Standard Disclaimer: I own neither New World Zorro nor its characters-I just take them down off the shelf and play with them occasionally. Don't worry; I usually put them back where I found them. Usually…
I was tickled pink when I found out there was an entire Zorro section on ff dot net. I can't wait to read all of the fics out there! It looks as though there are some really talented writers here so let's go easy on my first Zorro fic, okay?
That being said, this is rated 'M' for mature (read sexual) themes and may be considered somewhat kinky by certain standards so don't read any further if that kind of thing bothers you. This is an M/M/F pairing (the slash is implied…mostly). While there isn't really a 'twist' ending per se, the fic can be interpreted either literally or metaphorically—it is entirely up to you, the reader.
This idea has been bouncing around in my head since I recently bought the NWZ series and have been re-watching it faithfully every night. Hope you enjoy it. Constructive criticism is always welcome however please no flames on the subject matter—I did warn you. Happy reading.
Two's Company. Three's a…
It was her wedding night; and by all rights Victoria Escalante de la Vega should have been dancing and enjoying her reception at the hacienda. Well, she was dancing. Her nose wrinkled as the over-whelming odor of enchilada sauce assaulted her delicate senses; the source, Sergeant Jaime Mendoza, stepped on her toes once more and held her hand like a limp fish…again. She forced a smile onto her face again and found herself wishing intently for the relative safety of her husband's strong embrace and nimble feet…or Zorro's. She shook her head slightly. You shouldn't be thinking of him on what is supposed to be the happiest night of your life. She resigned herself to the fact that, even though…I still love…
Unfortunately, Mendoza could be unbelievably perceptive at the most inopportune times. "So Señorita Esca…errr…Señora de la Vega, you aren't thinking of him are you?"
"Him?" Victoria was so flustered that Mendoza of all people had voiced what was surely on everyone's mind tonight that she stumbled slightly; she had expected something like that from the Alcalde however he was conspicuously absent. The sergeant hit a little too close to home for her comfort. "That is none of your business," she responded frostily.
A brief look of hurt flashed across the face of a man she had come to consider a friend and she felt bad for snapping at the kind, bumbling man. It's not his fault. Victoria pasted what she hoped was a sincere-looking smile on her pretty features, "I'm sorry, I did not sleep well last night. Nerves you know."
"Oh sí, I understand Señora. I would be nervous too about someone else making your wonderful tamales."
That brought a genuine smile to her face and Victoria resolved not to think about her hero any more tonight. The music came to a merciful halt and no sooner had he made the traditional bow then she was swept up into another dance, this time into a warm, familiar embrace.
"Hola, wife of my heart." The endearment delivered in Diego de la Vega's bright tenor flowed over Victoria like warm bathwater and she shivered. She vehemently denied to herself that she had been hoping against hope just to hear a familiar baritone whisper Querida into her hair once more.
"Hola husband. Did you have a nice discussion with your father?" She hated how banal she sounded—as if she were discussing the weather. Diego swept her around gracefully, his hands never straying from their prescribed places. Staring up at him, she wondered where the passionate man of the past four months had gone off too. It was almost as if he'd reverted back to his old self. Victoria wasn't sure why that thought bothered her so much.
"Hmm?" Diego murmured, clearly distracted but by what Victoria didn't know. She shivered once again as he spoke, his breath moving the hair framing her dainty, heart-shaped face, "Oh yes. I had to make sure I wasn't needed tomorrow before we retired for the evening."
"Is it that late already?"
"No, but can you fault a man for wanting to be alone with his beautiful, new wife?" She caught a glimpse of the mischievous man she knew she had married in his impish smile. "I know I may not have acted as such in the past, but the fact of the matter is that I am very much a warm-blooded male and I am very much intoxicated by you." He pulled her tight against his broad chest and buried his nose into her soft curls, inhaling deeply of her rose scented hair. Her heart lurched in her chest at the very familiar gesture and for the hundredth time since he began courting her, she wondered if there wasn't something more to this kind, slightly complicated man she had married. She placed both hands on his chest and forced him to a more appropriate distance to give herself time to think.
Her thoughts quickly turned to that fateful day nearly six months ago when the idea of breaking a solemn promise was firmly planted in her mind for the first time.
The untimely death of Rosa Padilla had driven home a sad fact that Victoria had spent years denying. Rosa was a young wife and mother of two boys; she and Victoria had gone to the mission school together as children and remained close as they grew older. Whenever the Padilla family came into the pueblo, Rosa always made a point to bring her sons to visit with Victoria. During her last visit, she had leveled a hard look at her unmarried friend over a glass of juice and urged her to consider her future. It was obvious that Zorro's fight was far from over—how long was Victoria willing to wait for him? You're not getting any younger—by the time he is free to marry you, you probably won't be able to have children.
Victoria had spluttered in surprise at Rosa's candidness and mumbled something about adopting from the mission. That is beside the point, Victoria. There is nothing quite like carrying your own little miracle below your heart for nine months. Besides, your children deserve to have a mother who can keep up with them. Raising young ones is a job all its own. I know, I know. You love Zorro. But there is more to marriage and being a parent than love. What kind of father would Zorro be if he's always racing off to save the pueblo from itself?
Victoria had sat back in shock at that comment; she hadn't thought of Zorro's ability to parent. She'd always assumed he'd make a great father but how good of a father could he really be if he was gone all the time? Just think about what I've said, Victoria.
She remembered asking Rosa that if she couldn't marry for love, what should she marry for? Friendship had been her friend's parting answer as she walked out to the wagon, her sons chasing each other around their mother's skirts. That was the last time Victoria saw her friend alive. Less than a week later, Rosa was gone, dead at 26 from a snake bite as she wrung out the laundry. After the burial Mass, Victoria had lain awake all night, staring blankly at the ceiling and pondering her future and the unexpected wrench her friend had thrown into her plans. As the sun's rays began to bathe the pueblo in light, Victoria had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, her future clearer than it had been in a long time.
Zorro had been understandably upset when she had returned his mother's emerald ring the following evening but as she explained her reasons, he could not help but agree that it was incredibly unfair to ask her to wait for him not knowing when his fight would be over. Over the next few weeks, as news of her split with Zorro traveled, she found herself spending more and more time with her long time friend, Diego de la Vega. Diego had always had a soft spot for the young tavern owner and if he recognized her diversionary tactics for what they were, he never mentioned it. For that and his ability to make her laugh during those first few weeks of heartbreak, she found herself growing closer to him.
She may not love him with all of the passion she held for Zorro, but as they grew closer and he began to openly court her, she found herself unceremoniously falling in love with her quiet, studious friend. But the Diego de la Vega of the past five years was not the same Diego de la Vega that courted her. Gone was the painfully shy man she thought she knew and in his place stood a confident caballero unafraid to debate the finer points of politics and the pueblo with her. This new version of her old friend showered her with compliments and brought her a red rose nearly every day from his mother's garden. She saved all of them, pressing the petals and mixing them with Zorro's; the family's roses were unique, a special hybrid developed by the late Magdalena de la Vega, and Don Alejandro guarded them fiercely. She had idly wondered one evening just how the aging don would react to the news that the masked bandit of Los Angeles had apparently been helping himself to the pride of Doña Elena's garden for several years.
She shook herself from her reverie and found that her husband had successfully navigated around the dance floor without incident while she had been woolgathering. If he was bothered by her sudden inattentiveness, he did not show it. Instead Diego bestowed a nervous, lop-sided grin on her while his eyes slid from side to side. She was taken aback by the determination and fear in his gaze when he leaned close to her again and whispered "Victoria, mi Preciosa, I have a confession to make once we retire for the evening."
Her ears perked up at the slight change in his voice but she kept her tone light and teasing. "A confession? Whatever could the studious Diego de la Vega have to confess?"
He pressed a kiss against her temple and whispered the words that nearly brought her world crashing down around her. "It's about Zorro."
Two hours later, they were finally able to extricate themselves from the festivities. Diego led a subdued Victoria to his room, his long fingers entwined with hers. As they walked in silence, Victoria's overactive imagination reeled with far-fetched ideas as to what Diego's confession could be. For the first time, a thrill coursed through her as she wondered if he was her masked bandit. It's possible, she thought as the shadows played across his tall frame. She tried to imagine what his face would look like covered in black silk but he spun her around into his arms before she had the chance.
Diego caught her in a searing kiss; he drank greedily from her lips as if she was an oasis and he was a weary desert traveler uncertain when next he could quench his thirst. The way he held her so tightly, as if he were afraid she would slip through his fingers, very nearly brought tears to her eyes. To encourage him further, she swept her tongue over his bottom lip; he groaned aloud, deepening the kiss and backing her against his bedroom door, too impatient to begin the honeymoon to wait until they were inside.
All thoughts of Zorro fled her mind as she fumbled with the latch, gasping quietly as the door frame dug into her back when he pressed his body against hers. Before she could open the door, his moist lips descended to her décolleté; she gasped in surprise that mild-mannered Diego de la Vega would even consider making such a bold move while in the hallway where anyone could come upon them. Although lately, it seemed she had been finding out first hand that there was much more to her husband than ever he let on. His tongue laved the swell of her breasts and she threw her head back in wanton pleasure however the pleasure quickly turned into a sharp stab of pain as the back of her head impacted the corner of the door frame. The last thing she saw before completely blacking out was the panicked expression on her husband's normally calm features as he caught her.
Victoria slowly swam up to consciousness through a grey haze; her head spun and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to overcome vertigo and the urge to lose her dinner. As slowly she became more alert, she noticed the sound of two male voices coming from the corner of the room near the window. A soft tenor that she recognized as her husband's provided a resonant counterpoint to the stranger's rougher baritone. They were discussing her.
"…long as she been out?" The stranger's voice seemed so familiar but Victoria couldn't place it in the pain-induced fog of her mind.
"…an hour. She has a…sized knot on the back of her head…have a bit of a headache when she wakes." She opened her eyes only to squeeze them shut again as the light from the candles sent a stab of pain through her head and the nausea roiling through her midsection once more. As she lay there, pretending to sleep, she unashamedly listened in on the conversation. She snorted to herself as she heard her husband's tone turn teasing with a hint of his normal self-deprecation, "All I did was kiss her; I didn't think being married to me was so bad that she would resort to knocking herself out on our wedding night."
The next comment from the stranger confused Victoria even further. "I can't fault her reaction though; your kisses can bring even the strongest person to their knees." The silence following his statement was deafening and she was surprised they couldn't hear her accelerated heartbeat or breathing as she tried to make her mind understand.
"Why are you here?" came the eventual, strangled reply from Diego. "Why now?"
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding. I very much wanted to be there to see the two people I love most in this world make their solemn vows to one another." The voice turned bitter and Victoria was even more hard-pressed to identify it. A sliver of recognition niggled at the back of her brain but her headache kept the thought at bay. "I didn't want to ruin your special day by springing De Soto's very obvious trap. With you two married to each other, it absolves you both of any serious connection to me. No one will suspect a thing." Was it her imagination or did a sad overtone suddenly taint the deeper voice? "I…I thought I could live without your love and hers but I was wrong; a life without either of you is not a life worth living. Diego, please don't leave me alone."
Silence followed the man's heartfelt plea and Victoria continued to struggle to comprehend what was happening. What kind of person breaks into someone's bedroom on their wedding night? Her subconscious knew but she refused to believe that Diego was in love with someone else.
"We should have told her earlier." The conversation quickly turned more intimate as if the men had discussed this topic many times before.
"I know but I was…afraid," the deeper voice replied quietly.
"Afraid of what?"
"…that she would panic and call off the wedding. That she wouldn't be able to love us anymore."
"You mean love you," her husband scoffed quietly. "She doesn't love me; just Zorro. I am nothing but a convenience—a sad substitution for the true captor of her heart." Victoria's anger bubbled. How dare he assume that I do not love him—that I'm using him as a cover for my feelings for Zorro! Didn't I just pledge my life, body and soul to him in front of our entire pueblo?
"She cares for you more that you think and more than she lets on."
"You never did answer my question—why are you here?" In the ensuing silence, Victoria strained to hear the stranger's response. Why is he here, bothering my husband on our wedding night? She was finally able to crack her eyes open a bit without any pain or nausea; her hooded gaze slid almost involuntarily towards the dark silhouettes near the window. She could make out the white ruffles on Diego's shirtfront but she couldn't see anything of the stranger except for a glint of silver at waist height as he shuffled from one foot to the other. A sword? The brim of a very familiar hat soon came into view. Zorro! Her heart lurched in her chest at the thought of her beloved hero visiting her.
A black, gloved hand came out of the shadow and snaked around the back of Diego's neck yanking him forward. "I came to see you, mi Querido," was Zorro's breathless response before his lips crashed into the other man's. Diego stiffened briefly as his lean body was brought flush against the masked hero's slightly taller frame; Victoria wasn't sure but she thought she saw Diego's eyes shift briefly in her direction. Zorro licked Diego's bottom lip seeking to deepen the kiss and the de la Vega heir groaned and relaxed, allowing Zorro's probing tongue entrance. One arm caught Zorro around the waist, keeping pressure on the bandit's lower back and the other quickly knocked the hat to the floor, the muffled whump as it hit the stones punctuating the heavy breathing and soft groans.
Abandoning all pretense of sleeping, Victoria sat straight up in bed as her foggy mind finally realized what was happening. Zorro is kissing my husband! My Zorro! My husband! Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes and a choked sob tore from her throat as the two men she loved most committed the ultimate betrayal in front of her very eyes.
At the sudden noise, Zorro and Diego sprang apart guiltily and turned towards the shaking woman. She could see the effect the kiss had on Zorro as he approached the bed; her eyes were drawn to his waist as he tugged his sword belt free. His arousal tented the front of his trousers and Victoria stared wide-eyed and frozen in part by fear and fascination at the sight. The left side of the overstuffed mattress dipped under Zorro's weight causing her to skitter away, clutching the light blanket to her bosom like a shield. Her backwards flight was quickly impeded by the headboard and she drew her knees to her chest and trembled violently. "Don't come any closer." She was proud of how steady her voice seemed was despite the fact that she was visibly quaking in fear and anger. From the corner of her eye, she could see Diego approaching from the other side.
"Querida, please…"
The infamous Escalante temper flared to life then. "Don't you Querida me. How dare you!" she hissed as her hand unwound from the blanket and delivered a stinging slap across his right cheek. Her palm hurt but she'd be damned if she admitted it then.
Zorro kept facing away from her as he replied quietly, "I deserved that." At this seeming admission of guilt, the floodgates opened and she cried openly, grieving for the loves she had lost. Through her tears, she could see the worried looks exchanged over her. A loud sob escaped her lips at the thought of Diego having shared her hero with her for Dios knew how long; she knew somehow without really knowing that they were lovers in every sense of the word. How dare they tarnish her love and reputation! How dare he bestow her beloved nickname on another! And her own husband nonetheless! If she hadn't been awake to witness their folly, would Diego have made love to her that very night without telling her the truth? Another choked sob escaped. Madre de Dios! How stupid and blind have I been?
Her hyperventilating was interrupted by Diego's arms enfolding her into his strong embrace. She fought him and beat on his surprisingly muscular chest with her tiny fists until Zorro reached over and gently grasped her wrists. Diego nuzzled his face in her hair then, whispering apologies and endearments in an attempt to soothe her as tears tracked silently down his own cheeks. She cried herself out, soaking her husband's snowy shirt front.
Zorro kept his bare hand on her back the entire time, rubbing slow circles, the bottom of his black mask damp; he had discarded his gloves somewhere along the way and the heat from his hand burned her skin through her blouse.
The silence that settled over the room was deafening in its intensity and broken only by the soft hiccupping brought on by her violent outpouring of emotion. She sighed wearily. I'm so tired. When will I wake up to find this nightmare over?
Almost afraid of the answer she was going to hear, Victoria murmured into Diego's shirt, "When?"
Zorro exchanged a significant look with Diego before responding just as quietly, "Five months ago."
She sucked in a sharp breath; it felt as if she had just been punched in the gut. That was right after I broke off our engagement. Victoria cried out in a scandalized tone as another though occurred to her, "That was when you began courting me Diego! Oh Dios! How blind and stupid have I been?" The tears began anew when she thought she had nothing left.
Zorro continued speaking in his low voice, seeming to hope that if he kept talking, she would calm down. "It was during that huge storm." He sighed before continuing, "I had just finished my nightly patrol around the pueblo and was riding back along Diablo Canyon when suddenly Toronado became restless. Near the edge of the ravine, a large section of the path had been churned up—I got down to investigate further and found Diego."
Her husband's chest rumbled under her ear as he continued the story, "I was riding one of the younger colts, putting him through his paces but he was fighting me the entire time and I never noticed just how far from the hacienda I had gotten. When I finally looked up, the sky had darkened and the storm was rolling in. I had just turned the horse around when lightning streaked across the sky and spooked him. It all happened so fast that it seemed a blur: the horse came down on his leg wrong—I felt the bone snap—and then we were falling. The next thing I remember is waking up with my arm wedged between a rock and the face of the cliff about ten feet down from the edge; it had just started to rain, and I was wondering how I was going to get myself out of my predicament when I heard a low whistle and the handle of a whip suddenly dangled in front of my nose."
"Between the two of us and Toronado, we managed to get him up to safety but his horse was another matter. The poor thing had fallen down into the canyon; Diego should consider himself extremely lucky that he hadn't broken his neck either." Zorro leveled a concerned gaze at the other man holding his wife and brushed his cheek with his knuckles.
"By the time I got out of the canyon, it had started to rain in earnest and we were forced to seek shelter in a nearby cave. Emotions were running high, one thing led to another and Zorro ended up declaring his feelings for me."
"I couldn't help it. Seeing him hanging from the cliff like a rag doll shook me; I would've felt the same had it been you, Victoria. You helped me realize that life is too short when you broke our engagement; that happiness was going to keep slipping through my fingers unless I did something to stop it."
"I had never even thought of Zorro in that fashion until he professed his love. We made it through that night and over the next week, he stopped by the hacienda to check on me and make sure my arm and ribs were healing alright."
"You're lovers aren't you?" She croaked.
The men did not have to say anything—Victoria read their affirmation in their body language and guilty stares.
"Madre de Dios," Victoria moaned lowly, scrubbing her face with her hands as she pulled away from her husband. As she sat up, her head spun from her injury and she gagged as the vertigo hit her like a ton of bricks. "You…you bastards. I'm such an idiot—I should've seen it." She sucked cool air into her lungs, fighting the nausea. "You…" she laughed bitterly. "You, dear husband, have acted a different man since you began courting me."
"Victoria…" Zorro tried to divert the impending explosion.
"But it's not because of me is it?" Her voice rose steadily.
"Victoria…please…"
"Is it?"
"Querida."
"Just answer me!" She shrieked.
"No." Diego's quiet voice cut though the impending silence like Toledo steel through the alcalde's jacket. "No."
"It's because of him, isn't it," the young woman spat. "Isn't it!"
"Yes…" he hedged. "And no."
"What?" His wife was not expecting his answer.
"You were just as much a catalyst as he was, perhaps even more so." Diego cupped her cheeks in his palms and brought her gaze to meet his. "I could actually show and act upon my feelings for you openly and it made me heady."
Tears slipped down her cheeks once again and Zorro took the opportunity to pull her into his embrace. "Sssh. Victoria, please listen to me," he whispered. "Don't cry. You couldn't possibly have known about us because we hid it well, a little too well…" he trailed off.
That got her attention. "W-what?"
Diego sighed and tried to elaborate Zorro's cryptic statement. "By the time we realized that what we were feeling was real and not brought about by the traumatic situation, I had already asked you to marry me. You were so happy and I didn't want to jeopardize that."
"So instead you…you…trick me into wedlock and then what?" she seethed, her temper getting the best of her again and blinding her to the obvious feelings both men shared for her. "You would give me the children I so long for but for what? Ours would be a loveless marriage! You would do your duty as my husband all the while thinking of clandestine, moonlit visits with you lover." She spat the last word and both men visibly flinched.
Diego kept his gaze on the bed as he whispered, "It wouldn't be loveless."
"What?" Victoria was beginning to feel like a parrot, repeating the word every few minutes.
"Our marriage. It wouldn't be loveless. I never misled you as to my feelings, Querida. I love you so much; we both do. We need you like the very air we breathe."
"But…" her retort died on her full, red lips at Zorro's answering nod, his blue eyes meeting her doe-like brown as she glanced back and forth between them.
"We've discussed this, Victoria," Zorro rumbled quietly in his deep voice as he reached out and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Diego and I are both madly in love with you."
"Both?"
The men answered her with affirmative nods.
"But…but what about you? I thought you loved each other?" Her head spun at their admission and she closed her eyes and took deep breaths to keep her headache from coming back.
"We do," Diego murmured, "but we love you too. Like Zorro said, we had time to discuss this and…and…" His face flushed all the way past his collar and Victoria idly wondered what could embarrass him so. "It's just…"
"What Diego is trying to say, Querida, is that we want to spend the rest of our lives loving you. I told him earlier that I cannot possibly live and continue my fight against injustice knowing that neither of you are waiting at home for me."
"Home?"
"Yes, Victoria. Home—with both you and Diego. Con su permiso, we want to create a permanent situation; the French call it ménage à trois. It is French for literally 'house of three'."
Still blushing, Diego continued excitedly, "You and I would be the public side of the relationship now that we're married. Weren't you wondering earlier this evening what marriage to Zorro would be like? Victoria, you can have your cake and eat it too."
Victoria stared in shock at the two men sitting on either side of her. "Cake?" Her eyes widened comically as the import of the situation and what they were insinuating finally sunk in. I'm still a virgin! I'm having trouble imagining one lover, let alone two! How would that even work? Her curiosity at the situation eventually won out over her deeply ingrained Catholic sensibilities; her love for both men was too strong to ignore.
"Victoria, before you make your decision, we need to know—can you handle loving both of us? Does it bother you that Diego and I will remain lovers?"
"When you told me that you had a confession to make about Zorro, this was the last thing I expected." She chuckled sadly. "In fact…oh this is silly."
"It's not, please tell us." Zorro grasped her hands in his desperately trying to understand what was going through her mind.
"It's just that…I thought that Diego was going to confess to being…well, to being you, El Zorro, himself. I know, silly huh?"
"That's not silly. In fact your instincts are usually right Querida." She rolled her eyes at the comment but held her tongue.
"You never did answer my question, mi Preciosa. Would it bother you if Diego and I were to remain lovers?"
She thought earnestly about the situation. There was no question in her mind that she loved both men absolutely. She blushed prettily when she thought of the two men loving each other—she wasn't quite sure how it would work but they would be her lovers too. Faced with the choice of all of their love or none of it, Victoria found herself capitulating to the bizarre situation in a daze.
At her affirmative response, Zorro released the breath he'd been holding and stood, pulling her forward into his strong arms and kissing her senseless. She threaded her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as possible and losing herself in the drugging quality of his kisses. After a moment, she rubbed her body against him and, feeling the evidence of his desire pressed firmly into her stomach, moaned lowly. While still a virgin, Victoria wasn't entirely naïve to the act of lovemaking—she knew what was supposed to happen. What she didn't learn from several of the gossipier women around the pueblo, she had learned from her brothers and experience. She had been courted from a young age and had several close encounters while on dates, and with one young man in particular; her thoughts on the subject flew out the window however as Zorro groaned and deepened the kiss. Using his tongue and teeth, he alternately nipped and licked incessantly at her lower lip until she gasped. Seizing the chance, he greedily plundered her mouth seemingly trying to commit every crevice to memory.
His bare hand slid from its resting place at her waist and traveled around her front where he gently cupped her left breast and squeezed. Something white-hot sizzled through her body at his touch, beginning with her mouth, traveling down the length of her body and culminating in the junction of her thighs; her nipples instantly pebbled against her corset, making her knees weak from the added sensation. She moaned and rubbed her chest against Zorro's in an effort to better explore this feeling.
An answering groan came not from Zorro but from Diego as he stood several feet away, openly watching her kiss her lover. His lover. She gasped and began to turn away from Zorro, mumbling apologies, her face red in shame. Zorro's ironclad grip on her waist kept her from getting too far so she turned her gaze away from both men, shamed that Diego had to witness her transgression but also for causing his jealousy. Her flight was quickly stopped by his hand beneath her chin. Diego brought her gaze up to meet his and she gasped aloud at the seductive smile playing across his thin lips and the glaze of desire darkening his normally crystal blue eyes until he looked positively sinful. He gently tugged his wife from Zorro's grasp before wrapping his arms around her waist and covering her lips with his own. His tongue quickly gained access to the warm cavern of her mouth and she melted against him, slipping her tiny hands into his thick, dark hair, marveling at its softness. She imagined that she could almost taste Zorro too but whether it was on her lips or Diego's was unclear.
Keeping an eye on them, Zorro slowly sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots; Diego was already barefoot, having removed his shoes when he carried Victoria into the bedroom earlier. Diego took advantage of Zorro's preoccupation to slowly tug Victoria's blouse from her skirts and over her head, revealing her corset to his heated gaze.
Diego kissed her once again, this time trailing his lips across her cheek, down the ivory column of her neck and across the tops of her breasts. He dipped his tongue into the valley caused by her corset and Victoria tossed her head back in pleasure, keeping her balance only by clutching at her husband's surprisingly muscular shoulders.
Zorro quickly divested himself of his shirt and pressed his naked chest into her back, lowering his lips to her neck and nibbling gently. The silk mask rubbing against her bare skin gave her gooseflesh and she felt every one of his long fingers slide over the hypersensitive skin of her shoulder blades, gently tracing the edge of her corset before tugging at the laces. As soon as the offending garment fell away, Diego swooped forward and captured a dark nipple in his mouth. His fingers gently plucked at the other one, slowly torturing her with his gentle ministrations.
She cried aloud at the sensation and leaned back, bracing herself against Zorro's broad chest for support; while her hands were fisted in Diego's hair, he took the opportunity to find the fasteners on her skirt and petticoat, slipping both to the floor to pool around her ankles. Once she was completely bare, Diego led his wife to the bed and laid her gently upon it. He quickly removed his clothes before joining her.
Diego took Victoria's virginity gently; her world shrank to just the two of them in that moment and all thoughts of Zorro fled her mind as she cried aloud at the painful intrusion. Her husband swallowed her gasp with his questing mouth, gently kissing her mouth, forehead, cheeks, eyes and nose. As he showered her with his affection, Victoria slowly adjusted to his length and began wiggling her hips against his in a bid to get him to move. In response, he slid a large palm under her bottom and lifted her fully against him, deepening his penetration. She gasped as he hit a spot deep inside her that had her vision blurring. He hit that spot again and her body stiffened; instinctively, Victoria continued to undulate against him chasing the curious feeling building inside of her. She felt rather than saw Diego go still above her and clamp one of his large hands on her hip, halting her movement. "Victoria, Querida, please stop," he choked.
She opened her heavily-lidded eyes, a small frown marring her beautiful features and Diego hastened to explain. "That feels wonderful, mi Preciosa; a little too wonderful. I don't want this to end just yet." She pouted prettily but kept as still as possible even though her body continued to cry out for a release she had never known she'd needed before now. Now all she could think about was relieving the ache in her loins as soon as possible. Diego chuckled as he kissed her swollen bottom lip and pulled himself from her soft embrace. She moaned loudly at the sudden feeling of emptiness and loss as he rolled off of her. Now devoid of his warm body above her, Victoria's flesh erupted in gooseflesh as the cool air of the bedroom assaulted her sensitive body.
A choked groan from next to the bed drew her attention and she saw her masked hero sprawled in a chair from Diego's small sitting room. When did he get that? Her dark eyes traveled in honest appreciation over his shirtless form, committing each pale scar to memory, and she watched in fascination at the contractions of the muscles in his chest, arms and abdomen as his right hand plunged into his unfastened black trousers and slowly stroked his own length. The knuckles on his left hand were slowly turning white from the pressure he exerted as he gripped the arm of the chair.
Victoria gently swung her shapely legs over the edge of the bed; slowly propelling herself to stand between her hero's splayed knees, her heart soared as she noticed his wide, blue eyes following every sashay of her slender hips. She firmly pried his hand loose from the arm of the chair before he splintered it; instead she wrapped his long fingers around the curve of her hip, encouraging him to touch her as Diego had. If her husband wouldn't give her what she so desperately wanted, she thought wickedly, perhaps Zorro would.
He took the hint and slid his large hands across her hips before continuing around to cup her firm buttocks. Zorro pulled her close between his knees and placed soft, gentle kisses along the curve of her belly before flicking his tongue into her navel. Victoria barely had time to gasp at the new sensation before he groaned loudly and pulled her down into his lap.
Unsatisfied with feeling his desire against just her hip, she wiggled in his embrace until she was straddling his lap. She braced her knees against the seat of the chair and gently rocked against him, the rough fabric of his trousers sending shivers down the length of her spine.
Zorro groaned aloud at the sensations the little vixen in his arms was creating and suddenly he couldn't get close enough to her. He stood quickly, nearly dumping her on the floor if not for her trembling arms flung around his neck. His broad hands supported her backside as he carried her to the bed and unceremoniously plopped her onto the mattress. Victoria giggled as she nearly bounced into Diego but her laughter turned to a gasp as Zorro tugged off his trousers and crawled across the bed towards her like a lion stalking its prey.
The lack of reaction from her husband at Zorro's nudity made her curious until she realized that Diego had seen it all before. Tears pricked her eyes as she realized that neither of her men were novices when it came to such activities reserved for the bedroom and feelings of inadequacy and fear at her naiveté lanced through her. She worried that she'd never be able please them. How was she, an inexperienced virgin, supposed to bring pleasure to the two most desirable men in the pueblo? Especially since they were already intimate with one another and knew what pleased the other? How was she supposed to fit into this bizarre equation?
Diego, always attuned to the thoughts and feelings of others, seemed to sense her hesitation and he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Follow your heart and your instincts, mi Preciosa."
She forced her fears to the back of her mind and decided to trust her husband and lover. As if waiting for the release of tension in her tiny body, they converged on her—four hands and two mouths were suddenly stroking and nibbling and licking every inch of her bare skin bringing her already hypersensitive body to a whole new level of awareness. Diego rolled onto his back, pulling Victoria with him; she pressed soft kisses against his chest as she slowly straddled him. Zorro grasped her hips, helping her mount Diego and she began to move wantonly—finally becoming comfortable with both of her lovers.
Large fingers began roaming her bare back while Diego's stayed at her hips, helping her move up and down his length. Zorro's lips joined his hands in his exploration of her shoulders and back. His hands ghosted over her ribs, tickling her lightly. Her giggle was accompanied by a loud groan from Diego as she inadvertently clamped down on his length.
Unable to just watch and touch any longer, Zorro grasped Diego's calves just under his knees and pulled both him and Victoria to the edge of the bed. The white duvet slipped to the floor with Diego's legs as the tall caballero braced his feet on the floor. He nudged Diego's knees apart and knelt between them, pulling Victoria's tiny body back against his bare chest. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. One hand moved seemingly of its own accord up the smooth curve of her stomach before palming her breast, the fingers tugging at the taut peak. His right hand crept lower; the long, calloused fingers delicately parted her folds, hunting for the nub that would finally bring her to ecstasy.
Zorro suddenly sat back and bent Victoria forward at the waist, pushing her chest flush against her husband's baring her entire backside to his heated gaze. She shivered as she felt his tongue lave the length of her spine while his hands firmly kneaded her buttocks. The pretty tavern owner moaned as the intimate touch propelled her even closer to climax; Diego's rhythm was relentless and she could feel the tautness in her belly grow stronger with each thrust. Zorro moved behind her and Victoria gasped as she felt his length rub against the cleft of her backside.
Her headache long forgotten, time ceased to exist for Victoria as she learned firsthand just what exactly a woman could do with two intoxicatingly male lovers.
Victoria awoke slowly as sunlight streamed across her pillow, pulling her from the most delicious dream she'd ever had. Zorro…Diego… Rolling over to check the time on her grandmother's antique clock on the mantel, she blinked as the realization dawned upon her that she was not in her bed nor was she in the tavern at all. "It wasn't a dream," she whispered to herself as she recognized the red curtains in Diego's bedroom. She sat up too quickly and the knot on the back of her head throbbed. Her tiny fingers explored the bump covered by her soft curls and she remembered just how she'd knocked her head.
The room was conspicuously empty and she used the opportunity to stretch her deliciously sore body. She winced especially at the tenderness of her most intimate area however a large grin spread across her lovely features as she remembered just why she was so sore. The sheets would have to be washed, the pretty tavern owner lamented, the result of losing her virginity and spending most of the night in the throes of passion with her new husband and lover.
The down-filled duvet made by Diego's mother was heaped inelegantly on the floor and the soft sheets were tangled around her nude body; Victoria blushed prettily as she remembered just how the cover ended up on the floor.
She gingerly rolled over away from the window intent on resting a while longer when something caught her eye. Victoria glanced around to make sure she was really alone and darted out of bed to retrieve the item in question and the duvet before quickly diving back under the relative safety of the bedclothes.
She examined the black square of silk intently; the eyeholes stared back at her blankly as if mocking her for her former naiveté. Victoria buried her face in the seemingly innocuous cloth and sighed in remembrance of the night's activities as Zorro's familiar, masculine scent surrounded her accented faintly by the soft odor of sweat, steel and horse. Oh Diego… How blind have I been? Can you ever forgive me?
A soft footstep in the hall outside was her only warning before the door swung inward to reveal her husband carrying a food-laden tray. She sat up, hiding the mask in one hand while carefully wrapping the sheet across her chest in a failing bid for modesty; Diego's familiar, mischievous, crooked grin told her that she just shouldn't bother, that he was just imagining her naked anyway especially now that he was intimately familiar with all of her curves.
He placed the tray on the dresser and settled onto the bed next to his wife. The adoring look he gave her sent her heart into back flips and, as he leaned over to capture her lips with his, she could feel her desire for this wonderful, complicated man growing exponentially. Victoria groaned into his mouth as he deepened the kiss; he quickly divested himself of his shirt and trousers before laying her back on the bed and covering her once again with his big body.
Forgotten by the bed's occupants, the black silk slid from Victoria's fingers onto the floor, a tangible reminder of the secrets that had lain between them and the promises that now lay ahead of them.
Finis