Harem House Chapter 41 Part 4

“What the fuck is going on here?” George asked, looking around and then immediately looking away. He used his right hand to block his view of everything but a patch of empty carpet. “The gate and garage door were open, we thought maybe your guys’ night had turned into a full party or something with the number of cars, but this… Thank god your mothers aren’t here.” 

“Arty said I–” Lynn struggled to get the sentence out, her accusatory tone fading as her memories replayed, as if her own brain were trying to convince her she was in the wrong. “That I–” 

“I told her what I told Mom and the others,” Arthur said, as he collected himself and stood. He spoke to George, but he stared at Lynn as he said it. 

George and Gabriel looked at each other, then back at the pair, doing their best to ignore everyone else in the room. “And she reacted by choking you?” George asked. 

“And slapping, and tackling,” Rani added from behind Lynn. 

“He deserved it!” Lynn said, stamping her foot on the floor. “He told everyone that I–that I–” She refused to state what she’d done. “He lied!” 

Arthur stepped forward, and Lynn stepped back. 

“I didn’t lie!” Arthur said, raising his voice into a furious boom that thundered through the room. He pointed his finger directly into Lynn’s face as he spoke. “You even admitted what you did in front of everyone here! So stop acting like I’m twisting what happened. You were wrong, and you did something wrong, on top of your many, many, other issues!” 

“But–” Lynn hesitated, clinging to her delusional denial even as it slipped from her. The tension of it suspended her for a moment. “I guess, maybe from your perspective, but–” 

“No buts,” Arthur said, cutting her off as he sliced his hand through the air. “That’s what happened. You can accept it, or deny it, but however you decide to react doesn’t matter. It’s still what happened.” 

Lynn’s defiance broke. She broke. She crumpled into herself, crying. “What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry?” 

“I don’t want you to say anything,” Arthur said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re sorry. I want you to get out and leave me alone.” 

Lynn’s tears, whether real or theatrical, fell in a stream of droplets to the floor. 

Rani and Mindy moved away from Lynn and hugged Arthur, pulling him away from Lynn as she cried. Gabe and George stood by the door, and George cleared his throat to awkwardly try to grab everyone’s attention.  

Gabriel wasn’t as shy as George. He passed George and moved toward Arthur and Lynn, barely registering the women hugging Arthur. To Arthur’s surprise, he stopped in his trek when he reached Arthur, and didn’t continue to Lynn. “Are you okay, Mijo?” 

Arthur looked confused, staring into Gabe’s face. 

“Your madre told us everything,” Gabe said, his voice soft. “I came to have a difficult conversation with my daughter.” He glared at Lynn, his voice suddenly steel when he spoke again. “Go wait for me in the car.” 

“But–” Lynn continued crying, her voice breaking as she protested. 

The flurry of Spanish out of Gabriel’s mouth flew too fast for Arthur to follow. The tone, however, was one of fury. Her own father held no compassion for her tears, and his rebuke was plain, even for those who didn’t understand what he was saying. Kat’s eyes went wide, even with her hand over her nose to stop herself from bleeding on the furniture. 

Lynn stood, tears streaming from her eyes, and rushed out of the room. She nearly knocked George over in her bawling flight. 

Arthur, for his part, swallowed. His throat felt tight, but loosened as he patted the girls’ backs for them to release him. Reluctantly, they let go of him, and Arthur stepped out from the huddle with Rani and Mindy. Mindy stepped behind him, hugging Rani in his place. 

“I forgot how tall you’ve gotten,” Gabe said, smiling softly at Arthur. “Nothing makes me feel older than all this young flesh.” 

At his words, the girls in the room seemed to realize how many of them were naked, and they covered themselves with the sofa, its cushions, scraps of clothing on the floor, and other clothed people as best they could. All but Rani, who stood with her hand on her hip, wearing nothing but jewelry and a gold bikini top. Mindy ducked behind the sofa. 

“Uh… why don’t we talk to Arthur upstairs?” George suggested. “Unless… maybe the office would be better? Or the kitchen? Are there more naked people here?” 

“The kitchen’s fine,” Arthur said, still processing what just happened. His brain felt sluggish and slow, churning through mud. “Uh… I’ll be right back, I guess. Girls, you should get dressed. Guys, I’m sorry, but I think this is the end of guys’ night.” 

Selene rushed to Arthur’s side, holding him, not seeming to care that she was entirely naked. George and Gabriel looked away, coughing slightly. She was crying, sobbing, apologizing, and genuinely a mess. Arthur gently guided her away from the center of the room, bringing her to Kelly, who stood covering her chest with what was once Selene’s latex dress. She and many of the others stared at George and Gabriel, who stood in the center of the room. 

“Good to see you all again,” George said, trying to reduce the awkwardness. He winced, knowing the first thing that came to mind was something easily mistaken for innuendo. 

“Hi, Mister Clarke!” Mindy’s hand rose and waved from the other side of the sofa, where her crouched position kept her hidden from view.

“Hello, Mindy,” George said, waving back, though she couldn’t see him. “Uh… yeah. Here’s the beer, assuming you’re all of legal age. I didn’t know Mindy would be here, obviously, or I wouldn’t have come. We did knock, but when no one answered, well, yeah.” 

“Uh… thanks,” Brad said, unsure of how to respond to the awkward conversation. “For the beer, I mean.” 

“It’s Brad, right?” George asked. “You used to room with Arthur?” 

“Yeah,” Brad said, shaking his hand. “Good to see you again, Mister Clarke.” 

“You can call me George.” He said. 

“Cool.” Brad nodded. “Thanks.” 

George nodded, still waiting for Arthur to finish calming Selene. 

“Is anyone dressed and coherent enough to tell us what happened?” Gabriel asked, looking around the room as little as possible. 

Rani raised her hand, despite not qualifying as ‘dressed.’ “Yeah. The TLDR is pretty straightforward if you already know what happened between Arthur and Lynn. Earlier this week, Lynn tried to out Mindy and me to Mindy’s parents. It didn’t quite work, but Deb thought it was worth an apology because she’s a decent human being. Not to mention hot as fuck, so congrats, George.” She gave him a wink. 

“Uh… thanks,” George said, his brow furrowing as he did his darndest to retain eye contact with Rani despite her being bottomless. 

“Anyway, she made Lynn invite us all to an apology dinner. We came, and things got out of hand once or twice. She wasn’t actually sorry, and we kinda knew that, but we came anyway. Well, she and Kelly–” 

Kelly shook her head and pointed at Kat. 

“She and Kat–” Rani said, surprised. “Got into a fight by the pool, apparently. Hence, Kat’s bloody nose, I guess.” 

Kat raised her hand when George and Gabriel’s gazes swept between her and Katelyn. However, it was obvious which one had a bloody nose between the wounded, drenched pair. Arthur’s concerned gaze turned to Kat, who gestured that she was okay. 

“Lynn came running in here to confront Arthur about his telling Deb what happened. Apparently, Deb disowned Lynn over it, which is another reason she’s my favorite, and Arthur told her the truth even though not everyone in the room had heard the story before.” 

Arthur’s head snapped up at that, meeting Brad’s apologetic gaze. 

“Lynn didn’t react well and freaked the fuck out. She attacked Arthur, which led to a brawl as everyone tried to stop her. She broke a very precious memento of Selene’s, which is why Selene’s fuckin’ inconsolable right now, not to mention how sympathetic she is to Arthur’s emotional wounds. She loves him, we all do, so we’re all pretty upset. But you saw her attacking him, choking him, and due to his trauma, he has a freeze-response where Lynn is concerned. So, as big and strong as he is, which is a hell of a lot, he’s useless against Lynn.”

“Rani,” Arthur said, his tone a rebuke without the words. 

“What?” Rani asked, glancing over at Arthur. “You freeze whenever Lynn attacks you. This isn’t the first time she tackled you, right? She did it at homecoming, and you froze until Kelly came along to save you. There’s no shame in it. It’s a perfectly natural response to traumatic assault. It’s an instinct in some people. Hell, I’m proud of you for facing her down and talking as calmly as you did without violence.” 

“Okay,” Gabriel said, nodding. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he pulled his hand away. “My talk with my daughter just got a lot longer.” 

“Phht.” Rani shook her head. “Your daughter doesn’t need you reprimanding her; she needs a professional. She’s a bitch, sure, but she’s also fucking insane.” 

“Rani,” Arthur said again as Gabriel’s expression stiffened at her bluntness. 

“I don’t mean normal crazy girl shit,” Rani said. “She’s legitimately, legally speaking, an unhinged individual in need of professional psychiatric help, a danger to others. She belongs in jail, and if not jail, then a fuckin’ psychiatric ward. Every person in this room can corroborate what I just told you.” 

“I have video,” Mark said, holding up his phone. “But uh… there’s a lot of tits, so it’s probably not safe for work.” 

Gabriel’s gaze wandered over the faces of the others, some of whom wouldn’t look at him as they nodded. 

“Okay…” George said, swallowing before he continued. “So that’s what happened. But why are people naked? What kind of party were you throwing?” 

“Well, the dinner party was downstairs,” Rani said, pointing with her thumb down the hallway. “It was supposed to be a pool party to enjoy the hot tub, fire pit, and heated pool. It didn’t quite work out that way, but that’s why some of us are in swimwear. Mindy’s naked, and my bottoms are missing because we were in the middle of a sixty-nine when the fight by the pool broke out. That’s why I wasn’t sure if it was between Kelly and Lynn or Kat and Lynn.” 

“Oh my god,” George said, covering his eyes as if that could block out the unbidden mental image. 

“I’m guessing Kelly lost her top in the fight?” Rani asked, and Kelly nodded. Her black bikini top was on the floor a few paces away from George. “Kat’s a prude, so you wouldn’t see her naked even if the rest of us were.” 

“Hey!” Kat protested. 

“Same with Katelyn, I guess.” Rani shrugged. “And the others are Arthur’s friends. I’m guessing they were fucking since Selene wanted to give their guys’ night a sexy surprise with their girlfriends. You remember what it’s like to be young and horny, right?” 

George laughed, which shook Gabe out of his shock at the question. The others stood around, waiting for someone to break the silence that fell as everyone processed everything. 

“Okay, well…” George looked at Gabriel. “What do we do from here?” 

“I guess we accelerate the plan,” Gabe said, facing George. “I’ll take Lynn home. If you’re still willing to forgive the lease, we’ll have her packed and out of here as soon as we can.” 

“Of course,” George said, nodding. “I think that’s for the best.” 

“That’s it?” Rani asked, breaking into their conversation as she crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s going home and moving out? She just assaulted him in front of witnesses. What if Arthur presses charges?”

Gabriel looked at Arthur. The sorrow and pity in his gaze seemed more painful to Arthur than Lynn’s slaps. “I’m going to do what I can to get Lynn the help she needs,” Gabe said. “I’d ask Arthur not to press charges, but, Mijo, if you do, her madre and I intend to cooperate fully with any investigation. If you don’t, we still intend to pursue therapy and counseling. She needs more help than we can give her, and if she won’t accept help from professionals voluntarily, then we might ask you to press charges so she can get the help she needs by court order.” 

Arthur swallowed and nodded. “I’ll let you know.” 

Rani looked in surprise at Arthur. “I know a great lawyer if you–” 

“Not now, Rani,” Arthur said, holding his hand up to stop her. “But thank you.” 

Rani crossed the room and hugged him. He returned the hug and soon found himself in a huddle of semi-naked women as George and Gabe turned their backs toward the immodesty. 

“I’d better go,” Gabriel said. “At this point, I just hope Lynn’s in the car. Can you Uber, or do you want to ride back with us?” 

“I’ll Uber,” George nodded. “But I’ll walk you out.” The two exited the way they entered, through the laundry room and garage to Gabriel’s car.

~~~

With their exit, the girls compressed Arthur, squeezing him from every angle. Brad and Jen dressed in the corner, though Jen didn’t bother with her fishnets. Maria grabbed her dress, slinking into it without her underwear. Mark pulled his clothes on. By the time they finished dressing, the girls were still hugging Arthur, who had his eyes closed. 

Mark and Brad exchanged a glance, unsure of how to respond to everything that had just happened. 

“Hey uh…” Brad said, “Maybe some of you should go get dressed before George comes back?” 

Arthur nodded, and only then did his girlfriends release him. He checked on Kat before she left, making sure her nose was okay. Then Kat, Katelyn, Kelly, Mindy, and Rani hesitantly left the room, checking on Arthur as they left to retrieve their clothes. Selene didn’t release him, though. She clung to him as if letting go meant losing him forever. 

“It’s okay,” He assured her as he stroked her back. 

“Did you bring normal clothes by any chance?” Mark asked Maria. 

Maria nodded. “In the trunk. As well as our stuff for tomorrow, in case we spent the night.” 

“I think maybe we should head out,” Brad said, frowning. “I’m sorry to end the night this way, though.” 

“Wait,” Mark said, shaking his head, watching Arthur for a moment as he soothed Selene. Mark gestured for Brad, Jen, and Maria to come closer, and they huddled around him after he moved to the other side of the long room. “Let’s not leave yet,” He whispered. “Arthur just went through some heavy shit. What he needs now is support from his friends, right?” 

“Honestly?” Jen asked, glancing toward Arthur and Selene in the corner. “I think maybe we’re intruding? He probably wants to be alone with his girlfriends.” 

“After all that? Sex is probably the last thing on his mind.” Brad said, shaking his head. “I know Arthur, he’s the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had. Him and you.” Brad included Mark, which made Mark smile. “Dude needs cheering up.” 

“And what always cheers him up?” Mark asked the leading question. 

“If you say Godspell, I’m going to smack you,” Maria said, bumping Mark with her hip. 

“No, that’s my feel-better musical,” Mark said, shaking his head. 

Brad chuckled. “Terrible show.” He said to Jen. 

“It’s a great show, and I stand by it,” Mark said. “But no. Arthur’s feel-better musical is She Loves Me, I think, or just any old movie musical, especially the romantic ones. He’s the one who told me about She Loves Me in the first place. He’s a big fan of the Jimmy Stewart movie it’s based on.”

“Which Jimmy Stewart movie?” Jen asked. 

“Shop Around the Corner,” Mark said. “Well, they’re both based on the same play, anyway. It’s a whole thing. Anyway, he’s the one who introduced me and Caleb to the show, like, two years ago.”  

“Corny, romantic, and definitely Arthur-coded. He’s passionate about his old movies.” Brad agreed. 

“Corny and romantic?” Jen asked, surprised. “The dominant kink professor with the monster-dick who fucks like a goddamn beast?” 

Maria nodded. “You don’t know him that well yet, but honestly, that side of him was way more surprising than you realize.”  

“Yeah, we get it, he’s hot,” Mark said, bumping Maria with his hip. He didn’t sound jealous, ribbing her more than chiding her. “I’ve got a subscription to Broadway HD and can pull it up. You put on your normal clothes, and… see if you can help Selene.” 

Maria and Jen nodded. 

The huddle broke apart, and Arthur lifted his gaze as Jen and Maria approached. 

Selene curled tighter against him, fearing their approach meant separation. 

“It’s okay,” Arthur said. “I told you when I gave it to you that the collar was just a training collar. You’ve deserved a better one for a while now. We’ll pick one out for you together, and we’ll make it one of those infinity collars. Stainless steel, durable, and with a matching necklace you can wear in vanilla situations. That way, you’ll never be without one. Is that something you’d like?” 

Selene nodded, not answering as Arthur wiped her tears from her cheek. 

“You were a good girl tonight,” Arthur said. “I appreciate everything you did, even if you know I disapprove of violence. I’m not going to punish you for it.” 

Selene gulped, squeezing Arthur tight. She said something only he could decipher. 

“I’m okay,” Arthur assured her. “I promise I’m okay.” 

“I’m going to run out to the car and grab our clothes,” Maria said to Selene. “Jen is going to help you clean up, okay? Is there a bathroom nearby?” 

“There’s a hall bathroom,” Arthur said, pointing. “Half bath. And another half bath off the laundry room. Full bathrooms are upstairs.” 

“We’ll see what the lighting’s like,” Jen said, offering Selene her hand to help her to her feet. 

Selene took it hesitantly and followed Jen as she half-carried, half-led her through the hallway. 

Brad offered Arthur his hand and helped him to his feet. 

“Sorry you had to witness that,” Arthur said, fetching his pants from the sofa. 

“Bro,” Brad said, staring at Arthur. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, you know that, but if you ever want to, you can talk to me about anything, okay?” 

“Me too,” Mark said, raising his hand. “We’re bros. If you can’t talk about your shit with your bros, what’s the point of having bros? Am I saying bros too much? Sorry, bro.” 

Arthur appreciated the attempt at humor, even if he didn’t smile. “Thanks,” he said, stepping into his pants. “I appreciate it. I do, but honestly, I’ve talked about it so much this week that I don’t want to talk about it again for years if I don’t have to.”

“That’s okay, too,” Brad said, nodding. “We’re here if and when you need us.” 

“Same goes for you,” Arthur said. “You two ever need anything, you know I’ll do what I can.” 

“Can you give me sex lessons?” Mark asked, laughing with Brad and Arthur as they broke into delayed rounds of chuckles at the sudden shift in topic and the ridiculous question. 

A knock at the door as it opened presented Maria and George to the room, three bags in Maria’s hands as she looked around and disappeared into the hallway. 

George looked confused as he approached. “You’re laughing sooner than I thought. What’s the joke? Must’ve been a killer.” 

“Oh uh…” Mark swallowed. “Inside theater joke.” 

“Ah,” George said, glancing at Arthur as he put his shirt on. “Are you alright?” He asked. “Physically, I mean. She didn’t crush your windpipe or anything, did she?” 

“I’ll be alright,” Arthur said. “My face stings a little, but I’ve had worse.” 

George nodded. “I was going to apologize for being late, but… It’s probably good I wasn’t here when the orgy started.” 

Brad and Mark laughed. “We’re going to uh… clean up,” Brad said. “We’ll be back in a bit.” 

They nodded at Arthur, who nodded his thanks as they left him and his father alone. 

“I’m going to call an Uber to head home.” George said, “So whatever your plans are for the rest of the night, I’m not going to be in the way.” 

“Oh, we’re not–” 

“You don’t have to tell me what your plans are,” George said, raising his hands. “In fact, please don’t. I can’t handle any more excitement tonight, and your mother’s in no state to handle a randy husband when I get home.” 

“I didn’t need that,” Arthur said, shaking his head to dislodge the mental image of father propositioning his mother for sex. 

“Ha! Turnabout's fair play,” George said. “I’ve seen more of your girlfriends than is probably appropriate. I feel like I should apologize, but I’m also afraid to face them at the moment.” 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Arthur said. “They know that.” 

“Yeah, well…” George scratched the back of his neck. “Just tell them I’m sorry, will you?” 

“Sure.” Arthur nodded. 

“And, son, I had planned this whole talk about everything and, well, your mother didn’t mean to betray your trust or anything by talking with Gabe and Mari about what happened, you know that, right?” George asked. 

“Hm?” Arthur asked, realizing what his father was asking. In the chaos of everything, he hadn’t had time to process the implications, but yeah, it was something of a betrayal of his trust to share his story with people he hadn’t consented to share it with.

Was he mad about it? No. It could’ve gone horribly, but the fallout would have had far worse consequences for his mother than for himself. She would have lost her best friend over something Lynn did years ago, and Lynn had done enough damage to everyone involved already. 

“No, I know.” He agreed. “I’m glad it worked out with Gabe and Mari. You think they’ll follow through?”

George nodded. “Your mother called out of work today. She’s processing, grieving, going through it in her way, like we all are. Mari and Gabe dropped in to check on her because I stayed home to take care of her, and it all sort of came tumbling out. She didn’t mean to, but once she started telling Mari what happened, well, the result is that Gabe and Mari believe us. They see what Lynn’s become, and frankly, they’re out of their depth trying to sort her out. They have been for a while now, and asking our advice on things can only do so much.”

Arthur nodded.

“I planned to come and tell you about all that tonight, hoping to get a chance to talk to you in private during the guys’ night while Gabe went downstairs to talk to Lynn about moving out,” George explained. “But that all sort of became moot when we walked in on Lynn trying to choke the life out of you.” 

Arthur nodded. 

“And you’re okay?” George asked. 

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “Just… exhausted.” 

“Makes sense,” George said. “Your mother’s been beside herself, too. I don’t know how she’ll react to this news, but I don’t think she’ll be working from home tomorrow like she planned. She spent today on the sofa, crying and sleeping.” 

“But it’s your busy season,” Arthur said, confused. His parents never called out of work at the end of their company's fiscal year. He’d assumed his mother had been working from home today, which was something she sometimes did due to the nature of her work, but to call out and use sick time or PTO? Never during the busy season. They’d missed Parent-teacher conferences over it. His entire life, it had been an insurmountable calendar event. “Is she okay?” 

“She will be,” George said. “But no, she’s not.” 

“It’s my fault,” Arthur said, sitting on the back of the sofa to steady himself. 

George clasped him on the shoulder, now that it was at an easy height. “No, son. It’s Lynn’s fault. Not yours. She and your mother had a bit of a run-in last night, and, well, in a way, your mother just lost someone she loved very much. That same someone betrayed her when she hurt you, and she feels like she failed you as a mother when you needed her–” 

“She didn’t–” Arthur protested. 

“I know,” George agreed, soothing Arthur with his calm tone and understanding gaze. “Like I said, she’s grieving.” 

Arthur nodded. “Is there anything I can do?” 

“Text her,” George said. “Let her know you’re thinking of her, but don’t wallow. Live your life, and let her know that you’re happy, loved, and cared for by all these girls of yours. Seeing you thrive will help pull her out of her funk. Oh, and cut her some slack the next few weeks if she gets a little nosy or starts trying to adopt one or all of your girlfriends.” 

Arthur chuckled. “She and Lori were always close.” 

“Yeah,” George agreed. “Your mother didn’t take losing her well either, but that wasn’t your fault.”  

“As far as I know, all the girls love her. I’m sure they’d love to get coffee or something with her after fall break.” Arthur said. 

“Best let one of them suggest it to her,” George said. “I’m sure she’d love that, though. She used to take Lori on coffee dates all the time, didn’t she?” 

“Yeah,” Arthur nodded. “At that little international cafe off campus.” 

“Sounds like a good time,” George said. “And any time you need someone to talk to… I know I’m not your first choice, but, well, we can always go to the club and play a round of golf to take your mind off things, or you can try to teach me one of those board games you love so much.” 

“Thanks, Dad,” Arthur said, clasping his father’s hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate it.” 

George squeezed his shoulder, then patted it twice when Arthur released his hand and let go. “Okay, well, I’ll get out of your hair. You don’t need this old geezer cramping your style.” He nodded toward the hallway, where Brad and Mark approached. “I’ll see you guys later. Enjoy the beer! Don’t drink too much, don’t drink and drive, and for God’s sake, I hope you’re all using condoms.” 

“Dad!” Arthur said, mortified. 

His father chuckled and waved goodbye, disappearing through the door to the garage. 

~~~

The girls quickly gathered their things, but dressed slowly with their clothes from their purses and bags in the pool house. No one laughed, no one joked, and no one knew what to say. Even Rani was quiet as she collected the discarded swimwear from Lynn’s kitchen floor and joined the others in the pool house to change. A pall hung over them like the plague. 

“First at the hotel, and now here,” Rani said, finally breaking the silence. “One of these days I’m going to get to go hot tubbing with y’all.” As if that was what everyone was sad about. 

Mindy cracked a small smile, squeezing Rani’s hand. 

The girls returned to their dutiful, silent routines of drying, dressing, and touching up their makeup in the bathroom mirror. 

Rani huffed as she removed her bikini top and put on her oversized yellow hoodie. She didn’t bother with her panties but slid her soft gray sweatpants on. She wore her pajamas and stared at the others while they took much longer than necessary to get ready. Everyone was moving slowly, processing what’d happened, nursing their wounds, and acting as if they’d just lost a twelve-round fight. 

“Oh come on!” Rani shouted to no one in particular. “Enough with the moping! Tonight was a victory! We won! Lynn’s moving out! Deb brought her parents onto our side! Arthur’s even considering legal action! Granted, it’s not like we planned it, but it’s better than Operation Clone, which was successful, by the way, so we still might have legal evidence if we need it! She’s moving out! Yaaay!” Rani shook Mindy’s arms, holding them in the air and shaking them in celebratory muppet fashion. 

Mindy chuckled. 

“But she hurt Arthur,” Kelly said. “I couldn’t stop her from hurting him, no matter what I tried.” 

Rani considered that perspective, then tossed it aside as garbage. “He confronted his trauma, and the person who assaulted him, and he emerged from that confrontation victorious.” 

“Only because George and her father walked in when they did,” Kelly said, shaking her head.

“Sure,” Rani said. “But George and Mister Salt-and-Pepper wouldn’t have come tonight if we hadn’t stuck by Arthur and convinced him to talk to his mom, right? And if he hadn’t stuck it out and told his parents what happened, things would’ve been different. That’s the real victory! We did this together, and with everything we got tonight, we have enough insurance to ensure Lynn never bothers Arthur again. You’re acting like we lost or something! We won! We never have to see that bitch again!” She danced, rocking her shoulders and wiggling with her hands at chest level. 

Kelly shook her head, neither arguing with Rani nor really listening to her. “Tonight was a fiasco. All of our planning, and it all went to shit, and it’s all my fault.” 

“The best laid plans always go to shit. Universal law.” Rani said, trying to cheer Kelly up, but failing. “Why are you blaming yourself for what Lynn did? She’s the one who fucked up.” 

“Because I got carried away,” Kelly said, as the tears started flowing from her eyes. “Lynn never would have ruined Arthur’s night if I hadn’t been so angry. And Kat was right, it turned me on to treat her that way. I don’t–I don’t like who I was tonight. I know everyone wants me to be the leader of our little club, but I shouldn’t be a Mistress; it makes me too cruel and sadistic. If I’d listened to Arthur or Kat, none of that would have happened, and Arthur wouldn’t have had to deal with her. She wouldn’t have been able to hurt him like she did.” Kelly sniffled, wiping her eye as she stopped touching up her makeup and balled her hands into fists. “I fucked everything up. I’m so stupid.” 

Silence fell as the girls listened to Kelly, looking at each other to see who would comfort her. Mindy stepped forward, reaching for Kelly.

“Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they,” Mindy said, patting Kelly on the back. 

Kelly looked at her with a strange look. 

“It’s Star Wars,” Mindy said. “Master Yoda?” As if everyone should be able to quote movies she’d watched hundreds of times. 

Kelly shrugged. 

“But hey, it’s not just on you,” Rani said to Kelly. She patted Mindy’s back, consoling Mindy over her failure to console Kelly. “You had every reason to be angry with her, and it’s not surprising you went after her the way you did. Mistress, you were amazing at keeping her distracted, and if you got carried away, it’s okay. It worked out.” 

“No. I…” Kelly hesitated. “Looking back on it, I’m so ashamed. I feel like I should tell Arthur, but I don’t want to burden him even more tonight.” 

“You did a lot right, but yeah, you fucked up,” Kat agreed. Her sudden contribution to the conversation caused the others to look at her. “But, I mean, that’s okay.” She added quickly before the looks in her direction could turn accusatory at her worsening Kelly’s mood. “I’ve fucked up before, and Arthur forgave me for it. He’ll forgive you, too. We already forgive you. Things went too far, but at least you didn’t cross the line and end up fucking Lynn or something.” 

Kelly cried. 

Rani gestured for everyone to come in, and they pulled in, hugging Kelly like they had Arthur before. 

“I’m so sorry,” Kelly said, blubbering in Kat’s direction as she, Katelyn, Rani, and Mindy hugged her. 

“It’s okay,” Kat said. “You learned your lesson, right? You’ll do better the next time something like that happens.” 

“We love you,” Mindy said, squeezing Kelly’s arm and back from behind. “You’re still our Mistress.” 

“I shouldn’t be,” Kelly said, shaking her head. 

“We won’t force you to be, but even with your fuck up tonight, you’ve done a fucking amazing job at it,” Rani said. “And honestly, no one blames you for losing your moral compass when the villain is that hot,” Rani said. 

“And you learned your lesson, right?” Kat asked, repeating her unanswered question. 

Kelly nodded, wiping her tears with her hand. “Yeah, I learned not to get carried away again. What should we tell Arthur, though?” 

“We’ll give him the recap of tonight when he’s ready for it,” Rani said. “We’ll put it on the agenda for the next harem meeting.” 

Kelly gave a mirthless laugh. “Ha. Yeah, okay.” 

“In the meantime, Kelly, fuck ups aside, you were amazing tonight,” Rani said as the hug broke apart. “Brat, from what Kelly told me, you were perfect tonight with the phone grab. Good work.” Rani said, nudging Kat with her fist. “You’re fearless when you need to be.” 

“Thanks?” Kat said, slightly confused but accepting the compliment. 

Rani moved on to Katelyn. “Pet, I know you didn’t have much to do tonight, but I saw the way you tried to stop Lynn, and got kicked into the pool for it. My opinion of you rises every day.” 

“Aw, thanks,” Katelyn said, bumping her fist with her good hand. 

“To be fair, it started pretty low with your drunken shenanigans and all the vomiting,” Rani said, shrugging as she moved on to Mindy. 

“Oh,” Katelyn said, crestfallen as Kat chuckled and rubbed Katelyn’s back. 

“And Whore, you were perfect tonight, and I’m glad you got your apology, even if Lynn probably didn’t mean it. I’m only sorry I missed it.” Rani hugged Mindy, then looked over at Kat. “Brat, I will want to watch that footage, but not tonight.” She returned her attention to Mindy. “And I’m sorry the food is probably cold as fuck now, I know how important it was to you. Can we reheat it in the oven?” 

“Oh yeah,” Kelly said, realizing none of them had actually gotten a chance to eat dinner. “We still have all that food.” 

“Well, it’s in her apartment,” Mindy said. “Can we still get it?” 

“Yeah, I checked on it while I was picking these up,” Rani said, handing Mindy her too-small bikini. “Food’s still there, and from what I can tell, untouched. Lynn seems to have gone straight to her dad’s car.” 

“Good,” Kelly said, mopping her tears with a tissue and cleaning herself up as she gradually pulled herself together and moved into hostess mode. “We’ll heat it up, but we’ll do it upstairs. That way, we can still have dinner. We’ll just stay in the dining room and kitchen, in case Arthur and the others want to get back to what they were doing.” 

“Fuck that,” Rani said, shaking her head. “If they’re fucking, I want in. I could use a good fuck after the fiasco that was tonight, and my orgasm getting ruined by all the drama.” 

Mindy giggled, looping her arm through Rani’s. “Come on.” She said. “Let’s eat.” 

“Food, or pussy?” Rani asked. 

“Food, then pussy.” Mindy assured her. 

“Food, brushing our teeth, and then pussy?” Rani asked. 

Mindy rolled her eyes. “Fine, be practical.” 

Rani laughed with her, and the others followed them out of the pool house and into the main house by way of Lynn’s apartment. Everyone grabbed something from the counter and carried it up the stairs. 

~~~

Selene stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Jen used wipes from her purse to help clean her makeup. Her mascara had run in tears from her eyes. The blonde woman staring back at her looked nothing like the sexy beast she’d been an hour ago. Instead, a haunted expression stared back at her. The whites around her blue irises were vein-filled and red. Her eyelids puffed out from tears. The pale line around the base of her neck was barren and empty. 

Jen unclasped the black collar above it, setting it on the counter. The wrist restraints and ankle restraints came off one by one. Numbness spread over her from her core. She went through the motions of cleaning herself up, washing her face, and even using the toilet, peeing without a care that Jen was in there with her. She washed her hands as a knock sounded at the door. 

“Jen? Selene? I’ve got clothes.” Maria’s voice sounded far away. 

Jen opened the door, but there wasn’t room for all three of them. Maria took her clothes from the bag and left to change in one of the upstairs bathrooms. Jen placed Selene’s clothes on the counter and dressed while Selene stared at the thong on top. 

Master hadn’t approved this outfit. She’d brought it just in case, but she hadn’t planned to wear it unless he asked her to. Selene stared at the clothes, then lifted her gaze to her reflection once more. Did it even matter? She wasn’t his slave anymore. The choker was gone, broken, and she hadn’t been strong enough to stop Lynn from hurting him. 

Selene stood with her hands flat against the counter, tears streaming down her face. 

Behind her, Jen placed her hand on her shoulder, trying to console her without speaking. Solidarity meant more than words, but Selene didn’t react. Her tears fell to the clothes below her, what few she had left to shed. Tiny drops became tiny darkened patches of color on the vibrant skirt. 

Another knock at the door. This time, it wasn’t Maria, but Kat. She wore a pink hoodie and a pair of comfortable jeans, looking somewhat comical with pieces of a tampon in her nose. Kat didn’t say anything as she relieved Jen from comfort duty. Jen slipped out of the bathroom, and Kat put her arms around Selene, hugging her tight. 

The soft, velvety fabric of the sweatshirt material was impossibly smooth. Selene cried, and Kat held her, though it wasn’t long until she ran out of tears. 

“That Puta is lucky she still has her ear,” Kat said, rubbing Selene’s back. 

Selene didn’t smile. 

“I know you’re upset, and I’m not trying to tell you that you shouldn’t be,” Kat said. “It’s upsetting, and you came out of whatever you and Arthur were doing without the usual aftercare or consideration. Are you okay? Do you need anything? You’ve still got a plug up your butt.” 

Selene nodded. “She broke my collar.” 

“I know,” Kat said. 

“Master gave it to me when we started. It’s what started this whole thing, me being his slave, the harem, all of it.” 

“What? No,” Kat said, shaking her head. “That collar didn’t do anything. You did. Remember? You asked Arthur to be your master. You’re the one who convinced me to give Arthur a chance, to see if there was any romance there, to share him with you? You’re the one who convinced him to go on a date with Kelly and Mindy. Everything that happened worked out because of you and your efforts, not because of some collar. You know that, right?” 

Selene sniffed. “Yeah.” She wiped her nose as Kat handed her a tissue. “I guess.” 

“No, not good enough.” Kat shook her head. “Look at yourself.” She turned Selene around to look at her reflection in the mirror. Kat hugged her from behind, holding her and resting her chin on Selene’s shoulder as Selene rested her head against Kat’s head. 

“Arthur loves us,” Kat said. “He loves you. Not because of your willingness to be his slut, or slave, or whatever. Not because you're freakishly flexible or spend every night studying how to fuck when you should be doing your homework. It’s not conditional on your submission. You know that. He loves you for you.” 

“You’re more his type,” Selene said, squeezing herself in Kat’s embrace. 

“Knock it off with that,” Kat said, rolling her eyes. “Arthur doesn’t have a type. Look at everyone in the harem. We’re all so different, and yet it works. Right? And not just physically. But it works because we care for each other, take care of each other, and are there for each other. Rani’s a blunt bitch sometimes, but we love her for it. Kelly can be scary, but we couldn’t ask for a better team captain. Mindy’s young, but she’s less annoying every day. Katelyn’s a mess, but we’re helping her figure things out. I’m a brat, but everyone puts up with me well enough.” 

“And me?” Selene asked. 

“You’re an obsessive pain in the ass,” Kat said, hugging her. “But we love you, and so does Arthur, with or without your collar.”

Selene turned around and hugged her in return. 

“It has nothing to do with the roles we play in the harem, our collars, or our submission,” Kat said. “It’s more than that. You know that. Wifey, Queenie, Whore, Brat, Slut, and Pet are fun nicknames, terms of endearment between us, not our singular definitions.” 

Selene nodded, listening, hugging, and processing. 

“Now come on,” Kat said, patting Selene’s back to end the hug. “Mindy ordered us all a bunch of Korean food; it smells incredible, and I’m starving. Get dressed, grab a plate, and let’s be there for Arthur to help him recover. Okay? I’m not sure if he’ll want sex tonight after that, but you can have first dibs, okay?” 

Selene perked up at the last piece of the plan, nodding as she wiped her face. “I’ll be right out. I just need to fix my makeup.” 

“Okay.” Kat nodded. “But if you’re not out in five minutes, I’m eating your plate.” 

Selene smiled. “Okay. Sounds fair.” 

Kat stuck her tongue out at Selene. Selene returned the gesture as Kat closed the door behind her. 

~~~

Brad and Mark hovered nearby as if they had something they wanted to ask him, but Arthur left them in the family room. He stepped out to the bathroom connected to the laundry room. He closed and locked the door, sat on the closed toilet, put his head in his hands, and disassociated. He didn’t know how long he spent floating, not thinking about anything, but it was not a short amount of time. 

Outside, the girls ate dinner, Mark, Brad, Jen, and Maria cleaned up the movie room, and the world went ever onward. 

When his mind started thinking again, it relived the night.  

He replayed the events of the night in his head, analyzing everything from a hundred different angles, experiencing a thousand emotions. He’d fucked up so many times, between handling Selene’s surprise and dealing with Lynn’s sudden intrusion. The whole fiasco was his fault, and now his mom was down for the count, probably putting herself on the chopping block with her bosses. 

His friends had seen more of him tonight than he ever expected to share, not just his nudity, but his lovemaking, and his trauma. Brad and Mark were good friends who cared about him, but he wouldn’t have shared that with them if he’d been thinking straight. He didn’t know how he could look Maria in the eyes at the next Theater Club meeting. 

And Selene. She was obsessed with that choker, and now Lynn had broken it. Arthur could try to repair it, but it might be better that it had broken. 

What did all of this mean for their weekend and the foreseeable future? Were Gabe and Mari really moving Lynn out of the basement? It seemed too good to be true. They’d always been like an extra set of parents to him, but to side with him over their own daughter? 

Then again, they knew their daughter as well. Better than his parents did. She couldn’t keep her masks up all the time at home, right? And her college troubles had been plain enough. Still, he didn’t trust it, and then he felt guilty for not trusting them. Gabe was like a second father to him, and Mari a second mother. 

The violence had been too much tonight. Kelly’s punches must not have broken any of Lynn’s ribs, but it was probably a close thing. He’d never seen Kelly or Selene that angry. The violence seemed so surreal to Arthur. He didn’t know whether to feel proud or ashamed for not answering Lynn’s violence himself. Part of him thought it was a victory, though, to confront her and claim victory his way rather than compromising his values and giving in to that primal urge to slap her across the face.

As it was, he worried about Kelly facing repercussions. Arthur could only imagine the havoc Lynn might wreak if she had any hairline fractures. And the scratches Selene left on her face? He’d been worried about ripping Lynn’s ear off if he pulled too hard to remove Selene. Not for Lynn’s vanity, but to keep Selene out of prison. 

Arthur might not be the type to press charges against Sanjay or his friends, or anyone who tried to fight him, but Lynn? Even without her parents’ support, she was an adult. She could hire a lawyer or go to the police. Did he have to worry about the cops coming for Kelly or Selene? 

Come to think of it, Lynn was an adult. How could her parents make her move out? Had they co-signed the lease? She didn’t have a job, so they must have, right? What if Lynn got a job and tried to pay her rent herself? No, he couldn’t spiral into what-if scenarios. He had to hold it together, for his girlfriend's sake if not for his own. Selene was especially inconsolable. If he spiraled, she would follow him into the abyss. 

“Arthur?” A knock at the bathroom door made him lift his head. It was Selene’s voice. 

“Yeah, uh, one second,” Arthur said. He flushed the toilet, even though he’d been sitting on the closed lid. He washed his hands and emerged into the laundry room to see Selene wearing something he hadn’t expected. A long, multi-colored, layered skirt covered her legs. An autumnal red cami-top covered her torso, with a gray cardigan over it, covering her arms, shoulders, and bra straps. 

“I know we said master and slave until the end of Fall break, but with everything that happened, I thought maybe you’d like this more,” Selene said, looking at his face and searching it for any signs of approval, disapproval, or damage from the chaos. 

Arthur cupped her face in his hand and kissed her. 

“And we can go back to master and slave in the morning?” Selene asked, her voice hopeful. “We can stop at the adult store and buy a new collar?” 

Arthur smiled. “Okay.” He said. “Are you ready to go home?” 

“We can, if you want to. Whatever you want or need is okay by me. However, Mark and Brad have She Loves Me cued up on the TV, if you want to stay and watch it,” Selene said. “Brad said it’s one of your favorites?” 

That surprised Arthur. It was one of his favorites, but he didn’t think anybody else knew that. To be fair, he had a lot of favorites, but romantic comedies were often his go-to movies and musicals when he was feeling sick or needed a pick-me-up. He supposed Brad and Mark probably knew that about him. Singing In The Rain would have also worked, or really anything with Gene Kelly, but he’d seen those more frequently. Everyone had. She Loves Me was more niche. 

“Besides, we’re doing it for the spring musical, so we should probably watch it, right?” Selene said, smiling up at him as she slipped her dainty hand into his. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.” 

“Everyone?” Arthur asked, following her gentle tug into the movie room. 

Everyone. Brad and Jen were cuddled up on the left branch of the sofa, with Rani and Mindy cuddled in the corner. Kelly sat in the middle of the nest, Katelyn on the edge, Kat on the right corner. Mark and Maria sat on the right side, waiting as Arthur took his spot at the bottom of the U, and Selene cuddled beside him. 

Everyone was fully dressed, wearing regular clothes, which made the whole experience slightly surreal after the evening they’d been through. 

Arthur spread his legs as Kelly gestured, and she scooted toward him, laying her head on his chest and using him as a pillow. Mindy cuddled into his left, and Selene into his right. Katelyn scooted back, using Kelly as a pillow the way Kelly was using Arthur. Kat put her arm around Selene and her hand on Arthur’s shoulder. Rani put her arm around Mindy and her hand on Arthur’s other shoulder. 

“I know it’s a little early for Christmas-themed stuff, but it’s more of a romantic comedy than a Holiday piece,” Mark said, aiming the remote at the TV. 

“Which is good, because we’re doing it in the spring thanks to Caleb,” Maria added. 

“Oh, that’s why it’s been in my head,” Mark said, tapping his noggin. 

“Already know which part you’re auditioning for?” Brad asked the room in general. 

“Of course, Mister George Nowack,” Mark said. “Bumbling, lovable, and not a part I’ll have to fight Caleb or Arthur for, it’s perfect.” 

Arthur chuckled, but didn’t comment as Mark started the movie. It wasn’t A Knight’s Tale, and it was far from the evening he had planned, but damn if he didn’t feel more loved in that moment than he ever had in his life. Whatever life threw at him, whatever anxieties he may have had, melted away. His tribe was here, his chosen family and friends, and whatever came their way, they’d face it together. 

~~~

Lynn sat in the backseat of her father’s car. She stared out the window into the darkness, seeing only her translucent reflection. Its haunted expression made it appear even more ghost-like than its transparency. Her makeup? Ruined. Her hair? Drying, but wet and flat, thin and brittle from the chlorine. Her suit? Gorgeous, sexy, ripped, and ruined. Her life? Over. 

Her father had gotten into the car and started the engine. He’d started talking, but Lynn didn’t hear anything he had to say. He spoke of disappointment, consequences, the future, and how things would be. She’d heard the speech before, but this time, there was a finality to his words that they hadn’t held before. The unspoken ‘or else’ was as loud as nearby thunder. His words were adamant, and she could either go along with what her parents wanted or live in a box somewhere off the road they drove on toward the city. 

She was off in her own world, staring through the darkness as it passed her. Her mind relived her life with Arty, those moments in high school, their various interactions over the last few weeks, and the final confrontation that night. 

She’d fucked up. Years ago, she’d chosen to cut loose the one person who cared about her and find new friends. At the time, she’d thought growing up was the mature thing to do. To reinvent herself in high school and leave behind the childish fancies she’d clung to for so many years. Her love of theater? That was silly. Theater wasn’t cool, and she couldn’t spend her high school years as a theater kid. Fantasy? No, that was for nerds, and she wasn’t going to be an outcast. Music? That was fine, as long as it was certain artists and nothing ethnic. Old movies? Those were gross, and anything in black and white was unwatchable. 

Layer by layer, piece by piece, she’d abandoned who she was to become someone more like the people she wanted to be. And she’d done it. She’d become popular, a carbon copy of the ‘cool girl’ she idolized. But to do so, she had to become someone cruel and hateful, a manipulator, a bully, and a bitch. She’d fucked up and kept fucking up ever since, leaving countless wounded in her wake. She’d done the unspeakable to the only person who’d ever loved her.

Now, she was going to suffer for it.

Alone.