Chapter 64: Oil of Roses

Saturday 10/14/06 10:00 AM

"Rise and shine, Master, Mistress, subbies galore!" rasped Dayna. "In two hours Dommi will be here to discuss scheduling."

"She can fuckin' join us in bed," Carol said from under the covers.

"So will Nancy Velacourt," Dayna continued.

"She can definitely join us in bed," Harry said in a muffled voice.

"Nope, she likes little oriental girls, you don't qualify," Dayna said.

"Dammit." Harry's head came out from under the covers, and he grabbed a towel, wiping Camille's juices off his face. "Any word from Madam?"

"No, sir. I'm hoping this is a case of no news equaling good news," Candy said from the doorway. "If Dayna and I don't see bodies coming out of that bed in the next ten seconds, I'm coming in after you."

"Even me?" Kelly asked.

"Even you, Mistress."

It took a little more than ten seconds, but not more than twenty, for the bed to be emptied of occupants.

"I know, I know," Harry groused. "I'll go start coffee."

"Hold up there, gimpy," Candy said. "Angela's tried her hand at it this morning. I'll go tell her to start it brewing. We'll see how she does."

"You're acting as Carol's chief of staff right now, aren't you?"

"Yes, Harry, she is," Carol called from the bathroom.

"That explains why I can't have you beaten for referring to me as 'gimpy'," Harry sighed. "Let me guess. You're not going to be anywhere near that familiar with me when I could actually punish you for it?"

Candy came and knelt at his feet.

"Master may do with me as he chooses, anytime, with or without justification."

"Yeah, that's true. Fine. Get up. Who's cooking this morning?"

"Usagi is well on her way to having breakfast ready," Candy said as she got up off the floor.

"So, I don't have time for a shower," Harry mused.

"Oh, no sir, you do," Candy corrected him. "But only if I, or someone equally adept at motivation, helps you get a move on, sir."

"Tempting offer ... fuck it. Food then shower. But first..."

Harry walked in the bathroom to find both toilets occupied.

"Dammit."

"I'm on my way home," Margo said. "I'll talk to you when I get there."

Devon steered the car through the traffic. She was still getting used to the way her new family did things. Very few scheduled excursions. Really big on impromptu trips. She'd still been asleep when Madam decided to go to the hospital that morning. A shake on the shoulder and five minutes to get ready was all she'd had. If it hadn't been automatic to grab them, Devon felt sure she'd be driving without pants and without her gun.

She'd have felt more naked without the gun.

"Do you think we'll make it back in time for breakfast?" Margo mused.

"I'll do my best," Devon replied, gritting her teeth and accelerating.

"No, no, Devon, I'm sorry, that wasn't meant as chastisement, or encouragement. I was just wondering."

Devon breathed a little easier as she backed the Rolls down from eighty-five.

"I'm very sure, Madam, if we've missed it, they'll make more."

It had worked out very unfairly for Li Kuan.

She was only allowed to stay at the hospital for twelve hours a day. Hans and Andre split the remainder of the time.

Li Kuan could take them, but it would hurt a lot, so she let them have their way with the schedule.

She had arrived at the hospital in time to spend a little time talking with Madam Grimes. Li Kuan was not encouraged by the Madam's report.

"Imaging has shown a hell of a lot of dead heart tissue," Margo said. "There are theoretical treatments on the horizon, but nothing viable in the here and now. Because of her age, no one will consider a transplant."

Margo had paused and then hugged Li Kuan tightly, whispering in her ear.

"If you blame yourself for this, you are stupid. You are not medically trained, and any attempt to get her to a doctor would have been countermanded by that stubborn old woman in there."

Margo released her, and stepped back to a more professional distance.

"She's evidently been suffering minor coronaries for quite some time. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I've been there for one or two of them ... and I didn't recognize them for what they were. Well, maybe that one at dinner, but even then I was merely concerned, not alarmed, or I would have called an ambulance.

"And unlike you, Li Kuan, I am a doctor. I missed it."

"For that, you may blame the Madame as well," Li Kuan said, shaking her head. "When a lifetime is spent projecting calm and control, it is easy to mask serious issues from one's family and friends. You should not blame yourself, Madam, and you're right ... I will not blame myself."

"You're lying. You will blame yourself."

"Yes, Madam, but it will be tempered by the truth of your words. As your self-blame should be as well."

After Margo had gone, Li Kuan sat beside her beloved's bed, holding a frail and wrinkled hand in both of hers. If she had any notion of how to pray, or belief in its efficacy, she would have prayed.

There was no breakfast when Margo and Devon arrived home, but within fifteen minutes that situation was rectified.

After she was through eating, Margo talked about Madame Cornelius's condition.

"We're going to lose her. Maybe not in the next week or so, but I'll be surprised if she ever goes home again.

"Unless, of course, she up and decides that she will go home, in which case all bets are off. Right now she is in such bad shape she may actually be happy to be in the hospital. She's sleeping most of the time, and not strong enough to speak when she's awake, so we're not sure how she's actually feeling. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, to know whether she's sleeping or awake.

"I don't think she'll see the Samhain Fetish Ball."

With that, Margo collected her spouses.

"Candy, Dayna, make sure someone comes and gets us when our guests arrive."

Then the four of them, and no one else, retreated to the bedroom and closed the door.

She lay on the bed, surrounded by love. Harry on one side, Kelly on the other, Carol snuggled on top of her, Margo felt she might have the strength to survive what was coming.

If she had to say how Minerva had kept going this far, she'd have said it was sheer force of will ... a will that relaxed after their coronation. In addition, with the progress her niece Ophelia was making, Margo suspected Minerva was confident she could lay down her burdens at last, and let someone else carry them.

That 'someone else' was Margo, and the weight was trying to crush her with every second.

Dommi came in the bedroom without knocking, saw the way people were arranged on the bed, shifted Carol toward Harry, got Kelly to stand up, lay where Kelly had been cuddled next to Margo, and then had Kelly get on top next to Carol.

"Margo," she said, holding in her tears, "Minerva couldn't have chosen a better successor, and I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but with your family's help, you can do this. You won't fail."

Margo tried to smile, failed, and whispered 'thank you'.

Nancy Velacourt arrived, was told the news just as Dommi had been, whipped out her phone, and made some calls. Some of her arrangements were simple, some more difficult, but being who she was and knowing who she knew, there was no doubt the end result would be as she wished.

"Go get them now," she told Candy. "I'm through hatching evil plans for the moment."

The scheduling issues were handled with ease. Clubs, calendar, not a hard thing to work out.

The talk with Nancy Velacourt was a little more daunting.

The meeting had moved out by the pool, submissives bringing drinks and pipes as needed.

"So," Nancy said, "let me get this straight. You want to tie our Houses together by marriage, old school, so to speak?"

"Yes," Margo replied. "Not just because we love and appreciate you, but because our enemies will try to strip your support from us. It would be hard, but they'll try ... unless we give them a reason to not even bother."

"You know," Nancy mused, "with just a little coaching, you're proving you can truly be the Madam of a major House, as well as the ... well, I know you hate the term, but Queen of our entire area ... or more."

"Thank you, I think," Margo replied, laughing. "I agree, it's taken some coaching, and it will require even more, but there are plenty of people, including yourself, who seem willing to help with that."

"Yes there are. Many of us, and more every day, have a vested interest in you remaining in power for a very long time. Let me think on this for a while."

"Certainly, no need to rush anything," Kelly said. "Life's been busy enough lately. Is anyone getting a little peckish? I know we ate not too terribly long ago, but it's a little past 1, and we might want something to tide us over 'til supper. What do we want to do for supper, by the way?"

"Supper is on me tonight," Nancy said. "I've already made reservations for all of us. I hope you approve?"

"This House turn down free food?" Harry said. "Perish the thought."

The afternoon turned into the evening, and they met Nancy at Charlie Cho's Sushi.

"Don't let the name fool you," Nancy said as they gathered in the parking lot. "Charlie knows his fish. Used to be run out of an old Dairy Queen and called "Charlie Cho's Sushi To Go" until I and some other investors talked him into opening up a real restaurant. Now he's raking the cash in, and his food just keeps getting better."

"You don't have to sell me," Kelly said. "One of my exes was addicted to this place. We used to come here all the time when we were dating."

She felt her spouses's eyes on her, turned and said, "Yes, your demure little wallflower of a wife had a love life before you dragged her into your den of iniquity!"
"Nice guy?" Harry asked.

"If you like pretentious frat-boys, he was a peach," Kelly replied. "If you don't, then he's shit on the bottom of your shoe."

Carol chuckled, "And now we know why he's an ex."

"Oh God yes," Kelly sighed. "I admit, I was shallow in my dating life. The money bought him several second chances, but in the end, there wasn't enough money in the world to put up with his shit."

"Any chance we'll run into him here?" Margo said.

"No, his grandfather got pissed at his mediocre grades, and made him come home. Amazing how quickly Chad came around to seeing his grandfather's point of view when the money stopped flowing." She winced. "Though I'd say there's a real good chance we'll run into some of his frat brothers."

She pointed to several cars in the parking lot with "BSS" stickers.

"Bull Shit Slobs?" Carol said.

"No, Beta Sigma Sigma, or Beta Sigma Squared. They give drinking to excess and date rape a bad name," Kelly replied.

Nancy said, "Would you prefer we go somewhere else? I don't want you messed with..."

Margo said, "They're welcome to try."

That settled the issue in everyone's eyes.

From the outside, there really wasn't much to recommend Charlie's. The place looked like it had been a Pizza Mountain franchise, been expanded with no attention paid to aesthetics, then had Pier One oriental crap put everywhere to give the exterior some atmosphere.

Inside, however, was a different story. Very tasteful décor, still in an oriental motif, and a waitstaff that left several members of the party almost panting.

As a young woman approached, she greeted Nancy.

"Mrs. Velacourt, what a pleasure! Your room is ready for you. Please follow me."

As they walked through the restaurant, a drunken young man bumped into Margo.

"'Scuse me ... hey."

"Hey..." Margo replied, rolling her eyes.

"Baby, if someone isn't fucking you regular, it's a goddamn shame. I could help you with that."

With a few quick nudges, Harry, Carol, and Kelly moved in front of Margo, pushing the obnoxious drunk backwards.

"Someone is..." Kelly said.

"Better said, we are..." Carol added.

"All three of us," Harry finished.

"Huh..." the drunk replied. "Uh, you..." he continued, fixing his gaze on Kelly. "I know you ... you were Chad's skank year before last, weren't you?"

Kelly's hands were on Carol and Harry's arms in a heartbeat.

"Yeah, Chad's skank, that's my name, remember it." She looked the drunk in the eyes, closely. "You know why he's not here anymore? I called his grandfather, told him about Chad fucking off instead of studying and going to class. I wonder if I can remember your name..."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I mistaked ... mistooked ... you for someone else ... I'm pretty sure ... something." He wandered off.

"There goes a future Vice-President of these United States," Kelly said. "Either that or he'll be on an important someone's staff."

Nancy sighed. "Don't be realistic, darling, it only brings the mood down. Let's go eat some sushi and talk."

Behind lockable double doors, there was a small antechamber, open doorways off to either side, sliding paper screen door opposite the door in.

"Gentlemen to the left, ladies to the right," Nancy said. "You should find robes of suitable size. Get undressed, put on a robe, meet back here."

Curious, the Grimes did as she bade, and met back in the antechamber.

Nancy led them through the sliding doors. Low tables, cushions between them and the walls, and on those low tables, naked oriental women, with sushi artfully displayed upon their bodies.

"So, we're going sarariman chic," Harry said, eying the women.

"None of your are offended by nude women..." Nancy began.

"Not at all," Kelly interjected.

"So I figured no one would object," Nancy finished. "Now, sake, dinner, tea, and then on to business."

The sushi was incredible, the company lively, the presentation tolerably erotic, and a good time was had by all.

"So," Nancy said, as tea was served. "First off, I'd have no problem sitting here and visiting all evening long, plying you with sake and these lovelies from my stock," she said, motioning to the women on the tables. "But you have things to do at Dominique's tonight, so let's move on to business."

"You keep mentioning business, but I thought we'd pretty much put things on hold while you had a chance to think," Kelly said.

"We did, I did, here's my response," Nancy replied. She clapped her hands loudly. In no more than a few seconds, the doors opened and a beautiful, lithe, slender young woman walked in, wearing a robe like theirs.

"Undress please," Nancy said, and the robe slid off the woman to the floor in the middle of the 'u' formed by the tables. "Turn please..."

The young woman, without any self-consciousness, turned, displaying her charms as if she was one of Nancy's stock.

"All right, she's very attractive," Margo said. "It's not that we don't appreciate the show, but why are we getting it?"

"I offer my daughter, Magda, to your House to further our alliance through marriage. She just turned 18, is not a virgin – I don't think that's a problem for you – and our doctor says she's free of disease and capable of bearing children. She is my baby, my youngest, my treasure. She is a switch, though she leans strongly to the submissive side of things."

From the Grimes, there was nothing but shocked silence.

"You know, it's absolutely precious you think this will stop when you scream," Tina said. "You have a safe word. If you want this to stop, that's the only thing that's gonna do it."

"Why ... are ... you ... treating ... me ... this ... way?" Kim, Carol's sister, ground out between clenched teeth.

"Are you trying to distract me from your training with stupid questions, slut?" Tina said. "Are you really that dumb?"

"Not ... dumb ... just ... uneducated ... about ... this..."

"Oh ... well, that's totally different then. There's always time to answer questions. But it's a part of training that answering questions doesn't give you a break. Otherwise the right to an explanation would be abused. It wasn't that way when I was brought in, and I abused the shit out of it. Let me tighten up these clips a little, add a few more clothespins ... there."

Tears rolled down Kim's pretty face as Tina sat back, admiring her work.

"In answer to your question, something this formal is always at the command of a Dominant. If one of us was tormenting you on the sly – and pray you never piss off your fellow submissives that badly – that's how you'd know it wasn't sanctioned from on high. We'd be sneaky about it.

"This ... this is on orders. Our House was tasked to train you by Mistress Kelly. And we're going to. It's as much teaching you the rules, the forms, the rituals, as it is evaluating you, and where you're at in your submission. We'll find out your limits, what you like and don't like..."

"I ... Don't ... Like ... This..."

Tina's hand flashed out and left a red imprint on Kim's cheek.

"Don't interrupt. We'll find out what you do like, and what you're good for. At any time, feel free to use your safe word, but don't abuse it. You object too much, you get kicked to the curb, and that would make Mistress Kelly upset."

"Who the fuck ... are my sister ... and the others ... that they have so much ... authority?"

"Wow, you are uneducated. Society politics 101, coming up, but first, an ice cold gel butt plug."

"Let me guess," Nancy Velacourt said, "you were rather hoping I would take a little longer to think it over."

"Um ... yeah," Harry replied. "A decision like this, we were probably thinking in terms of weeks..."

"My dear man," Nancy said, shaking her head, "the more quickly you move, the less chance your enemies have to prepare. I'm not saying you need to decide now, but sooner is better than later. Leisure is something we may still have, but I don't want to bet on it, you shouldn't either. Just welcoming me back into the fold, so to speak, pissed people off – not mentioning any of the other beautiful things you did flying in the face of tradition – well, local tradition anyway." She motioned to her daughter. "Magda, come sit by me."

As the girl did so, she continued.

"Now, I know you've discussed this type of thing with Minerva, I'll reiterate some of it and sweeten the pot. You, Master Grimes, or Master Janak, will be obligated to give Magda a good chance to conceive. You, as a House, are responsible for the support and raising of any offspring. However, that isn't going to be as onerous as it sounds, since my daughter's dowry is a ten percent non-voting share of House Velacourt's business. Estimated by last year's accounts, approximately $750,000 a year. I think that will cover expenses. If it doesn't, cut back at the Versace baby clothes." She smiled. "Hopefully, now that we're no longer a Shadow House, business will improve ... and some of my rivals are very upset with you bringing us back into the fold."

"Our accountant is going to scream bloody murder," Margo muttered. "We accept, Mistress Velacourt. We will cherish your daughter."

"Wait, don't we need to talk about this some?" Harry asked.

"She's right, my love. We need to move fast," Margo said. "And we've already done all the talking that matters."

"All right," Kelly said. "When?"

"Why not Samhain Fetish Ball?" Carol replied. "Big things already happening, and it would further nail the lid on Laney's coffin, right there in front of his eyes." Mentally she chastised herself for using a death analogy when Minerva Cornelius was in the hospital. "If the Karghold can put forth a candidate by then, we can make it a triple announcement."

Kelly got up, took Magda by the hand, and brought her over to sit with the family.

"Welcome, honey," Kelly said. "How do you feel about girls?"

"I serve all genders at their pleasure, Mistress," Magda replied in a soft, pleasant voice. "And I serve them to my great pleasure."

"Oh, I like her," Kelly said.

A celebratory round of sake was ordered, and drunk, and then Margo checked her phone.

"Well, we may have stayed too long, my dears. Home to change, and then to Dominique's. Mistress Velacourt, we will gladly officially welcome Magda to our family at the ball."

Although Kelly was expecting trouble, she thought once they were on their way out the door into the parking lot, they'd be okay.

She wasn't expecting to see a herd of Beta Sigmas leaning up against their cars, waiting on her family.

"Well Pete wasn't lying to me," said a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man. "Chad's slut showed her face in public ... outside of a delivery uniform that is. Always loved seeing you delivering pizza like the service-industry peon you are. Haven't seen you at school this year. Finally find a maid's position somewhere?"

"Davis," Kelly said. "I should've realized you'd be here – where's there's stink there's shit. Need to make up what passes for your mind. Am I Chad's skank, as Pete seems to think, or Chad's slut, as you've proclaimed. I don't mind these cute little nicknames, but let's settle on one."

"Does it really matter? You're trash either way. I'm thinking Chad's cumrag, or Chad's fuckpig would work equally as well. Or maybe something a little more traditional, a little more historically accurate..."

"I wouldn't, boy, if I were you," Harry said. "I'm pretty sure your Daddy and Mommy don't want to have to scrape you up off this parking lot with a fucking spoon."

Margo's teeth were grinding, for more than one reason.

"Harry," she muttered, from behind him as he'd stepped around her to the fore, "if you fuck up your leg I'm going to kick your ass."

Davis studied the group in front of him. Chad's whore, a little woman scarcely big enough to worry he and his friends, a tall middle-aged woman, another middle-aged woman, and the man, who had a brace on his leg and walked with a limp.

"That's some brave bullshit right there," Davis said. "Brave, but still bullshit. It won't be me..." he paused, and looked at his assembled friends for effect, "it'll be you someone will be scraping up."

Harry smiled.

"Devon, Alice?"

The two women stepped out of the shadows. Both of their coats were open, the shoulder holsters evident in the harsh glare of the parking lot lights.

"See, cumguzzler," Harry said, "I'm older, I'm not so overcharged with testosterone I can't see straight, and I've rarely worried about how a fight was won. I know you're looking at those handguns right now, and they're worth noting, but I promise you, either one of these two could beat you and your friends into bloody ballsacks without using them at all. Right now, I think they're just salivating for the chance."

"Sure am, Boss," Devon said. "I'm thinking of shoving good ol' Pete's arm up Davis's ass, and breaking it off up there. Listen to Davis crying like the little pussy he is. I wonder if he'll call for his Mama..."

"Too inefficient," Alice said, no trace of emotion on her face or in her voice. "A quick beatdown for all eight of them, twenty seconds, no more. Then we call the police and wait for them to arrive."

Harry sighed. It all might have ended with just words, but he knew guys – Devon had ensured Davis had to do something, or lose face with his friends. Alice hadn't helped matters, but Devon's comment had been designed to hit straight at Davis's twisted sense of masculinity ... just as Harry's had been, if he was honest with himself. Harry sighed inwardly, and hoped for an entertaining show.

As expected, Davis sauntered over and got in Devon's face.

"Go for it, bitch. I'll even give you first shot."

"Nope," Devon replied, "I don't put my hands on walking shitpiles unless I have to. So hard to get rid of the smell."

And Davis brought his fist back.

The blow never landed. There was a blur of motion Harry swore he'd ask Devon about later, maybe get her to demonstrate in slow motion what had happened, and Davis was on the pavement, face down.

At some point in the procedure, Alice had swept her coat out of the way so she could draw without difficulty.

"No need for anyone else to get beaten," she said calmly. "Just stay where you are."

Had Davis's fight lasted a little longer, been a little more comprehensible, his friends might have done something stupid. As it was, it had seemed almost magical, and their fear overrode their drunkenness and their hormones.

Devon wasn't even breathing hard as she dialed 911.

"We're late, goddamn it!"

"Madam, calm down or I'll have Candy sedate you when we get home," Carol said. "We all know we're late, and if Devon drives any faster we'll be even more late."

Margo glared at her wife but quit bitching.

"So, we get home, get into casual clothes, we'll make it to Dominique's no more than an hour after we planned," Carol said.

"I was planning on dressing us up this evening," Kelly grumbled.

"I know darling, but we don't have the time. Next weekend," Harry said.

"Nope," Kelly said, "we're in El Paso next weekend for court."

"Shit, well then, we really will be dressing up, won't we?"

Margo was more than surprised to find Magda Velacourt kneeling beside their tables when they finally made it Dominique's. There was no sign of Nancy or anyone else from the House. Just the youngster they were going to 'marry' to tie the two Houses together.

And to help finance their House.

In more than several ways it made Margo feel like they were whoring their husband and Eddie out, solely for position and safety in their Society.

As they approached the tables, Margo asked Harry.

"Do you feel like a ... a prostitute with this whole pseudo-marriage thing?"

"Yep, sure do. Gonna hang a shingle outside the house, soon as the neighbors are gone, reading "Harry Grimes, Man Whore". I wonder where I can find a big, burly dyke to be my pimp?" He looked back at Karen, who, with her housemates, was following the family in. "Well, speak of the devil, looks like that wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be."

"Dear, I'm serious."

"I know, I was hoping a little humor..."

"Very little," Kelly interjected.

"Might lighten your mood. If you want to look at it that way, yeah, I could, if I so chose, see this as whoring Eddie and me out." He grinned. "I prefer to think of it as a series of up-close-and-personal sperm donations for a good cause. I can understand your fears though. The whole damn situation is so medieval-kinky it makes me look around for guys in armor." He stopped, grabbed Margo, and hugged her, bringing the whole procession to a halt.

"The thing is," he continued, "while we walked into this whole thing uneducated in many ways, we aren't stupid, and we knew there were going to be accommodations to be made. This is one of those." He looked ahead to Magda, kneeling on the floor. "Beat me, hurt me, make me have sex with hot eighteen-year-olds."

Margo laughed. "I can definitely guarantee you all three."

For an evening at Dominique's, it was shaping up to be a rather sedate Saturday night. Psychosexual Circus was performing some of their patented sexy weirdness on stage – two violinist playing contrasting – and discordant – pieces while a woman was made 'airtight' by two men and a woman wearing a strap-on.

On a side stage, a demonstration for bondage beginners was going on, and at a table far away from where the Circus was performing, a man and woman were each playing guitar, trying to do so competently while having oral sex performed on them. Neither was doing too well.

The Poulsons had delayed their trip to Dominique's by a day, calling Kelly to make sure that all right. Standing in the parking lot, they were still very unsure about going in.

"Could we put this off again?" Becky Poulson asked her husband.

"No ... no we can't. They're making us a hell of an offer, and face it – we had no hope in sight of getting out from under our debt anytime soon. Even if it fails, it'll be good for six months of work, at a good salary for both of us." John looked around the parking lot at the large number of vehicles. "And who knows? It may not fail."

Once inside, they stood in amazement, feeling like hicks on their first visit to the big city.

Luckily, Carol saw them and ran over ... quite forgetting she was clad in an open cotton shirt and nothing else.

"I am so glad you could make it this evening," she beamed. "Come over and meet the family."

John and Becky Poulson didn't know it, but they were both thinking along similar lines.

How could these people be so nice, and yet so deeply weird?

"So now that we're through with introductions..." Carol said, "perhaps it's time for Madam to tell Dominique who these people are, why they're here, and what we're planning?"

"Are you making plans again, dear?" Dominique said. "What now, a water park?"

"Uh, well ... not exactly, but kindasorta, Dommi," Margo said, wincing slightly. "A spa..."