• • •

"Ken, can you make a Frappe?"

"Ken, can you make a Frappe?" I mocked in a whisper before speaking in a louder voice, "Yeah."

My manager, Maria, gave me a smile, one I'm sure was supposed to thank me for doing her job and pulled out her phone while walking towards the back.

The customer was barely paying attention, looking at the display of muffins in the front glass, "Blueberry?"

"We just sold out." I lied, without looking away from the blender in front of me.

There was one blueberry muffin left but I wanted to eat it when I took my break and didn't feel like baking anymore until I came back.

It took him a while to respond, "Ain't no blueberry."

"Yeah. I just said that."

"What you want me to do?"

I turned to face him, "You can come back here and bake some if you want."

A smirk appeared on his face, "Nah, the girl in here thought I was talking to her. She said you gotta make your own shit."

By then I'd realized the dreads that'd strayed from the ones atop his head had kept me from realizing he had an Airpod in his ear and was having a conversation with whomever he was on the phone with, not me.

I was embarrassed, so I gave my most polite smile and tried to perfectly swirl the whipped cream. I hoped he wouldn't make a complaint, and after handing him the Frappe, I tried to save face, "I think it's a muffin in the back. Hold on."

Breaking into a near run, I hurried to get my sacred muffin and walked back out to see another man had joined the previous customer, standing alongside him as they spoke in hushed tones, "Can't even get a damn muffin. This bullshit city."

"Here's your muffin." I mumbled, "Sorry about that."

"Now say you sorry." His raspy-voiced friend snickered.

The guy who'd come in when I was in the back looked towards me and put on what I was assuming to be his apologetic face, "Thank you for the muffin..." He looked at my nametag, "Ken."

It wasn't until then that I tried to pay more attention to his features, but he turned away from me, looking into the bag as they exited the coffee shop.

Blowing out a breath, I started cleaning the blender in preparation for my now muffin-less break.

• • •

My dad laugh's filled my ears as I ascended the steps to mine and my roommate, Jailyn's apartment, "I keep telling you that your mouth is gonna get you in trouble."

"Why he didn't say he wasn't talking to me when he heard me say something back? That was rude."

"Ken, you have a story for me every day. I'm starting to think it's you."

"I never thought I'd see the day where my daddy was an opp."

He was the furthest thing from an opp, but I liked to hear him explain to me all the ways that he wasn't. While he launched into his long list of fatherly accomplishments, I tossed my book bag onto the chair and trudged into my room in search of clothes that didn't smell like coffee.

"And don't forget when you got diarrhea at school. I was the one who came and got you."

"Thank you father," I replied sweetly, before dropping my voice an octave, "For being a father. You want a cookie?"

"I'm on the way there. To whoop you, though. Not for no cookies."

After a brief hello to my mom, I ended the call and stepped inside the shower. I had a few hours before meeting Ariana, and I wanted to use them to relax before tonight, try to ensure that I was in the best mental state.

"Kenny!" Jailyn's voice traveled into the bathroom followed by a knock, "You in the shower?"

"Yes?"

Without warning, the door swung open to reveal an excited Jailyn, "Ya girl got an 'A'."

"Ayeeee. We celebrating tomorrow night."

Her nose turned up, "Tonight. We might not see tomorrow."

"I have plans already, Jai. The same plans I always have."

Had I not been looking forward to this for an entire month, I would have postponed it. It also helped ease my guilt that Jailyn already knew that I counted down the days until Ariana and I could play again.

"Oh. I forgot."

I groaned loudly, "Don't make me feel bad. I need the stress relief."

"Masturbate Ken. That's what other people do."

"And you always have an attitude. Now me, after I get fucked-."

"Bye!" She yelled, pulling the door behind her.

'Other people' had unseasoned sex, and I firmly believed that was why the majority of the public was so angry all the time. It was only so much you could do before it blended together, the same five moves that were poorly done, and I was tired of having to ride dick to have an orgasm.

I wanted to have sex like in the books. The kind of sex where he just breathes in her direction and then she magically gets number 6.

Insert Ariana, a friend, and somewhat mentor of mine. She introduced me to the intricate world of BDSM when I was 19. 3 years later at 22, I was still just as captivated.

Ariana is a Domme, or female dominant, who helped me learn the role of submissive as I asked of her. To me, it was only logical that I submitted it to someone. I wanted to give Him or Her complete control of my body, in the hopes that I'd be rewarded with the pleasure that I sought after.

So far, it'd been exactly what I was looking for.

I didn't have a constant Dominant anymore, as my previous one and I wanted different things. We ended on good, even great, terms. Doing me a favor, Ariana filled the void by scening with me at play parties.

It wasn't overly formal in any sense, but exhibition paired with being even the slightest bit submissive is what got me through not having a constant Dominant.

'Favor' isn't used loosely being that she had long since collared a submissive. It was solely for my benefit that we met on a monthly basis, and I was grateful to both her and Jade.

Wrapping the towel around me, I poked my head out of the door and laughed when I saw Jailyn standing there with her arms folded, "I hate it here."

"Me too, hell. Can't even celebrate 'cause my friend wanna go get slutted out."

"Wowwwww. These bitches jealous, your honor."

Jailyn and I had been friends since high school. She was younger than me by a year, but I liked to contribute the fact that I made it out without losing my mind, to her.

Despite the grade difference, we participated in nearly all of the same electives and were around each other inside and outside of school. I kind of just wandered along before I met her, always fitting in due to the fact that I was pretty, but never having conversations of any substance with anyone.

I had school friends, not actual friends.

This was made glaringly clear when I was 'exposed', I guess you could say, my junior year. Jailyn was the only one from that group that continued to talk to me. I wasn't bullied by any means, it was just a weird space for me.

She followed me to my room where she plopped in the chair in the corner and launched into a story about the nice elderly woman she'd met at work today.

• • •

I sat perfectly still on my knees, allowing the eyes throughout the room to wash over me.

My back was straight, my head bowed as I awaited instructions from Ariana. She circled around me slowly, likely enjoying the way those around us watched. Just as She did, I got off on the attention.

It's why we came here. Every time we played, there wasn't an eye in here that wasn't on us.

Ariana put her hand on my shoulder, indicating that she wanted me to lean back. An easy task that found me lying on my back with my knees spread apart.

One of the only lights in the room shone down onto my body, giving it an unnatural glow. Ariana brought attention to that as Her lips trailed the path that the light paved, pausing only when Her face was center with my pussy.

My stomach tightened in anticipation of Ariana's tongue finding my clit, and I sighed in pleasure when she caressed the swollen nub with perfected motions. I wanted to grip Her face as I had so many times before, but it wasn't the time and knew She wouldn't appreciate it.

"Kensley?" She called, Her thumb now in place of Her tongue.

"Ma'am?"

"Lean up."

The moment I did that, She handed me Her favorite toy and put Her lips to my ear, "You see Him? Right across from us?"

I looked in the direction that she meant, nodding my head slightly in acknowledgment.

Though Ariana made it seem as if She meant a particular person, the performance was for everyone. The sight of the white vibrator sliding effortlessly between my lips exposing vibrant pink skin was for everyone.

"Show Him why it's my favorite."

Dipping the toy inside of my pussy, I lie back onto the soft cloth waiting, or more so hoping, that She would let my face be Her seat, allow me to feel Her warm, wet skin against my tongue.

I moaned at the thought, and Ariana, who knew me so well, smiled, "Cum and I'll let you." Her hand snaked in between her thighs, gathering the moisture that had pooled there and brought it to my lips.

My legs tried to close on their own accord as the coveted feeling began to wash over me. Seeing this, Ariana reverse-straddled my face, roughly moving the vibrator and using Her tongue to elicit another orgasm.

Much as it always went, the moans of another couple began to circulate the room. I was so enthralled by Her that I wouldn't have known, but Ariana made a point to call my attention to it.

Though the scene went on for a while in real-time, it ended too soon to me, and I was soon mingling around the room in preparation of saying my goodbyes.

"Thank you for coming." Aidan smiled as we walked towards the door, "It's like nobody shows up unless you two come now."

I snorted at the lie which was evident in the respectable turnout at his other parties of which we weren't in attendance, "You'll say whatever to keep us coming back."

"He doesn't have to say much, Ken. I think they'll have to beat you away with a stick at this point." Her words were good-natured, a running joke that was presented at every chance.

"I've been keeping my eye out for someone. I'll let you know."

"Six months ago I remember this exact conversation andddd here I am. Still borrowing Ari from Jade."

After a final series of hugs, I trailed slowly to the car hoping that maybe the time would match my feet, and I wouldn't have to go back to my apartment and sleep alone in a cold-ass bed.

Ariana caught me feeling bad for myself, "Ken I keep telling you-"

"Goodnight." I interrupted, turning towards my car, "I'll text you when I'm home."

It'd be the same lecture and I could recite it word for word, making it pointless for her to repeat it. I drove home slowly, singing along with the music.

By the time I ended my concert and walked through the door of my apartment, it was going on 1 am. I wasn't expecting anyone to be up, but Coby, Jailyn's boyfriend was sitting on the couch drifting to sleep as he waited for me.

I touched his shoulder, "If I was tryna steal I could've took the whole damn house."

"It ain't shit in here. Don't nobody live here but folks who ain't got no money."

Coby lived with us, so he was included in the people who didn't have money. He was an aspiring rapper and spent most of his time making beats and writing lyrics.

Poor baby couldn't rap for peanuts but was extremely sweet.

"You had fun?" He asked as he stood up to stretch, balancing his arm on the couch to he wouldn't fall.

I smiled while following him down the hall, "Fun as hell."

"I just don't see why y'all gotta do it in the middle of the night but Ian never understood women no way."

Coby was also a tad....dense. Jailyn told him that I went to a monthly midnight yoga class, and he went for it. At first, I wasn't sure if he actually believed her, or if he just wanted to respect that she was respecting my privacy.

In his defense, that was probably the only lie she ever told throughout the entirety of their relationship. He paused before walking into their room, "Jai told you she passed?"

"Yeah. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go eat or some tomorrow night."

Coby shook his head, "Take her in the morning. I'ma put some together while y'all gone."

"Awww. We'll do breakfast then."

They were the epitome of relationship goals. Their mutual affection and respect got them past a lot of bumps in the road. He worshipped the ground she walked on and it wasn't hard to see why. She was traditionally attractive, her warm smile and flawless skin demanding you look twice, she was the most loyal person I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, and she exuded a pleasant disposition that drew you to her. Truly a beautiful person inside and out.

"All good. 'Preciate it."

Another shower awaited me, then I finally slid under the covers and drifted to sleep.

• • •

The next morning I walked into the living room to see Jailyn splayed across the floor, silently blowing smoke from her mouth as she stared at the ceiling.

"Who smokes first thing in the morning?" I asked rhetorically, sitting on the arm of the chair.

"A bitch who just got fired."

I winced, "Fired for what? Stealing boxes?"

Up until this morning, Jailyn was a delivery driver for Fed-Ex. She hated the job, the workers, the customers, but it paid well and she needed the money.

She was delivering a package on her route yesterday when she tried to be kind and help an older customer put together her water dispenser.

It sounded good in theory, and Jailyn's heart was in the right place, but who leaves a truck full of packages in an unlocked vehicle?

At least they left the truck.

"Jai I-."

"Let me find out her old tail set me up!" She shouted, "I'll go unhook that shit and make her drink tap water."

I was struggling not to laugh at her saying 'tail', "My job is hiring."

"You have a Bachelor's degree and they pay you $10.... Mix that with the stories you tell me, I'll rather starve."

"Sis left a running truck in the hood but she being picky."

"I told you that we should've gone out last night. Now I gotta save my coins to survive in these streets."

Jailyn was being overdramatic. She would have no problem surviving since her parents would roll over and die before they let her stress over paying bills.

The problem was they would have to know she was stressing, and Jai would rather jump off a bridge before she let her parents stress about her stressing.

"I'll buy you a Four Loko."

"Ken, just get out my face."

She wasn't really angry, so I reached to grab her hand, pulling her to a sitting position, "Let's go eat. I'll support you forever, friend."

"What I need a job for and my fave got me?"

"Just for a week or two, though."

• • •

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