Chương 16

They stepped out of the great hall into the cooler corridor. A protocol aide directed them toward their rooms. They walked side by side without speaking. Dominion guards kept a fixed distance behind them. At her door, Angelique stopped and turned to him.

"Good night, Louis."

"Sleep well." She looked at him once, then opened her door and went inside. The latch clicked. Louis stood there for a few seconds before turning toward his own suite. Inside, the room was dim, the bed turned down, his luggage already arranged. The pistol case was on a small table by the window. He crossed the room and opened it. The Colt lay inside, the inscription cut along the slide. He traced it with his fingertip and thought of Keller. Then he closed the case and left it there.

He stripped off his jacket and tie, pulled on a clean T-shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked up his phone from the nightstand, hesitated, then sent a video call request to Angelique. She answered after a few seconds. She was sitting on her bed in a loose shirt, her hair down around her shoulders.

"I was just about to text you," she said. He smiled.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't asleep yet."

"No." She shifted slightly.

"I was thinking."

"About what?" She looked away for a second, then back at him.

"About how strange this all is. The guns, the general, the way they talk about the world."

"Did it bother you?"

"No." She shook her head.

"It's just… different." She tilted her head.

"What about you?" He leaned back against the headboard.

"I think I'm still processing." He paused.

"It was the first time anyone has said that to my face."

"That you're unprepared?" She sounded almost amused.

"That I don't know what it's like to earn my place. Or to be tested the way they mean it." Her expression softened.

"He wasn't wrong. Not entirely."

"I know." He looked away from the screen.

"It was just strange to hear it said like that."

"I'm sure it was." She was quiet for a moment, then said, "But you handled it well." He looked back at her.

"Did I?"

"Yes." She gave him a small smile.

"You didn't get defensive. You didn't push back just to prove something. You listened." She raised an eyebrow.

"That's more than I expected." He laughed.

"Thanks, I think."

"I mean it." She leaned a little closer to the screen.

"You're not just the boy who dances and runs away. You can be still when it matters." She paused, then added, "I like that about you." Louis looked down for a second. The corner of his mouth lifted before he looked back at her.

"I'm glad," he said. They watched each other through the screen for a few seconds. Angelique lowered her eyes once, then looked back at him.

"I should sleep," she said.

"Tomorrow will be more of this."

"Probably." He shifted slightly.

"But maybe you could stay on the line a little longer. I don't feel like being alone yet." Her mouth curved.

"You want company?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't." She adjusted her position, propped the phone against a pillow, and rolled onto her stomach.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. Just your voice." She laughed quietly.

"Alright." She thought for a moment.

"Show me your pistol again." He raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes. I want to see how you hold it." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He reached for the case on the table and opened it. He took out the Colt and held it up, turning it once to show the slide and then the grip.

"It's heavier than it looks," he said.

"I'm sure it is." She watched him handle it.

"It suits you." He smiled and set it back in the case.

"I'll have to earn it."

"You will." She settled deeper into the pillows.

"And I think you will." He put the case back on the table and returned to the bed.

"What about you? Are you going to use that knife?" She glanced out of frame.

"It's still in the case. I'll look at it in the morning."

"Good. Maybe we can compare notes."

"Maybe." She smiled.

"Though I suspect yours will still be shinier than mine."

"Probably." He stretched his legs out and leaned back against the headboard.

"I'm glad you're here, Angelique." Her eyes softened.

"I'm glad I'm here too." She hesitated, then said, "I like spending time with you."

"Even when we're being lectured about sacrifice and obedience?" She laughed.

"Especially then. You're much more interesting than a room full of people who already agree with each other."

"I'll try to stay interesting." He smiled. His heart was beating faster now, and the next words took him a second.

"I've been thinking about you all day." She held still for a second. Then her mouth curved.

"Were you?"

"Yes." He kept his voice low.

"I've been thinking of kissing you again." Her smile deepened.

"You'll have to wait your turn." He laughed softly.

"How long?" She tilted her head.

"Until we're alone again. And until you've earned it." His fingers tightened around the phone.

"I can earn it."

"I know you can." Her voice lowered.

"And I know you will." They looked at each other through the screen. Angelique did not look away. Louis's mouth went dry. Heat climbed his neck. He looked at her mouth, then back at her eyes. Then he opened his mouth before he had chosen the words.

"I want you tonight." Her breath caught, but her voice stayed steady.

"I know." She watched him for a moment, then said, "Take off your clothes." For a second he only stared at her. Then he set the phone against the pillows, pulled his shirt over his head, and tossed it aside. She watched him on the screen and did not look away. He unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his hips. The front of his underwear was already stretched tight around him. Angelique drew in a breath and held it for a second. He pushed off his underwear and lay back, the phone showing him from the chest down.

His cock rested hard against his stomach.

"You look good like this," she murmured.

"Touch yourself." He took his cock in his hand and stroked slowly.

"Like this?"

"Yes." She pushed herself up from the pillow and sat against the headboard.

"Tell me what you're thinking about."

"You," he said, his hand moving.

"I'm thinking about your mouth on me. How it felt when you kissed me on the balcony." She bit her lip, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Keep going." He tightened his grip, stroking himself with more purpose.

"I'm thinking about being inside you. About how you'd feel wrapped around me." His voice dropped lower.

"About the sounds you'd make." She let out a soft moan, her free hand slipping under her shirt.

"Louis..." He watched her touch herself, her hips shifting slightly against the mattress.

"I want to see you," he said.

"Show me." She hesitated for a second, then pulled her shirt off, revealing her purple lace bra. Her breasts were fuller than he'd imagined, the lace barely containing them. Louis stared, his hand moving faster now.

"You have to earn the rest," she said, her voice teasing but breathless.

"Keep going." He groaned, his strokes becoming more urgent.

"Angelique, please..."

"Tell me how much you want me," she whispered, her own hand moving between her legs.

"Tell me how badly you need to come."

"I need you so much," he panted, his body tightening.

"I've wanted this since we met. I want to be deep inside you." She unhooked her bra, letting it fall. Her breasts came free, full and round, heavier than he had imagined. Her nipples were tight, darker against her skin. Louis's eyes widened, his cock throbbing in his hand.

"Fuck, Angelique..." Her smile widened at the sound he made. She hooked her thumbs beneath the waistband of her matching panties and slid them down her legs. The fabric clung to her for a second, slick with her, and a thin wet strand stretched from her pussy to the lace before it broke. Louis stopped moving for a breath. She lay back again and spread her thighs for him. On the screen, he saw the dark curls above her sex, trimmed short, and the full, flushed lips between her legs. Her fingers moved lower.

The lips parted slightly under her touch before she found her clit and began to rub slow circles, watching him through the screen.

"Look at me," she whispered.

"Yes," he groaned.

"Tell me."

"I want to taste you," he said. His hand closed tighter around his cock.

"I want to feel you come on my tongue." He watched her fingers move, her hips rising slightly.

"Louis," she gasped, her fingers speeding up. Louis's next stroke faltered. He could not keep his eyes in one place. She had moved back far enough that the phone showed all of her: legs open, one hand rubbing slow circles over her clit, the other cupping one breast, her thumb dragging over the nipple. Her breasts rose with each breath. Her lips parted as she tried not to moan. Wet sounds came through the speaker as she rubbed faster. He changed his grip and dragged his thumb over the slick head of his cock.

He breathed through his mouth and kept looking. Her back lifted off the bed. Her fingers lost their smooth rhythm and pressed harder against her clit. Louis watched the first tremor go through her thighs. Then another followed. Her stomach pulled tight, and her hand closed around her breast.

"Louis—" His name broke out of her as she came. A pale, creamy slick gathered around her fingers and smeared over the swollen lips between her legs. She kept rubbing through it, shaking again, then again. Louis lasted another few strokes. He came with a rough sound, hips jerking as cum spilled over his hand and stomach.

"Angi—fuck." He lay back against the pillows, breathing through his mouth. On the screen, Angelique was still trembling. Her fingers slowed but did not leave herself. Angelique exhaled, then laughed once under her breath.

"That was unexpected." He laughed, still short of breath.

"In a good way, I hope."

"Definitely." She reached for the phone. The frame shifted, and then her face filled the screen again.

"You're even better to watch than I imagined."

"Same to you." He reached for a tissue and wiped his stomach, then lay back again.

"I wish you were here."

"Me too." She looked at him through the screen.

"Maybe soon."

"Yeah." He stayed quiet for a second.

"Good night, Angelique."

"Good night, Louis." The call ended. The screen went black in his hand. Louis stayed where he was. Her face came back first. Then the rest came back in pieces. He turned off the light and closed his eyes. The room went dark. Her voice stayed.