by D W Marshall
Violet raises her hand. She actually waits for Ivory to call on her. She’s toast in here. I thought I was in trouble.
Ivory sits back down. Her work isn’t quite done. “Yes, Violet?”
“What actually happens in The Chambers? I mean, I know sex, but how does it work?” Her voice is soft and sweet.
Great question. I lean forward expectantly.
“Whatever the lottery winner wants,” Ivory responds. “Usually, the guys on your schedule for the night put in their specifications. They may want you tied up or dressed a certain way. They may want you blindfolded or even gagged. Your handler or groomer prepares you for each man, and freshens you up between them. Some guys may just want to eat your pussy all night. Some may want to get their dicks sucked. Some of the true romantics might want to treat you like a real date. You’ve all seen those horses in your Chamber?”
“Yes,” we all mutter.
“Believe me, you will all get to know that horse very well,” she says. “I don’t know why, but most of these guys get off on that. The bottom line is, they have paid millions to spend the year doing just about whatever they want to do with you. My advice is to be prepared for anything.” She rises again.
“We will have to table any other questions for another time. The lottery winners will be showing up in a few hours, and you ladies need your rest. It’s going to be a long night. Remember, embody your characters. Good luck.” She flashes us a big smile and walks out without looking back.
Our faces reveal all variations of stunned and dumfounded.
Some of the girls stay in the family room and chat. I bolt to my room. My only desire is to bury myself under the covers—under the bed, if I can. I fling the wine-colored blanket back and something light catches my eye when it dislodges itself from under my pillow. It’s a lavender envelope. On the front in beautiful script is my name, Vivian.
I tear it open in haste. Before I can begin reading it, Sky and Sapphire appear in the doorway, chatting about something. I turn my back to them in a flash, not wanting them to see my letter. I hide it under my shirt and excuse myself to the bathroom, a lavishly appointed, three-stalled room. I step into the stall in the center and lock myself in. I put the seat down and sit on it. I carefully pull the letter from the envelope and begin reading it. It’s from Tyson.
My Dearest Vivian,
It is in bad form that I write this because I risk so much. I knew that I wouldn’t have a chance to see you before your first night. It kills me that I can’t be inside of The Chamber with you. Please know that I will be watching you, and if you need me I’m only a staircase away. I’m so sorry that you have to endure this, but know that if I could take you away from here I would.
Yours since Vegas,
Dominic
P.S. Do not fall asleep in your Chamber tonight. Believe me, if it were up to me, I would have you sleep there every night. I don’t want anyone to catch on to anything between us. I will send another letter when the time is right.
P.P.S. Please destroy this letter. Might I suggest shred and flush? XOXO
I hold the letter to my chest. Tears fall like a storm. He really does care for me. Dominic. He told me his real name. No one uses their real names in The Chamber, but we are now Vivian and Dominic. I will take care to not utter it by accident. How does a man as amazing as him find himself working in a place like this? I hate to shred this beautiful post, but I know that it is best that whatever is transpiring between us goes undiscovered.
What is going on between us? Why am I having such strong feelings for a man I barely know? What about Liam? I read Dominic’s words three more times before I decimate the letter into tiny, flushable shreds, lavender envelope and all. I will check my pillow with hope every single day. I miss him already.
When my stomach growls, I realize that I haven’t had a proper meal since I’ve been here. I haven’t had any appetite, but I am suddenly starving. I rush past my Chamber-mates toward the kitchen. I raid the cabinets, and the best I can come up with is oatmeal. It hits the spot—warm and comforting. I head back to my room and fall into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
The Playlist
I wake with a start, disoriented from my afternoon nap. I’m alone in my room. Just as I swing my legs over the edge of my bed and put my feet onto the floor, Zion enters.
“Flame, you’re awake! I was just coming to get you.”
I wish she could take my place. With her fiery auburn hair she could easily be Flame.
“Are you ready?”
No. “Sure.”
“Then follow me,” she says, and to my horror she heads toward my Chamber stairs.
Why is everyone so cheery around here? I follow close behind Zion. Fuck. I really do not want to do this. When we reach the top of the staircase I can’t breathe. I take in rapid shallow breaths, sucking in air, and it still isn’t enough. Alarm sets in as my head gets light and starts spinning. My heart is pounding in my chest, and it becomes tight. I’m going to die. Seriously. I can’t do this! Five men! How can I have sex with five men in one night? What are they gonna want me to do?
“I can hear your heart pounding from here. Girl, are you okay?” Zion asks.
“I’m fine.” I’m dying!
“No, you are not fine. You’re on your way to a full-blown panic attack. Listen, we have time—nearly an hour. Just breathe.”
I try to relax, but it’s not working very well. We walk past the heavily-veiled curtain, and I continue to breathe long, deep, relaxing breaths. I cringe when I glance at the self-pleasure horse, and, to my dismay, the open cabinet of horror. Zion takes my hand when I pause. She leads me past The Chamber to the adjoining bath. There’s a stylist’s chair in the center of the bathroom.
I sit in the chair and continue to breathe deeply until my breaths are normal again.
“Better?” Zion asks me.
“I think so.” My heart slows down and my vision is clearer.
Zion turns the shower on, then turns to face me. “Listen, Mason is a smart man. Why do you think he had that introduction party? You had thirty-five different men pawing at you. Thirty-five! Tonight, you only have to deal with five. Not to mention, your personal guard has the biggest dick on the planet. If you can handle Tyson, none of these guys will even come close.
“I secretly call him Thunderdick.” I giggle.
“Thunderdick and then some,” she replies.
We both laugh at the absurdity of his organ. I hop into the shower. The warm water engulfs my body, calming me further. I just stand under the showerhead and drown in the warmth. It’s too much. I’m in my Chamber. I need to remember Ivory’s words from earlier. I need to manifest Flame. It seems like the only time she comes around is once I’ve been touched in that certain place. I have to suffer as Vivian only as long as it takes for whoever I’m with to touch me there. It’s only then that the fear, everything, vanishes.
There’s some truth to Zion’s words, though.
Before I was brought here, I would have never imagined doing any of the things I’ve done. In a short time, I have become much more relaxed about sex. I’ve had more than twenty cocks in my mouth. I’ve also had sex with Tyson and Mason. I’ve done all of these things, and I didn’t die. I’ve enjoyed my experiences with Tyson. He gives me control and makes me feel like the decision to have sex is ours. He makes me feel like we’re in it together.
I wash my body and my hair, smiling when I think of him. “You’re right, Zion,” I shout over the water. “Besides, Tyson will be watching the whole time, right?”
“Correct,” she shouts back.
“Hey, can I ask you a question?”
“Anything,” she says.
I rinse the suds off my body. “Earlier, Ivory came and talked to all of us, and she basically said it’s forbidden for guards and Chambermaids to become involved, but she seemed to be speaking directly to me. Do you know what that’s about?” I wait for her answer.
“I do,”
Zion says.
I lean my head out of the shower, and my eyebrows raise in question. I turn the water off so I don’t miss a word, then step out of the shower into Zion’s waiting towel. I go at the task of drying while she talks.
She sighs, then stares at me as if deciding. “I don’t see how telling you this can hurt anything,” she finally says.
My eyes don’t leave hers.
“Tyson has never been a personal guard to any girl in The Chamber, ever,” she begins.
I hide my face in the towel to hide my smile while I pretend to dry my face. “Was he chosen?” I ask as casually as I can.
She sighs again. “No, he requested to be your guard, which is unusual. He has never expressed any interest in any other task besides leading the guards. He has never guarded an individual girl or had sex with any of the Chambermaids.”
“Never?” This knowledge thrills me on a level that I can’t begin to explain.
“Now you see why the interest that he has taken in you is being observed,” Zion says. “Mason couldn’t deny his request, but he is concerned.”
I turn to hide another smile as I wrap myself in the towel and take a seat in the chair. “Wow, I feel special.” He chose me. I have a sudden urge to giggle and squeal like a schoolgirl. He has wanted you from the very beginning. I’m the only Chambermaid he has ever had sex with. Why me? I knew I could trust him.
“You should feel special, but Ivory’s warning is real. Mason will never let his best guard get into a relationship with you. It will cloud his judgment, and he leads all of the guards. He has to have the clearest head. Trust me, Mason will be keeping a close eye on the two of you.”
Her warning doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t want to be anywhere near Mason’s radar, and I certainly don’t want this to make Tyson back away from me. He’s the reason I feel safer here. It’s not like we’re going to be a couple when I get out of here. I have Liam back home. Liam and I have been friends without benefits, and Tyson and I are the exact opposite. His life is here, and mine isn’t. In a year, I’m leaving this, and Tyson, behind.
Zion is quick with my preparation, which includes airbrush foundation and giant curlers. She hands me a piece of paper, which I quickly discover is tonight’s playlist.
Stranger One wants me sexy and seductive, attentive to his every instruction and desire.
Stranger Two wants me naked, and he wants me on the horse.
Stranger Three wants me in some strange suspension contraption. He also made it clear that I’m not to speak.
Stranger Four wants me to sample several apparatuses.
Stranger Five wants vanilla sex. What the hell is vanilla sex? Whatever it is, it sounds messy.
I don’t know if it’s better or worse to know my fate. The paper is shaking in my hand.
Tyson is watching. Tyson is watching. I steel my nerves for what is to come.
The time is near. I glance up to the opening in the ceiling. The sky is sprinkled with the brightest stars. Trance music filters in through the gentlemen’s room below. My stomach rolls in dread and anticipation.
Zion did her part to help me get into the role. I’m dressed in a gorgeous scarlet nightgown. It’s sheer enough to show my breasts and the triangle between my legs clearly. The gown falls to the floor with a train. I don’t recognize myself. My hair falls in big curls down my back. I’m wearing five-inch stilettos with red soles.
Who am I?
My face is the most unrecognizable part. I’m more of a moisturizer and lip gloss kind of girl. This glamazon in the mirror is not me. False eyelashes frame my gray eyes, causing them to appear bigger and grayer somehow. Ruby red lips stand out against my alabaster skin. That’s it, I’m no longer Vivian. For the moment, she is gone. I stare at the reflection of this beautiful stranger. She is not me, and she is not Nobody either. Nobody is weak and broken, and the reflection staring back at me is none of those things. She is Flame.
The bookcase slides open, and I brace myself for Stranger One. It’s my first Chamber, and I don’t know what to do with myself. What would Flame do? I sit on the bed, and attempt to lean in a sexy manner, but fail miserably. I don’t have to worry. When I gaze at the entrance to my Chamber, there he is.
A strange man in my Chamber.
My heart stops and my breath catches in my throat. His eyes are pinned to mine. To my surprise, he looks a little nervous. I break eye contact first and notice that he is holding a bottle and two long-stemmed glasses. He’s very attractive, with thick dark hair, dark eyes, and fair skin. I guess that he is in his thirties. I can’t see his body because of his dress shirt and pants, but I can tell that he is fit.
“Flame, you’re breathtaking,” he says. His eyes take in all of me. He looks at me with adoration.
I blush, then remember he wants sexy and seductive. Compliant. I’ll wing it. I take solace in the fact that Tyson—Dominic—is watching.
I find myself wishing I knew where the cameras were.
The music fades into the background. Only my heartbeat is audible while I await instructions from the handsome stranger.
“Please, sit here.” He directs me.
I rise from the bed and make my way to the bistro table I hadn’t even noticed. The table is only large enough for a couple of wine glasses and our bottle. The stranger pulls out my chair for me. When I sit, he plants a soft, wet kiss on my temple. He’s a flowers and romance guy. He takes a seat across from mine.
“You’re exquisite, Flame.” My stranger pours champagne into our glasses. “Shall we make a toast to what I expect to be an amazing year?”
He raises his glass.
I raise mine.
“To us,” he says.
I mimic him. “To us.”
“Call me X, because tonight I’m going to ex-tinguish your flame.”
Lame. “That sounds intriguing,” I reply. We sit in silence so long that I begin to squirm. X stares at me with lust in his eyes. He’s showing me romance and chivalry now, but his eyes tell me that he is no gentleman.
“Please stand,” he instructs.
I do as I’m told. My chest is rising and falling, giving away the fear that I’m desperate to cover.
“Walk over to the bed, and please do not sit.”
I comply.
He stands and crosses the small Chamber.
I squeeze my eyes shut and take deep gulps of air while my body trembles. You can do this, Vivian.
When I open my eyes he is two inches away from me. With my sky-high stilettos, he and I are face to face. I’m lost. I wait on edge as his breathing picks up. In a sudden move, he fists my hair, pulls my face to his, and kisses me. More accurately, he devours me. I do my best to keep up with him and match the intensity of his tongue with mine. I wish that he would just get on with it, though, and help me get out of my own head and disappear. Once he touches my newfound pleasure spot, I’ll no longer be present in this room with him, and that is what I desire. Perhaps if I amp up the seductress factor he will end this charade.
I tangle my hands into his hair, pulling him closer to me. His erection pressing into me indicates how much he likes it. I fake a moan into his mouth.
“Oh, baby. I want you, too,” he breathes.
It’s working. He practically rips my sheer gown from my body, and it falls to the floor in shreds. I step out of it and realize that I’m standing before him naked.
“You’re fucking perfect,” he says, standing back to admire me. “I don’t know what to do first.” He sounds like a kid on Christmas.
He gazes into my eyes and then lowers himself out of my line of sight. I open my legs when I feel him nudge my leg, widening my stance. The feeling of his tongue licking and tasting me is just what I need. He’s gentle as his tongue acquaints itself with my sex. I let my mind zero in on him licking my clitoris like it’s his favorite brand of candy. I thrust my hips forward and licking turns to sucking. I hear the moans escape my lips. Heaven.
I grab one of the bedposts. My bo
dy covered in goose bumps, and my stomach starts to clench. My nipples peak into tight nuggets. I want to touch myself. I want to bite something. Fuck. I moan, and he sucks harder. I feel myself climbing higher and higher. His fingers slide inside of me and I nearly slip off the edge.
“Lie down on the bed.” He gazes up at me from under heavy lids. “I want your knees bent and legs spread far apart so I can see this pussy.”
I do as he asks, and he quickly takes me into his mouth again. He gives a voracious suck, then slides his tongue along my needy flesh. I nearly lose it and I fist his hair and pull his face into me. I’m shaking from the thrill of how my sex throbs, but manage to keep my orgasm at bay. The throbbing is maddening, sending tingling waves through me. I want him to bury himself inside of me way more than I should. The feelings stirring inside of me are too strong to ignore, like a fire that has to be put out, just like he said.
I watch the stranger remove his shirt, revealing a fine body. He has deep contours in all the right places—chiseled abs and a well-defined chest. Tyson has the body of a professional football player, but X’s body is like a world-class soccer player. I watch as he unzips his pants, and his very full erection springs free. No underwear.
“Wow,” I say. I know guys like when women seem impressed by their cocks.
“All for you, baby.” He smiles.
He is no Tyson, but he’s pretty big. I seem to have become an authority in a very short period of time.
“Are you ready for me?” He strokes himself.
I nod enthusiastically because the throbbing from earlier is ebbing and I need it back. X climbs onto the bed and without another word, he slams his erection inside of me. I hiss from the contact. He repeats the action over and over. I raise my hips so that his length can reach the spot deep inside of me that makes me lose my mind.
