Tiara- Part One Page 3

I laughed. “I told you my entire plan. You’re spending the night. Is that a problem?”

  “No, but you have something planned.”

  I laughed again. “I intend to seduce you. Are you going to ask me not to?”

  “No. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Well, you’ve now been exposed to my entire plan. We’ll dance for a while. I might let you dance with other people, if you want. Eventually I’m going to blow in your ear, and you’re going to swoon into my arms.”

  “Swooning is entirely my style.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “We’re just dancing, Gretchena.”

  I took one more song. A few others had arrived, including Allium with Gionna, and then Renalla with Valsine. It wasn’t quite the entire household, but most of it. I kissed Gretchena’s ear and asked, “Do you want to dance with the others?”

  “It’s up to you,” she whispered.

  “All right.” I turned her, taking her arm and wrapping it in mine again, and walked her to Allium, now standing on the side watching. “Allium, could Gretchena dance with Na-na?”

  “Of course,” Allium said.

  Gretchena gave a little laugh then stepped to Gionna. “Would you like to dance, Na-na?”

  “Yes,” she said. And then Gretchena led the red-clad slave away.

  I turned to Allium. “Would you dance with me?”

  “Of course.”

  I held my hands up as the lead. She moved into me, and then we were dancing. She felt nice, too. Who was I kidding? Dancing was nice. Allium was a comfortable follow, and I enjoyed dancing with her.

  “Things seem to be going well for you,” Allium asked.

  “Yes. You were right, I think about everything. Allium, am I frequently a spoiled brat?”

  “No,” she replied. “Sometimes you’re still a teenager. Most of the time, you’re very responsible, and you nearly always make good choices when you take time to consider your actions. But you’re still facing new situations, and you haven’t always worked out how you’re going to respond to them.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  “Most people struggle with this. When facing a new situation, they don’t necessarily respond the way they would if they’d considered it better first. It doesn’t help if you don’t realize it’s a new situation until you’re already responding.”

  “I suppose.”

  “For what it’s worth, we all do it.”

  “Even you?”

  “Even me, as shocking as that concept seems.”

  I laughed then sobered. “In case I don’t think of it before I go, I want to thank you for all the opportunities you’ve given me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “When I get back, am I still too young for more responsibility?”

  “No, but I don’t really have a lot to share. When you get back, we could discuss loaning you to Olivia again.”

  “I’d like that. She has the weight of the entire duchy on her shoulders, and in a way, the trade policies for the entire country.”

  “She does. We can help her with that, but not at the expense of Flarvor.”

  “Right.”

  After that, we danced two songs. As the second song ended, I asked, “May I dance with Na-na?”

  “Of course.”

  Gretchena and I traded, and I found the princess of Ressaline in my arms, dressed in the red resin of Allium’s pleasure slave. I could feel her own pleasure as I held her. It was the first time I’d danced with her while she was in resin.

  It felt nice, really nice. I kissed her cheek and whispered, “You feel good.”

  She giggled and tightened for a moment.

  Other than that, we didn’t talk. Frankly, I found myself responding to her, and that confused me. And so, I took my two dances with her, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Thank you, Na-na. You look good in red.”

  “I feel good in red, too,” she replied. “Thank you, Darfelsa.”

  I traded partners with Allium and then danced my date away. She and I simply danced for two songs before she asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I whispered back.

  “You liked dancing with Na-na.”

  “I like dancing with you more.”

  “I want to wear red for you, you know.”

  “That would be fun.”

  “Are you willing to wear red for me?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “But Allium is right. There isn’t time before I have to leave.”

  “No,” she said. “Your first challenge should be planned carefully and not rushed.”

  “You’re so far ahead of me,” I replied. “You feel nice, Gretchena. I want to dance a little longer. I went through a lot to arrange musicians on short notice.”

  “Dancing is nice. I want you to let me lead a few songs.”

  “Okay. Did you want to dance with anyone else?”

  “How long are we staying?”

  “Another half hour? Is that good?”

  “It’s perfect,” she said. “Should we share ourselves a little more?”

  “Only a little.”

  We finished the song. Then she took my hand. Renalla saw us coming. She smiled. “Renalla, are you sharing?”

  “Are you?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Could I dance with my cousin?”

  “Of course.”

  I collected Va. She melted against me, and I saw Gretchena with Renalla. Over two dances, they would each end up leading one.

  I didn’t talk to Valsine. We simply danced. She was a good dancer, and probably a better follow than I was a lead. But we had two nice dances.

  After that, I danced half my dances with Gretchena and half with the others in the room. The next time Gretchena and I came together, she said, “I would like to lead.” And so, I moved into her arms and closed my eyes.

  And I realized at that moment I liked that, to let her lead. It felt good. After two songs, I pulled her to the side of the room then back into an embrace, but in the corner. We swayed together to the next song, and I said, “I’m confused about something.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly.

  “Letting you lead felt really good.”

  “And that confuses you?”

  “Is that still leftover influence?”

  “Maybe some,” she said. “But I doubt it. Are you asking me to lead for our last few songs?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have anything to prove, Darfelsa.”

  “What happens tonight is my idea. Is that all right?”

  “That’s entirely all right.”

  And so, we danced twice more, and I led, and then I took her arm and led her from the room.

  Touches

  It wasn’t our first time; it wasn’t remotely our first time. We’d been lovers for two years. If anyone else knew, it wasn’t because I’d told them. They probably assumed, as we’d shared beds, but we’d never been caught, and we’d been quiet.

  But we hadn’t shared those touches in six months, and I felt a little shy with her. I drew her to my room, and we smiled before I stepped close. I caressed her arm and looked into her eyes. “Say ‘yes’,” I commanded.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I brought our lips together in a kiss, a kiss that turned searing as months of pent up need came to the fore. I pushed her against the wall, collected her hands, and pinned them over her head.

  She let me, which was quite unlike her. “Yes,” she said again.

  Yes, indeed.

  It took nothing to get us both worked up. It took far less to get us worked up than it did to get us both naked, and then we came together again, skin to skin, and I couldn’t keep my hands from her. “I’m a little frantic, Gretchena.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” she replied. “But take me to your bed.”

  I grabbed her arms and walked backwards, eventually crawling up the bed, pulling her with me. We came together, and then we both squirmed around as I shoved
the blanket away, giving us the soft sheets. But we came together, my hand finding her breast, hers digging into my bottom.

  After that, there was little art, but there was a great deal of passion, both of us caught up in what we were doing. There was passion and moaning and moving and…

  She called my name, and then again, panting rapidly.

  I rolled off her, then gathered her in my arms. My heart was pounding. Hers was pounding harder, and she was gasping for air. Her hand landed on my breast, and I held it there.

  “I missed you,” she said finally. “Darfelsa…” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “I wish you didn’t have to leave.”

  I kissed her sweetly. “I love you,” I told her.

  “I love you, too.”

  That wasn’t our first time, not remotely. We’d been saying that to each other longer than we’d been lovers.

  I pulled the top sheet over us. Once I settled back in with her, Gretchena’s hand found my breast. I smiled at her and sighed happily. She held me for a while, and then she began to kiss her way down my body.

  Red

  We spent our nights together. It was four days later that I received a note.

  I have arranged a surprise for you. Don’t make any plans for us for the next three nights. I’ll collect you for dinner.

  Gretchena

  And so, it was several hours later that found me in the foyer, pacing a little nervously, when Allium appeared. She was in her own dress, and she smiled at me.

  “You look nice,” I told her. “Date tonight?”

  “An event, anyway,” she said. “With my friends.”

  “Your friends, is it?”

  “Yes, Olivia, Gionna, and Gretchena are collecting us. I imagine Bee and Dee may come, but I didn’t ask.”

  “Oh,” I said. I laughed. “Okay.”

  It was another few minutes, and then we stepped outside and walked to Olivia’s large carriage. Bee was driving, and Dee held the door for us. Allium and I climbed in, and then we exchanged greetings. I found myself seated beside Gretchena, and we held hands.

  What was funny: they took us back to Olivia’s, which was barely worth the ride. I said nothing, but we moved to Olivia’s parlor for light conversation, and then dinner was announced.

  It was twenty minutes later that I asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Dinner,” Olivia said.

  “Uh, huh.”

  She gestured. “Plates. Food. Friends. It sounds like dinner to me.”

  “You’re really not going to tell me?”

  “What part of ‘a surprise’ wasn’t clear?” Gretchena asked.

  “So, this isn’t the surprise.”

  “Not yet. This is dinner with friends.”

  I dropped it.

  * * * *

  A half hour later found us in Olivia’s parlor. She offered tea, and we all settled into our seats. Gionna and Allium led us in a few minutes of small talk, and then there was a pause, a very noticeable pause, before the others turned to Olivia. I followed their gazes and found myself looking at her, too.

  “All right then,” she said. “Darfelsa, when it comes to challenges, there is a natural progression. As individuals are different, there are differences, but generally speaking, most people follow a pattern.”

  “Why are we bringing this up?”

  “You’ll see,” she replied. “The progression is you have your first, typically with someone significantly older with a reputation for being nurturing, but that isn’t always true.”

  “Sure.”

  “But regardless, your first is always with a citizen, and it’s best if she is well experienced.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “Then your first challenge can legally be with anyone who has had her First. Legally you could, right now, challenge anyone in this room, although it would be socially awkward if you were to challenge Bee or Dee. However, one is wise if one’s first challenge is with someone just as nurturing as for your First Enslavement, for all the same reasons.”

  “Sure.”

  “And everyone requires a recovery period after her first several challenges, assuming she loses. Unless she holds challenges with people just as unpracticed as she is, she almost certainly loses.”

  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”

  “When someone like me oversees the experience,” Olivia continued. “I tend to do it the same way with everyone. I give her a few lopsided challenges with people I deeply trust, and then I arrange a few challenges she at least has a fair chance of winning. I make sure she understands the expectations. She’s going to lose those first few.”

  “Right.”

  “As the current expectation is that I will oversee your first several challenges, you can expect a similar progression, unless you go behind my back.”

  “Why are we talking about this, Olivia?” I turned to Gretchena. “What’s going on?”

  “I want to wear red for you,” Gretchena said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Gretchena came to me,” Olivia said. “She asked, well, I wouldn’t say permission.”

  “Guidance. I asked for guidance. You’re leaving. You’ll be gone for months, probably. And then it will be more months. I wanted our first time to be a real challenge, but I don’t want to wait that long.”

  I looked her in the eye, then looked at the others. “I think I should be figuring this out, but I’m confused.”

  “Gretchena would like a practice challenge,” Olivia said. “If you had a real practice challenge, you would lose. And while you would enjoy yourself, you would go away while you’re still recovering, and that’s a very bad idea. So instead, she is offering to let you win.”

  “Really?” I turned to Gretchena. “Really? You don’t have to do that.”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to?”

  “No, I’m not saying that!”

  “I want to,” she said. “Please.”

  “You don’t think I’m going to say ‘no’ do you?”

  She laughed. “Good.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. Three days.”

  “Here’s the thing, Darfelsa,” Olivia said. “I will support this if you make a promise to me.”

  “What promise?”

  “To accept guidance from your friends on how to treat your pleasure slave,” she replied. “That means the people in this room.”

  “Including Bee and Dee?”

  “Especially Bee and Dee,” Olivia confirmed.

  My heart began pounding in excitement. I turned back to Gretchena. She was smiling while watching me. “Say yes,” she whispered.

  “Yes. But I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Which is why we’re doing this here, with just your friends,” Olivia said. “Will you let me guide you?”

  “Yes,” I said. I turned back to Gretchena. “If that’s what you want.”

  “It’s why we’re here,” Gretchena said. “I asked her to help us.”

  “All right.” I turned back to Olivia. “What do we do?”

  “Well, there’s paperwork to sign.” She gestured. Dee stood and walked over, then knelt before me, holding out a clipboard with paperwork and a pen. It was a single sheet. I read it then signed where indicated. Gretchena had already signed it. Dee took it back to Olivia, who also signed it. “We are going to have a simple event. Bee and Dee will help. It will be deeply one-sided, but it is still possible that you could become overcome faster than Gretchena does. If that starts to happen, they’ll pull you away from it to gather yourself. Darfelsa, you need to focus on winning, even though it seems like a sure thing.”

  “And even though I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “Even then. There are styles of doing this that are nearly impossible to lose.”

  “But I wanted something more loving than that,” Gretchena said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You would tie me bent
over a piece of furniture,” Gretchena said. “It’s deeply impersonal. I want to look into your eyes as you take me.”

  “I can do that,” I said. I realized I was grinning, and I wouldn’t stop for a while.

  “Do you have more questions?”

  We talked for a few minutes. Finally, Olivia got us moving, and we ended in her ballroom. There was a tub in the middle of the dance floor, and when Gretchena led me over, I saw it was half full of resin. There was a ramp along one side, which I’ll get back to.

  Bee and Dee stepped over to us. They pulled us apart, and then I didn’t resist as they changed our clothes, me into a shift.

  Gretchena wore nothing.

  In the meantime, the others took chairs. I thought it was a little odd they were going to watch, but it was how things were done. Bee finished getting me ready and then said, “We’ll guide you, but you should do most of it. The three of us are going to bring Gretchena to the tub. We’re going to tie her there, and then we’ll all tease her.”

  “All right,” I whispered.

  I turned. Gretchena was watching me. I walked to her, stalking her in a way. She smiled at me.

  Bee moved past me, and by the time I arrived, she and Dee both held one arm. I walked straight up to Gretchena and set my hands on her shoulders. Then I began pushing her backwards.

  She came to the tub. “Step in,” I ordered. She did, and then I followed after.

  We turned her, and then Bee and Dee lowered her. I pushed backwards until Gretchena was lying along the ramp I’d mentioned. I climbed atop her and pinned her, then said, “Tie her.”

  They did it for me. I did nothing but stare into Gretchena’s eyes. She didn’t take hers from me. Finally, she tested her restraints, but she wasn’t going anywhere. She looked left and right, then back at me. “Please kiss me.”

  I lowered and did just that. We kissed for a minute, and then Bee said, “Talk to her now.”

  I lifted and looked at the slave. “What do I say?”

  “Begin calling her by her slave name,” she said. “Tell her you’ll take care of her. Tell her she’s going to enjoy belonging to you.”

  I turned back to my friend. “Chay.” I smiled and caressed her cheek. “I’ve thought about doing this with you for years.”

  “Me, too.”

  Bee and Dee dipped their hands in the resin and then spread it along Gretchena’s arms. I saw that and lowered my own hand, swirling a finger before cupping resin and bringing it up. I began to finger paint Gretchena’s body. “I love you so much,” I told her. “I love our time together. I’m going to love seeing you in red.”