French Kiss

Pip Bernadette, Alucard, and Sir Hellsing all belong to Kohta Hirano. No copyright infringement intended.


FRENCH KISS

Maya stood behind her desk, trying to make sense out of the latest pile of travel and hotel receipts. As usual, Sir Hellsing was meticulous in her accounting. Capt. Bernadette managed to turn in most of his paperwork, smudged and marked with coffee and/or beer stains. As for Alucard, if Sir Hellsing hadn't commanded him to keep all those annoying scraps of paper, he wouldn't have bothered with any of it.

The office door opened. Capt. Bernadette swaggered in, attired in his usual bomber jacket, fatigue pants, and combat boots. No hat today, which allowed the improbably red-orange blaze of his hair to show. His braid, draped once around his neck, hung down over his shoulder with the end brushing his hip. The braid never ceased to amaze Maya. Such a liability in combat, such a feminine touch on so obviously Alpha a male. Capt. Bernadette had an eye patch, more like a pirate than a soldier, and that apparently permanent sticking plaster across the bridge of his nose. Had Maya not been well aware of his combat qualifications, she would have found it almost impossible to think of Capt. Bernadette as anything more than an overgrown schoolboy who liked to play armies.

“Good morning, Captain,” Maya said. “May I be of assistance?”

Capt. Bernadette looked around, saw the office was empty but for the two of them, and smiled. He took in every detail of her appearance, from the two plain black barrettes that kept her long dark hair back from its side part to the ivory silk of her blouse and the modest cut of her gray pinstriped suit, then moved across the space between them and put his left hand flat on the desk, leaning toward her.

“I waz 'oping you might let me take you out to dinner zis evening.”

Maya glanced up from her paperwork and met his stare. His good eye was sky blue. As always, she was tempted to ask about the eye patch, and, as always, she let the temptation pass. It had been her experience that men such as Capt. Bernadette didn't welcome questions. Still, there was that smile. Capt. Bernadette was a handsome man, in the manner of a beat-up tom cat.

“That's very kind of you, Captain,” she said. “I'm afraid Sir Hellsing has been working late these days, getting everything in order for the next operation.”

“Surely you must take time to eat.” He brushed back the few strands of Maya's long dark hair that had slipped forward over her shoulder. “And perhaps a little time away from zis madhouse.”

Maya laughed politely. “You're so considerate, Captain. I do appreciate it.”

He straightened up from leaning on the desk and turned so he faced her fully. They were still the same distance apart, but he felt closer, the air between them charged with greater intimacy.

“I could fetch somezing from a takeaway, if you like.” He spoke softly, adding to the feeling of closeness. “We could eat while you work. Sir Hellsing must allow you zat much freedom.”

Now Maya gave him a genuine smile. He was trying so hard. She did deserve some kind of relief for meeting Sir Hellsing's demands about keeping to the timetable on the preparation of ground support.

“That sounds perfect,” she said. “Shall we say seven o'clock? Here in the office.”

Capt. Bernadette put his right arm around her shoulders, sinking his fingers into her long hair. His grip tightened. Maya's heart began to pound. She wondered if he was about to pull her into a kiss. A slight smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. He released her hair and smoothed it down the length of her back, letting his hand brush lightly over her bottom.

"Get your hands off her, soldier boy!"

Alucard materialized through the south wall. He was as imperious and splendid as usual in his black suit, greatcoat, sunglasses and gloves. His shaggy black hair billowed and streamed in that phantom breeze that blew in from nowhere.

"Good morning, sir," Maya said. "There's no need to worry."

"What do you want here, soldier boy?"

Before Capt. Bernadette could reply, Maya stepped forward, hoping to avert a confrontation. "Capt. Bernadette and I were just making dinner plans."

"Were you indeed." Alucard scowled, storming over to the desk where he managed to insert himself between Maya and Capt. Bernadette. "Allow me to rephrase. Keep you hands off the lady. She's mine."

"But--" Capt. Bernadette frowned, craning his neck to look past Alucard's shoulder at Maya. "You said you're not a vampire!"

"I'm not." Maya sighed inwardly. Alucard's possessiveness and jealousy were tiresome.

As if reading her thoughts, Alucard drew Maya to him, enfolding her in one side of his greatcoat. Maya shivered. There was no warmth to Alucard's undead body. No heart beat, no blood flowed.

"Gentlemen." Maya politely but firmly got out of Alucard's grip. "While I appreciate this show of competitive admiration, I have work to do and deadlines to meet."

Capt. Bernadette watched all this with a wary look. "So you are not a vampire. Why zen does Alucard act like you belong to him?"

"I like her, you oaf." Alucard reached for Maya, but she sidestepped his hand.

"Please, sir. This is neither the time nor the place. Sir Hellsing could walk in at any moment." Maya looked up at Alucard with a tight, insincere smile. "I think you'll agree the last thing either of us needs is another lecture on propriety."

Alucard grinned, baring a plenitude of fangs. "She's worried you'll fall under my spell and beg me to make you my bride."

"Really, sir." Maya glanced past Alucard to see Capt. Bernadette's expression darken. "That's an honor I couldn't hope to aspire to."

Capt. Bernadette's vexation vanishing into a grin as he picked up on the slight edge of sarcasm in her words. Maya let one eyelid fall.

"I suppose I should thank Sir Hellsing. When she forbade you to kiss me, she was only protecting me against my own weakness."

Alucard slouched, looking sullen. "The woman is a dedicated killjoy."

Capt. Bernadette seized the moment and Maya's wrist, drawing her away from Alucard. "Well zen. If zere is kissing to be done, I volunteer!"

He turned, pulling Maya with him, moving in a smooth circle that took them out of Alucard's immediate reach and ended with Maya between them. Capt. Bernadette might enjoy twitting Alucard now and then, but he'd never be stupid enough to turn his back on the vampire while provoking his temper. All practical thoughts vanished as Capt. Bernadette's free hand slid around her waist, bringing Maya up against his lean, hard figure. He released her wrist to sink his fingers into the wealth of her dark hair just at the base of her neck.

Maya had one moment to register the wicked gleam in Capt. Bernadette's good eye. Then his lips touched hers, soft at first, exploring the shape of her lips. Maya's hands settled on his shoulders, her fingertips brushing the coil of that amazing braid. Much to her surprise, Capt. Bernadette's blazing hair was silky soft, suggesting better grooming habits than she might have suspected in the leader of the Britannica Cowboys. As the wet heat of Capt. Bernadette's tongue caressed her lips, Maya found herself thinking about lying in bed with him, her hands bound over her head with the length of his beautiful braid, holding her captive while he made love to her. That thought was so powerful it sent a jolt of heat shooting through her, making her nipples hard and rousing an ache deep inside her softest places. Her sudden yearning drove her to moan against his lips.

The fingers that wove through her hair, caressing it, curled inward, taking a gentle but firm grip that held her still while Capt. Bernadette's mouth opened over hers. His tongue thrust between her lips, sending another rush of heat through her body that turned the ache into a hunger. Their tongues danced and dueled. Maya caught his tongue with hers, curling her tongue around it, then sucking at it. That brought an answering growl rumbling up from deep within Capt. Bernadette's chest.

"Enough!"

Alucard pulled them apart, giving Capt. Bernadette a shove that sent him stumbling backward. Alucard turned on Maya, reaching up to pull off his sunglasses and toss them onto her desk. She recognized the first flickers of his power, the ruby glitters on his eyes that meant he was about to actively exert his ability to fascinate and enthrall. She flung up her arm, shielding her eyes with her forearm.

"No! Please, sir. No!"

Those long fingers, each one stronger than steel, curled around her forearm and dragged Maya to him. Now Alucard's arm wrapped around her while his other hand settled on the top of her head, then slid down the length of her hair, smoothing it over and over again in a rhythm Maya might almost have found hypnotic if she wasn't already so alert for Alucard's next move. Just when her taut muscles started to shake from the strain, Alucard's fingers sank into her hair, gripping it tight and pulling her head back to bare her throat to him. Now genuine fear spiked Maya's blood with adrenalin.

"Captain!" she cried. "Fetch Sir Hellsing! Get Walter! Stop him before he bites me!"

"Fiend!" Capt. Bernadette roared. "You were forbidden by your master to do harm to any woman who took shelter under zis roof!"

Maya knew the sound of Capt. Bernadette's voice coming closer meant the fool had some mad idea of attacking Alucard in her defense. Alucard released her hair, turned, and thrust out his arm, catching a fistful of the front of Capt. Bernadette's bomber jacket and hoisting the mercenary up into the air, leaving his feet dangling.

"Shut up, soldier boy. I have no intention of harming her. Now go away!"

He brought his arm back, then threw Capt. Bernadette across the room. Capt. Bernadette hit the wall beside the door and slid down it. Maya was amazed to see him stagger right back up onto his feet, giving his head one hard shake before he came on again.

"Captain! Do as I said! Go get help!"

"By all means," Alucard said. "Then perhaps I can finally have a moment or two alone with you."

"But Maya--" Capt. Bernadette stood, fists clenched, scowling. "I cannot abandon you to him!"

"Very gallant," Maya snapped. "Don't you realize your presence may provoke Alucard beyond the lengths he normally goes to when practicing his twisted form of flirtation? Get out!"

"So perceptive." Alucard laughed. "I do love a woman who is both intelligent and attractive."

Maya glared up at him. "I don't know what you're playing at, sir, but you'd do well to release me right now."

"Oh hush, girl." Alucard stroked her hair again, smiling down at her. "I may be forbidden to kiss you, but Integra said nothing about my tongue."

Alucard bent his head and licked a slow path from Maya's collarbone all the way up to her temple. Cold, Alucard was so cold, but it was a cold that burned, the fire stinging her skin, sinking through into her blood, mingling with the need roused by Capt. Bernadette's kiss.

"Shall I strip you, lovely one?" Alucard murmured against her throat. "Shall I bare your breasts and tease your nipples until you beg me for greater pleasures?"

Maya cried out, a worldess plea made up of hunger and fear and raging desire. Too long. It had been too long since her body had drowned itself in the river of bliss Alucard offered her. She'd love to be ravished, to be seduced and plundered and left a wrung out, gasping wreck. Even as her traitorous muscles began to relax, to stop straining against Alucard's grip, Sir Hellsing's warnings came back to mind. Alucard would lead Maya to the brink of destruction, then make her beg him to throw her off the cliff, something he would be only too happy to do.

"Alucard." Maya summoned the Voice, her best approximation of Sir Hellsing's most furious, merciless tone. "You will abide by both the letter and the spirit of Sir Hellsing's orders. You will not attempt to mesmerize or by any other method seduce me and lead me to seek out my own destruction."

Alucard raised his head from Maya's throat, looking down at her with a mixture of scorn and disappointment.

"Fool. You insist on playing it safe even thought your very soul cries out for liberation."

"Your idea of liberation and my idea of it are not the same. Now put me down!"

Alucard released Maya, and not a second too soon. The door opened to admit Sir Hellsing, who stormed in and stood behind her own desk, glaring out the window for a long moment. Maya took that opportunity to move away from Alucard, putting her desk between the two of them.

Sir Hellsing turned to regard the three people facing her. "Well. This is nothing short of a miracle. All three of you here, on time. Let's get to it. The Council is pressing me for a detailed plan of attack."

Maya handed out the briefing sheets, avoiding Alucard's red glare, meeting Capt. Bernadette's inquiring gaze. Maya let her notepad slip out of her grasp and hit the floor beside Capt. Bernadette's chair. He reached for it just as she bent to retrieve it.

"Thai food, please," she whispered.

"Seven o'clock," he replied, his good eye closing in a roguish wink.

***

At half past six, Maya stood in the private lavatory that was part of her office suite, brushing out her hair. She still wore her daytime business suit. Sir Hellsing might well have allowed her the liberty of going upstairs to change into more casual attire once the official workday had ended, but that was one of those privileges Maya didn't want to ask for until she really needed it. Besides, it was probably good strategy to maintain the formality of her business clothing in the context of her office. Capt. Bernadette had more than business on his mind, that was clear from both his surprise visit today and the intensity of the kiss they'd shared.

With that in mind, Maya repaired her makeup, which meant little more than applying a bit more rouge and a fresh coat of the more or less transparent lip gloss she preferred. The stuff wore off quickly, but it performed its main function of preventing chapped lips and giving her a more polished, "made up" appearance.

At ten minutes to seven Maya heard footsteps out in the corridor. A thump and a clatter, followed by cursing in at least three different languages, made her smile. She opened the door to see Pip down on one knee, gathering up a spilled armload of paper bags and one plastic bag from a local grocery store.

"Need a hand?" she asked.

"Zis was not ze entrance I 'ad 'oped to make." Capt. Bernadette scooped up the paper bags. When Maya reached for the plastic bag, he stepped in her way. "Non, zat one is ze 'eaviest of all. Let me put zis down and I will bring it."

Maya had cleared off her desk and done what she could to make it more comfortable as a dinner table. Her desk chair sat in its usual place. She'd drawn up Sir Hellsing's imposing chair on the other side. When Capt. Bernadette set the paper bags down, Maya started going through them, looking for napkins and plastic eating utensils.

"Good lord, man, how much food did you get?"

Capt. Bernadette set the plastic grocery bag down on the desk. "I was not certain what you might prefer, so I thought it best to bring zome of everyzing."

He started pulling bottles and cans out of the plastic bag, lining them up in ranks by height. Bottled water, beer, soda, tea, coffee.... Maya laughed.

"You are thorough, Captain, I must say that."

Capt. Bernadette froze with a can of Coca-Cola in his hand. "Zat is the first time I 'ave ever 'eard you laugh." He smiled. "Very pretty. Just like ze rest of you."

"Thank you, Captain. What a sweet thing to say."

"'ave you a vase?"

"I think so. How big?"

Capt. Bernadette shrugged. "Not very. A water glass would do."

Maya poked around in the cabinets until she found a slender vase left over from some congratulatory flower arrangement sent to Sir Hellsing. She filled it with water from the tap in the lavatory.

"Will this do?"

"Perfect." Capt. Bernadette reached inside his bomber jacket and pulled out a nosegay of tiny pink rosebuds. The stems were just long enough to keep the blossoms from toppling out of the vase. He presented the arrangement to her. "I 'ope you like pink. White is so cold, yellow is for whores, and dark red, well...."

"Indeed."

There was no need for him to finish that thought. Working side by side with the most ancient and deadly of vampires had made both of them all too aware of the color of blood.

"It's lovely, Captain." Maya took the vase from his hands and set it down in the middle of her desk, lending a slightly more festive touch to the improvised dinner table. She brushed a light kiss across his cheek. "Thank you so much."

They drew up their chairs and waded into the feast Capt. Bernadette had provided, filling the paper plates Maya had brought up from the kitchen earlier. Soon the air was heavy with the scents of cardamom and saffron, mint and curry. Habit led Maya to reach for bottled water, but that wouldn't combat the sting of the curry. What she needed was a shandy, or a black and tan. She settled for a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale, then cast about for a church key with which to open it.

"'Ere," Capt. Bernadette said. "Allow me." He took the bottle from her hand, produced a keyring from his hip pocket that sported an amazing number of gadgets, selected the bottle opener, and popped the cap off the bottle.

"Thank you." Maya took the bottle back and downed a long swallow, sighing with pleasure as beer put out some of the fire in her throat. She looked up to see Capt. Bernadette watching her with an expression somewhere between amusement and naked lust. "Yes? Was there something?"

"I would not 'ave guessed a lady of your background would drink beer straight from ze bottle."

"What do you know about my background, Captain?"

Capt. Bernadette chewed another mouthful of tandoori, downed a swallow of his own Guiness, then sat back with a smile. "Cambridge. British Army. Transferred to MI5. Transferred to 'ellsing Foundation two months ago. Black belt in jiujitsu. Sharpshooter. Strong talents for breaking and entering, picking locks, and generally gaining access where access is denied."

"You read my file."

Capt. Bernadette shook his head. "I just asked Walter." He drank more beer. "'E likes you."

"Does he? I can't imagine why."

"Can't you? 'E's a man, no matter 'ow much time 'e spends in zat kitchen."

Maya smiled. Aware of Capt. Bernadette's warm gaze, she put her mind to finishing what was on her plate. There were still at least three takeaway boxes she hadn't even opened yet.

"I don't know what we're going to do with all this food."

"Ze Geese will eat it."

For a moment Maya was at a loss, then she recalled the other name for Capt. Bernadette's mercenary unit, the Wild Geese. "They won't mind leftovers?"

A silent laugh shook those broad shoulders. "Not at all. We are mercenaries. We've eaten far worse zan zis and been satisfied."

"I suppose, in some of the places you've served, beggars couldn't be choosers."

"We Geese are not picky eaters." His expression darkened. "Not like some people."

Maya could tell Capt. Bernadette was thinking about Alucard. She cast about for something to say that would bring the smile back to his face.

"Well. We needn't worry about any unwelcome intrusions this evening."

"Non?"

"Mais non," she replied. "After the meeting today, I suggested to Sir Hellsing that it really would be a good idea to make sure the perimeters of our northern installation were as secure as we believe. Who better to test them than the one person on staff against whom the defenses were designed to work?"

Capt. Bernadette set his empty bottle aside and sat forward. "You are telling me you talked Sir Hellsing into sending Alucard all ze way to Scotland?"

"Not quite that far away. He'll be back by sunrise."

"But you did get her to send him away. At least for ze evening."

"Yes."

Capt. Bernadette put one hand to his cheek and fluttered his eyelashes, speaking in a sing-song voice. "Why Mademoiselle LaSalle! Whatever could you have been zinking to do such a terrible zing to poor Monsieur Alucard?"

Maya wanted to laugh, but it died on her lips. "Perhaps I simply wanted to sleep one night in peace. Especially after that show he put on today."

She shuddered, feeling suddenly cold, and closed her eyes, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Strong hands lifted her up out of her seat. Strong arms wrapped around her, holding her against a warm body. Capt. Bernadette kissed her temple.

"'E is gone. You 'ave seen to zat. Do not distress yourself."

For a moment, one precious moment, Maya let herself lean on him. It had been years since she'd felt such intense fear and such all-consuming desire. Alucard had made her feel both, and at the same time. Capt. Bernadette was an attractive man but at that moment it was his normality Maya clung to as much as his other charms.

"Peace, ma belle," Capt. Bernadette whispered against her hair. "You are safe. I will keep you safe."

"Captain...."

"Maya." He leaned back and gripped her chin, making her look up at him. "Will you not call me by my name?"

"Pip."

"C'est bon. I 'ad begun to zink you 'ad forgotten it."

Maya shook her head. "How could I ever forget such a name?" She trailed her fingers along the length of his fiery braid. "Or such a man?"

Pip's mouth claimed hers in a kiss that left her hot and aching, her fingers curled into the warm leather of his bomber jacket. Beer and curry and the taste of those peculiar cigarettes he smoked and something else, the taste of him alone, all blended together into an intensely masculine flavor that woke the fires within her, making them blaze up even more brightly that before. She let go of his jacket to trail her fingers down his braid, coiling it around her hand. When the pounding of her heart threatened to drown out all other noise in the universe, Maya pulled back, only to feel the heat of Pip's mouth on her throat.

"I had a thought today," she whispered. "A most intriguing thought. About your braid."

That was enough to make him raise his head. "My braid?"

She nodded. "When you kissed me earlier, a thoroughly wicked kiss that should never have happened in broad daylight in this office."

Pip grinned. "Tell me what you zought about my braid."

"I thought about the two of us, lying naked in your bed. My hands were tied above my head, bound to the headboard by your long, silky, red-gold braid."

Pip groaned. His hands slid up into her hair, holding her still while his tongue plundered her mouth again and again. One hand slid down to caress her breast, toying with the stiff bud of her nipple. She moaned into his mouth, a long low hoarse sound of need. He answered her, pushing her suit jacket off her shoulders, letting his own jacket fall. She tore her mouth from his.

"Not here."

"Give me your key."

"Key?"

"To zis office. Give it to me."

Maya opened her desk drawer and pulled out the key she kept on its own ring. Pip grabbed his jacket. Taking her by the hand, he pulled her along with him out the door.

"Where are we going?"

"One stop, and ze night is ours."

He led her through the silent hallways, up to the residential floor, to the southern wing where the Wild Geese were housed. He stopped before a particular door and pushed her against the wall.

"Stay right zere," he said. "Do not make a sound."

She nodded her understanding. Pip rapped a code on the door, which opened almost immediately.

"Take zis," he said, handing over the key. "Clean up. Ze food and drink are yours. Touch nozing else."

"Oui, mon Capitaine."

"I am out for ze evening."

"Oui, mon Capitaine."

Pip stepped back, the door closed, and he held out his hand to Maya. "Now we are free."

She took his hand and followed him as he led her to another door which he opened with his own key. Once inside, she had no time to get her bearings. The door slammed shut. Pip pushed her up against it, his mouth hot and wild on hers as his hands tugged at her blouse, pulling it up out of her skirt while grappling with the buttons. Maya returned the favor, slipping one hand down the front of his shirt, making the buttons give way before her agile fingers. One of her buttons snapped free, making a curse hiss out between Pip's clenched teeth.

"I want to do zis right," Pip breathed against her ear, "to do it properly."

Maya freed the buttons at her cuffs, then let the blouse slide off her shoulders and down her arms. "To do this properly, mon cher Capitaine, you must be naked, don't you agree?"

"I could not agree more."

"Then take me to your bed, where we can be naked together."

"Ah, Maya...."

Pip's arms closed around her. He kissed her, so long and so deep he might have meant to coax her soul out through her lips. At last she had to push him back, then take him by the hand and lead him onward. His suite was much like her own in terms of layout. She'd half expected a typical bacherlor's mess, but Pip's rooms were neat to the point of being Spartan. The double bed looked to have been made with such ruthless military precision she might well have been able to bounce a quarter on the blanket.

Pip pulled his hand from hers and stripped away both his shirt and the white tank top he wore underneath. Maya reached for him, longing to run her hands up over the hard muscles now revealed beneath the mat of fine, crisp hair that covered the fair skin of his chest. With his left hand Pip caught her right wrist and spun her around, pulling her back against him. He brushed her hair forward over her left shoulder and attacked her neck with sweet, nibbling kisses while his hands covered her breasts. Rubbing, squeezing, caressing, his fingertips toyed with the lace edging the cups of her bra. Maya let her head fall back against his shoulder. She caught his braid and drew the end of it across her skin, over her breasts and up the side of her neck, along her cheek and lips.

"Do you fancy my 'air so much, ma belle?"

"Mais oui, mon Capitaine. Tell me, is everything you have as long and as thick as this?"

Pip choked out a laugh. "'ussy! You'll make me blush!"

"Oh, I hope so." She ran her hand up his thigh, up to the hard bulge waiting there. "In fact, I think I already have."

"Easy, ma belle. Keep provoking me like zat and I might forget to take my time."

"Good." Maya turned her head to look him in the eye. "Suppose I want it fast and hard and wild." She rubbed the heel of her hand against him, making him suck in a breath then let it out with another strangled curse. "Will you make me wait, mon Capitaine? Will you hold back until you have me begging you to give me what I want?"

Pip closed strong fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand away, pressing a wet kiss to her palm. "What a choice to make, ma belle. Either way, I could die a 'appy man."

With her free hand, Maya unzipped her skirt and let it fall.

"Sacre Dieu!"

Maya slipped her wrist from Pip's slackened grasp and turned to face him. He stared at her legs, now revealed in sheer black stockings that went only halfway up her thighs. There they met the fastenings of the garter belt trimmed in black lace and tiny pink rosebuds.

"I hope you approve, mon Capitaine. I'm afraid I don't care for pantyhose. Much too constricting."

Pip's mouth moved, but no sound came out. He reached out to run one long forefinger down the side of her bare thigh. "I zink, ma belle, zere is somezing missing...."

"Oh no! Whatever could it be?"

Pip sank to his knees before her, his hands sliding up the backs of her thighs to her bottom, holding her lightly even as he moved both of them back the last few feet to the foot of the bed. When Maya felt the blanket touch the backs of her knees, she kept her balance and stood still.

"Captain?" she asked. "Please, do tell me if there's something I've forgotten."

"Minx. You know very well what you 'ave forgotten."

Maya trailed her fingers down her belly to the little cluster of rosebuds in front of the garter belt. "You can see now why I was so pleased with your choice when you gave me those lovely little roses earlier...."

Pip moved her hand aside and kissed the ribbon rosebuds.

"I do like things to match," she said.

"Vraiment? Where then are the panties that match your lovely brassiere?"

Maya opened her eyes wide, her mouth an "o" of surprise. "I was so busy with my stockings and garters, I must have forgotten them!"

Pip looked up at her, shaking his head. "You are not one to forget any detail, ma belle. Shall I tell you what you really did?"

"By all means."

"After you and I made our plans for ze evening, you went up to your room and you took off your panties. You wanted to spend ze rest of ze day knowing zat under your proper business suit, you were naked."

He placed one fingertip on the little rosebuds, then let it slip down to touch the dark curls clustered between her thighs. Maya gasped. Her hands came down on his shoulders to brace herself.

"Now I wish I had come back sooner," Pip said, watching her, "so I could have bent your over your desk and pulled up your skirt and--"

"Pip!" Maya cried. "Just do it!"

Pip put the flat of his hand on her belly and gave her a firm push backward. Maya's legs hit the bed and she fell, landing on her back. Pip caught her knees up over his shoulders, grasped her hips, and pulled her down the bed to him. Before she could struggle up onto her elbows to see what he was doing, his thumbs pressed against her most sensitive skin, spreading her, opening her to him. His hot breath warmed her skin just before he licked straight up through her wetness, his tongue lingering on that perfect spot. The rush of sensation swept over her, making her back arch. She spread her thighs wider, the burning ache inside her soothed only a little by the wet velvet of Pip's tongue gliding up between her inner lips again and again.

"Pip." She gasped out his name between harsh panting breaths. "Please, please...."

"Now what could you be wanting, ma belle fleur?" He flicked his tongue at that perfect spot again, making her jerk in his grasp. "Ah, certainement, it becomes clear now."

He pressed his lips to that spot, teasing her with the slight pressure of his teeth. Maya thrashed against his grip. She reached down and managed to catch hold of part of his braid. She ran it through her fingers until she reached the end, then she began winding the bright, silky length of it around her fist. Pip stared up at her, a wicked gleam in his good eye. Soon the loop of his braid still wrapped around his throat tightened.

"I am not to be trifled with, mon Capitaine." Maya tugged on the braid. "You tease me at your peril."

"Are you so dangerous, mademoiselle?"

Maya grinned. "Try me."

"Oh, I shall, ma belle. I shall." Pip planted another wet kiss right where she felt it the most. "But first, I want to spend a bit more time polishing zis pretty pink pearl I 'ave discovered."

With that Pip set to work, determined to drive Maya right out of her mind. One long, callused finger slid up inside her, then two, pumping in and out of her in rhythm with the frantic movement of her hips. As good as his word, Pip lavished attention on that "pink pearl," licking and sucking and even biting it. At last all the heat scalding her inside and out gathered into a hot, tight knot low in her belly. Maya dropped Pip's braid only to snatch up the end of it, biting down on a length of his bright red hair while her head fell back and her climax burst out of her in a howl of absolute bliss.

Through the haze of pleasure Maya watched Pip stand and kick off his boots, then free himself of his trousers and briefs. He knelt on the bed between her thighs and moved upward, sliding one arm around her ribs to lift her up and carry her with him as he brought both of them up to rest on the pillows at the head of the bed.

"Still with me, ma belle?"

"Uhm hmmm."

Pip laughed. "Trés bien. I would 'ate to zink a few kisses would leave you 'elpless in my arms."

Maya reached up to catch hold of his braid just at the base of his neck and pull him down to her. It was her turn to put a liplock on him that had him growling.

"Now that we've finished the warm-up and stretching," she said, "shall we move on to the real workout?"

"Are you ready, ma belle?"

Maya rolled sideways and hooked one leg around his waist. With his help, she shifted her weight and rolled back, pulling him over on top of her. Pip moved, sliding down her body just enough to put him right where he needed to be. He slid his hands from her bottom to her knees, pulling her thighs up around his waist. Staring down at her bra, he touched a fingertip to the cluster of pale pink roses nestled between her breasts.

"I meant to take zis off sooner." He wrapped his arms around her, clearly meaning to sit her up. "Ah well, a moment's time and--"

"Wait." Maya curled her fingers under the edge of the bottom of the bra on both sides of the rosebuds. A quick twist and the bra opened.

"C'est merveilleux!" Pip laughed. "Is there no end to the surprises in your lingerie, ma belle?"

Maya smiled. "If you really want the answer, mon Capitaine, I suggest you take the question to a deeper level." She flexed her hips, making him feel her wet heat against the hard strength of his arousal.

"Your wish is my command."

Pip reached down to rub the head of his manhood against her, teasing that pink pearl again until Maya was panting and tossing her head from side to side. Pushing into her just enough to keep himself inside her, Pip slid both hands under her shoulders. He let his full weight come down on her, pinning her beneath him.

"Maya."

She looked up at him, her dark eyes smoky with need. Pip kissed her, slow and sweet and hot. Maya's arms came up to wrap around his shoulders. Her ankles locked against his lower back. Pip broke the kiss to stare down at her.

"And now," he whispered, "I make you mine."

His hips flexed, bearing down, pushing into her. Maya cried out, arching up against him. Pip withdrew, then pushed farther in, moving back and forth until he could sink all the way into her in one smooth hard thrust. He kissed her, his tongue ravishing her mouth in rhythm with his thrusts. Maya hung on, moving her hips in a circle that brought her hard up against him each time he plunged into her.

"Maya," he breathed against her ear. "Oh, ma belle. So many nights I 'ave dreamed of you...."

Maya's hand slipped from his shoulder to her breast. She kneaded it, forcing her hard nipple to jut up even farther.

"Here, Pip, please--" She could barely speak for gasping, dragging in breath after ragged breath as his weight came down on her again and again. It was heaven, sheer raging Paradise. "Suck my nipple...."

Pip bent his head to her breast, suckling hard, lashing her nipple with his tongue. The new rush of sensation left Maya crying out, her head thrashing from side to side.

"Mon Dieu, such beauty." Pip held still for a moment, buried in Maya to the hilt. "Give me your hands."

Maya blinked up at him, lost in the moment and devastated at the interruption. "What?"

"Your hands. Put your hands together and give them to me."

Maya obeyed. She pressed her palms together and held her hands up to Pip. With a wicked smile he unwound his braid from around his neck, then coiled it around her wrists, tying it off with a sharp tug.

"Now," he said. "I 'ave made your dream of me come true. You are my prisoner, ma belle, bound by ze rope of my 'air, pinned to my bed with ze finest sword I own."

Maya lifted up her arms to lay them around Pip's neck. "I'm yours, mon chevalier d'amour. You are my stallion and I am your mare. Ride me hard, mon seigneur."

With every word she spoke, Pip's breathing grew harsher. Now he sealed her mouth with his as his hips slammed into hers, carrying them both away until their voices rose together, his hoarse groans and her wild cries of bliss.

END


GLOSSARY:

Certainement -- Certainly

C'est bon – It's good

C'est merveilleux – It's marvelous

Ma belle – My beauty

Ma belle fleur – My pretty flower

Mais non – No, more strongly

Mais oui – Yes, more strongly

Mon Capitaine – My Captain

Mon chevalier d'amour – My knight of love

Mon Dieu – My God

Non – No

Oui – Yes

Sacre Dieu – Sacred God. An exclamation

Trés bien – Very good

Vraiment – Truly