Lilith left shortly after she'd finished her session with him, and he was left relaxing on her bed. Wayne came in after her, coffee mug in hand.
"You'll probably need the caffeine." He said, handing Alex the steaming white mug. "So here, we made some coffee earlier and had a bit left over."
"Oh, don't worry about me." Alex said, taking the cup from his hand. "I've pulled all-nighters before."
"So," he continued, sitting on the bed next to him "she decided to have a bit of fun with you on your first night, huh?"
"W-What do you mean, 'fun'?! We didn't do anything!"
"Don't even try to hide it, I could hear you moaning in there."
"Was I really that loud?" He lowered his gaze, realizing that he failed to keep his voice down.
"We could hear you halfway across the building. Maravalle knows how to keep quiet, but you? Not so much apparently. But never mind that." He said that as if he hadn't just revealed something deeply embarrassing. "Point is, I think it's interesting that she would do this with you so soon. She must really like you."
"Really?" He asked, taking a sip of the bitter coffee. "That's interesting. With the way she was talking, I thought that was a normal thing for her."
"That was probably just her being coy. She's never done it with me, and I don't think she's done it with anyone else in this house either."
"Really?" He sighed. "I really don't see what a woman as beautiful and elegant as her would see in me though."
"Just take it from me, I've worked for her for almost a year now. She wouldn't do that sort of thing to just anyone. I just met you so I can't say for sure what she might see in you, but she's interested either way. And with the way you just talked about her, I think you're interested too."
"So what do I do?"
"Well that's simple." He put his arm around his potential new coworker. "Reciprocate. If she's already shown interest, you have to show that you're interested too. Things should sort themselves out after that." He stood up and headed out the door. Before he left, he turned back. "I have other things to do, but keep what I said in mind. I have a feeling that she's going to be keeping you close, so you'll have opportunities. Oh, and before I forget: the wi-fi password is TR1897."
"Y'all have wi-fi?"
"Of course we do! How out of touch do you think we are?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean any offense. I was just a little surprised." He carefully typed in the numbers, and sure enough he got a connection on his phone again. "Thanks for the password."
"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to return to my duties."
After he left, Alex sat there in silence as he sipped his coffee. Once he was done, he decided it would probably be best if he went to see the lady of the house again. She mentioned something about being in her office, but he had no idea where that was.
Soon enough, he found himself aimlessly wondering around the halls, wondering which unmarked door would lead to her office. He secretly prayed that a servant would happen upon him and point him in the right direction, because at that point he was basically just pacing.
His prayers were answered when he saw Caroline round the corner, hands behind her back. "Oh hey," he raised his hand to flag her down "uh...Lilith invited me to her office but uh...I don't know where that is."
"Didn't even bother giving you directions, huh?" She observed, a tired look in her eye. "Well, follow me. I was heading in that direction anyway." She then proceeded to walk right past him, then headed to the end of the hallway. She stopped at the nearest door to the master bedroom. "It's right here."
"It was right next to her bedroom the whole time? Why aren't these doors marked or something? That door could've led to anything!"
"I don't know man, I just work here."
"Right. Well, uh..." he scratched the back of his head "thanks for the directions anyway."
"No problem."
When he walked in, she was sitting at her desk and typing something out on a desktop computer. Between that and the wi-fi, it seemed that these people were more up to date than he thought. It looked like she had a word document open, but he wasn't close enough to see what she was typing. She was surrounded by bookshelves, all filled with various titles.
He cleared his throat. "Pardon me, I believe you wanted to see me?"
She looked back at him. "Ah yes. Just one moment." She closed whatever it was she was working on, before sliding the old fashioned wooden chair back and standing up. "I'd like you to accompany me for a little while, do you mind?"
"Not in the slightest! What did you need me to accompany you for?"
"I was thinking about going downstairs to practice my sword play, and that typically requires two people. I'd like you to practice with me."
"Uh, I never really got into fencing..."
"That's no problem, I'll teach you. But before we head downstairs, I need to change. This dress is not the best for sword fighting." She shooed him off. "If you don't mind."
"Oh right, sorry." He left the room and closed the door behind him. A part of him felt there was a little bit of irony to the fact that she sent him outside so she could change, but less than an hour ago she was fucking him. But if that's what she wanted, he was no one to judge.
After disappearing in her bedroom for a moment, she reemerged in a white poet's shirt with black pants and leather boots. It was like the entire wardrobe of this place was one big renaissance fair. He didn't necessarily mind however, since he always had an appreciation for historical fashion.
Lilith led him downstairs and took him through a maze of hallways before eventually leading him to a small, open area which seemed to serve as a gym. The walls had the standard practice swords, along with what looked to be genuine rapiers. It was then he recalled the portrait in the foyer, of Lilith holding a long blade. Evidently she had particular interest in swords.
She took two practice swords off the wall, then handed him one. Alex nervously took a few steps back and took up a stance (or something resembling a stance anyway).
Lilith shook her head. "No, your stance is all off." She set down her sword and got behind him. "Your legs are too close together, and your left arm needs to be a bit higher." Reaching around and holding his arm, she raised it up into the correct position.
He could feel his heart beating faster as she guided him into the right stance. A part of him questioned why he was still getting flustered by such things when, yet again, she had already dommed him. Maybe this sort of physical intimacy was distinct from what he experienced in the bedroom.
"There." She stood up to her full height. "Perfect! Now we can begin." She returned to her original position and took up a stance. "Ready?"
Alex nodded.
"Begin!"
She wasted no time in advancing on him, and he was forced to defend. Having little to no experience, he found himself being purely reactive; whatever move she made, he would simply try to parry. She kept up her steady advance, pushing him back as her sword clashed with his. If this were a normal fencing match, she definitely would have gotten him off the stage by then. Eventually his back hit the wall, and his heart skipped a beat when she pinned him against it and pointed her blade at his throat.
"I win this round." She said with a confident smile on her face.
"I concede..." his said, his voice getting higher.
"Aw, don't feel too bad." She lowered her blade and backed off. "A little practice and you'll make for a fine sparring partner."
"I-I suppose." His heart was beating fast still. He wasn't sure why, but something about Lilith pinning him against the wall made his mind go blank.
They then began their second round. This time he tried to guard more, but his attempts to keep her at bay failed and she was quickly able to get her blade past his weak defenses. It wasn't long before she scored another point on him.
The third round went much the same. As time passed he started feeling more comfortable with the sword, and swinging it started feeling more natural. With each consecutive round he felt he was improving slightly, though she still won each time.
"Well then," she eventually said, lowering her sword after her 10th win in a row. "I think that's enough practice for today."
"Aw, but I was just starting to get slightly less bad!"
She chuckled. "It's just like I said: all you need is guidance and practice." She hung her sword on the wall, and he did the same.
"So what do you want to do next?"
Without giving a direct answer, she swept him off his feet and started carrying him princess style.
"Oh god, fuck!" He thought, his mind racing. "The pinning, the sword fighting, and now she's picking me up! My heart can't handle this!" He covered his blushing face.
"What are you doing, covering your face like that?" She chuckled. "Are you embarrassed to be carried by a woman?"
"Not at all!" He said, uncovering his face. "It's just, something about being carried by someone like you it...." He shifted his gaze "well, when you picked me up it made my heart skip a beat."
"Oh, you're simply too adorable." She kissed him on the cheek, leaving a black mark from her lipstick. "But as for your question, I usually like to shower after practicing sword play. I didn't really break much of a sweat today though, so I may put it off. Maybe I'll just head back to my office and do some reading. Want to join me?"
Something about her words felt oddly insulting. Still, he didn't mind the idea of doing a bit of reading. After all, she probably had some interesting books in her small library. "Okay, reading is good."
"Very well. Let's head that way then."
He expected her to put him down after that, but she didn't. She just casually carried him out of the gym and through the halls. It reminded him just a little bit of when his parents would carry him as a small child, except now he was an adult.