When his hands lifted her away from his body Lavinia got ready to jump off but instead Thearon thrust swiftly, moving completely into her body. His erection filled her to the brim with awesome pleasure. They let out a joint moan of pleasure and all thought of abandoning the act fled Lavinia’s mind.
With the feeling of the cold tile at her back and the warm water stroking over her breasts at the front, Lavinia met Thearon thrust for thrust, reveling in the wet smack of their bodies meeting again and again. When Thearon leaned forward and took her mouth again Lavinia joined him in a war of tongue and teeth, the struggle and strain adding to the pleasure of the act.
Suddenly, Thearon ground deep within her thrusting with forceful pumps that threw them both over the edge. Their twin screams echoed around the tiled room as they both came, hard.
Allowing his body to sink down to the floor still embedded in Lavinia’s body, Thearon rested back on his hands as Lavinia gave one final hip roll over his erection.
“That’s much better,” Thearon said his voice made even deeper by his spent pleasure.
Lavinia felt her anger rise. Why did the first thing Thearon said after they’d had sex in months have to be about his own pleasure? Gods, did the man not hear himself? He had used her yet again! Before she realized what she was doing, Lavinia drew one hand back and slapped him with an open palm. The sound of her anger reverberated through the showers, replaying the act again and again. The silence surrounding the falling water was deafening.
“How dare you wait all this time and just use me again. I am not here for your pleasure alone.”
Stepping off him, Lavinia found her balance and scanned the room for a towel. Finding none, she left the room in all of her naked glory and Thearon just watched her go.
CHAPTER TEN
“This is the last time I am doing this. I’m cutting you off ,Lavinia. Do you hear me? Cutting. You. Off.”
Lavinia watched as Callia hung the last of the shipment on the wardrobe racks. Both Lavinia and her handmaiden were sweating and covered in glitter. While it had the effect of making Callia look like a little Werebear pixie, the woman sounded more like a pisses-off ogre.
“Seriously Lavinia, the first few times it was fun to have all of the stuff delivered, but it’s starting to get annoying to have the entire women’s floor of Bloomingdale's transferred to your office for you to pick out ten things. It’s a waste of man hours. Surely, the place is safe enough during the day if we take guards.”
Lavinia looked over to Callia with a look that said “get serious.”
Callia shoved a lilac ball gown down the rack only to have it rebound off the pink tulle of another dress and almost knock her over.
Angrily stepping away from the fighting dresses, Callia said, “See, even the dresses are angry. We need to shop like normal people, in stores, with shop clerks who know what they’re doing. Now strip so we can wrestle you into some of these.”
Callia stepped back to the rack and unhooked the offending lilac number from the hanger. The dress was massive and Callia held it high over her head as she walked towards Lavinia so it didn’t drag on the floor. Watching her handmaiden stagger toward her, Lavinia thought the woman looked like a big ball of satin come to life.
“How do I get into this thing?” Lavinia wondered as Callia sort of dropped the dress to the floor. They both stared at the ball gown which had enough petticoats to stand upright on its own.
“Again, this is what shop girls are for. They are trained in the art of getting people into these things,” Callia said as she leaned down and opened up the bodice, offering her shoulder as leverage for Lavinia to step into the dress.
“Aren’t handmaidens supposed to be trained in such things,, too?”
Callia fixed Lavinia with a look of pure evil, “You got one who was trained in political science and accounting. Subjects far more important to the Queen of a major Were Tribe than how to get you into the world’s biggest ball gown.”
Hefting the heavily beaded bodice into place, Lavinia waited until Callia had laced her in to turn and look at the final product.
“Ugh, I look like I’m going to my junior prom.” Lavinia turned from side to side in the large purple dress. The color was far too juvenile and it was way too heavy to consider wearing for a ball she was supposed to be hosting. Even as fit as she was, she’d never be strong enough to wear the thing for a whole night.
“I might remind you that you didn’t attend a junior prom,” Callia said giving the dress the stink eye too.
“I never attended any prom,” Lavinia countered as she held the bodice in place once again as Callia unlaced it. When the handmaiden was done, Lavinia let the thing go and the dress dropped to the floor in a rush.
As she repeated the complicated steps of getting out of said dress, Callia continued her complaining. “I don’t know that you’re going to attend this ball, either. It would require that you leave the palace for a period of time and I can’t even get you out in broad daylight to go dress shopping.”
Lavinia bit her lip, “I’m working on it. This ball is the biggest night of the year for our Tribe. I have to host it. I would be the first Queen ever to miss the Summer Solstice Ball.”
Callia hung the dress again and chose a more lightweight pink tulle and lace number. As she approached, Lavinia could tell her face had softened a bit. Handing the dress to Lavinia Callia sighed, “Vinny, I’m not downplaying the horrible event that you survived. I honestly don’t blame you for wanting to hide out, but the more time that passes, the more of a complex you’re going to have about leaving this place. You have only just been allowed the freedom to explore outside of these palace walls for the first time in your life. It hurts my heart to see you give it up so quickly.”
Lavinia pulled up the lace straps, fiddling with the little pink leaves that twined over her defined shoulders, “I know Callia. I want to leave, I really do. Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about another date with Parker or grabbing a cup of coffee with you. Heck, even strolling through the gardens again. But each time I get close to the door, panic engulfs me.”
Callia smoothed the long tulle and lace skirt over Lavinia's legs, and they both looked at Lavinia’s reflection in the mirror, “This one’s better,” Lavinia announced.
“Yes, this is a contender, though I still wish the color was something more mature than bubble gum pink.”
Lavinia nodded and shrugged out of the dress, again allowing Callia to hang it back up and choose another. Laying her hand on an emerald green chiffon dress, Callia continued, “So, it doesn’t change anything for you to know that the Werebeast group is no longer in New Orleans? I had hoped that would give you some peace of mind to get out.”
Lavinia bit her lip as Callia wrangled the flowy fabric around her, cinching her waist tight with a zipper that abruptly ended at the middle of her back. Looking in the mirror it was obvious that the color washed her out, but Lavinia still twisted and twirled in front of the mirror to buy some time.
Calla clicked her tongue, “We both know this color is horrible on you, though I will try it on after you are done. It’ll look rocking with my cherry red locks and let’s be honest—the waist is hitting you all wrong. You’re stalling, talk to me, Vinny.”
Lavinia sighed, “There’s so much in my life right now that isn’t going right, and I’m not just talking about the dress search. My relationship with my husbands is all out of whack and I’m scared to step foot into public. I’m a mess.”
Stripping the green dress, Lavinia immediately took a periwinkle beaded number off of Callia’s hands. Lavinia shimmied into the tight mermaid number and Callia was back, ready to zip her up by the time she had it on. Turning to face the mirror Lavinia gasped and Callia’s lips formed a little “o.”
“I think we’ve found the dress, my Queen. If you don’t wear that to the ball, I’ll never forgive you.”
Lavinia looked at her figure in the mirror. The dress was satin with a tulle overlay that had b
een completely beaded in a pattern of fish scales. She should have looked like a mermaid in search of the nearest body of water, but instead the shimmering play of half-moons drew attention to her newly sleek shape. They rounded her hard edges and made her look like a bombshell.
“Well, it looks like I’ll need to get over my phobia of getting assassinated if I step outside. I don’t think I’ll forgive myself if I don’t wear this out, either.”
“That solves problem number one—might I suggest a way to fix two and three together?”
“How do you plan on doing that?” Lavinia wondered, still awestruck by her figure.
“I suggest you ask Thearon out on a day date to find jewelry for that thing. The major jewelers are not going to allow us to bring millions of dollars’ worth of jewels here for you to try on at your leisure. And before you shoot the idea down, remember that Thearon is the head of security—who would you be safer with than him?”
Lavinia smoothed down the skirt of the dress with a frustrated movement. “It’s not just that I’m not spending time with Thearon—it’s that every time I do spend time with him, he ends up using me. I feel like every interaction I have with him he ends up leaving ahead of the game and I’ve only been used to serve his purpose.”
“Well honey, rarely have you gone to the man on your own. You’ve always waited for him to come to you and then you’re playing on his turf. I don’t think that he means to use you, he just doesn’t know any different. It’s not like you’ve given him an opportunity to learn how to be in a relationship.”
Lavinia’s cheeks grew red, “Just because the man has always come to me does not mean that he has to use me every time we interact.”
“That’s true, I’m not saying he’s this perfect, yet misunderstood man. I’m just saying that all his life, he has trained to run the security of his Tribe and that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room to learn how to be good in society like Parker. Thearon is at a disadvantage.”
“Perhaps,” Lavinia huffed.
“Vinny, the entire time you were sick, when you were in the coma, when you were sleeping all day recovering, it was Thearon sitting at your bedside. True, he had computers and cell phones and assistants running in and out, but the man does care. I think it’s time you gave him a chance to show it while you’re conscious.”
The fact that Thearon had been so attentive while she was recovering was news to Lavinia. It had always felt like Parker was the one who had been around, though she had to admit she had been unconscious most of the time. What else had she missed because she wasn’t aware?
Lavinia thought about the day in the gym when they’d had the angry sex. She had been so wrapped up in the physical aspect—trying to fight her desire for the man—that Lavinia had forgotten about the first twenty minutes or so when they’d been working out in the gym. Thearon had entered the room already on the defense. He had seemed unsure of himself, and what had Lavinia done but attack?
Looking at it from his perspective, Lavinia could see that Thearon had been going out on a limb coming to the gym that day. He had been trying to meet her on neutral ground and Lavinia had acted like he had no right to be there. In the end, they had both succumbed to their sexual desire for one another—it was the only space where they seemed compatible. In their short marriage, sex had become a safety zone.
Callia was right; Thearon didn’t know how to interact with Lavinia on a personal level. But maybe, in light of Callia’s information, Thearon wanted to chart those waters and Lavinia hadn’t given him that chance. It really was too early for Lavinia to give up on her life; on her marriage. The first step to saving both was going to be stepping outside and it had to be done with Thearon. Without stopping to remove the ballgown, Lavinia walked over to her desk and picked up her phone.
“Well, it’s good to see that you can walk in that thing, not that it was necessary after seeing how beautiful you look standing in it, but care to tell me why you went all silent? I haven’t pushed you too far, have I?”
Lavinia looked up from the screen, “No. No, you gave me just the push I needed. I’m about to text Thearon and ask him to buy me jewelry.”
Callia smiled and started bagging the extra dresses. She was ready to see her Queen happy again.
*
Thearon sat in the Queen Anne chair thinking that the thing should have died with dear old Anne herself. Shifting in the seat to retrieve the phone out of his pocket, the spindly wooden legs gave a creak of dismay and Thearon simply stood up. Lavinia needed to get out of the palace before her redecorating rampage extended beyond their suite of rooms.
As it was, his security team was having trouble tracking down what she’d done with the wingback chairs that had been in the sitting room previously. Thus far, they hadn’t been able to locate them, which made Thearon think that either Lavinia or Callia was a criminal mastermind.
Thearon heard something drop to the floor in Lavinia’s room and tried not to be impatient. He knew that a lot was riding on this day date—both for their relationship and for Lavinia’s continued recovery from the assassination attempt—but they were running tight on time.
Thearon had made an appointment on Canal Street at a high-end jeweler who specialized in unique pieces. Lavinia had agreed to come armed with a picture of the dress if Thearon assured her a secure shopping trip and bought whatever her little heart desired in the store. Thearon thought he had received the easy end of the bargain. He still wasn’t sure if Lavinia was going to leave her room, much less the palace proper.
Lavinia’s door swung open to reveal his wife. She was clad in a nondescript long black maxi dress with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses in her hands. Lavinia looked beautiful but small as if her nervousness alone was shrinking her newly strong figure. Thearon moved forward to take her hand.
“You look beautiful, my Queen. Are you ready to go?”
Lavinia’s free hand twitched to her purse and she looked back over her shoulder one last time as if looking for an excuse. Turning back to Thearon she offered a small smile, “Nope, I think I have everything I need.”
“Good, let's move to the town car then. The jeweler expects us in a half an hour.”
Together they walked out into the hallway and the closer they got to the entrance of the palace, the tighter Lavinia’s grip became on Thearon. Soon he felt as though he was practically dragging her to the door. He had to do something before she turned and ran.
Leaning down to her he wondered, “Lavinia, were you briefed on all of the extra security measures for today’s outing?”
“No.”
Thearon noted that her voice was sharp enough to cut stone. Keeping his own tone conversational he began to list the preventative measures the security team had taken to ensure their safety. “To start, we are currently being trailed by three armed guards. One for each of us and another as a backup.”
Lavinia’s grip loosened slightly as she turned to count the men with her own eyes.
“Also, we have an entire security team monitoring the network from a van on Canal Street to assess threats. The jeweler’s own security has been tightened for the visit as well.”
Lavinia managed a nod as they reached the palace doors. The security guards moved past the couple to open the doors and go out first. All the ground Thearon had gained with his soothing security talk was lost the instant they passed through the first set of doors. The three-foot walk to the second and final set of doors had Lavinia frozen in place.
Leaning down to whisper in her ear, Thearon reminded Lavinia of the most important piece of the security plan. “Lavinia, you need to remember you are a different woman than you were last time you left these walls. You are brave. You are a survivor. You are what the threats to our Tribe need to fear.. You are strong. You can do this, just take the first step.”
Lavinia’s eyes flicked down to the threshold of the wooden doorway. It was stained and rubbed smooth by centuries of use, but for Thearon his was the most important step it had ever
marked.
Holding her head high, Lavinia took one decisive step across the boundary. Thearon felt himself exhale a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Lavinia looked at him, wide eyes drawn by the noise. Thearon couldn’t help himself—he smiled broadly and gave her a resounding kiss on the lips. Stunned, Lavinia accepted the peck and smiled back at her husband, “All right, I held my part of the bargain—get me to the car and get me to the diamonds.”
“Ask and ye shall receive, my Queen,” Thearon answered as he handed his wife down into the armored vehicle.
***
The driver dropped Thearon and Lavinia off directly in front of Jonas Smythe jewelers. Located at the end of Canal Street, in the historic section of New Orleans, the store was attached to a larger outdoor mall that contained Tiffany and other designer goods. But Jonas Smythe was a singular boutique. Their store housed more unique designs and diamonds per square foot than three Tiffanys could hope to have put together. It was the perfect place to bedeck a Queen.
Thearon got out of the car first, stepping into the spring sunshine. The street was crowded with tourists and locals alike, and Thearon waited until the rumble of a trolley car passed to lean down and help Lavinia out of the vehicle.
“It’s safe, my Queen; the guards are already in place. Just take my hand and follow me in.”
Lavinia sucked in a deep breath and did as Thearon asked. Her eyes never strayed to the lush palm trees that lined the street of high rises. It wasn’t until the security doors closed behind her and the street noise was silenced, that Lavinia really opened up her eyes and relaxed a bit.
Scanning the store, Lavinia’s mouth dropped open. She took off her glasses and looked around again. True, a high-end jewelry store like Jonas Smythe was never going to be a crowded affair, but the beautifully appointed store was currently completely empty. Lavinia, Thearon, and their three guards were the only people Lavinia could see beyond the staff at Jonas Smythe—for which there was a single sales person waiting at each case.
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