Break Up Make Up

Posted on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 @ 2:57pm by Giuseppe Orsini & Princess Jessica Orsini
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 10:36pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: San Francisco Estate
Timeline: Date 2371-05-28 at 2230
6298 words - 12.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The ride home from Starfleet Headquarters had been tense and quiet. As the San Francisco skyline faded in the background, the dark royal car pulled a left onto a gated drive. A huge wrought-iron gate stretched before them with golden letters twisted on in a beautiful handwritting-like script; IT: Imperium Terranum: Empire of the Earth. The gate opened quickly for them and the car pulled through followed by a large vehicle full of Imperial Guard troops.

In the back seat, Jessica Silva-Orsini looked out the window, focusing on anything but her silent husband. He hadn't spoken to her since the moment during the formal Starfleet Banquet when she had offended him, apparently. She felt a wave of irritation well up inside her again, a silent stress that wanted to let itself heard. She wanted to yell and scream, insult, hit even, just to get him to really look at her. She hated when he got this way.

She wore a glittering dress made of silver and gold which scraped the ground when she walked. Her jewels, her hair, and her makeup all spoke to her status as a Princess. But she was made one by marriage; this world was quite foreign to her indeed.

Giuseppe sat next to his wife, but he may as well have been in a completely different place and time given how blatantly he ignored her. He was still seething silently, though his face was a neutral mask. How she could have thought that laughing at a joke made at his expense was any sort of appropriate after all this time he didn't know. She just refused to learn. Why was the onus to please always on his shoulders? It was exhausting and she didn't make it easy no matter how much he tried.

The car pulled off the main drag and onto a slightly smaller road which lead up to a a paved area before a sprawling mansion. It was all stone, and gold, and glass, and light, and it was home. The car parked in front of the giant blue fountain. The doors to the back seat were opened by soldiers and the front doors to their home were opened to them. Jessica stepped around the car and attempted to stand next to her husband.

Despite his irritation, Giuseppe did respectfully offer his arm to Jessica to escort her in as any dutiful husband of nobility would. He also wasn't about to engage in the fight he knew was going to happen in front of so many people. He wouldn't allow that of her either.

She took his arm, feeling rather uncomfortable with his distance and, frankly, his irritation making her not want to touch him at all. She took it for the sake of the staff who watched, though there were no cameras here and none would speak of what they saw or heard on pain of death, she knew her husband was a proud man. She also knew he never felt he measured up. She allowed him to lead her into the crystal foyer and, as soon as they were in, she handed her bag to an aide standing by.

"We will be in our suite, Rosa. No disturbances please." she said simply, looking at the woman with a slight frown.

"Yes, your Imperial Highness." she said with a respectful curtsy, and then turned to relay the instructions of the lady of the house.

Jessica left then, charging ahead of her husband more out of a desire to strike out on her own and make a point of her independence than any eagerness to be alone with him. She charged up the marble staircase, her hand finding the gold banister to steady herself in her heels, and then she turned and stomped down the hallway. At the end, she came to two double doors which opened to their large bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and stormed inside, turning and looking behind her, her hands on her hips.

Giuseppe followed his wife at a pointedly slow and measured pace, his hands behind his back. Part of him hated her when she got like this. She was just looking for a fight. He had given her the world but it was never enough. She watched him coming down the hallway, but instead of following her to the bedroom he stopped a few doors down. He opened it and disappeared inside immediately. The nursery. Though she may have been content charge into their room and get herself greased up for an attack, he was not. He made sure to check on their son. It was late of course, so he stepped in quietly and moved over to the crib to look down at the sleeping boy. His face blossomed with affection and he had to resist the urge to reach down and touch him. At least he had this. For now.

When he had turned into the nursery, she felt a surge of rage. He never made time for her, not even when it was clear they had serious things to work through. In a fit of anger, she seemed to try and strangle the air with both hands. She left the room and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She looked in the mirror and, seeing the anger in her eyes, she looked away. So pretty; she had been described by the media as the dream wife of the modern Terran society. Well, apparently not. She stripped off her jewelry and placed them neatly on the sink and fell out of her dress, revealing her model-like fit body beneath. She stepped into the shower to clean off the dirt and sweat of the day and tried to think about anyone or anything but Giuseppe Orsini.

Eventually, Giuseppe did come into the suite he shared with his wife from time to time, but often they slept in separate beds by her choice. He began to strip out of his dress uniform, leaving himself in his undershirt and pants while he waited for Jessica to emerge and begin her inevitable tirade against him. He had started to find them boring, really, but what could he do at this point? He looked outside and just considered the stars. He'd be gone soon anyways for who knew how long.

At least that would make her happy.

After several moments in the warmth of the shower, much of Jessica's anger had subsided. It had relaxed her and given her some semblance of calm again. She wasn't sure if she would find him out there when she emerged, but she guessed he had gone to his other room on the other side of the house to go to bed. He was running down the clock, in her mind, until his next deployment. He was trying to stay away from her as much as he reasonably could. The anger of the car was gone, replaced with a dull sadness she'd felt for almost three years now. She wrapped herself in a white towel and exited the room to search for clothes. When she saw him standing in the middle of the room, she looked at him, her multi-colored eyes finding his and then flitting away quickly. She moved over to her side of the bed where night clothes had been set out for her by a valet after they'd left for the banquet.

She removed the towel from her wet body and set about the task of drying her hair thoroughly. Perhaps it was her turn to ignore, or perhaps she was just trying not to give him a reason to see himself as the victim in their relationship, as he often did.

"That wasn't acceptable." He said simply, still not turning to face her. Maybe he was giving her privacy, maybe he just didn't want to look at her. "You understand that, right?" Giuseppe then turned his head and looked at her, quirking a brow at her like he was looking at a defiant child that he expected to throw a tantrum at any moment.

"I'm afraid I don't, Giuseppe." she said, moving the towel over her scalp and down her healthy brown hair. "Why don't you just skip to the part where you explain it to me, hmm? How did I offend you this time?"

Her hair done, she started drying her face and shoulders, paying special attention to places that don't get much air. There was nothing seductive about the act and, honestly, she was eager not to be naked around him. At first she couldn't keep her hands off of him. He had this energy when he felt great which she had found irresistible. Unfortunately, Giuseppe was a puddle of self-consciousness and successive failures, and nothing about him made her want to undress on a regular basis. She was sure to take him to bed at least once when he was home in hopes of getting pregnant again, but she hadn't been able to bring her to do it this time.

"Because I laughed at a joke?"

"How do I still have to explain this to you after three years, Jessica?" He growled, irritation now lining his face as he turned to face her fully now. "How can you not wrap that small mind around the fact that disrespecting me is not acceptable? You weren't stupid when I married you."

She looked at him, her brows knit together. Before anything else, the comment had made her sad. She didn't know what to do. When she launched into a fight, he felt silent and refused to engage with her. When she played calm, he said something mean like that.

"And you weren't a complete fucking baby." she said, her face contorting into sudden anger, all of the work she had done to calm herself wasted in one moment. "It was a joke from a man who seemed to respect you, Giuseppe. I thought you would find it funny too. I guess that's because I'm stupid now, though.

She dried between her legs, dabbing the towel against her sensitive parts, and then she through it at him. It landed at his feet. Rolling her eyes, she picked up a pair of extremely expensive grey-blue panties and stepped into them. She pulled them up, framing the flattering curves of her hips. It didn't matter. He never looked at her anymore. She imagined he had a lover in the fleet he couldn't wait to get back to. Fucking bastard.

He was watching her, though. She just never bothered to look back. He watched her pull the fabric up over her rear where he used to love to come up behind her and squeeze her. He liked the playful squeal it always earned him and more often than not would have her jumping into his arms. "I am the crown prince, Jessica, everyone will always appear to respect me. Did it not seem strange to you that you were the only one cackling like a goddamned hyena while everyone else just gave a polite chuckle?" He kicked her towel away in irritation and approached her now, coming up and standing behind her. "What is in your head?"

He was so mean when he was angry. Everything in her wanted to cut him down to size. Everything in her wanted to scream all his insecurities back at him. She was trying to resist with all her strength.

"I was trying to...I was trying to lighten the mood. You get so serious and it makes people uncomfortable." she responded, avoiding eye contact, feeling slightly threatened by his proximity to her. She grabbed the black nightie and took three steps back before sliding it over her head. It was silky smooth and came down just below her private area with a slit up the left side to her hip. It had white lace loosely placed along the top which spanned from the spaghetti straps to the deep plunging V neck which framed her small breasts. She was lightly tanned and toned, but she felt like trash when he looked at her like that. Like she was stupid. Like she was worthless.

"And not everyone was politely chuckling. The men standing behind you were laughing much harder. I guess the rest thought you wouldn't enjoy a joke for some reason."

"Because they knew it wasn't a joke, it was disrespect." He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maybe you aren't stupid, Jessica. Maybe you are just unhappy and I suppose that it is my fault despite my best efforts. What do you want me to do? Do you want a new life somewhere? I can see it arranged. Just tell me what the fuck you want because I am tired of guessing."

Oh, the moment of truth. His mean comments had subsided and he had opted for being vulnerable with her. It was the perfect time to forgive him. The perfect time to talk sweetly. The perfect time to make up. But she was angry and very very hurt. A big part of her wanted him to hurt to.

"I want you to stop complaining like a little boy." she said, her tone suddenly harsh. "I want you to fucking notice me maybe. Tell me I look beautiful today, and think about something other than your damn ego. I want you to stop calling me STUPID, and start acting like a man."

Her volume had increased, but she wasn't shouting yet. Her voice was shaking though, as her heart was starting to race. Her hands had found her hips again.

"And maybe grow some balls and confront the men who offended you rather than waiting until you get home and taking your anger out on your wife. How's that for a start, Your Highness?"

Giuseppe didn't hit women, but there had been more than one occasion where she had very nearly tempted him from breaking that particular self-imposed rule. Anger appeared on his face again, this time dangerous and he crossed his arms across his broad chest. "Those men will get what is coming for them and you are stupid if you don't think that is the case. You don't like that I waited until we got home to have this fight for the thousandth time again? Alright, Jessica, I get your point. Next time I will give you exactly what you want, remind you of your place then and there." He leaned his face down close to her's, "No giving you the respect of waiting for the privacy of our home." He scoffed in disgust and pulled away from her.

"You've always been so ungrateful."

"What do I have to be grateful for, exactly?" she asked, crossing her arms over her own chest. "What have you done for me lately, Giuseppe, besides come home angry, criticize me, and roll around on top of me once for six minutes before you go back to Starfleet? What exactly do I have to be grateful for? This marriage? It was arranged by your father! This house? it belongs to your father! And soon, if you can't find a way to stop being such a royal asshole and build relationships, it's going to belong to your little brother."

"No, it won't." Giuseppe said with a dark assured tone to his voice. "What don't you have to be grateful for, Jessica? You've been given the world. You want for nothing, and yet all you do is this, complain and bitch and moan and I am tired of it. Make your choice. Play the princess that I made you - because contrary to whatever fantasy is in your head, I had the choice on whether to marry you or not - or lose everything. There are no more half decisions. I'm going to war and much to your dismay wife, I will survive and return here to this house."

He invaded her space and looked down into her eyes. If her words were cutting him, he was too focused in his anger to show it. "Is that clear enough to you? Or do you want me to drag you down to the city center and say it in front of the masses since you seem to not like things said in the privacy of our home anymore."

"I'm curious how you think that will play out, Hm? 'Crown Prince berates his sexually frustrated wife on television'. Does that seem like a good headline to you? And, by the way, it would give your father all the fuel he needs to get rid of you, me, and our son!"

She almost cried at that; very close. Antonio was the only think truly good about this marriage in her mind, and the idea that Giuseppe could ruin his ascension to the throne one day made her sick.

"I should have married Manuel. He may not have had a fancy title or a mansion, but he would never treat me like this." she said simply, her own eyes dark. "He loved me, unlike you. He wasn't fragile like a scared little boy. He was a man..." her face got mean then. "And he could make me cum. Go ahead and take everything from me, Giuseppe. It'll be the nail in your coffin, you son of a bitch."

He grabbed her roughly then, spinning her around and slamming her torso roughly to the bed by gripping her shoulder. His other hand came up and grabbed her by the panties and he pulled them back slightly. "Is that what you want, Jessica? You want me to fuck you and make you moan like a whore like I used to?" He challenged her, kicking her legs apart. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You could have married Manuel. Could have had all the love in the world you wanted. You knew there wasn't love between us, just lust, and you chose the power and position. Too late for regrets, princess."

Jessica was hardly a trained fighter and, truth be told, she wasn't afraid of Giuseppe. Her greatest fear in him was that he wasn't actually capable of doing harm when needed. To her, this was an improvement. But natural fight or flight and a well-nursed hatred of him raised her hand. She slapped him hard across the face once, twice.

"How can you run an Empire if you can't even run your wife, Giuseppe?" she asked, taunting him. "Do you think making me moan will make you a man? Don't bother. Get off!"

She tried to push him away and even attempted to use her legs to wedge him off of her, but despite their closeness in height he was far stronger than her.

"Shut up." He said simply and pulled her panties off of her flailing legs. Though she tried, she really was no match for him. Where Antonius had mastery of the mind, Giuseppe had mastery of the body and it showed. It was, at one time, something Jessica had loved about him. He pinned her to the bed with his body then and grabbed her wrists to get her to stop trying to slap him. "Enough."

Despite all of her feelings of anger toward him, his hands on approach was working wonders, and soon she felt a warmth between her legs which hadn't been directed at him for a long time. She fought against his control of her wrists with the aim of slapping him again, and, despite herself, she let out a stressed and strained laugh. It wasn't clear if it denoted amusement or or something else. Shaking her wrists wildly, she couldn't get them lose, which somehow only made her wetter. She could feel her juices starting to run down onto the bed beneath her.

"Okay, okay. I won't slap you anymore. Just let me go. I'll be good." she said, her voice softening.

"Mmm.... you did always like to be my good girl." He teased, the anger gone and a glimpse of his much better nature returning as he leaned down and nuzzled his bearded cheek against hers. He shifted his hold on her, now pinning both wrists under one of his rather large hands so he could use the now free one to open his pants.

She licked her lips, the Giuseppe she chose to marry coming back into her view. Her womanhood ached for him, though she hadn't said a word about it. With his adjustment, she quickly slipped one of the hands out of his grip and started using it to help him with the clasp of his pants. When he was nearly there, she moved it to her own center and started to play in anticipation.

"My man takes what he wants." she said, pride in her voice. She knew how starved he was of pride, and she remembered how it had always worked like a charm on him. She moaned with anticipation and the skillful motion of her own fingers. "What do you want right now, Giuseppe?"

Despite Jessica's insults, they both knew they had been entirely unfounded with the occasional one off. Giuseppe had wanted to make her happy at first - he still did - but when they had first married he had very diligently learned exactly what to do to her to leave her melting in his arms. He heard the tone in her voice and it did its job. He reached out and took her hand from between her legs to lift it to his mouth and kiss her fingers. "My wife." He said simply and paused to work his pants and undergarments off. He leaned back in and kissed her deeply, his own hand now moving between her legs to touch her sensitive parts.

Those things she had said were indeed calculated to hurt and were characteristic of him when he really wasn't trying with her. Now, on the other hand..

She opened her legs even wider at his touch, moving her hands to his strong arms and squeezing them as if they were a source of pleasure for her as well.

"What a coincidence." she said, through gasps and soft moans, "I want my husband."

"Good girl." He praised and leaned back in to kiss her again, leaning into the moment with her.

He wasn't entirely sure how long had passed when they had finally surrendered, but Giuseppe lay on his back in the bed with Jessica pulled close to his body and her head against his shoulder. He could feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest against his side and the fluttering of her breath against his neck. He rubbed at her back gently, the words hurled in anger on both sides seemingly forgotten. He kissed the top of her head a few times and reached to brush his thumb against her cheek. "Still with me, love?"

"I'm trying not to pass out." she said with a smile. "The military has definitely improved your stamina. That was amazing."

She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling as they locked with his. In this moment, she felt the first real happiness she'd felt in easily an entire year. She knew she could take a few different lessons from this. She could get this love from Giuseppe either by pushing him to his breaking point or by making him feel whole. She resolved to try to get the best out of him and to stop the needless conflict if she could. Because this...this was wonderful.

She played with his chest, selecting some of his hairs and curating them like the was trying to find the best one. Her white teeth shone past her full lips and she kissed his chest.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you. It made you uncomfortable and that should have been enough for me." she said, her voice soft and feminine. "You deserve to have your wife on your side."

He continued to gently caress her cheek and smiled down at her with an affectionate expression that settled in his eyes. "I forgive you, Jessica." He kissed the top of her head and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry I lashed out. That wasn't fair to you at all."

"You should get the man who made fun of you reassigned." she said matter-of-factly. "He can be the XO of a garbage scow. I'm sure he won't find that as funny."

She looked up at him again.

"Will you sleep in here with me tonight? I think some naked cuddling is just what we need. And who knows...I might wake up in the middle of the night looking for round two."

Giuseppe chuckled and smiled down at her. "Of course I'll stay, and don't worry about that man I already know exactly where he is going. He won't be a nuisance anymore, nor will his friends."

“Good. Show them how to respect the Crown Prince of the Empire.” She said, her hand roaming down beneath the covers and grasping at his manhood just for fun. “I missed you. The real you.”

A slight grunt passed through his lips as she grasped his manhood still slick from being within her. "I'm here." He assured her and ran his thumb over her lips. "I promise." It felt good to have her on his side, that was all he truly wanted or needed was her support. He had been feeling unmoored and adrift, alone in the world that demanded so much from him that he could never seem to quite achieve.

“At least as long as you can be.” She replied thinking of his deployment. “I wish you could stay here. Can’t you convince the brass to find you an assigned here on Terra?”

“If I could, I would, but I’ll be kept off the front lines.” He assured her and lifted her hand to kiss her fingertips. The truth was, if it were just him, he probably could have, but Giuseppe was quite aware that his father wouldn’t allow it. Antonius wouldn’t put him on the front, but he wouldn’t pull him totally from danger.

She pouted, a twinge of resentment coming in at having to be alone for so long. It was that distance which had been so much of a strain on their marriage; that and their own quirks. She placed one hand to the other wrist. It was sore from him grabbing her earlier, causing her to remember that scene, so full of contradiction. She decided to clear her mind and to try and stop thinking about everything, even if it was only for just one night.

“Perhaps after this campaign, though, I will consider leaving the Fleet to pursue more princely and husbandly duties here.” He offered up to her in hopes this news would please her. “If not leaving the fleet, transferring to a post here on Terra.” Giuseppe reached up to idly begin playing with her hair as he spoke to her with gentleness and intimacy. It was a moment just for them.

“You’d do that?” She asked, her tone slightly skeptical, but not rude or disrespectful. She knew how he’d liked the prestige of military service, and the Press loved showing images of him walking around in uniform, a model of service to the Empire he would one day rule. She also considered what him being home all the time would look like. They had a very rocky marriage and it might make things worse for them. “I know you love your job.”

"I know you don't." He countered mildly and looked down into her eyes with his brows slightly raised. Truthfully he thought this would have made her happier, but perhaps he had been wrong.

"I...I just don't want you to make a decision that will make you unhappy." she said, her hand moving from under the covers and circling his chest again. She saw the angles at which he might become offended and she didn't want to go there right now. Giuseppe, at best, was a mine field. Sometimes it was hard to know how he would respond to anything. "But appreciate you thinking about it; I do. You're very sweet."

"It is something off in the distance either way." Giuseppe replied evenly. Either her words had assuaged him or he was also actively deciding to just not get into another fight with her about this. He was tired and didn't want to ruin a good thing. "But, I did want to tell you what was on my mind, love."

"I appreciate that." she said, thinking of what he'd said earlier about her being ungrateful. She made an attempt to keep her mind from those cruel words; from his sense of entitlement. Right now, she was playing the good girl, and it was working. That would have to be enough. "Maybe, if I get pregnant again, you can be there for the birth this time. I know that would mean so much to you."

"It would. As long as you would want me there." It would hurt if she didn't, but the child's welfare and by extension her own as the mother would have been more important than his hurt at that point. "I would do my very best to be by your side."

Internally, she wasn't sure what she wanted or whether it would be a good idea. She kissed his shoulder though and said nothing of that. She changed the subject in her mind in order not to linger on the thought, but said nothing more. She was shaken from her mental game by a three polite knocks at the door to their bedroom.

Giuseppe eased Jessica from him and took a moment to make sure her body was covered up from whoever was outside. "What is it?" He demanded, his tone annoyed at the interruption so late at night especially given he was with his wife. Their moments of passion before hadn't exactly made that fact a secret to the house staff.

"Very sorry to interrupt, your Highness." came the voice of his body man, the man who went with him almost everywhere and did any menial administrative or personal task he needed, like carry his wallet or communication device. He also had the unfortunate job of interrupting him when it was needed. "It's urgent."

"It had better be very urgent." He threatened imperiously but motioned the man in. He was loyal and had served him well, but that did not protect the man from Giuseppe's ire completely. "What is it?"

The cracked door opened completely and the young man took several steps inside, bowing slightly before swallowing rather hard and looking at the Crown Prince, naked as the day he was born, with nothing but a strip of their comforter to cover his private parts. Behind him was his wife, more fully covered except her shoulder, which glistened with healthy supple skin. Gods, she was beautiful, but he dare not look too long. He turned his glance to the tablet in front of him.

"The Rio Palace just called and wants to confirm a lunch for you tomorrow with your father. They request you bring your family as well, sir. 11 o'clock sharp." he said, his eyes locked quite intentionally on the man's eyes. He had little respect for Giuseppe Angelo, but he knew where power was. His heart began to race, as much for the possibility of upsetting his boss than the presence of Princess Jessica. "Your Private Secretary wants to know if you want to confirm."

Giuseppe's jaw set immediately and his fists curled over the comforter covering him. Tension began to build in his arms. He had said it was urgent, and this was what he brought? Had this boy just looked at his wife? Was this some kind of joke? His shoulders began to lift and he began to inhale, but the reaction was suddenly curtailed when he felt Jessica's hand on his arm. It distracted him and some of the tension left his arms and body but he was still very clearly annoyed.

"We are going to have to work on your definition of urgent and bring it much more in line with mine, aren't we, Kostas?" He threatened the younger man, looking away from his wife and narrowing his gaze at Kostas. He was the fourth son of a minor noble family that had pawned him off to this station. Highly expendable to either side, so incompetence was clearly not a good look for him.

“Forgive me, sir, but the palace told me it needed to be answered urgently.” Kostas said, his heart pounding in his chest. “I didn’t want to risk not relaying the message as given.” He said.

Jessica, for her part, watched Kostas respond nervously to Giuseppe. She liked when her husband was strong, but cruelty never came from strength. She dare not contradict him now though. He was too volatile for that to end well. She watched, her pretty face turning to worry.

Giuseppe just gave a long sigh and shook his head slightly. It seemed at the moment he didn't have the desire to stay angry. "Fine, fine. We will attend the lunch and you and I will discuss this later." He said, his tone less dangerous. "Now if there's nothing else, get out."

The man nodded and bowed.

“Your Highness.” He said, and then stole the quickest glance he could at Jessica before turning and heading toward the door. He was out in no more than a second in a half, closing the door as quickly as he could without slamming it.

"The next time he looks at you like that I'm going to toss him out the window." Giuseppe grumbled and moved to slide back down into the bed with Jessica and pull her closer to him in a possessive way. Most people sorely underestimated Giuseppe in that he noticed much more than he was ever given credit for. Unfortunately more often than not he was left indecisive on how to deal with the information.

“Giuseppe, don’t.” She said with a smile, tossing the blanket assure and wrapping her arms around him like he was a boy coming to his mother for comfort. “He isn’t trying to be disrespectful. It’s just puppy love.” She kissed his forehead then, trying to turn him away from his tendency toward jealousy which likely hadn’t been helped by her earlier comments about her old boyfriend, Manuel. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“It’s not you I worry about.” It was a lie, usually, but he was in a good mood so in this moment it was the truth. “I’m worried about him.” He pressed into her and buried his face in the valley of her breasts.

Now was no time for philosophy, she knew. he couldn't handle that. She needed to be completely on his side. She kissed the top of his head now.

"I think I showed you earlier how much I want you." she said, finding his back with her fingers and making them dance along his muscled physique. "What do I need an errand boy for when I have a soldier and a prince?"

This superior talk always made her feel gross, and it happened all the time at court. It was one of the reasons she was glad they had the use of an estate so far away from the Capital. She was a commoner by birth. Her father had been a rich one, but their family had been outcast ever since their fall from the Imperial Throne by the woman who would become Empress Hoshi I. The fact she had gotten the chance to marry the Crown Prince was notable for them, but she was still no elitist. Truth be told, she rather liked Kostas. He was sweet and handsome in a boyish way, and he looked at her in a near worshipful way she had a hard time ignoring.

Giuseppe gave a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t lift his head. He found his current resting place much too pleasant to pull away from and truth be told, he was just tired of today. He was tired of the game, tired of fights, and just wanted to pretend for a night that he had a good life, a loving spouse, and not a soul in the world who wished him harm. It was a fantasy, but it was one he would like to indulge in if given the chance.

She grabbed him by his head, gently, and lifted it up until they were eye to eye, despite what he wanted. She smiled a somewhat mischievous smile.

"What do you want now?" she asked, a call back to earlier when he was between her legs and full of conflicting feelings.

Well, if they weren't going to sleep...

Giuseppe just looked into her eyes for a long moment before he pulled away from her hands. He shifted down, pulling the sheets over his head to hide him from her view and leave only the sensation of his lips and beard slowly kissing down the line of her body, trailing lower and lower...

He didn't want to think about tomorrow or talk anymore.

Jessica whimpered quietly, and her mouth opened as his kisses reached their goal. She let out several warmth breaths as she spread her legs to give him freer access without obstruction. Reaching under the covers, she laced her fingers in his hair.

"What a coincidence," she said in a quiet groan, "That's what I want too."

END