Countess of Desire (The Young Ancients Erotic Moments Book 1) (6 page)

"Come on,
love. We have guests!"

Then they
scurried, since it was rude to keep people waiting too long.

It was
interesting, having Petra suddenly appear like she had. Once upon a time it
would have taken several full days, nearly ten, to make the trip by carriage.
Now the right people could make the same journey in moments.

One of the nice
things about Petra however, was that she didn't care to stand on ceremony or
title. She came to dinner dressed in a nice white off the shoulder gown that
showed off just enough cleavage to be alluring, without losing her top when she
gestured. It wasn't see-through, but was
just
shy of that, offering a
slight hint of what was underneath. She wasn't perfect, being too muscular
really, but her body wasn't bad either. Some female fighters ended up looking
like men. Hard and calloused. Somehow Petra had managed to avoid that. She was
larger than even the average noble woman, but her face was pretty, and she
actually had hips and a nice behind.

She also didn't
bat an eyelash at being sat directly next to a merchant, even if she was a
Princess now. True, of Harmony, but that still counted. What caused a minor
stir was when Martya was waved to sit on her other side. Not that Pet minded,
but everyone else stared for a bit. There were about seventy or eighty people
at the meal, and no one from the city had ever been invited to sit up at the
top with them like that. Just at the tables set out on the grass, among the
palm trees. What was left of them. The storms had hit hard, but they still had
a lawn.

After a
fashion.

The grass was a
bit worn and spotty, and brown in a few places, since there had been less rain
of late. Hopefully that trend would end. If not, they'd need to see about
getting a floating river. Only one person made those however, and Maria
honestly doubted that she
could
fuck him hard enough to get Tor to part
with one. That left only humbling herself, for her people. She'd do it, of
course, but it would be nicer if she could just be friends with the man.

The last time
she'd tried that with him, she’d wanted to surprise him, so had used her mouth
on him as he slept. He'd responded very well, until he realized it was
her
doing it. Then he... Well, he acted like she'd been raping him.

It was, she
knew, the simple truth. She simply hadn't realized that he might not have
wanted her to do that kind of thing. They'd more or less made up by then, and
he enjoyed women, so it had seemed fair enough. A bit risky, but the
worst
that should have happened was that he might clear his throat and asked her to
stop. Instead he'd gone into an instant combat rage, and ordered her and Ducharina
Morgan from his room as if they were the lowest of scoundrels.

Since then
she'd tried to be on her best behavior with him. It was less than optimal for
her, now though, wasn't it? She couldn't exactly just get in touch with him and
suggest a few magical rivers would be a nice present. As it was, she'd never
really been certain how they'd avoided having war declared on them by County
Lairdgren.

Possibly just by
Tor, alone.

It sounded
insane, but his little sister, using a few borrowed magics, had taken on an
entire County. She'd defeated every military force and left them crippled,
without ever shedding a drop of blood. If Tor couldn't do the same, then Maria
would be greatly shocked. That had been years before, too. Now he was probably
even more powerful.

The situation
at the table was a bit different though, she knew. Not traditional or in good
social keeping in the slightest. Of late they'd had few visitors, and
those
were mainly people from the rebellion. Not all of them followers that way, in
truth, since it was clear that a few were just
related
to those that
hated King Richard and couldn't afford to go against a Baron or Countess, but
she wasn't able to really get too close to most of them yet. Soon, perhaps?

Though most of
them would probably distrust her and Marvin for the rest of their lives, so she
didn't want to bet on it. People held no great love for traitors, and while a
spy
might
be forgiven, in time, it was harder to do when they held as
much power as a Count.

It was another
reason for her to please as many as she could then, before their part in things
was known. If she lost over half her friends, a few might still remain hers,
simply because they loved her well enough to know she had no real choice.

Really though,
that wasn't the issue of the moment. It was that Martya used to be a local
whore that got the tongues to wag. That didn't last as long as she thought it
might, the scandal being less of a problem to most of the people there than it
would have been elsewhere. They knew the Ward's to be good rulers, and if they
wanted Martya there, then it was a
fine
thing. Which it likely was, in
truth.

Martya was low
born, but a childhood friend of the Conserina. She'd
been
a whore,
servicing sailors and anyone with a few coppers, but that was honest enough
work. Debbie used to be a baker, after all, and still was, in fact. She kept up
a little shop for that directly next to where she sold the magical items. She
didn't have to, but it kept them all in good bread and rolls for the mornings,
so Maria wasn't going to complain about it.

Petra
practically purred at her friend, though they weren't lovers, as far as Maria
knew. That would be fine, of course, but if that was a thing, both women had
been very discreet about it.

The
conversation was light and they spoke of things that stayed away from anything
too gloomy, sad or political. That pretty much only left the upcoming trip that
Maria wanted to take. Really, she didn't want to make up too many excuses in
public for that, did she? Petra eyed her from down the white linen, eating very
properly, using a knife and fork for the succulent pig they were sharing that
evening. It was a treat, because even the Count mainly only ate what could be
provided by the food devices. Like everyone else. It wasn't that they couldn't
afford fine spices or treats, but rather that he didn't think they should have
things that others couldn't share.

Just thinking
about it made her heart swell with pride. A lot of rulers would have simply had
the best of everything, and not thought about their people even for a moment.
Marvin Ward however, kept them in mind in every task he undertook. Nearly.

Not while he
was bedding a woman, most likely, but other than that, he lived the way his
honor told him to. It would have been funny to find out he was thinking of
trade agreements and how to best use the taxes for the good of his people while
rogering a young lady from behind, but also a bit sad. Everyone deserved to
just let go and have fun every now and again.

That reminded
her that she should do that too. Soon. The last two times she'd had sex that
day had both been all about the other people involved. Which was fine, because
she enjoyed sex, but didn't need it constantly. Most of what she did was for
the pleasure of others. That was her true desire, after all. To see her friends
be happy and contented as well as she could manage.

That it fit in
with her political goals so neatly was nice, and useful, but not the prime
driver there.

She had a date
with Marvin and Debbie after dinner though, so things were looking up that way.
Except that Petra had come, at her invitation, and they didn't have a nice male
guest to entertain her that night. She'd have suggested Martya, but if that
didn't happen naturally, it would be rude. Those two were friends, after all.

Feeling a bit
frustrated, she came to understand that she was probably going to have to stay
available to entertain Petra that night. Not that it would be all that fun. The
woman just wasn't into girls like she should be. Even if that had been the
case, there was very little reason for her to want to spend time that way with
Maria. They really needed to repair that, but it would be hard.

If Gerent were
around she would have just suggested they do
him
together. That way they
could work toward a common goal, and not have to be all that close physically.
Not that it wasn't a good idea anyway. She'd already brought it up though, and
while a few reminders were allowed, doing too much that way could be seen as pressuring
people into taking unwanted actions. It was fair enough to do, by the social
rules, but a poor plan considering one of the parties involved was a Prince.
That Petra was a Princess by marriage... That just complicated things.

She smiled and
looked over at her husband, letting her arm touch his waist. He had on a soft
textured white shirt, that hid most of the muscle he carried under it. Thinking
of his rippling stomach made her a bit sad, but it had to be done. You didn't
ask a person to visit in order to give you presents and
not
spend the
night doing whatever they wanted.

"Dear? I
hate to be a tease, but I should see to Petra this evening." She glanced
down the table at the dark eyed girl who looked up hearing her name. "We
could find some music perhaps? Or wine? Martya, you can come too?" It was
polite to ask, after all. With one more they could have a nice card game,
perhaps? That or get drunk and talk about the people they'd had liaisons with.
That was a bit naughty, but a good way to pass the time.

The short dark
haired and skinned woman, who wore white as well looked at her with something
approaching fear in her eyes. That was an odd reaction, or was until she spoke,
her voice sounding less brash and loud than it normally was.

"I'd love
to, but I have plans. It's business and the boat leaves in the morning..."
It was clear she was scrambling to find some way out of the invitation without
giving offense. Given that she was an ex-whore, and would have probably gone
down on Maria right there if asked, even just as a lark, it wouldn't be
that
.
No, she really just had a late meeting that would be costly to miss.

Maria nodded,
not letting her face go sad. That would be the right thing to do, most of the
time, saying that she'd miss the other woman's presence, which she may well. A
tingle flared between her legs as she saw the other lady lick her lips. They
were full, moist things that would serve well down there...

"Next
time, if schedules permit then? I understand the need to see to business,
especially in these times, of course. I think we all do." That was just
the truth.

It was
surprising how many businesses dried up just because the dynamics of food had
changed. People needed as much ice, Martya's main occupation, but they didn't
have as much free coin to spend on it. She'd gotten past that by lowering her
rates, a lot, but that didn't mean making her miss out on a business meeting
was a good thing. Even if that business was just servicing some sailor.

It wasn't
though. None of that kind would pay enough to make missing an evening with a
Countess worth doing. Especially her, Maria knew.
She
was a fun time to
be around, if you had the chance. For almost everyone. It was her job, after
all. The part of things that she was in charge of. That and running the spies
for the County.

There was a
hesitant smile from the woman, as Petra slapped her on the back hard enough to
make a thump. Not painfully so, because no shields looked to have kicked in.
Maria didn’t know that Martya had one for certain, but she thought it very
likely.
Everyone
that knew Tor had one.

Even
she
had one, around her neck at that moment, given to her from his hand directly.
After everything else had happened. For a while she'd wondered if that meant
he'd wanted to be her lover. After all, he'd liked her well enough at one point
to ask her to a dance with him, hadn't he? He'd even told the Queen that they
were lovers. Well, he said that she and Marvin were his
very
good
friends, but that's what it meant. It was a good thing, even if he'd never
followed up on it, wasn't it?

She should
have, but honestly, she feared him, more than a bit.

If anyone in
the whole... She nearly thought the word
world
, but there were three
now, weren't there? Luna, Earth and Mars. She was the only one that called it
by its proper, old name, but Luna was much prettier than Moon.

Tor lived on a
space station now, most of the time, she'd heard. On the good side that meant
she probably wouldn't have to deal with that issue on her next trip.

There was a
soft murmur of thanks and consideration from Martya, as Petra's hand lingered
on the smaller woman's back. That caught Maria slightly off guard. It wasn't
like the large fighter really. She wasn't drunk either, but was nearly being
cuddly, considering it was a meal. She looked at her sister in-law, who
regarded her back, and gave a huge shouldered shrug.

"That
sounds fun. We could take a trip into orbit? That's worth doing just to see the
sights."

"It
is
.
We should do that!" It was the simple truth, and she also had a space
rated Timon-shield for that kind of thing. If you were bold enough, you could
leave the proper vessel and fall back to Earth, using that kind of thing. It
let you fly, so when you got close enough you simply commanded the thing to
slow you, and it would. Then you drifted to the ground like a feather.

It sounded
incredibly exciting, really. Most people found the idea fear inducing, but she
didn't really understand why. Oh, she understood the basic idea, that it was
like falling, but with a shield on you weren't simply safe, you could actually
stop whenever you wanted, couldn't you? It even kept you in fresh air, for
hours, or even days. Warm too, or cool, if you needed.

That gave her
an idea of what to do that night. Smiling a bit too brightly at Petra she nodded.
It was hard not to clap like an idiot.