Harem House - Selene Pt. 21

"It's ok. We're cool." Arthur assured her.

"You're not mad?" Katelyn asked.

"I'm not mad." Arthur confirmed. "I was just surprised, and the whole situation felt... weird."

"Sorry." Katelyn apologized, not knowing what else to say.

"It's okay." Arthur said again. "Next time, maybe, just ask. Don't demand or try to force it. If it had been teasing or my choice, I might have given you a show." It wasn't like he hadn't stripped before.

"Really?" Katelyn asked. "What about Kelly?"

"She probably would have thought it was funny. She thought it was funny until I mentioned you trying to take the towel by force." He explained. "We have an open relationship, so-"

"So you can do who you want?" Katelyn asked, her voice slightly edged with a tone Arthur didn't recognize from her.

"And she can do what she wants." Arthur said.

"She doesn't date, you know." Katelyn said back. "There was a girl she was talking to last Spring, but it didn't work out, and they never did anything. Then there's you. She's never dated or even hooked up with anyone else since we've been rooming."

Arthur was curious about who the girl was, but he didn't ask. It probably wasn't significant or any of his business. "She mentioned she hasn't been impressed with hookup culture."

"So why is she hooking up with you?" Katelyn asked. "What makes you so special that five different women want to be your girlfriend at the same time?"

"I've been told I'm handsome." Arthur shrugged. "And hot." He added. "But really, you'd have to ask them. Talk to Kelly or Selene. They'd have more answers for you."

Katelyn seemed to take that at face value, pondering how to broach the subject with Kelly, Selene, or Katerine.

"From what most of them have told me, they're curious, they wanted to try something unconventional, they trust me, they know I will take care of them, and they know I'll do what I can to help them live out whatever fantasies they enjoy." Arthur explained.

"Like what?" Katelyn asked.

"You'd have to ask them." Arthur answered. "Their fantasies are theirs to talk about."

"So that's what you bring to the table? You play the part of whatever guy is in their fantasy?" Katelyn asked. "Like if Kelly wanted you to pretend to be a fireman or something, you'd do it?"

"Absolutely." Arthur nodded. "I even have a fireman costume." He joked. "But that's a long story."

"Hmm." Was all Katelyn could think to say. "I guess that makes sense." She said after a minute. "Finding a guy to make your bedroom fantasies come true would be a pretty big deal."

"I try my best." Arthur assured her. "I'm not perfect or anything, and I don't know if any of them would say I was, but I try to give them what they want when I can, so long as it's safe, sane, consensual, and not one of my personal limits or dealbreakers." Though, even then, he had to admit that he'd let Selene push those boundaries more than once. She liked consensual non-consent, and non-consent wasn't his thing, but he enjoyed pleasing her almost as much as she enjoyed pleasing him.

"Eggs are almost done." Katelyn announced flatly. "Might want to go get Kelly and let her know."

"Sure thing." Arthur said, and he was gone before Katelyn looked up to get the plates out of the cabinet.

Breakfast between the three of them was quiet but comfortable. Or at least it was less awkward than Arthur thought it would be. There wasn't much for them to talk about other than their plans for the day, which were the usual Thursday plans: class, homework, and work, in varying degrees. Then Arthur and Kelly said their farewells, and Kelly drove them both to campus while Katelyn got her shower and got ready for the day.

There wasn't time to return for Arthur's car, so Arthur figured he'd have to work something out to get a lift after his class. Maybe Selene or Kat would be on campus and willing to give him a ride.

They left Kelly's apartment before Katelyn was out of the shower. Kelly looked absolutely stunning in her purple dress, though it was a few shades brighter than Arthur's purple shirt. They didn't match, but people could be forgiven for thinking they'd coordinated.

They said their goodbyes on the campus walk, and Kelly headed off to her class after dropping Arthur off at his.

Business Leadership III was the slowest way to spend his time. The professor was one of those old men who talked as slow as he walked and must have thought inflection was a dirty word. Arthur almost wished he had some of the lectures recorded for those nights he had trouble falling asleep. Not that he'd had any of those recently.

After class, he set up camp in the library. The university library was a multi-floored building with tables stacked in rows and columns throughout its central aisle, with bookshelves on the side. Hidden slightly behind the shelves on the outermost aisle were workstation desks where you could do your homework with a modicum of privacy. Arthur set up camp on one of those and texted the House Chat about his ride tonight.

Master: Hey, so I'm on campus, but my car is back at the apartment. I have a night class tonight, but would any of you be around to give me a lift, or should I get an Uber?

Slut: I got you.

Master: Thanks.

Slut: Of course, Master. See you tonight.

Queenie: Looks like Slut gets some more one-on-one time for being the fastest texter.

Whore: Lol. I'm working a delivery shift for my parents tonight, so have fun!

Slut: Oh, we will!

And the chat went quiet for a while. Arthur focused on his homework, breaking only when he had to attend his next class. He managed to get a sizable chunk done with his distractions removed until the lunch hour approached, and Kat came up beside his desk.

"Found you." Kat said softly. She wore a pink cardigan with a deep V-neck that would have been indecent if she hadn't worn a white button-up blouse under it. He had fun imagining her without the blouse, though. The gray slacks she wore looked comfortable, though they were a bit long, which she made up for with heels that raised her height by roughly two inches. She looked a little nervous, and was constantly glancing around them both. Arthur couldn't blame her for being a little worried about observers after his neighbors mistreated her.

"Was I supposed to be hiding?" Arthur asked with a smirk. "You look nice." He curled a finger, beckoning her closer.

Kat leaned in and was surprised when Arthur kissed her, but she accepted the kiss and smiled when she pulled away. "I saw you come in earlier from my job at the tutoring center." She explained. "I was wondering if... maybe you wanted to get lunch?"

"Sure thing." Arthur said with a nod. "Give me a second to pack up."

Kat nodded and stepped aside as Arthur loaded his bookbag and cleared off the workspace he'd been using. When he was finished, he threw his bag over his shoulder and offered Kat his other hand. She reached up and took it, walking with him hand in hand as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"I half expected you to be mad at me after last night." Arthur confessed as they walked.

"I'm not mad at you." Kat said softly. "Your neighbors are on my shit list, though."

Arthur chuckled softly.

"You know, I haven't gotten my next lesson plan from you yet." Kat reminded him.

"I know." Arthur nodded. "I've been a bit busy, and the last one didn't quite click how I wanted it to, but I'll have one for you soon."

Kat nodded. "Was that my fault? That it didn't click? And do we schedule our time together with you now or with Mindy?"

Arthur thought about it and then shrugged. "Either, I suppose. Though I guess the scheduling is on me too." He sighed. "This whole five-girlfriends thing is a lot of work."

"Poor baby." Kat said dryly. "But at least this way, we all get what we wanted."

"Oh?" Arthur asked. "That makes it sound like you wanted me."

Kat rolled her eyes. "You really are a clueless idiot sometimes, you know?"

Arthur furrowed his brows. "What did I do now?"

"I had the biggest crush on you in my way, and so did Selene, but we missed our shots because you were with Lori. Not that I would have made the first move back then anyway. You were supposed to do that. Then you were single again, and I missed my shot because you were closer to Selene, actually friends with her, probably more than friends, I suspected, and I was right." Kat explained. "That was what made me finally get my shit together and practically throw myself at you. So yeah, I wanted you. Why do you think I agreed to all of this in the first place?"

Arthur was silent for a moment. "But we didn't even know each other." He looked down at her beside him as they walked. "I only knew you as Selene's sister."

Kat sighed. "So? I thought you were cute." She was in trouble, and she knew it. Not with Arthur, but with how she felt versus the expectations she laid out for herself before this all started. Arthur was supposed to be a fun experiment, a casual fuck who was obviously more in love with her sister than any feelings he might develop for Kat. Yet, looking up at him, she realized she hadn't stuck to her resolutions. She felt something for him now, something that made her stomach flutter when his gaze met hers.

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "You're pretty cute yourself." He squeezed her hand in his, and she squeezed back, which brought them to the cafeteria.

At the lunch table, they were almost immediately joined by Selene, who sat on the other side of Arthur from Kat. Rani and Kelly showed up a few minutes later. Mindy was already sitting with her suitemates, but she came over toward the end of the meal.

Shortly after Mindy arrived, so did someone else, a stranger Arthur had never met.

A young woman with dark hair and eyes smiled slightly as she approached the table. She had no tray, no bookbag, and had clearly been sitting somewhere else until a few seconds ago. However, no one seemed to be looking at her from the other tables. She, however, was looking straight at Arthur with a nervous smile but a predatory gleam in her eye that made almost everyone at the table uncomfortable.

Kat felt a flare of jealousy in her veins. Was this just another girl who would want to try and sleep with her Sir?

"Hey." She said in a chipper voice with a friendly little wave. "My name's Jen, and I work for the school paper. You're Arthur, right?"

Arthur looked at the others for help but nodded. "Yeah. Can I... help you?"

"I was wondering if you, and, well, all of you, would be willing to give me an interview. I want to do an article on ethical polyamory, and your little group is the hottest gossip on campus right now." Jen explained.

"Oh. Uh..." Arthur looked at the others. Kelly kept her eyes on her plate, Selene looked skeptical, Mindy looked scared, Rani appeared nonplussed, and Kat was frowning. All in all, he figured that should be a no, right? "I don't think so. We're not really interested in discussing our private lives with the entire school."

Jen shrugged. "The entire school is discussing your private lives anyway." She said. "This would give you a chance to tell the true story and share your own side of it." She explained. "Just think about it, okay?" She handed Arthur a napkin with something scribbled on it. "My contact info, in case you change your mind."

Arthur took the paper from her without a thank you, and she was gone. They all sat in silence until Arthur broke it.

"Thoughts?" He asked the group.

"Absolutely not." Kat shook her head. "Our business is our business."

Rani shrugged. "I wouldn't mind setting a few things straight so people stop asking me about it or staring at me like I have a freakin' horn growing out of my forehead."

"I think I'm with Kat on this one." Mindy piped up. "An article on the school website is way too public, and if my parents ever find out about all of this, I'm dead."

"I... don't want the publicity." Kelly admitted. "I'm with Kat too."

Selene shrugged. "Three to two then, unless Master has something to say?"

Arthur looked surprised. "You're for giving an interview?"

Selene nodded. "I wouldn't mind being able to set the record straight and get people to stop coming up to me after class." She said. "They've been nice about it, but I'm getting tired of educating everyone one at a time."

"Hm..." Arthur seemed to think about it, but his gut instinct was to side with the majority. Their business didn't need to be thrown up on the school website or elsewhere for the whole school to see. There was plenty of actual news happening. He was surprised they didn't want to talk to Rani about her altercation with Sanjay on Monday but had instead approached the entire group. "I think we'll pass on this for now." He said finally. "Like Kat said, our business is our business."

Kat beamed at him, and the others nodded.

After lunch, it was back to class and homework for Arthur. He parted ways with Rani and Mindy on the walkway. Kelly headed to her own class shortly after, as did Selene. Kat surprised him by walking him to his classroom door before saying goodbye, though she shied away from kissing him farewell when she noticed the eyes around them watching them. Arthur understood and squeezed her hand affectionately before they parted. Then he set about surviving the lecture for his Management class with its surprise quiz on the reading he still needed to do.

After class and that quiz, Arthur was adequately motivated to return to his academics. He set up camp in the library again, in the same spot, and was prepared to study until dinner. He even went so far as to mute his phone. He was not surprised to sense a presence beside him before he looked up shortly after the dinner hour struck, but he was surprised to see it was Rani and not Kat.

"Are you skipping dinner tonight?" Rani asked softly, given their current surroundings. "I thought you were all about nutrition and whatnot."

Arthur smirked. "I was just going to grab something quick from the Cafe, a wrap, maybe."

"Ah." Rani acknowledged his answer with an even tone. "Well fuck that, how about having dinner with me in the cafe instead? Just the two of us?"

"Oh." Arthur straightened. Rani's tone didn't suggest that anything was wrong, necessarily, but Rani wanting to eat alone with him was a new experience. "Sure." He said quickly. "I'll just pack up."

Rani shifted her weight and waited for him as he packed up his things.

"Is everything okay?" Arthur asked, slightly nervous.

Rani raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, almost enjoying the vulnerable uncertainty he never displayed while they were playing. With a leash in his hand and a collar on her throat, he always seemed either confident or thoughtful. Right now, he almost seemed human.

"Everything's fine." She said after making him wait an intolerable number of seconds. "I just want to have a quick dinner with my boyfriend and set him straight on a few things."

"Okay..." Arthur said hesitantly. "That still makes it sound like I'm in trouble."

Rani raised an eyebrow and said her following sentence in an even quieter voice than before. "You're not in trouble, my King. I'm trying to help you." She smiled slightly. "One of the things I like about you is that you're not afraid to have very frank, straightforward conversations about sex and relationships. Or is that just when Mindy is around?"

"No, it applies generally, not just to Mindy." Arthur assured her as he finished packing.

"Good." Rani nodded. "Then let's sit somewhere in the cafe where we can have a frank discussion."

"About sex and relationships?" Arthur asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Exactly." Rani smiled at him.

Arthur offered her his arm as they walked, a habit he was falling into thanks to Mindy, and Rani cupped her hand in the crook of his elbow, holding onto his bicep as they walked.

"Are you dissatisfied about something?" Arthur asked as they left the library behind.

"No. Not exactly." Rani shook her head. "More like I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?" Arthur raised his eyebrows this time. "What favor?"

"I want to fuck you." Rani said matter-of-factly.

Arthur looked around them. There were a few people out and about given the time of day, but if any were close enough to hear what Rani said, they didn't process or react to it in favor of their own conversations, music, or worlds they carried with them as they went about their lives. No one paid any mind to the statement.

"Here and now?" Arthur asked. "We might get expelled, but okay, bend over."

He was joking, of course, but Rani had the sense of humor where she was more than willing to call his bluff and started to obey. He slapped her on the back of her thighs and pushed her forward, so she had to take a step rather than stop and bend over. That got them a few looks, but not near so many as they might have had.

Rani's laugh was a derisive chortle. "Your wish is my command, my King." She said sarcastically. "Don't start something you're not prepared to finish."

"The same could be said to you." Arthur chuckled and shook his head as he pulled her along, her hand still in the crook of his elbow. "What did you mean then?"

"I meant at some point, probably Sunday, after our date, but also, I meant alone. Just you and me. No Mindy, none of the other girls. Just you, me, my dorm room, and a pillow I can bite." Rani answered.

"Your roommate won't mind?" Arthur asked.

"She practically lives with her new boyfriend." Rani said decisively. "She won't be there." She'd clearly thought of answers to any preliminary objections.

"Okay then." Arthur agreed. "Just you and me on Sunday."

"Good." Rani nodded. "And we don't need to do the whole date thing unless you want to. We can just fuck."

"And if I want to?" Arthur asked.

Rani shrugged. "I'll allow it, but time spent eating is time not spent fucking, so it might as well be time wasted."

Arthur chuckled.

"Besides, the later we fuck, the later you get home." Rani pointed out.

"Oh?" Arthur asked. "You wouldn't want me to spend the night?"

Rani shook her head. "Not really." She shrugged. "It's a dorm room. You'd just have to get up even earlier than usual to go home, or you'd have to go home first, pack an overnight bag, yadda yadda." She shrugged. "Just come up, we can fuck, and you can go home."

"Okay." Arthur agreed.

"So..." Arthur said hesitantly as he braced himself. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Mostly, how you treat your women." Rani said firmly.

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked.

"You're soft-hearted for a Dom." Rani explained. "You need to be more stern and forceful, not in the bedroom. You're fine when you're play acting, but in stuff like this. Like at the meeting last night. You need to be more declarative. More decisive. You're the coach, remember? What you say goes. Especially with Selene and Kat."

Arthur was quiet for a moment. They had reached the line for the cafe now, and it wasn't the time to have this conversation, so he waited until they were at a corner table and out of earshot.

His first instinct was to argue, to defend himself. He thought everything was going well, but he was curious about what Rani had to say. The girls had their Harem chat without him, after all. She might have insights into the other women that Arthur didn't. Kat might have explicitly told her some complaint or another, though he wasn't sure that Kat and Rani were the closest in the Harem, given Kat's initial dislike of her.

"You were saying?" Arthur prompted.

"You need to be more aggressive." Rani said. "If you want something, take it or demand it; don't wait until we're in the bedroom."

Arthur raised an eyebrow but swallowed down his initial argumentativeness and thought about it. "I can agree to be that way with you if that's what you want. And you're likely right about Selene and maybe Mindy. I don't think Kelly or Kat would appreciate that from me, though."