FIC After the Consorting

[jessara40k]

Story: After the Consorting
Pairing: F/m
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Kim comes from a background that is controlling of men at best, and abusive at worst. He identifies as male and was male assisgned at birth, but has always been uncomfortable with his own body and wishes to be at least partially female-bodied. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of transgender people or with a woman being in charge then I suggest you look elsewhere. There's also implications of near-slavery and financial coercion.
Word Count: Approx 12000 words
Summary: After signing their consorting contract Terese and Kim spend a night at a hotel to consummate it undisturbed. Terese discovers some unnerving information about Kim's background and assumptions.
Feedback: Welcome, but keep the criticism constructive

"You just sit down while I take care of things." Terese picked up the room service menu and glanced through it while the bellhop carried their overnight bags into the bedroom. "Is there anything you'd particularly like to eat, Kim?" Her new consort had obeyed her, and sat carefully on one of the chairs, and now he stopped fussing with his skirts to look up at her.

"Ah...seafood perhaps, if it would please you...Terese?" He folded his hands demurely in his lap, bowing his head once he'd finished speaking.

"I'm not allergic to it." And she did enjoy seafood, sometimes anyway. "Would you prefer brodetto, or seafood pie?"

"The seafood pie, please." He kept his head bowed as he answered this time, and Terese wished she could see what he was hiding behind his veil. But it was a brief irritation, and she turned her attention to the bellhop as he came out of the bedroom.

"Is there anything else I can do for you madam?"

"Yes. Thank you. Have room service send up two seafood pies, with the prosecco, and the lovers' sundae for desert, in around an hour." That wouldn't give her time to really enjoy Kim, but they would have enough time for a bit of fun at least.

"Yes madam. Do you want someone to come and serve you as well?"

"No, that won't be necessary." She didn't think she'd ever seen a Scott male eating in public, and she couldn't imagine how Kim could eat through that veil of his, so she wasn't going to embarrass him by making him take it off in front of a stranger. He'd been uncomfortable enough taking his veil off for her at first and it wasn't as if his shyness could hurt her reputation. "But thank you for asking." She gave the man a 100 sol tip as she shook his hand, and when she turned to look at Kim she could see him lifting one hand to his veil, as if to remove it. "Go ahead, Kim. We're alone now."

"Thank you." He removed his veil, and looked up at her, a soft smile on his painted lips, holding his veil in his lap, stroking and twisting it as he spoke, something even Terese could recognise as nervousness. "I...appreciate your concern for my modesty."

"You're welcome. Do you want to keep your veils then?"

"Terese?"

"I'm a Terenev, we're known for being indulgent with our consorts. It won't hurt me if you want to keep wearing a veil in public." Especially since she was never going to be the Terenev, not even if Armand died, Morrigan grant it not. "But if you don't then I certainly won't force you to wear one." No matter how appealing she found the thought of keeping him just for her eyes. "You don't need to decide now, and if you need time to acclimatise gradually I'll let you have it. I'm glad to see you wearing the earrings I gave you." She changed the subject, trying to get him to relax a bit - she didn't have a taste for rape, and unless he relaxed a little, playing with him at all would be off the menu for tonight.

"I wouldn't insult you by not wearing them today. I...did choose an outfit that pleases you, didn't I?" Terese blinked at that, and paid full attention to what he was wearing for the first time that day. His dress today was brown, with overlaid lace in shades of gold covering the full skirt, and now that he was sitting she could see some of the petticoats peeping out near his ankles, in shades of gold and cream. The bodice was panelled, and closely fitted, with long sleeves and a high neck, with spills of golden lace at the cuffs and throat. And she hadn't noticed it before, but there was golden knotwork embroidered on each shoulder, knotwork that looked to be based off the earrings she'd chosen for him.

"Yes, you look beautiful. I'm very glad the alliance between our Families came up for renewal during my mother's tenure as the Terenev. Did you do something to change your hair? It looks redder than I remembered." Still a dark brown, but with a red tone to it that she was sure it hadn't shown before. Someone had done some elaborate braiding and pinned it up into a circle around the crown of his head, decorating it with a wide golden ribbon, with loops of really thin braids at the back, each decorated with a cream ribbon.

"Yes, I...my cousins helped me use henna to dye it. Do you want me to let it down for you?"

"No, I'd rather do that myself. Would you like to move to the bedroom?" She moved forward to offer him a hand up as she spoke, a hand he accepted while he glanced at the bedroom door.

"Ah...if that would please you."

"I want to start unwrapping you, even if we don't get around to anything more tonight, and I thought you'd prefer the extra privacy." Terese smiled at Kim, lifting his hand to kiss the back of it, enjoying the way it made him blush.

"Oh, yes, I would. Thank you Terese."

"You're welcome. I'm supposed to take care of you after all." She rested a hand at the small of his back, using the excuse of guiding him into the bedroom to keep on touching him. She hadn't been allowed to touch more than his hands while she'd been making her decision on which of the Scotts she'd been offered she wanted, although his sister had asked if she wanted to try out his tongue - while she watched. There was something odd about the feel of the dress under her hand, it was stiffer than it looked, with ridges along the seams that she hadn't been able to see.

Terese left the door open, so that she'd be able to hear when their meal was delivered. She guided him to sit on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of him to remove his shoes, brown with a two inch heel, ignoring the faint frown on his face. Then she stood up and slipped her own loafers off as she joined him on the bed, wrapping an arm around him, and kissing his cheek.

"Are there any limits you want to set right now?"

"Limits? I...don't understand Terese." He wasn't stupid, she knew that from speaking to him before accepting him as her consort, but it was as if his brain had turned off at some point since then.

"If you'd prefer me not to undress you until after we've eaten I'm happy to go along with that. I don't want to make you uncomfortable; we're supposed to spend the rest of our lives together after all, so I don't need to force you into anything." It would be stupid of her to do that to him; even if their contract didn't give him much power there was no reason to make him miserable, not when it would affect how he reacted to her in the future. She wanted to be able to relax at home, have her consort comfortable and relaxed around her, she wouldn't get that if he didn't trust her, if he was scared of her.

"Oh." He lowered his eyes and bit lightly at his lower lip. "Thank you for being so considerate. I...would feel better if the only thing I risk strangers seeing is my face."

"When I've stayed at other Raysons and had room service they usually waited for me to say they could come in, but I understand - sometimes training is uneven across even the best hotel chains. Would you like to start undressing me as well?"

"If that would please you. Ah...the lace at my throat and neck isn't permanently attached to my bodice, so..."

"I see." She pulled away a little, so that she could lift Kim's hand to examine how the lace was fastened to the cuff, by a number of small buttons on the inside. "I didn't really think about how hard it must be to eat with cuffs like these." And so she began unfastening the buttons at once.

"Ah...it is not that hard, I simply have to eat slowly, and take care in how I eat. I can eat wearing a veil as well, but I prefer not to."

"I expect it still distracts you from enjoying your food though." She finished with that cuff, and kissed the bared back of his hand. "I'm going to move round behind you now." He seemed nervous enough that a warning was probably a good idea. The back of his dress was really strange, laced up to a point two bandwidths below the nape of his neck with golden cord, then closed by small buttons to the top. "Did you need help in getting dressed in this?"

"Yes Terese. I...packed two clean dresses in my overnight bag, one like this, if you'd care to help me, and one casual dress that I can put on without any help at all."

"Hmm." She unfastened the top two buttons of his dress as she thought about it. "Have I seen you in a casual dress before?"

"No, you haven't Terese." He answered her quietly. "I normally only wear my casual dresses around my Family."

"But this is the most elaborate dress I've seen you in, isn't it?" She turned back the collar of Kim's dress, expecting to see the lace fastened to it by small buttons as it was at the cuffs, but instead finding it sewn to a wide golden ribbon choker, tied at the nape of his neck, with the ends tucked down along his spine. She untied it, and kissed the bared skin as she pulled the lace from his throat, putting it with the cuff she'd already removed and refastening those two buttons.

"Yes, this is the first time I've worn a formal dress in front of you. At least since we were introduced, you might have seen me before that at some of the parties my Family allowed me to attend."

"Maybe." She couldn't say, often the only real way to tell Scott men apart was how they dressed, and even then a lot of them dressed fairly similarly. What did she need to do to let Kim's hair down? There had to be something holding it up in position, and she was pretty sure the ribbon running through the main braid wasn't enough for that. "So, the dresses I've seen you in are what, semi-formal?" She began running her fingers along the braid, feeling for anything that might be holding it in place. "And you need help getting dressed in them?" She detected a hair grip, pushed in through part of the braid, and pulled it out as she spoke, shoving it in her pocket before starting to look for more.

"Yes, they're semi-formal. They button up at the back - I could get them made over with zips instead I suppose, but I wear corsets underneath them, and I need help to get those closed properly."

"Are you wearing a corset under this as well?" She'd pulled out enough pins that the three small braids had fallen from their loops, but the big braid was still held in place.

"Not under it, the corset is incorporated into the dress. I...if it pleases you I can show you when you've finished undressing me, or in the morning?" Was that an indirect request for her to give him some space once she had him naked? Terese decided to honour it as if it was, rather than take the chance of pressing him too hard.

"Yes, that might be a good idea." Not that she was particularly interested in how his clothes were made, as long as he was happy and looked good on her arm, but talking about his dresses seemed to relax him. The big braid finally fell loose, but Terese decided that she'd wait to undo the braid until she had Kim sitting on her lap, where she could kiss him properly. She moved to Kim's other side and began working on that cuff. "You aren't wearing your charm bracelet?"

"No, I didn't know if you would allow me to wear it."

"Of course you may wear it. As long as you dress well you can wear whatever you want." And she knew it was important to him, that each charm represented an important event or person in his life. "Would you like to look for a charm to represent our consorting with me?"

"If it would please you. And...I do not have a charm to represent you yet, Terese." That indirect request was oddly touching, and it reminded her of some of the more disturbing aspects of her contract with him.

"I'll get you one then, but how do I pick it, or do you do that?" Were there any particular rules she needed to follow in this? She wasn't going to deny Kim one last tangible connection to the Family of his birth, not given that she practically owned him now.

"However it pleases you. My mother gave me my first bracelet when I was ten, with the charms she had chosen to represent my parents and siblings, and it was usually my teachers who chose what would represent various achievements, but I have been permitted to choose the charms that represent more personal things."

"I won't ask you any more then." He would have gone into more detail if he was comfortable talking about it; she'd finished removing the cuff and handed it to him as a distraction. "Put this with the rest of the lace, then sit on my lap, straddle my legs and face me." While he obeyed she slipped off her jacket, laying it down carefully so the pins didn't spill out of her pocket.

"Ah...how can I please you now, Terese?"

"Lean forward a moment." That brought his mouth in easy kissing range as she reached over his shoulder to pull his braids to the front. She kept her kisses almost chaste, just brushing her lips over his without trying to press for more. "You can sit back now." She stroked the side of his face as he pulled back, his dark eyes wide. "You can try to unfasten my shirt now if you want. Or if you'd rather you can wait until I've finished with your hair." He just nodded, and Terese began with one of the thin braids, unravelling it carefully. He just watched, waiting as she worked his hair free, putting the ribbons to one side, before finally running her fingers through his hair to let it hang loose in front of him, falling over his arm to pool on the bed beside her. He shut his eyes and smiled as she petted his hair, enjoying the texture of it, soft, smooth and fine compared to the dense curls of Tonio's hair.

"You're allowed to touch me back if you want to Kim."

"Yes Terese." He lifted his hands from the bed to rest on her hips, blinking with a frown on his face. "You...wanted me to undress you?"

"Yes, please." Maybe he'd feel more comfortable if she let him undress her first, and she didn't have any problems with her body. She reluctantly stopped petting his hair, letting her hands fall to her sides to give him access to her buttons, and was rewarded with a slightly uncertain smile. He skimmed his hands down over her stomach to the lowest button, opening it and working his way up slowly. He caressed her skin as he opened her shirt in silence.

"Terese, will you kiss me again? And...touch me? Please?" Kim's voice shook as he spoke, hands resting on her waist, underneath her shirt.

"Of course." She cradled his face in her hands as she kissed him, and this time he opened his lips beneath hers, offering his mouth to her. She took it, but she still held back a little, exploring his mouth slowly, coaxing his tongue into her own mouth. It was oddly appealing to have to coax her consort into responding to her advances, and her nipples were hurting just a little when she pulled back on hearing someone knocking outside.

"Terese?" At least Kim seemed to be as affected as she was. She caressed his cheek briefly before letting go of him, noting absently that she'd kissed off a lot of his dark lipstick.

"I need to go and get that." If she was as strong as Antoinette she could lift Kim off her lap, but she didn't think she had the leverage for that. "You just take care of our things while I deal with whoever it is." Probably room service with their food, so best get it while it was hot.

"Yes Terese." He bit his lower lip for a second, then kissed her quickly before standing up, looking almost frightened for some reason. She didn't have time to try and deal with that though - there was a second knock, louder, and she needed to get to the door.

"Should I set the table for you and your consort madam?" It was the same man who'd brought their luggage up for them, and he was as careful not to look below her neck as he had been to avoid looking directly at Kim before.

"Please do. We'll be sitting opposite one another." She rubbed absently at her breasts as the man set out their meal on the table, placing the desert to one side, at an equal distance from both plates.

"When would you like me to collect the plates madam?"

"Give us two hours, knock and just come in unless I tell you not to. I should have Kim back in the bedroom by then."

"She's shy then?"

"He is a Scott." And that should be more than enough answer for a stranger. If he didn't know what that meant then he could go away and find it out for himself, without bothering them any more.

"Thank you for informing me, madam. I should leave now then, so that he does not have to concern himself with my presence."

"Yes, that would be a good idea. Thank you." She watched him leave before she opened the bedroom door to call Kim out. He'd tied his hair out of the way at the nape of his neck with one of the ribbons and was just turning away from the dressing table. "We're alone now."

"Thank you Terese. Ah...I've got some wipes if you want to clean my lipstick off."

"Why don't you come and do that for me?" She wanted him to be comfortable touching her, and this would do for a first step. He nodded silently and turned back to the table for a moment before coming up to her and cleaning her face, frowning slightly in concentration. She let him step back when he'd finished, despite the temptation of holding him close, and kissing him again, and guided him past the rubbish bin to the table where she held his chair out for him.

"Thank you Terese." He glanced up at her with a smile as he spoke, nuzzling against her hand when she brushed it against his cheek.

"You're welcome. I'm not likely to do this for you at home, or if Tonio's with us, because it's not really fair to him if I only offer these courtesies to you, or make him wait. But I thought you'd like it." She sat down herself as she spoke.

"I do. I...you know that Scotts tend to have more sons than daughters?"

"Yes, is it something to do with all the women they adopt in?" Terese did wonder if they managed that by adjusting the times they had reproductive sex, or by using selective spermicides.

"I suppose so, but I'm just a man. The Family dines formally once a week, but not all the men and boys are invited, only the consorts, and one unattached brother or cousin for each woman or girl old enough to join them. And as a rule that's the only time Scott women hold the chairs for the unclaimed men."

"I see." And she realised that Kim was waiting for something before he started eating. "Do you follow a rule about some sort of prayer before you eat, or were you just waiting for me to start?"

"For permission, more than anything else. And...I don't know how you do a lot of things."

"Well, you don't need to wait for permission to eat with me." The idea was a bit disturbing, even Tonio had never thought he needed permission to eat. Terese took the first bite of her pie in the hope of prompting Kim to start eating himself. It worked and she decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up the financial issues she'd noticed.

"Kim, our contract only mentions your dowry specifically - am I correct to assume that means you have a dowry instead of a trust fund, and no other substantial property?"

"Yes Terese, that is correct - unless my jewellery counts as substantial property?"

"I doubt it. Do you feel you need my permission to wear it now that you are my consort?" Given that he hadn't been sure he was allowed to wear his charm bracelet Terese felt pretty sure in her guess.

"Yes, Terese. I do not mean to insult your generosity, but...I cannot presume on it either."

"Well, you have my permission to wear whatever jewellery pleases you. Do you have any sort of bank accounts?"

"No, Terese." He shook his head, looking down at his plate, before glancing up at her with a faint smile. "But...I do know what types of accounts are available and how to use them."

"Good. I give Tonio an allowance, and I want to invest your dowry and pay the income from that into an account under your control. I'll give you some directly, to give you money to use until there's some income for you, but most of it will be invested. Do you have any preferences about how I invest it, or about what sort of account I set up for you?"

"I don't know enough to make suggestions about investments. I...if you intend to give me access to a substantial amount of money at once I'd like at least two accounts, a current account, and an instant access savings account. But I don't quite understand why you would."

"Because I want you to have some independence, and I don't want to have to give you the money you need every single time you need or want to buy something. I don't expect you to understand the details of your investments, or manage them yourself, but I do want to know if you'd rather I went for something that keeps your capital safe, but gives a lower income and won't give you much, if any capital growth, or if you want me to take some risks for more income and some capital growth."

"Oh." He bit his lower lip for a moment, as he looked down at his plate. "I...it isn't really my decision, but...I would rather avoid risks." She wasn't going to object to that, especially since it let her be somewhat lazy in how she invested for him. "What would you expect me to buy for myself?"

"Make-up, toiletries, if you want something different to the stuff I use." And he probably would, Tonio certainly did. "I'll pay for your clothes, if you can give me contact details for whoever makes them now, and tell me when you need new dresses. But I expect you to pay for the materials for any hobbies that need them - books if you like reading, whatever you need for any crafts you enjoy, or any unusual ingredients if you like cooking or baking."

"Jewellery?" His head was tilted slightly to one side, and there was a smile playing across his lips as he lifted the last bite of his pie on his fork.

"If you want it and you have the money for it, of course. I won't interfere in how you spend your own money - and it is your money no matter what our contract says." She wasn't going to give Armand or Antoinette any reason to even think that she was abusing or taking advantage of Kim, and she certainly didn't have the time to micromanage him the way he seemed to expect.

"Thank you." He put his fork down and looked away from her, seeming to focus on their desert instead. "Have you decided how to mark me as yours then?"

Mark him? How had Kim come to that conclusion? Terese bought a few moments to work it out by moving their empty plates to one side and putting the lovers' sundae between them. And then she remembered that clause she'd skimmed over about how much of his dowry she was allowed to keep under various circumstances if she decided she no longer wanted Kim as her consort, as well as the modifying clause she'd almost missed. The one stating that if she altered his body irreversibly it would remain her responsibility to support him in the event of contract breech or dissolution, and she would not be obliged to return his dowry to the Scott Family whatever the circumstances.

"This wouldn't keep me from returning as much of your dowry as I needed to under a contract breech on my side." Because even if Kim claimed breech due to her abusing him she would only have to return 90% of his dowry. "Are you asking me to mark you somehow?"

"It isn't my place to ask." He shook his head quickly before bowing it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume."

"I'm not angry. If you want me to mark you somehow in a year tell me, and I will. But I won't unless you ask, and I don't want you to rush into this. Not when it could cost you your Family." She reached across the table and took hold of his hand, lifting it to her lips for a brief kiss. "Are you comfortable telling me what you expected me to do to you?"

"I...if it would please you."

"As long as it won't upset you then I'd like to know. Would you like some time to think about it? We can start on desert while you do that."

"Yes, I would. Thank you." He smiled again as he picked up his spoon, eating in small bites for a few minutes before he seemed to come to a decision about what to say. "When my cousins were chosen by a woman they would often have a tattoo or brand to show off in private shortly afterwards. And Scott consorts are always given the hormonal treatments needed to stimulate lactation, often leading to the development of breasts, during their sire's first pregnancy."

"Freeing the mother from the necessity of keeping her children close in case they needed feeding. That makes sense." But unlike her mother Terese wouldn't be able to continue her work, not the part of it that she loved, while pregnant.

"Yes Terese. And...once she had all the children she wanted my mother had my father castrated."

"Why?" Contraceptive implants worked well, and there weren't really any side-effects, but even if she hadn't wanted to go back to those, or take the time off to be sterilised herself, a vasectomy would be simpler.

"I don't know." Kim shrugged gracefully. "It pleased her, and that is all that mattered."

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't be upset if I made a similar decision?" She couldn't hide how unbelievable she found the idea, but Kim met her eyes with an unexpected calmness.

"It would be your right. You do not wish to have children. Your pleasure slave is a castrato. My sister favours me more than she should. And my mother gave me the name her mother carried before she was adopted as a Scott." So...he'd thought she might want to castrate him, and he wanted her to think the Scott and her heir cared enough to keep him from her if they thought she'd abuse him. And...he might be right, his sister had certainly made sure there was at least one Scott woman there to chaperone Kim every time Terese had met him. Her mind still shied away from contemplating the full implications of what he'd told her.

"I see. Are there any other possibilities you'd considered?" She didn't think he'd have imagined anything more extreme than castration, but if he had she wanted to know.

"Well, I'm told that women often want to circumcise their consorts. I think it is because sometimes...it can be hard to clean down there."

"That makes sense. Are there any Scott traditions that you'd like to still observe?" Hopefully that would be a lighter topic of conversation for him.

"Nothing besides my charm bracelet and the traditions around it." He shrugged one shoulder.

"Is there anything you need for those traditions, besides new charms when you need them?"

"Access to a good camera if that's possible."

"Will a digital camera work? Mine's got 50 megapixels and you're welcome to borrow it. If you need a more traditional camera then I can take you to buy one for yourself one weekend, but it isn't something I have any experience with." She knew that some artists used old fashioned cameras because they preferred the extra control that developing the pictures themselves offered.

"No, a digital camera would be perfect. I...most of us keep a record of what each charm represents along with a photograph of it. After we die the record is usually made into a book and stored with the bracelet in the Family archives."

"Ah, you keep it as a file on your computer - multiple back-ups, or just one?" No-one failed to keep at least one back-up of whatever was most important to him.

"Two electronic back-ups, a card and a stick. And I have it all printed out and stored in a folder as well."

"Very thorough of you." She approved of his precautions, as far as they went. "But I can help you do even better if you want." She kept a back-up harddrive in her safe-deposit box, and she had an online vault she could allow Kim limited access to.

"You...don't mind me still keeping the record then?" He bit his lower lip again, avoiding her eyes.

"No. It's a very good idea - our own archive is far more focused on the Terenevs themselves, rather than incorporating the experiences of the more distant members of the Family. If you predecease me I will have at least two copies made, one for myself, and one for the Terenev Family archive - three if you want me to send a copy with your bracelet back to the Scotts."

"Please, if the Scott wants it then send it. We...most Scott men who are consorted out either don't want to, or are not permitted to keep on with this tradition, and their history is lost to us, to the Scotts, but I know that some Scotts say that it doesn't matter, because they, no, because we have been given to another Family..."

That sort of rejection had to hurt, even if Terese couldn't help feeling she'd taken him away from what sounded like it could become a pretty abusive environment. She let her spoon drop to the table as she stood, moving around the table to kneel beside him and take his free hand. He turned his whole body and looked at her, eyes wide and lips parted, as she slowly kissed his hand.

"Don't you think that might be because they don't want to admit that it is a loss, not to have the history of the men who must go to another Family?" It was the only way the Scotts had to form the strongest alliances as there were no Families more matriarchal than they were.

"I...that's a nice thought." He smiled again, and leaned forward a little, putting his own spoon down as if he'd only just remembered it, and resting his hand in his lap. "There isn't much of our desert left, could we leave it and move back to the bedroom?"

"If you're ready for me to finish undressing you, then yes." Terese kissed Kim - he seemed to be inviting it - and stood, before helping him up by the hand she still hadn't released. She let go of him once he was on his feet and pulled out a 50 sol bill to leave on the table as a further tip before following Kim towards the bedroom.

Kim was kneeling on the floor, skirts spread around him, back perfectly straight, head bowed. She hesitated, then moved over to the dressing table and emptied her trouser pockets onto it, putting her wallet and her apartment keys together with the key Kim's sister had given her after they'd signed their contract. She made her decision and knelt in front of Kim, facing him, lifting a hand to tilt his head up.

"Kim?"

"Please, please, forgive me Terese." He was shaking just a little as he spoke and she couldn't quite tell why.

"For what?" She caressed his cheek soothingly. "If you aren't quite ready for me to finish undressing you then I won't mind if you take the time to get your other clothes out of your bag. Then you can finish undressing me." And maybe then he'd be comfortable enough to let her return the favour. She didn't think he'd be able to undress without her help, so he'd have to let her unwrap him at some point, and they had plenty of time.

"Thank you Terese, thank you." His gratitude was clear, and more than she'd expected. Consoral rape was recognised as a crime outside the Families, but did the Scotts see it that way? And if they didn't...how much could she trust his consent? She didn't want to think about that, and she pushed herself to her feet, then held out a hand to help Kim join her.

Terese decided she might as well hang her suit up for the next day, to let any creases from the transport fall out. Kim looked as if he wanted to say something when she opened her bag and pulled out the dark green trouser suit and grey shirt Tonio had said would be most appropriate. But he didn't, simply pulled piles of golden cloth from his bag and folded them into the chest of drawers while Terese put her outfit into the wardrobe. She was getting tired of having her shirt hanging open around her body, so she shrugged it off and stuffed it into her bag when she pulled out her clean underwear and socks. Kim had finished at the chest of drawers and gone back to his bag by then, so Terese put her underwear and socks away while he put a dark green dress into the wardrobe. Kim was moving more stiffly than usual as he turned back to her, and she realised there was another delaying tactic she had available.

"Get on the bed while I bring our jackets in." He froze, and Terese realised she'd been a bit abrupt. "You can sit on the edge of the bed, or kneel in the middle of it, whatever's best for you."

"Yes Terese." She seemed to have reassured him, as he'd regained his usual fluidity when he began moving again.

But she resisted the temptation to just stand watching him, going back out for their jackets instead. She'd hung them both just inside the door of the suite, as if it was her apartment, and she collected them, taking her time about it, to give Kim some time to settle down a little. She shrugged her dark grey jacket back on and stroked Kim's jacket before taking it from the hook. It was a dark brown velvet, with a subtle brocade she hadn't noticed before, cut almost like a cape with sleeves and fell to Kim's waist when he wore it.

Her eyes went at once to the bed when she returned to the bedroom, and she smiled to see Kim kneeling in the centre of it, arranged just as he had been on the floor. But it didn't disturb her as seeing him on the floor had, and she chose not to examine her feelings too closely, walking over to the wardrobe instead. She glanced at the dress Kim had hung up, noticing how close a shade it was to her own suit, and putting his jacket on a padded hanger in imitation of how he'd hung his dress.

"Did Tonio talk with you about what you would be wearing today and tomorrow?" She asked the question as she moved to pull her jacket off and stuff it into her overnight bag.

"Yes Terese. He was only interested in the colours, and I showed him samples of the fabric and lace for my new dress." He glanced up at her, and bit his lip as if he wanted to say something more, but didn't dare to. Instead of simply crumpling her jacket into a ball and shoving it into her bag she smoothed it out, and began folding it, gaining a slight smile from her consort.

"Ah, I see. He usually advises me on what I should wear to make the right impression. Do you think you'll be able to do the same at some point?" After he'd been with her for long enough to feel safe with her. That was probably going to take a while, but it wouldn't take too much work, at least Terese didn't think it would - it wasn't exactly in her interests to abuse him.

"I...might be able to. Ah...if I might ask, what style of clothes do you prefer to wear?"

"Oh, trousers and shirts, with a jacket for warmth or on formal occasions. Tonio manages my wardrobe, but I'm sure he'll be willing to let you take over if you'd like to learn from him." She stood and began walking towards the bed. "And I know you prefer long dresses."

"Yes. I...the lace for my formal dresses was made especially for me, all at once, and my new dress used the last of it." So he needed more commissioned for him. Fair enough - it would probably take quite a while. "Are there any colours you particularly favour?"

"All my trousers and jackets are dark grey, dark blue, or dark green." She hoped that was enough information for Kim. "I don't like wearing black or brown myself, other than that I'm fairly indifferent."

"I see, but...you don't mind me wearing brown?"

"Of course not. It suits you." She climbed onto the bed and knelt in front of Kim, kissing him and tugging the ribbon from his hair before sitting back on her heels. "Now, didn't we say something about you undressing me?"

"Yes Terese, I can do that for you. Might I kiss your breasts?" He placed his hands on her hips, skimming then up over her ribs to come to rest on either side of her breasts.

"Of course you may."

She let him urge her back up and forward until he could reach around her to loosen her bra and pull it forward down her arms. Once it was off he began touching her in earnest, stroking her ribs on one side, caressing her opposite breast with fingers and nails, and kissing her other breast, tongue and teeth teasing her nipple. She let herself moan with the pleasure Kim was inducing, forcing herself to remain passive otherwise. He glanced up at her, and she smiled down at him as he switched his mouth to her other breast, the hand that had been playing with it falling to stroke her ribs, and the other lifting to pet the breast his mouth had just left. She lifted one hand to cup the back of Kim's head, sliding the other hand down to open her trousers and slip inside her briefs. She rubbed her clitoris once, twice, thrice and climaxed, her other hand clenching in Kim's hair. She blinked her eyes open to see that she'd pulled his head back, and he was smiling up at her.

"I pleased you then?"

"Very much so." She smiled back, loosening her grip in his hair and stroked it, leaning forward to kiss him again. She pulled her fingers from her crotch, lifting them to her lips and drawing them into her mouth for a moment. "But I can go again easily - and pretty quickly, if you're willing to try?"

"Of course, if it would please you, Terese."

"Yes it would." She stroked the side of his face and pulled back slowly, giving him time to protest if he wanted to. When he stayed silent she moved away from him and began wriggling out of her trousers and briefs, tossing them aside in a tangle with her socks. "Where do you want me?"

"I...if you wish to lie down I would be grateful for the chance to taste you."

Kim gathered his skirts and began backing away, towards the edge of the bed, giving her room to do as he'd asked, and she did. At least partly, she pulled the pillows into a pile, so she could lie back propped up on them and watch Kim as he moved. He crawled between her legs, then lowered himself to his belly, and began using his tongue on her. He wrapped one arm over her thigh, fingers stroking the curve of her hip as he laved her with slow smooth strokes of his tongue. She shut her eyes and rested one hand on the back of Kim's head, playing with his hair. He shifted his technique and began focusing more on her clit, nudging under her hood with the tip of his tongue and working until she came again.

She hadn't pulled his head back this time, despite clenching her hand in his hair, as well as in the sheets, and he hadn't stopped working at her, although he had shifted to sucking at her clit, and the area around it.

"Yeah, you just keep on doing that for me, beautiful." She was sensitive, but not too sensitive to go again, and Kim hadn't let her come down completely. She opened her hands and lifted them to play with her breasts, cradling them and running her fingertips lightly over her skin before coming to circle her nipples. It was a pleasant counterpoint to Kim's skilled tongue between her legs, and she soon climaxed once more.

"Enough Kim." She pushed herself to sit upright, and reached down to offer Kim help in rising. Once he had his hands underneath his body she let go of him, and he pushed himself upright to sit back on his heels.

"Did I satisfy you Terese?" But there was a smile on his face, as if he knew her answer already.

"Very much so." She leaned forward, cupping his chin in her hands as she kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue. "Any suggestions about how I should undress you?"

"Ah...you could start by removing my skirt if it would please you." He hesitated, glancing down before continuing. "Or you could lift my skirts and remove my stockings first if that would be more to your tastes."

"Skirts first I think." Something about the idea of just lifting Kim's skirts bothered her, and she couldn't quite figure out why. "I just need to loosen the cords lacing it closed, yes?"

"For the outer skirt, yes. The inner skirts simply fasten with buttons."

Kim moved in front of her, turning around to offer his back to her, glancing back over his shoulder with a smile as she moved forward, caressing his cheek and kissing him once more. She brushed his hair forward over his other shoulder, baring the nape of his neck again, even as he slowly turned his head away from her. She kissed the bared skin, then began unfastening those small buttons, working downwards, and stroking his pale gold skin as it was revealed. The cords were tied together at Kim's waist, and tucked underneath his skirt. She pulled the ends out from under the waistband, and untangled them a little, noticing that all six cords had been tied into a single knot. She untied it, and began loosening the laces in the skirt.

"Should I pull the laces right out, or do you want me to just loosen them enough to pull the skirt off?"

"Whatever pleases you best. I generally store my formal dresses unlaced, and keep the cords apart, but that is no reason for you to do more than you wish to now."

"I'll pull them right out then." It would be a lot easier for her that way, rather than trying to guess how much she had to loosen the laces at each crossing to let her get the skirt over Kim's head, or over his underskirts. When she had the cord free she put it to one side. "Lift your arms please." Kim obeyed silently, and she gathered the skirt and lifted it over his head. The first underskirt was a dark gold, close to brown, fastened by small buttons to the left of Kim's spine. She lifted six underskirts off over Kim's head in total, each one fastened a little further to the left: another dark gold, but true gold this time; then a medium gold; a light gold underskirt; one that could be either light gold or dark cream depending on what colour you saw it with, and finally a pure cream underskirt.

"Will you have problems packing everything away if I ask you to wear your casual dress tomorrow?"

"No Terese." Kim turned around to look at her, smiling as he answered. "I have room enough in my bag for two formal dresses, although I think both would need at least pressing afterwards."

"You might want to speak with the laundry company then. Stockings now?" She rested her hand on one thigh, just at the lacy top of his brown stocking.

"If it pleases you." He shifted his position as he spoke, opening his legs and stretching them out, one to each side of her.

She glanced down between his legs, noting that his groin was covered completely by a piece of leather that gave a smooth unbroken line, fastened in place by straps that went up over his hips and underneath his bodice. She'd ask about that later. Now she unfastened the clips on Kim's right stocking, and slowly rolled it down and off his smooth shaven leg, teasing behind his knee to win a soft gasp on the way down. She trailed her fingers back up his legs, barely touching his skin, watching how it made him shiver. She repeated her actions with his left leg, and traced the lower edge of his bodice where it cut across his stomach. There was a line of tiny buttons along the edge, and she couldn't resist the temptation to start opening them, only to be halted by Kim's hand on her wrist.

"Please Terese...it will be more difficult to remove my bodice if you open those now." He was shaking again, and she could feel how his stomach had tensed under her hand. She turned her own hand to lift Kim's to her lips, kissing the back of it, and smiling at him.

"Then turn around please, so that I can finish undressing you."

"Yes Terese." Kim smiled and obeyed, curling his legs up to one side as he turned. Terese immediately began removing the cords from the back of the bodice, putting them with the first cord, and opening the back to stroke his pale gold skin. She slid her hands around his waist, underneath his bodice, and pulled him back against her, kissing the back of his neck and leaving his arms free to remove the last of his dress. He wriggled out of it, then shifted in her arms to turn and face her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders with a soft laugh. She kissed him, sliding one hand up to rest between his shoulder blades and tracing the indentations left on his skin with the other.

"Do you enjoy wearing the clothes that mark you like this?" He probably did since she'd seen his brothers dressed more comfortably.

"Yes Terese." He swallowed, audibly, pulling back as much as she let him, hands falling to his sides. "All my mother required was that I dress modestly, but I enjoy the shaping effect of a corset. Does it displease you to see me marked so?"

"Only if it means you've been hurt." She swept her hand down to rest on the straps of his odd leather undergarment. "Tell me what this is please."

"My chastity guard. It limits what use a woman can make of me, offering me some of the protection that belonging to you does now. My sister was kind enough to have it made specifically for me as I do not like the way the more usual chastity cages display a man's parts." And he'd implied that he wanted her to castrate him when he'd been talking about her marking him.

"I see." She released him, putting her hands on the sheets behind her. "Do you...feel that you should have been born a woman?"

"Of course not Terese!" He shook his head swiftly as he answered her, eyes wide. "Women are dominant, and I am not. I want nothing more than to belong to someone who will always take care of me." He bowed his head and lowered his eyes, wrapping his arms around his body.

"And I will take care of you, I promise that." She pulled Kim into her arms, kissing his forehead before continuing. "But that extends to more than just the physical. Does your body feel comfortable, natural to you?"

"No, no it doesn't." He shook his head against Terese's shoulder as he answered.

"Then I want you to see a therapist, and co-operate with her - or him if you think it would be easier to open up to another man. After a year, if you want it, and can tell me what you need, I'll arrange for whatever surgeries and treatments you need to make you feel comfortable in your body." No point in starting surgeries if Kim couldn't explain what would give him a body that felt natural to him after all.

"Thank you Terese." He lifted his head with a shaky smile. "Might I serve your pleasure again?"

"Not just yet." He needed time to recover, and Terese didn't want this to be all about her. "Didn't you promise to show me how your corset is incorporated into your dress?"

"Of course." He pulled back and turned to lift his bodice, placing it on his knees, the lower edge towards his body so he could unfasten the row of buttons there. Terese moved to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and watching his hands as he slid the corset out from between the layers of his bodice.

"How long does it take for you to dress in one of your formal dresses? And will I be enough help for you?" She didn't think that she would, but she might be wrong.

"Might I put my dress away while I answer?"

"Yes, of course." She needed to pick up her own clothes as well. Terese began gathering her clothes from where they were scattered over the bed, and Kim did the same thing.

"Thank you." Kim stood and began folding one of his underskirts as he spoke. "It took me roughly an hour to dress today, from getting out of the bath, until I was ready to do my make-up and hair. But half an hour of that was almost dead time, as my corsets need to be tightened in two stages to get the proper effect. And I only needed one brother to help me dress."

"Ah, then I suppose it takes almost as much time for you to dress in your semi-formal dresses?" Although she didn't understand just why the corset had to be tightened in two stages. But then she would never wear one, so it didn't really affect her.

"Yes, but I can do everything but fasten those dresses up by myself."

"I see." Terese stuffed her trousers into her bag and stood up, moving over to pick up the cords from Kim's dress. "Is there anything I can do to help you pack your dress away?" He might prefer it if she didn't try to interfere, but she didn't want to just watch him folding and tidying his clothes, and she didn't think he was ready to play more right now.

"Would you mind wrapping the cords together, and putting them in one of the inside pockets of my bag? And...maybe if you wanted to use what is under my chastity guard you could run a bath and I could please you there?" Was that a hopeful look on his face? She thought it was.

"That sounds good. Is the key your sister gave me supposed to unlock your chastity guard?" She couldn't think of anything else it could be for, not given that the woman had said she'd need it tonight.

"Yes, Terese, it is."

"Then bring it into the bathroom with you. And you can keep it from now on."

"Terese?" His head snapped up, and he stared at her, eyes wide.

"Are you attached to your chastity device? I won't forbid you to use it, but I don't have the time or inclination to micro-manage you that way. If you hold the key then you can take care of your hygiene without needing my attention. Or...is it something you can't unlock by yourself?"

"I can unlock it myself, but...I...you trust that I will wear my chastity guard if I have the key?"

"You said you don't like looking at your groin." He should be able to follow her meaning, and she was certain he had enough honour to hold to their contract even without something compelling chastity. But then, he'd said it had been protection for him. "If it makes you feel safer then you can keep the key in a locked box in your bedroom." She began winding the cords around her fingers, watching Kim from the corner of her eye.

"Yes Terese. I know belonging to you is all the protection I need, but..." He trailed off, bowing his head and biting his lip.

"But you don't feel safe with only my name protecting you, not yet. I understand." She didn't like it, but she understood. She crouched by Kim's bag and opened it, looking for the pocket he'd mentioned, finding a set of cream cords already inside it, and moving those to the top. "Take as long as you need. I don't mind waiting." Most Raysons provided a jacuzzi in suites of this level so it wasn't as if the water was going to get cold while she waited for him.

Terese stood and walked through to the bathroom, looking around for the toilet. It was set in one corner and she used it, then started filling the jacuzzi while she took a quick shower, just drying her hands afterwards. She settled down in the tub, arms stretched out along the sides to keep her hands dry, and shut her eyes to think without outside distractions. There hadn't been any negotiations on their contract, and today had been the first time she'd had the chance to read it. It was disturbing, reading more like a concubinage indenture, than a consorting contract in a lot of ways, but Kim hadn't seemed to see any problems with it - he said he wanted to belong to her. Come to think of it, maybe making sure that his Family wouldn't take him back was the best thing she could do for him. It sounded as if no-one had bothered getting him any help dealing with his body issues, and that he wouldn't be allowed to have surgery to get his body to the point that he felt comfortable with it if he went back to the Scotts. But she'd said she would wait for him to ask, and more or less forbidden him to ask for a year...still, if he did ask for something less extreme than surgery or hormone therapy before then Terese would grant him his request. Decision made Terese let her thoughts shift to something more enjoyable to consider, planning out the next stage in her current favourite project.

"Ah...Terese?" Kim was shifting his weight uncertainly when she opened her eyes to look at him. He'd braided his hair again, but it didn't seem to be hanging as long as it had at dinner. He moved forward when she sat up a bit straighter, holding her own hand out to beckon him closer.

"Come here and let me unlock you." He put the key in her hand and she shifted to look more closely at the belt around his waist, finding two locks where the straps from the leather shield joined it. She unlocked them, pulling the straps out to let the shield dangle, and noted that he'd shaved his groin completely bare. "Where's the other lock?"

"Beside my spine." Kim turned around and presented the lock to her without further prompting. When she loosened the belt she frowned to see the deep red marks it had left on his skin. But she decided not to say anything about it just yet, not directly anyway.

"How often was this taken off while your Family held the key?"

"My elder sister holds the keys for all her brothers until we're taken as consorts." He turned partway back to look at her, positioning his legs to hide his groin as much as possible while he answered her. "She lets each of us have our key for two hours every week to deal with any hygiene issues and to masturbate, and she locks us in our quarters while we deal with that. And she's really considerate about checking on us before we dress and just before curfew to make any adjustments we need on a day to day basis. She decided to do the same for her consort when she chose him, and moved him into the same quarters as us to make it easier for her."

"Ah, I see." She wouldn't be able to keep up that level of involvement in something that disturbed her the way this did. "Put these out of the way, then if you want to you can use the toilet and the shower before joining me."

"Yes Terese." He obeyed and she leaned back to watch him moving around the room, her hands falling to brace herself on either side.

He managed somehow to keep her from seeing his genitals directly without seeming to think about it, or letting it interfere with his apparently effortless grace. It wasn't effortless, she knew better than to believe that after seeing some of the lessons Louis had taken with Jerome, but his grace was extraordinary, even compared to the other men the Scotts had offered for her to choose from. She glanced away from him when he sat down on the toilet, giving him an illusion of privacy. He showered as well, back to her, although he glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled as he washed himself with a swift efficiency. He finally turned back to her when he finished his shower, walking forward without bothering to towel himself off - not that there was any reason to when he was just going to climb into the jacuzzi with her.

And he did, settling himself opposite her and just looking at her, waiting for her to make the next move. He'd taken up a very constrained position, sitting at a slant, legs pressed together, arms wrapped around his own body. She leaned forward and took hold of one wrist, pulling him towards her and tucking him against her side so she could kiss his cheek. He let out a soft sound of contentment and leaned into her compliantly, hands folded in his lap when she released them.

"I'd rather you stop shaving your groin now that I've given you control of your chastity device."

"As you wish. Do you have a preference about how I remove the rest of my body hair then?" He glanced up at her as he spoke.

"No, do whatever you want about that." Although that did raise a question. "What do you usually do about your body hair?" And was there anything she needed to do to facilitate it for him?

"I shave and use depilatory creams, to minimise regrowth issues, but when it was certain that I was your choice of consort I was instructed to allow enough regrowth to make waxing easy in preparation for signing our contract." There was a faint frown on his lips as he continued. "I always understood that permanent methods weren't an option."

"Even if you wish they were?" She stroked down the side of his face from behind his ear to his throat as she spoke, enjoying the way he shivered and smiled in response.

"Yes, the facial hair if nothing else." He bit his lip briefly, and lowered his eyes in thought. "I...would you permit that, for me to have electrolysis to get rid of any beard or moustache I might grow, and to tidy my eyebrows?"

"If you asked me to." But he'd have to ask.

"Even though it would mean that you would have to continue taking care of me if you ever grew tired of me?" Something that simple was enough to make him unsuitable as any other woman's consort?

"Yes." She was tired of the discussion, of reassuring Kim, at least for now, and she turned to straddle him, hand sliding down between their bodies to stroke and tease his cock where it lay soft against her belly. "Touch me, please." She kissed him before he could reply, taking his mouth, her other hand curling around his neck as he lifted his hands to her waist.

He moaned softly into her mouth, one hand sliding down to cup her ass, while the other moved up to stroke the nape of her neck. He began to harden in her hand, slowly, and she stroked further down, playing with his balls. She moved away from his mouth, and gripped his braid to pull his head back and force him to bare his throat, so she could explore it with tongue and lips. He gasped softly, and slid his fingers up to play with her hair, stroking through the short curls carefully. She lifted up, letting go of his hair to guide him into her using both hands, then began moving slowly, hands braced at his hips, kissing his throat again, this time letting her teeth scrape lightly over his skin.

"Oh...please Terese, please." His fingers tightened convulsively in her hair and on her ass, and she bit down harder on his throat, hard enough to leave a mark, a bruise, but holding back enough to keep from drawing blood.

"Please what?"

"Take me...use me...please?"

"Oh, I am." She laughed and ground her hips against his before licking at the toothmarks she'd left at the base of his throat. He didn't say anything more, simply letting his eyes fall closed and moaning in pleasure. She swept one hand up Kim's side and back to grip his hair again, pulling his head back a little more while her other hand worked at her clit. She bit at his exposed throat, lightly while she had the control, and moved to sink her teeth into his shoulder as she came.

"...rry, I'm sorry, please don't be angry-" He was almost babbling when she could focus enough to understand him again.

"Hush." He fell silent at once. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"Unless you tell me otherwise I'm supposed to wait for permission to come."

"Hmm. Is that something you were trained to do?" Tonio had apologised for not having that sort of training fairly soon after she picked him up.

"I...no, but...I think some of my cousins were, they talked about being punished for coming without permission, about putting on performances for women, or being lent to them for more than just hands and mouth, even before being taken as consorts."

"Hmmm. What degree of cousin were they?" She'd been given different training even to her siblings, and none of her more distant cousins had been trained with the idea of taking over the Family one day. And from her research the Scott men used to seal alliances or given to the women they adopted in tended to be fairly closely related to the Scott.

"Ah...fourth, or third once removed at closest. Oh...my purity was more important than sexual skills then?"

"I suppose so." Neither of them really mattered to her. Sex was nice, but skill was something she could teach if she needed to, and it wasn't as if he'd have been put at risk of disease. She kissed the bite she'd left on his shoulder, licking the bruises already showing blue-purple against his pale skin, making him shut his eyes and shiver. "I think it's time for us to get out of here and dry off." He was still soft inside her and she was feeling pretty sated right now.

"Ah...as you wish Terese. Do you want me to dry you down, or would you rather do it yourself?"

"Actually, I think I'd rather take care of you once I'm dry." She lifted a hand to trace his jawline on one side, kissing along the other.

"Oh." Kim lowered his eyes and waited as she climbed off him and out of the tub, not even watching her dry off quickly. She picked up another towel and held it open for him.

"Just step out into the towel." He obeyed, eyes still cast down and she wrapped the towel around him and began carefully drying him off. He leaned trustingly into her hold, letting her move him however she wanted to, and that was almost enough for her to consider playing a little longer, but only almost. "Do you want to put your chastity device back on now, or wait for the morning?"

"Now, please. I...if you don't want me easy to access in case you wake?"

"Go ahead, lock yourself in." She laughed a bit at the thought of easy access - that would be pointless given how hard it had been to arouse him. "Will you feel more comfortable in pyjamas, or a nightgown?"

"I would, but I didn't have room to pack pyjamas, in case you wanted me to wear the informal dress tomorrow." He wasn't looking at her, concentrating on his chastity device, colour rising in his cheeks.

"You could wear mine then." She liked the idea of seeing her consort wearing her clothes, even just nightwear. "Whatever makes you feel better. If you'd rather I wore them then I will."

"No...I'd like to wear your pyjamas. Should I leave my hair braided, or brush it out?"

"Whatever's most comfortable for you." The way he had his hair didn't look comfortable to sleep in to her, but it wasn't as if she'd ever had long hair, or wanted it. She pulled her pyjamas out of her bag and handed them over to Kim before getting into bed and watching him dress, and do something to his hair until it fell down his back in a single long braid before joining her.


Note: Kim is making a few unwarranted assumptions about his parents' relationship. His mother's decision was actually that his father would have a vasectomy when her second daughter was weaned, when she made the announcement, roughly three months into her pregnancy he asked if he could be castrated instead. She told him to have enough therapy to convince her it was a decision he'd made after careful consideration, and that if he did that she'd allow it when her second daughter was weaned. The only way a Scott male could get therapy of any type is with the permission of whichever woman is responsible for him.