Harem House – Selene Pt. 14 by SirAeghann,SirAeghann

With the bowling alley behind them, Arthur and Mindy made their way arm-in-arm to his car. Mindy seemed very hands-on to Arthur, always finding a reason to touch him as they switched spots in the bowling alley, depending on whose turn it was, or even now as they walked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d walked arm-in-arm with anyone.

Mindy was like that, though, in his experiences with her at the office. She was always touching his arm for some reason or another. Now that they were on a date, he understood she’d been flirting with him the entire time, and he’d been blind to it since she was his coworker.

It made him wonder who else might have been flirting with him that he hadn’t noticed. Selene, probably, given how they’d gone from friends to friends-with-bondage-benefits to nearly full-time Master and slave. Katerine didn’t really flirt. When she wanted something, she went for it, including sex with Arthur. Kelly flirted, but he’d picked up on that right away, or so he believed. He’d even initiated their initial date and their second one.

Now he was on a date with a fourth girl: Mindy. She was a college freshman to his college senior and coworker, fully aware of Selene and Katerine. It occurred to him she might not be aware of Kelly, at least by name, but that was okay. He and Kelly were casual, and both agreed to be non-exclusive. Mindy was explicitly happy to be part of the harem Selene was forming for her Master.

Arthur couldn’t complain. He hadn’t had much time to think about it before today. Still, this afternoon as he went over the paperwork his parents gave him to finalize the arrangement of his acting as the landlord and handyman to the girls they rented their house to, Arthur realized he wanted this. He wanted a harem of his own, a houseful of women to leash and collar, each eager to have a sexual, possibly even romantic, relationship with him.

He’d been so worried about messing things up or crossing lines that he hadn’t been dominant outside of the play sessions he’d done with Selene and Kat. He decided to start taking a more active hand in things, even outside the sessions.

He thought about it as they walked to the car. Mindy looked up at him and watched his face as they walked. She smiled at him and held his arm in hers. She was still turned on from all the teasing she’d been doing at the bowling alley. Frame by frame for the second and final game, she teased Arthur with little flashes or quips, and now she had no one to blame but herself for the warmth that flowed through her veins and between her legs.

She glanced at his backseat as they approached the car and wondered if this parking lot had cameras or if she’d even care if they did.

“Do you really not care what movie we see?” Arthur asked.

Mindy smiled and leaned up to his ear. “I don’t plan on watching it.” She whispered.

Arthur smirked. He’d told her of his fantasy of having sex in a movie theater, and she’d jumped on the chance to make his fantasy come true. It seemed strange she was so eager, but from what he understood, Kat and Selene had promised her he would make her fantasies come true. He didn’t mind if she wanted to proactively arrange a quid-pro-quo.

“I just ask because, since it’s October, there’s probably a few horror movies playing.” Arthur wasn’t sure if she liked that kind of thing, and judging by the face she made, she didn’t think it was the best idea.

“Let’s see something romantic or even erotic.” She suggested as Arthur opened the passenger door for her. She slipped inside, flashing him with the red lace panties beneath her white dress as she did so.

Arthur closed her door once she was settled, trotted to his side of the car, slipped in, and started the engine. “You want to pull up the movie showtimes? See what’s playing?” He asked. He checked his mirrors, turned his head, and backed out of the parking spot while they talked.

“Sure thing, Boss.” Mindy pulled her phone out of her purse and turned it on. She dismissed a few notifications before she asked: “Which movie theater?”

“The one by the mall.” Arthur suggested. There were a few movie theaters around them and more as you made your way down the highway toward the city. Surprisingly, the one by the mall wasn’t the biggest or the most popular. It used to be packed back when malls were popular, but nowadays, it saw a slow trade in business, getting busy on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. A Sunday at dinner time? It’d be slow. Hopefully, it’d even be empty. Still, he wasn’t sure sharing the theater would deter her. She had already admitted to getting turned on at the chance of getting caught.

“Perfect.” She smiled. “Maybe we can hit the food court and get dinner after the movie?”

“Sure.” Arthur said. He turned the wheel, pushed into drive, and started their way out of the parking lot.

“Looks like there’s a rom-com playing in about twenty minutes. Think we can get there in time?” Mindy looked over at him as he drove. He wasn’t a lead foot, and the theater was on the other side of town, but they should be able to make it if the lines at concessions weren’t too long.

“Definitely.” Arthur turned onto the road.

“Tickets bought.” Mindy said after a few moments.

“What?” Arthur asked, glancing at her quickly before returning his attention to the road.

“I bought the tickets online.” Mindy explained.

“Oh, okay.” Arthur sounded disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” Mindy asked.

“I was going to pay for it.” Arthur didn’t mean to complain, but it still sounded like one. “It’s a date after all.”

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Mindy put her hand on his thigh and rubbed it consolingly. “I figured since you paid for bowling, I’d pay for the movie. It was my idea, after all.”

“Yeah, for my fantasy.” Arthur chuckled. “I should be the one to pay.”

“I’m sorry. If you want to, you can spank me for it later.” Mindy suggested. “It was very naughty of me to assume you would want to split the bill.”

Arthur laughed and had to concede that it was fair. “Okay.” He said with a smirk. “Just don’t complain later.”

“Oh, I never complain about a spanking. I’ll thank you for each one.” Mindy smirked. Her hand was still on Arthur’s thigh, and she let it rest there as she tightened her grip slightly, hugging his leg. “Do you like to do them bare-bottomed, or do you start over the clothes?”

Arthur felt himself respond and had to press his lips together to keep his concentration on the road. “We’ll see what kind of mood I’m in later.” He said with a tone of warning that Mindy didn’t expect but thoroughly enjoyed. “Maybe I should save it up and spank you in the office tomorrow while everyone else is at lunch.”

Mindy pressed her legs together and bit her lip. That had been a particular fantasy of hers for a while. A few days a week she and Arthur covered the lunch shift while everyone else went to eat. Arthur because he preferred a late lunch, and Mindy volunteered for it to get more time with Arthur.

“Yes, Boss.” Mindy said quietly. “Do you want to pay for dinner too? Or can we go fifty/fifty? I feel bad about you paying for bowling. I know you’ve complained about your rent before. I don’t want you to go broke over dating me.” Mindy’s grip on his thigh slid toward the inside of his leg by his knee.

“Don’t worry.” Arthur said with a nod. “I have plenty of cash set aside for dinner tonight, just in case we decided to go, and maybe I’ll even buy you something while we’re at the mall.” He said, his tone full of mischief.

Mindy smiled. “Like what?”

“I don’t know yet.” He answered.

Mindy scoffed. “Is it a present for me or a present for you, and you’ll make me wear it?”

“Would you be into that?” Arthur asked.

Mindy seemed to think about it for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah. I’d definitely be into that. Everything I’m wearing right now is for you, from the heels to this red velvet choker.” She hooked her fingers over the band of red velvet with a black string tied in a bow around her throat. “Never worn underwear this sexy on a first date before.” She smirked. “Everything was chosen specifically to please you. I want to impress you, Boss.”

Arthur smirked at her teasing tone. She liked teasing him, and he had to admit it was starting to drive him a little wild. He had half a mind to pull over and miss their movie, but she’d already bought the tickets. He could wait until they arrived and settled into their seats in the theater’s darkness.

Mindy’s hand drifted back along the inside of his thigh. It wasn’t long before she felt something in his pant leg, and she turned her head to look at him.

“Oh wow.” Mindy remarked.

“What?” Arthur asked as Mindy pulled her hand away.

“They really weren’t kidding.” Mindy scooted up a little in her seat.

“Who?” Arthur asked though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

“The harem.” Mindy answered with a soft laugh. “Selene and Kat. They said you were big and judging by this.” She squeezed her hand around him in his pant leg. “They were underselling.”

“Is that a problem?” Arthur asked.

Mindy shook her head enthusiastically, sending her pigtails whipping over her shoulders in both directions. “The opposite. In fact.”

Arthur smirked. “Do you want to see it?” He asked.

“What, like, right here, right now?” Mindy asked. She looked around at the cars they were driving past and then at Arthur. She nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, you should probably see it hard.” Arthur suggested.

“It’s not hard?” Mindy asked.

“Not yet. Not fully, anyway.” Arthur admitted. It was probably ninety-nine percent there, with all her teasing, but he wanted to be sure. “I’m a bit distracted with driving and all.”

“How can I help?” Mindy squeezed him again.

“Take off your sweater.” Arthur suggested.

Mindy sat back and pulled at the strings that made up the three bows that closed her cropped sweater over her dress. As soon as the third one was untied, she rolled her shoulders to push off the sweater, revealing the halter dress beneath, her bare arms, and a significant amount of cleavage and side boob of her double D breasts.

“Better?” Mindy asked.

Arthur looked over for a moment and then nodded. “Now, pull up your skirt, and leave it up.” Arthur instructed. It wasn’t a request but a statement of the inevitable fact that he expected her to obey. “Show me that sexy underwear you’ve been talking about.”

She’d flashed him with it a few times now, but this time when she reached down and pulled the skirt up over the tops of her thighs, she didn’t immediately drop it or push it back down. She obeyed, lifting the hem of her dress up around her waist, and left it there, revealing the front of a sheer panty made of red lace and string between her tan golden-hued thighs. He enjoyed the contrast between the darker skin and the flame-red underwear, all framed by her white dress and the straps of a garter belt that held up her white thigh-high stockings.

She tucked the hem of the dress into the waistband of the garter belt to keep it up and rubbed her hand along the inside of her thigh, letting her thumb brush over her panties. Arthur could see her pubic mound beneath the small triangle of thin red lace, which showed off a trimmed patch of ebony hair.

“Oh, fuck.” Arthur tightened his grip on the steering wheel and returned his eyes to the road after a glance that lasted longer than it should have.

“You like it, Boss?” Mindy asked.

“Very much.” Arthur nodded and bit his bottom lip.

“I was thinking of making it my new office uniform. Red lace underwear, a garter belt, some thigh-high stockings, maybe a bra, depending on your preference.” Mindy said softly as she leaned toward him, resting her shoulder against his arm. “These are part of a matching set. The bra is pretty sheer, though. Not sure if Beth would complain….” She trailed off.

Arthur gritted his teeth as he drove. “Unzip my fly.”

“You sure, Boss?” Mindy asked. “I could always take down the top of my dress and show you my tits if you’re not hard enough yet.”

Arthur looked at her for a moment and then smirked. “Insubordination.” He muttered.

Mindy smirked, then leaned up to whisper in his ear. “You’ll have to bend me over your desk and deliver some corporal punishment to keep me nice and obedient, hard enough that I feel it every time I sit down. Once, maybe twice a week, should be plenty. Then I’ll be the best secretary you ever had.”

Arthur swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. “Take down the top of your dress.” He instructed.

Mindy obeyed instantly. She untied the straps of her dress with a single pull with one hand, pressing her other hand at the top of her neckline to keep the top in place. Then she brought it down. Her dark almond-colored nipples crowned luscious breasts of paler flesh were free. The short round nubs were already erect and as hard as he was in his pants.

Arthur glanced around, ensuring there wasn’t a car keeping pace with them on the road, putting Mindy in danger of being seen. From outside the car, she could easily be seen if he were moving slower or if someone was keeping pace and looking in.

“I don’t mind if other people see.” Mindy said quietly. “It’s kind of hot if they do. Knowing they can’t do anything but watch as I tease you. Knowing they’re getting turned on, but only you’re going to get satisfied, eventually.”

“Tease me too much, and you’ll regret it.” Arthur warned.

“Promise?” Mindy asked coyly.

Arthur laughed. “You want me to make you regret teasing me?”

Mindy nodded. “I told you before my ex was into spanking, right?”

Arthur nodded in reply. She’d told him that her ex spanked her once, which was not quite the same thing, but he probably wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t into it.

“It was hot, and I liked the pain. A lot.” Mindy explained. “Slap me, throw me around. Use those muscles of yours….” Mindy squeezed him again. “In my opinion, rough sex is the best sex. Choke me, and I’m yours.” She bit her bottom lip and brushed her fingers along his length, still trapped in his pants but clearly ready for release.

“We’re almost there.” Arthur warned her, but Mindy took the warning in stride. She didn’t move to cover up.

“So?” Mindy challenged him. “Do you want me to cover up?”

“No.” Arthur answered. “Hell, I’m half thinking we should skip the movie and go back to my place. Or the office.”

“The office?” Mindy’s eyes practically glittered.

“I have a set of keys. Beth gave them to me since I’m usually the last one out at the end of the day, and she’s usually late in the mornings.” Arthur explained.

“That…” Mindy started. “Is tempting.”

“But you already bought the tickets, right?”

Mindy seemed torn but looked up at him. “Yeah. But I’ll do whatever you want to do. You’re the Boss.”

Arthur seemed to think about it for a moment. He knew Mindy’s fantasy was to mess around in the office. They could do that on a Sunday evening, only having to worry about security coming by at the wrong time. Or they could do it on a workday while everyone was at lunch if they were quick. Or, they could do that on a weekday after the office closed and people left for the day, but before security started their patrols. It’d be less risky that way. Plus, he had always wanted to do it in a movie theater, and Mindy seemed more than willing.

“Was there anyone else with sold tickets in the movie?” He asked.

“Two people in the middle of the front row of the mezzanine.” Mindy answered. “I got us seats directly behind them in the back row.”

“And that was it?” Arthur asked.

“That was it.” Mindy replied, watching his face for any sign of his decision.

Arthur mulled it over for a moment in silence as he drove.

“My fantasy was the office.” Mindy started. “But yours was the movie theater, right?”

Arthur nodded.

“Let’s go to the movie theater.” Mindy said with determination. “Even if people are there, it will be dark, and I want to make your fantasy come true.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment, still thinking.

“Let me be your secret in the dark.” Mindy whispered. “Let me suck you and ride you while I struggle to stay quiet, so you have no choice but to gag me with these panties.”

Arthur swallowed. “Okay.” He said at last. “Let’s go see the movie, have dinner, and see what happens in the office tomorrow if you’re willing to hook up with me again or go out with me again.”

Mindy scoffed. “Are you kidding?” She asked. “Of course I am. This is the hottest date I’ve ever been on, and you’re just….” She hesitated, unsure of how to finish her statement. “Hot.” She said after a moment. “Everything about you is hot. I haven’t even seen it, but that cock of yours is driving me insane. The way you put up with my teasing, the things you want to do, the things I want you to do to me. The whole Harem thing is hot; it’s… I swear I could orgasm right now if you just reached over and touched me.”

Arthur put her statement to the test, taking his right hand off the wheel and placing it on the inside of her thigh, where he gripped the flesh just above her stockings.

Mindy closed her eyes, leaned against the chair, and moaned. “God damn it, Boss.” She muttered.

He let his hand slide up her thigh in one firm slide until his pinky came to rest between her thigh and her pelvis as she spread her legs to grant him access. He hooked his pinky under the sideband of the triangle of her panties and shifted them, sweeping upwards until it connected with the bottom of her bush.

“I like this.” He said, tapping it.

Mindy squirmed. “Yeah?” She asked. “I figured I should trim it up. Selene said you liked a shaved pussy, but I know Kat has a landing strip. I thought I might do something unique and didn’t have time to wax.”

Arthur nodded. “You girls really do talk about everything.” He chuckled.

“Yes, Boss.” Mindy agreed. “Even if there wasn’t a harem-specific group chat, we girls talk about everything with each other. I know the dick sizes of all my friend’s exes.” She laughed.

“How do I stack up?” Arthur asked.

“By all accounts, yours is the biggest dick I’ve never seen.” Mindy answered with a squeeze.

“I think it’ll have to wait until we’re at the theater.” He said in a disappointed tone. “We’re almost at the mall.”

“Not enough time to show off? I won’t be able to really see it in the dark movie theater.” Mindy was almost whining.

“Go ahead then.” Arthur moved his hand back to the steering wheel. “Unzip me. I’m hard as a rock right now.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Mindy teased him as she reached over and undid his fly. She reached between the zippers and immediately groped him before lifting him through the hole in his boxers and pants, painfully bending him for a moment before he finally came free and stood at attention.

“Fuck.” Mindy breathed. “You’re going to tear me up.” She couldn’t hide the smile on her face or in her tone. “My dildo isn’t even this big.”

He glanced at her. “I don’t know if you’re blowing smoke, but I’ll take it.”

She shook her head. “Nope.” She said as she stroked him idly with her hand that couldn’t close around him. “This is definitely the biggest cock I’ve seen. Can I… see if I can…?” She started to ask but found herself leaning over, under his arm, and bringing her mouth to it. It was awkward, but she managed to get the tip and some of his cock into her mouth without scraping him with her teeth through sheer focus and determination.

“Jawbreaker.” Mindy said after she came off of it.

“Now, imagine being tied to the underside of my desk and forced to swallow that into your throat every time I sit down.” Arthur scoffed.

Mindy’s eyes closed in bliss, and she shivered at the idea. “Is that something we could do for real?” She asked, excitement in her voice. “I already know how to deep throat!”

“Maybe.” Arthur answered honestly. The position of his desk put his back to the front entrance to the office, not ideal, but doable if they knew no one was going to open it. “It’d be easier to get some alone time in the storage closet.” He suggested.

Mindy nodded, still idly stroking him with her hand as he pulled into the mall parking lot. “Take me wherever you want me, Boss. Whenever.”

Arthur laughed.

“Sorry.” Mindy blushed a little. “I know this isn’t a typical date, but between last night and today – I’ve been messaging Selene and Kat all day – I really want to be one of your girls. And I’m really, really turned on right now.”

Arthur nodded. “It’s a turn-on for you? To be one of many?”

Mindy thought about it for a moment. “More like one of a select few. One of the elite.” She admitted. “But yeah. I don’t care how practical it is. I’ll take my fantasy wherever or whenever you want to give it to me.”

“Careful, I may take you up on that.” Arthur smirked.

“I sincerely hope you do.” Mindy smiled. “I am part of your harem now, right? One of your girls? Your personal secretary and slut?”

Arthur seemed to think about it for a moment. “If you want to be.” He said with a nod.

“Uh… yeah. I want to be.” Mindy giggled. “I don’t think I’d let you stop me at this point.”

Arthur laughed. “Well, we should probably fix our clothes before we go in.” He said as he pulled into a parking spot at the far side of the lot. It was pretty far from the mall entrance, and there were no other cars around and no risk of pedestrians looking into his car to see them, so long as Mindy kept low.

She pulled up the top of her dress, re-tied the halter straps, and then refastened the sweater. Then she fixed her skirt, pulling it down and straightening it. Then she reached over and tucked Arthur Jr. away, pouting to see him go.

“Once the movie starts, I’m all yours.” Arthur consoled her as he checked his fly and turned off his car.

Mindy smiled, nudged his arm with her shoulder, and opened her door. She stepped out of the car, and Arthur did the same. She came to his side, looped her arm through his, and walked together to the mall entrance.

They made their way to the concessions with the tickets pulled up on her phone. He got some pretzel bites, and she got skittles. Arthur paid for both, giving her hand a short squeeze when she tried to protest. Once in the theater, they only had a few seconds to wait before the lights dimmed.

The seats were arranged in rows of recliners in sets of two. Each pair of recliners had an armrest that could be lowered between them or lifted to make them a bench. Mindy lifted the center armrest before they sat down and then curled up on the seat next to Arthur, tucking her feet beneath her.

“Oh, we should have taken a selfie at the bowling alley.” Mindy frowned.

“You want to take a selfie here?” Arthur suggested.

“Okay.” She said with a smile. She pulled up her phone and held it out above them both. Arthur looked up into it, his face pressed next to hers as they pushed together and smiled. She snapped the photo.

Mindy turned her head slightly, kissing his smiling cheek, and snapped another. She turned her face back, and he turned his face toward hers just as she turned back toward his. They kissed. Mindy forgot to take the photo.

Arthur felt Mindy melt against him as she hugged his arm and kissed him. The lights dimmed, swallowing them in shadow before the previews started to play. That moment of silent darkness was filled with their breathing and the press of his tongue against hers as they danced together. Mindy pulled away eventually, lifting her lips from his slowly, and tucked her phone into her purse.

She leaned on Arthur as he sat more or less straight in the recliner, his feet on the floor. She raised her footrest and leaned her backrest back with the motorized control. Her left arm was wrapped around Arthur’s right, and her right hand was on his thigh.

“You’re really good at that.” She whispered up to him.

“Hm?” Arthur asked, looking at her for a moment. “Good at what?”

“Kissing.” Mindy giggled. “I didn’t want to stop.”

“Good news.” Arthur smiled. “We don’t have to.”

They kissed again. The more they kissed, the hotter Arthur felt, with Mindy’s soft body pressed against him and her hand eagerly massaging his thigh. He brought his left hand over and cupped her face, letting his fingers trace back behind her ear, holding her lips to his as they kissed, and their tongues began to dance.

The previews ended, and the movie started. Arthur couldn’t recall the names of any of the films they’d just ‘seen’ trailers for, and he didn’t care. He noticed that there weren’t alone anymore, but they were so far back in the shadows that even when the people who’d bought the seats in the front row of the mezzanine came in, they couldn’t see Arthur and Mindy making out.

Arthur whispered back to Mindy. “You’re good at that too.”

“I have a lot of talents, Boss.” Mindy whispered. “I’m sure if you give me a chance, I can show you how hard I’m willing to work. I won’t disappoint you.”

Arthur kissed her again. “I can be demanding.” He warned her. “I will work you pretty hard.”

“Promise?” Mindy asked in a whisper as the title screens finally gave way to the film’s opening shots.

Arthur kissed her in answer, and the two of them relaxed into the recliners as they kissed. Arthur leaned back, and Mindy laid on her side to kiss and stroke him as his right hand slipped under her skirt and started gently rubbing her from outside the lace panties. Mindy gasped slightly as pleasure flickered through her at his touch. She pressed into his hand as much as she could.

“Think you can stay quiet?” Arthur asked in a whisper. “We’re not alone.”

“Do you want me to stay quiet?” Mindy whispered back. “Or do you want an excuse to gag me?”

“I don’t want to get kicked out.” Arthur answered. “If you make too much noise, I might shove those panties in your mouth.”

“I can be quiet.” Mindy nodded. “But if not, do what you have to do, Boss. You’ll hear no complaints from me.”

Arthur’s dick twitched in his pants at that, and she felt it under her hand. She smiled.

“Can you be quiet?” She asked back. “I wouldn’t want an usher shining his flashlight on us while I’m bouncing up and down your cock.”

Arthur’s dick pulsed again. “I can be quiet.” He whispered back. “If I get too loud, just stuff your tits in my mouth.”

“Yes, Boss.” Mindy whispered, then kissed just below his ear on his neck and gave him a small nibble. She kept playing there, gently kissing his neck, nibbling, and hugging his arm as his hand played under her dress but over her panties. She returned the favor by finding his cock and stroking it through his pants until it was nice and hard.

Arthur hardly noticed when she undid his belt. He felt a slight tug when she undid the button on his pants. Her pull on the zipper was so slow that it didn’t make a single noise, but it felt like it would take forever. Arthur glanced toward the aisle where the stairs dropped off in levels on the mezzanine, then leveled off into a pathway, dividing the mezzanine from the rest of the seats in the theater. The path from the door was blocked by a sloped wall, turning it into a hallway. He couldn’t see if anyone else would come in, but judging by the current lack of audience, he felt they were safe.

Arthur could see the tops of the two heads in the front row of the mezzanine, but he couldn’t make out anything about the people that had come in. They were shadows, formless humans watching the movie playing on the screen as far as he could tell. Arthur was watching it, too, kinda. The woman on the screen was having a bad first day on the job, having run into the owner earlier without knowing it, and telling him off. She was a good actress, but it was difficult for Arthur to care about anything other than the slow stroking of Mindy’s firm grip after she pulled him free of his pants.

“What are the rules?” Mindy asked in a whisper.

“What?” Arthur asked.

“What are the rules, Boss?” Mindy asked. “What am I allowed to do, or do I need to ask permission before each thing?”

“You can do whatever you want.” Arthur answered back in a whisper. Having to ask permission each time she wanted to do something might draw too much attention. “What am I allowed to do to you?”

“Whatever you want.” Mindy answered back, also still whispering. “I remember my safe word. Don’t you?”

Arthur nodded. Mindy smiled. He could just make it out. He hooked his finger and slid it between her legs to see her reaction. She twitched against him and tightened her grip on his arm and member in a flare of pleasure as it flicked through her but made no noise that he could hear.

She kept her rhythm, stroking his cock slow and steady, watching it, and him, for signs of pleasure or disapproval. No signs of disapproval came, but he did not seem like he was about to lose his composure. She was surprised; with all the teasing they’d done, her ex would have likely exploded all over her hand by now.

Mindy pulled on the strings of her sweater one by one and took it off. She left it on the seat beside them.

Arthur reached over with his free hand and ate a pretzel nugget.

Mindy was torn between giggling at the silliness of it and huffing in anger at the frustration of not arresting his attention. She quickened her pace.

He was hard, and occasionally she could tell when she kissed or bit a sensitive spot on his neck or collarbone by the way his dick pulsed in her hand. She noted the different locations as she worked, doing her best to please him.

Arthur let his fingers return the favor, probing the inside of her thighs, her pubes, and her folds. She wasn’t ready for him yet, but she was getting there. She was hot already, and now he was working on making her wet. Once his fingertips were suitably slick, he shifted his arm and brought them to his lips.

Mindy watched him taste her and watched as his expression turned from curiosity to pleasant satisfaction. She kissed him and felt his dick pulse in her hand once more. She loved making that happen, and every time it did, she squeezed back in return, enjoying the slow stroking she gave him almost as much as he did. The taste of herself on her lips was new and strange, but it didn’t taste like much of anything to her.

She took the opportunity of his hand being raised from between her legs for a moment to slide slightly away. Not that she wanted him to stop, but she wanted to do more than give him a handjob.

She slid down and sideways in her seat so her head was on his lap, facing him, with her knees tucked and pressing against the back of the chair. She stroked him with her left hand while lying on her right side. Then she brought her lips to his member. She kissed the underside of it in soft, quiet kisses from the tip of the shaft to the bottom.

She stayed at the base for a while and then worked her way up the underside of his shaft. She let her tongue do most of the work. Occasionally she took him into her mouth and sucked him as hard as she could while being careful not to graze him with her teeth or make a sound. She didn’t want the people in the theater to turn their heads around to find the source of a stray slurp or shlorp.

She was cautious every time, but his dick in her mouth still felt amazing. Arthur closed his eyes and tilted his head back, putting his hand on the seat in front of Mindy for a moment.

Mindy took his hand and slid it under the front of her halter dress, giving him a handful of boob. He squeezed, and she closed her eyes in bliss at the feeling of pleasure that moved through her. They stayed like that for a while until Arthur felt the cool air of the theater brush against his cock as she pulled away for a second.

Suddenly, she slid up, grabbed her sweater, and threw it on the floor in front of Arthur. Then she slid away and moved into a squat in front of him. She pressed his legs apart with her hands on the inside of each knee. He was about to ask her what she was doing when she positioned her sweater and knelt on it between his legs. Leaving it between her knees, thigh-highs, and the floor. Then she went back to work.

She was in a much better position to blow him from this angle, and she slowly took more and more of him with each slow but steady thrust of her head into his lap. He looked down to watch as he face fucked her in slow motion.

Arthur reached down and untied the straps of her dress. He let them fall forward and let the front of her dress drop to reveal her breasts again. The front of her body was mostly in shadow, but every now and again, the light flickered enough to let him see her large oval breasts and dark round nipples.

She lifted the front of her skirt and tucked it into the waistband of her garter belt. Arthur couldn’t really see what she was trying to show off at the moment, but he could see the lines of her panties, and he could remember how she looked in the car well enough to imagine what he might see if the theater were fully lit.

He reached down and massaged her scalp. She put one hand on the inside of each of his thighs and squeezed her appreciation, rolling her eyes back to look up at him. Arthur smiled. She bobbed her head forward, and he felt himself press against her throat.

Mindy took a breath and did it again. Each time, more of Arthur pressed against her throat until she was nearly there without having to make a sound. He expected her to gag or glug, but she was careful. She went slowly, and he held his lips tightly together to keep from making a sound himself. He hoped she didn’t gag. There was no way to cover up before one of the front-row mezzanine seaters looked over their shoulder.

The thrill of it made his grip on her head tighten. She lifted her hands off his thighs for a moment and put her hands on his. He expected her to remove his hands from her head, but she didn’t. She slid them back until each one hit the tie of a pigtail. Then she curled her fingers over his, making him grasp a pigtail in each hand. She pushed against his hands gently, forcing him to bring her head down onto his cock, where she took the tip of his cock into her throat with a quiet swallow. She gave him a thumbs-up with both hands and looked at him to make eye contact.

He pulled her pigtails toward him, impaling her throat with his cock, and her eyes kept on his the entire time. He watched as she swallowed him to the base until her nose was pressed firmly against him, and her tongue dipped out of her mouth to lick his balls.

Arthur rested his head back for a moment and closed his eyes. Then he looked down at Mindy again. She squeezed his thighs gently with her hands. Then, after a few seconds, more urgently. He watched her eyes, face, and front still somewhat in shadow except for the occasional flicker of light that would pass over her from a bright scene on the screen.

Finally, she rapidly squeezed his thigh, digging her nails in, and he slowly started to release her back off his cock, using her pigtails to direct her head. She took a deep breath through her nose as soon as he came out of her throat, and then he pulled her back down onto it. She retook him without protest.

They stayed like that for a scene or two of the movie, with Mindy kneeling in front of him and Arthur using her pigtails as handlebars to slowly fuck her face and throat in slow and steady strokes. It felt amazing. Every now and again, his dick pulsed in her throat, and she would swallow in anticipation, but it was just the twitch of pleasure, not the spasm of ejaculation she kept expecting.

She watched him from her place on the floor the entire time, looking at him with watchful eyes for any sign of approval or its opposite displeasure. She saw only a look of intense pleasure and contended happiness. For him, this was part of a fantasy made real, and he enjoyed every minute of it.

After a while, she took a hand off his thighs and groped her breast, letting her eyes close in pleasure. Arthur could make out the outline of her tits in the shadows and had to grit his teeth a little at his pleasure in watching her pleasure herself while throating his cock. She pulled up but not off of him and scooted in closer on the floor. She pushed her breasts up and forward until they were in his lap.

With her mouth on the tip of his cock, she swallowed the base of it up with her tits. Now soaked with her saliva, it slid between them easily. She moved back a little, and Arthur moved forward, but never once did she remove her mouth from his cock. She sucked on it eagerly the entire time.

He wanted to moan as she squeezed her breasts against him, but he kept himself silent, settling for a deep inhale. He spared a glance for their fellow theater patrons, but he could only see the backs of their heads. They seemed interested in the movie. If they were even aware of Arthur and Mindy, they made no sign of it, much less their activities.

Arthur let go of her pigtails, and she lifted her face off his cock for a moment. She smiled at him and started moving up and down, stroking his cock with her tits. Arthur relaxed in his chair and enjoyed the slow and steady tit-fucking with more patience than he thought possible if he didn’t have the distraction of the movie to focus on. The pleasure of it was enormous, and her breasts were perfect for it.

This went on for another two scenes. Arthur was surprised she hadn’t complained about how hard the floor was, though she had her sweater and thigh-high stockings between her and it. He hoped it was clean, at least. Movie theater floors could be notoriously sticky, and there was a chance they might add to that by the time they were done.

Finally, she didn’t seem to be able to take it anymore. She pulled herself up and retook her seat next to him. He got a good view of her exposed breasts then, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Aren’t you ever going to cum?” Mindy whispered after she leaned close to his ear. “Am I not doing it right?”

Arthur leaned back over to her. “You’re doing fine.” He assured her in a returned whisper. “I’m… not the fastest shooter.” He didn’t know if she watched enough Westerns to get the joke, but it was hardly a euphemism one could miss. “And I’m distracted.” He took his eyes off her and glanced at the screen for the first time since she’d started. This happened with the Netflix and Chill, too, but he didn’t feel the need to mention that. He took Kat’s warning about comparisons to heart regarding all of his girls, not just the sisters.

Mindy smacked his arm gently, which made more noise than she expected. Luckily, it was at a particularly loud part of the movie with voices raised, so the other patrons didn’t turn to see her if she was heard. “You’re not supposed to be actually watching the movie. You’re supposed to be watching me.” She whispered accusatorily.

“I am watching you.” Arthur said defensively.

Mindy pouted and shook her head.

“I warned you I was going to work you hard.” Arthur shrugged.

Mindy nodded at that and thought about it. Then she seemed to come to a decision. “Alright. I’ll just have to work harder.”

“Mount me.” Arthur instructed.

She looked at him for a moment.

“Straddle me, and sit on my cock.” Arthur whispered. “You want me to cum? I want to fuck you. Now do it.” He pinched her nipple when he said ‘now,’ and Mindy covered her mouth with her hands to keep from making a noise. He released her, but her quick, heavy breathing through her nose continued.

She stood up for a second and hesitated. Then she reached under her skirt and pulled down her panties. She stepped out of them and placed them in Arthur’s waiting hand. Then she straddled Arthur’s lap as instructed. She put a knee on either side of him, which placed her tits directly in his face.

Arthur sucked one into his mouth as he hit the button on his recliner so the motor activated quietly, put his feet up, and leaned back. Mindy’s head rolled back, so she was looking at the ceiling as his tongue rolled her nipple around between his teeth.

He reached under her skirt, which had fallen over her thighs, and notched himself at her entrance. He intended to tease her, but before he knew it, she grabbed his cock with one hand and sunk herself onto him as she sat down on his lap. His legs were together, only slightly parted, and raised up on the footrest. Her legs spread over them. She sank onto his cock and did her best not to cry out as she took him to the hilt. She opened her mouth to do so, and Arthur presciently stuffed her mouth with the panties. She bit down on them with the quietest, cutest grunt Arthur had ever heard.

She was tight. Arthur could feel that she was slick, hot, and ready, but incredibly tight. He gripped her hips to steady her as she lifted up and sank back down. She was having trouble dropping down with any speed, but a slow fucking was called for if they wanted to be quiet.

Mindy sank down, stopped halfway, slid back up for a second, and then dropped back down, taking slightly more of him. She repeated the process a few times, impaling herself on him more each time until finally, she could bring her squared, plump ass down against his thighs.

He reached up under her skirt and squeezed her ass with both hands. He wanted to groan against the tightness but kept quiet, barely moving. He had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from making a noise. She seemed to take the squeeze as encouragement, lifted herself up a little, and then came back down with more force the second time. She was moving slowly, but her insides squeezed him with tremendous pressure from all sides. Then she flexed internally, and he felt her start to squeeze him while she gently shifted back and forth in his lap.

She slowly bucked her hips and wiggled them forward. He bit down on the inside of her breast, and she had to bite down on the panties in her mouth to keep from squealing. Behind her, the movie flickered and neared its final act with the customary confrontation between the ridiculous love triangle members.

Mindy lifted up once more as though she were going to get off of him, but when she reached halfway up his cock he used his grip on her ass to pull her back down onto him. She arched her back at that and pointed her chin toward the ceiling. He leaned back and slid his feet off either side of the recliner to get leverage and thrust upward with his hips.

Mindy put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed them hard. He did it again. She squeezed again. Her breasts dangled down to his lips, and he played with them, teasing them with his mouth. She was breathing heavily but slowly, even though her pulse was rapid. He could feel the intensity in her as they slow-fucked. He thrust upward again, and she twitched. He could feel the muscles in her body tightening against the pleasure as if he were the one clamping down on her.

She shook her head and brought her lips to his ear. She tried to whisper something, but the panties muffled it. Worried she was trying to say her safeword, Arthur immediately plucked them from her mouth. Yet, it wasn’t her safeword that she whispered.

“It’s too much.” Mindy whined into the whisper. “I’m going to cry out.”

He thrust into her again and then again in a slow, steady rhythm. She arched her back. He let his hands wander; he gripped her ass cheek with his left hand. His right hand slid up her side until it came to the plump flesh of her breast. His fingers stroked the underside of one breast, then the other. He let his thumb sweep over each nipple, then squeezed her right breast, catching the nipple between his index and middle fingers.

Mindy buckled. She would have collapsed into herself without Arthur’s strong arms holding her back and in place. She flexed, and every muscle seemed to tighten and vibrate. Her insides clamped down on Arthur’s cock like a vice. He wasn’t sure he could pull out if he wanted to. The feeling was pure bliss, and her orgasm drew his climax out of him as he exploded inside her. He could feel spurt after spurt firing into her, and she trembled with each one as though it were a hammer blow striking her.

After several of the most intense seconds, both of them relaxed and went limp, with Mindy relaxing on top of him. Her breathing changed. It’d gone swiftly from fast and quick to slow and steady, and with each breath, he feared she might be asleep. She wiggled in his lap, then pushed herself up with her hands on his chest.

“How are you still hard?” Mindy whispered as he turned his head so she could reach his ear.

“Are you kidding?” Arthur whispered back. “This has been a fantasy of mine for a long time, and you made it incredibly hot. I’m not sure I’ll ever go soft again.”

Mindy giggled, then froze. They both looked down at the other occupants of the theater, but if they heard the giggle at the wrong part of the movie, the others showed no sign of it. Mindy kissed his cheek. “You say the sweetest things.”

Arthur smirked. “Just stay here for now.” He suggested.

“Yes, Boss.” Mindy answered.

They spent the rest of the movie like that, Mindy straddling Arthur and his still-hard cock impaling her. He pushed the panties back into her mouth, and she closed her mouth over them obediently. He thrust up into her gently every now and again if he started to go soft, and she clamped down on him hard enough to bring him back to life. She seemed to appreciate it when he did that, and they kissed and made out slowly and lazily. The final few minutes of the film were nothing but a blissful, slow, tender, lazy fucking that the two of them didn’t want to stop. Occasionally, he would let his hands wander and play with her breasts. She gripped his arms when he did it for fear she wouldn’t be able to be quiet a second time.

Arthur didn’t encourage her to dismount until the movie was nearly over, and she seemed highly reluctant to do so.

“If they get up and leave when the credits start to roll, or if the custodian comes in before the credits roll… we’ll be caught.” He reminded her.

Mindy flexed, squeezing him inside her.

Arthur pulled the panties from her mouth, even as she tried to close her mouth against him to keep them in.

“Any chance I can get you to cum again before we stop?” She whispered in his ear.

“Probably not.” Arthur shook his head. He wasn’t sure he had much left in the tank, anyway. He felt like the load he’d emptied into her during the movie had taken his soul with it. He was nothing now, a husk. A horny, still-hard husk who wanted to lay Mindy out on his desk and fuck her as hard as he could until she begged him to stop just as soon as possible.

Mindy pouted, kissed his cheek, and slowly started to lean back. She shifted her weight until she could stand up again and slowly lifted off his cock, careful not to make a noise. He patted her on the hip through her dress, dampening the sound with the cloth. She pouted at him and winked as he finally popped free and felt the air hit his wet cock.

She lifted her leg over his and fixed her dress, but not her panties, before she knelt down and cleaned him off with her mouth. When finished, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and sat beside him. She shoved the panties into his pocket and cuddled his arm. She took a deep breath and then another, steadying herself. Then she looked over at Arthur, tucking himself back into his pants, and leaned over to kiss his neck again.

Arthur turned when he saw her coming and kissed her on the lips. She melted against him once more, and the two kissed softly in the film’s dim glow as it ended. Its final scene faded away to darkness and then credits.

Arthur could never recall any details of the movie, but he would always remember Mindy making his fantasy a reality.

Arthur and Mindy double-checked themselves as the credits rolled. The scrolling white lettering on the black screen didn’t provide much light, but they could see enough by feeling to ensure all their clothes were on and in place. Mindy’s dextrous fingers even expertly re-tied the string bows that closed her sweater over her halter top dress.

Arthur’s tight polo shirt and pants were in place, but his belt was unbuckled. He buckled it quietly.

When the credits finally ended and the lights came up, they realized they were the only ones left in the theater. The two people in the front row of the mezzanine, the only other occupants during the film, had left before the credits were even halfway through. Arthur and Mindy had been too preoccupied with fixing their clothes that they hadn’t noticed.

Arthur smiled at Mindy, and she returned it with a smile wider than he could hope to achieve. She looped her arm through his as they made for the exit and squeezed. Arthur’s fantasy of having sex in a theater was now fulfilled, and she was riding the high of having satisfied his fantasy. She’d had an orgasm during the experience, and the feeling was absolute bliss.

“Thank you.” Arthur said as they made their exit.

“Any time, Boss.” Mindy winked at him. “Seriously. Any time you want.”

“Right now.” Arthur teased. “I’m sure we can find a bathroom stall….”

He was teasing, but Mindy didn’t seem to realize it, nor was she turned off by the idea. On the contrary, she seemed eager as she looked for the nearest restroom or sign of one.

“I’m kidding.” Arthur admitted. “Though…. I do actually have to use the bathroom.”

“Me too.” Mindy smirked. “Well, I wasn’t kidding. I’ll do that if you want to, but I also have to go to the bathroom.”

Arthur laughed. Mindy was certainly adventurous. He supposed that was why she was willing to do this in the first place. Being part of a harem was a new adventure for her, and she was eager to try it. He supposed that was a fun way to go through life, doing things because they seemed as though they would be an adventure. He could relate to that, at least a little. He hoped that being one of his girlfriends, one of his submissives, wasn’t as bad a decision as some of the ones he’d made under that same philosophy.

“Okay, if we have to use the facilities, let’s each go to our own, and do our thing.” He suggested. “There should probably still be some mysteries between us.”

Mindy giggled. “You’re dripping down my legs right now.” She blushed darkly. “I don’t want you to ruin my stockings. That’s all.”

“Go on then.” Arthur said as they came to the restroom. “I’ll meet you out here in a few.”

Mindy reluctantly let go of him, and the two did their business. Arthur was waiting for her when she returned to where they’d parted.

“Still on for dinner at the food court?” Mindy asked. “Or did you want to go shopping first?”

Arthur had mentioned buying her something, or at least, buying himself something for her to wear. She seemed keen on the idea, but they were both hungry. Especially now that their concessions had gone uneaten. She kept her skittles, but there was no sense in eating cold pretzel nuggets, so Arthur threw his away. Not that either was complaining.

“How hungry are you?” Arthur asked.

Mindy looked up at him and smiled. “You’re supposed to make the decisions, Boss. Remember?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’m just trying to be considerate. You should answer me honestly whenever I ask you a question, so I can make a decision with all the necessary information.”

Mindy frowned, but the logic was sound. “Fine.” She sighed.

Arthur swatted her on the butt, which caused her to jump slightly, blush, and look wildly around to see if anyone saw them. Arthur laughed. “As far as the world is concerned, we’re two young lovers on a date. I’m allowed to swat your behind if I want to.”

“Of course you are, Boss.” Mindy retook his arm. “I was just surprised, that’s all. Please don’t think I don’t want you to do that again, as often as you want.”

“Okay.” Arthur chuckled. “So?”

“So?” Mindy asked, looking up at him again.

“Are you hungry?” Arthur repeated the question.

“Oh!” Mindy smacked her forehead with her palm and shook her head, causing her pigtails to sway slightly as they slipped over her shoulders. “No, not really, especially if I eat the skittles while we walk. So… let’s do the shopping first. What would you like me to try on for you?”

“What are you willing to try on for me?” Arthur asked.

“Anything you want to see me in, Boss.” Mindy answered as she tried, and failed, to look innocent. “Even if it’s naughty. Especially if it’s naughty.” She giggled.

“A dog collar and leash?” Arthur joked. “I think they have a pet store at this mall.”

Mindy blushed and squeezed his arm. “Are you into pet play?” She asked. “I could be into that. Would you really walk around holding my leash?” She asked quietly. “That…”

He thought she was going to balk at the idea. Once again, he’d underestimated her commitment or her horniness.

“Sounds hot.” Mindy finished.

Arthur laughed. “Now I feel guilty for thinking of something more basic.” He chuckled.

Mindy laughed with him. “Whatever you want. I’ll do it.”

Arthur shook his head. “Talk about option paralysis.” He glanced around as they came out of the movie theater and into the mall proper. “Why don’t we walk around a bit and see what jumps out at us?” He asked. “I like strolling with you on my arm like this.” He suggested.

“I like it too.” Mindy squeezed his arm again and placed her other hand on his bicep. “Makes me feel close to you.”

“You are close to me.” Arthur laughed. “We’re walking arm in arm and hip to hip.”

“No.” Mindy shook her head. “I mean, like, personally.” She explained. “For weeks, I’ve just known you in bits and pieces. Your office self is quiet, professional, and respectful. Although you’re warm, you don’t go into many details about your personal life. Tonight I feel like I’ve really gotten past your barriers.”

“Well, I’ve certainly shared at least one part of myself with you that you don’t see at the office.” Arthur chuckled.

“I’m serious.” Mindy protested.

“I know. I’m sorry. I am, too, really.” Arthur shrugged. “That’s the first time I’ve done that in a movie theater. And the first time I’ve told anybody about that particular fantasy.”

“And was it good?” Mindy asked. “Was I good?”

“It was great. You were great. Are great.” Arthur squeezed her arm in his.

“Did I earn my place in your harem?” Mindy asked.

Arthur laughed. “This wasn’t an audition.” He shook his head. “You didn’t have to earn anything.”

“I know.” Mindy shrugged. “But… did I?” She asked.

“Of course you did.” Arthur assured her as they walked. “Selene and Kat seem to approve of you, for sure.”

“And you?” Mindy asked. “You like me too, right?”

“Yes.” Arthur confirmed. “I would not have done any of that if I didn’t like you. I’m not that type of guy. I care about the woman I’m with. Women, I guess.” He chuckled to himself. “Sorry, that’s still new.”

Mindy smiled, seemingly satisfied at his answer, as she rested her head on his arm. “I just wanted to be sure.” She said. “But you’re still here and haven’t immediately ditched me. I figured that was a good sign.”

“You’ve had some shitty dates before, huh?” Arthur asked.

Mindy sighed. “I guess so.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna ditch you.” He assured her. “As far as anyone’s concerned, I’m yours for the rest of the night, at least until I go to the gym tomorrow.”

“Should we go over some first-date questions?” Mindy asked as they walked past the pet supply store. She hesitated, unsure if Arthur was serious about the leash and collar, but she followed his lead when he didn’t turn them into the store.

“Like what?” Arthur asked.

Mindy pulled out her phone. “I had some written down in case the conversation lulled.” She explained.

“Is the conversation lulling?” Arthur asked. “Is this a whip out the phone in case of emergency kind of thing?”

Mindy squeezed his arm. “No, no. I just… want to get to know you a little.” She said. “I still don’t really know you all that well, other than I know at least one sexual fantasy you’ve recently fulfilled.”

Arthur nodded. “Okay.” Arthur agreed as they continued to stroll through the mostly empty mall traffic. “Ask away.”

It wasn’t busy today, so there weren’t many people around them at any one time. The mall was a series of wide gray halls filled with kiosks and brightly colored stores on either side. There was plenty of room between them and people walking on the right side, as they were, and those walking in the opposite direction. Most people knew where they were going or were at a kiosk perusing phone case options or random wares. Mindy and Arthur were the only ones who seemed to be walking for walking’s sake.

“Okay.” Mindy said as she pulled the list up on her phone. She read off the first one: “Where are you from?”

“I’m a city kid.” Arthur admitted. “Grew up not too far away, I guess. Then moved out to Campus when I graduated high school.”

“And you have your own apartment?” Mindy asked.

Arthur nodded. “My ex and I got it together last year.”

“This is that ex you mentioned? Who wasn’t into doing things in public?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah.” Arthur nodded again.

“Her loss, our gain.” Mindy shrugged.

Arthur laughed as Mindy beamed up at him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.” Arthur started. “Why do you go by Mindy instead of Ji-Min?” She was, as her proper first name suggested, Korean. Yet she went by Mindy to everyone on Campus.

“That’s the name I’ve used at school for… since preschool, probably.” Mindy shrugged. “Ji-Min is hard for non-Korean kids to pronounce correctly, and I got tired of getting made fun of or trying to correct people, so I started going by Mindy. And it just kind of stuck. I like it better now, anyway. Mindy is more… happy. Ji-Min is what my parents call me, or people who don’t know me and are just reading my name off a list. It’s so formal.”

Arthur couldn’t say he followed the logic, but he couldn’t argue against it either. If she preferred Mindy, he would call her Mindy. And she was correct; there was something distinctly informal about it.

“What about you?” Mindy asked. “You prefer Arthur to Art or Arty?”

“Yep.” Arthur shrugged with his free shoulder but let the arm she was holding remain still. “I guess I’m the opposite. I kinda like the formality.”

Mindy smirked. “And you’re okay that I call you Boss, like seriously?” Mindy asked.

“Of course.” Arthur nodded. “You explained it, and I fully accept the nickname. I know you mean it out of respect and aren’t teasing me. Plus, it kinda fits. Every member of the…” He looked around. “I mean, each of you calls me something different.”

“Oh yeah?” Mindy asked. “What does Selene call you?”

“Master.” Arthur answered.

“I might co-op that sometimes.” Mindy admitted. “When we really get into things.” She smirked. “But doesn’t Kat call you that too?”

“Sometimes.” Arthur admitted. “Usually, she calls me Sir.”

“Oh, I see.” Mindy looked off to the side as they passed a Halloween pop-up store. “I might use that one sometimes too, but I like Boss the best. Which do you prefer?”

“I’m good with all three.” Arthur assured her by patting her hand on his arm. “Or Arthur, if the situation doesn’t permit you to call me one of the others.”

“Do you call each of us different things?” Mindy asked. “Do you give your harem girls nicknames?”

“Kind of.” Arthur admitted. “They just sort of developed naturally, I suppose.”

“What do you call Selene?” Mindy asked. “For instance.”

“Slut.” He answered honestly. “And Katerine is Brat.”

“What should I be?” Mindy asked. “Other than Mindy obviously.”

Arthur shrugged. “I’m not sure.” He admitted. “Let’s see what develops, and I’ll come up with something for you that you like. Let me know if I call you something that you particularly enjoy when we’re… y’know.”

Mindy giggled. “You were still ready back there….” Mindy said quietly about how he was still hard during the movie, but they didn’t have time for a second act. “Are you ready to go again?”

“What are you thinking?” Arthur asked. “Or am I supposed to think of something since you want me to take the lead?”

She reached up and booped his nose. “Got it in one.”

Arthur laughed. “Okay. I think I have an idea. Let’s go in here.” He said and gestured toward an upcoming Forever 21.

Mindy smirked. “To be honest, I thought you’d want to take me to Victoria’s Secret or something like that. We passed the Pet Store if you wanted to turn around.”

“Oh, we’ll get there eventually, I’m sure.” He nodded but stopped her before they entered the store and gestured to a mannequin display in the window. A series of them were all dressed in sexy outfits but in various styles. The one thing they had in common was no matter the style or cut of the skirt, the skirt was short, and the top was tight.

“How do you feel about putting on a fashion show for me?” Arthur asked.

“Pretty good.” Mindy nodded, but then leaned up to whisper in his ear. “But, as you know, I’m not wearing any underwear under my dress.”

Arthur nodded sagely. “Don’t worry. Soon, you won’t be wearing anything at all. It’ll even out..”

Mindy looked up at him but followed his lead as he led her into the store. There weren’t very many customers there this late on a Sunday. The worker(s) seemed to want to hang out in the back. Only one person was working the register, and although she had no customers, she didn’t even look up when they came through the door. Whatever was on her phone was more important. Or at least, more interesting to her.

Arthur shrugged and started going through the racks. “Pick out one of these in your sizes.” He said, holding up a black, goth babydoll dress.

“You like the goth look?” Mindy asked.

“I think it might be kind of fun. It’s different from your typical style.” He shrugged. Her current outfit of red and white was bright and colorful, but mostly he’d seen her in professional business clothing at work, or more recently, jeans and t-shirt casual wear.

Mindy shrugged but took the dress from him, put it back, and took one up in a smaller size. Then he added a skirt, then another, a top, and another. By the time they made their way back to the fitting area, she had about six garments in her arms.

He held her back for just a moment before she went back. “Let me know if there’s anybody in there. I want to try and sneak back to your changing room.”

Mindy gave him a wink, then ducked back into the changing rooms with her armload. She was gone for longer than Arthur expected, but when she returned, she’d totally changed her outfit. She wore a flared black tennis skirt, a tight yellow sleeveless top tucked into it, and black knee socks. She strutted toward him, then spun as if walking on a runway.

He nodded his approval. “Very nice.” He said as he appreciated the slip of the bottom of her ass cheeks coming into view when she spun for him a second time.

Mindy stopped with her back to him, looked over her shoulder, winked, and went back into the changing rooms. There was only a minute before he heard a grunt, and Mindy’s voice floated out from behind her changing room door.

“Hey, Arthur?” Mindy called.

“Yes?” Arthur called back, looking around to see if any employees were seeing them or caring. They were not.

“Can you give me a hand with this? The zipper’s stuck.” Mindy called out.

“Sure.” Arthur said as he looked around and slipped into the changing room area. He found Mindy’s door immediately since it was the only one shut. He knocked, she opened it, he slid through, and she closed it behind him immediately.

He was not ready for the fact that she was completely naked. As in, head to toe, completely buck naked. And she looked amazing. He admired the front of her first because that was immediately visible to the eye. She blushed prettily as his eyes roamed from her smile downward, over her large double D breasts with their small dark round nipples, down her flat but untoned stomach, over the dark short pubic hair on her mound, to the gap between her legs. Then he caught sight of her plump squared ass in the mirror, the shape creating nice lines on the bottom to separate her ass from her thighs. She was definitely spankable, even if she didn’t have the hips one might have expected with such an ass.

Arthur bit his bottom lip, and Mindy put her hands over and behind her head. She struck a pin-up pose with one leg bent and crossed the other as she brought her hands down to the base of her neck and flared her elbows. He stood alone with her in this tiny white room with only her clothes on one wall, a bench, and a mirror.

“What do you think of this one?” She asked in a whisper. “Oh, nevermind. I see you like it.” She said as her eyes wandered down, and she saw the effect she had on him. “Better fuck me quick, Boss. Before they kick us out.” Mindy teased him as she stepped forward but turned away. She spread her legs a little, bent over at the waist, and put her hands on the bench. He could see her tits dangling in the mirror, and his cock nearly burst from his pants.

He unbuckled, unzipped, and dropped his pants quicker than he realized. He stepped up behind her, and his thick cock pushed into her slick pussy from behind. She bit her lip to keep herself quiet and pushed back against him as he buried himself in her. She was hot, wet, and ready for him already.

Arthur squeezed her ass. He wanted to spank it, but he knew they couldn’t risk the noise the slap would make. Still, this would have to be hard and fast, or they would get caught and kicked out. Time was as much a factor as noise, even though they couldn’t have been the first couple to try and do this kind of thing.

He reached around and played with her clit as he sawed in and out of her. She was too tight for him to fuck her very quickly, at least not without using so much force that they would undoubtedly draw attention to the noise. So he settled for moving as quickly as possible while working her clit with his fingers.

Mindy flipped her head up to see him in the mirror. He locked eyes with her reflection as he fucked her and bit his bottom lip. She smiled up at him with eagerness in her eyes before her mouth formed a silent O when Arthur changed angles. And then her eyes rolled back as he reached forward and took hold of her pigtails.

There was little room, so there weren’t many things to change or positions to try. Arthur was trying to be quick, hard, and quiet, which was not easy. Still, he felt they finished faster than typical for one of his sexual performances.

She came before he did, arching her back and standing up against him as she shook, grabbing onto him with her hands like claws seeking his.

He squeezed her hands, and she embraced him even as he stood directly behind her. Realizing that he hadn’t cum yet, she stepped away from him, dropped to her knees, and impaled her face on his cock.

Arthur instinctively grabbed onto her pigtails again and used them as handlebars fucked her face much faster than he had at the theater. She pumped him with her hands while he did it, and she made a bit of noise but was rewarded as she curled her tongue around him with jets of his cum pumping into her throat as he pushed himself to the root and emptied himself into her. He arched his back and sighed as he came, stepping away only after he was sure he was finished, and she gently sucked and licked at his cock until he put it away.

She wiped her mouth with her fingers as she stood up and gave him a smile.

“Am I a good cocksucker, Boss?” She asked. “Did I do a good job?”

“Yes.” Arthur answered with a nod and a quiet whisper.

“So I’m a good girl?” She asked.

Arthur smiled, reached up, and stroked her face. “You’re a good girl.”

Mindy beamed at him. She’d had to lead him to it, but he’d said exactly what she wanted to hear, and it turned her on when he said it regardless. It even turned her on a little more, knowing she had to work for it. It wasn’t a compliment he gave because he felt he had to, but one she’d earned fair and square.

“We’d best get going.” He said with a nod toward the door. “Grab that black tennis skirt, though. You’re wearing that to work as soon as possible.” He gave her a wink.

“Yes, Boss.” She nodded sharply.

Arthur slipped out of the dressing room first while Mindy got dressed again. There was no one lurking in the hall outside the changing room door, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Someone did, however, poke their head in as he waited outside her door for her.

“Everything okay here?” The young woman from the front desk asked with a glance over at Arthur. “You need any help, sir?” She emphasized the title a little loudly.

Arthur shook his head. “No, she just wanted my opinion on something.” He answered in a loud, clear tone. He wanted the attendant to know he wasn’t creeping. The young woman in the dressing room knew he was there and wanted him there.

The employee nodded. “Well, normally I’d tell you to wait outside, but since you two are the only ones here…..” She smirked slightly at him. “And since you were in there for longer than you realize, I’m sure it’s fine.” Then she winked at him and left the two of them alone.

Arthur chuckled slightly and shook his head. He checked his watch. They had been in there for longer than he’d realized, but they still had some time before the mall closed. Plenty of time to hit the other stores he’d thought about as they walked.

Mindy emerged from the changing room with a smile, wearing her original dress and cropped sweater combo. She gently stroked Arthur’s arm as she passed him to put the clothes on the return counter but kept the black skirt he’d requested. She’d also kept the knee socks she’d put on with it. It was a cute combo, even if the knee socks weren’t office chic.

Arthur nodded his approval as she held them up for his inspection. “If I were your Boss, that would be your work uniform most days. A skirt no longer than that, socks, thigh-highs, whatever… and some shoes.”

“And for a top?” Mindy asked with a mischievous smile.

“No top.” Arthur shook his head. “I like your breasts. They deserve to be free. Maybe some body jewelry. A nice collar connected by a chain to each nipple, a collar and a pair of nipple rings, some clamps with bells, or decorative jewelry of some kind.”

“We’d get arrested.” Mindy nudged him.

“Pasties then.” Arthur conceded. “Just to avoid any legal issues.”

Mindy smirked at him but didn’t protest as they made their way across the store to the cash register. On the contrary, she beamed at the idea.

“Find everything okay?” The cashier asked as she rang them up.

“Yup!” Mindy nodded excitedly as Arthur pulled out his wallet.

“Great!” The cashier smiled at them as she bagged their items and offered the bag to Mindy. “Come again!”

“Oh, I think I will!” Mindy said in such a tone she made Arthur laugh harder than he meant to. The cashier smiled, with a knowing glint in her eye, but didn’t break as she replied.

“Glad to hear it!” She nodded goodbye as Arthur took Mindy’s arm and led the way to the exit.

Once they were clear of the store, Arthur glanced over his shoulder to see if the cashier was watching them leave. She was. He looked at Mindy. “I think she knew what we got up to.” He said after a second.

Mindy bit her bottom lip and shuddered. “At least she didn’t stop us.”

“I think she got off on knowing what we were up to.” Arthur looked back over his shoulder again. Mindy did the same but quickly looked forward again. It was the only thing that made sense to Arthur. If he were working in a shop like that, he’d hate the idea of people getting it on in the changing rooms and having to clean them after.

“Good for her.” Mindy said affirmatively. “I get off on knowing she got off on knowing we were getting off.”

Arthur scoffed but didn’t protest. She had a point. If the cashier didn’t harsh their buzz or trample on their fun, then who were they to keep her from getting whatever vicarious thrills she could? More power to her.

“Alright, Spencer’s next. It’s on the way.” Arthur announced as they walked and gestured toward the store down the way and across from the Hot Topic.

“I still can’t believe they still have Hot Topics.” Arthur muttered.

“Ooo, they have fun nerdy dresses!” Mindy perked up. “You don’t have to buy me anything there, but can we check it out?”

Arthur nodded. “Maybe we should get you a goth makeover while we’re here.”

“They’re more nerdy now than goth.” Mindy protested with a playful pat on his arm. “Which store first?”

“Let’s hit Hot Topic first.” Arthur suggested since it was the closest. He honestly hadn’t thought about it or remembered that Hot Topic existed. The stores in the mall changed so frequently, yet that relic remained. It was almost funny.

The traffic in the mall was dwindling but still present. Hot Topic had a few customers lingering about, some younger and some older than Arthur and Mindy, as they browsed. Arthur looked at the wall of band t-shirts and thought about getting one for Selene. Then he felt guilty for not having thought of her for a while, and then he felt guilty about thinking about her while he was on a date with Mindy.

This multi-partner relationship stuff was going to be complicated.

“What do you think?” Mindy’s voice stole his attention away from his thoughts for a moment. He saw her holding a short, high-waisted plaid mini skirt with attached suspenders. “Do you like the whole punk schoolgirl look?”

Arthur nodded. “You’ve got great legs. I’m sure that would look incredibly sexy on you.”

Mindy smiled. That was the correct answer.

“But, you’ve already got a skirt.” He said with a bit of chagrin. Maybe they should have bought her a top at the other store.

“If you like them on me, I should get a few more. Always dress to impress, right?” She asked with mock innocence.

Arthur nodded his concession to the point and started looking through a few of the racks.

“If you see anything you like, let me know. I’ll try it on for you.” Mindy said as she joined him.

“What about that one?” He asked, looking pointedly up at a plaid corset and micro skirt combo on the wall.

Mindy smiled. “You’d have to help me get into it, but if you like corsets, I’ll learn to lace them.”

Arthur scoffed. “I’m more liable to tear it off you than help you put it on.”

“That sounds like an endorsement to me.” Mindy smacked his arm. “I should try it on then if you’ll like it.” She went over the wall and plucked it off. She folded the skirt over her arm and another dress she had claimed from the racks. “Wait here.” She said as she passed him. The changing room was just a door on the back wall, so there was no chance of him being able to slip in with her. “I’ll send you pictures.”

Arthur nodded and pretended to browse the jewelry and collars as Mindy ducked into the changing room. The cashier glanced at him since he was holding the Forever 21 bag, but as he wasn’t touching any of the merchandise on display, it was easy to assume he wasn’t shoplifting. Arthur didn’t fit the store’s vibe in his tight blue polo. He looked like a preppy jock now that he thought about it.

He realized he was waiting a surprisingly long time and then remembered that he’d set his phone on silent. He pulled it from his pocket and moved through the notifications to see if he’d gotten a few pictures from Mindy over messenger.

The first was the photo she’d taken of their shoes at the bowling alley and the following few photos she’d taken of them in the movie theater. Now, there was a selfie of her standing in front of a changing room mirror, wearing nothing but the skirt she’d picked out and its attached suspenders, whose thin straps failed to entirely cover her dark areolas as they pressed against her tits. Arthur bit his lip.

As he glanced at the changing room door, another image came through. He gave both of them the heart-eyes emoji. This one was of Mindy in a black dress. At first glance, it looked conservative. A short skirt, but flared and layered, coming to the tops of her thighs. Then he realized that the top was made of mesh, and her braless breasts were displayed through the thin dark material.

Arthur: Would you wear that one out of the store, just like that?

Mindy: Are you telling me to?

Arthur: No, I’m asking if you’d be comfortable.

Mindy: …

She sent a frowny face emoji.

Arthur: Is that a no?

Mindy: You set the dress code, Boss. Just tell me what you want me to wear. I don’t want to have to tell you again.

Arthur sighed but took her point.

Arthur: You’ll tell me if you get uncomfortable or if I tell you to do something you don’t want to do?

Mindy: I remember my safe word. Don’t worry.

Arthur: Fine. Then yes. I’m buying you that dress. You should get some black thigh-highs while we’re here too. We’ll get you a more workable collar at Spencer’s or the pet store and a leash.

Mindy: Do you still want to see the corset?

Arthur: Yes.

A few moments later, Mindy sent him a third photo. The plaid corset and micro skirt were minimal in terms of material. The sweetheart neckline of the corset pushed up her breasts, making them look even plumper than they usually did. Otherwise, it covered her modestly and drew attention to her narrow waist.

The corset was a little too small for her, but Arthur liked that about it. The skirt was decent from the front but entirely indecent from the back, as shown in the mirror, which he also appreciated. The gap of skin between the bottom of the corset and the top of the skirt was surprisingly long, and he realized he’d been staring at the image a little too intensely for too long.

Mindy: Is this a buy too?

Arthur considered it for a moment.

Arthur: How does it feel?

Mindy: Tight.

Arthur: Does it make you feel sexy?

Mindy: Yes Sir. It makes me imagine coming to your office late one day, wearing this to plead my case, hoping to distract you, and trying not to enjoy it too much when you lose control, force me over your desk, and spank me with your ruler.

Arthur stirred and took a deep breath.

Arthur: Sold.

Mindy sent back a smiley face, followed by a halo-wearing smiley face. Arthur laughed. Mindy was a lot of things, but she was far from as innocent as he’d believed her to be before this date. All the women he was seeing had been far less innocent than he’d imagined a week ago.

Selene was actively trying to live up to her nickname, Slut, by suggesting and attempting the most depraved sexual things she could think of with Arthur.

Kat was more reserved, but even she had a list of kinks she wanted to try out with Arthur as long as his arm.

Kelly was the most normal one, he supposed, currently aware that he was seeing other people but unaware of the harem’s formation. Her enjoyment of roleplay was pretty specific, but it wasn’t as if he’d gone over the checklist with her. She seemed to be into fetishizing traditional gender roles and liked being degraded.

Regardless of how depraved or vanilla their sexual interests were, they were all more sexual than he would have thought of them a week ago.

He supposed he liked that, in some regards, especially since he was reaping the benefits.

On the other hand, it was hard for him to feel he was dominant when he provided the service the others wanted and wasn’t always the one instigating. He needed to take more responsibility for his harem. He knew that. He needed to take control of it and lead it like he knew the girls wanted him to and like he wanted to. He enjoyed being the dominant one, even if he’d been raised to be more diplomatic than most.

Mindy emerged from the dressing room after a few moments back in her original clothes. She quickly stopped at the one shelf for black stockings and then took them to the register. Arthur joined her, but she’d already given her card to the middle-aged man behind the counter, who looked over Mindy just a little too long for Arthur’s liking. Arthur took her hand in his.

“I thought I was the one buying you things tonight.” Arthur frowned.

“Hot Topic was my idea, and I’m the one who wants these.” She patted his arm. “You can buy whatever we get at Spencer’s.” She assured him.

“Hm…” Arthur frowned, but it was too late to do anything about it now. “We’ll talk about that later.”

The man was already handing Mindy back her card.

She put it in her purse and gathered up her bags. “Spencer’s?” She asked Arthur, who nodded and led her by the hand from the store.

Each of them carried their bags on their opposite side. They crossed over the walkway to Spencer’s Gifts and made their way toward the back of the store. There wasn’t much to browse since once you were past the shop’s opening, there was only a single aisle with merchandise on either side. At least until you reached the very back. The further they entered the store, the more explicit the merchandise became.

“Here we go.” Arthur said, stopping at a wall where various BDSM accouterments hung. Collars, specifically. Arthur looked over them while Mindy waited at his side, glancing at the woman behind the counter who spared them a glance in return. It was a slow night in this shop tonight.

Arthur set the Forever 21 bag on the floor for a moment and let go of Mindy’s hand to pick up a thick black leather collar from the display. He held it up to Mindy’s throat. She straightened and shook her pigtails as she lifted her chin. He held it against her, over the velvet collar already tight against her throat, and admired it for a moment.

He frowned and put it back. Mindy held her position as he took another one down and held it against her throat. This one was a simple collar of two leather straps, with a stainless steel heart-shaped ring between them on the front.

“I like this one.” Mindy spoke up. “It’s cute.”

“It is.” Arthur agreed. “But I can’t attach a leash to it.” He frowned. He put the collar back on the wall and took a step back to examine the available options. Then he picked one he liked. It was white, instead of black, leather, with stainless steel studs along it and a D-shaped stainless steel ring in the front. Hanging down from that D ring was a heart-shaped padlock that swung back and forth a little as he held the collar up against her throat. It was thicker than the collar she had on and wider but not so broad that it looked like bedroom-only gear. He liked it.

Arthur looked up from her throat to Mindy’s eyes. She was already looking up at him, waiting to hear his opinion on the collar.

“I like it.” Arthur said with a nod. “And it even comes with a leash.” He smirked as he picked up a chain that had a clasp on one end and a simple white-leather loop on the other. It was a short chain, but enough for Mindy to walk either next to him, or just half a pace behind him, if he clipped it to her collar and held on to her leash.

Mindy smiled. “I like it too.”

Arthur nodded. Then spared a glance back at the collar display for a moment. He’d seen something that caught his attention, and he picked up two more collars while there. They were both thin black straps but had rhinestone letters on the front. One said Slut, and one said Brat.

“Aren’t those Selene and Kat’s nicknames, Sir?” Mindy asked. Arthur nodded. “I need a sub name. I don’t have one yet, Sir. I’m just Mindy. At least, until you give me a name.”

Arthur gestured to the wall of chokers and collars. “Do you see any you think you’d particularly enjoy being called?”

Mindy looked over the wall for a moment, then smiled as her eyes fell on the one she wanted. She looked to Arthur for permission, and when he nodded, she picked it up and offered it to him. ‘Whore’ was stamped across the front of the plain black band. Arthur took it from him and looked at her.

“You want me to call you a whore?” He asked.

“Yes, Boss.” Mindy nodded. “Well, not A whore.” She emphasized. “Your whore. I’m your classy, elite escort. Your secretary by day, your whore by night.”

Arthur felt himself stir at her words, and he took a deep breath before he gave her a nod. “Very well, then, Whore.”

Mindy blushed at his words and reached to squeeze his hand as she looked down. She took a deep breath and nodded. She liked the name; It was hers now. She knew Arthur couldn’t call her by it here and now, but when they were alone, he could call her precisely what she was, for him.

Arthur took another look around the store. “Go wait for me out front.” He instructed. “I have a few more things I want to get in here. Some of which I want to be a surprise.”

Mindy looked at him for a moment but then nodded. She let go of his hand and headed out of the store, picking up the Forever 21 bag on her way out and leaving the collars and leash in his hands to purchase. He gathered up a few more things, including a choker he saw that was a band of fake pearls three strings wide (for Kelly), a remote control vibrator (for some office fun with Mindy), and a few other toys.

When he left the shop, the cashier was happy with the sale amount that she didn’t expect based on what he was wearing. Mindy was surprised by the quantity of bags when he joined her. She was curious about their contents, but she figured if he wanted her to know, he would have let her stay in the store. Still, she was happy to see him and kissed him when he emerged.

“Dinner?” Arthur asked, nodding toward the food court.

“Did you want me to change first?” Mindy asked.

“Change?” Arthur asked.

“I couldn’t wear the clothes out of the store earlier, with where the tags were, but I could change into them now if you want. I can put the collar on, and you can walk me around the mall a little?” Mindy asked.

Arthur thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah. Are you okay with changing in the bathroom?” He asked.

“Unless you want me to get changed in the car.” Mindy said.

Arthur thought about it, but the chances of getting distracted in the car were high, and the probability of returning to the mall was low. He was hungry and having been satisfied several times already today, he was more hungry than he was horny. Still, the idea of walking her around the mall by her leash was invigorating. “There’s a family bathroom around the corner here. You can go in and change there.”

“If it’s a family bathroom, couldn’t we both go in?” Mindy suggested with a sparkle of mischief in her eye.

Arthur smiled. “We’d get distracted.” He explained. “Just do as you’re told.”

Mindy blushed a little but nodded her agreement as she stepped beside him. They turned the corner, and the small hallway that wound away from the main walk and into the bathrooms split into three options: Men’s on the left, Women’s on the right, and Family in the middle. The family bathroom was meant for people with small children, judging by the sign, but after waiting a few minutes, it became unoccupied, and Mindy headed in. Arthur stayed behind and waited for her in the hallway.

He texted her partway through.

Arthur: Still no panties or bra.

Mindy: Yes boss.

Followed by a smiley face.

Arthur smiled back and then stashed the phone in his pocket. He almost jumped when he heard his name from behind him.

“Arthur?”

He turned to see a friend from college with a girl he didn’t recognize. He almost laughed. The world wasn’t so small that it only consisted of people they knew, but it was small enough that there was always a chance of running into someone you recognized in a high-traffic spot like the mall.

“Hey, Sanjay!” Arthur called out as his friend and the girl he was with approached.

Sanjay, Arthur’s friend, was one of those friends he had from school with whom he’d taken a few of his gen ed classes over the years. Between that, seeing each other at parties, having a bevy of mutual friends, and sharing tables at lunch and dinner sometimes, they were friends who knew about each other more than they knew each other. Still, they were close enough to consider each other friends and shared several common interests they could discuss when they crossed paths.

Sanjay was shorter than Arthur, standing at 5’11” to Arthur’s 6’4″, and he was more skinny than he was muscular. He was lean but lacked definition and always laughed it off when Arthur or one of their mutual friends invited him to the gym. His dark hair, eyes, and skin were usually contrasted by his clothes. He had a colorful sense of style that was always just odd enough to make him either fashion-forward or retro. Arthur could never tell which.

The young woman Sanjay was with was someone Arthur didn’t recognize. She was a beautiful young Indian woman with a nose piercing that started a golden chain that hung from her left nostril, across her cheek, to her left ear. Her fawn skin contrasted wonderfully with the thin gold jewelry. She wore a dark orange long-sleeve shirt that fell below the high waist of her dark blue jeans. The outfit was nice but loose enough that it didn’t show off much of a figure beneath.

On the other hand, Sanjay looked like he was dressed for a business interview. Instead of his typical clothing, he wore a nice pair of black slacks, a white collar button-down shirt, and a brown tie that matched his shoes. It was an odd choice for someone in black pants, but Arthur did his best not to impose his fashion sense on other people. He assumed Sanjay knew more about it than he did, given his usual sense of style. He never offered advice on fashion if he could help it. Except for Selene. And Mindy. And any of his other girls who asked him about his preferences. That was hardly the same, though.

“What are you doing here?” Sanjay asked, glancing at the bags in Arthur’s hand.

Arthur hefted the bags as evidence, thankful that their contents were well hidden. “Shopping.” He laughed. “And I’m on a date.”

“Me too!” Sanjay nodded. “Well, the date bit. We saw a movie, and now we’re walking around the mall, window-shopping, I guess. Though I might spend a bit at the game store.”

“Nice.” Arthur chuckled. “What movie did you see?”

The girl Sanjay was with coughed gently. Arthur looked over at her, but she was looking at Sanjay expectantly.

“Oh, sorry. Rani, this is Arthur. Arthur, this is Rani, my date.” Sanjay said as he gestured to each in turn.

Rani nodded hello, and Arthur returned the gesture.

“Do you go to school with us?” Arthur asked. Try as he might, she didn’t look terribly familiar, and he couldn’t place her.

“Yeah. I sat behind you in Business Writing last semester.” Rani answered. “You critiqued my startup proposal, I think.”

Arthur tried to remember. There was a lot of peer review in that class. The professor claimed it helped them learn to edit and gave them a more careful eye for their work. It also conveniently let them spend a few minutes every class in total silence on early Monday mornings before grouping up to discuss the writing they’d done over the weekend.

“Right…” Arthur said, nodding as if he remembered her. He felt a little guilty for not recalling her name or face apart from right now, but there were a lot of people at that school, and he couldn’t remember everyone. Besides, that was the semester Lori broke up with him, so he’d been going through some things in his little bubble.

“You don’t remember me at all.” Rani said flatly, calling him on it.

“I do not.” Arthur admitted.

Sanjay laughed at their frankness. “How could you forget such a beautiful woman?” He glanced at Rani to see if he’d won some brownie points. She smiled politely, which he took for a win.

“I’m sorry.” Arthur said. “I don’t remember much of that class, or that semester, to be honest. I was going through some things.”

“Fair enough.” Rani said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’ll try not to take it too personally.”

Arthur nodded his thanks.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Rani said, heading into the woman’s room.

“I have to go myself.” Sanjay said, giving Arthur an apologetic nod. “See you around?”

“Yeah. See you around.” Arthur said as he remained behind, still waiting on Mindy.

A few moments after Sanjay disappeared, Mindy appeared in the family bathroom doorway. The black dress was tight against her upper body. For a moment, it looked as though it was only a flesh-colored shirt beneath the mesh, but no. She was naked beneath the black lace patterns that ran through the tight mesh top. Her busty DD breasts looked as though they might break through the thin material if she were to pull her shoulders back. Arthur appreciated the view with a smile. It almost looked like she was wearing pasties beneath it, but Arthur could tell she wasn’t if his eyes lingered.

The short black skirt was solid-colored but slightly shorter than the skirt of the white dress she had been wearing. Its layered material flared out from her narrow waist like a cone and barely covered the tops of her thigh-high stockings held up by mere elastic. The heels were the same, complete with their black string bows. The collar she had changed out. The red velvet with its black string was now the white leather collar. The stainless steel heart bounced as she walked, protruding from the D ring on the front.

Mindy walked over to him. A step away she stopped. She stood with her chin raised and hands folded behind her back as if presenting her breasts and her collar for inspection.

Arthur’s eyes wandered over every inch of her. He made a gesture with his finger, and she spun for him after taking a quick glance around to ensure they were alone in the hallway. The skirt lifted slightly as she turned, and he was treated to the sight of the tops of her thigh-highs and bare flesh.

He hooked his finger at her for her to come closer, and she stepped hesitantly forward until she nearly pressed up against him. He reached under her skirt and raised his hand until his finger scraped along the inside of her thigh. It traveled up her slick thigh and pressed against her folds from the outside. He was almost disappointed to find she’d obeyed.

“Did you doubt me, Sir?” Mindy asked.

“Maybe.” Arthur admitted. “I just wanted to check. You know me, any excuse to put my hand up your skirt.”

Mindy blushed but did not protest. She wiggled her hips forward a little, pressing against his hand instead of letting him pull away.

“You’d better put your sweater on, though.” He said before he brought his hand back up and tasted his finger.

Mindy pouted. “You don’t like the dress?”

“I love the dress.” Arthur corrected her. “But I need to be able to walk.” He glanced down, where his enthusiasm for her dress was evident, straining against his pants.

Mindy giggled, rubbing him from outside his pants. “If we go back into that bathroom, I can take care of that for you, Boss.”

Arthur glanced behind her toward the family bathroom. It was tempting, but he was also starving, and there were a lot of people around. He didn’t want either of them to get a lifetime ban from the mall because they finally made some noise.

Mindy saw his hesitation and pouted. “Don’t you want to?”

“Do as you’re told.” Arthur said and then coughed as he put his hands on Mindy’s shoulders and guided her to the bag with her sweater. She knelt slightly to get it as Rani came out from the women’s room.

Rani’s eyes met Arthur’s when she exited and then flicked downward. They widened and then looked at Mindy, whose back was turned to her. Her hair was done up in pigtails, and the white collar around her neck caught Rani’s attention, as well as the mesh top that showed off her flawless back.

Rani coughed.

Mindy spun around as she placed her arms in the sleeves of her cropped sweater and pulled it closed over her mesh-covered breasts just in time.

“Rani?” Mindy asked, surprised.

“Mindy?” Rani asked, doing a double-take, having to lift her eyes again from Arthur’s still-evident bulge. Her eyes kept flicking down to it, though she didn’t blush, stammer, or even look apologetic.

“What are you doing here?” Mindy asked.

Rani sighed. “On a date.” She rolled her eyes toward the men’s room, then remembered Arthur and Sanjay were friends and looked apologetic. Then she flicked her eyes downward again and back up at Arthur’s face, and the look on her face became much harder to read. “You’re this guy’s date?”

“Yup!” Mindy cheerfully slid her arm through Arthur’s, despite the bags he was holding. “He’s been spoiling me.”

Rani’s eyes flicked to the collar around Mindy’s throat and looked at Mindy questioningly.

“Do you like my collar?” Mindy asked with a smirk. “Spencer’s has such fun gifts!”

Arthur was surprised that through a combination of tone and gesture, Mindy was able to play it off so innocently. Whether Rani believed in her innocence or not, she played along.

“It’s nice.” Rani said with a nod. “Didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

Mindy looked at her with a big smile. “You’re so funny.” She said with a shake of her head.

It was then that Sanjay emerged from the restroom as well, and his eyes never left Mindy in a way that made Arthur step forward ever so slightly.

“Well, we’re gonna go get some dinner.” Arthur nodded toward the hallway exit. The food court wasn’t far, and his stomach had practically growled down the erection he’d been struggling with by now.

“You guys want to double?” Sanjay offered immediately. “I’ve been trying to herd Rani toward the food court myself.”

Rani shot him a look but didn’t protest.

Mindy looked at Arthur, Rani, and Sanjay and then at Arthur again. “I thought we were gonna head out?” She said to Arthur. “Didn’t you make reservations at… that place you mentioned?”

Arthur was a better actor than Mindy was and even better at picking up improv cues. “Yes, and we should head out now if we want to make it on time.”

“Oh?” Sanjay asked, not picking up on either the improv cues or the basic social cues the other three were giving him. “Where are you guys headed? We haven’t decided where to eat yet.”

“Oh.” Arthur said, looking at Mindy. “Uh…” He rattled his brain, trying to think of a fancy place to eat nearby that wouldn’t drain his bank account completely dry if Mindy took him up on going there. “That new place up on Cricket Lane. The Bar and Grill…”

It was not, strictly speaking, a classy place. It was not even all that expensive compared to some places. It was, however, nicer than a chain. Or at least, it was marketed that way.

“Oh, I love that place!” Sanjay said enthusiastically. “You want to go?” He asked Rani.

Rani looked surprised. She looked at Mindy and Arthur for a moment as if she were a deer in headlights.

“We’ll join you.” Sanjay said with a dismissive wave of his hand without waiting for Rani to answer. “Did you guys drive here?”

“Hm?” Arthur asked, trying not to think about all the plans he’d been making that were now crumbling apart because of Sanjay’s insistent friendship and directly proportional social ineptitude.

“You have a car, right? Did you guys drive here? I Ubered, and Rani’s roommate dropped her off.” He gestured toward Rani, who looked apologetically at Mindy. “Can we ride with you? Do you mind?”

Arthur did mind. He minded very much. He looked at Mindy, who looked surprised more than anything else. He looked at Rani, who also looked surprised. He looked at Sanjay, who looked happy to have run into his friend and had no idea that he was crimping Arthur’s style.

“Uh…” Arthur started to say that he didn’t think it was a great idea, but his mind was still trying to get back on course when Sanjay rolled right over him.

“Awesome.” Sanjay said with a wide smile at Rani. “Come on!” He slapped Rani on the shoulder, who seemed startled by it. “After you.” He gestured toward the end of the hallway behind Arthur and Mindy. They looked at each other, turned, and started walking.

They were back in the mall’s main walkway when Mindy looped her arm through his again, both of them carrying bags. Sanjay and Rani were walking slightly behind them, somewhat more than an arm’s length from one another. Rani kept her eyes forward. Sanjay kept his eyes on the back of Mindy’s head, occasionally indulging his instincts to glance lower whenever her dress skirt made a particular swish.

“What movie did you guys see?” Sanjay asked as they walked toward the exit and the movie theater came into view.

“Hm?” Arthur asked over his shoulder.

“Didn’t you say you guys saw a movie too?” Sanjay asked.

“Oh, right.” Arthur nodded, coming back to reality from his broken dreams. He gestured toward the movie poster on the wall. “That one. The new rom-com.”

“We saw that one too!” Sanjay said a little too loudly. “What showing did you guys see?”

“The five-fifty.” Mindy answered.

“Us too!” Sanjay exclaimed again. “I didn’t think anybody else was in the theater with us.”

“We sat in the back.” Arthur explained. “You guys were in the front row of the mezzanine?”

Rani shot Mindy a look, and Mindy had the composure to play innocent and keep her eyes forward as they left the mall entrance behind.

“Yeah.” Sanjay answered. “It was an okay movie.”

“Yeah, it…” Arthur tried to think about something to say about the movie, but when he tried to conjure images of the film on the screen, the only thing he could think of were images of Mindy straddling him and pushing her breasts into his face. “Was great.”

Rani shot Arthur a look, which he did not see because he did not look behind him.

“For a chick flick.” Sanjay shrugged.

Rani rolled her eyes and rubbed her arms. “It was boring and predictable.” She muttered.

“I thought you liked it?” Sanjay asked.

“What gave you that impression?” Rani asked, surprised.

“Well, you never said you didn’t.” Sanjay said, trying to recall the details of their conversation after the movie.

“You never asked me.” Rani stated. “You started telling me what you thought about the movie and never got around to asking my opinion.”

“First date?” Arthur asked, breaking the tension.

Rani and Sanjay looked at him for a moment. “Yeah.” Sanjay answered. “Is it that obvious?” He laughed.

“Us too.” Arthur said, gesturing between Mindy and himself.

“Really?” Sanjay asked, perking up. “How’s he doing?” Sanjay asked Mindy. “Think you’ll go out with him again?”

Mindy laughed. “Oh yes.” She said. “He definitely owes me a second date after this.”

Sanjay reached up and patted Arthur on his other arm. “Congrats, dude.”

Arthur looked at Sanjay and then at Mindy. He looked apologetic, but he said nothing by way of apology with Sanjay right there.

“How far away did you guys park?” Sanjay asked after a moment of silence.

“The other end of the lot.” Arthur nodded toward his car, which still looked pretty small from where they were.

“Oh geez.” Sanjay sighed. “You made your girl walk all that way?”

“I like a good walk.” Arthur defended his parking choices as though that weren’t the first time he’d had to explain why he parked so far away from the entrance, even if it wasn’t the true answer this time.

“Well, some of us are in heels.” Mindy pouted, then came to a stop. “Carry me?” She smiled at Arthur.

Arthur laughed. “Piggyback, fireman, or bridal carry?” He asked, though considering the bags they were holding and the shortness of her skirt, there really was no best option.

“Hm….” Mindy considered her options and their consequences. “Piggyback.” She said finally. “That way, I can hold on to you, and you can hold on to the bags.”

Arthur nodded and knelt down. Mindy giggled, straddled his back, looping her legs around his waist and hooking her feet over one another. The hem of her skirt was trapped beneath her as she did, at least in the front. The back bounced a little as Arthur stood up. He could feel Mindy’s arms around his neck and over his chest. However, the tops of her thigh-highs were exposed as the dress slid up over the side of her thighs. Sanjay noticed, despite the twilight of a parking lot lit only by the occasional street lamp in the autumnal darkness of a starless night.

“Careful there.” Rani coughed. “Don’t want to get arrested for indecent exposure.”

Mindy giggled. “Oh, it’s okay. I have shorts underneath.”

“Oh, okay.” Rani accepted her blatant lie with more grace than Sanjay’s disappointed expression.

When they reached Arthur’s car, he knelt beside the passenger-side door to let Mindy down. “We’ve arrived.” He said with a laugh.

“Aw.” Mindy said with mock disappointment, but she couldn’t hide her broad smile as Arthur moved around to the car trunk. He opened it and stashed their shopping bags inside, letting go of them for the first time since they’d become an entourage. He closed the trunk quickly and moved back to the passenger side. He opened Mindy’s door for her, and she slipped inside while Rani took the seat behind her, and Sanjay slipped into the backseat on the other side of the car.

Mindy flashed him just before he closed the door, adjusting her sweater so he could see the dark, hard-as-a-rock nipple threatening to pierce her mesh top.

Her smile was wicked as he closed the door and moved to the driver’s door with a sigh. He supposed it could be worse. There were worse things than running into friends and having your date turn into a double. There had to be. He just couldn’t think of any right now.

He slid in and started up the car as the others got buckled. Once he was buckled, he backed out and started making for the exit. The new Bar and Grill wasn’t far; it was just down the road in another part of the complex of which the mall was the center.

“What luck, huh?” Sanjay asked cheerfully. “Thanks for inviting us along, you guys.”

Mindy and Arthur shared a look together in the rearview mirror, but Arthur said: “No problem.” Instead of what was really on his mind.

“So, what did you think of the movie, anyway?” Sanjay asked Rani as Arthur drove.

“Like I said.” Rani shrugged. “It was boring and predictable. You knew she would end up with the owner as soon as they met.”

“Well, yeah. I mean, that’s how movies work. Right guys?” He looked at Artur and Mindy for support. “They have to follow certain expectations, or the audience won’t be satisfied, and it won’t be a good movie.”

“But satisfy those expectations the same way every time, and audiences get bored.” Rani countered. “There have to be some shake-ups every now and again. There must be spice, or life is just broccoli all the time.”

“What?” Sanjay asked, more confused than he had been.

“Satisfying audience expectations is important, but needs to be done in unexpected ways.” Arthur summarized. “Or it gets boring, and all the movies end up feeling like the same movie on repeat.” He shrugged. “Is that what you meant, Rani?”

Rani looked at him as if the unexpected thing in this conversation was someone listening to her and understanding what she was saying.

“Uh… yeah.” Rani said with a nod. “That’s pretty much exactly what I meant.”

Arthur nodded. Mindy frowned.

“I thought it was cute.” Mindy countered. “I like that she ended up with her boss.”

Arthur was surprised that Mindy had even noticed the plot considering she was facing away from the screen for most of it, but he couldn’t exactly say that.

“Yeah?” Rani asked. “You didn’t think it was a little… unrealistic?”

“Office romance?” Mindy asked in an almost accusatory tone. “No, I don’t think it’s unrealistic.”

“Ah-” Arthur interrupted, but Sanjay got there first.

“I don’t know.” Sanjay was quick to say what was on his mind, even if it wasn’t always worth saying. “It was a bit of a cheesy American rom-com, but I liked it. At least it wasn’t a musical.”

“You can get out of the car right now if you want.” Arthur cut in. “I’ll slow down a little.”

Sanjay laughed. “Sorry man.” He reached up and clapped Arthur on the shoulder. “It’s nothing personal. I just don’t like musicals.”

“I love musicals.” Arthur explained to Rani, sparing her a glance in the rearview mirror.

Rani smiled. “I like musicals, but I also like Bollywood movies, and Sanjay here can’t stand them.” She gestured to Sanjay even though he was sitting right next to her.

Arthur laughed. Mindy frowned again.

“I like musicals.” Mindy added to join the conversation. “I’ve never seen any Bollywood movies, though. Unless you count Slumdog Millionaire.”

“That counts.” Sanjay assured her.

“It does not.” Rani countered.

“It’s got the-”

“Nope.” Rani shook her head. “That movie is as American as they come.”

“Oh come on!” Sanjay said defensively. “I actually like that one!”

“It’s Forrest Gump if he were born in India.” Rani shook her head again.

“No, it isn’t.” Sanjay argued. “It’s… it’s a fairy tale! It’s a good movie and definitely a Bollywood film.”

Rani shook her head or was still shaking it as Arthur pulled the car into the parking lot. “Look it up if you don’t believe me.”

“One step ahead of you.” Mindy said from the front seat. She had her phone out and had already googled it. “Google says it’s technically not a Bollywood film since it’s a British film with a British director.”

“Ha!” Rani raised her fist triumphantly.

“However.” Mindy continued. “The guy that made the music is definitely a Bollywood composer. So most of India considers it a Bollywood movie.”

“Ah ha!” Sanjay pointed at Rani. “There.”

“There, what?” Rani asked. “Just because it has a Bollywood composer doesn’t make it a Bollywood movie. Lin Manuel can compose for Disney movies, but that doesn’t make Encanto a Broadway musical.”

“Yet.” Arthur smirked as he pulled into a parking spot closer to the doors than the spot he’d left at the mall. Disney had a habit of making Broadway musicals of their more popular franchises.

Rani and Mindy laughed. Sanjay frowned.

Arthur turned off the car, gestured for Mindy to stay put, and then got out of the car. He moved around the front of it to her side and opened her door. She slid her legs open for him indecently and stepped out of the car before smoothing her skirt and giving him a playful smile of thanks.

Sanjay got out on his side and stood there waiting for Rani. When she didn’t get out of the car, Sanjay gave Arthur a look. “You’re making me look bad, man.”

Arthur shrugged. He didn’t feel he was making Sanjay look any particular way. Mindy looped her arm through his and answered for him.

“Treat your girl like a lady in public.” Mindy said to Sanjay even as she looked up at Arthur. “And she just might let you treat her like a whore in private.”

Sanjay startled slightly at that and looked at the two of them, who were too distracted with looking at each other to notice him. He sighed and moved around behind the car to open Rani’s door. She stepped out and gave him a slight smile.

“Thank you.” She said with a nod. “Shall we?”

Arthur and Mindy led the way into the restaurant, where the hostess greeted them with a smile. The interior was surprisingly dark, with tiny lights in the ceiling a considerable distance from the tables and floors. It was a remarkably romantic atmosphere because of the long twilight shadows that gathered everywhere. Still, from what Arthur could see, it looked like a full house. The only open tables he spotted were high-rise tables at the bar, the least romantic option by far.

The entrance opened into a large waiting area with benches along the walls and a hostess podium at the front. Seating options were split by her podium a few paces from the door. The dining room was on the right, and the bar was on the left.

“Four.” Arthur announced as he approached the hostess.

“Okay. Is the bar okay?” The waitress asked.

“Didn’t you have a reservation?” Sanjay asked loudly.

Arthur sighed. “For two.” He lied and couldn’t help but shoot Sanjay an annoyed look. “But it’s fine.” He turned back to the hostess. “The bar is fine.”

Mindy, Sanjay, and Rani didn’t protest, even though the two girls were not yet 21, which was the legal drinking age. Not every restaurant required that you be more than 21 to sit in the bar section, though some did. Arthur wasn’t sure which this place was.

“If you had a reservation….” The waitress said, scrolling through her console.

Arthur looked at her as if patiently waiting for her to finish her sentence. “It would have been under my last name.” He said, and then supplied his last name. Not being a common last name, he did not have much hope that there would be a reservation under it, and he was ready to pass it off as a mistake.

“We have a reservation for two under that name, but it’s not for another half hour.” The hostess explained. “Would you like us to cancel and seat you at the bar? The wait should be about fifteen minutes either way.”

“Uh…” Arthur hesitated and looked at Mindy with a slight look of confusion on his face. For all the answers he did not have, she hadn’t found any either, and she looked back at him with a shrug.

“We’ll wait.” Arthur said with a nod. Then he led the way to the waiting area, with Mindy on his arm and Rani and Sanjay standing a bit apart.

“You two look pretty cozy for a first date.” Sanjay teased. “Have you guys known each other very long?”

“A few weeks.” Mindy admitted. “I’m a freshman.”

“You’re clinging to him like you’re afraid you’ll get lost.” Sanjay chuckled.

Mindy looked confused. “What?”

“You’re…” He looked at Rani for backup, and she offered him none. “You’re like hanging on his arm all the time. It just… it seemed like you two had been dating a while or like this date was a long time coming.”

Mindy still looked confused. “Oh, you mean because we walk arm-in-arm?” She suddenly realized. “No, that’s… that’s a Korean thing. In my family, neighborhood, whatever, it’s just what you do when you’re out with friends, family, whatever.”

“Oh.” Sanjay said, shooting Arthur an apologetic look.

“But I think I’d be hanging on it anyway.” Mindy admitted. “It’s a good arm.”

Arthur chuckled.

“No look.” Mindy said, turning so that Sanjay could see as she held Arthur’s arm toward him, causing his triceps to flex into focus. “Look at that. See the lines there on the shoulder make a little horseshoe?” She traced her finger over Arthur’s upper arm and then down the curve of his bicep and up the canyon, separating it from his tricep.

Sanjay didn’t look impressed. Rani did, but Mindy looked absolutely enthralled.

Mindy smiled. “It’s a good arm.”

“I happen to like the person attached to it too.” Arthur said with a smile. “Her, I mean. I’m pretty fed up with myself.”

Mindy smiled and looked down, twisting slightly and then turning up to kiss him on the cheek. “I like me too.” She giggled.

Rani laughed.

“How did you two meet?” Rani asked.

“We work together.” Mindy explained.

“Ah.” Sanjay said as if putting together the clues of a mystery movie. “That explains some of the closeness, then. Forced to spend hours together every day. From what I hear, he’s a bit of a workaholic.”

“Well, now that you’ve seen Mindy, can you blame me for wanting to spend more time at the office?” Arthur asked with a smile.

Mindy blushed harder still and looked away, but she appreciated every word and squeezed his arm to show it.

Sanjay was sensible enough not to comment on how attractive Mindy was with his date standing next to him. This was, quite possibly, the upper limit of his social intelligence.

“How about you two?” Arthur asked. “How did you two meet?”

“Tinder.” Sanjay explained. “Sent messages back and forth for a few hours, and then bam: met up today for our date.”

Arthur looked surprised. “You didn’t meet before or run into each other on campus or anything?”

“No.” Rani answered. “We met today before the movie.”

“Aren’t you in the same year?” Arthur asked, surprised.

“I’m an engineering major.” Rani explained. “I don’t socialize a whole lot.”

“Oh, nice.” Arthur nodded. “What type of engineering?”

“Electrical.” Rani answered.

“That’s probably why we never see you around the dorm, huh?” Mindy asked.

“Yeah. I’m usually locked in my room studying or in one of the labs.” Rani nodded.

“But that’s not your only interest, right?” Sanjay asked. “You’re into other things?”

“Nope.” Rani shook her head. “I’m completely monolithic. I only have one interest, which has come to consume my soul and entirely define me as a person over the years.”

Arthur and Mindy could tell that she was being sarcastic. Sanjay had a more difficult time reading her tone.

“So, what else are you into?” Mindy asked.

Rani smiled. “Cinematography. Screenwriting. Art.”

“I’m into art too!” Mindy said excitedly. “I do a lot of drawing, some painting.”

“Nice.” Rani smiled. “I do photography and some digital art.”

“I feel like if I had to choose one, I’d choose photography. I mean, anyone with a phone can take a picture.” Sanjay said off-handedly.

Arthur physically winced. Mindy almost giggled but stopped herself for Rani’s sake. Rani let the briefest flicker of anger cross her face but quickly regained her composure as someone called out Arthur’s name. They thought it was the hostess, but Arthur immediately recognized his mother’s voice.

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” Arthur asked, surprised.

Mindy’s eyes went wide, and she adjusted her sweater a little bit and flattened her skirt after nearly jolting away from Arthur’s arm. If he noticed, he didn’t have to comment on it as his mother embraced him in a hug.

“We may be old, son, but we can still go out for a night on the town.” His father answered.

“Heh.” Arthur chuckled a bit. “I guess so.”

“Who are your friends?” His mom asked after pulling away and glancing between Rani and Mindy, not sparing a glance at Sanjay.

“Ah, mom, dad, this is my date, Mindy.” He presented Mindy. “And our friends Rani and Sanjay.”

“Mindy?” His mom asked, as if making sure she got the name right, but in reality, checking its sound for any sign of familiarity that she and Arthur might have discussed before. She came up blank but shook the young woman’s hand anyway.

“Yes, Mindy.” Mindy answered with a nod. “Well, Ji-Min. But I go by Mindy.” She confessed with a small laugh. “It’s… very nice to meet you.”

“You too!” His mom said. “I was starting to wonder if I’d ever meet all of Arty’s girlfriends!” She laughed.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and laughed apologetically. Mindy looked up at him to make sure she’d heard right. She knew that he, Selene, and Kat were open about their open relationship, but it wasn’t like they’d told Sanjay or Rani. In fact, Mindy was kind of hoping not to tell Sanjay and Rani until she talked to Arthur about it first.

“Heh.” Sanjay scoffed, drawing their attention to him. “Sorry.” Sanjay raised his hands. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I just… Arthur’s not much of a ladies’ man like you made it sound.” He said, almost as if trying to reassure Mindy. “It’s not like he’s a player.” Sanjay laughed. “Dude hasn’t had a date in like a year!”

“Oh, I know he’s a ladies’ man.” Mindy laughed, brushing away Sanjay’s concern or his jeering. She wasn’t sure which it was. She took Arthur’s hand back in hers and squeezed it. “I’m proud to be one of his girlfriends.”

It was Arthur’s turn to blush. Sanjay seemed confused and didn’t get it. Arthur’s father coughed and left for the hostess stand. His mother smiled at Mindy and gave her an appraising glance.

“Do you want to sit with us?” His mom asked. “Or is that too much? I guess we should let you kids have your double date without any parental supervision.” She laughed.

Mindy looked at Arthur for guidance, but he laughed and shook his head. Dealing with Sanjay had taught him to find his tongue quicker in these situations.

“No, you two go ahead.” He nodded. “You deserve a nice date night. I think there was a mix-up with the reservation anyway. They might have thought we were the same reservation, calling twice.” It was a convenient excuse.

“Aw.” His mom pouted. “Well, it was good to see you again so soon, Arty.” She gave him another hug. “And it was very nice to meet you, Ji-Min.” She looked at Mindy with a smile, then back to Arthur. “You treat her right, now, you hear?”