The mild autumn wind dispersed the grey, milky smoke of the cigarette that was slowly burning between Victoria's fingers as she was leaning against the white fender of her BMW and waiting for Kate to arrive. She could still feel the slightest of pain on her buttocks as the cold sheet metal of the fender pressed against them. Luckily, most of the bruising had healed and only the most serious wounds were still somewhat visible.
Victoria was wondering if Kate would show up at all or not, and to be honest, she didn't know which alternative made her more anxious. They hadn't been in contact since the incident. They hadn't specifically agreed to take some time off from their games and each other; it had just happened. When Victoria had woken up in the following morning, Kate had been gone. Victoria hadn't thought about it any further, figuring that Kate probably needed some time for herself, and frankly, Victoria's main concern right now was to get her wounds tended.
Tending the wounds had presented a challenge in itself as she couldn't just walk to the school nurse. Luckily, she had access to a doctor that had been the Chase family physician for years. This had not been the first time Victoria had consulted her over delicate matters, so she'd known that she could address her over this issue in confidence. The only problem had been that she was located in Seattle. Since traveling in either direction had really not been an option, Victoria had made a video call to her. She'd told her bluntly and truthfully what had happened and then pulled her slacks and panties down to the web cam and let the doctor inspect her bare and bruised buttocks on the laptop screen. Patiently, Victoria had stayed bent over before the web cam, shifting her position as per the doctor's instructions, until she'd told her that she could dress up. Of course, she couldn't be absolutely certain but, based on what she could see from the screen, she'd determined that the wounds shouldn't need stitching. She'd prescribed Victoria an anti-bacterial lotion that she should apply every morning after shower and keep the wounds bandaged until they had healed.
The doctor had been kind enough to write Victoria a couple of days sick leave, for excessive menstrual symptoms. Those days had certainly come into good use as everything that involved walking or sitting, had been simply excruciating, and trying to do either in public would've been bound to raise questions. Victoria still couldn't believe how she'd managed to visit the pharmacy unnoticed. The trip there, however, had been pure agony. Luckily, after two days' rest and medication, she had been fit enough to keep a normal face while sitting in class.
While Victoria's resting period had helped her physical wounds to heal, it certainly hadn't put her mind to ease. Not once had Kate come to see her or texted her during the time she'd spent in her room, tending her wounds, and when Victoria had returned to classes, the other girl had kept to herself, avoiding contact. Victoria had wanted to go to Kate and ask how she was except that… she couldn't. The victimized part in her had kept saying that Kate had hurt her. Kate should be the one to take the initiative. But deep inside Victoria knew that it was just a lame excuse keeping her from admitting that she herself had driven Kate to hurt her. Victoria had been so focused in pursuing her sexual desires that she'd broken an innocent girl's mind in the process, maybe irreversibly. The truth was that Victoria was afraid to confront Kate.
Reconciling with Courtney and Taylor had provided a much-needed distraction. Things had started off a bit lukewarm, as the two girls were still hurt for Victoria telling them off the last time. Victoria's sincere apology, and a peace offer lunch, had made them relent, though. Soon, they had been talking and gossiping like nothing had happened. Getting to spend time with her friends had indeed been a welcomed distraction.
That distraction had been short-lived, though, as Courtney, true to nature, had also let Victoria in onto the latest gossip on Kate. The rumors that the church girl had become a frequent visitor at the clearing behind the Tobanga totem had changed Victoria's care-free mood back to concern over Kate's well-being. As Courtney's talk had dampened into an incoherent murmur in Victoria's mind, she had realized that she could no longer avoid confronting Kate. Obviously, they both needed to discuss the events of their last session, but that wasn't the only thing that needed addressing, and that frightened Victoria the most.
Victoria had thought that she'd be able to keep her emotions separated from their games. After all, it was all about them both giving each other what they needed. It was supposed to be a simple, symbiotic relationship and nothing more. That intent had begun to crumble the first time Victoria had seen Kate in her birth suit, and it had received its final blow when they had shared their first aftercare. Of course, Victoria had kept denying her own emotions all the way to the days that followed their last session together. As the days had gone by, Victoria had realized how much she really missed Kate's company, and not just for the scenes, but in general. With Kate, Victoria felt comfortable enough to let guard down and to be herself. One could say that the petite girl brought out the best in Victoria, and that she found herself liking the person who she was with Kate. Eventually, she'd had to face the fact. She was in love with Kate Marsh.
The fact that Victoria was emotionally invested in another woman wasn't an issue as she had accepted her own bisexuality for some time. Of course, she didn't advertise it around the campus, mostly because of how it might affect her position in the Blackwell student hierarchy. She had not expected to get into a serious relationship with anyone during her high school years, so being openly bi simply had served no purpose. Her social status was a small concern, though, when compared to whether Kate would feel the same way about Victoria as she did about Kate.
Obviously, Kate had already expanded her sexual boundaries by immersing herself into the world of BDSM with Victoria, but that didn't necessarily mean that she would be either sexually or romantically into women, let alone Victoria. She still feared deep within that, besides being able to channel her traumas through their arrangement, Kate was only aboard to get some form of payback for Victoria's bullying, despite all of Kate's reassuring. Trusting people had never been easy for Victoria, so she wasn't surprised that she still had doubts. Nevertheless, she knew that she couldn't leave things to linger the way they were. She knew she had to take this decisive step regardless how much she might end up hurting ultimately.
Victoria took one last drag of her cigarette, before flicking it away. Just in time to see Kate walking down the stairs leading to the parking lot. Victoria almost didn't recognize her as her appearance was quite different from the usual meek church girl look, she usually donned. A short, tan trench coat was covering the cocktail dress Victoria had bought for her but a flash of lavender hem, ending up just above Kate's knees could still be seen under the coat. The dress left the stocking-clad slender calves visible, with the high-heeled Manolo Blahniks arching them graciously. Kate's hair wasn't her usual daily bun either. Instead, she'd left it open, letting it fall smoothly down along her back. She'd also applied more make-up than usual. If Victoria had had to describe Kate's appearance with one word right now, it would've been stunning.
"You… look beautiful," Victoria commented with an awkward smile as Kate arrived to the car.
"So do you," Kate responded, blushing from the compliment. She kept a small distance to Victoria, not trying to hug or anything.
"So… shall we get going?" Victoria asked, stepping to the passenger door and opening it for the church girl.
"Sure," Kate said, taking the last few steps and sitting on the passenger seat. Victoria closed the door and walked onto the driver's side, getting behind the wheel.
Victoria pressed the start button and the straight six turned to life. She pondered for a moment whether she should take the top down but decided against it. She wanted this evening to be perfect and ruining Kate's hairdo with the draught didn't fit that plan, so she simply drove out from the parking lot.
Silence prevailed inside the convertible as Victoria drove down the hill towards the town center. At the end of the street, she took a left and began driving south on the Arcadia Bay main street. After passing the town limits, the settlements became scarcer and the forest began to dominate the roadsides. The road began to climb higher, zigzagging along the hillside until they were a few hundred feet above the sea level. Just as the road began to level again, they arrived to an intersection. Victoria took another left, onto the US 101, heading north. They passed Otter Point that gave a view over Arcadia Bay. Victoria could catch a glimpse of the lighthouse at the other side of the cove.
"So, where are we going?" Kate finally broke the silence.
"Astoria," Victoria answered. "There's this seafood restaurant that I've read good reviews about. Their clam chowder is said to be the best in the coastal Oregon." She paused for a moment before saying: "I wasn't sure whether you'd come."
"Well, to be frank, I wasn't sure if you'd ever want to speak to me again, let alone ask me on a date," Kate said bashfully. "We are going on a date, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are going on a date," Victoria reassured. "We also need to talk," she added.
"Yeah, I guess we do…"
"But that can wait until after dinner. I've booked us a hotel room where we can stay overnight."
"Oh, you have now?" Kate asked impishly. "One might get the impression that you have a hidden agenda."
"What?" Victoria asked bemusedly, before she felt the warm rush of blood in her ears and cheekbones as the realization hit her. "Huh, no! I just thought it would be nice if we didn't have to drive back late in the evening," she hurried to explain."
"Relax, Victoria, I'm just heckling with you," the other girl chuckled. "That's actually very sweet and considerate of you."
"Kate Marsh heckling." Victoria smiled. "What have I done?"
-ooo-
The Columbia River bathed in hues of amber and gold as the sun was slowly going down into the calm waters of the Pacific. Victoria could still feel the gentle caress of the last rays that the setting sun cast upon them on her skin. She and Kate were lazily leaning against the railing of the balcony and sharing a cigarette as they admired the picturesque sight.
"It is really nice in here," Kate said as she passed the cigarette to Victoria. "Well, not as nice as Arcadia Bay, but the river mouth is really idyllic."
They were staying at a small hotel that was located at Smith Point, where the Youngs River entered the Columbia River. The balcony in their third-floor suite offered an unhindered view over the river mouth, bordered by the New Youngs Bay Bridge in the southwest and the Astoria – Medger Bridge in the north.
"Yeah, it is," Victoria agreed as she took the offered cigarette and took a drag. She passed the cigarette back to Kate, who took one final drag before stubbing it onto an ashtray.
"The dinner was delicious too," Kate continued. "You weren't exaggerating about the clam chowder. It was the best one I've ever had."
"How many times you've actually had clam chowder?" Victoria asked curiously.
"Including this?"
"Sure."
"Um, once."
"Figures." Victoria rolled her eyes, followed by a smile. "Your bar is set pretty high straight from the beginning, then."
"Hah, I guess it is."
Victoria knew that they both were dancing around the actual subject, the proverbial elephant in the room. They'd been doing that the whole day, not wanting to ruin the moment. She also knew that the more they postponed it, the more it would affect their relationship in the future. That was not to say addressing the matter wouldn't have implications, but Victoria gathered that it was better to set the record straight and end it now in mutual understanding rather than to continue as they were, letting things to accumulate until they would crumble under their own weight. That would result in an abrupt and ugly ending, which would scar them both for life. Victoria didn't want that for herself and especially not for Kate. Still, seeing the no longer so meek church girl standing there as the cocktail dress brought out and emphasized her petite figure, made it hard for Victoria to even consider anything else than getting Kate out of that dress and leading her to bed.
"Look, Kate…" Victoria began, and took a moment to find the right words.
"Yes, Victoria?" Kate responded, her smile turning a bit more serious, as in anticipation what Victoria was about to say.
Before Victoria could continue, there was a loud rap on the door. She couldn't tell whether she was irritated or relieved by the interruption.
"Room service!" A man's voice said from the other side of the door.
"Coming!" Victoria responded as she left Kate's side and stepped inside, quickly making her way to the door. She quickly confirmed through the peephole that the knocker actually was hotel staff, before releasing the latch.
"Good evening, Miss," a young man dressed in a waiter's outfit said from behind a catering trolley, as Victoria opened the door. "You ordered alcohol-free sparkling wine and strawberries?"
"That's correct," Victoria answered, eyeing the flask that was resting in the cooler and a bowl of strawberries that were neatly set on the trolley. "You can put them over there," she pointed at the living room table.
"Shall I open the bottle for you, Miss?" the waiter asked as he put the cooler and bowl with two glasses on the table.
"We'll manage, thank you," Victoria answered. She dug a twenty-dollar bill from her purse and gave it to the waiter.
"Thank you, Miss. Have a great rest of the evening!" The waiter pushed the catering trolley out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"What did you order for us?" Kate asked as she stepped in. "Ooh, sparkling wine and strawberries!" she commented gleefully.
"I would've preferred actual champagne for the occasion, but unfortunately the hotel wouldn't yield on the age policy," Victoria said as she took the bottle in her hands and examined it critically.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine with this," Kate remarked. "I think we both can agree that my track record with alcoholic beverages isn't much to brag about." Her sentence was accompanied by a slightly contrived chuckle.
"Oh, my goodness, Kate!" Victoria blurted embarrassedly upon realization. "I wasn't thinking… I'm sorry…"
"It's all right, Victoria," Kate said gently, taking Victoria's hands into her own and looking at her straight into the eyes. "We've both scarred each other for life in our turns. I've been thinking what happened the other night over and over. I don't know, maybe at some level I did want to punish you for that video you took of me." Kate sighed and looked down. "It doesn't justify my actions, though, and I'm willing to dedicate the rest of my life to make it up to you, if you'll let me."
"Kate…" Victoria said, cupping Kate's cheeks and lifting her chin up. "What happened the other night… Maybe it was my karma catching up on me. God knows I've accumulated a lot of bad karma in my life." She paused for a moment to wipe away a tear that was trickling down on Kate's cheek. "I want you to know that I will never hold that against you"
"Thank you, Victoria, it means a lot to me" Kate said, more tears swelling. "I don't know when I'll be able to forgive myself, but for what it's worth, I think I'm ready to forgive you for that video."
"Kate, I…" Victoria was seldom loss for words, yet here she was, completely devoid of the speech she had prepared and practiced for Kate. Instead, with her own eyes beginning to water, she said: "I love you."
The smaller girl stared at her, slightly bewildered at the sudden confession. Victoria was going into a panic, realizing what she had just blurted out straight from her heart. She was about to open up her mouth for a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, when Kate's teary eyes brightened and her expression turned into the sincerest smile Victoria had ever witnessed.
"I love you too," Kate responded gently and pressed her lips on Victoria's.
Victoria's eyes widened upon the sudden sensation on her mouth and she just stood there flabbergasted for a moment. It didn't take too long for her to recuperate from her amazement, though. She wrapped her arms around Kate and reciprocated to the kiss. Victoria came to realize outright that Kate wasn't a very experienced kisser, as she was simply smooching nebulously. Victoria decided to take reins and carefully slid her tongue between Kate's lips to explore. This time, it was Kate's turn to gasp in amazement. Shortly, however, Victoria could feel the tip of Kate's tongue shyly feeling its way about. Victoria encouraged Kate by slowly beginning to swirl her own tongue around Kate's, releasing a spontaneous giggle from the church girl. Before long, the two tongues were ravenously exploring uncharted regions and intertwining into each other.
Victoria didn't know how long they 'd kept kissing. When they finally let go of each other, though, they both were catching their breath. Kate looked at her gently in the eyes. She took Victoria's hand into her own and walked her to the bed. Kate walked a few steps back. She turned around and cast a cunning grin at Victoria. She slowly unzipped her dress and let it fall onto the floor, revealing the lavender-colored lingerie that only barely covered her modesty. Kate stepped out of the bundle that was her dress and with little effort unclasped her bra and let it dangle from her finger briefly before dropping it next to her dress. This wasn't the first time Victoria had witnessed Kate bare chested, but this time the sight made her body tremble on a completely different level. Victoria realized she was biting her lower lip as Kate walked to her and found the zipper on Victoria's black cocktail dress. The church girl took her time unzipping the dress and then gently pulling it down, leaving Victoria standing there, wearing just panties and stay-up stockings. She could feel their nipples touching as Kate wrapped her arms around her neck.
"No roles, no scenes, just us," Kate whispered against Victoria's mouth.
Kate kissed Victoria again. She took a step back and pressed her fingers on Victoria's sternum. Taking a hint from the gentle nudge, Victoria let herself fall on her back on the bed. Kate was taking the initiative and Victoria was more than happy to let her. Kate came closer, crouching over Victoria and slipping her fingers under the waist of Victoria's panties. She raised her pelvis slightly, so that Kate could pull the panties off. The feeling of the satin garment sliding slowly against the skin of her thighs filled Victoria with need and anticipation. She craved to be touched by the girl that was standing there at the end of her feet, looking confidently down on her. Even though they weren't doing a scene, they might as well have been; so apparent was the poise in Kate's demeanor. She had really come a long way from the meek church girl she had been. For a moment, Victoria allowed herself to feel pride over her role in the process.
Kate smiled approvingly as she leaned forward to remove Victoria's shoes and stockings. Victoria's whole body shivered as Kate kissed the exposed skin. Kate stepped out of her own shoes and turned her back against Victoria. She unclasped her garter and took off her own stockings slowly, making sure to take her time. Finally, after what felt like an eternity in Victoria's mind, Kate slid her panties down, leaving them where she stood. She rose on her knees onto the bed and set herself astride over Victoria's naked body. Kate crouched over Victoria, grabbing her arms, and gently but decisively turned them upwards. As she held Victoria's wrists crossed over her head, Kate leaned even further. Just millimeters apart, Victoria could feel the warmth of Kate's mouth against her own. Victoria cracked her mouth open ever so slightly and the next moment she felt the softness of Kate's lips and a curious tongue making its way in.
Victoria wheezed slightly as she inhaled through her nostrils while Kate was keeping her mouth occupied. She felt Kate's tongue twirling ravenously around her own, and as much as Victoria wanted to reciprocate, she was the underdog in this situation.
It was as if Kate had sensed Victoria's predicament, as she suddenly withdrew her tongue and slowly sucked Victoria's lower lip between her teeth, pulling it slightly outwards before letting it go. Kate gave a mischievous grin to Victoria as she moved backwards, sliding her hands along Victoria's arms. Kate kept sliding her hands downwards until her palms were resting on Victoria's breasts. Victoria bit her lip in anticipation as Kate slowly crooked her index fingers until their tips touched the perky nipples. A jolt went straight down to Victoria's nether regions, making her rub her thighs together in frustration.
Kate took her time, though. Grinning, she pinched Victoria's left nipple, releasing a muffled moan out of the pixie haired girl. Kate leaned down, taking the teased bud between her lips and began to suck. Victoria's moan turned into a frustrated groan. She was already feeling the moist of her juices between her tightly clenched thighs, trying to find a passage.
"Impatient, are we?" Kate asked, looking at Victoria who was still biting her lip to the point where it would leave a mark. "Well, let's not keep you waiting, then," Kate continued, pushing her tongue out and twirling it around the areola. After a few twirls, she began to move further down, placing gentle kisses on Victoria's belly. Half a dozen kisses later, Victoria could feel Kate reach her clean-shaven mound. Her lips right around Victoria's clit, Kate slid her tongue out again, carefully unraveling the tender nub from between the folds and began sucking again.
"Oh, fuckkk!" Victoria yelped. She couldn't see Kate's expression but she was sure that that the church girl was smiling contently while she kept on sucking on Victoria's clit. It was almost terrifying how in such a short period of time Kate had evolved from a virgin of chastity to a ravenous and skillful lover. "P-please, fuck me now," Victoria begged.
Kate's reaction to Victoria's desperate plead was quite the opposite, however, as she suddenly rose up, an expression of realization on her face. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said as she pulled herself back and rose from the be.
"What?!" Victoria blurted, raising to a half sitting position and staring Kate incredulously. Her slit was aching for release, and the abrupt interruption didn't help her frustration.
"I'm sorry, give me a second," Kate said apologetically as she grabbed her overnight bag and ran into the bathroom.
Victoria groaned in frustration as she let her upper body drop back on the mattress. "You seriously didn't remember your tampon at this moment!" She shouted towards the bathroom.
"No, it's not that time of the month for me," Kate shouted back. "Just give me a moment. I promise you won't be disappointed."
Victoria sighed. She considered taking matters literally into her own hands, but she decided to wait and see what Kate had in store for her.
A couple of minutes late, Kate stepped out, wearing a leather harness on her waist and thighs, with a moderate sized, purple dildo dangling from her crotch. Victoria could see a hint of bashfulness on Kate's face.
"A strap-on, Kate?" Victoria's frustrated expression turned into an inquisitive smile, causing Kate to blush even more.
"Um, you see I had ordered this on the same day we - um, had our last session," Kate explained embarrassedly. "I wanted to surprise you, but then things went as they went and I never got a chance to show it to you, until now."
"I have to admit I am surprised," Victoria as she rose again on her elbows. "Where'd you even get that thing?"
"Um, one of the web sites that you showed me."
"Well, you'd better put it into good use, then," Victoria said, spreading her legs invitingly.
"Um, yes," Kate said insecurely, as she stepped hesitantly towards the bed and knelt between Victoria's legs.
"You do know how to operate it, don't you?" Victoria asked as she looked at Kate looming over her indecisively.
"N-not really," Kate said bashfully.
"Figures," Victoria sighed. "All right, come closer," she instructed. "We shouldn't need any lubrication, because I'm literally soaking."
Kate crawled closer so that the tip of the dildo was a few centimeters away from Victoria's mound. "Okay, now let me point you to the right direction," Victoria continued, taking the silicone phallus in her hand and sliding its tip inside her. "Move slowly forward, on top of me."
Kate did as told and leaned forward. Victoria felt the dildo sliding deeper inside of her. Her eyes widened upon the sensation. That dildo was certainly bigger than it had looked at a first glance. Fuck, that thing is spitting me in half!
"Is everything okay?" Kate asked concernedly when she saw Victoria's expression.
"It's fine," Victoria reassured. "Just give me a second to get accustomed. This thing is slightly bigger than I'm used to."
"I'm hurting you again, aren't I? This was a mistake," Kate said regret in her voice and began to withdraw herself, but Victoria grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Shh, it's okay," Victoria said. "It's not painful or anything, just slightly bigger," she calmed Kate, pulling her back into position. "Okay, I think I'm ready for it. Now, start with slow and short thrusts and keep going until you find a comfortable rhythm. I'll tell you if it gets unpleasant, otherwise, just relax and trust your instincts."
Kate did as instructed and began to move her hips back and forth, first slowly and with small movements, carefully keeping an eye on Victoria's reaction. Gradually, she picked up pace and motion until she settled on a rhythm that felt natural to her.
Underneath, Victoria did her best to accommodate the huge invader that she felt was going deeper inside of her with every thrust. It had been a while since she'd had sex in the traditional sense of the word. Even though she was bisexual, she hadn't had much interest to get involved with any of the boys in Blackwell, the only exception being Nathan. They'd had a one-time fling during their sophomore year. They both had been drunk, high and horny, so they had done it in Victoria's room. Afterwards, they had agreed to settle on that one time and continue as friends. Victoria had planned on seducing Mark Jefferson, but in retrospective, she could consider herself fortunate that she'd never gotten an opportunity to carry out that plan.
"How am I doing?" Kate asked, beginning to sound slightly out of breath.
"You're doing fine," Victoria gasped back. "You can go a little faster." She'd finally gotten used to the size of the dildo and was beginning to feel the heat building up again. Despite being her first time, Kate seemed to have a natural talent in using a strap on. With a little training, she could do wonders with that thing- ohh, fuck! It's starting to feel pretty wonderful already!
"Uuh! Faster! Fuck me!" Victoria begged. "Yes! Keep going!" she continued as Kate picked up her pace. "Fuck me, Kate!"
Victoria felt the climax coming closer and closer with every thrust of the silicone phallus. She bit her lip and grasped the bedsheet to push the edge a little bit further, to let it build up a little more. "Faster, Kate!" Victoria arched her back, flexing every possible muscle.
Just.. a little bit.. further..
Try as she might, Victoria knew she couldn't hold on much longer, and a few determined thrusts later, she was pushed over the edge. "OOOHH, FUCKKK!" she cried, rising into a sitting position, wrapping her arms and legs around Kate and bucking her hips against the dildo as the waves of orgasms washed through her body. A few moments later, Victoria fell back on the bed, all spent, pulling Kate with her. They both were soaked from sweat and panting heavily.
"Well, that was intense." Kate smiled at Victoria.
"Yeah, it sure was." Victoria smiled back at Kate, pulling her down into a kiss. "I love you, Kate Marsh."
"I love you too, Victoria Chase."
"So..." Victoria cast an impish grin as she reached for the buckle of the strap-on harness. "Now that we got that thing properly lubed, you wanna give it a go?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Kate grinned back and rolled on the other side of the bed and began to unbuckle the strap-on. "Be gentle on me, though. I'm still technically a virgin, you know."
Victoria looked at Kate as she took the harness with the glistening fake phallus and began donning it. She knew that Kate had meant it as a joke, but she also realized that despite all that they'd been through, they'd never had sex in the way that most people understood it.
"I promise It'll be special," Victoria gave a warm smile to Kate and rolled over her.
-ooo-
"So..." Victoria started as they were snuggling under the blanket, still naked, although the strap-on was now lying limp on the floor after extensive use. Neither Kate or Victoria had not settled on one turn with it, and it could be said that they both had gained experience in its use. Now, they were just lazily enjoying each other's intimacy, exchanging kisses to various spots in their bodies.
"So?" Kate asked curiously.
"Where do we go from here?" Victoria continued. She looked at Kate with affection.
"Where do you want us to go?" Kate asked back.
"I-, I'm not sure. All I know is that I love you and want you to be in my life." Victoria's words brought an even brighter shine on Kate's eyes.
"I want that too," Kate said. "But if we're going to start a relationship, I don't want it to be something that we have to do behind closed doors, or in fancy hotels out-of-town. I want us to be able to express our love for each other wherever and whenever. No secrecy."
"Are you sure?" Victoria asked, slightly surprised about Kate's frankness. "What about your parents?"
"I'm not going to lie to my parents about who I am and what I want in life," Kate said resolutely. "They just have to deal with it."
"Wow! What happened to that meek church girl I used to know?" Victoria asked, new kind of admiration in her voice.
"You did, Victoria, in all kinds of ways," Kate answered, cupping Victoria's cheek. "But, as I said, I don't want our relationship to be something that we have to hide and be ashamed of." She looked Victoria directly in the eyes. "What do you say?"
Victoria looked at Kate. To be completely honest, she had thought they could've continued things as they were, until they would've finished school. Once they would be living in some big city like Seattle, it would've less complicated to be more open about their relationship. But Kate did have a valid point. It wouldn't be much of a relationship, if they'd have to keep up an image, more specifically Victoria's image that she'd carefully built up during her years at Blackwell. Was she willing to tear all that down? What would it mean if she and Kate would go public with their relationship? People would see her vulnerable, there was no denying it. Her position as the Blackwell queen bee would definitely be open for contest. Her parents would probably come around to the idea of her being in a relationship with a woman after the initial shock. There was no telling how it would affect her friendships. If anything, she'd learn who her true friends were. In the end, it came down to what she wanted and what really mattered to her. To that, she'd known the answer for some time.
"When we return to Blackwell tomorrow," Victoria said, taking Kate's hand into her own. "I'll be happy to have my girlfriend by my side, and I'll make sure that everyone knows it." She leaned forward to kiss Kate.
"I love you," Kate said when they finally let go of each other.
"I love you," Victoria responded. "Hey..."
"Yes?"
"When you said that you want to be open about our relationship, does that also mean... you know...?"
Kate looked at Victoria curiously, before her eyes widened with realization. "Heavens, no!" she blurted out. "That shall remain as something special for just the two of us. - I mean if you still want to..."
Victoria was quiet for a moment before she answered: "I do. - But I want to start over and take our time with it. I rushed things on the first time and put you in a situation that you clearly weren't ready for. I want you to promise that you speak up if you have any doubts about anything. Eventually, you'll be taking more responsibility over the scenes, and then I'll make sure that I speak up if I feel uncomfortable with anything."
Victoria paused and placed her hand on Kate's shoulder before she continued. "If it's okay for you, I'd like to set you up with my therapist. I feel that whatever unresolved issues there are in your relationship with your mother, it might be good to discuss about them with a professional. What do you think?"
"I... think you're right," Kate answered after a moment's hesitation. "On both accords." A tear ran down her cheek. "The last thing I want is to hurt you over something that's because of my mother."
"It's settled, then?"
"Yes."
"Good, I'll call my therapist tomorrow and ask if she has any free times available," Victoria said, stifling a yawn. "How about we try to get some sleep? We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."
"Sounds good," Kate answered, yawning out loud herself. "Good night, my love."
"Good night." Victoria leaned forward to give Kate a good night's kiss before resting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes.
They had lied quietly for maybe ten minutes, when Kate suddenly rose on her elbow and touched Victoria's cheek. "Are you sleeping?"
"Almost, what is it?"
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask of you," Kate said, turning the bedside lamp on.
"What?" Victoria opened her eyes to see Kate who had a smile on her face but her eyes were dead serious.
"I want you to be nice to Max from now on."
Victoria stared at Kate for a moment, before she smirked and nodded.
"Yes, Domme."
-ooo-
Four years later...
The Golden Meadows ranch was located just north of the Napa Valley. Calling it a ranch was a bit misleading, though, as the main building was rather a large mansion that could host over twenty guests at once. There was a small stable at the premises, but it wasn't used for horses. The Golden Meadows was a retreat for people that lived the BDSM lifestyle and wanted to express it in a safe and accepting environment. It was highly exclusive and getting a membership required a reference from an existing member. The premises were well equipped for fulfilling almost every imaginable BDSM fantasy, as long as you abided the rules of the ranch: any activities must have the full consent of all the participants involved, and the safeword must be respected. All guests had to state their safeword during check-in, so that the members of the staff could intervene in case the other participants in a scene didn't respect the safeword. Breaking the rules meant an immediate and life-long ban. Respect the rules and only your imagination was the limit.
Victoria followed Kate out of the stable. She could feel the cool autumn breeze on her naked skin as she gaited forward under Kate's rein. The metallic taste of the bit that was wedged between Victoria's teeth and pressing her tongue still made her cringe. She wanted to adjust the crotch strap of her training harness, but her hands were firmly held behind her back by the said harness. The small bells that were connected to Victoria's barbell nipple piercings were jingling with each step, and she could feel hairs of her tail plug sweeping her thighs.
It wasn't easy for Victoria to keep up with Kate's pace as she was still struggling to maintain her balance with the hoof boots that she had been wearing since the day they arrived. It didn't help that Kate kept doing gentle tugs on the reins to make sure that Victoria wouldn't fall too far behind.
Kate was looking absolutely smashing in Victoria's eyes, though. The smaller woman was wearing a tight white shirt, tan jodhpurs and black riding boots. A pair of leather gloves and a riding crop completed the look that in Victoria's mind oozed dominance.
In this moment, she wasn't Victoria Chase. She was Queen, her domme's pet pony.
As they were walking, Victoria began to think about the journey from that hotel room in Astoria to this point. It had had its ups and downs and it definitely had not been an easy one. Still, Victoria wouldn't change one bit.
It had started with their big reveal, after they had returned from Astoria. Both Courtney and Taylor had been surprised when Victoria had told them that she was in a relationship with Kate. While Taylor had been genuinely happy for them after the initial shock, Courtney had been more resentful. While Victoria had been saddened about Courtney's reaction, she really couldn't blame her for that. The raven-haired girl had looked up to the specific image that Victoria had built around her, and when that image had turned out to be a lie, Courtney had felt betrayed. Eventually, they'd managed to make up, and Courtney was now a dear friend to both her and Kate.
Kate hadn't had it much easier. It had taken a lot of effort for her to convince Max that Victoria was in this relationship for real, and that she wasn't just playing her. Victoria had kept her end of the bargain and begun to treat Max with decency. While she still wasn't as tight with Max as Kate was, they did share a mutual respect for each other.
With her parents, things had gone pretty much as Victoria had expected. In the end, they had been surprisingly supportive about the matter, and they had made Kate feel really welcome in the family. On occasions, Victoria felt that they preferred Kate over their own daughter, but knowing her parents, that wasn't too unexpected, and certainly not Kate's fault.
For Kate, though, things had not gone so smoothly. Kate's mother had not taken the news of their daughter being a lesbian and in a relationship with another girl well at all. She had been adamant that Kate puts an end to this sinful and unnatural fornication at once. When Kate had tried to explain her standpoint, her mother had called her a harlot and said that she'd pull Kate out of Blackwell. Victoria had heard enough and ready to step in to defend her girlfriend, when Kate had angrily told her mother to shut up.
Kate had walked right in front of her mother and offloaded all the anger and frustration that had been building up inside of her all these years. Victoria still had the scars in her buttocks as a reminder of that anger and frustration. In her mother's case, Kate had not resorted to physical violence, but verbally she had really let her have it. Kate had called her mother an insensitive and overbearing monster who cared only about her status and image in her congregation. Nothing that Kate did was ever good enough for her. From now on, Kate would do as she pleased and she wouldn't give a goddamned fuck what her mother thought about it.
This had been the only time Victoria had witnessed Kate, the kindest and gentlest of souls, to make someone cry. At that point, Kate had stormed out of the Marsh residence. It had happened so suddenly that it had taken a few moments for Victoria to realize that she should go after her. She'd caught up with Kate who was standing next to the car, looking infuriated. She'd told Victoria to get in and drive. Only after they'd driven a few miles, Kate had burst into tears. Victoria had pulled over and let Kate cry it all out.
Kate's father had come to Blackwell later that evening and apologized Kate for not realizing what his daughter had been going through. While Kate's announcement was a lot to sink in, her mother had no right to treat her that way. He'd said that what had happened had been an eye-opener to him, and that he'd have to have a serious discussion with his wife. He'd assured Kate that at least he and Kate's sisters would always be there for her, and that she would always be welcome home. Half a year later, Kate had gotten news that her parents had divorced.
Kate had not spoken to her mother since their fall out. With her father and sisters, though, she was in touch regularly.
After the initial turmoil, Kate and Victoria's lives had settled into their new normal. They both had concentrated on their studies again, and they had tried to balance their free time between each other and their friends. Kate had also begun to have regular meetings with Victoria's therapist to work out her mother issues. Victoria's bed had now become also Kate's nightly residence. Each late evening would see the church girl sneaking into her former nemesis' room.
For some time, they had been content with keeping the nightly activities completely vanilla. Eventually, the subject of spicing things up again had been brought on the table with Kate being the one to make the initiative. Victoria had initially found herself to be slightly hesitant to return the fetish aspect in their sex life. She now loved Kate for who she was and she had been afraid that starting doing BDSM scenes again might somehow irreversibly change their dynamic. Also, in retrospective, Victoria had to admit to herself that she'd been traumatized by the events of their last scene. After lengthy nighttime discussions, Victoria had agreed to try out a scene. As they had agreed, they'd take it easy, and to smoothen things up, Victoria would get to be the top.
On the following night, they'd done a relatively short scene with mild bondage and sensory deprivation, concentrating strictly on pleasure. While they had been doing the scene, Victoria had come to realize that her itch had not gone anywhere, it had just laid dormant within her. When she had watched Kate lying on the bed bound, gagged and blindfolded, she'd desired nothing more than to swap places with her. Victoria had restrained herself, though, and performed scene as planned. On the next night, they'd redone the scene, but this time with Victoria on the bottom. Lying there, struggling against her restraints as Kate had brought her to the edge of climax, Victoria had realized that she was exactly where she wanted to be.
And so, they had again begun their journey into to the mystical world of BDSM. Again, they'd done each scene twice, switching roles on the second time. This time, though, they'd put more emphasis on aftercare and analyzing their experiences. If something had made one or the other feel uncomfortable, they had discussed about it. Gradually, they had delved into more daring scenes, finding and pushing their limits. The riding crop had stayed in the storage box, though. Victoria had still not been ready to relive the experience.
Alas, the more venturesome their scenes had gotten, the more apparent the limitations of a dorm room for such scenes had become. Victoria would've wanted to invest into more intricate bondage gear, like swings and trestles, but there was no way to either install or store such equipment in the confines of a small dorm room. Besides logistics, there had also been the privacy aspect to consider. They really hadn't been able to fully immerse into their scenes as they had to keep quiet. They'd nearly gotten caught when their spanking session had gone awry, and they really didn't want to risk any other unexpected visitors in a middle of a scene.
Victoria had begun to look into renting a suitable space to be used as their dungeon. After a quick survey, it had turned out that reasonably priced places that would be suitable for the purpose while offering privacy and discretion had been in short supply. Victoria had almost given up hope, when she had seen an ad about the Prescott Barn being up for auction. Even though she was fortunate enough not to have first-hand experience, Victoria, like everyone else in Arcadia Bay at that point, had been aware of what had been going on in the bunker that resided under the barn. Needless to say, she'd known all too well who had fallen victim to the atrocities that had taken place within. Nevertheless, Victoria had studied the description and pictures of the barn, including the bunker and had found it to be ideal for their activities. No wonder that bastard Jefferson had chosen it as a location for his cruelties. Victoria had made quick calculations and come up with an amount that she'd be willing to bid. There had been only one obstacle: to sell the idea to Kate.
Unsurprisingly, Kate had been less than keen on the idea of purchasing the place where she had been abused. Even though she still had only vague recollections of the events, Kate had seen the pictures taken of her. Victoria was out of her mind if she thought that Kate would set her foot in that place ever again, much less started doing BDSM scenes in there.
Victoria had told Kate that she could appreciate the reasons why Kate wouldn't want to return to the dark room, but on the other hand, wouldn't that mean that Jefferson and Nathan had won. Instead of avoiding dark room and horrible events related to it, Kate should face them head on and show her abusers that try as they might, they'll never break her.
Kate had acknowledged that Victoria had a point, but she had still hesitated. What if they went down there and it would trigger some horrible memories?
Victoria had said that Kate was the strongest person she knew. If someone could face the memories of those events and not falter, it was Kate. And if nothing else helped, she could always unleash the unstoppable wrath of Kate Marsh on them. That remark had gotten an unexpected snicker out of Kate.
Victoria had proposed that they'd check the place out before they make the decision. If it would be overwhelming for Kate, they would call it off and keep looking.
Kate had reluctantly agreed.
Victoria had arranged a showing with the realtor handling the auction. She and Kate had driven to the barn and met with the realtor who had been waiting for them. The realtor had given a quick overview of the barn and then directed them to the hatch that led down into the bunker. Kate had hesitated momentarily at the top of the stairs, but had followed Victoria down. The stairs had led into a dark hallway that in turn had led to a heavy door which had been wedged open. When they had entered the actual bunker, Victoria had noticed the sturdy door and the keypad lock on the doorpost. No one could get in unless they knew the combination. Victoria had also made note that the air inside the bunker was fresh and dry, and not musty as she had expected. The Prescotts must've had sunk a fortune into the HVAC system.
Kate had looked around nervously, trying to see if some detail would wake a suppressed memory, but nothing had seemed to cause any reaction in her. Instead, she'd bravely kept going deeper inside the bunker. All the equipment and furniture had been removed from the premises. All that had reminded of the bunker's dark past had been the white backdrop that had seamlessly continued onto the floor. Kate had stared at the backdrop for some time, until tears had started running down her cheeks. Victoria had come to Kate and asked if she was all right. Kate had said that she knew that she'd been in this room, tied and drugged. She'd seen the pictures and all, but when she looked at the whitewall, it didn't wake any memories or feelings in her. She'd said that she didn't know which was worse, knowing and not remembering or that she actually might remember it someday.
Victoria had wrapped her arms around Kate and said that perhaps it would be only fitting to turn the purpose of this room from something dark into something positive. To start creating positive memories instead of bad ones. Kate had said that she'd like that idea.
They'd quickly gone through the rest of the premises. Victoria had said to Kate that it would be perfect for them, but it would be up to Kate to decide whether they will go forward or not.
Kate had smiled at her and said to go for it.
Once back at Blackwell, Victoria had surfed into the auction and left her bid. The amount had been ridiculously low considering the real value of the property, but it had represented quite a remarkable portion of Victoria's assets at that time. She'd not held very high hopes of winning, but at least she'd tried.
A few days later, the realtor had contacted Victoria that she'd had the winning bid and that the Prescott family had accepted the offer. The realtor had also told that hers had also been the only bid. Apparently, the barn carried a stigma that made it undesirable among real estate investors. For better or worse, Victoria had now become the owner of the Prescott Barn.
Victoria had signed the deeds the following day. Sean Prescott or any other member of the Prescott family had not come to the signing. Instead, they'd given the power of attorney to the realtor. Maybe it had been for the best, as Victoria had not known what she would say to Sean Prescott, if he would've come.
With the barn now in her possession, Victoria had begun to furnish it. The first thing she'd gotten had been a trestle, made out of wood with padding on the top. Victoria had also gotten some screw-mountable D-rings from the hardware store and mounted them on different locations on the trestle. The next order of business had been a bed. Victoria would've liked a custom-made bondage bed like she'd seen in the Moonsphere comics, but budget being tight, she'd settled to a queen-sized bed from Ikea, along with pillows blankets and linen. The bed had also received D-rings on predetermined locations.
Victoria had moved most of her sex toys, along with some rope from the hardware store to the bunker. The setup had been still pretty rudimentary, but it was a start. She and Kate now had their own dungeon for their scenes.
Victoria had brought Kate back to the dungeon and presented her the new furnishings. She had also told that from this point on, she was now fully submitting herself to Kate, meaning that they would no longer be switching between roles. Kate would now be a full-time domme, having the responsibility of planning and executing the scenes. Kate had objected, saying that she wasn't sure if she was ready. Victoria had reassured her, saying that she was ready, and that Victoria had full faith in her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be offering to submit. Victoria's final instructions to Kate had been to plan a scene for them, hopefully making use of the trestle.
And so, Victoria had found herself bound, gagged and blindfolded, balancing on the trestle and being tormented by the vibrator. She'd been delving deep into her personal subspace and loving every moment. Kate had done a wonderful job preparing and executing the scene. In the aftercare, the focus had been more in Kate's feelings and experiences rather than her own. Kate had told that she'd been more worried about Victoria's well-being rather than what kind of vibes the place was giving to her.
With their inaugural scene in the dungeon having been a success, they had slipped into their new routine of executing a scene once, or sometimes twice a week. Having a bed in the premises had made it possible for them to spend the night there after the scene rather than trying to sneak back into the dormitory in wee hours. They'd touched up the place with paint and furniture to make it look more like their own. They'd also kept gradually equipping the dungeon with more gear to add variety into their sessions.
A few months into their venture, though, the realities of owning real estate had begun to hit Victoria. She'd come to realize that the running costs of the place were higher than she had expected, and that she regularly had to dig into her savings to keep up with them. At this rate, she would be broke before she'd even graduated. Victoria would have to find an additional source of income or she would be forced to sell the place.
Victoria had expressed her worries to Kate, who'd come up with an unexpected suggestion. What if they'd begin to film some of their scenes, set up a website that would host the videos and photos and make the access subscription based. Victoria had initially been doubtful to the idea. How could they set up such site, and what about their anonymity? Kate had told that there were service platforms that made setting up a site a breeze, and they could simply wear masks and hoods to conceal their identities. To that, Victoria had made a dry remark that Kate was just only looking for an excuse to have Victoria wearing that latex hood that they had just purchased.
Still, Kate's idea hadn't sounded that bad. They could finally make some use of the white backdrop that still occupied half of the room where they had been doing their scenes. Victoria's filming equipment was already professional grade, so they would basically have to invest into some lighting, and they would pretty much be all set. There had been one other problem, though. Where would they find a photographer that was skillful and trustworthy enough?
Kate had thought of that too, although Victoria had not been at all pleased at her suggestion. Max Caulfield, of all people? Why not, Kate had asked. Max was a talented photographer an she'd trust Max with her life. Victoria had not contested that. Even she had to admit that Max was an awesome photographer, way more talented than Victoria would ever be. And if Kate trusted Max, that would be good enough for Victoria too. The thought of Max witnessing Victoria in her barest, most vulnerable state was the thing that had disturbed her the most. On the other hand, they'd not had much of a choice, so Victoria had begrudgingly agreed to meet with Max.
They had met in Kate's room. They had explained to the hipster girl what they had been up to during these past months. Needless to say, Max had been flabbergasted. Victoria had not been able to tell, which part of their revelation had shocked Max the most, the one that Kate and Victoria were into BDSM, the one that Kate was a fledgling domme, the one that Victoria was secretly a submissive or the one that they had bought the Prescott Barn and were using the dark room as their dungeon. Both Kate and Victoria had told Max the principles of their arrangement and what they were getting out of it. The fact, that they had fallen in love with each other, had been an added bonus.
They had agreed on doing a test shoot. Kate would plan a relatively simple scene and Max could use Victoria's equipment for taking pictures. They'd arrived to the dungeon and Kate and Victoria had changed into their outfits. Victoria wasn't sure who had felt more awkward on that first time, Kate and Victoria about being in their drastically exposing outfits in presence of Max, or Max about seeing Kate and Victoria in their outfits in her presence. Once they'd gotten accustomed to each other's presence, they had begun the scene. Since they'd only been taking still shots, the scene had been more posing than actual playing. That would of course change when they would shoot videos.
When they had posed for the first set of pictures, Victoria had noticed that Max had momentarily frozen, just holding the camera in her hand, and staring at them with an expression of dread and sorrow. Victoria had been about to say the safeword, when the brunette had suddenly snapped out of it and began to take pictures. Victoria had reckoned that the sight Kate tying Victoria's arms on her back must've had triggered something in Max. But Max had not fallen victim to Jefferson and Nathan, had she?
After they had finished shooting, Victoria and Kate had repeated the scene with Max just following and studying angles and cropping for the future sessions. During the scene, Victoria had kept eye on Max in case she would be triggered again, but the brunette had followed scene through stoically, without any signs of being triggered.
In the aftercare, Max had said that she believed she got the ultimate idea behind what Kate and Victoria were doing, and she could respect that. She'd added that she would be honored to photograph and film them, if they still wanted her, and that their secret was safe with her. Although, when Kate had suggested that she could also participate a scene sometime if she wanted, Max had politely declined.
Even though it had not been easy for Victoria to admit it, the photos of the scene had turned out great, and they'd had a nice set to put up onto the website that they had founded. Victoria had created accounts for their website on Twitter and Tumblr and posted some teaser pics on both platforms with link to the subscription page. Within 24 hours, they'd already gotten over fifty subscribers. Within a few weeks, they'd gathered a subscription base that would cover their running costs and even turn some profit.
With the finances sorted, Victoria and Kate had continued doing scenes on a regular basis, with a difference that Max was now photographing and filming them. First, they'd shoot some stills, and then they would perform the scene for the video. Not all the scenes had been filmed as the technical aspects prevented them from fully immersing into a scene. Their subscriber base had steadily kept growing, so they had been able to use some of the profits to buy new equipment and to do some improvements in the dungeon.
Spring had brought another dilemma when they all had graduated from Blackwell, and they had to think about their future. Skipping college altogether and making a career out of their lifestyle had been out of the question at this point as that would've led to too many difficult questions and none of them were ready to face the consequences of exposing their secret. After lengthy discussions, they had made the decision that they would all apply to universities and colleges in Portland, which would be within a reasonable distance from Arcadia Bay, so that they could travel there on the weekends and do scenes.
They all had been accepted to the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland. Max and Victoria would be majoring in photography, and Kate in illustration. The College life had been hectic, but somehow, they'd managed to visit Arcadia Bay a couple of times in the month and film scenes. Kate and Victoria had brought some of their gear to Portland, so that they could play scenes in the privacy of the apartment they were sharing with Max. Despite all the persuasion, Max had chosen not to try BDSM. Instead, she'd befriended a local band that had a pirate theme and liked to spend time with them, providing Kate and Victoria much needed privacy.
In retrospective, the college years had gone by quickly. During that time, Kate had developed tremendously as a domme, showing remarkable talent and imagination in both planning and executing a scene. She seemed to be able to always find a new angle or twist into them, thus keeping things fresh and interesting. Also, Victoria had evolved in her own role with Kate managing to push her boundaries further session after session. There had been setbacks, of course, but those had been always been thoroughly discussed in the aftercare.
In most cases, Victoria had been enthusiastic and curious, when Kate had proposed a new kind of thing to try out in a scene, but there had been one time when Victoria had initially rejected Kate's proposal right from the start. Kate had suggested that they'd try out pet play. Pony play to be exact.
Prancing around in a bridle and harness? Absolutely not! Submissive or not but even Victoria had some level of dignity, and this was way below it.
Kate had put her best puppy eyes on and explained that the barn would make a perfect setting, and that she'd always wanted her own pony.
In that case, Kate should go to the nearest stable and buy an actual pony. No way in hell would Victoria be walked around in a leash.
For a moment, Victoria had stood her ground, but she'd known that she was fighting a losing battle. Having dominated Victoria for a couple of years now, Kate had known exactly what strings to pull to win her over. Eventually, Victoria's submissive curiousness had gotten the best of her.
Fine! She would be Kate's pony, but it would only be the two of them. No Max, no filming. Just them.
Kate had made the necessary acquisitions and they had driven to the barn. Half an hour later, Victoria had stood at the bottom of the stairs wearing nothing but a training harness, a bridle and hoof boots. A bit had been wedged between her teeth, rendering her speechless, and a rather large tail plug in her anus had been causing great discomfort. Victoria had been no stranger to butt plugs, but she'd never worn a plug of this size. The thought of a tail dangling from between her buttocks had felt both degrading and arousing to her, and she'd felt the crotch strap of the harness getting moist from her own juices.
Victoria had turned to face Kate who had stepped into the hallway. The smaller woman had been wearing a blouse, jodhpurs and riding boots. Victoria had felt drool running from the corner of her mouth. When Kate had walked closer, Victoria had seen that she had been holding a riding crop in her hand. Realizing that Victoria had seen the crop, Kate had walked to her and brushed the crop against Victoria's cheek.
A crop was an essential item in training a pony, but Victoria shouldn't worry. Kate had promised to go easy on her and accompanied her words with a sharp flick on Victoria's buttocks, making her flinch.
Victoria had been about to start humming 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' when Kate had put her hand on her cheek and calmed her down. She'd looked Victoria straight in the eyes and asked if she trusted her.
After a moment of hesitation, Victoria had nodded.
Good. Kate had smiled to Victoria reassuringly as she had loosened her reins and walked her up the stairs.
Half a year into their graduation, Kate, Victoria and Max had sat down to discuss about their future. Victoria had made note of a new platform aimed at erotic content creators being founded. JustFollowers offered a platform, wide customer base and visibility for the creators and took a cut of the creators' subscriptions. Victoria had seen it as a possibility to increase their income. There had been one downside, though. Operating on a platform that was better known to the public, meant that they wouldn't be enjoying the kind of anonymity than they had on their own website. Someone might be able to connect the dots, and their secret would no longer be a secret. Victoria had seen the benefits greater than the risks, but the decision would have to be unanimous.
Both Kate and Max had had their own doubts about joining, but eventually they'd decided to vote in favor of going there. The decision had turned out to be sound as their user base had almost tripled in a short period of time. The increased income had meant that Victoria and Kate could realize something that they had discussed about since Victoria had bought the Prescott Barn. They would tear down the barn and build a house in its place. Now they had been able to put that plan into motion. They had offered Max to move in with them, but she had again politely declined and said that she'd rather get her own place somewhere from Portland. She'd be happy to make the trip to Arcadia Bay to do the filming of the scenes whenever they needed, though. Kate and Victoria had been happy with that arrangement, but had insisted on starting to pay for Max's services from now on.
Graduation day had come, and Kate and Victoria had returned to Arcadia Bay to live in their new home. At that point, they'd had to reveal to their closest ones where the money for the house was coming from. It had been a lot to digest, especially for Kate's father, but eventually they'd come around to the fact that this was the way that Kate and Victoria wanted to live their lives and to make their living. Max had made her own career in Portland, but she'd kept moonlighting at the dungeon as promised.
After Kate and Victoria had settled into their new home and life, Kate had suggested that they'd set up another space in the unused part of the dungeon that they would rent out to like-minded people. This time, it had been Victoria who had been doubtful of the feasibility of the idea, but she had nevertheless agreed that they'd refurbish the rest of the dungeon and offered the new space for rent in the BDSM community. To their surprise, the space had been fully booked for six months ahead, and they'd had to start to consider expanding the dungeon.
Even though BDSM had become more of a career to them, Kate and Victoria still played their scenes with the same enthusiasm and intensity as they had in the beginning, when they had taken their first steps into the world of BDSM. They would keep their lifestyle and their regular life strictly separated, though. Victoria and Kate would only assume their roles when they were doing a scene. Other times they would be just a regular couple that were very much in love with each other. Victoria was looking forward to grow old with Kate in their house.
THWACK!
A gentle but determined flick from Kate's crop snapped Victoria out of her thoughts.
"Let's not be daydreaming, shall we, Queen?" Kate said to her. "Come on, now, let's get back inside," she continued as she began to rein Victoria back to the stables.
When they came inside, Kate opened the buckle of Victoria's bridle and took it off. Victoria stretched her jaw immediately after the bit had slid out of her mouth.
"Let's get you out of these things and cleaned up," Kate said as she began to loosen the training harness. "You've been such a good and obedient pony in these past few days that I want to have you in bed with me on our last night here."
"Thank you, Domme," Victoria responded humbly.
"Alice," Kate said the safeword, snickering. "I'll be needing my fiancée tonight, as I want to discuss some details of our wedding plan with you."
"I knew there was a catch," Victoria let out a fake groan.
"Would you rather be spending one more night in the stable?" Kate asked, taking the bridle back in her hand.
"Oh, hell no!" Victoria hurried to say. "Two nights is quite enough."
"I don't know, you seem to have developed quite a liking in being my pony," Kate teased.
"Well... maybe just a bit."
"Hah, didn't I tell you that you'd learn love it?"
"I guess you did... but I still love you more." Victoria wrapped her arms around Kate and kissed her.
"I love you too, Victoria."
"Oops, I stained your blouse with my sweat," Victoria said apologetically as she released Kate from her embrace.
"It's okay," Kate said nonchalantly. "You'll be doing the laundry anyway when we get home. I've gotten you a nice French maid outfit for the job."
"Oh, have you now?"
"Oui, mon chérie."
"Looking forward to it, maîtresse."
Author's notes:
Well, here we are, ten chapters and almost 40k words later. I checked that I had posted the first chapter of this story on FFN in the spring of 2018, and the ninth chapter in the beginning of 2019. Ergo, this concluding chapter took me over three years to write. I remember having gotten onto a good start with it, but then, I suppose life, and eventually Covid happened. The pandemic really took a big toll on my creativity. I had also began writing 'Band of Misfits' before the pandemic, and that had taken priority, as I had felt I needed a break from writing pure lemon. This year, however, I've rekindled my creativity, and I began to think it would be only proper to conclude this story. This chapter sees Kate and Victoria find out their true feelings for each other and the beginning of a new chapter in their life. In the end, I've included a coda of sorts, that gives a short summary how their lives and relationship continued in the following years. Technically, there would've been 4-5 short chapters worth of material in the events told in the coda, but I felt that it would be appropriate to end the arc into the hotel room in Astoria and include the coda, that turned out to be quite a bit longer than I had anticipated.
It feels amazing to think that this saga started with a doodle of Kate and Rachel, dressed in fetish gear, getting payback from Nathan. Even then I'd drawn Kate wearing a leather corset and latex opera gloves. Another illustration of Kate in similar gear followed, already with an idea that she is a domme. Of course, depicting Kate as domme couldn't be further from the character that most of us perceive her. Hence, I began to think of an origin story for her. Naturally, it would be only fitting that the person that had bullied Kate the most, would be her sub. But I didn't want to just write a simple revenge story, therefore I came up with the idea that Victoria is secretly submissive, and she finds a potential domme in Kate. Initially, I had quite a lot of ideas where I'd take them, including one arc, where Victoria would go sub 24/7, and that causes a strain on their relationship, causing Kate to call the whole arrangement off and temporarily breaking up with Victoria. Also, I had thought that Kate's breakdown with the crop would've caused Victoria to became resentful towards Kate again for some time. Alas, having written that chapter, I began to feel that I was repeating myself from chapter to chapter, so I began to think about wrapping things up and ending the story in a high note.
Nevertheless, writing this story has been therapeutic and educational, and I wouldn't change a thing. I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me this far. A special thanks goes to a fellow writer, Lyta Halifax, who has been an invaluable sparring partner in the writing process. I couldn't have gotten this far without you.
About the future. I am in the slow process of writing 'Band of Misfits', hoping to finish it slightly faster than I did this story. Story ideas come and go, but I have to be realistic about how much time I can dedicate to writing. Still, even after seven years, Life is Strange continues to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. You never know…
Thank you for joining me on this journey! Maybe sometime we'll meet again.