by Lexi Archer
Good. I definitely didn’t want him seeing me chatting with this guy or what we might potentially be chatting about. It was weird how I could be so cavalier about stepping out on my husband in a digital sense while at the same time being so concerned about preserving that relationship.
To say I was in a fucked up headspace would be an understatement.
I turned back. I clicked that blinking icon, a thrill running through me as I did so, and it popped up with a message.
“Good evening my lady,” he said. “Ready for that date?”
Those butterflies in my stomach were fluttering on overdrive. To the point that I thought I might actually get sick from how nervous I was. I’d been doing this for years and yet this guy was the only person aside from John who’d ever managed to get this sort of reaction out of me. And the thought of where this might be going, of what sort of role-playing I might be doing with him if I let this go to its natural conclusion, just served to make me even more nervous.
I forced myself to control my breathing. Maybe it was a date but it was also a role-playing session. I needed to get in the zone and I definitely wasn’t going to get there if I was acting like a silly girl with a crush!
“Mother fucker!”
John’s shout pulled me away from the chat window which I quickly minimized since that phrase coupled with the sound of his expensive headset being thrown against the wall usually meant he was back in the real world. Back in a place where he might glance over at my screen and wonder who I was talking to.
I looked over my shoulder. John looked over at me but there was a frown on his face. Obviously the raid hadn’t gone well, though at least he hadn’t launched his mouse across the room along with the headset this time. We had a conversation about replacement costs the last time he did that where I calmly pointed out that the next expensive gaming mouse he busted would be replaced with a two button corded Microsoft special with a ball and not an optical sensor.
“I take it the raid didn’t go well?”
“No, not really,” he groused. “We’re stuck on a boss because this idiot healer keeps fucking up and he’s trying to blame me for it! I can’t take this shit. I need to decompress. Wanna watch a movie or something?”
I blinked. This was definitely a development I hadn’t anticipated. It was an unfortunate development considering that I had date night planned with Conlan. And at the same time I felt horrible that I was actually considering passing up spending time with my husband for spending time with a guy I barely knew who I just had a crush on in a video game. Damn it.
“I actually think I’m going to play for a little while,” I said. “I’ve got a scene I’ve been working on for awhile and the person I’m doing it with is only available tonight.”
The lie burned on my tongue. My wedding ring burned on my finger. And for the briefest of moments I thought I saw a small smile pass across John’s face but then it was gone. I had to be imagining things.
“Suit yourself,” John said with a shrug that sent another pang of guilt running through me that warred with the anticipation I was feeling as I thought of Conlan waiting for me in-game.
John disappeared down the hall. I waited to make sure that he was actually back there for good and wasn’t going to pop back into the computer room, but eventually the television came on and I figured I was safe enough. I moved back to my own machine and clicked on the blinking chat icon. It felt like it’d been an eternity, I wondered if he’d even still be there, but when I looked at the screen I was surprised to see that only about five minutes had passed.
“I’m ready now,” I said.
“Glad to hear it. I was starting to wonder where you’d disappeared to my lady elf.”
I glanced back towards the bedroom one last time and then put my hands on the keyboard. I closed my eyes, opened them, and I was in the world of Elassa.
I stood at the entrance to the Pirate Cove of Aktor. This was one of my favorite areas in the game, even if it was an area that only new players tended to go to. New players and higher level players who were looking for a convenient mostly deserted spot for a quick role-playing session. John always laughed when he saw me exploring the place. He always acted like it was ridiculous that somebody with a character my level would bother with the place, but I loved it.
I rounded the corner towards the entrance to one of the caves that ran to the pirate cove and moved inside. We were already in a party together and he was waiting for me. Towering over me.
Or, rather, towering over my character. But it might as well be the same thing. The digital sight of him caused the same reactions as I sat in the real world as it would’ve if I’d suddenly rounded a corner and saw a tall beautiful man staring at me in the real world.
This was ridiculous. I didn’t know anything about him beyond his character and I was drooling over him instead of spending time with John. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, put my fingers down on my keyboard, and when I opened them I was my character. I was Maia the high priestess of the Hokuten Order and not Kayla the married woman who was being very naughty. I was a gorgeous high elf priestess going to meet a human adventurer in a forbidden rendezvous in a less than savory part of the world.
“My lady elf,” he said, sketching a quick bow.
My eyes narrowed. There was a rakish grin that crossed his face as he made that bow that told me his supposed show of respect was anything but.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that mockery?”
He moved up from his bow and that rakish grin was still on his face. I had to steel myself. Had to suddenly concentrate on my breathing so that it didn’t start coming in quick gasps. This man was beautiful, there was no denying it, even if he was just a lowly human from what looked to be a noble house fallen on hard times.
“Merely showing my lady elf the respect she deserves,” he said.
His voice was deep, hypnotic. It had me swaying and I had to blink. I had to shake my head and concentrate on the business at hand. I was here on the Order’s business, and I definitely didn’t have time to indulge in impossible fantasies about lowly human nobles.
I sniffed and turned to enter the caves that led to the hidden cove. “Very well human, we must be about our business.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” Conlan growled.
I turned and looked at him, once again trying and mostly failing to control myself. Tried to control my breathing. I was not some novice to go mooning over a man of all things! Especially a human!
Back in the real world I heard movement in the bedroom and stopped for a moment. I listened intently, breathing just as hard as my character was from the mix of arousal and sheer terror that John might walk in on me and see what I was doing. The noise stopped and John didn’t appear in the computer room so I figured I was in the clear. I looked back to the game.
“And why is that?” I asked in a quiet voice. I wanted to laugh. He obviously hadn’t yet realized that I was easily one of the most dangerous women he was ever going to run into in the course of his travels.
“Lots of criminals, thugs, nasty people in there,” he said. “I’d hate for a pretty little elf such as yourself to get in trouble.”
This time my eyes lowered in a stormy expression. Who did he think he was? Pretty little elf? And yet even though I was indignant, even though I was angry, there was also a part of me that was undeniably flattered. My body was betraying me and a blush was rising to my cheeks. I felt a rush between my legs at his words.
I pulled my hands away from the keyboard. I had to stop and catch my breath. This was so wrong. I was on the verge of going to a very dangerous place that I promised myself I’d avoid when I started in the role-playing community on this server. I was on the verge of going to a very dangerous place that could potentially endanger my marriage.
I should go to a public role-playing location with him where I wouldn’t be tempted. I should be anywhere but where I was, continuing this role-playin
g session with a flirtatious man who got my blood pumping with just words on a screen! I definitely shouldn’t be indulging in this fantasy and yet I couldn’t stop myself. I knew even as I thought of how wrong it was that I was going to go through with it. All of it. I paused in the quiet of the computer room. I reached my hands out, placed them back on the keyboard. Found myself transported back to the forbidden world. Forbidden in more ways than one.
I looked the human up and down, an appreciative glance that took in his rippling muscles, his broad shoulders, the way his armor barely covered all of the above. And yet I kept returning to that easy, cocky, rakish smile with his tousled mop of hair above it all. There was no denying it. This man was gorgeous. Not just for a human. He was one of the most gorgeous creatures I’d ever laid eyes on, and it was no surprise he was having such an effect on me.
“What makes you think I can’t handle myself in a den of thieves such as this?” I asked. As I did I held my hand up and a small flame danced from finger to finger.
“I’m not saying I don’t think you could turn any of those pirates into a pillar of fire if you saw them coming at you,” he said.
I nodded and smiled in satisfaction at that admission. But that smile soured at his next words.
“Of course you have to be able to see someone coming at you to turn them into a pillar of fire. That won’t help you much in those pretty robes if someone comes up behind you with a knife.”
“Then what do you propose I do?”
The human stepped forward from where he’d been leaning against the cave wall and he stretched his massive shoulders. He lifted his arms up above his head which gave me a clear view of his incredible muscles. I realized I was staring, captivated, with my mouth hanging wide open and quickly remedied that situation. I was not going to sit here and stare at this man like some hormone-addled novice, no matter how beautiful he was!
As he stepped forward he clearly eyed me up and down with something more than the professional interest of someone who’d been hired to act as a bodyguard. I blushed and looked away as he eyed me, then realized what I was doing and anger flashed through me.
I forced myself to meet his eyes, to ignore the thrill running through my stomach at that eye contact. I forced myself to channel some of the fury I was feeling at the casual way he was addressing his elven betters.
“I have no doubt what you’re interested in, human,” I spat out.
He looked me up and down once more, and there was hunger there. And there was something else. Amusement?
“I’m simply giving my lady elf the same consideration she’s been giving me ever since she first laid eyes on me.”
I blushed. So he’d caught me looking. Interesting. Very interesting. He was far more perceptive than I would have given a human credit for. There were hidden depths to this one, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Very well human, I am the one who has hired you but I assume you are about to present me with terms despite the fact that I am the one paying you to do my bidding?”
He sketched another bow. “My lady elf is quite perceptive.”
“And what if I refuse? What if I think my magic is sufficient to protect me without your strong arming?”
Conlan moved forward with lightning speed. So fast that I let out a yell of surprise. I didn’t know it was possible for humans to move that fast! One moment we were standing in the entrance, I was in control of the situation, and the next moment he was pressing me up against the cave wall. His body pressed against mine and it felt so delicious. It would’ve been a welcome distraction if I wasn’t so terrified that my life was about to end. His face was inches from mine and that hunger was back.
He’d pressed me against the wall, but he hadn’t actually made a move to slit my throat. A man who moved like that could easily have done so. He just stared down at me with that smoldering hunger in his eyes. That burning lust barely contained. I wanted to reach up and kiss that handsome face with his shaggy hair, and I had to pull my hands away from the keyboard at that thought.
I was so fucking turned on. Moisture was definitely gathering in my pajama bottoms. I reached down and traced a finger lightly along the edges of my pussy lips and I nearly jumped. Just running my fingers down there was enough to set off an electric shock that ran through my entire body. It was enough to cause me to let out a quiet gasp of pleasure.
I paused when I gasped and looked towards the bedroom, but all I heard was the television. That should be enough to cover any noise I made. I hoped it was enough considering that probably wasn’t going to be the only noise I’d be making if this continued to its natural conclusion. If.
This was it. I had a choice to make. I could pull away from the computer. I could disconnect. All it would take is closing down the game client and I’d be free of the immediate scenario and remain a mostly faithful wife, but I wouldn’t be free from my feelings. I’d be thinking about Conlan, thinking about this forbidden role-playing session that was quickly spiraling out of my control, all night long.
Who was I kidding? It was wrong, it was betraying John, but I was hooked. My hands moved back to the keyboard. I stared up into the eyes of this dangerous human who was staring down at me, his muscular arms to either side of my head. My breath came in short gasps. My nipples were pressing out against my dress and my body was betraying me with its arousal.
I wanted to say that the reason I didn’t vaporize him was because I was worried my magic might blow back on me. The problem with setting things on fire is that it didn’t do much good if you were in close proximity to the fire that was being set.
But that was bullshit. No, the real reason I didn’t incinerate him where he stood was because I was intrigued. I was excited. By a human of all things. If anything, that intrigued me even more. I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, I wasn’t sure why my body was betraying me like this, but I couldn’t deny how I felt. I couldn’t deny how incredible this was.
I looked up at him and smiled. “Point taken.”
He grinned. He pulled back and I wanted to cry out in disappointment as his body moved away from mine.
“I’m glad we have an understanding,” he said. “You hired me to guard you and I’m going to do that. That means that you do what I say while we’re in there and follow my orders with no questions. The fact that you’re the one paying me means nothing if you get a knife in your back because you think some flashy magical fireworks will save you from a crafty pirate who’s used to working in close quarters.”
I nodded. I tried to ignore the thrill running through me at the way he was casually taking command. Casually ordering me around. I should be furious, but instead I was just incredibly excited.
He gestured towards the entrance to the cove. I glanced at the dark entrance, lit only by the fitful burning of the torches, then back to him. I’d already made my decision so I might as well go with it.
I moved forward and I could hear him following behind me.
11: Spying
I kept my ears poised for any sound that might indicate Kayla was making her way from the computer room over to the bedroom. My blood was pumping as though I’d just run a mile, but it was pumping from a mixture of arousal and guilt rather than from any sort of exertion.
I still couldn’t believe I was doing this as I flew over the game landscape with my buddy’s character. A quick search showed that Kayla was online, but of course I knew that because I could see her logged into the game back in the computer room when I pretended I was going to watch a movie.
I hoped she didn’t think that was suspicious. Usually I’d be raiding whether or not things were going well. That was just a convenient excuse. I was getting private messages from people asking why I wasn’t joining if I was obviously on, but I ignored those. I had a far more important mission to complete tonight than any stupid raiding.
A quick search for her character’s name showed she was in the pirate cove starter area which was definitely a ve
ry odd location for somebody at her level. That meant she was there for role-playing. I did another quick search for anybody else in that zone and then sorted by their level. I arched my eyebrow as I did so. There was only one other screen name there attached to a top level player. Conlan. That confirmed my suspicions about the identity of the guy she was having her fun with.
And now here I was screaming across the map on a flying mount desperately trying to reach that area before they finished whatever it was they were doing. I could only hope that her role-playing “partner” was as long-winded as she could get when she started spinning out one of those stories. Honestly, I thought she would have far more fun if she’d just enrolled in a creative writing course or something.
My cock was throbbing which made it a little difficult to actually use the laptop properly. It was old enough that running the game was putting it in serious danger of overheating, and that danger of overheating was also putting my dick in serious danger of being cooked under the laptop. I kept readjusting it to make sure I wasn’t going to fry any swimmers while I was trying to get to her.
I knew it well. It was one of Kayla’s favorite places in the game. The zone was a massive water area surrounded by mountains and attached to a dungeon, though she rarely ever went into the dungeon itself. It was a breathtaking spot, but I’d been there so many times that it was just background noise to me now. It was just a part of the game that had been explored and conquered.
Apparently she saw something different there though. And I was hoping I was going to see something different there tonight as well. Something that was definitely worth exploring. Not many people went to that area since it was a part of the old game back when it was originally released. It was from a time before a series of expansions turned those old areas into virtual ghost towns. It was the perfect place for someone who wanted to have a little privacy.
I grinned as I moved the flying mount down and descended on that zone. Well, they were going to have some privacy. Just not as much as they thought.