Chapter 19 #2
But regardless of her fears and her disgust, she had to act as if she were as aroused as he was.
“I’m sure you will be able to see to my needs. But let me take care of you first, my lord. I want to make you feel good tonight. Since I’ve been allowed to indulge my whim, I will not have you remembering me as a less-than-adequate conquest.”
As he was already naked and aroused, she feared for a moment that he would eschew what she had planned and simply pin her to the bed, but to her relief, he seemed happy to go along with the seduction.
Smiling, she poured them both a cup from the jug of wine she had brought along with her.
It had not only been heavily laced with sleeping potion but also topped up with strong mead, creating what she hoped to be a combination strong enough to render him helpless.
He emptied his cup in one gulp, as she’d hoped, while she pretended to sip at hers.
The first part of the plan was accomplished.
Now, in order to give the potion time to take effect, she had to do everything she could to delay touching him. She started with a simple question.
“Am I the first Welsh woman you will have, then?”
She was reminded of what the man in the woods had told her about not having had a lady before. It seemed that men always found something to justify their lust.
“Yes. I have heard much about your countrymen’s wild and untamed ways. I’m curious to see if this goes for women as well.”
Gwenllian afforded a smile. In other circumstances, she would have enjoyed showing him just how wild she could be with arrogant Englishmen who thought they could blackmail their brothers into handing over their life’s work and dispose of women’s bodies for their selfish pleasure.
“We can be wild,” she agreed, “but even the wildest beasts know to surrender when they meet their match. In truth, I’m looking for a man virile enough to tame me. It will be a nice change.”
“You mean that my brother has not been able to do so?” A snort. “I’m not surprised. I’ve long suspected that he was more interested in cock than cunt. Well, I will tame you, never fear. And I happen to like a woman who knows her place and lets the man be in charge.”
Another crucial difference from his brother. Alexander had never wanted to tame her, and he was man enough to know that her only “place” was where she wanted to be, whether at his mercy or in the role of the seductress.
Hugh took a step toward her. Trying not to betray her panic, Gwenllian raised a hand.
“Sit down, my lord, and let me disrobe while I enjoy the magnificent view. Please.”
A glance at his groin made her meaning clear. She guessed that flattery would work on a man like him. And he was, objectively, magnificent. The only problem was, he made her flesh crawl.
“Yes. Disrobe for me.”
In preparation for that moment, she had added as many layers and accessories as she had dared to her attire, so as to draw out the moment for as long as possible.
The length jutting from Hugh’s thighs did not show any sign of flagging the whole time, indicating that he was enjoying the teasing, at least. She placed a foot on his knee and reached up to her stocking.
Gwenllian knew a moment of utter shame when she considered what she was doing.
What would Alexander think if he could see her like this, half naked, doing her best to entice his hated brother?
He would never know, she vowed, he would never hear the details of that shameful night. All he would be told was that she had fooled Hugh into thinking Alexander had agreed to the bargain and then pretended to sleep with him.
By the time she was standing in the middle of the room in just her shift, Hugh’s eyelids had started to flutter.
At last! She had started to wonder if she had added enough potion to the wine.
But mercifully, it seemed as if the drink was finally taking effect.
Then panic replaced relief. If he fell asleep there on the chair, all her efforts would have been in vain.
It would be a lot more difficult to make him believe he had bedded her if he woke up in that chair in the morning.
Of course, she knew firsthand that some lovers could be adventurous, but she didn’t think Hugh would be, and she wanted to give herself every chance of being believed.
Waking up in bed side by side would serve her purpose much better.
Hiding her desperation, Gwenllian stretched out seductively on the bed and beckoned to him.
“Why don’t you come here and remove my shift?”
The idea seemed to inflame him, and thankfully, he had enough strength left to stand up and join her on the bed.
He positioned himself over her then, and to her shock, he grabbed the front of her shift and tore it, exposing her breasts. Gwenllian barely repressed the urge to cover herself and kick him out of the bed.
“Very nice,” he said, the words slurred. The potion was taking effect, but not quickly enough. “Let me fill my mouth with these.”
“Stroke yourself first,” she purred, doing her best not to betray her mounting anguish.
But she was running out of ideas to delay the inevitable.
If Hugh didn’t collapse any time soon, she might find herself under him, with his mouth at her breast, and his shaft at her entrance.
And she knew that, despite her resolve, she would fight him off.
It would be a disaster. “I want to see how potent you are.”
“Watch me.”
He grabbed himself, gave a few strokes and frowned, as if surprised by his inability to use his hand as efficiently as usual. Not only that but his shaft had softened quite a bit, which he had clearly not been expecting.
Something like hurt pride flashed through his blurry eyes, and he renewed his clumsy efforts.
Gwenllian waited, heart in her throat. At least for now, he was focused on himself, he even seemed to have forgotten about her in his bid to show his virility.
After a while, he gave a groan of triumph, followed by a cry of surprise as he erupted in thick, white spurts—and then collapsed flat on his front.
Silence fell into the room.
Panting hard, Gwenllian stared at the man by her side, rendered senseless by the drink.
She had made it. Even better, upon waking up, he would see the evidence that he had spilled his seed at least once during the night.
Though she doubted that was what he usually did with his lovers, she would make sure to thank him for being considerate enough to protect her from unwanted consequences.
To complete the illusion, she covered him with the bedding and settled next to him, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep that night.
Being naked next to his equally naked body was making her stomach roil, but there was no other choice.
They had to wake up in bed together, like two lovers after a wild night of passion.
She could not falter now that the difficult part had been accomplished and everything had gone the way she wanted.
Yes, everything had gone as planned except for one crucial detail. Alexander, not just Hugh’s squire, had seen her in bed with his brother.
Gwenllian stayed frozen, staring at the door through which he had just disappeared.
Awake now, Hugh gave a snort. “Well. That will have hurt.”
He was so pleased to have bested his brother that he didn’t even ask any questions about what had happened.
Perhaps drinking so much that he didn’t recall his actions in the morning was a common occurrence for him and he did not question it.
Or perhaps he cared more about having hurt Alexander than about his actual night with her.
Gwenllian, for her part, cared about only one thing. She had to leave this room to go to Alexander. He had to listen to her. He had to hear what had happened, or rather, not happened.
“Thank you, my lord. I think I will retire to my room now. ’Tis still early and I feel I haven’t had enough sleep.”
Hugh laughed. She had known he would take her words as a compliment. “Yes. Some men are more vigorous than others, as I’m sure you found out.”
“I certainly did,” she said, shrugging back into her dress. The shift was torn, so she didn’t even try to put it on. If she stayed another moment in this bed, in this room even, with this man, she would be sick.
For a moment, she feared that Hugh would stop her from going, but now that his goal had been accomplished—or so he thought—he seemed to have lost interest in her. He had closed his eyes, and she guessed he would be asleep in no time.
Gwenllian ran out of the door and flew down the stairs.