Business as Usual

Chapter 2

"What's in a Name?"

When the noise settled, Veranon and Elwin faced their excited partiers with broad smiles and Veranon waved to someone who was leaning against the wall in the back of the room. "Master DasVivienne! Come forth, mon amor! This was partly your idea, after all."

Everyone turned their heads to watch the tall, elegant elf with his streaming, shimmering cloud of lovely pale hair following in his wake. It was longer than his knees and caught up in several fancy braids, some twisted with glittering crystals. He wore a robe of deep purple and velvet trews in a gold embroidered burgundy that was almost black. There were gasps from among Veranon's associates as they breathed in the sight of the stunning man who walked between them to reach Veranon and Elwin.

Smiling, he leaned over Veranon's hand and kissed it lightly before planting a longer one on the other elf's lips. He gave Elwin a long kiss as well and smiled as the pair encircled him in a hug. They parted enough that the crowd could view the three elves standing before them, beaming with pride. "Belvin is our newest addition to our growing enterprise, a gem broker of highly impressive skill. Some of you have met him, others have not, but all the same, he's a good one to consult for any questions about gemcraft that you may have. Additionally, he has a keen eye for business-"

"-don't let his exotic looks fool you!" Elwin added with a chuckle. "He's no neophyte! Belvin here had both Veranon and I swindled into becoming his business partners before we knew what hit us!"

"Belvin, tell them what we are up to." Veranon said with grin as he and Elwin backed away, slowly.

The tall elf looked out over the impressive group of carefully chosen guests. He knew that Veranon and Elwin had spent more than a month combing over lists of people in an attempt to invite only the most reliable business associates, friends and trustworthy contacts they had while keeping the number safely below a hundred. Some of these men were Vendalis' own investors, people who had supported him even when he was still a neophyte in the world of gem brokering. Still, most of these faces were new to him and his pale cheeks flushed with color.

"Ah... Ahem. Greetings... Um..." Vendalis began nervously.

"Pretend they are all fucking each other," Veranon offered helpfully. "They will be doing that eventually anyway so just envision it now and you'll be able to ignore the fact that they expect you to say something. Go on."

"Right. So, I've never spoken to such an impressive group of people! Thank you all for coming. Veranon is letting me give the latest announcement for some crazy reason... Very well, it was my idea, partially. You see, we went to a local brothel, Pierre's on the Water, I think. I remarked how nice it was, how serene yet how... boring. 'Wouldn't it be nice to have a place that was more than a place to pay for sex with attractive courtesans? With a restaurant and a fancy hotel and rooms for various fetishes? A house of pleasures and fantasies made real?' I asked.

"That got Veranon and Elwin thinking and something sparked Veranon's memory, a time when he witnessed his brother and his brother's lover attacking one another for sexual dominance. He said, 'With naked men wrestling in oil for prizes- and mounting privileges!' Elwin looked at us both and mused that it had been some time since he invested in something interesting. So he said, 'We could do it ourselves...!' After a great deal of planning, searching for the site and figuring out what we planned to do and how we would go about it, we decided to open our own brothel, the three of us! A place where your fanta-" Vendalis continued to talk but seventy-five voices began to cheer and talk all at once.

"Give it up, love. They're too excited at the moment, I think..." Veranon said, laying a hand on Vendalis' arm.

Elwin quietly approached a box marked "Names" and withdrew three pieces of paper. He cleared his throat loudly and handed his companions each a slip. When the noise continued, he calmly walked over to Veranon and jerked his pants down to his ankles, much to other elf's surprise- and amusement. The men all stared at Veranon's tattooed cock and the large, gold hoop hanging from under the head. Attached to the hoop was a long herringbone chain of fine gold that ended in glittering, purple crystal. It was long enough to use as a leash and all the men in the room fixated on it.

"Beautiful. Now that we all have your attention, more or less, I have drawn three names at random. These three men will step forward, please, as your name is announced. Veranon, what name do you have?" The elf had calmly stepped out of his pants entirely and stood before the crowd naked from the waist down.

"Lord Irich Von Holzig!" he announced and the middle-aged human bearing the name stepped forward proudly to stand before the three elves. He was an impressive fellow, tall and broad of shoulder with a thick mustache that curled at the tips.

Vendalis looked down at his paper after casting Veranon's cock a sideways smile and announced, "Sir Andres Holmesmeade." The knight was pressed up against the wall by a tall, pretty man of indeterminate age and blushed as he was hauled forward by other men near him. He scratched his red-tressed head and moved to stand beside the Lord.

Elwin looked down at his paper and grinned broadly. "Master Rivera Rinaldi! Come forward and receive your prize. Now, each of you has won an impressive package, a one year Platinum Pass good towards any service, unlimited, our new brothel will offer, once it is complete and ready for visitors, which will hopefully be soon. These coupons are worth a great deal to you- keep them close. On your first visit, present them and you will be issued rings to denote membership good for one year. Questions?"

The three men shook their heads though the knight raised his fingers. "Will you send word when the brothel opens?"

Veranon nodded and took a sip from his glass of champagne. "Oui. You will be there for opening day."

"What will you call it?" Lord Von Holzig asked. The three elves stared at one another blankly for a moment before looking at the three winners with varying expressions of confusion.

"Eh... We don't know yet," Veranon said.

"Names are tricky- you want one that is catchy, easy to remember and leaves no doubt as to the establishment's purpose," Elwin added.

Vendalis smiled as he snatched a glass of golden champagne for himself. "It's a secret, my friends, to be revealed when we open." His answer satisfied the men, who nodded as they walked away to mingle with the other partiers. He spoke with such certainty that Veranon and Elwin both blinked at him in silence before downing their glasses.

Clearing his throat, Veranon raised his voice above the murmur of the assembled guests. "The fun is now about to really begin! If it has not already..." He held up the box labeled "names" and shook it to draw their eyes. "Everyone must pick up to three names, no fewer than two. If you pick two of the same, drop one, pick up another or return them both and choose two more. The object of the game is randomly generated encounters. Sex is optional, of course, but to spice things up, we have the box in Elwin's hands." Elwin rattled his box before setting it down on the table. "Choose up to three tickets for each of your names. There is everything from standard penetration to bondage with mild flogging. There are dozens of pleasant ideas. They are, of course, as I said, purely optional. Questions?"

"Are your names in the box?" Someone shouted from the center of the room.

Elwin chuckled and said, "After I debauch my blushing groom, yes, we will be available if you draw our names."

The elves watched as most of the men took strips of paper from both boxes and set about locating the owners of the names they had drawn. Some here did know the others to some degree due to parties like these but few had actually chanced to meet and talk. This was another reason the assembled partiers had been chosen.

Once all the men had drawn the names and suggestions they wanted, Veranon hooked his fingers into Elwin's sleeve and looped his arm through Vendalis' elbow. "Conference, lads," Veranon said as he plucked a bottle of cognac off a serving girl's tray.

"The whole bottle-?" Elwin protested as Veranon drew him and the pale haired elf from the room.

Once out in the hall, they walked arm in arm with Veranon in the middle, his carafe gripped tightly on Elwin's side. He steered them into his study and disengaged himself from the two so that he could sit in his chair at the massive desk dominating the wall facing the door. Once seated, he looked up at his husband and lover while sipping the strong liquor directly from the container. This was completely out of character for the normally fastidious elf who was especially particular about his drink.

"We don't have a name, Lovelies," he said sternly.

Elwin nodded and perched his bottom on the corner of Veranon's desk, his hand comfortably held in Vendalis' palm. "Yes, I am aware of this fact. I do not understand why you are so concerned about this, Veranon. Names are important! You cannot just pull one out of a box, you know." Vendalis snorted and reached for the bottle. "Look, we can discuss this- later! After I debauch you in front of seventy-five other men. It's my wedding night and I want you, badly, Veranon Krae."

"I want you, too! But, Beloved, the name-thing is going to eat me alive until we fix it. Aren't you embarrassed that we, of all people, had no answer for them? It was a stunning lack of planning on our part." Veranon took the decanter back from Vendalis and tilted it back for another drink. He sighed and looked past the two men to settle his moss-green eyes upon a large painting on the far wall above the mantle. He gazed at it for some time in silence as he thought and drank his cognac.

The beautiful green-skinned man with his massive erection and incredibly fit physique did not look back but gazed instead at the young, fine-limbed human male laying back upon a bed of soft moss, his own erect phallus drawing the eye with its red crowned head and long, alabaster shaft nesting in a mass of soft, carrot-hued curls. There was tension in the figures but the boy, despite his pose with his arm held up as if to ward off the man standing above him seemed anything but frightened. The man, a male dryad, was in an aggressive stance with one foot forward and his hand reaching for the boy's but he had a slight smile as his other hand stroked the head of his penis. Flower petals from a canopy of purple and blue wisteria floated around them in a fairy paradise of green ivy, grasses, roses and delicate limbed trees. It was a stunning, magical piece that Veranon adored.

"Vendalis... You gave us that painting as a gift..."

"Yes, to celebrate your engagement and to thank you for accepting me into your fold. The artist who did it is here tonight as my guest since he was one of my first clients and pushed me to appraise art as well as gems. My true gift, of course, is with gemstones but I have a good eye for paintings as well, thanks to him," Vendalis said with a smile. "Why?"

"Do you know the title?" Veranon asked with an eyebrow raised as his eyes appraised the impressive painting.

Vendi reached for the carafe and drew in a long, deep swig, causing Elwin to cringe. The bottle had cost him ten gold, which was incredibly expensive to be slugged down like cheap wine. He reached for the decanter and snatched it away as the other elf tried to recall the title. "Ah... 'The Lusting Dryad,' I think it was. The artist was inspired by a male dryad he met once, a rare creature by any extent. They are exclusively lovers of men and rarely live more than a day because the female dryad who gives birth to them usually kills them on the spot. Elwin! Where's the-?"

The black-haired man produced a bottle of amber brandy, a far cheaper liquor than the expensive cognac and handed it to him. "Swig this if you must swig anything." He turned to Veranon and scowled. "You are teaching the boy bad manners, Veranon. Men like us do not drink cold cognac straight from the bottle! It is obscene!"

He was ignored as Veranon's eyes remained on the painting. He was muttering over and over under his breath various takes on the painting's title. "'Lusting Dryad,' 'Lusty Dryad...' No-no, too feminine... Lust, Lusting, Lustful... 'Lustful Dryad...' Wait... That's it! 'The Lustful Dryad!'" Suddenly excited, Veranon turned to Vendalis and took his hand, nearly jerking him into his lap. "Your artist friend...! Does he do commissions?"

"He's an artist. If you give him enough coin, he'll sell his soul to you," Vendi snorted as braced himself against the arms of the chair. His long hair around his face had freed some of itself from the braids holding it back and framed his face in a dreamy fashion of floating web-fine strands. Veranon took handfuls of it and kissed the other elf's mouth in delight.

"Do you think he will supply art and decor based upon this male dryad theme? For the whole brothel? Say yes!" More kisses showered upon Vendalis' mouth.

"I, uh, cannot answer for him-"

"Just say, 'yes,' love. Veranon won't accept any other answer," Elwin sighed with a smile on his lips. He loved it when Veranon was this delighted.

Vendalis tried to look over his shoulder at Elwin but Veranon's hands held fast to his hair. "I will assume that he would jump at the chance for a project this big. I could talk to him if you like..." Smirking ever so slightly, Veranon let go of Vendalis' hair and ran his fingers down the front of the robe, parting it until the pale expanse of the elf's chest was available to his lips. Veranon eased the waistband of the pants down under the elf's long, hard cock and stroked it with his hand while his eyes fixed on Vendalis' face. "I, uh, oh, this feels... good... so... good..." gasped the pale-haired elf.

Then Veranon drew that long member into his mouth and sucked on it, his teeth scoring the surface ever so slightly while his hand stroked and rolled the heavy balls. Elwin came up behind Vendi and pulled back the robe to expose his neck and shoulders. "My lovely boy, I do believe you have given us our brothel's name. Veranon's right... Despite my desire to shove my new husband over a chair and fuck him until he can taste my cock in his mouth, I do believe you deserve a reward. Just relax... and enjoy." Elwin pushed aside the great long, thick locks of hair and kissed the elf's shoulders and neck softly while his hand dipped below the waistband of Vendi's pants.

Veranon reached into a drawer of the desk and produced a jar of lubricant, which he opened while slowly, methodically sucking on Vendi's impressive erection. He slid it along the desk so that Elwin could reach it.

Lips stroking and tongue licking Vendalis' shoulders, Elwin dropped his pants to his ankles and kicked them aside while he likewise removed his lovers' trews. He then dipped his fingers into the soft, thick gel and pushed them slowly into Vendalis ass. He used his fingers like he would use his dick, shoving them in and pulling them out while stroking the sensitive gland behind the elf's large cock.

He looked around the object of his sensual ministrations to spy Veranon's own delicately tattooed cock proudly erect, the loop under the fat head gleaming in the lamp light. The long chain was looped around his shoulders with the amethyst hanging down his chest to dangle off the chair. He reached for it and was rewarded when Veranon handed it to him absently. He tugged on it, causing Veranon to gasp with a mouth full of Vendalis' cock. He tugged harder and plunged his fingers deeper into Vendi's body. There was a primal need to enter one of the two men and though he desperately wanted Veranon, proximity to Vendalis won out and he coated his cock with more lubrication before plunging it deep into the pale-haired elf's body.

A long moan punctuated with sighs of contentment filled the room as Elwin repeatedly shoved his cock hard and deep into Vendi's ass. Veranon sucked harder and harder still until gobs of hot, slightly salty fluid trailed down Veranon's throat and down his chin to drip on the head of his erect cock. Elwin came a moment later, his strangled cries muffled by the long hair as he pressed his mouth against Vendalis' back, his body bent over Veranon's seated form. He bucked hard, shoving his cock as hard and deep as it would go until he was completely spent.

Breathing heavily, he looked over his lover's shoulder at Veranon, who was smiling but still erect, unspent. "Bastard... You planned this, did you?" Elwin accused.

"Moi? I think not. Shall we return to the party?" said the grinning elf as pushed Vendalis back into a standing position. That one seemed dazed and had to rest against the desk for a moment while he collected his wits.

Though Elwin held the leash, Veranon was clearly the one pulling Elwin along by his cock, a metaphor made hilariously true. "Vendi, darling, are you coming?"

Nodding, the pale haired elf tugged his robe back over his shoulders and followed the two half-naked men back down the way they came and entered the main party room to the sound cheers. A young human came bounding up to Veranon with the eagerness of a puppy and exclaimed, "Veranon! I drew your name! I'm supposed to use the body paints on you and make you into a sensual masterpiece!"

Grinning, Veranon kissed the young man softly and encircled Elwin with his arm. "I look forward to it but first, there is the matter of debauching my lovely new husband in view of you all. That is the tradition when one gets married, yes? Don't they call it a 'claiming' of the new spouse? Consummation of the marriage? I need to do that before I do anything else. My love?" he turned to Elwin, smirking mischievously. "Come along."

They went to a place at the center of the room and Veranon pulled a pair of ropes dangling there above the floor to disappear into the ceiling. "You're putting me in the SWING?" Elwin protested as Veranon let the ropes slide through his fingers as a strange fabric contraption of belts and straps slowly descended from above.

Without a word, his amused smile being his only reply, Veranon strapped Elwin into the swing and tugged the ropes, even getting assistance from a muscular fellow who helped secure them to concealed loops in the floor. The "swing" had Elwin positioned just lower than Veranon's hips, his legs spread wide and his hands above his body, tightly secured.

Other men grinned and approached the tantalizing display of flesh before them, Elwin's balls and spent cock dangling deliciously for anyone to touch and tease. Veranon held them off with his hand and asked for a jar of lubrication. "He is mine first, lads. Then you can play!" While a jar was located, he detached the golden loop from the hole on the underside of his erect penis and draped the long chain around his shoulders.

Blushing, Elwin looked back at his husband and smiled dangerously. "You'll get yours, pretty one! Oh, you will get yours!" Veranon withdrew something from his jacket pocket and showed Elwin a crumpled up piece of paper. He grinned broadly as the black-haired elf read it. Elwin's eyes grew wide. "'Using the swing at the center of the room, publicly display your ambition and desire to the man whose name you drew. How you do this is up to you but ensure that he is tightly secured.'"

"You little shit..."

Veranon lubed up his cock and rammed it hard up Elwin's tight hole. To keep the swing from flying, the burly fellow who helped Veranon secure the ropes held Elwin tightly. This had the benefit of giving Elwin something to play with while he was drilled with gleeful abandon by his husband. The big human sighed as Veranon's thrusts had the pleasant effect of intensifying Elwin's sucking of the man's thick member, which was right at Elwin's mouth's level if he leaned far enough. The big man happily raised himself up on an ottoman to make it easier for Elwin to reach his cock. Neither Veranon nor the human lasted especially long and both were soon spent, the gooey mess Veranon made dripping out of Elwin's tight, puckered red hole and splattered over the elf's angular face and in his hair.