Shadows from the House of Scent Ch. 01

Literotic asexstories – Shadows from the House of Scent Ch. 01 by amberlynch,amberlynch
1. The Victim.

“Quickly, Dean!” she pleaded through the cloth and with a muffled voice.

He was at that moment trying to get a higher shot by standing on top of the sink. He wasn’t as skinny or agile as he used to be.

“Come on. Please!” she urged, “Quickly. Someone will come and this position hurts and my arms feel like they will fall out of their sockets,” she pleaded from the discomfort and bordering on anxiety. The words were barely understandable, unable to pronounce full syllables with the panties stuffed into her mouth.

“OK, ok. I’m telling you, Liz, it is just another minute and I will let you down.”

She was resigned to her situation. She was naked, except for a black ribbon tied around her neck. She was hanging by her cuffed wrists that were attached to the makeshift hook that Dean had fastened to the steel beam next to the small window above the urinals. Her clothes were draped over the stall of the Chinese restaurant bathroom, with its dizzying acrid scent of concentrated ammonia; the smell of raw humanity.

The scene would have been comical if it weren’t for Lizzy’s discomfort.

He had already filmed her from below, capturing her naked body from all angles. For the scene, Lizzy had to shave to match the drawing of the girl in the graphic novel. She hadn’t been too enthusiastic about this. Dean took special care to capture this part of her body, ensuring the angles were precisely similar to those in the panels of the graphic novel. He also filmed much more footage, as it was particularly thrilling for him to see her shaved like this after having requested it numerous times.

Dean finally managed to stand on the narrow porcelain sink, positioning one foot on each of the opposite corners. He had attempted to use the boom pole, which extends in stages for high shots, to position the camera above the scene. However, it didn’t recreate the scene exactly as drawn by Kurst. The corresponding photogram or panel from Kurst’s latest graphic novel lay scattered on the floor, and he was striving to capture that precise scene.

Lizzy’s face and body had been prepared with makeup, making it seem that she had been beaten and whipped. In her mouth, her black panties were stuffed, which made her gag every once in a while.

“Almost there, Lizzy,” he said, trying to reassure her, while at the same time steadying himself with the large camera and taking shots of her from above. “Hang in there! You’re doing great!”

When he finally had the perfect angle — the one that was as close to Kurst’s scene — he started to “roll the film” (amounting to pressing the record button).

“Close your eyes and act dead,” he said, in his expert director’s voice. This was his main actress. Well, his only actress — at the moment.

She did all she could to comply. This way, the ordeal would pass soon enough and he would let her down.

“Brilliant! Fucking brilliant!” he encouraged her as if it were a photo-play of a supermodel. “That’s it,” he continued with the theatrics. “Keep like that. Now, try and make your body go completely limp.”

She complied. Anything, just anything to get over this shoot as soon as possible.

At that moment, he envisioned himself as the next Spielberg. The next Hitchcock. His utter command of the camera, of the lighting, of the scene. Yes, he felt at that moment to be at the pinnacle of his artistic abilities. “What luck,” he thought. He kept on repeating in his mind, “Kurst is a genius, a fucking genius.” Yeah, and his own idea of turning his works into movies, was…. well, a bit of serendipity, but, quite frankly, totally brilliant. After all, he was a professional. And, an expert on Kurst. Who else could have done this? He was of the opinion that nobody except himself.

He compared the camera angle with the graphic art from Kurst of the same scene in the photogram drawing on the floor. “Kath’s body. Lizzy’s body. It’s really incredible,” he mused out loud. Even he was amazed at how Lizzy’s body — and face — resembled the girl in the graphic novel. It was uncanny. The Kath from earlier novels of Kurst looked a lot like Lizzy, but now she seemed to be a spitting image. A petite figure, small breasts with pointy nipples, short dark hair, gray eyes. The shape and likeness of her face. He couldn’t believe his luck.

He shifted his weight slightly to gain a better angle, planning to select the best shots in post-production. However, as he adjusted his position while filming, he suddenly felt unsteady. In a catastrophic instant, the porcelain sink cracked beneath him, causing one part of it to crash to the floor and precipitate his fall.

Despite the chaos, he managed to save the camera, keeping it high, falling onto one hand before collapsing onto the floor, his body striking the ground and landing painfully on his shoulder and bumping his head. The sudden, excruciating pain overwhelmed him as he lay amid the broken rubble of the bathroom sink.

Dean lay on the floor motionless for a few moments, his brain unable to send the signals to his body to even move slightly. The blow to his head had made him dizzy. Dean passed out and lay there.

Lizzy saw the scene unfold as if it were in slow motion. Now, she was beginning to realize what had happened, and what could happen next. Her eyes widened, horrified for him and the situation. Through it all, she hung there helpless, trying in vain to scream for help through the panties that were stuffed in her mouth.

~~~~~~

Moments later, there was knocking at the bathroom door, and someone speaking in Chinese with a few broken English words; to the effect of asking if all was ok. Lizzy tried to respond, but her voice could hardly be carried through the door.

The banging stopped. Suddenly, two loud bangs hit the door; the third broke the lock and sent the door flying open. Through the door poured three large Chinese men; two waiters and the restaurant owner. Lizzy hung there mortified as they contemplated the scene in front of them. Apart from her concern for Dean on the floor, she wanted to die showing her naked body like this.

The men had expected to find the aftermath of a fight between two clients, or even the unfortunate result of a heart attack, or even someone who had choked to death on a chicken bone from the Koa Poa platter (as had happened the previous month). However, nothing prepared them for the scene that unfolded before them: a naked woman tied by her wrists, apparently having been beaten (thanks to the convincing makeup), a black ribbon choking her neck, her pussy shaved exposing her labia, and black panties stuffed into her mouth. All of this, together with her attacker unconscious on the floor, holding a camera, and what remained of their porcelain sink.

~~~~~~

After Dean recovered, Lizzy was helped down and the situation was explained. Apart from this, the damages were compensated to the tune of several hundred bucks, plus take-out, consisting of the Pu Pu Platter, white rice, and four fortune cookies. The couple made their way to the subway and took the line uptown to their apartment to tend to Dean’s wounds.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

2: A Few Days earlier

“I’m home,” Lizzy called out as she entered the apartment.

She knew Dean would be in the “spare room,” which had now become his temporary post-production studio.

“Hey,” he responded loudly from the room, ensuring she could hear him.

She thought how nice it would have been if he had come out to greet her with a kiss, but she didn’t hold it against him.

She walked down the hall and stopped at the entrance, peeking into the room.

“Hi honey,” she said, leaning on the door frame.

He continued to focus on the screen in the darkened room, the reddish hue from the screens casting a glow on his boyish face. That boyish face still captivated her, despite the other aspects of him she wished would improve.

“How was your day, Liz?”

“Tiring,” she smiled. “Just glad to be home. I thought you were going to drop by and see me at the library.”

They worked near each other, with Liz at the college library and Dean at the vintage book and record shop, located just a block apart. Initially, Dean would visit Liz during breaks each day, but lately, his visits have become much less frequent.

“Couldn’t,” he said briefly.

“It’s ok.”

She walked into the room and went to stand behind him, putting her arms around him affectionately. Then, she bent down so her face was near his. He turned and pecked her on the cheek then looked back at the screens. Their relationship had become comfortable, sometimes too much so instead of the passion of previous times. She glanced at his workspace on the three large screens oriented in a U.

“How is it going?” she asked, perhaps breaking his concentration.

“I’m just editing the ending,” he responded, his eyes, darting between the graphic novel pdf, and the video segment. “OK, I guess.”

“I am sure it will be wonderful,” she said, encouragingly.

She looked at his screens as he continued to work. On the right, Premiere was opened with track after track and scene after scene. All the shots were well known to her; after all, she was the actress. The cursor was positioned on a non-nude scene. It was when she was walking next to the river; she had a long black coat — that he had bought her because of the shoot — well, that’s not true, she actually bought the coat, but he insisted that she buy it, which is “kind of the same”, he argued.

The other screen was open to one of Kurst’s emblematic graphic novels, called “Tie Me, Dead.” Lizzy was also all too familiar with this novel; he had described it a hundred times.

In the center screen, the fan blog webpage “The Daniel Kurst Works Forum,” which Dean founded, is displayed, featuring occasional responses to his comments. This forum is devoted to everything related to Kurst. Dean not only possesses all of Kurst’s works and studies them intensely, but he is also the most active member of this online fan club. The forum, amongst other things, speculates on the meanings behind Kurst’s works and regularly posts news items related to them.

Additionally, he works as a sales clerk at a vintage store, “AL Bums Beats IT”, specializing in books, records, early IT and game consoles, and memorabilia. It is downtown, next to the University. This job initially attracted him due to his passion for comics, but his interests have since shifted towards graphic novels, now almost exclusively those by Kurst.

~~~~~~

You see, Dean studied film directing at the local college. So, Dean’s true obsession lies in becoming a movie director. In fact, he considers himself a struggling film director, currently working on a compilation of Kurst’s works adapted into film. The idea for the project occurred to him one day at work (well, actually, it was Chuck’s idea, his coworker at the store, but it doesn’t count because Chuck isn’t as knowledgeable about films as Dean). So, Dean considers the idea to be his own.

Previously, Dean had planned on making a sci-fi movie, in the style of Carruth. But, now, he is a Kurst man. Yeah, he is, in fact, the world expert on Kurst (according to Dean). He plans to adapt Kurst’s most popular series into a real film and has already mapped out the scenes. He proposed this to Kurst but hasn’t received a response…yet. However, this one will be the big one. With this one, he is going to make the big time.

At the moment, he’s gathering footage to create a concept art piece and pitch his vision. The series he’s adapting is from Kurst’s kinky era, featuring erotic graphic art. Dean’s brilliant idea involves reenacting almost all the scenes with real people, (which at the moment includes his girlfriend, Lizzy, who strikingly resembles the series’ protagonist, and himself). In the shots, he doesn’t show his face, arguing that in Lizzy’s case, it’s ok because she resembles the character.

~~~~~~

“How was it down at the store? Did you have many people this morning?” she asked.

“Nah,” he said dismissing. “Ya know… the same old thing. Now, young kids are into vinyls. If I had only kept mine instead of selling them back then we’d be millionaires. Who would have known?”

With her arms still around him, someone had responded to his comment postulating on the metaphors in Kurst’s “Tie Me, Dead” ending.

“Can you believe this guy?” he says, his attention directed towards the comment. “He thinks that Kurst was trying to make a statement about the political sanctity of neo-liberalism. He has no fucking idea! What an idiot,” he says, with an authoritative dismissal of any other opinion.

He then became engrossed in his response.

“I’ll go and change,” she said, kissing his cheek. and exiting the room.

She gives in to his obsessions and hobbies, going here and there to film the scenes that he wants. And she gives in to all the sex shots, letting him film her in the most lurid scenes imaginable. Sometimes, she was not sure if he picked her as a girlfriend because she has a likeness to the character in Daniel Kurst’s graphic novels.

She does it because she is in love with him.

~~~~~~

Lizzy went into their bedroom. Their lives had become routine and now seemed to revolve around Dean’s passion. Becoming a movie director. And Kurst. Every conversation they have always returns to Kurst.

She believed in Dean. She still does, however, with time, it is becoming more difficult. She wanted a family.

Lizzy knows that he is often a bit childish with his obsessions and that it is affecting their lives. He seems unable to commit to marriage or have kids. However, she feels that her biological clock is ticking and she yearns for something more than their comfortable relationship. Nonetheless, she is either scared or reluctant to force a change.

~~~~~~

She went to her bedroom and began to peel off her work clothes.

Today, she felt a bit more sensitive than normal. It was 5 years “to the day” since she had moved into Dean’s apartment, a milestone that Dean didn’t seem to recall, with the same sentimentality. They had more passion back then.

She thought, “No, he was the one that had more passion for me back then. Does he still love me?”

She was now 35 and will turn 36 soon. What happened to the young family that she thought she would have started by now? The wedding? The long beautiful white dress and the honeymoon? The young children? The nighttime stories? The children’s piano lessons? The school Christmas plays? The PTA meetings? All those things that she imagined if she were a mom.

“Lizzy, after the trailer is made,” he would say. “After this next one is done, everything will be different,” he would assure her. “Soon, Lizzy this will be the big one.”

She didn’t blame him. She was in love. He had dreams. That is something she adored about him and she wanted him to pursue his dreams.

“Yeah, soon, Lizzy,” she whispered to herself. “Very soon. Don’t worry. Hang in there. Someday, you will have all that you dreamed of.”

Had she thought about it a bit more, it would certainly have made her sad. Sure, she would have liked it if it had been as important to him as it was to her. Or even a warm kiss, and “Hey, do you remember?…” Or perhaps, she had hoped for flowers from him, imagining how lovely it would be to receive them at work. But as she loved him, she realized there was no point in having such expectations.

She wished her life was like the old movies; not like the novels of Kurst. She would be Alicia, the young beautiful girl played by Ingrid Bergman, and her lover, Devlin, played by Cary Grant, would come and sweep her away. He would finally tell her how much he loved her. Like Alicia, she wouldn’t need all those expensive clothes, nor live in the mansion. All she would want was her lover, like what Develin said to Alicia at the end when he finally realized how foolish he had been to let her slip away. “I love you. I will never leave you.” He would save her from the peril and tell her how much he couldn’t live without her. And they would drive off into the night.

“Gosh that would be so wonderful,” she thought.

Lizzy removed her bra and saw her image in the bureau mirror from the corner of her eye. She turned and looked at herself, at her flat skinny tummy, at her small breasts. She still had her grey skirt. The conservative library, grey skirt.

“Liz, the librarian,” she whispered incredulously but resigned, not entirely unhappy, if not disappointed and in dismay by the outcome.

She wondered if she was still attractive to him. She traced her fingers around her breasts and then circled her tight nipples with her finger. It felt good, but it wasn’t to pleasure herself now like other times. Just, trying to imagine it was Dean’s hands because he desired her.

She leaned into the mirror, looking into her image; the short black hair, her gray eyes looking back at her. Her fair skin which looked far too white even for this time of year, and her small pointy pixie nose that still had the elfish freckles from her younger self.

“Stop looking at yourself, “she scolded herself in the mirror, bringing her attention back to the present. She quickly pulled down her skirt and stepped out of it, folding it carefully for the next day.

She then walked towards the bathroom, pulling her panties down and letting them drop to the floor. Using her toes, she grasped the panties and flung them into the corner. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to become hot. She stepped in and let the warm water run over her.

She began to lather her petite body. Even though her breasts were small, her nipples were very sensitive. With her arousal, they would rapidly become extended and pointy. Then, they would ache to be pulled and pinched — hard. It happened at that moment. She pulled them with her slippery lathered fingers.

Her finger followed the suds that ran down her tummy like a river to her pussy mound. She looked at and thought of a river delta; her triangular pussy mound — the point towards which everything flows. Then she ran her fingers through her black pubic hair. She loved doing that. Dean had wanted her to shave it, but she didn’t want to. She liked to play with it when she was aroused. Curl it between her fingers. It was a good thing that the women in Kurst’s books were not shaved, she thought. As she lathered her pussy, she let her fingers rub on the insides of her lips.

She returned to thinking about when she and Dean began dating. He had read the ‘Story of O’, but it wasn’t until they practiced this role-play a few times, did she realize how the concept of being submissive truly turned her on. After that, all her sexual fantasies, unknown to Dean, revolved around her being a sexually submissive slave.

Her imagination began to take hold of her more and more there in the shower.

She imagined her imaginary Master. He would strip her violently. Then he would tie her hands above her. When she was helpless, he would come behind her and fuck her with his large cock.

She thought of the dildo that she had in the basin. It was an overly large dildo that Dean had bought as a prop for one of the scenes. It was so realistic that it looked convincing.

She got out of the shower and retrieved it, bringing it back with her into the shower. Holding it in both hands, she brought it to her mouth and licked the top. At that moment, it was her Master’s cock. Her active imagination filled in all the other parts of her fantasy.

At the base of the dildo, there was a suction cup. She fastened it to the tile walls of the shower, turned around, and let it slide between her legs. Her body undulated back and forth along it. While doing this, she looked down and saw how the enormous cock emerged between her legs each time. It imagined it was a real man behind her. She closed her eyes and it was her Master, commanding her to take it within her. He was large and strong. But, most importantly he was in control and she was submissive to him.

The dildo was so big that even for the shoot, back when Dean filmed her, she expended considerable effort for it to enter her pussy. So, this time, she only let the tip enter her. Her tiny cunt wrapped around it and it made her feel so full. She moved back and forth and felt that she was already close to the edge.

After a few moments, she felt an orgasm wash over her. It wasn’t as powerful as she would have liked, but her body felt more relaxed.

Nonetheless, the fantasy remained. She would have liked her imaginary Master to take her in his large arms, or even better, whip her for being such a slut.

~~~~~~

Lizzy went into the living room, sat on the couch, and flipped through the latest issue of the “New Yorker” that had arrived in the mail. She had subscribed to it for the reviews and the short stories.

She was meant to be a writer. Always, she thought it was supposed to happen. All the pieces had fallen into place back in the day: the Ivy League college scholarships, the first-place writing prizes she won, and the accolades from her professors.

It wasn’t just academic. She had her own voice and writing style. She even had life experiences, traveling abroad and meeting people from all walks of life, experiences that enlivened her novels and characters. She penned novels, poems, screenplays, critiques, and short stories for fiction sites (one even on an online erotic fiction site). She sent her work to agents, publishers, and editors. She spoke with other writers and was introduced to agents. She had hoped to publish and be represented. She had dreamed of all these things and had both worked hard and laid the groundwork to attain them.

Now, she was a librarian. “Liz, no — Lizzy — the librarian,” she repeated to her image in the mirror.

Time has a habit of moving forward. It is like a train that doesn’t wait for its potential passengers. For so long, she had now been concentrated on helping Dean. That was the thing about time. Still, Lizzy was not a sad and brooding person. She did not dwell on the past or what could have been. She believed in the orgastic future and waited expectedly as if the next bright moment was just around the corner.

Nonetheless, she contemplated how dreams and hopes churn forward, interweaving with time. They resemble a train moving onward. As we watch it speed by, its siren, like our aspirations, grows louder and more high-pitched. In that moment, it feels as though we can reach out and grasp it, holding it in our hands. But then, it passes. Its frequency and volume diminish until, like the train itself fading into the distance, it disappears.

~~~~~~

Dean came in and sat on the wingback chair next to her.

“My sister called.”

“She did?” Lizzy responded, lifting her brow. “That must have been a surprise!”

“It was.”

“In what part of the world is she in now?”

“She just got back from Asia. Hong Kong, I think.”

“That sounds interesting!”

“I guess so,” he replied, noncommitted. “I don’t know what she does there.”

There was a pause and silence. Lizzy knew there must have been more. Most times, it was to send her money or to get her out of a fix. Dean was being cagey about it this time, so it was certainly something. She wasn’t going to ask him, however. He would have to come out with it.

He finally spoke.

“She’s going back.”

“Oh, she must like it there,” Lizzy responded, not making it easy for him. She flipped the pages of the New Yorker.

He got up, walked toward the window, pulled the curtains apart, and looked out. His warm breath fogged the cold glass. The yellow street lights below appeared more diffuse through the haze. Like a child in a whimsical game, he intentionally breathed on the glass, trying to cover the entire window with fog. He was attempting to obscure the outside world as if to prevent it from intruding into his comfortable and familiar space.

“She asked if her daughter could come and visit with us.”

“Your niece?”

“Yeah. My niece, Amber.”

“What did you say?”

“Well, I mean, what could I say?”

There was a pause.

“Dean, it is your niece. I don’t mind. How long is she coming for?”

“She didn’t know. But, since she has to leave her flat… or whatever…. Well, it’s like this, Amber doesn’t have a place now.”

“Oh.”

Lizzy realized that this was not a visit. It was a move.

“And her Dad?”

“Missing in action, as you might say,” he paused. “Not even sure where he is. Maybe too much hash. Who knows.” He looked out through the foggy window again. “But, she didn’t want Amber to go back with her.”

Dean closed the curtain and came and sat down again.

“So, she will be moving in with us permanently?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

It had been a while since he had seen Amber. Lizzy had only heard about her. The last time Dean saw her was probably ten or eleven years ago. They didn’t even have photos of her since Dean’s sister was a free spirit, living all over the world as a bohemian, and didn’t call unless she needed something. His sister didn’t even show up for the funeral of their parents a couple of years ago because Dean was unable to locate her.

One thing was coming for a visit, but it was a big move that Amber would be essentially moving in with them.

“Well, it is your niece, Dean. Since she doesn’t have anywhere to go, for me, she is more than welcome here.”

Dean picked up one of the Kurst books that was on the table and started to flip through it. The cover art showed a large number five, a noir detective, and a naked woman. It was from the graphic novel series a few years ago called, “Bare Skin and Cuffs”. It was the first series that featured Guy. It was his first case and was raw, and pure Kurst.

“This is fucking brilliant,” he said, changing the subject.

She looked at him. He was still boyish and immature, perhaps too much so. Of course, she wished that he would react differently, like an adult, with emotional intelligence, realizing the sincerity, generosity, and love that Lizzy had just shown towards him and the situation, and accepting Amber above her own privacy. But, alas, she knew it was now her job to convince, to cajole, to play the grown-up.

“Dam it, man, my filming is going to suffer. Fuck! What about the film? I’m so close to finishing,” he said suddenly.

“Dean, it doesn’t have anything to do with it. She won’t interrupt your film.”

“What do you mean?” he said, bothered. “I’ll have to give up my office. We won’t be able to shoot you in,… well, you know… naked.” He paused looking at her. “And the sex scenes. Fuck, those are important for Kurst’s books.”

Lizzy remained silent, waiting until he calmed down.

“And,” he tried to present all his arguments, if only to demonstrate his stubborn egoism. “She’s still a kid and I don’t like kids.”

“She can’t be that much of a kid. How old is she? 18 or 19?”

“19”.

“Well, she is a young woman now.”

Nonetheless, he did not want to concede. He pouted and continued to flip through the Kurst book. In one scene, the protagonist enters a dungeon to save his “side-kick”, Kath. She is shown naked. Her wrists and ankles were tied.

“Look at the details of these drawings,” he says, as if there is no other more pressing conversation ensuing, Turning the book to her. “It’s incredible. Check out how Guy looks at her and her expression.”

Lizzy looks at the same scene for the thousandth time; out of politeness or to humor him.

“What does she look like?”

“Who? Kath?” he looks down at the book. “Don’t you see her? She looks like you.”

“Dean. Not Kath. Be serious. I’m talking about Amber.”

“Oh,” he says, obliged to return to the conversation. “She’s probably 300lbs,” he laughed. “When she was eight or nine and came to visit, she was very chubby. Kinda cute, but chubby.”

“That was a long time ago. Besides, there is nothing wrong with being chubby,” Lizzy said.

He shrugged his shoulders, acting defeated.

“And she ate continuously.”

He didn’t want to see anything positive in this.

“We’ll have to buy a shitload of food,” he said dismissively, looking back at the book, flipping to the next page.

The next scene shows Guy behind the girl, cupping the girl’s small breasts in his hands, while he kisses her neck. The following page shows Guy with a hand on her pussy mound, with its thick hair and her thick meaty lips emerging from it below. Finally, the subsequent scene shows Guy undoing her cuffs.

“I’m sure she is cute,” Lizzy said cheerfully. “If she looks anything like you.”

He lifted his gaze and their eyes connected. A glimpse of the cute, boyish Dean, with his kind eyes that she loved so much, showed through. Those eyes and demeanor had made her fall in love with him.

“Thanks,” then he went back to looking at the book and brooding.

He turned the book to her and pointed to the drawing in the scene with Guy’s hands cupping Kath’s breasts, as she is spread eagle, totally exposed and helpless, with her wrists and ankles cuffed.

“Do you remember when we filmed this?” he asks.

“Yeah,” she responds, incredulously at his aversiveness.

“You were fucking hot!”

Lizzy smiles. “Dean, please. This is serious.”

He returned to looking at the book. “So is this,” he said.

Lizzy could tell that he was not having anything of it. He was too self-absorbed and with a mental block at the moment. There was no point in pressing forward. it would pass, she thought.

“When is she arriving?”

“Tomorrow.”

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

3: (House of Scent Act1.S1) Guy

The email arrived as he expected. Attached was a PDF file. Kurst read the second note he had received from her.

~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Kurst.

As we talked about, I am sending you the first few scenes of Act 1 of the script. When you write back, I will uphold my end of the bargain. I promise.

xoxo, Amber Lynch

Screenplay Title: “The House of Scent”

by: (name removed by Amber Lynch)

~~~~~~

Act 1. Scene 1: The introduction and setting.

Set this scene is in the bar next to Guy’s office, downtown on the East side, close to Worth, and a stone’s throw to Chinatown. It is a gritty 1940s setting, in the classic noir style. The streetlights and blinking neon lights illuminate the fog outside, providing a surreal aura mixed with steam from the nearby elevated (or “El”) subway.

It is a flashback. Guy looks in rough shape, not high on his game; down and out, but trying to retain some dignity, despite his present alcoholic state.

MAN IN BAR: How do you like your whisky?

GUY: “In a glass.”

The camera zooms out. Guy pauses, taking a drag from a cigarette and looking at the man. Now the camera is behind the Man.

GUY: “And up to the top.”

The camera shifts to the Man. The man smirks. He pours the whisky into the two glasses.

MAN IN BAR: “Chick has a job for you.”

The camera shifts to include both men.

GUY: “Chick Smart?”

MAN IN BAR: “Yeah. That’s the one. He wants you to go down there tomorrow. Sex crime. Right up your alley. Ya know? It is a fucking nasty business. But I told him you can handle it.”

Guy looks at him and then back at his drink.

GUY: “Yeah, well,… now they’re always fucking nasty.”

He tries to act cool, but he needs the job. It shows. The camera zooms in on him. Guy is a detective. He takes a drag on his cigarette and then his hand returns to the table, tapping it nervously. His appearance is of a typical hard-boiled detective; he wears a tailored double-breasted suit, the fabric is dark, navy blue but has seen far better days; he has a white shirt, that in some places is not white, and a dark tie; he is also wearing a fedora hat. Draped over the chair next to him is a classic trench coat.

His cigarette is always lit. He takes another hit, then a drink of the whisky.

He wasn’t always a detective. Before, he was on the police force. Undercover. But, he was framed. Now, he takes on sex crimes. The stuff the cops don’t want or know how to touch.

While he sits there, the scene should go from one flashback to the other. The first flashbacks will show newspaper headlines, one after another “Bent copper”, “Copper takes bribes”, “Crooked, guilty”, then finally, “Case dismissed on crooked copper.”

The next flashback shows a scene with Guy in a bar drinking, being turned away from his job by his boss; the boss should be sitting in his office behind the desk, and Guy standing.

BOSS: “Sorry Guy, upstairs they tell me to send you home.”

Another flashback should show a drunken Guy, and his wife leaving him; then him in his apartment.

The scene returns to the bar.

GUY: “Alright, I’ll see him.”

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

4. (House of Scent Act1.S2) Kath

Act 1; Scene 2: Interior — Day. Guy’s office.

In the next scene, we see Guy in his office. Pan the camera around the room. It is the present. He is cleaner and well-kept, his hair combed back. He has recovered to some extent from the previous scene and it has the impression that some months have passed.

Now in his small, somewhat dingy office off Worth Avenue on the East Side, the scene unfolds. The camera pans from the glass door, etched with Guy’s name, around the modestly furnished office. On the desk sits a black typewriter, next to a large ashtray brimming with cigarette butts. Guy is perched at his desk, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he types. He’s pecking at the keys laboriously, using one finger from each hand. The smoke from his cigarette wafts up into his eyes, causing him to furrow his brow and twist his mouth awkwardly in an attempt to keep the stinging smoke at bay.

The camera sweeps toward the window of Guy’s office, revealing a view overlooking the city. It moves closer, zooming in to showcase the scene outside. Just beyond the window, elevated train tracks dominate the view. The rumbling sound of a city train echoes as it moves past, its vibrations causing the contents of the office to quiver subtly. The camera’s focus extends past the metallic structure of the “elevated railway,” gradually bringing the bustling streets of Chinatown into view in the distance.

A knock is heard at his door.

GUY: “Yeah, who is it? Come in.”

The shot is wide. It shows the door and the detective sitting at his desk. Immediately, the shot is changed so that it is behind the detective looking from his POV at the door. It is Kath.

~~~~~~

Kath, much younger than Guy, is his friend and a freelance artist and writer. She comes from high society. Radiating elegance and well-educated, she nonetheless carries a murky past. She was a high-class call girl. A prostitute, who catered to the depravities and BDSM fetishes of the very rich. But now she is trying to stay straight, especially in the eyes of Guy, for whom she has fallen in love.

~~~~~~

The scene is a flashback.

They are sitting at an outdoor restaurant in the courtyard of an expensive hotel, the Waldorf Astoria. Music in the background is playing a polka, performed by a small orchestra with men dressed in white suits. There are lots of people around them. The camera zooms in on them, capturing both in the same scene. Kath is smiling and happy, feeling in love. Guy is serious and won’t let his guard down, but his eyes show how he is enamored by her. It shows that he wants to love her, despite knowing what she was or maybe still is.

KATH: “Why don’t you give that copper’s brain of yours a rest?”

The camera is positioned behind Guy, capturing Kath in a frontal view. It then pivots to focus on Guy, whose expression is a mix of reserve and mild amusement, subtly engaging in the banter. He sits upright, maintaining steady eye contact with her. The camera then transitions to a frontal shot, centering on Kath as she continues with the game.

KATH: “Every time I look at you, I can see it running through your mind, always. Once a crook always a crook, once a tramp always a tramp.”

She smiles at him, her expression teasing. Guy, though appearing steadfast, clearly enjoys the playful exchange. He finds himself unable to look away from her. She radiates beauty and animation, embodying a sense of youthful exuberance and happiness. Yet, as Guy watches her, a thought lingers in his mind: “She is what she is”. He feels a desire to love her but is held back by uncertainty over whether he can truly trust her. When he was a cop, he brought her to the station many times for prostitution.

KATH: “Go on, you can hold my hand. I won’t bite you. I won’t blackmail you later.”

She says this playfully, teasing him and smiling. Guy continues to look at her, smiling at the game, knowing that she is playing with him and his emotions. He remains silent.

KATH: “Scared?”

GUY: (He sits straight, smirking In a cool way, bemused by the girl) “I’ve always been scared of women. But I’ll get over it.”

KATH: “And now you’re scared of yourself, Guy. You’re afraid you’ll fall in love with me.”

GUY: “That wouldn’t be hard.”

KATH: “Careful. Careful,” she says playfully.

The camera shifts. He is trying hard not to change his expression of bemusement. He remains looking at her.

The camera shifts back to Kath.

KATH: “You’re afraid you’ll fall in love with a tramp and whore. Instead of just fucking me hard, you will become all soft with me. And you will hate yourself for it.”

GUY: “You enjoy making fun of me.”

The camera zooms in on Kath. She smiles nervously now, allowing her emotions to come through. Her expression becomes more serious suddenly, demonstrating that all of the previous was just a good act. A farcical show.

KATH: “No Guy, I’m making fun of myself.”

Guy looks at her.

KATH: “I’m pretending that I’m a nice unspoiled girl whose heart is filled with daisies and buttercups.”

While Kath senses that Guy has feelings for her, he struggles to lower his defenses. He is always in control. He is suspicious and scarred by the past. He keeps his emotions in check — and he makes an effort to be cold for his own protection.

GUY: “Nice daydream. And then what?”

She becomes serious and at once sad. His coldness hits her hard.

Realizing that he is getting the upper hand, she changes her expression to that of lighthearted happiness. She calls the waiter and orders another drink.

Their relationship, therefore, unfolds indirectly, through Guy’s detective cases. For Kath, being alongside Guy, even like this, provides some solace. She yearns for more but resigns herself to this proximity. They’ve shared intimate moments, yet inevitably, they revert to this guarded dynamic, a self-protective reflex for both.

~~~~~~

Kath enters Guy’s office with grace. Her hair is short black, styled in a typical 1940s fashion with soft waves that frame her face, and she wears a French black beret that is tilted on the side. Although she wears makeup, it is subtle.

Her eyes are gray, and her body is slender and thin. She wears a tailored knee-length skirt that skims her form; a white blouse, and a well-fitted jacket; modest yet subtly accentuating her figure. It has a subdued checkered pattern, exuding elegance. Around her neck is a simple string of pearls, tasteful and minimal. and she wears modest earrings. She wears polished, closed-toe high heels, and her legs are clad in sheer stockings.

As she enters, the camera follows her. It focuses on her poise and confidence, as seen by her deliberate movement through the room.

They begin with their normal banter. The self-protective mechanism they have established.

GUY: “Good morning.”

KATH: “So you do get up in the morning, (she says sarcastically and with a grin) I was beginning to think you worked in bed like Marcel Proust.”

GUY: “Who’s he?”

KATH: “You wouldn’t know him. French writer.”

The camera follows her walking in. She is being playfully sarcastic.

GUY: “Well, welcome to my Boudoir.”

She smiles, and the camera angle widens. Kath’s eyes sweep across the room, taking in its drab and basic appearance. Her gaze lingers on the office’s disordered state, which is subtly implied. As the camera opens up to follow her gaze, the untidiness of the office becomes more evident. This visual exploration sets the stage for her to continue with the playful game.

KATH: “You don’t put on much of a front, do you?”

GUY: “Not much money in this line of work. Don’t see many of your kind around here.”

Guy’s comment, tinged with a hint of critique about her high-class demeanor, but with her past as a prostitute, was delivered subtly yet pointedly — almost cruel and unfair. Although it sounded benign, there was a slight edge to his words, a gentle jab in response to her criticism. But his words hurt. He can’t seem to forget — it is as if she can’t be redeemed in his mind.

KATH: “That’s because you’re too honest.” (she says this sarcastically).

GUY: “Are we going to start that again?”

Guy’s response, laced with a touch of resignation, alludes to his past and the false accusations of being corrupt — a “bent copper”. She knows this topic is a sensitive issue for him and it clearly impacts him hard, as evidenced by the subtle shift in his demeanor following her comment.

KATH: “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. It hit below the belt.”

This apology diffuses the previous tension, leaving both of them disarmed and reverting to their more familiar, congenial manner. To an observer, it’s apparent that there’s an underlying depth to their relationship, even though it remains unacknowledged between them.

GUY: “Well we were both rude. Do you want to see me about Chick Smart?”

KATH: “Yeah. About Chick Smart.”

Her voice carries a note of disappointment as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. Looking at Guy, her expression betrays a hint of sadness. She wished he wouldn’t let her do it — doing what she did, being what she was. Desire is in her eyes but also love. She wants to be his and only his. He just doesn’t seem to believe in her.

They look at each other intensely. Each desiring the other.

~~~~~~

Guy comes up behind her. She anticipates it. He has done it like this many times. She is submissive to him. She wants him to treat her roughly and fuck her.

He takes her coat off, and reaches in front of her, unbuttoning her shirt. He pulls it off her. She doesn’t resist. It falls to the floor. Now, he unclasps her bra, letting it fall off her delicate shoulders.

KATH: “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

GUY: “That’s right, kid.”

He grabs the handcuffs and puts her delicate wrist in one, closing it shut. She grimaces. The metal hurts a little. He pulls her other arm back, putting her wrist in that, and also quickly closes the latch.

KATH: “That hurts.” (she says smirking). “Is this any way to treat a girl?”

GUY: “You don’t seem to fight it too much.”

He undoes her dress and lets it drop to the floor. He grasps the side of her panties and pulls them down, making her step out of them.

KATH: “A girl could catch a chill like this.”

GUY: “You’ll get over it.”

He feels between the crack of her tight ass. She closes her eyes with desire. It is how she likes it. Raw. Hard. From a strong man who commands her. She gasps.

GUY: “See. You already got over it.”

He leans in and kisses her neck. She melts. His hand reaches her pussy and he rubs her moist lips.

She wants him to tell her that he loves her. But he doesn’t. Not then. He pushes her back forward so she bends over, and uses his feet to spread her legs.

KATH: “You don’t give a girl a chance, do you?”

GUY: “It’s because you like it like this. And you know it.” (he pauses) “So do I.”

Then, she feels his cock. It pushes against her. Running up and down the crack of her ass. It then slips between her pussy lips. She is already wet, so his cock becomes lubricated. He runs it on the outside of her lips, back and forth, making her gasp.

If her hands were not cuffed behind her, she would grab it and push it into her entrance. Instead, she moves her hips to try and produce the angle that he would slip into her. But, he teases her. Each time she does that, he shifts his position, frustrating all her efforts.

KATH: “You are so mean to me.” (she gasps whispering while gasping).

She feels his lubricated cock slide again between her tight ass. It pushes at her asshole and that produces a different urge inside her. Her muscles involuntarily want to capture his cock and squeeze when he is filling her.

GUY: “It is how you like it. Mean.”

KATH: “Yeah. It is how I like it.” (she says this panting.)

After several minutes of this slow erotic torture, she feels him enter her, finally. She closes her eyes and inhales with surprise and pleasure as he enters her hard and fast. She furrows her brow with the slight pain of his large cock stretching her insides.

He pulls out completely. It is an eternity that his cock is outside her. She knows what is coming. Then, as if it were a large thick sword, he stabs into her, plunging his cock fully into her. The pleasure and pain make her grunt. He then begins a rhythmic movement, without stopping.

She rocks back and forth, pushing her ass towards him by gyrating her hips.

He reaches forward and cups her firm breasts.

KATH: “Oh, Guy. Please.”

GUY: “What?”

KATH: “Pinch them.” (she pants, moving back and forth, while his cock pumps inside her) “Hard. Please.”

Guy takes her nipples and pulls on them with such force that she screams out. The sensation of pain and pleasure overwhelms her. She is addicted to this. She doesn’t know why. Perhaps it is the submission and humiliation, but she needs it.

Guy pulls out and turns her around.

He looks at her and kisses her passionately. Then, he puts his hand on her head and presses down. She knows what she is supposed to do.

She kneels on the floor and takes his cock in her mouth. He puts his hands on both sides of her face and begins to pump inside her mouth with force until her throat gives way. His long cock extends her throat as it goes in and out. She holds her breath since she is unable to breathe.

He is going to cum. She senses that.

He pulls out of her mouth, then picks her up and puts her on his desk. He opens her legs. She looks into his eyes. She wants him to do it, pushing her pelvis outward.

He penetrates her and starts to pump his cock inside her. The wave of her own orgasm was also so close. They had a way of synchronizing.

Then, she felt it. His cum began to fill her and she felt a warmth spread around inside her. At the same time, her own body began to shake as if a fountain had just exploded.

He looked at her. Their bodies sweating. Their eyes were locked. It was as if words between them weren’t necessary.

Yet, if only there were words. If only they told each other all that they wanted to tell.

After a few minutes, he pulled his cock out of her.

~~~~~~

Guy gets dressed. Kath is still naked. He removes the cuffs and she rubs her wrists. As she sits in the wooden chair, his cum leaks out of her pussy. The camera focuses on her naked body. She sits with her legs open, one draped over the armrest.

He goes behind his desk and sits. He lights a cigarette.

GUY: “So. What’s it going to be? Will you do it?”

She searches his eyes. The confidence and poise she had when entering changed to another emotion, one of inner turmoil. Outwardly, it is only subtle. Her eyes, moving, look at him intensely, as if waiting for him to say something.

She wants him to tell her not to do it. But, it has to come from him.

The camera pans out so that they sit looking at each other. Guy takes a drag from his cigarette.

Kath’s demeanor changes. Subtle. But disappointed, and then trying to show it doesn’t bother her, that she is strong, and she will do it to hurt him too. She smiles quickly. Not overdone. More of a nervous smirk. She turns in her chair, now not looking at him.

KATH: “Yeah, I’ll do it!”

The camera focuses on her. Make sure she says this abruptly, almost angry but defeated, almost to spite him, and in her way hurt him as he is hurting her.

The camera shifts to Guy. He takes another drag from the cigarette. And he blows out a large plume of smoke

GUY: “You sure?”

KATH: “Don’t worry. I’ll do it, alright!” (she is angry).

Guy reaches for the pack of cigarettes on his desk and gives it a shake, deftly coaxing a single cigarette to slide partially out from the side opening. Extending his arm towards her, he offers the protruding cigarette. She hesitates, then accepts it reluctantly, delicately placing it between her lips. Guy then rises from his chair and strides around the desk. He perches himself on the edge of the desk, just inches away from her, and with a flick of a match, he ignites the tip of her cigarette.

GUY: “Fine. Be that way.”

He also says with some spite, to hurt her back; having wished she would have refused. It is as if he was waiting for her to say that her love for him would not let her do things like this anymore.

The camera focuses on Kath. Her face. She sardonically nods, accepting. Her nervous smile is replaced with a sad one momentarily. She takes a nervous drag from the cigarette. Meanwhile, the camera pans back. Guy moves to the coat rack. He puts it on. She looks over at him.

GUY: “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

Kath still naked, stands up and grabs her clothing that was draped over the chair and begins to dress.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

5. Preparing the Way

Amber’s plane would be arriving the next day at 6:30 pm. He would get out of work at 4:30, and then head over to JFK to meet her.

Dean had stayed up late that night clearing his office. There wasn’t much space in the two-bedroom apartment, so he had to take over a space in the living room area, which was one connected directly to the dining room. His large collection of Kurst’s books would have to occupy some of the bedrooms and also share space with Lizzy’s books in the living room.

“How can Bronte sisters, Joyce, and Eliot measure up to Kurst?” he asked her with a provocative sleight of hand.

She wasn’t sure if he was serious! But, she let the comment pass.

Throughout the entire moving process, he brooded and pouted. Lizzy tried to cheer him up and also helped with cleaning out the room in preparation for Amber.

“Come on, Dean. It won’t be so bad,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and encouraging him.

She tried to be especially supportive, knowing that this invasion of Dean’s space and workspace was truly affecting him. Moving the desk and monitors was particularly “heartbreaking” — as he would say. She helped him carry the desk into the other room. But, he refused to let her carry the monitors.

There were some photos of the two of them. A few of them were from the filming sessions. In one, he took a series of photos of her while she was semi-naked. Well, she was completely naked, but the photos weren’t lewd. It was of Lizzy just before she had moved in; it was before all this obsession with Kurst. She had just turned 29 and they had recently fallen in love.

“Remember this,” she said, attempting to lighten the mood, showing him the photo.

“Hmm”, he said reluctantly, wanting to break a smile.

She nudged him. “Come on, what happened?”

“Liz. Not now,” he said, trying to continue to feel bad for himself.

“Oh come on,” she cajoled. It made him smile.

“You insisted that we do it in the living room, and….?” she prompted

“And my roommate came home with all his friends.”

He laughed.

“It was so embarrassing,” Lizzy said. She put her arms around him from behind, and then let her head rest against his back.

He took her hand and spun her around, kissing her on the lips.

“Do you still love me like that, Dean?”

“Yeah, of course I do, Lizzy,” he responded. He was not convincing. It was more of a comfortable kind of love.

They stayed like this for a few moments. She had hoped that he would become aroused with her. They hadn’t made love for a while; “make love”, not having sex to record for the movie. Having sex for the Kurst scenes didn’t count. “That wasn’t making love”, she thought.

She stayed in his arms and she reached up and kissed him again.

He responded, but it was not with the passion she had hoped for. After the kiss, they smiled at one another, and then eventually, the embrace dissipated and they went back to moving.

At that moment, he seemed a shell of what he was from those days.

Her mind was flooded with the memories. While she packed the books from the room, it was as if her vision was not focused on what she was doing. Instead, she saw those days in her mind, vivid as if they were happening now.

~~~~~~

Their sex was so inventive. Dean’s imagination was limitless back then for a sexual situation. She was finishing her doctorate in English Lit and they had met at a book presentation.

That day, they were sitting in the campus bar after the class she gave. It was their second week together. He was mad about her.

“So, who is your favorite director?” he asked.

From the wine, she had already become a bit tipsy.

“I don’t know. Maybe Hitchcock.”

“And your favorite movie?”

“Casablanca,” she said. Then she changed her choice, “No, I think ‘Notorious’ with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.”

“Romantic,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

“Yeah,” she giggled like a schoolgirl. Her inhibitions were diminished by the wine. “There are so many others. It is what came to mind.”

“What do you like about it?”

“I want to be kissed like that. I want someone to tell me that they love me and will always want me.”

He leaned and kissed her again, this time on the mouth.

“Mmm…” she said. “That’s a good start. What about you?”

“Depends on the moment. Sometimes Tarkovsky, other times Carruth.”

“How serious!” she said. “And story?”

“Well, at this moment, I am thinking of the ‘Story of O'”.

“Oh my!” Even with the wine, she knew what this meant. “And who would be O?”

“Guess.”

Her nipples tingled. She never harbored ideas of BDSM or fetishes of this kind, but the book ‘Story of O’ was quite erotic. She felt moistness between her legs, thinking of being dominated right then by Dean.

“You would want to dominate me?”

“I think that would be erotic.”

She sipped her wine, trying not to show her excitement. It was her deepest fantasy.

“Call me Master.”

When she heard him say that, she became so aroused. Ever since she read that book, she would masturbate to the idea of being a slave; of being O. She wondered what it would be like to be trained to be constantly available for sex: to be fucked in the ass or pussy, or made to give oral sex and swallow cum.

“Lizzy,” she would whisper to herself as if being trained. “You must always be naked and offer yourself as a lover to any man who belongs to the secret society.” She imagines being regularly stripped, blindfolded, chained, and whipped. Her anus would be filled with large plugs, and her pussy lips would be pierced. Her best orgasms were thinking about being taken by a strong man, forced to be fucked, while she was tied and unable to resist, totally helpless.

Just thinking of this made her horny immediately, wherever she was. Once she was at church, and her mind drifted. She began to imagine that she was O and brought to the altar, stripped, and fucked there in front of the entire congregation. After that, for a month, she attended confession to atone for her sins.

She looked into his eyes. She hesitated. This was a dangerous game. However, they were just playing. Dean wasn’t the dominating type. But at least for the moment, she could pretend and live out her fantasy.

“Alright,” she paused, staring into his eyes. “Master.”

~~~~~~

They were at his apartment, and she continued to play the part. He had found a black ribbon from a cosplay outfit he once used at film school. She was sitting on the couch in the living room. Dean’s roommates were out and said they wouldn’t come back until the next day.

They had opened a bottle of wine, put on some soft music, and lit a candle.

He returned to the room.

“Now, you must start your training. Remove your blouse.”

“Dean, I….”

“Shh… Master.”

She smiled.

“Master, what if your roommates come home?”

“They won’t be home until tomorrow. Now, obey me,” he came and kissed her passionately on the mouth. “I think I am falling for this slave,” he whispered.

He unbuttoned her blouse, slipped it over her shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. He reached behind her and undid the clasps of her bra. She stood there only in her black panties. She felt like O.

“You need to be trained,” he said. “Do you want to be?”

“Yes.”

He turned her and slapped her ass. She was surprised, “Ouch! What was that for?”

“Say it correctly, or you shall be punished.”

She looked at him confused. Then she realized her error.

“Yes, Master.”

“That’s better.”

Dean took out a black ribbon and tied it around her neck. He then tied her wrists behind her. It was so exciting and she trembled with anticipation. The moment was like a fantasy that had come true. She imagined that he was training her to be his submissive slave.

He reached behind her, grasped the sides of her panties, and pulled them down. She felt that she could die from the embarrassment with his face so close to her pussy as he bent to pull them off her feet. However, this humiliation only added to her sexual excitement.

He brought the moist panties to his nose. He inhaled. She closed her eyes. She wanted to die. “What must he think of me?” she thought.

“You smell so aroused, my little slave,” he said, playing the role to perfection.

He took the panties and put them close to her face. They were soaked with her juices. She turned her face away with mild disgust. But he insisted. Even for her, however, the smell of her own sex was intoxicating at that moment.

“Now you will put them in your mouth,” he said. “Open.”

Her eyes became wide as he proceeded to push them gently into her mouth.

When they were stuffed into her mouth, he took a picture of her. She struggled with her hands bound, and he took a few more pictures. But he could tell that Lizzy was enjoying it, so he was not passing any boundaries that she wasn’t willing to cross.

From the wine, they both began to giggle and he pushed her onto the couch. He forced her legs open and kneeled with her legs wide open. He kissed her and then started to lick her pussy. They were both lost in the moment.

Just as she was having an orgasm, the front door opened and Dean’s roommates entered with their girlfriends.

Four people stood there looking at Dean kneeling between Lizzy’s legs, with her hands tied behind her, and shaking from an orgasm. To her surprise and humiliation, she began to squirt pee into Dean’s face.

~~~~~~

She was transported back to the present. Back to the dismantling of Dean’s office. That excitement never seemed so far away, relegated to the confines of her memory. She tried. She tried so hard to rekindle it and bring it back. Even though it was now only a silly fantasy, it still had a spark of excitement and freshness that she so yearned would return to their lives.

Far from being a strong dominant Master, he seemed defeated by his dreams, which had now converted into an obsession. It was as if he were clinging by his fingertips to avoid plummeting into the abyss below.

Then there was the waiting, putting life on hold. His “eternal thesis” remained unfinished, always needing one more piece of information. This had impacted everything, becoming a metaphor for their lives.

During her daydream of lost memories, Lizzy had filled the box with the first row of Kurst books. She picked it up and walked towards the bedroom, her eyes moistening and her nose turning red. She placed the box on the floor and began to remove its contents to arrange them in the bookcase. Books of Kurst. Only books of Kurst.

She put her face in her hands. “What had gone so wrong?” she thought.

She walked silently into the bathroom. First, she looked at herself in the mirror. The blood seemed to drain from her face.

She sat on the floor. She put her head down in her hands. Then, she began to weep uncontrollably.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

6: Dean at his store

The vintage book, record, graphic novel, early IT tech stuff, and memorabilia store — “AL Bums Beats IT” — opened a bit later than usual. Chuck was coming off a tremendous high from the grass he had smoked while Dean woke up earlier to finish preparing Amber’s room.

The store has a huge eclectic mix of graphic novels and comics, many collector items. It has new and back-issue Comics, old and modern video games and systems, vintage and new toys, D&D, magic board Games, used and newly pressed vinyl records, sports card packs and singles, autographs, Japanese Imports, and Posters.

And, they had Kurst graphic novels. Of everything in the store. They had Kurst. That was the most important to Dean.

“Something got into Lizzy”, the night before, according to Dean, because “she started acting weird and shit.” His view of it was that it was bad enough, but then she got all emotional.

~~~~~~

“Lizzy, are you ok in there?” he asked from outside the bathroom.

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

When she came out her eyes were puffy and Dean knew she had been crying.

“Sorry about all this,” he said. “About Amber and shit.”

“It’s not that.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“But you were crying.”

“Today it has been five years since we started to live together,” she said.

Dean looked confused. He wasn’t sure if she was going to say something more. He wasn’t doing it to be bad, but what Lizzy was trying to say escaped him.

“And?”

“Never mind.”

After that, she stayed a bit longer in the bathroom.

“Strange shit,” Dean thought.

Dean felt that he had done something wrong or offended her, but didn’t know what it was. He went back to setting up the computer in the living room and cleaning out the closet.

~~~~~~

That morning, he opened the store and got it up and running. Even in the first hour of the morning, customers began to enter, which was unusual. The first customer approached the counter with three books by Kurst. Following suit, the next customer bought a couple of books, also by the same author. Soon, all the customers were coming to the counter with various volumes of the graphic novel series by Kurst.

This was not only unusual, but Kurst’s books were never this popular. Dean was so busy, he didn’t have time to even comment to Chuck.

At one point, Chuck emerged from the backroom to unpack some boxes of merchandise that had arrived that morning.

“Like, hey Dude! You see the news on Kurst’s website this morning?” Chuck asked while carrying the boxes of new vinyls. His long hair covered his eyes.

“No. What do you mean?” Dean responded slightly annoyed. Here he was connected continually, and the biggest Kurst fan, and he was not the first one to know. “My niece is coming, so I was up late last night and early this morning moving my office.”

“Shit Dude!! That’s a drag,” Chuck said, with a nerdy giggle, aloof to the real concern of Dean and for his annoyance. “Kids are always a drag. My brother has got a kid. A real bummer, man!”

“Well, she is not really a kid,” he said, remembering Lizzy’s comment from the night before. “So what is the news?”

“What news?”

Chuck’s attention may have been diminished from so many years of smoking pot. Or, it could have been from the joint he smoked just before coming out of the storeroom. In any case, his retention was at the level of a fish.

“About Kurst,” Dean said. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, that,” he giggled.

Dean waited. Talking with Chuck was worse than going to the dentist’s office.

“Nah, man, just that he said he will publish a scene today and at 6:30 pm he will be giving a live stream,” Chuck said as he pulled the vinyls from the box. “I figured you knew.”

“Shit,” was all Dean said.

This was the icing on the cake for Dean. Here he was, the number one fan, and the day and time that a live stream goes to announce a new graphic novel series, he will be at JFK to pick up his chubby niece.

On top of everything, the store sold more Kurst novels in one day than they had in the entire time they were open. This turned out to be the most significant day in the history of Kurst’s works, yet he would be sitting in JFK, waiting for the arrival of a ‘blimp’.

“Christ’s sake,” he whispered to himself, just thinking of it.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

7: (House of Scent A1.S3) Chick Smart and crime scene

ACT 1: Scene 3:

The scene is at the office of Chick Smart, the detective on the East Side, 3rd Avenue. It is modern, contrasting with the gritty environment of Guy’s office. Kath and Guy arrive there. The camera angle first shows them entering the office. Chick is behind his desk. When they enter, he rises and walks towards them to greet them formally.

CHICK: “Good morning.”

He looks at Guy. Then he turns slightly towards Kath.

GUY: “This here is Kath.”

Chick extends his hand and shakes hers.

CHICK: “It’s a pleasure, my dear. Guy has told me about you. Please sit.”

Kath offers a quick, courteous smile and thanks him. They both take seats in the chairs in front of his desk. He then returns to his chair, sits down, pulls out a cigarette, and offers one to his visitors. Guy accepts, while Kath declines.

GUY: “So what do you got?”

Chick sits up straight, shifting from his happy demeanor to a more professional one. He pulls out a folder from the side of the desk, opens it, and spreads out the photos contained within.

CHICK: “Nasty stuff. Young girl. Found dead. Strangled. Sex crime or at least it seems that way. In a Chinese restaurant. Downtown. The Green Dragon. We believe it could be linked to two other murders. Same way. BDSM style. Cuffed and beaten. The whole ball of wax.”

He selects one of the photos and puts it in front of Guy and Kath. The camera now focuses on the photo in Guy’s hand. In the photo is the body of a dead naked young woman, with signs of serious physical abuse. Her face is black and blue, and on her body are whip marks, her wrists cuffed, hanging from her wrists on a hook in a bathroom next to a urinal. Around her neck is a black ribbon that was used to strangle her. Emerging from her mouth is a black cloth that upon close examination are women’s panties.

GUY: “Who is she?”

After Guy put it back on the desk, Kath picked it up and looked at the photo. She couldn’t hide the horror in her face at the poor young girl’s fate.

CHICK: “Don’t know. Initial police reports say she was a prostitute. But, we’re still working on it.”

GUY: “What do you mean?”

CHICK: “Well, we got a call. Anonymous. A young woman. Distressed. Claims that the dead girl was not a prostitute but was forced against her wishes. Implied it was a kidnapping. The caller was in a hurry. Seemed like she was calling from an unsafe place.”

KATH: “Did the caller know this girl?”

CHICK: “That I still don’t know. Working on it. But the caller was under the impression that the investigation was being hushed-up like. Didn’t say why. I tried to ask her, but before she could tell me, it seemed someone had entered the room where she was and she said she had to go. Scared like. Ya know?”

The camera angle shifts suddenly. It now focuses on Guy and Kath. They look at the photo again.

GUY: “Got anything else? That’s not much to go on.”

CHICK: “There is something else. The ribbon and the panties had a strong smell of perfume. Maybe it isn’t significant. But, my intuition is that it has something to do with the death. Some kind of warning.”

GUY: “Why would you think that? If she’s a prostitute, I mean. Kinda natural, don’t you think? If the girl was forced to be a prostitute, then she may have been perfumed for her clients.”

CHICK: “Well, I would have thought so too, but before she hung up, our anonymous caller had become startled, making it obvious someone was coming. Just before hanging up, she whispered something. It sounded like she said ‘The House of Scent’.”

The camera focuses on the image of the girl again, moving towards the black ribbon and the panties in her mouth.

Then the camera angle is behind Chick, looking at Guy.

GUY: “Do you have the ribbon and panties?”

The camera shifts to a frontal view of Chick, taken behind Guy. Chick looks at him hesitantly.

CHICK: “I shouldn’t have these. I have to return them to the coroner’s office in an hour.”

The camera shot widens to include the three people in the scene. Chick opens his bottom drawer. He pulls out a manila envelope. He hands it to Guy. Guy opens it. The camera focuses on its contents. He puts his hand in and pulls out the contents. They are the black ribbon used to strangle the girl and the black panties that were in the girl’s mouth.

The camera now shows a frontal scene of Guy and Kath. He puts the fabric of both the ribbon and panties to his nose. Then hands it to Kath.

KATH: “I don’t recognize it.”

Guy: “Can we take one of these?”

The camera moves and focuses on Chick. He nods his head.

CHICK: “No chance. I have to return them. As it is, they could accuse me of tampering with evidence!”

The camera shifts to Guy and Kath. Guy looks at Kath. His gaze moves down her body, then down her body to her dress, and her crotch. She watches his gaze and understands.

Now the camera focuses on Kath. She stands up. Lifts her skirt in front of the men. Puts her hand underneath her dress and removes her panties. They are black and a nearly exact match to the panties of the victim, except for the perfume scent.

She puts them on Chick’s desk. Guy, still holding the victim’s panties, puts them in his jacket pocket.

The camera shifts to focus on Chick. Apart from his surprise and arousal at seeing Kath’s pussy, his expression is of resignation, giving the impression that he is accustomed to Guy’s cavalier manner of handling cases.

The camera shifts to the couple again. Guy pats his jacket pocket with the panties tucked neatly inside.

GUY: “We’ll use these to see what we can dig up.”

The camera angle gets narrow, focusing on Chick. He is blown away by the erotic scene of a beautiful woman like Kath lifting her dress and for a brief moment exposing herself like that.

Kath feels humiliated, but sits up straight and regains her composure to continue the meeting with Chick.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

8: Dean’s outbound to JFK

After work, Dean headed to the train station. From there, he planned to take the AirTran to the airport and wait for Amber. It had been so long since they last met that he wasn’t sure he would recognize her.

“I’ll just look for a chubby blimp,” he thought, spitefully.

In reality, he was still sore at his sister for leaving her daughter with him. He held nothing against Amber, but found himself inadvertently taking it out on her. He reminded himself that he needed to be nice to her.

To make his life easier, he created a large index card with Amber’s name written on it.

He took the AirTran to JFK, Terminal 4, where her flight was scheduled to arrive at 6:30 pm. During his trip, he planned to write on his blog. There was speculation that Kurst would soon complete the remaining scenes of the new novel, and he wanted to stay ahead of the news.

He retrieved his laptop from his backpack and powered it on. Navigating to Kurst’s webpage, he was greeted by a massive banner dominating the screen, announcing the impending release of new scenes for the latest and unfinished series by Kurst.

“Christ,” Dean cursed an audible whisper, frustrated that here he was the biggest fan, and he seemed to be the last person on the planet to know.

He pulled up the fan forum and noticed many new threads started by a bunch of “unknown blog users.” As the most avid fan, he was discouraged to find so many discussions, none of which he had time to lead or participate in. This made him feel like an outsider. Suddenly, he felt as if all his past efforts had been futile, as though he was in the dark about the topic in which he was the world expert.

“It isn’t fair,” he whispered, defeated.

As the banners and threads on the forum proclaimed, there was to be an announcement by Kurst that would be live-streamed on the site, allowing users to send in their comments. This would be followed by a live interview with Kurst, where fan participation was encouraged.

Dean glanced at his watch. Amber was due to arrive at 6:30 pm. It would take them at least half an hour to exit JFK, and another half hour or more to reach the apartment. By then, the event would be over.

There was nothing that could be done.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

9: (House of Scent A1.S4) Crooked Copper

ACT 1: Scene 4:

This is another flashback scene into Guy’s past. The scene takes place just before he is charged with taking bribes. He is in an Italian restaurant, called Luigi’s. The place is crowded. Guy is slightly younger in this scene. He is full of energy and a rising star. His brilliance at discovering cases is well known in the police force in the city.

(Exterior restaurant — day) The shot opens on a bustling 1940s New York City corner, characteristic of the era and this part of the city. The camera captures the restaurant’s exterior, showcasing outdoor tables adjacent to the building.

(Interior restaurant — continuous) The scene shifts inside Luigi’s restaurant. The camera pans across the interior, revealing numerous tables draped in white tablecloths, all occupied by well-dressed patrons.

The camera is focused on Guy, Frank, and Johnny, at a table. They are all plainclothes policemen in the same department. Homicide and organized crime detectives.

FRANK: “So, let me get this straight. You’re saying that the “old man” is connected to the beat down on Mott St? Not only that, you have some evidence to prove it?”

Frank refers to the “old man” as one of the high-ranking politicians in the mayor’s office. His right-hand man.

The camera pans to Guy and includes Johnny, to get his reaction.

GUY (YOUNGER): “I don’t have the evidence yet.”

The camera transitions to Frank, showing a look of incredulity and doubting the hubris of Guy.

FRANK: “Don’t be the hot shot. Folks down at the DA won’t look too kindly with such claims. You’ll get your ass kicked.”

The camera returns quickly to Guy.

GUY (YOUNGER): “What, I’m saying is that there seems to be a connection between (Dean leans in..) “old man Walker” guys and Quinn Sharp. I saw one of his guys with Sharp. They were arguing. Sharp got up and left all haughty. The next day, Sharp’s longtime whore girlfriend is found strangled in her bed, when he had been seen with her that night.”

FRANK: “So, what are you saying? That the old man is blackmailing? That is a bit of a stretch, Guy. Maybe he was working for the mob. You don’t have any evidence. It is all speculation on your part. I’m telling ya, friend, you better be careful.”

GUY (YOUNGER): “I don’t know, but my contact said that now they got the ok for the construction on the buildings to continue. It’s for some big public project. A school for orphans or young teen mothers. Or some shit like that. But it is a lot of cash for what it is. I mean, what the fuck are they building? A five-star hotel for a bunch of orphaned kids? I say it’s a front.”

FRANK: “Alright. I’ll talk to the boss and see if we can do a stake-out.”

GUY (YOUNGER): It’s got to be soon. This is moving fast. The trail will get cold.

FRANK: “Alright, alright. Calm down. We’ll get the paperwork done after lunch for this weekend.”

~~~~~~

The next scene shows Guy being arraigned on Friday of the same week. He is standing before a judge.

JUDGE: “The court suspends the duties of Lt. Guy Clinch until a proper trial can be arranged, on the charges of bribery and racketeering.”

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

10: Amber arrives

Dean arrived at Terminal 4’s Arrivals section precisely at 6:30. He checked his watch and then his phone, which was connected to Kurst’s page. He figured that by the time Amber disembarked from the plane and collected her luggage, he could catch the beginning of the announcement.

He waited. As a few minutes passed, a scrolling text message appeared on the webpage, indicating that Kurst’s announcement would be delayed by 15 to 20 minutes.

“Christ!” Dean cursed.

It seemed as though all the forces of nature were conspiring to prevent him from attending. Disgusted, he turned off his phone and tucked it into his coat pocket.

~~~~~~

Passengers started to stream out of the arrival gate, and Dean’s eyes scanned each one, searching for a young, overweight woman who could be his niece, Amber.

Initially, well-dressed business travelers, likely from first and business classes, streamed through the gate. As the crowd became more diverse, a variety of young women around Amber’s age began to appear.

Several girls emerged who could match the image he had conjured in his mind. Suddenly, one caught his attention. With her red hair and significant build, she seemed about 19 — a perfect match for the Amber he envisioned. Dean started waving and held up his makeshift “Amber” sign.

The girl glanced his way, but her attention quickly shifted and she joyfully reunited with a family member up ahead.

Dean continued to wait, eyeing each new face with anticipation. Several more young women who resembled his imagined Amber passed by, none giving his sign more than a fleeting glance.

As the flow of passengers began to dwindle, Dean lowered his sign.

He looked at his watch. “Shit,” he thought. “She is not coming. Maybe she missed her plane.” He started to silently curse his sister up and down.

~~~~~~

He stood there, checking his phone. While agitated, he noticed that Kurst’s announcement had begun. Suddenly, he lost all sense of his surroundings, his concentration entirely focused on Kurst taking the podium.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Kurst began. “I want to thank you for attending…”

It was only the second time he had seen Kurst “in person”, so he was thoroughly engrossed.

“I want to announce…”

Dean’s concentration was abruptly interrupted as he sensed someone standing in front of him.

“Uncle Dean?”

He looked up and saw the prettiest young woman he had ever seen. It was Amber, whom he had dismissively referred to in his mind just moments before as “the blimp.”

~~~~~~

Amber was dressed in a short denim skirt that accentuated her skinny and athletic legs, paired with a white fitted blouse. Her hair, a rich brown auburn, was styled in a ponytail, and her eyes were a striking blue-gray.

“Amber.”

She put her arms around him and hugged him. Dean was so surprised he was awkward. He regained his senses and hugged her back. Holding her sexy body was divine.

“I’m so happy to see you, Uncle Dean,” she said. “I missed you so much.”

“My God, Amber! You have grown into a beautiful young woman,” he said. Later, after saying it he chastised himself for sounding like a typical old person.

She hugged him tightly, kissed him many times on the cheek, and didn’t let go. Finally, after a few moments, she let up.

Clearly, Amber’s affectionate nature was far more pronounced than that of most people. Being with her was so transformative that Dean wondered how he could have ever reacted negatively to the idea of her coming to stay with them.

At that moment, Dean forgot all about Kurst and everything else, for that matter.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

11: The guest and catalyst of change

They arrived home where Lizzy was already busy preparing dinner for the three of them. At the sound of the door, she was cutting vegetables for the salad. Setting the knife down, she cleaned her hands and went to the door to greet their new guest.

Dean’s vivid and erroneous descriptions had shaped Lizzy’s expectations of Amber. But as Amber entered, Lizzy’s eyes widened in surprise. Amber was far prettier than she could have ever imagined.

“Hello Amber,” she said. “I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Lizzy.”

As Dean maneuvered her luggage through the door, Lizzy reached out awkwardly for a handshake, not sure about the most appropriate greeting. However, Amber, brimming with excitement, swiftly closed the distance between them and enveloped Lizzy in a warm embrace.

“Hi Aunty Lizzy,” Amber greeted her enthusiastically. “I’m so glad to finally know you.”

~~~~~~

Amber immediately started addressing Lizzy as “Aunty Lizzy.”

Lizzy, slightly startled and pleasantly surprised, looked over at Dean and then back to Amber.

“I hope you don’t mind if I call you Aunty”, her expression softened. “It’s just that I’ve never really had much family besides Dean. Do say it’s okay!”

“Of course it’s ok,” Lizzy smiled. “I like it. A lot.”

Dean watched this exchange, a look of amusement crossing his face. He could see Amber’s genuine nature was already affecting Lizzy.

“Come, let me show you to your room,” Lizzy said, leading Amber down the hallway. Amber followed, her luggage trailing behind her. Once in the room, she placed her bags down and quickly returned to the dining area.

The aroma of dinner drifted through the air as they sat down at the table. Lizzy had prepared a vegetarian meal.

“This smells amazing, Aunty Lizzy,” Amber said, her eyes looking into the kitchen.

~~~~~~

Amidst the flurry of Amber’s arrival, Dean had almost forgotten about Kurst’s announcement that afternoon. Somehow, it didn’t feel as significant now that he had missed it. He logged onto the site and scanned the headline, quickly reading through the article.

“The announcement revealed that Kurst is launching a new website. He plans to publish the series online, adopting a vlog-style approach for a more interactive experience with fans.”

Dean’s anxieties resurfaced, filled with a renewed sense of urgency by the news. The color drained from his face as he contemplated the challenge of keeping up with the new content to maintain his status as the principal fan. There was also his film project to consider; if the content changed too rapidly, his project could become obsolete. Moreover, with Amber now living with them, he worried he wouldn’t have the time to dedicate to the project with the intensity needed or be able to film Lizzy in the sex scenes.

He returned to the table to rejoin the others.

~~~~~~

As they ate, they asked Amber many questions about her life in the past few years. They had some white wine, and it made Amber a bit lightheaded, but more relaxed.

Amber ate very little and mostly moved the food around the plate. She told her story between small bites.

“Well, you know Mom,” she said. “We never stayed settled in the same place. First, we were in Nepal. It was ok. Kind of lonely. I was there for a while without her,” she paused as if needing to think about it, “in…..” she paused more, “a catholic mission school. Then we spent a few years in Thailand and after that in Hong Kong. We had been there for about four or five years until going to the States on the West Coast just last month.”

“That sounds fascinating. What kind of work did your mom do there?” Lizzy inquired.

Amber offered a casual smile but was cagey. “Oh, you know, a bit of this and that,” she paused. “Selling things,” she added. Her smile seemed to carry a hope that this topic wouldn’t continue and her response would suffice.

“And your Dad?”

With the mention of her father, the brightness in her face and her voice faltered slightly. “He’s… well, he’s sick. He was there in California. It’s been tough for him. It’s not his fault.”

Lizzy and Dean exchanged a glance, choosing to change the subject.

“We are so happy that you are going to live with us,” Lizzy interjected.

“Oh, but I won’t be a burden and as soon as I find a job and can afford an apartment, I will leave,” she said.

“That’s not necessary, Amber,” Lizzy said. “This is your home now and you can stay here as long as you want.”

Amber beamed. “Thank you, Aunty and Uncle.”

Lizzy found it strange. At that moment, it wasn’t Amber but rather herself who suddenly felt as though she had found a family.

~~~~~~

During the dinner, they continued to drink more wine and reminisce about Dean’s family and when Amber had visited the previous time. Amber was already a little bit tipsy.

For these brief moments, something that had not occurred in a while, Dean found himself forgetting about the pressure of his obsessive film project. The frustrations of Amber coming to stay with them seemed to disappear completely.

He recounted the day he took Amber to the zoo during the time she came to visit.

“I think you were eight,” he said.

Amber was pleased to remember. “Yeah, something like that. Or seven. Not sure. But, I remember it as if it were yesterday.”

Well, we were standing there, and one of the monkeys suddenly started mimicking Amber’s gestures. Every time she moved her hand, the monkey did the same.” He turned to her smiling. “You loved that and said it was like watching a mirror!”

Amber, remembering the incident, laughed. “It was hilarious! I started waving, and the monkey waved back. Then I jumped, and so did the monkey! Then I tapped you on the head, and the monkey picked up a banana and threw it at you, hitting you on the forehead!”

They all laughed.

“I heard there are lots of macaques in Thailand,” Lizzy said to Amber.

“Oh yes,” she responded happily, giggling perhaps from the wine and with the recollection of her youth. “In Thailand, particularly in certain areas, it’s not uncommon to see monkeys roaming the streets. They are all over the place! They go into the stores and temples and even into homes.” She laughed. “But the foreigners don’t like them at all.”

Amid the effect of the wine and the comfortable feeling, perhaps too comfortable, Amber recounted an amusing anecdote. “I remember this one time, a couple of monkeys sneaked into the Thai girl’s room next to mine. The poor British guy she was with ran out into the street still completely naked, with his clothes between his arms, screaming, as the monkeys got away with his wallet. Behind him, was Buppha, running after him completely naked because he hadn’t paid her yet. All the rest of us came out and couldn’t stop laughing. Poor Buppha, though!” she laughed.

In this story, both Dean and Lizzy laughed to mask the accidental reveal, but their amusement was cut short as they exchanged a knowing look, heavy with unspoken thoughts. Amber, still giggling, took another sip of her wine, oblivious to the silent communication between the two. She was perhaps also unaware of how much she had inadvertently disclosed. Their fleeting yet meaningful glance conveyed all the information that words couldn’t express.

“My God,” Lizzy thought. “It can’t be. Damn it. Please, don’t make it so. Could her mom — Dean’s sister — have been driven to this?”

Lizzy exerted every effort to conceal it, but she suddenly felt faint. She sipped water, smiled, and couldn’t even recall what she had just said. For a brief moment, time seemed to slow down infinitely, and every sound was magnified. Her own breathing sounded as loud as a hurricane.

Amber’s past appeared to be far more opaque and dark than she described. Was she aware? Didn’t she realize her small story revealed where she had lived and most probably been forced to work?

She was still so naive in so many ways, and at that moment, Lizzy wanted to take her in her arms and hold her. “This poor girl,” she thought.

However, it didn’t seem to have the impact on Dean that Lizzy would have expected. He seemed to transition into another topic as if he didn’t understand or think twice about the implications of Amber’s story.

~~~~~~

Breaking a lull in the conversation, Amber spoke. “Uncle Dean, tell me about your film. Will it be ready soon?”

“I had this idea of putting the graphic novels of Daniel Kurst to film.”

“What are they about?” Amber asked.

Dean slipped a glance toward Lizzy, making it clear that he wouldn’t tell her that the novels were erotic.

“Well, they are based upon a noir detective in the 1940s of New York City.”

Amber, intrigued, her face animated and she leaned in. “Oh, I love detective stories! Like the Big Sleep and Notorious. It’s my favorite. Is it like that?”

“Well,” Dean paused, “Yeah, sort of. Kurst has his own style. Well, kind of kinky and very raw. But he does it with good taste. He’s brilliant.”

“Oh, kinky. Wow, that sounds fun,” she giggled. “But, it sounds like a big undertaking to film a movie,” Amber said with interest. “And to have actors and actresses.”

“I am doing concept pieces so that I can get financed for the main production. So, I have a bunch of scenes from the Kurst’s previous series that I am now editing into a full work. It has become somewhat of an obsession for me.”

“Wow! That sounds so interesting.”

Dean was happy he had an audience. “Lizzy has acted in some of the scenes.”

Amber looked at her. “I can imagine. Aunty Lizzy is so beautiful. She is like Lauren Bacall. Well, much prettier.”

“Hardly,” interjected Lizzy, suddenly blushing.

“Will your film be done soon?”

“We just filmed what was going to be the last scene two days ago. Now, I am not sure.”

“Why?”

“I was following this announcement today. It’s about Daniel Kurst’s new project. He created an online, subscriber-only platform for his latest works. Today, however, he announced that the works will be constantly evolving, like a Vlog. Whenever new scenes are released on his page, I will adapt them into a movie.”

Lizzy listened, a surprised look in her eyes. “This is new to me,” she added.

Amber, intrigued, leaned in. “So, what’s the new series about?”

Dean explained, “Nobody really knows yet. Up until now, he only had one scene. Kurst published the first scene of what was meant to be a series of ten novels. But then, suddenly, there were no more releases. So, there has been some speculation that maybe he had given up.”

He took a sip of wine and continued, “The first scene is typical Kurst and based on the characters from his previous graphic novel series. It starts with a woman who is murdered and found in a Chinese restaurant with a black ribbon around her neck, strangled, as well as other signs. They receive an anonymous phone call and mention the ‘House of Scent’, but no other parts of the series have been published.”

“It sounds so intriguing. And, it’s not finished?”

“He said he’d finish it but never specified when,” Dean continued. “Some think it’s to build hype. His popularity has spiked. Well, there are critics too. But nobody knows why all of a sudden there aren’t any new scenes. Maybe we will know soon.”

Lizzy sat silent. She worried that this new sense of urgency for producing more films would begin to control her life even more.

It was as though Kurst was scripting and controlling her and Dean. Day by day, she was transforming into Kath.

She yearned to regain control and not let Kath be her destiny.

“Maybe Amber will be the change we need,” she thought. “To bring balance back into our lives.”

~~~~~~

After dinner, Dean went and worked on his computer, while both Amber and Lizzy went to change into pajamas.

Lizzy in her nightgown, was sitting on the couch reading when Amber emerged from her room with a slightly oversized t-shirt, but that barely covered her. She came over and sat on the couch next to Lizzy. She brought her sketchbook with her. She pulled the t-shirt down, so it wouldn’t ride up exposing her while sitting.

“I hope I won’t bother you sitting here, Aunty Lizzy,” she said.

“Of course not,” Lizzy said. “I hope you don’t mind the television. It is just for some background noise, so I could turn it off.”

“No. It’s fine.”

Amber opened her book and wrote an entry of her thoughts, and her trip, and also made some sketches.

Lizzy occasionally would steal a glance, but didn’t feel she should intrude. There would be enough time. She noticed that Amber had pulled up her legs, which had the effect of exposing her. Lizzy could see that Amber was not wearing panties and her pussy could be seen.

While they sat together, Dean busied himself organizing his books and arranging his makeshift office in the corner of the living room, situated near the window just behind them.

At one point, Amber closed her sketchbook and placed it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. The combination of the trip and the wine she had enjoyed during dinner had left her feeling tired, and she soon closed her eyes.

Gradually, her head drooped onto the pillow opposite Lizzy. Sensing this, Lizzy gently shifted towards the end of the sofa to give Amber more room to relax. Slowly and comfortably, Amber adjusted her position so that she was lying on the sofa and eventually drifted off to sleep.

However, now Amber’s shirt had ridden up, completely exposing her. Lizzy looked over at her and saw Amber naked, with her pussy exposed. Her wispy pubic hair was the color of auburn, slightly lighter than her hair. Lizzy tried to pull the t-shirt down without waking her, however, Amber shifted her position and her pussy was uncovered again.

Just then, Dean came and sat on the wingback chair next to the sofa. He looked at the two of them. Noticing immediately that Amber was practically naked, he looked at Lizzy. In more earnest, Lizzy tried to pull the t-shirt down to at least cover her. However, from Dean’s angle, he could easily see her pussy underneath the t-shirt.

“Dean,” Lizzy whispers. “Stop looking!”

“I can’t help it,” is all he said. He looked at her pussy a final time and stood up. “OK, I will go to the computer.”

Lizzy thought she detected a bulge in his pants. “He just got hard looking at his niece,” she thought.

In her slumber state, Amber moved again, once again making the t-shirt ride up. This time, Lizzy looked at her pussy and noticed a mark on her body. It was underneath her thin pubic hair, but even though it was subtle it could be seen just above her clit.

Lizzy looked at Amber. She seemed to be sleeping, so she carefully reached over and touched Amber’s pussy mound, trying to part her pubic hairs to see the mark. Although it was still covered with strands of hair, Lizzy could make out that it was a Chinese character. It wasn’t a tattoo, but rather a branding mark that had been burnt into her skin. Suddenly, Amber moved and Lizzy retracted her hand.

When Amber stirred this time, she sat up. Lizzy thought that Amber might have realized that Lizzy had been touching her pussy mound. However, in her sleep, Amber shifted position, lying back down on the sofa but now with her head resting in Lizzy’s lap. As she did so, her hair cascaded over her face.

Lizzy responded with affection, gently running her fingers through Amber’s hair to brush it away from her eyes. She carefully pulled the strands back to make Amber more comfortable. In the process, Lizzy spotted a small tattoo hidden behind Amber’s ear, usually concealed by her thick auburn hair. It contained the same Chinese character that was branded into her skin just above her pussy as well as some other Chinese characters.

After some time, Dean came back to the chair. It seemed that they both were enjoying this new addition to their lives. Lizzy had her eyes closed, so he sat and looked at Amber’s exposed pussy without worrying that Lizzy would see him. At least for a few moments.

It was already late, and soon they would need to go to bed, as both had to be up early for work in the morning. But, Dean was so engrossed in the view of Amber’s naked body that he was in no hurry to get up.

His cock was hard as a rock.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

12. (House of Scent A1.S5) Love is blind, Kath

ACT 1: Scene 5: The scene is still in Chick’s office. It follows the last scene. Guy asks what idea Chick has.

The camera angle is wide, including Chick, Kath, and Guy. It zooms in to Chick, as he flicks a match, igniting the end of his cigarette. He took a deep inhale and exhaled, filling the room with a thick swirl of smoke.

GUY: “So, what’s your idea, Chick?”

Chick picked up the pack of cigarettes from his desk, giving it a gentle shake. With a skillful movement, he flips the pack so that a single cigarette protrudes slightly from the side opening. A movement that he has done hundreds of times. He then reached out, offering another cigarette to Guy with a subtle gesture.

The camera shifts to a frontal scene, focused on both Guy and Kath. Guy smokes the cigarette.

The camera shifts back to Chick.

CHICK: “We need someone to go deep undercover. Get on the inside.”

The camera now pans out to include all of them. Kath listens, wishing for Guy to interject, to protect her from this dangerous and kinky proposition of her to be a prostitute again.

KATH (thinking): “Tell him not me, Guy. Not Kath. I’m not like that anymore.”

But Guy remains silent, his gaze fixed on her.

KATH (thinking): “Say something. Tell me not to go. Tell me that you love me too much and you won’t allow it.”

Guy waits, hoping she will refuse.

CHICK: “Kath has to become one of the girls at the club. She’ll go undercover, gain the underworld’s trust.”

Kath feels a mix of anticipation and dread. She had hoped Guy would set boundaries, but he doesn’t.

KATH (thinking): “I never thought it would mean returning to that life, especially for a situation so dangerous.”

She looks at Guy, silently pleading with him to object.

Guy, deep down, hopes Kath will express her love for him, declaring it too much and that she won’t do it.

KATH (feeling hurt and wanting to hurt Guy too): “Yeah. I’ll do it.” (She says this now to spite him, addressing Chick directly and making it clear that Guy’s opinion does not influence her decision.)

Her agreement is also a test, a way to see if it affects Guy as deeply as it does her.

The camera focuses on a frontal shot of Guy and Kath. She looks at him.

During all this, Chick is unaware of the complex dynamic between Kath and Guy that is unfolding in front of his eyes.

KATH: “Love is blind.” (She smiles. It is a brief nervous smile. She says this with some remorse but maintains her act.)

Guy looked at her. He wanted it to be different. He wanted her to refuse. A love test. It should be her decision. But, he immediately convinced himself that love doesn’t change anyone.

KATH: “Isn’t it Guy?”

GUY: “Skip it, kid.”

Kath looks down and closes her purse. She prepares to stand up.

The camera focuses on Kath. A tear forms in her eyes.

The couple stand.

GUY: “We’ll be in touch. So long.”

CHICK: “Alright. Start with Chinatown.”

The couple turns and leaves the office.

Chick looks at Kath’s panties that are still on his desk. He picks them up and notices they are moist. He puts them to his nose, closing his eyes and savoring her scent. The scent of her pussy fills him and it clearly arouses him.

After a few moments, he rubs the ribbon over them to transfer some of the scents of the perfume and then slips them into the folder to return the items to the coroner’s lab.

The camera pans out and then fades.