He nodded, and I slid myself in close.
It was the only way Iknewhow to teach… and I thought it might also help me fluster him in a way that would be useful when I started asking questions.And from the way his breath had caught when one hand settled against the bottom of his rib cage, it seemed to be working.I pressed my palm a little harder against him, the other hand moving to his opposite hip."Shift your weight like this.Yes, good."He was pliant against me, responding to the slightest bit of pressure.If I pulled, would he press himself entirely against me?Would he rock back into my hips?Would he come willingly?
My hands skimmed forward up his arms, my chest pressing against his back as I reached, and I leaned my mouth close to one pointed ear."When you move forward, rotate your wrist like this – and then the other like this.Understand?"
Araxis's head was slightly tilted, so I could see the flick of his purple tongue against his bottom lip, just as I could smell his skin – the familiar smoke and spice that had carried me to sleep the past two nights.
I'd done this probably a hundred times in an environment that was a hell of a lot sexier.But it was here, under the too-bright lights of the rapidly warming training room, that I felt for the first time like I might do something impulsive, that my control, my professional edge, was in danger of eroding under a sudden flare ofwant.I never crossed the line until it was the right time, which had always been much later in the sequence of lessons: I had to keep clients on the edge for as long as possible.The longer I worked with them, the better they paid – and the better the pay-off for them in the end too.But here, with Araxis, my cock was already half-hard just from standing close to him, from the way he smelled, the way he seemed to fit against my body.
The last time I'd had a reaction totally beyond my control, soearlyin the process, was when I was a hell of a lot younger.Something like embarrassmentwashed over me.Iwas in control here, but I also desperately wanted to rock myself against him.To run my hands down his chest, his stomach, to plunge them beneath the waist of his pants and to explore what I'd find there.I wanted him so suddenly and with such ferocity that it almosthurt.
Maybe it was because I wanted him for myself, just because, instead of getting information for Alet Trident to sell or being paid so I could cover my costs for another week.Though I wanted toknowthings as well, they were for me, and the bigger, brighter thing I wanted was to touch him.To have him.To continue to crack through that careful composure until he came all the way undone.
Araxis's eyelashes fluttered, head turned so that my mouth rested against his pointed ear; his skin was flushed that gorgeous rosy pink.
I should touch him.The thought felt reckless, insistent, and my chest tightened.
I'd been standing flush against him for too long, my arms tucked against his, my hips snug against the curve of his ass.This close, it was clear how different his crest was from human hair: long quills, white and tipped in black, that may have been hollow, woven in a lattice that was impossibly intricate and beautiful.I could feel Araxis breathing hard against me, his chest rising and falling quickly as I stood against him.
"I understand."Araxis's voice was quiet, strained.
"Good."One hand dropped back, finding his hip again.If I pulled, he would follow, I was certain.If I shifted my hand forward, he would grind into my touch and I could have him.
But –
What was Idoing?I knew better.I coulddobetter.Iwasalmost drunk with want.Selfish, greedy,voracious.
I took a breath, slow, trying to clear my head a bit, and shifted away."Right."I took a step back, hands dropping away.I gave them a quick shake, my skin buzzing like a live wire."Well, you can probably tell why these are usually private lessons."I laughed then, trying to make a joke of it.
Araxis shifted his weight, his back still to me, and rotated his wrists.The blades flashed in the light, his grip confident."Yes," he said, voice still strained, a thin subvocal tone humming under his voice."Hm."
I turned and scrubbed a hand across my face, quick.Right,right, I had questions for him.I bent and grabbed my blades and used all of my years of experience with controlling my own arousal to turn down the temperature."Why don't we run through that sequence a few times, and we'll see how that feels?"
"Hm."Araxis was still facing away when I looked back, his head tilted down.
I chewed on my lip for a moment, watching him stand there, unmoving.
"Was that, uh… too much?"I asked finally."Too… virra?"
Araxis turned and shook his head, his black eyes bright.His throat worked as he swallowed."No, not at all.I am ready."
I positioned him in the first step of the sequence and put myself across from him, and then we moved through the steps together.The sequences of voltaari sword-dancing were numbered, and designed for pairs, although I always made them look lovely on my own.It was, in truth, dancing – and Araxis made an excellent partner.I didn't know whether it was innate athleticism or an exceptional memory, but he seemed to anticipate the correct steps of the sequence.I offered a few minor corrections, and he needed each one only once.
And Ilikedmoving like this with him, the only sound our breathing, my occasional reminder of the next step, and the tinking of our blades meeting.His eyes narrowed in focus, his movement fluid, instinctive.Once I was confident that he could retrace this sequence without my input, I volleyed forth my first attempt at getting a few answers."Took you awhile to chart the course this morning," I said, twisting my right blade to catch the lunge he made.
"Hm.Yes."He made the half-step to the right, and ducked down for the lower sweep.Justbeautiful.Clients would have paid handsomely to see him dance."Our ship isn't connected to the datasphere, so Evreni and I must always chart the course ourselves.It is laborious, particularly with the thermoregulator running at sub-par efficiency."
"The ship can't calculate the best course?"The give and take of the dance meant that he was driving me back several steps.I shifted,whirled, and surged forward in the familiar steps.We picked up speed, and it waseasywith Araxis, the movements flowing, comfortable.
I had danced sometimes with other employees at the den, Khrelen especially – but it had never been like this.I didn't need to think about how I was moving or howhewas moving.We just fell into rhythm, an interplay between two stellar bodies tugging at each other with waves of gravity.
"Our system is older.Some of its functions are offline, so we chart our courses by hand.Don't fret, Sashen – I've yet to send us into any solar storms."
I grinned, and he smiled back, a soft trill in the air between us.The pace picked up, our blades singing together as we lunged and parried, twisted and turned, ducked and jumped.
"Where's the rest of your creche?"I asked, leaping forward as he twisted to the side and arced one blade around in a gorgeous half-turn.Icouldn't make it look that good."Far away?"
Araxis missed a step.I shifted suddenly, making sure my blade went wide: it wasn't sharp enough to cut, but I didn't particularly want to leave a bruise.He righted himself quickly, and we continued with hardly a breath missed."We are all that remains.We – were a larger creche, but we lost our status within the Hall of Records.Many creche-mates chose to be absorbed into other houses."
