by Lana Ames
I shrugged my jeans down, stepping the rest of the way out of them, then pulled my T-shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. Now I stood before him as naked as he was. I cocked my head. “Funny, I thought our entire cohort banished the demon together.”
He looked even more confused; my undressing had done that. Was I rejecting or inviting him? I smiled, feeling stronger every moment.
“Well…it’s the way it worked before. Lady Periwinkle appreciated my strength.”
I took a step toward him, reaching a hand down to grasp his cock. It had started to flag; it twitched at my touch, growing once more. “Things are different now. Whatever you had with the lady—I’m not her. And from everything I’ve been told, I am the dominant one here. I am the center of our cohort; I am your mistress.” And so much for not wanting to be the boss of anyone, I thought ruefully. “I look forward to your teaching me all sorts of interesting things, about yoga and sushi and whatever else, but never forget who is in charge.”
He swallowed and nodded, his eyes downcast. His cock strained in my grasp. “My apologies, Lady Emma. What may I do to atone?”
I wasn’t sure I believed such a hasty submission…but it would do for now. “You may take me to bed and fuck my brains out, but if you get too rough, I will say ‘starling’ and you will stop whatever you’re doing that instant.”
He looked up at me. “A safe word?”
“You bet.”
“I like it.” He gave a tentative smile, then reached his hand up to caress my cheek. “And what if I…forget myself?”
I smiled back at him, holding all the power within me close. “See that you don’t.”
~*~*~*~
It got oh, so much better from there. He was tentative at first, easing me back to the bed with slow, gentle movements, watching me warily, making sure I wasn’t going to slap him down again. His hesitation allowed me to be the aggressor, which I took full advantage of, pushing him down and kissing him roughly, holding him to the bed with my knees around his narrow hips. Then I released the kiss and leaned forward, hovering over him, pressing my breasts into his face.
He moaned and squirmed beneath me, reaching his trembling hands up to touch my left breast…then my right. I reached down too, guiding a nipple into his mouth. “Do it,” I whispered. “Suck it.”
He did, suckling at the nipple, running his tongue over its sensitive tip. His teeth grazed the areola; I gasped in pleasure, pressing harder against him.
That freed something in him…he grabbed harder, drawing in as much breast as he could, flicking and nibbling and sucking as I writhed on top of him. And when I thought I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, he switched to the other breast. “Oh god,” I sighed.
He growled beneath me, still suckling as his hands moved downward, cupping my ass with as much confidence as he had in the gallery.
I suddenly rolled, pulling him over on top of me; I put my hands over my head. “All right. Teach me.”
Lust clouded his eyes, but he poised atop me, panting. “Are you sure?”
“Just don’t forget yourself.” I spread my legs. “Do as I command, Aiden. Take me.”
His growl this time was feral. One hand swept up to grab my wrists once more; this time, he held them firmly but didn’t squeeze so hard as to hurt. Much. His other hand reached down, stroking my clit, then rubbing my juices onto the tip of his cock. “Shall I fuck you hard, my lady?”
“Fuck me hard.”
He plunged into me, drilling me into the firm mattress. I gasped with delight as he held me there just a moment, then pulled out and drove in again. I tried to writhe and wriggle beneath him but I was held nearly immobile by his strong, wiry body atop me and the grip of his hand binding my wrists, over my head. My pleasure soared, the heat built, I feared I would come right away, it was too much, too hot, too fast—
“Use your magic to hold it,” he whispered, even as he was driving into me, fucking me like there was no tomorrow.
“What?” I managed.
“Your…magic…” He spoke between gasps.
I quested for my magic, almost unable to find it under the mounting climax—then oh god there it was, and it wanted the heat too, but it wanted it to last forever—I grabbed at the magic, wrapping it around myself, around both of us. I made it hold us together and hold us apart, impossible but it did, holding us just in that space where you know you’re about to tumble down the hill but you don’t, don’t, don’t…
And I rode the wave and the wave didn’t break, it just stayed at its crest, and yet grew higher and higher…
I could do this all day.
I sent another flicker of magic around us, pulling Aiden tighter. His eyes widened in surprise; he was barely hanging on, but I was holding us there, on the brink. “Now take me like you wanted to,” I commanded.
His eyes blazed; he understood. He pulled out and yanked me roughly up and onto my hands and knees, and he was behind me and plunged into me again, gripping my hair, holding me tight, pinning me motionless with his knees…only this time, it was just what I wanted. All of it. “Yes!” I screamed, as he rode me, slamming into me from behind. I bucked back into him, taking him, taking all his cock and all his magic at once, letting it fill me, letting it become me…
And the wave rose higher and I rode it, no longer quite controlling it, it was too delicious to let go of the control a bit…and then a bit more…
I felt my edges crumbling, felt how amazing it was to yield, to let my barriers down, to let the magic take me, to let this man have his way with me…
Maybe Aiden said something more or maybe he was just gasping, grunting, panting, I didn’t know. I held the last bit of control inside me, and then—as if just flicking a bit of lint away—I let it go.
I screamed as I came, everything shattering inside me. I was one with the universe, I had no body, I was all body, all pleasure, all magic and passion and purple fire. I screamed again when I found more breath, and Aiden shouted back at me and filled me with his fire, his essence. He gripped my hips—hard, on the bruises I already had, I was somehow dimly aware of this, and I didn’t care—and emptied himself in me, pouring out everything he had, giving it to me. And a third wave of ecstasy hit me, but I was all out of screams this time, all I could do was moan, and gasp, and collapse down onto the bed.
Aiden followed me down, still in me, on me. He was panting in my ear, and I smelled something new in his magic—beyond the sushi and the sake and the essence of himself, there was another element there. It was delicious, like cocoa on a winter’s day. “Oh my god,” he whispered in my ear, and kissed my ear, my hair, my neck, in between gasps for breath.
“Oh my god,” I whispered back, and wiggled under him, like an appreciative puppy.
He chuckled and rolled onto his side, pulling me with him. I followed, keeping us joined, wanting to never, ever let him out of me.
We lay like that a while, hearts beating together, lungs breathing together, sighing and cuddling and taking one another in.
At long last, I felt him diminish, begin to slip away. I gave him one final squeeze and let him go. He slipped out, then reached behind himself for a tissue—from I know not where, as this absurd round bed had no nightstand.
It didn’t matter; I let him clean us up a bit before rolling over onto my back to grin at him. “See?” I said, at last. “That was pretty good, huh?”
He burst out laughing. “Oh, my lady, that was so much more than pretty good. Tell me you’re not serious.”
I laughed as well. “All right, that was…earth-shattering.”
He leaned in and gave me a slow, sweet kiss. “That’s better.”
“Does it just…keep getting more and more and more, like that?” I asked. I couldn’t even articulate what I meant, exactly; I just knew that it was impossible, there had to be a limit, sex couldn’t just keep…growing like this. “I mean, why does anyone ever get out of bed?”
He chuckled again. “It doesn’t get worse, if t
hat’s what you mean. It never gets mundane. But…I guess you grow. You learn to manage it better. Like with your magic: you grow to contain it, rather than it running wild over you.”
I sighed. “That’s good news.”
“Of course,” he said, giving me a wicked look, “that only happens when you get to peak experience. It does keep growing until then.”
“Peak experience?” I plumped up a pillow so I could prop my head up a little. “You’ve got to be kidding. This wasn’t peak?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “I could tell you things, but that would ruin so many surprises.”
“No. I’m sick of surprises. Just tell me what more is coming.”
He reached out and picked up a strand of my hair, playing with it. “You will have to trust me on this one.” Before I could protest further, he added, “I can guarantee that all the surprises I’m talking about will be enjoyable.”
“How can you guarantee that? You’re the man who tried to dominate me in bed, without any discussion.”
A small frown crossed his face briefly. “And I am so very, very sorry for that. It will not happen again; I understand so much better now who you are, and what we are to one another. I am learning, and I will keep learning.” He looked serious, and contrite. I believed him. “Forgive me?”
I gave him a gentle smile. “Conditionally, anyway. If you overstep again, I may have to punish you. Very severely.”
He broke into a broad grin. “You, my dear, are just a delight.” He leaned over to kiss me once more. “I can see we’re going to have so much fun.”
Chapter Thirteen
We made love again—gentle and quiet and sweet, and with no surprises—and napped, and showered, and napped again, and then he ordered dinner sent up, which was nothing at all new or experimental. Just roast chicken and baby potatoes and a crisp green salad, with a bottle of dry white wine. Exactly what I needed, on this day of firsts, of breaking boundaries, of exploring new territory.
And then we slept, curled up together in that giant crazy round bed. My dreams that night were full of warmth and love and safety, with only the slightest hint of tension around the edges. Things were good, my brain somehow knew; not ultimately resolved, but well on their way.
In the morning, Aiden stirred next to me just as I awoke. I rolled over on the pillow and looked to see his delightful hazel eyes opening and gazing back at me. “Good morning,” I said.
He pulled me into his arms and gave me a languorous kiss. “And a very good morning to you too, my lady.”
I stretched and yawned, feeling pleasantly exerted and well rested. “I don’t suppose there’s coffee in this room, is there?”
“There can be.” He turned at once and sat up, dangling his feet off the edge of the bed. “Just give me one minute.”
I used that minute to visit the bathroom, while he phoned for room service. When I returned, he said, “We have two options. We can drink the coffee that’s being sent up and get back in bed and fuck like bunnies, or we can drink the coffee that’s being sent up while we get dressed to go join Lady Periwinkle and the rest of our cohort for breakfast in the gallery.”
“Hmm. That’s a tough one.” I pretended to ponder, grinning at him. I’d gotten back into bed, of course, and stretched my feet out toward where he sat. “Why can’t we do both? I notice that coffee figures in both your options.”
“I’m not a complete moron.” He began playing with my toes, tickling them a little, sending shivers of delight up my legs.
“No, you’re not. So can’t fucking like bunnies also appear in both scenarios?”
His grin grew rueful. “Alas, if we join the breakfast, we need to leave in the next few minutes.” There was a soft knock on the door; he got up to answer it as he continued. “Just enough time to drink this—” he thanked the servant for the coffee and closed the door “—and get down there.”
I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Why does my life suck so horribly?” I knew that we should go to breakfast…I even wanted to see my other men, my dear amazing other men…and I needed to talk to Lady Periwinkle, about—well, everything—but all of that meant leaving here…
“If it helps your decision-making process, I might point out that after breakfast, we can come back here. My personal time with you doesn’t end for many hours yet, and we can add to those hours any time we spend in the company of others.” He handed me a steaming cup of coffee.
I took it and sipped. “Okay, that’s what we’ll do then: breakfast, then bunnies.”
“We’ll need the calories to build up our strength anyway,” he said, taking a generous swig of his own coffee. “I have all sorts of very athletic ideas, things I want to teach you.”
“I look forward to the lessons.”
~*~*~*~
Breakfast was very nice, and I was glad we did it, and gladder still when it was over and we returned to our room. Aiden then indeed tried to show me some athletic things, featuring yoga positions that have certainly never made it into any official teachings. I was not the world’s greatest student, I’m afraid; too busy collapsing into giggles when he tried to put my feet behind my head, or balance on my elbows, or whatever.
“I would have never thought, looking at you, that you would be such a yogic novice,” he grumped, giving me a mock-pout. “Have you never taken a yoga class in your life?”
I shrugged, grinning back at him. “Always meant to. Never got around to it. I guess you’ll have to start from the basics.”
So he did, showing me Downward Facing Dog. And then taking me that way.
Yoga…it’s all right.
~*~*~*~
“You will choose your permanent rooms when you’ve had a chance to explore the whole house and grounds, and get the rhythm of the place,” Lady Periwinkle explained to me. “For now, I’ve put you here. I hope you’ll like it.”
We stood in the doorway of a second-floor suite: two rooms and a bathroom, furnished in a clean and modern style. Lovely, but it needed personalizing; not surprising, for a room that hadn’t belonged to anyone. “This looks great to me.” I stepped in, glancing around the sitting room, peering into the bedroom. I saw a very large bed, clearly some non-standard size. “Yes, this should do.”
The lady gave me a knowing smile. “I will leave you to get settled. The phone is there; just pick it up if you need anything. Charles will direct your call as appropriate.”
“Thank you.”
After the door closed behind her, I went to the window and looked out on the garden below. Just beautiful, even here in winter. I wondered what it would look like in the springtime.
Then I explored the rest of the suite. Definitely comfortable, and more space than I’d ever had to myself; I could be very happy here. Of course I would want to see all the options, as the lady had suggested, but this was great. And there was plenty of room for a cat. Adding Trixie would go a long way toward making any room my own.
I sat down on the couch and pulled out my phone. I owed Kelly a call; my last text to her had probably alarmed her, though my intention had been just the opposite. She was at work, so I got her voicemail now. “Hey Kell, it’s Em. I’m still fine, still actually more than fine—but it’s been a whirlwind! I have so much to tell you, and we should really do it in person. If you can get across town after work, let me know. I’ll tell you everything then. Give me a call when you get this, k?”
Kelly would love it here. And she was a good friend…I knew she would be happy for me, even if she was sad about losing me as a roommate. I wondered if she had any magic in her. I’d love to introduce her to my new world…
As it was, though, I had my work cut out for me. I had to begin at once with Grace, teaching her how to build a cohort even as I was still learning. Lady Periwinkle had explained over breakfast that she could no longer do this herself; all her energy had to be focused on defense, on keeping Mundon out. For he would redouble his efforts, having been thwarted this time, and this last battle had drained the l
ady badly.
Not that she had given me much in the way of training. An introduction and one conversation; otherwise, it had been pretty much up to me and my men. I would do better for Grace, I decided. I would explain everything to her at the outset: no surprises. ‘Whirlwind’ barely began to describe my last few days; it had been a roller coaster of shocks and delights and fear and ecstasy and discomfort and bliss.
I didn’t know how much, if anything, Grace knew yet; the lady had been vague on that. So I would start at the beginning. I’d lay the whole situation out. Grace wouldn’t believe me at first, but I could reach out and touch her with my magic. She’d feel that, and then after she accepted the idea, we would go from there. Yes, that was definitely the way to do this.
A knock at my door startled me from my ruminations. Had the lady forgotten something? I got up and opened it.
Justin the rogue grinned at me, holding a bottle of champagne in each hand, each bottle beaded with condensation. Right next to him stood Finley, with his cello; on the other side was sweet Max, holding a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Aiden was just behind all three of them…what was he holding? I peered closer, trying to make it out.
“We just wanted to see how you were settling in,” Aiden said, “and wondered if you wanted any…company.” He lifted his hands.
“Is that…are those…handcuffs?” I stammered.
Aiden smiled broadly. “Fur-lined. But don’t worry. Nothing happens without your say-so.”
I looked at them all. Four men gazing back at me with adoration and lust…even, perhaps, love. My heart swelled in my chest as heat began to kindle down below. I opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
~END~
LANA AMES
Lana Ames is the pen name for a best-selling editor and writer in a few different genres. She is delighted to explore her…passions…by writing erotic romance. Look for book two, Sorcerous Flame, coming very soon.
