Chapter 11: The Flow Called Alex

"So let me get this straight," Said Larry upon leaving the café with Alex "you have four submissives under your care, who are living in The Crib."

"Five in total. One of them was out on business, he'll return later today." Corrected Alex.

"Right, five. You treat them like human pets, which they not only accept, but enjoy, right?" He glanced at her, waiting for confirmation.

"They can leave anytime, so I think they do. That's why they stay." She affirmed.

"Don't they live there for free? Like an incentive not to quit your pack?" By then, Larry was at least curious - if not downright interested - about the details around the pack.

"Not at all. They pay rent, like normal tenants. They don't pay for playing with me though, it's as much a hobby for me as for them." She explained.

"So if I want, can I live there, paying rent, but not playing with you?" His questions seemed endless.

During the conversation, they were walking side by side with no specific direction or targeted location in mind. Alex got bored by the café, so they went for a stroll.

"God, no." She chuckled "The place has four other owners besides me, all high-end dommes. The Crib is financed and managed by us, and only those have access to keycards who have playing contracts signed."

"It must be a booming business if you have money for that big establishment." Noted Larry.

"It is profitable, because the costs pretty much end with the electricity, water bill and property taxes. We use our slaves for the rest." Revealed Alex.

"Do you need those NDAs to hide illegal free labour?" He asked half-jokingly.

"I keep telling you, no one is forced to do anything." She started to get annoyed. "The subs are not bribed, nor blackmailed or coerced in any way to do things they don't want to."

To have all of Larry's attention, she stopped, grabbed his arm, turned him to face her, and articulated every word clear and loud.

"It is written in legally binding contracts that if I violate their personal freedom without their freely given consent, I should be reported. My ass would end up in jail in a blink." Her temper got the better of her.

"If you still don't believe me, come and speak to them! I'll leave the fricking room to convince you!" She argued quite vehemently.

Alex was not used to others questioning her or her credibility. Though she never felt the need to explain and prove herself to others, Larry unintentionally pushed these buttons in her.

< Why do I care so much about what he thinks? I don't need his approval?! > She had a little internal freak-out.

"You know what, nevermind." She threw her palms in the air, signalling a give-up.

"You're free to think whatever. I overreacted. My way of life is not for everyone, I know that."

She took a step back and retreated - only her tone didn't agree with her words. She was clearly emotional, and the more she tried to control herself, the more that said control slipped out of her hands.

Before her tantrum could escalate any further, Larry interrupted.

"Yeah, we can go." He shrugged, " I don't have anything to do today. Can I spectate you doing… you?"

He was not sure what words counted as offensive, but definitely wanted to avoid adding fuel to the fire. His vocabulary related to kinks was also severely lacking. He noticed Alex and the pets had their own lingo, but it flew right over his head.

"Really?" Her inner pufferfish deflated instantly. That reply caught her off-guard. It didn't occur to her that Larry would agree.

"If your clients agree to a visitor, why not? I don't scare easily." He winked at Alex with a cocky smirk.

< Got to admit, he has game. And guts. > She thought.

"What if I've already beat them all into submission?" She asked him with a devious grin on her face.

"Nah, you don't have it in you." Chuckled Larry, not taking her seriously.

Unknown to Alex, he had years and years of experience with truly evil, monstrous bastards. He could tell at a glance that Alex is not one of them.

"Because I'm a woman?" She asked, with the promise of the next tantrum in her voice.

"Evil women are worse, actually, so not that. It's because you care." He replied, this time seriously.

His answer seemed to satisfy Alex. She nodded, checked the time on her phone, then shared her plan for the day with Larry.

"I left the rest of the day open to pick up Richard from the airport and welcome him home in a fitting way. It so happens to be a group play with all the pack members." She paused, looking directly and deeply in his eyes.

"Once we start the fun at the playground, I won't pay attention to you. If you change your mind, be sure to do it in time. I won't ruin another session for you." She stated, without any sign of threat or intimidation. Those were simple facts.

"Deal." Agreed Larry.

"Walk me to my car then. We have time for lunch at the airport before he lands." She finally regained her usual composure.

< I can see people giving in to her just to avoid drama... Better go with the flow for now. > He thought, following her lead.

The ride to the airport and the lunch went smoothly, without further friction between them. Alex didn't mention her profession anymore, and Larry decided to see things for himself before addressing his questions.

As they approached the arrival gate to wait for Richard, Alex spotted Robert in the crowd. She leaned closer to Larry, linked arms with him, and spoke in a voice that only he could hear.

"I'm going to use you as an accessory to play with Rob. You just go with the flow, and don't ask questions. If you need out, just squeeze my hand and I'll send you away." She detailed in a hurry. The accessory nodded.

The relationship between Robert and Richard was quite complex, to say the least.

Rob thought of himself as a straight man, but he had the hots for Richard as a degradee bottom. Any other man was on his hard limit list, be it topping or bottoming. He joined the pack as a solo player originally, mainly as a CBT bottom, a rope bunny and a slave of Alex.

Richard on the other hand was a shameless hedonist. He pursued any and all kinds of pleasure, while not giving a shit about roles and labels. He was bisexual, a true verse with gays, and a switch in D/s relations. He wasn't a full-blown masochist, but liked certain kinks involving moderate levels of pain. A true gold mine for Alex to own.

Richard had a soft spot for Robert too. The attraction between them clearly went beyond physical compatibility, and the former didn't mind showing his affection publicly. However, Rob's psyche was still in the closet.

He didn't deny his feelings for Richard, but couldn't be completely open and honest about them either. Growing up in an Irish Catholic family, his concepts of love were simply too rigid. The best he could manage is to accept that Richard won't be exclusive with him, ever.

Richard did not push him to overcome his limits, but didn't try to hide his disappointment from Robert either. They owned their roles in this hurt- and prideful relationship, and neither seemed willing to budge anytime soon.

The whole situationship was ideal for Alex to have some fun with emotional torture. She loved making Robert shy and dishonest, which in turn caused Richard to pout and act out, making his partner jealous.

In the end, both of them ended up in Alex's lap, licking their wounded pride, providing her the chance to make them reconcile. The ultimate joyride for her, indeed.

When Alex and Larry reached Robert, the cheerful expression kind of froze on his face. He felt like being caught red-handed.

"Hello Rob, what a coincidence! Are you here for Richard?" Asked Alex, playing oblivious as always.

"Hello, Lady! Eeh… Yeah, he asked me to pick him up. I-I guess he didn't wanna bother you." He stuttered nervously.

"Oh my, I wanted to surprise him. It seems I wasted my precious time." She acted overly concerned, forcing Rob into a corner.

"No, it isn't a waste, Lady! I'll just go on my way so you can surprise him." He was about to turn and leave, when Alex grabbed his arm.

"Don't be silly, I can surprise him even with you here. I meant the ride. We have two cars, but we only need one for the four of us." She seemed to be thinking hard on a solution.

"I know! Let's wait for him together, and let him pick his own ride home! Isn't that a great idea? We are all heading to the same place either way, right?" She looked at Larry for confirmation, like he was already informed about the couple's plans for the day.

He was not, of course, but nodded anyway. He saw the badly hidden panic on the man's face in front of him, and felt for him, but wasn't about to stand between Alex and ber fun.

< I was right. Evil women are worse. > He thought, and hoped for a cool-headed Richard to handle this mess.