“Aye, I went to their beds,” Gerald admitted, “but I asked ye for your hand.” he paused here, adding as he rolled his eyes heavenward, “I simply wished to wait until the night of our wedding to claim yer other parts.”
Catherine smiled, but only briefly.
“Although my mind and heart loved ye enough to wait, I fear that my body could not,” she revealed, adding as she pointed an authoritative finger firm in his direction, “Ye are an amazing man, Gerald, and—if ye agree to our arrangement—I still would be honored to be yer bride. May I remind ye, however, that as a shrewd woman I know all too well the ways of noblemen? Ye may find yerself at court for a tournament or session of council, and—as many of yer kind do—indulge in a wee bit of a flirtation with one of yer past loves, or perhaps a new one. Now while most wives of our time would permit ye this indulgence, ye know all too well that a woman of my strength most definitely would not. And that, furthermore, I would retreat to my familial castle at the first sign of impropriety.” She paused here, adding with a sly smile in his direction, “Unless, of course, I had my own lover, to warm my bed until ye came home.”
“Now do wait a moment, dear love,” Gaston interjected, drawing the couple’s gazes in her direction. “Please be aware that, while my station in society may be lower than Gerald’s, I shall not claim my place as a second husband, much less a mere bed warmer.”
Catherine nodded.
“Absolutely not, and please do accept my apologies,” she told him, gracing his bulging shoulder with a warm, reassuring pat. “The fact remains, however, that as a knight ye must maintain yer home in a tower at the edge of our land, on the other side of the bridge and moat. In this way ye can continue yer time honored defense of our bodies, home and lands.” She paused here, adding with a flirty wink, “Rest assured, though, that ye are welcome at our family feasting table, as well as in my royal chamber….”
“When I am not present. And only when I am not present,” Gerald interjected, his tone softening as he added, “I must say, however, that I do begin to see the wisdom of this plan, as utterly insane as it may sound. Catherine, I would indeed like to know that ye always have a protector by your side—day and eve—for times when I am elsewhere. And Gaston, I also favor the idea of sharing my home with a man who always has been a good friend; one with whom I can spend my free hours jousting, hunting, riding, running foot races, playing chess, and discussing current events of court. We also could work closely together to coordinate the defense of our realm—as well as the care of our duchess.”
Catherine grinned.
“Aye!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands before her. “Like this plan, I do.” She paused here, adding as she teased them with a sly smile, “And I can think of no better way to celebrate our impending union, than by consummating it—here and now, Gentlemen.”
2
Gaston and Gerald looked at one another, then at her.
“Again?” they asked in synch, tone dripping with disbelief.
Recovering quickly from their initial shock, an ardent Gerald swept her up in two strong arms and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss; their bare naked bodies sinking together in a lush cocoon of divine intimacy.
Their tongues, hips and thighs interlocked to complete this blissful union; their mouths meeting and melding as Gerald ran two soothing, massaging hands down the length of her full, soft back.
“Ye were my intended first,” he whispered against her lips, reaching down his free hand to caress her heaving breasts as he added, “And now I plan to show ye why.”
Again he swept her up in his arms and laid her gentle in the ivy beside him, his tender touch caressing her shoulders, her breasts, her rounded stomach as their arms and legs entangled.
Yet even as Gerald once again covered Catherine’s lips in a hot, intense kiss, wrapping his arms tight around her ample waist as his long, hard shaft raised to tease her sensitive feminine cleft, Gaston nestled close to his lady in the softness of their bed of ivy; planting sweet baby kisses on the back of her neck as he stroked the tresses of her fire red hair and fondled her full, fleshy behind.
“Aye,” she sighed, writhing shameless between two hard muscled bodies as they stroked and caressed every inch of her softness, “Tis no woman more fortunate than I am.”
Answering these words with an impassioned kiss, Gerald reached between her legs to stroke open the folds of her aroused femininity; stroking her nub as his hard, trim hips gyrated teasing against her own.
“Ah,” Catherine sighed, wrapping her arm around his strong muscled shoulders as she reached her free hand backward to grasp and stroke Gaston’s long, hard member, listening with satisfaction as he gasped in response; his beautiful body writhing wild as he cradled her back and massaged her hips with long, loving strokes.
Lowering his golden head to kiss her breasts and lick her nipples in long, lusty laps, Gerald purred contented as Catherine stroked the strands of his long blond hair; his arms drawing her closer to him as—finally and fully—he joined them as one.
Penetrating her smooth, wet femininity in a single soft flourish, Gerald probed her wet pussy with his long, hard shaft; their hips claiming an immediate rhythm as he surged forth to her very core.
The couple’s lips collided in an intense kiss as he continued to probe and penetrate her; and even as Catherine spread her soft, fleshy thighs and thrust her full hips forward to grant him greater access, she continued to stroke Gaston’s pulsating member as he kissed and licked her back—tickling her sides and massaging her back and hips with tender loving care.
The intimate attentions of two devoted lovers threatened to overwhelm an intoxicated Catherine, who threw her head back to bask in the afternoon breeze as the sun showered down on their sweat lined bodies. Reaching backward to engage a lusty Gaston in a long, sweet kiss, she sighed against his lips as an adoring Gerald bowed his head to her neck; nibbling and licking her tender nape as she pumped Gaston’s cock in heated, quickening moves.
Yet even as she and her devoted knight continued to kiss, and as Gaston’s pulsating, sweat lined cock exploded in the palm of her sturdy hand, Gerald thrust his trim hips forward as his own mighty shaft surged forth to her very core. His hands cupped Catherine's flushed cheeks in a firm but tender kiss and turned her face to his as her newly freed hands touched and roamed the surface of his hard muscled chest—tweaking his rock hard nipples as, with a long, hard thrust, he sent them hurtling across the bounds of an incredible mutual climax.
The couple stared into one another’s eyes as their bodies and beings merged together in the pleasure of a lush, undulating climax, quaking and trembling as their hands and mouths joined to culminate the feeling.
“I love ye,” they whispered, breaking their kiss to share a tender smile as their bodies rolled wild in the divine softness of the ivy beneath them.
Lying off to the side as the tremors of his own pleasure continued to seize his every hard muscle, Gaston finally relaxed as he saw a contented Catherine roll over onto her back; gracing him with a drunken smile as Gerald dropped exhausted beside her, closing his eyes and sighing relieved as his own muscles flexed and relaxed.
Seizing what seemed to be a golden opportunity, Gaston jumped between her parted legs with a catlike flourish and sealed his lips to hers; his full, moist mouth rubbing and massaging hers as his strong hands mirrored their movement, touching and coddling her shoulders and back as she hugged his hard body to hers.
“Did ye ever believe this day would come?” she whispered, drawing back to stare deep into his eyes as he rose majestically above her—the tendrils of his silken dark hair falling forward to tickle the breasts that seemed aroused anew with his attentions. “The day that ye and I would be, not only lovers, but partners in life?”
Gaston shook his head.
“Aye my darling,” he whispered soft and sweet, cupping her flushed cheeks, as his fingers seemed to memorize every line of her face. “We always have partnered in our lives. It is only
now that we make it official. So come, my beauty—let us celebrate our love.”
Covering her body with his, Gaston graced her lips with a binding kiss before shifting them downward, his body slithering graceful down hers to create divine friction as he next kissed and licked her neck, her breasts, and her rounded tummy. Finally, he seared her with a devilish white-toothed smile as he knelt worshipful between her knees.
“Relax, my love, and allow me to pleasure ye,” he coaxed her, his agile hands rubbing her fleshy thighs as they parted willing before them.
Reinforcing his words with delicious action, Gaston ducked his sleek head lower still as he parted his sumptuous lips to part her folds with a long, resounding lick; next fixing his mouth around her throbbing nub to grace her with an intimate kiss.
Kissing and licking her feminine nub, her lover shifted his bronzed head from side to side to increase the friction of his lips on her clit; listening with pleasure as her cries of ecstasy filled the air above them.
Catherine’s eyes flew wide as she thrust her hips forward to intensify the sensation; lowering her trembling hands to stroke his silky hair as her vision brimmed with a brilliant kaleidoscope of golden sun and pure azure sky.
“Beautiful,” she mused soft and sweet, laughing outright as Gaston braced and tickled her sensitive hips and plied his soft lips on her throbbing clit.
Although his heated, intense ministrations sent shards of pure ecstatic feeling shooting upward to tease and satisfy every fiber of her being, Catherine still purred with happiness as her other lover awoke from his brief nap; filling her vision with a golden perfection that rivaled the sun above them.
Likening an angel with his long golden hair and pure crystalline eyes, Gerald graced her with a pure, beneficent beam as he descended upon her, kissing her lips soft and sweet even as his magical fingertips did the devil’s work.
She sighed as he caressed her breasts and kneaded her sensitive nipples, repaying the favor as she reached her hands upward to rub and adore his massive pectorals and his sculpted flawless abdominals. For a long moment the couple shared a tender beam as their hands touched and explored one another’s bodies; finally surrendering to mutual passion as he lowered his head to engage his intended in a deep, adoring kiss.
As his long, wet tongue glided back and forth in her mouth, simulating with perfection the movements of sex, Gaston’s tongue mirrored these movements on the surface of her heaving clit; flicking its tender skin as lightning shards of ecstasy spiraled upward throughout her entire body.
She took in her breath as her fair haired lover plied her lips with a passionate kiss; her dark haired paramour, meanwhile, laid a last resounding lick across her nub, sending her careening across the bounds of an incredible climax.
Her heart and pulse pounded in sweetest accord as she writhed shameless in her nature made bed; the doves and nightingales singing an ethereal duet in celebration of her newfound love—a love found with two immaculate men who worshipped her with their kisses and kindest devotion.
Laying back and opening her arms to both her ardent lovers, Catherine sighed with contentment as they wrapped their arms around her and collapsed exhausted in the ivy beneath them. Tendrils of heather tickled their bare bodies as the gentle winds of a London afternoon sang in communion with a chorus of bird song; singing a lullaby that lulled the trio into a light, easy sleep.
3
An hour passed before the revitalized trio rose finally from the ground, talking and laughing as they made their way with arms interlinked to the spectacle of a nearby sparkling pond, where their horses had been drinking and sunning themselves—blissfully oblivious to the carnal frivolity that had been transpiring behind them.
Catherine knew, however, that the trio’s anonymity was fragile at best. Soon the whole of her family, court and kingdom would know the secrets of her heart and body. And how on earth would her people react when she married both her duke and her knight?
This was the troubling question she pondered as she and her lovers completed their ride through the countryside. And while she smiled as always at the beautiful and very sentimental vision of Castle Ballamore, where she presided as the sole heir of Lord Dirk and Lady Sophia, servants of the royal crown, she felt a wave of tension seize her being as she sensed the impending end of her fantasy world; a place where she and her lovers lived and thrived in a land of passion and natural beauty. Here they could revel freely together, naked to the world and without the burden of ever-watchful eyes.
“Yet the moment that I cross that bridge and step into that courtyard, I step once again into the constraints of a society I did not choose,” she mused silently, saying aloud to a watching Gerald, “Are ye certain that ye wish to accompany us inward, my love? Ye may wish to go home to Castle Goldsworthy, to tell your family of our—ahem—change in plans. Leave it to Gaston and me to relate the blissful news to my own parents, Lord Dirk and Lady Sophia.”
Gerald shook his head.
“Nay, my sweet love,” he cooed, covering her hand with his own. “As your first husband I must remain always by your side, to offer my hand and my aid in every situation you might face.”
Gaston nodded.
“And I as your knight husband also must remain strong and steadfast by your side, to help ye weather every storm and serve as your eternal protector,” he assured her, clutching her free hand with his own.
Energized by the support of her lovers, Catherine sat tall and proud in the saddle as she cast her gaze in the direction of Castle Ballamore: a tall, towering structure of pure, pearl pink stone that boasted statuesque towers and turrets and winding balconies, along with a soaring ivory pennant that bore the image of a graceful, gold hued swan.
On this day Lady Catherine felt every bit as graceful, beautiful, and outright powerful as the swan pictured in this image; and it was with her chin lifted noble in pride that she approached the long, winding bridge that would lead her home.
“And I as a lady of this castle shall bear my title with pride,” she declared, adding with eyebrows arched, “As well as my future husbands.”
4
These words echoed in Lady Catherine’s mind three moons later, as she stood at the adorned altar of Lavender Abbey; a grand structure of stone cast arches and stained glass windows that stood on a far corner of her parents’ palatial estate.
The lady stared with wondering eyes at her apparel for the day: a radiant silk concoction of puffed sleeves, lacy cuffs and long flowing skirts embellished at the breast with a gold embroidered swan to symbolize her family crest.
She had to admit that the gown’s rich scarlet hue was an unusual color for a wedding frock; this owing to the fact that, to people of her time, the color of red symbolized ultimate strength and was often won by warriors.
Yet considering the events of the past few weeks, a time when she and her lovers had battled with family members and council representatives to secure their right to marry in peace, she felt that this color befit her spirit and her eventual victory; as she insisted to any and all who would listen that she would marry the men of her choice.
As an added benefit, this rich, vibrant color also served to match the ebullient rose headdress that adorned her fiery tresses; and, for that matter, the lustrous rose bouquet, intertwined with graceful stems of heather, thistle and sweetest myrtle and tied with a rich ruby red ribbon, that adorned her sturdy grasp.
“In the view of William Shakespeare, that gifted bard, a bouquet of this sort serves to convey a solitary message,” she mused, lingering to take a long, deep sniff of her gathered florals, “I love you.”
And she most certainly felt nothing but love for the handsome men at her side, the grooms who joined her at the altar today to claim her hands in marriage.
Both of her grooms were adorned that day in tight black leather pantaloons and rich embroidered tunics of brilliant emerald green; a hue that in their time symbolized joy, hope and loyalty in love. Embroidered across the massive chest of eac
h handsome groom was a gold hued insignia that symbolized his family crest. While Lord Gerald bore the mighty likeness of a roaring lion, the knight Gaston wore a ceremonial crest that matched her own; along, of course, with the symbolic chain mail hauberk that signified his exalted role as a knight of the royal court.
Both of her grooms wore their hair free and unbound for the occasion of the wedding; their silken locks flowing free across their broad shoulders and down their planed backs as both offered her their hands.
Gracing both with beneficent beams, Catherine next cast her gaze across the breadth of the abbey where they planned to be married that day.
She stared in open admiration at the radiance of this temple, ensconced on all sides and across its lustrous domed ceiling with rainbow patterned panes of sparkling stained glass; individual artwork affixed by borders of pure gold as well as ivory crown molding, and lined at the bottom with a stone cast floor that—just moments before—had echoed with the steps of the wedding procession.
After taking a moment to stare in wonder at the blazing crystalline chandeliers that lined the walls of this glorious temple, Catherine’s eyes came to rest on the polished mahogany pews that lined its center. These aisles were filled today with a large crowd of attendants (the women seated on the left side of the abbey and the males on the right, as per tradition) who represented the families and friendship circles of three people; along with representative of the royal court, bound by duty to attend the nuptials of a noted duke and duchess—as well as an exalted knight.
Although Elizabeth the First, Catherine’s worshipped mentor, was unable to attend that day, the monarch had sent a sparkling gift of three ruby rings that today adorned the fingers of the bride and grooms. In regards to her other guests, the lady couldn’t help but notice that they all shared a common expression, one that seemed to combine emotions of love, happiness, sincerity—and complete and total bewilderment.
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