Harem House - Selene Pt. 37

Arthur woke before dawn Thursday morning to a whisper. Hot breath washed over his ear and curled against his neck. His eyes fluttered open to the darkness.

"Please, Sir."

The soft whisper stirred him to life, only to find himself joining the action en media res. His cock stood stiff with arousal. Heat soaked his crotch. He shifted, and the base of his dick rubbed against wet, parted labia. The lips next to his ear released a soft moan.

"Please, Sir."

The warmth over his body suddenly made sense. He laid on his back on the sofa, with Kat facedown between him and his blanket. His legs laid straight together, and hers spread over him. His stiff cockhead protruded from between her legs, with the body of his cock nestling against her ass and lower lips. He'd woken her as his morning wood grew, and she had a head start on him. Her body responded to his, and her arousal had grown to her begging him for release.

"Put it in." Kat whispered. "Please, Sir."

Arthur nearly came from her request. Her naked body against his coursed with electricity over every square inch. Her diamond-hard nipples pricked against his muscles while her soft breasts pillowed over him. His hand slid from her thigh to her hip, moving her closer as he lowered his hips into the sofa cushions.

He dipped his hand between their bodies, placing his arm between their stomachs. He grasped himself and aligned with her.

Kat kissed his neck, venting her passions now that he was awake. She scraped his neck with her teeth when he entered her, giving him a love bite. She was molten inside.

Arthur wondered how long they'd been like this before he woke up. Had she woken to find his hard cock pressing against her? The process was natural, likely stirred by her proximity and warmth. Every subtle shift of their bodies since waking served only to arouse them further. Still, Arthur wondered when she'd woken and why she'd let him sleep so long.

Arthur wanted to ask questions, but found his mouth occupied as Kat kissed him. They made out and rocked together on the sofa. Snores drifted up from the mattresses spread out on the floor. The others had cuddled together during the night. Everyone fell asleep with exhaustion from their releases last night.

He'd gone overboard after their conversations, an overcorrection on his part. He'd misstepped, but he'd needed it. It renewed him, and the smell of sex lingering in the apartment made him hungry for Kat's lips. Arthur didn't know the hour, but he felt recharged. He was ready to face the day, but first, he'd fuck his girlfriend.

Arthur dipped and raised his hips in a slow, constant rhythm. Kat alternated between rocking her hips against him or holding herself still and letting him fuck her. Either way, she squeezed him close with her arms around him. He held her against him in return.

Their upper bodies didn't move, but held each other in place as they fucked. Their kisses were warm, rather than hot, but continuous. They weren't madly expressing their passion for one another, frantic and clawing, but tenderly exchanging pleasure back and forth. The softer nature of their lovemaking felt appropriate for the darkness of early morning.

"Sir..." Kat said, breaking their kiss. "Can you promise me you're okay?"

Arthur expected a variety of statements from Kat. He'd expected a request for permission to cum. An angry remark to provoke him to fuck her harder wouldn't surprise him. Or she might moan as a slow but invasive orgasm wrecked her from the inside. Instead, her soft voice sounded fragile in the darkness. Not for her sake, but for his. As if she worried she might break him.

"Listen to me, Brat." Arthur said as if her question had been bratty instead of tender, his voice steady and firm. "I promise I'm okay."

"Good." Kat whispered back. She kissed him again, and Arthur lost himself in making out with her.

Sweat dripped along the lines of his torso as they fucked under the blanket to where Arthur could hardly stand it. Overheating, he pushed the blanket back, and a wave of cool air rushed against him like a breeze. The apartment was frigid. He kept it at a comfortable temperature, especially when he had the girls over and knew at least Selene would be naked. But the temperature had dropped outside, frosting the windows, and the thermostat in the apartment wasn't prepared. The temperature difference and relief were immediate, and Kat shuddered against him.

Her shudder traveled through her body, fluttering against his cock as it lodged deep inside her, and she bit his lower lip.

"Sir." Kat spoke so softly that he could barely hear her. "My Sir."

"Yeah." Arthur agreed. "I am your Sir, and you are my submissive."

"I am your submissive." Kat said. "I'm your princess."

Arthur wasn't sure where that name came from, but he didn't argue. Kat was many things, he supposed. She was a pain in the ass and complicated. She never told him what she wanted because she wanted him to speak her language, which he was still learning. It wasn't the most practical method of communication, but that was Kat. She was the oldest of the group, but preferred to act more aggressively than the tempered personality he imagined came with age and maturity.

Arthur wondered if that was because she felt safe enough with him, Selene, and the others to act out in ways she couldn't with others. Kat was quiet in most groups he'd seen her in on campus. She didn't argue with authority at her job or the campus rules. Selene commented before that Kat was her mother's favorite, while the more rebellious Selene was the black sheep.

He'd marveled at it before, the inversion of their relationships with other authorities, and with his. Selene was a rebel in many ways, but entirely submissive to him. Kat was quiet and submissive to the world, but loud and rebellious in their play.

In some ways, he felt honored by her willingness to be a brat with him. In others, he wished he were better at being her Sir. Then he'd know how to give her what she needed without having to puzzle it out as they played together.

She wasn't rebelling now, though. Or at least, she wasn't antagonizing. Kat showed him a different facet of her personality. Softness and tenderness filled each kiss. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve her gentle love. Maybe she was still sleepy or softened to reward his vulnerability with her own.

Whatever her reason, he knew better than to question it. He enjoyed it, instead, kissing her neck after he moved her head aside with his chin. She gasped, and he felt the moan start low in her throat. He moved his lips to hers, muffling her moan and surprising her by cutting it short. She rocked her hips, pushing him deep inside as he thrust upward, and she squeezed him for all she was worth, trying to hold him in place.

Try as she might, she wasn't strong enough to fight him and gravity, so he slid partially out of her again, still lodged inside, before he drove home once more. She trembled above him, kissing him with lips as soft as clouds. Her tongue pushed against his. Sex with Kat often went hot and fast. This was a pleasant change of pace. She wasn't offering him fiery passion with bratty intensity. She offered warmth, loving him without words.

The experience was bliss, and the best way to wake up in the morning. Yet he couldn't help but realize that neither would reach their limit this way. As good as it felt, she wouldn't make him cum, and he wouldn't draw her orgasm from her. They needed something to push them over that edge.

"Princess." Arthur whispered in her ear.

"Master." Kat whispered back as a shiver ran over her body.

"Try not to wake the others." Arthur said. "If you do, I'll have to punish you."

Kat gasped, but her volume fell as low as he'd ever heard her. She nodded, her curly hair shaking around him.

Arthur braced his feet on the sofa cushions, holding her upper body still and preparing himself for the push.

Kat held her breath, drawing it in and clamping him in her arms to brace against what she thought might be coming. The onslaught.

Arthur drove into her with forceful pumps, pushing himself in as far as her body allowed. He usually pushed his limits, but not this time. He wasn't trying to vent his frustrations with her or her with him. No, this was something else. Something gentle but pleasurable, forceful but tender.

Kat clenched with every thrust, but her core was so hot and wet it barely registered to Arthur as he drove into her with steady strokes. The exercise was a decent cardio exercise for his abs, folding his torso, then driving his hips into a bridge with Kat on top of him. She wasn't holding herself above him either, but lying on him, rocking her clit against him and clenching to offer more resistance.

"Sir, please." Kat gasped.

"Such a good girl." Arthur said in a whisper as he brushed his hand through her hair. "You're such a lovely woman, Kat. And you've grown so much in our time together. You've been a very good girl."

Kat rested her forehead against his, her nose pressing against his. She swallowed, closing her eyes as a tear dripped from her eye to his cheek. Arthur would have hesitated, but the smile on Kat's face told him this wasn't a sad tear. She was happy. She kissed him, and her hand shook against his shoulder as he drove into her again.

"Sir..." Kat said, trying to keep her voice steady despite the way she shook. "Please, let me cum?"

"Oh, you want to cum?" Arthur asked, teasing her.

"Yes, Sir." Kat said as if he asked without already knowing the answer. "Please?"

"Yes." Arthur said, kissing her on the nose. "You've been a good girl. You deserve your treat."

Kat whined through the slight chuckle he drew from her. She clenched her eyes shut as he rocked his hips harder into her. Matching his pace proved a challenge, but she tried and exerted a force of her own. Every time they met in the middle, she shook. Her grip on his stiff muscles spasmed, growing in intensity as they drew closer to the edge.

"That's it." Arthur encouraged her. "Cum for me, cum for your Sir. Cum like a good girl. You're such a good girl."

Kat moaned, and she didn't care if it was louder than she meant to be. She didn't have an orgasm. Her orgasm took her. A volcanic eruption burst from her, and her world shook with the intensity of heat flooding from her. Arthur stilled himself mid-bridge, pressed deep into her as she spasmed around his length. Heat flooded between them, and her arousal soaked him as she came in his arms.

Arthur held himself steady inside her until her seizing passed. Then he gently lowered his hips to the sofa. She fell limp atop him, her muscles so relaxed she might as well be boneless.

"Thank you, Sir." Kat said, her voice a dreamy, far-off whisper. "Just leave it in. Give me a minute and I'll..." Her words faded into a mumble.

Arthur remained stiff inside her, his release not yet there. Not that he needed to rush. He was running close to empty after his orgasms the night before. Sleep was a good rejuvenator, but he needed food and drink, too. He'd have more to give after breakfast, which was still a run away.

Kat's lack of energy after sex was typical. She'd take a moment, then finish him when she wasn't oversensitive anymore. Arthur thought that until Kat's breathing shifted above him, and her head slumped against his pillow. She snored.

Arthur chuckled, not expecting her to fall asleep, but it reminded him how deeply his hard cock remained lodged in her soft vagina. He hadn't pulled out yet. She was still on top of him, asleep. Despite the desire that remained, he was still tired. He didn't know the time. Darkness obscured the clock face in the kitchen.

Arthur pulled the blanket over them, turned his head, tilted his face toward the back of the sofa, and closed his eyes. Hard or not, sleep took him, and he didn't wake again until he heard someone's phone alarm vibrating their phone in the early morning dawn.

Arthur stirred, and Kat moaned in her sleep. She rocked her hips absent-mindedly, and Arthur's eyes rolled. His stiff length was still inside her, and she could cook him with how hot she felt. The blanket had slid but still covered their lower halves. He shifted, and Kat moaned again.

Arthur rubbed her back. "Come on." He said. "Time to get up." Past time, given the light outside.

From between the mattresses and the apartment's front door wall, a sleepy Selene crawled away from her blankets. She groped for the phone, found it, and silenced the alarm.

Selene paused, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and stretching into a yoga pose on her knees. She crawled on all fours to the space beside Arthur and Kat, between the sofa and the mattresses.

"Master?" Selene whispered. "It's five-thirty. Would you like a blowjob to wake up?"

"That uh..." Arthur sighed. "Won't be necessary, Slut."

Selene nodded, accepting his answer as absolute despite her frown. "Yes, Master. Would you like me to prepare your shower? Or do you want to squeeze in a run before work?"

Arthur did the math in his head. After a five-mile run, a quick shower, breakfast, and a twenty-minute drive... even shoveling an already-made breakfast into his face, he'd end up being late to work. Still, it was better to be late than to miss his run.

"Run." He said. "Grab my sweats."

"Yes, Master." Selene said. "If you roll over so she's between you and the sofa, you can slip away without waking her. She's a heavy sleeper."

"Yeah..." Arthur said.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Selene asked, still whispering.

"I'm kinda inside her." Arthur said, gesturing. "We woke up earlier, fooled around, and uh... she fell asleep after she came with me, still impaling her."

Selene blinked at him, then giggled. "Lucky Brat. That's adorable." She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laugh. "Do you want me to wake her?"

"Gently." Arthur said. "I don't want her to freak out."

"Katerine." Selene whispered, her lips a breath from Kat's ear. "Rise and shine." She said it like a code phrase, and to Arthur's surprise, it got through to Kat.

Kat blinked, growled in irritation, and glared at Selene. She shifted, rolling her hips and seizing Arthur with her hands, gripping his arms. "Oh, fuck." She said. "Did I fall asleep fucking you?"

Arthur laughed, watching the sleepy Kat go from barely coherent to wide awake.

"We fell asleep fucking each other." Arthur corrected her. "Yeah."

Kat blushed. "I don't want to be the girl who was so boring you fell asleep fucking her." Her face blushed crimson as she lifted her hips, freeing him from between her legs as she slid to the floor beside Selene.

"You're not." Arthur said. "You're the girl I'm so comfortable with that we made love on the sofa until we fell asleep."

That didn't help Kat's blush, but she looked happier than before as she brushed her hair behind her ears and stood, keeping her legs together.

Arthur shifted the blanket aside and swung his legs over the side, stopping Selene from taking him in her mouth. He held her back by her shoulders as she stretched her neck and opened her lips to suck his cock.

"My run, remember?" Arthur said.

Selene reached for him with her tongue, wiggling it. She pouted when she failed to reach him. "Please, Master? At least let me clean you off."

Arthur sighed and released her. Selene took her permission and licked him clean with eagerness as Kat left her to it, turning toward the bathroom.

"I know we joked about it last night." Arthur said, stopping Kat as he grasped her wrist. "But do you want to join me on my run?"

Kat blinked at him. She glanced at her wrist where he'd grabbed her and blushed again. He saw the gears turning behind her sleepy eyes. He knew it was a long shot, so she didn't surprise him when she shook her head. "Is it okay if I don't? Or is this a command that I do?"

"Not a command." Arthur assured her. "Just an invitation."

"Thank you, Sir." Kat said. "But no, thank you. I'm going to use the bathroom, then go back to sleep."

Arthur nodded, giving her permission to leave as he released her. She stepped around the others and disappeared into the bathroom.

"I'll join you on your run, Master." Selene said, smiling up at him from her knees.

Arthur returned her smile and patted her head. "Okay. Good morning, Slut."

She rocked back, assuming the Nadu position, and Arthur stood. He walked silently around those still sleeping, though everyone but Rani had stopped snoring.

Mindy slowly woke up and fell asleep again. She stretched as Rani clung to her like a body pillow.

Kelly had curled into a ball, hugging a pillow where Selene used to be. The towel beneath her was the oldest one he had. She'd kicked her blanket off in the night. Arthur replaced it, laying it over her shoulders. She made a soft murmuring noise and settled into the mattress with a subtle, unconscious smile.

Katelyn slept on her back, full starfish with three of her four limbs, the fourth still in its sling. She'd removed her blankets, but didn't move when Arthur put them on her again.

With the girls taken care of, Arthur skirted the edge of the mattress and slipped into his bedroom. He collected his things, dressed for his run, and stopped when he saw Selene waiting by the door, wearing nothing but her socks, sneakers, and collar.

He shook his head. "You need to wear more than that."

Selene grinned at him. "If you insist, Master, but I didn't bring my workout clothes. I can throw something on if you let me swing by my apartment. Can we take a small detour? Five minutes, tops."

Arthur nodded. Selene kissed him, and Arthur broke the kiss to move toward the door, where he waited for Selene to put on a coat.

Instead, Selene stepped behind him and held her hands behind her butt, looking at him as if waiting for him to open the door.

Arthur's eyes wandered over her body. They roamed from the golden hair tied into its long braid on her head and followed the braid as it fell over her shoulder. It roped between her high, round breasts and their dark pink nipples, which stood at rigid attention. Then it trailed over her toned, flat stomach and tapered into a small fray where the braid tip dangled at her hip. The end hung mere inches from the smooth lips of her naked pussy.

"Are you going to get a coat or throw on your clothes?" Arthur asked, whispering.

"Not unless you command it, Master." Selene said. "I'd hoped you'd make me streak across the parking lot."

Arthur crunched the numbers in his head. Being naked in a public place carried risk. They'd done it before, but an empty park, field, or classroom building differed from a full parking lot in an apartment complex. The hour was still early, but not everyone had the same work schedule. Kids would still be asleep, so there was no chance of involving anyone who couldn't consent. But the possibility, however small, existed that adults might be in the parking lot leaving for earlier shifts.

Arthur stepped away and grabbed the trench coat Kelly used the night before. Selene frowned when Arthur offered it to her, but took it. He couldn't miss the disappointment on her face.

"Hold on to it while you run." Arthur said. "If you see anyone, you throw it on immediately. Understood?"

Selene's eyes lit up with her smile. She nodded emphatically and bundled the coat, holding it over her right arm. She shoved her keys and phone into its pockets, then turned and faced the door.

"Stay behind me on the stairs." Arthur said. "When we get to the parking lot, run ahead of me. I'll follow close behind you."

Selene obeyed, stepping through the door as Arthur opened it, and waiting as he locked the door. He swatted her butt, giving her a soft slap on her cheek. That made her bite her lip and look at him in a way that communicated her desire to do an entirely different cardio.

Arthur kissed her, holding her by the neck as he did so, then released her and sauntered down the stairs. She walked behind him, naked except for her collar, socks, and sneakers. She held the coat wrapped over her arm like a baggy sleeve. It covered her stomach until she had the idea of moving her arm behind her, leaving her nude from the front.

Warmth flooded the stairwell, but the foyer by the mailboxes dropped a few degrees from the outside air. The chill crept toward Selene's core from her lithe but toned limbs, prickling her skin and hardening her nipples further. Arousal fought off the chilly morning air, warming her and flushing her face so its shade turned from her normal pale complexion to bright pink.

Selene waited for Arthur to open the door for her. He peeked out first, surveying the parking lot and checking for people. Early morning twilight glowed brighter than when he usually set out to run. Once he'd decided she'd be safe, he opened the door and gave her another swat on the ass as she ran past him.

Selene sprinted. She didn't try to see for herself if there might be any witnesses to her daring debauchery. She trusted Arthur, and he'd verified her safety. Her legs pumped, the muscles in them flexing as her flesh rippled with every impact of her foot on the sidewalk, asphalt, and sidewalk again.

Arthur might have thought she bolted because she feared being caught, but no. As usual, her excitement overrode her common sense. The thrill stoking her pulse spiked her speed despite the cold air. It was well above freezing, of course, but the temperature had still plummeted, and sweater weather had become coat weather overnight.

Faded red marks covered her upper back and thighs from her flogging last night, but Arthur's gaze struggled to abandon the pale cheeks between those marks. Her bubble butt bounced and jiggled with every stride, and wearing sweatpants had been a mistake. He'd woken with an erection, lost it getting ready, and it returned when he saw Selene. He'd let it recede before they left, but now, it wanted to return with a vengeance despite his plans to run and exercise.

Selene entered her building in a flash, and Arthur followed. He wanted to make sure no neighbors gave her trouble. She fished the keys from her coat pocket, entered her apartment, and beckoned Arthur to follow her inside, but he didn't.

"Wear whatever you want for your run." Arthur said. "But we'll be quicker if I don't come inside."

Selene frowned, pouted, and lifted her leg into a standing split. "You don't want to cum inside me?"

Arthur's dick answered for him, rearing in his sweats. Selene smiled, reaching for it, but he stopped her by raising his hand in a stop signal. "Go get dressed." He said, standing on the landing.

Selene lowered her leg and turned away from him. She stuck her butt toward him and looked behind her as she spoke. "What if I want to do the entire run this way, with you swatting my ass every time you catch me?" Selene asked, raising an eyebrow.

The idea had its merits, but not without prep. Besides, the premise had one major flaw. He was a much faster runner than Selene. Her ballet and dance training might keep her legs in excellent shape, but her sprinting speed couldn't catch his, not to mention her stamina. She enjoyed her teasing, but they were in a hurry. If they didn't leave soon, he'd have to abandon the run, close the door behind them, and make her regret teasing him. Of course, she wanted that, but Arthur didn't enjoy the idea of skipping his workout. He almost wished he'd told Selene to stay in the apartment.

"Do as you're told, Slut." Arthur said, his tone full of warning.

Selene smiled at his harshness. "Yes, Master." She left the door open, letting him watch as she disappeared into her room, then returned with a bundle of clothes. She slipped on a cropped white camisole top tight enough that she had to tug it into place. Her breasts stretched the material, making it semi-transparent. The top was more of a bralette than a shirt. It would have been fine if she had worn something over it, but she didn't. It ended beneath her breasts, leaving a stretch of her soft abdominal muscles on display before the low waistband of her red track shorts resumed her modesty. The high cut of the legs undid any modesty from behind. The shorts left a generous view of the underside of each cheek.

She'd bothered with neither a proper bra nor panties.

"It's cold out." Arthur warned her. "We'll warm up, but you might want a bra with this much running."

"Is that an order, Master?" Selene asked as she stretched.

Arthur considered his choice. Selene was fine doing yoga or hanging out without a bra. Her breasts weren't as heavy as Kat's, Kelly's, or Mindy's, as athletic as Rani's, or as nearly non-existent as Katelyn's. Shifting them in different directions because of gravity didn't cause Selene any discomfort. Running was a different beast. She'd want one if she didn't have one, and they'd have to cut their run short. She could always remove it if she had one, but decided she didn't want one.

"Add a sports bra." Arthur said. "And go with leggings instead of shorts."

Selene pouted, but obeyed. She returned to her room and retrieved the tiniest sports bra she found, a low-cut blue one, and a pair of matching Capri leggings. Changing quickly, she attempted to wear just the bra until Arthur shook his head and made her put on a cami. She sighed, put on the camisole, but left the coat. Selene locked the door and stashed her keys in one pocket of the leggings and her phone in the other.

"I'm ready, Master." Selene said as she took him by the hand. He led her upstairs and outside.

They warmed up this time rather than breaking into an immediate sprint. Selene kept beside him, following his lead since he knew the path. He monitored her while they ran, checking his speed to stay with her and enjoying the view. He let her get ahead of him once she recognized their path. After all, why wear those tight spandex leggings if he didn't run behind her?

Neither of them spoke, but they listened to the early morning sounds of the waking world as they ran through the suburban neighborhood near the apartment complex. Arthur knew his path well and could run it blindfolded. He told her when they had turns coming. Selene didn't have his experience, but knew the area well enough to find her way to the apartment if she got lost.

Their world became the sound of their breathing, the chatter of birds, the occasional start of a car engine, or the closing of a door. A few people spotted them, either leaving for work, pulling out their garbage cans, or exercising. The strangers offered a wave or nod at most. Some recognized Arthur, having seen him running through their neighborhood before today. Selene's presence surprised them, and their eyes lingered on her scantily clad, attractive figure.

Selene didn't seem to notice. She focused on keeping pace. She ran well for a beginner, but once their warm-up ended, Arthur realized he'd have to cut his run short or miss work if he kept at her pace. He opted to cut the run short.

Still, running let his mind wander as his body induced its rhythmic, meditative state. It didn't take long for his thoughts to drift to the many dramatic problems circling his life. Work was one thing, cutting back his hours at the office to transition to maintaining the house, even if Beth bemoaned it happening. His promise to Beth was complicated. He'd have difficulty finding her a dom and hadn't even started.

Two new jobs on top of his old one would be interesting. He was handy, but he'd have to up his game to maintain the new house. He had to study for that, school, and for his other new job: stripping.

Stripping meant learning new routines and putting himself out there in a very vulnerable, dangerous way. As a theoretical part-time gig, it was fun and goofy. Once was a crazy story he'd tell his friends about how a misunderstanding made him a bunch of cash. Doing it part-time? It was a lot of money, but it could have dangerous repercussions in his future.

Then he had his classes and trying to make time for homework. He had time after lunch and then class tonight. Friday was supposed to be a guys' night. He didn't think Mark and Brad wanted to do homework while they hung out.

He'd lose Saturday to the Ren Faire and some of Sunday to the girls. Not that he'd complain. Selene ran ahead and reminded him he was part of that problem. The way her cheeks jiggled, bouncing as she ran, made him want to tackle her, rip her leggings, and take her from behind. Knowing her? She'd love that, even in the middle of the street. She'd embraced the slut/slave role since they started doing this maybe too well.

He needed to be careful. He loved Slut, but he loved Selene too, and despite her jogging with him, he hadn't spent time with that platonic part of his friend in a while. Arthur missed her. The Ren Faire would hopefully bring back the old Selene. She'd always loved that place, and Arthur had to admit he enjoyed it, too.

After the weekend came more stress. He had to pack and move everything on Monday and Tuesday before classes resumed on Wednesday. Fall break was late this year. Why was that, anyway?

His thoughts drifted, then reformed on packing and moving. He needed a truck. Moving his, Kat's, and Selene's belongings in one trip would be great. Unfortunately, renting a truck wouldn't work. He had to be twenty-five. Deb could rent the truck, but she'd have to drive it, which meant asking her to take a day off work. He'd have to call her. He needed to talk to her anyway, though he wasn't sure he could talk to her about what he needed to discuss.

Lynn remained a problem, but removing her wasn't as easy as telling his mom what had happened between them. Not without her doing as much damage as possible on the way out. He had to minimize that, which meant figuring out Lynn's plans and working to counter them. Unfortunately, that meant thinking like her, which he didn't want to do.

He puzzled over how Lynn might attack each girlfriend as he ran, letting the run separate the worries from the anxiety. The endorphins kept the darkness at bay, and his love and lust for Selene kept him driven. It was impossible to feel depressed or anxious during a run. Eventually, the thoughts left his head. The next breath and the next step became the only things that mattered. Bliss.

They left the suburbs behind as they entered the park along the river's edge. The sound of running water joined the ambiance. Early morning twilight grew brighter, but Arthur wasn't sure anyone would consider it dawn yet. The State Park wasn't the same as the smaller one in the center of the suburb. It was the same one that ran behind his parents' house. If they followed this path, they'd exit the park near campus. Or they'd follow the river north along its eastward curve, where it disappeared into the mountains whence it came. The state owned the land surrounding the river and had paved paths for people to stroll along, interrupted by bridges as necessary.

Selene slowed as they approached a dense thicket of trees, falling behind Arthur, who slowed his pace to check on her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Master." Selene answered, her breathing heavy. "I just need a break."

Arthur nodded, slowing to barely jogging and then walking. Selene drank some of his water after he offered her the bottle and then passed it back to him.

"Wanna fuck me in the woods?" Selene asked, gesturing to the trees.

If he'd been drinking, he'd have done a spit take, but he coughed instead, sputtering.

Selene giggled.

He didn't know why her offer caught him off guard. She was his girlfriend, after all, and she'd been manic about fucking since they started. She took to the nickname Slut like it was a religious obligation, kneeling at every opportunity. He just hadn't seen this opportunity coming. He should have, with her earlier teasing.

Arthur glanced at her, noticing the sweat on their bodies was almost indistinguishable from the condensation of the fog. The cool but warming air made mist from the river roll through the park. The fog wasn't dense enough to be worrisome for their run, but it might offer them protection from view if they went off the path. They might lose the trail, but the park here was small enough that walking in one direction would bring them somewhere recognizable. It was wider on the other side of campus.

"Please, Master?" Selene asked, stepping closer to him. "I want you to rip these clothes off me. Shove me against a tree, fuck me raw, fill me with your cum, and make me jog home with it dripping down my legs."

Well, when she asked so nicely...

"You remember your safewords?" Arthur asked.

"Red-light-to-stop-yellow-light-to-check-in-three-noises-or-taps-in-a-row-if-my-mouth-is-full." Selene said. The words left her lips so quickly it might have been a well-practiced tongue-twister.

"Alright, Slut." Arthur said, stretching his legs as he kept them moving while they stood in the path. "Take that top off."

Selene crossed her arms in front of herself, grabbed the hem of her cropped cami, and lifted it off without hesitation. Her sports bra was skimpy, and her nipples attempted to tear through it at the peak of each breast. Her skin glistened with the foggy air, adding to the moisture of her sweat. She offered him her shirt. He took it and threw it on the ground beside the path, leaving it in the dirt.

"Walk into the woods." Arthur said, pointing.

Selene swallowed but turned and followed his direction, walking ahead as twigs and leaves crunched under her sneakers. She crossed her hands behind her as if bound, but he had no rope or leash to bind her. Selene didn't seem to care. She could imagine the ropes and what he'd do with them.

"Stop." Arthur said after they'd traveled far enough off the path that they could no longer see it.

Selene stopped. He stepped behind her, lodging his raging erection between her cheeks, separated by his sweatpants and her leggings.

"Think sweat will work for lube?" Arthur asked. "I want to fuck that ass. You've been teasing me with it all morning."

Selene shuddered. "Why should lube matter, Master? I'm your slave. My body is yours to play with, yours to control. If you want my ass, it's yours. Take it."

Arthur appreciated her commitment, but they couldn't ignore certain realities. "Without lube, it would hurt you. You wouldn't enjoy it."

"So?" Selene asked. "I'm your slave. My body is yours." She repeated the phrase as if it were a doctrine. It was part of her mantra. "My enjoyment doesn't matter. Yours does. Use my body however it pleases you best. It's prepped and ready for you."

Arthur grabbed her hips, pulling her against him and rubbing his cock between her cheeks. His hands slid to her front, with his arms embracing her. He choked her throat with his left hand, lifting her chin as he tightened his grip. Selene moaned, letting her pleasure grow louder as his right hand snaked beneath her leggings, checking to see how well-prepped her pussy was for pleasure.

His fingers were slick when he pulled them away. He pushed them toward her lips, and her tongue snaked out to lick them clean. She sucked on his fingers, then he resumed fingering her, repeating the process several times as he choked her. His grip was tight, focused more on the sides of her neck than the front, letting her breathe while she enjoyed his unyielding grasp.

"Master." She whimpered as he fingered her. "Fuck me. Fuck my ass, pussy, or mouth, I don't care. Just fuck your slut."

Arthur knew what she wanted, and he'd oblige her, but he wanted to have his fun first. If he was cutting his run short to play the role of her master, it was on his terms, and he'd do as he wanted.

"Quiet." Arthur commanded. "If I want your suggestions, I'll ask for them, Slave."

Selene closed her lips, then opened them to receive his fingers a moment later. She sucked them clean, tasting her juices with every lick. She closed her eyes and moaned.

Arthur kept going, letting her saliva and arousal coat his fingers as he used them to make her ready for him. When he judged she was as prepared as she'd get, he released her and pulled her leggings to her ankles.

She stepped out of them as if they burned her before tearing off her sports bra, leaving her naked in her sneakers once more.

"Hands on the tree." Arthur said, gesturing to the tree ahead of them.

Selene bent at the waist to reach it, bracing herself with her arms bent and crossed at the wrists. Her palms pressed flat against the round trunk. Instinctively, she spread her legs and adjusted her stance, arching her back to present her ass to Arthur.

Arthur didn't take her ass, but lowered his sweats enough to free his erection. He pressed it between her legs, sliding it against her waiting slit and coating it in her juices.

Selene clamped her mouth shut, trying not to speak, but she lost her battle and whimpered. "Please..."

Arthur sighed and produced her leggings. He turned them and pushed them into her mouth, crotch first, letting her taste her juices once more as they darkened the blue spandex. He gagged her with them, pushing them in until they formed a messy ball behind her teeth. The two leg portions spilled over her lips, dangling toward the ground. As a gag it wasn't the most effective or comfortable, but they worked with what they had. Selene accepted the gag eagerly, almost as if she'd hoped he'd give it to her. She clamped her teeth down on the loose fabric, breathing through her nose.

Arthur pulled her braid, lifting her head so she faced the tree and not the ground. He wrapped it around his left fist several times, bringing it taut as he pressed against her from behind. He entered her with a thrust of his hips until his thighs brushed her ass.

Selene moaned through her gag, her eyes rolling as she surrendered herself to pleasure.

Arthur moved his hips, thrusting deeper with every stroke until her cheeks clapped with the motion. He pumped into her, one hand holding her braid like a leash, the other on her hip, guiding her to him with every thrust. Meanwhile, Selene braced herself against the tree, her wrists crossed as if she'd surrendered to her fate. She moaned without restraint, letting her leggings muffle her volume. Open air carried away the rest through the fog.

The remote location and the isolation were perfect for this early morning fuck. Humid, foggy air was thicker than he was used to breathing, but it wasn't painful. Crisp air invigorated him, making every steamy inch of warmth from their bodies precious. Combined with the running endorphins, the sex felt amazing. Interrupting his usual workout routine might've annoyed him, but sex was too enjoyable to be frustrated. Besides, he'd have a night off soon enough. For now, he'd use the opportunity to play rough with his girlfriend.

He increased his pace, slamming into her until the clap of his thighs against her cheeks sped past their usual rhythm.

She matched him, pushing against the tree despite the bark biting into her palms. Or because of it. Her panting moans grew explosive as she spanked herself with his hips while he fucked her.

Selene spat out her makeshift gag, letting her leggings fall. They dropped as soon as she opened her mouth. "Master!" Selene whimpered. "May I cum? May this slut have your permission to cum?"

"Spread those cheeks for me, Slut." Arthur said, not answering her question.

Selene's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't question him. She adjusted her stance, widened her legs, and moved her hands, pulling her cheeks apart. She'd told the truth. Selene stood ready for him.

He spit on her asshole to add saliva since her asshole was frequently too tight.

"Push it in." Arthur ordered, his dark tone hitting Selene full-force and weakening her knees.

She teased herself with her fingers, lubing her asshole with his saliva.

Arthur slid his cock from her pussy and pressed his cockhead against her asshole.

"Here." Arthur said, whipping her ponytail around her. "Bite down since you dropped your gag." He spanked her ass for that, and she chomped her braid, treating it like a bit.

Selene's eyelids fluttered as he pressed into her ass, and she gave a grunting scream of pleasure, high-pitched and heavy.

Arthur stilled, but Selene looked at him and nodded. He held onto her hips and pushed forward, sliding further into her. She shook her head back and forth, and he stopped again, but she released her braided bit gag.

"I didn't signal. Keep going, Master." Selene said. "I'm just moving to loosen up, to relieve the... the... oh, my god. FUCK. You're so big... You're breaking me, Master. I love it. Break me! Use me. Make it hurt in the best way."

Arthur grunted, holding her by the torso so she could stand. It was awkward, but he wanted to hold her while he fucked her ass, so he lifted her.

Selene groaned, "Oh, shit!" She reached behind her, clawing for him, but she realized the futility and shifted her feet instead.

Arthur stood with his legs apart, his groin jutting forward under her hips to let his dick stick straight up into Selene's ass. Selene, with her flexible dancer body, wrapped her legs around him, her thighs squeezing his hips, and stretched her torso as upright as possible. Arthur held her in his arms, hugging her from behind and holding her in place against him. His forearms crossed her torso under and above her breasts, and she clung to his topmost forearm with both hands, squeezing tight.

He couldn't offer much thrust in this position, but he didn't have to. Selene clenched and milked his cock with it lodged in her ass.

Then Arthur had an idea. He let his right forearm, the one beneath her breasts, slide along her torso until his hand dipped between her legs. She pressed her mouth into his forearm and moaned into it as he rubbed her, holding onto him for dear life. Then he slid his other hand, dislodging her face from his forearm as he brought his hand to her throat.

Selene gasped. His body suspended hers in the air. His dick impaled her ass, his hand grasped her throat, and his long fingers played with her exposed pussy like he knew exactly where to strike. She couldn't endure the onslaught of sensation and pleasure, even though Arthur knew she wanted it to last forever. Her moans had that pleading 'don't stop' quality to them, and Arthur knew she'd need a ball gag the next time they tried this position.

Selene came with plenty of warning, the tightness in her body squeezing his dick like she wanted to break it off inside her. She sprayed her arousal when she came this time, coating her leggings and bra below them but not caring. Every muscle in her body clenched. It was up to Arthur to catch her when relaxation struck after an eternity of spasms that were almost painful to him.

Those spasms made it impossible for him to hold back any longer. Her pleasure drove into him with the force of a truck, and her seizing and clamping drove every thought from his head. Arthur's release came hard and fast. He groaned as it struck, flooding her with his load as his cock seized and twitched. The veiny passage on the underside pulsed with each release, thrumming as each blast struck her insides and made her quiver with pleasure.

She hung there in his arms, a limp doll impaled on his cock. Her arms and legs hung toward the ground without reaching it. He held her aloft and almost laughed to think what they must look like. He rolled his shoulders and pulled her off his cock.

Panting in the aftermath, Arthur moved her where he wanted, placing her with her feet on the ground.

Selene spun and dropped to her knees. He moved to catch her, thinking she was falling, but she used his arms for support and held them at bay. She swallowed his cock without instruction, sucking him clean and pushing him into her throat with slow, steady strokes as she face-fucked him.

He grunted his approval and held her head in one hand, slowing her. "Good Slut." He said. "Now put your clothes back on."

The run was far from his usual trek, but they'd kept their heartrates high. That counted for something. In the meantime, they were running short on time, and he had places to be. A nice hot shower would feel great after this chilly fog.

"Yes, Master." Selene said, taking her wet leggings from a nearby tree stump. She put them on. Her bra had fallen into a muddy patch, so she held it away from her as she searched for her top.

Arthur had tossed it to the ground back on the path, but as they searched for it, they couldn't find it. Neither had paid particular attention to where it fell, and either the wind had swept leaves over it or someone had come along and taken it.

The latter option bothered Arthur, so he didn't mention it. Instead, he took off his hoodie.

"No, Master, I couldn't--"

"You can't run back to the apartment topless." Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "I can."

His chiseled, masculine physique wasn't the type to draw complaints. Selene's feminine breasts weren't street-legal. They had to be covered, at least in suburbia.

Selene didn't argue. She threw his hoodie on, and it fell to her mid-thighs. It was far too big for her, more like a dress than a sweatshirt, but she liked it. She held the hem and twisted back and forth, treating it like a dress.

"I'm never getting that back, am I?" Arthur asked rhetorically.

Selene didn't answer, but she smiled a knowing and wicked smile. They both knew the rule universal to girlfriends everywhere. The sweatshirt was hers now. She let her eyes wander his sculpted torso and wet her lips with her tongue, letting it roll over the center of her bottom lip.

Arthur stretched, then nodded in the direction of the apartment complex. "Well, you got what you wanted, Slut. Are your legs dripping enough for you?"

Selene nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you for using this slut." She smiled. "I might have trouble running in a straight line, though."

Arthur shrugged. "You wanted me to fuck you in the ass, so..."

"Not a complaint." Selene said. "That was..." She mimed an exploding head and provided the sound effect to make her point clear. "You are so fuckin' sexy sometimes, I can't even stand it. You're too good to me, Master. I love you."

Arthur reached for her hand, and she placed her hand in his. He squeezed it, holding it as he started walking again. "I love you too, Selene." He kissed her forehead. "Come on." He said, shifting into a jog after a few steps and releasing her hand. "I'll race you back to the apartment complex, and if you win, I'll let you have another orgasm before work."

Selene sped off ahead of him. Her first steps faltered, given the pain that sprang up in her recently used body, but it only made her blush and adjust. Soon, she was sprinting as fast as her legs could take her and giggling as she ran.

Despite her early lead due to surprise, Selene's running pace was no match for Arthur's. He ran too far ahead of her after he passed her and slowed to let her catch him. He kept her a few paces behind him for the rest of the run.

Arthur reached the apartment complex first, but Selene had to get her phone and keys from her apartment. They took a slight detour and noticed Mindy watching for them from his apartment window. She waved, and Arthur waved back. She held up her phone and pointed to it. Arthur checked his.

Whore: Good morning, Boss!

Arthur smiled at his screen.

Boss: Good morning, Whore! We'll be up in a sec. Slut has to get her stuff.

Mindy reacted with a smiley face and a heart. Arthur responded with a heart, and when he checked the window, Mindy was gone.

He waited for Selene on the main landing in her building. She returned with her things, a duffel, and the trench coat, and they hurried across the parking lot.

To Arthur's surprise, his apartment was bustling when he entered. The two extra mattresses rested against the wall. Someone had returned Arthur's mattress to his bed, which they'd made.

Rani and Kat sat at the kitchen table with Venti Starbucks coffees in their hands. Rani yawned into her elbow as she and Kat waved.

Arthur yawned, catching it from Rani as he closed the door.

Mindy knelt between them and the TV on the far wall, demure and sexy. She'd washed her hair and pulled it into two braided pigtails on either side of her face. Her white button-down blouse had sleeves that covered her shoulders and not her arms. It tucked into a black pencil miniskirt that scrunched on each side as if she'd pulled a long skirt up to make it mini. Beneath it, her black stockings stretched over her tan skin to her shoeless feet, which she tucked behind her.

"Welcome home, Boss!" Mindy said, bright and cheerful. "Mistress is in the kitchen, Pet's finishing in the bathroom, Brat and Concubine are still waking up."

"Thank you." Arthur said, taking stock of where everyone was and what they were doing. Half-eaten eggs, croissants, and bacon on Kat's plate suggested they'd gathered breakfast from multiple sources. His pantry had no croissants, though the eggs and bacon might have been his. He didn't mind sharing; he just had to update his grocery list.

Arthur added organizing the house groceries to his to-do list. Breakfasts like this would be more common once they were living in the same house.

The bathroom door opened, and a freshly showered Katelyn stepped out in a pair of fresh pink panties with pictures of white kittens on them. She wore nothing else but kept her arm with the pulled shoulder at her side.

"Well, hellooo, Sir." Katelyn said in the same intonation as some cartoon characters said, 'Hello, Nurse.' She eyed his naked torso, saluted with her good arm, and chuckled as she strode past them into the kitchen.

"Slut and I need to shower, then we'll join breakfast." Arthur said.

Mindy nodded. "Yes, Boss. Do you need any help? I already ate."

"You look ready for the day." Arthur said, raising an eyebrow. "Is everyone else showered?"

"Kat and Rani haven't, if you'd like one or both to assist you." Mindy answered.

"I think we've got it." Arthur said. "Let them finish their coffee."

Kat raised her coffee cup in their direction as a silent thank you. Arthur laughed and offered his hand to Selene, who took it and squeezed. They entered the bathroom together and closed the door. Despite their nakedness and the availability, their shower remained utilitarian. They fondled, washed, rinsed, and enjoyed each other, but took turns under the water and prioritized bathing.

The water sluiced their sweat away. Both had worked up a sweat during the run home, the park before that, and the run before that. Selene smiled as she scrubbed her master and closed her eyes as he washed her. The exchange didn't last long, and neither did the hot water. It was good that they'd showered together and were more economical than usual.

Arthur stepped out, drying himself as Selene rinsed her hair. She'd released it from its braid, washing it despite the work that went into it. The water turned cold by the end, and she did her best to keep her body away from its spray, letting the water rinse away the suds.

Drying her hair took longer than it took him to dry his entire body. Arthur had time to go through his morning routine at the sink without shaving. He didn't have time for that today. The stubble on his chin and jawline would shift from noticeable to prominent by the end of the day. Arthur typically shaved daily, but letting it go for one wasn't the worst thing. He hoped. It was itchy, but he made way for Selene to use the sink and left her to it as she patted her hair dry with a towel.

Arthur slipped naked from the bathroom into his bedroom. Someone laid clothes out for him, and he threw them on: black and comfy boxer briefs, an olive green button-down shirt, a pair of gray slacks, a matching suit jacket, and a gray tie. The jacket fit snugly, but was well-tailored to his frame. He wore tan brown leather dress shoes and a brown belt. He left the bedroom and entered the kitchen, where everyone stopped and stared at him.

"Damn!" Rani said. "That'll wake you up."

Arthur looked up to see what he'd missed, but Rani didn't even have her coffee cup anymore, having finished it. She was talking about him, and he blushed under everyone's scrutiny.

The small kitchen was at capacity, with Rani, Kat, Katelyn, and Mindy sitting at the table. Kelly stood at the stove, and her smile grew as she beamed at him. She'd done her makeup and hair already, and she looked drop-dead sexy in nothing but a plain black apron, heels, booty shorts from last night's costume, and pearls. Their chokers clasped their necks. Kat and Rani were naked from the night before. Kelly kissed Arthur's cheek as he approached, her heels clicking on the kitchen tile.

"One of you needs to get up so Master can sit." Kelly said, looking at the table. "I'm sure one of them would be happy to serve you while you eat." She said, prodding Arthur toward the table.

"I have to shower, shave, and shit anyway." Rani said, rising from her chair. "Sit here, my King."

Arthur wasn't sure if the third thing on the list was something she meant literally, but he didn't ask. He took her seat after she vacated it, and she rubbed his shoulders. He patted her ass as she stepped away, enjoying the jiggle of her massive cheeks from the smack.

"Mm." Rani said, leaving him there as she walked away. "I'm gonna think about you in the shower."

Arthur chuckled, but appreciated the view as she departed. Kat rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee.

"You guys made a Starbucks run while I was out?" He asked, knowing neither Rani nor Kat had left the apartment. That, or they'd been quite daring without him.

"Mindy and I made the run before my shower." Katelyn said, raising her hand. She'd dressed in her clothes from the day before while he showered with Selene. "Kelly was getting ready, and these two were grumbling about you not having a coffee maker, so I made myself useful."

Arthur nodded, understanding the impulse. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Mindy said.

"I'm glad there's one nearby." Katelyn said. "And they open stupid early."

"At least the house has a nice coffee maker." Kat said, sighing dreamily. "I can't wait."

Arthur chuckled, leaning aside as Kelly placed a plate before him. Half the plate contained a spinach omelet folded in half and cooked to golden perfection. Several strips of hot and crispy bacon, ringed by strawberries, filled the other half. She placed a glass of water before him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you!" He said, not surprised but impressed. "Kelly, this looks amazing."

Kelly smiled and retreated to the stove in several quick steps. Arthur adjusted how he was sitting as he watched her high, peach-shaped ass walk away in those shorts.

"Hey, how come he got five strips, and we only got three?" Kat grumbled, looking at Arthur's bacon.

Kelly raised an eyebrow at Kat and put her hand on her hip. "Because he's my favorite." Kelly said, pointing at him with her spatula.

Arthur motioned for Kelly to come to him, and she did. The pair shared a kiss. "Seriously. Thank you, Wifey. This is amazing."

"You're welcome." Kelly said, kissing him again. "Now eat up."

"I'll have to be quick. I'm running behind schedule, and Mindy and I need to get to work." Arthur said, picking up the fork that Kelly set for him.

"Do you need us to grab anything for you?" Kelly asked, looking at Mindy, who stood to run the fetch quests.

"Uh... I need my backpack." Arthur said, having never unpacked it from last night. "And to swap out the textbooks."

"What books do you need?" Mindy asked as Kelly returned to the stove.

Arthur listed out the three textbooks he needed for his classes. The notebooks and his laptop were in there already. "Oh, and my phone is on my dresser." Arthur said, patting his pockets. "Can you grab that for me?"

"You got it, Boss." Mindy said and hurried to the second bedroom where his textbooks were.

Arthur ate while she did that, and Kat and Katelyn finished their plates with him.

"You didn't have to make us this." Arthur said, smiling. "I appreciate it, obviously." He said. "I just don't want you to think you have to cook breakfast for us every day."

"Don't ruin this for us." Katelyn said, her voice harsh. "She's great at it."

Kat chuckled and sipped her coffee.

"I don't mind." Kelly said to Arthur. "Honestly, it's nice to make breakfast for so many people again. I haven't done it in a while. Plus, it's fun to pamper you." She added a glass of orange juice to Arthur's place setting, which he sipped.

"You're amazing." Arthur told her.

"Someone has to take care of you, Mister." She winked at him, and Arthur squeezed her hand before she left the table again.

If someone asked him what his secret with women was, he didn't know it. He'd done nothing to deserve Kelly's affection or her doting, but he resolved to strive to be worthy of it. He'd take care of her as much as she took care of him. That was the least he could do.

Arthur ate, as did the others. Selene joined them at the table, her hair down and sweeping behind her like a cloak that covered her back from crown to butt. Otherwise, she wore nothing but her collar.

"Oh my god!" Katelyn said as Selene sat. "Your hair!"

Selene looked alarmed, wondering what was wrong with her hair. She reached for it, touching the locks between her fingers and feeling her silky strands still warm from the hair dryer.

"It looks amazing!" Mindy said, returning from the other room.

"Yeah!" Katelyn agreed, not realizing the alarm she'd caused.

Kelly turned to see and smiled. "Wow. It really is lovely down like that."

Selene blushed, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Thanks. I'll braid it once it's fully dry."

"I don't know how you handle it that long." Kat said, shaking her head. Her short blonde curls made her point for her.

"You should do pigtails!" Mindy said. "We can be twins!" She pulled her pigtails away from her shoulders to show them off to Selene.

Selene looked at Arthur as if asking permission.

"I like pigtails." Arthur confirmed. "But I like your typical braid, too. It's very you."

"And in true guy fashion, I'm willing to bet you like it down, too." Kat said, rolling her eyes.

"Well... yeah." Arthur said, smiling as he looked at Selene.

"You take good care of it." Katelyn said, admiring its sheen.

"Her hair is the only thing she cares about more than that collar." Kat said, gesturing to Selene's neck, where the brown leather choker rested.

"Not more than." Selene touched her choker, then tilted in surprise as Kelly placed a plate of eggs, strawberries, a croissant roll, and bacon in front of her.

"Wow." Selene said. "Thank you, Mistress."

"You're welcome, Slut." Kelly said as she returned to the stove. "Eat up. Something tells me you'll want the calories if you went running with Mister Marathon over here." She patted Arthur's shoulder on her way past him.

"He can be a slave driver." Kat said, chuckling as she stole Selene's bacon without shame or hesitation.

Mindy giggled. "Definitely a taskmaster." She nodded.

"He rides us pretty hard." Katelyn added.

"And always looking for any excuse to punish us." Kat said.

"Like for stealing other people's bacon, for example?" Kelly asked, gesturing to Selene's baconless plate with her spatula as Kat took the last strip. "How's your ass doing, by the way, Brat? It looked pretty beat up last night."

Kat bit her bacon and shifted in her seat. "It's fine."

"Should I add a few spanks with this spatula for thievery?" Kelly asked, holding the spatula and flicking it with her wrist like a tennis racket.

Selene giggled. "It's okay that she took my bacon. I try to eat vegan, so she was eating it for me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kelly said, dropping her smile and shaking her head. "I completely forgot."

"It's okay." Selene said. "It's a personal thing. I don't push it on others or make a big deal of it. I hate the whole obnoxious vegan stereotype."

"She's more likely to convince someone to fuck her boyfriend than she is to convince them to turn vegan." Kat sniped, which made the others laugh.

"Seriously though, Kat, how is your backside?" Arthur asked. "Are you still in pain?"

"No, I'm okay. It's only sore if someone hits it." Kat said, smirking at Arthur.

"You should ice it." Arthur said. "Use the lotion if there's any dry skin, chafing, or chapping."

"See?" Kat asked the room at large. "So bossy."

"How anyone stands him is a mystery." Mindy said, though she barely made it through the sentence before breaking into giggles.

The girls laughed, and Arthur laughed with them. Sitting, eating, and sharing a genuine moment together was nice. No one was making demands of him or asking him to solve anything; they were just enjoying each other's company. Moments like this made him realize how lucky he was in life. He sat at an oasis in his life's tumultuous sea of drama.

He finished his food but didn't want to end the moment. Only his glance at the phone Mindy delivered made him leave the table. His time was up. As it was, he and Mindy were about to be five minutes late to work unless whatever god was in charge of traffic smiled on him today.

"Alright, Mindy." Arthur said, getting up from the table. "Grab your stuff. We've got to get to the office."

"Yes, Boss!" Mindy said. She ran into the other room. Her run was stilted by the constriction of her skirt, but she slipped on her high heels by the door in record time.

Arthur smiled and followed her. The girls lined up by the door, forming something of a wall. Even Rani came trotting out in a towel, which she dropped. She shuddered from her fast, icy shower and muttered something about never going last again. Her naked body was always something to behold. She enhanced her beauty with gold jewelry on her nipples, navel, nose, and eyebrows, besides her toe rings, finger rings, bracelets, and anklets. Without jewelry, her body was still magnificent, with soft lines accentuating her curves.

"Gorgeous as always, Concubine." Arthur said, giving her a kiss goodbye. Rani gave him a hug for warmth.

"Have a good day, my King." Rani said, patting his ass as he stepped along the line to Katelyn.

Katelyn shifted awkwardly at first, but she squeezed his shoulder and kissed him. "Have fun at work, I guess?"

Arthur chuckled. "Thanks. Have a good Thursday. We'll be in touch now that you're added to the chats."

Katelyn nodded, waving as he stepped aside to Kat.

"Behave yourself today, Brat." Arthur said, bending to kiss Kat.

"Make me." Kat said, smiling through her kiss before Arthur stepped to Selene.

"Wear something cute today." Arthur said, noticing how she was still naked. "Send me a pic, but you have my permission to decide for yourself what counts as cute. Doesn't have to be slutty."

"Yes, Master." Selene said, bowing slightly.

Arthur lifted her chin and kissed her, locking lips with her for several slow moments before he broke the kiss and stood before Kelly.

"Thank you for breakfast and everything you do to keep this harem running smoothly." Arthur said, smiling at her. "I know you're not a hundred percent right now, so take it easy. Let the others do the dishes or leave them in the sink, and I'll take care of them when I get home tonight."

"Drive safely, Mister." Kelly said, kissing Arthur with an amused smile as if he was dreaming if he thought she'd leave him the dishes. She fixed his tie, adjusting it as she spoke. "And don't worry about the dishes. You might want to make a grocery run after class, though. You're out of everything."

Arthur laughed. That tracked. "Thank you, Missus."

"You're welcome, Mister." Kelly kissed him again, holding onto his lapels and then flattening them with her palm to separate them as she stepped away. "Do well at work!"

"I'll do my best." Arthur said, nodding as Mindy slipped ahead of him through the door. He made his exit and then held the door open. Mindy dashed through the door again. She kissed Rani, Selene, and Kelly goodbye and returned to his side at the top of the stairs.

Kelly waved goodbye as she closed the door, and Arthur returned the gesture. Then he and Mindy hurried down the stairs, knowing they'd be late but knowing it was worth it.

Arthur's drive to work didn't go his way. Their late departure was a bad start. Red lights, people who cut him off, and those driving twenty miles per hour under the speed limit, confident their cars protected them from getting punched in the face, compounded the problem. By the time he and Mindy hustled to the office, they were seventeen minutes behind schedule.

Mindy let herself into Beth's office, where her desk was now, and Arthur went in the main entrance, so it didn't look like they were coming in together.

"Beth wants to see you." Tara said before the door had even closed behind Arthur.

He sighed and nodded. Their arrangement couldn't protect him from a minor reprimand. He set his bag down, put his suit jacket over the back of his chair, straightened his tie, and faced his doom. Beth hated it when people were late, and she had every right to yell at him. It was a lack of planning on his part. He only hoped she didn't scream at Mindy.

There was no yelling when Arthur entered Beth's office, but another person was sitting across from Beth. Mindy stood mid-conversation with the two older women between the external door and her new desk. All three of them turned to stare at Arthur as he entered.

"Please close the door behind you, Arthur." Beth said, all business and much calmer than he expected.

Arthur closed the door. He looked nervously between her and the woman sitting on his side of the desk: Liz Marino, the head of the HR department.

"Why don't you sit here?" Liz asked as she rose from her seat and offered it to Mindy.

Mindy glanced at Arthur but took the seat Liz offered her. Liz circled Beth's desk and stood beside her. She looked at Arthur expectantly, and he got the hint. He took the seat beside Mindy.

"It's come to our attention that you two have recently begun dating." Liz said, still standing over everyone. "Is this correct?" She asked Mindy. "Are you a couple?"

Arthur and Mindy nodded without looking at each other. There was no use in denying it; they'd made the necessary changes at the office to facilitate it. Mindy worked directly for Beth now. It was their casual sex relationship with Beth that had to stay secret.

"Well, congratulations!" Liz said, her voice suddenly very excited as she smiled. "We're very happy for you."

Arthur wasn't sure how to respond, so he stayed silent and waited. Her sudden swing from stoic to happy was bad acting, and as a theater kid, it raised his hackles.

"In case you weren't aware, office romances between coworkers must be reported to HR as soon as possible." Liz said, still smiling but taking on a matronly, almost condescending tone. "Unfortunately, my office discovered your relationship from an anonymous source, so we had to investigate."

"I--" Beth started interjecting, but Liz silenced her with a look. It wasn't a mean or accusatory look, but a patient 'I wasn't finished' expression that made Beth shut her mouth.

"Miss Rian told me you made her aware of your relationship when it started, which resulted in the restructuring she requested to make you her personal assistant." Liz said, speaking with Mindy. "So you weren't reporting to Mister Clarke, which would be a serious conflict of interest."

"Right." Mindy said, nodding as if she agreed with everything Liz said, or at least the last part of it, whichever Miss Marino wanted to believe.

"Failing to disclose your relationship to HR is a serious violation of the employee handbook policies. I'd expect a supervisor to pay more attention to such things in the future." Liz said, leveling her gaze at Arthur as it turned accusatory.

"He wasn't a--" Beth started, but Liz silenced her with another glare. It didn't matter that he wasn't a supervisor when they started dating. He had to be held to a higher standard as someone in leadership.

Arthur nodded. "You're right. I should have remembered that, but it slipped my mind. I apologize, but Mindy shouldn't be in trouble for that. She's new to the office."

"Yes." Liz agreed, though it looked like it pained her. She returned her attention to Mindy. "You're a freshman, correct, Ji-Min?"

"Mindy." Mindy corrected. "And yes."

"Oh, is Min-Dee your middle name?" Liz asked, making friendly conversation.

"Uh... no?" Mindy answered. "It's just taking the Min part of my name and adding a -dy. It's like a nickname."

"Ah." Liz nodded. "Well, you might want to start going by your legal name if you want your coworkers to treat you more professionally."

"It hasn't been a problem." Mindy said, shrugging.

"Maybe not yet, but aren't you tired of people treating you like a kid, Miss Tae?" Liz asked, still smiling. "I'm sure the other young ladies in your office would appreciate a more professional approach, even if you have to educate them on the pronunciation. I know Japanese can be tricky."

"Korean." Mindy said automatically. "But it's easier for people to call me Mindy."

"But that's not your real name." Liz said.

"I've used it since preschool. Is it a problem if I go by Mindy?" Mindy asked, surprised.

"No, but Mindy is a nickname. If you want people to take you seriously as a young woman, consider using a more professional moniker." Liz said patient as ever as she explained her reasoning.

"Isn't Liz a nickname for Elizabeth?" Mindy asked.

Liz stared at her as if no one had ever told her this information.

"Same as Beth?" Mindy asked, gesturing to Beth. "They're both nicknames, right? Why is my name any different? Because it's Korean?"

Arthur couldn't laugh. He wanted to, but laughing would only humiliate the lady from HR. That'd be a mistake. Arthur had limited experience with middle-aged adults with infinitesimal spheres of power over others, but he had enough. They'd sooner douse themselves in gasoline and light a match than allow a younger person to humiliate them unscathed.

Arthur glanced in Mindy's direction. He wanted to high-five her but remained professional, just as Mindy remained smiling and cheerful as if she hadn't just flipped Liz off in her mind.

"Maybe it's just that people think of names that end in -y as juvenile." Liz said after a brief pause. Her amiable smile returned. "That's why I don't go by Lizzie. I suspect that's why Arthur goes by his full name, not Arty, right?" She looked at Arthur, expecting him to support her, but did a double take as Mindy's smile vanished while he remained pleasant.

"I think we got off topic." Arthur said, cutting off whatever Mindy had opened her mouth to say. "Am I going to be penalized for failing to report our relationship to HR?" He left Mindy out of the hypothetical, taking full responsibility onto himself. If they wanted to discipline him, he'd accept it. The worst-case scenario was that they'd fire him. But if Liz wanted to do that, he imagined the meeting would have been just him and HR, or him and Beth. A write-up was more likely.

Liz looked at him, her gaze icy. "No." She said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Miss Rian explained you informed her of your relationship, and she forgot to inform my office. We've dealt with that miscommunication."

Arthur glanced in Beth's direction, but she didn't react. It wouldn't have cost her the job if she'd gotten into trouble with HR. She didn't seem bothered by it, but her total lack of expressiveness throughout the conversation told Arthur she was being cautious to keep her expression neutral. She was hiding something, as were Arthur and Mindy. They had to hide their relationship and lunchtime activities from HR. Dating a coworker was one thing, but sex in the office? That was against the rules. Team building was only supposed to go so far.

"We wanted to review the rules with you two to make sure everyone's on the same page." Liz said, gesturing to Beth's computer as if Arthur and Mindy could see what was on the screen from where they sat, which they couldn't.

"The important thing is that we should stay professional." Beth said, nodding.

"Yes, it's imperative that you two remain professional in the office. Outside, you're free to consent to whatever personal displays of affection suit you, if any." Liz said. "But in the office, you're not boyfriend and girlfriend. You're Arthur and Ji-Min."

"We're human beings." Mindy protested. "Not robots. We can't turn off those parts of our brains."

"What Miss Marino means is that your conduct should remain professional. That's all. Your behavior in the office shouldn't interfere with your work performance or make your colleagues uncomfortable." Beth said. "If you two were affectionate, it might make Tara or the others uncomfortable."

And now Arthur knew whom to thank for this lovely visit from HR. He wouldn't make a big deal of it, though. Liz wasn't here to reprimand them. She was just repeating the official policies from the handbook to them for training. However, it put them on thin ice. Now that she'd given them an official reminder, they'd be in trouble (i. e., fired) if someone complained that they'd broken one of these policies. No kissing in the office.

"You're to abstain from any displays of public affection." Liz said, agreeing with Beth. "Including hand-holding, kissing, and excessive flirtation."

Mindy's face scrunched in confusion. "What's excessive flirtation? Like what's normal flirtation versus the excessive level?"

"It's best to avoid any flirtation while in the office." Liz said. "Professionalism between you is of the utmost importance."

Mindy frowned at that answer but had enough sense not to argue. Liz wasn't here to have a conversation. She was here to lay down the law.

"And obviously, you must avoid favoritism or preferential treatment." Liz leveled her gaze at Arthur. "Or anything that someone might claim is biased deference."

"Oh, don't worry, Arthur doesn't defer to me. He rides me harder than anyone else here." Mindy said, giggling.

Arthur winced.

"That is a perfect example of humor that will make other people uncomfortable. You should avoid those jokes to maintain a professional environment." Liz said. "You cannot make that kind of remark in the office, even as a joke. Do you understand, Miss Tae?"

Mindy tilted her head, appearing genuinely confused. "Why? What did I say?" She asked, exuding her innocence and naivety in a flood that made even Arthur question if she was oblivious to her innuendo.

Liz shook her head, not engaging it either way. "Romantic entanglements with older men who take advantage of younger women like yourself can ruin careers. I'd recommend caution, especially when dating someone so much older and less innocent than you are."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. Did Liz think he was a lecherous old man taking advantage of a naïve schoolgirl? Mindy was an eighteen-year-old college freshman dating a twenty-two-year-old college senior. He had more experience, but she was far more perverted than she appeared. It surprised him sometimes.

"I'm sorry. Do you think Arthur is taking advantage of me?" Mindy asked, surprised.

"We can talk later if you'd like to discuss anything in private." Liz said, glancing at Arthur.

"But--" Mindy said, but Liz cut her off mid-word.

"When you break up, we expect both of you to remain professional and respectful to prevent tension in the workplace." Liz said. "No matter what the cause is, you leave it out there. Can you handle that if Arthur cheats on you, or--"

Mindy frowned. "Don't worry, Miss Marino, we're both adults capable of remaining professional no matter what MIGHT happen."

Arthur appreciated the vote of confidence, but his mood was souring on Liz the more she talked. He didn't know what about him pissed her off. He'd had maybe two previous conversations with her, and none were like this. She didn't like him, and Arthur suspected she wanted him fired. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but what had started as a ridiculous passing hunch had grown into a recognized pattern of confirmations.

"Well, feel free to reach out to me if any work-related issues arise between you two, or you and any coworkers, because of your romantic entanglement." Liz said, resuming her more professional expression. "Do you have any questions?"

Arthur and Mindy looked at each other, reading their expressions to determine if they had any questions.

Mindy shrugged. "I'm good."

"Are there any documents for us to sign? Or any concerns we can address with our coworkers?" Arthur asked.

"No, no signatures are necessary. We have your relationship on record, and we'll keep track of it to ensure everything stays above board." Liz said.

"How?" Arthur asked.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked.

"How will you be tracking our personal relationship?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, I just meant that we'll stay in touch with your coworkers and manager to make sure everyone remains comfortable with the situation and that no policies are violated." Liz explained as if it were Arthur's first day in kindergarten. "And we'll be keeping a close eye on your behavior."

"Understood." Arthur said, nodding.

"Any other questions?" Liz asked, looking at Mindy expectantly.

"If I think of any, your office is upstairs, right?" Mindy asked. "Near the President's office?"

"Yes, that's correct." Liz nodded. "Where you signed some of your paperwork."

"Great!" Mindy said.

"And you can come and talk to me whenever you want." Liz said as if speaking to a dear friend. "My door is always open to you, Ji-Min. Am I pronouncing that correctly?"

"Will do, Miss Marino." Mindy said, smiling, but Arthur could tell that Liz annoyed her. The pronunciation wasn't exact, but Arthur didn't always get the subtleties and had more practice. If Liz was waiting for Mindy to comment on her pronunciation, she'd wait a long time. No one said anything after Mindy spoke. They just kept smiling, and Liz seemed to have forgotten that Arthur was in the room.

Arthur wondered who was supposed to release them or whether Liz planned on leaving. When she remained standing beside Beth with a smile on her face aimed at Mindy, Arthur hesitated.

"Am I dismissed?" Arthur asked, pointing at himself.

Beth glanced at Liz, who nodded. "Yes, Mister Clarke, you may return to work."

"Miss Tae, why don't you hang back?" Liz said. "I have something else to discuss with you. A separate matter."

"Sure. My desk is in here." She pointed to the small workstation set up in the opposite corner, toward the other wall. Liz nodded.

"Perfect." Liz said, her smile still in place. "Please close the door on your way out, Arty."

"Don't call him that." Mindy said, her tone harsh.

Arthur even looked at her in surprise. Beth and Liz did, too. Liz might have called him that to prove a point, expecting Arthur to correct her. None of them expected Mindy's anger.

"He prefers Arthur." Mindy explained, shifting back to her cheerful demeanor. "I go by Mindy. It's easy to call people by their preferred names, Elizabeth. Am I pronouncing that correctly?"

Liz made a sour face. "My apologies." Liz said, though her tight lips suggested she pushed the words out with a struggle. "It was an honest mistake, Arthur."

"No worries." Arthur said, rising from his chair. "It was nice to see you again, Miss Marino." He smiled and offered her a handshake.

Liz nodded, shook his hand, and waited until he closed the office door behind him to resume speaking. Arthur released a ragged exhale once the door clicked. Sarah, Tara, and Linda did their best not to turn in his direction.

The rest of his work shift went quickly. The door opened a few minutes later, but whatever Liz had to say to Mindy didn't seem worth discussing. He kept his head down and did his job until the clock ran out. Then he grabbed his bag and left. On his way from work to class, he texted Brad and Mark to discuss Friday night.

Arthur: I know I haven't been around much, but are you guys down for hanging out tomorrow night, Friday?

Mark: Wasn't that the plan?

Brad: Yeah, I put it on my calendar last night.

Arthur: Oh, did Selene already get in touch with you guys?

Brad: Is Selene coming? I thought it was a guys' night?

Arthur: Yeah, a guys' night. Did Selene tell you before she suggested it to me?

Mark: Nah. Maria told me.

Brad: Jen told me.

Arthur stared at his phone.

Arthur: Well, Selene told me.

Mark: lol. Did our girls set us up on a bro date?

Brad: Maybe they want us out of their hair so they can have a girls' night?

Mark: Sure, but then wouldn't Arthur's twenty other girlfriends have to talk to him about it, too?

Brad: lol.

Arthur: Selene said the others had talked about it. Kelly confirmed.

Brad: Oh, maybe it is a setup for a girls' night.

Mark: Weird.

Brad: Oh well. What do you guys want to do?

Arthur: Well, we could go to the house I'm moving into. It has a big-screen TV/home theater system. We could have a movie night?

Mark: Ok, hear me out. Ren Faire on Saturday, right?

Brad: Yeah.

Arthur: Yeah.

Mark: So there's this old movie, A Knight's Tale. Absolutely hilarious. We should watch it. Very Ren Faire vibes.

Brad: I'm down.

Arthur: I'm down.

Arthur had already seen the movie, but he'd watch it again any time. It wouldn't win any awards for historical accuracy, but the film had a stellar cast, even if the music was dated.

Mark: Awesome. Text us the address.

Brad: And what time?

Arthur: I'm available around five. We can grab dinner at the cafeteria and then head over to the house.

Brad: Works for me!

Mark: Me too!

Arthur smiled. A night hanging out with his friends, catching up, and shooting the shit after an enjoyable movie sounded like a blast. Much more fun than classwork, but he was here to learn. He took his seat in Business Leadership III and sighed as the professor presented his slides on their end-of-semester group project. His life was a cycle of stressors; try as they might, not even his girlfriends could alleviate everything.

~~~

After class, Arthur hesitated as he saw a familiar face waiting for him across the hallway. He wasn't sure how she knew his class schedule, but he decided not to let it bother him. She was waiting for him, though. She came to life as he stepped through the classroom door into the hallway. She approached him like she was storming a castle, holding a binder in front of her to protect her vital organs and shield her torso.

"Hey." Arthur said, hesitating to produce a name in case he got it wrong. He tilted his chin at her in greeting.

"Rachel." She gestured to herself. A white ribbon tied into a bow swept back her long, dark brunette hair. The high collar of her dress closed over her neck. Her dress covered every inch of skin, so only her face, the top of her neck, and hands showed. Her boots were barely visible under the floor-length hem of her shapeless floral pattern dress. She looked like a Christian fundamentalist, which seemed intentional on her part.

"Right." Arthur nodded. "Rachel. Mindy's roommate." He'd met and talked with her before when she tried to shame him for everything he did with Mindy and Selene. The last time he'd seen her, she'd exited the bathroom where he, Mindy, and Selene had shared a shower. She hadn't looked at him since. He imagined she either overheard them or he must have missed her going in while he stood and waited for Selene and Mindy in the hallway.

Her nervousness suggested she'd heard them. So now he wondered if she'd yell at him, accuse him of something, or present him with a pamphlet. Rachel believed there were no morals apart from her religion. Arthur disagreed. He might be living a lifestyle very different from Rachel's, but he lived as ethically as possible, especially where his girlfriends were concerned.

"Yeah. Mindy's roommate." Rachel nodded. "I was wondering if you have a moment to talk?"

"Oh, uh... not really." Arthur said, looking around for any familiar face that might explain why she approached him. Mindy's more friendly roommates, Sara and Bella, weren't here. Neither was Mindy. "Is everything okay? Is there something wrong with Mindy or...?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Rachel said, cutting him off. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Is this about condemning us for being poly again, or a new issue?" Arthur asked. "Because... I'm sorry, but I don't have time to chat. I have to get back to work." He gestured toward the office building and started shifting toward it. To his deep regret, Rachel began walking beside him.

"I don't want to condemn you." Rachel declared. "I mean, yes, what you're doing is wrong, and you should rethink it, but that's something you need to discover on your own. I realize that. Condemning you isn't my job. Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit. But I want to save you, Arthur, from yourself."

Arthur stopped walking.

Rachel stopped beside him.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, letting other people move around them, even between them. They stood resolute in a stream of students swimming through the hallway like fish on their way to feed.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

"I've hit my limit." Arthur said, releasing his inhale with a heavy sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head to the sky. "Congratulations, Rachel. You've helped me realize how batshit crazy my life is."

"There's no need to be crass. I--"

"No." Arthur cut her off. "I can't tell you how few spoons I have left."

"Spoons?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Spoons." Arthur said. "There is no spoon." He'd normally be proud of the spoon theory and Matrix reference pun, but his audience remained clueless. He was sorry to have wasted it and thrown his pearls before swine.

"I'm confused." Rachel said.

"Spoon theory." He explained. "It's a... well, it's about chronic health issues, but many people use it to refer to mental fatigue and wellness around everyday tasks. I have too much going on, and I have no spoons left for you. Whatever this is, whatever you're talking about saving me from, I'm not interested." Arthur tried to phrase it as nicely as possible. "I've told you that."

"But it's your soul." Rachel said, confused. "I'm trying to save you from hell. Don't you care that you're damned?"

Arthur sighed. He'd tried to be nice and indirect. That hadn't worked, leaving him with a more direct option. He wished Rani were here. He wondered what she'd say to this person and how he could do the same, but kinder. Arthur didn't have the patience.

"You sound like a crazy person." Arthur said, shaking his head. "I'd normally try to be understanding to help you overcome your issue with me. I just don't care anymore. Hate me, call me a freak, and be as nasty as you want; I just don't have the energy to care. It's not my problem. Okay?"

Rachel listened to him, watching his face. She was young, like Mindy. An eighteen-year-old university freshman who still wore braces. They might be ready to come off for how straight her teeth were. She wore no makeup. Her clothes marked her as one of the more modest people on campus, to where it was clear she had religious hang-ups before she even opened her mouth.

Her parents, however involved they were in this, hadn't done her any favors for dealing with the world outside their church group. Maybe her parents homeschooled and sheltered her. Arthur didn't know why she'd come to Pendleton and not attended Bible Camp College, but he didn't care. He'd had one deeper conversation with her and didn't have the energy for a second discussion of religion and philosophy. Not right now. Not with everything else weighing him down.

Arthur had burdens. Lynn, Yvonne, theater club, talking to his mother, the girls, the guys' night, the Ren Faire, packing, renting a truck, moving, his schedules for lunch dates, evening dates, BDSM sessions, finding Beth a Dom, work, classes, homework, projects, exams, Ricky and Olivia, Lori's text, and Liz. The HR lady despised him for an unknown reason. She'd be watching his every move in the office like a hawk. It was too much.

Breakfast had been lovely, an oasis in the storm of life. He desperately wanted to live in those moments with his girls once more. Kelly cooking at the stove, Rani showering, Mindy gathering his things, a naked Selene sitting with him, Kat, and Katelyn while they talked and laughed together. It was heaven on earth, but he'd moved out of the eye and into the storm; now, he had to weather it.

He had no patience left for Rachel. She might be well-intentioned, but needed to grow up.

"You need to grow up." Arthur said, knowing he shouldn't but pushing forward, anyway. Was it the wrong thing to say? Absolutely, but he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. "You need to realize that whatever tradition you're coming out of doesn't work for everyone. Okay? It'd be like Mindy holding me accountable to Korean traditions, even though I never learned them. Or Rani expecting me to get baptized at her temple, or whatever the Hindi equivalent to baptism is. Do you understand? I'm not Korean, Indian, Methodist, Hindi, or whatever you're supposed to be. Puritan? Baptist? Whatever? I'm just... I'm not interested in being saved. Whatever that's supposed to mean to you."

"But.." Rachel hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "But you see where your life has led you, right? You're overwhelmed and spiraling out of control. That's what happens when you lead a life of sin. It takes over your life, and soon, you have no control over anything anymore. But if you let God--"

"Nope." Arthur cut her off. "Look. You can believe whatever you want, okay? I'm not mad that you're a Christian if that's how you identify your faith. But... I'm just not interested. So if you're looking to recruit people to your bible study, prayer meeting, or dwindling church congregation, you're talking to the wrong person."

"I'm not doing it for that." Rachel said, her voice stern. "I'm trying to help you."

Arthur sighed. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. He wanted to shake this girl by the shoulders and scream until she left him alone. Why was she even bothering with him, out of everyone she knew? Why wasn't she doing this with Mindy or random people? Probably because of the harem and his place in its center. She had an issue with polyamory and blamed him for corrupting Mindy. Maybe she thought she'd save the others if she saved him first. He didn't have time to explain to her how deluded she was.

He walked away.

She followed.

He stopped.

Help. He needed help, and so did Rachel. He didn't know her story, but he knew her level of faith wasn't normal. She wasn't a typical Christian. She was something else. Her parents likely loved her and believed what they taught her, but they hadn't prepared her for the real world. That wasn't her fault, but it wasn't Arthur's problem. However she twisted her thinking, it wasn't his responsibility.

He had no space left for problems, so it was time to solve one.

"Follow me." Arthur said, changing his direction and walking through the hallway once more.

Rachel hesitated but followed him. She was quiet initially, but as the crowds thinned around them, she found her voice. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." Arthur said, exiting from the front lobby and leaving the building. He held the door open for her to pass behind him, and she trotted to keep up with his longer stride.

"I'm not going somewhere remote and alone with you." Rachel said, as if stating the declaration to correct a miscommunication. She didn't seem disgusted by the suggestion but offended by it. Not that Arthur had suggested it in the least. "I won't let you seduce me or tempt me into sin."

"Nope." Arthur agreed. Sinning with Rachel was the last thing on his mind. "I'm not going anywhere alone with you, either."

"Okay... Well... good." Rachel said, confused. "Just so we're clear."

Arthur let silence fall between them as they walked, but they didn't have far to go.

"The health center?" Rachel asked, confused as they passed the sign. He knew she could read, so he didn't bother confirming the giant-sized letters on the board in the grass.

Arthur passed through the vestibule and stepped into a tranquil lobby. The check-in area was a square room with a counter taking up the far wall, a door to the waiting room on the left, and another door on the right. A small desk fountain stood beside a sign-in sheet. The glass wall behind them overlooked the campus walk, but the heavily tinted windows granted privacy.

The middle-aged woman behind the counter lifted her head and greeted them with a smile. "Hello, and welcome to the Health Center. Who are you here to see?"

"We're here for counseling." Arthur said, taking up the sign-in sheet.

"Couples counseling?" She asked. Given how close Rachel stood beside Arthur, it was an easy conclusion to jump to. She'd never been here. In her nervous state, the tall and well-built Arthur was the only option for hiding behind.

"No." Arthur corrected the mistake immediately, but kindly. "No, I'd like to schedule a personal session with Doctor O'Cinneide at her earliest convenience."

"Is Telehealth acceptable, or should this be in-person?" The receptionist asked as she clicked away at her keyboard.

"Either is fine." Arthur said.

"And you, Miss?" The receptionist asked.

Rachel looked around her like she'd stepped into a trap. "Wait, Arthur, why are we here?"

"I'm getting help." Arthur said, stepping aside so that she could stand at the counter. "And I'd like you to get some, too."

"But I don't need saving. I'm saved." Rachel said, still confused.

"Sure." Arthur said. "But you need help to figure out how to integrate into campus life and deal with people outside your experience. Sessions with a therapist will help."

"But this new age stuff is just trickery. It can lead to demonic possession and--"

"Please schedule a session with the doctor of your choice." Arthur said. "I recommend Doctor O'Cinneide. She's helped me in the past, but..." He turned toward the woman behind the desk. "If you have someone especially well-versed in religious trauma, I might recommend them instead."

"I'm not paying to talk to some atheist so they can try to convince me to join them in hell." Rachel said.

"Oh, it's free, dear." The receptionist said as if she'd heard the objection to the cost and nothing else. "Well, not free. But the university covers the cost if you're a full-time student. More than once-a-week sessions may incur some extra cost, but extra session rates are much lower than seeing an off-campus professional, and you can charge them to your school account. Medicine costs are determined by your health insurance."

"And do you have any mental health professionals who might be faith-friendly?" Arthur asked.

"We have a few, depending on the faith." The receptionist nodded. "And you don't need to be embarrassed, dear. It's common for freshmen to need help adjusting to campus life, especially those away from home for the first time."

"I'm not interested." Rachel said flatly. "This is a waste of time. Arthur, if you just talk to me, I'm sure I can help you--"

Arthur laughed. "No." He shook his head. "Look. You said you want to save me, right?"

Rachel nodded pointedly, not looking at the receptionist.

"And you want to save me by talking with me? Or having me attend a meeting?" Arthur asked.

"Just talking." Rachel confirmed. "Not that I'd stop you if you wanted to come to church or Bible study, but that's not--"

"Okay." Arthur said. "Here's the deal: I'll get help and talk to my doctor. You do the same. And then we can compare notes."

"The sessions are private." The receptionist interrupted. "And confidential. You don't have to share the details with anyone." She gave a pointed look to Arthur, who nodded his agreement.

"True." He said. "And I'm not forcing you to do anything. You don't have to do this. But it's an option."

"And in return, you'll let me try to convince you to stop seducing people and living in sin?" Rachel asked.

The receptionist raised her eyebrows and looked at Arthur with disbelief. She then gave him a second look.

"You get one in-depth conversation at the end of the semester." Arthur said. "You and I can sit and talk, somewhere public, about whatever you want to discuss. I will listen. I promise nothing else. Understood?"

"Just one conversation?" Rachel asked. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"You'll have to trust me." Arthur said.

Rachel scoffed at that and crossed her arms. As unimpressed as she might be with the offer, Arthur didn't see any other choice for her. He didn't have to talk or be nice to her at all. Hell, he could just file a restraining order if he wanted to. Anyone talking to Rachel for over five minutes would see that she was crazy enough to warrant one.

"What terms would you prefer?" Arthur asked.

"That we talk, and if that goes well, I'll attend weekly sessions if you do." Rachel countered.

"And how do you define 'goes well'?" Arthur asked.

"If I get through to you." Rachel said, defiant as she stared at him.

Arthur shook his head. There were only about six weeks left in the semester after the fall break. "Three sessions." Arthur said. "Go to three sessions, and then before you leave for Thanksgiving, we can talk."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. "And you'll keep your word?"

"If I don't, you can tell Mindy I'm a liar." Arthur said, knowing that he wasn't a liar.

"That's your offer?" Rachel asked.

Arthur offered her his hand for a handshake, and she looked at it as if shaking his hand might lead to dancing or other unforgivable sins. She declined, nodding at him instead and hugging her binder with both arms.

Arthur sighed. He had too many problems, but this helped solve one of them. Weekly therapy would help him work through his trauma and his life's stress. Because damn, was it stressful. And outside their eventual conversation, it'd get Rachel to stop ambushing him after classes. It might even help her work through whatever demons plagued her, because even after only a few brief conversations with the girl, Arthur could tell she needed therapy.

Good Lord, did she need it.

"Yes." Arthur said. "That's my offer."

Rachel hesitated, glaring at him from a few feet away. She didn't like this turn of events, but she had to accept his offer if she wanted to dissuade him from the polycule. Not that he believed she had any chance of making him give up his girlfriends to fit whatever morality she considered correct.

Still, if she wanted to try, she had to agree.

"Deal." Rachel said, grimacing at the compromise.

"Okay." Arthur said. "Let's make that appointment."

Thanks to a cancellation, the first available office visit with his old therapist was later that afternoon, so he scheduled himself for that two-thirty PM slot. Rachel had to wait until Wednesday of next week, but she didn't seem bothered by that. Doctor Williams had an excellent reputation and was a former minister, so they could help her through whatever she needed to discuss.

Arthur left her in the lobby, running back to the office. He was already several minutes late.

~~~

Selene's early morning had been great. A run with Master left her tired, but a shower with him and a decent breakfast energized her. Guilt gnawed at her for not eating everything Kelly made, but Mistress was generous and didn't hold it against her. Everyone seemed to have their feet on the ground. They were ready to face the day after the night's drama. It was amazing what a round of relentless orgasms could do for your mental health.

If Selene had paid more attention in class, she might have realized it was an older philosophy.

As it was, she'd spent too much time reading this morning, and her mood was souring by the hour. She sat in the student lounge with her laptop in her lap, trying to care about the lesson plan she should be making. It loomed on her screen, blank and menacing. She sighed.

Mistress would be a fantastic teacher. Pet would make a good one, too. Compared to them, Selene was fooling herself. She was more at home beside them while kneeling before their master and serving him. She'd never felt more included than when they stepped out in matching costumes last night. The look on Master's face had been priceless, and the reward was worth every effort they put into the surprise.

She wasn't making an ounce of progress on her project. She could blame the traffic in the lounge, but it wasn't anyone else's fault. The intermittent microwave beeps didn't bother her. The hum of the vending machines and the even more infrequent whir of their motors didn't disturb her. This was a familiar ambiance for the last three years.

The problem was, she didn't want to do homework. She wanted to wear a skimpy costume and dance for Master until he told her to kneel. Then he'd take her right then and there. Or better yet, she could dance for him while the others served him. Or she could serve him while two of the others fuck each other.

She sat on the stained navy blue couch and fantasized about what she might do for Master tonight if he let her come over after his class. Selene looked spaced out to anyone who passed by, but that was normal for anyone doing their assignments.

Her baggy overalls were on the cute side, as Master instructed. She'd bought them for a Winry costume several Halloweens ago. The cropped t-shirt she wore under them was an old Metallica t-shirt she'd cut after she'd spilled soda on it at a party. It was baggy but made a good top and stopped mid-torso, so she wasn't in danger of flashing anyone. Good thing, too, since she wasn't wearing a bra or panties. The overalls didn't make it obvious, but if someone stood beside her and peered into the gap between the wide pants and her narrow waist, they might notice.

Her hair might obscure that view, though. She'd left it unbraided. It fell like a blanket around her, though she had to move it out of her way whenever she sat. It cascaded over her shoulder at the moment, wrapping in a thick trail from the back of her head, over her breast, to her lap beneath the computer.

With few exceptions, the rest of the lounge population was traffic. People passed the couches on one side and computers on the other on their way to the mailroom or offices. Each sofa had a coffee table before it, pockmarked by decades of student abuse. Oversized chairs on the left and right stood sentinel and empty. The guy wearing a baseball cap on the next sofa hammered at his keyboard like it deserved punishment. Selene recognized the frantic typing of someone racing against their looming assignment deadline.

A few students sat at the school computers across the walkway, working on projects or using class-specific software.

She had her couch, table, and two empty chairs to herself. She'd split ways with Brat and Concubine after they came to campus. Pet and Mistress had left Arthur's apartment for theirs. Brat, Concubine, and Selene drove to campus together after Brat showered in her and Selene's apartment.

Brat went to the library's tutoring center for work. Concubine headed toward "the lab," which meant she was doing homework, like Selene was supposed to do. Concubine's homework had to be done in whatever the engineering version of this lounge was. Before homework, Selene had done a modicum of reading and texted Caleb to invite him to lunch. Master wanted to help Yvonne and Caleb reconcile, so Selene thought he should be nearby when Master and Yvonne had their lunch conversation.

It seemed like a good plan, though she hadn't checked with Master first. She'd message him after she completed her work, but there was always a chance of getting distracted if you knew somebody passing through.

"Hey, Selene!" A familiar voice said as she approached. "Maria said you wanted to talk to me?"

Selene smiled, raising her attention to Jen. The curly, black-haired girl looked cute in a vest, blouse, and black skater skirt. She had an adorable, but still sexy, sense of style. Selene liked her for Brad after witnessing them at homecoming. However, if she hurt him, she'd have to deal with Selene and Maria.

"Hey!" Selene said, closing her laptop. She patted the seat next to her and shifted aside, letting Jen sit with her on the sofa.

Jen took her cue and the seat, turning to face Selene as she sat. "Wow, I love your hair like that. I didn't realize there was quite so much of it before."

"Yeah. I usually braid it, but I figured I'd leave it down today." Selene said. "Just trying something different."

"It looks nice." Jen said.

"Thanks!" Selene said. "So, did Maria tell you why I wanted to talk?"

"We talked yesterday, and she filled me in." Jen nodded. "You want to surprise the guys on their guys' night?"

Selene nodded. "Are you down?"

"It's weird, isn't it?" Jen asked. "I mean, it'd be one thing if we did it separately. Surprising your man in lingerie is a classic girlfriend move, but together? Are you okay with everyone seeing everything? With Maria and I seeing Arthur naked?"

Selene almost laughed, but restrained her laughter into a wide smile. "It's only weird if you decide it's weird." Selene said. "And I'm fine with you seeing him naked. I figured the guys have seen me change backstage; it's not that much different from what we've got planned. Mark will have Maria, and Brad will have you, so it's not like they'll get the wrong idea."

"And what is the wrong idea?" Jen asked.

"That I want to do things with them." Selene said, keeping her words obscure but her meaning clear as people walked past them. "We'll each be there for our guy."

"So you don't want Brad or Mark to do anything..." Jen glanced around, making sure no one overheard them. "Sexual, with you?"

"Of course not." Selene said, shaking her head. "Ma--Arthur is the only man for me."

"What's keeping him from getting the wrong idea about me or Maria?" Jen asked.

"We'll explain the rules to the guys." Selene said. "Whatever you and Maria are comfortable with. But if either of you wants to fuck Arthur, I'm fine with that if he is. But only if he is."

"Wouldn't the others have to sign off, too?" Jen asked.

Selene shook her head. "So long as one of us girls is there, we can green light any one-night stands. That's part of our arrangement."

Jen tilted her head at Selene, confused but working through it. "So you're okay if Maria fucks Arthur, but he's not okay if you fuck Mark?"

Selene shrugged. "I don't know how he'd feel, only how I feel. I'm not interested in Mark or Brad sexually."

Jen looked at her, unsure whether to feel relieved or insulted that Selene had no interest in Brad. "Why not?"

Selene shrugged. "I'm just not? I'd do something with them if Arthur wanted me to. If he told me to do it, I'd do it. But I'd be more likely to do something with you or Maria than with Brad or Mark. I know he enjoys watching girl-on-girl action, which turns me on. I don't know if he'd enjoy seeing me with another guy. There was one time... but I wore a blindfold, and I'm pretty sure it was him pretending to be someone else."

Jen raised both eyebrows in surprise at Selene's lewd frankness, but swallowed despite her blush and pushed through it. They were leaning close and talking in low voices, so the guy on the next couch couldn't hear them. When she moved beyond her surprise at what Selene was suggesting, she frowned. "That doesn't seem fair. He can sleep with other women, but you can't sleep with other men?"

Selene shrugged. "It's not fair, but it's what I want from my and Athur's arrangement."

Jen didn't seem able to understand. Selene gave her the time she needed, though. She only pressed forward when Jen had come to terms with her words.

"I'm..." Selene hesitated. "How much has Maria told you about my and Arthur's relationship?"

Jen shrugged. "Not much, I guess, but I've pieced some things together from homecoming and conversations with Maria."

"So, my and Arthur's relationship is more than polyamory. We're also kink-positive. He's my dominant, and I'm his submissive. Though I prefer the terms Master and Slave, and I enjoy watching him with other women. I'm a total cuckquean." Selene whispered the last part.

"Oh." Jen said, absorbing that information and swallowing. She was imagining it, picturing Arthur dominating Selene as her eyes lingered on the collar clasped around Selene's throat.

"Yeah." Selene said, falling quiet as another group of students passed by. "So that's why I'm okay with the arrangement being more in his favor than equal."

Jen nodded. "That'd make sense, I guess. And to be clear, I'm not shaming you. I'm just digesting this. It makes a lot of things make sense, and I'm pretty adventurous myself."

Selene smiled softly. That was a point in Jen's favor. In her opinion, Brad needed someone adventurous to push him out of his comfort zone. "You have a better reaction than most."

"Let your freak flag fly, right?" Jen asked.

"Right!" Selene said. "Is my unwillingness to fuck Brad and Mark a deal-breaker for you?" Selene asked, eyeing Jen with curiosity. "Do you want me to fuck Brad?"

Jen bit her lip and contemplated that. "How much did Maria tell you about last Saturday? About what we did after homecoming?"

Selene raised her eyebrows. "She said you partied at the Alpha Theta Epsilon bash and had a good time?"

Jen nodded. "We got carried away and had some fun in my room that night." She winced, as if realizing she didn't know if she should be telling Selene this. It was her story to tell, but it wasn't only her story. Maria, Mark, and Brad also featured, but they weren't here. Still, they were friends. She wasn't gossiping to a stranger. "There weren't a ton of open rooms at the sorority house. So Brad and I went upstairs, but Mark and Maria came to my room later. Mark likes to watch Maria with other people, and... Brad and I went for it. I don't know if he wants to do it again. But we let Maria join us while Mark watched."

Surprise and a pink blush covered Selene's face as she processed Jen's story. Maria had blamed Selene multiple times for turning them into sex-addicted freaks, but she hadn't thought her influence had been that strong. Then again, they were consenting adults, and whatever Maria and Mark were into, she was glad for them. Exploration was healthy, but why hadn't Maria told her? She'd thought they were closer than that. Maybe Maria wasn't into Arthur? Selene would have to ask her. Friday night presented an ample opportunity.

"So it wouldn't be anyone's first time in this situation." Selene said, stroking her chin. "Wouldn't that make it easier? Brad's more likely to be into it if he gets you and Maria, and Mark will have five people to watch instead of three."

"But if we're surprising the guys, how will we know if they're okay with it?" Jen asked. "What if Arthur isn't okay with Brad and Mark there? Or Brad isn't okay with Arthur there? Or if Mark isn't in the mood to share Maria?"

Selene frowned. Arthur, Brad, and Mark's delight and consequent consent were something she'd assumed from the start. Her plan started with the three girls in lingerie, playing hostess and waitress for the night. It didn't have to go farther than that, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't expect it to progress. She'd want to kneel between Master's legs as soon as he allowed her to. Once they kicked off the sexual escapades, she imagined the others would follow.

Master would get a night off, and she'd serve him however he wanted. She'd expected Jen and Maria to object to the subservience and the lack of privacy. They could provide privacy if they split the guys up for anything sexual, taking them into the other rooms. That was one possibility.

Jen's words suggested they'd stay together, which was not something Selene objected to in the least. Maria had questioned Selene's plan's broad strokes, but Jen focused on the details.

"I think the best plan is to start off slow." Selene said. "We show up in sexy outfits, play waitress, and let things progress. If we want to split up for sexy times, we can take them upstairs or something. If we stay in the same room, that's okay, too. We can work out a safe word if anyone wants to stop."

"A safe word?" Jen asked, glancing at Selene's brown leather choker.

"Yeah." Selene said, smiling. "What do you think?"

"It sounds like a lot." Jen admitted. "Kinky and out of my depth, but kind of exciting? Worst-case scenario, it ends up being a train wreck story we can tell about our wild college days and the guys we dated once. Best-case scenario, I guess everyone has fun, and it brings us closer together as couples, and friends." This was college, after all. When else were they supposed to do stupid, adventurous stuff that they'd live with for the rest of their lives?

Selene agreed. "So, are you up for giving Brad a night he'll never forget?"

Jen smiled slightly. "I like to think I've already done that, but... okay." She nodded. "I'm in, under one condition."

Selene cut her celebratory fist pump short. "What condition?"

"I want to interview you." Jen said. "On the record."

Selene hesitated. Jen requested an interview with the harem and Master before, but they turned her down.

"Hear me out." Jen said, heading off her objection. "It'd make for a good article on feminist sexual liberation and modern lifestyles." Jen said. "You have a perspective that's rare and interesting. People want to read it. Everyone on campus is curious about the polycule making its way through the rumor mill. It'd be nice to set the record straight and get out ahead of the story before someone clueless, or worse, opinionated, writes an op-ed piece that causes trouble. We can even keep it anonymous, if you'd like, and not use your name so people don't know that it's you directly, other than me and my editor, obviously."

Selene realized Jen planned this offer. Selene asked her for a favor; it was only fair to ask for something in return. Jen was sex-positive, at least. It was unlikely she'd pull a one-eighty and condemn their sexual escapades. Maria vouched for her, right? Still, why did she want an interview for the night of sexy fun Selene was offering? Orgasms weren't enough? A night with Brad that they'd both remember forever?

Selene frowned. "I'd have to ask Ma--" She cut herself off. "I'd have to ask my partners before going on the record. We'd be discussing them. I wouldn't want to blindside them with the article. They might even want to read it before it goes live."

"You'd get an advance copy to fact-check beforehand." Jen said, her voice heavy with hope.

"I'll ask." Selene said. "But I want to keep our Friday night plans a surprise for the guys. Are you okay if the interview happens after Friday?"

"That's fine, so long as you agree to the interview before Friday night." Jen said, nodding. "Maria vouches for you, and she trusts you."

"You don't trust me?" Selene asked, surprised.

"I don't know you." Jen said, smiling. "Not well, anyway. I'd like to. You seem like a fun friend and a good one, according to Maria."

"Aw." Selene said. "Well, you seem fun, too. Especially if you're down to clown with people you barely know."

"I have my moments." Jen said, shrugging. "It'll be less weird with alcohol, but honestly, it'd be weirder with people I was super close to." She chuckled. "I guess we'll hang out more if Brad and I get more involved, and he and Arthur are such close friends."

Selene nodded. "Are you coming to the Ren Faire with Brad?"

Jen nodded. "Yeah, we talked about it. We shopped for costumes last night as date number two. Our first one-on-one date."

"Nice." Selene said, impressed. "Did it go well?"

Jen nodded. "Oh yeah. We found costumes and had a bit of changing room fun." She wiggled her shoulders suggestively.

"Hot." Selene said, chuckling. "Brad's more adventurous than I took him for. Or maybe he needed the right person."

"Yeah?" Jen asked, taking on a curious look. "Why did you never go after him? To date, I mean."

Selene smiled slightly. "I thought about it, but it wouldn't have been fair to him."

"How do you mean?" Jen asked.

"Brad's a great guy, but I fell hard for Arthur when I first met him." Selene blushed, but fought her embarrassment. Her feelings for Arthur were a source of pride, not shame. At least, now that she was dating him. "Brad would've been a consolation prize that reminded me of someone I couldn't have. He deserves a girl who likes him for him. Besides, he knew how obsessed I was with Arthur. I don't think he ever thought of me that way. He and I are friends from the Theater Club, but he's always treated me like a little sister."

Jen nodded. Those were good reasons. "So you and Brad never hooked up or flirted?"

"No." Selene said. "We kissed on stage, but that's not the same as actually kissing. Besides, I was dating Dave for a while when Brad and I became friends."

"So you didn't date Brad because you were in love with Arthur, but dated this Dave guy?" Jen asked.

"Yeah." Selene said. "It was my sister's terrible advice, but I was trying to get over Arthur because he had a girlfriend."

"Kelly?" Jen asked, remembering the redhead.

"Lori." Selene said, correcting her. "But she transferred."

"Right. I think I remember you saying something about that at homecoming." Jen said, nodding as she tried to recall. "Or Maria did."

Selene smiled slightly. She liked Lori and still considered her a friend, but she had to admit she was glad Lori transferred and dumped Arthur. Lori paved the way for Selene and the harem to form the way it did.

"So, Friday night isn't an excuse for you to bang Brad." Jen said, presenting her reasons for asking as a statement, which she waited for Selene to confirm.

Selene laughed, then restrained herself when she realized how loud and sudden her laughter had been. "No."

"He's pretty good." Jen said. "You're sure there's not something between you two?"

"I swear." Selene said. "Brad's great, so is Mark, but sexually? I'm not attracted to either of them. I'm sure Brad's fine in bed, but I guarantee he's got nothing on Arthur in that department."

"And how would you know that?" Jen asked.

Selene shrugged. "Girls talk."

"So you're not one of Brad's exes, but you're friends with girls who are?" Jen asked.

Selene's smile broadened, and she had a mischievous glint as she met Jen's gaze. "Oh, you want the dirt on Brad's love life? That I can deliver. But only for a few hours. I have a lunch appointment I have to make."

Jen chuckled. "I like you."

~~~

Work moved more slowly after the adventure with Rachel. Her distraction caused Arthur to be late again. He explained what happened to Beth and then got to work at his desk. It was weird to work in the office without seeing much of Mindy. She popped in as necessary, smiling at him when she could. Still, he missed her sitting at her workstation. Instead, the other office women sat there.

One day, he'd ask Beth why he was the only guy in this office. It wasn't a problem, per se, but it made things awkward sometimes. He swore the others gave him looks alternating between curiosity and disgust as the clock ticked on. His and Mindy's relationship rankled Tara and Sarah. The others hadn't cared or addressed it with him or Mindy, but Tara and Sarah made comments at homecoming.

After a while, he did his best to ignore the twisting stomach in his gut. He couldn't change their opinions, and didn't need another source of drama. He had enough to handle. If anyone in his office had a problem with him, they'd talk to him. He hoped.

Arthur was almost glad when his shift ended. He poked his head into Beth's office, but the room sat empty. She and Mindy had already departed, though he didn't know if they'd gone to lunch together. He hoped they had but thought it might be a slim chance. Mindy sometimes grated on Beth's nerves.

He gathered his things at his desk as he shut down for the day. Lunch, class, therapy, and homework booked his afternoon solid.

"Going to lunch?" Sarah asked as she gathered her things.

"Yeah." Arthur said, nodding. "You?"

"Of course." Sarah said, nodding. "Want some company?"

"Oh, thanks, but I'm meeting a friend already." Arthur said.

Sarah looked at him as if determining whether he told her the truth. "Meeting Mindy?" She asked. "Or one of your other girlfriends?"

"None of the above." Arthur said. "Just a friend."

"Oh." Sarah nodded, walking with Arthur as they left the office behind. "Is he cute? Maybe I'll join both of you."

Arthur laughed. "No, this is a more serious conversation. Theater Club drama we have to resolve."

"Oh." Sarah said, disappointed. "Well, have fun with that." She frowned. "I uh... I'm gonna go this way. Enjoy your lunch!" She called out as she shuffled on the path toward the dorms.

Arthur nodded and waved farewell as he continued toward the cafe where he was supposed to meet Yvonne. He pulled out his phone as he walked over and texted her.

Arthur: Still good for lunch at the cafe?

Yvonne: Yeah. I got us a table. It's busy here.

Arthur: Cool. I'm on my way now from the admin building. See you soon.

He glanced around to ensure his bearings and changed messages, texting his mother as he walked.

Arthur: Hey, Mom! Would you be around for dinner tonight? I know it's short notice, but I wanted to discuss something important.

His mom texted him back right away.

Mom: Sure! Everything okay? Should your father be there too? Is someone pregnant?

Arthur laughed out loud at her message. The gravity of what he wanted to discuss didn't lend itself to laughter, but her imagination had been a total non sequitur for him. The women in the harem used contraception, so he wasn't worried about pregnancy. Though he wasn't certain a pregnancy announcement would upset her. She'd been clear with Lori about her desire for grandchildren one day.

Arthur: Nobody's pregnant.

Arthur: I just have something I need to discuss with you. Dad can be there, but doesn't have to if he's busy. It's sensitive. It might be easier if it were just you and me. You can fill him in when he has time.

Mom: Okay. Is everything okay?

Arthur: It's complicated. I'm okay. The girls are okay. There's just stuff happening I need to talk to you about.

Mom: Of course. I'm happy to listen.

Arthur: What time works for you?

Mom: I'm off at five. Where do you want to have dinner? Frenchy's?

Arthur: Is my apartment too far to drive? I'll cook.

Frenchy's was private enough for conversation, but this wasn't a discussion he wanted to have in a public place. Somewhere even more private was the best choice. He'd cook both of them dinner if he stopped at the grocery store on the way home.

Mom: We could meet halfway at the house?

Lynn might be at the house. So that wouldn't work.

Arthur: I can meet you at your apartment? I can pick up dinner on my way?

Mom: Don't be silly. We can cook something together like we used to. How does that sound?

Arthur: That sounds great. I love you.

Mom: I love you too! <3

Arthur put his phone away as he entered the cafe and joined the line. He looked around and spotted Yvonne waving at him from her table. She had food and a drink already. The two-seater table she'd chosen stood against the window, with a large potted plant behind each chair offering the illusion of privacy. He nodded toward the counter, and she nodded, hiding behind her coffee.

He didn't spot Selene or the others at the tables, so he assumed they'd decided not to eavesdrop. Not that he scrutinized every face. The harem was probably eating lunch in the cafeteria, and Arthur wished he could join them. He'd gone a few hours without seeing them but missed them. He had to tell them what happened with Rachel, and Rani would be glad to hear he'd scheduled the conversation with his mother. He'd text them after this.

For now, though, he had to focus on his conversation with Yvonne. The plan was simple: let her down easy and help her figure out how to reconcile with Caleb and the Theater Club. Ironically, Selene would be the toughest to convince. He might pull the 'Master' card, but Selene might use her safeword if he abused his power over her. Appealing to her common sense might be the better way to go.

If Yvonne left the club, Selene would have to take on more responsibility to fill in the gaps. They all would. That meant less time for sex, which was already at a premium. So, what did she want more, more time for sex or holding a grudge against Yvonne? A grudge that Arthur wished to drop, assuming Yvonne remained as repentant as she seemed last night. He hoped she wasn't too much like Lynn. Lynn was too far gone, but he still held hope for Yvonne. They might still salvage their friendship.

Arthur stepped up to the counter on his turn, ordered his tea, and bought his salad with grilled chicken. The cafe had fewer options than the dining hall, but more than a Starbucks. It was a college cafe. They catered to their market, and their customers needed food.

After making his purchases, he steeled himself and made for Yvonne's table, sitting across from her and giving her a small smile.

Yvonne didn't meet his eyes, but looked at her hands folded on the table before her. He shifted, and her eyes flicked to his, but she looked away. Her eyes scanned the crowd, but they didn't linger on anyone before they returned to her coffee cup.

"You uh... You look nice today. I like your suit." Yvonne said.

"Oh, uh... thanks." Arthur said, not sure how to respond. He suspected Kelly picked this one for him and laid it on his bed, but she had good taste. It was one of his nicer suits. The olive green shirt and gray suit jacket worked well together. "You look nice, too."

The compliment wasn't a total lie. Her makeup appeared lighter than usual, but the tight, purple V-neck sweater looked good on her busty figure. Her tight jeans showed off her curves below the waist. She'd left her hair down, but it looked elegant as it fell behind her shoulders. She looked more put together for lunch than last night, waiting for him in the parking lot.

Yvonne might even look too nice, as if she'd dressed up for this like a date. Arthur didn't want to presume, though. After all, he wore a suit because he dressed for work, not romance. It hadn't occurred to him that wearing something nice to lunch might send a mixed message. Anxiety flared over the realization, but it was too late to go home and change.

"Thanks." Yvonne said. "I know you don't mean it, but thanks."

Arthur wasn't sure why she thought he was being insincere, but he didn't push it. She'd said illuminating things last night. Rani's tale of Monday night and her conversation with Yvonne helped make her desires clear to Arthur. He still didn't believe that Yvonne was in love with him, but she cared about him as a friend, as he did her. Arthur had to let her down gently. He hoped he'd made himself clear that their being together wasn't an option, but it was time to address it.

Arthur took a deep breath. "I--"

"Why aren't I good enough to be in your harem?" Yvonne asked, cutting him off and diving to a point he hadn't realized she'd wanted to discuss.

His exhale caught in his chest, and his words died on his lips as he released his breath.

She'd obviously considered the question multiple times, and it burst from her like she'd been holding it back since last night.

"What?" Arthur asked, confused. She had never seemed like she'd wanted to join the harem. She'd expressed interest in him, but after the harem formed. After he'd gotten together with Selene and the others. Besides that, Yvonne had made her disdain for their polyamory clear to everyone who listened.

"You never even asked me to join." Yvonne said. "Why, after all our flirting, when you picked girls you wanted to collect into your twisted little..." Yvonne cut herself off. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. I meant... Why didn't you give me a chance? Why don't you think of me that way?"

"Okay, let's take it back a step." Arthur said, gesturing to reel things in. "I'm still confused about you even being interested in me, much less interested in joining the others."

Yvonne stared at him.

"It's presumptuous, but from what you said, it sounds like you're interested in me as more than a friend." Arthur said, addressing the situation without betraying Rani's confidence. She'd told him, in no uncertain terms, how Yvonne felt. Selene had confirmed it. But neither was Yvonne, and if she felt something more than friendship for him, he had to hear it from her lips.

"Oh my god, are you kidding?" Yvonne asked, confused. "Are you really so dumb you haven't noticed? Arthur, I've flirted with you for years! Even before Lori left. She yelled at me for it once."

Arthur blinked. The only time he remembered Yvonne flirting with him was on stage, in character. It was always part of the script. Had she flirted with him off stage? The girls said he was oblivious sometimes, but was he that ignorant?

Was it a byproduct of his trauma from high school? He didn't live his life thinking that every woman who smiled at him or treated him well wanted to jump on his dick.

Why hadn't Lori mentioned something to him if she worried Yvonne might make a move on him? No. She trusted Arthur well enough to know he'd be oblivious. She'd trusted him to never betray her, and she'd been right to do so. If Yvonne had suggested he cheat on his girlfriend, he'd have disappointed her and cut her off as a friend.

"You've always been friendly." Arthur admitted. "But I didn't think you were ever flirting with me. I was with Lori. You knew that. Everyone did."

Yvonne scoffed in disbelief. "Are you kidding? All the looks? All the times I touched your arms, shoulders, or back?"

It didn't occur to him that women who touched his arm or smiled at him might be interested in him. In high school, no one wanted anything to do with him. Through most of college, he'd been dating Lori, so he was the safe guy friend for many of her friends.

College was the first time he had female friends; they'd all been pretty hands-on. He assumed that's how girls acted when the guy wasn't a creep and wouldn't get the wrong idea. Arthur walked them places, or talked to guys for them, all the time. He never suspected any of them had ulterior motives or designs on him.

"I thought you were just handsy." Arthur said, speaking honestly. Lots of people touched his arms and shoulders for various reasons. Some had more legitimate cause than others, but he'd never thought much of it once he got used to people invading his personal space. Lori had desensitized him to it.

"I've crushed on you since I first saw you." Yvonne said. "When you auditioned for Prince Charming."

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella had been the theater club's spring musical his sophomore year. They'd had auditions early in the fall semester, when he and Lori met Selene and Yvonne.

"But you met me and Lori at the same time." Arthur said, confused. "You knew I had a girlfriend."

Yvonne sighed. "Sure, but... I don't know. She was your girlfriend, not your wife. I always thought if you two broke up, I'd be your next choice. Then you broke up, and I tried to be respectful and give you space, but I waited for you. I dropped a ton of hints that I wanted you to ask me out. Only, you never did."

Arthur blinked at her the way she'd blinked at him before. Shock, surprise, and disbelief mingled across his expression as he tried to reconcile her words into reality. Whatever hints she'd dropped, he hadn't picked them up.

"But you never considered me that way?" Yvonne asked. "Not even a little? Is that a thing with guys? You've never pictured me in the shower, or wanted to fuck me at all?"

Arthur swallowed. He couldn't say he'd never imagined her in any of his fleeting sexual dreams over the years. Still, he'd never considered her, especially once he got to know her. She wasn't a sexual prospect or a woman waiting to be conquered. She was Yvonne. A person and a friend.

"Don't all guys like boobs?" Yvonne asked, almost laughing. "Except for every guy I try to date."

"Depends on the guy, I guess." Arthur said, more able to respond to that than the previous statement. "I can't say I've never thought you were attractive. You're very pretty."

"So why weren't you ever into me?" Yvonne asked, annoyed.

Arthur hesitated, failing to discover a way to say it without offending her. "I'm not sure how to say it--"

"Just say it." Yvonne said. "Be blunt."

Arthur sighed. He wished to be more like Rani sometimes, so now was the time to try. "It's your personality."

Then again, maybe now wasn't the right time for bluntness. Yvonne's face flushed red with rage.

"Excuse me?!" Yvonne asked, clearly angry.

"You have a volatile personality." Arthur said, as if her outrage proved the point for him. "I don't handle that well. So we never clicked outside of the theater club or off stage. I keep my head down, be friendly, and live and let live."

"But what about all our flirty banter?" Yvonne asked.

Arthur glanced around, puzzled. They'd had disagreements in the past, butted heads, but he wouldn't have considered any of it flirtatious. Friendly, sure, he kept things light and didn't get heated when she expressed an obviously wrong opinion, but he'd never intended to flirt with her. He'd end arguments with her by laughing them off, conceding, or treating them as unimportant. Had she thought he was flirting?

"Like the spring musical, you want to be a play." Yvonne said. "We bantered back and forth on that a lot."

"That was just me arguing with you." Arthur said.

Yvonne frowned, furrowing her forehead in consternation. "No, it was banter. Right? You never raised your voice or got upset."

"Is that what you think a disagreement is?" Arthur asked, now more worried for her than before. "Yelling doesn't make it an argument. You and I argue all the time. We butt heads constantly, and while we have a lot in common with theater, we have very different opinions on what makes a good show and performance."

Yvonne scrunched her face in confusion. "No, but... I mean... You'd always just laugh and smile, run your hand through your hair, flirting with me whenever I disagreed with you. You never got mad or anything."

"Of course not." Arthur said. "You're allowed to disagree with me and have other opinions. I wouldn't get mad at you just because you claim West Side Story is better than In The Heights."

"West Side Story is a classic." Yvonne said, frowning.

"It's yet another rendition of Romeo and Juliet." Arthur said. "It's a good one, and while I appreciate Sondheim, In The Heights is the better musical. We've had this argument before." Arthur chuckled at their distraction.

"You're proving my point! This is our thing! How we flirt." Yvonne said, gesturing between them. "Right?"

Arthur shook his head. "If it was, I didn't know it. I just thought you enjoyed winding me up, which is why I didn't think we'd be a good match."

"So you went for the slut who just agrees with everything you say?" Yvonne asked, though it sounded more accusatory than inquiring.

Arthur almost didn't catch the name calling because of Selene's nickname, but he realized Yvonne didn't mean it with the same endearment he and the others did. As much as she was into humiliation and various kinks, Selene didn't appreciate outsiders calling her that. She wasn't here to defend herself, so Arthur did it for her. Yvonne needed to step back and chill out.

"There's no need to lash out at Selene." Arthur said. He dropped his smile.

Yvonne grimaced and looked at her plate. "Sorry. I shouldn't have called her that." She put her head in her hands and exhaled. "God, I'm fucking this up so bad."

Yvonne's immediate capitulation surprised Arthur. She was typically much more argumentative. However, if she considered arguing the same as flirting, that might explain why. Their different communication styles were at odds, but didn't have to be. He supposed she might remind him of Kat with her argumentativeness, but without the prior agreement of her role as a brat. She certainly displayed bratty behavior.

"It's okay." Arthur said, calming himself with his tea. "It's not like I've always said the right thing, either. We can disagree, but let's try to keep things respectful. We don't need to be mean to each other or to our mutual friends. Selene's your friend too, right?"

Yvonne shrugged. "Kinda. We're more like rivals. Friendly rivals, I guess, but... we compete for roles, and for you."

Arthur had no idea how they competed for him, but he deduced that was Yvonne's imagination, not a reality. Still, it complicated matters if she saw Selene as a rival instead of a friend.

"Brad and I compete for roles. We push each other to do our best on stage and in the gym." Arthur said. "But we're still friends."

"Yeah." Yvonne agreed. "But have you ever competed for a girl with Brad? Let's say he had a crush on Selene or Kelly and pursued them for years, but they fucked you instead. Would you two still be friends? Would you share? Or would your friendship suffer if they didn't even consider dating Brad because you fucked them first?"

Arthur's expression showed his confusion, but he wrestled with the analogy and put himself in Yvonne's shoes. He didn't enjoy the idea that Yvonne and Selene were competing for him. Nor did he think Brad had a crush, though they'd both expressed admiration for Kelly. Now he needed to reach out and ensure he and Brad were okay.

"Even if that were the case." Arthur said. "Brad moved on. He's dating Jen now, not running around spreading malicious rumors or trying to kick anyone out of their friend groups or hobbies."

Yvonne moved her hands to her lap, kept her eyes low, and nodded. She acted like a scolded child. Arthur knew better than to say that. They ate in the passing of silent moments until Yvonne started speaking again.

"I'm sorry for... a lot of things." Yvonne said, sniffling. She wiped her nose, trying to hide her tears from Arthur. He glanced around, but if anyone in the busy cafe saw her crying, they didn't stare. They kept their curiosity well-hidden. "I'm sorry for those rumors, and trying to kick you out of the theater club."

"Thank you." Arthur said. He couldn't absolve her of everything, but could at least thank her for owning her mistakes.

"I told everyone I was mistaken." Yvonne said. "That I didn't see what I thought I saw. I apologized to everyone I told. No one thinks you're a kidnapper."

Arthur grimaced, but nodded. "Thank you. I know it's tough to own our mistakes sometimes." Speaking of which, he had to own his mistakes too. "I'm sorry I didn't make myself clearer, and led you on. It was unintentional, but the miscommunication was my fault." He didn't want to say 'sorry I made you feel that way.' He wanted to apologize for misleading her. Arthur never considered their arguing as flirting, but she had, and he hadn't noticed. He should have paid more attention.

"Yeah." Yvonne sniffled. "A guy like you wouldn't be interested in a girl like me."

Arthur didn't know what she meant by that and wasn't sure if he should press it. He asked anyway. "A guy like me? A girl like you?"

"I mean, I'm not skinny like Selene. I've got these singer's ribs that make my waist look big, and I'm fat and--"

Arthur raised his hand to cut her off. "You're not." He said, shaking his head. "Yvonne, you're a very sexy woman, and pretty on top of that. I wasn't lying."

Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Even if that's true, you're out of my league. I'm Broadway pretty. You're Hollywood hot. There's something primally masculine about you. I just... I look at you, and instinct takes over. You have this effect on people and don't even realize it. Maybe it's your jawline, height, or something. It's dumb, and I know it's dumb, but I can't help that I'm attracted to you on a biological level. Plus, you love theater, and you're so talented at it. You always make me laugh, and you're so tender and supportive. You make everyone around you feel safe no matter what, and ugh..." Yvonne cried into her napkin. "And even if you were attracted to me, you hate me for my personality." She sniffled. "I must be a monster."

Arthur sighed. "I don't hate you. You're not a monster." He didn't know how to respond to the rest of her monologue, but embarrassment at the barrage of compliments crept along his face until his cheeks blushed scarlet red.

"Give me a chance?" Yvonne asked, though her tone tilted closer to begging. "What if we went on a date, an actual date, together?"

Arthur frowned. "Yvonne, I'm in a relationship."

"You're allowed to date whoever you want, though, right? You're in an open relationship, Arthur." Yvonne said, as if reminding him and calling out his lie. She switched tracks to angry again, and Arthur bit the inside of his cheek to keep his temper from rising with hers.

He had to stay calm given their surroundings and who he was dealing with. Then again, his lack of temper while disagreeing with her before had led her to believe he was flirting with her. Showing his irritation might convince her he was serious.

Women were complicated. It'd help if even two of them that Arthur met were the same. Every time he figured one out, another showed up. They never seemed to be assembled from the same instruction manual.

"It's complicated." Arthur said. "Technically, the polycule is closed. We're not accepting new members right now."

Yvonne narrowed her eyes, glaring at Arthur as if to judge whether he was telling the truth. "What do you mean, technically?"

Arthur sighed and sipped his tea. He swallowed before answering, letting the heat from the drink dissipate. "Rani, Mindy, Kelly, Katelyn, Selene, Kat, and I are in a committed relationship."

Yvonne blinked, visibly reviewing the names in her head. "Who's Katelyn? I thought you had five girlfriends."

"Six. Katelyn is Kat's best friend." Arthur answered. "And Kelly's roommate. She's uh... she's a recent addition."

"So you are taking new girlfriends. But not me." Yvonne said, angry again, as if she'd caught him in a lie. "Kinda hard not to take that personally."

"No." Arthur said, waving his hands in front of him. "Would you just listen for a minute?"

Yvonne shut up, but her mouth formed a thin, angry line. She listened as she glared at him. Red frustration tinged her eyes at the edges, the veins showing from her tears. He had to be firm but careful. The last thing he wanted was for her to flip the table or make a dramatic scene. That would make people imagine worse things about him than the rumors she'd spread and quelled.

"I have six girlfriends." Arthur said with patience dripping from every word. "Those girlfriends have each agreed to date me in participation with the others. We're in this together, a seven-person unit, if you want to think of it that way."

Yvonne appeared more confused than angry now, but her grimace turned toward curiosity.

"We're moving in together. We each have our relationships in different places, at different levels of intimacy and closeness, but in mutual respect to the others. Each woman is equally my girlfriend, just as I'm equally their boyfriend." Arthur explained and hoped he was making sense. Explaining the harem made less sense the more he tried. "We're committed to each other that way. We've agreed that the only way to add a new person is to agree on them unanimously. I don't get to start a relationship with whoever I want."

Yvonne's curiosity fell as she realized what that meant. He was rejecting her. Yet from that explanation, it was because his girlfriends might tell him no, not because he didn't want her. So she didn't surprise him when she asked.

"Would you want to date me if your girlfriends were okay with it?" Yvonne asked.

"You realize Selene is one of those girlfriends, and she's pretty pissed at you right now, right?" Arthur asked.

"Answer the question, Arthur." Yvonne said.

Arthur contemplated the question first. He imagined what a date with Yvonne would be. Dinner and a show were the most likely scenario. Dinner might be pleasant enough if Yvonne refrained from being a total Karen. He'd been out with her before after performances. She often made a scene or got pushy with the servers. Often enough, she had reason to be; their service could often be terrible. But she didn't let go of things Arthur considered not worth fighting over. Who cared if they made a mistake? Waiters were people who made mistakes too, and it could be a very demanding job.

Then, whatever show they saw, they'd argue. That was Yvonne's favorite pastime. She judged every performance, costume, prop, and set piece. If you disagreed with her, you were wrong. She was exhausting to be around, sometimes.

Yvonne had her merits, too, though. She fought for him when the server brought him the wrong meal. Yes, waiters made mistakes, but if you paid for one meal and received another, you needed to correct the discrepancy. And some mistakes were worse than others. She'd torn into one poor server who forgot Caleb's shellfish allergy and saved his life. Yvonne was the type to storm any castle for her friends, no matter how fortified. She was a fighter. Sometimes it was valuable to have her on your side. Beyond that, she was lovely and sexy, though her sexual preferences remained a mystery. He had no way of knowing if they'd be compatible in the bedroom.

"I don't know." Arthur said, answering honestly.

"It's a yes or no question." Yvonne protested. "You can't say 'I don't know' to whether or not you want someone."

"Sure, I can." Arthur said, lifting his chin in defiance. "We're friends, Yvonne. At least, I consider you a friend. Yes, we argue, and your volatility makes me uncomfortable sometimes, but we work well together. You're a talented actress and singer, and I admire your talent. Your aggressiveness is the very thing that makes you a good leader. You get shit done, and you don't make excuses, even for yourself. Like today, you took accountability for what you apologized for, and I mean it when I say that is huge to me. Not everyone can do that, and it speaks to your character that you didn't just dig your heels in and insist that you did nothing wrong. I respect the hell out of you for it."

Yvonne blushed, caught by surprise at his reasoning.

"And again, I wasn't lying when I said you're attractive and pretty." Arthur said.

"Sure, but you're the hottest guy on campus." Yvonne said.

"Thank you." Arthur said, though he wasn't sure what else to say. His girlfriends told him he was hot, and he worked hard for his body, but he wasn't used to people telling him that.

"So why isn't it a yes?" Yvonne asked. "Why are you hesitating?"

"Because we don't get along." Arthur said, being as honest as he could. "And from what you've said, you're not interested in a hookup. You want all or nothing, right?" Rani's advice had led him to believe that as well, but he left Rani out of it for now.

"Well, admittedly, I didn't realize I'd have to compete with a bunch of other girls, but what if I convinced the others and joined the harem?" Yvonne asked. "I'd work hard to be the best girlfriend. Won't you even give me the chance?"

And that was the issue. The harem didn't compete. They supported one another. If Yvonne came into it, she'd turn it into a competition. She'd want to win, end up with Arthur, and have the others go their separate ways. The others were in this together. No one was trying to be the last woman standing.

"My relationships aren't a competition." Arthur explained. "But even if you were willing to share, it still wouldn't stop us from butting heads. I don't need another source of conflict. I need partners who make my life easier, not harder. And as much as you might be my type physically, I don't think you're my type personality-wise. There's more to love than attraction, right? We'd clash, and even if I didn't have the polycule, if it was just you and me dating as two single people, we'd break up pretty quickly."

"Why?" Yvonne asked, confused.

"Because..." Arthur said, trailing off and hesitating to speak as he glanced around.

"Do you think I won't put out?" Yvonne asked. "Is that the issue? Because I'd--"

"You're not listening." Arthur said. "The potential frequency of sex doesn't factor into it, but... the nature of sex might. Yeah."

"Huh?" Yvonne asked, confused.

Arthur leaned forward, quieting his voice to a much more hushed tone, so no one overheard them.

Yvonne leaned forward, turning her head so he whispered into her ear.

"You know that I'm dominant with Selene and my partners." He said, referencing their conversation from the night before. "I need to feel safe and in control in the bedroom. That's a non-negotiable for me. And I enjoy dominating my partners and the kinks that come with it. From what I can tell, you and I are alike in those preferences, so we'd clash. You wouldn't submit to me, and I wouldn't submit to you. It wouldn't work out."

Yvonne pulled away, blushing crimson as if he'd held a heating pad to her face. Arthur blushed too, but less so. It was something he'd let slip last night, and something Yvonne had witnessed herself, but she hadn't considered the implications.

She was a fighter. In the bedroom, Arthur imagined she'd take the dominant role. Not the way Kelly did. Kelly reserved her soft dominance for the others. She dominated them in complete submission to Arthur and his desires. Yvonne? Yvonne would want to dominate Arthur. He wasn't interested in that.

"But..." Yvonne said, stumbling over her words. "Okay. I'm a take-charge kinda girl, and I can be bossy as a director. But I don't want to be that way twenty-four-seven! It's exhausting! In the bedroom, in private, I..." She hesitated. "Well, I don't have much experience. Not like you." She shook her head. "I prefer the guy to take the lead in romance and sex. The way it should be."

Arthur wasn't sure how to process that. If he had to draw a parallel: Beth. Beth managed the office and could be mean or domineering in that role. However, once the door shut, she was a submissive at heart. It never occurred to him that Yvonne might be the same. Hearing that, what she'd said last night made more sense.

"That's why I kept pushing you to pursue me." Yvonne said. "I wanted you to make the first move after you and Lori split. But Selene threw herself at you before you got the hint."

Arthur wasn't sure he'd phrase it that way, but Selene made the first move in their relationship. So had Kat, Mindy, and everyone except Kelly. Arthur had been the one to ask her out. Though he hadn't been considering polyamory then. If Kelly turned him down, would he have asked Yvonne? It was impossible to know, and fruitless to contemplate. What might have been didn't matter. How they moved forward mattered.

"I see." Arthur said, contemplating her words. "I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were trying to do." He said. "But I still consider you a friend, Yvonne. I'd like us to be friends and work together in the Theater Club without awkwardness or accusations."

The hope in Yvonne's eyes died a slow death as she met Arthur's gaze. What might have been remained on the other side of what was. He loved his girlfriends, and there was no room for Yvonne. She missed her chance. For all their contemplating of what-ifs, they might ask what if she hadn't spread rumors about him, or if she'd presented herself as a choice for the polycule sooner. She and Selene had been friends until their blow-up at homecoming. It wasn't impossible to think Selene might welcome her into Arthur's bed. But now? It was too late now.

"Right." Yvonne said, swallowing her tears as her voice cracked. "Friends."

Arthur smiled, or tried. It was brittle and uncertain, and Yvonne's expression didn't encourage his efforts.

"Do you know how hard it is for me to be your friend?" Yvonne asked. "To see you with your girlfriends, knowing I might have been lucky enough to love you if I'd asked you out first? That they hate me, and you don't see me as anything but a friend when I want to be more to you than that?"

Arthur frowned. Didn't the girl usually tell the guy she wanted to be just friends? The friend zone, they called it. When men believed friendship with the opposite sex could grow into something more, and women believed those feelings meant the men never considered them as friends in the first place? Yvonne had placed him in the romantic zone without his knowledge.

Had he placed her in the friend zone? Was he being inflexible? He and Selene had grown from friends into lovers. It wasn't like she'd always lusted after him since the day they'd met. Zones were myths. Simplifications people used to simplify life among complicated people.

People were complicated.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said, not knowing how to respond to that confession. "I understand if you don't want to be friends. It might take time to be comfortable around each other again."

"No, you don't understand." Yvonne said. "Have you ever loved someone who didn't want you?" She scoffed, shaking her head as if in answer to her own question. "Look at you, of course not. You have six girlfriends willing to share just for a shot with you."

Arthur looked at her in shock and disbelief. Her comments reinforced how little of his history she knew. He narrowed his eyes, cutting Yvonne's disbelief short. "I know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back." He admitted. Despite what she told him when they were younger, Lynn didn't love him. She didn't know how to love. "It's painful. If you're not careful, it can make you do idiotic things."

Yvonne's tears traced her cheeks, sliding onto her sweater as they dropped from her chin. "So you know that if you want friendship, and I want more, we need to cut contact. We need to take a break from each other, and the Theater Club has decided. They chose you over me."

Arthur shook his head. "It's not either or. We can work together. We can be professional about this."

"Maybe you can!" Yvonne said, raising her voice, then shrinking as strangers' eyes turned their way. She continued whispering once they looked away. "You can be just friends or co-workers, because you don't feel what I feel whenever you look at me. I can't do that. I'm a fantastic actress, but I'm not that good. Even if I hide it, it'll hurt every time. I have feelings for you, Arthur. More than just attraction. You're so fuckin' perfect, and I know--" She cut off his protest with a wave.

"It's my problem, not yours." Yvonne continued. "But it hurts me to see you, and not have you. It hurts to see Selene, or those other girls, make you happy instead of me. And I'm not strong enough to hide those feelings and maintain a professional relationship. Okay? I need time. I need to get over you and figure things out. Maybe I'll rejoin next semester if the others let me. But I can't be friends with you, Arthur. I don't hate you and I won't cause you any more trouble. I'll apologize to Selene, your other girlfriends, and everyone in the theater club. But I can't go on pretending I'm not in love with you."

Yvonne's tears fell freely now, and Arthur's surprise mingled with his desire to comfort her. She was not someone he'd considered frail. Volatile, yes, frail, no. He'd seen her cry before, but that had been acting, angry-crying, or very restrained, which differed from what he witnessed now. She wasn't putting on a show for the audience's benefit. There was no lie on her face. She expressed truths she'd normally guard and hide, and the vulnerability hurt her. She sobbed and full-on ugly cried at the table.

The eyes of those surrounding them split between concern for Yvonne and hatred for Arthur. Any man who made a woman cry that way must be a cad. With his neutral expression, people drew their own conclusions. None of those conclusions favored Arthur. He wanted to correct them and explain to the strangers, but it wasn't their business.

Rani was right. He shouldn't care what other people think. This wasn't high school.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said, reaching out to hold her hand. She let him cover her hand with his, and he squeezed her hand. The contact wasn't romantic. He offered basic human comfort to assure her she wasn't alone. Arthur might not be going through the same ordeal, but he was there with her.

He said nothing beyond that. Romance between them wasn't an option, and while he wanted to be friends, he understood her decision and respected her ability to say no. A flower couldn't un-grow, it could only wither, die, and bloom again in another season. Hopefully, she'd be able to be friends again after a while. He'd like that, but he wouldn't pressure her for it. It was her heart, after all. She had to do what was best for her.

"For what it's worth." Arthur said, knowing he shouldn't. "I hope you find someone who can make you happy, and gives you what you want in a partner."

Yvonne sniffled, wiping her tears away on her sleeve. She chuckled, as if Arthur had said something funny.

"I'd say the same to you, but you have six of them." Yvonne said. "You lucky fucking bastard. I hope Selene knows how lucky she is."

Arthur chuckled. He was a lucky bastard. She might have used sarcasm if she hadn't been crying so hard, but there was nothing dry about her delivery. Still, he understood she hadn't meant to insult him so much as express her frustration.

As for what else to do, it wasn't much. He held her hand and let her cry until the surrounding atmosphere made her uncomfortable enough to stop. She wiped the mascara running on her face, blew her nose, and formed a small mountain of tissues and napkins on her plate from the effort of pulling herself together.

"Thanks for meeting me." Yvonne said, cleaning up her plate as her tears ebbed. Her face was a mess of running makeup. She seemed eager to get out of public view.

"You don't have to rush off." Arthur said.

"Yes, I do." Yvonne said, shaking her head. "If I sit here, I'm just going to further embarrass myself. It's better if we part on good terms."

Arthur accepted her answer. "I'll take your garbage to the cans. Don't worry. Leave it."

"Thanks." Yvonne said, sniffling again and wiping her face. "And thanks for letting me down gently, I guess."

Arthur smiled softly, not daring to say, 'you're welcome' for that.

"Goodbye." Yvonne said, swallowing as she looked at him.

Arthur stood as she did. "Goodbye." He said, unsure if he should offer her a handshake or a hug. She didn't offer either, but took her purse and backpack and left the cafe while dabbing her face with tissues.

The others in the cafe looked at him as he retook his seat, lowering their heads and gossiping about the breakup they'd just seen, and only partially overheard. "Isn't that the guy with multiple girlfriends?" "Which girlfriend's that?" "Ex-girlfriend, if I had to guess." "Did they break up?" "Maybe she's pregnant." "What a fuck boy." "Did he cheat on her?" "How'd he convince those girls, anyway?" "Well, that's one less girl who fell for his lies." "Is that poly-whatever falling apart already? It's only been a few weeks!"

Arthur sighed. The snippets of conversation he overheard made him want to address the room. He was a half second away from doing it when a familiar voice pierced his thoughts.

"I'm gonna go after her." Caleb's voice made Arthur look up from the table. He and Selene stood side by side, facing Arthur beside Yvonne's empty chair at their two-seater table. Arthur's surprise must have registered on his face, because Caleb laughed. "We were right here the whole time." Caleb gestured to the other side of the plants behind Yvonne's empty seat. "We're stealthy masters of disguise." He gestured to himself and Selene, who looked very different with her hair unbraided.

Arthur hadn't seen them because of the plants, not because of any disguises, but he didn't argue the point as Caleb exited.

Selene slid into Yvonne's vacated seat and smiled at Arthur.

"Sorry it wasn't out of earshot, Master." She said. "I tried, but the cafe was busy, and Caleb was here when I arrived."

Arthur nodded.

"Anything I can do to help?" She asked, reaching across the table to hold his hand. "The girls finished lunch in the cafeteria, but I can call them."

Arthur held her hand. The conversation had been rough. It drained him, and he wasn't horny, until Selene bit the corner of her bottom lip while she looked at him.

She leaned forward. "Want to punish me for sitting too close?" She whispered.

Arthur rolled his eyes, laughing at himself more than at her. "You're exhausting sometimes. You know that?"

Selene smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Would sex help, Master?" She whispered. "I have somewhere quiet we can go if you want me to service you while you finish lunch?"

Arthur sighed. He was still recovering from his conversation with Yvonne. A conversation Selene overheard. She was trying to help. Though he wasn't feeling sexual.

Still, her suggestions sounded fun. He was only human. His girlfriend, with her gorgeous blonde hair, his collar around her throat, wanted him to whisk her away to a secluded place where she'd suck his dick. She excelled at it. That shouldn't annoy him.

"We can walk to class together." Arthur said. "But you're not skipping, and I have my management class."

"After class?" Selene asked, hope in her voice. "Or do you have work?"

"I have an appointment at the health center." Arthur said.

Selene's soft smile vanished in her concern. "Are you okay?" She asked as she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Are you sick?"

"Last night, and a run-in with Mindy's roommate, got me thinking." Arthur said. "That's all. So, I scheduled with my therapist."

"Oh." Selene said, surprised. "Today?"

"Yeah." Arthur said. "And I'm skipping my night class tonight to have dinner with my mother and tell her about Lynn. Come on. I'll tell you about it on the way."

Selene's shock showed on her face, but she obeyed. She took his arm and walked with him from the cafe and across campus toward their classes. Arthur started the conversation by recounting his morning and the run-in with Rachel.

"That bitch." Selene said, frowning.

"She's not." Arthur said. "I feel awful for her. I think you would, too, if you saw her."

Selene frowned, but didn't argue.

"What did you think about that conversation with Yvonne?" Arthur asked as they walked. "Do you think you two can reconcile?"

"I think so." Selene said, growing serious. "But she needs time. I'll reach out to her after Fall Break, after she's recovered, and she and Caleb have reconciled."

"Yeah, what was he doing there?" Arthur asked.

"I... texted him this morning." Selene answered. "You wanted to help them reconcile, so I thought you might want him to be nearby, but then he sat so close we could overhear everything you two said."

"Ah." Arthur said, nodding. "Well, I hope it helps Caleb and Yvonne. They're close."

Selene nodded. They halted at the crossroads where they should split up and shared a kiss. Selene moved to her tiptoes, holding onto his shoulders as she kissed him. Arthur kept his hands on her waist, the buttons on the side of her overalls lining his palms.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to skip class, Master?" Selene asked, leaning to whisper in his ear. "I promise I'll be a good girl if you say no, but... I'm not wearing any panties under these overalls. Or a bra under this t-shirt."

Arthur coughed. Selene's fit, naked body was enticing enough, but her high and sultry whisper, her desperation for him, broke his sense of responsibility. Not that it was a tough decision. Would he rather sit through a boring Business Management lecture, or fuck his sex slave girlfriend any way he wanted for as long as he wanted?

"Where was this place you mentioned?" Arthur asked.

Selene smiled. "Follow me."

She led him by the hand toward the edge of campus. He recognized the path and the theater building as their destination before they arrived. She smiled at him when he raised his eyebrow at her. People came in and out of the building for classes, rehearsals, and meetings all day. He wasn't sure where Selene was taking him within the building, but the theater building wouldn't be empty.

Selene took him through the doors. They walked through the hallway toward the back of the building. They strode past the entrances for the main auditorium without breaking stride. They passed the offices where professors ate their lunches. Turning again, they stopped at the doors to the conference room where they often met for Theater Club. Arthur checked the schedule hanging beside the room door. There was nothing scheduled there until the evening.

"Naughty girl." Arthur said as Selene held the door open for him.

He entered the room, and the door swung shut behind Arthur. Selene dropped his hand, stepped up to the conference table, and hopped onto it, spreading her legs. The baggy overalls looked adorable on her, and her top under the straps was sexy, showing off the bottom half of her lean torso. Her hair, down and natural, shone with a gorgeous golden hue as it swept over her. She shifted it, moving it beside her leg as she spread them.

Arthur stepped between her thighs, lifted her chin with his finger, and kissed her.

"Does this room suit your needs, Master?" Selene asked.

Arthur smiled. There was a set of tinted windows on the far wall. They could see out, but no passerby could see in unless they put their hands around their eyes and pressed their faces to the glass. The soundproof walls prevented orchestra rehearsals from disrupting any meetings that might take place. The doors behind them weren't impossible to lock, but they were difficult, and blocking them was against the fire code.

There was a camera in the hallway, but not in the room itself. No one would see or hear them here, but it would be a delightful spot if he prevented anyone from walking in on them.

Arthur dropped his book bag to the floor, unzipped one of the outer compartments, and pulled out a narrow rope he'd been carrying around for a while.

Selene raised her eyebrows and her wrists. She crossed them and waited expectantly.

Arthur shook his head and walked away from her, moving to the double doors instead. He looped the rope through the bar-handles, tying them together so that no one could open the doors. The knot was easy to untie with a pull if he and Selene needed to exit. He didn't expect that to be an issue. It was enough to prevent anyone from opening the door from the outside.

"Sorry, did you think it was for you? What a naughty idea." Arthur said, smiling as he returned to Selene.

"You could always use your belt." Selene said, keeping her hands ready for a rope. "For tying, or whatever you want to do to me, Master."

She gave him a teasing grin and unhooked one suspender of her overalls.

Arthur stopped her from undoing the second by doing it himself. He tossed the straps over her shoulders. They clacked as they fell, and the apron collapsed. Arthur dragged his hands along Selene's sides until he reached the waist of her overalls. Each leg had a column of three buttons cinching the denim together. He unsnapped the top button, the middle, and the lowest. The pants split open, and Arthur enjoyed the view of her pale, naked hips with no sign of a strap or waistband.

"Is it okay that I didn't wear panties today?" Selene asked. "You never said to, or not to, so..."

"It's perfect." Arthur said. "As sexy as a good thong or lingerie set is, I don't mind having easy access to my slut."

"I'm glad I've pleased you, Master." Selene said happily. She presented her lips for a kiss, and Arthur kissed her hard. He grabbed her head as he did so and conquered her tongue with his. She moaned into the kiss, closing her eyes in bliss as Arthur gripped her hair and her hip. "Is there anything else I can do to please you, Master?" Selene asked, breathless after their kiss.

"Oh, you're about to." Arthur assured her. He stepped back, pulling her with him by the wrists as he did so. She slid forward, sliding off the table and onto her feet. The overalls fell to her ankles like dropped weights, leaving her naked from her sneakers to the hem of her cropped t-shirt. Soft lines of her dance and yoga-toned body rose from her ankles to her thighs, to her stomach, disappearing under her shirt. Her bare, shaven pussy flushed pink with heat.

Selene lifted off the t-shirt and tossed it aside, revealing her braless breasts. They hung against gravity, the smallish handfuls of flesh bulbous on her slender frame. Arthur smiled to see them, fondling her immediately.

"Braless too?" Arthur asked as he lowered his face toward them.

"Yes, Mas--" Selene gasped as Arthur sucked on her breast, bringing her nipple into his mouth and sucking hard on the tip. She moved to her toes. "AH!" She threw her arms over him, holding her wrists behind his neck for balance. "Oh!"

Arthur teased her with his mouth, running his tongue across her skin as her nipple hardened against his tongue. He sucked and caught her nipple between his tongue and upper teeth. Her gasps drove her to new heights.

Arthur released her nipple. "How did that feel?" Arthur asked.

"It surprised me." Selene said. "But it felt amazing, Master."

"Do you deserve to feel amazing, Slut?" Arthur asked, his voice dark and dangerous as he asked the question.

Selene blushed. "No, Master." She shook her head. "I disobeyed you. I sat too close to you and Yvonne."

Arthur's frown flickered. He wasn't mad at her. Disappointed, but not really. He was glad he didn't have to relive the entire conversation again. If anything, her eavesdropping might help Selene and Yvonne reconcile sooner rather than later. None of that mattered, though. He had a part to play.

"How should I punish you?" Arthur asked. "Should I tie you to this table and leave you here for whoever has this room booked next?"

Selene gulped, shaking her head.

"Or I'll bend you over the table where we sit with our friends every week, and spank you until your ass matches your sister's?" He asked rhetorically. It'd been days since he'd spanked Kat and her ass was well on the mend, but she understood the threat. "It'll give you something to remember every Theater Club meeting for the rest of your life."

"Whatever pleases you the most, Master." Selene answered.

"Good answer." Arthur said, and kissed her neck. "An excellent suggestion, too. I'll do that."

"Do what, Master?" Selene asked, barely disguising her excitement. "The spanking?"

"No, Slut." Arthur nibbled her ear, and Selene's knees buckled. He caught her, holding her in his arms as he laid her back against the table. Her bare ass pressed against the shiny wooden polish, and her pink and white skin flushed as he kissed her breasts once more. "I'll just do whatever pleases me."

He sucked her nipple again, and Selene moaned in response, running her fingers through his hair. He switched breasts, playing between her nipples as he sucked on them a half minute at a time. Selene's arousal grew as he played, slickening the folds between her legs.

"Master..." Selene panted, reaching her hands behind her, palms flat, as if she were going to move into a bridge.

"Yes, Slut?" Arthur asked, pausing in his sucking but sliding his fingers along the inside of her thigh.

"Would you actually tie me and leave me here for someone else?" She asked. "Do you want to share me with another man?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Selene blushed, then shivered as his finger reached the end of its trail against her thigh and met her pussy. It curled against her, playing with her and pressing against her to find her insides. She moaned again.

"Do you remember... that time you... tied me to the chair... and left me for the security guard?" She asked. "Was that... a security guard? Or was that... you?"

Arthur tilted his head but smiled. "Do you want the answer? Or to believe whatever you prefer?"

"I want to know the truth, Master." Selene said, her breath high and panting as he slipped a finger into her, toying with her as she laid on the table with her feet in the air. The baggy overalls had slipped over her sneakers, and Arthur kicked them aside as his body pushed her legs apart. She squeezed him with her knees, hugging his thighs.

"It was me." Arthur answered. "I wanted to give you the fantasy of being a total slave, a worthless fuck toy, but you were new to the play. I would never leave you tied up and alone. Much less let another man play with you. You're mine, Slut. The only people permitted to play with you are other members of my harem, remember?"

Selene nodded. "I'd hoped so, Master." She said, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Slut." Arthur said, drawing another moan from her with his fingers. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Your threat brought it to mind, that's all." Selene said. "Now... use me, Master. Use your slut. Use me for your pleasure."

Arthur smiled. He stepped away from her, leaving her panting on the table. He pulled his fingers from her and pressed them to her mouth. She opened for the intrusion and sucked her juices from his fingers like an eager slave.

"You need to hydrate more." Arthur said. "You're a thirsty slut."

"Yes, Master." Selene said when his fingers were free from her mouth. He wiped them on her face, and her arousal grew. Arthur took off his suit jacket, hanging it over the back of a chair. He stepped out of his shoes next, then unbuckled his pants. He folded them over his suit jacket and took his place between Selene's thighs once more. Arthur pulled her hips, bringing her groin to the edge of the table.

"Master..." Selene said. "If it pleases you, would you like to watch some porn while this slut sucks your cock under the conference table?"

Arthur considered her suggestion. "Do you have a porno you'd like me to watch?"

Selene nodded. "Remember the other day, when you told me to masturbate myself to completion, and film it for you?"

Arthur remembered it. "Yes."

"I obeyed you." Selene said, pointing to her phone. "If it pleases you, can you please let me cum again today?" Selene asked. "Please? Master?"

"If it pleases me." Arthur agreed. He took the seat where he sat during the theater club meetings. Selene hopped off the table, grabbed her phone, and opened the video. She gave Arthur her earphones, and he put one in his ear. He left the other ear open, toward the door, just in case.

Selene dove beneath the table after handing him the phone. Arthur started watching as Selene pressed her lips over his cock.

She sucked, working her mouth and tongue over his length in strokes that brought him deeper with every thrust of her head. She dragged her lips along his skin, sweeping her tongue from side to side beneath him. Then she'd thrust forward, taking him deeper than the stroke before, repeating her slow withdrawal.

Arthur struggled to keep his eyes open and focused on the video.

In the video, a clothed Selene danced. He recognized the green room downstairs as the location. Had she done this alone? Hopefully, she'd been smart enough to have one of the harem members with her, in case someone walked in or approached. One of them might have filmed this. They looked out for each other.

The Britney Spears song she'd chosen to dance to for him made him smile. It was on the nose, but "I'm a Slave 4 U" was a classic. The strip dance Selene choreographed was exquisite. She was a dancer and used her body to tease and please visually and physically. Her lips around his shaft while he watched her graceful movements made him want to blow his load early, but he kept his breathing steady and enjoyed the show.

Her insatiable lust and 24/7 devotion to her slave role might tire his nerves on occasion, but today? Today, he was enjoying every minute.

Arthur paused the video and shifted the chair back, pulling himself from Selene's mouth.

"Master?" Selene asked, confused. She took his hand when he thrust it under the table for her and pulled her out. He placed his hand between her head and the table as he brought her to her feet.

He spun her around, facing the table, pushed her against it, and shoved her torso forward, bending her over the table. Selene moved to her toes and spread her legs. He placed the phone between her shoulder blades.

"Brace yourself." Arthur instructed. "I don't want the screen to jostle."

Selene obeyed, pressing her hands flat against the table as Arthur notched himself against her from behind. He shoved forward, and Selene gasped at the pleasure of his intrusion. Arthur smiled and tapped the earphones to play the video. Selene's naked body on the screen writhed as she masturbated. In the real world, she moaned as Arthur's length sank into her inch by inch. His thick girth spread her apart. She lifted one leg so her knee was on the table beside her hip, opening herself for him as her bubble butt pressed against his hips.

He slid out and in, back and forth, sawing and pumping his cock into her. Her heat was enough to melt steel, and she was overflowing with arousal. Her enthusiasm was as plain as the breath in his lungs.

Selene moaned, using her left arm in front of her to muffle her sounds of pleasure and hold herself steady against his thrusting. Her forearm was a brace against the movement, and her elbow became her silencer. Her other hand pressed flat ahead of her head, holding herself steady, along with her knee. She kept her hips low, her legs spread, and Arthur gripped her for control of her rhythm. His thumbs spread over her ass cheeks, giving him a good grip to pull her with as he pumped. He did his best to hold her steady against his onslaught.

She tightened against him. Every inch of him inside her met her clenching resistance and pushed through with strokes like hammer blows. Selene's muffled cries of pleasure came out in rhythmic, high-pitched squeals that Arthur enjoyed. He tried to match his strokes with her masturbation in the video, but had no luck so far. His focus on that was a welcome distraction.

"Master..." Selene moaned. "Do I have permission?" Selene begged.

"No." Arthur said, shaking his head. "You disobeyed me, remember? This isn't for you. This is for my pleasure. If you cum from me fucking you like the slut you are, there'll be an even worse punishment later."

"Oh-god--" Selene whined as he pounded her from behind. "Please, Master?"

"I said no." Arthur spanked her ass from above.

Selene grunted at the slap, and her fingers clenched against the top of the table as if trying to scratch it but finding no purchase. This wasn't a mattress. There was nothing to grip or grab. The hard, polished wood offered no comfort or relief. Its hard, flat surface squashed her breasts without mercy. Sore from his aggressive sucking, and her late night flogging, the press only filled her with more pleasure as his length filled and fucked her without mercy. Meanwhile, the slight weight of her phone let her know he wasn't even looking at her. He was using her as a sex toy while he jacked off to porn.

Selene came. She shook her head as she did it, sweeping her hair from the side, over her back and phone. Arthur pulled the blanket of golden hair into his fist and slid his hand toward himself, gathering it into a ponytail that revealed her phone. Then he rolled his wrist, looping her hair over and under his hand. He took a firm grip and pulled it, making her turn her head so her cheek pressed against the table. She barely saw him in the corner of her eye.

He spanked her with his other hand, shaking his head. "You came."

"Yes, Master." Selene panted.

"I told you not to." Arthur reminded her.

"I know." Selene whimpered. "I'm sorry, Master, but your cock is--"

"You're blaming me for your disobedience?" Arthur asked, cutting her off in mock outrage.

Selene bit her lip and closed her eyes, savoring every moment as he fucked her through her subsiding orgasm. Arthur kept pumping, growing closer to his release with every thrust. Selene kept squeezing, closing herself around him and clenching when he tried to withdraw. He groaned.

"Please, Master." Selene grunted on the table, her breath ghosting a spot on the polished wood and causing it to lighten several shades with every exhale. "Please, cum in your slut."

She squeezed him, lowering her leg and clenching her insides with every ounce of muscle she had. Her stomach sucked in, her dancer muscles clenching with her pelvic floor and grinding him to a stop as he exploded within her.

Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through him with every beat of his pulse. His legs trembled, and he braced himself on the table on either side of her as he leaned over her. She smiled at him, her eyes hazy with pleasure and relief. Her blink was slow, and her breaths came heavy and far apart. He matched her, calming himself as his release drained him and the initial explosion faded into aftershocks.

His clenched muscles slackened, relaxing until they threatened to fall away from his bones. He chuckled at the thought. For all the stress he'd had before and during lunch, he had none left. Selene was always there for him.

He withdrew and shuddered as he stepped back from her. The air in the room struck his cock, making him shiver.

Selene's solution was simple, and she slid to her knees with her legs closed, taking him into her mouth without hesitation. She didn't try to keep him hard or go for round two, but she sucked him with love and gentle strokes, cleaning him with her tongue.

She rocked back to sit on her heels when she finished, her toes on the floor, and her hands in her lap. The 'kneel' pose.

Arthur patted her on the head. "Good girl." He said. "You earned a spanking for cumming without permission, but we'll see to that later."

"Thank you, Master." Selene said, her head bowed. "Should I get dressed?"

Arthur considered it. He could tell her to wait here and make her wait naked for one of the harem to collect her. Maybe next time, if he'd had more planning. He needed to get ahead of the curve and plan these sessions better. The last few, the girls initiated the sessions instead of him, which led to him improvising. He wasn't complaining about spontaneous, much-desired sex, but he wanted to be a better dom for his girlfriends than he had been the last few days.

"Yes." Arthur said. "Get dressed, and... don't you have class?"

Selene blushed. "Yes, Sir. But I can skip it--"

"No." Arthur shook his head. "Go to class, Slut. Come to think of it... what are your grades so far?"

Selene frowned. "Wasn't this good for you, Sir? Do you need to ruin it by discussing grades?"

"You need to graduate." Arthur said, frowning. "More than that, you have to get a certain GPA to earn your certification. You want to be a teacher, right?"

"Not really." Selene said, shaking her head. "I wanted to be a dance major, but my mom refused to help cover costs unless I went for something she wanted for me, like education."

"But Kat's getting an English degree?" Arthur asked.

"Kat gave an entire presentation on how she could get a publishing job. And she has one after graduation. Plus, she's Mom's favorite. I--" Selene pointed to herself after she pulled on her crop top. "I am the black sheep of the family. If Kat wanted to dance, Mom would think it was the best idea ever. I want to dance, and I'm throwing my life away on ludicrous fantasies. I'll never be good enough to land a job dancing that doesn't involve a stripper pole. Not that there's anything wrong with stripping, but try explaining that to my mom."

"You're an excellent dancer, Selene." Arthur said, trying to encourage her.

"Oh, I agree." Selene said, pulling her overalls up after she stepped into them. "But those were my mom's exact words. Plus, after my grandmother passed away... I just... I dunno. I gave in to it."

Arthur winced. He was lucky with his parents. His dad might not be the most involved and always busy with work, but his mother was supportive. They hadn't thought a theater major was a wise investment, but they guided him toward his business degree much more gently than that. It was his choice, and he'd put himself toward his goals with the same diligence as he approached everything else. He still intended to be involved in theater after graduating. He didn't need a theater degree to do that. Meanwhile, he needed a business degree to enter the business sector.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said, giving her a hug after they were both dressed. "For what it's worth, you'd make a wonderful teacher."

Selene smiled softly. "Thanks. Honestly, though, if I could just major in sucking your dick, I'd be happy. Any chance there's a university where I could earn a degree in sexual slavery?"

Arthur laughed. Selene giggled.

"Would you want to go for your master's degree?" Arthur asked.

They both laughed so hard they had to pause before getting dressed. The joke wasn't that funny, but they took the excuse to laugh. Arthur couldn't stop smiling, even as the laughter subsided.

"I'm glad to see you smiling again." Selene said. "If you need me, just call."

"I know." Arthur said. He kissed her forehead. "Thanks. I love you, Selene."

"I love you, Master." Selene said, hugging him and nuzzling into his chest.

"Come on." Arthur said, smacking her butt. "Let's rejoin the real world."

Selene rolled her eyes. "If we must, but only because you order it, Master."

Arthur chuckled. They dressed, and Arthur untied the door, stashed the rope, and checked to verify the coast was clear before they left. It was, and they made it down the hall before they spotted anyone else. From there, it was a straight shot into the real world. They split off at the doors after another hug and kiss goodbye. Selene headed toward class, and Arthur headed toward his appointment at the health center.