Chapter 25: The Rules of the Game (part 1)

The cool night air of the palace bedroom was warmed by braziers in each of the corners. Their soft orange glow provided just enough light for Heather take in her surroundings. The massive four-poster bed covered in silken sheets felt wonderful against her skin ... almost as good as the man languorously lapping away between her thighs. The servants had long since been dismissed from the royal quarters, as they always were whenever the High Priest visited for their "lessons."

Of late, the High Priest had been more and more daring and adventurous in his pedagogy. He had a growing coterie of "priestesses" to perform all manner of rituals. Ever since he recovered from his lightning strike, his appetites for expressions of faith through pleasures of the flesh had grown. But Heather, the Queen, had loved him even before his near-death encounter with the gods. He'd touted his survival as justification for his insight into the ways the gods wanted to be appeased ... and coincidentally, those appeasements seemed to support his ever increasing carnal desires.

Heather didn't mind. The King was more interested in the conquests of land than the conquest of her flesh. His long campaigns gave her more and more time to explore her growing interests in the High Priest's version of theology. But the walls have ears — especially the walls of a palace. And rumors spread faster than fire through a dry field on a windy day. The high priest dismissed her fears of being caught. He seemed unconcerned.

Heather grabbed the man's unruly brown hair in her hands, pulling his face ever tighter against her mound. If he had no fear, then neither would she. His tongue drove deeply between the folds of her lips, eagerly lapping at her endless supply of juices. Her body glistened with sweat and scented oils as it convulsed. She was no more than a puppet being made to dance at the slightest twitch of his talented tongue.

Only a few nights ago, the High Priest had brought one of his favorite young priestesses with him to their rendezvous. She was thin and impossibly cute and kept her dark brown hair tied back behind her head. At first she was outraged, but his piercing gaze had calmed her fears and she relented to his desires. Initial disgust at what the young girl was willing to do to her royal body was quickly replaced by a lust she didn't know she had. Soon Heather was reciprocating the young girl's efforts in kind as the High Priest watched intently. Heather's jealousy over this young thing was assuaged by the all-night "praying" they did, leaving her body a sweaty, used-up shell.

The High Priest had unlocked her most animalistic desires, and he grew more brazen with every encounter — seeking to push the limits of sexual depravity ... and now, rather than fearing what the next encounter had to offer — she awaited it.

"Ohh!" she sighed, teeth gently grazing her engorged clitoris. He was purposefully keeping her on edge, refusing to let her cum, keeping the slow simmer of her lust from boiling over. Whenever he did this, it was usually to make her too hot to refuse him anything ... No doubt the three (now naked) guards standing around the bed with huge cocks erect had something to do with that. She had seen them with him before — rumor had it that they were among his most loyal followers, and thus recipients of his priestesses' heavenly blessings. Loyalty bought with pleasures of the flesh was more trustworthy than loyalty bought with gold.

A telephone rang and Heather's lust plummeted considerably. Gregg's face lifted slightly from between her legs and looked at her questioningly while continuing his incredible mouth work. In that moment of quiet between rings, Heather suddenly felt unaware of her surroundings. The braziers had disappeared and in their place were dim lamps. The four-poster bed for the Queen was replaced by a queen-sized mattress and box-spring sans headboard. Wasn't she just in a palace? There aren't any phones in an ancient palace ... and Gregg ... wasn't he just the high priest?

The phone rang again and the last of the dream slipped away. Gregg seemed quite content to remain where he was, enjoying the sweet nectar from between her legs. Now it all came back — they'd returned from Rec Center, abandoning Brittany to her own fate. Charli had made her peace with the former campus elite and was content to go home and spend her time with the people she loved. Laura and Natalie retreated back to the sorority house and Gregg, Charli, Chad, and herself came back to Gregg's apartment. Being Gregg's place, she and Gregg got the bedroom, but Charli and Chad didn't seem to mind the couch ... not that they were getting much sleep anyway.

She remembered asking Gregg about how his work with the artifacts as they cozied up in bed — a seemingly lost topic in recent weeks. He started telling her about the tile mosaic he was trying to decipher that hinted at the Queen's romantic dalliances. As had happened other times in the past, Gregg's narrative filled her imagination, and suddenly she felt not only that she was imagining the scenes he was describing, but that she was actually there. They were as vivid as her dreams. But before she could think too much on it, the phone rang a third time.

Being such a late hour, Heather felt compelled to answer it ... especially since Gregg was too busy to take note of the time.

"Hello?" Heather gasped into the receiver. Gregg, feeling mischievous, sucked especially hard on her clit at her first words. She smiled wryly down at him, but soon her smile dissolved. Gregg seemed to instinctively pick up on her sudden change in mood and removed his lips from hers. Heather hung up the phone and simply stated somberly, "We need to get to the Hospital. Brittany went berserk last night and broke Natalie's arm. I better go tell Charli."

Heather's voice was sad — heavy with worry and disappointment. She thought they were done with Brittany. Charli had moved on — they should have been able to wash their hands of her. But because of Natalie's relationship to Laura, and Laura's relationship to all of them ... especially Gregg, it looked like Brittany was still in the picture.

Two hours later Gregg, Heather, Charli, Chad, Laura, and Natalie returned from the hospital to Gregg's apartment. The sun would be rising in just an hour or two, so nobody was going to get much sleep, even though they were all exhausted.

Gregg's worst fear, that somehow Brittany had figured out who were behind the masks was put to rest. While Laura helped Natalie fill out paperwork at the University Hospital, Gregg probed her mind to learn exactly what happened in Brittany's room. While he was glad Natalie's beating wasn't because her cover had been blown, he was feeling genuinely guilty that Brittany's outburst was directly linked to the magical bond he'd created between Laura and Natalie. Still, it was no excuse for the way Brittany reacted. Like a dog trapped in a corner, she had lashed out at the nearest perceived threat.

Heather sat on the couch with Natalie, gently stroking her back. The girl was still shaken by recent events and was thankful for the comfort. Mere days before, Natalie would have been put off by the very attractive woman's closeness, but after all she'd been through, she was glad for the affection. Charli returned from the kitchen with a steaming mug of herbal tea and Natalie reached out to take it, sheepishly switching hands when she realized she wouldn't be able to hold onto the mug with her arm wrapped up in a cast.

The doctors said the break had been clean and that recovery would be relatively quick. But the cast extended from above her elbow to her fingers. She could move her arm, but not bend the elbow. The cast also purposefully kept her from moving her fingers too much to keep from disturbing the fracture.

"I should probably get back to the house. No doubt the rumors are already flying," Laura said matter-of-factly. On the short drive home, Laura had been practically frothing at the mouth in anger, cursing Brittany. Only Heather seemed to be able to reign in the girl, reminding her that right now Natalie needed her support. "You stay here tonight Natalie. Master will take care of you." No one reacted to her use of the title she still insisted on using for Gregg. Even Natalie didn't flinch ... after all, she had her own Master now — and with some sadness, Natalie realized that of everybody who had witnessed the incident at the Omega Xi house, only Laura showed any sign of caring. Just as no one came to Laura's defense when she got raped, no one came to Natalie's. Such was the value of the Omega Xi sisterhood.

"I'll drive you back. I'll be heading back to the frat house to try to get a few hours of sleep and I think this apartment will be a little crowded tonight," Chad said. "Charli you coming?"

"Um ... no. If it's okay with you Chad, I'd like to stay ... to make sure Natalie is all right."

Natalie looked up at Charli and immediately her eyes started filling with tears. 'How could I have been so cruel to this girl over the summer? How could I put my lot in with Brittany? Why does Charli, who I teased so mercilessly, show me kindness and compassion while the sisters who pledged to do so all turned their backs?'

Chad nodded and smiled at Charli. For the time being someone needed her more than him. As Charli sat on the opposite side of Natalie and relieved her of her hot tea before she spilled on herself, Chad quietly slipped out the door. Natalie's exhaustion, emotions, and confusion overwhelmed her and she buried her face into Charli's neck, weeping uncontrollably. Laura leaned over her and kissed her on top of the head. "Don't worry Pet. You're in safe hands. We'll figure out what to do about Brittany tomorrow. For now, just try to get some sleep. I'll take notes for you in class ... maybe Charli would be willing to let you sit in on her tutoring session with Chad." Natalie had completely forgotten that Charli was once a student in class with her ... until that fateful day when she helped orchestrate the girl's humiliation. Another wave of grief passed over her — her one-time victim holding her tight and consoling her grief. It was an almost cruel twist of fate that the only two showing her any compassion were the two she had done the most damage to. With that, Laura left, meeting up with Chad by his car.

After long minutes of crying, Natalie finally got it out of her system. Red-eyed and puffy-cheeked, she looked sheepishly at Charli. "I ... I never really apologized for everything I did to you. sniff There's a lot I should never have done ... I've done nothing but make all the wrong decisions..."

Charli could tell that Natalie was on the verge of another crying spell, and quickly held her close. "It's all right now, Natalie. Heck, if it wasn't for you ... well, I wouldn't be who I am today." Truer words had never been spoken. Who could have known that that single event so many months ago would lead to her eventual dramatic transformation? Like the mythical phoenix, Charli had risen from the ashes of her shame and humiliation as a confident and commanding figure — personified in Mistress Cheryl, her masked alter ego when trying to tame Brittany. But it had backfired. She thought she was done — had even freed the girl — but she'd apparently not learned a thing. Already, Charli was thinking about ways to make Brittany pay once and for all...

"Come on," Heather said, motherly, yet gently. "I think you could use a shower and a good night's rest. Between the three of them, they got Natalie's arm wrapped in plastic and escorted her to the bathroom. Natalie learned that depending on others, especially two very beautiful women, to bathe her had surprisingly sensual benefits.

After helping Natalie remove her clothing, she watched silently as her two helpers also got naked. She had seen them both at the gym last night, but now standing so close, Natalie drank in their beauty with new eyes. Lust and shame washed over her as her eyes roamed freely over Charli's flesh. The girl she once teased for being mousy and fat and Goth now sent little quivers of excitement through her body. While Charli may not have had Laura's well-toned physique, she had beautiful soft curves in all the right places. Her skin was pale, but not sickly — more like smooth porcelain. Long dark hair that was once straight and greasy now draped over one shoulder like a soft silken curtain. Eyes that were once shy and timid, were staring back at her with confidence and a smoky heat.

With considerable effort, Natalie managed to turn her head slightly and caught Heather's reflection in the mirror. The stacked redhead had a domineering presence. Her luminescent green eyes seemed to drink in her soul and Natalie would have been hard pressed to find a single flaw on her body. Heather's grace also added to her already impossible beauty. Just the simple act of stepping into the tub was done with a ballerina's poise and Natalie watched with ever growing lust the subtle outlines of her leg muscles. When Heather squatted down to turn on the faucet and set the temperature, even her hands seemed to move with a perfection of motion. Natalie, once so confident in her own beauty — a tall blonde with large breasts (at least compared to Laura's) and wide eyes — the epitome of what Omega Xi stood for, now felt humbled by her company.

Warm water cascaded onto her head from the hand-held nozzle as Heather wet down her long golden locks. Charli relieved Heather of the nozzle and began wetting down the rest of her body while Heather squirted shampoo into her hand. As Heather's hands gently massaged the tea- and ginger-scented shampoo into her hair, taking extra time to massage her scalp, Natalie moaned. She could feel Heather's breasts pressing into her back, feel the tickle of the redhead's little strip of pubic hair touching her asscheek.

Natalie was lost in both the sensuality and the soothing feelings of Heather's work. She reached her hand back and steadied herself by holding onto Heather's hip. As Heather continued the massage, she leaned forward and gently sucked on Natalie's earlobe. The sound of Heather's lips and tongue playing with her ear was almost too much, and it wasn't much of a leap of imagination to imagine those same sounds coming from between her legs.

During this, Charli wasn't idle. She'd lathered up a large soft sponge with a strawberry-scented body wash and thoroughly scrubbed every inch of Natalie's body. With the front of her body covered in suds, Charli stepped closer, pressing her own body against Natalie while Heather took a step back. Wrapping her arms around the soapy blonde, Charli began washing her back. Natalie opened her eyes to find Charli's face just inches away. The girl's deep brown eyes were hypnotic and without thinking she leaned forward and opened her lips.

Charli was there to meet her and eagerly their tongues chased each other from one another's mouths. Heather, seeing that little cleaning was happening at the moment, took the sponge from Charli's unmoving hand and finished cleaning Natalie's back. Natalie gasped into Charli's mouth when Heather's hand began thoroughly cleaning between her asscheeks.

Heather stood up and grabbed the spray nozzle. She tilted Natalie's head back slightly to rinse off the shampoo without getting any into her eyes. Charli eagerly attacked her exposed neck, licking and kissing the blonde under her chin and down her sternum.

Heather passed back the nozzle to Charli who finished the rinse, paying special attention making sure there was no soap left on Natalie's breasts or between her legs. Natalie and Heather eyed each other over Natalie's shoulder. Charli gave a brief glance downward and Heather smiled and winked — the two understanding each other perfectly.

Charli grabbed Natalie's free left hand and lifted it up to the shower rod while Heather positioned the blonde's left foot onto the side of the tub. Natalie was momentarily confused, still unable to think after the duo's incredibly sensual shower. But as both girls began trailing kisses down her body, she quickly understood. Charli took time to lick and suck at her nipples while Heather reached around and lightly trailed her fingers over her tummy. She was glad her two seductresses had positioned her as they did — her grip on the shower rod was all that was holding her up, and by putting her foot on the side of the tub, it helped open her legs — hopefully wide enough for Charli to do what she wanted more than anything else in the world.

Both girls knelt in the tub, Charli kissing ever lower, teasing Natalie by kissing all around her pussy, but refusing to move those final inches. Heather also knelt, her hands stroking up and down Natalie's thighs, her lips kissing and licking her smooth asscheeks. Just when Natalie thought she couldn't take any more teasing, both girls zeroed in on their targets: Charli burying her face fully between Natalie's nether-lips, licking and sucking wetly at her throbbing clit while Heather pulled apart Natalie's asscheeks and probed deeply with her tongue. Natalie almost lost her balance but thankfully the shower rod was bolted tightly to the walls. She'd had her first taste of how sensitive her ass was when Laura took her, but Heather's tongue was ten-times as exciting as Laura's fingers. Having wet, wiggling tongues invading her from both directions caused her body to sway and buck, not knowing what to do to both escape and prolong the incredible pleasure.

Charli added to the twin attack by reaching up and squeezing one of Natalie's breasts, rolling the nipple back and forth between her fingers. It was too much for Natalie to take and she quickly succumbed to all the pleasure. Heather saw it coming and just as Natalie's hand released its grip on the bar, she stood up and embraced the girl to keep her from crashing to the ground. Charli wasn't so merciful and continued her work, licking and lapping and sucking until Natalie shook cried out with a second orgasm.

Charli stood, embracing Natalie from the front as Heather did from the back. The water was turned off and they all took turns kissing one another, not eager to leave the humid warmth of the shower stall. But all good things must come to an end. They stepped from the tub and with big fluffy towels, Charli and Heather dried Natalie off, then themselves. They removed the plastic bag from her arm and led her into the bedroom. That no one offered her a nightshirt didn't seem to faze Natalie — in truth if even the barest scrap of clothing came between her and Charli she would have torn it off.

Natalie lay on her back on the right of the bed so her cast wouldn't be in the way and Charli snuggled up against her, their legs tangled. Charli's arm instinctively crossed Natalie's body and held onto the blonde's right breast. Natalie turned her head to face her former-victim-now-lover, but Charli had already fallen asleep. Exhaustion quickly overwhelmed Natalie and with their faces mere inches apart, their breath mingling, the sun already threatening to break over the horizon, Natalie and Charlie fell asleep.

Gregg had watched the whole scene from the living room couch with his mind's eye, helping with an occasional tweak or little surge of pleasure, but on the whole letting nature take its course. It was a highly erotic scene, and Gregg could tell the emotions of the girls had less to do with sexuality than with trust and a sisterly closeness.

Heather stepped out from the bedroom and closed the door. Gregg had long since removed his clothing and was as naked as she was. It was a testament to his sexual maturity that watching the three girls in the bathroom hadn't caused him to shoot his load, as it undoubtedly would have just a few months ago. Neither Heather nor Gregg spoke — words were not necessary. Both were inflamed with desire and both knew what they wanted. Straddling Gregg's waist she fit the spongy tip of his huge cock into her dripping quim. He slid into her tight sheath easily and without cue, they both began the sensual dance of two intimate lovers.

The sun was starting to peek through the dormitory window. David, eyes bloodshot and hair unruly, sat awake in bed. He'd tried most of the night to invade Heather's dreams, but it is impossible to invade someone's dreams if they're not sleeping. On the twin bed opposite him, Brian and Christine were asleep. It had been weeks since he'd touched the former blonde-now-redhead. His growing desire for Heather left him increasingly dissatisfied with his Heather-clone. Brian could have her for all he cared. He could have her sister too.

Merriam, Christine's sister, slept by herself on a spare mattress on the floor between the two beds. David had initially tried turning the thin brunette into a clone of Emily, but that quickly got old also. Even the thrill of making the two sisters enjoy each other had lost its appeal. Adam, the architect of most of David's more perverse dalliances, had been unable to interest David in either girl recently, much to his dismay. Unable to explore his growing perversions with David's mystical help, he resorted to using the money they'd stolen to "rent" willing participants for the night. Adam and David had once been the closest of friends, but because of David's current preoccupation with Heather, Adam found his friend (and more importantly his friend's powers) useless.

For the first time in days, David headed off to the shower. It took a powerful force of will to avoid shooting up with heroin or taking a bong-hit until after he came back. Increasingly, he sought refuge in drugs to help deal with the pain of still not having Heather to himself. He had these amazing powers and was as yet unable to take the one thing he really wanted.

As he shampooed his hair, the hot water helped clear his mind as it cleared away the suds. It was a girls' dorm, but he'd long since conditioned everyone on the floor to basically ignore his presence. Several of them had "helped" him with past showers, (and quickly forgetting what they'd just done), but now they held for him no interest. There was only one worthy of him.

The only thing standing between him and Heather was Dr. Walters. He liked the guy, he really did. And if he'd stayed in school, Dr. Walters may have eventually become one of his favorite teachers. But he had to get Dr. Walters out of the way of what was rightfully his. He missed his opportunity to take Heather the day he'd gotten his powers ... and Dr. Walters swooped in and stole her. He never thought the geeky professor would have latched on to Heather, but never again would David miss an opportunity to take what he wanted.

But how to remove Dr. Walters from the picture? How to free Heather from that insignificant little toad that didn't appreciate just how much woman she was. It wouldn't be easy. Dr. Walters was one of those squeaky-clean people. And now he was a bit of a local hero, having saved Heather and Emily from that mobster...

"That's it," David thought, finally seeing a way he could get rid of Dr. Walters.

David was still smiling when he returned to Merriam's dorm room and used his belt to tie off his arm with practiced ease, eagerly preparing an extra potent shot of heroin laced with PCP in celebration of his simple, yet ingenious plan.

Gregg stood outside his Friday morning lecture hall, greeting his students as they entered. He figured he should be nice today since today's lecture on ethnocentrism and cultural relativism was sure to lull more than one student into the peaceful bliss of sleep. His status as one of the favorite instructors on campus was boosted this morning when students entered the lecture hall and found a table with carafes of hot coffee and boxes of doughnuts.

He'd only gotten an hour of sleep before untangling himself from underneath Heather on the couch, taking a quick shower, and heading out to his office. His email mailbox was rapidly filling with letters to and from Charli and Laura. Apparently Charli had risen just after he left and neither girl was getting much sleep. Both were eagerly trading ideas regarding what to do about Brittany ... and some steamy recaps of last night's activities. Gregg's mind couldn't keep up with the back and forth between the two girls, hopping from hot & raunchy to dark & vengeful.

As Gregg made his way through the dialog, catching up to real-time, he was glad to see that no one from their little group was excluded. The era of secrets was behind them apparently (with him being the sole exception). Chad, never liking Brittany much to begin with, had his own rather nasty ideas of what to do with her (the book he was currently reading about the Spanish Inquisition gave him a rather graphic and unsavory toolbox of ideas). Charli had some rather inventive ideas also, but she needed to make some phone calls, and the people she wanted to call wouldn't be awake at this hour. Until a final plan could be hatched, Laura agreed to remain nonchalant toward Brittany, agreeing to play it cool until they were sure of what they were doing. Laura had her own rather devious ideas, but they could wait a few more days.

Among the last students to arrive to class were Laura and Brittany. They'd come in from different doors (Laura from the sorority house, Brittany from the gym where she returned the cleaned towels from last night's lesson — to Rivkah's approval ... the Israeli woman didn't yet know of what had happened to Natalie), and this chance meeting at the entrance to the lecture hall actually took Brittany by surprise. Grabbing Laura's arm, Brittany pulled her to where she thought she was out of earshot of Dr. Walters. Of course, she had no way of knowing that anything she said to Laura would soon be repeated to everyone in the gang ... nor did she know that Gregg could hear everything she said through Laura's ears via his mental link with his Slave.

"Laura, I'm sorry about Natalie."

Laura was stunned. Brittany Anderson never apologized for anything. Maybe all her fervor this morning was a wasted effort. Maybe Brittany really did feel remorse. "Um, thanks." Laura said weakly, still aghast. She even began a genuine smile for her nemesis, thinking that maybe all was alright. But what Brittany had to say quickly erased that grin.

"Yeah, it's too bad your pledge didn't prove worthy of entering the sisterhood. I feel bad that after all her effort, I'm the one who had to unearth her filthy secret. There's no room for her kind in Omega Xi and I'm sorry that you weren't able to dismiss her more quietly and save yourself from the embarrassment ... but she practically raped me." How could anyone believe that Natalie had tried to rape Brittany?!? Natalie was the one with the broken arm, the red-spanked ass, the pants around the ankles. There was no doubt about who was in control of that situation. Laura was too stunned to speak, and Brittany took her silence as agreement. "Look, I'm only going to be President for another two months. Most of the sisters feel that you should succeed me, but your choice of pledges leaves your judgment in doubt. Let this whole Natalie affair disappear quietly, and I'll make sure you have every vote. Raise a fuss, and I won't have to call in too many favors to sway votes away from you. Above all, we must protect the sisterhood. And as President, I AM the sisterhood. Do we understand each other?"

Laura bit her tongue and clenched her fists at her sides to keep from strangling the diminutive bitch in front of her. "Don't worry, Brittany," she said through clenched teeth. "The Office of the President will remain unsullied." It was all she could manage without exploding. Brittany didn't expect smiles from Laura, but nodded uneasily that Laura had agreed. She was prepared for a fight, but was glad it hadn't come to that. It was the first thing to go her way in weeks. Now that Mistress Cheryl had let her go, she could return to reestablishing her little empire.

As they walked into the classroom, Gregg caught Brittany's arm and pulled her aside. In a hushed tone he said to her, "You better keep your cell phone on. Mistress Cheryl will be calling you."

Brittany's blood drained from her face. "B ... but ... she said I was free!"

"That was before you broke one of your sisters' arms."

"How did you know that?"

"A little birdie told me. Nothing you do is done in secret. Understand? I'm quite popular, you know. Half your house is already on waiting lists to get into my spring classes."

Brittany was aghast. "Why do you care what I do in the privacy of my own room? I thought this all was about my trying to blackmail you."

"It's about you being sub-human. Your little blackmail stunt is what got you caught. It's about your inability to see that you're nothing special. Mistress Cheryl was most displeased to learn that just hours after she let you go, you reverted to your old tricks. What's it going to take, Brittany, for you to learn? Your pride is writing checks that you can't cash, and payment is due. Keep your phone on and make sure you answer when I call." Gregg looked her up and down and with a snort of disgust, released her arm, wiping his hand on his shirt as if he felt physically dirty from touching her. "Get in the classroom and take a seat."

Sheepishly, Brittany entered the classroom, and to her dismay, besides fear and shame, her cunt began to quiver at the thought of whatever Mistress Cheryl had in store for her next.