Chapter 15

The statue was carved from some kind of red stone. I had no idea where the stone came from, but this was the only thing I had ever seen made from it. The design was that of a towering, powerful woman standing tall yet with a seductive allure to her posture. Her body was lush yet muscular. Her breasts were large and full and proudly stood out from her chest. Her midriff was muscular but flowed perfectly into her rounded hips and ass. Her legs were thick without being overly muscular, yet her feet looked like they were encased in shoes that make normal feet look like hooves. Only I didn’t believe those were meant to be shoes.

Now, while the statue seemed to be of a gorgeous woman, it also had several other details that bespoke the demonic nature of the statue. From her forehead, two large horns swept up and back in an s-curl. Huge, bat-like wings spread out from her back and covered most of the wall. Wicket talons jutted out from the main hinge of the wings and several spiny points protruded along the edges. A whip-like tail coiled around her legs and ended with a series of spherical knobs that reminded me of an anal toy Erica liked. If this creature ever came to life, I would fear for more than just my life.

What I found odd was that the statue was decorated with several adornments. She wore a wreath of leaves with six spikes that stood up straight as if representing a crown. Along her upper chest, she wore an intricate necklace furnished with five pendants. The pendants each had different markings on them which made me think of the classic alchemical elements: fire, water, earth, and air. What the fifth element was supposed to be, I didn’t know. Her nipples bore gold clamps. The clamps were connected by a delicate silver chain that hung in the air well away from her breastbone. The statue also wore an embellished leather thong to cover herself. It hung in a way that suggested it covered more than the labia of this woman’s sex. If she had what I thought she had, I feared for anyone upon whom she used it.

I looked up into her face, which seemed to offer an unyielding expression. Whatever this one wanted, she got, regardless of what anyone else did or said to stop her. Overall, I thought the statue belonged in a dungeon or some kind of ritualistic ceremony that celebrated sex, pain, and domination.

Ruby slapped my shoulder without looking at me. “Hey. Ask.”

I frowned with a sideways glance at Ruby but kept my focus on the statue. “Nikia, which hallway did Walker, my mom, and Jade take when passing this way?

The head moved.

I don’t mean it came to life or that stone creaked. But the head turned slightly and lowered so that it looked directly at me.

Between the fact that this item was being manipulated by something, and the way the eyes bore into me - as if looking directly into my soul - I was more than willing to run back through all of the hallways we had been through to leave right now.

Ruby reached out and grabbed my arm. “Hey. Ask.”

I pulled my arm from her grip. “I already asked.”

The statue continued to stare at me and then the voice said, “What do you offer in exchange?”

In exchange? The fear I felt melted away. She wanted something in exchange? That wasn’t how this worked. I asked the question, she provided a truthful answer, period. I looked at Ruby. “Why is this asking for anything in exchange?”

Ruby barely glanced my way. “It doesn’t matter. Just get the answer.”

“And if it costs more than we’re willing to pay?”

She blinked a few times and finally looked at me. “What?”

I nodded. “The statue wants something in exchange for its information.”

“What could a statue possibly want?”

I glanced at the statue. “That would depend on what powers it.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “It’s a magic item. Like those stupid soothsayer tell-your-fortune machines at fairs that give you a card with your fortune when you pay it.” She glanced at the statue. “This one is no different. You pay it, and you get the answer to your question.”

While what she said made sense, this statue didn’t strike me as though it were powered purely by magic, like Sabastian. Something told me that this statue would ask for more than anything either of us would be willing to pay. I looked at the statue again. That face, those eyes had not moved. “I offer information in exchange.”

The statue smiled. “I have information aplenty. Would you play a game with me?”

Ruby and I looked at each other. She shrugged and we looked at the statue again. “Yes,” Ruby said while I said, “What kind of game?”

The statue didn’t move but seemed to accept both answers. “This game is quite straightforward. I call it, ``Would You Rather.” The head moved again, rotating to look at Ruby. “I offer two options. You must choose one and perform it. After each of you has successfully performed three rounds,” she said, looking at me again, “I will answer your question.”

Ruby looked at me with a smile. “See? That’s not so hard.”

I frowned and looked up at the statue again. I didn’t like this. Something told me that we were being played.

The statue looked at Ruby again. “Ladies first,” it said. “Would you rather ... give a lap dance or ... perform a no-touch strip show?”

I shook my head and looked at Ruby. “Don’t do this.”

Ruby looked at me with a smile, her eyes flicking up and down my body. “Oh, if I’m not allowed to touch during the strip show, then I’ll do the lap dance.”

The hallways around us blurred and changed shape. When everything became solid again, we found ourselves in a large rectangular room. At the end where we stood, a huge, ornate fireplace took up most of the wall. The opening was so big, Ruby and I could have easily fit inside while slightly bent over. The mantle was empty, but above it hung a large painting. There was no doubt as to what the couple being depicted was doing, as every little detail was displayed. I turned to face the rest of the room, with the fire at my back.

Several luxurious high-wing back armchairs formed a relaxed curve around the fire. A large round rug brought everything together. On the walls, more paintings depicting more and more salacious acts covered the walls as if the collector didn’t want to see the dull colors of the walls beyond the paintings. The ceiling seemed to disappear into the shadows above us. I couldn’t even say how high the ceiling rose.

Ruby stared up at the painting over the fire while I watched the area of the room beyond the furniture facing the fire. I noticed movement well beyond the line of furniture. Someone drew closer from the shadows at the other end of the room. At first, I thought it might be a living version of the statue with which we had been talking.

When the light touched the figure, I realized that I was wrong. Though the figure was feminine, she was not a demon. The woman stopped between two of the armchairs. She wore a long, elegant dress with a halter top and a long slit showing off her leg. Most of the dress was made up of elaborate lace, which pretty much left nothing to the imagination. She had long, light blonde hair that fell to her waist in thick waves, and her eyes glinted excitedly in the firelight. “Welcome, honored guests,” she said with a silky-smooth voice.

“Who are you?” I asked immediately.

Ruby punched my arm. “Stop being rude.”

I frowned at her, but the woman said, “He’s impatient, not rude.” She smiled at me and said, “My name is Nikia and we are here to play a game.” She looked from me to Ruby. “You will not be able to leave until the game is complete.” She casually waved at the chairs. Several moved away of their own accord into the darkness, but three chairs moved closer together, forming a tighter arch around the fire. “Please,” she said, “have a seat.”

Ruby and I watched as she moved around and sat on the chair in the center. Ruby smiled at me and moved over to sit on a chair to Nikia’s right, which left a seat for me on her left. I finally gave in and sat down. It would be better to get this over with.

Nikia looked over at Ruby. “You are first. You already chose which option you are to perform.” Then she waved at the space in front of herself and hard, raunchy blues music filled the air. It sounded like nothing more than an electric guitar, an electric bass, and a drum set, but it was well-played with no vocals.

Ruby smiled, stood up, and looked at me. She moved with the music, undulating, writhing, and rolling her hips as she approached me. She turned in front of me, shook her rear end at me, and just as she bent to settle herself on my lap the music stopped.

Ruby looked up at Nikia. “What? Did I take too long?”

Nikia shook her head with a smile. “No, all performances must be with me.”

Ruby glanced back at me and stood up. “Oh,” she said. “My apologies.” Then she waved at me. “Sorry, I have a yearning for young studs.”

Nikia looked at me with the same smile. “I understand.”

I looked at the fire, wondering if the heat on my face was from the fire or from what they said.

The music started again and Ruby threw herself into her dance. She teased Nikia with her motions and when she rubbed herself against the other woman, she looked at me as if trying to convey that she would rather be dancing for me.

I watched her dance and could admit to myself that she was rather good. I would never admit that to her though. I also had difficulty sitting still without having to adjust myself.

When the music ended, Ruby ended by lying back on Nikia, as if offering both herself and our host to me.

Nikia smiled and said something in Ruby’s ear that I couldn’t hear. Ruby smiled and rose to her feet. She went back to her seat and sat down with a smile that said she knew something I didn’t know.

My glare switched from one woman to the other. I wasn’t sure with whom I felt more anger. Nikia for setting this up, or Ruby for accepting her offer. I thought that we could find the others easier by looking than by getting information from an unknown quantity, such as Nikia.

I looked at the blonde. “How did you get here?”

She smiled at me. “Are you asking me more questions for which you need answers?”

I grumbled under my breath and shook my head, no.

She blinked long lashes. “Seth, would you rather ... have a hickey or ... give a girl a hickey?”

The thought of doing that with any of my girls would have been fun, but none of them were here. Nikia had made the rules very simple and difficult to break. Whichever option I chose, I would have to do with her. I didn’t understand why, maybe it was the visage of the statue, but doing anything intimate with Nikia just seemed to turn my stomach.

But which option? Wear a hickey, and chance others asking questions I didn’t want to answer, or give her a hickey and have to press my lips to her skin? I did not relish either option.

“What’s the matter, Seth?” Ruby asked, in a teasing tone. “Don’t you want to cuddle with our host?”

Nikia turned from her to look at me, and there was something in her expression I did not expect. While every red flag that could go off and warn me of danger flew high and wide, I thought her expression offered something she couldn’t possibly experience: being rejected. She was hurt that I had rejected her? Granted, I didn’t care for this situation, mostly because I knew next to nothing about the statue or how any person could be imprisoned in one. For that matter, I wasn’t even sure she was a person. Why else would the statue be carved as such?

I stared at her, not sure what to think. I had no way of knowing her. She wouldn’t answer any questions and she seemed perfectly happy with our arrival. Then again, wouldn’t I be happy to have visitors if I had been locked up in a place like this alone for an unknown amount of time?

I tried to think of her as anything other than trouble. I tried to think of her as someone who might need help but was extremely restricted as to how to ask for that help. The idea made me feel something other than distrust for her, and that eased my concerns.

Holding her eyes with my own, I stood up and moved closer to her. “I would rather give a hickey,” I said softly.

Nikia smiled up at me and scooted forward in her seat. With one arm, she swept her long, thick hair back and over her opposite shoulder. With a tilt of her head, she exposed her neck to me. There was only one problem. Her dress was a halter top, and the top completely encased her neck.

I frowned at her. “Well, unless you want a hickey somewhere else, you’ll have to remove the neck part of your top.”

Nikia smiled up at me. Without a word, she reached up, gripped the collar with both hands, and pulled it up and over her head. She flung her hair back and dropped her hands, still holding the collar. The motion pulled the top of her dress down, exposing her big, round boobs and hard, pink nipples.

I had never intended for her to be topless, but she was, and she sat up with her back straight and her breasts thrust out as if there was nothing more in the whole world that she wanted than for me to see and be pleased by her breasts.

And they were pleasing to look at.

For a long second, I enjoyed what she offered, and then I looked up into her eyes. “Where would you like your hickey?”

She smiled and leaned back, arching her back, thrusting her breasts up and out.

I noted that Ruby grinned and squirmed in her seat before I knelt next to Nikia. I reached around her waist and pulled her closer to me. Her breasts wobbled pleasantly. Then I leaned over and nudged it with my nose. It was soft and firm, warm and fragrant. I wasn’t sure what I smelled, but it was nice. Then I rubbed my lips over her skin, a chaste kiss if you will. Her soft skin felt good against my lips, and the soft warmth of her body felt good on my face. I kissed her, once, twice, thrice.

I looked up into her eyes. She watched me with a steady gaze. Her face was frozen as if she held back any expression or emotion until something broke through. I opened my mouth wide and gently licked the side of her breast with the wide, flat of my tongue. I was pleased when goosebumps covered her flesh.

I tightened my grip on her waist and pressed my wide-open mouth to the top of her breast. Her skin tasted good, and I heard her offer a small gasp as I scrubbed her skin with my tongue and applied deep suction.

Hickeys were not something my girls and I traded. All of us enjoyed kissing and any number of other forms of oral play, even biting, but not hickeys. So, I wasn’t entirely sure that I was right about what I was doing as I sucked on her skin.

I didn’t stay there long. I pulled my head back, sucking hard, and then released her to watch her breast bounce back into place. A large, circular mark marred her skin, exactly where my mouth had been.

I pulled away and stood up. Nikia looked down at her breast and then turned to show her mark off to Ruby. Ruby blinked with a cool mix of astonishment and jealousy. I returned to my seat.

Nikia looked at me one more time, offering a smoldering smile, and - without bothering to pull the top of her dress back up - turned to Ruby. “Ruby, would you rather ... get spanked, or ... do the spanking?”

Ruby looked at me and smiled. “I love to have my ass smacked.” Then she stood up, turned, and wiggled her ass at Nikia. “Spank me,” she said.

I knew there would be something more, so I wasn’t surprised when a spanking horse grew out of the carpet between us and the fireplace. Unlike the one I had seen before; this one was wooden. It looked to have been hand-built and used a lot. The top was curved to raise one end of the person on it, and the other end had a cushion for that person’s head. Straps were attached for tying the person down and keeping them from fleeing while being ... affected. These horses weren’t only used for spanking.

Ruby straightened slowly, eyeing the spanking horse. She pointed at it and asked, “What is that?”

Nikia looked over at me. Ruby followed her gaze and I could see a mild level of shock when she realized that I knew something she didn’t.

“That is a spanking horse,” I said. “You lie down along that top bar, leaving your rear end hanging out in the air so the person spanking you can do so at a solid angle.”

She looked at the sides of the horse. “What are those for?”

She pointed at the legs, and I was sure what she meant. “Those are straps. To help hold you in place.”

Then she looked at Nikia. “You expect me to be tied down on that so you can spank me?”

Nikia stood up. I don’t know where it came from, but she held a large paddle. It looked like it could have been the base and frame for a large personal mirror, but there was no glass, and the whole thing looked much thicker too.

Ruby’s eyes widened at the sight of the paddle. “What are you going to do with that?”

Nikia said nothing. I said, “Ruby, you made a choice. I’m guessing that if either of us refuses to do what we’ve chosen then the whole thing is over and we don’t get an answer to our question.”

Nikia looked from me to Ruby and nodded.

Ruby looked down at the paddle, then back at the spanking horse, and back at Nikia. “How many swats?”

Nikia held up a hand with all of her fingers spread.

Ruby swallowed, looked at the paddle again, and then nodded. “Five swats. That won’t be too bad.”

Nikia waved at the horse as she stepped back, giving Ruby plenty of room to mount the device.

Ruby turned to the horse and stepped closer to it. She walked around it as if studying it. She stopped at the end that was raised and looked at me. Maybe she was thinking about what I said. I wasn’t sure. Without a word, she threw a leg over it and sat, as she might on a motorcycle. Then she leaned forward and lowered herself until her torso lay along the top of the device.

Without a word of warning, Nikia waved and all of the straps grabbed Ruby’s limbs, pulling them in against the legs and holding her in place. Ruby gave a start and pulled at the straps, but they refused to let go. Nikia then waved the other way and Ruby slid back along the horse, allowing her ass to hang off the end.

Ruby’s eyes were wide and her breathing was hard. She looked back at Nikia as our host moved over to stand in position, and then she looked at me.

If this was what Ruby had to do, I hated to think what Nikia would want to do to me next.

The crack of the first swat filled the room. Ruby didn’t scream, but her face turned red. She held it in.

I watched Nikia’s back as she raised the paddle again. This wasn’t a simple, easy slap. She didn’t draw back only a few inches. She drew back until her arm left her peripheral vision, and then swung the paddle down without restraint.

Ruby cried out this time.

Nikia wasn’t finished, and she didn’t let up. She pulled back again and swung again. Ruby screamed. Nikia swung again. The smack of the paddle on Ruby’s ass was drowned out by Ruby’s anguished cries. Nikia swung again. Ruby screamed louder. Tears flooded her face. Her body tried to curl up, so she could protect herself.

Nikia raised the paddle again.

I caught her wrist. “That was five,” I said.

She looked up at me, smiled, and moved back from Ruby.

I made sure to take the paddle from Nikia. The last thing I wanted was for her to try to get in more swats while Ruby recovered. I may not have liked Ruby, but I wasn’t going to stand by and let someone else torture her if I could help it.

I knelt next to Ruby, laying the paddle on the ground, and rubbed her back. “Relax, Ruby. It’s over.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes closed.

I noticed that the straps had yet to release Ruby. I looked back at Nikia and said, “Release her.”

Nikia waved a hand and the straps all released Ruby’s limbs and the redhead began to slump to the other side of the horse.

I pulled her over to my side and helped ease her to the floor. She winced and I rolled her over onto her belly. “Just relax,” I said. “Let the sting subside and then get up.”

Ruby nodded, looking for all the world like a little girl who was upset because she didn’t get to do what she wanted.

I stood up and faced Nikia. “Was that necessary?” Nikia smiled and I understood. “She was given a choice, and had she chosen to dish out the spankings, she could have hit you with any level of force she chose.”

“Give me that paddle,” Ruby grumbled. “I’m ready to hand out swats.”

I waved my hand at her. “Relax, Ruby. That stage is over.”

Nikia smiled at me and then said, “Seth, would you rather ... be covered in edible body paint or ... wear edible undergarments?”

Ruby sat up. “Why couldn’t I get a choice like that?”

I frowned at the differences too, but then I had to be prepared for something I didn’t expect. Edible body paint was meant to be licked and sucked off of the skin, but that didn’t necessarily exclude biting. And then there were edible undergarments. There was no way to know just how much material would be involved.

I didn’t want this to last any longer than it had to, so I made my decision. “I’ll wear the edible undergarments.”

Nikia smiled and nodded.

I felt an odd sensation inside my pants. Like someone had wrapped me with rubber. I looked from the blonde to the redhead and back again before pulling open my pants. Sure enough, I had on a pair of cherry red underwear. They looked like they were made of licorice.

Nikia startled me when she grabbed the loose waistband of my pants. She stepped up in front of me, squatted down, and pulled down my pants. Her movements were so sudden, I lost balance. I couldn’t catch myself and fell to my butt. She yanked my pants off me, her naked breasts jiggling with her effort and a delighted gleam in her eyes.

I pulled my feet free of my pants and scooted away. She looked way too eager to let her near me.

“What’s the matter, Seth?” Ruby called out with a teasing lilt to her voice. “You don’t want her teeth near your balls?”

Nikia smiled a wide, manic smile as she crawled after me. Her eyes were wide and her teeth looked too perfect, too white, and too big.

I backed up into one of the chairs. I looked up to see what I could grab, to pull myself up, but too late, Nikia grabbed my legs.

She didn’t do anything painful. She simply smiled in a weird, manic way that put me off. She crawled up between my legs, pushing them apart, and lowered herself so her face was level with my crotch. She ran her hands over my thighs, then down and under them. Her hands came up on my hips and over my belly as she leaned in closer. Her eyes were focused on the underwear I wore until her nose bumped my sac.

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine. The smile was gone and something else replaced the manic energy. I wasn’t entirely sure, but she looked hungry. Granted, I had seen similar looks on my girls, so it was possible she wanted something other than food, but after the toothy expressions, this one only fed my fears.

Nikia rubbed her nose against me a couple more times and then inhaled deeply. Her eyelids grew heavy. Then she opened her mouth wide like she might swallow me whole, and similar to what I did to her breast, she used the flat of her tongue to lick me.

At first, I felt nothing, but with each lick, I felt her tongue more and more distinctly. It wasn’t rough or barbed - thank goodness - but the feel of her licking me seemed to be blocked less and less by the underwear. More than that, it felt good. Exceedingly good.

It didn’t take much longer before Nikia was repeatedly licking my sack directly. Once she had her fill of licking, she pulled her arms free of my legs and rose. I looked down and found myself erect but fully covered by the edible undergarment. It was like I had a giant licorice stick for a penis. Nikia used her hands at the base of me to both hold me up straight and keep the garment in place. She smiled up at me, kissed the tip, and then took me into her mouth.

I suddenly understood the fun such garments elicited. Some of my girls had used chocolate to lick off me and have me lick off them, and Vanessa chose to use hot strawberry syrup, but the effects were the same as this: a form of foreplay that could lead to much more.

Nikia quickly sucked the material off my glans, and rather than suck on the sides of my shaft to get at the rest of the garment, she took me deep into her throat to get at it all. She never tried to drive me to orgasm, but I could tell that it wouldn’t take much more effort on her part. She drove herself down on me and kept me completely buried in her throat until the strings that held my cup in place slipped away from her hungry mouth. Then I felt something else. I felt her tongue slip out under me and caress my sac. I don’t know what she did exactly, but somehow, she used her tongue to draw my balls into her mouth too. She was gentle and her oral talents were exquisite.

I was so close to shooting off directly into her belly when she released my sac and pulled off me.

I fell back so that my head ended up under her chair as I caught my breath. Then I felt odd, small tugs and bumped my head on the chair as I tried to sit up again.

Holding my head, I looked down along my body to find Nikia pulling at the strings that went around my waist. I shifted my hips and she pulled them out, slurping them up like super-long spaghetti noodles.

I gingerly sat up again and watched as Nikia rose to her feet. She turned to face Ruby but stood silently as she finished chewing and swallowing the garment. I moved around her, climbed to my feet, and looked around for my pants. Before I found them, I heard Nikia offering Ruby her last challenge.

“Ruby, would you rather ... have sex on the kitchen table or ... on the washing machine,” and she leaned over the redhead. “ ... with the agitator going?”

I wasn’t sure which she would go for. Both sounded like fun, but then Nikia didn’t make offers without some sort of twist. Granted, neither suggestion immediately brought to mind anything that could cause any lasting damage, so maybe my concerns over her options were unfounded.

Ruby looked past Nikia to me. She rose slowly, rubbing her sore butt as she stood, and walked around Nikia to reach me. She stood close to me, looking worried. “What do you think?”

I had been so intent on the choice that I had momentarily forgotten my pants. Ruby’s fingers slid along the side of my shaft. I clasped her hand to me so she would stop moving, and focused on the question. I looked at Nikia and said, “Well, first, if you’re having sex with her, you should consider whether she’ll be wearing a strap-on or not.”

Ruby’s eyes widened for a second as she considered that. Then she looked at me. “Why would you think of that?”

“The statue wore a long loincloth,” I said. “To be honest, it was too long for a woman showing off. It was hiding something.” Then we both looked at Nikia, down at the skirt of her dress.

“She doesn’t seem to have anything between her legs now,” Ruby said in a sideways whisper.

“Seem is the operative word,” I said. I looked up into Nikia’s eyes. “Please, show us what you have between your legs.”

She smiled and nodded. She then pushed her dress down her hips, down her thighs, and bent to step out of it. She stood up again with her dress draped over her arm. Between her legs was a long, thick phallus that hung limp. It was bigger than me and she wasn’t even ready for action yet.

I looked at Ruby. Her eyes were huge and her mouth hung open. I knew she was in shock; I just didn’t know if it was from excitement or fear.

Ruby slowly closed her mouth but continued to stare at Nikia. “Seth, I don’t know whether to turn her down or ask for both options.”

“If you think you can handle her when she’s at full size, I would say give it a shot,” I said. “Otherwise, when do you think you’ll ever encounter something like that again?”

Ruby’s lips curled into a smile as she looked up at Nikia. “I think that would be too much with the agitator of a washing machine, so I’ll go for sex on a kitchen table.”

Nikia smiled a wicked smile and then waved off past the armchairs like one of the models on a game show showing off products the player could win. A section of the room lit up and we were presented with a beautiful dining room setting. The table looked like it was already set up for a meal, but the main course was missing. A huge silver platter sat in the center of the table, waiting.

Ruby looked from Nikia to the dining set and back again. She still had the shocked look in her eyes, as if someone had offered her more of something she had always wanted than she expected or dreamt.

Nikia took the lead. She stepped past the chairs, leaving her dress draped over one, and walked toward the dining area.

Ruby looked at me, squeezed me – as if for luck – let me go, and followed her, all the while looking stunned. And I followed the two women, wondering what would go wrong.

Nikia stopped and turned to face us, mostly focusing on Ruby. “Remove your clothes, please,” she said in a very soft, very lovely voice.