In three years Page married an indifferent man, being realistic about her prospects. Sex was like that she had had with Booker; her husband was not much aware of female needs. The secret affair continued, even during her pregnancies, complementing the emotionless sex of marriage. There was never any scandal. In fact Page trained in as an assistant librarian, accounting for the time they spent together. She loved books.
Until family circumstances required Bookend to move with her family to another village. Then the affair was over, and her access to special books was cut off.
The memory faded. It has been as detailed at the prior one, and Supe was satisfied. He touched Page again, and she became another stage prettier.
Back at the inn, Fifth remarked on it. "Yesterday you were one third pretty. Today you are two thirds pretty. If you achieve another enhancement, you will be a beauty. Are you ready for that?"
"Negation. I have never been beautiful. But it will please my husband. He is routine about sex, but he's a good man." She glanced sidelong at him. "No need to hurry our connection."
"You said you just wanted your fourth from me."
"Shifting. Now I would like sex with you. If you are willing."
"Willing," he agreed. He understood what she meant: the prior night had been pure injection of semen for a purpose, rather than real sex. Again, he found there was something about her that made her desirable apart from her appearance, improved as that was. This time he made love to her, kissing her mouth, and her fuller breasts, and stroking her improved bottom. He stimulated her, so that by the time he entered, she was eager for the culmination.
They climaxed together.
"Wonder," she breathed, after. "I did not know a man could do that to me too." She had achieved mutual fulfillment many times with another woman, of course.
"A caring man can." This night he remained with her, sleeping beside her.
He woke in the night, finding her awake, gazing at him in the partial light. He understood why: he had given her a new experience, and she hankered for more of it. He had experienced that often enough with the several Glamors. It was part curiosity, part novelty, part evoked desire. He pulled her onto him, kissed her, stroked her, licked her, and brought her to another orgasm.
"Delight!" she said, and fell asleep against him.
Yet he felt guilty. This was supposed to be the real Page, and was wasted on the imprint Page. Was he cruelly teasing a nonexistent person?
The third day Page produced another memory. The new proprietors of the library were a young couple, Record and Writ. They had discovered each other in a library. But their marriage was not perfect; rumors were that they were sexually incompatible. Obviously they could perform with each other, as they had their three plus one. They took turns traveling, one remaining home with the children and the library. That was indicative.
"I am devoted to special books," Page told them when there were no others present. "I know they aren't supposed to leave the library, but my time away from home is limited and I much prefer to read at home. I proffer a trade for the right to borrow them."
"Obscurity," Writ said sharply.
"If there is something lacking in your marriage, perhaps I can provide it."
"Interest," Record said, through his wife glared.
"Demonstration." Page removed her clothing. Then she embraced and kissed Writ, standing, while presenting her bottom to Record. This was a singularly bold move, but she had learned that boldness had its place.
Writ kissed back, discovering interest of her own. Record unlimbered his member and slid it into Page from behind. She wiggled, facilitating his entry to the proper aperture. While the two women continued their deep kiss, he quickly jetted inside Page.
Writ, aware of this, reacted. She flung off her own clothing and embraced Page again, naked. Record also stripped and put his arms around both, kissing their necks. Before long his member recovered. This time he inserted it into Writ's cleft. His climax was slower, and he had to work at it for a while. Page went down to her knees and licked the woman's cleft from in front. Soon she came to climax, together with her husband.
Page had not climaxed, but that was not the point of this exercise. She was trying to make the couple's sex life interesting, for a price.
They washed together. Then, wordlessly, Writ handed Page the book.
Thereafter the partners stopped traveling alone. They seemed to be satisfied with life at home. Again, there was no scandal; no one said anything about any non-library business. There were some considerable sessions, and often Page did achieve gratification too. Simultaneous sex with male and female—that could be fulfilling.
But in time the couple moved to another village, and a new librarian came. Page was qualified, but by this time there was a muted suspicion, and the village elders did not allow her to take over. So now she was looking for a more liberal village. For she had come to like different sex, and did not want to give it up.
That was her present situation. The memory faded.
"It will do," Supe said, and put his hands on her again. This time she became all the way beautiful. There had been no competition, but her memories surely would have won the prizes regardless.
"Confession," Fifth said back at the inn.
"Turn-on," Page agreed. "For me too."
They came together and had urgent mutual fulfillment. It wasn't just that she had become beautiful, or that she now trusted him, or that they were trying to implant her fourth. It was that they had discovered a mutual taste for wild sex.
Fifth made a decision. "When we return to your home, there is something I must do."
She did not question this. Deep down, she knew and understood, and perhaps approved.
Next day they conjured themselves back to her home. Fifth wasn't sure of the protocol for the reverse exchange, so let the woman handle it.
She knocked on the door. It opened, to reveal the original Page, unbeautiful. "I will take your place for three days," the lovely one said. "Go with this man. He will explain."
"Confusion."
"And this is your prize." Suddenly the other Page was beautiful, while Weft was the plain version. "Make the most of it." She handed Fifth a small mirror and entered the house.
"Confusion," the real Page repeated.
"Your imprint shared her memories and won beauty," he said. "See your reflection." He gave her the mirror.
She looked at herself. "Oh!"
"I have agreed to sire your fourth," he said. "Where can we be private?"
She was quick to reorient. "I know where. A friend is away this week."
They went there, and Fifth explained what had happened. He detailed enough of the library memories so that she knew he was not guessing. As he talked, he found that Weft had correctly reflected the real Page; she had intense sex appeal when she was turned on. Fifth understood how others had yielded to her approach, whether old, female, or a couple.
They had a satisfying three days enjoying their mutual taste for wild sex. By the end, Page was sure she had conceived her fourth. "Appreciation," she said. "For everything."
"Mutual," he said.
They returned to her house, where she swapped quickly with Weft, who returned to her own form. Page had not been missed; Weft was competent in such emulations. She also, it turned out, was competent in transferring the enhancements of appearance; Page remained lovely as they parted. Her sex life with her husband was about to improve considerably.
Fifth and Weft returned to her apartment in Triumph City. "I have lined up our next memory quest," she said.
He was not even really surprised. Of course a single memory event was not enough; she was trying to fathom the real motive behind the collections.
The memories continued. All were in Black Chroma zones, to enable him to be himself. They were widely varied; it seemed the machines were interested in many types. But why?