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“This is Mary.” The Eminent introduces her, dipping his hand further down her shirt and over her breast. I notice him pluck at her nipple, making the other harden. She eats around his arm, unphased by the assault. “Alex is a faithful man… to the Assembly. Mary was once married to him, but he’s letting me borrow her.”
Someone in a red jumpsuit gasps, and I look up to see Lori, almost choking on my bite of fruit. She tries to reach for me, but two women hold her back, hissing something into her ear.
“And you know this one, I imagine,” the Eminent says. “Why is she with the servers? Get Disciple Frederick.”
One woman blanches before she bows and turns on her heel, uttering apologies. She returns with a man in robes and pulls out a chair. When he takes a seat, his eyes are wide with fear. They shove Lori to his side so hard her hands hit the table, shaking our plates.
“Frederick was so kind as to lend me his lovely daughter,” the Eminent says. “And I think… Lori is it?” She seethes in his direction, spitting venom with her eyes. “Is the best… consolation I can offer. Lori, have some pineapple.”
The two women pull back on her shoulders, and she slams into the seat with a thud. Frederick gives her a shaky hello, and the only person at the table unphased seems to be Mary. We’re all sitting in confusion, anger, and shock. The Eminent looks downright jolly, holding back laughter behind his evil grin. I can only squeeze Alex’s leg until my arm shakes, silently begging Lori to behave and play along.
“Tell me about your night, Alex?” the Eminent commands. He sits back and lowers his chin. “In great detail.”
Alex is silent, and I swallow another lump of pineapple down my throat, basking in the sweetness. The Eminent’s face hardens as the seconds tick by, and a woman trembles when she pours his water.
“Now, now, Alex,” the Eminent warns. “Don’t be difficult. We’re family and the head of this family—” He points to himself. “—wants to hear about your night.”
Mary tilts her head to Alex with a slight smile. She wants him to comply and considering his friend took a bullet to the head yesterday, I do as well.
He closes his fist at the table collecting some of the cloth and pulling my plate toward his. Redness creeps into his cheeks and Mary and I exchange worried looks when all he does is make a small grunt. I imagine a wild animal, readying himself to leap onto its prey.
“Disciple Alexander,” Frederick urges. “His eminency only wishes to know you are content and happy with the Assembly’s decisions.”
Alex snaps his head to Frederick, and his chair scoots back when he rises to his feet.
“He fucked me in the shower,” I blurt out, grabbing Alex’s arm and pulling him back down into his seat. He bends slightly but doesn’t move, gazing down at me, but I don’t look back at him. “From behind and then he… um, he picked me up — pinned me against the shower wall. He doesn’t want to upset anyone at the breakfast table, is all. Or… disappoint you.” I’m stuttering over my words, desperate for Alex to pull his shit together.
The Eminent smiles in Alex’s direction, and waves a hand for me to continue. Alex sits back down, placing his head in his hands.
“Please continue, my little rodent,” the Eminent urges. “It grows my appetite to hear of Alex’s conquests.”
I can’t tell if he believes me, but I don’t think it matters. He wants to torture everyone at this table and watch them squirm. That’s why we are all together, spinning lies that stab at the heart of the people that love one another.
“Before he came,” I continue. “He made me suck him off, and my knees still hurt from the hard floor. He couldn’t get it up again after that.” I stab another piece of fruit with my fork and notice Mary giving me a knowing smirk. “But it’s been a while so we’ll, um, keep going… next time.”
The Eminent’s one-sided smile is enough to let me know that even if he knows I’m lying, I haven’t enraged him.
“Excellent,” the Eminent says as I fill my mouth with the last of my fruit. “That pleases me. I’m not heartless, Alex. I want you to find enjoyment as I do with Mary.” He removes his hand from inside her shirt, and we continue the awkward breakfast.
Alex forces himself to eat, or act as if he’s eating, holding his silverware in closed fists. When the Eminent goes into great detail about his night with Mary, I notice a trickle of blood where Alex’s palm wraps around the silverware. I touch his wrist and take the utensil, replacing it with a napkin.
“You know what else would please me?” the Eminent asks. We all still ourselves, ready for the request.
“Touch her as I do Mary,” he orders. “See how it pleases a woman?” He reaches inside Mary's pants, and although I can’t see what he’s doing, I notice the quick rise of Mary’s shoulders when he enters her. She lowers them back, plastering a close-lipped smile on her face and staring at the wall behind us, disassociating from the moment.
“Touch her,” he orders again.
He knew I was lying.
Lori’s shocked face threatens to explode into anger at any moment, but she keeps her composure. I flash her a look while I take Alex’s wrist, unzip my jumpsuit, and shove his hand inside my clothes.
The sounds of eating cease across the room and even though no one overtly stares, they’re watching. Alex moves his hand down, and cups my sex, but his fingers stay over my panties.
Mary’s eyes widen, but it’s not with shock, it’s an ask. She tilts her chin higher, and Alex mimics the motions of sliding a finger in and out of me while the Eminent lets out a hearty laugh.
“You must relax, my little rat. In order to achieve orgasm,” he explains. He talks as if he’s the master of women’s pleasure, and without his guidance, we’d all be lost down here, unable to please ourselves.
Heads turn, unable to ignore our actions, desperate to see the show. I take in a breath and close my eyes. The soft moans that escape my lips are mostly fake. I can’t ignore that Alex’s touch brings me some pleasure and my gasps sound real to the adherents that surround us. I can only hope the Eminent agrees.
