Note from the author: I can't believe it's almost been a year since I last updated this series. I've been very busy with RL, where I've been lucky enough to get some actual writing jobs. I'm very, VERY glad to return to the Phrack though! I want to thank all of the lovely folks on Tumblr who have encouraged me to start writing again. You are all so amazing and wonderful!

To be honest, I'm posting this new chapter with some trepidation. I have been writing in my mother tongue for months now, and I feel like my English is a little rusty. I apologize in advance for any errors of spelling, grammar or idiom, and any clichéd, repetitive or unoriginal turn of phrase you might encounter.

Also, I've been writing for the theater, which obviously is a completely different genre. It was nice to return to the more narrative structure of this story, but again, I feel a little rusty. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I suppose I just have to get into the flow of things again. I'm sorry if this chapter is not entirely up to scratch, and I will work to improve :-)

As to the chapter itself: it is inspired by a case that was treated in season 3, and therefore contains slight spoilers for one of the episodes. Just so you know.
I've also done some research for this, so it should be more or less historically accurate. If you have trouble forming a picture, you can Google the brand name.

And finally: this chapter is for Julia. Thank you for your kind words.

The sky outside was clear and blue. The sound of the birds, the smell of fresh coffee and bacon drifting from the kitchen and the memory of lazy morning sex with Phryne, a ghost of the touch of her fingers and mouth still fresh on his skin – well, Jack reflected, things just didn't get any better than this on a Sunday morning. He sat back with a contented sigh as Mr. Butler came and served him coffee, thoroughly enjoying the domesticity of it all. Next to him, Phryne was reading the newspaper, munching on a piece of buttered toast. There was a tranquil day ahead of them. Life was good.

Jack was just starting with gusto on a big plate of eggs and bacon when Mr. Butler brought in a square package, wrapped in brown paper, and handed it to Phryne.
"This came in the mail this morning, miss."
She took it from him with an exclamation of delight. "Ah, it came! Thank you Mr. Butler."
But despite her enthusiasm, she put the package next to her plate and did not unwrap it. Jack threw it a curious glance.
"What's in it?"
She smiled mysteriously but did not reply. Thoughtfully chewing his bacon, his eyes still on the package, Jack hesitated if he would ask again. He was fully prepared to respect her right to privacy, but she had never kept anything hidden from him before, and his curiosity was piqued.
"Phryne?"
She winked at him. "I'll show you later. It's not the sort of thing a lady opens at the breakfast table."
Fully intrigued now, Jack kept glancing over at the package as he finished his breakfast, speculating about what it could possibly contain that she couldn't open it at the table. Lingerie? Family planning devices? Had Mr. Lawrence written a sequel? He had to admit that he was curious.

When breakfast was over, he curiously followed Phryne and the mystery box up the stairs to her bedroom, where she carefully closed the door behind them before unwrapping the package. It contained a blue cardboard box with the words 'POLAR CUB' stamped across them, above a picture of a woman holding an electric device that looked vaguely familiar.
"What is that, one of those newfangled hair dryers? I thought you already had one? Did it break?"
She threw him an amused look. "No, my hair dryer is perfectly fine. This is the same brand, though."
She opened the box and revealed a bulky device with a bluish handle attached to a round, grey metal head that looked like it might hold some kind of engine. The box contained several smaller pieces that could apparently be attached to the device. It had a long electrical cord coming out of the handle. Suddenly something clicked in Jack's mind and he recoiled as he recognized the thing.
"Phryne, is that a… a…"
"A vibrating device, yes," she replied happily, taking it out of the box and examining it.
"Like the murder weapon of our last case, you mean?"
"A slightly newer model, yes."
"But…" he spluttered, staring at her. "Miss Fisher, that thing killed someone!"
"Only because it was tampered with," she said in a soothing tone. "I'm sure this one is perfectly functional."
"You don't actually plan on using it?" he exclaimed, horrified.
She looked up at him, amazed. "Of course I plan on using it. What did you think I ordered it for, research purposes?"
"Well, I…"
"I had a very good one a couple of years ago but I, ah, wore it out," she smiled. "I never got round to ordering a new one, but our case last week reminded me."
He stared at her, lost for words.
"Don't worry," she assured him, "They're perfectly safe. I've been using them for years. Not as good as the real thing, of course, but they'll do for lonely nights."
He shot the device in her hand a suspicious look.
"Come on, Jack," she said, surprised. "I thought you said you'd seen one before?"
"Yes," he said emphatically, "in a brothel."
She laughed. "Well if you thought this was a house of good repute, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you."
He struggled with himself as he watched her examine the device with interest.
"Look," he finally brought out, "Why do you need one?"
"They're fun," she said simply, now taking the attachment pieces out of the box one by one.
He opened and closed his mouth several times, struggling to find the right words. "Am I… are you not… am I doing something wrong?"
She looked up in genuine surprise and finally seemed to realize what was bothering him. "What? No, of course not!" Putting down the box, she quickly came to him and put her arms around his neck with a warm and open smile. "You're wonderful, you know you are."
"Then why…?"
"Just for fun! This has nothing to do with your skills, darling, don't worry."
She kissed him and, feeling reassured, he kissed her back. There was a gleam of excitement in her eyes when she pulled back.
"Let's try it out!"
He frowned. "Should I… give you some privacy?"
Though he had watched her masturbate once or twice before and found it incredibly arousing, he somehow didn't feel like he needed to see this. She laughed.
"Of course not! I meant we could try it out together."
He shuddered as he took an involuntary step back.
"No thank you."
She shot him a naughty look. "You might like it too, you know."
He felt himself go pale. "There is no way I'm letting that electrocution hazard near my…"
She laughed again. "Jack! I thought you'd have gotten more adventurous by now."
That stung. He scowled at her, then tried a different tack. "Isn't it just for women?"
"Not necessarily. The general principle should make it enjoyable for men, too. Look, let me show you. Sit down."
She selected a dangerous-looking piece from the box and attached it to the head of the device, then turned around to plug it in. When she turned back, he hadn't moved and was still eyeing the vibrator suspiciously. She raised her eyebrows at him.
"It won't bite, you know."
He grudgingly gave in and sat down, perching on the very edge of the bed. She turned on the switch and the device began to hum loudly. As she came over to the bed and sat down next to him, Jack leaned away from her apprehensively. She looked at him, amused.
"Don't worry, we don't have to start with any… sensitive parts. Just give me your hand."
Feeling like that was a reasonable request, he slowly held out his hand to her. She took it in her own hand, then gently held the head of the vibrator to his open palm. He gasped and jerked his hand away reflexively – the intensity of the vibrations had taken him by surprise. It wasn't unpleasant, though, so he held his hand back out to her. She smiled and pressed the device to his palm again, this time moving it around a bit, massaging his hand. To his surprise, he actually found the sensation quite pleasant.
"See?" she said smugly. "Not too bad, is it?"
"I suppose not," he replied, relaxing a little. "It's quite nice, really."
"Did you really think we'd use it on such a… sensitive area… if it wasn't?"
"No," he smiled, "That's true."
When she removed the buzzing device and lowered it, he tensed again, but she only put it against his thigh, just above his knee.
"How does that feel?"
"Unusual…" he admitted. "But quite pleasant."
She moved the vibrator to the inside of his thigh and he gasped as the vibrations shot up his leg. "Alright… very pleasant."
Suppressing a smile, she slowly but deliberately started moving the device up the inside of his thigh, and he sharply sucked in his breath and leaned back. The sensation was getting increasingly enjoyable, and as she moved upwards and he felt the vibrations more strongly, he began to feel a tightening, a sharp stirring of arousal. He was surprised at how fast his excitement suddenly increased, especially given the fact that they had made love mere hours ago, but the pulsing waves that rippled through his leg seemed to turn him on from the inside out. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment as the delicious sensation overwhelmed him. Phryne kept inching upwards, until she finally reached the upper part of his thigh, where he was straining almost painfully against the fabric of his trousers.
"Alright, stop… stop!" he gasped, before she could go any further. He was afraid of what might happen if she actually touched him with the buzzing thing, partly because he still didn't quite trust it, but partly because he feared he might not be able to maintain control.
Respecting his boundaries, she immediately pulled the vibrator away and switched it off with a small triumphant smile on her lips.
"Still think it's exclusively suited for women, Inspector?"
"Not… not really, no," he replied, a bit breathless. He took a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure, then held out his hand for the device. She handed it over to him with a raised eyebrow and he examined it closely. The principle was simple yet effective, he concluded, marveling at the things people invented nowadays. He switched it on and noticed how the vibrations were quite strong in the handle, too, and made his hand tingle. He switched it off again and turned to Phryne with a smile.
"Well… won't it work best if you're wearing less clothes?"
She looked at him in delighted surprise and immediately began unbuttoning her blouse. He grinned. She might be contrary a lot of the time, but when it came to taking off her clothes, he never had to ask her twice. His own desire, still smoldering, flared again as he watched her undress, and he decided to even things out and got undressed too. Her naked body was a temptation he could not resist, so when she lay down and made herself comfortable among the pillows, he lay down next to her and kissed her, running a hand down her body, cupping a breast and pinching a nipple in passing. She gasped and shifted slightly, moving her hips against him, and all thoughts of vibrators were nearly forgotten as they lost themselves in another kiss. With an effort of will, Jack finally pulled back and sat up, taking a moment to catch his breath and clear his head. She let him go regretfully, but when he reached out for the vibrator, her eyes gleamed excitedly and she quickly lay back, squirming slightly in anticipatory delight. When he turned on the device, Jack noticed that her body tensed at the sound, knowing what to expect. As he kneeled between her legs, she bit her lip, closed her eyes and gripped the sheet. She was already breathing fast, and when he pressed the vibrating head against her, she immediately threw back her head and moaned. He applied gentle pressure, and she gasped loudly, reaching with one hand above her head to grasp the headboard as her body tensed and trembled and…
Taken by surprise, Jack quickly pulled back the quivering device and she uttered a yell of indignation as he looked at it, amazed.
"That happened very fast."
"It didn't happen at all! Why on earth did you stop?"
He shook his head at her teasingly. "Not so hasty."
"That was a very ungentlemanly thing to do", she protested, disgruntled, and he grinned broadly.
"Apologies, m'lady. I'll make it up to you."
"You'd better," she grumbled, then smiled and lay back down.
This time, however, Jack took a more circumspect approach. It was his turn now to tease her with slowly increasing pleasure, and he took no notice of her plaintive 'Jack!' as he pressed the device against the inside of her thigh, just above her knee. She fidgeted restlessly as he slowly moved it upwards, ever closer, until she made soft sounds of impatience. At the very top of her thigh, he let the device rest for a moment, allowing the vibrations to wash over her until she tensed in anticipation, then he pulled back again. With a frustrated exclamation, she lifted her head to shoot him an angry look, but he simply lifted an eyebrow and deliberately lowered the vibrator again. When he held it against her other leg and restarted his slow progress upwards, she let her head fall onto the pillow again with a tormented sigh.
"You're a monster, Jack Robinson."
He smiled but didn't reply, concentrating on making his way along the inside of her thigh as slowly as possible without her losing interest. Her breathing quickened again, and she squirmed, straining her hips to make him hurry up. Reaching the top of her leg, he paused again for a moment, teasing her with the possibility of more delay, until a small plaintive sound escaped from her lips, and he finally gave in and pressed the device where she wanted it. She arched her back and moaned loudly, gripping the sheets tightly as he applied some pressure. Her entire body tensed and trembled violently, and when he moved the vibrator in small circles, she threw back her head and cried out his name, three, four times as she convulsed, then fell back, gasping and quivering. A bit awed, he turned off the device and put it away on the bedside table, then hurried to take her into his arms. She was still shivering slightly, and it was clear that she wasn't satisfied yet when she returned his kisses hungrily. Her eyes were dark with longing as she pressed herself against him and he shuddered with pent-up desire.
"I want you… now", she whispered, but he managed to keep his self-control just one moment longer to tease her.
"I don't know… would that be quite the gentlemanly thing to do?"
"Oh, stop it", she hissed, nipping at his jaw.
"As m'lady commands", he replied, his voice husky with desire.
He allowed himself to be pushed onto his back and rumbled his approval as she straddled him, his hands on her hips to guide her movements. Never one for waiting, she immediately lifted her hips and sank down on him, extinguishing his every thought as pleasure washed over him so suddenly he moaned and closed his eyes in pure bliss. He didn't keep them closed very long, though, since the view was excellent and he didn't want to miss it. She leaned forward to kiss him, and he took the opportunity to run his hand through her hair and down her back, groaning as she drove him to distraction with one delicate movement of her hips. Suddenly she straightened again, and he watched, only dimly aware of what she was doing, how she took the vibrator from the nightstand and smiled at him as she turned it on. Still moving her hips, she pressed it against herself and Jack gasped in surprise and gripped her hips tightly as he felt the vibrations reach him, too. The sensation was exquisite, sending shivers along his spine until he couldn't bear it anymore. Closing his eyes tightly, he cried out and felt the pleasure engulf him completely.
Hazy and drained, he was vaguely aware of Phryne turning off the vibrator before collapsing onto his chest. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her hair, sighing and closing his eyes in utter contentment. When her breathing had slowed down, she looked up at him with a wicked grin.
"Well…"
"Yes, yes", he interposed lazily, "You were right. You're always right." He was too comfortable and fulfilled to argue.
"And don't you forget it", she purred, nestling her head in the hollow of his shoulder. "Was it worth it, to brave the dangers of electrocution?"
He considered the question for a moment, already getting drowsy. "Sure," he mumbled, giving himself over to sleep. "There are worse ways to go."