The second chapter of sinisterbug's and my collab. I'm so honored to be working with her, and bronzetigress is doing such a great job at betaing all our crazy mistakes. Lol. I hope you guys enjoy this as much I as have been!
Chapter 2
Sanji's life was nothing if not routine. Here he was again, still on the Sunny finishing up with the new inventory on the perishable food items, while the rest of the crew enjoyed the warm afternoon sun on land. He made check marks next to the items that were sorted and packed away, and small ticks next to the items that were still crated but sitting in the freezer below deck. They had done well this stop. Items were cheap and high quality, and the vendors had been particularly susceptible to Nami's bartering skills. The cook had followed the ship's navigator around with hearts dancing above his head as he praised her abilities, and tried desperately not to think of how amazing she looked with her new tan line. Sanji loved it when girls wore shirts that showed off the white lines left by their bikini tops. The contrast of the golden brown to the lighter creamy color of Nami's natural skin tone, and then the pink of her halter, made the cook's mouth water. After several cigarettes and a quick whack on the head from his precious flower for dropping a bag, he reined in his libido enough to realize that it was actually quite strange that Nami could tan period, being a red head and all.
In the end, Nami had recanted her former punishment of withholding Sanji and Zoro's allowance. She had given Sanji a hefty bag of beli and told him to stay away from the ship that night. She had given one to Zoro as well when they returned to unload the supplies, and the swordsman had quickly disappeared.
Sighing heavily and placing the clip board on the shelf next to him, Sanji stretched his arms over his head and made his way up the ladder and to the men's quarters. He would gladly give up all the beli and all the allowance in the world if Nami would just agree to keep him company at night.
He took out a fresh suit and tie, and pulled his new red shirt from the hanger he had hung on his hammock. Red wasn't really his color, but Robin had said it looked nice on him earlier when he had tried it on, so what could he do?
He showered quickly and dressed, running his hands through his hair as he passed the infirmary. He caught sight of Chopper leaning over a spread of paperwork and textbooks and stopped.
"Hey, Chopper," he said as he pulled his tie tight. "I'm done with the count so I'm headed out. You gonna be okay?"
The little doctor nodded absently, his eyes never leaving his work. "I'll be fine. Zoro just got back a few minutes ago, so I'm not alone."
Sanji cringed. That was just what he needed: mention of the green-haired bastard as he was about to go have a nice night on the town. If Chopper had been any other person, he would have thanked him for spoiling his good mood.
"Okay, that's good then. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night, Sanji."
Sanji returned to his quarters and ran a comb through his hair before splashing a bit of cologne on the collar of his suit jacket and slipping his arms in the sleeves. He gave himself a quick once over in the mirror and, satisfied with his appearance, left the cabin and closed the door behind him.
Now, Sanji knew that if he just went left, proceeded directly across the main deck to the ramp, he could be out in the town and well on his way to a light buzz and a good woman in no time. But for whatever reason-- probably insanity-- the cook decided to go right, and check one last thing in the galley. He told himself that this was something that any self-respecting ship's cook would do, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was just slightly curious to see what Zoro was up to. Or more importantly what he had been up to while he'd been out.
As he turned the corner, Sanji spotted the swordsman sitting on the railing, drinking from a bottle of Pinot Noir. Granted, it was not one of Sanji's better wines, and the cook secretly thanked the swordsman for being thoughtful, but this gave him the perfect chance to start something.
"Oi, shithead!" he called as he made his way slowly across the deck.
Zoro visibly froze, bottle halfway to his lips. Sanji watched the swordsman's shoulders tense as he steeled himself for whatever Sanji was planning on throwing at him.
"You were supposed to be gone already," Zoro said quietly, his tone suggesting he definitely didn't give a rat's ass about anything Sanji had to say.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" the cook growled. "I mean, seriously, there's crates and crates of cheap ass shit in the cellar, but you always have to break into my pantry and steal the good stuff!"
"But that's why." Zoro took another swallow. "It's cheap-ass shit, so it doesn't taste as good." He continued under his breath as he lifted the bottle once again, "And it pisses you off."
Sanji snorted and stuck a cigarette between his teeth. "You know, you don't have to steal my wine to piss me off. You just have to exist."
Sanji's jibe was met only with the slide of steel from a saya. The swordsman pulled Shuusui free and turned the hilt so the blade was facing down. He stuck the tip into the wood of the railing and took another long swallow. The movements were slow and easy, but there was no mistaking what the swordsman was saying.
"Don't ruin my good mood, shit-cook."
Sanji smiled and lit the tip of his cigarette. "You were barely gone two hours, Marimo. All that training every day, I thought you would have at least a little stamina."
To his disappointment, Zoro didn't react. The swordsman just sat quietly and took a long swallow from the bottle. Sanji sighed, not really liking sated Zoro all that much; he was proving to be boring.
The cook changed tactics, still not sure why he was bothering talking to the idiot in the first place. Finding that Zoro had a sexual drive similar his own didn't really warrant this new curiosity. He should have just left it and moved on, but he couldn't.
"So why don't you ever stay the night?" he asked as he puffed on his smoke. "Most places charge for the whole night regardless."
Zoro snorted. "I stay sometimes."
"You stayed once."
"You keeping tabs on me, cook?" Sanji could hear the grin in the swordsman's words.
"Only so I know you're here and I won't run into you in town." Breathing in deep and blowing the smoke out slowly, Sanji stepped forward and turned around to lean his lower back against the railing.
Zoro was quiet for a moment. He took a few small sips from the bottle and slid his sword back into its sheath.
"I don't get it," he finally said, quietly.
"Don't get what?" Sanji asked.
Zoro shrugged. "You're always talking about how you're this ladies' man. You say shit like 'women need to be treated with this and that' and 'delicate flowers need bla bla bla' bullshit… but then you go and pay for sex."
"It's not bullshit," Sanji growled. "Women really do need to be treated like graceful swans that-"
"Fuck, seriously, not right now." Zoro turned to glare at Sanji, his eyes flickering down in a once over of Sanji's shirt and back up again. "I don't wanna hear your stupid-ass crooning. You know as well as I do that most women are nasty. They smile all pretty and bat their eyelashes and wear nice clothes that make you think that they're sweet, and then as soon as you get them alone, they've got your dick down their throat or their cunt in your face."
"Whoa, don't call it that, man."
"It's what it is."
Sanji jabbed a finger into Zoro's shoulder. "There's better names for it, asshole! That word's fucking disgusting!"
Zoro grinned. "You're such a girl."
Sanji bared his teeth and pushed off the railing, his anger simmering hotly just beneath the surface. "Look, to answer your question, I can pick up ladies from any bar at any port, at any time. It's just sometimes I'm too tired, or too stressed out, or too fucking injured to want to go to all that trouble! Sometimes I just wanna fuck and go to sleep after having to deal with this crew, and you, who I can't even have a normal conversation with because I always end up wanting to fucking kill something!!"
The cook flicked his cigarette butt over the side and shoved his hands in his pockets as he stormed off. He wasn't really all that angry, Zoro just pushed all the right buttons to get him to act like a moron. He should have just turned back around and kicked the shit out of the asshole, but he didn't want to mess up his new shirt.
Zoro's voice followed him as he reached the ramp.
"The pickings are slim here; the only place worth checking out is Abby's."
"Whatever, man," Sanji said over his shoulder. "I'll be fine without your help."
***
Unfortunately, Zoro was right. After Sanji cooled off in the shopping district, taking some extra time browsing through filet knives, he turned his attention to the more unsavory part of town. He purposefully ignored the small hanging sign that said Abby's and moved on down the street. He stopped into a place called Diva's Divine but bowed out gracefully when the first woman that spoke to him had a gap between her front teeth the size of his thumb.
Two more places with even less appealing women and conditions later, he stood in front of Abby's. Small droplets of rain hit his face and he sighed heavily. There really was nothing else unless he wanted skanky girls, or to pick up a chick at some bar. It was almost worth it to go through the trouble to spite Zoro's suggestion, but he was tired, and he wanted to get inside before his clothes were ruined.
He climbed the steps and pulled the door open. The smell of cooking and sweet perfume hit Sanji's senses as he entered the place and closed the door behind him. He brushed the rain off his jacket and turned to greet a pretty blonde wearing a black and white striped apron over her green corset and thigh-high fishnets.
Sanji salivated a little as she smiled and offered her hand.
"Hello Sir," she said sweetly. "My name is Chloe. Thank you for gracing us this evening with your time and presence."
Sanji took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles. "The pleasure is all mine."
"Yes, it definitely will be," came a voice from the top of the stairs.
Sanji looked up to see two tall women standing on the stair case, one with long brown hair and darkly tanned skin, and the other with red hair and freckles. They both smiled down at him and the redhead flipped her long, straight locks over her shoulder.
"You must be Sanji," she said, her voice husky.
Sanji closed his eyes and breathed deep to keep himself under control. Of course the fucking asshole swordsman would tell the girls all kinds of stupid shit to set him up for failure.
The cook smiled politely and slipped his hands into his pockets.
"I can assure you ladies that my crewmate is completely-"
"Oh, no need to explain," Chloe giggled and took his arm. "He was a gentleman and the advance payment he left for you was enough to get us interested."
Sanji almost choked.
"Ad… advance… payment?"
The redhead descended the stairs and moved towards the cook slowly. Her pointed heels clicked softly on the wooden floors.
"He said to take care of you because you'd be stressed, and by the looks of it, he was right." She ran a thumb over his chin and the cook couldn't help but smile down into her bright green eyes.
"Oh! Is this him!?" A small girl with black ringlets and almond- shaped eyes emerged from another room. She too had on an apron over nothing but black lace panties and a beaded choker. "Oh my God, he's even more handsome than he said!" She rushed across the room and happily tucked herself under Sanji's free arm.
Sanji frowned, confusion clouding what should have been the beginnings of a high.
"Handsome? Zoro said I was handsome?"
"Zoro said a lot of things about you, Sanji." The tan girl on the stairs descended as well and moved to sit provocatively on the front desk. The pink underwear she wore left nothing to the imagination, and the t-shirt she had on rode up enough to expose the lower swell of her breasts. Her nipples were hard and pushed enticingly against the thin fabric.
"But I'm mostly interested in what he said about your cooking."
Sanji blinked stupidly at the beautiful girl.
"Come again?"
Chloe squealed and started to pull him towards a side door.
"Zoro said you were a cook and could help us make dinner! We haven't had a well cooked meal in months! We started this recipe that Lily had in one of her books, but we don't know if we should put the meat in a shallow pan, or-"
"LADIES!!"
Everyone, including Sanji, whirled around to face a stern woman with white hair and a very intimidating scowl. She folded her arms over her chest and cleared her throat.
"I know what the gentleman said earlier, but it is up to Mr. Sanji what will transpire throughout the evening. Our services have been paid for, and every move you make is at his discretion. Now, let him go, so we can talk business."
Sanji was still a little blown away by the attention and the flattery and the wonderful feel of women's skin and hair, but he managed to compose himself and slip his arms around Chloe and the dark-haired girl's shoulders.
"Madam… Abby? I presume?" She nodded and Sanji continued. "If it is true that these beautiful ladies have not had a decent meal in months, I feel it is my duty as a cook, and as a man, to make sure that they are fed properly before tending to any needs of mine. I only ask to see your selection of wines, and that you give me full access to your kitchen and pantry."
Fuck Zoro. He set this up just to be an asshole, but guess what? Sanji was going to take it! He was absolutely going to have a night of beautiful woman at his beck and call, even if it was on the idiot swordsman! Suck on that you fucking douche, I'll show these ladies a good time with YOUR money!!
Abby put her hands on her hips and regarded him with a slight tilt of her head.
"I guess whatever floats your boat." She waved him and the girls off. "Get to it."
The two girls wrapped around Sanji's waist giggled as the cook was escorted into the kitchen.
***
Sanji's thumb disappeared into the tanned girl's mouth. She sucked the last bit of chocolate from his skin and moaned appreciatively. She had introduced herself as Camren during Sanji's cooking lesson, and the blond pirate had found she had a raging sweet tooth as he prepared desert.
"I can't believe you can make something this decadent with bread!" She licked her lips and crossed one leg over the other.
The dark-skinned brunette was spread out on her back on the coffee table, her head hanging off the edge almost into Sanji's lap. She was completely naked and Sanji was tempted to pluck the container of melted chocolate from the tray behind him and drizzle it over her perfectly toned, caramel body. But it would have been difficult with the tall redhead draped over his shoulders like she was. Instead, he contented himself with feeding the bread and vanilla custard to Camren upside down. Her painted pink lips parted so sweetly to accept his treat, and he loved the flick of her tongue when some of the custard caught on the corner of her mouth.
Sanji and his companions had moved from the dining room to a private lounge in the back of the establishment. Chloe and the dark-haired girl, who introduced herself as 'Chi Chi', had both left after dinner, having prior engagements booked, but promised to return if their clients didn't keep them overnight. The redhead- he had found her name was Cherry, much to his delight and amusement- had ushered Sanji, Camren, and now Lily, a petite beauty with spiky blonde hair, to this back room and closed the doors. The girls had lost most of their clothes, and were having almost as much fun with each other as they were with Sanji.
"Mr. Sanji?" Lily asked from a chair beside him.
"Please, darling," Sanji crooned, "just call me Sanji."
Lily smiled and leaned forward to brush his bangs from his one visible eye. "Where did you learn to cook like this? I've never tasted anything like it."
Sanji smiled and glanced away, distracted as Cherry released his shoulders and climbed on top of Carmen. She started to kiss down the other girl's neck, and the darker-skinned girl sighed in delight. The girl's bodies twisting together made Sanji think of white chocolate and caramel candy with a drizzle of strawberries and a lacy garnish. He was suddenly inspired, and made a mental note to pull out his recipe book when he returned to the ship.
"I learned from my… foster father, I guess you could say. He picked me up when I had nowhere to go, and beat a trade into me so I wouldn't become a pirate or something worse." He paused to laugh at how ironic that story was, but was jolted out of his thoughts when Lily's lips tickled his ear.
"Can I have some more, Sanji? Please?" Her hands were down his shirt. He had taken off his jacket, and his tie had been pulled from around his neck a while ago.
He used one hand to pull her into his lap, her legs straddling his hips. She had nothing on but a pair of rainbow panties, blue high heeled sandals, and a small silver heart on a little chain around her neck. If the other girls were like caramel and white chocolate, exquisite deserts spread out after a banquet to admire as well as taste, then little Lily was a lollipop. She was colorful and fun, sweet and perfect for every occasion.
Sanji took a small bite of the custard and kissed Lily softly on the lips. She giggled and pried his mouth open with her tongue. She stole the sweet from his mouth expertly and sighed happily as she swallowed and licked her lips.
"If Zoro ever returns, I must thank him for sending you to us. You two must be very close for him to pay for all of this for you."
Sanji rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say close. We just saved each other's lives a couple times. We're nakama, nothing more."
Lily's eyes widened. "Really? But he spoke so highly of you!"
Sanji shook his head, a little uncomfortable at hearing that Zoro was talking about him with brothel girls.
"He's playing some kind of game with me. I don't know what his deal is."
Lily looked thoughtful for a moment, but then shrugged and put her arms around his neck.
"Well, I took good care of him earlier. I can do the same for you, if you wish."
Sanji set down the plate, immediately interested. "You were the one that was with him earlier?"
Lily nodded. "I would ask if my performance was satisfactory, but if his actions leaving here today said anything, they said I did a hell of a job."
Sanji grinned and placed his hands firmly on her hips.
"You blow his mind?"
"Hm," Lily tilted her head to the side. "I think we both did a little of that. He is quite amazing."
Instead of growling and getting angry like he should have, Sanji surprised himself by pulling Lily close and whispering against the petite girl's lips.
"You wanna show me what you two did together?"
Lily smiled at him and slid off his lap. She backed away and tapped Cherry on the shoulder. The redhead released Camren's nipple and looked up at Lily, panting softy.
"Can you two move to the couch, please?" Lily asked sweetly.
Cherry looked at Sanji and grinned. She pulled Camren up and the two of them fell onto the dark cushions of the couch against the wall. Cherry ended up in Camren's lap, her back pressed against the tanned girl's stomach. Camren slid her hands down Cherry's body and spread her legs slightly, running her fingers over the soft skin of Cherry's creamy inner thighs. Sanji appreciated the view, but turned his attention back to Lily.
Something about being with the girl that Zoro had just fucked set Sanji on fire. He was so turned on, it almost hurt. He couldn't explain why he felt this way, but the thought of touching where Zoro touched, and moving against this girl's skin the way the swordsman had only hours before, made the cook's nerves sing with anticipation. It was like a challenge, another way the two of them could fight and they didn't have to kill each other or damage the ship. He knew it was kind of sick, but he really didn't care. He was tired of always being second best to Luffy's first mate; second in bounty, second in rank, second in fighting skill. He was going to play a game and prove to himself, and these girls, that this was something where he stood on even ground with the fucking marimo.
Lily smiled slyly at him and hooked her thumbs into the top of her panties.
"He sat where you are now, and told me to take off all my clothes. I don't have much on right now, so I can't really do a strip tease," she said as she started to slide the underwear down her thighs, "but I can dance a little for you, if you like."
Camren giggled and Sanji shifted to a more comfortable position to watch the show. He folded his hands under his chin and watched, riveted as Lily swayed back and forth, her hips grinding against an invisible partner. Her hands were all over her body, running down her throat, teasing her nipples, almost touching the junction between her thighs, but moving away and sliding back up her stomach.
"He told me to sit on the table," she said, her voice low and her breath coming harder, "spread my legs, and lean back on my hands."
Sanji smirked. "Well, then… do it."
Lily smiled and pulled her bottom lip through her teeth. She sat on the coffee table and spread her legs, lifting her knees to bare everything for Sanji's eyes. She leaned back on her hands and arched her back, pushing her breasts out to him.
Camren and Cherry sighed softly at the sight, and Sanji glanced over to see Camren's fingers playing with Cherry's nipples. The red head tangled her fingers into the brunette's hair, and arched a little herself. The cook grinned and took a sip from his wine glass before he spoke.
"What did he do then?"
Tilting her head back and closing her eyes, Lily sighed and smiled, running her hand down the length of her stomach.
"He told me to touch myself…" Her fingers slid down between her thighs. She rubbed the pink bud of her clit with her middle finger and groaned softly. "I couldn't do it for very long though; the way he was looking at me and ordering me around was turning me on… kind of like now."
Sanji finished off the last of his wine and set his glass on the floor next to the chair.
"Show me what you did instead," he said softly, his voice getting husky from arousal.
Lily lowered her legs to the floor and stood slowly. She moved towards Sanji and crawled back up into the chair, straddling his hips. He slid down slightly to accommodate but didn't touch her. Instead he rested his hands on the arms of the chair. She took her fingers, still wet from her ministrations, and ran them over Sanji's lower lip. He flicked his tongue out to taste her, her smell invading his senses.
"He took my hand." As she spoke, she gently brought his hand between her thighs, placing it over her own which was already rubbing slowly at her soft folds. "He said he wanted to know how I liked it, and the best way to learn was to make me do it myself." She pressed his hand over hers and Sanji shuddered at the feel of her wetness on his fingers.
She stroked herself as he copied her movements. She ground her hips in a steady rhythm, brushing now and again against Sanji's erection. Sanji had to admit to himself that this was kind of brilliant. Doing this gave you a nice view of a hot girl masturbating, while at the same time, you get to finger her- sort of- and to top it all off, she does a little slow dry humping.
Of course, he was never going to tell the swordsman that.
Sanji leaned forward to run his tongue over one of her nipples. Lily gasped and arched her back against him. Her fingers moved faster, and Sanji could tell she was close to orgasm by the heat of her and the way her body had started to tremble violently. Her head fell back and the cook feasted on her neck as she cried out softly. Her free hand threaded through his hair, pulling roughly, but Sanji loved it. His fingers slid past hers and pushed gently inside of her. She shrieked in pleasure and came, her inner muscles clamping down around him.
"Oh God… oh god…" she whispered against his mouth, sounding slightly surprised in addition to everything else.
Sanji smiled as he kissed her. "What next, love?"
"He fucked me on the table," she panted.
Sanji gently lifted her off his lap and stood. As he backed away and she spread herself out on her back, Sanji removed his shirt and draped it over the back of the chair.
"How many times did he make you come?" he asked, winking at Cherry and Camren. Cherry was a little distracted as Camren's fingers were teasing her mercilessly, but Camren grinned back at him over the red head's shoulder.
"Three," Lily breathed, her arms moving to rest above her head.
"Okay then," Sanji unbuttoned the top of his pants and moved in to lean over her.
"I'm going for four. Hold your knees."
***
Sunlight filtered in through the curtains, warm and bright on Sanji's face as he woke. He blinked several times to push the sleep from his eyes and yawned lazily. He smiled softly as he found himself in a tangle of arms and legs, soft skin, and blankets. Lily was curled tight against his side while Cherry was sideways with her legs draped over Sanji's stomach. Camren was nestled between his legs, her head resting on his inner thigh. Chi Chi lay above his head, her soft hair tickling his cheek and her warm breath caressing the skin of his neck. She had kept her promise and returned immediately after her client had left last night and she had showered. She had proven to be almost as flexible as Sanji himself, and tasted fantastic with a little drizzle of chocolate.
"Mmm… you're awake," Lily whispered.
Sanji smiled and reached up to run his fingers over her short hair. "How'd you know?"
Lily sighed and burrowed deeper into his side. "Your breathing. People always breathe deeper when they sleep."
"Hm…" Sanji closed his eyes once again and listened as Chi Chi stirred.
"Mmm… morning," she cooed in her lovely soprano.
"Morning," Sanji and Lily said together as Sanji tilted his head and kissed the dark-haired girl on the forehead.
"You should come again tonight," Chi Chi said groggily. "You and your friend are way more fun than my other clients."
Sanji smiled and reached for his pack of cigarettes. Cherry had retrieved them from his jacket pocket shortly before she had passed out. He pulled one free with his teeth and lit up with the lighter he had stuffed inside.
"Lemme have a drag?" Camren reached for the stick.
Sanji lent it to her after he had inhaled deeply and blown out a few smoke rings into the air above his head.
"I can't promise anything," Sanji said quietly, "but I can try."
"You should definitely come." Camren sat up and gave him back his cigarette. "Chloe was pretty sad she didn't get to play with you, and she doesn't have any clients after three today."
"Ezzy's back from that politician's house today too," Cherry added.
"Oh, Ezzy would love him!" Chi Chi laughed.
"Ezzy?" Sanji asked.
"Esmeralda," Camren clarified. "She's a big pirate fan."
"You should bring your friend," Cherry grinned.
"Yes!" Chi Chi piped up. "Bring Zoro with you!"
Sanji chuckled. "I don't think the Marimo would be too inclined to come with me. We steer pretty clear of each other when we can."
"Oh, my God!" Chi Chi laughed. "You call him Marimo!? That is so cute!"
"You two would be a blast," Cherry yawned and sat up. She kept her legs draped over his stomach and started massaging the smooth skin of her calves enticingly.
"I'm sure Abby would give you a discount if you came together."
"Oh, she definitely would!" Chi Chi said excitedly. "After tasting that dinner you cooked for us last night, I bet she wouldn't even bat an eyelash at the suggestion!"
Sanji thought over their proposal. It definitely sounded good, but there was the matter of getting Zoro to agree with it… and then actually coming here with the idiot…
"Sanjiiii," Chi Chi whined, "Say you'll come back tonight with Zoro."
"I can probably get Abby to give you a room, with four or five of us for the night, at half the price of one person." Cherry flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Maybe even better if you cook for us; Abby's been known to give nights for free to men who are especially nice to us.
"You'd just have to promise to bring Zoro with you…"
Sanji's hand stilled in the act of bringing the cigarette to his mouth. A whole night for him and Zoro for half the price of one person was a pretty fucking good deal. A whole night for him and Zoro, possibly for ifree/i, was almost unheard of. There was no way the cook could resist that kind of temptation, even though he'd rather break his back again than ask the swordsman to come with him.
But… it was the girls who asked… It's not like it was his idea…
"Yeah, okay…" Sanji hugged Lily against him, and squeezed Carmen between his legs gently. "I'll talk to him."
***
He'd been feeling the chef's gaze on him for most of the morning and afternoon. Well, gaze wasn't necessarily the right term. Glare, or perhaps visual concentration of restrained animosity would have worked. But every time he tried to make eye contact with the chef to try and shoo him off, the jerk disappeared in a blur of blond and black.
Zoro supposed Sanji wanted to start some shit over yesterday, but was probably angst-ing over issues of manly pride. Whatever his damage was, he had prevented the swordsman from having at least three of his five morning naps just because his presence was so suffocating.
Lunch came, and when Sanji announced that it was Luffy's turn to help him with the dishes, Zoro volunteered instead.
Sanji shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Fine, you and Luffy can do the dishes."
Nami hastily corrected him. "You know the rule."
Sanji faltered, and then flashed a brilliant smile. "Of course, my duchess! How could I forget? You're so kind to remind me."
Luffy hooted in glee at his luck, and Zoro and Sanji were left alone to do the dishes.
"What rule was she talking about?" the swordsman asked as he began clearing plates from the table while Sanji ran the dish water.
The chef scowled and dried his hands on a towel so he could light a cigarette before they started. "At least one person on dish duty has to have a minimum IQ of 95."
Zoro only snorted and dumped a stack of freshly scraped dishes into the sink, not caring that a big slop of water splashed all over Sanji's shirt. "You got something to say about last night, just say it. Stop skulking around the ship and interrupting my naps."
Sanji took a deep breath through his nose and bit the filter of the cigarette.
Esmerelda. Esmerelda, Camren and chocolate. Lily and Cherry and cherries. Chi Chi and discounts. Lots and lots of good, affordable sex, was the mantra going on inside Sanji's head as he tried to soak up some of the water off his shirt with a towel. "Shut up and start rinsing."
Zoro muttered something under his breath and got to rinsing the dishes that Sanji passed to him, then set them to dry in the strainer.
After a few minutes, Sanji took another deep breath. He was not going to pass up this opportunity just because the swordsman was an ape. The girls had liked something about Zoro yesterday, and it was enough of a something that a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had been offered to him, if he could just suck it up and ask the Marimo to play along.
"What are you doing tonight?" the chef tried to ask casually.
Zoro slowly looked at him, but Sanji kept his gaze firmly on the sink of soapy dishes.
"Why the fuck do you care?"
The chef's leg almost moved of its own accord, and the result was that Sanji's knees awkwardly gave out on him and he had to catch himself on the counter in order to stop from kicking the idiot next to him through the kitchen wall.
"What the hell is wrong with you, shit cook?" Zoro asked, bewildered.
Sanji glared angrily at the swordsman as he pulled himself up to standing position. "Nothing is wrong with me, asshole. I just asked what you're doing tonight. Am I not allowed to make conversation, or is that beyond your mental and social capacity?"
Zoro snorted and continued rinsing. "Nothing. I'm outta cash."
Sanji was slightly dumbfounded. That idiot had spent his entire allowance at Abby's last night just to spite him and it hadn't even worked. He chuckled and shook his head.
"You are such an idiot."
"What?" Zoro growled defensively.
"Nothing. You're coming with me tonight."
"What the fuck are you talking about, aho-cook? Don't order me around-"
"Not my orders. If I could leave you here, believe me, I would. Having you come along is the last thing I want."
That wasn't necessarily true, really. He refused to complete the thought whenever it popped into his mind, but ever since the girls had asked him to bring the swordsman, he couldn't help but wonder what Zoro was like with a woman. Not necessarily even in bed (though he had definitely never, ever, thought about it - and certainly not with growing frequency in the last week or so), but in interaction. He knew how Zoro treated Nami and Robin (terribly, by the way), but it was likely that he behaved differently around women he knew he had a chance to sleep with.
"If you're just gonna beat around the bush about whatever it is, you can stop wasting my time. Just spit whatever the fuck it is you're talking about out."
Sanji sighed and continued to drop dishes in his sink water, even though Zoro had stopped rinsing.
"The girls. They want us to come- … they want us to go together. If we do, we get a discount, maybe even a free night." He jabbed the soapy spatula he was holding at the swordsman's chest. "For whatever reason, they liked you. More likely it's because they're such lovely ladies and they felt sorry for you. Either way," he added as he dropped the spatula in the rinsing water, "the condition is that we show up together. And since you so generously put down an advance payment for me last night, I have enough to cover tonight, if we have to pay."
Zoro opened his mouth to speak, but Sanji stopped him. "But first, I have two conditions."
"I didn't even agree yet," Zoro snapped.
Sanji laughed. "Oh, that's rich. Then, by all means, turn down a night of free sex with several beautiful girls just because you don't want to go with me."
The swordsman opened his mouth several times again to speak, but nothing came out. Finally, he said, "Fine."
"First - behavior. I will never forgive you if you cause even the slightest bit of damage to that place. So you leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone. No fighting in front of the girls for any reason, or I'll kill you."
Zoro grunted. "Fine. Don't start shit with me; I won't start shit with you."
Sanji continued as if he hadn't heard the swordsman. "Second, I'm not going anywhere with you looking like that."
The chef gave him a once over, frowning at his not-so-white t-shirt and slightly tattered pants. His boots were caked in mud, and his general appearance – though intimidating, and not a damper on his overall attractiveness, if you could call it that – did not reflect the chef's standards at all.
Zoro looked down at himself and back up at Sanji. "They didn't have a problem with it yesterday."
"A phenomenon I'm still trying to come to terms with. But if they have to curl their hair, put on make-up, and find nice clothes for your sorry ass, the least you can do is the same for them."
Zoro's lip curled and he looked at what the chef was wearing. "You're not getting me to wear any of your shitty clothes."
The chef scoffed. "I wouldn't trust you with my cheapest handkerchief, let alone any of my clothes. Wear that black t-shirt and the newest pants you've got. And fucking shine your boots or something."
Not that Zoro agreed with Sanji's summation of his wardrobe, or really felt like complying, but the allure of free sex on top of the opportunity to live vicariously through some lucky prostitute was enough to get him to comply – albeit with a less than enthusiastic attitude.
***
The chef was awash in guilt and excitement. The usual I'm-spending-the-money-Nami-gave-me-on-a-brothel-house guilt and excitement, in addition to waging a further internal battle with guilt over exactly what part of tonight had gotten him so excited. He hid his trepidation as he sniffed at Zoro's appearance.
Zoro shrugged as he walked out of the men's bunk, not seeing the difference this outfit made over the other. "I'm just gonna end up naked anyway."
Sanji did his best to restrain himself and walked down the ramp, Zoro at his heels.
As if to get it all out of their system before they stepped foot in Abby's, they bickered and snarled at each other the entire walk there. It was pathetically petty stuff – 'You're standing too close to me' and 'Why do you have to be such a dick' among other things.
Sanji gave Zoro one last sneer before adopting a more charming countenance as he stepped inside Abby's.
It was difficult to tell whether or not Abby was pleased, amused, or aggravated to see them. Whichever it was, she was resigned in equal measure.
Zoro stood back as Sanji did the talking, grinning as a few familiar faces peeked at them from around a corner, followed by high pitched giggling. He saw Lily, who winked at him and waved. She kept inclining her head at him and raising her eyebrows.
"That's more than generous of you, we couldn't possibly accept-"
"We'll take it," Zoro grunted, tired of standing around. If he let the shit-cook go on much longer, they'd not only have to pay, but they'd probably end up paying more than the usual rate.
Sanji whirled around with impending death written on his face, but Abby clapped her hands and suddenly there was a whirl of activity. Several girls tumbled out into the hallway, as if they'd had their ears pressed against the door. Abby frowned, and then started giving orders.
"Cherry and Chi Chi, prepare the upstairs lounge. Remember, Chi Chi, you have an appointment later this evening, so you will have to leave after dinner. You will join Lily when you are done with the lounge. Chloe and Ezzy, set up the Moonlight and Midnight rooms. You will join Camren in the kitchen when you are done. Camren, show Mr. Sanji to the kitchens, and Lily, keep Mr. Roronoa company in the massage room until all the rooms are prepared and Mr. Sanji is finished in the kitchen."
There was a minor moment of confusion when some of the girls bumped into each other in a scramble, and they burst into giggles again. Eventually, Camren wrapped herself around Sanji's arm and sauntered off, while Lily took Zoro's hand and led him down another hallway.
***
Camren smiled happily as she sat on a stool, one long, gorgeous, tan leg crossed over the other. She bit her lip in a way that made Sanji's heart thump wildly as he prepare a simple glazed ham. He sang a tune as he whirled around the kitchen (somewhat familiar grounds now after the previous evening).
The brunette swayed playfully as Sanji crooned;
I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me,
And if we go some place to dance, I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me,
Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink, or two
And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'.
She laughed as he swirled her way, waving a whisk dramatically. He took her hand, kissing it gently.
"You know, we haven't had patrons as nice as the two of you for as long as I've been here. I swear we've never had so much fun. That's why Abby didn't mind setting this up."
The chef shook his head. "It is absolutely our pleasure. I'm not sure what it is about my good-for-nothing crewmate that you lovely goddesses aren't offended by, but rest assured that I am eternally grateful to be allowed to spend yet another evening with such wonderful angels."
Camren giggled (Sanji loved the sound of it) and flipped her brunette locks back. "It's so funny though! According to Lily, Mr. Roronoa had nothing but good things to say about you. And then, of course, you proved it all to be true last night. What is it about macho-men?"
Sanji wasn't inclined to argue with a woman as beautiful as Camren, but he hadn't been able to figure that part out yet. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "He was probably setting me up or something, hoping I'd look bad in front of you-"
"Oh no, no, no," Camren shook her head, earnest disagreement written on her face. "You wouldn't say that if you talked to Lily. But… well, I'm not supposed to talk about other customers," she smiled, apologetically. "But…" Her voice took on a decidedly seductive tone. "We do have a surprise for you tonight. It was Lily's idea."
Sanji raised an eyebrow, but then shook his head, more at himself than anything. Here he was, cooking for several gorgeous women, preparing for a night of highly hedonistic proportions, and he was thinking about his caveman marimo crewmate. That would not do at all.
He switched topics.
"What would my goddesses like for dessert?"
***
Zoro was not getting a massage in the massage room. That much was certain.
Lily had planted the swordsman on a chair, then proceeded to plant herself in his lap, wrapping her thin arms around his strong neck, planting kisses where she could and running her small hands up his shirt.
He was surprised when she whispered, "Thought I'd tell you something interesting about your friend…"
***
Chloe and Esmerelda had joined Camren and Sanji in the kitchen, and together they brought the dishes and food up to the upstairs lounge (Sanji made sure to carry the heavy dishes, and refused to let Chloe bring up the plates, opting instead to run back down and grab them himself once they'd brought up everything else).
By the time he made it back upstairs to the lounge (plates balanced precariously on his head, two bottles of wine in each hand), Lily, Zoro, Chi Chi and Cherry had joined them, and the girls were arguing about how to lay the food out on the table.
A weird knot formed in the chef's stomach as he watched Zoro sitting back with a girl in each arm. He looked good, although the chef hated to admit it. If that bastard would just dress like that more often, and try not insulting each woman he came across with his rude manner, chances were he might even come across as cool.
But then again, Sanji was not thinking about Zoro. He was very much concentrating on Esmerelda and her generous, ample, luscious form. And Camren, who winked at him as she bent over to rearrange the table setting. And Chi Chi, who batted her long, black eyelashes at him as she took two of the wine bottles from him.
The girls seemed to sense that it was up to them to steer the conversation, and as it was, Sanji need not have worried about himself and Zoro fighting, since they barely had time to do anything but steal glances at each other while they thought the other wasn't looking. Zoro, in fact, barely spoke an (audible) word, and seemed content to eat, whisper with the girl who was closest to him at the time, and drink.
When the first few courses were completed, Sanji and Cherry retrieved the dessert and another two bottles of wine (really, four was nothing for Zoro and Sanji by themselves, let alone six girls). As soon as the platter of strawberry shortcake hit the table, Esmerelda said, "A game! Let's play a game with dessert!"
The rest of the girls squealed in agreement. Sanji glanced at Zoro, who just shrugged.
The chef snorted.
"Very well, ladies. What shall it be?"
"I've got one!" Chi Chi said, and several of the girls groaned. "What?"
"But you always make it so complicated!" Lily protested, her pout too adorable for Sanji to bear. But Chi Chi's pout wasn't something he could stand for either.
"Well, since Miss Chi Chi has to leave, perhaps we should let her pick the game," Sanji offered.
The girls agreed that this was fair.
"Well," the pale, black haired girl said, "It's a combination of several games."
"Oh, here we go," Cherry rolled her eyes. "Does it involve math?"
"I wouldn't put you through the trouble, since you can't do basic elementary-" Chi Chi snapped.
"Ladies," Esmerelda said, giving them a warning glance. "Let's not argue. Let Chi Chi explain the game."
Chi Chi cleared her throat. "As I was saying, it's a combination of several games. The first person is asked a quiz question – and no math, apparently – by the person on their left. If they get it wrong, they must remove an article of clothing. When you're down to your last article of clothing, you have to give a strip tease. If they get it right, you move on. However, in order to pass the turn along, you must take a bite of short cake, and feed it to the person on your right. Then it is your turn to ask the person you've just fed cake to a quiz question. The game is over when you are out of cake. No winners, no losers. If you end up naked before we're out of cake, you have to do a dance every time you get a question wrong. Make sense?"
"Wait," Zoro said. It was the first real word he'd spoken all evening, so all eyes were on him. He looked at Sanji. "I'm wearing three things. He's probably wearing sixteen."
Sanji's lip curled. "Then don't get your answers wrong, Marimo."
The girls twittered at that. Lily whispered to Esmerelda, "See? I told you he calls him that!"
Before Zoro had a chance to make a comeback, Chi Chi said, "I agree. I think Mr. Sanji should remove his jacket and tie. Wait," she said abruptly, before looking back at Zoro, and biting her lip. "Only three?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Yeah." He pointed to his shoes, "One," then his pants, "two," then his shirt, "three."
Chi Chi smiled, and the girls began giggling again. Sanji wasn't sure what was-
Oh.
"Always go commando, Marimo-kun, or just for special occasions?"
Zoro rolled his eyes and leaned back on his arms. "Whatever. If you want a handicap that bad, you can have it."
"Oooooh," Cherry said, her eyes twinkling as she sidled up to Sanji. "Are you gonna take that?"
Sanji yanked at his tie and snorted. "If you want to see me naked that bad, fine."
He shrugged off his jacket and stood up, toeing off his shoes and socks. "Pants, underwear, shirt. We're even."
"That settles it!" Chi Chi declared, cutting out a piece of the short cake and putting it on a plate to take with her. "You kids have fun, I'm off! I'll come back later if I can."
Zoro extracted himself from Lily and Chloe and stood along with Sanji as Chi Chi headed out. She stood on her tip toes as she gave them both a peck on the cheek then left.
Once they were settled back down, Esmerelda said, "Now to decide who goes first."
Chloe smiled deviously and said, "I think it should be you, since you have the biggest boobs."
Before the voluptuous brunette could argue, the rest of the girls had already agreed, which meant that Cherry got to ask the first quiz question.
She tapped one manicured fingernail on her red lips and 'hm'ed. "Okay… Oooh! How long - in miles - is the Grand Line?"
Esmerelda sighed and rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know that?"
Cherry grinned. It soon became apparent that each girl would ask the next girl almost impossible questions for the exact purpose of getting them to remove clothes. Sanji sat back and sighed happily, enjoying the view of shoes, stockings, and various other articles of clothing disappearing, along with the delicious sight of one girl taking a bite of shortcake and passing it to the next girl, either via humorous tongue wrangling or simply kissing.
Chloe slid her stockings down her curvy thighs, slipping them all the way off and tossing them playfully at Esmerelda. She sat down and tapped her cheek with her finger, trying to think of a question. When this didn't produce immediate results, Sanji motioned her over and whispered something in her ear, eyeballing Zoro as he did so.
She smiled and winked, then asked the swordsman as she sashayed back to her seat, "Alright Zoro… What direction do you take to get from Abby's back to the docks?"
Zoro's nostrils flared, but it was his only outward sign of annoyance. He didn't bother to answer the question, instead only leaning forward and pulling his shirt off.
The girls laughed, and Lily and Chloe immediately took advantage of his lack of clothing to run their hands down his chest.
Sanji rolled his eyes. Zoro probably did know the answer – for once. He managed to make it to Abby's the first time, the jerk was just trying to show off. He leaned forward to pour Camren another glass of wine when something about the scene before him made him stop.
Chloe had taken a bite of cake and was leaning in to pass it to Zoro.
The chef hadn't realized how awkward the notion of Zoro kissing someone actually was until he was faced with the reality. Several things floated through Sanji's mind then.
He'd never seen Zoro kiss anyone before and, oddly enough, the cords of his neck seemed ridiculously attractive when he leaned his head that way. How did the swordsman manage to look so god damn nonchalant with his mouth full of short cake and a gorgeous woman's tongue? Why did the way he breathed in when he kissed her somehow look so… satisfying?
Even the way the swordsman was looking at Chloe, or the way he licked his lips when they parted, was like seeing Zoro as an entirely new animal.
This was Zoro being… sexy.
Well, Sanji thought as he finished pouring the glass and handed it to Camren with a smile, sexy was a strong word. And probably not the one he was looking for. Nope. Probably not.
He didn't hear the question Zoro asked Lily, nor did he pay attention when she purposely got it wrong. But he still had the presence of mind to look at her as she playfully removed her top. He gazed at her appreciatively, but managed to find something else to look at as the swordsman passed her the cake.
***
Zoro could tell that the chef had just exited his comfort zone. They were both down to their trousers. But he'd gotten the last question wrong – how to spell Mariejois, of all the damn things – and the blond was now down only to his boxer-briefs. Not that he hadn't seen the chef in less – with such close living quarters, it was inevitable. It was never a big deal before, but their understandable states of arousal were a bit difficult to hide.
Not that Zoro hadn't seen that either. It's why he'd learned early on to shove a chair up against the bathroom door.
So, as Esmerelda removed her final article of clothing, exposing her impressive breasts to the other girls' catcalls, she said with finality, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, since we're out of short cake, I'm going to call the game. I know Chi Chi said there aren't any winners, but since Lily managed to get out of this with her panties still on, we'll let her choose which gentleman gets first pick tonight."
Lily cackled triumphantly and got up, along with the rest of the girls, forming a line on one side of the table. She rubbed her hands together and looked from Sanji, to Zoro.
"Alright… we'll do this the fair way. Pick a number between one and seven. Sanji!"
"Three."
"Zoro?"
"Seven."
"The number was 2, so Sanji wins!"
He stood up and threw a smug grin at the swordsman, who shrugged.
"Well, since she seems to be such a source of luck," and, mostly, because Zoro had seemed so keen to plaster himself to the pixie-haired girl all night, "I'll ask the lovely Lily to accompany me."
Lily grinned and tip- toed over to the chef.
In the end, Sanji departed with Lily, Camren and Chloe, while Zoro left with Esmerelda and Cherry.
They were led down the hall – Zoro to the Midnight Room, and Sanji to the Moonlight Room.
***
Lily's words from earlier were still ringing in Zoro's head – as they had been all throughout dinner - as the two naked women beckoned him inside.
"Thought I'd tell you something interesting about your friend," she had panted into his ear as she straddled his lap, kissing softly at his ear. "He fucked me just because I told him that you fucked me. He wanted to know exactly what you did to me – where you touched me. How many times you made me come. Then he fucked me just like you did… but he made me come four times. He was pretty turned on by it."
The swordsman hadn't understood why she'd told him, but it'd made him instantly hard, which she and Cherry had been more than happy to help him with.
"I don't think he gets it yet," the blonde girl had said as Cherry had sunk to her knees in front of Zoro. "But-" she leaned in close and let her tongue dance momentarily across the swordsman's lips, "I'm not sure you do, either."
He'd been pissed to see Sanji choose her first. The bastard had probably done it just to be contrary.
But he let it go, determined to press her for more information before he left. He toed his boots off at the door and let the girls coax him towards the bed (not that he really needed much coaxing).
Esmerelda slid onto the satin sheets, stretching out like a cat, running her hands over her breasts and sighing happily. Cherry smiled at him coyly as she sank, once again, to her knees before him, toying momentarily with the waistband before slipping it over his erection and pulling them down, letting Zoro step out of them before setting them aside.
From the bed, Esmerelda said, "Your friend is very handsome."
Cherry agreed. "Yes… he is." She slid her hands up Zoro's thighs and smiled at the raised eyebrow this statement elicited from him. "Just like you told me and Lily the other night… And he was so interested to hear about how you fucked Lily senseless."
Zoro hissed as Cherry wrapped her red lips around the head of his member, her eyes burning with an 'I've-got-your-number' expression.
Esmerelda moaned as she cupped one breast and spread her legs slightly, her other hand rubbing at the inside of her thigh. "I bet it turns you on to think about him wanting to touch the same girl you touched," she sighed, arching her back slightly and throwing her head back, exposing her elegant neck.
Zoro had obviously been found out by these particularly clever brothel girls, but he wasn't going to fight it. He could play this game, and he could like it. He cupped Cherry's cheek and stepped back, pulling her up gently. He'd been wanting to taste her pretty lips all night, so he kissed her thoroughly, running his hands down her sides and settling on her hips.
Her body rose to meet his, and she let herself be laid down on the bed as well.
"What else did you and your friends come up with?" the swordsman asked as Esmerelda's long limbs quickly tangled with Cherry's.
***
Arms and hands, everywhere. Briefly, and with no small amount of guilt, Sanji wondered if perhaps this might be what it was like with a certain archaeologist. Of one thing he was certain – Robin turned the idea of a hand job on its head.
But it was rude to think of another woman while he was with… multiple other women at the same time. So he focused all of his attention on the woman behind him, and the woman beside him, and the woman on her knees before him.
He wasn't the luckiest bastard in the world, but he was close.
"Should we show him, Lily?" Camren asked, her voice low and arriving in warm puffs over his ear.
The blonde smiled at him and looked down at Chloe, who was removing the last vestiges of the chef's suit. Chloe gathered his trousers as he stepped out of them and placed them over a chair. She pretended to think it over, placing a manicured finger on her lip and pursing her lips prettily.
"Hm, I don't know." She turned and grinned at Sanji, who was coaxing Lily into his arms as Camren was placing soft kisses on his shoulders. "Do you like surprises, Mr. Sanji?"
Sanji wasted no time in wrapping one arm around Lily and motioning for Chloe to come closer. "I wouldn't be a gentleman if I refused a surprise that my angels were so thoughtful to plan for me. I'm yours for whatever you wish to do with me, under one condition."
Chloe took his hand and yelped happily as he tugged her forward and crushed his lips to hers. "Mmm, what is it?"
"Just call me Sanji."
"I can do that," she said, smiling.
Suddenly all the hands and body warmth were gone; Lily walked over to a vanity up against the wall, opened a drawer and reached inside, as if searching for something. Chloe pulled a chair out in front of the vanity, and Camren gently guided him to sit in it.
He did this all in a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
"Since you were so curious about your friend's… methods, we thought we'd give you a front row seat," Lily grinned impishly, her hand still in the drawer. Then there was a small clicking sound, and she removed her hand and darted to the side of the vanity, stretching one arm out to display her handiwork.
It was then that Sanji noticed the large mirror attached the vanity was not, by any means, a regular mirror. It was a two-way mirror. He could see right through it.
His first reaction was to lunge out of view, but Chloe had just crawled into his lap, and Camren had wrapped her arms around his neck, and now Lily was sauntering toward him with a predatory gleam that would have normally sent him flying in ecstasy. He was stuck, and he'd rather die than toss a woman off his lap, let alone one who looked like she wanted to fuck him into next week.
But if there was anything that could tempt him to commit such an unthinkable act, it was the idea that Zoro could see him through the mirror. And, Sanji assumed in his panic, if he could see Zoro, then Zoro could see him.
Except, even if that were the case with the mirror, Zoro definitely couldn't see Sanji at the moment. He seemed quite busy, actually. Sanji's eyes were unavoidably glued, to his growing horror, to the sight of Zoro's head moving quite skillfully between Esmerelda's legs, while Cherry was doing something further up with the other woman that was making the chef's cock jump.
"Don't worry, they can't see or hear us. But we can see them," Camren reassured him, her smile evident in her voice. "Ezzy looks like she's enjoying that, don't you think?" The brunette slid her hands from his shoulders down his washboard stomach.
Words weren't really forthcoming for the chef at that moment, but they weren't really needed on his part.
Lily added, throwing a glance over her shoulder at what was happening on the other side of the mirror, "Oh, we did that, too." She looked back at Sanji and winked. "I forgot to tell you that one."
Chloe's hand tickled the dumbstruck chef just below his belly button, and she slowly dragged her fingernail up his arm, to his neck and up to his lips. "Why are men so competitive, I wonder?"
"At least you and your crewmate have found a creative way to settle your disputes," Camren said, coming back around to join Lily.
Sanji swallowed hard. His attention was split down the middle, and in two very different ways. Horror that these gorgeous women actually thought he wanted to see this, and, to make matters worse, that he actually was seeing this. The other half being naked women and a bed and there were three of them and he was so fucking hard and god damn it why did Zoro's complexion match Esmerelda's, and how had he convinced Cherry to do that??
The chef was beginning to hatch a way out of it – tell the girls he'd rather focus on them than the idiot marimo, have lots of wild sex, pretend this never happened, then go on his merry way. But then they had all watched as Esmerelda arched her back impossibly far, and Sanji longed to hear the noises she was making. Then they watched intently as the swordsman kissed his way up her body, teasing her nipples mercilessly as he spread her legs wide, which was just the moment when the chef realized to his utter humiliation that he, along with the girls, was craning his neck to get a better view.
He couldn't take this anymore, he had to do something. His pride wouldn't allow him to just sit there and watch Zoro fuck some girl into oblivion while three beautiful women sat before him and wished they were being fucked by the swordsman, too.
He scooped Chloe up in his arms and stood up, carrying the girl over to the vanity and setting her on it.
"You think she likes it?" he said into her ear.
"I think she's probably never felt anything like it," she answered, her eyes burning.
"I'll do it better."
***
Lily stroked Chloe's head as the girl drifted off to sleep. She looked around the room, hoping Abby would give them a reprieve from cleaning it in the morning. Chairs and items were knocked over everywhere, the torn pillow case was in shreds on the floor, and they'd probably have to replace the mattress.
She had to admit, the blond man had outdone himself. She was sure he'd been waiting all night for her to say that he'd outdone the swordsman, too, but she couldn't say that. To her, at least, it was useless to make such comparisons. Zoro would probably want to know the same thing, but she wouldn't have an answer for him, either. Besides, house policy prevented her from telling clients how they compared.
It was most frustrating to see that neither man was asking the right question.
Sanji stirred and looked at Lily, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips.
"Not tired?"
She exhaled and smiled. "I'm exhausted, and in the best way possible." She looked over at Camren, who was curled up on Sanji's other side, sleeping soundly. "We haven't had this much fun in so long."
The chef smiled, and Lily, not for the first time, marveled at his good looks. He had warmth in him, which was more beautiful than anything. Perhaps he was still new to being a pirate. She hoped he would be able to keep that warmth as long as possible.
"So why such animosity between two men who seem so similar?"
His smile didn't falter, but his brow creased, as though he didn't know the answer himself.
"You don't have to worry, my goddess. We're nakama, we're together in the end."
Lily smiled and curled deeper into the blankets. "That's good. Maybe somewhere along the way," she yawned, "one or both of you will figure it out."
***
Zoro didn't get his chance to interrogate Lily before Sanji was pushing them out the door. They bade their goodbyes, thanked Abby, and headed toward the Sunny.
The walk back was far quieter, both embroiled in their own thoughts.
It wasn't until a few hundred yards from the ship that a large merchant bumped into Sanji quite by accident, causing him to bump into Zoro, who managed to find a way to take it personally, and then all hell broke loose.
TBC