Message-ID: <53676asstr$1145941802@assm.asstr.org>
From: Shalon Wood <dstar@pele.cx>
Subject: {ASSM} Pandora's Box 17 (Mf Mff MMf rom ws exhib bdsm)
Lines: 294
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 01:10:02 -0400
Path: assm.asstr.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

Standard disclaimers apply; this story may or may not contain, in any
given part, graphic depictions of lesbianism, homosexuality, group sex,
bdsm, underage (teen) sex, magic, occultism, violence, and biting 
sarcasm.  If you're underage, or if for any other reason it's illegal 
for you to read this, or you're disturbed by the content, please don't 
read it.

Archived at http://pandora.pele.cx, and we've got a web-forum at
http://playground.pele.cx/forums as well, for discussion of both
Pandora and our other stories. 

Comments *greatly* appreciated.

Enjoy,

Velvet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


He found the neatly stacked instrument cases in the closet, some of
them as bizarre as what they were designed to contain, and had them moved
out when the girls returned. The white cat was riding on Pandora's
shoulders as if she were his personal butt bearer, a smug look on his furry
face.

Gabriel shook his head, smiling. "I have a feeling I'm going to be carrying
everything here."

"Huh?" Pandora looked blank for a moment, then said, "Oh, you mean Amadeus.
He _can_ walk, he just doesn't like to. It musses his fur." She smiled at
him, her face filled with affection and pride. "Isn't he beautiful?"

He nodded. "He is. And he's looking forward to the mice."

"What? Oh... but I hadn't asked yet...." She looked at the smug creature on
her shoulder with a touch of confusion.

"We had a talk earlier."

"You can hear him?!" A delighted smile rewarded him.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah. He wasn't too happy with the idea of me stealing his
human."

She giggled. "I guess I should have warned you. I've had him for three
years, since he was a tiny, _tiny_ kitten. His mother wouldn't nurse him,
and the breeder was just going to let him die." She bit her lip, reaching
up to cuddle the cat close. "Mom threw a fit... she wanted me to get one of
the show cats, of course. Not a runt. But... well... I talked her into it."

Tandi snorted. "Bribed her, you mean. I remember that talent show she made
you enter. And the guy who trapped you backstage and nearly raped you,
too."

Gabriel shuddered. "God."

Pandora looked down, giving a tiny shrug. "It was worth it. He needed me."

Tandi looked skeptical for a moment, then gave in and reached up and
scratched behind Amadeus' ears. "Eh. Maybe."

Gabriel shook his head. "So... how do these go in, anyway?"

Pandora smiled at him, then unwound the cat from her neck and set him on
the bed. She unlocked the case, and started showing him how to pack the
various flutes, pipes, and small stringed instruments. Some of the things
were quite odd... there was one which looked like two flutes stuck together
at the mouthpiece. Another was shaped in a loose spiral.  They'd packed
most of them when Tandi jerked her thumb at the wall and asked her sister,
"What about the Strad?"

Pandora bit her lip, looking up at the violin. "I... don't know. If they
come back and he's gone, they'd freak. But... I hate the thought of leaving
him here, too. He's so fragile...."

"Aw, go on and take it. You know you'd like to play it for him," Tandi
said, smiling. "Take your gypsy skirt, and hey, it'll be just like it was
for some ancestor... standing under the moon and playing for an elf-lord,
hoping he only takes her virginity and not her soul."

Gabriel shot Tandi a look. "I've already got everything I want. Well,
except the marriage license."

"Yeah... I'm curious how you think you're going to manage that. Unless
you're not familiar with the laws and actually think it's possible?" she
asked.

"I don't know." He sighed. "We may just have to wait a couple of years."

"So you weren't intending on knocking her up for it. Good."

"Tandi! Behave," Pandora said, standing up and stepping into the closet.
She took a case from the top shelf and brought it out. It was metal, shiny
and incredibly tough looking, with two built in locks and internal hinges.

Gabriel shook his head. "She's too young for that. Maybe in a couple of
years... I don't want her to get hurt."

Pandora lay the case on the bed and smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind,
really. It's not as if I'm not built for it," she said, patting one curvy
hip. "And that would _really_ get Mom to kick me out."

"Well, Amadeus thinks you'd make beautiful kittens," he said.

She laughed. "I hope he's wrong. Think of the poor doctor if I did!" She
opened the case, smoothing a bit of dust from the black velvet lining
before almost reverently reaching for the violin on the wall. She held it
for a moment, caressing the smooth wood, and the strings vibrated ever so
slightly, a faint, musical purr.

"Is that...?" he asked.

She carefully checked the strings, making sure they were loosened slightly,
before laying the instrument gently in the case.  "Isn't he _beautiful_?"

"Is that a Stradivarius?" he asked, voice soft.

She looked up, face soft and dreamy. "Mmm?" She smiled, closing the case
gently and spinning the little wheels on the locks. "Yes. He's not a Golden
period piece, of course. Even if they could afford it, I'm not willing to
do what it'd take to get her to spend _that_ much, but he's still better
than almost anything out there. He sounds so sweet, such beautiful
tones...."

He smiled. "Maybe in a couple of days you can play him for me."

Pandora smiled at him. "Anytime. He's one of my  favorites." Then she stood
and fetched the cases for her lap-harps.  "Tandi... will you take the
Egyptian out of the music room and put him in yours? He likes you."

Tandi looked startled. "You sure? I mean, he's your newest. I know you
don't like anyone touching them for a while."

"I know, but... he _does_ like you. He sounds prettier when you're
listening. And we don't have cameras on him yet like we do the King Louis,
so he's not safe out there, but I know he will be with you."

"Well... alright. Not sure how I'd explain it to Mom, though...."

Pandora grinned. "Tell her you're taking up music...."

"No _fucking_ way! Not when she might _catch_ me showing some bit of
talent, anyway."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow curiously.

Pandora laughed. "Just teasing. I know. But... it's still a shame. You
should at least be able to enjoy playing if you want to."

"Yeah, and someday I will. Just not when it might get me turned into an
exhibition piece like she did you," Tandi answered.

Gabriel nodded to himself, enlightened. "Is there a reason you don't want
to bring it with you, love?"

She smiled up at him. "It's too _big_, Gabriel. It's taller than I am."

Gabriel nodded. "Right. Well, um... we could get it after I get my new...
whatever I decide to get."

She tilted her head. "New what?"

"Well, I don't _fit_ in my car anymore. So I guess I need to get something
bigger."

"Ah. Yeah, I can see that would be a problem. Hmm... well... if you were
okay with, like, a van maybe? Or a truck with a covered bed. My two big
harps would fit in that."

"I figured we could check out a few of the dealers and see what they've
got," he said.

"That'd be nice. But we couldn't get it today, anyway... there wouldn't be
time. But maybe tomorrow." Pandora stood and tugged his head down for a
kiss. "Thank you."

They headed for the nearest truck dealer with only a quick stop at a
shoe-store for Pandora to run in and grab him their only existing pair of
size 13 extra narrows. They fit fairly well, but not quite right... the
proportions weren't designed for someone with an extra joint in his toes. 

The dealership wasn't crowded. Only a couple of other customers idly
wandered the aisles of shiny new trucks. It was less than a moment before a
salesweasel homed in on their scent.

The man's face brightened when he came close enough to get a good look at
Pandora. Before leaving her house, she'd changed into a pale green dress.
Its low neck and gauzy sleeves left a delicious amount of her upper body
revealed, and the short, lightweight skirt threatened to blow up with every
gentle breeze. However... she was far too young-looking to be making the
purchase. He turned his attention almost immediately to Gabriel with a
bright, professional smile. His faint orange and yellow aura still drifted
inquisitively towards the girl, though, even when he wasn't looking at her.
"Good afternoon! Can I help you folks?"

Gabriel smiled. "I'm in the market for a new vehicle. I've finally gotten
sick and tired of not fitting in my car."

"We can fix you up, no problem. You know what you're interested in? Or just
want to look and see what we've got?"

"The main thing is that it needs to be comfortable for me, and it needs to
have some cargo room." He gestured to Pandora. "She's got harps I need to
be able to transport."

The man's eyes lingered just a touch on her. While they did so, Gabriel
found himself hyper-focused on him, noticing every little movement. He
noticed the appreciative light in the salesman's eyes. He noticed the
quick, darting look at Pandora's left hand, hunting an engagement ring, and
the brightening when one wasn't found.	"We can easily accommodate both of
those needs. We've got some lovely full cabs in, with plenty of cargo-room
and custom fitted bed-covers, guaranteed weatherproof."

Gabriel looked at Pandora. "Do they need to be transported upright? Or can
they lay down?"

She smiled up at him and shook her head. "No, they don't have to stay
standing. They can lay down in their cases. It's best to have some extra
padding around, though."

Gabriel nodded. "Okay." He looked up at the salesman. "Let's look at them,
then."

Gabriel managed to hold his instincts under tight control while the man led
them to the different trucks. He still _felt_ the irritation, the
possessiveness, but he was pretty sure that not even Pandora could tell it
was there. He had no trouble finding a vehicle he liked that would serve
their needs well, an extended-cab truck,  and so they were soon ushered
into the building to fill out paperwork. He wasn't quite able to stop
himself from stepping between the salesman (who'd introduced himself as
'Brock' by that point) and Pandora when it was obvious the fellow intended
to hold a chair for her, though.

Pandora looked up at Gabriel curiously, and he pulled out the chair for
her. She sat, still looking at him with a bit of puzzled look, then slipped
her hand into his under the table, squeezing gently.

The salesman rallied brightly, taking the seat opposite them. "So. What
kind of financing are we looking at?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I figured I'd just pay cash."

"Ahhh... O-kay! No problem." Brock blinked, smiled, then began shuffling
paperwork, hitting a buzzer on an intercom while he did so. "This'll take a
little bit, just for the paperwork and insurance and temporary registration
and things. Would you folks like some coffee, or a soda?"

Gabriel nodded. "How about a soda for Pandora?" he said, without thinking
about how he knew she was hot and thirsty.

He smiled and ordered it over the intercom. Shortly, a pretty young woman
brought it and a cup of coffee she sat in front of Brock. She turned, a
perfunctory smile on her face, to ask if Gabriel wanted anything. Then her
eyes softened, going dreamy and sensual, and her smile grew much, much more
genuine. "Can I get you anything, sir? Anything... at all?" she practically
purred.

Gabriel pulled most of his aura back, taking care not to pull it
_completely_ back; he didn't want her to get suspicious when she suddenly
stopped being attracted to him. "No, I'm fine, thanks."

Pandora stiffened, her eyes narrowing. The woman straightened up, blinking,
and an embarrassed flush crept into her cheeks. "Of course," she said
hastily. "Feel free to ask if you need anything." She hurried from the room
as quickly as possible.

Gabriel glanced at Pandora sheepishly. "Sorry."

"So was she," she whispered, looking a bit embarrassed herself. "You saw
her face... now I feel like a bitch."

Brock handed him a sheaf of papers to sign.

"I wasn't paying attention," Gabriel said quietly, before looking over the
papers. He smiled and declined to request the highly-overpriced
accessories, politely refusing any attempts to convince him he needed them,
and signed only for the vehicle itself. Brock was heartbroken, of course.
But it was somewhat alleviated by the magic word 'cash'. All in all, the
transaction took about half an hour.

After all the paperwork was settled and cargo transferred from Gabriel's
trade-in to the new truck, it was still fairly early. Only about 4pm... too
early to actually hit clubs. Pandora cocked her head, looking at him
thoughtfully as they drove out of the parking lot.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you like this, you might want to take a look at Strange Love, an
e-zine of sf/fantasy/paranormal erotica. The first issue is on sale
now for $2 at:

http://strangelove.pele.cx

Take a look!

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <story-submit@asstr.org>|
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-admin@asstr.org> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr.org>   Hosted by <http://www.asstr.org> |
|Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+