The Divine Gambit Ch. 10

She had stumbled her way to the kitchen, setting the bags on the dining table before opening one of the drawers to collect a spoon. At that moment, she looked up and noticed me on the couch. She took a moment to fully digest the scene before nodding to offer her approval of my actions, a satisfied smile growing on her cherubic face.

Sam rolled over on the couch, and I began rubbing the tops of her feet with the new angle. She answered Beth, "Give me the cherry one."

Beth brought her the requested pint with a spoon and moved the pillow to support Sam's back when she sat up to eat. Beth then approached me and whispered, "I bought oil at the store, too. Once she's eaten something and taken the meds, or maybe before bed, what do you think about giving her a real massage?"

I nodded and gave Beth a peck on her cheek. It was wonderful how caring and thoughtful she was, even if her earlier enthusiasm had been the source of Sam's current problems. She sat on the other couch and opened one of the different pints of ice cream.

Sam slowly ate her ice cream as I rubbed her feet, touching each toe and gently coaxing them into relaxing for me. Beth brought her a glass of water and handed her two small tablets before returning the empty glass and ice cream container to the kitchen.

Sam surprised me by imitating Beth and climbing into my lap, her soft body curled up against my chest and her knees pulled into her arms. She leaned against me and closed her eyes, her gentle breathing indicating she had dozed off. Beth slid next to us and turned the television on but muted the volume.

I told Beth of my experience at the gym and how I learned to fly, at least in a practice environment, with constant assistance from several instructors. I then relayed my lunch with Zoey and how frustrating it was to both be shut down with every point I had tried to make and knowing that she was absolutely correct to have fears. I shared the plans for meeting for drinks, as well.

"She'll come around." Beth softly assured me.

"How can you be so sure, and how can you actually encourage that?"

"You deserve it. You've been nothing but wonderful with me. She'll see that you're only trying to help her."

I screwed my face up in disgust at her initial claims. "Beth, you've known me for a week. How on earth can you be so trusting with me?"

She tapped her head and said, "I can feel your emotions, and I'm hearing some of your thoughts. It was really cute that you felt like you cheated on us by accidentally sharing your being with Zoey and her friend. Painfully naive and borderline self-destructive, but cute at how pure you are. When you thought about the hair question, I actually had to stop pedaling on the stationary bike to hold myself up while I laughed so hard.

"I can be so trusting with you because I know just how bad you think of yourself. You hate the idea that anything you've done has harmed us. You hate the idea that you've taken choices from me even after I've told you that you gave me the world. You're uncomfortable with the idea of a romantic relationship with Sam because you feel an obligation to give me everything of yourself. With how high of a standard you try to hold yourself to, I have no issues with what you do. I feel awful for thinking I was going to manipulate you into caring for me when you would've done it anyway if I had just said I needed help."

I shook my head in disagreement, "I still can't follow everything you've said. It just feels wrong to think about including another girl. Selfish, narcissistic, dishonest, unappreciative."

Beth palmed my cheek and turned my face to meet hers. She had sat up onto her knees and was an inch away from me, her verdant eyes piercing firmly into my soul.

"You listen to me now, James. I love you, and I feel that you love me. A relationship is built on trust and understanding, compromise and sharing. We had a weird start, and we have a unique dynamic. You have my permission to pursue Sam and Zoey. It is not a breach of our trust if you do that. Sam is desperate for your attention, and you hold a piece of Zoey hostage, so I feel you need to pursue them. I will only feel wronged if you exclude me, okay? But if what you said about Zoey is true, you're already excluding her. You need to convince her. Do you understand? How can I get this through to you?"

I felt some of my tension dissipate, and I answered, "Actually, I think it did help. I still don't really understand it, but setting a limit, and giving me some boundaries that would make you uncomfortable, actually helps. A defined space you've given me approval to occupy is much better than an uncertain grey area. I still feel like a selfish bastard, though. I don't want to offer you the same freedoms. I want you solely to be mine."

I was surprised when she blushed and smiled before leaning in to give me a small, chaste kiss on the lips.

"Good. I don't want anyone else; I only want you. I'm not asking for the same thing from you. A relationship requires balance, not exact symmetry. I don't want another man when I have the best one in the world here with me. One who can hold the most beautiful woman in his arms and still give me his undivided attention because he's concerned about how I feel. You've given me your friendship and shared the only friend you've retained with me, and through you, I've found a connection to a woman that I could call a mother. I don't want you going out and chasing everything under the sun, but I know you won't. You needed my permission to kiss the girl in your arms. I have absolute faith in your devotion because I can feel what you think. There's been nothing in the last week to even hint at questionable desires, and I know that you'll listen to me if I have any issues."

She shifted slightly on the couch, but her gaze remained firmly focused on my face. Her voice grew even sterner.

"James, you aren't doing me any favors by not being with her. I haven't asked you to do that. You're only hurting her now, teasing her and stringing her along without giving her something she wanted but thought she couldn't have. I'm asking you to stop doing that, to either accept her or to stop giving her false hope. This isn't a test -- that would be exceptionally fucked up of me after everything that's happened -- Stop thinking that. I'm asking you now to stop hurting her and reminding you that you aren't breaking my trust or damaging our relationship by doing something I'm asking you to do."

"Alright, okay, I get it. Geeze, did you get Evgenia to craft a speech for you?"

"Hmm. That's a good idea. The next time I feel you filled with doubts, I'll have a chat with her to create a foolproof, logical argument to shake you out of it. You seem to respond well to it."

I simply smiled and relaxed on the couch, softly wrapping my arm around Beth as she lay against me. Sam remained asleep in my lap, exhausted by the day she had. Beth slipped her hand into mine, weaving our fingers together, and then closed her own eyes.

~*~*~*~*~

I realized I had fallen asleep in the living room when I vaguely recognized the sound of the door latch clicking through the haze of my resting mind. I lazily opened my eyes, comforted by the two girls still enveloped in my arms, and looked over at the entranceway. Orange light from the windows illuminated the apartment, hinting that it was now evening. Evgenia was standing in the doorway, having just closed the door after entering, and she looked frazzled and exhausted. She was completely frozen, her hand still on the door handle, meeting my gaze but completely unmoving.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you. Apologies." She silently slipped her black heels off and paced methodically over the floor to the hallway, her black stockinged feet gliding over the floor. If not for the mechanical latch of the door, there wasn't a chance I would have heard her.

Before she could reach the hallway, I spoke normally, "Don't worry about it. We've been here long enough. It's past time for us to get up, or we won't sleep at all tonight. Are you hungry? I could get started on dinner."

Beth stirred next to me, my voice interrupting her nap. Sam remained resting idyllically, snuggled into my chest. I was mildly confused when Evgenia slowly rotated back to face me because she was blushing.

She inclined her head slightly and continued whispering her answers, some hesitation in her voice as she tried to find the right words. "I appreciate your efforts to include me, James. I'm going to change into something else, if that is alright." She bent at the waist, bowing slightly, before returning to walking down the hallway.

Beth yawned and stretched, her arms lifted over her head, and in the light of the sunset, her hair looked almost as red as Sam's. When she opened her eyes and looked at me, she had an overwhelmingly innocent appearance, the figure of a youthful angel sent from the heavens to impart wholesome affection into my life.

Beth was, in many ways, a mirror image of Sam. Where Beth looked innocent, naive, and young, Sam was voluptuous and womanly. In a past age, Sam would've been the inspiration for a fertility goddess. On the other hand, Beth could be manipulative, scheming, and planning, her unpleasant upbringing forcing her to learn how to control situations merely to survive. Sam was idealistic and noble, obsessed with righteousness and truth. Sam had spent her entire childhood trying to distance herself from her mother's name in a failed attempt to placate her peers, while Beth had yearned for nothing more than to simply have a parent that cared for her at all.

They were distorted reflections of each other, a confusing amalgamation of traits and insecurities leading them both to my lap for similar reasons. They were both desperate for some sort of permanent connection. I wasn't sure I could give them that, but having shared my concerns, they were both still here.

These thoughts ran through my mind as I gently lifted Sam from my lap. She stirred slightly and then groaned as I placed her back on the couch. I kissed her cheek and whispered directly into her ear, "I'm making something to eat. You have another twenty minutes or so to rest. Do you want anything?"

Without opening her eyes, she nodded and said, "Yes, a little. The painkillers must've worn off. I should eat something else to take more. Not ice cream, something real." She shifted lower into the seat, a little grimace on her face as she settled into as comfortable a position as she could find.

I would like to say that I made dinner, but in reality, Beth commanded the kitchen in Cynthia's absence. I assisted Beth in making latkes, pan-fried potato pancakes. She masterfully incorporated onion and chives that I had diced into her construction before topping the finished ones with cheese and setting them on a baking tray in the oven to keep warm.

Through the process, she informed me that what we were making would be scandalous in some circles. As a historically Jewish dish, mixing the animal fat we had fried the starch in with the cheese and the sour cream topping was, strictly speaking, religiously offensive. It's a good thing we weren't practicing because the result was delicious. The potato formed a crisp and crunchy outer shell yet encased soft and doughy internals, and the sour cream provided an excellent temperature contrast.

Evgenia joined Beth and me at the table, and I brought Sam a plate with several served for her. She seemed more awake then, and she gratefully took the food and then the anti-inflammatories but remained in her curled-up position on the couch. Ev thanked the two of us for dinner and departed to her own room. Beth whispered conspiratorially that she would be fine cleaning up from dinner herself and I should instead take the oils she had purchased and give Sam a more substantial massage.

I found the purple bottle of lavender-scented oil in the bags Beth had brought, made a pitstop in the bathroom for one of our towels, and brought both into Sam's bedroom. Her bed sheets were messy, so I straightened them before finding a bathrobe in her closet. I set the robe and the towel on the end of the bed.

Returning to the apartment's living area, Beth gave me a stern look. I could feel that she felt I was hesitating, stalling on taking action with Sam. She wasn't wrong, but I needed to do the little bit of preparation I had done, even if I wasn't just procrastinating. Sam was still crashed haphazardly on the couch, curled up perilously on an unstable collection of pillows. I kneeled down and whispered to her.

"Do you want to move to your bedroom? I could give you a real massage to relax you before bed."

She nodded lazily, cinnamon wisps of hair falling down over her face. I slipped an arm under her legs, letting it rest in the crook of her knee. My other arm wrapped around her torso, pulling her into me. I lifted her against my chest, her head falling gently onto my shoulder, and carried her to the awaiting bedroom. She cooed a soft thanks, appreciating not having to walk.

I shut her bedroom door with my elbow as we entered and cautiously deposited her onto her bed. She remained sitting up, her face slightly flushed, and her bright blue eyes intently followed me.

"Beth picked up some lotion to use. Do you want to strip down or just do it over your clothes without the lotion, or should I step outside and let you get the towel, or..." I trailed off and looked away, fumbling my attempt to ask her where her limits were. She didn't answer me, but I heard her start moving and disrobing, the bed softly squeaking, and the sounds of her clothes sliding against her skin making evident her answer. I crossed the room to where I had left the oil to allow her some modesty.

Retrieving it, I turned around and inhaled sharply. Sam had nearly completely undressed, her soft, pale pink skin now completely visible. She had laid face down on the bed, only garbed in a pair of grey panties, the towel spread underneath her, and a pillow pulled underneath her head. Even as she lay motionless on the bed, awaiting my participation and doing nothing to actively entice me, the presentation was well and genuinely erotic. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way, and the loose stray ends splayed over the pillow as she lay her head on one side, the strands looking like rays of sunlight contrasting with her alabaster body.

I swallowed hard in response to the enticing scene in front of me and snapped open the cap of the bottle of oil. Spreading some in my hands and rolling it around to warm it, definitely not simply procrastinating, I carefully climbed onto the bed, straddling Sam's hips on my knees. I slowly made contact with her upper back, softly rolling my thumbs over her back and spreading some of the lotion onto her skin.

"Warm enough?"

She nodded and groaned, "Uh huh."

With her tacit approval, I began massaging her in earnest. Knowing she was comfortable, I started with her neck, rolling my thumbs firmly into her skin from her collarbone to her rear hairline. She pushed her head down into the pillow, lifting her neck and shoulders up. I pressed along the base of her skull, and she groaned and whimpered.

I continued down her body, moving to her shoulders and upper back. I massaged from the base of her neck and flowed across her shoulder blades, using my entire palm to apply pressure. Advancing down her back, I flanked her spine and inched my thumbs down her body. When I reached her lower back near her hips, her little gasps and moans took on a breathy quality. Moving away from her spine, I applied more lotion to her side and, using my entire palm again, I pressed into her flanks and massaged from the base of her lats through to her shoulder blades. I kneaded and pushed through all of the knots and pressure points I felt, letting her body guide me to where my hands needed to be.

I moved how I straddled her, placing one knee between her legs to get further to one side. I took one of her hands and gently rolled it with my fingers. I pressed into her palm and continued up through her wrist and forearm. I was glad my draconic senses confirmed her positive reactions to the massage because Sam's brief halting gasps and pained moans were quite unsettling. If I had been outside the room, and my only source of information came from the noises she made, I would have assumed she was hurt and needed help. I would've been concerned that I was hurting her without knowing her emotions; my nostrils flooded with her desire and approval.

Having finished her right arm, I switched which side I was straddling her on, placing my right knee between her legs. My leg came into contact with her nethers, and I was incredibly surprised by what I felt. I knew she was aroused, which was perfectly reasonable, but my knee came away damp from accidentally brushing against her momentarily. If she had told me she had worn the scant clothing into the tub, I would've believed her. The scent of her emotions suggested that she was quite responsive to my touches, but the physical response indicated that she was wholly enraptured.

I continued onto Sam's left arm, ignoring the likely embarrassing situation she seemed to be having. She continued melting into the bed as I cared for her body, releasing a gradual stream of disconcerting noises as she fell further into her relaxed state. When I was done, her left arm was limp in my arms, and I could see that her eyes were effortlessly closed, her head resting on the pillow.

I shifted down the bed and began manipulating her feet and calves. Her initial reaction was to release some delirious giggles, unintentionally tickled by my ministrations, but she soon returned to purring in hazy elation.

I continued up her calves, pressing my thumbs into her muscles, relieving the tension she had accrued at the gym today. They were tight and tense when I started, but after a few minutes of kneading, Sam relaxed thoroughly and released the final bits of stress she was holding onto.

My unceasing progress continued to her thighs, and I spent time caressing along her hamstrings, applying pressure around the sides of her legs. She whimpered under my treatment, and her legs trembled as my fingers pressed into her rosy flesh.

Watching Sam quiver under my fingers, I had a wild idea. I could only imagine Antonin scolding me if I tried it before consulting him, but it was so tempting of an idea that I couldn't resist the temptation.

I focused and pushed some of the ambient mana into my fingertips. I brushed my newly energized digits into Sam's aflush skin, and she released a guttural, labored groan. My draconic senses insisted that she had enjoyed it, and she spread her legs farther to press into my hands, but the sounds she leaked worried me.

I held the energy there and pressed again into her legs. Sam replicated her initial reaction, groaning and pressing further into me.

I paused to ask if she wanted me to continue and to confirm that she was alright, but before I could phrase a question, she whined out needily, "More."

Not inclined to disappoint her, I allowed slightly more mana to flow into my hands, and I palmed her thighs and rubbed them upwards, driving my thumbs into her hamstrings. She squeaked out another gasp and fluttered while I shared the energy with her body.

I gently, softly went over her entire body again with my now empowered hands, carefully retouching every area and soothing any leftover remnants of the day. By the time I had finished, my fingertips were growing numbs, but Sam was a malleable puddle of a girl, completely relaxed and barely responsive.

I wrapped her in one of the blankets on the bed and turned the lights off in her room. I slipped to the bathroom, washed my hands, brushed my teeth, and returned to my bedroom.