by Ines Johnson
The Obscenity Regulations had never made sense to Alyss. Nude depictions were allowed in science textbooks, by not in any history books. There was only a handful of art classes in secondary school, and many of the depictions of nudity and sensuality were kept under lock and key.
Alyss helped Eryka carry the artwork down and into her conveyance. The sun was high in the sky dipping in and out of the clouds. A butterfly flitted into her periphery. Alyss watched as it landed on a purple violet. The butterfly’s black and orange wings contrasted lovely with the purple. Alyss ached to show Adom.
As soon as the thought came to her mind, she pushed it back down. It hadn’t been a full day, but she missed him terrible. Emet, too. A large part of her was angry and hurt they’d turned her away, but another part understood their decision. She knew that a relationship with the two males couldn’t be. Not with her Mother out for any reason to have them arrested. Though Alyss hated it, she knew they were right to send her away. She would bring them nothing but trouble. And she would not run back to her Mother. She would just need to take her friend’s hospitality until she found a way to support herself. In their matriarchal society wealth passed from Mother to daughter, and Alyss knew her Mother had no intention of supporting her choices.
With the painting loaded into Eryka’s conveyance, Alyss turned back to the door to the flat. She realized she no longer wanted to be alone, so she accompanied Eryka into the Sisterhood. She could spend the entire day inside the Chamber of Arts and Culture, taking her time, perusing the artwork there.
When they arrived at the Sisterhood, Alyss helped Eryka carry the covered piece down the hall to the Chamber of Arts and Culture. Since her last visit, the room had filled with even more wonders. There was a wooden sculpture of a woman clutching at a man’s thighs while his phallus impaled her mouth. There was a portrait of a man taking a woman from behind, her face thrown back in ecstasy. Another photograph caught and held Alyss attention. It showed a woman bound to a cross, her hands tied in artful knots that Alyss knew all too well.
“It’s called Shibari.”
Alyss turned at the sound of Lady Mychelle’s voice.
“It's an ancient art form from one of the Asian lands, we think Japan. We knew it flourished in the 21st century and became part of a grouping of sensual art forms known collectively as BDSM, or bondage, domination, sadism and masochism. Most of the writings and depictions were destroyed after the Great Destruction as a part of the Purging. The art form died out as men lost any form of domination over women. This is one of the only photographs left.”
Alyss wanted to tell her that not all of the art form was lost. She rubbed her hands over the fading markations on her wrist.
“We’ve rescued all of this art.” Sister Mychelle swept her hands to encompass all the sensual depictions in the room. “It was heading for the incinerator. I’m petitioning to have a special license from the Chamber of History to show this work to the public before I have to place it in the dungeon under lock and key.”
“Its all too beautiful to hide,” said Alyss.
“I heard that you no longer have a position within the Chamber of Health and Sciences. I have to say I’m glad. It frees you up to come and work for me.”
“For you? Here?” Alyss looked around at all the art about to go under lock and key and not see the day of light. She’d only planned to spend the day here, not all of her days. She turned into the expectant face of Sister Mychelle. But before she could answer, she heard someone clear their throat. It was a deep clearing of the throat to indicate the presence of a man.
“I beg your pardon, my lady.” The Male Voice stood in the doorway. His eyes rested on Sister Mychelle, but they slipped over to Eryka who stood beside her.
Eryka ducked her head, but only slightly. Her eyes came to rest on the Male Voice and she didn’t turn away.
“Twice in one week Lord Willym.” Sister Mychelle smiled mischievously between the Male Voice and Eryka. This time Eryka blushed and look away. “What can we do for you?”
The Male Voice’s eyes settled on Eryka once more. “I had come looking for Lady Eryka’s help.”
Eryka smiled brightly. But then the Male Voice’s eyes turned from her and landed on Alyss.
“I had hoped Lady Eryka knew where I might find Lady Alyss.”
“Me?” Alyss said.
He nodded. “Yes, my lady. I was hoping you might know the whereabouts of one of my advocates; Emet.”
“I…no. No I don’t know where Emet is. Did you try his phone?”
The Male Voice nodded. “He’s not at home.”
“And his bondmate, Adom, doesn’t know where he is either?”
The Male Voice hesitated.
A feeling of dread climbed up Alyss’ spine. “If Adom’s not at home, he’s likely at the Jayne Austere Gallery. He has a showing-"
“Adom won’t be showing,” interrupted the Male Voice. “Perhaps we’d better talk in my offices.”
“It’s my Mother isn’t it? She’s had them both arrested.”
“Adom has been arrested. But I don’t think your Mother had anything to do with it. He’s been taken into custody for producing pornographic art.”
“What? No. None of his work is obscene.” Alyss looked to Sister Mychelle. “I’ve seen it all. It's all wonderful. It's-"
“There’s one piece that’s a depiction of you,” said the Male Voice. “As a butterfly. But you're posed in a…sexually suggestive way.”
“But Adom didn’t paint that.”
“He’s taken responsibility for it. If you know the true artist, my lady, you’d best unmask them. Otherwise, Adom will face life in prison for not only painting a lude picture, but a lude picture of an unbonded woman.”
Chapter Five
The confinement didn’t bother Adom. He had always lived in small, cramped places. First as a discard in the overcrowded shelters for boys. Then again as a monk in training sharing a room with his brothers Emet, Jaspir and Jian. So, no the small jail cell didn’t phase him.
Neither did the cold. He and Emet couldn’t afford to heat the entire storefront in the harsh winter months. They relied on each other’s body heat to keep warm during the cold winter nights. So, no the chill in the air didn’t trouble him.
It wasn’t even the monochrome walls that disturbed him. Adom’s imagination was too vivid to ever let monochrome bring him down. There were a myriad of cracks and water stains in the wall to call the wall drab. So, no the dullness of his conditions didn’t hassle him.
Adom shifted on the metal cot. He winced as the metal frame met with the metal handcuffs around his wrist. The cold, gray shackles bit into his skin drawing blood at the place it rubbed raw. For all his years of binding body parts, Adom had never drawn blood nor had he once elicited a grunt of pain from a participant. Unlike the dead steel, ropes were alive.
When he didn’t follow behind Lady Jayne to her bedroom, she’d stared him down and then reached for a phone. Adom didn’t budge from his position. He didn’t move when she pressed buttons. He didn’t break as she continued to try to seduce him up to her room up unto the time the Peace Keepers came to the gallery door. During all that time, his mind had been on Alyss.
Alyss, who had just woken up and come into her true self. Adom had been apart of that. Because of his bindings she’d finally cracked the cocoon of her former self and emerged. He wouldn’t allow her to be confined again. It was the least he owed her after being complicit in turning her away at her dawning. His penance would be to sit in this cold, dead cell, shackled with that shame.
“You have a visitor.” The guard’s gruff voice startled Adom from his reverie.
A pang of guilt wracked through Adom’s chest. For the last few hours of this ordeal, he had thought little about what this would do to Emet. But he’d known Emet would come, would try to rescue him once more. Adom knew Emet would use his oratory prowess, his connections, any and everything at his disposal, to free him. But the only way to free him wou
ld be to offer the true artist to the authorities. And Adom would not do that.
Emet couldn’t rescue Adom this time. And when Emet went home alone, there would be no one to bind him, to free him from his stress, to free the weight of responsibility he added to his back every day in the name of justice for all.
They would all be alone. Alyss, set adrift in the world with no one to support her creative needs. Emet, weighed down by the pressures to balance the scales of justice. And now, Adom would be confined to this cold, gray cell. Each of them had only wanted to spread joy in the world, but they each were pushed down by the powers that be.
“You look cold in there. I’ve brought you a blanket to warm you up.”
The metal on Adom’s wrist chaffed as he turned away from that voice.
Lady Jane leaned against the cell. “I had come prepared to drop the charges.”
Adom looked up, surprised. But the smile on her face told him what the price would be.
“You can leave here and come straight to my home.”
“I’d rather stay here, thank you.”
The door opened, and the guard entered. “It’s not policy for a prisoner to have this many visitors at once. But your advocate and representatives from the Sisterhood are here. So we’re making an exception, this once.”
Adom watched the Male Voice enter, followed behind by a woman dressed in the deep purple robes of the Sisterhood. He looked beyond the two for a sight of Emet, but instead saw someone whom he least expected.
Alyss rushed to the bars. Adom was so overjoyed to see her he made the ill decision of trying to stand. He let out a howl of pain when he the chain linking his cuffs to the railing jerked him back to the metal cot.
Alyss turned her molten eyes on the guard. “How dare you chain him like an animal. I demand you release him at once.”
The guard swallowed under her glare. “I’m sorry, my lady. But I can’t. He’s accused of defaming a woman through the means of criminal art.”
“You imbecile. Art is not a crime. The woman in that painting is me. And I filed no such complaint.”
“Lady Jayne filed the complaint when he tried to show the painting in her gallery.” The guard pointed at Lady Jayne who had slunk into the corner as she gaped at the crowd of officials gathered before her.
“It's…” Lady Jayne’s voice wobbled. “It's illegal for any man to capture the likeness of an unbonded woman.”
“He didn’t paint it. I did.”
Lady Jayne smiled so wide Adom felt certain she would devour Alyss whole. “Then you’ll be arrested for obscenity.”
“You must prove it.” This came from the Sister who stood next to the Male Voice. “I’ve seen the painting. I found it to be a bold political statement about the rights of young women to chart their own path, outside the confines of their Mother’s home. As a gallery owner, I’m surprised you didn’t see it yourself.”
Lady Jayne balked. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sister Mychelle continued.
“Of course you have the right to dispute Lady Alyss’ interpretation. And if you do, we’ll take the matter before chambers where we’ll be joined by Lady Angyla.”
Lady Jayne’s mouth clamped shut.
“And while you’re proving that,” said the Male Voice, “I’ll have charges brought up against you for false imprisonment of my client. The charge might not hold, but it will be bad publicity for your gallery.”
Lady Jayne turned on Adom, the lascivious smile gone. “I expect you to have all of your garish art out of my gallery before morning.”
The glint in her eyes told Adom that she aimed to take pleasure in denying him this once in a lifetime opportunity. Instead, Adom felt grateful to have his precious pieces removed from so vile a person. With that door closed, Adom was surprised to hear another creak wide open.
“Excellent,” said Sister Mychelle. “The Chamber of Arts and Culture has a wall in need of artwork. You would help us out by showing there, sir. I’d like to show your painting too, Lady Alyss.”
Both Adom and Alyss stared at Sister Mychelle, who beamed at them both. The guard went into the cell and released his wrists. Alyss was in his arms before he had time to bring the circulation back into his forearms.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her. “I shouldn’t have taken your work. I just wanted the world to see your brilliance.”
“You’re right,” she pulled away from him. “That was a stupid thing to do.”
The laugh that shook Adom’s shoulders removed any trace of coldness left by the damp cell.
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks,” Alyss said. “I only cared what you thought of it.”
Adom tangled a wayward curl at her neck around his finger. “You don’t have to marry me. I don’t want you to feel obligated to.”
“You freed me, Adom. You freed me from a life of confinement. If a contract is what I need to keep you in my life, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“I’ll never let you go again. I’ll tie you up to the bed.”
“I’d like that.”
A voice cleared behind them. The Male Voice looked away as his hand came away from his mouth. Sister Mychelle continued to gaze at them in a way Adom knew all too well. She was cataloguing their lines and shapes to later use as inspiration in her art work.
Adom smiled his gratitude at the woman before turning back to his betrothed. “Now, we just need to convince Emet.”
Chapter Six
The door to the storefront was unlocked. Emet was certain he’d locked it this morning after he left. That meant only one thing; Adom was home. He dashed down the stairs and into the studio. It was the second time today he had to pause at a threshold. But this time, the scene before him was a welcome sight.
Adom and Alyss stood with their heads close together in conversation. Alyss was the first to see him. Emet lost his breath at the sight of her. The wound on her cheek had faded, but the markations on her arms were still dark enough for him to see. Her golden eyes looked at him with uncertainty. Emet wanted to drop to his knees and apologize, beg for her forgiveness for turning her away when she’d needed him most.
“We’re getting married.” Alyss lifted that defiant chin of hers. “We hope that you will join us. Otherwise it would be very awkward, and likely taxing, for Adom to be married to two separate individuals.”
The two figures before him both stood side by side, their feet planted in firm stances, hands entwined. A united front. He couldn’t remember why he’d insisted these two strong people needed his protection, but he would still offer it.
Emet opened his arms wide. “Come here.”
Alyss bristled at the command, but her feet carried her to him.
Emet swept her off her feet into a bear hug. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“I never blamed you for anything.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he heard her clearly.
“I swear to you, to both of you,” Emet looked over the top of Alyss’ head at Adom. “I will champion your every dream. And I will never again be the one to push your true desires down into the dark.”
Still inside the cocoon of his embrace, Alyss looked to Adom. She sighed theatrically. “He just ruined everything. We had a whole debate prepared, complete with charts and graphics.”
Emet planted a kiss between Alyss’ brow. “I would’ve conceded your every point, my lady.”
“What,” she grinned. “No compromise?”
“No need. There’s nothing in dispute between us.”
“As for my part,” Adom stood before the two of them. “I was simply going to tie you up until you agreed.”
Emet released Alyss and offered Adom his wrists. “If that’s what you think is best.”
Adom reached for Emet’s wrists. Emet caught sight of the angry red marks peaking from beneath his bondmate’s shirt cuffs. He grabbed Adom’s wrists. “What’s this?”
“Oh, that. I just spent a few hours in jail today.”
Emet didn’t fi
nd the joke funny. When he looked into Adom’s eyes, he saw the truth behind his words. Emet nearly lost his stomach.
“Its all over now.” Adom looped the rope around Emet’s wrists. “Alyss came to my rescue. We can talk about it later. Where have you been all day?”
“I was with Lady Angyla.” The rope against Emet’s wrists fell slack. “She won’t come after us, any of us. We’ve come to an…understanding. We can talk about that later too. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you today. You know I would’ve come for you. I’ll always come for you.”
Adom’s hands stilled. The knot lost all tension. Then it unraveled completely. Emet grabbed hold of Adom’s wrists, thumbing the bruises there.
“This is my worst nightmare come true. You were almost taken from me. Just like all those years ago. You were almost taken from me then before you knew I loved you. And today, you were almost taken before I had the chance to tell you I was sorry.”
“You loved me? Before…”
“Before what?” Emet frowned. “Before we left the temple? Of course I did. What did you think?”
The rope fell to the floor.
Emet’s eyes widened as he realized that Adom could’ve possibly thought otherwise. All these years? He didn’t have time to offer words. Adom’s lips crushed his, forcing all logic, all reason, all thought from Emet’s brain. He was reduced -no, not reduced. He was elevated to a bundle of feelings and sensations. Adom painted Emet’s mouth, his face, his neck with his love. Though Adom was smaller, he pinned Emet’s arms above his head so that Emet could do nothing but receive. Adom ground his hips into Emet’s groin until Emet’s dick jerked violently against his paints. And then Adom backed away. Emet nearly lunged after him in protest.
“Upstairs.”
The words made no sense to Emet as he glanced over Adom’s shoulder at the rig and drawer of ropes.
“Not tonight.” Adom blocked Emet’s view of the rig. “I intend to have you both, and the cot isn’t big enough for all three of us.”