Writing Sexuality 03

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed parts 1 and 2. I sincerely hope this was worth the wait.

***

I walked awkwardly beside Beth and Elle, trying to exude the casual demeanor of a grad student looking forward to an informal drink with her advisor and her advisor's illustrious wife.

Thanks for suggesting this, Elle, it's really great to finally meet you, I'm a huge fan of your work and I am definitely not fucking your wife, I practiced in my head, suppressing a bitter laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

I had no idea how I was going to survive this drink, or why I had agreed to it. I searched for an opportunity to catch Beth's attention, to ask her how I was supposed to navigate this, but she and Elle were arm-in-arm, huddled together against the evening chill. I sighed, pulling my jacket tight to my body and resigning myself to a painfully awkward evening.

"I promise we're not leading you astray, Rosa" Elle said lightly, breaking the silence. We had taken a series of unlikely turns down winding side-streets, and though I knew we weren't far from campus, the surroundings were completely unfamiliar to me. "There's a real hidden gem of a bar down here. Beth and I joke about it being a shady money-laundering front because it's in such a weird place, but the wine is magnificent."

I nodded and smiled back, slightly lost for words. Elle seemed so relaxed. My earlier suspicions about her knowing about me and Beth were rapidly evaporating. There was no way, I thought, she could know and be this casually pleasant.

By the time we reached our destination, I was shivering. I had opted for a blazer instead of my coat in the interest of style, expecting to bundle into a cab home at the end of the evening, so had not thought to prepare for the cold. The bar was unassuming from the outside, but surprisingly pleasant indoors, all exposed brick and warm lights. A few patrons sat at the bar, talking animatedly to the owner in Italian, and a few of the tables were occupied by couples, but on the whole the place was quiet. Elle greeted the owner in Italian (because of course she spoke Italian), and led the way over to a quiet booth in an isolated corner. I sank into the soft brown leather seat, grateful to finally be indoors, but winced as I put weight on my sore ass. I could have sworn I saw Beth smirk.

The two sat on either side of me, though the table was small enough that their legs still touched under the table - it was like they couldn't bear not to be touching for any length of time. Elle spotted me shivering and reached out to rub my arm.

"It's bitter out there, isn't it? We'll get a bottle of the barolo, it will warm you up in no time." She was treating me like an old friend, and all I could do was smile back nervously and hope she would get up to order, giving me a second alone with Beth.

Not a moment later, the owner made his way out from behind the bar and headed over, greeting the three of us warmly and placing a wine-list on the table. Elle ordered without looking, though a glimpse of the prices sent a chill down my spine. I lived off free faculty wine and cheap cocktails from sticky bars - a bottle from here felt eye-wateringly expensive to me.

"What did you make of Pembroke's talk?" I asked hastily, eager to distract myself from the prospect of the impending check.

Elle and Beth exchanged a quick glance and then broke into a laugh in unison, perfectly in tune. I felt, suddenly, as though I was intruding on a private domestic moment.

"I think that about sums it up," Beth replied at last. "How about you?"

"I think that's charitable," I responded, emboldened by their clear lack of respect for the department chair. "I would have gone with an eye-roll, myself." I got a hearty chuckle from them both.

"I've heard a lot about that sense of humor," Elle remarked, fixing me in an icy stare. I was mercifully spared having to respond by the arrival of the wine, which she tasted and approved with a gracious nod. I took the opportunity to smile at the waiter instead, and then turned my attention to the large glass, swirling my wine pensively and performing great concentration as I tasted. Anything to avoid thinking too hard about that look on Elle's perfectly sculpted face.

"That's incredible," I finally said, nodding at the wine before me.

"A woman of excellent taste," Elle replied smoothly. "So is Beth." There was that look again - that glint, curious and amused, a cat toying with its prey. I stiffened, and felt the soft brush of a hand on my stockinged thigh. Beth's hand. I turned to her, but her eyes were on Elle, even as she caressed my leg through the thin fabric.

"Elle, be nice," Beth intoned, a joking edge to her voice.

The sensation of Beth's skin through the thin fabric of my stocking had reawakened the wild arousal from that afternoon. Even as my mind raced to wrap itself around my situation, I felt a desperate urge to move closer to Beth, to kiss her here and now, regardless of Elle's unnerving presence. I suppressed the urge and took a long sip of my wine instead, hoping to conceal the redness creeping into my cheeks.

"Oh, I'm always nice," Elle replied, her tone a mock-innocence with a dangerous edge. Then her hand was by my face, tenderly brushing away a stray curl. My heart was thudding so hard I was sure she could hear it. Elle's thumb grazed against my cheek. "Are you okay, Rosa? You're blushing quite furiously."

I opened my mouth to reply but no words came out. After a brief pause, Elle continued, toying with a strand of my hair as she spoke.

"I know my wife's hand is on your leg right now, but that seems like nothing compared to what she did to you this afternoon," Elle's voice was low and quiet, but authoritative. My jaw dropped and I whipped round to look at Beth, whose hand gave my thigh a gentle squeeze.

"Beth, what-"

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you." Elle rested a finger under my chin and steered my face back to her. My breaths were short and shallow, and I felt totally frozen under Elle's predatory green gaze. This was a legendary academic, and my advisor's wife, and by the sounds of it she knew everything.

"I-I'm sorry," I eventually stammered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause...anything. I shouldn't be here. I should go." I went to stand, but Beth's hand on my thigh stopped me. Her touch alone, and its effect on me, made it impossible to leave.

"It's okay," Beth said softly, shifting closer to me. Her free hand moved across the table to rest on top of mine. I turned to look at her and her face betrayed genuine, unmistakable warmth. "You haven't caused any problems. This is...an arrangement Elle and I have. She's just playing with you." Her voice was calm and reassuring, and I couldn't help but relax underneath her touch. "You can leave if you want to. But if you stay there's...something we were hoping to discuss."

I wasn't stupid. From Elle's touch and tone I knew what that something was likely to be. And maybe it was my inability to say no to Beth, but I was sure, as soon as the thought crossed my mind, that I wanted it - or at the very least that I wanted to stick around to hear them say it out loud. I nodded and relaxed, turning back to smile nervously at Elle and taking another sip of my wine.

It was Beth who spoke first, slowly and carefully.

"I have enjoyed our time together a lot. Elle and I have been talking about introducing someone else for a while now. In light of how compatible your tastes are with mine, we wondered whether you might be interested in exploring things with both of us." Her tone was measured, as though she had rehearsed these words. I gave a slow nod but said nothing, and she continued.

"If you're not interested, or if you try it and find you don't like it, that doesn't mean you and I can't continue our...involvement. There is no pressure here, and you shouldn't feel like you are disappointing anyone if you say no. And you don't have to decide here and now. We can have an enjoyable evening and some wine and you can go away and think about it." Beth paused, looking at me searchingly for a few seconds. "Do you have any questions?"

I had thousands. I took a long moment to gather my thoughts.

"You don't have to answer this," I started cautiously, "but is this...have you done this before?" I worried instantly that this had been an inappropriate question to ask.

"Not together," Elle replied easily. "Separately, we have varying amounts of experience - I more so than Beth."

Her candor took me by surprise, but emboldened me to press further into my long list of awkward questions.

"Is there anything in particular that you want out of this?" I asked, less hesitant than before.

Elle moved closer, and her hand grazed my thigh. Her touch felt different from Beth's - colder and harder, somehow. Her hands were so unlike Beth's: long and graceful, talons poised to sink into her prey.

"Beth and I have...very similar tastes," she replied, quieter than before. There was an edge of desire to her voice. "We both enjoy being in charge. We would like to experiment with being in charge together."

My barely suppressed arousal from earlier flared through my body at the thought of this.

"Is that something you think you would enjoy?" Beth asked in a familiar tone. This was how she asked me questions she already knew the answer to.

"It is," I replied truthfully, my gaze flitting between the beautiful women either side of me. Beth responded with a satisfied smirk, and Elle looked at me with undisguised hunger. Her hand tightened on my thigh, pulling it towards her slightly, forcing my legs open. I gasped instinctively, and saw Elle's eyes flash with desire. I looked around the bar, worried about who may be watching, but the few other patrons were far away and too engrossed in their own conversations to care about our dark little corner.

"I should warn you," Elle purred menacingly, her face inches from mine, "that Beth is very soft-touch, compared to me. I like to be rough, and mean. I like absolute control." Her words sent an excited shiver down my spine. The thought made me nervous, but Elle had me completely enthralled. I wanted to submit to her completely, to see how far she could push my limits.

"You think you can take it?" Elle whispered in my ear, digging her fingers into my thigh hard. I gasped and nodded, and Elle moved away to take in the sight of me. Beth's hand was still on my thigh, caressing gently, and I was aware of her watching me intently. Meanwhile, Elle's hand was creeping further up my leg, nudging its way under my dress.

"Did you obey my order this afternoon?" Beth suddenly asked coolly.

"Yes," I replied breathily.

"Good. You must be desperate," she responded, pulling my thigh towards her so that my legs were spread further apart. All I could do was nod. Elle's hand climbed further and a soft whimper escaped my lips before I could stop it. Elle chuckled.

"What's wrong, darling?" Elle asked mockingly as her fingers brushed tantalizingly against my crotch under my dress.

"I-" I went to reply but bit down on my lip, aware that what I had been about to say was an incredibly embarrassing thing to admit, in public, to a woman I had only just met.

"You what?" Beth pressed quietly, her voice edged with glee.

"I'm so wet," I whispered. I couldn't believe myself, but they both seemed pleased with my response.

"Of course you are," Elle replied, bringing her lips to my neck as her hand continued to tease me. "Because you're a good slut, aren't you?" I nodded, and Elle pulled her hand away. "Say it," she hissed.

"I-I'm a good slut," I murmured, and was quickly rewarded with Elle's fingers between my legs again, pressing harder this time, putting just a little pressure on my clit through thin fabric. Beth moved closer, nuzzling tantalizingly at my neck as I moaned under Elle's touch. For a few blissful moments, I forgot where I was, surrendering to the maddening pleasure of being completely ensnared by two perfect, intimidating women.

"God, I can't wait to get my hands on you," Elle hissed as she pulled away and I crashed back to earth. I was dizzy, disoriented by the sheer desperation. Beth pressed her lips to my neck in a long, soft kiss before moving away. I could see the desire on her face - she clearly enjoyed watching Elle torment me as much as she enjoyed toying with me herself.

"We can go to my place if-" I started, unable to contain my own excitement.

"No." Beth cut me off coolly. "If we're going to do this, we need to establish limits and boundaries. This isn't something to leap into impulsively."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Beth moved swiftly to cup my cheek, pressing her thumb against my lips before I had the chance to speak.

"We're not doing anything tonight." She sounded firm, and my heart sank. I was tempted to argue - what she and Elle had just done had definitely been something - but I had embarrassed myself enough with my show of wanton desperation. I nodded, and Beth's hand dropped back to my thigh.

I reached for my glass and took a long sip, taking the opportunity to compose myself. They both withdrew, giving me some time to come back to my senses.

"Is there anything you and I have done that you haven't enjoyed?" Beth asked, finally breaking the silence. I shook my head, knowing the answer was clear to her already. She smirked before continuing: "Is there anything we haven't done that you really want to try?"

A series of images flashed through my mind: all my wild fantasies of Beth. I knew the answers were endless, but I didn't know how to begin to put them into words. After a few seconds of silence, Beth nodded a little.

"Well, if ever there is, just say. Ok?" Her voice had softened at my discomfort, from business-like to warm and caring. I swallowed hard and nodded, suppressing the wave of arousal that swept over me as her fingers brushed lightly over my hand. Her brow furrowed slightly at my obvious discomfort, and her next sentence was hushed and tinged with concern. "We don't have to have this conversation now if you don't want to," she said gingerly, angling her head down to meet my expertly averted gaze.

"I...no, I want to," I stammered back hastily, and truthfully. "I'm sorry, I'm just, um...distracted." At this, Beth and Elle chuckled in unison, and I relaxed a little into the warmth of their laughter, even knowing it was at my expense.

"You like being teased, though," Elle purred, brushing my cheek gently with the back of her hand. I nodded, biting my lip. "And denied," she added, and I nodded again, muttering a quiet agreement as fire coursed through my veins. "How do you feel about restraints?" She asked, tilting my chin to face her. I paused in the face of a question I couldn't answer non-verbally.

"I enjoy them, I think," I responded, shocked by my own honesty and the ease with which the words rolled off my tongue. "I liked the handcuffs a lot," at this, I stole a glance at Beth, who was sporting a satisfied smirk, "but I'm curious to try rope. I think I might prefer that." I couldn't believe how blunt I was being.

"Why?" Elle pressed, with what seemed like genuine curiosity.

"I..." I trailed off, sipping my wine as I tried to formulate a coherent answer to a question that had never crossed my mind. "I think it's to do with the intimacy of it, I imagine it would feel...less detached, less cold."

She nodded before pressing on. "How about pain?"

"I like it in the context of discipline, I...I don't really know how I feel about it in isolation," my confidence surprised me, and I picked up the pace as I settled into the conversation. "I'm open to trying it more, though. It's not something I've ever really done." Elle's eyes skimmed searchingly over my face, as though she was appraising me: as hard as she was to read, she seemed satisfied with my answer.

The rest of the evening felt like a fever dream. Beth and Elle took it in turns to press further into my likes and wants, and I surprised myself with my increasing honesty and conviction. More than once, I had to conceal a furious blush with my wine glass, which Elle continued to diligently refill. I didn't drink enough to be anything more than a little tipsy, but the heady combination of the wine and the company left me feeling light-headed. By the time Elle handed her card over to the waiter, batting away my feeble attempt to reach for my wallet, I felt as though I had laid everything about myself and my fantasies bare. As I rose to leave, aching with anticipation I knew would go unfulfilled, Beth's guiding hand on the small of my back felt trivial compared to the intimacy of our conversation.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow evening?" Beth asked as we stepped back out into the night.

"No," I replied instantaneously, without any attempt to conceal my eagerness.

"Good. How's 5:30? I'll send you our address." I nodded in assent, looking from Beth to Elle in slight disbelief.

As we parted ways, Beth leaned to give me a chaste kiss on the cheek, while Elle stood back, unabashedly drinking in the sight of me with a look both possessive and frosty.

As I crossed the threshold into my silent, dark apartment, my phone lit up with two messages from Beth: the first, an address in a suburb I knew only by name; the second, a characteristically curt three sentences:

Thank you for tonight. I look forward to tomorrow. Don't you dare touch yourself.

Aching with desire I knew I wouldn't fulfill, I crawled into bed and fell into a fitful sleep, wishing the hours away.

***

Beth and Elle's neighborhood felt like a movie set - sleepy cul-de-sacs and manicured lawns. I realized as I approached their home that I had been expecting something quirky or radical, not an anonymous porch on a wealthy street. The Beth I had come to know in recent weeks felt totally incongruous with her apparent domestic setting. As I gathered my nerves and rang the doorbell, I expected to be greeted by a demure housewife in an apron, wrestling back a golden retriever and 2.5 children, and to be told that I must be in the wrong zip code.

Instead, Elle opened the door. Her blond hair was lightly tousled, and her normally impeccable eyeliner was ever so slightly smudged. The result was a softer, more casual version of the formidable professor - though as I stepped up to the door, I felt an icy power radiating off her, and it became clear she was no less formidable at home than at work.

From the hallway, I could see little of the home inside. Beth greeted me just inside the door, giving me a light kiss on the cheek as Elle locked the door behind me.

"Do you remember everything we discussed last night?" Beth asked softly. I nodded. "Is there anything else you want to ask, or anything you have changed your mind about?"

"No," I said breathily. I could hear the nerves in my own voice, and feel Elle just inches behind me. In my heels, I was slightly taller than them both, and for once I found myself staring directly into Beth's eyes rather than gazing up at them.

"Heels off," Beth said curtly, as if reading my mind. I obediently stepped out of my shoes, sinking to my normal height in a swift movement that left me feeling miniscule and powerless.

"Good," Beth replied with a smirk, trailing a soft hand down my face and neck before taking my hand in hers and guiding me through an archway into a spacious, dimly lit sitting room. My eyes glanced quickly over the furniture, too nervous to take in my surroundings beyond the ample leather armchair that Elle sunk into, eyeing me inquisitively as Beth prowled, feline, around me.

"Why don't you strip her for me, and show me around?" Elle's voice sounded far away, masked by the blood rushing in my ears.