** Writer's Note: Thanks for the reviews...I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading this!**
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Frank slipped quietly back into his bedroom. However, instead of rejoining Madria, he huddled in an overstuffed chair tucked away in a far corner of the vast room, staring out the window. His encounter with Rocky, brief though it had been, had shaken him to the core. As his eyes traveled over the lush palace grounds, barely visible in the dim purplish light of the Transylvanian morning, he struggled to figure out why.
He had always scoffed at the notion of love at first sight, dismissing it as the weak-minded romanticism of those unable to differentiate between genuine emotion and physical stimulation. Intellectually, he still believed that to be true. How, then, could he explain the effect Rocky had on him? Yes, of course there was the physical attraction, an attraction that stunned him with its intensity. However, physical attraction alone, no matter how powerful, wasn't enough to make him lose his emotional composure.
Was it the fact that the object of this attraction was another man? Frank considered the notion, but quickly dismissed it. Frank, like everyone else on Transsexual, had been raised to believe same sex relationships were as natural - and, considering Transylvania's freewheeling sexual practices, as inevitable - as those between members of the opposite sex. None of his own previous lovers had been male, true, but that was simply due to the fact that he hadn't happened to meet any men who were as sexually enticing to him as the women with whom he'd been involved.
So what was it? Suddenly it came to him, an explanation as clear as the starlight shining from the amethyst sky.
He was afraid.
While he wasn't prepared to admit to being in love with Rocky on the basis of such a brief encounter, he could already tell his feelings for the young man went beyond the merely physical. He felt an immediate connection with Rocky, a recognition of him as a kindred spirit, that convinced him it was only a matter of time before he'd be hopelessly in love.
Frank realized that despite the decadence of Transylvanian society, most people would consider being "hopelessly in love" a good thing. Although few people were monogamous, most had - or at least sought - a primary relationship, a life partner whose constant love, support and presence would create an oasis of security amid the turbulence of lovers entering and departing their lives.
However, Frank was utterly disinterested in a serious relationship. He was too young. While he would eventually be required to marry and produce additional heirs to the throne, that was years away. Right now, all he wanted was a succession of casual flings...to have fun without taking any emotional risks. And, if he were being perfectly honest, a large part of the fun for him was reveling in the power he had over his lovers...knowing how much they wanted him, knowing how much they needed what he did to them, knowing they'd do anything to be with him.
Although as yet their only physical contact had been that brief handshake, he could already tell he would have that kind of power over Rocky. What frightened him was the knowledge that Rocky would have that very same power over him. Despite the vast disparity in their social ranks, within the relationship the power would be shared - as would the vulnerability. And there would be a relationship. No matter how hard Frank fought it, no matter how frightened he was at the prospect of it, he knew there was no way they would be able to resist each other.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling bed sheets. He looked over to see Madria, stretching and yawning. She looked over at his side of the bed, and an expression of confusion crossed her lovely face. She sat up, pulling the sheet over her otherwise bare chest. "Frank? Where are you?"
Although she couldn't have been further from his mind during the time he'd been in that chair, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. His newfound feelings for Rocky did nothing to lessen the attraction others held for him. "I'm over here. I was feeling restless, so I got up. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you." His smile became more roguish. "You did, after all, earn your repose."
She smiled seductively in response. Slowly, deliberately, she dropped the sheet hiding her body. "I'm nothing if not well-rested. In fact, I'm feeling a bit fidgety myself. Would you care to help me work off some of this extra energy?"
He got up and walked over to the bed, divesting himself of his robe in the process. He dropped it to its former spot on the floor and slipped between the sheets. "Well...just to help you out..."
***************
Frank slipped quietly back into his bedroom. However, instead of rejoining Madria, he huddled in an overstuffed chair tucked away in a far corner of the vast room, staring out the window. His encounter with Rocky, brief though it had been, had shaken him to the core. As his eyes traveled over the lush palace grounds, barely visible in the dim purplish light of the Transylvanian morning, he struggled to figure out why.
He had always scoffed at the notion of love at first sight, dismissing it as the weak-minded romanticism of those unable to differentiate between genuine emotion and physical stimulation. Intellectually, he still believed that to be true. How, then, could he explain the effect Rocky had on him? Yes, of course there was the physical attraction, an attraction that stunned him with its intensity. However, physical attraction alone, no matter how powerful, wasn't enough to make him lose his emotional composure.
Was it the fact that the object of this attraction was another man? Frank considered the notion, but quickly dismissed it. Frank, like everyone else on Transsexual, had been raised to believe same sex relationships were as natural - and, considering Transylvania's freewheeling sexual practices, as inevitable - as those between members of the opposite sex. None of his own previous lovers had been male, true, but that was simply due to the fact that he hadn't happened to meet any men who were as sexually enticing to him as the women with whom he'd been involved.
So what was it? Suddenly it came to him, an explanation as clear as the starlight shining from the amethyst sky.
He was afraid.
While he wasn't prepared to admit to being in love with Rocky on the basis of such a brief encounter, he could already tell his feelings for the young man went beyond the merely physical. He felt an immediate connection with Rocky, a recognition of him as a kindred spirit, that convinced him it was only a matter of time before he'd be hopelessly in love.
Frank realized that despite the decadence of Transylvanian society, most people would consider being "hopelessly in love" a good thing. Although few people were monogamous, most had - or at least sought - a primary relationship, a life partner whose constant love, support and presence would create an oasis of security amid the turbulence of lovers entering and departing their lives.
However, Frank was utterly disinterested in a serious relationship. He was too young. While he would eventually be required to marry and produce additional heirs to the throne, that was years away. Right now, all he wanted was a succession of casual flings...to have fun without taking any emotional risks. And, if he were being perfectly honest, a large part of the fun for him was reveling in the power he had over his lovers...knowing how much they wanted him, knowing how much they needed what he did to them, knowing they'd do anything to be with him.
Although as yet their only physical contact had been that brief handshake, he could already tell he would have that kind of power over Rocky. What frightened him was the knowledge that Rocky would have that very same power over him. Despite the vast disparity in their social ranks, within the relationship the power would be shared - as would the vulnerability. And there would be a relationship. No matter how hard Frank fought it, no matter how frightened he was at the prospect of it, he knew there was no way they would be able to resist each other.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling bed sheets. He looked over to see Madria, stretching and yawning. She looked over at his side of the bed, and an expression of confusion crossed her lovely face. She sat up, pulling the sheet over her otherwise bare chest. "Frank? Where are you?"
Although she couldn't have been further from his mind during the time he'd been in that chair, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. His newfound feelings for Rocky did nothing to lessen the attraction others held for him. "I'm over here. I was feeling restless, so I got up. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you." His smile became more roguish. "You did, after all, earn your repose."
She smiled seductively in response. Slowly, deliberately, she dropped the sheet hiding her body. "I'm nothing if not well-rested. In fact, I'm feeling a bit fidgety myself. Would you care to help me work off some of this extra energy?"
He got up and walked over to the bed, divesting himself of his robe in the process. He dropped it to its former spot on the floor and slipped between the sheets. "Well...just to help you out..."