Harem House - Selene Pt. 14

"I thought I was the one buying you things tonight." Arthur frowned.

"Hot Topic was my idea, and I'm the one who wants these." She patted his arm. "You can buy whatever we get at Spencer's." She assured him.

"Hm..." Arthur frowned, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "We'll talk about that later."

The man was already handing Mindy back her card.

She put it in her purse and gathered up her bags. "Spencer's?" She asked Arthur, who nodded and led her by the hand from the store.

Each of them carried their bags on their opposite side. They crossed over the walkway to Spencer's Gifts and made their way toward the back of the store. There wasn't much to browse since once you were past the shop's opening, there was only a single aisle with merchandise on either side. At least until you reached the very back. The further they entered the store, the more explicit the merchandise became.

"Here we go." Arthur said, stopping at a wall where various BDSM accouterments hung. Collars, specifically. Arthur looked over them while Mindy waited at his side, glancing at the woman behind the counter who spared them a glance in return. It was a slow night in this shop tonight.

Arthur set the Forever 21 bag on the floor for a moment and let go of Mindy's hand to pick up a thick black leather collar from the display. He held it up to Mindy's throat. She straightened and shook her pigtails as she lifted her chin. He held it against her, over the velvet collar already tight against her throat, and admired it for a moment.

He frowned and put it back. Mindy held her position as he took another one down and held it against her throat. This one was a simple collar of two leather straps, with a stainless steel heart-shaped ring between them on the front.

"I like this one." Mindy spoke up. "It's cute."

"It is." Arthur agreed. "But I can't attach a leash to it." He frowned. He put the collar back on the wall and took a step back to examine the available options. Then he picked one he liked. It was white, instead of black, leather, with stainless steel studs along it and a D-shaped stainless steel ring in the front. Hanging down from that D ring was a heart-shaped padlock that swung back and forth a little as he held the collar up against her throat. It was thicker than the collar she had on and wider but not so broad that it looked like bedroom-only gear. He liked it.

Arthur looked up from her throat to Mindy's eyes. She was already looking up at him, waiting to hear his opinion on the collar.

"I like it." Arthur said with a nod. "And it even comes with a leash." He smirked as he picked up a chain that had a clasp on one end and a simple white-leather loop on the other. It was a short chain, but enough for Mindy to walk either next to him, or just half a pace behind him, if he clipped it to her collar and held on to her leash.

Mindy smiled. "I like it too."

Arthur nodded. Then spared a glance back at the collar display for a moment. He'd seen something that caught his attention, and he picked up two more collars while there. They were both thin black straps but had rhinestone letters on the front. One said Slut, and one said Brat.

"Aren't those Selene and Kat's nicknames, Sir?" Mindy asked. Arthur nodded. "I need a sub name. I don't have one yet, Sir. I'm just Mindy. At least, until you give me a name."

Arthur gestured to the wall of chokers and collars. "Do you see any you think you'd particularly enjoy being called?"

Mindy looked over the wall for a moment, then smiled as her eyes fell on the one she wanted. She looked to Arthur for permission, and when he nodded, she picked it up and offered it to him. 'Whore' was stamped across the front of the plain black band. Arthur took it from him and looked at her.

"You want me to call you a whore?" He asked.

"Yes, Boss." Mindy nodded. "Well, not A whore." She emphasized. "Your whore. I'm your classy, elite escort. Your secretary by day, your whore by night."

Arthur felt himself stir at her words, and he took a deep breath before he gave her a nod. "Very well, then, Whore."

Mindy blushed at his words and reached to squeeze his hand as she looked down. She took a deep breath and nodded. She liked the name; It was hers now. She knew Arthur couldn't call her by it here and now, but when they were alone, he could call her precisely what she was, for him.

Arthur took another look around the store. "Go wait for me out front." He instructed. "I have a few more things I want to get in here. Some of which I want to be a surprise."

Mindy looked at him for a moment but then nodded. She let go of his hand and headed out of the store, picking up the Forever 21 bag on her way out and leaving the collars and leash in his hands to purchase. He gathered up a few more things, including a choker he saw that was a band of fake pearls three strings wide (for Kelly), a remote control vibrator (for some office fun with Mindy), and a few other toys.

When he left the shop, the cashier was happy with the sale amount that she didn't expect based on what he was wearing. Mindy was surprised by the quantity of bags when he joined her. She was curious about their contents, but she figured if he wanted her to know, he would have let her stay in the store. Still, she was happy to see him and kissed him when he emerged.

"Dinner?" Arthur asked, nodding toward the food court.

"Did you want me to change first?" Mindy asked.

"Change?" Arthur asked.

"I couldn't wear the clothes out of the store earlier, with where the tags were, but I could change into them now if you want. I can put the collar on, and you can walk me around the mall a little?" Mindy asked.

Arthur thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. Are you okay with changing in the bathroom?" He asked.

"Unless you want me to get changed in the car." Mindy said.

Arthur thought about it, but the chances of getting distracted in the car were high, and the probability of returning to the mall was low. He was hungry and having been satisfied several times already today, he was more hungry than he was horny. Still, the idea of walking her around the mall by her leash was invigorating. "There's a family bathroom around the corner here. You can go in and change there."

"If it's a family bathroom, couldn't we both go in?" Mindy suggested with a sparkle of mischief in her eye.

Arthur smiled. "We'd get distracted." He explained. "Just do as you're told."

Mindy blushed a little but nodded her agreement as she stepped beside him. They turned the corner, and the small hallway that wound away from the main walk and into the bathrooms split into three options: Men's on the left, Women's on the right, and Family in the middle. The family bathroom was meant for people with small children, judging by the sign, but after waiting a few minutes, it became unoccupied, and Mindy headed in. Arthur stayed behind and waited for her in the hallway.

He texted her partway through.

Arthur: Still no panties or bra.

Mindy: Yes boss.

Followed by a smiley face.

Arthur smiled back and then stashed the phone in his pocket. He almost jumped when he heard his name from behind him.

"Arthur?"

He turned to see a friend from college with a girl he didn't recognize. He almost laughed. The world wasn't so small that it only consisted of people they knew, but it was small enough that there was always a chance of running into someone you recognized in a high-traffic spot like the mall.

"Hey, Sanjay!" Arthur called out as his friend and the girl he was with approached.

Sanjay, Arthur's friend, was one of those friends he had from school with whom he'd taken a few of his gen ed classes over the years. Between that, seeing each other at parties, having a bevy of mutual friends, and sharing tables at lunch and dinner sometimes, they were friends who knew about each other more than they knew each other. Still, they were close enough to consider each other friends and shared several common interests they could discuss when they crossed paths.

Sanjay was shorter than Arthur, standing at 5'11" to Arthur's 6'4", and he was more skinny than he was muscular. He was lean but lacked definition and always laughed it off when Arthur or one of their mutual friends invited him to the gym. His dark hair, eyes, and skin were usually contrasted by his clothes. He had a colorful sense of style that was always just odd enough to make him either fashion-forward or retro. Arthur could never tell which.

The young woman Sanjay was with was someone Arthur didn't recognize. She was a beautiful young Indian woman with a nose piercing that started a golden chain that hung from her left nostril, across her cheek, to her left ear. Her fawn skin contrasted wonderfully with the thin gold jewelry. She wore a dark orange long-sleeve shirt that fell below the high waist of her dark blue jeans. The outfit was nice but loose enough that it didn't show off much of a figure beneath.

On the other hand, Sanjay looked like he was dressed for a business interview. Instead of his typical clothing, he wore a nice pair of black slacks, a white collar button-down shirt, and a brown tie that matched his shoes. It was an odd choice for someone in black pants, but Arthur did his best not to impose his fashion sense on other people. He assumed Sanjay knew more about it than he did, given his usual sense of style. He never offered advice on fashion if he could help it. Except for Selene. And Mindy. And any of his other girls who asked him about his preferences. That was hardly the same, though.

"What are you doing here?" Sanjay asked, glancing at the bags in Arthur's hand.

Arthur hefted the bags as evidence, thankful that their contents were well hidden. "Shopping." He laughed. "And I'm on a date."

"Me too!" Sanjay nodded. "Well, the date bit. We saw a movie, and now we're walking around the mall, window-shopping, I guess. Though I might spend a bit at the game store."

"Nice." Arthur chuckled. "What movie did you see?"

The girl Sanjay was with coughed gently. Arthur looked over at her, but she was looking at Sanjay expectantly.

"Oh, sorry. Rani, this is Arthur. Arthur, this is Rani, my date." Sanjay said as he gestured to each in turn.

Rani nodded hello, and Arthur returned the gesture.

"Do you go to school with us?" Arthur asked. Try as he might, she didn't look terribly familiar, and he couldn't place her.

"Yeah. I sat behind you in Business Writing last semester." Rani answered. "You critiqued my startup proposal, I think."

Arthur tried to remember. There was a lot of peer review in that class. The professor claimed it helped them learn to edit and gave them a more careful eye for their work. It also conveniently let them spend a few minutes every class in total silence on early Monday mornings before grouping up to discuss the writing they'd done over the weekend.

"Right..." Arthur said, nodding as if he remembered her. He felt a little guilty for not recalling her name or face apart from right now, but there were a lot of people at that school, and he couldn't remember everyone. Besides, that was the semester Lori broke up with him, so he'd been going through some things in his little bubble.

"You don't remember me at all." Rani said flatly, calling him on it.

"I do not." Arthur admitted.

Sanjay laughed at their frankness. "How could you forget such a beautiful woman?" He glanced at Rani to see if he'd won some brownie points. She smiled politely, which he took for a win.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said. "I don't remember much of that class, or that semester, to be honest. I was going through some things."

"Fair enough." Rani said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'll try not to take it too personally."

Arthur nodded his thanks.

"If you'll excuse me." Rani said, heading into the woman's room.

"I have to go myself." Sanjay said, giving Arthur an apologetic nod. "See you around?"

"Yeah. See you around." Arthur said as he remained behind, still waiting on Mindy.

A few moments after Sanjay disappeared, Mindy appeared in the family bathroom doorway. The black dress was tight against her upper body. For a moment, it looked as though it was only a flesh-colored shirt beneath the mesh, but no. She was naked beneath the black lace patterns that ran through the tight mesh top. Her busty DD breasts looked as though they might break through the thin material if she were to pull her shoulders back. Arthur appreciated the view with a smile. It almost looked like she was wearing pasties beneath it, but Arthur could tell she wasn't if his eyes lingered.

The short black skirt was solid-colored but slightly shorter than the skirt of the white dress she had been wearing. Its layered material flared out from her narrow waist like a cone and barely covered the tops of her thigh-high stockings held up by mere elastic. The heels were the same, complete with their black string bows. The collar she had changed out. The red velvet with its black string was now the white leather collar. The stainless steel heart bounced as she walked, protruding from the D ring on the front.

Mindy walked over to him. A step away she stopped. She stood with her chin raised and hands folded behind her back as if presenting her breasts and her collar for inspection.

Arthur's eyes wandered over every inch of her. He made a gesture with his finger, and she spun for him after taking a quick glance around to ensure they were alone in the hallway. The skirt lifted slightly as she turned, and he was treated to the sight of the tops of her thigh-highs and bare flesh.

He hooked his finger at her for her to come closer, and she stepped hesitantly forward until she nearly pressed up against him. He reached under her skirt and raised his hand until his finger scraped along the inside of her thigh. It traveled up her slick thigh and pressed against her folds from the outside. He was almost disappointed to find she'd obeyed.

"Did you doubt me, Sir?" Mindy asked.

"Maybe." Arthur admitted. "I just wanted to check. You know me, any excuse to put my hand up your skirt."

Mindy blushed but did not protest. She wiggled her hips forward a little, pressing against his hand instead of letting him pull away.

"You'd better put your sweater on, though." He said before he brought his hand back up and tasted his finger.

Mindy pouted. "You don't like the dress?"

"I love the dress." Arthur corrected her. "But I need to be able to walk." He glanced down, where his enthusiasm for her dress was evident, straining against his pants.

Mindy giggled, rubbing him from outside his pants. "If we go back into that bathroom, I can take care of that for you, Boss."

Arthur glanced behind her toward the family bathroom. It was tempting, but he was also starving, and there were a lot of people around. He didn't want either of them to get a lifetime ban from the mall because they finally made some noise.

Mindy saw his hesitation and pouted. "Don't you want to?"

"Do as you're told." Arthur said and then coughed as he put his hands on Mindy's shoulders and guided her to the bag with her sweater. She knelt slightly to get it as Rani came out from the women's room.

Rani's eyes met Arthur's when she exited and then flicked downward. They widened and then looked at Mindy, whose back was turned to her. Her hair was done up in pigtails, and the white collar around her neck caught Rani's attention, as well as the mesh top that showed off her flawless back.

Rani coughed.

Mindy spun around as she placed her arms in the sleeves of her cropped sweater and pulled it closed over her mesh-covered breasts just in time.

"Rani?" Mindy asked, surprised.

"Mindy?" Rani asked, doing a double-take, having to lift her eyes again from Arthur's still-evident bulge. Her eyes kept flicking down to it, though she didn't blush, stammer, or even look apologetic.

"What are you doing here?" Mindy asked.

Rani sighed. "On a date." She rolled her eyes toward the men's room, then remembered Arthur and Sanjay were friends and looked apologetic. Then she flicked her eyes downward again and back up at Arthur's face, and the look on her face became much harder to read. "You're this guy's date?"

"Yup!" Mindy cheerfully slid her arm through Arthur's, despite the bags he was holding. "He's been spoiling me."

Rani's eyes flicked to the collar around Mindy's throat and looked at Mindy questioningly.

"Do you like my collar?" Mindy asked with a smirk. "Spencer's has such fun gifts!"

Arthur was surprised that through a combination of tone and gesture, Mindy was able to play it off so innocently. Whether Rani believed in her innocence or not, she played along.

"It's nice." Rani said with a nod. "Didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

Mindy looked at her with a big smile. "You're so funny." She said with a shake of her head.

It was then that Sanjay emerged from the restroom as well, and his eyes never left Mindy in a way that made Arthur step forward ever so slightly.

"Well, we're gonna go get some dinner." Arthur nodded toward the hallway exit. The food court wasn't far, and his stomach had practically growled down the erection he'd been struggling with by now.

"You guys want to double?" Sanjay offered immediately. "I've been trying to herd Rani toward the food court myself."

Rani shot him a look but didn't protest.

Mindy looked at Arthur, Rani, and Sanjay and then at Arthur again. "I thought we were gonna head out?" She said to Arthur. "Didn't you make reservations at... that place you mentioned?"

Arthur was a better actor than Mindy was and even better at picking up improv cues. "Yes, and we should head out now if we want to make it on time."

"Oh?" Sanjay asked, not picking up on either the improv cues or the basic social cues the other three were giving him. "Where are you guys headed? We haven't decided where to eat yet."

"Oh." Arthur said, looking at Mindy. "Uh..." He rattled his brain, trying to think of a fancy place to eat nearby that wouldn't drain his bank account completely dry if Mindy took him up on going there. "That new place up on Cricket Lane. The Bar and Grill..."

It was not, strictly speaking, a classy place. It was not even all that expensive compared to some places. It was, however, nicer than a chain. Or at least, it was marketed that way.

"Oh, I love that place!" Sanjay said enthusiastically. "You want to go?" He asked Rani.

Rani looked surprised. She looked at Mindy and Arthur for a moment as if she were a deer in headlights.

"We'll join you." Sanjay said with a dismissive wave of his hand without waiting for Rani to answer. "Did you guys drive here?"

"Hm?" Arthur asked, trying not to think about all the plans he'd been making that were now crumbling apart because of Sanjay's insistent friendship and directly proportional social ineptitude.

"You have a car, right? Did you guys drive here? I Ubered, and Rani's roommate dropped her off." He gestured toward Rani, who looked apologetically at Mindy. "Can we ride with you? Do you mind?"

Arthur did mind. He minded very much. He looked at Mindy, who looked surprised more than anything else. He looked at Rani, who also looked surprised. He looked at Sanjay, who looked happy to have run into his friend and had no idea that he was crimping Arthur's style.

"Uh..." Arthur started to say that he didn't think it was a great idea, but his mind was still trying to get back on course when Sanjay rolled right over him.

"Awesome." Sanjay said with a wide smile at Rani. "Come on!" He slapped Rani on the shoulder, who seemed startled by it. "After you." He gestured toward the end of the hallway behind Arthur and Mindy. They looked at each other, turned, and started walking.

They were back in the mall's main walkway when Mindy looped her arm through his again, both of them carrying bags. Sanjay and Rani were walking slightly behind them, somewhat more than an arm's length from one another. Rani kept her eyes forward. Sanjay kept his eyes on the back of Mindy's head, occasionally indulging his instincts to glance lower whenever her dress skirt made a particular swish.