This kiss was different. The first had been a question. This one was a demand. It was hungry. Not overly aggressive, but fierce with desire. Janie moaned into his mouth and one of his hands found the back of her neck and gripped a little harder than he probably should have. Her fingers were twined in his hair again. After a brief eternity their lips parted and their foreheads came together to rest on each other.

“Wow,” Will said faintly. Janie nodded against his head. She was suddenly aware of his hard erection pressing against her stomach. She looked down. It was too dark to really see anything but outlines, but what she could see made her smile. He smoothly knelt and picked up the bucket, then poured it slowly over both of them. The cool water sent shivers through them both, Janie gasped. One more bucket of water and they were clean and shivering in the night air.

Will handed her a large slightly frayed cloth that hung on the back of the door. It was surprisingly soft, but had been stitched many times. “Is this silk?” she asked.

“Yeah. It’s part of a sail from a ship that wrecked. They make decent towels. Not super absorbent, but they dry quickly.” WIll began rubbing himself down with another scrap of sail.

Janie shook her head and copied Will. As nice as silk was, it did not make a good towel. It stuck to wet skin and was useless on wet hair. Luckily they hadn’t gotten her hair wet. Hers was still up in a tidy bun. Realizing that, she reached up and pulled free the long silver pin that kept the bun in place. Her golden brown hair tumbled free around her shoulders and she shook it out. Will just watched. Everything she did seemed to surprise him tonight. She smirked at him while she wiped away as much of the water as she could, hung her sail towel and walked to the bed. Will followed her out. She could feel his eyes on her. She looked over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips. “I know you’re looking at my butt, Will.”

“Guilty, Magistrate. I confess,” he put his hands on hers and kissed the nape of her neck, sending another shiver through her. She was going to tease him further, but she lost her train of thought.

“We’re clean now,” Will said into her neck.

“Yes,” Janie replied, “I feel so much better.”

“Me too. That was an excellent idea.” Will turned her around and pushed her down so she was sitting on the bed. He knelt. “Now I want to taste you.”

Her eyes went wide. She had led him here with confidence. She’d known exactly what she wanted and what they were going to do, but somehow in all her planning she’d never considered that. In some ways, Janie was a rather conservative, not terribly worldly young woman.

Her mind immediately flashed to the morning when she’d walked in on Will and Bella doing... exactly what Will was wanting to do to her now.

Her mother would have had a fit at the very idea. The Magistrate frowned on such things. Janie was torn. She’d made an attempt to distance herself from her upbringing. She had left the Magistrate for that exact reason. She’d tried, at any rate. If she was being honest with herself, she always kept the Magistrate close for safety and comfort. Even though she had run off to a pirate-infested island and gone to work for a notorious explorer known for all manner of rakish exploits, she still lived at Fort Deliverance. The Magistrate still considered her one of them, even if she did not. As she got older, she simply could not reconcile so much of what she saw and felt with their rigid worldview. She could not deny that they brought order and safety to many people who desperately needed it, but there were some things they were simply wrong about.

Like this, for instance. She was not a blushing virgin any longer. She’d had a lover once. After the initial fumbling and discovery, she found sex to be good fun. It was fairly nice for stress relief as well. She didn’t really understand why so many people were just obsessed with it. It was nice, and fun, but after the initial rush of discovery had worn off, she’d found that what she enjoyed most was the intimacy and the closeness of it. Laying there after all the rutting was done was actually more enjoyable for her than the act itself.  Of course she had heard of oral sex as well, but never gave it much mind. That wasn’t something decent people dwelled on, much less did.

Yet here she was. She’d seen it firsthand this morning, and it had been on her mind all day. Watching Bella writhing right in front of the chair where Janie worked nearly every day, the image of the gorgeous raven haired woman gripping the edges of the table with her head thrown back in wild abandon had burned itself into Janie’s mind. She hadn’t even seen anything truly indecent. No more than Bella’s upper thighs. Still, Janie had known exactly what was happening. It had been an unmanageable distraction ever since, and had definitely helped lead to this moment. She’d been curious. She still was. There was a difference, though, between wanting a thing in the abstract and being offered it in the moment.

She nodded. Even Will, who was often oblivious, could see that her confidence was shaken.

“You can say no,” he said, misreading the source of her hesitation. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I know,” she said. “I want you to. I’ve just never...” She trailed off.

“Never? How much never?” Will asked.

“I’ve been with a man, Will,” she said with a touch of terseness. “I just haven’t done… that.”

“Oh. Lucky me,” he grinned. He slowly spread her knees, watching her face as he did. He slid his hands up her inner thighs to the very edges of her slick entrance and gently spread her open with his thumbs. Her skin prickled as the cool night air touched warm places it hadn’t before. She swallowed in anticipation. Will’s head dipped low. She felt his breath. Then suddenly, his tongue swept up through her in one long, slow stroke. She twitched involuntarily. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it wasn’t that.

That was… nice. Not explosive or overwhelming. It was a bit of a letdown after the hunger of the kiss they’d shared earlier, and after watching Bella’s exuberant response this morning. Then he did it again. Her fingers clenched into the bedspread and she dropped back onto her elbows. It wasn’t a large sensation, but it still made her feel a little like so much of at was happening was beyond her control. Like her body was rebelling against her little by little as the wet, warm heat of Will’s tongue circled her nether lips.

The sensation of warmth spread, bringing with it tiny little sparks and pulses. They felt a bit like when the Truthtelling first took hold. She’d had to experience it to learn it. That strange feeling of mild electrical warmth spreading through the body and taking it over was unmistakable. The difference was, this was slow. There was an anticipation to it. A build up. Then suddenly the whole sensation ramped upward quickly and intensely. Will had found a… a spot with his tongue that was so much more focused and sharp than the rest of the pleasant warmness had been. Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes went wide again. “Oh!” was all she could say before his tongue was gone from that spot leaving her instantly craving more.

She didn’t have to wait long. He stroked his tongue upward again and once again found that wonderful place that made her forget to breathe. Then his tongue trailed away again. She clenched the sheets harder and whined in frustration. The third time he stayed there, circling that magical button of sensation and causing her to pant in shuddering breaths. She felt something building, the warmth was spreading more now and the ripples and little sparks coming faster and fiercer. A part of her was actually scared. It was already the most unexpected thing she’d ever experienced. She was not one who reveled in abandon. Her control had long since slipped and now she felt like she was just along for whatever ride Will was taking her on. She shook her head back and forth, trying to speak but the words never came. She felt like she was swelling, filled to the brim with this… heat, and she didn’t know if she could bear it for long.

Then it burst. A single, flowing wave of intense, warm pleasure that left her feeling like she was melting. Her whole body tensed up, but she didn’t feel the tension. Instead she felt release like she had never felt before.

Thank you, Bella, she mused. Then she giggled slightly at the thought. Will’s eyes flicked up to meet hers as she laughed.

“So that’s what all the fuss is about,” she said breathlessly as she let her head fall back onto the mattress and her limbs sprawl.

“Do you want me to keep going?” Will asked from somewhere a thousand miles away.

“Oh no. I don’t think I could handle any more of that. Not right now.” A shudder rolled though her.

“Good,” Will sounded pleased with himself. “What do you want to discover next?”

She managed to lift her head up. Her eyes blazed. “You. Inside me. Right now.”

Will’s grin widened. He lifted her legs from behind her knees and set her calves on his shoulders. Then he pulled her down suddenly so her hips rested at the edge of the bed. She laughed in surprise, unused to being hauled around like that. She could see his body in the pale, dim light, tall and lanky, with broad shoulders and powerful arms and chest muscles developed over years of hauling ropes on boats. His erection was at full mast now, like it was demanding that she look at it. She’d seen them before, but never like this. Before they’d seemed an indignity to be endured for the sake of the closeness she’d craved. Now, she wanted it. She could feel muscles inside twitching with need just from looking at it.

He rolled her higher, angling her hips up and took hold of his rampant shaft, laying it on her womanhood and dragging the head of it up and down, back and forth, coating himself with her wetness. It brushed against that still sensitive spot where his tongue had been earlier, and the heat seemed to reignite, flaring to delicious warmth inside her, suddenly bringing back some of the tension she’d released.

Then he looked into her eyes and pushed. She felt him open her, force into her, gliding deeper and deeper until she felt… full. He stayed there, sunk to the hilt inside her. His eyes tightened in bliss.

She’d felt this part before, but getting there had not been comfortable. How had he done all this? There was not even a hint of the chafing or pain she’d expected. It was just… wonderful fullness.

After a moment she realized he wasn’t moving. She looked at him. He wanted to ask something, but wasn’t sure how. “What is it?” she prompted.

“Do you… have a hex bag?” he asked.

“Of course, Will. It is downstairs with my book bag,” she answered.

“Will it still work from down there?” he continued.

She gave a small nod. “It should. It works best when kept close, but as long as it is in the house it should be fine. Do you want me to go get it?”

“Only if you want to. I just wanted to be sure we were safe,” he smiled, looking reassured.

“Thank you for thinking of that. I am certainly not looking for a child right now,” she said resting her hand on his where it gripped her thigh.

“Me neither. I probably should have asked earlier, but I didn’t think about it,” Will looked down at where they were joined. She felt his manhood pulse slightly.

“Nor did I,” Janie admitted. “I was a bit swept up in the moment.”

“Let’s get back to that.” His hips rolled, pulling him back and then forward again.

She groaned in pleasure. “Yes, lets.”

He slid out of her a bit more, and then back in. She knew he wasn’t some kind of elephantine marvel of nature, be she swore his erection seemed to slide out of her forever before making it’s return. He was so deep, his strong, slow thrusts just barely bumped against something deep inside her. It was a strange sensation. New. Not unpleasant, but definitely odd. He began to slowly pick up his pace, driving her body into the bed, and letting his weight crash down on her in firm, powerful strokes. He was hitting something inside her with every downward thrust. It felt amazing. A jolt. A different kind of pressure. Her pleasure built and she reached for him, her fingers digging into his strong arms. She brought her feet down and put them against his chest to brace herself. Her body was curled up beneath him, bracing and pulling him deeper with every push. She gasped every time he bottomed out. Her eyes rolled in surprise, looking around like she expected some kind of explanation or answer to what was happening.

“By the gods…” she swore. Will drove harder. Faster. Her eyes clenched shut and her back arched. Something inside her squeezed tight. He kept going, driving, pushing, slamming through her clenching. The steady, building pressure never reached that point of sustained tension like when he’d had his head between her thighs. Instead, the cresting of the pleasure seemed to come out of nowhere, well before she thought it would. She was not ready. Her cry exploded out from her chest, a long, wavering note that announced her rapture to the entire cove.

It stopped abruptly, her hands clamping down over her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she stared at Will, half in accusation, half in disbelief. He didn’t stop. Small, involuntary noises escaped from between her fingers. The cresting bliss that rocked her body kept going. Wave after wave, waning a bit and then crashing again. She felt his hand slide down her inner thigh until his palm was on her mons. His thumb found that wonderful spot where his tongue had been and started rotating. The second kind of pleasure resonated with the first. Smaller external pulses met and mingled with the bigger internal ones. She was already bursting over and over again, with only what seemed like a few moments between each new crash of pleasure, and then he’d added this new addition. A minute later the soft warmth his thumb was spreading had swelled to that point of near overwhelming tension. His thrusts were still causing rolling crashes of ecstasy. She was lost in it. She could do nothing but feel.

The two sensations finally synchronized. The burst of heat was joined by the crashing waves, and she was swept away.

She was vaguely aware that he had stopped moving. She could feel his length pulsing powerfully inside her. A new, different warmth began to spread. He lowered himself down on her body, her arms and legs twining around him. Their lips met, soft and gentle, the hunger finally gone, left with only happy, blissful satisfaction.

“I didn’t know...” came her voice in his ear. “I didn’t know.”

___________________________

Morning came far too soon.

The Fort Deliverance bell rung at dawn every morning. The fort was far enough away that the sound was faint, but Will was a light sleeper. He scowled at the intruding noise and how not rested he still felt.

“Well that’s not exactly the expression a girl wants to wake up to,” Janie’s soft voice said, laughing at him. He cracked one bleary eye. In the first light of dawn she looked fresh faced and wonderful even though she was smirking at his obvious misery. Somehow, he felt a little better. His other eye opened.

“Sorry, can’t do anything about this face,” he muttered. “It goes from mediocre to awful and that’s about it.”

She sat up and flipped her pillow over in his direction. It landed on his face. The sudden darkness and the pillow muffling the sounds of birds and bells was wonderful. He stretched every limb in a different direction and relaxed. He heard the wash room door shut and then fell asleep again.

What felt like only moments later Janie’s calm but commanding voice cut right through his budding dream. “Up. Your first appointment is in an hour.”

“You’re evil,” Will muttered from beneath the pillow.

“Oh yes, it’s my fault the sun rose,” Jaine snorted. She took one of his hands and gently pulled him into a seated position. He came out from beneath the pillow squinting into the sudden light. Giving up on dreams of a few more minutes of rest, he put his feet on the ground and blinked until his eyes adjusted.

Janie’s hair was back up in it’s customary bun and she was tying her skirt around her waist, her enticing bustier back in place, both obscuring and enhancing her curves. Will felt himself getting hard again. He was still wrapped in the blanket, and he didn’t think he did anything to give it away, but somehow Janie noticed. She arched a honey-colored eyebrow at him and smiled. “Maybe if you had gotten up when I did we would have time for that.”

Will sighed, “Can’t blame anyone but myself then. You aren’t making it easy, standing there looking like that.”

“I’d better go then,” she shrugged, wry amusement on her face. “I don’t want to be the cause of you running any more late than you already are.”

“Run through with my own blade,” Will said with overly exaggerated melodrama as he reached for his pants.

“I suppose it is your turn,” Janie said dryly.

Will stared. “Janie Castilian, was that a sex joke?”

Janie put on her mask of business professionalism while she finished buttoning up her shirt; only the twinkle in her eye giving away her amusement. “I’m sure I do not know what you mean, Mister Sterling. Respectable women do not joke about the entirely inappropriate things that transpired in their boss’ bed the previous evening. Respectable women take such extraordinary things very seriously.” She smoothed her blouse and walked out the door.

Will watched the prim swing of her hips as she left and stood up to pull his pants on. Janie was still Janie, that was certain.

He shaved, gave himself another quick cat’s bath with a cloth and cool water, dabbed a bit of perfumed talc powder under his arms and along his neck, got dressed, and made his way downstairs. In spite of not getting nearly enough sleep, he felt good.

A cup of tea and his schedule for the day were on his desk. Janie was gone, probably out running a morning errand of some kind. It felt like the day was going to be good.

_________________

He was wrong.

Customers were a string of demanding frustrations. Most of them wanted discounts for the short notice of the meeting. Some of them tried to work free information or advice out of him through flattery or asking seemingly innocent questions. Some asked to see his maps.

He started to lose focus around midday. He’d been stuck in a chair talking to generally insufferable people for hours, running on little sleep, and having to work on very precise research and calculations, visualizing a voyage he was not going to be on, working out all the unforeseen variables, and translating that into lines and words on paper.

Meetings began running over time, making the next customers wait. They became predictably cranky, which made Will cranky in turn. His work suffered. The customers didn’t know, but he did. His fatigue and lack of energy gave way to a headache.

He had very nearly finished a map when he realized the route he’d planned took the merchant who’d hired him right past an island that was heavily suspected to be a pirate stronghold. He was unhappy enough that he considered leaving it, but his pride in his reputation stopped him. He replotted the course, apologizing for the adjustment. The merchant complained about the three days of extra travel it would take to avoid pirate territory. Will didn’t bother explaining. He told him to take the original route at his own peril and ushered him out the door.

Bella came through the door right as the merchant was leaving, giving her a lecherous look. She ignored it. Will was too busy staring at the table and trying to ignore the pounding in his head to notice. The door shut, ringing the bell as it did. Will had never hated the sound more in his life. A basket plunked down on the table in front of him. He looked up.

“Well don’t you look awful,” Bella said cheerily. She started unpacking her basket. Bread. A wedge of cheese.

Janie came out of his office. She seemed a bit preoccupied the the paperwork she had in one hand. The other hand had a pitcher of water. “He started flagging about an hour ago. Thanks for bringing lunch.”

“Of course,” Bella smiled, “I was planning on coming by anyway. Kaduska asked me to bring the invoice for yesterday.”

“I’ll take it,” Janie said setting down the pitcher. Bella handed her a few sheets of paper and Janie added them to the ones in her hand. She turned and went back into Will’s office.

Bella watched her leave, an odd expression on her face. Will didn’t notice. Bella made a gesture and muttered something under her breath. A number of previously invisible sigils on the ceiling lit up. Bella felt a small, strange jolt run through her. It wasn’t unpleasant, just surprising and odd. Janie turned and looked sharply at Bella. “What was that?”

“Just a divination. I wanted to make sure Will was alright, and you too,” Bella said, looking up at the ceiling, her surprise and worry plain on her face.

Janie nodded. “Thank you. I’m fine. He’s just tired. He’ll feel better after he eats.”

Will was slapping some cheese to some bread and putting it in his mouth, chewing slowly. “I’m fine,” he muttered.

“The room is warded to detect spellbinding. There’s also a feedback trap added to them, so be careful what you cast in this room,” Janie said.

“Good to know,” Bella said. Janie closed the office door.

Bella smiled to herself and poured some water into Will’s cup. Then she drank it herself and refilled it. She pushed a meat pie towards Will. He took it and ate it in four bites, and drank some water. Finally he sighed and put his forehead down on the table. “Thank you,” he said.

Bella ruffled his hair. “Guess you had too much fun last night?”

“Guess so,” Will said, still face down. “Seemed fine at first, but I’m just not used to late nights and early mornings anymore. Too long living soft, setting my own schedule.”

Bella made a ticking sound with her life. “Can’t keep up with those younguns anymore?”

Will made an unhappy grunting noise, but didn’t move.

“I picked out a satchel for Janie,” she said. Will heard her pull something else out of her basket and set it on the table. It sounded vaguely bag-like.

“It’s red,” she said. “I’m putting it in your sideboard.”

Will nodded into the table. “Thank you.”

“You bought it. Kaduska added it to your invoice,” Bella said. Will grunted again. His head was still pounding.

Bella rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you go take a nap? You have most of an hour left,”

Will thought about saying no. He wasn’t much for naps most of the time. Today, though, that sounded fantastic. Rolled his head into the table a bit, then pushed himself to his feet. “Thanks again.”

Bella had a mouth full of bread and cheese so she just waved him off. He trudged out of the room and up the stairs.

Bella finished her lunch and sat in silence in Will’s library for a few minutes, thinking. Finally she shook her head, picked up what was left of the bread and cheese and went and knocked on the door to Will’s office.

“Come in,” Janie’s voice came from inside. Bella opened the door. Janie was sitting at Will’s desk surrounded by papers.

“I thought you might want some lunch too,” Bella said, setting the food down on the desk.

“I appreciate that. I’ll eat once I find a place to stop,” Janie said. She still hadn’t looked up from her work.

“Janie, it’s alright,” Bella said gently.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Janie’s quill continued it’s work doing sums and adding lines to the budget she was writing.

“You and Will. Last night. It’s fine,” Bella said in the same gentle tone.