Displayed

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Cassia stood frozen on her stand, arms outstretched, toes barely touching the platform, feeling the wooden knob inside her like a brand. Through the window, she could see movement on the street, futas walking past, some alone, some in pairs, some in groups. A few casted idle glances toward the shop window's irregular display.

They can't see Cassia, she told herself. They can't see the stand. They can't see the cage. They just see a doll in a dress. They see Bonnet.

But the thought brought little comfort. Because they could see her face. Her painted, powdered, bonneted face. Her wide, terrified eyes. Her stiff, unnatural pose.

She looked like a doll. She felt like a doll. And she hated every moment of it.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Dolly's voice broke through her spiral of dread. Cassia turned her head, carefully, so carefully, afraid of shifting her weight, and found the white-haired doll beaming at her. "I love window time. It's so fun to watch everyone's faces when they see us."

"You've done this before?" Cassia asked, her voice hollow.

"Lots of times! Mistress sends the mannequins away for repairs every few months. She says they get worn out from all the posing." Dolly giggled. "I think she just likes putting me in the window. She says I'm much prettier than the regular mannequins."

Cassia stared at her, squirming. "And you don't mind? Being displayed like this? With this thing inside of you?"

Dolly considered the question, tilting her head in that doll-like way she had. "I used to mind," she said finally. "A long time ago. But then I realized…" She smiled, soft and dreamy. "Mistress wants me to be pretty. She wants me to be seen. And when I'm in the window, everyone looks at me. Everyone thinks I'm beautiful. Isn't that what every doll wants?"

"No," Cassia said flatly. "That's not what I want."

"Then why are you here?" Dolly asked, not unkindly.

Cassia opened her mouth to answer, but no words came. Because she didn't have an answer. Or rather, she had too many answers, all of them tangled and contradictory, none of them simple.

Because I needed money.

Because I didn't read the contract carefully enough.

Because Angélique tricked me.

Because my latent beta side must secretly like this, or I surely would have found a way out by now...

She shook her head, refusing to follow that line of thinking any further. "It doesn't matter why I'm here. I just have to get through this hour."

"That's the spirit!" Dolly turned to face the window, her arms still spread, her smile still bright. "Now, come on. We have customers to attract."

"What does that even mean? How are we supposed to-"

Dolly showed her.

The white-haired doll leaned forward slightly, just enough to shift her weight on the stand, just enough to make her breath catch, and blew a kiss toward the window. Her painted lips pursed, her hand pressed to her mouth, and then she opened her fingers in a little wave, sending the imaginary kiss fluttering toward the street.

Cassia watched in horror as a futa passing by glanced into the window, saw Dolly's blown kiss, and actually stopped. The futa was a tall alpha with short-cropped hair and a merchant's tunic, and she stood there for a long moment, staring at Dolly with an expression of amused interest.

Dolly blew her another kiss. Then she shifted her pose, turning slightly to the side, and hitched up her skirt just enough to show a glimpse of her bare thigh.

The alpha laughed and gave Dolly a thumbs-up before continuing on her way. She didn't enter the shop, but she had seen. She had been attracted.

"See?" Dolly said happily. "That's how it's done. Now you try."

"No."

"Bonnet." Dolly's voice carried a hint of steel beneath its sweet tones. "Mistress told us to attract customers. You have to do your part."

Cassia's jaw tightened. The contract pulsed, reminding her of her obligations, and she felt the familiar compulsion not to disobey settling over her. She could resist, she always could resist, at least for a short while, but the effort was exhausting, and Angélique would claim her will if she didn't try.

With a heavy sigh, Cassia turned toward the window. A group of futas was approaching, three of them, all Maidenhead Academy students. Cassia's heart lurched. She knew those students. She wore a similar tunic, when she wasn't trapped in this ridiculous pink dress.

Don't panic, she told herself. They can't recognize you. Your face is painted like a doll. You're wearing a bonnet and this ridiculous outfit. You're not Cassia Longwood right now. You're Bonnet. Just Bonnet.

The students drew closer, chatting and laughing among themselves. Cassia **** herself to raise one hand, just enough to press her fingers to her painted lips. Then, with her heart hammering against her ribs, she blew them a kiss.

The students looked up. They saw her. Saw Dolly. Saw two painted living dolls standing in the window with their arms outstretched and their skirts short.

One of the students, a pretty omega with curly red hair, pointed and said something to her friends. They all laughed, but it wasn't mocking. It was delighted. One of them blew a kiss back, and another cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Looking good, ladies!"

Cassia's face burned beneath her makeup. But she kept smiling. Kept posing. Kept her arms outstretched and her weight balanced precariously on the stand.

The students moved on, still laughing, still glancing back at the window. Cassia watched them go, a strange mixture of relief and shame swirling in her chest. They hadn't recognized her. They had seen her, looked right at her, and seen nothing more than a shop decoration.

She was invisible. Erased. Replaced.

The thought should have horrified her. Instead, she found herself relaxing slightly, the tension draining from her shoulders. If no one could recognize her, if Bonnet was all anyone saw, then maybe… maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe she could get through the hour without dying of embarrassment.

Dolly, meanwhile, had escalated her performance. The white-haired doll was now posing provocatively, arching her back to thrust her chest forward, hiking her skirt up to show even more of her pale thighs. Every few moments, she would flash a quick glimpse of something more, the cage that confined her small cock, the trickle of arousal that ran down her leg.

"Isn't that a bit much Dolly?" Cassia hissed, worried that Dolly would give away their predicament.

"Mistress wants customers," Dolly replied without looking at her. "Customers want to be entertained. Dolly is entertaining them."

A pair of older futas, both alphas, judging by their confident strides and expensive clothing, paused outside the window. They watched Dolly's performance with open appreciation, and one of them actually reached for the shop door.

"Oh!" Dolly whispered excitedly. "See, I got some! Quick, look pretty!"

Cassia straightened her spine, fixed her smile, and tried to look as doll-like as possible. The door chimed, and the two alphas entered, their eyes immediately drawn to the window display, to Dolly, to Cassia, the two living dolls impaled on their wooden stands. Angélique smiled proudly as she came out from her office to greet them.

"Mistress is pleased," Dolly murmured. "Keep going. Don't stop."