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dont-tell-anyone-im-here · 5 months ago

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Obsession

You may be attracted to your career counselor, but he was obsessed with you.

***TW: Power Imbalance; Stalking; Obsessive Behavior; Breaking and Entering; CNC; Choking; Dirty Talk; Rough Oral; Forced Penetration; Afton/Raglan are not good people so they're written as such***

Tags: Reader Has No Specific Genitalia; Oral M Receiving; Masturbation; Sex Toy; Pet Names (White Rabbit/Bunny); x Reader; Blowjob; Penetration; Cross-Posted AO3

It was hard looking for jobs on your own. Especially in this day and age with the classifieds drowning in ads that aren’t even job listings. You are known as a, “job-hopper”, and in the somewhat-small town that you lived in, it was starting to get difficult to find a position that you hadn’t already filled. Luckily, you were the ideal customer for Mr. Steve Raglan, “Career Counselor Extraordinaire”. (At least that’s what he introduced himself as when you had first met.) Other career counselors had given up on you, not seeing a reason to try to get someone employed if they’re just going to quit within a month. However, he saw dollar signs with you. Why would he push away someone who’s a repeat customer? He’d be more than happy to help you, as long as the checks cleared.

You sought help from this man to find work and it was unfortunate that things had to be professional. Steve Raglan wasn’t the usual type to be the object of your sexual desires. It was rare to find yourself fantasizing about older men that weren’t celebrities that littered magazines and the big screen. Silver foxes of the real world were few and far between, and most didn’t age as gracefully as your career counselor. You admit, you weren’t attracted to him when you had first met. He seemed to be like any other middle-aged man trying to get by with an office job that he hated. The second time you met, he was surprised to see you back, joking that he must be losing his touch if you were back so quick. You found that this dry sense of humor was something that you would look forward to hearing at your appointment by the fourth time you had met. It was during the fifth appointment that you noticed how intensely he looked at you from across the desk when you spoke. You noticed the veins in his forearms as he would hand you paperwork. He had strange, patterned scars burned into his skin that sparked curiosity within you, but you never dared to ask. You noticed how he studied every move you would make, like he was dissecting you in his mind, trying to figure out what exact muscles were used to make your body move like that. After you started to notice the little things, you couldn’t stop. Every time you’d come into his office, he’d shake your hand, and every time you’d try not to pay too much attention to how easily his hand enveloped yours. You’d try not to stare as he would look over his files, even though it gave you a moment to watch him when he wouldn’t notice. You’d try not to squirm in your seat when he’d stare you down from across his desk, tutting about only staying two weeks on the last job.

As much as you had a little crush on your counselor, you were also a little afraid. That intense stare sent shocks to your core but it always left a part of your stomach churning. Those scars made you worry about how strong he had to be to survive what caused them, strong enough to do something to you. Him studying your body as if for dissection could very possibly be the reality of what was going through his mind. His hands were a reminder of how much bigger he is than you. You weren’t sure if your infatuation gave you rose-tinted glasses to ignore those feelings of danger when with him, but it had seemed that way, because what you felt for your counselor was pure lust. It was becoming near impossible to be able to sit through those meetings, to be under his scrutiny and not beg for him to take you on his desk.

This was now the tenth time you’ve met with Steve Raglan. Or, it will be the moment he calls you back to his office. Your knee bounced as you waited, impatience starting to eat away at you as you looked around the waiting room, seeing that you were the only one in the lobby, the office secretary the only other body in the room. The secretary told you that your counselor would see you in ten minutes when you had arrived, and when you checked your wristwatch, you saw that a half hour had passed. You weren’t upset, moreso annoyed. Why have you show up at a certain time if he’s not even going to abide by it? You fidgeted in your seat, switching the bouncing knee to tapping your fingers on the armrest of your chair. The door to your crush’s office opened and the crush himself stood on the other side, extending an arm to hold the door open for you as you as he called your name. You tried not to look too eager as you jumped up from your chair. You quickly made your way into the office, trying to keep your eyes on your feet as you ducked under his arm to get past. You saw in your peripheral that he held out his free hand for a greeting and you expertly ignored it. There was a subtle frown when you passed him without a handshake, putting his hand into his pant’s pocket without a comment on how much he didn’t like that.

“Late for somethin’, white rabbit?” Mr. Raglan asked as he closed the door behind him, watching you take your seat in front of his desk. He went to his coffee maker, and began pouring himself a cup. He looked over his shoulder at you, raising the coffee pot with a quirked brow. You wave your hand, dismissing him as you got comfortable in your seat. Steve sniffed, putting the carafe back in its place then turning, a mug in hand. You shook your head, ‘tsk’ing as you pulled an exaggerated disappointed look.

“You’re the one that’s late. We were supposed to meet 20 minutes ago.” You chided, picking at your nails. A part of you liked being the one to tease him for once. He let out an, “Ah!” as he understood, taking a brief sip of his coffee before explaining himself.

“Last appointment was rough- desperate for a job and can’t even do nights? You’re makin’ me push a camel through a pinhole.”

Odd. You didn’t notice anyone walk out of the office when you were called back. Maybe you just hadn’t seen them- you were looking at the floor when walking in, they must’ve just slipped by. As rational as you found that explanation, something still seemed off. There was a slight unease in your stomach that you fended off with your rationalizations. You were so busy figuring out your thoughts that you didn’t notice your career counselor place himself between you and his desk, leaning back on it and sipping his coffee as he turned his torso to open your work file, angling it so he could read it better at the position he was in. You came back to reality when you felt his leg press against yours. You couldn’t help the wave of heat that rushed through you upon seeing how close he was. His desk was no longer an island keeping you away, he was right there, you could take him, right then. You wanted to, but kept your face to your lap, still picking at your nails. You didn’t want him to see the growing blush on your cheeks, feeling embarrassed at the thought of him seeing how much you worked yourself up over something so insignificant. He frowned. He didn’t like that you weren’t looking at him.

“So-“ He started, taking a quick glance back on his desk to read something on your file then turning back to you, “- serving drunks ‘til 3 am wasn’t the dream job?”

“More like a nightmare job.” You said as you inched your leg away from his. He didn’t like that either, but his quick flame of anger died out when your eyes finally met, able to look at him without a blush caused by his limited touch. He had raised a brow at your comments, waiting for you to elaborate as he took a sip from his mug.

“It would’ve been different if the drunks were at least cute.” You joked, when the counselor didn’t laugh, you sighed. “But the real answer is that I was tired of the bouncer walking me to my car- most nights he’d try to take me to his car instead.”

“Sounds like the perfect gentleman.” Mr. Raglan muttered, taking another sip of his coffee then setting it down on his desk. “So, cross ’bartender’ off future lists?”

You bobbed your head side to side, thinking, “… All the ones with creepy bouncers and customers.”

“That’s all bartending then.”

You slumped back in your seat, caught up in your own defeat as yet another job became unattainable to you. You slipped further in your chair as you thought of anything else you could possibly do as a career, your mind so preoccupied that you didn’t notice your legs interlock with his. But he did. You were advancing his touch, clearly you wanted him. Images and scenarios clipped through his brain of all the terrible things he wanted to do to you. Bend you in half over his desk, tie you to your chair with your legs spread, push your head into the coffee stained carpet and pound into you until your rug-burned cheeks bled. The things he wanted to do to you just in his office.

“Is there anything like stocking? I could put stuff on shelves.” You broke the quiet of the room. As Steve took a couple extra milliseconds to answer, blinking a few times to bring himself back to reality, you finally saw how your knees had pinned him to his spot.

“Sure- we’ll just trade in the pervy bouncer with a pervy grocer.” He said once he got the image of your crying, naked, marked body out of his imagination.

“I feel like a pervy grocer would be more mild-mannered.” You sat back up, freeing his legs from yours, trying to get rid of the sexual power you felt keeping him in his place. He really didn’t like that. You had somehow managed to piss him off for the third time and you’d only been in his office for five minutes. He was going to have to do something about that.

“Seriously though, do you have any stocking jobs? I can ignore whatever awful thing there is about the place- I just need a job.” You sounded desperate. Oh, that was what he was going to do about that, perfect.

“I don’t think I have anything like that.” Mr. Raglan said flatly, knowing damn well that he had about five different offers of exactly what you were asking for. He just wanted to see you beg, something that he could take home with him for the late hours when he can’t sleep.

“Could you check?” You asked, just as flat, annoyed that he seemed to not care. When he just brought his mug to his lips and drank the last few gulps of his coffee, you added a, “Please?”, as sweetly as you could. He sucked air through his teeth, holding a now empty mug, looking at the coffee remnants pool at the bottom, debating whether he wanted to get another cup or not.

“C’mon, for an old friend?” You joked, adding another “Please?” that dripped with melted sugar. He could listen to you say please like that for the rest of his life and not get enough. He hummed as he weighed the nonexistent options. You looked up at him with clasped hands and a slight pout. You were only being silly, you didn’t know that it was just what he wanted. He wanted to see you pout and beg, give him puppy-dog eyes and look up at him pathetically. It would’ve been picture perfect if you were on your knees. He hid his mischievous smile behind a hand as he pretended to rub his face in thought.

“Lemme take a look.” He ended his sentence by putting his mug behind him on his desk. As Mr. Raglan stepped away from his desk, he patted your knee as he passed. It was something subtle, but it was an action that you’d be thinking about for the rest of the week. The counselor went to one of his filing cabinets, flipping through the files until he found what he was looking for. He closed the cabinet then opened the file, glancing through to make sure it was the right one. It was full of blank applications for a grocery store in town, just what you had asked for, but he wouldn’t let you get them that easily.

“Looks like things are already full of hard-working employees.” He said, flipping the applications about in the file as if he was reading documents. You felt that the ‘hard-working’ bit was a jab at you.

“Is there anything you can do?” You asked, your hands still clasped, your pout a little more severe. He wished there was a way to get you on your knees without outting himself as the actual perv that you should be worried about.

“I may be able to pull a few strings.” He gave a small smile and he closed the file, moving to his desk and taking a seat behind it. He picked up his phone and he dialed the number on the applications.

“Let me make a call.” He winks at you as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs as he listened to the ringing line. No one would pick up though. The number he put in was nonsense, he just wanted you to think he was doing a huge favor for you.

“The number you’re trying to reach is unavailable-” The automated message began, but Steve carried on conversation as if someone was on the other line. You squirmed a bit in your seat, his gaze not leaving you as he began to talk into the blaring receiver.

“Yes, this is Steve Raglan, the career counselor? Yeah, how’re you doing today?”

As your career counselor spoke on the phone, convincing this imaginary person to hire you, you tried to look around his office. Your eyes went from each object in the room. The coffee maker, the little table it sat on, the little trash can under it. But his eyes felt like they were burning into you. Your gaze was magnetically drawn back to him whenever you tried to focus on something else, you felt like you couldn’t look anywhere else but at him. When you finally gave in, making eye contact, he grinned. A chill ran down your spine.

“I know- I know you said that you’re full of stockers over there but I got a very hard worker here that is in a bind.” Mr. Raglan sat back in his chair, uncrossing his legs to push back a bit from under the desk to make room for his long legs. You immediately looked at how his legs spread apart to get comfortable. You could fit perfectly between his thighs, hide under his desk and quietly suck him off as he tried to keep a straight face as he met with his clients. You looked back to his face and he was still staring at you, his grin growing. You looked down to your lap, embarrassed, beginning to feel like it was too hot in this office.

“They’re very experienced with dealing with authority, they take orders well.”

You couldn’t help but think that he meant more than what he was saying. You took a glance back up to see that his eyes never left you. You felt like you were sweating buckets at this point. You started to pick at your nails again, needing something to focus on besides his searing gaze that somehow still felt so dark and cold. Mr. Raglan’s voice picked up, your ears perking to his tone, yet you kept your gaze to your hands.

“I’m willing to put my reputation on the line here- if you can’t hire them, you can take me off your call list.”

There it was. He was putting his credentials on the line for you. He almost felt too prideful when he saw your eyes widen hearing him. You were convinced that he was willing to go so far for you. He watched you fiddle with your fingers, knowing you were trying not to look at him.

“Yeah, send a fax of the application and I’ll have them fill it out, and I’ll send it right back.”

Steve put the phone on “hold”, pushing a button and setting the phone back on the receiver. His elbows propped up on the arm rests of his chair and he raised hands up, giving the air of a humble brag for his technique of negotiation.

“Am I good, or what?” He said, flashing a smile before getting up, picking up the file of all the applications he had and leaving the room. He had to kill a few minutes to make it look like he was picking up the fax from the secretary. He walked back to the employee common area of the offices, going through the cupboards for the sake of doing something, saying a quick hello to the coworkers that passed him. He walked back out and went into the bathroom, the file still in hand. He felt too clever for this, feeling sinful for being so proud of himself for how smart he was. It was the little details that made the lie all the more believable. Taking out one of the applications, he tucked the file of remaining papers under his arm. He activated the hand drying machine, holding the paper underneath the fan that loudly roared hot air onto it. He ran each sheet of paper under the fan for the allotted time of the machine, getting off-looks from the other employees who had come in to use the restroom or were leaving, (who opted for drying their hands with the paper towels).

When your counselor handed you the application for your new job, it was still warm off the printer.

“Oh thank you, Mr. Raglan, thank you!” You said as you quickly filled the papers out, thanking the counselor over and over in a mantra of gratitude. He took in your thanks, wanting to remember you thanking him repeatedly for when he’s by himself with wandering hands. You have an excited grin when you hand back the papers, his smile felt so genuine as he took the application to fax back out to the employer. You still couldn’t believe that he had stuck his neck out like that for you. You watched as he got up and left the room once again. Your eyes wandered as you waited. You noticed the counselor’s desk phone, and that there wasn’t the usual blinking light of a call on hold. Odd. That unease in your stomach returned. It felt like a primal sense of dread. It disappeared when the door opened, Mr. Raglan smiling as he came in and sat back down at his chair, following your gaze when you glanced at the phone again.

“Ah, looks like they hung up on me.” He frowns, but his smile returns when he gives you his full attention.

“I’ll have to give him a call back.”He placed his hands on top of the files on his desk, folding them neatly as he looked you in the eyes. “I’ll let you know if you got the job or not when I can.”

“Thank you Mr. Raglan! You don’t realize how much this means to me.” You say, slightly bowing your head in gratitude. “Please, if there’s anything I could do for you to repay you- let me know.”

That chimed in his head like church bells. Oh, he could use that. You probably thought maybe a fruit basket or a cheap ticket to a game, but he had other ideas.

You got up from your seat, seeing that now was the right time to leave.

“I know you kinda put your reputation on the line for me, I’d really like to be able to show my gratitude somehow.” You add with a smile, making your way to his office door, him following you to it.

“Oh, I’ll be sure to let you know.” He smiles, opening the door and holding out a hand. You gladly took it, shaking it with a newfound giddiness that could only be from getting a chance that was undeserved. You didn’t know how much he would be thinking about this, going over every single second in his mind over and over, reading too deeply into how grateful you were. You were indebted to him now, and you were going to have to repay that debt, whether you wanted to or not. He watched you walk out of the office, and you could feel his hot gaze on your back as you did, you tried not to shiver.

When you had completely gone, Steve looked at the clock and pretended to debate in his mind, acting like he was trying to make a tough decision before telling the secretary that he’ll be in his office the rest of the day, so he’ll see them tomorrow. They bid their goodbye, giving a small smile and wave as he closed the door and locked it behind him. He reached to his neck and loosened his tie, unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, and stood in front of his desk, leaning back on it as he had done when you had first walked in. He stared at the empty chair in front of him, imagining you sitting there, naked, legs spread, and mouth open. He shuddered a breath as he couldn’t help himself undoing his belt buckle and reaching into his pants. God, he was rock hard. He replayed in his mind you begging for him to help you, hearing your pleads echo in his ears, only now asking him for help to make you cum. He didn’t realize he was so close until it was too late, cumming on the empty seat and imagining he had done so on your face, once again, your voice echoing in his head your repeated gratitude of before, now thanking him for his seed decorating your body. His grip on his desk was hard as he panted, your figure fading away as he came down from his high. He rubbed his face with his clean hand, taking a deep breath before finally calming down and out of sheer curiosity, he checked his wrist watch. You had only left his office 7 minutes ago.

As he cleaned up, the inner cogs and mechanisms of his brain began to turn and devise a plan. A plan on how he was going to get that payment out of you.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a beautiful day outside, perfect for a nice walk in the neighborhood with a dog on a leash and nothing but the sun and the birds to tag along. Yet Steve Raglan sat in his car, parked at the side of the street in a suburban neighborhood. He looked down at the file in front of him. Its papers were unorganized but he easily found what he searched for, as if he’s been studying the pages for months.

That was because he had been, and it was your file.

Since you’ve become a repeat client of his, he’d become more intrigued by you with each meeting. The intrigue became a dark obsession, and it has now come to a head. He was parked about a block away from your home, feeling that overwhelming self-pride at figuring out when your neighbors were usually out, leaving a suspicious car to go unnoticed in your neighborhood. (At least for the amount of time he predicted he would have with you.) He really was too clever.

As he glanced at the sidewalks around him, seeing how many people were around, he thought of how long it had been since he had last seen you, and how it was because of the absence of you that he was there. It’d been over five months. You’ve been excelling at your new job at the grocery store. The store manager had called him to say that “he had sent a great employee to him”, and that if “he had any others like you to send them right over!” He scoffed after he had hung up the phone. There wasn’t anyone else like you. That’s why he was obsessed with you.

He got out of his car, closing the door and locking it before pocketing the keys. He began a walk down the block, something he’s grown familiar with. This wasn’t the first time that he’s walked your streets. He preferred to do it at night, memorizing the walk to your house in the dark and taking peeks into your windows from the view of the sidewalk, not wanting to draw too much attention if anyone happened to be looking out the window. He wanted to stare into your windows desperately, to watch you, but he couldn’t hurt this good thing he had going. He could walk past your home at night and see you lounging in your living room, completely unaware he stared at you as he passed your home, it was bliss.

Today, however, was different. He was going to actually go into your home. He really was too smart, he knew everything about you and today he would finally get to execute on his plan. From the outside, it would look like he knocked on your door, and that you let him in. But he was actually going to pretend to knock on your door, and act out you letting him inside. He was going to overstay his welcome, whether you liked it or not, and he was going to get away with it. He knew that you would be home today, he had gotten your schedule from your employer, as an old favor for an old friend. He knew from small talk that you lived by yourself, and that you didn’t have a dog. He had even suggested that you should get a dog, you’re all alone, who knows what could happen.

Steve finally came to your street, holding back his urge to run the rest of the way to your house. As he approached your home he took a quick glance through the windows. You weren’t in the living room. Perfect. As he stood on your front porch, he took a deep breath, taking a final moment to prepare himself for what he was about to do. With the lightest touch, he knocked on the door, his knuckles barely registering on the wood. No response from inside the house. Perfect. He tried the door knob. He hadn’t expected for it to turn with a soft click- he had a screwdriver to jam into the doorframe if it wasn’t- yet the door was unlocked. Perfect. Swiftly he opened the door, peering inside carefully, no one in sight. Perfect. He stepped into your house, closing the door behind him, and locking it. He dropped to a crouch, untying his shoes and leaving them neatly by the entrance, carefully placing his keys in the shoe so as not to make any unnecessary noise. He crept further into your home, sticking to the walls to not creak your floorboards, taking every precaution to not let you know he was there. After checking the kitchen, which was empty, he made his way to the halls, starting to hear a sound he couldn’t quite place. It sounded sloppy, wet. A door in the hall was ajar, the sound coming from there. Another sound joined the wet slapping and he grinned. He realized he actually knew what that sound was. As gently as possible, he opened the door more, slinking inside and quietly closing the door, locking it before finally turning to what was in the room.

He could’ve fallen to his knees seeing the state you put yourself in. Your naked ass in the air, your face pressed into your mattress, unbeknownst to you, giving Steve Raglan full view of you masturbating. One of your hands clawed at the edge of the bed as the other worked between your legs, pumping a dildo in and out of you, desperately trying to get yourself off. Your muffled whimpers could still be heard through the blankets, pulling your head up only to breathe and plead to the open air to make yourself cum. Your arm ached, but your need to satisfy yourself overpowered what fatigue ailed your muscles. You found a compromise by slowly pulling the sex toy out, your moans drawn out like a song, before slamming it back into you with a guttural cry.

“Misterrr...” You drawled from deep in your throat. Steve’s ears perked. He was more than interested in knowing who you were imagining as you fucked yourself, jealous bile rising in his throat at the thought of you thinking of someone else. He could easily walk forward, spread your ass apart and have his way with you, teach you a lesson for thinking someone else could make you like this. His envy quickly changed to pure hunger when you continued your lustful ramblings.

“Mr. Raglan, please…” You begged into the bed, repeatedly pulling the dildo then bottoming out, each squelch punctuated with your helpless whimpers. His mouth went dry when his name left your lips, your words going straight to his cock. He was already erect seeing you in this position, but now knowing that you were in the throes of ecstasy because of the mere thought of him? He couldn’t take his dick out fast enough. His grip was hard on the metal of his belt, not wanting to alarm you of his presence. He didn’t want you to know he was here, not yet. This was a surprise for him, and he wanted to return the favor with a surprise of his own. He felt he could already burst watching you lose yourself over him. He wanted to make you never forget him, no matter how hard you tried to fuck yourself, it could never be him. He was more than happy to remind you. He carefully took off his belt and set it aside, rarely taking his eyes off you, especially when your pace began to quicken. His hand wrapped around his hard cock, swiftly pulling it over the waistband of his boxers and matching your pace, watching intently how tightly you wrapped around the sex toy. He bit back his own moans as he imagined it was his cock you were rocking back into, his teeth scraping his bottom lip to hold himself back.

Your hand became erratic, your rhythm lost to the coil in your stomach tightening to a point you felt sore. You planted your face into the blankets as you pushed your arm through the last bit of energy it had, you cried out. A warm liquid coats your legs as you finally came, your back arching as you rode out your euphoria, panting as if you haven’t breathed in hours. Your hand fell to the bed, leaving the dildo to slowly fall out of you and thump to the mattress. Steve could’ve screamed watching your relaxed muscles push the toy out of you, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, and with a long stride, he was directly behind you. The hair on the back of your neck prickled, finally out of your stupor enough to feel like you were being watched.

But it was too late.

A cold hand slapped across your mouth and you felt a weight on your back as someone leaned onto you. You could feel something hard rubbing against your ass and you whimpered against the strong hand, feeling tears begin to prick your eyes as the situation settled in. Who is this? How’d they get in? What were they going to do to you? Were you going to die before or after they were done with you? Your nose stung as the tears pooled in your eyes, you felt so vulnerable, so scared, starting to feel sobs build in your chest as you found yourself begin to pray to whatever higher power existed to save you from this. You felt there was no other option. You were cornered and you were alone with someone who had intentions that you didn’t even want to fathom.

“Aww, what’s wrong, white rabbit? I thought this was what you were fantasizing about.” A voice cooed into your ear. Your eyes went wide, your tears sliding down your cheeks as you recognized the voice. You knew who was behind you, and you were sure you didn’t find that comforting. You looked over your shoulder to see Mr. Steve Raglan. He was so close to you, your lips could’ve met if it wasn’t for his rough hand muzzling your lips. There was something in his eyes, something that made fear shoot down your spine to the bottoms of your feet. You felt disgusted with yourself as a tinge of excitement pooled in your groin as you saw he was naked from the waist down. Of course this would turn you on.

But, he wasn’t wrong. You were fantasizing about him, wanting him behind you in this exact position, fucking you. It could become a reality now and you weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. As much as you wanted to fight against this, a part of you knew he didn’t have to take you by force. You wanted to say something, to tell him all he had to do was ask and you would’ve let him have his way with you, but his hand was firm on your lips, muffling what little noises you could make. You watched him as his other hand started trailing up your thigh to your ass, spreading one of your cheeks apart for his dick to slide right in between.

“Perfect fit.” He grunts, leaning back for a brief moment so he could take in how neatly your ass wrapped around his cock. You couldn’t stop your hips from pushing back into him, an animalistic instinct wanting him to be pressed against you once more. A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he leaned back down, it felt degrading.

“So quick for your next fix.” His teeth ran along the side of your neck before placing a chaste kiss behind your ear, his breath hot on your skin. “But you want the real thing, don’t you?”

You nodded, whining against his hand as your ass ground his hips. He let out a breathy moan, desperate, wanton. He was as needy as you were, his free hand beginning to roam your naked body as if he couldn’t feel enough of your skin. It was as if he was starving, a crazed man who couldn’t be satisfied. Your fear, though still very present, ebbed away at the edges, feeling a wave of authority surge through you as you realized just how desperate Mr. Raglan was.

You could control this situation if you wanted to.

But right now, even though you knew how fucked this was, what you really wanted was for him to do whatever he wanted with you. His free hand came back up your hips, slowly reaching around, calloused fingertips tickling your skin as he teased you, only touching your pelvis, somehow scraping past without actually touching you. You felt his dick pulsing between your ass cheeks and you moaned against his hand. He let go of your mouth, moving down your jaw, down your neck, gripping your shoulder tightly as a new way to keep you in place underneath him.

“Mr. Raglan, please-” you breathed, pulling your hips away from him to allow his dick to slide right against your entrance, getting onto your elbows to ready yourself. You heard him laugh aloud at how ready you were to have him in you. “I want you to-”

You didn’t even finish your request. He grabbed himself and was pushing into you. You gasped. It was burning. It was burning inside of you and you loved it. Fuck, you wanted this burn to overtake you, to completely consume you. As you caught your breath, Steve groaned, blinking hard as he gathered himself. His plan was going perfectly. This was everything he wanted and more. (Well, he kind of wanted more of a fight, but beggars can’t be choosers.)

He was the perfect size for you, fuck, his dick felt exactly like you had imagined it would, if not more amazing. He filled you completely and you couldn’t ask for anything better. His fingers drummed once before gripping your hips, finally back in his own body after the thrilling experience of just entering you. You felt better than he had imagined, if not more amazing. He had been dreaming about this, obsessing about this for months on end, never leaving his train of thought, and he finally had it. He leaned forward against your arched back, one hand moving slowly up your body from your hips, and wrapping lightly around your throat, his lips by your ear, breathing lowly. You felt his fingers begin to squeeze your neck, your breathing hitched into a moan.

“This is what you get for teasing me with that body of yours.” He says into your ear, his hold on your hip growing tighter. “You come into my office, sat there with your legs spread- god, you wanted me to fuck you right then and there, didn’t you? You’re such a slut.”

Steve began to move his hips.

He wasn’t slow or gentle and it didn’t matter if you weren’t ready, he did as he pleased and you were meant to just go along for the ride. His grip was tight around your throat and you could feel your face growing hot with blood gathering in your head. You felt amazing. Your eyes rolled back as you wasted what little air you had on uncontrollably moaning. You choked out a whiny, “Please,” that he rewarded by releasing his vice, allowing you to take a few deep breaths before his grasp tightened once again, earning a moan that he found particularly delicious.

“Listen to you whine- it’s pathetic.” He grunts under his breath, slowing down for a moment so that you can actually hear him over the sound of your skin slapping together with each thrust.

“I knew you wanted me to destroy you the moment your skin touched mine- that first handshake was enough to tell me just how desperate you were for someone to show you how it’s done.”

You can’t respond with words, only able to whimper and groan the more he choked and fucked you. He released his grip around your throat and as you gasped for air, his fingers massaging the sides of your throat. It was almost a nice feeling, especially coupled with the quick pecks he left at the corner of your jaw. But then his hand moved up under your chin, his fingers digging into your cheeks to force your mouth open.

“I want to hear you. I want to fucking hear you tell me how desperate you are for me.” He demands, his pace picking up again, throwing you into moans. Your jaw hurt from being pried open, his nails stabbing into your skin, but you still couldn’t give an answer. Not getting what he wanted, you felt his hand on your hip let go, then his arm wrap around your waist. You felt yourself being lifted off your elbows to an upright position on your knees, his dick reaching a new spot inside of you. The moan that escaped you was almost unnecessarily loud. You felt a chuckle rumble against your back, he was laughing at you, though it was between his own quiet, breathless moans.

“That’s not what I told you to do.” He hisses, though he didn’t let up, knowing you’d struggle to get anything out other than sounds of ecstasy.

“Hng- I was- fuck- so des- ah!- ‘perate,” You’re finally able to spit out. He slowed, allowing you to speak more. “I wanted you- fucking christ, I want you so bad-“

Steve took a hefty bite into your neck, sucking and grinding his teeth with your skin between, your groan mixed with the sound of his pelvis hitting your ass over and over in an unrelenting fuck that made you feel as if your body would soon give out. When he pulled away, it was already beginning to bruise. He thought the hue of red looked wonderful on you.

“If you want my dick so bad-” Without warning he pulled completely out of you, making you cry out upon feeling an emptiness you’ve never experienced before. He let go of you, your body collapsing onto the bed, you hadn’t realized he was the only thing holding you upright. As you collect yourself, whining about how close you were to cumming, you looked up and found him standing at the edge of the bed, hovering over you. You licked your lips at the sight of his treasure trail to his erect cock, glistening from being inside you, now inches away from your mouth.

“Why don’t you choke on it.” He finishes, grabbing the back of your head and forcing your gasping mouth around him. For the first time you heard him moan. Really moan. It was intoxicating, you instantly wanted to make him do that again, you needed to hear him make that noise again. Maybe if you were good, you would. His dick tasted like you and you hated how much you loved it, living up to being a so-called “slut”. You opened the back of your throat, doing everything you could to take him in entirely. You let him hold your head in place as he fucked your mouth, more moans escaping him that you rewarded by taking him even deeper. Your teeth dragged along his shaft and you heard him hiss- the sharp sting of his hand slaps your cheek.

It wasn’t hard enough to leave a mark, but it was hard enough to tell you to, “Knock that shit off.” The sudden slap did, however, cause you to lose focus on keeping your airway open, and you were now choking on the dick that was halfway down your throat. Your chest seized, but he didn’t let you move, still deep in your mouth. It seemed your struggling only made him more excited, his grunts increasing the more you gagged. You were able to wiggle your arms out from under your body and reach for his legs, tapping one of his thighs twice as if asking for a tap out in a wrestling match.

Surprisingly, Steve listened, pulling out of your mouth, letting you cough and catch your breath. You could feel tears streak your face as you looked up at him with bleary eyes, and he grinned. The very same grin you saw when he had gotten you the job at the grocery store. That familiar feeling of unease churned in your stomach, if it was anymore intense you would be nauseous. It was then the fog of hormones cleared and the reality of what was currently happening came upon you.

Finally, it registered to you that he had been planning this.

What was happening right now, at this moment, was all part of a scheme he designed. Him getting you the job, him breaking into your home, him fucking you. You weren’t sure what the outcome of the plan would be. You hoped it wasn’t with your dead, naked body in bed.

But you’d be damned if he murdered you because you were a bad lay.

Not knowing if you were doing this out of your own will to survive, (or if you were just so horny you couldn’t help yourself,) you looked him in the eye, and took his cock into your mouth to the hilt. You saw his eyes roll back, and the moan that emitted from him was enough to tell you that you would not be dying tonight.

“Oooh, white rabbit,” He purred, his eyes returning to yours, watching as you drew back and pressed the flat of your tongue to the underside of his dick, allowing him to easily slip in and out of your throat.

“You’re everything I’ve dreamed,” He continues, holding the sides of your head as he gently rocked into your mouth.

“Keep doin’ that an’ I might just keep you with me forever.” He managed to wink at you. You weren’t sure if he meant that as a life partner or as a prisoner.

Your spit collected in his pubes, your chin now coated with a mix of your spit and his pre-cum, not breaking your eye contact with him. Your tongue wrapped around his dick, enjoying the sweet noises he was making. You hollowed your cheeks, sucking him more, the grunt he made was almost primal. His grip on your head grew and his pace quickened, you knew he was going to cum, and this time he wouldn’t be able to hold back. Your lips pressed tightly around his cock, keeping it in your mouth when he finally came down your throat. You took it completely and compliantly, gratefully swallowing all of his cum. You licked your lips and upon realizing that some had dribbled out of the corner of your mouth, your tongue darted out to finish your meal. But Steve’s strong hand grabbed your jaw, stopping you. He leaned down, pulling you up to meet him and the flat of his tongue licked away the cum before you could, continuing its stripe onto your lips, and into your open maw. You moaned into his mouth as your tongues curled around each other and he sucked yours as he pulled away. He finished with a quick peck on your pouting lips, still keeping you a centimeter away, his words brushing you as he muttered,

“You’re such a good bunny-” He kisses you again, this time leaving you dizzy- “Swallowing without even asking-“ He kisses you a third time- “Oh, you’re everything to me.”

You weren’t sure you were just playing along with his plan anymore. All the things he was doing, all the things he was saying to you were only making you hornier and hornier. Your core felt like it was on fire, begging to be touched by him, wanting to be fucked, wanting to finally cum because of him. You didn’t care that he had set all of this up, you didn’t care that he had broken into your home, you didn’t care that he was taking advantage of you. You just wanted him to make you cum. So you begged for it.

“Mr. Raglan…” You breathed against his lips, letting him kiss you between your statements, “Please- I need you to make me cum-“ Another kiss, lingering longer, his harsh lips making yours feel pillowed when he pulled away.

“Please make me cum.” You pleaded. The grin on his face looked maniacal.

“White rabbit, you only had to ask.” He drops you back down to the bed, pushing your shoulders down, your back flat against the mattress. The air hitched in your lungs when Steve harshly grabbed your legs and pushed your knees damn-near either side of your head, bending you in half as he leaned on top of you, pinning you in the position.

“I’ve been wanting to hear you beg for me to make you cum for so long.” He sighs. “Oh bunny, you look so good under me like that.”

You hissed as he bit into the backs of thighs as one of his hands left your knees, skimming down your body until it fell off, leaving your mind to race as to what it was doing. You were quickly distracted by his sharp teeth in your flesh again.

“It’s too bad that gorgeous mouth of yours sucked me dry.” He tutted. You felt his hand return, along with a familiar feeling of silicone.

“I’ve been dreamin’ of cummin’ in you,” The dildo you were masturbating with when he arrived was in his hand, the tip playing at your entrance, making you whimper.

“Ya know, I should punish you for taking away that pleasure.” He pulled the toy away completely, your whine choked back when his other hand grabbed your throat swiftly and squeezed. Fear pumped your blood, unfortunately only making you want him more. You lifted your chin as much as you could in the position you were in, giving him more access to your neck, your eyes half-lidded and watching him, waiting for him to do what he saw fit. He chuckled, knowing that he had you wrapped around his finger, that you would do anything for him now, just as he had planned.

“But I think makin’ you wait this long is punishment enough.”

The dildo was slammed into you and the noise you let out was garbled between a cry and some noise an animal would make. In the position you were currently in, the toy reached a new spot in you that you’ve never felt before, and each pump drew a whiny moan out of you, you windpipe still being squeezed by his strong hand.

“Those noises you make- I could get hard again just hearin’ ‘em.” His hand let go of your throat, his fingers now playing at your hairline at the nape of your neck, his thumb on your bottom lip, playing with how swollen it was. He bit into your thighs again, leaving behind dark marks that made you cry out in pain that sank down into groans of pleasure the more he fucked you with your toy.

“Oh, make those noises for me, white rabbit.” He says against your skin, his hand moving the dildo faster and harder into you. You had found the more you heard it, the more you loved the pet name he had given you. You didn’t know why he called you ‘white rabbit’ or ’bunny,’ but you didn’t want to bother asking. You loved that it was yours and it was something that you could always be for him. What you loved the most about it was how he always said it so adoringly, bordering on obsessively- and you realized what this was all about.

Obsession.

Steve Raglan was obsessed with you and he wouldn’t be able to rest until he had marked you, until he had claimed you, needing you to only be for himself. No one else will be able to fuck you again. Not only because you knew that he would never let it happen, but also because you knew that you would only be thinking about him. Considering everything, that wasn’t a shock. How could you ever be with someone else after this?

His thumb on your lip dared to enter your mouth, marveling how warm and wet it was and how soft your tongue was as it lapped the calloused pad of his thumb, the ridges of your teeth biting into it. He sighed dreamily as you sucked on his thumb, a whine in your throat when you felt like your body might give out.

“Are ya gonna cum for me? So soon?” His voice was in a mocking tone yet you still answered with a whimpered, “yes,” and screwed your eyes shut to focus on the knot in your stomach growing so tight it genuinely hurt.

He thought that your head might explode from how red it was getting. From the position he forced you in, the blood collecting in your head was enough to make your face glow and grow hot to the touch. The current image he was seeing of you was something he would take with him for the rest of life. He knew he would be thinking of this encounter on his deathbed, feeling nothing but bliss at the memory of taking advantage of you. (Though, with the way you were moaning, he didn’t really think this could be considered taking advantage.)

“Look at me, bunny. I wanna see you come undone.” He demands. You’re able to roll your eyes open and lock your gaze with his. His eyes bore into your very being and it felt like it was setting your very soul on fire, finally sending you over, the knot releasing. His grip was hard on your face, making sure you kept your eyes on him as your orgasm took over your whole body. Your groan was long and drawn out with a mumbled version of his name, your eyes struggling to keep open from how hard the waves of pleasure hit you.

As you struggled to catch your breath, he pulled you towards him and kissed your forehead tenderly, then allowed you to lay back on the bed, letting your eyes close. His body slowly got off yours, allowing your legs to drop unceremoniously onto the mattress with a slight bounce of the springs. The dildo was still inside you, and Steve watched with a hungry eye as your relaxed muscles pushed it out for the second time today. Fuck, he could never get used to that.

Your breathing finally slowed, your body sore from holding positions for him despite lack of flexibility. You felt him get off the bed and upon hearing the jangling of a belt you lazily opened your eyes. He rolled his shoulders and neck as he tucked his shirt into his pants. He looked back over his shoulder at you, and he broke into a grin seeing you still a sweaty mess on the bed. He came over to the bed, sitting on the edge and leaning back to capture your lips with his in a breathtaking, passionate kiss. He pulled away with a soft groan, feeling a raising anger that he couldn’t stay longer, but unfortunately he had business at a certain abandoned pizzeria to take care of, (the new security guard was getting too comfortable to his liking,) and he knew if he left his car any longer it would look more suspicious than it already does.

He looked at you and put a hand on your cheek, kissing you again, more softly this time, as if that was a sufficient enough goodbye for what you just endured. His hand taps your cheek before it slips off your face and he stands, heading for your bedroom door. You watched, dumbstruck that he was just going to leave without saying a word, without saying anything about what just happened.

“Will you come back?” Your voice is so soft you thought he wouldn’t hear it, but he does, stopping briefly to answer you before closing the door behind him.

“Oh, white rabbit,” Mr. Raglan smirks over his shoulder, “I always come back.”

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starredblood · 2 months ago

Text

NOWHERE GIRL

PART THREE

kang sae-byeok x fem!reader

synopsis: sae-byeok gets a concerning call from her brother while you start to get paranoid of yesterdays events.

wc. 2.3k

warnings: one mention of murder, mentions of bullying

(nowhere girl masterlist)

There is a lot Sae-byeok should thank Ji-yeong for in her life. They both met purely by chance. Whilst Ji-yeong had to do community service by cleaning up the park, she couldn’t help but notice a little pickpocketing thief roaming around. It amused her. When she approached Sae-byeok, the North Korean was the most guarded she’s ever been. It took Ji-yeong a year to finally get a name from her and her revealing where she truly came from and why she is living a life of crime.

Although Ji-yeong didn’t have much either, she felt bad for the girl who felt like the world had already given up on her. So, she gave Sae-byeok the opportunity to work at her old bakery job. Soon after, Ji-yeong suggested they should move in together as it would financially be beneficial since they can cut the cost of necessities like groceries. Surprisingly, Sae-byeok agreed but only with one condition: she will bring her little brother Cheol with her. Ji-yeong didn’t know that she had a sibling, nor that Sae-byeok was saving as much as she could through her job at the bakery and pickpocketing to have Cheol under her wing again. But she agreed nevertheless.

Sae-byeok knew that it would be hard for Cheol to transition from a children’s home to being under her guardianship and go to a proper South Korean school. Cheol, although naturally introverted, had a hard time getting along with the other kids at the children’s home. With all the trauma and isolation he had to endure at such a young age, he felt like otherworldly to the other kids. And he lets his accent slip from time to time so it worries Sae-byeok sometimes.

She thought that that the hard part was over, but new challenges arise everyday and she feels like she can never rest.

Sae-byeok was jotting down a customers cake order when the phone began to ring. The owner, Miss Ahn popped up from the kitchen to pick it up. At first she answers the phone with her usual warm tone which soon wavers into a worrying one. Sae-byeok takes a quick glance at Miss Ahn but didn’t have time to notice her concerned expression as she was still taking an order.

“Sae-byeok,” Miss Ahn says, cupping the side of her face with her hand and passing the phone to Sae-byeok when she finished helping the customer. “it’s…for you, dear.”

She mumbles a thank you to her and brings the phone up to her ear. “Hello? Who’s this?”

“N—Noona.” she hears a sniffling Cheol on the other end of the call and her stomach churns.

“Cheol, what happened? Are you alright?” she asks, her voice trembling.

“Can you come pick me up…I’m not feeling well.” he says weakly.

Sae-byeok’s breath hitches. “I’m on my way just stay put I’ll be there as fast as I can, alright?”

“O—Okay.”

Sae-byeok hangs up the phone and peers down at Miss Ahn, they both exchange a look of distress.

“Go. Don’t worry—and I won’t cut your pay for today.” she rubs the sides of Sae-byeok’s shaking arms, smiling weakly.

Sae-byeok isn’t used to kindness. “Thank you.” she whispers, although she isn’t sure if she actually said it out loud. Miss Ahn urges her to leave quicker, so she grabs her keys and wallet and sprints out the bakery forgetting that she still has her apron wrapped around her upper body.

She pulls out her phone to check whether taking the bus or running would get her to Cheol quicker. When the map shows that she’ll arrive five minutes earlier by bus she rushes to the nearest bus stop.

Although the bus arrived in a few short minutes, every second that Sae-byeok isn’t with Cheol feels like an eternity. When she got on and found a seat in the back corner, she stared out the window while bouncing her legs uncontrollably. She’s certain that people are throwing weird looks at her behavior but she doesn’t care.

When she makes it to the school, Sae-byeok has to wait another agonizing five minutes for the staff to retrieve Cheol and the anticipation was slowly killing her.

Cheol’s eyes were glued to the ground as he and a school staff walk side by side to the front lobby. When Sae-byeok spots him coming she kneels down and lightly grabs him by the sides of his face.

“Cheol, are you okay? Are you sick?” she presses the back of her hand on his forehead, he was warm but not enough to signal that he has a fever. But Cheol nods. “Are you able to walk or do you want me to carry you on my back?”

Cheol purses his lips in thought. “On…your back?” Before Sae-byeok spins around to carry him, he quickly speaks up. “Is it okay if we can get something to eat? I didn’t have lunch—but it’s okay if you can’t. I know we can’t ask for much.”

“Yeah, we’ll get some food want to stop by a food vendor?” Sae-byeok says without further thought. Cheol bashfully nods. “Hop on my back.”

Sae-byeok did her best not to show any signs of exhaustion as she carried her brother on her back so he wouldn’t second guess himself. Although the sun was beaming, it’ll all be worthwhile by the time they make it to the park with their lunch.

The two siblings found a bench shaded underneath a large tree. Sae-byeok handed Cheol the cup of tteokbokki from the street vendor.

“I already ate.” she lies, knowing that that’s the reason why he’s so hesitant to eat the food. He looks up at her, with round doe eyes then back down on the tteokbokki and to her relief he slowly starts eating. Sae-byeok’s eyes wander around the park while contemplating if she should ask Cheol the real reason why he wanted to skip school today. She already has her suspicions.

She waits for him to finish eating before she talks with him. “Cheol.”

“Hm?”

Sae-byeok exhales. “You aren’t sick, right?” Cheol bats his eyes up at her, cheeks burning red. “I’m not mad so you can tell me the truth. Why didn’t you want to stay in school?”

Cheol’s eyes start to gloss over and his bottom lip quiver. Sae-byeok rubs his back reassuringly.

“They’re all so mean here, Noona.” he whispers, wiping the tear streak with the hem of his sleeve. Sae-byeok’s heart drops to the pit of her stomach. This is what she was afraid of.

“Are they…bullying you?” she asks carefully.

Cheol shrugs. “They keep making fun of my accent.”

“Did you tell a teacher?”

“Yes but…they only do it during recess time.”

That’s why he said he was hungry. He wanted to skip recess time.

“But,” Cheol says hopeful. Sae-byeoks peers away from the ground to look at him. “I think I made a friend. He defended me the other day.”

Sae-byeok wants to be happy for Cheol, but things like kindness and empathy isn’t a luxury they tend to experience. But she tries her best to form a smile for him.

“That’s great, Cheol.”

He takes a final bite off the rice cake then speaks again. “He also likes to color so during lunch time we color with the oil pastels your new friend gave me.” he lets out a gasp of remembrance and starts rummaging through his bag. He hands his sister a drawing. The drawing was of him, Sae-byeok, and their parents all holding hands smiling.

Sae-byeok didn’t notice how hard she was clutching onto the sides of the paper, or how her eyes began to form tears.

“Noona? I’m sorry—“

“Don’t. Don’t apologize.” she quickly says. “It’s amazing. You’re really talented.”

The Kang siblings share an embrace. After years of feeling isolated by this new world, slowly but surely they are getting there.

They spent another hour or so at the park until they decided to get back home, Sae-byeok carrying Cheol on her back the entire way home since she used her last bit of disposable income for the bus and Cheol’s lunch. By the time they arrived, Ji-yeong already made it back and she spoke loudly on the phone with someone until saw the two arrive so she tones herself down.

“Go get changed.” Sae-byeok tells her brother. He nods and scurries to their room.

She leans her body on the kitchen counter, waiting for Ji-yeong to end her phone call.

“My uncle.” Ji-yeong says when she tosses her phone across the counter. “He gave my piece of shit dad this address so now I’m receiving his letters.” she points with her chin at the stack of letters on the living room coffee table.

“What is he saying?”

“I don’t know—I haven’t opened them. Probably some bullshit excuse about why he murdered my mom.”

Sae-byeok doesn’t say anything. It always astounds her how freely Ji-yeong speaks of her past traumas. But they’ve spoken about them so many times it no longer takes a toll on them to say the words aloud.

“Why did you pick up, Cheol early from school?” she asks.

“Some kids kept making fun of him.”

Jiyeong purses her lips. “It’ll get better for him over time.” her roommate just shakes her head in agreement. “Also, this might be a bad time, but we need to get groceries.”

“Yeah, I know.”

It was easy to tell how defeated Sae-byeok appears to be. Her bangs still clinging to the sweat on her forehead, she still has on her work apron on, and her breathing is still unsteady.

“Actually,” Ji-yeong chuckles nervously. “nevermind. You can stay here with Cheol I will just go.”

“Okay.” Sae-byeok says, too tired to retort back.

When Ji-yeong leaves the kitchen to go get dressed in her room, Sae-byeok pulls out a folded piece of paper from her apron pocket and starts to unfold it. She grabs the kitchen magnet and hangs Cheol’s drawing on the fridge then makes her way to the couch where she lies face down.

⊹ ✿・・───・・✦・・───・・✿

As long as you had your internship at the art gallery, your sanity will remain intact. Or so you hope.

However, today was a heavier workload at the art gallery with majority of your morning being unpacking and installing a new exhibition. And by the time you and your co-workers finished the morning task, it was lunch time and you both agreed to eat outside rather than in the break room.

“So, now can you tell me what happened?” your college friend and co-worker Mi-Cha asks once you guys found a secluded area in the outdoor dining hall of the gallery.

“Yoon came up to me in class and asked me if the ‘rumors’ were true.” you explain with fervor in your voice, stabbing your salad with a plastic fork. A gasp escapes Mi-Cha’s lips. “And I didn’t say anything but I guess she saw the look on my face which gave it away then after she went to tell her friends. So, yeah, I’m probably screwed.”

“No, you aren’t screwed. This is a very developed school—we go to an art school for goodness sake!” she says to soothe your anxious mind. “I’m sure no one will care, we are all deprived college students.”

“You’re right.” you mumble. “But Yoon is so kind. Do you really think she’s—?”

“I don’t know. She seems cool but you can never really tell what people’s intentions are, it’s scary.”

“Well, I’d rather not try to figure it out. I just have to avoid her and her friend group for the rest of the semester.“ next thing you know, you let out a laugh. “This is so ridiculous! You would think that we are past bullying and mean girl cliques by now? The fact that I have to be afraid of running into Yoon of all people is so childish.”

“Some people just can’t let go of their high school years. It’s sad.” your friend sighs.

You two sit in silence for a bit to finish your food before it’s time to go to work again.

“Hey.” Mi-Cha says out of the blue. While still chewing on your salad, you raise both your eyebrows to signal to her that you have her attention. “How is that new place you’re staying at going?”

“Eh.” you shrug. “Ji-yeong, my old classmate, is nice. A little aloof but she’s really nice overall and keeps packing my lunches hence this salad. Her roommate though...”

“Ah. Bitchy?”

“Not bitchy more like—how should I put this—guarded? I’m pretty sure her and her brother are defectors so maybe that explains why she doesn’t trust me. Because she definitely thinks I’m going to steal their shit or something. But I’m only staying with them until Friday so.” you shrug.

“Where are you staying once you leave?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” you admit shamefully. “Maybe a shelter.”

“What?” Mi-Cha’s eyes widen. “No, come stay with me at my dormitory again—“

“I can’t it’s too risky. All the resident assistants recognize me now so if I get caught one more time I could lose my scholarship and then everything really go to shit. I just need to weight it out until this semester and summer break so I can live in the dorms in the fall.”

You two sit in silence to process the stressful situation you’re currently in. Your cheeks bloom red in embarrassment.

“Wow…I’m sorry you have to deal with this.” Mi-Cha mumbles.

Her pouty lips make you chuckle. “Hey, don’t cry before we have to go back to work. Again.” you say to lighten the mood.

“That was so embarrassing last time.” Mi-Cha facepalms. “That poor old lady endured my venting when all she wanted was to buy an art piece—I’ll never live that down.”

“At least she agreed that your ex was being a complete asshole.” you add.

“Yeah and she snuck a twenty dollar bill to my pocket. Gosh…sometimes old people are truly the best.”

You hum in agreement and wipe your hands with a napkin. Since there were only five minutes left till lunch is over the two of you start packing up your things and head over to the break room.

🏷️: @monroesturnns @knfthxv @jumpedthenfell-13

#kang sae byeok #kang sae byeok squid game #kang sae byeok x reader #kang sae byeok x fem!reader #squid game #squid game fanfic #wlw #wlw fanfic

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lyssaterald · 1 year ago

Text

Take Flight, Part?: Stood Up

Content Warning: General spoilers for the main story. Minors and ageless accounts do not interact! First person writing, named character, and slight mentions of character’s past and history which are not expanded upon as they are not important to this chapter. Weirdly, I switch between past and present tense. Sorry, not sorry. Unbeta read.

SMUT: LucixLyssaxDia

Word count is around 6k and was supposed to be PwoP but developed plot as I went, lol.

Masterlist

----------------

Staring at the empty chair in Ristorante Six where Lucifer was supposed to be sitting made me angry and sad at the same time, and also made my gut twist in ways I hadn’t felt since before he and Dia had accidentally kidnapped me to the Devildom in the first place. Swirling the Demonus in my glass and sipping at it while the staff glanced quickly to me and then away as they took other customer orders was very humiliating. The reservation had been made by him under his name for the two of us where we were to meet up after we had each finished our work or school for the week and spend a few hours together outside HoL and away from his brothers.

How many times had I texted Lucifer now?

My thoughts had gone a little wild over the last hour since he had failed to arrive at his self-appointed time to start our date. Had something happened? Was HoL on fire? What if Mammon or them had done something to distract him? Maybe there had been a prank gone wrong or Diavolo had kept him over for a meeting they were having?

But my D.D.D has been silent for most of the day. Asmo has found out about our date and insisted on getting together my outfit for the evening (a somewhat racy little black number with red and black lingerie) and had even promised to keep his oher five brothers distracted for a few hours tonight. And Asmo usually pestered me about my nights with Luci when he could feel when I was horny and knew when I’d spent a satisfying evening with one of my two lovers. So…that was probably what was going on with Luci’s brothers and he or Diavolo usually text if a meeting is going to interfere with plans we had set before the plans take place. So…

Was this a subtle way of punishing me or telling me that he was unhappy with something I had done? But Luci was usually fairly direct in when he was unhappy with something. Flirting was a subtle thing with him in public. Our disagreements had been…heated…but also resolved in private and…sometimes…with sex. We had never had a public disagreement…

Or, and this was what was making my gut twist, was he breaking up with me? And had just lost his nerve or something?

I’d done that before with others back home. I know the reasons I am unattractive as a mate to those individuals, but…since arriving at the Devildom…Diavolo and the seven Avatars had all been courting or showing possessive, familial behavior.

This wasn’t normal with them.

Lucifer was fucking prideful. If he had lost interest in the relationship, he would have said so. So…

That’s why I had stayed for an hour and tried multiple times to call and text him, to which there had been no reply and there had been just the gut-churning anxiety. So…so, I met the eyes of one of the waiters and waved them down after setting aside the glass of Demonus and gave them my best smile with my hands folded under my chin.

“What was the charge the last time Beel was here?”

“Si-six-m-m-m-m-m-million grimm,” the waitress stutters nervously and I instantly feel bad.

The Avatars are some of their rulers and I live with them.

“Has the bill been satisfied?” I ask kindly.

“N-not…exactly,” the demoness tells me and casts her eyes down and away further.

I want to scream in frustration over the negligence that they get into…instead, I simply smile and pull out the cards that Diavolo and Lucifer both gave me and hand them over. “Bill six times the leftovers of that bill to both cards and then half that for a tip for all the server staff that deal with Beel on a regular basis, but make sure to take what you need from the cards for your month, too,” I tell her and she looks like she is about to burst into tears. “What is your name?”

“R-r-r-r-Raya.” She is sobbing now and everyone is looking on, but I give zero fucks.

I reach towards her and she gives me her hand automatically and then I tumble up and into her, giggling. If Luci wants to make a scene or forget me, I will make this demon’s month. Especially since she seems to be having a bad day or week…or year.

“The kitchens, please,” I whisper to her amidst my sudden giggling. I stumble and giggle as she leads me towards the kitchens. As soon as we are out of view of the public eye, I smile and thank her and then wait for her to charge the two cards to be returned. It takes a few minutes, but the looks the staff are giving me shift from pitying to straight up adoration and I have to wonder when the last time they were tipped generously. It’s something I’ll have to shake into the Avatars, apparently. The manager straight up cries when I leave both cards on file for the next time that Beel visits them and I leave them instructions on how to reach me if any of the Avatars get rowdy or leave an open bill.

Their gratuity and the way that I was stood up makes me pissed. Shoving my hands in my pockets and embracing the dark mood without reservation makes the usual demons who would harass me flare off and hide in the darker corners of the market.

My D.D.D has been silent this whole time despite close to a dozen calls and texts that I had sent to Lucifer. Either he’s ignoring his phone or he is dead and both options have their appeal right now.

The one night I feel like getting into a fight and no one tries to pull something. Some of the local children who recognize my more human form run to greet me and “steal” the leftovers that I took from the Ristorante Six employees for them. I can’t help the smile I give the “blob” child that was the distraction and slip them an extra treat for letting their friends practice on me. Once they are gone, tho, it’s hard to maintain the smile as this is just another reminder of how broken systems can be.

It's an odd reflection to see how children are forgotten amongst different cultures. For my dame’s, they are always hyper aware of how precious children could be, but as soon as we hit maturity that’s another story and leaves us open to all the blood prejudice that the species can harbor. Here? I am standing in front of the burnt out building that harbors the refuge for the children of the Devildom’s capital. Dia is a special kind of ruler, but even he can’t do everything.

A frustrated hiss leaves me and I feel the eyes of the children on me before I drop the rest of the food off for them and then turn away to allow the privacy they want for the scavenging they will do from the offering. I pretend not to hear the light, hurried footsteps or delighted exclamations of joy over such a little thing. It makes me want to shake Dia or break out of the Devildom early so I can bring these kids to my mother to be adopted amongst the clans, but I still don't know enough about their developmental lifespan.

For now, this has to be enough.

With Luci…

I have to pause and scowl at the dirt under my feet for a hot second as I contemplate what I want to do. My D.D.D. goes off in my pocket and I pull it out, smiling instantly at the notice. Dia. Our other lover, the one that hadn’t forgotten me once since coming here.

Dia: Barbatos informs me that you just spent a large sum of money at Ristorante Six. Did you two have fun?

Me: Nope. You free?

Dia: I have several stacks of paperwork, but I would love to see you later. Perhaps that will serve as motivation to finish everything tonight. Should I be worried?

Frowning at the screen, I leave him on read for a moment as I collect my thoughts. My relationship with Luci is a little more intense because he is a sadist and likes to try to dominate the relationship where I feel it is unnecessary. Him standing me up tonight is just a new tactic that he hasn’t used before and it hurts, because I’ve been forgotten by others but never someone this important to me.

Dia and I have a little more...complex...of a relationship. It made our start a little rough because he had technically kidnapped the daughter of a dragon royal and he himself being a prince had set us on the entirely wrong foot. It was his persistence and warmth that had drawn me in where others had hurt me before.

So...

My heart was aching and Dia had never stood me up before. In fact, he was consistently trying to find ways to keep me and Lucifer with him for an extra couple of hours, however childish and inane those were sometimes were.

So...

Dia: Should I be worried?

His repeat in his text makes me smile and seals my decision. It's an easy one to make now that I reflect on things again.

Me: No. Lucifer stood me up and has ignored my calls. So, it wasn't very fun and I am coming over for a few days if that's ok?

The anxiety in my stomach is a knot as I hit send and watch the little dots that indicate he is typing something. Maybe I shouldn't have assumed...

Dia: I would love to have you over for a few days! Is everything else alright? Do you want me to do anything?

The little flutters in my stomach with his easy acceptance and offer of help leave me blushing a little. My bad mood evaporates a little more, but I retain a little niggling doubt because demons are so much like dragons.

Me: Did you do anything directly or indirectly that would have kept Luci from our date tonight?

Dia: Never. He's been working so hard recently, I thought it was a great idea for you two to have this date tonight. I'm shocked and very disappointed that he missed it.

Dia: But I am quite happy at the chance to have you to myself for a few days.

He's already planning how he can keep me in the palace all for himself for the next few days. After everything, all the heartbreak and the doubts and the second guessing, it's a hot feeling in my stomach to know that I am wanted. But...I know the boundaries I have to set. Lest things get out of hand.

Me: 48 hours, at a max, of making them hunt for me. We can arrange something else later down the line.

Dia: Deal. Now come over before I hunt you down.

Perhaps a thrilling thought for a different day...

It's exactly 48 hours later that Diavolo allows Lucifer to find us in his office. Lucifer is hovering on the threshold, his crimson eyes tracking the way that one of Dia's undershirts hangs off a shoulder and how I sit away from him on Dia's lap. He can clearly see the new and fading hickeys on my skin that Dia left there and knows for a fact that I don't keep clothes at the castle, so he also knows I am sitting in Dia's lap in nothing more than this shirt.

But I ignore him for now.

Diavolo bites the strawberry out of my fingers and glares over my shoulder as the study door clicks shut behind us. He takes my wrist and begins to delicately suck the juice from each finger. His golden eyes flash to mine and I just return his amusement with one of chagrin.

"Dia," I breathe at him and his gaze darkens.

"You've been hiding her," Lucifer observes. "For two days. My brothers have been mounting a very large search effort." It's a subtle dig at my feelings for his brothers and it turns my hard gaze to the scarlet, slitted gaze.

"Good for you," I say mildly, tuning back to Dia to sink my teeth into his neck, surprising a moan out of our lover.

"Lyssa, I do not believe this is the-" Lucifer begins.

"Fuck off and shut up or leave," I cut in, tugging at Dia's buttons. A glance up at his face confirms that he is totally invested in this, not that I had doubted his erection or the gentle hands on my hips.

"Lord Diavolo, this is hardly the time to-" Lucifer began again.

It was remarkably easy to launch myself off Diavolo's lap, plant a foot on his desk and leap at Lucifer, wings flaring in aggression. He caught me with his arms around my waist as we toppled over with my momentum. Lucifer landed on his back with a soft grunt and me straddling his hips with my hands on his shoulders, wings still flared as I stared down at his slightly parted lips.

"Two days and this is what you have to say for yourself?" I ask him, struggling to maintain the mildness of before. "Was this your way of saying it's over? Or are you just tired of spending time with me? What was more important two nights ago that kept you from even calling?" The tears are hard to choke back once my fears are voiced and his stare only remains blank and shocked. "Fine, I get it," I mutter and lean away from him, allowing my wings to Veil.

I attempt to push to my feet, but his hands tighten on my his as he purses his lips and studies me. "Two nights ago, I was dealing with Mammon and Satan for having broken into my study and stolen-"

"Let go of me," I snarl at him, but he doesn't budge.

"Allow me to explain," he says with infuriating patience.

"No." The word is a shriek of pain that has Diavolo wrenching me into his chest and knocking Lucifer's hands away from me.

"That's enough, Lucifer," Diavolo says with cutting gentleness as he strides towards the couch where he settles me in his lap. My arms wrap around his neck and I am sobbing into his neck as two days of pent up fear explode out of me in silent, wrenching gasps and tears. "Lyssa has been hiding with me since you stood her up two nights ago."

There is a slight scuff of shoes on the floor and the rustle of clothes as Lucifer tries to approach us, but Dia removes his hand from my waist and must hold him at arms length. His thigh muscles tighten and ripple beneath mine as he fights with himself, but I keep my head buried in his shoulder until the tears have eased and the shaking has ceased.

Dia's gentle hand through my hair rouses me and I look up at his concerned gaze, noting somewhere in my head that his other arm is still raised. "D?" I ask muzzily.

His lips are gentle on mine, a comforting touch after so much fear and a reminder that I am wanted. It's when his tongue slides with mine and begins stoking the embers of the earlier arousal that he jerks his extended arm and there's a gasp and thud that startles me from the kiss.

Turning to look behind us, I find Lucifer surprisingly close to us. More surprising is that he's on his knees in front of us, his hands on Diavolo's knees, and Dia's hand fisting his collar. Lucifer's expression is so fractured that I almost reach out to him.

A glance at Diavolo finds a molten, golden gaze flickering between us. Placing a kiss on his jaw lands that gaze on me and it softens into something gentle. "Are you feeling better, Lys?" he asks.

It's hard not to blush under the realization that they had watched me ugly cry into Diavolo's uniform. "A little," I mutter.

"Do you want answers from him now?" he asks. "Or do I send him away?"

He's giving me the control so easily that I stare at him for a second, then glance at Lucifer's desperate gaze. They're normally the dominant ones, the ones calling the shots and making the decisions in our relationship. It's not that I'm a submissive for them, it's just easier to flow along with them and more fun most of the time, whether in bed or in public.

"Lys," Lucifer says quietly and then gasps when Diavolo fists a hand in his hair and yanks his head back.

"Or we can punish him and get answers later?" Diavolo suggests thoughtfully, snaking an arm around my waist to shift me to straddle his thighs and face Lucifer, who has dropped his hands from Dia's knees. The blush deepens as Diavolo's erect cock rubs at my ass through his slacks. "I have a few ideas," he breathes into my ear and ruts gently into my bare ass. "But it's up to you, sweetling. We can stop and cuddle for the rest of the night if that's what you want."

Arousal overwhelms the fear and last traces of sadness as I study our positions. Diavolo has left the decisions to me tonight even with how clearly obvious what he wants is. But...

"Ease up a little, Dia. He can hardly breathe let alone answer a question," I request and Diavolo instantly releases him to lean back and slide his hands along my bare thighs as he continued his gentle ruts into me. They feel good and I arrange myself so that he's rutting into my core and not my ass. I lean forward towards Luci, who is watching us with growing hunger, and place my hands on Dia's knees to support myself.

Lucifer leans eagerly towards me to accept my kiss, but I knock his hands away when he reaches for me. He settles for twisting his gloved fingers into Diavolo's pants by my hands where I place them again. For a long minute, it's a desperate flurry of movement as Lucifer yields to my tongue and Diavolo's ruts turn into not-so-gentle grinding with his hands hard on my hips. I have to yank myself back from the kiss to breath and Dia halts his movements, though he does so with a desperate groan.

"Are you done with the relationship between you and I, Lucifer? And I am not talking about the sex. I ask about the emotional commitment we made to each other independent of everything between the three of us," I tell him and he almost surged in to hug me but Dia stopped him with a hand to his throat.

"She hasn't given permission for you to touch, Morningstar," Diavolo growled behind me.

Lucifer hits his knees again, his hands fisted in Dia's slacks close to where mine rest again. I lean back into Diavolo's broad chest and deny him even that closeness. His scarlet eyes flash with something like fear when he presses against Dia's hand.

"No, Lys, never," he answers and draws breath to say more but I press a finger to his lips and he stills.

"If I asked you to beg, would you?" I ask, feeling Diavolo widen our legs a little and groan softly.

Lucifer looked conflicted for a second but then nodded and felt heat rushed through me. Pride's embodiment had stood me up, but I had him on his knees now, willing to beg. I slipped a finger under his chin and rubbed his lips with my thumb. His tongue darted out to wet the digit and I slipped it into his mouth to let him suck on. I could feel Diavolo harden further beneath me.

"You're going to kill me, sweetling," Diavolo groaned with a sharp thrust that had me gasping.

"Then fuck me while I decide what we do with Luci," I ground out.

That was all the encouragement it took for Diavolo to lift me off his lap, unbuckle and free himself before he slammed my hips down to his in one sharp thrust. Stars burst behind my eyes at the slight burn of his girth stretching my cunt. Then his hands tightened on me so my hips wouldn't move and his thrusts were so long and deep that he fucked the strength out of my arms. I could only fall towards Lucifer and cling to his shoulders while I whimpered and gasped into his neck.

Diavolo didn't pause in his thrusts when I felt Lucifer move. He slapped the fallen angles hand down and growled. Then he leaned over my back and spread my legs to change the angle and was suddenly hitting that spot that had me almost screaming and then biting sharply into Luci's neck to muffle myself as I clenched down on Diavolo's cock with the force of my orgasm.

"Mine," he growled at our lover. "You left her alone, so mine until she allows your claim again."

The tears that slid down my face as he leaned back and continued to fuck me through my orgasm weren't entirely from oversensitivity. Wanted wasn't something I had felt a lot of throughout my life and this man, this demon prince, was claiming me. I could only curl my toes around his ankles and attempt to rock back into his body to be closer to him.

The taste of copper on my tongue had me squeezing and clenching on Dia's cock again and whimpering through another orgasm. Blood. Life blood, at that. I relaxed my jaw and just let myself float while he continued to use me as a fleshlight to chase his own orgasm and exhaust his stamina a little.

Heat filled my cunt as he thrust one last time and shot his seed into me. I was a whimpering mess and Luci's gasping breaths in my ear was the only grounding thing that kept me awake.

"Please," Luci breathed into my ear.

"Mmm," I hummed at him as I continued to lap at his blood, still oozing a little from the wound left by my fangs.

He shifted forward so that more of my weight rested on his chest. "Please, Lys," he continued. "I'll beg, but please let me touch you. I'm sorry. Please."

The memory of humiliation and fear rose in my chest and I growled at his words. He'd left me there with all those eyes on me in a public venue. Lucifer had forgotten me. Begging wouldn't reverse that humiliation or fear or the tears or the doubt it had caused.

"No," I told him, tears gathering.

Diavolo's warm hands slid up my stomach and gently cupped my breasts as he carefully shifted me back to lean into him. I groaned in protest of the heat but he slipped the shirt gently off me and it was a relief I hadn't realized I needed until I was gently kissing his neck. All while Dia was still rock hard in me.

Sated once for a demon wasn't the same kind of round as compared to a human, but he was kind enough to care for me and wait if I needed it. I groaned at Dia's tweaking of my nipples and sucking more bruises into my skin.

"Dia, please," I whimpered and his attentions eased except to wrap his arms around my cold breasts and continue to suck different hickeys into my neck. When he rocked into me again, his pace was gentle and slow and had me squirming in his arms as heat gently pooled in my stomach and spread until I was boneless on him.

"I love you, sweetling," he whispered into my ear as I came around his cock, squeezing and milking him through his own orgasm. His fingers were gentle as he wiped my tears away and continued to kiss me. "What do you want to do?"

Gold and scarlet gazes met and held before Luci dropped his from Diavolo's. "I'll leave if you want me to, Lys," he said quietly, moving to push himself to his feet.

My hand darted out and snatched his tie, pulling him in close for a kiss. Diavolo assisted in dragging him closer to us by grabbing a handful of his vest and pulling him flush. For a moment, Lucifer's hands fluttered at my sides before settling in Dia's hips and pressing as close as possible to us. For once, he didn't try and control the kiss as our tongues slid together with easy languidness.

I don't know how long the kiss lasted but a soft knock and a click had us pulling apart and looking over at Barbatos. "The other six avatars have arrived and are demanding to see Lyssa and Lucifer." He looked as unruffled as ever even as a blush dusted my cheeks and I was basically speared on Diavolo's cock in front of him. All three of them looked at me. Barbatos gaze held just a hint of amusement, Lucifer looked conflicted, and Diavolo just grinned at me. "Shall I pass along a message to them that you three are, shall we say, indisposed?" The amusement in his voice left me further blushing and hiding my face in Luci's neck.

"Yes, thank you, Barbatos," Diavolo said merrily. "If there is nothing more?"

"Just a reminder that you have several important meetings with outlying principalities tomorrow and paperwork that you have fallen behind on these last few days,"Barbatos said crisply and we both winced at that one. It hadn't been my intention, but I had distracted us from his work as the Devildom's prince.

My fingers slipped through Luci's hair as I considered him and frowned. I still wasn't anywhere close to being ready to forgive him but I also didn't want to go home just yet. His brothers would be barking up all sorts of trees, especially Asmo and Mammon.

There must have been something in my expression because Barbatos' next words were softened and aimed directly at me. "There is nothing today that cannot be pushed back until tomorrow, Lyssa. I will see to Lucifer's brothers and ensure that they are taken care of tonight. Reconciliation is more important to you and the Young Master at present and so should be prioritized," he said and I glanced up at him and wince back from the sympathetic gaze.

"So how far has the story traveled?" I ask, setting my chin on Lucifer's head.

"Not far at all. The employees who were present as well as some of the chattier guests have either been dealt with or bribed to keep quiet on the matter," Barbatos replied and Lucifer winced at that one. "Although, as it turns out, none of the staff would say one word of the incident until I myself spoke to them." There was a hint of amusement and pride in his voice that made me further blush. "That being said, I do believe I shall take my leave to ensure that Beel has not devoured the contents of the kitchen." The door clicked quietly shut behind him and left the three of us in silence.

"So," I said into that silence. "Barbatos and your brothers have now all seen me naked." It was difficult to keep a relationship like ours private in a house of seven rowdy brothers who all liked to burst randomly into Lucifer's room and study over little things. Diavolo's unhappy growl startled me into looking back at him. His lips were furrowed in a deep frown. "I am not moving to the palace just because my roommates lack personal space boundaries. You know they would just all follow me here. And no, that's not a good idea either. They need space to be themselves and you need to keep up some appearances."

He was actually pouting at that and I could only chuckle at his expression before laying a kiss on his jaw. Then, my gaze flickered to Lucifer again, who was watching me with an expression of mixed longing and frustration. It twinged a little at my conscience that he was still on his knees waiting for something that would set things right with us. I pushed at his shoulders and he sat back on his heels.

To Diavolo, I said, "I need to get cleaned up and Lucifer and I need to talk." I saw the excuses to accompany us brewing and added, "Alone. And you need to catch up on some of your work." The pout intensified and I laughed. "Just because Barbs gave you blanket approval for today doesn't mean you should abuse it. Just give us some space and we'll have dinner in your rooms tonight."

It wasn't so easy to extract myself from Dia's grip but I managed it and snagged the shirt he had tossed aside while he made himself presentable again. The kiss he dropped on me when I turned around was both sweet and gentle, making me lean into it until I realized what he was trying to do. I broke away with a laugh and smacked his shoulder. "I will see you in a bit, love," I told him and he smiled.

Lucifer was still kneeling where we had left him and his expression brought me up short. He was staring at Dia with unbridled jealousy? Dia must have seen the look but had chosen to ignore it.

"Luci?" I asked, holding out a hand to him.

The expression melted away as he took my fingers in his and shifted to his feet. We stared at each other for a moment before I pulled him along behind me. The walk to a guest room was quiet with nothing more than the tap of my bare feet on the marble. The servants that we passed gave us a sidelong glance but didn't even blink at the sight of Luci and I. It was an open secret among them that Diavolo and Lucifer had become involved with the "human." They also knew better than to gossip about us, lest Barbatos overhear something.

We took the first guest room we came across and Lucifer opened the door for me to enter before him. By the time he had closed it, I had bounced down onto the bed to watch his approach. What surprised me was that he knelt in front of me and settled between my legs, draping his arms over my thighs so as to touch me without actually touching me. Draping my own arms over his shoulders, I leaned into him and pressed our foreheads together.

"So, you're not done with this relationship but you still stood me up at the restaurant," I summarized for him and then kissed him into silence when he would have spoken. "Let me guess, Mammon broke into your study and Satan used that as a chance to steal your phone. Your entire calendar was deleted somehow and you spent the evening distracted by punishing your brothers."

"Levi-Levi erased the phone's contents," Lucifer said thickly. "Without knowing it was mine. Asmo was the one to remind me. He was...livid." His lips on mine were tentative and a question and he drew back when I didn't reciprocate. "I missed you by ten minutes." It wasn't an apology, but I had denied him of that earlier. "By then your phone was off and it took me too long to get anything out of the staff."

"Hours, Luci," I said mildly and the regret in his expression almost broke my anger, but not quite. "You made me feel unwanted and left me humiliated in public. If we didn't have Diavolo in this with us, I probably would have gone home, sparked a giant fight, and dumped you." I rubbed a hand across his throat, enjoying the little hitch in his breathing. "Instead, I made you and your brothers run around the Devildom for two days while I was here with Dia."

"They were all worried sick," he said distractedly.

"And I'll have a chat with them tomorrow. For now, let's focus on us, yes," I tell him.

"What...can I do to make it up to you?" he asked, pushing a little more into my space. It was like he could sense the cooling of my ire. "Let me make it up to you." His tone had dropped to sultry and he was starting to push me back into the bed, leveraging his knees under mine to usher me back. I didn't resist, but I gave him absolutely no help.

"If I say no?"

He froze, halfway to getting me to his intended destination. "Then I would ask for a chance to court you again, to show that this is not something that will happen again. To show that you can still trust me."

"And if I asked for something else to give you that chance?"

"Anything," he promised, stretching his body out along mine on the bed.

My hands on his face bring him down to kiss me and I let him get away with that...for now. "What have I said about that word?" I chide him.

He actually smiles at that, relief beginning to ease in. "To be careful of it unless we could give you the whole of the realm," he answered, the old disagreement coming easier with time. "Because one day you might actually take up that offer and we look forward to it."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not Madrigora," I tease him right back.

"If you were Maddi the Great witch, we would not have fallen for you," he stated, running his fingers over my face. His kiss is easy, then. "What would you ask in return for the chance to court you again?"

"The usual. Just promise not to use and discard me if you ever get tired of me. Don't do it again," I say and if my voice is a little tight then he chooses to overlook it with another easy kiss.

"Of course, my heart," he whispers against my skin. "I will swear it in blood if you want me to. I will never tire of you and I will never stand you up again."

I let him have his way for a little while, just touching and cuddling with kisses to reacquaint ourselves with each other. It's as I can feel his desire is awakening that I pull back with the broadest smile I have ever given him. Slipping my arms around his neck, he returns my smile without a hint of a clue as to what I am going to do next.

"Luci?"

"Hmm..."

"I never gave you permission to touch." He freezes above me and seems to do a review of the last hour. "Me giving you my hand does not imply an invitation to touch."

His shrewd look makes me laugh and I can't resist the urge to run my hands through his dark locks. "Well, my heart, what shall we do about this infraction on my part?"

I give him an amused look. "Let's start with a bath and go from there." The bath itself is a fun way to reconnect with him and he takes exaggerated care to implore my permission with every touch. By the time we were done and dressed with clothes Barbatos had somehow laid out for us, the bathroom was sopping wet with water everywhere.

When we stepped out of the room, the servants waited for all of three seconds before rushing in. The way they still wouldn't look at me had bothered me before but it didn't any more after I found out what they had tried and Barbs fierce reeducation among their ranks.

One of the succubi directed us towards the gardens that Dia was fond of and it was an easy walk as we discussed his brothers and the roles they had played. Levi was ruled innocent because it seemed like Satan had tricked Levi into the prank, thinking it would lessen guilt by association. Belphie had slept through the entire thing. Beel hadn't had anything to do with it. Asmo had attempted to fix the issue when he had learned of it and we both agreed that Mammon had been uninvolved except to break in in the first place and steal something unrelated.

It was as we approached the gardens that we first heard the soft murmur of familiar voices and then Asmo's high laugh. Barbatos was whisking away a tray of empty dishes when he caught sight of us. He gave me a chagrined look and then carried on his way.

Everyone was present and chatting happily, except Mammon and Levi, over several trays of food. Two servants flitted about here and there refilling glasses and food. One seemed intent on keeping Beel's plate full and preventing him from consuming the table, untensils, plates, glassware, or anything else of a non-consumable variety. Mammon and Satan were sitting on complete opposite sides of the table, Satan involved in his own conversation with Levi over a book. Levi kept glancing around nervously and then froze when he saw me on Lucifer's arm. Asmo kept sliding up to the second servant and getting handsy, which he didn't seem to mind and even seemed to enjoy the attention. Belphie was snoring against his twin's shoulder. Mammon's face went white when he saw us, too.

"Lys!" Mammon yelled and sprang up to half sprint at me and engulf me in a hug. He completely missed the flash of jealousy on Diavolo's face at the action.

Asmo abandoned the servant to sweep in on the hug. Beel waved happily at us and carefully did not wake his youngest brother. Everyone else just stared at us in varying degrees of fear and-in Satan's case-seething rage.

I wrapped an arm around Mammon and Asmo's necks and let them lift me off the ground. It was when Asmo went for a butt grope that I shrieked with laughter and swatted him off. At least he knew he was safe.

"Where ya been, Lys? I been worried sick about ya," Mammon muttered into my hair before releasing me.

"I've been right here," I answered him, floating over to Diavolo and kissing his forehead. The crease in his lips eased a bit as he caught my hand and kissed my palm before letting me drift away. I didn't usually flaunt my romantic relationships openly in front of them, but

"I'm sure you had a grand old fucking time while we were looking for you," Satan sneered at me.

I smiled at him. "And whose fault is that, Tantan?" I shoot back sweetly and he flinches at that. He hasn't liked me using his nickname since I became involved with his brother and his lord.

I walk towards him, opening our pact just enough that his cold, twisted wrath can leak through and touch my even colder rage. There was so much pain laced through my rage that he flinched back from me and refused to meet my eye. Instead, I leaned down to his eye level and waited for him to look at me out from under his mop of blonde hair, his lips twisted in an unhappy frown.

"No one and, I mean no one, gets to make me feel unwanted and humiliated in any capacity," I tell him.

Satan knew what I was driving at, knew what I was saying, but he chose to ignore it anyway. His smile was so stiff and fake that it hurt just to look at it. "So I guess you and Lucifer are done, then," he shot back.

"Satan!" Asmo gasps in horror and even Mammon is staring at their brother, aghast.

In answer, I smile and turn away from him, stalking towards the frowning first-born. I don't give him time to react when I seize his golden belt and pull him in close for a passionate kiss that he returns. Asmo's gasp and the click of a camera are the only sounds as I wrap an arm around Luci's neck to prolong the sensation. I let myself enjoy the kiss for a good minute and then lean back. His eyes are half lidded and roving my body hungrily. Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned at the horribly blushing Satan.

"I guess not," I said.

"Do that again," Asmo says happily.

"No, Asmo," I return. "I think once made my point."

"Oh, yes, it made a point for me that I'll thoroughly enjoy later," he said with a wink. "And several other points, if you catch my drift." He subtly nodded at Diavolo who was studying us in a way that made me suddenly self-conscious.

"Yes, well. You'll be deleting that photo, Asmo," Lucifer cut in. "Hand your phone over so that I am sure it's gone."

Asmo clutched his phone protectively. "No! I never get any good photos of you and that was perfect!" Lucifer growled and stalked off after his brother when Asmo took off.

Satan was silent after that, his angry gaze tracking my every move. Diavolo let me float around between the other four brothers for a while, soothing and cajoling them in each their own way. I could see Mammon thinking he had gotten away with everything as he became more relaxed and animated through the meal. The demonus was eventually brought out and a disgruntled Asmo and Luci returned. Diavolo snagged my waist and pulled me into his lap and all chatter ceased for a moment, even the servants. Then Asmo started admonishing Lucifer for taking out a chunk of his photos instead of just the one.

The servants nervously glanced at each other and then returned to their respective tasks. Beel continued to shovel food into his mouth and Belphie was still asleep. Satan turned an interesting shade of magenta. Levi continued on pestering Mammon about Grimm he was owed.

"Feeling possessive?" I teased Dia quietly.

"Jealous," he admitted, pressing a kiss to my neck.

We didn't usually advertise the relationship even if it was an open secret among the brothers and palace servants. "Why?" I asked him, trailing a hand through auburn locks.

He looked conflicted for a second and then gave me his public smile and I almost smacked him. I hate that smile, the look of genial mirth in which no one could ever penetrate deep enough to find the demon below. It was his lonely smile.

"You came to me but you go home with them in the morning," he said lightly. "It's been nice having you here the last two days."

Ah.

And suddenly, reading his behavior is so much easier from today. He's struggling with the idea that I am abandoning him after getting a taste of something that he wanted. Luci comes when called for dinner and evening activities but I chose to run to him during a potential relationship ending screw up on Luci's part and now the problem has been more or less resolved. I chose and I stayed and now it's bringing up some of his issues with abandonment now that I leave in the morning again.

"Not yet, Diavolo," I murmured to him. "You can't just end thousands of years of society and not see bloodshed and war. You're doing this the right way if you want a demon male consort and female, non-demon consort and do what is right for your people." I placed a lingering kiss on his temple as he pressed an ear over my heart.

The servants were looking at us again and I frowned at them until they ducked their heads and went about their duties again. I made no mention of the odd behavior again as Diavolo continued to hold me close. It was Mammon's eye that I caught and nodded towards Asmo when he kept making passes at the receptive servant. There was simply something I hadn't liked about those interactions and it was better safe than sorry. Meanwhile the others continued to wind down and Luci had a few glasses of demonus to be completely relaxed and Dia did the same, becoming progressively more handsy with me under the table. It's when I intercepted Dia's hands again on my knee that Barbatos appeared with what looked like night caps for everyone.

Beel was watching me closely as he kept an eye on Belphie and Levi, keeping the latter from tipping over into his own food. Asmo had vanished a bit ago to find a different bed partner with Mammon hot on his tail and Satan...was still watching us from where he was slumped in his own little corner. Diavolo noticed the intent of Satan's gaze and set his chin in my shoulder. Satan turned a bright red under his lord's sudden regard but refused to drop his gaze.

Diavolo's smirk catches me off guard as does the sudden way that he grips the top of my thigh under my dress. His possessive kiss and the slide of his fingers into my core have me gasping against him when his thumb gently circles my clit. His other hand settles on my hip and keeps me from bucking into the feeling and all I can do is grip his dress shirt as he fucks me hard on those fingers. The sudden stop has me clenching on him and whining.

"Mine," he rasps at me and I try for a kiss that he denies me. "Say it and I'll make you cum."

"Yours," I snarl and then scream as he plunges his fingers in again and grinds down on my clit. The smirk he directs over my shoulder makes me growl. Putting me on display for his own amusement and to stake his claim? Fine. I grip his wrist when he makes to pull back. It's satisfying to watch the smirk turn to shock when I move to straddle his hips with his hand still inside me. "Again. And do it right. Make me fucking scream it so everyone knows."

I feel his dick start to harden in his pants under me. "Out," he starts to command everyone but his words end with a moan when I capture his lips and slide my tongue into his mouth. I'm fucking his mouth like that when Asmo comes running back to the gardens and then stops and full on stares.

"Again," I demand with a snarl.

"Lys," Lucifer starts forward and then pauses under my look.

"Consequences, Lucifer," I rasp and he blushes when I fuck myself on Diavolo's fingers. To Diavolo, I say, "Again or you can fuck this fist for a month by yourself."

He rocks his fingers out of me for a moment and I release his wrist. Four fingers slide back into me and I'm arching into the feeling with a low moan. His other hand finds my breast and he squeezes possessively. "Mine," he rasps out, thrusting his fingers and circling his thumb on my clit. "Scream it and I'll maybe let you cum."

"Make me," I grunt and he's smirking again. My stomach drops at that look.

His pace then is relentless and hard, his fingers hitting my g-spot and making me gasp. "Say it," he demands, stopping suddenly and making me curl into him with a whimper. His thumb lifts and I'm screaming "Yours" in a desperate chant. His free hand slides to my hip and stops the little rocking I'd been doing. "Beg."

Frustration wells up in me as I try and continue to rock, but his hand is a solid weight against my skin. "Please, please, please." The last word is almost a scream.

"No," he says with an easy smile and I slump into him with a sob. My hands claw at his jacket when he gently teases my clit again.

"Dia, please," I cry at him but his lips seal over mine, muffling my words.

Hands smooth down my back and settle on my shoulders, then Lucifer is leaning into my back, trapping me between them. "Games are all well and good, but I believe a more private venue is in order for the rest of this evening," he breathes into my neck, his hardened cock pressed flush to my ass.

I moan around the tongue leisurely exploring my mouth. Tears well up as the fingers slip out of me and are then held up Luci. Crimson eyes meet mine briefly before Lucifer takes Diavolo's wrist and wraps his tongue around the first digit.

Diavolo leaned back, still smiling and I suddenly knew what he was going to say. I dropped my head to his shoulder and moaned as he said it.

"She started it here and she'll finish here." The smile in his velvety voice was genuine, as was the lust that sent shivers up my spine. "You cannot tell me you've never wanted the chance to claim her in front of your brothers."

I knew better than to argue with him, I really, really did, but... "You started this, Dia," I muttered at him and he laughed low in his throat.

"I was content to let you finish after the first time. You started this," Diavolo replied, rolling his hips into my slick core and dragging his clothed cock against me. Heat pushes me up and almost...

"Dia," I scream in frustration, balling my hands into a fist and hitting his shoulder.

His golden eyes danced merrily as pulled Lucifer's hand to my waist. "Yes, sweetling?" He asks innocently.

"Please," I return quietly.

He looked like he was thinking it over but Luci was tracing my sides like he was contemplating ripping the dress off my body. "There is a way for you to end this," Diavolo says, his eyes flickering up and then around.

"No pacts," I say automatically and he pursed his lips as he looked back to me. "Fuck me in front of them if you like, but I won't order them to do anything." His eyes flickered between Luci and I for a long moment.

"Are you sure?" He asks and I scowl at him.

"Do you want me to safeword out?" I snarl and his gaze softens.

"No, sweetling. It was just a thought," he says, cupping my cheek and kissing me. It was a sweet thing that turned into a gasp when Luci shifted my dress up a few inches.

The touch of leather gloves on my hips has me moaning into the kiss and trying to wriggle back and forth to find friction, but I was still trapped between them and Diavolo's hands kept me anchored in his lap. Diavolo looks up at Luci and apparently got what he needed because he sat back and released my waist, only to have Lucifer's hands take his place and lift me into his chest just enough that Diavolo could undo his belt and work himself free of his boxers. The long, thick shaft had me clenching in anticipation of the coming pounding.

Like this afternoon, Diavolo took my hips and pushed into me in one long thrust, leaving us both moaning at the stretch of him in me. I sink my teeth into Diavolo's neck and he makes a low noise at the feeling of it. Dia's hands hold me flush to his hips as his eyes dart up again before Luci steps away from us for a moment.

"Think you can handle us both?" Lucifer asks me softly, biting the finger of his glove and pulling it off to toss it somewhere out of my sight. His cool finger sliding into my ass has me clenching down hard on them.

"Lucifer," Diavolo moans out. "Keep doing that and I won't last."

"Oh?" Luci asks and I can hear his smirk as he thrusts another in.

Stars are popping in front of my eyes and I tense up further, tears starting to fall. Releasing my teeth from his neck, I plead, "Dia. Please. I need to cum, want to."

He rocks his hips up a little, just rutting into me without enough friction. It has me panting and sinking claws into his jacket with a frustrated gasp. "Relax, sweetling," he chuckles. "Keep begging and you might get to cum before we're finished with you."

So I do until I'm almost babbling as Lucifer continues to work me open with my own slick for lube and Diavolo continues his little ruts. Asmo is the only one that dares to creep around into my sight. It's his blue gaze and the light dusting of a blush over his cheeks that finally reminds me of the other Avatars.

The words die in my throat as embarrassment rears up. Looking away, I bite down onto the tendon of Diavolo's neck and startle a sharp gasp out of him. Hot seed fills me and he pauses in his motions at the same time as Lucifer.

"Now, Lucifer," Diavolo growls and pulls himself out just to slam me back down on himself. Pleasure makes my eyes roll up and give a strangled sob against Dia's neck as a second cockhead pushes slowly at the muscles of my ass.

"Hold her steady," Luci chides our lover.

Strong hands grip my ass and part me for Lucifer as he eases in, taking his time to let me clench and unclench around them. He rocks out and then a little further in each time until he is balls deep inside me, stuffing me full with both cocks.

Tears are flowing freely as I struggle with the burn and ache between them. I'm limp when Diavolo starts thrusting and then Luci joins him, jostling me between their bodies like a living doll. My teeth remain tight in Dia's neck, making my jaw ache and all I can do is whimper.

Luci runs a hand through my hair and then fists his fingers in my locks, yanking my head back sharply. No longer muffled, my moans and screams echo through the garden. His free hand slides down my stomach to my clit and he flicks it, making me scream and plunge over the edge. They continue to fuck me through the orgasm at a brutal pace and then continue to chase their own pleasure.

Lucifer keeps me on a tight edge between the pleasure and pain of multiple orgasms, expertly playing my body and keeping me boneless against his chest. Diavolo kept my thighs tight to his and my ankles propped on his knees so he could change the angle of their thrusts with his hips. My hands rest on Luci's shoulders behind me and weakly grip at his jacket when they hit my g-spot.

At some point, the dress is ripped off and Luci continues his torment of my breasts free of the cloth. They both spill their seed numerous times until they're fucking into me and pushing slick and semen down my thighs and onto their slacks. It keeps going like that until Diavolo pushes up from the chair and uses his hips to maneuver Lucifer into stepping back against the table and traps me firmly between their chests. My bare feet brush the ground and I groan at the cold.

Diavolo's warm hands cup my face and he gently peppers my cheeks and forehead with soft kisses. "You've done so well for us, sweetling," he says, his eyes darting over my shoulder to Luci. "Just a little longer and you can rest." Louder, he growls at the other avatars, "Leave. Now."

Levi is watching us with wide eyes and a hand over his mouth, but at Diavolo's words he's gone faster than a hunted rabbit. Belphie is draped over Beel's shoulder and the other four reluctantly and slowly drag themselves out of the garden. Beel's reluctance comes from his protective, backwards glanced at me and only stops when I drape myself over Diavolo's shoulder to wave weakly at them. Asmo lingers by the palace door until Mammon grabs him by the scruff and physically drags the Avatar of Lust away with one last worried look at me. It's Satan who stubbornly remains seated, though I can't actually see him.

"I can take care of Lyssa if you're done with her," Satan grinds out.

Very clearly still aroused and both still tucked inside of me, they were not done with sex for the evening, with or without me. Exhaustion might be making me hang limply between them, but I was not going to let Satan touch me like this. That would be one boundary too many crossed for me today.

A growl rumbles up from Diavolo and Lucifer's chests and vibrates through mine. Luci's hands tighten possessively on my hips.

"Leave," Diavolo reiterates.

"Do not make more trouble for yourself, Satan," Luci warns quietly.

Stupidly, I can hear his footsteps approach. Diavolo bursts into his demon form, making me groan at the way he stretches me out that much further. If I hadn't been holding onto him, he would have attacked Satan. As it was, I tucked my head under his chin and looked at the usually intelligent Avatar of Wrath. The look that he gave me was one mixed of despair, desire, and longing.

"You want to leave with me, don't you, Lys?" Satan asks, stopping just outside of Lucifer's striking range.

Luci was watching me with more patience than I had and very carefully trying to control the temper I could see in his eyes so as not to transform as well. Diavolo's wings curled around us protectively but I could still see Satan's blue eyes trying to plead with me. He took a single step towards us, raising a hand, and I snarled weakly at him.

My wings unVeiled and threaded gently through the gap of Diavolo's and I placed a clawed hand possessively on Luci's. "Mine," I growl. "G'way, Tantan." The draconic features Veil again at Satan's pained look before he retreats without another word.

Lucifer is looking at me with a surprising softness after the rough treatment. Diavolo kisses my head and says, "I love you, too, sweetling."

And they are still fucking hard inside of me. The thought of another round has me whimpering with a little fear. "Please," I half sob into Dia's mantle. "No more. Please, Dia."

Too late, I realize I shouldn't have tried begging again. Luci and Dia both groan and I give an actual sob, clutching at Diavolo's chains as he pushes me harder into Luci's body. "One more, sweetheart," he murmurs into my hair, thumbs wiping away my tears. "You have one more, don't you? You do." Luci begins to suck a new mark into my neck as Dia pulls out and starts to rock his hips again.

"Marigold," I sob out and they instantly shift gears. "Marigold." Their hands are gentle at the safeword and disentangle our bodies. It's a relief when they pull out of me but leaves me achingly empty.

Lucifer steps from behind me and Diavolo hoists me onto the cold table. Dazed, I let the clean me up as best they can in the garden and then Diavolo carries me because I refuse to let go of his chains. Lucifer goes ahead of us to make sure the way is clear and at some point, I drift off.

Later, I come to in a warm bath with Diavolo's chest to my back and Luci sitting on the other end of the bath. He's gently rubbing the sole of my right food and working his way up the calf while Dia keeps me from accidentally drowning. His touch is so gentle against the aches across my whole body that I groan and then cough at the rawness of my throat. A glass of water appears before I can ask and Dia holds it for me as I sip on it.

Diavolo sets the glass aside and kisses the top of my head. "Hi," I manage to Luci, who had been watching carefully.

"Hi," he returns softly with a smile.

Rolling my head back, I meet Diavolo's pleased gaze. "Hello, sweetheart," he murmurs.

"That was...intense," I croak.

"You lasted longer than I thought," he replies. "Thank you." He shifts and I eye him warily and his chest rumbles with a deep laugh. "We're re done with you for tonight, promise."

"Feeling better?"

His smile is cat-like and lazy. "Much. I doubt Satan will try anything like this again," he says and Lucifer pauses in his massage of my left calf.

I look at him and find an expression of mild regret and chagrine on his face. "I am sorry, my heart. I shouldn't have let my brothers distract me in the first place. It was...unwise...of me to neglect you. Will you forgive me?"

My throat is still raw but I open my arms to him in response. He carefully crawls between my legs and hugs me tightly to his chest. The rest of the bath is quiet as he returns to his massage of my body. I drift in and out as Luci and Dia discuss small matters they would need to review the next day and I wake to Diavolo's gentle fingers in my hair as he massages the conditioner into my scalp.

Lucifer is elsewhere.

I glance questioningly up at Dia and then look pointedly around the bathroom before back at him. He smiles and kisses my head again. "I asked him to get some things ready for us," he says, helping me to rinse my hair out. "We might be done with you for tonight, but I am hardly through with him. Do you want to watch or rest? Or we can just cuddle for the rest of the night."

The idea of watching sent a thrill of arousal through me but made me wince at the throb of aches that it also set off. Still, it wasn't often that Luci allowed Dia to indulge in their stamina and not something I wanted to miss.

"Watch," I say firmly and his deep laugh sends water cascading over the edge of the tub.

After I am dry and bundled into a large robe, Dia carries me out to his bedroom where Luci is waiting for us. He's dressed in only a low hanging pair of slacks that leaves hardly anything to the imagination where they taper down at the v of his hips. He watches us with a hint of nervousness as Dia settles me on the couch and takes care to wrap me in a blanket and ensure I have access to plenty of water and honey that Barb had dropped off.

When Dia is satisfied that I am comfortable, he finally turns to Lucifer and lets his gaze track hungrily down our lovers body. Lucifer's cheeks dust with a bit of color and I realize he's going to sub tonight for Dia. Oh! An even rarer occurrence since he hardly ever gives up control.

"Knees, Morningstar," Dia croons and Luci slowly goes down, eyes flickering between us. Dia tugs the towel from his hips and drops it as he walks to Lucifer, his shaft already visibly hardening. Taking his face in his hands, Dia continues, "Do you want to explain to her or shall I?"

Luci glances at me and the blush is in full effect. "Diavolo believes that you are being too lenient with me and wishes to see to my punishment," he explains. "With your input."

Both of them are watching me now and, oh, wow. Talk about feeling wanted. "Y-yeah," I stammer. "That sounds good. Um...how?"

"Since I like making excuses, Diavolo will have me make better use of my mouth...on him," Luci explains with the blush beginning to creep down his chest. After that, he glances at Diavolo, who is smiling that smile again.

"At first, then we'll have to see what interests you," Diavolo finishes for him. "But I wanted to ask you to make an exception to your no using your pact without an emergency." He lazily pumps a hand along his cock and smirks as I watch the motion. "Will you place an order on Luci to only cum when you command him for the next twelve hours?"

My eyebrows shoot up at the timeframe. "Twelve hours?" I repeat.

"My suggestion, Lys," Luci says quietly. "I would like your commands tonight, to ensure your words are thoroughly engraved in my memory."

Well, then...ok. Drawing on our pact is almost as easy as breathing and opening it between us allows a wave of love and regret to wash through me. "Lucifer, you will cum only when I command it for the next twelve hours." The command stretched between us like a physical caress and the pact slipped down to an unconscious link again, there but not.

Lucifer made a noise when Diavolo gripped his hair in one hand and pressed the head of his cock to Luci's lips with the other. His hands flew to Diavolo's hips as Dia fed him his cock and forced his jaw to accept the girth.

"Fuck, yes," Dia pants when Luci's throat bulges and his balls met his chin. "So good." Without giving him time to adjust, Dia took his fistful of hair and drew himself back to thrust forward. Luci made a choking sound at the fast intrusion but could only swallow at Diavolo's brutal pace of bobbing our lover's head and thrusting his own hips.

Diavolo's gaze is half lidded as he continues to use Luci's mouth without cease until he jerks his hips one last time and held Luci to him with a low moan. His head rolls back as his abdomen muscles ripple as he shoots his load in Lucifer's throat, making the former angel dig his nails into Dia's hips as he struggles to swallow around the cock.

The heated, golden gaze turns to me and I feel flush again. "Again," I order and he smiles beautifully.

Tears are streaming down Lucifer's face by the time Dia cums a third time in his mouth and spit and semen are dribbling down his chin. Diavolo pauses again and looks at me. "Sweetling?" He asks, voice breathy.

I watch Luci's gaze dart to me as his fingers flex hard on Dia's hips with the effort of not pulling himself off Diavolo's cock. His chest heaves as he inhales deeply through his nose. "Ease up, Dia," I say and Diavolo releases the former angel, who jerks back to wheeze and cough.

"Quite the mess you've made, Luci," Diavolo chuckles. "Clean it up." Diavolo's hand is gentle on Luci's head as he guides our lover's face to his still hardened shaft again. Lucifer catches his glare and instead glances at me before complying, licking and sucking at Dia teasingly until the larger demon is moaning and has to jerk Lucifer off himself. He strokes himself and then pinches his fingers at the base of his shaft to prevent from spilling another load. "Should I cum all over that pretty face of yours or start fucking your tight ass?"

Lucifer makes a low noise in his throat and my blush deepens with Dia's filthy words. Usually he doesn't do this, but I guess he's in the right mood for it.

"Luci?" I prompt in his silence. "Will you continue to try and make excuses about what happened?"

He gives me a wide-eyed look. "N-no," he coughs. "I-"

Diavolo's hand yanking his head back with a fistful of hair cuts off his words and the dick rammed into his mouth again has him coughing and choking on it. He's face fucked again at a brutal pace and Diavolo groans loudly when he cums. "Don't speak unless it is to beg or answer our questions," Dia orders him, rutting his hips a little and continuing to choke Luci on his cock. "Understood?"

Luci coughs again when Diavolo yanks him back. "Y-yes," he manages.

"Yes, what?" Diavolo demands.

"Yes, my lord," Lucifer says softly.

The demon lord gives our lover a long look before he drags him up by the hair and wraps an arm around his waist, bringing them flush together for a kiss. Luci fights for control for a second but a sharp tug to his slacks and even sharper slap to his ass has him gasping and lets Dia take over again. The handprint is bright red against his light skin and my gaze lingers on it for a moment.

"Luci, Dia," I call softly and they break apart to look at me. "How did that make you feel?"

Diavolo frowns at me in confusion but Lucifer turns an even brighter shade of red. "Shocked," he murmurs.

"And?"

Diavolo gives the former angel a thoughtful look as his hands slip back to Luci's ass and start to knead the flesh. Luci gasps and bucks his hips at the touch, grinding his own shift into Dia's stomach.

"And?" Diavolo prompts again.

Lucifer struggles visibly with himself and Diavolo slaps his ass again. Then again and again until Luci is bucking against him to try and escape the blows.

"Cum for me, Lucifer," I order as Dia lands another slap and Lucifer gives a sob as his seed spills onto their stomachs and clings to Diavolo's shoulders.

"Please," he says, but Dia grins at the reaction.

Golden eyes flicker to me and I can read the mischief in them. "Couch or bed, sweetling?" he asks and Lucifer buries his face in Dia's neck with a strangled moan.

I consider the mischief. "Couch. I want to touch the both of you," I answer and Diavolo's smile turns into a smirk.

Lucifer puts up a small resistance as Dia manhandles him to the couch and turns him around by the couch arm. Diavolo lets him stand for a minute so that I can admire Lucifer's body and the long, slender cock that is still hard. Sweat is starting to sheen across their skin and I can smell the sex on their skin as I crawl towards them. Hazy, scarlet eyes track my movements and he shivers at the first touch of fingers on his stomach. I wince when I try and sit up on my heels.

"Sit," Diavolo orders me and I fall back onto my ass. To Luci, he says, "Bend over." He does so with a hesitant glance over his shoulder and then at me. I scoot forward until I can catch his lips before he fully settles onto the arm rest. Diavolo presses a hand to the small of his back and he breaks the kiss to settle his hips over the swell of the arm rest with his head in my lap and one arm looped around my waist.

"Beautiful," Diavolo murmurs, his eyes raking across our bodies. "How are you feeling, sweetling?"

"Sore," I answer him, threading my fingers through dark locks. "Better but still sore."

Lucifer slides his free hand into my robe and I let him open it enough to have skin contact with me. "I'm sorry, Lys," he murmurs and then yelps when Diavolo slaps his ass sharply.

"Since you can't follow directions, we'll continue your spanking and you will count to fifty. One miscount and we continue until my hand gets tired or Lys believes you have learned your lesson," Diavolo cheerfully informs the fallen angel. "Understood?"

His grip on my hips tightens a little and, with a small whimper, says, "Yes, my lord."

Except Dia doesn't start right away. Instead, he slips a finger into Luci's ass and has him squirming in pleasure. "Cum for me, Luci," I whisper to him and he moans with the orgasm.

Diavolo's hand cracks across his ass then and Lucifer shouts. The demon lord pauses for a second and Lucifer drags the first count out somehow. After that, Diavolo is relentless in the spanks that he delivers, varying the rate and strength at which each were delivered, but Luci somehow manages to keep the count until thirty-five. Diavolo looks at me and smiles, his question silent.

"Cum for me, my love," I whisper again and Lucifer gives a broken moan at the orgasm and Diavolo's sudden intrusion. "Again." And he does, clenching down on Diavolo's fingers. "Again." He cums with a small sob and Diavolo glances at me. "Again."

"Lys, please," Lucifer moans. "I am sorry. Please. Not again. Not again."

"Cum for me," I murmur and he presses his face into my stomach with a strangled scream.

Diavolo is staring at me hungrily, all movements ceased. Then, he removes his fingers and smooths a hand across Luci's reddened skin. He keeps eye contact with me as he slaps Luci's ass again.

"T-thirty-five!" Luci half screams into my stomach and Diavolo smiles. "N-no! That wasn't a miscount. It was..." he struggles for the right words as he realizes his mistake "...a recount!"

"It sounded like a miss to me," Diavolo muses to me, continuing to work Luci open on his fingers. "What do you think, Lys?"

Lucifer tightens his hold on me to an almost painful degree and his back tremble under my touch. I knead the meat of his shoulders and answer, "I think... that's enough...for now."

Diavolo pouts at that but doesn't argue as he pulls back from Luci and then helps the other demon to find his feet and collapse beside me with his face in my stomach again. I watch Diavolo re-emerge from the bathroom a moment later and watch as he cleans Luci with a warm rag.

"You're very...intense tonight, Dia," I say, coaxing Lucifer to drink some water. My eyes trail over Diavolo's still half-hard member and then glance back at him. "Are you still jealous?"

He avoids eye contact with me then as he tucks a blanket around me and Lucifer. "Yes," he says finally.

"Of what?" I ask, reaching a hand for him.

He twines our fingers for a moment and just stares at them. "You seem to love Lucifer more," he admits softly. "And he's able to spend more time with you than I can, which means your bond is stronger over time. If he hadn't stood you up, I never would have had this chance." He follows the tug of my hand and lets me put his hand on my cheek.

"Our relationships are fundamentally different, Dia," I sigh. "I don't love Luci more or less than you, just differently." I kiss his palm and he sits down at my back and wraps his other arm around my waist.

"You forgave him so easily when you would have made me beg much longer."

I hesitate and search his golden eyes for sadness or anger, but there was nothing. Masking his emotions, then. "You're right, but you're also wrong," I admit and he shifts us so that he can see my face. "I expect the two of you to learn from each other's mistakes the way I learn from yours and Luci's with each other. If you stand me up on one of our dates in the future, so I would make you work harder to win me back. The same goes for Luci going forward." My look turns shy and I blush again. "And besides, you can't tell me that you didn't have fun making him beg with me. I'm positive Luci would have as much fun if or when your positions were reversed."

Diavolo smiles at that and we both look at Luci's sleeping form. "Too true," he murmurs and lets me lean into his side.

The silence that envelopes us after that is a comfortable one and Dia plays with my hair as we chat idly and wait for Lucifer to recover some more. The topics aren't important, but spending this time with them like this is and I can practically feel Diavolo relaxing out of his jealousy.

"What are you going to do about Satan?" Dia asks abruptly.

"What about him?"

"He wants you."

I wait a beat before asking, "And?"

"As much as I want you."

I give him a confused look. "How is that my problem? I've rejected him three times, including tonight, Diavolo. How much clearer can I be without starting a literal fight? He'll get over me or he won't and that's his problem." His expression twists and I sigh. "Satan is my housemate, not a friend at the moment. He's too fixated on Luci and I's relationship for anything to be healthy between us so I keep my distance and let Luci deal with him. Occasionally, like tonight I have to step in and do something but that's the extent of my involvement."

"Maybe I should step in," he mutters to himself.

"No," I say firmly and he scowls. "I allowed you your little show tonight in front of your avatars because I knew it would either drive Satan to do something stupid or it would reinforce that I would never be with him. Either way, leave it alone or tonight will look like icing on a cake."

"Tonight was not icing on a cake," Luci mumbles from my lap and our attention shifts to him. "Is it over?"

Sharing a glance with Diavolo, I ask, "How do you feel?"

"I will feel better knowing that the both of you have fully forgiven my transgression," he murmurs, laying a hand on Dia's thigh and squeezing my waist.

"You are," Dia and I agree at the same time and then share a smile.

"Thank hell," Luci mumbles.

"Unless you have a second round in you tonight?" I tease. Crimson eyes glare at me and golden eyes stare hopefully. "We still have about ten hours left to that command."

Lucifer just moans weakly and buries his head in my stomach, making me and Diavolo both laugh. "I may not be able to walk tomorrow as it stands," he complains and sends us into another fit of laughter.

Diavolo eventually took us to his bed where we cuddled and enjoyed the post-sex endorphins. We chatted about small things we needed to do the next day and eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

#obey me #obey me diavolo #obey me lucifer #afab reader #diavolo x mc #diavolo #lucifer x mc #dialuci #lucifer x diavolo #obey me smut #diavolo x mc x Lucifer #lucifer x mc x diavolo

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carlhofelina · 1 month ago

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Why Empowering Your Tech Startup Business is Key to Sustainable Growth

Tech startup businesses face many challenges, and while rapid growth is often the goal, achieving sustainable growth is essential for long-term success. Empowering your tech startup business with strategic planning, innovation, and resilience is crucial to staying competitive and ensuring a strong future.

10 Strategies for Empowering Tech Startup Businesses

1. Defining Vision and Mission

A clear vision and mission are fundamental for guiding your tech startup business. The vision sets long-term goals, while the mission outlines the approach to achieve them. By defining these elements, tech startup businesses can:

Make informed decisions

Align teams

Attract investors

A well-communicated vision also helps keep employees motivated and focused on company goals, providing direction during challenges. [1]

2. Fostering Innovation and Agility

Innovation drives the growth of tech startup businesses, and agility ensures they can adapt quickly to changes in the market. To support innovation, tech startup businesses should:

Encourage creative thinking and experimentation

Test new ideas and adjust quickly

Stay adaptable to new technologies and consumer behaviors

Agility in response to market shifts helps maintain relevance and competitiveness.

3. Building a Resilient Business Model

A solid business model provides the foundation for sustainable growth in any tech startup business. Many tech startup businesses fail by scaling too fast without a flexible model. Key steps to build resilience include:

Diversifying revenue streams

Focusing on customer retention

Improving operational efficiency

These strategies reduce risks and ensure a stable structure for long-term growth.

4. Leveraging Technology for Efficiency

Tech startup businesses should embrace technology to streamline operations. Automation, AI, and cloud computing help reduce manual tasks, allowing tech startup businesses to focus on growth. Key tools include:

Automated workflows

CRM systems

AI-driven data analytics

These technologies boost productivity and reduce inefficiencies, helping tech startup businesses scale effectively.

5. Prioritizing Customer-Centric Strategies

Customer satisfaction is crucial for sustainable growth in any tech startup business. Startups should build strong relationships with customers by:

Gathering feedback and adapting products or services

Improving user experience

Offering personalized solutions

A customer-focused approach increases loyalty, encourages referrals, and reduces churn.

6. Investing in Talent and Leadership

The strength of your team determines the success of your tech startup business. Investing in talent means fostering an environment of growth through:

Encouraging communication and collaboration

Providing skill development opportunities

Rewarding innovation and problem-solving

When employees feel valued, they contribute to the company's long-term growth and success.

7. Addressing Regulatory and Compliance Challenges

Tech startup businesses must ensure compliance with relevant regulations to avoid risks. Common challenges include:

Intellectual property rights

Data privacy laws

Industry-specific regulations

By staying proactive in compliance, tech startup businesses build trust with investors, customers, and partners.

8. Incorporating Sustainable Practices

Sustainability is now essential for businesses, including tech startup businesses. Startups should integrate sustainable practices, such as:

Reducing environmental impact

Implementing remote work policies

Supporting ethical supply chains

Sustainable practices not only appeal to eco-conscious customers but also contribute to long-term profitability.

9. Forming Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships help accelerate growth for tech startup businesses and provide additional resources. Startups can benefit from partnerships by:

Expanding into new markets

Sharing knowledge and resources

Reducing costs and risks

Strong partnerships increase credibility and provide a competitive edge.

10. Maintaining Financial Discipline

Financial discipline ensures long-term success for any tech startup business. Startups must manage their resources carefully to avoid running out of capital. Key strategies include:

Monitoring cash flow

Diversifying funding sources

Prioritizing profitability

Financial discipline prepares tech startup businesses for unexpected challenges and allows for reinvestment in growth.

Conclusion

Empowering your tech startup business involves focusing on key areas such as vision, innovation, resilience, and financial discipline. By building a strong foundation in these areas, tech startup businesses can ensure long-term growth and success in an ever-changing market.

Additionally, effective lead gen strategies, such as leveraging the services provided by companies like Radius Global Solutions, and maintaining high data quality service, can significantly enhance the growth potential of your tech startup business.

Ready to empower your startup? Start implementing these strategies today and set the foundation for a sustainable, successful future. Visit Best Virtual Specialist to learn how our solutions can help your business grow.

Reference:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-proofing-tech-startups-ensuring-sustainability-sanyal-ho8ec/

#lead gen #radius global solutions #data quality service

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xaltius · 1 month ago

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10 Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it's a present-day reality reshaping industries, and digital marketing is no exception. AI is revolutionizing how marketers understand their audience, personalize campaigns, and optimize strategies for unprecedented results. This blog explores 10 powerful applications of AI in digital marketing that you need to know.

1. Personalized Experiences: AI empowers marketers to deliver hyper-personalized content, product recommendations, and offers to individual customers based on their behavior, preferences, and demographics. Think dynamic website content that changes based on who's browsing, or product suggestions that perfectly match past purchases.

2. Content Creation and Optimization: AI tools can assist in generating marketing copy, blog posts, social media updates, and even visual content. They can also analyze existing content to identify areas for improvement and optimize it for search engines and user engagement. Imagine AI suggesting headlines that are more likely to be clicked, or automatically generating different versions of ad copy for A/B testing.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): AI can analyze massive datasets to identify relevant keywords, optimize website structure, and track search engine rankings, helping improve organic visibility. AI-powered SEO tools can automate tedious tasks like keyword research and competitor analysis, freeing up marketers for more strategic work.

4. Social Media Marketing: AI can automate social media posting, analyze audience sentiment, identify trending topics, and even create targeted ad campaigns for specific demographics. AI can also help identify influencers who are most relevant to a brand's target audience.

5. Paid Advertising: AI algorithms can optimize ad bidding, targeting, and creative elements in real-time, maximizing the return on ad spend (ROAS) and driving conversions. AI can dynamically adjust bids based on factors like time of day, user location, and past behavior, ensuring ads are shown to the most likely converters.

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): AI can analyze customer data to identify patterns, predict customer behavior, and personalize customer interactions, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. AI-powered CRM systems can automate tasks like lead scoring and follow-up, ensuring no potential customer slips through the cracks.

7. Email Marketing: AI can personalize email content, optimize send times, and segment email lists based on user behavior, increasing open and click-through rates. AI can also help identify the best email subject lines and content to resonate with different segments of your audience.

8. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered chatbots can provide instant customer support, answer questions, and even qualify leads, freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. Chatbots can be available 24/7, providing instant assistance to customers regardless of their time zone.

9. Marketing Analytics and Reporting: AI can analyze marketing data from multiple channels to provide a holistic view of campaign performance, identify areas for improvement, and generate actionable insights. AI-powered analytics dashboards can provide real-time insights into campaign performance, allowing marketers to make data-driven decisions quickly.

10. Predictive Analytics: AI can predict future customer behavior, such as purchase intent, churn risk, and lifetime value. This allows marketers to proactively target customers with personalized messages and offers, maximizing customer lifetime value.

Digital Marketing & AI Certification Program: Your Path to AI-Powered Marketing Mastery

Want to become a sought-after digital marketing professional with expertise in AI? Consider enrolling in a Digital Marketing & AI Certification Program. These programs provide comprehensive training on the latest AI tools and techniques, preparing you to leverage the power of AI in your marketing strategies. You'll learn how to:

Develop and implement AI-driven marketing campaigns.

Analyze data and generate actionable insights.

Choose and use the right AI marketing tools.

Address ethical considerations related to AI in marketing.

Conclusion:

AI is transforming the landscape of digital marketing, offering unprecedented opportunities for personalization, automation, and optimization. By embracing AI and developing the necessary skills, marketers can gain a competitive edge and drive exceptional results. The future of digital marketing is intelligent, and it's powered by AI.

#online course #technology #artificial intelligence #ai #digital marketing #ai in digital marketing #marketing

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brunhildeelke · 3 months ago

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Why Should We Consider Using Predictive Analysis in Travel?

This is a combination of past data along with present-day data, artificial intelligence and statistical models to forecast customers' expectations and market conditions in the travel industry. It is an evolutionary transformative approach that assists travel businesses in performing efficiently and providing customers with solutions tailored to their needs.

How Does Predictive Analysis Work in the Travel Industry?

The concept of predictive analysis for the travel industry is the use of complex patterns and statistical information from the past to estimate future actions, behaviors, and trends of consumers. The benefits of this technology are, therefore, increased efficiency of resource use and improved customer experience and revenue.

What Predictive Analytics is used in the Travel Industry?

Analytical models and artificial intelligence are incorporated with statistical methods in predictive analytics to analyze data about the past and the present in the travel industry. This enables travel companies to forecast customer requirements and market development and even enhance their organizational effectiveness.

Data-Driven Decision-making Significance & Impact in Travels

This business intelligence tool guides travel organizations in making the right strategies by examining past customer data, market situations, and external circumstances such as climate or economic circumstances. This makes it possible for businesses to maintain their flexibility in highly competitive business environments.

Personalization Using Forecasting

Personalization is one of the main uses of predictive analytics. An understanding of customers’ needs helps travel businesses decide on such strategies as marketing messages, promotional destination suggestions, and variable high/low price options.

Improving Company’s Performance

Sensitivity to operational efficiency is another advantage. Airlines forecast their maintenance requirements so that unnecessary airplane out-of-service time is minimized whilst optimizing employees in a hotel to suit expected room use, leading to better service delivery and cost efficiency.

What are examples of predictive analytics in travel?

Several cases of Predictive Analysis in Travel reflect its applicability to various business issues, including the pricing strategy along with customer acceptance. Here are some details of this application across the industry.

Dynamic Pricing Strategies

Pricing for products or services is continually changing to meet the demand, influenced by features such as time of year, customer preferences, and trends. This happens in air ticketing services and hotel reservations.

Predicting Travel Demand

Predictive analytics relies on historical information as well as inputs received in real time to predict the demand for individual places or services. It enables travel companies to plan inventory and marketing ahead of time.

Customer Retention Analysis

Travel organizations apply big data techniques to switch customers who are likely to churn, and they do that by offering special loyalty programs or individual offers.

Managing Operational Risks

Aviation managers and transportation companies use forecasting techniques to prevent possible disasters like weather disturbances or equipment breakdowns and ensure a proper flow of operations.

Marketing Campaign

They aid marketing to get the optimum value for the amount invested to reach audiences that are likely to respond to a given campaign.

What Is AI for Predictive Analytics in Travel?

AI for predictive analytics in travel aims to analyze large volumes of data and extract patterns and insights that are useful in predicting travel trends. This is because it allows the business to double the ways through which it can better deliver, operate, and even forecast the market far better than any conventional.

What Are the Use Cases of Predictive Analysis in Travel?

Examples of the application of predictive analytics across the travel industry range from operational optimization to engagement. Looking at the data, challenges, and opportunities can be identified, and travel companies can then respond.

Airline Flight Plan / Flight Path Optimization

Predictive analytics helps airline companies fix the best routes and time to save costs and satisfy their customers.

Customer loyalty programs as a concept

Travel companies use the predictive model to create efficiencies in loyalty programs that appeal to regular traveling clientele.

The art of destination marketing needs to be enhanced.

Marketing departments within tourism boards and travel companies look for trends in data for the best places tourists are likely to visit when spending their money on travel and then market accordingly to avoid wasting the most amount of money on a particular place that no one wants to visit.

Conclusion: How Predictive Analysis Shapes the Travel Industry

The broad concept of using advanced data analysis to drive better decision-making, improve customer satisfaction, and improve operational performance has reshaped the travel industry. This is a strategy that enables a business entity to forecast the market needs and allocate resources in an appropriate manner to be in a position to design and deliver unique products to the market, hence very relevant to the current market environment.

However, in the future, as the industry moves forward, predictive analytics will be of higher importance when facing some of the issues, including demand volatility, organizational inefficiencies, and customer loyalty. Drawing upon the concepts of AI and machine learning, travel firms can forecast developments, control possible adverse effects, and ultimately tap into new sources of revenue.

#PredictiveAnalyticsinTravel #Travel #TravelAppDevelopment #KodyTechnolab #AI #KodyRobots

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karangoyal1 · 4 months ago

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"10 Digital Marketing Hacks That Will Boost Your ROI"

10 Digital Marketing Hacks That Will Boost Your ROI

In today’s competitive digital landscape, maximizing your return on investment (ROI) from digital marketing is crucial for business growth. With limited budgets and an overwhelming amount of marketing options, businesses need smart strategies to ensure every dollar spent brings measurable results. Here are 10 digital marketing hacks that can help you boost your ROI and achieve better results from your campaigns.

1. Leverage Data Analytics for Smart Decision-Making

One of the most effective ways to maximize ROI is by making data-driven decisions. Use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and email marketing reports to analyze your campaigns and understand what’s working and what’s not. Track key metrics such as conversion rates, click-through rates (CTR), and customer acquisition costs to make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources for the best return.

2. Refine Your Target Audience with Segmentation

Not all customers are the same, so why should your marketing efforts treat them that way? Segment your audience based on factors like demographics, interests, and behavior. This will allow you to send more personalized and relevant messages, which are proven to improve conversion rates. Tailored content and offers lead to higher engagement, translating into better ROI.

3. Optimize Your Website for Conversions

Your website is the heart of your digital marketing efforts, and it must be optimized for conversions. Use A/B testing to test different headlines, layouts, and calls to action (CTAs) to find what drives the best results. A streamlined user experience (UX) and fast loading times are also key to reducing bounce rates and improving your chances of converting visitors into customers.

4. Focus on Quality Content Over Quantity

Creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience is more important than churning out tons of posts. Well-researched, engaging, and informative content tends to perform better on search engines and social media, driving organic traffic. Rather than focusing on sheer volume, invest time in creating content that answers your audience's pain points and showcases your expertise, ensuring higher engagement and ROI.

5. Use Retargeting Ads to Convert Warm Leads

Retargeting ads are a powerful tool to boost conversions and ROI. By showing ads to people who have already interacted with your website or social media profiles, you can stay top of mind and encourage them to complete a purchase. Since these individuals have already shown interest, the chances of conversion are much higher, making retargeting one of the most cost-effective ways to drive revenue.

6. Implement Email Marketing Automation

Email marketing automation can significantly improve your ROI by allowing you to nurture leads more efficiently. Set up automated email sequences that engage your leads based on their actions, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading an eBook, or abandoning a cart. Personalized follow-ups and targeted promotions increase the likelihood of conversions and can lead to higher customer retention rates.

7. Optimize for Local SEO

Local SEO is a goldmine for businesses that rely on local customers. Make sure your business is listed on Google My Business, and ensure your website is optimized with local keywords. Include your location in title tags, meta descriptions, and content to increase visibility in local search results. Local searchers are more likely to convert into customers, so improving local SEO can significantly boost your ROI.

8. Use Social Proof to Build Trust

People trust other people, so use social proof to boost credibility and drive conversions. Display customer testimonials, reviews, and case studies on your website and social media channels. User-generated content (UGC), such as photos and videos of your products in use, can also build trust and help convert prospects into customers.

9. Capitalize on Influencer Partnerships

Influencer marketing isn’t just for big brands. By collaborating with micro-influencers who have smaller, niche followings, you can reach a highly engaged audience at a fraction of the cost. Influencers can help you promote your products authentically and boost your credibility, which can lead to increased sales and improved ROI.

10. Prioritize Mobile Optimization

With more consumers shopping and browsing on mobile devices, optimizing your website and ads for mobile is essential. Ensure that your website is responsive, loads quickly, and provides a seamless user experience on all devices. Mobile-friendly websites lead to better engagement, higher conversions, and ultimately, improved ROI.

Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced digital world, optimizing your digital marketing strategy is key to achieving a higher ROI. By leveraging data, targeting the right audience, optimizing your website, and utilizing tactics like retargeting, influencer partnerships, and email marketing automation, you can significantly increase your marketing effectiveness and bottom line. By focusing on these digital marketing hacks, businesses of all sizes can see more significant returns on their investments and stay ahead of the competition.

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#digital marketing #digital marketing hacks #social media marketing #search engine optimization

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joshuajamesposts · 8 months ago

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How AI is Revolutionizing Digital Marketing Tools in 2024

wanna know How AI is Revolutionizing Digital Marketing Tools in 2024 look no futher . in this blog i have outlined the perfect way to help you know the insights of ai revolutionizing digital marketing tools in 2024

introduction

The digital marketing landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace, and artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this transformation. As we step into 2024, AI-powered tools are revolutionizing how businesses approach digital marketing, offering unprecedented levels of efficiency, personalization, and insight. In this article, we'll explore how AI is reshaping digital marketing tools and why incorporating these advanced technologies is essential for staying competitive.

The Rise of AI in Digital Marketing tools in 2024

AI has become an integral part of digital marketing strategies, with 80% of industry experts incorporating some form of AI technology in their marketing activities by the end of 2023. This trend is only expected to grow as AI tools become more sophisticated and accessible.

here's the top must have digital marketing tools in 2024

Stats & Facts:

Adoption Rate: By 2023, 80% of industry experts were using AI technology in their marketing activities (Source: Forbes).

Market Growth: The global AI in the marketing market is expected to grow from $12 billion in 2022 to $35 billion by 2025 (Source: MarketsandMarkets).

Enhancing Personalization

One of the most significant impacts of AI on digital marketing is its ability to deliver highly personalized experiences. AI algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to understand consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. This allows marketers to create tailored content, recommendations, and offers for individual users.

Example: E-commerce giants like Amazon and Netflix leverage AI to provide personalized product recommendations and content suggestions, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates. According to a study by McKinsey, companies that excel in personalization generate 40% more revenue from those activities than average players.

Stats & Facts:

Revenue Increase: Companies that excel in personalization generate 40% more revenue than those that don't (Source: McKinsey).

Consumer Preference: 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences (Source: Epsilon).

Improving Customer Insights

AI-powered analytics tools are transforming how businesses gather and interpret customer data. These tools can process and analyze large datasets in real-time, providing deep insights into customer behavior, sentiment, and preferences.

Example: Tools like Google Analytics 4 use AI to offer predictive metrics, such as potential revenue and churn probability. This helps businesses make informed decisions and refine their marketing strategies.

Stats & Facts:

Predictive Analytics: Companies that use predictive analytics are 2.9 times more likely to report revenue growth rates higher than the industry average

Data Processing: AI can analyze data up to 60 times faster than humans

Automating Routine Tasks

Automation is another area where AI is making a significant impact. AI-driven automation tools handle repetitive tasks, freeing up marketers to focus on more strategic activities.

Example: Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp use AI to automate email campaign scheduling, segmentation, and even content creation. This results in more efficient campaigns and improved ROI. In fact, automated email marketing can generate up to 320% more revenue than non-automated campaigns.

Stats & Facts:

Revenue Boost: Automated email marketing can generate up to 320% more revenue than non-automated campaigns

Time Savings: AI can reduce the time spent on routine tasks by up to 50%

Enhancing Customer Service with Chatbots

AI-powered chatbots are revolutionizing customer service by providing instant, 24/7 support. These chatbots can handle a wide range of queries, from product information to troubleshooting, without human intervention.

Example: Companies like Sephora use AI chatbots to assist customers with product recommendations and booking appointments. According to a report by Gartner, by 2024, AI-driven chatbots will handle 85% of customer interactions without human agents.

Stats & Facts:

Interaction Handling: By 2024, AI-driven chatbots will handle 85% of customer interactions without human agents

Cost Savings: Businesses can save up to 30% in customer support costs by using chatbots

Boosting Content Creation and Optimization

AI is also transforming content creation and optimization. AI tools can generate high-quality content, suggest improvements, and even predict how content will perform.

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Example: Tools like Copy.ai and Writesonic use AI to create blog posts, social media content, and ad copy. Additionally, platforms like MarketMuse analyze content and provide optimization recommendations to improve search engine rankings. According to HubSpot, businesses that use AI for content marketing see a 50% increase in engagement.

Stats & Facts:

Engagement Increase: Businesses using AI for content marketing see a 50% increase in engagement

Content Generation: AI can generate content up to 10 times faster than humans

Enhancing Ad Targeting and Performance

AI-driven advertising platforms are changing the way businesses target and engage with their audiences. These tools use machine learning algorithms to analyze user data and optimize ad placements, ensuring that ads reach the right people at the right time.

Example: Facebook's AI-powered ad platform uses advanced algorithms to target users based on their behavior, interests, and demographics. This results in higher click-through rates (CTR) and lower cost-per-click (CPC). A study by WordStream found that AI-optimized ads can achieve up to 50% higher CTRs compared to non-optimized ads.

Stats & Facts:

CTR Increase: AI-optimized ads can achieve up to 50% higher click-through rates

Cost Efficiency: AI-driven ad platforms can reduce cost-per-click by up to 30%

Predictive Analytics for Better Decision-Making

Predictive analytics powered by AI enables marketers to forecast trends, customer behavior, and campaign outcomes. This allows for proactive decision-making and more effective strategy development.

Example: Platforms like IBM Watson Marketing use AI to predict customer behavior and provide actionable insights. This helps businesses tailor their marketing efforts to meet future demands. According to a report by Forrester, companies that use predictive analytics are 2.9 times more likely to report revenue growth rates higher than the industry average.

Stats & Facts:

Revenue Growth: Companies using predictive analytics are 2.9 times more likely to report higher revenue growth rates

Accuracy Improvement: AI can improve the accuracy of marketing forecasts by up to 70%

Enhancing Social Media Management

AI tools are revolutionizing social media management by automating content scheduling, analyzing engagement metrics, and even generating content ideas.

Example: Tools like Hootsuite and Sprout Social use AI to analyze social media trends and suggest optimal posting times. They also provide sentiment analysis to help businesses understand how their audience feels about their brand. According to Social Media Today, AI-powered social media tools can increase engagement by up to 20%.

Stats & Facts:

Engagement Boost: AI-powered social media tools can increase engagement by up to 20%

Efficiency Gains: AI can reduce the time spent on social media management by up to 30%

The Future of AI in Digital Marketing tools

here's the top must have digital marketing tools in 2024

As we look ahead, the role of AI in digital marketing will only continue to expand. Emerging technologies like natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and advanced machine learning models will further enhance AI's capabilities.

Example: AI-powered voice search optimization tools will become increasingly important as more consumers use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for online searches. By 2024, voice searches are expected to account for 50% of all online searches.

Stats & Facts:

Voice Search Growth: By 2024, voice searches are expected to account for 50% of all online searches

NLP Advancements: The global NLP market is projected to reach $43 billion by 2025

Conclusion

AI is revolutionizing digital marketing tools in 2024, offering businesses new ways to enhance personalization, improve customer insights, automate routine tasks, and optimize their marketing efforts. By leveraging AI-powered tools, businesses can stay competitive, drive higher engagement, and achieve better ROI. As AI technology continues to evolve, its impact on digital marketing will only grow, making it an essential component of any successful marketing strategy. Embrace the power of AI and transform your digital marketing efforts to stay ahead in the ever-changing digital landscape.

#digital marketing #ai tools #digital marketing tools

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starseos · 9 months ago

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The Art of Pinterest Marketing: Boosting Your Brand's Visibility

Pinterest, often overshadowed by larger social media giants, offers a unique and potent platform for brands seeking to amplify their visibility. Unlike the ephemeral nature of many social networks, Pinterest acts as a visual search engine, where content longevity and discovery potential reign supreme. Mastering Pinterest marketing involves more than just pinning pretty pictures; it’s about understanding the platform's ecosystem, leveraging its features, and crafting strategies that resonate with your target audience.

Understanding Pinterest’s Distinct Ecosystem Pinterest operates fundamentally differently from other social media platforms. It is a discovery engine that focuses on visual inspiration, where users actively seek ideas for future projects, purchases, or lifestyles. This intent-driven behavior makes Pinterest an invaluable tool for brands looking to capture interest at the beginning of the customer journey.

Visual Search Engine: Pinterest’s advanced visual search capabilities allow users to find similar items and ideas through images, not just keywords. Brands must ensure their pins are visually appealing and searchable to capitalize on this feature. Evergreen Content: Unlike the rapid feed churn of other platforms, Pinterest pins have a longer lifespan, continuing to drive traffic months or even years after they are first pinned. Crafting High-Impact Pins To harness Pinterest’s potential, creating high-impact pins is essential. Pins should be visually captivating, informative, and aligned with your brand's aesthetic.

Vertical Orientation: Pinterest favors vertically oriented images (2:3 ratio), which stand out more in users’ feeds. Rich Pins: Utilize Rich Pins to provide extra details right on the pin itself. These include Product Pins, Recipe Pins, Article Pins, and App Pins, each offering additional functionality and information that can entice users to click through. Eye-Catching Design: Use high-quality images with clear, compelling text overlays. Make sure your design elements are consistent with your brand identity to create a cohesive presence. Optimizing for Search and Discovery Pinterest’s search functionality makes it critical to optimize your pins for discovery.

Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords in your pin descriptions, titles, and boards. Think about what your audience might search for and use those terms strategically. Hashtags: While not as prominent as on other platforms, relevant hashtags can enhance the discoverability of your pins. Board Organization: Create well-organized boards that reflect different aspects of your brand or product lines. Use descriptive board names and include keywords to make them easily searchable. Engaging with the Pinterest Community Interaction and engagement play a crucial role in amplifying your brand’s visibility on Pinterest.

Pinning Strategy: Consistency is key. Aim to pin regularly, mixing your own content with curated pins from other sources to keep your boards fresh and engaging. Collaborative Boards: Join or create collaborative boards where multiple users can contribute. This can expand your reach by tapping into other users’ audiences. Engage with Followers: Respond to comments on your pins, follow other users, and engage with their content. This not only builds a community around your brand but also boosts your visibility through increased interaction. Utilizing Pinterest Analytics Pinterest Analytics offers insights into how your pins are performing and how users are interacting with your content.

Performance Metrics: Monitor metrics such as impressions, saves, clicks, and engagement rates. These indicators can help you understand which types of pins resonate most with your audience. Audience Insights: Use analytics to learn more about your audience’s demographics and interests. Tailor your content strategy to align with these insights, ensuring your pins are relevant and engaging. Leveraging Pinterest Ads Pinterest Ads can significantly boost your brand's visibility by promoting your pins to a larger audience.

Promoted Pins: These are regular pins that you pay to appear in more prominent positions. Promoted pins blend seamlessly with organic content, making them a subtle yet effective advertising tool. Targeting Options: Pinterest offers various targeting options, including interest targeting, keyword targeting, and audience targeting, which allow you to reach users based on their behaviors and preferences. Integrating Pinterest with Overall Marketing Strategy To maximize the benefits of Pinterest, integrate it into your broader marketing strategy.

Cross-Promote: Promote your Pinterest content across other platforms. For example, share your pins on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to drive traffic back to your Pinterest boards. Website Integration: Use Pinterest's Save button on your website to make it easy for visitors to pin your content. Rich Pins can also enhance the user experience by providing additional context. Content Synergy: Align your Pinterest content with other marketing efforts such as blog posts, product launches, or seasonal promotions to create a cohesive marketing approach. Conclusion Mastering Pinterest marketing requires a blend of creativity, strategic planning, and engagement. By understanding Pinterest’s unique ecosystem and leveraging its features effectively, brands can significantly boost their visibility and drive meaningful engagement. In the realm of visual discovery and inspiration, Pinterest stands as a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audience, foster lasting relationships, and ultimately, drive growth.

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joyxjwang · 11 months ago

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How to build brand mythology for D2C brands?

In my VC career before Sloan, investing in D2C was an investment thesis for many VC investors. The driving powers of that trend include the high flexibility in manufacture, the slow innovation in product design from the incumbents, and the booming social media and efficient digital marketing allowing new brands to accumulate customers with less resources.

I have made several investments in this field, and looking at their growth trajectory, I still have confusion about how can those new brands build mythology via what kind of communications with the customers. I raise this question because, as startups, most of the energy from the founding teams and the capital are allocated to the product design and manufacture and the digital marketing to drive sales and customer base growth. And the digital marketing channels for the e-commerce merchants are mainly Amazon and social media such as Tiktok and Facebook. Amazon is such a pain for them because the platform recommend mechanism doesn't help with the building of brand mythology at all. The differentiators of brands are not easy to stand out and only the price and some reviews are helpful for moving the needle. And for media like Tiktok, the marketing related videos have to attract audience attention within seconds, which is also not an effective way of the communication of brands with their target customers.

With all the frustration, most of the D2C brands are just focusing on selling, without knowing much about what does the customers profile look like and their behaviors especially in retention and churn rate, as well as the reasons behind. Most of the startups are hanging there as they still are able to drive the sales growth, but very few of them have built any brand equity. To put it in a very straight forward way, if they increase price to somewhere higher than the incumbents' comparable products, a great portion of the customers will go back to the latter very fast. During our discussion with the founders, I suggested them increase exposure in the offline, brick and mortar stores, which I believe is a way to increase the touch points and communication opportunity with the customers. But in markets like China, their target customers are making most of their purchasing online, and the costs in the offline channels are even higher than the online channels. Therefore, most of the D2C model companies are struggling, leaving investors like me doubting if they even have a brand. How should new comers in the market to build their brands, mitigating through the digital world?

#MITSloanBranding2024B

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matchagator · 2 years ago

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Inescapable Delusions | Ch. 6 | Explicit 21+

After an invasive evening of being sold and used for sexual pleasures, watch our characters gamble with their chance at freedom. Will they make it out of the circus, or find their inescapable fates?

*This is an explicit story. Minors do not interact*

{Summary:} Enter the House of Cards for an evening of countless wonders and jaw-dropping spectacles. While you become entranced in the various acts, take caution not to fall victim to the illusions or you may end up facing inescapable delusions.

{Main Pairings:} Animal Tamer Jeon Jungkook/ Original Female Character

{Rating:} 21+ Explicit Caution: Read Warnings

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Crime Circus

{Warnings:} Circus (no clowns), Smut, Abuse, Gaslighting, Rough Sex, Bondage, Rape/Non-con - Freeform, Angst, BDSM, Blood and Violence, Knifeplay, Crimes & Criminals, Sex Trafficking, Death Threats, Nudity, Stockholm Syndrome, Explicit Language, Manipulation, Possessive Behavior, Praise Kink, Abusive Relationships, Unhealthy Relationships, Secrets, Sexual Slavery, Prostitution, Tigers, Elephants, Animal Attack, Virginity, Bad Decisions, Banter, Manhandling, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Degradation, Coercion, BDSM Elements, Whips, Throat Fucking, Unprotected Sex,

One Week Later

“Great show everyone!” Taehyung cheered, escaping from the big top to happily greet the abundance of performers. He moved through the bustling rehearsal tent in search of Jungkook, his gaze stopping on the animal tamer as he assisted Sophie down from Stratus. “Jungkook, I need to speak with you.” He flicked his gaze towards the wide blue hues of Sophie for just a moment. “Alone.”

Jungkook nodded, handing his assistant the reins for his horse. “I’ll be right back.” He smiled charmingly, tipping her chin up with the crook of his finger before leaving her with a wink. He stepped off a few paces from the woman to meet the scrutinizing glare of their ring leader. “So, how can I help you?”

Taehyung crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze switching between the animal tamer and his lovely assistant. “How much longer until she’s ready? I keep getting requests for her and I have to unfortunately turn them down.” It was over a week since they brought the girls into the show and Jungkook insisted she was too inexperienced to please their customers. Taehyung had a feeling the magenta-haired man had other motivations. “You haven’t fucked her, have you?”

Jungkook kept his features light, trying to hide the whirl of emotions churning in his gut with the idea of Sophie, his diamond amongst beasts, as a common whore. He could only smile as if what Taehyung was asking was outrageous. “Of course not.” It was true in the sense, he had yet to defile her virtue, but that’s not to say it hadn’t crossed his mind. “I just need a little more time.” The time to figure out how to keep her all to himself like another one of his possessions to break and mold as he saw fit.

Taehyung lips pressed into a firm line, glancing around the area to see the other performers working hard to clean up after a successful show while Sophie stood by Stratus, keeping the large horse steady for Jungkook to return. “Fine, but just don’t forget why she’s here…” He warned, pushing past the tamer to unwind in the tranquility of his tent.

Jungkook peered over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on Taehyung’s back as he walked away. His features hardened as he watched the ring leader make his leave, his rage bubbling as he imagined another man touching what was his. Once he was a fair distance away, Jungkook turned his attention back to find Sophie patiently waiting for him. His stony expression melted into a smile, her innocent eyes blinking up at him as he returned to her side.

He gently took the reins from her hands, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist as he leaned down close to her ear. “I think you’ve earned another reward for your performance tonight.” He chuckled when her cheeks became flushed after realizing what he had in mind for their return to the private tent.

—

“Fuck…” Jungkook groaned from between Sophie’s thighs, his mouth muffled under the pressure of her pussy sitting over his face. He dipped his tongue back into her tight hole, holding onto her hips to drag her clit over his nose.

Her legs were tucked under his arms as she faced the rest of his body, taking in the view of his muscular legs as she took his cock into her mouth. She engulfed his length until her chin hit his pelvis and her nose brushed his aching balls. She popped off his dick for a breather, a trail of drool dripping off her bottom lip as his precum coated her tongue and slid down her throat.

Nights like these were becoming routine for the doe-eyed beauty and while she had many reservations about how often he made her pleasure him, she did find that his string of praise gave her a sort of giddiness she never felt before. His attention was unwavering and she realized that she craved his affection more than she was willing to admit.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaning down to wrap her lips around him again, but tossed her head back as he flicked his tongue against her clit. “Jungkook, oh my god.” She nearly collapsed as the muscle moved rapidly across the bundle of nerves, catapulting her to the top of her peak. She slowly swirled her hips, riding the motions of his mouth as she sat straight up and intertwined her fingers with his on her waist.

One of his hands slipped from her, burrowing between their flesh to reach her entrance and penetrating her vaginal walls with his middle and index finger. He pumped his digits into her pussy, savoring the way her juices drowned him in her ecstasy and her legs quaked around his head. “Yes! Oh god yes!” Sophie shrieked as she finally hit her high, a drawn-out moan ripping through her vocal cords as she tumbled back down to earth. Jungkook shamelessly devoured every drop until there was nothing left, his cock still standing tall and proud from making her cum so quickly.

He helped her off his face, taking large gulps of air as he sat up. Sophie went to kneel before him and work her mouth over his cock, but he stopped her, simply pulling her into his lap. “Don’t you want to finish?” She asked, wary of what he had in mind if not her mouth. She prayed he wasn’t thinking of penetrating her ass, she was not ready for that pain after experiencing the lashings.

“I do, I do, but…” He glanced down, using his hand to guide the head of his length to brush over her folds. “I really want to fuck you.” His eyes were heavy and glossy as he nudged her clit, causing her to gasp from the forbidden touch.

“You can’t.” She reminded him, knowing one of the reasons she wasn’t available to the public yet was because her virginity was deemed a rare commodity.

Jungkook pressed his finger over her lips, hushing her gently as he nuzzled his nose against her own. “I know, beautiful, but I’m gonna just put the tip in. That’s all.” He lifted his hips to grind her against him. “Don’t you want to feel me? Just a little?”

Sophie bit her lip, heat coiling in her stomach at the thought of feeling him inside her. She already enjoyed how he used his tongue and fingers on her, she could only imagine what his penis would feel like. “Okay, just a little.” She agreed, her limbs shaking nervously as Jungkook smiled at her.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek, moving his lips to her ear as he reached down to guide his cock to her entrance. “Such a good girl…just the tip.” He glanced down, enamored by the view of the head of his dick disappearing into Sophie.

She clung to his shoulders, lifting her hips as his bulbous head prodded against her tight entrance. She gasped when he tried to push into her, surprised by how full she felt with barely any penetration. “I’m nervous.” She admitted something feeling off as she tried to pull away.

Jungkook was quick to pull her back, soothing her by rubbing his hands up and down her sides. “It’s okay, take your time. Better me than some guy off the streets, right?” Sophie nodded, easing herself back onto his lap despite the uncomfortable poke of his dick against her thigh. He adjusted the tip back to her entrance, brushing her hair back as he whispered to her. “Just go slow and I’ll tell you when to stop, alright?”

She gulped, nodding her head again as she tested the waters by releasing some tension in her leg muscles to lower herself down on his length. At first, his dick seemed to push against her opening as if there was some sort of barrier between them, but as she went down further, the barrier snapped and his tip swelled against her walls. She froze from the sudden intrusion, her muscles tightening from fear as she adjusted to the sensation of his cock nestled inside her. “Is that it?” She asked, hoping that was as far as she needed to go.

Jungkook chuckled. “Hardly, but it’s a start.” His hands slid down to grip the flesh of her ass, sliding her down just a little more along his length. He bit back the groan grumbling in his diaphragm as her walls squeezed around him, suffocating his member for all its worth. “That’s better. Now, just move up and down slowly.”

Sophie followed his guidance with the extra support of his strength holding her from behind. She leveraged herself against his chest, sliding up on his cock and then descending back down just a little to feel a delicious taste of friction between her legs. “It feels good.” She whispered, feeling her nipples harden beneath her thin shirt as she moved over him.

Jungkook panted beneath her, his sanity fighting for control as delusion and need fogged his conscience. “You know what would feel even better?” He grunted, digging his fingers into her flesh to keep the pace slow and gentle.

Sophie didn’t respond, her mind too preoccupied with the teasing drag of his length along her velvet walls. She shuddered to think what would happen if she sat fully and allowed the rest of him to sink into her. However, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Jungkook placing her swiftly beneath him. He pushed into her further, causing her to push her hands against his chest in panic. “You can't,” She said weakly, unable to control the flutter of her pussy as he slipped deeper.

Jungkook could only smile as he gazed down at her, her hair splayed out against the comfort of his small mattress and surrounded by a variety of pillows. Her large doe eyes beckoned him like a siren, luring him into temptation despite the dangers that awaited him if he fell too far into her trap. He thrusted his hips firmly against her, taking delight in the pain-filled gasp that erupted from her lips as he leaned in. “It’ll be our little secret.” He sealed his lips over hers with a passionate kiss, working to ruin her for any other man who dared to look at her.

—

While Jungkook brazenly disregarded Taehyung’s jurisdiction on the matter of Sophie’s virginity, the various other harlots of the circus busied themselves with selling their bodies to the numerous buyers desperately seeking a night in their company. Sophie climaxed to the peak of Jungkook’s twisted devotion, while Anna sought to escape her reality by becoming lost in her thoughts.

Once her client efficiently got off, Anna quickly retreated to the showers, eager to cleanse herself of another round of senseless intercourse, thankful for a quick session tonight amongst others. Her skin rejoiced once being soothed from the scent of sweat and cum, thankful to find her solitude for the evening.

Since their failed attempts to escape, Sophie became isolated in Jungkook’s tent as his personal hostage while Anna remained secluded in the vacant tent of her punishment. Thankfully after the first evening, she was given clothes and a bed, slowly earning back basic necessities such as warm blankets and permission to rejoin the rest of the women in the food hall.

Once Anna was finished cleaning up, she made her way out into the large field that housed the various tents, following the crowd of women all seeking a meal to suppress their hunger from a day's worth of tedious labor.

She let her feet shuffle against the grass as she glanced up ahead to find Hoseok overlooking the stream of women seeking their compensation for a job well done. Just as Anna approached the illusionist, she noticed a woman with striking cheekbones smiling as she approached the terrifying brut.

“You never disappoint, Jessie.” Hoseok grinned, dollar signs practically illuminating themselves as the beautiful woman approached him with confidence in her every step.

“As always.” She hummed happily as Hoseok gestured off towards one of the holding tents.

“You know we love a happy client. Your dinner is waiting for you in your tent.” He spoke plainly, Anna’s interest piqued as she watched the woman illuminate at the thought of her meal. Jessie turned on her heel, swaying her hips as she trotted towards her quarters, eager for a moment away from the busy mess hall as she devoured her well-earned, decadent meal.

Anna dropped her stare, glancing around to see if she could find Sophie lingering anywhere. Since their escape, her doe-eyed best friend seemed to be held in confinement, constantly missing out on meals and socialization. Anna could only wonder what torment Jungkook was putting her through behind closed doors.

She continued on towards the cafeteria, a deep voice suddenly drawing her attention. “You!” Her eyes shifted up to find Hoseok’s glare, watching as he curled a finger to guide her closer to him. Anna paused momentarily, wondering if she should simply ignore him and seek out her meal, or if she should continue being complacent. She sighed as her need to be warm this evening hijacked her urge to fight, taking quick steps to join the illusionist.

“Yes?” She spoke softly, unable to help the slight sting of annoyance from accompanying her tone, leaving Hoseok to narrow his eyes.

“You’re not eating here tonight.”

Anna crossed her arms against her chest, ready to argue for her basic right to eat something to keep her strength. “And why not?”

Hoseok grew agitated with her insufferable determination, groaning as he motioned off toward Taehyung’s tent. “You’re eating with the ringmaster tonight.” He informed plainly, refusing to argue with her. Either she would obey his command or damn herself to a dull meal at the food hall.

Anna opened her mouth to protest, however, bit back her urges as she turned to face Taehyung’s tent. “Why?” She asked, only to turn back around to see that Hoseok was already walking away from her, eager to get away from her nauseating presence. Anna rolled her eyes, smacking her lips before letting a deep breath fill her lungs, building the courage to willingly seek out the most horrid personality in this hell hole of a circus.

She moved quickly, peeling back the entrance of his tent to reveal the vibrant collection of trinkets the ringmaster seemed to enjoy collecting. Anna hesitantly stepped inside, her irises scanning her surroundings as they settled upon a grand display of masks. She didn’t recall it from her first visit to his tent, the more social call giving her the time to properly adjust to the visual display of his quarters.

“And here I thought you wouldn’t join me.” She heard Taehyung’s deep voice echo from the opposite end of the tent and turned around to find him sitting at a small table with two dinner arrangements set on the table. He was freshly changed and washed, his hair still wet as the strands were slicked back out of his devilishly handsome visage. He gestured to the empty chair in front of him, laughing at Anna’s confusion.

“Much to my surprise, you’ve had a decent week.” He began, standing up from her chair to take taunting steps towards her. “I figured you’d be itching for a warm meal.” He added, reaching out to grab her hand as he charmingly guided her towards the table. Anna’s eyes widened as she saw the delicious array of fish and meats spread before her.

Her mouth salivated at the sight, the pleasant aromas swirling around her nostrils as she practically became feral at the idea of sinking her teeth into such a tempting meal. She allowed herself to be guided, taking the empty seat as Taehyung moved around to occupy the other.

Anna sat politely, waiting for permission to indulge as she watched Taehyung grab a bottle of wine from a chiller bucket, popping off the cork effortlessly as he poured himself a glass. He kept his gaze on the wine glasses, moving to fix her glass as his sharp stare flickered up to find her practically drooling over the sight lavishly displayed across the table, feeling her stomach rumbling from the hunger of not eating all day.

Taehyung smirked as he focused back on the merlot being poured, swirling it around in the glass before placing it before her. For a circus man, he surely indulged in the more eloquent side of life, his mannerisms reflecting that of a distinguished gentleman, despite his crude nature. “Go ahead.” He spoke softly, gesturing back towards the table with a tilt of his head. “You must be starving.”

Anna quickly lunged forward towards a plate of white fish, taking the entire offering and sliding it onto the plate in front of her, quickly grabbing silverware and cutting away at its flesh until she popped the warm seafood into her mouth. She let out a moan of satisfaction as the flavors danced along her tongue, a vast contrast to the bland food the women were served regularly.

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, draping an arm back around his chair as he brought his cup of wine up to his lips, swirling the liquid once more before tilting his head back to take a taste. Anna shamelessly continued to stuff her mouth full, her hunger causing her to completely avoid the matter of why he was being so kind to her all of a sudden.

Once the ache in her stomach settled, she began to slow the pace of her eating, chewing slowly as she glanced up at the ringleader. “What do you want?” Anna questioned, assuming a treat such as this wouldn’t come without a price.

Taehyung let a chuckle vibrate in his chest as he leaned forward to press his elbows into the table. “You do as you’re told, and you get rewarded.” He stated simply, thankful not to have to worry about the unruly brunette constantly causing a scene. “You’ll be returning to the holding tents tonight.” He added, lifting his glass to take another sip. Anna scrunched her eyebrows, stunned to hear that her isolation was coming to a close.

She peered up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. “And Sophie, is she returning?” All she wanted at this point was to see her friend and make sure she was okay. The only times they really came in contact over the past week were during the show performances. Unfortunately for Anna, Jungkook was constantly circling around her, almost refusing to allow her out of his sight.

Taehyung’s eyes shimmered in amusement, humming to himself as he thought back on Jungkook’s possessive tendencies. Since he joined their operation, the animal tamer held his beasts dear to his heart, rarely allowing anyone near them. Taehyung wasn’t surprised to see that his possessiveness had taken over his desires for Sophie. As long as he didn’t fuck her and remembered that she’d eventually be sold off just the same, he didn’t care how deep Jungkook fell into his compulsive need to control his animals, his assistant included.

“No.” He spoke sternly, knowing the pair of women were nothing but trouble to begin with. “It’s best Jungkook keeps her on a tight leash.” The amusement in his voice only darkened the atmosphere as Anna fell silent, troubled by the reality that she wouldn’t be reunited with the one person who could keep her sane in such an environment.

Anna shoved another bite into her mouth as Taehyung leaned back against his chair, spreading his legs out. “We have important guests attending tomorrow’s show.” His eyes narrowed as he glared down at the woman across from him. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what will happen if you act out.”

Anna paused mid-chew, swallowing harshly as thoughts of Taehyung and his men tearing her clothes off resurfaced. Her lack of response had Taehyung growing impatient, kicking his leg forward to hit her shin as she snapped out of her daze. “Do I?”

“No.” Anna cleared her throat, gritting between her teeth as she dropped her gaze back onto her plate. Taehyung grinned as he stood from his seat, downing the rest of his wine before moving to lie down across his bed.

“Good.” He hummed as he placed his arms behind his head, grabbing a trinket from beside his bed before tossing it up in the air and quickly snatching it out of the air. “Enjoy the rest of that meal…” He turned his head to peer back at Anna, far too content with himself. “Who knows when you’ll earn another.”

—

The subtle shuffling of the grass beneath Anna’s feet echoed around her as she dragged herself through the substrate toward the holding tents, seeking out her new bed back amongst society. Most of the women were still enjoying their meals at the cafeteria, leaving Anna with a moment of tranquility to mull over her night.

The feisty brunette’s belly was wonderfully full, a slight warmth radiating through her limbs from the accompaniment of wine with her spontaneous dinner with the ringmaster. While she hated the reality of submitting to such an alpha-like personality, she was thankful for the perk of delicious food and a space that was no longer isolated from the others.

Anna noticed Hoseok stalking her from afar as he kept a close eye, refusing to repeat of their failed attempt to escape. Anna shifted her eyes from the intimidating man before she walked toward the familiar vinyl of the tents, peering inside to see a row of beds lined up against the perimeter of the tent.

She walked in, glancing around until she noticed the bed that she occupied momentarily the first couple of nights of their arrival. There was another empty bed that had been Sophie’s, seeing it was clearly untouched since their attempt to escape. Anna only wondered what Sophie was putting up with while she was forced into isolation.

Anna stared blankly at the two beds before a slight shuffle from behind her caused her to spin around in a panic, worried she'd see Hoseok or Taehyung behind her. Thankfully it was only one of the other women, with striking facial features that caused her smile to swell against her eyes.

“You’re Anna, right?” Jessie spoke softly before moving to sit on the bed that was directly beside Anna’s. “Nice to have you back amongst society.”

Anna nodded, watching the woman carefully and recalling that she was the one who often received special dinners and extra privileges compared to the vast numbers of women at the circus. “Yeah.” Anna’s voice was quieter than expected as she moved to sit on her bed, thankful for the warm fabrics under her touch. “Did you enjoy your dinner?” Anna inquired, attempting to make small talk while being equally curious about what the woman ate.

Jessie’s smile tugged into a smirk as she recalled the delicious food she found herself enjoying on the regular. “I did. Seems like you also enjoyed yours given that you’re the only one back.” Jessie was a veteran of the House of Cards. She knew almost everything that occurred and had decent communication with Jimin and Seokjin. If someone was receiving something special, it was almost a given that one of the boys knew about it and shared the information.

Anna could only nod, taking a moment to process what to say since Jessie seemed to be close with the men of the circus. “Enjoyed the dinner but can’t speak much for the company.” Anna had a little more bite to her tone than she expected, glancing over at Jessie as the woman laughed in agreement at the thought of the ever-stubborn and manipulative Taehyung.

“I like you.” She grinned at Anna, enjoying the sassy brunette despite this being their first real encounter. “I try to avoid our dear ringmaster as much as possible.” She continued as her eyes scanned over Anna. “Thankfully, I do my job, he pays up, and leaves me alone.”

“Pays up?” Anna’s eyebrows scrunch together, not entirely sure as to what she was referring to.

“Yeah. We do our late-night calls and we get rewarded.” Jessie’s judgmental stare scanned over the newest brunette, recalling how much trouble she seemed to cause for herself. “You know, you’d enjoy yourself more here if you didn’t put up such a fight.” Jessie casually laid back against her bed, resting her arms behind her head as she peered through her lashes at Anna. “I’ve received designer clothing, cuisine from around the world…things I could’ve never gotten back in my old life.”

Anna was puzzled to see that Jessi enjoyed her time here, while she didn’t enjoy all of her customers, she embraced her new placement and was one of the best ladies the House of Cards had to offer. Anna couldn’t imagine ever being okay with being sold off night after night to verified men, expected to be nothing more than a glorified whore despite the lavish rewards they offered her.

“Well, this isn’t what I want. I was forced into this.” Anna’s anger began bubbling back, her fingers balling into fists as she attempted to keep her composure.

Jessie leaned up on her elbows, offering Anna a sympathetic look. “None of us did either, but life is harder on the outside.” Her features soon morphed back into her content smile, “Trust me. As soon as you embrace it, you’ll realize it’s not a bad life.”

“Yeah, unless you have a bad night where an old geezer expects you to pleasure him.” Anna’s eyes shot over to the entrance of the tent, noticing another woman walk in with beautifully soft features.

Jennie was returning from the cafeteria, a scowl tugging at the corner of her lips. Anna recalled her evening with the man she was sold to, vivid images of his creepy perverted grin causing a chill to take through her body. She glanced up at Jennie, rolling her eyes in agreement. “You can say that again.”

Jennie made her way to the bed across the tent from Anna, allowing herself to plop down onto her mattress as she brushed her fingers through her hair. “Who’s the girl that came here with you?” Jennie asked, motioning her head towards the still vacant bed beside Anna.

Anna paused for a moment, recalling how little of Sophie she’d seen since their attempted escape. They were purposefully keeping them apart. She followed Jennie’s gaze, noticing that Sophie hadn’t returned to her cot since that unfortunate day, curiosity taking over her as she addressed Jennie’s question.

“She’s my best friend.” Anna’s voice softened as guilt seeped into her heart. “I dragged her here for a night out. Wasn’t expecting all of this.” She gestured her hands out looking at all of the cots of the ladies of the night selling themselves for mere comfort and rewards.

Jennie let out a sarcastic laugh, moving to gather her hair up in a ponytail before moving her hair to the side to cascade over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry too much about your friend. She’s been quite comfortable.” Jennie couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Jessie sat up to pay attention to the bubbling gossip.

“What do you mean?” Anna’s features hardened at the thought of her friend, eager to learn more about her situation.

Jennie pursed her lips, surprised to know Anna was completely unaware of her best friend's current arrangement. “While we bust our asses to earn the bare minimum, your friend has been cozying up to Jungkook in his personal tent.” Jennie clearly had a tone of envy dripping from her every word as she watched Anna’s eyes carefully. “She hasn’t been sold once.”

Jessie watched the look of betrayal invade Anna’s expression as she turned to face Jennie. “I think that’s enough for one night. Leave the girl alone, she just got back from isolation.”

Jennie shrugged her shoulders, unsympathetic to her next words. “Whatever” Jennie stood from her cot as she moved around to retrieve some of her belongings to change for the evening. “Rumor has it, Jungkook’s been fucking her since day one,” Jennie mumbled, her frustration evident as she moved to peel her top from her body. “Apparently she’s in his good graces while we all squabble for any kind of attention.”

While Jessie was equally as aware of the unfair treatment of the newest recruit to their brothel, she was also aware that Anna was getting the short end of the stick from her constant retaliation. “I can’t say she’s wrong.” Jessi offered Anna a glance of understanding, watching as the stubborn brunette processed the information. Was Sophie really enjoying her time here with the man who originally caught her eye during their first viewing of the circus?

Anna simply laid back on her cot, desperate for a night of decent rest after the new discoveries of the evening. She was livid to know that while she suffered in isolation, Sophie was fucking the enemy on the regular, becoming just another piece of their operation. Anna let out a huff of annoyance as she closed her eyes, feeling her body become tense.

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