Chapter 18

 

The setup Von had at his house was something truly stunning.

Troy had seen outdoor living rooms before, but nothing quite like this.

Along the west-facing edge of the deck, protected from the wind by an ornate carved stone wall, stood a trio of huge stainless steel gas grilles. The three women, each nursing glasses of chardonnay, sat at the expansive main table, the thick ivory tablecloth rippling in the cool evening breeze.

The ladies were quite talkative — and now well-oiled — and the three men, Von, Troy, and a young — but strikingly intense — civil engineer named Maddox Darrow, reclined on one of the deep couches in one of the pair of sunken seating zones.

Von tipped back his beer. “Think they’re having a good time?”

Surrounded by granite, marble and stained wood, the place was gorgeous. Despite the chilly November evening, the place was warm enough that even the ladies had decided to shed their coats, the outdoor heating units resembling torches, right down to LED driven flickering yellow light, ensuring the entire space was quite comfortable.

Troy propped a foot on the squat, rock-lined fire pit that served as the centerpiece of each seating area.

“I’d say Lacey’s already forgotten we’re even here.”

Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking?

It was their second night in town, a cool Thursday evening in the most lurid, fantastical place he’d ever dreamed of. Their first twenty-four hours in White Valley had been spent taking their time touring the town. Von, their informal tour guide, had tried to steer them around anything too risqué, but they had stumbled upon a few scenes that were right out of a man’s wet dream.

“Hey, so, I wanted to… apologize for earlier,” Von said, with a wince. “I didn’t realize Martin was going to be…”

“Going for a walk?” Maddox’s hazel eyes glittered. “The man loves to show off Brooke. I swear, if he thought Sheriff Mathis would allow it, he’d stake her out on Columbia Street in her birthday suit and charge one penny for anyone who wanted to look — or have — their fill of his wife.”

Earlier that day, he and Lacey had been strolling along the new paved riverfront jogging path with Von, the late autumn sunshine not doing much to cut through the crispness of the morning, the roaring river not ten feet away from them, when Lacey had stopped dead in her tracks.

All three of them had watched in silence as a sharply-dressed man in a navy suit and mirrored sunglasses was walking toward them, a woman in impossibly high, slutty heels tottering along next to him. Her gorgeous midnight hair, parted in the middle, hung loose down past her shoulders, the locks stirring on the wind. Though she too was smartly dressed in a cream, sleeveless blouse and a patterned hunter green skirt… it was no mere domestic scene of a couple out for an early jaunt.

The thick, black leather collar around the woman’s throat was the first jarring sight. The other was the fact that the woman’s arms were secured savagely high up her back, coils of rope holding her wrists together in a reverse prayer tie between her shoulder blades. The position stretched the sheer blouse across pert breasts not allowed the restraint of any sort of bra, the prominent nipples clearly delineated under the fabric in the chilly morning air.

Then there was the skirt itself, so short, the shadow of pubic hair could just be discerned under the hem, firm, athletic thighs pumping as she attempted to keep up with her husband’s swift pace.

“Morning!” was all Martin had said, cheerful, relaxed as he drew his blushing wife past them. Brooke’s eyes were downcast, her dark eyelashes fanning pink cheeks, as if she couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the strangers.

Lacey had softly gasped as she’d seen what was gripped in Martin’s hand though.

Attached to the front of Brooke’s thick leather collar had been the silver hasp of a leash, the black length of it wrapped around Martin’s fist such that he held it quite close under her chin, the restraint used to enforce their brisk pace along the walkway.

Neither Von nor Troy nor Lacey had spoken a word as they’d watched the couple walk away, the undercurves of pale, smooth buttocks, clearly visible beneath the ridiculously brief skirt, rolling fetchingly with each step Brooke took in her sky-high heels.

Troy had taken Lacey’s hand as they continued on, carefully watching her to glean what he could about her reaction. To her credit, his wife had shaken it off — or at least done an admirable job of practicing polite discretion.

Perhaps she’d taken to heart his warning that she’d see some shocking things while visiting White Valley?

Or maybe she found it just as hot as you did?

He didn’t dare entertain the idea, but knowing what he did about the needs and desires of his submissive wife, it wasn’t an outlandish possibility.

“Everyone in town knows this about the Shafer couple.” Maddox flicked a suspicious glance at Von. “I smell a set-up.”

Von held up both hands, grinning. “I’m innocent, I swear!”

“Lying bastard,” Troy muttered, drawing from his beer. “I think it actually worked out okay, in the end. She still hasn’t said a word about it — which is a damned good sign, believe me.”

A burst of laughter erupted from the table, Lacey throwing her head back, Celina taking a long sip from a tall wineglass. A striking young woman sitting with them named Candice, her light brown locks shot through with pretty streaks of pink and blue, was holding her belly, her face beet red as she giggled.

Von tipped his long beer bottle toward Maddox. “You gonna be at tomorrow’s accounting?”

Maddox, stretching his long arms over his head, glanced over at the females. “Can’t. Bryce is coming into town.”

Troy noted the way Candice’s smile faded noticeably, her pretty gaze sliding to her fiancé.

“He’s flying into Seattle. Told him I’d drive him over the mountains.”

“That sonofabitch finally going to stick around for longer than a weekend?” Von’s dark brow arched. “I know he loves it here, but the kid seems like he’s always on the way to someplace else. Fucking ants in his pants.”

“Got something else in his pants too,” Maddox said, chuckling. “Which is why I think he’s staying for good this time. Wants to be here for the next Walk, for sure.”

The color drained from Candice’s cheeks.

Celina laid a hand on her shoulder, saying something to the girl Troy couldn’t quite make out. Candice flashed a forced smile to Von’s wife, taking a long swig from her wine glass as the other two women dragged her back into their rather animated conversation.

“Got his eye on someone, doesn’t he?” Von reached out and set his empty bottle on the edge of the fire pit.

“That’s my guess, but he’s keeping it close to the vest.”

“Any ideas?”

Troy knew there was something going on at that moment between the two men, an unspoken subtext perhaps, but he’d be damned if he knew what it was.”

Maddox’s gaze moved back to the women. “I’ve got my suspicions.”

“Well, asshole, you gonna tell us or jerk us around?” Von was grinning as he said it.

But the young man just shook his head.

“Dick.” Von stood up. “Need to get this place cleaned up.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Maddox tapped his pursed lips with the tip of his index finger. “Something I wanted to show you guys. A new, uh, decoration.”

Von looked over at Troy, his eyebrows raised, then grunted, sitting back down. “This should be good.”

Maddox beckoned with a finger. “Candice? Over here, please.”

The woman’s hand betrayed a slight tremble as she set her wine glass down, rising slowly. Celina and Lacey watched with a mixture of sympathy and wide-eyed curiosity.

“Right here, in front of us.” Maddox pointed at the spot. His tone was calm, almost soft.

Candice was surprisingly tall, her dark brown pencil skirt and snug long-sleeved knit top perfectly showcasing her willowy figure. Large, expressive eyes and plump lips painted a raspberry gloss only accented the woman’s attractiveness. She gave the men a shy smile, but her eyes darted between them and her fiancé.

“Let’s see them.”

Candice’s bright white teeth nibbled at the corner of her mouth, a deep furrow between her eyes. “Maddox, I—”

“Top off.” Her fiancé exhaled slowly, nostrils flaring. “Now.”

She froze there for a moment, her gaze fixed on the implacable man who would someday be her husband, but who already seemed very much her Master. Then her gaze dropped and she quickly peeled the top off, her multicolored hair catching in the neckline, the locks flying in the gentle breeze for a moment before she tucked them behind her ear.

“Bra too.”

She fumbled at the front clasp, then allowed the white lace to drop away. Candice’s arm cradled her breasts, covering up the nipples.

“Show us.” Maddox’s voice had thickened.

Troy shifted at the uncomfortable tightness at his groin, sheepishly acknowledging that other things were… thickening too.

Lacey’s hand was over her mouth, but she watched intently. Celina shook her head slowly as she stood and began collecting the dishes.

The tall woman allowed her arms to fall away, to the sound of a low whistle from Von. “You just have those done?”

The woman was blessed with high, jutting breasts, very firm, the erect nipples more prominent than any Troy could remember seeing. What made them even more so were the stout silver studs piercing each one close to the base, the metal glint a pleasing counterpoint to the broad, coral areolas.

“She’s had them for a couple weeks now. Not even close to healing, but she’s gotten a lot better at displaying them when ordered to.”

The woman’s face went crimson.

She had the tight body of youth, the toned, flat belly set off by another piercing nestled in the shallow well of her navel.

“Going to have her cunt done too at some point.”

“Clit?” Von said it as if they were speaking about accessories for a muscle car.

“At labia. I like the look of those studs — might find some matching ones for her. Haven’t decided on the clit though. Maybe VCH, maybe a stud through the base itself. We’ll see.”

Candice’s face went ashen, a frantic look in her pretty eyes.

Von grinned up at her. “You poor girl. Not even married yet, and the kid’s already got you rather well in hand, doesn’t he?”

She swallowed hard, gaze toward the floor. “Yes… yes, sir.”

“Your wife looks like she’s seen a ghost, Troy.”

Lacey was utterly still, watching the scene play out, her gaze occasionally sliding to Troy. He gave her a subtle smile each time.

It’s okay, girl. This is all okay.

“She’ll be just fine.” Troy stood up and strode over to his still-seated wife. “We’re all friends here.”

He hugged her head to his side, caressing her under her delicate jaw. She leaned hard against him, her entire body seeming to hum with a subtle vibration.

She was scared.

But if he knew his submissive — and wanton — wife, he knew she was deeply aroused too.

* * *

 

 

“Von’s guest house is bigger than our regular house.”

Cradled in Troy’s arms, exhausted but content in the heavy white terrycloth robe, Lacey snuggled against her husband’s comforting strength.

“Dude’s got a lot more going here than I’d guessed.”

Icy rain pattered against the windows, a single recessed light over the entrance to the adjoining bathroom the only illumination keeping the dark at bay.

They’d barely been able to keep their hands to themselves as they’d quietly slipped away from the little scene outside, the enforced display of Candice’s nude form apparently having the same effect on both she and Troy.

Approximately one nanosecond after dragging her to the guest house, the front door closing behind them, he’d been deep inside her. For the next three hours, he’d proceeded to fuck her nearly unconscious, the two of them sharing a languid bath afterward when they’d finally slaked their lust with one another. They’d nearly drifted off in the warm water, so wrung out had their lusty encounter left them, before Troy had deposited her on the bed, the gorgeous robes wrapping them both.

“I just… I don’t think I really believed you. The way you’d described this place.”

“Thought I was exaggerating?” Troy’s low chuckle rumbled under her ear, her head laid upon his chest. “I don’t think it’s possible to exaggerate this shit.”

So many images swirled in her mind, the meaning of them almost as confusing as her visceral, aroused reaction to all of them. In ways subtle and blatant, she’d absorbed the ethos of the town, a singular, central theme underlying all of it — and every person they’d met — the past two days.

Submission.

But rather than be threatened by that truth, it was quite something else. Maybe it was because everyone seemed happy there — they’d seen more smiles in two days than they did in a year back home. Yes, it was way, way over the top, that an entire community would live this way, but really, it was only a difference in degree.

It wasn’t unknown for some communities to have some common purpose, perhaps requiring the evocation of a certain look. The town of Leavenworth to the southwest had an amazing Bavarian theme to the entire place. Was White Valley that much different?

Of course, you idiot!

Perhaps, but it was by no means beyond the pale, especially if everyone who was there was there by choice. Could she really call it female subjugation if every woman there had volunteered for the experience?

She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that question either. Most likely, she was still too close to it to even be able to think rationally.

“I figured you’d be peppering me with questions by now.” Troy’s fingertip traced the curve of her ear, and it made her shiver. “Should I be jumping for joy at the fact you’re not — or crying in my beer?”

“It’s just…”

“Overwhelming?” He kissed her hair. “Yeah, I get it. Believe me.”

“I’m surprised you’re not pressuring me to move?” She nuzzled his chest playfully.

“Well, there was this little, ah, job offer…”

She raised her head, looking up at him. “Are… are you serious?”

He nodded, a pensiveness to the set of his mouth she wasn’t used to seeing on her usually über confident husband.

“Pay is almost double, and it’s an area I’ve wanted to get into for a while. Could be the perfect opportunity.”

“We still talking about the job?”

His dark eyes flashed. “Maybe.”

She laid her head back down on his chest, the sound of his breathing never failing to calm her. “I… have to admit — it’s beautiful here. I think I’m falling in love with the people too. Just, so friendly, so relaxed.”

Would sane people think walking a half-naked woman on a leash in broad daylight qualifies as particularly… friendly?

It took conscious effort to shake the image out of her mind, the thought equal parts disturbing and arousing. “It’s just nice to be in a place where what we do is… accepted, I guess.”

“No guessing about it, girl. It’s what this town is.”

“Celina and Candice both are such sweet women. I love them.” She glanced up at him. “The men aren’t exactly hard on the eyes either.”

“Be careful, bad girl.” He clasped her hip, giving her a little shake. “We can get an early start on tomorrow’s session for you…”

A tiny shudder traveled down her spine, the thought about her impending maintenance tomorrow causing her nipples to tighten. “No, sir. Sorry.”

Troy was going to be visiting a friend of Von’s in the morning, and she was going to have lunch with Celina. But in the afternoon… she had a reckoning to look forward to. Or dread.

And this time, she had no idea what to expect.

Even though she knew she was going to be punished tomorrow, her mind kept coming back to the same subject, turning over the implications of what being a resident of White Valley might be like. There was no denying the fact the place intrigued her though, the seductiveness of the whole idea — and the very real exercise of their particular way of life — already had a hold on her. It was dangerous. It was foolish.

But it didn’t make it any less true.

What did it say about her that she was even considering the idea — very seriously considering it — of moving to this incredible, lurid, fantastical town? Shouldn’t she have been horrified by the philosophy of such a place? Instead, it spoke to something animal, ancient, visceral within her, a need, an urge she couldn’t understand any more than she could control it.

Did she dare take that first step?

She already knew the answer to that, even if she wasn’t prepared to verbalize it.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Lace.” He leaned back against the headboard, gazing up at the ceiling. “I’d move here like yesterday, if it were only up to me. But I’m not going anywhere — not ever — without you.”

She gave his chest a gentle kiss. “I know it. Just… let me think about it, okay?”

His finger gently stroked her chin. “I see right through you. I know my wife. You’re as fucking turned on at the whole idea of this place as I am. Maybe more.” A crooked smile curved his lips, his gaze looking almost… wistful. “There’s something else holding you back, isn’t there?”

Pressing her cheek to the soft fabric over his chest, she sighed. “There is. I just wish I knew what to do about it.”

Or him.