A/N: so, a couple more scenes that you might recognize from La Maison, told from different perspectives.

And we're finally at the end of March - exciting because the climax of the story happens toward the end of April - we're getting there folks.

And I'm starting to think about whose story to tell next.

Chase? (and it isn't with Gabe - will explain more later)

Gabe?

Xander & Tim?

Andrei?

So many to choose from - even a backdated story for Jax and Mike, who have only been mentioned in passing, but I'm pretty excited about it.

So would welcome suggestions of who you'd like to hear about.

Ellis

I whack the tiny white ball back across the ping pong table, but Owen's too quick and sends it back. He's deceptive, with those big green eyes and delicate frame. I'm sweating and he's barely breathing heavily.

"You're too good," I pant after losing yet another point. "Let's take a break; pick a game on the console." I grab two juices from the fridge and toss him one.

Owen sifts through the multiplayer games on the shelf next to the television, finally selecting a fun driving game and slotting it in the machine.

"Are you coming to Master Gray's birthday, Ellis?"

"Yes, he asked me specifically." I'm so pleased everything's gone back to normal with Gray and me, like it was before he went away, or better, even. And I love that he has a thing going with Owen, who's one of my best friends. Even more, now that I'm actually allowed to see my friends again.

"That's good, I was a bit nervous I might be the only submissive there."

"Worried Gr- Master Gray might ask you to perform for all of them?" I'm only joking, but Owen looks panicked.

"No, he wouldn't, would he?"

"I'm kidding, probably, stop looking so worried. Although, I know he does like to do group stuff sometimes. Suzu told me they used to tag team subs together fairly often."

"Eugh, phrasing. And, 'probably'?" Owen screws his face up.

"Yeah, sorry. But ignore me. It actually sounded like a lot of fun."

"It does, I think it would be pretty incredible to be taken by two controlling men. Do you think he'll ever ask you?"

"I don't think Suzu would have it. He gets jealous, and I think it would be weird anyway because Gray's my friend, not just some random Dom."

"I don't think Master Gray gets jealous at all. Not of me anyway." Owen doesn't seem upset, just like he's thinking.

"You might be surprised. He likes you a lot, that's clear. But it's true; nothing Suzu has told me makes me think he's the jealous type at all. I think he's very trusting and open, and he deserves that back."

Owen scowls at me, and I realize how that might sound.

"Christ, no, I didn't mean you. I just know he had a bad relationship, but I don't know much about it. You have to remember I haven't actually known him for that much longer than you, and he's been away a while. He's just so open it feels as though you've known him forever."

I hadn't heard Suzu coming down the stairs, but see Owen's flinch, and spin around. Suzu is going to have to work on that. He wants to look after the subs, and it's no good that he terrifies them. Even Owen, who is always so good so has no real reason to worry.

"I hope you're not saying things that will get Owen into trouble, Ellis?"

"No, Suzu, at least I don't think so." I really don't. I doubt Gray will have an issue if Owen suggests a threesome.

"Maybe you should leave discussion of Gray's predilections for Gray himself, Ellis?"

"Oh," okay, there's that, "of course, you're right, Suzu, that was too personal."

"Actually, Master François, I was hoping to ask you something, though of course, if it's inappropriate you will need to tell Master Gray and I will need to be punished."

"From what I hear, Owen, you'll like that, just plenty."

What? Cheeky...

But before I can decide if I want to call him on it, though, I see the look of horror pass over Suzu's face.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I just heard it. I'm sorry, that was hypocritical. Just do me two favors – try not to do it in front of me, and be aware that you may not have all the facts – the rules about being open and honest still apply."

I can't help it, and fling myself at Suzu.

"You're the best, I love that you realized the double standard for yourself." I make Suzu blush, and I'm grateful that he still isn't allowed to punish me, because I'll definitely get into trouble for loving so obviously on him in front of Owen when we're back to normal. Though, I'm okay with that, because I can tell by his sneaky smile that it would be a fun spanking.

"Okay, Ellis, calm yourself. Owen had a question."

Owen keeps his eyes are firmly fixed on the floor. "Master François, Sir, I want to buy Master Gray a birthday present. And I know you will tell me I don't need to, but I want to. He's being a very good Dom for me, and I want to show my appreciation."

"Owen, you know Master Gray can buy himself anything he wants? He wouldn't expect you to spend your money on something."

"I know, Sir, but that's why I need your help. I want to get him something personal. And, well, I want to get him something relating to the lifestyle. Just then, I considered organizing a scene with another person as a gift, after what Ellis told me, but I think he would rather do that himself if he wants to.

"And I thought about ropes and things, but of course, he's the expert, and I know he's very particular about what he uses because of the safety. But I was hoping you could suggest something appropriate." Owen is flushing hotly, until Suzu bursts into unexpectedly loud laughter.

"Oh, Owen, you really are perfect for Gray. I can suggest several things, perhaps some clothing – he really is a fan of those tiny shorts you wear, have you thought of pairing them with a harness?" he thinks for a moment. "Actually, how did you find the expanding plug?" Owen blushes even harder, so I'm guessing that's something else incredibly private the Doms have been gossiping about, because even I don't know about that.

"Because I'm going to tell you something that will make that pretty pale skin blush ten times harder than it already is. Gray really loves watching his subs get stretched – temporarily, don't worry – but he has a real thing for the look on a sub's face when it's happening... and I think, based on that little smile, you may have quite the thing for it yourself?"

"Um, I don't know, Sir, but I think, perhaps..."

"Okay Suzu, I think Owen is quite embarrassed enough, and you have had enough of a kick from his 'pretty pale skin', off you go." I'm not mad, but I have to save my friend somehow because he looks like he's about to spontaneously combust.

"I'm sorry, Ellis..."

"Hey, I was only joking, I don't mind. He is full of double standards though. Can you imagine what he'd do if I started talking about Gray's gorgeous smell, or how much I'd like to run my hands through his thick brunette hair?"

"Shhhh," but Owen bursts into giggles and I join him.

We go out, after I've told Suzu. Of course Connor comes too, and we meet Nikki before we head to my favorite kink shop. I love the look of wonder on Nikki and Owen's faces, and even Connor's too. This place is uber-classy, with deep red walls and dark wooden fixtures. Actually, what's with red and mahogany and kink? It's everywhere. I wonder if Suzu would consider re-decorating the club to something more modern, maybe monochrome and leopard print. On second thoughts...

Anyway, my thoughts are soon taken up with the huge plug section, because Owen definitely took on board what Suzu told him. Nikki picks up a truly massive lime green rubber plug with a vague look of horror.

"What's this?"

"It's a wolf cock. No kink shaming, bro," I snigger at his shock. He really is pretty innocent, bless him, and he looks really contrite.

"What's the kinkiest thing you've ever done?" Owen asks us, eying the wolf cock with a certain amount of trepidation himself.

"I haven't...I guess having sex with multiple people on a stage is fairly kinky," Nikki admits.

"Yeah, that's kind of up there. I've never done that." Owen blushes, and I can tell that's on his mind after what we talked about.

"Let's just agree that we're all pretty kinky," I chuckle, and point out something that I think Owen might be interested in.

It's a stretching plug, like a little glass tunnel, and it comes in a few sizes, the biggest of which would allow someone to get fucked with it in. That's well above Owen's pay grade and I hand him the smallest one, which makes him bite his lip and look at me with a glint in his beautiful green eyes.

"He'll love it."

"Okay. I'm going to look over there." He points to where there's a lot of decorative and antique pieces, and Nikki and I wander further down the aisle.

"You getting anything?" he asks.

"I have pretty much anything you could think of." Plus, while we're being vanilla – the incident with Andrei notwithstanding – there isn't much point me buying any more kinky shit. "You?"

"I don't know. Landon likes tying me up, but he already has every kind of ribbon and rope you can think of."

"Ooh, I have an idea."

I drag him a few aisles over, to the clothing section.

"I thought this was a gay sex shop?"

Seriously, so innocent.

"It is. So, you can choose actual women's panties, or they have a section of men's panties. Women's are cool if you're only wearing them in the bedroom, but they're pretty uncomfortable if you're going anywhere. The men's are designed for our junk, so they're better if you're wearing them for any length of time."

Christ, is it bad how much I love educating this sweet child?

"You think Landon would like that?"

"Yu-huh. Picture your ass. How good would it look in lace? Or silk?"

"Uh, pretty good, I guess."

I think I can probably get away with it myself, too, under our current terms, so I start rifling through the hangers, waiting for something to catch my eye. I end up torn between an adorable pair of boy-shorts in bright rainbow stripe and a pair of satin and lace pink bikini briefs. Do I want cute or sexy? I'm just convincing myself to get both when I look at what Nikki's holding up and grin. They're black, but definitely not boring.

"You know that band around the top's a garter belt? So you wear them with stockings?"

"Eh. Go big or go home, that's a saying here, right?"

"Right."

Nikolai

Landon is taking me to a birthday party tonight, which is exciting, mainly because of how wonderfully normal it is. We may have an unusual relationship compared to what is considered the 'norm', but birthdays transcend that. Though I will be submissive for him, because we'll be around a lot of our friends from the club, and because I enjoy it.

After so long spending time around Ellis and François, I know I would never have been able to live the lifestyle all the time, although Ellis has admitted that what I saw from them wasn't entirely right. But, even knowing that, I know I couldn't play the part all the time, like Ellis wants to, and Dae wants to, and Owen wants to. They all talk about wanting a boyfriend as well as a Dom, and I don't think even they quite realize that the way they talk about being boyfriends with someone still includes being submissive all the time, even if it isn't always about punishment and saying 'Sir'. And I'm not going to point it out to them, because it's not like I'm the great Knowledge when it comes to any kind of relationship, whether submissive or vanilla.

I can't even explain to myself what I want, I can only feel it. And I feel it with Landon. I think it comes from small things, like how I sometimes want to have control over what we do, or sometimes I actually want to be unreasonable, and be allowed to be. It sounds foolish when put into words, and Landon and I have certainly not experienced it yet, but knowing I have the freedom helps, as does knowing I don't have to defer to him, and that he is happy with that.

One area where I already know the kink experience is helping, is the idea of open communication and honesty. Landon has already shown himself to be willing to hear about my feelings, and he is free with his own as well. Like the fact that he told me this morning he wants me to move in with him, as soon as I feel ready. And being left to make that decision on my own? It feels good.

When we get to the restaurant, Dae runs over and hugs me, nuzzling into my side.

"I haven't seen you for ages!"

"It's been four days, Dae!"

"That's ages," he sulks.

"How are you?" I whisper, and he glances guiltily toward Dexter.

"Better. I'm sorry I made such a fool of myself."

"Did someone tell you that?" I hope Dexter didn't. I worry about Dae's fragility, and I hope he's doing the right thing putting so much of his heart into Dexter, which I can see him doing, even if he hasn't admitted it yet.

"No. I'm not completely stupid, Nikki. I know I was an idiot to come running to you, crying over a Dom, even if I do think D- Master Dexter isn't like some of the other ones."

"Maybe. You don't have a lot of experience in that area though."

"I have enough experience of controlling men to know."

I get a horrible tenseness in my chest at that. I've always known Dae hides things about his past – I was doing it myself for long enough to recognize it – and the fact that when he does let things out they have this flavor of tragedy to them makes me very worried for his wellbeing. I just hope Dexter is good enough for him to help him through it.

We're in a private room, and the table is long, so I drag Dae into the long bench seat after me. Gray is sat at the head of the table, and Owen is next to him, a little pink, though I don't know if it's through horniness or embarrassment. Ellis is seated next to him, and I'm next to François on the other side.

"Why aren't you next to Landon?" Ellis whispers behind François, looking a little shocked.

"I have my reasons." I gesture for Landon to sit opposite me and slip my loafers off. I'm wearing a normal black suit and a white shirt, but I do feel excited about what's underneath, which feels surprisingly good: the panties are silky against my hard cock, and I'm glad I got black, as lighter ones would have been ruined by the amount of pre-cum I'm leaking. The stockings, too – I'm glad Ellis convinced me to get silk, even though I'm fairly sure they'll have been torn off before the night is over.

Gray begins opening his presents, and there's a lot of chuckling and bawdy comments. I reach my foot forward, finding Landon's and sliding up it. It's lucky I have long legs, because I can reach up his inner thigh with ease, until I press against his half-hard cock. He's ignoring me, though I see the smile in his eyes as he watches Gray. I use my toes, curling and rubbing until he's fully hard, watch him let out a gasp as I press a little harder. His hand disappears under the table, and then I feel it find my foot, and his brow furrows for a moment as he feels the silky fabric, before he looks at me with a lustful question in his eyes. I just nod.

We get the distraction we need when Chase shouts something as Owen disappears under the long tablecloth, and I guess Gray just found out what Owen bought today. Landon jerks his head toward the restroom and I swiftly do my own disappearing act under the table, popping up on the other side before anyone's even had chance to realize, though I hear Chase making another comment as I follow Landon.

As soon as I walk through the restroom door, I'm slammed back against it, Landon covering my mouth with his, pressing his hands into my shoulders as he takes over my mouth. He stops eventually, breathing heavily, and looks down.

"Fuck, I was right. You're wearing pantyhose, aren't you?"

"Stockings," I admit.

"Anything else I should know?"

I unfasten my button, pulling down the zip so he can see the lacy top of the panties I'm wearing.

"Fuck," he says again, sliding a hand down to cup my aching cock. "And you're so wet for me already. You like wearing sexy panties for me?"

"I do," I whisper, leaning my head against the door as he manipulates me until the head of my cock is poking out of the top.

"You're so hot, Nikki," he nuzzles into my jaw as his hand keeps working me. "I wanna make you come for me baby, right here in this restroom, where anyone could just walk in." I know that's not true – I'm against the door, for one, and I'm sure the rest are more than distracted by whatever Owen is doing – but it still makes me moan and thrust against him. "Can't have you making a mess, though."

He drops to his knees, just releasing me enough to take me into his mouth, swallowing me right to the back of his throat, his hands pinning my hips to the door. He starts rubbing my balls through the soft fabric, making me whimper. I know I won't last long, with his throat and hand working my sensitive flesh. I'm climbing, every muscle tense with pleasure.

"Sir, I'm going to-," He just smiles around me, sucking harder, twisting down until I can feel his nose pressing against me and I let go, into his throat, which swallows, pulling every last pulse from me. He tucks me away as he stands, dropping a gentle kiss on my slack lips.

"You're so good for me, Nikki. I can't wait to see you properly when I get you home." And I quietly giggle at that, resting my head on his shoulder, sure I'll have recovered enough for round two by then.