Chapter 21: Carnelian

Alexis pressed the button for the doorbell and sighed as she adjusted her glasses. She wasn’t tapping her foot, but that was implied by the way she stood. Instead, she was tapping on her phone, quietly muttering under her breath.

“Come on, it was supposed to release at noon…”

The door opened, and a woman stood behind it with a warm, inviting smile.

She wore a white jacket, a brownish-red roman key pattern running along the end of both sleeves and down along the outside that then framed the opening where it parted to reveal a plumb dress with a tight, pencil skirt. Slits on either side revealed much of her thighs, and while the dress buttoned in the front all of them were tightly closed, hinting at none of the skin underneath. A brownish red stone sat in the center of gold, comprising a brooch with a ribbon that matched the gemstone hanging down the center of her body.

White hair fell messily over her face, and just past her shoulder. Somehow, messy as it was, it missed her eyes entirely. Even a glance would make it obvious that she was older than Alexis, but not by as much as white hair might have made it seem. The oldest she could be was another ten years—but likely much closer to five. Much like the brownish-red contacts she wore, it was obvious the hair color wasn’t natural.

She waited, maintaining her warm, pleasant smile.

Alexis continued to quietly mutter, not glancing up, and in fact raising her phone higher. “What kind of inspiration is this? And you call yourself a muse…”

The white-haired woman cleared her throat. Alexis raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look up from her phone. She cleared her throat again.

Alexis sighed, but kept her eyes downcast.

“I knew you were there, Min… but I was trying to see if you would introduce yourself so I could tell if you’re Minuette or Minerva…” Alexis grinned. “Wonderful, a countdown timer… but anyway… Everyone says they can’t tell you apart, but I’m betting it’s your voice that gives you away.”

“No one can tell the difference, because Mistress keeps us the same.” Min smiled, stepping back and gesturing into the manor behind her. “That’s why Mistress chose twins to sculpt for her attendants. Shall I lead you to her? She was just having a little swim…”

Alexis blinked. Her usual expressions of either bratty smugness or coy innocence both fell away to show an expression of guileless confusion. “You did tell her that I was coming… right…? I don’t want to interrupt her… in the pool…” Alexis swallowed hard, faintly shifting her weight between her feet in a way with far more awkwardness than she’d showed at any point with Michelle or her friends. Min nodded, her smile staying just as calm as before.

For a long moment Alexis remained still, and when she moved it was only to just step into the building. Min closed the door behind her, and then gestured for Alexis to follow her, but only took a few steps deeper into the house.

“Wait a moment…” Alexis cleared her throat. “Please.”

Min nodded, standing with her chest arched out the faintest bit, and her hands clasped

It was a large, sprawling structure. The floorplan looked largely open, showing a fireplace to one side, and a kitchen to the other. Women worked away in the kitchen, wearing tasteful black outfits as though they were working in a restaurant, though one with few guests that ordered a large meal to be prepared for later in the evening. Other women lounged in front of the fireplace, which on a closer look was just a screen, though it looked like it could have been functional. Women laid atop a sprawling fur rug in front of the fire, wearing little more than scraps of lingerie.

Small statues decorated here and there, often holding up a plant or being used to support some piece of modern art. All of the art depicted women, and all of the statues were women as well.

Twin busts of Aphrodite ended the handrail for either side of the slowly spiraling staircase that lead up to the second floor that looked every bit as open as the first.

After taking in the sights, Alexis whistled and turned back to look at Min. “Did she… get in the pool after I called, or was she already preparing to swim before I called…? It’s alright if you can’t answer—I’m never trying to make your Mistress upset with you.”

Min giggled, shaking her head. “I’m incapable of displeasing my Mistress. If she did not wish me to answer, then I would not… unless she wished to punish me! In that case, I would be happy to ‘disobey’ in order to receive her correction… but you are correct! Mistress received your call and my sister and I were ordered to help her prepare for a time in the pool when you would arrive. Are you displeased…?”

Alexis’s cheeks flushed, but she shook her head as Min tittered.

“No…! Not at all… but… go on, lead the way. I don’t… this is a new setup, for her. I didn’t know that she’d already moved in here… new digs…?” Alexis cleared her throat, doing her best to reclaim some lost shred of her dignity. Her mask of smug indifference returned, but Min’s amusement hardly diminished.

Min led Alexis against the wall near the fireplace before turning to the left, leading her down a hallway that was clearly mostly for storage purposes—possibly for the kitchen. “Mistress had been sizing up these accommodations for more than a year. The process of ‘moving in’ only started about two months ago.”

Alexis frowned, but did her best to only allow the expression to briefly grace her face. Min still giggled as she opened a door in front of some stairs. There was no way Min could have seen with her back turned, but the sound and timing was unmistakable.

“Unfortunately, Mistress did not leave you a swimsuit… but she has requested that I inform you that if you wish to join her, you may do so au naturale if you so desire.” Min gestured down the stairs, smiling brighter. “Please, by all means. Make your way down. I’ll be right behind you. She wished for me to be directly behind you when you see her.”

“Of… course.” Alexis tensed, careful to take every step down the stairs more hesitantly than she might have otherwise. About halfway down the stairs she could hear a distant sound of splashing water, and hear loud, cheerful, laughter. Min giggled behind her, but Alexis remained tense as she reached the base of the stairs. A plain wooden wall muffled the sound of splashing water, but a door opened inwards was not too far down the hallway.

Swallowing hard, Alexis stepped inside, and exhaled in relief with what she saw on the other side. The tension instantly drained from her tight shoulders.

Women in brownish-red bikinis of all cuts and varieties lounged on either side of the pool. Some wore sunglasses, almost looking as though they were attempting to sunbathe atop matching towels, knees lifted, backs arched despite the lights overhead clearly not designed to facilitate it. Others were applying lotion over barely-clad bodies, their eyes hooded low.

In the pool were currently only two women. One seemed in every way identical to the Min standing behind Alexis, though she wore what appeared to be a red t-shirt with every other inch being a clear, transparent stripe. She wore nothing under it, teasing at her dark nipples without clearly displaying them. Around her waist she wore a thong bikini bottom, tied on either side with cute bows that looked as though they pleaded for anyone to grasp and tug.

Swimming with her was an older woman with deep, dark black hair but for a lock of red hidden away inside of it. She wore a proud smile, and even as she gracefully swam beside the giggling Min she carried herself with a certain regality and class. Squeezed around her voluptuous curves, the mature woman wore a black one-piece that tied behind her neck in a halter, and crossed under her breasts only to hold tight between her legs.

Alexis stood with her hands behind her back once she was only a couple of short feet from the pool. She was still tense, but calmer than she’d been moving down the stairs.

Behind her, Min peeked around Alexis and waved to her sister who waved back.

As the woman in black spotted Alexis she swam up to the end of the pool nearest her, and crested the water before leaning against it with her breasts pushed up to the top of what her suit could wholly grasp and conceal. “Thank you for coming to visit me, Alexis. Did Minerva convey my offer to join me? Unclothed, of course…”

Alexis frowned at the name Minerva, before flushing, and then slowly nodding before shaking her head. She remained otherwise quiet, standing at attention.

“You thought I’d sent Minuette… but no…” The woman reached her hand out, ruffling the silver-white hair of the girl who surfaced to lean over the pool at her side. “Minerva felt more appropriate. It’s a shame you won’t join me. We’ve never been nearly as close as I would like. You could rest your head… right… here.” She gestured to the space just between her breasts, fingertips moving in a slow, tantalizing way that made Alexis quiver as she watched. ”You could just relax for a while, forget all about your responsibilities as a Weaver…”

“I-if you’ll excuse me, Miss Carnelian…” Alexis cleared her throat, flushing even more as she glanced down to the floor beneath her. “What kind of a Weaver would I be if I wanted to forget those responsibilities…? And I think we’re… very close. We’ve just never…”

Carnelian smiled. Somehow she made even an innocent smile with no grin, no hooded eyes, nothing particularly flirtatious seem so enchanting and alluring. “Never made love? Never woven together? I suppose we’ve still been quite close physically though. You’re such a serious woman, aren’t you? You act as if I’m trying to trick you into making some mistake. Minerva, did you threaten her at all?”

“Not at all, Mistress!” Minerva raised her hand in a mock salute. “I was even very patient as she looked at her phone instead of rushing down as soon as she could to—”

“Could you please stop?!” Alexis whimpered as she turned to face Minerva who silenced with a very sly, knowing grin spread across her face. Alexis turned back to Carnelian, clearing her throat again with a quiet sigh. “…Euterpe’s new single should be coming out soon, that’s all… But why did you call me over…? And why… are you here? When I was sent here for some routine infiltration and seduction I didn’t assume—”

“—You didn’t assume that I’d find out you managed to convince Harmonia that she should send you out here for more than a simple work trip.” Carnelian interrupted in a calm tone, and when she was done simply stared up into Alexis’s eyes.

The younger woman remained still and silent, but all of the tension she’d lost instantly returned and redoubled. Fight and flight were written clear as day across her features, her eyes darting about in a way that hinted at anything but comfort. She quickly glanced across the many lounging women, some who had been massaging before now having lotion applied to their newly glistening bodies instead.

Minerva remained behind her, eager and excited to do whatever was wished of her by her Mistress. Minuette half-lay against her Mistress, purring with hooded eyes.

Carnelian watched Alexis with a thoughtful expression, occasionally moving just enough to squish one or both of her breasts against the side of the pool. It drew Alexis’s eyes every time, though they quickly darted back up to her ruby-red eyes, or her ruby-red lips after a moment of diversion.

Each time Alexis’s gray eyes darted down, her cheeks were a little redder.

“I’m not angry with you, Alexis. I’m not sure why you think that I would be… but I’ve been told a guilty conscience is a dangerous trait to encourage. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is an area I was planning to take for myself and you didn’t bother to ask me, but you work under Harmonia and I’d hardly told her. Reaching out to ask me would be…” Carnelian gestured idly in the air. Her voice was only slightly gaining a sing-songy edge, just enough for any hint of flirtation to be far louder.

Alexis’s thighs squeezed together, and she nodded. There was a faint glaze to her eyes now, one that hadn’t been there when she’d arrived. Her breathing was quicker. She remained tense, but she was also slouched.

“You didn’t break any of the rules… yet… but I need to know why you’re here.” Carnelian sighed. With every syllable, every moment of her calm, relaxed speech the curvaceous woman continued to rise, to sink, to shift from one side to the other, to arch forward and back. The lights overhead, the glistening of her chest, every movement, it all amplified and boosted the raw feminine sexuality that resonated off of her “Because there’s a chance you did do something wrong, or were thinking of it. I wouldn’t need to punish you, just…” Carnelian gestured to Minerva. “Discipline you.”

Alexis licked her lips. A hint of Carnelian’s pale areola teased at sliding into view, just a hint of pink so slight. Though it was hardly visible, the waves of desire, of feminine urging, of longing, literally shone through the air and melted their way into Alexis’s gaze. When Carnelian swayed, Alexis swayed with her.

Invisible waves of lesbian desire formed a tunnel between Alexis and Carnelian’s heavy breasts, and the sight of their soft, smooth texture teased and squeezed its way on either side of her mind. When she moved her face, as though nuzzling at the woman’s chest, she could nearly feel Carnelian’s warm, slick skin.

It was even easier to feel Minerva’s strong hands grasping at Alexis’s arms with a grasp that was as tight as she usually seemed harmless.

“So, tell me, ‘lexi…” Carnelian’s voice lowered, and Alexis groaned as her eyes hooded behind her glasses. The moisture in the air covered them with a faint fog, but even that wasn’t enough to at all decrease the effect of Carnelian’s pure, raw appeal. “Why are you really here…? Did you find a college campus full of ‘experimenting’ women for us to weave… or was there more? Tell me the truth…”

“I-I…” Alexis whimpered. Her level of cognition was unclear. Though she struggled to move her arms faintly to little avail, her struggles quickly faded. Her expression slackened, and her eyes followed back and forth like twin metronomes as Carnelian shifted side to side in a calm, relaxed pattern. “F-family… c-came… to see her… College seemed… a good excuse… good resource… c-can’t let… another conspiracy get it first… couldn’t let it… get her if… we don’t establish a p-p-presence… ohh…”

Carnelian smiled and curled her finger, beckoning. Minerva stepped forward, pushing Alexis ahead of her. When they were just in front of her, Carnelian gestured down, and Minerva forced Alexis onto her knees. She groaned, but any struggle she would have had vanished the moment she was so close to the glistening sight of Carnelian’s breasts.

“Ahh… So you wanted to see her…” Carnelian chuckled, reaching out with slick fingertips to tease along the curves of Alexis’s cheeks. “Dangerous. A risk you don’t need to take… certainly not alone. But I suppose that you don’t want to be defined as mommy’s pet…”

“M-mommy’s… p-pet…” Alexis quivered, slowly shaking her head. Carnelian’s fingertips ran over Alexis’s lips, and they fell open with a deep, low groan.

Red eyes met, and wordlessly Minerva released Alexis’s arms.

“You worry far too much about the appearance of impropriety, of being gifted things you haven’t earned…” A single one of Carnelian’s nails teased up from the tip of Alexis’s nose to the place just between her eyes. Alexis’s eyes twitched, straining to close but unable to fall that last little bit. Her lips twitched. Her body shook. She groaned. Energy radiated rom the touch, energy that pulsed and throbbed into sensitive places in Alexis’s mind. “But you’ve proven yourself. You’ve given Harmonia a great many honors…

“But if family is so important to you…” Her nail slid down from Alexis’s nose, trailing past the corner of her lips, and under her chin, tugging her closer. Alexis groaned. “Then I’m going to… humbly request that Harmonia turn you over to my service, so that mommy can take care of you…”

Alexis whimpered, her whole body trembling. Every motion of Carnelian’s nail under her chin made Alexis squirm and arch harder, gasp and pant desperately for every breath.

“I would kiss you right now. Make you rest your head in my breasts, on my lap, and stroke this silly independent streak out of you… but…” Carnelian smiled, leaning forward until her nose rubbed along Alexis’s, their lips just barely not touching. Every breath she exhaled, Alexis felt it flow into her open mouth. “I love you, my dear daughter. You have asked for so little from me, and I wish that to change, so… If you ask me for what you truly desire… what you truly want… then I will offer it to you.”

“I… shouldn’t…” Alexis’s voice was barely above a whisper. Desire pulsed in every word. Lust, longing, and love echoed through her words. “M-mommy… I’m… not supposed—”

“—Hush.” Carnelian’s finger pressed to Alexis’s lips, and she instantly obeyed. “I did not ask for your thoughts on this matter. I made it clear what I want from you, and what you will achieve from it. Your disobedience means there is no way you’ll escape a kiss, but you should recover from that… quickly enough. Stop being so stubborn…” Carnelian’s smile softened, turning warmer as she leaned the faintest bit closer, noses brushing past each other so gently. “Ask for what you want.”

Alexis’s gray eyes no longer contained the sharpness of any clarity at all. She groaned, shuddering forward as her lips brushed Carnelian’s. They were so soft, so full, and the energy that crackled through them, the danger and the pleasure, it surged through Alexis and made her thighs clench and her nipples ache. Her scalp tingled.

The last of her lingering tight, anxious stiffness faded away.

Her voice, when she finally managed to speak, was soft, delicate, and fragile. “Please… G-give me… C-Claire… Want… her…”

“Of course, my sweet little daughter.” Carnelian chuckled with her lips pressed to Alexis’s just enough so she moaned with every movement that resonated with such lesbian desire it hammered at Alexis’s already softened mind. “How could I deny you anything… Now give your mommy a kiss… and we can forget these years of you avoiding my affections…”

“Y-yes… m-mother…”

It was a small act of defiance, barely enough to be worthy of a quick eye roll. The Mins made eye contact, glancing at each other with visible amusement. If it offended Carnelian, it did nothing to drain the passion her lips offered Alexis as she leaned forward into the kiss.

Alexis’s thighs clenched tight, her body shaking as her eyes spread open wider the longer the kiss lasted. Her mewls of pleasure grew louder and louder, sharper, more pronounced as the taste of deep, rich red teased through her lips, and squeezed around her mind. A loving embrace, warm, tender, nurturing yet possessive, drained at her strength.

When Alexis came, Carnelian guided Alexis head to rest upon her shoulder. Her wet fingers teased along the hair atop her daughter’s head.

“Now this embarrassment in front of my Mins wouldn’t be necessary if you just listened to me, sweetheart…” Carnelian chuckled as she kissed her daughter’s ear, wet lips giving a faint suck. Alexis quivered and groaned. “But I will allow you to have her… I’ve already assisted you by sharing with you my lathe… Who do you think had Harmonia inform you that your tasks here had changed…?”

Alexis groaned, too soft and quiet for even her mother to hear the faint hints of words.

Carnelian’s grin spread all the same.

“Some day, you’ll learn that mommy always watches, always knows, and in spite of everything…” Her lips pressed to her daughter’s ear one last time, her voice firm and warm as it was commanding. “She always loves you…”

An alarm rang from Alexis’s pocket. As eager as she’d been for the new single to drop, Alexis was now far too hazy to object as with one glance from Carnelian, Minerva reached into her pocket and deactivated it.