I held onto Madam's neck as she squatted, leaning over Michael, who was still lying on the floor with his face against it.
"I am the victim here," Michael raised his head, "suffering from neglect and abuse!"
Madam's palm struck the back of his skull like she was swatting a bug. His face smacked the floor again. "Crime for crime, you abuse my patience daily."
Instead of unlocking him, Gold used the key to tighten the chastity belt another notch.
Michael's whimper this time sounded real. He scrambled toward Madam on his elbows and wrapped both arms around her ankle, "Divorce! I want a divorce!"
"Even in death, you won't be free of me," Madam replied without warmth as she released my waist and gave a small tilt of her chin toward Gold.
I slid off her, and tiptoed toward Gold, who was waiting for me with his arms open. I climbed into his lap, sitting sideways on his thighs.
Gold was using his saliva to heal the tear around Michael's hole, caused by the toy's rough handling.
I still didn't understand exactly what Michael had done to earn this, only that Gold and Madam were angry enough to make an example of him. I hoped he would learn his lesson. Seeing him in pain made me wary of making them mad at me as well.
"What is divorce?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb Michael's punishment.
Gold's voice stayed low against my ear, "Parting ways forever. We no longer belong to each other, and we are free to find new mates."
I covered my mouth with my hands, shocked by the idea of Michael wanting to divorce Madam.
Once the worst of the tearing around Michael's hole was healed, Gold stood up, lifting me up along with the removed toy. He carried me to the sink set into the wall, which was far more convenient than the mountain sink we used to rely on, and set me on the counter.
While he rinsed the toy under the running water, he showed me how to twist the handles to change pressure and temperature.
I experimented, turning the flow from a thin trickle to a hard rush and back again, fascinated, while he scrubbed every surface clean.
Behind us Michael was still clinging to Madam. "Divorce!" he insisted. "I've suffered enough!"
Madam stood up, dragging him across the floor by the same ankle he had been hugging, "I will make you suffer more for trying to leave me."
Their words and their bodies contradicted each other: his words claimed he wanted freedom, yet his body clung to her; her words claimed she wouldn't let go, but her body ignored him.
At the sink, she stripped off her gloves and washed her hands in the same stream I had been playing with.
Gold finished with the toy and passed it to me. I grabbed the ends, turning it left and right. It was soft, bouncy, stretching under my touch.
"Do you want it?" Gold asked, a small smile on his lips as he picked me up from the counter.
I stopped stretching it, and blinked at him, "Can I?"
It would be such a nice thing to have. Fun to play with and...use.
"Of course," he caressed my hair, "You can have anything you want, even Michael."
I covered my smile with the toy, laughing through it. It made my voice sound funny, "Thank you...this is enough."
I didn't dare ask for more. I couldn't risk being like Michael, a male who could demand anything he wanted without fear of the consequences.
He was unique, entertaining, and had everyone's attention on him. We didn't stand on equal. If I was like him, I was afraid I would be disliked and probably end up dead.
"What's the program?" Madam dried her hands with a towel. Michael was leaning against her legs now, arms looped around her knees, cheek pressed to her thigh. She picked up his discarded pants and tossed them onto his face. "Get dressed."
Michael pushed the pants off his face, but made no effort to put them on. "What about make up sex?"
"Your ass had enough action for one day, and so did your mouth," Madam said, rejecting his attempt at seducing her again, "Wear your pants."
Only then did he obey. Once they were on, he stood close behind her, chest to her back, chin resting on her shoulder. "I was trying to get used to it for you. I even lubed myself before you arrived. Wasn't that sweet of me?"
"Sweet, but not necessary." She didn't push him away. Instead she tapped Gold's shoulder, reminding him of the earlier question.
"Clam farm," Gold answered, already moving toward the wardrobe. He pulled out a backpack for me to wear, "Then dinner, and a nice walk through the coral reefs."
The backpack was shaped like a sea shell, pink and sparkly, with smaller ones attached to it.
"That's my bag," Michael complained, and then gave me a twisted look.
Gold helped me put my new toy inside it, and then strapped the bag to my back, "I thought you hated it. You threw it inside the wardrobe the first time I gave it to you."
"Because you gave it to me as a gift, you wicked fish. Had you asked me to wear it, I would have worn it proudly."
While he complained, Michael helped Madam into a long black cloak and a mask, with carvings of various animals on it. It was black, like a dead tree bark. It covered her whole face including her eyes.
She looked mysterious and a bit scary. The cloak fell on the floor, covering her feet, the hood was deep, hiding her face.
I found it a bit difficult to see who she was when she wore it. The mask was like a wall, not letting her presence slip out.
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The path we took to the clam farm was full of colors, and the mermen were no longer blocking the view outside..
I was mesmerized by the luminescent corals and plants, the variety of sea creatures, and the way the light reflected on the ground, making everything shine like gems.
The path led to domes made of water. It was like a field of giant balls of water, with different colored and sized clams inside. The farm stretched as far as I could see. Endless.
Gold had cleared the mermen from this part as well, and we were all alone here. Or so I thought.
"I want that one," a voice that didn't belong to our group asked, and we all turned toward it. "I like the color. Why are we even looking at the other ones when I only like this one?"
"It belongs to our Leader, he will not give it away. We need to find one you like that's available. Let's go, we shouldn't be here. The leader will not be happy if he finds us."
"What's the point if I don't get what I want? I don't want anything else! This one, give me this one! Tell him I want it!"
"That's not how it works..."
"How does it work? Then make it work!"
From behind a giant white clam emerged a white haired female, her skin was as white as her hair, and her lips were blue. A thin layer of clothing covered her chest and lower body, the rest of her body bare. Her eyes were a deep, bright blue.
