Vertigo 1.1 - Low Tide of the Night

Story by Emerson on SoFurry

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#1 of Vertigo City


Vertigo: Low Tide of the Night

by F.J. Emerson (www.furaffinity.net/user/emerson)

7/13/09

Disclaimer: The following story contains explicit sexual content and fetishes that make sailors cry. Read at your own risk. Unless you're under the legal age to read this crap where you live, in which case don't read it at all. You have been warned.

Welcome to Vertigo City

Vertigo City is a world unto itself. A hedonistic hub of pleasure and indulgence, entry is granted to only a few dozen hopeful souls each year and citizenship is acquired upon your first night spent with a stranger. Shimmering, immaculate skyscrapers clad in clean white and glittering mirrored windows reach high into the night sky. Clear glass skywalks connect building to building, letting the starry-eyed residents move from one pulsing dance floor to the next, leaving the throbbing neon lights of clubs and brothels for short pale moonlight walks. There is no drug, device, commodity or fulfillment that cannot be found here, but there are many of these that can be found nowhere else. The only thing separating fantasy from reality is your own desire to make the fantasy real.

Such a society of decadence and anarchy requires a delicate touch to sustain. The residents themselves - who often refer to themselves as "hearts" of the city - maintain what passes as Vertigo's economy: Art and invention, trade and consumerism. A song might well indeed pay for a night of pleasure. A finely-crafted dress might buy access to the trendiest nightclub. A complex device designed to pleasure may be ridden for a signed contract of servitude.

Finer points of order - such as selecting who gets into the city each year, and maintaining the architecture of the glimmering skyline - falls to the Administrators. Anonymous and invisible, this collective toils behind the scenes to maintain the small degree of order that greases the wheels of the city while doing so with a near-supernatural silence so as to create the illusion that no true order exists.

The highest form of law, of order that exists in Vertigo is handed by the Protectors. There are only two sentences for those who are convicted of threatening the free-will hedonism of the city: Death, and Slavery. The city embraces you once you come to live there, and it never lets go, not even when you cannot be a contributing part of it. If you work against it but do no harm, Slavery is your sentence. You become a commodity of flesh, owned by individuals or clubs until you have paid your penance in service. If you work to harm the city, or harm it's "hearts", you face Death. There is no return to the outside world, to whatever exists beyond Vertigo.

It is organized anarchy.

Tonight, someone has died. Someone has cut out one of the city's "hearts". Dana "The Duchess" Bordeaux is the Protector tasked with finding whoever it is that has harmed her city.

Vertigo City has always teetered on the precipice of ecstasy and chaos. While the hearts of the city dance through the night, that precious balance has begun to tip.

Vertigo:

Episode 1.1

Low Tide of the Night

Inside out in the daytime,

Wrong at the right time.

I wanna know I'm good for you.*

The girl danced with a need so thick that it hung in the room like a suffocating mist. It was there in her every movement, from the way her hips rolled around to the way her arms swung lightly over her head. Sweat was collecting on her fur, dripping down her curves in a slick race downwards. When she stepped to the left, her generous breasts bounced under the tight fabric that hugged her chest. When she stepped to the right, her ass swayed in front of his face in a manner so tempting that he almost bent her over and fucked her right there.

He did no such thing, though. Instead he waited patiently, watching the slender lynx dance to the throbbing beat in the room. She smiled at him proudly as she showed her body off, and he returned the smile coldly. The lynx didn't care if he was enjoying it; she was. She always enjoyed dancing. The heavy amount of relaxants and alcohol in her system made it all the easier to let loose and dance, dance just for the hyena watching her.

She didn't know who the hyena was. He didn't know who she was. It didn't matter, either; he had a large stash of some very rare drugs that she had never tried, and all he wanted in payment was a dance and a fuck.

She liked to dance. She liked to fuck. She liked his drugs.

The lynx licked her lips slowly and started to sway her hips towards the couch where the hyena was seated. The suite he'd rented â€" high up in a skyscraper, as was every club or residence in Vertigo City â€" was large and posh, complete with a neon light system built in and a view of at least three of Vertigo's many rooftop clubs visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Moonlight licked and caressed over the lynx's body as she brought it to her lover for the night, slowly lowering herself down into his lap. Straddling him, she began to grind her crotch against her leather pants and, more importantly, against his bulging jeans. A shiver ran up her spine as she felt his fat manhood pushing back at her. She liked this.

The hyena closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, savoring the moment. He had no affection for this girl; her body was all he wanted, and she was foolish enough to give it up for mere consumable substances. That was fine with him, too. Less work, quicker results. As she worked herself shamelessly in his lap, he let his paws wander over her slender body. Fingers felt firmly over her curves, studying her frame with a perfect patience. Those same fingers hooked into the top of her jeans and started to tug, pulling them down over her hips little by little. She took the initiative to reach down and loosen her own belt and buttons, and the hyena did the rest. It only took a few moments for him to strip the lynx's pants off of her, and it didn't surprise him a bit to find that she wore no undergarments. He smiled â€" dryly â€" and wondered for a moment if undergarments were even available in this city. If they were, he suspected they were sold solely to satisfy anyone with a fetish for the things.

The lynx smiled as she felt her pants come off. She happily lifted her hips, presenting her round ass and swollen, eager pussy to her new friend. Back and forth her posterior swayed, taunting and tempting him with her feminine charms. The slap that came down hard on her ass let her know for sure that she had his attention. The yelp she let out when his heavy paw smacked across her ass let him know he had hers.

He reached out and grabbed the back of the chain collar he'd asked the lynx to wear. The 'collar' was nothing more than a long chain with a single metal loop at one end. The end of the chain was threaded through that loop and then pulled snug around the lynx's throat, creating a makeshift collar and leash. He took the 'leash' end of the chain in his other paw, and then threw his weight upwards, throwing the girl off him and onto the couch. She let out a surprised gasp and went limp for just a moment as the hyena pushed her back over the arm of the sofa, so that she was arched over it, head hanging off the end and legs spread out on the seat.

"Fuck me, baby," she gulped out, as innocently as she could. The lynx lifted one leg over the back of the couch, dropped her other leg off the edge, and lifted her hips so that her glistening pussy was easy prey for the male holding her leash.

The hyena smiled and gave her leash a simple tug. His other paw tugged something else: His zipper, yanking it down as far as it would go. A button was popped open, and then the male was fishing his thick, hard cock out of his pants. The lynx eyed his erection up and moaned for his benefit, and the hyena in turn slapped his firm slab of meat against her folds in the lewdest manner he could.

He rubbed his fat tip around her clit a few times to tease, but then promptly started to push his cock into her cunt quickly. She moaned, and he arched his back in pleasure. He felt her warmth, her tightness start to squeeze down around his dick, a perfect sleeve for his sensitive prick. The hyena didn't stop until he felt his balls pushing up against her pussy. Even then he kept leaning forward, until he could smell her body just inches away. He opened his eyes, starting right at her heavy breasts; they were still wrapped up tight under her shirt, though the arch of her back pushed them against that tight fabric temptingly. He smirked and pushed her shirt up. Those round feline tits bounced free, nipples perked out from her fur.

The lynx was in heaven. Collared, leashed, pushed over a couch by a sexy, well-hung male, and now being fucked by him. The drugs coursing through her were a lovely bonus, of course. His Soma was as fine a grade of the stuff as she'd ever had. So when he started to thrust his hips, to pound her cunt with a hard, steady plow of his cock into her pussy, she just closed her eyes and let herself go limp over the arm of the sofa. She was his fuck toy as long as he could keep that stuff flowing.

The hyena in turn gave the girl just what she wanted. She'd already had her drugs. She'd had her attention, too. And now he was giving her that fucking, pounding away eagerly at her tight cunt. He fucked her hard, grinding his hips as he stretched her around his shaft. He watched her tits bounce under the force of his thrusts, rising up and down with her ragged breaths. While he fucked the pretty little feline, he kept turning the paw that held her leash, wrapping it around his fist slowly.

She felt him place a firm paw between her bouncing breasts, pinning her torso to the sofa's arm. Nothing about this concerned her. Then she felt him pull her leash tight, which in turn tightened the chain around her throat. It made it harder to breathe, but she found that she liked this. It made each stroke of his cock in her pussy feel better, feel hotter. So she mewled and moaned and arched her back, begging for more with her wanton display of lust.

The hyena obliged her. He had worked up a sweat already; a bit more effort wouldn't hurt. So he fucked her harder, slapping his balls off of her pussy with the force of his thrusts. The leash was pulled a little tighter, making the links of the chain press into the girl's throat. He could tell she was close to cumming, but he waited. He was patient.

The lynx lifted her legs, squeezing her thighs around her new lover's hips. She started to whimper and whine, so close to the edge, kept hanging there in delicious ecstasy by the males thick cock and that slow pressure around her throat, regulating her breath. Finally, she could take no more. With a loud scream of pleasure, she came.

He yanked the leash hard. The chain squeezed down around her throat as tight as it could. It crushed down on her windpipe, denying her air completely. In her drug-and-pleasure induced haze, the lynx knew she was in trouble. She feebly clawed at the chain collar, then started to claw at the strong arm pinning her down to the arm of the sofa. When that didn't help, and when her lungs started to burn, she began swinging her arms in the air wildly.

The hyena kept his head back as she swung her claws in the air. He gritted his teeth whenever she managed to claw him directly, watching her with cold eyes as he held the leash tight. He watched as her tits heaved, up and down, then started to slow as her body began to shut down. Her pussy clenched and fluttered around his cock, then grew still.

It only took a few moments for her body to go limp over the sofa, but he kept the collar tight for several minutes longer. Then, once he was sure the deed was done, the hyena pulled his hard cock out of her slack pussy. He wrapped his paw around his shaft and started to jerk it, closing his eyes as he pawed off slowly, eagerly. The ecstasy of climax soon washed over him, and thick gobs of his cum splattered down over the lynx's body, marking her belly and tits.

The hyena took a few moments to catch his breath. Then he made his way to the bathroom where he calmly showered and cleaned himself up. He even took the time to bandage the slash marks he'd received across his forearm.

After he'd dressed, the hyena headed for the condo's door. He looked back at the body of the lynx for a moment, making sure he'd left nothing he needed. Sure of his work, the hyena turned and left the condo, locking it behind him. He dropped the keys in a potted plant on the way out into one of the city's many skywalks, taking in the night air that flowed through slots cut into the glass. He felt much better.

* * *

The girl's body lay limp across the arm of a leather sofa, back arched and arms laying lifeless at her sides. She was nude and collared, but there were no obvious signs of a struggle. Based on the amount of bondage paraphernalia laying about the spacious condo, the scene had all the markings of a dangerous fetish gone wrong. The girl had clearly had sexual relations just before her death, if not while she died.

The question that faced Diana Bordeux: Was the girl's death consensual?

Bordeaux, a young, attractive rabbit, was one of Vertigo City's Protectors. The Protectors were an elite task force who served as the city's only form of law and order. They were carefully chosen for both their wits and intelligence as well as their character and willpower. Protectors, while not banned from enjoying the city's pleasures, were expected to be discreet and separate business from pleasure. They were not universally liked, but they were effective. Bordeaux in particular stood out amongst her fellow Protectors, and indeed amongst most crowds: She had a penchant for striking designs, and had found a dealer in Vertigo who permanently dyed her fur a fiery tiger-orange, complete with stylized black stripes all over her body. She then made a habit of dying her hair, usually keeping it half-black, half white, with black streaks amongst the white. The rabbit knew her unusual coloring drew eyes to her and this in turn often proved to be beneficial in both her private life and her professional one.

The rabbit walked across the room to the large crystal-clear windows that overlooked Vertigo, her city. Most clubs, businesses, and residences had windows like this: Floor-to-ceiling panes cleaned and polished to near-perfection. Windows were important in Vertigo. Several of the more prestigious clubs were actually located on rooftops, but for the most part there was no way out of the many towers that made up Vertigo. You simply lived in rooms and hallways.

"Okay...her CONdex doesn't list 'snuff' at all. No variations of it. Not even 'breath control' listed. So, murder?"

Diana turned to face the owner of the voice. Her overseer, Sawyer, was a handsome coyote she'd known ever since she'd first come to Vertigo. He was calm and collected, with a degree of self-control and willpower rarely seen in the city. He also knew how to have a good time; even now, he was clad in a leather jacket and tight jeans, and nothing more. Knowing Sawyer, he was either coming from or on his way to one of the many clubs in the city. In fact, she had even picked up a few things from him; she was dressed in a tight tank-top and jeans. She couldn't imagine living in Vertigo without him.

"Some folks leave stuff out of their CONdex, you know," she said. "They don't like to advertise that stuff to the general public."

CONdex was the popular name for the Personal Consent Index. These small devices were worn by every individual living in Vertigo. Tiny and discreet, the device was often implanted upon arrival, and was able to be updated by the wearer at any time. A CONdex would contain every kink, fetish and sexual interest that they were willing to consent too. For more extreme fetishes, the CONdex would also contain a signed waiver that could be modified at any time to prove consent in the act - especially if it became lethal. CONdexes could also be used to find others of similar persuasion, or to find clubs that catered to a certain need. They were useful devices for both seekers of pleasure and seekers of facts.

Sawyer nodded. "You're right, some do. It's not smart, because it puts us right here. So what do you think? Was our girl here just not very bright?"

As Sawyer spoke, the door to the condo hissed open and what appeared to be a mechanized medical cart with a bipedal torso rolled in. The robot parked next to the lynx's body, and there it slid open a panel on it's side, revealing a large compartment. Strong arms equipped with manacles at the ends latched on to the girl's body, slowly dragging her into the compartment. Her body would be discreetly carted off to the morgue for analysis.

"Our girl here was doped up, from the looks of her. No telling what she agreed to," Diana said, watching the robot seal the girl's body away and then roll out the door. "She had blood on her fingers. Under her claws. Was she struggling, or just a rough lover?"

Sawyer smiled and winked at Diana. "Good catch. Well, that's for you to find out, isn't it? I'll run the usual tests on her body. See to the cleaning up here, too. You go see what you can find out about the girl. If you can prove it was consensual, then it's case closed anyhow."

Diana nodded. "Landlord found the body, right? Didn't touch anything here, did she?"

"Nope. Apparently rented the place out to some badger about a week ago. Lease was up this morning. When the badger didn't show to return the key, she used a spare to get in. Found the body, freaked out, called us. Then she promptly went over to Donny D's, where I'm told she's floating around on about a dime of Soma."

"Nice life," Diana said, with a smirk. "What's the story on the badger who rented this place? He's suspect numero uno."

"Yeah. She didn't know much about him. She rented it to him for the week for two bottles of Sanafina's Deep Red wine."

"Oooh. Rare stuff."

"Oh yeah. Anyhow, she said that HE said that he worked at Mistress Carmen's."

"Well," Diana said, straightening up. "Guess I'd better pay a visit to Mistress Carmen."

* * *

The Soho District of Vertigo City was well-known for it's "rough" edge. Several of the buildings located in Soho â€" including the infamous De Sade Tower â€" were havens for individuals who needed a little extra something to get off. If you had any flavor of non-consensual interest or rough-love fetish in your CONdex and you wanted it taken advantage of, a walk through Soho would likely fulfill your wish.

Mistress Carmen's was one of many clubs in Soho. It catered to bondage and domination/submission fetishists, providing stage shows, slaves, and other delights that those involved in the "scene" would enjoy. Carmen's certainly wasn't the only club that offered such things â€" especially not in Soho â€" but it had one of the larger followings there.

Diana had only been to the club herself once or twice, both times on business and both times she was in-and-out quickly. She'd never met the owner, nor was she sure if there was a "Mistress Carmen" at all. That would soon change, as she knew she'd have to question the owner of the club about all the employees there; this badger might well be her murderer...or might have proof that it wasn't murder after all.

The club was busy. The main area consisted of a modest sized dance floor, a well-stocked bar, and then a larger area that was dedicated to many round, tastefully set tables. The tables themselves sat in front of a wide stage, and on the stage were several steel poles for dancers. Keeping with the theme of the club, the poles had cuffs hanging from the tops of them and cuffs attached to the bottom. Diana was quite sure that those cuffs saw regular use.

Diana scanned the room. There were a pawfull of servers bustling about, delivering drinks and food, but Diana needed someone with a bit more...authority. It didn't take long for her to spot someone clearly in charge. She made her way through the smoke-filled air to the lion wearing a "Mistress Carmen's" shirt and carrying a large, wicked looking whip.

"You a manager here, or security?" She asked when she got close. The lion gave her an irritated glance, then looked her up and down.

"Security," he growled. "What 'choo want?"

"I'm Diana Bordeaux. I'm a Protector," she said, covertly showing him a small badge she carried with her. "I need to speak with Mistress Carmen."

The lion's look of irritation turned to one of complete annoyance as he eyed the badge. She half-expected him to try and throw her out on her ass when he finally turned, and walked off. "Stay here."

Diana stayed right there, as asked â€" or, rather, as told. When the lion returned a minute later, he pointed to an empty table right up near the stage.

"Mistress Carmen is about to start a performance. She said she'll see ya' after the show. Sit your ass down and watch. We'll drop ya' a complimentary bottle of whatever ya' want once yer' seated."

Diana thanked him and then made her way to a seat. She wasn't doing bad so far: One annoyed bouncer, and she now knew there was indeed an actual Mistress Carmen. The rabbit gave her drink order to a vixen in a corset (and wearing nothing more), and then sat back to enjoy the show. She wondered just what the show was.

Soon the lights dimmed and the pulsing beat of the music stopped. Much of the crowd â€" those that weren't engaged at the bar or slumped over tables â€" turned their attention to the stage. Many sought out seats while some stood, but their eyes were all turned forward. Diana watched as a curtain was pulled aside, and two large wolves wearing nothing but bondage harnesses stepped out with a large square steel frame between them. They placed the frame down facing the audience, and up close Diana could see steel clips set atop and on the bottom of the frame; it was clearly meant to hold a captive spread-eagle.

The question now was: Who would play victim?

Diana smiled slightly as her question was immediately answered. A very lovely tigress stepped out, leading a well-hung male fox out behind her. He was collared and gagged with his paws bound behind his back and his thick, erect cock caged in a rather traditional Gates of Hell harness. He was handsome, to be sure, and he looked quite aroused. The tigress â€" who Diana kept an eye on, wondering if this was Carmen â€" seemed pleased with her catch.

The tigress pushed the fox forward, towards the steel frame. She maneuvered him into the center of it, and there she freed his paws from behind his back. His freedom was short lived as she grabbed his wrists and yanked his arms up, locking one of his wrists in one cuff and the other in the remaining cuff. While she did this, the two wolves knelt and spread the fox's legs wide, locking his ankles into the lower cuffs. Once he was bound spread-eagle before the crowd, the tigress slapped his ass hard. The fox moaned hotly, and Diana felt herself relaxing, starting to enjoy the show. The victim was very handsome indeed.

Just then, another figure stepped onto the stage. She was a slender, graceful feline, kinky even for her breed. She appeared to be a panthress, though a few odd markings on her otherwise dark black fur suggested a touch of mixed breeding. She wore a corset like so many of the other working girls in the club, but unlike those other girls the panthress wore a sheer pair of red panties that somehow managed to make her appear more nude than she really was. A riding crop was carried in one of her paws, and a large strap-on dildo in the other. She smiled out at the crowd and then looked to the bound fox.

"Evening, friends," the panthress said. "I'm your host tonight, and every night...as usual. Mistress Carmen at your service to fulfill the most embarrassing, most cruel little fantasies you can conjure up. Tonight, my friends, we've got a good one."

Carmen pointed her crop at the flushed, panting stud-of-a-fox. "This fine cock we've trussed up was looking for a particular sort of girl that â€" naturally â€" we are able to provide. So we did a little negotiating with our stud here. It just so happened that another client was interested in fulfilling a fantasy where she fucked a sexy boytoy to a hard, screaming orgasm in front of an audience. Perfect, no? So there's out deal: The fox stud here has agreed to be the boytoy, and he'll get his girl once he's completed his part of the contract."

Someone shouted out about the tigress getting her just desserts, but Carmen smiled slyly. "Oh, she's already paid up. Now then, my dear...make your fuck fox cum." With that said, Carmen handed the tigress the strap-on and then stalked off stage with a smile.

The tigress licked her chops and started at the fox's ass. She slapped both paws down on it hard and then squeezed, pulling his cheeks apart. The fox moaned and arched his back, thrusting his cock out towards the audience. Diana's table was directly in front of the fox, giving her an up-close-and-personal view of his bare, bound body and his full balls, bound also under a caged erection. She took a deep breath and then a fast shot of her drink to steady herself. She considered sneaking away to go and find Carmen backstage, but the male let out another moan as the tigress reached around his body to tease his balls, and the striped rabbit found herself glued to her seat.

It didn't take long for the tigress to slap the fox's ass to a stinging redness. Only when she had him on his toes and whimpering did she take the time to stop slapping his defenseless rear so she could slip the strap-on over her hips. She buckled it in place and grinned as she watched the faux cock bob between her own legs. The tigress gave it a squeeze and a thick gob of lubricant oozed from the tip. With a smile on her face and a swagger in her hips, she grabbed the base of the fox's tail and yanked it up, and then pushed the tip of her toy between his cheeks.

Diana saw the fox's expression change from uncomfortable pain to embarrassed surprise and she suspected she knew why. Her heart started to beat faster as she watched and she found one paw sliding down her bare belly until her fingers were sneaking into the waistband of her pants. The rabbit had a voyeur fetish to begin with, but she also had a taste for fucking well-hung studs with dildos â€" especially males that would normally want to fuck her. So as the tigress slowly moved her hips forward and shoved the toy in under the fox's tail â€" prompting him to jut out his own hips with a moan â€" Diana pushed her paw down a few extra inches and began to eagerly finger her own clit. She slumped down in her chair and huffed out as a delicious tingle ran up her spine.

The tigress took her time with the fox, at least at first. She moved her hips in slow strokes, making sure the male felt every inch of the toy sliding between his cheeks and over his prostate. Her paws roamed over his chest and belly while her fingers traced his muscles, teasing him with a brush over his caged cock now and then. He moaned into his gag pathetically as he panted and gasped. The tigress loved it, and so did Diana.

Soon the tigress started to fuck the fox harder. The sound of her hips slapping off his ass filled the room, drowned out only by his own moans and the moans of the other patrons. Diana checked herself to make sure she wasn't one of the moaners; to her relief she was not, and so she quickly resumed rubbing her stiff clit under the cover of her pants.

The fox's cock dripped precum and bounced lewdly off of his belly as the tigress pounded his tight ass. He was hanging limp from his wrists as she hugged his body and fucked his ass, showing no mercy as she took him. The cage around his cock and balls held him equally tight â€" much to his dismay â€" working their magic and keeping his cum trapped in his bulging balls. Occasionally the tigress would squeeze his nuts or rub his cock up against his belly, drawing a long moan from him. The devious, decadent torture of the fox went on for five minutes, then ten, then twenty; the tigress took short breaks, letting him pant and moan and squirm while she smiled over his shoulder at the crowd.

Diana bit her lip as she watched the show. Her own breathing had become labored, making her chest rise and fall and stretch the fabric of her shirt. Her nipples were stiff against it and her paw was working at a frantic pace under her panties, slick with her arousal. She could feel herself drawing closer and closer but her gaze was glued to the fox's naked, bound body and his look of torment. The tiger-striped rabbit loved it.

A sharp, hard thrust of the tigress' hips pushed the fox's body into another arch, flicking his cock up again. She could be seen whispering something in his ear and he nodded eagerly, a gesture which caused the tigress to run her paws up his body and unbuckle the gag from his muzzle. He promptly howled in need and began to beg, to plead with the audience to let him cum. His voice dripped with lust and defeat. The fox was broken, and the crowd knew it. They cheered and whistled and a few loose articles of clothing was tossed onto the stage for good measure.

The tigress smiled and reached down to the fox's bound cock. It took a little effort to release all the right straps, but within a few moments she had the Gates off of his cock, sliding them off his shaft and letting the ball-binders fall away. Then her paw wrapped around his cock and started to pump while her other paw squeezed his aching balls hard. She thrust her hips over and over, fucking his ass as hard as she could as she jerked him off.

His orgasm was glorious. His head rolled back and he let out a delicious moan while his cock started to spurt thick, sparkling streams of white fox cum into the air. The tigress let go of his cock when he started to climax, putting all her effort into fucking his ass. His cock was left to bounce and slap wildly off his belly, flinging cum all over the stage and out into the audience.

A thick wad of fox jizz splattered across Diana's table. She gasped in surprise as the hot cum hit before her, and at that very moment she felt a shock of delight explode between her thighs. The rabbit moaned out and arched her back, closing her eyes as she came with the fox. His moans filled her long ears as her fingers attacked her clit until moments â€" maybe ages â€" later her hips slumped back and the rabbit went limp in her seat. She panted hard and hot, feeling her climax sizzle through her body. Every second of it was delicious.

On stage the tigress was releasing the spent fox from the frame. He fell to his knees panting, knotted cock hard and throbbing between his legs. The tigress walked triumphantly off stage while the twin wolves picked the fox up by his wrists and dragged him away. After Diana caught her breath and regained some sort of composure, she stood up and took a large, fast swallow of her drink. Trying to look collected, she slipped from her table and made her way backstage, seeking out Mistress Carmen. And â€" perhaps â€" that fox.

* * *

Smoke hung in the room in thick, heavy layers. Carmen watched a monitor which displayed the main floor of her club. She'd watched the fucking of the fox from her private play room and had quite enjoyed it, even if she did wish the tigress had varied things up a bit. A paddling perhaps, or a long session of teasing the stud's cocktip with her tongue. C'est la vie, she thought. It wasn't her fantasy to dictate such things.

Then, after the show, her monitor showed her a new sight. A delightful rabbit femme walked through her halls, cornering her assistants â€" the twin wolves, who went by Riff and Raff â€" to no doubt ask for Carmen's attention. The rabbit was a striking sight. Her clothes hugged her body just right. Her fur was quite unique with it's vibrant orange coloring and the stylized tiger stripes that covered her. Carmen wondered if the stripes were all over.

The panthress flipped the monitor off and turned her chair around just as the door to her playroom opened. Riff and Raff escorted Diana in, leading her right to a chair in front of Carmen. Diana surveyed the room as she was lead in, though she did so covertly so her eyes never wandered too far. She didn't want to get Carmen's guard up before a word was even said.

The room was not very large. There was a small desk that Carmen sat behind and a monitor on the desk, and a door behind Carmen. The rest of the room was dimly lit with some green-and-purple lights for mood, though those lights shone through the dense smoke that came from Carmen's cigarette. There was a couch â€" large, comfortable-looking â€" and a large table in the center of the room. There were no chairs around the table.

Riff and Raff stationed themselves at either side of Carmen's desk. The panthress made no effort to hide her approving gaze over Diana's body before she spoke. "I don't particularly care for Protectors in my club, dear."

"Then I'll try to make this as fast as I can," Diana said. "One of your employees was identified as the renter of a condo in Avalon. A young lady's body was recently removed from that room. I need to talk to this employee of yours. Simple questions, really. We just need to confirm that the girl's death was consensual...since she didn't leave a waiver, you see."

"Bosco rented the room," Carmen said coolly. "But he's out now, on leave. Won't be back for a week and I haven't a clue where in Vertigo he goes when he's not working. Not my business, you see."

Diana tilted her head to one side. "So you know he rented the room? What for?"

"I don't know. Not my business."

"Well, it's my business and I need to talk to him."

"Bosco doesn't know a thing. He rented it on my orders."

"In that case," Diana said, "I guess my business is with you. Why did YOU rent the room?" Diana leaned forward, planting her paws on the edge of Carmen's desk. She watched the twin wolves out of the corners of her eyes, but neither moved a muscle.

Carmen, however, looked dismayed. "I don't have business with you. He rented the room on my orders and my purpose is private. If a girl ended up in there and if that girl ended up dead then that's your problem. Besides...information is a commodity, love. Any answers I might have for you come at a price."

"Not for a Protector," Diana said. "You know that. Start talking."

"I'm not a fool and I don't appreciate being treated as one," Carmen said with irritation in her voice. "That despicable rule only applies if you have a signed order from an Administrator. Do you?"

Diana frowned. It was a weak bluff on her part, but she'd tried it, and it had failed. "No, I don't. So let's hear your price, then."

Carmen pretended to think for a few moments, but she'd already decided on a price for what she knew. After letting the rabbit wait for a minute more, she smiled as only a cat could.

"I'll take you as payment," she purred. "One hour as my pretty fuck bunny should be fine."

Diana nearly laughed aloud. She shook her head and folded her arms under her chest. "Try again."

Carmen snuffed her cigarette out in an ashtray and then looked at the wolves. "Sweeties, escort the rabbit out."

The wolves made a move forward and Diana matched it in the opposite direction. She gritted her teeth and held her paws up. "Wait...wait. Let me hear what you want out of me in that hour."

"Submission," Carmen said dryly. "I like seeing you Protectors moaning for me. Let my boys here have at you for a bit. I can tell you like a thick cock in your face, after all," she said with a sly smile.

Diana didn't blush, but she could feel a heat over her cheeks. "I think you're a touch mistaken there, Carmen."

"Mistress Carmen," the panthress corrected. "And I'm not wrong. Raff?"

The wolf reached up and touched Diana's face. She winced at first, but when he drew his paw away she was mortified. A stray strand of near-dry cum dangled from his finger. The fox's show had apparently splattered farther than she thought.

"So," Carmen said smugly, "Do we have a deal?"

Diana felt her thighs squeeze together. She looked at each wolf â€" they were studs themselves â€" and then at Carmen. With a defiant look on her face the rabbit nodded. "Deal. But you tell me every goddamn thing you know."

Carmen looked quite serious as she nodded her own head. "Oh, of course. Everything. Boys?"

The wolves grabbed Diana quickly and roughly before she'd even finished registering Carmen's response. She gasped as one wolf pulled her paws up over her head and the other grabbed her shirt, lifting it up and off her chest. Her breasts bounced free â€" they were a good pawfull and quite firm, with stiff nipples set amongst a streak of white fur that ran from her neck down into her pants â€" and then settled into a round fullness on her body. The wolf stripping her (she wasn't sure which one was Riff and which was Raff) wasted little time in moving down, opening her jeans so he could pull them down over her hips, panties with them. She saw him smile and she bit her lower lip; her previous orgasm had left her thickly-furred mound slick.

The wolf stepped away, leaving his partner behind Diana holding her paws up. The rabbit lifted her chin proudly as she was displayed for Carmen, who in turn leaned forward on her desk to admire the rabbit. Yes, her stripes covered much of her body. The white streak of fur ran down over Diana's pussy and then curved around to kiss the inside of her buttocks. Her breasts were firm and round, her belly trim. Carmen silently lamented that she hadn't made the deal for more than an hour.

"On the table with her," Carmen said eagerly. "You know what I want."

The wolves indeed seemed to know just what to do. Diana struggled only for show as they dragged her to the table and lifted her up, laying her on her back. She briefly saw Carmen carrying a leather case over before the large wolves filled her vision. One of them grabbed her ankles while the other grabbed her bare ass and lifted, forcing her to raise her hips up high. The wolf holding her ankles pulled them back until her heels were touching the backs of her thighs. It forced her to keep her hips lifted and her back arched. They spread her thighs wide to bare her slick pussy to Carmen.

Diana then felt them pull her wrists together under her back, between her spread ankles. It was a tight, uncomfortable, humiliating position, but she tolerated it. It was her job. She ignored the tingling between her thighs for the moment.

Between her spread legs Carmen was setting up shop. The wolves were busy strapping Diana to the table to force her to hold her pose, but Carmen was pulling a slender vibrator from her leather case. It was a simple vibrator, nothing fancy or special; it was just a long blue shaft with a rounded tip and a screw-on base. She turned the base a quarter-inch, and the device started to hum in her paws. The panthress carefully pressed the tip of the vibrator to Diana's clit and the touch immediately illicit ed a surprised gasp from the rabbit. Carmen smiled.

"I'm not going to let you cum until you scream, fuck bunny," Carmen said casually. "And when you do scream, and after I gift you with an orgasm, that's when these two studs here are going to fuck you at both ends until you're a quivering little pile of rabbit."

Carmen began to grind the vibrator around Diana's clit, circling it and teasing it with quick strokes. Diana moaned and squirmed on the table, but the more Carmen teased and taunted her the more determined she became to not give in. The deal was for an hour, but she didn't have to play the panthress' games. She'd hold out, she'd resist, and then...then...

Diana's thoughts became fuzzy as Carmen dragged her tongue slowly over the rabbit's swollen clit. It was already so sensitive from the dance of her fingers earlier. Carmen's warm, rough tongue bathed over the nub until it was wet and glistening and then she returned her vibrator to it.

"I was watching you closely, slut," Carmen growled. "I saw you lusting over that poor fucked fox. I saw you watching my boys here. You love cock. You love to get fucked by studs. You like being a slave with well-hung males. I suspected you'd like it with sexy girls, too," she said with a grin and punctuated the comment by nipping at Diana's folds. The bunny stifled a cry and bucked her hips up.

The panthress' teasing was agonizing. She seemed to know not just how to tease another girl â€" the touch of the vibrator, never too long but never just a tease, the warm, slow caress of a slick tongue â€" but she seemed to know just what the bunny's body would react best to. Wandering touches of fingers over her round ass and firm belly added to the torture. The wolves each took one of her breasts in a paw and squeezed before their fingers seized her stiff nipples. They twisted the nubs until her back arched and she winced, trying to not let her attention be torn from the soft suckles that Carmen was lavishing on her pussy.

Diana thought, briefly, of the bound fox on stage. He'd had a cage around his cock to keep him from cumming, but what Diana had was far, far worse: Her own pride. She couldn't, wouldn't let that smirking panthress get the best of her, but every second that dragged by seemed like an eternity of torture. She could feel her body writhing without heeding her brain's commands. Her pussy was growing wetter by the moment and her legs shook with strain. After nearly a half-hour of the torture, Diana began to...

She saw something just over one of the wolves shoulders and her heart sank. It hadn't been a half-hour. It had only been ten fucking minutes! Ten minutes! She was ready to cry and it hadn't even been a quarter-hour!

The sudden buzz of the vibrator drawn in a solid line from her clit to the bottom of her cunt nearly set her off. Indeed it would have, but Carmen was quick about it. The second touch of the vibrator to her anus made her blush and buck her hips again, but still no orgasm. Then a kiss to her clit...close, again, but no release.

Two minutes went by. Diana thought it was another hour.

"She's stubborn," Carmen giggled. "Let's lock her up then, since she's so tough. A chastity belt for the rest of her hour."

Diana's ears perked and she could feel panic rise in her chest. As one more kiss from the other girl's warm lips caressed her clit â€" maybe this would be the last kiss for the night! - Diana felt her will give out, and she screamed. She screamed loud and with as much lust, need, and desire as she could coat her soft voice with. She screamed like she screamed when she'd get fucked by her favorite studs. She screamed a scream just for Carmen.

The panthress clapped her paws in a moment of joy, and then quickly tried to pretend she hadn't. Riff and Raff smiled at each other. Carmen cleared her throat and gave them both a reprimanding glare before she slapped Diana's pussy hard. The bunny screamed again and bucked her hips. That slap, that single painful slap did it. Diana moaned out and came, pussy clenching and fluttering in the cool air as she climaxed around nothing. No thick cock filled her pussy and nothing touched her clit. It was an orgasm unlike any other she'd ever experienced, and one that seemed to linger.

The wolves watched the rabbit's sexy striped body go limp on the table. Only the heavy rise and fall of her tits could be seen â€" along with the occasional weak buck of her hips. Carmen licked her lips happily and drew her tongue up the bunny's dripping pussy, tasting her victory. Satisfied with her performance, Carmen strolled back to her seat and sat down, spreading her thighs wide. She turned the vibrator on herself, rubbing the tip against her clit as she gave the wolves a wave.

"Fuck her senseless, boys. I want to see her dripping cum out of every orifice before her hours is up."

Diana whimpered weakly as she felt strong paws grab her hips and her cheeks. As a hard cock started to rub her pussy and another her lips, she felt her senses start to drift away. Her body was no longer her own, but instead a toy that reacted to sex and abuse. As the wolves started to fuck her, she closed her eyes and indulged. The hour suddenly started to fly by

* * *

Diana carefully lowered herself into a seat across a desk from Mistress Carmen. The panthress had brought Diana to her private office after their "transaction" had been completed, and there she offered the rabbit scotch and a plush robe. Diana gladly accepted both.

Carmen stood there behind her desk, staring out the windows. The office was a bit larger than the playroom and it contained a desk, a few seats, a couch, and a mini-bar. As Diana nursed her drink, she quietly wondered if the tight quarters were just another of the panthress' little touches to bring discomfort into her life...or, perhaps the lives of others.

"I picked this room for my office because of the view," Carmen said, as if reading Diana's mind. "You can see the Gatherer's Gardens from here, when the moon is right." She tapped on the glass, indicating one of the glimmering towers not far off. "I always liked the Gardens. The plants grow free there...unlike you and I."

Diana looked up at Carmen, and the panther returned her gaze, coldly. The rabbit shook her head. "We made a deal, Mistress Carmen. I paid my half. You owe me your half now."

Carmen smiled, but it was not a friendly smile. It dripped with smugness and disdain. "I know what I owe you. Unlike you, I truly respect the little ounces of true freedom we have here. Nevertheless, I have no answers for you."

Diana felt her temper starting to boil. "You said you could give me answers. I agreed to your fucking deal, I went through with it, now open your goddamn mouth and talk. I don't think your fucking leeches out there would take kindly to you going back on a bargain, or making a bargain you couldn't pay up!"

"Don't you dare lecture me about keeping a deal, girl," Carmen hissed. "I have never, not once, requested one of you vile Protectors to come and sort out my affairs. I handle my business and my dealings the way we are supposed to: Amongst ourselves. Go, speak to my patrons about this. You'll be lucky to not be gangbanged into a pretty little servant. Protectors are not respected here, never mind welcome.

"Besides," she said, slowly taking a seat, "I have very little to tell you. Certainly none of what I know is the answer you want. Even if I did know details, it wouldn't help you find him."

"Him?" Diana said, perking her ears up. "Then you do know something. You know who was with the girl, or what happened?"

"No," Carmen said. "I know that a male came to me many months ago. He was marvelous. He understood us, understood why we all felt so trapped in a city that was supposed to offer pure freedom. I spent a lovely night with him, and all he requested from me was a few names of reputable Soma makers, and that I send someone to rent a private place for him. He even provided two bottles of a very rare wine as payment for the room. He didn't tell me his name. All he told me was that he would start something that wouldn't be stopped, and when he was done, we'd all be free. I told him I wanted to know no more, because I knew that once he started - and I believed he would do what he said - that you Protectors would come calling on me. So now I can honestly say that I have no answers for you."

Diana had to hold herself back. She truly wanted to beat the panthress senseless. "Give me a description, then," she growled, as best a rabbit could.

"Hyena," Carmen laughed. "Enjoy that. There are almost a million hearts in this city. More than a few are 'Yenas."

The rabbit put her glass down on Carmen's desk and then stood, pulling her robe tight around her body. "You're no fool, Carmen. Whatever this guy is up too, you know it can only hurt the city. He's already killed a girl. You know that you need Protectors, too. To deal with idiots like this."

Carmen shrugged. "Maybe the girl wanted it."

"Snuff wasn't in her CONdex."

"So?" Carmen said, arching an eyebrow. "Is everything YOU would consent to in your CONdex? No. This is exactly what I mean about you and your ilk. Some of us need true freedom, not a list of things we permit or are permitted, no matter how long that list may be."

"And if you're wrong? If he did murder her, and she didn't want it?"

"Then the word will get out, and the hearts will deal with him."

"Or maybe he's just playing you all," Diana said, turning to leave. "Enjoy your evening, Mistress Carmen. I hope I won't have to come back here if your hyena friend decides to exercise his 'freedom' on you."

* * *

Diana sat in her condo, slouched in her favorite seat. As a Protector, she was given lodging as payment for her services, and it was fine lodging at that. The view was good, and the unit was spacious. She stared out her windows at her glowing, pulsing city as she talked to Sawyer over the speaker phone.

"Don't let them fuck with your head, kid. You've been doing this for years. You know damn well that if we really just hung up the gloves and let this city run itself, it'd be mobs, murder and mayhem in about a day. It's not like we fine them for sleeping in the goddamn hallways. Don't murder each other, don't steal from each other, don't assault each other. That's not a lot to ask. Fuck, even then you can put that shit in your CONdex and then even THAT'S fucking legal."

"I know, I know. It's just that not all of the hearts out there see it that way. Carmen really believes that the general public would honestly find, investigate, and then deal with anyone who wronged another."

Diana heard Sawyer snort in disgust. "Please. You'd have lynch mobs running wild. Hell, you'd be lucky to see Vertigo last a year. They'd probably tear the place to pieces. The Admins couldn't keep up with that sort of destruction. They have their hands full with the normal wear and tear this place gets."

"Yeah," Diana said, exhaustion in her voice. "Try to explain that to the folks who live their lives in a booze, Soma, sex-induced trance, though. They don't see what we see."

"Nope. That's why we do our job and move on. Let them cry about their orgies not being 'free'."

The conversation then turned to lighter matters. After Diana had vented and after Sawyer had drawn a few laughs from her, they said their good-byes and hung up. Diana then stood and stretched, turning to head to her bed. She caught something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop. There was a small slip of paper stuck under her door.

Diana hurried to the door and bent down, tugging the paper out. She unfolded the wrinkled, dirty sheet and read it. She felt her heart race as she read the few words over and over again.

Cloud 9, tomorrow, midnight. He didn't tell me he would kill anyone!

P.S. Don't look for me when you get there. I'll find you!

Diana slapped the lock button on her door. It hissed open on command, and she ran into the hallway. She looked left and right, but no one could be seen. Purple-and-green lights cast a trance-like glow over the hall. The only noise she could hear was the throbbing of bass from one of the local clubs.

Vertigo City pulsed with music and life. Crowds danced, and strangers became lovers. No-one knew that a killer was walking amongst them and, perhaps, no-one cared.

~PLAYLIST END~

Story and Characters are property of FJ Emerson. Please do no reproduce in part or whole without my written permission. Please do not use characters without my written permission. Please do not masturbate to them too much, either. You'll get hair on your knuckles.

*From "Low Tide of the Night" by Everything But the Girl, from their album "Temperamental".