Love Me Twice

by Roz Lee

  A gasp escaped her as his lips closed over her breast, sucking her tender flesh in and devouring her. She did sway against him then. He caught her and one large palm flattened against her spine. He held her steady while the other kneaded one breast while his lips and tongue did the most wicked things to her other one. He switched to the other breast as easily as he could turn a sail into the wind. Another gasp escaped, and she sagged against him as if he’d sucked all the wind from her sails.

  Finally, he released her breast and drew her against him. Her nipples brushed against him—one against his silky smooth chest, the other against the strip of gold fabric that draped from his shoulder and angled across his chest to his hips. A gold cord held the toga in place just below his navel. She relaxed her fisted hands, and they came to rest on his hips. Her fingers slipped through the gap where the front met the back. Dear heavens, he was naked beneath the toga!

  She pushed from his embrace. “Give me that.” She tugged on the length of fabric he’d brought for her to wear and scurried to the bathroom to dress. It was longer than the white one she’d had on, all the reason she needed to accept his invitation, though she had no idea what a Stable party was. On the Lothario, it could be anything.

  The Prometheus Lounge was the highest point on the ship, and it provided a three hundred sixty degree view through its tinted glass walls. Celeste was instantly glad she’d agreed to come. The view alone was worth the trip. Floor-to-ceiling glass made it seem like you were on a cloud, high above the cobalt water. The sun hung like a golden lantern in the sky as it slowly slipped toward the horizon. The room itself was a marvel of gold appointments and white accents. Guests stood around the circular room chatting and accepting hors devours from waiters and waitresses dressed in gold jodhpurs, black boots and red riding jackets.

  Drew placed his hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward. Captain Whittier wore a white uniform trimmed in gold braid. He looked every inch the captain of a great ship. Drew introduced them, and she was pleased to find his intellect matched her expectations. It was good to know the ship was in capable hands. The captain excused himself to mingle with his other guests. Celeste allowed Drew to guide her to a spot along the perimeter where they could observe the rest of the room.

  “So, why is it a Stable Party?”

  “Once a month, Captain Whittier announces his new Stable. They should be here in a few minutes. You’ll see for yourself.”

  The sun sank lower and bathed the room in a soft amber glow. She couldn’t help remembering the shaft of sunlight that had fallen across the pool this morning. She’d been with Sean then. A hush came over the room, and everyone turned toward the door. The waiters and waitresses, crops in hand, escorted the Captain’s new Stable into the room. Half a dozen men and women entered. They were naked, save for the bar gag in their mouths held in place by a sort of human bridle, complete with reins. Long horsetails swung from their asses and brushed against the carpet at their heels.

  “Oh! Querido dios!” She couldn’t take her eyes off them as they paraded around the room like trick ponies, the reins held in the hands of their trainers.

  Drew leaned close and whispered in her ear. “See anything you like?”

  What wasn’t to like? All three stallions sported enormous hard-ons, and otherwise, were excellent examples of the species.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you may pick what you like and take a ride.”

  She thought she was well beyond blushing, but as an image formed in her mind, heat crept from her chest, all the way to the tips of her ears.

  “Seriously?” she squeaked.

  “Here,” he took her hand and deposited two gold-tinted sugar cubes on her upturned palm. “Hold your hand out.”

  She did, mainly because Drew had hold of her arm and wouldn’t let go. A female trainer brought the stallion in her charge over, and when he didn’t perform the trick fast enough, the trainer swatted his bare ass with a riding crop. Despite the bar gag, he smiled at Celeste and bent to nibble the treat from her palm. Apparently, the gag was loose enough to allow him full use of his lips and tongue. His lips brushed against her skin, followed by his tongue. She tried to pull her hand away, but Drew held it firm while the stallion’s tongue swirled and licked her palm.

  His behavior earned him another swat on the ass and he stood, his lovely brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

  Drew took her hand and brought it to his mouth. He kissed her open palm and she turned to look at him. “Do you want to ride?”

  “Him?” she asked, glancing at the stallion and his trainer who waited patiently for her decision. Her eyes dropped to his groin. Heavens, no wonder he’d been selected for this event. He was almost as big as a horse! His cock bobbed under her scrutiny and she quickly diverted her gaze.

  “Sure, or you can have one of the other two, or one of the mares.”

  “No.” She waved the stallion off. “No thank you. I’ll pass.”

  They watched the stallion walk off, his tail swishing with his exaggerated hip movements. “How?”

  Drew answered her unspoken question. “It’s a butt plug. They’re widely used on the Lothario.”

  “Oh.” Well, what else was there to say?

  “Ah, look,” Drew pointed across the room. “Someone has taken a mare and requested a stallion to cover her.”

  Good God, they weren’t . . . Celeste watched in fascinated disbelief as a trainer hobbled one of the mares. She bound the mare’s hands to the low railing that rimmed the glass wall, then spread her legs wide and secured a bar between her ankles. The trainer pressed her back flat, and held her tail to the side.

  Drew’s arm wrapped around behind Celeste, and his hand snaked beneath her toga. He pulled her closer so they were hip to hip. She was too engrossed in the display across the room to protest. When his hand slid from her hip, to the tiny patch of cloth that did nothing to cover her mound, she squirmed closer. His fingers delved deeper, and she lost the ability to make rational decisions.

  The chosen stallion approached the mare’s exposed sex and sniffed the air around her. He made a show of prancing around until his trainer halted him with a crop to his ass. He stilled and the trainer took his cock in hand and readied him for the mating. When he was hard as a post, she rolled a gold condom down his length and swatted his ass again.

  The stallion impaled the mare, earning a high whinny from her. Celeste knew she should look away, but she couldn’t. As ridiculous as it was, it was arousing as hell. The stallion leaned over the much smaller mare and flexed his hips. His tail brushed against his calves, making a swishing sound Celeste could discern across the room. The mare whinnied again, and Celeste moaned when she saw the stallion had his teeth clamped on her shoulder.

  Drew’s fingers continued their all-out assault on her senses. She could barely breathe. Thankfully, everyone else in the room was watching the erotic display across the room; otherwise, they would have gotten an eyeful. She knew her whole body was flushed with arousal, and anyone could see there was something going on beneath her toga. Drew leaned in, his chest angled across her back. His lips on her neck were her only warning before his teeth grazed her skin and nipped the pad of flesh between her nape and collarbone. Desire shot like a rocket from the point of contact, all the way to her toes.

  The mare’s trainer swatted him on the ass with her crop, and he released his hold on the mare’s skin, but remained sprawled over her. His hands held her hips while he continued to thrust into her with enough force to rock her forward. Her arms braced her against the impact. She whinnied again, and the stallion drove into her in a frenzy.

  Drew’s fingers mirrored the action across the room, and Celeste fought the need to turn to him and press her body to his. She was close to coming herself when Drew removed his hand, and she had to lean on him for support.

  A movement near the door caught her attention. Sean. How much had he seen? Enough she wagered, as he turned and left.

&n
bsp; “Let him go, Celeste.”

  “But. . . . ”

  “He’s a big boy. He’ll get over it.”

  She wasn’t so sure, but her legs were in no condition to pursue Sean, nor was she sure she wanted to. She held onto Drew, and turned her attention to the evening’s entertainment.

  When the stallion stilled, his trainer jerked on his reins, and his penis slipped free.

  Celeste watched as they released the mare from her hobbles and led her away. The stallion followed close behind.

  “There are still two more stallions.” Drew whispered close to her ear.

  “No. Not for me.”

  Other passengers had stepped forward, enticing the remaining mares and stallions to repeat the process. Celeste had seen enough.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Okay. Ready for dinner?”

  “Sure. I need some air first.”

  They descended to the Olympus Deck and strolled along the starboard deck. The sun had long since completed its descent, and the western sky was awash in shades of purple and mauve, streaked with gold.

  “They do that once a month?”

  “Yep. Every month it’s a different group of mares and stallions though.”

  “I can see why.”

  “When the performers are finished, the event usually turns into an orgy. Something about the whole animal sex thing makes the crowd behave like animals.”

  “I’m glad we left early then.”

  “Me too.” They walked in silence for a few steps. “I wouldn’t have let anyone else touch you.”

  She wondered if that included Sean, but didn’t have the nerve to ask. There was a time when Drew took orders from Sean and followed them without question. They both had. “I can take care of myself, Drew, but thanks for the chauvinistic thought.”

  She didn’t want to remember the one time she couldn’t take care of herself, and Drew and Sean had been as helpless as she had. It was a time best forgotten.

  “Dinner?” he asked.

  They ate in the main dining room, Zeus’ Temple. The room was crowded, and they kept their conversation to mundane topics. They spoke of mutual friends they’d lost contact with, the weather and their favorite movies.

  Their waiter brought their desserts, warm chocolate soufflés, and departed.

  Drew sat forward, using his spoon to toy with the dessert, but not eating. He wasn’t sure how she would take what he was going to say. He hardly knew what to make of it himself, but he knew it was the right thing to do. They needed to be alone.

  “I reserved one of the private fetish rooms for us tonight.”

  Celeste choked on the bite she’d just swallowed. She cleared her throat with a drink of water from the crystal goblet a waiter rushed to bring her.

  “Fetish room?” She carefully placed the glass on the white linen tablecloth and raised her eyes to Drew’s. “What exactly did you have in mind tonight?”

  “Nothing specific. The room looks like any stateroom onboard, except for the restraints and a few other amenities. I reserved it so we could have some privacy. I bribed the new IT guy to change the camera code for the room so Sean won’t be peeking in on us.”

  “You think Sean would do that?”

  “I know he would. I’d bet he is right now. How else do you think he knew we were at the Captain’s party?”

  “So what?”

  “I thought we could talk some. Get to know each other again. It’s been a long time, Celeste.”

  Touching her had been heaven, and his fingers itched to do it again, but he’d be damned if he was going to be wondering if Sean had turned on the in-room security camera to watch them. He wished to God, he hadn’t seen Sean and Celeste in the pool that morning.

  He’d finally gotten his feet to move, and headed toward their stateroom in the pre-dawn. He’d gone past the pool, not imagining Sean would indulge in his usual morning swim when he had Celeste to occupy him, but he’d been wrong.

  He’d paid the bastard back with the scene at the Captain’s party. He wouldn’t have touched Celeste in public if he hadn’t noticed Sean lurking, spying on them. The mud-fucker had no boundaries it seemed, and Drew hated that he’d stooped to the same level, if even for a few moments. Moments seared in his brain, along with the taste of her he’d had in her cabin. If she hadn’t snatched the toga and locked the bathroom door behind her, he might have taken liberties then he had no business taking, not until they got a few things straight between them.

  * * * * *

  Celeste couldn’t help the flash of apprehension when Drew opened the door and stood aside so she could precede him into the fetish room. It felt eerily like she was being lured to her doom, a feeling that only increased when he closed and locked the door behind her. The fact that he’d accurately described the room helped calm her. On first glance it appeared to be a normal cabin, much like hers, but larger. Along the interior of Atlantis Deck, it had no window. Lamps provided ample light, along with overhead track lighting to accent the bed and an overstuffed chair in one corner. On closer inspection, she amended her original assessment. It was more luxurious than her cabin. The carpet beneath her feet was plush and decadent. The bed linens were a step up, as were the wall coverings.

  She turned to Drew. “This is beautiful.”

  “And, it’s private.” He waved her to the overstuffed chair. “Have a seat, Celeste.”

  He took a seat on the edge of the bed, facing her. “We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “Us,” his hand waved between them then dropped, “and Sean.”

  “Can we leave Sean out of this?”

  “No, we can’t. You know we can’t.” He stood and paced a few steps and stopped. One hand cupped the nape of his neck, and Celeste noted the tension in the shoulder left bare by his toga. He didn’t want to have this conversation anymore than she did, but he was right. They had to talk about it.

  “Okay. I’ve spent five years trying to forget what happened, trying to forget Sean, and you. I know what Sean and I were feeling that day, but not you. Tell me, Drew. What happened that day?”

  He stood with his back to her for the space of a few heartbeats. She wanted to scream at him that this talking thing was his idea, that she’d prefer he touch her again, finish what he’d started earlier, but she held her tongue and waited. The silence in the room was deafening. At last, Drew turned and the pain on his face was like a harpoon to her heart.

  “I swear to God, Celeste, I didn’t mean to come between you and Sean.” He paced away again. Every muscle in his body was knotted and tense, like a caged animal. “I wouldn’t have touched you, ever, if Sean hadn’t invited me to, and if you hadn’t agreed. I thought…I thought we were dead, or as good as. We all did. I know Sean did, or he never would have done it. He doesn’t share, Celeste, and neither do I.”

  “I know, Drew. The circumstances were extraordinary. We can all agree on that. What I want to know is, did you love me then?”

  “Goddammit! Yes! I still do. I wanted nothing more than to touch you once, before I died. I swear, I never would have done it if I’d know the fucking Marines were only minutes away, but I won’t say I regret it. Hell no. Never.” He shook his head to emphasize the point.

  “Being inside you for those few minutes was everything I’d dreamed it would be, and I was content to be sent to hell for it, expected to be dispatched there within minutes.” His eyes met hers for the first time since they’d entered the room. “I won’t say I’m sorry. I wanted you then. I want you now, but you’re Sean’s. I don’t poach, and I don’t share.”

  His pain equaled her own, and she knew the love she had for him hadn’t died, hadn’t abated in the least. Drew was one of the most honorable, straightforward men she’d ever known. She’d trusted him with her life more than a few times, and once, she’d trusted him with her body and her heart. He hadn’t betrayed that trust.

  “I won’t lie to you, Drew. I love Sean. I always have, and I always will,
but…” she held her hand up, palm out, and he stopped his march for the door. “I love you too. I didn’t know how much, or even recognize my feelings for what they were, until that day. I knew our lives were measured in minutes, we all did, but I wouldn’t have let you touch me if I hadn’t had these feelings for you.” She fisted her hand over her heart and fought back the tears. It was all she could do to stay seated, to keep from going to him, but it was too soon. “At first, when…” God, it was hard to remember that day, harder to put her feelings into words. “When Sean told me to let you love me too, I thought about protesting. But you were standing there, not more than a foot from us, and I sensed your love. I loved you too, and my throat closed up. I couldn’t answer him, I just shook my head.”

  Celeste focused on her toes and continued. “I heard you unzip, and I wanted you. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to feel you inside me. I didn’t care if they came in and shot us all, as long as I had both of you inside me when they did it, I could die happy.”

  Tears welled and spilled over. She let them fall. It was about time she acknowledged what had happened that day. Drew stood like a statue as she finished her story. “I’ve never felt more loved than I did then. You were gentle and considerate, taking me in a way I wasn’t accustomed to. And Sean, well, he was…well, you saw him.”

  She raised her eyes to Drew’s. “We’ve always done it that way, Sean in control, telling me what to do, when to come, but you…you showed me another way, and Dear God, I loved it. That’s what went wrong when we got home. I couldn’t stop remembering the way you touched me, the way you were so careful with me, like you were afraid I might shatter in your hands. I wanted that when we got home, and Sean…he…he knew it too, I guess. Eventually he got tired of having you in our bedroom, figuratively, of course. He knew I needed more, wanted more, and he told me to choose. You, or him.” She turned her gaze to the circle of light spilling from the lamp on the bedside table. “I couldn’t. I don’t know if I can now either. Last night…I don’t know. Sean was someone else part of the time, someone I didn’t recognize. I don’t know what to do.”