Then Hettie drifted out of the common room, down a dark corridor. Rowena jerked her chin at him in silent invitation, and he hurried after them, hotly aware that everyone thought he was about to have a threesome. It was equal measures exciting and embarrassing, especially for someone who’d only had one lover in his entire life.
Focus. That’s not what you ought to be thinking about right now.
But he’d need to be a saint not to picture it even a little. He’d enjoy watching them kiss, caress each other, and get all hot. Then when they were really worked up, he could—
Shit. I’m hard as a rock. Bad, this is bad.
Slay did his best to conceal that response, but the tunic and loose trousers he’d been issued as a prisoner were thin as a whisper. Judging from Hettie’s knowing look, she saw as soon as it happened. Hopefully, she wouldn’t draw Rowena’s attention to the predicament in his pants.
But of course he couldn’t be so lucky. As soon as she escorted them into a small private room, cozy and intimately appointed with the cleanest, softest cushions and fabrics he’d encountered in the undercity, Hettie indicated his state with a graceful gesture.
“Seems your friend is intrigued by the prospect of all three of us together, Ro. The most convincing lies are grounded in truth. Should we play a bit before getting down to business?”
Heat rushed to Slay’s face until he might roast internally. This had to be the cruelest joke he’d ever been the target of, and he expected Rowena to defend him like she had before. This time, she took Hettie’s side, regarding him with a mock-thoughtful air.
“Do you want to?” she asked.
His reply came out hoarse. “Want to…?”
“Play. I’d enjoy watching you with Hettie, if you’re interested in that.”
They were both fucking with him, right? Except neither seemed to be hiding secret amusement, and he’d never known anyone to stay deadpan so long. Is this…seriously on offer? His cock had no doubts.
Go for it. There are no guarantees in life. Look where you ended up. Have some fun before you die.
“If you’re concerned about hygiene, I’m careful,” Hettie said. “And I get regular health screenings. Comfort workers are the only ones who do. I can provide documentation if you like.”
Torn, his gaze sought Rowena. “You want to watch?”
That wasn’t how his fantasy went, but he didn’t dislike the idea. In fact, some part of him throbbed at knowing she’d be devouring him with those silvery eyes, getting hot because of what he did with her friend.
Furious color touched her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “Yes.”
“It would support our cover story, more proof that we’re fucking,” he said deliberately.
She licked her lips and nodded. Suddenly the sexual tension was so thick that he could barely breathe. On a logical level, if he fucked Hettie and came out smelling like sex, looking satisfied, it would reassure anyone who might be tracking their movements. It should also prove he wasn’t up to anything, just doing what he could to make this hellhole more livable. That was exactly what they needed to throw off any potential suspicion.
Rationalization aside, he was squirming with the desire to show Rowena what he could do. If she liked what she saw, maybe she’d be up for a personal taste later. The next time she dragged him off for a ‘private talk’ maybe they really would be fucking where anybody could catch them.
His cock throbbed.
Shit, I keep fantasizing and this will be over as soon as someone touches me.
That normally wasn’t a problem. With Pru, he could go for hours, but this setup screwed with his usual self-control.
“Do you want this?” Hettie asked, stepping closer to Slay. “Ro already said she does.”
“Yeah,” he said roughly. “Let’s do it. On one condition.”
Hettie tilted her head. “Oh? This should be intriguing.”
“We do what Rowena says. She’s in charge.”
The other woman smiled. “Oh, I like that. And just look—so does she. Seems you know her even better than I imagined.”
To his surprise, Rowena wore an exultant look, eyes glittering as if he’d given her an unexpected gift. Her heated stare roved his body, and where her look lingered, he swore he could feel it like a touch. Then she said, “Take everything off. Both of you.”
Oh fuck.
Slay trembled from head to toe. He hadn’t known he’d be into this, not even a remote suspicion, but fluid leaked from the head of his cock, and he was so hard it hurt. And we didn’t even do anything yet.
He complied in a hurry while Hettie was more measured about removing her gown. She had a pretty shape, smooth skin, wide at the hip. Soon he would be touching her, exactly as Rowena ordered.
“Kiss her neck and shoulders, then bite gently on the curve where they join.”
That was a soft place to begin, less intimate somehow than a kiss, but still sexy. Hettie reacted with satisfying enthusiasm, a little moan escaping her, but Slay kept his attention on Rowena, marking her reactions. Her breath came faster and her eyes shone like diamonds. He could see the points of her nipples beneath the delicate fabric of her top.
I bet she’s already wet.
“That feels good,” Hettie whispered.
“Now her breasts, exactly the same.” Rowena’s voice was even huskier, pure sex.
I could come just listening to her.
Sheer arousal washed over him, partly the smell of kindled sex, but it was edged with an intensity he’d never experienced. Slay bent his head, kissing and licking, until Hettie scraped her fingers over his head, silently begging for his teeth on her nipples.
“Yes, just like that,” Rowena breathed.
A pleasure chill rolled through him, like she’d stroked his entire body. More pre-come trickled from his cock, and it bobbed and glistened as he laved Hettie’s breasts. God, this is so fucking hot.
“What now?” he whispered.
He dared a glance at Rowena and she had scarlet flags in her cheeks. She was still clothed—and that was insanely sexy as well, like anything she did would turn him on at this point—but she had a hand down her pants and he heard the liquid swirl of each stroke. Her body jerked at each touch, her lips parting.
Goddess. Queen. The words popped into his head unbidden, and he went dizzy with desire, the abject need to please her.
“On your knees,” she said.
6.
On some level, Rowena couldn’t believe how fast Slay obeyed.
She said the words and there he went, kneeling because she said to. Hell, nobody listened to her like that, not even Graff or Dedrick.
Hettie shot her a smoky smile because her old friend was reaping the first-hand benefits of Rowena’s commanding performance. The woman set a hand on Slay’s head, and the contact sent sparks through Rowena, like she was connected to everything that passed between the other two. Inexplicably, it felt as if Hettie were her proxy, experiencing everything so that Rowena could enjoy it beyond the layer of conditioning that the bastard had forced on her.
“And?” Slay prompted.
“Lick her properly.”
As if he’d been waiting for that order, he framed Hettie’s hips in his big hands and went in face first, using lips and teeth and tongue with skill and enthusiasm. Surprised, Hettie clutched his shoulders for support, and Rowena saw when her friend’s arousal spiked, that this became less of an indulgent game and more of an urgent need for release. Ro wished she could experience his mouth for herself, but her own fingers would have to do. It had taken ages before she could even get herself off without remembering—the familiar wave of cold crashed down on her, but she forced it away, resolutely chasing the receding arousal.