Harem House - Selene Pt. 25

Kelly smiled despite herself. "It's..." She hesitated. "It varies, I suppose." She admitted. "Selene is the closest to him. They've said I love you, and things like that. He's growing on Kat, but that's just from my observations. You'd have to ask her. Rani is the least devoted, but she's the newest. Mindy and I are somewhere in the middle. Mindy is young and absolutely smitten."

"And you?" Deb asked.

"I'm trying my best to keep things casual." Kelly said, almost wistful. She hesitated, but Deb's earnest expression and soft demeanor prompted her to speak.

"I tend to get too serious too soon and make a fool of myself. I can't tell you the number of times I've started wedding Pinterest boards based on people who never even asked me out." Kelly chuckled at herself. "So, I'm taking things slow with Arthur, even though I plan to move in. Not sharing a room with him will help, and having my space. Of course, we're paying rent to you, not Arthur, so it's not like we'll skip out on the rent because we're dating him. It's more like dating the maintenance guy than the landlord."

"All valid, rational points." Deb nodded. "You seem to have considered this quite a bit."

"We've discussed it--the girls and I. We discuss everything." Kelly nodded. "We're looking forward to brunch tomorrow."

"I am, too." Deb nodded. "It'll be nice to talk without the boys. I can't wait to get to know my son's girlfriends more. You're an interesting bunch."

"You're not weirded out because we're polyamorous?" Kelly asked.

Deb tilted her head thoughtfully. "It's unconventional." She admitted. "The way I see it, it'd be no different from him turning out to be gay, bi, trans, or plus." She shrugged. "Or is poly what the plus represents?" She chuckled. "I still love and support my child. I love him more than my default hetero-normative expectations for him." The terminology was awkward, but that only added to the light humor Deb wove into her statement. Her humor didn't make the statement any less heartfelt.

Kelly laughed, and there was a shimmer of moisture in her eyes. She blinked it away as she spotted Rani and Selene returning to join the conversation at the grill.

"I also take pride in him." Deb said. "I raised a young man who has won the hearts of not one, but five beautiful, intelligent young ladies? Maybe I didn't do a terrible job raising him."

"I'd say you did an outstanding job raising Arthur." Kelly admitted. "He's the perfect man. I hope I can do half as good a job when I have children."

"Well thank you." Deb said, giving her a look. "Is that in your plans? Giving me grandchildren?"

Kelly blushed, realizing the implications of what she said.

"It's okay, dear." Deb assured her. "It just means you're my favorite."

Deb laughed, and Kelly laughed with her. Arthur smiled at her across the parking lot strip between them, and Kelly couldn't quell her butterflies. Casual might not last as long as she'd convinced herself it should.

~~~

Selene saw Deb and Kelly laughing together and smiled. The afternoon was going well. The sun was bright, and the game would start soon.

Her phone buzzed, and she checked her messages.

Maria: Where did you run off to? I wanted to talk to you real quick.

Selene: Long story. Where are you?

Maria: Brad wanted to win Jen a Superman stuffie, so we're back at the darts game. Do you have a minute? Can I steal you away from Arthur with the promise of Boba?

Selene: I'll meet you on the walk.

Selene whispered her departure to Arthur while George told the girls a story of Arthur's first time on stage that Arthur had told her before. "I'll be back in a minute. Maria wants something."

Arthur nodded, and Selene made her departure.

Distracted by the parties around her as she walked, Selene was conscious of the rope harness under her hoodie, which Maria noticed earlier when they hugged. Maria wasn't aware of Selene's plug, of course, but was aware something was up. Combine that with Selene calling Arthur "Master" in front of Mark, Maria's boyfriend, and Selene expected this conversation to arrive sooner or later.

She and Maria spotted each other as Selene reached the end of the tailgating parking lot. They met in the middle of a crowded path near the end of lot.

"Hey, Selene." Maria said as if starting a round of questions. "Can I... ask you something?"

"Of course." Selene nodded but understood why Maria hesitated to talk among so many people. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Maria nodded. "Sure."

The two girls walked through the narrow lane between tailgaters until they reached the main campus walk. Crowds filled the carnival, which was in full swing, but most festivities were winding down in favor of the impending game. The further they walked from the stadium, the more space they had to talk until the crowds around them evaporated into a handful of passing pedestrians.

"So..." Selene prompted. "You wanted to talk. I'm assuming regarding me, Arthur, and the others?"

"Yeah, I..." Maria started, then smiled at Selene. "I'm sorry. You guys have probably been bombarded with people prying into your business."

"It's okay." Selene assured her. She raised her hands in a 'don't worry' gesture. "I don't mind talking to you about stuff."

Maria smiled. "First, I'm happy for you. You've been crushing on Arthur for years, and I'm glad he finally noticed you."

Selene blushed. She didn't think she'd been as obvious as that, but she appreciated the general sentiment.

"I'm glad you and Mark got together." Selene returned the compliment. "That was at the start of the semester, right?"

Maria grinned. "Yeah, all the shows, one-act plays, and skits we've done together, and he summoned the courage and asked me out just after classes started our senior year. It's been a whirlwind since then."

"Yeah, I get that." Selene nodded. "It's been weeks for us, and so much has happened it's insane."

Maria nodded. "And you guys aren't exclusive, right?" She asked.

"No. We're polyamorous." Selene confirmed. "But you knew that."

"No, I meant, your poly group isn't exclusive, right? Like you have an open poly-whatever-it's-called?" Maria asked.

"Yeah." Selene said. "Why?"

Maria grimaced. "I uh..." She hesitated.

Selene looked over at her friend. "What's up?" She asked. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't bite your head off for asking questions. Everybody's been curious, and constant questions can get tiresome, but you're my friend."

Maria smiled. "You're my friend too. I'm just... I'm worried for you. Are you okay? Is Arthur making you be polyamorous? Forcing you to do things you don't want?"

"What?" Selene asked, startled. "No. Arthur would never."

Maria looked at her as if trying to decide the truth of Selene's statement. She looked behind her, but there were only strangers around them. Many could hear them, but no one was listening. Dozens of conversations were happening between the administration and athletic buildings.

"Mark told me what you called Arthur." Maria explained. "I want to make sure he isn't mistreating you."

"No, he isn't." Selene said. Her voice was urgent. "Arthur and I have an unconventional but entirely mutually consensual relationship."

"Are you sure?" Maria asked. She leaned in close enough for Selene to smell her lavender perfume. "He's not here. He won't find out. And if you need-"

"I'm sure." Selene put her hands over Maria's and clasped them. "Thank you, but I'm into the whole BDSM scene, and so is Arthur. He has done nothing without my enthusiastic consent and approval."

Maria straightened and appraised her, eyeing her skeptically at first but finding sincerity in Selene's expression. "Okay. I just wanted to be sure. Yvonne mentioned seeing him throw you in the trunk of his car?"

"Oh, yeah." Selene said with a fond smile. "That was fun." She hadn't spotted any witnesses, but observers weren't impossible. Thousands of people lived on campus; even if the parking lot was empty, there were too many windows to search.

"And you consented to that?" Maria asked.

"I practically begged." Selene replied.

"And what are you wearing beneath the hoodie?" Maria asked.

Selene laughed and pulled the neckline aside enough to show her the red rope in place of a bra strap.

"Okay, well, that's kinda hot." Maria admitted.

Selene giggled. "You have no idea." She clenched her ass and squeezed the plug. She closed her eyes.

Maria nodded. "So... Mark told you about Yvonne, right?" She asked. "She hasn't stopped going on about how freaky you six are. She makes Arthur sound like a total perv and scumbag."

"Yeah." Selene nodded. "But I can assure you, Arthur is not a freak, perv, or scumbag. He's a wonderful boyfriend, willing to give me what I want in a safe, sane, and consensual manner."

Maria looked amused. "You sound like you've been practicing that."

"I may have rehearsed what to say if people confronted me." Selene admitted. "Jen's been angling for an interview, and plenty of our classmates have been hounding us with questions since we got outed."

"Sorry if I'm adding to the pile." Maria said.

"No, you're alright." Selene assured her. "What about Mark? Does he make your dreams come true?"

Maria nodded. "He's such a sweetheart." She said.

"How's his dick?" Selene asked.

Maria laughed, and Selene joined her, giggling as they walked.

"Maybe you are sex-addicted."

Selene shrugged. "I've just been spending too much time with Rani. But seriously, how are things with Mark?"

"I don't have much reference material, but he's good in bed." Maria assured her. "I assume Arthur is hung? He's always had big dick energy, and with five girlfriends, everyone is saying he must have a massive dick and a skilled tongue."

Selene laughed. "Can confirm."

"So, how did things get started between you two?" Maria asked.

"I talked with Lori; she gave me the green light that they weren't getting back together. She wanted Arthur to move on and be happy." Selene said. "Meanwhile, Arthur was moping and throwing himself into work at the office to avoid everyone. Even though he kept saying he was fine. Almost amicable, my ass."

Maria nodded. She must have noticed that, too. Like the other members of the Theater Club, she heard Lori and Arthur explain their breakup last semester.

"So I offered to be his friend with benefits." Selene said. "And we went from there."

"That sounds pretty hot." Maria said.

Selene nodded. "Yeah. He's so fuckin' hot."

Maria laughed.

"Mark's not bad either." Selene offered.

"Keep your eyes on your own man." Maria said, her voice full of mock indignation.

Selene laughed. "I think Arthur's the only man for me. It's just us girls in the harem."

"The harem?" Maria turned and looked at Selene.

Selene smiled. "That's what we call ourselves. Arthur's girlfriends. We're a sisterhood."

Maria chuckled. "That's weirdly cool? I'm sure Arthur enjoys it." Maria put her hand on Selene's upper back. "God, when did we become such sex-obsessed pervs?"

"We're not." Selene said. She waved away the accusation. "We just enjoy what we enjoy." She shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that."

"I guess not." Maria admitted. "Come on, let's head back." She gestured toward the lacrosse field. "They should be letting people into the football stadium soon."

Selene nodded and smiled. "Come on." She said, continuing to walk beside Maria as they changed directions.

Maria side-hugged Selene. "Thanks for talking to me and not getting annoyed or defensive."

Selene scoffed. "Of course not."

"Maria!" They both froze at the familiar voice. Maria, with a smile on her face, turned first. Selene waited until the footsteps drew closer.

"Hey, Yvonne!" Maria said.

"Hey--oh, Selene." Yvonne stopped a pace behind them. Selene turned and gave her a big smile.

Yvonne was a gorgeous young woman. She applied smokey eye shadow to her hazel eyes and styled her brunette hair into a blowout. She wore a baggy University sweater that fell to her thighs and hid the curves her high-waisted jeans accentuated.

Selene smiled and waved. "Hey, Yvonne!"

Yvonne looked around.

"The others are tailgating and playing games." Maria said. "We were heading to the tailgate lot to catch up with them. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh. Uh..."

"Come on!" Selene said, turning back as she started walking.

"Selene, can I talk to you?" Yvonne's question stopped Selene. Maria looked between them and patted Selene on the arm.

"I'll go catch up with everyone. You two need to talk." Maria said. She was gone before Selene or Yvonne could respond. Selene was impressed by Maria's seamless disappearance into the crowd.

"Sure." Selene nodded toward the picnic area. "Want to grab a table and chat?"

"That works." Yvonne nodded and followed Selene to the food trucks.

"Are you okay if I get Boba?" Selene asked. "Maria lured me away for tea, and we never got any."

Yvonne shrugged. "I don't mind. I could go for some myself."

Minutes later, they sat at a table with Boba in hand from the nearby stall. Yvonne sat across from Selene, both sipping their drinks until Yvonne began. "So... uh... I wanted to talk to you about--"

"Arthur?" Selene asked, interrupting her. "I've heard you've been saying pretty nasty things about him."

Yvonne didn't look guilty. She looked defiant.

Selene took a sip of her Boba. "Let me be clear." She said in a no-nonsense tone. "I want no misunderstandings. If you know someone with the wrong impression, I want you to correct them. Okay?"

Selene saw Yvonne's surprise, but Yvonne nodded for Selene to continue.

"Whatever you think you've seen, heard, or understood about my relationship with Arthur, or his relationship with his other girlfriends, my friends, I want you to know that our activities are one hundred percent consensual between everyone involved. It wasn't even his idea. It was mine. I wanted it. He's not pressuring anyone into anything. He's not being morally gray or using a loophole to live out a male fantasy."

Yvonne scoffed.

"Okay, yes, having multiple girlfriends is a fantasy Arthur shares, but this whole thing started because of my fantasies. Not his." Selene explained. "Kelly, Rani, Mindy, and Kat are in their own relationships with him. They are consensual, not forced or coerced, and mostly not started by Arthur. Kelly was the only one he asked out. The rest of us approached him. It was our idea."

Yvonne sipped her Boba.

"Do you understand that?" Selene asked.

Yvonne considered her words. She took half a minute of silence but nodded. "Yes. I... think so. I guess I owe him an apology." She said. "I... jumped to certain conclusions about Arthur and you."

"Why?" Selene asked.

"What?" Yvonne sounded surprised by her question.

"Why did you jump to conclusions? Why do you care who he's dating?" Selene asked.

Yvonne looked at her like she was stupid. "Y'know, because of our... chemistry."

Selene rolled her eyes at Yvonne. "Chemistry?"

"Our 'will they or won't they' vibe?" Yvonne gestured. "I was flirting with him all semester after Lori broke up with him. He was supposed to ask me out once he was over her. We always get cast opposite each other in the romantic leads. We've kissed a bunch, and he's a great kisser, and we were supposed to have this.... This big romance!"

Selene laughed. She couldn't help it, and she didn't mean to do it, but she laughed. "What do you mean, you've kissed a bunch? You mean on stage?"

"Well..." Yvonne looked embarrassed now. "Yeah. But our chemistry-"

Selene scoffed, her laughter still bubbling in her chest. "Oh god. Is everyone in love with Arthur?" She looked next to her at a random girl she didn't know. "Hi there. Do you have a crush on Arthur? You wanna fuck him?"

"Which Arthur?" The girl asked.

Selene held up a picture of him on her phone. He had on a full set of clothes. It was a random selfie they'd taken together last year that she'd used as her phone's wallpaper starting two weeks ago.

"He's hot for a dude." The girl admitted. "But no."

Selene scoffed. "Well, if you want to, you can!" She returned her attention to Yvonne. "If you want to fuck my boyfriend, you only have to ask. I'm into sharing."

Yvonne looked repulsed. "I don't want to share anyone!" She said. Her emphasis on 'share' dripped with disdain. "I was explaining why I was so upset when I found out he was dating you without even giving me a chance. I know I can't compete with a slut who's willing to whore him out to every bitch on campus." She turned to the stranger. "No offense."

"None taken." The stranger girl shrugged and sipped her soda, fascinated by Yvonne and Selene's dramatic conversation and full-on watching them now with no subtlety.

Selene narrowed her eyes, her laughter gone. "You don't get to call me that. You're mad because you didn't have the guts to make a move."

"He's supposed to be the one to make the first move!" Yvonne protested. She scoffed. "You're not even the girl he wants. You're the one he settled for since you came along, threw yourself at him, and spread your legs."

Selene's eyes went wide. "How dare you--"

"You said he didn't even ask you out! Did you go up to him one day and beg him to fuck you? What'd you do, promise to let him fuck whoever else he wanted so long as you could fuck him too?" Yvonne spat. She kept talking to keep up her momentum. "You're not my competition. You said he asked Kelly out, right? She's my competition. The rest threw yourselves at him as a package deal. No man will say no to that, right?"

Selene's face was ruddy with rage.

"I was going to do this politely." Yvonne said. "But you're out of the club."

"You're kicking us out of the Theater Club?" Selene asked. "You can't do that, you need a vote--"

"Not Arthur." Yvonne corrected Selene. "You. We'll find someone else to do your part, and as club president, I have every right to--"

"The fuck you do!" Selene shouted. "The others would never agree to throw me out! And Arthur wouldn't stick around without me!"

"Are you sure about that?" Yvonne asked, her voice calm and collected. To anyone watching, Selene was the one getting hysterical, while Yvonne became more relaxed with every back-and-forth. "He's got plenty of reasons to stick around. Once he gets sick of you and the whole poly thing falls apart, I'll be there, waiting."

Selene shook her head. "Wow. I used to think you were nice, but you're really a bitch, aren't you? A thirsty bitch who's pissed my boyfriend didn't even consider asking her out when he didn't have to follow a script to pretend to like you!"

Selene must have struck a nerve.

Yvonne slammed her hands on the table. "Fuck you! You're sluts clinging to a goddamn man whore! You'll see! It'll fall apart! It's not natural!" Her volume was high, even for a singer, and she stormed away before Selene could offer a rebuttal.

Selene finished her Boba, threw the empty cup in recycling, and stomped to the tailgating parking lot. Nearby, the crowd watching the heated exchange split. The girl at the next table, briefly involved in the ordeal, left, moving toward the athletic center.

~~~

"What was that about?" A young woman scoffed, heading in the same direction as the bystander.

"They were arguing over some guy." The bystander answered. "I guess blondie took the initiative and fucked the guy before he could ask out the brunette. So the brunette tried to kick the blonde out of whatever Theater Club is, so blondie called her thirsty, brunette called her a slut, and they left."

"Lotta drama over a guy." The other young woman laughed. "They're sleeping together, the blonde and the hot guy?"

"Yeah. Hot guy, for a dude, but no dick's worth that drama." The bystander shrugged.

"Did you catch the hot guy's name?"