateur porn with Lily.
Challenge: Daring]
[+25 Perception
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete. Netori effect in play]
[+25 Strength
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
This time, he went with stats for both, which brought his current outlook to an even more impressive state.
“I have another appointment, but you can stay here for today,” he whispered. “You deserve the rest.”
Lily just moaned as she buried herself in the bed.
Her taste for luxury was an interesting weakness.
As he left, he called his skills, muttering happily.
Things were getting better.
[Attractiveness: 325] [Graceful Movement] [Luminous Eyes]
[Intelligence: 158] [Accelerated Learning]
[Agility: 100] [Quick Hands]
[Strength: 210] [Impact Force]
[Endurance: 120] [Elevated Stamina]
[Perception: 190] [Tactical Awareness]
[Charisma: 100] [Negotiation Excellence]