Perdita's Pleasures Bk. 01 Ch. 10

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

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DAY SIX

Chapter Ten: The Limits of Propriety

Morning dawned, softly. I found myself alone in my room, Olive's bed neatly made. I sank back down into the pillow and blinked up at the ceiling, taking a moment to gather myself before beginning another day at Eros House.

Yesterday, after the library, Master Aries had scooped me up and taken me back to his study to recover. He'd let me stay there, wrapped in blankets, while he worked. Although he hadn't sat with me the whole time, he'd ordered comfort food sent up, and I'd fallen asleep listening to his fingers tapping on a keyboard and his footsteps in the warm room.

I'd felt in a daze, then, and I felt that way still, I thought as I dressed myself in my "morning uniform" after my shower. This outfit (the soft pink silk shorts, the stockings and pasties); these showers; the task of sucking cocks that waited for me down the hall: all these things had become part of a familiar routine. As I regarded myself in the large, fogged bathroom mirrors, an outrageous whore looked back. Guilt began to creep in, disorienting as I stared at my reflection.

Was this what I had wanted?

"Yes," I whispered to the mirror. Letting myself become a slut was what I had come here for. And I was loving it, that much I could not deny. I wanted more. But my old life was beginning to seem very far away and foreign. Had everything about the way I'd lived my life before now come undone, somehow? Could I—would I want to—go back home? I felt giddy and sick at once, struck with the strange vertigo of hurtling, recklessly, into an unknown and untested future.

With no answers in front of me other than the choice to panic or to keep on going, I turned away and strode toward the hall.

He was there already.

At the centre of the noise and chatter of the bright breakfast room, Master Aries stood in conversation with a clutch of friends and patrons. He was attired, delightfully, as a regency-era gentleman in a light grey fitted tailcoat and trousers, complete with tall black boots, a waistcoat, and a gloriously tied cravat. As I walked in the room, he glanced my way, and my little Jane Austen-loving heart beat wildly in my chest. I went to him as if under a spell.

"Good morning, Perdita," he said, his voice washing over me like a warm sea.

"Good morning, Sir."

Aries placed a hand hand on my back and smiling dashingly at his friends.

"Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me; I'm afraid I have a matter of some import to attend to, here."

"Ah, yes, duty calls!" one replied, and the group of them giggled to each other as Aries drew me away.

He showed me to a seat at a bistro table that had already been set with a plate of croissants, a carafe, and two china cups and saucers.

"Please, sit and eat with me."

I glanced toward the spot, beside the buffet table, where I customarily knelt for my morning task. There was still no sign of Olive.

"Olive is not feeling well today," Aries said, as if he guessed my thought. I watched him pour rich coffee from the gleaming silver carafe, tore a buttery hunk from one of the croissants, and popped it in my mouth.

Aries set down the carafe and levelled an earnest gaze in my direction. He was handsome all the time, but now, dressed as a perfect Mr. Darcy, he was alarmingly distracting.

"And I'm afraid your fans here will have to go a day without, as well. I have an apology to make you, Perdita."

I wrapped my hands around my coffee cup, savouring the rich aroma.

"You do?"

Aries laid his hand, palm up, on the table between us, and haltingly I placed mine in it.

Out of sorts today or no, as his fingers closed around my hand, a bright jolt of desire shot through me. I could hardly stand to meet his eyes, which seemed to me to burn from where he sat across the table.

"I must confess I have been rather too preoccupied this week with business matters, and I have let it detract from my responsibilities with you. To be honest, you've been adapting here so readily that sometimes I forget you're still so new. But that isn't an excuse on my end to neglect you, and I am committing to you to do better for the remainder of your time here."

"Oh, well. I'm fine, don't worry," I said, not quite sure in which ways he felt he'd neglected me. But even as I said the words, a bubble of emotion wobbled up from somewhere in my chest, and tears sprang to my eyes. "Oh my god, I swear I have no idea why I'm crying right now," I said, with an odd laugh. I swiped the heel of my hand beneath my eyes, annoyed at myself.

Aries ran a thumb over my cheek, caught a tear, and matter-of-factly sucked the teardrop from his thumb.

"Right. This is what I mean precisely," he said. "Even if you were used to experiences like you've had here, some care and softness in between the other stuff is necessary. As you've seen, the activities of Eros House are both physically and emotionally intense. Sometimes things can come up unexpectedly, or be difficult, or need processing time. And you are still pretty new."

"I guess you're right," I said.

He nodded.

"I suspect that yesterday took you a bit close to the edge of your rope, so to speak, and that's at least partly my fault. So. I'd like to take the morning to put aside my distractions and do something a little bit different, just you and I. What do you say?"

In one sense, I felt tension I hadn't known I'd been holding drop from my shoulders at the thought of a more nurturing change of pace; in another, equally real sense, the prospect of a dedicated morning doing "something different, just he and I," gave me a certain... thrill.

"Ok," I agreed, blushing.

Master Aries smiled.

"Good. I thought we'd start with a proper stroll before it gets too hot, and perhaps return for a picnic lunch. The only thing you need to do is tell me whether you want to dress up or dress down."

Aries flicked his eyes toward the doorway and gave a slight nod. I turned to see a neatly-dressed woman wheel a garment rack through the middle of the parlour. Diners glanced up curiously as she rolled the rack to where we sat and came to an abrupt stop. Moving efficiently, the woman clicked a safety brake into place, pivoted on her heel, and looked me up and down with the cool eye of a professional.

"This the girl?"

"Yes," said Aries, giving my hand a little squeeze before releasing it. "Perdita, I have a dress in mind I want to see you in, but you should also know that I have access to the coziest of comfort-wear, if you'd prefer it. Don't I, Daphne?"

Daphne nodded, briskly shoved several hangers to one side, and pulled out an outfit of soft-looking grey sweatpants and a matching zip-up hoodie.

I felt spoiled and unexpectedly touched by the attention to my comfort. As I thought of the outfit Master Aries had chosen to wear this morning, though, I couldn't bring myself to choose the casual option.

"You know, I can always wear sweatpants at home. Could I take a look at the dress?"

Daphne promptly hung the sweatsuit back on the rack and unzipped the large garment bag beside it. Inside was a decadently-skirted, peach-pink gown constructed of layers of gauzy-looking fabric.

"It's a Georgian style gown—more or less," commented Aries, as Daphne bundled the skirts out from the confines of the bag and smoothed them out for best display. "Normally, I would have preferred to choose something for you that matched the period of my own attire more closely, but in this case... I have reason to make exception."

Daphne instructed me to stand, and began to dress me. First, several layers of strange-looking undergarments, fastened to me overtop the shorts and pasties I already wore. However, it was only when Daphne began to lace me into a corset made of sheer panelling that left not only its internal boning but my body beneath it visible that I realized the true intent of the design. Other than its accents of peach satin stripe, the dress was as see-through as a garment of so much fabric could possibly manage to be.

With the addition of layered skirts, satin ivory shoes and day gloves, and a parasol, I was a pervert's reimagining of a nineteenth-century genteel lady. The silhouette was perfect, but the transparent fabric made a mockery of "respectable" attire. Fully dressed, I could still clearly see the grey nipple pasties I wore beneath the corset. The rest of my body was only partially obscured by the multiple layers of fabric. It felt surprisingly audacious, and I loved it instantly.

"My wife designed that one," Aries remarked, seeing my admiration. "It looks well on you."

"It's beautiful," I murmured.

"Yes," he said, smiling, and offered me his elbow. "Shall we?"

We walked arm in arm out the breakfast parlour's garden doors. The trees surrounding the patio were alive with birdsong, and the surrounding fresh-cut lawns sparkled wetly in the morning sun. I could feel the strength in Aries' arm as we walked past the patio and towards one of the several paths that meandered back into the treed grounds.

I smoothed a hand over my decadent skirt, marvelling at the quality of the fabric and the sight of my absurdly daintily gloved hands.

"I feel like I'm on a date two hundred years ago," I said. "Or, like we're on our way to the fairy ball or something. You know?"

Aries smiled.

"Don't be absurd, Perdita, the fairy ball isn't 'til tomorrow eve."

I giggled, then stopped short.

"Wait... I actually can't tell whether you're joking."

"It's no joke; tomorrow night we will be hosting a Midsummer Night's Dream soiree. Do you like Shakespeare, Perdita?"

"Are you kidding me? That's my favourite play," I said.

Aries stopped to pluck a rose-coloured blossom from a flowering shrub, and presented it to me.

"Then I hope you will enjoy tomorrow's entertainment."

I took the flower, turning over questions in my mind.

"Honestly, Sir... can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"I just don't know how this is your real life. This whole place is literally a fantasy land, and you just, what, live here all the time? A few months ago, I didn't even know places like this existed for real. How did you get involved in this life? When did you know you wanted to start Eros House?"

Almost imperceptibly, I felt Aries' posture stiffen, belying the casual wave of his hand as he replied.

"Oh, the paths we lead through life take us strange places, do they not? In my case, I'm afraid, it's mostly a tale of idle wealth coupled up with earthward hobbies. It's much more interesting to hear how you came to be here than how I did, I can promise you. I would love to hear, for example, how you're doing with that project of yours of 'gaining some perspective' here at Eros House. If you feel like sharing, that is."

The sound of our footsteps carried down the path as I collected my thoughts.

What was I to say? The disorientation I had felt earlier in the morning now seemed unreal, as if his presence was a magnetic force that reconfigured all my bearings. I had been fucked so well and truly lately, all at the direction of this man, that being near him—touching him, lucky me!—had me hot and giddy. Every hair, every nerve ending, every inch of my body screamed to be touched, fucked, played with.

Somewhere, though, I could still feel the wobble. A constriction, in my chest and in my throat. I found I had to grit my teeth to wrestle down the tears that threatened just behind my eyes before I could open my mouth to speak.

"I—fuck. This is really embarrassing. Fuck."

"Take your time," said Aries, casually leading us down the path with his easy, long-legged stride.

"Honestly, though!" I said, angry now. "I don't know why I keep crying like a fucking baby, I—I'm here to have, like, a sexy, fun vacation, and I'm pretty sure this—" I gestured to my face, red with emotion, "this isn't sexy."

Aries only nodded thoughtfully. I took a deep breath.

"I haven't talked to my husband since the day we arrived, but I haven't even had time to figure out how I feel about that because I've been in some kind of fog of—of pleasure, but I'm starting to get this feeling like I don't even know who I am anymore, or like I can't tell if I should be pumping the brakes or the gas, you know? Should I just let everything go, or am I losing myself? Is that part of it? Am I even making sense right now? God, I just feel so fucking—so fucking whiny." I exhaled hotly, impatient. "Can you shut me up, please?"

Aries looked down at me.

"What, you want me to shut you up with a kiss, like in the movies?"

I shrugged hopefully, face burning.

"Well, I'm not going to do that," said Aries. "I'm not in the habit of taking orders from my submissives, my dear, and besides..." Aries looked left and right, before leaning in to whisper, impishly, "what would the neighbours say, to see a gentleman kiss an upstanding young lady such as yourself in broad daylight?"

Without meaning to, I followed his gaze, as if expecting to see crowds of scandalized onlookers somehow transported to the gardens of Eros House. I could smell the clean, warm scent of Aries' skin beside me as he spoke.

"You don't need to have all the answers yet, Perdita. And in the meantime, perhaps a little bit of intentional losing yourself is not a bad way to go to find things out."

"Maybe you have a point," I conceded. Then, feeling bold, I bit my lip and said, "So... neighbours, hey?"

Aries straightened his posture with exaggerated professionalism.

"Well, one wouldn't want to give the gossips fuel for a scandal, now. Especially not where such an eligible maiden as yourself is concerned, yes?"

"Um. Well, yes, I suppose that would be quite a violation of propriety," I ventured.

Aries nodded.

"Quite. Although I must say, I don't know who this particular young lady thinks she's fooling, in a dress like that."

I looked down at my small breasts, thrust upward by the tight corset, and details of my anatomy clearly visible beneath the sheer fabric of the gown. I'd almost forgotten how outrageously I was attired; suddenly, now, I felt more shamefully exposed than if I had been naked.

"Oh—yes—well, hopefully not everybody notices?" I said, not quite sure what was expected of me in this game.

"Perhaps," drawled Aries. "But you can be assured madame that there are certain, predatory gentlemen—the kind your mother no doubt warned you of—who certainly do notice. The kind of man, by the way, who knows enough to keep up all appearance of honour, enough to gain the trust of an unwed lady's family to take her for a walk alone... But I wonder, once they were alone: what would it take for such a rogue to break down the young lady's illusions of a modest heart? Would such a scoundrel resort to blackmail, do you think? Offer her some good in exchange for letting him have her? Pretend to seek her hand, when what he really wants..."

Aries grasped me by the wrist and pulled me up against the rough trunk of one of the beech trees that lined the walk, trapping my hand over my head against the trunk. My breath quickened as he stepped in close, interest and amusement vying in his expression as he leisurely looked up and down my body.

"S-she would have to put up some kind of struggle," I said, heart pounding. He secured my other my other hand behind my back.

"You don't look like you're struggling overmuch."

"Please," I said in a ragged whisper, flattening my face against the knobbly bark, breath caught in my chest. I squirmed helplessly as he fingered the decorative trimmings of my neckline, taking his time.

What was I to say next? I wasn't used to amorous role-playing. Desperately, I closed my eyes and said the first thing that came into my mind.

"Please, don't—don't ravage me!"

Aries grinned.

"Oh, is little miss worried about her virtue, poor thing?"

"Please, I'm—I'm the daughter of a Duke! You wouldn't," I breathed, getting into it now.

"Oh, are you, now! I see. Well, my dear, it seems your privileged upbringing has not succeeded in protecting you from terrible, awful, bad men such as myself. Because the thing is, sweet lamb, I have you all alone now, don't I?"

Aries caressed my face and ran a hand down along my bodice, grasping me by the hip, as I trembled in anticipation.

"Easy," he warned. "You can resist or you can cooperate, but either way, I will be fucking you. Are you going to be a good girl, now, and let me have my way?"

"You'll never get away with it," I said, pulse beating in my throat.

"Get away with it? My dear girl, when I'm done with you, you'll burn up the moment you set foot in church."

As he spoke, Aries released his grip on my wrist and slowly began unfastening the front of my dress. I squirmed only just enough to feel myself trapped between him and the unyielding trunk behind me. I bit my tongue, savouring it.

Meanwhile, Aries parted the front of my corset as if unwrapping a gift, exposing my breasts to the warm morning air. One by one, he plucked off the sequinned pasties I wore underneath, pocketed them, and pinched one of my nipples just hard enough to make me gasp.

"There. That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

Aries wound his fingers through my hair and tugged, forcing me to raise my face to him.

"You think your father, the Duke, is going to punish me for putting my cock inside his daughter?" He shook his head. "Who's going to tell? After today, my slut, you might look the same to all your friends and family, but you're mine from now on. Your honoured father will invite me over to your house for dinner, and I'll have you on your knees while they're all in the next room, and send you to dessert with my come dripping from your ruined. Little. Cunt."

I moaned helplessly, feeling my pussy getting wetter with each profane word he uttered.

"There's my whore," growled Aries, with affection, as he gathered up a handful of my skirts and ran a bold hand up my naked inner thigh. His hand closed over my cunt, and my legs parted automatically to grant him access. I could feel the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks as Aries massaged between my legs, and tried to blink them back.

"You can cry all you like, it's ok," he whispered. "Go on, my little whore, let it out; it won't change anything, but it might make you feel better."

Summoning all the will left in my body, I looked directly into his eyes, saw desire there to match my own, and said, in tones of mock reproach,

"You monster."

Aries laughed playfully, and slid an invading finger deep inside my captive cunt.

"That's right," he said, stroking me from the inside. "Now turn around and prepare yourself to accept my cock, my little slut."

He spun me to face the tree trunk, and I curled my fingers around the contours of its bark as Aries pinned me to it and rucked up my skirts. I was nearly vibrating with need, delirious at the prospect of finally, finally having Aries inside me like this. Excruciating seconds passed as he freed himself from his trousers and then, as if being visited by some god, I felt his cock push into my waiting, aching pussy and was overcome at once with powerful waves of gratitude and relief.

"Thank you," I whimpered, thickly, pathetically, and then the tears that had been threatening all morning finally did spill down my face, wetting the bark as Aries pounded roughly into me.

"That's right," he said, approvingly, "thank me for using you."

"Thank you, Sir," I sobbed, high and senseless from the thrill of being fucked by him. I felt myself open to him utterly, welcoming him as deep as he could go and nearly drowning in the pleasure of his hips slamming up against my ass and his hard cock piercing me repeatedly, piercing me to the core.

Then, abruptly, he withdrew, and before I had time to grieve the loss he spun me around to face him once again and said, breathing heavily,