Chapter 98

Kali felt the dream crystallize. One moment, she was blissfully enjoying a tantalizing fantasy at the park, hand slipped into her panties as she rubbed herself, and the next, the dream became both ten times more real, and also blatantly false. Not only was she suddenly aware, but she could feel herself sleeping peacefully in her bed, both in the dream, and there. Two places at once.

She froze, hand stuffed into her pants. Her heart slammed from the tantalizing excitement of a moment earlier, and while it didn’t fade, it shifted. She knew she was dreaming, now.

But the difference in clarity between the fantasy, and what she faced now, was night and day.

Shame surged through her as her hand in retreated. Really. This fantasy, again? At least this time it wasn’t up on stage, pleasuring herself in front of an audience. Her perverted mind had insisted some discretion.

Why did she keep having these dreams?

Well, she knew why. The real question was, why did the idea of exposure excite her so much?

More importantly, what was going on? Why had everything become so startlingly real?

With the crystallization of the dream, and the awareness that she was dreaming, Kali’s thoughts slowed, then picked up. Well, if it was a dream ... then no harm, right?

Her heart started pumping faster than before.

Her hand slipped back into her panties.

She looked around. The park-goers seemed so much more like real people, now. She couldn’t describe the effect, since when she’d been dreaming, she’d obviously thought the passersby had been perfectly real-looking, but something about this development had amplified everything. Even if it was a fantasy, somehow the change made things more exciting, not less.

A personal playground, perfect to life.

Kali tugged her book in closer, the shield feeling even more blatantly flimsy than before. And, emboldened, rather than rubbing at herself over her underwear, she slipped her fingers past the last layer of fabric and played with herself directly. Her arousal coated her fingers, and a shaky moan left her lips. She swallowed, astounded at how intense the dream had become. The pleasure, especially, had become incredibly vivid.

Her eyes skirted around, cheeks flushed, searching for anyone who might have caught her or started to grow suspicious. Even if she knew the people weren’t real, the idea excited and terrified her. But nobody had. Though someone would, eventually.

That was the point.

In fact, maybe she should speed the process up. Enjoy this dream to the fullest. She closed her book and set it to the side. She wanted eyes on her. For a crowd to collect and give her disgusted looks as she openly pleasured herself on a park bench. Just how real would this dream be? What would it be like?

Before she could wiggle down her pants, though, and really garner the public’s attention, somebody sat next to her, appearing from nowhere. Kali stiffened, hand still very obviously inside her pants.

“First off,” the tall, stunningly gorgeous woman said, “let me say that you have great taste.” She waved around, as if indicating the park. “I approve.”

Kali stared at the black-haired woman, mouth slightly open, frozen in shock. Her hand was still buried in her panties. And what did Kali look like, right now? How red was her face? Had this woman heard her panting?

Because she’d been caught. By someone real. She could recognize that in an instant, bizarrely, in the same way she recognized the dream’s crystallization. She couldn’t explain the intuition, but she knew without a doubt.

Which meant, in a way, she really had just gotten caught masturbating in public.

Kali swallowed, sliding her hands out of her pants. Shame washed through her, and unfortunately, the mortifying emotions only swirled with her arousal, bringing it higher.

It really was such an unfortunate fetish of hers.

“Who are you?” Kali asked. She was proud to say her voice only wobbled slightly.

The woman was painfully beautiful. Perfect skin, deep emerald eyes, glossy black hair, and curves that stopped her heart. And ... something less expected. A noticeable bulge in her pants. Kali’s brain did a little somersault at that. For the obvious reason, but not only that, but the size of it.

“Zoey,” the woman replied, lips turning up in amusement. She’d caught Kali looking, and Kali flushed. “Nice to meet you.”

“What’s going on?” Kali asked. “What is this? Is it your fault?”

Zoey paused. “Sorry? Is what my fault?”

“This dream.”

She looked even more surprised. “You ... know it’s a dream?”

“And you. You’re real. Who are you?”

Kali’s questions had taken the woman aback. But Kali knew she was right, and Zoey could read the confidence in her accusations, too.

It took Zoey a few moments to organize her thoughts before she replied, “I stopped by out of curiosity.”

Not really an answer. “Are you a wayfarer?” That was the simplest explanation Kali could come up with. But ... how strange. “That can enter other people’s dreams?”

“Yeah.”

“Why me? Do I know you?” Kali wracked her brain, but she was pretty sure this wasn’t a woman she’d forget.