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Gilded	By : tinkerheck Category: > Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji ???) Views: 3151 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, aka Black Butler. I make no money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
++++++++ Please see disclaimer & story notes in chapter one ++++++++

++++++++ chapter notes ++++++++

I fly beta-less. Please forgive the typos.

As always, thanks for reading.

 

+

 

Gilded

Chapter 11

 

+

I’d come back to Gilda, renewing our contract and our relationship, at one forty-six a.m. on the second-to-last day in February. She never did tell me how she got home after I abandoned her the day before, but I got the impression that she managed some excuse and asked for a ride home, probably from Fortunado, and then simply ‘dealt’ with my absence as the day went on. She confessed that towards the end of the night she had grown frantic, but still she refused to call anyone for help, except me, of course, and I’d ignored her that time. That’s when the tears began.

Shortly after one a.m. she’d had enough, and attempted to drive the limo to that little outdoor café where I’d approached her for the first time three and a half years ago. She was hoping against all odds that if she cried out for me there, I’d actually show up, and then she could slap me good for scaring her.

Gilda seemed none the worse for wear – well, aside from the bite marks that is. It was a bit unsettling for me, seeing how easily she slipped back into our routine, because I still felt terrible for what I’d done. I wanted her to slap me, so that I could beg her forgiveness, and then she could grant it.

I probably wouldn’t be so confused with this prey if she’d only just cooperate more often and treat me like what I really am – her servant. But, that is simply not her way.

The next day was a Tuesday, and she did not have classes. We were alone together most of the day, as the staff was not expected until later in the afternoon.

After fixing her hair and dressing her in clothing that covered up the bite marks, I went downstairs to clean up the kitchen, while she stayed up to “apply some make-up”. I’d found that a bit odd, considering she wasn’t going out that day, and normally when it was just the two of us she didn’t bother with anything more than skin cream.

In fact, when she finally came down she still didn’t have anything foreign on her face.

After I got her settled in the salon, I went back upstairs to clean her room while she practiced. And there I found it.

A lipstick blot!

Laid out flat on the surface of the vanity, waiting just for me… the first of its kind since last Fall.

Such love.

The lips were blood red. There were, in fact, several perfectly symmetrical impressions on this tissue; Gilda had to have re-applied the lip covering over and over, blotting each time. I had a burning desire to celebrate another victory by ejaculating all over it – my fluid on her lips, ah, symbolic though it was, just the thought of it – but I refused to soil my little treasure! So I simply wrote the date on it instead.

I memorized the pattern, then folded it carefully and placed it in my shirt pocket so that I could put it in my faux scrapbook. I was on my way to the library to put it away when I saw Gilda practicing at her piano. Not being able to stop myself, I veered from my path, walking up to her slowly until she saw me. When she stopped playing and turned to face me, I took her face in my hands without asking. I kissed her eyes, her cheeks, forehead, nose, chin – mimicking the pattern of blots she had left for me.

Ghosting my mouth over to her ear, I whispered, “Thank you, Miss.”

Do you forgive me?

I pulled back to look at her face, still captured in my hands, and she smiled.

“You’re welcome, Alex.”

You’re forgiven.

It was the first, last and only time either one of us ever acknowledged the lipstick blots as Mistress and Butler, and it was vague enough not to count as an admission. There was no mistaking, however, what that moment of affection had been about.

+

It was as though we had started over.

To be perfectly honest, I have yet to figure out what the definition of ‘our relationship’ is, but Gilda is quite happy with me, and I am happy with that, so defining what we are to each other is perhaps unnecessary – at least at this point.

Gilda is, simply, inexperienced. Not when it came – pardon the pun – to having had bed sex, because she excelled at that, thanks to her unskilled, selfish partners. And any noteworthy orgasms she had before I came along were ones that she’d accomplished on her own.

Good sex is where she is quite inexperienced. Or rather, was. Or at the very least, will be. Yes, that’s a more apt description–

Sorry! Getting ahead of myself. I have glee again, you see! I’m beginning to think that I have an addiction to that particular emotion.

As to my ‘coming along’, that was not a pun. I haven’t yet allowed myself to go so far as to experience the full pleasure of sex with her. I’ve had some lovely orgasms because of her, yes, but not with her.

Now, you probably have some questions at this point. Let me expound on a few matters:

I am certainly not holding out on her because of physical consequences. I cannot get Gilda, or any other female, or Grell Sutcliff for that matter, with child. Sorry to disappoint.

I am sterile. Probably the most sterile being you would ever encounter. No, I do not mean that I burst forth with defective semen as it were; I mean literally, that as a demon, I am sterile. Demons are not ‘born’ of sexual reproduction between demons; therefore we are incapable of reproducing.

Actually, we are born… Oh, dear. I’m getting a wee bit ahead of myself! Apologies if you were holding your breath for more information; there is no need to reveal to you how my kind come into existence.

When I care to ejaculate, it is simply a fluid that is free of genetic material. It is completely harmless. In fact, I’ve been told by humans that it tastes quite delicious. As I do not eat human food, I wouldn’t know the difference. The last time I tasted my own fluid, it had no flavor. And yes, I can bend that far. Heh.

Before you let your imagination run any further, when I referred to myself as ‘sterile’, I also meant that I am superfluously clean. When my body becomes soiled with earthly dirt and grime, naturally I will wash it to rid myself of the foreign matter. But here, I am speaking to the microcosmic. I cannot impart diseases, germs, bacteria or viruses on to humans because they simply are not there in the first place. I am a demon; no such organism can flourish upon or within my person.

I am a demon so you expect me to be riddled with pestilence? Shame on you. It is that exact brand of haughty ignorance and obtuse assumption that has defined the human race.

Just to be very clear: the reason I am not giving into that particular desire is because I still want to maintain some measure of control over our relationship. The success of the contract requires it. The demon in me demands it.

All right, it’s my goddamn pride. I will decide when and where it is going to happen. I refuse to rush into any new sexual territory with her. I will go about this properly, to maximize her enjoyment of it, despite how little time we have left together.

Her first final, for orchestra, was scheduled for next week on April fourth. We had exactly seventy-nine days left as Mistress and Butler until her piano recital on June fifteenth. I spent the first twenty-nine days of March doing four things with my Mistress:

One; driving Gilda to school, watching over her while she attends classes, and then taking her home.

Two; performing my regular buttling duties with her, waking, feeding, bathing, dressing, feeding, bathing, tucking in.

Three; conferring with the staff on Tuesdays regarding the maintenance of her finances.

Four; spending nearly every other free moment that we have been alone together getting her off.

I know, I the used the vernacular. Gilda has been ‘on my case’ to ‘loosen up’. She wants me to occasionally try speaking as though I was born sometime after nineteen fifty-five. It is quite difficult, to say the least.

In any case, I stimulate her on a regular basis. I use my hands and fingers, or I do so orally, sometimes both. Once, when we were feeling adventurous, I used a ‘sex toy’. The look of surprise on her face when she discovered that I took it upon myself to replace the one I threw away last Fall was priceless.

“Holy crap!” she cried, looking at the strange purple thing through the cellophane package and reading the description. “This one’s a ‘G-spot locator with a curved jelly tip’ and it has ‘multiple vibrating patterns’. Wow,” she said, blushing and looking up at me. “You picked this out, Alex?”

“This pleases you, Miss?”

“What, you or the toy?” She laughed. I smirked, looking in her eyes. “Yes, you please me very much. As far as this goes,” she said, tapping on the package front, “I have no idea. I’ve never looked for a G-spot before.”

“Shall we give it a go, then?”

It was a bit of fun, but we only used it once. In the end, she didn’t like the mechanical vibrations, citing that it felt ‘artificial’ and the orgasm was all too sudden.

“It was kind of confusing, actually. I wasn’t able to think about you, and that made it weird.”

Ah, my Young Miss.

I felt like writing the manufacturer with a complaint of false advertising. We never did find her ‘G-spot’ using the contraption. When we were determined to find it a few nights later, sans devices, I eventually brushed against it with the pad of my index finger, thank you very much, and I’ve been exploiting it shamelessly ever since.

We have played together like this in her bed, in the salon, in the bathtub, on the stairs, in front of a quiet fire or a noisy television, on a pile of books in the library (that was great fun; I read her poetry while pressing slow little circles on her mound). Just about the only place I’ve refused her was on the dinner table, because that’s just disgusting. And oddly enough, she has yet to approach me in my private room.

Gilda will narrow her eyes at a stray black cat in between classes at the conservatory, then casually mention to Fortunado Fernandez that she will not be joining him for lunch that day. The next thing we know, I’m meeting her at the bottom of the stairs with the limo. I break the speed limit driving to a nearby convenience store, pull into the far end of the parking lot, and join her for ‘lunch’ in the back seat. Although, the only one who actually gets to eat during such luncheons is me.

I love to take my time with her, but occasionally aggression has been more appropriate. We do this spontaneously as the mood strikes, or after planning it, or because we flirt and dance around our desire for each other for hours, until it can no longer be denied, and there we are again, reaching for each other.

Of course, while an orgasm is the final result, the real goal is always her pleasure, so I am never so crass as to simplify it. There is plenty of interaction, and while it is difficult, I hold back with my own desires. Gilda clings to me as I whisper in her ear, touch her, kiss her… smell her soul rising up to greet me every time… I stroke her back indulgently when it arches, and I know she is close…

Oh…

However, there is still the issue of my own release, and Gilda is a very determined young lady; one that is never content to rest on laurels – hers or mine. Each time I please her, she grows more curious as to why our intimacy never involves my cock.

And this is my fault. I have wasted our precious time together. If I hadn’t been so damned intent on regulating her, or so worried about her falling in love, I would have a lot more than three and a half months to nurture this rather rewarding relationship. But… well, there it is. Now that we’ve been at this for a bit, I finally understand just how much she enjoys the attention. And if her soul is brighter and clearer because of it, that only makes my prize more valuable than she already is.

You may feel I should be held accountable for teaching my Young Miss such a decadent version of carnal knowledge? I beg to differ. The young lady had it in her before we even met – and, no, I was not referring to her premature introduction to the male body at the tender age of twelve.

Honestly, don’t be so squalid.

I am talking about her appetite, which just happens to be adventurous and healthy, and perfectly normal for a human being. What sort of a butler would I be were I to deny my Mistress the courtesy of a simple little thing like magnificent sex?

Not to worry. Come Hell or high-water – preferably not the first – I will get us there.

+

On Wednesday, April fifth, Gilda’s Orchestra final came and went, with her passing it as easily as she had predicted. She and some of the other students decided to go out to eat together afterwards, to celebrate either their high marks, or simply because it was over. I bided my time, listening to the other student’s chauffeurs complain about their charges as I waited patiently in the parking lot until the festivities ended.

When I finally got her home and all ready for bed, I assumed, incorrectly, that after such a long day she would be too tired to have any fun with me.

Sitting on the edge of her bed in rose-colored pajamas, Gilda looked up at me and licked her dry lips.

“One down, two to go,” she sighed.

“Indeed. Have you been drinking tonight, Miss?”

“Not a drop.”

“Are you hungry?”

She smirked. I smirked in return.

“Famished.”

“I see. Shall we celebrate the success of your first final then?”

She tilted her head, and beamed up at me. “I think we should. It was just as much your success as it was mine.”

“Not at all.”

I stood before her and rolled my sleeves back up to my elbows. I slipped off my shoes and pushed against them roughly with one foot, hearing them slide nosily far across the floor behind me with satisfaction in my heart.

I’d polished all the hardwood floors, Walnut if you please, only just yesterday, and they had shined so bright!

I looked down at Gilda with the barest hint of a threat on my face, because I still enjoyed intimidating her now and then. And intimidating her before touching her intimately was especially nice, because it got her sopping wet.

I unbuttoned the silk pajama top. “Weren’t we just here?” she asked, voice slightly nervous.

“Yes. I thought you’d want to go right to sleep tonight,” I replied, leaning in close to her as I pulled the sleeves down her arms, and slid the garment from her body deliciously slow. “My mistake,” I whispered against her ear. Then I kissed her earlobe, and felt her shiver under my lips as I trailed more kisses down her neck.

I still make her nervous. She shivers with the slightest persuasion on my part even after all this time. If this is what it is like having a human fall in love with you, then on with the show, if you please.

Throwing her top to the floor with my shoes, I kept my eyes on hers as I leaned forward and pulled at the drawstring of her pants. She obliged me by elevating her hips so that I could slide the garment from her waist and bottom. Squatting down to remove the silk pants from her ankles, I tossed them aside with a smirk, then I stood up straight.

“Demonic tongue, or human?” I quipped.

She smiled up at me sympathetically. “Human. I know that bothers you.”

“What is it you think bothers me, Miss?”

“Well… every time you let a bit of the demon out, you get upset that I saw it. So, don’t.”

“If Miss desires it, I will persevere. I exist only to please you.”

“And it pleases me that you don’t get bothered. So stop talking about this before I get mad and then you get upset and we–“ here she wiggled her fingers in that annoying quotation mark gesture, and imitated my accent, “–‘get in a row’, and then neither one of us goes to bed happy. Not that you ever go to bed. Or get off.”

I smirked at her rare authoritative behavior. And what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, correct?

“Speaking of which, don’t demons have orgasms?”

Dammit!

“I can see you getting an erection when we play around, you know. But now that I think about it you don’t always get hard, I mean you aren’t right now, and-”

“Can we possibly put this discussion off for another time?”

“Sure,” she said, smiling up at me and shrugging.

“There’s my sweet Miss,” I said, caressing her cheek with the back of my knuckles. I got on the bed, sitting behind her on my knees. Running my fingertips up and down her arms, I gazed down at her body over her shoulder and watched with satisfaction as her nipples hardened. She leaned back and smiled up at me. I kissed her softly, then whispered, “Will you lay down for me?”

“If you take off your shirt and t-shirt, I will.”

“Miss?”

“Please, Alex?”

I sighed. “Will we forever be making deals?”

“Probably,” she said, giggling.

“All right… I will agree to my upper body being nude if you will remove the clothing yourself.”

She hesitated, but turned. Gilda was already pink in the face, and she bit her lip to keep from smiling as she began unbuttoning my shirt. It was strange how she was growing steadily bolder with her inquiries about my genitals – but never in a crude way, not like before – yet simple little things like taking off my clothes flummoxed her.

“Mistress, you are completely unabashed about your own nakedness, yet you get flustered when it comes to undressing me. I do not understand this.”

She shrugged, pulling off the shirt and adding it to the pile on the floor. “You know how I feel, Alex.”

I shook my head, smiling. “You really are a shy little thing sometimes.” It’d sounded like teasing, but I had not meant it that way.

“Don’t make fun,” she said quietly, gripping the hem of my black t-shirt and pulling it over my head.

As soon as my head and arms were free, I took her face in my hands and kissed her.

“I am not making fun,” I said against her lips, then kissed her again. “I happen to appreciate that you are slightly timid regarding our intimacy. It seems I am the only one who can provoke such reticence in you. It’s lovely.”

“Well… You’re the only person I’ve ever been in love with.”

I caressed her cheek, smiling down at her.

“Lay down, please. On your side, facing away from me.”

She lay down then, as requested, and I put a pillow under her head. Her back was to me, and I could see that she still smiled, but she looked confused as well.

This was probably due to the new position. I will have to surprise her like this more often. I enjoy variety, you see.

I took a second pillow and put it behind her thighs. Laying down behind her, on my side as well, I rested my head on the other pillow. Stroking her thigh, I was just about to lift her leg up over my shoulder so that I could begin cunnilingus, when she spoke up.

“Um… Alex? What are you doing? I thought you were setting us up for sixty-nine.”

“Oh… I don’t…”

More vernacular. Faugh!

“What is ’Sixty-nine’, Miss?”

She laughed quietly. “If we had a copy of the Kama Sutra, you’d probably be able to tell me what page it’s on. You know, two people, in our case a guy and a girl, licking and sucking, both at the same time? I can’t get at your zipper from here.” She made, I am sure inadvertently, a crude yin-yang symbol with her hands. “Sixty-nine?”

Ah.

Good Lord, you use numerical numbers to describe such a blissful act? How utterly loathsome.

And here she was again with the desire for a mutual climax! She wasn’t getting anywhere near my zipper. Not just yet.

“No. I was not planning to do that. I was simply choosing a more comfortable position on the assumption that you did not want me to rush through your oral stimulation. I have noticed, Mistress, that the slower I take it, the stronger you come for me.”

I did not simply say ‘you come’; I said ‘you come for me’, and I meant every word of that. I will claim that victory as is my right.

“Oh,” she said softly. I witnessed as magenta decorated her, everywhere, and I loved the way her blush had brought more heat to her skin. I kissed the backs of her thighs, pausing longer at each junction where they met her bottom, beckoning her soul to rise up and play with me for a bit. “Alex,” she said, laughing softly, “that tickles.”

“Apologies, Miss. There are some things I cannot resist.”

She cleared her throat delicately. “So you want this leg over you? Like this?” Lifting her leg, she draped it over my shoulder and rested it behind my head on the fitted sheet.

Ah… so flexible! I suppressed a shiver.

“Yes, just like that, Miss.” I tilted my head up. Still not close enough. I put a hand on the thigh on my shoulder and pat it gently. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind Miss Gilda, please tilt this hip back a bit, towards me.” She did so. “Yes, that’s very good.” I scooted forward until all of her sensitive bits – cleft, perineum and anus – were well within reach of my mouth.

Obviously, I would spare no expense tonight. She would be clean as a whistle!

A thought occurred to me at the last second. Sitting up slightly, I removed my tie. Grabbing her hands, I pulled both of them behind her back, and tied her wrists together.

“Kinky,” Gilda blurted, laughing.

“Find that funny, do you? All right then.”

I slipped one foot through the loop of her arms, and secured her back against my legs with her bound hands behind my knee, causing her to squeak.

“Still amusing?” I asked, inflecting Disappointed Professor into my voice.

“Yeah… Yes,” she said. She was still laughing, but there was some nervousness in her voice now, as well.

“Then let’s see if I can make you laugh even louder.”

I took my time, using only my human tongue as promised, lapping her slowly from top to bottom and back again… dipping in, twirling, tasting, wriggling, hands caressing her belly and rubbing her mound, all the things I had learned about her thus far… until her body began to tremble and I licked faster, burying my face in her folds once again, relishing the heat and all that wet, drowning in the bright flavor that is Gilda.

When she came, her back arched and she cried out. She squeezed my knee tightly against her spine with her bound hands, and she clenched the bottom sheet in her toes behind my head. My cock, which had behaved itself thus far, began to thicken with blood while I watched her passionate reaction.

After her orgasm subsided, I got my head out from between her thighs and untied her wrists. She sighed happily as she slackened all over and her upper body fell forward onto her bed.

“If that’s how you celebrate when I pass a test, Demon, I wonder what you’d do to me if I failed?” Her tired voice was muffled where her face was mashed into her pillow.

I chuckled. Getting to my knees, I reversed my position. “I advise you not to try and find out,” I said, whispering in her ear, making her giggle again.

Laying down behind her, I lifted Gilda’s torso to move the arm that was trapped beneath her side in front of her. “You are so sweet,” she murmured, “you think of everything.”

I smirked triumphantly, and pulled her body close against mine.

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

Usually after pleasuring Gilda, I retired to my room to do paperwork or read, or resumed my chores if necessary. I hadn’t stayed with her, holding her while she slept, since the night of my return. It felt so long ago, now.

“If that is your wish, yes.”

She hummed her agreement. Laying against me like that, she could feel my ebbing erection. “Alex… you’re hard,” she managed around a yawn. “Please… just let me…”

Reaching back, Gilda began to slip a hand between us. She was quite tired, but perfectly willing to help me out, the little darling. Still, I stopped her and placed her hand back on her tummy, holding it firmly there with my own.

“It will pass,” I whispered, kissing the skin behind her ear. “Go to sleep, my dear.”

+

“He’s quite creative, isn’t he?”

The second one curled his lip. “The poor, stupid girl is in love with him. He doesn’t have to be creative.”

“I know… but still, he keeps her guessing. Rather nice of him, don’t you think?” the first one asked rhetorically, sniffing the air haughtily.

“He has to go pretty far out of his way to please her.”

“No he doesn’t. She’s the type that would be thrilled if he gave her a balloon for no reason.”

“I was talking about sex. She’s rather… insatiable in that sense.” A faint smacking sound was heard as thin lips were licked. It did not escape the notice of the first one. “In any case, why should he bother? What’s the point?”

“In the first place, he enjoys his job. Second, he likes being close to his prey, and by ‘close’, I mean affectionate. He likes being close to her, and very much. Incidentally, Gilda Franks is far from stupid.”

“She’s just a silly human being.”

“So were you, once. As was I.”

“And we were both worthless wretches, just as she is, save that my soul was above average and yours was exceptional. Her soul is quite exceptional as well, and it is her only valuable trait.”

“She is a decent person. And she’s awfully good with that piano,” the first one said, sounding a bit annoyed at having to point out the obvious.

“What does that matter? It won’t change the course of human history.”

The first one sighed. “You are a passionless, cold thing, you know that? You have no heart.”

“And you did? You’re a bit of a sap now, but as I recall you were fairly heartless in your time.” The second one raised his eyebrows, looking more conceited than ever, if possible. “In any case, I don’t see the need for a heart. And I don’t see the reward in pleasing that girl as much as he does.”

“Well, if she’s a challenge, that makes it all the more interesting for him. As I told you, he’s patient. The longer it takes to get the reaction he wants, the more accomplished he feels. Besides which, look at what they are doing, will you?”

Thin lips curled again. “Yes, yes, she’s fallen asleep and he’s still holding onto her – what do they call that? Spooning?”

The first one was unable to suppress a quiet, uncharacteristic giggle. “You look like you’ve swallowed vinegar!”

“Never mind what I look like. What of–” long, elegant fingers waggled over some words – “them?”

The first one sighed, because the second one could be such a prat about certain things.

“Look. I died rather young, and I freely admit to having been a vindictive brat. My only personal experience with sex was rape… but I have been around long enough to recognize peaceful, satisfied lovers when I see them.”

“Peaceful. Hmph.” The second one sneered.

“Oh? And when was the last time you made anyone feel like that? Or felt that way in kind?”

“That is none of your business.” Glancing towards the first one’s voice, the second one closed the rather heavy book they had been reading with a sharp snap, and moved to put it back on a shelf.

“Hey – you left the damn bookmark in it. Be careful.”

The second one tried not to look chagrined and removed the tacky pink bookmark – idly wondering why something so powerful would be pink; it simply made no sense – and put the book away. Embarrassed at being caught in what could have been a very dreadful mistake, the second one changed the subject quickly.

“I admit she’s talented. Are you having second thoughts, then?”

The first one sighed, sounding quite tired.

“No. It’s still the most we can hope for, all around. You can count on me.”

+

Her Orchestra final heralded yet another schedule change, and one that I was excited about!

The day after, she took a written test in her Theory course, and that was it for her actually attending classes at the conservatory. She was expected to prepare for her last two finals on her own.

This meant, of course, more time at home.

With me.

Alone.

Such bliss… it gave me shivers just imagining all the new the things we could try together!

Gilda, along with every other senior attending the conservatory, received the specifics for their final in conducting that last day of class as well. Gilda was not thrilled with her assigned music, but as she was not majoring in conducting, she was not terribly bothered about it either. Her performance for conducting did not count towards her certificate as much as her piano recital did.

Fortunado Fernandez, however, had been very concerned. This final would influence his ability to get an apprenticeship with a major orchestra, so the piece selected was everything.

“Goody… I get to flail my arms around like a monkey since I don’t know what I am doing.”

“Then just flail your arms around like an monkey,” Fortune said, laughing. “I mean, it’s In the Hall of the Mountain King! Just go with it, Gillie.”

She winced. “Are you upset with what they gave you?”

The boy frowned, considering her words. “No… not really. I don’t really like that piece personally. But conducting is my declared major. That they gave me something so hard kind of says good things, right? Because if they had given me something easy…”

“Ah… You mean like In the Hall of the Mountain King?” Gilda asked him with a cheeky, flirty tone.

He smirked at her. “Hey, that may be an obvious piece, and it’s been over-used for all sorts of silly crap… But you’re going to have to do a bit more than just flail around, little girl.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I get to be all dramatic and imposing. God, Forch, how do you take it? All those people are looking at you, then you turn and face the orchestra, and then all those people are looking at you! Yuck!”

He shrugged. “I suppose I’ve always seen orchestral performance as a big puzzle, and I get to move the pieces. It intrigues me.”

I had been arranging their coffee, tea and goodies in the salon while listening to their conversation. Handing Fortunado a cup of tea, I decided to join the conversation.

“If I may ask, Mr. Fernandez, what piece did they assign you?”

“They gave me part of the Rite of Spring – do you know that one, Alex?”

“Intimately,” I said, having been present at the actual première in nineteen hundred and thirteen, about six months after I ate Louis DeBrena’s soul. Stravinsky’s introduction of this famous ballet to the public was not as nearly as riotous as the current account claims. It was far worse. To this day, it remains one of the highlights of my long life when masquerading as a human.

“Which part, specifically, did you get?”

“Well, they only require a short demonstration of our skills, so I got The Ritual of Abduction in the first part.” He winced.

“Oh, dear. You are correct, that will not be easy.”

“Alex, he’s nervous enough.”

“Yes, I can see that. But you are also quite talented, Mr. Fernandez.” I handed Gilda her coffee, and set the tray of goodies on the table in front of the couch they were sitting on, positioning the savory ones in front of Gilda, and the sweet, by Fortunado. “With some practice, I am sure you will be marvelous.”

“Yeah, but… we have no way to practice except in front of a mirror. They want this raw, the bastards,” Gilda groused.

“Hm… They have given you the layout of the orchestra?”

“Yes. We all got it,” Fortune said.

“May I see this?”

He handed me his copy, and I looked it over briefly before saying, “Leave it to me.”

As I left them in the salon and headed for the basement stairs, I heard Fortunado say to my Mistress, “What’s he gonna do?” and she responded with, “I dunno, but it’s sure to be good.”

Within an hour, I requested they both accompany me to the basement, where I had transformed the dance floor into a fake symphony orchestra based on the layout the students had been given, using everything from furniture to clothes on hangers to appliances. Their assigned music was cued up into the bar’s ‘CD’ player, and they were off.

Their first final was done, and all their structured classes were over. They had a month to go before they would conduct in front of an actual orchestra. I was ordered to leave the dance floor as is, with Fortune dropping by to use it. Not only was he able to hone his own performance, but he gave Gilda a few tips so that she was not simply ‘flailing around like a monkey’.

Over the next weeks, more of Gilda’s friends in their senior year came over and used the set-up I created as well. She and I had to curtail a few of our spontaneous encounters, but Gilda, sacrificial soul that she truly is, allowed this. In the end she was happy to have helped them, so I was all right with the interruptions. I was shocked at how much pressure these children were under. Some of them were so grateful they cried.

After one long afternoon of Gilda and Fortune practicing, they decided to splash around in the pool for a few hours before he headed home. I encouraged this; if the nerves she had for this final were any indication, it was evident to me that Gilda was going to go overboard practicing for her piano recital.

I acted as lifeguard as they splashed about, then joined them in the pool with a stopwatch as they raced doing laps. I didn’t actually need the timepiece, but I pretended to for the boy’s sake. That escalated to me attempting to teach Fortunado how to jack-knife off the diving board, while Gilda sat in a lawn chair and watched us, worn-out and giggling.

There was some hands-on during his lesson. His skin is almost as nice to touch as Gilda’s.

Later, when it was time for him to go home, I could tell she wanted me to leave them alone, so I nodded to her politely as she took the jacket I offered her and I shut the door behind them. They leaned against his car, having a friendly chat.

“Man, that was fun. We really need to take more breaks like that. Next time it’s video games at Uncle Rafe’s all right?”

“It’s a date!”

“Alex was great in there. He really knows a lot about everything, doesn’t he?”

“You got a crush on him, don’t you Forch?”

The boy smiled, blushed, and looked down. “Damn. Am I that transparent?”

“Don’t worry, I doubt he noticed,” she lied smoothly, saving the boy’s pride.

“Christ, Gillie, he is completely hot.”

She shook her head, smiling down at the ground. “I know.”

“How do you take it, being around him all day?”

“I guess… I just try to think of him as my butler, and leave it at that,” she said, lying even more. “Even though he has beautiful eyes and really nice shoulders.” Back to the truth. Gilda was staring at the window I was standing at, and I saw her swallow hard. She knew I was there.

“Well, however you deal with his hotness, you depend on him like you should, and he’s been good for you. All this,” the boy gestured at the house, “It’s all been good for you.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it worked out well.”

“You’ve even got better at the piano, when I thought you couldn’t.”

“Always room for improvement, right?”

“Seriously, Gills, listen to me…” He turned to face her, and took one of her hands. “Someday, when you’re famous, and I’m probably the alternate conductor of a semi-decent symphony–”

“Oh! Semi-decent, my ass. You’ll get Budapest or San Francisco at the very least. Maybe even Cleveland, and you’ll be the lead within five years.”

He took her other hand and rubbed them between his, fending off the cold. “Well… Budapest, maybe, but Cleveland? That’s aiming pretty high.”

“Not too high for you. You’ve improved tons, just practicing here, I’ve seen it. And that’s saying something, considering how hard the piece they gave you is.”

“Ugh. One minute and twenty seconds of sheer Hell.”

I winced, but Gilda took it all in stride.

“Trust me,” she said sarcastically, “two minutes is more than enough.”

“Huh?”

“…Nothing. It’s… just a final, Fortune. This isn’t even close to Hell.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Anyways, my old pal Gilda Franks, the virtuoso who has a recording deal and sets her price? Well, she’s going to have a concert somewhere huge, and she’ll invite me and my orchestra to come play with her.”

Gilda looked at her friend. Her expression was filled with many fleeting emotions, including a tiny bit of regret. There was a pit in my stomach.

“You’re gonna be amazing, Gillie,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. “When we get out there… you know, when we’re professionals? You’re going to blow everyone away.”

My Miss looked long at him, and frowned, trying not to cry.

“Hey, what? What is this? What did I say? Oh, Gillie, c’mere.”

Fortunado Fernandez took my Mistress into his arms and held her tight. I saw her resisting his embrace at first, her body language stiff and defensive. However, I had a feeling the boy was used to this reaction from her, as he patiently waited for her to relax, and she finally leaned into him.

“That’s better, stupid. I’m right here.”

She smiled, and I was instantaneously jealous.

“Where? Where shall we do that, Fortune? Tell me. Give me the whole picture.” Her voice was watery with emotion, but remarkably, she was not crying.

“Carnegie Hall, of course. And we’ll do Mozart. Oh! And Liszt!”

Gilda poked him in the ribs, and he yelped.

“Franzie? You’d do that to me? Gah, horrible!”

“But you love Liszt!”

“I love listening to him, yeah. He’s a pain in the ass to play.”

“You get off on it, and you know it.”

They giggled together, sounding like one unit. Some time passed, him just holding her and her allowing it, before he finally spoke again.

“Look, whatever happens… wherever we end up, just know that I love you, Gillie. I never would have made it without you.”

“I love you too, Fortune. You’re my family.”

“And Uncle Rafe?”

“Uncle Rafe, too. Of course, silly.”

“And Alex,” the boy said, and my ears perked up. “Alex is family, too.”

Gilda paused, and a smile crept over her face very slowly.

“And Alex.”

+

“Were you listening?” she asked me, quietly and with no venom.

“I was.”

From where I stood at the foot of the stairs, I watched patiently as she started to remove her jacket. I came to her instantly. Removing her jacket for her, I hung it back up in the closet and she turned to face me.

“You’ll lock up? I can’t figure out that… stuff,” she said, waving a hand at the monitors, alarm panel and various door locks.

Oh, I still turned it on. I also changed the password twice a day and never counted on it as working properly. Never again.

“Leave it to me, Miss,” I said, setting the lot.

She smiled at me. We stood and faced each other in the dim light of the foyer. The house was quiet and we spoke in hushed tones.

“I hope I haven’t offended? That I was eavesdropping?”

“No.” She smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t mind you listening. Thanks for letting me be alone with him for a few minutes.”

“Not at all, Miss. The boy is very important to you. He said some nice things.”

She looked down, frowning slightly. “He did. Some very nice things.”

I hid the turmoil that was brewing inside me. I stepped forward and put a finger under her chin, gently lifting her face, making her eyes meet mine. I asked the question that was buzzing, screaming at me, in my head.

“Has Miss changed her mind? About the contract?”

Gilda bit her lip, drawing her eyebrows together.

“I won’t deny that I’ve thought about it. I’m going to miss out on a lot of things.”

I felt my insides drop all the way to the Eastern hemisphere. And yet, her continuing on… becoming more than she already is… that idea excited me as well.

If only I wasn’t so goddamn hungry.

“But… none of this would have happened for me if you hadn’t come along. I would have died in that alley. I wouldn’t have had the chance to finish school, and I wouldn’t have…”

She stopped, looking down again.

“Wouldn’t have what, Mistress? Please tell me.” I took her face in both of my hands then.

“Nothing. It’s not important right now. A deal is a deal, Alex. So, no, I don’t want to break the contract.”

“I’m… I’m not sure…”

Gilda’s eyes got wide, and she pushed my hands away from her face, forcing herself into my arms and hugging me tight around the waist.

“You are not allowed to leave me again. Ever. That is an order. Do I make myself clear?”

I finally put my arms around her as well, and sighed.

“I am not going anywhere, Miss. I will be with you until the very end.”

“Promise?”

“Of course, Miss. I promise.”

We stayed like that for a bit, just holding each other, then she yawned, and I picked her up in my arms and carried her up to her bedroom. After all the practicing and swimming, Gilda was very tired, so this time I just dressed her and tucked her in. As I sat next to her on the bed, Cat and one of her kittens came in and joined us. She climbed into on my lap, getting a thorough stroking.

Gilda pet the kitten as it fell asleep, purring away on her tummy. It was one of the male bluish kittens. He had taken a fancy to sleeping on Gilda’s bed recently, and she had named him Ink.

We chatted quietly for a bit before falling silent.

“Do you swing both ways, Alex?” she finally asked, breaking the quiet.

“Pardon…?”

“Dear god, you really don’t know that one? Bisexual?”

“Ah. I see. Well… yes, I suppose I am.”

“So… the stuff you do with me, you’ve done with your other contracts, and some of them were men?”

“Yes. I’ve gone much further than we have, with both women and men.” She nodded. “Does this offend you, Miss Gilda?”

“Um… let’s see. Are you asking if I’m offended because there have been other humans besides me that you have been intimate with? Or that there were men among them?” She smirked, continuing, “Or… that you haven’t gone that far with me as of yet?”

“All that, I suppose.”

“None of that, I suppose…” she said quietly, and I smiled at her vague answer. “But Fortune likes you,” she said. Gilda grinned, looking away.

“I know. I can smell it.”

“Don’t hurt him.”

“I have no intentions of even touching him. Not–”

“I’m just saying, I won’t mind. But don’t hurt him.”

“Miss would be jealous. And I would be upset with myself for causing that.”

“I can’t do anything to change your preferences, Alex.”

“Allow me to clarify. He is a very attractive young man. Just as you are a very attractive young woman. And my preference is to simply be attracted.”

She nodded again, but did not respond.

“But none of that matters in light of your fierce little soul. Fortune is a decent fellow, but he cannot compare. At present, Miss, my only attraction is you. I am too enthralled with both your soul and figuring out your intricate puzzles, so there will be no others. Not until our contract is completed.”

Gilda seemed to be happy with that answer.

“You know, even soaking wet in the pool you still smell like cedar to me.”

I didn’t want to push her. I didn’t want to have to ask… But, oh, I wanted to know.

“Cedar? You really like that smell, don’t you?”

Gilda eyed me. “You want to know why, don’t you?”

I smiled, reaching out to tuck some hair behind her ear. “If Miss is willing to tell me, I will give her my undivided attention.”

She smiled. “Okay. But it’s not all that glamorous a story,” she winced. “To be honest, it’s not even a happy one.”

I stayed silent, giving her the time she needed.

“When I was little… and Veronica and I lived in that shitty tenement-style apartment that I’ve told you about? That was where I learned to dislike insects.”

Cat had fallen asleep on my lap, and I leaned forward slightly, being careful not to disturb my precious baby, so that I could take one of Gilda’s hands in my own. She smiled up at me, and continued.

“It was... what’s the word. Infested? Cockroaches, spiders. We were lucky there weren’t any pets allowed in the building, or there’d have been fleas, too. But the bed bugs. They were the worst. I kept them very healthy. And you know how sensitive my skin is, right?”

“Happily, yes I do.”

“Me, too,” she said softly. “I’d wake up at night, from the crawling or the biting. Screaming, of course, get them off, get them off–”

“Ah… last November?”

“Taking my shirt off while I sleep. Yeah, I lied to you, Alex. It’s not the heat. It’s ‘cause of the bugs, and that night I was drowned… well, it just all came back to me. I’m… sorry I wasn’t upfront with you about this.”

“And I am sorry I did not come to your side, immediately, when you woke up screaming. Very poor form for a loyal butler.”

She paused. “I was pretty mad at you.”

I tilted my head at her. “You had every right to be, Miss.”

Of all times to do it, Gilda blushed. I am never going to figure her out.

“Of course, Veronica was passed out or too drunk to come to me when I screamed. But I stopped just as soon as I woke up the neighbors, ‘cause they pounded on those damn paper-thin walls, yelling that they were gonna come in there and ‘fuck me up’ if I didn’t quiet down. I was only six. It was pretty scary.”

“I can only imagine, my dear.”

“My piano teacher at grade school was still the one tutoring me at the time, and she didn’t want my skills to suffer during summer break, so she gave me lessons in her home. Then one day in August, it was just too hot outside, and not thinking, I put on a pair of shorts before going to my lesson.”

“Miss?”

“I usually wore long pants, even in summer, to hide the bites. They were particularly bad on my legs and butt.” I frowned. Bed bugs were not the most frightening insect to humans, hands down that was the spider. But bed bugs were thirsty. All the time. “Anyway, she saw them, and asked about it...” She shook her head, “and I told her the truth.”

“You don’t think that was the right thing to do?”

“No, it was right, but Miss Waters-Mason… that was her name, with a hyphen, right?” Gilda yawned. “Us kids had trouble pronouncing it so we called her Watermelon. She loved it.” Gilda laughed. “Jeez, I just remembered that, just now. Hah.”

I smiled at her. Hopefully she’d finished the tale before she drifted off.

“Watermelon felt compelled to help me after that. She even mentioned adopting me at one point, but I was terrified, you know, that my mother might get pissed and screw it up out of some kind of revenge, and then there’d be no more piano for Gillie. To tell you the truth, I never even told Veronica about being able to play because of that. I was always scared she was going to find a way to take it away from me, so she died never knowing.”

“I might have said that it’s amazing your mother never found out, but…”

“Yeah, it never occurred to her to snoop for something like that, because it wasn’t about her. Anyhow, I made Watermelon promise she wouldn’t go through with it, but at least she tried to help with the bugs. She gave me lotion that was supposed to help keep them off – smelled like shit and didn’t help.”

“I’m afraid no fragrance can mask your soul from such creatures.”

I knew she didn’t like bugs because they seemed to bite her more often than they did other people. It was probably true; such creatures are drawn to a sweet-smelling soul like Gilda’s. Cat and her kitties adore her for no apparent reason, and vicious stray dogs will wag their tails and sit at her feet like submissive puppies begging for her soft hands to touch.

“You mean they can smell me too?”

“Yes. Like my kind, they just know.”

“Gross!” She shivered, and I squeezed her hand.

“There are no bugs in this manor, Miss Gilda. You have my word.”

She smiled then, very happy. “I know. I haven’t been bitten once since we contracted.”

“That’s not entirely accurate… I bit you.”

“That doesn’t count, Alexander. I wanted you to, and it was fun.”

“Yes. It certainly was.”

She blushed again.

“One day after that, I decided to go through Watermelon’s sheet music so I could surprise her by playing something new. I pulled open a drawer, and there was a little wooden ball in the drawer with the music, rolling around on the papers. When I picked it up, it smelled strong. I took it into her kitchen where she was pouring us some lemonade, and asked her about it. She said it was cedar wood, and it kept away the moths. So my little brain started thinking…”

“That it might keep away the other bugs as well?”

“Yeah. She gave me a bag of them and told me to put them in with my socks and underwear. I took them home, and put a few in with my socks, but most of them… Well, I put them in the bed with me.”

“But it didn’t work?”

“No, it didn’t. But I really liked how it smelled. And it reminded me of being with Watermelon, and sheet music, which were two things that made me happy. So cedar is a good smell for me.”

“My goodness. And I smell like this?”

“…Yes.” Another blush. “Um… is that on purpose?”

Not that I could lie to her even if I’d wanted to, but after such a confession, she deserved the truth. “I wish I could tell you no, but it is. My kind tends to smell different to each person we contract with, and it is always appealing to them.”

“Oh, I see.” She shrugged. “But… you smell like cedar and you do keep the bugs away.” She yawned, growing sleepier by the second. “That’s pretty good, Alex.”

“Anything to please my Miss,” I said. Nudging Cat gently, my beauty woke up and leapt off my lap. I stood up and tucked Gilda in, and Ink never even woke up. A smart cat – he knew a good thing when he was laying on top of it.

I took my time kissing Gilda goodnight, savoring the feel of her sweet, drowsy lips as they mingled with my own. Then I wished her pleasant dreams and turned off her lamp, leaving her for the night. I kept at the ready, expecting her to revert to sleep-stripping, but she didn’t. Not even after that long discussion.

As I sat in my room, Cat climbed back in my lap once more, and I contemplated all that Gilda had told me. I found myself getting angry at the human race again. Bugs… biting her tiny young body, crawling on her at night… Life with her fool of a mother had been difficult enough, but no child deserves to grow up with that.

My poor Miss… All this and she still managed to climb up out of that pit on her own. What a worthy soul she was. I was lucky to have her.

+

A few days later I was washing the evening dishes, absently listening to Gilda as she practiced at the piano in the salon. I was so content with my task and the warm sudsy water and shiny pots and pans… I found myself daydreaming about my Mistress, Cat and the kittens, our contract, Gilda’s pinker parts, so many good things to think upon, that I hadn’t even noticed the piano playing had suddenly stopped at least five minutes previous. I rinsed the drinking glass I was holding and placed it in the drying rack. I was about to dry off my hands to pop into the salon and see if she needed me for anything, when I suddenly felt her presence behind me in the kitchen.

“Mistress, to what do I owe the pleasu–” I began, then huffed out a startled breath as she’d wrapped her arms around me suddenly, hugging me around my waist while I still faced a sink full of dirty dishes.

“Miss?”

I looked down to see her hands balled into fists as she held on to me tight, with her face – so warm, too warm actually – pressed against my back, her forehead just reaching my shoulder blades.

“Are you ill?” I asked, feeling that dreadful panic again.

“No, I’m…” she sniffed again, and I felt the moisture of tears and a runny nose seeping through my shirt. “I’m fine.” She hugged me tighter, and I placed a wary hand, still wet from the dishwater, on one of hers.

“Why are you crying? What has upset you?”

“I’m not upset,” she said, still sniffling. She wasn’t wailing, she was just… I wasn’t really sure what she was doing.

Gilda turned her face into my back, inhaling sharply as if to sob, then she turned her face to the opposite side. “I’m not upset,” she said again, whispering. “Just be quiet.”

I frowned. But, I would comply. “Of course, Miss.”

She went on hugging me for at least two minutes, and I did not ask her more questions. I didn’t say a thing, per her request. Where my hand had touched one of hers, I stroked her skin reassuringly from her balled fist to her elbow and back, not knowing what else to do, but not content to simply do nothing. She whimpered once or twice, but little else in the way of sound came out of her, save the sniffling.

It is very vexing, being desperate to help someone so important and not knowing how.

Frustrated, I was about to turn around and pick her up, press her to me, hug her, scold her, kiss her, whatever it took so that she’d stop making that awful, silent noise, when her hold on me suddenly relaxed. One hand fell away, and came to rest on my back next to her face.

The other, still in a fist, leaned on the narrow band of countertop that was between my body and the stainless steel basin. Her fist opened, and when she pulled her hand away, a small wooden heart, about two centimeters wide, lay before me on the countertop. The scent of cedar drifted up to my nose.

Ever so gently, Gilda pushed herself off of me and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me to my dishes.

+

I’d ordered them off of the internet, you know, damn useful thing that ‘the web’ is.

A few days after she’d revealed her carefully guarded secret, I had intended just to find plain round balls of cedar, and toss a few in her sock drawer, as a treat that she may discover one day… maybe putting a smile on that pretty face of hers. But the variety of available items was stunning, and it opened up the opportunity to make this a very special gesture indeed.

There were a multitude of carved shapes and sizes, as well as pretty sachets with cedar shavings in them, statues, clothes hangers, ‘simmering’ potpourri and the like. I spent over two hundred dollars, and I requested absolutely, positively, overnight delivery.

I put miniature carved cats and kittens in her sock drawer, and winking smiley faces in with her panties and brassieres. I replaced all her hangers with finely crafted ones made of cedar, and I hung sachets in her closet as well.

Exquisitely carved maple leaves were scattered in the drawers of her vanity. Then in the basement, I put stars in the chest of drawers in her private changing room. In the library, I left small statues in various inconspicuous spots throughout, on the desks and tables and lamp stands… Buddhas and Paleolithic Venus figurines, Dionysus (of course) and sweet bunny rabbits, all never too large to be obvious, and each as fragrant as the last.

Finally, saving the best for last… Gilda kept her sheet music in an ornate cabinet, a rare piece of antique furniture I’d located that had been crafted for just that purpose (I still had no idea what was in the piano bench; an order is an order after all). I put some fragrant pieces of cedar in each narrow drawer, lovingly scattered across the staff paper, just as her elementary school music teacher had done. Only these were sweet little hearts. It was the only place she could have gotten the one now sitting before me on the sink.

These things had arrived yesterday, and I had put them in all of their proper places last night, even replacing the clothes hangers, while she’d slept. She had definitely been in every one of the rooms I just mentioned since that morning, so I had no doubt the hearts were not the first pieces she had found.

I had expected her to be happy about what I’d done… but I had not expected such an outpouring of emotion.

I stared down at the heart, at a loss for words. All this time I’d underestimated just how wretched my Mistress’ early life was, and I’d learned that lesson when she finally told me what the smell of cedar had meant to her only a few days previous.

Truthfully, I hadn’t intended for this to happen between us, not ever – one’s duties as a butler are what they are, and one does not expect thanks from one’s employer. All I had done was pay attention to her, and that’s it. From my point of view, I hadn’t done anything that remarkable. My mistress had shared a painful secret with me, and I’d listened, and then I reacted.

But I will not lie. Her silent admission had revealed just how grateful she was, and it made me feel spectacular.

Gilda was sure to graduate, with some of the highest honors the conservatory had ever seen, no doubt. Together we would complete this contract. I was hungrier than ever, yet I found myself beginning to regret the fact that our time together was coming to an end, and June would be upon us all too quickly…

+

On the first Tuesday in May, Gilda was feeling anxious. It was bad enough that she no longer had classes; as much as that girl doesn’t care to socialize, being without the structure of organized learning in a classroom was making her a bit stir crazy. The conducting final was only two weeks away, but even that did not have her as wound up as this.

She was waiting, and no longer patiently, to hear back from the board as to whether or not her composition had been accepted for her final recital. Seniors were told they would be given personal notice starting Monday. Here it was late in the afternoon on Tuesday, and she still hadn’t received word. She was muttering to herself, looking out of the front windows and checking her voice mail on her cell phone every fifteen minutes. And the longer the day wore on, the crankier she became.

On any other day, I’d have given her something savory to get her mind off of things, like oral sex followed by nachos in bed, but it was a Tuesday and the staff was in, doing whatever it was that they did. From what I could tell, their time here consisted of fifteen minutes conferring together on Gilda’s money, then Uncle Rafael went off to cook, and Michael and Evelyn got lost in our library or went swimming. I didn’t interfere. They had it under control.

It would have been rude and suspicious just to toss them out. But then I made the mistake of telling Gilda that she either needed to find a way to relax, or should go practice. She got a bit upset by that, so I wandered off to my private room and tried to stay out of her way, resigning myself to organizing some paperwork at my desk.

Within fifteen minutes she lumbered in to my room, tossed herself on my couch and sighed loudly. I set down my pencil and addressed her.

“Mistress?”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“Apology accepted. And I am sorry I can’t seem to relieve your anxiety about the recital. Is there anything I can do for you?”

She lolled her head over and gave me a sarcastic frown. “I doubt that’s feasible while the staff is here, Alex.”

“Ah. I see.” She eyed me further, and I have to admit that I love the way she glares at me.

All we needed was ten minutes of privacy, and then she could soak in a bathtub while I got back to work.

I got up from the desk chair and began walking to the door of my room. I could feel her tracking my movements as I grasped the handle of the door and began to close it. Before it was fully shut, Gilda sat up on the couch and spoke.

“Leave it open some.”

I paused. “Miss wishes to live dangerously?”

“I can be quiet if you can.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “That is a bet I will participate in.”

She pat the cushion next to her. “Come sit here, on the couch.”

I obliged, sitting down next to her, close enough that my trousers were touching her jeans, thigh against thigh. We sat like that in silence for a moment, neither one trying anything, before I finally spoke.

“Miss? Did you want me to–”

“Hush,” she said, whispering. “Quiet, remember?”

I nodded. Leaning towards her, I placed a hand on one side of her face and whispered in her ear on the other.

“Miss is fretting over her recital piece still?” She nodded, her cheek rubbing against mine. “You are a bundle of nerves today,” I said, then kissed the corner of her eye. “What about your conducting final next week? Does that not have you concerned?”

She leaned back, putting a hand on my shoulder for balance. “I’ll worry about that five minutes before I go on. The recital is more important.” Gilda looked at me and smiled, then she stood up abruptly. She pivoted, and balancing one hand on my right shoulder, she sat down in my lap with no warning.

She grabbed each hand, and removed my gloves on at a time, whispering, “First things first,” before tossing them on the floor. “That’s better,” she said slyly.

Gilda watched me as she took one of my index fingers into her mouth and started sucking on it softly. I am sure my face registered the shock I was feeling, as I saw a smile grow on her face. My finger was deep in her mouth before she pulled it out slowly. She moved on to the next two, my middle and ring fingers, and put them both into her mouth at the same time.

I closed my eyes and tried not to get too excited.

She pulled those two fingers from her mouth, very slowly, then gave each tip a sweet kiss. Gilda licked her lips and leaned up to my ear, whispering. “Is that enough?”

I tilted my head, trying and failing to get my ear away from her warm, moist lips. “Enough what, Miss?”

“Are two of your fingers enough for me to practice with? Or should I use three?”

Oh gods…

“Miss, you do not have to–”

“All right, if you aren’t going to tell me, I’ll just figure it out myself,” she whispered.

Gilda put a soft hand onto my crotch, and squeezed. I gasped quietly.

Her touch was gentle, nothing like the harpy that felt me up in February. Never taking her hand from me, she repositioned herself to where she was straddling my thighs.

“I think the Butler likes that,” she teased softly, and all that did was make it worse. “Oh, my. He really likes that.” One hand became two, and the next thing I knew, she was squeezing and rubbing with one hand and cupping my testicles with the other. The thin fabric of my trousers and boxer shorts was the only thing separating our skin.

She kissed the underside of my jaw, working her way up to my ear. “I definitely think three fingers,” she said, quiet and sweet. I became light headed, and I realized that the blood in my brain was headed straight for her hands. When the fingers of both her hands reached for my belt buckle and began undoing things, I grabbed her wrists – gently, gently – and stilled her by holding her hands against my chest.

“Please don’t do that,” I said, as nicely as possible.

She eyed me, then her shoulders sagged.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t get this. Don’t you want me to make you feel as good as you make me feel?”

“That isn’t an issue. And I do feel good, every time I bring you to climax.”

“Can’t I at least touch you?”

Again. Again, again, again, she is messing with my plans. She is not going to take this away from me. She will not.

“I’d rather you didn’t do that, Miss.”

“Alex, honestly… You do come… right?”

“This is going to be a point of contention with you, isn’t it?”

“Alexander Michaelis, I order you to tell me whether or not demons have orgasms,” she hissed.

“Frequently,” I said tightly.

“So, what? Just not now?” She asked, pulling her hands out from between mine. Her face was twisted into sarcastic disappointment.

“Lower your voice, Miss.” She opened her mouth to say something else, thought better of it, then crossed her arms angrily. “Miss Gilda,” I said gently, picking her up from my lap and setting her back on the couch. “Please, I know you are anxious today, but do not let that influence things between us. I do not wish to taint our–”

“Forget it,” she barked, getting up to leave.

Angry, I stood up and grabbed the sleeve of her top, pulling hard until she stopped in her tracks. Yanking on her arm to get her to face me, I felt my eyes glowing with hellfire.

“You are rushing things,” I said through clenched fangs.

At first I thought she was frightened, the way her face twisted and her eyes grew glassy with tears. But then she spoke.

“Forty-three days, Alex.”

Eventually, I relaxed my grip on her sleeve, and my hand fell away.

So she’s counting as well.

“That’s all I have left. You’ll go on living – forever, I guess. But all I have left is forty-three days.” Tears spilled out of her eyes and she brushed them away roughly. “I know you aren’t in love, but you don’t even… y-you won’t let me…”

All right… So, there are some things even I can’t refuse.

I sped past her, moving too fast for her to see, and closed the door to my room, locking it for good measure. Before she could even gasp, her upper arms were in my hands and I loomed before her. My eyes were still demonic, but my gaze was gentle. I pulled Gilda to me and kissed her soundly.

She relaxed into me immediately, and I noted with satisfaction that it took a hell of lot longer for her to relax with her friend Fortunado the other night when he’d held her.

That is because she is my Miss.

When I cupped my hands under her cheeks and lifted her off her feet, her arms wound around my neck, and one leg lifted until she locked her foot around the back of my knee. Gilda sighed deeply into my mouth, sounding relieved and thrilled, both at the same time.

My hands still cupped her backside. I gripped her cheeks through her jeans, then slipped one hand down between them, rubbing the crotch of her jeans with my long fingers. She squeaked, and I felt her sex getting warmer and heavier by the second. Gilda’s body tensed with excitement. Supporting her weight with my hand cupping her crotch, I slid my other hand under the back of her top, relishing the feel of all that smooth skin that I love so much. Grabbing the hem, I quickly pulled the top over her head and removed the garment, exposing a lacy, purple bra. I kissed the top of one breast, and gave her sex a good squeeze, finding she was already wet under the fabric. Gilda gasped and her eyes clenched shut–

“Alex, oh–”

No. No talking. I kissed her instead, more aggressively than I’d ever done before. Gilda gripped the back of my head with both hands, pulling and tangling my hair in her fingers.

I was hard within seconds. She felt it, too, and her hips bucked forward into mine, a natural, wonderful response.

I managed to move us back onto the couch. As I kneeled sideways on the cushions, I laid Gilda down beneath me, breaking our kiss. She moaned softly, pulling me down to her. She kissed me again, open-mouthed and erotic, and I felt like the sensations in mouth had a direct line of communication to my cock. I grew even harder, and my hips moved of their own accord, pushing my sex into hers, mimicking what she’d just done to me.

I kissed my way down to her breasts, and when I encountered the bra, I bit through the center of it and pushed it out of the way, not even bothering to see if there had been a clasp in front. Taking a nipple into my mouth, I heard her breathe in sharply, then she whispered the name she’d given me.

This isn’t the way I wanted this to go, I thought. There was supposed to be soft candlelight and a bed and no need for privacy…

Those thoughts were trying to fight their way to the front of my brain, but then Gilda’s hot little hands were between us, pulling the hem of my shirt from my trousers and pushing it and my t-shirt up to get at the flesh of my stomach. She stroked my taut abdominal muscles and sighed as I suckled her nipple until it was as hard as a stone.

Her hands reached my belt, but she whined softly as she fumbled with the buckle’s clasp.

I sat up slightly, pulling my mouth from her nipple, and gently pushed her hands out of the way. The pink fire in my eyes was reflected in hers as she looked up at me. I was rapt; the need on her face was so beautiful.

I ripped my belt off in one smooth motion and tossed it across the room. I had six more of them, one for each day of the week, so it hardly mattered that number seven was now in shreds.

I returned my hands to her body, unbuttoning her jeans and pulling the zipper down. I rubbed her mound once through the fabric of her panties, and she gasped. I smiled at this reaction, but decided her body should get a little bit more attention before I jumped right into her privates.

Her stomach trembled when I touched it. My hands followed my lips, as I kissed and touched my way back up to her mouth. I dragged my thumbs across the dark pink points of her nipples, kissing each one, then smoothed my palms up her neck, finally taking her face in my hands. As I leaned over to kiss her, I felt her hands return to my clothing.

Gilda unbuttoned my trousers and pulled the zipper down. Pushing the fabric aside, she stroked my hardened sex through my silk boxers, and I thought my brain was going to melt. Breaking from our kiss, she spoke against my lips.

“Alex, will you?” She swallowed hard. “Please?”

“On you, in you, whatever Miss wishes,” I said quickly, kissing her hard.

She breathed faster, and slipped a hand under the waistband of my boxers. Her fingertips slid along my cock, just tentative little touches… until she wrapped her hand around me and held me there gently.

“Your skin is on fire,” she whispered, closing her eyes and tightening her grip on me just the slightest amount. “It’s hot… smooth,” she breathed.

“Ah... Mistress is so considerate.”

Releasing her face, I grabbed her jeans by the waistband and pulled them down past her hips. Gilda slipped her other hand into my boxers, and explored the rigid head of my penis with the pads of her fingers. I pulled her panties down, exposing her–

Something beeped. I froze. Gilda froze. It beeped again.

“No…” I said, my voice laced with lethal disappointment. I looked up, narrowing my eyes at the bank of monitors on the wall next to my door.

“What?” Gilda whispered.

“Someone’s at the front gate,” I ground out. I looked back down at Gilda. She whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

“No no no no no!” I thought she might start crying. “I don’t fucking believe this.”

As efficiently as possible with my shaking hands, I pulled her panties and jeans back up, buttoning her pants and closing her zipper. She grunted and gasped as sensitive, excited flesh was re-packed into her jeans, which were now tighter than before we’d started. Kissing her forehead, I reluctantly left her heated body and stood up, moving to the control panel of the alarm system.

“Well now. It’s Dean Manners, come to call.” I looked back at Gilda, smirking.

“Holy crap!”

She got up from the couch, and began searching for her top. I did the same with my own clothes, only I moved much faster. By the time she was slipping her top back over her head, I was fully dressed and running my hands through my hair to smooth it back into place, although my erection was still firmly in place and my trousers had an obvious bulge in them.

“Well,” I started. “I’ll see to this. Who knows what disaster awaits if I let our staff greet him.”

“Aw… dammit, Alex,” Gilda whined, clearly upset by the interruption.

“I know,” I sighed, pulling her against me and kissing the side of her head. “I am sorry, my dear.” The fact of the matter is, if we hadn’t been interrupted, I would’ve been buried to the hilt in her by now.

“We better get down there,” she said. “He’s got the fate of my recital in his hands, no doubt.”

“At least you’ll get some sort of relief today. But give me a moment, will you?” I tensed, and closed my eyes to concentrate while I re-directed the blood in my cock to other areas until it contained a normal amount and I was mercifully flaccid once again. It was not easy, and was actually quite taxing and painful, especially when I was that far along… but pain and I, well, as you know we have a rather special relationship.

I’d have preferred to let the turgid flesh calm down on its own, or even used ice (a method I was now a ‘pro’ at) as I’d done before – well, I’d have preferred to have come inside my Miss like a raging bull – but we didn’t have time for that. I’d be paying for such an expenditure of my energy later, though, and would probably need to sleep for a few minutes to replenish my strength.

Or I’d kill something. That always helps.

I looked down at Gilda and saw that she was staring at the front of my trousers. Her eyes had bugged out. “How the fuck did you do that? I’m still all…”

She blushed fiercely.

There’s my Miss. That’s the one I could buttle for, forever.

“Swollen?” I teased her, and she blushed even harder. Putting a hand to her cheek, I got my rather embarrassed Mistress to look me in the eyes again. “Really, Mistress, you flatter me. You are soaking wet, too. I can smell it. And your body is giving off a large amount of heat.”

She smiled up at me shyly, and it was glorious to see. I kissed her again.

“I, however, have collected my wits and put my blood back in the proper places. I am now fit for polite society. You should consider yourself lucky that the majority of your sex organs are on the inside, Mistress. Before you run down to greet Dean Manners all willy-nilly, I suggest a change of clothes. Fresh panties, definitely, and a nice dress perhaps, for your own comfort. You blue jeans look a bit damp and tight in the crotch right now.”

I shocked her with that one.

Good.

“Or, if Miss prefers… I could lock you in here, shoo him away, and then give you an orgasm that will make your toes curl.”

Gilda stood there, speechless. Eventually it sank in that this was the Dean of her rather expensive school, and he’d come to personally deliver some news. She took a breath and shook her head ‘no’, and I smirked. I opened the door and poked my head out to see if anyone had come upstairs looking for us to deal with the Dean. The coast was clear. I leaned back, noting that Gilda was still speechless, and fighting off both a grin and a blush. I smiled wickedly.

“Poor little thing,” I croaked, tapping the tip of her nose with my now-gloved finger. “You do not seem to be capable of reigning in your desire all that easily unless it is quelled, my dear. Not that I am complaining, mind you. Satisfying you is always a bit of a challenge.”

With that, I straightened my collar, cleared my throat, and headed downstairs to greet our esteemed visitor.

+

tbc

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++++++++ notes ++++++++

Many thanks to those who have taken the time to leave reviews! You are the reason this beast is still afloat.

To hear Fortunado’s difficult piece, go to youtube, and enter in the search field:

The Rite of Spring - A Kiss of the Earth - Ritual of Abduction MokleEG
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