Page 22 of Monarch

Tonight, the ballroom is hosting a mingler. A gathering. A very formal munch for the well-dressed and well-paid. Right now, I am only one of those things.

My first stop is the bar at the rear of the large wood-panelled space. I order a drink– a sparkling water with lime – and as I turn to face the rest of the room, I both brace and force myself to make eye contact.

I’m on my second sip of water when a femme has locked eyes with me. They’re a light-skinned Black woman wearing a slim-fitting red dress that accentuates their wide hips and small tits. I smile atthem and raise my glass. They do the same and then lean closer to the dark-haired white masculine person they’re standing with.

Looks like this is going to be easier than I expected.

The next thing I know, they’re both approaching me.

Heart is the femme’s name, although I suspect that’s a lie.

He is called Phil, which could also be a lie, albeit a less imaginative one.

They’re here with a third, Justina, who is ‘slipping into something a little less comfortable’. Would I be open to playing with her, too?

“Yes,” I immediately say.

We wait for Justina. She arrives looking like a showgirl, all feathers and olive skin and glitter that I know will get lost in my most private crevices later. Her body is tall and lean, a bit too much like Roos’, which has my stomach flipping, but I ignore it. I’ve been ignoring it for many months; one more night won’t kill me.

“This way,” I say.

And I lead us to a private room I have the code for.

It really is amazing what you can make happen with just your phone on a twenty-minute taxi ride.

I kiss Heart first, or she kisses me, I can’t tell. Phil’s touching me up while I do, probably disappointed when his hands come up empty when they slide up my chest. I take a crumb of joy in that. I kiss Justine next, and she’s more forceful, more of a fight than Heart. I like it. She makes my lip bleed, near one of the holes in my snakebite piercing, and that’s when I sink to my knees for her.

While I’m on my knees, my face in her cunt, Heart slowly takes off my shirt. She smooths her hands over my top surgery scars, she pokes and kisses at a few of the tattoos on my back, and then she kneels behind me and slides her hand down my trousers and into my underwear.

Her touch is too kind, too tender. It makes me sway and melt. I hate it. But with my mouth full of Justina’s pussy, I can’t communicate this. Instead, I push back with my hips, and that knocks her off-balance enough to stop.

I’d almost forgotten Phil was in the room with us, but he has no problem distracting Heart when he unbuckles his trousers and guides Heart’s head his way. I turn away from them and focus on Justine. She comes quickly and ferociously, like a storm that appears from out of nowhere on a summer’s day.

“Please,” I say, looking up at her. She owes me now.

“What is it?” Her dark eyes question me.

“Will you hurt me?” I beg.

She frowns and then adjusts her features, finding a sort of confident serenity. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” I say.Fuck, yes.

“On the bed,” she orders, and I do my best to ignore Phil and Heart and the gagging and grunting noises they’re making. I lie down on the bed and spread my limbs wide.

“Do you want to be naked?” Justine asks.

“No,” I say. I’m never naked. Not with anyone.

“Okay,” she says, and uncertainty drips into her tone. She is not used to this. She is not well-rehearsed in taking the lead. I bury my disappointment with everything else I’m feeling. I try to put a positive spin on it. Maybe this means she will be less careful. Maybe she’ll really do some damage to me.

“There are floggers and paddles over there,” I nod at the cupboard on the wall. She walks over and opens it up. It’s like a mini bar but with play implements hanging on display.

When she returns, she has a medium-sized flogger in her hand and she’s playing with the leather tresses, running them between her fingers.

I pull down my jeans, leave my underwear on, and get on all fours.

“Right, I see,” she laughs, and it’s coarse and almost unfriendly. I like it. “You know exactly what you want.”