by Nora Nolan
“My turn,” he said to her. Still looking at her, he said, “She’ll have a pair of four-inch white heels, white stay-up stockings, and a sexy white lacy bra with matching panties.”
“Oh, my,” she said.
“Will you wear them for me tonight?”
“I’ll wear them anytime you want me to.”
Dan picked up the huge stack of clothes and tucked them under one gigantic arm. “Let’s walk to the bedroom instead of beaming so you can see this part of the house.” He grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase and began walking. There were three doors in the kitchen, and the one he chose led into a large formal dining room.
“We don’t use this room often, but we do use it for tribal dinner functions, and sometimes even for family occasions. Mom and Dad have their own wing on the west side that has its own kitchen, so we’ll almost never see them. You don’t have to worry about meddling in-laws.”
“Oh, yeah, you don’t either.” They both laughed at the joke.
“My youngest sister, Serrin, has an apartment in the east wing. Same situation with her not being underfoot, either. Although, she’s a lot of fun – I think you’ll enjoy each other.”
They went from the dining room to a grand ballroom. It had several tables, a place for a band, a huge dance floor, a bar, and several chairs and couches scattered around the sides, some individually and some in groupings.
“I take it you don’t use this often, either?”
“I don’t, but Serrin likes to have friends over and they like to party in here. It’s been ages since we had a tribal affair where we used it. You know, you and I never did dance that first night we met. Maybe we can come down here and dance.” He winked at her, and the open eye twinkled.
The ballroom had two staircases, one on either end of the room. “Only those stairs straight ahead go to our apartment. The other one leads to all the guest suites. They’re separate from ours for security and privacy. I’ll give you the grand tour tomorrow. I’ve already told Serrin we can all three meet for breakfast in the big kitchen, before you go give your DNA. She’s dying to meet you.”
“Can’t I meet her tonight?”
“Nope.” He grinned at her as the door to their set of rooms opened. “I have other plans for you. And they involve this white outfit I had replicated for you.”
Ava walked into the suite and her eyes widened dramatically. Dan had taken her pieces of furniture and included them in the living area, just as he had on board ship. It was beautifully decorated, and she nearly cried again at his thoughtfulness.
“Come on into the bedroom, darlin. Let’s unpack your bag and put all these clothes away.”
She followed him across the bedroom toward the closet, her mouth agape as she walked, taking in the room.
“It’s beautiful in here, Dan. I can’t believe this is my home!”
“Get used to it darlin, because it is. Right now I’m going to put these clothes in these shelves and cubbies, and you can rearrange them later the way you like them.”
“I can do it now, it’ll only take a few extra minutes.”
“No, darlin, I’m not willing to let you do that right now. You take these,” he handed her the white outfit, “and go change in the bathroom. I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Paul and Cheryl rematerialized in their bedroom. Cheryl loved it immediately. All the furniture was made of massive burled wood, the kind she’d seen in log hunting lodges before, and in log home magazines. The diameter of the wood posts and the width and depth of the headboard and footboard made the already oversized bed seem preposterously large. She had a sense of déjà vu, then realized she’d seen peeks of this room before. This is the bed in the images Paul put in my head when we kissed! The thought gave her goose bumps. Had he been showing her glimpses of her own future?
Cheryl rushed around the huge room, looking into the closets, opening wardrobes, pulling out drawers, and generally amusing Paul. When she went into the bathroom, she shrieked with joy over the shower. It was huge and had every kind of spray imaginable, overhead and on the sides, all the way to the extra high ceiling. There was a sauna setting, too. She’d never been a tub kind of gal, really, except for whirlpools, and she was ready to move into this shower.
When she’d seen the kitchenette and the sitting room, she ran back to Paul. “When you’ve shown me the rest of the house, I want us to come back and shower. What do you think?”
“We could shower first, if you like, then look at the house.”
“No,” she said, “if I get my way, I’ll be way too worn out by then.”
“Sounds like we better take a quick tour of the house.”
* * *
Zoe and Glen teleported into their bedroom, too. The first thing Zoe noticed was that everything seemed big. Ceilings were higher, chairs were a bit taller and wider, and the bed was gigantic. It was beautiful, but gigantic. It was not only a four-poster, but it had a headboard and matching footboard with thick spindles, all in a metal she wasn’t sure she could identify. It looked like a pewter or nickel color. She got the sense that she’d seen a bed like this before. As a matter of fact, she’d been tied to it! She shook the thought away.
“Glen, this is all beautiful – I love the colors in here. So dramatic.”
“I’m glad you like it, but you’re welcome to change the colors if you like.”
She walked around the room, touching the extra big overstuffed chairs and couch in the sitting area. He showed her the huge double closets and encouraged her to fill hers. He showed her the kitchen and gave her a tour of the bathroom. It all delighted her. She walked back to the bed, and lovingly touched the spindles at the head of the bed.
“Will you ever tie me up on the bed?”
“It’s entirely possible. How do you feel about that?”
“It’s scary. But it’s also sexy as hell. I trust you not to do more than I can take. I want to explore it all with you.”
“I won’t hurt you.” He grinned as he took her in his arms. “At least not permanently. Your backside might have bruises. There will be times when you’re extremely uncomfortable, enough to make you cry. Sometimes only enough discomfort to be exciting. Nothing permanent, though. Sometimes, I might just want control. Make you submit to my whims. How do you feel about that?”
“My panties are drenched, if that tells you anything.”
“In that case, I think you’re ready to see the playroom.” He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled the right side from the wall. It was on a hinge and concealed the entrance. He motioned her through the door.
“Oh, Glen! I can’t believe this! It’s scary as shit and exciting at the same time. I’m not sure I know what everything is. Give me a tour?”
“Sure. We can try things out as we go.”
“Have you… entertained lots of women in here?”
“None.”
“No! I know you’re no saint. Tell me the truth.”
“It’s the truth. You’re right, I’m no saint. But you don’t have to have a special room to play. You’re the first woman in here. Up until now, I’m the only person who’s been in here.”
“Wow. I feel oddly honored.”
“You’re my mate. My wife.” He smiled. “I do honor you. I also want to make you writhe and squirm and scream and I’ve set this place up as a great setting for that kind of play. Let’s start with the furniture.”
There was a bed, although it wasn’t as big as the one in their master bedroom. It was about the size of a regular California king-sized bed on earth. There were a straight-backed padded chair and a huge overstuffed comfy-looking armchair. There was a chair with some kind of opening on it, and he explained that it had attachments. When she looked up at him questioningly, he just smiled and winked. He showed her something she had seen before in videos. It was an A-frame padded piece and she knew she would be bent over it, and possibly restrained there. There was a long bench with several legs with rings attached to it, and she
surmised they were for restraints, too.
He opened cabinets that she wouldn’t have known were there – the doors to them just looked like part of the wall. Inside the cabinets were all kinds of paddles, crops, leather straps, all sizes of butt plugs – some with heat and vibration – some with various animal tails, all kinds of nipple clamps and chains and weights, various restraints, blindfolds, cuffs, vibrators, and some things she couldn’t readily identify. She’s seen adult stores that didn’t have as much stock.
He showed her a hidden door that opened into what he called the wet room. It wasn’t carpeted as the other room was. The floor had a drainage hole in the middle. On one wall were a toilet and a bidet and a cabinet with a large sink in it; it wasn’t the kind of small lavatory you normally see in a bathroom. Along another wall was an odd-looking metal table on wheels that was similar in some ways to stainless steel autopsy tables she’d seen on television crime shows. It had a lipped edge, presumably to contain liquids, and the surface had an almost imperceptible slant that ended at a drain hole. It had attachments that reminded her of IV poles. Next to it was a rolling tray that also appeared to be made of stainless steel.
She looked up at Glen with a trace of fear.
He put his arm around her and chuckled. “Yeah, unless you piss me off sometime, this is advanced stuff. Or, of course, if you get an upset tummy and need some immediate relief.”
She dropped her face into her hands and groaned.
He laughed. “Well, all right. I now know what to threaten you with if you don’t mind me.”
“Yeah, that should do it.”
“It’s not that bad, you know. Some women find mild ones highly erotic.”
“Really? You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not. Can you think of anything more intimate?”
“Not really. Please, if you want to go in that direction, ease me into it, okay?”
“Absolutely. That is, unless you really piss me off. Let’s go back in here now. Bend over that A-frame. I want to try some things. Nothing bad, don’t worry.”
Zoe complied, stepping up on the raised platform and bending over. There were handholds on a bar on the other side for stability.
As he went to the hidden cabinet doors, she asked, “Will you restrain me much? That scares me some.”
“Well, you’re in luck. Restraints aren’t really my kink. I like it better when you submit and obey willingly. But I have them in case I ever do decide to play with them. I promise I won’t leave you alone, though.”
“Good – I just had a fear of getting locked in here.”
“Just so you know, the door doesn’t lock, from either side. Anyway, I wouldn’t go any farther than the kitchen. Okay, here’s a leather paddle, a wooden paddle, a riding crop, and a leather strap. Want to try them out? Nothing heavy, I promise.”
“Sure.”
“Good. Be sure to hold on to that rail. Spread your legs. Oh, you know, now that I think of it, I might restrain your spread legs, but I’d leave your hands free. I think I’ll do that now.”
He pulled her legs apart a bit more so that her ankles reached the leg of the frame, and he clicked each ankle inside its padded cuff. He threw her skirt up over her back.
“I should take a picture so you can see how hot your ass looks on this thing. I mean, it looks hot anyway, but man, you should see this.” He walked around to the side where her head was and showed her the bulge in his pants. “Look what you’re doing to me.”
“Oh yeah? Step back there again and feel my crotch.”
He chuckled. He went back to the other side and ripped off her panties. “I’ll show you how to replicate these tomorrow. I have a feeling we’re going to go through yours pretty damn fast. Ready?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, which do you want first?”
“Let’s try leather paddle for a hundred, Alex.”
“A Jeopardy reference. That’s apt, considering your backside is in jeopardy, missy.”
She groaned at the bad joke.
They tried out the ones he brought over, and he ended up going back to the cabinet to try out some more implements. He didn’t deliver very hard swats, but it was enough for them both to appreciate the different kinds of stings and thuds they all delivered.
They tested each implement they had.
“Glen? Will you come around here?”
“Sure, sunshine.” He walked around to stand in front of her face, and she reached up and unfastened his pants, releasing him. She took him in her mouth, and he moaned as he caressed the side of her face. Before long, he pulled out and went behind her. She realized why the apparatus was on a raised platform when she felt him enter her. It put her at the perfect height for him to reach.
Chapter 19: Preparation for the Ball
Dan and Ava went down to what they called the “fancy” kitchen to meet Serrin for breakfast. Ava and Serrin took over the conversation completely and animatedly, and Dan was delighted. When he mentioned hiring an assistant to help Ava become accustomed to Bargellan life, Serrin volunteered for the job. She didn’t exactly volunteer; she begged for it. Ava began to beg, too, and he gave in, pleased at the outcome.
“The first thing we need to do is find out about this ball the other wives are throwing to welcome the new ones.” Ava took Serrin’s hand, sitting down at the table where her replicated food already sat.
“All right,” Serrin agreed. “I know them all pretty well, so that won’t be a problem.”
“No, dearies, the first order of business after breakfast is to get Ava her new electronics, then head to the doctor’s office so they can collect DNA. After that, you’re on your own because the Council is meeting over the shapeshifter situation.”
“What’s going on,” asked Serrin. “Won’t we handle the outbreak as we always have? Update our DNA to eliminate the gene? That’s why you guys went to earth, right?”
Dan shrugged. “I guess you might as well know, since you’re my sister and officially Ava’s assistant now. Some of the shapeshifters have military experience. We plan to form an elite team of the loyalists as a special military force.”
Serrin looked at Ava, then at Dan, hesitating to ask the next question. “What about the shifters who won’t be loyal – the ones who refuse both service and vaccinations?”
Dan didn’t look at either one of them, but he answered. “We’ll deal with them. They’ll be eliminated.”
That sounded ominous to Ava.
After breakfast, Dan presented Ava with her new phone and a laptop. He showed her how to do a few critical new things on her phone, not the least of which was how to beam. She giggled at being able to beam them all over the mansion, including Serrin’s apartment in another wing. Ava got the complete tour. Serrin’s quarters were similar to Dan’s, although not quite as large.
Dan let her beam the three of them to the main headquarters of the Medical Sciences Center where Ava’s DNA would be taken. The Center was in Sam’s tribal area, and not surprisingly, they ran into Sam, Sally, Glen, and Zoe. Ava immediately grabbed her phone and texted Cheryl and Ella to find out when they’d be there. Soon, they were all there, happy to be reunited again.
It didn’t take long for a cursory medical exam to be given and for DNA to be taken in the form of mouth swabs and blood. The scientists guaranteed that the final products would be ready for distribution to all the tribes within a week.
* * *
The men saw their wives back home, then met up again in Tribe One’s High Council offices. It was time to discuss all the details of the shapeshifter squad and make final decisions. A tentative training program had already been created as a joint project by a few council members and high ranking military officers, while the five chieftains had been en route from earth. It was fully ready to implement, pending approval by the complete council.
The inner chamber of the High Council would be imposing to anyone seeing it for the first time. In deference to their stations and the public t
rust that was placed in them, the chiefs took their roles very seriously, treating the office and their responsibilities with grave consideration and thoroughness. This was not a place for jocularity. But they were Bargellan after all, and they were all comfortable with hijinks taking place outside of the inner chamber.
The chamber held eleven table stations arranged in a circle, each with a smooth top that would automatically turn into a communications and computer control console as needed. The walls acted as display screens. There was enough room in the center of the circle for larger than life hologram displays.
There were other chairs in the room for visiting dignitaries and advisors, but most of the time non-council members joined by video conference. That was the case when they met about the shapeshifters.
The military advisors were onscreen, or on-wall, as it were. There were no questions about the actual training that would take place for the shifters to get them ready for their roles. It dovetailed nicely with existing military training. The remaining questions to be discussed and decided upon were the soft questions. What would they do with the shifters who did not agree to either abandon shifting or join the squad? Would this be an ongoing program, or would it end when Gandarz and Baltim were neutralized? What if agents turned rogue? What about their shifting capabilities when not in a military role? What security would be put in place to ensure shifters didn’t take up the shape of a chief or military official? What safeguards would be put into place for spouses to know for sure their mate was actually their mate, and not being impersonated by a shifter?
