Chapter Fifteen

Dinner had passed quietly, the dishes had been cleaned, and Jareth was ready to play dirty. All through the meal he had been granted tantalizing glimpses of the creamy flesh usually hidden beneath high-collared clothing. The undoing of two simple buttons had granted him both heaven and hell; as Sarah had moved and shifted over the meal, so had her shirt, granting him brief flashes of pure sin. She wore a black lacy bra, and the more he'd seen of it, the more he'd wanted to see her without it. It had been unbearably teasing, but he knew that the timing had been wrong; with a plan for seduction finally in mind, he wasn't about to deviate from it. So he had waited, put a leash on his desires, played the light and joking dinner companion when all he'd really wanted to do was get the damn table out from between them and see how loudly he could make her moan.

But dinner was over; now it was time to play.

Sarah sat in the cozy living room, nervous. She knew what was coming- the air had fairly crackled with sexual tension the moment she had entered the small cabin- she just didn't know how it was going to happen. Jareth wasn't particularly the subtle sort but he did have an undeniably seductive edge. Would he be demanding, or would he try to woo her? And how would she respond to it? Come to vibrant, flaming life in his arms as she had that morning, or find herself longing for eyes that were similar, yet somehow different? She wanted this man, who oozed sex appeal and confidence, had wanted him since he had started trying to become physically intimate with her. But there was also another she wanted, the same man and yet not. The Goblin King loomed in her mind, close to the surface, and she couldn't help but wonder how that would affect whatever would transpire this night.

She shot an edgy glance at the door to the kitchen, wondering how long it honestly took a man to dry his dishes. Committed to the fact that something was going to happen tonight, Sarah found herself too impatient to sit around and wait. Waiting induced thinking, and she had too much on her mind for that. Right now, she just wanted to feel, to receive blissful affirmation that she wasn't alone, and she would worry about all Labyrinth related problems tomorrow. She had granted herself a night of hedonism, had willingly entered the crocodile's pond, and was bound and determined to enjoy her night of non-mystic trouble to the fullest extent possible.

Now if only Jareth would get his ass out of the kitchen before she lost her nerve.

Byron stared at the back of Hoggle's head, tempted to make faces while the old man wasn't looking. It was patently immature, but he was frustrated with the two men he had once considered mentors. They had done little but berate his actions and warn him to stay away from the ex-Goblin King.

"You know what your problem is?" Hoggle was muttering angrily. "You're too much like Jareth; always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Byron shot to his feet, fury overriding the disorientation cause by suddenly being human-size rather than goblin-sized. "He is more my business than he is yours, gardener," he said lowly, contempt lacing his words.

Hoggle eyed him warily for a moment. "This was hard enough when we thought we only had Sarah to deal with," he sighed. "We don't need you getting in the way too."

"Yes, your secret plot with the Wise Man," Byron sneered. "And what nefarious bargain have you struck with that old wretch?"

Didymus kept silent, but turned his eyes to Hoggle, who had averted his own to the floor.

Byron's shoulders wilted. "Do you really hate Jareth so much?"

He hadn't stalked her across the room, hadn't shown off how wonderful those taut leg muscles could look when in use. Jareth had simply come out of the kitchen, small notebook in hand, sat down on the loveseat and motioned her over. Sarah had walked right into that trap, because the second she had gotten close enough, one of Jareth's pale hands had fastened about her wrist and yanked her down on top of him. She was almost relieved, really; now, sitting in his lap, back to front, one of his steel-strength arms banding her waist, and his head resting over one of her shoulders, she didn't have to think any more. The ball was in his court, and it was liberating to let go of her previous nervousness.

"I had a thought, little nymph," he whispered, warm breath caressing her ear, making her shiver. "You helped me relieve some of my writer's block earlier, perhaps you could do it again."

She nodded, curious to see what he had in mind. He was wrapped around her, and yet spoke of writing. Then again, she thought while wiggling a bit on his lap, his brand of writing wasn't exactly out of place in this situation.

"Good girl," Jareth crooned, though it was unclear whether he was praising her acquiescence or her wiggling. "I have two characters: Vivian, a mortal woman, and Darrow, the," he paused, as if savoring the irony, "Goblin King." One elegant hand ghosted through her hair and briefly caressed the base of her skull. "But how should these two come together?" he mused theatrically. "Raw and elemental," his arm tightened around her waist while his free hand gripped the back of her neck in a possessive hold, "or sweet and tender?" his arms relaxed to a gentle, caressing weight.

Sarah swallowed hard, suddenly unsure of who she was dealing with. Was this the writer that hid under his mocking façade, or was this the king that haunted her dreams? "Well," she licked her lips, wishing she could face him, "she'd be a little scared of him, I think, of his intentions and his intensity."

He hummed thoughtfully, the sound rumbling out of his chest and through her back. "And why is that?" the question was calm, but he was getting dangerously close to her ear, and she could almost feel the gentle brush of wicked teeth against her sensitive skin with every word he spoke.

"He's not human," Sarah countered too quickly, "so Vivian can't be entirely sure of his motivations. Does he love her, or does he just want to control her?" It was disconcerting to have Jareth at her back, speaking words that had plagued her thoughts for a decade. Does he love her, or does he just want to control her?

"Does it matter yet?" Jareth replied, teeth briefly tugging on her hoop earring. "Does love have to be present before sex?"

She squirmed, hands leaving her sides to grip his arm while she thought it over. "The fear doesn't go away," Sarah said, eyes going distant as her mind traveled back to her own experience with the Goblin King. Her hands tightened on him, pulling him closer despite her words. "How can she physically submit to someone she doesn't trust?"

"Passion," was the immediate answer. He nipped at her neck, then ran his tongue over the spot to soothe it. "It's the Goblin King's duty to kindle enough passion within her that she is willing to submit, regardless of her worries." Jareth nuzzled the side of her throat, his free hand gently brushing her cheek. "Fear is always a part of sex, even in the most connected of couples," he elaborated. "There are a myriad of worries that can plague you. Will your partner be too intense?" The hand at her waist began to work its way under her shirt. "Will he satisfy?" His other hand began to play with the button between her breasts. "Will you satisfy?" The button came undone and his hand delved within the folds of the fabric. "Will your tastes and preferences mesh with those of your partner?" One hand was stroking the skin just above the line of her pants, while the other was lightly teasing the underside of one lace-covered breast. "It's not something that can be escaped," he growled, "merely overcome, if only temporarily."

"And the Goblin King," Sarah asked breathlessly, "what of him? How does he feel?" She threw an arm behind her, resting the crook of her elbow against his neck, effectively keeping his head pressed to her shoulder.

He didn't answer for a long moment, content merely to toy with a cloth-covered nipple. When he did answer, his voice was both thoughtful and husky. "Out of control and… perhaps a bit afraid as well." The hand at her waist slipped into her pants, clever fingers lightly exploring the contours of her body. "He has a delicate and delicious feast spread out before him, but is he allowed to have her? Here he is, teetering on the very edge of his own willpower, but he won't force her. What would it do to him if she were to say no?"

Sarah flinched and tried not to think about the past any more.

"That, minx, is real fear; to want something beyond all reason, be within one sweet breath of tasting it, and still not know if you can truly have it," he murmured into her ear. One devilish finger began to coax her feminine heat, the act made somehow more erotic by the fact that there was still one silky barrier of cloth preventing him from making physical contact. "So he becomes animalistic in his pursuit, fear goading him into seductive action while hormones slowly overrule the more complex thoughts coming from his brain." Jareth bit her neck again, not hard enough to hurt, but definitely harder than before. "He becomes bestial, primal, uncertainty making him aggressive, while the drive to mate, to sink into warm receptive flesh, overrides all higher consciousness."

He was all around her, everywhere but in her- stroking, petting, teasing- and it was driving her mad. A fire had kindled, low in her belly, begging for his touch to intensify, for him to stop making unspoken promises and actually deliver some pleasure. They had long ceased to talk about the actual characters, and they both knew it. So the questions were, did love matter in the picture that they were painting and was she ready to let her control slip? Sarah felt his hair brush against her face, smelled the exquisite spiciness of his scent, and felt the rigid maleness of him beneath her; coupled with the heat slowly pooling between her legs and her suddenly hypersensitive skin, she found she didn't particularly care. Perhaps things wouldn't look so well in the morning to come, maybe she would berate herself for the decision that she had made, but she was ready to experience some of the sin that he freely offered.

"It's not about hate," Hoggle murmured, eyes cast to the floor, "it's about what's best for everyone involved."

Byron stopped his pacing and glared at the old man. "I assume you haven't included goblins in that count," he glared, "because they're dying under the loving care of the Wise Man."

Didymus flinched. "It was a chance we were willing to take."

"For what?" Byron roared. "What is this plan of yours? Because of you two, the Labyrinth suffers and I begin to think that you mean to do Jareth some serious harm."

Hoggle picked up one of the jagged crystals that littered the room. "That depends on what you consider harm."

She didn't really remember leaving the living room, stumbling up the stairs, or making it to a bedroom; Sarah merely became aware of the change in scenery when her back hit a soft mattress and she found herself underneath Jareth. He had popped the last few buttons of her shirt somewhere along the way, for it now hung loosely at her sides, framing the curves of her breasts.

Jareth ran a teasing finger along the lacy edging of her bra. "I've had enough of this wicked thing," he growled, a hand quickly undoing the clasp and pulling the garment free of her, "teasing me all throughout dinner." He cupped a breast appreciatively, lips clamping around a puckered nipple.

Sarah let out a sharp gasp, back arching to thrust more sensitive flesh into his devilish mouth. One hand threaded through his hair, caressing his scalp and making sure he couldn't pull away. When he switched his attention to the opposite breast, she let out a whimper. It had been too long since she'd last had sex, and he was simply too… decadent, like a box of cherry cordials after a prolonged diet. She felt overheated and restless, her hips desperately wanting something to grind against; a fire was building in her that she frantically wanted him to put out.

Jareth lightly trailed his hands down her uncovered belly, coming to a stop at the clasp of her jeans. He would have loved to take his time exploring her, but she was just so damn responsive! His lightest touch drew mewls and whimpers out of her, and it had snapped his already fraying control. They could take it slow some other time, he decided as he undid the clasp and zipper, quickly stripping her of her jeans and panties.

She laid before him in her unclothed glory, breasts moving serenely as she panted lightly, and for a moment he forgot his urgency. He had seen a fair number of naked women, of varying ages and body types, but Sarah would be burned within his memory forever. Her long hair spread around her in dark tendrils and her pale skin stood out starkly against his dark bed sheets. As he stared at the flush spreading through her light freckles, at the shapely legs unabashedly spread open for him, he feared that he would be willing to do a lot to keep her in his bed.

Delicate hands gripped his clothing, taking care not to damage anything, but eager to have him rid of it. Sarah's impatient look and dexterous hands brought him back to the present and in no time at all he was free of restriction. She didn't take her time to admire him, seeming to have been pushed passed all reason, driven to consummate.

Gently, he drew one of her legs over his shoulder and swiftly thrust into her. Her sheath clamped around him tightly, forcing a groan from his lips. A light sweat broke out over him as he began to establish a rhythm, pushing and pulling, encouraged by her moans and roaming mouth. Her teeth closed on his neck, her jaw flexing each time he ground against her, and he was hit with a sense of intense triumph, as though he had been coveting this woman for far longer than a handful of days. Something in him wanted to roar in a satisfaction that wasn't entirely about sex.

Pleasure hummed through him, her demanding thrusts the greatest of aphrodisiacs, but something else skittered along his nerves as well. Something nameless, powerful, and just out of reach.

Sarah slammed against him roughly and clenched her inner muscles, driving all other thoughts from his mind. Her arms wound around him and she released her teeth from his flesh, moving to catch his own mouth in a brutal kiss. Jareth increased his pace and brought a hand down to caress her womanhood as her tongue dueled against his. She was close, if her quivering muscles and frantic actions were any indication. He stroked her harder and she came undone, mouth ripping away from his own as she voiced her pleasure. He wanted to outlast her climax, perhaps bring her to another one, but moving through her shuddering channel proved to be too much.

As he released into her, flooding her with his seed, the vague hum that had been dancing around his nerves erupted. Images flashed through his mind, things he didn't fully understand. A twisting maze and a sense of sadistic pleasure, strange little creatures scurrying to do his bidding, crying children, and Sarah standing before him, a panicked teenager.

His pleasure ebbed, and with it the images ebbed too. Green eyes stared up at him, sexy and sleepy. Jareth rolled to the side and pulled his minx closer, arms trapping her against him as he drifted off into a strange sleep.

Sarah breathed deeply, taking comfort in the gentle rhythm of the chest she was resting on. Her body was sated, content to rest, but her mind was buzzing. For a moment there, as he'd loomed above her, face twisted in bestial triumph and body driving into her own, he'd scared her. Not what he'd done, she'd been a more than willing participant in their bed play, but for a second he'd been Jareth. The powerful and domineering Goblin King had risen above her, taking release from her body. His eyes had been distant, turned inward, but the blue depths had been ageless and there had been no mistaking the dangerous aura that had briefly enveloped his being.

She's wanted it, wanted to ride that power and coax it out of the human prison it was trapped in, but at the same time it had been awfully intense. To court that sort of strength had been exciting, but it also had the potential to go horribly wrong. The Goblin King hadn't stuck around long though, because the tender arms that had pulled her close had most certainly been those of her playful writer. What would happen the next time the ethereal king chose to make his appearance? It was a thought that bothered her because, as much as she had pledged herself to bringing all of his memories back, the fact remained that she wasn't sure how a restored Jareth would react to her.

Bryon stormed out of the hotel, deaf to the protests of his 'companions'. They wouldn't even tell him what their damned plan was, and he honestly didn't have the time to coax it out of them. The more time wasted Above, the fewer goblins remained Underground. Perhaps he was human now, perhaps he wasn't, but he still could not sit by with such dire circumstances hanging above his head.

He needed to find Jareth.

He didn't have long in the body, by his estimate, but it was better than before when he had merely been a walled-off consciousness.

The Goblin King stretched leisurely, enamored by the warm body on top of him. Sarah was peaceful in her sleep, snuggled up to his chest like a cat. He ran languid fingers through her hair, savoring the texture and not knowing when he might get to feel it again. It was shame that he hadn't been able to take control during sex, to have been able to revel in her body's soft submission; he'd obsessed after this girl for longer than he'd care to admit, but he couldn't have her just yet. When the body had climaxed he had been able to slip to the front of his consciousness and for one glorious moment he had felt himself draining into her. It wasn't enough though, not nearly enough.

Sarah shivered and he brought a hand down to stroke her naked back. The day would come when he would no longer be just a trapped fragment. He could content himself until then, enjoy the limited freedoms her presence seemed to grant him.

He knew she had recognized him for the second he'd been in control, seen the excited panic in her eyes. She knew what she was doing, slowly drawing out the wildness that had been sealed off, and for that he would thank her for the rest of her life. But he also knew he had to send her a warning, a clear message of what she was releasing. He was the very same hellion that had once pursued her through his twisted Labyrinth; did she realize that he would never let her go?

The Goblin King continued to stroke her back, glorying in the silky feel of her skin. With his other hand he made a vague gesture, pulling a fragile crystal out of thin air. "I've brought you a gift, Sarah. Ponder it carefully," he whispered smoothly into her sleeping ear.

A/N: Sorry for the delay; this chapter gave me technical and stylistic problems that I don't think I've ever had to face. This was my first time writing an actual sex scene, so I would really appreciate your feedback on it.

As we creep further along in Bodice Ripper, inevitably heading toward an end, my mind turns to something many of you keep asking about. I still don't know when the sequel to Dramatic Orchestrations will be started, but I have a few questions for those you who are waiting. I've created a couple of polls, which I'll be alternating between in my profile, so please cast your votes; the results could have a large impact on what I end up writing!

This chapter is dedicated to FaeriesMidwife (whose offhand comment about this story currently being one of her favorites made me get off my ass and actually update), Nopa LaMais (who needs a little cheering up, in my humble opinion) and the rest of my Harem sisters. You guys rock!

Please Review!

Disclaimer: Anything recognizable as having come from the movie Labyrinth is not mine. I barely even own the plot.