Page 26 of To No End

He lifted my leg, cupping the heel of my foot and began slowly, painstakingly removing my stocking. Oh my Gods, it was happening. It was working. He was mine. All the while, his eyes were fixated on the curve of my foot, admiring it like it was something delectable.

He gently set down my bare leg and proceeded to lift the other one, performing the same act of undressing me one piece at a time. I practically shivered at the feel of his fingertips along my skin. The silence between us, punctuated by nothing but the crackling fire, was palpable.

Once he had my second leg bare, he continued to hold it up tenderly and said, “If…” he paused. “IfI were to fuck you, you’re going to be sober when I do. There will be nothing to dull your senses and no chance of you forgetting a single minute of you begging me not to stop. You will call out my name till you no longer can.”

He paused and placed my foot back on the bed. My eyes were wide with shock. No one—and I mean, absolutely no one—had spoken that way to me in my entire existence. His words were filthy and unrefined, yet I craved him desperately.

“Go to bed and sober up, sweetheart.”

With that final remark, he stalked back over to the armchair and made himself comfortable. He had no intention of taking the bed—or me. But by Gods, I clung to his words like a promise of what was to come.

Every ounce of me regretted every single drink I’d had earlier that evening, unaware it was destroying my chances of having Trace’s wicked mouth crushed against my lips and every inch of my body. I crawled beneath the covers as if they would conceal the aching want unfulfilled deep within me.

I replayed his words over and over in my head, trying to sleep. Lying on my side facing away from Trace, I wanted to glance back and see if he was struggling to get any rest like I was. Was he as tempted and as tortured as I was? Of course not. He was the one doing the torturing. Refusing to give in. Holding out on me with demands of my sober attention. Well, he had my attention, alright.

I felt the burning sensation in my eyes as I fought to stay awake, hoping that the vision of me laying there for the taking would change his mind; but alas, I could fight sleep no longer. I drifted off, afraid I had lost my shot and that tomorrow this growing tension between us that he wished to ignore would have faded like stars into the light of dawn.

When I awoke in the morning, I rolled over, half forgetting where I was, with a small dull headache reminding me that I wasn’t a drinker. At least, not of ale. But then the echo of his voice and the memory of Trace came rushing to the forefront of my mind.

I sat up abruptly, glancing toward the armchair to find it empty, along with his belongings nowhere in sight. I was alone. Alone and unfulfilled, disappointed that I’d never see that mysterious stranger again. I began to collect myself and my things when I noticed a small piece of parchment on the writing desk in the corner of the room.

Meet here this afternoon. Stay out of trouble.

– Trace

My breath hitched as I reread the words, trying to determine if I was still dreaming. I finally came to terms with the fact that he wanted to see me again. I was treading in dangerous waters. I tried to simplify the situation to the meaningless task of seducing a stranger. After all, that was the item on my list. Yet, for some reason I couldn’t identify, a deeper emotion bubbled to the surface. The thought of his hands, strong and purposeful, tearing at my blouse. I flushed at the idea. A successful seduction surely did not include such a lack of control. I felt infatuated with him. His cryptic words were an intoxicating rope pulling me closer. The promise of his words from the night before carried me every mile of the ride home.

CHAPTER

9

When I arrived home, I discovered Versa had already covered for me, providing a decent excuse as to my whereabouts last night. I was now indebted to her and owed her, at the least, an explanation as to why I had planned to be gone another night. At least one. I tried not to get ahead of myself or take too much pleasure in the thought of being gone multiple nights.

I told her I had met someone, but they were farther away and I was going back later that day to meet them again. As expected, she was concerned about my safety and just how far away I had wandered off without an escort. I reassured her that I was going to be fine. I argued with her that I was about to be entirely on my own, no escorts, with the Seafarers, so she might as well get used to the thought.

I returned to my room, bathed quickly, and did all the necessary primping in anticipation of the evening ahead. I had not given up on my endeavor to seduce Trace. This time I packed a small bag of my things. Just in case I was going to stay the night—or two—again. I selected each item intentionally, tryingto avoid anything that would indicate I came from wealth. He had already seen me gamble a good handful of Lorcs, but he didn’t have to know where they came from.

I liked being just as much a stranger to him as he was to me. The excitement of playing out this other identity coursed through me. That’s when I decided to take the biggest risk of them all. I plucked my blood medallion from my cloak pocket and hid it under some clothes in my drawer. Leaving it behind was dangerous enough, but I didn’t want to risk him ever accidentally seeing it and what that might mean for the both of us.

I was certain a commoner knew better than trying to bed a daughter of a High Lord. And worse, I still wasn’t entirely sure Trace could be trusted; I didn’t need to end up being held for ransom or something just as terrible.

Before I made my exit, I remembered two things: the list and Aster’s rhyme! I scurried to my bedside, pulling out the book where I had hidden the parchment containing my list. I grabbed a quill and repeated the rhyme to myself over and over till I was certain I had recorded it accurately. I hadn’t put any thought into it since meeting Trace, but I knew at some point the frustration of that entire encounter would get the best of me and I’d need to pore over those words more intently. But that day was not today. I turned over the paper to the side containing the list and began to strike through another two items before hiding it away again.

Lose my maidenhead

Seduce a stranger

Gamble till I win

Get drunk

Alter my appearance

Help someone in need

Get a tattoo

Do something that scares me

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