I finished supper and cleared the table. That night, Winston didn’t take me and I was able to sleep.
~*~
Elias was smaller than I was by about a foot with blond hair and brown eyes. Not the least bit attractive either, with a nose a bit too large for his face and lips far too thin that made me wonder if he could pucker them. I had spied on him for a month, following his schedule. He was home schooled, but enjoyed going to a tavern from time to time. The place he enjoyed most, however, was the park where he liked to paint. The park was no stranger to thespians of all walks of life from poets to performers and minstrels. Elias must have felt at home there.
I, unfortunately, had no artistic skill, but I needed to make an impression. So, when I enlisted James to help, he was all too willing.
“Do I get to keep the purse?” he asked once I laid out my plan.
“Of course not, I must wrestle you to the ground and retrieve it so I can be the hero of the day,” I said, smiling.
He rolled his eyes. “You owe me.”
“I will, thank you.”
That was three days ago, and now I was standing by a tree as if I had not a concern in the world. I made sure to be in Elias’ view, but I paid him no mind. Only when I heard him shout “thief” did he get my attention. I ran past him to chase down the vermin who’d stolen his purse. James ran fast, but he wasn’t faster than I was, even on his best day. I caught up with him, tackling him to the grass. We rolled several times and I managed to snatch the purse from him.
“Punch me,” I said as I saw the constables coming our way. James gave me one good right hook, knocking me off him. He was on his feet and hauling arse long before the constables caught up to me. I rose to my feet as I rubbed my jaw and turned to greet them. They congratulated me on stopping the criminal long enough to save Elias’ coin.
“I wish I could have held him for arrest,” I said.
“We will find him,” they said.
“Go after him now,” Elias ordered.
“Yes, Mr. Longwood,” one of the constables said, and together, all three ran off in the direction James had gone. I wasn’t worried about James. As a natural born, we just ran faster than your average human. They’d never catch him, especially since he had the head start.
I did take note of how quickly the constables obeyed. How Elias gave an order and the constables followed without any resistance. I knew his father was a powerful and rich man, and those in the elite ran the world. His father never remarried after losing his wife to consumption. Elias being the sole heir to his massive fortune and influence made him a person of interest to my pack. Maybe this mission was more important than I was giving it credit.
I handed him back his purse, which was heavy with coin. “I believe this is yours.”
He took it and smiled. “Much gratitude. I say, you were quite daring in your pursuit of this,” he said as he slipped it back onto the belt over his tunic. He didn’t dress the way those with wealth and prestige dressed, at least not when he was in the park.
I chuckled. “I honestly don’t know what came over me. I’m not normally that adventurous.”
“Could have fooled me,” he said, and we both laughed. “Listen, allow me to buy you a drink. It really is the least I could do,” he offered.
“Well, I am a bit parched. So, lead the way,” I motioned.
“Let me just gather my things.”
I nodded and walked back with him to where his painting was resting on the easel.
“Well, well, interesting,” I commented as I saw that he’d been painting my portrait.
“Oh no, don’t look!” He snatched the canvas from the easel, hiding it behind his back.
“It was very good.”
“You think so?”
I nodded. “From what I saw of it, yes.”
“You don’t mind that I was painting you?”
I shook my head. “I’m flattered. I hadn’t thought anyone had noticed me.”
He smiled then. “I… I noticed.”
I mirrored his smile. “Well then, let’s have that drink.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Art of Manipulation
We were good and drunk, having spent hours in the tavern talking about everything from art to war to our favorite foods. I made sure that we shared plenty in common, even if I didn’t care for some of the things he fancied.
“Oh, my Deacon, the time… the time has passed us by,” he announced after looking out of the window. The sun was rising over the eastern horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful shade of light blue. The birds chirping was another sign of how fast time could move when you weren’t aware of it.
“As it does when one has lost it,” I joked. My head swam a bit from the wine and I had to piss something fierce.
“Come home with me. I will have this night extended. I am enjoying your company far too much to say farewell,” he said.
His cheeks were flushed from the wine, and I knew he was under the influence, as was I, but they were words I’d wanted to hear. I had been coaxing such words with careful conversation since we’d met. So, when he offered, I accepted with only mild persuading.
“I’ll not have you put out by me,” I said. “I’m staying at an inn.”
“An inn, nonsense. There is plenty of room at my home. No friend of mine will be staying in an inn,” he declared.
“Are you…” I paused to burp and felt my stomach roll. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, then rose with a stagger to his feet. I reached out, catching his arm before he fell. Together, we both staggered out of the tavern and made our way to the alleyway to relieve ourselves before climbing into his horse-drawn carriage with its fancy curtains and plush seating. The coachman had been waiting patiently for us to return and he waited still as we both pissed on the cobblestone street. I had to brace myself on the cool bricks of the tavern to keep from falling. Something I really didn’t want to do. I tucked myself back into my breeches and tied the lacing back up.
I turned in time to see Elias vomit in the puddle of piss he’d just made. The sight triggered my own nausea I’d been fighting and I stumbled to the other wall and spewed all the wine I’d drank all along the wall of the building. The last time I’d been this sick from wine, I was thirteen and Winston had found it quite humorous. The good thing was, this was one more thing we had in common. No head for copious amounts of wine. At least, not on an empty stomach.
His carriage man had to assist us both into the back of the carriage and while Elias passed out on the cushions as we traveled, I took in the scenery. When we finally arrived at his home, I was still impressed. It was a castle in every sense of the word. Five stories, stone with vines growing up the length. A beautiful garden surrounded the grounds and there was a huge maze made up of shrubbery several yards from the back entrance, which I could see as we approached down the winding road. We were dropped off at the main entrance that had two large, red oak doors. The heavy doors opened with a creak and two servants brought us inside. Elias’ father didn’t seem too happy that his son was in such a state. I’d learned from our conversation that his father didn’t like that he patronized the tavern or the park. He’d felt both were too dangerous for his son to frequent. All the more reason why Elias liked to go there.
I knew their relationship was strained, but I wasn’t fully sure as to why. Elias insisted I’d be allowed to stay in the guest room next to his and it was something his Father agreed to for one night, as stated. I didn’t care. My head throbbed and all I wanted to do was sleep off the effects of the wine. As soon as I tossed myself unceremoniously on the bed, I felt my eyes close and I didn’t wake up until I felt strong hands shaking me.
“Ugh, leave me be,” I groaned.
There was laughter at that. Elias’ laughter. “What would be the fun in that?”
I opened one eye to see him looking back at me, a huge smile on his face. My head didn’t hurt, thank goodness, but my stoma
ch was raging for food. I guessed it was time for me to wake up. “How can you be so chipper after last night?”
“Not my first night like that. I recover quickly enough. I want to show you around,” he said.
“Your father didn’t seem to like the idea of me staying with you here,” I said as I sat up.
“There is much my father doesn’t like that I do. Let me deal with him.”
“Why? I mean, we barely know each other,” I pointed out as I climbed out of the bed and stretched.
Elias turned quickly, but before he did, I caught his eyes studying me as I flexed my muscles. I had picked up on the little looks he’d given me at the tavern, but it was bolder here. Just like now, he also turned his gaze, as if afraid I would take notice. He was too late, of course. I’d noticed.
“I know that we have only just made acquaintances. Isn’t that how all friendships began?” he asked, still keeping his gaze averted as if out of modesty.
“Friendships and more,” I stated, allowing my voice to drop an octave to allude to the seduction I had been carefully manipulating.
He turned to me then, a slight blush to his cheeks. “I… I don’t have many, not any, really,” he confessed.
I walked over to him. “What about classmates?”
He shook his head. “I have a tutor, no siblings.” He turned from me again. “I go to the park hoping to meet people. Sometimes I do, but it never lasts. They are just passing or my father finds a way to make sure they aren’t around me for long.”
“Should I be fearing for my life?” I asked, half joking.
He turned again. “No, it’s not like that. He pays them a lot of coin to leave me be. He doesn’t think the people I meet are worthy. Commoners, beggars, artists, but these are the people I find most interesting. Those with stories to tell, those who have lived life and have a richness to spare that can’t come from coin.”
“Like me?” I asked. Fact of the matter was, I wasn’t rich, but I did have everything I needed. To someone else, though, I may have seemed wealthy as the cottage I lived in was quite large. And I had fine clothes to wear when I needed to. Mostly, though, Winston didn’t feel the need to dress as the wealthy did with ruffled collars, stockings, and layers of froth as he called it.
“I wouldn’t dare to presume,” Elias said with a shy smile. “I just know that I enjoy your company and would like to get to know you more.”
“And I, you,” I said. “I will need to gather my things from the inn if I’m to stay here.”
He nodded. “I will send you with the carriage so you do not have to concern yourself with travels. Now, come, let me show you around.”
“Can we eat first?” I asked.
He laughed. “Of course.”
~*~
Whatever conversation took place between Elias and his father, I wasn’t privy to. However, his father made sure to let me know my stay would be most temporary. A fortnight at the latest. I assured him I would leave by that time and that seemed to satisfy him. Yes, his father was an obstacle. Fact was, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to have to return to Winston or even the inn I’d been staying at. It was filthy and full of whores and drunkards. I had to stay in squalor in order to keep up appearances. The comfort of the bed I’d slept on last night was much to my liking. Even better than the one back at the cottage.
After a tour of the grounds and a midday meal, Elias and I found ourselves in the garden among so many beautiful flowers. Most I didn’t know the name of, so he took it upon himself to teach me. Over the next couple of days, we played, ran, wrestled, and talked about any and everything Elias wanted to talk about such as traveling and going to the theater in Paris one day, or the Sistine Chapel in Italy. All places I would have liked to have traveled, but being a wolf meant that some places were off limits. Territory belonging to vampires, dragons, and other packs made for dangerous exploration.
Our relationship took another turn when we found ourselves in the park at night, which was a precarious time to be there as thieves and murders were abound. I may be well trained, but that didn’t mean I wanted to take the risk. However, Elias seemed fearless, or was it foolish?
“We should leave. It’s not safe to be here this late in the evening,” I stated as I looked around at our surroundings.
“I… I don’t want to go home,” Elias said.
I looked over at him and said nothing for a few seconds. “Then let’s not go. At least, not now.”
“Where will we go, then?” he asked.
I looked at the carriage as it waited for us. “Let us go to an inn. Stay in a room for one night.” I laughed. “It will surely anger your father.”
He smiled at that suggestion. “Yes, it would. Let’s do that.”
We found ourselves in one of the sleeziest inns in London. Even one I had avoided, and no matter how many times I suggested other inns, Elias seemed hellbent on this one. Frankly, it was one step up from the park in terms of the cutthroat nature of the patrons. The room had a smell to it that reeked of sex, piss, shit, and alcohol. The bedding, I was sure, was barely clean and the chamber pot looked as disgusting as it smelled.
“Are you sure you want to sleep here?” I asked, hoping he’d change his mind.
“Quite certain,” he said, then boldly laid on the bed. He patted the space next to him. “Join me.”
“You are aware that bed has seen more whores than you and I have fingers and toes,” I said.
He laughed. “Join me,” he coaxed again and this time, I gave in.
We lay in silence for a while, just staring at the ceiling with stains on it that were a mystery to me. How did those stains get there? What had caused them?
“Deacon?” Elias broke the silence with my name.
I turned to him. “Yes?”
“You like being my friend, don’t you?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
He didn’t speak right away at first. “Would you be cross if I kissed you?”
The moment I had been working hard for had finally come. I knew of his attraction to me, though I had none for him. My feelings, however, didn’t matter where this mission was concerned. Securing his trust, his loyalty, was paramount. For all the detest I’d felt for Winston fucking me, it did prepare me to use pleasure as a device. As a resource, if you will, and one I was planning on drawing from.
“You… you want to kiss me?” I asked, feigning a shyness I had long since lost.
He nodded. “Will you let me?”
I nodded and he boldly rolled closer to me and pressed his lips to mine. It was soft at first, barely touching, as if he were testing the waters to see how I’d react. When I didn’t pull away, his kisses became more passionate. Pecks at first, then open-mouthed, and when his tongue caressed mine, I felt the hardness between his legs grow against my thigh.
“I’ve never… done this,” I lied when he broke the kiss.
“I have… once or twice,” he said with a smile.
“Your father… does he know?” I asked.
His smile faded into a frown and he looked away for a few seconds, then returned his gaze to me. “He loathes my ‘perverted’ nature. Says that men should never lie with men. I disgust him,” he said, then he turned, sitting up.
I had to reel him back before he got lost in his thoughts. In his own self-loathing. At least, now I knew why there was a riff between father and son. I sat up and grabbed Elias’ face, turning his gaze toward me. “Bollocks to your father. I don’t think you a pervert.”
He leaned over again, kissing me as he caressed my cheek. I let him press me back onto the bed, his fingers undoing the lacing of my shirt and my breeches. As I was pulling my shirt over my head, he was pulling my cock from my breeches. I tossed the shirt to the floor in time to see my cock disappear in his mouth.
“Ahhhh,” I panted as the pleasure took me by surprise. For all the times I had taken Winston’s cock into my mouth, he’d never done so with me. I had no idea it felt this damned good
. I fell back onto the bed, relishing the sensation of his lips and tongue. For the first time ever, I understood why I’d been ordered to do this so often. It didn’t take me long before I came and Elias pulled back, letting my cum squirt over my thighs and his hand as he stroked me through my climax. I quaked on the bed as I moaned in pleasure.
Elias chuckled. “It really is your first time,” he commented.
I was breathless as I nodded.
“Then, I want to make it feel good,” he said as he proceeded to remove his clothing. I did the same, struggling a little with my boots. Once we were both naked, we climbed back on the bed and I no longer cared about how dirty is was.
I was beside myself as Elias slicked oil onto my cock. Again, this was a sensation I only felt when I pleasured myself and it had never felt this good. Something about having someone else’s hands on your body seemed to add to the whole experience. He straddled me, positioning himself over my erection.
My eyes rolled in my head as I entered him. This was a new sensation for me. My back arched as the pleasure coursed its way from my cock through my body. I nearly lost sight of who was manipulating who. I was supposed to be the expert here, but I soon realized I didn’t know what sex was until Elias began to rock his hips over my groin in a rhythm that was driving me wild. He kissed me again and sucked my ear, shoulder, and nipples. I felt pampered for the first time and I didn’t want it to end.
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