ElenaV

  Crystal’s attention was soft, but Amber was brazen with her hands. In the way they roamed over Ruby’s thighs, or the deliberate way they lingered along the hem of her skirt, or the small dig of her nails on her skin, leaving light pink blush to bloom in their wake.

  Again, it was easy. This time it was Crystal whose lips settled. One kiss led to her dragging her lips along Ruby’s neck, seeking permission for more.

  “What do you like, Ruby?” Amber murmured in her ear. Her proximity, her voice sweet, like warm honey dripping, sent Ruby’s pulse thumping harder. Especially between her legs. “What’s you preference? Your taste?”

  “She liked being blindfolded, though she won’t say it.” Or entered, carrying two gsses, both containing diluted gold liquid. When she arrived within arm’s reach, her smile stretched wider, her lips parting but only slightly to reveal a peeking gap between her two rows. “Are you already prepared for round two?”

  “Round two?” Ruby had to deliberately drag her attention away from the demands of both Crystal and Amber.

  Or passed one gss of nuclear daiquiri to Rhea and held the second gss without sipping. “In the app, I noticed your heartbeat spike and blood pressure rise.” She sat on the ottoman that Rhea vacated and when she settled, Rhea sat on her p, leisurely sipping the cocktail. “Not going to lie. I was a bit apprehensive that you may be a withdrawn. Happy to see that you have made friends real fast.”

  “Ruby impressed us quite fast, Or. They already love her.” Rhea wiggled in Or’s p with extreme possessiveness, as though the seat belonged to her. “Besides, I promised you that I will ease her into the group.”

  Alluring smiles came unbidden to Ruby when Amber’s fingers ran and returned with a blindfold. “Do you think she will like this, too?” Amber raised a pair of handcuffs in her arms, a very hesitant lower bite on her lips only added to the overall appeal.

  “She definitely won’t say no,” Or chuckled.

  Crystal raised her wrists for Amber to seal the hand cuffs. With wide seeking eyes, dancing twin tails, and legs that she usually kept tightly closed, Crystal easily passed for a reserved girl, except in these moments, when Ruby caught sight of only delicious indecency mingled with sciviousness.

  And that was the st thing she saw. Crystal’s smile came with an aptitude for the scandalously forbidden.

  Amber fastened her blindfold. “Don’t worry. These are padded handcuffs. They won’t leave any bruises. I love your dress. I hope it won’t hinder access anywhere. Should I remove it?”

  “No, I like it that way.” Crystal’s denial came with her assertive hold on Ruby. “She looks super cute with her skirt pulled higher... Besides, she doesn’t need any nudity.”

  Already deprived of her sense of sight, their touch registered their hands everywhere. Her sense became acute. Where their fingertips roamed, Ruby’s skin burned.

  Something, a tongue, nudged against her ear. Warm breath trickled. Amber’s teeth teased a bite. Another sensation, a palm cupped her thigh. Ruby could guess neither its ownership nor cared for her stomach fluttered when they weaved between her legs. A slow, deliberate touch. Firm. Tracing her contours. Raising her skirts above her waist.

  The slight chillness of a breeze, the warmth of a seeking touch, the hardness of a grab and the tenderness of a caress, all flowed on her skin. Ruby clenched her thighs involuntarily, but a moan still escaped her lips.

  “Oh sweet, this is fucking hot,” Amber whispered in Ruby’s ear but aimed at Crystal. “I wished we have our mobiles. You are right. She is freaking sexy with her skirts pushed above her hips. Look Crystal, she is even rubbing her thighs.”

  “I know, right,” Crystal chuckled as she shifted a bit away from Ruby. “The moment I id my eyes on her, I knew it. This is a girl we should corrupt with her clothes on.”

  The casual way in which they addressed her as though she did not exist only added more to the moment. Any response or retort would only break the moment. Ruby tried to provide a voice to her presence through her gasp.

  “Ruby, you don’t know how insanely sexy you pose now.” Amber now captured her lips and cimed a generous amount of saliva. “Want me to describe it?”

  Ruby whimpered in a weak affirmation.

  “Remember those three girls opposite to us? They have stopped doing it and are now watching you. That is how sexy you are now. One of the girls is even tossing a ‘V’ with her tongue at you, and another is rubbing herself while watching you. You are amazingly fuckable now.”

  Crystal rained kisses where Ruby’s mound connected her thighs. Only covered by the delicate yer of her panties, her lips left an unforgettable impression.

  Ruby could only respond to those traitorous lips and the warmth they bellowed over her cunt with deep whimpers.

  “I love her first gasp, Crystal. Do it again.”

  “Mmmm... Ruby baby. Yes. You are absolutely fucktastic.” Crystal moaned against her gossamer-thin fabric protected cunt. “Do you want to know more? One of the girls is now squatting over a thick dildo, riding it while enjoying your show.”

  “Do it harder, Crystal. The expression she makes is making me even more wet.”

  “If you think so, then you should get her to bite her lower lips,” said Or. Somewhere mingled in her note was a small peal of amused ughter. “Those are her best reactions. Be amazed when she cmps down. You can thank me ter.”

  “Fuck ya, Ruby. I wish we could do a video recording. That would be amazing. Would you love it?” Every word from Crystal, utter against her cunt, set deliberate vibrations in her throbbing core.

  “Would you be into it, Ruby?” Amber asked while yanking the straps of her bra, pushing both her breast to exposure.

  “Say fucking yes, Ruby. Everyone is into it. I am sure if you ask Raisa, she would have some arrangements for it.” Crystal now bit her lightly through her panties. “Ruby, you make all the correct sounds and you wiggle so freakingly sexy. Won’t you want to preserve this moment?”

  “Girls, don’t coax her if she is not into it.” Or's voice was seemingly normal, that only those who knew her well could perceive the subtle shift in it.

  “There is a reason why chaperones are here,” added Rhea. Unlike Or, Rhea was direct.

  “But you are into it, right, Ruby?” Amber asked in a heady, lust-filled whisper while pausing her lips in their sojourn towards Ruby’s nipples. “Don’t you want to see for yourself... how you excited everyone?”

  “Girls, try to manipute my daughter one more time and I will personally toss you all out.” Now Or’s words came with a sibint hiss of caution. “No exceptions. Now py nice with her.”

  “Sorry, Orith.” Both the girls chorused.

  In the small pause that followed, only Ruby could break the tense moment. “Can someone focus on me? Csses on ethics can wait.”

  Twin tails of Crystal caressed Ruby’s naked thighs, and when her fingertip dug into the waistline of her panties, Ruby expected them to come out. But instead, her Mary Jane shoes were removed. The touch, the strength in them and the tenderness with which they pressed on her ankles, were all tell-tales signs of Or.

  Or actually removed her shoes!!!

  That made additional excitement brew inside.

  “Start from there.” Ruby didn’t need the use of her eyes to know where Or pointed. “Her toes are sensitive and she likes being pyed there.”

  Or’s voice, rich and enticing, retreated. As though all her senses amplified, especially with her blindfolded gaze, to seek the direction Or retreated.

  Then Ruby heard shuffling, which meant Crystal manoeuvred towards her toes. Ruby anticipated footsies. Instead, she got the unfurling of a petal-like kiss.

  Oh damn!!! Her legs went akimbo because she anticipated feet py. Instead, she found herself unprepared for what Crystal had in mind.

  Lips, soft and wet and eager but also devilishly cruel, parted to take her toes in. Then the tongue joined in, inflicting pleasure. Crystal sucked with the enthusiasm of a devoted lover while her tongue tip slithered everywhere, drawing molten wetness between her toes. Occasionally, gentle teeth nudged — not nibbled, rather delivered mild teasing touches of feathery tenderness.

  Ruby yanked her foot back. Or she tried to and found arrested by the strong arms of Or. Her grasp was caring with suppressed strength. Another grip held her other foot. Gently authoritative and subtly nudging, just the sort of touch she expected from Rhea.

  “Amber, join Crystal here.” Rhea instructed, and Amber complied.

  Although Ruby missed the warm breath on her cheek and jawline and her salivating tongue and its drool-lines mess on her nipples, those were exchanged soon for the illicit sucking on her other foot. Unlike Crystal, Amber was voracious.

  Overwhelming sensations swamped Ruby.

  Soon her toes became webbed beneath sweet drool. Only her loud mewl emanated through. Her breaths became loud. Somewhere her high gasps filled. Her hips shifted.

  However, Crystal and Amber pressed forward. To occupy her attention, leaving behind smouldering trails while their words wrapped Ruby further.

  Soon, her panties were pulled aside and her pussy received loving, lust-filled attention. Amidst the glorious squelch, her bia got sucked. Followed by a darting tongue sliding, swirling her moisture, pushing, thrusting deeper. Her rear hole received a tantalising tease when Amber’s lips nded sultry kisses. Only wetness enveloped her throbbing clit. Warm, drooling mouth. Then moist lips...

  How good will her tongue feel?

  And she suckled.

  Hard.

  Soft.

  Loving...

  Hot!!

  Wet!!!

  Between Crystal’s hot breaths, her tongue danced everywhere.

  Only the best feeling forever. Both Or and Rhea’s palms withdrew, leaving Ruby presenting her exposed self on her own. A task, performed eagerly of her own volition, given the ministrations from Crystal and Amber. Ruby spread her leg obscenely wide. Any resistance dissipated. When her juices coated Crystal’s tongue, Amber’s tongue continued moving around her asshole, testing the responses of her sphincter muscles.

  Amber retreated. “One of the girls from the throuple is actually on all four and she wants to eat your cute butt. Can she? She seems to beg… if only you could see the expression in her eyes while the other two girls are shoving dildos up her cunt and ass.”

  Those words intoxicated Ruby more than any drug or alcohol. The knowledge that someone was willing to tongue fuck her puckered hole while getting fucked on both holes herself — that stimulus was opium on steroids.

  Ruby shifted on her own, allowing Crystal access to her front, while a new tongue parted her rear cheeks. Her panties hugged tight, wedged between her legs. Being bound, denied her from gripping her own thighs, brought a certain measure of restraint and sensations. Crystal slurped hard, shing her swollen bud. The one between her cheeks prodded while her thumbs stretched her hole wider.

  How deep can she plunge?!

  ...Does she enjoy my taste?

  These questions drowned beneath Ruby’s heightened ecstasy.

  Two girls tongued her holes. Deep, fervently, pushing themselves.

  The sounds of fabric rustling came from near. Then thighs held Ruby’s face and pussy lips kissed her mouth.

  “Ruby, please...” Amber gave one long, drawn moan. “... since I set my eyes on you, I have been craving to have your tongue in me.”

  One tongue delved deep, fucking, stretching her vagina lips. While her sphincter muscles yielded beneath another prodding tongue. Ruby thrust her own tongue into Amber’s anticipating twitching cunt.

  Close. Her convulsions threatened, but still Ruby continued. Her own pleasure, from both attacks on her lower part, mixed with Amber’s peaking moans. Overpowering, they became. Ensving. But her peak refused.

  Until Amber’s nectar blessed Ruby. Sheer liquid dribbled. Ruby drank. Small. Unrestricted. Trickle.

  However, that became the trigger. Ruby reached her climax. One that didn’t end.

  So intense!!! Too intense!!!

  Amber continued. Ruby convulsed, buckled, twitching, writhing. Another gush! Even stronger than the first one, Amber squelched. Her release, spraying. Squirting. Bubbling froth erupted through clench cunt, spttered on Ruby.

  Liquid came harder.

  Swallowed her. Robbed everything. But its release cleansed Ruby. As did her own squirt did to Crystal.

  All. Three of them. Her erogenous zones. Stimuted. Even her sphincter muscles contracted, denying her relief, her respite, refusing the end of climax. Her pleasure endured. Never ending. Forever...

  Exhausted. Ruby colpsed. Spent. Drained. Wrecked. Broken. But her smile...

  ...remained intact. Because it came willingly. And her friends watched her. Her sexy, naughty friends showered her. Coating her. Filling her. All. Earning her love.

  When the blindfolds came, Ruby found herself head resting on Or’s comfortable p. Somewhere during their tryst, Or moved to take Ruby’s in her warmth. Nearby, Rhea continued passing warm and wet napkins. Or wiped Amber’s sinful secretions from her face with infinite gentleness. No sign of the young and eager witch who willingly indulged with Mom remained. Instead, there was a sincerity that could only come from maturity.

  “Sorry, I had to pce you on my p to keep your hair intact,” said Or. “Otherwise Amber’s squirt would have messed your hair.”

  Next, Ruby’s hands came free from the handcuffs.

  “Pardon me.” An attendant who looked like she waited for the moment to break intruded. “The hostess requested your presence.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes. She has an audience but such restrictions do you apply to you, Miss Gand. She asked you to barge in.”

  “That seems rather unconventional.”

  “In her own words, Miss. Gand. ‘Irrespective of age and situation, when an aspected witch arrives at the ball, I am is expected to personally greet her.’ And Raisa is afraid that she has already failed that tradition.”

  “Wow... You are an aspected witch.” Crystal’s eyes lit up, growing to twice their size.

  “No fucking way. What’s your Aspect, Ruby? This is so exciting,” added Amber.

  Rhea coughed. “You better hurry. She usually doesn’t call young witches early.”

  Ruby adjusted the hem of her skirt to make herself presentable. After slipping into her shoes, when she turned to leave, Rhea took her wrist. Or handed her her drenched panties.

  “Put it on. I am sure Raisa would love to remove them again.” Both chuckled.

  And despite the shameless show she put on for the group, Ruby was still drowned in waves of blushes.

  Under other circumstances, Ruby wouldn’t have entered the room. But the attendant, with brimming obliviousness, took the initiative, opened the door and ushered Ruby in. It was simply too te to backtrack her way to Or. The permeating tension in the room failed to bother Ruby. Living with Mom made her unflinching to such crepuscur pressure.

  Raisa, even with her controlled presence still conveying the threat, was still familiar. But it was the other presence, one that Ruby knew all too well perturbed her.

  Aunt Tasha flicked her gaze in Ruby’s direction, registering her arrival for a mere fraction of a second before returning to the conversation.

  “My man had always carried himself with integrity. The council nominated him. There is a reason. Your accusations are... “ Aunt Tasha paused to let an exasperated sigh, something that Ruby had never witnessed before. Aunt Tasha had always held herself elegantly and with an out-of-this-earth grace. “... simply baffling.

  “My man is a curious way to cim your pet boy. Raisa chuckled and tapped her cane to prevent the objection from Aunt Tasha. “The Elysium is a sanctuary for young witches. Out of respect for the council, I let the High Inquisitor roam freely inside and he hunted young ones from under my roof.”

  “Look Raisa, there has been an ancient pact between my people and the witches. I stand before you with that pact. You have to listen now. My man is a Sigma, a powerful one, almost on par with any Primal Alpha. But he shunned away from pack dynamics. That’s why The Council pced their trust in him. I ask you to do the same.”

  “He. Threatened. My. Girls.” With each word, her cane collided hard, causing hairline cracks to spread. “If the judgement were up to me, I would have put him down like a rabies ridden hound.”

  “Never ever threaten my family.”

  Ruby had never known Aunt Tasha to respond to threats, for none delivered it before. She possessed a charming finesse that most simply found impossible to penetrate. She could never recall her Aunt Tasha peeved. Now Ruby had witnessed the fury of the woman.

  “I am still a blood hunter. The pact will not protect you from my wrath. I will invoke my right to hunt and soak my cap red with your fresh blood, just like in ancient times.”

  “Consider this carefully. I allowed you into my abode, into an auspicious, important event for us. And you threaten me. That is a second trespass of your family. This insolence wanes my patience.” Raisa squared her shoulders and casually flicked her gaze to Ruby, seemingly mundane to anyone who witnessed. But they veiled her true intentions. She even gave Ruby a reassuring smile, as though urging her to talk.

  In fact, Ruby should. She could break the moment. Yet, Ruby would not. For intervening meant talking and giving herself away. Aunt Tasha fulfilled a role in her life when Mom was absent. She knew Ruby in a manner that Mom should have. Uncle Craven's perceptive skills were a monkey compiling a code with a keyboard, but Aunt Tasha was something else altogether. A mere word, and she could pick her apart. Her keen intuition and powers of observation will give Ruby’s secret away. So Ruby remained silent and watched.

  Sheer silence passed between Raisa and Aunt Tasaha. So intense. So sharp it could cut through the air.

  “‘Let me give a piece of advice,” said Raisa, finally breaking Aunt Tasha’s guard. “In case you failed to notice, the necromancers, the demonologists, the spirit mediums — none of them are present in the current ball. Even the Veldmans and the Rosenkranzs did not bother sending anyone. Everyone is on the nervous edge, cooped inside the safety of their covens. Your husband should stop collecting the bones of the Padin and hunt those who threaten us. Even if it meant making peace with Morgane.”

  Ruby had to school her expression to not let her surprise ooze.

  “Morgane is impossible to work with,” said Aunt Tasha, a sentiment Ruby can fully subscribe to. “I now understand why Morgane did what she had to do. No judgement there. I even sympathise with what fate dealt her. Still, that does not absolve her. She needs to come clean. If not to the rest of the world, then to her child. Her little one could use all the support, and I cannot provide everything.”

  Little One. Is that how Aunt Tasha still sees her?

  “And?” Raisa dragged the word for a good measure.

  “Morgane cannot come clean, because she cannot abandon all that pomp and trappings of power she had surrounded herself with. Confessing means baring herself open. Something she would never do.”

  Again, Aunt Tasha’s understanding floored Ruby. Though Ruby has spent days agonising it, she never expected Aunt Tasha’s perceptive acuity towards her mom. That piqued Ruby’s interest. Also, she never expected Aunt Tasha to outright support Mom’s act. This was a woman who could stand unfazed before Mom. Perhaps Aunt Tasha came bearing hope for Ruby.

  However, Ruby’s delight quickly drowned beneath her next words. “I even tried to put a tracking spell on Morgane’s child. But she has already taken measures against everything. Only thing we could do was to provide the mobile to track. Can you believe the pain? Raising a kid just to donate to Morgane?”

  “From where I stand... “ Raisa gave a smirk that almost gave Ruby away. “... You didn’t miss out much. After all, the target of your motherly worries is still nearer than you think.”

  Ruby’s mouth opened. She stammered. Words failed her.

  Aunt Tasha, however, remained uncharacteristically calm. “I came to you because there is a threat to my boys’ life. Can you convince Morgane?”

  “I suppose it doesn’t hurt to put a call to Morgane. Probably, Morgane will go, ‘Yes, Raisa. I will do it for you.’” Raisa chuckled. It was filled with vicious mockery and, sadly, also carried truth. “We both know the outcome. You want to protect you children, then make peace with Morgane. That’s all the help I can provide. Now, please enjoy the hospitality of witches’ ball. It has been decades since one of your people graced us.”

  Aunt Tasha took the cue to leave. As she walked past, Ruby’s heart palpitated wildly.

  Will Aunt Tasha recognise?

  But Ruby’s worries proved baseless. Aunt Tasha only flicked her gaze briefly. Then she gave her a warm smile. But it failed to transform her otherwise cold, hard features. With measured steps, she departed. Yet, her absence failed to dissipate any tension.

  Raisa looked composed. Yet her fingers drummed, devoid of rhythm, against her cane. “Sweet witchling. It warms my heart to see you again.” Her lips broke into a wide smile, her wrinkles stretched to accommodate it. “I love everything about you. I love your innocence. Even Morgane has it. A pity she hides it behind all her power py.”

  “What’s your point in forcing me to witness this conversation? It was all a part of your plot, wasn’t?”

  “You are angry, yes? Witchling, did I tell you how adorable you look when your cute nostrils fre?” Raisa smiled, though it failed to clear any tension. “What would you believe more? A second hand information heard from someone or that to which you bore witness to?”

  “I might have been better prepared, had you expined to me before. Instead, you caught me off-guard.”

  Raisa liberated one hand from holding her cane. Her touch on Ruby’s cheek came with softness. “Let me expin that with a riddle, young witchling who is yet to know her own Aspect.” Ruby could almost taste the cloying sweetness of Raisa’s words as she continued. “Surprised? But you shouldn’t be. We, witches with aspects, sense each other and the connections. Now, time for your riddle.”

  “Why?”

  “Consider it a series of tests. A hero’s journey, if you want. Except, you will not be sying dragons or rescuing damsels. Those are for dumb brute heroes. People who sacrificed brains for their muscles. You are a witch. Your tests are designed to unlock your potential through reasoning. Are you ready?”

  Raisa paused only momentarily, frozen in Raisa’s palm. Her displeasure darkened her eyes.

  “Witchling, you still don’t understand the position you are in. Imagine this. Take the stupidest kid you know. The kind whose mother dropped him on his head multiple times. Now give them a fancy bde, the kind that could cut steel with no effort. Put them in an armour with enough enchantments stacked and send them to sy a beastie or an evil overlord. And they will come back victorious. The people might even worship them as heroes. But want to know who the real hero is? The one who gave them the bde and the armour and set them on the quest. Set the wrong person on the wrong quest and they will never come back.”

  Now Ruby struggled under the tightening hold of Raisa. Her words were surprisingly cautious, as were her touch that became searing.

  “You, young witchling, are one such person. You are not successful. You are the reason behind the success.”

  Ruby gasped, her words came between breathless hiccups. “W-Why me?”

  Raisa gave her a sad smile, and her hands returned their warmth, their gentleness. “This, I can only hope you will figure it soon. Now, my riddle. I have this client, a wealthy and important client, a regur patron of my art gallery. One day, he approached me, seeking my advice to invest in a state-of-art security system. I told him that the product he was considering, despite the long development phase, the manufacturer managed to meet the projected deadline.”

  That made very little sense or meaning to extract from, except something resided deep beneath the casual statement. These were the kind of coded-nguage that Jochen Rosenkranz spoke fluently. Yet, Ruby failed to grasp any meaning.

  When Ruby’s silence dragged, Raisa asked. “What conclusion can you draw, young witchling?”

  Ruby’s answer came with furrowed brows. “That he shouldn’t buy it?”

  “Now walk with me.” Raisa led her outside the room with one palm on her back. Her cane clicked on the marbled floor, announcing her presence. “Walking is good. It activates the brain.”

  “Your client is shrewd, extremely perceptive. The kind who can filter information beyond the noise. He can pick patterns. When you talked about product development dey, he probably caught it. He Understood that more deys should follow.”

  Raisa hummed in approval.

  “But the product was delivered on the unch date, which means the testing phase was not carried sufficiently. The product suffers from failures. Had you stated that openly, you will face a wsuit from the manufacturer.”

  By then, Raisa had reached the balustrade. Down below, Or beamed a rexed smile at Ruby. Rhea was not far behind, as were her hands that now explored the curves of Or’s neck.

  “That’s right, witchling. If I write in a former employee’s reference letter that they always met deadlines, what I really mean is that this person always does things at the st minute.” Raisa extracted her hand from Ruby’s back and clutched the balustrade instead. “Look at Or. What eyes does she have for you? But you do not have the same eyes for her.”

  “That obvious?”

  “Anyone not blind sees.” She leaned over the balustrade, gesturing towards Or and Rhea. “If you weren’t around, those two would be all over each other by now. Rhea Sincir is another love of Or’s life. Too bad, once this ball ends, Rhea will go back to her husband and her children.”

  “Her husband?”

  “Yes, her husband, some very successful professor, with a suburban house and three children, to complete a very happy family.” Raisa’s words were both sweet and acerbic. “When Morgane left, Or was shattered. She even retreated so far into her self-imposed exile, we all feared that we would lose her. Only Rhea managed to coax her out into the light again. Put her back when she couldn’t find her own bearings. Still, in the end, Rhea decided to marry her husband and went on to have a family.”

  “Despite their love, she left Or because her husband offered her a picture-perfect family?” Ruby hated the bitterness in her throat. Something about it felt very personal.

  “This is the version I am telling you, little witchling. Rhea used Or for certain comforts while still maintaining her life with her husband and family for others. Do you hate Rhea now? You should. But remember, that is my version. The truth is rarely simple. A story always has multiple sides. Here is your test. Find the answer before the witches ball ends.”

  A few approaches presented themselves for Ruby. Crystal might gossip when prodded, but those would be another version of a tale. Or might tell her a rose-tinted version of their love story.

  “Complete the test and you will learn the essential skill to know your own Aspect.” Raisa ushered Ruby back to the room. “It is time for our dance.”

  “Dance?”

  “Yes, sweet witchling. You are an aspected witch. So it is a tradition for me to honour you with a dance.” She pointed to an ivory lined wardrobe. “I have prepared an outfit for you. I will wait downstairs.”

  “H-how did you know my size?”

  “My palms remember, witchling. They remember your feel.” Raisa then left her alone.

  Ruby opened the wardrobe. Her outfit hung dispyed inside. An elegant blue-dress, electrifying and mystifying simultaneously, crafted exquisitely, tailored especially for her. Simple, cssic, timeless, beautiful, alluring, she noted. Its beauty y in its lines, its cut. How it complimented her. When her fingers touched the dress, its softness and its warmth, they surprised her. Silk was her first guess. Yet, its texture, its suppleness, all spoke against her logic. No, it wasn’t satin either. Or charmeuse. Or any textile fibre she could recall. With one side tied, its design allowed easy access. Ruby slipped her hands through sleeveless openings, felt the insides, and then her fingers caught the hard stiffness of a corset hiding beneath.

  She would definitely need help now. As she fumbled with the dress and the corset, the door opened and closed.

  “I thought, I might offer you some help with that.”

  Ruby froze. Stiffened as thoughts nced through her spine while her body refused to tilt and meet.

  Aunt Tasha approached her.

  Ruby could smell her, the floral fragrance of a summer meadow, feel her like a kindled campfire on a cold evening, sense her presence like she always had. Aunt Tasha never invaded anyone’s personal space. Always courteous. Never obtrusive. Yet, now her presence became suffocating. Even her footsteps sounded louder.

  “It is not easy to wear a corset. Not without help for the first time.” Her hands pulled through the hem of her blouse, assisting Ruby out. Her arms fell on her waist and turned her.

  Ruby could no longer avoid meeting Aunt Tasha. So she turned, unfazed by standing while cd only in bra and panties before her. No shame there. She was the woman gave her regur bath when she was young. Raised her for a better part of her life.

  “I am Ruby.” She provided while Aunt Tasha loosened the knots of the corset.

  “Is that your name? Or the name you prefer?”

  The expression ‘being hit by a bolt from the clear sky’ made sense now. Stunned and catatonic, Ruby found her uncooperative tongue stuck to her pate.

  ElenaV