Author's Note: Hi everyone, I hope this chapter find you well! As self-distancing and staying/working from at home has taken it's toll (plus I have a spirited five-year-old daughter stuck at home with me!) I am a bit distracted so I hope this reads okay - apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes I might have missed. I also hope it's not too overly 'porny' - I really have to stop watching Eric Bana movies after my daughter has gone to bed! :oD
It was almost time and I was sat on my bed going through a checklist in my head. I had asked the maids more than once to make sure the bath was drawn for later that evening, much to their annoyance, I think. I was neatly and properly dressed in a red robe and collar, although I had made sure my hairstyle was not very elaborate as I remembered Hector favoured something more natural. I had made an offering - a few sprigs of the fragrant Jasmine bush - to the small altar in my room in honour or Hector's marriage. My quarters were neat, everything was in its proper place and there was a platter on the table bearing a carafe of good wine and two goblets, should my evening guest require refreshment.
However, making sure I had everything properly arranged did not quell the twists in my stomach and my fluttering heart. I was unsure if it was the anticipation or nervousness – was there really any way to differentiate? These feelings had been with me all day. The need for Hector was stronger than ever after our reconciliation and amorous kisses of the evening before. Now, I very much looked forward to seeing his strong body in all its naked glory and to exploring it fully. I craved total intimacy with him, for his body to be one with mine. I wanted to gift him the ultimate pleasure, to feed his own need. However, I was apprehensive, there was no escaping that. I was still very inexperienced with the physical act of love after all – what if I failed to please him? I also feared my body might shut itself off from him again. What if it still hurt?
I tried to tuck these concerns away deep inside, resolved to ignore them. After all, animals are not told how to mate, they just instinctively know how to. I was also sure the act itself could not be painful all the time – I sensibly considered that there would not be so many babies born across the known world if this were the case. I was determined to let my own desire and instincts guide me. Besides, I already knew Hector was a gentle, patient teacher from when he tried to show me how to skim pebbles at the beach. I was now eager for him to give me other lessons – for him to show me how he liked to be touched and how he liked to be made love to. Usually, I was a very indolent learner, abandoning things I was not immediately good at. However, my intuition told me that things would be different this time - I was very much his willing pupil.
As I thought about all this, I could feel the now-familiar fiery prickle up my spine and the longing throbs in my loins, like a bittersweet ache for him. This had occurred on-and-off all day. I looked to the wine waiting on the table and considered whether I should sneak a goblet to quell these distracting – no – engulfing sensations when there was a strange knock at my door.
"Phile?" Called a slightly squeaky voice from the other side: "It is Thais. I just wanted to see how you are? We could not properly talk earlier today."
I sighed heavily as I got up to answer the door. Not that I was annoyed with Thais - I was touched by her concern - it was just that my fight with the drunks had seemed to be the hot topic in the Gynaeceum that day, if not the whole palace. To be constantly reminded about something I wanted to badly forget was exhausting and to be the subject of whispers and hearsay was very grating - I do not know how Hector ever got used to it, I thought wearily.
I had attended the Gynaeceum earlier that day out of obligation since I had been absent the day before when the Princess had expected me. I had entered to find all eyes immediately on me, some judging, some sympathetic. I was pleased I had not bothered to conceal my forehead bump and grazes as there really was no point - everyone seemed to know. I had sat on my usual cushion next to Thais, really just pretending to sew as I was having great difficulty holding the needle with my bruised hand. Acantha's bitchy acolytes wasted no time in tearing me apart, all whispers and narrowed eyes. My hearing was a lot better than they gave me credit for unfortunately and I snatched some words from their concealed conferring. 'foolish' and 'common' seemed to be the main judgements from them. The Governess had stared at me unashamedly as she lolloped on her chaise and simply shook her head, disapprovingly, her many chins wobbling. My mother, who was showing Princess Andromache how to perform a complicated stitch on the blue cloak she was working on looked a little upset with me, probably because I had lied to her about where my elbow grazes came from but at the same time, I could tell she was relieved I had escaped relatively unscathed. Andromache herself had called me over for a quiet word. She asked after my health and told me she thought I had been very brave, which was sweet of her although I really could have done without the extra attention bought on me from that particular conversation. When the Gynaeceum session was finally over for the day, I had the urge to sprint out of there and scream into the open air. Being proper and in polite company however, I kept an even temper for once and held my head up high, strolling to make an exit. The Princess stopped me on the way out with a gentle touch to my wrist: "Look after him tonight, Phile. Make sure he does not drink too much." She said, smiling. I think she meant it as some sort of blessing but I suddenly felt guilt for desiring another woman's husband so much.
When I opened the door to Thais, she smiled brightly, her small eyes shining. She was wearing her Hetaerae outfit that matched mine, her black curly hair a little neater than usual.
"I am fine" I told her breezily. "A little scraped and bruised, is all."
"I think what you did was brilliant!" She laughed in amazement.
"The compulsion to protect yourself from danger is the same kind of courage a frightened animal has." I shrugged, serious for a moment and speaking the truth. I did not think fighting back was anything to marvel at, it was just the desperate actions of a woman consumed with fear.
Her smile dropped as she thought she had upset me.
"I did not mean the awful thing that happened to you was brilliant, I just thought you were." She said glumly.
"I know!" I told her cheerily: "Thank you." and I really did mean that, which seemed to raise her spirits. "Shall we walk to the Great Hall together?" I asked her. "I do not know about you but I am not keen on walking into a room of spirited men alone."
"No, me either." Thais laughed knowingly as I stepped across the threshold, closed the door behind me and convivially took her arm in mine for the short walk to the Great Hall, where the Symposium awaited us. The next time I would be back in my quarters, Hector would be with me, I thought with a shiver of anticipation.
"So, I heard the Prince is hung like a horse, is that true?" Thais blurted, totally out-of-the-blue. What a conversation starter!
"Thais!" I exclaimed laughing, not quite believing she was being so brazen. This trait would later become one of the things I loved about her the most.
"Sorry!" she repented as I considered with some alarm that this little titbit of gossip might actually be true.
"You are so lucky to be with such an attractive Kyrios." Thais pondered, dreamily: "They say a thousand women wept when he took a wife."
I thought about Hector for probably the hundredth time that day – that handsome profile, his even, deep voice, the man inside so full of charm and surprises. The twists and flutters began again as I realised I would be imminently at his side.
"I wonder what high-jinks are going to go on at the Symposium tonight." Thais said expectantly, breaking me from my musings.
"What do you mean?" I asked with some trepidation.
"Ah yes." She replied: "I forget. Your only Symposium so far was the night of your joining ceremony and you had to leave that early. At these things, the more everyone drinks, the more mischief occurs. The things I have seen!" Thais laughed, a glint in her eye.
"Like what?" I asked, rivetted.
"Well," she began: "The last time, after you left, the Chancellor drank so much he vomited in the corner of the hall but just kept on drinking. By the end of the night, nobody could find him, it turns out he had passed out under the throne dais!" She laughed, shaking her head in judgement. "The Army Captain turned up late, after you and the Prince had left but he wasted no time in taking one serving girl outside for … well, you know." She made a ring with a finger and thumb on one hand and with the other poked in and out of it with her forefinger to demonstrate. Her crudeness made me giggle: "He came back into the hall and a little later and did the same with another serving girl! In one night!" She exclaimed loudly, incredulous: "Then Hector's brother Deiphobus lost a wager with his Hetaerae – his punishment was to spend the rest of the Symposium naked as the day he was born!" I imagined a Prince of Troy sitting there in the altogether in the Great Hall, trying to act like it was completely normal – a very amusing thought.
"Does the Prince ever partake in these sorts of frivolities?" I asked Thais as we were almost at the entrance to the Great Hall.
"No, not really. He usually looks a little bored. Then again, he has never had a Hetaerae to amuse him before now." She was saying as we reached our destination.
Through the open doorway, I spotted Hector immediately, like a beacon in the crowded room. Head and shoulders above most of the guests, he wore a brilliant white robe that was edged in blue, his treasured necklace against his collarbone and the golden crown of laurels on his head. He looked luminously handsome to me, so much so I was forced to hold in a breath for a moment to keep my composure. His dark eyes were already on me, as if he had been watching the doorway for my arrival. When my eyes met his and he smiled that tiny smile - this time a little more knowing than before - my heart leapt. I felt sorry that I had to break our mutual gaze when a servant handed Thais and I a goblet of wine as we entered. We stood there for a moment, sipping our drinks and viewing the hall to get our bearings.
"Ah, there is the Prince and Polites." Thais said, nodding in Hector's direction through the crowd, not realising I had already spotted him.
Hector was now in deep discussion with two men, his eyes intense and his hand moving animatedly. One man looked like a younger, much smaller version of him so I guessed it was Polites, Thais' Kyrios and one of Hector's brothers. The other man was much more remarkable in every way. He was only a little shorter than Hector and looked to be around the same age but those were not the most notable things about him – in fact, just about everything else was. His hair was dark but shorn short, very out-of-fashion for a man of my times and his bright, keen eyes were a curious light colour, somewhere between hazel and green. His facial hair could only be described as stubble. He wore what looked like a shaggy wolfskin draped over his robe and peeking from beneath it, I could see he had a tribal mark inked onto the skin of the top of his arm, of what looked like a sun. Altogether he looked not just unusual but somewhat feral.
"Who is that man with them?" I asked Thais.
"That is Jasper, the Captain of the Army." The man with the voracious sexual appetite, I thought as I remembered Thais' tales of the previous Symposium, not lessening my forming opinion that he was like a wild animal. "That is not his real name …" Thais continued: "I do not think I have ever heard that spoken."
As if Jasper could sense our eyes on him, he looked casually from Hector to us. He seemed to recognise me and as he did, he glared angrily then quickly took his leave of the small party he had been part of. Very odd. It was like I had done something to upset him but I was mystified why that would be as I had never even met him.
Afterwards, Hector and Polites made their way through the crowd, drinks leisurely in hand, towards us.
"Ladies …" Hector nodded politely: "Welcome." I smiled at his propriety. Polites and Thais did not seem to notice we could not tear our eyes from one another.
Polites chortled: "I see you have bought your new bodyguard, Hector."
So, the news of my little altercation had spread like a wildfire around the palace as I had suspected. I did not appreciate Polites making light of what happened to me. I think Hector sensed this as he said proudly: "Phile is not to be underestimated, brother. I know I never will."
Before Polites could think of a witty reply, a servant rang a gong to announce dinner was about to be served. Hector took my hand, his touch on my skin practically electric as he led me to the section of the Great Hall where the low tables and cushions awaited. As we placed our goblets at our chosen places on a table (a cosy corner Hector had made a beeline for) and settled close to each other on a comfortable cushion each, Hector asked:
"How was your day, Kitten?"
I loved the new pet name he had chosen for me. I also enjoyed the affectionate way he said it.
"Long!" I complained. Not only had my yearning for him seemed to stretch time disproportionately but being at the Gynaeceum had been very hard work indeed.
"Yes," He agreed. "It has been the longest day I can remember, too." He said, reaching up with his hand and sensually caressing it down my arm as if to highlight his own yearning, his eyes full of possibility.
My loins began to throb again and it took considerable willpower to stop me devouring him publicly where we sat. I picked up my goblet to sip at my wine but I really just meant to cover the wanton smile that had just spread across my face.
Soon, dinner was served. As some blank-faced serving girls placed platters of roasted chicken, olives, chargrilled beans and bread on the tables, Hector was telling me that his father had ended up scolding him at their meeting the previous evening because he had been too distracted (by me). He said he had not been told off by his father like that since he was a teen. As I listened to Hector with a (slightly proud) smile and dished some things on my plate, I looked across the room and happened to see Jasper pull one of the poor serving girls onto his lap. She played at resisting him but as she soon wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the cheek, I could see she welcomed his advances. I was at a loss why women seemed to find this wolfman attractive. Sure, his face was not unpleasing by any means – however, his manner certainly was.
A swift movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and bought me back to more immediate surroundings and my expectant companion. Hector was munching on a mouthful of chicken – and my plate was missing the portion of it I had just selected for myself. He had just stolen from my plate! Hector's eyes looked to me very mischievously as he chewed my chicken whilst I put two-and-two together.
"Prince Hector! You are not to old to be put over my knee and spanked!" I scolded him playfully, purposefully mirroring Gladioli's words.
"Oh, I should hope not!" He breathed suggestively after he had swallowed, arching an eyebrow.
He then tried to steal an olive from my plate but I was quick enough to lightly slap his encroaching hand in punishment.
"You are a bad boy!" I mock-scolded, enjoying our light-hearted teasing of one another.
With a dangerous look in his eyes he leant over to me for privacy's sake, his lips just brushing my ear: "You do not know the half of it." Hector growled indecently.
I shuddered a little, my desire for him momentarily surfacing. However, I was not about to be waylaid from our shameless flirting. Gesturing to my plate, pretending to be stern, I ordered him pointedly:
"Ask nicely."
Hector smiled attractively, more than willing to play the game:
"Please." He pleaded, lengthening the word seductively.
So, I picked an olive from my plate and held it up to his mouth to feed it to him. He thought for a moment, then slowly took the offered olive into his mouth, momentarily trapping my fingers between his lips and sensuously sucking on them. As I wondered what other tricks Hector could do with that mouth, I strangled a lustful sigh as his dark eyes burned into mine with his own need. This was going to be a long Symposium, I thought, impatient to be alone with him.
When the dinner plates were cleared away, the serving girls bought out bowls of juicy-looking fruit as dessert. This seemed to be some sort of silent signal for the Symposium to be less formal and as guests started to get up to join people on other tables I suddenly realised why Hector had selected our cosy corner – it would be very difficult for his usual well-wishers and sycophants to interrupt us. A small band of musicians were setting up in another corner and the other Hetaerae were beginning to entertain their Kyrios – one couple had begun playing an Astragalismos dice game. Another recited poetry to her master and his friends with real poise. Thais was already sat on Polites lap, whispering things into his ear that were making him smile. I was not sure what Hector would like me to do, other than unspeakable things that should be performed in private but I wanted to be touching him, I knew that much. So, inspired what I had seen another Hetaerae do at my only other Symposium, I cleared a little space on the table before him, placed my backside there, gesturing for Hector to give me one of his feet.
"They are not very pretty." He said, shaking his head, hesitating. It was unusual for him to be so insecure.
"Let me be the judge of that." I confidently told him, undaunted.
As the band of musicians started to play a merry tune, Hector reluctantly placed his right foot on my lap and as I slowly started to unravel his sandal straps to reveal the bare skin there with expectancy, I imagined disrobing the rest of him in the same way. When I had finally removed it, Hector waggled his toes at me, making me giggle. His large foot was clean, the toenails neat but a little ridged in texture and he had little patches of hair on his big toe. His second toe was curiously longer than the others. The skin was a little hard and rough on the heels and sole but there was nothing about his foot he should have been self-conscious of. Feeling a little naughty, I quickly ran a fingertip down his arch. Hector's foot jumped away from me for a moment.
"Ah!" I smiled at him mischievously: "Who would have thought the Crown Prince of Troy and famed warrior was ticklish?"
Hector impishly poked his tongue out at me. I took his foot in both of my hands and began to rub it rhythmically with my fingers, manipulating his warm skin. My hand still hurt a little as I worked on him but it was more a dull ache than a pain, and the more I moved that hand, the less it was bothering me. I could feel his dark eyes watching me intently as I tended to him.
"Nobody has ever given me a foot rub before." He told me thoughtfully.
"Interesting … so, you are telling me I have taken your foot rub virginity?" I teased, taking my eyes from his foot to look to him.
The absurdness was not lost on him: "Yes, I suppose so." He answered, with a little laugh.
Before the band had even finished playing their first song, Hector bid me to stop my massaging.
"Does it not feel good?" I asked him as I looked to his face, my brows raised in concern.
His mouth and his eyes were smiling so I knew I had not displeased him.
"It feels wonderful Phile. Perhaps a little too wonderful." Hector answered cryptically: "It seems the pleasure of having my foot rubbed has awoken another part of me that craves your attentions." His eyes trailed down to his lap to demonstrate. I followed his gaze to see his robe had tented over an impressive erection beneath. I must have looked a little wide-eyed as he continued: "It has a mind of its own unfortunately." and he shook his head disapprovingly at it.
I tore my stare away, blushing. I tried to control the now overwhelming ache in my loins as I dutifully put Hector's sandal back on and tied up the straps. As I stood from the table and smoothed down my gown with at least a façade of composure, I realised Hector was looking up at me, studying my face, trying to read my expression to make sure I was not offended.
"I am flattered." I told him, a playful smile on my face.
His mouth pulled into a smile that matched mine.
As I went to sit back down on the floor cushion next time him, Hector suddenly caught me by the waist and pulled me onto his lap, his hardness brushing the roundness of my bottom. From behind me, Hectors mouth nuzzled up my neck to my ear. My eyes closed and my lips emitted a tiny moan at his attentions.
"I needed a way to cover it up." He explained. It was probably the worst excuse I had ever heard and I turned to face him, arching a sardonic eyebrow to demonstrate this. His eyes seemed too heavy with lust to realise.
He was holding me across the stomach in the same way he had held me in the saddle, with his fingers splayed and I rested my own hand on his forearm, my fingertips tracing the pattern between a group of small moles there. He pulled me closer to him at this, drawing me more slowly and deliberately across his hardness and as his eyes gazed at my lips hungry to kiss me, he let out a quiet growl of frustration that we were not somewhere more private.
Hector forced himself out his mesmerised state and coughed a little, trying to gain his composure: "Perhaps we should do something to distract me." He considered: "Let us play a game."
The rules were simple: we each had to take turns tossing a grape into the air and catching it in our mouths. If one of us missed, we had to take a good gulp of wine. It was rather fun to get so silly with him and we both laughed a lot. It turned out that I was a lot better at it than Hector, much to his chagrin but as he had the more developed tolerance for wine than I, it probably for the best. His ardour did seem to wain a little whilst he concentrated at catching grapes but soon, he was complaining that I was moving around on his lap too much and it was stirring again.
I tried to stay as still as possible and looked out into the hall. The band had started to play something a little slower and gentler, perfect for the mood now. Many Kyrios and Hetaerae couples were getting closer with each other. There was some excited shouting in one corner as the Astragalismos game became more heated as more players had joined. A few men milled around, a little unsteady due to the strong wine we were all drinking. I could not see Thais and Polites anywhere, so they must have already left – perhaps whatever she had been whispering in his ear had been too much for Polites to resist. Jasper was sat alone at a table, brooding and knocking back his wine. He glanced over for a moment and viewed Hector and I with some resentment before he resumed his dour, solitary drinking.
"You took me by surprise yesterday" Hector suddenly said, halting my pondering of what the Army Captain's problem was: "After what happened at the beach, I assumed you really disliked me".
I turned to him and studied his face. His eyes radiated warmth as I ran a finger across the slight lines in his forehead and the creases in the corners of his eyes which only just betrayed his age and experience.
"I do not have to like you to want you as a lover." I joked astutely as I ran my fingertip across one of his eyebrows, down his proud nose and along the scar on his cheekbone. My hand came to rest on the side of his face, rasping his short, dark beard slightly.
Hector pulled me closer, his arousal evident again and for a moment, it seemed we were the only two people in the hall, if not the world.
"That smart mouth of yours will do nothing to dampen the fire you have lit inside me" He said: "In fact, it will only fan the flames." And he craned his head down to nuzzle at my neck again.
I closed my eyes, embracing his attentions and now not trying to quell my own arousal, I moved my bottom against his hardness and in reaction, he raised and dropped his hips slightly in a building rhythm. His nuzzles were turning into light kisses.
"Phile." He growled throatily "If I do not have you soon, I am going to explode".
My sheer lust for him was starting to make me tremble. I turned my face, playfully nipping at the cartilage of his ear.
"I will go to check whether everything is ready" I whispered: "If I do not return in a few moments time, come to my quarters."
Hector nodded his agreement. I then ran the very tip of my tongue around the edge of his ear.
"I am going to take you to see the stars tonight." He told me, his voice loaded with promise, bringing a thumb up and gently stroking my bottom lip.
Taking my leave of Hector at that moment was most certainly a challenge, even though it would only be momentary.
After walking back to my quarters alone and with some urgency, I was relieved when the first thing I spotted when I entered was steam rising from the bath. The maids had also left some soap, two wash cloths and a pile of cotton towels. I wondered for a moment if Hector would prefer me naked when he arrived or whether he wanted to undress me himself – the Governess had said to me before that 'men do not have the patience to unwrap presents'. I had only just taken off my collar and sandals, placing the former on my dressing table when there was a strong knock at my door, consisting of two slow raps, followed by two in quick succession, ending with two more slow raps - it ended up being the very particular way Hector always announced he was outside my door. I realised I was no longer nervous, my eagerness for Hector far outweighed any anxiety - I was confident in my desire for him. I let him in and gestured for him to sit on the bed. We did not speak, keen to get preparations out of the way. I knelt before him, unlacing his sandals and then I climbed behind him, my knees on the bed as I carefully removed his crown and necklace, placing them on the bedside table. I began to methodically let his hair down, taking out the gold clips and running my fingers through his curls until they tumbled over his shoulders. He was now effectively 'de-Princed'. Hector let out a little low groan as I played with his hair, he seemed to rather enjoy it. I then freed my own hair, gathering all the hair adornments together and again, placing them on the bedside table.
I stood and pulled Hector up to his feet, my heart beating wildly in anticipation.
"Let me see you." I requested, standing away from him so I could get a full view.
Hector's dark eyes comprehended what I had asked of him and he did not take his lustful gaze away from me as he reached for his pin, unclipping it with his thumb, shrugging the draping material off his broad shoulders and letting the robe fall to the floor completely.
The way his tanned chest was moving, I could tell he was breathing shallowly as I really did drink in the in the sight of him this time. The top half of him was the same as I remembered from seeing him half-naked at the stables the day before (and I had remembered it a lot since that moment) - strong and vital although there were more scars on his body than I had previously noticed. That inviting trail of hair from his navel did draw my gaze downwards although it did not have to travel far. Rising from a pool of dark hair and positioned above a tight pair of testicles, his member was enlarged and rigid, standing proudly upwards almost against his belly. It was thankfully not like a horse's although it's length and girth were a lot more than the naked statues I had seen in the city and in temples would suggest was the norm. I took in a sharp breath at the sight of it, not because it intimidated me – I was fascinated.
"Your turn." Hector said, nodding towards me.
Just like he had just done, I unclipped the pin from my robe and let the material fall to the floor, leaving myself completely exposed. I hoped he liked what he saw, just as much as I had with his naked form.
Hector cursed to himself softly as his dark eyes lapped up the sight of me and as he did, I could have sworn his erection twitched and stood even more to attention. Not being able to wait any longer, he stepped towards me, took my hand and slowly led me to the bath, our bare feet silent on the floor tiles.
"I must be the luckiest man in Troy right now." He muttered gratefully.
I got a full view of his very attractive, tightly muscled buttocks then. I noticed he had appealing dimples in the small of his back there that were just asking to be kissed.
As much as I took the compliment, I could not help but tease him still:
"I do not think 'luck' has anything to do it." I told him with a wry arch of my eyebrow: "More likely your princely privilege."
He threw his head back and laughed. "What did I say earlier about that smart mouth of yours?"
I quickly slapped one of those beautiful buttocks with my palm.
"And what did I say about a spanking?" I retorted with a wicked giggle.
He turned to me, his eyebrows raised in artificial shock but also with a roguish grin which told me I would probably be paying for that later.
As we submerged ourselves in the blissfully warm and relaxing water Hector looked at me quizzically for a moment.
"You talk of my privilege …" he said: "… so if I were not the Prince, you would not have shown me that beautiful body? If I were, say, a lusty and willing stable-hand and you were an innocent handmaiden with a certain itch that needs scratching, would you still desire me?"
I found the touch of insecurity in his questions quite adorable and I wondered if his imagining of us as a stable-hand and handmaiden had been inspired by the way we had both presented ourselves at the stables the morning before – basic and natural. I reached forward to his expectant face, my fingertips toying with his beard, his head leaning slightly to meet my touch
"The Gods could not keep me from you, no matter your station in life." I answered him, unwavering.
Hector pulled me closer to him under the soothing water.
"I think perhaps you and I together is the very will of those Gods." He said thoughtfully, his hand cupping my breast under the water, making me quiver.
Hector had been very meticulous with the washcloth that night, playing particular attention to soaping up my breasts, hips and bottom. His caresses had felt wonderful, wherever he touched made my skin tingle and the throbbing in my loins deepen. I had discarded my own washcloth quite early on, preferring to wash him with my bare hands, running them over his firm, warm flesh and angular curves. I now knew why he had suggested the bath – it was an excellent way to explore each other's bodies. It had seemed like a silent agreement that we were saving the best until last and Hector obviously could not wait any longer as he soon discarded his washcloth and pulled me to him, kissing me deeply and fervently. I was more than obliging, feeling as if I was about to explode myself. As our mouths mutually devoured one another, Hector's hand travelled down my body, stroking the top of my thighs and I parted them for him, craving his touch there. He needed no other invitation. His clever fingers expertly separated my folds and soon found my most sensitive of spots. I removed my mouth from his for a moment and cried out, a mixture of pure pleasure and hunger for more as his fingertips started to gently circle it. His dark eyes carefully watched the uncontrolled expressions on my face and listened keenly to my blissful moans as his fingers continued to work their magic on me, alternating between their circling and entering my body. The latter was feeding a large part of my need for him, but I soon realised it was not his fingers inside me that my body yearned for. My instincts made me reach down for his manhood, so very hot and hard. As I took it in my hand Hector's breath hitched.
"Show me how to touch you." I whispered to him with lust.
Taking his hand away from me for a moment, he guided me to stroke the length of it, from the smooth, ridged head to down the more veined shaft, moving the looser skin there slightly as I did. He closed his eyes for a moment and groaned, trembling almost. I liked the fact just my touch could make such a big, strong man do that (and I did not know whether it was the strong wine we had been drinking at the Symposium or my sheer lust for him but my hand now did not hurt at all). It had been a very quick lesson however as Hector fingers had soon found their way back into my very welcoming loins that were practically pulsating for his attentions now.
As the pressure and speed of Hector's fingers increased on me, my stroking did on him, perfectly in sync. His eyes were scrunched up now, his brow knitted, his mouth slightly agape, breathing quickly. The sight of him like that made my own arousal more acute and the pleasure he was giving me was now fast building into something more tangible.
"I need you inside of me." I found myself begging in between my moans and whimpers.
Hector wasted no time, desperate for the same thing. He gently pushed me back onto the low seat running around the inside of the bath and began kissing me hungrily, taking his member into his own hand. As I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him closer, he teased for a moment, swiping the smooth head of it up and down my entrance before carefully pushing the very tip into me. This time, my body yielded gladly. I raised my hips and grabbed his buttocks, entreating him to carry on.
"Hector!" I called out as I felt myself slowing being filled with his length up to his hilt. Although I there was little stretching, it did not hurt. This is what the that need was all about I realised and it felt wonderful to be so full of him. I opened my eyes to see Hector watching me, smiling triumphantly that we were finally there. As he kissed me again, I could feel him twitch inside me.
"Say my name again." He growled, his voice heavy with desire.
So, I did – and a few more time after that when his hips started to masterfully thrust in and out, making every sinew of my body tingle, still building to something - it felt sublime. Soon, these thrusts became faster, more urgent in nature and Hector was groaning at every one of them. He suddenly reached down between us, his fingers back at my sensitive spot, gently rubbing as he thrusted. It pushed me over the edge – my body suddenly tensed and my vision went dark. My lips emitted a hoarse, long wail of release as an explosion of pure rapture then tore through me from my loins, which had clamped tightly down on Hector as if to keep him there inside me forever. The exquisite sensation radiated all over, consuming me for a moment. I seemed to shake and in my darkened vision, I could see tiny pinpricks of light – the stars Hector promised he would show me.
My climax seemed to have spurred something in Hector as just as I came to my senses, he thrusted desperately in to me two or three more times (and because I was so still intensely sensitive there, it made my toes curl in delight). He then pulled out of me quickly and led my hand to his member, guiding me to stroke him again. I used one hand to do just that as my other cupped his testicles. I felt them tighten up against his body suddenly as his length pulsed, his eyes scrunched again, his buttocks constricted and his mouth let out a strangled growl as he reached his own intense release.
My hand was still holding his manhood as Hector flopped onto the seat next to me, utterly spent. He sat there quiet for a moment, eyes still closed but this time with a very relaxed, satisfied smile spread across his face. I felt his member gradually shrink and soften, as sated as Hector was.
"It will sleep for a while now." Hector said hoarsely of it, opening his eyes to look to me warmly.
I took my hand away from him as he pulled me closer to him, his fingertips lightly stroking the flush that had appeared above my breasts. He kissed me slowly and deliberately as if in gratitude.
"I think it is a little disrespectful to call him 'it'." I told him light-heartedly: "You should give him a name."
Hector threw his head back and really laughed: "It is a 'he?'" He questioned with an arch of his eyebrow.
I liked making him laugh: "Well, of course!" I smiled, as if it were obvious.
"You name him then." Hector told me, still very amused. "You have more than earned the honour."
I thought for a moment and mulled over several different monikers but decided to settle on the very first one that had popped into my head: "Trouble Maker." I told him firmly and because Hector looked doubtful for a moment, I explained: "You once joked to me that your life would have been a lot easier without him … and I can already tell he is going to be a major distraction and yearning for me."
Hector threw his head back again and laughed heartily "So be it!" He agreed.
After we had got out of the bath and towelled each other dry, I had Hector sit on the bed with me knelt behind him again, a towel wrapped around his waist, another wrapped around me underneath my arms. I diligently combed his mane of hair thoroughly for him. With it damp like that, it was a lot straighter and made his unusual ears seem to stick out more, I thought with a real fondness for them. I also noticed the more I played with his hair, the sleepier he seemed to become. I too, felt tiredness wash over me for a moment as I began to braid his hair for him. It had been a long day and the physical release Hector had gifted me with seemed to relax me to a point of exhaustion - I was sure it must be the same for him. As I clipped the bottom of his new braid, my eyes were drawn to that indistinct, pink/silver scar on the top of his back. I traced it with my fingers as I had the urge to when I first saw it.
"That is quite a nasty scar. Was it a bad wound?" I asked him.
"Yes." Hector answered indifferently: "I almost died."
I was shocked for a moment. Hector shucked his towel and climbed naked into my bed, an arm behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes so very weary.
"What happened?" I gasped, following his lead. He took the arm from behind his head and pulled me close to him with it. I ended up comfortably on my side, propped up on his shoulder and a leg snaked over one of his.
"It was the day your father perished" He told me, still staring at the ceiling as he recalled the tragic events: "We had received news of a band of Gaul men that had landed via ship near Lykia and had travelled up to Troy's provinces, leaving utter destruction in their wake. A small force of our army was dispatched to intercept them – myself and your father included. Those Gaul men … they were vicious, barbarous. Your father had always warned me I was too bold in battle, chasing glory rather than thinking more about self-preservation … he was proved right when I took that hit. I fell, bleeding out. Your father was cut down shielding me from further harm." Hector looked to me, his eyes full of sadness: "For that I am truly sorry, Phile."
I had known about the manner of my father's demise although I did not know he was preserving our Prince at the time. Hector seemed to blame himself but it was nobody else's fault apart from those wretched Gaul pirates, I realised.
"It was not your fault, Hector." I told him softly, wanting to ease his guilt: "My father loved you. If he died protecting your life, it was honourable for him." I really meant that.
Hector seemed to hold me tighter to him for a moment in acknowledgement: "I meant to visit you and your mother personally to explain and offer my deepest sympathies but the wound made that impossible." He told me with an air of frustration: "It became infected and I was ill for a long time. Once I had recovered other things quickly took over … life-changing events that meant I was otherwise diverted. Before this happened, there were discussions that I was to be betrothed to a commoner … my father thought very well of the girl's own father and admired his strength and integrity. Father believed this man's daughter would strengthen the royal bloodline. Then, my near-death and losing Erymas really scared him … the threat of violent foreigners landing unchecked in in our country was suddenly very real. It meant my father changed his mind and very quickly made other arrangements for me to marry Andromache, Princess of Cilician Thebe … a union of alliance to strengthen our defences."
I had no idea Hector had been so sick, I considered grimly. I thought about how my father's death had inadvertently given Hector his wife – at least something good came of it.
My hand trailed to his chest and toyed absently with the hair there: "If my father's death saved your life and bought you true love, he did not die in vain."
"You think too well of me." He said, craning his head over the kiss the top of my head affectionately: "The scar is now a token of sorts to me – it reminds me not to fight so rashly and to look after the ones I love, as I should have done with your father that fateful day."
We were silent for a while, cuddled up with each contentedly. As I listened to Hector's breathing deepen and slow, I felt ever so drowsy myself. I considered what Hector had said about his near betrothal and subsequent marriage.
"It must be difficult to have major life choices be made by others." I told him, unsure whether he would hear me as his eyelids were now drooping.
"Although we may appear to have a choice in this world, all is exactly as the Gods intended." Hector replied sleepily, quoting my father fondly and he shrugged: "It just means that the few things I am permitted to choose of my own volition are all the more precious … like you, Phile."
A wave of love overtook me and I gently kissed his chest, over his heart, to show my gratitude and lay my head there. Lulled by the strong, rhythmic beating from deep inside him, I fell asleep.
I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night to find my room bathed with bright moonlight. Hector still lay next to me, frowning slightly in his deep slumber as if something haunted him. I watched him for a while, wondering what he dreamt of.
It was then I realised the real gift from him had been a different kind of intimacy – his total vulnerability with me.
