Amiyah
The knock at my door came just as I finished tying up my hair. A tall, white box sat waiting for me on the stoop, its satin ribbon tied in a perfect bow with a card tucked inside. I already knew who it was from, Calla.
Inside was everything she wanted me in tonight.
A strapless blush gown that pooled like liquid silk when I held it up, the bodice ruched just enough to shape my curves without squeezing me, with a sweeping side drape that gave it a dramatic, almost ethereal flow.
At the bottom of the box sat a delicate lace mask dusted in crystals, a pair of Jimmy Choo Verity sandals in macaron, the softest, sweetest blush shade, and a tiny box that made my face heat just opening it, vibrating panties.
Her note was short and precise: Put it all on. Don’t think, just obey. James is covering your accessories. A car will be waiting at eight.
My doorbell chimed minutes later. James.
A velvet box this time, delivered by courier.
Inside glimmered a diamond set, earrings that caught the light with every turn, a choker-style necklace that felt both decadent and possessive when I clasped it around my throat, and a bracelet that winked with every move of my wrist. Together, it was enough to make me catch my own reflection and whisper, Damn, girl.
You look like a princess, which was fitting considering I was her Princess.
When the luxury car pulled up, its sleek black body gleaming like onyx, my heart was already pounding.
The venue was a dream pulled straight from the pages of a fairytale.
Midnight in Bloom. Thousands of flowers in every shade of midnight blue, amethyst, and ivory cascaded from gilded trellises.
Candlelight flickered in tall crystal holders, reflecting off mirrored tables lined with orchids and roses that seemed to glow under the chandeliers.
The air was sweet with blooms and buzzing with secrets, laughter, and the low hum of strings in the background. It was opulence with a pulse.
The usher led me to a long, curved table draped in rich velvet.
My heart nearly stopped when I saw them, Calla radiant in her gown, James in an all black tux that looked cut to his frame like second skin, Caleb flashing his easy grin, Yanna and Dana whispering something that made them laugh, Ajaih leaning back with a glass in her hand sipping delicately, Maverick brooding but magnetic, Knox polished and commanding, Ahmir looking like he belonged in a magazine or someone’s runway, and Calil and Lena tangled together like nobody else in the room mattered.
And then there was me, slipping into my seat on the other side of Calla. At the same time, James licked his lips as he watched my every move, heat crawling up my skin under the table, because I could feel the weight of their presence and the secret pressed against me with every subtle vibration.
Nerves twisted my stomach, but I refused to shrink. Not tonight, not anymore. The love blooming in me for both of them was too big to hide. If this gala was about masks, then mine was coming off.
The clink of crystal and the low hum of voices wrapped around me as I tried to steady myself in my chair. The room glowed golden under chandeliers, laughter bubbling from every direction.
Then it hit me.
A sharp pulse deep in my core, sudden and unrelenting. My back arched just enough for my breath to catch, and I barely bit back a gasp. Calla’s manicured fingers were casually adjusting the clasp of her clutch on the table, but I knew better. I shot her a look, and she smirked, slow and knowing.
She leaned in close, her perfume wrapping around me, her lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Breathe, Princess. James is in the same state as you; he’s wearing his own little toy tonight. A vibrating cock ring controlled by me.”
My eyes went wide, the words ricocheting through me like lightning. “Both of you,” she whispered, her voice soft as silk, but filled with authority. “Your pleasure is mine tonight. Because you belong to me.”
Heat surged up my body so fast I swore my chest was glowing through the diamonds clasped around my throat. My thighs pressed together under the table, trying to ground myself, but the next jolt rolled through me, and I knew my face betrayed me.
And just like that, I caught it, the glances around the table.
The crooked smile tugging at Caleb’s lips.
Yanna’s raised brow, Dana’s barely-contained laugh, Maverick’s sharp smirk as he tipped his glass in my direction.
Even Knox’s eyes glinted with the knowing that made me want to disappear and bloom all at once.
James sat impossibly still, his jaw clenched tight; the only giveaway was the way his hand flexed on the table like he was holding on for dear life.
I swallowed hard, my voice catching in my throat before I managed to steady it.
“I—uh…” My fingers tightened around the stem of my glass, knuckles white as I tried to speak to everyone, but the pleasure surging between my thighs was betraying me.
In this moment, all I could think about was hiking up this gown and bending over the table with my ass and pussy in Calla’s face and making her watch me come.
Calla simply leaned back in her chair, serene as a queen on her throne, sipping her champagne like she hadn’t just handed both James and me over to fire.
And in that moment, with the weight of every smirk, every stolen glance, I realized something undeniable: I didn’t care who knew anymore.
The next pulse tore through me so sharply I nearly dropped my glass. My nails tapped against the crystal to cover the sound that escaped my lips, but it was too late; half the table was watching me with open amusement.
Caleb leaned forward, grin wide and wicked. “Damn, Beautiful, you straight over there? You look like somebody just whispered sweet nothings and paid your bills at the same time.”
Lena choked on her champagne, laughing into her napkin.
Maverick smirked, swirling his whiskey slowly. “Nah, Caleb. That ain’t the look of bills being paid. That’s the look of somebody getting paid in… other ways.” His eyes flicked knowingly between James and Calla, and my face went up in flames.
James shifted beside me, his shoulders tight, jaw flexing hard. He hadn’t said a word, but I could feel the tension pouring off him, every pulse from his end controlled by the same hand that was unraveling me.
Yanna leaned across Dana, her eyes glittering with mischief. “See, this is why I love a masquerade. Y’all think the masks hide the secrets, but baby, the real fun is watching what people can’t hide.”
Dana snickered. “Mhm, and right now, Amiyah’s hiding about as well as a cat in a bathtub filled with water.”
Heat crawled up my throat, but before I could stammer out some excuse, Calla set her glass down with a delicate clink. She didn’t even look rattled, not an inch.
Instead, she smiled at the table, smooth and sharp all at once. “What’s life without a little tension?” Her gaze swept across Caleb and Maverick, daring them to keep poking. “Besides, I take care of what’s mine.”
That word, “mine,” hit me like a brand, and judging by the way James' hand fisted under the tablecloth, it seared him too.
Ahmir let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. “Well damn. Guess we all know who’s running this show.”
Maverick laughed, tossing an arm around Ajaih. “I mean… it runs in the family. Carter men stay getting claimed. First me, now James, guess we better get used to it.”
The whole table cracked up, and even Knox, ever the composed one, chuckled into his wine glass.
Meanwhile, Calla leaned back, serene and unbothered, her hand brushing lightly against my thigh under the table.
She didn’t turn the vibrations higher yet, but the threat of it lingered in the air, electric and heavy, while she basked in the knowledge that she had both James and me trembling in her orbit.
And me?
I lifted my chin, refusing to look away from the amused glances circling the table. They could laugh, smirk, and tease all they wanted. The truth was out, painted across every flush of my skin, every bite of my lip. I belonged to them, and I wasn’t hiding it anymore.
The laughter still rippled around the table when Calla shifted beside me, her hand casually brushing her clutch again. I felt it immediately, another jolt, sharper, hotter, that tore a gasp straight out of my throat.
The table went quiet for half a beat. Every eye turned toward me, and I knew I was caught. My chest rose and fell too fast, my grip on my glass so tight it was a wonder it didn’t shatter.
And then James groaned low under his breath, his knuckles slamming against the edge of the table as he tried to play it off as a cough. But the flush creeping up his neck gave him away.
The silence broke into stunned laughter.
“See!” Caleb shouted, pointing between the two of us. “I knew I wasn’t trippin’. Look at em’. Both of ‘em melting like butter in July.”
Yanna whistled, eyes wide and wicked. “Oh my God. She’s controlling both of them, definitely giving Mistress vibes,” she winked.
Dana fanned herself with her napkin. “Whew, I suddenly feel like I should tip her for the show.”
Maverick leaned in, his grin sharp. “That’s not control, that’s domination.” He tipped his glass toward Calla. “And I respect it.”
Arousal coiled around my body, not just from the vibrations but from the realization that Calla wasn’t hiding this; she was showcasing it, with pride. She was calm and commanding, and placed one hand on the table like a queen addressing her court.
“Absolutely,” she said smoothly, her voice carrying enough for everyone to hear. “Both of them. Their pleasure belongs to me tonight.”
The air at the table thickened. I could feel James stiffen, his body betraying him with every surge. My own thighs trembled beneath the gown. Everyone at the table smirked, but no one looked away.