INTERLUDE EIGHT

Many men, for the most part, are lazy in bed—unless they're trying to impress, that is. Their exertions, I've noted, usually come when they're atop you; it's then that their determination—their drive, if you'll pardon the pun—is evident.

As a courtesan, I was able to observe men indulging themselves in numerous ways without having to worry about a companion's satisfaction; objects aren't partners, after all. Rarely was one concerned with my enjoyment, except as a confirmation of his own prowess. I was accustomed to doing the pleasing; my own pleasure wasn't a legitimate consideration.

Thus, the next day, when Cicero parted my legs, and his mouth touched me there for the first time, I prepared for the most cursory of explorations—the sexual equivalent of a scouting mission—before he moved onto something a little more self-, or, I hoped, mutually indulgent. Though you might find this difficult to believe, I hadn't really experienced it much: Orion men, as a rule, won’t engage in that particular act of love play, thinking it an affront to the dignity of men to so service a mere woman. Of course they have no difficulties in hypocritically requiring it of us… as Jerrell reminded me only a few weeks ago.

The first moments, though, were surprising… and encouraging. He was gentle… his tongue was long, and quite clever. I sighed, and felt myself responding with an abandon that startled me. I hoped only he would continue for a… sufficient time—if not a truly satisfying one.

I needn't have worried, on either count. He made no attempt to stop… and he was almost too subtle. The sensations were wonderfully maddening… and I very quickly found myself hovering near the brink of a culmination I craved. I heard myself moaning, and marveled that I hadn't even realized it until then. In the past, such noises had been an important part of my theatrical arsenal. Now it was just me, poised on the very edge of…

…the very edge of…

Much to my later embarrassment, and our mutual amusement, I acted: I grabbed two handfuls of Cicero’s hair and, with an urgency that garnered a muffled chuckle, jammed his head into my crotch as hard as I could. The time for teasing was over; his tongue pierced me again, and again he found the place I'd desperately wanted him to find.

This time I made certain he stayed there.

I don't remember much about the next little while. Suffice it to say that I was extremely loud… and didn't particularly care: The scouting mission had been more of a foraging expedition, I must admit…

…and a very successful one, at that.

Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six