Into the Goodnight Ch. 02

Maks kept one arm about her waist to move her on him, while the other played with her breast. Positioned as she was, her chest was within easy reach of his mouth, and after pinching and weighing one pert globe, he held it up in offering to his watering mouth. After the nearly painful treatment of his fingers, his warm and wet tongue felt like forgiveness from heaven.

"You feel like silk," he murmured with a mouth full of her breast. "Under my tongue and around my cock," he groaned with a forceful thrust of his hips, causing her to whimper at the surge of pleasure.

He continued to slowly tongued the turgid nipple and surrounding area, clearly relishing the smooth texture of her skin. Though the sensation was subtle compared to the sharpness of her previous orgasm, whatever pleasure there was to be had was nursed along by Maks' fierce suckling or nipping teeth until all the attention had Aurelia panting heavily with the burn.

All the mock-feeding on her flesh seemed to spur his own hunger, and just as Aurelia could feel a shift within her own needs, Maks' mouth returned to hers and his arms began moving her body on top of him in earnest. Aurelia responded and began rolling her hips against him, having once found with a certain angle of her pelvis she could stimulate that happy little spot hidden within her sex.

Maks seemed pleased with her enthusiasm, murmuring praise about how good his little bud was to let him use her body, how beautiful she was because she gave herself to him for his pleasure and encouraged her to come around him so he could fill her completely with his own release. His words were the catalyst for that very orgasm he coached her towards, causing everything in her to seize up. She dropped her forehead to his shoulder while she whimpered at the oncoming white rage coursing through her body. The waves started in the tight walls stretched around his shaft and radiated up and out, sending swell after swell of crippling pleasure through her abdomen, to her fingertips and ends of her toes. She curled tightly into him, her bound wrists keeping her from holding on as Maks too finally found violent release.

His grip on her only tightened until she was crushed against his straining body, harsh breath fanning her hair, a pained groan filling the otherwise silent room. Aurelia rested against him, her body wrung of pleasure and spent of energy. She listed mutely in darkness, all sensation saturated in the afterglow of her release. She was vaguely aware his warm hands unbinding her wrists to rub away the sharp discomfort from the yarn and strained muscles.

Maks settled them on the bed, not bothering to yet cover their still-hot bodies as they slowly recovered. At length, Aurelia's eyes drifted open. Maks had positioned her to lay against him, her head and arm resting on his chest. He lay on his back, his fingers lightly caressing her arm up and down.

She felt drunk. "That was...spectacular," she breathed before she chuckled in surprise and elation. "I never knew a man and woman could do such things," she continued to muse quietly, a sense of wonder in her voice. "That a man could use his mouth to..." but here she trailed off, still not certain how she felt about such a shocking act that brought such unparalleled sensation.

A rumbling sound in Maks chest was a mysterious mix of affirmation and pleasure at the memory. "And that it would feel...so powerful to be punished like that," she went on, recalling the confusing mixture of searing pain and aching pleasure. "Do all men and women couple in such ways?" she put the question to him, curious.

Maks was quiet before giving his response. "It is unlikely."

Aurelia frowned at the answer, puzzled why anyone would forgo such delight. "Why is that, do you think?"

Maks yawned. "It is likely that the outcome is all many are aware of as being enjoyable. And so they seek only that."

"But it's not just the outcome," she stated thoughtfully, understanding Maks meant that the mere act was pleasure in and of itself, separate from any orgasm it might produce, and was therefore to be valued and pursued. "But what about...you know, the other? Why did I enjoy the spanking when it was painful and embarrassing? Did you know it could be pleasurable? Or was that unexpected?"

Maks chuckled at her questions. "It is not to everyone's taste, little bud, but there are some who find it quite...arousing to the senses." He turned then onto his side so he could look down on her. A mindless finger wandered around her hairline, brushing back wayward strands that had become loose and damp during the foray.

"But you, you are special I think, because of who you are, what your life has been."

Aurelia studied him, a guarded look about her eyes, her body slowly tensing. "How do you mean? What has my life been?"

"You are a passionate woman, confident, intelligent, and powerful, to be sure. But your vanity has turned all those strengths into weaknesses. You use your beauty as a lure, but when men fall prey to it, you fault them with being weak. You crave someone with the power to not be enslaved by you, but to enslave you."

Aurelia frowned, becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with his chain of reasoning. She didn't want someone to rule over her. Did she? Her eyes flickered to his. "And I haven't enslaved you?" she asked, intending to be coy, but feeling her chest freeze as she waited.

Maks simply gave a cocky, relaxed smile but no answer. He kissed the fine bone above her eye before laying back and yawning, definitively ending the confounding conversation. Aurelia laid awake many long minutes, perhaps even hours, before sleep found her.

In the morning, Aurelia awoke to an empty bed. Maks was up and had already lit the fire. She flushed when she recalled the night before, but was determined to not be a wilting flower in the heat of their passion. She was a woman, after all, a wife, and what she allowed him do to her, what she did to him in return was all part of the roles they played, was it not?

"Good morning, bud," he stated in what was becoming his standard greeting. Aurelia thought, not for the first time, to command him to stop calling her that, but she had an annoyed inkling that he wouldn't acquiesce, but would carry on as he pleased.

"Today, you will go to the market and sell the wool you spun yesterday," he stated archly, a brow lifting in clear indication of what he thought about her methods for getting the previous day's job done.

"Sell it? In public?" she asked, sitting up in alarm. Had she somehow believed she could live the remainder of her life hidden away, avoiding the shame of the low station cast upon her? Yes, she realized, she had and was very reluctant to leave the safety of their small home, exposing herself among the common folk of this most hated land.

"I would say you could possibly sell it from here, but there would be so little traffic that you wouldn't ever sell a single skein. And that won't do. We need the money, need I remind you?"

Aurelia sighed in defeat. "Very well."

"And while you're at the market, after you've earned the money, you should buy food for our dinner. I think by now you are capable of cooking it, so you needn't wait until I get home."

She scowled, a discontented agitation in her gut. Was every morning to begin in such an unpleasant challenge? Would every day be more miserable than the last, her shoulders continually heaped up with the burden of their poverty until the weight crushed the life right out of her?

Maks was finished eating and out the door without further ado, leaving Aurelia to ready herself to face the day. Knowing she would need to display the yarn if she was to sell it, she emptied a basket and filled it with the skeins, and as she counted them, she remembered paying for each one with a searing swat. A moment of heat flushed through her before she cleared her throat and lifted her chin.

Her memory proved true when she was able to find her way almost effortlessly back to the market they had passed when they first arrived in the city. Though it was relatively early and cool, people were already setting up their little stands, laying out their wares. There was everything from produce to jewelry to baskets and fabric. The noise had grown in just the few short minutes she had stumbled upon the place, and she searched slowly with her eyes for a place to sit and sell the yarn.

"Good morning, miss," a gravelly voice greeted.

Aurelia turned to see quite a short man standing in front of a table with a canopy above it. Laid out were various pieces of jewelry, most simple workings of metal, though a few had pretty polished stones of assorted colors.

"I see you've come to sell your yarn. I don't believe I've seen you before. In fact, I'm sure I would have remembered," he chattered on friendly.

Aurelia contemplated how best to use his interest to her advantage. "No, I am new here. And yes, I'm here to sell what yarn I have, but don't have a place to do so."

"Please, allow me, miss. I've a stool you can sit on. And if you place it on this side," he instructed, carrying the little thing to the other side of his table, "you'll be shaded from the sun. Protect that pretty skin of yours," he advised smiling.

Aurelia smiled herself, at first appreciating his thoughtfulness for her beauty, but then recalled her husband's words of the night before. Unexpectedly, she became miffed, though she wasn't quite certain at who, this man who could only see her beauty, or her husband who insisted her beauty was the least of her worth.

"Yes, that is best. Thank you," she attempted to answer pleasantly as she sat, though a hint of unease colored her words. He continued to give her his full attention, though she no longer required it, and as she didn't wish to encourage him further, began fiddling with the skeins, propping them up in the basket to display them as best she could. She then sat up straight, her years of regal bearing not abandoning her now no matter how far she'd fallen.

Many took notice of the beautiful newcomer, some openly staring, others even pausing midstride, struck by such a lovely sight. Though she smiled, initially no one approached, forcing Aurelia to realize if she were to actually offload the tiresome yarn in exchange for any money, she would have to speak with them. She began by greeting them with a smile.

Though many continued to stare, others returned her greeting, and a few even approached. She sold three skeins before long, and with a self-satisfied smile, she was certain she would be finished with the tedious task of mingling with the lowly commoners before midday. One woman in particular greeted her, going on and on about Aurelia's beauty, and in the end tempted the princess to follow her across the little avenue to her own booth of countless jars and beauty potions. Feeling quite at home with the elixirs and concoctions, Aurelia fell into easy discussion about the woman's recommended regimen.

However, the respite from her duties was short lived when cries of alarm drew the two chatting women's attention back across the way. At first Aurelia only registered smoke, but then realized it was coming from her basket. She let out an exclamation and raced across the street, pushing her way through the gathered crowd. The little man who had set up her stool was there stomping out the fire. She stood aghast as she looked down on the smoldering pile of what used to be her yarn.

"How did this happen?" she demanded, looking up at the man.

"I'm sorry, miss, I do not know. I was selling a bracelet to a woman when I smelt it."

Aurelia scrunched up her nose as she bent down to inspect the mess. The acrid smoke caused her to choke and cough. Not only was her entire inventory gone, but the fire had burnt through the bottom of the basket, destroying it as well. She lifted it up, and as she gazed irritably through the hole in the bottom, a knot of unease immediately formed in her stomach.

What would Maks say now when she presented just the few coins she had made from the three skeins she'd sold? Should she buy dinner with what she had? Did it matter that it was all the coin she knew of that they possessed?

Knowing Maks' penchant for formulating plans, Aurelia decided it best to save what little money she had and wait until he arrived home. She was loath to tell him of the unfortunate turn of events, but knew it couldn't be avoided. And though he would be angry, it wasn't her fault that damnable thing caught on fire, and she therefore had no reason to feel any culpability. But still the knot persisted.

" There is an inner beauty to consider: Inner beauty, too, needs to be told it is beautiful."

-Robert Brault

She was sitting at one of the windows when Maks returned late that evening. He was quiet as he surveyed the area, clearly noting the lack of fire, the lack of food, and only three coins sitting on the table. When his eyes took in the ruined basket that sat on the floor by the table, his gaze slowly shifted to Aurelia.

"Care to explain?" he asked as he went over to the hearth to start a fire. She watched him, the defense that had been forming in her mind all day long seemed heavy now on her tongue. His back was to her, bent down to easily reach the wood. Their intimate deeds of the night before flashed through her mind and she cleared her throat before she was able to speak.

She detailed the events of that morning, making certain to emphasize that it was not her fault, and perhaps they could pressure the merchant who had put out the fire for compensation. After all, if he was standing so close, he should have stopped the criminal act altogether. Or perhaps he was even responsible. Maybe he was jealous that she hadn't returned his interest?

"So you abandoned your post? Left your yarn unattended?"

Aurelia opened her mouth, taken aback that he was somehow putting her at fault for the horrid affair. "Yes, but only a moment." She slid from the window and mumbled resentfully, "If anything, it is that woman's fault, trying to sell me useless concoctions made from old wives' tales. She should have known, as it was my first time there, to not pull me from that bunch of wool," she defended yet again.

Maks sighed and stood up from the growing flames. "No. It was your yarn. Your responsibility. Do not try to lay the blame on someone else." They stared at each other a moment before Maks relented and looked around. "So no food, then?"

Aurelia's eyes slid to the table. "Only those coins I received from the skeins that I sold. I didn't think you would want me to spend the last of our money on food."

"If not food then what?" When Aurelia simply shrugged, clearly not accustomed to thinking of such things, Maks sighed. "Then I shall show you how to make a stew with what we do have. Bring out all the food that has been stored." His manner was distant, not nearly as engaging as it had been the previous nights when he had instructed her. As she sat the jars of food down, she realized how sad that thought was. His comportment had been far from what she would have ever called gregarious, but suddenly it was so lively, so...rich...compared to his demeanor now. It wasn't so much that he was terse, simply to the point with no feeling behind his words.

She'd disappointed him. That's what the feeling was, she realized, and it separated them more than any distance of space ever could. Dinner provided no improvement in the tension between them, and as Aurelia washed in the tub basin, she mulled over how to ameliorate the discomfort that had sprung up between them.

As he had bathed first, Maks was laying on the bed, an arm behind his head and the blanket pulled up to his chest, when she stepped out from behind her privacy curtain in only a clinging robe. She had thought to bathe in the open as he had, but at the last minute she had pulled the basin behind the curtain before filling it with the hot water, all the while not knowing why she acted so cowardly.

The fire crackled behind her as she stood staring at him, plan formulating. He was right, what he had said the night before; she did want to please him and the fact that she had disappointed him instead, irked her more than she cared to admit. But she would win his praise before the night was over, though she wasn't quite certain how to go about it.

He was watching her, she realized, and the dare to do something bold raced up her spine. Aurelia kneeled on the bed facing her husband, her hair a golden curtain flowing thickly behind her shoulders.

"Is there nothing I can do for disappointing you?" she asked bravely.

"Disappointing me? And how do you think you've disappointed me?" he asked casually.

"By failing to successfully make money from your scheme."

When he shook his head slowly, she knew her answer was incorrect.

"Because I left our assets unattended, and thus they were lost to us."

"Even more than that."

She swallowed, her chin lifting ever so. "I blamed others for the loss."

There was a twinkling approval in Maks' eyes. "And why would you blame others?"

Aurelia lifted a shoulder in an uncomfortable shrug. "So as not to appear...so you wouldn't..." but she struggled to understand it herself and was quiet as she earnestly thought about it. "So to avoid the humiliation of failing."

Maks cocked his head slightly. "But we all fail. That is what it is to be human. We are none of us without fault."

Aurelia's chin lifted a little higher, an eyebrow arching imperiously. "I've never committed an error before," she countered coolly.

Maks eyes narrowed. "And I would argue that you have, you just failed to realize it."

She made no response to his words, but her reserved and icy expression made it clear she did not appreciate his opinion before she cast her eyes to the wall. "And as such, you've never learned how to make amends for such behavior, have you?" he questioned softly.

She turned back to look at him cautiously. That eyebrow raised again, but this time in curiosity.

"And how do I do that?"

"By willingly humbling yourself."

Her wary gaze flickered. "How?" she asked cautiously.

"Use your mouth to bring me pleasure."

"You mean kiss you?"

Maks' expression was hungry. "Not on the mouth."

Her brow wrinkled only a moment until understanding dawned. Her mouth opened softly as she breathed, "Oh, you mean...as you did for me last night?" Her heart hammered as she, not for the first time, considered that particular act, wondering what it would be like to reciprocate. Her head shook imperceptibly. "I-I don't think I can do that. Is it not unclean?"

Maks was gentle and coaxing in his reply. "Not any more than any of my other flesh. After all, I did just bathe."

Her brow creased again. "Even so..." her nose wrinkled.

"There is nothing disgusting in giving and receiving pleasure with all parts of the body. But you will find it is a servant's position, a lowly position. And by humbling yourself for my pleasure, you will prove your strength and desire for me." Both were silent as he stared at her, challenging her to submit her pride with the servile act.

With an almost-petulant turn of her mouth and guarded eyes, Aurelia nodded. Though nothing specific changed, Aurelia felt the shift in the tension between them. No longer was it the sad, uncomfortable sort born from his disappointment in her, now it felt charged with the white heat that fills lightning. And just like that, the unpleasant prospect of putting her mouth on that most intimate part of his body began to make her curious, perhaps even excited.

"Your hair, put it up," he commanded, his voice powerful and low.

Aurelia's eyes searched about her before quickly dropping to her chest where a thin green ribbon laced through the top of her robe. Drawing it out slowly, she watched him watch her as she twisted the long mass of her hair up into a cascading knot, securing it with the ribbon.