Ashe

She had let them both play with her too much. They had been in control, tempted her, seduced her. It was supposed to be the other way around, and she would take control again.

Ashe was telling herself these things as she stood in front of the mirror beside her bed while two servants helped her with her dress. It wasn't like she normally used help for these things but the dress she was wearing this evening was... complex. Specifically chosen for the purpose she had in mind. She had a corset underneath, and draped over it was a fluttery, flowing fabric made of the brightest, most scandalous and unusual red shade she'd ever seen. You only saw a hint of the corset under it and her shoulders were left bare while the rest of the dress cascaded down her body in layers. She looked like she was a visiting princess from some exotic far-off country, and the kohl that she now dabbed around her eyes completed the look perfectly.

A few minutes later, she entered the small, private dining room that would house the dinner with King Alistair as well as Josephine, Cassandra and Dorian.

She was the last one to arrive and the others were already seated and were drinking some wine while the servants brought food to the table. Alistair practically choked on his drink when he looked up and spotted Ashe. That seemed to have become a new habit for him whenever he saw her and she felt pleased, but her smile didn't indicate anything more than friendly greeting. She would not let him have anything for free tonight, although she did have a hard time not letting heat rise to her cheeks when she thought about how he'd been inside her this morning, driving his finger in and out of her while he kissed her like he would cease to breathe if he stopped.

But that was all he was going to get.

For now.

She felt Alistair's eyes on her the entire evening, but she didn't look at him all that much. She was pleasant of course, but not flirtatious. She knew it would drive him mad wondering why. As she harbored no illusions whatsoever that she was anything more to him than a game, a prize to claim, she didn't feel so much as an inkling of guilt. She didn't mind being played with as long as she was running the game.

When the dinner was over, Ashe was the first one out the door. As expected, Alistair was not far behind, she'd barely entered the corridor outside the dining area before he caught up with her.

"Ashe, wait."

She kept on walking but slowed and looked over her shoulder, rewarding his predictability with a sultry smile, at long last. She could see how the deep breath he took was one of relief. He grabbed her hand and forced her to stop. Well, she would have liked to see him try to force her. She simply allowed herself to come at a stop at his touch.

"Did you want something, Your Majesty?"

"Ashe..." Her name fell from his lips like a caress and she steeled herself to not let it affect her. "Allow me to escort you back to your quarters. I can't will myself to let you out of my sight, you are everything to my eyes tonight."

Don't fall for that smooth tongue.

"I would let you, of course, Alistair, but I'm not headed for my quarters."

He pulled her in a little closer. "Oh? Where are you headed then?"

"I have an appointment. A meeting."

"At this hour?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you going to see Cullen?" His voice was constricted, to say the least.

"That, Your Majesty, is none of your business, it is Inquisition business. But rest assured, I will see you off tomorrow when you depart, and I promise you I will come to the celebrations in Denerim. I'll even let you escort me to the festivities if you wish."

That seemed to appease him somewhat and he nodded before placing his lips on her hand, never once letting his gaze fall from her face. His smoldering eyes were intense.

Intense as fuck...

"Then I shall not keep you here any longer. I wish you a good night, Ashe. You'll be in my dreams tonight, of that I can assure you. As you will be all the following nights as well." With that, he dropped her hand, bowed to her and walked past her.

Cullen

Waiting for her was excruciating, especially when he knew in who's company she was. Thank the Maker that there were more people at the dinner than just the two of them, or he might have punched something. Preferably the King himself.

He was pacing back and forth in front of his desk, clenching his fists in growing anger over the late hour. What was keeping her so long? That fucker had better not put his hands on her, or so help him...

He was almost startled when his door banged open, and he was surprised to see Ashe standing in the open doorway. She always knocked quietly.

He didn't have time to do more than register the surprise before he felt his mouth drop open. She looked... There were no words.

Straight out of a dream.

A filthy, filthy dream.

The wind tore through the fabric of her dress, making it flutter and shift. He could see the scandalous outlines of the corset she wore underneath the sinfully red waves that flowed around her. She pulled the door shut behind her and Cullen still couldn't move, couldn't stop staring. She stared back and took one step forward, her leg showing through a parting in her dress. Cullen's gaze followed the creamy, slender length of it all the way up to where it disappeared under the red again, so close to her center it made his mouth water.

He growled at her like an animal in heat and stepped towards her, all sanity leaving him as his eyes feasted on her body.

"Stop." Ashe held out her hand and Cullen froze.

Is she serious? She can't expect me to not ravage her looking like that.

He took another step closer.

"Do you think you are in control here?"

The tone of her voice made him stop his advance.

"Do you think you decide what happens next? That I'm just a silly little girl who falls for your every move?"

"Ashe, what are you... You know I don't think that."

She arched an eyebrow. Her leg was still out and he found it very difficult not to stare at it.

"Do I? How old am I, Cullen?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer me."

He sighed in defeat. He didn't even want to think about the answer, it made him feel like he was about to rob a cradle. "You are nineteen years old, Inquisitor."

"Yes. And how old are you, Cullen?"

"Thirty-five, Inquisitor," he answered through gritted teeth.

"You are correct. Not that I give a shit, but you understand, surely, why I find it difficult to believe that you respect me in every aspect. That you do not think that you have power over me since I am so young, and you have so much experience. Can you see why I have a hard time believing you, Cullen?"

"I suppose. But that doesn't make it true. I know I was hesitant when you first arrived and started to fight for the Inquisition, Ashe. But you've proven yourself over and over since then, and I've given you my complete trust and loyalty. You know I would obey your every decision. I would die for you, Ashe."

She cocked her head to the side and regarded him, expression impossible to read. It only confirmed his words that she was wise beyond her years. Any other girl her age would have been an open book.

"I know, Cullen, that is not what I'm questioning."

Where is she going with this?

"You know that I want you, Ashe. And I would never want a girl who didn't know what she was doing, I assure you. You have nothing to prove to me."

"Maybe I don't, but you do."

With those words, she tore her dress off in one, fluid motion, and let in fall to the floor. All that still covered her was the red corset and some sort of black lace covering her privates.

Cullen couldn't keep himself from inhaling sharply at the sight. If she wasn't going to let him touch her, this was going to be torture.

"Maker's breath, Ashe. Do you have any idea of what you do to me?"

"You are going to stand still. Move only when I tell you to, understand?"

He nodded slowly, painfully obedient. He knew he had no choice.

"You're going to prove to me that you respect my authority."

For a few seconds, they stood there staring at each other.

"I will go to Denerim in a few weeks time. I've been personally invited to the King's thirtieth birthday celebrations."

Rage welled up in him and threatened to burst through his chest at any second.

"Absolutely not," he said, jaw tight from holding back worse words than that.

"You see? No respect. Now stand fucking still and shut up."

Her movements were slow at first, she just walked towards him until there was only an arms length between them. Her closeness distracted him from the anger he felt, and his eyes drifted down to her cleavage, where her breasts were pushed together by the corset in a torturous way. His gaze drifted even lower, and he drank up the slender length of her legs, bare all the way down to the incredibly sexy high heel shoes she was wearing, red as the rest of her ensemble.

"Like what you see?" Her voice was smooth like honey and his eyes shot up to her face again. The playful smile on her lips was as much torture to look at as her body. She was so fucking tempting.

"Andraste, yes. You know that."

"Would you like to hear what I would have done to you now, if I hadn't felt the need to teach you your place?"

He swallowed hard and stared at her, his eyes dark with lust. If this was a game, he would not complain. Yet.

"Tell me."

"I would have pushed you against the desk, Cullen. I would have placed wet, hot kisses on you, everywhere."

She was drifting closer to him and it took every Maker forsaken ounce of his willpower not to grab her and do unspeakable things to her.

"I would press myself against you, dragging my cunt against your hardness. It's already wet. It fucking runs down my legs as soon as I see you."

"Ashe," he hissed.

"Keep your mouth closed." She reached down between her legs and pressed her fingers to the lace that covered her. "Maker, I'm so tight with pressure... What I wouldn't give to impale myself on your thick, hard cock right now. I would moan your name, Cullen... Mhm..."

"Fuck, just do it Ashe, let me..."

She put a finger against his lips and shushed him. Even the minimal contact that they were making now seared like she had burned him where she touched him.

"I would have started off by giving the head of your cock a kiss, a wet, little kiss while I wrap my hand around you and move up and down, while I swirl my tongue around you before taking you deep, so deep, Cullen..." she purred at him.

He moaned at her words, his rock hard erection threatening to burst out of his breeches any second.

"I would let you fuck my throat like a little whore... You would have the Inquisitor on her knees before you, begging you to give her more, to feed me with your cock... I would beg and beg for you to fuck me, in my mouth, my cunt, my ass, it wouldn't matter..."

He was panting violently now, trying, trying, trying to prove that she could trust him. He would not touch her unless she said so.

"...as long as you fucked me like an animal, like a mad man. Would you?"

"Yes! Fuck, I would give you everything you wanted. I would make you come over and over, devoting myself to your pleasure only. I would lick the juices out of you until you made more for me, I would fuck you until you couldn't fucking walk for days, Ashe. Just say the word and I'll show you."

"On your knees, Commander."

He obeyed without hesitation and dropped down, his eyes never leaving hers. She planted her heel on his chest and pushed him against the wall.

"You know I like it rough, Commander? You've already guessed it once. I may be commanding now, but in bed... That's another story. Do you know how I would beg, how I want your hands around my throat while you fuck me? How I want you to whisper filthy things in my ear while you do it? How I would want you to spank me, slap me, bite me. Are you really up for that, Commander?"

"Ashe, if you say one more word..."

"Then what, Commander? If you are a good little boy and do what I say, and you let me go to Denerim without a fuss, you'll get everything I've told you and more. And it's weeks still until I leave, and your 'friend' Alistair leaves tomorrow. Maybe I will let you touch me in a dark corner somewhere in the coming days, maybe I'll steal you away for a kiss. And when I come back... Do we have a deal, Commander?"

Her foot was still lodged against him and it was all he could do not to grab her leg and pull her down and fuck her right there on the cold, stone floor.

"Yes," he snarled.

She smiled wickedly. "Good. Then I wish you a good night and sweet dreams, Cullen." His name fell out of her mouth like it was something as sexy as the words she'd just spoken to him and he shuddered all over. She turned around and gathered the discarded dress from the floor and wrapped it around herself casually before she opened the door and left, not even bothering to close it behind her.

Cullen sat on the floor, unable to move or comprehend what had just transpired between them. But if that was what she wanted, if that was what it took for her promises – her filthy, unbelievable, incredible promises – to come true, he would do it. By the holy Maker, he would.