Harem House Chapter 16

Monday morning arrived without any consideration for whether anyone wanted it there in the first place. On the whole, most people considered Monday mornings a necessary part of life. It unified many people regardless of race, religion, or political creed by presenting them with something fully deserving of their united hatred. The only people who didn't hate it were the rare, possibly psychotic, portion of the population known as morning people.

Arthur was a morning person.

Usually, he woke up feeling eager and refreshed for the day. He would wake long before the sun as his alarm clock played him the song of its people: a sound that most people hated more than Monday mornings by themselves. Today, his alarm didn't go off. He'd forgotten to set it the night before. Still, he woke up in that familiar way a few minutes before his alarm went off. He could see the numbers telling him he had three minutes left before his alarm went off.

His arms felt heavy, and the air under his blanket was warm and cozy, with two naked bodies pressed against him, one on either side. Ji-Min, Mindy, was pressed into him on his left. Rani was on his right, snoring gently. He smiled to himself and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he had two minutes left before his alarm went off, but something about the clock looked weird. There was also a noise that wasn't part of his alarm. A dull thunk from the other room that his brain slowly realized was someone knocking on the door.

He looked at his clock again and realized: the minutes had increased by one. The hour had also increased by one.

"Oh shit." Arthur groaned. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

"Hm?" Mindy lifted her head blearily and looked up at Arthur. "Shhhh." She said and gently put her hand over his face. "No talky."

"We're gonna be late for work." Arthur sighed.

"Hm?" Mindy asked again, looking up at the clock. It took her brain a second to register what the clock was telling her, but when she realized it, she groaned too.

"Hm?" Rani asked, lifting her head as Arthur's movement jostled her. Mindy got up first and moved out of his way as Arthur slid out of bed. His pants were on the floor, against the closet door. He fished his phone out of his pocket, but it was dead.

"Phone's dead." Arthur sighed. "Damn it."

Mindy lifted her phone up from the nightstand. She'd plugged it in the night before. She felt terrible for not plugging in Arthur's, but she hadn't thought about it then. Next time, Mindy swore she would be a better personal assistant.

Arthur plugged his phone in. Rani rolled back over and pulled the blanket over her head.

Mindy sighed. "I'm gonna miss my first class."

"I'm sorry." Arthur said. "I can drive you back to campus-"

"No, it's ok. I didn't have a quiz or anything. I can get notes from my roommate." Mindy shrugged. "I need a shower, though." She smiled. "And some fresh clothes. I really should have packed an overnight bag."

"Poor planning on your part." Arthur shook his head as his phone turned on.

"Was it?" Mindy giggled. "I technically do have a change of clothes...." She said as she glanced toward the kitchen. "Kind of. A skirt anyway."

Arthur smirked. "You'd certainly turn heads in that skirt with the suspenders and a pair of heels."

Rani came back out from under the covers and glared at them for having the audacity to get up when she was trying to sleep. "What time is it?"

"Later than expected." Arthur surmised.

"But it's still so dark?" Rani asked as she propped herself up with her elbows behind her.

"Ah... light blocking curtains." Arthur said as he reached over and turned on the light. "Sorry."

"Fuck." Rani fell back against the mattress. She looked at the clock and sighed. "Oh, I'm fine." She shrugged. "Got plenty of time."

There was a knock on the door again, heavier and more impatient this time. Arthur shook himself and headed into the living room.

"Someone's at the door?" Mindy asked.

"Who is at the door at this hour?" Rani moaned.

Arthur didn't know off the top of his head. He was still waking up. Hour-wise, he'd gotten decent sleep last night, but he was worn out. Sleep had recharged him, but his head was fuzzy, as though it needed something more to kick-start it.

When he reached it, he looked through the peephole to see Kat and Selene standing on the other side of it, looking up expectantly.

He opened the door without a second thought and let them in. Kat seemed surprised, but Selene seemed worried.

"Master, are you okay?" Selene asked. "You haven't answered any of my messages from last night or this morning, and I was-" She stopped as Mindy came out of the bedroom, smiling and just as naked as Arthur was.

"Oh." Selene's smile grew by megawatts as she looked at Mindy. "I see things went well?"

"Very well." Mindy assured her.

"Yay!" Selene was already hugging her, uncaring that she was naked while Selene was dressed in gym clothes, specifically barely-there yoga shorts that clung from their low waistband to just above the bottom of her butt and a sports bra.

Likewise, Katerine was dressed in gym clothes but wore a stretchy tank top that covered her sports bra and most of her cleavage down to a pair of curve-hugging yoga pants, both black. It looked good on her, hugging her curves and showing off her body in ways that Arthur appreciated, but it showed no skin other than her arms.

"What's all this?" Kat asked, gesturing to the bags at the bottom end of the kitchen table. "Did you guys go on a shopping spree last night?"

"I got a little carried away." Arthur admitted. "I bought a bunch of things from the mall that he thought might be fun. But it's fine." He waved away any concern. "Nothing you won't thank me for later."

Kat looked curious, but she stopped when Rani stumbled out of the bedroom, barely awake and hardly registering that other people were there, except that she had a sheet from Arthur's bed wrapped around her otherwise naked body. After all, most of her clothes were in crumpled piles on the living room floor.

"Um..." Kat looked at Rani, Mindy, Selene, and Arthur in an equal measure of shock before looking back at Rani. "Who the fuck are you?"

Selene's smile grew by another factor of ten. Arthur worried it might break her face to smile any more than she was now. She was practically dancing on the balls of her feet as she squeezed Mindy's hands in hers.

"This is Rani." Arthur made the introductions. "Rani, this is Selene, and Kat." He said, gesturing to each. "Rani is a girl from school we ran into last night, and Mindy invited her along."

"Another potential addition to the harem." Mindy said happily as she let go of Selene's hands and took one of Rani's hands to lead her forward. Rani kept her other hand above her breasts to keep the sheet covering her at least a little bit. Mindy didn't seem to mind that she was nude in front of Kat and Selene, but this was Rani's first introduction.

"Welcome!" Selene chirped happily. She hugged Rani just as she'd hugged Mindy a moment ago, not caring about their various states of undress. Rani went a little rigid but let Selene hug her and then let her bounce away.

"Um... Excuse me?" Kat glared at Selene, then at Arthur. "You slept with her?"

"Uh... well, yeah." Arthur said, both confused and a little guilty. He wasn't sure if he felt guilty for it or if he felt guilty as a response to Kat's tone, but it was clear to him she was unhappy.

"He's our Master." Selene chided Kat. "He can sleep with whoever he wants."

"Whomever." Kat retorted automatically.

"That too." Selene smirked.

"That's not what I-" Kat cut herself off and huffed.

Selene shook her head and then looked at Rani. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You're beautiful... have I seen you around campus?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I go to school with you guys. I'm an Engineering major." Rani answered.

"Oh, okay." Selene nodded.

Kat seemed to get even more frigid and crossed her arms over her chest. She stood there looking between them. She looked properly chastised, but her gaze turned into a glare whenever she looked at Arthur, so she looked at Mindy instead, who was still holding Rani's hand.

"So, what happened last night?" Kat asked.

"Let's talk about it over breakfast." Arthur suggested. "We can all catch each other up."

"I should... get back to campus." Rani said, glancing at Kat.

"And we're supposed to go to the gym, remember?" Selene prompted Arthur. "Can you catch us up at the gym?"

Arthur glanced at Rani and Mindy and shook his head, chuckling slightly. "It's... not really gym talk." He admitted. "I'll make scrambled eggs, and I think I still have a pack of bacon in there." He gestured toward the kitchen.

"Do you have coffee?" Mindy asked. "Nice, strong coffee?"

"No..." Arthur admitted. He mostly drank water and didn't go in for caffeine beyond tea, except occasionally. He drank coffee so infrequently that he didn't mind spending cafe prices on it when he wanted it.

"Let's go eat breakfast on campus." Selene suggested. "That way, Mindy can get her coffee, and we can sit somewhere private and talk, the five of us."

"I need to hit the dorm first and at least change clothes and shower." Rani shook her head. "Why don't you guys do your gym thing, and Mindy and I will meet you at the cafeteria afterward?"

"That works." Kat agreed quickly.

Arthur looked at her but nodded. "Okay. I have to text Beth." Arthur sighed.

"Another girlfriend?" Rani asked, surprised.

"Our boss." He gestured to himself and Mindy who stood next to Rani with one arm crossed under her chest to support her breasts and her other still holding Rani's hand.

"I thought he was your boss?" Rani asked Mindy.

"She calls me boss. I'm not actually-" Arthur started.

"Right, right." Rani nodded. "I remember. Sorry. I need coffee too."

"I was supposed to meet Kelly at the gym this morning." Arthur sighed. "And take you guys there."

"Sorry, not sorry, Boss." Mindy piped up. "You needed that sleep after last night."

Arthur chuckled as he gestured to Mindy and Rani. "Okay. You two, get dressed." He gestured to Selene and Kat. "You two, wait here. I'll take us all to campus."

"Are we all going to fit in your car?" Kat asked and glared at Rani as she said it.

"Yeah. Three in the backseat, one in the passenger." Arthur nodded.

"Shotgun!" Selene called quickly before Kat could even get her breath out.

Arthur smiled and headed back into his bedroom to text his boss. His text conversation with Beth was sparse, the last one being from the beginning of the semester. He typed up a quick message and sent it.

Arthur: I need to call out today.

The response came more quickly than expected. Beth usually took forever to respond to texts.

Beth: ...ok.

Beth: Not feeling well?

Arthur sighed. He didn't want to lie, so he didn't want to answer.

Beth: Or is this about Saturday night?

Saturday night, when Beth had freaked out about licking tequila off a male stripper's abs when she realized Arthur, her subordinate at work, was that male stripper. Not that he made a habit of it, but he was willing to help out a party planner in a bind to take his mind off his problems. Arthur still thought it was a funny story, but Beth was apparently still freaked out about it.

Arthur: Nothing to do with Saturday, I promise. I overslept. The alarm didn't go off.

Beth: So, can you come in later?

Arthur sighed. It would be more convenient not to have to deal with work at all today, but he understood that the excuse he'd given, a slightly false one, it didn't warrant an entire day off. As a student worker, he had no such thing as PTO. If he didn't work, he didn't get paid, and he wasn't getting paid in rent money yet, so he needed the hours. Especially if he planned to pay off the stuff he bought last night.

Beth: We need to move these boxes out of here and back into the storage closet.

Arthur took a deep breath and then messaged back.

Arthur: Yeah. I'll be there for my late morning shift.

Beth: Perfect. See you then.

Arthur looked at Mindy through his open bedroom door and watched her and Rani gather their clothes while Selene and Kat quietly chatted by the kitchen archway. He threw some clean clothes into his gym bag, then he put on a pair of boxer briefs, a blue pair of shorts, and a loose sleeveless t-shirt that initially matched the shorts but was now so faded it looked like an entirely different shade of blue.

When he left the bedroom, Mindy was again wearing her red sweater over her new yellow tube top and her black mini skirt they'd bought at the mall. "Are you..." He hesitated to ask, but she lifted her skirt and flashed him to answer. No, she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Rani was wearing the same loose orange shirt and baggy jeans she'd had the night before, and following Mindy's cue, she flashed her tits at him to answer the question he hadn't asked because her blue bra was still on the floor. Arthur chuckled.

"Okay. Everybody ready?" He asked.

Selene hugged Arthur, lifting her face to Arthur's ear. "We need to talk. Kat is upset, but I couldn't be prouder of you. I can't wait to taste your cock." She whispered so that only Arthur could hear her.

Arthur bit his bottom lip.

"So Selene is the clingy one." Rani surmised. She hadn't heard what Selene whispered, but she could see how physical Selene was with Arthur and everyone else. "Got it."

Arthur shook his head as Selene smiled and stepped away.

"I'm not clingy. I'm just...." Selene tried to think of a way to explain it.

"Devoted." Mindy volunteered. "Extremely devoted." She continued. "You called Arthur your god last night, but I think Selene would actually build him a temple."

Rani shrugged. "Fair enough."

Selene looked more intrigued than before. Kat looked angrier.

"So... ready?" Arthur asked, nodding toward the door.

"Ready." Kat huffed and held the door open for the rest of them. Arthur returned to the bedroom, took his phone and charger, grabbed his backpack and gym bag, and followed the rest of them out. His middle-aged downstairs neighbor was at the mailbox as their troop passed by, and she gave Arthur a dirty look.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Would it kill you to keep it down?" She hissed. "I'm not the type to take a broom handle to the ceiling, but so help me."

"Ah." Arthur looked apologetic. He had worried about the noise levels several times over the last weekend, but he'd thought they'd gotten away with it. He regretted causing anyone grief, even if it was impossible to feel bad right now. He almost smiled, but the middle-aged woman's glare made him realize that smiling or cockiness was not the correct response. Anything but suitably chastised humility would likely get him into even more trouble.

"I'm very sorry." Arthur said. "I'm moving out at the end of the month, but I'll try to keep it down until then."

"See that you do." The woman snapped and headed out to her car.

Arthur went to his car, where the four girls were waiting for him. Selene watched his neighbor walk past since she glared at the four of them as though they'd kicked her dog.

"What's her problem?" Selene asked Arthur after he put his things in the trunk.

"We are." He chuckled. "We make a little too much noise."

Selene laughed. "Fuck her."

Rani and Mindy laughed, but Kat didn't change her glower at the neighbor. She returned the older woman's glare with one that beat it tenfold, and the woman finally looked away and got into her car.

"I'll try to be more conscientious about the noise until we make the move." Arthur said as he unlocked the car. He hesitated, unsure if he should make the rounds and open all the car doors, but the girls didn't hesitate and opened their own car doors. Kat took the seat behind Selene, Mindy took the middle of the back bench, and Rani took the seat directly behind Arthur.

"Cozy." Rani chuckled as she looked over at Kat, who smiled politely and then looked out the window for the rest of the drive.

Arthur glanced back at her in the rearview but said nothing. The girls caught up, and Mindy told them the story of their date as best she could while he drove and kept his eyes on the road despite Selene's grip on his thigh. He had no doubt she wanted to lean over and pull him out of his shorts right now, but she behaved herself until she started rubbing him through the silky material of his shorts. Though her grip tightened a few times when Mindy detailed their adventure in the movie theater from her perspective, it sounded hot enough to get him hard again.

He dropped the girls off at their dorm. This time he beat them to it, and he parked the car before he got out and opened the door for them. Rani slid out and took Mindy's hand to help her out of the vehicle when Mindy reached for her.

"I had a great time last night." Mindy said. "I can't wait to see you in the office later." She reminded him. "And I can't wait for our next date!" She practically jumped up to kiss his lips, and he bent down and kissed her back. She threw her arms around his neck, letting go of Rani for a moment, and bit his lip as he pulled away. She pouted at him but stepped aside to let Rani say her goodbyes.

"Uh..." Rani said, unsure of what to say. "It was good fucking you." She offered him her hand for a handshake.

Arthur laughed. "Good fucking you too." He shook his head but took her hand and kissed it. She let her hand drop, then stepped forward and kissed him. It was a soft but chaste kiss, and then she stepped away. She and Mindy walked arm-in-arm into the dorm ahead of them, and Arthur got back into the car.

"What the fuck was that?" Kat spat before he even put the car into drive.

"What was what?" Arthur asked.

"Good fucking you?" Kat mocked. "Who even says that?"

Arthur hesitated and looked at Selene as he pushed the car into drive and started driving to the gym parking lot. It wasn't a long drive, but he figured he'd venture to broach the topic now.

"You seem upset." Arthur stated the obvious. "We should talk about that."

"I'm not upset." Kat said as she crossed her arms.

"Um...." Arthur said, looking to Selene for support. Selene squeezed his thigh and sighed.

"Don't be a bitch, Kat." Selene said accusatorily.

"I'm not!" Kat raised her voice a little.

"You were being a total bitch to Rani as soon as you met her." Selene pointed out. "And you're being a bitch now."

"I am not." Kat shook her head. "I just, we don't know that bitch, and now she's spending the night?"

"Is that what you're upset about?" Arthur asked.

"I'm not upset!" Kat yelled at him so loudly that it rang a little in the enclosed space of his car.

"Calm down." Selene spat. "You're supposed to answer Master honestly when he asks you a question. Remember? Communicate. We all have to communicate openly and honestly."

"Am I wearing my collar?" Kat asked sarcastically.

Selene sighed. Selene was still wearing her collar, the thin plain leather strap that ran tightly across her throat. Kat's collar was pink and clearly a BDSM collar instead of a choker, and it was hanging up next to Arthur's front door in his living room at this very moment.

"No, you are not." Arthur answered.

"Then you're not my Master right now, are you? You're just some dick who will apparently sleep with anyone who offers you their vag." Kat spat.

"Okay." Arthur took a deep breath as he drove. His grip tightened on the wheel, but otherwise, he remained calm, which was difficult when someone yelled at him this early in the morning. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to clear it with the harem before sleeping with someone. That's on me. Not Rani. She's innocent of that."

"Don't you fucking defend her." Kat spat. "She is not innocent in that."

"And you don't have to clear who you sleep with, with us." Selene turned in her seat to glare at Kat. "Arthur can fuck whoever he damn well wants to fuck, and you know it. He is our Master. We are his submissive slaves, his women. We do not make the rules. He does."

Arthur sighed. "No, it's-"

"We do not make the rules." Selene repeated. "You do. You can fuck whoever you want. Just be open and honest with us about it. That's all."

Kat's lips were nothing but a thin line, and her chest was moving up and down in heavy beats of breath as though she were striking blows with her lungs.

"Can I say something?" Arthur asked.

Selene looked apologetic. "Of course, Master."

"I get it." Arthur looked in the rearview to try and make eye contact with Kat, but she looked out the window to avoid him.

Arthur pulled into a parking spot on the other end of the lot from the gym doors. There was no one around them, even though a few spots were filled for the gym like they usually were this time on a Monday morning. Kelly's car was among them, and he spotted it, but he turned his attention back to Kat after he parked and steeled himself.

"Kat." He said softly as he turned in his seat to look at her. She didn't turn her head to him, but he continued. "I'm sorry Rani was a surprise. I understand how my sleeping with someone you didn't know and had no warning of came as an unpleasant surprise."

Kat still didn't look at him.

"You do not have to worry about Rani. She is not a threat to you or our arrangement. I do not know her beyond what I learned of her last night, and I haven't even had time to process all of that. I barely know you, but I know you much better than I know her, and she is no threat to what you and I have, or what you and I and Selene have, or what you, me, Selene, and Mindy have. She is aware of our situation and agreed to a threesome last night when Mindy asked her, as Mindy explained in the car ride over here. I let her join us because Mindy wanted her to, and I wanted to help Mindy's fantasies come true."

"And you wanted to fuck her." Kat spat.

"Well, yes." Arthur admitted. "I find her attractive. I find you attractive too. Like you, I don't sleep with anyone I don't want to."

Kat huffed, but her face looked as though it had softened a fraction. A tiny fraction. Still, it was enough to encourage Arthur.

"If it helps, I will give the Harem advanced warning before getting with anyone outside of it." Arthur assured her. "I know that I don't have to." He lifted a hand to stop Selene's protest mid-inhale, and she stopped. "But I will. I don't want you to be upset or think I'm looking to move on from you or Selene in any way. We're still on for tomorrow night, right? I'm still looking forward to it."

Kat wrinkled her nose but couldn't bring herself to cancel their plans. She was still angry. She probably would be for a little while, but Arthur had deduced what her upset enough that she almost felt thankful to him for it, even as she wanted to deny everything.

"You could have called me or Selene. We would have come over last night to give you a three-way or even a four-way." Kat said at a normal volume but still with a hard edge to the words, as though she were readying the knife. "We like Mindy. We know her. It could have been fun."

"I know." Arthur admitted. "We thought about it, Mindy and I, but Rani's date with Sanjay had been such a dud. I think Mindy felt bad for her, and... I think, looking back on it, that Mindy was very much attracted to Rani."

"So we're not attractive to Mindy?" Kat gestured to her and Selene.

Arthur looked at her for a moment in surprise. His first instinct was to laugh, but common sense, the look on Kat's face, or an IQ above 0, told him that was a bad idea. "You are both incredibly attractive." Arthur reminded her. "I can't speak for Mindy, but I am incredibly attracted to both of you." He admitted.

"Even me?" Selene asked, surprised.

Arthur looked at her in surprise. "Uh... yeah?"

"You've just... over the years, you've said a few times that I'm not your type. That you prefer more full-figured girls, like Kelly or Kat." Selene said. "I'm not holding that against you at all, obviously, Master. I'm just surprised."

"You are both gorgeous, albeit in different ways." Arthur said as he reached over with his left hand and cupped Selene's face in his palm. She put both hands on his forearm and nuzzled her cheek into his hand. He offered his right hand to Kat, but she did no such nuzzling. She did not, however, shift away when Arthur rested his hand on her thigh.

"You are both sexy women." He assured them. "And I am attracted to both of you. I care about both of you, and I hope to continue my relationship with both of you as we grow and develop together as a team." Arthur assured them. "I don't mind checking with my teammates before adding a new member."

Selene shook her head in his hand, but Kat seemed to soften.

"Fine." Kat sighed. "Sorry, I was a bitch."

Arthur smirked at her. Kat stuck her tongue out at him. Selene stuck her tongue out at Kat. Arthur stuck his tongue out at them, and the three shared a slight chuckle.

"Are we good?" Arthur asked Kat.

"We're good." Kat nodded. "I... I overreacted. And I'm sorry. I need time to think about it. And then maybe you and I should talk about this again."

Selene coughed.

"Or the three of us." Kat amended. "If we have to." She stuck her tongue out at Selene, who answered in kind.

"You two do that a lot, you know. The nose-wrinkling, the tongue-sticking." Arthur observed.

"Old habits." Kat sighed. "Like being a bitch when surprised, I guess."

Selene smirked. "Well, it looks like you found a reason to punish her during her lesson tomorrow." She patted Arthur's thigh. "You can spank the bitch right out of her."

Arthur laughed. "I'm... not sure it works that way." He shook his head. "But we can try." He winked at Kat, who smirked at him and got out of the car.

"Come on, Sir. Let's go get all hot and sweaty." Kat teased him and closed her door.

Outside the car, gym bags slung over their shoulders, the three walked with Arthur between the two girls. Selene looked up at his face nearly the entire time with an expression of pure adoration.

Arthur noticed it when they got to the reflective doors of the athletic center. He'd been in thought while they walked and finally decided to say something before they were surrounded by people.

"Kat." He said as he stopped in front of the doors. "I won't punish you for being upset this morning."

Selene's expression shifted to surprise. Katerine looked as though she were waiting for something.

"But...." Kat prompted.

"I am going to punish you for lying to me and denying that there was anything wrong." Arthur stated as though it were a logical, inevitable fact.

Kat looked like she wanted to say something but held it back and said, "Yes, Sir," in acceptance. She lowered her eyes to the concrete at Arthur's feet.

"You can take her on the trail behind the athletic building and spank her right now. I'll be your lookout." Selene suggested with a smile. "Or take her by the dumpsters. It's out of sight of everything."

Arthur laughed. Kat glared at Selene, who had clearly thought about this kind of thing before this moment.

"Don't be too eager for someone else's punishment." Arthur instructed. "But I'll keep those locations in mind."

"Yes, Master." Selene said automatically and then wondered why Kat was glancing around.

"He couldn't right now anyway." Kat reminded Selene. "I'm not wearing my collar, so I'm not his to spank." She had a defiant tone in her voice that was almost a challenge.

"That's right." Arthur agreed to their surprise. "That also means if I were to grab Selene by her hair and drag her to those dumpsters, force her shorts down, and take her right there against the brick wall, you'd have no right to watch or join in."

Kat frowned, but Selene looked positively enchanted by the idea despite Arthur's laugh.

"Tomorrow night." Arthur assured them both. "Katerine will get her punishment tomorrow night. And you'll take it like a good girl, won't you?" He asked. He touched her face beneath her short blonde curls, cupping her cheek.

"Yes, Sir." Kat answered surprisingly quickly. She held his wrist while his hand was there with both of hers, squeezing it gently to hug it with her hands.

"Come on." Selene said as she stepped forward. "Let's get this working out business over with so we can fuck."

Arthur laughed, and the three of them made their way inside.

The three of them had a short walk down the hall. Despite Selene's protest that they should see if one was empty, and then all use that one, they had to split up to go to their separate locker rooms.

Arthur said he'd see them in the gym and stepped away.

Selene and Kat were quiet as they stashed their stuff in two lockers, one on top of the other.

The locker room was modern in its design, with the doors leading into the bottom of a long rectangular room with stacked lockers on all four walls save the open archway that led to another rectangular locker-filled room on the left. This led to two other open archways, one on the back wall to the showers, bathroom stalls, and the hallway to the gym. The further archway led to a third rectangular room that mirrored the other two. A single wide and long bench ran the length of each room in the center, the perfect height for sitting to put on socks, etc.

They stashed their bags in open spots in the third room and then returned through the lockers to meet up with Arthur in the gym. They were at the locker room doors, about to exit, when Selene finally spoke up.

"What the hell was that about?" Selene asked. "Where did any of that jealousy come from? We talked about this. You said he was just a fuck buddy to you, and you didn't care who else he slept with."

"I know!" Kat snapped. "I know." She repeated more calmly. "I don't know. I can't help how I feel. Felt. It just... sprung up, and I was trying to figure it out myself and just deal with it, get over it, but I couldn't. I... hated that bitch as soon as we met her."

Selene looked at Kat. She was usually the hard one, and Selene was the empathetic, understanding one. Selene usually conceded the argument or backed off when someone said the word 'feelings' to provide them a safe space to process. This time, she looked just as firm in her expressions as Kat usually did, and Kat looked like she was about to cry.

"Well, if you need to figure things out, talk to us. Talk to me, or Mindy, or Master." Selene declared. "Being a bitch doesn't help anyone."

"I know." Kat sounded defeated. "I'm sorry. I'm trying not to fuck this up, but I don't know what I'm doing, and I haven't had time to really think about it and analyze it to figure any of it out." Kat explained. "Can we please just go out and do this and not talk about this again until I'm ready?"

Selene was silent as she watched Kat. This wasn't Kat's usual bratty behavior. This was genuine regret, and anxiety, swirling their way through her heart and reflecting in her eyes.

Selene nodded. "Okay. But we're all here for you when you need to talk it out, to verbally process it, if you need to. Me, especially." Selene took Kat's hand. "And you know you and Master will probably talk about it tomorrow night. You should probably be ready to talk it out before then."

Kat squeezed Selene's hand and nodded. Selene offered her a smile and then pushed the doors open to find Arthur in the gym.

Once inside the locker room, Arthur sighed and returned to his usual locker. He shoved his bag in, then took his phone and headphones out.

He checked his phone. The battery was low and still needed more than the few minutes he'd given it to charge at his apartment and on the drive over. He'd have to plug it in while he worked out. Still, there was a bevy of missed messages from Selene when he opened the app that he'd ignored when texting Beth.

Slut: Have fun tonight Master! I'll try not to annoy you too much while you're on your date. I promise.

Slut: I saw Mindy's Insta - you two look super cute!

Slut: Are you fucking her yet?

Slut: Let me know if you two need any help. ;-p

Slut: You still aren't back, so I hope things are going well or the two of you are having fun! Have a good night, Master.

Slut: Kat says hi, btw.

Slut: Also, are you okay if I get in touch with Kelly, or should I wait for you to talk to her?

Slut: Sleep well, Master.

Then the next one was a picture of her on her knees, taken either by a timer or Kat. She was in the Nadu position, with her small round breasts standing proudly.

Slut: I remembered my mantra this morning! Which is good because my ass is so sore. I feel it every time I sit down.

Slut: What should I wear to the gym this morning?

There was a photo of her in some workout gear. It was a very short set of jogging shorts and a baggy t-shirt that hung almost to the bottom.

Slut: Are we still going to the gym this morning?

Slut: Your car is still here... are you sleeping in?

Slut: No gym?

Slut: Master. Is your phone dead again?

Slut: I'm buying you a phone charger for Christmas. Or Halloween. Or a one-week anniversary.

Slut: What do you call a one-week celebration of the day I became your sex slave? Birthday? Anniversary? Whatever.

Arthur laughed. The idea that tomorrow marked one week that they had been doing this made him feel guilty for having scheduled something with Kat. Though, he knew he and Selene would figure out some way to celebrate.

Arthur headed into the gym from the locker room and smirked as he saw he was there before Selene and Kat. He waited for them not far from their locker room door, and when they emerged, he gestured toward the free weights.

"It's Chest and Bicep day for me." He announced. "But if either of you wants, I can show you the machines or how to do my exercises."

"No thank you." Selene chirped. "I'm just going to do my yoga."

"And I'm going to do the bikes." Kat explained. "I don't want to get all...." She gestured at Arthur vaguely. "Buff."

Arthur laughed. "Okay." He shrugged. "Some muscle tone won't turn you into a bodybuilder, though, if that's what you're afraid of. There's more to health than cardio."

"Yes, sir." Kat smirked. "But for today, I will ride the bike and watch you work out. If it's all the same to you."

Arthur shrugged. "Have it your way. If either of you ever wants to learn some dumbbell or barbell exercises, just ask."

They nodded, and then each went their separate ways in the gym. Arthur started at the mats to warm up, going through some calisthenic exercises and ending with some pushups. Then he moved to the weights, alternating between chest and bicep exercises in four sets of ten reps with each movement. He watched Selene as he could, moving through her poses on the mats, with an occasional glance toward Kat, sweating on the bike she'd chosen.

He didn't see Kelly before she appeared next to him. "Need a spotter?" She asked with a smile as he bench-pressed a little more than his usual weight.

"I thought you usually do legs on Mondays?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"Usually." Kelly agreed. "But today, I thought I might mix things up and work out with you. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Arthur grunted. "Have a good weekend?"

"It started out alright." Kelly winked at him and took her position, standing directly above him as he lay back on the bench. He could see thigh to a pair of black shorts that stretched to their utmost over her toned heart-shaped ass and curvy hips, followed by bared abs to a white cropped top that he could see underneath from this angle to appreciate the dark blue sports bra she wore to contain her D cup bell-shaped breasts. Her freckled face, framed by her red hair tied back in a high ponytail, smiled down at him. "But the rest of it was a bit of a drag."

"That bad?" Arthur asked.

"Well, as you know, Katelyn broke up with her boyfriend. So my weekend was basically trying not to tell her how awesome our date was while trying to do some homework and commiserating with her about how horrible men are as a species." Kelly smirked. "No offense."

"None taken." Arthur grunted.

"How was yours?" Kelly asked in return.

"Pretty awesome, actually." Arthur smirked as he pressed the bar up a final time and brought it back to the catches. Kelly helped him lower it into the hooks waiting for it. "I had this great date on Friday, and the rest of the weekend was...." He laughed as he sat up. "Well, a lot happened, actually."

"How did dinner with your folks go?" Kelly asked.

"Not great." Arthur shook his head. "The whole thing was set up by my mom to reunite me with my high school bully in the hopes we would reconcile so that we can live together next semester."

"Wow." Kelly sounded genuinely surprised and a little stunned at the straightforward delivery. "That's soap opera worthy."

Arthur shook his head. "Not really, but yeah... I got so mad when I saw them I stormed off before dinner."

"Guess your bully is out of luck." Kelly quipped. "Spot me?" She asked as Arthur finished his set.

"Sure." Arthur nodded as he took a position behind the bench, and Kelly started adjusting the weights. She was strong, sure, but her bench press was less than Arthur's by a good amount.

"Do you need a roommate that badly?" Kelly asked. "You live on your own, right?"

"Yeah, I've got a two-bedroom apartment that I'm dipping into my savings to afford. It'd be nice to have a roommate, I guess. There'd be pros and cons." A lot of cons, now that he had a harem of girls that he imagined would be coming over all the time if he stayed in the apartment. "But my parents kind of sorted that out for me. They're moving back to the city, so I'm moving into their house to be the maintenance guy while they rent it out to students."

"Really?" Kelly asked as she finished adjusting the weights. "Are they taking applications?"

"Are you looking for a place to live?" Arthur asked as he helped Kelly take the barbell off the rack.

"Me and Katelyn." Kelly answered. "The complex we're at keeps upping the rent every month. I think they want us out of there to get a full-year lease from older people. Where's your parent's house?"

"About halfway between campus and the city." Arthur answered.

"Oh my god, that'd be perfect." Kelly answered. "Especially for student teaching next semester. What are they asking for a room? How many rooms do they have? Is there any available space?"

Arthur told her. "There's something we should probably talk about before you get too gung ho about moving in. I mean, I'd be living there too."

"Is that supposed to make me not want to live there?" Kelly asked. "Having you in the same house is not exactly a con."

"Yeah?" Arthur smirked as she finished her set. He helped her set the barbell back and then let her stretch before she laid back down. "Well, we should probably talk about... well, us, I guess. Before any of that."

"Well, I wouldn't be moving in with you." Kelly said. "Katelyn and I would just be living in the same house that you do, right?"

"Yes." Arthur assured her. "I just mean..."

"I thought you were okay with keeping things casual?" Kelly asked. "No romantic commitment, but some fun as our schedule allows?"

"I am still okay with that." Arthur assured her. "And are you still okay with things being non-exclusive?"

"Oh, I see." Kelly started lifting again. "One of your other girls had the same idea, huh? And you're worried I'll be jealous?"

"Not exactly." Arthur explained. "The girls I'm seeing are basically in the same situation you are. They want to keep things casual, non-exclusive."

"It's a good deal if you can get it." Kelly agreed. "That was quite a Friday night." She glanced up at his crotch while she lifted and couldn't help but smirk as she saw Arthur watching her face.

"So are you okay with... well, that arrangement?" Arthur asked.

"Being one of your girls? And having those girls be my housemates?" Kelly asked as she finished her set, and Arthur helped her move the barbell back into place. She hopped up to add more weight so Arthur could do another set.

Arthur nodded as he helped her. "Yeah." He explained.

Kelly seemed to think about it for a moment. It was a weird situation to be in. It could also explode or implode and get messy, leaving her in a tough spot to find a new place to live. However, if money was right, it wouldn't be any worse than the spot she was in now.

"Yeah." Kelly shrugged. "That's what we agreed, more or less. I might want to meet your other girls, though, just to size up the competition."

Arthur smirked. "They're not competition." He shook his head. "They're...." How did Mindy phrase it? A club? "They're all willing to share." He assured her. "Are you okay meeting the other girls? Like, knowing who they are?" Arthur asked.

Kelly seemed to think about it as she got back into position for another set. "Well, I guess it'd be a little more above board that way." She said after a few slow reps. "You're looking for an open relationship, basically?"

"An open, polyamorous relationship, essentially. But I want to be fair about it, and I want to keep everyone in the loop. I'm not trying to hide anything from anyone." Arthur agreed. "Especially from you or any of the others."

"Your other girlfriends, you mean?" Kelly grunted.

"Yeah." Arthur agreed.

"Admirable." Kelly grunted as she finished her set, and Arthur helped her place the bar. She sat up and wiped her brow with her forearm. "I guess it's better than doing what Sean did and cheating on us all."

"Sean?" Arthur asked.

"Katelyn's ex." Kelly explained. Then she seemed to make a decision and nodded. "Okay. Yeah. I guess I'd like to know who my fellow wives are." She joked. "Especially if you plan to move everyone into your house."

Arthur blushed a little too easily, and Kelly only smirked. "So..." She looked at him pointedly. "Who else is moving in with us, hubby?"

Arthur smirked a little, the nickname helping to ease his anxiety. "Well, there's Selene, whom you've met. And Kat."

"Both of them?" Kelly sounded genuinely shocked and said it a little louder than she meant to, judging by the blush that crept onto her pale, freckled face when multiple heads turned their way, including Selene and Kat's, who had been watching the conversation but unable to actually hear it. "Sorry." She said more quietly.

"Kat is more of an F-W-B." Arthur admitted. "So is Selene, I suppose." At last officially. He didn't really think of her that way anymore, though. At least, not when he was being honest with himself. They'd left friends behind and replaced it with something else. If not boyfriend and girlfriend, then Master and slave, which was even more challenging to explain.

"So if I said I wanted to commit and be exclusive....." Kelly watched him for his reaction but didn't give away what she wanted that reaction to be.

"Then we'd talk about it." Arthur said with a nod. "Also, I'm dating a girl named Mindy, and... I'm unsure what the deal is with Rani, but I suppose she's an F-W-B too."

"You have a lot of female friends who want to fuck you." Kelly observed. "Not that I'm surprised." She shrugged. "I wanted to fuck you too. But what do you tell people I am? Am I your friend with benefits?"

"No." Arthur answered quickly, which surprised Kelly a little. "You're the woman I'm casually dating, with the understanding we're non-exclusive."

"Bit of a mouthful." Kelly chuckled as she started her final set.

"Well..." Arthur hesitated. "That's what we are, right? I'm not sure how else to explain it to people."

"Yeah." Kelly nodded. "Is that your and Mindy's status too?"

"Yes." Arthur answered.

"So she's my main competition." Kelly declared.

Arthur shook his head immediately. "No. You're not in competition with anybody." He assured her.

"Damn right, I'm not." Kelly grunted. "If I wanted you, I could have you?" She stated most of it like a declaration, but her voice rose at the very last second to make it a question as though she wasn't as confident of the statement by the end of it.

"Honestly?" Arthur asked himself. "I'm not sure." He admitted after a few reps. "I like you. And maybe after a few dates of getting to know each other, we'd develop into something closer, but I don't know if I want to be exclusive with anyone. I..."

"You like getting as much pussy as possible." Kelly quipped.

"No." Arthur shook his head. The answer was too quick to be thoughtful, an automatic defense. "I mean, yes." He corrected himself. He felt as though he wasn't explaining this correctly. He looked at Selene, who was watching him from her warrior pose. She was obviously watching for signs of how their conversation might play out. Selene was better at explaining this than he was. After all, she'd explained it to Kat and Mindy and got them both on board with what they called his harem. "It's not that." He shook his head again.

"I don't blame you." Kelly grunted. "I like pussy, too, remember?"

Arthur smirked a little bit. Still, he hesitated at trying to explain it. "It's more than sex." He admitted. "I like each of the women I'm involved with. I'm close to each in different ways and growing closer all the time. I don't want to grow closer to one at the expense of the others." He admitted. "I want to be fair to each, and I'm not sure I believe that love has to be monogamous."

Kelly seemed to think about that as she finished her final set. Arthur helped her reset the bar, and then she wiped down the bench while he put the plates away. Then they moved over the free-weight dumbbells and looked at each other's reflection in the mirror as they stood and curled.

"So you love me?" Kelly asked. "It's a little early for the L-word." She smiled while she said it, though, undercutting the statement with amusement rather than fear.

"Honestly?" Arthur thought about it. "I think a little, yeah. After all, isn't friendship just a form of love, and we're more than friends, aren't we?"

"We're more than friends." Kelly agreed.

They were silent for a moment as they continued working out.

"Okay." She finally said. "But just... stop with all distinctions already. I know we want to keep things casual, but especially if we're all living in the same house, just call us all your girlfriends and be done with it. That way, we're all equal, and there's no fighting over a pecking order or anything."

Arthur smiled. "Okay." He nodded.

"And I still might date other guys. Or girls." Kelly said. "If we're non-exclusive, then that goes both ways."

"Okay." Arthur admitted. "Just don't expect me to be a throuple with someone I don't know or care about."

Kelly laughed. "Same, by the way. Just because we're non-exclusive and I'm bi doesn't mean I will be your third whenever you need a unicorn. If you and I are dating, our relationship is between us, even if we have other relationships. If that makes sense."

Arthur nodded and glanced at Selene. He didn't need two unicorns. Though, he wasn't sure if Selene was even bi. She wanted to be his third whenever he needed one out of a submissive desire to serve him in the most perverted ways she could imagine, a lustful desire in her that he did everything to encourage.

"Does that make sense?" Kelly prompted.

"Yes." Arthur grunted. "And I agree."

"Good." Kelly smiled. "So we're still on for Friday?"

"We're still on for Friday." Arthur answered.

"And you'll get me that application for a room at your parent's house?" Kelly asked.

"Sure thing." Arthur agreed. "And you're okay to, like... tell people about all of this? Our arrangement?"

"Yeah." Kelly said. "Let me tell Katelyn about it, though. She's... probably not going to understand."

All Arthur knew about Katelyn was that she was on the volleyball team with Katerine, was Kelly's roommate, was an education major (he was pretty sure), and broke up with her boyfriend, Sean, the Engineering major, sometime Friday night because she found out he'd cheated on her. Chances were she wouldn't be as understanding as Kelly about their arrangement.

"Will she still want to move in?" Arthur asked.

"If the money's right." Kelly nodded. "And she won't be a problem. She's normally very... liberal. Very open-minded. She just might have a negative reaction at first because of her breakup. She'll get over it when she realizes you aren't just a creeper trying to get out of a commitment."

Arthur took a deep breath as he set the weights back on the rack. "I'm really glad you understand."

Kelly laughed as she set her weights down. "Well, of course, you are. It means you still get to hit this." She slapped her hip. "Those other girls are lucky I didn't try to lock you down after that first date." She scoffed.

Arthur smiled. "Confident, aren't you?"

"Tell me I'm wrong." Kelly smirked.

Arthur thought about it but decided against answering, just in case. He didn't want to knock her confidence, but he was also unsure he knew the answer. If, after their first date, before Selene asked him to be her Master, she'd asked him to be exclusive, he'd have immediately said yes. He knew that much. After Selene asked him to be her Master, however... it was more difficult to tell.

"I should talk to the other girls." Kelly decided. "That's Selene over on the yoga mats, right?"

Arthur nodded. "And Kat's over on the bikes. I think we're getting breakfast after our workouts with Mindy and Rani. Can you join us?"

"Sure." Kelly shrugged. "It's a date."

Arthur scoffed and moved back to the weight bench as he started his chest flies. He and Kelly took turns, making their way through the rest of their workout, talking about ordinary things like classes and occasional questions about the house that Kelly was hoping to move into.

Kat finished on her bike first and then stretched with Selene, wrapping up her yoga with balance poses that showed off her dancer's flexibility a little too much in her yoga shorts. Arthur and Kelly took a little longer to finish since they were alternating and chatting. By the time they'd finished, the other two had been done for about fifteen minutes and were impatiently waiting for Arthur by the locker room doors. He and Kelly made their way over after cooling off by stretching in front of the mirrors, which drew attention from some of the people in the gym.

"Still on for breakfast?" Kat asked. "Or are you two eloping?"

"Kat." Selene hissed and, to Arthur's surprise, slapped Kat's arm.

"Sorry about her." Selene said to Kelly.

Kelly smirked but didn't seem apologetic at all. "Sorry for monopolizing him." She said. "You go on and shower, hubby." She said to Arthur. "I think we three need to talk."

Arthur smiled. He didn't mean to do it nervously but couldn't help it. He knew they would talk about him in the locker room, though he hoped it would be an amicable talk.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria?" Arthur asked. The three girls nodded in response. Arthur gave Kat a look, and she softened in response before he headed into the men's locker room to shower.

"I don't know if we've ever been officially introduced." Kelly started as she offered her hand to Kat. "I'm Kelly."

"Katerine." Kat answered. "This is Selene."

"Yes, we've met." Kelly nodded to Selene. "Though I didn't know you were fucking Arthur then."

"He wasn't hiding it." Selene defended him quickly. "You were non-exclusive, and he was being discreet for my sake."

Kelly laughed. "Don't worry." She said. "We talked. He explained things a bit. I just thought I should get to know Arthur's other girlfriends."

Selene smiled. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, personally, I'd like to shower and get some breakfast. Let's wash and talk." Kelly said with a slight smirk.

Selene nodded and led the way back into the locker rooms. They all stopped at their lockers, with Kelly's being in another section than theirs, and were reunited by the shower stalls. The only problem was they weren't alone, and there were a few other people in the locker room with them. Still, Kat stole a few glances at Kelly, who didn't seem to mind being nude in the locker room. Kat kept her towel closed to and from the stall. Selene followed Kelly's example, holding her folded towel in front of her.

The three of them naked made up an exciting arrangement of contrasting beauty. Selene was lean and trim, with round breasts and butt cheeks that were pert, almost cute, rather than sexy. She had some tone to her, mostly in her legs and stomach, and her long blonde hair tied back in a braided ponytail fell to just above her butt. Her pale skin was the same shade all over, except for her butt, which seemed darker and almost red.

Kelly was tall, and her body was toned with muscles, especially her abs and arms. She wasn't a bodybuilder, but she was very clearly athletic with her body hard all over except for the soft bell-shaped D-cup breasts that swung perky and free as she walked through the locker room, her curvaceous hips, and her toned ass that looked like she'd sculpted it intentionally.

Kat was the shortest out of them and the roundest. She wasn't fat, but her body was nowhere near as toned as Kelly's or Selene's. She was soft and smooth, with a short bob cut of curly blonde hair that fell in ringlets against her face. Her breasts were larger than Selene's but smaller than Kelly's. Her hips were rounder than both, and her butt was bigger but less sculpted. She seemed to be the only one who cataloged the differences between their bodies and the only one worried that Arthur would lose interest in her with better options on the table.

"Aren't you going to take off your choker?" Kelly pointed to Selene's choker, whose hand went to it automatically and defensively.

"No." Selene shook her head. "It's treated to be waterproof. It's fine."

"Okay...." Kelly said hesitantly. "Sorry." She felt she'd insulted Selene or offended her by asking, but she didn't understand why or how.

The three showered but could not talk about what they wanted to discuss with strangers among them. Then they returned to their lockers. Kat dressed by keeping her towel on and only taking it off when she had to. Selene was much more free, tossing the towel onto the bench as soon as she reached her locker. Kelly did likewise in her section, and they met by the door on their way back to the cafeteria.

"So is that, like, a deeply personal necklace of some kind?" Kelly asked as they left the locker room, dressed for the day with their bags over their shoulders and the cafeteria building a short walk away. Knowing Arthur, he was already there. It never took him as long to shower as it did them when he showered alone.

"Sort of." Selene admitted. "Arthur gave it to me."

"Oh?" Kelly asked. "He hasn't given me a necklace yet."

Kat was silent.

"It's not a necklace." Selene corrected. "It's a collar."

"A...." Kelly's mind made the logical leap. "Oh." She said in surprise. "I knew he was into some things. I didn't realize he was that into it."

"I'm his...." Selene looked around before she admitted, but swallowed and finally did. "I'm his slave. Kat's his...." She nudged Kat.

"Submissive?" Kat asked Selene as if she were questioning whether that was the correct answer.

"When you want to be." Selene teased.

"Oh." Kelly said again. "I knew Arthur was open-minded and a bit kinky. I didn't realize he was that deep into it."

"Are you?" Selene asked.

"Am I what?" Kelly asked.

"Are you into B, D, S, and M?" Selene clarified.

"Oh, uh..." Kelly seemed to have to think about it. "I don't know. My kinks are... complicated." She admitted. "When Arthur came over last Friday, we roleplayed a bit and did some spanking, but it wasn't like he tied me down or anything."

"Arthur has a lot of sexual interests." Kat spoke up. "He really seems to love spanking, though."

"And lingerie." Selene added.

Kelly scoffed. "Well, at least I did something right."

"Hm?" Selene asked.

"Lingerie. I wore some for him last Friday. I was planning on wearing some again this Friday." Kelly admitted.

"I'm sure he'll love that." Kat said quietly.

"Hm?" Kelly asked.

"He'll love that." Kat said a bit louder. "He really enjoys lingerie. The lacier, the better."

"Good to know." Kelly smirked. "Do you think he'll be upset if I don't go in for all the hot wax, sadomasochist stuff?"

Selene shook her head. "No. He's got me for that."

"And me." Kat added quickly.

"And Mindy." Selene added. "And maybe Rani? I don't know."

"So four of his five girlfriends are all into kinky S and M stuff?" Kelly asked.

"You're kinky in your own way if you were roleplaying." Kat pointed out. "What did you roleplay with him?"

"Oh, nothing big." Kat shook her head. "I made dinner for him, acted like a proper housewife, that kind of thing. I was thinking of doing a french maid thing this Friday." She downplayed it as though she didn't think it was the hottest thing she'd ever done.

"Sounds like dominance and submission stuff to me." Kat shrugged.

"I guess so." Kelly admitted, thinking about it. "I hadn't really thought of it that way."

Selene nodded. "That sounds fun."

"I thought so." Kelly admitted. "I've got to admit, I'm kind of worried about how I measure up now compared to a self-admitted sex slave, submissive, and two others who are a little more willing to do the whole bondage thing."

"It's not a competition." Selene assured her. "We each bring ourselves to our relationship with Arthur, that's all. And he brings himself. That's all we can ask."

They were silent momentarily as they reached the cafeteria building and headed through the doors. They spotted Arthur in line for food ahead of them, and Mindy and Rani were already waving him and them over to their table in the far corner with their half-eaten plates.

Mindy was the picture of professionalism in a black blazer and pencil skirt that came to just above her knees. She had stockings beneath it that were dark, almost totally black. Though no one at the table knew she wore nothing under the blazer and had no underwear beneath her skirt. Her black hair fell in waves about her shoulders as she wore it down, held back by a black headband on top of her head.

Rani looked very different from how they'd seen her that morning. She was sexy naked or with a bedsheet, but her clothes for her date hadn't done her figure any favors. Even then, her hair, makeup, and jewelry had made her look quite pretty. Similarly, Now she dressed with her hair tied back in a simple low ponytail, little to no makeup, a baggy red hoodie that made her look twice as large as they knew she was, and a pair of baggy blue carpenter jeans that disappeared beneath the hoody. She was also devoid of jewelry, with one significant exception: A gold chain choker that looped through a ring, descended under her hoodie's collar, and disappeared.

Kelly had come from the locker room wearing a simple gray sweater dress that hugged her figure and showed off her curves, complimented by the black leggings that clung to her and made their way up, disappearing under the hem that came to her mid-thighs.

Selene wore the outfit Arthur had picked for her the day before: a pair of cutoff jean shorts over a pair of black leggings, with a black t-shirt that fit her well enough to fall loosely over the waistline of her shorts. The red thong and white bra she wore under it all were also his choice.

Kat wore a pair of gray slacks, a gray blazer, and a pink blouse. Her short blonde hair was still a bit wet from the showers but all the more curled for it with the product she'd put in it. What she wore underneath was anyone's guess, but Selene could have sworn she'd spotted the pink lace thong and pink lace bra Arthur liked before Kat fully dressed.

Arthur was dressed more casually than Selene expected, wearing jeans and a t-shirt with work boots. He knew he'd be moving boxes today, so he didn't bother dressing in his usual clothes. He typically wore suits or professional outfits, and he wore them well. It was almost startling to see him on campus but dressed as though he were in his apartment.

Silence reigned once they were all seated at the table. It was a round table, out of the way toward the back corner. Arthur sat down, and Selene sat on his left. Kelly sat on his right. Kat sat between Selene and Mindy, who sat next to Rani, who sat beside Kelly with an open seat between them. The two girls waved slightly at the newcomer.

"Hi!" Mindy said cheerfully. "I'm Mindy; this is Rani. You must be Kelly?" She stood up and reached over to shake Kelly's hand, "accidentally" giving Arthur a view down her blazer.

Kelly smiled. "Yes. It's nice to meet you."

"So the harem's all here." Rani said with an awkward laugh. "The sisterhood of Arthur's dick."

"Excalibur." Kat corrected.

"What?" Kelly asked, confused.

"The sisterhood of Excalibur." Kat explained. "He's Arthur, so his sword is...."

Kelly laughed, followed by the others. It was a chorus of musical laughter that Arthur couldn't help but join in, even if it was a little bit at his expense. He couldn't help his name or his father's preference for naming conventions.

"We are a sisterhood, though." Selene said more confidently than Arthur expected. "We're a partnership first, right?" She looked around the group for confirmation. "That means we're a team. We work together and support each other. We don't try to cut each other down or sabotage each other. We're friends, partners first, Arthur's lovers second. Agreed?"

"A group of women working together toward our mutual satisfaction. That was how you put it to me, right?" Mindy asked rhetorically.

Selene nodded. The others took a moment to consider what she was saying, but they all nodded in agreement. "Agreed." They said, some simultaneously, the rest after.

"So we're the harem." Mindy smirked.

"So, okay." Arthur said, speaking up a little louder than he meant and adjusting his tone quickly. "We've all talked at a few different points about this. I'm dating all of you in an above-board non-monogamous relationship. I just want to be clear, but you already know that."

The girls looked at him expectantly as he talked. He didn't feel as confident as he seemed but figured he could fake it until it was real.

"And we're all clear to tell other people that." Arthur looked at them expectantly. They nodded in response, except for Rani.

"So, are you and I dating now?" Rani asked.

"If you want to, yes, I'd like that." Arthur admitted. "But I understand; since we barely know each other, if you'd rather not, that's okay."

"Well, with an offer like that, how can a girl say no?" Rani chuckled. "Sweep me off my feet and take me, Master."

"I'm serious." Arthur assured her. "It might be a bit difficult to schedule, but if you're willing, I'd like to take you out on a date and get to know you better."

"Speaking of scheduling." Rani asked. "How would that work exactly?" She asked. Arthur noticed she didn't give him an answer, but he didn't press.

"Well, I have some evening obligations this semester already. Classes, clubs, that kind of thing. The theater club is on Monday nights but doesn't go on too late. I've scheduled something with Kat for Tuesday night. I have Wednesday and Thursday night classes and something with Kelly on Friday night. That leaves the rest of the weekend open, and next week." Arthur explained.

"That's a pretty busy schedule for someone with five girlfriends." Rani pointed out. "But I have a lot of night classes myself. What do your days look like?"

"Well, I usually alternate between class and work, but that might change soon...." He said hesitantly. As he suspected, Mindy looked surprised. "With my parents moving back to the city and renting out their house, I'm probably going to end up leaving my current job and working as the maintenance guy and landlord."

"Oh." Mindy said quietly. "But...."

"It's not immediate." Arthur assured her. "I probably won't leave the job until next semester."

"Okay." Mindy nodded, but she still looked incredibly disappointed. Arthur gave her a soft smile, which she returned, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"So, can we make a rule about no repeats?" Rani asked.

They all looked at her.

"In the schedule." Rani clarified. "Kat goes Tuesday, Kelly on Friday. They shouldn't get another date with you until we've all had a chance."

Arthur cautiously looked at the others to gauge their reactions. Kelly was frowning, but otherwise, the others looked at Arthur to see what he wanted to do. He had to think about it for a minute, so he ate some of his eggs.

"I think that might be a fair idea." Arthur admitted. "Though once I'm no longer working at school, if we all end up living at the house... one on one time might be pretty abundant and based on availability. So let's say one on one time is separate, and date nights rotate without repeats. Kat and I have a date night Tuesday, Kelly and I on Friday, and then it will be...."

"Homecoming." Selene piped up.

"Oh, that's right." Arthur nodded. "Homecoming is this weekend, the big game with all the alumni coming in. My parents will be here too."

"Which of us are you taking to that?" Kat asked.

"We should all go." Selene piped up. "As a group."

Arthur looked a little surprised, but he didn't hate the idea. "A big group date for homecoming?" Arthur asked.

Kelly nodded, followed by Selene. "I like the idea." Kelly said, which seemed to be enough to convince Mindy, which convinced Rani and Kat when she saw that everyone else seemed to like the idea. Kat glanced at Selene, and the two seemed to converse silently as Arthur continued.

"Should that be what we do for all the big events?" Arthur asked. "After homecoming, there's Fall Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve...."

"We'll probably have to go home for the holidays." Kat piped up.

"Me too, but I live close by." Mindy said.

"We live across the State, a few hours away." Selene gestured to herself and Kat. "Well, our mom does."

"Same." Kelly said.

"My family's not local either." Rani said with a shrug. "But not all the way down the interstate either."

"Okay, well, Thanksgiving then." Arthur said with a nod. "And anyone who wants to visit me over the holidays is welcome." He assured them. "Even if you have to spend the holiday with your folks."

"So group dates on holidays and special events." Kelly declared.

"Ooo, like the Ren Faire?" Selene asked.

"What?" Mindy asked.

"The renaissance faire. Would you like to go to the Ren Faire as a group date? That could be fun, and we could take turns splitting off with Arthur." Selene explained.

Mindy glanced at Rani, who shrugged. They'd all heard of the Ren Faire, but Selene seemed to be the only one in the group of girls who'd gone to one before. Arthur had gone to one before, too, though. The Theater Club went together last year since it was a great demonstration of improv and staged theater mixed with various musical and variety acts.

"Next weekend?" Selene suggested. "Between homecoming and Halloween?"

"I could do that." Kelly shrugged. "That gives me time to get a costume."

"Master?" Selene asked, looking up at Arthur. Kat elbowed her in the ribs, causing her to jump and squeak simultaneously. "Sorry." She glanced around at the cafeteria. No one seemed to have heard her call them that, though it was hardly the strangest thing they might have overheard if they were eavesdropping on this particular conversation.

Arthur smiled softly. "Yeah, we can do that. Though... I might have to get a bigger car."

"I can drive too." Kat announced.

"Okay. So Homecoming, Ren Faire, and Halloween." Arthur announced.

"And what are everyone's plans for fall break?" Selene asked.

Every year the school gave them a two-day break on a Monday and Tuesday in October. It was nothing like the entire week off they received for Spring break, and Arthur usually spent it in the office, but he could be convinced to take it off this year.

"Actually." Arthur was the first to speak. "I might need to move most of my stuff from the apartment to the house that weekend. It'll probably be my only chance before the end of the month, and I was hoping to move in by November."

"That's right, we need to give notice." Kat reminded Selene.

"We will." Selene nodded. "If I may... can I... address the group?" Selene asked. The question was open, but she looked directly at Arthur as though she were asking his permission rather than the group's.

Arthur nodded and took another forkful of eggs.

"I want to be clear that this group, this harem, is an exclusive club." Selene announced. "Like we agreed earlier, a sisterhood. Each of us is in a relationship with Arthur, but we'll need to be friends with each other too. Especially if we're living together. So... if it's okay, I'd like to expand on that and suggest some ground rules."

"Go on." Arthur encouraged her. He wanted to see where she was going with this and was a little surprised she was taking the initiative. Kat seemed surprised too, but the others all looked at her expectantly. Mindy nodded at her with an encouraging smile, telling her to go on without saying a word.

"I think we girls should get together once a week. Without-" She glanced around for a moment. "Master."

"You mean without Arthur?" Kelly clarified.

"Yes." Selene smiled. "I think it would be good for us to hang out together, get to know one another, catch each other up, discuss, educate, learn, that kind of thing. We can do it on Thursday nights when Master- sorry." She apologized at a glare from Kat. "I know in public I'm supposed to call you Arthur, but... no one can overhear us. It's fine. Stop glaring at me, Kat."

Kat kept her glare up for at least a few moments more until Arthur reached behind Selene and nudged Kat's shoulder.

"It's okay." Arthur said. "You really should call me Arthur out here, but I won't spank you for it."

Selene winked at him. Mindy laughed.

"So once a week, we get together. Thursday nights?" Kelly asked. "I can do that. I might be a bit late some nights or unable to make it some weeks, but overall I think I can make that work."

"I have a class that night." Rani shook her head.

"Wednesdays?" Selene asked.

"Wednesdays work for me." Rani announced. Selene looked at Kelly, who nodded, followed by Kat and Mindy.

"I usually work for my dad on Wednesday nights, but it's not a big night for him. I can move it around, make it work." Mindy agreed.

"Perfect." Selene clapped her hands. "Another rule," she continued. "Mast- Arthur, agreed that he would warn us if he asks anyone else out. I will ask that we make it official that he's the only male member of this little group. We're all in this because we're in our relationships with him. If you're in a relationship with someone else, you can talk to us about it as your friends, but they're not part of this group." She gestured to the table at large. "Agreed?"

The others looked confused but shrugged and nodded as they looked back and forth between each other. "It makes sense, I guess." Kelly agreed. "Like you said, this whole thing is because we're each fucking Arthur."

"And naturally, any additional women would have to be approved by Arthur." Selene continued. The others shrugged but didn't protest, except for Kelly.

"What if Arthur wants to date someone the rest of us don't like? Like, someone we don't think is a good fit for our... situation?" Kelly asked.

Selene didn't seem to have an answer for that right away. She paused and had to think about it. She looked up at Arthur, who watched her for a moment.

"I told Kat that I would give her some advance warning before I... add another teammate to the team. I intend to abide by that." Arthur said. "If we extend that to the group, I'd be willing to give the group veto rights. I know some of you don't know each other very well, but do any of you have any issues with each other we should hash out?"

"I'm a little tired of Selene sometimes, but otherwise, I think I'm fine." Kat glanced at Rani as she said it.

Rani looked confused but shrugged. "I don't really know any of you, but... I'd fuck any of you."

Kelly scoffed a bit, which turned into a cough she covered with her hand. "Sorry." She coughed. "I just wasn't expecting that."

Rani winked at her, which Kelly returned with a polite smile.

"So the group knows. I'm bisexual." Kelly announced. "But that said, I've already told Arthur I'm not his unicorn."

"Neigh." Rani said flatly.

Mindy laughed while the others looked a little confused, then they got it.

"You're not the only bisexual here." Rani raised her hand. "But I'll put it out there now, happy to join any of you with this guy. In fact, I think I'd prefer it that way."

"Good to know." Selene had that smile on her face that told Arthur she was thinking about being up to something. He didn't mind. So far, that smile had always preceded something working out very well for him.

"But you still want a date night with just Arthur, right?" Kat asked for clarification.

"I mean..." Rani hesitated as she thought it over. "Yeah." She finally decided. "Though, I can't say I'd mind a date night with... really anyone here." She said with a laugh. "We're all hot as fuck."

Arthur laughed. "My thoughts exactly."

Kelly smiled, but she didn't seem to appreciate the equivalent comparison between herself, who had spent time and energy on her appearance this morning, with Rani, who currently had a stain on her hoodie from some dripped coffee.

"Okay." Arthur said, retaking the reins of the conversation. "And if you're a sisterhood first, I think it should be clear that any new members of this sisterhood must be welcomed unanimously." He suggested. "Meaning every single one of you has to agree to them joining your club, or they remain outside of it."

They all nodded.

"What if you want to fuck someone outside the harem, like someone you meet at a party or something in a one-night stand?" Rani asked. "Are you exclusive to us? Or no?"

"Well, if we're not exclusive to the harem or to him, is it fair to ask him to be exclusive?" Kelly asked, which surprised Arthur slightly, but she had a point.

"Mast- Arthur." Selene corrected herself. "Should be allowed to sleep with whoever he wants, even outside of our group, but they'll just be flings. Not relationships. That's the difference between open and closed poly, right?"

They nodded.

"So, if we're a team, who's the coach?" Kelly asked. "Should one of us volunteer to step up and manage things?"

The other girls looked at each other momentarily, and then Selene pointed at Arthur. "He's the coach." She said. "I know most of us, if not all of us, prefer to follow his lead, right?" The others nodded. "So we let him lead. He's the coach. We follow his playbook, and he 'manages' us as necessary."

"So, who's the team captain? Is it you?" Kelly asked Selene.

"I'll appoint one if necessary." Arthur said clearly. "At the moment, I think it's best if everyone in the team is equal. Especially when we're just starting out."

The girls nodded.

"Let that be one of the rules." Arthur added. "Teammates first, lovers second." He started the list. "What the coach says goes." He gestured to himself. "And everyone in this...." He searched for the right word and settled on "harem is equal." He continued. "No jealousy between each other. Talk to me if you have issues or are starting to feel jealous about anything." He looked pointedly at Kat, who nodded. "And no kink-shaming or putting each other down. Always lift each other up."

The girls seemed willing to accept these rules and nodded.

"The harem will meet once a week without me." Arthur continued, getting less into the rules and more into the logistics now. "Date nights will be on a rotation. One-on-one time will be as availability allows. Special events, and holidays, will be done as a group. No one will be forced to participate in any group or sexual activity if they do not wish to."

Mindy and Selene had smiles on their faces. The others looked around just to be sure that everyone else agreed with them.

"Anything else?" Arthur asked Selene.

Selene shook her head. "Nope! I think that was all I had."

"Good." Arthur nodded. "Everyone in?" He asked, looking around at each one of them, in turn, to make sure they personally agreed to the arrangement.

"I'm definitely in." Selene said with a smile and nudged Kat.

"I'm in." Kat said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm in!" Mindy exclaimed cheerily.

"Count me in too." Rani shrugged.

Kelly seemed to hesitate but nodded. "I'm in." She agreed.

"And I'm in." Arthur nodded.

"Like that was ever in doubt." Rani laughed, which prompted laughter from others.

"Oh, we should add you, girls, to the Harem chat." Mindy piped up.

"Oh yeah!" Selene said as she whipped out her phone. "This is just for us girls. Arthur's not in this one."

"Bwa, ha, ha." Kelly smirked at Arthur as she pulled out her phone. Selene had already sent her a friend request, and soon after, they were all friends and following each other on social media, and all in the harem chat and the house chat (which was the harem chat group with Arthur included).

"So, do we all have to call you Master?" Kelly asked curiously after she'd put her phone away again.

"No." Arthur shook his head. "Selene calls me that. Mindy calls me Boss. Kat calls me-"

"Fucker most of the time." Kat laughed, which prompted the others to laugh, even Arthur.

"Call him whatever you want." Mindy nodded. "I like calling him Boss."

"It does have a certain ring to it. I think I called you, Sir, on Friday night a few times, but that was more in the moment. Are you okay if I just call you by your name?" Kelly asked.

"Of course." Arthur nodded. "That's why I have it, after all."

The group laughed politely and, with their meals finished, started toward the exit. Arthur had to go to work, as did Mindy, so the two were prepared to walk together. Rani had class, as did Kelly. Selene and Kat had no classes until the afternoon, but they needed the time to study, so they headed for the library. They left the cafeteria as a group and then slowly parted ways, each girl stopping to kiss Arthur and waving farewell to him and the others.

"Maybe we should try to make group dinners a regular thing once we have the house." Selene said cheerfully.

"That could be a lot of fun." Mindy agreed. "I can cook pretty well with an actual kitchen."

"Me too." Arthur and Kelly said at the same time.

Selene laughed. "I can cook pretty well if you count breakfast food, breakfast for dinner, and brunch, which is naturally breakfast around lunchtime."

Arthur laughed, feeling pretty good about everything by the time he and Mindy reached the administration building, arm-in-arm. The two of them went through the familiar hallway that Arthur had walked a thousand times, with its old carpet and windowed office doors, until they came to the marketing office door. Arthur opened the door for her to enter the sizeable rectangular room first.

It was filled with boxes that took up the long rectangular table in the center of the room and the floor on every side. They were stacked to Arthur's chin, which put them over Mindy's head, even in her heels. The half-wall cubicles along the near wall and most of the right wall were half-occupied by student workers. Arthur's desk was right by the door overlooking those workstations, and it had boxes on it that weren't there Friday.

He'd spent most of the day Friday emptying the storage closet down the hall because a pipe that ran through it sprang a leak. Maintenance had stopped the leak and fixed the pipe over the weekend. Now all those boxes had to be moved back. Arthur frowned, but he knew what he was in for. At least, he thought he knew what he was in for until he heard Beth clear her throat from her office doorway at the far end of the right wall.

"Ji-Min, Arthur, so kind of you to join us, finally." Beth's tone was so mockingly friendly that Arthur immediately stopped and had to forcibly relax his shoulders.

"Sorry, I'm late." Arthur admitted. "I texted you earlier today, remember?"

"Yes." Beth nodded. "I need to speak with you." She said. "In my office." She added. "Now."

Mindy gave him a small smile as he passed her, and she went to her cubicle. Clearly, Beth was in a bad mood, and Arthur was about to receive the brunt of it.

"And you, Mindy? Why were you late this morning?" Beth asked as she stepped aside to let Arthur through her door.

"My alarm didn't go off. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was running late at all. I thought I was right on time." Mindy admitted as she looked at the clock, which was just three minutes past the hour she would have typically arrived at work.

Beth gave her a look. She had the same excuse as Arthur but tweaked it slightly. The similarity in reason and the time of their arrival together made Beth suspicious, yet she knew that Mindy lived on campus and Arthur lived off of it.

"Don't let it happen again." Beth snapped. She shut her office door behind her with a loud clap as the student workers who'd turned slightly to the conversation went back to work.

Mindy spared a glance for the office door as Beth closed it behind Arthur, then turned on her computer and got to work.

Arthur had already taken one of the two seats in front of Beth's desk and waited patiently as Beth moved around it to take her seat behind her desk.

"What's up?" Arthur asked once she was seated and looking at him with her hands folded in front of her. "You seem more agitated than usual."

"I just want to be sure that you and I are on the same page about Saturday night." Beth stared at his eyes with an unrelenting gaze that seemed too forceful for his taste. He straightened in his chair and looked at her.

"Beth. Look. You were at a party, and you were having fun. You did body shots off a stripper. It's a funny story. Totally unconnected to my funny story of some lady in the parking lot thinking I was a stripper and me being unable to say no to a large amount of cash she literally threw at me through the window."

"So you're not a stripper." Beth clarified.

"Not usually, no." Arthur assured her. "Though I'll admit, it was pretty lucrative. I made more in a few hours of dancing than I would making minimum wage here for a few weeks." He'd spent most of it already or would have once he'd taken a bank trip to deposit it and pay off his mall purchases. He would have taken today off if he had thought about the sum this morning, but it was too late now. He was here.

"But nothing ever happened between you and me." Beth clarified. "Right?"

"Right." Arthur nodded. "I would be happy to falsify any document to that effect if it would put your mind at ease."

"I need this job, Arthur." Beth said exasperatedly. "I can't get fired over a sexual harassment suit."

"You have never sexually harassed me in the workplace, Beth. I probably could have walked through here naked a dozen times, and you'd not even looked up from playing candy crush on your computer." Arthur joked. Judging by the shift in Beth's expression, it was apparently the wrong joke.

"I do plenty of work, young man." Beth tried to come across as stern, but it was undercut by how relaxed Arthur continued to be and how nervous and agitated she was.

"Okay." Arthur said.

"Okay?" Beth asked. "You don't think I work all day?"

"Beth..." Arthur started.

"It's Miss Rian." Beth snapped.

"Really?" Arthur looked surprised. She was older than him by approximately a decade, but she'd never enforced any kind of formality between them before.

Beth didn't respond.

"Okay, Miss Rian." Arthur straightened up in his chair. He'd had enough, and he had another job lined up. He would land on his feet if she fired him for his attitude or something along those lines. "I'll be honest. We both know I do most of the work in this office, and you take the credit. If I wanted to, I could easily do your job. I trained you to do your job when you arrived and still do most of those tasks myself. The administration doesn't give me your job because I'm a student, and they see it as a full-time position."

Beth looked like he'd slapped her in the face, too stunned to argue.

"I understand that you're worried. A different person might leverage certain photographs of events against you to file a claim, get you fired, and take your job for themselves." Arthur continued. "But I don't want your job." He was speaking calmly, rationally, and most importantly, in his mind: theoretically. He had no photos of that night, though he was sure some were out there. He barely had any clothes on at the time. He could hardly be expected to have a camera too.

"What... what do you want?" Beth asked quietly. Her demeanor had gone from angry to stunned to suddenly... bashful? "If you don't want my job, what do you want from me?"

Arthur looked confused, looking around to see if he was being pranked. No one was there. He saw no hidden cameras, though he wasn't sure he would if they were present. No obvious nanny-cam devices new to the office were present. No cameras. Just the regular decor she'd always had, the single door to the hallway on the right and the entrance to the primary office area directly behind him: both closed with the shades pulled, which was her habit 99% of the time.

"I don't want anything from you." Arthur said, confused. "I just want to go about my business, as things were, until I say otherwise."

"Until you say otherwise?" Beth asked.

"Well..." Arthur hesitated. He couldn't admit that he was thinking about leaving soon once the money started coming in from renting the house. He wasn't ready to leave this job just yet. He could survive if Beth fired him, but he didn't want to drop it yet. It would be irresponsible.

"Do you... want special treatment?" Beth asked.

"Special treatment?" Arthur asked for clarification.

"You know what I mean." Beth said accusingly.

"I really don't." Arthur confessed. He knew the girls said he could sometimes be clueless, but try as he might, he couldn't think of what Beth meant. He was already treated like the boss by the other student workers. Beth left him alone most of the time and let him run things. This was the first time she'd called him into her office with anything even remotely resembling a disciplinary tone the entire time she'd worked here.

"I'll do whatever you want." Beth said finally. "Just don't spread those photographs around, don't take more, and don't report me to HR."

Arthur was genuinely confused. Assuming some existed, the photographs wouldn't be embarrassing for her. They would show a naked (except for the plastic fireman's helmet domed over the tip and some of the length of his penis) Arthur lying on a stage with women lined up to lick liquor off his abs or suck it out of his navel.

If anyone would use those for blackmail, wouldn't they try to blackmail Arthur with them? Though, admittedly, he was proud of his body rather than ashamed of it. If someone did post those photos all over school, it probably wouldn't hurt him any other than maybe getting made fun of for being a stripper in the first place.

Secondly, he'd never once asked Beth for anything. He'd rhetorically, and theoretically, said that someone else might try to do what she was suggesting he was doing, but he'd never actually done it. And here she was, offering to do whatever he wanted.

"Okay." Arthur said after a few moments of silence between them.

Beth nodded, closed her eyes, and started to undo her blouse.

Arthur was startled but managed to say, "Stop." in a clear and commanding tone with its desired effect. Her fingers stopped mid-way through unbuttoning the fourth button from her collar.

"What?" Beth asked, frustrated.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked in that same commanding tone.

"I'm giving you.... What you... want?" Beth said hesitantly, finally ending it as a question rather than an answer.

"Miss Rian." Arthur sighed. "You're a very attractive woman, though I know that's entirely inappropriate of me to say, I'm willing to risk it, given our camaraderie and... current situation. I don't want you to feel rejected. But... this is not what I thought we were talking about."

"It's..." Beth blushed the deepest red Arthur had ever seen on a person. It was like something out of a cartoon that flowed from the top of her chest, which was now amply visible, to the very top of her head. He imagined steam might have come from her ears if she'd been better hydrated. "Oh, my god." She quickly rebuttoned the buttons on her blouse. "Oh, my god."

"Beth." Arthur said, still commanding but a bit more softly now. "It's okay. I'm... sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I-"

"Get out." Beth gestured to the door behind him. "Get out of my office right now!"

"Okay." Arthur nodded.

"And clean out your desk!" Beth snapped.

"Hey." Arthur said in such a firm tone that it snapped Beth back to several moments ago and grabbed the authority out of her hands again. "No. You're overreacting."

Beth was still blushing a furious red as she took to her feet, but her blouse was rebuttoned now. Arthur stood too, and he dwarfed her, which rooted her to where she stood behind her desk. She intended to storm around it, fling open the door, and make him leave. Instead, she was stuck in a half step with her hands on her desk, looking up at Arthur, whose tight t-shirt showed off all the muscles she'd seen unclothed Saturday night.

"Take a deep breath. A moment ago, you tried to offer me sex to not go to HR about something that happened off the clock and off campus, and now you're trying to fire me because I said no to something you tried to start on the clock and on campus?" Arthur asked.

"That's not what-" Beth stopped. It was precisely what she'd done. "But I only did that because I thought you were blackmailing me!"

"I never blackmailed you!" Arthur said back angrily. "You had this whole thing worked up in your head already! All I was going to ask for was some freedom to manage the other student workers, mainly so some of them could help me move the boxes back to the storage closet today!"

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed. "My God!" She finished and slumped into her chair. "I feel like such an idiot." She started crying, and Arthur did not know what to do or how to react other than humor.

"You feel like an idiot?" Arthur asked. "My hot boss was getting ready to fuck me on her desk, and I had to go and open my big mouth and ruin it."

Beth's scarlet blush returned with a fury, and she gestured silently at the door behind him again. "Just... go and get those boxes out of there. Use whoever you need."

"Thank you." Arthur sighed and turned to leave.

"And Arthur?" Beth stepped forward a tiny step. "Please don't-"

"I won't tell anyone." Arthur agreed. "And you and I will never speak of this, or Saturday night, again."

Beth nodded and flattened her palms against her stomach and lap to smooth out her clothes and steady her breathing as Arthur exited.

"Okay..." Arthur said, taking stock of who was in the office. He was the only guy, but he usually didn't mind that. The only problem was that everyone else at the office wore heeled shoes and wasn't typically prepared to do any heavy lifting at a moment's notice. That's what they had him for, after all. "Dinah, you're with me." He said, choosing the only girl with the misfortune to wear flats today.

With the two of them moving boxes, it moved at twice the pace it had the day before, which was fortunate. Arthur left and returned from class; the others had taken up helping and moving the boxes in his absence, which was a welcome sight. They were nearly finished when they left for lunch, leaving him and Mindy alone in the office to cover the lunch shift.

"Help me finish?" Arthur asked Mindy as he hefted the last box. Everyone else in the office was gone.

"I thought you'd never ask." Mindy's smile was radiant as she spun around and slid from her chair to her knees.

Arthur laughed. "I meant with the boxes...."

"You need help carrying that to the storage closet?" Mindy asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Arthur nodded, clearly not having any difficulty holding the box in his hands. "And I wanted to review your performance while the others were at lunch. Walk with me."

Mindy smiled. "Yes, Boss." She stepped up and took up the other end of the box from him. It wasn't heavy, and it was only half full. Still, she carried it dutifully, and they walked slowly with her short stride in her pencil skirt. Once they were in the storage closet, Arthur shut the door behind them. Mindy placed the box on the shelf and turned around to see Arthur kissing her.

She melted into his kiss and threw her arms around his torso with a happy squeal. "Were you in much trouble this morning for being late?" Mindy asked when she came up for air.

"No." Arthur assured her. "That was just a... misunderstanding."

"Good." Mindy smirked. "Do you want me to suck you off?" She asked.

It was such a direct question that it made Arthur laugh, but his body responded to the imagery immediately. "Are you up for a little fun while the others are away?" He asked.

"Yes, Boss." Mindy nodded fiercely. "I've been waiting for it all morning."

"Good." Arthur smirked. "Then show me what you've got on under your skirt. Lift it up."

Mindy obeyed, and Arthur watched as the black pencil skirt lifted slowly to reveal inch after inch of black stocking, then inch after inch of toned skin, her dark folds, followed finally by a heart-shaped patch of black curly hair.

"Hm.." Arthur practically growled. "Such a naughty secretary."

Mindy beamed at him. "Yes, Boss. I wanted you to have easy access." She unbuttoned her blazer, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything under that either.

Arthur groped her breast in his hand, causing her to gasp as he squeezed her double-D flesh, which caused her nipple to immediately harden beneath his palm. He did the same with her other nipple in his other hand, and then he let his fingers tease and play with them as he kissed her, her back against the bookshelf.

"I could pump you full of cum and blow a load on your chest. Then you could rebutton and lower your skirt, and no one would know."

"Yes, boss." Mindy smiled. "Though..."

"What is it?" Arthur asked, surprised.

"Can we do it in the office?" Mindy asked. "It's dirty in here, and I really want you to fuck me on your desk."

Arthur had thought the closet was the better spot since there would be less chance of someone walking in, but he knew that made the office the hotter option for Mindy. Plus, her fantasy had been specific to the office, not the storage closet.

"Okay." Arthur nodded. "I'm going to go back to the office. I want you to count to thirty and then follow me." Arthur nodded. "Be sure to fix yourself up before you leave." He gave her a wink. She had already pulled down her skirt and started refastening her blazer buttons when he reached the door.

He cracked the door open and made a show of peeking out. If anyone was in the hallway, they didn't notice or care as he stepped out of the closet and walked back to his office.

Mindy left the closet moments after the office door shut behind him. By the time she reached the office, he was already sitting at his desk. He spun around when she came in and shook his head.

"Mindy, Mindy, Mindy." Arthur said as the door closed behind her. "What are we going to do with you?"

Mindy looked confused, so Arthur filled her in.

"You were late this morning." He reminded her. "By three minutes." He continued. "That's one-hundred-and-eighty whole seconds." He explained as he stood up and reached past her to lock the door.

"Yes, Boss. I'm sorry." Mindy continued explaining as Arthur moved past her again to close the blinds. "I just had a threesome with my boyfriend and some random woman we picked up last night, and he fucked me so hard I just forgot to set my alarms. He fucked my brains out. Well, they did, Boss. It was my first bisexual experience, and I really liked it. Plus, my boyfriend? Well, he's super hot, and he-"

The sound of Arthur slapping a ruler against his palm cut her off and shut her up immediately. She looked at him wide-eyed. They often used the ruler in his hand for manually folding papers. It was a thin wooden ruler with a narrow edge on the top and a wide edge on the bottom. It was old and only ruled in inches on the one side across the top with nothing across the bottom or on the reverse side.

"I want you to stand right here." Arthur indicated the spot with the ruler and removed it as Mindy stepped around to the side of his desk and stood a little ways away from him. "Face the desk." Arthur instructed, and Mindy obeyed. "Now, lift your skirt." Arthur continued.

Mindy reached down and slowly lifted her skirt. This time the reveal was of her backside. Her hips were narrow, her butt squared and large. Ideal for spanking with sharp curved lines between each cheek and the top of her thighs.

"Now, without moving your feet, I want you to bend over at the waist and place your hands palm-down on my desk." Arthur explained.

Mindy let go of her skirt, which stayed scrunched around her narrow waist due to its material and quickly bent over to keep it there.

"I want you to count. And for each spank, that will be one second off your tardiness tab." Arthur explained. "You're currently at one-hundred-and-eighty." He reminded her. "They will add up quickly, and working through your current tab might take us a while. You should try hard not to increase your tab, or I might just have to keep spanking you daily."

Mindy could hear the smile in his voice, but she did not look up from the spot she'd chosen to focus on. The space on his desk between her hands was not particularly fascinating, but it was a spot she'd imagined staring at in this way many times before. Now she was bent over, staring at it, and waiting for the inevitable strike.

"Do you understand?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, Boss." Mindy nodded quickly.

Arthur struck. The clap of the ruler against her butt produced an immediate mark. It stung more than she expected, but she did not complain. Instead, she quietly counted, "One."

Arthur stood just to her side, between her and the door, with the ruler in his left hand. He raised it high with each strike and brought it low. Each time, he struck a different elevation of her presented ass but colored it in horizontal stripes of red, each line a ruler thick.

"Two- three- four- five." She counted out as he delivered each blow just after the slap of the ruler cracked its way through the office. "Six- seven- eight- nine- ten."

Arthur took a moment to admire his handiwork. He glanced at the clock. He knew they had at least thirty minutes left before anyone returned to the office. They had an hour's lunch, and then it would be his and Mindy's turn for lunch. Somehow, he didn't think they'd eat their fill of cafeteria food today.

"Eleven- twelve- ohmygod thirteen- fourteen- fifteen!"

"One quarter of a minute down." Arthur said proudly. "Think you can take a few more?"

Mindy nodded quickly. "Yes, Boss. Punish me. Please."

Arthur continued spanking her with the ruler, though he increased the strength of each stroke as he watched her cheeks bounce with every impact.

"Sixteen- seventeen- eighteen!"

There was a pause in the spankings as the phone rang. Mindy froze, but Arthur approached the receiver and looked at the caller ID. He looked at Mindy. "Answer it. I'll keep counting for a while."

Mindy looked at him, swallowed, pressed the button to answer the line, and picked up the receiver.

"Nineteen." Arthur counted as he struck the next blow.

"Marketing office, this is Mindy- speaking. How may I direct your- call?"

"Twenty, twenty-one." Arthur counted off softly.

"No, I'm sorry-." Mindy gasped as Arthur brought the ruler down a little harder than before. "She's out to lunch- can I take a mess-age?"

"Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four." Arthur mused.

Her ass was fire-engine red, even with the darker tint to her skin. She didn't show her spankings as quickly or easily as Selene or Kat. Arthur knew that. This same spanking on either of them would already be a dark red by now. He could feel the heat coming off her skin as his hand hovered over it between strikes. She would feel this for the rest of the day, that was for sure. Possibly even tomorrow. He felt a little guilty that he hadn't considered bringing an ice pack or some cream, but he made a mental note to keep some in his desk for next time.

"Six more, and we'll take a break." Arthur informed her as she gripped his desk for a pen and paper, writing furiously.

"Ok-ay." Mindy's breath hitched as Arthur brought down another blow. Her eyes were watering, but she kept her voice as steady as possible.

"Twenty-five." Arthur counted.

"I'll let her- know." Mindy assured the person on the other end of the line.

"Twenty-six." Arthur smiled.

"Ok-ay. Good-bye." Mindy practically slammed the receiver back into place.

"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight." Arthur counted.

"Oh fuck, Boss." Mindy clamped her thighs together and pushed against the desk. "Just give it-"

"Twenty-nine." Arthur cut her off with a swift spank that he quickly pulled back to increase the sting.

Tears were coming from her eyes, ruining her makeup just a smidge.

"Ready for the last one for now?" Arthur asked.

Mindy bit her lip and nodded furiously as she clenched, unclenched, and gripped the desk.

"I can't hear you." Arthur informed her. "Ask me for it properly."

"Please, Boss?" Mindy asked. "Please spank your dirty whore of a secretary and give her what she deserves for disappointing you."

Arthur reached forward and grabbed her by the throat, which surprised her, but was just in time to choke the cry from her when he brought down the thirtieth blow, and her whole body quivered as she fell forward against the desk. It was the most brutal, sharpest spank yet, placed directly on the thin line of red marks that were the darkest against her dark skin.

Arthur pushed her forward a little, and she looked over her shoulder at him as she went to her elbows, making a low plank over his desk.

"Right knee on the desk." Arthur instructed, and she obeyed, lifting her leg. It spread her ass cheeks wide for him but revealed her dripping folds below. Arthur stepped up behind her, unzipped, and thrust into her with one smooth thrust. She was soaked and ready for him, though she cried out when her backside slapped against his front.

"Thank you, Boss." Mindy egged him on. "Please. Fuck your dirty whore."

Arthur placed one hand on each of her hips and obliged. They fucked like that for a few minutes until Arthur decided he needed more.

"Sit on the desk, lean back, and undo your blazer." He instructed.

Mindy quickly obeyed. She fumbled with the buttons on her blazer a little. Still, she had it open in record time, wincing at the pain of sitting on the hard wooden desk but squealing quietly in joy at Arthur pushing her back to her elbows, spreading her legs, pulling her to the edge of his desk, and fucking her.

She leaned back and rolled her head back in ecstasy as he reached down and used his thumb to gently rub her clit while he stroked in and out of her. Mindy would have cried out if Arthur hadn't reached down with his other hand and gripped her by the throat. Her cries cut off, Mindy could only hear their bodies hammering together. She could feel the hard surface beneath her which was painful against her backside in a way that stoked her desire. The wood pressed into the stinging feeling of her cheeks as a constant reminder of their intimacy.

"Cum for me, you dirty fucking whore." Arthur growled.

It was as if he'd pressed a button. Mindy's whole body shook and spasmed as he continued hammering into her. She cried out, but he throttled the cries in her throat before they could escape, and her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. She went limp against the desk, nearly knocking over his monitor, and breathed deeply once Arthur let go of her throat, her body still bouncing, her breasts mesmerizing, as he continued to fuck her. He didn't stop until he felt himself getting close, even after Mindy had cum and gone limp. "Get under the desk." Arthur barked, and Mindy nearly injured herself, scurrying to obey.

She kept her clothes in disarray and made no move to fix them, or her makeup, as she quickly dropped to her knees and crawled around the side of his desk to the front of it. She kept low as she went under it, then turned around on her knees and waited for him.

Arthur sat in his chair and pulled in. No sooner did his cock disappear under the desk than Mindy dove onto it, her lips encasing it and sucking it all the way down to the base, filling her throat. He looked around at the empty office and felt her sucking and moaning on his cock, fucking him with her face as she moved back and forth. He looked at her empty chair, leaned back a little, gripped his desk, closed his eyes, and exploded.

He felt her pumping him with her mouth, her lips locked in a seal, her breath sucking him, and her tongue milking every drop she could pull from him. He leaned back in his chair and sighed as she swallowed burst after burst. When he was done and could deliver no more, she brought her face off his cock, cleaned him up with little kisses and licks, and then put her hands on his knees.

Arthur relaxed in his chair.

Beneath his desk, Mindy smiled up at him, wiped her mouth gently with her thumb, licked it clean, and tucked him away carefully in his jeans.

"Thanks, Boss." Mindy whispered up to him as she rested her head on his lap. "That was everything I was hoping for."

Arthur smirked. "We'll do it as often as we can." Arthur assured her. He stroked her hair as she rested her head in his lap and smiled as she nuzzled his thigh.

"You better get straightened up before they return from lunch and fix your makeup. I better unlock the door, or they might ask questions." Arthur said carefully.

"Just tell them it got stuck. It happens sometimes." Mindy smirked as she crawled out from under the desk. She accepted Arthur's hand when he offered it to help her up. "God, nothing beats having sex on the clock." She smirked as she checked the time and pushed her skirt down to cover her slick thighs.

"You know what that makes you, right?" Arthur asked as he watched her start to refasten her blazer.

"A whore?" Mindy asked rhetorically. "Yeah. That's part of the whole fantasy. That is the whole reason I chose that name. Gettin' paid to get you off gets me off like, woah."

Arthur laughed. "Well, yes." He agreed. "But more specifically, a cheap, minimum wage whore."

Mindy shuddered. "Stop, or I'm not responsible for what people might see when they come back from lunch." She smiled at him.

Arthur laughed. "You like being put down like that?" He asked.

"Yes, Boss." Mindy nodded. "Don't ask me why. I don't think I can really answer. It's just... it's all part of the fantasy." She said as she finished straightening her clothes. She went over to Arthur, not stepping far away, and sat sideways in his lap. She put her arms around his neck, and he positioned one hand on her back and one on her hip. They kissed slowly and comfortably.

He patted her back, and Mindy rose, wiping away at the tears of mascara that had formed on the sides of her face. She returned to her cubicle, took a small compact out of her purse, and fixed her makeup.

"Aren't you well prepared." Arthur stated.

"Yes, Boss." Mindy smiled back at him. "I do wish I'd brought some ice, though." She winced a little as she shifted her position in her chair. "That ruler is a good one. Don't lose it."

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked skeptically. "I was worried it would hurt too much. That's why I slapped my hand with it - to gauge."

"It was perfect." Mindy closed her eyes. "I can still feel it. I can only imagine how red it still is."

Arthur nodded. "Well, if you want, I can get you an ice pack from the nurse. I can say it's for my back or leg or something from moving all those boxes."

"I'm good." Mindy assured him. "Thanks, Boss."

Arthur nodded. "Anytime." He said as he moved and unlocked the office door. Then he re-opened the blinds. They had ten or so minutes before anyone came back from lunch, and Beth went immediately into her office again without saying a word to anyone.

Arthur and Mindy left for lunch, but Mindy had lunch plans with friends, and Arthur didn't feel like eating more cafeteria food. He stopped at the cafe and got a spinach wrap, which he ate at his desk. Then the rest of the afternoon went by in a whirl of work and class until dinner.

He found it difficult to focus on any of his classes. The information the professors presented wasn't dull, but it was much less effort to think about how hot Mindy looked on her knees with her ruined mascara, disheveled office clothes, mouth open, and waiting for his cock.

Or he could think of Selene in her yoga outfit from this morning, pressing her hands against the brick wall between the dumpsters as he pulled those shorts down and fucked her from behind while Kat watched, jilling herself off not far away.

Or he could think of Kelly, sitting on his face on the weight bench, bending over to 69 with him.

Or Rani, dressed in gold chains around her wrists, ankles, throat, and waist, decorated in nothing but jewelry, dancing for him while Mindy cracked the whip.

The daydreams were far more pleasant than reality, especially when there was a significant chance of them being made real.

Still, time ticked and tocked onward until the afternoon ended and evening arrived, with Arthur being the last to leave the office and locking it up behind him.

Arthur stepped out of the office and almost had a sense of deja vu when a message from Selene popped up on his phone.

Slut: Still good for dinner tonight before theater club?

Master: Yeah. Cafe?

Slut: Yes, Sir. Already there.

Arthur smiled and started toward the cafe to meet Selene.