Natalie sat on a single sofa with a glass of water in her hand.
Catherine and Jace were seated on the couch to her left side; they were talking while occasionally chuckling.
The room was quiet, save for the soft ticking of a clock and the distant hum of the city outside.
She still did not understand what she was still doing here. Throughout the dinner, she hadn't said a word—she just listened.
Jace was being great. For some reason, he wasn't as shy and immature as she imagined he would be, but it was clear that he was acting.
'Perhaps it's an ability of his Sequence 8,' she thought.
On the contrary, Catherine seemed to be having a great time. She was talking and asking lots of questions. Jace would usually answer some and deflect others, but every time he did that, she just seemed to be getting more excited.
Natalie sighed, the condensation from her glass making her palm cold.
——
Jace, meanwhile, was walking on eggshells. For every question Catherine asked, he would have to think carefully before answering.
This woman was even flirting with him occasionally.
'This woman... she's enjoying this, isn't she?'
A few moments later, Catherine giggled and said, "Who would've thought you were so good at acting, Jace? Or perhaps is it a trait of your Sequence 8?"
'Oh, she got me!' Jace just laughed. "Oh, whatever do you mean, Catherine?" He deflected and picked up a glass of water.
His throat was dry.
Catherine just smiled and looked at Natalie. "Natalie, are you going to watch?" she said with an intense gaze.
'Wait, what?' Jace was confused. He looked at Natalie.
Natalie got up; she gave a slight bow to Catherine and threw a complicated glance at Jace.
Turning her face away, she walked out of the room.
Jace got a very bad feeling. He got up, though his demeanor was still that of a gentleman. "Catherine, I'm afraid the hour is getting late, I should lea—"
"Acting is prohibited here," Catherine interrupted, her voice authoritative and deep.
The air in the room suddenly felt heavy, pressing down on his shoulders.
Jace, who was controlling his face, couldn't control it anymore.
His expression turned panicked.
Catherine had prohibited acting; by controlling his expression and demeanor, he was basically acting.
He threw away his act and got his nervousness under control.
Catherine smiled darkly at him. "Which pathway and sequence am I from, Jace?"
Her voice compelled Jace to tell the truth.
"You are a Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin from the Judge pathway."
His Clown's premonition told him that if he lied, he would get hurt as a punishment for lying.
While a Sequence 6 Judge could prohibit, only a Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin could punish.
"Your knowledge is something, alright, but today that's not the reason why you are here," she said as she walked near Jace.
Jace felt his Clown's premonition; his hand was going to be grabbed, so he stepped backward and moved his hand.
But Catherine was faster and stronger.
She grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the back of the house.
Jace could only be dragged, as he couldn't do anything to resist her.
'Wait, resist her? Why am I resisting anyway?'
Jace thought that it was time for him to man up and lose his virginity.
Yes, now that he thought about it, there was really no reason for him to be nervous, as Catherine had not done anything wrong to him.
The only reason he was so cautious was because the image of the Beyonder world in his eyes was extremely dangerous.
By then, he was walking normally, but his hand was still in Catherine's.
——
Catherine smiled softly as his resistance waned away.
She brought him to her bedroom. A few moments later, they stood in front of her bed.
The bedroom was large, with low light and silk curtains flowing around the windows and balcony.
The atmosphere was intimate and quiet.
Catherine stood before Jace. His face showed no emotion other than a soft blush, but he was averting his eyes from her.
She removed his blazer and bowtie and loosened his belt. She also realized that she was slightly taller than him.
She kicked off her heels; now they stood almost equal.
She held his neck and leaned forward, kissing him.
Jace held her waist, responding to her kiss, but his inexperience was obvious to Catherine.
Jace moved back, separating from the kiss, his hands still on her waist. He looked up and saw Catherine's beautiful and mature visage; her cheeks were rosy and her eyes held longing for him.
So he kissed her again, his hands spreading across her back, finding the ribbons of her dress and untying them.
He tried to remove her dress, but it seemed stuck. Catherine, feeling what he was doing, helped him undress.
A few moments later, both of them were in their undergarments. Jace couldn't help but marvel at Catherine's body. Her skin was fair, and her breasts were mature and full. Her body was well-kept and showed no signs of aging.
Perhaps it was because she was a Beyonder.
"Huh!" Jace fell onto the bed; he realized Catherine had pushed him.
She got on top of him and, leaning forward, she started kissing him. Her hand went into his boxers, feeling him.
Jace unhooked her bra as she was kissing him and started playing with her breasts with one hand, while his other was groping her ass over her panties.
After a few minutes of kissing and stroking him, Catherine broke the kiss. She looked at Jace and said with a playful smile, "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Jace held her waist tight and turned around, flipping Catherine over so now he was on top of her.
"Why don't you let me do that?" he said softly as he leaned in.