Unknown - Driving Daisy Crazy

"They are probably cemented to the corner posts."

"Vanessa will rip one of them off its pedestal and toss it through the French doors.

"The alarm system will go off, of course, but who cares?

"Because we're through, in and out before anybody can stop us."

"Works for me," Nancy says.

The time ha amp; come to stop showing her qualms and begin cooperating with the operation, for the sake of her own survival.

And the change in attitude is not lost on Cynthia, who takes this as confirmation that they are in fact in the final planning stages, everyone operating on the same frequency.

"The, uh, the pilot.

"What's his stake in this?" Vanessa asks.

"Shall we say-ten thousand?" Cynthia suggests.

"Ten big ones it is," Vanessa replies.

"With a little, shall we say, personal bonus thrown in, if you know what I mean."

This last in imitation Mae West voice.

"Making full use of our resources, are we?" Cynthia asks, grinning.

"Works for me," Vanessa replies, echoing Nancy's words of moments before.

They laugh.

"Okay, then," Cynthia continues, suddenly all business.

"Lunch tomorrow with the enemy, one to, oh, two thirty the latest.

"We meet at my place at three, go over the plan, the equipment.

"Vanessa, have the chopper on my roof by eleven the latest, okay?"

"Gotcha."

"Can we get confirmation on that right now?"

"Certainly."

And Vanessa places the call.

Nancy fidgets and Cynthia rolls up the blueprints as Vanessa speaks.

"All set," she says, putting the phone down.

"He's ready for anything but return fire."

"I can practically guarantee there won't be any of that," Cynthia says.

"Buck is used to our going after him all but bare-handed.

"No way will he be expecting a change of tactics on my part.

"After all, we've done all right so far the old way."

"Then why is Randy Buck still walking around sucking air?" Nancy asks.

"Why indeed?" Cynthia asks, seeming to ponder the question.

"Look at it this way-we had nothing planned for the weekend anyway, right?"

Intended no doubt as cleverness, Nancy thinks Cynthia has hit the nail on the head.

She is actually enjoying herself right now, looking forward to going up against Buck, and this for a frighteningly basic, alarmingly simple reason-it gives her something to do.

"Are you sure?" Cranston asks.

"The reason I'm asking, Randy, is that this seems like quite an acceleration over your original plan."

Buck shrugs.

"I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

"The Baroness suspects me of something.

"Maybe even more than suspects.

"So I want to progress the game a little faster.

"That way, if I have to bring it to an end, to go in a different direction, at least I'll have had the satisfaction of getting through that phase.

"Hey, if I'm wrong about the Baroness, which I hope I am, if she's got nothing, if she's the one on a fishing expedition tomorrow, then no harm done.

"In fact, it'll be a test of the degree to which I've succeeded in messing up Daisy's mind if we can slow down the ‘progress' of our little game, go back to the previous step with no harm done."

"Still, you know, she'll know tonight.

"Won't be a doubt in her mind as to who we are."

"True, true.

"On the other hand, will it have been the real us, or merely a development in this series of dreams she's been having?"

Cranston grins.

"You see my point, n'est-ce pas?

"If we have actually succeeded in fucking her up so far that she can't tell the difference between dream and reality, just think, Cranston!

"Think what that would mean, by way of control!

"Consider the implications!

"Why, there could be not just one, but a hundred, a thousand Daisies running around, all fucked up by yours truly!

"I would almost be tempted to turn her loose in the world, a walking tribute to my genius, to the expertise with which I pursue my hobby, my pastime, that leisure to which all us hard working executive types are entitled.

"I would follow her progress at a distance.

"Perhaps even keep in touch, you know?

"Maybe go so far as to invite her back for a return engagement.

"Ah, Cranston, I should have indulged myself in this way long ago!

"To torture and destroy the body-what is that?

"The pleasure of a few hours, a few days.

"But to attack the mind!

"To allow the body to survive, to function, while changing the very world in which it exists forever-that is power indeed!

"I do so hope to be able to see this thing with Daisy through.

"If not, well, still there is the delicious pleasure of seeing her shock, her terror at the denouement when all, all is revealed!

"Only one thing more to do then, of course.

"No choice, so it can't be helped.

"Still, sooner or later-well, no use saying the obvious, is there?

"So. Bottom line, we go tonight with just the half masks.

"Where is she now, by the way?"

"By the pool."

"Well. I just may join her for a swim before supper.

"Interesting, you know, to be with a person and to know something that is going to happen to them of which they have no suspicion."

"I've noticed that."

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me-"

And Buck leaves the den, his robe flapping open as he heads toward the pool.

"She missed yesterday afternoon, as you can see, but I called the chopper this morning and she's back out there, looking good as ever," Vanessa says.

"I'm sure we need have no qualms concerning her until after my lunch with Randy tomorrow," Cynthia states.

"Then, of course, depending on the reaction I get, or more accurately induce, we'll see."

"You mean we might still scratch the operation?"

"Oh, no, no.

"That's a go, regardless.

"The worse that could happen is that we look ridiculous, warning the girl and offering rescue where there is no perceived danger."

"Not to mention the little matter of breaking and entering," Nancy interjects.

"Oh, come now. Randy Buck may be many things, but petty is not one of them.

"No, we break in and there's nothing happening, we end up with red faces and he gets a good laugh out of it.

"I doubt he'll even stoop to cashing my check for the damages."

"But then, what about the girl?

"What if she doesn't believe us about the danger she's in and decides we're a trio of nuts?"

Cynthia shrugs.

"If she stays, she's dead.

"Buck is just perverse and perverted enough to see to it and then throw it right in my face, no doubt in full detail, having so arranged it that there's no proof."

"He'd kill somebody just for a ‘gotcha'?"

"Knowing him, you have to ask?"

And knowing you, Nancy thinks, I don't have to ask if you realize that you may be creating a mortal danger for the girl which might not otherwise exist, pushing Buck over an edge he possibly would not have wandered near, on his own.

Randy Buck sits on the edge of the pool, leaning back on his hands, knees parted.

As Daisy sucks his cock.

It was her idea, begun playfully enough, a natural development of body contact as they swam nude together.

And Buck wants this.

He wants her to become intimately familiar with the details of his body.

He wants to impress upon her this particular shape, that specific texture.

So that, if she encounters it again, say, in a dream, she will recognize it as being him.

But Daisy thinks that this is just an affirmation, after having had time to think it over, that he wants her, wants to be intimate with her.

So that she can become mistress of the manner, and queen of all she surveys.