Twisted Oak: A Sexual Odyssey (41 page)

“Absolutely,” he agreed, placing his hand on my leg.

“Now, if we can just get Marie-Louise’s energy back in line, we’ll be ready for the rest of the journey.” She smiled and put her arm around Marie, who snuggled in like a child. “Neige, are you into yoga?”

“No, I’ve never tried it, but Mr. Delacroix says it might be a good idea.”

“It’s an excellent idea. We’ll have to get you started, but Marie tells me you’re leaving to go back to the city soon.”

“Yes, Friday, I believe, after we . . .” I was at a loss.

“After I collar you, my dear,” Mr. Delacroix said.

“Yes, sir,” I said.

Girl leaned over and kissed Marie’s head. “Would you like to help me make a flower garland for Neige? I noticed the wildflowers blooming along the road, the little white ones. They’d be perfect.”

“I’d love to,” Marie said excitedly.

“I wish I had known you were going to collar her, Mr. Delacroix. I’d have made a dress and brought a little something for the two of you.”

“I don’t think she’ll need a dress,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, I love that. Clothes are overrated. Any idea on the ceremony?”

“I have one or two,” he said. “We’ve decided on a private affair, just me and her.”

“How sweet.”

“Next month when everyone’s here, we’ll have a celebration. It’ll be Nezzie’s birthday, too,” he said, beaming. I felt proud to belong to him.

“This is such fantastic news. I can’t wait. It’ll be a grand party. I know everyone will come. Oh my god, what a rush.” Girl leaned back and laughed. “Marie, you can be my date.”

“I’d like that,” Marie said.

“Will you come back to Twisted Oak full-time?” Girl asked.

“We’re gonna figure that out as we go, but we’ll be here more often, I suppose,” Mr. Delacroix said.

Girl got up and walked over to the roses on the service table. “It’s not like the city, is it, Neige?”

“No, not at all,” I agreed.

“And New Orleans is such a great spot. You have everything there. It’s not like Baton Rouge.”

“Aren’t you happy in Baton Rouge?” Mr. Delacroix asked.

“Mr. Delacroix, don’t get me wrong. Mr. Ladnier, as you know, is a lovely man. He provides every comfort. But my darling, men his age are so droll. He’s become a workaholic, flying off to god knows where all the time, chasing this case and that.” She waved her hand as if a fly were buzzing about. “It’s refreshing to spend some time out here with Marie.”

“It’s the nature of the beast, Girl. Our work is part of who we are,” Mr. Delacroix said.

“Oh, I know, and he was like this even when he was young. I just wonder sometimes if he wouldn’t be happier in a simpler life. But then again, he wasn’t designed for simplicity, was he?” She smiled and turned around. “None of you are.”

“I suppose not,” Mr. Delacroix agreed, “but you are, and this is why we all love you so much.”

“That’s me, Simple Simon,” she sighed and turned to Marie. “Speaking of simplifying things, Marie, you’ve got an exciting time ahead of you.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Marie said.

“You’re gonna be your own woman, just like me,” Girl said with a smile. “You’ll be the master of your own destiny.”

“I guess so,” Marie said as if the idea of divorce was just now sinking in.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it and you’ll grow to love it.” She came back to sit next to Marie. “And who knows? You may find a new man, but you don’t
need
a man. You’ve got a lot to offer on your own.”

“I agree,” Mr. Delacroix said, “but all in good time.”

“Yeah, let’s not rush things,” Girl said. “Speaking of rushing things, I’m hungry. I didn’t have much time for breakfast this morning.”

“Thomas said lunch will be served soon,” I said. “Mr. Delacroix says you’re a vegetarian?”

“I have been for years. My adopted parents were farmers and I hated to see the animals butchered. I can get sustenance without killing,” she said with a shrug.

“She’s also a Buddhist,” Mr. Delacroix added.

“Yeah, so I don’t think it’s good for our journey, our karma, to kill anything on purpose,” she said. “Certainly if we don’t have to.”

“I’ve never met a Buddhist or a vegetarian,” I said.

“You get both in one shot with me,” she said with a smile. “They kinda go hand in hand.”

“Do your parents still live in California?” I asked.

“My adoptive parents are still there, yes.”

Thomas entered and cleared his throat. “Lunch is served on the veranda.”

“Thank god,” Girl said. “I’m famished, and your chef, Mr. Delacroix, makes the best food. It’s part of the reason I look forward to coming here so much.”

“Thanks, Girl. Thomas, make sure you let Chef know he’s appreciated.”

“So anyway,” Girl continued as we walked through the foyer and into the library, “my biological parents were migrant farm workers like my grandparents who went to Cali from Nebraska during the Dust Bowl. I was born in an artichoke field,” she giggled. “Anyhow, as you can see, someone who looks like me isn’t very fit for farm work. Apparently, I was always sick as a baby; allergic to this and allergic to that and breaking out in rashes and god knows what else. I don’t know how I got this skin and hair. My biological mother isn’t fair and my dad is Mexican. Must be some kind of recessive gene or some farm supervisor got hold of my mother, god only knows.” She waved at that imaginary fly again.

“If she looks anything like you,” Mr. Delacroix chimed in, “who could blame him?”

“Well, thank you, sir,” she said.

We went through the dining room and out onto the veranda. Thomas had set the table under the shade of the second-floor overhang.

“I kept us in the shade,” Mr. Delacroix said. “Nezzie has sensitive skin too.”

“I can see that,” Girl said, and sat with her back to the house. “So anyway,” she continued, “eventually the landowner and his wife took pity on me and adopted me. I was small. I don’t really remember being out in the fields, and my upbringing was very privileged. I went to the best schools and had a great childhood out there. I can’t imagine where I’d be now if my mother hadn’t agreed to give me up.”

“Funny how one decision can change so many lives,” I said. “So, how did you meet Mr. Ladnier?”

“I met him at Berkeley. I was poli-sci and he was prelaw,” she giggled. “He was so handsome.”

“So you were a student while you were hooked up with the doctor?” Mr. Delacroix asked as Thomas laid out a plate of warm French bread.

“Yeah, I met the doctor at a sit-in. I guess you can say I became a disciple, but not like Charles Manson,” she laughed. “God, everybody was crazy back then. I left campus and went to live with him and his people, but I had such a crush on Mr. Ladnier. The doctor couldn’t break me of it, so he sent me out to get Mr. Ladnier to live with us. We had a fun time for those few years, and then when Mr. Ladnier graduated, he asked me to get real and come out here with him. The rest is history.”

“Nezzie,” Mr. Delacroix added, “Girl and Mr. Ladnier have been together all these years, but neither has collared the other.” He turned to Girl and said, “I know how her mind works, so I thought I’d answer those questions for you.”

“Mr. Delacroix, as we practice the art of mindfulness, it’s worthy to note that the minds of others are rarely known or controlled, not unless we intend to bring suffering upon ourselves and others.” Her tone was grave. “If Neige Blanche has a question, she may ask.”

I was astonished at her ability to correct Mr. Delacroix without seeming to overstep her boundaries. It was clear that he respected her opinion, but his silence was notable and ripe with angst. Girl did not give him time to react and I realized her visit might be good for the both of us. She addressed me next.

“Neige, marriage was never in the cards for me; not with Mr. Ladnier or anyone else. I’m just not the marrying type. Babies weren’t for me either. God knows Mr. Ladnier wanted to marry, but I declined. I’ve never been collared either, not even by the doctor. I guess I have commitment issues,” she giggled. “Mr. Ladnier and I are best friends to the end. He has his life and I have mine.”

“An independent spirit, as I said, Nezzie,” Mr. Delacroix added.

“Yes, Mr. Delacroix, I’m very much on my own spiritual journey,” she smiled. “We all are. I spent quite a bit of time in India last year, Neige. If I were tied down, those experiences would never happen for me.”

“I see,” I said. “So you belong to Mr. Ladnier?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes, but he also belongs to me. When I came here, he promised to look after me and I promised to look after him. We have our agreement. He and I will always be part of each other’s lives. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the man and I know he feels the same about me. I love him as you love your Ty. He was so kind to me and came into my life just when I needed him. My darling, there are no coincidences. We are all here together for a reason.”

“So,” Marie began, “all the things I’ve been through happened for a reason?” She looked at Girl with those round child’s eyes.

“That’s right, Marie. Our suffering is our growth. There is no growth without pain, my love. We hurt, therefore we live, and when we stop living to shut out the pain, we stop growing. Living in and of itself is an incredible act of courage.”

“I never thought of it that way,” I said.

“But it’s true when you really think about it, isn’t it?” Girl asked me. She was almost frightening in her cosmic frankness. “Do you really see Mr. Delacroix as just a happy coincidence? I think this is much more. Our paths bring us terrible suffering and incredible bliss. Follow it. Don’t shy away from it. It’s presented to you for a reason, the good and the bad. Marie, that goes especially for you, my dear one.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Marie said.

“Don’t call me that. It makes me feel old,” Girl said with a smile. “How did this conversation get so heavy?”

“You’re heavy, Girl,” Mr. Delacroix said as Thomas poured the wine. “There’s not a simple bone in that delicious body of yours.”

I wondered just how many times he had tasted it.

We took a walk along the bayou after lunch, Mr. Delacroix and I hand in hand and Marie and Girl arm in arm. I delighted in Girl’s ability to live her life in the moment. She was certain the universe would give her everything she needed to survive, and so far, she had been proven correct. She took joy in everything, from the birds and the grass to the clouds and the sky. She picked small white wild flowers as we walked and placed them in a basket Marie carried. Mr. Delacroix was right when he said she would lift our spirits. I would endeavor to be more like her and stop overthinking. As Girl herself kept saying, “It is what it is and what shall be.”

We entered the master suite, dark and closed up upon Jackson’s departure. “These rooms are gonna change right quick,” Mr. Delacroix said in his Southern drawl.

Marie, Girl, and I disrobed. Girl’s body, well maintained, seemed young and supple. I wondered if her vegetarian diet and yoga was the answer.

Mr. Delacroix bent to find the key in the dresser drawer in the black room. “Let’s have fun, ladies. I could really use a good show.”

“You’re not playing this time?” Girl asked.

“Nope,
femmes trois manières que j'observe
,” he said with a smile and led the way up the spiral staircase. “It’s time for me to relax and live in the now.”

He turned on the low lights above the large bed in the corner but kept the rest of the room black as pitch. The music and our voices echoed as if in a large space, but the blackness surrounding us made it seem as though we were in a small echo chamber.

“There are no rules, ladies, and the use of toys is completely permitted.” He turned a large cushioned chair around for better viewing. “Girl,
saisir l'instant
.”

Girl took my hand. “We are commanded to seize the moment. Our bodies are our temples of pleasure, Neige Blanche. Come on, Marie, let’s follow our bliss. Let’s go to the moon.” She laughed and pulled me down by the hand onto the soft mattress. Marie followed with a giggle.

Girl ran her hand through Marie’s hair and kissed her gently. “My Marie, you’ll know pleasure without a man.”

She took my hand and placed it on her breast. “Come, Neige Blanche,” her breathy voice said between kisses, “kiss me.” Our kiss was sweet and gentle. Her green eyes looked translucent in the red light. My fingers found her erect nipple and toyed with it. Her breasts were softer than Marie’s, round and full. Marie found the other with her mouth and sucked greedily.

“Oh, my girls.” She lay back to reveal herself. Her long legs spread open. Marie immediately went to work between her legs with her eager fingers, and I moved to suck on her breast. Girl’s hand found mine and held it gently, pulling it toward her mouth. She licked my nipple with her warm tongue before sucking it gently. Her touch, her feel, was nothing like that of the men. She smelled of flowers and earth.

Marie must have done something to make her groan, and she let go of my breast, pulled my face into hers, and kissed me hard. For as lithe as her build was, she was strong. Marie entered my peripheral vision and took Girl’s left breast in her mouth; out of instinct, I moved down to her right. I ran my tongue down to her eager hips, soft, long, and sweet. I heard Mr. Delacroix say, “Good girl, Nez.”

His words of encouragement and Girl’s reminder to follow our bliss echoed in my mind. I positioned myself on my elbows between her wide-open legs and began to do as Mr. Delacroix had shown me, licking her like an ice cream cone. She tasted like sea salt and butter.

I glanced up to see Marie straddling Girl’s face. Marie had such a great ass. I plunged my tongue into Girl’s wet, inviting vagina. Her hips lifted to meet me. I placed my hands under her ass and squeezed, licking her clit until she was on the brink. I looked up and saw Marie on all fours, with Girl’s hand inside her.

Mr. Delacroix held a large dildo out for me to use. “That’s good, Nezzie,” he said, and sat back down in his chair. I slowly inserted the dildo deep inside Girl and worked it back and forth and around. Her hips began moving wildly. I pushed the dildo in and out fast until I heard her moan.

“Neige Blanche, that’s perfect.” She kept her rhythm, accepting the tool deep into her.

“Oh, Neige, that was lovely, but you can’t allow me to take all the pleasure.” Girl nudged Marie aside. “You two young things need more. Let me try something.” She rummaged through the collection of toys on a nearby table near the basket of condoms. “Both of you go on all fours with your backsides to one another. Humor me and give Mr. Delacroix a thrill.”

Marie and I turned away from each other and went on all fours. I could feel Marie’s toes touching mine.

“Move closer, girls,” she said as she kneeled next to us. “Move closer so your thighs are next to one another like you’re gonna bump bums,” she giggled. “I wanna see you bump bums, don’t you, Mr. Delacroix?”

“Oh yes, Girl, make them bump bums.”

Marie and I backed into one another and bumped our rear ends together. “That’s so cute,” Girl squealed, making Marie and I laugh at one another. I felt Marie bump me again so I bumped her back in a playful manner.

“Okay, girls, hold still, close your eyes, and open up for a big surprise.”

I stayed still and closed my eyes. Marie was giggling. I felt Girl’s hand on my buttocks. A wide, long dildo slid into me and I let out an audible yelp.

“Hold still, Neige Blanche, and let me finish the surprise,” she said.

I did my best not to wiggle. I heard Marie let out a gasp.

“Okay, my young things, bump your bums and fuck each other.”

I rocked back and forth and I felt Marie moving as well. The challenge was to figure out a rhythm so that we could mutually enjoy our shared toy. When it finally came, we rocked into each other so the double-headed dildo would move in and out of our bodies. I could hear Marie breathing in an attempt to maintain the rhythm so I joined in. Mr. Delacroix was at the edge of his seat, sitting on his hands. I enjoyed performing for him.

“Come on, Nezzie baby,” he said, so I moved quicker, making us lose the rhythm for a moment, but Marie soon picked up her pace and we rocked on in ecstasy. I felt the invigorating waves of orgasm begin in the center of my body and I started to shudder with excitement. “Here it comes, Nezzie, I can tell,” he said.

Girl was coaching Marie in a similar manner and I heard Marie begin to moan. The sound of her voice made my orgasmic wave move quickly to my extremities, all the way to the bottom of my feet. I let out a long groan and knew I could not hold it off any longer. I came fast and it lasted a long time. Marie pushed into me and me into her, gouging that glorious tool deep. It was an amazing feeling to orgasm with another woman. I fell to my elbows and Girl took the dildo away, leaving an empty space of dazzling pleasure.

Mr. Delacroix continued to sit at the edge of his chair, ever observant. Marie leaned back on her elbows. I crawled to her and kissed her open mouth passionately, and we fell together on the soft mattress. Her hand moved to my crotch, searching for my opening. My mouth found her nipple and my hand found her vagina. We stayed this way, moving our hips with one another until we finally settled into a new level of contentment.

“Oh, miss,” she said to me, “you’re beautiful.”

“So are you, Marie, so are you.”

The rest of the world disappeared. We fell into a kiss.

I felt Mr. Delacroix’s hand on my bicep, pulling me off Marie without a word. His hand seemed rough in comparison to the women’s. I longed for the soft sweetness of their touch as he dragged me across the expanse toward a dim red light.

“Sir,” I began.

“Not a word, Nezzie, not a peep, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” As my eyes began to adjust to the low light, he wrapped my head in a thick black blindfold. I stood vulnerable, naked, and blind, but I trusted him as he bound my wrists in front. He pulled them tightly together with rough leather, and that familiar pleasure and disgust mixed in my body and mind. I moaned audibly and let my mind go. I was his object to do with as he pleased.

“Quiet.” He secured my hands to something above me. “Stay fucking still.”

The feeling of blind disorientation was dizzying. My heart raced with a twinge of panic. My breath became ragged and shallow and I feared hyperventilation.

“Breathe, Nez, ya gotta breathe.”

I felt him back away from me. I knew he was waiting for me to breathe normally. Standing there looking at me with eyes I could not see, he helped me come back to my center and breathe.

I know he knows what I like. I know he won't hurt me. The pain is for my benefit, it's for the best.

“Good girl,” he said as he turned me around slowly, wrapping me and binding me with thick straps. “Good girl, Nezzie, I love you. God, I love you,” he crooned as he continued to turn me, making me dizzy as he bound my torso. “Oh fuck, I love you.” He pulled the straps tighter, constricting my breasts, stomach, and pelvis. The pleasure pain began to set in.

“These straps are love, Nezzie. They bind you in love. I bind you in love. I love you.” He yanked tighter, making me gasp, but I worked hard to remain silent and still as he wished. His hands and breath were shaking.

He pulled the binding tight once more and buckled it around my hips. I was relieved he did not bind me between my legs like before, but I felt much more constricted this time. He untied my hands and let them fall to my sides, which made the straps dig into my armpits. He startled me when he abruptly lifted my body and set me down on my back onto something that moved. My head lolled back with no support. My thoughts went to Monique and her sailcloth. He secured my feet in stirrups, spreading my legs as wide as humanly possible, straining my hips.

“Oh yeah,” he panted and came around and pulled each arm back, securing my wrists behind me, leaving them hanging together, straining my shoulders. I could hear him breathing hard as he walked around me, inspecting his work.

“Oh god,” his voice shaking, “you are fucking stunning.” He grabbed my breasts, squeezed, and then pinched my nipples. “I love you more than anything. Thank you, Nezzie, oh god, thank you.” I felt familiar clamps tightening on each nipple.

His hands moved to my thighs. I could feel him line his manhood up with my open, accepting, wet vagina. Bound painfully tight, the aching in my groin for his entry heightened. Every move of my muscles accentuated my arousal. I began to fight against the bindings. The body orgasm wave enveloped me. My body depleted and my vagina dripped, ached, opened. I fell into my bindings and allowed all my pleasure to come to that point of entry, his port of pleasure, my pleasure pathway.

“Please, sir,” I whispered, “oh god, please.”

He held my thighs tight and bore into me. His voice cracked as he grunted. He dug deeper, grinding himself into me, groaning and pushing.

“I love you,” he moaned. “Jesus, I love you.” The deep pleasure pain intensified.

He pushed and pulled me, going in and out at will as he stood firm, groaning in an even tone of meditative joy. I gave myself over to the fullness of him in me, of me for him, the two of us in a moment of radiant existence, pure physical pleasure at the highest levels of human experience. Every inch of me was for him, as it would be for eternity. I disappeared in the moment as he disappeared into me.

We shared mutual climax with tears followed by bittersweet joy, breathing in time with one another, not wanting to break the physical bond.

“God, Nez,” he said as he pulled the blindfold off my head. “Jesus, I can barely stand.” He lifted my head up. “Let me get your ankles first.”

He made quick work of freeing my legs and helped guide my stiff hips and thighs back to normal posture. “You okay?” He came back around and untied my wrists, helping me sit. Gravity tugged at the nipple clamps. The chain was cool against my tummy.

“Yes, sir,” I smiled, “never better.”

“I’m so glad.” He stood in front of me, taking my hands in his. “Can you stand up?” He secured the swing so it would not move, making it easier for me to stand.

“I’m not sure, sir.”

“Then let me unbind you while you sit and gather yourself.” He loosened the clamps and pulled them, causing needle-like stings. He found the buckles on my belly and went to work unwinding the thick leather strap. The burning pain erupted and I could feel the redness coming to the surface of my skin. Thick leather bands on my wrists and ankles hid the marks that were assuredly there. The marks on my torso were hot and red, but my breath came easier. The air smelled of sweat, our love juices, leather, and him— my lord, my love, my savior to whom I’d give my body and soul. I began to swoon, so he caught me and laid me back in the swing. “Take a minute. There’s almost nothing left of you,” he smiled. “You’ve given me so much.”

“Thank you for allowing me the honor, my lord. You can take more if you like.” I attempted to spread my legs in the stirrups, but they felt like lead.

“Hush now,” he said as he pushed the sweaty hair out of my face.

Eventually, he and I gained enough strength to descend the steep spiral staircase. With the help of his strong arms and the solid, iron railing, we slowly made our way down the dimly lit passage to reality. He guided me to the sofa in our sitting room and kneeled in front of me. I held his head in my hands and faded to dark.

I awoke to the sound of tapping on the door. The room was darkening in the evening light and Mr. Delacroix was deep asleep, still sitting on the floor at my feet, his breath warm against my thigh. A small envelope slid beneath the door and footsteps faded away.

I still wore the leather straps around my wrists and ankles. My torso bore the marks of the afternoon’s activities and small bruises appeared on my thighs where he’d held them so tightly; more badges of courage. I was sore between my legs, but I was uncertain if it was from him or the dildo Marie and I had played with. My neck was stiff from the swing and from sleeping sitting up.

“My lady, my queen, are you still with me?” he stirred. “Am I still yours?”

“Yes, my lord, we’re still one.”

“Come, my love, let’s go to bed,” he said and stretched his arms.