I let the soothing waters of the bath wash over me. It was a good inn. The water was hot, and there was actual soap, and not whatever pretended to be soap in cheaper establishments. As expected, it was worth paying the extra for an inn approved by the adventurer's guild.
"Is everything satisfactory?" I heard a voice through the door. "Do you require anything?"
I smiled, as if anything could make this moment of relaxation better. The voice that spoke to me sounded as diligent as a royal maid, but it was the voice of my girlfriend.
"It's fine," I replied to Iris. "I won't be long, don't worry."
For a moment, only the sound of the water dripping from the wooden faucet was audible. I sat up slightly, wondering if Iris had heard me.
"I'm not worried," came Iris's voice. "You can take your time."
I mumbled an affirmation, although I knew she wouldn't hear it.
Honestly, it was unbelievable that someone like me would be so lucky. Back then, it could have been anyone to have come across her when she needed saving the most. And if she could accept me, then the truth is that she probably would have accepted anyone. It wasn't like I was the only adventurer playing hero out in the world.
Yes… she probably would have accepted anyone.
A thought crossed my mind. Not me, charging in against better judgement as she lay surrounded by enemies. But someone else.
And when I thought of someone else, it was usually him.
Tall… powerful… handsome. He was the heir to a famous clan, and he could even be charismatic when he wanted to be. Or rather, when he needed to deceive a new girl.
And yet I'd heard plenty of rumours that women weren't entirely against that sort of thing. That kind of obvious womaniser. They knew what they were getting from him. A man who wore his desires on his sleeves.
The thought of Magnus effortlessly shielding Iris as she lay cornered ran through my mind. In place of my awkward introduction was his smile. And in place of me during our first night together beneath the stars…
Damn it. I couldn't help it.
As the familiar imagery flashed through my mind, I felt myself reacting beneath the warm waters.
With a rueful smile, I wondered when disgust had stopped being my first emotion I felt when this happened.
Now it was excitement. The allure of something truly immoral. Truly wrong. To this day, I couldn't figure out what exactly caused these wild emotions to appear when I pictured Iris in the embrace of another man, not least one as awful as my other party companion. Even though I felt envy, it was matched equally by excitement. It was the jealousy I found most stimulating. And so my thoughts turned to a familiar image as my hand dripped beneath the surface of the water.
Usually, this would usually be the end of it for most people.
That I was having these thoughts would normally finish here. The be all and end all. I'm sure that even if other people had desires like these, they would never threaten their relationship for their own dark desires. Their own selfishness.
But then again, most guys were not part of a hero party.
And most girls were not subject to the death throes of a Demon of Lust.
~ ~ ~
"I'm… sorry," the Sister said, bowing her head until the hood of her habit fell past her face. "There's nothing we can do."
Beside me, Iris was in a state of shock. The usual, cool expression had fallen off her face. Instead, there was the beginnings of despair.
"That's… but this is the Church of the Goddess of Love," she said, her voice weak for the first time since I'd known her. I held onto her hand. Hard. "If this is a curse by a Demon of Lust, there must be a way to cure it?"
The Sister raised her head after several moments. She carried the same expression of regret that had been present since we'd first informed her about the final attack by the Demon of Lust.
"There isn't," she said quietly. "This is more than an ordinary curse. It's the last, dying curse by an exceptionally high ranking demon. That has weight which cannot be easily undone."
"And so we must defeat the Demon King," said Iris bitterly.
I shared in Iris's resentment, although I tried not aiming it at the Sister. Defeating the Demon King. This was no longer about fame or fortune. Or even doing what was right. It was about us.
The nun bowed her head again.
"That is so. The spellwork of all higher demons is woven through him, and that is why the thread lingers so deeply. I am … deeply sorry."
I let out a deep breath. A part of me wanted to lash out, but this Sister had done nothing wrong.
It was me who'd failed to shield her at the last moment.
Rather, if Magnus hadn't rushed in to swipe away at the ethereal form of the Demon's blood visage rising from its corpse, it's likely Iris wouldn't even be here. Considering that terrible, worst case scenario, this was… this was bearable.
I looked with shame and guilt at the person I'd sworn and failed to protect. Iris had hardened her expression, saying nothing, but it was clear she was still searching for any answer that would help solve this curse.
A curse where, while she was with me, she was unable to feel any joy, any gratification, any pleasure when we sought to confirm our feelings in physical embrace.
It was a fitting, lonely curse by a Demon doomed to never be able to satiate its own desires. My hand tightened even more, until I realised I was squeezing Iris's too hard.
Still, she made no movement and no complaint.
"Is there anything we can do?" I asked, keeping my voice deliberately level. "Any other remedy we can try? What did… What did other people do in the same situation? There's been other Demons of Lust."
The Sister visibly hesitated.
"The answer, as I have said… is that there is no remedy."
"And so what did others do?" I asked again, my voice betraying a tremble.
"In most cases, I believe the ramifications of such a curse is the eventual separation of the bond that was targeted by the Demon of Lust."
I grinded my teeth. It was the worst possible answer, even if she framed it as distantly as she could.
"Meaning that we'd be expected to simply… fall away from one another."
"That is, unfortunately, the majority precedent. Sexual congress isn't a shallow endeavour. It's the yearnings of the heart. Being unable to express this will naturally lead to … difficulties in even the most robust relationships, especially for ones so young."
Iris lifted her head. There was a dim, but familiar light in her blue eyes. She would not leave this temple until she had an alternative. Any alternative.
"What about the relationships that succeeded? The minority? Did they merely … accept it?"
"Some did." The Sister pursed her lips, then glanced up at the nearby statue of the Goddess of Love. She considered something for a moment, then let out a small breath. "But in other cases, there have been those who'd allowed the need for close companionship to be experienced in other ways."
Iris's back straightened. She leaned so close to the Sister's face that she was forced to pull away.
"So there are alternatives?"
"There are. If the both of you are willing to explore them. However, I fear that it requires a certain disposition to be had by both the man and the woman."
Iris tilted her head.
"What is it?"
"The curse," the Sister said cautiously. "It implicitly states that gratification cannot be received from your beloved. In other words…"
She looked between the two of us. However, her eyes settled on me.
The shock on my face soon matched the one Iris had initially worn.
~ ~ ~
That evening we spoke to the Sister, we attempted to discern the truth of the Demon's curse.
It was an evening where Iris was on top.
By now, we had gotten into a rhythm where we knew each others likes and tendencies. And from what I knew, Iris took personal satisfaction in meeting mine.
Iris wore a see-through nightgown, still in her high heels. They coolly pressed against the side of my thighs while the warmth of her body sat on top of me, enveloping me in her scent.
She knew I enjoyed seeing her in lingerie or underwear, although I sincerely doubted if this was any shock to her. Perhaps the specific desire to see her in her fashionable high heels was slightly more radical, but I liked to think it didn't do more than raise an eyebrow. It was the case with Iris, at least. Although her personality would never let any opportunity to gently tease go to waste.
That night, she'd worn her most striking nightgown to imitate the mood. But an imitation was all it was. As I enjoyed the slick feeling of her pushing herself against me, and the soft fabric of her gown occasionally brushing my chest, I knew without a doubt that the smile on her face was one of loneliness.
It was enough to make me lose all appetite. I considered reaching out and placing my hands on her shoulders. To gently push her away, knowing the tears that would come if I did. But what other choice did I have? This couldn't be a relationship where only I enjoyed myself. And to be honest, I couldn't. There was too much guilt.
No… for this to work, Iris also needed to feel something. I could not ask Iris to deprive herself of any joy for my sake. She wasn't a lady of the night out to earn coin. She was my beloved. I desperately wanted to see her flushed face and her content smile once again.
Then, a thought flashed in my mind, as the final suggesting of the Sister echoed in my mind. Just as it'd done long after she'd suggested it.
It was of Iris, in the same position, smiling coyly down in her lingerie.
Except it wasn't me she was straddling.
It was someone else.
And when I did, the image of who the shadowy form was came quickly, the obscured features assembling into a body rippling with muscles, and a face chiselled with undeniable handsomeness. It just happened.
The powerfully built, womanising adventurer in our party. Someone who could lift Iris as easily with one hand as I could with two.
And when I thought about Iris smiling down at him, her hands running down his chest …
I came immediately.
It wasn't a small ejaculation, either.
It was like she'd been teasing me for an hour. She gave a small squeak of surprise, likely aided by the fact she could still feel nothing, and widened her eyes as my cock jutted out of her. I felt myself shudder as I shot against her nightgown and soiled her dress.
Some even reached the bottom of her chin.
She looked at me in blank surprise, then smiled.
"Did that feel good … ?" she asked, her voice gentle and bemused.
The guilt crushed me at once.
What the hell… What did I just do?
Not only did I manage to enjoy myself at Iris's expense, I also did it while imagining her with someone other than me.
With Magnus.
"Ah… sorry," I replied, my voice suddenly hoarse.
"There's no need to apologise. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
It was only then that I realised how distant this curse made us.
Normally, we signalled our intentions. But this time, all I could do was go at my own pace. And I was so engrossed in the thought of her straddling someone else that I had immediately cum.
I felt shame well up inside me, not only for my thoughts, but for not keeping Iris's dignity in mind, who was peering with obvious interest down at me.
She didn't know what my thoughts were, though. Only that it was something crazy. I was still rock hard. If anything, I only became more rigid at the guilt I now felt. Fuck.
I didn't know what to do.
"So?"
Iris lowered a hand, teasingly stroking the end of my cock. It was enough to make me almost cum on the spot.
"What made you enjoy yourself so much? You're not normally so pent up."
She was speaking as if there was nothing else wrong.
Even now, she only cared about my enjoyment.
I wanted to tell her this wasn't needed. And then her other hand lowered itself, too. It had dipped into her underwear.
This girl. She loved teasing me. She loved teasing herself, too. Although I wondered if was able to feel anything while we were together like this.
"Iris, right now, do you feel… ?"
Iris paused, then shook her head. She knew it was a lie I'd otherwise see through.
"No… but that's fine. We can find a workaround for it. Tomorrow, maybe. But for now, I want to know what made you enjoy yourself so much."
Her eyes flickered with a hint of mischief.
"After all, isn't it terrible, that you can enjoy yourself while I can't? Why, I never knew you were so heartless."
In the end, even Iris wasn't above using a curse as a means to extort information from me.
"It's …"
I didn't know what to say.
My face was hot with guild and embarrassment.
Iris picked up on it straight away. She stopped teasing me, probably because she could sense I was about to burst. While she still could, she wanted to enjoy the sight of me unable to hide myself from squirming to her words.
"What was it?" she asked softly.
Her free hand brushed away the long, golden bangs which fell on her face as she lied down against me. I could feel the softness of her large breasts cushioned against me. Her face was beautiful. Her blue eyes, slightly narrowed in curiosity was dazzling. Her pink, glossy lips teased a dangerous smile.
"You can tell me. You weren't just pent up. You were thinking about something, weren't you?"
I knew with dread that she could hear the beating of my heart. Even now, I could feel the excitement resulting from my brief fantasy still lingering.
"Ah … n-no, it's nothing like that …"
My stammering didn't help.
Neither was my cock, still rock hard in Iris's hand.
"Hmm …"
Iris purposefully relaxed herself. She pulled herself away from me and leveraged herself up against a pillow she'd ignored. I had to stop myself from finishing myself.
"So you weren't thinking about anything, at all?"
She casually asked as her hand returned to her underwear. She continued to toy with herself and only herself. I knew enough to know I could only watch her from this point. If I tried to touch her, she would stop me.
Until I told her enough to appease her.
My cock throbbed. It was a terrible, terrible situation.
"No … well, it's …"
"It's?"
Iris's other hand pulled up her nightgown slightly, revealing even more the strip of bare tummy between the dress and her panties.
"It's … well …"
She played with herself as I continued watching.
"You can tell me. What is it?"
Her voice was coy and smooth. I thought about the image of her straddling Magnus again. Of seeking pleasure with someone other than me. It was only for an instant, but I felt my breath stop.
And then, I came again.
Without stimulation, without touch, my cock spewed a thick line of cum, staining Iris as she sat near me. It didn't stop there. Shallow aftershocks followed, the cum dripping down onto Iris's slender legs.
Iris's eyes widened momentarily. And then she smiled while waiting for my answer. There was no escape now.
"I … I just had a thought …"
"Well, that much is clear. I've never seen you like this. What were you … are you thinking about, I wonder?"
"I …"
"What is it? Some kind of play? Did you imagine me doing something? … Wearing something? You don't have to be shy. It so happens that what you like is what I like."
I wondered about that.
She'd reacted with shock at the Sister's suggestion that Iris be allowed to alleviate herself with other men. It didn't have to be with one person in particular. There were also services for women. Using male prostitution, basically.
However, I'd also displayed the same shock. And here I was, able to cum with only the image in my mind as encouragement.
"This is needless," said Iris, her smile hardening ever so slightly. "Are you imagining me wearing something slightly less refined?"
"It's … not that." I spoke up despite my shredding nerves. "I was thinking … about you doing something very different."
"Different?"
She leaned towards me, working all of her significant tools.
I'd now told her it was something she hadn't considered. And for someone who knew every part of my likes and dislikes up to now, that was special.
"I just … well … I had a fantasy."
"You can skip that bit. What did you fantasise about?"
"…"
"Your shyness is adorable. But there's no need for it. I'll hardly decline."
"You might do."
I spoke indistinctively.
A mistake.
"Oh?"
She smiled mischievously, having drawn me into her trap.
"And what fantasy did you just imagine, that made you smother my expensive gown? Do you truly believe I would say no? Ah … is it something in public? That kind of play?"
She was teasing me, but actually …
"I suppose … it's something almost on those lines?"
Her eyes remained crystal clear.
Certainly, she didn't decline.
I guess doing something in public didn't quite cross the line for her. That was still in the realm of vanilla, apparently.
"What is it … ?"
I took in a deep breath.
I had to say something, and were I smarter, or my heart wasn't beating out of my chest, and excitement wasn't rushing through my veins, perhaps I would have considered searching for an alternative.
Any alternative.
Instead, I met Iris's deep eyes.
"About what the Sister said … would you ever consider having sex with someone other than me … ?"
Silence.
Iris blinked.
And then—