Carnal Knowledge Ch. 09-10

"Not at all, old man. You have a standing invitation, don't you know."

"Rockdale!" a husky female voice cried.

Eliza watched with some bemusement as a scantily clad young woman launched herself into the earl's arms and proceeded to devour his mouth passionately.

"Violet," Sinclair murmured after a few moments. "Lord Rockdale has a companion tonight."

Violet slowly broke her kiss with Rockdale, whom, Eliza noted, did not seem to be protesting overly much. Her dark curls of hair tumbled in abandon over her shoulders and back, looking much like a gentleman had rumpled it recently.

The sloe-eyed beauty wore a silvery-satin corset laced tightly to showcase her tiny waist. Edged in black lace, the corset pushed her bosom up into a deep cleavage but left her breasts entirely exposed. The material molded closely over her shapely hips but below the lace hem of the corset, Eliza noticed with a jolt, Violet was nude. Even her mons Venus was bare; the gently rounded mound appeared smooth and hairless as a young girl's.

Eliza jerked her eyes away, hoping the mask disguised her shock. Rockdale watched her closely, and she hoped he couldn't discern the direction of her perusal.

Violet spun to face Eliza. "Oh," she said with wonder, reaching out to stroke Eliza's single, long curl. "She's so lovely!"

Eliza jumped in surprise and sidled closer to Rockdale when Violet's fingers lightly traced over her silk-clad breasts.

"Lord Sinclair, Violet," Rockdale said, "I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Rose. She's very shy, so treat her gently, if you will."

Eliza's eyes darted to Rockdale at his use of a false name.

"Rose, I'd like for you to meet the lord of this estate, Lord Sinclair. This exquisite lady is his companion, Violet."

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Rose," Lord Sinclair murmured, eyes twinkling as he reached for Eliza's hand and lifted it to his mouth.

"Likewise, my lord," Eliza said, feeling self-conscious as he lingered over her hand.

"Is the tour going on tonight?" Rockdale asked.

"Of course," Sinclair replied, finally releasing Eliza's hand. "It should be available in a few moments; you remember the routine."

"Excellent," Rockdale said. "Excuse us, won't you, please?"

"What kind of tour?" Eliza asked in a low voice as she and Rockdale took their leave and crossed the ball room, skirting the area where several couples were dancing. It was hard to miss the men and women staring at them, some of the gazes lustful and some merely curious.

"More of a show than a tour, I suppose," he replied. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."

Rockdale retrieved two glasses of wine from a smiling slave girl server, and Eliza gratefully gulped hers down.

"Bosoms bobbing out at me everywhere," she muttered.

The earl chuckled and offered her his own glass. "Thirsty or building courage?"

She accepted his glass and downed it as well. "Both," she answered shortly.

After discarding the empty glasses, Rockdale led her to another door leading out of the ballroom. One of the servers, this one male, stood outside the door.

"Good evening, my lord," the man said, bowing. "Would you and your lady like to take the tour?"

"Yes," Rockdale answered. "May we enter now?"

The server opened the door. "Right this way, my lord. Please enjoy."

Eliza's heart thudded as Rockdale led her into a darkened hallway. There was no one else inside, only a series of room doors, all closed.

They paused in front of the first door, and Rockdale rapped on it. Eliza's fingers flexed on the earl's arm, and she wondered nervously who would open the door. But to her surprise, no one did.

Rockdale moved a few paces past the door and paused in front of a large, rather innocuous painting of crimson roses. To Eliza's surprise, he grasped one side of the painting's frame and lifted. The frame opened away from the wall in a soundless motion, exposing a hinged attachment and an opening presumably into the room within.

"How peculiar," Eliza murmured, stepping closer to glimpse what or who might be within, only to see the inside was veiled from view by a heavy red curtain.

"What—," Eliza tried to ask, but Rockdale shushed her.

"Just watch quietly."

With a small huff, she turned her attention back to the red curtain.

The curtain began to draw back slowly, revealing a sizable chamber opulently draped in rich tapestries and luxuriant furs. In the center of the room, there was a raised dais with an enormous armless chair that resembled a throne. Its gleaming golden surface was crusted in gems and pearls.

As they watched, a large, imposing male dressed in elaborate robes and wearing a gold crown entered the room from somewhere in the back. He was followed by two muscular men dressed in old-fashioned warrior garb of leather and light armor.

Eliza frowned as the man mounted the dais and settled into the throne. He waved a scepter at one of his attendants.

Was this some sort of play, she wondered. What could be the purpose in this?

A third armored attendant came into view gripping the arm of a woman dressed as some sort of medieval peasant. Her white, ruffled blouse was torn at the sleeve, and she visibly trembled as the guard towed her in front of the dais.

Rockdale shifted directly behind Eliza and bent his head to whisper in her ear. "Don't fret, it's all for show."

Eliza found herself holding her breath and tried to relax as the guard released the woman's arm and stepped back. The king looked the peasant woman over for a long moment.

Nibbling her bottom lip, Eliza shivered slightly in her thin gown. Rockdale's body felt warm and reassuring behind her, and she fought the urge to lean back against him.

The king gave another imperious dip of his scepter. The woman shook her head, her long ash-blonde braid swaying down her back.

Scowling, the king gestured toward his attendant. The man unsheathed the nasty-looking sword at his side and brandished it toward the woman.

The peasant woman cast her eyes toward the floor and slowly began to unlace the ties of her white blouse. Once undone, she tugged it over her head and cast it to the side.

The king's scepter moved again, and her fingers went to the fastenings of her long brown skirt, loosening them until the rough fabric slithered to her feet.

Left in a simple shift to shield her body from the eyes of the king and his men, the woman lifted her chin proudly.

Leering openly, the king leaned forward on his throne and pointed his scepter at her once more.

Slowly, the woman gathered the folds of material in her hands and skimmed her shift upward, revealing shapely long legs and a plump bottom. Her full breasts came into view as she pulled the shift over her head and tossed it to the floor.

Eliza's breath came faster, even though she knew the scene was all pretend. Rockdale's hand glided over her hip, making her shiver.

"What do you think the king intends now?" Rockdale murmured into her ear.

His warm breath stirred the sensitive small hairs around her ear and neck. Almost imperceptibly she felt Rockdale drawing her closer back against him and pressing her closer to the wall.

By all rights she should have felt trapped, but scene playing before her held her rapt as the king again motioned with his scepter toward the peasant woman.

She looked to refuse, but the armored guard, his sword still at the ready, urged the captive forward. Her steps hesitant, the woman mounted the dais and halted before the king.

The king pointed to the floor.

Eliza could see the flush coloring the woman's pale skin as she went to her knees in front of the throne.

A lascivious smile lit the king's face as he crooked his finger at the woman. Prodded by the guard behind her, she obediently shuffled closer until she knelt between his thighs.

The king drew his robes open wide, and the captive woman stared as though transfixed at his erect, exposed phallus. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and again she shook her head vehemently.

His smile turning unpleasant, the king seized the peasant woman's long braid and wrapped it several times around his hand. His other hand grasped his cock as he urged the woman's head down.

Eliza couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of the woman opening her mouth to accept the swollen cockhead between her lips. The king groaned audibly, the first sound any of the actors had made in the strange erotic play.

Gooseflesh erupted over Eliza's body. Rockdale's fingers played lightly over her breasts, caressing her already stiff nipples. The rasp of his evening clothes against the thin barrier of her silk-encased skin increased the sensations already flowing over her body.

The king was using his grip on her hair to dictate the woman's motions as his cock worked in and out of her mouth.

With a nod from the king, the guard closest to the peasant woman went to one knee close behind her. The captive jerked in surprise, her hands flailing as his gloved hands reached around to fondle and cup her bare breasts.

The king growled as his cock popped out of her mouth. He gestured at the guard, who grabbed hold of the captive's hands and secured them behind her back with a length of thin rope he pulled from this belt.

The woman squirmed as the guard pushed her knees further apart and slid one gloved hand between her legs from behind. Her eyes were wide upon the king's lust-filled face as he tightened his grip on her braid and thrust himself back into her mouth.

Arousal tingled between Eliza's legs. It was sinful to watch such a debauched scene, she knew it was. But something about the dominant men surrounding the submissive, kneeling woman triggered a shameful reaction inside her she couldn't seem to deny.

Look away, she ordered herself. Demand the earl take you back outside...anything...

The guard's gloved hand worked between the peasant woman's legs, stroking her until she began making small noises around the king's cock. The guard used his other hand on her breasts, the black leather stark against her white flesh as he ruthlessly plucked the dark-pink tips.

Eliza's breathing deepened. Was it her lessons with Rockdale that made this shocking display so exciting to her? Or had the inclination already been there, hidden, until a certain wicked earl had introduced her to a carnal education the likes of which she could have never before imagined.

Rockdale's hand slid from her hip through the thatch of dampened curls between her legs. She heard the hiss of his exhale as his fingers discovered just how deeply she was affected.

His beard-roughened jaw nuzzled her neck, his dark, low chuckle vibrated across her skin. His tongue began to lap at her throat above the choker necklace while his fingers danced across the sensitive flesh at the apex of her inner labia.

"Oh, William," Eliza whispered when he dipped into her wetness and delicately painted her small bud with the slickness.

Inside the chamber the king had pulled his cock from the peasant woman's mouth. The guard pulled her roughly to standing and lifted her astride the king's lap.

The woman's eyes drifted closed as the king positioned her over his cock. Her long, keening moan was audible as the thick shaft penetrated and disappeared inside her.

Eliza panted softly, watching the king fuck the peasant woman with her hands tied behind her back, his hand still gripping her braid, tugging her head back.

Rockdale's fingers stroked her to a feverish high, his hips pushing her flush up against the wall, the press of his cock unmistakable. Eliza's sense of decorum and dignity had deserted her, leaving sheer instinct in control. She rubbed her bottom wantonly against his hardness, relishing the feel of Rockdale's desire for her.

Some unseen communication between the king and his guard had them lifting the woman up and turning her so that she faced away from the king. He quickly sheathed himself between her thighs once more, her breasts bouncing as he thrust repeatedly, his hands holding tight to her hips.

The guard, standing before the king and his captive, quickly loosened the ties of his breeches and pulled his own cock out. He stroked it up and down, masturbating himself while watching the king impale his subject. Stepping forward, it was now he who wound his hand in the woman's braid, forcing her to bend forward.

Shock reverberated through Eliza as she watched the woman open her mouth and the guard pushed his cock inside. While the king pummeled her sex from behind, the guard eagerly thrust his shaft between her lips.

Her body strung tightly as a piano string, Eliza writhed back against the hard solidness of Rockdale's tall body. She felt more than heard him growl as his free hand jerked at the clasp at her shoulder. The robe fell down to her waist with a whisper of sliding fabric. His hand sought the curves of her bare breasts, his touch rough as he fondled her.

Her senses enflamed with a strange mad yearning, she gloried in the tightness of Rockdale's grip, his teeth scraping over her jaw, the harsh rasp of his breath in her ear.

Her climax tantalizingly close, Eliza writhed in Rockdale's arms, unable to tear her gaze away from the two men simultaneously thrusting their cocks into the bound peasant woman.

Rockdale withdrew his fingers from between her legs, making her whimper in protest.

She turned in his close embrace to face him, her arms sliding around his neck and pulling him down toward her. Eliza pressed her open mouth to his, desperate to taste him. He obliged her with a possessive stab of his tongue as his head slanted over hers.

His hands roamed hot and familiar over her body as he plundered her mouth. Rockdale clutched the cheeks of her arse, dragging her tight up against his cock.

She rubbed against him, wild and unashamed; her inhibitions completely lost in the midst of her hunger for this man who endeavored to drive her mad at every turn.

Rockdale seemed as overtaken as she felt herself. He shoved her back up against the wall, his cheeks flushed. He released her mouth to lick and bite his way down her chest, cupping her breasts together and feasting at her nipples with tugs of his lips and teeth, drawing the tips into his mouth for a rough suckling.

"Yes, yes," Eliza chanted, tunneling her hands into his thick hair, pressing him closer to her breasts.

He abruptly bent, lifting her bodily up into his arms.

She gasped as he strode a short distance down the hall to a doorway at the end. He let her down and wrenched open the door, hard enough to practically tear the thing off its hinges. Grabbing her arm, he propelled her inside with him and slammed the door shut.

Breathing heavy, he stared at her, unsmiling.

Eliza swallowed hard, a trickle of trepidation finding its way down her spine. His face was harsh and predatory in the dim lighting.

Some instinct she didn't know she possessed had her turn away from him, taking a few steps inside the room which appeared to be a small bedchamber.

She looked back at him over her shoulder and slowly unfastened the gold belt around her waist. The robe slithered the rest of the way to the floor.

Eliza felt a thrill of pleasure as his eyes widened in surprise.

He crossed the short distance between them, and Eliza fought the urge to back away. Instead, she listened to the instinct still whispering in her ear and sank to her knees before him, positioning herself as he had taught her.

"Oh, what a good girl you are," he murmured, circling around her.

His low words touched something dark and forbidden inside her, something that desired above all things to please him.

"Thank you, my lord," she whispered.

Rockdale's hand slid over her bare shoulder, and she leaned further over, presenting herself prostrate to him, holding her bottom high.

She heard his shuddering breath as he exhaled.

"Don't move," he instructed, his voice gruff.

She heard rustling behind her and knew he was removing his clothes. Shivers of anticipation coursed over her. She could hardly wait to feel his naked skin against her own.

"What do you want, Eliza?"

He wanted to ask her questions now? When she felt as though she might burst if she didn't soon ease the ache between her legs?

"Please, my lord," she moaned, pressing her thighs together vainly.

His finger trailed down her spine, sending a jolt of pure heat to her groin.

"Tell me," he commanded.

"I want you," she answered impatiently, caught between frustration and need.

"To do what?" he pressed.

"I burn, William. Please touch me, don't stop touching me," she begged. "I need you inside me."

Rockdale drew her up off the floor to standing.

"I'm going to give my good girl what she needs," he growled, pulling her hard into his arms.

She melted into his embrace, eagerly opening her mouth for the kisses he fed her.

"Go lie on the bed and spread your legs wide for me," he whispered against her lips.

Acutely conscious of his hot, dark eyes tracking her, Eliza obeyed, stretching herself over the satiny red counterpane, legs splayed wide, exposing her damp center.

In an instant, he was there kneeling on the bed between her legs. He pressed his mouth to the tender flesh that wept for him, spreading the lips of her mons wide with his thumbs.

The shock of sensation became maddeningly intense when his tongue rasped repeatedly over her pearl, lashing and laving it both the tip and flat of his clever tongue.

Without warning, his finger pressed against and into her slickened opening. The blunt, sudden penetration ratcheted the gathering tension within her to an impossibly-high pinnacle as fiery bolts of lightning streaked from her inner passage to pulsate deep inside her body.

Eliza thrashed on the bed, her need for release all consuming. The world outside of Rockdale's mouth upon her sex fell away. A hoarse cry burst from her lips, and she rocked her hips wildly against his mouth and tongue.

He held her hips down as he continued to devour her; she shuddered uncontrollably as the tumult built. She babbled and panted, begging him not to stop. Two of his fingers now stabbed inside her as he lifted his head slightly.

His wicked, knowing smile was brief before he lowered his head once more.

Eliza jerked helplessly as his tongue swept across her spread labia from bottom to top before settling again on her most sensitive spot, sucking lightly before lapping it over and over.

The air around her ears seemed to strangely buzz for a few beats as the delicious tension finally peaked—hovering, rippling, and then crashing over her in a dizzying rush of pleasure.

High-pitched cries and moans she couldn't contain streamed from her lips as Rockdale continued to use his fingers and mouth between her legs while she rode out the mind-bending climax.

And in that heart-shattering moment of time, Eliza suddenly gained an understanding of why all those men and women had flocked to this sinful gathering tonight. It became clear why seemingly good, decent girls ended up with ripe, rounded bellies before the union had been sanctioned in a church. She could finally see why marriages waxed and waned, why men sought mistresses, and why women took lovers on the sly.

She watched, panting desperately for air, as the large male who had wrought this destruction of mind and body upon her reared up between her splayed thighs.

He looked too handsome to be real—his hair rumpled and those bottomless, intense eyes intent upon her face as he crawled over her.

"William," she whispered in a broken voice.

"I know, sweetheart," he crooned, smoothing ringlets back from her damp face. "I know."

She felt shattered like a carelessly dropped teacup, her pieces fragmented and tossed about. Her defenses and her sense of self-possession had all been stripped away leaving her raw and trembling.