CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 1 7

INTERLUDE

Unwanted visitor

FOR THE NEXT three weeks, things settled into a predictable routine. I spent most of my evenings in the Contessa's room satisfying her sexual whims while my days were whiled away in the lazy boredom of a kept man. On the mornings when I was too weak to rise from my bed, Rosetta would bring me my meals and linger to keep me company. I never knew who carried me back to my room after the Contessa had her way with me or how Rosetta knew when I was unable to care for myself, but she always seemed to anticipate my needs.

As much as I couldn't escape my sexual attraction to my captor, I also couldn't deny my growing feelings for her maid. I looked forward to Rosetta's visits when I was weakened and missed them when I wasn't. On those days I would rise and go downstairs alone for my comestrio, often taking my meals in the company of Tomasso, to whom I refused to speak unless absolutely necessary. I would sometimes catch a glimpse of Rosetta in the kitchen and we would exchange furtive looks, but our time alone was confined to a few stolen moments here or there or the all-too-brief visits she would arrange to my room in the evenings before the Contessa summoned me.

It was during her evening visit on this day that I noticed she seemed on edge. She had brought me water and towels for my toiletry and had begun to pace while I washed.

"What's bothering you tonight?" I asked, wondering if perhaps someone had suspected our growing relationship.

She wrung her hands and shook her head, muttering too low for me to hear. I crossed the room and took her hands in mine, forcing her to stop and look at me. "Rosetta, you're upset. What's wrong?"

Her expression was miserable when she looked at me. "I wish you didn't have to go to her tonight."

I smiled at her. "If it's any consolation, I would much rather stay here with you." I touched my finger to her chin and raised her face, leaning in to place a quick kiss on her lips. I knew she was uncomfortable with even this small show of affection, afraid word of it would somehow get back to her mistress, but I was careful never to treat her any differently in public.

"You don't understand. She has a visitor."

"A visitor? And who is this person who has you so distraught?"

"His name is Christopher, an Englishman, and he is…"

"What?"

She pulled away from me and began pacing and wringing her hands again. "He is worse than her. "

Worse than her? "You mean he's like her?"

She stopped pacing and nodded, and I felt something inside me cringe. Another one like her? How many were there, and how did they come to be as they were?

"Why is he here?"

"They are old friends."

"Has he come here before?"

She nodded again. "The staff…we try to stay out of his way when he's here. He likes to play games with us."

"And by games you mean…?" What exactly, I wondered.

"He is cruel," she spat. "More so than even her. The last time he was here he tortured and killed one of the kitchen maids for his own amusement."

I felt a surge of protective instinct rise in me. "Has he threatened you?"

"Not yet, but I do my best to stay out of his way."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. She keeps a room for him here. I assume that's where he went when he arrived."

"Has she sent for me this evening?"

"Yes. She said to come to her as soon as you finish your toiletry." She reached for me, grabbing my hand. "Julianus, don't go."

I offered her a sad smile. "As much as I'd like to stay here with you, we both know I have to go. You said it yourself, I can't disappoint her."

I thought about the captive who was sent to the cellar a few weeks ago. I hadn't asked about him since then, but I'm sure the man was dead by now. I'd wondered if she replaced him, despite the fact that she sent for me every night I was capable. I was sure the Contessa's appetite could handle more than one lover a night, though I hadn't seen anyone new around the house .

"It'll be all right," I assured her.

"You don't know that."

"No, but I'll do whatever I can to make sure he doesn't bother you."

"I know you mean well, but what can you do against them?"

Since I didn't know how to answer that, I simply wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me. I knew in my heart if this man Christopher harmed her in any way he would have to kill me to prevent me from hurting him.

"I can't stand to see you unhappy," I murmured to her.

She looked up at me. "I hate that you were captured, but I'm glad you're here for my sake."

"So am I," I agreed, kissing the top of her head. "Now you'd better go before you're missed, and I should get to the Contessa's room before she gets suspicious."

? ? ?

Ordinarily the Contessa would answer my knock at her door herself, but on this evening she simply called out for me to enter. When I got inside the room, I discovered why. She was reclined in the middle of her bed with a man's head buried between her legs. He was nude and slight of build, his long hair hiding his face, but I recognized him.

Tomasso.

My fists clenched at my side while an irrational flare of jealousy surged through me. She would entertain another man while sending for me? And Tomasso at that? He was little more than a child, I raged inwardly, though if I was being honest, he was probably close to my own age .

The Contessa flicked her gaze to me and I realized with satisfaction the emotion I saw on her face was more akin to boredom than ecstasy. That thought was confirmed when she uttered a long-suffering sigh and pushed his head away from her.

"That will be all, Tomasso. You may leave."

He sat up and glanced sideways at me, his brows dipping in a frown. "Are you sure?"

"Would I have said it if I weren't?" she snapped. "Go. Now."

He scrambled up from the bed and stopped to gather his clothes, his eyes glaring daggers at me as he brushed past and let himself out of the room.

When he was gone, the Contessa focused her attention on me. "How did that make you feel, Julianus?"

I knew she was trying to bait me, and I wondered if the whole encounter had been meant for that exact purpose, but before I could answer her another voice interrupted.

"Darling, he's positively murderous."

The voice was deep yet lyrical, with an accent I'd never heard before. The man behind it rose from a chair on the opposite side of the bed, his lithe frame clothed only in a pair of black tights. He moved with a languorous grace as he rounded the bed and approached me. Blond curls fell to his shoulders, framing a pair of ice blue eyes and a wide, full mouth.

This, I suspected, was the feared Christopher.

His lips curled up in a cruel smile and I was reminded of a feral cat I had once encountered in an alley. He reached out and trailed a single finger across my arm and down my chest, evoking an involuntary shiver in me.

"Lovely," he leaned in and breathed against my ear. "Is this your new playmate, Anastacia?" He moved behind me, his arm curling around my shoulder. When I tried to inch away from him, his grip tightened, pulling me closer to him so that our heads rested against each other. "I like him. He's pretty. And got some fire in him." He turned his head, meeting my eyes, his lips a breath away from mine. "You wanted to kill him just now, didn't you?"

I couldn't deny it, though I was loathe to say it out loud for fear of what the Contessa might do since he was her favorite. And while part of me was equally terrified of this man, I pushed aside my fear and narrowed my eyes at him when I muttered, "He deserved no less."

"Splendid!" He released me and threw his arms wide. "A kindred spirit. I believe we're going to have fun together."

The Contessa had been watching our interaction hungrily and now rose up on her hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the bed. "You should know, Christopher, despite his age, Julianus is already a skilled lover."

"Is he now?" Christopher turned back to me, his eyes shining with lust. He circled behind me and slipped his hand down my back and cupped my ass. When I jumped, he chuckled and leaned close, his back pressed against mine, his mouth next to my ear. "I'll bet that's a virgin ass. How would you feel about having a cock buried in it, hmm?"

My heart slammed against my chest as I tried to squirm away from him, but his grip was like iron. "I don't…I've never…"

"Nonsense," Christopher purred. "There's a first time for everything. And I'm told I'm a hell of a good first time."

"I believe you're frightening him," the Contessa murmured, but there was no sympathy in her voice. Instead, she appeared eager, like she was anticipating what was to come next .

"Tell you what," Christopher murmured to me. "Do you like eating Anastacia's pussy?" I nodded, afraid to speak. "Well I'm sure you're better at it than that jackanape Tomasso. I mean, why does the man even have a tongue? Perhaps we should rectify that, hmm Anastacia?"

When she shrugged indifferently, he pushed me toward her and bent me over the side of the bed, running his hands over my ass again. "Let's get comfortable." He reached around me and yanked on my shurt, pulling it off my shoulders and tossing it on the floor. The Contessa had always insisted that I come to her clad only in my underthings, so there was little else for Christopher to remove. He wasted no time in doing so, shoving my breeches down my legs and spinning me around to face him.

I tried to remain indifferent to him, but when his eyes wandered over me with a hunger that was almost palpable, my cock began to twitch traitorously. He grinned and reached out, grabbing and stroking it, his hands surprisingly soft, and I felt myself harden despite my distaste.

He watched me with a hooded expression as my cock responded to his touch, the first signs of pre-cum appearing on my head. "See, I knew you'd warm up to me. After you eat her I'd love to watch you bury that in her pussy. But first I want to fuck you."

The words were crass but he uttered them like the kiss of a lover, and I found myself being drawn into the same spell of lust the Contessa weaved.

"Give the man a target, darling," he told the Contessa as he turned me around.

She flipped over and laid back on the bed with her legs spread, and as it always did, the sight of her pussy stirred my own hunger .

"Go for it," he whispered to me. "But leave that sweet ass of yours open for me."

With no recourse, I inched forward on the bed and climbed up on my hands and knees, crawling toward her until my face was poised above her pussy.

"Can you finish what Tomasso started?" she asked archly.

She knew I could. I'd brought her to screams every time I ate her. What caused me to hesitate this time was the man at my back. As I dipped my head between her legs I felt his hand caress my ass, his fingers tracing my crack and teasing my sphincter. I tensed and he pulled away for a moment, and I heard the rustle of clothing. My tongue dipped into her pussy as the hand returned, and this time the finger was wet and circled my hole before pushing inside.

Christopher leaned over me, his bare chest pressed against my back, his cock dangling against my leg, his left hand reaching around to grip my own cock while the fingers of his right hand rimmed me. He pushed a single finger inside, causing me to grunt and try to pull away, but his other hand grabbed my hip and held me in place while he inserted two fingers in my ass and began rolling them around until against all my instincts I found myself pushing back against him. Whenever he would hit a certain spot, I would growl into the Contessa's pussy and shove my ass against his hand.

The Contessa closed her hands around my head and pulled me closer, unwilling to allow me to divide my attention, and while I was as usual overwhelmed by the taste and scent of her cunt, I was equally distracted by what was going on behind me.

Christopher brushed his lips against my ear, his tongue snaking out to rim my earlobe while his teeth nibbled at the sensitive flesh. "You feel lovely," he breathed .

He pulled away for a moment, his fingers withdrawing, leaving me feeling empty, then immediately panicked as the head of his cock pressed against my ass. He rubbed it up and down my crack, wetting it with his pre-cum before pushing it against my sphincter. I lurched forward, a gasp escaping my lips, but his hand stroking my cock quickly tamed my objection.

"Easy now," he cooed. "It'll only hurt for a minute. I can't wait to feel this tight ass of yours."

The Contessa's fingers tangled in my hair, forcing my face against her cunt while Christopher relentlessly inched his cock into my ass. I felt a fullness like I had never experienced before and was certain there was no way he would fit in there. Once fully sheathed inside me, he began to rock back and forth, his cock causing me the most exquisite sensations.

"Don't forget to eat her," he murmured as he pulled back. He withdrew until I could feel only the head of his cock inside me, then violently shoved it back in.

My tongue lapped at the Contessa's pussy while Christopher proceeded to fuck my ass and jerk off my cock, and while part of me was appalled by what was happening, I couldn't deny I was experiencing the most intense sex I had ever felt. My tongue dug deep into her as I latched onto her clit, causing her to tighten her grip on my head while my cock felt like it was going to explode.

"That's it, darling," Christopher goaded. "We'll all cum together."

I felt his cock stiffen inside me as my own grew painfully hard in his fist. The Contessa bucked before me as I inserted two fingers into her pussy to roll over her clit, which usually did the trick for bringing her to orgasm. She screamed my name as she came while Christopher slammed his cock into my ass until I felt the heat of his cum fill me. My own release came seconds later at his hands.

I collapsed onto the bed as Christopher's teeth tore at the flesh on the back of my neck while the Contessa leaned forward and grabbed my wrist, biting down and sucking at my blood. My head began to spin, my eyes unfocused as I lost my grip on reality.

"Oh no," Christopher warned, releasing my neck. "We're not done playing tonight."

Maybe you're not, I wanted to say, but I was spent. Between the sex and the blood loss, I was as good as useless, but this man wasn't interested in what I wanted. He rolled me onto my back and straddled me, his hardening cock rubbing against mine.

"I like this one, Anastacia," he chirped. "He's got a sweet ass and from the way you screamed, his tongue can work magic. I can't wait to have him suck me off."

"He lacks your stamina," she said. "I usually have him sent to his room after feeding."

"Well, I'm sure we won't kill him if we play a little longer. Humans are resilient, for the most part. And if we break him, there are always more."

I was lost in a haze of overstimulation, barely comprehending their exchange. My eyes fluttered shut, as though leaving them open was beyond the capacity of my strength.

"I believe you've ruined him for tonight," the Contessa's voice wafted around me. "Why don't you come over here and fuck me?"

I felt Christopher's weight release me as he crawled across the bed, and was vaguely aware of them rutting beside me, but I was beyond caring by that point. After a while someone slapped my face and tried to jostle me awake, but I didn't have the energy to respond. The last thing I remember was Christopher's oath of "well bugger that," and someone lifting me off the bed.