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Taking the Lead (Last Binding, Maud/Violet)
Title: Taking the Lead
Fandom: Last Binding Series - Freya Marske
Characters: Maud Blyth/Violet Debenham
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 6,500
Additional Tags: Fluff, Banter, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Crossdressing, Strap-Ons, Cunnilingus, Light Bondage
Summary: Puzzling out the mysteries of Spinet House remains an ongoing problem. Violet tries to keep Maud's spirits up, but to Violet's delight, it's Maud who ends up taking the reins.
Notes: Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yuletide 2024.
Read on AO3.
“I don’t think the house likes me.”
Maud punctuated this statement with a small pout, which was enough to get Violet up off the couch and across the room.
“I don’t think the house likes anyone,” she consoled, slipping an arm around Maud’s waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Maud relaxed fractionally at the touch. “It’s because I don’t have magic.”
“It just doesn’t know you,” Violet countered. “If it did, it would adore you.”
Maud was still frowning at the locked door, but the pout had lessened. Violet rested her head on Maud’s shoulder even though it meant leaning down awkwardly to reach. A glance around the parlor gave her a burst of inspiration.
“Magic isn’t the only thing the house responds to,” she said, and gently guided Maud over to the upright piano in the corner. It wasn’t one of the grander instruments Violet had found in her exploration of the house, but it was older, perhaps even a sentimental piece.
Sitting Maud down at the piano bench, Violet planted herself right beside her, hip nudging against Maud’s own.
“Let’s play something,” she said, lightly tapping out a short scale. The notes twinkled faintly, hanging in the air of the quiet parlor like stars.
The thought of being able to do something to endear the house to her seemed to have brightened Maud considerably, and Violet smiled, glad she’d been correct in her assumption that having an actionable task would be all that was needed to cheer Maud up. She set her hands on the keys, thinking, then began to play a classical piece that Violet vaguely recognized from her own formal lessons, before her skills turned mostly to vaudeville tunes.
Violet hummed along after a few moments, watching Maud’s fingers dance across the keys. She wasn’t a virtuoso by any means—Violet had a hard time imagining Maud sitting still long enough to have a proper lesson, let alone practice—but she played well enough, and Violet couldn’t help hoping that maybe this musical offering would make some kind of difference in the house’s opinion of Maud.
A minute later Violet reached out and started to play along, improvising her own tune that veered farther and farther from what Maud was playing until Maud laughed and began to adjust her song to better match Violet’s. Eventually the music they were creating together was nothing like what they started with, both of them playing off each other as they passed the melody between them. Violet found herself falling back on her dance hall showtunes, speeding up the pace just to see Maud keep up with her.
“I think Bach would have some notes on our composition,” Maud finally said, drawing her hands back from the piano as Violet brought their song to a natural-sounding conclusion, the final trill slowing and fading.
Violet grinned and dropped her hands back into her lap. “I don’t know, I think we could call it some kind of newfangled fugue.”
Maud looked up, studying the crown moulding at the top of the wall. Not wanting her to get caught up worrying about her standing within the house again, Violet tapped her fingers against the piano, rings clacking lightly against the polished wood. After a few moments, she cradled a quick spell, pouring it over the keyboard, then stood up, pulling Maud up with her.
The keys on the piano dipped as if pressed by invisible fingers as the instrument began to play on its own, a jaunty little tune that had Maud’s eyes lighting up as Violet tugged her by the hands to the middle of the room. Then with an arm slipped around Maud’s waist they were off, dancing in circles that brought them perilously close to knocking into the furniture. There were no steps, no plans, just Violet guiding Maud by the hand, skirts swirling together around their ankles. Maud’s laughter floated high above the sound of the piano and only climbed higher as Violet dipped her low after spinning her around.
“Teach me how to do that,” Maud said, breathless, once Violet righted her on her feet.
“Dip me?” Violet replied, trying and failing to hide her amusement. It wasn’t that she doubted the strength of Maud’s conviction—more the strength of her grip.
“To lead.”
A huff of laughter, then Violet cradled again, changing the song on the piano to something a little slower. Maud put her hand on Violet’s back, looking determined, and Violet took Maud’s free hand in hers.
“Listen a moment,” she said, before Maud could lead the charge. “See where the song is going, then follow it. Your partner will follow you.”
Maud cocked her head, letting the music wash over them, her foot tapping out the beat for a measure before she tightened her hold and ignored everything in favor of pulling Violet into an inelegant spin around the room. Violet nearly tripped over her own feet, her laughter catching in her throat as she struggled to keep up. As Maud made up an increasingly difficult series of moves with the same kind of single-minded determination she did everything else, Violet mimicked the steps with equally increasing delight, until one unfortunate misstep sent Maud sprawling onto a nearby couch. Violet allowed herself to be sacrificed on the altar of solidarity, which is to say she kept her grip on Maud’s hand and teetered onto the couch after her, narrowly missing banging her shin on the low table beside it.
“I’m starting to suspect this would be easier with trousers,” Maud grumbled, now sitting upright on the cushions.
“Or shorter skirts,” Violet teased, reaching over to pinch at Maud’s long skirt and draw it up, up, up, over her knee to reveal the petticoat beneath.
Maud laughed, brushing Violet’s hand away. Violet released Maud’s skirt but left her hand settled on Maud’s knee, thumb rubbing at it through the layers of fabric.
“I’m not sure which would be more scandalous,” Maud said, but there was a flush on her cheeks and a glint in her eyes that all but guaranteed she was cooking up something in that delightfully surprising mind of hers.
She looked at Violet’s hand only briefly before turning her gaze back up to meet Violet’s. “Thank you for trying to cheer me up about the house, by the way.”
“I did nothing of the sort,” Violet replied without much thought, then immediately retreated at Maud’s pointed look. “No, you’re right, I did, I…”
Maud set her hand over Violet’s, squeezing it gently. Violet turned her hand over, fingers curling to squeeze back.
“I suppose,” Violet said slowly, pressing closer to Maud so they now sat thigh to thigh, “that I want you to like this place.”
“You want me to like the house that tried to throw me down the stairs, and did in fact succeed in vanishing an entire bathtub—without the bathwater—while I was in it?” Maud said, but there was that playful smile that made Violet lean in the rest of the way to kiss her and make her smile brighter.
“Exactly,” she replied, drawing back to beam at Maud.
Maud sighed dramatically. “All right, but if it kills me I shall be quite cross.”
“I’d hate to have to find another medium to be able to talk to you then.”
Giggling, Maud nudged Violet with her shoulder. “You could sound a little more upset about it!”
“I think the sex would be the most complicated part,” Violet continued as if she hadn’t heard Maud. “What are the chances of finding another medium as attractive as you—”
A hand appeared over Violet’s mouth, stopping her postulating, and then Maud was climbing into Violet’s lap, cheeks pink as she laughed. “Just for that, I am absolutely haunting you if I die here.”
Violet settled her hands on Maud’s hips, barely sparing a glance at the door—the non-magical one—to make sure it was closed. “I think I’d prefer you here alive, if you don’t mind.”
“Good, because I’m the only medium you’re allowed to fuck,” Maud said, and Violet could practically see the little frisson that went through her at her easy use of the expletive.
“Care for a practical demonstration?” Violet asked, a sly smile creeping onto her face, and Maud barely waited for her to finish talking before she ducked down and kissed her.
Unraveling Spinet’s secrets went much like that in the weeks following their return to England. Edwin visited often, just as eager as Maud to learn more about the house in their quest for the last contract piece, and wherever Edwin went, so went Robin. Even with the four of them, however, Violet was beginning to think it was time to drag Hawthorn back into the thick of things. He’d had plenty of time to recuperate from their presence.
“Maud, darling, I’m going to visit Hawthorn tomorrow,” Violet called, unpinning her hair with a flick of her hand in front of the tall mirror on her bedroom vanity. “It’s about time he pulled his weight around here. I assume you want to come with me?”
There was movement behind her as Maud exited the attached bathroom, but Violet merely reached for her hairbrush and continued, “I don’t think we’ll need to deploy your powers of persuasion, but I’d enjoy annoying him with them anyway, so…”
Maud cleared her throat. “Perhaps we don’t talk about Hawthorn anymore tonight?”
Violet had enough control not to drop her brush when she looked up and spotted Maud in the mirror. Gone were the frills and petticoats; instead she stood there in trousers and a waistcoat of a subdued blue-grey color. She’d forgone the jacket and rolled her shirtsleeves up to her elbows, giving her the same sort of roguish look as her brother when he did the same, and Violet had to turn around in her seat to get a better view. For a moment she completely understood Edwin’s reaction when he was in the same room as Robin in such a state, then she quickly banished both men from her mind.
“I borrowed some old items from Edwin,” Maud said into the silence, thumbs hooked into the pockets of her trousers, more at ease than Violet would have expected. “The jacket was too long, the sleeves looked rather ridiculous on me, but…”
The whole outfit was too long on her, in truth, and Violet mourned the thought of getting to see Maud in properly fitting menswear. If they were back at the Penumbra…
“I don’t think he’ll want them back, if he’s guessed what you wanted them for,” Violet replied, eagerly drinking in the sight nonetheless. Maud’s hair was bound up as unobtrusively as possible, and no jewelry adorned her ears or neck, though she had a tie on beneath the collar of her shirt, slightly askew.
Violet crooked her finger at Maud in a single, commanding motion, and Maud went immediately, striding across the room with all the confidence she normally put into trying new or dangerous things. A glance down showed that Maud was wearing plain black women’s boots, clearly unable to charm a pair of shoes out of Edwin, or perhaps just not wanting to trip in a pair of ill-fitting oxfords.
Standing from her vanity seat, Violet waited for Maud to stop in front of her, then reached up to adjust her tie, straightening the crooked slip of silk before neatening her shirt collar. Even just in her stockinged feet, Violet was taller than Maud, and Maud had to tip her head back slightly to meet Violet’s gaze as she fixed her tie.
“Anything in particular inspire this?” Violet asked once she was done, slowly running her hand down Maud’s front under the pretense of smoothing out her necktie. It didn’t feel like Maud was wearing a corset.
“You did,” Maud replied, clearly struggling to remain still as Violet touched her. “I thought it might be fun.”
“My scandalous Maud.” Violet’s fingers lingered on the end of Maud’s tie, then drew back. “Well, you’re wearing the pants. You can tell me what to do.”
“Don’t let Hawthorn hear you say that,” Maud giggled.
“And he never shall. I thought we weren’t talking about Hawthorn anymore tonight?”
“Right,” Maud said, and reached up with both hands to cup Violet’s face and kiss her.
As far as orders went, they were ones Violet was happy to follow. She gripped Maud’s hips, just below the belt she had cinched tight around her, and pulled her closer on instinct, tongue pushing into Maud’s mouth. Maud made a sharp noise and pushed back. Amused, Violet withdrew slightly, letting Maud control the kiss, lips parting so Maud could slip her tongue into her mouth instead.
Maud did just that, tongue sliding against Violet’s as she stood up on tiptoes to get better leverage, one hand curling around the back of Violet’s neck. She teetered on the balls of her feet briefly, Violet tightening her arms around Maud’s waist to keep her upright before taking a step backwards, then another, half dragging Maud toward the bed.
“There must be a spell to make me taller,” Maud muttered, breaking off the kiss. She took hold of Violet’s arm and tugged her the rest of the way to the large four-poster, making Violet sit on the end of the bed. Then she climbed into Violet’s lap, straddling her thighs without any fussy skirts getting in the way.
Violet easily slid her hands down Maud’s back and over her ass, gripping her firmly through her trousers. “I wouldn’t use it if there were.”
“You just like being taller than me.”
“It has its charms,” Violet replied, all sweet smiles, and hitched Maud a little higher up her lap so they were pressed nearly chest to chest.
Maud kissed her again, fingers tangling in Violet’s loose hair. She was getting quite good at it, actually, courtesy of Violet’s excellent lessons, in her opinion. Violet’s breaths were already coming quicker, a hot ball of need forming in the pit of her stomach, her hands tugging at Maud’s clothes, wanting to feel more than just fabric.
“Leave it,” Maud said, authoritative. Much gentler, she started unbuttoning Violet’s shirtwaist, reaching around her to get at the tiny buttons lining the back of her blouse. With Maud distracted, Violet took the opportunity to press kisses to her jaw and neck, nosing at the high collar of her shirt.
She allowed Maud to slip the blouse from her shoulders, the camisole quickly following as Maud tugged it off her. Then Maud sat back, fingertips dancing over the top edge of Violet’s corset as she looked at her.
“What’s going on in there?” Violet asked with a smirk, tapping Maud’s temple with a single finger.
“Not much other than thinking about how beautiful you are,” Maud admitted, that simple Blyth earnestness in her voice doing something funny to Violet’s stomach. “And how much I want to put my face between your breasts.”
That got a loud laugh out of Violet, and Maud blushed but smiled at her, sliding her fingers up the elegant column of Violet’s throat.
“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Violet said.
Maud quickly went to work at the corset clasps, fumbling slightly in her haste, and once she got them undone she pulled the offending garment free and tossed it aside. Violet lifted her hands, prepared to help Maud get her chemise off with her skirt still on, but Maud surprised her by pushing her back on the bed instead.
Maud peered down at her, cheeks still flushed, a stray curl of hair already escaping from her updo and hanging over her forehead. She trailed her hands over Violet’s shoulders, featherlight, then hooked her fingers in the straps of her chemise and pulled them down her arms, freeing her breasts as she tugged the garment farther down. Violet let out another startled laugh, skin heating slightly under Maud’s scrutiny.
Taking her time, Maud bent lower to kiss Violet’s throat, the side of her neck, the curve of her shoulder. She slowly made her way downward, teeth scraping lightly over Violet’s collarbone, and Violet shivered, hands clenching at her sides. She felt exposed like this, Maud’s mouth barely touching her, warm breath ghosting over the tops of her breasts. Laying still for her was taking all her willpower.
Finally, finally, Maud lifted a hand and cupped at Violet’s breast, thumb brushing over the raised nipple. Violet gasped softly, licking her lips as she watched Maud do the same, tongue flicking over faintly parted lips before dipping lower and curling around that same nipple. This time Violet openly groaned, more at the culmination of her anticipation than the actual sensation.
Maud glanced up at her, lips wrapped around her nipple now, but she turned her attention back to the task at hand, her free hand settling over Violet’s other breast. Violet was silent as Maud trailed kisses over her chest, teasing her nipples between lips and teeth, but it became increasingly harder to keep quiet—and keep still—the longer this went on. When her hands finally jerked up in an aborted attempted to reach for Maud, catching the top of her chemise against the underside of her breasts, Maud didn’t even pause what she was doing as she caught Violet’s wrists with both hands and pinned them to the bed above Violet’s head.
For one irrational moment, Violet nearly panicked. She couldn’t do magic without her hands. But it was only Maud above her, only Maud’s hands on her wrists. If she asked, Maud would let her go. If she was—if she was honest.
Violet closed her eyes and relaxed her tensed fists. A moment later, she felt Maud slide her fingers between Violet’s, entwining them. Hands still separated, still pinned to the bed, but held by Maud, safe between Maud’s fingers.
Maud lifted her head, catching Violet’s eyes as they fluttered open. She looked almost nervous, and that just wouldn’t do.
“Well? You’ve got me,” Violet said, haughty as she could while pinned to the bed half naked. “What are you going to do with me?”
That seemed to jolt Maud back into it and she braced herself more confidently over Violet. “I’m going to fuck you,” she replied without hesitation, sending another shiver of pride through Violet. She was so very glad Maud could say that now, because it did wonderful things to her. “But not just yet.”
Violet very nearly pouted at that, but Maud started to plant more kisses between her breasts, nipping at one particularly sensitive spot that had Violet squirming. Trailing kisses up Violet’s chest and along her neck, Maud made her way up to Violet’s mouth, kissing her properly at last. The silky fabric of her tie dragged along the valley between Violet’s breasts as she moved, a cool touch to heated skin.
“I’m going to undress you,” Maud continued, like she was working through the steps in her head on the fly. “You’re going to stay where you are. And I’m going to use my mouth on you.” She sat up straighter, releasing one of Violet’s hands to touch her face almost reverently instead.
“Sounds delightful,” Violet replied, voice only a little uneven. Maud caught the wavering sound anyway, continuing to study Violet’s face with that tiny furrow of thoughtfulness in her brow. She let go of Violet’s other hand and sat all the way up.
“Those magical ropes you can make…” she mused, shuffling back to begin undressing Violet as promised. “Can you use them on yourself?”
Despite being released Violet stayed where she was put, hands resting on the bed over her head as she watched Maud through lidded eyes. “Of course.”
Maud hummed consideringly, making quick work of Violet’s many layers. Skirt and petticoat and drawers were tossed to the floor one by one, until all that was left was Violet’s stockings and the chemise still bunched up under her breasts. Maud slid a finger under one of Violet’s garters and raised an eyebrow at her.
“What?” Violet laughed. “They’re pretty.”
With more delicacy than was probably needed, Maud slid the garter and accompanying stocking down Violet’s leg, then did the same to the other, kneeling on the floor at the end of the bed. She pressed a soft kiss to the side of Violet’s knee before standing, sliding her hands up Violet’s thighs in the process and pushing her chemise up higher.
“Violet,” Maud whispered as more of Violet’s pale skin was revealed. It was all Violet could do not to move, not to reach for Maud and pull her back up the bed. Her fingers flexed uselessly above her head, halfway through a cradle left unfinished.
“How do you want me?” Violet asked, shaking Maud out of whatever thought she was lost in, unable to wait any longer.
Maud took hold of Violet’s chemise and, with minor wiggling on Violet’s part, tugged it down past her hips and off completely, leaving Violet naked on the bed and Maud fully clothed over her. It was strangely dizzying, and with anyone other than Maud, Violet wasn’t sure she’d like it.
Sleeve slipping, Maud paused to roll it back up, then put both hands on Violet’s thighs and pushed them apart.
“Like this,” she said.
Violet didn’t need telling twice. She cradled the spell without looking, the movements familiar as a swig of gin after a hard day. Raven-dark lines of magic, sleek as snakes, spiraled down her forearms and over the rest of her body. They wrapped around her arms, tucked up under her chest like her chemise before them, encircled her hips, every strand glittering like the night sky full of stars. Her legs remained spread, the dark tendrils extending to the two posts at the end of the bed to hold her in place. That seemed to catch Maud by surprise, who let out an aroused little squeak as the spell finished forming.
Collecting herself, Maud cleared her throat and met Violet’s gaze again. “Let’s see if you can hold it.”
Violet’s retort died in her throat as Maud kneeled on the floor again and gripped Violet’s spread thighs, leaning in to put her mouth to Violet’s cunt without hesitation. Gasping, Violet tried to buck her hips, but she’d put herself in such a position that she had no leverage. Maud dragged her tongue through Violet’s folds, licking away the mess that had already gathered there from all this foreplay.
“Fuck,” Violet choked out, her concentration on the spell already wavering. “I th-think I taught you too well.”
Maud didn’t take the chance to gloat. She pressed deeper with her tongue, mouth slotted perfectly over Violet’s cunt, teeth scraping lightly over her clit just long enough to send sparks of pleasure up Violet’s spine. The ropes around her legs gave her no recourse, nowhere to retreat to as Maud worked her over. If she negated the spell she could take over, tug control back to her side.
The ropes held strong.
Violet keened as two of Maud’s fingers found their way to her clit, rubbing the tender spot while Maud focused on stroking every part of her with her tongue, inside and out. It was a good thing Violet kept her hands tied above her head or she’d have made a mess of Maud’s hair already.
“I’m already close, sweet thing,” she said, using words instead of touch to try and unravel Maud too. “Oh, fuck, that’s it, that’s it, a little harder, darling—”
She arched off the bed with a quiet moan, the midnight ropes dissolving into nothingness as her concentration dissolved as well. Maud still had her face between Violet’s legs, lapping at her release, and that alone sent another shudder of pleasure coursing through her.
“Maud,” she gasped, finally able to reach for her, and pushed her gently back by the shoulder. Maud looked up, licking Violet’s spend from her lips, and Violet groaned again. “Brava, darling, I think you’ve finally found a way to kill me.”
“If you could hold off on that just a little longer,” Maud replied dryly, picking herself up from the floor. Her cheeks were flushed again, her lips shiny and pink, and Violet gave in to her urge to pull Maud down by her tie and ravage her mouth with her own. Maud’s eyes fluttered shut and she kissed Violet hungrily, pressing down against her as she knelt at the edge of the bed.
When Violet released her, Maud’s hair was half out of its bun and her collar was sticking up on one side. Violet laughed and fixed her tie and collar, then took the pins from Maud’s hair, letting brown waves fall down over her shoulders.
“Thank you, dear,” Maud said, primly plucking the pins from Violet’s hand and straightening up. She took them over to the tall dresser, setting them atop it, then pulled open a drawer and removed something from within.
Still trying to catch her breath, Violet sat up to watch, hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. Maud returned to the bed, nudging Violet to move farther up it, and put down her supplies: Violet’s leather harness, one of the glass phalluses from her collection, and a small jar of Vaseline she brought over from the States.
“You’ve been going through my things, have you?” Violet asked, not upset in the least.
Maud sat at the edge of the bed and bent down to untie the laces on her boots, tugging each one off in turn. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, on the Lyric. We never did try that.”
Violet laughed and got up onto her knees, snatching Maud by the tie again and drawing her closer to give her another kiss.
“It’s perfect,” she murmured against Maud’s mouth, fingers starting on the buttons of Maud’s waistcoat. Once unbuttoned, she left it hanging open and began unbuttoning her shirt next, exchanging kisses with Maud after each button freed. As she’d suspected, Maud wasn’t wearing a corset beneath the borrowed clothing, merely a short chemise.
Violet touched her through the thin fabric, teasing a nipple between two fingers. Maud’s flush deepened, her grip on Violet’s waist tightening. Smirking, Violet deftly untied her necktie and flicked it away, then sat back on her heels. The belt went next, disappearing off the side of the bed with the rest of their discarded clothes, and at last Violet’s hands went to the front of Maud’s trousers, undoing them just as easily. She clucked her tongue disappointingly as she revealed Maud’s drawers beneath, barely holding back a laugh when Maud huffed in annoyance.
“I wasn’t going to ask him for underwear too,” she hissed, blushing again at the mere thought.
“How did you even fit those in there?” Violet asked, no longer able to hold back her laughter.
Maud made a face. “It’s not very comfortable.”
“My poor girl,” Violet cooed, only half teasing, and tugged the trousers down from Maud’s hips. Her drawers had indeed been stuffed awkwardly down each pant leg; even the combination of Maud’s slimmest pair of drawers and Edwin’s slightly too large trousers hadn’t been enough to avoid the problem.
Maud took over, shimmying out of the trousers the rest of the way. She didn’t hesitate to untie her drawers and rid herself of them too, leaving her kneeling on the bed in the open waistcoat and shirt, her chemise not quite long enough to cover any ‘indecency.’ The sight had Violet feeling a little light-headed.
“I think I’ve figured this out, but do tell me if not,” Maud was saying, picking up the harness and fiddling with the straps so she could put it on. Violet felt her arousal-fueled vertigo intensify to unprecedented heights as she thought about Maud practicing putting on the harness in preparation for surprising Violet tonight.
“You’ve—got it,” Violet assured her, voice only cracking slightly as worn leather slid over Maud’s thighs. The phallus fit securely in place in its spot in the center of the harness, hard and smooth as it curved upward, partially obscured by the ends of Maud’s open shirt as she leaned forward.
“Help me out?” she asked innocently, pressing the petroleum jar into Violet’s hand.
Violet nearly dropped the jar in her haste to get it open. Scooping out some of the cool jelly, she spread it over her fingers, then wrapped her hand around Maud’s cock and gave it a few slow strokes. Maud watched the movement of her hand with interest, but Violet watched Maud, cataloging every reaction—the way she shifted on her knees, the way her eyes followed the languid slide of her hand, the way her breathing seemed to still as if she were afraid of dislodging Violet’s touch.
“Good?” Violet murmured, breaking Maud out of the spell she was under, no magic necessary.
Maud took the jar back and closed it. “You’ll be the judge of that, I think.”
The next kiss was soft, tender, two hands cupping Violet’s face like she was made of stained glass. Violet ran her hands down Maud’s sides, thumbs rubbing at the straps crossing over her hips, tracing the leather around and down her thighs.
“You look incredible,” Violet said, trying to convey even half the amount of Maud’s usual sincerity back at her. “You are incredible.”
Maud smiled, impossibly pretty in her borrowed shirt with her fake cock pressing against Violet’s stomach as she moved closer, smearing petroleum jelly over her skin. She kissed Violet’s cheek, then her jaw.
“Go on then,” she whispered, breath hot against Violet’s ear. “Turn around and I’ll fuck you.”
The words lit a fire inside Violet again, the flames licking at her belly and down between her thighs. She stole another kiss, hot and hungry and a little desperate, before putting some space between them, kneeling in the other direction with her legs spread. Bracing her hands flat against the bed, Violet kept her gaze on the headboard and waited.
She nearly jumped at the first touch of Maud’s fingers on her hip, anticipation making her tense the longer Maud took to get into position behind her. Maud laughed but didn’t comment, her other hand resting against the small of Violet’s back. A moment later, the slick phallus slid slowly over Violet’s aching cunt, making her wetter by the second. She fisted the sheets in her hands, willing herself to stay still. This was Maud’s show; Violet was merely the volunteer plucked from the audience, ready to be amazed by the trick.
Which was becoming increasingly harder to remember as Maud teased her, rocking her hips just right so that the tip of her cock caught against Violet’s opening, only to keep on sliding past.
“I thought you said you were going to fuck me,” Violet gasped at last, unable to remain quiet any longer.
Rather than the clever retort she expected to get back, Maud gripped Violet’s hips with both hands and pressed the phallus into her in one steady motion, nearly knocking the breath right out of her. Violet swore and clenched instinctively around the thick length, barely having a chance to fortify herself before Maud started moving. She pulled back nearly all the way, then pushed back in same as before, working up to finding a steady rhythm with her thrusts.
It was everything Violet had imagined when she had brought up the idea back in bed on the Lyric, and it was so much more. Maud’s hands were hot brands on her hips, her thrusts relentless now that she’d found a pace she liked. She’d fucked Violet enough by now to know exactly how Violet liked it, and to Violet’s great embarrassment, she was even succeeding in fucking audible moans out of her. Maud had even managed to pick the perfect-sized cock for getting nice and deep—truly Violet had nothing left to teach her.
“Goodness, Violet,” Maud panted, awed, after Violet let out a particularly colorful string of expletives.
Violet risked a glance back over her shoulder and it nearly ended her then and there, seeing Maud pounding into her with such determination. Some wild part of her half wished Maud was still wearing the tie so Violet could grab it and pull her down closer. As it was, she flung a hand blindly back and was able to catch hold of the hem of her shirt, tugging at that instead.
Maud didn’t resist, though her thrusts slowed as she bent low over Violet’s back, unable to get the same kind of leverage. Wrapping an arm around Violet’s middle, she pressed a trail of kisses up her spine, then more over her shoulders, until Violet twisted further and pulled her into an awkwardly angled kiss. That didn’t stop Maud from slipping her tongue into Violet’s mouth, deepening the kiss even as she thrust shallowly into her cunt, the decorative lace on her chemise rough against Violet’s bare skin where she pressed up against her back.
It was Maud who broke off the kiss first, struggling to keep the momentum going, and Violet would have laughed if the air hadn’t just been punched from her lungs with an especially good thrust now that Maud was able to bear down on her properly..
“No one would ever guess how merciless you are from looking at you, darling,” Violet said once she was able to speak again, only a slight tremble in her voice.
“I would hope you knew better by now,” Maud replied, and Violet was gratified to hear that she was also breathing heavier, arousal coiling around each word.
“You know me, I never learn—Oh!” Violet shuddered and clenched at the phallus inside her, elbows just about giving out on her. “I’m close, Maud, love, please—”
Lovely, brilliant, talented Maud didn’t need further instruction. Fucking Violet steadily again, each thrust drawn back as far as she could before driving back in, she reached around her with one hand, fingers landing at once on Violet’s clit. With an impressive level of coordination for how quick and hard she was still thrusting into her, Maud rubbed at the sensitive spot exactly the way Violet liked it, just a shade too rough. Violet cried out as she came a second time, giving up on supporting herself and muffling the sound of her moans in the bunched up sheets beneath her.
Maud slowed her hips and carefully pulled out without needing told, giving Violet the chance to recover without crowding her. Violet rolled onto her side and looked back at Maud, breathless and giddy with the force of that second climax.
“Brava, indeed,” she said. The way Maud’s face lit up at the compliment was almost better than the orgasm.
“Good. I’m glad,” Maud said, a pleased flush on her face that made Violet want to sit up and kiss her.
So she did just that, pushing herself up from the bed and grabbing at the open sides of Maud’s waistcoat to pull her into a messy kiss. Maud sank into her arms as she returned the kiss with equal fervor, moaning sweetly against Violet’s mouth.
Being poked in the stomach by a glass dick was a tangible reminder that Maud still hadn’t gotten her turn yet, so after a few moments longer Violet reached for the straps on the harness, easing it off Maud once unbuckled. A few more kisses, then she helped Maud out of the waistcoat and shirt, her chemise the last piece to go. Maud seemed content to let Violet take control, allowing Violet to lay her back against the pillows at the head of the bed once she was naked.
Violet decorated her with kisses over her neck and shoulders, down over her breasts and stomach, light and worshipful and unhurried. She nosed at the patch of brown curls between her legs, kissed the inner curve of her thigh, then hitched both of Maud’s legs over her shoulders. Maud pet a hand through her hair, gentle, before pressing down firmer, bringing Violet’s face to the place she really wanted it.
Maud was delightfully wet, and Violet wasted no time getting her mouth on her, sucking at her folds and teasing her tongue over her clit, employing many of the same tricks Maud had used on her earlier that night. Hands wrapped around Maud’s thighs, she held her down to the bed as Maud squirmed, her hips bucking futilely against the onslaught. Violet’s fingers left pale marks where they pressed into flushed skin, the sound of Maud’s moans only making her tighten her grip.
It didn’t take long to bring Maud to climax, her heels digging into Violet’s back as she writhed. As far as accidental deaths went, being smothered between Maud Blyth’s thighs wouldn’t be too bad. Violet kissed those lovely thighs a few more times and sat up, letting Maud’s legs slide bonelessly from her shoulders.
Maud sighed contently and settled back against the pillows again, and Violet lay down beside her, the two of them staring up at the ceiling side-by-side. After a moment of comfortable silence, Violet reached down and laced her fingers with Maud’s.
“In the middle there,” Maud began quietly, in the tone Violet knew she used when she was worried she was going to scare Violet off like a skittish alley cat, “you called me… Ah, well. It’s unimportant.”
The war within Violet was over faster than she expected. “Is it?” she prompted softly.
Maud rolled onto her side to face Violet, their hands still clasped. “You called me ‘love.’ I know it might not mean anything, and it’s all right if it doesn’t, but—”
Heart in her throat, Violet said, “But?”
“I liked it,” Maud admitted.
Looking at Maud now was like standing on the edge of a high stage, blinding lights shining down, knowing one wrong step could send you plummeting. Violet exhaled slowly and took the plunge.
“I rather like the thought of it too,” she said, lifting Maud’s hand to kiss the back of it.
Maud blinked in surprise, then tugged her hand free with a laugh. “Just the thought?”
Violet pressed closer, tenderly cupping Maud’s face instead.
“Not just the thought,” she murmured, and kissed her until they fell asleep tangled up in each other.
It was a few days later that Robin and Edwin were able to stop by Spinet House.
“Oh, Edwin, I have the clothes you lent me,” Maud said, getting up to go gather the freshly laundered and folded stack of clothing a maid had left for them that morning. Violet glanced up from the notes she was currently scouring, meeting Edwin’s eye across the table.
Edwin took one look at her, turned to Maud, and said,
“Ah, consider them a gift.”
Violet stifled her laughter behind her hand and didn’t say a word. Some things were funny enough on their own.
Fandom: Last Binding Series - Freya Marske
Characters: Maud Blyth/Violet Debenham
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 6,500
Additional Tags: Fluff, Banter, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Crossdressing, Strap-Ons, Cunnilingus, Light Bondage
Summary: Puzzling out the mysteries of Spinet House remains an ongoing problem. Violet tries to keep Maud's spirits up, but to Violet's delight, it's Maud who ends up taking the reins.
Notes: Written for
yuletide 2024.Read on AO3.
“I don’t think the house likes me.”
Maud punctuated this statement with a small pout, which was enough to get Violet up off the couch and across the room.
“I don’t think the house likes anyone,” she consoled, slipping an arm around Maud’s waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Maud relaxed fractionally at the touch. “It’s because I don’t have magic.”
“It just doesn’t know you,” Violet countered. “If it did, it would adore you.”
Maud was still frowning at the locked door, but the pout had lessened. Violet rested her head on Maud’s shoulder even though it meant leaning down awkwardly to reach. A glance around the parlor gave her a burst of inspiration.
“Magic isn’t the only thing the house responds to,” she said, and gently guided Maud over to the upright piano in the corner. It wasn’t one of the grander instruments Violet had found in her exploration of the house, but it was older, perhaps even a sentimental piece.
Sitting Maud down at the piano bench, Violet planted herself right beside her, hip nudging against Maud’s own.
“Let’s play something,” she said, lightly tapping out a short scale. The notes twinkled faintly, hanging in the air of the quiet parlor like stars.
The thought of being able to do something to endear the house to her seemed to have brightened Maud considerably, and Violet smiled, glad she’d been correct in her assumption that having an actionable task would be all that was needed to cheer Maud up. She set her hands on the keys, thinking, then began to play a classical piece that Violet vaguely recognized from her own formal lessons, before her skills turned mostly to vaudeville tunes.
Violet hummed along after a few moments, watching Maud’s fingers dance across the keys. She wasn’t a virtuoso by any means—Violet had a hard time imagining Maud sitting still long enough to have a proper lesson, let alone practice—but she played well enough, and Violet couldn’t help hoping that maybe this musical offering would make some kind of difference in the house’s opinion of Maud.
A minute later Violet reached out and started to play along, improvising her own tune that veered farther and farther from what Maud was playing until Maud laughed and began to adjust her song to better match Violet’s. Eventually the music they were creating together was nothing like what they started with, both of them playing off each other as they passed the melody between them. Violet found herself falling back on her dance hall showtunes, speeding up the pace just to see Maud keep up with her.
“I think Bach would have some notes on our composition,” Maud finally said, drawing her hands back from the piano as Violet brought their song to a natural-sounding conclusion, the final trill slowing and fading.
Violet grinned and dropped her hands back into her lap. “I don’t know, I think we could call it some kind of newfangled fugue.”
Maud looked up, studying the crown moulding at the top of the wall. Not wanting her to get caught up worrying about her standing within the house again, Violet tapped her fingers against the piano, rings clacking lightly against the polished wood. After a few moments, she cradled a quick spell, pouring it over the keyboard, then stood up, pulling Maud up with her.
The keys on the piano dipped as if pressed by invisible fingers as the instrument began to play on its own, a jaunty little tune that had Maud’s eyes lighting up as Violet tugged her by the hands to the middle of the room. Then with an arm slipped around Maud’s waist they were off, dancing in circles that brought them perilously close to knocking into the furniture. There were no steps, no plans, just Violet guiding Maud by the hand, skirts swirling together around their ankles. Maud’s laughter floated high above the sound of the piano and only climbed higher as Violet dipped her low after spinning her around.
“Teach me how to do that,” Maud said, breathless, once Violet righted her on her feet.
“Dip me?” Violet replied, trying and failing to hide her amusement. It wasn’t that she doubted the strength of Maud’s conviction—more the strength of her grip.
“To lead.”
A huff of laughter, then Violet cradled again, changing the song on the piano to something a little slower. Maud put her hand on Violet’s back, looking determined, and Violet took Maud’s free hand in hers.
“Listen a moment,” she said, before Maud could lead the charge. “See where the song is going, then follow it. Your partner will follow you.”
Maud cocked her head, letting the music wash over them, her foot tapping out the beat for a measure before she tightened her hold and ignored everything in favor of pulling Violet into an inelegant spin around the room. Violet nearly tripped over her own feet, her laughter catching in her throat as she struggled to keep up. As Maud made up an increasingly difficult series of moves with the same kind of single-minded determination she did everything else, Violet mimicked the steps with equally increasing delight, until one unfortunate misstep sent Maud sprawling onto a nearby couch. Violet allowed herself to be sacrificed on the altar of solidarity, which is to say she kept her grip on Maud’s hand and teetered onto the couch after her, narrowly missing banging her shin on the low table beside it.
“I’m starting to suspect this would be easier with trousers,” Maud grumbled, now sitting upright on the cushions.
“Or shorter skirts,” Violet teased, reaching over to pinch at Maud’s long skirt and draw it up, up, up, over her knee to reveal the petticoat beneath.
Maud laughed, brushing Violet’s hand away. Violet released Maud’s skirt but left her hand settled on Maud’s knee, thumb rubbing at it through the layers of fabric.
“I’m not sure which would be more scandalous,” Maud said, but there was a flush on her cheeks and a glint in her eyes that all but guaranteed she was cooking up something in that delightfully surprising mind of hers.
She looked at Violet’s hand only briefly before turning her gaze back up to meet Violet’s. “Thank you for trying to cheer me up about the house, by the way.”
“I did nothing of the sort,” Violet replied without much thought, then immediately retreated at Maud’s pointed look. “No, you’re right, I did, I…”
Maud set her hand over Violet’s, squeezing it gently. Violet turned her hand over, fingers curling to squeeze back.
“I suppose,” Violet said slowly, pressing closer to Maud so they now sat thigh to thigh, “that I want you to like this place.”
“You want me to like the house that tried to throw me down the stairs, and did in fact succeed in vanishing an entire bathtub—without the bathwater—while I was in it?” Maud said, but there was that playful smile that made Violet lean in the rest of the way to kiss her and make her smile brighter.
“Exactly,” she replied, drawing back to beam at Maud.
Maud sighed dramatically. “All right, but if it kills me I shall be quite cross.”
“I’d hate to have to find another medium to be able to talk to you then.”
Giggling, Maud nudged Violet with her shoulder. “You could sound a little more upset about it!”
“I think the sex would be the most complicated part,” Violet continued as if she hadn’t heard Maud. “What are the chances of finding another medium as attractive as you—”
A hand appeared over Violet’s mouth, stopping her postulating, and then Maud was climbing into Violet’s lap, cheeks pink as she laughed. “Just for that, I am absolutely haunting you if I die here.”
Violet settled her hands on Maud’s hips, barely sparing a glance at the door—the non-magical one—to make sure it was closed. “I think I’d prefer you here alive, if you don’t mind.”
“Good, because I’m the only medium you’re allowed to fuck,” Maud said, and Violet could practically see the little frisson that went through her at her easy use of the expletive.
“Care for a practical demonstration?” Violet asked, a sly smile creeping onto her face, and Maud barely waited for her to finish talking before she ducked down and kissed her.
Unraveling Spinet’s secrets went much like that in the weeks following their return to England. Edwin visited often, just as eager as Maud to learn more about the house in their quest for the last contract piece, and wherever Edwin went, so went Robin. Even with the four of them, however, Violet was beginning to think it was time to drag Hawthorn back into the thick of things. He’d had plenty of time to recuperate from their presence.
“Maud, darling, I’m going to visit Hawthorn tomorrow,” Violet called, unpinning her hair with a flick of her hand in front of the tall mirror on her bedroom vanity. “It’s about time he pulled his weight around here. I assume you want to come with me?”
There was movement behind her as Maud exited the attached bathroom, but Violet merely reached for her hairbrush and continued, “I don’t think we’ll need to deploy your powers of persuasion, but I’d enjoy annoying him with them anyway, so…”
Maud cleared her throat. “Perhaps we don’t talk about Hawthorn anymore tonight?”
Violet had enough control not to drop her brush when she looked up and spotted Maud in the mirror. Gone were the frills and petticoats; instead she stood there in trousers and a waistcoat of a subdued blue-grey color. She’d forgone the jacket and rolled her shirtsleeves up to her elbows, giving her the same sort of roguish look as her brother when he did the same, and Violet had to turn around in her seat to get a better view. For a moment she completely understood Edwin’s reaction when he was in the same room as Robin in such a state, then she quickly banished both men from her mind.
“I borrowed some old items from Edwin,” Maud said into the silence, thumbs hooked into the pockets of her trousers, more at ease than Violet would have expected. “The jacket was too long, the sleeves looked rather ridiculous on me, but…”
The whole outfit was too long on her, in truth, and Violet mourned the thought of getting to see Maud in properly fitting menswear. If they were back at the Penumbra…
“I don’t think he’ll want them back, if he’s guessed what you wanted them for,” Violet replied, eagerly drinking in the sight nonetheless. Maud’s hair was bound up as unobtrusively as possible, and no jewelry adorned her ears or neck, though she had a tie on beneath the collar of her shirt, slightly askew.
Violet crooked her finger at Maud in a single, commanding motion, and Maud went immediately, striding across the room with all the confidence she normally put into trying new or dangerous things. A glance down showed that Maud was wearing plain black women’s boots, clearly unable to charm a pair of shoes out of Edwin, or perhaps just not wanting to trip in a pair of ill-fitting oxfords.
Standing from her vanity seat, Violet waited for Maud to stop in front of her, then reached up to adjust her tie, straightening the crooked slip of silk before neatening her shirt collar. Even just in her stockinged feet, Violet was taller than Maud, and Maud had to tip her head back slightly to meet Violet’s gaze as she fixed her tie.
“Anything in particular inspire this?” Violet asked once she was done, slowly running her hand down Maud’s front under the pretense of smoothing out her necktie. It didn’t feel like Maud was wearing a corset.
“You did,” Maud replied, clearly struggling to remain still as Violet touched her. “I thought it might be fun.”
“My scandalous Maud.” Violet’s fingers lingered on the end of Maud’s tie, then drew back. “Well, you’re wearing the pants. You can tell me what to do.”
“Don’t let Hawthorn hear you say that,” Maud giggled.
“And he never shall. I thought we weren’t talking about Hawthorn anymore tonight?”
“Right,” Maud said, and reached up with both hands to cup Violet’s face and kiss her.
As far as orders went, they were ones Violet was happy to follow. She gripped Maud’s hips, just below the belt she had cinched tight around her, and pulled her closer on instinct, tongue pushing into Maud’s mouth. Maud made a sharp noise and pushed back. Amused, Violet withdrew slightly, letting Maud control the kiss, lips parting so Maud could slip her tongue into her mouth instead.
Maud did just that, tongue sliding against Violet’s as she stood up on tiptoes to get better leverage, one hand curling around the back of Violet’s neck. She teetered on the balls of her feet briefly, Violet tightening her arms around Maud’s waist to keep her upright before taking a step backwards, then another, half dragging Maud toward the bed.
“There must be a spell to make me taller,” Maud muttered, breaking off the kiss. She took hold of Violet’s arm and tugged her the rest of the way to the large four-poster, making Violet sit on the end of the bed. Then she climbed into Violet’s lap, straddling her thighs without any fussy skirts getting in the way.
Violet easily slid her hands down Maud’s back and over her ass, gripping her firmly through her trousers. “I wouldn’t use it if there were.”
“You just like being taller than me.”
“It has its charms,” Violet replied, all sweet smiles, and hitched Maud a little higher up her lap so they were pressed nearly chest to chest.
Maud kissed her again, fingers tangling in Violet’s loose hair. She was getting quite good at it, actually, courtesy of Violet’s excellent lessons, in her opinion. Violet’s breaths were already coming quicker, a hot ball of need forming in the pit of her stomach, her hands tugging at Maud’s clothes, wanting to feel more than just fabric.
“Leave it,” Maud said, authoritative. Much gentler, she started unbuttoning Violet’s shirtwaist, reaching around her to get at the tiny buttons lining the back of her blouse. With Maud distracted, Violet took the opportunity to press kisses to her jaw and neck, nosing at the high collar of her shirt.
She allowed Maud to slip the blouse from her shoulders, the camisole quickly following as Maud tugged it off her. Then Maud sat back, fingertips dancing over the top edge of Violet’s corset as she looked at her.
“What’s going on in there?” Violet asked with a smirk, tapping Maud’s temple with a single finger.
“Not much other than thinking about how beautiful you are,” Maud admitted, that simple Blyth earnestness in her voice doing something funny to Violet’s stomach. “And how much I want to put my face between your breasts.”
That got a loud laugh out of Violet, and Maud blushed but smiled at her, sliding her fingers up the elegant column of Violet’s throat.
“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Violet said.
Maud quickly went to work at the corset clasps, fumbling slightly in her haste, and once she got them undone she pulled the offending garment free and tossed it aside. Violet lifted her hands, prepared to help Maud get her chemise off with her skirt still on, but Maud surprised her by pushing her back on the bed instead.
Maud peered down at her, cheeks still flushed, a stray curl of hair already escaping from her updo and hanging over her forehead. She trailed her hands over Violet’s shoulders, featherlight, then hooked her fingers in the straps of her chemise and pulled them down her arms, freeing her breasts as she tugged the garment farther down. Violet let out another startled laugh, skin heating slightly under Maud’s scrutiny.
Taking her time, Maud bent lower to kiss Violet’s throat, the side of her neck, the curve of her shoulder. She slowly made her way downward, teeth scraping lightly over Violet’s collarbone, and Violet shivered, hands clenching at her sides. She felt exposed like this, Maud’s mouth barely touching her, warm breath ghosting over the tops of her breasts. Laying still for her was taking all her willpower.
Finally, finally, Maud lifted a hand and cupped at Violet’s breast, thumb brushing over the raised nipple. Violet gasped softly, licking her lips as she watched Maud do the same, tongue flicking over faintly parted lips before dipping lower and curling around that same nipple. This time Violet openly groaned, more at the culmination of her anticipation than the actual sensation.
Maud glanced up at her, lips wrapped around her nipple now, but she turned her attention back to the task at hand, her free hand settling over Violet’s other breast. Violet was silent as Maud trailed kisses over her chest, teasing her nipples between lips and teeth, but it became increasingly harder to keep quiet—and keep still—the longer this went on. When her hands finally jerked up in an aborted attempted to reach for Maud, catching the top of her chemise against the underside of her breasts, Maud didn’t even pause what she was doing as she caught Violet’s wrists with both hands and pinned them to the bed above Violet’s head.
For one irrational moment, Violet nearly panicked. She couldn’t do magic without her hands. But it was only Maud above her, only Maud’s hands on her wrists. If she asked, Maud would let her go. If she was—if she was honest.
Violet closed her eyes and relaxed her tensed fists. A moment later, she felt Maud slide her fingers between Violet’s, entwining them. Hands still separated, still pinned to the bed, but held by Maud, safe between Maud’s fingers.
Maud lifted her head, catching Violet’s eyes as they fluttered open. She looked almost nervous, and that just wouldn’t do.
“Well? You’ve got me,” Violet said, haughty as she could while pinned to the bed half naked. “What are you going to do with me?”
That seemed to jolt Maud back into it and she braced herself more confidently over Violet. “I’m going to fuck you,” she replied without hesitation, sending another shiver of pride through Violet. She was so very glad Maud could say that now, because it did wonderful things to her. “But not just yet.”
Violet very nearly pouted at that, but Maud started to plant more kisses between her breasts, nipping at one particularly sensitive spot that had Violet squirming. Trailing kisses up Violet’s chest and along her neck, Maud made her way up to Violet’s mouth, kissing her properly at last. The silky fabric of her tie dragged along the valley between Violet’s breasts as she moved, a cool touch to heated skin.
“I’m going to undress you,” Maud continued, like she was working through the steps in her head on the fly. “You’re going to stay where you are. And I’m going to use my mouth on you.” She sat up straighter, releasing one of Violet’s hands to touch her face almost reverently instead.
“Sounds delightful,” Violet replied, voice only a little uneven. Maud caught the wavering sound anyway, continuing to study Violet’s face with that tiny furrow of thoughtfulness in her brow. She let go of Violet’s other hand and sat all the way up.
“Those magical ropes you can make…” she mused, shuffling back to begin undressing Violet as promised. “Can you use them on yourself?”
Despite being released Violet stayed where she was put, hands resting on the bed over her head as she watched Maud through lidded eyes. “Of course.”
Maud hummed consideringly, making quick work of Violet’s many layers. Skirt and petticoat and drawers were tossed to the floor one by one, until all that was left was Violet’s stockings and the chemise still bunched up under her breasts. Maud slid a finger under one of Violet’s garters and raised an eyebrow at her.
“What?” Violet laughed. “They’re pretty.”
With more delicacy than was probably needed, Maud slid the garter and accompanying stocking down Violet’s leg, then did the same to the other, kneeling on the floor at the end of the bed. She pressed a soft kiss to the side of Violet’s knee before standing, sliding her hands up Violet’s thighs in the process and pushing her chemise up higher.
“Violet,” Maud whispered as more of Violet’s pale skin was revealed. It was all Violet could do not to move, not to reach for Maud and pull her back up the bed. Her fingers flexed uselessly above her head, halfway through a cradle left unfinished.
“How do you want me?” Violet asked, shaking Maud out of whatever thought she was lost in, unable to wait any longer.
Maud took hold of Violet’s chemise and, with minor wiggling on Violet’s part, tugged it down past her hips and off completely, leaving Violet naked on the bed and Maud fully clothed over her. It was strangely dizzying, and with anyone other than Maud, Violet wasn’t sure she’d like it.
Sleeve slipping, Maud paused to roll it back up, then put both hands on Violet’s thighs and pushed them apart.
“Like this,” she said.
Violet didn’t need telling twice. She cradled the spell without looking, the movements familiar as a swig of gin after a hard day. Raven-dark lines of magic, sleek as snakes, spiraled down her forearms and over the rest of her body. They wrapped around her arms, tucked up under her chest like her chemise before them, encircled her hips, every strand glittering like the night sky full of stars. Her legs remained spread, the dark tendrils extending to the two posts at the end of the bed to hold her in place. That seemed to catch Maud by surprise, who let out an aroused little squeak as the spell finished forming.
Collecting herself, Maud cleared her throat and met Violet’s gaze again. “Let’s see if you can hold it.”
Violet’s retort died in her throat as Maud kneeled on the floor again and gripped Violet’s spread thighs, leaning in to put her mouth to Violet’s cunt without hesitation. Gasping, Violet tried to buck her hips, but she’d put herself in such a position that she had no leverage. Maud dragged her tongue through Violet’s folds, licking away the mess that had already gathered there from all this foreplay.
“Fuck,” Violet choked out, her concentration on the spell already wavering. “I th-think I taught you too well.”
Maud didn’t take the chance to gloat. She pressed deeper with her tongue, mouth slotted perfectly over Violet’s cunt, teeth scraping lightly over her clit just long enough to send sparks of pleasure up Violet’s spine. The ropes around her legs gave her no recourse, nowhere to retreat to as Maud worked her over. If she negated the spell she could take over, tug control back to her side.
The ropes held strong.
Violet keened as two of Maud’s fingers found their way to her clit, rubbing the tender spot while Maud focused on stroking every part of her with her tongue, inside and out. It was a good thing Violet kept her hands tied above her head or she’d have made a mess of Maud’s hair already.
“I’m already close, sweet thing,” she said, using words instead of touch to try and unravel Maud too. “Oh, fuck, that’s it, that’s it, a little harder, darling—”
She arched off the bed with a quiet moan, the midnight ropes dissolving into nothingness as her concentration dissolved as well. Maud still had her face between Violet’s legs, lapping at her release, and that alone sent another shudder of pleasure coursing through her.
“Maud,” she gasped, finally able to reach for her, and pushed her gently back by the shoulder. Maud looked up, licking Violet’s spend from her lips, and Violet groaned again. “Brava, darling, I think you’ve finally found a way to kill me.”
“If you could hold off on that just a little longer,” Maud replied dryly, picking herself up from the floor. Her cheeks were flushed again, her lips shiny and pink, and Violet gave in to her urge to pull Maud down by her tie and ravage her mouth with her own. Maud’s eyes fluttered shut and she kissed Violet hungrily, pressing down against her as she knelt at the edge of the bed.
When Violet released her, Maud’s hair was half out of its bun and her collar was sticking up on one side. Violet laughed and fixed her tie and collar, then took the pins from Maud’s hair, letting brown waves fall down over her shoulders.
“Thank you, dear,” Maud said, primly plucking the pins from Violet’s hand and straightening up. She took them over to the tall dresser, setting them atop it, then pulled open a drawer and removed something from within.
Still trying to catch her breath, Violet sat up to watch, hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. Maud returned to the bed, nudging Violet to move farther up it, and put down her supplies: Violet’s leather harness, one of the glass phalluses from her collection, and a small jar of Vaseline she brought over from the States.
“You’ve been going through my things, have you?” Violet asked, not upset in the least.
Maud sat at the edge of the bed and bent down to untie the laces on her boots, tugging each one off in turn. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, on the Lyric. We never did try that.”
Violet laughed and got up onto her knees, snatching Maud by the tie again and drawing her closer to give her another kiss.
“It’s perfect,” she murmured against Maud’s mouth, fingers starting on the buttons of Maud’s waistcoat. Once unbuttoned, she left it hanging open and began unbuttoning her shirt next, exchanging kisses with Maud after each button freed. As she’d suspected, Maud wasn’t wearing a corset beneath the borrowed clothing, merely a short chemise.
Violet touched her through the thin fabric, teasing a nipple between two fingers. Maud’s flush deepened, her grip on Violet’s waist tightening. Smirking, Violet deftly untied her necktie and flicked it away, then sat back on her heels. The belt went next, disappearing off the side of the bed with the rest of their discarded clothes, and at last Violet’s hands went to the front of Maud’s trousers, undoing them just as easily. She clucked her tongue disappointingly as she revealed Maud’s drawers beneath, barely holding back a laugh when Maud huffed in annoyance.
“I wasn’t going to ask him for underwear too,” she hissed, blushing again at the mere thought.
“How did you even fit those in there?” Violet asked, no longer able to hold back her laughter.
Maud made a face. “It’s not very comfortable.”
“My poor girl,” Violet cooed, only half teasing, and tugged the trousers down from Maud’s hips. Her drawers had indeed been stuffed awkwardly down each pant leg; even the combination of Maud’s slimmest pair of drawers and Edwin’s slightly too large trousers hadn’t been enough to avoid the problem.
Maud took over, shimmying out of the trousers the rest of the way. She didn’t hesitate to untie her drawers and rid herself of them too, leaving her kneeling on the bed in the open waistcoat and shirt, her chemise not quite long enough to cover any ‘indecency.’ The sight had Violet feeling a little light-headed.
“I think I’ve figured this out, but do tell me if not,” Maud was saying, picking up the harness and fiddling with the straps so she could put it on. Violet felt her arousal-fueled vertigo intensify to unprecedented heights as she thought about Maud practicing putting on the harness in preparation for surprising Violet tonight.
“You’ve—got it,” Violet assured her, voice only cracking slightly as worn leather slid over Maud’s thighs. The phallus fit securely in place in its spot in the center of the harness, hard and smooth as it curved upward, partially obscured by the ends of Maud’s open shirt as she leaned forward.
“Help me out?” she asked innocently, pressing the petroleum jar into Violet’s hand.
Violet nearly dropped the jar in her haste to get it open. Scooping out some of the cool jelly, she spread it over her fingers, then wrapped her hand around Maud’s cock and gave it a few slow strokes. Maud watched the movement of her hand with interest, but Violet watched Maud, cataloging every reaction—the way she shifted on her knees, the way her eyes followed the languid slide of her hand, the way her breathing seemed to still as if she were afraid of dislodging Violet’s touch.
“Good?” Violet murmured, breaking Maud out of the spell she was under, no magic necessary.
Maud took the jar back and closed it. “You’ll be the judge of that, I think.”
The next kiss was soft, tender, two hands cupping Violet’s face like she was made of stained glass. Violet ran her hands down Maud’s sides, thumbs rubbing at the straps crossing over her hips, tracing the leather around and down her thighs.
“You look incredible,” Violet said, trying to convey even half the amount of Maud’s usual sincerity back at her. “You are incredible.”
Maud smiled, impossibly pretty in her borrowed shirt with her fake cock pressing against Violet’s stomach as she moved closer, smearing petroleum jelly over her skin. She kissed Violet’s cheek, then her jaw.
“Go on then,” she whispered, breath hot against Violet’s ear. “Turn around and I’ll fuck you.”
The words lit a fire inside Violet again, the flames licking at her belly and down between her thighs. She stole another kiss, hot and hungry and a little desperate, before putting some space between them, kneeling in the other direction with her legs spread. Bracing her hands flat against the bed, Violet kept her gaze on the headboard and waited.
She nearly jumped at the first touch of Maud’s fingers on her hip, anticipation making her tense the longer Maud took to get into position behind her. Maud laughed but didn’t comment, her other hand resting against the small of Violet’s back. A moment later, the slick phallus slid slowly over Violet’s aching cunt, making her wetter by the second. She fisted the sheets in her hands, willing herself to stay still. This was Maud’s show; Violet was merely the volunteer plucked from the audience, ready to be amazed by the trick.
Which was becoming increasingly harder to remember as Maud teased her, rocking her hips just right so that the tip of her cock caught against Violet’s opening, only to keep on sliding past.
“I thought you said you were going to fuck me,” Violet gasped at last, unable to remain quiet any longer.
Rather than the clever retort she expected to get back, Maud gripped Violet’s hips with both hands and pressed the phallus into her in one steady motion, nearly knocking the breath right out of her. Violet swore and clenched instinctively around the thick length, barely having a chance to fortify herself before Maud started moving. She pulled back nearly all the way, then pushed back in same as before, working up to finding a steady rhythm with her thrusts.
It was everything Violet had imagined when she had brought up the idea back in bed on the Lyric, and it was so much more. Maud’s hands were hot brands on her hips, her thrusts relentless now that she’d found a pace she liked. She’d fucked Violet enough by now to know exactly how Violet liked it, and to Violet’s great embarrassment, she was even succeeding in fucking audible moans out of her. Maud had even managed to pick the perfect-sized cock for getting nice and deep—truly Violet had nothing left to teach her.
“Goodness, Violet,” Maud panted, awed, after Violet let out a particularly colorful string of expletives.
Violet risked a glance back over her shoulder and it nearly ended her then and there, seeing Maud pounding into her with such determination. Some wild part of her half wished Maud was still wearing the tie so Violet could grab it and pull her down closer. As it was, she flung a hand blindly back and was able to catch hold of the hem of her shirt, tugging at that instead.
Maud didn’t resist, though her thrusts slowed as she bent low over Violet’s back, unable to get the same kind of leverage. Wrapping an arm around Violet’s middle, she pressed a trail of kisses up her spine, then more over her shoulders, until Violet twisted further and pulled her into an awkwardly angled kiss. That didn’t stop Maud from slipping her tongue into Violet’s mouth, deepening the kiss even as she thrust shallowly into her cunt, the decorative lace on her chemise rough against Violet’s bare skin where she pressed up against her back.
It was Maud who broke off the kiss first, struggling to keep the momentum going, and Violet would have laughed if the air hadn’t just been punched from her lungs with an especially good thrust now that Maud was able to bear down on her properly..
“No one would ever guess how merciless you are from looking at you, darling,” Violet said once she was able to speak again, only a slight tremble in her voice.
“I would hope you knew better by now,” Maud replied, and Violet was gratified to hear that she was also breathing heavier, arousal coiling around each word.
“You know me, I never learn—Oh!” Violet shuddered and clenched at the phallus inside her, elbows just about giving out on her. “I’m close, Maud, love, please—”
Lovely, brilliant, talented Maud didn’t need further instruction. Fucking Violet steadily again, each thrust drawn back as far as she could before driving back in, she reached around her with one hand, fingers landing at once on Violet’s clit. With an impressive level of coordination for how quick and hard she was still thrusting into her, Maud rubbed at the sensitive spot exactly the way Violet liked it, just a shade too rough. Violet cried out as she came a second time, giving up on supporting herself and muffling the sound of her moans in the bunched up sheets beneath her.
Maud slowed her hips and carefully pulled out without needing told, giving Violet the chance to recover without crowding her. Violet rolled onto her side and looked back at Maud, breathless and giddy with the force of that second climax.
“Brava, indeed,” she said. The way Maud’s face lit up at the compliment was almost better than the orgasm.
“Good. I’m glad,” Maud said, a pleased flush on her face that made Violet want to sit up and kiss her.
So she did just that, pushing herself up from the bed and grabbing at the open sides of Maud’s waistcoat to pull her into a messy kiss. Maud sank into her arms as she returned the kiss with equal fervor, moaning sweetly against Violet’s mouth.
Being poked in the stomach by a glass dick was a tangible reminder that Maud still hadn’t gotten her turn yet, so after a few moments longer Violet reached for the straps on the harness, easing it off Maud once unbuckled. A few more kisses, then she helped Maud out of the waistcoat and shirt, her chemise the last piece to go. Maud seemed content to let Violet take control, allowing Violet to lay her back against the pillows at the head of the bed once she was naked.
Violet decorated her with kisses over her neck and shoulders, down over her breasts and stomach, light and worshipful and unhurried. She nosed at the patch of brown curls between her legs, kissed the inner curve of her thigh, then hitched both of Maud’s legs over her shoulders. Maud pet a hand through her hair, gentle, before pressing down firmer, bringing Violet’s face to the place she really wanted it.
Maud was delightfully wet, and Violet wasted no time getting her mouth on her, sucking at her folds and teasing her tongue over her clit, employing many of the same tricks Maud had used on her earlier that night. Hands wrapped around Maud’s thighs, she held her down to the bed as Maud squirmed, her hips bucking futilely against the onslaught. Violet’s fingers left pale marks where they pressed into flushed skin, the sound of Maud’s moans only making her tighten her grip.
It didn’t take long to bring Maud to climax, her heels digging into Violet’s back as she writhed. As far as accidental deaths went, being smothered between Maud Blyth’s thighs wouldn’t be too bad. Violet kissed those lovely thighs a few more times and sat up, letting Maud’s legs slide bonelessly from her shoulders.
Maud sighed contently and settled back against the pillows again, and Violet lay down beside her, the two of them staring up at the ceiling side-by-side. After a moment of comfortable silence, Violet reached down and laced her fingers with Maud’s.
“In the middle there,” Maud began quietly, in the tone Violet knew she used when she was worried she was going to scare Violet off like a skittish alley cat, “you called me… Ah, well. It’s unimportant.”
The war within Violet was over faster than she expected. “Is it?” she prompted softly.
Maud rolled onto her side to face Violet, their hands still clasped. “You called me ‘love.’ I know it might not mean anything, and it’s all right if it doesn’t, but—”
Heart in her throat, Violet said, “But?”
“I liked it,” Maud admitted.
Looking at Maud now was like standing on the edge of a high stage, blinding lights shining down, knowing one wrong step could send you plummeting. Violet exhaled slowly and took the plunge.
“I rather like the thought of it too,” she said, lifting Maud’s hand to kiss the back of it.
Maud blinked in surprise, then tugged her hand free with a laugh. “Just the thought?”
Violet pressed closer, tenderly cupping Maud’s face instead.
“Not just the thought,” she murmured, and kissed her until they fell asleep tangled up in each other.
It was a few days later that Robin and Edwin were able to stop by Spinet House.
“Oh, Edwin, I have the clothes you lent me,” Maud said, getting up to go gather the freshly laundered and folded stack of clothing a maid had left for them that morning. Violet glanced up from the notes she was currently scouring, meeting Edwin’s eye across the table.
Edwin took one look at her, turned to Maud, and said,
“Ah, consider them a gift.”
Violet stifled her laughter behind her hand and didn’t say a word. Some things were funny enough on their own.