The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

A New Relationship

There was something scandalous about wanting to lie on the Emperor's bed when he wasn't there. Jale, on the other hand, was completely at ease and began to take his clothes off as soon as he reached the other side of the bed.

"This bed was Empress Crael's design," Jale informed him as he stripped. "Apparently, she found it hideous that Talbecans preferred to sleep on the ground on our bamboo sheets. She wanted something more luxurious for the Emperor. It was her present to him one year."

Teal barely registered what Jale was saying, the sight of Jale stripping was far too distracting. "I've seen one similar down in a room just off from the Emperor's main greeting room," he managed.

Even though Jale was slightly taller than Teal, he was stockier in muscle. At the same time, he was perfectly toned, and the size of his posture more than adequate to match his height. Teal had seen Jale before, here and there, at the consorts' bathhouse or without a shirt. They were only mere glimpses but enough for Teal to cast Jale's sculptured body to memory. With one last slide of Jale's fingers under his waistband, Jale's comfortable trousers slid to the floor and just like that, Jale was standing naked before him.

"Nice," Teal breathed.

"I know," Jale said.

Confidence and power, without a hint of condescension or arrogance. That was the best way to describe Jale.

Jale climbed up onto the bed and lay on his side. He patted the mattress in front of him just like he had done previously when they had been sitting in the alcove. Teal gingerly clambered on as if execution was close at hand if he was caught climbing onto the Emperor's bed.

"Relax," Jale told him. "We have access to everything up here."

Jale reached out and ran his hand down Teal's stomach, over one thigh and then, up the other leg before playfully running his fingers down lower. If it was an attempt to calm Teal, it wasn't working.

"We'll take our time tonight," Jale said softly. "You're edgy. Is it the prospect of what lies ahead?"

Teal didn't even take a moment to ponder that question. He knew where his desires lay. "I guess it will just take a while to get used to being in such fine quarters," he stated.

Without further hesitation, Teal leaned in closer and brought their lips together. Jale returned in kind and pushed Teal's shoulder softly so he came to lie on his back.

Teal lazily spread his arm over his face and allowed his thoughts to wander. They quickly went back to a rushed and fumbled first time with Cokrin who had been eager to try what he had heard men do with other men. Jale's determined but steady pace indicated a man who had no need to rush or hurry and who was more than happy to take his time. He took enjoyment in squeezing a buttock, or running his free hand over flesh and muscle as Teal moaned softly in pleasure. He and Cokrin had never taken their time like this.

The evening proceeded in shades of color and movement where some seconds seemed to last for an eternity while others were wiped clean from his memory, and Teal could not remember what had happened. Despite the blurred mixes of pleasure, there was one aspect that Teal noted. During the entire time Jale insisted on being in charge. Teal didn't mind. He took it as a residual need or an unconscious act of self-preservation on Jale's behalf. Not that Teal could ever possibly imagine hurting Jale when he was giving him so much pleasure, so deep inside.

Sweat dripping off their bodies, their grunts filling the air, Jale eventually began to mirror that of someone approaching their climax.

And then, all of a sudden, before Teal could climax as well, his budding orgasm shifted and it was as if he could feel Jale, all of him, all of his senses, his power, and his will. It was a complex mixture of determined, no nonsense will with a hint of humor on the edges when the business of the empire wasn't at stake.