Bound & Free Ch. 05

Tristan gestured to Alice. His what? Girlfriend? Alice felt that little glow of happiness expand into a blazing sun. Though she hadn't agreed to that she didn't mind him taking liberties. Especially not in this situation.

Stacy breathed an audible sigh of relief, which was not the reaction Alice had been expecting. Curiouser and curiouser. What was the story there, Alice wondered? There must really be some powerful meaning behind that "M" word Stacy had refused to say. She burned to know, added it to her mental list of the mysteries which surrounded Tristan.

Maybe if Tristan played his cards right, the next time they met Alice would thank him for this properly. In private. She'd act like she was one of those girls after all. Seeing miss all-American-girl taken down a peg or two meant more to her than she knew until this moment. Alice realized she'd been waiting for this moment since high school. Almost as if Tristan was correcting her past for her.

Alice felt someone looking at her. She turned to meet Stacy's eyes. They'd regained a little of their spirit.

"I-I'm sorry, Lissy" Stacy said immediately, the mispronunciation a subtle put down. Always a classic.

This time, Tristan caught the nuance. Clearly boys did get it if they paid attention. His frown deepened. His hand rose back in an arc before falling rapidly back down to....

'SMACK!'

The sound was crisp, unmistakable in the still air of the empty hall. Alice had trouble parsing what she'd just seen. What had just happened?

"Hhmmm!" a strained gasp escaped Stacy, the sound oddly sexual.

Had Tristan just spanked Stacy? Right in public, right in front of her? Could she get a turn - wait, no, that's not what she meant. What was curious was the timbre of Stacy's voice - not outrage, as Alice would have expected, or even surprise, though that was definitely there. It'd sounded almost like a moan, erotic. Inviting. Asking for more. She didn't get to consider it further as then the impossible happened.

"Alice! I'm sorry Alice!" Stacy babbled, like a damn had just broken, "I just really wanted that thing Tristan was keeping for me. Can I have it, Tristan? Please!"

She was actually begging! The ice queen had cracked! This was unprecedented. What was Tristan's relationship with Stacy? What was he holding that she wanted so badly? Didn't she feel the least bit ashamed? Judging by the blush in her cheeks, she probably did. Alice felt embarrassed enough for the both of them, blushing in sympathy with Stacy's plight. If Alice ignored her own jealousy, she had to admit... It was kinda hot. Just a bit.

"I'm not sure she deserves it, does she, Alice?" Tristan asked slowly, turning to Alice with a raised eyebrow.

What? It was up to her? Alice shivered. Something in his tone echoed inside her, loosing butterflies in her stomach and rekindling the heat between her legs.

"I don't know, she was pretty mean." Alice said vindictively.

She could get some petty revenge on all those bitches who... Then she saw Stacy's eyes. Devoid of artifice or evasion, Stacy was wordlessly pleading with her. This statuesque beauty who was everything Alice aspired to be was asking for... Wait, there was something else in her eyes. An echo of Stacy's own... arousal? On that realization she felt she'd dipped her toes into deceptively deep, dangerous rapids. Alice fell deeper into Stacy's eyes, and as successive waves of lust pumped through Stacy, the vapor was enough to make Alice short of breath and tingly all over. Did Tristan have this effect on Stacy? When would it be Alice's turn to get some of this? Stacy still held her gaze, sending waves of sexual energy direct to her loins.

"Why don't you two kiss and make up?" Tristan suggested.

Typical male pervert, Alice thought, smothering the devilish tickle of curiosity. The girls should kiss - it was such a tired cliche. Like they were characters in some deviant's sexual fantasy. The issue wasn't that she wouldn't kiss a girl - people are people, gender doesn't matter - it was that he was asking them to do it on demand. Alice could admit that she sometimes did things without thinking... okay call it frequently. Okay always. Always did things without thinking. But she wasn't about to perform for someone else's pleasure.

As if Alice would ever want to kiss this cheerleader type. Feel her gorgeous curvy lips against... No, it wouldn't happen. Plus, Alice had never kissed a girl before. Had Stacy? If she was going to choose a girl to be her first, she was pretty perfect. No, don't think about it, don't be tempted. Alice wasn't the type of girl to kiss anyone outside a proper relationship. Besides, her royal highness queen Stacy would never deign to kiss her.

Alice rolled her eyes, glad to break the intense eye contact with Stacy. Suddenly, before she knew what was happening, she felt a hand in her hair. It was Stacy. She was gripping the back of Alice's head and was pulling her forward with inexorable force. She felt like an egg thrown at a marble effigy; they weren't meant to meet, and she was unlikely to survive the impact unscathed. Alice's mind went blank. She forgot to resist, forgot what resistance was. She felt like she was an observer, watching this happen. Gently, impossibly, their lips met.

Somewhere a choir broke into a hymn of joy, of jubilation. Was this cheating on Tristan? Was it Stacy or her lip gloss that tasted of mangoes? Did this mean... was she... Man, Stacy's lips were SOFT. She moaned. More.

~~~~

As ever Stacy could read multiple meanings in Tristan's simple, debauched orders. He spoke without words, whether he meant them or not didn't change the message. Don't be jealous. Alice is important. Be nice. He was an assho... he had a point. Actually, when she got down to it, Alice's lips felt pretty damn good. Stacy hadn't expected that. She was just doing as asked. And trying to mess with Alice. The nerve of that woman, Stacy was his only slav... massochi... person to tie up. That wasn't much better, she admonished herself. To be fair, she was quite distracted right now, less in control than she'd expected. This wasn't the first time she had done this. It wasn't even the first time she'd done it for an audience, or to get something. It was the first time she was doing it as herself.

They were surprisingly soft, those lips, even compared with the other girls she'd kissed. Their lipstick gave a slight, mildly annoying sticky resistance to each movement, but that was the worst of it. There were so many pleasant aspects to this she was practically drowning in them. Alice tasted of almonds and cherries. Where a man would have little bumps of stubble, Alice's skin was incomparably smooth, pure satin where they touched. Softness where a man was hard. Irrepressible curves demanding attention should she care to look. Stacy's eyes were tightly closed but she could feel them beckoning her touch nonetheless. Her hands twitched but she kept herself under control. Perhaps second base was a little too much for a first kiss. She'd missed this, forgotten what it was like.

Alice's jet-black hair cascaded from between Stacy's fingers like time from an hourglass. She could hear their mingled breaths; their harmonizing alto notes the only sound in the silent hallway. She could smell the sweet cucumber scent of Alice's shampoo along with something deeper, muskier, coming from below. Looks like Stacy wasn't the only one getting turned on by this. Stacy put a little extra effort in, feeling Alice's hands come up to grip her waist, deepening what was meant to be a gentle peck. Now she could feel Alice's chest on hers, their bodies pressing together, little flutters of sensation. So obviously Alice was enjoying kissing - for an audience, no less. Other women would have simply found it offensive and demeaning. Found another closet freak, Ma... Tristan? She would have laughed but her mind was elsewhere.

She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. Kissing Alice was remarkably pleasant, but doing this under Tristan's keen evaluating gaze was... well she'd have to change her panties again afterward. Alice's neck was shockingly slender in Stacy's grip. Alice moved wherever she dictated. Stacy chose to pull her closer, of course. She felt Alice's lips part and jaw open, and Stacy greeted her with a little tongue. She felt Alice's own tongue rear back and her body stiffen, conveying her surprise, before she softened and tentatively came closer again...

Finally, Stacy pulled away from Alice. That was enough. Stacy had tried to shock her but had miscalculated; either Alice's boundaries weren't where she'd expected them to be or the girl was unusually careless. Even though they'd separated a few seconds ago the other girl still had her eyes tightly shut and her lips slightly parted. Tristan looked even paler than usual, like he was about to faint. Stacy snorted with suppressed mirth. For a dictatorial pervert he was still an innocent in many ways.

Her sexuality? That didn't even cross her mind. Labels were a complication she didn't need. People attracted her or didn't, but if someone fit the profile then that was that. Liking them was a bonus she was unlikely to get. Until now, of course. Alice was really quite cute, especially when she was speaking animatedly with Tristan earlier. It was hard not to envy her energy. Had Stacy ever been that unfettered? Alice would learn life wasn't that gentle, as Stacy had after her brother died. Alice would either learn or be gobbled up by predators. Stacy licked her lips, remembering Alice's taste. She wasn't Stacy's usual type, but...

It had been fun. It had been pleasurable. She hadn't had to think exhaustively through a carefully balanced set of implications. The stress which constantly lay over her like a mantle had vanished. By taking away her choice Tristan had given her free rein to enjoy herself. He had freed her, for a brief, perfect instant. She could be herself. She shivered as she felt the chains of her life try to settle back into place, to drag her back in. She resisted them. Not yet, please let the dream continue. She kept it at bay, tried to freeze herself in time. Just an instant more, please.

Stacy felt Tristan grab her wrist firmly and her heart leapt. He placed a small piece of paper inside, and her mind exulted in triumph, but that wasn't what her body wanted. His familiar firm grip made her want to beg for more. She wanted him to grab her other wrist. Right here. She'd even let Alice watch.

"Good girl." he said, and Stacy quaked as pleasure melted her.

Why did hearing him say that give her such bliss? If he said it again, she would... Oh, say it again, Mas - Tristan. But she knew he wouldn't.

That kiss had felt good too - maybe another kiss with Alice would let her push away the weight descending on her shoulders. It wasn't like Tristan would stop her. She looked at Alice contemplatively. Stacy just needed a good enough reason; she wasn't completely without principles, not yet. Moreover 'never give anything away for free' was one of the rules her parents had beaten into her.

A frightened expression crossed Alice's face. She mumbled a pretext so bland and transparent Stacy forgot what it was right after hearing it. Then she ran away. Alice disappeared down the hall before Stacy could even say goodbye.

Tristan exchanged a confused look with Stacy. Stacy waved to him and hurried away before he started to think more deeply about why Alice had left. She didn't want to be punished again, she thought, her wet panties pressing into her uncomfortably as she walked off.

Reality reasserted itself, creeping back in like a mist, each step occluding the colorful moment. Back to reality - it'd been a fun diversion while it lasted. She checked her watch, the diamonds glittering in its pink face like happy memories. She hated pink. But the watch had trebled in value, so it was a sound investment. Speaking of investments... She needed to get over to the law school to meet Rachel - no, Ralph. Whatever. The one with the internship at that big firm, who had that secret. She was running late, but they'd wait. Because she'd wasted time with Tristan just now Stacy had also missed the chance to 'accidentally' bump into the daughter of that shipping magnate, to parlay that into benefit for her family. Maybe that would have finally made her parents happy - they might have even said they were proud of her. Unlikely.

She was about 17 minutes off schedule. Recoverable, if she hurried. Couldn't she just read a book and reflect? No, of course not. And look, wasn't that the guy she'd been briefed on - wasn't he related to royalty? Better build a connection. Her family needed the benefit of every connection she could make.

~~~~

Alice summoned up her courage and crept through the co-ed dorm toward Tristan's room. It was a typical hall, with rooms lining both sides, little numbers carved into the doors along with graffiti and pamphlets layered one on top of the other like old wallpaper. With every step a little more of her courage melted away. This was the latest in a string of bad ideas. She felt an invisible force pull at her feet, dragging her back to the exit. Growing stronger. She resisted it through sheer stubbornness. Something unidentified crunched underfoot. Music boomed from several doors, the different genres and tracks creating an atmosphere of chaos.

She had to do this though. After that kiss... suddenly she could feel Stacy's lips again, and put her fingers to her mouth. Where was she again? Yeah, after that - event - she'd run off with Tristan's phone in her hand. She was just coming back to return it. She looked at it again, felt the reassuring weight of the stolen property in her grasp though it burned her conscience. The guy only got more interesting - his phone case had some kind of sleazy 80s era bad guy groping a bound woman in each arm. That wasn't even acceptable back then. Was that his idol? How apt. She snickered again despite her tension.

Despite her various boyfriends this would be only the second time she'd ever been in a guy's room, and she was a touch conflicted. She'd find a way inside whether he was in or not, she was certain of that. She didn't know what she wanted. The sickly-sweet smell of weed grew stronger the farther she walked, making her feel lightheaded. Hopefully he wasn't in. Hopefully he was. Maybe she'd find his secrets and escape. Maybe she'd find nothing and be caught. She was a nice girl, she'd do what she had to and leave immediately. She was nosy and proud of it, she was going to spend ages there going over each inch with a fine-toothed comb and evidence kit.

She... now she was just standing motionless about 20 feet from his doorway. She tried to move her feet but they were stuck fast. A door creaked as it opened, and she almost ran away, but...

"Alice!" a male voice called. "Hey cutie, what are you doing here?"

She'd been caught. She looked at the man, hoping it wasn't Tristan. It was Emily's boyfriend, Hank. He was wearing a tight red shirt with half his buttons undone, his smooth waxed chest peeking out. His black jeans similarly painted on, an improbable bulge where it counted. The fragrance of his cologne was overpowering, hitting her with an almost physical force. Typical Hank. Disappointment washed through her. Guess she'd actually been hoping for Tristan after all.

Fortunately Hank could let her into the room they shared, so that solved one problem. Seeing the man, she couldn't help remembering how Emily would complain to her about Hank. Repeatedly, but only after complimenting his looks and sexual technique in embarrassing detail. She was only keeping him around because he was good in bed while she looked for another man, a proper man - or woman. Hank was needy. Hank needed help with his exams. Hank was a shiftless playboy. With anger, Alice thought Tristan's roommate was just like him without the ambition. Hank and Tristan, playboys extraordinaire. Birds of a feather. He wasn't good for her. Why the hell was she so curious about Tristan anyway?

"Are you here to see Trissy?" Hank asked, pasting a false smile on his face. "Or me? Make the better choice. I'll take you to wonderland. He'll just make you feel trapped."

Hank molested her with his oily gaze, like she was a tasty treat. Ew, she felt like she needed a shower. How did Emily put up with this? Sure he was pretty to look at, with his wavy hair and muscular gym physique, but from a distance. Like a boulder balanced on its edge. Like a shark. They had no loyalty when there was blood in the water. And she wasn't some helpless fish.

"You're disgusting." Alice said, meaning it. "Aren't you with Emily?"

"Emily who? What she doesn't know won't hurt her. And I'll take that as a compliment. You know Trissy told me the same thing." He said, drawing closer. "He's not in. Forget about him, he's barely even a man at all. Why not hang with me? I'll make your head explode. And I didn't hear you say no."

What kind of repulsive reptile... He was coming right up to her, into her space. Looming menacingly, a slippery snake set to strike. That did it.

"Hank, NO." Alice said loudly, pushing him away. "You really don't care about anyone, do you? If you were the last man on Earth, I'd rather let the human race die out than consider having sex with you." she hissed.

Hank took a step back, shock and anger in his gaze. Maybe she'd been a little too harsh. She felt guilty until she saw his face darken. He looked at her like she was a cockroach, an insect. He clenched his fist, took a step toward her. As he advanced, he swung his arm back as if he was about to hit her and Alice felt the icy grip of terror. Like a deer in headlights, she knew she should run but was frozen in place. She was shocked, she didn't know him well but could never have imagined Hank could turn into this. This was a very bad idea.

A door opened behind her and a couple of women walked out, laughing and joking happily together. They saw Hank and stopped.

"Hey Hank!" one called - disturbed, he looked up at them. "Why didn't you call me like you promised?"

Hank transformed himself. It was something to see, a performance. He lowered his head slightly, furrowed his brow and looked through his lashes at her. Where before there had been menace and the threat of violence, now there was a knowing smile. Seeing him put on this mask was one of the creepiest things Alice had ever witnessed.

"Babe, I'm heartbroken too." he said, swapping to a conflicted mask of concern. "But your roommate asked me not to."

They turned to one another, one with an expression of disbelief, the other with... guilt? So that was the truth. Outraged, the speaker slapped her friend in the face. Their harmony shattered.

"You bitch!" She hissed. "You dumped him! Didn't you just tell me yesterday you were rooting for me?! I knew you secretly wanted him for yourself!"

Their screeching drowned out Hank's next words. Hank turned to Alice and said something, wearing a self-satisfied expression like the cat who ate the canary. He tried to come closer to her but she retreated down the corridor as quickly as humanly possible.

Hank shrugged; his smile fixed in place. He dug in a pocket and took out his key, unlocking the dorm room he shared with Tristan. This was her chance. With lightning reflexes, Alice leapt, snatching his keys away before he could put them back. He'd unlocked the door for her, but there was no way she was getting stuck in a room with Hank now. Not after seeing his anger, how easily he put on another personality like changing a costume.

He lunged for her and she skipped back. She dropped the keys down into her bra. They dug into her sensitive flesh painfully. Hank reached for her, then looking around thought better of it. Yet his fingers still twitched, like they had a mind of their own.