The Cult

"This is what you wanted, right?" Bethany asked.

"Exactly."

Lilith spoke up. "It's so plain and ugly. Why would you want it like this?"

"Sometimes you don't want the distractions that a fancy room like the other ones have. You want to live simply. Besides, this space may never get used. Why spend a lot of money fixing up something you don't need? If anyone were ever to move in here, we could always decorate it then."

I looked to see if I could notice the surveillance equipment. I figured it had to be hidden behind the vents because it was invisible to me. Which was good.

We took a tour of the outside area, where more work was still being done. The front landscaping had been spruced up, and a walking path had been gravel lined through the center of the property. There were two new resting areas, one at a gorgeous fountain, where we took a break to enjoy the changes. The second was at a gazebo near the back of the property. The gazebo was large, octagonal shaped, with benches on six sides, three to each side of the entrance, and a large seat at the back. Exactly as I'd requested.

Yes, everything was coming together.

* * *

Later, after the tour, and a decadent massage from my keepers, I was informed we'd be having guests for dinner. I guess I didn't look pleased.

Bethany grabbed my arm, clutching it tightly. "Please don't be mad, Joshua. It's just a couple of friends who helped with the moving. I felt I owed it to them, for all they did."

"I'm not mad, Bethany, I'd simply prefer to be included in these decisions."

Lilith was more assertive. "You keep telling us this is our house too. Are we going to have to get permission anytime we want to have a guest?"

"No, but it is common courtesy to make decisions like dinners and parties together. Is that really too much to ask?"

Bethany glared at her sister. "Not at all. It was a last minute decision since we were taking the day off. It wouldn't interfere with your work. I can cancel if you want."

"No, that's not necessary, and I'm not mad," I said, looking pointedly at Lilith. "All I'm suggesting is that if we, any of us, would like to have more than one or two people over, we discuss it. That's all." I gave Bethany a reassuring hug. "I'm happy you're feeling comfortable enough to invite others over. I'm sure it will be delightful."

Lilith, pain in my ass Lilith, still wasn't happy. "So what's the deal, Joshua? I can have one or maybe even two people over, but if it's three, I have to make an appointment?"

"You're my conscience, Lilith my love. You can have a dozen people over if you think that's what we need. If you believe it will further our work, invite the whole city over. If you don't think it will interfere with our progress, fill the place. You know what's best. I trust you to do what's right. I'll make do, no matter what. Don't let my little project interfere with your social life."

I saw her face flush, and I could tell she was about to lose it. It seemed like a good time to reassert my moral authority. I turned away from her and took a step, before halting abruptly. I heard Bethany snap at her sister, reminding her that in three years she'd never had more than one friend over.

Me, I stood stock still, awkwardly posed mid-step, while I composed my next words. I was determined to hold that pose as long as I could. Bethany shrieked and ran over grabbing my arm, almost knocking me over. "Lilith!" she screamed.

Then Lilith was there grabbing my other arm. She looked over at her sister. "I didn't do anything."

"You think He doesn't know what's going on in your heart? Why are you trying to make things difficult?"

"I'm not, I was just--"

My leg ached. I figured it was long enough. I finished my step and looked around trying to portray confusion. I looked at Lilith, stood up straight and spoke in a steady monotone, lowering my voice a full octave, enunciating carefully. "Monday through Friday, the living space shall be off-limits to guests until sunset. No more than two guests each eve. They are required to leave by midnight. Saturdays, no guests until midday. More than two must be by mutual agreement. Dinner is open to all. Sunday, the Scribe shall not work. Any and all guests are welcome. They must leave by ten o'clock the following morning. Do not defile my temple. Do not interfere with my works. Any deviations from my rules must be approved by the Conscience. That is my final word."

The women looked on in amazement as I spoke. As soon as I was done, I staggered to the side then fell to my hands and knees. I started breathing heavily and struggled to stand up until Bethany helped me.

I looked around, lost. "What happened?"

Bethany looked over at her sister, "You don't know?"

"We were talking about dinner ..."

Lilith raised her hand to her mouth, her eyes open wide, stepping away from me. "I ... I'm sorry," she gasped.

I reached toward her. "What's wrong? What's going on?" Honestly, I was having a difficult time keeping a straight face. They couldn't really be buying this, could they?

Bethany was shaking like a leaf in the wind. I reached for her and she pulled away, then dropped to her knees. "He spoke to us. Through you."

I shook my head. "No, I remember when he speaks to me. Forever. I've never forgotten a single word he's said. I can't."

I reached for Bethany, and she scrambled away from me on her hands and knees. I wasn't expecting that. "What's wrong Bethany? Surely you're not afraid of me." I looked over toward Lilith who looked white as a sheet. She went to help her sister up.

"Talk to me!" I insisted. "What happened? Why can't I remember?"

Bethany clung to her younger sister, suddenly crying. "I ... I think he's mad at us," Lilith said.

Bethany only sobbed louder.

"Why? How? What did he say?" I snapped.

"We defiled his temple. We interfered with his work. Sunday is for rest. I ... think he's really mad," Lilith whispered. "We didn't mean to, Joshua. I swear. We would never interfere with what you're doing. Never. Please, you have to understand." I saw tears in her eyes, and she was shaking almost as hard as her sister.

Bethany tore herself out of her sister's arms and collapsed at my feet, clinging to my leg. "Please, Joshua. Forgive me, for I have sinned. I have touched you with lust. I have interfered with your work. I have taken advantage of your kindness. I'm not worthy."

Damn, this was a mess, and nothing like what I'd intended. Crap.

Oh well, at least it would give me a chance to institute a new ritual. I reached down and pulled Bethany to her feet. "Enough. Both of you. Follow me." I walked away without looking back. I headed for the formal living room, opening the doors wide. Silently, I walked toward the large candles I'd strategically placed, and lit them, ignoring the two women standing in the open doorway.

The room was nothing like it had been. Any sense of formality was abandoned. The room was filled with cushions, pillows, bean bags. They were in a variety of colors and shapes, scattered around haphazardly. There was one normal seat in the room, a large leather recliner, strategically placed at one end, the window behind it. It was my throne.

I sat, again, paying no attention to the two nervous girls. I was quiet, unmoving, staring off into space for a couple of minutes that felt like hours. Then I nodded twice, blinked and looked over at the girls. "Come here," I said and pointed to the ground before me. "Please," I added, softening my tone.

They moved slowly, fearfully, holding each other's hands. Then they dropped to their knees before me.

"Get comfortable, we need to talk."

They glanced at each other, then pulled over a couple of cushions to sit upon. I waited a few more seconds before speaking.

"He is not mad at you. The opposite is true. He is pleased with your actions, and your intent for the most part. For the most part," I said, glaring at Lilith for a moment.

"Repeat what you recall from when He spoke earlier."

They looked at each other, then Lilith spoke. "He talked about when we could have guests—"

"No!" I interrupted. "This is important. What exactly did he say."

Bethany closed her eyes, then astounded me as she repeated what I'd said almost verbatim. "... That is my final word." She opened her eyes and looked up at me fearfully.

I turned my attention to Lilith. "Is that what you heard, as well?"

She nodded.

"Was he unclear? Was there anything you didn't understand?"

Both shook their heads, then Bethany spoke up. "Are you the Scribe?"

I shrugged. "He's never called me anything but Joshua, but I guess that makes sense."

"And Lilith really is the Conscience?" Bethany asked. "She has to approve?"

"She is."

Bethany still looked upset. "You're sure he's not mad at us, Joshua? He sounded really angry."

I stood and she flinched, leaning away. Damn, this was a mess. I walked over and grabbed one of the bean bags, and set it beside the foot of my chair. Then I grabbed a second one and placed it on the opposite side. I took my seat again, and looking at Bethany I gestured toward the first seat. "Sit beside me, please, Bethany."

She moved slowly, hesitantly before sitting beside me. I reached down and stroked her hair, taking her hand in mine. "This is your place. At my side, always. On my right, my companion on this journey. Can you accept that?"

She nodded slowly, squeezing my hand.

I looked over at Lilith and indicated the other bean bag. She only took a moment to take her place. "This is your place. At my side. You two alone, always, here beside me. My conscience and my companion. This has been ordained. Can you accept that?"

Lilith nodded, then whispered, "I do."

I smiled for the first time and patted the sturdy arms of the chair. "Come up here, you're both too far away."

They climbed up beside me but both still acted hesitant. I put my arms around their waists. "I'm sorry this took so long. He's never spoken to me at such length before. Not even at the discovery. If I had known it would take hours, I would have warned you."

"Hours?" Bethany asked.

"It was only a few minutes, Joshua. Not very long at all," Lilith said.

"Really? It felt like hours. Well, no matter. We talked. I mean, mostly he talked. He's happy with the progress. He's very happy with both of you. He's a little cross with me for overdoing it. He says it's a long journey ahead of us, and we need to understand it won't happen overnight. We have to be patient. We need to take time to discuss my findings, understand the importance, and to seek a closer understanding of his purpose."

I pulled Bethany closer, and kissed her shoulder. "I ... I spoke to him about lust." I was quiet for a second to let my words sink in. "All men lust in their heart. We're designed that way. He, uh, he laughed at me. I didn't expect that. I never heard Him laugh before. It was kind of scary." I pulled both girls closer so that they were leaning on me. Then I drew Bethany's head down so I could kiss her lightly. "He says I'm an idiot. You're my Companion. If I didn't lust for you, something was wrong. He understands my choice, but wouldn't tell me if it was right or wrong, only that I'd know. There's nothing wrong in what we do, you and I, Bethany."

Then I turned to Lilith. "He loves you, Lilith, and is pleased that you've accepted your purpose. He never doubted that Bethany would, but I guess you weren't a sure thing. He says I have to be patient with you, as you come to understand your role, and I shouldn't question you. Funny, he said that even though I shouldn't question you, that Bethany might, and if she did, I was to listen. Weird."

I pulled her down for a kiss and took my time with it. "He said that by accepting Bethany as my Companion, I accepted responsibility for you. That by accepting you as my Conscience, I accepted your guidance. I tried to mention that I didn't really accept you, he kind of forced you on me. I don't think he liked me questioning his version of things. He asked me if I'd accepted you and trusted you. When I admitted I had, he said I should listen to you, and stop causing trouble. I'm sorry if I've done anything to upset you."

She shook her head rapidly. "No, never Joshua. I know I'm the trouble maker. I don't mean to do it, I swear."

I hushed her with a kiss. "Guide me, Lilith. Don't let me screw things up. This is too important."

She hugged me. "I will, I promise. I'll do better."

"Good. Let's not worry about this anymore then. What do we have to do about dinner?"

Bethany leaped off the chair. "Oh no! I have to get started. I haven't done anything yet. You're sure you don't mind, Joshua?"

"No, I don't mind at all," I said, slowly dislodging Lilith and standing up. "How can we help?"

* * *

Dinner was fun. I knew the two guests, barely. Andrea had been a fixture over the weekend and had been one of those questioning my intentions. She seemed to be over that. Cindy, - Sin-Dee was her dancing name - was one of the older dancers. Very attractive and outgoing. One of the more talented dancers on stage. We'd had one short conversation while she was helping out around the place, strangely enough about my writing. She'd heard from Bethany I was a writer, and she had similar aspirations. I joked that I was very successful, I could show her a drawer full of rejections that proved it.

Both were aware that I was doing something religious that was important. It was clear they didn't know what. They accepted the religious rigmarole around dinner, and over a bottle of wine, we got into a discussion of women in the bible.

It turned out that both were Christian, and attended church regularly. Their knowledge of the Bible kept me on my toes. Fortunately, several weeks of keeping my nose buried in religious texts had me on my game.

We had moved to the living area, and I was seated on the couch, bracketed by the sisters, who made no effort to hide the fact that we were comfortable touching each other. Cindy and Andrea were occupying the lounge chairs, obviously feeling more comfortable as the evening wore on. The third bottle of wine might have helped.

"Bethany says you're an expert on Mary Magdalene," Cindy suggested.

"I don't know if I'd qualify as an expert, but it's true, her life and her relationship with Jesus is an interest of mine."

"Why?" Andrea asked.

That was difficult to answer without giving things away. I was about to answer when Bethany piped up, "Have you heard of the Lost Gospels?"

Cindy was familiar with a couple of them, Andrea, not so much. Me, I glared at Bethany and saw her blush.

Lilith was the next to put her foot in it. "He knows more about the Gospel of Mary than anyone."

That was enough for me. I stood. "Excuse me, ladies, I need to talk with Bethany and Lilith alone for a moment." I walked to my study, without looking back. The girls weren't far behind me.

I turned on them, once they were in the room. "My work is private. You know that. Why are you bringing it up?"

Bethany looked worried. "I'm sorry, but they are curious about Mary Magdalene. I've been talking about her a lot. I guess I shouldn't."

Lilith, of course, took an aggressive stance. "It's time, Joshua. You said part of Beth's purpose is to share the word. We should start."

"I've barely translated a fourth of the writing, and even that is in very rough shape. It's too early."

Lilith shook her head. "No, we don't have to share your discovery, just the stuff that already exists. We won't tell them anything about your work, just that you know about her. That's all we're doing."

"Were you both planning on this discussion tonight? If so, couldn't you have included me in your decision?"

"I really didn't think you'd mind," Bethany said. "We've talked about her before with guests. I wasn't going to mention your work."

Lilith stepped forward and took me by the arm. "Please, Joshua. Don't be upset. We just want to start sharing more of her life. She was important, and that's been ignored for too long. We won't bring up your work unless you say so. I promise."

Perhaps I had acted hastily. Perhaps I was taking this whole foolish thing too seriously. "Alright, I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. No talk about my translation, agreed?"

They both nodded their heads. I pulled them close for a quick hug and a kiss each. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. We can talk about whatever else you want."

And we did. All the usual, the confusion of the Mary's, what the demons were thought to be, the different descriptions of her finding the open tomb. The conflict with Peter. The Lost Gospel references. Her life as an apostle after Jesus' death. Even the oddity of her visions in the existing Gospel of Mary.

It was a lively discussion, and both our guests were very active in their questions. I was still going strong when I noticed Lilith fading on us. Checking the time I was surprise to see it was after one. We had been talking for hours and had finished nearly four bottles of wine. I'd need to stock up.

"Ladies, I think we should call it a night," I said. "It's late, and a couple of us have to work in the morning. Thank you for coming over." I stood and straightened my robe, somewhat ashamed of how loose it had become. I feared I might have been giving our guests an unintentional show.

Unintentional? What was I thinking? These were strippers! Beautiful young women of questionable morals. I was falling too deep into my role.

"You're welcome to stay the night. We have plenty of room, and I think we've all had a little too much to drink." I stepped forward and gave each a hug and a brief kiss. On the lips, of course. "Bethany will show you to your rooms if you decide to stay. I'm going to put Lilith to bed." I turned and lifted the trouble maker into my arms, and carried her back to her room.

I removed her clothing and tucked her into bed in her panties and bra. She opened one eye. "Thank you, Joshua. Sorry, I conked out." Then she grinned. "Are you lusting?"

After a long soft kiss, I tucked her in. "Always for you, beautiful. You know that."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "I know, and it's okay, right?"

"Yes, Lilith, it's okay."

I returned to the living area, to see what the decision had been. I found Bethany and Cindy chattering away while cleaning up the dinner dishes. "You decided to stay?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you. I already have three points on my license. I don't need to get picked up for DWI," Cindy said.

"Andrea's staying as well. She's upstairs already. She's out of it," Bethany explained.

I picked up a few of the dishes, and Bethany nearly had a fit. "No, you need to go to bed, Joshua. Cindy can help me with this. Neither of us has to get up early. We're used to staying up this late." She took the plates out of my hands, and passed them to Cindy, then gave me a big hug, and a long kiss. "Tonight was nice, wasn't it?" she asked. I think she was still nervous about the whole thing.

"It was great. We'll have to do this more often."

She smiled and gave me a quick peck. "We will. Now off to bed!"

I laughed and said my good nights.

I don't know what time it was when a naked Bethany climbed in bed with me. I was barely awake when I felt her hand on my cock. She cuddled up to me, and gave me a long, gentle handjob, then cleaned up after. I got a sleepy kiss, and she disappeared again. She never said a word.

I slept like a baby.

=====================

Cult 103: Recruiting Key Members

=====================

I may have slept like a baby, but I woke like a bear.

It was one of those mornings. I was awake, sort of. I had hit the snooze button twice already. I had my morning ritual, and I was fighting it.

Each day I do the same things. Habits that have been ingrained in me for years. I may be an unfocused goof-ball, unambitious, floating along doing whatever felt good; but what I did set out to do, I did my best. A large part of the reason for that was how I spent the first hour of each day.