Page 75 of Learn My Lesson
Gods, this is even hotter.
Aurora comes with a cry, and Gaeton presses a light kiss to her forehead before he collects Isabelle and carries her back to the couch—and their husband’s waiting cock. They waste no time in getting down to fucking, which seems to be a signal to the rest of the room.
Things get a little…chaotic after that.
I wish I could say I see everything. I really do. Group play on this level isn’t something that happens often in the Underworld, and I’d love nothing more than to be in the middle of it.
The truth, however, is that I don’t see a single damn thing because Hercules is in front of me, kissing me with everything he has as Hades continues to stroke me toward orgasm. And then Hercules’s cock is there and then…and then I don’t see much of anything at all because I’m coming too hard.
A perfect Winter Solstice party, if I do say so myself.
We’re going to have to do this every year.
1 This takes place after the end of the series, so some light spoilers abound for the other relationships.
2 Another favorite thing about a series of interconnected stand-alones is having characters that don’t really like each other. It creates interesting tension.
3 Listen, if I see an opportunity to weave Krampus into a story, I’m going to take it.
HERCULES’S PUNISHMENT
HADES
“I have simple rules, Hercules.” I press my steepled fingers to my lips.?1 Meg is at my shoulder as she always is these days, especially during meetings affecting the vital foundations of the Underworld. Foundations that include the obedience of my staff. Foundations that include the safety of my patrons.
Hercules sits stiffly in the chair in front of my desk, his strong jaw set in a stubborn line I recognize all too well. Normally, he’s a natural fit in the position we’ve found for him. He’s essentially a den mother to the submissive and Dominants on staff, his softer touch perfectly complementing Meg’s harder lines. He’s not her second-in-command; he’s technically outside the hierarchy, which makes him able to offer a direct line of communication to both me and Meg should the situation call for it. He doesn’t intimidate people the same way we do, which paves the way for more honesty.
But that protective attitude of his keeps getting him into trouble.
“This is the second time you’ve inserted yourself into the affairs of the Underworld’s patrons without permission.” He opens his mouth, but I raise an eyebrow. Hercules holds longer than he used to be able to, fighting himself for a solid five seconds before he wilts and lowers his eyes. I wait another beat before continuing. “You interfered with a scene between Beast, Gaeton, and Isabelle.”?2
At that, he lifts his gaze, but only for a moment. “That was a mistake and I apologized.”
“Yes, you did.” Considering Isabelle wasn’t a regular of the club at the time, I let that instance go without a punishment. Hercules could have used more tact when checking in on her, but he wasn’t entirely wrong to do so.
The situation with Ursa, however, isn’t as easy to dismiss.
“This is becoming a habit of yours. If you can’t control yourself, there will be far-reaching consequences.”
His jaw drops. “You wouldn’t.”
I don’t want to go to such extreme lengths, especially when he’s slid into both our lives and the club without so much as a ripple. He fits here in a way I couldn’t have dreamed at the start of this, and it makes him happy. I would go to significant lengths to make Hercules happy.
But I won’t endanger the people who trust me to keep them safe when they come to the Underworld. Not even for him.
Meg’s hand closes on my shoulder, a light touch. Her voice, however, is as hard as it ever gets. “He’s not the one out of line here, Hercules. You are.”
The betrayal on his face hurts my chest, but this can’t be negotiated away. Hercules looks from Meg to me. “I don’t understand. It was underhanded to give Zuri’s sisters access to her, but she came here under complicated circumstances and they were worried about her.”
“Hercules.” I inject enough snap into my tone to straighten his spine. “Did the situation with Meg teach you nothing? Cease trying to save women who don’t want to be saved. Zuri is back in Ursa’s arms. She chose Ursa from the beginning. That was not your call to make.” I hold up a hand when he starts to argue. “If you were that concerned about Zurielle, you should have brought it to me or Meg. We would have arranged a meeting with her sisters—with Ursa’s knowledge—and ensured it all happened aboveboard. As it is, you essentially allowed a kidnapping.”
His brows slam together. “That’s not what happened.”
Meg’s hand tightens on my shoulder the slightest bit. “Zurielle was contracted with Ursa and had no desire to break that contract until you intervened.”
“But…” He trails off and his shoulders drop. “She went back to Ursa?”
“The first chance she got.”
