Rain pelted the windshield as we drove through the night.

Our uber driver expertly navigated the streets of Rome as we sped through the Italian city. Li-Hahn gasped at all the sites, the cathedrals, the columns, and giggled as we sped over cobblestones as the tiny car vibrated.

I closed my eyes. The flight had been long, and I had been airsick. The speed, swaying, and now rumbling were causing my stomach to do a slow roll, and I hoped I could make it to the hotel.

"Isn't it gorgeous, baby?" Li-Hahn said, sliding over next to me. She wore a faux fur coat, golden bangles adorned her wrists, and she wore a skin-tight yellow jumpsuit that accentuated her curves. She'd visited a spray-tan place before we left and her skin color was a deep tan. She wore several different kinds of perfume, and the mixture of spray-tan, perfume, lotion, and whatever else she wore gave me a headache.

"We here!" the uber driver said, pulling into the entry of the hotel.

"Grazie," I said, and unfolded myself out of the car. I opened an umbrella and held it for Li-Hahn who shrieked a bit from the downpour before scurrying underneath it.

Yes, I could have made it so she didn't get wet.

No, I didn't especially want to.

A valet professionally loaded all of our luggage onto a cart and followed us through the immense glass doors and into the foyer of the hotel.

"Oh, my Gawd, isn't this gorgeous baby?" Li-Hahn said. She'd adopted a rather squeaky version of my wife's normally musical soprano voice that grated my nerves constantly.

"Yeah, it's great." I walked toward the front counter.

"Welcome to the Presidio Hotel, Signore and Signora!" A young man said from behind the counter. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Robert Adamson," I said. "And...wife." I shivered as Li-Hahn jiggled beside me.

"Ah, yes, Il Signore la Signora Adamson." He tapped away at his keyboard. "I see you stay una settimana?"

"One week," yes. I said, pulling out my ID and credit card.

The hotel was costing me a fortune, more than an entire month's mortgage payment.

I sighed.

We'd sold the house.

Luckily, it was a sellers' market right now, and I'd been able to sell for quite a bit more than market value. We'd also sold the car, cashed in my retirement, and sold the SUV.

All-told I had just under $300k that I'd moved into a special account. Li-Hahn said they only connected to banks from specific offshore locations, and helped me set up the correct funding accounts.

Karyn texted three weeks ago saying they were about to move her again. I hadn't heard from her since, and the whole situation left a greasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Meanwhile, Li-Hahn was slicing, dicing, enhancing, fluffing, painting, injecting, or otherwise modifying my sweet wife's body. I hated it, hated what happened, what continued to happen, and wanted to find whoever was behind this mess and get them to clean it up.

I glanced over at my bronzed, platinum, trout-lipped 'wife' and sighed again. Hopefully, everything she'd done could be undone.

We found our way to the seventh floor and Li-Hahn squealed as she clopped her way into the suite. "Gawd, this is living baby. Living!"

She flittered around the place, unpacking and stowing all her clothes, makeup items, lingerie, and other items, then popped out her phone to give an 'update from Rome!' to all of her fans.

I opened my computer and logged into the chat app Karyn used to contact me. Still no messages. I sighed and flipped it closed. I grabbed the remote and turned on the tv.

A little while later, Li-Hahn finished her video and went into the bathroom. I could hear the shower running. She sang soft songs in Mandarin. Now that she knew I knew who she had been, some of her old personality had returned. I refused to call her Karyn in private, much to her distress, but she seemed happy with her 'new life' and had settled into it.

I gritted my teeth, thinking about Karyn and where she might be. She could be anywhere, anyone, and the old anger seethed in my gut.

Li-Hahn finished her shower, and I heard the blow dryer humming. I knew she'd want to 'make love' but I didn't know if I had it in me. I considered playing 'asleep' but knowing her she'd just wake me up in some way with her mouth and those lips...ugh.

You still need her on your side, Robbie boy, I thought. I needed to keep her happy and feeling like we were just two crazy kids on a trip of a lifetime to get me a new body.

"Ta-daa!" She came out in a grand entrance, perfumed, curled, and wearing an almost there nightie that barely covered her naughty bits.

"Hey gorgeous," I smiled.

"You like?" her voice had that high-pitched quality that was starting to grate on my nerves.

"Mmmm, oh yeah. I like."

She minced toward me, wiggling her enhanced ass and jiggling her enhanced breasts. "And what would you like to do to me?"

I sighed. "Come on over and see, hot stuff."

She climbed into bed with me and snuggled, kissing me softly on the mouth.

She slipped my shirt over my head and began kissing my chest, her mouth soft and moist against my skin. Cupping my package, she began to stroke me and I moaned softly.

The real Karyn enjoyed things on the gentle side. Long, slow lovemaking sessions where we each received and gave equally to the experience. They were a joy to partake, and our sessions could last for several hours.

Li-Hahn, however, enjoyed fierce fast fuckfests.

I gathered her platinum locks in my hand and pulled them back hard, kissing her mouth then biting the base of her neck as I pinned her to the bed.

Tearing off her lingerie, I proceeded to hold her hair in my hand tightly, twisting.

"What do you want me to do to you, bitch?" I said, in an urgent voice in her ear.

"Ohhh, fuck me!"

"Do you deserve a good fucking?" I slid my fingers down to her center and slipped a finger inside. "Are you wet yet?"

"Ohh yes!" she moaned. "Bite my nipples."

I leaned down to her breasts and took one of them in my teeth. Using my tongue and upper teeth, I bit down hard on her nipple as she squealed and writhed under me.

Moving to the other nipple, I repeated the exercise, biting down while twisting the other with my thumb and forefinger.

She panted, gasping.

I bit down into her neck as I twisted both nipples, then again sank my fingers into her hair, and spread her thighs with my knee.

"I'm going to fuck you now."

She nodded, gasping. "Yes, oh God, yes!"

Sinking my shaft into her wet pussy, I groaned and thrust into her several times.

Pinning her to the bed, I hammered into her, thrusting as hard and deep as I could.

***

Luckily, it was over fast. I always felt dirty after fucking Li-Hahn in my wife's body, so I extricated myself and went and showered.

Hanging my head, I let the scorching water sluice away my guilt and shame. I know Karyn had to have sex with whomever she was with, but I still felt like I was betraying her every time I had sex. It felt like a form of necrophilia, making love to her body and not her mind.

After the shower, I slid back into bed wearing my sweats and a t-shirt.

"Mmm, that was sooo good."

"Yeah," I said. I wasn't very tired. We were on Italian time and while it was nearly midnight in Rome it was only 5 pm for me.

"So, tomorrow," I said. "What is the plan?"

"The event is at 8 pm. You have to be accepted in order to go to the next level."

"And what happens at the event?"

She smiled. "I can't tell you that, darling, you'll have to see for yourself."

"Can you give me a clue?" I tickled her side gently, kissing her neck.

"It's a secret!" She squealed. "If I tell you, I'll ruin the surprise!"

"Surely you can give me a hint?"

She shook her head, still giggling.

"Not even a little one?"

She smiled, her eyes dancing a bit in the dim light. "It's a test."

"What kind of test?"

She shrugged. "To see if you're being honest or not."

I felt butterflies stir in the greasy pit of my stomach. "Honest about what?"

She shrugged. "You intentions for the Auction. They try to week out anyone who is there to undermine or otherwise derail the operation. You have nothing to worry about, baby."

I nodded.

"Do you?" She giggled, sliding into my arms again and yawning.

"No, of course not."

She nodded, laying her head down on my shoulder. She began snoring shortly after, drool leaking down to wet my t-shirt.

I shifted her over onto the bed, and she rolled over, taking most of the covers with her.

Sighing, I stared up at the ceiling and pondered my fate. I had to pass whatever test this might be, and I was sure this wouldn't be the first one. In fact, if I were them, I'd have been looking out for us the moment we got off the plane.

I rolled over on my side, facing away from Li-Hahn, and tried to get some rest.

It did not come easily.

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