by Katee Robert
9
Valentine’s Day in the Underworld
Aurora
February 2019 Patreon
Valentine’s Day in the Underworld
Aurora
* * *
Everything is as it should be.
The club won’t open for another ten minutes, but I’m finally starting to understand why Meg and Tink used to make the rounds through the empty rooms before each shift. There’s a strange kind of ownership one feels when they know that they’re responsible.
I wasn’t sure about taking the promotion when Meg offered. I am not Tink. I’ll never be Tink. She’s so fierce and unafraid and willing to step to any line drawn in the sand to ensure those under her are protected. I’m not fierce. I don’t remember what it’s like to be unafraid, though I have long since learned to hide my fear. Once, my survival depended on it. Now, it’s both habit and a comfort. Even my friends only see what I let them see. It’s better that way. Simpler.
How am I supposed to explain the truth?
Hades saved me, though he’ll never admit as much. The one time I pressed him, he claimed it was a deal like any other, but he conveniently forgets to mention that I had nothing to offer. Just myself, broken as I am. It shouldn’t be enough for someone like Hades, not in exchange for all he’s done for me. And yet here we are, years later and untold experience grown.
It should make me less afraid, less likely to wait for the other foot to drop. But the longer this strange fortune lasts, the more sure I am that when it’s time to pay the piper, the cost will be higher than I can comprehend.
But that day is not today. Another twenty-four-hour cycle passed and an incoming bullet I continue to dodge. I’ve learned to appreciate these things, learned to cling to the half full bit of the glass and embrace life with everything I have. It’s not forever, after all.
“Aurora.”
I turn as Meg walks into the public playroom. She’s dressed in what’s become her customary sexy menswear; tonight it’s wide-legged trousers and a vest that displays her breasts to perfection. Her dark hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail and her red lipstick is flawless. She gives me a warm smile. “You ready for tonight?”
“Of course.” I look around the room again. “Though I’d be more ready if you and Hades weren’t so adverse to Valentine’s Day décor.” Every table in the room has a classy vase containing a bouquet of red roses. It creates a pretty picture, but it’s nowhere near the level Hercules and I wanted to bring to the place.
“It’s tacky.” She slings an arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “And weirdly triggering for some of the people who come here to forget about the people they’re in love with and can’t be with.”
I know exactly who she’s talking about. Gaeton and Beast. I’m sure there are others, but they’re the two who have kept everyone captivated since they broke off their respective relationships with Isabelle Belmont a year ago. The fact that both are grieving the Man in Black this Valentine’s Day only makes things more complicated. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
“It will be.” She says it with such confidence, a shiver of unease goes through me. Meg gives me another squeeze and releases me. “Now that Alaric’s back in town, I have him on Beast tonight. I’d like you to take Gaeton.”
My unease fades. What she’s asking is easy enough. I enjoy scening with Gaeton. He can be brash and arrogant, but he’s got an ooey-gooey center and he’s incredibly tender during aftercare. I like Beast just fine, but I consider Gaeton a friend. “Of course. Are you sure he’s going to be here tonight?”
Meg looks around the room, her dark eyes taking in every detail. “I’m sure. He’ll probably be in a foul mood, too. Can you handle it?”
I try not to bristle at the question. I’m new to this position and, more, the submissive role I find easiest is the sweet virginal sub. Innocent and wide eyed and soft in every way. It’s been a safe role to play, even if it’s starting to chafe. “I can handle it.”
“Good girl.” She gifts me with another sharp smile. “Want a drink before things pick up?”
“Sure.”
We end up leaning against the bar while Tisiphone pours whiskey into two glasses. I never used to have the taste for it before I came here, but Meg’s brought me around. It helps that she knows what she’s about and she’s got expensive taste. I sip mine, reveling in the warmth that immediately spreads through my stomach. One drink isn’t enough to get me anywhere near buzzed, but the warmth? The only other time I feel that sort of thing is when I’m in a scene. I crave it.
I’m facing the door, which is why I see her the moment she enters the room. Malone. She’s got her white-blond hair swept back from her face and she’s wearing deep green harem pants that should look absolutely ridiculous, but somehow she pulls them off. Her white blouse has a deep V, the slice of pale skin making my mouth water despite knowing better. Malone is all predator, and arguably the most dangerous person in this city, even including Hades. She’s one of the few territory leaders who has a fully legit business that she’s CEO of, while also ruling the less savory bits of her slice of the city with an iron fist.
She catches me watching her and holds my gaze for a long moment. I try to maintain eye contact. I do. But her dominance overwhelms me this time, just like it always has in the past, and I drop my gaze.
My next sip of whiskey isn’t nearly as enjoyable as the first. It would be so easy to take it as a shot, to embrace that warmth as a distraction from the woman currently sliding into her customary booth. Instead, I slide the glass away.
“Have you considered hair of the dog?”
Meg’s voice startles me, which tells me exactly how off-balance I am. I glance at her. “What?”
“You two haven’t had a scene together since that first time.” She watches me over the top of her glass. “Might be best to just do it again and get past whatever’s going on with you.”
“No.” I don’t mean to sound so firm, like I’m slamming the door in her face, but the thought of scening with Malone again… I can’t do it. I won’t. I have embraced every Dom and Domme who I’ve played with over the last few years, and gladly. They all have their styles and preferences, and they all respect my part in playing out our mutual fantasies.
Malone… It took her less than an hour to crack me open and break me into a thousand pieces. Maybe I could have forgiven her that, maybe, but she ignored me for months after that night. Continues to act like I’m an interesting piece of the background and not a person with thoughts and feelings of my own. I wasn’t prepared for how much that would sting, for how much it continues to sting, and I’ll be damned before I let her that close again.
Not that she’s even attempted it.
I can feel my skin getting hot and angry, and I almost sag in relief when Gaeton’s familiar massive form strides through the door. “Duty calls.”
“Aurora.”
I stop short. “Yeah?”
“You can talk to me if you need to.”
I know that, but what is there to say? That Malone is the only person who tempted me into letting my heart get mixed up in things, and she’s the same one who reinforced the reason I keep that part of myself locked away at all times? Meg might understand… Or she might decide to meddle. I can’t take that risk, so I give her a bright smile. “I know.”
I stride to Gaeton, putting a little swing in my step. Tonight I’m wearing a flirty mini skirt that swishes around my thighs and a lace bra that leaves nothing to the imagination. Thigh-high white stockings complete the pseudo schoolgirl look.
Gaeton sees me coming and gives me a grin that’s a shadow of his normal one. “Hey, Aurora.”
“Hey, big guy.” I stop just short of touching him and give him a smile. “Want to play with me tonight?”
His smile dims, his dark eyes tormented. “I don’t know if you want to deal with where my head’s at tonight, honey.”
If I didn’t already plan on helping him forget h
is troubles for a little bit, his hesitance now would cement it. I take his big hand and tug him closer, wrapping him around me. Gaeton’s hands can nearly bracket my waist, and the size difference sends a delightful thrill through me tonight just like it always has in the past. “Why don’t you let me decide that for myself?” I hook my fingers in the band of his slacks. “I can take anything you need to give me.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but finally nods. “Private room.”
“Sure thing.” I step back and, keeping a hold of his hand, tow him behind me through the lounge. As we pass Malone’s booth, I can feel her gaze on me but I refuse to look over. It takes all of sixty seconds to make it through the mostly empty public playroom and to the halls with all the private rooms. I slow. “What would you like tonight?”
“A bed.”
That’s new. I steer him into one of the few rooms we keep that are set up like traditional bedrooms—with a few key additions. Once we’re alone, I move to a spot right at the end of the bed and wait. “Whatever you need.”
Gaeton scrubs a hand over his face. “I don’t have it in me for complicated shit tonight.” The look he gives me is pained and without artifice. “I need to fuck you until I can’t remember my own name.”
I blink, but work to shield my surprise. “Whatever you need,” I repeat. I can’t fix Gaeton’s life, but I can give him this. I want to give him this.
Still he doesn’t move. “Safe word.”
As if he doesn’t know it by heart now. I give him a faint smile. “Thorns.”
“Good.” He’s on me before I have a chance to brace for it. He hooks his hands under my thighs and then we’re on the bed, his big body pressing me against the soft mattress. Gaeton told no lies. He isn’t messing around. He barely brushes a kiss to my mouth before he’s moving down my body, yanking my clothes out of the way to get to the bits of me he wants. He palms my breasts and then shoves up my skirt. “No panties, Aurora.” His words rumble against my pussy and then his mouth is on me.
Gaeton loves oral sex. He has for as long as I’ve known him. The man likes to take his time and every orgasm he coaxes from his partners seems to delight him to no end.
There’s none of that tonight.
He goes after my clit as if he’s angry at it, at me. We’ve played together enough times that he knows exactly what will get me to the edge, and he drives me there relentlessly. I might laugh if I had the breath. Trust Gaeton to need to fuck hard but make sure I come first.
He works two blunt fingers into me and presses them against my G-spot. My orgasm crashes over me like a wave I didn’t see coming. I’ve barely reached it’s crest when he’s moving up my body again. A rip of a condom wrapper, the barest hesitation while he rolls it onto his cock, and then his pushing into me just as relentlessly as he’s done everything else tonight. He’s almost too big to make it work this fast, but my body accommodates him.
“Fuck,” he breathes. “Yeah. That’s what I need. Your tight little pussy clenching around my cock.” But he’s not looking at me. Even as he laces his fingers through mine and drives into me like the very hounds of hell are forcing him forward, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s wishing I was someone else.
I don’t blame him for that. He’s not my person. I love him in a friendly sort of way, but Gaeton was never meant to be mine. And I was never meant to be his.
He curses and then he’s coming, his strokes going harder yet, shoving me into another orgasm of my own. I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him in the only way I can with his hands pinning mine to the bed.
Gaeton curses and slumps to the side, pulling me with him. I barely have a chance to catch my breath before he’s up and moving to dispose of the condom. I half expect him to end things there, but I shouldn’t underestimate Gaeton. He flops back onto the bed next to me and gives me a worried look. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not even a little bit.” I lean up on my side and give him a soft kiss. “Sometimes a rough fuck is exactly what I need, too.”
He studies me, some of the pain already gone from his face. “You too sore to go again?”
This time, my smile is one hundred percent genuine. It seems kink isn’t on the menu tonight. Just, as he said, fucking until he can’t remember his name. “For you, big guy? I’ll go as many times as you can handle.”
He laughs. “Hoped you’d say that.” He snags me around the waist and hauls me up his body until I’m straddling his face. “About time I worshiped this pretty pussy of yours properly.” He grabs a pillow and wedges it beneath his head and gives me a grin that sends a wave of warmth through me akin to the best kind of whiskey. “Think your legs will give out before my tongue does?”
I spread my thighs a little more, lowering myself until I can feel his breath ghosting against my clit. “Only one way to find out.”
This short originally appeared as the February 2020 short for my Patreon. Each month, patrons nominate their favorite couples and characters, vote on one, and I write a brand new short featuring the winner. For more bonus stories, please consider joining my Patreon.
10
A Beastly Wedding
Isabelle
I didn’t expect to be nervous. I pace around the small room. It didn’t feel small when I first arrived here to wait for my cue, but now I’m sure the walls are closing in.
I shouldn’t be here alone. My father should be with me, his steady presence calming the racing of my heart and offering me his assurance that this was the right choice. Maybe he’d even tell me he was proud of me for getting out of my own way.
The thought makes me smile past the tightness in my throat. I adjust my grip on the bouquet, my fingers following the two ribbons artfully hanging from the arrangement. One for my mother. One for my father. It’s nowhere near a good enough replacement for the man himself, but it still feels right. I’m not sure I believe in heaven or hell, but if there’s an afterlife, I hope my father is watching this moment and is pleased.
We’ve done it. The conflict with Ursa that threatened our borders is resolved. She’ll continue to test because that’s the kind of territory leader she is, but she’s no longer looking to take a bite out of us.
The music changes. That’s my cue.
I give myself one last shake and move to the door, careful not to step on the long flowing white masterpiece of a dress that Tink created for me. I’d argued against white, but she prevailed. I’m glad she did now. It’s perfect. The off-the-shoulder style and fitted bodice hug my body and then flare gently to fall to the ground. It’s a deceptively simple style, classic and expensive. I love it.
The short walk to the greenhouse feels strange and surreal. I step through the doors and pause, my breath catching in my throat. The greenhouse isn’t designed for a large gathering. There are winding pathways designed to immerse a person in the beauty of the flowers and plants, all of it cumulating in a small space in the center with a few benches.
That’s where I find my men.
Gaeton and Beast stand shoulder to shoulder, both of them decked out in tuxes. I have to pause again, but there’s no catching my breath this time. The tuxes bring out different aspects in each of them. Gaeton looks like a barbarian king, the clothing playing up his size and ferocity. Beast looks like a fallen angel. Without normal clothes to dampen his beauty, he’s so beautiful, it shorts out my brain.
Was I worried about this not being the right choice? One look at them, at the way they watch me walk toward them, appreciation and heat in their respective gazes. This isn’t a cage. It’s the first step in a new chapter for us. One I want with all my heart.
I walk up the path to them in slow steps, barely noticing the small handful of chairs filled with my sisters and Muriel on one side, and Aurora, Tink, and Hook on the other. My sisters had wanted a huge wedding like they each had, one worthy of the Belmonte name. I didn’t want to share this day with anyone who I didn’t care about—who my men didn’t care about.
This is ju
st for us. No one else.
Beast and Gaeton shift to the side, and David appears in the space between them. He gives me a warm smile. “You ready?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. No fear. Only a heady anticipation for what comes next.
“Please take each other’s hands.”
We do, forming our own little triangle. Since our marriage isn’t legal in the most literal sense, we ultimately decided to go with a handfasting ceremony instead. David moves around us, binding each of our forearms together with a length of red rope, speaking in a voice designed to carry to the rest of the room, talking about the commitment we’re making and how it will last a year and then we’ll revisit. It’s all noise to me. I only have eyes for my men.
The weight of the bindings feels larger than it is. Significant. As David finishes his circle and resumes his position between Beast and Gaeton, he grins at us. “If you want to say a few words…”
Gaeton gives a rough nod. His eyes are shining and he’s gripping my forearm tightly. I suspect he’s doing the same to Beast’s. “I promise to care for and love you both. Not just for a year. Forever.”
When Beast speaks, his voice is rougher than normal. “I promise to protect and lead.” He raises his brows when Gaeton snorts. “And love. You’re both mine. I’m never letting you go.”
Now it’s my turn. The tightness in my throat is nearly overwhelming. I take an unsteady breath. “I promise to love and communicate with you both.” I lean in and lower my voice. “And submit, though only in the bedroom.”
The rest of the short ceremony passes in a blur. I can’t focus on anything but the promise in the contact we maintain. A triangle, a triad, a throuple. Perfectly balanced in every way. We’re not bound tightly but I already know I’ll be feeling the weight of the ropes for a very long time.