Lottery King 2, page 21
They all looked at me like they could hardly believe their luck to be in attendance at a party with their king.
“My King!” Lord Oba cheered, and he strode over to welcome us. “Welcome to my home!”
“This is a little get together?” I chuckled. “There’s got to be a few hundred people here.”
“I think there are more people than you had at your coronation,” Poppy giggled.
“This is exactly what I expect from one of Lord Oba’s parties,” Helena laughed.
“I would hate to bore our king with poor company.” The balding harpy grinned.
“I don’t think anyone here is poor,” I whispered to Poppy.
“Michael,” Poppy giggled and playfully slapped my bicep.
Lord Oba’s home was filled with a full buffet table and open bar in every large room on the first floor. There were golden statues that were incredibly lifelike, and I nearly shit myself when one of the fae statues moved.
“Holy shit,” I gasped as the petite fae shifted to a new pose.
I stepped closer and realized she was a real person. Her chest rose and fell gently as she held perfectly still in a beautiful and elegant pose with her arms raised above her head, and the only thing she wore was a thick layer of gold body paint.
“Do you like my living statues, your majesty?” Lord Oba asked with pride as he studied the gold-painted fae with me.
“They’re really cool,” I murmured.
“I hire them for all of my parties.” Lord Oba smirked. “I’m glad you like them. Come, let me introduce you to some of our guests.”
“Lead the way,” I murmured as I took one more look at the petite fae.
We spent the next hour and a half being shown around Lord Oba’s opulent mansion, and I was introduced to more Grecians than I could ever hope to remember. I spotted Lord Atlas in the crowd as well as the centaur twins from the chariot races. There were a few other faces I recalled seeing during my days here, but for the most part, the people passed as quickly as flipping through a deck of cards.
I found it difficult to concentrate on the people Lord Oba and Lady Helena introduced me to. My mind kept wandering back to the gorgon with white-and-red snakes.
I imagined Nyxx’s shadowy form darting through the darkness in hot pursuit of the tattooed gorgon, and I wondered if she’d managed to catch him, or if any of the other guards had discovered anything useful in the ancient aqueduct systems. There was a lingering current of tension and worry deep in my bones, and I knew it wouldn’t go away until the gorgon was caught.
I hoped he would turn out to be the leader of the radical group, but I wondered if we’d get that lucky. All I knew for sure was that my life, and by extension, Poppy’s and even Helena’s lives were in danger while he was out there. Firo and my other guards were also in danger, but I knew they’d known what they were getting themselves into when they took the job.
If something happened to Helena or Poppy because of their relationship with me, I would never be able to forgive myself. I wondered if coming to this party was wise, but I shook the idea away almost as soon as I had it.
Being surrounded by a bunch of witnesses was probably the safest place I could be tonight, and I knew the shadows of this mansion were crawling with my guards.
I sighed and told myself there was nothing I could do until Nyxx and the others came back with whatever news they had to share, so I forced my attention back to the casual chatter of Lord Oba, Helena, Poppy, and a female siren whose name I’d already forgotten.
“We were quite thrilled to hear the announcement of your engagement,” Lord Oba said, and his blue eyes zeroed in on Poppy’s diamond. “I didn’t expect you to find a bride so soon after your coronation.”
“Well, it’s clear his majesty has a keen eye,” the beautiful siren said as she toyed with her long ash-blonde hair. “King Michael is much too wise to let such a beauty escape him.”
“I feel very lucky,” Poppy murmured as her face flushed all the way up to her teal hair.
“Oh, no,” I laughed. “I’m definitely the lucky one here.”
“We are all lucky,” Lord Oba insisted with a wide grin. “A king without his queen consorts is a sad affair, and I can see his majesty intends to seek mates outside of his own species.”
“Well, he doesn’t have much choice in that matter, does he,” the ash-blonde siren scoffed, but the smile in her green eyes told me it was in jest. “It’s not as if he could choose a human bride.”
“Hmm, good point,” Lord Atlas chuckled.
“Perhaps your next choice will be a harpy, your majesty,” Lord Oba wondered in a vague tone, but his blue eyes shifted directly from my face to Lady Helena and back again.
“Perhaps,” Helena chuckled a bit stiffly. “There are many fine harpies to choose from.”
Lord Oba’s comments were anything but subtle, and I could almost feel the warmth of Lady Helena’s self-consciousness as it rolled off her body. I knew she was far too polite to say anything to Lord Oba, so I tried to come up with a new topic to divert the conversation away from her.
But Poppy handled the issue with all the poise and politeness of her role as my advisor.
“His majesty will dutifully fulfill all the roles of his position,” Poppy said, and then she redirected the balding harpy to the fascinating architecture of his home.
Lord Oba was soundly diverted to a lengthy speech about the arches and pillars in his home, and Helena gave my fae lover a grateful smile.
Poppy replied with a friendly smile and a little nod.
“You’re really good at this,” I murmured into Poppy’s pointed ear.
“At what?” my lover asked.
“Social situations with polite society,” I clarified, and I pressed a light kiss to the tender skin under her ear.
“Mmm,” Poppy hummed, and her eyes closed slowly as a rush of warmth spread over her body. “That was quite rude, your majesty.”
“Was it?” I teased.
“Yes.” Poppy smiled coyly at me. “I’m already struggling to contain myself this evening. Watching you race in that little toga earlier has had me on the edge of my sanity all day.”
“Oh, really?” I asked in a tone that was far calmer than the crash of arousal through my body.
“Mmhmm.” Poppy bit her bottom lip as she let her purple eyes rake over me.
“Can we escape this party?” I asked in a rough voice. “Or would our absence cause an absolute scandal?”
“I don’t fucking care,” Poppy whispered, and she gave me a look like she wanted to rip off my clothes and ride my cock right in the middle of this party.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Chapter 13
Blazing-hot arousal burned through my chest as Poppy looked at me with hungry impatience, and I scanned the room for our host. Lord Oba was deep in an explanation of the exact location his marble pillars had been harvested from, and I walked over to make our excuses.
“Lord Oba,” I cleared my throat. “It’s been a rather trying day for my fiancée, and I think I’d better take her home for some much-needed rest.”
“Of course, your majesty,” Lord Oba said. “It was a true honor to have you. I don’t know how long your business will keep you in Athens, but please, call upon me any time. You are always welcome in my home.”
“Thank you, Lord Oba,” I said. “It’s been a pleasure.”
“Lee,” Lord Oba called over a waiting servant. “Have his majesty’s car brought around for him.”
“Right away,” the servant said, and he disappeared in an instant.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” I said.
“And you, your majesty.” Lord Oba nodded politely, and then he returned to his audience to continue boasting about his home.
Lady Helena was waiting with Poppy in the foyer, and she looked a bit tense next to my horny little fae.
“I’m ready to go as well,” the Grecian harpy murmured as I approached.
“Let’s get out of here, then,” I said.
James was waiting for us right outside the door, and we climbed in as several party guests who’d come out to enjoy the fresh air waved good night to us.
Poppy sat straight upright in the car during the drive home, and she pressed her hands between her thighs like it was the only thing keeping her arousal in check. I was ninety percent consumed by the warmth of her body beside mine, but the tense line of Helena’s lips snared the rest of my attention. I wondered why she looked so upset, and I decided it was probably just the effects of a very busy day.
Once we returned to Lady Helena’s home, she lingered in the foyer, and she busied herself with trying to straighten a perfectly straight painting.
I was trying to decide if I should ask her if she was okay when Poppy traced one finger up the outside of my hip.
“Give me five minutes,” my lover whispered in my ear. “And then come find me.”
“Okay.” I smirked at the idea that she needed time to get ready.
Poppy smiled mischievously at me as she walked away, and I wondered what kind of surprise she had for me.
“Michael?” Helena murmured, and the tension in her voice drew all my attention to her.
The Grecian beauty knotted her fingers together in front of her as she chewed on her lip, and I waited patiently for her to speak. Her feathered wings bristled with anxious energy behind her, and she opened her mouth twice before she said anything.
“I wanted to apologize for Lord Oba’s comments,” Helena said in a rush. “What he said… it was way out of line, and–”
“You don’t need to apologize for that,” I assured her, and I took her hands in mine. “You didn’t say it, after all.”
“That’s true.” Helena’s tawny wings relaxed a bit at that.
“Did his comments upset you?” I asked, and I stroked my thumbs gently over her tense hands until they relaxed in mine.
Helena smiled ruefully at me, and she sighed.
“I cannot truthfully say they did,” the harpy admitted. “I was worried they’d upset you…”
I knew there was more Helena wanted to say, so I waited for a moment, but her lips remained sealed.
“And…?” I coaxed.
“It would be a great honor to be one of your brides,” Helena said in barely a whisper, and her cheeks flushed hard under her golden tan. “I think we have very agreeable personalities, and I quite enjoy spending time with you.”
“I enjoy our time together, too,” I murmured as warmth spread through my chest.
It felt really good to hear exactly what Helena thought, and hope bloomed in my heart at her words.
“I’ve also been very impressed by you,” Helena added in her usual bolder tone. “You have handled things so directly. I admire a ruler who is so… hands-on.”
I almost choked on myself as Helena’s caramel eyes drifted down to where our hands were locked together, and I wanted to run my fingers up into the long chocolate-colored waves of her hair. I wondered if the locks were as heavy as they looked.
“I believe Lady Poppy is waiting for you, your majesty,” Helena murmured in a playful tone as she gently tugged her hands out of my grasp. “I have no desire to become an interference between you and Poppy, and I think she would feel the same.”
“Uh…” I was nearly too stunned to form proper words.
“We can talk more tomorrow.” Helena smirked, and she waved her hands gently at me in a teasing shooing motion. “Go on.”
I stood there dumbly for a second as Helena silently appraised me with her eyes, and then I turned and wandered down the corridor in a fog.
My entire world had shifted off its axis again in the last five minutes, and I walked slowly as I tried to reorient myself. Helena was so gorgeous and strong, and I’d been entirely unsure about what she thought of me beyond the fact that I was her king. Now that she’d said the words out loud, my brain reeled with the possibilities of it all.
I’d spent the last month trying to adapt my perspective to the idea that I was expected to have many wives, but I hadn’t really allowed myself to consider the possibility of finding more than one woman to really love.
Yet, here I was.
“Fuck,” I scoffed to the empty corridor. “This is a dream, right? This whole thing is a fantasy. How can this be real life?”
I shook my head and tried to convince myself it was real for the millionth time since Cove had told me I was King of the Eternal Realm, but when I opened my bedroom door, I felt even more sure this was all a wet dream.
Poppy lounged diagonally across the bed in what I supposed could be defined as lingerie, but really it was just strips of fabric and little patches of lace that left nothing to the imagination. Her iridescent wings twitched with anticipation behind her.
“Fuuuuuck,” I groaned as I closed the door behind me.
“Do you like it?” Poppy asked as she played with a tiny bow at her hip.
The garment looked like it was held together by a hope and a prayer, and I knew I could tear it to shreds without much effort at all.
“I hope you didn’t spend too much money on it,” I teased. “Because it’s not going to survive what I’m planning on doing to it.”
“Oh, it was very expensive,” Poppy insisted with a devilish grin.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m stupidly rich,” I chuckled.
As I strode across the room, I shed my clothes and dropped them in a trail on the floor. By the time I got to where Poppy’s slender ankles were draped over the corner of the mattress, I was in nothing but my boxer briefs, but I was still more covered than my fae lover.
Poppy bit down on her bottom lip as she rolled onto her back, and she leaned forward enough to adjust her wings flat behind her back.
I crawled up onto my knees beside her toned legs, wrapped one hand around her right ankle, and slowly pulled her legs apart to make room for myself. Then my fingers traced feather-light touches up the inside of her calves, knees, and thighs until Poppy shuddered with arousal beneath me.
“Michaaeel,” Poppy sighed, and her voice was thick with desire. “I’ve wanted your hands on me all day.”
I smirked as I pulled my hands away from her heated skin, and Poppy’s purple eyes popped open with an accusatory look.
“Heeeeey,” Poppy whined, and she started to sit up and reach for me.
“Nope!” I popped my lips around the word as I held up one authoritative finger. “You naughty girl.”
Poppy’s pouty lips fell open with shock, but she stilled on the bed.
“I have plans for you tonight, baby,” I said, and I let all the desire in my body drag my voice down to a deep rasping sound. “You’re going to be a good girl, or you aren’t going to get what you want. Is that clear?”
“Oooh,” Poppy cooed, and a sly smile spread across her face. “Yes, your majesty. Please, tell me what you want me to do.”
“I want you wet and aching for me,” I murmured.
“Mmmm,” Poppy mewled, and she struggled to remain still.
“I want your pussy dripping wet before I even lay a finger on you,” I continued.
“Aaahhh,” Poppy moaned, and her thighs pressed together.
“And then,” I continued. “When you’re so desperate for my cock, when you feel like you can’t wait another second, that’s when I’ll fuck you.”
“Fuuuuck,” Poppy groaned, and she ground the back of her head into the mattress.
A smug smirk stretched across my face, and I finally slid my fingers back around Poppy’s slender ankles. I spread her legs wide on the bed, and I was delighted to find the barely-there crotch of her lingerie was already soaked.
A rush of hot arousal coursed through my body, and if I hadn’t been standing right beside the mattress, my knees might have given out from the force of it. I swallowed hard against the heat, and I let the very tips of my fingers dance up the insides of Poppy’s thighs.
“Uuuuggghh,” Poppy groaned with frustration and pleasure, and she locked all of her muscles in place to keep from moving.
I wandered as slowly as I could manage up the insides of her legs for several minutes before I finally skipped right over her slick heat and caressed my palm over the smooth plane of her stomach.
“Michaaaeeeel,” Poppy whined.
“Oh, did you want me to stop?” I teased, and I lifted my hand to just above her skin.
“No!” Poppy shouted, and she lifted her head to stare directly into my eyes. “Please, don’t stop.”
I just raised my eyebrows at her lifted head and waited until she laid back down on the mattress. Then I moved my hands up to cup her full breasts, and I purposefully avoided the tight peaks of her nipples as I fondled her curves. It could have been just a few minutes that I spent torturing Poppy with the gentlest touches I could manage, but time seemed to lose all meaning.
When her chest rose and fell in shuddering gasps, and every inch of her creamy skin had turned pink with desire, I finally pinched Poppy’s nipples between my fingers. Then, in a rush, I skidded my right hand down and traced my middle finger over the soaked crotch of her lingerie.
“Fuuuuuck! Yeeeeessss!” Poppy cried out.
“Do you like that?” I chuckled as I gave her hot folds another gentle caress.
“Yeeeeeesssssss,” Poppy mewled, and she tilted her hips up into my hand. “I dooooooo.”
I removed my hand while she was still dragging out her answer, and I rose over the length of her body in a firm plank. My chest hovered just an inch above hers, and the tips of her nipples pushed through the lace of her lingerie as she sucked in a deep breath.
Her purple eyes burned with desire, but she stayed right where she was.
“I’m so fucking hard for you.” I lowered my hips to brush my erection against the slick heat of her pussy.
“Fuck!” Poppy gasped hard.
She remained obediently still, so I rewarded us both with another thrust through the cotton of my boxer briefs and the lace of her lingerie. I felt my self-control start to crack and crumble in my iron grip, and I leaned my head down to capture her lips with mine.
