Negotiations

Author's Note: This story is a prequel to Business as Usual. It's the same characters but takes place a few months before. I'll eventually submit some artwork for it but I wanted to get the story posted soon as I had it finished. This is a 10k SEX ROMP with dialogue. It does have a plot but it's entirely buried within the chatting that takes place. Somewhere...

Enjoy!

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There are fewer pleasures in life than being adored by a man who is both open-minded and enlightened. Case in point: My life is complex. The business I run involves intimate communication with many men on multiple levels of intimacy, including physical, of course. Elwin is not jealous of these encounters, not in the least, and he routinely joins in as his business often runs parallel to my own. Transactions, negotiations, connections and introductions are frequently conducted over sex.

Need to bring up the fee for a complex job? Offer to suck the client's cock. Want him to pay for the gear necessary to kill his nemesis? Tease him with a bit of rimming while you compliment the size of his balls. Need a good reference for a new client? Suggest a threesome, one hundred year old cognac and the best aged cheddar this side of Rosny. It's business as usual and the best kind.

I see you squirming in your seat, wondering exactly what kind of society does business transactions over sex and expensive liquor. What kind of morally depraved mad men are we? Well, we are just like you but we live more freely, more openly. Ours is not a society restricted by some archaic philosophy steeped in religion-bound ethics and driven by a fear of our sexuality. Ours is not a society wrapped up in a desperate need to control our fellows! We are powerful folks, among us elves capable of using magic to cure away the most determined STD from the lowliest prostitute. The result? A world as beautiful as it is free. With money and negotiation talents such as the kind Elwin and I are in possession of, anything can be had.

Dinner out with a client, you might say, takes on a whole new meaning when one lives as we do. Fine restaurants have private or mostly private rooms for certain business transactions that require more than pleasant conversation. Coercion comes in many forms. Sometimes, it involves sucking a cock, sometimes rimming an anus and sometimes allowing the client to mount you. Sometimes, it requires all of the above.

It is all in a day's work. All a part of routine negotiation.

And before you jump to the assumption that we are prostitutes, whores, I insist that we are not. We use sex as a tool, certainly, one which allows us the upper hand in many negotiations but we don't need it to make money. We do what we do for pleasure, for the thrill of feeling another set of hands on our bodies, a strange mouth upon our cocks, and the satisfaction of knowing we've won the battle.

As I write this, I look up at the clock staring at me from the mantle across the room. It is late afternoon, about four. Elwin walks in, his rain cloak thrown over his shoulder, the edge hooked by the tips of his fingers. He smiles at me and swoops in for a long, wet kiss. He is soaked. I stand, help him peel himself out of his suspenders and a thin, cotton shirt that clings to him like a blue-colored second skin. We toss the wet garments onto the tiled floor in front of the fireplace and he bends over, pulling off his boots and pants.

Soon, he stands before me naked, tall and beautiful, his long flaccid cock hanging between his thighs. I look up at him with eyes full of love and adoration. "How was it?" I ask him as he plucks at my shirt, unbuttoning it slowly in the fire's golden glow. It, and a scattering of lamps and candles are the only sources of light. They create shadows that dance seductively across my lover's incredibly handsome face and body.

"He was... difficult. You'll be meeting him soon as I suggested he come here to finish the negotiations. He wants you to make the arrangements as well as.... something else. He wouldn't elaborate but he was insistent that you were involved. He has asked me to conduct the overall operation. I told him that the two of us would cost him. He gave me a price. I countered. He disagreed and so I used my gift of seduction to attempt to sway him and... He said the only way he might be tempted would be if he could have you as well. Both of us. He's shrewd, that one... And beautiful. He seems to know you from somewhere, though he wouldn't discuss it."

By now, my shirt has joined Elwin's wet clothing on the floor and my pants are open to Elwin's long fingers. He pushes them low, his thumbs brushing my stiffening member slightly. A moment later, my pants are bunched up about my ankles. I am not wearing shoes but rather, soft slippers that I step out of- and back into- once my pants reach the cold floor. Elwin's toes did not seem to notice it but mine were practically phobic.

"What is his name?" I ask him as he tilts back my head, his open mouth sucking my lips, my nose, my chin, my cheeks and my neck.

"DasVivienne...? Belvin DasVivienne, I believe. He has a soft touch, nice fingers, lips like satin. Long, long platinum hair. I suspect it is natural as his brows are a darker shade of the same." His lips are teasing my chest now, his hand coursing down my body to stroke my heavy, tattooed penis. Years earlier, I had had a green vine etched into it while it stood erect. The pain was exquisite and the beauty of it was even more so. Elwin enjoys watching it grow; as my cock hardens, the vine lengthens until every inch is visible to the last leaves on the head.

He gently pushes me over my desk and I raise my ass invitingly to him. I look over my shoulder as he drops to his knees behind me. "Hmm... DasVivienne? Unfamiliar but considering my client list, not surprising that I do not recall him. The long, pale hair, now... That is familiar. When is he due to arrive?"

He presses his face into the crack of my ass, his tongue reaching for my puckered hole. He tastes me slowly, teasing me with the tip of his pointed tongue while his hand pumps my cock. Elwin then pushes his finger into a jar of lubrication (we keep one in every room of our estate for anything that might come up) and then works it inside me, pushing first one then two fingers as deep as he can go, all the while lapping the space behind my balls and around my hole. The waves of pleasure rippling through me are intense and my knuckles pale as I grip the desk tightly.

He pauses in his oral ministrations to answer and says, "Soon. Two hours or so. I have instructed the chef to cook an elegant, intimate meal to be served in the Velvet Room. Turn around."

I turn.

"What does he want done?" I ask as he takes the whole of my cock deep into his mouth for a long, wet pull. His tongue wiggles its way along the underside while his teeth gently score the sensitive skin. His fingers continue to probe my ass, stimulating the gland just behind my cock. I moan low and long as he works his particular magic.

"Oddly enough, he doesn't want anyone killed. Or maimed. Or otherwise. What he wants is someone to follow him, watch his back, while he makes a deal with a client he fears is going to double cross him. If they do, he wants to be protected, evidence collected and my ties to the Chancellor's office used to punish the double crosser," Elwin explains in between biting and sucking the head of my full erection.

"Is his job, ah, legal?" I ask with a grin. I am holding back my orgasm, waiting for the right moment. But Elwin surprises me as he stands, turns around and backs up against me, presenting his ass. I take some of our herbal-scented lubricant and liberally coat my cock as his intent becomes clear. Grinning, I slide into him, wincing slightly at the glorious tightness of his hole. We've had sex many times by now and he has learned the fine art of controlling muscles that are normally used to push things out, not allow things in. I gasp and enfold him into my arms, my hand reaching for his erection. I grip it and begin to pump him. Our conversation pauses as we both cry out at the same time, our shared passion erupting at the same time. His hot juices flow across my hand, splatter against his chest and drip down our thighs. He turns in my arms and smiles at me, his fingers in my magenta hair.

"Barely legal," he says, panting. "It's trading gems... Rare gems. Not black market fakes, either. These would normally be auctioned off and placed in museums. He thinks his client is going to take his coin and run rather than give up the goods."

I touch his face softly with my fingertips, run them along his jaw and across his mouth. He takes them in, sucks on each finger and nips playfully at them. We giggle. "How does he know the gems exist?" I ask as Elwin resumes sucking my neck. Intercourse is never the end for us when we make love. Often, it is just the beginning.

His arms encircling my naked body, he breathes into my hair, "He held them when they negotiated a price. He is an expert in gems of this quality, or so he says, and normally he would hesitate to deal with the fellow but," he pauses to probe my mouth with his tongue. "But the temptation, the lure of the stones was too much for him. He doesn't trust the client and wants to ensure that he gets what he agreed to."

"I cannot say that I blame him," I murmur against Elwin's soft lips.

Grinning broadly, he smacks my hip with the flat of his hand and says, "We've wasted almost an hour discussing the job, lovey. We need to dress and put on our best faces for the new client. I wonder how he knows you...?" Elwin asks with a raised eyebrow.

I go into the bathroom where towels hang from their rack on the wall near a small, ornate bathtub. We need to shower away our pleasures but not here. This bathroom is small, the tub hardly built large enough for one, let alone us both. I piss into the toilet first, flush it with a pull of the tasseled cord and walk out, our towels over my arm. We use them to clean ourselves up before adding them our clothes on the floor.

There are employees who will handle the mess. Naked, we stroll out into the hall where one of our house help stops dusting a tall, alabaster statue of a naked elf and watches us with large, round eyes. She is new, unaccustomed to our eccentricities. Elwin pauses to take her hand in his. "There's a good tip in it for you if you can clean up the office and send our clothes to the laundry, my dear." Blushing, she bobs her head and rushes off to perform her task. A "good tip" in our jargon is often better than a week's pay, and our rate is among the best.

Elwin and I go into our master's suite where we shower together, almost starting a new bout of love-play as soaping one another becomes powerfully erotic for us both. Erect cocks bobbing as water slides off of them, we fight the desire to make love, knowing our guest will arrive soon. Still, he takes me in his hand and squeezes tightly. "I love you," he murmurs against my ear.

I kiss him.

Some moments later, we are dressed elegantly and comfortably in button-down silk shirts, silky slacks with drawstring waists and soft, leather shoes lined with fleece. My attire is in green and purple with black accents. Elwin is in blue and black with gold trim. The clothing is easy to remove and agreeable with any position we might find ourselves in. Our genitals are visible against the silky fabric.

We walk down the hall once again to the Velvet Room. Our entertaining rooms are labeled based on their appearance so that our servants know where to escort our guests for our various functions. The Velvet Room is elegant, small, with velvet upholstered furniture and pillows in warm, seductive hues of deep red, purple, black and blue with gold trim in places. The floor at the center is sunken with large, plush pillows about the sides and soft blankets lining the bottom. There are couches and lounges as well but the intent is to draw the client into the cushioned center.

This is where Elwin and I go, glasses of amber cognac in our hands, to wait.

As we recline against one another, Elwin takes my hand. "Tell me... Do you ever think about getting married?"

Marriage! Is he mad? I turn, blinking up at him in surprise. "What in the world do you mean?"

Chuckling, he pulls me tight against him. "I mean just that. Have you ever considered it?"

"Committing myself, legally, to one man, considering my line of work, would be crazy," I reply softly. There is an unexpected edge to my voice. It wasn't that I did not want to but I thought that nobody would ever be able to handle me as I am, being too emotional and commitment-frightened. I did not explain this to Elwin. I didn't think I had to.

"What if that man were involved in the same work as you? Would such a merger not make sense?" I raise my eyebrows. Where is he going with this?

"Why get married? What would be the point of marriage? It just fucks everything up. Symbolic bullshit is what it is, best left to fairy tales and the dreams of little girls," I spit out. My words are harsh but he just sits there, smiling thoughtfully. Only he knows where he is going with his questions.

"Marriage comes with a great many state-granted rights and privileges that cohabitation does not grant. Even in our enlightened country, should the laws change and bigotry ever gain a foothold, people like you and I could be protected from laws intended to tear us apart, long-lived as we are, if we were married." He takes my hand, holds it tightly.

"Veranon, I think we should get married, you and I."

That stunned me to speechlessness. "Y-you have reached an unprecedented level of madness, Elwin Lanier!" I stammer at him before pulling away. I am unusually commitment phobic and by managing to convince me to buy an estate together, merge our businesses and dig himself into my life with some semblance of permanence, he had gone much, much further than I had allowed anyone.

Now I am practically shivering with terror.

He only continues to sit with that calm smile on his face. "What do I have to do to convince you to marry me?" he asks with that same smile.

I blink at him, unsure if he is teasing me or if he is sincere. His expression is tender, gentle, earnest... I bite my lip, fidget beside him and look at the door hopefully. "You cannot seriously want to engage in this kind of nonsense talk now of all times? When we have a new client moments away from knocking on that door?" I ask him in a pleading voice.

He spreads his hands wide, smiling that same patient smile. "Why not?" he asks.

Why not? Why not?! "Because now I'm distracted at a time when I will need my wits about me!" He looks at me longingly, begging me with his dark, green eyes. They remind me of a tranquil forest and are so full of love, I feel myself melting, rolling over, giving in... I sigh. He has won this battle but the war is far from over. "There is a lot you will have to do, Elwin, before I will even consider taking your hand in marriage."

His smile acknowledges the challenge and seems triumphant. He is about to speak when we hear a soft knock on the door. "Yes?" I call out into the candlelit room.

Our doorman, Vincent, opens the door. Beside him is a tall elf with long, whitish-blond hair and severe features. He is tall for an elf, for any man, and he stands with his pale fingers clasped before him, colorless eyes narrow. "Master Belvin DasVivienne, Master Krae," Vincent says in a deep, rich baritone. DasVivienne nods and smiles my way.

I rise from the cushions and approach him. He is familiar! I know this man! "Vendalis! Vendalis Vensine! What are you doing here? Away from the clans and-and with that ridiculous pseudonym?"

He takes my hands in his and kisses my cheek with an affection reserved for old friends... Or lovers. "I am happy to see you as well, Veranon Krae," he says with a chuckle. "I see you're doing well. How is your benefactor?"

"Dead," I say. The facts surrounding Ambrose's demise are elusive but I have continued to dig and I have my suspicions. I keep them to myself. "What are you doing away from the clans?" I repeat softly, my hands held tightly in his.

He looks past me to Elwin with a corner of his mouth raised. "Prospering, just like you."

"What do you want with me, specifically?" I demand, eyes wide as I strain against his hands.

I try to pull away but he holds on to me and pushes his face against my throat, his mouth and tongue inching along my skin, sending shivers streaking down my spine. He appears to ignore my question and focuses on sucking my neck. "Mmm...When do I get to take Thalizar's delicious younger sibling?" he murmurs against my jaw. His voice and touch are maddeningly seductive and I am erect without realizing it.

Elwin extracts me from the embrace, a rescue I both enjoy and resent. "Soon," he says. "We would like to begin negotiations before dinner gets under way. It's easier this way so that we don't lose our train of thought."

My lover steers us both to the cushions at the center of the room and he holds my hand in a gentlemanly fashion as he asks our guest, "So... You were raised with Veranon? You know his brother?" Vendalis nods as Elwin pours us both a glass of expensive, and very rare, raspberry cognac.

"We were not exactly friends but Thalizar and I were intimate off and on, though hardly lovers. The attraction was completely sexual. The Krae brothers have the most exquisite cocks...!" Vendalis winks at me over his glass as I stare at him with unblinking eyes. He'd never touched me before... What did he know...?

"How intimate with Veranon's body are you, exactly?" Elwin asks, echoing my very thoughts.

The pale haired elf leans back against the cushions, a dreamy smile on his long, narrow face. "Thalizar used to let me watch him take you when you were younger. He wouldn't allow me to touch you, no, but watch, oh yes! It was delicious watching brother fuck brother."

Elwin appraises me with eyebrows raised as I gawk at the pale-haired elf beside us. I feel betrayed, my privacy invaded. I am not a shy man and even I have my voyeuristic tendencies but this revelation, that Thalizar would allow this lover if his to watch us is disconcerting. I decide to discuss it with him when, or if, we should meet again. To say that I am upset is an understatement.

Elwin, however familiar with me as he is, only adds fuel to the fires of my discomfort as he grins, "You should see it now! He has the most stunning tattoo of a vine along the shaft." I shoot him a look that, had he been made of glass, would have shattered him. I am ignored.

Vendalis looks at me with starved eyes. "Indeed? You, of all people, tattooed your cock? Don't you abhor pain?"

"Yes, or I used to... Now, I have managed to find pleasure in small amounts of pain, particularly during sex. The tattoo was part of a bargain I paid for information. I became a man's canvas in exchange for helping me complete a job. I don't remember much of the process as I was out on my ass for most of it. I hurt like you wouldn't believe afterwards, however." Alright, I am feeling pretty proud of myself as Elwin refills my glass and I down the warm cognac. He fills it again and my cheeks grow warm. I smile, finally relaxing in Vendalis' presence.

He pulls me against him, pressing his lips into mine. I bite his lower lip and he yelps, pulling away. I tsk as he wipes it on his hand, checking for blood. "Now who is the pain-shy one?" I ask in a smug voice. Of course, there is no bleeding and his face grows pink under my smiling gaze.

Just as he grabs my cock through my clothes, a soft knock at the door heralds the arrival of the first course of our meal. A low tray on wheels is pushed in by Eloise, a pretty dark-skinned girl whose eager adaptation to our parties and lack of modesty has made her quite useful. She smiles, bows and leaves but not before appraising our guest with her clear, blue eyes.