WIP: Harem House Chapter 29 - Part 5

“Did you girls have any questions about the house or the lease?” Deb asked. 

“Arthur mentioned there might be a discount for October since we’re not living here the whole month?” Kat asked. 

“If you move in after the fifteenth of whatever month you move in, we don’t charge you for that month.” Deb explained. “I know your finals are up before that, and you’ll have to be out of the dorms earlier than the fifteenth of December.” She looked at Mindy and Rani. “But we can give you a pro-rated rent, or you can officially move in after the holidays.” 

Rani nodded. “Sounds fair.” 

Mindy nodded as well. The prospect of moving in with her parents for a few weeks worried her, but she couldn’t think of a way around it other than living here ‘unofficially’ as Arthur’s girlfriend. Moving in at the top of December was her best bet, even if her parents might balk. Still, she could cover most of the rent with her pay from the office. 

Kelly read over the agreement, passing the pile to Kat. Each girl took one and passed the pile, reading over the legal-ese at a glance. 

“You can take those home if you don’t want to sign them now.” Deb said. “Have your parents look over them, whatever you’d like.” 

“Utilities are included?” Kelly asked, looking up from the page to Deb. 

Deb smiled. “Utilities are included in the rent. There’s a clause about incidental maintenance fees if you smash a hole in a wall or something, but that should be the only surprise expense in the agreement. Everything else is pretty standard.” 

“Is there a security deposit?” Mindy asked, having heard horror stories about that on the internet. 

“One month’s rent.” Deb said. “But if that’s a problem, you can talk to me about it.” 

“Shouldn’t be an issue.” Rani said, stashing the agreement in her purse. “I’ll have my people call your people.” She said, winking at Deb. 

“You’re so bad.” Mindy pressed her hand against the small of Rani’s back, and Rani returned the gesture. 

Kat clicked her pen and signed on the dotted line. She slid her contract across the island to Deb, who took it, Selene’s, Kelly’s, and Katelyn’s, and stacked them in a pile. 

“Welcome to the sisterhood of Clarke House.” Lynn said, smiling. “We should start a sorority.” 

Kat scoffed, turning her laughter into a cough before she drew Lynn’s ire. 

“Seriously.” She said. “I know Arthur has his grudge and that I’m a bitch, and none of you are happy with my being here, but I hope we can learn to get along.” Lynn said. “And I’m sorry again about losing my temper.” She said to Mindy. “And for being a bitch.” 

The girls collectively sighed. 

“It’s okay.” Mindy said. “I’m sorry for calling you dumb.” 

“It’s still true, though.” Rani said. 

Lynn’s eyes snapped to Rani, who bit down on a muffin, ignoring her. 

“Do you girls want a tour of the basement?” Lynn asked. “I can show you my apartment.” She said, moving closer to Mindy. 

“Uh…” Mindy looked at Kelly, who eyed Kelly, asking her opinion without asking. 

“It’s only fair after I got to see your new house.” Lynn said. 

“Sure.” Mindy said, shrugging. 

Lynn smiled, taking Mindy’s hand and leading her into the hallway. The others followed while Deb remained in the kitchen, finishing her drink before she stashed the signed leases from Kat and Selene away. 

Lynn released Mindy’s hand at the top of the door to the basement and unlocked it with a key. There was a small landing on the other side, then steep stairs descended to a second landing at the bottom. The stairs emptied into a large, open living room. The room wrapped around the stairs, where a hall closet nestled in the wall. 

The open floorplan of the basement turned that living room into a dining area and then a kitchen, with three doors on the side and a sliding glass door at the far end leading to the side of the backyard behind the garage. The kitchen wasn’t as nice or large as the one upstairs, but was identically furnished. It lacked an island, but the open space made up for it. 

“Wow.” Mindy said. “This is nice. The open space feels huge.” 

“Right?” Lynn said. “It’s no upstairs, but the fireplace is nice.” 

She gestured to the stone mantle and fireplace against the living room wall. Boxes dotted the space, and a sofa was the only furniture. “I have more furniture coming.” Lynn explained. “This is the extra room.” She gestured to the room across from the kitchen. 

“This is going to be my room.” She said, moving to the next door. “With a master suite. Not as nice as the one upstairs, but it’s got great closet space and a nice bathroom. The water pressure is fantastic here, you’ll see. And this is the storage room, water heater, circuit breaker, everything you typically find in the basement.” She laughed, returning to the main area. 

“Nice.” Rani said, glancing at Kelly. 

“And I’ll have this space all to myself, I guess.” Lynn said, gesturing around her. She glanced over Kelly’s shoulder, seeing Deb wasn’t there. She stepped closer to Kelly, who eyed her warily. 

“Look, while Deb is upstairs, I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Lynn said, swallowing. “I was a total bitch yesterday and bitchy today and Rani is right; I’m kind of a bitch, but I really am trying to leave the old me behind.” 

Rani frowned, and Mindy crossed her arms under her chest, mirroring Rani’s stance. Kelly laughed. 

“Girl, if you wanted us to like you, maybe you could have stopped with the games?” Rani said. “You’ve been trying to play chess with checkers pieces since you met us and throwing verbal punches every chance you get.” 

“I guess seeing Arty–sorry, Arthur–and his freezing me out made me a little crazy.” Lynn said. “He won’t even talk to me, Kelly won’t let me talk to him, and it’s hard to be the better person when you’re all dead set on thinking of me as an enemy.” 

Mindy thought she had a point but didn’t know what to believe. She trusted Arthur and Kelly far more than she trusted Lynn. If Arthur said to avoid Lynn, she would, no questions asked, but that didn’t mean she needed to be abrasive. She could be nice and simply avoid the girl after this, even if Mindy wanted to know where she had her nails done and what her makeup routine was. 

“I know Arthur won’t forgive me.” Lynn continued. “But I’m going to keep trying to earn his forgiveness while respecting your wish that I not go near him.” She said to Kelly. 

“Too late for that, bitch. You fuckin' stalked us to the hotel last night!” Rani said, gesturing to Kelly. 

“And Selene already punished me enough for that.” Lynn said, gesturing to Selene. “I had to run through that crowded lobby in the buff and hide in my car. I'm lucky nothing terrible happened, and no one was home to see me when I got home.” She glared at Selene, who didn't apologize. 

“Look, I don’t want any bad blood between us as housemates.” Lynn said. “I’d love a fresh start, and am willing to forgive, but I know you have every right to be wary, especially after the things I’ve done and said. I promise you, I’m not that girl anymore. So can we… I don’t know, not start over, but maybe keep an open mind toward each other?” 

Kelly swallowed, glancing at the others. She met Lynn’s gaze and held it, ignoring her words and staring into her eyes. Whatever she was looking for, she found it, and her smile disappeared. 

“How does this work with you blackmailing me earlier?” Selene asked, breaking Lynn’s concentration. 

Lynn’s face fell like a stone. “My what?” Lynn asked, as if what Selene was talking about made no sense to her. 

The others, including Mindy, turned to look at Selene in surprise. She sat on the outcropping by the fireplace and stood up, brushing her butt off as she stepped forward. 

“This whole fresh start, new you, not wanting to be the old you bullshit. How does that fit with our conversation earlier when you told me you wouldn’t tell Kelly I was fucking Arthur so long as I played nice with you in front of Deb? How does being a better person fit with extortion, blackmail, or whatever you want to call it?” Selene asked, her head cocked to one side so her ponytail fell behind her. 

Lynn’s eyes flared wide, and her gaze turned to Kelly. 

Kelly’s smile returned. 

“Well, that was before I knew you were all romantically involved with Arthur, assuming it is romance.” Lynn said, glancing at Mindy. “And I just wanted to keep the peace in front of Deb. I didn’t want Kelly to lose her temper on you.” 

“Yeah, that’s bullshit.” Selene said. “I think you were trying to manipulate me and pit me and Kelly against each other without realizing that Kelly is my– on my team.” 

“Do you get it now?” Kat asked, waving her hand in front of Lynn’s face. “We weren’t lying or joking when we called Arthur our mutual boyfriend. He’s dating all of us; he cares about all of us, and we care about him.” 

“Hell, he spent a good amount of time last night going down the line and fucking us one by one, including Katelyn.” Rani said, pointing her thumb to Katelyn over her shoulder. 

“We’re all fucking Arthur.” Kelly said. “And dating him. Well, except for Katelyn, unless that changes.” She looked at Katelyn and reached for her hand. Katelyn held her hand, standing beside her. Selene held Kelly’s other hand, and when she reached for Mindy, Mindy, Rani, and Kat joined the line. “And we’re a team. There’s no pitting us against each other. So whatever games you’re playing, just stop.” 

“What do you mean?” Lynn asked, still not understanding. “How are you a team, exactly?” 

“Because that’s our relationship.” Kelly said. “He’s not just my boyfriend. He’s Selene’s boyfriend, Rani’s boyfriend, Kat’s boyfriend, and Mindy’s boyfriend. We were interested in him, dated him, and decided to share and work together rather than against each other.” 

Lynn eyed the girls with disbelief clear on her face. “I don’t understand how it’s anything more than Arthur getting to have his cake and eat it too.” 

Kelly sighed and shook her head. “I know. Think of it like this, okay? This basement, this is your apartment. It’s yours. Not mine, or hers, or anyone’s. Just yours.” 

Lynn nodded, following Kelly thus far. 

“Upstairs is our house. Mine, Selene’s, Rani’s, Kat’s, Mindy’s, and Katelyn’s. It’s our house. We share it, we each have an equal claim to it, and we can each call it our home. Understand?” Kelly asked. 

Lynn eyed the stairs and nodded. 

“Arthur’s the same.” Kelly said. “He’s our boyfriend. We share him. We each have an equal claim to him, and we can each call him our boyfriend. Understand?” 

“I guess…” Lynn said, hesitating. “But… that’s not how this works, right? Like, you can’t all be dating the same guy forever. He has to choose one of you eventually.” 

“No, he doesn’t.” Rani shrugged. 

“Yes, he does.” Lynn insisted. “He can’t date all of you. He can’t marry all of you!” 

“Who says he has to marry any of us?” Rani asked. “Fuck if it comes to that, he can marry Kelly. That’s her kink.” 

Kelly smiled. Selene frowned but didn’t speak up or disagree. Kat glanced at Selene. Lynn watched the reactions ripple through the girls, observing them as Mindy observed her. Lynn’s lips twitched, but she restrained her smile. 

“Okay, so you’re all dating Arthur.” Lynn said. “Each of you is his girlfriend with equal claim, or whatever.” Lynn repeated, still forcing the logic into her brain in some way to make it sensible. “And Deb knows, obviously.” 

“Deb knows.” Selene said. 

“And other people know? I mean, what do you tell everyone at school?” Lynn asked. “What do you tell your parents?” 

“People at school know.” Mindy said, ignoring the rest of the questions. 

“It’s our business, but yeah. We’re not hiding anything if you’re looking for something to hold over us.” Rani said, her eyes narrowing. 

“I wasn’t. I–” Lynn hesitated. “I’m just confused. It doesn’t make sense why you’d let Arthur have his way with all of you when any of you should be enough for him. Aren’t you enough for him?” She asked, looking at Kelly. “Or you?” She asked Selene. 

“It’s not about being enough.” Selene said. “It’s about what we want. We want Arthur, and we love and support each other. We’re a sisterhood. A sorority.” 

“A harem, more like.” Lynn spat. 

“Exactly.” Selene said, smiling. The others chuckled to see Lynn’s confusion at her insult being taken as a compliment. 

“You can’t insult us into breaking up with him.” Selene said. “You can’t come at one of us without the others there to help. You can’t turn us against each other over Arthur. So just back off, okay? If you really want to apologize to Arthur, be happy for him, respect his wishes, and leave him alone. Like he wants.”

Mindy didn’t think Lynn wanted that, but she was willing to give her the benefit of a doubt if the others were. 

Lynn scoffed. “And you just do whatever Arthur wants?” 

“Yeah.” Selene said. “And I like it that way. I prefer our harem to a traditional relationship. We’re better together. You? You’re alone, and you’ll be alone until you learn to treat people better without trying to manipulate them or being mean to them all the time. The only way you’ll ever get Arthur’s forgiveness is if you stop trying to make him forgive you and show him you’re trying to be better rather than pretending you already are.” 

“And if that fails, Kelly can beat you up and stand on your neck.” Rani suggested. “Any chance of that happening today? Cause I still want to see it.” 

Mindy giggled.

Lynn shook her head. “Okay.” She said, raising her hands. “I’m sorry, I just… it’s so weird. I thought for sure these two were a couple.” She gestured to Mindy and Rani. 

Rani squeezed Mindy’s hand. Mindy looked at her, beaming. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she sucked in a breath. 

“We’re a polycule.” Selene explained. “We love each other, and we love Arthur.” 

“You love each other? Aren’t you two sisters?” Lynn asked, pointing between Selene and Kat. 

“Yeah.” Selene said. “But it’s not like we’re fucking.” She gestured between her and Kat. “Each relationship is different. Rani and Mindy have their thing; Rani and I have another.” Mindy glanced between the two of them while Selene continued. “Me and Kelly, Kelly and Katelyn, and so on and on and on.” 

Lynn’s eyebrows rose. “So you’re into girls too?” She asked Kelly. 

“I’m bisexual, yes.” Kelly said. 

“Pan.” Rani raised her hand. 

“I’m not sure what the difference is, but me too.” Mindy said. “I like girls and guys.” 

“I’m heteroflexible.” Selene said. 

“I guess I’m that too.” Katelyn said, pointing at Selene, then herself. 

Lynn looked at Kat, the only one who hadn’t declared her sexuality. 

“I’m straight.” Kat said. “I’m into Arthur. I love my sister and these girls, just not sexually.” 

“Even me?” Rani asked, looking at Kat. 

Kat sighed and stuck her tongue out at Rani. 

“Aw, we love you too, Brat.” Rani said, putting her other arm around Kat’s shoulders and kissing her cheek. 

Kat grimaced but didn’t pull away. 

Lynn’s eyes returned to Kelly. “Interesting. And can you date people outside your little… whatever you call it?” 

“Harem.” Selene said. 

“Whatever.” Lynn said. “You’re still free to date other girls?” Lynn’s entire stance changed, and Mindy marveled at the difference. It was as if she’d flipped a switch and suddenly turned ‘it’ on. Every eye in the room was on Lynn, and every mind thinking toward the bedroom. Mindy was struck by how hot and built-for-sin Lynn was. The curves of her breasts beneath her shirt, the curves of her hips. Her body was a weapon, and her gaze was an invitation to press the trigger. 

“Even if I could.” Kelly said, stepping forward and putting herself between Lynn and the others. “I’d never date you.” Her voice had an edge to it that took Mindy by surprise. “Frankly, I find your attempts to piss me off annoying and pathetic. Your games are dumb, and so are you. Even if none of that was true, I know who you really are and what you’ve done to Arthur. You disgust me. The only way I’d ever even consider touching you is to spit in your fucking face.” 

Everyone in the room went deathly silent and still at the sudden enmity in Kelly’s voice. Mindy had never seen Kelly this passionately angry, and it scared her. She hugged Rani’s side and watched Kelly, worried about what Kelly might do. 

“I disgust you?” Lynn asked. 

“You heard me, cunt.” Kelly said. “If I had my way, I’d beat the shit out of your desperate stalker ass. Arthur thinks live and let live is a better option. And we’re done explaining ourselves to you. Selene was right, though. You should leave Arthur alone. If for no other reason than my promise still stands.” 

“What promise?” Lynn asked, stepping forward to get in Kelly’s face. The anger in her expression burned like a candle flame, flickering and flaring in her eyes and nostrils. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Kelly said, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t work if you’re already a stupid bitch.” 

Lynn frowned, biting her lip as her eyes darted between Kelly’s eyes and lips, so close to her now that they could smell each other's breath. If they tilted their heads, they might have been kissing. Finally, Lynn gestured to the stairs behind Kelly. “Get out. You’re not welcome in my apartment.” 

Kelly smirked. “Don’t worry. Coming down here was a mistake we won’t make again. And stay out of the upstairs. You’re not welcome in my house.” 

Lynn’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see. You follow Arthur’s lead, right? He’ll forgive me eventually. He still has feelings for me.” 

Kelly rolled her eyes this time, shook her head, clenched her fists, and moved to the stairs. “He doesn’t have feelings for you.” 

“Sure he does.” Lynn scoffed, turning her back on the others and walking toward her bedroom. “He’s still looking out for me, isn’t he?” She asked. “Protecting me from you.” 

Kelly nearly lost her cool, but she exhaled and climbed the stairs. The others followed her without hesitation, climbing up after her. Mindy was the last out. She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, watching Lynn’s leggings-covered ass disappear into her bedroom door. Lynn slammed the door behind her. After ascending the steps, Mindy closed the basement door gently behind her and followed the others into the kitchen. 

“Everything okay?” Deb asked. “I was half expecting to have to come down there and play referee.” 

“Nah.” Rani said. “By the time you got down there, Kelly would have already killed the bitch.”

Mindy didn’t giggle. Rani winked at her, but Mindy glanced at Kelly’s back and hugged Rani sideways so they were hip to hip. 

“I might still.” Kelly said, gritting her teeth. “I’m sorry, Deb. I know you want us all to get along, but… I don’t think Lynn and I will ever be friends.” 

“Can I trust you not to murder her, at least?” Deb asked. “I’d hate to say you shouldn’t move in if you can’t stand her, but… she will be living in the basement.” 

“If Arthur can stand her in the basement, I can too.” Kelly said. 

“Well, besides murder, what are your plans for the afternoon?” Deb asked. “Do you want to hang out here? Maybe play one of Arthur’s board games?” 

“Pass.” Rani said quickly. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to speak for everyone.” She said when she realized everyone was looking at her. 

“It’s okay.” Kelly said, steeling herself with a deep breath as she prepared to leave. “Selene and Kat, you want me to drop you off at your apartment?” 

“Yes, please.” Selene nodded. “And Rani, too, for her date with Arthur.” 

“Oh?” Deb asked. “Are Sundays your day with Arthur?” 

Rani shrugged. “Not really. We’ve been going on a rotation for dates. Saturday was a group date, Friday was Kelly, Thursday was…” 

“Arthur had a class on Thursday.” Kelly said. 

“Right. And Wednesday was a group night again, Tuesday was…” 

“Me.” Kat said, raising her hand. 

“And I was last Monday.” Selene said, finishing off the list. 

“So I have him today, and I guess tomorrow is Mindy.” Rani said, looking at Mindy. 

“Might have to be Tuesday.” Mindy said, frowning. “He uh… has a work dinner tomorrow.” 

“Right.” Rani said, shrugging. “Then it’ll be Selene’s turn again unless Katelyn decides to join. Then a group thing on Saturday, and the cycle continues!” 

“Sounds like a busy schedule!” Deb said. “I don’t know how Arthur does it.” 

“We’re worth it.” Rani said, winking at Deb, who laughed off the innuendo. 

“Anyway….” Kelly said. “Katelyn, are you good to return to the apartment after dropping them off?”  

“Works for me.” Katelyn said. 

“And Mindy, you’re working?” Kelly asked. 

“Going back to campus, I think.” Mindy said quietly. “I need a chill afternoon. I’ve already had too much excitement today. What I want now is some popcorn and some Football.” 

“You’re welcome to stay a while if you want, watch the game on the big screen in the family room and pop some root beers.” Deb offered. 

“That actually sounds really nice.” Mindy said, looking at Deb. “Are you sure?” 

“Of course!” Deb rested her hand on Mindy’s shoulder. “I have nothing planned this afternoon, and I’d love to get to know you better.”

Kelly frowned, looking put out at the idea of someone else spending more time with Deb than her, though Mindy couldn’t understand why. 

“Actually…” Kat glanced between Deb and Selene, who’d just elbowed her. “Could we stay too? We have our book bags and can do our homework while the game’s on.” 

Katelyn touched the small of Kelly’s back.

Kelly looked at Katelyn. “We can stay if you want.” Katelyn said. 

“I’m the only one who needs to go then.” Rani said. “But I can Uber to Arthur’s.” 

“Nonsense.” Deb said. “I’ll call Arthur and have him fetch you.” 

“I’ll text him.” Rani said. 

“Did watching the homecoming game spark a new love for the sport?” Kelly asked, putting her arm around Mindy. 

“Oh, uh… yeah.” Mindy said, smiling weakly as she looked up at Kelly’s face. “Something like that. I thought it was really fun, and you explained the rules really well.” 

“Maybe you and Arthur could have your homework date here?” Kelly asked Rani. 

“Probably not what he had in mind.” Rani said, frowning as she typed her text on the phone. “It’s supposed to be just us.” 

“Right.” Kelly shrugged, squeezing Mindy in the process. “Oh, well.” 

“If you get hungry, let me know. I’ll order some pizzas! Or would you prefer wings?” Deb asked, then answered her own question. “Eh, I’ll get both. And some salad. Plus, there are leftovers from brunch.” 

Mindy smiled, leaving Kelly’s embrace and walking into the family room with the others. She plopped down in the center of the sofa. Kelly sat next to her on one side and Selene on the other. Kat hung back by the windows overlooking the front yard, sitting on the cushioned bay window sill with her feet up. 

Katelyn sat on the floor below Kat, her homework spread around her. 

“If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll just give my Hubby a call and let him know how things went.” Deb said, holding up her cell phone. 

Kelly smiled, and the girls nodded, returning their attention to the TV as Mindy turned on the pre-game show and turned the volume on low. 

Rani sat on the floor between Mindy’s feet. She looked over her shoulder to ensure Deb was gone, then asked. “How’s your ass, Whore?” 

Mindy smiled. “Glad for the cushion on this sofa, that’s for sure. After the church pews this morning, that dining room chair almost killed me.” 

Rani smiled, kissed Mindy’s knee, and returned her attention to the TV. Mindy leaned forward and started braiding Rani’s hair. “Do you have a hairbrush?” 

“You want to brush my hair?” Rani asked, raising a pierced eyebrow at Mindy behind her. “Or do you want revenge for last night?” 

“I want to brush your hair.” Mindy said, giggling at Rani’s suggestion. “Please?” 

Rani sighed and pointed toward her purse. Selene passed it to Rani, and Rani passed the bag to Mindy, who dug through it and found a small brush. She brushed Rani’s hair, and Rani visibly relaxed, melting into the sofa. 

“You like having your hair brushed?” Mindy asked. 

“I love it.” Rani said. “My Nani used to brush my hair all the time.” 

“You had a nanny?” Kelly asked, surprised. 

“Not a nanny. My Nani.” Rani corrected her. The pronunciation was different when Mindy listened for the difference. “My grandmother.” 

“Ah.” Kelly said, nodding. “That makes sense.” 

“When did she die?” Selene asked softly. 

“Oh, she didn’t. It’s just been a while since she’s brushed my hair. I moved away to college and all that. She and my Nana still live with my family.” Rani said. 

“Why did you move so far away for college?” Kelly asked. “For me, I wanted somewhere far away from my mother but close enough to meet my brothers halfway.” 

“Princeton was my first choice, and I got accepted, but it was too close to my parents, and I wanted some freedom.” Rani said. “I had to get away from my ex.” 

“You got into Princeton?” Kelly asked. She didn’t sound surprised but was as curious as Mindy was to hear the story. 

“Wait, who was your ex?” Mindy asked. 

“It’s not a big deal.” Rani said, waving away any reaction the girls might have had to her acceptance into an Ivy League school. “My Papa and my Didi went to Princeton, and I wanted to get out of her shadow anyway. I threw a dart at a map, and it landed closest to Pendleton, so that’s where I went. Then I was determined to stick it out after my freshman year because my sister Navya was so confident I would get homesick.” 

“How many sisters do you have?” Selene asked. 

Rani laughed. “I have three older sisters, two younger sisters, and a younger brother, Little Ari. He’s the youngest of all of us.” 

“Holy cow.” Mindy said, surprised. “That’s a lot of siblings!” 

“That’s not even counting my cousins and grandparents.” Rani said, laughing. “I love and miss them, but I’m glad to have you sluts. Chosen family for the win.” 

Mindy hugged Rani from behind, kissing her cheek. 

Rani patted Mindy’s forearm and kissed her in return, the two of them locking lips for a moment before Mindy had to sit up and catch her breath from the uncomfortable folded-in-half position. 

“Arthur should be here soon.” Deb said as she re-entered the room. “Turns out he was on his way over anyway, with the first of his move-in load. And George says hi.” 

Kelly checked her hair in a small compact mirror, and Deb smiled as she watched the girls prepare for Arthur’s imminent arrival. 

“Ah, young love.” Deb said as she sat on the corner of the sofa. 

They watched the pre-game show, read, and did their homework. Deb played solitaire on her phone, and Mindy brushed Rani’s hair until they heard a car approaching. 

Kat looked out the window, and her face lit up. “Arthur’s here.” 

The girls smiled, including Deb, and waited for Arthur to enter. Mindy expected the sound of the front door any second, but after two full minutes, the door still hadn’t opened. Kat rechecked the window and shook her head. 

“What’s keeping him?” Kelly asked, rising to her feet. 

“More like who.” Kat said. “Lynn’s chatting him up.” 

“What?!” Kelly asked, already moving through the door. 

“Well, shit.” Rani said, standing up. “Come on, ladies, let’s stop her from actually killing the bitch. We don’t want to be called to testify in the murder case.” 

Deb laughed. Rani didn’t. Rani booked it through the opening into the hallway. 

“I’ll go check on them.” Deb said, reading the nervous tension in the room for what it was. 

Mindy and Selene joined Kat and Katelyn at the window, watching. Arthur was on the other side of his car from Lynn, who was in the driveway. The two of them talked over the hood of his car. 

Arthur appeared annoyed more than angry but was talking calmly. Lynn looked over her shoulder to see Kelly at the front door and moved away, waving goodbye as she practically ran to her car. 

Kelly, barefoot, gave chase coming down the stairs. 

Arthur moved and intercepted her, hugging and kissing her before turning her around, patting her butt, and ascending the stairs. 

Lynn pulled away while Arthur and Kelly met Deb and Rani at the door. Rani returned to the family room, but the others didn’t join them immediately. The girls at the window waited, but when it was clear they weren’t making it directly to the family room, they returned to the sofa. Deb, Kelly, and Arthur talked in the kitchen, and the girls slowly returned to their homework or the pre-game show. 

At least until Arthur’s voice caught their attention. 

“Hello, ladies.” Arthur said, Kelly and Deb a step behind him. “Don’t get up, I’m not here to interrupt. I’m here to whisk Rani away on a date if she still wants to hang out and do homework.” 

Rani smiled. “Yes, my King. Unless you want to stay here and take turns bending us over the sofa?” 

Arthur’s face went nearly purple-red as Deb stepped out from behind him. Mindy and Rani hadn’t seen her behind Arthur. She patted him on the back as if to say ‘good luck’ or ‘please don’t,’ Mindy wasn’t sure which. 

“Let’s go.” Rani said, hopping up as she picked up her purse and kissed Mindy goodbye. 

Jealousy struck Mindy’s stomach as she watched Rani and Arthur wave farewell. Not envy, but jealousy. She didn’t wish it was her and Arthur leaving or her and Rani, but she wanted to go with them. She hoped they had fun. She wanted Arthur and Rani to grow closer, even though she wished she was going. Her fear of missing out was torn between Rani and Arthur and the girls surrounding her as they did their homework with the game on in the background. 

Moving in would take a while, but she knew she’d spend more time here than her dorm soon enough. With any luck, Lynn would be scarce, and most weekends would be like this. That would be nice. Though, personally, Mindy wondered how likely that was. 

Lynn was a mess. She was antagonistic toward them all one second, then sweet as pie the next. Obviously, the sweetness was an act, and Lynn was a terrible actress. So what did she want? Why was she trying to play these games to begin with? Did she want Arthur romantically? 

Lynn was hot enough to have any guy she wanted on campus. There were plenty of hot guys in college. She didn’t need Arthur. Arthur was literally the only one she couldn’t have. He was Mindy’s. Well, he was the harem’s, but also Mindy’s. 

Mindy wished she was joining Rani and Arthur, but she knew it was also important for them to have their alone time. She’d had her date with Arthur, and she’d have another one soon enough. Plus, she got him alone in the office all the time. She wondered if he would tell her how his date went tomorrow over lunch. Perhaps he could recount how he fucked Rani while Mindy sucked him off under his desk. 

Mindy smiled as she thought about it. She looked beside her to see Selene reading. Mindy reached over and squeezed Selene’s thigh. Selene returned the gesture, smiling. Katelyn shifted and laid her head on Kelly’s lap. Kelly stroked her hair while she watched the pre-game show. 

“Do you need me to explain what they’re talking about?” Kelly asked, gesturing to the pre-game show. 

Mindy smiled. “No, I’m good. I remember.” 

Kelly smiled. “Good girl.” 

“Thank you, Mistress.” Mindy scrunched her nose and returned her attention to the show. 

“Y’all have some wild pet names for each other.” Deb said before sipping her drink. 

“You have no idea.” Katelyn said, laughing. 

Life was unexpected sometimes but beautiful, and Mindy’s life with the harem was her favorite version of herself. She couldn’t wait to move into Clarke House. Though, honestly, she thought the teddy bears should have t-shirts that said Harem House Buddies.