After the Fall Ch. 08

"Will you at least try to look friendly?"

"I'll do my best."

"I agree to those conditions, then. There's one other thing, though. If I write a notice, could you have someone take it to Lois' shop this afternoon? I need to let people know I'll be there tomorrow. And I'll write a note to Lois, too, asking her if she'll make sure Laura Cook and some of the others on my list know I want to talk to them."

"Okay. Do you want to go ahead and write it while I see who's available to take it to town?"

She jumped up and leaned down to kiss him on the way out the door. "Thank you! I'll use my new desk!"

As soon as she entered her office, she realized that the desk was bare, except for Duncan, who thought it was his desk. She hadn't asked Paula about office supplies yet, so she swiped a pen and some paper from Michael's office. The note to Lois was easy enough. It was just a straightforward request to get a message to a few people. The notice to put up for people to read at her shop was harder. After a few false starts, she came up with something she hoped was usable:

Request from Mariah Williams

Hi, everyone! As you know, I've been staying at the

Kincaid place outside of town. I'll be here at the

shop tomorrow (Tuesday) and was hoping to talk to

you guys. I've been working with Cameron Kincaid's

son, Michael. He owns the property now. We have

an idea that could be mutually beneficial. He's got

some projects in mind that would be a good way for

people to earn tokens and maybe get some other

benefits, too. Let's talk about it. I've missed

everyone, and can't wait to see you!

After reading it over a couple of times, she concluded that it was the best she could do. She brought the message to Lois and the notice back to the lounge. She showed Michael the notice.

He raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm paying them to work on the wall being built for their benefit and to build their own houses?"

"Of course you are. Because you're a generous person." She smirked.

He snorted. "More like you're a generous person with your hand in my wallet."

"You don't like it when I put my hands in your pockets?" she teased.

"Come here, you little brat."

Michael caught her hand and pulled her down to straddle his lap, facing him. She expected him to ask for a kiss, but he didn't. He pulled her mouth to his and kissed her until she was breathless. After their light banter, his kiss was unexpectedly demanding and intense. His hand on the back of her neck gave her no quarter. With his other hand, he squeezed her buttock and pulled her lower body against him. When she moaned, his tongue plunged into her mouth. Before she could adjust to the dizzying assault, he was urging her up off his lap.

"I've got to take these down to the security office to have them delivered before I change my mind."

Still reeling from the kiss, Mariah didn't say a word as he left. She sat down to finish her wine, trying to figure out what Michael was up to. By the time he returned, she hadn't figured anything out.

"What are you frowning about, sweetheart?" he asked from the doorway.

"Are you trying to keep me off balance?" she demanded.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"First you give me a little space, then you do things like... earlier... and kiss me like that. What are you up to?"

He grinned as he took his usual seat. "Is that all it takes to throw you off balance? I'm trying to give you space and maybe to paw at you a bit less, although I'm not promising anything there. I still want you, though, and sometimes that comes through." His gaze grew more intense. "I still intend to enjoy you in every possible way, kitten. I'm just trying to be a little bit more of a gentleman about it. That'll only go so far, though. There's going to be nothing gentlemanly about it when I take you."

A shiver ran down her back and wet heat flooded her pussy. He noticed the shiver.

"You know what, kitten? I think you like it when I'm not a gentleman. I think you like nothing better than when I hold you down and fuck you so hard you feel it the next day. Don't you?"

She breathed in sharply—too loudly—he could hear it, she knew he could. She turned her face to the side, but he reached across the cushion between them and tilted her face towards him with a finger beneath her chin.

"Don't you kitten?"

"Yes," she answered reluctantly, her voice just above a whisper.

"That's a good girl, sweetheart. There's no reason not to tell me those things."

"It's embarrassing."

He smiled. "I bet you won't be worrying about embarrassment when I'm pounding your little pussy later."

She shivered hard.

He shook himself. "But if I don't stop thinking about that, I'm going to lose all interest in what we're supposed to be talking about."

"What are we supposed to be talking about?"

"We need to talk about what's going to happen when we get to The Center and how we need to prepare."

"Prepare? What do we need to prepare for?"

"Think about how I described it, sweetheart. I don't want to throw you into the deep end and hope everything works out. There are things we need to practice. There are things you might not even think about unless we practice. We need to think of how we're going to communicate. Plus, we need to figure out something for you to wear."

Mariah was less interested in the clothing problem than by what "practicing" might entail and what he meant by communicating. "What do we need to practice?"

"Since you will supposedly be my new girl, you won't have to be perfect, but you'll need to demonstrate the most basic etiquette. Between now and our trip to The Center, I want to take time when we're alone throughout the day for you to get used to following the standard sort of rules. If we find out one of them is a problem for you, we can try to find a way to work around it. The Elites don't all have exactly the same rules for their girls, so we can make small adjustments.

"I don't want to put a collar and leash on you for the first time only to discover that it freaks you out. I don't have a collar or leash, but we can at least tie something around your neck to make sure it doesn't make you panic and get you used to wearing it. You need to get used to waiting for permission instead of doing things the way you automatically would. It's lots of little things. When we get to The Center, you are going to have all sorts of distractions, so it's important that you're not trying to learn things on the fly."

"What did you mean about communicating?"

"Everywhere we go, we should assume we are being observed. That means we have to interact like an Elite and his girl. I don't just mean that you can't get sassy. I mean that you shouldn't be talking at all unless someone talks to you first or you have my permission to talk. I also need a way to remind you to keep in character if I see you starting to slip out of it."

Mariah huffed. "A place where I can't speak my mind. Very convenient."

Michael smiled. "I'm sure you'll make up for it when we get home. While we're there, I won't call you by name. I don't want to call you, 'kitten' because that's just for us. I was thinking I could call you, 'pet.' If we do that, I can use 'kitten' as your warning word to get your attention if you're falling out of character. You already pay attention to 'kitten,' so you would notice it."

"Pet?" She wrinkled her nose. "What are the other girls called?"

"To be honest, I don't remember them all. I remember 'Daisy' and 'Little Tits." but most of the girls are just called 'girl' or 'slut,' in front of the others."

Mariah felt her stomach sink. The abstract concept of what went on at The Center was becoming real. "'Pet' will be fine."

Michael looked at her with concern. "You can do this, sweetheart. I know you can."

She lifted her chin. "Of course I can."

"That's my girl. Now comes the part you're really not going to like. I suggest that you avoid addressing me as much as possible, but if you have to get my attention, you can't call me by my name. You're going to have to say 'Sir.' If you need to talk about me to someone, you need to refer to me as 'Master.' So you might need to say, 'Master doesn't allow me to touch anyone without his permission.' If anyone asks you to do anything that you don't want to do, all you need to say is that I don't allow it."

She made a wry face as she nodded her understanding.

"You haven't even asked about the outfit."

"What about the outfit?" she asked guardedly.

"I don't have a clue. I was hoping you could help me think of something. None of your dresses are nearly revealing enough. If we have to, we could go with some of the racier negligees that you ignore in your closet, but that's not quite the look I think we ought to go for. I'd prefer to find something that does its job by being very suggestive rather than being completely revealing."

"How can you complain that I don't wear negligees? You're always taking off whatever I wear, anyway."

"You do have a point. Anyway, I picked them out imagining what I'd like to see you in, so you can bet they aren't anything you're going to want to wear them in public."

"I'll take your word for it." It was true that she hadn't looked through the negligees closely, but she had a vague impression of sheer fabric and lace that would decorate instead of cover. "Maybe Sarah could help me. She knows how to sew things. Is there any fabric to use?"

"No, but maybe she could work with one of the dresses to either modify it or use the fabric from it."

Mariah nodded slowly. "I'm sure she could. It's going to be embarrassing explaining what I need and why I need it."

"That sort of embarrassment is one of the reasons we need to practice. Why don't you two get started on that this afternoon? I'd like you to have a chance to wear it around the house here before you have to wear it in front of strangers."

"Wear it here?" There was an edge of anxiety to her voice. "You mean in front of everybody?"

"Wouldn't that be easier than wearing it there for the first time?"

"No!"

"Why not? At least you know everyone here. You already know you're going to have to wear it in front of Ezra, anyway."

"Michael, please! I don't want to wear it here."

He was alarmed by the distress in her voice. "It's okay. You don't have to. Come here. sweetheart."

He reached for her when she came to him and gathered her up on his lap. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He waited for her usual denial of being upset, but she stayed quiet. "Remember that you don't have to go for anything more than your vaccinations. That's the first thing we have to do when we get there, and if we need to, we can turn around and leave as soon as you get them and you never have to go back. What we need is a way for you to tell me that. I want to come up with a signal for you to let me know that you're having trouble, so I can try to get us out of the situation, and a signal to let me know you need to leave right away."

She nestled down in his lap a little further while she thought about it. "But I'm not supposed to talk unless you say something to me first."

"I thought of hand signals, but what if I'm not looking in your direction?"

He stroked her hair gently, relieved and surprised that she had calmed down so easily. He found it difficult to gauge how upset she was because she tended to hide it. By the time he saw the signs, she might already be very upset.

"What if I sneeze twice, and then give you a signal?"

"That could work. But what if you really have to sneeze twice?"

"Then I'll add an extra sneeze to make it three sneezes instead of two. If I sneeze three times, it doesn't count."

"Can you sneeze on demand?"

"Sure. Not like how I really sneeze, but I can do one of those cute little sneezes that some women can manage."

"Okay. Let's hear it."

She pretended to sneeze twice.

He laughed. "Very cute, but how do people sneeze like that without their heads exploding from the pressure they're keeping in?"

"I have no idea. If you don't notice my little mouse sneezes, I could say 'excuse me' or 'pardon me' so you would notice."

"That's a good idea, but you'll have to say, 'Excuse me, Sir.'"

"Oh, is that all? Not 'Sir, this foolish, sneezy girl most humbly begs your forgiveness for the audacity of releasing a sneeze in your most grand and glorified presence?'"

"And no being a smartass! What do you want to use for the signals? We need one for if you're having trouble and need to get out of a situation and one for if you need to leave. Just make sure they aren't gestures you normally make."

"What if I twirl my hair around my finger if I need help, and rub the back of my neck if I need to leave?"

"Works for me. That's what we'll do."

"What do I do if someone tries to touch me?"

"Try not to react. I'll take care of it. I'm not going to leave you by yourself. Remember, you're going to be on a leash. I'll notice if something like that happens. If for some reason, I don't see it, all you need to do is sneeze twice and twirl your hair around your finger. I don't think you're going to have any trouble like that, though. It would be very bad manners to touch another Elite's girl without being invited to do so."

"What should I do if someone talks to me?"

"If it's just a pleasantry, you should reply appropriately, and I'm afraid you're going to have to call them, 'sir.' So, if an Elite says good morning to you, you should answer, 'Good morning, sir.'

"Do I have to call everyone, "sir?'"

"No, only the Elites. You don't have to call the shop keepers, Center staff, or security personnel 'sir.' If you're not sure, though, it's best to err on the side of 'sir.'"

"Got it."

"Why don't we go to my office and see if we can find pictures of outfits on the Central Database?"

When Michael pulled up the database, Mariah was surprised by how rudimentary the interface was. It was the first time he'd let her see him use it.

She wrinkled her nose at it. "This looks terrible. Surely, they could have found someone to make this more user-friendly."

"I'm sure they could have if that's what they wanted to do. In this case, 'they' is whoever Quinland found to do it, and I'm not sure Quinland is interested in making it usable."

Michael found the portion of the site devoted to The Elites. There were photographs of the Elites themselves with biography pages, but their girls weren't in the photos.

"Can I see your bio page?"

"I don't think I have one yet. Nobody's contacted me about it since my father died." He clicked on "Kincaid," and it still listed Cameron Kincaid as the family representative. In his photo, Cameron Kincaid looked rather dour. Mariah could see a few similarities to Michael, particularly in the forehead and jawline, but there wasn't a strong resemblance. The biography included a bare-bones sketch of his personal history before turning to a long description of his business career and financial dealings. Mariah lost interest by the third paragraph describing Cameron's offshore holdings.

"Finished?" Michael asked.

She nodded. "It was all financial."

"So was my father."

He clicked back to the main page for the Elites and found some photographs of social events. The girls were included in those photographs. Some of the girls wore costumes that were themed. The girl with the tiny, sheer pink baby doll dress and bow in her hair was disturbingly babyish, although she was obviously an adult. One girl wore a shiny black patent leather bodysuit with strategically placed cutouts that left as little as possible to the imagination. Another wore nothing but a white G-string, white, x-shaped pasties over her nipples, and high heels. Most of the girls were dressed more generically in clothes designed to flatter and reveal. Most offered very little coverage, but there seemed to be some leeway as long as the overall design was sufficiently sexy.

Mariah made a few sketches to show Sarah.

"Got what you need?" Michael asked before he logged off.

"Yes. I have no idea how Sarah can make something like what they were wearing from clothes in my closet."

"I bet she'll manage."

"Shouldn't we pay her for it?"

"We can, but what good are tokens going to do her if she's living here?"

"I was thinking that she could have a couple of my dresses to alter to fit herself."

"I'm not going to let you give away all your clothes, kitten. I know you. You'll have none left in no time."

"This wouldn't be giving them away. It would be payment for a job."

"There's something else to consider. I have a feeling Ezra might like to buy her some clothes."

"Oh."

"Tell you what - if Ezra doesn't pick up some clothes for Sarah, you can let her pick two of your dresses. But not the purple one I like, please!" Michael was referring to a deep purple faux wrap-around dress that was a particular favorite of his.

Mariah laughed. "I was thinking Sarah might use that one for my outfit."

"Please not that one. Can't you use the other purple one?"

"Okay, okay. You must really like that dress."

"Oh, I really, really do."

"I'll go find Sarah and get started."

"Give me a kiss before you go?" A request, not a demand.

She bent down to kiss him, resting her hands on the arms of his office chair. She kissed him slow and soft, then surprised him by slipping her tongue between his lips to tease his tongue. The thought of her breasts hanging in front of him was too tempting to pass up. He reached up to cup her breasts and squeezed them gently. He felt her arch to press her breasts into his hand. When she finally broke the kiss and stood straight, he let her go.

<><><><><><><>

Sarah stared at Mariah. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No. I couldn't make up something that weird."

"What is wrong with those guys?"

"Too much of everything, including ego, and not enough reality, from the sound of it."

"Why do these women do it?"

"I don't know. Michael thinks it's because being one of their 'girls' gives them a much higher standard of living."

Sarah shook her head. "But at what price?"

"I can't pretend I understand it." Mariah shrugged. "I'm not in their shoes and I'm not going to judge them. Maybe they are into it, but it seems a little hard to believe. I do worry about what kind of pressure they may have been under to accept that, but there's just no way for me to know."

"Well, why are you going to do it?"

"Me? Are you nuts? I'm not doing it. I'm just playing a part for a day, and then again later for a couple of days."

"But you're going to have to do everything they do."

"Not everything. I just have to follow their protocols in public and dress like a New Amsterdam window girl."

"Oh, is that all?"

"I can handle it."

"I know you can handle it, Mariah, but why do you want to?"

"I want to help Michael investigate some things that he thinks are sketchy about technology that the Elites might have access to."

"Are you sure he's not just making that up to get you to go along with this?"

Mariah laughed. "Just this morning you were saying he wasn't that bad. I'm sure he's not making it up."

She didn't want to tell Sarah that if Michael wanted to, he could have required her to dress that way and act that way under the terms of their agreement. The thought gave her pause, illustrating the stark contrast between the way Michael used the agreement and the way he could have used it if he didn't have feelings for her. The truth was that Michael didn't exactly make her do anything she didn't want to do. He just got her worked up and refused to fuck her until she gave in.

"What were you thinking about?" Sarah asked.

Mariah looked up guiltily. "Sorry! I got lost in my train of thought. I was just thinking about why I don't think he's making it up."