Harem House Chapter 48 Part 1 (Patreon)

Yvonne took a deep breath and led Selene off to the side, under the shade of an oak tree with half its leaves on the ground and half in its branches. Fake spider-webs filled out the leafless branches, though for all the webs and Halloween decorations at the Faire, she hadn’t seen any spiders. She hoped that trend continued. She hated spiders and snakes, though that wasn’t unique to her. 

She glanced at Selene, who seemed much calmer after her trip to the bus with Arthur. Her outfit was sluttier, somehow, but Yvonne imagined they’d fucked while they were away. She couldn’t stop imagining it. Arthur’s muscular body in nothing but his bracers, manhandling Selene in nothing but her chainmail bracelets, anklets, and collar. Her imagination barely had to stretch its muscles to see them together, and envy threatened to stir her hatred for Selene, but she held it at bay. Selene was her friend. Arthur, too, was her friend. They weren’t trying to hurt her by being happy without her. 

She should be happy for them. She was happy for them. It sounded less convincing in her head every time she repeated it to herself, but that didn’t stop her from trying. 

If she were in a mean mood, Yvonne expected this would be the time when Selene rubbed her victory in Yvonne’s face. They’d both lusted after Arthur and crushed on him, over the years. They’d competed for his attention ever since they met him at auditions. Lori had always kept Yvonne at bay, but Arthur’s ex seemed to like Selene. 

Yvonne told herself it was because she didn’t see Selene as a threat, but her confidence in her ability to seduce Arthur had proven woefully unfounded. She’d been so sure that if she gave him time, he’d come to her when he realized she was the perfect girl for him. Now, she realized, she’d been wrong. She wasn’t the perfect girl for Arthur, but Selene was. 

Yvonne had been cast opposite Arthur more often, but he and Selene always had this connection of common interests that Yvonne couldn’t match. Selene agreed with everything Arthur said, but Yvonne thought challenging him might help her stand out. It worked, but not the way she’d hoped. He’d told her he hated her personality, which made her love for him even more painful. 

“So,” Yvonne said, unsure how to begin what she had to say to Selene. 

“So,” Selene said, her voice meek as she kept her eyes low. “About the whole penance thing.” 

Yvonne turned her eyes toward Selene’s, meeting her gaze. Selene looked embarrassed, a faint tint to her cheeks as she looked down, lowering her eyes to Yvonne’s cleavage. She hesitated there, then continued to let them drop over Yvonne’s hoop skirts to the leaf-covered ground. Selene sipped from a water bottle, as if it gave her courage. She took another deep breath. 

“About my penance?” Yvonne asked, latching onto what Selene wanted to say. “Did you and Arthur come to an agreement? Am I allowed to spend an hour in the stocks? Or is he going to try to block our reconciliation?” 

“He’s all for your reconciliation, but he doesn’t want you in the stocks, no,” Selene said, shaking her head. “I was wrong to ask you to do that. I’m sorry. Can we forget the whole penance thing and just move forward without it?” 

“Were you wrong?” Yvonne asked. “Saying sorry is one thing, but proving I’m sorry by doing something to make it up to you seems… cathartic. The stocks are harmless, a bit petty, but harmless. If some teasing and humiliation is all it takes to make up for what I did? I’ll do it if it fixes things between us. I don’t want things to be weird between us, or for you to hold on to any resentments.” 

Their friendship was non-existent now, but Yvonne had always considered Selene a friend. A rival, sure, but a friendly rivalry never hurt anyone. Rivalry was how Yvonne showed affection, and she’d thought her friends understood that, but Arthur had misunderstood her at every turn. Had Selene? 

Either way, she didn’t want what she’d done to poison their friendship forever. Consequences would abound, sure, but they needed to restart their friendship on even ground, not with secret resentment lurking beneath it. If Selene’s vengeance was what she needed to start on equal footing again, and it wasn’t something too terrible, Yvonne wanted to do it, especially since Maria seemed to be basing her acceptance of Yvonne on Selene’s attitude. 

“I fucked up everything between us, and I’m sorry for that as much as I am for what I did to you and Arthur. I miss you,” Yvonne said. “I miss our friendship, and I’m so, so sorry that I fucked everything up.” 

Selene swallowed. She lifted her eyes to meet Yvonne’s with a soft, sad smile. “Yeah, I haven’t exactly been very good at keeping our friendship in mind, either.” 

Yvonne smiled softly. “I mean, you dropping off the face of the Earth was my first indication that you were fucking Arthur. I don’t know if it was guilt because you knew I was into him too, or what, but you vanished from our text threads overnight.” 

Selene blushed. “Sorry. I should have told you what was between us rather than letting you find out like that at Theater Club. I wasn’t trying to rub it in your face, I dove in with both feet and haven’t been great about surfacing.” 

“I’ll say,” Yvonne said. “But still, I’m the one who needs to apologize and make up for things, not you.” 

“Yeah,” Selene agreed. “But I can still apologize for what I’ve done that’s hurt you. It might not be as big, or as mean-spirited, or have as life-altering consequences as what you did, but it was still wrong of me.”

Yvonne could tell she was trying to insert humor to lighten the mood, but it felt out of place. This was a heavier conversation, and that was okay. They just needed to get through it without Yvonne turning it into a fight or either of them crying. Everything she said was true, though. Yvonne had tried to hurt Arthur in her anger, and that was worse than just yelling or blowing up at someone.

“What I did was fucked up, yeah,” Yvonne admitted. “And I’m sorry for it. I’ll say it as many times as I can, but please know that I’ve learned my lesson. I will never do anything like that again. As far as I’m concerned, you, Arthur, and your, uh, group—” 

“Harem,” Selene said, cutting in. 

“Harem,” Yvonne said with significant hesitation. “You have my full support. And again, I am so sorry.” 

“I know you are,” Selene said, sighing. “But honestly, every time you apologize, it just reminds me of what you did and makes me angry. I’m still angry about it, to be honest.” 

“You are?” Yvonne asked, wary. Selene seemed calm, but was that just for show because Arthur’s eyes kept flicking over to them? They had an audience keeping an eye on them, but Yvonne wasn’t sure whether that was to judge her sincerity or to keep Selene from attacking her. Did she have to worry about Selene kicking her shins or clawing her eyes out if Arthur turned his back? 

“Yeah,” Selene said. “I mean, after what he went through in high school, trying to destroy his reputation on campus like that? It makes you as bad as Angie.” 

“Or Lynn,” Yvonne said, agreeing. 

Selene shook her head. “Not quite that bad.” 

Yvonne took that as a positive sign, but wasn’t sure whether rating how much she’d hurt Arthur had a purpose beyond making her feel guilt and shame at her mistakes. She had heaps of guilt and shame on her heart for what she’d done without comparison. Apologizing only unloaded some of that guilt. Doing something, even just standing in the pillory for an hour, would have unloaded more of it. 

“Well, I didn’t go after everyone in the harem, I guess,” Yvonne said. Everyone in the group said Lynn’s name with a hushed hatred that she didn’t understand. But it wasn’t her place to ask what Lynn had done that made her worse than Angie in everyone’s eyes. She assumed it was because Angie’s sins were from high school, and reportedly stayed there, while Lynn had mounted fresh grievances on top of old ones. “I know saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t magically fix everything, but I intend to put the work in and prove myself, which is why I’m happy to stand in the pillory if that’s what it takes. I’d offer to let you through vegetables at me, but Caleb helped me sew this dress, and he’d murder you.” 

“I know,” Selene said, chuckling. “And if it were just me that you hurt with your lies and rumors, I probably wouldn’t care that much.” 

“But?” Yvonne asked, sensing the contradiction coming. 

“But you went after Arthur,” Selene said, her eyes narrowing. She didn’t hold any heat in her voice. The words were a cold statement of the facts, condemning not because of Selene’s wrath but because of their validity. “If it were up to me, I’d punish you for it.” 

“It is up to you,” Yvonne said. “But… punish how?” 

Selene’s expression flickered through several different emotions, some more suggestive than others. Then she shook her head and scrunched her nose, an old, familiar expression that relaxed Yvonne. It was an expression Selene made when she was in good humor. 

“It’s not up to me,” Selene said. 

“Okay, let’s assume it’s not. If it were, though?” Yvonne asked. 

Selene shook her head. 

“Come on,” Yvonne said. “I won’t tell Arthur you told me.” 

Selene sighed. “If it were up to me, and you were into it, well, let’s just say I’ve learned a few good cathartic punishments over the last few weeks.” 

“Yeah?” Yvonne asked. “Like the pillory?” 

“And other things,” Selene said. “They’re all sexual, though, which is inappropriate. You’re not part of the harem, or into what we’re into. So it’d be wrong to spank you, whip you, or tie you to a pole and edge you for hours on end.” 

Yvonne swallowed, blushing a furious red to match the leaves above them. “I—” 

“If it were for me, though, I’d want to hold you down while Arthur hate-fucked the shit out of you,” Selene said. “I’d pin your arms and sit on your face, or something, and make you earn your forgiveness. Humiliation and teasing are too passive for you, but actively working toward your redemption by serving us sexually? I’d love to see that.”

“Oh, my God,” Yvonne said, her blush turning crimson. “I—” 

“I know,” Selene said, holding up her hand. “I went too far, sorry. It’s too easy for my imagination to run off with me when it comes to that kind of stuff, but it’s wrong of me to put that onto you.”  

Yvonne fanned her face, trying to cool the blush from her cheeks with the wind. She had imagined herself with Arthur several times, but a threesome with him and one of his girlfriends? With Selene? One where they punished her with pornographic levels of sex? Where they made her do things to Selene? Or to his other girlfriends?

She couldn’t explain why those mental images made her heart beat rapidly, or why it made her clench her hand so hard that her nails dug into her palm. She bit her lip so hard that it spiked pain through her face, and she couldn’t bring herself to look Selene in the eye. 

Yvonne had never had a threesome before, or even kissed a girl. She’d never considered them as sexual options, and here was Selene, a friend, talking about sitting on her face. About making her use her tongue to get her wet for Arthur’s cock. 

Yvonne’s eyes dropped to Selene’s bikini. The pale line of her legs meeting her crotch was on display between the slits of her hip scarves and chainmail bottoms. “I—” Yvonne tried to speak, but despite her open mouth, no words followed. 

“Sorry,” Selene said, shaking her head. “I’ve been oversexualizing everything and everyone, but I’m working on it. The sexual punishment stuff is inappropriate. That’s not something you’ve signed on for or want. You’re not even into girls.” 

Yvonne didn’t answer. She stared at Selene with her eyes wide as she tried to think of what to say, but her mouth refused to form any words. No, she wasn’t into women. At least, she hadn’t thought she was. She couldn’t imagine what kissing Selene would be like, or what doing other things with her would be like. Soft, she supposed, far softer than if she did them with Arthur. In her dreams, he alternated between rough and gentle, but was never soft. 

“Can we start again?” Selene asked, frustrated with herself. She stamped her foot and shook her limbs as if trying to shake off a cobweb. “The whole penance suggestion was out of line, and I shouldn’t have tried to drag you into our games. I’m sorry.” 

“Games?” Yvonne asked, the word making her think of something else entirely. “Like the tournament?” The prize was a night with Arthur, right? Could anyone play? 

Selene shook her head. “No. The kind of games that end with me tied up in Arthur’s trunk.” 

Realization slapped Yvonne in the face, which kept the red blush on her cheeks hot and vibrant. “Oh.” 

“Yeah,” Selene said, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it. “I’m sorry.” 

“But, why would you try to drag me into those games if Arthur is so opposed to doing anything like that with me?” Yvonne asked. “He hates me.” 

“He doesn’t hate you,” Selene corrected her. “He’s just not interested in you sexually. There’s a difference.” 

“Okay, so why drag me in if he’s not interested? Isn’t he your…” Yvonne hesitated. She couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘master’ in relation to Arthur and Selene like this. It seemed so formal, and so silly at the same time. 

“My master,” Selene said, smiling. “Yeah. But he’s not yours, and you’re not into that kind of thing. So it was wrong of me to try to drag you into it. Arthur helped me see that.” 

“It’s weird to think of him that way,” Yvonne said, still blushing. “Hot, but weird.” 

Selene glanced at Arthur, who was talking with Kelly while Katelyn and the others played with their catapults. They were out of earshot but able to see what was going on between the two. Selene kept her voice low as she returned her attention to Yvonne. “Hot?” she asked. “Are you into BDSM?” 

Yvonne shuffled, gripping her fingers in her hand in front of her and looking down, keeping her eyes on Selene’s anklets. “I have no idea, honestly. But, maybe? His manhandling of you in the parking lot was hot. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I offered, well, kind of offered for him to do that to me when I met him at his car the other night, but he obviously turned me down, which stung.” 

Selene nodded. “I’m sorry.” 

Yvonne frowned, having no choice but to accept Selene’s pity. “Yeah. Me too.” 

“For what it’s worth, Yvonne, you’re a very attractive woman,” Selene patted her shoulder, looking her in the eyes. “I know you had your heart set on Arthur, but he’s not the only man on campus. I’m sure you can find someone to date.” 

“Good men are rarer than you’d think,” Yvonne said. “And good, straight men with a love for musical theater that rivals my own? Who can stand up to me, argue with me, and still treat me with respect? Who are hot enough to melt me with a look?” She sighed. “I’ve only met the one.” 

“Yeah,” Selene said, understanding. “Same.” 

Yvonne sighed. “Congratulations, by the way. On your relationship. It’s weird, and not exactly what I expected for him, but I take it you’re happy?” 

Selene smiled. “Very happy. Even with the drama that’s been going on recently.” 

“Yeah,” Yvonne nodded. “I shudder to think how bad it would’ve been for Arthur to face Lynn or Angie alone, without you and your group.” 

Selene nodded. “That would have been a nightmare.” 

“Do you think you and I will be able to be friends again?” Yvonne asked. The shift in the conversation made her recall their many friendly conversations over the years, chatting in the theater building or working together behind the scenes. “Maybe we could have a girls’ night, like we used to? You, me, Maria, Caleb?” 

Selene chuckled. “We did that like, what, twice?” 

“It was fun, though,” Yvonne said. “Pajamas, musicals, and ice cream. We can forget the Arthur of it all for a while, and just be friends again. Right? We can even invite Jen, if she’s into musicals, though I’m not sure how the ‘no significant others’ rule would work with your girlfriends.” 

Selene hesitated. “Maybe that’s a good idea. It wouldn’t hurt for me to spend time with someone not in the harem. We could do it after fall break, or after Halloween?” 

“Sure,” Yvonne said. “I’ll start a group chat and get something on the calendar.” 

“Perfect,” Selene said. “I might not be active on it much until after fall break. Arthur and I are trying a, well, you don’t need to know about that.” 

“You can tell me,” Yvonne said. “But only if you want to.” 

Selene shrugged. “Let me know if it’s TMI, or if it’s uncomfortable if I talk about Arthur, okay?” 

Yvonne nodded. “It’s normal for you to talk about your boyfriend with your friends. I know things are awkward, but, well, the only way forward is through the awkwardness. Right? Hopefully, soon it’ll stop being awkward, or painful.” 

Selene weighed her response and nodded her agreement. It made sense to Yvonne, and gratitude for Selene’s caution swelled in her, but she couldn’t walk on eggshells around her friends. Nor could her friends tiptoe around the ‘Arthur’ topic when she was nearby. They were friends, they’d work together in the Theater Club again, and the only way to make it less painful was to push through. 

“We’re doing a twenty-four-seven power exchange,” Selene said. “My idea, of course.” 

Yvonne furrowed her brow. “What does that involve, exactly?” 

“Well, it’s kind of like me volunteering to be his slave all day, every day until the end of fall break. Then we’re going to hold off on the BDSM aspects and just be boyfriend-girlfriend for a week to do a kind of reset. That part is his idea, I’m dreading it.” 

Yvonne tried to understand. The idea of being someone’s slave in the bedroom, well, she could see the appeal even if she’d never experienced it herself. For Arthur to be the person standing over, making her kneel? To have him command her to relinquish control of the situation, of herself, to him, while he took responsibility for her pleasure? She had to calm herself down from daydreaming about it. To do that outside of the bedroom? That sounded ridiculous to her. She couldn’t say that to Selene, though. Not when she was trying to mend fences. 

“That sounds… intense,” Yvonne said, settling for the obvious. 

“Yeah,” Selene said. “But I enjoy the intensity.” 

Yvonne chuckled. “Well, that much is obvious.” She gestured to Selene’s costume. “You look like a slave.”  

Selene chuckled with her. “Yeah, guilty. I am his slave, even if I haven’t been a good one. It was wrong of me to push for you to join us or perform any kind of penance when he told me no.” 

Her reasoning was strange in Yvonne’s opinion, but she had no choice but to accept it. “So, no pillory for me?” Yvonne asked. “Are we good?” 

“No, it was petty, and probably more sexual than you realize,” Selene said, shaking her head. “I had no right to ask you to do it.” 

“So why did you?” Yvonne asked. Curiosity prompted her question, and she wanted to know why Selene would risk Arthur’s wrath. “I’m not judging you, I’m just curious. If Arthur isn’t attracted to me, why did you ask me to do something sexual as penance? Are you attracted to me?” 

“Because I—” Selene hesitated, glancing at Arthur. “—I’m fucked up in the head, I guess,” Selene said. “I thought Arthur found you attractive and would want to see you sexually humiliated and submissive. But I think it had more to do with what I wanted than with what he wanted. I was projecting.” 

“Projecting your sadism?” Yvonne asked, confused. 

“My attraction, to, uh, you,” Selene said, realizing what she was confessing as she said it from the expression of horror that passed her face. “Not that I meant anything by it. I’d never violate my relationship with Arthur, or anything. I just, well, you’re hot. Objectively.” 

Yvonne’s crimson blush might as well have been sunburned onto her face at that point, growing even hotter than before. “So, you’re attracted to me?” 

“Well,” Selene said, reluctant but honest. “Yeah. Not to make you uncomfortable or anything.” 

“I didn’t realize you were bi,” Yvonne said. 

“I didn’t either,” Selene said. “I’m still experimenting, exploring, and expanding my horizons, but, yeah, objectively, you’re very attractive, and I’d be lying if I said today was the first time I imagined angry-fucking you, or tying you down, or up, with or without Arthur.” 

Yvonne gulped. “Oh.” 

“Yeah,” Selene said, frowning. “Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Yvonne said, still processing. “It just surprised me, is all. You’ve never flirted with me or anything in Theater Club. Have I been missing cues? Am I that clueless or hetero-focused?” 

“No,” Selene agreed. “And I probably wouldn’t have ever mentioned it if not for Arthur and the harem. It’s been a wild time these last few weeks. I’ve learned so much about sex and myself.” 

“Sounds like it,” Yvonne said. “Does everyone who joins your polycule have to sleep with the other women?” 

“No,” Selene said, shaking her head. “Kat’s straight. Even when we’re doing things in the same room, her focus is on Arthur, not the other girls. But it’s such a safe space for exploration and experimentation, that, well, it’s addicting.” 

“Right,” Yvonne said, doing her best not to picture an Arthur, Selene, Kat, Mindy, Rani, Kelly, and Katelyn orgy. The awkward silence hung between them as embarrassment overtook them. Yvonne didn’t know what to say to break it. She probably shouldn’t have asked the question, but curiosity as to how the harem operated behind closed doors had overriden her hesitation. 

“So, yeah,” Selene said. “I accept your apology for what you did, and I’m sorry for what I did, and for dropping off the face of the Earth. I’m afraid I wasn’t a good friend to you even before Arthur, and I got together.” 

“I wasn’t either,” Yvonne said, nodding. “To you or Arthur.” 

Selene nodded, accepting Yvonne’s statement and not arguing with her over it. She was trying to be better, but progress was a process, not a result. 

“So,” Yvonne offered Selene a handshake. “Friends?” 

“Friends,” Selene agreed, shaking Yvonne’s hand.

Yvonne smiled as she shook Selene’s hand, giving the young woman another look. Selene hadn’t been an object of her desire before, but she’d suggested it. It was, however, not something that could happen. If Arthur didn’t want Yvonne, then he didn’t want his girlfriends playing with her either. So it was best to toss the idea from her mind and move forward. 

Still, that mental image of Arthur between her legs and Selene over her face refused to leave her mind. They shook hands, and Arthur smiled in the distance. The smile made Yvonne’s heart flutter, but she told it to calm down. Friendship. That was what she’d asked for. He didn’t mean anything by smiling at them. In fact, he probably wasn’t even smiling at Yvonne. His smile was for Selene. 

“Okay,” Yvonne said, after clearing her throat. “Let’s get back to the others.” 

Selene nodded. She took a sip of her water bottle and followed Yvonne, rejoining the group. 

~~~

Arthur waited with the others, watching the catapult game with Kelly and Rani on either side of him. Kat stood ahead of them, watching the game. He held a cup of cider in his hands and let it cool through the small mouth hole the travel cup left him. It was too warm outside for hot cider, but the cinnamon-apple flavor helped him relax, even if it contained far too much sugar.

“You had a good time with Selene?” Kelly asked, grinning slightly. “You’ve taken everyone to the bus but me.” 

Arthur put his arm around Kelly and hugged her to him. She cuddled into his side. 

“I wasn’t sure how you felt about period sex, but we’ll spend some time together before the day is out,” Arthur said. “What are you doing for dinner?” 

Kelly smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound jealous.” 

“Envious,” Kat and Rani said at the same time. 

Kelly and Arthur laughed. 

“You talked to Selene, though, before you two got distracted?” Kelly asked after they recovered. 

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “We had several good conversations.” At least, he hoped they had. Sometimes it was tough to tell how much of what he was saying sank in when he was talking to Selene. Not because she was stupid, but because she had a habit of over-fantasizing and misinterpreting. Still, he was confident they’d come to an understanding this time around. 

“Whad did you discuss?” Kelly asked. 

“Her recent violent behavior, Yvonne, and potential temporary partners in general,” Arthur said. “I did my best to put her on the right track. I think it sank in, and she’ll do better. I don’t expect an immediate turnaround or total improvement; she’ll have to work at it, but it was a good check-in. A nice break from the master/slave stuff, and now we’re back to it.” 

“Good,” Kat said, looking over her shoulder at them. “What was the result?” 

“She’s going to keep herself in check regarding the violence,” Arthur said. 

“And regarding Yvonne?” Rani asked, looking past Arthur to where Yvonne and Selene stood under the tree, talking quite close together. 

“She’s apologizing to her now, I hope, and she won’t push for Yvonne to join us or try to torture her anymore,” Arthur said. 

Rani nodded her approval. “Just to check, you don’t want her to join the orgy tonight, right? Even if Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen are okay with it and she sticks to their rooms?” 

Arthur looked at Rani. “About the orgy, can we talk?” 

“Uh-oh,” Rani said, exchanging a glance with Kat, then Kelly. “What’s up, my King?” 

“I’m not sure I’m up to hosting one tonight,” Arthur said. 

“Well, the whole point was to help you relax, to take your mind off things, wasn’t it?” Kelly asked, looking at Arthur. “So if you don’t want one, we don’t have one. Plain and simple.” 

Kat shrugged. “I’ve been against it from the start.” 

Rani frowned at the back of Kat’s head. “We don’t have to throw one, if you’d rather not. But if it’s just the hosting aspect you don’t want, I can take care of that,” Rani said. “I’m not trying to push you one way or the other, though. If you want it to be just us tonight, that’s fine with me. Manasa will be disappointed, but I’ll make it up to her.” 

“How?” Kat asked, looking at Rani. 

Rani glanced at Arthur. “Well, I’d tip her well, but I’d probably offer a weekend with Arthur and me at some point. Maybe she can come early when she picks me up for Diwali.” 

“Diwali?” Kelly asked. 

“It’s the Indian New Year, but it’s part of the lunar calendar, so it’s in November, about two weeks before Thanksgiving this year. I’d have to check the calendar to be sure,” Rani shrugged. “It’s a big deal at the temple, and at my parents’ house. They’ll expect me home for the weekend.” 

“Are you going to tell them about the harem?” Kat asked. 

“Yeah,” Rani said, nodding. “Well, I’ll call it a polycule, but yeah. That’s definitely an in-person conversation.” 

“Will they be okay with it?” Arthur asked. 

Rani shrugged. “My Pa Pa goes against the grain. He grew up in an ultra-conservative family, which he rejected, but luckily, his big act of rebellion made him millions, so his family came around. He’s socially very progressive and accepting. Honestly, he’ll probably be more upset that most of you are white than he will that we’re poly. Not that he’s racist against white people. That’s not to say everyone in my family will be happy about it or accept us right away, but they accepted my sister when she came out of the closet, and me when I did. And hey, maybe they’ll be thankful my promiscuous phase is finally over.” 

“Are we going with you to Diwali?” Kelly asked. 

“That might overwhelm them,” Rani admitted. “But I’ll send you a calendar invite, just to keep it open if you can. Manasa can drive down and pick us up. Depending on who’s coming, she’ll either bring the party bus or a town car.” 

Kat chuckled. “Your life sounds so ridiculous. Oh, a town car, or a party bus, same thing.” 

Rani grinned, putting her arm around Kat as they watched the catapults firing. 

Kelly chuckled. “I doubt any of our parents will be as accepting as Deb and George.” She rested her head on Arthur’s shoulder. “But we should probably tell our parents about this arrangement soon, before Jen’s article comes out, or people on social media say something they shouldn’t. Anonymous or not, people will put things together if we’re the only group of six girls constantly hanging around with one guy.” 

“Well, hopefully Jen keeps it anonymous, as she promised, and no one puts us on blast,” Kat said. “I’m not looking forward to telling my mom about us, and Selene needs to sort out her shit first.” 

“Her shit?” Arthur asked. 

“Her manic episodes over the whole master/slave thing, and the violence. I know you two talked, and she said she’d keep it in check, but I’m going to need to see it to believe it. She’s said shit before, but she doesn’t always follow through,” Kat said. “If we were to have the conversation with our mom today? I’d have to break up a fist fight.”

“Kyle might come after you,” Kelly said, patting Arthur’s chest. “But I’ll do my best to convince him this is what I want.” 

Arthur chuckled. “I’ve met Kyle. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let him kill me.” 

“Is my king scared of someone?” Rani asked, surprised. 

“Imagine a male version of Kelly, built like a beefier version of me, with just as much, if not more, boxing experience as Kelly,” Arthur said. “That’s Kyle.” 

“Sounds hot,” Rani said, making Kat laugh. “Oh, speaking of twins, did you know that the tattoo artist who did our matching henna tats has a twin sister?” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Yeah,” Rani said. “I invited them to our orgy tonight, and they both seem interested. So, let me know if you want to cancel it.” 

“Ah,” Arthur said. “Well, that’s…” 

“Cruel?” Kelly asked, chuckling. 

“Hot?” Kat asked, laughing. 

“Mean,” Arthur said, teasing Rani. “They’re really interested?” 

“They want to see Excalibur up close and in person, my king,” Rani said, looking over her shoulder at him. “And there are others that wanted to, too.” 

“How would an orgy even work?” Arthur asked. “We’re not staying in a big suite this time, right?” 

Rani nodded. “I’ve reserved a block of rooms, but no, it’s not a big suite like last time. It’s just a floor of the hotel. Four sets of conjoined rooms, so eight rooms total, each with two queen-sized beds.” 

“Wait, what?” Kat asked. “I paid for my and Selene’s share, I thought we just got the two rooms?” 

“We did,” Rani said. “Two rooms with two queens each for the seven of us. Then Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen came along, adding two more rooms. I booked one for Manasa when I orchestrated the surprise with the bus. We’d talked about an orgy, and we did some parading at the last hotel, so I went ahead and booked the other four rooms on the floor. It’s not a big hotel. It’s a good thing I did, too, or Yvonne might not have a place to stay tonight.” 

“So we’ve got eight rooms to fill?” Arthur asked. “Or three, I guess. Three empty rooms.” 

“No,” Rani shook her head. “It’s fine if there are empty rooms. For the orgy, my thought was to put one guy in each room. Mark, Brad, you, and, if we found another guy we wanted, we could throw him in a fourth room, or maybe let that one be one of us with a strap-on, or a girls-only room. Obviously, the harem would stick with you and the conjoined room to the one you’re in, my king. But Maria, Jen, and any other women we invited would be free to move about the floor, getting involved with whoever they wanted.” 

Arthur gulped, imagining it. He squeezed Kelly, not enjoying the idea of her, Kat, Rani, Mindy, Selene, or Katelyn being with the other guys, or even fucking in front of them. However, was it fair of him to claim the tattoo twins for himself, or Manasa? They should be free to do what they wanted with whoever they wanted. However, a primal part of him felt otherwise.

“What if we just let Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen do their own thing?” Kelly asked. “Then we could do our thing with Arthur, and nothing says we can’t invite Manasa and the tattoo twins or the girl in the green dress to join us.” 

“Girl in the green dress?” Arthur asked, confused. 

“There’s a girl in a green dress we’ve seen scoping you out a few times,” Kat said. “Mindy wanted to invite her.” 

“We could do that, too,” Rani said. “Though it’s not exactly an orgy, and, well, it feels a bit dickish to hoard all the pussy. Besides, I wasn’t sure about Maria and Jen’s involvement, though from what Arthur’s said thus far, I imagine that’s a no? You don’t want to fuck Maria, Jen, or Yvonne, right?” 

Arthur looked around, making sure no one was overhearing them. Everyone else seemed far enough away that they weren’t in danger of hearing Rani, who kept her voice low enough so that only Kat, Kelly, and Arthur could hear her. 

“Right,” Arthur said. “Nothing against them, they’re very attractive women, but I can’t bring myself to do that to Mark or Brad.” 

Kat scoffed. “Mark is practically begging you to fuck Maria.” 

Arthur looked at her. 

“Not that I’m encouraging you to do it,” Kat said. “I’m all for keeping the number of other women you sleep with to a minimum. But if you’re holding back out of some bro-code with Mark and Brad? Well, I’m not sure that applies. Apparently, you’ve been on Mark’s fantasy list for years.” 

Arthur stared at her, unsure how to process that information. 

“Poor Arthur,” Rani said. “Now you know what it’s like being a woman.” 

Arthur stared at her, confused. 

“When your male friends want to fuck you,” Rani said, chuckling. “Just saying.” 

Kat and Kelly chuckled, but Arthur wasn’t sure how to respond. Did they think he’d wanted to sleep with Kelly or Selene the entire time he knew them? They were attractive, sure, but he never would have done anything with them while he was with Lori. It wasn’t like he was waiting for an opportunity or an excuse. Heck, Selene and Kelly both had a heck of a job when they started convincing him to keep things casual, which was the only way the harem formed in the first place. 

“Relax,” Kelly whispered in his ear. She kissed his cheek. “No one thinks you’re a creep. We don’t think Mark is one either. He’s just bi, but it’s okay that you’re not, and you don’t have to sleep with anyone you don’t want to, even if we participate in an orgy tonight. You choose your partners. No one else.” 

Arthur relaxed at that, squeezing her with his arm. “It’s like you can read my mind.” 

“No, silly, but I can read your face sometimes,” Kelly said. “You’re very expressive.” 

“Think about what you want to do,” Rani said. “And let me know.” 

Arthur nodded. “I know I don’t want to host it. But if you want to play hostess for the evening, I might be willing to participate. Each guy in our own room, but my girls stick with me, or us and guests, while our friends do their own thing.” 

“As you wish, my king,” Rani said. “I’ll make the arrangements.” 

“So the orgy is on?” Kat asked. 

They looked at Arthur, waiting for his decision. 

“When do I have to make the call by?” Arthur asked. 

“Probably by the end of the adults-only portion of the Faire,” Rani said. “So you’ve got some time.” 

“Okay,” Arthur said. “I’ll let you know.” 

“The sooner the better,” Rani said. “Even if it’s a no.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Arthur said, sipping his cider. He raised his cup to Katelyn and Maria as they emerged from the line where they’d been aiming and throwing their catapults. 

“I won!” Katelyn said, wiggling her hips in a happy dance. “Did you see, Kelly? Arthur? I won!” 

“I saw!” Kelly and Arthur said at the same time. They laughed. “Congrats!” 

“Thanks!” Katelyn said, hugging Arthur’s other side. “Now all I have to do is defeat Kat, and I’ll be in your bed tonight.” 

“Oh, nice,” Arthur said, chuckling. “I promise not to snore too much.” 

Katelyn chuckled. “Please, like we’ll get any sleep.” 

Arthur raised his eyebrows. 

“I mean, if that’s what you want, I was just trying to be cute,” Katelyn said. 

“Sorry, it just surprised me,” Arthur said, chuckling. “I didn’t realize you’d felt so neglected.” 

“Not neglected,” Katelyn said, shaking her head. “But I’m making up for lost time here; everyone else has known you longer, and you’ve been on dates with them before. You and I haven’t had one yet other than lunch.” 

Arthur stopped. “I guess that’s right. We haven’t even gone over your checklist. We’ve been playing it as we go.” 

Katelyn nodded. “Well, maybe if I win, we could have dinner together tonight and go over it?” 

“Not gonna happen,” Kat said, cracking her knuckles. “You’re going down.” 

Katelyn giggled as Mindy joined them. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m ready for you, Pussycat.”

“What’s the final match?” Kat asked, looking at Kelly. “Please tell me it’s wrestling.” 

“Well, I was thinking of having it be more like a scavenger hunt,” Kelly said. “If we have enough time.” She checked her phone and looked at Arthur. “Is that okay?” 

“I’d recommend a buddy system,” Rani said. “I’ll help Kat.” 

“I’ll help Katelyn!” Mindy said, throwing her hand in the air. “Is that okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll take all the help I can get,” Katelyn said, chuckling. 

“But Arthur and Kelly can’t help us,” Kat said. “That wouldn’t be fair.” 

“Okay,” Katelyn agreed. 

“That’s okay with me,” Arthur said. “I was thinking about going to see some bards anyway.” 

“I’ll join you,” Kelly said. 

“What’s going on?” Brad asked as he and the others approached from one direction, and Yvonne and Selene approached from the other. 

“The final stage of the tournament is a scavenger hunt,” Katelyn said. “I have to find the things before Kat does?” She looked at Kelly, who nodded. 

“Okay, ground rules,” Kelly said. “Selfies don’t count unless someone else is in the picture with you, not one of the harem or friends.” 

“Fine,” Kat grunted. 

“Whoever gets the item off the list checked off first gets the point for that item,” Kelly said. 

Everyone nodded their understanding. 

“I’ll judge, but upload the pics to the chat as you take them, and try your best not to be too disruptive to the other Faire goers, okay?” Kelly looked at both of them to drive the point home. 

“Of course,” Katelyn said, nodding her agreement. “What’s the list?” 

“I’ll send it to the chat in three, two, one, go!” Kelly said, hitting send on her phone. The harem chat lit up with the photo image of the scavenger hunt list. 

Wifey’s Ren Faire Scavenger HuntMay the best wench win!

A grumpy owl.

A mermaid tail.

A fairy. 

A knight of the realm.

A redhead in a chainmail bikini. 

A Disney Princess

A Turkey Leg

A medieval instrument (of music)

A medieval instrument (of torture)

A noble lady

An ignoble lady (wench)

An unseelie fey

An anachronistic cosplay

“The birds of prey display is this way!” Rani said, pointing and grabbing Kat’s hand. “Come on!” 

“What if you had won?” Mindy asked. “You’d have had a massive advantage in knowing the list ahead of time.” 

“We would’ve done a different challenge,” Kelly said. “Now go! You have no time! First one to get seven out of thirteen wins the tournament!” 

Rani and Kat ran off in one direction while Mindy and Katelyn ran off in the other. Selene, Yvonne, Kelly, Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen remained. 

“Should I go with one of them?” Selene asked, looking at Arthur. 

“No, you stay close,” Arthur said, gesturing to his side. “Show me your water bottle.”  

Selene moved to stand beside him, though not as close as Kelly, who cuddled up to him while standing. She showed Arthur the water bottle, proving that she’d taken several sips of it.  

“The rest of you are staying hydrated, right?”  Arthur asked, looking mostly at Kelly. 

“Of course,” Kelly said. “I’ll send a message to the girls reminding them not to neglect their hydration during the scavenger hunt.” 

“Good idea,” Arthur said. 

“A scavenger hunt sounds like fun,” Yvonne said. “Do you guys want to do it even though we’re not competing in their tournament?” 

Mark, Maria, Brad, and Jen looked at each other. 

“What’s the list?” Jen asked. 

Kelly sent them the image. 

“Oh, that seems like fun,” Maria said, looking at Mark. “What do you think, one last quest for the day?” 

“Sounds good to me,” Mark said. 

“What about you, Arthur?” Yvonne asked, looking at Arthur. 

“You have fun,” Arthur said. “I’m gonna sit for a bit and enjoy one of the musical shows.”

Yvonne nodded. “Okay.” She looked at the other members of the theater club. “Are we competing? Splitting off in pairs?” 

“That leaves you the odd man out,” Maria pointed out. 

“Oh, right,” Yvonne said, frowning. 

“May I join Yvonne’s team?” Selene asked, looking at Arthur. “That way you and Kelly can have some one-on-one time?” 

Arthur looked at Kelly, who waited for his answer. He looked back at Selene, then Yvonne, who nodded. 

“Okay,” Arthur said. “But stay hydrated, and stay in touch. Let me know if anything goes wrong, and—” he looked at Yvonne. “That’s assuming everything’s okay between you two? How did your conversation go?” 

“We’re good,” Yvonne said, nodding. 

“I forgave her, she forgave me,” Selene said. “And we’ll do our best to be friends again.” 

“Then this is a good start,” Arthur said. “Just don’t let the competition go to your head, okay?” 

“Yes, my lord,” Selene said. 

“I was talking to Yvonne,” Arthur said, grinning. “Don’t get too competitive on them.” 

Yvonne grinned. “You’re not the boss of me, so no promises. Come on, Selene, we’re going to make them eat our dust!” 

Selene chuckled and headed off with Yvonne in the direction Selene and Arthur had arrived from. Brad and Jen left the same way Katelyn and Mindy had. Mark and Maria waved and split off in the direction of the royal pavilion. Arthur and Kelly stood alone in the lanes, with his arm around her and the late afternoon sun inching toward the horizon. 

“Music, you said?” Kelly asked. “There are a few different options. Which one did you want to see?” She showed him the list. 

Arthur reviewed the list, marveling at the group names' creativity. It put Caleb’s Band to shame. “There are a few bawdy options. What do you think? Are you in the mood for some sea shanties? They’ve got a group called The Naughty Gals.”

“What does that have to do with pirates and shanties?” Kelly asked, confused as she looked at the list. The program indeed listed them as a piratical music act. 

“The Naughty Gals,” Arthur repeated. “Nautical, get it?” 

Kelly groaned.

Arthur laughed. “That’s dad-tier level jokes right there.” 

“That joke is such a dad joke it almost made me pregnant,” Kelly said, chuckling. “Come on, let’s hope their musical skills are better than their name.” 

Arthur laughed again, walking with his arm around Kelly toward the theater on the map. “I wouldn’t count on it.”