The Fine Print

"So are we agreed?"

Her black-painted fingernails clicked on the elegantly carved wood table between us. The table surface was etched with a scene of festival revelry, covered by a single giant sheet of inset glass; jousting knights careened around the sides. A sheet of parchment lay between us, terms scribed carefully with her flourishing hand. She offered the quill for my signature.

I read, checking for any deviations from what we had discussed. Seeing none, I signed.

"I'm calling in my favor now."

"What do you mean?" Now perhaps I would see if she was actually as mad as they said she was.

I stared across the table at her. She stared back. Her hair, red as a rose,was tied so that the ends resembled a cascade of flowers down her neck. Her eyes were gray, but the glint in them threatened to steal the attention from her crimson tresses and even the eye-capturing glow of candlelight on her skin, which I had been able to follow a dozen time across her exposed shoulders, down her smooth neck, and into her cleavage over the course of negotiations.

"Our agreement. You are bound now."

"You wanted the supreme advisory position on my council, but I am not yet lord of this land. We discussed this not an hour ago. The ink is still wet in front of us. I don't understand what you're getting at."

Black polished strips of hide wrapping her creaked with the movement, arranged as if to reinforce the fine leather corset straining to contain her generous bust and distractingly full-figured body. A skirt, slit down both sides so as to hang like a long, wide loincloth, kept her technically decent, although it utterly failed to stop the eye of my imagination. Such lovely legs, bound in leather strips which could not hide the powerful muscles under the radiant skin.

"Have you forgotten?" She asked sternly. "Let me remind you of the terms: I get titles to this castle, full control of the Sorcerer's Guild, that stuffy bunch of old men that think women are only good for carrying children, and only tolerably at that besides."

"And in exchange you use your magics to bring ruin on my foe in the next battle, allowing me to seize victory and claim my dominion. How could I forget when we have been arguing at length all evening?"

"Yes, yes, advisory position, lands and title, the guild, and-" she pointed at a clause on the parchment- "one favor to be named at a later time. In exchange for my aid."

"So? A later time, you said. We can discuss it at the victory celebration if you like."

"No. The time is now."

"There's no feat I can perform before I am needed to complete preparations in my camp. You'll have to wait."

"Then you'll wage your battle without me."

A long moment passed between us. Tallow candles flickered as a small draft swept through the hall. I had to have her, and she knew it. Why was she being so difficult all of a sudden?

"Alright, I'm listening. What's so damned important it can't wait a few days?"

"I'm glad you ask. You see, I want you..." She began to smile, got up, and slid around the table to stand by my chair. "...to share my bed tonight."

I felt my jaw drop.

"What?" Was the word that came tumbling out.

She put her hands on my shoulder, grasping intently at the sleeve. She leaned close, a lock of hair brushing my cheek as she put her lips by my ear, watching me out of the corner of her eye.

"You heard me. I want you to take me. To use me. To have your way with me."

"I've already agreed to your terms. You don't need to sweeten the deal now. I have preparations to see to for the battle."

"You misunderstand. Negotiations are past. I want no more than what's been agreed to. Spend the night with me."

"...um."

"What's the matter? You're not afraid of me are you? I don't bite. Oh," she giggled, "Maybe I do. But you'll like it, I promise."

She licked her teeth dangerously.

"You do have an... interesting reputation. What was it, two days for the tendril spells on those four men who attacked you at once to wear off? Such uncomfortable shapes I heard you left them in. And all of them trained sorcerers. Deflection of spells while casting your own is supposed to be impossible."

"A girl's gotta look out for herself," she said agreeably. "Two days? My form is improving. I'd have loved to stay and keep them company, but I'm afraid I was in a bit of a hurry."

"Hurry? I'm no sorcerer, but I understand that's the last thing you possibly want to do where magic is concerned."

"Fear not; my signs were impeccable. Two days 'til dissipation is plenty proof of that."

"I'm not worried about your signs," I said. "They are, in point of fact, what brought me to you. It's your discretion I'm not entirely convinced of."

"Then, if my words can be of any comfort, be comforted. The battle will begin, armies will race towards uncertain doom, and then you will see a sight never dreamed of. I shall take to the air to dispense with our enemies in the blink of an eye."

Her face took on a particular intensity; the air crackled with the power of chilling prophecy. Her hand trailed down my sleeve as she spoke, coming to rest on my knee.

"You will know me by the streak of red, marking my passage with such speed that the trail of my hair will be the only thing your gaze can catch. I will descend as a shower of meteors, and your foes shall die. Their bodies shall rise like flotsam of a shipwreck floating to shore upon the mightiest of waves. It shall rain blood and steel, flesh and bone. None will be able to stand before you, my lord. The day shall be yours before any blade draws blood, before your line tangles with theirs and the confusion begins."

I was struck dumb. Who could possess such strength? Surely, even she did not- yet what if she did? She could sweep my own army aside just as easily. The thought stirred deep suspicions.

Finally, "If you can do half of what you say, you have made a very shrewd bargain for your soul. What dark deity claims your allegiance?"

"Merely the griffin," she said, gesturing to the ceremonial shield I had laid to rest on the table. It was my standard, my flag.

"But," she said, leaning closer so that our faces were nearly pressed together, "after you have let me touch your inner self tonight, you will know that you can bear no lesser woman evermore. And at the sight of it when all is done, you will know in a whole different way." Her eyebrows animated with her words, reinforcing the absolute certainty of her conviction. Her lips remained open, an invitation only too easy to accept.

Something bubbled in my gut, a gentle tingle of awareness of her presence so near, the scent of her mixed with leather so palpable; so easy to reach out and touch, so real I felt I could see her with my eyes shut, if only I could bring myself to do so. I could not, until our lips met, and my veins turned to fire.

All my strength melted in her embrace. Her lips were soft, her mouth delicious. I couldn't get enough. Her tongue snaked in to tease mine, brazen and insistent.

"Come. This way," she said, breaking away to lead me up a small staircase.

The stairs cut into solid rock, climbing into a tower constructed right up the mountainside. Every step she took, her hips swayed hypnotically, her black-and-silver, arcana-inlaid boots clicked on the floor, and her leathers squeaked quietly, drawing my eyes to her bare shoulder blades. Her shadow danced on the wall as drafts made the oil lamp she carried flicker and jump. At the top, an impressive doorway opened into a single giant room; windows covered in silk looked out over the entire valley. Candles in wall sconces sprang to life as we entered.

The sorceress put the lamp down and closed the door, pausing to lean back against me and reaching a hand up to stroke my face. It felt only too natural to reach around to fondle her breasts, stroking them where they rose above her leather.

"Mmm," she said, halfway between a moan of pleasure and a sigh of contentment. Her leg pressed between mine, rubbing both of them, sending a shiver up to my waist. She put a hand to my groin and squeezed, arching her back and giggling with sudden delight at the swelling she found there.

She led me past the fireplace in the center of the room, and to a ridiculously large pile of pillows on a magnificent rug. I started towards the grand, curtained bed nearby, but she shook her head and pushed me such that I tripped and sat heavily in the pillows. I felt like I was in danger of sinking into the middle, but instead simply floated under the surface of the mound of fuzzy softness.

"Let me show you something," she said as she started undressing me, starting with the boots.

"Show me something?" I asked. It seemed to me at that moment that what she wanted was to show my body to her.

"Yes," she said.

"What's that?"

"The man under that calm facade you wear." She brushed my crotch again as she started undoing my pants.

"How do you figure?"

"Years ago, I saw a group of men returning from a fight. They had cuts and bruises, but no injury too terrible, and they had a sack.

'Good work,' says one.

'Aye, that was a fine thrust you gave him,' says the second.

'Worth the cost,' says the third.

'What cost?' asks the fourth.

'Bounty was double to bring him in alive,' says the second.

'Why did you break his leg then?' says the fourth.

'For the sport,' says the third.

'He did scream beautifully,' says the first.

'So you gave up half of my wage for the joy of a little bloodshed?' says the fourth.

'Catches on quick, this one,' says the second.

'Not to worry, lad. We'll let you finish the next one,' says the first.

'And it's still a hundred gold,' says the third.

'I guess this is your lucky day,' says the fourth.

And then, before they finish nodding their heads, the fourth draws his sword and kills them all."

Sudden recognition dawned. "I'd almost forgotten about that," I said. "That girl- that was you?"

She nodded, then tossed her hair in emphasis as she spoke. "I've grown up a little since then, but I knew then that such a man as that was the kind I wanted for my own. And here you are, naked on my pillows."

She had discarded my clothes and was now stroking my cock to full hardness.

"Why didn't you run?" I asked. "I might have killed you too, for witnessing it."

"Had the others prevailed I would have. They were cruel and known in the village to take intimate liberties with girls like myself caught alone. But I could see the way you stood, you were no threat to me. And now, well... I've dreamed of what such a man as you would do with me given the chance. Such passion you have, when you let it free. What will you do with me?"

She squeezed my cock playfully, shaking it at the base.

"So you want me to do what I wish to you?" I said, lust growing even more strongly than before.

"Oh, yes, please do!" she begged. "I'm dying to know what you like."

I reached with both hands and pulled her close, crushing the full length of her against me. She lingered on my lips, our tongues brushing and twisting together.

"Now that's more like it," she said. "Here, let me make this easier for you."

She reached up and undid the clasp holding a small circlet in place, which attached to a mesh that held her hair in place. Now her hair fell in waves to her lower back, thick and stroke-able. I found my fingers running through it, and got a gasp from pulling on it. She looked at me with a warning look, but the way her back arched into it I knew that she had enjoyed it.

I merely smirked at her, then undid the top of her corset which held her bust; it only cinched at the waist. She made a sound of mock indignation, for the brief moment before I pulled down the leather hiding her -oh, my- quite touchable breasts. I tugged and twisted the nipples, drawing a short, wordless roar from her. It took both hands to hold them each to my lips as she writhed against me.

"They like you," she said, her voice dropping as her face flushed..

"It's definitely mutual."

"Well then, my lord- have at me." She winked.

Clearly, I need not hold back. I kissed her some more, then pushed her to the side so that I could pull her head down. She obligingly ran her tongue down my chest, biting my nipple, and kissed teasingly down to my engorged manhood. Pausing, she looked up, taunting with her eyes, poised with her lips so close to the head that I could feel the warmth of her breath washing over my cock.

Then came the plunge, a series of dips that brought me deeper and deeper into her mouth with every stroke. Gently, I guided her head down. For the briefest moment, at the bottom of every thrust, she would look up at me, renewing her fierce determination. And then, it seemed, she could take me no deeper. She took as much as would go and, pausing at the bottom to look up and wink, tossed her head around to rub my cock with the inside of her throat from every direction.

And then she went even deeper. Her face pressed against me and she bobbed, rubbing my cock with her throat in and out, sending a shockwave of pleasure out through my whole body. I convulsed, grabbed her hair, and pushed in time with her motion. It was unlike any sensation I had ever felt before; I became instantly and hopelessly addicted to it. Only a few moments passed, but the expansion of my senses distorted perception, as though I had spent many scores of minutes buried past her lips. And for all that, it wasn't nearly long enough.

I had cried out, I suddenly realized. Both of us were breathing harder, and my voicebox tingled from the usage. She coughed, but smiled wickedly, stroking my now-wet cock with her hands.

"I like that," she said, "and I think you do, too."

By way of answering, I grabbed her head in both hands and pulled her down. She laughed, a knowing sound that trailed into a moan that sent a tingle down my cock and spread through all my nerves. She was still catching her breath, and so I let her work her lips and tongue on the head of my cock. Then she was ready again, and without warning or hesitation slid my member all the way back in her mouth. Her hands grabbed at me as she bobbed, grasping my buttocks as if to pull me even deeper. Between her red hair splayed against my chest and the warm wetness of her, I had the curious feeling that a wet fire was devouring me, as if I was submerged into a pool of oil only a few inches from the flames at its surface.

I felt myself dangerously close to coming, just from the shocking eroticism of it, so I pulled her up and away. She made a small noise of disappointment, and frowned, but I was already climbing up to pull her with me. We approached the bed, and I bent her over it to spank her. She squirmed, trying to fight me off, but her heart wasn't in it. Every stinging strike produced a sound somewhere between a grunt and a moan. She started to wriggle free, so I pushed her down with one hand on her back, and undid a buckle at her ankle with the other. Untying the rope that held the curtains back on the bed, I tied it to the leather strap wrapping her leg.

"No!" She squealed in frustration and kicked harder, but she was off balance, and it wasn't long before her other leg was securely tied as well. Now she was at my mercy, and laughing so hard that she couldn't fight back at all. Until I spanked her again and then ran my hands gently over the spot I had just struck, that is. Then she was crying out again and shivering with my touch. I tore her skirt from the slit at her thigh up to the hip, and then completely free. She growled but didn't protest, and her punishment continued. After some minutes of seeing just how high I could get her whimper to turn into a shriek, I put a finger to the exposed mound between her thighs and gently probed. Oh, was she wet! Nearly fit to burst, I thought. I got up to put my cock, still hard, right up against the pink slit in her flesh.

Open-mouthed, she bent sideways to face me, eyes wide with arousal, as I slowly pushed into her. In and out I thrusted, testing how deep I could go. Finally, I slammed into her all the way with a hard slap of flesh; her eyes closed, and she grasped roughly at the bedsheets.

"Oh, fuck!" she said. There was no question of her sincerity. "That's it, take me, I'm yours."

I grabbed at her hips and pulled, driving myself deep inside as she slid back to meet me at the edge of the mattress. Slowly we built the rhythm; faster and faster we ground our bodies together, sliding my cock all the way out, only to plunge in again to some small heaven buried between her hips. Slower we went, then faster, then pausing to catch our breath again. I pulled her hair, making her back arch and her screams to come out higher and louder. Finally, orgasm came in a sudden rush, wracking both of us with throbbing explosions under the skin of our sexes. I leaned over her, panting, as the energy subsided. Her face was buried in the bed, shoulders and thighs heaving. Sweat glistened in the candlelight. We shuddered against each other; minutes passing in near silence.

The vixen pushed up with a delicious groan, and then I discovered that she could squeeze me while I was deep inside. I grunted in surprise; my cock hadn't decided if it wanted to deflate yet. She turned back to watch me, and did it again. Her face lit up with delight as my whole body twitched involuntarily.

"Now see here," I growled, "you'd better stop that before I decide I'm not done with you."

"Not done with me? Whatever do you mean?" She asked in a voice that was not so innocent. She put a finger to her mouth and sucked on it, gently pushing into and out of her lips. The memory of those lips caressing the head of my cock came rushing back with a vengeance. I shook with the remembered pleasure, and the sensation of her contracting on me again. She grinned around her finger, teasing with glimpses of her tongue licking, leaving a trail of saliva.

"I'll show you what I mean," I said, coming to a decision. I dismounted her, and we both gasped as my cock slipped loose. I untied her ankles from the bed posts, then dragged her around to the side. I untied one of the curtain ropes completely, then tied her hands together with it over her head to a curly protrusion at the top of the post. Then I climbed up on the bed and under her so that she looked down at me, head between her upper arms. I pulled one of her legs up into a crouch so that I could brace with one hand under her butt cheek, and her other leg kneeled against the bed. Then, other hand on her waist, I forced her pelvis down to press against me, running my slippery cock against her clit. She was still wet, and her hips responded by rocking of their own accord.

"Keep doing that," I said, and lifted my cock to slide inside her as I pulled her waist down.

I thrust in and out, slowly, letting her shifting angle and mine create new pressures and feelings. Her head rolled back, and I looked up to watch her breasts swaying and jiggling as we moved. It was a terribly arousing sight, and I decided I wanted to see them bounce. I pulled her down to sink my cock all the way inside her, and then began thrusting harder. She kept moving her hips, goading us both on, until I decided I was ready to see her bust really jump. I set the motion with both hands, pushing and pulling her up and down on me, her nipples tracing circles in the air.

The moment was perfect. It was glorious. She looked down at me as we moved, red hair flying in all directions. She was bracing her hands against the bedpost, her arms circling up around her neck as she stared down at me, sharing a look of intense rapture. Tension built higher and higher, my body screaming out in pleasure that demanded release. In and out. Up and down. Each insertion better than the last, feeding a nervous fire, and making our muscles jolt into motion more vigorously, sending a tremor reverberating through our bodies with each deep impact. And then we both drove ourselves with reckless abandon, crashing together with every fiber of our being, until her eyes rolled back as she came again, touching off my own roaring climax. The chamber rang with her piercing scream, and I could swear a window cracked and nearly shattered.