The Cutler Chronicles: Devotee 15
Chapter 1
The Red Room’s neon lights were obscured by the large snow flurries that fluttered down to the long empty city sidewalks below. The faint hum from the sign was a very familiar sound to Serena as she stepped outside her limo in front of the large crimson doors, her dark complexion and curving figure accentuated by the whitening metropolitan landscape. She bristled in her fur coat and took in her surroundings before briskly, but elegantly, strolling up to the two finely-dressed red gentlemen standing guard.
The brawnier of the two walked over to greet her, hands folded behind his back.
“Mademoiselle, it is wonderful to see you again. Will your husband be joining us?”
“Ah, no, not tonight,” Serena affirmed, her inflection indicating annoyance, “Evan has spoiled his appetite for the night. Can you hurry up and let me in? I came here to get warmed up, not freeze out here in the cold.” This really was her least favorite time of year.
The guard smiled disingenuously at her. “Of course, Mademoiselle.” He extended his hand, expectantly, towards her.
Serena quickly reached into the recesses of her lingerie, pulled out a large stack of money and slapped it into the bouncer’s waiting palm, allowing her hand to rest in his for a moment.
“Roseilia,” she stated quietly, staring directly into the guards eyes before withdrawing her hand back into the warmth of her fur coat.
Purposefully taking his sweet time to thumb through the stack, the guard waited for Serena to sigh impatiently before depositing the cash into his lined waistcoat and extending his white-gloved hand toward the Red Room entrance as welcoming gesture.
“The Red Room is happy to welcome you back, Mrs. Cutler.”
Serena was already in front of the entrance before the guard finished his sentence, forcing the other to reflexively open the door for her.
Inside, Serena took a glancing notice of the dimly-lit dining area of the establishment. Men and women sat around blackjack tables on the far side. One man in particular seemed to be doing especially well as a small congregation of onlookers seemed to be watching with special interest in his game. The craps tables near the front seemed to be entertaining a jolly-looking bachelorette party with the bride-to-be preparing her bet against her maid of honor. Slot machines lined either side of the walls of the room with waitresses in deep red cocktail dresses serving drinks to patrons. Finally, a large stage stood in the center surrounded by dining tables. A band played smooth jazz as couples danced whimsically around a checkered diamond-tiled dance floor.
One lovely young woman in a signature red cocktail dress approached Serena, smiling sweetly.
“Mrs. Cutler! It’s so good to see you, again. May I take your coat?”
Serena smiled and shook her head,“No, my dear, I think I’ll be keeping it this time. The guard outside kept me waiting for a little too long out in the cold, I’m afraid.”
The girl reeled back in feigned surprise, “Of course, my apologies! Please follow me through the security gate, if you don’t mind. You know the drill,” she winked at her, leading her out of the entryway.
Serena strolled confidently through the security gate and continued to shadow the young hostess through the dining hall, passed the various gamblers and revelers towards the back wall. A few onlookers cocked their eyebrows as Serena walked by, her sweet perfume and other-worldly grace drawing them in, but most continued on obliviously in their merrymaking. One last guard stood between Serena and her final destination as the young woman lead her to a crimson door with no door knob away from the blackjack tables.
Unlike the other employees on The Red Room, this guard wore a black tux and an earpiece in his left ear. He hardly made any expression and she approached him.
“I was told you were here, Mrs. Cutler. Please.” The guard pulled a card key from his pocket and slid it into a key slot to the right side of the door. After an audible click, the door slid to the right revealing a carpeted stairwell downwards, “You know the way, I’m sure.”
Serena nodded quietly, tipping the hostess and the guard each a 50 dollar bill before going downstairs on her own. She was very aware of the security camera observing her decent but paid it no mind: she was on a mission tonight.
At the bottom of the stairs, Serena found herself in a room resembling that of a high-class hotel lobby...well, one with a great deal of security detail. Six burly men in black tuxedos lined either side of the left and right walls while two more stood by the ‘hotel’ desk. A goofy-looking, balding man with large ears and a friendly smile rubbed his hands expectantly as she walked towards the desk. His worn yellow jacket and lavender waistcoat made him seem especially out of place in this establishment.
“Mrs. Cutler! So wonderful to see you tonight! Neither you nor your husband have visited in quite a while,” the odd little man almost seemed to be bouncing with joy at her presence.
Serena nodded, smiling with the same gentleness she showed the red-dressed hostess, “Hello, Bernie. Evan and I have been away on business until very recently, so sorry if you’ve missed us.”
Bernie bobbed his head up and down energetically,“Oh yes, yes, we’ve missed you quite a bit. I have some, um...unfortunate news to give you, Mrs. C...Lynn had to retire. I know she was your favorite.”
Raising a hand to her cheek, genuinely upset, Serena frowned, “She was Evan’s favorite as well. He’ll be gutted hearing about this. Is...is there anyway I can get ahold if her?”
“Oh no no no,” Bernie bowed his head, shaking it like a maraca, “I’m afraid we can’t go around giving out our employees personal information. I’m sure you understand.”
“I suppose...” Serena sighed sadly, “I don’t know what to do here, now. She really was so sublime,” she started to turn towards the exit.
“Oh wait a moment please, Mrs. C! We might have someone you’ll like, here. Normally they cost twice the amount as one of our regular employees, but for tonight we’ll be willing to allow you to...test someone out. Someone even better than Lynn. Dare I say, someone you might find better than your husband.”
Serena cocked her left eyebrow, “That’s pretty bold of you to say, Bernie.” She folded her arms and cocked her head slightly, smiling coyly. “And who might this person be?”
Bernie flustered for a moment while he flipped through what looked to be a ledger, “Ah...I don’t seem to have a female available...but we do have our one and only male version of these...Devotees.”
“Devotees?” Serena chuffed, “Why haven’t I heard of these employees until now?”
“We normally only make them available to VIP members of The Red Room, but because the business you and your husband have given us has been so appreciated, you’ve been put into consideration for VIP status. Seeing as Lynn was the main reason you both continued coming here, we wanted to notice you with something better.”
“Alright, what makes them Devotees, then?”
“You’ll have to see that for yourself, I’m afraid,” Bernie chuckled, “I’ve personally never seen them. The higher-ups are the only ones who know anything about them and these fellows,” he gestured to the guards,“are the only ones that are allowed to see them down here and they’re very tight-lipped. I’ve only heard how great they are from other patrons, but they always leave saying it was worth it.”
Serena sized up the guards and Bernie for a moment, fluffing her fur coat which was starting to feel too warm in the heated lobby, “Fine, then. Evan isn’t here so I wouldn’t mind a Male companion for the night,” she nodded to Bernie, “Set me up with room 27 if you don’t mind.”
Bernie bobbed his head in delight before clumsily removing a key card out of the drawer in front of him and handing it into Serena’s delicate fingers, “There you are, Mrs. Cutler. I hope you have a wonderful stay with us at The Red Room.”
The large guard in a tuxedo to the left of Serena lead her to the left side of the lobby, opening a hidden door to reveal a long hallway. Bright red doors lined the hall on either side and every so often, Serena would hear the sounds of giggling or music from passing rooms.
Serena’s escort finally stood by the door to room 27 and waited patiently as Serena let herself in with the key card. After nodding thankfully to the guard, she shut the door and took off her fur coat, exposing her revealing but tasteful deep blue gown and matching stilettos. She fanned herself with her free hand while taking stock of the room. Everything inside had the staple deep crimson color of The Red Room with exception to the cherrywood hardwood floor and white accenting. A round king-sized bed overtook the room as the centerpiece with rose petals drizzled in a heart-shaped pattern around its comforter. To the left side sat an intricately-carved vanity table with a heart-shaped mirror. At the right side of the room and large bathroom with a red ceramic heart-shaped tub showed through another crimson door. Serena sat down on the bed, plucking a dark chocolate truffle from a small heart-shaped bowl to the night stand and munched on it; her guilty pleasure. She stared at her reflection for a while until she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in!” She responded, abruptly, excited to see who this mystery ‘Devotee’ could be.
The vividly red door opened slowly revealing a young man, maybe in his mid twenties, with blonde hair and striking green eyes. He wore a simple white robe with no slippers and an odd metal collar clung tightly around his neck. It had a strange lime-colored gem at its center which seemed to only make his eyes appear greener. His face was clean-shaven and his skin was so pale Serena wondered if he ever went outside. When the Devotee looked to Serena it felt like he was looking through her...or was it at the air in between them? Either way, Serena felt as though he wasn’t looking directly at her. There was also something noticeably solemn in his motions that she couldn’t put her finger on...
A guard walked in right behind him, and Serena only then noticed that he had had his hand on the shoulder of the robed man even before he walked in the door.
The guard sniffed before speaking, “Alright, so this is Devotee 15, our one and only male model. For the entirety of the time that you are with him, you will have full control over his actions so long as you say your own personal codeword for him—which you can give to him right after I leave.”
Serena stood up from the bed in surprise and curiosity, “I’m sorry...full control of his actions?” She took a closer look at the young man who still wasn’t looking directly at her. “What do you mean by that?”
Sighing impatiently the guard shook his head, “You tell him what to do and he’ll do it so long as you say your codeword first, like I said. Now, there are some rules with dealing with the Devotees. First and foremost: you can’t remove or tamper with the collar. If you destroy or remove it you’ll be escorted off the premises and will no longer be welcome at the Red Room. It has a sensor and GPS card to let us know if and where it was taken off, so don’t try it. Secondly, you are permitted to hurt the Devotees, but you can’t do anything to them that might break the skin or break their bones. If you do, you’ll be fined three hundred thousand dollars and will lose VIP status permanently. Thirdly you should be already be aware that no photo or video-taking devices are permitted in the Red Room. If you’re found in possession of either you will be removed from the Red Room permanently. Finally, this isn’t a rule, but it isn’t possible for you to allow the Devotee to ‘function’ using his own personality. They can only take orders. Should you have any concerns for their psyche or something, I’m to assure you that there is nothing to worry about.” The brute of a man patted Devotee 15 on the shoulder firmly. “They won’t remember anything from their experience with you so nothing you do or say to them can actually do any harm.”
Serena looked on at Devotee 15, and chuckled for a moment, “Um...ha, is this...this can’t be real, can it? This must be some sort of joke.”
The guard rolled his eyes, “Look, if you don’t want him, we can take him back. Someone else has already inquired about him in the lobby.”
“Oh! No no,” Serena grabbed the Devotee’s hand, “we’ll be fine...thank you very much,” she gestured for the guard to leave.
Grunting, the tuxedoed man squinted at Serena for a moment before closing the door behind him.
Left alone with Devotee 15, his hand suddenly twitched in hers and for the first time, Serena saw him looking directly at her. He smiled warmly, though he never lost that uncanny solemn undertone.
“Mademoiselle, please establish our codeword before we continue,” his voice was gentle and rather melodic, unlike Evan’s. Serena decided to really talk with her beloved husband about quitting cigarettes—they were ruining his voice.
“O-oh...um...how about ‘snowfall’?” She suggested, “If you...think that’s alright.”
Devotee 15 nodded, still smiling.
“Codeword accepted,” he took a slow step forward, looking down into Serena’s eyes. She could hear him gently breathing as he brushed her dark curls behind her ear, “I’m yours for the evening, Mademoiselle.”
After stewing in a moment of awe, Serena took a step back from her companion and studied him up and down. He wasn’t as well-built as Evan, but he had good definition in his muscle-structure. She wasn’t sure who was keeping him fit but he certainly seemed healthy.
She gripped his chin firmly, “Show me your teeth.”
Devotee 15 didn’t budge and his eyes had started to glaze over as if he were daydreaming.
“Oh yeah, sorry. ‘Snowfall’: please show me your teeth.”
The young man redirected his gaze towards her and gave her a big, attractive grin, showing his pearly whites. Serena inspected them for a moment, and after taking note of how handsome he looked when he smiled, she noticed no signs of malnutrition. In fact, he had a very nice set of clean teeth.
“’Snowfall’ you can stop smiling if you’d like...” Serena somewhat regretted saying this as Devotee 15 immediately stopped smiling and went back to his passive yet solemn expression he wore when he first walked in the room. He even began to stare off into space once more.
“Ahhh...I don’t know if I can do this...” Serena stroked her forehead in frustration and confusion, “something feels off...”
Devotee 15 offered no response and, in fact, it felt as though his mind had completely left the room.
Serena started at him for a moment before whispering, “Did they...kidnap you or something? Are you doing this against your will? Or is this some kind of weird kink for you?”
At first Serena believed Devotee 15 would continue to be unresponsive, but after a moment without moving his head, his eyes had focused on her’s, unblinking. After confirming that his unwavering gaze would follow her around the room, Serena tapped the collar on his neck.
“’Snowfall’: tell me about this collar, if you don’t mind.”
Devotee 15 smiled warmly once more, “I’m sorry, Mademoiselle, but I’m afraid I can’t reveal anything about the collar to patrons. If you have any questions or concerns about the collar, me or any other Devotee, you can take them up with Master Fenwall—the owner of the Red Room.”
“ I just need to know if...you’re ok with all this. Can’t you at least tell me that?...Snowfall. That is getting obnoxious to repeat, by the way.”
Still smiling, Devotee 15 nodded, “You have nothing to worry about. I’m here of my own free will and am being properly paid for my services to you. If you no longer wish to repeat the codeword, I’ll simply do as you command until our session is over. Please confirm this suggestion with the codeword one last time, Mademoiselle.”
Serena put her hand to her chest in relief, “Oh, well...Snowfall, then. Phew, I was worried for a second, there...it must have just been...I don’t know what it was,” she smiled up at her companion, gripping his hand gently, “Let’s start by getting that robe off you, shall we?”
Devotee 15 nodded, ever smiling, “Codeword accepted. Of course! Anything you’d like. Would you like to take it off or,” he walked up close to her once more, his expression seemingly becoming more flirtatious, “shall I?”
It was the first time Serena blushed since she married Evan.
“Are you...does that collar make you say those sorts of things?”
He smiled seductively, “You don’t need to worry about the collar, Mademoiselle,” he stroked her cheek lightly, making her blush even more, “Try to pretend it isn’t even there. Now, should I take the robe off or—”
Making her blush a second time was the last straw for Serena. Although she’d play the submissive role for Evan sometimes, it didn’t get her off very often. In fact it was because of their domestic disagreement on who should be on top that she and Evan looked to the Red Room to find alternate companionship. Ever since then, their sex life had become far more enriched and enjoyable. They quickly learned that they couldn’t handle having more than one other person involved, but that was fine. Serena and Evan enjoyed working with one another’s equally creative and domineering personalities to dominate others and both she and Evan both agreed that anyone who blushes at flirting is clearly being submissive. That is not the role Serena went to the Red Room to play.
Before he could finish his sentence, Serena had kissed Devotee 15 and began untying his robe. He reciprocated the kiss, allowing his robe to fall silently to the floor beneath them before resting his hands on her curving hips. Serena’s tongue circled and danced with his, and she wondered for a moment if he could taste the chocolate truffle she had just snacked on. Initially, Serena was somewhat keeping her lower body away from his, still feeling a little unsure about the situation, but she eventually pulled him closer to her, enjoying the feeling of his warmth against her dress. She quickly noticed his stiff member pressed up against her lower stomach and she finally pulled away from their smooching to take a look at his goods.
While he certainly couldn’t compete with her husband’s stallion-like length, Devotee 15 had quite a respectable cock. She couldn’t judge how long it was just from looking down at it, but Serena could tell it was at least a little longer and wider than average. She smiled up at Devotee 15, only to frown in disappointment. He had once again begun staring into space, and this time it was as though he wasn’t even trying to look at her, his face turned slightly away from her’s.
Serena’s brow furrowed slightly and she pulled her companion’s chin back towards her, trying to observe his expression. It was clearly more melancholy than before. Once again, Serena took a look at the collar—trying to put its visual to memory. She walked around her entranced lover to find the locking mechanism at the back of the neck. A small keyhole displayed a means to remove the metal ring from Devotee 15’s throat. She began to reach out to examine it, when 15 grabbed her by the wrist. Although it startled her, he had barely any grip and very gently let his hand fall to his side and away from Serena as she backed up. He was quietly staring at her once more.
Serena shook her head, “I can’t do this. Something isn’t right...”
Devotee 15’s body twitched, and he smiled warmly, though disappointedly, towards her, “I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. Don’t worry, it’s understandable—Devotees aren’t for everyone,” he began putting his robe back on, “I hope we at the Red Room can find you an adequate replacement.”
Before Devotee 15 started to leave, Serena pulled him towards her.
“Please, you have to show me,” she whispered, “I need to know if you need my help.”
Her odd companion simply kept smiling down towards her, “Mademoiselle, I told you before—”
“Snowfall, can you go back to requiring the codeword before you do anything, please.”
“Request accepted,” Devotee 15’s smile began to drop once more, but his eye contact never wavered.
“Now, you need to show me,” Serena gently pulled his face closer to her’s, “show me if you need my help.”
For a moment, nothing happened. They stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity to Serena.
But then his face turned a light shade of pink and his expressionless features became very lightly strained as a few stray tears streamed down his face.
Serena made a stern expression as she brush the tears from his face, “You are in trouble. I knew it,” she embraced him, squeezing him tightly, “I’m going to get you out of here, I promise.”
After some time, she had cleaned herself up, dressed herself in a complementary Red Room robe and laid Devotee 15 down on the bed next to her, keeping him and herself robed.
“Snowfall—get some sleep. We’ll figure this all out soon.”
Devotee 15 stared tearfully towards Serena before his eyelids fell firmly shut and his body relaxed into the bed. Serena watched him sleep peacefully for a minute before surrendering to slumber herself to the sound of his rhythmic breathing.
* * *