WARNING:
THERE IS EXPLICIT SEX AND BONDAGE GAMES IN THIS STORY. I marked this clearly in the header. The sex is graphic, but all loving and consensual (and not that much worse than a typical romance novel). If reading sex scenes like that would offend you, please don't read this.

If you want to comment, send email to <luba@lubakmetyk.net>

Part 1

"Now there's a bit of the old all right..." the neighbourhood tout commented to himself, as he studied the approaching pair with an expert eye. "A high-stepping chestnut filly, and a thoroughbred palomino mare..."

Busy chatting, the two beautiful women walking along the crowded street ignored the wizened old man's mutterings, just as they remained oblivious to the rest of the admiring looks they were collecting. "I'm so glad you could come shopping with me this morning," Kitty Pryde said to Amanda Sefton, as they headed for another of their favorites stores. "I tried to get Meggan and Betsy to come too, but they were both busy, and I don't think Rahne is *quite* ready for this yet..."

"Well, at the slow-poke rate she and Sam are going, we *will* have to drag her along with us into a lingerie shop one of these days, and see if we can get her something to speed things up a bit."

"Rahne wouldn't go along with anything like that," the younger girl frowned at her long-time friend. "She doesn't insist we live according to her morals, but that doesn't mean we should try to get her to give them up. We should respect her decisions, just like she respects ours."

"Ok, ok -- I get it already!" the worldly, experienced flight attendant threw up her hands, laughing. "And I didn't mean she should *seduce* him, anyway... either before marriage, and *certainly* not *into* marriage. I just meant we should get her something attractive -- like a nice, sexy, lace-trimmed silk robe, maybe -- that she could wear somewhere he'd see her, and be reminded of what they're both missing by waiting, and get tempted into getting off his butt and proposing to her. *That's* all I meant!"

"She'd probably think that was wrong, too," Kitty sighed, just a bit regretfully. "It's too bad, really -- they're so perfect for each other, they really *should* be together all the time..."

"Well, if you won't let me witch some raw oysters into their oatmeal, I guess Kurt and I and you and Pete and Brian and Meggan will just have to keep setting them a good example of how happy they could be." Sefton smiled archly. "*That's* a legitimate way of tempting them, isn't it?"

"Are you and Kurt going to get married too, then?" Kitty asked, teasingly. "*That'd* be setting them a good example..."

"No way! Not soon, anyway... We're doing fine just as we are, we're not ready for more yet. Why don't you and Pete make it official?" Seeing the pained shadow cross the younger girl's face, Nightcrawler's longtime girlfriend realized she'd hit a sore point. "And," she changed the subject briskly, "speaking of your still unofficial other half, have you figured out yet how we're going to give Pete a surprise party on his birthday? After all, I think hitting the big 3-0 deserves a major bash."

"It's going to be a real challenge." Kitty seized on the new topic gratefully. "It was easy, the first time or two some special occasion came up. Pete didn't expect anything, so he didn't suspect anything... but he's definitely on his guard by now, he knows we like to do stuff like that. He's already been hinting about us taking a few days down in London next week -- just coincidentally, right around the magic date."

"That *will* make it harder," Amanda frowned. "I suppose we could go down there right after you, and stay at the Manor -- or at a different hotel -- and arrange a party at one of his favorite restaurants or pubs, since I doubt you could get him all the way out to Braddock Manor without him suspecting something was up. But you *should* be able to get him to a particular pub or restaurant at a particular time..."

"Maybe, maybe not... he's *always* pretty suspicious -- basic spy's survival instinct, he calls it -- and he'll be especially paranoid that day..." Kitty mused, deep in thought. "What I was thinking, to really surprise him... I might go along with his London idea, have just a small two-person celebration with him that night in our room -- I mean, no way he'd expect me *not* to do *something*, right? Then Kurt could call us with a sudden emergency the next morning, and Pete wouldn't be expecting a big team party then, he'd think he'd gotten off successfully..."

"But it would be *cheating* to do it the next day," Sefton pouted. "The whole *point* is to get him on the right day..." Her sea-mist green eyes began sparkling, dancing with michievous golden hightlights. "Hmmm, I think I see how we do this. We can still use part of your plan -- you let that devious git of your drag you off to London, and you two do your own thing down there, just like you said, but be sure we know *exactly* where you are... and then I'll 'port everyone in *exactly* five minutes before midnight. Pete *definitely* won't be expecting that, but we still all get to yell 'happy birthday' on the right date."

The smug grin on the slender brunette's face matched the evil glee on the sorceress' face. "Yeah, that'd work, wouldn't it?"

"So, what kind of two-person 'celebration' were you thinking of?" If possible, Amanda's smirk widened even further.

"Oh, you know, just the usual..." her companion replied, blushing prettily. "I'll order a nice, private dinner in our room, maybe dress up for him a bit..."

"That's why we're out here shopping for something sexy, I assume? Something that'll make him drool? Especially with some romantic mood music? Maybe even a little striptease? Or something that'll drive him wild, so he throws himself at you and *rips* it off you, just like some nice trashy romance novel?"

Kitty's cheeks were beet-red by now but otherwise she was laughing, taking the older woman's teasing in stride. "Something like that, yeah. I've got a special treat in mind I've been wanting to try on Pete for a while now, I've just been waiting for the perfect opportunity..."

"Ok, I'll let you get away with that now, but you're going to tell me all about it later, right? We'll get Meggan and Betsy -- and Moira and Rahne, too, if they want -- and we'll have a girl's day out a day or two later, and you can give us *all* the juicy details." The part-time stewardess, part-time sorceress waggled a finger at Kitty menacingly. "Just be sure to start early enough that you're both nice and decent by midnight -- or five to then."

"So, what do you think?" Amanda put back the lime-green satin gown with its deep V-neck and delicate lattice of thin lace ties running up the side that she'd been considering and pulled out her next selection, the exact same model in blood-scarlet. "A pair of silver high-heeled sandals and a choker -- and a romantic dinner for two, by candlelight -- would go pretty well with this." She flattened it against her curvacious form and made some half-turns, eyeing herself in the nearby full-length mirror appraisingly. "Do you think Pete would like this as much as I think Fuzzy will?"

Kitty turned a pair of wide, deceptively guileless brown eyes onto the sorceress. "And just *why* would you want Pete to see you in your unmentionables during a romantic dinner for two by candlelight, Amanda?" The overdone innocence in her voice made the joke clear.

"Not on *me*, silly, on *you*!" the strawberry blonde laughed, swinging her overflowing shopping bag at her friend. "Maybe in a sky blue..." She studied the slender brunette at her side with a critical eye and shook her head, negating her own opinion. "No, bad idea. Too light. Maybe twilight blue -- or even just your basic black."

Kitty shrugged. "I'll take it under advisement."

"Read as 'No way in hell.'"

"Well... for this particular occasion, yes. Or no, whichever is gramatically more correct." With a dancer's natural grace, she headed over to the biker-babe/black-leather-bustier/thigh-length-high-heel-boot section, speaking over her shoulder to her companion as she walked along. "Pete's honestly tacky taste in naughty get-up is about as subtle as a full-system crash," she explained. "He's gotten better about it..."

"Ah, compromise." Amanda sighed in mock-wistfulness. "Nothing like it to make certain that no one leaves the table happy."

"He has gotten better!" Kitty retorted vehemently. "Ok, so maybe we've both been compromising a bit, but there's nothing wrong with that. All the books say compromise makes for a healthy, lasting relationship--" Amanda laughed at that, which Kitty ignored while she went on doggedly, "I've gotten used to wearing garter belts and stockings and stuff like that, and Pete's learned to appreciate silk and lace and soft colors and subtlety--" Big brown eyes flashed briefly at her friend's undisguised snort; then she grinned herself. "But this is for his birthday treat, so he deserves extra icing on his cake." She pondered her own choice of words briefly, wondering if maybe she actually *should* bring some icing along... for other purposes, of course. "So I'm going to find myself something that would send a two-penny hooker running for cover..."

Sefton sniggered loudly. "Pete's expression, I assume?"

"Yeah. The bottom line is, I'm going to fully indulge him in his admittedly horrible taste, without reminding him of it next time. Sort of a get-out-of-compromise-free card."

Amanda grinned at the stubborn expression on her friend's face as Kitty examined a black leather merriwidow. A fine silver filigree mesh stretched across the top half of the breasts, along the garters, and in a tiny heart-shape cut-out just above the crotch. "That's pretty horrible, all right."

The young brunette scowled and set it down again, reaching out for a tangled harness of black leather straps -- none more than an inch wide -- held together with silver chain links. "But not *quite* bad enough for what I have in mind..."

Continued in Part 2...