Odalisque

“You fucking her too, man?” he asked, running a hand over Constance’s hip.

“No. Help yourself.”

Mason frowned slightly and gave him a look, which Kai ignored. His friend slipped his fingers between Constance’s thighs. She arched back against Mason in a sleepy feline stretch. She had grown close to him. It was beautiful to watch, and yet disgusting. No, he was disgusted with himself. Mason was an excellent lover. Let him have her. Let her have the pleasure. That was what she was made for, what she was trained for.

Kai undressed, hanging up his tuxedo pants and Mason’s too. Fastidious details to distract him from the soft moans on the bed. Kai hesitated a moment, and then joined them, lying against Constance’s front. Why not? She belonged to him. She stroked his shoulders, smiling her graceful smile.

Kai kissed her softly, drawing her close even as Mason drilled her from behind. Finally Kai pulled back and fingered a twisting lock of her hair. It was still wet from the shower, cool and silken in his fingers, in contrast to her body heat.

Mason was fucking her harder now. Constance reached between her legs, her eyes glazing over. Kai knew she could orgasm from penetration without clitoral stimulation, but she told him it felt better when she had both. He added a third sensation for her, pinching the taut peaks of her nipples with ruthless ferocity. Her mouth fell open in a gasp of pleasure. When she came, her whole body shuddered. Mason came soon after with a jerk and a shout. Kai watched, fully aroused but too conflicted to follow Mason into her pussy. Not tonight.

A few moments later, Mason gave Constance a squeeze and extricated himself from the tangled bed sheets. “Thanks, man,” he said to Kai. “That always hits the spot. She’s so fucking respo--”

“Responsive. I know. You say that every time.”

“I’ll have to think of a new word. Refreshing. Enthusiastic. Marvelous. Superb.”

“Mason, just go. I’m tired.”

Mason gave him another look, then dressed and took himself off without another word. Kai rolled onto his back with a sigh of frustration. Constance sat up beside him.

“Is everything okay?” she signed. “May I serve you too?”

Yes, you can serve me. By refusing to sleep with Mason or any of my other friends again. By falling in love with me, the way I’ve fallen in love with you.

He didn’t say that, of course. He didn’t say anything. He really was way, way too tired.

Chapter Fifteen: Party

Constance returned home from New York with a renewed determination to adhere to the Code d’Odalisque. Being out and about on Kai’s arm had felt way too girlfriend-y. She even started to entertain some far out secret fantasies about becoming his wife, and that’s when she knew she was crossing a line.

She really needed to be with someone she didn’t love so much, like Mason Cooke. Mason was as sexy and rich as Kai, but he didn’t affect her the way Kai did.

But then, Mason wasn’t doing so well. He still showed up at Kai’s house a couple times a week, but he spent the rest of his time working too hard and drinking himself to sleep. Mason never talked about his wife, the statuesque, glacial-eyed woman Constance had met at the Lincoln Center fundraiser. He didn’t have to. Things clearly weren’t going well. Mason and Jessamine were featured on the covers of the tabloids, smiling and clinging to one another at red carpet events, but Constance knew those smiles for a lie.

November turned to December and Kai had to turn the heater up again in Constance’s odella. Somehow she hadn’t felt quite as cold at the end of last winter, when she’d first arrived. Now the next winter was starting. Winter. That’s it, girl. One more season. Then you leave.

The holidays came, and Constance steeled herself against sentimentality. It was harder than ever when Kai was playing Santa at the Kids Making Music Christmas Eve concert. She couldn’t hear the underprivileged children’s orchestra play, but she could see the shining faces of their proud parents, and Kai’s own blissed-out smile under his white Santa beard. Why did he have to be so perfectly wonderful? Satya was there too, applauding and jumping up to help her brother distribute gifts.

The three of them had gone home afterward and talked long into the night, and opened gifts in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Satya stayed the next few days, hanging out with Constance and showing off all the sign language she was learning. By this point, Kai signed practically as well as Constance. Satya, quick as she was, wasn’t far behind.

It had all been too perfect and heartwarming. Constance managed, barely, to keep her emotions reined in. And then the scatter party happened.

Constance had always loved New Years Eve. The celebrations, the revelry, the way people naturally sought each other out. So she’d been totally on board with the party Kai described to her. It was part swinging, part running around naked, and part getting drunk. None of them bad ways to ring in the New Year.

Jessamine and Mason arrived first, just after dinner. Jessamine leaped on Kai and wrapped her legs around his waist while Constance looked on, somewhat taken aback. “I’m searching for you first, big boy,” the actress said. At least Constance thought that’s what she said. It was hard to tell when she was crawling all over Kai like a nympho. Jealous, are we?

Constance looked over at Mason, who raised his shoulders and gave her a vaguely disgruntled look. Kai finally peeled Jessamine off him. “I think the guys get to search first.”

“It’s definitely the guys’ turn to search first,” Mason agreed. “Ladies second. Third round is anything goes.”

“Only three rounds?” asked Kai, with a wink at Constance.

“Three rounds,” said Jessamine. “Then the general fuckery begins. Hey, Kai, you remember the sheik I told you about? He has a new odalisque, and he’s bringing her tonight.”

Constance took in that information with interest. She wondered if it would be anyone she knew. She didn’t have much time to think about it as the other guests started to arrive. The Grays showed up next, laughing and greeting everyone. Another power couple. Jeremy Gray’s wife, Nell, wasn’t an actress, but he cast enough light for them both. He was muscular, blond, with eyes even bluer than Mason’s. Mason did the introductions while Kai admitted another pair of couples. Constance scrutinized each man, wondering who she would end up with.

The concept of a scatter party was simple. Everyone got naked. Then either the men or women got ten minutes to “scatter,” that is, hide somewhere in the house. The lights were turned low, and then the players searched until they found someone. And they fucked whoever they found. It was kind of like an x-rated version of hide-and-seek.

So far, there wasn’t anyone Constance wouldn’t mind being found by. She knew Kai and Mason well already, and Jeremy Gray was the epitome of cosmopolitan, manly cool. The next two couples were older attractive men with smiling, sexy wives. Second wives probably. Trophy wives. A little disgusting, but she had a thing for older men. Another couple arrived and Mason nudged her.

“That’s the sheik,” he mouthed for her benefit, but she already knew. She recognized the odalisque on his arm. Constance gave Jenna a furtive wave, and was rewarded with a dimpled smile.

“Hey,” said Mason, touching her arm. “No odalisque bonding tonight. Jess doesn’t know...still...”

Constance rolled her eyes and dug in her pocket for the small notebook she’d be using for the night. Why don’t you just tell your wife what I am? I don’t think she would care.

Mason shook his head, grimacing. “She would care. She would be mad I haven’t shared you with her.”

I’m not yours to share, Constance wrote.

“That wouldn’t matter to her.”

Jeremy beckoned Mason over to help open bottles of bubbly, and the champagne started flowing. Constance stayed on the outskirts of the chattering couples and wondered when the clothes would start coming off. She was dressed, like everyone else, although she’d argued with Kai that she didn’t see the point.

“Be civilized,” he’d signe

d to her with a smirk. “You’ll freak everyone out if you open the door naked. But you’ll be able to take your clothes off soon enough.” They were still waiting for two more couples. The next couple was not long in arriving. A tall, handsome black man and his strangely demure wife. Interesting, how conservative she looked. Just as Constance was picturing the shy woman ripping off her clothes and pouncing on one of the men--Kai perhaps--the doorbell rang again and the last couple came in.

They were both drop dead gorgeous. He was broad, compact, with a great smile and a laid back air. He had a stunning woman on his arm. She was petite and curvy, with large doe eyes and a full head of cascading blonde hair. It seemed that every head turned in unison to stare at her. Then they all turned to stare at Kai.

*** *** ***

Jessamine turned to Kai, her hands outstretched already to calm him.