{"id":255,"date":"2014-12-31T00:02:56","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T05:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/?page_id=255"},"modified":"2014-12-31T00:02:56","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T05:02:56","slug":"thats-harsh-a-marketplace-short-story-by-laura-antoniou","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/?page_id=255","title":{"rendered":"That’s Harsh! (A Marketplace Short Story) by Laura Antoniou"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>ebook $1.99
\nISBN 9781613900314
\n11,440 words<\/p>\n

[wp_eStore_add_to_cart id=75]<\/p>\n

The ebook edition is also available at: Amazon<\/a>, Barnes & Noble<\/a>, Smashwords<\/a>, Kobo <\/a>& AllRomanceEbooks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This short story about Robin, the main character in Laura Antoniou\u2019s The Slave<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, originally ran as a bonus story in the ebook edition of The Slave<\/strong><\/em>. Winner of the NLA: International Writing Award for best BDSM-positive short story of 2010, \u201cThat\u2019s Harsh\u201d tells the story of what happens when Robin\u2019s masters \u2014 a gay couple \u2014 decides to throw an all male sex and BDSM play party. Hint: Robin doesn\u2019t get sent on vacation. (Graphic sex, BDSM play, and boot worship ensue.)<\/p>\n

Hot excerpt:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust send her into the city for the weekend, I think she won\u2019t mind a day or two off,\u201d Jimmy said dismissively, as he checked off names on the invite list.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm.\u201d Eric didn\u2019t comment beyond that abbreviated sound, and that alone made Jimmy look up to check on his lover. Raul, smooth as ever, pretended not to see the silent communication between his owners. He set down fresh glasses of iced ginger tea for them, condensation already thick from the walk to the back deck from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well,\u201d Jimmy offered with a slight shrug. Of course, she\u2019d already had a day or two off, hadn\u2019t she, and not so long ago that everyone had forgotten it, either. \u201cWe\u2019ve never had a girl here for one of these parties, and it\u2019s been ages. You know some of the guys would just die if there was actual pussy around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, it\u2019s extra help. And if we kept her, like, behind the scenes? Made her support staff\u2026 production crew? It\u2019s not like we\u2019ll have her prancing around in that tacky lingerie. And she\u2019s hardly some big-titted cow, either\u2015put enough clothing on her and she\u2019ll just vanish.\u201d Eric sketched the vanishing act with one hand in the air and snapped his fingers at their house manager. \u201cWhat do you think, Raul? Can you do something with her and make her useful for the party without being the conspicuous cunt in a pack of pricks?\u201d He grinned at his own alliteration and Raul smiled appreciatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure we can do something, Master,\u201d he said. There was a slight gleam in his eye.<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

\u201cTighter,\u201d he said, and Carl grunted as he adjusted the bandages.<\/p>\n

\u201cOw!\u201d Robin complained. \u201cNow I can\u2019t breathe!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not required to,\u201d Raul said. \u201cNow let\u2019s try the shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robin slipped the T-shirt over her head and smoothed it down over her tightly bandaged breasts. Sure enough, she looked flat\u2015but also bandaged. The cotton bunched up over the layers of bandages and just didn\u2019t look natural or right in any way. Raul sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow what she needs? Compression vest.\u201d Steve, aka Muscledog, was the latest addition to the household and ostensibly the reason for the upcoming party.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Carl asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys wear \u2019em after surgery\u2015you know, liposuction, tit sculpting. They kinda press you in, but smoothly.\u201d He ran his large hands down his own well sculpted body. \u201cDude might be slightly out of shape, gets one to look better built, you know? So, get her a vest, and it\u2019ll be nice and smooth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raul nodded and slapped Robin on the ass. \u201cGet one of those. Oh, and while you\u2019re at it, figure out a way to get a dick in your pants that doesn\u2019t look like a dildo. Try some balled up socks or something, and let me see my choices. And remember\u2015you\u2019re tiny. Your dick should be, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s gonna look like she\u2019s fourteen years old,\u201d Carl commented as he watched Robin head off to find a place to purchase the garment.<\/p>\n

Raul nodded. \u201cSome of the guests will like that, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe too much. How are you gonna make sure no one grabs her as a party favor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot my job. The Masters will make it clear the new boy is off limits. I mean, the other<\/i> new boy.\u201d He winked at Muscledog who grinned happily. \u201cThis one will have them lined up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is harsh!\u201d the bodybuilding slave exclaimed.<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Preparation for the party was more than costuming, though. All together, there would be thirty-two guests for most of a day and far into the night. There were no scheduled meals, nothing to break up the potential for sex, play, or leisure time. Instead, Raul planned an ever-changing buffet of finger foods and barbecue. There would be four additional slaves borrowed from two of Jimmy\u2019s friends, just for non-sexual service. All of them would be assisting Raul with cooking and bar tending, and covering those times when Raul would be conscripted for his masters\u2019 pleasure. \u201cAnd that\u2019s another reason why I want you here,\u201d he\u2019d said to Robin as she struggled with the number of things she had to learn in order to be acceptable. \u201cFor all this time, I worked these parties and never got to play!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026 I\u2019m not going to get to play,\u201d Robin said with a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot my problem, sugar!\u201d<\/p>\n

Play was the whole point of the party. Bowls of condoms and piles of gloves and dental dams were procured, in both latex and nitrile along with bottles of several different types of lubricant and tubs of Crisco. Extra cushioned outdoor furniture was brought in, and hammocks slung from frames around the edges of the spacious acre behind the house. A sturdy steel frame was erected on one side of the pool, with bondage points, and another one mirrored it on the other side, supporting a sling of black nylon. Every whip, flogger, paddle and crop was brought out, examined for flaws, and cleaned or restored as needed. Electrical toys, cupping sets, a pirate\u2019s hoard of silvery or bronze-colored clips and clamps, and all the strange or rarely used implements of pain and pleasure were dragged out and placed into Carl\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

He was the one who went through the house, back deck, yard, and garden and found every space where bondage points could be made. He rearranged the furniture, and oversaw the placement of spanking benches, kneeling frames, and oddly shaped cages. Then he erected smaller racks for the toys, so no one would have to go far to grab something for impact, torture, pleasure, or penetration. Extra video screens were rented to show non-stop porn in almost every room.<\/p>\n

The side effects from all of this preparation were laughably predictable. The tight swimsuits favored by Eric and Jimmy as the preferred uniform for their male house slaves did not hide the steady stream of erections. Robin couldn\u2019t hide her stiff nipples against the thin Lycra of her running tops, either, but she did slip a panty liner into her shorts after finding herself far too wet for her own comfort. Then the Masters made things worse by commanding the slaves to torment each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo orgasms,\u201d Eric commanded. \u201cBut Muscledog, I want you sucking Raul and Carl hard, three, four times a day. Raul, I want you working on their tits, I want \u2019em sensitive and fucking huge by the party. Carl, every morning, everyone gets twenty-five lashes, and every night before bed, everyone gets ten on the ass with the leather paddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLashes anywhere, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, anywhere. And you\u2019ll work on Raul\u2019s tits. Jimmy will beat you whenever he feels like it, as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carl grinned at Raul who rolled his eyes. \u201cWhat about Robin, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric thought about that, staring at her. Robin blushed at the thought of this pre-party regimen and didn\u2019t know whether to hope she was included or hope she was left out.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, leave her tits alone, last thing we need is her nipples getting bigger.<\/i> But she gets beat on, too, every day. And she can suck Muscledog hard three times a day, too. Every morning, I want to inspect you all\u2015I want you sore and fucking horny, not bruised or battered. Got it, fuckers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, master! Yes, sir!\u201d They chorused.<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Yet another addition to the list of things that are hotter in books than in real life, Robin thought as she bent over for the second evening paddling. True, she didn\u2019t even feel anything from the morning flogging on her shoulders and back; Carl didn\u2019t thump her as hard as he did the male slaves, and she had rather enjoyed the feeling of the expensive moose-hide tresses. But the paddle, long and stiffened by something sewn between two layers of glossy black leather, stung as well as thumped. And she suspected that as with Chris\u2019s strap, the build-up of these evening beatings would be considerable.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know why they\u2019re bothering with you,\u201d Raul mused, as he tugged on Muscledog\u2019s clamped nipples. \u201cIt\u2019s not like anyone is going to see your little ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but she\u2019s got such a cute ass, I bet some of \u2019em will at least grab it or give her a spank over the jeans,\u201d Carl grunted as he swung.<\/p>\n

Raul nodded. \u201cYeah, I can see that. OK, Dog, up here and get me hard\u2026 again.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve the Muscledog grinned and licked his lips. \u201cHarsh!\u201d he barked, before diving in.<\/p>\n

Robin groaned as the leather paddle struck; she was right. It hurt more than it had the previous night. Her hips twitched involuntarily and she lifted one foot in the exquisite agony of arousal. Carl laughed in a good-natured way. \u201cCould be worse, sweetheart,\u201d he said. \u201cYou could have Raul working on your titties, too, and no way to come!\u201d He swatted her again, with enthusiasm, and she yelped.<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

In addition to the clothing, and how to lower her voice, and how to walk, and how to hide her hands, and other tips on how to pass, somehow, as a very young man, Robin had one more thing to learn as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I know how to polish boots,\u201d she protested to Raul.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, but you don\u2019t know shit about bootblacking. You think of it as getting the boots clean\u2015I\u2019m talking about a sex thing here. Every morning, start with Carl, for at least two pairs of shoes or boots. And in the evening, work with the Dog and let him show you how to make it sexy. I doubt he\u2019ll be allowed to bootblack for more than a few guys here and there, and it\u2019s the perfect way to keep you busy and dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took all of five minutes for Robin to realize Raul had been right. Of course, she\u2019d seen bootblacks working in leather bars\u2015it seemed something that went with the masculine atmosphere of beer, leather, cigars, and testosterone. And although she had some sense of the fetishism involved\u2015leather, feet, service, kneeling in front of someone\u2015she\u2019d never thought of it as a particularly sexual or even sensual act before.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, don\u2019t wear gloves, that just gets in the way,\u201d Muscledog insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the way of what?\u201d she asked plaintively, imagining the horrors of the deep black polish getting under her fingernails.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta really feel what you\u2019re doing,\u201d he said patiently, digging his fingers into a can of saddle soap. \u201cOK, so, you got the surface dust and dirt off with the first brushing, right? Now, we\u2019ll clean the leather. Take this stuff and just a little water, like this, and work it up to lather. Lots of guys won\u2019t need this; their leather is gonna be sharp. And really, if you have to clean \u2019em first, sometimes it\u2019s real hard to get a shine after. But if they\u2019re dirty, then first you cleanse\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Then you exfoliate, Robin thought with a sigh. Or moisturize. I\u2019m giving facials to boots. But it turned out the steps of bootblacking were similar to a facial\u2015and why not, it\u2019s still skin, she realized. Except I don\u2019t set fire to my foundation before putting it on. Muscledog liked to ignite a can of black polish to soften it before spreading it thinly onto a boot. Raul sniffed at that practice and called it showy and lazy. But Carl liked it. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with showy? Besides, the less she has to show she doesn\u2019t have the upper arm strength, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was useless, the boys agreed, to practice on empty boots. So every evening before she got her ten spanks with the leather paddle, she first knelt before one of them while they wore a pair of their own or one of the Masters\u2019 pairs of boots, and she worked her hands into soaps and polishes and leather conditioners. She used different brushes to remove dust or to buff to a shine; she worked greasy lotions into the seams and creases of old leather. She learned when to bring out the mirror gloss of a high intensity shine and when she shouldn\u2019t. Then, they brought out more pairs of boots for her to learn different lacing patterns as well.<\/p>\n

The aroma of the waxes, creams, and polishes seemed to hover around her as she slid between her sheets at night. The sharp bitterness of the inky polishes leavened with the pine scent of the shoe grease, and under it all the faint echo of leather. Despite herself, she found it tantalizing, curling one hand up against her mouth and nose to breathe in the scents of her labor. Now she understood why Chris\u2019s boots had that distinctive smell; he must have used some of these products. It was awful to lie there, her ass aching from the paddling, nipples erect despite not being teased by Raul\u2019s endless array of clamps and cups, and a taste of latex on her lips from the last chance every day to bring Muscledog to erection. That, at least, was easy. He sprang up at the slightest touch, and didn\u2019t mind at all that she was a girl.<\/p>\n

Deep inside, she resented that she couldn\u2019t serve along with the rest of them. I can suck cock! <\/i>she thought, curling on her side. And I know I have a tight ass, too.<\/i> God, to be just another body at the party, instead of the costumed, bound-up reject not allowed to do anything but polish boots.<\/p>\n

To read the rest, download the ebook today!<\/em><\/p>\n

[wp_eStore_fancy2 id=75]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ebook $1.99 ISBN 9781613900314 11,440 words [wp_eStore_add_to_cart id=75] The ebook edition is also available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo & AllRomanceEbooks. This short story about Robin, the main character in Laura Antoniou\u2019s The Slave, originally ran as a bonus story in the ebook edition of The Slave. Winner of the NLA: International Writing … Continue reading That’s Harsh! (A Marketplace Short Story) by Laura Antoniou<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":1086,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-255","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/255\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}