Page 9 of Bloom
“I thought I'm your aid who happens to get paid for blowing you. Stop calling me a pet.”
“Eh, you are a bit like a stray pet. Give me twenty minutes before you use the privy room. I’ll leave what you can use on the top shelf by the basin. Don’t fuck with my things.”
With that, he took his cloak and gloves before unlocking his bedroom door and disappearing inside. The clock clicked from the other side, and Jaime sheathed his sword. Maybe a foolish servant had once stolen from him? Or he had horrible things in there like the heads of his enemies.
Jaime wasn’t sure what to do with himself. A neatly folded throw blanket had been draped over the back of the armchair, and a couple of decorative pillows sat on the matching brown couch. He’d slept on the ground plenty of times, so it wasn’t the worst accommodations he’d seen.
What was he supposed to wear? Damn it. He should have told Aleric he needed his clothes so he wouldn’t be wearing the same shirt he’d sweated in while hauling ass. If he slept naked on the couch, Aleric probably wouldn’t like getting a surprise eyeful in the morning.
Almost as if Aleric had heard his thoughts, he came out with a few things. “My clothes won’t fit right, but make do.” He dumped a small, messy pile on the couch and headed for his room. “You’ll get more stuff later.” He closed his bedroom door.
Jaime had gotten the barest glimpse inside his bedroom, and he hadn’t seen anything horrible. He rifled through the pile to find a sleep shirt and pants that would be baggy on Aleric and all right for Jaime, although snugger than he’d like. The drawers might be too tight. Socks. Aleric had also included a pillow better for sleeping instead of decorating couches.
He sat since he had nothing else to do except listen to a few innocent noises from the privy room as Aleric presumably washed up to get ready for bed. Jaime might as well rub one out before bed since he certainly wasn’t going to have Aleric’s pretty mouth around his cock that night.
Chapter Two
Aleric cursed himself as he stood in the sunken tub and thoroughly washed between his legs to make sure no dried slick remained.
Whores were easy. He went into the house and selected one. Usually a man, but occasionally a woman since he liked both. After a short exchange to find out what they were willing to do, he’d either deny or accept them. Or he’d tell the Madam what he wanted, and she’d pick someone to satisfy his desires.
Whores were paid to satisfy the customer, and if they did a good job, the bigger their tip would be. They didn’t question Aleric since he was one of many customers. They didn’t look him up and down, declare him to be a bottom and a submissive, and get an attitude because he wouldn’t let them up his arse.
He hadn’t bottomed or submitted to a man in years, and he never would again. He’d promised himself and made it a rule. No man was ever going to have that much control over him again.
He’d walked a dangerous line earlier. He could get enough satisfaction from doing the penetrating or being sucked off, and his heat still made the orgasm damn good. It wasn’t the same as having his ass filled and stimulated. It had felt good when Jaime, the uppity bastard, had stuck his fingers in, so he hadn’t wanted it to stop. He’d ended up letting Jaime do what he wanted in that department since he’d still felt in control.
Now that he could think better, he told himself he wasn’t doing that again. What an idiot he was to let it happen just because his dick had been down someone's throat. First, it’d be fingers, and then Jaime would be expecting to stick his cock inAleric’s ass. He seemed to have guessed that Aleric preferred bottoming.
Jaime was good-looking enough to make it tempting. Since he only topped and never did what he truly desired anymore, he couldn’t say his sex life had been that great. Penetrating just wasn't the same as being penetrated, and before, he'd never considered himself versatile or a switch.
Why did he have to get a man who was a top and not about to roll over at a word? Aleric had almost considered booting him onto the street just to get rid of him, but it was better if Jaime stayed. He was heavily muscled, enough to give Aleric all sorts of filthy thoughts that he shouldn’t be having, and that meant he could fight.
After last month, he needed someone who could be made to stick around. A typical guard was no good. Two of the ones Aleric was sure would be mostly loyal were leaving, and new ones had come in. Hiring one to stay in his rooms would also appear odd.
Jaime had seemed like a stroke of luck. Any man can be paid off, and it was unlikely that a stranger pulled from the street would already be paid off and plotting betrayal.
If he suspected Jaime later, he could deal with him and send him away.
At least a certain someone wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to get in and do anything with a man in the sitting room.
He was combing his hair when he heard Jaime enter the privy room. Both doors to Aleric’s bedroom were locked. It still made him a little uneasy to hear someone in there. Nobody had shared his rooms for a long time since Clementine, and she’d been the only one after a certain incident.
A small tap made him jump, and when he noticed a flash of blue beyond his window, he couldn’t help a small smile. He hurried to open it, and a blue dove on the sill fluttered in and landed on his writing desk.
“Aleric Monet.” The blue dove stuck out a leg. “Take.”
Aleric approached, carefully untied the letter, and sat at his desk to unfold it.
“Reply?” queried the dove.
“Give me a minute,” he muttered so Jaime wouldn't hear. His desk was by the privy room door.
“Reply,” repeated the dove.
“Go occupy yourself. Quietly.”
The dove fluffed himself and turned to flounce across the desk with the air of one who has better things to do. Aleric finally got the letter open. The dove bobbed his head, looked to see what Aleric was doing, and proceeded to peck at a never-fill quill.
