<div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/ca/Marek_Alessandro.jpg)</div>She spoke, in a voice dove soft yet full of nuances which sent his mind aflutter. She regarded him, the conflict in her eyes showing that he was not alone in the maddening state of desire and hesitation.<br/><br/>And by the heavens, she said the one thing which he most craved, and desperately needed to hear..<br/><br/><strong>”You are, cherished Fina, most certainly correct. She should be here, if what you believe my gaze holds is correct.”</strong><br/><br/>Gently he lifted her foot to rest upon his knee, and then he bent to kiss it. A soft gasp was his grateful reward to her for the delight such a sensation caused, his lips upon her flesh. Alessandro looked up into her eyes, and his smile broadened. Teasingly he lifted the ruffle of her skirt, and kissed the refined arch of her calf muscle.<br/><br/>He tried, so hard, to play the calm and collected experienced one. Should she note that his hands trembled at the touch of her, or that his breath caught now and again at the slow discovery of her impossibly enticing marvels?<br/><br/>Testament, plain and honest, that her Alessandro was most definitely sincere in his appreciation for her, and devout in his adoration. He wanted her, profoundly, at a level that most obviously bewildered him as much as it delighted.<br/><br/>Just as obviously, he was exerting not the slightest effort in resisting her, but rather he ran towards her with arms open only less slightly than his heart itself was to her.<br/><br/><strong>”Yes, my darling one. Our shared love should and will be with us, when that moment comes. But I am afraid, Serafina, that you misread my intent.”</strong><br/><br/>Still kneeling, his hands lifted to her skirts, and he began untying them. His gaze never leaving hers, he leaned forward to lend his teeth to the process, tugging at strings with a smile upon his devious, markedly wanton face.<br/><br/><strong>”I have <em>every</em> intention of overwhelming you, Fina. In fact, in my heart is but this single burning thought: I wish to torture you, and myself as well. I wish us to both know suffering, at a level which dwarfs any ache we may have known before. Ravages the mind and leaves us gasping and begging for reprieve from its cruel and unrelenting embrace.”</strong><br/><br/>As he said is he smiled, and presently her outer skirt slid to the floor. He smirked at it and pursed his lips, then looked up to her once more.<br/><br/><strong>”An auspicious start, do you not agree? A fine beginning to the agony to come?”</strong><br/><br/>Slowly he stood and unbuttoned his outer coat, allowing it to slump to the floor beside her skirt.<br/><br/><strong>”Hmmm… I do believe it is your turn again, Fina. But… do allow me…”</strong><br/><br/>He reached around her to access the strings of her bodice, his chest brushing against hers and his face a fraction of an inch from her own. Alessandro’s voice was a low hum of need and mirth as he leaned to her ear and spoke.<br/><br/><strong>”Torture, you see. Unrelenting, and unforgiving. Abject, in its assault upon our senses. And I do indeed say ‘our’, for I assure you the effects shall not be yours alone to endure.”</strong><br/><br/>Her bodice slide away, and at the sight of her breasts now encased in but the restraining casing of her corset he groaned aloud and ground his teeth in frustration. Quickly his hands fumbled, and his trousers slid to the marble of the floor in a rustle of fabric.<br/><br/>It was her turn to see features made plain then, of course, the hard and begging outline of his erection thick and obvious as it strained against his undergarment. He chuckled as her eyes took it in, and kissed her cheek.<br/><br/><strong>”We are… why, back to you again, are we not?”</strong><br/><br/>Slowly, inch by inch he began to unlace her corset, and as her bare stomach came into view her groaned and bent to kiss it. Her shirt was abandoned for a moment as he growled in want, kissing the soft flesh revealed, and his erection bobbed visibly. Only after a moment did he gain control of himself, and though his shoulders shook he managed to lift her corset the rest of the way and reveal her naked breasts.<br/><br/>If he moved slowly before, now he did so with intent, curious as to which of them he might be tormenting more. At last his trembling lips reached her breasts, and delicate fluttering kisses worked their way over them and to the hard nipples so eagerly rising to meet him.<br/><br/>For a moment he shut his eyes and stood very still, and it was clear that his control over him own actions was not a surety. Finally he managed it, and he laughed lightly as he tugged his shirt off. The bandage upon his shoulder was now the single area upon his chest and shoulders not privy to her sight, and his chest rose and fell in deep, measured breaths.<br/><br/><strong>”Yours…. Your turn.”</strong><br/><br/>Gone was the glib commentary, for such was beyond him now, replaced by the soul-aching need to see the glories which were promptly revealed as her undergarment slid down her bare legs.<br/><br/><strong>”As… oh God alive, Fina… as I said… ‘torture’, at least for your loving Alessandro. Of the most exquisite and memorable nature. Eternal, for in this moment I shall swear to you upon my life, I will remember the perfection of you revealed to me for this first time until my dying breath, and be grateful.”</strong><br/><br/>And revealed she was, the soft tuft of delicate hair at the apex of her thighs catching the candle light and framing her sex as a halo. It was obvious that he was simply undone, and that he ached for her so completely that she might never doubt his love. Wordlessly he slid his own undergarments down his legs, revealing himself to her as well, and for a long moment he stood there and simply looked at her. Finally, in a voice thick with husky need, he spoke.<br/><br/><strong>”You envisioned, I believe my darling one, that at this point we would proceed beyond a point which our Nicoletta should indeed be here for. Yet as I said, tonight is merely torture. Tonight is merely agony, for such is not for us this evening.”</strong><br/><br/>At that he swept her into his arms and wrapped her into his embrace, the riotous effect of her nude warm skin upon own equally exposed flesh prompting a low howl of want. Desperately he kissed her, his mouth settling fiercely onto hers and his tongue seeking its counterpart with passionate abandon. For long, exquisite moments he kissed her, his hands roaming over her back and buttocks, but refraining from further explorations to more intimate areas. Though his erection pressed hard and heated against her stomach, he made no move beyond kissing her, and groaning her appreciation of the moment.<br/><br/>Finally, long minutes later, he looked into her eyes and gasped.<br/><br/><strong>”I must… I <em>must</em>, else my resolve shall fail, release you from my arms now my darling. I must find some measure of reserve, some strength I did not imagine I possessed, and take those two horrible steps backwards which <em>must</em> happen.”</strong><br/><br/>Miraculously, though it cost him a part of his soul itself, he did so, even as his gaze swept openly over her and he groaned his appreciation.<br/><br/><strong>”Into the bath, with both of us. You on your side, me on mine. Should either of us cross the middle, I do not believe that my desire might be reined in a second time.”</strong><br/><br/>Cautiously, a man retreating from a tiger, he backed away from her and stepped into the large bath. Watching her, he smiled.<br/><br/><strong>”Let us talk, and come to know each other properly. Let us continue becoming mad for each other, or at least allow me to do so, for I confess that I am well upon such a path.”</strong>His voice grew low then, and his gaze intent.<strong>”She will be here, then, as she should be. But tonight my Fina let us, just you and I, have this time to stare into each other’s eyes. Let it be just us this evening that shares a bath, and aches for more.”</strong><br/><br/>Grinning, he splashed a handful of warm, scented water towards her and laughed.<strong>”Get in, or I shall come and get you.”</strong><br/>