Pleasure's Offering (4 page)

Well, Zoa thought as she undid the captain’s pants, she’d give him a show.

She freed the captain’s cock and gripped his hard shaft with her hands, grinning as he moaned into her chest. But as her hands began to stroke him, her mind was working, gathering the lust around her and adding her own to the mix, building the energy in the room until it was an undeniable need.

Outside her door, she heard a familiar groan over the groans from below, and the sound of footsteps retreating quickly. Zoa grinned. Jeric could run from her, but he couldn’t run from his own need. He’d be back and she’d be ready. With that thought, she leaned down and took the captain’s length into her mouth, sucking his cock slowly between her lips as he shuddered underneath her and swore breathless oaths.

* * * * *

On the other side of the thin curtain that separated Zoa’s room from the rest of Rosa’s, Jeric stood in the hall with his entire body throbbing. Behind him, through the cloth, he heard his captain suck in a breath. His own caught before he could stop it and Jeric decided then and there that he needed to get away.

Shaking himself like a dog, he stomped down the tiny hallway, keeping his eyes straight ahead and doing his best to ignore what was going on in the other curtained off rooms on either side of him. With a soldier’s discipline, Jeric kept his breathing steady, shutting his ears to the sounds of sex that thickened the air. Go down and get a drink, he told himself as he reached the stairs. He wouldn’t look at the stage, wouldn’t look at the girls, he certainly wouldn’t let himself think about Zoa half naked, her shiny, black hair sliding over her large, pale breasts. Zoa, laid out before him, drawing him down to her soft bed with a knowing smile while his captain held her ready for him.

No. A drink. A cold drink. And then he’d go sit outside in the snow with the horses until the desperate hardness between his legs calmed down. Anything else was just fooling himself.

With that thought firm in his mind, Jeric stomped down the rickety stairs. But any hope he had of slipping out quietly vanished when he reached the bottom. He stopped and stared. Rosa’s great hall was a large place, even with the stage taking up most of the middle, and tonight every inch of it was filled with sex.

On stage, the redheaded beauty was now bent over the chair, moaning in pleasure as Danny drove into her from behind. Sweat was pouring down the recruit’s back, and he seemed to have completely forgotten that he was on a stage. But few of the soldiers were still watching him. The padded benches that lined the floor were now a sexual playground. Everywhere Jeric looked, couples, trios and groups were bucking against each other. Two of his own soldiers, a pair of brothers, were on either side of lovely girl with short brunette hair, pounding into her in unison as she moaned between them. She clutched their shoulders twisting in pleasure as their cocks slammed into her, one before, one behind.

“Amazing sight, isn’t it?” said a familiar voice.

Jeric started and looked to see his patrol leader, a sly man named Kenric, leaning against the wall, eating from an overflowing plate of lamb, bread and roasted carrots.

“Truth be told, Lieutenant,” he said, swallowing a large mouthful. “This is the only reason I stay in Captain Izar’s Legion. A night like this makes the cold days and endless barbarians all worth it.”

Despite himself, Jeric laughed. “And here I thought it was your steadfast loyalty to the emperor’s northern border.”

“Hang the border,” Kenric said, grinning as a lovely barmaid in a very low-cut dress walked by carrying an armful of foaming tankards. “It’s the northern girls who have my undying love.”

“So why aren’t you joining in?” Jeric said.

“Oh, I am,” Kenric assured him. “But this is my fourth year at Rosa’s. I don’t get carried away like those young idiots.” He nodded at a pair of recruits as they fawned over a blonde wearing nothing more than a thin golden chain around her neck. “The night’s barely started and they’re acting like it’s a race. Veterans like me know you’ve got to build up your stamina first.” He saluted Jeric with his last slice of lamb before shoving it in his mouth.

“So why are you down here, Lieutenant?” he said as he chewed. “If the captain had taken me up there with that beauty, I wouldn’t be down until the sun came up, food or no food.”

Jeric panicked. There was no way he could explain his real reason for leaving. “I needed a drink,” he said lamely. “I was going out to the wine barrels.”

“Don’t go out in the cold,” Kenric scoffed. “We’re the guests of honor. Just ask one of the serving girls and she’ll get whatever you want. Maybe a little extra, if you’re nice about it.” He winked rakishly and set down his empty plate on the side table. “Well, I’m off to enjoy my hard-earned night of debauchery. Don’t leave the lovely lady alone with the captain too long or she might not have eyes for anyone else.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Jeric said.

Kenric laughed and hurried into the crowd, grabbing one of the barmaids as he went and whispering something in her ear. The woman shrieked with laughter and handed her tankards off to the thankful soldiers around her. Then, arms free, she wrapped them around Kenric’s neck and let him guide her toward a dark corner.

Jeric watched them go with a sinking feeling. How stupid, thinking he could just sneak out. Every man in the room knew he was supposed to be upstairs enjoying the best Rosa’s had to offer with the captain. How would he explain turning down such an honor? He certainly couldn’t tell them the truth. Jeric liked to think his soldiers followed him because he was brave and sensible, but he knew that if it ever got out that he’d never come, couldn’t come, then that knowledge, that unmanliness, would undermine every order he gave from this night on.

He leaned back against the wall, cursing under his breath. It was a bad spot. Everywhere he looked, bodies moved together, panting and laughing. The smell of sex was so thick he could taste it in the air and every breath reminded him of what was waiting upstairs. He closed his eyes.

“Sir?” A soft voice whispered.

Jeric snapped his head in the direction of the voice.

A girl stood beside him, dressed in the low-cut woolen sheath all the barmaids wore and carrying a jug of wine and a tray of wooden cups. She looked up at him through long, dark lashes. “Sara said you were looking for a drink?”

Jeric looked at her, confused, and then he saw Kenric and his barmaid waving at him and laughing. “Yes,” he sighed. “A drink would be nice.”

The girl smiled and began filling one of the cups. “You’re the captain’s second, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Jeric said again, taking the offered cup. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” the girl said, a becoming blush spreading over her cheeks. “I’m surprised to see you down here, is all. I thought Miss Zoa was entertaining you tonight.”

Jeric shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, well, she’s with the captain right now.”

The girl looked up at him, her large, dark eyes wide with shock. “It would be a disgrace if a commander was alone tonight,” she said, putting her tray down on the table. “After all, you’re our guest of honor.”

She slid up to him as she said this, her hands trailing across his chest. Jeric stepped back only to find he was against the wall. The girl was on top of him now, gazing up at him with dark, lusty eyes. She stood on tiptoe and her voice was breathy in his ear.

“I’ve always wanted to be fucked by an officer, sir. Sonya’s room upstairs is empty. I can keep you company tonight.”

As she spoke, her hand went down to stroke him through his pants and his cock leapt at the touch. The girl smiled wickedly at the movement and moved down to rub herself against it, but Jeric’s only thought was getting away.

“Thank you,” he pushed her back. “Thank you for the offer, but really, I have to be getting back.”

She looked at him, her face a mix of hurt and confusion, and Jeric immediately felt awful. He looked around frantically and then spotted his salvation. A man was walking into the hall. It was Fait, his cavalry commander, who, from his late arrival and the way he was stomping the frozen mud off his boots, had just come from overseeing the stabling of the unit’s horses.

“Fait!” he cried, waving the man over.

Fait gave him a surprised look, but hurried to his side, grinning wickedly as he picked his way through the orgy happening all around them.

“This is Fait,” Jeric said, pulling the man to his side. “My cavalry leader and one of our highest-ranking officers.”

Fait smiled at the girl and she blushed deeply. Jeric sighed with relief. This couldn’t have worked out better. Fait was known everywhere as a ladies’ favorite for his slender good looks and golden hair. He was also a horrendous flirt, something that Jeric normally disapproved of, but tonight he was extremely grateful.

“I must get back,” Jeric said, stepping away from them. “Keep her company for me, Fait.”

“My pleasure, Lieutenant!” Fair said, catching a lock of the girl’s dark hair and bringing it to his lips. The girl giggled and Jeric made his escape, slipping back up the stairs.

Of course, he realized as he reached the narrow hall at the top once again, he hadn’t escaped at all. He was right back where he’d started. Jeric stopped at the top of the stairs, unwilling to move down the hall, closer to the curtain that hid his real desire. He could almost imagine Zoa’s arching shadow through the thin cloth and the mere thought of it made his body hum.

He turned away with a curse, leaning against the wall and swirling the wine in his cup. How pathetic was he? Here he was, a lieutenant in the bravest and most decorated of all the legions, hiding from a woman. He was pathetic, damaged, cursed with the ability to feel pleasure, but never satisfaction. What kind of man was he, then? Was he even a man at all?

A dark anger fell over him and Jeric slammed the wine back before tossing the wooden cup on the ground. He should never have come here. He’d known this was how it would be, the frustration, the longing, his cock so hard it was painful as visions of Zoa danced through his mind. Zoa beneath him, Zoa panting, Zoa sucking him, moaning in pleasure, Zoa riding the captain, then riding him.

But even as his body cried out for her, Jeric stayed put. He could have all those things, but what would it come to? At the end of the night he’d be just as hard as when he’d started and she would laugh at his inadequacy. They all would. Jeric kicked the empty cup with a booted foot. He wished he’d never come here.

Soft, urgent moans broke him out of his self pity and he glanced down the stairs. There, on the first landing, not more than four steps down from where he was standing, Fait had the serving girl pinned up against the wall. Her skirt was bunched up at her waist and her feet were dangling in the air as the cavalry commander held her up, his head buried in her neck as he thrust into her. She moaned with each thrust, her voice growing louder and deeper as she clawed Fait’s back.

Jeric glared and retreated further into the hall. This did little good, however, for it put him back by Zoa’s curtain. He could see movement behind it, and, against his better judgment, he leaned forward slightly to get a better look.

What he saw made him shudder and grip the doorframe. The inside of her room was brightly lit and the curtain was thinner than he’d thought, hiding almost nothing now that he was this close. He could see them both sitting up on her wide bed, Zoa facing the door, her breasts bouncing as the captain kneeled behind her, moving her up and down on his cock.

Jeric watched, mesmerized. All thoughts fled his brain as he watched the beautiful arch of her body, the way her hair slipped across her shoulders as the captain bucked against her. The lovely patch of black hair over her slit made his cock ache, especially when she moved forward enough for him to see the way her lower lips pulled on Izar’s cock as he thrust into her harder and harder.

Without thought or planning, without even his permission, Jeric felt his hand slip down to his own member. Even through his heavy pants, he could feel the heat of it, the iron hardness. His touch brought a staggering thrill of pleasure as he stroked himself, but with each touch, his frustration grew. Still, he could not stop. He had to do something before he exploded. So he stood in the dark and watched while inside, without his knowing it, Zoa watched back.

The captain pounded into her, his hands gripping her hips as his long, hard cock stretched her wide and deep from behind. Zoa moaned as she let him bounce her up and down, drinking in the pure pleasure of him. But now, with her excitement riding higher than ever, she could feel an anticipation growing that had nothing to do with the cock sliding in and out of her. Though she couldn’t see anything through the curtain, she could feel Jeric on the other side, watching her, stroking himself. His lust and desperation radiated through the air and Zoa smiled despite herself. She’d been right, he
had
come back. Now she just needed to get him in the room and inside her.

She felt the captain tense beneath her, every muscle in his body clenching as he came in a long, hard shudder. She rode him until he was done, then let him flop back, panting with pleasure.

“What?” she teased, leaning back to lie beside him. “Done so soon?”

The captain grinned at her, his sandy hair standing up in an endearing way. “Not by half.”

He rolled off the bed and stood up, offering her his hand. Zoa took it, making sure to arch her back as she got up, angling herself so that the man behind the curtain got an excellent view of her curves. She grinned when she heard a slight moan and let the captain lead her over to the balcony railing. She was pleased to see he was already getting hard again, an impressive feat even with the magically augmented lust, and the look in his eyes told her it was far from over.