by Randi Darren
Chapter 24
Alex sat at the desk in his tent.
Alone.
Mary had left long before sunrise.
Before he’d woken up, even. He imagined she’d slept lightly and crept out rather than get caught in the bed of the man who had brought ruin to her husband and uncle.
Not that he blamed her.
They’d had quite a bit of fun last night, though. Her enthusiasm had shown up.
In spades. Audibly. Probably for many to hear.
She’d insisted on several positions to try for her own pleasure, and they’d spent a good part of the night simply having one another.
Turning his mind back to the letter in hand, Alex focused.
He was almost done reading through the after-action report David and Max had provided him.
They’d held the line as he’d asked them to. It’d been a false offensive.
David and Max had closed within meters of the enemy, though they’d not fully engaged.
Hit-and-run tactics. Glancing blows off the line with light foot and spears.
Javelins and arrows had been used until nothing was left.
Eventually and expectedly, the enemy had finally broken from their line, from their defensive formations, and charged.
The center of Max and David’s lines had dropped back, the wings coming up to entrap and flank the entire opposing force.
All in all, the lines of Brit had held and broken the enemy.
Unfortunately, that had been the only point of victory yesterday.
Almost every other vassal had failed in their attacks and suffered massive expenditures of life.
Alex probably had the most remaining of his original levy now. Having only lost one-sixth of his forces in total.
It was impressive, and depressing.
Sighing, Alex dropped the report and leaned back in his chair.
“You look like it’s bad news, Master,” Valeria said, materializing next to his desk.
“It is, Three. It really is. This reads like a proclamation of the damned. There is no doubt in my mind that our enemy will be attacking today. And when they’re done, I fear it’ll be all over,” Alex said.
“I’m sorry, Master,” Valeria said.
“It’s alright. At least we figured out who your previous employer was. Even beat him outright. I imagine we’ll have to put paid to on that sooner rather than later.
“Claim his county as mine,” Alex said with a lopsided grin.
Valeria’s hands clenched into themselves, then opened again. Alex’s eyes went from her hands to her face.
Abused you, did he? I wonder if that’s where your preference came from.
And speaking of, I haven’t lain with her yet. That might be… an entertaining distraction.
Only realizing it after the fact, he’d been moving his eyes down Valeria’s body. She was wearing one of her doxy dresses that showed off her assets rather splendidly.
“Master…” Valeria said, getting his attention.
Guiltily, his eyes jumped from her hips to her face.
“Master, would you… punish me? I think we could both benefit from a… breather. A distraction,” Valeria said.
“I think that’s a great idea. Where’s One, Two, and Five?”
“All asleep. I had David and Max assign some guards for the tent entry. It’s not even dawn yet. We’d be alone,” Valeria said.
“Well, I believe the deal was you got to dictate what you wanted to happen before I turned you into a body pillow,” Alex said, leaning back into his chair.
Valeria blushed deeply, her eyes sliding away from him and to the side.
“It’s… a little embarrassing. You saw right through what I wanted and bound me easily. Polite society would frown on what I enjoy.”
“Good thing I’m not polite. So spit out what you want, or I’ll just lock your wrists in a shackle, hike your dress up, grab a handful of hair, and ride you into the bed till you break.
“Then leave you there like a conquered prize for the other Numbered girls to discover later on with my seed dripping from you.”
Valeria’s eyes snapped back to him, her breath coming out in a shuddering gasp.
“That, I want that,” Valeria said, her left hand pressing to her lower abdomen. “That and more.”
“Fine. Go fetch me two shackles and a long leather thong. Hurry back,” Alex said as he got up from the desk.
Valeria darted off to his bedside trunk and flipped it open.
What exactly are you up to?
Watching curiously, Alex started to unfasten his tunic and trousers.
Valeria came out of his personal possessions with two shackles and a leather binding.
“I… I put it all in your chest since… since I hoped you would be willing to…” Valeria’s voice trailed off, her eyes once again moving down and away from him.
I imagine she’s never been able to indulge herself. I’ll have to invert her deals. Grant her abuse in exchange for what I want from her.
That’s fine, though.
Dropping his pants, Alex pulled his tunic up over his head and flipped it over his desk chair.
Valeria still hadn’t looked back at him. She was trembling ever so slightly. Slowly, she lifted her hands to him, proffering the items he’d requested.
Taking the items from her hands, he reached up and lightly tilted her chin towards him.
Her hazel eyes finally came to meet his.
“Now. This part is for fun, and also part of the deal. You’ll need to be able to tell me if it’s too much. The simplest way is for you to have a keyword. Something you can say to bring everything to a dead stop,” Alex said.
He hadn’t been into this type of play in his previous life. Nor was he blind to the world, though. Having a safe-word seemed like a smart thing to do.
“I’d suggest red, personally,” Alex said. With his free hand, he locked one shackle into the other, giving it a greater reach.
Valeria nodded quickly, blinking at him.
“Say the safe word for me, so I know you understand,” Alex said, wanting to make sure she really understood.
“Red,” Valeria said softly.
“Grand. We’re going to start now, and I’m going to take on my role seriously. Do you understand?”
She nodded again.
Breaking eye contact with her, he glanced down at the leather thong and quickly turned each end of it into a slip knot. He wasn’t sure if it’d work completely, but it was the best he could do.
Guess those sailing lessons weren’t entirely lost on me.
“Are you ready?” he asked, looking back to her.
Once more, she gave him a nod.
Alex spun her around roughly, grabbing both her wrists as he did so.
With a strangled gasp, Valeria nearly fell over. Snapping the shackles into place around her wrists, he pulled up on them.
Her arms were tweaked up, her shoulders forced down with the leverage.
Marching her to the bed, he pushed her down face first into the mattress with a gentle shove.
Before she could react, he fell atop her. His left knee pinned her down to the bed against her shoulders.
He grabbed her ankles with his hands. Quick as he could, he fit her feet through the slip knots and jerked them tight.
Valeria was making noises into the bed, and he ignored it completely.
Trying to spare her dress, as it was actually rather lovely on her, he pulled it up past her hips. All the way up to her midsection, exposing her entirely from the waist down.
Valeria’s hands closed and opened on themselves, flexing in their shackles. Grasping at nothing.
Pulling his knee off her shoulders, he grabbed her shackles with his right hand. With his left hand he gave her a shove, pushing her to the center of the bed.
“Master, what—” Valeria gasped out.
Alex wrapped his left hand in her hair and pulled slightly, arching her neck up, pulling her face out of the mattress so h
e could see her.
“Yes, Three?” he asked. Getting behind her, he pushed her knees apart with his own and pulled on the shackles until her rear end rose to the level he wanted.
Putting his knees into the backs of hers, he had her pinned down and propped up in the way he wanted.
She was supported by her shoulders and knees now. He pressed the tip of himself against her slick and wet entrance.
“Master… I—” she said in a strange voice.
Giving her hair a slow, gentle tug, he waited.
“Speak, Three.”
“Master, I’ll do whatever you want. You—”
“Then receive me. That’s what I want,” Alex said. He waited several seconds to give her the chance to say the safe word, or anything else.
Carefully, he pulled her hair, rolling her neck one way and then the other.
She groaned as he pulled with increasing tension on her hair, her hips quivering.
Then he pushed forward, entering her from behind. Keeping a firm hold on her shackles and hair, Alex filled her with his girth.
Valeria spasmed as he entered her. Writhing from shoulders to hips, she practically vibrated under him.
“Squirm all you like, Three. You’re mine,” Alex said, giving her hair a light tug.
“Master,” Valeria said, the tone of her voice entirely changed. “I’m yours.”
While he did enjoy the power of it, it didn’t quite appeal to him. It was what she wanted, however, and that did appeal to him.
Making sure his hold on her was firm, Alex began to rock back and forth.
Valeria continued to quiver under him. And whenever she started to move more than that, he pulled on her hair and shackles, forcing her back into the exact position he wanted her in.
Riding her firmly, Alex kept his speed and strength low, enjoying the diversion Valeria made herself out to be.
She was panting now. It’d only taken a minute to put her in such a state, her body slick with sweat.
“Master, Master… Mmmmmaster,” Valeria moaned.
Watching her face as he started to ride her harder, he could see the pleasure stamped on it.
His lap started to crack into her now, driving into her up to the hilt and pulling back out.
“Master?” called Riley from the diving canvas that separated his bedroom from the rest of the tent.
Alex paused as he filled Valeria with a downward stroke, grinding his hilt into her. Then he tilted Valeria’s head to one side so she could see him.
“Do you want her to watch you get taken?” he asked her.
“Master, I…” she panted, her eyes opening and looking at him.
“Do you want her to watch? She’s sworn to me. She’s a soft-hearted thing. I’ll make sure she treats this as private.
“Do you want her to watch you get used?”
Valeria held her breath, then nodded her head once. “Yes. Please, Master. I do.”
“One, come in here,” Alex called, pushing Valeria’s face into the mattress.
Then he started moving again, pushing himself into her depths. Though this time much more slowly. Taking Valeria at a leisurely pace, he made sure to move from hilt to tip each and every time.
Riley took two steps inside and froze.
“One, come over here. Stand right there next to the bed. So you can get a good look at my new toy,” Alex said, pushing down hard on Three when he said toy.
Valeria moaned into the bed as he did so, her body pliant and unresisting under him.
Riley immediately came over, her eyes locked to his body.
“One, I want you to watch this. Watch,” Alex said, then pulled Valeria’s head to the side, forcing her to see Riley and be seen. “Watch Three get taken and filled up like an empty bottle. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master,” Riley said, nodding her head, her eyes jumping to Valeria’s.
“Treat this as a secret. Tell no one, not even the others. Now, watch her get used,” Alex said. “Three, make sure you watch One watching you.”
Valeria’s eyes opened and she stared up at the other woman.
“Good. Now, where were we?” Alex said. Then he went back to his previous speed, plowing Valeria into the bed with every hard thrust.
Valeria moaned as he pummeled her, her hands hanging limply in the shackles as he mounted her roughly.
Then it was time to finish. He wanted to finish. Wanted to fill her and leave her in his bed like a trophy.
Alex plastered his lap to Valeria’s bottom, grinding into her as he came.
Groaning, he pumped his seed deep into her, pulling back on the shackles at the same time to get her as close as possible.
“Master… Master, put it deep in me,” Valeria mumbled.
“Deep as I can, Three,” Alex said, pulling on her shackles again as he pushed up against her. Her hair tangled in his fingers.
Her body was straining, her fingers clenching as he bent her bodily to his desire.
“Master,” Valeria groaned out in a pant, still staring at Riley as she stared back at her.
He could feel it as he spasmed thrice more, depositing his seed into her womb, and then he was finally spent.
Groaning, Alex let go of her shackles and hair.
“Alright. One, Three, you can stop watching each other,” Alex said. Falling back onto his rear end, Alex leaned his head back and let out a breath.
“Master, why did you make me watch?” Riley asked.
“Don’t worry about that. Better question is, did you like watching her?”
“Master, that is… I—” Riley’s voice choked off, unable to answer.
“Never mind, don’t worry about it,” Alex said with a chuckle.
“You doing alright over there, Three?”
“Wonderful, Master. Wonderful.”
“Good,” Alex said, then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
***
Riley was clutching his arm tightly, practically pressing it into her chest and down her middle.
She’d become frantically clingy since this morning with Valeria. To the point that it felt almost comical in a way.
He wasn’t sure if Riley would join him in bed, or if this was simply puppy love.
Valeria seemed satisfied with herself, lingering at his side and looking quite the camp woman for his benefit.
Unfortunately, that was the extent of the good part of the afternoon.
Carla was laid up in the carriage, conscious but unable to do much. Nannie stood behind him a step to the right. She was better, but clearly still tired.
“Fucking shit show. They’re going to get overrun,” Nannie said.
Looking back to his bodyguard, he followed her line of sight off to the right.
The forces over there did look to be holding on, but only just.
Nannie wasn’t wrong that they probably couldn’t hold out much longer.
“Dave? Max? Dan?” Alex said aloud.
“Sir?” came the response from all three men.
“Get ready to signal the retreat. I need the veteran light foot to hold as the heavy get loaded. Is everything in place otherwise?”
“Sir,” Max said. “Everything is prepared by your order. It should be an orderly, effective, and rapid retreat.
“Good. Any thoughts?” Alex asked, looking at the three men.
Max looked to Dave, who had concern written clearly on his face.
“Sire, I’m not opposed to this… but are you sure? The duke could call on your oath and claim you cowardly,” Dave said.
“The duke can fuck off and die while gargling on a cock,” Alex said. “Anything else?”
“Sire,” Dan said after a moment. “The mounted infantry can dismount and hold them back if we need to.”
“Shouldn’t be needed. The wagons and carts, even loaded as they are, will still be faster than foot soldiers who don’t want to chase. They’ll be far more spent than we are after trying to take this place,” Alex said, dismissing th
e offer. “Go get everyone prepared. I think our exit is rapidly approaching. Torch it on the order.”
The three men saluted and left.
“Five, go get the carriage ready, please?”
“Mm, ‘kay,” said the berserker, stomping off.
“She’s been… nice,” Riley said softly.
“She has,” Alex agreed. “Alright, go with her, One. Get anything last minute done and then keep Two company in the coach.”
“Master…” Riley whined.
“Go, One.”
“Yes, Master.”
Letting go of his arm slowly, Riley left, her collar and tag tinkling softly as she went.
“She put a bell on her tag,” Three said, moving in closer to him. “She’s quite the opposite of myself. She wants you to pet her. Groom her. Reinforce her positively.”
Alex grinned and wrapped an arm around Valeria’s hips, then gave her hair a tug. “Good thing I have you to balance me then, Three.
“So, any last-minute concerns up here?”
“No. Waiting for our flank to fall apart is the right choice, Master. It’ll make it very hard for the duke to say anything,” she said, her hands resting on his back and front at the same time. “Though I think I’ll have to recruit those apprentices as soon as we get back home.
“And we’ll need better bedding next time. My knees ache badly from where you had me pinned.”
“Mm, about that. Your contract expires as soon as the campaign ends, you realize,” Alex said.
Valeria sighed explosively. “I know. I was hoping you’d… forget that, Master.”
“Nope. We’ll need to settle up a new deal. You’re good, but I do need to get my worth out of you,” Alex said with a shrug.
“I suppose I’ll be spending more time in your bed for it?”
“I was thinking you could do a night on your knees, just like Two. Easier to get you all on the same type of plan. That way everyone has an equal load to bear. Then I get to pick and choose,” Alex said with a grin.
“I suppose that makes sense. Should I make sure my apprentices are at least attractive? Just in case you want to bind them up in the same way?”
“Not a terrible idea. It’d help divert my attention away from you. Your call though. Just make sure they swear to my secrecy and privacy. If you get to keep your job, that is.”
“Ugh. What’s the price then? Serving you on my knees one night every week?”