PRESENT DAY

***

Arlo

***

It was still sometimes strange to see the sun. My car bounced over the random rocks scattered throughout the empty field, the oranges and yellows of the dry grass ignited by the mid afternoon sun. Movement caught my eye straight ahead, the blue car a barely visible shape as it made its way down the distant highway. I doubted they noticed me and even if they had, doubted it would be more than a fleeting wondered in their mind. People rarely wondered about their surroundings, especially when there was nothing more than miles of dead grass and desperate shrubs. In the winter it was green, the rain granting life. In the summer there was nothing but the sun and moon. But even in its gorgeous winter glory, or during the spring when purple and yellow wildflowers bloomed for miles, none of it mattered. All that mattered was what was beneath it all, hidden underneath miles of nothing. No sun. No moon. No rain.

My tires hit the pavement, the highway leading back to Gemma after a longer day than I had anticipated. I turned on my typical podcast, curious if after all these years Donny Rex would get any closer to what he hunted.

“All of us have a story,” his voice rolled through my speakers. “Maybe one day she’ll tell us hers.” He paused, his breath filling the empty air. “All we’re doing is guessing. Assuming. Getting fragments of her story within the pages of another.”

I stared at the road ahead, the tightening in my chest making me step harder on the gas pedal.

“For now she’s keeping it to herself, hovering over it like Gollum’s ring, all the precious pieces she isn’t ready to show us.”

I exhaled when the city came into view, the traffic slowing the closer I came.

“It isn’t like she owes it to us. We aren’t entitled to it. Maybe she’s afraid to reveal it. Look at how much they tear apart the pieces she allows us to see.”

I shook my head as I pulled into Gemma’s driveway, hoping Cole wasn’t home. It had been a rough day, and I wanted to monopolize her attention, at least for a little while.

“Arlo?”

I followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen, the tension finally fleeing my body when I saw her. Her smile dissolved the day, the Maze and all its twists disappearing. I got to my knees, shoving myself between her and the cabinets, wrapping my arms around her legs.

“Are you okay?”

I nuzzled into her bare thigh, peeking up her dress. “Yes, Mistress.” My mouth moved over her skin, creeping up, hunting higher for what I hoped she’d allow me to taste. I hadn’t completed her requirements for the day to earn it, but my need was overriding my obedience.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Praying.”

Her laugh caressed my ears, her legs spreading just enough for me to steal a taste. She spread them farther, continuing shuffling through the mail while I shoved my mouth over her. When she began to drip I rubbed my face into her, smearing her over my skin.

“Arlo–” she squealed, laughing as she pushed up on her toes.

I leaned back against the counter, my need pulsing when she pushed against my face.

“Don’t stop.”

My hands grasped her ass, pulling her to me, tightening when she trembled.

“Arlo–“

My name tumbled from her lips, her body shivering when I latched onto her clit.

“Fuck me.” She tore herself away from my mouth, pressing her stomach to the countertop, her hands pulling the bottom of her dress to her waist.

I got behind her, grabbing her hips while I shoved inside her.

She clawed into the granite, grasping the edge. “Harder.”

I thrust into her, my hips pounding against her, not offering mercy she didn’t want. Her body tightened over mine, hot and welcoming. I ran my hand up her back, over the bumps of her spine, through the strands of her dark hair.

Her head turned, her cheek pressing into the counter, her eyes shut tight, her lips curving with each moan, her trust in me far more than I deserved. “Arlo,” she whimpered, her body beginning to tense. She tightened around me, her knuckles white as she gasped. I pushed inside her harder, letting the pulse of her orgasm drive my own.

**********

2 YEARS PRIOR

***

Cole

***

The sun was sinking, leaving Sleeping Beauty Castle glowing pink at the end of Main Street. I took a seat on an empty bench, the scents and sounds fueling the smile relaxing on my face. People flooded in and out of the Emporium, the Market House holding their coffees, Plaza Point. The Little Red Wagon had a line wrapped around the Plaza Inn almost to the Astro Orbitor, the corndogs worth every second spent waiting. I swirled the spoon in my Dole Whip before lifting it to my mouth, watching people flood past me as the pineapple flavor melted over my tongue.

I stared into the sea of people, squinting when my thoughts distorted some into visions of Mistress Gemini. It was a strange occurrence, quickly swaying to shock when I reminded myself I wasn’t crazy. She was truly there, weaving through the masses as if somehow summoned by my thoughts. Her jeans, flip flops and Olaf t-shirt were a pathetic camouflage. She glanced to the woman beside her, recognition of the red hair and smile another surprise. Mistress Mia cut right, heading towards the corndog line.

Mistress Gemini paused, hunting for a bench. Her gaze briefly found mine, momentarily oblivious until they suddenly shot back, locking on me. I smiled, raising my Dole Whip to toast her acknowledgement, her frozen stare breaking at the gesture. She glanced around, her eyes becoming more frantic with each occupied bench they passed over. The frenzy faded to defeat when I slid over, tempted to pat the empty space beside me.

“Do I get to learn your real name?” I asked as she approached. “Or do I get to follow you around Disneyland calling you Mistress?”

She rolled her eyes as she sat down beside me, sighing. “Gemma, and that’s Miranda.”

I glanced towards Mistress Mia waiting in the corndog line, surprised by the realization some of the dommes were more than Château acquaintances.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, Mistress.”

She paused, tensing as she stared into the crowd before turning back towards me. “I had a debt to pay after an unfortunate incident a few years ago.”

“A debt?”

“The specific terms were a jumbo cock attached to a man who knew how to use it.”

I pulled at the leg of my pants, praying for distraction to halt the blood I felt stirring. “We’re going to have to stop this discussion.”

Her eyes narrowed as if condemning a judgement I hadn’t given. “Why?”

“Because knowing you used me to repay your debt is getting me… excited… and you’ve seen what happens when I get excited.” I leaned towards her, lowering my voice as I whispered in her ear. “There’s no hiding it under a long shirt.”

A smile flashed over her flushed skin, the domme surfacing for air before disappearing as the frost returned. It was still there, somewhere, hidden hints of darkness in the blue of her eyes, constantly making me ache with curiosity. She bit into her lip, shaking her head. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

“Do whatever you want with me, Mistress.”

“The things I want from you are not okay.”

“That’s for me to decide.” I wanted to see the rest of the dark side. The side money couldn’t buy me. I had hunted for it, prayed for it, begged for it. Maybe I had finally found it, but now I had to discover a way to unleash it.

She shook her head again, watching as Miranda weaved closer to where we sat. “You should’ve gone to another domme.”

“I’ve been with other dommes. I’ve been with vanilla women trying to play the game for me. They’ve all demanded my submission, but you’re the first one to question if you deserved it.”

Miranda paused in front of us, her phone in one hand, a corndog in the other. “What a pleasant surprise,” she teased, eyeing me as she took a bite out of her corndog. “Could you explain to me what, exactly, a weeping pussy is?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded as I watched her Mickey ears bob when she glanced from me to Gemma.

Gemma sighed, pressing her fingers into her forehead. “You’re going to get us thrown in Disney Jail.”

“Well, this is ridiculous!”

“Can you use it in a sentence?” I asked, intrigued. “So I have some context to go on?”

Gemma twisted around on the bench, the darkness surfacing as she stared at me. “Context?”

“It could mean any number of things.” I shrugged, unsure of the game but eager to play. “If we’re talking literal, it could mean a crying cat. Slang could be a sad… pussy or wet pussy. Or they could be talking about a weeping pussy willow tree.”

“If the word pussy comes out of Miranda’s mouth, she’s not talking about a cat or a tree.”

“Amen.” Miranda looked down at her phone, her eyes running over the screen. “He shoved his cock into her weeping pussy.”

I laughed, nodding. “They definitely mean wet pussy.”

Gemma’s eyes narrowed, her arms crossing over her chest. “Nothing in that sentence implied consent.”

“Agree.” Miranda shoved her phone in her pocket, waving her corndog towards me. “He could have a super small cock. My pussy would definitely weep in that situation.”

I smiled as she tore another piece off the corndog, watching the steam rise into the air. “What if he was good at other things?”

“Then he can find a domme who will appreciate those other things.”

“So you’d never pursue a relationship with a man who didn’t measure up to your expectations?”

“I wouldn’t pursue one regardless. I don’t like to get attached.”

“You don’t worry about ending up old and alone?”

“Miranda always seems to have an endless supply of cocks following her around,” Gemma cut in.

“So she’s like the Pied Piper of cocks?” I started, turning back to Gemma. “They follow her weeping pussy wherever she goes?”

Laughter burst from Gemma’s mouth, her eyes lighting up as Miranda choked on her corndog. It was a light I hadn’t seen before, a flash screaming out from behind the frost. I tore my gaze away when the heat began rising within me. It haunted through me, only pausing when I found Miranda watching me, a strange smile playing over her lips.

***

Gemma

***

Monday all the time came too quickly, reminding me no matter how lost or found I was, time wouldn’t stop for me to figure it out. I grabbed the boots off of the table, glancing at the price tag. They were gorgeous, the scent of leather filling my lungs, stirring images of dungeons and chains. Memories taunted, fueling new fantasies of all I could do to Cole, all I could never do to Arlo, all quickly disappearing when Miranda grabbed my arm.

“Listen…” she whispered, leaning towards me. “Do you hear that?”

I froze, glancing around the shoe department, the low roar of the combined conversations of everyone else the only sound I heard.

“He’s saying, ‘Come sit on my face, Mistress Mia…'”

I followed her gaze to a man I hoped was searching for shoes that matched his blue company suit better than the ones he had on. “He is absolutely not saying that.”

“I’m going to give him a card.”

“You’re not giving a random guy in a shoe department a card.”

“Then can I come sit on your trainee’s face?”

I pressed my lips together, taking a seat to try on the boots.

“If he’s still working on improving in that area, I’m fine with just riding his cock again.”

I pulled on the boots, running my fingers over the black leather. “I have no idea how skilled or unskilled his mouth is.”

Her eyes narrowed, following my steps from her seat as I made a small circle around the department.

“I need a new dress to go with them.”

“New dress to go with your new boots…” she mused, her stare unwavering. “It must be nice to have what everyone at the Château wants.”

“Can we move past the giant cock? Not everyone is obsessed with giant cocks.”

“Is this what you’ve become, Gemma? So lost you still think this is about his cock?”

I twisted in my seat, surprised to see the worry on her face.

“Do you remember why you owed me?”

“How could I forget?”

“Maybe you remember the motions. The end result. But do you remember why you did it in the first place?”

“The reasons don’t matter.”

“The reasons are the most important part.” She tilted her head, her brow furrowing. “Without the reasons, we’re nothing but paper dolls wandering through empty scenes.”

***

I hadn’t forgotten how it felt to have a man kneel before me, but it had been far too long since I’d had a domme stand behind me. Camille’s call had surprised me, another Lexa tactic to revive me, or maybe a Miranda manipulation to remind me. I made my way to the dungeon, my new black boots echoing over the hardwood, my new black dress tight against my skin, my freshly manicured nails dragging down the Château wall, Camille close on my heels.

Cole was on his knees, his submission sending an ache taunting between my legs. My fingers wrapped into his hair as I leaned down, his calm silence rippling up my spine. I lowered my voice, letting it roll from my lungs into his ear. “Everyone is so impressed with my cock.”

Red rose through his cheeks, the sight taunting the demons within me. I tightened my fist into his hair, dragging him towards the bed. I could have blindfolded him, tied him down, but I was tired of passive obedience. He slid on his back over the red sheets, barely making it to the center before Camille was climbing on top of him.

“No,” I scolded, the command bringing her to a stop. My heel dragged over the floor as I made my way to the front of the bed, my fingers running through Cole’s hair as I watched her. “If you want to enjoy my cock, you’ll show me how much you appreciate being allowed to use it.”

Her dark eyes flashed towards mine, the sight bringing a curve to my lips. I crouched by Cole’s head, reaching forward to drag my nails over his chest, the red trails marking his skin. He squirmed, a gorgeous torment, reminding me what I was. What I had all the time been. Fuck Arlo. Fuck his siren. Fuck Lexa. Fuck the domme standing before me, trying to take what was mine without earning it. Arlo had been a good liar, but I was a better one. Trust was a perverse kink, one that throbbed through my soul, second only to what I would all the time want most- control. “Are you going to serve my cock, Mistress Camila, or will you be showing yourself out of my scene?”

Her dark hair fell over her shoulders as she bent forward, her hand wrapping around his shaft as her mouth covered the tip. I smiled when he grunted, listening to his breath as she tried her best to take him fully into her mouth. She glanced up, hunting for me as her head slid down. I ran my hand through his hair, tempted to command him to thrust. The image of her choking when he hit the back of her throat danced through my head, the arousal soaking my thigh.

“Enough,” I cut in, my lips curving at her immediate response to my command. “You may enjoy my cock as you please- for the moment.”

She pulled her dress off over her head, twisting her dark nipples between her fingers as she straddled him. He grunted when she twisted around, riding him roughly in reverse. Dark hair swayed from her ponytail down her back, shifting and taunting over her pale skin. I wanted to wrap it around my hand and pull her head back, ending her ride. The wondered taunted, a cruel temptation.

Her moans echoed between us, a rough breath falling from his lips. I traced my tongue over his ear, whispering as he shivered. “I suggest you find enjoyment in her climax. It will be a long while before I allow you one of your own.”

He reached up, his fingertips trailing over my cheek before running through my hair. “Will I ever be allowed to enjoy yours?”

The words scorched through my chest, my lips curving as I stood. I grabbed his hand and brought it down between my legs, allowing his finger to slip inside me. “Do you think your cock would be pleasing to me?”

His teeth bit into his lip. “I wouldn’t want to hurt you, Mistress.”

My body jumped when his finger curled inside me, the shock not granting me enough time to recover before the sensation rocked through me again. I looked down, shivering when his eyes hunted back, his soul as twisted as mine. “Out.”

Camille turned towards me, her eyes widening when she realized the command was for her.

“Out.”

“Excuse me–“

“Now.”

Her legs trembled as she dismounted, stumbling from the bed in her heels. She grabbed her dress, pulling it over her head on her way towards the door.

I tightened my grasp on his hair, pulling him to the floor. He submitted without hesitation, crumbling to his knees. My need throbbed as I dragged him across the dungeon, the moisture between my legs undeniable. He crawled beside me, unresisting when I opened the door to the cage and forced him inside, locking it behind him. I crawled on top of the bars, the metal pressing into my knees reminding me what I had allowed, and what I would never allow again. “Did you think I would allow you to take control?”

“I don’t want control.” He looked up, his tongue dancing behind his lips. “I want to know what you taste like. What you smell like. The sounds you make when your body trembles. The face you make when you come. That’s what I want.”

I reached into the cage, clawing for his hair. His hand slid between the bars, his fingers curling and twisting into me, ruthless and deft. The sound of my need tore through the air, wet and desperate, my legs shaking as I locked my fist into his hair.

He rose up on his knees, his fingers slowing as his tongue hunted. I spread my legs farther, pressing myself down against the bars, shuddering when the warmth of his mouth covered my clit. My eyes squeezed shut, gasping when the sensation amplified in the darkness. He was strong and unyielding, methodical in his caress as it snowballed into an explosion. I cried out when it tore through me, shredding my body until I was left trembling and cold.

“Enough!” It was too much. He was too much. “Enough.”

**********

PRESENT DAY

***

Arlo

***

I peered through the peephole, the blonde hair and green eyes familiar. The sight made me tense as I pulled open the door, not bothering to force a cordial tone. “Gemma isn’t home.”

“Mistress Gemini isn’t who I’m here to see.”

“Cole isn’t here, either.”

“Even better.”

I stepped farther out the door, shutting it behind me. “What do you want, Lexa?”

Her body straightened as if to intimidate, her eyes narrowing. “Do you know why I still refer to her as Mistress Gemini even though she’s no longer in the community?”

I shrugged, my patience thinning.

“Because I respect who, and what, she is.”

“So do I.”

“I’m willing to admit maybe I was wrong about you,” she cut me off, holding up her palm to pause my words. “In some ways- not all. You came back to her, so maybe that’s love. You didn’t demand she choose between you and Cole, so maybe that’s sacrifice. Or maybe you were worried she wouldn’t choose you.”

I glanced towards the curb at her husband standing outside the limo, his posture a warning, before meeting her stare once again. “Are you done?”

“Are you?”

“What does that–“

“Are you done standing in her way? Are you done disrespecting her?”

“I’ve never disrespected her–“

“Maybe not in your world, but in her world you disrespect her every time you open your mouth. You answered her door, uncollared, and called her by her vanilla name to me, a Madame, who you also called by my vanilla name. The amount of disrespect you’ve shown towards her in the past five minutes is an assault on her dignity as a domme, and a threat to any potential status she may hope to hold within the community.”

“The community you kicked her out of?”

“I had no other choice. I wasn’t going to watch you destroy her reputation.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “You know the community is pretend, right? These men aren’t your actual slaves. You don’t have any actual power over them. It’s all just some weird fetish game.”