Page 55 of Every Eligible Man

By minute thirty, we've hit twenty.

Cinder is barely coherent. She's stopped forming complete sentences about ten orgasms ago. Now she just makes sounds, whimpers, moans, the occasional scream when one of us hits a particularly good angle.

"Twenty-one," Slade pants.

"Twenty-two," I confirm.

"Is she still conscious?" Wreck asks.

Cinder bites his shoulder in response.

"She's conscious."

By minute forty, we've reached twenty-seven.

The carriage springs are making a worrying sound. One of them has already given out. The vehicle is listing slightly to the left.

I don't care. I'm too focused on the way Cinder feels around me, the way she keeps coming back for more despite being thoroughly, comprehensively wrecked.

"Twenty-eight."

"Twenty-nine."

"Thirty."

"We hit thirty!" Squeak cheers from outside. "Pay up, Nibbles!"

"The castle is in sight," Mira calls back, her voice hoarse. "For the love of all that is holy, please be finished."

We're not finished.

By the time the carriage pulls to a stop at the castle steps, we've hit thirty-one.

The rats announce this to anyone within earshot.

"Thirty-one! Thirty-one! We counted every one!"

"The lady is a champion."

"The carriage will never be the same."

Guards approach, then immediately retreat when they hear what's still happening inside.

"Should we... announce them?" one guard asks weakly.

"Absolutely not," Mira says, climbing down. Her legs are shaking. Whether from the drive or from what she's heard, I can't tell. "We're going to stand here, look at the sky, and pretend this carriage is empty until they decide to emerge."

"How long will that take?"

A particularly loud moan echoes from within.

"Thirty-two," we chorus.

Mira closes her eyes. "I have no idea. But I'm going to need a lot more wine."

The carriage continues to rock.

The guards continue to pretend it doesn't exist.