"What do you do?" I asked Hunter as he led me down a hall still missing its carpet.
"A bit of everything. I speculate, invest. I own a few companies now. A railroad line on the Continent," Hunter said, shrugging.
My eyes widened at the list. "And how does an orc come to find himself in such a…human line of work?"
"I was a warrior," Hunter said, and I nodded. "There were prizes for my victories, both battles and sport. I thought I might be able to fight my way to tribe leader. And then, years ago, my tribe had a guest. The Red Wolf of Ireland visited us, paid his respects to our leader as he traveled through our territory. He was…wild, yes, but refined too. He told me stories of the world I hadn't ever dared to explore."
"The human world," I said, and Hunter nodded.
"I wanted to conquer your world too," Hunter said, flashing me a youthful grin. He stopped in front of a door, opening it, and I caught my breath at the sudden revelation of candlelight, bright polished tile, and fragrant steam.
I stepped inside and Hunter followed, the door clicking shut behind us. His tub was large, as big as the platform we used on stage sometimes, and built up out of the floor almost as high as my waist.
"I took my gold, found my disguise, and Conall—the Red Wolf—helped me establish myself here in London. It's not a warrior's honor, and I haven't found my victory yet, but I enjoy the challenge this world poses."
I listened as I studied the room. Hunter either had an innate sense of romance, or his butler did, because the room was warm with the flickering glow of candles and there were bowls of floating blooms at every corner of the tub.
"What challenge does London pose for you?" I asked, smiling at Hunter over my shoulder.
"Human manners are very different than orc," Hunter said, shrugging off his coat and crossing to me, reaching for the buttons of my dress immediately. "Courting a pleasure partner. Defeating a business foe. There is much more subtlety."
"You don't have to do everything the human way," I said, admiring the strong, stern expression on his face as he unbuttoned my dress. "You're more of a gentleman than any human I've met."
Hunter didn't answer, his strong hands pushing my dress off my shoulders. I pulled my arms free of the sleeves and leaned back against his chest, forcing his arms to circle around me.
"I think you've spent too long in the theater," Hunter growled in my ear.
My eyebrows rose at that, and I twisted to look at him as he tugged the dress down over my hips. "What do you mean?"
"You accomodate what's asked of you," Hunter said, shrugging slightly and keeping his head ducked to avoid my gaze.
Irritation bubbled in my chest, and I stepped away from Hunter, pulling the chemise up over my head on my own. "You're talking about tonight?"
Hunter nodded. "In part."
I snorted and rolled my eyes, but Hunter caught my hand as I approached the massive tub, helping me balance as I stepped inside. The water was milky and just hot enough for a pleasant sting against my skin. I sank in with a sigh. It'd been ages since I'd gone to the trouble of filling an entire tub for myself, and I'd never had one this size to enjoy. Sitting down, the water reached all the way up to my chin, and I turned, watching Hunter undress.
I suspected the other "part" he meant referred to my eagerness with him, and it made me want to thunk his head against a wall, as if that might hammer in the notion that I craved his wild hunger and rough passion.
"I was nervous about the act at first," I said, and Hunter looked up, his shirt half-unbuttoned, fingers pausing for a moment. "Mr. Reddy only told me that it would hurt. But it's more than that. My only role in that scene is to respond, and the pain…"
"It does hurt, then?" Hunter asked, frowning, chest bare and pants parted just enough for me to see the piercing at the root of his cock glinting in the candlelight.
I nodded. "Very much. So much so that everything else disappears. It's freeing."
Hunter's dark claws were out on his flexing fingers, feet shucking off the legs of his pants, eyes cast down and brow furrowed. He was considering my words, and I marked the difference between Hunter's long pauses of quiet thought versus my argument with Ronan. Was it easier for Hunter to listen to me because we were still learning each other?
Not that there isn't plenty I've kept from Ronan too, I thought.
"Do you hurt now?" Hunter asked as I watched his strong thighs stretch, his cock hanging heavy and dark sac tucked behind.
"I'm no more sore than I usually am after a show," I said, keeping my place in the center of the tub so that Hunter's body rubbed against mine as he joined me. "I'll be fine again by morning."
Hunter nodded, sinking down in front of me, smiling as my hands wandered over his ass and back. "I'll make sure of it."
* * *
"Mm… Hunter?"I mumbled, facedown in the most decadent pile of pillows I'd ever imagined. I groaned as strong fingers stroked up the back of my thigh to my ass, pulling and digging into neglected muscles.
"You are very tight," Hunter noted.
I let out a giggle, and his treatment paused. "That's not the way men usually say that. Where did you learn this?"
"All warriors do. We have to take care of our bodies in order to fight well. We learn these skills and assist one another."
His hands slid back down to my calf, and I smiled into the cushions at the thought of dozens of naked, greased-up orc warriors like Hunter all giving one another massages. What a vision!
"What happened to your threats of licking me for hours?" I mumbled before gasping sharply as he gripped my foot, thumbs digging into the soles, and I squealed and gripped at the pillows under my hands.
"If you are still awake when I'm finished, I may follow through," Hunter said.
I grinned into the pillows, certain of my own triumph. But Hunter must've known better than I, or he was determined to continue the slow and exquisitely thorough massage until I was asleep. Either way, by the time he was rolling me onto my back, my eyelids were too heavy to lift.