Clockwork Butterfly, A (12 page)

Chapter 19

Lena ate in silence along with all the other women. Well, verbal silence. The noise in the room was actually deafening once you paid attention to it. Jaws smacked together mixing food and saliva and knives scraped across cheaply glazed plates, sending shivers down Lena’s back. There was a woman sitting next to her who hit her teeth with her fork every time she took a mouthful of food. Lena’s brain was ringing with it. And as for the food, Lena had hardly been able to look at it since the feast at The Wasp’s table. The posters lining the dining room walls assured the inmates that it was a nutritionally balanced eating plan covering all food groups and including the recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins.
Read: slops
, thought Lena whenever she stared at them.

The tooth basher struck once more, and Lena put her knife and fork on either side of her plate still full of food. She didn’t dare think what mess a lifetime of forks hitting your teeth would make of your mouth and kept her eyes firmly away from the woman lest she find out.

If only she’d be called upon for another correction. Her stomach rumbled. She was hungry and felt disgusting, as they hadn’t been allowed in the shower block for over a week. She knew she was getting thinner, she could feel her ribs poking through her skin, but it hadn’t affected her breasts. They were round and full and when she imagined how they must look, she was very pleased with them. She had been rubbing them hard the night before, pleasuring herself once again to the memory of her two lovers taking her at once, and they were still aching from her attention. Her breasts and heart both. Just as she resigned herself to another evening alone in her cell, the familiar guard came up behind her and hauled her to her feet.

“You have been summoned,” she said as gruff as a man.

Lena stumbled to keep up. She could feel two hundred pairs of eyes burning into her back as she was dragged past the rows of tables.

By the time they arrived at the door, Lena wished she had eaten something. Her stomach felt hollow, she was beginning to double over with the pain, and the emptiness made her feel nauseous. Not only that, but she could smell herself. Her odor, although not completely unpleasant, was strong and sure to overpower the tiny Wasp.

“Enter.” It was Cheryl who spoke, which was unusual in the first instance because she rarely did, unless invited by The Wasp, but more so, because it was The Wasp who usually bid Lena come in. Lena did as she was told and followed Cheryl through the labyrinth of lush velveteen rooms and chambers, some no bigger than a wardrobe, some huge, like the first she’d been shown to.

“How big is this place?” Her voice made no echo as it was swallowed up into the fabric-lined walls and thickly corniced ceilings. Not like the vast cave-like structure of the rest of the unit where sound was thrown around and magnified into exhausting aural attacks.

Cheryl ignored her. Lena didn’t care as she began to detect a scent in the air. A warm rose or lavender bouquet, she couldn’t quite decide, drifted into her awareness. It was divine and she tried to inhale the perfume deep into her memory and keep it there for later. She could see steam up ahead and closed herself off to her hope of what was about to happen, in case she was mistaken.

She kept her eyes closed as Cheryl led her the last of the way and stopped.

“We’re here,” she said.

Lena gasped as she opened her eyes and took in the sight. A claw-foot bathtub stood in the middle of a room which was alight with flickering candles, their flames distorted by swirling steam and drifting tiny bubbles.

“Is…is this for me?” Lena managed to say, terrified that it wasn’t. Her skin bristled with thirst and need of the hot water surrounding it. She was desperate to be quenched; her entire body yearned for it. She stood shivering, awaiting her command.

“Yes.” The assistant placed two thick, white towels onto a chair and began to lift the hem of Lena’s dayshirt. Lena held her arms in the air as Cheryl pulled the garment over her head. “You are too thin. I will tell The Mistress.” She left, taking Lena’s clothing with her.

Lena leaned on the side of the bath and trailed one hand through the bubbles and into the silky hot water beneath. Divine. She raised her knee and stepped in, blanching at the unfamiliar heat. She stood with both feet in, the water up over her calves and watched them redden as she got used to it. Holding onto the sides, she slowly lowered herself in, panting through her mouth as she went. At last, her body acclimatized and she lay with her head back onto the pillow provided.

This truly was luxury. Everything else had been cheap in comparison with the sheer indulgence of this bath. It was the one thing in her life that she was sure she wanted to try, but was also sure she would never be able to. Bathing had long been considered a gross waste of resource; it was amazing to her that she’d been allowed such a good shower at the facility, but this…

Lena let the surface water tickle the erogenous zones at her hairline behind her ears. Heaven. Some of the bubbles burst, sending tiny shock waves of pleasure through her skin, traveling through her body. She slid down and held her nose, immersing herself completely. Water rushed into her ears and through her scalp, awakening her hair, increasing the sensations further. She moved her head from side to side, loving the feeling that her hair made moving in slow motion around her head, like that of a mermaid. She stayed submerged for as long as she could, until her lungs felt as if they would burst. With an almighty force, she resurfaced and exhaled, coughing and spluttering until she got her breath back.

When her heart had stopped pumping quite so hard, she took her attention back to her breasts and soaped them up with the thick lather surrounding her. She squashed and pushed them together, slowly at first then harder and faster, tweaking her nipples as she went, raising them into sharp peaks that could be seen above the surface. Desire surged in her abdomen and she parted her legs, lifting them up and over the rim of the bath, listening as the water slopped out over the side onto the wooden floor. Hot water flooded in and around her sex, welling and filling it with new sensations. She resisted the urge to touch, for now, wanting to experience this fully. She clenched and unclenched, forcing water in and out of herself. Her nipples were buzzing and it was mirrored in her clit, which roared with want.

She couldn’t wait any longer and took herself in both hands, opening her lips and diving three fingers up inside as the others worked her hard little nub. She rubbed and ground herself, but there wasn’t enough pressure. She brought her legs back into the tub and squeezed them shut around her mound and hunched into a ball, squeezing and rubbing until the pressure of her climax built into a flurry of pleasure that engulfed her from head to toe. The after waves of pleasure were magnified by the rippling water massaging the tiny hairs over her entire body. She let herself settle back into stillness and was once again aware of the water nibbling at her hairline. Divine.

Suddenly, she was aware of being watched. She didn’t really want to move, but an uneasy feeling began to steal away the deep relaxation she had been indulging in. Opening one eye slowly, she looked around, trying to see as much as she could through the tiny slit. The steam was thick and muffled everything around her. The once comforting candlelight now threw disturbing shadows around the room and into the tub. Lena lay stock-still and tried to calm her heartbeat so that it wasn’t so audible that she couldn’t hear herself think over it. Her ears strained and pricked to catch sound of her Peeping Tom. The aura felt different from that of The Wasp. It felt more sinister.

She froze as two hands wrapped around her head to her temples. Her heart took up its thumping once more as she prepared for a bolt through the brain or something equally as horrific. Just as she was about to say a prayer, a whispering voice spoke.

“It’s me, Lena. Just relax…” The Wasp began to massage her temples then her hair and Lena, who hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath, exhaled. The fingers and palms kneaded into her scalp, easing the knots of tension that had been gathering and tightening over the past few weeks. With every new release, Lena felt emotion gather in her chest. It traveled up to her throat until a lump formed and tears spilled from her eyes. “It’s all right, Lena, just let it out.” The Wasp’s expert, tiny hands soothed Lena’s neck and shoulders.

Lena stopped trying to hold it in and wept quietly, sniffing now and then while the massage continued. Her emotions began to mingle with her physical experiences and she felt herself travel to her nerve endings and become one with her body. Lena’s skin prickled with delight and she sighed, sinking deeper into the luxurious sensations, letting herself drift off into a delicious sleep.

* * * *

Lena awoke to find the water had cooled and Cheryl was standing beside the tub, holding out one of the huge fluffy towels. Grabbing on to the sides of the bath, Lena pulled herself to standing and hopped quickly out into the waiting snuggly embrace. The towel was warm and she wrapped herself in it, hugging it close. She felt sleepy, yet refreshed, and smiled at Cheryl, who looked quickly away.

“Why are you scared to smile at me?” Lena asked.

“The Mistress wouldn’t like it,” she said, staring at her feet.

“Are you her prisoner, then?”

“No.”

Lena was about to probe her further when The Wasp came in and briskly dismissed her.

“Feeling better?” she asked, whisking the towel off Lena when she nodded. Cool air rushed over her and she was irritated by it. The Wasp quickly looked her up and down before replacing the towel. “Yes, you are thin, aren’t you?” she addressed Lena while striding out of the room. “Come.”

Lena followed The Wasp into the dining room, which was once again laden with the finest foods and drinks. Before she sat, Lena was given a thick velvet robe to put on.

“I shan’t be staying,” stated The Wasp. “Eat your fill and then Cheryl will escort you to the guard.”

Lena nodded with a spoonful of soup halfway to her mouth, but didn’t even look up. She was ravenous and her body couldn’t seem to get the food in quick enough to relieve it. Spoonful after spoonful and forkful after forkful, food passed her lips until her jaws were aching, but she kept on eating, unsure of when she would feast like this again.

She thought of Mae and Angelo surviving on the manor food, which was only marginally tastier than the prison’s. They would love this. Once again, their memory brought with it melancholy, and Lena’s chewing slowed. She remembered Mae talking about how she missed chocolate, so Lena chose a large cake, smothered in chocolate icing and fresh raspberries. She stuffed huge mouthfuls of it into her face and rolled the flavor around and around her tongue. She felt altered, as if she was in a different state of consciousness and was amazed at how alive her senses had become since coming here.

Her awareness was suddenly brought back into the room by Cheryl shuffling slightly against the wall. Lena looked up just in time to catch a look of desperate want flash across the assistant’s face.

“Hey, come and sit down.” Lena motioned to the many empty seats lining the table. “Try this, it’s to die for, really.”

Cheryl shook her head and held her hands together low in front of her. “I can’t. The Mistress doesn’t allow it.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, how’s she going to find out?” she asked, cramming another piece of the incredible cake into her mouth.

Cheryl glanced sideways at the door and then smiled a very brief, but naughty, smile. “Just one taste,” she said excitedly, while still guiltily looking at the door.

Lena broke a piece off and lifted it to Cheryl’s mouth. She slowly opened her lips and wrapped them around the morsel, shaking. Her eyelids fluttered closed and her head tipped back in pure sensual ecstasy. Lena watched as the woman’s shoulders dropped and she slumped back in the chair as if she’d just had wild, wanton sex with a stranger.

“Well?”

“Incredible.” She smiled wickedly, picked up a fork, and leaned over the table to another bigger cake. The two women gorged themselves on delicacies until they couldn’t eat another bite. Cheryl suddenly turned cold. “I’ll show you out now.”

She passed Lena her dayshirt which had been laundered. Slipping it on, Lena tried to lean over and wipe a smudge of chocolate from Cheryl’s cheek. She looked away and wiped it herself with the back of her hand, looking pale with regret.

They walked through the rooms to the main door in silence.

“I’ll be punished for this,” said Cheryl as she lightly pushed Lena through.

Chapter 20

Mae’s head was pressed to the door, ears pricked, waiting for the pharmic to come and get the vial. Angelo was right, she was an impulsive idiot. He was sitting in brooding silence and Mae couldn’t bear to look at him, knowing that she’d probably ruined the only chance they’d ever have of finding Lena. Finally, she heard the
swoosh
and
click
of the portal being opened and the soft footsteps disappearing down the hall. She waited another minute and held her breath hoping the motion sensor had flashed already for that minute.

“Watch me. If the chamber opens, you bolt through as fast as you can.” She took a breath and threw open the door and fled out into the hallway with her finger aimed straight for the button. It made contact and to her amazement, the chamber door sprang open. Angelo flew past her and she quickly retreated back into the changing room. Just as she passed through, she glanced up to see the motion sensor flash. Good. Even if they checked, nothing would be out of the ordinary.

She fell onto her stool and tried to catch her breath. It had worked. She should be pleased, but something about the look that Angelo gave her haunted her.

* * * *

Mae had racked her brains on how to execute the plan. Even if they did get out, Angelo was certainly not going to go unnoticed, walking around in an all female society. He would need a disguise. But he was so big! Mae kept going around in circles. The only thing she could come up with was ludicrous, but no matter how hard she searched, it was the only thing she had. Trying to keep her composure, she knocked and entered the Archmatira’s office.

“Archmatria Raquilla, ma’am, I need a new tunic,” said Mae, pointing out the large tear in her skirt.

The Archmatria rolled her eyes and waved her off. “Yes, yes, you know where to get them,” she said, shuffling papers, obviously far too busy to take notice of Mae’s requests.

“I’ll need the key, ma’am,” she continued, and the Archmatria looked even more flustered.

“They’re up there somewhere.” The Archmatria didn’t look up from her chaotic desk, just flapped her hand in the general direction of the little key cabinet.

Mae was shaking as she pulled the tiny handles. On every peg hung a set of keys, all labeled. Taking the bundle named
supplies
, she scanned each peg until she saw what she was looking for,
cleaning staff keys
. Perfect. Adrenalin began to take hold of Mae’s nerves. She was feeling bold, as if nothing was in her way.

“You know, I could help you with some filing if you like,” she said brightly.

The Archmatria slumped in her chair with her head in her hands. “Yes, Mae,” Archmatria Raquilla said wearily, smiling up at her. “I’m sure you could. Now off you go and get yourself sorted out. We don’t want a reputation for being slovenly, now, do we?”

Mae slipped the extra keys into her pocket and said with a pang of guilt, “I’ll drop these back in later.” She knew she was the only inhabitant of the manor that wasn’t an Archmatria who would be trusted in such a way. But she’d earned her trust. She’d worked hard and faithfully for this manor for four years.

Mae had always assumed, in fact it hadn’t even been an assumption, as that would have meant she’d given it thought at all, it was just expected that when Mae came of age she would join the Archmatria training and possibly even take over for Archmatria Raquilla one day. She’d never seen anything else for her future. Now though, as she fingered the jangling bunch of freedom in her pocket, she began to think of other possibilities.

The storeroom was ceiling high with uniforms, sheets, pillowcases, even outdoor shoes and capes. Mae could have wept with joy. Even better, everything was precisely labeled. She picked out two sets of Archmatria robes—one medium, one extra large. Her hands were shaking as she formed a neat bundle. She had no idea if Angelo even owned a pair of shoes so she grabbed the biggest pair of sandals she could find. Hers would have to do; she couldn’t risk carrying any more.

She picked up the pile and was just about to leave when she remembered to change her tunic. Quickly finding a suitable replacement, she dropped the torn one into the mending pile.

* * * *

“I don’t believe it.” Angelo’s eyes were sparkling. “How did you get all this?” He threw the garments he’d just inspected down on the sofa and grabbed Mae, kissing her hard.

“Oh, you know, with my wile and cunning nature.” She smiled, relieved that his mood was back to normal.

“You’re amazing!” he said, squeezing her tight. His cock pressed against her thigh and she pushed him away.

“Not yet, Angelo. We have to make a plan with a clear head.”

He reluctantly let her go and they sat down with the clothing between them. “You do realize, I’m never going to pass as a woman.”

“You don’t have to be a woman.” Mae smiled. “Just an Archmatria. People don’t expect them to be ladylike.”

“Really?”

“No, they’re like nuns or something asexual. You should have seen some of the beasts that worked here before.” Mae was on the verge of giggles as Angelo looked at her disbelievingly.

“Shut up, all the women I’ve seen have been gorgeous. Perfect specimens of womanhood.” He looked her up and down as if to hit home the point, she couldn’t help but be flattered.

“That’s because the women you see are here solely to serve your carnal desires. They must be perfection to ensure your undivided attention and, not to mention, ejaculatory fluid.”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” Angelo grimaced. “
Ejaculatory fluid
, I liked
magical life essence
better.”

“One of Lena’s terms, I take it?” Mae smiled as Angelo nodded.

“I understand there will be different shapes and sizes of women, but really?” he said, holding up the Archmatria’s enormous robe that Mae had brought for him to wear.

It had been stressful thinking how to get the clothing past the night staff, but thankfully, they’d simply waved her on through security even with a huge bag dragging behind her. Being trusted was a valuable commodity in the art of deception. Mae couldn’t help but feel she was getting back at everyone in the manor for whom she’d lied for years. Guilt at deceiving Lena gnawed at her. Even though she’d seduced countless other women to find out their skills and pheromone level, none affected her like the lovely, innocent minded, little Lena, now far away.

“That belonged to Archmatria Davis,” she said, taking the robe from Angelo. “Who, in fact, was incredibly beautiful. Amazonian, I think, is the correct term.”

“If you say so,” replied Angelo. “Sounds terrifying to me.”

“Try it on,” urged Mae flashing him a wicked look. “I bet you’ll look sexy as a woman.”

“Put yours on,” Angelo countered. “I bet you’ll be sexy as a domineering bitch.”

“I am sexy as a domineering bitch.” Desire had suddenly overtaken her from nowhere and she lunged at Angelo, straddling him and taking his arms and holding them above his head. “Did you tie her up?”

“Yes.”

“Did you whip her?”

“Yes.”

Static energy crackled between them and Mae climbed off him.

“Lie on the bed with your arms above your head and your legs spread.”

Angelo smiled once, then seeing the serious look on her face, stopped. He did as he was bid and lay outstretched, in the same pose he’d taken Lena in many times. His cock was already rigid as Mae began to wrap the bindings around his wrists, snapping them taut. He reached up with his mouth when her breast fell free of her robe and for a second, she let it hover there and he took a bite.

She slapped him hard. “None of that,” she said and tied the other wrist.

The moon was giving out an eerie glow and Angelo’s body shone in its blue rays.
Beautiful.
Heat bounded between Mae’s legs and she straddled Angelo’s torso facing his feet and hitched up her kimono, making sure he got a good look at her moistening pussy. He certainly did and his penis bore rigid witness to that. She spread the flat of her palms over his stomach and rolled with them down past his pelvis, then hips, then thighs, knees and shins, down to his ankles, lying flat on top of him, soaking up his heat and strength.

He twitched his hips, reminding her of his thick cock, lying in wait. She tied one end of each strap around his ankles then reluctantly pulled herself off him to secure the other ends to the bedposts. Her juices trickled out when she stood and she imagined she was Angelo, looking upon Lena’s restrained body. Her pussy spasmed lightly and she opened her robe, letting it fall to the floor before climbing back onto the bed and walking up to Angelo’s head, her feet on either side of his body. Desperate with excitement and desire and the feeling of power she had over him in this state, she stood directly above his face and he stared at her pussy, breathing hard.

Reaching down with both hands, she pulled her lips apart, revealing the glistening bud and hole for his eyes to feast on. He licked his lips and she let him moisten her fingers. He wrapped his lips and tongue around them and got them good and wet. She slowly slid them back up her legs and into the folds of her aching sex. He groaned as she eased two fingers deep into herself, burrowing them hard and curling in to hook her g-spot. Her legs started to wobble and she fell to her knees over him. As he craned his head up, she removed her hands and grabbed him, pulling him into her.

His tongue was on fire as it darted around her clit, teasing and lapping back and forth. Mae’s whole body was convulsing in time and she reached around with one hand underneath her ass and slid her fingers in from behind. Her pussy was soaked and she pounded his mouth with it. He responded and his tongue lashed at her ferociously. She twisted her fingers in his hair and roughly jammed her pelvis into his face three hard times and came. Stars seemed to burst around her, and sweat trickled down her back and into her crack. She heaved, lurched, and pulled herself free from him. He smiled and licked his lips.

His cock was as hard and thick as she’d ever seen it. She crawled down and the smell of it ignited her lust once more. Caning would have to wait for another day. Facing his feet, she crouched over him and lowered her burning pussy onto him. She was slick, but his thickness still met with a little resistance as she clenched hard in anticipation. Her thighs were aching as she let him stretch her as slowly as she could until he was completely inside her. She felt so full and began to rock on him, taking his balls in her hands and arching forward so that he could take in the view. And he was. Mae looked over her shoulder to see the most magnificent expression of lust in his eyes that she’d ever witnessed. She pounded his cock with her pussy, knowing how fast and hard to go to take him to the brink again and again until he screamed at her to stop.

“I need to come!” he shouted, and she leapt off, quickly grabbing the vial and holding it under him as he shuddered to a climax.

She placed the full container on the bedside table and began to gently untie his bindings. “We need to do this soon,” she whispered, stroking his hair for a few moments before gathering the vial and pulling on her kimono.

“Tomorrow?” He smiled, sitting up and rubbing his wrists, watching her as she made ready to leave.

“Tomorrow,” she said determinedly. “I’ll find out where the cleaning staff entrance is and you make sure this stuff is hidden.” She motioned to the pile of clothing then pressed her finger to the pad and the door swept open.