Chapter 51

Usagi sat at the feet of one of her new Mistresses, Carol. Her Mistress stroked her hair, unabashedly staring down at her naked body with appreciation. Usagi was happy — happy to be out of the hideous clothes she'd found under another girl's bed, the only things she could find to wear in a hurry — happy to be through her training and finally out in the real world — happy with her new House as they seemed very welcoming, all of them, even the other subs, and very joyous, even with all that had happened that night.

While Mistress Galena had been on stage, she had sat in Mistress Carol's lap, while she was told about the events of the evening. She was relatively sure Mistress Carol didn't expect her to remember all of them, as her Mistress had been caressing Usagi's breast and clit the entire time, bringing her to several small but delightful orgasms. But she had been listening, and she would remember. That was what she had been trained to do.

Harry's concentration and comprehension were much better than they'd been before Candy's little surprise, but he found he was still catching up on things that had happened earlier, only realizing their significance much later.

He was only just beginning to think of Candy and Usagi and where they would sleep, and whose nights they would share in the bedroom, and was it fair for any submissive to have to share what should be their special night, and theirs alone?

Harry was also muddling over how he was going to fulfill his obligation to their ongoing therapy that evening. He wasn't doing very well at being Kelly, and her habit of stalking and seducing whomever interested her was going to be very hard for him to manage, given his circumstances and condition. He could grab Angela, but that was far too easy — not so much the old saw about 'raping the willing', more like 'seducing the one who's thrown herself into your lap naked and begging'. He supposed he'd just have to try again some other such evening.

"As you can see, Terry, we have no problem at all with people, men or women, who want to take the collar," Vida Newton said. "Some people want to submit and there's no reason they shouldn't. Some don't, and there's no reason they should." She laughed. "And then there are people like my mother-in-law who submit for the majority of their lives and one day decide to fight their Hand, put down the collar and take up the Fist. God, that was a trip. Never thought I'd see Enid in the ring, fighting. Anyway, I can understand how you're a little leery of any situation you're not familiar with, given your experiences with Mina and House Shiloh - love to put that cunt on the floor and piss on her head — so listen, why don't you sit and visit with our collars, get a bottom-side view of our Hold, and see what you think?"

"So ... you'd accept me?"

"Of course, Terry — we're willing to accept almost anyone who's willing to play by our rules. That's part of our way of living - personal freedom and personal responsibility."

To add to the sense of grand spectacle, as well as justify the hassle of setting up the ring, Dommi had several minor fights scheduled as well. Among her regular crew of performers, there was a group that practiced various martial arts styles, and for the very rare occasions that the ring was set up, called themselves 'the Dommi-nators'. They were eager to participate, and the first warm-up fight, between two very handsome young men, was about to start. They were naked, save for head-guards, padded gloves, knee and elbow pads, their bodies oiled and gleaming in the lights. The two of them slipped their mouth guards in and went to it.

Even though the ring was twenty-by-twenty, they covered the distance between their corners like bulls, and met in the middle, only dodging and weaving at the last possible instant as they began circling each other. The Dommi-nators fights were about show as much as contest, so while not choreographed, they did tend to somewhat stylized, with the participants doing things they'd never do in a real fight, just for the sake of the show. Their only rule was 'no cheap shots', which, since the fighters' genitalia were exposed, would be unfair and not too titillating for the audience either.

There was no betting allowed on the Dommi-nator bouts, due to their entertainment aspect — a fighter might decide it would be very dramatic or amusing or sexy for him or her to take a fall, and do so. However the house was giving two-and-a-half to one on Eddie, with Li Kuan as the nominal favorite and betting was so lively that Sinfonia had it moved from the bar to the front, since the club was so packed that no one else was getting in anyway, and the bettors wouldn't be blocking her bar anymore.

Eddie growled. "If one more person wanders by and asks me to stand up and turn around, there's gonna be a gawddamn fight an' it ain't gonna be in the ring!"

"Oh, quit being such a grouch," Dommi said as she flitted past, kissing him on the cheek. "You're lucky I'm not having you stand on a revolving stage for a half-hour."

"I think I'd prefer that next time," he called after her.

Li Kuan was putting on an impromptu show of her own on one of their tables, strong-arming Puppy up and down on her strap-on as the little woman squealed.

"Go ahead, get yourself all tired," Eddie chuckled. "Make my job easier."

"Hoss," Harry said, "what makes you think Li Kuan's a fool?"

"Huh?"

"You've seen her fight, albeit briefly, and you've heard the stories about their burglar. You know the woman moderately well; you've spent time with her in a variety of situations — what makes you think she's a fool?"

"I don't."

"Then quit talking like you think she is. She's not going to do a damn thing to hurt her chances. She's strong, and she's got endurance for days. She's tough, she's skilled and she's letting you know in no uncertain terms that you don't worry her. You took a lot of punishment fighting Jeffries, even though you're doing your best not to show it. This ain't her first fight, Hoss ... quit treating her like it is. You could lose this thing."

Inside, Eddie knew that he was right, but he'd be damned if he'd admit it.

"Fine, go bet on her to win then!"

"Nope, won't do it. I bet on you, always, no matter what. But Hoss, to be perfectly honest, I think you're gonna lose this one, and I'm gonna lose my money."

"Fine, whatever! And what's this 'Hoss' shit?"

"Well, showdown at the B&D Corral, it just felt appropriate."

Galena was sitting a little tenderly, but otherwise was quite happy with the outcome of her deflowering. Andrea sat at her feet, face held to Galena's cunt, happy as she could be.

"So, you sexy little beast, enjoying your first night at Dominique's?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, mostly - but ... I don't know, I want some way ... um ... yeah, right there, slut ... uh ... I want some way of thanking Dommi — for everything, you know?"

"That's easy, Galena," Margo answered. "Just find a convenient time, spread your luscious little body on top of hers in a '69' - that I'd pay money to watch - she'll accept your thanks quite gratefully."

All assembled laughed as that idea pushed Galena over the edge, her legs locking around Andrea's head, almost smothering her as her little Mistress came like a freight train.

"Mistress Dominique," Thad Newton said, "I have a favor to ask."

"If I can, I will. What do you need, and what's with this 'Mistress Dominique' shit?"

He laughed. "Sorry, feeling overly formal for some reason I guess. Dommi, we've got a sub who's thinking about taking our collar — now that's all fine and good, but he's also asked about taking up the Fist later on. I thought if I and Wade were to fight, show him a little of what he'd face, he could make a better-informed decision. I don't know, Vida likes him, and I like him, but he's really emotionally unstable right now because of that cow, Mina — I don't want him taking our collar with the idea of trying for the Fist, only to discover he isn't up to it, and either leaving and starting all over again elsewhere, or being discontented under us. I mean, if he's going to go Dominant, ours is not anywhere near the easiest House to do it in, you know?"

"Certainly Thad, you and Wade get padded up; we'll slip you in after the next bout. I think you'll be a good follow-up to the Midget Dommi-nators."

"Thanks a lot," Thad laughed. "Now I know my place in your affections — right after the little people."

"Don't laugh, Thad," she replied, walking away, "they're a lot of fun in bed — something I have no experience with concerning you."

"You're a teasing whore, Dommi!"

"No, I never charge for it and I'm not teasing!"

Thad Newton walked away with a happy daydream in his mind.

Rochelle Lowry blinked, coming out of a sensuous fog of pot smoke and orgasms like a whale, surfacing to breathe. She rose up off the pillow on one elbow and looked around.

Dayna was still asleep, Wolfling was sitting by her, watching her. Rochelle's husband had Dragonaria on his face and Ravensclaw on his cock. All three of them were moving slowly together and part of Rochelle wanted to crawl over and join them.

A louder part wanted to disrupt them.

She opened her mouth, her tongue sharpened, and Kathleen Marsh's hand covered her mouth.

"Mistress, if I may please beg your indulgence and offer a word of advice?"

"What?" Rochelle replied, her voice much softer and kinder than it would have been had she gotten her way.

"You're trying to control things outside of you and me. I've agreed to play with you tonight, giving you the power — they haven't, and you can't make them. My sisters are saying 'thank you' to your husband in the best way they know how. If I didn't have a previous engagement," she smiled, "I'd be joining them. I noticed earlier that Wolfling was expressing her gratitude — you were a little busy being a very happy woman. Dayna will want to give him her thanks as well, some other time."

Kathleen scooted up closer to Rochelle's face.

"Part of feeding my control issues is realizing I can't eat everything in sight, to extend a metaphor to near the breaking point. I'm blessed with the privilege of the control I've been granted. I accept that blessing, I realize that it is enough; I don't need to go looking for more. That would be an insult to what I do have. And oddly enough, that acceptance has brought me more such blessings than I think I could ever have achieved by grasping around greedily. When you're comfortable with what you have, and you're taking good care of it, more comes your way. Or at least that's been my experience."

"You're awfully wise for a slut," Rochelle said, her voice still soft. "But I have a question — how do I deal with such a wise slut that's still silly enough to interrupt me, and put her hand over my mouth, no matter how good the reason?"

"I'm not sure, Mistress, but if I were to guess, I'd say it probably involves your cunt and her lips ... or even your bottom and her tongue. Hard to say, really — but those would be my best guesses."

Dragonaria fell forward off Mike's face and into a pile of pillows. Mike looked around; face glistening and locked eyes with Rochelle.

She was hurt and upset by the look of apprehension on his face. Was she really such a bitch? She had to think back no further than a few minutes before to realize that she was indeed.

Rochelle Lowry accepted that hurt and agitation — she had earned it. She smiled at him, happy that he was enjoying himself, happy that she was able to share her life with him, very happy that they were where they were that evening.

Mike smiled back, and she was gratified to see a joy in his face that she hadn't seen all that often in the last several years.

"Slut, go plant that sweet slit of yours on his face, take some time to tell him thank you. I'll be fine."

Rochelle settled back to watch the fun.

While Wade Ellenson had never even tried to take the Fist, he enjoyed sparring with other members of the Hold. Thad had told him he was more than skilled enough to fight his Hand and leave the collar behind, should he ever want to, but Wade was happy in the collar — but happier still when he got a chance to get in the ring.

The only instructions Thad had for his collared partner were simple.

"Let's not get hurt tonight."

The two of them circled each other for a time, playing the old game of feinting and faking, gauging each other's reaction times and awareness, studying their opponent to see if they were favoring a leg, or guarding a rib, looking for any sign of weakness or injury.

Then Thad made a feint that wasn't and Wade was spun halfway around. He crouched down, knowing Thad's favorite follow-up was a kick to the head, and saw his Lord's leg swinging overhead. He stood and spun at the same time, his fist flashing out to catch Thad solidly on the jaw as he recovered from his kick. The two separated and circled again.

Galena finally got up the courage to go talk to Thad Newton and his Lady, only to find him preparing for his bout with his sub. She and Andrea stood off to one side and watched the two of them climb into the ring and begin.

"Maybe it'll be easier approach her now, already be there when he gets finished," she said to Andrea.

"Well then, my Bossy Bitch, we'd better get moving then," Andrea replied.

Galena glared at her, mentally planning her very physical response for later in the evening.

They walked over and Galena said "Lady Newton, I was wondering-"

"If you could sit down with us," Vida Newton replied. "By all means, Mistress Galena." The older woman patted the bench seat right next to her. "Would you care to throw your sub into the middle of our crew, see what happens? I think she'll have a good time."

Galena smiled at the grinning Andrea. "Slut, go entertain the troops." She returned her attention to Lady Newton. "I've been wondering if what you and Lord Newton said was the truth."
"About bidding for the privilege of popping that last, juicy cherry of yours? Oh, most definitely. I mean, he wouldn't have taken out a mortgage on the house, but thankfully, he wouldn't have had to if we'd seriously wanted to top Minerva Cornelius' bid. But then she would have raised, and we would have raised and if she was feeling particularly mischievous, she might have let us win — with a bid we couldn't easily afford. We'd pretty much set thirty-five to forty thousand as our upper limit."

Galena sat back and took a deep, long breath.

Lady Newton chuckled. "Daunting, isn't it little girl, to realize how much money was riding on the chance to take you in the bottom? By the way, every House in the alliance, except of course your own, bid, although by the end, it had come down to us and Minerva." She leaned over, breathing her words into Galena's ear. "So, did you stand over there watching us, wondering what it would be like to be the creamy filling in a Thad and Vida sandwich?"
While Vida Newton hadn't appeared on her radar at the time, there was no denying that had changed in a big way. Not truthfully, but diplomatically, Galena answered, "Yes, Lady Newton, that had crossed my mind."

"I'm Vida, sweetie, and you're Galena. If we're going to double team my husband when he gets through in the ring, I think we should be on a first name basis, don't you?"

Galena stood up, shoved aside her nerves and sloughed off her blouse, while Vida undid Galena's skirt.

"Why don't we get started a little early," she replied, part of her not believing what she was hearing come out of her own mouth, "and make sure we're good and warmed up when he gets here."

Vida Newton's skirt slid to the floor. "Absolutely, my dear."

Thad Newton had a brief moment's respite while Wade stepped back. He looked to his Hold's tables and saw his wife on her knees, with Galena's legs over her shoulders, going to work on the young woman with a will. Galena's head was thrown back, a flush rising up her chest, and Thad Newton never saw the blow coming that laid him low.

"All right, the main and final event in our ring tonight, for your entertainment, Master Janak of House Chorale versus Li Kuan of House Cornelius."

The majority of those attending raised a cheer.

Dommi continued. "The betting window will be open for another five minutes, while the two of them get padded up. I'd also like you to know that there's a side bet between the two of them-"

Eddie had thought about what Harry had said, and while his confidence wasn't shaken, his arrogance had been. As Dommi announced the terms of his bet with Li Kuan, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't up to his best. Jeffries' blows hadn't been anything to sneeze at, and he was still feeling the effects. Not that he would allow that to stop him, but he took a moment to resign himself to the possibility of getting cornholed by his opponent in front of God and everyone.

"Master Janak," Li Kuan said, kindly, "if you are not up for this, or if you want to call off our bet, I will agree. I will lord your decision over you mercilessly, of course, but I would agree to cancel the bet, or the match, should you so desire."

"Thank you, Li Kuan," he replied, "you're an honorable opponent, but no. The bout's been bet on, and our wager's been announced. Let's go give these people a show."

"Fuck giving anyone a show," Li Kuan said, grinning, her sharp teeth shining in the lights, "let's go see who is best."

Eddie leaned against his corner, while Harry checked his pads.

"Okay Hoss-"

"Enough with the gawddamn 'Hoss' already!"

"Okay then, Eddie, get your head straight, make your peace with God, and go kick her ass," Harry said.

"Any rules?" Li Kuan asked.

"Let's agree that if eyes are gouged out, they must be handed back when it's over," Eddie said, chuckling.

Li Kuan smiled, a wide, appreciative grin.

"Interesting quote to start this with, Master Janak, but you are not a sergeant, and you have the wrong last name."

While everyone else who heard the exchange was confused, the two of them nodded to each other politely and went to their corners.

The first round started out well for Eddie as he managed to tag Li Kuan in the shoulder almost as soon as the bell rang. She reeled a little from the blow, but then pulled back a step and stayed just inside their mutual range. Li Kuan proceeded to play a waiting game, effortlessly dodging Eddie's attacks, watching for openings, watching for slow responses to her feints and jabs.

Eddie tried not to let her see where he was hurting, but his attempt was doomed from the start. Li Kuan remembered every blow he'd taken from Owen Jeffries and any time he left one of those spots open, she zeroed in on it, brutally attacked it, took the hits in return but still came out on top in every such exchange.

For his part, Eddie felt like he was being hit with the fists and feet of an angry goddess, every blow landing where he was already hurting, while she seemed to be shaking off his strikes like they were marshmallows. Eddie knew if the fight went on too long, that's what he'd be throwing. He had to finish it before her strategy brought him to his knees — or worse, face down and out for the count.

Dommi hit the bell and the first round ended. The winner, in case of doubt, was to be decided by acclamation, and as Li Kuan danced back to her corner, hands held together in triumph over her head, the crowd let Eddie know she'd won the first round - while he managed to walk back to his without stumbling. He considered it a victory.

"All right Eddie, you want the truth?" Harry asked as Eddie slumped in his corner.

"I'm gettin' the shit beat outta me?"

"Yeah, yeah that's about the size of it."

"Yippee fuckin' skip, tell me somethin' I don't already know."

"The crowd cheered every time she pegged one on you?" Candy said.

"Who the fuck is she again?" Eddie growled.

"One of our new girls," Harry replied. "I think she's going to fit in wonderfully."

"Yeah, she's already pissin' me off."

"That does seem to be part of their jobs, from time to time."

"Well, good to know she's already on the gawddamn timeclock. Gimme somthin' to drink."

Harry passed him something and Eddie downed it without even looking at it, only to come up choking.

"I MEANT WATER!"

"That wasn't what you asked for," Harry replied, looking mournfully into his empty snifter. "You owe me a Benedictine and brandy."

"Sue me."

The second round began and Eddie changed his strategy. He tried to stay far enough out of range so that he had time to dodge anything she threw at him, only to find he was spending all of his time dancing back and forth on legs that ached all the way to the bone in places. The exertion was tiring him, and he'd already been too tired to begin with.

And she still managed to occasionally hang one on him. She had narrowed her focus to his bruised and knotted legs, and dished out savage kicks every chance he gave her. By the end of the second round, he hadn't landed a shot, and was moving so slowly it almost qualified as a walk.

"You want to throw in the towel?"

"Nope, ain't ready to get buggered yet."

"I would prepare myself, if I were you," Candy said, wiping him down with a towel.

"Who the unholy fuck made you one o' my corner men?"

"No one, just volunteered."

"Thanks, ever so."

"Sir," she said, "if I may offer a suggestion. I know a little about this sort of thing, ask Master Grimes if you doubt me. In the first round, you tried trading punches, and she made you pay dearly for it. Second round, you tried her stratagem, and she made you pay even more dearly for it. My advice would be to go all out, bore straight in and do your best to beat her down, focusing everything on one area of her body - because win or lose, there isn't going to be a fourth round."

"Yeah ... yeah. All right. So I go kamikaze on her ass and pray she drops before I do. I dunno about you, but I wish the house was still taking bets."

"Why," Harry asked.

"So you could make a little money for me bettin' on her to win."

The bell rang and Eddie charged. With deep bruises and cramps in both legs, feeling like a cripple, he slammed into Li Kuan, taking her by surprise. He roared in triumph, sounding more like a cow with a cold, even as he pushed her back to the ropes, slid her into a corner and hammered at her mid-section with all he had left. His arms were only nominally in better shape than his legs, and while he let her know he was there, he knew he wasn't doing enough damage to her to put her down — not even close.

Li Kuan leaned down as he was punching her and asked in a quiet voice, "Do you want to give up?"

"No ... you're gonna haveta ... beat me."

"Fair enough."

She shoved him back, brought a foot up and kicked him all the way to center ring. She leapt into the air, teeth and piercings flashing, to land beside him, hopping up again on the bounce to come down on him with her body, catching him with no defense. The breath went out of him like a firehose and before he could get it back he was slapping the floor of the ring, signaling his surrender.

After allowing him a moment to recover, she helped him up off the floor.

"You fought well, but you were at a disadvantage. Had you admitted it, we would have fought another day, when you were not already hurt. Your pride defeated you, Master Janak, not I."

"Yeah ... that's happened ... a lot ... in my life."

"I imagine so. Listen to your woman, she is wise and could teach you much."

Eddie groaned as Li Kuan helped him to his corner.

"I dunno, she talked me into this wager."

Li Kuan stopped, and turned to face Eddie.

"Yes, yes she did, because win or lose, it would help loosen you up. You are determined to ignore the privileges she gives you freely. You hold yourself in check, rigidly defending a position - supposedly for her - that she does not want you to defend. She wants you to be free, she wants you to be happy, she wants you playing in this society — that cannot happen if you continue to view every errant daydream as unfaithfulness to her."

"What makes you think that?"

"I am not blind, Master Janak."

She smiled at him, an unpleasant, toothy smile.

"I shall enjoy violating you. I shall take from you the blood I could not from the little girl earlier."

"You and I are talkin' when we get home," Eddie said as they strapped him onto a frame that left him on his knees, arms stretched out overhead, legs pulled open at the waist.

"Yes Master," Tamara replied, tears in her eyes.

"Oh shit, with the tears already — what?"

"You are disappointed in me."

"No — what, no! I just don't ... I guess even after all this time, I just don't understand you."

"Then we shall talk, Master."

"Yes we will," Eddie replied as he felt Li Kuan begin to apply the lubrication.

Galena was riding Thad Newton in a slow, almost lazy motion, gliding back and forth on his cock. Behind her, Vida was holding her upright, chewing on her neck and gripping her breasts firmly, fingers softly caressing her nipples.

The urgency, the fever, had left Galena. She was satiated, but not ready to stop. She'd been waiting for years for the day she would be free to be who she wanted to be — a day she'd begun to believe would never arrive, when she lived at home with her large family. But then she'd spied on Harry and Carol, and a whole new world had opened up for her, a world where she could do whatever she wanted, where she could fuck whomever she desired, all she had to do was be willing to live with the consequences, whatever they might be. That responsibility, to live with the effects of what she chose to do, was at once enormously freeing, and starkly limiting. There was no "I didn't know what I was doing" or "It's not my fault" — she was responsible for her actions, period, end of statement. That meant there were still things she dared only dream of doing.

On the other hand, she thought as another orgasm was born inside her, there were things she'd most definitely do — like fuck Lord and Lady Newton any time they offered.

"Sweetie, I think you might want to rest for a moment ... your House's Master Janak is about to get buggered, long and hard unless I miss my guess," Thad said.

"All right ... turn me around ... and let me ... watch this..."

The rig held his face up, and even over the back of Puppy, who knelt before him, he could see the camera's unblinking eye. He resolved to show it nothing, and began to give Puppy her rim job.

Li Kuan was gentle ... not as gentle as she'd been with Galena, but she did thoroughly lube him, and rubbed the tip of her dildo around his ass in a moderately successful attempt to relax him. It at the very least allowed him to relax his butt cheeks, resigning him to the inevitability of it.

But once she began the insertion, there was no stopping, and it wasn't particularly slow. She didn't ram it in at full speed, but to Eddie, it felt more than fast enough.

He failed in his attempt to show no reaction, and his wide-eyed look of pain, the red rush of shame crawling up his face as his tongue wormed around Puppy's ass, seemed to be on every screen.

She gave him a moment to adjust, before starting to slide in and out of him, raking the spikes that pierced her arms across his sweaty back, drawing lines of red on him from one side to the other and up and down.

"Are you enjoying this, my bitch," she asked softly, so softly that no one else could hear except him and Tamara, who had his cock in her mouth as she lay on the floor beneath the rig.

"Time ... o' ... my ... life..." Eddie murmured, before returning his tongue to action, pushing at the tiny black woman's sphincter.

In his mind, he knew that any pleasure he might eventually be able to take from his position wouldn't mean he was gay — Harry enjoyed anal a lot, and he didn't have a gay bone in his body, although Eddie suspected there might be a bit of a bisexual streak in there somewhere. Eddie was secure in his manhood, which almost made him laugh when he juxtaposed that thought with being buggered by a Chinese pain slut, and he'd never found any man sexually attractive, but even so, there were the echoes from his youth, the childish voices saying "If you take it in the ass you're a fag." Eddie resolved for himself that that definitely didn't hold true, he was still finding the thought of sucking a cock uninviting ... but ... once the pain had eased up, and his rectal muscles had come to terms with what they viewed as 'the rock-hard turd that will not go away', he had felt his cock hardening in his beloved's mouth and not solely from his woman's considerable oral skills. It had to be the sensations from his ass, although he might also attribute some of it to the sweating, pulsing rectum in front of his eyes. He enjoyed rimming Tamara, and Puppy had had an enema before his humiliation began, so she was fresh and clean.