March 2019

Chloe was still settling in to the reality of being the mayor of an entire town; honestly, the notion that she was chief executive of anything and anyone beyond herself still struck her as a joke. There were days she expected someone to pop out from behind the sofa or a door and announce that this was all part of some elaborate reality TV prank.

The wedding though? That was a dream that she never wanted to wake up from. Her mom and step-dad were delighted of course, and Max's parents were ecstatic as well. Even though Chloe always suspected that Ryan and Vanessa weren't exactly thrilled in the beginning with the relationship; not that they were against the idea of their daughter being with another woman, more that their concerns were focused on the idea of Max being in Arcadia Bay, in a traumatic time of her life. And they worried Max was being impulsive starting a romantic relationship which they feared was based only on the short but incredibly intense situation of one week in October.

But that was a long time ago; Max was a beloved teacher and professional photographer, Chloe was a successful politician, and they were soooooo damn good together.

Even if I do say so myself.

Ryan insisted on paying for the wedding, although his attempts to have it held in Seattle swiftly crumbled in the face of Max's adamant refusal to be married anywhere but Arcadia Bay.

They already had the perfect day picked, and the perfect place.

October 11th, 2019. It was a Friday, exactly as it was in 2013, the day of the storm. The day both their childhoods died; but a day that ultimately set them on a path that would result in much happier outcomes.

The place?

Kinda seems hella screwy that we're taking our vows at the same cliff, right next to the lighthouse. The place where we stood and watched as the town was flattened. Where Max and I...

Even now, Chloe still smiled brilliantly at the memory of that first real kiss Max surprised her with. A confession of love, bursting free, when both of them were convinced that she was doomed for the sake of the town.

But Max and Chloe were of one mind on this: as tragic as that date and place might have initially been, it was time to honor and celebrate that intersection, for all the good that was birthed.

Starting out though, the notion was mostly Max's...

"I got the idea after that cute little exercise you did, helping me get over the negative charge I still associated with that classroom, the day before I first started teaching at Blackwell. I thought to myself: that worked so well! Let's take it to the next level."

Chloe just hoped it would be nice and sunny for their wedding day; In her mind's eye, she envisioned the a gorgeous sunset framing the two of them, as they exchanged vows of eternal love and devotion. Even the thought of it being simply overcast, with a dark, weighty curtain of cloud cover rolling in but otherwise not raining out the vows seemed like a horrible omen to her. Stirred up too much of the lingering residue of fear and helplessness that still clung to her heart.

Max acknowledged it was a bit of a gamble.

"I know...but just keep thinking of the payoff! We've played it risky before. This'll be easy."

She laughed softly to herself, as she continued to hang a few personal items here and there on the walls of her office, in the newly refurbished municipal building. The base interior design was all Maggie's doing, of course; the older woman had graciously agreed to stay on as Chloe's personal aide. A woman of her talent could easily go somewhere else, with more pay and responsibilities, but Maggie had honestly come to love Arcadia Bay, more than happy to make a new home here.

Chloe set down a framed picture on her desk, the one Max took the day after their 'raid' on Blackwell. Lying in bed together, as she photo-bomed the selfie attempt.

The day I was trying to figure out what the hell I was feeling for her. God...I thought I was being so smooth with the "Oh, hey, I'm just daring you to kiss me. Just wanted to see what you would do. That's all. No big." routine. Musta been so hella transparent.

She smirked at her blue hair, with the top roots faded to a dirty violet. Reached up to touch at the cerulean bangs that added swatches of color to the velvet black that she continued to dye the rest of her hair.

"You should keep it that way, you know? The black part, if nothing else." Maggie insisted. "People respond to that sort of thing; they take you more serious than if you were just blonde. At least that's my take on it. May not be fair, but the cruel realities that surrounded electoral politics usually aren't."

Even though she instantly the knew answer, Chloe couldn't help but ask herself, for the millionth time, how the hell she went from hating this town with a burning passion to being it's most prominent citizen.

I may be the mayor, stuck with all these responsibilities and shit, but I can still be a cool mayor, right? Like, maybe Max can teach me how to play guitar, and I can coordinate something with the Oregon Guard, and I'll open the first State of the Town address playing a guitar solo while wheeling in on top of a tank. Ah God! So fucking epic when Peter Capaldi did that!

The intercom dinged, and Maggie's voice called out, breezy and amused, "You're fiancee is here to see you, Madam Mayor."

Jabbing the button to reply, Chloe said, "Whew! Thanks for the warning! Even though I totally have a logical explanation, it'd be embarrassing if she caught me and the gal doing an interview for the local community college paper together in nothing but our underwear."

There was a laugh in the background, as Max called out. "You are sooooo dead, Che!" A few seconds later, she walked in, closing the door behind her. Then pointedly locked it. She was dressed in a full length black leather trenchcoat, which Chloe found somewhat strange, considering the weather was unseasonably warm at the moment.

Chloe started to rise up to greet her, but Max held out a gloved hand, waving her back down. "No sweetie, you sit." She made her way over to the desk, then leaned over, greeting her with a warm, lingering kiss.

"Hiiiii..." Chloe breathed out, smiling as they parted. "Oooh, I like this. a visit from my favorite constituent. Not that I'm complaining, but shouldn't you be getting ready to go to Iceland?

Blackwell was currently on spring break, and Max had managed to score a plum assignment taking pictures of Iceland along the coast of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Chloe desperately wanted to go with her, but there was still too much for her to take care of at the moment, with the transition in government.

"No, I'm all packed. Leaving first thing tomorrow. Oh my dog, is it going to suck getting there! Two plane flights, twelve hours of flight time, and like...eight hour time difference. But - oh - some of the places I'm going to shoot are just gorgeous! And if I'm really lucky, I'm still on the tail end of prime northern lights season."

Chloe mock-grumbled, affecting a pout, "Yeah, yeah, rub it in. I should totally abuse my power, and turn this into a...I don't know...diplomatic mission? Do towns do that? Could I totally do that? And demand that Bjork greet us at the airport? She's a queen or princess in Iceland, right?"

Max burst out laughing. "No! No you can't...welllll. Technically I suppose if you went there with the intention of establishing a sister city relationship with some town there."

Snapping her fingers, Chloe remarked, "Oh shit! I can do that kind of stuff now? Damn, wish you told me sooner, woulda ordered Maggie to get me another ticket, and make Chris pretend to be Deputy Mayor for a week. The resulting scandal would be so worth it!" Smirking, Chloe leaned forward, placing her fingers together, elbows on the desk, chin on her hands. "Soooo...did you just come to be sweet to your Lady Mayor, or rub Icelandic awesomeness in my face? Or do you need my input on more wedding stuff?"

Chloe discovered, much to her dismay, that there was a lot of planning, detailed, seriously detailed, extremely detailed, brain-meltingly, infinitely detailed planning that went into a wedding. Not that Max was a bridezilla - okay not really - and not that their wedding ceremony was all that complicated, but she did want every little thing to be just so, and Chloe could hardly fault her. But between the bridesmaid dresses, and the catering, and entertainment, and seating arrangements - oh god, the seating arrangements! - and setting up the wedding registry, Chloe wondered how the hell people ever did marriage once, let alone multiple times.

Fuck it Max, I'd be ecstatic if we just got married at a Chuck E. Cheese. Hell, still not too late. There'd be a ball pit for the reception!

Max smiled, leaning forward , and splaying out her hands on the edge of the desk, "None of those. Actually...I came for a little role-playing exercise."

Not knowing what Max had in mind, but suspecting she was going to like where this was going, Chloe asked, "Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, you're the powerful and influential mayor of Arcadia Bay now. People are gonna be banging down your door, sweetie, and trying to get you to see things their way. Influence you, lobby you, that kind of thing. So I figure it'd be good if I helped you prepare for when that happens."

Chloe tilted her head, her smile growing wider by the second, "Uh...huh. And does this have anything to do with the fact that you're totally covered up in your one flasher-style trenchcoat?"

Max bit down on her bottom lip, tilted her body to one side in a fashion that Chloe found equal parts adorable and dead sexy. "Darn. You got me. Alright then, let's pretend..." and at this, she undid the belt, shrugged off the coat, and let it pool at her feet, revealing what she was wearing underneath. In a black leather corset, tiny miniskirt, fishnets, long leather gloves, and knee high vinyl boots, she was an absolute wet dream; Chloe could feel the heat rapidly rising to her face, as well as a few other more intimate places.

"I-ya...didn't realize the Dominatrix Union had such a strong presence in this town!" Chloe stammered.

Max gave her a knowing look, pushed aside a few knick knacks on the desk, sat herself down on the edge and crossed her legs. "What? Oh no, I'm actually just a concerned citizen, making my case for increased school funding in this town." Chloe's eyes half lidded as her fiancee reached out, cupping her cheek and stroking her face, the scent of leather filling her nostrils. "I think you'll find it's something I'm...passionately devoted to."

Chloe laid her hand over Max's, rubbing her face into those fingers, and murmuring, "M'kay. Whatever you want gorgeous...sports cars for all the teachers?"

Giving her face a weak, playful tap, Max chided, "Nooooo! You can't give in just like that. You have to stand up against...you know...evil, wicked..." her voice lowered a bit, as she breathed out, "tempting lobbyists such as myself. You gotta stay strong, baby." She then mouthed silently, "Not too strong."

This was a side of Max that Chloe wholeheartedly loved: the complex and somewhat contradictory personality. She could be so sweet, and caring, almost naive in more ways than one, coming off as the perfectly nice teacher you could trust your kids with. But behind closed doors, she absolutely delighted in taking charge in the bedroom. Once the two of them became sexually active in earnest after her return from San Francisco, Max quickly blossomed in that regard. Voraciously.

Blinking out of her hormone-induced stupor, Chloe realized she needed to play her part, that Max was wanting just a little more drawn out foreplay. Leaning back away from her touch, however reluctantly, she smirked cruelly and said, "More funding for schools? Never! Never, I say! If anything, I'm planning on closing down the grade school, and exempting all the rich people from all the taxes forever! Nya ha ha, mine is an evil laugh."

Max paused for a moment, working hard to keep from breaking character by laughing too hard, and then reached out, ruffling Chloe's hair with her fingers. In a breathy voice, she pleaded, "But Madam Mayor, I think you'll find I can be verrrrry persuasive. If you'll let me melt your cold, cruel heart..." She then pulled her close, mouth claiming her own, in a brief, but intense kiss.

Chloe melted immediately, and for the millionth time appreciated just how absolutely awesome her life could be these days. Which is probably why she didn't immediately notice the collar wrapping around her throat until a second too late."

Jaw dropping, as the kiss parted, Chloe blushed deeply, and whispered. "Uhhh...ummmm...okayyy. Woow. This...is new."

Pressing lips to her ear, Max whispered out reassuringly, "Are you okay with this? I really wanna...um...play, but if anything I'm trying out makes you honestly uncomfortable, you're allowed to tell me no. Okay, baby?"

Chloe nodded, her heart thumping excitedly. She'd never done anything approaching this level of kinky before, but with Max, someone she absolutely loved and implicitly trusted...it was more than just about making her lover happy; there was something about the whole situation that was turning her on incredibly.

Leaning back and mouthing out, "I love you." to her partner, Chloe pulled back and play-snarled, "What?! You think you can just break me like that!? Never! I'm Chloe Price, bitch! I own this town! This is Arcadia Bay, I'm the...the...Arcadia Gay!" She started to break down into giggles at the final bit, before clearing her throat and continuing. "And if you think your incredible, panty-melting sexiness, what with the whole...hawt outfit and the...mmmm...is that new perfume, sweetie? Yeah...I love it...er...I mean...and...and your wicked, fiendish...ummm...you'll never turn me into your brainwashed and adoring love slave puppet and rule this town from the shadows! Um...so yeah, don't even try."

Her eyes sparkling dangerously, Max said, in a throaty purrr, "Oh, Madame Mayor, you have no idea just how persuasive I can be." Hooking a finger around a ring in the front of the collar, she pulled her close, claiming another kiss. Parting her lips, Chloe eagerly allowed Max's tongue to slip past, wrestling with ever-increasing intensity.

Reluctantly, she broke the kiss, but only long enough the thumb the intercom and says, "M-Maggie? Uh...hold all my calls, 'kay? Any meetings I had this afternoon? Cancel'em."

Pulling out a leash, and hooking one end onto the o-ring, Max smiled, cooing out, "Good girl. Now...let me give you an exhaustive pitch about my...aggressive plan for school funding. Or whatever it is I'm trying to get out of you."

Chloe's head was swimming, drunk with lust, as she almost tripped while trying to rise up to her feet. Max gave the leash a tug, leading her over to the sofa.

Wow...this would be hot at home, but here in the actual office...oh damn! Volcanic!

She was pushed back, landing onto the seat with a soft thump. Max immediately crawled onto her, straddled her lap, and pinned her down against the cushions. Tilting her head up with a gentle, but insistent tug of the leash, Max captured her eyes with a consumingly intense gaze.

"You are mine, Chloe Price. Mine. Body and soul." She broke into a loving smile, and concluded, "And I will take any chance I can get to remind you of just how lucky I am to have you."

Things got hazy from that point...

The next day however, Maggie pointedly, but bemusedly suggested to Chloe that she and Max might want to be a little less vocal during their meetings in the future. The thought of being overheard was mortifying. On the other hand...

...still so totally worth it!

A/N: A short little something this week, but I hope you enjoy it. I'm always tempted to write a pure smut series for LiS...

This was supposed to be a smaller scene, part of a larger wedding chapter, but I had a long, long week...and also, I spent a lot of time playing Fallout 4 and working on next week's chapter of Black Swan, and after this part started to take on a life of it's own, I figured, screw it, lets publish what we've got for the week. :-)

I don't know if you've ever watched Hey Ash, Whatcha Playing?, but Ashley Burch can just get really crazy, and wacky. I totally imagined her mugging it up, the way she does for her crazier characters, when Chloe is play-acting being all tough, in this chapter.

Speaking of Fallout 4, Ashley voices a character in that game; a crazy, gun loving weirdo who is like the insane love child of Tiny Tina and Chloe Price. :-D

Well, have a great weekend! I hope to have the next chapter out in a week or two.