Tirer sur la corde sensible

Two days later, Raphael watched as his husband slept, the morning rays of light filtering through the drapes to illuminate parts of his handsome face. Adrien was lying on his stomach, his mouth open in a little snore. He seemed at peace, but Rapha?l knew better.

Though Adrien had tried his best to hide his feelings, he couldn't always conceal the sadness in his eyes. Something had happened. Adrien wouldn't talk about it, but Rapha?l could feel it. Adrien was even more morose than usual. He'd locked himself in his art studio, blasting AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" for hours yesterday. He wouldn't open the door, except to take a piss or drink entire pots of coffee. That'd been happening on and off for a month now.

During the pandemic, Adrien's mental state had declined so drastically, it had terrified Rapha?l into taking actions for fear his husband might reach the point of no return. It started with Adrien finding it more difficult to paint and draw. Since he wasn't allowed to go out for inspiration, his creativity dropped. Then, his libido took a hit, and their sex life came to a complete stand-still for months. Adrien got so depressed, he could barely pull himself out of bed on most days.

It was horrifying for Rapha?l to watch the pain engulfing his husband like a dark cloud. Adrien spent hours lounging on the couch like a zombie, watching idiotic shows on TV. The last straw was when his appetite stopped. That was when Rapha?l reached out to Florian, begging for help. His best friend advised that Patrick step in for therapy. Patrick recommended that Adrien's psychiatrist change his meds, but Adrien didn't improve until the government relaxed the pandemic restrictions.

Out of all the people he knew, the pandemic had affected Adrien the most. Rapha?l wasn't sure if it was because that damn plague started just a few years after Adrien changed his job, a switch he'd already had trouble adjusting to. As an escort, Adrien was used to seeing a lot of people coming and going. To shift from being that social and sexual to being locked down with his husband for sole company had taken its toll.

Watching Adrien fall asleep after two rounds of sex last night was all the reassurance Rapha?l needed that his husband was doing okay at the moment. Not great. But okay. That was all he could ask for.

It didn't sound like Adrien had nightmares last night either, which was a first. He hadn't talked or screamed in his sleep like he did sometimes. Maybe the sex was enough to relax him into a healthier type of slumber.

Rapha?l turned his attention to the webpage open on his laptop. He wasn't sure how to bring up the subject once Adrien awoke, or if he should even discuss the topic at all. What he found on the internet explained so much, though. It was extraordinary how everything came to light upon reading one single article.

All this time, Rapha?l had assumed some of Adrien's moods came from his depression—as did his need to rest more than anyone else he knew. He thought his husband's emotions were affected by his mental health too, but there was so much more going on than that. It was all clear now.

Adrien was often grumpy—his anger always growling underneath the surface. Anything could set off the volcano boiling inside him—be it watching someone else's rights getting trampled upon, any sort of bad news on TV, a kid getting hurt, someone abusing their pet, anything that seemed even remotely amoral to Adrien, anything that disrupted his idealistic vision of what the world should be, the tiniest injustices—all that could lead to an outburst of flaming rage. Rapha?l had learned to let his husband go on his rants until he'd fumed enough to calm down.

Rapha?l had assumed the frequent storms were a trauma response. Never had Rapha?l met someone so intense before. Adrien's emotions were off the charts and hard to navigate at times. The worst was how Adrien could feed off other people's moods and internalize any negativity like nasty voices slowly destroying his psyche.

There was nothing Rapha?l could hide from him. Nothing at all. Not a second went by when Adrien wasn't hypervigilant. He could pick up on the tiniest hints and instinctively tell something was wrong. Then, he'd feed on that inkling until Rapha?l was willing to open up, at which point Adrien was sick with worry, ruminating over anything he might have done to upset Rapha?l.

The line between trauma and Adrien's empathetic personality trait was thin, if not invisible. His sensitivity came into play in his daily life in ways that drained him. Rapha?l wished he could say it didn't make life difficult for him as a husband sometimes. He'd learned to love his partner as he was, in spite of the dark clouds often obscuring Adrien's horizon, because when his light gleamed through, it shone bright as day.

Rapha?l sighed, sending his spouse one last glance, then looked at the list again:

1 – Do you experience strong emotions that are hard to control? Do you cry easily?

2 – Are you compassionate? Do you care about other people's well-being more than your own? Do you put other people's needs above your own? Sometimes at the expense of your own well-being?

3 – Do you often feel tired or drained?

4 – Can you pick up on people's moods easily? Feel people's emotions as if they were your own? Do other people's moods affect your own?

5 – Are you sensitive to criticism and tend to take things personally? Do you have trouble letting it go once hurt?

6 – Do you feel different from other people? Alone? Alienated?

7 – Do you overthink or worry too much? Are you hypervigilant ?

8 – Are you sensitive to external stimuli? Do you get overwhelmed by sounds and lights?

9 – Do you enjoy the arts and nature? Do you feel moved by beauty? Do you refuel in natural environments or when you get to create?

10 – Do you need a lot of alone time to recharge?

11 – Do you dislike crowds?

12 – Are you affected by violence? By the news on TV?

13 – Does your mind wander during sex, making it hard to be mentally present during the act? Do you focus more on your lovers' pleasure than your own? Do you have trouble reaching climax because you can't focus?

14 – Do you need an emotional connection and intimacy during sex? When sex is satisfying, do you experience intense orgasms or multiple orgasms?

15 – Do you have high values and morals? Do you get frustrated by injustice or people's apathy?

Rapha?l blinked at the screen. Adrien checked almost all the boxes. There were other things on the list too, but at this point, Rapha?l was certain he was right. He typed the French words at the cursor again: Haut Potentiel Emotionnel ou HPE (Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP). A list of sites popped up. There were videos on YouTube too. He put on his headphones and watched a few of them, his stomach curling upon every word.

Adrien was an emotional sponge for sure. When he burst out raging at all the injustices surrounding him, unable to control the anger, it was because his brain was divergent, apparently. When he sank so low after watching the state of the world, it was because his mirror neurons were overactive and his empathy made him feel all the pain as his own. His highs were as strong as his lows.

Rapha?l closed the laptop quickly when his husband stirred by his side, opening his eyes slowly with a yawn before extending his arm to wrap it around Rapha?l's stomach. He gave a lazy smile and nuzzled the side of Rapha?l's body with the tip of his nose, right under his armpit, tickling him.

"Do you have coffee ready?" he asked lazily.

Rapha?l cleared his throat. "Can we talk about something first?"

Adrien opened his eyes again and sat up sluggishly, his back against the headboard, before glancing at the clock. "You wanna talk this early? Without coffee? Do you know me at all?"

"It's eight A.M. I wouldn't call that early, especially on a workday." Rapha?l was actually due for a meeting in a couple of hours. Thankfully, it was online, so there wasn't as much of a rush to get ready.

"My store is closed today, so, yeah, that's early. Can I have coffee first?" he asked again. "My brain is foggy as fuck. I don't think I can even focus on what you're saying."

Rapha?l thought about the list again. Foggy brain was on there. Adrien could barely function most mornings, and his inability to push past the fog could last all day—sometimes for a few days in a row if he'd been drained emotionally by some random event. Apparently, Adrien had learned to live with the fog over the years. He'd attributed that to his depression. But after six years together, it was still hard for Rapha?l to understand how Adrien could make it through an entire day, an entire week even, when his cloudy brain was barely functioning. Now he pondered if Adrien's depressive state didn't come from his high sensitivity too.

Rapha?l wondered if there was a way to help Adrien live with those traits. If he was correct about this, maybe it was time to protect Adrien from all the stimuli that had been draining him all his life.

Rapha?l stood to go pour a bowl of coffee for Adrien. His own bowl was still on his nightstand table when he returned after a few minutes. When he brought Adrien's drink to bed, Adrien dragged him into a morning kiss, nearly toppling the bowl over. He grabbed Rapha?l's hand and pulled it to his crotch. He was hard already and moaning against his lips, but Rapha?l wasn't in the mood.

"Thank you for yesterday," Adrien whispered in his ear with a tiny smile against his skin before biting on his earlobe, making Rapha?l shiver. "Care for a repeat once my brain's functioning? I'm horny as fuck. I actually had nice dreams last night, not some damn night terrors."

"I told you I wanted to talk about something," Rapha?l said again, trying to pull back without spilling coffee.

Adrien groaned with a fake pout and took his bowl that he left on his nightstand table. "What is it?"

Rapha?l sat down and grabbed his laptop, then opened the page, which he pushed toward Adrien .

After reading the words, Adrien shrugged. "That doesn't sound like you. I mean, they say you can take a test and all, but that's like two hundred euros. I can tell you for free that this doesn't fit your personality."

Rapha?l shifted against the headboard, trying to get more comfortable. "I know. This isn't about me. I was just thinking… I mean, I think it fits you."

Adrien froze and knitted his eyebrows, then burst out laughing, so loud he bent his head backward, exposing his Adam's apple. He chuckled for a while until he stopped and stared at Rapha?l, realizing it wasn't a joke. "You're kidding, right?"

Rapha?l shook his head. "No, I'm not. I mean, check the list. It's all you."

"Needs connection during sex… Cries a lot… Really? That's not me."

"Well, I mean, you don't need to check all the boxes. But you do need connection to get aroused."

"I used to fuck for a living, Rapha?l. I hardly call that connection."

"Okay, maybe. You used to fuck for money…but your clients were regulars. You knew them well. Some of them are still your friends today. And don't give me bullshit about how you were never in love with Noah because we've discussed that many times, and you know my views on that. And you're the one who told me you needed Viagra with some clients because there was no intimacy there. "

Adrien was serious now, his body tensing upon reading more words. "This right here says my brain is divergent. What does that mean?"

"Just that your neurons act differently. Look, it says it's fifteen to twenty percent of the population. And your empathy is essential to the human race's survival."

Adrien started laughing again. "That's a joke, right?"

"No, it's not. Think about it. When you were an escort, you supported so many people. You even told me you saved some of them who called you for the night when they felt on the verge of a cliff. And now your art soothes people. Look how popular you are. You're one of the few artists who can survive and even thrive on their art."

"Okay, fine." He still didn't seem happy about the article. "So let's say this is true. Which it isn't. But anyway, let's pretend it's true. What does that even mean?"

Rapha?l sighed. "It means your depression could be coming from that."

Adrien shook his head. "That's not what Patrick said. He said it's from childhood trauma. So is the hypervigilance mentioned on this site. That's from trauma too. Being able to read people: trauma. Raging anger: trauma."

Rapha?l shrugged. "Maybe Patrick doesn't know about HSP. Not every therapist does. Some think it's not real—"

"Because it isn't," Adrien cut him off.

Rapha?l rolled his eyes. This discussion wasn't going the way he wanted, even though he had anticipated some difficulties. "All those times you were taking on everyone's emotions, everyone's problems, it was dragging you down. You're the one who told me you often feel drained. You need to sleep nine hours a night. Being exhausted is another part of the trait."

"The trait? I have insomnia, Rapha?l. And nightmares every single night. When do you ever see me sleep that much?"

"You did last night. You fell asleep at 7 P.M. and woke up at 8 A.M., and you're still barely functional."

"We fucked for over two hours last night, so, yeah, I got tired. No big deal." He took a sip of his coffee and winced at the heat.

"I woke up at 5 A.M.," Rapha?l explained.

"So what? Congratulations."

Rapha?l's irritation grew. "Will you listen to me already? This has been affecting our relationship too. It's important for us to discuss it, so I'm not going to shut up until you take me seriously."

Adrien pulled away, his bowl in both hands. "What? When? Affecting our relationship how? We're doing fine."

Rapha?l pursed his lips. "We're doing fine, really? You've been closed off during the entire pandemic. We barely had sex for months. Months!"

"We fucked twice last night. Three times if we count the morning quicky yesterday. I just asked you for sex two minutes ago. You're the one who said ‘no.'"

Rapha?l's voice rose in spite of himself. Adrien pretending he was fine had become a huge trigger to him. "Your depression hit a new low this past month. It was terrifying for me to watch you wall yourself off. Again! And you didn't even tell me what's wrong."

Sadness filled Adrien's dark eyes as he ran his gaze over Rapha?l.

"What happened? You've been worse recently."

Adrien sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair, messing it even more than it already was. "I didn't want to tell you, but my mother came here."

Rapha?l sat up in shock, his back ramrod straight. "What?! When?"

"Last month. She came here to berate my ass and attack Céleste at the same time ‘cause she found out Céleste's queer."

Rapha?l exhaled a huff of anger through his nose. He was seeing red now. He fucking hated the woman, even if he'd never met her. She'd wrecked Adrien more than once over the years. He didn't want her anywhere near his husband, even if she was his biological mother, a title she liked to use at her own convenience.

"She's not allowed to come here," he fumed. That was a rule he had set up himself, to protect Adrien from her when she'd started contacting him after his art rose to fame. "Do I need to call the cops? I don't want her talking to you, Adrien." He took his husband's hand in his. "Is that why you locked yourself up in your studio for days?"

Adrien's Adam's apple jerked in his throat as he swallowed, his eyes misting over, though he blinked fast. "I'm sorry I was a dick to you. I didn't want you to see me like that again. I'm so tired of feeling like shit, and I don't want you to have to see it."

Rapha?l caressed Adrien's rugged cheek, his three-day shadow prickling his fingertips. "It's worse when I don't know. I was worried sick. You can't keep me out like that."

Adrien sighed heavily. "I'll try. I'm sorry I worried you."

"Your mom's not coming back, right? ‘Cause I'll kick her ass out. I don't mean to disrespect you or anything, but that's a big fat no right there."

Adrien licked his lower lip before biting on it.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Rapha?l asked, his body tensing.

Adrien looked at his tank of exotic fish. "My father's dying. He's in the final stage of cancer. Mother didn't tell me until last month. She wants me to go see him at the hospital."

Rapha?l shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Adrien's stare was fixed on the tank as if he were dissociating. "He's my father, Rapha?l."

Rapha?l grabbed his chin between two fingers to force his husband to look at him. "If you have to go, I'll come with you. I'm not leaving you alone. I'd rather you didn't, but if it's something you need to do, I'm not letting you meet with them alone."

Even while facing him, Adrien still avoided his gaze, but the pain in his eyes said it all. "She won't allow it. She's said it clearly in her email. You're not allowed to come along. "

"Why the fuck not?" Rapha?l's anger rose again as he clenched his jaw. If there was one thing that truly pissed him off, it was the way Adrien's parents treated him.

"You know why." Adrien blinked as he finally glanced at him. The misery in his anthracite gaze was killing Rapha?l.

"She doesn't get to decide. They either accept you're married to me, or you're not going. You're my husband. I don't care if they don't like it."

Adrien's shoulders slouched in despair. "She does get to decide, actually. She has every right over the visitors."

"No, she doesn't. It's you and me together, or you can't go. I'm not letting them tear you apart for fun. I'm not giving you a choice. They've done enough damage as it is. That's not an option. If I have to protect you from them against your will, then so be it."

Adrien nodded, almost in relief, but he didn't seem fully convinced. "I'd have to go soon. I don't think he has much longer. Patrick said I shouldn't go either. But I don't think I can live with myself if I don't."

Rapha?l hated this situation with a passion, but he knew Adrien wouldn't make it emotionally if he didn't follow his own heart, no matter how wrong his heart was.

"On the topic of HSP, we have a way to help you now," he said to change the subject, lest Adrien drowned and hid below the surface as he so often did.

"How?" he asked. "The meds are working."

Rapha?l cocked an eyebrow at that blatant lie. The meds were working, but not as efficiently as Adrien needed them to. No meds would get rid of his triggers. "We can monitor situations that might drain you."

"You mean by me not living anymore?" Adrien's eyes darkened like a storm. "I've had enough of that shit during the pandemic, thank you very much."

"No, no. I mean, for example, I know you hate crowds. I never understood why until now."

"Plenty of people hate crowds." Adrien shrugged with a roll of his eyes before he settled back against the headboard and drank more black coffee.

"You hate going to parties," he continued.

Adrien's lips thinned to a line of distaste. "The only parties we got invited to were Daniel's, and I know what those entail. No thanks."

Rapha?l stared at him. "What parties?"

"Daniel sent me a few invites. I just declined them."

Rapha?l grew truly irritated now. "You never even asked!"

"Oh, okay," Adrien smirked, his gaze filling with mischief, "Rapha?l, would you like to go to one of my ex boss's parties…where a bunch of queer escorts are gonna be fucking in every corner of every room?"

Rapha?l's eyes widened. "You mean like an orgy?"

"Yes. I mean like an orgy, my sweet, na?ve husband. So, are you in?" Adrien flashed that smartass grin of his, and Rapha?l hated him just a bit for it.

"Wait, you've been to those?" he asked.

"When I was working for him, yes." Adrien shrugged as if this was a perfectly reasonable statement to make .

Rapha?l stared at him, slack-jawed. "You never told me."

"When I see the horrified look on your face right now, I'm glad I didn't. I knew you'd be disgusted by the mere idea of it."

"I'm not disgusted," Rapha?l shot back. Though he couldn't hide his shock. He knew Adrien used to fuck a lot of guys for a living, but damn!

"Right." Adrien huffed, chuckling.

"How many guys did you…?" Rapha?l couldn't finish.

Adrien had a teasing spark in his eyes now. Rapha?l didn't like it one bit.

"What? How many guys did I fuck in one evening?"

Rapha?l nodded, not sure he really wanted an answer.

"They were all escorts. Those were special parties Daniel threw for fun or whatever." Adrien flipped his hands and took a sip of coffee, pinning his eyes on Rapha?l the whole time to test the limits. Damn tease!

"How many?" Rapha?l swallowed on the ball lodged in his throat.

Adrien shrugged. "I don't know. Five, seven, ten. Who cares?"

"You fucked ten guys in just one night? That's not even physically possible!"

"What do you mean, not physically possible?" Adrien guffawed this time, his chuckles rolling out of his exposed throat.

"I mean, I know you can last, but damn!" Rapha?l's cock twitched in response. Damn it! Why was this arousing him? They were discussing his husband fucking a load of other guys, for Christ's sake.

"Is that turning you on?" Adrien asked with the tiniest smirk, his eyes detailing Rapha?l's entire body before they landed on his crotch. "The thought of me doing three or four guys at once? That turns you on?"

"What? No!"

Adrien huffed. "Right!" His plump lips rose on one side, and he took a sip, observing Rapha?l from over the bowl.

Rapha?l shifted on the bed, trying to hide his growing hard-on. Damn it! He would not let his mind go there.

"Who cares?" Adrien added. "I couldn't handle the parties for too long anyway. I played for a few hours, then left. Most guys spent the night. I couldn't deal with that."

"Because it overwhelmed you?" Rapha?l asked, trying to make a point.

"Right."

Rapha?l pointed at the list on the laptop still open on the bed. Then he raised a finger upon hearing a ting from his phone and felt the familiar pinch inside his heart upon seeing Charlotte's message.

"What is it?" Adrien leaned over the phone with a frown on his face. Was there ever a time he couldn't feel Rapha?l's emotions?

"It's Charlotte. She's alone with the baby. She says I can visit them today."

"Oh good. Is the baby still okay? "

Rapha?l nodded. "Yep, one month old and thriving. She says the doctor thinks they mistook the date of labor. The baby is big and healthy. Her periods weren't regular, so the date wasn't one hundred percent sure."

Adrien smiled genuinely. "That's good." He observed Rapha?l. "Why did your face turn? You're looking sad."

Damn Adrien and his sixth sense!

"No, I'm okay." Rapha?l feigned a smile he knew wouldn't fool his husband.

"Something's wrong. Don't lie to me. I can tell."

And yet, there he'd been minutes earlier denying the HSP thing. If it wasn't real, then why couldn't Rapha?l breathe the wrong way without Adrien noticing?

Rapha?l sighed and feared the conversation to come. "I don't want to tell you because you'll freak."

"Test me." Adrien's face turned somber like a growing storm as he finished his coffee.

Rapha?l turned toward his husband, his heart racing. "I want a baby."

Adrien spat his coffee all over the comforter. "What?"

Rapha?l shrugged, looking at the stains now forming on the fabric. He knew that'd be Adrien's reaction.

"Rapha?l, that's not… How? We're both cis men. How are we supposed to make a baby?"

"We can adopt," Rapha?l volunteered sheepishly.

Adrien stared at him, his face unreadable.

"Can you please say something?" Rapha?l asked after a long uncomfortable minute of silence .

His husband cleared his throat. "Is that because Charlotte had a baby, and you're not the father? I mean…" Adrien shifted on the bed. "Are you upset you two broke it off all those years ago? You wish she were pregnant with you?"

"What? No! I don't want to be with her. I just…" Rapha?l shrugged.

"Is it ‘cause Florian and Enzo have a kid too?"

Rapha?l shook his head, though the need for a baby did start then. He knew Adrien wouldn't agree. His husband had made it clear early on in their relationship that he was not father material.

"They all have kids," Rapha?l replied. "Florian, Patrick, Charlotte. And with Noah… I mean, who would have thought Noah would settle?"

Yohan and Noah both got to experience the birth of their little baby girl.

"That doesn't mean we have to copy them." Adrien's voice was melancholy again. The people pleaser in him was struggling; Rapha?l could tell. Adrien hated making him sad. "I won't be a good father; you know that."

"That's not true. You're fantastic with Céleste."

"She's a grown-up, Rapha?l. She's not a child or even a teen anymore." He took Rapha?l's hand in his and intertwined their fingers together. "I… Look, I already said ‘yes' for monoamory. I can work on that HSP thing if you want me to. But asking me for a child is more than I can give. I'm struggling as it is. How can I take care of a kid? I can barely take care of myself. "

His voice broke. He seemed to ache at the thought of not giving Rapha?l what he wanted.

Rapha?l sighed, his heart stinging. He knew Adrien was right. His husband had never lied to him. He'd never promised more than what they had now. That Adrien had stuck to only fucking him was huge already. Rapha?l often worried his husband wasn't fulfilled, that he might feel stifled by their monoamorous marriage.

Rapha?l sent a quick glance at him as Adrien stretched further on the bed. Even in his deep melancholy, Adrien was beautiful, his long body toned and muscular, his black hair disheveled the more he ran his long, artistic hands through it. His dark anthracite eyes were fixed on the ceiling now, and his deep sighs told of his mood.

Even if the website said people like Adrien needed a lot of rest and alone time, he had spent years being polysexual. The change was drastic for him. Though Rapha?l had no doubt Adrien loved him more than anything, he knew the sacrifices his husband had made for their marriage, and the guilt of that never lessened.

Without telling him, Rapha?l had started searching for what he knew his husband was missing. Not that Rapha?l wasn't sexually frustrated at times, but being monoamorous didn't faze him as much as it did Adrien. In his search, he found someone online, but he wasn't sure how to bring up that subject either.

He cleared his throat a few times until Adrien got the message .

"What is it?" He pinned his dark eyes on Rapha?l. "I'm sorry I can't be a father, Rapha?l. I don't know how to give you what you need. I… That's just more than I can provide."

Rapha?l didn't look at Adrien as he said, "It's not just that. I want to help you feel better."

"Yeah? I feel like you're the one who needs to feel better." Adrien moved his hand over to Rapha?l's crotch, slipping his long fingers through the hole of his briefs.

"Not like that." Rapha?l pushed his hand away.

"Okay, that's twice you're rejecting me today, so I don't want to hear how we don't have a fucking sex life," Adrien grumbled, his dark eyes thundering as his teeth clenched. "I don't mind if you don't want to fuck, but don't guilt-trip me over it later. It's not always my fault we're not fucking."

"I found someone…" Rapha?l swallowed on a gulp and shifted around, gauging his husband's reaction.

Adrien's head whiplashed toward him as he frowned and something incredibly painful filled his eyes, like a confirmation of something he'd suspected for a while. It was as if he'd been waiting all those years for the moment when Rapha?l finally had enough and moved on. "Someone?"

"No, not like that!" Rapha?l cleared his throat. "Look. I know you miss women, okay? You don't need to say it. I know it. And I do too."

"Are you just saying that last part to comfort me?" Adrien sat up and crossed his legs.

"I know you miss it more than I do, but I miss a feminine touch every now and then. "

Adrien frowned. "Okay…"

"I went on Tinder."

"I thought we were supposed to tell each other if we did something like that," he groaned. He was definitely cranky now.

"I didn't look for me. I looked for you."

Adrien sighed his exasperation. "Rapha?l, I made a vow to you that I wouldn't be sleeping with anyone else."

"We agreed we wouldn't involve other men anymore. I know you miss Noah, and I know giving him up was a lot to ask. But I'm not against us involving a woman."

Adrien narrowed his eyes as if he suspected a trick somehow. Even after six years, it was a struggle to gain his full and complete trust. He was still so guarded, always waiting for the hammer to fall. "Are we talking about one night or…?"

"The person I found said she's looking for just one night for now."

Adrien didn't seem convinced. "Okay. Has she been tested?"

"Yeah, she's COVID-negative. She told me she tested last week when she had a cold."

Adrien made a pout. "No, I'm not talking about that goddamn plague. I meant for STIs."

"Oh, she said she hasn't slept with anyone but her wife in three years."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Her wife?"

"She's bi."

Adrien's face illuminated right away. "Nice. But still, I want proof. You know the deal. "

Rapha?l nodded. That was part of why Adrien had never pushed much for other lovers. He was obsessed with STIs. He'd even forced Rapha?l to get a vaccine against HPV before putting him on PreP years prior.

"I told her we'd bring proof we're negative. She seemed to really appreciate that. She said she'll do the same."

"Okay." Adrien's shoulders relaxed.

"Not much of a turn-on," Rapha?l complained. "Seems like a contract."

"As far as I'm concerned, unless we're dating, fucking is a contract."

"Okay, so…" Rapha?l grabbed his phone. He turned it on and opened the Tinder app. "This is her…"

He held out the phone to Adrien, who took a look at the profile picture.

"Fuck, she's beautiful!" He ran his fingers over the photo.

"So…?" Rapha?l really hoped he'd say "yes." It'd been a drag to find the right candidate. In fact, it'd taken him months, and not telling Adrien the entire time was torture.

"I'm in!"

Rapha?l coughed. "You know nothing about her."

Adrien stared at him. "What do I need to know? You told me it's just for one night. I've been frustrated as fuck. I'm in." He crossed his arms. "See, I'm not HSP. I can fuck without feelings attached."

Rapha?l sighed. "Are you trying to make a point? "

Adrien raised an eyebrow. He was totally trying to make a point. Rapha?l tsked as his husband looked at the picture again, staring at the woman on the screen.

"What's her name?"

"Eléanor."

Adrien gave a sideways smile. "A queen just for us? Fits her well."

Rapha?l rolled his eyes at the reference to Eléanor of Aquitaine.

"When do we get to meet this beauty?" Adrien asked. "I can't believe you did this behind my back."

"I haven't set a date yet. She wants to Zoom first."

Adrien's brow furrowed in doubt. "Mmm, okay. Sounds like a lot just for a fuck, but okay."

"She said she doesn't want us wasting her time."

Adrien seemed deeply confused. "Okay... Does she think we're lame in bed or something? Are we supposed to flash her on Zoom so she can judge the goods first? What's the deal?"

Rapha?l chuckled. "No, she doesn't want to meet us in person yet. Said it'll save her a trip if we're not interested."

"Oh, I'm interested all right. Damn. Did you look at her? Did you send her pictures of us yet?"

"Yeah, she loved them. She said her wife is also interested."

Adrien's eyes widened, dilating to the point where his pupils blended with his dark irises. "Wait, are you talking about a foursome? With two women?"

Rapha?l nodded with a shy, lopsided smile .

Adrien's gaze filled with so much lust, Rapha?l didn't need to look at his crotch to tell he'd turned hard. "Have you asked what they're into already?"

"She said she's open to anything."

Adrien's eyebrows shot up. "Anything, huh? You did warn her my mind is fucking dirty, right? I wouldn't want her to start freaking out when I'm asking to fuck her up the back door."

Rapha?l laughed. "I told her, yes."

"When can we talk to her?"

Rapha?l looked at the clock. "I set up a meeting with her today at four P.M. She implied she might not be able to meet us in person for a month. I think she wants to chat online and get to know more about us first."

Adrien's inhale was heavy, as if he was having trouble breathing. "Can we please fuck now?" He rolled over Rapha?l's body, pinning him back as he pressed his hard cock against him. "Don't know what I did to deserve a husband like you, but I'm gonna fuck you mindless right fucking now."

He lowered his hand to Rapha?l's underwear before leading him into a deep kiss. Rapha?l smiled against him. "Can we do it in the shower?"

Adrien shook his head. "I'm fucking you right here. Then I'm blowing you in the shower. And fucking you again."

Rapha?l grew hard fast.