EG 3 Ch 28 (Patreon)

I loosened the noose around my neck. For so many advances in society, ties were still incredibly uncomfortable. I could not understand how through the years they had not found something that stretched or managed to breathe better. Though perhaps there was also someone that would very politely inform me that the discomfort was a feature. I shuddered at the idea of fashion and putting oneself in discomfort as a way to show you were above menial labor. No doubt there were many stuffy suits I would have to wear if I ever ended up back in the Empire.

But I was also fairly certain I was going to avoid that shackle for a while. It wasn't as if they had any idea where I was located, and I had the added pleasure of a sanguafae who seemed at least marginally intent on protecting me. I could appreciate that in the same way a well kept pet didn’t have to hunt for its next meal. That was a positive, even if I now felt like she was looking over my shoulder at every junction.

Once we had some time and space, I’d try to figure out how to block her for more peace of mind. Melgara would probably love to participate in the study, if nothing else it could act as an apology for ruining her observations of leviton hibernation, for which I was sure she was going to make me pay eventually.

A small grin spread across my face at the thought of Pip. He was honestly too cute, and the ship now had a mascot. We had a space whale mascot, which was pretty freaking cool.

"Captain." Lily's voice came through the other side of the door.

"I'll be ready in a second," I said absently, only for there to be a small pause that caused me to turn when the door didn't slide open. I realized I had left it open. Behind me was Lily, her mycelial network that she wore shifting before my eyes, from a floor-length dress pulling itself up and away from the ground all the way to her upper thigh, before it artfully split along the sides into something very much meant for my eyes and my eyes along. My mouth was suddenly incredibly dry with how it sculpted and shaped to her body.

"Given that we have been given a room here, I thought we could make full use of the space." Lily leaned against the doorway, and I found myself at a loss for words, reverting back to simple gestures as I nodded once and then twice, a tad more eager.

The smile Lily gave to my reaction was breathtaking, and a serious ego boost.

"I was thinking that, Captain…" Lily said, sashaying into the room with an inhuman sway to her hips that was captivating nonetheless.

"Yes. Thinking. Thinking good," I said, taking her in my arms and grinning as she placed her hands against my chest and began to run them over my shoulders.

"Well, now that we've added Violet to the mix, I was wondering if that opened the doors to more." She paused.

I shrugged. This was a dangerous question. A very dangerous question. I needed to stay casual. But at the same time, it was very hard to predict exactly Lily’s opinion to help form my answer. Why was she asking this and in such a way I could hardly say ‘no’ was she trying to add another or more likely was she testing me?

"I think that's a conversation that would be lovely to have with you, Lily. Though I will admit, I hadn't been thinking of anyone else." I managed the safest answer I could think of in this situation. Part of my body wasn’t as flexible as it usually was.

"Not Asteria?" Lily asked, and the line of questioning suddenly made far more sense. Lily was obviously against the sanguafae.

"Definitely not Asteria," I told her with wide, horror-filled eyes.

"No?" Lily tilted her head. "She is very beautiful." Lily's body rippled, turning into the perfect image of the sanguafae as her hips rocked back and forth and she leaned forward, grazing a nail along my chest.

My reaction was instantaneous as part of my anatomy betrayed me and tried to spear the woman atop me.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I know it's you, Lily, and this is not fair. Yes, she is attractive. I would never lie to you, Lily. But she's—" I hesitated to put a point on how I felt, and then also was suddenly very aware that she could be listening to this very conversation. "Old, but not old in the Minnie bored-with-life way. She's old in the scheming way, and needs to find something new and exciting to try and keep her cold blood pumping. I have the feeling even if I were new and exciting for now, my charm would eventually fail. And when my charm failed, to be perfectly honest, I want to be nowhere near her. That isn’t the type of relationship I want by any means."

Lily paused, searched my eyes, and nodded once, as if the entire conversation had been put to rest.

"Good?" I asked with a lifted brow.

"You were obviously attracted to her," Lily said, though it didn't quite come with as much bite as a statement like that should have.

"Well, duh. I'm half convinced sanguafae are like angler fish for men. You put something very, very pretty out front to lure the men in, only for them, by the time they bite, to realize the absolute monster that lies beneath."

Lily seemed amused by my description of sanguafae. "So you respect them as hunters. I suppose that is fair.”

“Anything else making you ask this question?” I pressed.

"I was talking with Violet, and she pointed out that if we do ever return to Imperial sectors, there will be an expectation for you to at least maintain some relationship with the Duchess." She told me.

I made a face at the mention of the duchess, feeling like that was answer enough.

"You have made your distaste known. But both Violet and Melgara have pointed out to me several times, while you were unconscious, that there's likely little option in that regard if we do eventually head back that way." She made it sound uncomfortably certain.

I nodded along with her. "If we head back that way. Still a big if," I pointed out.

Lily settled into my lap. "I do believe it's more likely to be a when than an if. That, and there are other options. Melgara. Minnie."

"I think Minnie's more interested in you than me," I pointed out.

"You know that sanguafae is currently teasing Minnie that she's interested in you, right?" Lily asked.

"She is? Wait, how do you even know that?" I narrowed my eyes.

Lily smirked. "I didn't want to miss whatever she and Minnie were talking about."

"Someone has been teaching you dirty tricks while I was out, haven't they?" I said with a big huff.

"Tiri's been giving me lessons about love, as she puts it." Lily beamed.

"Take those with a grain of salt."

Lily frowned. "I should eat sodium chloride while listening to her? Does that have some effect on human memory?" Lily tilted her head in a way that was disgustingly adorable. And she must have seen my reaction based on the smirk that followed and the kiss that stopped me from asking more.

Someone was teaching my insanely hot girlfriend bad things, I thought to myself. Poor me. I would just have to suffer and enjoy a woman learning what she likes and more importantly how to get what she wants.

I kissed Lily. "Back to your body, please. As intriguing as that sanguafae might be, I have some emotional attachment to the face that I wake up to so many mornings."

Lily didn't delay, shifting back to her normal self, at which point I decided I was going to take the lead tonight. Even if my insanely hot girlfriend was a world-ending being of power, that didn't mean I couldn't teach her to be a bottom.

I rolled her over on her back and pulled her legs up over her head. "Damn, you're flexible," I muttered, only for her ankles to lock around the back of my head as she used her legs to pull me down for another smoldering kiss.

"How would you like me tonight, Captain?" She asked.

The way she punctuated those words did something strange to me, as I held her down and answered with my actions more than my words. Our bodies melded as Lily contorted and shifted her body to accommodate my every need, and my brain nearly shut down with pleasure.

***

With Lily satisfied, or at least as satisfied as the ravenous helivore ever became, I turned my attention toward the four-tailed Kikai who just so happened to also want a relationship with me, a fact that still had me pinching myself.

I stepped out of the room with Lily, and my glove arrived at my side with a box sealed tight. "Per your request," he said with a low bow.

I took the box and tucked it under my arm. "The other requests?" I asked, and he pulled the shopping bag out from where it had been sitting just out of sight.

"I believe we managed to get the size right, but as usual, if there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to make a request. For a VIP such as yourself, we will do our utmost to fulfill it." He told me.

"You're growing on me," I smirked.

"Of course. My job is to fit you like a glove, to the point you don't want to even take me off while you are here."

I squinted slightly at his phrasing, but he seemed unperturbed. I got the sense it was even an intentional framing. Perhaps I hadn’t been the first person to think of them as gloves.

"Well, I appreciate the option, and I'll let you know if Violet needs a new size."

I walked with the bag and box in hand to the adjacent room in the villa and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Violet's voice sounded downright excited from the other side of the door. "Captain." She beamed at finding me on the other side.

"Well, since we struck out last night, we'll have to stay another night." I clicked my tongue and shook my head, though there was not an ounce of remorse on my face.

Violet's eyes, however, were attracted to the bag in my hands, with the curiosity I only often saw in women shopping. "What do you have there, Captain?" She leaned forward, trying to peer into the bag.  But they had professionally wrapped everything, so she was still left wondering.

"Well, we can't enjoy a beautiful beach vacation in dresses and suits, now can we?" I handed her the bag. "I gave you options. Well, I asked for you to have options."

"I appreciate the gesture all the same,” she said nosily trying to get a peak inside the bag while ruffling some of the tissue paper.

"A place like this does take a little getting used to, doesn't it? It takes quite a bit for me, although I am happy to hear you're a little more comfortable than I am."

Violet blushed and snagged the bag from me. "Ten minutes?" she asked, with her eyebrows slightly lifted.

"Please take as long as you'd like," I said, and stepped over toward Minnie's door. "It would be rude if I only got you gifts," and then winked at her for good effect.

I wasn't exactly used to playing the field, but I suppose I could manage, given the field I was being presented. Suffering having so many beautiful women around me, was simply my cross to bear. I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

Violet slipped back in the room. I hadn't had a chance to see exactly what the glove had selected, but I was fairly confident they could make better choices than if I had gone out to shop. In fact, I'd hazard to say their taste in clothing selection was likely to be far better than mine.

I knocked on Minnie's door. She stepped out, wearing little more than a corset and undergarments. I kept my eyes aboveboard, though it was hard not to stare at her tits given that they were eye level and nearly blocked my view of her face when she stood close.

"Swimsuits," I said, holding out the other bag.

She peeked inside before giving me a questioning gaze, her eyebrow lifted slightly in question.

"What? If we're all going to the beach, I'm not going to leave you out," I said. "And they’re the right color. Apparently we have been assigned one now."

"What color?" she asked, and I smirked, because I knew she would be pleased.

"Black. It seems we get to keep the best one for ourselves, though perhaps I should have you to thank for that," I winked at her.

Minnie, for one of the first times, let a smile creep across her face. The gothic dragon was always so stern, so empty with her expressions, that it was heartening to see that she could and would indeed smile at the offering of black clothing.

"I will appreciate the gesture as it is." She took the bag from me. "Where will you be?"

I gestured toward the beach outside the villa. "I'm hoping to give Violet most of my attention, but you're welcome to join us."

Minnie eyed the beachlet and nodded, taking a second to glance at the exterior of the building we were staying at. "It wasn't black before, was it?"

"No. But color-changing buildings isn't going to be enough to surprise me. Not when there's a sanguafae of the third order paying for everything," I said with a chuckle.

"She is likely very wealthy and at least marginally interested in you," Minnie said.

"Don't worry. She's already been placed off-limits by Lily." I felt the need to share that tidbit.

"Really? Most would leap for the opportunity for someone of her stature," the black dragon probed.

"Something about her being a touch too predatory." I shrugged. "She's not my type either."

"And what would your type be?" Minnie asked.

I glanced off into the distance for a second, aware that this conversation was likely being spied upon. "Probably someone a little more adventurous," I said. "Something about a woman who keeps herself cooped up in a place like this all day, every day, isn't exactly my cup of tea."

Minnie nodded and simply took the bag, pivoted on her heels, and closed the door in my face.

I smiled. I knew she wasn’t trying to be rude. She was simply done with the conversation. 

A moment later, Lily stepped out of the room with a pair of sunglasses on her eyes and a sleek black bikini over her toned body. There was just a tease of abs beginning to poke through on her stomach. Otherwise, she was the image of a svelte feminine form. And her long legs really did something as she took several long strides from the room, only to pause to lift her sunglasses with a raised eyebrow.

"Like what you see, Captain?" She asked, doing a small twirl.

I bobbed my head rapidly. "Yes, I do. Lily, you are stunningly beautiful. Do try and beat back any drooling men that approach you."

Her eyes dropped from an amused grin to something far more dangerous. "No man will touch me except you. Certainly not with their saliva, I would ripe their hearts from their chests and dissolve it in their faces for it."

I held up my hands quickly before she misunderstood. "It was a joke, Lily. I mean to say that you are stunningly beautiful, and you might attract more attention than you expect."

Lily paused, glanced down at herself, and then up at me. "Do I have your attention?"

"You very much do, Lily." I told her.

She beamed. "I'll have to dissuade anyone who gets the wrong impression and thinks this is for them." She put her sunglasses back on. "I have a meeting with Amber, and we'll catch up with you later."

"Making new friends, are you?" I teased the helivore.

"No, but I have made a commitment. And it would be rude to stand her up and prove what others think about my species being non-social.” She sashayed away, her hips popping too much for it not to be for me.

That was a significant improvement. I even suspected that she was making herself scarce because of my promised date with Violet today. As much as Lily had approved of Violet's inclusion, I don't think her jealousy was completely gone, and I applauded that she'd remove herself to help create space for Violet. Honestly, I was incredibly happy to see Lily's continued growth.

While I was seeing Lily off, a door opened behind me and I turned, putting on my biggest grin as I expected to find Violet. But instead it appeared Minnie had gotten dressed first. She was in a black full-body swimsuit, though it was asymmetrical with large cutouts, showing off her pale flesh as she stepped out.

"Unnecessary," Minnie said, her gaze becoming harsh. "Are you going to keep staring?"

"Nope," I wisely said, and turned away. I wasn't sure if that swimsuit was a size too small or if it was supposed to be that tight, but it was currently making her chest look absolutely massive. I cleared my throat, deepening my voice just a smidge to avoid any awkward squeaks. "What are you doing today?"

"Someone will need to watch over you, considering that Lily will be gone." Minnie stated.

Violet poked her head out of her room, spotting the two of us, and gestured quickly at Minnie. "Could I get some advice?" she asked, and then ducked her head back around the door.

I was half-tempted to whistle, but it felt a little out of place.

So instead, I found a comfortable spot to wait, knowing that Violet was putting effort into her appearance for me and not wanting her to feel it was not appreciated.