Arcadia Resurgence by Vague Vermillion (e books free to read txt) 📖

mini kitchen as the two conversed. He got the sense it was an argument. The elf did not embrace her as he had before, and she kept a physical distance from her fiance that allowed her to keep her neck neutral instead of tilted up. Keeping some power in the exchange. Eiri also though he recognized the set of her jaw from their play - an arrogant, mocking angle she took to provoke him into hitting her harder. 

The elf left without touching her. After a moment, the Director sent her assistant out with a gesture. She was just taking out her phone when her head turned and she saw him, watching her from the kitchen.

 

 

He felt the yawning pull of her eyes, hypnotic suggestion. She wants me - bad! The thought thrilled him.

"Director," he said, entering without knocking. She frosted the glass as he closed the door behind him.

"Eiri," she said, waiting by her desk.

"Was that your fiance who stormed out just now...?" he asked.

She sighed. "It's the guest list. He wants the launch to double as an engagement party - inviting his family's allies, rivals. I wanted to include more employees, let them share Fulbright's success. We're getting a lot of backlash over the prolonged secrecy of the project; I wouldn't want it to reflect badly on your team, hurt your long term employment prospects."

Eiri winced. He hadn't thought about what would happen without Fulbright to support his visa status. There's no way Hall will renew it... 

"Don't worry about Hall," she said with her trick of knowing his thoughts. "If you want to stay, Eiri, I'm sure it won't be hard for you to find another team. You should talk it over with your manager."

"Isn't that Hall?" he asked.

She laughed, incredulous. "God, no. Eiri - haven't you ever checked the org chart? You report to the head of design. Not the product manager. And certainly not to me."

He blushed, embarrassed. "I... didn't know."

"It really is your first job out of college, isn't it?" she chuckled. 

"Don't tease me, Noth," he said. She stopped giggling as he said her name. He thought she looked a little sad. "What?"

"You hardly ever say my name. Now I worry I'll never get to hear you say it again," she said. "After the wedding, I'll be moving to their family home, doing whatever it is elven wives do. I expect it's boring. But... maybe a little more restful than the life of a working vampire. If you stay here, you should consider hiring personal security in case whatever group blew up the lunchroom comes back."

He started. Everything felt like it was happening too fast. He hadn't imagined what life would be like when Fulbright shipped, what living in Seattle on a full visa would really be like. In many ways, he realized, it would be no safer than being home in demon China. And he hadn't imagined never again touching Noth's breasts. 

She was imagining it for him now, pushing her sadness, her regret onto him. Augmenting his own sense of impending loss. He wanted to grab her, then, crush her to him. Kiss that terrifying mouth with its deadly teeth and jam his hot cock deep into her weeping cunt. 

"I'd like that," she murmured. "Have you had a chance to shop for an outfit? For the party? Maybe you could come with me to get mine fitted. It's where I'm heading next. ...My fiance isn't invited."

They left together, not even bothering to feign discretion. He held her hand, she laughingly told him a story about having an elemental tailor who could never find scissors. "Every time, it was 'Can you bite this off for me?' I swear she just wanted to see my teeth!" 

"Did you bite her?"

"God, no. She was a rock elemental - would've snapped my fangs off!"

The climbed into the backseat of her car, still laughing. She asked him about where he shopped in China, and was it hard to find clothes that fit his tall frame. He confessed his secret obsession with vintage pre-Collapse neoprene, a rarity in demon-controlled countries. "After months of organic cotton, it's going to be a real shock to go back to all the synthetics stored in my mother's attic..." 

"I told you - you don't have to go back, if you don't want to. I know Hall is a nightmare, but he's an outlier among Starbucks elves. A spoiled second son they indulge with the odd high profile job. After this, I imagine he'll get transferred to product operations..."

"How did you stand working with him all this time?"

"Whenever he opened his mouth, I pictured you fucking me and sent it his way," Noth shrugged. "Seemed to throw him off his monologues."

He turned to her, kissed her cheek with real affection. She squeezed his hand and smiled, dimples blooming in both cheeks. 

She took him to a small boutique in Sunk Town, an indoor shopping district two and a half miles below ground. Eiri was stunned to see hundreds of vampires throning the well-lit tunnels, smiling, laughing, stopping to window shop. Living for all the world as if it were Old Seattle thousands of years ago. 

"I didn't know there were so many here," he said. 

"Oh it's a very popular tourism spot for us," she said. "Family friendly nightlife is hard to find everywhere - but the elves did so well preserving the old city underground. It's a great place when you're not interested in hunting or fucking on vacation."

The dress boutique reminded him of the Yves Saint Laurent storefronts in Shanghai - an unassuming entryway with stark contrasting color blocking on the interior. A water elemental ran the shop, drifting between interconnected aquariums checkered across the walls behind the colored panels. Like the fishbowl at the office, a surface might be opaque or transparent, depending on where the salesperson was. 

The water elemental greeted Noth by name. She ran her glowing eyes - like the trailing glow of the flashlight fish - up and down his body and smiled, showing many pointed teeth. "Will your companion be assisting you at this fitting?"

"He will," Noth said. The elemental led them to a private changing room where a platform with three lighted mirrors dominated a corner and a long, smooth couch sat opposite. The elemental blacked out the panels as she left, sealing the door behind them for privacy. Eiri sat on the couch, running his hands along the fabric in wonder - real leather! Butter soft and well-maintained. 

"I know," Noth said. "This is place is kind of ridiculous. Far from practical." She stepped up onto the platform and twirled, smiling at him. It took Eiri longer than he wanted to admit to realize she cast no reflection in the mirrors.

"That's why you invited me? To tell you how you look because you can't see for yourself?"

"Well... That's not the only reason." She winked. 

A soft chime sounded, and the door panel dissolved into view, swinging open to reveal Noth's assistant, carrying a garment bag. "Ma'am, the dress. Let me help you."

Eiri watched awkwardly, not sure whether to look away or stare, transfixed, as Noth stripped down to her underwear - a nude colored cotton set with white lace applique - and her assistant removed a dramatic, floor-sweeping gown from the garment bag. It was a natural column silhouette in dove gray silk, covered from neck to hem in muted gray-green leaves and dusty pink flowers embroidered in superfine linen fibers that shimmered in the dressing room lights. 

Noth stepped into the pool of the fabric, turned to let her assistant fasten the silk button closures up the back. Then - a finishing touch - a long, black satin ribbon looped beneath her breasts, around her stomach, over her hips. The assistant reached to help her boss tie the sash off just under her rounded buttocks at the back, where the row of buttons stopped. 

Her work finished, the assistant withdrew. Noth turned to Eiri to ask, "What do you think?"

"The ribbon ruins it," he said, bluntly. 

"See, I knew I could trust a designer to tell the truth," Noth said. "I was inspired by the old Roman gowns from antiquity. And I wanted some kind of structure. I won't be wearing anything underneath..." 

Really? He smiled. "Then, maybe you should try it on as it's intended to be worn..."

She smiled back, keeping her fangs hidden behind her lips. She started to reach for the buttons, but he shook his head, stopping her. The gentle touch of her mind in his made him shiver, and he imagined in detail exactly what he wanted her to do. She blushed and his mouth watered as she reached her hands down to her thighs and began to gather up the silk a handful at a time, slowly exposing her bare legs, her trembling knees, and at last, her cotton panties. 

She hooked her thumbs just between her hip bones and the band, slowly shimmying to pull them down. The gown came down with them, obscuring his view. 

"That won't do." Eiri stood up, and she kept her eyes down, engaged in the game. 

He came over to her on the platform, marveling at the novelty of seeing himself reflected in the triple mirrors while she didn't cast so much as a shadow. He touched her hips, running his hands over the silky leaves and flowers, feeling the weight of the luxurious fabric as caressed her back, her belly. The satin sash felt cool and smooth under his fingers; it came undone easily as he tugged at the little bow tied below her buttocks. He took the strap between his fingers, measuring out the length of it.

"Put your hands behind her your back."

He reached for the hem of the gown, hiking it back up over her waist. He tied one end of the satin strap around her bare waist, looped it between her legs, bunching the gown up under her arms. He bound her wrists just above her ass, pinning the folds in place. He had just enough slack left in the strap to reach up her back and wrap around her neck in a tight collar, forcing her to keep her hands in place lest she choke herself. Pulling up on her hands scissored the strap between her legs, where it rubbed against the high mound of her sex. And if she moved too much, she'd lose control of the gown wadded up under her arms, letting its full weight pull down on the strap. An impossible predicament.

Satisfied, Eiri patted a bare butt check and went back to his place on the couch. He admired the sight of her, the beautiful gown contorted and mangled behind the tight band of black satin stark against her white skin. Her cheeks were already bright red, her legs still shaking. 

"On your knees."

She went to kneel and he savored the sight of her wincing as the strap tightened - first around her neck, then over her sex as she struggled to stay upright. Let's make it interesting.

"Come here."

She shot him a quick glance. "It's a twelve million dollar gown..." 

"Do it right and it won't touch the floor," he said, adding just a touch of sterness to his voice. "You're not a careless little girl, are you, Director?"

She bit her lip and lowered her eyes again. "No... Master."

His heart nearly beat out of his chest at the sound of the word. I may never hear it again... "Come here," he commanded again.

She went to him on her knees. Carefully, painfully lowering herself from the platform with one leg while the strap slipped higher between her folds. Twisting and swallowing as it tightened around her neck. She swished her hips, trying to move her knees in longer strides without compromising herself. But the satin torment hiked up higher, tighter, disappearing completely between her fleshy nether lips as she shuffled to him. I bet it looks even better