Gaming Con at the Feminist Store

This follows from my story "

Ladies' Night at the Wargaming Club

" and its sequel, "

Ladies' Night at the Wargaming Club Pt. 02

," written by clantongang. Thank you to clantongang for initial story feedback and to theunusualhoon for further feedback.

Regardless of your fetishes, do your best to make all gaming spaces welcoming to all people.

-----

In the dimly-lit back office of Champion Games, Phoenix hunched over her laptop, flicking back and forth between the sales reports for the past seven days, and the weekly inventory order spreadsheet. She made sure not to overlook any meat-and-potatoes, high-turnover items. Magic booster boxes. Chessex dice. Restocks of the hottest-selling board games. The new Warhammer releases that Games Workshop, those monopolistic assholes, expected the store to order to maintain their stockist status. Only then did she allow herself to poke around at more interesting aspects of game store curation - small-press comics, innovative new story RPGs, feminist Kickstarter gaming projects with promising Retailer tiers.

Phoenix would have preferred to do this in a more tactile way, as she'd used to: a half-dozen printouts spread over the desk, with notes scribbled on scratch paper and sticky notes that she'd accumulated over the week. But when the old office printer had gone on the fritz, Andi had insisted that they try to do without it and save the costs of paper and ink. And incidentally, produce a final document that anyone other than Phoenix could understand.

The two partners' desks faced each other across the room, and presented quite the contrast. Andi's desk was practically empty save for an old desktop and a few choice stationary supplies. Phoenix's was covered with magazines, half-finished painting projects, and a not-inconsiderable number of Funko Pop! figures. (Princess Elsa. Alex Vause. General Leia. Michael Scott.)

Sprite, one of Phoenix's employees, stuck their head into the office. "Hey, Phoenix? There's someone interested in renting the event space for a day? Do you have a moment to show him around?"

"Be right there," Phoenix responded, and Sprite popped back out.

Phoenix uncoiled her body and stood, stretching and working the kinks from her neck. Pale and curvy, her short hair was bleach-blonde marked with dark purple streaks. Although she was dressed professionally in the green and black store uniform, the metal rings piercing her lips and right nostril, matching helix and rook ear piercings, and the hint of elaborate floral tattoo barely visible on her clavicle (not to mention the variety of smaller ones all across her arms), indicated that this was a woman who was more comfortable in a leather jacket. Gaydars went off within a mile radius when she so much as raised an eyebrow. (The eyebrow was also pierced.)

A possible space rental was a distraction, but a welcome one. Andi might have more energy to deal with the nitty-gritty of running a business, but this was more Phoenix's area of expertise. She took a quick breath to compose herself, then stepped out, ready to schmooze with the community, rent some spaces, and help make gaming magic happen. What a great job - and she was her own boss, too, more or less. If life was a game, then Phoenix was truly winning it.

-----

"Sorry,

who

's organizing this event?"

"The Counterfactual Historical Wargaming Society. You know, that gaming club that's like four blocks away? Haven't you heard some of the 40k players at the store mention it?"

"I take great personal pride in never talking to 40k players."

Phoenix and Andi (an Americanized shortening of Chandi) were facing opposite each other on their long couch in their living room (a space that seemed smaller than it was because every wall was fronted by a bookshelf, every inch of which were filled with books, graphic novels, neatly-arranged magazine collections, and any number of colorful board game boxes) while they talked over the events of the day. Andi had worked from home, so there was quite a bit to catch up on.

Andi was darker than Phoenix, her hair straight, black, and cropped diagonally. She was thin, her facial features almost as sharp as the palpable intelligence that gleamed from her yes. She was quite beautiful in a statuesque way, but unlike her partner, there was nothing on her body that jiggled or bounced.

She had fulfilled the expectations of her thoroughly Indian-American upbringing sufficiently to earn a Master's in Business Administration, but not quite enough to turn it to socially-respectable ends. Or to produce precious babies with a nice Telugu man.

"Well, apparently one of their yearly events is a small-scale gaming con for their community. Lots of little one-shots and tournaments and stuff. They usually do it in their own space but the guy said they've had a bit of a membership boom and need a bigger venue."

Andi raised an eyebrow, not looking up from the small laptop she was currently multi-tasking on. "If they're so popular, how come I've never heard of them before?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I dunno, seems like they kind of keep to themselves. The thing is, they want to rent

all

the available gaming spaces. Starting at, uh, 2:00 am."

This was enough to pull Andi's attention from her screen. "What?

Why

?"

"I guess they want to do an opening ceremony in the middle of the night?" Phoenix almost laughed, the situation was so odd. "Apparently they always do one before a big event. Kind of like a prayer for success, sort of thing."

"Is this a religious deal? Are they Wiccan or something?" Andi had rubbed up against such communities (and some attractive members of those communities) in her life, though she was herself too practical to embrace any form of magical thinking.

"The guy wasn't too clear, but I don't think so - more like a weird masonic tradition? Kind of fits, since apparently they were started up by older white guys in the 60s." Her eyes drifted off in remembrance. "My grandfather was a member of the Order of Quetzalcoatl; they organized his funeral."

"Well, if they want to wear fezzes and... do whatever, let them do it off-site," said Andi, whose only frame of reference for that a lodge was the Stonecutters episode of the Simpsons. "Sounds sketchy to me."

"C'mon, it's part of our official mission statement to welcome people of different cultural practices. And it's kind of a deal-breaker for them. And, uh, the other thing is, they offered to pay rental fees for the whole day. As in, twenty-four hours worth."

"For ALL the rentable spaces?" Andi did a quick mental calculation and saw dollar signs. She shook her head slightly in surrender. "Fine. Maybe they'll blow through their budget, lose their own space, and start spending more time at our store. So who gets to open up for them at the witching hour?"

Phoenix's expression turned bashful. "Welll..." she began, pulling her leg back to reposition her foot in the cleft between Andi's well-fitted black pants. "You know I have a hard time waking up early... So maybe...?" Her shapely toes ground against Andi's crotch with confident pressure born of long familiarity.

Andi sighed in a combination of pleasure and resignation. "Maybe if you make a good argument, I'll consider it."

Phoenix didn't need to be asked twice. She practically rolled off the couch and positioned herself on the carpet. Andi allowed her lover to seductively work her pants down her legs, over her ankles, revealing her toned, smooth brown legs. If they had tried this in reverse, it would have been some work to get the waist of the garment over Phoenix's rump, which was just as prominent as her largish, shapely bust (the cleavage of which was also on display through the dangling top of Phoenix's loose t-shirt). Phoenix wiggled that ass seductively as she pulled the crotch of Andi's red panties to the side and briefly admired the clean, demure, well-maintained privates underneath. Soon, her face was buried down there, her tongue eagerly flicking and stroking Andi's delicate pleasure nib.

Andi smiled and spread her legs wider, but twisted her torso slightly to return to her work, laptop balanced on the arm of the couch.

"Aren't you going to close your computer?" Phoenix asked, her voice slightly muffled.

"Oh, did you start already?" Andi asked casually. "I hadn't noticed." In response, Phoenix redoubled her efforts, suckling and licking like a champ, her right middle finger probing the inside of Andi's moistening pussy entrance.

This was a scenario that had played out before, and had certain expectations attached. Since Phoenix was the one beseeching the favor, Andi was free to accept the undivided sexual attention without asking or worrying about her partner's pleasure. She enjoyed indulging in that selfishness. She doubted that eager, devoted Phoenix would have been so standoffish if the situations were reversed, but they would probably never find out, because she never asked Phoenix for favors.

Soon Phoenix's efforts bore fruit, at least inasmuch as Andi was forced to close her laptop and set it aside. Hands now free, she lay down on the length of the couch. Andi grabbed the back of Phoenix's short-cropped hair roughly with one hand and forced her down between her legs. It wasn't necessary - or, indeed, helpful, since it mildly restricted Phoenix's range of motion. But that wasn't the point.

Phoenix's hand stroked up the side of Andi's slim waist and reached under her bra to stroke the dark nipple on one of her small pointy breasts, then the other. Andi allowed it for a time, then pushed Phoenix's well-tattooed arm away and returned the favor, stretching her arm to the easy target of Phoenix's own chest. By this point Phoenix was steadily plumbing the depths of Andi's pussy, finger curved upward to hit the familiar location of her g-spot. Andi experimentally mauled Phoenix's tits and pulled at her nipples just to see if she could break her focus, but other than an indignant moan, she couldn't be deterred from her task.

Andi allowed herself to come with a shudder, but held Phoenix's head in place for a while longer. She wasn't really going for a follow-up orgasm, she was simply enjoying the come-down.

Eventually Andi pushed Phoenix away, rearranging her panties with a sigh. "Alright, I suppose I can cover the nighttime opening," she conceded.

Phoenix grinned at her, lower face sticky. "I can be convincing when I want to be, right?"

"It's one of your greatest talents."

-----

A couple months later, Andi was regretting having allowed herself to be seduced as she stood out in the cool nighttime air to unlock Champion Games' doors. The steaming cup of black coffee in her hand was the only minor recompense for the loss of sleep.

She had only just finished unlocking the door when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned.

Some small, attractive women would have experienced a jolt of panic at the sudden appearance of a huge man looming over her in the dead of night. Andi, however, was not easily fazed, and was armed at all times with a can of mace in her purse and Occam's Razor in her head.

"Might you be Cliff?" she asked calmly. Communications and planning had all gone through Phoenix so far, but Andi thought she'd seen this guy at the store before. He was tall and probably in his 50s, with a well-groomed salt-and-pepper beard and a thick, strong build. The breed of dork who you'd see at a Ren Faire or SCA event, wearing a historically-accurate suit of chainmail that weighed 50 pounds. He was currently carrying a large duffel bag over his broad shoulder.

"Indeed I am," he answered. "And you would be Ms. Sunkara."

"I would."

"I'm

delighted

to have the chance to finally meet you," Cliff said with a wide, friendly smile. "I haven't been by the store much lately, but I used to come a lot back when Dan owned the place. There used to be shelves and shelves of old gaming books and stuff - you could sometimes find some real treasures for a steal."

Andi nodded neutrally. Business practices like that were why Dan had needed to sell the store. "You're a bit early," she commented.

"I pride myself on my punctuality."

Andi could respect that. "Well, let's get inside and turn the lights on."

They opened the doors and entered the main floor; an expansive, high-ceilinged room containing shelves of product; glass cases and cashiers along one wall displaying the premier TCG product (and blocking access to the shopliftable unopened packs); and a large game space with rows of tables and chairs. From there you could see into the pub space, a secondary gaming area where they were also licensed to sell session beers and ciders in the evenings to their 21-and-older clientele. Phoenix had pushed for that addition, though Andi had been the one to sort out the paperwork for the liquor license.

Given the hour, Andi was not feeling particularly talkative, but Cliff was practically buzzing with good humor and dragged her along into the conversation. She learned that he lived in the area and had simply walked over, but that the rest of his group would be arriving shortly individually or by carpools. He asked if Andi would be there at the store for the CHWS's event later that day, and Andi confirmed that she would - pushing through the day and then crashing was more appealing than throwing off her sleep cycle with a nap.

"And just to confirm, this ceremony you're doing doesn't involve any blood or other bodily fluids?" Andi asked dryly.

"No blood," Cliff assured, raising three fingers in a Boy Scout's oath. "And I promise we'll keep everything else off the carpets." He laughed. Andi forced a brief smile. She didn't find the joke funny, but their cleaning deposit had been paid in full, so.

The other men arrived shortly - and they were indeed all men, a disappointment to Andi, who had hoped there might be someone in the club worth talking to. Nevertheless, she absorbed their names with steely professionalism and firm handshakes. Bryan. Isaac. Johan.

They all seemed in a distinctly sour mood. At first Andi figured that it was just grumpiness over the ungodly hour, but while introducing herself to Trevor Mason (the last member of the group, a businesslike black man who more than matched Andi's own handshake grip) she overheard a snatch of Johan complaining to Cliff, something about "can't believe you fucking

told

them"...at which point Cliff cut him off.

"Ms. Sunkara is a very open-minded person, and I'm sure we'll all be the

best

of friends by the end of the day," he said firmly. Johan seemed to drop it, but didn't look happy.

So

that

was it. These guys were embarrassed that Cliff had told outsiders about their ridiculous little boys-club ritual, and they were afraid that she was looking down at them for it. In which case, they were correct - she absolutely was. Luckily, her poker face was immaculate.

Andi escorted them through the pub area up the stairs to the general-use room on the second floor. It opened into various small private game rooms, but they had requested an open space for the occasion. Andi helped them pile the folding tables and chairs against the walls. Noticing that the men had fallen quiet and were glancing pointedly and uncomfortably toward the still-closed duffel bag, she then politely recused herself, explaining that she would be in her personal office until they were done.

Andi descended the stairs at a deliberately sedate pace, hoping to overhear a little about the group's mysterious (and surely insane and embarrassing) opening ceremony. She heard a snatch from Mr. Mason, his voice raised with emphasis: "...SURE this'll work?" and the start of a response from Cliff, who was not the whispering sort: "I'm pretty sure, Trevor; I've double-checked the charts, and besides, we're only half a mile away from the..." But she didn't dare dawdle too long on the stairs, which could be looked down easily from the room above. Cost-benefit analysis said that satisfying her curiosity wasn't worth the risk of alienating well-paying customers.

Down in her ground-floor office, Andi laid out her work laptop, then stared at it without folding it open. She didn't feel particularly inspired to work.

She occupied herself for a time by listening to the heavily-dampened sounds that occasionally crept down to her ears through the ceiling. Something rhythmic, either stomping or deep percussion, seemed to be occurring. Voices were raised, and although she couldn't make out single word, there seemed to be something rhythmic about them as well. A strong beat; in a strange way, primal. Her mind drifted to her lover, Phoenix; touching for a moment on her charming smile and bright eyes before mentally descending downward to her pale, quivering breasts and then down to her shapely legs, spread wide open as a phallus slammed into her again and again, stretching her cunt open hard and undeniably, and Phoenix's loving smile turned to uncontrolled moans of pleasure or pain, her body a playground for another's pleasure, mind entirely given over to the pounding, pounding...

"All done," came Cliff's cheerful voice from the doorway, where he was standing politely.

Andi jerked her head up with a start. "What? Already?"

"Well, it's been more than two hours."

Hours? Andi checked the time. Almost 5:00. How strange. Had she been asleep? She would have thought that a nap would have been impossible with the amount of caffeine coursing through her system, but perhaps her tolerance was getting higher.

As she stood, she noticed that she was wet; very wet. For an instant she panicked that she'd unexpectedly started her period early, but no. It must have just been the sex dream - uncharacteristic of her, but the effects were inarguable. Even her clit was as hard as a rock, practically throbbing with blood as it demanded that someone gratify it posthaste.

Meanwhile, Cliff was explaining that they were going to start bringing in some more materials and setting up for the day's events.

Andi forced a smile, making sure to show no signs of her physical discomfort. "Just let me swing by the restroom and I'll come help you out."

She could tell it was going to be a long day.

-----

Phoenix's day, in contrast, got off to a great start. She woke up naturally, late-morning light streaming in through the window, sprawled out on her back atop their spacious queen-sized bed. With Andi out at the store, there had been nobody to wake her up at a responsible hour, nor to shove her back to her designated side of the mattress.

On the other hand, there was also nobody to admire to way the light played over her shapely body. Her skimpy sleeping tank top and shorts were askew, revealing more of her body tattoos that extended all the way to the base of her quite respectable breasts - their paleness making them stand out all the more against their floral surroundings. Life was full of trade-offs.

When she finally roused herself, Phoenix was then free to perform her morning toilette (including the reinsertion of several piercings that she couldn't sleep in), apply some nice makeup (not a major interest of hers, but she liked the semi-gothic effect of dark lipstick and some winged eyeliner), eat a hearty brunch, and generally brace herself for the day before setting out for Champion Games. Both she and Andi didn't necessarily go in to the store every day, but sometimes it was helpful to have both decision-makers on-site, and they had promised the CHWS that they would both be there to help out with their con. She texted Andi that she was on her way and received a clock emoji in return. If Phoenix didn't set her own hours, she would have been very late.