Imperial

––––––––

I didn't want to look. I didn't see want to see anymore of this place. The moans never stopped, the heavy breathing and loud throaty growls continued to plague my thoughts and infiltrate my brain.

I wanted to throw up.

Music began to play, filling the room with strums of a violin and the thick chord of a cello. There was this strange mix of sex and soft classical tones, mingling in my gut and making my heart vibrate with every beat.

“Don't be afraid. . .” His words weren't soothing.

“Remember, things aren't always as they appear.” How would that make me any less anxious about what was coming?

I was taken, bound, forced to hear sounds that weren't right, screams that bled acts of torture, not pleasure.

How can I survive this?

A loud voice echoed overhead, forcing my eyes to open. The stage was lit up bright, twinkling under the single spotlight.

“Welcome, I know you're all ready to get your hands on what we have to offer tonight.” A man in a charcoal black suit and florescent yellow tie threw his hand up in the air, smiling from ear to ear.

The room exploded in deep grunts and hollers as men cheered in every direction. Some jumped to their feet and pumped their arms, others stayed seated, just holding a small paddle and smirking with a grin that was vile.

What the hell is going on? What the fuck is this?

“Yes, yes,” the announcer said, flapping his hands to settle everyone down. “And we'll get to that soon enough. But first, how about a little playtime?” Winking, he stepped to the side and fanned out his arm.

The room fired up again with claps and cheers, yelps and barks. Taking a moment to look around, I let my eyes drift from side to side. I was stunned.

On my right, a man was laying back in his seat with his hand rested on the back of a woman's head, and she was sucking him off. His eyes rolled in his skull as her head bobbed up and down, throating his cock.

To my left, another man had a woman bent over the seat, her ass splayed out for anyone in the room to see. His pants were around his ankles as he stroked himself, while his free hand teased her clit, slipping into her sex and then circling her asshole.

Holy fucking shit. . .

All around me I heard sex, moans, the sounds of bodies as they slapped together unrestrained. I didn't know what to think  or what to do.

I wanted to look away, I wanted to cover my eyes and stop watching something that was meant to be private, meant to be done behind closed doors. But I couldn't.

It was like driving by a horrible accident and knowing you shouldn't look, but you do anyway. I was mesmerized, drawn in by the allure and taboo nature of everything I was seeing.

Machi's palm pressed into the center of my back, scratching his fingertips up and down my spine. Tapping me gently on the shoulder, I looked up. His face was blurry at first as my eyes adjusted from the spotlight to the darkness behind me.

His face came into view, his lids heavy as he blinked with a slow nod and tender smile.

You want me to look?

Nodding again, he placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

He was telling me it was okay, that looking was allowed now. His eyes were giving me permission to explore, to take it all in, while his touch told me not to be afraid.

A tingle began in my lower belly as I watched the man beside us wrap the woman's hair around his fist and yank her head with a violent snap. Her back arched hard, mouth dropping open wide as she moaned.

She didn't seem to be in pain or fear, she didn't look like she was being forced against her will. . . From what I could see, she was enjoying herself.

The crowd started to cheer again, drawing my attention back to the stage. The man was gone, his presence replaced by a guy in a mask. The single light was now set on the board in the background, illuminating a woman.

What the hell. . .

She was confined to the board, her arms and legs drawn up and out, leaving her completely open and vulnerable. A red silk blindfold covered her eyes, her body bare, exposing every inch to the massive group filling the seats.

Squeezing Machi's leg, I pressed up onto my knees to get a better look. He didn't speak, he didn't whisper words of comfort or assurance into my ear. He held me as his hands curled under my arms, lifting me up onto his lap.

Wrapping them around my waist, he rested his head on my shoulder and stared at the stage. I wanted to ask him what was going to happen, what that man was going to do to her, but I didn't. I sat in silence, just watching, waiting to get the answer myself.

The woman's head rolled to her shoulder as her back bowed, lifting off the wood. The masked man stepped closer, pulling his cock from his pants and stroking it.

Touching her softly at first, he gently dragged his fingers over her chest, circling her nipples and trailing his hand down her belly.

The woman moaned as her nipples stiffened and goosebumps broke over her skin. I couldn't stop from feeling aroused as I watched the reaction of her body. She was caressed and teased, rocking and shifting in a way that welcomed his hands.

Licking her throat, the man squeezed his cock firmly. He was hard, his muscle thick and throbbing as he pumped it from base to tip.

My body was responding, it was turning from cold and stale to hot and zealous. My nipples perked, rubbing against the thin fabric of my bra, my sex was starting to warm, wetting my panties.

I never thought watching someone else explore another would have that type of effect on my body, but it did.

What is wrong with me?

I should be angry, I should be disgusted.

My brain was trying to remind my body that this wasn't what it should be feeling. That I was here against my will and pleasure wasn't allowed; only it wasn't working.

The longer I watched, the more I surrendered to the swell in my lower belly. Every touch he gave her, every moan she exhaled, the hotter I felt. My body tingled, forcing a chill around my thighs, coalescing to a throb in my sex.

Unclasping the woman, he flipped her to her stomach and trapped her arms again. Pulling a paddle out from behind the wood, he whispered something into her ear and stepped back.

What's he doing?

I watched her closely, looking for a reaction, anticipating shock and uncertainty to stain her face. But it never came, she smiled with large red lips, nodding to him in agreement and pushing her hips out.

Releasing his cock, he gripped the paddle in both hands, holding it out to his side. My eyes grew wide, chest pitter-pattering with anticipation.

He was going to hit her, he was going to spank her and smack her with his wooden hand.

I sat frozen, locked in a state of shock, desire, need. . . I was excited, I was getting turned on. I was ready to see more.

Machi spoke low, whispering into my ear so only I could hear him. “See her, Imperial, really try to see her.” I attempted to look back, but he stopped me, returning my face to the couple. “Just watch, and don't think about it, just take it in. It doesn't have to be pain, nothing has to be, not if you welcome it in.”

The man threw his arms forward and a loud smack rang out across the room. The woman yelled, but not a scream that was filled with hurt. She was smiling, she was grinning with each hit he gave her.

I lost count of how many times he struck her with the board, but on the last one, he threw the paddle to the floor. I could hear him grunt as his body jerked forward, gripping his cock again.

Stepping behind her, he spread her ass, slamming himself deep inside. The woman moaned as her head rolled back, laying against his chest. Digging her nails into the wood, she arched her back hard, bucking her hips.

I felt my pussy as it dripped and my hips start to rock back and forth just watching him fuck her. Every ounce of rational thinking had vanished, leaving me weak and intoxicated. It felt like I was high, riding this wave of ecstasy I didn't understand and couldn't climb off of.

I enjoyed the show.

Machi's hands worked over my thighs, stopping just before he crested my mound. I didn't stop him, he had halted on his own. My body fell still, waiting to see what he would do, aching for him to keep going.

Don't stop. I'm giving you permission, I want this, I need this.

He had read my mind before, could he read it now?

Sliding down to the heat between my legs, he cupped my sex. And I opened up, inviting him in.

Rolling my hips, I ground down into his palm, giving into the moment, giving into the sheer weight of arousal that had taken hold. Even if I wanted to say no, I don't think my body would have allowed it.

Every inch of my skin was tingling, it was charged like a live wire, crackling with feral need. Enticed, exposed, intoxicated; I was everything all balled up in an unraveling knot, begging to have that last string pulled free.

Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back on his chest as he massaged my pussy. His hand didn't slip inside, it stayed on the fabric, allowing that space between us.

That one choice he made, that single line he didn't cross, sent my heart spinning inside my chest. He could have done anything he wanted, even if my words weren't allowed and my legs were sealed up tight; he could have forced me, he could have taken control and used his size against me.

But he didn't.

Trust was not easy to give, but if he could hold back, if he was able to control his impulses; trust was something I might be able to explore.

I felt his lips on my neck as he exhaled into my hair. Sliding his other hand up my belly, Machi gently draped his fingertip over my nipple. Plucking the hardened bead, he moaned into my ear as his hips shifted beneath me.

His cock was hard, rubbing against my ass. The muscle pushed against his jeans, trying to break free. But he didn't take it out, he didn't try to penetrate me or relieve himself.

Machi just let me ride his hand, he never attempted to force anything, allowing me to have the moment, to be the one to make the choice to accept or deny.

Butterflies rumbled in my belly as the buzzing in my clit forced my stomach to clench. The orgasm was rising, spreading, taking me inch by inch as it devoured my body.

Prickles ignited over my skin as my back arched, driving my head into the nook between Machi's throat and shoulder.

“Let it come, let yourself enjoy this,” he whispered, flicking the tip of his finger rapidly over my clit.

“Mm,” I moaned, biting my lip and digging my nails into the top of his thighs. “Fuck, mm.” Quivers scaled up over my chest, hitting my arms and legs at the same time. I could barely think, I could hardly move as the orgasm settled like a cluster of butterflies all flapping their wings in my stomach.

Slipping his palms up my arms, he glided them into my hair, tangling his fingers around the strands. Touching his cheek to mine, I could see him smiling from the corner of my eye.

“Was that fun?” he asked, his teeth glistening behind a wide grin.

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to speak or not, or if that moment had come and gone. With the noises around us, I wasn't even sure if he heard the sounds that did escape my lips to begin with.

Shaking my head, I batted my lashes and ran my hands down my face.

“Good, I'm glad you liked it.”

The announcer stepped back on stage, smiling like a kid in a candy store. “Yeah, I know all you sick bastards enjoyed that. But let's get to the fun part, who's ready for what we're serving tonight?” Turning to the side, he held his arm out. “Meet the girls of the evening. All of our ladies are up for auction, no cap, no reserve.”

Did he just say what I think he said?

Six women stood side by side. Their faces were sunken in, their eyes tired and puffy, bodies ragged and covered in bruises. None of them looked up, none of them smiled or acknowledged the crowd around them. All of their eyes remained on the floor while their hands hung lifeless by their hips.

“Alright, gentleman, first up tonight is the lovely Ruby. Ruby here is more flexible than you'd know what to do with, she loves a heavy hand and isn't in the habit of crying out loud. Let's start with a grand, do I hear a thousand?” Looking out into the crowd, the man started pointing and rattling off numbers. “I got a thousand, do I hear two thousand? Two—three, do I have four?”

Confusion rattled my brain as I watched the announcer bark numbers and point into the crowd. He looked normal, he looked like a lawyer or business man going to a meeting in a boardroom. And yet, here he was, standing before a hoard of gargoyles and demons.

They're bidding on the women. . .

All these men are here to hopefully buy one of these women.

It made me question how many times I had walked past someone who might have been involved in this world. How many times did I serve and touch the money of a man whose hands had touched these walls?

The thought sent a shiver through my body and forced disgust to bubble up in my gut.

Yells and paddles sprung up in all directions, turning my moment of erotic exploration into unsettled nerves and shock.

An auction. . .

Is this really an auction for women?

Is this. . . Is this what he meant? Is this what he needs to get me ready for?

Twisting my head over my shoulder, I stared into Machi's eyes. I didn't have to ask out loud for him to know what was running through my head.

“Yes.” The single word hit me like a ton of bricks, it cut through my ears and sliced my heart in half.

All the pleasure I had allowed my body to experience was erased, sending me down a spiral of dread.

I'm. . .

I'm for sale.