Sean was not expecting such a strong reaction, but continued at the same slow pace he always did when going down on a woman. Ida was gasping, shaking, and moaning his name after just a few minutes, even though Sean had not done more than small explorative licks at her.
Damn, she must be the most sensitive of the bunch... that’s surprising as hell considering her ability to deal with pain. Sean pressed on, taking his time to find where Ida was the most receptive to his attentions.
Before he was even half done, Ida’s thighs caught his head in a vice as she came. Sean had to grab her thighs and pry them apart to stop her crushing his skull. When she came down from the first orgasm, he decided to up the tempo, and Ida went right into a second, third, and fourth orgasm. Sean kept her legs trapped the whole time to make sure his head was safe.
When Ida went limp, Sean stopped and kissed up her body until his cock was resting against her opening. Smiling down at her as she stirred, Sean pushed forward firmly. Entering her, he felt resistance, and thrust forward another inch.
Ida’s eyes shot open, locking with his, “Oh, Sean…” Ida whispered when he stopped where he was. “Please... slow. I can’t…”
Lowering his head, he kissed her gently and pulled back to the very opening of her. Gently, he pushed back in the scant two inches he had sunk the first time. Again, he felt resistance and understanding dawned on him as Ida’s legs locked around his waist. It’s not her hymen resisting me, but her entire sex... she’s that snug.
Sean had no idea how long he slowly worked himself into Ida, but in the end, he accepted that she could only take half of him before she went from pleasure to pain. Ida ended up orgasming multiple times before Sean finally came for his second time, overflowing her with his seed.
In a near comatose state, Ida was murmuring nonsense as she held him. Sean smiled at her fondly, rubbing her back as she drifted off to sleep. Once she was truly out, Sean got them both cleaned up before joining her in bed. He was a little surprised by the lack of blood, even though he knew that the old wives tale of virgins always bleeding was false.
Pulling her smaller body to his, Sean kissed the nape of her neck before he closed his eyes. I wonder how much you’d hate me now, James. I wonder if you would, or if you’d be happy for me? Morrigan, if you can please send him a dream letting him know I’m fine? That was his last thought before sleep finally claimed him.
Chapter Eleven
A content murmur followed by an elbow to the ribs woke Sean from his sleep. Yawning as he came to, Sean tried to get his brain working. The warm body he snuggled urged a different sort of wakening, but a sharp elbow to his ribs derailed his body’s mutiny and rerouted the blood to his brain.
Ida, Sean thought as he eased back from her. Damn, she’s a fighter in her sleep. With him moving away, Ida’s arms stilled. Not a snuggler… check, Sean chuckled internally. I wonder what time it is? I’m awake, so might as well get up.
Easing himself out of bed, Sean was grateful for the first time that this world had not invented the spring mattress. Still need to look into that when I get time. It might be easier to get out of bed right now, but this stuffed thing doesn’t have the same comfort a proper mattress does.
Sean stretched and let out a groan when he felt his back pop. Sending a bit of energy into his back, Sean sighed as the muscles relaxed. “I’m so fucking happy that magic works here,” he muttered.
“Sean? Is it time already?” Ida asked, sitting up in bed.
Her naked body was on full display as she stepped out of bed and made Sean’s brain lock up. “Umm, maybe?”
Ida blinked, her cheeks flushing. A tentative smile grew on her face. “Was it alright? Last night, I mean? Did—”
“Yes, great! Fantastic,” Sean said quickly, cutting her off before she could say more. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“A little, but I’m sure I’ll adjust. Even that little bit of pain was well worth it,” Ida replied and looked away from him. “I’m sure the others could have—”
Putting his arms around her, Sean silenced her with a kiss. When it ended, he rested his forehead against the top of her head. “No, none of that. You’re all different and unique. That is what makes you all wonderful to me. Just like last night, don’t think the others are better than you. You are all equal to me.”
“Okay, Sean, I’ll try. Fiona and Myna have been very welcoming to me, and I’m sure they’ll be even more so now. I need to talk with Fiona. Since I’m the last one to join you all, I need to know what rules she has set in place.”
Letting her go, Sean had to wonder about that. Am I being too passive when it comes to being involved with them? I should pull Fiona aside today and have a talk with her myself.
The two of them were dressed a few minutes later. Heading to the kitchen, Sean could hear a single voice singing softly. Ida did not hear it until they reached the dining room, and she paused to listen.
“Is that Andrea?” Ida asked softly.
“I’m sure it is,” Sean whispered back. “She’s got a good voice. I don’t know the song, though. Sounds hopeful and sad at the same time.”
“It’s a common tune called the ‘Hopeful Bride,’” Ida told him. “The lyrics change depending on the singer, but the overall song stays the same; a young woman yearns to be a bride. The song lists all the things she hopes for her husband to be. Each man she meets can be one or two, but never meets all of her hopes, so she keeps looking.”
“‘Why can none of them be what I want them to be?’” Andrea sang sadly. “‘Is it too much to hope that I can find the one for me?’”
Sean cleared his throat as he walked across the room, causing Andrea’s song to cut off abruptly. “Morning, Andrea,” Sean said.
“Oh, good morning to you, Sean,” Andrea replied, turning to face the kitchen door as he came in. “Morning to you as well, Ida.”
“Morning,” Ida smiled back. “Did we wake too early? I know we went to bed late.”
“You have woken late, actually,” Andrea giggled. “I’ll have your breakfast in a few moments. The others have already eaten and are getting things moving for the day. Fiona is manning the shop while Myna and Ryann have gone off to see what they can do at the bathhouse today.”
“Ryann should be off today. It’s Tenday and she hasn’t had one all tenday,” Sean said. “Something else to talk to Fiona about. We’ll wait in the next room so you can work.”
“Thank you. You can take the cups,” Andrea said, motioning to the cups she had just filled with steaming water. “Just let the tea steep for a minute or two before you drink.”
“Will do.”
~*~*~
Heading down to the shop, Ida walked behind Sean, the smile she had worn all morning still plastered across her face. The front of the shop was packed with people. Sean smiled when he saw the rough spun garb of a laborer mixed in with the fine linen of a merchant and two people in silks.
“Fiona, everything okay?”
“Yes, dear. If you’d like to help, we can move things along faster.”
“Ida, this will be good practice for you,” Sean said, stepping aside.
“As you wish, Sean.”
“Okay, folks, if you just want a plain kettle, form up in front of Ida. If you want a simple design added, line up before Fiona. If you want something ornate and expensive, come over here. Stay in your current order as much as you can,” he said when people started to step out of line, making sure no one rushed.
The two people in silks came to stand in front of Sean. The first was a distinguished gentleman in formal butler’s attire. “Very good. My mistress would have wanted it Shaped by you in any case. I thought I would have to leave the request with your… wife.” Sean caught the pause, and it was obvious the man had intended to use some other word. “I was shocked when she required me to wait in line like any other customer.”
“We are a bit unconventional here,” Sean said. “I produce goods for everyone, as you can see.”
“Yes, i
t is different, to be sure,” the butler sniffed at a scented handkerchief, as if to keep foul orders at bay. “My mistress, Dame Flamehair, wishes a kettle that evokes her family name and station. I’m here to commission that kettle if you can produce it in a timely manner.”
Sean’s smile sharpened, “I can easily produce it in a timely manner. I can even have it done faster if you don’t mind paying an expedite fee.”
“Your price shall be met if the kettle is of sufficient quality.”
Sean grabbed a kettle and placed it on the counter. “I don’t know the Dame you work for, having just recently come to the city. If you tell me what she wants, I can replicate it.”
The butler’s eyes rolled, “I see. So you won’t be able to produce an item she would be satisfied with.”
“Excuse me,” Fiona said, coming down the counter to Sean. “Husband, the Flamehair family have branches in most major cities. They are charged with overseeing the mages that keep the city clean. Their family crest is a phoenix rising above a city.”
“Got it. Thanks, dear,” Sean said, giving her a quick kiss. Resting a hand on the kettle, he locked eyes with the butler. “Would you care to offer double the price if I can have a kettle of her standards done by the end of the day?”
“Would you make one to her standards for free if you are unable to accomplish that task?” the butler asked, barely keeping the sneer off his lips as he sniffed at the handkerchief again.
“If you want free on the failing end of it, I’ll have to ask for triple if I can do it.”
“Done,” the butler laughed. “I shall return before you close to see whatever you have managed up to that point.” The weight of the bet settled over both of them.
“Why wait? You can take this one,” Sean said. He pulled a silver coin out and began to Shape it into the pattern he had made on both sides of the kettle.
The shop was silent as the silver flowed like liquid, filling in the lines of the phoenix. When he finished, a silver phoenix with wings spread wide rose over a city on fire. Sean rotated the kettle and again duplicated the silver pattern on the other side. Leaning onto the counter as if he was weak, Sean gave the butler a frosty smile. “Well?”
The silk clad woman behind the butler gasped as she looked at it. “That is exquisite.”
The butler coughed loudly, glaring back at the other woman before he picked up the kettle and began to inspect it. His eyes narrowed the longer he examined it, running his hands over it. Everyone in the shop paused to watch him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“Your Talents are wasted on this rabble,” the butler finally stated, a grudging respect visible in his stance. “I know that some of the other Shapers in town would have taken days to produce this quality of work. How much?”
“Considering the silver inlay, I’d say a large silver, but it will be three to you because of the bet.”
The butler nodded, “Indeed. I think the Dame shall have more business to offer you. For instance, the hair clips that I’ve seen being sold.”
“If she wants them in anything other than copper, wood, or bronze, she’ll have to talk to Silvertouch or Gertihs. I’ve given them the patents to make them in the more expensive metals.”
Lips pursed, the butler placed the three large silver on the counter. “I see. That is disappointing. You haven’t given them the rights to the kettles, have you?”
“Not yet, but that will change shortly, I think.”
“Hmm, I shall be back. Shaper MacDougal, it is a pleasure.” With a final sniff at the handkerchief, the butler left the shop.
A majority of the people in the shop began to talk amongst each other as business started up again. One of the better dressed people in Fiona’s line moved over to stand before Sean.
“I do hope that you aren’t done for the day, sir,” the woman in silk said as she moved forward.
“That did take a lot out of me. It always does when I push that hard,” Sean said. Ida moved the chair over to him. “Thank you, Ida.”
“Of course, Sean,” Ida replied, kissing his cheek.
“Both of your Life Bonded are familiar with you?”
“All of my Life Bonded are married to me,” Sean corrected her. “Now, what can I do for you miss?”
The silk clad woman glanced at Fiona and Ida before turning back to him. “Kettles. I also require your special touch.”
Sean blushed a little, “Not sure I’m going to be able to assist you, but tell me what you want.”
“My Holder requires a dozen kettles,” the woman purred. “We’d like them all to bear the design of her establishment.”
“What’s the establishment?” Sean asked, a little curious.
“The full name of it is ‘Den of Iniquities,’ though most just call it the ‘Den.’”
The name tickled the back of his memory, but he could not recall it. Ida stood up straight and turned to face the woman.
“Sean, it’s… umm… a place where intimacy can be found, um, for a price,” Ida said, stumbling over how to phrase it politely.
“We prefer ‘negotiable affection,’” the woman laughed throatily. “The more crass use far less polite terms, though, so you have our thanks, Ida Bronzeshield.”
Ida’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at being recognized by the courtesan. Sean felt a trickle of concern and patted Ida’s hand. “Help your customers, Ida. I can help the one before me.”
“I do like a man who knows what he can handle,” the courtesan said, giving him a long look up and down. “When could you have them done for me, MacDougal?”
“Threeday,” Sean said.
“We would request you deliver them, as well. It’s okay if that costs a bit more.”
Shrugging his shoulders because he was starting to feel warmer than he should, Sean met the woman’s eyes. “That will be fine. I don’t know the business, so I’ll need the emblem to base the Shaping on.”
“Of course,” she smiled broadly at him. Placing a wooden token on the counter, she watched his face.
Sean looked down at the emblem and felt his eyebrows go up. A Succubus dressed in leather and lace with a come-hither look stared back at him. “Did you want it inlaid, or just Shaped?” Sean asked calmly, a tingle of worry beginning to creep over him.
“Let’s say half done each way. After all, variety is the spice of life,” she said, glancing to Fiona and Ida. They were helping their own customers, but clearly paying attention. “As I’m sure you know.”
“A large silver for each inlay, a small silver for the others,” Sean said. “Delivery on Threeday.”
The courtesan leaned forward, putting even more of her ample chest on display for him. The small gold resting between her hands went almost unnoticed. “The mistress will wish to thank you personally, MacDougal. The rest of the coin is for you to deliver the kettles yourself. We have a deal, yes?”
“Yes,” Sean said slowly, feeling the smallest of tugs at his mind. “Can I have your name?”
Her smile grew wider and Sean caught a hint of fang. “My name? Why, I didn’t expect you to take an interest in me, and in front of your wives, no less.” A folding fan snapped open and she fanned herself in an almost shy manner. “Please call me Felora, sir. I will be there when you bring the kettles by. I’m sure we can… talk more then.”
The tug at his mind wavered, and Sean nodded. “I’m sure.”
Felora winked at him over the fan. “I’ll make sure everything is ready when you come… over.” She turned and headed for the door, the sway of her hips catching the eye of anyone who was even remotely interested in women.
Sean was the first one to shake off her effects. “You wanted to order a special kettle as well, sir?” Sean asked the next man in line, who was staring at the closed door.
~*~*~
The crowd dropped off past midday. Sean had Ida go spar with Andrea, leaving him alone with Fiona.
“I have a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about,” Sean explained whe
n Ida left, and Fiona looked at him questioningly. “The easy one first: Ryann’s day off?”
“Since she is equal to us, she no longer has a set day off each tenday. She can have as many or as few as she wishes,” Fiona smiled. “Worried about one of your new wives already, husband?”
“Want to make sure I’m not breaking any Agreements,” Sean corrected her with a chuckle. “Are you feeling lonely?”
“No,” Fiona replied. “Though none of us would turn down affection or attention from you, dear heart. What is the next thing you wished to talk to me about?” Fiona crossed the small distance and hugged him.
Holding her, Sean felt a little foolish for what he was going to ask, but he pushed on. “About having four wives… how does this work?”
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