The King, The Duke, and the Lady

Chapter 18

A/N: Pure Lemony-goodness K/B. If it's not for you, don't read.

Months later…

Brianna calmly walked through the King's Privy chamber, dismissing everyone there. She knew him well enough that he would want to be alone during this time. She bolted the doors with instructions to the guards and the Master of the Stool to clear the outer chamber as well. Only she would remain with Henry. Charles was gone on a diplomatic mission so she was the only one there that Henry trusted completely. No one was to try to enter in any way until one of them opened the door. This was the day that the adulterous Katherine Howard was to be beheaded, and Henry was once again devastated by the betrayal. She had been tried and found guilty of adultery and sentenced to beheading.

When Henry had finally chosen his latest bride, Brianna and Charles had held their tongue unless directly asked, which they were not. It was one thing to have Katherine Howard, an uneducated child by comparison to her predecessors, as the King's plaything. He did occasionally take a mistress, although it was unusual given the relationship he had with Charles and Brianna. But to take Katherine as his Queen, well that was a mistake. But he was enamored, and when he was in such a mood, he rarely made good decisions.

Henry leaned on the fireplace mantle, his back to the rest of the room. It was a pleasant day outside and Brianna opened a couple of the diamond lead-paned windows to bring some of the cool air into the room. His entire body was tensed as he stared into the fire, as if he could concentrate totally on the fire and not be aware of the events going on around him. Brianna sat quietly on the settee in his room, silently waiting for the storm that would soon overcome the room. It was a risk of course. It was possible, if unlikely, that he would hurt her in his rage, but one that she felt necessary to take. She knew what he needed and she would be there to give it to him.

As the belled tolled marking the death of yet another of Henry's wives, he roared in pain. His tense body flew around from the mantle and started throwing anything he could reach, throwing his body across the table and knocking everything off of it. He threw plates and cups into the fireplace. Anything he could reach was shattered and broken. Brianna sat absolutely still on the settee, ringing the handkerchief she had in her hand every once in a while as the rage became truly frightening. She wished that Charles was there, but he wasn't, and she was what Henry needed anyway. Eventually the rage subsided and a tired and broken Henry returned to his place by the mantle, never having said a word to Brianna. She watched his chest heaving from the exertion and once she had determined he was spent she walked up behind him and wrapped her body around him from behind.

His body relaxed slightly into hers, as she held him. They stood like that for a time, and then her nimble fingers began to move. She slowly, almost languorously, moved down his doublet unfastening it as she went. His body tensed and then relaxed again, not moving from her. His doublet open, the wrinkled undershirt was exposed and damp with the sweat from his outburst. Keeping her body pressed against his back, her tiny fingers untied the strings that held his shirt together until the shirt was completely open as well. He captured her hands in his and brought them to his bare muscular chest. His breathing had started to escalate again as she had begun to silently undress him in this way. He had never been seduced in this way before and it was exhilarating. His pain was quickly forgotten and replaced with something altogether different. She moved her hands under his too stroke his lean muscular chest and stomach. She always thought his stomach was perhaps the sexiest part of him. So lean and the muscles so well defined. Yes, that was probably her favorite part of his body.

Brianna gently pulled him away from the fireplace mantle and led him to a bench near the bed. For what she wanted, she needed him sitting up. He started to say something but she put a finger to his lips to silence him, and he held his tongue. She walked into his private bathing area and drew some warm water and sprinkled oils and herbs into it, taking the large bowl as well as a large piece of linen back to him.

With the cloth wet with the warm water, she gently bathed his face, wiping the sweat from his brow. He closed his eyes and leaned back allowing Brianna to care for him. She wiped the oil-scented water down his arms and massaged each finger on each hand. She rewet the cloth and washed his chest, cleaning under his arms and washing his nipples until they grew into hard little nubs against his hard chest. She moved the cloth down his stomach and cleaned and oiled his body to that point. Henry was completely relaxed by this point, but she wasn't done yet.

She got up from her place and refilled the bowl and retrieved a fresh piece of linen. When she returned to the small stool she sat at beside Henry's almost prostrate body, she removed his boots and stockings, leaving his feet bare. Her fingers then returned to the task of untying the tethers of his pants and undergarments. By this time, Henry's relaxed posture was less relaxed and his eyes were slightly open watching Brianna's motions with interest.

She pulled his pantaloons off as well as his small clothes, leaving his naked form in front of her fully clothed body. He reached for her, and she smiled and kissed him but then put another finger to his lips and whispered, "Wait, my love."

With the warm linen cloth she began to wash his feet and massage his toes. Her hands then slowly moved up each leg, washing each calf, then each knee, then his thighs. As she reached his most precious parts, she smiled softly. He was as erect as she had ever seen him. His staff was purple with the blood pumping through it and it laid upright on his stomach, stretching to his navel. She took her cloth and washed him there too, covering his scrotum and his sensitive cock. He started to jerk in her hand and she rapidly removed it. She whispered again, "This will be slow, my love. You must control yourself."

Henry made a groan of pain or ecstasy, it was hard to tell, but he allowed her to continue. Once his bath was complete, Brianna moved the bowl to the side and from her sitting position she slid up his naked hard body to kiss his face.

Her lips brushed his closed eye lid, "My King," she whispered. She moved across to his other eye, kissing it whispering, "My friend." She moved to his lips and lightly brushed them and then gently pushed them open to her soft tongue. When she pulled back from the kiss, she whispered "My lover." Brianna picked up each hand and with her open mouth kissed first one and then the other, whispering, "My Lord and my Master." Henry groaned again. In all his years, he had never felt as worshipped as he did this moment. And he knew he might never have a moment like this again. After all, while he did have privileges to her body and he did have her love, ultimately she was his best friend's wife. Certainly, if he were here are this moment, she would not be showing him such adulation as she was now.

Gracefully, Brianna rose from the small stool she had been sitting on and stood in front of Henry, smiling softly. She reached behind her and untied the corset that held her breasts tightly lifted and cinched her waist. She allowed the tapestry material to drop to the floor, exposing her upper body to him. She heard him take in a sharp breath and smiled again, a little private smile that held all her secrets and all of his as well. Reaching behind her, causing her breasts to jut out in front, she undid the hooks that held her voluminous skirts on and let them fall in a pool at her feet. She had chosen her outfit carefully this morning, finding something she could both get out of and back into with little or no help. Now she stood naked in front of a very engaged Henry VIII. He reached for her and this time she let him pull her to him. Just as the bath and the undressing had excited him, she found herself hot and wet as well. She was determined to stay in control of the situation as long as possible, and she knew Henry would want to rest that control from her. But this was going to be a slow seduction, a slow consummation, and she was determined to make it so.

She slid into his lap as he pulled her to him, letting him kiss her deeply, drawing her very breath from her. She pulled away briefly to speak to him in a hushed voice. "Henry, this will be slow. Maybe agonizingly slow. I want us to make this one time last for what seems forever. We may never have another chance like this. Can you do that for me?"

"I can try, Bri. But…" he groaned the words out, "you've done such a wonderful job so far, I don't know if I can."

"You can," she whispered into his ear as her tongue moved along the sensitive skin there, bringing a shiver from him. Their two naked bodies were pressed together, and Brianna gently lifted herself up over Henry and guided him to her wet opening. She dropped down slowly, impaling herself on him at an agonizingly slow pace. He placed his hands on her hips, and with her legs curved up around his thighs she began to raise her body up and down his staff, his eyes closed and his breathing controlled. He opened his eyes after a few moments and looked into her eyes. Their mutual love for each other was intense and it could have lit fire to the whole room. His hands wandered from her hips to her full breasts. They were no longer the tight firm breasts of the innocent girl he once knew. They were large and full from childbearing, and he thought they never looked so beautiful. While she continued to concentrate on driving a slow pace, his mouth pulled one breast to his mouth and suckled while his other hand caressed and squeezed the other. His tongue and fingers toyed with her nipples drawing a soft sigh from Brianna.

Her hands moved from his shoulders to his hands that covered her breasts and held them there until she moved them to his nipples where she pulled and squeezed them between her own fingers and nails. Her hands wandered all over his body, just feeling it, memorizing it with her touch. While Henry's mouth stayed busy with her breasts, his fingers moved down to the cleft between her legs and began rubbing and squeezing, teasing that tiny pulse of nerves that sent shockwaves down her already hyper-stimulated body. She felt more liquid pour out of her and lubricate their joining even further. It was becoming harder for her to maintain the slow pace she wanted, but she was going to try. She moved her hips around, driving his cock in circles not letting it escape from inside her. Henry was becoming agitated as his need to move faster increased. Brianna thought she had stretched this as long as she possibly could, for both of them, and turned the lead over to him. They began to speed up the pace, their hips lifting to join with the others, skin slapping against skin as they pounded together. Brianna took Henry's face in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. Their climax was building and their eyes stayed locked together. She thought she might scream when she came, her body was so tight without release for so long, and Henry would definitely cry out. He was already grunting with the strain of holding back. His fingers busy on her little nub, she cried out as he brought her over the edge where he followed, tumbling into the abyss, their eyes never leaving the others. As the shockwaves continued through their bodies, they watched each other, love pouring from their eyes, and once their bodies calmed, Brianna leaned into Henry, resting her forehead on his.

Their breathing calmed as they held their position. Henry sighed and unwilling to break the quiet of the room, whispered, "I love you Brianna. I always have. Thank you for being here with me."

"And I love you Henry. I always have. This is my gift to you, to wipe away the bad with something wonderful to remember today."

"And that you did. Will you stay with me today?"

She once again kissed his eye lids, his mouth, and the palms of his hands, reciting to him "You are my King, my friend, my lover, my Lord, and my Master. I will stay with you as long as you need me."

"I need you forever, Brianna."

She smiled a little sadly. "I am needed by two men, both whom I love and who love me. And I am married to one and servant to another. You must continue to share me, Henry. But today, and tonight, we have for ourselves."

He sighed and picked her up with her legs wrapped around him, his cock still inside her, their mixed fluids slipping out. "I am King, and if it were anyone other than Brandon I would have had you years ago as my wife and my queen."

"I seem to recall I turned you down at the time," Brianna smirked as he laid her across his giant bed. He lay beside her and laughed softly as he mindlessly played with her hardening nipple.

He leaned in to kiss her again, "And I was a fool for letting you."

His kiss was passionate and deep and stirred both of them to ever increasing desire. They made love two more times before Brianna finally fell asleep in a comfortable satiated sleep. Before he fell asleep beside her, Henry went to the door unbolting it and told his Master of the Stool to bring them food…bread, cheese, fruit, wine, some meat, and wine. He was not to be disturbed, simply leave it outside the door and he would retrieve it when he was ready. The servant did not have to be told that there should enough for two. And before the servant turned and left, Henry stopped him.

"If there were to be any requests for my attention today, I have sequestered myself given the events of the day. And if anyone were to ask or comment on the Duchess' whereabouts, be sure they are told that she has retired to her London house. Rumors may spread, but we will not tolerate any gossip that will arise. Do you understand?"

The servant bowed, "I understand perfectly Your Majesty." With that, he turned and left to retrieve some food. He sensed that his master would certainly need the additional sustenance that day.

Henry woke Brianna several hours later with food and drink between them. He had prepared a plate for them to share some of the food off of. They laughed softly and spoke of things that were just between them. The two Holbein portraits dominated Henry's bedroom and he looked at them admiringly as he looked at the real thing in his bed.

Even after so many times of making love earlier, it seemed neither of them could get enough of each other. Henry started placing small pieces of meat on Brianna's breasts and then sucking and eating it off, licking the juices as he went. He went about this lazily as if he had no other purpose in mind than using her body as his platter. Soon he took the small pot of honey that his servant had placed on the tray and using his finger, first fed her some and then trace it down her body from between her breasts to where that little cleft of hair began. He carefully climbed over her prone body and began licking the honey away covering both breasts and crawling down her body to get every bit of the sticky sweet goodness. He reached his finger into the honey pot again and dripped honey all around her hot and wet channel. Given the warmth, the honey immediately softened and dripped down between her legs and towards into her anus. She was squirming with pleasure by now.

Henry laughed deeply. "This time, I get to torture you, my love. Stay very still." He spread her legs very wide and put her knees up so she was completely exposed. She found this position extremely exposed but she was excited just the same. He could tell when her juices started to mix with the already melted honey and drip out of her. He laughed again, dipping his head in to scoop a little out with his tongue. But that was not his plan and he pulled away even though she had lifted her hips to him, begging him silently for more. He placed one hand below her hips, keeping them lifted but removed his tongue.

"This should do nicely," he said. Soon his fingers were picking the bite sized pieces of fruit and pushing them into her slick channel. He kept filling her as he listened to her moans and soft cries. Neither of them had ever been so adventurous and this was a new sensation for them both. He filled her as much as he could and then he began licking and sucking and biting at her clit, working her body into a frenzy, her hips trying to ride his mouth. He finally began to suck each piece of sweet fruit from her body, causing her to push even more against him. His firm hands took hold of her hips and kept them still, effectively capturing. Her hands reached down to his head to hold him there and he immediately pulled away.

"Hands above your head. Keep them there or I will tie them there, Bri," he ordered.

Brianna looked at him in surprise but did what he said. He then went back to his 'fruit snack' as he was beginning to think of it. The fruit had mainly the sweet taste of the fruit but he could also taste a bit of honey and the salty taste of their mixed fluids. It was a heady brew. Finally the last piece of fruit had been withdrawn and eaten and Brianna was about to lose all of her control. She had climaxed twice already where her body shuddered and her breathing stopped for a few seconds. When the fruit was gone, he carefully licked what was left of the honey off of her nether lips and traced it to her anus where he licked it off of there as well. The honey was delicious and hearing Brianna's almost constant cries of ecstasy, surprise, and pleading just made him harder than he ever thought possible. He brought her one more time before finally entering her, his wide length piercing her without mercy. Her hands stayed above her head as he wanted, but he wrapped his hands around her wrist anyway holding her tight. His body plunged into her deeper and deeper, her hips moving up to meet his, their breath mingling together as they watched each other's eyes again, never looking away. Even after thinking he had no more seed to spill, he did again with a sudden sharp jerk into her body, plowing all the way into her body. He pumped a few more times and then collapsed on her exhausted and somewhat sticky body, both of them breathing hard and unwilling to part. Moving the hands that he had held above her, she wrapped around him completely holding his head with her arms and his body with her legs.

When they recovered, he didn't move from her body except to shift some of his weight off of her. He sighed softly, "I have never done anything like that before."

She laughed. "Neither have I. And I definitely think it is something to be repeated. But I am afraid we both need baths now. The honey was inspired if a little messy."

He laughed happily, the kind of laugh that brought warmth to her soul. "I will call for two baths immediately, discretely of course. And I'll have the sheets changed. While the servants are in here, you should stay out of sight. There can be rumors, there will be rumors, but there is no need to provide actual eye witness accounts."

Brianna laughed and squeezed him with her legs. "Ah, my love. So it will be."

TBC