by Sorcha Black
When she didn’t answer, he untangled himself from Tess’s slack embrace and went to Elodie. He shoved her back against the couch and pushed aside her soaked panties.
“Please, Lock.” She gasped. “Don’t make it worse? I’m horny enough already.” Her legs widened, and she tried to pull him down on top of her.
“I don’t know if this is what you really want, Minou.” He reached down and tapped the base of the buttplug, making it vibrate inside her. She quivered.
“Please, now!”
“With that plug in your ass, this is going to feel pretty intense.”
He placed the tip of his cock just inside the tightness of her pussy. He pushed up her top to torture her breasts, pulling at her nipples and enjoying her growing desperation.
People gathered to watch her scream for him.
Chapter Twelve
“Sexy.”
“I am not.”
Elodie chuckled and tied the laces of the corset as a sea of appreciative male gazes sailed past. Her feet were getting sore because of the concrete flooring in the convention center, but there was no way they were done shopping.
“This thing is too expensive,” Tess whispered back at her, watching that the salesgirl didn’t overhear. “I can’t even wear it in public.”
“Sure you can, with a shirt under it, like you have on,” Elodie disagreed. “And it’s only two hundred and fifty dollars. I’m buying it for you if you like it.”
As Tess walked to the mirror, Elodie could see she was determined not to like it. The girl tamped down the spark of delight in her eyes when she saw her reflection.
Tess shook her head.
“This will drive Lock crazy. Look how hot you are.”
Although Tess’s cheeks flushed, she looked pleased.
“We’ll take it, and a peasant blouse and skirt too.” Elodie went to the merchant and paid. She could feel Tess staring at her, open-mouthed, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t rich, by any means, but she had money to spare. Not giving herself the pleasure of dressing up Tess would have been crazy. She took the bag from the girl and amalgamated a few bags together. Between the cat ears, the lace collar with the bell, the Lolita dress and the tutu, she had enough to play dress-up with for a while.
“I’m not a doll,” Tess grumbled as they walked away from the booth, Tess still wearing the corset.
“You’re just cranky whenever I spend money.” Elodie laughed. “And if I want to dress you up like my own slutty little doll, you’ll let me. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Tess asked, sullen.
Elodie crowded her, talking inches from her face. “Because it makes your panties wet.”
Tess’s shoulders rounded, making her seem smaller, and she looked up at Elodie with soft, innocent eyes.
“Are you going to deny it?”
“No, Elodie.”
Her posture screamed submissive and Elodie tried to think of where she could drag the girl off to so she could make her scream in pleasure. It was hard to keep her hands off of Tess, even in public.
People streamed around them, the press of their bodies urging them to move along the aisle. Maybe there was a quiet back room where she could corner the girl.
“Then shut up and let me buy you things.” Elodie pulled her close and kissed her, knowing the young crowd wasn’t likely to have an issue with girl-on-girl affection. The people around them pushed past, as though they were an inconveniently placed pillar, and paid them about as much attention. Using one of the shopping bags as cover, Elodie inched her fingers up Tess’s thigh, the heat coming from her pussy luring Elodie’s fingers to do inappropriate things.
“Get a room!”
Startled, Elodie jerked her hand back, then turned her evil eye on the man looking down at them. It was just Lio, their elevator friend from the night before. She laughed and rolled her eyes at him.
He smiled pleasantly at her then turned his attention to Tess. “That looks very pretty on you.”
“Um...thanks.” Tess dropped her gaze, and in a weird fit of jealousy, Elodie hoped Tess wouldn’t look up at him again, no matter what she’d taught her. Besides, how rude was that? Obviously they’d been having a moment, so what made him think it was okay to interrupt? Men!
“Are you enjoying the convention?” he asked them.
“The shopping is good, so I have no complaints,” Elodie replied evenly. She’d liked him well enough last night, but if he paid Tess too much attention, she was going to punch him in the nuts. “You?”
“I’m waiting for the Bleak Bondage panel later. Are you going? It’s not on the schedule, but I heard that Mack Vincent is actually going to be here.” He paused, his eyes shining. “If it’s true, no wonder they’re not saying anything. Did you know he’s the lead singer for the Kink Monsters?”
Tess laughed. “Yeah, so I’ve heard. We might go.” She glanced at Elodie, who nodded in agreement. They hadn’t discussed it, but if the girl wanted to go see her former boss speak to the crowd, why not? Besides, she and Lock had been reading Bleak Bondage for ages, so maybe he’d turn up too.
Elodie gave him some hints that he should go away, but Lio must have been there alone, because he followed them around like a puppy while they shopped. He ate with them at one of the sausage vendors that had lined up out on the street. Other than his obvious interest in Tess, he seemed mostly harmless.
Didn’t the fact that Elodie was holding her hand make a difference? She was Tess’s dominant. That should have made him remember his manners. For that matter, the fact that he’d watched Tess give Lock a blowjob at the party should have given him pause. Some guys just couldn’t take a hint, although you’d figure that a BDSMer would be less clueless. Maybe Tess was acting interested? Or maybe he assumed because they were poly, there was room for someone else in their relationship?
She watched Tess now, but there was nothing but polite discussion about geekery, even though Tess didn’t have much to add.
As for Tess, she seemed to enjoy listening to him, but it was Elodie she made eyes at.
The time for the Bleak Bondage panel finally came, and they made their way to a side hall that was already packed with fans, waiting for it to begin. Maybe they’d find Lock and his presence would finally run Lio off. Talk about playing hard to get rid of.
Although there was a chance he was just a nice guy and she was just being a jealous bitch. People talking to Tess had that effect on her.
A long table had been set up with five panelists, and an empty chair stood at the end. Murmured speculation was traveling the room.
“So is this Mack guy cute?” Elodie whispered.
Tess grinned. “Yup, if you like them pretty and creepy. But he’s about as taken as a guy can get. They’re very close.”
A dark-haired man took the stage, and the crowd was on its feet, clapping and stomping as though it was one of his metal concerts. He was nowhere near the size of Lock, but he definitely set off Elodie’s kinkdar, even though he hadn’t said a thing yet. The smug facilitator introduced him when the screaming died down, and even from a distance, Elodie could tell he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His looks bordered on feminine, with his high cheekbones and wild black hair, but even so he was distinctly masculine.
Intelligent, self-effacing, friendly – Mack came off as all of those things during the discussion. He didn’t hog the limelight even though they were discussing his work. He answered questions, made jokes, and managed to be charming even though he flirted with no one. The hall watched him breathlessly. Something about him owned the stage. He had charisma.
He’d also spotted Tess in the crowd, and gave her a surprised grin and a wave.
At the end of the panel, a line formed for autographs.
“Do you want to wait and say hello?”
Tess snorted. “If I waited in that line to say hello, he’d smack me.” She got up and slung her bag over her shoulder, then took Elodie’s hand as though she had every right to do so. Pleasur
e flooded through El, and she gripped Tess’s hand, excited she wasn’t trying to pull away and pass as friends.
“Tess! Wait!” Mack was making apologetic ‘one second’ gestures to the line, and he made his way over to them while people, awed, got out of his way.
As soon as he reached them he hugged a bemused Tess, whose hand was pulled from Elodie’s.
“Wow, Tess! You look awesome. How the hell have you been?” He grinned, stepped back, and Elodie was pretty sure that her heart stopped. Such a pretty, pretty man.
“Good! This is my...Domme, Elodie.” Tess gestured to Elodie shyly, and bit her lip when their gazes met. She took her hand again and for a moment Elodie felt like an awkward teen at a school dance.
“Very pleased to meet you, Elodie.”
Elodie nodded politely. “It’s a pleasure meeting you too, Mack.” She thought of mentioning that she and Lock were fans of his work, but decided not to make this a fangirl moment.
Lock appeared out of nowhere, Lio not far behind, and Mack seemed to be trying to figure out the lay of the land.
“This is our Dom, Lock, and this is Lio, who we met at a party last night,” Tess explained.
Hands were shaken, pleasantries exchanged. Lock and Mack sized each other up in a very Neanderthal way.
“Uh, you have about five hundred people waiting for you to sign something,” Tess pointed out when he seemed to be in no rush to leave.
“We tried calling you, Tess, but your number isn’t in service.” He looked concerned. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Like we said when the last tour ended, you could have stayed on. Come back now, for that matter. Spider misses you so much.” This Spider was obviously dear to Mack, whoever he or she was. Oh wait – that was the name of their kid.
Would it be wrong of Elodie to shove Tess behind her back and tell Mack to go away?
“You guys don’t need me right now. I’m doing okay.” Tess shrugged easily. “I’m never home, so the landline wasn’t important.” She gave him her cell number and he put it in his phone.
“Well, we’re doing another tour in about a month, if you’re interested. Let us know.” He kissed her cheek. “You look happy. I like that.” The dazzling smile was back then he waved, and got swallowed by the crowd.
They were leaving in a month? Panic rose in Elodie’s chest and she worked hard at not possessively crushing Tess’s fingers. Mine, mine, mine! Did Tess have to work? Couldn’t she just keep Tess to herself?
She’d have to try to talk her out of going. Besides, Tess wouldn’t actually choose to go and leave them behind, would she?
When he was gone, Lock kissed both Elodie and Tess possessively. Maybe he felt the same way? Tess looked around at the people milling around. A few were looking at them curiously, but no one seemed disgusted. For that matter, the curiosity could have just been because Mack had gone over to talk to them.
“The best part about cons is that nothing weirds people out.” Elodie grinned, then pulled Tess close and kissed her. Tess tried to backpedal, but submitted to what Elodie wanted so fast that the objection was barely noticeable. Elodie kissed her thoroughly, trying to erase the Kink Monsters from the girl’s mind, then let her go.
“See?” She gestured around. A few people had looked over, but when the kissing stopped, so did their interest. “No one gives a shit.”
Lock chuckled. “They say there’s a big intersection between kink, open-mindedness, intelligence and nerds.”
“Smart, open-minded people tend to be open-minded about more than one thing,” Lio agreed, trying to catch Tess’s eye. She caught his meaning, but disinterest flickered in her expression, rather than flirtation.
Time seemed to freeze around them, and the temperature felt as though it dropped twenty degrees. Lock stared Lio down.
“Our relationship is closed, if that’s what you’re implying.” Lock said, his tone polite and self-confident. Under the calm exterior there was danger, though – a Dom whose territory was being encroached on.
Merde, he was good. The message was loud and clear. Tess was theirs, and Lio could take a hike, because they wouldn’t be sharing her.
Finally.
You’re out of luck, Monsieur Lio.
Now if they could just get Tess to stop responding to Tristan’s sporadic texts, they’d be getting somewhere.
*
The light was out in the stairwell of Tess’s apartment building. Elodie paused, waiting for Tess to maneuver through the gloom.
“This happens all the time.” Tess’s unconcerned voice floated down to her.
There was something squishy under Elodie’s boot, and she was almost glad she couldn’t see what it was. She was relatively sure it was an eyeball or something equally traumatic. Something smelled...off. Lock squeezed her ass, using the dark as an excuse to grope her. At least she really hoped it was Lock.
A flight above them, a dim light came on. Elodie ran up the rest of the stairs, dragging the sole of her boot in case something was stuck to it.
She rounded the corner into the apartment. In the middle of the tiny, grimy place, Tess stood smiling.
Her adorable wee mouse was living in a dumpster?
Elodie put the shopping bags down on the coffee table. The apartment smelled musty – that’s what the smell was – and there was the sound of something dripping. The neighbors upstairs were clomping around like elephants, and in the distance a man was yelling obscenities.
Then there was Tess, her expression beatific. In all the time she’d known her, Tess had never complained that her apartment was a shithole, or that the air was probably going to give her a lung infection. If one of her charming neighbors didn’t knife her, the mold was going to get her. And the grime – the apartment also smelled of bleach, but there was no cleaning something that probably hadn’t been painted in fifty years.
“Non.” She took Tess’s hand and pulled her back toward the door. “J’ai dit non. There’s no way I’m leaving you here.”
Behind her, Lock snorted. “I told you it was bad.”
“Well I’m sorry you don’t like it,” Tess snapped. “Not everyone has enough money to live in a nice neighborhood.”
Elodie rolled her eyes. “I’m not judging you, stubborn girl. I was poor too, once, before I figured out what I was going to do with my life. My family isn’t wealthy and they couldn’t help me much. I used to pay my rent by bartending at a strip club.” She let go of Tess and folded her arms.
“You go and pack what you need for the next while, and then you’re coming to stay with us until we can find you a better apartment.” After the words popped out, she looked at Lock for verification. The house was his, after all. She was technically a guest there, and here she was inviting other people to stay.
Lock only nodded. “I didn’t like leaving her here the last time I dropped her off, but I didn’t know how you’d feel about me extending the invitation.”
She was relieved, but got the impression Lock would be punishing her for her presumptuousness later.
Tess didn’t move. “But I can’t pay you rent. I’m already paying rent here and I’d have to give notice.”
The dripping was already making Elodie crazy. Even when she’d had a craptastic apartment, she always managed to convince the landlord to fix things like that. Knowing Tess, she’d probably never asked.
“You don’t have to pay us rent. Give your notice here, then we’ll help you find something else.” Lock went to her and slid his hand into the back of her hair. She looked up at him, dazed, responding to the gentle dominance in his touch.
It was interesting and hot to watch Tess respond to him the same way she did.
“In the meanwhile, we can’t just leave you here.” Mister Calm and Reasonable. Tess would have no choice but to agree, like a good girl. Lock was like a hypnotist. He could make a girl agree to almost anything. Suck your dick? Gladly, Sir. Anal play? Whatever you want, Sir. Murder someone? If you need me to, Sir. It was a damn good thing
he used his powers to get what he wanted in bed, rather than to take over the universe. He’d be the most dangerous kind of supervillain.
He steered Tess into her bedroom, and Elodie followed.
Without saying anything, Tess pulled the dresses Elodie’d given her out of the closet and put them in a duffle bag, packed a pile of frilly underwear that Elodie also recognized, and a few toiletries. She complied, but her motions were slow and reluctant.
“Should I pack my old clothes too? I guess I should, to clean in.” She opened a drawer, and Elodie stopped her.
“If you need anything else, I’ll drive you back. It’s not that far.”
Tess nodded then zipped the duffle closed and stared at it.
“You okay?” Lock rubbed her back, and she shied away.
“I just need to know that...” She pressed her lips together and fiddled with the strap of the bag. “That I’m not paying for this with my body. No offense to people who do that for a living, but I’ve managed to prove my father wrong this long, I don’t want to go down that road now. I’m okay here.”
Elodie made a sound of disgust. “What kind of papa even says that to their daughter? We’re just giving you a hand. It’s not like that.”
The girl’s brows rose skeptically. “So this is about charity, then? If that’s the case, why me? Why not Mrs. Wilmington downstairs? Why not some homeless person?” She sat on her faded comforter and miserable tears dribbled down her cheeks. “I don’t want you to resent me because I’m not paying my way, but I also don’t want to earn my keep on my back. I can pay you some rent, but not what staying at your place is worth.”
Lock shook his head. “Tess, your independence is very patriotic, but this isn’t about you being our house elf with benefits. If you don’t ever want to sleep with us, that’s fine. We’re not going to evict you if you don’t put out, or anything like that. What you do with us is separate from you staying with us. As for rent, we’ll look at your finances and go from there. If you can’t afford anything, we’re not taking a dime.”
The fact that Tess automatically thought they were going to take advantage of her, in a bad way, was a sad statement on her past. Hadn’t they shown her they wouldn’t? Maybe it was her default setting, to think people were out to use her if they were being nice.
