Page 19 of Learn My Lesson
“You’re overdressed, love.”
That’s all it takes, and she kicks off her heels and slips out of her pants, leaving her in only the cropped bustier and a lace thong. Hades merely raises his brows, and Meg rolls her eyes and strips the rest of the way down. Not a hint of shyness in the fact that she’s standing naked before us, but did I really expect there to be?
“Show him how it’s done.”
She sinks gracefully to her knees, her back perfectly straight, and lowers her eyes. She’s so stunning, it takes my breath away. I don’t get much time to enjoy the view, because Hades steps in front of her and gives me a look like he can divine my thoughts right out of my head. “Your turn.”
I hesitantly reach for my shorts, but he shakes his head. “Keep them on for now. Consider this your first lesson.”
I’m nowhere near as graceful as Meg. My body feels strange inside my skin as I lower myself to my knees and reluctantly bow my head. I don’t expect his gentle touch at the back of my neck, and I can’t stop my flinch.
Hades chuckles as if he enjoys my response. “This won’t work if you don’t watch, little Hercules. The show is just for you.”
I know it’s a trap. I’m not a fucking fool, though at this point, all evidence of my actions say otherwise. I still lift my head and watch him circle Meg.
She doesn’t look up, doesn’t flinch when he bestows the same touch along the back of her neck that he did to me. She simply sits there, the very picture of a perfect submissive. I have the strangest desire to see her with a whip in her hand and cruelty in those blue eyes.
Hades pulls a necklace from his pocket. No, not a necklace—a collar. It’s a gorgeous piece of work, weathered black leather with diamonds sewn into it to look like the night sky. An oversized buckle rests at the back of her neck to keep it in place. “Do you know how to keep a woman like Meg happy, little Hercules?”?4
Yes, this is definitely a trap.
I swallow past my suddenly dry throat. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Smart boy.” The words don’t sound like praise coming out of his mouth, and heat rises to my cheeks in response. Hades reaches down to run a finger along her collar. “You give her everything she could possibly need.”
There it is again. That flash in Meg’s eyes that betrays her. She’s here of her own volition, but there’s something else going on. Something deeper. It might be as mundane as dissatisfaction, but I honestly can’t be sure.
“Submission,” he continues, moving his touch to her jaw. His touch still seems light, but he guides her head back, arching her spine. “Spread, love.”
She does as he commands, spreading her thighs wide. I can see…all of her. Her breasts that I palmed less than a week ago. Her stomach that I bracketed with my hands as I fucked her exactly like she commanded. Her pussy where I buried my face and licked her until she came. She’s pink and wet, and somehow I didn’t expect that. No matter what lurks in her eyes, she likes what Hades is doing to her, though it seems precious little at the moment. He’s putting her on display, all but tattooing his name on her ass.
Claiming her.
He releases her and walks to the couch to resume his position. “Come here, little Hercules.” When I start to rise, he shakes his head slowly, his lips quirking into a small smile. “Crawl.” The instruction is gentle and no less cruel for it.
My whole body goes hot and tight as I move onto my hands and knees and crawl across the distance between me and the couch. There, I hesitate. Am I supposed to join him there? Kneel here? Something akin to panic wells inside me, but it doesn’t get a chance to gain momentum because Hades catches the back of my neck in the unbreakable grip and guides me to kneel at his feet facing away from him.
“Don’t move. That is a command, by the way.” He sifts his fingers through my hair and it feels like he’s touching me in a thousand different places. “What happens if you break my command?”
I lick my lips. “You punish me.” My cock is so hard, it’s creating a gap in the top of my shorts, like it can punch its way to freedom.
“That’s right.” He moves behind me, and my breath catches in my throat as his legs come down on either side of my body. His thighs brush my arms, and even though he hasn’t bound me, I feel like I’m locked in place. He squeezes my shoulders, and I jump as he whispers in my ear, “Tell me your safe word.”
“Olympus,” I breathe.
“Good boy.” He lifts his voice. “Meg, you may begin.”
1 If Hercules has one sin, it’s centering himself in the trauma of others. He wants to help, and that’s a good thing, but he’s so determined to do the right thing (whatever that means) that he never slows down enough to ask the people who were harmed what they want.
2 Every series, I have a few characters who are a little more my favorites than the others. In Wicked Villains, that’s Tink and Aurora. Tink is so damn mean, and Aurora is one of those characters who we get more layers of in each book leading up to hers.
3 This is a series of fairy-tale and myth retellings, but even outside of that, I lean heavily on fairy-tale imagery naturally. It’s one of my special interests and the different lenses you can peer at the stories through delight me to no end.
4 Yes, this is a direct reference to “Chant (Reprise)” from Hadestown. The idea of Hades being like “This is how you keep your person happy” and it’s clearly NOT the way to go. However, Hades from the musical truly believes it’s the answer, and my Hades is trying to incite a response from Hercules.
HADES
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching the son of my enemy submit. He’s beautiful at it, even when he’s fighting his basest impulse. Hercules wants to kneel at my feet, to obey my commands, but he thinks he shouldn’t, so he fights me. He won’t win. I could tell him that now, but spoiling the ending takes the fun out of the game.?1
