I seriously didn't realize how long it had been between updates. Completely shameful. I only hope that this sexy update will make up for my tardiness.

Thanks to everyone for the lovely reviews! They always make me smile. It's nice to know you enjoy this salacious game of cat and mouse as much as I.

Chapter 4

He was smiling by the time he knocked on her door the seventh night. It had been a little more than a week since she'd cornered him in the alcove with her taunting smile and her obnoxious threats. She'd ordered him to come to her chambers every night since then. It wasn't usually an order, sometimes it was significant look at dinner or a nod in the hallway, but he always understood the implicit meaning. Come to my room tonight.

Everything had become routine since then. He came at midnight, she opened the door, he poured the wine, and she started the battle. It had been six nights of saucy banter, six nights of naughty responses, and six nights of probing questions and even more uncomfortable answers.

But he was winning, of that he was sure. He worked hard to hide his emotions, to hide his secrets behind a mask of indifference and roguishness. The more she probed, the more flippant he became. He could see the frustration on her face, could see her clenched jaw, could see the suspicious and annoyed look in her eyes.

Maybe he imagined it, but at times he thought he also saw admiration. He wasn't some meek mouse cornered by the cat. He parried her every move with one of his own, always having the last word, always making the final threat.

And it bothered the hell out of her.

But he was bothering her on a whole other level, one that she wouldn't dare admit with words. Since he'd pulled her against him that second night, she had steered clear of him. She skittered away like a shy bride on her wedding night, always keeping several feet between them. Oh, she would flaunt her many assets at him, but she never let him get close enough to touch her again.

It made him chuckle even now as the end game was a kiss. How did she expect to win if he wasn't even able to get near her? Was she scared of him? Or rather scared of herself?

"Merlin," she said as she opened the door with a seductive smile meant to drive him mad. It didn't work. He didn't even glance down to see whatever flimsy nightgown she'd chosen tonight. By now he was used to her clearly provocative clothing. It barely fazed him anymore. Barely.

So maybe he'd been a bit more…hands on lately. It wasn't because he'd spend an hour trading insults with Morgana and her barely covered chest that heaved a little when she was angry…No, that wasn't the reason. It was stress. He was under a lot of pressure. Arthur's servant, Gaius' assistant, Morgana's plaything, not to mention the illegal sorcerer and Albion's destiny bit. He led a very stressful life.

And a quick wank killed some of the stress…and it was obviously because after his visits with Morgana were his one moment of privacy throughout the day. Right, that was it. Not because of her. Not because she was a beautiful goddess hell-bent on seducing and humiliating him. Not because sparring with her aroused the hell out of him. Definitely not because of her.

He tried to shake off his lurid thoughts and get back to their banter, afraid that she might notice something off. "No make-up tonight? Must be a special occasion," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, it is," she replied mysteriously.

"Care to share what has warranted to this drastic decrease in cosmetics?" he asked, pouring them each a glass of port. She did look much better without all the eyeliner and crimson rouge. Her skin shone in the firelight and her beautiful green eyes were softer, more lovely.

"Drink up and I'll tell you," she said as he placed the glass in front of her. She didn't switch the glasses.

"So you've finally decided to poison me?" he asked, settling himself in his usual chair.

Her eyes narrowed with deadly intent. "Poison is a coward's tool. If or when I kill you, you'll know exactly what's about to happen. Maybe a dagger or a sword to the belly. Something much more painful and creative," she quipped.

"In my defense, I didn't plan it out very well. It was a half-hearted attempt at best," he said, glancing away. He didn't exactly want to talk about that day. The hemlock, the betrayal on her face, it was as vivid in his mind as it had been that day. The beginning of her hatred, the very reason they were here in this chamber.

"It didn't feel half-hearted," she said, her voice a bit thick. He glanced over to see her frowning at him, no trace of vulnerability. Maybe he'd imagined her thick voice too.

She sipped her wine and abruptly changed the subject. "You know, Merlin, you never told me more about this Freya woman you bedded. You mentioned you were in love," she said.

"Yes," he said. After Morgana's poisoning, Freya was his least favorite topic. He rarely ever said her name. Just another one of his many secrets.

"So where is she now? Aren't you two together? Did she break your heart?" she finished mockingly, her voice sing-songish.

"She's dead," Merlin said softly and forced a huge gulp of the wine down his tight throat. He looked Morgana in the eye, his gaze intense and a bit threatening. "So anything you think to force upon me won't even make me bleed. I've known pain and heartache and sorrow beyond anything your twisted little mind can comprehend."

Her face hardened. "And I haven't? Despite what you may think about me, Merlin, I've not lived a cushy little life here at Camelot. I'm an orphan, remember? And my guardian hates everyone like me, would gladly kill me for my little secret," she practically growled. "I've known loneliness. I've known betrayal, most especially at your hands. So don't think that you're the only one who has the corner on pain. I've felt it. I still feel it, but if I get my way, you'll get plenty more from me."

He didn't have an answer for that. She sat back and stiffly pressed the goblet to her lips.

After a few moment of silence, she turned and faced him again. "Now onto tonight's festivities."

"Oh?" he said, feigning disinterest.

"You didn't think we were going to talk forever, did you?" she purred, a challenge in her voice.

"Of course not. I'm ready for whatever you have to dish out," he said with more courage than he felt. He wasn't sure he liked the devious smile on her face. It was too knowing, too arrogant. That didn't bode well.

She arched an eyebrow and said, "Good, because tonight, Merlin, I want to see you pleasure yourself."

"Pleasure myself?" he repeated, hoping he had somehow misunderstood her. Surely she couldn't mean….she couldn't know about his nightly activities…. She was a woman…she couldn't know about such things…could she? He felt a rush of desire at that image…what if she did …certain things to herself?

She smiled widely as she said, "Why I believe one might call it wanking. Autoeroticism if you want to be technical about it. You're a man, so I'm sure you've done it all before."

"You've got to be kidding," he said, disbelievingly.

"I rarely kid. And never with you," she replied coolly. "What? Are you shy?"

"No, I just don't fancy exposing bits of myself to someone who has a clear motivation to see them hacked off," he said stoutly.

"You needn't expose anything. Surely you can think of a way to reach your er.. climax without unveiling the goods, so to speak. Besides, I'm sure whatever's in your trousers is of no erotic interest to me," she finished with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh really? Then why propose this activity?" he said a bit angrily. Her taunts were rather scathing. No erotic interest? Please.

"Do I need a reason for anything I do here? I mean to humiliate you, Merlin and what better way than to make you perform for me. Besides, I'm your queen here and I want what I want. Take all the time you need, but in the end, I still want my way." She shrugged nonchalantly and said, " Or you could just kiss me and leave with your pride still intact…"

"Never," he said firmly.

She settled back in her chair comfortably, "Then whenever you're ready."

"You think to embarrass me but it won't work," he said with a scowl.

"I know it'll work. Now stop delaying and give me what I want," she said with an arched eyebrow.

"As my lady wishes," he said mockingly and set his goblet on the side table. Quickly he scooted his chair further to the right, intent on giving her a good view. If she wanted to play this game, he'd play to win.

He gave a quick sigh and slowly brought his hand down to the front of his breeches. His hand was shaking and he tried to steady it. This wasn't exactly a usual situation. It was one thing to do this in the privacy of your own room or under the blankets after everyone had fallen asleep. It was quite another to do it in front of the woman who fascinated you more than any else in the world.

But she demanded it and he would acquiesce. He was made of sterner stuff, she wouldn't make him ashamed; he'd make her blush.

He rubbed the flat of his hand against the front of his trousers. Much to his chagrin, his body sprung to life, primed and ready for a little release. He bit back a soft moan as heat rushed straight to his groin. His body was hot, hard, waiting eagerly for the next stroke of his hand, it didn't seem to care that Morgana was watching.

Or did it? He'd never been this hot, not on his own at least. He stiffened inside his breeches, the evidence of his arousal clearly outlined against the rough fabric. He rubbed up and down, using the pressure of his palm to stroke his manhood. Feeling a little brazen, he widened his thighs, intent on showing her exactly what she'd asked for. He heard a soft intake of breath, barely audible, but he knew she'd seen the little action. It gave him the courage to finally look up.

She squirmed and quickly looked away.

"What, my lady? Not enjoying the show? You did say you wanted to watch, right?" he said hoarsely, his hand gripping his hardness.

She never could resist a challenge. She looked up and said slowly, "I am watching."

"Good," he said and he ended on a moan as he focused on the tip. His eyelids started to flutter shut with pleasure, but he wouldn't hide his eyes from her, wouldn't hide the passion that was flooding him. She wanted this.

At his loud moan, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted just the barest bit. A fresh surge of lust went through his body; she was reacting to him.

Deciding to push it further, he groaned out, "Mmmm." Her eyes widened, clearly torn between looking at his face and at his stroking hand. Her chest heaved as she sucked in a deep breath. Her breath drew his attention downwards and he shuddered to see two bumps rising against the silk. Her nipples. He'd often wondered what color they were. Were they a soft pink or a dark red like her lips?

He groaned as they seemed to perk up even more under his gaze. He was arousing her. She was ….turned on by this little exchange. Her face was curious, no smirks or lips curls. Her eyes were heated as she looked at him, their gazes finally locked.

He was so close, he knew he wouldn't last much longer. His hand was rubbing harder and his hips rose to meet every stroke. But he couldn't look away from her eyes, feeling a strange pull, a heated connection that was as unwelcome as it was intense. He felt exposed, like she could see into his soul….and that she was surprised by what she found there. His body was on fire, ready to explode, pushed to the limit by her seductive body and tempting taunts.

"I'm…doing this…for you…,Morgana" he choked out. He meant it as an accusation, instead it sounded like a dark confession.

Then his body crashed over the edge, every muscle tightening into a blissful torment of pleasure. His free hand clutched the armrest as white-hot heat surged through him. He gasped out as his seed dampened his drawers and breeches. He moaned, over and over and over again, every inch of his body glowing in the euphoric aftermath of the most intense climax.

He drew in several deep breaths, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. It had never been like that. Not ever. He should've felt ashamed, should've been embarrassed to come in his trousers like some untried lad.

But he didn't feel any of those things. Instead he felt strange, altered even. Those few moments had been…intimate. Special. And he'd shared that with Morgana.

He shrugged his shoulders, hoping it would mentally shrug off the uncomfortable emotion that was creeping in. It was an act. A performance for a cruel mistress. It didn't mean anything.

But it unsettled him. He didn't like that one bit.

He finally looked up and she was wearing a smug smile. It's a lie. It's all a lie.

But her cheeks were still flushed and there was a slight tremble to her hand as she raised her goblet to her lips.

But it hadn't felt like a lie. There was no lying in her pebbled nipples, no lying in her flushed lips. And without all the makeup, she looked just like the Morgana he used to know.

She gained her voice quickly, although it was still a little thick. "Is that hate I see in your eyes, Merlin? Or is it lust? I think it's the latter. Check," she said with a smirk.

Anger, unreasonable, stupid anger rushed through him. He might've felt hate at that moment. The reminder that this was all a game was too much, even if it was echoing his own jumbled thoughts.

"Take what you want from me, Morgana. But in the end, it'll all amount to nothing," he said darkly.

And he stood and left, not waiting to be dismissed.

FINIS

I think the writers are just HUGE teases. Recently, I've noticed how frequently Merlin and Morgana touch in all the seasons. Of course, later in the show there's a bunch of tugs and grabs in bedrooms and into alcoves, but even in the S1, there are quite a few moments where the rational part of me is like "Was that really necessary?" and the perverted, dirty side is like "YEAH! Hot, sexy holding!" Plus, they are ALWAYS standing way too close to each other. I'm not crazy, right? Right? Although I do sometimes cry when I see really angsty Mergana videos on YouTube. It's pathetic, I'll admit, but what a waste of good sexual tension.

And on that awkward note….please review! I'd love hear what you think about this dirty scene. Too far? Or not far enough? I have so much planned for these two, you don't even know…