Harem House - Selene Pt. 39

Lynn stomped to her car after the elevator doors opened. She nearly dinged the vehicle beside her as she threw open the driver's side door, but held it back in time. She slammed it shut after she sat and checked her face in the mirror.

The red mark of Deb's slap on her cheek burned like a brand, but there was nothing to see beyond a rosy glow on one cheek. She grabbed the steering wheel and shook it, which had the effect of shaking herself as it remained immobile. Her raven-black hair bounced back and forth as she released a cry of frustration.

How dare she? How dare Deb turn on her?

She smashed the brake with her boot and jammed her finger into the start button on her dashboard. The car roared to life, its engine flaring and filling the parking garage with its noise.

Lynn still couldn't believe it. That little shit, Arthur, had told his mom how she stood by while the football team beat him up. Deb said Arthur told her the details of their time in the room. That couldn't be true. He'd told her something, but Lynn couldn't imagine what.

She wanted to scream, rant, and break things, but she had places to be. So, she had to vent her anger on the road by driving fast and letting the roar of her sports car engine drown out her angry yells of frustration.

This dive had better be worth it.

She'd spent days setting this up, and she was about to spend hours sealing the deal. She couldn't let Deb's sudden betrayal distract her. Not if she'd succeed in breaking up Arthur's little girlfriend club. So far, nothing she planned had gone right.

She'd struck out with Mindy's parents, but she'd had a partial victory over Selene. Tonight it was Katelyn's turn. As of last Sunday, she wasn't one of Arthur's girlfriends. She was going to move into the house, though, and she was close to Kelly and Kat. Katelyn was an easy target, and removing her from the group struck a blow against Arthur, Kelly, and Kat.

She needed this. Lynn needed to get Arthur to listen to her, and dismantling his harem was the best way to get him back under her thumb. Or, failing that, at least she'd feel better knowing that if he ruined her chances at education, she'd ruined his chances at happiness. He deserved to be miserable.

Her recklessness cut the drive short. What should have taken her an hour was closer to forty-five minutes. The crowd of cars packed into the lot on a Thursday night surprised Lynn. This bar sat on the edge of a college town, and plenty of students partied on Thursday nights instead of Friday nights. She didn't know why; she assumed it was a class schedule thing.

Lynn parked and pulled out her phone. Messaging her mark on Tinder.

Lynn: I got here early!

She feigned excitement in her text as she adjusted her makeup. Lynn brushed her hair, tousling it, before her phone dinged.

Sean: K. I'm at the bar.

Oh, good, he sounded miserable. Lynn smiled. That meant everything was going according to plan.

Sean Michaels was a 21-year-old college junior at Pendleton. According to his Tinder profile, he enjoyed playing sports, listening to country music, riding dirt bikes, hiking, and attending concerts. He was single and looking for a good time. His face was handsome enough, and his pictures gave the impression of a clean, average young man. Nothing special, but not repulsive either. Lynn could work with that.

He didn't know that Lynn knew his ex-girlfriend, Katelyn. Her public Instagram profile featured many pictures of them as a couple. She pulled his pics from there, ran them through a third-party website designed to find catfishers, cheaters, and other swindlers. That was how Lynn discovered Sean on Tinder. Matching with him was easy, but getting him to engage her was more difficult. She'd eventually convinced him she was real after she spent hours chatting him up and subtly asking him questions about his ex and his last relationship.

She'd learned a lot about Katelyn over the last few days. Lynn could tell by his texts that he missed her, which was what she wanted.

The plan tonight was to give him a terrible dating experience. She'd text, ignore him, order expensive drinks, and leave him with blue balls. He'd go running back to his ex, and Katelyn would be gone from Arthur's circle.

Failing that, she'd beg Sean for a second date and show him the time of his life. Pictures of them together would piss off that raging bitch, Kelly, and that was a worthy consolation prize.

Lynn smiled as she checked her reflection in the car window after exiting. She preened and fluffed her hair again, sweeping it over her shoulder. Her straightened ebony hair followed the curve of her collarbone and ended an inch before the tip of her breast, drawing the eye to her bust as she intended. She strode to the bar with her chin held high and her body in a predatory posture. Lynn became a lioness at the watering hole. She prowled in, spotted Sean at a table near the bar, and waved.

Sean's mouth hung open as he caught sight of her, and Lynn's smile turned Cheshire.

The bass hit her sternum like a physical blow as the music started. Annoyance flashed across her face, but fled the next moment as she pretended to enjoy the music. Lynn's manicured fingers tapped against the threads of her jean shorts low on her ludicrous hips. The smell of stale beer, sawdust, and peanut shells struck her as she passed the hostess stand, turning her smile into a slight sneer. The wooden beams couldn't rid themselves of the decades of cigarette smoke that filled them. Desperation reeked through this place, as college-age and middle-aged guys hit on blondes in cutoff shorts.

The band had cleared a section of tables to the far left for line dancing, and the people sitting around clapped with the music.

Lynn's designer cowgirl boots had heels that crunched against the floor rather than clicked. The peanut shells dusting the floor seemed unsanitary. She was the only person who minded. This place disgusted her, but she needed to put up with it for vengeance's sake. The looks she received as she strolled through the establishment were one-third leer, one-third amazement, and one-third curiosity or disbelief. What was a girl like her doing here? She wasn't white trash or a trailer park beauty. She was a Latina goddess who appeared to be on her way to a professional photo shoot.

The music bothered her. The screech of a fiddle and the wail of a steel guitar battled to drown out a rough-hewn baritone. His droopy, weathered face made him appear thirty years older than anyone else in the room.

Lynn expected this would be a step down from her usual haunts, but she'd underestimated the drop. She was accustomed to a certain level of class, dancing at nightclubs in the city, and spending time at bars decorated with art, rather than animal heads. Her white-collar world didn't mesh with this blue-collar shithole.

The stools appeared almost artfully distressed, but she judged the damage to be the honest decay of years gone by from the amount of pocket-knife carvings and pen-inked graffiti. The table Sean sat at was scarred oak, its surface marked by countless glass rings and carved initials. Each one presented a monument to a couple who thought they mattered, making a memory in a place Lynn already wanted to forget.

A woman in paint-splattered jeans stepped into her path, forcing Lynn to stop short. The woman continued her journey as she dragged the man she was with toward the dance floor. Another, younger woman laughed so loudly at something her companion said as Lynn passed them that she thought they were laughing at her. They weren't, but Lynn glared at them anyway.

Two men in work shirts stared at her from their table. One of them reached for her, as if to stop her and talk to her, but she stopped him with her eyes alone. He sank back into his chair, rejected without her having to say a word. Good boy.

When she made it to Sean's table, she was all smiles.

"Well, howdy." Lynn said, pretending to tip her hat.

"Wow." Sean said, staring at her. "I mean uh... hi. Sorry, I thought for sure you were a catfish. I never--uh--here! Have a seat." He hopped up from his chair and pulled the opposite chair out for her.

Lynn sat, letting him scoot the chair in for her.

Sean wasn't bad-looking in comparison. He stood tall, lean, and with the subtle muscles of a baseball player who kept in shape. His t-shirt and jeans told her he hadn't put any effort into his presentation tonight. He must have thought she wouldn't show. That told her he realized she was out of his league.

"Such a gentleman." Lynn said, smiling. "I bet you do that for all the girls."

"Heh." Sean laughed. "Not really, no."

"Do you come here often?" Lynn asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sometimes." Sean said. "It's near campus, they have good music, decent beer, and a mechanical bull."

"Do you ride it?" Lynn asked.

Sean shrugged. "I've done it."

"What's the longest you lasted?" She asked, curious, but teasing him with the innuendo.

"Uh..." Sean had to think about it. "About six seconds."

Lynn giggled -- the melodic, sickening sweet giggle of a woman laughing at something that wasn't funny. "That's not very long at all."

"It's above average." Sean said, trying to defend himself, which only made Lynn mock him with her laughter more.

"Why don't you go get us drinks?" Lynn asked. "I'll have whatever you're having."

"Oh, uh... sure." Sean said, nodding. He left her to reach the bar. Lynn withdrew her phone. Let the plan begin.

She didn't lift her eyes when Sean returned from the bar with their drinks. Nor did she pay attention when he tried to talk to her again. She kept her responses to one-word answers, like she wasn't listening, but Sean kept trying, despite having to shout over the music. Finally, he stopped trying, drank his beer, and let time pass before he made his final Hail Mary pass.

"Do you want to dance?" Sean asked.

Lynn shrugged.

"Do you want another drink?" Sean asked. He'd finished his, but Lynn had barely touched hers.

"Shots?" Lynn asked.

"Uh... sure." Sean said. "I'll buy us shots."

He returned with a flight of shots, and Lynn took one in her manicured hand and downed it before he sat again. Sean offered to 'cheers' with her for the second drink, but she ignored him and downed it too. He sighed and looked at the dance floor. His expression turned wistful as the dancers shuffled to the beat with their hands on their hips.

"You okay? Or are you gonna start moping over your ex-girlfriend again?" Lynn asked.

"When did I mope?" Sean asked, the confusion plain on his face.

"Yesterday. I asked you about your past relationships, and you got all mopey over text." Lynn said, displaying her phone as if it were evidence, despite the screen being the comment section of one of her Instagram pictures.

Sean sighed.

"Did you bring her here?" Lynn asked, pressing the inquiry. "Do you bring all your dates here?" The disdain in the final word was apparent.

"We used to come here." Sean said. He frowned as he spoke. "She was into this stuff. We'd do the line dancing, the quiz nights, and we had a lot of fun. She always wanted to ride the mechanical bull, but was never quite brave enough."

"You sound like you miss her." Lynn said.

"I do, I guess. It was recent, and we were together for a while."

"So why are you on Tinder and not trying to get her back?" Lynn asked.

Sean looked at her and frowned.

"Sorry." Lynn said, shrugging. "I'm curious. If you're not over your ex, it's okay. You could always win her back, right?"

"I, uh... I tried." Sean said, frowning.

Lynn raised an eyebrow at that. "What?" She asked, afraid she had heard him correctly. The fucker jumped the gun. He wasn't supposed to try to get back with her until after this terrible date, and he'd already blown his shot? Fuck! She would have played this differently if she'd known.

"I said I tried." Sean said. "She's moved on. She's with another guy."

No. Lynn's grip tightened on her phone. "When did this happen?"

"Uh... earlier today." Sean said. "I assumed you were a catfish, and you were the only girl on any of those apps who messaged me. The rest gave one-word responses and stopped responding after one or two, if they responded at all."

"It's rough out there." Lynn agreed. "It's hard for us girls, too." She assumed.

"Yeah, well, I figured I'd give it one last shot, you know? If she said yes, I'd have canceled our date tonight."

"Obviously." Lynn said. "So, she turned you down, I take it?"

"Yeah." Sean frowned and took another swig of his drink. "Look, I'm sorry."

Lynn waited for him to explain.

"You're a lovely girl, and honestly, the hottest woman I've ever met, but I'm just... I'm not in the mood to do any of this tonight." Sean said. "Would you mind if we rescheduled? Maybe we could go on a date somewhere less loud?"

"You're going to leave me here at the bar?" Lynn asked. "Why not see how the night goes?"

Sean stared into her eyes. "You seemed pretty disinterested in me a second ago, and you don't want to dance. You're sitting there on your phone, making no effort, because let's face it, you're out of my league, and I'm depressed enough. I don't need alcohol, and I don't need to wake up in an ice bath tomorrow with a missing kidney, or whatever this is." He gestured between them.

Lynn giggled again. "I'm not interested in your internal organs. It's the external one I want."

Now it was Sean's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Well, it was his fault. If pushing him back toward Katelyn wouldn't work, she had to think of something else to do with him.

"Your dick." Lynn said, explaining herself in a sultry voice. "This country bar is bullshit. I want to go outside, see what you're working with, and find out if you can make me scream loud enough to get us kicked out of the parking lot."

Sean's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of their sockets. Lynn was confident they weren't the only parts straining for release.

"Wanna go to my truck?" Sean asked. "It, uh... it has a covered bed. I think I have an old blanket in the back seat."

"Gross." Lynn made a disgusted face. "Let's go to my car, or we can get a hotel." Not that she was planning on sleeping with him. She might use him, or let him go down on her before she kicked him out and left him wanting more.

Instead, Sean flinched away as if the idea of getting a hotel with her frightened him instead of arousing him. "Holy shit, you're really after my kidney." Sean said, shifting away from her like she'd tried to bite him.

"What?" Lynn asked, laughing. "No, I'm--"

"Look, whatever this is... I'm gonna go." Sean said, sliding out of his seat. "I'll pay for our drinks or whatever, but... uh... yeah. I'll see you around."

Lynn stared at him in disbelief. Frozen until fury galvanized her into action. "Are you kidding me?" She asked, angry enough now to rise out of her chair and follow him. "You're fucking turning me down? ME?!" Lynn asked.

Sean flinched as she followed him, almost running toward the bar.

"Don't walk away from me!" Lynn yelled, drawing even more attention in their direction.

Sean slammed his credit card into the hand of the bartender and gave a worried glance behind him just as Lynn caught up to him.

"You don't get to abandon me!" Lynn said, anger searing her words into the surrounding air. "Who do you think you are, leaving me like this?! Turning your back on me?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm done." Sean said, taking his card back from the bartender. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sorry I'm not up for... whatever. You're very hot. I'm sure plenty of other guys would risk it, but--"

"RISK IT?" Lynn asked. She grabbed a beer off the bar, splashing it in Sean's face before slamming the glass down again.

"Hey!" A stranger yelled, protesting the theft and consequent distribution of their beverage. Their drinking partner pulled them away, seeing the wisdom in not getting involved.

Sean sputtered as the beer dripped from his face onto his shirt. "What the fuck?"

"You can't just leave me!" Lynn said. "If you're not gonna run back to your ex, then you should get with me! Those are your options!"

Sean wiped the beer from his face, patted his shirt, and pulled the wet material away from his chest. He looked at her like she'd spontaneously grown an alien appendage. "You're crazy! God, why are the hot ones always insane? Just leave me alone!"

And with that, he pushed past her, running from her and the bar. The band on stage finished their song as he reached the door.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to get laid tonight!" Lynn shouted after him.

The entire bar fell quiet, with every eye in the house watching her. The embarrassment and humiliation at her unsatisfied lust and its public declaration brought heat to her cheeks and her core. She blushed and squeezed her pelvic muscles, which didn't help. The horniness only increased. Lynn turned her back toward the crowd to face the bartender. She put her hands on the edge of the bar and took a deep breath.

"Miss, you're gonna have to pay for that beer you threw." The bartender said. "And then I'm going to ask you to leave."

"Oh, shut up." Lynn snapped at him, straightening her posture to that of her typical regal demeanor. "Just do your fucking job and pour me more shots."

The bartender frowned, a mid-thirties man beefy enough to remove her if she tried to fight his order to depart. He crossed his thick forearms over his swollen chest and glared at her. He must have been used to intimidating the local college kids with his routine, but Lynn wasn't in the mood. She knew how this worked.

"Do it and I'll spend the next hour fucking line dancing and letting these assholes buy me drinks." Lynn said, gesturing with her eyes to the men behind her. Men who were watching her ass and considering what she'd screamed at Sean. "High-end, expensive drinks, because I'm not the low-end trash you usually get in this place, and I know my preferences."

The bartender's surprise gave way to greed as his eyes scanned the crowd. Plenty of guys looked interested in what he had to say next. "Fine." He said. "But no more outbursts."

Lynn's entire demeanor flipped in an instant, her expression turning bright and bubbly. "Thank you!" She said, and turned to the person whose beer she stole. "Sorry about that." She said. "Bad date, and he deserved it."

"Right." The guy said. He was athletic and college-aged. "He should be glad you didn't knee him in the balls." The man gave her a slow, appraising stare that took its time reaching her eyes.

Lynn returned the leer. He was handsome, but short. His light brown skin and thick black hair gave him an exotic presence, made swarthy by the dark rug of chest hair peeking out from his shirt.

"I'm Sanjay..." He offered her his hand. She shook it.

"Oh, good handshake." Lynn said, her grin widening. "That's so rare these days. Buy me a drink, Sanjay?"

~~~

Arthur awoke on Friday morning to the sudden brush of frigid air against his side. Kelly's warm body had been there moments ago, but she'd slipped out of her place. The blanket she left draped over him was icy compared to her warmth. The click of the bathroom door alerted him to where she'd gone, and the hum of the bathroom fan confirmed it.

He opened his eyes. The apartment was still dim with pre-dawn light. The flavor of whiskey on his lips mingled with the lipstick from Kelly's mouth. His body was relaxed, but his bones were stiff in an awkward position he hadn't meant to sleep in for several hours. He'd reclined with his feet on the floor. His butt teetered on the edge of the sofa, a throw pillow supported his back, and his shoulders pressed against the back cushions of the sofa corner. His left arm draped over Katelyn. Kelly had cuddled his right arm to sleep.

He checked his Fitbit on his right wrist, which told him he was twenty minutes ahead of his usual wake-up time. Arthur wasn't mad about it. He shifted, trying not to disturb Katelyn. She was light and didn't present much of a burden. However, with her shoulder, every motion might turn into a scream. She'd curled in the night, tucking her knees as if trying to draw herself closer to him. His hand on her hip was flat against an expanse of skin, except for the thin band of her panties clinging to her.

Arthur still wore his boxer-briefs, socks, and slacks. The top button and zipper of his pants remained undone. He lifted his hand from Katelyn, who snored in response. Arthur withdrew it from the blanket and shifted aside. He became Indiana Jones as he tried to replace his abs with a throw pillow beneath Katelyn's head. It was slow going, but it worked. She stopped snoring, but was still asleep.

He stood, buttoning his slacks as he rose. Looking around, there wasn't much for him to do. He didn't have any extra clothes. Was this his first walk of shame? No. He'd spent the night at Lori's dorm room and had to walk back to his in the morning. But this was the first time in a while. He was usually better prepared, but last night was an emergency. He'd needed not to be alone, and he'd needed a girlfriend who wouldn't expect his arrival meant he was switching into Dom mode and running a scene.

Kelly still played out a fantasy last night, but it had been a wholesome one. It'd been a gift, and he cherished it. She ran the show and took his burdens from him without pressuring him. She'd even asked permission, and hadn't woken him with the expectation of moving into a scene.

Waking up to his sex slave sucking him and asking to ride him was great. Arthur wasn't complaining. He couldn't complain. He knew that. But waking up, even stiff, without someone demanding his attention and sexual dominance, was nice. A night off would be bliss. He twisted, cracking his back like thunder in the otherwise silent room. Arthur froze, but Katelyn didn't wake. He twisted the other way, cracked his neck, and finished the job, restoring his spine after the awkward night's rest.

Arthur examined the room, looking for something he could do to show his appreciation. The apartment was spotless except for the coffee table. He picked up his empty whiskey glass. Arthur carried it to the kitchen, rinsed it, washed it, and stuck it on the drying rack. He dried his hands on the towel hanging from the stove handle.

Making them breakfast seemed like a good idea. However, he wasn't sure what Kelly ate. His typical pre-workout breakfast -- a spinach omelet, side potatoes, and an orange or an apple for energy -- proved easy enough to prepare. But what if Kelly was more of a Greek yogurt girlie?

He checked their refrigerator. They had time before they were due at the gym.

"What are you doing, Mister?" Kelly whispered as she entered the kitchen. She wore a heavy-duty black sports bra under an oversized gray t-shirt with an open neckline that hung off one shoulder. Her thick, black yoga shorts covered her from the bottom of her abs to the top of her knees.

"I thought I'd make breakfast." Arthur answered. "As a thank you."

Kelly smiled as she approached him. She leaned on her tiptoes and kissed him, her mouth flush with the green sting of peppermint from her mouthwash. "You don't have to do that."

"I know." Arthur said. He winced as he realized his morning breath stunk compared to hers. "Sorry about my breath."

"Don't worry about it." Kelly giggled as quietly as she could. "You can use the bathroom if you need it. I'll pull out the prep for smoothies."

"So you're a pre-workout smoothie for breakfast, girlie, eh?" Arthur asked, holding her hand as he passed her.

"Yes, Sir." Kelly chuckled. "Go on. I'll make you one. We can drink them on the way to your place."

Arthur checked his watch. If he waited to shower until after the gym, he'd have time to rush to his apartment, grab his things, and make it to the gym before work.

"Unless you want me to make you a proper breakfast, like yesterday?" Kelly asked.

"Oh, uh..." Arthur hadn't considered that option. Honestly, sitting down to breakfast with Kelly and Katelyn sounded more enjoyable than rushing through a smoothie while he drove, but that meant missing his workout. Her offer of the smoothie was the responsible choice. "Smoothie. You have to meet the girls at the gym, right?"

"Good point." Kelly said. "Feel free to use my toothbrush, but we have extra toothbrushes and razors in the linen closet." She scratched his scruffy day-old facial hair.

"Thanks." Arthur said. He kissed her forehead and left her in the kitchen. He was quick in the bathroom. The idea of using someone else's toothbrush, even Kelly's, weirded him out, so he used one of the extra ones from the closet. He didn't shave, but combed his hair with his fingers and did his best to make himself look presentable. Honestly, the facial hair didn't look terrible, but it was too short to call it a beard. He wondered if he should grow one, but the girls probably had different opinions about it.

He returned to the living room to see Kelly waking Katelyn on the sofa.

"Good morning, Kitty Kat." Kelly said, rousing Katelyn by rubbing her thigh. "Time to rise and shine, Katelyn. You have a class."

Katelyn blinked and frowned. "Where's Master? I mean, Arthur? Goddamnit, now Selene has me doing it."

"That's another one for the spank jar." Kelly said, lifting her eyes over the sofa to see Arthur standing at the end of the hallway where it met the living room.

Arthur chuckled. "I'm right here, Pet." He said. "Kelly was going to teach me how to make her smoothies. Do you want one?"

Katelyn sat up, shaking off her slumber as she pushed the blanket away and brought her feet to the floor. "No, I'm good."

Kelly cleared her throat.

"I mean, no thank you, Sir?" Katelyn corrected her statement but turned it into a question.

Kelly laughed. "No, I mean, you should have one. You need to do your PT this morning. This will energize you for it."

Katelyn gestured with her hand, shooing Kelly's suggestion away. "I'm too sleepy to be hungry."

"That sentence makes no sense." Arthur said as he strode from the hallway to the kitchen. He was joking, but Katelyn was too tired to laugh. She yawned instead and stretched, though her wounded shoulder remained in its sling.

"Go get ready for the day." Kelly said, patting Katelyn's thigh. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes."

"Fine." Katelyn grumbled, but she rose from the sofa and stalked to the bathroom, her long legs fumbling in her sleepy state.

Kelly smiled, rose from her squatting position, and joined Arthur. She'd laid bags of frozen fruit, protein powder, and other ingredients on the counter. "For future reference, if you want to make one of these without me, I use frozen fruit so I don't have to bother with ice. You can chop and freeze your own, but the grocery store makes prep more convenient."

Arthur nodded. "So you layer in the frozen fruit, the powder, the bananas..."

Kelly nodded. "Do you have any allergies?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no." Arthur said, shrugging.

"Okay. Fresh spinach, coconut water, and water go in first." Kelly said, placing the ingredients into the blender on the counter. She had a nicer one than Arthur did, but she used it more. She closed the lid and pressed the button, pureeing the blender's contents until the green liquid turned smooth. "Then frozen pineapple, frozen peaches, a fresh banana, and my secret ingredient."

"What's the secret ingredient?" Arthur asked, amused. "Love?"

Kelly kissed him. "No. Coconut oil, baby!" Kelly added it to the blender after the other contents with flair. "It helps break down the sugars. Some people prefer chia seeds, but those people are wrong."

Arthur smiled as he watched her. She seemed so at home, relaxed, and even playful. Not only was she happy with what she was doing, but so excited to share it with him that it touched his heart. This must be what he looked like when discussing theater. "You should do a cooking show or something. I'd watch you for hours."

Kelly blushed, but smiled at the compliment. "Stop trying to get me to suck your dick."

Arthur laughed, which Kelly drowned out as she activated the blender. She shredded its contents and retrieved three travel cups from her cabinet. She poured one out and repeated the process twice more, filling the cups each time.

"I was supposed to make you breakfast." Arthur said, teasing her as he bumped her butt with his hip.

"Oh, shoot. You're right..." She stroked her chin. "Oh, well. You can buy me dinner." Kelly said, making a compromise.

"Tonight?" Arthur said. "I could meet you for a quick dinner before the guys' night, but it wouldn't be a proper date night."

"Oh, uh... not tonight. I need to talk to you about that. I didn't want to bring it up last night with everything you had going on." Kelly said, sliding one of the travel cups to him and offering him a reusable straw.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "So... talk to me." Arthur said. "What's up?"

Katelyn chose that moment to return. She looked cute as ever with her makeup done, wearing a long, red and black plaid sweater, a short pleated canvas skirt, black leggings, and ankle-high brown boots.

"I'll tell you on the car ride." Kelly said. She passed Katelyn the third smoothie.

"Thanks, Kels." Katelyn said, sipping the smoothie and making an impressed face. "This doesn't taste too bad. What's in it?"

"Oh, it's--"

Kelly coughed, cutting Arthur off mid-word. "Enjoy the smoothie, sweetie. And take your meds for your shoulder."

"Yes, Ma'am." Katelyn puckered her cheeks as she sipped the smoothie through her straw. She wandered away to find her purse and take her meds.

"Sorry about cutting you off." Kelly whispered to Arthur. "She's childish. If I tell her what's in it, she'll suddenly claim she doesn't like it. She swears she hates spinach, but she loves it when she doesn't know she's eating it. Plus, it's good for her."

Arthur nodded. Their dynamic amused him, but he didn't intercede. Kelly knew Katelyn's allergies, if she had any, and helped Katelyn despite herself. He was still curious about what Kelly wanted to discuss, though.

"Katelyn, do you think you could drive your car to campus?" Kelly asked. "I want to ride with Arthur."

"Oh." Katelyn said, surprised. "I assumed we'd ride together."

"We can do that." Arthur offered. "I can give you a lift."

Kelly gave Katelyn a meaningful look. Whatever silent conversation passed between them, Arthur couldn't decipher it.

"Or, I can drive myself, and you can ride with Arthur." Katelyn said. "After classes, we can drive straight to--"

"Thank you." Kelly cut Katelyn off before she finished her sentence.

"No problem." Katelyn said, glancing nervously at Arthur. "I'll let you two have your alone time." She stepped toward Arthur, kissing his cheek, then Kelly's. "Don't take too long or you'll miss your workouts." She winked and started packing her things.

Arthur looked awkwardly between them. "Did I miss something? You're making me nervous."

"It's okay." Kelly said, pressing her palm flat against Arthur's chest above his heart. "Nothing's wrong. I want to discuss something with you, and I figured we could do it on the drive."

"Something bad?" Arthur asked.

"No." Kelly said. "Just... well... something Lynn-related."

Katelyn looked up from her bag. "I'm off to class! Remember, don't give road head if he's driving. It's not safe. Park first."

Kelly rolled her eyes and sighed as she gave an exasperated expression to Katelyn. Katelyn giggled and waved goodbye. She blew them both kisses. "See you on campus."

She closed the door behind her, leaving Arthur and Kelly in the apartment.

"You should get dressed." Kelly gestured to his clothes by the door. "I'll grab my duffel."

Arthur nodded, not sure what to expect, as he put on his undershirt, collared shirt, and suit jacket. They were less wrinkled than his pants, but he'd worn them yesterday.

Kelly emerged from her room, and with their smoothies in hand, they made their way through the building to Arthur's car. Arthur opened the backseat door for her, and Kelly put her duffel behind the driver's seat. Then he opened her passenger door, and she sat, holstering her smoothie in his cup holder.

"Thank you, Sir." Kelly said, blowing him a kiss.

Arthur nodded, closed the door, rounded the car, and slipped into the driver's seat. He started the engine, and they were on the road. He tried to let her speak first, but it wasn't long after turning toward his apartment that he had to break the silence. "So what did you want to discuss? The silence is killing me."

"There's no easy way to say this, so I hope you're not too upset with me. Lynn invited me and the girls to an apology dinner. It's tonight." Kelly said. "And I want to go."

Arthur's muscles relaxed. "That's... not as bad as the scenarios my imagination conjured for me. But I thought I was clear. I want us to avoid Lynn?"

"You were." Kelly said. "You also said that avoiding her wasn't working. She keeps attacking us, and you needed to think of something to do about it."

Arthur frowned. She was right. The harem meeting made him realize that his avoidant policy wasn't working. Lynn kept coming after them, and he'd tried to solve it by going to his parents, but so far they hadn't been any help either. Their hands were as tied as his.

"Our following a do-nothing and avoid-her policy is just letting her do what she wants, not protecting us from her." Kelly explained. "So far, we've been lucky, but if she keeps going, someone's liable to get hurt. She might damage someone's relationship with their family or ruin their career prospects. We need to go on the offensive."

"I know!" Arthur said, snapping when he said it and instantly regretting his tone. "Sorry. I mean, I know." He fixed his tone the second time. "That's why I talked to my parents about it. My dad's going to talk to their lawyer, and maybe they'll find grounds to evict her."

"And maybe they won't." Kelly said.

"And maybe they won't." Arthur had to concede that point.

"I've thought of something we can do to keep her at bay." Kelly said. "But it's not without risk, and I want to give you plausible deniability."

"It's not murder, is it?" Arthur asked.

"No, Sir." Kelly shook her head. "I promise not to kill her."

Arthur glanced at her, keeping his eyes on the road but checking her expression. She was looking at him, her hand on his thigh in a gentle embrace. "I don't want you or any of the girls to get hurt for my sake, and as appealing as it might sound, hurting Lynn isn't an option."

"We won't." Kelly assured him. "What I have planned will not get anyone hurt." She squeezed his thigh. "Although, admittedly, breaking Lynn's nose would be pretty fuckin' cathartic."

"Swear jar." Arthur said, smiling so briefly it was like a twitch of his lips.

Kelly nodded, admitting she'd earned the spankings that came with her swearing. Still, she didn't let it distract her from their conversation.

"I want us to attend the apology dinner, and by 'us,' I mean the harem. Just us girls. You can still have your guys' night." Kelly said.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked. "There won't be a referee. My mom mentioned this to me last night. I thought it was another one of Lynn's lies because no one had mentioned it to me."

"She asked us last night, or I would have told you sooner. We didn't have time to ask or tell you about it because we didn't want to interrupt your dinner with your parents. You had so much on your plate last night. I wasn't going to dump this on you when you needed me to help you unwind."

"Thanks." Arthur said, contemplating the dilemma. Dinner with Lynn could go wrong in so many ways, especially without his mom there. "My mom isn't going."

"That's okay." Kelly said. "Honestly, it might be better. It lets us have a more honest conversation with her."

"I don't like it." Arthur said, frowning. "I don't want Lynn anywhere near you or the girls."

"I know." Kelly said, her voice soothing as she stretched her fingers over his leg and swept her thumb back and forth in reassurance. "But if we succeed, we can at least get her to agree to a live-and-let-live truce, like you wanted. We need her to stop going after our families and trying to get us in trouble like she did with Mindy."

Arthur tensed again, his forearm flexing from his grip on the wheel. As it was, she might have ruined Mindy's chances of moving into the house. She'd tried to do worse. She'd tried to blow up Mindy's life, and for what? Because she was a stepping stone on the way to ruining Arthur's life? Because Mindy said something catty at brunch? He wanted to punch Lynn for going after Mindy, but he knew he couldn't. He sighed. Kelly was right; breaking Lynn's nose would be pretty fucking cathartic, but there were fantasies not even he could fulfill.

"Do you trust me, Arthur?" Kelly asked.

"Of course I trust you." Arthur answered without hesitation. "It's Lynn I don't trust. Whatever she has planned for this dinner, I'd wager it's not an apology. You and the girls should be careful."

"Does that mean you'll allow us to go?" Kelly asked.

Arthur sighed. He didn't enjoy making this decision. His gut told him to say no. Interacting with Lynn was a mistake. On the other hand, they couldn't avoid her forever. Maybe it was better to go into battle prepared, rather than hoping Lynn didn't strike and finding themselves napping when she did.

"If I say no, you won't go?" Arthur asked.

"Of course. You're our coach, remember? We follow your lead." Kelly said. "I talked to the girls first. We've all agreed to go, except Selene, but they'll bail if I tell them you said no. I'm asking for your permission, Arthur. Not your opinion. It's your decision."

"Selene's not going?" Arthur asked.

"She has plans." Kelly said.

Arthur wondered what those were, but didn't press. "And you won't tell me what you plan on doing?"

"I will if you want me to." Kelly said. "But it's important that I'm the person Lynn aims her vengeance at if things go wrong, not you."

"Promise me you'll be careful?" Arthur said. "Promise me you won't beat anyone up, and promise me that if anything goes wrong, you'll get out of there and come directly to me."

Kelly considered his stipulations. "I promise."

"Where is this apology dinner?" Arthur asked.

"Her apartment in the basement." Kelly said.

Arthur nodded. "I'll be right upstairs then." He said. "If anything goes wrong, you call me, or get me, or send someone to fetch me."

"And what will you do? Rush in there and punch Lynn in the face to save me?" Kelly asked.

"If one of us is going to get arrested for punching Lynn, I'd prefer it was me." Arthur said. "It's my job to protect you, not the other way around."

"It's our job to protect each other." Kelly corrected him. "But I'll let you protect me, Mister. Thank you." She moved her hand to his arm and held his bicep, hugging it with her palm and squeezing with her fingers. "I appreciate you."

"I appreciate you, too." Arthur said.

Kelly leaned over and kissed his cheek.

The urge to kiss her tugged at his lips, but Arthur was driving, so he held himself in check.

"So we can go?" Kelly asked.

Arthur slowly released a long exhale. "You can go."

"Thank you, Arthur." Kelly said, squeezing his bicep. "Thank you for letting me help you."

Arthur was quiet as he contemplated what he'd just agreed to. His girlfriends were having dinner with Lynn and planning something. He couldn't imagine what. He could only hope Lynn wouldn't poison their meal. However, if Lynn cooked, the poisoning might be accidental. It was most likely that their stomachs would regret it that same night.

"Not to change the subject..." Arthur said as he stopped at a red light. "But how are you feeling today?"

"It's manageable." Kelly said. "But I'm taking it easy with the workout, I promise."

"Good girl." Arthur said. "And is there anything else I should know? We have time on the drive."

"Oh, I guess I should fill you in on the harem meeting decisions from before you arrived Wednesday..." Kelly said, stroking her chin. "Let's see..." She filled him in on their plans for a hotel and the Ren Faire. Assuring him that the girls were covering the cost for the Saturday night hotel as a thank you for him covering the hotel last weekend.

Likewise, the details for departure arose. Early Saturday morning departure didn't bother him, although it meant he wouldn't go for a run beforehand. There'd be plenty of walking at the Faire, and chances were he'd be practicing cardio late into the night.

With the tense conversation over, each took turns sipping from their smoothies and enjoying the refreshing, fruity taste. The drive didn't last long, about twenty minutes, with Arthur taking the straight shot around campus instead of through it. He parked in his apartment complex to see that Kat's car was already gone. She and Selene must have left for the campus gym. He rushed inside to grab his things, nearly running into someone at the mailboxes.

"Oh, hey. Walk of shame, eh?" Ricky offered Arthur a high five. "Same, dude. Same." He gestured to his clothes.

Arthur hesitated, but didn't want to leave the man hanging, so he gave Ricky a high five.

"You spent the night at her place?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah..." Arthur said, glancing at the stairs. "I'm sorry, man, I'm in a rush. I need to get to the gym."

"Oh, sure, no problem." Ricky said. "I'm gonna go hit the gym myself on the way home. Do you go to Planet Fitness over on Riverside Road?"

"No." Arthur said, shaking his head. "I use the athletic center on Pendleton's campus."

"Right. Makes sense. Okay, see you around, dude!" Ricky said as he left. He waved to Kelly, who was waiting for Arthur in the passenger seat, and Arthur took the stairs two at a time.

He was in and out of his apartment in record time. He dressed himself in gym shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt with a duffel bag in hand.

The drive to campus felt rushed, but they arrived on time. Selene and Mindy were waiting for Kelly on the yoga mats. Kat was there too, jumping rope. She wore pink leggings that looked faded, and a long white T-shirt that covered her butt, but she looked cute with her hair swept back in a pink bandana.

Selene's braid was as long and graceful as ever. She wore a tiny pair of blue yoga shorts that left nothing to the imagination. The clingy fabric contoured her ass, and her camel toe was visible whenever she opened her legs. The bralette she wore with it was too small for her breasts, but she didn't seem to care. Its thin material presented the peaks of her hard nipples to the room. The narrow leather choker clung to her throat as well, and she beamed her bright smile at Arthur as soon as he walked into the gym.

Mindy waved from her place beside Selene. She was warming up on the mats, wearing a pair of black leggings, a cropped Wolves t-shirt, and, from what Arthur could tell, a black sports bra beneath. She blew Arthur a kiss, prompting Kat and Selene to do the same.

Arthur returned the gesture to each, blowing four kisses. The repetitive action drew stares from bystanders as he hopped on the treadmill to warmup.

Kelly moved over to the girls, and they started their training.

Brad joined Arthur on the treadmills soon after he started.

"Still on for tonight?" Brad asked.

"Of course." Arthur said. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too." Brad said. "So's Mark."

Arthur started jogging, watching the girls.

Brad fell silent, catching up in pace with Arthur. "Everything alright between you and the girls?" He asked. "You seem tense."

"Yeah." Arthur said. "Everything's fantastic. It's just been a long week. I need a night off."

"Aw. Your girlfriends are wearing you out? You want to do an endurance burnout today?" Brad asked, joking as he asked it.

Arthur laughed. "Fuck that."

"Well, you can sleep in on Sunday at least." Brad said. "Maria said she and Mark were getting a hotel room so we can stay late for the after-show at the Ren Faire with you guys. Is that okay?"

Arthur shrugged. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. I hadn't given much thought to the after-show, but Kelly mentioned it earlier."

"Oh." Brad said, confused. "Maria said Selene mentioned it to her."

"Yeah." Arthur said, chuckling. "Honestly, it's a good idea. The after-show is supposed to be fun."

"I heard there's a wet chemise contest. Think I can convince Jen to take part?" Brad asked, as if the very idea were a joke. "She'd probably do it if she weren't the only one."

Arthur shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure at least one of my girls will."

Brad spared a glance at the women, and his eyes nearly left their sockets in a cartoonish Tex Avery impression when they hit Selene. "Yeah... Selene's dressing to impress nowadays." He chuckled. "That's gotta be your doing. She was always pretty modest before the two of you started dating. Looks like you've given her some confidence."

"Yeah." Arthur said, wondering if that was it. Selene's sluttiness escalated with every passing day. That was good, right? It meant she felt confident and comfortable with herself and her enjoyment of sex. She was a very sexual person, to Arthur's surprise. He benefited from that sexuality, but she still acted profoundly different from the friend he'd known for years.

Or she was the same. Perhaps this Selene, who enjoyed bending over and placing her hands flat on the mats in cheeky yoga shorts, was inside her all along, waiting to get out. Had he encouraged her and given her the sense of safety she needed to express herself? Or was this something else?

He needed to figure that out soon.

Arthur's workout allowed him to ponder things, but soon became exhausting as he and Brad pushed themselves to their limits. He didn't have to hold back and conserve his strength today. He vented his frustrations with Lynn through the exercises and found rage-lifting to be satisfying. His sleeveless gray t-shirt was dark with sweat by the time he finished. The cotton clung to his torso until he plucked it rapidly to fan his torso in a pitiful attempt to cool himself.

Brad went as hard as Arthur in the workout, not letting Arthur pull ahead. Their friendly competition let both of them lift heavier weights for longer sets than they had last week. Stretching afterward felt like heaven, easing their muscles back to life after working them to death. They fist-bumped at the end, and Brad headed into the locker room as Arthur approached the girls.

Kelly's eyes devoured him as if she were starving and he was a three-course meal. She chewed her bottom lip, causing the other girls to turn and look in Arthur's direction.

Arthur tore his shirt off as he walked, revealing a torso of ripped muscles that glistened under the overhead lighting.

"Damn." Mindy said, still in awe. "I want me some of that."

Selene giggled. "Right?"

"That's my hubby." Kelly said, as if the other girls weren't also dating him. "Hot, right?"

"You're a lucky woman." Mindy said, playing along.

The girls giggled among themselves, which was what Arthur heard when he reached them. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I'm heading into the shower." Arthur said, letting them know his workout was over.

"Need help?" Selene asked. She raised her hand. "Pick me. I'm flexible; I can reach those hard-to-reach spots."

Arthur laughed, assuming she was joking.

"Pick me!" Mindy said, jumping up beside Selene. "I've got some bubbles you can play with in the bath." She pushed her shoulders back, accentuating her chest for effect.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "If I were grading you, I'd deduct points for a pun that bad." She told Mindy and turned her attention to Arthur with a smile as Mindy pouted. "Have a good workout, Sir?" She asked, teasing him with her tone almost as much as the others.

"You, uh..." Kat stammered, trying to say something witty in the face of Arthur's abs. She absent-mindedly caressed them with her fingers. "Pick me."

Arthur shook his head. "I'm not picking anyone." He said. "The men's locker room is off-limits."

"I could sneak--" Selene started.

"No." Arthur said. "No sneaking into the men's showers. We'd get in trouble."

"Stairwell then?" Selene asked.

"I'm sweaty and gross from the workout." Arthur said. "Not to mention exhausted."

"So?" Selene asked. "I want to taste you that way. You've never let me before."

"And I'm still not allowing it now." Arthur said. His tone remained firm, with annoyance creeping into the edges. Kat seemed to recognize it and held Selene's forearm as if holding her back. Selene pouted, but obeyed.

"Yes, Master." She said and returned to her cooldown stretches.

"Some people find hot and sweaty sexy." Mindy said, defending Selene. "There's nothing wrong with that, right, Boss?"

"It's fine, but now's not the time." Arthur said, checking behind him to make sure no one was overhearing this conversation. "When we're in public, call me Arthur." He reminded Selene.

"Can I still call you Boss?" Mindy asked.

"Boss is fine." Arthur conceded. "If you have to."

Mindy smiled. "I have to, Boss."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Everything go okay with your workouts today?" He asked, checking up on them.

The girls nodded, and Kat spoke up. "Kelly is a cruel personal trainer. I don't know why I ever thought she wasn't a sadist." Kat said.

"Just because I pushed you doesn't make me a sadist." Kelly said, laughing.

"Maybe not, but the burpees do." Kat argued back.

Kelly laughed. "I did them too!"

"But you're you, and I'm me." Kat said, gesturing to their bodies in turn. "Burpees are no big deal for you. They're awful for me."

"You'll get used to them." Arthur assured Kat. "And they're great exercises."

"Really?" Kat asked, with half-sarcasm, half-hope in her voice.

"No, not really. Burpees are awful, and will always be awful, but you can do more of them before you cry if you practice." Arthur said, laughing with the girls as they laughed at his response.

Kat swatted at him, but the playful blow lingered too long to be angry.

"I wanted to say goodbye before I left for work. Mindy, I'll see you at the office?" He asked.

Mindy saluted. "Yes, Boss."

"And I'll see the rest of you tomorrow morning, assuming you don't hit the SOS." He glanced at Kelly.

Kelly nodded. "I updated the girls during the workout."

"I wanted to tell you about the plans last night." Kat said. "But they outvoted me."

"I appreciate that." Arthur said. "I appreciate your waiting until I was ready. My reaction wouldn't have been reasonable last night. I'm still not sure it's a great idea, but I trust you." He said to Kelly. "Just... be careful. If you piss her off, we have to be ready to deal with the fallout. It's your well-being I'm worried about, not mine."

"And we appreciate that." Kelly said. "But don't worry. I promise that if anything goes wrong, we will come to get you right away. Otherwise, enjoy your guys' night. Play some poker, or whatever you guys do."

"Okay." Arthur said. He kissed Kelly's cheek, Kat's, Mindy's, and finally Selene's. "Have a good cooldown." He said.

"Have a good shower." Selene said. "Think of us and how much we love you."

Arthur chuckled and waved goodbye as he headed toward the locker room. He was an incredibly lucky man.

Despite the temptation to follow Selene's advice, Arthur was quick in the shower, in and out in a matter of minutes. However, he took the time afterward to shave, which added another few minutes. He hurried out of the athletic center once he dressed and power-walked toward the admin building. As a supervisor, it was his responsibility to set a good example and arrive early. He walked briskly, thinking about his girlfriends so much that he almost missed Sarah and Tara waving at him and waiting for him on the path.

He caught up with them and nodded. "Hey! On your way to work?"

Tara nodded. "How'd you know?"

Sarah laughed. "Did you enjoy breakfast? We must have missed you in the dining hall."

"Oh, I'm coming from the gym." Arthur said.

"I thought I smelled fresh cologne." Tara said. "You smell amazing."

"Aftershave, and thanks? I guess." Arthur shrugged.

Sarah leaned over and sniffed him, pressing her nose into his neck. She took a deep inhale and laughed.

"You do smell amazing. What brand of aftershave is that?" Sarah asked. She left her hand on his arm as if for balance from the lean over his shoulder as she stood straight again.

"Uh..." Arthur's brain was firing off warning bells and waving red flags everywhere. His speech stalled as he looked between the two women. Were they flirting with him?

No, they couldn't be. They were Sarah and Tara. They joked around sometimes, but they were friendly coworkers. Sarah didn't have excellent attention to detail, but she honored her shifts and never called out. Tara had a boyfriend, didn't she? It was inappropriate for Arthur to ask. He didn't press into their personal lives, though they often asked about his.

Sarah slid her manicured fingers along his arm as she released her touch on him, smiling at him the entire time.

Last night's conversation with Kelly buzzed through his brain. He was clueless with flirting, but Kelly insisted that people flirted with him more than he'd realized. Tara might not be flirting, but passing him an honest compliment, the way she might have complimented a fellow woman. Sarah, however, was invading his personal space, staring at him, looking away when he met her gaze, laughing like everything he said sounded hysterical, and touching him.

The constant physical contact had to be flirty, right? Or was it a personality quirk? Had he seen her being that way with Tara or anyone else? Now that he considered the behavior, he couldn't say he'd seen her do it to anyone else. She was flirting.

Now the question was: What should he do? To acknowledge her advances might make their professional relationship awkward. Ignoring her behavior would be routine, but her flirting made him uncomfortable. Weren't they the ones who reported his and Mindy's relationship? Why was Sarah flirting with him if she thought he was a disgusting pig taking advantage of a freshman?

"Uh..." Arthur repeated as they approached the admin building entrance.

Sarah and Tara glanced at each other, wondering what had made him short-circuit.

"Old Spice." Arthur answered. "It's Old Spice."

"Isn't that like, for senior citizens?" Tara joked.

Arthur shrugged. "My girlfriend likes it." He said, picturing Kelly as he opened the door to the admin building and held it for them.

"Which one?" Tara asked with a teasing tone. "Sarah likes it. Are you going to add her to your stable of women?"

"My..." Arthur hesitated. "No." He shook his head. "I mean, they all like it, but Kelly is the one I meant. She recommended it to Lori, who gave it to me as a present once, and I've used it ever since."

"Lori, your ex?" Tara asked. "Why did she dump you again?"

"She didn't--"

"It was mutual." Tara and Sarah said simultaneously.

"Yeah, we don't believe you." Sarah said. "Not that we're saying you did anything wrong. But nobody who initiates the breakup mopes as much as you did."

"But hey, you bounced back." Tara said, giving Sarah a significant look. "You keep collecting women, and one of them's bound to stick around instead of running off on you. Is that what your whole deal is? Hedging your bets so you don't end up alone?"

"Tara." Sarah protested. "That was mean. I'm sure Lori regrets running off on him."

"Sure, but it took, what, five women to take her place?" Tara asked. "Poor girl must have been exhausted."

Arthur sighed, walking through the halls with them. "She didn't run off on me. Lori believed she had to choose between love and her career. She chose her career."

"And you don't believe that?" Sarah asked.

"I would have tried long distance, or been willing to go with her, but she ended things instead." Arthur said, annoyed, but doing his best not to let it show. "Now, we should get to work." He held the office door open for them. "Let's keep my personal life out of the office, okay?"

"You got it, Boss." Sarah said, squeezing his arm on her way past him into the office again.

Arthur took his seat at his desk and started work. He was noticing things more now and wondered if he should discuss it with Beth. Sarah's flirting triggered his paranoia, as if she were trying to trap or trick him. He didn't intend to fall for it, but it made him nervous. Not to mention their various misconceptions regarding his relationships. Yet another problem on his plate.

~~~

The rest of Thursday night became an alcohol-fogged haze for Lynn. She'd drunk more than she should, and the last thing she remembered before getting into an Uber was Sanjay giving her his number.

She awoke on Friday morning, totally alone. Silence filled her bedroom. The deafening absence of noise blanketed everything as if it had snowed overnight. The house above her sat empty. Arthur locked and secured the doors against her. He'd even replaced the pool house lock, the garage door lock, the garage code, the spare key code, and the sliding glass door to the kitchen. The house was officially a 'No-Lynn zone.'

She had her apartment, the things in it, her car, and her parents--no one and nothing else.

The loneliness tried to crush her again, but she didn't let it. Why should she care if she'd spent the night alone? So what if she had no friends? Other people were losers. So what if Deb blocked her on every social media platform? It shouldn't bother her if her calls and texts didn't reach the woman closer to her than her mother.

Lynn sniffed.

This betrayal wouldn't get to her. She wouldn't let Arthur win. He could keep Deb. Lynn didn't need her. Sure, she'd thought Deb was the one person who'd never give up on her, but that's what people did. They abandoned her.

Her friends in high school? Gone.

Her best friend, Angie, attended a different school, and according to social media, she was doing well. She stopped responding to Lynn's messages years ago. Even the ones who'd gone to the same college didn't talk to her anymore. They were losers, but at least in high school, they'd been loyal losers. In college, they forgot their place and turned on her. One by one, they turned, just like Deb.

The friends she made in college? Well, friends was a strong word. She'd had roommates, but they weren't the cool girls. She'd tried for a sorority, but those bitches worshiped their queen bees and made damn sure not to let Lynn into their hives. What kind of sorority required high GPAs? Lynn rolled her eyes just remembering it.

Then came the fiasco with that incompetent dean. He had one fucking job, and he couldn't even do that without getting caught. Lynn barely avoided the fire on that one, but it didn't matter. Her grades evaporated, and so did her collegiate career. Pendleton only gave her a chance because her parents begged, swindled, and leveraged every favor they had.

She'd tried to live with them, but her mother told her that independence would benefit her. That had to be Deb's idea. "It'll be great. Move into the house, share it with Arty and other Pendleton students, and make friends."

Yeah, right. Lynn didn't have friends. She considered people tools. Not that she'd find a use for anyone in the house.

Instead of filling the house with students, Arthur and his girlfriends took it, stuck Lynn in the basement, and wouldn't even let her talk to him. He was supposed to be her golden ticket. In high school, he'd worked his ass off for her grades. He'd be willing to do it again if it weren't for his fucking transformation and sick, demented girlfriends. What freaks those girls must be to share a man between them.

Those freaks turned Deb against her. No one stood by her side now. She didn't have anyone to talk to. No one to ask for advice or help. Her parents listened, but they were useless beyond their financial support. At least that was still coming in, even though they tried to restrict it because Deb thought she should learn fiscal responsibility.

Lynn groaned.

Last night should have been fun, but it turned to shit. She reviewed it in her mind, trying to see why her plan, like all her recent plans, failed. Step one: Meet Katelyn's ex, Sean, at the bar. Step two: Send him running back to Katelyn. Lynn spent days chatting him up, subtly asking him questions about his previous relationship. That went well. Too well. All to block Katelyn from joining the harem and her living in the house.

Step three: She'd meet Sean, show him he wasn't shit by texting on her phone instead of paying attention to him. After that, he'd go running back to familiar pastures. The plan was perfect, and it would keep Katelyn out of Arty's fucking harem. Hell, Katelyn might have been grateful to Lynn for helping reunite her and Sean. Then Lynn would have an ally or two.

Unfortunately, Sean fucked that plan right in the ass without lube. He approached Katelyn before his date with Lynn and fucked it up. That was the failure. It was Sean's fault.

When she got to the bar, Sean wasn't in the lustful mood she expected. Instead, he proved miserable and pathetic, like every loser. She'd pushed too hard, or underestimated how in love Sean had been. Katelyn dumped his miserable ass, and Lynn saw why. He was a crybaby, nowhere near as stoic, forceful, and manly as the new Arthur.

So Lynn tried Plan B: make it look like she and Sean hooked up, just to piss off Katelyn, Kelly, and Arthur. She didn't have any use for Sean beyond that. Unfortunately, Sean still wanted Katelyn and rejected Lynn. She still didn't understand it.

What the fuck did Sean or Arthur see in that twig that made her worth fucking? How could they consider Katelyn with Lynn right there?

Sean even told her she was hot, but apparently, he believed she was too hot for him, which was true. She was a goddess. He had a face that looked like he'd marry his cousin. He ran away, and left her there.

After that she drank to cool off and chatted with other guys, got three phone numbers, and drank way too many shots. She'd Ubered home and needed to fetch her car from the bar's parking lot.

Of the three guys, only one looked promising. Her memory remained hazy, but he went to Pendleton and said he made pretty good grades. Sanjay was another junior and a biology major. He wanted to attend medical school after graduation. Lynn stopped listening after that. He stood shorter than her typical type, but possessed a handsome, swarthy appearance. Pity he couldn't read a room, or listen instead of talking. He hadn't asked her a single question about herself, except to ask if she had any sisters or if she'd be open to a poly relationship. She left him in the bar without inviting him anywhere, but she had his number if she got bored and needed a free dinner.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she came home alone.

Lynn pulled off her night mask and threw it toward the trash can in frustration. She slid out of the bed and forced herself to rise. The light-blocking curtains kept the window from annoying her with midmorning light. She'd stripped her clothes off last night on her way to bed, sleeping naked. She didn't bother pulling on a bra or stepping into a pair of panties. There was no one here, and even if there were, no one wanted anything to do with her. She was as free as a bird with nowhere to fly. Worse than that, she was alone. She didn't even have a roommate she might push around.

The one person she'd reached out to for support blocked her. Auntie Deb turned on her because of something that happened so long ago that Lynn barely thought about it. Her and Arthur's first and only time together. It was a disappointment, to say the least, and he'd been uncooperative. He should have knelt and worshipped her like the goddess she was. Instead, he'd fucking cried.

Where were all the men? The guys who didn't break down or wear their emotions on their sleeves? The tall, rugged men who looked like Arthur did now, but possessed more emotional fortitude than the average kindergartner? Arthur's hard, silent stare of disapproval and hatred filled her imagination. He was a different person from high school Arty now. His body was muscular, ripped, and hot enough that she was willing to do all kinds of things with him in that hot tub before she recognized him. Sean and Sanjay didn't measure up well in comparison.

Lynn wiped the sleep from her eyes as she padded into the kitchen. The sudden change from soft carpet to chilly tile woke her up. She jumped back to the carpet, crossing her arms over her heavy breasts to keep them from hurting in the leap.

She looked around the apartment for her slippers.

"Fuck." She sighed, not finding them. "Where the fuck are they? It's not like anyone else moved them."

She kicked her cowgirl boots aside and pulled her shirt from last night off the floor. Her slippers fell out of it, having caught beneath the shirt as she lifted it. She sighed, threw the shirt onto the sofa, and stepped into her slippers.

She'd clean up eventually. Her panties started the trail of clothes by the door. She'd kicked them there last night after removing her shorts. The shorts rested a few feet away by the couch she'd thrown her shirt onto. Her bra hung on the doorknob of the bedroom.

She stepped into the kitchen. The coffeemaker sat empty, staring at her as she approached. There was no one else to fill the water, clean the filter, or set the pot. She hadn't set it last night either. Living on her own sucked. At least in college, her roommates did this shit. Grabbing a cup of coffee was easy when someone else made the coffee.

If she lived on campus, she'd buy a cup, but her parents didn't want to pay for a dorm room when Auntie Deb had a room for rent. The cheapskates. It wasn't that they couldn't afford it. She couldn't wait until she turned twenty-five and gained access to her trust fund. Arthur had his savings, which, according to Auntie Deb, he'd worked for and saved. So why couldn't she have custody of the money her parents set aside for her? Why did she have to learn fiscal responsibility? Because Deb thought teaching it to Arthur was a good idea?

Men were supposed to be responsible with money; that's what they were for. Lynn shouldn't have to worry about finances. She was too hot to ever worry about money or how she spent it.

She took the water container from the side of the pot and filled it at the sink, watching the water run. The heat rose from the sink, steaming the air and reminding Lynn of the faded hand-shaped mark on her face.

Auntie Deb had really flipped. She'd smacked Lynn right across the face.

The memory of her slap stung more than the faded red mark on her cheek. The reality hadn't sunk in last night as she pretended to listen to Sanjay. Nothing made sense. Deb had always taken Lynn's side over Arthur's. She was the one who always encouraged him to look out for Lynn and be nice to her. Deb always stuck her neck out for Lynn's sake. She'd helped her so many times, and now Deb was burn-the-house-down mad and willing to throw Lynn away?

This was Arthur's fault. He said something to Deb to turn her against Lynn. But what? What did he say that flipped Auntie Deb? Even Uncle George treated her coldly at the door, and that old man acted more uncomfortable in her presence than anything else--the perv.

Lynn set the filled water container on the coffee maker and rinsed the pot. She returned it and removed the filter, throwing yesterday's ground coffee beans in the garbage. Lynn replaced them with a dozen scoops of today's ground coffee beans.

She closed the lid, hit the button, and looked around for her phone as the coffee pot heater started. The percolating noise of bubbling water echoed through the apartment as Lynn moved through the open space. She took the phone from her nightstand and checked her messages. Her frown deepened as she read her father's response to her late-night text.

Lynn: Hey, Papi! I know you and Mami said you're putting me on an allowance last night, and I get it. Totally. But I realized after I left, I already spent a bunch of money this week before I knew that was happening. So, do you think we might start that next week? I'm short on food money because of it.

Papi: Didn't you tell us last night that you just went grocery shopping yesterday? I'm sorry, honey, but we're sticking with the allowance. We will deposit the money into your account every week, and it's your responsibility to manage your budget. Let me know if you'd like us to review the budget with you, or Auntie Deb, or Uncle George.

She fumed. How dare her father tell her no? How dare he catch her in a lie that wasn't even that important? She'd gone grocery shopping, so she had food, but what did that matter? She needed that money. What was she supposed to do? Sell pictures of herself online for cash?

She'd make money, but it seemed like a ton of work. Her thirst traps and cleavage shots on Instagram were popular enough, but they weren't producing any money she could take to the bank. Perverts flooded her comments with requests for her OnlyFans information, which she didn't have. Perhaps she should start one if she found someone to handle the editing and technical aspects for her. That'd teach her parents to fuck with her cash flow.

Hell, she wondered how much Sanjay would pay to see her right now, standing naked in her apartment, being domestic. Indian guys were good with tech, right? Was that racist? Lynn didn't care. Sanjay might be a suitable candidate if he learned to keep his mouth shut. He'd do it for free, and if he got too handsy, she'd put him in his place. Short and scrawny didn't threaten her. He'd be her new Arty, or she'd find another simp who'd do it for her. She didn't have time to cultivate a customer base or pretend to enjoy attention from perverts. But if bots did the work, she'd pose and rake in the cash. She strode back into her living room.

Mother Nature built her body for lust, but in her apartment, no one saw it. Her hips, breasts, butt, legs, and every contour of her flesh made her every man's and most women's desire. Plenty of people at the bar would have come home with her and gladly worshipped her body. They'd pay for the privilege, too.

So why the fuck hadn't Arty gotten it up all those years ago? Why was he pushing her away now and not running into her arms like a lovesick lapdog? Was he pissed that she didn't recognize him in the hot tub at that first reunion weeks ago? That wasn't her fault, though. He couldn't blame her for not realizing how much he'd changed. Arthur was the one who'd blocked her on social media.

Had she come on too strong in her senior year? He'd been in love with her his whole life, but when his chance to be her boy toy arrived, he cried. Had she pushed the humiliation too far? She'd planned it all that night so long ago, and she enjoyed herself, but he acted like she'd done something to him, rather than for him. Deb said that he'd told her the details and how it led to the fight with the football team. Was that what upset her?

She should've stopped them from beating him, but they wouldn't have listened to her. It wasn't her fault that Arty startled her. What was he doing running after her anyway? He should have waited for her in the room, as she told him to. She would have returned after a night of partying and used him again, like a good boy. After some rest, he might've gotten a freaking boner. Men. She couldn't trust them to do anything. He didn't listen, so he got what he deserved.

Deb blamed her for her son's mistakes, though. So that meant Arthur did too. Did he tell his girlfriends? No, he'd never be willing to admit to his lovesick groupies that he wasn't all man. He must have told them a version of events that led to their turning against her, though. Kelly suggested she knew more than the others. She might even know Lynn's issues with the dean. Lynn would have to discuss it with her tonight.

She checked the clock on the coffeepot. Nearly eleven in the morning. That gave her plenty of time to order food and make it appear as though she'd cooked. Deb wasn't coming tonight, which meant she couldn't get Deb to help her cook, aka make dinner for her. It would be just her, Kelly, Mindy, Kat, Rani, and Katelyn. Six people, herself and five of Arthur's six whores. She wondered why the sluttiest of them, Selene, wasn't coming, but she didn't care. That bitch would get hers.

Lynn needed food for six people, and all for a fucking apology facade that didn't even matter anymore. Deb had been the reason she invited them to dinner in the first place. She didn't care about Mindy, but keeping Deb on her side had been necessary.

What the fuck was the point now?

Mindy should have been off the board already. One by one, her plans failed and fell apart. It burned Lynn that Mindy's parents proved so wholesome and understanding. Their daughter being bisexual was no big deal to them? They must be the only Korean parents Lynn ever heard of reacting that way.

Not that she knew any other Korean parents.

At least the news would piss off Rani's parents when Lynn found them. That hunt proved difficult. Rani must have segregated her college life from her home life. Her social profiles only went back to her freshman year of college; before that, there was no record of her online presence. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Was she an orphan?

Kelly's mother hadn't responded to Lynn's friend request, nor had Katelyn's, or Kat and Selene's. Except for Kelly, Lynn wasn't friends with any of them on social media. So they shared no mutuals. Now, though, Kelly gave her a way in. With a mutual friend in Kelly, those parents would assume she was friends with their daughters from Pendleton. It'd be a good segue to queuing up whatever dirt she needed to dish to their parents.

She'd be damned if she let them live here unscathed after the insults they hurled at her at brunch, and the way they kept her from talking to Arthur. He shouldn't be with them. They didn't own him. Lynn owned him. The sooner they realized that, the better off they'd be.

Lynn sighed, looking around the apartment. It was a decent place. Sizable. Even with floor space used for storage, water heaters, the furnace, and the electrical box, the in-law suite was the same size as her parents' apartment. At least her parents had a balcony, though. Losing her patio privileges sucked. The pool was right there and heated. Maybe she'd go for a dip. She should enjoy her last few days of living in this ghost town of a house. Soon, the girls would be there to remind her that no one wanted her there.

She thrived on hatred, but even the great Lynn Barerra had her limits. She needed someone to bitch to, to listen to her vent, to do things for her. A roommate could do that, but she had no candidates. Skylar hadn't returned her texts after homecoming. Apparently, she resented Lynn ditching her so Lynn could attend an exclusive party that proved to be nothing but a prank. Lynn crossed her legs as the memory of that night made her heart pump faster.

The memory of sitting naked in her car, masturbating to the shame of streaking through the hotel, made her fingers itch. She needed to stop masturbating to the memory of Kelly spitting on her cheek in the admin building, or nude Selene closing the door after taking her clothes away. Her dreams had been too sexual recently and too focused on Kelly, Arthur, and the girls for her comfort. She couldn't even cum anymore without picturing Kelly standing over her, humiliating her for Arthur's amusement. It sickened and aroused her.

She stepped into her bathroom and washed her face with frigid water. She looked at herself in the mirror briefly. Without makeup, she looked like an unfinished painting. Lynn turned off the light and shuffled back to the kitchen. She poured her coffee and let it cool. The steam wafted into the air above the mug in gentle swirls.

So the plan with Sean to take Katelyn off the board failed. The plan with Mindy failed before that. Rani was a nonstarter. Selene was fun to mess with, but she wasn't ready to get Selene fired yet. She had to make Selene believe she carried the power, though.

Lynn's skin crawled at the idea of having to flirt with that store manager again. Ugh. The things she did for victory. Could she get something incriminating on him instead? If she hit up his DMs, she might get a dick pic. That'd be enough leverage to make him do whatever she asked.

She owed Kat a visit to the library to mess with her. Lynn planned to order Kat to help her find some books and waste time bossing her around. That might be fun. It'd have to wait, though. She was supposed to put on a pleasant facade tonight. She had to pretend she wanted to be their friend and humiliate herself with an apology to Mindy.

All so she might, what? Break up the harem and make Arthur realize he wanted her? Get through college? Why the fuck did she need college?

She had a choice to make.

She could surrender. Without Deb in her corner, she had no chance of getting Arthur on her side. Lynn could give up and move in with her parents. She'd abandon the idea of attending a college she'd flunk out of in a semester, and live as she saw fit. Lynn would party, have fun, and marry one of her dad's rich friends who wanted a sugar baby. Whoever was into never sexually satisfying her, and having her berate and humiliate them for it. Those guys existed on the internet, right? Why not in real life? Why did her stomach sour at the thought?

A variation of that would be starting her own porn channel somewhere. A few poses, some masturbation videos, and she'd rake in the dough and make enough to cover her bills and live how she wanted. Sexual liberty, financial independence, and getting paid for getting off sounded like a good gig.

Alternatively, she'd go nuclear. It wasn't about victory anymore. There was no victory. There was no getting Arty to do her assignments and help her pass college, so her parents stopped nagging her. She'd never be able to ingratiate herself into his circle of friends, depose Kelly, and replace her as their queen. Instead, she'd blow it up. Figuratively speaking, of course. She wouldn't do anything that might end with her getting hurt.

No, Lynn would take their personal relationship bullshit and make it public. She'd out them as poly, bisexual deviants. At least three of them could kiss their careers goodbye. She'd be doing them a favor. Who in their right mind wanted to be a teacher?

And Arthur? He'd be so easy to frame as a misogynistic monster. "Arthur manipulated those poor women and took advantage of them. He brainwashed them, but once they escape his cult, they'll come around." None of it would be true, but who the fuck cared? No company in its right mind would hire a man with that much bad press. Not in today's market.

Could she leverage that with Deb? No. That'd only piss Deb off more. If she threatened Arthur's future or tried to force Deb into liking her again, she'd just end up making things worse.

She had nothing to gain from any of the options ahead of her. The porn route might make her money, but it wasn't the same as satisfaction against Arthur's girlfriends. Either way, she lost, and they won. She couldn't have that. She sipped her coffee, letting the heat against her lips and tongue wake her mind.

"What the fuck do I want?" Lynn asked her transparent reflection in the window. "To be on top again?"

She couldn't see a path to that.

"Someone to fuckin' listen to me?" Lynn glared at her reflection as if it mocked her. How dare the reflection show the emptiness of her apartment and the lone figure standing amid the barren suite?

"College is so fucking boring." Lynn moaned. She didn't want to attend classes or work for a living. Lynn was in her twenties. She was supposed to travel, party, and enjoy life. Why did her parents want to ruin that?

Travel. There was an idea. She could plan a trip. She'd go to Miami and spend a week on the beach. Or the Bahamas. A few weeks in the Bahamas might let her forget Auntie Deb's betrayal. She could party at the clubs as usual, dance, drink, and have her fun. She'd flirt, test her powers over strangers, amuse herself with them, and then leave them wanting more. That always made life better, right?

Until she woke up in the morning, alone as usual.

Of course, she'd be just as alone there. At least there she'd have alcohol in her hand instead of coffee. She stared out at the pool, looking at the tiered stone patio and the steps leading to the house's kitchen and three-seasons room.

Fuck them, and fuck their rules. Lynn hadn't thought they were serious about those clauses in the lease. She should have been able to manipulate Arty into forgetting them. She might not have access to the pool, but no one could enforce it.

Lynn finished her coffee, setting the empty mug on the counter as she left her apartment, still naked. She closed the sliding glass door behind her as she left the far corner of her living room and stepped onto the forbidden territory of the house's back patio. Fuck it. The girls weren't here yet. So she might as well enjoy the pool before they arrived.

She walked into the water and swam through the heated pool, surrounded by the warm autumn air. She became a nymph with her hair flowing out behind her, a lady of the lake. Nothing else existed in the world, just her and the water. No betrayals, no family abandoning her, no friends turning their backs on her, no men disappointing her. She was alone, but the water embraced her.

She floated on the surface of the water, letting it hold her up as she opened her eyes to gaze at the sky. Her hair floated and fanned out behind her as she drifted lazily toward the deep end. The water muted the world, dampening the sounds that tried to reach her ears. No birdsong called her, no vibration of her phone in the kitchen could reach her. Not that anyone called or texted her.

Was that why she hated the girls? Because they had each other, and she had no one?

That was stupid. She was being dumb and emotional, like high school Arty.

Lynn took a deep breath, pulling her legs under her and standing in the pool so that her shoulders and head remained above the water. She flipped her hair behind her, pulling it back with her hands. She'd need a shower, but she needed one anyway.

Lynn swam toward the shallow end again, going under and kicking. She let her hands walk on the bottom of the pool before she brought her feet under her and rose from its depths like Venus. Water cascaded from her form, dripping onto the stone beside the pool. Her curvy hips, thick thighs, bountiful breasts, and every inch of her smooth, flawless skin glistened with beads of water. The heavier droplets caressed her curves as they drove rivulets across the lines of her body and fell to the ground with her movements. She had no towel to cover herself, and she didn't need one.

She walked with her head held high and her body on full display, proud of the form nature gave her. Her wet footsteps smacked with every stride toward her apartment door. Water droplets fell from her hands as she grasped the handle and pulled.

Nothing happened.

She pulled again, and nothing happened.

Shit.

Lynn's eyes flared as she struggled, pulling on the door several times without it budging. Her hand flew to her hip, but her phone wasn't there. It rested on the kitchen counter, inside. She was naked, and locked out, alone on a property with a house she couldn't enter, and no one to call, even if she had her phone.

Lynn tugged on the door again, and again, and again, but it refused to budge. She closed her eyes and felt the tears join the wetness of her skin. Her eyelids flew open, and she let out a frustrated "Grah!" As she stomped away. She tried the pool house door, the main house kitchen door, the pool house back door, the three-seasons room back door, the front door, the garage's side door, the garage panel doors, and her main entrance. Every door remained locked against her.

Only after making that round did she realize those entrances had alarms. She blushed in fury, but calmed herself. The security company didn't rush out unless something happened. Deb, George, or Arthur might check cameras on a live feed if they got an alert, though. Was there a way she could put her head in the frame without the rest of her?

She had nothing to cover herself with but her limbs. Would Arty even come?

No, Arthur wasn't about to ride to her rescue. Those days were over long ago. Deb wouldn't help her either. Frustrated, she stomped to the back patio again. She stopped at the side where the extra key hid and tried to unlock it, but Arthur had changed the combination to the secure container. It wasn't his, Deb's, or George's birthdays.

She tried hers, but it didn't work either.

"I could break in..." Lynn said, speaking to herself. Voicing the thought gave her something to listen to other than the voice that shouted she was stupid. That she deserved this for being a stupid fucking cunt. Who walks out of the house with absolutely nothing and closes the door behind them without making sure it's unlocked?

She might drown, and no one would find her body. No one checked on her. No one cared. The realization depressed her. No, depression happened to other people. She didn't get depressed; she got angry. How dare they abandon her? How dare no one care about her? Didn't they know who she was? How hot she was? How lucky they should feel that she wanted them?

She seized the closest patio chair and hurled it against her sliding glass door in frustration. "Grah!" The glass door made a -wub- noise, and the chair bounced off, not even leaving a crack or a dent. Lynn stared at the sliding glass door.

The tint in its glass mocked her, reflecting her naked body at her without its makeup, her hair flat and clinging to her. She looked hideous to herself above the neck, and worse, ineffectual. She couldn't even break a glass door. Deb mentioned the contractors reinforced them, so she didn't need to worry about break-ins, but everyone said that. What were the odds of someone actually doing it?

"I'm so fucking stupid." Lynn said, breaking down. Her body convulsed involuntarily as her tears broke free from her eyes. She collapsed onto a patio chair, hugging her knees to herself with her feet on the edge of the seat. Hot, wet tears carved their paths over her cheeks and dripped from her chin.

It'd been years since she'd cried. She didn't let her emotions get the better of her. She used them when she needed to, but if they weren't going to be useful, they could fuck off. That was her philosophy. Only this time, her emotions didn't listen. They overwhelmed her. Waves of loneliness crashed against waves of self-recrimination, and she folded into herself, curling up and hoping she'd float instead of drown.

The tears fell, and she couldn't stop them. Was this how Arty felt when he cried? Except she didn't have an audience.

Why hadn't he enjoyed it? He was supposed to enjoy it and thank her for allowing him in her presence. Angie said he'd be one of those guys who wanted a cruel woman. He responded well enough to it in high school and kept coming back for more. She'd been an absolute monster to him, teasing him, putting his insecurities on display, and he kept returning. He loved it, craved it, and got off on it, right? Arty never abandoned her. He must have been into it. He must have enjoyed her cruelty the way men do.

She'd been mean at the motel, and she enjoyed it. She'd been the cruelest queen bitch she'd ever been. In return, he'd been the most pathetic he'd ever been. His whiney little tears and pathetic reactions had been a huge turnoff. Still, she got there. She enjoyed humiliating others. She got off on it all the time.

Though after Selene's little prank at the hotel, she'd only been able to cum when she imagined herself being the one humiliated. Running naked through the lobby, hoping no one saw her, and knowing they did.

Well, circumstances humiliated her now. She was a dumb fucking cunt, naked, and alone. It'd be hours before someone came who might help her, and even then, it'd be Kelly or one of Arthur's other girlfriends. She'd have to hide and hope Kelly carried a key. Maybe she could slip in behind them without them noticing. What if they came in through the main house and left the door unlocked? But what if they locked it? Or worse, what if they came around to the basement entrance?

What was she supposed to do until then? Preparing dinner was out of the question.

She could play it off like she'd planned it this way. They'd order dinner to the house. Since they enjoyed naked parties so much, she'd tell them that was what she'd planned--skinny dipping in the pool.

They'd never fall for it. Did Lynn care? Not particularly. She didn't care anymore. Let them come. Let them find her crying, naked, alone, and still not knowing where everything went wrong. They parried every thrust she'd made at them. Every taunt or jeer she'd tossed at them, they mocked. Every move she tried to make, they danced around.

How dare they work together and mock her even as she tried to drive them apart? Arthur turned them against her before they met her. Why couldn't he get over himself? Why wouldn't they even give her a chance? They didn't trust her.

Ha. Was that the third option: If you can't beat them, join them?

"Ha." Lynn laughed at the idea, wiping her tears as they continued to fall. "They'd never allow that. Arty would never allow that."

She looked up at the big house, and the dreams that filled her head weeks ago crumbled to dust. This house wasn't her palace anymore. It was her prison. The basement was her Superman Castle of Solitary Confinement, or whatever people called it. She was alone, and she was so damn tired of losing.

Breaking in, she might get her things at least. But it wouldn't surprise her if Deb or Arty used it as an excuse to break her lease. Deb said they were looking for ways to evict her. She didn't need to give them one. But she couldn't think of another way into the house. She had to either wait or break in. Those were her choices.

She waited. She only had six or seven hours to go until dinner.

~~~

Arthur left the office behind him on his way to class and received a notification from his mother.

Mom: