Feast of Bacchus

When he neared the labyrinth he also took note of the small table next to the entrance gate. On it sat a wineglass with only a small sip of burgundy mead remaining in the bottom of the flute. There was a wide dark red ribbon trapped under it, which he recognized and he knew who had left the glass on the little table. He finished the remaining measure of mead from his mug and placed it on the table next to the wineglass. Then he picked her glass up and carefully slipped the ruby decoration off the table and brought it to his nose. Her scent enveloped him and he knew this was one of the ribbons she had woven into her hair. After fitting his mouth over her lip print on the rim and taking the final sip from her glass as well, he replaced the glass on the table, tucked her ribbon into his pocket and stepped into the maze.

Light on her sandaled feet she had just reached the last bend and glanced behind her as she spun around the corner, spotting him stepping through the entrance. A flash of her signature red and purple caught his eye at the far end of the straight hall and his head snapped to the side, dark eyes locking onto her. Her dark mask could not hide the sassy grin on her face as the adrenalin shot through her veins, blending with the intoxicating mead she had gulped moments ago. As she moved out of sight she gave an extra twist of her hips, spinning her full skirt out further, spreading the split in the side to entice then instantly deny when the greenery hid her from his sight.

Once he reached that angular entrance and stepped through, he found he was looking down a straight hall of green bush walls. He could see three openings leading deeper into the maze, but no female form, and he could hear no feet moving across the earth. For a moment he paused, unsure of which direction she had chosen. He walked up to the first passage on the right, looked down that path, but continued down the hall. At the second entrance, this one leading to the left, he caught a stronger hint of her perfume and when he stepped through the green doorway the scent intensified. Breathing deep he quickened his pace, following her heady musk deeper into the network of live walkways.

Laughing softly, she flew down another short hall and quickly took the first passage on the left. There was a sudden urgency to increase the distance between them; she would not be caught before true dark, and he would have to prove he could catch her. As she raced down the sharp angles and intersecting passages she constantly watched for a small marker set in the high arch of the doorways, she had noticed that all the turns she had taken so far had one, and was hoping it would help her complete the maze. It was a small teal gem which made it hard to spot amid the leaves, especially if you had to move at a brisk pace to avoid the avid pursuer.

Just as twilight deepened, and the maze globes began to flicker to life, she thought she had taken a wrong turn and had missed the clue to the inner maze. This would mean she'd have to find a way to double back without being caught. The last of the sunlight started slipping from the sky as she spotted a soft teal flash, just for an instant, above the second door from the last on this stretch. She could hear his footfalls behind her as she pushed harder to get to the passage before he could spot her. She darted through the opening in the bushes and found herself entering the smoothly curving paths of the central web of corridors. Vines were allowed to drape here; green waterfalls of lacy leaves falling over the lover's nooks or crawling up and down the walls. She had no use for the cubby hole spaces right now so she kept moving down the path, watching for the next turn she needed to take.

Her mind drifted to consider the man tracking her through all the jumble of trails she had taken. He was really making her have to be quick and nimble as she worked her way through the labyrinth. Part of her was thrilled while another part of her was nervous about the outcome of the evening, but she was too deep in to back out, even if she wanted to. She grinned to herself as she admitted that she really didn't want out, she almost wanted to see how far she could push him. At that moment two realizations hit her; one caused her to now frown at herself in irritation because it was that she had caught herself daydreaming and slowing to a walk when she should be paying attention. While the other caused her heart to skip a beat then kick in double time. He was behind her. Not close, but he had come around the turn at the end of the hall she was walking along, she could hear his quiet footsteps only because they didn't quite match her own. She knew he had spotted her. Even though her pulse jumped, making her feel like a deer that scented wolf, she controlled her body and continued with her steady pace.

He had not been moving as fast as he could, but she was making him work to keep up with her. Sometimes he had been able to catch sight of her ruby clothing or a sandaled foot, other times her soft laughter and enticing scent was all that had encouraged him to continue his hunt. She was cat-like in her swift and graceful movements and like now with her rolling gait, even knowing he'd caught sight of her on the straight stretch, her pace didn't falter. Both of them continued walking, her hips swaying back and forth while he was content to trail her and admire the view for a moment. Her hips always rocked some when she walked quickly, now while she maintained her swift stride she loosened up a little more, teasing him with the extra sway of the tassels hanging from her belt.

This caused a slight misstep behind her then a very minor increase in the weight of the sound of his steps. She knew he was lengthening his stride, eating up the space between them while keeping their steps in the same beat. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood up as her pulse jumped again, and this time she could not fight the flight trigger of being the hunted. Her body flowed into movement as the muscles in her legs sprang into action. The door she wanted was just a few yards away but she could hear him gaining, his pounding steps getting closer. Now she could hear his clothes flying through the air. All-most-there, all-most-there,she chanted to herself in time with her feet pounding on the ground. Her skirts were streaming out behind her and she knew there was a good possibility he would try to catch at them. Instead of trying to gather them in, and not daring to look back at the man she knew was gaining on her, she gripped her fan tighter in her fist and leaned further into her run. Flashing through the doorway, she was thankful to find an area of many twists and turns. Jumping nimbly through the short curves and quick passage changes, she was able to gain precious distance yet again.

As the evening sky surrendered to the dominance of the stars, she was having a harder time keeping that distance between herself and her hunter. He was forcing her to keep her fast pace just to stay out of what she considered the danger zone; the area he could probably cover in three to four strides. After managing yet again to gain just an extra bit of breathing space she came to a T-intersection in the corridor, turned to the left, and took a running step only to see a dead end. She spun on her toes and shot back in the opposite direction, passing the corridor in time to see him sprint around the curve, moving towards her at a steady jog. Springing into high gear she tried to make it into the next set of turns, her heart pounding in her ears, a mix of fear, adrenalin, excitement, and arousal rushing through her body.

Skidding around the bend in the hedge path she made the fatal mistake of glancing over her shoulder to see how much distance she had. He was just a few steps behind her flowing skirts with a wicked smile lifting the corners of his mouth beneath his mask, dark brown eyes gleaming with hunger. Snapping her face forward she narrowly missed clipping her side on a bush edge as the trail parted into multiple narrow passages. She chose one at random hoping it was not a dead end then had a moment of confusion when she suddenly did not hear her pursuer behind her. Glancing back again confirmed he had disappeared causing her steps to falter for a instant before she shot out of the end of the narrow alley.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caused instinct to kick in, spinning her to the side and allowing her to miss being instantly captured by him by a hair's width as he flew out of a passage on her right. This threw her momentum off and he used it, pressing his advantage of height and reaching out again. This time he snagged her rope belt by one of the loops, giving it a rough tug and pulled her to him. As her body tilted off balance, sending them both careening towards one of the maze walls, he shifted his hold to one of her wrists and her waist, turning his body to draw her completely off her feet and up against his chest. He took the initial force of their impact with the sloped ivy covered block wall with his back, savoring the crush of her body against his with a satisfied groan. Then he continued their roll, flipping their positions and locking her against the wall with the press of his body.

Just the contact of her skin with his caused her body to react, heat flooding her limbs and collecting low in her belly. She took a couple gasping breaths, her breasts rising and falling against his chest and he could not help but tilt his head and look down at them. When he looked back into her face she flashed a grin at him then began to feverishly work at slipping out of his grip and escape. He tried to put a quick end to the wrestling match; but had to put more effort into it when she proved to be more flexible and stronger than he expected. Finally he trapped both her wrists, one in each hand, above her head. His elbows held hers pinned back, chest pressed to chest. He pushed one knee between her legs, using her skirts against her to ensnare her, well, most of her. The long slit in the material at her left hip had allowed her nearly free use of that leg, and she had demonstrated flexibility he couldn't wait to explore further. Finally he felt her give slightly, slowing her struggle, so he quickly grabbed both of her thumbs in one hand and used his other to finally tunnel fingers into her hair, which was already falling out of the structured form it had been confined in. He fisted his hand in the silky thick mass, drawing a surprised groan from her, loosening more pins and ribbons as he gently but firmly tugged her head to the side. Before she had a chance to realize his intentions he put pressure in an open mouth bite to the side of her neck, not quite hard enough to really hurt but with enough pressure that her body tensed and she gasped, crushing her breasts against his chest.

His teeth against the sensitive skin of her neck combined with the pleasure pain of the tight fist in her hair sent a shock from the point of his hot mouth straight through her body, pooling moist heat between her legs, where his thigh pressed. She couldn't hold in the whimper and moaned as the pressure of both pains built for a moment, unconsciously arching her body in a slow grind against his muscled frame, while pressing her still masked face into his shoulder. He growled deep in his throat, the vibrations buzzing against her neck where his teeth were still pressed against her skin before releasing her. Sliding his tongue then lips over the impressions of his teeth in her skin, he pulled back and drew her hands down towards him before he lifted the forgotten fan that still dangled from her wrist. He wrapped the slim, quality chain around her wrists and between her forearms, binding her and leaving just enough length that he could hold the fan and lead her.

Once he had her truly captured he again put a hand in her hair, this time he pulled her face up and tilted her head back as he lowered his. Finally, he claimed her mouth with a smooth kiss, that started light but quickly turned deep and demanding. Using her hair to control her movements he tilted her head to the side as he pushed his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. She accepted his advances and kissed him back just as intensely, struggling for a moment to try and raise her hands, but he kept them imprisoned and lowered. She moaned against his mouth then gave in, allowing him to set the pace of the kiss. As he slowly began to draw back she managed to pull his lower lip into her mouth, sucked hard on it for a second then set her teeth into his lip with just enough pressure to hold him there. His hand tightened in her hair as he drew in a quick breath, then she ran her tongue across the area her teeth had set into, gently soothing the sting before gradually releasing his lip.

Kissing her lips hard and quick once more, the hunter then turned and led his captive by her own fan deeper into the labyrinth, taking her down short passages and through narrow doorways without pause. True dark fell above the maze as he quickly rounded a hedge wall to discover the heart of the labyrinth, shaped like an egg with the only doorway being the narrow point they had entered from. A deep pond echoed the shape formed by the walls, leaving a narrow walking path around the perimeter. Slate gray stepping stone pillars led out across the pool, from the maze passage to a large silver gazebo that seemed to float just above the level of the water in the widest space. Soft light spilled from the maze's globes scattered across the top of the walls, just barely holding back the deepening evening. Their shape was repeated in miniature glowing orbs that floated on the pond's surface, suggesting large fireflies resting, softly illuminating the colorful koi swimming in the water below, and nearby water lilies more than anything else.

The gilt gazebo caught and reflected the dim lights onto the walls, making the structure glow but somehow veiling anything inside. Soft music from the ballroom a world away drifted over the sounds of frogs and crickets singing in the night. He drew her up to stand beside him. He let her take in the sight of the secluded pool house while he lifted her hands up and over her head, then he urged her to step forward onto the stepping stones with a light swat to her butt. She carefully stepped out and led the way across the smooth stones and into the gazebo with her hands held at that awkward position, forcing her to arch her upper back which pushed her chest out, displaying her peaked nipples under her blouse. He followed close behind, enjoying how her dress gave him glimpses of her leg as she took the large steps across the water.

Once they were inside the structure they could see the open floor space with a single smooth metal pole in the center, rising to the high pointed ceiling. There were a few metal rings on short posts set into the top of that pole, some had long dark purple ropes dangling from them, others were empty. Half of the floor was polished wood and had a solid half-wall with lattice rising from that to the edge of the roof. The other side contained a thick dark purple carpet with the center of that space flowing into a surprisingly wide and deep, raised bed built into the full solid wall. There were various shelves and cubby holes also built into the walls on either side, each having a specific use. Some were tall with curved walls and held candles waiting to be lit, others seemed to hold bottles with different colored liquids, small wooden boxes or books. Towards the back of the gazebo there was a larger recessed shelf that contained a tray of grapes, strawberries and other fruits with a dark glass bottle nestled in an ice bucket.

While quickly taking all this in he had been loosening the buttons on his vest until they were finally free, the sides dropping open. He continued, opening the first couple buttons of his shirt. The evening was finally starting to cool, however after the exhilarating chase, turned hunt that she had led him on, he welcomed the cool air on his heated skin. Now that the tables had officially been turned between them, he could truly start to enjoy this Halloween, and seeing as how they were well past introductions, he decided to dive right in.

"You have been captured," his deep voice growled, suddenly right behind her, his breath on her skin sending a hot thrill through her system. His body pressed against hers as he wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her close, drawing back on the fan with his other hand, causing her to arch her back further and trapping her hands behind her neck. She took a shuddering breath as the hand at her waist started to caress her, stroking up her side to almost make contact with her breast, but stopping short and drifting back to her waist.

"Agreed," she consented with a gasp as his lips closed over one earlobe. He suckled for a second then set his teeth to her gently. She reacted with a soft moan as a shiver made her body tremble against his. Her fingers caught at the open neck of his shirt, grazing his bare skin. He smiled to himself as he pulled her bottom tighter against him, enjoying the caress of her soft curves against his thickening arousal. Then he trailed his mouth down her neck as she let her head fall to the side, giving him easy access. She softly whimpered when he started gently biting at her neck and when he firmly set his teeth to her skin again she arched, pressing her body hard against his, and twisted her fingers into the edges of his shirt. Her breath felt trapped in her chest until he released her, then she let the breath out with a quiet moan.

"You showed skill and endurance in your run earlier," I'm interested to see what other skills and endurances you possess."

His voice rumbled near her ear as he lifted her hands back over her head, stepping in front of her to begin unwinding the chain from her wrists.

"Since I couldn't touch you during the Dance, and was only able to enjoy your torments, now you must enjoy my torments, and you can not touch me unless I allow it."

She just smiled, again agreeing to his statement, and nibbled at her lip as she watched him work, trying to not give any of her secrets away too easily.

After tossing the chain and the fan onto the foot of the bed, he gently massaged her wrists, up her forearms, continuing over her biceps, before running his strong fingers over her shoulders. He stepped around behind her again, and slowly ran his fingers along the soft skin of her shoulder, flattening his hand along the back of her neck and sliding his fingers into her hair. She let her head drop back, enjoying the sensation then started hearing little jingling noises she recognized as what was left of her hair pins hitting the wooden floor. He went through her hair thoroughly, and once the last pin hit the floor and the ribbons were out he delved both hands deep into her hair, slowly drawing them down the silken curls. With her head tilted back, his hands brushed the upper curve of her bum before the tips slipped through his fingers, bouncing back up into thick sexy coils.

Stepping in front of her he lifted his hands to cup her face, stroking his dark thumbs over her paler cheeks, enjoying the surprising thrill at the contrast. Lifting one of his hands away, he removed his own mask, the cord catching in his slightly longer hair, tossing the dark strands into his face. Flicking the mask at the bed, he then raked his fingers through his hair to push it out of his eyes, which she could now see were a dark honey color, flecked with lighter and darker specks. His strong rich brown features spoke of deep Latin roots, and he held himself in a way that proudly showed it off, and that had always pulled her to him.

He then raised his hand to carefully lift her mask from her face, discovering a beautiful woman in the prime of her life, full painted lips, pale skin delightfully flushed, and her bright sky blue eyes promising sensual bliss. Not willing to deny himself the pleasure of touching this exquisite and willing woman any longer, he began lowering his lips to hers again, this time taking his time and slowly exploring her reactions. Tossing her mask to join her fan, he slid that hand back along her jaw, his thumb grazing her lower lip before his fingers again sunk into her thick mane. When he tightened his hold on her hair her eyes drifted closed as her mouth opened with a soft gasp, and she pressed her body against his. He closed the final distance and angled his mouth against hers, swallowing her moan as she fully opened for him. His tongue swept against hers in that primal dance as he kept control of her head with his fingers fisted in her hair.