The Palace Pt. 03

Nanka poured wine for us, and then withdrew.

I saw the food she had brought. Fragrant rice, thin slices of chicken, slivers of ginger, flakes of coriander. The sauce was redolent of basil and young scallions.

- "You forgot ginger." said Yasina, who had recovered her breath first. "Improves circulation, heats the blood, and heightens the senses. Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised by your choices. Honestly - you really thought that I was going to seduce the General?"

- "I'm sorry, Highness. I shouldn't have presumed ..."

- "Let me be quite serious with you, Carrach. General Pitarryat wants me. So do two other commanders whose help in putting my son on the throne was instrumental. Andnoneof them will ever have me. Because the moment I sleep with one of them, I run the risk of losing his support - not to mention that of the other two."

"Some men, once they sleep with a woman, think they possess her. That they can dominate, or use her. It would put dangerous ideas in their heads."

"They all want me - that's good. So long as they do, they will do as I ask, act as I direct."

I was surprised that she being so candid with me. "How long can you continue to do this?" I asked. "Won't they eventually grow frustrated? Or tired of being used?"

- "They're only men. I can keep it up as long as I have to." she said. She winked at me. "But, tonight - tonight is more about you. I wanted to see how you treatyourwoman. I know that you aren't married. But you've had considerable experience with women?"

I blushed. "Ah ..."

- "Don't be shy. You can tell me: how many women have you slept with?"

- "Umm ... two."

- "Really? I'm only your third? I could have sworn you hadmuchmore experience." Then Yasina saw the expression on my face. "Wait - I'm only yoursecond?"

I nodded, suddenly very uncomfortable. I wasn't so very embarrassed to reveal my lack of experience - well, maybe a little - but I didn't particularly want Yasina to realize how important Min was to me. That could only make her more of a target than she already was.

- "Who was your first? Was she experienced? She must've taught you so much ..."

- "Not really. I mean, I practiced things with her, but ... it's really more from reading. I read a lot. Hemnan, Notroh. The Commentaries ..."

- "I wouldn't have believed it." she said.

I steered her towards the topic of erotic poetry - and away from the idea of Minika. We ate, drank a little more, and Yasina asked a hundred more questions. She wanted to know how I could have planned a meal like this, in such a setting, with virtually no experience with women.

- "Imagination?"

- "Well, keep imagining." she said. "At the end of this lovely meal, so heavily stoked with aphrodisiacs, what would you do next?"

I stood, and offered her my hand. "I would ask my lady to join me on the divan, that I might sit close to her."

- "And what would do once you had her there?"

- "I would tell her how wonderful she looks - how she fires my blood and stirs my imagination."

- " Youarea poet." said Yasina.

- "Amateur. You know," I told her, "I should be paralyzed with fear. Here I am, sitting next to the most beautiful, most powerful woman in Zamarka - and I feel surprisingly at ease."

She laughed. "It's the wine."

- "No, I think it was our laughing fit, earlier. It ..."

- "I know what you mean." she said. "It broke down barriers between us. I feel very relaxed, as well. So - continue. Here you are, seated on the divan with your lady love ...oneof the most beautiful women in Zamarka ..."

I looked into those bright brown eyes, those weapons of man's destruction. And decided, oddly enough, that I liked her. Yes, the Empress could have me killed - probably not today - but she was clever, and intelligent, and had a good sense of humor (an important thing, in rulers). So I just forgot about the Empress, and concentrated on the woman.

Yasina was here for me, this evening. So I leaned forward to kiss her. You may think this strange, but it didn't occur to me until my lips touched hers: this was our first kiss.

It was overwhelming. To discover that an amazing, incredibly attractive woman likes you - finds you appealing enough - to press her lips against yours, is simply intoxicating. I drank her in, swimming in a sea of sensation, of taste, of smell, of texture. Her lips were moist, and soft, and warm. I could taste the ginger.

She opened her mouth wider, and her tongue gently invaded my mouth. I could have sworn that she was trembling. I put my arm around her, and held her closer. It struck me then - a fleeting thought - that Yasina was not performing at that moment. She was relaxed, from her bath, her massage, and our insane bout of laughter, earlier.

She was not trying to seduce me, or to play me, not calculating or plotting. She was simply a woman, with a man who admired and lusted after her, but who was not - for a very brief interlude - intimidated by who she was. She was simply enjoying the moment.

It was the most spectacular kiss of my life, to that point. And I have never had its like, ever since. I met her tongue with mine, and we teased, and played, and each tried to please the other.

I found how the band of cloth covering her breasts was attached, and released it. As I pulled it away, freeing her upper body, she sighed into my mouth.

Her magnificent breasts became the focus of my attention. I did not cease kissing her, and continued to swirl my tongue around hers. But I squeezed her closer to me, with an arm around her shoulders. She reached up, with one arm, to put her hand behind my head, and pull me closer.

That quarter turn only exposed her chest even more to my gaze, and my touch. Her breasts were tilted upwards, her erect nipples practically pointed at me. And all completely available to my hand.

I was of two minds, then. One part of me was entirely devoted to caressing her breasts, weighing them in my hand, cupping them, stroking and caressing, and pulling gently on her nipples. But the rest of me was completely absorbed in kissing her, meeting her increasingly energetic forays into my mouth with her tongue.

Yasina herself started unwinding her silk dress. Her eyes were closed, as she gave herself entirely to our kisses, and my manipulation of her breasts. I pulled back, momentarily, but only long enough to bring two of my fingers to my mouth, to coat them thoroughly in saliva. Then I used those fingers to draw wet circles around her nipple, first one, and then the other.

But when she finished unwrapping her dress, and uncovered her lower body, I moved my hand down, and inserted two wet fingers into her vagina. She lifted one leg, and placed a foot on the divan, tilting her pelvis and offering herself to my hand.

I lowered my head, and took her nearest nipple between my lips. Yasina's body began to undulate, as she tried simultaneously to cram more of her engorged nipple into my mouth, while she lifted her hips higher and opened her privates to my questing fingers.

Then I slid from the divan, trailing kisses from her nipples, down across her belly, to run my tongue over her lower lips. I had done this before, after her massage. But it was more intense this time, more urgent. With one hand, I continued to play with her breasts, or stroked her belly, while with the other I reached around and cupped her ass, pulling her even closer.

Her eyes were closed, head thrown back. She was cooing as I licked and tongued her. But she was too impatient to leave me there for long. Yasina started tugging at my shirt, pulling it over my head. I released my hold on her, in order to help. I quickly stripped off the trousers as well.

Treat her as my woman, she had said. I had planned a menu for her, made her laugh, and kissed and caressed her. But now it was time to possess her, as the Generals never would. I knelt on the divan, one knee between her legs, and steered my erection towards my goal.

I lodged the head between her nether lips, and pushed forward. The angle was wrong; I had to adjust my position. Then I pushed forward, and penetrated her. She was wet, and so ready, that I slid all the way to the root in a single thrust.

In our first encounter, Yasina had been the aggressor. Our second had been leisurely, and slow-paced. This time I took the lead, and showed her just how much I wanted her. I plunged into her, driving her hips and ass into the divan. She grabbed at me with her hands, pulling, encouraging me to pound her even faster, and harder.

She was near orgasm before I had even penetrated her - now she reached her peak with me inside her. She gave a loud wail as she climaxed. I wasn't far behind, and continued to fuck her through her orgasm, seeking my own.

It came - or I did - a moment later, as I fired shot after shot of semen into her humid depths. She clutched me to her, wrapping her arms about me. That completely spoiled my balance, so that I ended up atop her. She showed me that that was exactly what she wanted, by kissing my face, and wrapping her legs around my buttocks.

- "That'show you treat your woman?" she said, softly. "Are you always so passionate? So intense? She's a lucky woman."

- "That - was exceptional." I replied, as I tried to catch my breath.

We moved to a large bed, with silken sheets, but not to sleep. Yasina stroked and teased me until I produced a new erection, which didn't take very long. Then she climbed aboard and rode me hard, paying me back in full for the pounding I had given her on the divan.

I tried to give back as good as I got, lunging up to meet her. I also lifted and squeezed her awesome breasts, and roughly pinched her nipples. I could not tell if she reached another orgasm, but I certainly did.

She left for a moment, but returned with moistened towels, which we used to clean our privates. Then she climbed back into bed with me, and snuggled close.

- "Sometimes it's nice to have someone to fall asleep with." she said. And then she promptly did just that.

I lay awake for some time, marvelling at where I was, and with whom. But I worried, too. 'Lucky woman', she had said. It was not always a good thing to attract the Empress' attention. Minika was already a hostage for my good behavior. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

As for me ... most men would have traded places with me in an instant, without hesitation. But how many would be so quick, if they had to survive the Night of the Knives, first? I had been lucky, so far - in more ways than one.

I awoke before her, in the morning. Someone - I assumed that it was Nanka - had come in to extinguish the candles and remove the dishes while we slept.

Yasina mumbled in her sleep. She had turned around, in the night, and her backside was pressed against me. I caressed her ass, for a while, and then slid my hand between her legs. She woke up, but did not protest. In fact, she moaned gently as I teased her with my fingers.

Meanwhile, she reached behind her to fondle my balls, and then took hold of my growing erection. At her direction, I entered her from behind.

- "I like men who show initiative." she said.

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