Summary: Your Lady has requested you to run her bath, but you know what she intends. After all, you've been here before, haven't you?
Note Before: Crossposted onto AO3
You were hers.
It was a transactional relationship. But it served you both well enough.
You would dust and clean, get on your knees and scrub the blood from the beautifully polished floors. And when she called for you, you would come to her.
Her daughters would swarm around you, and in those times, you would look up and watch as they giggled, teasing you with their swarm as they tugged at your hair and fluttered against your skin. “Mother wants you.”
“Better go quickly.”
“Or we’ll have to take you,” the last sister said as she brandished her weapon. You should have been afraid. Deep down, you were, because one day your blood would turn stale. One day you would stop being valuable, and your Lady would let her daughters devourer you.
But that wasn’t today.
Today you rose to your feet, rinsing the cloth and took the bucket to empty outside before making your way up to the Lady’s room.
As you made your way up the stairs, you untied your hair, combing your fingers through it as you heard the Lady’s daughters laughter ring through the halls.
It should bother you, but it didn’t.
“Look at you,” your Lady proclaimed upon your entrance. “You’ve been cleaning up the mess of our most recent guest, I take it.”
“Yes, my Lady,” you said, meeting her eyes. In the village, you’d been tall, even against the men. Before her, you felt unnaturally small. And yet,you craved to meet her height, stand at her side and caress your hands against her face.
“Your days are numbered. Perhaps you should think of running,” the Lady teased.
“Only if you’ll chase me,” you responded in kind. Her eyes narrowed, and you watched as she examined you. And then she smiled, moving to sit down before her dresser.
“Undress me.”
You obeyed.
You sat the hat aside on a mannequin head. The earrings removed, necklace undone before you unpinned her hair.
Gloves and heels, then the dress and its dozens of buttons were undone and set aside before you moved to the undergarments, only for her hand to stop you. “Enough,” she said. “Go run my bath.”
“Of course, my Lady.”
It was a grande room, opulent as all of the higher rooms were. You filled the massive tub with water and then lit the fire underneath it, heating the water. Taking the perfumes, you scented the water and then set aside her soaps, comb and oils, ready to be used on a small table.
There you returned to the bedroom. “Your bath has been prepared, my Lady.”
She looked at you in the mirror of her dresser and grinned, setting aside her journal. “Good. Shut the door behind you.”
As she passed you, you pulled the door shut, feeling the lock click in place.
You washed her hair first, massaging your hands through the dark locks, watching as her eyes fall shut. She trusted you––anyone else, and this would be the moment you’d prepare for.
You could kill her.
She wouldn’t hesitate to kill you after all, and was human nature not to survive at all and at any cost?
You rinsed the suds from her hair and stepped back, fixing your sleeves. “My lady,” you said softly. Waiting.
Her eyes open. The air was hot with the steam, the smell of firewood in the lower recesses filling your nose. You didn’t dare open a window.
“Come closer,” she said. You stepped closer to the edge of the bath and watched her eyes draw over you as her fingers traced your face, watching your breath exhale from your lips. “What do you think about as you serve me?”
“If I should kill you.”
“Oh?” She paused and then laughed at your honesty. “And what conclusion have you come to, little one?”
“That you would kill me first.”
“It’s human nature to survive, isn’t it?”
“I don’t want to survive. I want to live.” It seemed important to separate that difference, but you weren’t sure why.
For a moment, her brow pressed, and then she smiled. “Won’t you join me?”
Your body ached at the command.
You undid your dress, allowing it to drop to the ground, uncaring that it would get wet. You removed your slip, setting your shoes aside. Removing the last of your undergarments before you climbed into the great tub.
Despite your careful attempt, water sloshed as the sides, spilling onto the polished marble floor as you set yourself in the tub, across from the Lady.
It wasn’t the first time you were naked before her, but you felt at vulnerable as you could be in moments like this, knowing what would come next.
“Am I so terrifying, dear one?”
“Yes, my Lady,” but you drew closer anyway, watching her smile widen.
The water came up to your collar bone as you moved towards her. When you were before her, you knelt between her thighs, staring up at her with awe. The Lady’s head tilted, her eyes studying you as you stay on your knees before her.
Your heart thudded in your chest, so loud you could hear it in your ears. There was an unnatural heat spilling over your skin, and more noticeably than all of that, you trembled, your mouth going dry as you watched her eyes draw over your form.
Her hand slid around your waist, easily dragging you closer as you felt her lift and settle you onto her, straddling her thigh.
The water had warmed her, but she was still cool against your hot skin.
“Tell me, how would you kill me, should have the chance?”
“Here, in the bathroom,” you tell her as you feel her thigh press against your sex, nudging. Your hips jerked, dragging across her skin that was far more supple than you’d expected. “I would wait until you ask for a bath again before I struck.”
“And when did you come up with such a plan?”
“As I washed your hair,” you told her as you rocked your hips. Her lips part, and you felt your heartbeat quicken. “I would bring in a weapon when I cleaned up the bathroom, ready for your next bath.”
“Whatever will I do with such impertinent thoughts?” she inquired of you. “I’ll have to punish you. Maybe even rid myself of you.”
“My Lady,” you said to her softly, feeling your heartbeat thud between your legs.
She grinned at you, watching as you arched back, though your own thighs squeezing around her’s.
You served house Dimistrecu well. You cleaned for them, lured in unsuspecting maidens and men alike for them to play with.
But your finest service had always been your body.
Lady Dimistrecu’s claws pierced your skin, and you felt the hot blood spill across your skin, down your body as she leant forward and licked over the wound. And then her mouth settled on it, drinking the blood that poured from you.
You clutched at her, crying out, feeling the dizziness wash over you as hot streams of blood spilled down your chest and back, sinking into the water.
Your heart pulsed between your thighs and heavy in your chest, and then it slowed, and the world darkened for a moment, fading away as a warm bliss shivered down your spine before that, too, faded away.
Again her cool breast, you settled against her, wondering if she meant what she said. Was this the end?
Your cunt clenched, aching to be filled, and you trembled, a weakness slipping over your limbs as you found yourself letting go of her as you slipped away into euphoria.
If it were the end, you’d gladly take it.
“Wakey-wakey,” came the familiar sing-song voice of one of the daughters. “Come on; Mother needs you to clean the kitchen. Someone left a big mess!”
“It was fun chasing him around, wasn’t it?” Someone else said.
You gave a soft moan, waking up to see in the golden candlelight, two daughters standing before you. You were tired, utterly exhausted. But you’d been dressed in your nightgown and tucked into bed.
You awoke, sitting up and began your day again. This time, as your brushed your hand over your shoulder where the claws had pierced, you thought you could feel a scab where the claws had pierced. But when you made your way to your mirror, tugging the nightgown down your shoulders, the skin was smooth, unbroken as if it never been touched.
“Off you go,” the daughters sung and then laughed, exiting your room, leaving you to dress and prepare for the kitchen.
One day you wouldn’t wake up. One day there’d be no gentle sing-song from the daughters.
One day wasn’t far away. Months maybe. Years possibly. But whatever the end, you’d hope she’d chase you first. One last chase until you fell prey to her for the final time.
Summary: “Show. Me,” Missy repeated, a sharp command to her voice that shot down your spine.
N.B.: Voyeurism/Exhibitionism, masturbation/auto-fisting. Mentions of getting turned on by the idea of a pretty evil woman killing you (look, I know who I am and this is purely self-indulgent)
The Doctor didn’t allow you in the vault. In fact, he’d been quite explicit about the fact that you were not, under any circumstances to enter without him present.
Which was fine. Mostly fine. It’d been fine up until Missy had somewhat joined on a mission and apparently spent the entire time flirting with you. It’d been entirely surprising, and if the Doctor hadn’t been watching with high disapproval on his face, you might have indulged in the flirtation back.
As it was, you couldn’t.
So…you snuck into the vault, where Missy had returned to her place, behind the lovely barrier, and while the Doctor was away, his companion could play.
One trip, mostly filled with light conversation, a curiosity really to understand the so-called monster in the vault, turned to two visits, then three and then four, with flirtation and banter running between you. Missy would give a sharp response, somewhere between a threat and a flirt, and you would smirk, and whisper about promises.
“I could kill you.”
“I know.”
“Right now, I could escape.”
“I know.” And then you smirked her. “And how would you kill me?”
“Strangulation,” she said as if she’d thought about it. “You deserve something personal.”
It was the first time the flirting had paused from you. There was no witty banter, no retort or response, only the image of her fingers around your throat as she hushed your attempts to fight back.
You could imagine her blue eyes staring deep into your own eyes, her mouth parted, tongue behind her teeth as she grinned wide and bright, watching the life drain from you. Crooning how good you were being.
It should frighten you. It should terrify you. And maybe it did, but it also a struck a deep part, low in your belly as you imagine her straddling your waist, pinning you to the ground with her knees pressing against your shoulders.
“Oh,” Missy laughed. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, poppet?”
It was enough to tear your thoughts away from the image and give a wave of guilt as you were reminded that your survival instinct was entirely rubbish against the hot evil lady before you. Cheeks turning red, you looked away, hating how the embarrassed washed over your face and down your neck, giving away your desire as plainly as if you’d spoken it.
“There’s no shame in it, you know.” You looked up. She was sitting on the piano, legs swinging idly before she stopped, and stared. “I could even make it pleasant.”
You cleared your throat and looked away. “I don’t doubt that.”
“Mm. I could hypnotise you first, have you do all sorts of naughty things for me before I did it, and then you wouldn’t even struggle. But I would like it if you struggled.”
The room felt hot, and you gasped in a breath, thinking about leaving to sort the situation out yourself before it became too much.
“In fact,” Missy said. “I could hypnotise you right now.” There was a sweet way she turned her voice as if she was promising a Christmas present. If you’re very good, I’ll hypnotise you and then suffocate the air from your lungs.
Honestly, it was terrifying how easy you would allow her to destroy you.
“I need to leave,” you said thickly. Making a move to exit the room.
“Poppet,” she called, and you stopped, turning over your shoulder to catch her out of the corner of your eyes. “If you get something for me, I’ll give you a present.”
“What present?”
She only stared at you, a knowing smile on her face. She didn’t needle to dangle the carrot in front of you. The very promise of it was enough.
“Tell the Doctor to invite me out again. Convince him that I’m trying, and if you do…” she trailed off and laughed.
It was enough.
You spoke to the Doctor, unsubtle in your attempts and yet earnest with your intention. Keeping her locked in the vault didn’t allow her to prove anything. If he wanted her to help, truly help, he should be trying to encourage through actions in shorter, safer walks, so to speak. Rehabilitation was about trust, after all, and it needed to go both ways.
He relented. Advising that he’d allow her to leave the vault on brief trips to places where limited havoc could be reached, to begin with.
And then she stepped onto the TARDIS, her eyes swung to yours briefly, before glancing away. You travelled to distant moons, where museums were held. You travelled to an empty space ship, where she and the Doctor uncovered an ancient murder as you and Bill stood around awkwardly, listening to them bicker. You saw a planet burn as its sun went supernova.
There was a trip after trip, and each time, Missy would glance you, but never speak directly to you, monologuing to allow anyone to comment.
It left you to wonder what the present was.
Wondering if it was just the fact that she didn’t kill you. That should have been enough. Bill certainly thought it was, convinced that Missy might turn at any moment as she made snide comments to an agreeing Nardole.
But your eyes followed Missy, and each time watched as, after your trip, the Doctor would return her to the vault where she would go without a fight, and the Doctor would watch her suspiciously.
On one such occasion, he made a comment to the effect that he knew Missy was up to something, had something planned, but couldn’t quite work out what it was.
“Or she’s just trying to be good,” you told him. “Isn’t that what you want from her? To go and do these trips and not create mischief.”
“She got into a fight with the Derinenium Vendors,” he pointed out. “By haggling.”
“They were asking a bit much,” you countered, but the Doctor wasn’t listening anymore, returning to his thoughts about how Missy was planning something, he just needed to work out what it was before she could put it in action.
At night, you would lie in bed and think about Missy’s hands around your throat. And then you’d wonder about where her else hands could touch.
And then, having enough of the trips, the looming silence between you and the nights alone in your bed stroking yourself raw with thoughts of her, you made your way back to the vault, like you did so long ago.
The piano music stopped at you entered, and although she didn’t turn around, you knew that she was aware it was you.
The vault doors shut and her head slowly turned to face you, eyes alight. “Well look who finally came to collect her present.”
“And what’s my present?” you asked.
“Hmm. Well, I’ll tell you, but first, you have to play a game.”
“What game?” you asked.
“Just a small game,” she shrugged. “I promise it won’t end in death, so as long as you don’t make me cross.” She grinned at the end, eyes flashing to let you know that she wasn’t entirely joking.
“Fine,” you agreed. “I’ll play a game.”
“Good girl.” You squirmed at the comment and watched her grin widen. “Now, the rules are straightforward. I’m going to say a statement, and you’re going to respond with truth or lie. You have to be honest, though, because I’ll know if you’re trying to deceive me.”
You nodded, not quite sure where she what she was getting, but there was the sense that she was setting up a prank you weren’t quite in on, and a low, squeezing feeling filled your belly.
“You joined the Doctor after egghead, but before the other one.”
The other one being Bill, you presumed. “Truth.”
She smiled. “You think the Doctor is quite clever but rather annoying at times.”
“Truth.”
“You fancy yourself more clever than other humans.”
“Lie.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she looked away, adjusting her skirts on the piano seat. “You like the danger of the little trips.”
“Truth,” you said. It was hardly a lie that you weren’t some sort of adrenaline junkie. There was no way you would stay with the Doctor if it weren’t for the thrill of running from and towards danger in equal merits.
“You masturbate about me nightly.”
Your breath was pulled at that moment, eyes staring at Missy’s as you realised her angle all along was to humiliate you. She hadn’t quite managed to lull you into a false sense of security, but you had presumed that she would be trying to get you angry, confront some deep dark, selfish part of yourself. Not…admit to that.
“Answer up,” Missy sighed, rolling her eyes. “Truth or lie, you have to respond.”
“Truth,” you said.
Missy blinked and seemed to grow tall in her seat, back straightening as she laughed, delighted by your response. “How many times?” she asked.
“That’s a question, not a statement,” you said, to lead her back on topic.
“Bored of the game now, answer my question––how many times?” You watched her lean forward on the piano seat, eyes bright with a knowing smirk on her lips.
“Two, sometimes three times a night,” you admit. “Is this the whole point of the game?”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Show. Me,” Missy repeated, a sharp command to her voice that shot down your spine. And then she ended it with a grin. It was hungry, it was shark-like, but worst of all, it was the grin of a woman who knew she was going to win.
“Here?”
“Well you can hardly do it in the TARDIS on my next trip––unless you like spectators of course.”
You shivered at the mention and then bit your lip, looking to the vault door. The Doctor was in a class. He’d be busy for another hour at least. And yet, you couldn’t help but think that this was a bad idea, terrible really.
It didn’t stop you from turning back to Missy. “Okay,” you agreed. And then you were unbuckling your belt, before undoing your jeans, watching with heated cheeks as Missy leant back against the piano. Her expression remained neutral as you slid down the denim, then the cotton underwear, feeling your ass press against the leather armchair.
You looked away, sliding down on the edge of the armchair as you stroked between your thighs––finding yourself already slick and swollen.
“Uh-uh, this is for me,” Missy said, “I want eye-contact.”
You turned your eyes on hers, holding the bright blue as Missy rose from the piano and came to step on the very edge of the podium, staring down at you.
“Good girl,” she crooned. “Now open your legs wider for Mummy.”
“Oh God,” you hissed, but obey nonetheless. Your legs were wide open, fingers stroking over the sex and another hand circled your clit. You wanted to look away, but Missy’s expression shifted into that of hunger and you couldn’t.
“Two, three times a night for little old me?” she asked.
You nodded, biting down on your lip as a moan caught in your throat.
“And do you think about me touching you right there?” she asked, pointing at your cunt. “Or do you think about touching me?”
“Yes,” you gasped.
She tilted her head, her eyes fascinated. You couldn’t tell if she was flattered or just curious by the whole thing.
“Don’t just stroke, finger yourself too. I want to see how much you can take.”
And so you obeyed. You slid two fingers in, curling inside as your other hand continued to stroke and circle your clit, then you slid in a third, and then a fourth. The angle was awkward, but the feeling of it filling you up at your stared at Missy’s enraptured attention was enough.
“May I––“
“Not yet,” she said. And she tilted her head, watching you buck and thrust against your fingers. “Thumb in too.”
“I can’t––“
“Won’t. Try it. For me.”
The angle was awkward, but you pressed your thumb to your entrance, feeling your cunt ache at the pressure. Four fingers were easy enough, but the thumb was a lot.
You pressed deeper, squirming in the seat, finger pausing on your clit and hear her tut, “don’t stop, you can do fit it in.”
Pressing the thumb deeper, you whined, but she was right, it did fit. It could fit.
“Good girl, you can finish now if you like.”
You squeezed around the fingers, and with the permission from Missy, her smile completely feral, it was enough to convulse suddenly on the armchair. Your heels dug into the ground as you came around your fist with a sudden gush. The climax spilt across your wrist and thighs, down the armchair as you whimpered at the release.
Missy laughed. “Ohh, you are fun,” she said. “Hmm, but enough now.”
You pulled your fingers out, whimpering at the aching, hollow feeling left behind. You paused, catching your breath. And then, looking away from Missy, you were pulling up the cotton underwear, the jeans, and buckling up your belt again.
You felt wet and sticky, and there was nothing immediately around you to clean the mess on your hand. Awkwardly, you stood up and shivered, intimately aware of what you’d just done as Missy sat back on the piano.
“Doctor will be here soon,” she said. “Best to run off and clean up before he realises what’s happened.”
You opened your mouth to say something, but she blinked at you, not unlike a cat wondering while you were standing before it, and the words died away. You gave a small nod and went to leave.
“Oh, and next time, bring something to play with. Maybe that blue dildo you’re so fond of,” she said
You paused, wondering how she even knew of it, before deciding that Missy had likely gone through your belonging on the TARDIS. “Okay,” you agreed because your underwear was wet, and your hand smelt of your cunt and she was smiling at you like the cat that got the canary.
And then she swung around on the piano seat, and placed her hands on the keys, apparently ignoring you now as she began to play a familiar tune.
You left the fault, ensuring it was shut behind you and wondered how you were going to take before you revisited her.
Summary: You cried out, squirming to pull away but Missy guided you back into her lap. “I’m not done yet,” she advised.
N.B.: Dubious consent (implied RACK), spanking a bratty submissive, minor after care. Teensy bit of (very consensual) sex at the end.
It was a simple request. Mistress had said it so flippantly, distracted as she fiddled with the TARDIS to get it to do what she wanted, that she hardly looked over her shoulder to say it, engrossed in her own monologue.
In fact, she hardly looked at you all day. Choosing to work on TARDIS, apparently deciding that she’d much rather play with that, than you. So when she’d waved her hand as you passed behind her, hovering for her attention, and requested that you give her the same tool that was right next to her, you responded with, “No.”
There was a pause. A silence that provided adequate time to apologise, get on your knees and plead forgiveness before you obeyed her request to hand her the item again.
But instead, you remained firm, excitement bubbling up as for the first time those blue eyes looked away from circuits, and turning to you. “Try again,” she said sweetly, danger lurking in her tone.
“You can do it yourself,” you told her, crossing your arms underneath your chest, chin lifting high. You could see a mirthless grin pulling at her lips, pupils dilating. “It’s not even out of your reach.”
“Is that so?” she asked, and then her eyes swung to where the tool sat. Faux surprise bloomed across her face. “Fancy that, right there, and I thought it was all the way over in another room.” And then Missy was standing up.
She wasn’t tall by any merits. You were an inch or two taller than her on a typical day, but as she rose to feet, she seemed to loom in front of you, her shadow stretching tall behind her on the TARDIS’ walls. You should be afraid. You were afraid, but it was hard to notice that when she was looking at you like she had a very clever idea.
And didn’t you just adore her clever ideas?
“Is someone feeling neglected?” she asked.
“No,” you huffed.
“Liar. Is that why you’re trying to pick a fight with Mummy?”
Yes was the immediate response you wanted to say, but you tucked your arms tighter, staring at her with false bravado. Missy grabbed your jaw, tugging your head low until you were eye level with her. “I believe I asked you a question,” she hissed, and all of the playfulness was gone from her at that moment.
She was cross.
But all of her attention was on you.
“It seemed rhetorical,” you responded. “You need to be clear about your intent if you’re asking a question.” It was a phrase she’d thrown at you once before, and Missy didn’t let it go unnoticed. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips twisted into a scowl.
“You’re making me cross,” she warned.
“Wouldn’t want that.”
The slap was hard and painful—you gasped, feeling the sting wash across your face. It was enough to make you aware that Missy wasn’t playing as much as you thought you were, and she wasn’t just cross, she was angry with you. Before you could even stutter out an apology, her fingers had wrapped around your ear, tugging you out of the room like a child.
“Missy,” you whined, feeling your eyes prick with the pain. The TARDIS was quiet, it’s hum low as if it didn’t want to further incite its Mistress’ mood. “Missy, please, you’re hurting me,” you tried to say, grabbing at her hand to lesson her pull, but she gave another tug her other hand slapping yours away, and the silence held firm. Her lips pressed until they were white, eyes wide open as you were promptly thrown into a room.
Knees hit the ground first, and pain bloomed through them as your hands slapped on the floor, catching you from face-planting the ground.
“Missy––!“ you tried.
“Undress,” she barked.
You looked up at her, at her eyes cold, expression unamused. She was almost bored by it all, and that annoyed you. You were hers, you were her favourite toy. To be seen as annoying and boring wasn’t fair.
So you sat back on your legs and glared rightfully back at her. “I don’t want to,” you said.
“Don’t want to?” Missy’s eyes sparkled, and the scowl twitched briefly into an almost smirk before it shifted back. She stepped into the room, the door shutting behind her as the light overhead flickered, the TARDIS humming low beneath in your feet.
This was your room. Behind you was your bed, your dresser, your wardrobe and a small, innocuous bedside table that contained many (but not all) of your toys.
You watched as Missy crossed the room, skirts swishing around her ankles as she stepped behind you, hands settling on your shoulders.
“What a temper you’re in. Did you want to play, pet? Answer nicely,” her nails dug into the material of your clothes, pressing sharply.
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Mm, well you’ve gone and spoiled my mood, I’m afraid. Perhaps I should go and find a new pet to play with, one that won’t be so disrespectful.” You glared, feeling her hands let go as she walked away from you, boots clicking on the floor. “I might even keep you around to watch, but eventually, when I get bored with even that, well,” she stopped there, leaving the subtext to hang in her words without saying them. You heard the sound of drawers opening behind you, and then the sound of rummaging as Missy looked for an appropriate toy to play with. “And then I’ll have a lovely new human pet to play with. Though I’m a bit bored with humans. Might get a delvian, they’re always fun.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I? I mean, you’ve been downright insulting, made me quite worked up all because you’re…bored? That’s not very nice.”
“I wasn’t bored!”
“No, you were needy,” she said, right behind you as her hand wrapped in your hair and yanked it back, so you were looking up at her. “Far worse.”
Tears pricked at your eyes as she gave another, short tug. “Mister––“
“Uh,” she raised her other hand, and in it, you could see in her hand was your hairbrush from the vanity set that she’d provided you. It was thick-handled, with a smooth silver design except for the back of it, where it had a floral embossed design. It was beautiful––except you knew what she intended to do with it and as you squirmed in her grip, she held onto you hair tighter, giving it a tug. “No, you’ve been naughty, and if you want me to play, you’ll accept your punishment like a good girl.”
“I’ll be good,” you said, eyeing the hairbrush. “I promise I’ll be good.”
She smiled sharply. “But we can’t let this go unpunished now, can we?”
“No.”
“Good girl, now I’m going to let go, and you’re going to get undressed, aren’t you?” You nodded, wincing at she tugged at your hair. “Or shall I have to do this the hard way?”
“I won’t––“
“Won’t?” she hissed, “Won’t…obey me?” And you felt the command shiver through you.
“I will, I will,” you assured. “Please Mistress. I’ll be good, I promise.”
Missy smiled and then her hair slowly let go. Pulling away, you drew in a breath and stared at the floor, listening as she moved to sit on the side of the bed. You could run, you realised. You’d done it before to escape punishment, but you knew that it would only be worse. Better to get it over with now.
Missy’s foot tapped, and at the noise, anxiety squirmed in you, the longer you waited, the more cross she would get again.
Rising to your feet, you tugged your clothes off and folded them nicely on top of your dresser, setting your shoes and socks beside it. And then, like a good girl, you came and stood before your Mistress.
She waved her hand before her lap, eyes staring up at you and followed the silent order, bending over her woollen skirt, arse up in the air, breasts pressing in the mattress on the other side of her legs.
When Missy is in a good mood, and as a reward, there were times when she warms you up nicely before a spanking session, encouraging blood flow to the skin with her barehand––she did no such thing this time. The first hit was sharp and hard, as silver flower petal bit at your skin.
“What do you say?” Missy asked you, a threat in her voice.
“Thank you, Mistress.”
She chuckled, amused and hit you again, just below the same spot, low on the cheek. Whimpering, you ducked your head.
“Uh-uh, you’re not going to hide from your punishment. Head up, back straight.” You adjusted on her lap, drawing in a breath as you felt the sob rise in your throat. “Lovely,” she cooed, and that was all the warning you had before thwack. It was a sudden impact, followed with a sharp pain as the embossing pressed into your skin. Biting your lip, you contained the whimpering as the relief wash over you, before tensing again, waiting for the next strike.
And then she paused. There was nothing, only anticipation in the air, before you felt a touch on your backside, low on the hot area where strikes had hit.
Her fingers were cold, and you shivered, shoulders tensing. It was coming, you knew it was coming. And then just when you thought maybe, maybe it wasn’t, the strike came, hard on the other cheek.
You cried out, squirming to pull away but Missy guided you back into her lap. “I’m not done yet,” she advised.
“I’m sorry. Missy, I’m––”
“I know dear, but naughty pets need to be taught a lesson, and I don’t think you’ve learnt yours yet.”
And then she struck you again. There was one, then two and then more, until you lost count and the whimpers turned to sobs and you were doubled over crying. Only then did she stop, her bare hand running over the marks, soothing them as she cooed in your ear, “such a good girl. I think you’ve learnt your lesson, don’t you?”
“Y-yes, Mistress,” you said between sobs.
“And what do you say?”
“Th-thank you, M-Mistress.”
“Good girl.” Her hand continued to run circles, and you were permitted to hide your face in the sheets of your bed until your sobs turned to soft cries, and then nothing as the ache in your chest was soothed.
“I was lying before,” Missy said, as she guided you off her lap, to sitting on the bed beside her. “I don’t want a new pet. Housebreaking a new pet is tedious work, and I’ve worked too hard on you to throw that way.”
It was meant to make you laugh, and the way she looked at you, almost coyly as she tried to assess your mood was enough to feel the tension wash away from you.
“Are you still angry with me?” you asked.
“Furious,” she said, eyes flashing. “But I suppose your lesson’s learnt.” You watched as the hairbrush was tossed aside and then Missy was tilting her head at you, waiting to see what you would do.
You were a mess. Cheeks stained, red-faced mess. But you leant forward and kissed her. Her hand wrapped around the back of your throat, and then you were sliding your leg over her lap, straddling her skirts as you kissed and kissed and felt a sigh pass between you.
“Do I get a reward for being so good?” you asked, rocking your hips.
“I suppose,” she said with a roll of her eyes before smiling at you. “But don’t mistake this for what it is. This is for taking your punishment well. Make me cross like that again, and you’ll find that I can be very patient with punishments.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
She smiled again, and then her expression turned to mischievous as her fingers slid between your thighs, her mouth parting open in mock surprise as she found you slick from the served punishment. “Now, what do you say?” she asked, sliding over your folds, her fingertips coming to circle over your clit before sliding back down.
Summary: All Lilith wants is Zelda on the war table, her dress ripped down the middle as she reminds Zelda who she worships.
All Zelda wants is one dress to not be torn asunder because a certain Queen can't keep it in her pants.
N.B.: Also posted on AO3, part of the ‘touching divinity’ series (set after The Infernal Contract)
Lilith watched as Zelda bent over the war table, moving the pieces into position. Zelda’s choice of dress today had a deep neckline that became all the more prominent as she leant forward to set the flank attack from the forest and was the entire reason that Lilith was struggling to pay attention to the war meeting.
“––scourge them with a plague,” one of Lilith’s generals said. “If we poison their food, they’ll be weakened before the attack.”
“They’ve allied with Beezlebub and will likely be granted protection against any disease we send,” her commander advised. “We should send the succubi out.”
“And risk Asmodeus?”
“Or we could risk the annihilation of the regiment as you seem to wish.”
“I said no such thing!”
The two began sniping comments at one another and Lilith feigned disinterest as the other commanders began joining in to fight over tactics. They should bring in the Cerberus pup, no they can’t, the pup was needed in the third circle. Who cared about the third circle, the lives were useless for war or trade. And on and on the fighting went as they tried to figure out which regiment to pull towards the forest.
Her attention turned to the way that Zelda’s hair fell across her shoulder as she studied the war map. Her High Priestess had taken to the role of advisor with more serious conviction than she expected. During the moments between meetings, she was often found pursuing Lilith’s private collection for any information regarding war or Hell, eager to learn battle strategies, as well as the weaknesses of the enemy.
Which often meant that the Lilith would come across her and absolutely ravish her, tossing books aside against Zelda’s protests that she was in the middle of reading before the protests turned into pleased hums and Zelda was left melting against her touch.
Twice Zelda had spoken her opinion in the war meetings, and twice she’d been dismissed by Lilith’s generals only for them to steal the idea and present it to Lilith as their own as if Zelda hadn’t been running through the ideas with Lilith the night before the meeting.
She had to admire their tenacity for any approval from her, and although she would be more than pleased if they began treating Zelda with the same respect, it was unlikely to occur in the next century.
Zelda’s face pinched in thought, and Lilith watched as she stood up tall at the side of the table, ignoring the advisors as she began playing with the war pieces, there was a concentration to it that had Lilith wanting to step behind her and draw her mouth over the exposed side of her neck as her High Priestess conveyed her plans for battle and bloodshed.
Zelda’s eyes lifted, meeting Lilith’s and a smirk graced her face before she looked away, shooting a brief warning look that they were not in private company.
As if that mattered, Lilith would prefer to dismiss her children and tear the material from Zelda’s body as she-–
“Isn’t that right, my Queen?”
Lilith blinked, turning to the general. “Mm, doubtful,” she said, watching as the eight of her children stared back at her, as if waiting for them to sort out the disagreement. “We should look at pushing them out of the forest into the plains.”
“We’d be exposed in the plains!” the general argued, and Lilith said back on her chair, watching as the general turned to point at the battle to explain his point, only to falter as he saw how the map had been laid out.
If they pushed them into the plains, it’d allowed them to create the hammer and the anvil, effectively decimating the enemy and allowing them to then take the sixth circle for their own, and giving them passage to trade with the fey.
There were spitting remarks made against the attack, and yet a few of the commanders murmured agreement, remarking that if they were to spook them out of the forest, it wouldn’t be difficult to lead them into the trap.
It was risky, involving them pulling the Pandaemonium regiment and leaving them unprotected––and yet Lilith felt the reward outweighed the risk. As did her High Priestess, it seemed who stood tall. Her hands splayed over the raised edges of the war table.
“A recess,” Lilith declared, watching as Zelda tilted her head, her eyes glowing with fierce pride at leaving the demons speechless. “Go, eat, and we’ll discuss on our return.”
Lilith kept her eyes steady on hers as she rose from her chair and waiting until the war room had been emptied by all except her love, and then with a wave of her hand, had the door slam shut behind the last demon. Zelda stepped back from the table, smoothing down the loose skirts of her gown as Lilith walked around the table.
“I take it that you’re pleased with the plan?”
“Very,” Lilith said. “Though I don’t recall hearing about this plan?”
“You were occupied last night.”
Lilith watched as Zelda turned her back to the war table, her eyes alight with building excitement. “Were you thinking about war in bed?”
“Briefly,” Zelda answered.
Lilith shook her head, stepping forward and watching as Zelda stepped back, hitting the war table. “How long did it take you to get dressed in this pretty gown?” she enquired, fingers running down the bodice to where the skirts dropped down, pooling around Zelda’s legs. She brushed over the embroidery around the waist, feeling Zelda’s breath draw in slowly.
“Hours and this is a new gown,” Zelda warned. “I like this one.”
“I like it too,” Lilith hummed in agreement, pushing firmer against her. Reaching up, she drew Zelda’s hair across one shoulder, softly combing through the curls. Zelda sighed in her ear, and it was all she needed to press a gentle kiss against her throat, underneath the jawline, before pressing another one lower, firmer. Zelda hummed, her body leaning forward into her touch.
“Don’t…” Zelda warned as Lilith’s fingers gripped tighter at the bodice. “You don’t need to keep ruining my clothes just because you can’t––“ she cut off into a moan as Lilith sucked against her throat, her teeth pressing over the spot until she knew that a most lovely bruise would bloom across Zelda’s skin.
“What was that?”
“Don’t rip this dress,” came the sharp response. “Lilith…I’m warning you…” she said, though her voice shook as Lilith’s fingers began to draw through her hair, tugging it enough to watch the woman’s pupils dilate with arousal.
“I’ll have a new one made.”
“No.”
“A better one,” Lilith promised, kissing against the throat again. “With little crescent moons embroiled with jewels.”
“We have a meeting. I need to be dressed.”
“Do you? You could just glamour clothes and be utterly naked underneath,” she whispered, drawing her hands down the dress until she could begin drawing the material up Zelda’s calves, showing the simple heels she wore underneath.
“Have you forgotten that your general has the ability to see through glamours?” Zelda reminded her. “It wouldn’t just be for you.”
Lilith grimaced. She had forgotten that little gift she’d granted him. It’d been a passing whimsy, an effort to show that she was willing to bestow worthy gifts to those who served her well rather than just empty promises of ascension. And yet she found herself regretting that gift, now.
“Besides,” Zelda said, somehow manoeuvring herself out from Lilith’s touch to stand beside her as she fixed her hair and clothes. “You should be respecting my clothes because I ask you to, not because we’re in the middle of a war meeting.”
Lilith frowned at Zelda before looking away. There was nothing more she wanted than to rip the dress down the front and take Zelda across the table. The image was almost as bright in her mind as Zelda was radiant before her. Exhaling, she rolled her shoulders back and stepped towards her High Priestess, drawing a finger across her jawline, down to her chin, watching at Zelda stared at her with anticipation.
She could see the woman’s hands at her sides, stretching out to withhold from reaching towards Lilith and giving in. Fine, if Zelda wanted to have a power struggle, she would play.
Her hand dropped away, and Lilith smiled at her. “I suppose that’s enough of a recess,” she said, drawing her fingers across the neckline of her dress, where the lace cut out flirted with a low dip. “We have so much planning to get through, after all.”
Zelda’s face sharpened, her eyes narrowing as she involuntary shifted closer to her. “There’s no need to act like a petulant child.”
“Oh?” Lilith asked, leaning closer as she slipped a hand underneath the neckline, dipping behind the corset to find Zelda’s nipple already hardened as she slipped her fingers over it, pinching it hard enough to hear her gasp. “So if I was very, very careful to mind your pretty dress, I could fuck you against the war table?”
Zelda’s hand slipped over her shoulder, holding steady as she leant forward to kiss her as Lilith pinched again, feeling the woman’s lips brush close to hers. “If you promise to be careful,” Zelda said. “You can fuck me in whatever room you want.”
Lilith paused, conflicted in the sudden need to get exactly what she wanted or to get a reward later from Zelda.
Since Zelda had followed her to Hell in the last two months, they had nearly gone at it in every room they desired with one notable exception. Zelda was adamant that they could not fuck in the throne room, given how exposed it was.
Lilith ached to have her in the throne room as a result.
Tilting her head, she studied Zelda carefully before she bit her tongue and stepped back, flicking her hand to allow the door to open. “I’ll think about it,” she said, her hand slipping out of the dress as she moved to exit the room to where her war party was getting into a fight over the food.
She could feel Zelda’s glower on her back, knowing that she had just declared a new war. As much as she wanted what had been offered, she wanted Zelda ravished on that war table more, her dress in tatters, hair strewn around her, and her expression awash with ecstasy.
She summoned the war party back and watched as they drew their eyes curiously over Zelda, knowing that something had occurred, but were familiar enough with Lilith’s dismissals to know not to question it.
Sitting down in her chair, she watched as her demons began arguing again about the battle, conceding to Zelda’s plan so as long as there was a decent plan to flush the enemy from the forest. Plague and pestilence were out, so as long as Beezlebub remained an ally (and he was unlikely to remove that oath in favour to Lilith). Bringing in succubi and incubi, who were entirely loyal to Lilith, would go against Asmodeus and currently he was hanging back in the sidelines until a prominent victor rose its head.
They ran through options from hell hounds to harpies, but the ideas were dismissed one-by-one. Lilith shifted in her chair, resting her head against her propped up hand as she ran through a list of favours that were owed to her.
Her thoughts faulted, however, as she noticed Zelda leaning against the war table, hand on her hip as she carefully studied the map. The way she stood made the curve of her hip to waist more prominent. And then her lips parted, and her tongue darted out briefly, drawing attention to her mouth as she began moving pieces against the board.
Zelda’s eyes looked up from the map, flashing at Lilith briefly before she smirked to herself and reached out towards a legion map marker, moving it across to the forest as one of the commanders spat their idea of flushing out the forest.
Lilith drew in a long, deep breath. Interesting.
Usually, Zelda would stare at the demons when they made any demands of her without respect, but this time she was willing to submit, reaching across the war map for the pieces, moving around the table with purposeful intent to place them where they needed to be with long, languid movements for Lilith’s benefit.
When the war party had finally agreed, each turning away to move into the positions they were required, Lilith rose to her feet. It was after midday, which meant that the smoke of Hell would be strong, offering much-needed passage. She provided her blessing to the parties, promised them a reward in their success and then dismissed them in turn, leaving Zelda and her alone in the room once more.
“I know what you’re doing,” Lilith said as she stepped behind her High Priestess, watching as she set the pieces away, lest any enemy comes into the room and see their plans.
“I have no idea what you mean,” Zelda said, her fingers wrapping around the pandemonium map marker, before Lilith snatched her hand out, grabbing at her wrist. She moved Zelda’s hair across to one side, setting her chin down on her shoulder.
“Is that so?” Lilith whispered. “Because it seems to me, there’s a little witch in need of punishment for insubordinate behaviour.”
Zelda laughed, low and warm in her throat. “And what would that look like?” she asked.
Lilith nipped at her throat. “You, on the war table, your dress ripped down the middle as I remind you of who you pray to until you say pretty please.”
“You’re not ripping my dress.”
“Then you’re not getting a single orgasm from me,” Lilith said, kissing her skin. “No matter how much you beg.”
“You’re being petty,” Zelda said in a disapproving tone. “I don’t like it when you’re petty.”
“Yes, you do,” she said, drawing the skirts of Zelda’s dress up until she slipped her hand over the warm skin of her thighs, “And you’d look so beautiful on that war table with your dress ripped, corset torn asunder and…” she paused, slipping her fingers between Zelda’s thighs to find an absence of material there. “Well, well, what do we have here?” she asked, sliding over her sex until she felt Zelda press against her for support, her thighs spreading apart obediently.
“The dress clings, and I refuse to…” Zelda trailed off as Lilith slid firmly over the sex, savouring how deliciously wet she was.
The wrist Lilith had caught trembled briefly before the map marker dropped from her grasp to allow Zelda to grasp at the edge of the war table.
“Lilith,” she purred, her head dropping back to allow Lilith to kiss up her jaw, across her cheek as her head turned. Their lips drew together, and Lilith fell in favour to passion, her teeth catching Zelda’s tongue before she sucked on it and let it go, just as she stroked over her sex, drawing up to her clit and circling it deliberately.
Zelda whimpered into her mouth, and it was almost enough for Lilith to disregard her promise and watch Zelda come undone entirely. No matter how many times she’d seen Zelda climax at her hand, Lilith still craved to see it occur at least once more.
In their very first tryst, Zelda had vowed to Lilith that she would never be done with her. It’d been easy to dismiss, using Zelda as an excuse to satisfy her base desires until Zelda filled her thoughts so entirely that she nearly choked on her coffee in a staff meeting when the pieces had come together. And then she’d subsequently spent the next few days trying to break the contact until she’d run into Zelda at the Academy Library.
Now, here they were, and Lilith could not imagine a moment changing.
Well, except convincing Zelda to let her have her on the war table.
She drew her fingers away, allowing the skirts to fall back down as she pressed a quick kiss to Zelda’s neck and stepped back, watching as Zelda’s posture turned sharp as she spun on her heel and glared at her.
“Lilith,” she warned, her voice still husked with arousal and Lilith felt excitement shoot down her spine.
“Yes, my love?” she inquired with faux innocence, watching disapproval shift over Zelda’s face.
It was a bad idea to annoy her so much. But she was so lovely when she was furious, and honestly, Lilith loved it when Zelda used that anger against her. They had some of their best sex when she was this worked up.
“Don’t,” she said, raising her hand to point at her, “even think about leaving until you finish what you started.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Lilith said, stepping closer. “Once you give me what I want.”
“You can’t be serious!” Zelda said.
“As a funeral,” Lilith responded, a grin pulling over her face as she watched Zelda’s eyes alight with stubborn fury.
Then her face broke out with a knowing smirk as she crossed her arms under her chest. The action was entirely hostile, a plan forming in Zelda’s mind and Lilith felt a long, slow breath pull into her lungs with excitement. “Are you so bored that you feel the need to toy with my feelings in such a way?”
“I didn’t realise you were so emotionally connected to your dress. I promise you that it will have a quick, painless death.”
Zelda turned her head away, her eyes glancing around the room before she looked back at Lilith with a look. “I’m not going to play this game. When you’ve decided you’re willing to respect my wishes, we can finish this.”
Lilith almost laughed but had enough restraint to hold it back. All this over a simple blue gown? Zelda must know this would only make her heels dig in firmer.
Her High Priestess stepped forward, lifting her hand to brush a curl across Lilith’s shoulder as she stared at her brightly, a passive expression on her face. “Come find me when you’re willing to submit.”
“I’ll find you when my name’s heavy on your tongue,” Lilith countered.
Zelda stepped away, and Lilith watched as she left. No matter what Zelda had planned, she was certain that she would get her way. If there was one constant in her life, it was that Zelda could not hold out on sex. No doubt, Lilith would find her in their wing later, draped over the chaise lounge, trying to finish was Lilith started.
Now, how long would that take, she wondered. After all, she wanted to time her arrival perfectly so she could work her up again.
As it turned out, she didn’t need to wait so long. Her day was filled with admin, and when the war had begun, she moved to stand in the window that looked out, towards the forest.
The battle was beginning; the early stages of the enemy were flushed out of the forest. From Pandemonium, she could see it rage, the forest alight with magic and bloodshed. Had there been a need for it, she would have dropped into the front lines and torn her way through the enemy (aiming for Beezlebub). As it was, by staying protected in the castle, the enemy was split between trying to siege the castle (with delightful failure given the heavy defensive magic that laid across the palace) and defending their lands.
Lilith wasn’t even sure if you could call it a siege when she had full capacity to leave the castle whenever she chose, given that she could teleport to the mortal realm and then to any aspect of Hell she desired. And yet as she wondered on the semantics of it, she heard a gentle whisper of a prayer.
It was involuntarily spoken, hushed and wanton. Her Priestess was summoning her.
She stepped away from the window as the crimson skies began to turn gold and made her way to where her bed chambers were, knowing that Zelda would be there.
Slipping through the shadows, Lilith went room by room through their chambers until she found her High Priestess.
The Queen’s chambers contained two bedrooms, a parlour, two bathrooms (one adjoining), a small library (compared to Pandemonium’s acquired collection) and a room that Lilith had long ago had converted to be her wardrobe.
Usually, Zelda could be found in the parlour or library, reading up on Hell, but this evening she had withdrawn to the smaller bedroom.
Lilith slipped through shadows into the warm room. It was dark, the skylight enchanted to show a star system from another realm (as Hell did not have any stars in its far-reaching pockets). The bedroom was sparsely decorated, with a few pieces of artwork on the walls, the dresser laid out with Zelda’s secondary creams and jewellery (as most of the items remained in the main bedroom).
But none of that interested Lilith, as her central focus was to where the single source of light was coming from. The fireplace was alight with a warm glow, casting shadows on the wall, as before the hearth, her Zelda was laid out on a large sheepskin rug.
The firelight danced across her naked skin, across the curves of her breast, down her sides to her waist, slipping over her thighs and causing her hair to appear incandescent.
Lilith stood unmoving in the shadows, watching Zelda as she dug her bare heels into the wool of the rug, a hand squeezing at her breast and between her thighs as she whimpered for relief.
More than once, Lilith had wondered if Zelda was divine-born, a descendent of some goddess of war and love, but the truth was, Zelda was entirely herself. Grander than any of the gods and to say she was divine born would only create a disservice to all the work she put in making herself, so Hell sent.
Such as manipulating a setting for Lilith to stumble upon.
Lilith knew that Zelda had designed this moment. She’d set the scene, carefully choosing the room, the fire, the angle of her body and the slow performance that was cascading into true desperation for relief. Her hair was fanned out around her, and her back arched off the rug, creating light across her skin to reveal the sheen of sweat forming over her body.
This was her advisor, her High Priestess, her greatest love, and Lilith wanted her more than she wanted anything else in this life.
She drifted through the room, anticipation coiling inside of her as she summoned a surprise for Zelda, undressing from her gown, and placing on the harness, so she wore nothing but the gift.
And then all at once, she was on Zelda, kissing up her body, from naval to throat, careful to not ruin the surprise as she angled herself between Zelda’s thighs.
“I wondered how long it would take,” Zelda said, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she continued to masturbate beneath her.
“Naughty witch. I promised you that I wouldn’t let you climax at my hand,” she said, reaching between them to slowly lift Zelda’s hand away from between her thighs. “How many time have you tried to get off?”
“You’ll find that I have gotten off,” she corrected. “Twice. I was working on…” Zelda’s voice faded, the obnoxious prideful expression fading into unadulterated hunger as Lilith brought Zelda’s wet fingers to her mouth, and cleaned them one-by-one. “There are no clothes for you to rip here.”
“I can see that,” Lilith responded dryly as she leant forward, letting the shaft of the strap-on slide over Zelda sex. She watched as the woman’s mouth parted as she almost keened towards it, her hips pushing up against it. Lilith slid back and forth again, rubbing the shaft over her already swollen clit and grinned as Zelda expression faded into arousal.
Taking Zelda’s hands, she carefully slid them high above her head, pinning her wrists to the ground. “Now, are you going to be a good witch and submit into your Queen?”
Zelda’s eyes flashed, a smirking growing on her face. “You won’t last. You take too much pride in making me come undone. It’ll frustrate you too mu––“ she was cut off as Lilith slid inside of her, her eyes fluttering shut as she arched her back. “Lilith,” she sang as if it were a prayer.
With one hand pinning Zelda’s wrists in place, Lilith hooked her other underneath Zelda’s knee and lifted it up high to adjust her angle, using the time to tease her as she drew her nails with purposeful, delicate touch until she could feel Zelda’s muscles contracting as she began thrusting inside of her, moving from slow, careful movements to firm, long strokes.
And then, when satisfied, she increased her speed.
Zelda’s hips moved in sync, her eyes staring up at Lilith with such devotion at her brows pinched together. “Oh!” she gasped. “I––mm.” Zelda’s face turned away from the fire as she bit at her bottom lip, trying to hold back the sounds building in her throat as her body began to tense and then release.
Lilith laughed. Her little witch was trying desperately to hide how close she was. She tugged her forward, pausing there, so the shaft filled her entirely and watched her chest rise and fall.
“Lilith,” she husked, edged with a command. Lilith could see it in her half-lidded eyes, finish what you’ve started, or else.
Lilith drew in a deep breath, holding firm as she stared down into eyes, watching the flush bloom across her body. She was obediently still, waiting, though Lilith could feel her thigh tense as she tried to shift, edging the pressure where she needed it.
“Say ‘pretty please’.”
Zelda rolled her eyes and then as Lilith began slowly sliding out of her, a panic look crossed her features as she tensed, her hands curling tight high above her head, trying to shift against Lilith’s grasp. “Pretty please,” she said between hissed teeth.
Lilith slid further out. Her brow cocked in warning as she tilted her head. A hissed plead wasn’t what she wanted, and Zelda knew that.
She could feel Zelda trying to wrap her legs around Lilith's waist, trying to keep that phallus inside of her whilst trying to deceive how desperately she wanted it. If Lilith had to guess, her little witch didn’t get the much-needed relief she wanted at her own hand.
Zelda’s eyes returned to hers as she licked her lips, her face softening as she smiled up at Lilith. “Pretty please, my Queen.”
“Well, when you ask so nicely,” Lilith said, and she slid deeper into her, leaning forward so that she could almost kiss her, watching rapture slip over Zelda’s face. “How badly do you want this?”
“You know how badly,” Zelda answered, her hips rocking.
“Mm, and you know the price,” Lilith said, her grip tightening on Zelda’s thigh to stop her from shifting. “Promise it to me, and I’ll promise you that I will fuck you until you can’t tell when one orgasm stops and another starts.”
“Make me beg for it,” Zelda said before she leant forward, pressing her lips to hers. A chuckle warmly drew from her before she began to bite and suck as Lilith’s mouth. It was a hungry kiss, sharp but Zelda was skilled at seduction, and it wasn’t difficult to feel her determination to win withdraw when Zelda was moaning into her mouth.
She knew it was a manipulation, and yet Lilith felt Zelda’s wrists slip from her grip, felt her shift, reversing their position until Lilith was rolled onto her back upon the sheepskin and Zelda straddled her hips.
Zelda was glorious with the firelight highlighting behind her as she settled her hands onto Lilith’s shoulders and began rocking her hips over the phallus. Lilith’s hands settled onto her hips, easing the movements into a slow, languid movement until Zelda was arching her back, head tilting back, so she looked utterly unholy and sinful.
Zelda’s mouth parted open one hand lifting to comb the hair out of her eyes as she fucked the strap-on as if she was performing a fertility spell.
Lilith could feel Zelda’s magic crackling over her skin, pulling from the kinetic energy.
She learnt up, her mouth kissing over the breast, tongue swirling over the nipple before she snagged her teeth over it and sucked until Zelda’ hand on her shoulder tightened, nails digging in as her hips shook with involuntary movements as her witch tried (and failed) to hold back her moans.
Lilith could feel her wetness dripping down the phallus, spilling onto her thighs like warm honey.
She was close, so very close. Teetering on the edge of relief.
Lilith gave a last nip with her teeth before she pulled away, watching as Zelda’s eyes squeezed shut, her brow furrowing as she focused on reaching to that high point.
Lilith reached up with one hand, still feeling the woman’s hips thrust with determination as she wrapped her fingers around the back of Zelda’s neck, her thumb pressing on the underside of her jaw.
Zelda’s eyes peeked open, looking down at her with such pride in herself, pleased to have manipulated her Queen.
It was a beautiful sight, and Lilith almost wanted to give in to watch it bloom into something utterly euphoric. And yet, she purred low: “Zelda,” watching as her High Priestess’s expression narrowed in warning.
Don’t you dare, she conveyed with her piercing stare, hips still rocking.
And yet it was all Lilith could think about. “Promise me.”
Zelda's mouth pressed firmly shut in defiance, and Lilith grinned. Her hand waved, and before Zelda could think the words of a counterspell, the strap-on was banished, far away into a plane of existence and Zelda was left empty and wet and wanton in her lap.
Zelda’s expression turned savage, and as it did, Lilith reached up and kissed her, feeling the woman respond in kind, before she was shoved, as Zelda ripping away from her with a dark glare. “We have a war raging at our doorstep, and you decided now is the time to be unreasonable about a dress?”
Lilith laughed. “All is fair in love and war.”
“Honestly,” Zelda scoffed, rolling her eyes as she climbed of Lilith on shaken legs, walking over to the wardrobe to pull out a silk robe. Lilith couldn’t catch the dark murmurs being hissed under her breath, but she could feel the crackling magic radiating through the room.
Zelda was deeply unhappy.
Lilith rose to her feet, watching as her High Priestess fixed her hair before tying the sash around her waist. Then, seemingly satisfied with how she looked, she turned on her heel, throwing a dark look as she walked past. “I have texts to study. Don’t wait up.”
She didn’t.
Lilith ate dinner, completed much-needed admin, and sent off letters to those that owed her favours. Then she went to bed. Outside the battle, raged and Lilith went to sleep, listening to her name summoned in battle cries.
There’s no such thing as of late or early in Hell. It was always red or gold and the only way to know the passing days was to be familiar with shifting of smoke, like tides in the ocean.
But when Zelda awoke her with incessant kisses at her throat, it felt like some dreadfully early mortal hour.
She thought of swatting her away, telling her to go to sleep because who knew how long that might last, but Zelda knew every spot on her throat and just how much teeth to use to make her moan.
Turning from her side to her back, she blinked up through the darkness to watch as Zelda pulled away, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. She was beautiful in the enchanted light, mischief sparkling in her eyes as she drew her fingers down Lilith's sternum, across her belly to her navel in a slow, steady movement.
Revenge, Lilith thought to herself, still feeling the pull of a dream hazily draw through her mind. She couldn’t remember what she’d been dreaming about, as Zelda filled her thoughts so entirely, it was difficult to remember if there’d ever been another thought.
Fingers brushed over her pubic mound as Zelda bluntly drew over the area, swirling in a deliberate pattern as if she was waiting for Lilith to make the next move.
Lilith leant up to kiss her, feeling Zelda’s fingers slide over her sex as she fell back against the pillow, with Zelda’s tongue deep in her mouth.
“Someone’s worked up,” Lilith teased between breaths. “Have you even slept?”
“Shut-up,” came the hissed response.
Zelda kissed her as if the palace wards would break, and the siege would make its way into their halls tomorrow. But the wards were strong (she could feel them, stabilised and humming with ancient magic she’d built) and Zelda’s fingers were steady as they slid inside of her.
She could feel the determination from Zelda to have the upper hand. She could also feel the anticipation building between them as she was driven closer to climax. Zelda wanted her drenched and begging, and she could feel that need building low in her belly, the tension coiling inside of her.
But Lilith also knew that there was one significant difference between them.
Zelda had thin patience, so when she tried to pull away (like the little insolent witch that she is), Lilith snatched at her wrist and held it in place as her other hand curled in Zelda’s hair, tugging it hard enough to watch a visceral reaction bloom across Zelda’s face.
“You’re not done yet,” she told her, watching as Zelda’s expression blended between aroused and annoyed. “Be a good witch and serve your Queen.” The expression hardened into mischief, a slow smirk forming.
“If you want it so badly, then ask me nicely,” Zelda purred, curling her fingers inside of her as she began to rub at a particular spot, too slow for anything but a growing want.
Lilith’s arousal was thick, and Zelda was looking at her like she knew every thought she’d ever had about her.
The pause held between them. With the quiet, Lilith felt her need continue to grow inside of her. She wasn’t above playing this particular game with her High Priestess.
“Please,” she purred, watching with delight as Zelda’s eyes flashed, her lips parting open as sheer arousal ran through her from hearing the single word.
“Please what?”
Lilith felt a low, heavy laugh grow in her chest. She had never forgotten how power-hungry her High Priestess was, but it seemed that she might have been neglecting to feed that. Well, that was certainly an easy thing to remedy.
She leant forward, pressing her lips to Zelda’s ear as she whispered, “Please fuck me, Zelda.”
The response was immediate. Zelda hissed in a breath, and then Lilith was shoved back onto the bed as Zelda straddled her thigh and began fucking her.
It was unholy and primal, and Lilith relished in it, sinking her nails into Zelda’s back until the woman hissed in her ear and bit her back in kind. She came hard, gasping in Zelda’s ears, feeling the world quieten until all she could hear was Zelda laughing, pleased with herself as she slid her fingers out.
“Are you satisfied?” Zelda asked.
Lilith hummed an agreement, her words failing her as she felt the exhaustion taken over her. There was a shuffling in the bed, and then she felt Zelda slide from her thigh and settle beside her.
“I still want that dress,” Lilith murmured.
There was a pause, and then: “I should murder you,” Zelda said, shifting in the blankets to pull away from her. Lilith laughed, rolling over to where Zelda had pulled away and wrapped her arms around her. “I could murder you,” Zelda advised.
“You won’t,” Lilith said, pressing a kiss to Zelda’s back as she settled beside her, drifting asleep. “You love me too much. It's disgusting.”
“And yet you said it first, truly an embarrassment on your behalf.”
Lilith’s eyes flashed open, glaring out into the darkness of the room. It had been an embarrassment, a confession she had never wanted to admit out loud, and yet here she was. So completely in love and happy, it was awful.
Whatever was she going to do?
“I should murder you,” she responded into the dark.
“You won’t,” Zelda hummed, her voice thick with exhaustion. “You love me too much.”
Lilith huffed, settling against her again as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
In the morning (as much as a morning in Hell could be) she awoke to Zelda still deep asleep in her arms. Their day was heavy with Council meetings, with Lilith’s morning to be spent in the throne room, listening to lesser demons whine about trade routes being disrupted.
The battle still raged by the forest, and Lilith felt a strange sense of trepidation as she looked over it. The enemy should have been in the planes, but it seemed they were still flushing them out. She longed to join the fray, to rage towards the Dukes that dared to oppose her and strike them down swiftly. And yet, if she left Pandemonium, she would bring the sieging war party with her.
Her eyes fluttered close, feeling the shields pull. They remained strong, holding steady against the onslaught of attacks, but they would eventually fall. It may be decades from now, centuries if they continued to snipe at the enemy below, but what was a hundred years to demons who had lived thousands of years?
She thought of Zelda standing outside of the Blackwood manor, looking at her as if nothing else existed. “All things die. Even stars.”
She missed the stars. When the war was over, perhaps it would be time to oversee her coven.
Lilith ate her morning breakfast, bathed and then dressed, ensuring her crown sat presently over her head. She walked past Zelda, brushing her hair back from the face as she watched her breath rise and fall as she remained deep asleep. Lilith left her asleep. A small luxury was well deserved after last night.
And then she made her way to the throne room, taking her seat as Minion summoned in the first of the lesser demons.
“My queen,” the demon squeaked, bowing low. “I bring tidings from Verrine.”
Of course, Lilith thought, masking her displeasure. It was to be a long morning then.
Her day dragged, after tidings from Verrine (an hour-long unsubtle attempt to weasel out of taxes) she broke for a council meeting, where without Zelda, she was left to manage her own temper and refrain from killing any of the idiots as they argued over trade routes and taxes. Then came her return to the throne, listening as an array of lesser demons spoke on behalf of their masters, begging on their feet because their lords would not.
Then her day soured with news from the war.
She received two demons, one from her lieutenant and one from a commander, the commander’s messenger advised that their fight was stuck in a stalemate, their armies equally matched and requested additional aid to turn the tables. Lilith refused. The other brought poorer tidings, advising that one of her allies had pulled out a legion of demons, cowardly retreating away when it became clear that the forest was proving to be difficult.
If their attack failed, they’d have both armies marching towards Pandemonium. It would further restrict trade routes, and the fey wilds would be lost to them.
Lilith drew in a breath, dismissing the demon messengers before she slaughtered him. It was times like this that she missed Stolas. He’d always been her eyes in battle––perhaps it was time she found a new factotum, one with unquestionable loyalty.
She adjusted on her throne, fingers tapping on its arms as she waited for the next demon to make its way into her court. A headache was beginning to form, her muscles tightening having lost all the ease she’d had after Zelda’s seduction. There was nothing she could do now, except wait and see if her generals pulled back or if they fought on and somehow managed to go against their odds.
“Her Eminence, High Priestess Zelda Spellman,” Minion pronounced. “Here to providing tidings to the Queen.”
Lilith’s eyes drew up to where her High Priestess was entering from. It was unusual for Zelda to pronounce herself. There was no reason for her to do so, unless…
Zelda had refused to have sex in the throne room since they’d first arrived, adamant that her mind would not change in that regard. Could it be that she had a change of heart?
A warm smile drew over her lips, and she watched as Zelda stepped forward in a lovely gown, her head held high as she knelt before the throne, skirts spreading around. Lilith watched as she bowed her head, though her eyes mischievously remained locked on hers. “My Queen.”
Lilith’s fingers tapped on the throne, noticing the unusual shimmer about the clothes and felt a warmth pool low in her belly. A glamour charm? How fortuitous. “High Priestess,” she purred. “And what tidings do you bring your Queen?”
Zelda looked up at her, and her expression hardened. There was a nervous energy about her and Lilith’s eyes narrowed, curious. “I hear we have a coward amongst us.”
“We do,” Lilith said. “He’ll be dealt with severely. Without mercy.”
“He already has been,” Zelda said. Lilith paused, letting the words sink into the air between them.
“Fascinating,” Lilith said, blinking twice as she tried to still the growing feeling inside of her. Had Zelda betrayed her? It seemed unlikely. “I don’t recall asking for it to be dealt with. It sounds almost as if…you acted on your own?”
Zelda swallowed, embarrassment leaking over her face as she drew her eyes down to Lilith’s feet in an attempt to bow her head. Oh no, we can’t have that, Lilith thought, feeling the annoyance grow inside of her.
Zelda had made a decision without her sign off. Yes, it was a decision she agreed with, but it was still without her authorisation. The princes would sense weakness if they knew.
She watched as Zelda shivered underneath her stare, waiting for a response that she would not grant. If her advisor was going to go against her orders, Lilith wanted her to ensure she knew it was wrong. She wanted the silence to sit unbearably between them until Zelda choked on it.
“As your advisor,” Zelda began, already defending her position, “it’s my duty to deal with things swiftly. A formal confirmation will be brought soon.”
Lilith felt herself sit taller, she gestured for Zelda to stand and as she did, was greeted with the glamour shimmering from Zelda, revealing that the lovely dress she wore was nothing more than a floor-length silk dressing gown, cinched at the waist.
Zelda stepped forward, barely a foot away from her. “I know you might be displeased, but I assure you it was swift but merciless.”
Lilith reached forward, wrapping her fingers around the silk sash, winding it around her fingers.
“And, tell me, when did you come across this?” After all, Lilith had only known for the better part of an hour. It was insufficient time to plan and execute an assassination attempt against one of higher demon children.
“The first messenger came while you slept last night. I acted immediately to avoid any further betrayal.”
Ah, Lilith realised. Zelda’s seduction now and last night were a distraction. She should be angry, by all rights she should be furious. And yet all she could muster was a slow-growing annoyance. Zelda knew better than to make a decisive action without her sign-off.
Discipline would be required.
Lilith’s fingers tugged at the sash, watching the bow come undone. She flicked her fingers, and the gown dropped from Zelda’s shoulders, falling down her body until it pooled around her feet.
She watched as Zelda’s bare chest rose and fall in even breaths, hesitation drawing. Her High Priestess was waiting, knowing she had been out of line, and yet the flush spreading across her face and chest showed a keened excitement. If Lilith pressed her fingers between those thighs, she knew they’d come back slick.
Leaning back on the throne, she drew her eyes over Zelda’s form, ensuring her High Priestess felt as naked as possible.
Though this was her Zelda, nudity was not something that brought her shame. She’d have to try harder for that. “On your knees.”
Zelda obeyed, sinking to them with the grace of a woman well-practised. It was enough to make Lilith want to reach out and grab her, before tugging her into her lap, but she didn’t. Holding restraint and enjoying the way her High Priestess held her eyes.
“What did you hope would happen if you came to me like this?” Lilith asked. “Did you hope that I would fuck you, or were you hoping to fuck me again in an effort to appease me?”
A lovely shade of red drew across Zelda’s chest as she smiled up at her. “Whatever the Queen desires.”
“Whatever the Queen desires?” Lilith echoed. “Tell me, Zelda, am I your Queen?”
“Yes.”
“Yes…?” Lilith enquired, trailing off to remind Zelda of the words she’d forgotten. After all, she’d announced herself into her throne room. She wasn’t her equal anymore. Now, she was just a royal subject under scrutiny.
“Yes, my Queen.”
“So you’re not the Queen of this fine land, then, are you Zelda?”
“No, my Queen.”
“Did your Queen order you to serve retribution against a coward?”
Zelda paused, she could see the argument rising in her throat before she bowed her head, swallowing the words back. “No, my Queen.”
“I see. So then, Zelda, since you’re my advisor, tell me…what do I do with my subjects who disobey me?”
“You punish them, my Queen.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call what I’m about to punishment. Think of it more like discipline. Now be a good girl and keep your mouth shut. Royal subjects should be seen and not heard.”
Zelda squirmed at her words, her mouth parting as she held back what likely would have been a most delectable moan. Such a shame, Lilith thought, watching Zelda’s breath increase. It would be nice to hear the audible reaction. And to discipline her for it.
She sat still, winding the satin sash around her fingers. Zelda’s eyes followed the movement as her own hands slowly curled into fists on her thighs, leaving red marks in its wake.
There was such a show of restraint that Lilith was almost impressed. Usually, Zelda was already snapping forward and demanding Lilith ‘get on with it’. But here she was, being such a good witch.
Leaning forward in her throne, she reached for Zelda’s left wrist, looping the sash around it, before taking her other and doing the same. There, she knotted the sash until Zelda’s hands were tied up, and created a lovely leash for her own amusement.
She tugged on it, causing the witch to jerk forward, glaring up at her as she bit her tongue to prevent from saying a word. “Good girl,” Lilith said. She drew up higher on the leash, closer to Zelda’s wrists and tugged again until her High Priestess’s mouth was inches from hers. “Apologise, and then maybe you can avoid your discipline.”
“I’m sorry,” Zelda said, earnest in her response as she looked deep into her eyes.
“Sorry for what?”
Zelda’s lips parted into a soft ‘o’ shape, surprised by the question. But the moment passed, and her brow pressed together. “For not seeking your approval first. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing.”
Lilith smirked. “All the pity,” she said. “That’s not what I want you to apologise for.”
Zelda’s face furrowed with confusion, and Lilith laughed. “Then––“
“Uh, your turn for talking is over. Turn around.”
Zelda hissed in a breath, turning around. She was awkward at first, having to hold her arms above her head as Lilith refused to relinquish the silk sash, twisting the material to obey the order.
She stood on the lower step, her back curved as she breathed in and out, likely staring out at the wide, empty throne room.
There were over six doors that led into the room, and none of them were ever locked. From any door, they had a wide position of being able to look up at the balcony and see the Queen’s throne (Lilith had ensured it). Lilith knew that Zelda knew this, and was further pleased to note that not only was Zelda’s skin flushed with arousal, but goosebumps were breaking out over her skin.
“Do you remember when I first tied you up?” she asked, running a hand through Zelda’s hair, ensuring it felt as patronising as she sounded. “You looked so lovely blindfolded and bound in my arms.” There was a soft sigh as if Zelda was holding back a whimper. Such a good girl.
One hand still holding the sash, she drew the other over Zelda’s side, drawing her nails bluntly from ribs to waist to hips, enjoying the sensation of the sash going taught as Zelda squirmed at the sensation. A bare, tiny hum sounded, and she paused, resting her hand on the thigh as she leant forward and kissed the bare skin on her witch’s back.
A shiver ran down the skin, and Lilith felt the anticipation grow in Zelda as she slipped her fingers slowly across the thigh, sliding close to where Zelda wanted her. She paused, grazing near it before she slid her hand down and tapped at the leg. “Up you get,” she said with as much condescension as possible, enjoy the tension that shot up Zelda’s back in annoyance.
One leg lifted, sliding back onto the throne, and then another, until Zelda was straddling her thighs backwards, staring out at the throne room. Lilith drew the bound arms behind her head and felt Zelda settle there, hands curling in her hair, drawing against her scalp to hold steady.
“There,” Lilith said, grazing her lips over Zelda’s throat as she raked her hands over the witch’s sides again to just feel her squirm. “Isn’t that much better?”
Lilith closed her eyes, drawing her nails down Zelda’s bare thighs and then up again. She could imagine how Zelda looked. Hands behind her head, legs spread on her Queen’s lap. How beautifully unholy the act was.
“Tell me what you want,” Lilith asked, kissing her throat firmer until she felt Zelda’s head tilt, a sigh coming out of her mouth. She circled her fingers over the thighs, up her hips and down again. “Zelda,” she prompted, pressing her nails in tighter.
“I want you to fuck me,” Zelda sighed.
Lilith paused, waiting.
A whine pulled from Zelda as she pressed firmly back against Lilith. “My Queen, please fuck me.”
“Good girl,” she whispered before biting down on her neck, drawing one hand to cup over Zelda’s breast, as the other slid between her thighs.
Lilith moaned as her fingers slid over the sex. She knew Zelda was enjoying this as much as she was, but she hadn’t expected to find Zelda drenched. Utterly and completely dripping wet for her. “Perhaps I should spank you instead if this is how wet you are.”
She squeezed as the breast, dragging over the sex as she did and heard Zelda’s breath hitch, before she sighed, biting back a whimper as Lilith drew fingers over her clit, purposefully circling it.
Zelda’s hips rocked forward as her head rolled back onto Lilith’s shoulder. Her jaw-clenching to stifle the building moans as Zelda purposely circled her clit, feeling the hips rock. And then, when Zelda was melting against her, she slid three fingers inside of her.
“Yes,” Zelda sighed.
Lilith paused her movement and slowly began to slide out of her.
“Lilith.”
“Now remind me. Did I or did I not say that royal subjects should be seen and not heard?”
Zelda whined before nodding her head, reluctant to agree. And oh, it was so lovely to feel her squirm, her thighs shaking as she slid inside of her again.
“Try and be good this time. Otherwise, I’ll need to get creative,” Lilith said as fucked her slowly, drawing deep inside of her until Zelda was gasping, bucking her hips for more as she tried to swallow back her responses. “Look at that. I can barely hear you,” Lilith advised, before kissing at her throat until she felt the woman clench around fingers. “Do you want me to go faster?”
Zelda nodded, her breath hitching.
“Say pretty, please.”
“Pretty please,” she gasped, a whimper escaping her hold.
One day, Lilith was going to have to put a mirror in front of them, so that she could see how utterly salacious her High Priestess was when she had three fingers thrusting inside of her. For now, she would have to do with enjoying the sensation of Zelda nearly convulsing, desperately trying to hold onto to every noise as Lilith fucked her.
She drew her thumb over Zelda’s clit as she curled her fingers inside of her. There was one area inside of Zelda, that if she curled just right, pressing just right against it as she stroked her clit, she could feel Zelda jerk, clenching involuntarily as she was driven hard and fast to a climax.
A barely audible sob broke from Zelda, followed by a soft “please”.
Lilith stopped.
“No!” Zelda gasped. “Lilith, please, I––” she stopped, swallowing back the words, dropping against her.
“You what?” Lilith asked, returning to a slow, stroke.
Zelda rolled her hips, sinking to lean back against her. “I need this, I haven’t…” she trailed off, holding back a moan as Lilith deliberately curled inside of her. “Haven’t since…”
“Haven’t…?” she asked. “Didn’t you tell me that you already came twice at your own hand yesterday?”
Zelda huffed, her fingers curling tight in Lilith’s hair, alighting the nerve endings. “You know that’s not the same.”
“I do,” she agreed, gently stroking her as she kissed her shoulder as if this was nothing more than a lazy afternoon tryst. “Tell me how badly do you want this.”
“Badly,” Zelda said.
“Mm?” Lilith prompted, nipping at the bare shoulder. She wanted to humiliate her as much as possible, ensure her little witch understood exactly how much restraint she had when it came to disciplining her.
“Lilith, please. What do you want me to say? That I ache for it?”
“And then some.”
Zelda whimpered again, her thighs shaking as she squeezed around her fingers. “You can feel how badly I want it! What else do you want?”
“There are many things I want from you, Zelda Spellman. Your loyalty for one.”
“You already have it,” Zelda said, her breath short as she pressed back against her, rocking against her thighs.
“Your heart…” Lilith said, as she squeezed at the breast and feeling the delicious reaction of Zelda’s legs trembling as she was brought closer and closer to the precipice.
“Yours,” she exhaled, arching her back. “Please.”
Lilith nudged against Zelda’s throat, feeling the whimper vibrate through the flesh as she slowly drew up to Zelda’s ear and whispered, “But what I really want, Zelda Spellman, is your obedience. Can you give me that?”
There, Zelda hissed in a breath and Lilith stroked deep and deliberately, kissing over her neck until the tension in Zelda’s back began to ripple. “O-obedience in what?”
“Promise me that you will obey me as your Queen. My orders are absolute, and you will not go and serve retribution or justice without my approval.”
“I…I promise.” She drew in a deep breath and hummed, squeezing against as she tried to reach the orgasm. “Lilith, please?” she whined.
Lilith laughed, low and warm in her ear. “You’ve been so good,” she said before her voice went low and dangerous, “But you still caused a bit of mischief. If anyone finds out, my authority would be undermined by the very act of your disobedience. We would lose the war.”
“I’ve apologised!” Zelda snapped, “Isn’t that enough?”
“Oh no, I told you what I want. Now, take your punishment like a good little witch and maybe next time I’ll reward you.” Zelda whimpered, squeezing around her fingers. She was keening closer and closer, and then–-
“No,” Zelda gasped.
And Lilith slid out of her, dropping her hand onto trembling thigh as Zelda whimpered, her body slumping forward. “Hush, it’s almost over,” she said, laying a kiss to her cheek.
“I swear––“
“It’d done, Zelda. You did well,” she whispered, curling an arm across her waist and helping Zelda to move her legs from either side of her until she was just curled up in her lap.
As Zelda softened, Lilith reached up behind her, untangling Zelda’s hands from her hair, before she tugged the silk bindings undone, allowing the hands to drop heavy and exhausted into Zelda’s lap.
They didn’t speak, but Lilith could feel the frustration and humiliation burning through Zelda. It was enough that Lilith brought her closer, combing a hand through her hair as she kissed her temple. “It’s over, I promise. No more of that for today.”
From her position, she could see that Zelda’s face was damp and her jaw was clenched, but as Lilith continued to draw through her hair, she settled, leaning against Lilith until she was nearly falling asleep.
“I think you’ve learnt your lesson.” She drew her arms over her for warmth as the heat of her body cooled in the open air.
Zelda stilled against her, before asking, “And if I hadn’t?”
“You of all people know what I can do when I put my mind to it,” Lilith said, and was pleased to note a shiver run down Zelda’s back. “I could have you whimpering for days if you ever so wish.”
“I had thought it was the right thing,” Zelda echoed. “We needed to act swiftly.”
“You’re not the Queen. I am.”
“You needed to sleep. Since the war’s begun, you’re barely managing to get four hours a day. You would have kept up the rest of the night, thinking out worse and worse punishments and it needed to be done efficiently to move the legion back into place before we irreparably lost good soldiers. You know I did the right thing.”
Lilith sighed, she did, and it annoyed her. Zelda balanced her, she was the cool head to Lilith’s passion, but at the end of the day, Lilith was Queen and Zelda her advisor, if people suspected that Zelda was ruling in her stead from that position, there would be more war, only a coup.
“I don’t want to discuss this. I think it’s time you got washed up. We have a war meeting to attend to, and right now you stink like an orgy.”
Lilith entered the room, looking around at her war council. Moving forward, she took her seat in the only chair in the room and watched as Zelda stood at the war table, in her usual position as she began pulling out the map pieces before setting them onto the table. There was a tightness to her shoulders as she avoided looking at Lilith.
They’d bathed earlier, and Zelda had spent the entire time glaring at her before she’d disappeared to get dressed. She was in a mood. So much so that she had decided to put on that fucking dress to her taunt her.
“Which circle are we discussing today?” Zelda inquired as Lilith watched her step around the table, skirts moving as she continued to set up the important pieces. Again, she seemed to have returned to leaning over the table, prominently showing off how deep the neckline plunged.
“The battle still rages by the forest,” one of her commanders advised, snapping Lilith from her thoughts. “Perhaps we should wait until we lose before discussing any other battle.”
“So sure of a loss, Commander?” Lilith inquired, tilting her head. “Do you know something that I don’t?”
He snarled, looking around the occupants of the table. “An entire regiment retreated!” he declared. “We’re a thousand warriors shorter than before.”
“We are one coward short,” Lilith corrected with a sharp smile. “I had my Advisor take care of that issue. As I understand, the regiment has returned––and such a surprise that was. Why it just might make-up the numbers we lost in that little spell of awkwardness.”
Before they had entered the room, Minion had delivered a message moments before they entered the war room, advising that the sudden reappearance of the regiment had caused a flank to the southern quadrant, it was still early news, but the tides may shift into their favour. At the very least, their loss wouldn’t be so quick.
It left her with a sour taste in her mouth, however. Knowing that Zelda had done the right thing and that the fact that Zelda couldn’t act on her own accord often meant that Lilith was possibly in a position of vulnerability.
The war table broke out in murmurs, wondering what it meant. And then the murmurs turned to fights over what their next actions should be. Lilith sat back in her chair, watching as Zelda leant onto the table, to where her focus seemed to be entirely on the war map––though she’d framed herself in such a way that Lilith had a lovely profile of the curve of her body.
And then Lilith watched as she sucked on her lower lip, seeming to be in thought until her eyes flicked across to Lilith with a smirk.
Insolent witch.
“Silence!” she commanded. The voice-brokered down and Lilith rose from her chair. “We’re at war with Kings, not each other. If you want to return to duking it out with one another as you had in days of old, you will finish slaughtering the enemy.”
“If,” her commandant said, “we were permitted the hell hounds, they could corner the western quadrant and pin them to the Lethe. We could fish out any fallen soldiers and ferry them to my region.”
“No, the hounds remain here, that’s not up for discussion.” Her commandant went to speak again, and she raised a hand. “However, pinning them to the Lethe is a viable plan. Minion,” she summoned.
Minion entered the room, coming from the shadows as he bowed his head. “Yes, your majesty?”
“Send a messenger to my Lieutenant. Tell her to order the harpies to the East.”
“Harpies?” her commander asked. “We need them! If they were slaught––“
“That’s all,” Lilith said, not caring as to what her commander advised. The harpies were initially being reserved for a final assault, but at this stage, it was too important to hold back.
“Right away, my Queen,” Minion said, bowing low before disappearing out of the room. Lilith sat back and grinned at her commandant.
“Any that fall to Lethe are yours,” she said. “For whatever experiments you have in mind.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a new fight rose as her war council broke out in anger, arguing over who should be able to take the fallen soldiers. Lilith sat back and smiled at Zelda, watching as she set up the battle map, adjusting the pieces. With a small casting of magic, the map came alive, and they both watched as the enemy was decimated.
It would do. For now.
However, their meeting wasn’t over. The forest wasn’t their only assault, and if it were to fail, they needed to know where to draw their attacks.
Her war council argued amongst each other (what else was new), and different tactics were decided (and decided against). They were coming up to dinner when Minion returned in a hurried state, pushing the door open before he bowed and looked up, catching his breath. “Asmodeus has joined the battle.”
The room went silent. Asmodeus was the final decider. If he’d had removed his neutral placement, then the final parts of the war were in place––and they still did not have the fey realm open.
The war would be over.
They would need to leave.
Lilith looked to Zelda, watching the fear draw her face. Whatever happened, Lilith knew in her heart that she would do whatever necessary to ensure Zelda was safe. Even if it that meant banishing her to the far recesses of the mortal realm and locking her out of Hell until it was all over.
“And?” Lilith asked, thankful her voice sounded annoyed by the hesitation.
“He joined the harpies, pushing the enemy into Lethe.”
Lilith exhaled, relief filling her. Asmodeus had sided with them––however temporary that might be. She turned, looking to Zelda and watching as a similar expression of hope-filled her face. He may revoke his status and return to a position of neutrality, but the enemy would stand against him.
“How soon until the battle finishes?” she asked.
“It’s over,” Minion advised. “We won the battle. The enemy retreated, and we now have two new regiments in our rank.”
Lilith swallowed, holding back her excitement. A battle was one thing, but two new regiments. It was almost too good to be true. She would need to have them vetted. “Was there anything else?”
“He’ll visit tomorrow to discuss further. I’ll ensure a feast is prepared.”
“Issue out a lottery to soldiers,” Lilith said. “May as well make this a celebration.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Minion said, bowing low before exiting the room.
Lilith drew herself back as she felt the tension shift through her. Once the door the war room had shut, she looked to her commander. “Go, seal the trade route and send your most trusted to Mab to negotiate. If this is a trick, I want her chit called in.”
Her commander nodded, leaving at once. Lilith sat back, feeling excitement rush through her. The war could be over far sooner than she expected, Zelda could visit her family, and she could open up the trade routes and return to bringing wealth to her queendom.
She looked to Zelda, watching at the woman smiled, all anger having evaporated from her.
Lilith felt her heart ease with it. It seemed she owed her High Priestess an apology.
“Meeting adjourned,” she said, feeling her world narrow. With a wave of her hand, the war council left. After three and a half hours of meeting, she should be exhausted, but Lilith felt an invigoration fill her as she stood to her feet. The battle was over, Asmodeus had chosen her side. She could feel the strength of her queendom filling her. Chaos reigned, and yet order was restored once more.
“Well,” Zelda said as she walked over, leaning against the war table before her. “It’s within sight now. The war may end.”
“Asmodeus siding with us does not guarantee us a win.”
“Then why are you smiling like that?”
Lilith stepped closer, setting her hands on the war table, on either side of Zelda to pin her in place. “Because your quick thinking probably gave us the greatest chance to win this war, and perhaps I had been too-fast in dealing out your discipline.”
Zelda’s eyebrows rose. “The great Lilith, admitting she was wrong?” she asked before she lowered her voice. “Has Hell frozen over?”
“Blah blah, witty retort. Now, do you wish to be rewarded now or later?”
Zelda laughed. “And just what does now look like? Let me guess: me, on the war table, my lovely dress ripped down the middle…?”
Lilith drew in a breath, closing her eyes as she felt that lovely picture blossom in her mind. What she would do to have that finely painted in oils and hung on the wall above their bed. But no, this wasn’t about what she wanted.
“No,” Lilith said. “You can keep your dress if it means so much to you. It’s your reward, after all.”
Zelda smirked, lifting a hand to brush over her cheek. “Such a kind and just Queen,” Zelda patronised, stroking her thumb across Lilith’s cheek.
“Careful now, your moving closer to seditious remarks by saying that.”
“Mm. Well then, I’ll be mindful,” Zelda teased. “So, do I get to choose the reward?”
“Because we won an important battle, yes, you can choose your reward but be quick, I have places to be, wars to win and all that.”
Zelda smirked, there was mischief in her eyes, and for a moment, Lilith wondered if they would be repeating their time in the carriage. If so, she was going to need her grimoire.
Leaning forward, Zelda drew her lips to the shell in the ear and husked. “I want you to make-up for denying me over the last few days and fuck me on this war table,” and then, before Lilith could respond, Zelda’s hands had drawn over hers and began tugging them to her hips. “And I want you to ravage me, tearing my clothes asunder in the process.”
And then Zelda was pulling back until her face took up Lilith’s entire vision, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she bit her lip.
Lilith blinked at her, utterly at a loss of words, uncertain if she’d been played and this had been Zelda’s plan the entire time or if Zelda had a change of heart due to the change of circumstance with the war.
Did it even fucking matter.
Yes. But that was a later concern.
“This is what you want?” she asked.
Zelda nodded her head, her smile growing wider before she pressed forward. “Now, shut-up and fuck m––” she was cut off as Lilith kissed her, mouth drawing overs hers in heated passion. The table groaned as Zelda was shoved against its side before Lilith grabbed at her hips and lifted her up with ease to sit on the end of the war table as she bit and sucked at her lower lip until Zelda was whining into her mouth.
Poor thing, Lilith realised with a grin, she was probably still worked up from the throne room.
With a hand on Zelda’s back, she laid her High Priestess on the war table, knocking the map pieces away. And then Lilith was shoving the skirts up Zelda’s thighs as she kissed down her neck and shoulder, drawing her fingers up the legs until she felt the thighs part, Zelda’s hips already rocking up to meet her touch.
And as she suspected, Zelda was slick and swollen. As her fingers touched over the clit, Zelda gasped, before biting down on the whimper.
It was too much. And oh she could deliver on her promise and make Zelda melt from one orgasm to another until she couldn’t tell where one stopped and another started, but it was far more fun if she had a little patience.
Sliding inside of her, she firmly drew long strokes until she could feel Zelda clenching around her fingers as she sucked at her throat.
She could hear Zelda’s hands scraping over the war table, her breath coming in a short, sharp gasp––Lilith could feel her own anticipation coiling low and tight in her belly.
And when her mouth finally came to the neckline of the dress, she drew up and looked at Zelda, watching the woman’s eyes flutter, mouth parting as Lilith’s thumb drew over her clit.
And then with three fingers still fucking Zelda, Lilith grabbed at the neckline with another hand, biting down on the other side of the neckline with her teeth to hold it in place.
The rip tore through the air, and Lilith sighed at the sound, feeling the silk tear as far down as to her wrist, where she tore again firmer, feeling Zelda’s squeeze around the fingers inside of with a sharp gasp. It was enough to make Lilith feel slickness dripping down her thighs.
Lilith looked back at her and grinned. The corset was easier, and even with one hand, she could manage to undo the clasps one by one before Zelda’s back arched and she was able to toss the offending piece of clothing aside.
And then there was her perfect image. Zelda, haloed by her hair, arms high above her head, legs spread (still clasped in a lovely pair of heels) with Lilith fucking her as she arched her back, her cries breaking through the air.
She paused, drinking in vision to remember for all time.
“Lilith, if you stop, I swear I will murder you and everyone else in this fucking castle.”
Lilith laughed, “This is your reward. Just tell me what you want, and I will obey your command.”
“Fuck me!”
“Fuck you? Is that all?”
Zelda shivered at the words, and it was enough for Lilith to lean forward, taking a prominently erect nipple into her mouth and drawing her teeth over it until Zelda’s hands were drawing over her back, urging to keep fucking her as she whispered pleads into her ear.
“Don’t stop, Lilith, please. Don’t stop––just like…like…mm…” the pleads softened into a quiet whimper as Lilith returned to kissing her neck, drawing her free hand through the red hair, winding it around her fingers as she listened to Zelda sigh in her ear, her hands coming to rest on Lilith’s back.
“Say pretty please.”
“Pretty please.”
“‘Pretty please, my Queen, can I come for you’?”
Zelda whined, and Lilith felt her thighs shake at the words. “Pr-pretty please, my Queen” she gasped. “Can I-I…” she trailed off, and Lilith could feel the telltale signs of how close she was. She was nearly there. All she needed was the right pressure applied.
Lilith slowed, just enough to hear a hiccuped gasp. “Use your words,” she teased.
“Pretty please, can I come?”
“So close,” Lilith said, nipping at her throat. “Try again.”
“Pretty…pretty…fuck Lilith, just fucking––“
“Hmm?”
“Please, can you just let me…it’s been too long. I…”
“Say the words. Beg for your Queen.”
Zelda drew in a breath, her body shaking on the very precipice. “Pretty please, my Queen,” she began, before pausing to swallow as a low whine built in her throne. Lilith kissed as her jawline, feeling it hum under her touch. “May I come for you?”
Lilith laughed, and then kissed Zelda’s mouth, stroking harder inside of her as her thumb began circling her clit. “Please do,” she permitted, and then she felt as the climax took hold of Zelda. The woman’s legs quivered, her body arched high and firm into her as her nails drew down her back, fisting the material of her gown as she cried out.
And her cunt squeezed in a convulsion as she made such a beautiful sound. But Lilith didn’t cease, working her fingers until she felt Zelda began to squeeze again, tighter this time. Her body jerking towards her as she sobbed out a short, “Yes, yes, just––mm…don’t stop.“
And then Zelda’s body grew taught as she cried out again, high and pleasing. And then Lilith gasped, feeling the very prominent gush of a well-deserved orgasm as Zelda came all over her hand and onto the war table.
Lilith laughed, pleased as Zelda’s body dropped back with relief. “Better?” she inquired.
Zelda nodded weakly. Lilith slowly withdrew from her, stepping back to admire the utterly ravaged look of her High Priestess. Wetness coated her thighs, and there was still a minor tremble that ran through her legs as they slung over the edge of the war table. Lilith’s eyes drew up to Zelda’s and watched as new energy filled her as she pushed herself to sit up.
“Don’t think you’re done yet,” Zelda said. “I asked for you to make up for denying me what’s due. As I counted, you’ve got at least four more orgasms that are owed.”
“Four?” Lilith enquired. “That sounds like you’ve underestimated.”
“Don’t think so highly of yourself. You're mine until I’m satisfied. However long that may take.”
Lilith cupped her hands under Zelda’s thighs, tugging her High Priestess towards her self. “Work is never-ending for a Queen.”
“And your High Priestess better come first in your workload.”
“Oh, always,” she murmured.
“Enough chat put your mouth to better use and fuck me, or you’ll have another problem on your hands.”
“Yes, your most unholy eminence,” Lilith teased, lowering herself to her knees as she drew Zelda’s legs over her shoulders.
Their darkest battle was over, the war was within their favour, and yet Lilith knew nothing tasted so sweet as when she drew her tongue over Zelda’s sex and felt the woman shiver against her, hands coming to draw through her hair.
But the day's events hung between them, and the reminder that Zelda had twice now shown to be invaluable to her reign. The throne was grande, Hell was in chaos, and she needed someone higher than an advisor. An equal to make the decisions as swiftly as Zelda could in times where she couldn’t.
It’d be dangerous. Her demon-children would not be so easily swayed, and the Princes of Hell would be even less pleased.
And yet she didn’t care. She’d make them bend the knee to Zelda, and if they didn’t, she’d burn them all in Hellfire.
“Ah, yes…” Zelda said.
But there were other matters to deal with first that took precedence. Such as serving her to-be crowned Queen and showing her just how loved she was.
“Praise Lilith,” Zelda hummed, looking down at her.
And Praise Zelda, Lilith added quietly, curling her tongue inside of her just to watch the raptured delight wash over her face.
Summary: Zelda couldn’t look away from the words as she touched over the embossed typography.
Lilith
Dominatrix
N.B.: Also posted on AO3. This is pure fantasy, please suspend your disbelief.
She fingered the card, drawing her nail over its edges. It had an entirely over the top design, with a bright red background and black lettering. Despite how over-the-top she felt the graphic design was, Zelda couldn’t look away from the words as she touched over the embossed typography.
Lilith
Dominatrix
As if it had burned her, she dropped the card on her desk. On its back, the card presented the phone number and email address of the woman. Terribly gauche: [email protected].
The business card––if you could even call it that––had been slipped out of the jacket of a new book she’d purchased, and since her discovery of it, Zelda’s eyes had been drawn to it, a strange temptation pulling at her.
She’d only bought the book as a way to offer an olive branch to Hilda. If her sister weren’t so terribly awkward around any mention of sex, she would have wondered if she had been the one to slip the card into the book. No, likely the so-called dominatrix had wandered through the shop and decided that the newest bestseller would be an excellent place to advertise her business.
The sheer gall of the woman.
It had been some time since she’d engaged in any sexual relationship. Since Edward’s passing, Zelda’s world had been entirely taken up with raising Sabrina. Hilda had helped, of course, given that she was the original caretaker of Ambrose––but the bulk of Sabrina’s raising rested on her shoulders. Between that and balancing her work at the Academy, Zelda had little time to date.
And in the few times, she did date she would inevitably end up exhausted by the need to care for someone’s emotional needs on top of her family and usually wound up requesting that they never see each other again.
At least if she engaged with a sex worker, she wouldn’t have that issue.
A knock came at the door of her office, pulling her from her thoughts.
“One moment,” Zelda said, before taking the card and hastily set in the drawer of her desk. She should throw it away into the wastepaper bin, tear it up into pieces, and yet she found herself pushing the drawer shut, feeling a strange temptation dim but not entirely die away. “Come in,” she called.
The door pushed open, and her niece stood in the doorframe, bag slung over her shoulder as she stepped into the room. “How was work?”
“Busy,” Zelda sighed, rising from her chair. “How was school?”
“Fine.”
“Nothing happened, today?” Zelda inquired.
“Well,” Sabrina began, bouncing on the heels of her shoes. “Principle Wardwell did go on a warpath against Coach Craven. That was pretty cool.”
“Wardwell? Isn’t Hawthorne the principle there?”
“No, he left over Summer. It was in the news bulletin.”
Zelda rolled her eyes as if she cared to read that. The PTA and Parent-Teacher nights had always been Hilda’s realm of experience. There were limited choices of schooling in the area, and Baxter High had more students going off college than Riverdale. And like hell, she was sending Sabrina off to some boarding school as her parents had done with her, Edward and Hilda.
Collecting her day planner and unmarked essays, she began sliding them into her bag as she asked, “so why did your new Principle go on an alleged war party?”
“Craven said that Theo couldn’t join the men’s football team. So Roz and I complained to Wardwell, and she stormed off and immediately told him off in the middle of try-outs. It was…pretty awesome actually.”
“It’s definitely a way to make enemies,” Zelda said. “Take it from me, Sabrina. Public humiliation may force someone to obey for the moment, but they’ll look for any opportunity to enact their revenge.”
Sabrina’s lips pressed shut, her excitement dying. “I thought it was pretty great, actually. He should be called out for his actions.”
“And the best place to do that is in a formal setting,” Zelda said as she switched off the office light. Stepping into the hall, she drew the door shut and locked the door. “In a position of leadership, especially one so newly forged, it’s better to think about the long term effects of a stable work environment. Sowing discord will only turn the other teachers against her.”
“Well, the students love her,” Sabrina pointed out defiantly, missing the point.
With a sigh, Zelda drew up and rolled her shoulders. Her niece was sixteen, thinking the whole world revolved around her. Students came and went, but the teachers would remain, and if Principle Wardwell wanted to keep her job, it would be in her interest to make friends with the staff.
“How did your classes go?” she asked, deferring to a safe topic as they walked out of the university’s grounds to the parking lot. Sabrina began babbling beside her, discussing her recent marks in English and History, the study group she’d formed and then quietly toeing away from discussion of one particular class.
“Didn’t you have an exam for French today?”
Sabrina flushed, fiddling with her bag. “I…passed.”
Zelda paused, turning to look at her niece directly. “Define a pass.”
“C plus?”
Zelda bit back the flared anger as she pressed her lips together, watching as Sabrina squirmed under her scrutiny. “Perhaps I should switch to speaking French at home, then?”
“No, I hate it when you do that. Look, it barely makes up my grade, I’ll fix it up with the essay at the end of the month, and then I’ll be back to being an A-minus student.”
“Yes, well, unless you want your allowance to drop—“
“Come on! That’s hardly fair. It’s not like we live in France. I don’t even see the point in why I have to take this stupid class. ”
“Language is important, Sabrina. When you travel, you can’t just go around assuming everyone speaks English. By your age, I already spoke Italian and French fluently. By my twenties, I’d learnt Mandarin, German and Latin. Now, there are few languages that I don’t speak in one dialect or another.”
“I know, but…I don’t even know if I want to travel.”
“Of course you do,” Zelda said. “Everyone travels, or you’ll end up like your Aunt Hilda, working in a bookshop with no idea of how the world works.”
Sabrina went quiet as they arrived at the car. She climbed into the passenger seat, drawing her bag into her lap and buckled her seatbelt with a stony face.
Zelda drew in a breath, setting her own bag on the backseat before sitting down into the driver’s seat. Sabrina had always been soft for Hilda, defending her against Zelda any time she made a sniping comment towards her.
Perhaps the comment had been a little harsh. Only last night had the three of them broke out in an argument after Hilda advised that she would be permanently working at Cerberus Books and not just ‘helping out’ as she initially advised. Honestly, a retail assistant? Hilda had as fine an education as she had, and now Zelda was an academic, teaching at Greendale University, and Hilda…worked in a bookshop.
Not to mention the sudden talks of her moving out. Ambrose was still at university, in his final year of his masters, and Sabrina still had another year and a half before she was off, flying around the world before she settled on a college.
Leave? Unlikely. It was an empty threat Hilda proposed to hurt her.
They drove home in silence, with Sabrina’s growing bad mood taking up the space of the car. By the time that they arrived home. Sabrina didn’t even wait for the engine to switch off before she was unbuckling her seatbelt and running up the steps of the house.
Zelda paused, watching her niece push open the front door, likely to remain hidden in her room until summoned for dinner. She considered following up the stairs to Sabrina’s room and advising of how unacceptable her actions were, and yet the day felt heavy on her shoulders. She didn’t want another argument with Sabrina.
She didn’t want another argument. If Hilda would stop being so selfish, they could actually take the time to raise the children.
Stepping out of the car, she pulled out her bag from the backseat and then locked the doors behind her––not that it really mattered, they were so far out from any neighbours that there was a more pressing concern for a bear to get into the car, rather than a burglar.
She passed Ambrose sitting on the veranda, a book of poetry in grip and a glass of wine sitting next to him (in a tumbler, which she did take offence to, they owned perfectly suitable wine glasses).
“Auntie,” he greeted, looking up from the book. “How fairs the undergrads?”
“Fine,” she remarked. “I had the pleasure of seeing Prudence today.”
“Oh?” he remarked casually. “I had thought she’d have dropped out by now.”
“She asked about you.”
Ambrose seemed to pause, biting on the inside of his cheek before he gave a strained smile. “And should I go running into her arms again because she inquired as to how I was going?”
Zelda stared at him and watched as his face flushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”
“Don’t apologise when you don’t mean it, or learn to lie better.” She paused, watching guilt wash over his face. “You should speak to her. At the very least it might bring you the much-needed closure you require to move on.” Before he could say anything further, she brushed past him, entering into the foyer of the home.
A door slammed upstairs, signalling her niece’s growing foul mood. But unlike Ambrose, who often drowned the house with music to signal his moods, a stillness followed the slammed door.
Her eyes drew up to the stairs, a part of her wanted to seek out Sabrina and apologise before she snuffed out the very desire to do so. Instead, she drew to her home office and set her bag down, drawing out her computer and essays, preparing herself for evening work to be completed after dinner.
Drawing into the kitchen, she noticed that Hilda was already at the stove, stirring around what looked to be onion and mince. At the same time, she had an assortment of diced vegetables running on another element beside it.
“Evening, sister.”
“Oh! Zelds. I thought it was you.”
“Who else would it be?” she asked, going to the cupboards to pull out the dishes. Usually, it was Sabrina’s job to set the table for dinner, but she could wash up and dry the dishes after dinner, given her impetuous mood.
“Oh, well…” Hilda spluttered, before turning to look over her shoulder. “So, what did you think of Doctor Cee’s little shop? Quite the business, hm? And the café has been busy of late!”
Zelda bit her tongue to stop the first thoughts she had from coming out. She set down the plates before looking at her sister and catching the hesitation.
“It’s…good that you’re happy,” she said, feeling other words rise in the back of her throat. She swallowed them back and smiled at her sister, hoping it came across genuine enough.
Hilda returned the smile, and it was enough to unknot the growing anxiety in her chest. Perhaps they could make it through dinner without another argument. “And have you given the book a look, yet? It’s flying out of the store lately. A real page-turner.”
Zelda gave a small nod. She’d got as far as the first page before the card had slid out onto her desk.
Swallowing, she tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, trying to not think of the words.
Dominatrix. She shivered, remembering what it was like to feel rope twist around her hands.
In her early twenties, she’d engaged in an assortment of different forms of BDSM with different partners, both on the receiving and giving end. And yet something about that embossed lettering brought a flicker to a long lost flame inside of her.
It had been…a long time—at least two years since she’d engaged in anything other than masturbation. The dating pool in Greendale and Riverdale was small enough that, inevitably, everyone knew everyone––and given her position, casual sex would only lead to complications. The last thing she needed was another man at her office, begging for a date.
Or a woman leading insistent voicemails on the landline.
But a dominatrix would be discreet. And it would just be an itch, after all.
A part of her worried. It could be a student she’d taught, trying to make extra money to pay for their education. Or it could be a number of acquaintances––someone from the board?
It could be Shirley. That thought sent a cold feeling down her spine.
“Zelds?”
She looked up, realising her sister had asked her a question. “Pardon?”
“I was just asking if you started the book.”
“Oh, just the first few pages. I’ll get to it on the weekend.”
Hilda squinted at her before stepping forward. “You’re looking a little flushed. You’re not coming down with the flu, are you? You’re always working yourself sick.”
“I’m fine,” she said, stepping away from her sister. “I’ll go tell Ambrose and Sabrina to wash-up, shall I?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose dinner will be made in a moment.”
Summary: “Ask me nicely,” she whispered, her hand coming to brush across Zelda’s cheek. “Ask me to do unspeakable things to you.”
N.B.: Also posted on AO3. This is pure fantasy, please suspend your disbelief.
“Professor Spellman?” Prudence asked as she knocked on the doorframe to her work office. “I booked an appointment for eleven?”
Zelda nodded and gestured to the chair in front of her. Prudence stepped forward into the room, moving to sit in the seat before the desk, setting her bag down beside her. She waited until Zelda paled down her pen before she sat laced her hands together and leant forward in the chair, seeming to be agitated by something.
“What can I help with you, Prudence?”
“I was hoping you might have a TA position available.”
Zelda frowned. Despite her best attempts, the Department Head had been unwilling to provide her with the required funding. “Nothing paid,” she advised.
“I don’t need a paid position,” Prudence said, though Zelda could see her deflate over the response. “There’s an opportunity next year to go to Greece, expenses paid with Professor Blackwood, but you need to have some TA experience before you can obtain the position.”
Zelda nodded, familiar with the program. “I can give you a recommendation and place in a good word with Professor Blackwood if that’s what you after from this?”
“It is,” Prudence advise. There was a keen look about her and Zelda softened.
“Well, I could use the extra hands. It would be after hours, on top of your own workload, and I’d still expect you to be pulling the same marks you are now. If I don’t think you can handle it, I’ll cease your involvement immediately.”
Prudence nodded. “I can handle it,” she assured.
“In that case,” Zelda reached into the depth of her desk, pulling out a familiar sheet she had, back when Language had funding from the university, “here, fill this in and you can come back to me tomorrow.”
Prudence brightened, reaching out. “Thank you, Professor. It’s most appreciated.”
Zelda nodded, handing the slip of paper over and watched as Prudence took her bag and left, looking pleased with herself. The position Prudence required for the following year would be fully funded if she continued to keep her marks high. Zelda wasn’t sure why she wanted the position. Although Prudence showed an aptitude for language, the study its self was based around anthropological––Faustus’ domain.
Perhaps it was just for the thrill of going to Greece and having her expenses paid. If that was the case, Zelda could hardly fault Prudence. She, herself, had gone across most of the continents to complete her doctorate, whilst simultaneously engaging in the cultures far more than a PhD required.
If she was honest with herself, she missed travelling, seeing new people, slipping into bed with a new paramour or two. Once Sabrina was in college, she might consider travelling again. Wander through the middle east and return to the northern Africa countries, or perhaps try somewhere she hadn’t gone.
“Zelda,” a knock sounded at her door. Zelda capped her pen and looked up. Prudence had been a planned interruption, but Faustus was another thing entirely. Perhaps he’d sensed her thoughts.
“Yes?” she asked, smiling tightly as he stepped into the room.
“Shirley has gone on unexpected leave for a few weeks. I understand a family member is in palliative care and she’s been advised to spend time with them before their passing.” He paused there as if to allow her a chance to speak some sympathetic nonsense, but the truth was it was for Shirley, so she didn’t care what the woman was feeling. Zelda tilted her head, waiting for him to continue speaking.
In the lack of a response, Faustus coughed, clearing his throat awkwardly.“I need you to cover her classes.”
Zelda’s eyes narrowed. “Their religious studies,” she advised.
“You double-majored in language and religion,” Faustus pointed out. “Wasn’t your most recent article on the original Hebrew texts in the context of its time?”
That was an oversimplification of what her last article had been about, it’d been about a specific passage, first and foremost, and had been about the evolution of language––but she didn’t articulate that, instead of drawing back in her seat to stare at Faustus. She was proficient in religious studies, but it wasn’t an area she enjoyed teaching in just as Shirley preferred religion and didn’t enjoy languages despite completing her associates on one of the romantic languages.
“Is there no one else?” she asked. “I already have a full schedule with my office hours.”
“I’ve checked your roster, and you have room on Monday and Friday. You don’t need to change your office hours.”
No, but she used those days for marking, as well as other administrative work. Perhaps it was beneficial that Prudence had reached out.
“How long is it for?” she asked.
“Six weeks at most.”
Six weeks, Zelda bit her tongue to stop from snapping back. “I’ll need funding for a TA until she returns then.”
Faustus’ mouth parted before he nodded. “I can find some funding.”
There, Zelda relaxed. Well, that would at least be helpful towards Prudence. If the girl was working, she might be able to ease her external shifts to help with the overflow and marking. “Thank you, Faustus. Send over what you have from Shirley, and I’ll compose a lesson plan for next week.”
“I…need you to start this Friday.”
Zelda felt her a tension return to her as she stared down at the grain in her desk, biting back any sharp comment.
She’d booked an appointment on Sunday for her Doctor’s appointment––mostly because she was overdue––but in part, if she was honest, she was intrigued as to what Lilith had to offer.
Since the Saturday, she’d been more relaxed than ever, and now she could feel that frustration returning, like an itch under her skin she couldn’t quite scratch. She wanted to scream or yell or just do something, but she couldn’t.
So she smiled at Faustus, and agreed to take on a class that she needed to prep for with only four days notice, and tried to remind herself that all of this would eventually lead to further career progression.
Besides, if she managed to take over the class and show them what a proper education looked like, she might find as well that Shirley was suddenly out of a job, leaving her and other competent academics to teach the up and coming minds of Greendale University.
“Thank you, Zelda,” Faustus said with a nod, before leaving. He left her office door wide open, and once Zelda was sure his footsteps had receded down the hall, she rose to her feet and closed the door behind him before returning to her seat.
Her nails drummed on the desk, as she rolled her shoulders and neck, trying not to remember how the sting of the crop had felt against her skin. She didn’t want to book another appointment, especially not one so soon, and especially not after running into that woman in the grocery store.
No, she needed to wait.
She reached into her drawer and picked out her cigarettes. Standing up, she walked over to the office window and inched it open. Lighting the cigarette, she stood by the window sill and blew out gusts of smoke outside watching it curl away into the air.
Six weeks wasn’t that long. A month and two weeks. She could handle the pressure of looking after that many classes, despite the headache it would inevitably cause.
And yet Friday came faster than she expected. Prudence eagerly took to the position of TA (and was all the more pleased when Zelda mentioned she managed to find some funding to help) providing Zelda with some time actually to work on the lesson plan. It meant she spent long nights in the office and had to miss out on attending Sabrina’s first cheerleading stint for football or basketball or whatever game she was cheerleading for, but that was a small sacrifice.
She promised her niece that she would attend the charity event in a fortnight, finding time in the workday to make it over to the school.
Besides, she could still attend her pep rally (whenever that was), and there would be other high school games of school sport she could attend and watch her niece cheerlead for. What was one game?
The lesson was a second-year subject, and the information Faustus had managed to send over was difficult to understand. Although there was a general framework of what they were studying, Zelda had no idea as to the messages Shirley was trying to convey or discuss with the class.
So when it came time for Zelda to attend, there was an anxious knot in her stomach. She’d prepped the best she could, but it would be up to the class to let her know where they were up to.
“Good Morning,” she said as she walked into the classroom. On the whiteboard, she wrote her name as Professor Spellman, before setting her lesson plan on the stand and looked over the class. There were far more students than Zelda expected, many of them she’d never seen before.
Shirley’s class was more popular than she realised.
“I’ll be taking over Professor Jackson’s role while she’s on leave. Can anyone tell me as to where you last left off?”
A few students explained to where they were, and Zelda felt her chest ease and knot differently. The students listened, they were aware of where they were up to, but furthermore, they were invested in the coursework.
She left the class satisfied that she’d managed to express what Shirley intended, bringing across her own influence, but also left with a sour taste in her mouth.
Should she think on it any further, she might find herself scratching at the idea until she made herself raw with deep-seated feelings she’d long left ago in her childhood.
It couldn’t be that Shirley Jackson was a better teacher than herself? It had to be that the nature of the course that religion drew in more subjects than language did (especially at Greendale University, which, although known for having its merits was not known to be the best or worst by any means).
Zelda felt her frustration grow. A solemn ache growing in her chest––could it be that she was the reason her third-year classes were skeletal at the best of times?
Perhaps she had done the wrong thing? Pushed when she should have nurtured––not that she could see Shirley being nurturing by any means, but…she must be doing something right if her classes were as full as they were.
Zelda seethed quietly, feeling the jealousy gnaw at her as she returned to her office and collected her work for the evening. Sabrina had already informed her that Harvey would be dropping her off home, so there was no need to wait for her niece to arrive. Her office hours were finished. The only reason she’d want to stay was to build a quiet time for herself, away from the bustling of Hilda in the kitchen or Ambrose rumbling through whatever music he wanted whilst he remained up in the attic.
Pausing as she set her work into her bag, she realised that home was not something she wanted either. Her body ached and itched, as nervous energy pulling under her skin.
But she didn’t want to call Lilith.
No, that wasn’t true. She desperately wanted to call and see if Lilith had availability, she just wished she didn’t want it. The last thing she desired was coming off…needy.
But…it was a service like any other, and should Zelda had found relief from a spa, she would not feel so conflicted about calling to book in a new appointment.
Zelda had spent the last few evenings trying to avoid thinking about the woman, and yet every masturbation ended up inevitably daydreaming about the woman’s riding crop on her back, her hand splayed over her chest, the idea of running into her and having the woman shover her against the next available surface and––
Someone walked past her office door, shoes clicking on the polished floor.
She cleared her throat, a blush rising over her chest and face as if her thoughts were too loud and that someone could overhear them––entirely ridiculous, and yet she stuffed the thoughts away.
Sex. She just needed sex. Casual sex, no strings attached. She flicked through the contacts in her head, trying to think of someone, but all of her ex-paramours she trusted for casual sex were now monogamous or out of state (and in some instances, out of the country).
It’d been two years. Surely she could get a handle of herself and push her needs away, focus on her article or at the very least, get a head-on lesson planning. There was more than one vibrator home should she really need to scratch an itch.
Zelda packed her bags, planning to return home to her office to work on her article. She had every intention of going home, completing tasks that needed to get done, and then having a sit-down meal with her family.
It was a good plan.
She definitely wasn’t thinking about Lilith.
She walked to her car, bag in hand, certain that if she just managed to get into the car, she’d be able to drive out of the parking lot, onto the main road and make her way back home. But evidently not, because as soon as she was in her car, her phone was out in hand and she was dialling a number that she had no right in knowing so well.
“Good Afternoon,” Lilith said. Too late, Zelda realised she’d dialled from her personal phone, and now the woman likely had her number.
If she hung-up, Lilith could just call back and even if she didn’t answer, her voicemail clearly dictated who she was. “Good evening,” Zelda responded before the woman could clip a follow-up response.
“Zelda,” the woman purred. “I thought it was you.”
“And why would you think that?”
“You’ve been on my mind,” she responded. “How can I be of service?”
Zelda drew in a breath. “I––“ she began and then because she’d begun she had to finish, “was looking to enquire into your services. Again.”
“Mm. And which services are you after?”
Not this again, Zelda thought as she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling of the car. “The same services.”
“You’ll have to refresh my memory,” Lilith teased, and Zelda’s grip on her phone tightened.
Drawing in a breath, she found her eyes flicking around the car, to the rearview and side mirrors before she said. “Dominatrix services.”
“I’m going to need you to be more specific. Many things fall under that particular umbrella.”
“Honestly,” Zelda clipped, seriously considering clicking off the device before the woman’s warm laugh poured through the speaker. “If you insist on needlessly teasing me––“
“You’re in luck. I have a spot free in about two hours if that suits?”
Zelda paused. It seemed too good to be true. And yet…the ache filled her. She wanted it more than she wanted anything else at that moment.
“It does,” she agreed.
“I look forward to seeing you. Have a think about how long you want the session to run. I have a few ideas of what we can do.” And then the phone clicked off, and Zelda was left with the words swimming around her head.
A few ideas. What on earth could that mean?
Zelda closed her eyes and sunk in the seat, biting her lip. Her gynaecologist appointment wasn’t until tomorrow and results would likely not occur for another week. Yet, the idea of even just experiencing the impact of that crop again brought a shiver down her spine.
She went home, showered and changed into a new set of lingerie before fixing her make-up again. And then she was making a passing excuse about forgetting something in the office before she was leaving again, advising Hilda to set her dinner aside.
She was fifteen minutes early, sitting in her car, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she tried to understand just how she got to this stage.
She was outside of a dominatrix’s business address, dressed in lingerie and a new dress, with more effort into how she looked than when she went into the actual office. Was this her life now? Finding herself driving out into the middle of nowhere to get spanked?
Apparently so, because as she fixed her lipstick in the rearview mirror, there was a telltale sign of a blush rushing across her cheeks.
She grabbed her handbag and exited the car, locking it behind her as she walked up to the apartment and rang the doorbell.
And then there was silence as she counted her heartbeat for five seconds before she heard the sound of Lilith’s heels on the hardwood floor of the hallway.
A shadow moved behind the door and then it opened, revealing the grinning dominatrix. Her hair was out again, though it looked recently tussled like she’d ran her fingers through it before opening the door.
Zelda drew in a breath, feeling herself battle between shrinking away and pushing forward to assert her own dominance.
And then Lilith was leaning against the doorframe, eyebrow cocked as she waited for Zelda to break the growing silence between them––just as she had at the grocers. Damn her.
“Evening,” Zelda clipped.
“Evening,” Lilith teased in return, unmoving as her eyes raked over her body, a slow, noticeable breath pulling into her lungs as if she couldn’t wait to devour her.
Zelda felt as if the air warmed around them. “Well?”
“Hmm?” Lilith said, eyes flicking back up to Zelda’s.
“Are you going to let me in or should I recall some password?”
“Ohh, I like the idea of a secret password. What do you think it is?”
Annoyance flared in her as she crossed her arms, having half a mind to turn on her heel and leave, but before she could even threaten that option, Lilith laughed, pushing off the door frame and stepped out of the way to allow her entrance.
Zelda gave an icy glare, ensuring the woman saw how unimpressed she was as she stepped inside and removed her coat. It warm inside, and already she felt overdressed.
Lilith stepped closer, and Zelda held her ground, refusing to give in to the urge to step away. And then she felt the woman reach behind her and shut the door. “You look well,” Lilith commented. “Less…frightened.”
Zelda felt a flare of anger grow inside of her. “I beg your pardon. I was not frightened.”
“At the grocers you were. I could have said boo, and you would have run away screaming…or maybe just melt in a puddle on the floor,” she added, her eyes intensely focusing on Zelda’s mouth as she spoke. “Difficult to say.”
Zelda felt a strangled breath jump in her throat before she looked away, resisting the urge to cough awkwardly.
“Have anything for me?” Lilith enquired, as she stepped forward again. This time, Zelda did take a step back, knowing exactly what she was asking.
“I––have an appointment tomorrow,” she admitted.
Lilith’s grin widened. “You won’t regret it, and personally I can say that I’m looking forward to it,” and then she was stepping back and suddenly Zelda was following her upstairs, into the bedroom.
The bedroom door was shut behind her, the ottoman bench was opened, the phone was switched off, bag and coat went inside, and then Lilith was staring at her as the lid was flicked down.
“Do you know what you want?”
Zelda felt her heart pound in her chest. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted. She wanted last time, but she wanted it to be different. She wanted to forget about the world and yet feel alive. “I trust you,” she said instead.
Lilith nodded, seeming to hold back from teasing her. “I have an idea.”
“Do you now?” Zelda asked, curious as to what the woman could possibly be thinking.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” Lilith said as she walked over to her dresser and opened it up. “I think I know exactly what you want.”
Anyone else, and Zelda would have rolled her eyes, but as she watched the woman draw out two lengths of rope and a blindfold, she found herself only further intrigued. This time, Lilith didn’t set it on the bed; instead, she dropped the items in the centre of the room, before nudging them with her heel, so they rested where she wanted it.
Zelda stared at the items, looking to the wardrobe and finding herself both relieved and disappointed to note there was nothing from there on the floor.
“Take off your dress,” Lilith said.
Zelda obeyed, unzipping underneath her arm and then rolling it down her waist to the floor where she stepped out of it. Lilith looked her over, taking note of the stockings, to where her eyes held where the hemline of the silk was.
“That one is to come off too,” she said, pointing to the slip.
Zelda felt something quiver, low in her belly as she reached down and lifted the slip off. When she dropped that to the ground as well, she watched as Lilith’s face broke out in a wide smile, seeming to admire her choice in lingerie.
“This one involves more patience,” Lilith advised. “Put your clothes away, heels too, and then we’ll begin.”
Zelda bit her inner cheek, hating how the woman made her feel like a child as she picked her clothes up off the floor and set them nicely in the ottoman, her heels placed inside of her handbag before she came to stand before Lilith.
“Do you remember your safe word from last time?”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“Music box,” Zelda said, feeling ridiculous as she said it. But as Lilith mentioned last time, the point of the word was to be jarring, so that both of them knew that it needed to end.
“I’m going to tie you up, and then we’ll see where you’re at when you’re tied up, and if you’re still comfortable, I’m going to blindfold you.”
“And then what?” Zelda asked.
“And then we’ll see how badly you want it.”
Want what, Zelda wanted to ask, but she nodded to show she understood. Lilith grinned and then pointed to the floor, her expression sharpened, as with condescension in her voice, she ordered, “On your knees." Zelda felt the command slip over her as she pressed onto her knees, feeling the hardwood floor press against her legs.
She watched then as Lilith drew a short wooden stool over and set it down before her, before she sat upon it and crossed her legs, looking far more elegant than she had any right to.
“If you ever want to learn to do this, I can run a workshop,” Lilith said as held a hand out. Zelda placed the back of hand into her palm and watched as the length of red rope was tossed over one wrist. “When I lived in New York, I used to run a workshop with a few others like me.” She held her hand out again, and Zelda provided it. “I’ve been doing rope since I was…oh, a young girl, I suppose.”
“Am I not meant to speak?” Zelda asked, confused as to what game they were playing.
“You can speak,” Lilith nodded. “We’re just setting up, first,” she grinned just as she made a knot. “You’ll know when we’ve begun playing.”
Lilith wove a pattern over her arms, like a spiderweb slipping up her arms, and Zelda listened as she spoke about the different knots she was tied, as well as the different safety precautions she placing in so that at any stage if Zelda wanted to slip out, she could.
It was fascinating in its own right, and Zelda enjoyed watching the complicated knots made and adjusted as if Lilith had been doing them her whole life––which, in a sense, she had. At least for thirty years, she’d been tying up herself and others, just because she liked the look of the knots she could make.
“Are we doing this because of the last session?” Zelda asked, watching as Lilith began drawing the rope over her waist. What she was trying to ask in as few words as possible was, are we not doing impact play because of what occurred.
“Not for the reasons you think,” Lilith said. “You were relaxed when I tied you up. Most people get somewhat panicked at being unable to move, but you seemed entirely at ease.” Her fingers were brushing over her stomach as she spoke, slipping and weaving the rope as one end of it dangle into her lap. “I thought I might indulge the rope bunny in you.”
And then Lilith’s eyes were returning to the rope, her fingers dragging along her skin, the back of her knuckles sliding over her ribs. Zelda drew in a breath, trying to focus on the feeling of the rope against her skin.
“Turn around.”
Zelda moved onto her knees until her back was to Lilith, and felt as the woman drew her hair over her shoulder, before resuming the pattern. Zelda tried to resist the shiver that shot down her spin as Lilith’s hands drew over her, moulding the rope into place.
“So you’ve indulged in ropes from the beginning,” Zelda said in an effort to find a semblance of control. “But what about everything else?”
“You’ll have to be specific,” Lilith said. She paused, and Zelda could feel her hands, just below the band of her bra, she could easily undo it if she wanted to and there was nothing Zelda could to do stop her.
The thought struck through like a rush.
“When did you decide to be a dominatrix?”
Lilith hummed. “It’s not as interesting as you think,” she said, her fingers resuming to shift and adjust, slipping the rope through loops, twisting it around its self. “Girl met boy, boy wanted to try things with girl, girl was much better at it than boy, boy became sulky, so girl left. Tale as old as time its self,” she finished.
Zelda scoffed. “Sounds like most men.”
“Oh yes,” Lilith said and then suddenly Zelda felt a breath brush over her shoulder, a nail drawing over the skin. “Don’t worry, if you take an interest in domination, I’ll be very excited to play with you. I’m very good on my knees.”
Zelda closed her eyes, feeling a heat press through her. She was starting to get an idea as to what Lilith was getting at before.
“There,” Lilith said, and suddenly Zelda felt a kiss press to the back of her shoulder as the woman’s hands dropped away. “Now lie on your back.”
Zelda shifted as much as she could, and then felt Lilith’s hand on her, helping her to ease down on the ground. The woman rose, taking her stool with her and then sat it down by Zelda’s feet as unravelled the second piece of rope. “You’re not done?” Zelda asked.
“I told you, this is about patience. Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time to play with whatever toy you want.”
Zelda looked away, wondering what that meant, and then watched as the woman lifted her foot and began tying it.
In the state of undress, tied up, watching the woman lift one leg to drag it into her lap and focus her attention on it entirely had Zelda’s thoughts reeling in fantasies. The woman was quick with her fingers this time, binding her ankles together.
Except she didn’t stop there.
The rope began slipping up her leg, binding like a fishnet up her right leg, slipping over calves and thighs in loops, and then Zelda had to look away as she felt the woman slip the rope over the highest part of her thigh, a wicked smile on her face.
“There are certain knots you can tie,” Lilith said, while tying a knot on her inner thigh, “That can induce arousal as the occupant squirms in their bindings.”
“I’m aware,” Zelda said, her voice heavy with desire she didn’t mean to carry. “Is that what you’re doing?”
“I can, if you want,” Lilith said, “I can do it so you’ll have no relief from it, too.”
Zelda bit her lip, imaging herself bound and squirming, feeling the rope between her legs rub, but provide nothing but a tease. “And how much would you need to change for either of those?”
“To make you squirm I’d need to adjust it, but I could get you off as it is.”
Zelda laughed. “I’m sure you could with how quick your hands work.”
“Oh, no. You misunderstand, I could make you come without my hands ever touching your vagina.”
Zelda's eyebrows shot up high in disbelief. Lilith may think herself talented, but it took more than well-placed rope to get her climbing to ecstasy.
Lilith’s eyes seemed to catch her, a smirk growing on her face. “That looks like a challenge.”
“You can certainly try, but it won’t work.”
“Is that so?” Lilith asked, and then she was gently placing Zelda’s legs down to the ground. Zelda looked down, noticing that only one leg had the rope go all the way up, whereas the other was only bound at the ankle.
The rope that went around her high thigh was knotted in a way that if she were to twist, possibly she could rub herself against it, but that wasn’t something she planned on doing. She looked up, quirking her eyebrow at the woman as if to ask, is this your worst?
But Lilith only smiled down at her. “If you’d like, I can take a photo. I have a polaroid camera.”
“Absolutely not,” Zelda stated. Like hell, she would allow a picture of herself to be taken.
“I wouldn’t have your face in frame, just the ropes.”
“No,” Zelda said, before adding shortly, “Thank you.”
Lilith seemed to take no offence to it, clearly too pleased by her work as she drew her eyes over Zelda’s body. “All the things I could do to you,” she said, drawing her eyes from head to feet. “And you’d just be begging for me not to stop.”
It was a threat, and yet Zelda felt it tremble through her, a longing pulling at the idea of being at the complete mercy of the woman. She hadn’t done anything, hadn’t so much as kissed her, and yet Zelda yearned to feel her fingers press against her body.
“You won’t though,” Zelda said. “I haven’t provided you with the test results.”
Lilith grinned. “There are a lot of things I could do to you that doesn’t involve taking your underwear off,” she pointed out. “All you have to do is ask.”
What things, she wanted to ask, but bit back the words.
“What are you planning on doing?” she inquired, hoping she didn’t sound as aroused as she was.
Lilith’s eyes drew over her before she crouched down beside her, picking up the blindfold. “First, what I’m going to do is blindfold you.”
Zelda watched, waiting as she thought about the idea of being bound and blind, relying only on her other senses. The anticipation of not knowing…
“And then…we’ll see.”
Lilith placed the blindfold over her eyes, and then settled her back on the ground, combing her fingers once again through her hair. “Remember your safe word?”
“I do.”
“Good girl,” Lilith said, and then there was the sound of her heels walking away. Zelda listened as a drawer was open, and then the creak of wood as the wardrobe was opened as well. There was a noise of something cutting through the air (like a riding crop or a whip, perhaps) and then there was silence. “You’re mine, now Zelda. Be mindful to ask politely for anything you want.”
Zelda swallowed, knowing that she meant that she had to answer correctly, or else be disciplined.
Complete, utter silence followed those words, and Zelda became all the more aware of how excited she was. Genuinely excited, as well as aroused, waiting for the woman to come out and discipline her with the riding crop, or a cane or paddle.
Or her bare hand.
Zelda pressed her thighs together, feeling the rope rub on her bare leg, pressing just below her sex. A part of her wanted to adjust, see if she could move the rope a little higher, but she didn’t. The last thing she needed was Lilith seeing her rutting off to a piece of looped rope.
She paused, feeling something draw against her skin on her leg. It was soft as it slowly slid over her bare leg and down. And then it disappeared.
Zelda hadn’t even heard the woman approach. Likely, she’d taken off her heels to allow her to slip closer and draw over her skin quietly.
Nothing followed, and then suddenly, she felt a shift, and then a weight settle on her hips. Zelda drew in a deep breath, uncertain if the woman had placed something on her, or if she was now straddling her.
Until she felt the woman’s hands draw up her sides, slipping up her ribs. Zelda arched against the rope, her hands splaying out in their bindings as a part of her tried to lean forward to wherever the dominatrix was.
“Relax,” Lilith said. “I won’t do anything like that to you.”
Oh, Zelda realised. Of course, because she hasn’t been tested yet.
“Unless you ask me to.”
Zelda almost moaned, catching in time to clench her jaw shut because there was no way she was going to let this woman know how much of an effect she had on her.
And yet, she felt the spider light touches of a hand drawing up neck, thumb and fingers slipping around the throat and Zelda wondered what it would be like to feel the woman’s hand around her throat, squeezing as she…
She realised too late that her hips had rolled and she’d very intentionally (without realising) pressed firmer against the woman’s straddling body. There was no way that Lilith misinterpreted that, no way she didn’t suspect what it meant.
“Ask me nicely,” she whispered, her hand coming to brush across Zelda’s cheek. “Ask me to do unspeakable things to you.”
Zelda swallowed, she could feel the words there, drawing tight in her chest, building up in her throat. Please, my queen. But she couldn’t say the words. How could she beg for such a thing?
Lilith’s finger swept across her cheek, and Zelda could almost taste here. How close was she to her, was she just hovering above her face. Inches from her own? Was she smirking, watching with interest, or also holding back from kissing her?
She could smell her perfume. Zelda’s mouth parted, watching to tilt her head up and kiss her or hope that she would be kissed in return.
Zelda felt the woman shift on her, leaning forward and although she could feel one hand on her face, and was so very aware of how warm it was, her attention drew to the other as it settled to cup just under her breast in a way that Zelda wondered how easily she could slip under the material and press her fingers to where Zelda could feel her nipples hardening, aching to be touched.
She wanted to whimper as she felt the fingers press against the underwire of her lingerie as if daring her to ask, the thumb edging at it, the hand on her cheek was tilting her head up, and Zelda wasn’t even sure she cared for what part of Lilith her lips touch, so as long as she felt her there.
But the woman’s command sat between them, daring her to respond and ask.
But she wouldn’t beg. She wouldn’t become some animal rutting against the woman, hoping to find relief.
“Ah, I see,” Lilith said with a warm chuckle.
And then, all at once, she was gone. She felt the woman stand up, off from her, and Zelda wished she could push the blindfold off and look at her.
She almost pleaded for Lilith's return, but her tongue held firm, swallowing the words back.
A silence loomed, and despite how her ears pricked, she could not hear Lilith move. The woman was quiet as if she walked from shadow to shadow. For all Zelda knew, she could be standing beside her, watching her move her shoulder, stretching her hands and adjusting her feet, feeling for any movement in the ropes.
There wasn’t any. The ropes held firm.
“My queen?”
“Yes?” the woman asked, and she was closer than Zelda expected. Close enough that she knew she just needed to ask.
She swallowed, “What unspeakable things would you do?”
And then Zelda felt fingers wrap around the rope on her chest, seeming to grab hold of a particular loop that sat below her breasts, in the middle of her chest, as another hand drew behind her head, fisting into her hair.
She was pulled up into a sitting position and before Zelda could do so much as gasp as she felt nails scrape against her scalp, electrifying her nerves. “Do want a taste?”
“Yes.”
She felt the woman’s mouth descend upon hers.
It was an earnest kiss, and then Lilith was straddling her lap again, and Zelda was moaning into her mouth, pressing against her as a tongue swiped over her lips, before teeth bit and tugged, and a mouth sucked, and fingers tugged at her hair until she couldn’t tell between the pain and pleasure.
She wanted to grab at the woman, but her hands were bound and pressed between them, and it was all she could do not to wriggle forward and see if she could brush the rope between Lilith’s thighs (though if happened accidentally…it was hardly her fault).
“Naughty,” Lilith said, and then her mouth was pouring down her jaw, to her neck and across her shoulder. Zelda was trying to remember how long they’d agreed to because right now all she wanted was to feel Lilith rub against her thighs as she continued to kiss her like the world was running out of time.
A hand grabbed at her breast, and then it slid underneath the cup of her bra, the other hand still fisting her hair, tugging her head back, so Zelda’s neck was elongated as Lilith's mouth continued to bite and suck at her shoulder.
It was going to leave a mark, but she didn’t care as a keened whine broke from as she felt her nerves electrify.
Lilith’s hand slid over her nipple, tweaking it, then grasping and pinching it between the length of her fingers.
If she kept doing that, Zelda was going to…to…
She groaned, feeling the rope on her thigh press against her underwear.
“I told you I could get you off without touching your cunt,” Lilith growled into her ear, and Zelda moaned at the words. “But you were so naughty that I don’t think I will.”
“No––“
“No, what?” Lilith enquired.
“Don’t stop.”
“Say, please.”
Zelda shut her jaw, groaning as the hand in her hair tugged again. Even blindfolded, she opened her eyes, wishing she could gaze upon her. She was met with darkness, but even in that, she could feel Lilith's eyes penetrating through, commanding her to just say it.
“Please,” she hissed.
“Good girl,” and the hand on breast squeezed, and Zelda felt the rope pressing against her underwear, rubbing against it as Lilith seemed to rock on her lap.
There was something unholy about the pressure Lilith had with her teeth and tongue on her shoulder like she knew just how to apply it just right as she tugged at her hair at the right moment and pinched at the nipple just right.
Zelda arched into the touch, feeling the pressure build low in her belly, growing with each rocked movement until her hips jerked, rocking over a knot on her thigh and Zelda felt the climax hit her with a sudden, strangled gasp.
It shuddered through her, and she felt the woman’s laugh rumble against her chest as she carried her through it for what felt like too short of a time before the rope became too sensitive and she was jerking her hips away.
The hand in her hair relaxed, and Lilith’s lips trailed against her neck, pressing lightly against the skin as the hand on Zelda’s breast dropped away.
Zelda drew in one breath, and then another, feeling the aftershocks tremble through her before she was placed down on the ground once more. She felt Lilith’s hands rest on either side of her face, before pushing up the blindfold as she flickered her eyes between Zelda’s, studying her.
Zelda pushed up and kissed her, lips pressing to feel the soft intake of breath against her mouth as Lilith tilted her head and sunk against her. Before she could even stop to think about how warm the woman’s lips were on hers, Lilith was pulling away, and Zelda was left to look at her flushed face, feeling thumbs draw against her cheeks bones.
“How do you feel?” Lilith asked.
Zelda nodded, swallowing before she found herself biting back a sharp comment. “Good,” she agreed. “I won’t doubt you again.”
“You and I both know that’s a lie.”
The effects of the orgasm still ran through her and Zelda feel herself the endorphins flooding through her bloodstream. A part of her hungered to do it again, see if Lilith could get her off twice more.
But the woman climbed off and began untying her, and it was all she could to take a breath and breathe, focusing on the way the woman’s fingers unravelled the knots faster than she expected.
The moment she was unbound, the ropes were pulled away, and a strange shyness seemed to overtake Lilith as she spooled the rope, undoing the knots that remained, her eyes look away. Perhaps she felt she’d crossed a boundary, Zelda wondered.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Lilith looked up, and her face softened, “It’s been a while since I’ve tied anyone up like that,” she admitted, though there was more to it. “If you wanted a shower, you could take one,” she said. “I’ll clean up in here and make tea.”
Zelda nodded, feeling the uncomfortable wetness slide between her thighs at the mention of it. Tea would be good, she decided.
She went to the ottoman, picking up her belongings and taking them to the bathroom, where she set them down again on the counter. The towel was different this time, a black towel.
Zelda shut the bathroom door and slid off her clothes, looking into the mirror. There were lines on her back where the rope had pressed as she laid down, but otherwise, the only mark was a growing bruise on her shoulder––easily able to be hidden with the shirts and dresses she wore.
She slid into the shower, finding the temperature warm (and with a surprisingly strong water pressure that beat down her back, soothing knots she didn’t realise she had.)
Taking the showerhead in hand, she washed over her body, cleaning the mess between her thighs. There, the water pressure was prominent in a way she didn’t expect, and Zelda nearly allowed herself to sink in that, finding her arousal growing at the idea of getting off while the woman was in the next room over. But she pushed it away, setting the showerhead back in place and stayed under the spray of water until she had her desire under control.
The woman was a dominatrix first, a sex worker. It was completely understandable that she wanted to feel the woman’s hand relieve the pressure building between her thighs. It was understandable that she was being seduced, but Zelda reminded herself that it was all pretend. A service between two consenting adults.
And if she was going to delve further into that service, actually allow the woman to penetrate her (as she so crassly spoke, likely to get a reaction out of her) then she needed to see it as a service. She was a client, yes, but that did not mean that Lilith was going to take an emotional interest in her suddenly.
She switched off the water, coming out to clean dry herself off before she dressed again (placing the underwear in her handbag, given their ruined state).
She walked downstairs and watched as Lilith finished setting out the items, placing them onto the kitchen table.
There was a tightness to the woman that settled in Zelda’s stomach uncomfortably as she took her seat. When Lilith had finished setting everything aside, the woman sat across from her, a cup of water in hand.
And then a silence sat between them.
Zelda wanted to apologise. She wasn’t sure what the apology was for, perhaps for kissing her, or for not doing the right thing, or whatever it was. But she didn’t say the words; instead, she took a sip of tea and averted her eyes to where the kitchen light flooded over the patio, bringing partial light to the garden.
Something had shifted between them.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Lilith asked, a smile on her lips.
“I did,” Zelda said. “Did you?”
“Always,” Lilith said, but the way she said the word implied otherwise.
“I…” Zelda swallowed thickly, looking away. “I think we should stick to what we did in the first session…if this is to continue.”
Lilith nodded. “You’re the client,” she advised. “Whatever service you want, I’m happy to provide.” The expression remained, and Zelda couldn’t tell if she was relieved, or disappointed or just neutral towards it.
Zelda blinked, adverting her gaze. She was a client, just a client. Lilith was sure to have a dozen more just like her.
Taking a sip of tea, she asked. “How much for the session?”
Summary: She had engaged in dominatrix services from Sabrina’s principal. It was enough to make her light-headed.
N.B.: Also posted on AO3. This is pure fantasy, please suspend your disbelief.
“Zelda,” Faustus said, walking into her office. He entered as if he owned the place, not caring that this was her office and she was in the middle of a discussion with Elspeth about her recent failure in an essay that weighted thirty percentage of the semester’s grade.
“Yes, Professor Blackwood?” she said, smiling sharply as she looked away from Elspeth.
“Unfortunately, Shirley won’t be returning as we expected. She’s requested further time off. I’ll need you to look after her classes until she returns.”
It’d been a month, and Zelda was already thin on time and stressed as it was, trying to manage lesson planning for all of her classes and Shirley’s religious second-year subjects on top of that was more than she wanted. Prudence had been a much-needed help, but there were things she couldn’t leave with her.
Her academic paper was well behind schedule she’d set out. She was barely seeing her family outside of dinner. As it was, she barely managed to get in six hours of sleep most nights. She’d counted on finishing those two subjects in two weeks.
“I’ll require further funding for my TA,” she said. “But that’s no issue Faustus.”
“Of course,” he agreed with a nod, and then seemed to notice that someone else was present in the room. Providing a polite nod, he went to leave before pausing. “Thank you, Zelda.”
Zelda bit her tongue, feeling annoyance flush through her. She turned and looked at Elspeth, finding the girl’s eyes wide open, as if she just witnessed something she shouldn’t have.
“Where were we?” Zelda asked, honestly failing to remember what point she’d been discussing.
“Extra credit,” Elsbeth said, “So I don’t lose my scholarship.”
Zelda nodded and flicked through Elspeth’s marks. It was only the most recent essay that dragged down her overall grade, having a heavy weighting on it. “It was a rushed essay. I can give you the chance to re-write it if you feel you can bring something better to it?”
Elspeth drew in a breath, sitting up taller in the chair. It wasn’t the response she wanted. Clearly, the girl had expected something else been asked of her.
“I can do that. When do you want it handed in by?”
“Two weeks.”
Elspeth agreed, standing up and leaving. Zelda drew a sigh and watched as she left. She’d probably been lenient with the deadline and should have cut it down to a week, but the truth was that she was too exhausted to care. She was completing twice the amount of unpaid overtime than usual just to keep her classes at a certain standard and had been pressing to ensure she attended Sabrina’s extracurricular that popped-up, given that she couldn’t even fit in time to take Sabrina to and from school most days.
She considered pulling away from dinner and just eating in her office to get an extra hour of work, but Hilda would never allow. It was the one thing that she and her sister had agreed on the way back when Ambrose was barely twelve years old, and Sabrina was learning to walk. A family sat together, no matter what.
The truth was the only place she could afford to cut, was her sleep schedule. But the tension was building up inside of her. With so little time for herself, she was going to snap if she didn’t do something soon to ease it.
She just needed an hour or two.
Zelda picked up the phone and rang from her personal phone.
“Zelda,” Lilith purred like they were old friends. “I thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“I’ve been busy,” Zelda said, “Do you have an appointment for this week?”
“Hmm, let me see,” there was the sound of shuffling, and then a quiet pulled on the phone. Zelda drew in a breath, trying to ease her beating heart. A part of her hoped that she had an appointment for this afternoon. “How long were you looking for?”
Zelda’s tongue grew heavy. She flicked open her planner, looking through her availabilities. “What do you have available?” she asked as if they were trying to pencil in a business meeting.
“Saturday morning, you can have me from nine until twelve.”
Zelda’s eyes fluttered shut at the choice of words. You can have me. Oh, she would very much so enjoy having her.
“Three hours?”
“How about we say from nine until eleven, and I promise not to watch the clock,” Lilith said. “I quite like the idea of you in my garden,” Lilith said. “But there are many things we could play with.”
“And just what were thinking that I would enjoy in your garden?” Zelda inquired, trying to hold onto some semblance of control. After all, the woman was becoming entirely too presumptuous.
“We’ll discuss once you’re here. But don’t get me wrong, I would very much so enjoy hearing any ideas from yourself.”
Zelda shivered. “I’ll see you Saturday,” she said, clicking off the phone.
It was something to look forward to, and yet Zelda found herself going from meeting to meeting, class to office time (which was always busy midway through the semester when students started to realise that unless they did something soon, they wouldn’t make the marks they needed). She came home, she ate and then she returned to her home office for lesson planning until late at night, where she would drag herself to bed for a few hours.
Twice, Hilda had commented on how tired she was, enquiring if she was eating enough, and twice Zelda had snapped back that she was perfectly fine and had only just recently seen her doctor.
Hilda had shrunk away at the comment, embarrassed at the breakfast table as Zelda drank her tea, trying to ease the growing headache behind her eyes. There was a test for this afternoon, that would give her a better idea on if she needed to re-evaluate her lessons for them––and yet for the life of her, she wanted to call in sick.
“Aunt Zee?” Sabrina inquired softly. “Can I ask you something?”
She looked up, setting the cup down and tried to ease the headache she felt.
“Theo’s having trouble with some of the other boys on the team. They’re not letting him use their locker. I’ve tried talking to Coach Craven, but he doesn’t care since Wardwell told him off––and I’m worried that if I do go above him to Principal Wardwell again, he’ll just let things get worse.”
Zelda paused, drinking in the words to the context. “I can speak to their parents if that’s what you want,”
“No, I think that will make it worse.”
Zelda agreed, but she still wouldn’t mind wringing through the children’s parents. Not that it was her place, in the end, it should be Theo’s father (and yet that, still, could make things worse). “Honestly Sabrina, there’s very little things you can do with a bully like that. It may be in Theo’s best interest to quit the team.”
“But he wants to be apart of that!” Sabrina said. “It’s not fair that they just take away his enjoyment of such a thing.”
“It’s not,” Zelda agreed. “But there are some fights that you’ll need to walk away from, that is, unfortunately, how the world works. It’s not worth Theo’s unhappiness if he’s been pushed out by his peers. If anything, I would suggest perhaps finding a different sporting group who’s more open to having diversity in their team than high school.”
Sabrina frowned, sinking in her chair, “But none exists.”
“Then perhaps there’s your idea, start a new one. I doubt Theo’s the only one who feels that way.”
“No! Then they get what they want.”
Zelda sighed, “Yes, they do,” she agreed. “And it’s not fair, and it’s not right, and I’m sorry, really. If we could wave a wand and teach them all a lesson, I’m sure we would. Realistically speaking, to avoid Theo facing further punishment, it might be in his best interest to leave. Not all fights are worth battling. Sometimes it’s about walking away and creating your own happiness.”
Sabrina’s face twisted, conflict crossing over her face. “I mean, is that what you did?”
Zelda frowned. “Pardon?”
“Aunt Hilda mentioned that things were hard for you when you were starting at Greendale University. That the others––“
“Your Aunt Hilda is going off gossip. No, it was entirely different; I wasn’t being berated the way young Theo was. Just some minor office gossip, and nothing I couldn’t rise above.”
Sabrina frowned. “Maybe I should just speak to Principle Wardwell.”
“You could,” Zelda agreed, “And then she’ll speak to the coach, and then…what? I don’t mean to detract you from this goal. It’s admirable. But perhaps you should think about what’s actually fair for Theo rather than seeking justice.”
Sabrina made a face, her nose wrinkling. “It is about Theo. He’s getting bullied by these…these…dicks,” Sabrina said, spitting the word.
Zelda blinked and watched as Sabrina continued to sit tall in the seat, chin lifted defiantly. No matter what Zelda had to say, she knew Sabrina would go against it. Her niece had apparently already decided as to what she was going to do.
“Speak to Theo,” Zelda urged. “Maybe speak to his Coach yourself. But actually, look towards what the repercussions are likely to be. I’m sure the last thing you want to do is make life even more difficult for your friend.”
“I won’t,” Sabrina said. “I just want him to be happy.”
“And that’s not a bad thing to want,” Zelda assured. “But be sure that this is really about Theo’s interest and not just to serve your own hero complex.”
“Hero complex?” Sabrina echoed. “Is that what you think this about?”
It was, but Zelda didn’t particularly want that argument so ignored the bait, and left a quiet to settle between them and with it, as she began to feel her migraine increase. What she needed was to lie down in a dark room with a damp towel across her head. As it was, she couldn’t. “Do you need me to drop you off at school?”
“Or what, you think my hero complex will have me try and rescue a cat out some tree I pass?”
Zelda sighed, staring at her. “Do you want me to drive you or not?”
“I can walk to Harvey’s and see if he’ll take me.”
There was a strange way she said those words that had Zelda narrowing her eyes. “Has something happened between you and Mr Kinkle?”
Sabrina shook her head before biting her lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted before she smiled and looked up at Zelda, an otherwise perfectly happy expression on her face. “It’s fine,” she assured. “I think he’s just busy. He and his dad are fighting,” she shrugged.
Zelda nodded. Despite never seeing the senior Kinkle drunk himself, Zelda was familiar with Sabrina’s stories of how Harvey felt about it all. Once, Sabrina had begged to have Harvey move in with them, and although Zelda wasn’t against the idea, especially if a child was being harmed, the practice of it was trickier than theory.
Still, there was the older sibling in the household, and as Zelda understood it, he often cooled the clashes between the family.
“I’ll drop you off. I’ll be ready to leave in five minutes,” Zelda advised, looking to the clock upon the wall. It was enough time for her to finish her tea and grab her bag from her office.
She’d spent most of the last night finalising her lesson plan for Shirley’s class, and this morning, she felt a tightness in her neck, likely adding to the growing migraine she had. Before she finished her last mouthful of tea, she dug around for her painkillers and took the familiar dosage.
“Ready!” Sabrina said, just as she managed to set her cup in the sink.
Zelda made a gesture for her to go to the car, as she picked up her bag from her office, taking her computer and day planner with her. She checked for keys and her wallet and then paused, noticing that her computer’s light wasn’t on.
Opening it up, she watched the screen flick on…and then turn off completely.
Zelda took the charger, plugging it in and watched as, again, the computer’s screen flickered.
Panic welled up in her chest. It’d worked perfectly fine last night. The last thing she needed was for it to seize––all of her work was in it, including her lesson planning. And yes, although she did have it backed up, it was all on the cloud and inaccessible to her from any of the school’s computers. She would have to use her phone.
Zelda took a breath, taking the laptop and shoving it into her bag. There was every chance that the charger was the issue, and she just needed to obtain a new one.
“Aunt Zee?” Sabrina called from the hallway, and Zelda squeezed her eyes shut. There was a computer shop in town. She could duck in, confirm if there was a problem, and then return to pick it up if need be.
Shutting her office door, Zelda’s heels clicked loudly on the floors as her frustration seemed to be growing to a boiling point.
Sabrina shifted as she saw her, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she clipped back. “Get in the car before we’re late.”
Sabrina’s eyes widened, but she seemed to have enough decency to realise that it was the time, and climbed into the car.
Zelda drove to the school, pulling into the parking lot, and watched as Sabrina climbed out quickly before running off, wishing a brief “have a good day!” though seemingly somewhat avoidant of dealing with her bad mood any further.
Not that Zelda could blame her.
She was just pulling out of the parking lot when she noticed a familiar car pull in, Lilith at the wheel. Zelda blinked, watching the car pass before she could so much as absorb the situation.
Briefly, she wondered why the woman was attending the school––before remembering their conversation at the game the other week. Zelda wondered if the woman was a mother to one of the children bullying poor Theo––if she was, Zelda was going to have strong words with her about using her so-called discipline to better use and actually parenting her son.
Putting the thoughts away, she drove to the computer shop and walked in just as the sign on the front door was switched to open.
The retail assistant’s mouth opened, going to babble out a polite welcome or whatever as she pulled out her laptop and placed it on the counter. “My computer’s screen went black, and I need it to be fixed before my classes start.”
“O-of course,” he said, taking the computer in his grip. He looked over it, checking for something before he plugged it in.
The charger’s light flicked on, confirming that was working before he pulled open the screen. Zelda watched as again. The screen flickered before turning black.
“Ah,” he said. “It could be a screen issue, but…have you visited any new websites recently? No judgement of course, but if you downloaded new software from online, or clicked on any…ads, or…anything like that?” he asked, looking at her awkwardly.
Zelda’s jaw tightened, under usual circumstances she’d be able to tightly respond with no. Still, the truth was, she had been doing some minor extracurricular website searches to understand some of the services Lilith had (because they used slang she was unfamiliar with), and there was every possibility that one of them might have downloaded something.
“Could you fix the issue?” she asked instead.
“Oh, definitely,” he agreed. “It might wipe your hard drive though, if-if it was…that.”
Zelda exhaled a deep breath. Her lesson plan was fine, but she would lose a lot of resources she was using for her paper, and it’d be difficult for her to retrieve them again. “If you could avoid that, I would prefer it,” she said.
The man nodded, typing on the screen. “I can have it back by Monday. I’ll try and see if it’s a screen issue first.”
“Monday?” she asked tightly, before nodding, “Monday’s fine,” she agreed. She’d just have to live off her phone until such a time.
“Let me just grab your contact details.”
Zelda provided them tightly as she dug out her phone and clicked through, pulling out the information from her lesson plans. She was going to be late, but that would just have to be something she dealt with.
As it was, she managed to make in time and was able to deliver her lesson without drawing to her phone too much. She was, however, late to her office hours due to trying to get a spare laptop from the library, which was being looked after by a grad student who didn’t know how to loan out the spare laptops.
By the time she arrived, one of her students was sitting on the ground by her door and fumbling to stand-up awkwardly. “Professor Spellman!” he said. “I need an extension for the essay due next week.”
Zelda pulled out her keys, clicking the door open. “Which essay is this for?” she inquired, pushing the door open and clicking the lights on. Her headache was growing as she set down her bag and set the laptop up, opening before she noticed a low battery warning.
Of course, the student had forgotten to provide a charger. She closed the lid and looked up at the student, watching as he nervously took a seat before her and began twisting at his clothes.
“Ah—well, it’s…technically…P-professor Jackson’s…class. And she’s usually fine with giving extensions, so as long as…”
Zelda’s brows rose. “So as long as…?” she prompted.
“Ah…can I have an extension. Please? I have an exam on the same day and I just…really need…”
Zelda sat back in her seat. “Did Professor Jackson go over her timetable for when assignments were due?”
“Yes?”
“So you were aware of both your essay and exam being on the same day since your first week of classes?”
“I mean, tech-technically, yes, but I didn’t actually realise until…until this week,” she admitted.
“Melvin, isn’t it?”
“Yes, professor.”
“Melvin, I suggest that you go over your schedule for the rest of the semester. The answer is no; I will not be granting an extension. You’ve had all semester to plan for this.”
“But Elspeth––“ and then he stopped himself, seeming to realise he said too much. Zelda’s brows rose, waiting to see if he would continue, but thankfully Melvin just stuttered out a muttered apology, before he scrambled at his bag and left, leaving her alone in her office with a dying laptop.
She clicked the power save button and stared at it. It wasn’t like she could easily download her lessons and transfer it across anyway, they were two different systems (and it was one of the few times she regretted not using the school’s standard provided laptops to do all of her work).
She sunk in her seat, pulling open her drawer to pull out the Advil packaging, only to find that it wasn’t there.
No, because she’d used it all up and the only container she had was the one at home.
Of course. Of course, it was because the day couldn’t get any worse.
Except it did, because just as she was about to take lunch, her phone rang.
“Ms Spellman?” the woman on the line enquired.
“Yes, who’s speaking?”
“This is Mrs Meeks, I’m calling from Baxter High.” Zelda’s stomach sunk. “Your niece got into a fight this morning. Principal Wardwell has requested if you could come into the office to discuss her behaviour? Usually, we’d speak to Hilda, but I’m afraid her phone’s been switched off.”
Of course, it was because her sister was working today. Though it certainly raised the question as to why Hilda was first on the list when she should have been. But that wasn’t the concern now.
Zelda’s eyes squeezed shut. Sabrina got into a fight, and Zelda knew exactly what the reasoning of the fight was.
“I’ll be right in,” she said.
Clicking her phone off, she looked across her time table. She had lunch, and then two hours after that before her next class. It meant she was shutting her office hours prematurely shut, but she wrote on the whiteboard of the door, advising that she would be available through email or in the following week, adding that if it was urgent, to reach out to Professor Blackwood.
Bad things came in threes, her mother used to say, and Zelda hoped that this was the last of her bad luck.
In the drive over to the school, she considered calling up Hilda and asking her to deal with it. Still, the truth was, Hilda would be a push-over and agreed that Sabrina warranted some kind of punishment when Zelda knew perfectly well that Sabrina was likely only protecting her friend and did not require any form of punishment.
Parking in a teacher’s spot (it wasn’t like they could do anything about it), she locked the car and walked to the front office, before getting directions to the Principal’s office.
There, she saw the strange, blonde woman on the phone, and then Sabrina, Theo, Harvey and Roz, all sitting on the bench with their heads bowed and bruises forming across their faces and knuckles. To the other side was a half-dozen boys Zelda didn't recognise sitting on the other side of the room.
Zelda looked across them all, brows raised. As Sabrina and her friends all began speaking at once, she rose her hand, silencing them. “Have your parents been called?” she asked, looking to the other children.
“Yes,” Roz answered, “They’re with Principal Wardwell now. Except…for Harvey’s dad, since Mr Kinkle was in the mines.”
Zelda looked to him and then to Mrs Meeks. “Am I right to enter?”
“Oh yes, should be fine,” she nodded.
Zelda swept a look over them, giving a small nod to Sabrina to let her know that she didn’t disapprove of whatever happened, but they would certainly talk later about it.
Pushing open the door, she came into a room filled with six other parents, recognising Sabrina’s friend’s parents, she gave a small nod and went to shut the door before her eyes fell onto the principal.
And then she nearly fainted. They both stared at each other, a tightness rolling over the room before Lilith’s face brokered into a mask.
“Ms Spellman, I take it?” Lilith asked, tilting her head. “I thought we requested your sister?”
“She’s occupied,” Zelda said, grounding herself as she closed the door.
“Well, we were just concluding this matter,” Lilith said, hands folded neatly before her and Zelda felt her stomach flip. The principal.
She had engaged in dominatrix services from Sabrina’s principal. It was enough to make her light-headed.
“And just what would that be?” she asked, standing in the doorway, afraid that if she took a step, she’d wobble on her heels.
Her principal!
Lilith’s eyes roamed across the room. “Suspension, I believe. Across all parties for next week. Baxter High has a zero-tolerance after all.”
“Ridiculous,” Zelda counted. “Whatever Sabrina’s reasonings were, I’m sure they were warranted.”
An argument arose, and Lilith pushed up on to her feet, a sharp grip on her face enough to silence the room with commanded respect. “Ms Spellman,” she clipped, before gesturing to the seat before her. “How about you take a seat and we’ll discuss what occurred. No need for anyone else to be held up any further by this.”
Zelda rolled her shoulders back and stepped over to the empty seat before her, but refrained from sitting. Lilith’s eyes held hers, and there was a beat as tension seemed to hold between them, and Zelda wondered, briefly, if she was going to say something to her.
She didn’t. Instead, Lilith walked around her desk and seemed to direct the parents out of the room. There was a moment where she spoke to Mrs Meeks, asking her to direct the students back to class, before she stepped back in the room, shutting the door behind her.
“Sit down,” Lilith said, and Zelda felt her knees bend, a part of her wanting to obey before she resisted and glared at the woman.
“You’re a principal?” she hissed.
Lilith’s eyes fluttered innocently, “In fairness, I hadn’t put two and two together until I saw you at the football match the other weekend. And at that point, I thought you had worked out the truth as well. Hardly my fault if you came to the wrong conclusion.”
“You––“
“Are here to discuss Sabrina, not our relationship. Now…sit. Down.”
Zelda scoffed, looking away, before she sat down in the chair, crossing her legs. “This is absurd,” she advised. “If I’m to conclude, Sabrina was only defending her friend against bigoted bullies. If anything, she should be rewarded.”
“Did she discuss the fight with you?”
“No, but I understand Mr Putnam has been having some issues with bullies.”
Lilith nodded, deep exhaustion pulling at her. “Yes, well. Unfortunately, Baxter High’s policy towards any fights is absolute.”
“Did Sabrina start the fight?”
Lilith closed her eyes, annoyance growing on her as she sat back in her seat. “Witnesses say she did and didn’t. Apparently one of the children made a snide comment and Sabrina retorted. When she was walking away, one of the footballers went to do…something in retort against Theo, and Mr Kinkle ended up striking them first.”
“It sounds like to me that they were starting it then.”
“And if it were a simple thing of words, it would be much simpler, but no, it was an extensive fight, and one of the kids has been taken to hospital with what might be a broken leg. His parents would like to push for the expulsion of Sabrina and her friends. At the very least of Theo, who they’ve assured was the person to push the boy, not that anyone else agrees with that.” Lilith rolled her eyes.
Ah, Zelda realised. There were deeper politics at play. She shifted in her seat watching the annoyance flick over Lilith’s face, realising that it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the other parents.
It’d taken her over forty-five minutes from when she got the phone call to walking into the school’s office. Likely a lot of the students' parents were much closer and Lilith––or Principal Wardwell––had been dealing with them for quite some time.
“This could ruin her academic prospects,” Zelda counted. “It could ruin all of the children if they’re suspended. Surely, something else could be arranged.”
“Surely,” Lilith said, a smirking growing on her lips. “Between you and me, I would very much so like to separate this issue and deal with what I know likely to be true with regards to Theo, but unfortunately I can not. None of the children have come forward to me outside of this event. Despite the assurance from Sabrina that she has spoken to Coach Craven, he assures that it’s an overdramatic flare of what actually occurred.”
Zelda watched as Lilith’s eyes narrowed, seething at the coach.
“So, because a teacher is going against Sabrina’s word, you can’t do anything?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t say that,” Lilith said, “Just that I have to be careful about what I do.” Her nails drummed on the desk, before her eyes flashed, looking at Zelda. “Suspension is what the parents want, and given that it would be across all the students it would be fair, but you’re right, it could affect the academic progression of some our students, as well as the possibility of scholarships for others.”
Zelda swallowed, feeling a flush form over her chest at the way the woman was looking at her. It sounded almost like she was leading to a point. “So you’ll reduce their punishment?”
Lilith tilted her head, her eyes going to the office door briefly. “Well, punishment needs to be served, but I can certainly get creative in finding something for the students to do. Perhaps a charity organisation for their time to remind them that they need to work together—on top of detention, of course.”
It wasn’t fair, but it was agreeable. A fight she was willing to relent.
“But is that really fair?” Lilith mused, seeming to once again, read her thoughts. “After all, Baxter High’s rules are quite strict on this matter. It should be an expulsion of all students. I was negotiated down to a suspension, however…you’re asking me to agree to detention and a few wasted Saturdays.”
“Surely the rules don’t explicitly dictate expulsion.”
“They do,” Lilith assured. “In fact, a lot of the rules haven’t been updated since the nineteen-twenties.”
Zelda blinked, “What are you getting at?” she asked.
“I would never suggest corporal punishment on a child, but if someone…older were to take it on their behalf…”
Zelda paused, allowing the words to settle between them as she caught the woman’s expression. “Are you suggesting that I act as a whipping girl?” she asked, feeling a shiver run down her spine.
Here? Now? On the desk? If she was honest, it was almost exactly what she needed after the day she had.
Lilith bit her lip, and there was a fine balance to a played innocence and devilish intrigue in the look she threw. It caused Zelda to shift in her chair, turning to look over her shoulder and confirm the office door wouldn’t be thrown open.
“And if I don’t do this?” Zelda asked.
Lilith shrugged. “I’ll still arrange for them to complete their community service, but you’ll be left knowing that the punishment was unfairly reduced to a slap on the wrist—so to speak.”
Zelda knew what she meant was, I won’t offer this again to you, because they’d be unlikely to find themselves in such a situation again where Zelda needed to play as a whipping girl.
It wasn’t a fantasy Zelda knew she wanted until it was dangled before her and almost too unbearable to resist. Low in her belly, she felt the flicker of desire warming through her, enough so that she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as much as she could feel a dull thrum between her thighs.
“Fine,” she said, trying to pretend it didn’t have the exact effect of her that it was.
Lilith grinned, an excitement lighting her as she rose to her feet and then gestured to the desk.
Zelda swallowed. Removing her coat, she stepped around the desk and gave a glance to the windows. The blinds were pulled closed, making it impossible to look in. “Well?” Lilith asked, “What are you waiting for. On the desk, now.”
“Shouldn’t we lock the office door?”
“Bend over,” Lilith said as if she hadn’t heard. Zelda bit her tongue, excitement rolling through her as she bent over the desk. She couldn’t see her, but she felt the woman’s hand run over her skirt.
There was a creak of the chair, and then Lilith was standing, coming around to the office door where she flicked the lock with a meaningful look to Zelda, letting her know that they would not be disturbed.
Zelda splayed her hands on the desk. She wasn’t sure how she felt laid out on Lilith’s desk like this, watching as the woman circled back behind her, not unlike a shark examining circling their dinner.
“Cane or barehand?” Lilith asked.
Zelda blinked. “You have a cane here?”
“Don’t make me ask the question again,” Lilith said. “Or I’ll start adding lashes.”
Zelda swallowed, thinking over the words. “Cane,” she answered because they might as well do this right.
“Good girl.”
Zelda heard the sound of a drawer opening, before the dragging of something firm against the wood, and then Lilith was setting the cane down beside her so that Zelda could see it as another hand ran over her backside.
“I’ll admit, I’ve wanted to do this to you for a while, now. Impetuous as you are.”
Zelda scoffed. “I’ve been rather well behaved if anything.”
“Backtalk,” Lilith tutted. “That’s another lashing, I think.” And then her hands were running down Zelda’s thigh, dropping over the hem of her skirt. Zelda shivered, and then felt as the pencil skirt was rolled up her legs, and then over her hips, before being bunched around her waist.
Lilith’s fingers drew over the back of her thighs, touching over the bare skin void of any stockings or lace. “Do you remember your safe word?” she asked.
“I do,” Zelda nodded, pressing firmer against the table as she stared over the edge, looking at the collection of books and knick-knacks that Lilith had on display.
“Good girl,” Lilith breathed, and Zelda felt her knees go weak.
She felt the garter belt unclipped from the back of her stockings, before being pushed up and out of the way, and then her underwear was being rolled down. They’d barely begun, but if Zelda was honest, she could already feel how wet she was.
“My, my, Ms Spellman. I’m not sure if this is going to get the message across given the effect it’s had on you,” Lilith said, as a finger drew dangerously close to her sex, but didn’t quite touch, keeping to the edges of her thighs. “But let’s give this an honest go, hmm?”
Zelda nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she heard the cane get picked up, dragging slowly against the wood of the desk.
“Spread your legs there, that’s a good girl. Back straight,” she said, adjusting Zelda into position and Zelda shivered at the contact, feeling the cool air brush against the warmth of her sex.
Never in her life had something been so utterly erotic as this.
“We’ll start with five lashings?” Lilith said. “I’d appreciate if you could count them for me. Otherwise, I tend to lose track. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Yes…?” Lilith enquired.
“Yes, Principal Wardwell.” She wasn’t sure if it was the right thing, but Lilith seemed to chuckle at the response, apparently amused by it.
“Five lashings, dear,” she reminded. Zelda nodded and then waited. Nothing occurred; there was only the dull sound of a clock ticking in the room.
And then the first thwack of the cane hit her on the right cheek, stinging against the skin. “One,” she gasped, eyes squeezing shut as she felt the pain roll across her. The next strike hit against the other side, stinging across the lower side of the cheek and Zelda felt herself clench, “Two,” she said.
There was a punishment in counting it out. Not only did it seem to make it worse, but she felt horribly young, counting her punishments.
“Three!” she gasped, though a moan was building in her chest. A pause came, and then Lilith’s fingers were running across the strike, and Zelda was dropping her head against the table, legs shaking.
It wasn’t horribly painful as she’d first expected, but apparently, she was more into being struck than she realised.
Another strike hit her, high on the right buttocks and Zelda whimpered, feeling wetness slide down her thigh like warm honey. She was drenched and aroused, and there was a dull throb pulling at her sex. There was nothing more she wanted than another hit.
But Lilith seemed to pause, and in the reflection of a knick-knack, Zelda could see a warped version of Lilith holding the cane as she seemed to examine her. “If I knew the effect a good disciple would give to you,” Lilith purred. “I would have done it much sooner.”
Zelda turned, looking over her shoulder to watch Lilith’s eyes dart from her ass to looking up at her, her grin widening.
“Turn around,” Lilith coaxed. “We’re not finished yet.”
Zelda turned around, jerking as fingers pressed against the welt across her backside, slipping over it. And then Lilith’s hand rested over her lower back and the second strike came, sudden and hard and Zelda bit back the groan, her back arching as she jerked forward against the desk, hard enough that it rocked.
And then Lilith’s hand was rubbing against the area, soothing the sting and Zelda felt a whimper rise in her throat, leg shaking at the contrasting touch.
And then came another strike, firmed on the side and Zelda gasped, eyes wide open. “Five, that was five.”
“Was it?” Lilith asked. “I heard you count to two. It sounds like you skipped a few numbers there.”
Zelda twisted around, looking at her. “You can’t be serious?”
Lilith’s brows rose, mischief in her eyes as she cast an exaggerated stern expression at her.“I did ask you to count. I get very lost with these things.”
Zelda huffed, facing back on the desk. She wanted to bite back a response but didn’t trust herself to speak. Despite the sting, Zelda felt the arousal pulling at her. The reality of the situation seemed to hover, reminding her that she was in the school, that she was engaging in discipline by a dominatrix, who’s apparent other job was working as a principal.
And yet, she couldn’t find herself to care.
“We’ll start with three, hmm?” Lilith asked
“Yes,” she answered and then when a silence held between them, she groaned, ducking her head to swallow back her pride. “Yes, Principle Wardwell.”
Again, Lilith laughed. It was a deep, low chuckle divining pleasure from the sadism. It was with that that Zelda was reminded of her email insignia. Madam Satan indeed.
The first strike was firm, and Zelda spoke the word, feeling it come from low in her chest. “Three.” And then the next strike was sharper. “Four,” she gasped, eyes pressing shut. And then, finally, a last strike. It was firm, and yet it crossed over most of the welts, making her thighs shake. “Five,” she whispered, feeling the strike work its way through her body.
She felt her knees weaken, a tugging sensation pulling at her sex as if she’d almost managed to orgasm from that alone.
And just as she steadied herself, another hit came, smacking against both cheeks hard. Zelda bucked and gasped, feeling herself clench at the hit. “Fuck,” she cried, her voice high and pleading.
It was enough for tears to prick at her eyes, and more than enough that Zelda felt an ache low in her body, desperately tugging at her.
“There, all done,” Lilith said, placing the cane down as her other hand rubbed over her backside, soothing the sting.
She didn’t mean to (well, not actively at least) but as the fingers ran over her welts, Zelda found herself arching her back, adjusting her backside in a way that would have the fingers slide across and touch over her sex.
“Oh, I see,” Lilith breathed, and then Zelda felt her hand slide near and close. “You were such a good whipping girl for me, taking ten lashes. Did you want a reward?” It was a tease as if pretending she wasn’t already entirely aware of what Zelda wanted.
She wanted to ask what reward, not wanting to be tricked with something horrible, but she couldn’t find the words. She was so close, so close that it would hardly take more than a well-placed stroke to get her off. Zelda nodded against the desk and felt the hands drop away.
“Turn around,” Lilith said, and she obeyed, hissing as the welts pressed against the edge of the desk. Lilith stepped forward and then Zelda’s chin was being tilted up as Lilith grinned at her. “Part your legs for me.”
Zelda obeyed, spreading her legs, breathing in sharply as she pressed firmer on the welts against the edge of the desk.
Lilith grinned at her, and then she was stepping between her legs, hand drawing lightly against the slick folds. Zelda watched at the pupil expanded, Lilith’s mouth parting as she gasped with what she found.
Zelda wasn’t slick, or wet. She was drenched from the caning and Zelda could feel something akin to embarrassment as she bit her lip, feeling herself quiver at the light touch, arousal dripping over her thighs and stinging against the forming welts.
And then Lilith was sliding inside of her and Zelda felt it like stars behind her eyes. Never had anything felt as deliciously good as the woman sliding however many fingers inside of her.
Lilith’s expression shifted, her face holding in faux surprise before she grinned, like the cat that got the canary, stroking inside of her purposefully with the intent to tease. “Is this what wanted?” she asked. Zelda’s eyes fluttered shut as she nodded, rocking forward.
She regretted the movement, feeling the sting shudder up her spine, mixing with the growing climax.
“Hold on to the desk,” Lilith said. “You’re going to want a steady grip for what I’m about to do.”
Zelda’s fingers wrapped around the desk, uncertain as to why, since she could certainly hold herself up on her feet.
And then Lilith was on her knees before her and Zelda felt herself tremble at the sight. The woman’s incandescent eyes staring up at her as she bent forward, fingers still stroking inside her as she pressed a kiss to her skin, licking along the crease between thigh and labia.
“Jesus Christ,” Zelda hissed, pressing on the ball of her feet, hands grasping at the desk. It was too much, definitely too much in a way that every other fantasy would be shattered and replaced with the image of Lilith on her knees.
Zelda swallowed, watching as Lilith’s tongue slipped between her labia folds in a low, languid stroke, and then she couldn’t watch her any more. It was too sinful, too delicious and her head rolled back, jaw clenching shut as she felt the tongue slip over her sex, drawing over it with such wonderful delight that Zelda could feel the sting of the welts melting and heightening the pleasure Lilith was summoning between her legs.
It was slow and drawn out, and then Lilith’s pace increased, her fingers sliding deeper insider of her, filling her up in a way that felt like she was entirely designed to please her, pressing where she needed it to be pressed, sliding deep and then back.
Zelda could feel her arousal dripping down against her thighs.
“Fuck,” Zelda whimpered, squeezing around the fingers as Lilith’s tongue drew over her clit. “Lilith,” she keened again louder, as Lilith began sucking over the clit, drawing over it until Zelda was no longer riding a wave. She was thrown high and higher and, oh god, she needed more. Her body was shaking, and her grip on the desk was slipping with the way she was riding those fingers.
One hand let go of the desk, slipping into Lilith’s hair, as she urged for more. She could hear the woman laughing between her thighs, but she didn’t care about how unhinged she felt. The woman was filling her up and licking her out like she’d never experienced before and there was nothing in this world that Zelda wanted more than to come.
“Let’s see how messy you are,” Lilith said before her tongue began swirling firm circles and it was all Zelda could do to nod, biting her lip.
The pressure was firmer, and then, Zelda was squeezing tighter, her whole body convulsing as all she could focus on was the pressure building and building, until––
“God, Lilith,” she managed to say, the words squeezed between a breath as she let go and felt the orgasm shake through her, with a sudden, unexpected gush of wetness.
She fumbled back on the desk, barely able to consider what exactly occurred as she realised that Lilith’s fingers hadn’t let up her. Her tongue was pressing flat over her clit, down to her fingers, and Zelda was shaking again. Before she could push her away, she was brought again to climax, stronger than the previous one, that took her by surprise so much that she dropped awkwardly against the desk, feeling papers crease, and something hard and wooden press against her forearm as she caught herself from falling.
Only then did Lilith pull away, her mouth dropping away first, fingers drawing out in such a way that Zelda whined at the sensation, blinking up at the ceiling.
She felt…very wet. And worse, she felt as if there’d been a sudden force to her orgasms, almost like she’d…
Well…she wasn’t sure, but she hadn’t had an orgasm like that for some time.
“What did you do?” she asked breathlessly, feeling the words come out in heavy pants as she watched Lilith rise to her feet, wiping her chin with the back of her hand with an entirely too pleased expression on her face as she reached over Zelda to pick at a tissue.
“Why I believe I made you come twice,” she said, her smile widening. “What do you think happened?”
Zelda felt a flush rush over her face. She’d had many orgasms before, but that had been different to anything she’d experienced. “You…” she trailed off, voice strangling as she looked away as Lilith cleaned her fingers with the tissue before throwing it in the wastepaper bin.
Zelda moved, but before she could, Lilith stopped her. “Here,” she said, reaching over her again and plucking out two sheets of tissue before handing it to her. “Have you never ejaculated like that before?”
Zelda took the sheets of tissue, cleaning herself the best she could before fixing her underwear and stockings. “No,” she admitted. “Well…maybe once or twice, but not like that.” She threw the tissues in the wastepaper bin and shifted her skirt down, feeling the marks on the ass sting as she did so.
They were going to hurt for a while.
“Pleased to be of service then,” Lilith said, taking a seat back in the office chair. “Did you want me to place cream on that?” she asked, pointing towards Zelda’s ass, though the way she swivelled in the chair made Zelda think that she just wanted to pull down her underwear again and fuck her over the desk once more.
“I’ll be fine,” Zelda said, feeling the flush of embarrassment wash over her. They had both been intense orgasms, and although Zelda had greatly enjoyed them both, she couldn’t help the embarrassment that had come with it. She’d been utterly unhinged, and now it seemed there was shame rolling over her for the ejaculation.
Lilith’s face tilted and before Zelda could push away, the woman was standing up before her, a finger on her chin gently guiding her eyes back to face her. “There’s nothing shameful about that.”
Zelda’s eyes narrowed, pushing the hand away from her. “I’m quite aware, thank you,” she said. “I’m not some young girl you need to guide in the ways of sex and sexuality.” Huffing, she pushed off from the desk and immediately regretted it, feeling the sting press over her.
“As you say,” Lilith said, going to sit back in her office chair as if they were having nothing more than a casual conversation. “I do hope you’re finished for the rest of the day, as I imagine that will be quite painful until late this evening.”
Zelda looked away, fixing her hair the best she could without a mirror present. “I trust that what we discussed stands––community service?”
“Yes, but it will be for all the students. Can’t look like a favour any of them,” she said, with a pressing look—annoyance from the need to play politics.
“And the other children?”
“I will handle it. But if you’d like to take up the issue, our PTA is always open. Or we can have another meeting?”
Zelda made a non-committal noise, running her hands over her skirt to ensure she couldn’t see anything.
“I shall see you tomorrow, Ms Spellman,” Lilith said, before gesturing to her door.
Zelda gave her a sharp look, before nodding and stepping away. The next day it was then.
Summary: “Zelda,” she purred, stepping forward as she bit her lip, drawing her eyes over her body. “Believe me, the idea of fucking you against the nearest surface is never far from my mind. Let me formally apologise for misleading you.”
N.B.: Also posted on AO3. This is pure fantasy, please suspend your disbelief.
Zelda flicked through her local morning newspaper, reading through articles as Hilda fussed around Sabrina for breakfast. Her niece was…avoiding her, and Zelda for the life of her, couldn’t work out why. At first, she thought that it was only paranoia that caused her to consider it, but no. Sabrina was definitely avoiding her.
She flicked through another page, drawing her eyes over the personal articles again as Hilda finally settled down with her own breakfast.
As Zelda went to fold the newspaper close, she noticed her sister and Sabrina having a silent communication with each other over something.
“Would somebody like to inform me as to what’s going on?” she asked.
Sabrina dropped her fork loudly on the plate before she was suddenly pushing off from the table and leaving, unusually surly for this hour of the morning and only providing further evidence to the fact that she’d somehow managed to upset her niece.
Zelda quirked an eyebrow and looked to her sister. “What on earth was that about?”
“Well, Zelds, you um, happened to have missed another one of Sabrina’s shows for cheerleading. She’s been feeling a wee bit…neglected by all the work you’ve been putting into your students over her.”
Zelda frowned, “It’s only early in the school year, I couldn’t have missed––“
“No, you haven’t missed the so-called big events, but you didn’t attend the volunteering they’re doing to raise money for the pep rally that you promised you’d attend two weeks ago.”
“Has that occurred already?”
“Ah, yes, it did. Yesterday in fact when you were…off at a…meeting was it?”
Zelda drew in a breath. Yesterday had in fact been a legitimate meeting between herself and Prudence to run over the marking of recent essays of one of her classes. She’d noticed Sabrina had been rather sharp with her at the time when she mentioned it but had thought nothing of it. There was little time to book in the time to go over such things with Prudence on top of the girl’s own schedule, and Zelda had limited time as it was before she’d taken over the extra class of Shirley’s.
Looking back, however, she could see how it would come across as neglectful to Sabrina’s part, especially since she had promised.
“I’ll speak to her,” she agreed.
“She’ll appreciate it more if you attend. There’s a sporting event next Friday; perhaps you could take some time to see it?”
Zelda felt a defiance rise in her before she settled it back. “That is fair,” she agreed, though the idea of sitting on the bleachers, watching a game as Sabrina danced around was not in her top 10 things she wanted to do, especially since she couldn’t very well bring her laptop with her. “I’ll clear my evening for next Friday.”
As agreed, she moved a meeting with Prudence to an earlier day, ensuring her TA understood the guidelines of the marking she’d set out, and cleared the Friday evening to focus entirely on the event. If it was important to Sabrina, she could make time. Though her niece made a few snide comments to the effect that she doubted Zelda could afford to leave her work undone.
It was rather hurtful if she was honest, but not entirely untruthful. She had been placing more focus on her work as of late over her family.
When the time finally came, and the entire household was climbing into her car, her niece finally warmed back up to her. She began excitedly discussing the match against Riverdale, the importance it had, as well as talking about her own classes.
For once, the tension in the household had eased, and Zelda felt that maybe the worst of the last few weeks were over. There were only three more weeks left until Shirley was to return, giving her plenty of time to return to her previous schedule and actually spend more time with her family.
They parked near the stadium and made their way to the bleachers with a picnic basket (filled with snacks and hot drinks), and a blanket. Zelda ensured she sat with Hilda and Ambrose, watching as Sabrina ran off to the cheer squad with Roz and the others. It’d been some time since Zelda had seen Sabrina been social with anyone outside of her circle of friends. As she watched her niece excitedly chat with girls, Zelda didn’t recognise, a pleasing feeling of satisfaction fuelled her.
“It’s good that you found time,” Hilda commented as she opened up the picnic basket, taking out cups and the thermos filled with hot chocolate. “I think we’ve all noticed that you’ve been running yourself a bit ragged.”
“I’ve taken on an entirely new class,” she reminded, not unkindly, “Thankfully, Shirley is meant to return soon.”
“Is Prudence still your TA?” Ambrose enquired.
“She is and is doing surprisingly well,” Zelda admitted. In truth, she owed the fact that she was sleeping at all, to Prudence. The girl had surpassed her expectations and taken on the work diligently. Faustus had managed to wrangle together some funding, providing a nice stipend that meant that Prudence could reduce the shifts she had at her outside work to focus on her studies.
But if Zelda was honest, she was using her work as an escape as well. The Spellman household was loud and raucous at times, and Sabrina’s foul moods mixed with Hilda’s incessant needs of discussing her future departure only further caused Zelda to hide away in her office, which apparently seemed only to cause everything to become a vicious cycle.
Beside her, Ambrose sighed, shifting in his seat. “I don’t see why I needed to be here. I’ve attended the last two.”
“Because it’s a family event,” Zelda reminded. “And if I have to be here, we all do.”
Ambrose sighed loudly, and Zelda could feel him holding back something, but whatever it was, he thought better of it, leaning forward to rub his hand over his face.
“Have you spoken to Prudence?” Zelda asked.
“No,” he said. “I’ve been busy.”
“She asked about you.”
“She could make an effort to ask me,” he pointed out before his shoulders sagged. “I’m not avoiding her, I just…”
“Don’t want to get hurt again?” Zelda prompted.
“I don’t know,” he said. “What’s Aunt Hilda doing?”
Zelda turned, looking to where her sister was chatting on the very side of the bleaches with a group of parents, handing out the cookies she’d made before finding her way back, pushing around Zelda to get to her seat.
“Oh, there’s the new principal,” Hilda said, giving a wave to a sea of people Zelda didn’t care for.
“Sabrina’s quite taken by her, girl power and all that. She’s a bit scary in the PTA though, won’t let any of the parents walk over her. Reminds me a bit of you, actually, Zelds.”
“Fascinating,” Zelda sighed, washing her eyes over to where her niece was currently with the cheer squad, apparently stretching before the event began. “When does Sabrina’s part finish?”
“When it’s over. There’s a timer over there.”
Zelda looked to the scoreboard and noticed with a heavy heart that it was blank, apparently having not begun yet. They’d been here for an hour already, and all Zelda had done was stare blankly and politely smile at anyone who waved.
“When does it star––“ and then she was cut off as the crowd began to cheer as the sports players came onto the field. At last, she thought. But oh no, the other players had to come on the field, too. And then, finally, Sabrina and the cheerleaders were performing some sort of routine that Zelda clapped politely too before the game began.
They’d been here for over an hour by the time the game finally started.
The ball was…kicked, carried, tossed from one side then to the other and Zelda wasn't entirely sure which team was the correct team to cheer for, so she just clapped when Hilda yelled and hoped that it was the right thing to do.
Sports had never been something that she followed or cared to, for that matter. Any man she’d been with who even tried to get her involved in an understanding of that was politely reminded that she spoke over a dozen languages. If he expected her to understand what a play-off was, she expected him to have read Homer in Ancient Greek.
“Why don’t you stretch your legs,” Hilda said, prodding her. “We’re still some way off half-time, and you’ll probably want to use the bathroom before there’s a line-up.”
There was no way in hell that she was going to use the school’s public bathroom, but she made a vague response, agreeing to have a cigarette. At the same time, Sabrina and the cheerleaders just chanted the letters of the alphabet––or whatever it was that they were doing.
She climbed down from the bleaches, taking a cigarette and a lighter with her as she walked over to the parking lot (since that was the closest area she’d be allowed to smoke) and was promptly stopped when she saw Lilith walking from the parking lot, in the direction of the bleaches as she fixed the jacket she wore.
Zelda stared at her, feeling her heartbeat pound as once again, her two worlds seemed to be colliding.
“Zelda,” Lilith greeted, blinking twice in obvious surprise. “I didn’t take you for someone to be apart of school sports.”
“I wouldn’t usually, but my niece apparently feels I’m ignoring her,” she advised, still holding her unlit cigarette, lighter in her grip. “I…” she paused from commenting how she didn’t expect the same from Lilith when she realised the woman was likely there for the same reason she was.
“Well, we do what we can for those in our care,” Lilith said, “even if we don’t have any interest for the event.” There was a flippant way she said it, but Zelda noticed a tightness to her shoulders as if she was uncomfortable by the very sight of her.
Guilt rose in her chest. It’d been two weeks since she last saw Lilith, and yet every time she considered dialling the woman’s number, the way her face had pulled away from hers echoed in her mind over and over.
“I…” Zelda swallowed, “I’m sorry,” she found herself saying. “For making you uncomfortable.”
Lilith blinked, looking at her. “What do you mean?”
“The last session,” she said, feeling awkward even saying the words.
Lilith’s head tilted, eyes narrowing. “What do you think happened?”
“We…” and Zelda paused, taking a moment to see if anyone was within earshot as she stepped closer. “Engaged in the services I asked for, but at the end of the session, you seemed to withdraw back as if I pushed over the line. What I’m trying to say is that we don’t need to engage in sex. I don’t want that from you if you’re….not…interested,” she finished.
Lilith blinked at her, and then a bright smile filled her face. “Oh, no, I quite enjoyed that,” she said. “If I implied otherwise, I am very sorry and would like to make it up to you.”
“Are you certain? I was quite fine to continue the previous services, or…”
“Zelda,” she purred, stepping forward as she bit her lip, drawing her eyes over her body. “Believe me, the idea of fucking you against the nearest surface is never far from my mind. Let me formally apologise for misleading you.”
A warmth spread through her chest at the words. “And how would you do that?”
Lilith grinned and then turned around as she began leading her into the parking lot. It was quiet and empty, and Zelda followed, intrigued at the very least as to what was happening.
They walked past a dozen or so cars, before finally coming to stand by a black sedan. There, Lilith removed keys from her pocket and clicked the door unlocked. “In you get,” she said, opening the back door.
Zelda paused. Had she not herself spoken the cautionary tales about getting into cars with strangers? And yet here she was, considering getting into the car of a woman she’d met only twice before.
“No one’s around, I assure you. And it’s too dark for them to see inside once you’re there.”
Her heartbeat pounded, and she watched as Lilith’s brows rose as if to say that she could leave…if that’s what she wanted (it wasn’t).
Swallowing, Zelda climbed into the backseat and slid across, allowing Lilith to climb in beside her, shutting the door. Immediately the interior light flicked off, and all Zelda could see in the dim light was Lilith looking at her with a hungry expression.
And then the woman was reaching up, her hand curling around the back of her neck, a hand on her thigh and all at once, Zelda felt very warm for what otherwise was a cool fall evening.
When Lilith’s lips pressed to hers, Zelda shivered and reached out, settling her hands onto the woman’s hips. And then Lilith was kissing her and Zelda was lying back as she felt the woman climb on top of her, her mouth drawing against her own, teasing and tugging and biting and sucking.
A hand slid up her thigh, set high on the skin, underneath her skirt as she felt Lilith grind purposely against her.
“So your way of apology is to seduce me?” she teased, feeling the friction rub against her underwear.
Lilith laughed against her mouth, and Zelda felt herself slip against the leather seat, one shoe pressing against the door as the other tried to press against the carpet of the interior.
And all she could focus on was the way that Lilith’s tongue stroked against her mouth as her hand raked against her thigh, flicking over the garter belt as Zelda began undoing her jacket.
“I saw the doctor,” Zelda said.
“Good girl,” Lilith said. “I assume it was good news?”
Zelda nodded earnestly and felt the woman’s mouth descend on her throat, “Have a copy for me,” she asked, and then the hand on her thigh slid over her underwear, and Zelda was trying to focus on if she was really doing the right thing. Suppose it was immoral to engage with a sex worker at your niece’s cheerleading practice.
“Mmhm,” she managed, before reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out her phone. It wasn’t difficult to find the emailed report, type in the password and show it to Lilith. The woman took one glance before her face lit up.
“I’m going to enjoy ravaging you,” she said, and then Zelda found herself pinned to the backseat as Lilith kissed down her neck, tugging the jacket out of the way before she began stroking over Zelda underwear.
“Lilith,” she keened, pressing into the fingers. “If you don’t stop teas––“ she sighed, feeling the fingers slide over the edges.
“If I don’t…what?” she asked. “What will you do?” Lilith asked, dragging her fingers slowly, firmly over her slit until she was pressing against the clit through the material of her clothes. “You’re mine, now.”
Zelda hummed and nodded, a heat pulling in her lungs.
Lilith pushed the underwear aside, and suddenly she was pressing against her, sliding over her sex. “Do you want me to fuck you?” Lilith asked, “or should I just leave you like this?”
“For fuck’s say, just fuck me.”
Lilith laughed against her mouth, kissing her sweetly until Zelda was whining. “Say, please.”
Zelda pulled away, staring at her as she felt the fingers stroke firmer, pressing over her entrance. She tried to hold back the words, her nails pressing into Lilith’s back, but as the woman stared at her, slowing as she slowly began to pull away, Zelda canted her hips up, pressing firmer against her.
“Please,” she said.
“Please what?”
“Please fuck me.’
“Well, if you insist,” Lilith said, and then her lips were on hers again, fingers drawing over her clit and sliding down and down.
Zelda gasped as she felt the fingers enter her, thrusting inside of her. She squeezed around them, humming into Lilith’s mouth.
It’d been so long, Zelda realised. That to actually be fucked, truly fucked was having a larger effect on her than she expected.
Lilith’s fingers worked inside of her, thumb drawing purposely over her clit as she continued to kiss her and Zelda didn’t know how she was able to concentrate so well whilst Zelda could barely remember how to kiss, spending the entire time bucking against her as she moaned and keened into her mouth.
And yet, Lilith took great amusement in the effect she had, her kisses deepening, grounding Zelda as she continued to thrust inside of her, curling. Hence, she pressed against a spot that had Zelda squeezing her thighs over Lilith’s body, trying to press herself closer.
“Lilith,” Zelda keened, not sure what she was asking for––but knew it needed to be more. Faster or harder or something, but she needed more. “Stop teasing."
“Oh no, this is my apology. I can do it however I want.”
“Do it fast, or I swear I’ll take over.”
“Such a spoil-sport,” Lilith said, an entirely melodramatic sigh pulling from her before she returned to kissing her, and then finally her speed increased. Zelda could feel her self riding the fingers as Lilith’s mouth drew to her neck, kissing her with featherlight affection as Zelda moaned and bucked, trying to hold back in case anyone walked past…
But she didn’t care, so as long as Lilith got her off. It was all she could think as she squeezed her eyes shut, riding closer and closer to the moment. Please, please, please let me––
And then she was arching, and Lilith was kissing her again as she moaned and keened, feeling the wetness drip against her thighs, sliding against the leather seats. Every muscle seemed to clench.
And then spasm.
And then Zelda was clinging to Lilith as she felt it all come crashing down.
Finally, it stopped, and Lilith’s fingers slid from her, sliding the underwear back in place with a flick, her thumb dragging over the seam intentionally. Zelda jerked at the touch and glared in the dim light, watching as the woman sat back in the seat.
“There,” Lilith said, “I hope you see that I am very pleased to service you, should you ever wish to engage in that side of my services.”
Zelda panted, drawing her eyes up to the car’s ceiling as she tried to catch her breath back, watching as Lilith reached into the centre console and pulled out a set of tissues to clean at her hand before she grinned down at Zelda.
“At a loss of words?” she inquired.
Zelda swallowed, trying to find the moisture on her tongue again. “I…” she said, managing to push herself up into a sitting position, awkwardly moving her legs. “Can see why…” and she trailed off, honestly at a loss of words. Anything she said would be a filler. “Yes,” she answered, looking away.
Lilith adjusted, moving to sit properly, and then Zelda adjusted herself as she sat up properly, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her.
“My demeanour the other day was not with regards to you,” Lilith said, handing her a tissue. Awkwardly, Zelda took it from her and wiped over thighs, cleaning up the wetness the best she could.
“It just seemed to happen after we engaged in…whatever you call that form of rope use,” Zelda said, uncertain if it could be described as sex or foreplay. What they had then was definitely sex, but the rope had been more like a challenge, a dare to see if Lilith could deliver on what she promised.
“It was situational, but had nothing to do with you.” Lilith turned and looked at her, and in the dim light, coming from the football field, she could see the woman was staring at her seriously. “If I have a problem with you, or with any services you want to engage in, I’ll be upfront. I don’t have a problem saying no, even to clients who look very lovely gasping my name.”
Zelda flushed, feeling how the name tasted on her tongue again as Lilith looked at her. A part of her wanted to press close and draw against her again, but she didn’t.
Instead, she asked, “Is it even your name?”
Lilith smiled at her. “Oh, you haven’t worked it out yet.”
“Haven’t worked out what?”
Lilith shook her head. “Gone are the days I could blend into the city, never seeing a client outside of sessions.”
“Why have a service here at all, then?”
“Why engage my services since you live here?” Lilith enquired, posing the question back at her with a sharp look. “Because you wanted to.”
Zelda looked away, not liking the intensity of the stare. It felt as if Lilith was peering into her soul, and she didn’t like how easily the woman read her whilst remaining an enigma herself. Besides, she’d been here for too long.
However long had passed, she knew it was too long, and Hilda was likely to send off Ambrose to search for her, and this was not something she wanted to explain to anyone, let alone a family member.
“Thank you for your honesty,” Zelda said, and then growing awkward as she wondered if payment would be required for services rendered, she paused, biting her lip as she tried to think about how to bring it up as a polite enquiry.
“You can return to your family now,” Lilith said. “If I come to you, like today, then I don’t expect payment. But if you come to me, I think it’s fair to say you’re requesting a paid service, don’t you?”
“Am I to expect this to be a repeat offence?”
“If I ever need to apologise, I’m sure we can work out a suitable arrangement.” She leant forward then, and taking a tissue, she wiped over Zelda’s mouth, cleaning off the ruined make-up. “Here,” she said, once again reaching into the centre console to pull out a lipstick. “It’s not the exact shade you were wearing, but I doubt anyone will notice.”
Before Zelda could take it, Lilith was uncapping the lid, and then with one hand holding her jaw steady as she used the other to draw the lipstick on her mouth. It was deeply intimate in a way that ached inside of Zelda as she longed for something from it. But then Lilith was using her thumbnail to fix up the line, and then her hands were dropping away.
Zelda watched her expression remain neutral as she capped the lipstick and then combed her fingers through Zelda’s hair. “There, now you look less like you were fucked in the backseat of a car, and more like you were wind tussled.”
“Thank you,” she said nodding. “I’ll…see you.”
“I look forward to our next session.”
Zelda paused, unable to help herself as she turned back and grinned at her. “Who said there was going to be the next time?”
Lilith only laughed at her, as if the idea Zelda wasn’t going to return was ridiculous. It caused a flare of annoyance to rise in her, but Lilith’s face softened before she made a shooing motion.
Zelda gave a last look to ensure there was no one else and then stepped out of the car, fixing her skirt as she closed the door and walked back.
If Ambrose of Hilda noticed anything, they didn’t say it as Zelda took her seat, fixing her coat around herself against. She hoped she didn’t smell of sex, but the truth was, all she could smell faintly was Lilith’s perfume. Light and intoxicating, as if she could feel the woman’s mouth drawing against her skin.
Shifting in her seat, she snatched the thermos from the picnic basket and poured herself a cup of cocoa.
It didn’t take long for the endorphins to fade in her bloodstream and boredom return as she watched the ball get moved from one side of the field to the other. To Sabrina’s credit, the cheerleaders made a decent effort of being entertaining, enough so that Zelda watched with her interest as they cheered and performed when the ball managed to make it over a certain marker on the ground.
By the time it was finished, Sabrina was bouncing excitedly, talking about how happy she was for Theo––who had either managed to kick a goal or block it from going somewhere, Zelda wasn’t entirely sure what a penalty kick was, but was nonetheless pleased to see Sabrina’s excitement.
“We’re going to go get pizza,” Sabrina said as she dragged Harvey and Roz beside her. “Theo’s going to get changed, and then Harvey’s going to drive us to Pop’s.”
Zelda nodded, “as you wish,” she said. “Do you need us to pick you up later?”
“No, Harvey will drop us home before midnight.” Sabrina bounced again, looking as if she was thinking about hugging her before she squealed and ran off. Zelda flinched at the noise, her brow furrowing as she tried to understand what her niece's enthusiasm was with regards to. It wasn’t surly, however, and whatever disagreement they had seemed to have blown away.
“Well,” she said, looking to Hilda and Ambrose. “Shall we?”
They nodded, and Zelda led them back to the car, finding herself glancing the black sedan that was parked. She didn’t know if Lilith sat inside of it, or if she sat on the bleaches, but Zelda hadn’t noticed her since she’d returned.
“You okay, Auntie?” Ambrose enquired.
Zelda blinked, snapping her thoughts away and nodded, opening the door of their car.
The drive home involved Hilda eagerly speaking about the match and the upcoming PTA meeting, explaining that they were helping to get some money for the football team. Ambrose politely spoke about his lack of interest in sport, whilst commenting that Theo had managed to be quite good on the field and seemed to have become better since the last match they’d watched.
“Zelds?” Hilda enquired as they got onto the main road, leading out of town to the Spellman Manor. “You haven’t said much.”
Zelda sighed. “I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted. “Sabrina looked very happy, and it’s good to see her widening her friend group.”
To that, Hilda murmured an agreement.
And then a silence pulled, and Zelda asked, “The PTA meeting, sister. Are all guardians welcome?”
“Are you looking to involve yourself?” Hilda asked.
Zelda paused, thinking on it realistically and realised that no she could not take on another thing such as a PTA meeting onto her otherwise full schedule. “I suppose not,” she said out loud. “I just happened to run into one of the parents and thought it…”
“Ooh, a single father? There are a few of those as Baxter. You should ask him out the next time you see him.”
“Or was it a single mother, Auntie?” Ambrose teased. “Can’t imagine any of the men would manage to get you curious enough.”
Zelda sighed. “I––no, nothing like that,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat. The idea of actually dating someone, anyone was too much to consider, let alone Lilith.
But whether Hilda and Ambrose believed her was another story, as she could see them sharing a look, eyebrows raised though their humour was stifled. She regretted asking. In truth, she was curious as to Lilith’s personal life, and despite her intrigue to the woman, she should respect her privacy.
Staying away from the PTA, as she always had, remained in her best interest. She didn’t have time in her busy schedule to set aside time to organise bake sales and whatnot for a few hundred dollars. She’d rather just open up her wallet and provide it to the charity herself.
The conversation shifted to the bookshop, and again Zelda found herself listening, anxiety filling her as Hilda hinted at once again that she was saving up to leave.
In fairness, with the inheritance from their parents and their business that had been sold off, Hilda probably could afford to move out, but if she did, she would likely be slowly living in a negative income, eating away at; what should tightly remain her retirement fund since she was unlikely to gain a decent one from the shop.
“Zelds?”
Zelda glanced to her sister. “Did you say something?” she asked, truly having been lost in thought.
“Well, no, it’s just the turn off was back there.”
Zelda looked around the main road. They had indeed past their turn off and were accidentally driving towards Riverdale.
“I was distracted,” she admitted, given there was no excuse.
Turning the car around, she drew the correct way, back home and felt the embarrassment swell inside of her.
Once they arrived, Hilda began making her way to the kitchen to fix a light dinner as Ambrose set the fireplace for the evening.
Zelda, instead, made her way upstairs and took a quick shower to clean herself off. Her body still hummed as she washed the slickness from between her legs, a rolling hunger growing inside of her again.
She hungered for her, deeply incessantly now. She’d thought that by finally engaging in the sexual side of Lilith’s services that that hunger would drop away and she’d better be able to manage herself. Still, it seemed that instead, the woman had fanned the flames and all Zelda desired was dropping to her knees and kissing between the woman’s thighs until it was her name on the woman’s lips.
She rolled her shoulders, feeling a tightness form.
Lilith hadn’t explained what had caused her withdrawal any further, but whatever it had been, was private. It could be remembering a client, it could be remembering an ex-paramour, or it could be that she was lying.
Zelda doubted the last part––although Lilith could be motivated by money, she seemed eager to draw Zelda to new depths of passion.
A pang of guilt laced in Zelda as she dressed again (in case she needed to pick up Sabrina). She shouldn’t have agreed in such a public space. Not only would it had reflected poorly on herself (especially when she was in such a prominent position with her work), but it would have affected Sabrina even worse at school.
Walking downstairs, she fixed herself a glass of whiskey and set in the living room as Ambrose seemed to flick through a new book of poetry.
A quiet settled over them as Zelda sunk in her armchair and returned to mulling over the mistake before Ambrose said. “You’re allowed to date.”
Zelda paused, turning to look at him. “What makes you think it’s not my choice?”
“You seem on edge. You don’t need to protect Sabrina or me from a myriad of people you have lined up at your door. You’re allowed to date.”
Zelda shook her head, taking a sip of whiskey. “My single status is not a reflection of my status as a guardian to either of you. I don’t have time to date.”
“And soon you won’t have any time,” Ambrose pointed out, though he wasn’t trying to be cruel. “I’m not saying that you should find someone and settle down. Life is more than just work.”
“My work is significant to me.”
Ambrose shrugged as if he disagreed but didn't want the argument. Zelda had spent decades on her work. Writing papers and journal articles and even a few books that sold enough to keep her comfortable. There was no way that she was going to give that all up, just for some person, no matter how good the sex was.
Zelda brought the whiskey to her lips and was thankful when the silence was interrupted by Hilda bustling in with bubble and squeak.
“I’ll need to go shopping tomorrow,” Hilda advised, handing out the plates of food. “Bit low on anything substantial.”
Zelda thought of Lilith, and of meeting her in the grocery store. The last thing she needed was to be pinned against the cereal aisle and have the woman have her way with her––not that Lilith was likely to do it in such a public place.
But it wouldn’t be awful if she did.
Zelda drew away from her thoughts, eating her food as she listened to Hilda fill the silence once again with talks of Baxter High, talking about the upcoming charity they were organising.
Zelda made the odd agreement to the conversation, but couldn’t deny that her focus wasn’t entirely there. It was around eleven when Sabrina arrived home. Her cheeks flushed as she set her bag down and excitedly spoke about her evening, that Zelda decided to draw away and exhaustion hit her.
It’d been a long day.
Still, her thoughts returned to Lilith, and in the privacy of her bedroom, she dug around for her vibrator to at least quell the growing desire before getting some rest.
