Harem House Chapter 40 (Patreon)

Arthur arrived at the downstairs home office to find it mostly empty. A small pile of boxes packed with books sat to the right of the door, where Arthur had left them days ago. Otherwise, the office held only furniture plus curtains. His parents stripped the built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of their books when they moved out. The stained dark wood climbed the walls to the left and right, surrounding the door through which Arthur walked. 

Facing him, the large wooden desk his father had left behind matched the bookshelves in color and style. An oak titan, the desk reflected his father’s sensibilities, while the ornate engravings matched his mother’s sense of style. The back facing him was a wall of pillars and intricate engravings, while the top had room for his father’s computer and the many files and papers he kept close. Drawers and cabinets on either side provided ample storage. The desk itself blocked his view of its legroom, but he was confident in its abundance.

The chair, typically pushed under the desk, was askew, but looked comfortable with its many leather cushions, armrests, and lower lumbar support. His father must have left it behind as a gift, not needed it, not wanted to store it, or was coming back for it later. He’d have to text and ask. 

Without books, the desk filled the space with the scent of sun-warmed lacquer and oak, and Arthur found his attitude more studious by proximity. His memories of working in the library, at his desk, in his apartment, or anywhere else he completed his homework or projects at such a desk came flooding back. He could imagine his homework spread out across its top, his mind focused and ready as he worked. 

Now it sat bare, a stripped altar in a barren sanctuary. The large bay window on the far wall behind the desk overlooked the front lawn. Dim light from the early October sunset colored the white curtains in pale reds as they let in the light, even with the curtains drawn. The cushion behind them made for a comfortable seat, and a viable hiding spot for Mindy, though he saw no telltale shadow against the pale curtains. 

Arthur closed the door behind him. “Gee.” He said as he strode forward. “I wonder where my personal assistant has run off to.”

Laughter bubbled up from under the desk. Her familiar giggle reminded Arthur how cute Mindy was and how playful she could be. 

“Oh well, I guess I’ll get started on this homework.” Arthur put his backpack on the desk and unzipped the computer compartment. He took out his laptop, his notebook, and a textbook he’d need for citations. 

The laughter from beneath the desk continued. 

Arthur smiled to himself as he walked around the desk and moved the chair away. He was correct about the ample legroom underneath the desk. There was enough space for Mindy to kneel and sit on her heels, but not straighten her spine. She placed her palms on the floor in front of her knees, her back at an angle.

Arthur glimpsed her hands, arms, and hair as he pulled the chair away. He saw her smiling face after he sat, but pretended not to notice. Tonight was supposed to be his night off from dom-related duties. He wasn’t up to running a session, and he’d been looking forward to a night to himself.

Knowing that, Mindy had offered him a relaxed, non-bondage moment of intimacy while he did his homework, and he’d accepted. One-on-one time was outside the schedule, up to chance and fate. 

Guilt pinged his ribs, knowing how much she wanted to do something more protocol-heavy. Mindy enjoyed the sex-at-work fantasy with discipline and kink, but she was eager for this blowjob, and he hadn’t had a release since last night. 

That it had been less than twenty-four hours before his body started yearning for release was not a good sign, he thought. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He was young, virile, and his body adapted to the amount of sex he’d been having over the last few weeks. Going cold turkey was not an option. Even seeing her under the desk had him stiff in his pants. 

He placed his feet on either side of her and pulled himself toward the desk, settling into place. 

As soon as the chair stopped moving, Mindy’s palm rubbed his thigh. Arthur took a deep breath and settled into ignoring her like he was supposed to do. He opened his laptop and opened his G-Doc file. He started typing as Mindy rubbed her palm closer and closer to his groin. She brought her other hand into play and rubbed his other thigh, only to discover the foreplay was unnecessary. His hard length pulled against the slacks he wore, and Mindy giggled. 

She lowered his zipper slowly.

Arthur opened his textbook. 

Mindy withdrew his length from his pants, through no small effort on her part. Her hand gripped his base, with her thumb stroking the underside as she stroked his cock. 

Arthur focused on the problem set in front of him, reviewing the question’s list of bonds, interest rates, and payouts to answer the question. 

Mindy stroked his length and pressed her lips against the tip of his dick, kissing him softly. She moved her kisses around, moving from the tip to the side. Her kisses were gentle, lingering impacts of her lips against his stiff and throbbing skin. Mindy returned to the tip on her way to the other side. The gentle press of her soft lips against his sensitive head made Arthur’s dick twitch in her hand, which made her giggle. She continued stroking him while she kissed his shaft, rubbing her nose and face against the underside of his cock. 

Mindy lifted him as she kissed the underside, rubbing her face against him, and licked him in slow, short laps of her tongue. The soft, wet tongue against his flesh sent shivers along his spine. He began answering the questions, doing his best to focus. The answers weren’t due until after fall break, so he had time to review them before he submitted them. 

Mindy’s kisses grew wetter and noisier as she teased him with the slow buildup. Her hand stroked him at her leisure, which was steady but unhurried. Her kisses and the occasional rub of her cheek against his dick kept him hard and ready for her. 

She transitioned to licks instead of kisses. The wet slide of her tongue against his dick shifted as she brought her head alongside, licking him until her tongue ran dry. The coarse bumps of her taste buds were still pleasurable, but Mindy drew her tongue into her mouth. She returned to kissing once more until she had enough saliva to lick again. 

She repeated the process several times, alternating between kissing and licking him as she moved further along his shaft from tip to base. Mindy slid her hand from the base, using his hips to balance as she pressed his dick upward and her face forward. She sucked on his balls, playing with them, licking them, and stroking her tongue behind them, forcing Arthur to clench against the pleasure she sent shivering through him. 

If this were a session, Arthur would have dragged her out from under the desk already. Instead, he tried to relax and enjoy himself, not dominate her and pleasure her the way she wanted. This was her initiative, not his. Still, being the passive partner was a strange experience for him. The difference might be subtle, but the weight lifted from his shoulders. He wasn’t sure he enjoyed it, though. The uneasy anticipation in his stomach unmoored him, as if he should be taking control of the situation, rather than enjoying himself.  

However, the uneasiness didn’t stop him from enjoying Mindy’s affectionate activities. Her tongue was far too good at its job, and Arthur’s body was too eager for release. He barely restrained himself. Arthur thought he might spatter her face and her sweater dress by accident, cumming too early. Still, his control held firm against the onslaught. After several torturous, pleasurable minutes with his balls, Mindy turned toward his thigh. She kissed her way to his knee and rested her head against his inner thigh as she stroked him in slow, gentle pumps with her other hand. 

“Please, sir, may I suck your cock?” Mindy asked quietly. 

Arthur’s dick twitched. “Yes. You may.” 

Mindy pressed her cheek against his tip and stroked him harder for several strokes. The smooth skin of her cheek with the firm grip at his base drove him wild. He wanted to abandon his homework and plunge his dick into her throat, but he hadn’t even made it past the first multi-part question yet. 

She pressed her lips against him and parted them, flicking her tongue against his cockhead several times before withdrawing. 

Arthur tightened his legs, trying to focus on solving the math problems with rows and columns on an Excel sheet to check his work. Ignoring her was a Herculean task. He clenched and ground his teeth against the pleasure, tightening his jaw. 

Mindy’s lips opened further, then closed as she slid backward. She pressed forward again, opening her mouth and taking the tip, then sliding back and closing her lips again. She continued her descent by torturous fractions of an inch with every plunge. Each press forward was leisurely and deliberate; every withdrawal was tight and dragging with her tongue. 

The teasing precipice he’d balanced on for her initial kisses gave way to pleasure as she started sucking on him, stroking him with her face. That method proved easier to handle since it was steady and constant. 

Mindy didn’t let him get comfortable for long. She unbuckled his belt and opened his pants, pulling them along his thighs to get better access. 

Arthur lifted his hips, letting his slacks and boxer-briefs slide to his ankles, leaving him naked in the chair below the waist. 

Mindy’s hands wandered his thighs, reaching forward to his balls, where her fingers played. 

Arthur’s dick tried to rise upward, but Mindy’s mouth kept it horizontal. She pushed forward and pulled back like a tide, instead of rising and lowering her face onto his cock, which the desk above prohibited. He imagined her kneeling with her calves and thighs at ninety degrees, her torso between his knees, her arms on his thighs, and her breasts swinging with effort. 

“This is making getting my homework done very difficult,” Arthur said, not complaining, but speaking to the empty room. 

Mindy answered by taking more of his cock past her lips, pushing until he pressed against the entrance to her throat. 

“Oh, God,” Arthur said, tightening his legs. “I’m going to return this favor. You’re going to sit and do homework while I remote control your vibrator.” 

Mindy withdrew his cock, kissing the tip and rubbing her face against it again. “Yes, Boss.” 

Arthur chuckled to himself. “Shh. Shut up and suck my dick, Whore.” 

He couldn’t help but take a fraction of the control for himself. Arthur realized after he spoke that he might have overstepped, but Mindy didn’t protest. Her submissive nature took her as his dominant nature took him. 

Mindy swallowed him with enthusiasm, driving forward and taking him into her throat, but not swallowing him to the base. Instead, she resumed her stroking, rocking back and forth on her knees to continue her journey in slow, steady strokes. 

Arthur finished the second question and closed his computer. He shoved it into his bag, along with his notebook and textbook, and zipped it closed. He wasn’t getting any homework done because of Mindy’s activities. Hercules wasn’t strong enough to pretend that nothing was happening. 

Mindy continued stroking his dick with her face, slurping and making noises as she gagged or glugged against his length. She pushed further along after every withdrawal to the very tip, where she kissed his dick and then sucked it again. 

Arthur’s dick was rigid, and as thick as ever, engorged and eager for release. He moved his backpack to the floor and closed his eyes in bliss as Mindy sucked him. 

Finally, Mindy reached the base of his dick. Her tongue hung out of her mouth to press against his balls as she choked on his length lodged deep in her throat. Her fingers tightened against his thighs, her nails pressing into his flesh to create sharp, white lines of pleasure.  

Arthur moaned, which made Mindy moan in response. The added vibration of her vocal cords made him tighten his grip on the armrest and reach for the edge of the desk. 

Mindy withdrew, then pressed forward again, lowering her nose to his bush. Then, instead of staying there, she made several short jerking strokes with her face, pumping him with her throat as she swallowed and tightened herself around him. 

Arthur slapped the desk, groaning as his release came flooding out of him in the largest surge he’d experienced in a long time. Mindy choked, withdrawing, but not entirely. Arthur reached under the desk, grasping her head. He interlocked his fingers behind her head and drove her to him, holding her face against him as he came. 

Mindy didn’t struggle or signal. She swallowed, turning her gagging noise into something pleasant against his bucking length. She squeezed his thighs with her fingers, and Arthur tingled from the heat radiating off her face as she struggled to maintain her position. Meanwhile, he fired his release into her throat like emptying the cylinder of a revolver. Relief washed over him with every blast, and euphoria spread from the base of his spine to the tips of his fingers and toes.

When he was done, he released Mindy’s head and pushed his feet against the floor, sliding the wheeled office chair away from the desk enough to clear Mindy’s throat. She fell forward, catching herself on her hands and knees. Her coughing and red-faced coloration concerned Arthur. She raised her hand to show that she was okay and staved him off from kneeling on the floor to check on her. 

“I’m okay.” She gasped. “Just catching my breath.” 

Arthur nodded. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, sorry,” Mindy said. 

“For what?” Arthur asked. “That was amazing.” 

Mindy smiled. “Oh, then good. I was worried you were mad at me for distracting you from your homework.” 

“Oh,” Arthur said, shaking his head. “No, sorry. I was just getting into character. I don’t know.” 

“Character?” Mindy asked. “Oh, like a roleplay? I thought we weren’t doing that today because you wanted a break?” 

“I do,” Arthur said. 

Mindy’s expression shifted, and Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Mindy said quickly. “It’s just… You enjoy surprises, right? If we were going to throw you a surprise birthday party, you’d be into it?” 

Arthur’s brow furrowed in confusion. “My birthday was more than a month ago.” 

“No, I know. But generally speaking, I mean. Surprises are good?” Mindy asked. 

“Eh… I’m not really–” 

“I think Brad and your other friend are here.” Kelly’s voice came from the doorway, where she’d just opened the door. 

“Aw.” Mindy pouted. “I was hoping to get more time!” 

Kelly raised an eyebrow. 

“I just, uh… I just had my release.” Arthur explained. “But Mindy didn’t get hers yet.” 

“No?” Kelly asked as she shut the door behind her. “Well, we can take care of that.” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t feeling up to it.” 

“Well, that was before I saw you pantless with a trail of saliva from your dick to what I hope is a hot naked Mindy under your desk,” Kelly said. She walked forward as she licked her red lipstick-stained lips. “You go say hi to Brad and Mark, figure out your dinner plans.” She said. “Mindy and I’ll stay and have fun.” 

Arthur glanced at Mindy, who gave him a thumbs-up. 

“Okay. If you’re sure. I’m sorry to miss that.” Arthur said, pouting for comedic effect. 

“Don’t worry!” Mindy said as she stood and wiped her lips. “We’ll recreate it for you any time.” 

Kelly nodded her agreement. 

Arthur sought something to wipe himself with before stashing himself into his boxer-briefs, but found nothing. However, Kelly had brought her purse and bookbag with her, so she reached into the former and produced a pack of tissues. Arthur used them and threw them into the bagless trash can in the corner. Then he pulled up his pants and underwear, tucked his shirt in again, and buckled and closed his pants. 

Meanwhile, Kelly and Mindy had closed the distance and started kissing and making out as Kelly drove Mindy toward the desk from the side of it. She picked the shorter girl up and planted her butt on the desk, sliding between her thighs as she hugged Mindy to her while kissing. 

“The guys can wait,” Arthur said. 

Kelly chuckled and shifted her head to the side so she could answer Arthur. Mindy pulled her neckline aside and kissed her neck, wrapping her arms around Kelly’s waist. 

“They’re still outside knocking. They’ve probably texted you a bunch. Go. You wanted a night off, Mister,” Kelly said, her voice breathy and catching as she spoke from Mindy’s barrage of effort against her neck. “Go on. Enjoy hanging out with the guys while you can.”

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked. 

Kelly smiled, as if she knew a secret Arthur didn’t. “I mean, we’re going to be living together soon, and you’ll be busy.” She winked as Mindy giggled against her throat. 

Arthur groaned, but nodded. “That’s just mean.” He protested, but he couldn’t leave Brad and Mark waiting. He turned away from Mindy and Kelly and closed the office door behind him. The solid wooden door didn’t let the sound of their teasing laughter through into the hallway.

He checked himself as he walked to the foyer, making sure he remained presentable for his friends. It had been a while since he’d hung out with Brad and Mark. He couldn’t recall an instance this semester when they’d hung out just the three of them without the rest of the Theater Club. His steps quickened as he approached the front door.

They knocked at the door again as he crossed the foyer, and Arthur opened it wide. “Hey, guys!” 

“Hey, Bro!” Brad said, throwing his arms wide. “For a second, I was worried we had the wrong house.” 

Arthur glanced past him to the driveway, but then remembered that he’d parked in the garage, so the driveway only had Brad’s car in it. Brad and Mike had driven together. 

“Nope, this is the place,” Arthur said, chuckling as he stood aside to let Brad and Mark into the house. 

Brad entered first, wearing a typical t-shirt and jeans combo in black and blue. He was an inch shorter than Arthur, but built similarly, having done the same exercises. Their facial structures were different, but with their similar haircuts and builds, they might have looked like brothers. 

Mark was a smaller, slender young man wearing round wire-frame glasses, a dark brown wool knit sweater that matched his hair color, and a pair of baggy, faded blue jeans. The sweater swallowed his more lithe frame, but he looked like a comfortable transition between Brad’s casual outfit and Arthur’s more formal slacks and collar shirt.  

Mark whistled as the pair of them looked around the foyer. “Wow, dude. This place is nice.” 

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “My parents bought it. They have good taste.” 

“Shoes on or off?” Brad asked, then spotted the shoes by the side of the door. He moved before Arthur could answer, untying his laces, kicking his sneakers off, and wiggling his toes in his socks. “Ah, freedom.” 

“Is that a piano?” Mark asked, poking his head into the sitting room as he removed his sneakers. “You gonna start playing again?” 

“Yeah, it came with the house,” Arthur answered, though he ignored the second question. He had no way to predict if he’d start playing again. He’d get more practice than before, but he had no plans of signing up for more lessons. “That’s the formal sitting room. It’s got a bar, a fireplace, chairs, and that grand piano.” Arthur said. “Do you guys want a tour of the place?” 

Mark and Brad exchanged glances, then shrugged. 

“Nah,” Brad said. “Let’s see this home theater setup you were bragging about.” 

“I wasn’t bragging.” Arthur protested, but led the way. He turned right into the hallway from the foyer and followed it to the end, where it emptied into the large rectangular room. 

The right side of the room was an empty floor surrounded by three walls and a few pieces of furniture. The left held the home theater with the gray, stuffed, oversized U-shaped sofa with its square ottoman pulled away between it and the wall-mounted big screen TV. Arthur closed the light-blocking curtains in the room, so the only light fell from the inset overhead lighting on a dimmer switch. Arthur turned the lights on. Kelly must’ve turned them off after exiting the room. 

“Nice!” Mark said, moving to the sofa. “Holy shit, dude! Gaming on this must be amazing.” He gestured at the TV. 

“I haven’t tried yet,” Arthur confessed. Time for video games was always scarce. “But I haven’t moved in yet either.” 

“Yeah, well, you’ve got how many girlfriends moving in with you? Say goodbye to any video game time ever.” Brad teased Arthur as he slapped him on the back. 

“I don’t know.” Arthur shrugged. “Selene’s into gaming. It wouldn’t surprise me if the others were too.” Rani and Mindy might be, though he doubted Kat, Katelyn, or Kelly enjoyed video games.

Brad and Mark shot each other a look and laughed, both of them moving toward opposite sides of the sofa. 

“What?” Arthur asked, laughing but not understanding the joke. 

“Nothing, man, don’t worry about it.” Brad shook his head.

Arthur worried, but shrugged it off as they approached the couch. Mark set his backpack behind the right branch of the sofa. He hopped over the back to sit in the center of the right arm. Arthur and Brad followed his example on the left and bottom of the U; the flawless jumps ended with them bouncing on the couch. They chuckled at their unintended synchronization.  

“So, what’s the plan?” Mark asked. “You mentioned ordering food? Do you want to do that before we start the movie?” He reached over the couch, dug through his backpack, and produced the DVD for A Knight’s Tale. 

“We should wait for the food before starting the movie,” Brad said. “Or we could run and fetch it.” 

“Delivery’s fine by me,” Mark said, pulling up his phone. “Where’s there to eat near here?” 

“Well, there’s anything in Reedville. Riverton’s a bit far, but some of the closer places will deliver out here. There are also a few restaurants between here and the city. A few bars and breweries, Indian food, pizza, and a smoked pork barbecue joint.” Arthur listed off the options. 

“Pizza!” Brad cast his vote. 

“Pizza sounds good to me,” Mark said. 

“You sure?” Arthur asked, looking at Brad. “We’re traveling tomorrow, so it’s going to be a cheat day.” 

“Dude,” Brad said, his expression unimpressed. “After that workout this morning? We earned pizza from somewhere outside the cafeteria.” 

Arthur shrugged. Brad had a point. The weariness in his muscles lingered, which told him he would be sore tomorrow. “Fine. But if I look pudgy in my costume tomorrow, I’m blaming you.” 

Brad looked at Mark with incredulity and pointed his thumb toward Arthur. “Do you hear this guy?” 

Mark pushed his glasses further up his face and nodded. “Yeah. Have you ever discussed your self-image issues with your therapist? I think you might have an eating disorder.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Fine, we can get pizza.” He said, brushing Mark’s comment off as playful ribbing. 

“Meat lovers?” Brad asked. 

“Works for me,” Mark said, shrugging. 

“Okay,” Arthur said, pulling out his phone to order. He had a few missed texts from Brad, updating him on his and Mark’s progress and arrival, but no other messages or calls. 

“I’m gonna order appetizers too, to split,” Arthur said. “Mozz sticks, onion rings, French fries, and fried pickles?” 

“Oh, man! That sounds great! Just send me a Venmo request.” Brad said. 

“Me too,” Mark said. “We can split it three ways.” 

“Perfect,” Arthur said, pulling up the menu and submitting the order. He turned on his phone’s notifications, noises, and ringtones while he was at it, in case there were any issues with the delivery. 

“So, do we want to watch the movie and pause it once the food arrives, or do something else until then, and then start the movie?” Brad asked. 

“Do something else, like what?” Mark asked. “Tour the house?” 

“Or my mom left my board games in the hall closet, if we want to play one of those,” Arthur said, pointing toward the hallway. “You might enjoy them.” He said to Mark. “A few are D&D adjacent.” 

“Sure!” Mark said. “Let’s see what you’ve got!” He was the resident D&D enthusiast. Apparently, Rani enjoyed the game too and was getting a game together, though Arthur had no idea where he’d squeeze such a commitment into his over-committed schedule. 

Arthur led the guys through the hallway to the closet, opening it to reveal a deeper and broader collection of board games than either expected. Shelves covered every inch of the wall, bearing boxes ranging from older games like Monopoly to newer ones that might take hours to learn the rules. 

“Oh man,” Brad said, wandering through. “I know you said you enjoyed playing board games before, but you undersold it. Why didn’t you bring these to campus?” 

“There wasn’t room in the dorms, and Lori was never that into them. She didn’t have the patience.” Arthur shrugged. 

“Right,” Mark said, nodding. “I remember playing Rummy with her one time. We had a game going during a rehearsal in the green room. It was not pretty.” 

“What?” Arthur asked. “What wasn’t pretty about it?” 

Mark and Brad shared a glance.

“You never noticed how competitive she could get?” Mark asked. “She, uh… she wasn’t very sportsmanlike when she lost.” 

Arthur turned thoughtful, reviewing his attempts at playing board games with Lori. Now that he contemplated those memories, he could piece together the pattern of Lori not wanting to play or playing with a startling amount of passion.  

“Well, let’s try this one. You’ve played Pandemic before, right?” Brad asked Mark. 

“Yeah, that’s a fun one.” Arthur agreed. 

Mark nodded as well. They left the closet behind as Brad carried the board game into the room. They chatted and caught up as they played, letting the time slip away from them as they attempted to fend off the rampaging plague that sought to destroy humanity. All in good fun, of course.

~~~

Kelly and Mindy continued making out after Arthur left the room. Mindy sat on the desk, her thighs spread so that Kelly stood between her knees. Mindy’s sweater dress bunched up around her hips, her black leggings clinging to her legs, contouring her thighs. Kelly’s dress was looser, and Mindy gasped when Kelly pulled away long enough to break the kiss. 

“You and I have never done this before,” Mindy said. “Not solo, like this. Is this okay?” 

“Yeah,” Kelly said, nodding. “Do you not want to?” 

“Oh, I very much want to.” Mindy nodded rapidly. “I wanted to make sure you’re on board. We don’t know each other very well, and I thought you might still be mad at me for lying to you about the football thing.” 

“I’m not mad,” Kelly said. “I was, but even then I was more upset than angry because I thought we were bonding and we weren’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Mindy said. 

“It’s okay,” Kelly said, assuring Mindy by rubbing her arms. “I’m not mad or upset anymore. You apologized, and I accepted, so we can leave it behind us. Right now, I’d prefer to focus on our immediate future.” 

Mindy smiled. “Are you sure? You weren’t feeling well earlier.” 

“Yeah, well, then I sat there imagining you giving Arthur a blow job, so I got myself worked up,” Kelly said. “And then walking in on the two of you, I wanted to jump into a roleplay. Maybe pretend I was the wife walking in on my husband and his secretary.” 

Mindy giggled. “You should do that next time. For now, should I call you Mistress?” 

“Call me Kelly,” Kelly said, and pressed her lips against Mindy’s. The open-mouthed kiss let their tongues dance together as they made out, and the heat between them built once more. “Now the husband’s away, so the wife and secretary can play.” 

Mindy bit her lip, then kissed Kelly again, running her hands over Kelly’s shoulders. 

Kelly hugged Mindy to her, sliding her forward on the desk until her crotch pressed against Kelly’s. Their breasts mashed together as their mouths and tongues wrestled, and the heat of their bodies soon grew overwhelming. 

Mindy reached for the bottom of her sweater dress, tugging it past her hips, and then over her head, leaving her in her under-wire bra and leggings. She had to break the kiss to do it. Kelly caught her breath and turned so Mindy could help her with the zipper on the back of her dress. 

Mindy pulled the zipper, and Kelly let the dress fall aside, leaving her in a pair of athletic shorts and her bra. 

“You wore shorts under your dress?” Mindy asked. 

“Only on Shark Week,” Kelly answered with a shrug. “At least, since I started dating Arthur.” 

Mindy gave her a mischievous, knowing grin. “Yeah, I like to be ready for him, too. It’s so hot when he wants to do it somewhere illicit, like the movie theater, or the changing rooms.” 

Kelly chuckled. “We did it in the laundry room, but otherwise our locales have been his apartment or mine.” 

Mindy shrugged. “To each their own.” 

“Do you enjoy doing it in places you shouldn’t?” Kelly asked. She resumed their making out by brushing Mindy’s hair off her shoulder, lifting her chin, and kissing her neck before she could answer. Several minutes passed before Mindy answered.

“Oh, yeah,” Mindy said, her eyelashes fluttering. “I’m a huge pervert at heart.” She gasped as Kelly’s teeth nipped a sensitive patch of skin at the nape. “And I, uh… I get so hot at the thought of doing it at the office, or anywhere outside a bedroom.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kelly whispered, then turned Mindy’s face toward hers by her chin and kissed her. 

“Mmm.” Mindy moaned into the kiss and ground her crotch against Kelly’s. 

Kelly took the hint and slid her fingers along Mindy’s thigh, rubbing her from outside her leggings. 

Mindy swallowed and gasped into the kiss as their tongues danced, while Kelly’s clever fingers teased the pleasure out of her. 

Kelly grinned through the kiss, pleased at the reaction she drew from Mindy. She curled her fingers against Mindy’s lower lips from the outside, playing and teasing them apart while still separated by two layers of thin fabric. Then she slid her hand, so it clasped Mindy’s thigh. Her thumb pressed over the top of her pussy, sweeping back and forth in a vertical curve that drove Mindy to buck her hips forward. 

“What do you enjoy?” Mindy asked, kissing her way into Kelly’s neck. Kelly tilted her head to grant more access as she considered the question with her eyes closed. 

“From Arthur, or from you?” Kelly asked. 

“From me,” Mindy said, taking a brief break to answer before diving back to teasing Kelly’s neck. 

“I like your tits,” Kelly said. “And your sense of style is super cute; I love it. Your smile is, well, it makes me happy when you smile, and my heart always flutters when you giggle. It’s adorable.” 

“Adorable, huh? Not sexy?” Mindy asked. 

“Adorable is sexy,” Kelly said. “At least to me. But don’t worry. I find you sexy too.” Kelly kissed her again. “Your tits are amazing, and to be honest? I have a thing for Asian women. Not quite a fetish, but a preference, maybe?” 

Mindy giggled. “Everyone does. We’re exotic and fetishized the world over.” 

Kelly frowned, but didn’t let it stop her from hooking her finger under Mindy’s bra strap and sliding it over her shoulder. She kissed her way from Mindy’s cheek to her shoulder cap. “Doesn’t that bother you?” 

Mindy licked her lips and kissed Kelly’s neck as Kelly kissed hers. “Not really,” Mindy said, gasping when she came up for air. “I enjoy knowing that people find me sexy—especially people like you and Arthur. Besides, I absolutely fetishized Arthur when I first met him. He and his BWC.” 

“BWC?” Kelly asked, confused. 

“Big White Cock.” Mindy said, kissing Kelly’s lips once more. 

“How did you know he had a big cock?” Kelly asked. 

Mindy giggled. “I didn’t. Not really. Not until later. It was more objectifying him and fetishizing him at the same time? BWC is a whole thing in porn: Asian women and big white cocks. It’s like lesbians and scissoring.” 

Kelly seemed thoughtful as she unhooked Mindy’s bra and tossed it aside. 

Mindy giggled as Kelly’s kisses moved lower, and Mindy laid back to rest until her back was flat against the desk. Kelly loomed over her, her hands on either side beneath Mindy’s, sucking and kissing her tits. She teased Mindy with her teeth, nipping in gentle love bites on the underside of her breasts, and flicking her stiffened nipples with her tongue as she sucked on them. 

Mindy held Kelly’s head with her hands, not restricting her movement or activities, but guiding her to the most sensitive spots. The press of her groin against Kelly’s abdomen allowed her to grind and rub herself on Kelly as she did this, and Mindy moaned in response. 

“Well, I might not have a big white cock for you,” Kelly said, resting her chin on Mindy’s sternum and looking up at her from her position. “But I’m sure I can do better than scissoring.” 

Mindy giggled, and then her laughter turned into a shriek as Kelly gripped her leggings and tugged. The laughter continued, and she peeled off her leggings and panties in one go, leaving her naked on the desk. Kelly nodded toward the far side of the desk. Mindy scooted back to make room. 

Kelly unhooked her bra and let it drop to the side. She licked her lips as she looked at Mindy spread out before her. 

Mindy raised her arms above her head, bracing herself against the desk. She spread and folded her legs, her soles flat against the desk with her knees bent and pointed toward the ceiling. Kelly leaned over the side of the desk. Her soft breasts pillowed against the unyielding wooden surface as smooth as polished ice. Mindy scooted back further. Kelly bent over with her feet on the floor, her head between Mindy’s thighs, and her mouth on Mindy’s clit. 

Mindy groped her breasts and kept her hands above her head as Kelly kissed her thighs. Each press of Kelly’s lips against her flesh drove Mindy to shiver in pleasure. 

Kelly hooked her arms under Mindy’s thighs. Her hands and fingers came between them from the top, pulling them apart and granting her whatever access she wanted to Mindy’s sex. The flush pink flesh between the golden folds beckoned her. She pressed her mouth against Mindy’s pussy lips in an open-mouth kiss, massaging her far more firmly than any kiss she’d given Mindy before. 

Kelly’s hot breath against her, the force of her lips, and the playful exploration of her tongue drove pleasure into Mindy like a live wire. Mindy shuddered, holding onto the far edge of the desk for dear life as electricity arced through her.

Her breathing shifted into steady gasps as Kelly focused on making her cum, and Mindy wasn’t sure how long she could hold on. Blowing Arthur under the desk had stirred her arousal, and now Kelly was eating her like a main course. 

“Oh yes, Kelly… please…” Mindy gasped. “Oh…” 

Mindy’s breathy, panting pleading spurred Kelly on to new explorations and deeper pleasures. Kelly let one hand slide from holding Mindy’s thigh apart, and slipped one finger into Mindy, then two, stroking her insides beneath her oral onslaught. 

Mindy quivered and shook beneath Kelly, holding onto the desk as her legs flexed and tensed. Kelly’s shoulders lifted her thighs, and Mindy felt the urge to squeeze her thighs together, clamping Kelly’s head. Instead, she released the desk and grabbed the back of her knees, holding her legs aloft and exposing herself to Kelly. 

Kelly pressed the thumb of her right hand against the back of Mindy’s thigh as she pumped her left index and middle fingers in and out of Mindy’s pussy. Her lips remained clamped over Mindy’s clit, which she licked, sucked, and massaged. 

Mindy’s eyes rolled in her head, and she stuck her tongue out, letting it hang out as if to relieve the growing pressure in her body. The constant barrage of stimulation drove her to new heights, and she vibrated against every change in tempo or motion Kelly made. 

“Please,” Mindy begged. “Please, please, please.” 

Kelly stilled her fingers for a moment, then brought her left thumb against the underside of Mindy’s clit. She pressed ever so gently, holding the pressure there like a stopper. 

Mindy whimpered, but Kelly was far from finished. She shifted, and to Mindy’s surprise, she climbed onto the desk, straddling Mindy’s thigh. The heat from Kelly’s groin grew intense, even through her shorts, and Mindy’s eyes widened as Kelly’s thigh added pressure. She withdrew her hand, then put it back from a new angle, hooking her fingers into Mindy from above. She pressed the butt of her palm against Mindy’s clit, trapped there by Kelly’s thigh. 

Then Kelly lowered her lips to Mindy’s breasts, which she teased, sucked, and kissed, before bringing her lips to Mindy’s face once more. The two women made out. Their thighs trapped their hands against each other as their fingers played. Mindy remained outside Kelly’s shorts, but that was Kelly’s preference. 

Kelly leaned back, pushing herself up from the desk. She held herself aloft in a one-arm pushup that Mindy knew she wouldn’t have been able to replicate. 

The new angle made Mindy seize, and her body twitched as the pleasure shot through her. She shifted, bending her legs to brace, and pushed harder against Kelly’s crotch. Kelly shifted, hanging her head low so that her forehead was against Mindy’s. 

“Kelly…” Mindy whispered.

“Mindy…” Kelly whispered back. 

“Tell me to cum for you, Mistress,” Mindy said, gasping as she arched her back. “Gah!” 

Kelly grinned. “That’s it, Babe. Cum for me.” She struck Mindy’s clit with her palm like a one-handed clap against the middle finger she had hooked inside her. Mindy bucked, her chest and head jolting in several rapid convulsions as she opened her mouth to scream. 

Unsure how soundproof the office was, Kelly clamped her drenched hand over Mindy’s mouth just in time. The younger woman’s eyes rolled, showing Kelly on the whites of her eyes as her orgasm continued to rip through her. 

Kelly held her through it, letting her writhe until every ripple of exertion fled her. She floated on her euphoria as Kelly relaxed, her own orgasm much smaller, but still pleasant. 

“Wow.” Mindy gasped, catching her breath. “Can we do that again?”

Kelly laughed. “Maybe later this weekend. Right now, we should see if Lynn’s ready. The others should be here soon, right?”

“I dunno,” Mindy said, her voice dreamy and half asleep from euphoric exhaustion. “No idea what time it is.”

Kelly patted Mindy on the boob. 

Mindy giggled.

“Take your time,” Kelly said. She stood from the desk and walked around it, kissing Mindy in an upside-down kiss that was more loving and less passionate than their earlier kisses. 

“Okay,” Mindy said, interlocking her fingers behind her head for a makeshift pillow on the desk.

It wasn’t the most comfortable slab, as beds went. Still, in the afterglow of sex, any surface was comfortable.

Kelly didn’t lie still. She pulled wipes from her purse and cleaned the desk where Mindy had made a mess. She wiped her fingers and face, touching up her makeup with a compact mirror. Mindy fell asleep on the desk, and Kelly didn’t have the heart to wake her. 

Meanwhile, the sun outside dipped low, and the exterior lights on their automatic timers flipped on to light the house in a golden glow. 

Kelly slipped into her dress again and sat on the bay window seat, gazing out over the front lawn. Brown, red, orange, and gold leaves spotted the grass until the shadows blended them with the trees between her and the outer wall and road. She texted the others while she waited for time to pass. 

Mistress: Is Operation Clone still a go?

Concubine: I’ve got the gear with me. 

Pet: I’m ready and on my way!

Mistress: Don’t text and drive! 

Pet: I’m not! I’m using voice-to-text!

Mistress: And is Slut still planning on doing her surprise? I’ve kept the secret, but I’m starting to think she should reconsider based on some things Arthur’s said about having a break tonight. 

Slut: Operation Surprise is still a go. Jen, Maria, and I are on our way.

Mistress: Are you sure this is a good idea?

Slut: Yes! They’ll love it! And Jen and Maria are excited! They can’t wait to see the looks on Brad and Mark’s faces.

Mistress: Okay…

Mistress: I suggest you come in first and check with Arthur.

Slut: That will ruin the surprise! Don’t worry. It’ll go great. Let me know if you need any help with Lynn.

Mistress: Will do.

Mistress: What about Brat? Is she coming?

Concubine: She’s driving rn. She’s the one giving me a lift. She said to tell you she still thinks Operation Clone is a bad idea, and she doesn’t care if Arthur gave his approval.

Slut: I thought we agreed to call him Master when we can?

Concubine: Take it up with her. I’m just the messenger.

Mistress: Okay. See you soon. 

Now, all she had to do was wait patiently for the others. If only she were a more patient person. 

~~~

Mindy stirred, blinking awake as the brief slumber fell away from her like a blanket she discarded. Her body lay sprawled and lewd atop the desk, naked. She blinked and rose with her elbows behind her as she closed her legs. 

“Welcome back,” Kelly said, almost startling Mindy from her left. She sat in the bay window seat, surveying the front lawn. The sun had set, and it was dark outside, but the house lights illuminated Kelly with a soft glow. 

“How long was I out?” Mindy asked, pushing herself up to a sitting position. 

“Twenty minutes or so,” Kelly said, shrugging. “The girls should be here any minute.” She nodded toward the office door. “Should we make sure Lynn is ready?” 

Mindy shrugged. She hopped off the desk and started dressing. Her panties were dry, but the spot in their center showed where they’d been wet before. She pulled them on, slid into her leggings, and then put on her bra. 

Kelly watched her dress, admiring her body as she did it. The curves of Mindy’s heavy breasts were enticing. Her flat stomach and cute butt drew Kelly’s attention until they disappeared beneath her clothes. She didn’t have the muscle tone Kelly did, but she’d get there.  

“Did you get there?” Mindy asked. 

Kelly blinked, trying to decipher what Mindy meant. It wasn’t the muscle tone Kelly had been contemplating, but going back further to their time together. Kelly shrugged. “I think I had a small orgasm,” Kelly said. “But I enjoyed it.” 

Mindy smiled. “Any time you want to satisfy your Asian-women kink, just let me know.” 

Kelly chuckled. “Yeah. Is that weird? I feel weird about it.” 

“It’s common, like I said,” Mindy said. “The number of weebs in high school that wanted to date me because they thought I was Japanese was too damn high.” 

“I thought you liked anime?” Kelly asked. 

“I do, but I hate when people mistake me for being Japanese or Chinese,” Mindy said. She talked as she pulled on her sweater dress and made the final adjustments to her outfit. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a weeb, too. I just–” She sighed. “I dunno. It’s a whole thing. It’s like they don’t respect me enough to listen when I talk, or care enough to learn about me.”

“I thought you enjoyed our disrespecting you?” Kelly asked. 

“No. I enjoy you calling me Whore, but I only enjoy that because I know you respect me otherwise, and that’s a side of myself I decided to share with you.” Mindy explained. “That’s why it’s okay when the harem calls me Whore, but not okay when someone else does it.” 

Kelly nodded, not quite understanding, but not pressing. “For me, I think it’s because the first girl I was ever with  — my first crush, girlfriend, kiss, and everything else  — was Asian. Chinese, to be specific. Or half-Chinese.” 

“What happened to her?” Mindy asked as Kelly offered her a compact mirror to check her makeup and hair. 

“I grew too invested, but reluctant to come out, and we went off to different colleges, the usual senior year drama,” Kelly said. She put her mirror away and gathered their things. “Should we leave our purses in here?” 

“Leave the book bags,” Mindy suggested. “We can take our purses. You were reluctant to come out? I always pictured you out and proud.” 

Kelly nodded, turning to ask Mindy to help her zip up the back of her dress, which Mindy did. “My mother’s obsessed with appearances. Her solution to my coming out was to rage for a while, then ignore it and pretend it never happened. She’d be quite happy I’m dating Arthur, but I can’t imagine she’d even acknowledge the harem.”

Kelly peeked out the office door first, checking for the guys. Mindy fell silent, unsure what to say, and she didn’t want to interrupt their guys’ night any more than Kelly did. 

“Should we tell Selene to call off her surprise?” Mindy asked, changing the subject. “I was asking Arthur, and it didn’t sound like he was the type of guy to enjoy surprises, which makes sense, given how much he likes to be in control.” 

“I asked her,” Kelly answered. “She said Maria and Jen are excited about it, so they’re going through with it. I hope they enjoy it.” 

Mindy nodded. If Selene were here, she might try to convince her to call it off. They had other things to focus on. She followed Kelly through the hallway to the basement door. Kelly knocked three times, but there was no answer. She tried again. The only thing that happened was Arthur poked his head out of the home theater. After seeing it was them, he blew them a kiss and returned to his game of Pandemic with Brad and Mark. 

Kelly tried the door. The knob was free, but Arthur had locked the deadbolt on their side. She unlocked it, and the two of them took the stairs down into Lynn’s apartment. 

The stairs emptied into the open floor plan apartment next to her kitchen. Looking around, neither spotted her until they moved deeper into the apartment. Both remained wary of the silence, unwilling to call out until they saw life or light in the dark apartment.  

Slumped against the door, lying on her side, with a pair of crumpled panties inches from her face, rested a sleeping, naked Lynn. Her hand remained trapped between her legs, like she’d been rubbing or fingering herself, and the carpet had a spot on it. She looked a mess, with the reflective blanket from earlier draped behind her rather than covering her. 

Mindy covered her mouth with her left hand in surprise, a silent gasp. She pointed with her right hand, and Kelly followed her finger through the living room to the slumped figure. 

Kelly laughed. 

The sudden noise was high and melodic with a tinge of cruelty to it. Mindy hadn’t heard that laugh from Kelly before. It seemed more in line with Lynn’s laughter. She looked at the redhead in surprise and turned back to Lynn as the naked Latina stirred. 

Lynn’s eyes blinked open, as if wakefulness were coming to her one eyelash at a time. She turned her head as she sat up, propping herself on one arm, her naked breasts hanging. 

Mindy stood still in shock, keeping her hand over her mouth and pointing, as if frozen. 

Kelly crossed her arms over her stomach, still laughing. 

Lynn’s eyes shot wide open as she realized where she was and who she was with. 

“How did you get in here?” Lynn screeched as she scrambled from the floor. She tried to cover her nudity and stand, fumbling to prop herself up with the help of the doorknob behind her. 

Kelly wiped her eyes from laughing. “You invited us, remember? We came down, and there you are. Passed out from frigging yourself?” 

“I didn’t!” Lynn lied. “I must’ve fallen and hit my head or something.” 

“You’re a terrible liar,” Kelly said, walking forward to meet Lynn. “You had your hands between your legs, and at least one finger in that cunt of yours. Just admit it.” 

“I didn’t!” Lynn protested again. 

“What were you masturbating to?” Kelly asked. “Was it to Arthur?” 

“I didn’t,” Lynn said, through gritted teeth.

“The police officer, Mindy’s brother?” Kelly asked as she picked up Lynn’s discarded panties as if they were evidence. She pinched them between the nails of her forefinger and thumb, lifting them as if they were the most disgusting garbage she’d ever touched.

Mindy made a gagging noise, not at the panties, but at the idea of her brother being in Lynn’s masturbatory thoughts. Either way, it came across the same.  

Lynn ground her teeth. She kept her nipples covered with one arm, which pillowed her breasts, and kept her privates covered with her other hand. “I didn’t masturbate.” She said. 

“Was it to me?” Kelly asked, turning the panties around, inspecting them for the answer. “Did you come inside and cum to me, thinking about how Arthur, Mindy, and I make love?” 

“Shut up!” Lynn yelled and snatched her panties out of Kelly’s grasp as if she could hide them. “I didn’t masturbate! I just fell asleep!” 

Kelly inhaled through her nose, then crinkled it, as if smelling wet day-old banana peels. “It stinks like your disgusting vag juice in here.” Kelly chuckled. “You’re such a pathetic liar.” 

“Get out!” Lynn said, flinging her hand toward the stairs. “I’m canceling dinner!” 

“No, you’re not,” Kelly said, shaking her head. Her determination to have that dinner outweighed everything else. Operation Clone depended on it. “We’re having that apology dinner, or should I ask Deb whether your attempted breaking and entering earlier constitutes enough to kick you out? I’m sure she’d love to hear about it.” 

Lynn’s eyes flared wide in sudden fury, but whatever she wanted to say caught in her throat. She choked on her rage, her face flaming red as her mouth opened and closed, turning her words into nothing but guttural nonsense. She stammered, her fists clenched as she looked away from Kelly and tried to say something. “But–” 

“No buts,” Kelly said, standing aside so that Lynn could move past her. “You owe Mindy that apology, and we girls are going to have a nice, long talk. Hurry, get your swimsuit! See if you can keep yourself from finger-fucking your nasty cunt for five minutes. Mindy and I will pick out our swimsuits from the pool house and make the arrangements for dinner as the others arrive.” 

“We will?” Mindy asked, surprised. She hadn’t planned on cooking tonight, and everything was happening so fast. Besides that, Lynn was still naked and barely hiding it. Her ridiculous physique banished all but the most perverse notions from Mindy’s mind. Her eyes kept moving between Lynn’s naked bits, unable to look away. 

“We will.” Kelly nodded. “We’re ordering from the Garden Wok, remember? I’m sure Lynn won’t mind paying, though, since she’s the one hosting us.” 

“But, uh…” Lynn stammered, flustered. 

“Christ, woman. Don’t you have a hamper?” Kelly asked, ignoring Lynn’s stammering and gesturing to the pair of discarded denim shorts on the sofa. “You’re so disgusting.” 

Lynn strode forward, seizing the shorts and the other clothes she’d left strewn around the apartment on her way to bed last night. She disappeared into the master suite as Kelly turned toward Mindy with a look of triumph. Mindy’s eyes followed Lynn’s almost spherical ass until it disappeared from view. 

“Oh-my-god-she’s-so-hot.” Mindy nearly collapsed. “And you’re dominating her was super hot.” 

“I wasn’t dominating her,” Kelly protested. “I was giving her a taste of her own medicine. She’s not hot. She’s disgusting. Remember what she did to Arthur?” 

Mindy straightened. She’d forgotten what a heartless, evil creature Lynn was. Lynn’s breathtaking nudity drove such thoughts from her mind. She blushed with shame. “Oh, my God. I’m sorry.” Mindy said, her voice small.

“It’s okay,” Kelly said, pulling up her phone and putting her other arm around Mindy’s shoulders. “Come on. You and I need to pick out swimsuits from the pool house. The others are bringing theirs.” 

Mindy followed Kelly through the sliding glass door onto the patio, where the pool stretched out before them. The wind nipped at Mindy’s nose as they walked from the house to the pool house. It tussled her hair, and she pushed it back behind her shoulders. “Isn’t it too chilly for a pool party?” Mindy asked. 

With the sun gone, the warmth of the October day evaporated. The autumnal wind brought the chill of the night into play. They weren’t uncomfortable in their clothes; but wet from the pool, they’d freeze in the night air. 

Kelly shrugged and pulled out her house key to open the pool house. She unlocked the French glass door, and she stepped inside. “The pool and hot tub are heated. We can light a fire in the fire pit. We’ll be fine. Besides, if it gets too chilly, we can come into the pool house or Lynn’s apartment.” 

Mindy supposed that was accurate. She looked around for the swimsuits Deb mentioned, then remembered from Sunday that they were in the extra bedroom. She followed Kelly, and the two of them found the walk-in closet full of swimsuits of different sizes. 

“Who the heck can afford to buy a bunch of extra swimsuits in different sizes and styles?” Mindy asked, not thinking.

Kelly scrolled through the options, sliding the hangers apart one by one, and selecting a black bikini that matched the athletic shorts beneath her dress. “People who can afford mansions with a pool house, I guess.” 

“How wealthy is Arthur?” Mindy asked. 

“His parents are wealthy,” Kelly said. “Upper middle class, I guess. The same tax bracket as my mom.” 

Mindy glanced at Kelly and frowned. “Right.” 

“Not that I grew up in a house like this,” Kelly said, gesturing around them. “My mom has one income, Arthur’s parents have two, and he’s an only child, while I have brothers.” 

Shame flushed Mindy’s face at her initial annoyance. She had no reason to resent Arthur or Kelly for their family’s wealth. She picked her way through the swimsuits, ending on a blue tankini with white bubbles printed over it. “What do you think of this one?” 

“Cute!” Kelly said, holding it up against Mindy with its hanger. 

Mindy frowned. 

“You want sexy instead of cute?” Kelly asked, her mouth ticking up at the corner. 

“Yeah,” Mindy said. “I enjoy being the cute one, sure, but sometimes it’d be nice if everyone treated me more like an adult, you know?” 

“Is that why you go by Whore in the harem?” Kelly asked. She combed through the hanging swimsuits for Mindy’s sake. 

“Yeah,” Mindy said. “That, and I’m a total pervert.” She giggled. “I get off on embracing that side of myself. Arthur reminding me of what I am, even if it’s embarrassing or humiliating? As Rani might say: hot.” 

“You’re not the only one,” Kelly mumbled, pulling a red string bikini from the rack. She held it up against Mindy, who posed. 

Mindy examined it. “Isn’t it a little small?” 

“That’s what makes it sexy,” Kelly explained. “And with your tits? This suit will be downright whorish. Arthur’d lose his mind if he saw you in this.” 

Mindy smiled. “Perfect.” She snatched the hanger and took off her dress again. 

Kelly undressed until she was wearing her black athletic shorts, then put on her black bikini top. It showed less skin than Mindy’s, but showed off her arms, shoulders, back muscles, and a fair bit of her D-cup cleavage. 

Mindy’s double-D breasts looked even bigger in the too-small string bikini. The tiny triangles of red fabric indented her breasts, which spilled over their would-be container. Her nipples tented the fabric. 

“Mm,” Kelly said. “I just want to bury my face in them and go to town.” She mimed motorboating her.

Mindy giggled. She pulled on the bottoms and tied them in bows on either side of her hips. The string hung gracefully against her bare legs. The tiny patch of fabric barely covered her in the front and disappeared almost entirely in the back every time she moved. 

Kelly smacked her butt. “Let’s check on Lynn.” 

“Is the plan tonight to drown her?” Mindy asked, chuckling. 

“No.” Kelly sighed. “More’s the pity. I’m just going to keep giving her a taste of her own medicine and hope she chokes on it.” 

The girls laughed as they left the closet behind them. They left the pool house to discover Lynn waiting for them on the patio. She’d left her sliding glass door open. The pool lights illuminated the water and the stones surrounding the pool. Lanterns illuminated the patio. The pool house lights lit the hot tub and some of the yard beyond, enough to show the fire pit a dozen feet from the far end of the patio. 

Lynn stood as the girls approached. She wore a psychedelic-patterned one-piece that looked like bikini bottoms with a panel attached to the front and back. Cutout sides showed off tan skin between the top’s straps, which wrapped under her arms. The bottoms curved high on her hips, showing the crease of her joint where her legs met her hips. The thong back showed her entire ass, except for a small triangle of the patterned fabric at the top, which disappeared between her cheeks. Instead of the standard shoulder straps of a one-piece, her top had halter neck strings. They formed a deep V-cut neckline, showing miles of cleavage and the inner spherical curve of her breasts to the bottom of her sternum—a designer suit. Mindy couldn’t help looking at the covered parts, remembering how she looked naked. 

“Trunks?” Lynn asked, pointing at Kelly’s athletic shorts. “Really? I knew you were masculine, but I didn’t think you’d go that far.” 

Kelly sighed. “Oh, you’re back to that line of insults.” She shook her head. “Nice try, but we both know you fingered yourself into a coma over me earlier.” She winked at Mindy, who giggled.

Lynn’s face turned crimson in an instant. “I didn’t!” 

“You think I’m hot.” Kelly laughed. “Poor girl. I’d never let you taste this.” She gestured to her crotch. 

“I don’t–” Lynn choked on her words. “I mean, I didn’t–” 

“Yeah.” Kelly nodded. “Okay.” 

“I–” Lynn stammered. “I–” She looked at Mindy, as if for help, but Mindy gave her none. Lynn’s nipples, tenting the whisper-thin lycra of her suit, distracted her. “I was tired after being outside for so long. The entire ordeal of being locked out and naked had me terrified and anxious. I settled for a second after I went inside, the adrenaline wore off, and I fell asleep. That’s it!” 

“I thought you fell and hit your head?” Kelly asked, tilting her head at a curious angle. 

Lynn had no answer to that. She fumed and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. 

The sound of a car on the driveway interrupted them, followed by the closing of multiple car doors, which made them wait. When no one appeared, they grew curious, and Kelly started walking. They arrived at the front of the house just as the delivery driver returned to his car. He looked at the assembled women and went slack-jawed. The driver stared at them until satisfaction crept over his features as if he’d confirmed a suspicion.

“What’s up with this place?” He asked. “Is it a sorority house or something?” 

“No,” Kelly said. “It’s my boyfriend’s house.” 

The driver raised an eyebrow. “Your boyfriend?” 

“Yeah,” Kelly said.

“Your boyfriend’s the muscular guy who just ordered pizza?” The driver asked. 

“About this tall, hot as fuck?” Mindy asked, going up on her tiptoes and stretching to show his height. “Yeah, that’s him.” 

“Oh, uh…” The driver closed his car door, gaping at Mindy, who realized the lewdness of what she’d done. Mindy moved behind Kelly, who stood tall. The driver, sensing their body language, stopped moving closer, but his eyes lingered on Lynn as he continued talking with Kelly. She folded her arms and cocked her hip at an impatient angle. If she’d been wearing shoes, he might have feared she’d throw one at him. 

“I shouldn’t tell you this,” the driver said. “But, uh, last time I delivered here, a naked woman answered the door.” 

Kelly smiled. “An Amazon or an Indian woman?” 

The man scratched his head. “Uh, an Amazon.” 

“My friend Thalia,” Kelly said. “Yeah, she’s gorgeous. It’s all good.” 

“Oh.” The man sounded disappointed. “Okay, well, do you have her number, by any chance? I wanted to ask for it, but the order was addressed to Arthur. I guess that’s your boyfriend. He bought dinner for that other girl.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that,” Kelly said. “Do you often look up people when they order from your restaurant? That’s creepy.” 

“Oh, I just meant the order was in his name and everything. I didn’t have a number for Thalia, and there was this energy between us, this connection.” The delivery guy shrugged. “You know?” 

“You shouldn’t flirt with your customers when you’re working,” Mindy said, annoyed. “That’s creepy.” 

“I’m not trying to creep on her or anything.” The man said, raising his hands. “I just thought she was into me.”  

“Sorry.” Kelly shook her head. “You’d have to ask her, but she bats for the other team. She’s not attracted to men at all.” 

The man frowned. “Oh, so that’s why you didn’t care. Well, fuck.” He huffed, then let his eyes wander over their swimsuits for an uncomfortable handful of seconds. “Are any of you single?” His eyes stopped on Mindy when he asked, and she hid behind Kelly with her hands on Kelly’s shoulders.

“I’m not,” Mindy said, and the man’s look turned to Lynn, whose expression suggested he’d offended her. Mindy couldn’t tell if it was because he’d picked her third, because he wasn’t much to look at, or because he was acting creepy.

“Single, but not desperate enough to be interested in a delivery driver,” Lynn answered with enough disgust in her tone to suggest what she thought of his career choice. “Don’t be gross. Now get the fuck out of here before I call the cops, you pervert!” 

“No need to be a bitch.” The delivery driver grumbled as he got into his car.

Lynn huffed and rolled her eyes. 

They watched the driver start his car, but he had to wait to leave as three other cars pulled into the driveway. Mindy recognized Kat’s car, which bore her and Rani, Katelyn’s car, and then a car she didn’t recognize, but it had Selene in the back seat. 

Once the three cars entered the loop, the delivery driver left. 

“How many people am I buying food for tonight?” Lynn asked, glaring at Kelly as if it were her fault. Her mood had only worsened after their conversation with the delivery driver. 

“Rani, Katelyn, me, Kat, Mindy, and you,” Kelly counted. “Six.” 

“Then who are these other people?” Lynn asked, gesturing to the third car. 

“Don’t worry,” Kelly said as Selene exited the backseat. She wore a coat, but her legs were bare beneath it, beside the black heels she wore. Jen and Maria dressed in coats and heels, though Jen wore small-gapped fishnet stockings. 

“I thought you said Selene wasn’t coming.” Lynn sounded accusatory. 

“She’s not here for us. She’s spending time with Arthur tonight,” Kelly said.

“Arty’s here?” Lynn asked, confused and ignoring Selene’s glare. “I thought he left.” 

“His name is Arthur, and he’s having friends over,” Kelly said. “He’ll be upstairs, not that it’s any of your concern.” 

“Friends? Are you letting him fuck those women? Are they more whores?” Lynn asked, watching Kelly for her response. Kelly didn’t give her one. Lynn grinned in triumph. “I already know he fucks people outside of your little group.” She said. “Whoever Thalia is, and I caught him and Kat with Beth on Monday.”

Mindy startled. 

“Oh, you know Beth?” Lynn asked. “She’s Arthur’s boss, right?” 

“She’s a mutual acquaintance of Arthur and Mindy,” Kelly said, leaving it at that for Mindy, who was about to answer. “For now, let’s focus on your apology to Mindy through this dinner party.”

Mindy’s heart thundered in her chest as Lynn stared at her, evaluating her response. She sniffed as if she could smell Mindy’s fear, and Mindy realized she had to warn Arthur that Lynn knew who Beth was. But if she knew, why hadn’t she done something? She must not have any proof.   

Lynn turned away, watching Selene, Maria, and Jen walk into the garage while Kat, Katleyn, and Rani approached with their bags in tow. 

Brad, Arthur, and Mark sat on the U-shaped sofa, each taking a length for themselves. They’d pushed the square section into the rest of the couch so the whole thing became one giant nest with the board game in the middle. Pandemic was a lot of fun, though the cards left much to chance. 

Brad sighed, hesitating between cards as the doorbell rang. 

“Saved by the bell,” Arthur said. 

“That was quick if it’s the food,” Mark said, checking his phone. “Your parents must tip well if they ordered from there before.” 

Arthur hopped over the back of the sofa and headed down the hallway. Sure enough, the camera showed it was the pizza delivery guy. The same one that delivered the other day when Thalia, Rani, and he had ordered food. No wonder he’d gotten here quickly. Arthur opened the door, and the man’s face fell. 

“I got a pizza for…” He checked the numbers by the door to confirm the correct address. 

“Yup, that’s me,” Arthur said. “Plus appetizers.” The brown paper bag atop the pizza box smelled fried and greasy. “Paid and tipped online, right?” 

“Yeah.” The man’s disappointment crashed against the ground as he handed Arthur the pizza as if it were a personal defeat. 

“Thanks!” Arthur said, trying to lift the man’s spirits with his cheerfulness. He wasn’t successful. He took the food, stepping back as the man peered around him. No one else was in the foyer. Arthur closed the door as the man turned away and padded to the kitchen. He didn’t see Kelly, Lynn, or Mindy approaching the circle from the far side of the house. 

“Food’s here!” Arthur called down the hall. 

Mark and Brad strolled through the hallway and turned into the kitchen, following Arthur. 

“Do we want to finish the board game, or jump straight to the movie?” Mark asked. 

“Let’s put the game on pause,” Arthur said as he set the pizza box on the island counter and moved the bag off it. He gestured to the cabinet beside the stove, and Brad pulled out the paper plates. The fried food filled the air with temptation as Arthur opened the bag. 

Mark licked his lips. 

“Good idea,” Brad said. “We can eat, watch the movie, and finish the game after?” 

“Exactly,” Arthur said. He took a paper plate and put fried pickles on it. He added a mozzarella stick and fries, a few fried pickle chips, and then a slice of the meat lover’s pizza. “You guys are such a bad influence.” 

Mark’s stomach growled. “We’re bad influences?” He chuckled. “You and Selene are the ones starting a sex revolution on campus.” 

Arthur paused. His whole body froze, and then he turned to look at Mark with his face full of confusion. “We’re what?”  

“You’ve got everybody expanding their horizons,” Mark said. “Maria especially, since she and Selene are close, but I don’t think it’s just her and me.” He glanced at Brad. 

Brad glanced at Mark as they filled their plates. “Jen and I have done some pretty wild things.” He said. “And yeah, I dunno. I think knowing that you, Selene, and your other girlfriends are unconventional and okay helped me have the bravery to do it. You’ve normalized some pretty weird stuff.” 

Arthur wasn’t sure how to take that. “What has Selene been telling you guys?” 

“It’s not that she said anything specific,” Mark said, shaking his head. “It’s more like at Homecoming, all of your girlfriends wore chokers. Selene calls you Master sometimes. She had ropes wrapped around her under her hoodie and a leash attached to her wrist. Everything was consensual when Yvonne accused you of shady shit. Between that and what we know of you guys, it’s safe to assume you’re pretty kinky.”  

Arthur shrugged, not looking either of them in the eye. 

“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” Brad said, chiming in. “We’re saying we’re impressed with how normal you guys make it. It’s cool. We’re not judging you. Heck, Mark and Maria are pretty out there, too.” 

“Oh, like you and Jen don’t get off on weird shit, Superman,” Mark said. The laughter in his voice robbed the accusation of any venom. “Everybody’s got their kink.”

Brad chuckled. “Guilty. Her closet is full of cosplays, and she’s into doing it in costume. She gets really into it. I love it. It’s the right level of theater, improv, fun, and sex.” 

“I don’t know if we should be sharing our girlfriends’ kinks,” Arthur said. He was uncertain whether it was a betrayal of trust or something that normal couples confided in their friends. He’d never been one to brag about his sex life with his friends. That was private, between him and the girl he was dating. Lori, and then Kelly, Selene, Kat, Mindy, Rani, and Katelyn could rest safe knowing that he wouldn’t shame them or spread their kinks around campus. Not that he didn’t trust Mark and Brad with his life, but he had responsibilities as a boyfriend and Dom that he refused to betray. 

Brad looked somewhat abashed, but shrugged. “I trust you not to go telling anyone,” Brad said. “Mark already knew.” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. 

“Jen and Maria are close. They discuss everything, and I mean everything.” Mark said, leading the procession back to the living room as he started walking with a plate full of food. 

“Yeah.” Brad agreed as he followed. “Jen even knew your dick size before that party in her room.” 

“Uh…” Arthur looked between them. 

“Oh, we, uh… had a foursome?” Mark said. “Kinda. I mostly watched.” He blushed as he said it. “That’s my kink.” 

“What was it Maria called you?” Brad asked. “A bye-cuck?” 

“A bi cuck, yeah,” Mark said, chuckling to remove the nervousness in his answer as he glanced at Arthur. “And Maria said Selene’s a cuckquean?”

Arthur frowned. “You’d have to talk to her about that. It’s not my place.” 

“Lighten up, Bro,” Brad said. “We’re friends here, right?” 

“Sorry, I just… I don’t kiss and tell, okay? It’s not like I ever told you guys the stuff Lori and I did behind closed doors.” Arthur said. 

“Maybe not, but Lori and Maria discussed it,” Mark said. “I swear, girls have no boundaries with this stuff. So why should we?” 

Arthur thought back to Selene telling him about her conversations with Lori and learning the things he and Lori had done together. He hadn’t thought much of it. He’d considered it a one-time confidence in a close friend that they both trusted. Now, though, he wondered just how often Lori engaged in this ‘girl talk’ and who she’d told.

That side of him  — the sexual side, the dominant Arthur who took control  — he reserved that for intimate moments with his girlfriends. He didn’t go around acting that way all day, every day. He kept that part of himself private. Yvonne might have spread her rumors, but they were rumors. The facts weren’t for others outside his bedroom, his harem, their adventures together, or the lifestyle scene. Was sharing it with Mark and Brad, his closest friends outside the harem, so dangerous? 

Probably not, but the vulnerability made his nerves itch. He couldn’t shake the fear lacing his gut at being so exposed, even to his friends. Then again, Mark had gone first. He’d exposed his kinks, and Brad had exposed his when revealing Jen’s. 

“Sorry,” Brad said, retaking his seat on the sofa and resting his plate in front of him. “We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.” 

“I just don’t want to betray anyone’s confidence,” Arthur said. “Besides, are you comfortable considering Selene in compromising positions like that? You know her. She’s your friend.” 

“Yeah,” Brad said. “She’s also pretty hot, not that I’m trying to hit on your girl. You two are finally together, and I’m happy for you. But I’d have asked her out if I’d thought she’d wanted me to.” 

“Why didn’t you?” Arthur asked. 

“She only ever had eyes for you, man.” Brad shrugged. 

Arthur looked confused. 

“Yeah, it was obvious to everyone but you,” Mark said, chuckling. “But don’t worry, we’ll lay off the sex talk if it makes you uncomfortable.” He put his plate down and picked up the DVD, putting it in the machine. “We can always discuss other things, but for now, let’s enjoy the movie!” 

“Who’s in this one?” Brad asked, moving between conversation subjects with ease. He moved the Pandemic board into the center of the unused square nestled into the sofa, making it one giant nest.  

“Heath Ledger, Alan Tudyk, and uh… the guy who plays Vision — I can never remember his name,” Mark said. 

“Paul Bettany.” Arthur supplied the name as he got comfortable on the sofa. Brad sat in the left corner where the two branches met, facing the TV. Arthur sat in the middle at the bottom of the square U. After putting the DVD in, Mark took the right corner, facing the TV. Each had a seat’s worth of space between them. With their plates in their laps, they were just about to eat as the DVD warnings played. 

Instead, the sound of a door opening caused them to turn. Selene entered first, with Jen and Maria behind her, the three of them having discarded their coats in the laundry room after they came through the garage.  

“Uh…” Arthur said, staring at their clothes, or lack thereof. “What’s happening?” His eyes found Selene’s face, and he studied her shining blue eyes for answers. 

Mark and Brad turned around to see. Their mouths hung open as the girls stood side by side between them and the sparsely furnished space opposite the theater room. 

Selene giggled. “Surprise!” She threw her hands up in the air. 

Selene wore black high heels on otherwise bare feet. Her toned dancer’s legs were bare from the straps over her ankles to the bottom of an indecently short black dress that shone like latex as it clung to every subtle curve of her hips and breasts. The plunging neckline dipped into a curved scoop well below her round B-cup breasts. The straps left her sleeveless, but her wrists bore black bands as cuffs, and her throat had two chokers: a narrow brown leather choker and a black collar that buckled in the back and held a stainless steel O-ring in the center at the front. 

Maria stood behind and to Selene’s left. The thicker woman had a looser dress, but wore the same heels. Her dress ended in a pleated skirt just above her mid-thigh, which tapered to her waist. The dress had a built-in corset-style tie in the back. The strings made a bow just above her large behind that peeked out of the skirt every time she moved. The squared neckline had two narrow straps of fabric traveling over her shoulders, tied with bows where they met the dress. With Maria’s ample chest, she showed a mile of cleavage, and her breasts spilled out somewhat on the sides, giving her a lewd appearance even though the dress was demure. She wore matching cuffs to Selene’s, and a collar that matched Selene’s black one, with two straps of leather connected to the central O-ring and buckling in the back. 

Jen entered last and seemed to want to make her entrance count. Unlike the others, she wore stockings with her high heels. Tight-weave fishnets criss-crossed their way up her thighs, disappearing beneath a leather mini-skirt, and then reappeared above the skirt, climbing her exposed midriff to her waist. Above that, she wore a long-sleeve fishnet crop top that showed everything beneath it. A black tube top preserved her modesty and covered her breasts somewhere between Selene’s and Maria’s in size. The fishnet top had a choker neckline that climbed her throat to the matching collar she wore with the other girls, and black cuffs at her wrists. 

Mark and Brad sat with their mouths open, staring wide-eyed at their girlfriends in shock, disbelief, and awe. Arthur stared at Selene wide-eyed, but his mouth remained closed. His eyes darted to the other two with concern and fear, instead of the excitement and hope in Mark and Brad’s gazes. 

“I think they’re surprised,” Jen said when none of the guys answered Selene’s initial yell.

“Are we late?” Maria asked. “We’re so sorry for any inconvenience.” 

“But don’t worry, we’re here now,” Selene said. 

“So all you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy your guys’ night,” Jen said. 

“We’re here to wait on you,” Maria explained. 

“To serve your food and drinks,” Jen added. 

“To serve you, however you need,” Selene said, finishing the prepared lines as the three beautiful women in sexy outfits posed together. Selene put one leg forward and put her hands behind her head, flaring her elbows out. Maria put a hand on her hip, cocking her body in a sexy, judgmental pose. Jen placed her hand on her opposite hip from Maria’s, but her pose was more sultry than judgmental, her eyes boring into Brad’s shocked facade. 

Silence hung in the room as the three men stared at the three women. No one spoke. No one even blinked until the silence shifted toward awkwardness. 

Selene broke the spell of silence and its drift with a giggle. “I told you they’d love it. Look at their faces!” 

Brad and Mark bore expressions reminiscent of Christmas morning, only the gifts they might unwrap tonight won out over any video game or toy. Arthur’s expression was one of bewilderment, followed by caution, and overtaken by something Selene didn’t recognize. 

Mark paused the movie. “Is this for real?” He asked, with excitement in his voice. “Or are you teasing us?” 

“No, Baby, this is for real,” Maria said, breaking her pose and striding forward a step to stand with her hands folded in front of her, framing her breasts between her arms. “We thought we’d play your waitresses tonight, and have fun.” 

Jen shot a shy glance at Brad. “Do you like my outfit?” 

“I love it,” Brad said, moving to his knees and putting his plate of food aside. 

Arthur stared at Selene. She looked confused. “Do you like my dress, Master? I’m sorry I didn’t ask permission before wearing it. I wanted to surprise you.” 

Arthur glanced at the others, but no one reacted to Selene’s words. Jen and Brad were so enthralled with each other that their world barely extended to anyone else. Maria and Mark, likewise, were having a silent conversation with their eyes. Neither noticed what Selene said, or they heard her and didn’t care. 

“Master?” Selene asked, confused. “Is everything okay?” 

“Red light,” Arthur said, striking confusion through Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen. Shock registered on Selene’s face. 

“What?” Selene asked. The brightness faded from her eyes, and the color drained from her face. “We haven’t even started.” 

“You heard me,” Arthur said, moving his plate from his lap to the sofa as he stepped over to the floor. “Excuse us for a moment.” He said over his shoulder to Mark and Brad. “Selene, can we talk in the other room?” 

Selene’s confusion overtook her as she looked between Maria and Jen for backup. Both of them looked as confused as she was. Maria shrugged, turning her hands over in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture. 

Arthur didn’t wait for her. He started walking, turning down the hallway. Whatever conversation they were about to have, Arthur wanted it to be private. Whatever he had to say, it must be something he wasn’t comfortable saying in front of his closest friends.

Selene stood frozen for a moment, then scrambled to catch up to Arthur. High heels weren’t the best running shoes, but her trot let her catch his long-gated stride by the kitchen archway. She grabbed his wrist, but he swung his arm away and pointed toward the office door. He kept walking, and Selene followed. He entered first and held the door for her as she followed. She kept her hands folded in front of her, unsure whether she should be excited or nervous. 

“What’s wrong?” Selene asked. “Master, you’re acting weird.” 

“I said red light,” Arthur said. “Please, Selene, I’m not Master right now, just Arthur. You need to call me Arthur.” 

Selene’s confusion grew, but she stared up at him as he closed the door and turned to face her. “I don’t understand. You seem upset.” 

“I am upset,” Arthur said, pinching the bridge of his nose and pressing his forehead against his hand. “I’m trying not to be.” 

“What?” Selene asked. “Why? Did I miss something? I thought you’d enjoy the surprise, like Brad and Mark! We did this for our boyfriends. I wanted to give you a sexy surprise! Surprise!” Selene posed again, as if he hadn’t seen it the first time.  

Arthur took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and released it in a long exhale. Selene didn’t miss his effort to calm himself. 

“Are you mad at me?” 

“I don’t know,” Arthur said, though his tone carried more frustration than his words suggested. “Today’s just been more than I expected. It’s been a weird day, and I was supposed to have tonight off from being your Dom. I’ve been staying up late every night, burning through my reserves, and last night drained me.” 

“I thought Kelly helped?” Selene asked. “You spent the night at her place instead of coming home to me.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but more of a statement of fact. 

Kelly had helped soothe and care for him after his ordeal, but it wasn’t as if his recovery was instantaneous. He’d had a release with Mindy earlier, too, but that hadn’t been this. She hadn’t pushed him to play Master or Boss after he asked her not to. Nor did she interrupt any scheduled plans. Hadn’t he been clear tonight was his night off?

“I just needed a night to recharge and reconnect with my friends,” Arthur said. “A break from playing Master. There weren’t supposed to be demands on me tonight. It was just me and the guys. Now, it’s a whole master/slave scene you sprang on me without warning. I’ve done no prep, I have no equipment with me, and to top it off, it’s with people I don’t want seeing me that way! Mark, Maria, and Brad are our friends! We work with them outside of this! They’re in relationships! I don’t even know Jen, much less trust her with that side of myself, and she’s been hounding us for interviews! What if she writes about this?” His voice grew louder with each exclamation. 

“She won’t,” Selene assured him, holding her hands out to calm him. “Tonight is off the record, though I did promise to give her an interview later. Still, she’s Brad’s girlfriend. You trust Brad, right? And you didn’t know Rani when you and Mindy brought her along.” Selene countered. “And that worked out. Jen and Maria are on board. Everyone’s consented. You saw Brad and Mark, right?” 

“I didn’t,” Arthur said, speaking at an even volume again, but with enough weight behind his words that it was clear he was holding his anger in check. “You sprang this on me. Rani was a totally different situation because Rani, Mindy, and I discussed everything before going in. We asked her if she wanted to join us, and she said yes. If she’d said no, I’d have dropped her off at campus, and that would’ve been that! If she joined us and things didn’t work out with Rani, it wasn’t a problem! We might see each other around campus, but I didn’t lose all my friends if things got awkward!” 

“Master–” 

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Arthur’s voice boomed in the empty office, startling him and Selene into silence. 

Tears formed in the corners of Selene’s wide eyes. Her hand went to her collar in shock, and her fingertips lingered against it, as if to assure herself he hadn’t shouted it from her neck. Arthur’s anger wasn’t sexy this time. She’d upset him, and he wasn’t dragging her by the ankle into this office and shutting the door so he could fuck her brains out. He wasn’t even spanking her or threatening her with punishments she’d enjoy. 

“I’m sorry,” Arthur said, realizing he shouldn’t have yelled. He’d lost control, and he couldn’t do that as a man or a master. Arthur wasn’t a master right now, though. He was a frustrated boyfriend arguing with his girlfriend because she wasn’t listening to him again. Not that it was entirely her fault they weren’t communicating. So how could he phrase his frustrations in a way she’d understand? How did he speak her language? 

“I just…” Arthur struggled with how to phrase it, but he landed on a question that wriggled in the back of his mind. “Do you even see me as a person anymore? When you look at me, do you see Arthur, your friend? Or do you only see a master here to play out your fantasies with you?” 

Selene sniffled, wiping her tears with her forearm. “Why can’t it be both?” 

“It can be,” Arthur said. “But so far, it hasn’t been. It’s been all-Dom all the time, and it’s exhausting. I miss hanging out with you as friends, and not as master and slave. Watching Lord of the Rings while we did our homework, or watching whatever anime you wanted to introduce me to, was fun and relaxing. We used to recharge each other, remember? I miss you, Selene.” 

“But we’re more than friends now,” Selene said. “I love you. We love each other, so we’re more than friends! Boyfriend and girlfriend, master and slave. It’s more, and better! Love is so much better than friendship! And being your slave is better than being your friend! Can’t you see that? Don’t you agree?” 

Arthur sighed. He closed his eyes and breathed. 

“Do you not love me?” Selene asked. 

Arthur hugged her, holding her to him. “I love you.” His tone was confident and reassuring. Whatever else might be in question right now, his love for Selene wasn’t up for debate.  

Selene’s tears dripped from her eyes. The hug put her ear against his heart, and she could hear his steady, rapid heartbeat as he wrestled it into a calmer pace through the embrace. The silence grew thick, but the hug held the weight of it at bay until Arthur spoke. 

“I love the woman who checked on me after Lori broke my heart,” Arthur said, holding her in his arms. “That fun-loving hipster ballerina who shares my love of theater and puts herself out there on stage for the world to see. I love the friend I could watch movies with and talk to about anything. The way you get excited when discussing your favorite cartoons, anime, The Lord of the Rings, and even bands and songs I’ve never heard before is amazing. Watching you and Mindy geek out over things is so adorable, it makes me want to smoosh your faces. I love how you expand my horizons with those things and introduce me to your favorites, sharing them with me because you want to share the experience with me. And yes, I love my sex slave and slut, my submissive cuckquean who wants me to dominate her to my heart’s content. Our sex life with and without the harem is fantastic. Being your master and having you as my slave is a fantasy made real.” 

The confession surprised Selene, but warmed her heart so much that she had no choice but to kiss him or cry. She chose both until her tears slid over her lips and separated her from the taste of him. His lips tasted like bacon, which any of his other girlfriends would have loved, but Selene disliked. She didn’t mind since it was him she was kissing. 

“So what’s the problem, then?” Selene asked. “Why are you so mad at me? That’s all I want — for you to be my master and me to be your slave.” 

Arthur sighed. “Because from what I understand, that really is all you want. You want dominance from me, and offer your submission in exchange. I want more than that. I want the whole Selene, not just the bedroom part. Our love should be rooted in our friendship, growing from it, not replacing it. We’ve traded our shared interests for sex, bondage, and power dynamics, rather than adding those things to the list. That’s the only part you’ve cared about these last few weeks. Remember all the aspects of you I listed? Everything that we share outside of BDSM? Why are you so focused on only being my slave and not my friend or girlfriend?” 

Selene hesitated. He could see her reviewing the list and realizing how long it’d been. 

“This whole thing started because you wanted to be friends with bondage benefits, but somewhere along the way, we dropped the friends aspect. When’s the last time we spent time together when you didn’t try to play master and slave?” Arthur asked. 

Selene frowned. “But… there’s the harem. I’m not with you all the time. I have to share you with the others, remember? You can’t blame me for wanting to do our thing when we’re together.” 

“Selene, it’s constant,” Arthur said. “Every time I see you, even not on date nights or one-on-one time, every day you’re slipping deeper into the slave role. It’s like you don’t even want to be Selene anymore. You just want to be my slave.”

“So?” Selene asked. She was crying again and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Why is that a bad thing?” 

“Because as fun as the fantasy of you being my slave is for both of us, you’re still a person, Selene. BDSM is a fun escape from reality, not a replacement for it. It’s like video games, or Lord of the Rings, or any other fantasy. It’s something to visit, not something to lose yourself in.” Arthur said. “I love you. You Selene. As a person. Not just as a slave. Can you say the same? Do you love me as a person? Or do you only love me as your master?” 

“Of course, I love you as a person. I love you because of who you are.” Selene said, reaching up to touch his face. “How could you think anything else?” 

“Because I’m worried that you don’t see me as a person,” Arthur said. “Or yourself, for that matter. I’m worried that you only see yourself as a slave. I don’t want you to lose yourself in our playtime any more than I want to lose you to a character in a play or any other shared interest.” 

Selene sniffled, pulling away so she could wipe her face with her arm. “I’m sorry.” She said. “I just… I don’t want to deal with life right now, or anything outside you, our friends, and the harem. Our bubble. It’s hard enough with all the Lynn, Yvonne, and other drama, but to add real life to it too? My classes, the expectations, homework, exams, and careers? The looks, whispers, and snide remarks from strangers on campus? Not to mention my mother, and the life waiting for us after we graduate? I don’t want it; I want you and the girls, but mostly you. I love you, Arthur, and I want you to let me be your slave, to spend my days serving you, however you need me to. If that were my major, I’d study every day. I want to be a slave. Your slave. My only care should be your pleasure. It’s all I think about. I crave you and my place at your feet.” 

“Selene, that’s called an addiction,” Arthur said. “I think you have an extreme case of sub frenzy. I get that it’s exciting and new. It’s easy to become obsessed with it, especially when there are orgasms involved, but it’s not a healthy mindset to have, or a realistic goal.” 

“Why not?” Selene asked. “Teachers don’t make money. I’d make more if I posted those videos and pictures I made for you on the internet.” 

“That might be true,” Arthur said. She made him realize he’d make more as a business major than most of his girlfriends would in their chosen careers. Rani and Mindy had the best shot at being primary earners. Engineering and business could pay well. Education? Not so much. English? No, Kelly, Katelyn, Selene, and even Kat might make enough to live on in a group or partnered, but never on their own. 

“So, if I’m your slave, I don’t need an income.” Selene insisted. “It’s not like I’m going to leave you.” 

The reality of that statement sank into Arthur’s chest. He’d resisted contemplating the future with the harem, or any of its members, including Selene. He still had another year after this one to get his MBA. Still, the future crept closer, gaining speed every day. He’d be out of college and into his career soon enough, but he lived close enough to the city to commute if he stayed in the house with his girlfriends. Arthur didn’t plan on breaking up with Selene, so why had he assumed she might break up with him and not want to build a future with him? 

Trauma? He’d planned a future once. He had everything planned out for him and Lori until she left him. That wasn’t Selene’s fault. That was his baggage, but they still had to handle Selene’s. Even if she wanted to be a stay-at-home partner and not a career woman, she needed a backup plan. That was what was in her best interest, even if he landed a job that could afford to finance her life. Reality pressed its consideration onto his anxieties. What if he died? What if he didn’t get a job right away? She had to have something in case of the worst-case scenario. 

“Selene, you still need to finish your degree,” Arthur said. “It doesn’t have to be teaching. It sounds like you’re jumping into slavery because you don’t want to be a teacher. But you need a fallback in the worst-case scenario. What if I get sick and can’t work, something terrible happens, or I die? You need to take care of yourself, even though I’m willing to provide for you.” He couldn’t offer financial sponsorship to every partner, but with one or two exceptions, most of them wanted careers.

Selene’s eyes lit up. “Does that mean you want me to be your slave?” 

“Of course I do,” Arthur said. “But I want more than that. Did you hear what I said before that? Are you listening to what I’m saying? We still have to discuss your addiction.” 

“I’m listening, I promise.” Selene giggled, euphoric at his confession. 

“Then what’s so funny?” Arthur asked, confused. 

Selene grinned. “I’m addicted to your dick. A-dick-ted.” 

Arthur didn’t laugh. He swallowed, and he vented his frustration through his nostrils. The two of them stood in silence with his arms loose around her waist. He didn’t know how to get through to her, so he let the silence linger as he scoured his brain. Without him realizing it, the silence turned heavy, and Selene squeezed him around the middle. 

“Please don’t break up with me,” Selene said suddenly. “I was just trying to lighten the mood, the way you do. You always have a terrible joke ready when things get tough.” 

Arthur couldn’t argue that point; she was right. He’d learned that from his dad. 

“I’m not breaking up with you,” Arthur said, both surprised at the suggestion and adamant. Selene’s anxiety had her chest heaving against him.  

“Then where do we go from here?” Selene asked. “Let me be your slave? I can drop out of classes and–” 

“You’re not dropping out of classes.” Arthur corrected her. “You need a fallback, just in case. Remember?” 

“But–” 

“Selene,” Arthur said, cutting her off. Oh, how he wished the harem were here to help him talk sense into her. He felt like a one-man intervention. Kat couldn’t have known she’d been planning this, or she would have dissuaded Selene, right? Then again, maybe she tried, and Selene refused to listen. “I think you need more help than I can give you on this.” 

Selene looked confused. 

The harem might help, but none of them were professionals trained in helping people with addictions. Even Arthur wasn’t an expert in everything. Her sub frenzy had crossed the line between a temporary obsession with a fun new activity and an addiction she couldn’t break on her own. She needed help beyond what Arthur could give her. 

“I want us to go to couples’ counseling,” Arthur said as he realized the desire. “They offer it at the campus health center. It wouldn’t be with my normal therapist; it’d be with someone new to both of us. I’m sure we could schedule a session after the fall break.” 

Selene frowned, but didn’t protest. She considered it. “Do we have to? Is that an order?” 

“No,” Arthur said. “I’m not ordering you to do it as your master. I’m asking you to do it with me as your boyfriend.” It wasn’t a bad idea to do at least one session with each of his girlfriends, but Selene was the one who needed it sooner rather than later. 

Selene considered his offer as she gazed into his eyes, seeing the concern behind the request. “Okay.” She whispered. “But what do we do in the meantime? Can I be your slave just for fall break? For the weekend? I promise I’ll do my best to show you how good it can be.”

“You understand how draining it can be, right? To be a master 24/7?” Arthur asked. “It’s a lot to ask of me, especially when we’ve got the Faire, and I’ve got the rest of the harem.” 

“I won’t burden you.” Selene protested. “You’ve got the harem to help share the load, and I understand it doesn’t mean 24 hours of sex a day.” She clung to his arm again. “Let me serve you. I’ll clean your apartment, do your dishes, or whatever you command me to do, even if it’s just to sit and wait for you to come home. And I’m sorry for surprising you with the others, ambushing you with the girls. I thought I was doing something fun and sexy. I didn’t consider how it’d take away your night off or embarrass you in front of our friends. Come to think of it, the others tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen. I was so inconsiderate, and I’m so sorry, Ma–Arthur. I’m sorry, Arthur. You could spank me for it, but that’d be more BDSM instead of less.”  

“Hmm.” Arthur hummed as he considered her words. What would Kat say about Selene volunteering for chores? What was a suitable punishment? Should he punish her for this? So far, the only thing he’d discovered that she viewed as punishment was chastity. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the chastity belt here. It was at his apartment. There were other punishments, but no. This entire argument was a miscommunication between them as boyfriend and girlfriend. He wouldn’t hold it against her. 

If the situation were different, Arthur might suggest that she be herself and not his slave tonight. That was what he wanted. He’d even invited her to join the guys’ night as one of the guys, but she’d turned him down. Now he saw why she’d fibbed. She’d wanted to surprise him with something she thought was much better than movies and board games. 

If they were to take a vote on it, he knew he’d lose. Mark and Brad weren’t upset that the girls crashed their evening. Arthur would have stopped it if he’d known, but it was too late for that. They weren’t the only couple involved tonight. Selene, Jen, and Maria had worked out a night of waiting on their boyfriends, dressing up in sexy outfits, and offering their services for the night. Mark and Brad were thrilled at the idea. It was a unique night for them, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For them, it was a rare opportunity to explore a sexy side of their girlfriends that they might never get a second chance to discover. Arthur almost felt embarrassed by how run-of-the-mill it was to him. He couldn’t rob them of that, even if it meant sacrificing his night off to keep from ruining theirs.

Besides, even if he didn’t have a chastity belt with him, it might be an excellent opportunity to show Selene that the reality of 24/7 slavery differed from her fantasy. She might not enjoy the domestic servitude as much as she thought she would. That was more Kelly’s thing. 

“You want to be my slave?” Arthur asked. “Twenty-four-seven, no break from slavery? Even when it’s not sexual?” 

“YES,” Selene said, grabbing his shirt and pulling her toward him. “PLEASE. That’s all I want.” 

Arthur tilted Selene’s face toward his, catching her gaze and holding it, searching her eyes to make sure she understood. Hope bubbled behind her eyes, and her lips formed the start of a kiss. He kissed her. 

“Okay,” Arthur said, though the hesitation in his voice gave Selene pause. “Here’s what I’m proposing. From this moment forward, you become my 24/7 slave, until–” He raised his finger to stop Selene’s bouncing in excitement. “Until the end of fall break.” 

Selene swallowed and paused her celebration, waiting for him to explain.

“At which point, you will spend one full week just being my girlfriend, Selene. No slavery, collars, or kink. Just my girlfriend. For one week. It’ll be tough, but a return to normalcy might help. With the break ending, it’ll be like coming home from a vacation.” 

Selene’s hand went to her throat. “Can I still wear my collar?” 

That symbol of her submission hadn’t left her neck since he gave it to her. She refused to take it off, and her attachment to it only seemed to propel her desire to be his slave. That would interrupt her ability to go without kink for a week. 

“No,” Arthur said. “It comes off for one week.” 

“No deal,” Selene said quickly. “Absolutely not. I do not consent to that.” 

Arthur hesitated, realizing she wasn’t objecting to any other facet of the bargain, just removing the choker. “And if you can keep wearing the choker?” 

“Then, yes,” Selene said. “I’ll do it.” 

Arthur sighed, holding Selene’s gaze to see if she was telling the truth. “And you’ll go to counseling with me?” 

“Yes,” Selene said. 

“Okay.” He released the hug and put his hand between them for a handshake. “We have a deal?” 

“We have a deal.” Selene shook his hand. 

“Good.” Arthur released her hand. They had to get back out there. Despite his desire for a break, he had to get into character. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his knuckles and neck, and took a deep breath. He kissed Selene’s forehead and stepped back, pointing toward the floor. “On your knees, slave.” 

“Yes, Master,” Selene said and knelt before his feet.

~~~

Outside, the girls started a fire after ordering their food from the Garden Wok. It surprised Lynn that they were in delivery range. Mindy might have had something to do with that since she was the one who placed the order. Lynn had only gotten on the phone to give her card info. 

Kat, Rani, and Katelyn, the other girls joining them tonight, had been giving her the silent treatment. Their glares and hatred boiled Lynn’s blood every time she looked at them. So she did her best to stare into the fire instead. The heat and flickering flames soothed everyone around the stone ring surrounding the fire. Their skimpy swimsuits and borderline nudity required the fire’s protection from the cooler autumn evening. The warm glow radiated soothing heat and relaxation. Yet everyone was still on edge, their hackles raised as they glared at their enemy, and she glared back. 

Katelyn and Kelly proved the most capable with fire-starting. They had a veritable bonfire going soon enough. Kat sat on one of the patio chairs, wrapped in a fleece blanket from her car, wearing a red one-piece bathing suit beneath the blanket. It showed less skin than the others, but the bottom curved up over her hips and narrowed between her legs enough to reveal the bumps from her razor. Lynn didn’t wonder why she’d been quick to cover her lap with the blanket.

Mindy sat opposite Kat, tapping her foot in the air as she sat sideways in Rani’s lap beside the fire. Rani wore her gold bikini, decorated with jewelry as usual. Lynn couldn’t remember ever seeing the Indian woman without at least a few pieces of gold on her dark brown skin. It was pretty, though Lynn was confident it had to be cheap costume jewelry. 

Kelly’s tight athletic shorts and bikini top covered her like a second layer of skin, contouring enough to show her assets and make Lynn want to tear them off her. She’d considered following Kelly into the pool house when she went to the bathroom, but she stayed with the others. Kelly returned and thanked Katelyn for bringing her a tampon. 

Katelyn’s white bikini didn’t have any strings. Instead, her suit looked like a modest bra and panty set with plenty of coverage. It was a crop top and bottoms that looked almost like granny-panty-briefs. Not that she had anything to cover. This skinny bitch was the girl Sean preferred over her? Gross. No tits and no ass, so how was she getting Sean and Arthur’s interest over a real woman? Maybe Sean was gay, and Arthur clearly had no discernment. He’d fuck any vagina, any but Lynn’s.

Lynn’s expression looked miserable as she stared into the flames from her patio chair. She sat with her hands gripping the end of the armrests; her legs crossed, and her foot dangling toward the flames as warmth crept up her leg. Unlike last time, she had her purse with her. Her phone stuck out of its unzipped top as it rested on the ground against the leg of her chair. 

She wondered what Sanjay was doing right now, and whether the bar had towed her car yet. Maybe it was still there? She hoped it was. She had to get it soon, though. First thing tomorrow morning, for sure. 

The others glared at her, and Mindy joined them whenever she remembered she was supposed to. Lynn’s hotness distracted most people from her multitude of sins, and Mindy seemed the most under her spell. The others? They acted as if she’d pissed in their drinks and called it champagne. She supposed that going after the youngest of the group, the college freshman among juniors and seniors, had struck a chord. That, and whatever bullshit Arthur fed them.

Hatred filled the air between the women as the flames danced. The girls surrounding Lynn stared at her as she refused to lift her eyes from the heart of the fire. 

“Why are you even here?” Lynn asked, her voice filled with boredom. “I know you hate me. What’s the point of this?” 

“You invited us,” Kelly reminded her. “To apologize to Mindy, remember? To make it up to us?” 

“That’s bullshit. Deb’s the only reason I ever offered an apology dinner.” Lynn said. “I hate you, and you hate me. The masks are off, so why bother pretending anymore? Especially without Deb here.” 

“Yeah… Why isn’t Deb here again?” Kelly asked, though the question was rhetorical. She fucking knew why Deb wasn’t here. She’d made it clear that she and Deb were close. Lynn considered herself a saint for not backhanding Kelly across the face. 

“Because you won.” Lynn narrowed her eyes at Kelly. “You and Arthur turned Deb against me.” 

“No,” Kat said, her voice iron as it fell across Lynn’s ears. “Your actions turned Deb against you.” 

Lynn rolled her eyes, deflecting the blow. “Arthur lied to her.” 

“Arthur didn’t lie,” Rani said. “He’s told everyone the truth, unlike you.” 

“So I lied?” Lynn asked. “What the fuck did I lie about?” 

“Pretty much everything since we’ve met you, right?” Mindy asked, gesturing to the others. “You keep lying, but you’re awful at it, and we keep catching you in your lies.” 

“Like you didn’t realize Mindy wasn’t out to her parents,” Rani said, her voice sharp with anger. “You fuckin’ knew, and you tried to get her parents to disown her over it.” 

“So what?” Lynn asked, shrugging. “I tried, and I failed. It changes nothing.” She smirked as Rani struggled to push Mindy off her lap, but Mindy hugged Rani to keep her in place.  

“And you know what you’re doing, showing up at Selene’s job,” Kat said, still glaring at Lynn. 

“She humiliated me.” Lynn snapped back at Kat. “Her little prank had me running through that hotel buck naked. Selene deserves her karma.” 

“Oh, that’s so rich coming from you.” Rani spat. 

“Did she steal your clothes this morning, too?” Kelly asked, tilting her head. “Or are you just a streaker now? Is that what happened? You got a taste for the thrill at the hotel and tried to relive it?” 

Lynn frowned and didn’t answer. She returned her gaze to the fire and watched the blaze as it ate the sticks and kindling, chewing on the logs Kelly set. Kelly’s intuitions, or guesses, were uncomfortably close. She wasn’t sure how close Kelly had come to guessing the truth, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t their business why she was skinny-dipping. Why being naked, especially if it was embarrassing, held allure for Lynn. 

“So are you going to apologize?” Kelly asked. “What do you even want out of this? Why even bother attacking us? It won’t make us leave Arthur, and it won’t make him want you. Are you just trying to destroy our lives because you can’t be happy with yours?” 

Lynn turned her glare toward Kelly. 

“You’re going to fail at that, too,” Rani said. “So you might as well spare yourself the trouble.” 

“And why are you so obsessed with our boyfriend?” Kelly asked, sitting on the edge of her seat. “It can’t just be to get him to do your homework again, right? They have tutoring centers at the school. You could learn how to do your own work, or if you’re desperate, cheat your way through with your money.” 

“I don’t think you’ll find any tutors at the tutoring center willing to help you,” Kat said. 

Lynn didn’t answer. She glared at Kelly, willing her to read her mind and choke on what she found.

“So?” Kelly asked. “What do you want?” 

Lynn looked away, turning her gaze toward the fire once more. She didn’t have to answer that. Nor could she give Kelly an answer. How could she tell Kelly what she wanted when she couldn’t decide herself? Freedom? Money? Wealth? Power? Sex? The typical allure of vice and vanity crumbled to ash in her mouth every time she tasted them. The only time she felt pleasure, sincerely felt it, was when she imagined herself under Kelly’s boot, humiliated and embarrassed as she succumbed to Kelly’s cruelty. Or Arthur’s. 

Not that she’d ever admit that, or that they’d ever indulge in such perversions. Oh, sure, they were perverts and sexual deviants, but they hated her guts. They’d never give her anything she wanted if they could help it. Still, the meaner Kelly was to her, the more aroused Lynn became. The more aroused, the more she wanted the woman to do something about it.

“I’ll tell you what Arthur wants,” Kelly said, crossing her legs as if getting comfortable before revealing a secret. “He wants you out. So do we. Failing that, he wants a truce. He wants us to leave you alone, and you to leave us alone.” 

Lynn chuckled. “I’ll bet he does.” 

“You don’t get it,” Kelly said, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. “This cycle. How do you see it ending?” 

Lynn turned her face away, not answering. She’d contemplated this question herself. There was no winning. Not anymore. It was as if she were playing one of Arthur’s stupid board games, where she could tell that she’d lose, but he insisted on seeing the game through to the end. He frustrated her every time, dismantling her piece by piece until the game was finally, mercifully, over. 

Lynn’s future held no victory, only destruction.   

“You think that if you break us up, you’ll get Arthur to yourself? Then things will go back to the way they were in high school?” Kelly asked.

Lynn closed her eyes, basking in the heat of the fire against her lashes, pretending to ignore Kelly. 

“You’re delusional if that’s the case,” Rani said, giving Mindy a gentle squeeze. 

“Batshit crazy, more like it,” Kat said. 

“Have you even apologized to Arthur for what you did?” Kelly asked. “Because I’d like to see that.” 

“I APOLOGIZED!” Lynn screamed, going from zero to a hundred in an instant. That asshole ignored her apology. It wasn’t her fault. “I wrote him an email and everything!” 

“An email?” Mindy asked, shocked. “You wrote him an email after what you did?” 

“What the fuck do you know about it?” Lynn snapped at Mindy. 

“She wrote an email,” Kat said, interjecting through her clenched mouth. “I read it. That was before I knew what she’d done. Even then, it was a pitiful excuse for an apology.” 

Lynn glared at Kat. “That was private.” 

“Arthur showed it to me,” Kat said. “And it was bullshit. You never took the blame for anything, and left some gaping holes in the things you mentioned.” 

Lynn didn’t let it go. “You had no right to read that.” 

“I had every right to read something my boyfriend showed me when his abuser reached out to him,” Kat said. Her glare at Lynn was icy gray. “The only thing you and I agree on is that this whole apology dinner is bullshit. We shouldn’t be here. We should be upstairs with Arthur. And you should be burning in hell, but I guess even Satan doesn’t want you.” 

“So why are you here?” Lynn asked. If Kat didn’t want to be here, she knew where the doors to the house were. Unlike Lynn, she had a key. 

“I’m here to support Kelly,” Kat said. “And to hear your apology to Mindy.” 

Lynn looked at Mindy. The Asian college girl in her obscene tiny red bikini looked lewd and overflowed the two small triangles, failing to hold in her nipples. She hugged Rani, who stood beside her in front of their chair. The pair of them looked adorable and sexy, but Mindy was no innocent freshman. Her bikini was proof of that. She was a thirsty bitch, just like the others. 

Mindy looked at Lynn, waiting for any apology to come her way. She wasn’t expecting a good one. 

“Go fuck yourselves,” Lynn said, lifting her chin in defiance. “I’m not sorry, and I’m not apologizing for shit.” 

Kelly sighed. “I guess you don’t want to use the pool then? Or the hot tub? We could just take the food since you already paid for it. You can go back to being alone while we have our party? Is your apartment soundproof? Do you think it’ll bother you if we’re too loud?” 

Lynn glared at Kelly, chewing on her tongue. There were things she wanted to say. Her mouth refused to form the words. Besides, the flare of pain from her tongue distracted her from the blossoming warmth between her legs. The constant glares, the derisive condescension from Kelly, and even the vile hatred from Kat were turning her on. 

“Do you want me to call Deb?” Kelly asked. “I’m sure she’d join us if I called and asked her to come. She went when Mindy invited her to dinner with her parents, after all. The hardest part would be getting her to come if you were still here. So bail, and we’ll invite her over and have a great time growing even closer.” 

Rage overtook Lynn’s senses. “Fuck you,” Lynn said, glaring at Kelly. 

“No,” Kelly said, standing up and walking in front of Lynn. “Fuck you, cunt.” 

The girls flinched, but Lynn stared up at her while Kelly continued with her manicured finger pointed in Lynn’s face. 

“This whole drama of yours, this game you insist on playing, it’s over,” Kelly said. “You’ve lost. You have nothing—no one to support you. Your whiny threats of lawsuits and the rest are pure garbage. Stalk us and our families, but everything you’ve done and everything you try to do will fail. Because you are a failure. You flunked out of school the minute there wasn’t a man there to change your grades for you. You’re nothing but a disgusting, pathetic cunt, and the moment you step out of line, we’ll throw you out if Arthur doesn’t have a way to do it. Heck, we might even get Pendleton to expel you, just like your last college. And your parents, your lawyers, your friends–oh, that’s right, you don’t have those–can’t touch us.” 

Kelly’s tirade ended with her face less than an inch away from Lynn’s, leaning over her chair with her hands on the arms of it. Lynn’s chest heaved in short, heavy breaths, panting in barely contained fury as her swimsuit barely contained her breasts. She wanted to grab Kelly’s face and headbutt her nose, or shove her lips against hers. She couldn’t decide which. Lynn closed her eyes, not knowing what to do as her body twisted in on itself. 

“Oh my God!” Lynn said, standing. Her movement forced Kelly to push away and straighten while Lynn rose to meet Kelly’s gaze. She stood shorter than Kelly since both women were barefoot. The effort ended with Lynn glaring and Kelly looking down her nose at the shorter woman, which didn’t help Lynn’s conflicting emotions. 

“I don’t even want to go to your stupid college!” Lynn confessed. “I just want to live my life! But my parents are making me go! And live in this stupid house!” She pointed at the house behind them. 

“Are they making you go after Arthur, too?” Kelly asked, not backing down, but towering over Lynn with her arms folded over her chest. 

“No!” Lynn shouted. 

“So why are you going after him?” Rani asked. 

“I don’t know!” Lynn said. 

“Do you love him?” Kelly asked. “Is that it?” 

“What?” Lynn asked, startled. “Of course not! I hate him! He’s disgusting and pathetic!” 

The girls glared at her. She’d denied it out of reflex, and she remembered saying something similar to Angie when asked the same question. A denial that she tried to fix their senior year  — only Arthur fucked everything up beyond repair. Now, though, she’d said the same thing for different reasons. She was mad at him, sure. He’d taken Deb away, turned the girls against her, and made her life miserable. Yet, her mind kept wandering back to him, like she was obsessed, or something. That couldn’t be it, though. Even if he wasn’t disgusting and pathetic anymore. He was still just a man—a guy who looked at her in disgust and not the adoration she deserved.

“So why target him?” Kelly asked. “Why come after us for protecting him?” 

Lynn’s frown hardened into pure hatred as she glared at Kelly. 

“You’re like a fucking toddler.” Rani shook her head. 

“What?” Lynn asked, turning toward Rani and Mindy. 

“You used to be Arthur’s idol, right? The woman he put on a pedestal and worshipped? He crossed lines for you that I can’t imagine him crossing. That man?” Rani gestured to the house. “He’s the most ethical person I’ve met, and I’ve no clue how he even exists that way in the real world. He chooses it. Every fucking day he wakes up and does the right thing and acts kindly toward his fellow human beings, even pieces of shit who don’t deserve it.” 

Lynn scoffed. They were the ones putting Arthur on a pedestal now. No one was like that. Maybe Arthur wanted to be. Still, he didn’t deserve the pedestal they put him on.  

“You’re so used to being the person he’d cross the line for that it’s driving you insane that he didn’t come running when you snapped your fingers, right? It’s like you don’t even remember what you did to him.” Rani said. 

Lynn glanced around at the girls, each of whom hardened their expressions. They appeared ready to grab her and pin her against the burning logs. The fire pit was only missing a stake, and they could have a witch burning.  

“You’re like a toddler who threw away a toy and is mad that someone else is playing with it,” Kelly said. “Well, guess what? Arthur’s not your toy. He’s a fucking human being, and he’s ours now. We’re his, and you’re nothing. He wants nothing to do with you. He hates you; he loathes you.” 

Arthur didn’t want Lynn in their lives. She knew that. Still, Lynn’s mouth fell open as if Kelly had struck her across the face. Tears pressed against the corners of her eyes in… sadness? No. Frustration. She didn’t get sad. Sadness was for other people. She was Lynn Barrera.

“He loves me,” Lynn said. “He always has! But he doesn’t deserve me! He’s pathetic! A loser! He’s turned everyone against me and taken everything from me out of spite because he couldn’t have me!” 

“No, you did that yourself,” Kelly corrected her. “And Arthur? He’s not pathetic or a loser. You’re the pathetic loser, Cunt.” 

Lynn shivered, and goosebumps coated her arms, which she passed off as a sudden breeze as she rubbed her arms to warm them. “Shut up!” She barked at Kelly. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” 

“Pathetic,” Kelly said again. “Nothing but a sad little cunt no one wants to play with. You’re alone, and you’re going to be alone. No one loves you, and no one wants you. Your parents don’t even want you living with them. The only person who ever showed you any kindness was Deb. Now, even she’s given up on you, or she’d be here tonight, right?” 

Fury overtook Lynn’s limbs. She screamed a wordless, furious noise–a battle-cry in the night–and surged forward, raising both hands as if to shove Kelly into the fire pit. 

Everyone gasped, but Lynn’s hands never contacted Kelly’s chest as she’d intended. Kelly was a fighter; it’d take more than a clumsy shove to catch her by surprise. She sidestepped, grabbed Lynn’s wrist, and twisted her arm behind her. Kelly’s left fist drove into Lynn’s side, knocking the wind from her lungs.

Lynn exhaled in pain and surprise as Kelly moved behind her, punched her, hooked her left arm over Lynn’s throat, catching her in a headlock, and squeezed. Her right hand still held Lynn’s right wrist twisted behind her back. Kelly’s body pressed against Lynn’s back, trapping her arm in place. Lynn realized she looked like a human shield between Kelly and the flames, which drew closer as Lynn tried to step away and Kelly kept pace.

“Kelly!” Katelyn called. 

“I’m fine,” Kelly said. “Lynn just needs to cool down. Attacking me in front of witnesses? Well, that’s enough to kick you out of the house for good. You stupid, stupid cunt.” 

Lynn’s field of vision was red with the flames and fury. She tried to speak and realized that there was no air in her lungs. She tried to breathe in, but Kelly’s arm was pressing against her throat and squeezing. Pain flooded Lynn’s head.

“Should I get Arthur?” Mindy asked, panicking as she moved out of Lynn’s view. 

“Not yet,” Kelly said, grinding out her words through her teeth. “I want to teach this cunt she can’t just take a swing at me.”  

Lynn struggled against Kelly’s hold, but she might as well have been struggling beneath Arthur’s grip. Kelly might be more slender than Lynn, but she had muscle. Panic swept through her, driving her self-defense instruction from her head. She tried to elbow Kelly in the ribs with her left arm, which was free. Kelly twisted her grip on Lynn’s right forearm, blinding her with pain and turning her strike into useless flailing.

Lynn tried to stomp on Kelly’s foot with her heel. Kelly kicked the back of her knee, driving her to the ground as she clawed at Kelly’s arm for air she wasn’t getting. Lynn’s knee crashed into the dirt, leaving her on one foot and one knee, Kelly still behind her, still holding her in a chokehold with one arm, and by the wrist with her other hand. 

Kat sat up, and everyone leaned forward as they watched Lynn’s face turn red enough to match the flames. She tapped Kelly’s arm, smacking it to get Kelly to release her. She reached behind her, pulling Kelly’s hair, but Kelly paid her no mind. The force of her pull was nowhere near full strength.

Instead, Kelly tightened her chokehold further, making Lynn panic from her lack of oxygen. They watched as Lynn’s eyelashes fluttered. She realized how pitiful her life had become — from the queen of high school to this: a pitiful cunt with no one to take her side or come to her defense. 

Lynn went limp, giving up, and Kelly released her, throwing her hard against the ground beside the fire pit as she did so. Lynn fell sideways into the dirt, unable to bring her hands up to catch herself in time. She gasped in the dirty air as she massaged her throat, gasping for breath. She supposed she should be thankful Kelly didn’t throw her forward into the flames.

Lynn dragged herself onto her hands and knees, looking up at the surrounding girls. Kat, Mindy, Kelly, and Katelyn stared back. Rani must have left to fetch Arthur during the fight. Would he come and stop his crazy bitch of a girlfriend? No, Arthur didn’t care about her anymore. No one did. 

Tears fell from Lynn’s eyes. She closed her fists over the loose dirt as she sobbed. 

“God, that felt good.” Kelly rolled her shoulders and took up an actual boxing stance. “Next time you swing at someone, make sure they’re not an actual fighter,” Kelly said, kissing her right fist, then her left. “Come on,” Kelly said. “You want to fight me? Get up and let’s go. Don’t just cry. Get up, Cunt.” 

Lynn groaned, her ribs shaking as she sobbed. She had no control over her emotions anymore. They flooded out of her. The only thing she could do was wait for them to pass. 

“You swung at me first,” Kelly reminded her. “So let’s do it, Cunt. This is for everything you did to Arthur.” 

The dirt in her hands begged her to throw it into Kelly’s face, but the attack was too obvious. She released the dirt and crawled toward her chair. Her tears subsided, and she smiled triumphantly as she groped for something against the chair leg, only to come up empty. 

“Looking for this?” Kat asked, holding up Lynn’s phone. “I saw you put it there. Trying to record this? You need new tricks.” 

Mindy looked confused, turning her head between the others. Katelyn looked worried, but more concerned for Kelly. None of them had ever seen her be so cruel. Kat looked cocky, holding Lynn’s phone as she looked up at her from the ground. 

“I deleted your recording,” Kat said. “But I have one.” She held up her own phone in her other hand. “And I won’t edit it to make you look good.” 

What? Lynn gawked at Kat. The audacity. They stole her plan? 

Kat looked pleased with herself, happy to have a small part in this vengeance. Were they avenging Arthur with this? Lynn wasn’t sure what was happening, but she didn’t like it one bit. 

“You can’t steal my phone!” Lynn cried, rising and rushing forward as she tried to tackle Kat. 

Panic overtook Kat’s face as Lynn rushed her. Kelly moved to stop Lynn, shoving into her side, but her timing was off, smacking into Lynn’s hip instead of her shoulder. Lynn’s trajectory toward Kat skewed off-balance. She swiped at Kat, knocking her hand with Lynn’s phone in it toward the fire. Kat’s fingers opened, and Lynn’s phone sailed through the air, crashing into the ground in the heart of the fire pit.

Everyone gasped and stepped away from the flames. Lynn dashed forward, nearly reaching into the fire for her phone, but Kelly knocked her aside on instinct, shoving her out of harm’s way. The expensive plastic warped and melted as a sharp hissing sound sizzled through the air. Wisps of white smoke rose from the melting plastic, and Kelly covered her mouth and nose with her elbow as she turned away. 

The others took their cue from her and ran toward the house, but Mindy seemed to know something they didn’t. She ran into the pool house, pulled the fire extinguisher from the pool house kitchen, and ran back toward the fire pit. She pulled the pin, aimed the nozzle low at the flames, squeezed the handle, and swept the nozzle back and forth. Foam shot out, smothering the flames and dousing the fire in an instant. If Lynn didn’t know better, she’d think it was rehearsed, or that Mindy had done this before. She supposed the latter made sense, given that her family owned a restaurant and kitchen fires happened. 

Whatever else their plan had been, throwing Lynn’s phone into the fire didn’t seem to be part of it. Everyone else appeared surprised. They stared at Mindy, who panted from the effort and didn’t seem to notice that her top was falling apart. 

“Are you crazy?” Mindy asked Kat. “That could have exploded! Keep away! There could be fumes!” She yelled as Katelyn approached to see if anything was still burning. Given she had one arm in a sling, Lynn had to question her intelligence, or at the very least her self-preservation instincts. 

Katelyn straightened and backed away. 

Kat looked regretful, but not toward Lynn. She apologized to Mindy. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to; it was an accident. She knocked it out of my hand!” 

“I’m going to sue the shit out of you for destruction of property!” Lynn yelled, stalking toward Kat, who raised her phone at her, as if it might shield her. 

Kat chuckled. “Good luck. I’m broke as heck.” 

“And if you go after Kat, we’ll go after you for assault. That’s two of us you tried to attack tonight, but when you charged Kat, you fucked up. I’m sure we can call the cops right now.” Kelly said, holding Lynn back by her shoulder. 

Lynn turned on Kelly, and for a moment it looked as if she might try to punch the redhead, but she stopped herself. The red marks on her neck were too fresh. She was fuming. Steam rose from the fire pit, and it wouldn’t surprise Lynn if some of it came from her ears. 

“What the fuck am I supposed to do without my phone?” Lynn asked. 

“Have Mommy and Daddy buy you a new one?” Kelly asked, unconcerned. “Or go without for a while. It’s not like you have a job, places to be, or friends.”

Lynn glared at her still. Then moped at the now-dark fire pit. If the flames hadn’t torched her phone, the extinguisher would have drowned it. No amount of rice could save that. 

“What do you want?” Lynn asked, crying from the frustration. “HUH? What do you want from me?” 

“An apology, for starters,” Kelly said. “And for you to leave us and Arthur alone. How many times do we have to say it to get through that thick skull of yours, Cunt?” Kelly asked rhetorically. “MOVE OUT.” 

Something deep within her snapped, breaking apart. She had nothing, and they had everything. They’d even recorded her attacking Kelly and Kat. There was no way out. If Deb got that footage, it would be enough to boot Lynn from the house. Her parents might not be able to save her from the courts if Kelly pressed charges. 

Anger and fury fled through her broken spirit, draining out of her in a flood, leaving her empty, with nothing to cling to but lonely defeat. 

“Fine,” Lynn said. “I’m sorry I ever met you, and I’ll leave Arthur alone from now on. He’s yours. I hope you’re very happy together, you fucking bitch.” 

Kelly shook her head. “No, you owe Mindy an apology. I mean, you owe most of us an apology, but you owe Mindy one specifically. What you tried to pull is something people might consider a hate crime.” 

“Torching my phone is an actual crime!” Lynn screamed, pointing at the smoking fire pit. 

“It slipped,” Kat said, deadpan, as she walked past them toward the patio. 

“And attacking us is a crime we have proof of,” Kelly said. Her words struck Lynn like a final blow to her gut. 

Lynn balled her hands into fists at her sides, trying to figure out a way out. Something to do, somewhere to run, or something to say that would flip the tables, but nothing came to mind. There was no recourse for her. She lost. She had no one, and nothing she could say would hurt them. Defeat smacked against her face, and she had to swallow it while the others watched. 

Kelly and the others waited, staring at Lynn in silent fury. Mindy adjusted her swimsuit after realizing that she was indecent. 

“Fine.” Lynn’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She turned toward Mindy just as she fixed her top. “I’m sorry.” 

“Apologize like you mean it,” Kelly said, her tone full of command. 

Lynn sighed. Was the added humiliation necessary? She looked around, but none of the girls objected to Lynn eating some humility. 

“Get on your knees, and tell her you’re sorry,” Kelly said. 

That was pushing it, but Lynn’s breathing shifted as she pictured it. Why the fuck did she want to obey?  

“Explain what you’re sorry for, and do everything you can to prove you’re not a homophobic cunt and that you’ll never do anything like that again,” Kelly said, cracking her knuckles for emphasis. 

Lynn took a deep breath. She should have argued, protested, or fought Kelly again. But her angry pride shattered. Lynn dropped to her knees, one leg at a time. 

~~~

Operation Clone was officially a go. Rani seized her opportunity while Lynn and Kelly were fighting. She grabbed her bag and hurried into Lynn’s apartment. Thankfully, Lynn left her doors unlocked. The sliding glass door was even ajar. With the lights off, Rani had a good view of the pool and beyond through the windows while remaining hidden. Especially with Kelly keeping Lynn faced toward the fire. 

Combat wasn’t the distraction she’d planned to have, but it proved compelling enough. How this had become their lives, she didn’t know. She was sure Arthur would disapprove of the violence. At least Lynn had been the one to start it. Try as she might, Rani couldn’t see any problem with Kelly being the one to finish it. Kelly’s attitude toward Lynn was merciful compared to the things Rani wanted to do to her. She wasn’t sure if Arthur would approve of Kelly’s giving Lynn a taste of her own medicine. The bullying and mean-girl stuff reminded Rani too much of high school. They were supposed to be older and more mature than that, but if anyone deserved it, Lynn did. 

She was only annoyed that she was the one who had to miss Lynn’s defeat at Kelly’s hands. She wanted to see Kelly triumph over Lynn more than anyone else. Watching Kelly punish Lynn for her sins? Hot. Selene might care as much as she did, or more, but Selene wasn’t there either. Rani wondered how that was going. She hoped Arthur enjoyed Selene’s surprise, but it seemed risky to Rani. Given a choice, playing hot waitress sounded much more appealing than singing the Kronk sneak music in her head as she slunk through Lynn’s apartment. Instead, here she was, searching through Lynn’s sloppily unpacked apartment for her laptop. 

Rani turned on the Wi-Fi jammer before entering, knowing they might notice it upstairs if they were streaming, but hoping they were watching a DVD or distracted by their girlfriends. It wouldn’t stop a camcorder, a phone, or anything with a hard-wired drive. Rani kept her face down and pulled a brimmed baseball cap from her purse, pulling it low over her eyes just in case. Her dark brown skin and gold bikini left no question to her identity, though, especially with her barbell nipple piercings visible through the fabric. 

The signal scrambler meant she couldn’t call for help if she needed it, but she didn’t expect any issues with Lynn. If Lynn noticed she was missing at all, the pre-worked cover story was that Rani was in the bathroom. The plan was to blame Indian food for the length of her disappearance. Rani thought she was funny, but since the plan was going off the rails, she expected the girls might say she ran for help or to get Arthur. She could sell that. Should she get him to help when she finished here?

No, Rani wouldn’t be the one to ruin his night with Lynn drama. They could handle her for a night. Besides, if they went with the bathroom story and she showed up with Arthur, Lynn would know something was amiss. It was easier to assume they’d stick with the bathroom plan. If they changed it to her getting help, she’d say she couldn’t find him, or that Arthur said he didn’t care about Lynn - which she hoped was true. 

Rani started in the living room. She checked the bags she found there, including the backpacks and purses large enough to hide a tablet or laptop. Hope as she might, the living room had nothing useful. The kitchen counters were bare, and no one kept their computer in the cupboards. 

Rani pushed her head into the last place she wanted to be: Lynn’s bedroom. Mixed perfumes tainted the air. The decor seemed so typical that for a moment, Rani thought she’d stepped into a design magazine. Lynn’s matching furniture was elegant, painted white with silver accents. Her dresser and desk on the far wall had a space between them, with doors to her walk-in closet and the master bath to her right. The near wall separated it from her living room, but it didn’t have any furniture on it. There was space for bookshelves, but Lynn didn’t seem to have any need for them. 

The pictures she’d hung in the room were selfies taken in various locations, recording different memories. The only one that stood out as taken by someone not in the photo was toward the center. Rani’s eyes lingered on the shot of Lynn and Arthur from what must’ve been their high school era. Deb, George, and Lynn’s parents were in the photo as well, with Arthur and Lynn squeezed together in the middle. Arthur’s eyes looked dead in the picture. His hair hid most of his face. What she could see of his expression made him look as if he’d never learned how to smile. The dissonance between the Arthur in the photo and the man she knew sent a shiver along her spine and made the peach fuzz on her arms tingle. 

Scanning the room, Rani spotted her target on the desk against the far wall: Lynn’s laptop. 

She didn’t see any obvious cameras. A ring light sat on the desk, accompanied by a tripod with a phone holder and a few other signs of influencer-tech. Rani crossed the room, astounded by the number of beauty products on Lynn’s dresser and the number of pictures on the wall behind it. Rani was a photographer and loved her craft, but even she didn’t decorate with this many photos. She momentarily thought the photos, clothespinned to string, were of friends and family. However, she realized they were still more selfies—sloppy selfies at that, with poor lighting and terrible composition. 

“Self-centered bitch.” Rani grumbled as she opened the laptop and turned it on. She didn’t need to log in for this. She set her equipment beside it and plugged it into the USB port. 

Rani connected Lynn’s subroutines to the clone hardware and started the process. With a few quick keystrokes, the copying began. Rani’s eyebrows lifted at the size of the drive. Lynn must have had lots of videos and photos. That was a good sign; it meant there were higher odds she had her stuff from high school on here. Though the computer didn’t seem that old. Still, with that amount of data, it’d take longer than Rani wanted. Hopefully, the girls could keep Lynn occupied for the next several minutes. 

Rani’s eyes wandered the room as she waited. The queen-size bed in the center had its sheets and blankets disturbed, indicating that Lynn slept in the center, rather than on one side or the other. 

Her clothes strewn about the room mirrored Rani’s own. She didn’t judge her for that. Still, she grew curious. The space under the bed was spotless. She lifted the mattress. Sure enough, she struck gold. A pink silicone rabbit vibrator and a closed journal rested between the mattress and the box spring. Rani took the journal, flipping through a few pages to the most recent entry. 

“Dear Diary…” Rani read. “Bhagwaan, she actually keeps a diary.” She kept reading. “Wow.” She said as Lynn detailed her plan to meet Sean at the bar sometime after the last entry. “Shit.” Her eyes bulged. “Sean? Katelyn’s Sean? No fucking way.” She kept reading. “I wonder how that went…” She supposed she could ask, but if Lynn wanted to date a cheating bastard, she was free to make her choices. Rani didn’t see how Lynn could use Sean against anyone in the harem except trying to hurt Katelyn, but what did Katelyn care if Sean fucked Lynn? It only proved how evil Sean was. Lynn’s plans made no sense to Rani.

Trying to hurt Katelyn by sleeping with Sean was equivalent to hurting Rani by sleeping with Sanjay. What the fuck did she care if Sanjay slept with people? The only thing it did was lower her opinion of the women on campus. Rani’s opinion of Lynn couldn’t get any lower. Rani had dated/fucked awful people in her past, but none of them held a candle to the whack job that was Lynn.  

She flipped a few pages back through the diary, reading again. “Last weekend,” Rani said, smiling to herself as she read the dates. “Here’s the juicy stuff.” She turned to the entry from after Homecoming and the brunch. 

Rani chewed her thumbnail as she read with the book in her other hand. She set it on the mattress to turn the pages, and her eyes swept the inked letters as if she couldn’t believe what she read. Lynn detailed Selene’s prank, how streaking through the hotel had turned her on. The masturbation session in her car confused and aroused Lynn in ways she struggled to reconcile with herself. Apparently, her feelings for Arthur and Kelly were a mixture of hatred, passion, envy, lust, and disgust.

“Wow,” Rani said. “I’m the last bitch to kink shame anyone, but this woman is seriously fucked in the head. She needs a fucking padded room. I can’t tell if she wants to hurt Arthur, or fuck him, not to mention the shit discussing Kelly and Selene in here…” 

Footsteps above her made Rani lift her head, but the noise had merely startled her. There was no danger. “Maybe I shouldn’t be talking aloud to myself while sneaking around,” Rani said, frowning as she reproached herself. 

She closed the journal and checked the progress of the transfer. Every second became a minute and every minute an hour when she didn’t have eyes on Lynn. She still had time. Rani opened the journal again and pulled out her phone. She snapped pictures of the pages, working backward until the lights on her hardware stopped flashing and held steady, alerting her that the cloning was complete. 

Rani put the diary back where she found it. She unplugged and stashed her hardware. She closed Lynn’s laptop and made sure it was where she’d left it. Rani zipped her bag and left. The lifeless apartment, silent except for the creaking steps of ghosts above, gave her the creeps. She was happy to leave it behind for the outdoors. 

She slipped out of Lynn’s apartment and turned off the jammer. Hopefully, no one noticed her absence, but she’d missed a lot. The bonfire Kelly and Katelyn set was nothing but extinguisher foam, and the girls stood circling Lynn, who was on her knees in front of Mindy. Her back was still to Rani, so Rani took her chance.

She shifted away, maneuvering around the side of the house to the front driveway. Kat had given her a car key, which she used to stash her stuff in the trunk. Everything was secure, and soon, they’d have the dirt they needed on Lynn to kick her out for good. She closed the trunk just as headlights illuminated her from behind. 

She turned, raising her arm to block her eyes since the lights washed over her, and the car rumbled to a stop a few paces away. The lights turned off, and a young Korean man exited the vehicle. 

“Uh… is Ji-Min here? She ordered food to this address.” The young man said. 

“Oh, yeah. She’s around back,” Rani said. “But I can take the food. We’re having a pool party out there.” 

“Ah.” The young man spoke nervously, clearly freaked out about something. 

Rani looked behind her to see what was freaking him out, then she realized it was her. Her shimmery gold bikini was three triangles of fabric covering her bits, and very little else. Between her confident stance, her jewelry, and her lack of coverage, the young man was having difficulty maintaining his professional demeanor. She adjusted the straps of her bikini, making sure the triangles over her breasts covered her nipples. Her barbell piercings announced themselves and gave away their location at the forward mounds of her breasts. Her athletic breasts had that bit of connective tissue between them, which made for a more pronounced natural cleavage. Still, to his credit, he didn’t stare at her tits.

He’d driven up when she was standing with her back to him, and her giant ass was practically bare to the wind. The bikini bottoms weren’t a thong, and they did their best, but they couldn’t stretch to cover her. It bared half of each cheek, and that was before the suit bunched up. She’d been walking around and sneaking without fixing her suit, so the suit might as well be a thong by now.  

The young man’s eyes dipped to her navel piercing, but didn’t linger there long on their way to her legs. 

Rani raised a pierced eyebrow. 

“Are you one of Ji-Min’s friends?” He asked. 

“I’m her girlfriend,” Rani said, thinking it best to be straightforward. Before Mindy, Arthur, and the harem, she might’ve flirted. To tip him with a quick BJ, hand job, or fuck if he had a decent dick. Nostalgia for that freedom tinged her gaze as she pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and clamped her teeth over it. Damn, now she wanted to interrupt Arthur’s guys’ night, too, but if that had gone well, Selene and the others wouldn’t appreciate Rani crashing it. 

“Girlfriend?” the man asked. “Oh, you mean a girl who is her friend. Yes. You go to school together?” 

“Yeah, but—” Rani said, surprised that he didn’t get it. Mindy was out to her parents, after all. Hadn’t they told–oh shit. Of course, they had told no one. “Yes,” Rani said. “That’s what I meant.” She smiled and gestured for him to follow her. “I know it’s a ton of food, but how many bags is it?” She asked, peering past him toward his front seat. 

“Oh, right.” He said. “Four bags.” He opened the passenger door and took out four paper bags of food arranged in a large cardboard box. Rani, Kat, Katelyn, Kelly, Mindy, and Lynn had ordered an entrée each, plus snacks for the group. They’d deferred to Mindy’s recommendations, since she knew the food best. The restaurant packed the bags to the brim. Rani worried that carrying them herself would end in tragedy. 

“Can you… wait right here?” Rani said. “I’ll get the girls to help me,” Rani said. 

“Oh, I can carry it.” He said. “You want me to put it inside?” 

Rani chuckled. That phrasing would have gotten her flirting a while ago. This whole attachment to her current boyfriend phase was weird. Dating, not just fucking. Committing to one person, one dick, was strange. Quality over quantity, though. She had to give it to Arthur; he knew how to use his god-given talents. She didn’t have to settle for a quick, disappointing thrill when she had him to satisfy her. Plus, he came with five other delicious pussies, so she had no complaints. 

“What’s funny?” The man asked, confused. 

“Nothing,” Rani said. “Here, set them on the steps over there. I’ll take them in.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.” He offered. 

“I’m sure,” Rani said, nodding and gesturing. She took one bag from him, holding the bottom and appreciating the warmth as the chilly breeze swept over them. 

Dutifully, the young man set the box on the steps. He shifted awkwardly as he stepped toward his car and paused before getting back into it. 

Rani stopped, realizing he was watching her as she prepared to go around the house. “We paid over the phone, right? You don’t need Ji-Min for proof of purchase?” 

“What?” the young man asked. He verified the receipt in his hand. “Oh, uh… no. I trust you.” 

“And we tipped you?” Rani asked. She didn’t imagine Lynn tipped well. Then again, it was her parents’ money. 

“Yes, very generous.” The young man said. “I just want to double-check the address.” He said, studying the numbers by the door. 

“If you want to check with Mrs. Tae, she knows me,” Rani said. “Actually, please tell her and Mr. Tae that Rani said thank you very much for the food.” 

“Is that your name?” The young man asked. “Rani?” 

“Yeah,” Rani said. 

“It’s a beautiful name. Mine’s Yu-Jun.” He said. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Nice to meet you, too,” Rani said from the other side of his car. “Do you go by Jun? Like Mindy’s brother?” 

“No, that’s Jun-ho.” The man shook his head. “I’m Yu-Jun.” 

“Right.” Rani nodded. “Well, drive safe!” 

“Thanks! Tell Ji-Min I said hi!” he said as he opened his car door. 

“Will do!” Rani waved him farewell and turned to walk to the back patio. She didn’t hear him pull away until after she was out of sight. 

~~~

Arthur and Selene took their time in the office to reconcile. With Selene on her knees, Arthur wiped her face and helped her clean up her makeup with tissues from the hallway half-bath. They hugged, kissed, and settled into their new roles of master and slave for the next few days as gently as they could. Tonight, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, they’d embrace their roles in this power exchange play for the rest of Fall break, as agreed. 

The movie’s music boomed into the hallway from the home theater as soon as Arthur opened the door to the office. Their enjoyment of the music prompted his friends to adjust the sound system, and they hadn’t lowered the volume since. Arthur walked into the home theater room, rejoining his friends. Selene crawled behind him on her hands and knees, keeping close to his heels as he led the way without a leash. Selene kept her eyes on his heels, keeping pace and stopping when he stopped. 

He stopped in the doorway to see Mark and Maria making out on the sofa across from Brad and Jen. The movie was playing at full volume, and they’d missed a significant portion of it. The crowds in the stands were busy cheering on their respective knights, but as exciting as the jousts were, they didn’t hold a candle to eager girlfriends. 

Mark and Brad had abandoned the corners and moved to the center of their respective sides of the U-shaped sofa, so each could sit with their legs straight out. Their make-out session continued hot and heavy. Maria was straddling Mark’s lap, mirroring Jen across Brad’s legs. Maria’s pleated skirt covered her and Mark’s laps, but Jen’s tighter mini-skirt exposed her, which made Arthur look away and keep his eyes lifted as he approached the sofa. Their grinding on their boyfriends’ laps and noises of pleasure were loud enough to compete with the film.

Arthur strode forward, stopping at the sofa behind where he’d been sitting. Selene crawled after him, remaining on her hands and knees and thus out of sight. No one noticed Arthur either, despite his height and frame. He coughed, and it took him several polite attempts before the girls lifted their gazes to him. 

Brad paused the movie. He, Mark, Jen, and Maria turned their attention and surprise to Arthur. 

“Everything okay?” Maria asked, her eyes scanning behind Arthur, but not seeing Selene, as the sofa hid her.

Maria rolled from Mark’s lap to his far side, putting Mark between her and Arthur. She placed a possessive hand over Mark’s chest, as if worried he might tell her or Mark to leave. Jen slid off Brad as well, reclining on her side beside Brad. She fixed her skirt with an embarrassed blush, leaving her hand on the hem between her legs. 

“Everything’s fine,” Arthur said, not looking at anyone specific. “But I want to talk to you as a group before we go much further.” 

“What’s up, bro?” Brad asked. 

Arthur took a deep breath through his nostrils, steadying himself on the sofa’s back and leaning forward. “Selene and I have reached an understanding about tonight and the weekend,” Arthur said. “Despite my attempts to be subtle, you know we’re kinky, I take it?” 

“Duh,” Maria said, stifling a giggle. 

Arthur nodded. “And you’re okay with…” He gestured to them in a circle, including himself. “With doing this stuff with each other in the room.” 

“Yeah,” Brad said, as the others nodded. 

“Okay. So, Selene and I are going to be slave and master for the weekend. And I wanted to gauge your comfort levels with seeing us in those roles. We might get graphic. Are you okay with seeing us naked, doing kinky things, and possibly even engaging in sexual activities?”

“Bro, you make it sound so clinical.” Brad chuckled.

Maria laughed. “Arthur, you always get so stiff and professional when you’re anxious. Who the fuck says ‘sexual activities’?” 

Mark chuckled with her. 

“Relax, Arthur,” Maria said. “You’re among friends. We won’t judge you, and we don’t want you to judge us either. We’re just going with the flow and seeing what happens.” 

Mark gave him a thumbs-up. 

“And you two?” Arthur asked Brad and Jen. 

Jen looked at Brad, and Brad looked at Jen. 

“It’s okay if you’re not,” Arthur said, assuring them. “And if anything makes you uncomfortable, you can say ‘red light’ and we’ll stop everything.” 

Jen kissed Brad, then turned to look at Arthur. “I’m okay with it.” She said. “I’m curious, to be honest, way more than nervous.” 

“I’m nervous myself,” Arthur said. “I don’t want this to be in the school news.” 

Jen laughed. “They wouldn’t print this, but don’t worry. I’ve assured Selene and Maria that tonight is off the record.” 

“And Brad, you’re okay with this? It’s gonna get weird.” Arthur asked. “It’s a side of me you guys haven’t seen.” 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Maria said. 

Brad thought about it. “I’m okay with weird, but I’m not into guys or anything.” He said, clarifying. “I’m not into doing anything with you or Mark.” 

“Neither am I,” Arthur said. “And for the record, I don’t intend to touch anyone but Selene. So whatever your boundaries are, they’re for you to discuss with your respective partners. Do not feel pressured to do what Selene and I are doing. We’re doing our own thing, and there’s no expectation for you to follow our lead.” 

“We understand. Though we might want to try things, depending on how comfortable you are demonstrating them first,” Maria said, speaking for the group. “And you can touch me if you want to,” Maria said. “Mark and I discussed it.” She patted Mark’s chest.

That struck Arthur by surprise. He looked at Mark, who nodded and gave him another thumbs-up. 

“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with that,” Arthur said, getting his nerves out of the way. 

“Why not?” Maria asked, her expression giving him the benefit of the doubt instead of taking his rejection as an insult. “We’ve kissed on stage before.” 

“This is different,” Arthur assured her. “Very different. I mean, yes, to an extent I’m playing a role, and so is Selene, but it’s not the same as a scripted kiss.” 

“I’ve done things with Brad and Jen at the party we went to after Homecoming, if that helps. It’s fun, and things didn’t get weird.” Maria said. Her tone sounded defensive to Arthur. He could have let it go and seen what happened if he went with the flow, but he decided to address it. He preferred to steer the boat. 

“It’s nothing against you, Maria. You’re lovely, and I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about it. Hell, one of the first fantasies Selene and I discussed involved you and Yvonne, but that was just a fantasy. You’re my friend. We work together in Theater Club. And my sex life is complicated enough. I’m not sure I’m comfortable crossing that line with you.” Arthur said, doing his best to explain. 

“It doesn’t have to be weird,” Maria said. “I get that you’re not looking to add me to your harem. I don’t want that either. It’s a one-night friends-with-benefits thing, and honestly, while yes, you’re hot and excellent fantasy fodder, I’m only into it because Mark’s into seeing me with other people. I won’t be weird or uncomfortable if we end up fucking or something.” 

Arthur took a moment to digest that. She’d fantasized about him? That wasn’t her point, but it was a lovely compliment. Still, their friendship was a significant hurdle to overcome on his side. 

“I get that,” Arthur said. “But it’s not that I’m afraid I might make you uncomfortable. I might be uncomfortable. So let’s take it one step at a time, okay? The first being, well, each of us doing our thing, in the same room.” 

Maria frowned, but didn’t argue with him right away. “Well, I’m just putting it out there: you have our permission,” Maria said, squeezing Mark’s hand as if consoling him. He looked disappointed, but didn’t argue and let Maria speak for him. “We know the safewords, and I’m telling you right now I consent to whatever you want to do.” 

“That’s a longer list than you realize,” Arthur warned. 

“Can’t wait to discover its length,” Maria said, purring her words as she lowered her eyes to Arthur’s crotch, even though the couch blocked her view. 

Arthur took a breath and turned his attention to Jen and Brad. “Okay, so everyone’s okay to proceed?” 

Mark gave him another thumbs-up. Brad mirrored the action, and Maria and Jen joined in. 

“Okay,” Arthur said, climbing over the sofa to resume his seat. “Can we eat dinner and watch the movie now?” 

Mark chuckled. “Oh yeah, I forgot we were here to do a thing.” 

Brad chuckled, and he and Jen resumed making out. He rolled her onto his lap with his left arm hooked around her waist. She gave a surprised but enthusiastic giggle as she straddled him, kissing his neck as he exposed his throat to her lips and tongue. 

Brad tossed the remote toward Arthur, who caught it and resumed the movie. 

Maria grabbed Mark’s junk over his pants, squeezing more than stroking, and kissed him as he turned toward her. She glanced at Arthur, watching him with one eye as he settled in and lowered the volume. 

“Get up here, Slut.” Arthur said, patting the seat next to him. 

Maria gasped in surprise to see Selene appear from behind the sofa. She still wore her ‘waitress’ outfit, but made no effort to be modest as she stepped over the back. She climbed over and knelt beside Arthur. Her skirt rode up on her hips to expose the paper-thin black thong she wore beneath her tight latex dress. 

Arthur gestured toward the plate of food where he’d left it on the vast expanse of their sofa nest, and Selene shifted. She scooted closer to Arthur so that she knelt beside him. He put his arms on the back of the sofa and crossed his legs, reclining with his feet out onto the square section. Selene pulled his plate onto her lap and leaned against him. She started with the pizza slice, holding it and bringing it to his lips. Arthur took a bite, and she withdrew it, letting him chew. 

Morsel by morsel, she fed him as he watched the movie. Her eyes rarely left his face, searching for any sign of pleasure or displeasure.

It only took a few bites for the others to notice Arthur and Selene weren’t making out like they were. 

“Do you want me to do that for you, Mark?” Maria asked Mark. 

“You don’t have to do what we’re doing, remember?” Arthur asked Maria, who seemed insistent on following their lead. 

Maria rolled her eyes and looked at Mark, waiting for his answer. 

Mark considered it, then stroked his chin. It was a step backward from over-the-pants stuff and making out, but Maria was eager to try serving him. Mark nodded, and Maria shifted, straddling his lap again. She upped the ante. She leaned back, holding his plate on her cleavage, and fed Mark a mozzarella stick. 

Jen couldn’t mimic that, so she mirrored Selene, kneeling beside Brad but on the closer side, her back to Arthur and Selene. She fed Brad while he watched the movie, only having to turn his head toward her as she raised the food to his mouth.

Brad took a few awkward bites and frowned. “I’ll be honest, I kinda preferred making out.” 

Jen giggled. “You’re the boss, for tonight anyway.” 

Brad chuckled. “Are you gonna call me Master like Selene does to Arthur?”  

“If you’d like, Master,” Jen said, feeding him a fried pickle. She tried to make the term sound sultry, but it sounded as awkward as it did sexy. 

“Hm… We’ll see. Maybe it’ll grow on me.” Brad said. “I shouldn’t get used to it, though. Right?” 

“Right,” Jen said, smiling. “It’s just for tonight. Don’t get too many ideas.” 

Brad waggled his eyebrows, and Jen giggled. 

Arthur let out a deep breath he’d been holding, and Selene looked at him. She smiled slightly. “Do you want me to change out of this outfit and join tonight as Selene instead of Slut?” She whispered in his ear. 

Arthur wanted that, but he shook his head. “Too late for that.” He whispered back. “I was hoping we’d be more into the movie, though. I love this movie. It’s one of my favorites.” 

Selene perked up at that, paying more attention to it. She kept her attention focused on the film until her distraction nearly caused her to shove a mozzarella stick up his nose rather than into his mouth. Laughing, he took it from her and took the plate from her grip. “Lay over my lap, Slut. I need a tray table more than a feeder.” 

“Yes, Master,” Selene said and laid over his lap with her head still turned toward the screen. She folded her hands beneath her head, her elbows wide, and her legs straight. 

He set the plate on her back, rubbing his hand along her naked thigh as he watched. Then, he shifted his grip so that his thumb slipped between her legs, which he brought closer and closer to her crotch as the movie continued. 

Maria and Jen soon followed Selene’s example and turned to lie over Brad and Mark’s laps. Arthur cleared his throat. “I can see up both your skirts.” He said to the girls. 

Maria smiled at him, wiggling her plump behind. The thong beneath her skirt disappeared between her cheeks. The small triangular patch of white fabric made it highly visible beneath the black pleats. Mark moved the skirt further away, revealing her entire ass as he put his hand between Maria’s legs and started rubbing her. She spread her legs, and soon Arthur had a full view of how transparent Maria’s thong could grow. 

Jen was more demure, but did nothing to hide her backside as Brad mirrored Mark and rubbed her between the legs. She held her chin in her hands to watch the film and didn’t look back, even as she spread her legs for Brad’s teasing fingers. Her black thong was more modest than Maria’s white one, but she responded to stimulation more vocally, letting Brad know she appreciated the attention. 

Selene bit her lip to stay quiet, even as Arthur’s stiff member pushed against her stomach from between his legs. Maria’s eyes widened as she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Arthur straining against his slacks. 

Several scenes passed, and Arthur’s plate dwindled to emptiness. The others rubbed their girlfriends, but Arthur didn’t move his fingers closer to Selene’s waiting pussy. He touched her on her thighs, her back, and he ran his fingers along her neck a few times. She pushed toward him once, but he smacked her ass in a silent reminder that tray tables don’t move. 

With his plate empty, he set it aside and used Selene’s dress as a napkin, wiping his hands. It removed the crumbs, but his fingers still felt greasy. As tasty as the food was, none of it was decent fuel for lovemaking. 

“I need to wash my hands,” Arthur said, patting Selene’s butt. She knelt again, scooting back to let Arthur rise. He did so, only looking awkward for a second as he adjusted his erection. Arthur padded into the laundry room, using the sink in the attached half-bath to wash his hands. He wondered how Kelly and the others were doing, but had no new messages on his phone. The girls must be having dinner in Lynn’s apartment or the pool house, but hadn’t signaled an SOS yet. That was either a good sign or a terrible one. He hoped for the best as he returned and retook his seat.

Brad and Mark followed suit, as did Jen and Maria. They filed off the sofa the long way, disturbing the board game the guys had set up, which made Arthur frown. Oh well, it wasn’t like they were going back to it. 

“Should I pause the movie?” Arthur asked. 

“It’s okay; it’ll only be a minute,” Brad said. Since he was the only one who hadn’t seen it, it seemed he wasn’t that into it. To be fair, he’d missed several of the emotional beats and story elements while he and Jen were making out. Arthur frowned. Brad should’ve been all over this movie and loving every minute. Unfortunately, the girls distracted him.

Arthur shook his head. He was being an asshole, and he knew it. He couldn’t let his disappointment and regret ruin his friends’ evening. Tonight wasn’t about him. The guys’ night was for the guys. Tonight was their night too, not just his. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.  

Arthur turned off the movie and waited for the others as they took turns washing their hands. Whatever he did next, he’d need to ease into it, without the formality he displayed with his girlfriends. Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen were more natural with their kinks, going with the flow. They didn’t have the control issues Arthur recognized in himself. 

Mark and Maria came into the room first, holding hands. They started making out before they made it to the sofa, with Maria’s backside against the couch and Mark standing between her legs. Brad and Jen followed, turning the light off behind them and closing the door to the laundry room. 

“I need a drink,” Arthur announced. “Slut?” 

“Would Master prefer water, soda, or something from the bar?” Slut asked. “Your mother mentioned root beer in the pantry?” 

The mention of his mother was the fastest erection killer to ever leave Slut’s lips, but Arthur didn’t make a big deal of it.  

“Water, and something from the bar. Whiskey.” Arthur said and turned his face toward the laundry room. “You guys want anything to drink?” 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Brad said as he and Jen moved to their side of the couch. “I’ll take whiskey, if you have it.” 

“I’ll take a beer?” Mark said. 

“I don’t know if we have beer…” Arthur said. He looked to Slut, who shrugged. 

“I’ll get you something you’ll enjoy, Master,” Maria said, patting Mark’s butt as she walked past him. Jen trotted after her and Selene, who walked upright this time, leaving Brad, Arthur, and Mark alone in the movie room once more. 

“I guess we should pack up the board game,” Arthur said, gesturing to the mess of pieces and cards at the end of the square section. 

“Heh.” Brad chuckled. “Is that something we should ask the girls to do?” 

“Good point,” Mark said. “I’m not sure what the rules are.” 

“If you guys want…” Arthur hesitated, but decided to hell with it. His guys’ night was over. He might as well lean into this group session. Mark and Brad were into it, and Maria had suggested as much. “I can take the lead and show you the ropes of the master/slave stuff.” 

“Is Selene okay with that?” Brad asked. 

“She knows her safe words,” Arthur said. “The question is, how comfortable are you with things getting kinky? What are your limits?” 

“We told you we’re fine with it,” Mark said. “And for the record, so it’s coming from me, I really am okay if you and Maria do stuff together. I’m into it.” 

Arthur nodded, not judging Mark for his tastes, but still uncomfortable. It was one thing to fuck a girl in front of his girlfriend. He knew how much Selene enjoyed it, and he could read her tells when she wanted attention versus when she wanted him to ignore her. Besides, so far, the people they’d done that with were in the harem or unattached. It was different to fuck a guy’s girlfriend in front of him, even if they were both friends of his who were asking him to do it. 

The girls returned shortly. Selene and Jen each carried a glass of water and a shorter glass of whiskey. Maria held a can of root beer instead of whiskey. 

“The bar didn’t have much, Master,” Selene said. “But there was half a bottle of Crown Royal.” 

“Okay,” Arthur said, nodding as he took the glass of water from Selene. He drank it. She stood behind the sofa rather than climb over it. Jen and Maria did the same, each standing behind their boyfriend and holding the glasses in their hands. 

Arthur wondered how long they could keep that pose, and if they even realized how difficult it would be after a solid minute. He handed her the empty glass and took the glass of whiskey, holding it in one hand as he sipped the apple-flavored whiskey. 

“We’ve decided to call it quits on the movie,” Arthur said, announcing the plans to the girls. “We weren’t watching it anyway. And we’ve given up on the board game.” He looked between Brad and Mark. “So what do you guys want to do?” 

Mark and Brad looked at each other, then over their shoulders at their girlfriends. 

The girls said nothing. Arthur could tell they wanted to continue making out. So he tried to think of a way to make it happen. His mother had spent too much time teaching him to be a proper host for him to ignore what his friends wanted.

“Mark, why don’t you have your girl put the DVD away?” Arthur asked. 

“Oh, right, um, Maria?” Mark asked, gesturing to the DVD. 

“Does Master Mark have a slave name for me?” Maria asked, quirking her eyebrow at Mark. “Like how Master Arthur refers to Selene as Slut?” 

The girls must’ve chatted while fetching the drinks. 

“Hmm…” Mark said, stroking his chin and eyeing Maria. “I get to decide?” 

Maria nodded. 

“Sugartits,” Mark said, as if he’d considered it before.

Brad chuckled, and Arthur smiled. Maria’s tits were huge, and her most prominent feature, especially on her shorter frame.  

Maria nodded her approval.  

“You’re not gonna give him shit over this tomorrow, are you?” Brad asked, eyeing Maria with suspicion. 

“I like it,” Maria said. “When we’re in public, or after tonight, he can call me Sugar for short, and it’ll be cute.” 

“Hey, that’s a great idea,” Mark said, snapping his fingers. “I love it. Thanks, Sugartits.” 

Maria set the glasses in Mark’s hands and walked to the DVD player, putting extra sway into her step for Mark’s benefit as he watched her walk away. 

“Oh, and the board game needs to be put away,” Arthur said, nodding toward the game. “Brad?” 

Brad looked at Jen and nodded toward the board. 

“If you’re going to play Master and Slave for a night, you have to command your slave,” Arthur said. “Always be clear with precise instructions.” 

“Uh… Jen, put away the board game.” Brad said, though his tone and the phrasing were more awkward. 

Jen smiled, though it was clear she was trying her best not to laugh at how ridiculous Brad sounded. “Yes, Master. Do I get a name?” 

“Is there something you want me to call you?” Brad asked. 

Jen shrugged. “I like the idea of something you could call me afterward to remind us of the night. I guess it should be demeaning, too, if we’re playing along. Maybe something like Sweetcheeks, and you can call me Sweetie later?” 

“Okay… Sweetcheeks,” Brad said. “Please go put away the board game.” 

She handed him the glasses of water and whiskey. “Yes, Master.” 

Brad watched her walk away. She knelt across from Arthur and started putting away the board game. 

“Slut, go put that glass in the kitchen sink,” Arthur said. “And on your way back, stop in the office and get my backpack from behind the desk.” 

“Yes, Master,” Slut said, confused but willing to play along. She left, and Arthur kept his eyes on the others. Brad and Mark watched their girlfriends move and work in their outfits. The fishnets Jen wore were attractive, and her tube top beneath the fishnet top showed off the cleavage and the shape of her medium breasts well. She had nothing on Maria’s breasts, which strained against her top. Both wore the same O-ring collars and cuffs that matched the ones Slut wore, and he wondered where they got them. 

“Where did you three get your matching collars and cuffs?” Arthur asked. 

Jen looked up at Arthur, meeting his gaze, but it was Maria who answered. “Selene took us to the adult store near campus, Master Arthur.” 

Arthur nodded. “For now, refer to her as Slut. That’s her name for tonight, and for the weekend.” 

“Yes, Master Arthur,” Maria said. “Slut took us to the adult store. We bought our collars and cuffs there.” 

That tracked. He’d taken her there to buy a few things when they first started. It made sense that Selene shopped there if she was looking to supply them with gear for tonight. 

“Did you buy anything else, or did my little slut bring any other gear tonight? Or just the collars and cuffs?” He asked. 

“She brought a briefcase from your apartment,” Jen said, though it sounded as if she wasn’t sure if she’d get in trouble or was betraying Slut by answering. “Master Arthur.” She added. 

Slut re-entered the room a moment later, after the girls had finished putting away the DVD and board game. Arthur’s backpack was heavy for her, and she strained to lift it over the back of the couch and set it beside Arthur. He didn’t help her.

Arthur opened the outermost compartment and pulled out a length of rope. He had his emergency BDSM equipment with him.

“Thank you, Slut.” He said regarding the book bag. “Now put it against the wall.” He gestured to the barely furnished space behind him. 

Slut hauled the book bag over the sofa and carried it to the nearest blank space on the wall. She propped it there and returned to her position standing behind Arthur. 

“Mark, may I refer to your slave by her slave name, or would you prefer me to call her by her name?” Arthur asked. 

“Her name for tonight is Sugartits, so call her that,” Mark said, for once not looking at Maria for approval. Maria smiled and bowed her head, looking down as she sidled next to Mark and rubbed his thigh. 

“Same goes for Jen, I guess. I mean, Sweetcheeks.” Brad said, looking at Jen. She kissed his cheek as she settled next to him on the sofa. 

“Okay,” Arthur said. “Slut, Sugartits tells me you stopped at the adult store today. Did you buy anything I should know about?” 

“We bought the collar and cuffs there, Master. They weren’t expensive.” She added quickly. 

“And Sweetcheeks tells me you brought equipment with you tonight?” Arthur asked. “You took things from my apartment?” 

Slut blushed behind him, but nodded. “Yes, Master. I left it in the car, but I can fetch it.” 

“And what did you bring?” Arthur asked. 

“My plugs, three of the Bluetooth vibrators, a paddle, and rope, Master,” Slut answered. “Should I fetch it?” 

“Interesting,” Arthur said. “Not just yet.” 

“As you wish, Master,” Slut said. 

“What we’re missing right now is entertainment,” Arthur said. “Since we gave up on the movie, and we’ve got our girls to distract us thanks to my little Slut’s devious plan.” He looked over his shoulder at Slut, who blushed and looked down at the hands she had folded in front of her. 

“Slut, if you’re comfortable sharing this sexual side of yourself with our friends, why don’t you queue up those videos you’ve made me?” Arthur said. He pointed at the TV. “Take my laptop from my bag, hook it up to the TV, and queue up the one you sent me from the green room.” 

Arthur had phrased his suggestion carefully, giving her plenty of room to back out or use her safe word. She did neither.

Mark and Maria’s eyebrows rose, but they said nothing as Slut obeyed and pulled Arthur’s laptop from his backpack. She walked around the sofa to the TV, found the cable she needed, and started the computer. 

“You remember your safe words, Slut?” Arthur asked, which was his coded way of asking if she was okay with this. 

“Of course, Master,” Slut said. “Your slut deserves to be displayed as entertainment for you and your friends.” 

Arthur didn’t know why her agreement surprised him. He’d half expected her to balk at the idea, and he could make a point about being a slave that she might not enjoy. Yet, he’d played into her enjoyment. She clearly had exhibitionism in mind with her scheme tonight, so it made sense that she wanted to engage in it with their friends. People she trusted, who wouldn’t mistake her nudity or lewdness for consent, wouldn’t harm her and wouldn’t cross Arthur. He sighed. If he had to pick a group to do this in a private space more intimate than a public one, it’d be tough to think of anyone better. He didn’t know how far he’d go, but he could let Selene enjoy the spotlight for now.

“Good. When you’re done with that, come here and sit beside me. We’ll watch together.” Arthur said. 

“Yes, Master,” Slut said, nodding. She queued up the video, and Arthur turned the TV on with the remote, changing the input until the vertical video appeared on the large-screen TV. Slut stood in the center of the green room beneath the stage in the campus theater building, smiling at the camera as she placed it in a freeze frame. 

Slut hit play and crawled over the sofa to join Arthur’s side. 

“Remember, if any of you are uncomfortable, you can say ‘Red light’ and we’ll stop.” Arthur reminded the others. 

Brad and Mark nodded. 

“Yes, Master Arthur,” Maria said. 

“Thank you for checking, Master Arthur,” Jen said. 

Arthur opened his arm for Slut to cuddle against his side, and she did so, kissing his neck as the Selene on screen began her dance.