Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Treasure

On Monday, while I was still finishing up at the office, I called my sister-in-law, Catherine, Patrick's mom. I thought she might have some insight into how to deal with Annie and Brian's plans. I texted her first to make sure she had a moment to talk.

"Hey, long time no speak."

"Fletcher! How are you and Lucy? Eh, I get all the info from Patrick."

"Yeah, not all the info, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?"

I hesitated. Now that I had her on the phone, I wondered if this was a good idea. What if she already knew? What if she thought they were right?

"Ah…are you aware that Annie and Brian want full custody of Lucy?"

There was a long pause. "No. I didn't know that. What the hell?"

Oh, thank God.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Hold on. Let me sit. When did they drop this on you?"

"Last week. You know they won't be able to take her away from me. I've spoken to a lawyer."

"Thank God."

"Yes. But…Catherine…I don't want Lucy to know, and I don't want to get into a ridiculous battle that they're going to lose. It seems so…ridiculous and useless."

"Oh, Fletcher. I'm so sorry."

"I was actually wondering…if maybe you could speak to them? I tried to explain that it was pointless and would just be hurtful to Lucy and me. But Annie is determined…"

"Oh God. Fletcher, I'll do what I can. But I have to tell you…when Mom gets something into her head that she thinks is ‘the right thing to do', it's really hard to dissuade her." Catherine explained. "Normally, that's a good thing. But in this case…"

"Thank you. Maybe if you can explain, and it's not just me desperately trying to get them to change their minds."

"I'll do my best."

"Thank you so much. I owe you big time for this."

"You don't owe me anything. I'm sorry my parents are being dicks."

I felt better, now that I knew I had Catherine on my side. But I wondered if it would make any difference.

* * * *

Lucy adored Robin from the moment he stepped into the house.

"Well, hello, there, Daddy," he said, looking me over with a wink. "Where's the little one?"

Lucy, admiring Robin's red and black winter coat, laughed at the ‘Daddy' reference then frowned.

"I'm twelve," she stated.

Robin looked at her with the sort of amicable disdain that only he could convey. "And I'm twenty-four. Twice your age and just as bratty. Hello, Lucy."

She couldn't help but be charmed.

"Hi," she said, with a tentative smile.

"Lucy, this is Robin. He works with Patrick."

"At the sex club?"

Robin narrowed his eyes and gazed from Lucy to me.

"What on Earth has your daddy been telling you? Molly's is not a sex club. It is a very sophisticated, artistic, bohemian enclave."

"A…what now?" Lucy asked.

"An enclave. Google it, child."

Normally, if anyone had had the audacity to call Lucy a ‘child', they'd have got an earful. Robin got a giggle and a begrudging, "Fine."

I gave him props for not being intimidated. Then again, this was Robin.

"I'll give you my contact information, in case of an emergency," I said, as Robin took off his fancy coat and held it out.

I stared at it for a second and glanced at Robin. He raised his eyebrows.

I took his coat and hung it up.

Lucy gazed in fascination at Robin's fancy, bejeweled blouse and copious necklaces.

"Whoa," she said. "I love your outfit!"

Robin preened. "Oh, this old stuff? You should see what I hide in my closet."

He winked at me and handed his phone over.

"Don't open my photo gallery."

"I wouldn't dare," I said, blithely, as Lucy put a hand over her mouth, giggling again. What had this man done to my cynical, sharp-witted preteen?

I sent myself a text and was about to put my name in his contacts when Robin held his hand out.

"Hold up. Give it to me."

I gave the phone back.

He tapped on the screen. "What's your last name again?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, if you'd let me—"

Robin gave me a look of absolute astonishment at the gall I'd had to interrupt him, and I withered inside. Oh yeah. He'd do just fine with Lucy.

"Uh, it's Marin. My first name is Fletcher."

After tapping again, he showed me the screen with a coy smile. Lucy and I looked at where Robin had me listed in his contacts as Daddy Marin.

"Oh my God," Lucy whispered, covering her mouth and glancing at me.

I gave Robin a steely look and nodded. "Fine. I suppose you have other"—I did air quotes—"‘Daddies' in there?"

"A few. Never you mind."

"Uh-huh."

Robin toed off his black Chelsea boots to reveal white frilly socks with strawberries all over them. His snug black jeans showed off his full figure. The man was a legend already, and he hadn't got past the front hall.

"All right, girl. Show me around," he said, holding out his hand to Lucy, who took it and jovially showed Robin the main floor as I stood there, stunned but happy that I had an evening with Aiden to look forward to, knowing that Lucy would be in good—well, spectacular—hands.

I headed upstairs to change.

Aiden was picking me up. We'd decided to take one car this time, since parking near the club could be tricky.

I was still getting dressed when he rang the doorbell.

"Ah, fuck," I said, finishing quick and heading downstairs.

When I got to the living room, the three of them were standing in a semi-circle at the entrance, staring at me. Aiden was smiling, as if he had a secret—which he did, and it was whatever he was going to do to me in the Bordello. Robin looked like he was judging my outfit, and Lucy was grinning like a kid who knew that all the respectable grown-ups were leaving.

"Oh, Fletcher," Robin said, giving my outfit a disappointed look. "Tsk tsk tsk."

"You look great," Aiden said, as if to defend my choice of black slacks and a tan sweater. The weather was getting colder, and I didn't want to be chilly. Besides, it didn't matter what I wore, because I doubted if Aiden would keep me in these clothes once we passed through the doors of the Bordello.

"Dad, you need to go shopping," Lucy stated.

"Girl!" Robin said, holding his hand up and giving me another once-over.

Lucy high-fived Robin, and I realized I'd just ensured a lifelong friendship between them.

"Are you ready?" Aiden asked, with a subtext that, hopefully, only I was aware of.

"Sure."

I turned to Lucy.

"Listen to Robin. And don't get so carried away having fun that you set the house on fire."

I looked pointedly at Robin, who was fondling a soft wool throw that lay on the back of the couch. He put a hand to his chest in shock.

"As if." He turned to Lucy. "Girl, your daddy is super paranoid."

"Yeah, I know," Lucy said, plopping down on the couch and eyeing me with disdain.

"Okay, let's go," I said to Aiden.

"Nice blouse," he said to Robin, who preened and smiled.

"Have lots of fun," Robin said, giving us a knowing wave then turning to Lucy and clapping his hands together. "Okay. Where are the matches?"

Lucy snorted and dissolved into hysterical laughter as Aiden hustled me out of the door.

"Never mind. Let's go. It'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe this is a bad idea…"

"Fletcher, it's fine," he said, guiding me to his car. "I need to take you in hand. And something tells me you need that, too."

"Yeah. But…" I gazed back at the house.

"Are you really uncomfortable leaving Lucy with Robin? Or is this just the unease of a dad who thinks he shouldn't have any fun?"

"I don't know."

"Fletcher, get in the car."

I got in the car. Aiden got into the driver's side.

"Now be quiet and repeat after me. I deserve to have a life above and beyond being Lucy's dad."

He started the car as I repeated his words.

"Now look. Robin may be flamboyant and irreverent, but Patrick vouched for him, and I'm sure he's responsible and capable of watching Lucy for a few hours."

"Thank you," I said to Aiden, as we drove away. "Sometimes it's hard to—"

"I know, babe. And that's because you take fatherhood very seriously. But sometimes you need to be just Fletcher."

"Yeah."

He glanced at me, looking me over like I was prime rib.

"And sometimes, you need to be my pretty little slut."

I swallowed, meeting Aiden's sultry glance, my cock swelling in my pants.

* * * *

When we got into the room, Aiden told me to stand by the door with my hands on my head and my eyes closed while he got things ready. I listened to the sounds of him walking around, opening drawers and gathering items, the anticipation building on top of what had already accumulated on the ride here and the short wait in the gaming parlor. The molly boys were getting to know us now and had flirted outrageously, whetting our appetites. What a spectacular place this club was.

"All right," Aiden said finally, after he'd returned to me. "Give me your hand, but don't open your eyes."

"Yes, Sir," I said.

Aiden led me forward. "Such a good slut. My sexy, obedient, naughty little slut."

His words felt like butter melting over my skin.

"Thank you, Sir."

He led me around some of the bondage furniture then stopped, placing my hand against rough wood. He guided my fingers over a cold metal loop that was attached there with bolts.

"Do you know what this is?" Aiden asked.

"No, Sir," I said, quaking with trepidation and curiosity.

"Hmm. Well, let me ask you another question," he said, as he trailed something slim and leathery against my skin. "Do you know what the Victorians enjoyed, besides getting kinky with each other in back rooms?"

"Um…no, Sir."

"Riding."

Is that another word for fucking?

"Riding, Sir?"

"Yes. Horses, leather boots and bridles…all that jazz." Aiden's lips tickled my ear. "Do you want to be my pretty pony?"

I stiffened as a jolt of unexpected arousal passed through me. Arousal plus interest, fear, fascination, intrigue, curiosity—all at once.

I made a sound.

"Sorry, what?"

"Yes," I said, letting the ‘S' sound drag on a precipice of desire.

He chuckled. "Thought so." He traced the leather implement over my backside. "Pet play is fun. It's so…immersive and humiliating."

I shuddered, my cock surging, a bubble of fluid making my glans cold as the air in the room hit it.

"You can open your eyes."

I did. I stood before a rough wooden board that was attached to the wall, with a sign above it that said ‘Hitching Post'. Someone had scrawled ‘For naughty ponies' below that in red.

I whimpered.

"Are you a naughty pony, Fletcher?" Aiden said, stroking my hair. "Or a good, obedient one?"

I couldn't make words.

"Can't wait to find out," Aiden said, showing me something he held in his hand.

It was a small harness of some kind, made with slim leather straps and buckles. My gaze fixed on the long ears that were fastened to the sides of a crosspiece between four thin bands. They were made of stiff leather that had been shaped into a horse's ears.

"Now, are you going to stand still and let me put this bridle on you? Or are you going to fight me?"

I gaped at Aiden. He had the most delighted, benign smile on his beautiful face, and it fucking broke me. I'd do whatever this man wanted me to do. How could I fight him?

I closed my eyes, trying to contain my emotions.

"Oh, my good, sweet pony," Aiden murmured.

Something hard pressed against my lips.

"Open."

I opened my mouth, and Aiden pushed the soft leather bit between my teeth, fitting the leather harness over my head and fussing with buckles. I kept my eyes closed. This was such a weird experience.

My breaths came in quick pants. I realized I was still dressed. I didn't know what to do with my hands.

"Let me get this on then I'll help you out of those silly clothes."

When he'd gotten the bridle into place, he took the reins that dangled and looped them through the ring on the hitching post. Not tight, just enough to show me he wanted me to stay where I was.

Then he carefully undressed me. His fingers trembled as if he were as excited as I was to explore this new dynamic. He used wrist cuffs to attach my hands at the small of my back.

The bridle was a mind-fuck for sure. The bit made me feel tamed, and the weight of the ears ensured I didn't forget about them.

Once I was naked and positioned where he wanted me, Aiden pulled the reins tighter through the hitch and knotted the ends, so that I stood directly at the wall, with about an inch or two to spare. I stared wide-eyed at the hitching post in front of me, the words on the sign combining with Aiden's murmured endearments to remind me that I was a lowly animal, subject to my master's wishes.

My mind spun with possibilities. Would he put a saddle on me and make me crawl around on all fours? Would he try to ride me as if I were an actual pony? The idea seemed ludicrous and impractical, and I hadn't seen anything that looked like a saddle in this room.

The hiss of leather slicing through air, and Aiden's soft words, brought me back to reality.

"Hmm, so many riding crops to choose from," he said, and I remembered that ponies didn't always receive gentle care.

I pulled on the reins and shuffled my feet, then attempted to look around, but my chin was immobilized by the hitch. So I stared straight ahead—my eyes wide, my cock hard—and waited.

Aiden dragged the leather tip of the crop over my body, tracing my shoulders and my back, my thighs and calves, my buttocks and hips, making me crazy with the teasing pressure.

"My pretty pony. So, so pretty," he crooned. I thought I might die of embarrassment but floated on bliss and contentment. It was so nice to be praised, when so many of my efforts in the real world went unremarked.

Now and then he would tap the crop against my skin, and occasionally give me a sharp swat, solely to keep my attention.

By the time Aiden began to strike me in earnest, I was aching for it.

"Such a nice ass on my pony!" he said, his words making waves of excitement go through me. "But I need to bring some blood to the surface."

The sting spread over my bottom and sent warmth throughout my body, like a low fire on a winter's day. I closed my eyes and leaned into the discomfort in order to appreciate it.

Finally, Aiden stopped. He came close and kissed the shell of my ear, then laid a hand against my burning skin.

"Did you like that?"

"Yes, Sir," I whispered, words somewhat garbled by the leather bit.

"Good. But something's missing. I noticed it while I was whipping this beautiful ass."

I waited in the same confined position while Aiden left me then returned, trailing something smooth and silky against the sensitive skin of my rear end. It felt like a wig of long hair, and I couldn't parse it, unless it was a horse's mane he planned to add to my costume.

Then a solid, rubbery lump bumped my thigh, and it seemed the hair was attached to that.

Oh, fuck me.

It was a tail. It was my tail. And Aiden's words confirmed it.

"A pretty pony needs a tail," he said, the excitement in his voice a palpable thing.

"No," I said.

Aiden hesitated.

"No?" he asked.

"Wait," I said instead. I wasn't sure. I needed a moment.

"Fletcher? Talk to me."

"I'm not sure…"

"No?"

I shuffled my bare feet. How to say it without sounding persnickety or embarrassed, even though I was both of those things?

"We didn't…do the…enema. You know…" Talking with the bit in my mouth was difficult and humbling. My words sounded strange.

"Oh," Aiden said. "But you did…something."

"Yes, Sir. I used a disposable douche." Yeah, that sounded great with the lisp. "But it might not be enough. I'm sorry."

He came around beside my head.

"Hey, don't apologize. I know we didn't fully prepare, but I'll take the risk. The douche should be enough. And, if not, I'll deal with it."

"You will?" My cheeks were aflame.

He chuckled. "You keep forgetting. I was almost a nurse."

"Oh."

"You're getting out of character. I need to give you a name."

"Yes, Sir."

I waited patiently, feeling conflicted about the butt plug tail. On the one hand, I enjoyed butt plugs in general, so the actual sensation of being filled and of it going in were desirable. I wasn't sure how I felt about being made into a pony that way. The bridle was one thing, the hitching post another. The tail seemed final, as if that would transform me into Aiden's pet once and for all. But did I hate that idea…or love it?

"Treasure," Aiden said. "That's what I'll call you. Because that's what you are. Even without a ponytail and bridle."

My heart swelled with happiness.

"Spread your legs."

The happiness remained in the background as anxiety and shameful desire took over. I did as I was told.

I heard Aiden lube up the plug and my heartbeat quickened. I could only stare straight ahead. He might as well have blindfolded me.

A gloved hand landed on my hip, and Aiden guided me back a couple of steps so I was leaning forward with my legs spread. I was a little unsteady because my wrists were bound.

"Don't worry, Treasure. I've got you," Aiden crooned.

His gloved fingers spread lube between my crack and around my hole, swirling and stroking then pushing into me as I gasped with the pleasure of it.

"Good pony. Open up for me."

I groaned as one finger became two, and Aiden stretched me in a pragmatic way that left me feeling lowly and objectified. I loved every minute of it. Too soon, those fingers were gone, and the slick tip of the plug pressed against my hole.

"Relax, pretty pony. Open up, now. You want your tail, don't you?"

I did want my tail. I wanted it more than I'd admit to anyone but Aiden, and even then, not in words.

I closed my eyes and allowed the plug to sink into my body, as Aiden used a steady pressure to breach me. I couldn't help the soft moan that I made as it slipped in, and my body closed on the narrow end. The wide flange rested against my buttocks, and the soft fall of hair tickled the backs of my knees. Aiden's hand on my hip steadied me as he rocked the horse tail-plug to make sure it was seated, the motion making me groan.

"There we go. You can straighten up now."

He helped me step forward, the plug feeling huge and the horse hair brushing the backs of my legs.

I heard the sound of Aiden peeling off his nitrile glove then he fluffed the hair of the tail, spreading it out. I made a choking sound as the reality of being made into a pony for a whim of Aiden's hit me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, laying his hand against my lower back.

I nodded my head, as much as I could with it hitched to the ring.

"Oh, man. You would not believe how good you look. Fuck. So pretty. So sexy. So fucking perverse."

I shuddered and tried to slow my breathing. I was so turned on at being objectified and humiliated in this way. It was humbling and everything I'd ever secretly wanted.

Aiden spanked one flank, then the other, and the size and hardness of the plug in my ass was made even more apparent when my sphincter clenched in response.

I made an almost inhuman noise of anguish and pleasure both, as my cock bounced in front of me, still hard, still leaking and still a little bitch to anything Aiden devised.

"Oh yes," he murmured. "My beautiful Treasure is a natural. Such a good pony."

He placed his palms on my butt cheeks and pushed them together, then pulled them apart, then pushed them together again, all of it to make me feel the plug and the soft hair more, and thus lean into my debasement.

"I could come just looking at you," Aiden said.

I whimpered and thrust into the air, my ass tightening on the plug that filled me so perfectly.

"How about a grooming session? Isn't that what ponies get? A good brushing to make their coat all shiny and smooth?"

I turned into a puddle of horny goo at Aiden's words, wondering what he meant.

"Shhh," Aiden said, as he brought soft bristles down on my shoulder and dragged them along my arm. "Be a good pony and stay still."