Kelly waited in her car for the others to arrive. She was a little early for the meeting tonight and didn't know how long the others would be. Selene had messaged via the harem chat to let her know they were on their way from campus. This whole thing was still surreal. She couldn't help but think about how ridiculous this was as she sat in her car, waiting to meet up with her man's other girlfriends. As a fantasy, it was hot to think about. As a reality? It felt weird. Not good, not bad, just weird. It was strange and unusual territory for her, though she thought that was true for all of them.
Kelly liked Arthur a lot. Obviously, she was attracted to him, and she'd liked him as a person and man since before he and Lori broke up last spring. If he'd suggested polyamory, then she might not have taken him up on it. Lori would have had too much of an advantage, with years together with Arthur before Kelly came into the picture romantically. Though Lori was exactly her type of woman.
Things were different with the Harem. They were all starting out simultaneously, more or less, even if she and Selene had a deeper connection to him than the other girls. He'd only known Mindy a few weeks, Rani a few days, and he and Kat weren't close as far as Kelly knew. Selene was the only one whose friendship with him was longer than most, but still slightly shorter than hers. As it was, though, she felt confident and secure in her relationship with Arthur, even if she was sure she didn't have time to bear the responsibility of a full-time boyfriend. Let the other girls distract him. He was still her man so long as he always made time for her. And she knew he liked her. For now, that was enough.
For her, and possibly the others, poly was an experiment. And if things didn't work out? Well, she wasn't sure how she'd take it. She'd been so focused on graduating and getting her practicum and student teaching set. Then Arthur asked her out, and the idea of having a partner on campus had shifted her perspective. That was when the thoughts about the future started, a future she was still trying to figure out.
Honestly, Kelly had always wanted something that didn't seem real anymore, if it ever was to begin with. She idolized the old romantic movies and TV shows with the ideal families they showed. She knew they weren't realistic, but she loved the idea of being a housewife and stay-at-home mother. Unfortunately, that wasn't a real job anymore. No one considered it a viable career, and it relied on someone else to make it work. It simply wasn't done in this day and age, and anytime she mentioned the idea to anyone over the years, it was condemned. It wasn't feminist, wasn't right, and was somehow less worthy than any other life choice, no matter how base the occupation. Honestly, Kelly felt she could tell people she wanted to work as a Barista or Janitor, and they would respect her choice more than if she was honest.
She didn't even care if it was to a man, really. She was just as attracted to women as to men, though it had taken her years to come to terms with that. She liked masculine men and feminine women in equal measure, and being feminine, in that outmoded traditional sense of wearing dresses and applying her makeup with artistic skill, made her feel sexy, which made her feel confident and powerful.
And she was powerful, with a body she painstakingly sculpted by regimented diet and exercise to achieve the goals she wanted. She was a strong young woman without going overboard and sacrificing the feminine shape she wanted. She knew Arthur appreciated her body, but judging by his collection of women, it was hard to tell if he had a type. Maybe variety was the point. She didn't mind that. It'd be weird if he had another girlfriend just like her, but it made a little more sense if they were all different. Or maybe not.
She sighed. She wanted to try something new, something fun, and she was enjoying the comradery so far, but she still worried that it would go wrong or cost her long-term. She was already far more attached to Arthur than her life plan told her she should be. Serious dating was supposed to wait until after college.
She didn't have to fear that he was more attracted to one of the other women because her body wasn't one of her insecurities. Her sexual experience, or lack thereof, on the other hand, was a problem. She knew she couldn't satisfy all of his tastes, especially if the other girls were more into the whole BDSM thing than she was. Spankings were hot, given the right circumstances, but that was as kinky as she'd gotten thus far where that kind of thing was concerned. She'd need to talk to Arthur about that eventually.
Tonight, however, the plan was to meet with the other women in Arthur's life. The Harem. The elite club of Arthur's girlfriends had plenty to figure out between them logistically. Now that their poly relationship with Arthur was known, they needed to figure out how to deal with all the stares and gossip spreading around campus. There was also the problem of what to do for homecoming weekend and the parties it inevitably brought. They agreed to form this sisterhood two days ago, and the group chat hadn't slowed since.
So far, Kelly found the group a surprisingly comfortable resource. They had helped her roommate Kate, who was taking her breakup with Sean very badly. Or at least, they were going to, by taking her out Friday so Kelly could keep her date with Arthur, which surprised her. She'd expected Katerine or Selene to suggest they could have the evening with Arthur instead, but Selene seemed genuinely thrilled to be taking Katelyn out on the town, and Katerine had helped make the plans.
They were supporting one another, helping each other out, and talking about school, classwork, and the professors more than Arthur in their Harem Chat. The names others had taken in the chat surprised her, too. Selene called herself Slut, and always referred to Arthur as Master rather than by name. Mindy called herself Whore for some reason. Kat called herself Brat, and she supposed she could see it, though Kat had never been rude to her directly. Shy, maybe, but never rude. Rani called herself Queenie and feeling pressured to assume a nickname, Kelly chose a cutesy one: Wifey.
If the other girls thought it was a little entitled or threatening, they hadn't said so. On the contrary, Selene told her in the chat that she loved the name for Kelly, and the others agreed. In the past few days, it had been made clear to Kelly that despite her claims of equality, and regardless of Rani's nickname, Selene was the queen bee of the Harem. Selene was its instigator and leader, but she initiated and led in the strangest way Kelly had ever seen. She'd known plenty of women who led by controlling as much as possible or judging others and setting the rules for their peers. Selene led by support and sometimes suggestions. Whatever the other girls did, said, or wanted, Selene seemed supportive and gave any and all control or judgment to Arthur. She had plenty of suggestions but never seemed upset, angry, or cold if her advice wasn't taken.
The lack of shame in the other women, and from the other women, took some getting used to, but it was nice. Freeing. No shaming each other was one of the Harem's rules, and it was more liberating than Kelly expected. She didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or confessing too much. She could be herself with the other girls, and they encouraged her no matter what. She would always feel thankful for that, and if this is what living with them would be like, she couldn't wait to move into Arthur's parents' house, even if she might have to wait longer than she'd like.
Kelly lifted her eyes to her rearview mirror when she saw movement and watched the ratty old car filled with women drive behind her to an empty parking spot. She recognized Rani in the passenger seat and got out of her car, a sporty SUV with a bike rack. She wore a simple deep blue dress with a square neckline and a ruffled skirt that fell to her mid-calves. Cinched with a red belt and topped off with black flats, she crossed the parking lot to greet Selene and the others.
"Hey, there she is." Selene greeted Kelly with a smile as she and the others got out of Kat's car.
"Hey." Kelly waved hello. "I parked in an unmarked spot. Is that okay? I wasn't sure if there was assigned parking."
"Oh, you're fine. It's not assigned. So long as you didn't park in a handicap space or something." Selene assured her.
"Nope." Kelly said.
Selene nodded to the building across the parking lot. "The girls and I were thinking we should have this at Arthur's place instead to surprise him when he's done with class." Selene suggested. "What do you think?"
Kelly followed Selene's gaze to the third-floor window she assumed was Arthur's by context. She'd never been in his apartment before, and going in without his knowledge or permission felt like a trespass, but... she was his girlfriend, right? It was her inherent right to snoop on her man.
"How late does his class go?" Kelly asked, uncertainty clear in her voice. "I wasn't sure how late we were planning on going..."
"His class ends at nine." Selene said with confidence. "It usually gets out a few minutes early, and he drives faster than grandma here." She gestured at Kat, who rolled her eyes in response. "So he'd get there about fifteen to twenty minutes after..." Selene suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you spending the night."
Kelly seemed to think about it momentarily, even though Kat, Mindy, and Rani were already walking across the parking lot toward Arthur's building's door. "Well, I didn't bring my overnight bag or a change of clothes..." Kelly hesitated. "But... I guess it's okay if we meet in his place. You have a key, I suppose?" Kelly asked.
Selene nodded as they started walking. "For emergencies." She explained. "Kat and I live in this building." She gestured to it. "And Arthur and I have been friends for a while, so he has a key to our place for emergencies, too."
"And this is an emergency?" Kelly asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"No." Selene admitted. "But I don't think he'll be mad to come home to five women waiting for him on our knees."
Kelly smirked. She'd worn her dress and ensured her hair and makeup were done just in case she saw Arthur tonight after the Harem hung out. She wasn't planning to spend the night but wasn't opposed to it. After all, she and Arthur were supposed to meet for cardio in the morning. Instead of him driving over to her place, she could give him a lift.
"I think it depends on how we're waiting." Kat interjected. "We should fuck with him, make him think we're all pissed at him."
Mindy giggled.
"I'm down." Rani chimed in. "But Selene might give it away too quickly."
"Are we sure he won't be pissed at us for meeting in his apartment without him?" Kelly asked as the five girls climbed the stairs to Arthur's apartment.
"He probably won't even question it." Kat assured her. "He'd probably be weirded out to be alone in his apartment at this point."
Kelly raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as they all finished their ascent. She knew they'd all dated Arthur and spent time with him, but she didn't know the details. She'd thought she preferred it that way, but now she was starting to feel that she wanted to know. Had everyone been to his apartment before but her? Had they fucked in his bed? Had she been the only one in this group that hadn't been on Arthur's turf? Was that something to worry about? Her confidence was on shaky ground as she reached the landing.
Selene reached the third-floor landing and immediately moved to the door. She pulled the key out of her purse on a keychain of its own and unlocked the door for the others. She stepped through it first and held the door open as Kat, Mindy, Rani, and finally Kelly stepped inside. The others made themselves at home immediately, but Kelly stood in the center, taking it all in.
The front door was halfway along the large rectangular room that made up the living room, though only the left side was furnished. To the left, the sofa and coffee table made up the living room pointed toward the TV on the far wall with an open archway to the kitchen table on the left side of the far wall. To the right side of that was the bathroom door, and on the right wall were two doors leading to the apartment's two bedrooms. One of which was Arthur's bedroom. On the right side of the door was a large blank wall, except it had several eye hooks in it, and several collars hung from the hooks nearest the door. Then, there was a little alcove on the far right side of that wall, which led to the hall closet and back stairwell of the apartment building.
It was much cleaner than Kelly expected. Tidy, even. A man who lived alone would be expected to be a slob according to everything she knew about her brothers, father, and men. She was glad to see the stereotype was untrue of Arthur.
Selene moved past Kelly as she looked around and fetched the kitchen table chairs, bringing them into the living room for people to use to sit around the coffee table facing the sofa. Rani sat in one corner of the couch, Kat sat in the other, and Mindy sat between them. Selene took a chair for herself and offered Kelly one, who came to stand behind it, resting her hands on the back as she turned her attention toward Selene.
"Should we wear our collars for this kind of meeting?" Selene asked though it sounded like a suggestion. Selene, of course, was already wearing one. The thin brown leather strip around her throat was something she had yet to remove since she and Arthur started being more than friends.
"Why?" Kat asked. "Maybe after the meeting, when Arthur's here." She suggested.
"I don't have one." Kelly shrugged.
Mindy looked at her sympathetically. "That's okay. I'm sure he'll give you one soon."
Kelly looked confused, as though the implication she should have one and didn't was some kind of strike against her relationship with Arthur. She immediately felt defensive, and her face must have given her away because Mindy immediately looked apologetic.
"Not that you need to wear one if you don't want to!" Mindy said hurriedly. "I like mine, but I'm okay to wait until after the meeting. This is more about us than him, right?"
