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Message-ID: <47640asstr$1083064202@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Vulgar Argot <vulgarargotREMOVEALL@CAPSinsidejoke.tv>
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Subject: {ASSM} Princes of Mannsborough, Part 8
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Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 07:10:02 -0400
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

Princes of Mannsborough, Chapter 8 of 22
by Vulgar Argot
(tags at bottom to avoid spoilerage)
(MF, rom, D/s)

Marigold's parents did not ask about her weekend. They never asked
anything that would require a discussion of Aunt Vera. They were torn
between their desire to pretend the woman didn't exist and their
equally strong desire that Marigold know her father's family. She felt
bad about using that conflict to deceive them, but she didn't feel
like she had much of a choice. They never would have let her go to New
York with Thule if she'd just asked. Thule would never had let her say
no.

Marigold hated the conflict. She hated lying to her parents, hated the
facility with which she did it, hated how good she was becoming at it.
Stripped of her ability to moralize, she had discovered underneath it
an actual morality. She felt drained and numb. She went upstairs, got
dressed for bed, and fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was just after eleven p.m. The house was quiet.
Jonas liked to leave for work as early as six AM some days and often
turned in early. Her mother went when he went.

After weighing the thought in her head, Marigold decided it was worth
the risk of calling Thule at home. There were plenty of legitimate
reasons for her to do so if she was caught. It rang once, twice, three
times. Marigold almost lost her nerve and hung up, but there was a
click and Thule's voice, "Hello?"

"Thule," Marigold whispered, "it's me."

"Oh," said Thule, "oh, hey. Is something wrong?"

"No," said Marigold, "Nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep."

"And you wanted to talk?"

"Yes," said Marigold.

"What about?" asked Thule.

"I don't know that I had a specific topic in mind," said Marigold, "I
just missed you."

Thule laughed, "I dropped you off four hours ago."

"Well," said Marigold, "I guess I'm just being foolish then."

"No," said Thule quickly, "It's okay. I just have a lot to do before I
can sleep. I had some code fixes I promised to do this weekend and I
still need to study for this physics test. Are you ready for it?"

"No," admitted Marigold, "I thought I'd get up early tomorrow. I think
I've got most of it."

"I can never get up early in the morning and study. I'm always too
brain fried."

Marigold tsked, "If you went to bed earlier, that wouldn't happen."

"I know," said Thule, "but if I did that, I wouldn't get as much done
at night."

Marigold sighed, "Do you really have to go?"

"No," said Thule, "There are things that I can do while we talk."

There was a long silence.

"Marigold," Thule asked, "are you still there?"

"I was just thinking," said Marigold, "about why I went with Adam to
his room."

"Okay," said Thule. "Why did you go with Adam to his room?"

"I thought it was just because I wanted revenge on you for sleeping
with Maya," she answered. "But, it was more than that. I wanted to
know that I could be...free, I guess...when it was my choice. I went
too far in the opposite direction, but I don't want to be who I've
been up until now. It's too...limiting."

"Do you feel less limited now?"

"I don't know," said Marigold. "I did find out that there were some
limits I didn't want lifted. All of a sudden, I'm afraid that I'm
going to regret the things I didn't do in high school and college.
But, I still don't want to regret the things I did do, either. I know
it sounds confusing. It makes more sense when I'm with you. I hate
being away from you."

"So, come over," he said, "I'll pick you up."

Marigold sat up in bed, looking around for her clothes, planning out
her escape route. To Thule, she said, "I can't. My parents would never
forgive me if I got caught sneaking out."

"Okay," said Thule, "It's only seven and a half hours until I'll pick
you up for school anyway."

Marigold, now hanging upside down, looking for shoes under her bed
said, "You mean it's my choice, right? I can refuse to come and live
with the consequences. All right. I'll..."

"No," said Thule, "I mean that it was a suggestion. I really need to
get some sleep tonight, but it would be nice to see you."

"Oh," said Marigold disappointed, "I see." Before he could interrupt,
she asked, "Thule, what are you up to? I know it's bigger than revenge
on me. I was thinking about who else you might want revenge on and..."

"Don't say any more on the phone, please," Thule said abruptly. "I
don't want to sound super paranoid, but I do want to be
hyper-paranoid. We can talk about it later."

"All right, Thule," said Marigold. "When can you tell me what you're
talking about?"

Thule sighed, "If I have anything to say about it, this week is going
to be an oasis, a chance to catch our breath. I haven't decided how
much to involve you in what's coming." Marigold gave a sharp intake of
breath, but Thule went on, "I won't say more this week. Try not to
dwell on it. I'd like to just have a week to enjoy..." he trailed off.

"Enjoy being with me?" Marigold filled in.

Thule chuckled, "Yes. I would like a week to enjoy being with you," he
admitted, "Don't make me get all mushy."

Marigold reveled in her victory, but said, "Perish the thought."

"One last question," said Thule, "then I really have to go."

"Okay," said Marigold, whose eyelids were getting heavy, "Shoot."

"Do you have a computer in your bedroom?" he asked.

"Yes," Marigold said.

"PC or Mac?"

"That's two questions," said Marigold.

"Don't get puckish with me," said Thule, growling and chuckling at the
same time.

"PC," said Marigold.

"Okay," said Thule, "Good night, my tethered goddess."

"Good night, Thule."

                          -=-

The next morning, when Thule came to the front door to pick Marigold
up for school, Jonas answered the door. Marigold could see over her
stepfather's shoulder as the smile on Thule's face faded slightly.
Then, Jonas stepped out the front door, joining Thule on the porch and
closing the door behind him.

Panicked, Marigold ran out the back door of the house, looping around
to the side yard and sliding in between the hedge and the house so
that she could see and hear what was going on. By the time that she
got there, the conversation was already started.

"So," Jonas asked sternly, "how long has this been going on?"

Thule leaned over the porch railing, looking off into the distance,
"I've had a thing for Marigold for as long as I've known her. But,
she's always been with Elliot, so I didn't say anything."

Jonas sat down as heavily as he could on the swinging bench without
sending it into violent swinging motion, "You would make this much
easier for me if you would consider coming to church."

"I know," said Thule, "I'm sorry, Jonas. I can't do that."

Jonas sighed, "Could you at least get a haircut?"

"Sure," said Thule.

Jonas looked startled, "You would?"

Thule turned around to face the older man, "Of course. It's just
hair."

"You're a very strange young man, Bartholomew," Jonas said, "But young
men are impulsive. I promised Marigold's father I would take good care
of his family and I've done the best I know how to. I like you. I even
like you for Marigold. But, what are you going to accomplish in the
four months between now and when she leaves for college in September?"

Marigold knew how Thule would answer, but he seemed to be taking an
inordinate amount of time doing it. He paced up and down the length of
the porch, not speaking. Finally, he said, "I can't promise things are
going to work out between us."

"I'm not asking you to promise anything," Jonas said, "I just want to
know what your plans are. I remember being your age well enough. I
remember a lot of pretty speeches I made to a lot of fathers. I feel
like I can talk to you man-to-man and I expect you to be frank with
me. Marigold is a very sweet girl, too sweet to resist the charms of a
determined young man, I'm afraid."

Thule leaned back against the railing, "So, why are you telling me
that? If I am the sort of man you're afraid I might be..."

"Because if you are," said Jonas, "you know this already. Now that
Elliot is out of the picture, I can already see the sharks circling.
And the sharks in this town are of a particularly nasty variety. I
never liked Elliot for her, but he kept her safe from that type
sniffing around. Now," it was Jonas's turn to pace, "I'm worried that
I'm doing more harm than good for this family by being here. A lot of
young men would love to wriggle their way into my good graces through
Marigold if they thought they could."

"Are you worried that I'm a gold digger?" Thule asked.

"No," said Jonas, "I may not know you well, but you've always struck
me as a hard worker and a straight shooter. After you asked to take
Marigold to the prom, I did some checking up on you. I called your
boss and asked about you. He confirmed my initial impression. You'll
make your own fortune one day. You don't need mine. If you're serious
about Marigold, you're probably the best match in town for her,
although you never would have occurred to me in a million years." He
chuckled, "But, I want you to come clean with me. I promised I would
take care of this family and I intend to, by whatever means I have
available."

Thule kept eye contact with Jonas, "Are you threatening me?" Marigold
recognized the sound of menace in his voice. She wanted to rush out
and beg him to modulate his tone, to say what Jonas wanted to hear,
promise him anything.

"A little," admitted Jonas, "If you thought someone were going to hurt
Marigold, wouldn't you."

"Yes," said Thule immediately.

"That's a good start," said Jonas, "Tell me more."

"I'm probably going to MIT next year," said Thule, "I don't know where
Marigold and I are going to be by then. We haven't had much time to
see what we're like with each other when things are normal and I don't
know how much we're going to get.  I'll try to keep things as normal
as I can. I have...some business I have to deal with before I leave.
It has to do with some of the nastiest sharks around. Marigold may
hate me by the time it's all over."

Jonas scowled, "I hate this fucking town." Marigold almost gasped
then. It was the first time she'd ever heard her stepfather use even
the mildest of profanities, "Is it anything I can help with?"

"No," said Thule, "but I appreciate the offer. I've got all of my
ducks in a row, now. I'm just loath to get started. It's not going to
be easy."

"One last question," said Jonas. Thule turned to face him. Jonas said,
"I know Marigold wasn't at her aunt's place this weekend. Was she with
you?"

Thule didn't answer at once. He seemed to be trying to read Jonas's
face for the answer he wanted to hear. But, he said, "Yes. I took her
to New York with me."

Jonas's face remained blank, "I wish you hadn't done that." He sighed,
"She's out of my house in a few months. I can't protect her forever."

"I'll protect her," said Thule, "If I can, if she'll let me."

Jonas put a hand on Thule's shoulder, "That's the best promise I can
ask for." Then, he chuckled, "Are you sure I can't leverage this into
a trip to church? It's done wonders for me."

Thule laughed, "I know it has. I'm glad it worked for you. Truth be
told, you could leverage it into pretty much anything you wanted to
ask for. But, I've been to church. It didn't take. I'd just be
mouthing the words and singing the songs, but thinking how it was all
hokum."

Jonas smiled, "See? You'd fit in just fine."

Marigold didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She backed out
around the house, coming back in the back door. She grabbed her books
off of the side table and headed out the front, where Thule and Jonas
were still talking.

"Sorry I'm running a little late," she said, "Are you two talking
about anything interesting?"

"No, dear," said Jonas, "Just passing the time."

                               -=-

Marigold and Thule rode in silence halfway to school. Finally, Thule
turned to her, "Is something on your mind?"

"I don't know," said Marigold, "Did you and Jonas have a nice
conversation?"

"You have broken pieces of thorn bush in your hair," said Thule.

Marigold almost reached up to find them, but noticed how carefully
Thule was watching her to see if she would. Keeping her hands planted
in her lap, she said, "That must be your imagination. I brushed it
just before I came down."

"So," said Thule. "You didn't hear any of my conversation with Jonas?"

"None of it," lied Marigold, "I saw you from the top of the stairs.
You seemed to be talking about something fairly intense."

Thule nodded, "I was making your life easier. You won't have to hide
our relationship from your stepfather. He's pretty much okay with it."

"So, you told him you're blackmailing me into having sex with you and
your ex-girlfriend?" Marigold asked, "That must have gone over well."

Thule laughed, "Nah. I stuck to the relevant facts. No man wants to
hear too many details of their daughter's sex life. It would be
unseemly."

One day, Marigold decided, I might realize how futile it is to try to
pick a fight with Thule when he doesn't want to fight. She tried a
more direct approach, "I just don't like the idea of being passed like
chattel from father to hus....err," She flushed brightly.

Thule watched her squirm for a good minute before he spoke, "Are you
sure?" he asked softly.

"Yes," said Marigold.

Thule slid Marigold's skirt up over her knee, his hand resting lightly
on her bare thigh, "You don't like the idea of being my property?"

"No," said Marigold, undulating under his hand, "I'm nobody's
property."

Thule slid his fingers up so that they rested on her panties. Marigold
closed her eyes and rubbed herself up against him. Thule said
reasonably, "I can make you do anything I want."

Marigold chuckled, "No," she said, "you can tell me to do what you
want me to do. But, I am free to refuse and face the consequences."

"So," said Thule, sliding his finger underneath her panties and inside
of her, "If I didn't hold the threat of exposure over your head, you
wouldn't do what I told you?"

Marigold tried to impale herself on Thule's finger, but he slid it
away, "Hold still," he said, "You are not to move your hips."

Thule slid his finger inside of her again, teasing her clit. Marigold
held perfectly still, even though she had to clench every muscle
around her hips to stay in place. Soon, she was trembling with the
effort.

"So," asked Thule, "if I were to tell you that I would keep your
secrets no matter what you did, you would stop obeying me right now?"

Marigold moaned, "Please don't."

"Please don't what?" asked Thule, "Don't do what I'm doing? Don't
promise to keep your secrets?"

"The latter," moaned Marigold as Thule's finger slipped inside of her.

"You don't want me to release you from your obligation?" said Thule,
"You wouldn't feel better knowing I would never betray you?"

Marigold threw an arm over her head, gripping the back of her seat.
Her back arched, but her hips remained firmly glued to the seat. She
was now perspiring lightly with the effort. Still, she kept her eyes
closed, "I don't...believe...you would...betray me...now."

"If you really believe that," said Thule, "move your hips."

"I don't want to," protested Marigold.

"You don't want to move your hips?" asked Thule.

"No," said Marigold, "you told me not to. I don't want to disobey.
Please don't make me."

"Come for me," said Thule.

Marigold wanted to laugh. The command was obviously absurd. If she
could do that on cue, her life would be much easier. But, even before
she could complete the thought, she realized that the effort of not
moving her hips was also causing her to clench muscles that kept her
from fully enjoying what Thule was doing to her. Without even knowing
what she was doing, she had instinctively relaxed those muscles a
little. Immediately, the pleasure pulsed out from her clitoris then,
so strong it curled her toes. How she managed to keep her hips planted
where they were, she never knew. She cried out at the pleasure,
wrapping herself around Thule's arm, sinking her teeth into the flesh
of his bicep. Startled, he pulled away. Marigold took a few seconds to
realize what she had done. When she did, she was immediately
apologetic. But Thule only seemed amused.

Marigold looked around. They were no longer on the way to school. They
seemed to be on a service road, surrounded by forest on either side.

"Thule," Marigold asked, "What are you doing? We're going to be late
for homeroom if we don't hurry."

"Actually," said Thule, "I imagine that we are going to miss homeroom
all together. Listen to me carefully. I want you to take off your
underwear, get out of the car, and lean over the hood so that I can
fuck you. If you don't do this, there will be no consequences other
than that you did not do what I wanted you to do. You will still go to
Harvard. No one will see any of the blackmail material I've collected
on you. You will have just disobeyed me."

"Don't do this, Thule," Marigold begged.

Thule stopped the engine of the car and didn't answer.

"I won't do it, Thule," she said.

"That's your final word on the matter?" asked Thule.

"Yes," said Marigold, "I want to, but I can't."

"Okay," said Thule, starting the car again, "fair enough."

Neither spoke until they were pulling into the senior parking lot.
Marigold asked, "That's it? No dire consequences?"

Thule asked, "Would you like some?"

"I'm sorry, Thule," Marigold sighed, "I just..."

Thule put a finger to her lips, then followed it with his own lips,
kissing her gently, then more passionately, "Never apologize for what
you are, Little Flower...or what you are not, at least not to me."

Marigold nodded. Thule got out of the car and came around to her side
to let her out. When she stepped out, he retrieved both stacks of
books and began carrying them away from the car.

"Wh--what are you doing?" asked Marigold, hurrying to follow behind
him.

"I'm carrying your books to class," said Thule, "I remember Elliot
doing this, back in the ninth grade or so."

"Yes," said Marigold, struggling to keep up, "but why are you doing
it?"

"I'm trying to be a good boyfriend," said Thule, "I figure I should
get some practice."

"Why?" asked Marigold, finally catching up enough to be able to wrap
herself around his arm, forcing him to slow down so that they could
walk together. She laid her head on his shoulder so that she could
whisper, "Why? Why can't things stay the same as they've been?"

Thule smiled, "Have you asked yourself what things are going to be
like in Boston?"

Marigold thought about it. As they walked, more and more heads were
turning to watch them go, obviously a couple. They would be the hot
topic of conversation today. Marigold thought about it. Finally, she
said, "I'm hoping we'll be together, away from this town."

"And what am I going to have to hold over your head?" Thule asked,
"You'll already be in Harvard. And what about after Harvard?"

Marigold stopped to look at him, "Well," she said, "you can still
threaten to expose me for stealing my essay. I could be expelled ex
post facto for that. Or," she thought quickly, "you have pictures of
me in compromising situations. You could threaten me with those."

"Fellatio in the newspaper office?" Thule asked, "pretty tame stuff."

"Well," asked Marigold, "why don't you just be my boyfriend, then?"

Thule nodded, "That's what I'm doing. Let's go to your locker first."

Marigold turned to face him. They were in the hallway where all the
senior lockers were now and quite a crowd was pretending not to watch
them. Marigold wrapped her arm around Thule's neck and kissed him,
"Where did you learn how to be a boyfriend? The 1950s?"

Positioning her so that the lockers were behind her back, Thule gently
kneaded the flesh of her ass, then leaned in next to her ear, "I've
updated it a little, but my track record as a boyfriend is none too
good. I much prefer being able to order you around. I'd rather be able
to do so without constantly blackmailing you."

"So," asked Marigold, "why don't you just make me your wife?"

Thule dropped the double pile of textbooks on the floor with a great
clatter. The hall got deadly quiet, then filled with laughter. Someone
commented, "Dork."

"Ahem," said a passing teacher, "Public displays of affection, Mr.
Roemer."

Thule detached himself from Marigold, "My apologies, Miss Delgado."
Then, he turned to Marigold, "This conversation is not over."

Marigold almost danced to homeroom. As they passed in the hallway,
Brianne glared at her. Marigold gave her a bright, genuine smile. In
homeroom, Thule appeared preoccupied with his notes. Dawn, however,
sidled over to Marigold as soon as she entered the room. She was
carrying a small shopping bag and grinning.

"You look like the cat who swallowed the canary," Dawn opined. "Having
a good day?"

"I am having a great day," said Marigold, "You're smiling, too. What's
up with you?"

Dawn's smile softened, "I just wanted to come over and thank you for
lending me the blouse. It's in the bag. There's also a little present
in there, to say thank you." She wrinkled her nose as if laughing, the
freckles on it standing out in exaggerated relief.

"Thank you," said Marigold, "but that wasn't necessary. I was glad to
help."

"I know," said Dawn, "that's why I was glad to get you a little
something to say thank you. Hey, it's all over the school that Brianne
made a move on Elliot this weekend, right in front of her boyfriend.
It was supposedly really blatant."

"That's too funny," said Marigold, "Those two have more interest in
each other than in her."

Suddenly, Marigold realized that people were listening to the
conversation. She had always hated to gossip and was embarrassed to
catch herself doing so now.

Dawn seemed to have no such compunctions, "Wait," she asked, "are you
saying Brianne's boyfriend is gay?"

Marigold glanced around furtively, then said, "I shouldn't have said
anything. I'm just mad at Elliot."

Dawn looked disappointed, "Oh," she said, "that would have been some
juicy gossip."

Marigold looked up at Dawn. She would have thought that the younger
girl would have some sensitivity about gossip relating to people's
orientation. But, she was practically salivating over passing on the
news.

Of course, such a rumor would be devastating to Brianne. And the more
she thought about Elliot's behavior towards his teammates over the
last three years, two names kept coming up as possible lovers for him.
The first was Randy Vandevoort. Elliot talked about him like he was a
god. But, plenty of people talked about him like he was a god. The
other name that kept coming up was Ian Kelley, Brianne's boyfriend.
Randy talked about him constantly, even though they weren't even in
the same squad. And, while football was a hotbed of homoerotic
possibility, some of their actions together on-field had caused even
the old Marigold to think they were odd.

She had come to this conclusion in the shower this morning and come
down the stairs, eager to tell Thule her reasoning. Then, she saw
Thule and Jonas talking and forgot everything else.

Thule gave Marigold some distance during the day. To anyone watching,
they seemed to be together constantly. They were arm-in-arm between
classes. Thule even made a fairly public display of affection, kissing
Marigold passionately before English class. But, they didn't talk.

At lunch, they sat together at their regular table. But, he seemed to
talk to everyone but her. For Marigold's part, she wound up in a
conversation with Oksana and Dawn regarding Xena: Warrior Princess,
which she had never seen. The other two girls thought it amazing and
went on to explain the show in great detail.

"Wait," asked Marigold, "the show ended. Why is it still such a big
deal?"

Oksana laughed, "There's never more than a handful of good shows on at
any one time. If you don't keep touch with the ones that have ended."

"But, you've seen all of them, right?" asked Marigold.

"No," said Oksana, just as Dawn said, "yes."

Dawn lowered her eyes, "It was one of my all-time favorite shows."

"I usually watched it after Hercules," said Oksana, "I kind of had a
crush on Kevin Sorbo."

And that, thought Marigold, is the heart of the problem.

The afternoon was more of the same. Thule's kiss after lunch was deep
and lingering. When he kissed her before calculus, his breathing was
ragged, his eyes gleaming with barely-controlled lust. Marigold, in
comparison, felt rather serene. The kiss had been pleasant and mildly
arousing, but Thule looked one step away from forgetting they were in
public and having his way with her. Marigold realized that she had him
off-kilter. It was such a rare feeling of that Marigold was
practically walking on clouds.

After calculus, Thule came to her at her locker. He loomed over
Marigold, whose own breathing caught a little. For a few seconds, she
wondered if Thule wasn't just going to lift her skirt and take her
right there. The thought made her knees go weak. She never knew what
Thule was going to do.

"Do you have any activities planned this afternoon?" he asked.

"I have student government," said Marigold.

"You're going to miss it," said Thule, "You're coming home with me. Do
you need to let anyone know?"

"No," said Marigold, her voice unsteady.

"All right," said Thule, "Let's go." He took her hand, almost dragging
her to the car. Marigold wondered if she would make it as far as
Thule's house with her virtue intact.

As they headed out the front door of the school, Dawn waved to them,
"Hey, Thule," she called, "Can I ask you a favor?"

Thule looked up, "What can I do for you, Dawn?"

Dawn tilted her head, "My ride flaked out on me. I'd rather not take
the bus. I live like three blocks from you. Could you drop me off?"

Thule looked at Marigold accusingly, although she didn't know why. She
turned to Dawn, "Sure," she said, "that shouldn't be a problem, should
it, Thule?"

"No problem at all," said Thule, not entirely masking his frustration,
"Come on."

In the car, Dawn asked from the back seat, "Thule, is it true that you
used to date Oksana?"

"Briefly," said Thule, "Why?"

"I don't know," asked Dawn, "Did she seem a little boy-crazy to you?"

"What?" asked Thule, "Do you mean, like, slutty?"

"No, no, no," said Dawn, "How do I put this?"

Marigold turned to face Dawn, "Hon, you can speak pretty freely here."

"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.

"Thule's pretty open-minded," Marigold opined, "You're not going to
shock him."

"Well," asked Dawn, "I guess my question is this: Would you have any
reason to think that she might be interested in girls...romantically?"

Thule's answer was a growl, "I would damned well hope not?"

"What?" asked Dawn, shocked, "Why not?"

"I've already had one girlfriend decide she was a lesbian," Thule
answered, "Two might give me a complex."

Marigold laughed, "Thule, you're in no danger of turning a woman off
to men. I've got no complaints."

Thule, having stopped at a traffic light, leaned over the seat to face
Dawn, "Sure," he said, "now she has no complaints. I think I want you
to ride with us every day. It makes her so sweet and reasonable."

Dawn laughed, "It's a deal."

Thule looked startled, "I...that is, I thought you had a regular
ride."

"I did," said Dawn, "June Kane. She didn't show up this morning and
informed me today that I am persona non gratis as far as she is
concerned. Apparently, she's better friends with Brianne than she is
with me."

Thule sighed, pulling through the now-green light, "I don't see why
not," he said finally, "It's only me and Marigold in the car most of
the time. Plenty of room back there."

"Thank you," said Dawn, "that's my house on the right--the big, white
one."

Thule pulled up in front of it. Dawn came around his side after
getting out, "What time do you usually leave in the morning?"

"I have to take care of the computer systems in the newspaper," said
Thule, "so I leave at five am."

"I, uh," said Dawn, "That's a little early for me."

Thule smiled, letting Dawn know she'd been tricked, "Actually, I leave
at about ten minutes to eight. I can be here about two minutes after
that."

"Great," said Dawn, "thanks again."

"That was very nice of you," said Marigold, "but I'm going to miss our
morning conversations a little."

"After this morning," said Thule, "I'll be just as glad to have a
chaperone."

"I've got you rattled," crowed Marigold.

"Damned straight," said Thule, "I freely admit it. Were you serious?"

They were pulling into Thule's driveway. Marigold said, "I was. I
don't want to get married right away. But, you were already talking
about what we would do after Harvard. If you're going to look that far
forward, why not talk about the whole way? Wouldn't you like to make
an honest woman of me Thule?"

Thule got out of the car, circled around and opened Marigold's door,
"I'm not ready to start thinking about marriage," he said, "I'm
eighteen years old. And, I'm still not sure what I'm doing next year."

Marigold waited at the front door for him, leaning her back against
it, stretching a little, "It's not the sort of decision you need to
make quickly. But, I've had it planned out for a long time. I'm
expected to have already decided what I want to do career-wise. I
think I want to be a doctor, but I know I want to be a wife and
mother."

Thule took her elbow and led her to his room, "You're serious?"

Marigold nodded, "I am. I thought I wanted to do it as soon as
possible, but now I'm not sure."

Thule came up behind her, his arms gliding around her waist and up her
ribs, cupping her breasts, "What's changed?"

"I told you," said Marigold as she shifted her arms to let Thule
unbutton her blouse and slide it off her shoulders. "This weekend
raised a lot of questions about who I am and what I want. I know what
my gut tells me and don't expect that to change. But, it's too
important a decision to make without knowing my alternatives. After
all, doesn't the Bible say that the road of excess leads to the palace
of wisdom.

Thule undid her bra. When she turned to face him, he lowered his head
to kiss each nipple gently. Marigold shivered and gasped a little.
Then, he raised his head, "That's not the Bible. That's William
Blake."

Marigold laughed, "Okay. Not everything has to come from the Bible, I
guess." She unbuttoned his shirt, kissing him just above the solar
plexus. Then, she kissed lower, a line of kisses until she was
kneeling in front of him, unbuckling his belt.

Stroking her long, blonde hair, Thule said, "Marigold, I can't plan
that far ahead. I can't even promise that you're not going to hate me
before the summer is over."

Marigold undid Thule's fly, stripping him of pants and underpants. His
erect cock sprung out. Playfully, Marigold leaned forward and licked
it. Thule gasped, his knees giving away a little bit. A moment later,
his hands pushed her forward gently and Marigold complied, taking him
into her mouth.

After a couple of minutes, Marigold pulled back, letting him slide out
of her mouth. "Thule," she said, "I swear on everything that I hold
holy that I will not hate you for what you have to do before we go to
Boston." She licked him, "Let me help you with it. I want to be your
partner...in everything."

Marigold moved to take his cock into her mouth again, but Thule caught
her by her hair, forced her to her feet, then threw her face-down on
the bed. A second later, he was on top of and inside of her. He
pounded away at her with an urgency that was a new experience to
Marigold. She bucked against him, reveling in his savagery.

"Don't make promises you don't know all the facts about. I...I can't
think about this right now," said Thule, jackhammering away at her. "I
haven't been able to think all day. You drive me nuts, Marigold."

Marigold said nothing, moaning under the onslaught. At this rate,
Thule wouldn't last very long, but she was already pushing towards
climax. Finally, she managed to say, "We don't have to discuss it
now," she gasped, "Just fuck me."

Thule did, not talking, just pounding away at her. All of the
technique and subtlety he'd shown over the weekend was gone. He kept
his hands on her hips and drove into Marigold again and again. It was
an act of the rawest sort of possession. It made Marigold feel loved
and violated at the same time. She came violently, like a wild animal.
Thule's climax followed hers so closely that they overlapped. As he
exploded inside of her, Thule's whole body went rigid. Then, he slowly
collapsed next to her on the bed, drawing her over by the should so
that she lay, facing him, head resting against his chest. They lay
there, breathing heavily and not speaking for a long time.

Finally, he kissed the top of her head, stroked her back with his
fingertips, and said, "Give me this week. On Sunday, I'll tell you
everything I have planned. If you still want to be my partner in this
after that, so be it. I won't hold you to a promise made with my cock
balanced on your nose."

Marigold giggled, "You're so charmingly vulgar."

Thule laughed, kissing her on the mouth, "And you're maddening."
Already, his cock was stirring to life again. Marigold stroked it
gently with her fingertips, coaxing it to full extension. She was
feeling powerful and wanton. She wanted to feel him inside of her
again, lingering this time. Smiling to herself, she kissed his downy
chest. Thule may not hold her to her promise, but she would hold
herself to it. She was starting to get a feeling for what his plan
might be and, as tough as it was going to be, she would help him get
it done. It may have started as Maya's revenge, but it had become a
final reckoning for a lot of evil she'd come to take for granted.

Thule's hands began to roam freely over her body again, stroking,
pinching, exploring. Marigold slid down his body, taking him into her
mouth again. She ached with wanting Thule, now and forever. It was
probably crazy to bring up marriage at this point, but she had planted
the germ of an idea in his head. She'd moved the debate from whether
he would keep her after they left for Boston to whether he would marry
her. That gave him more time to realize that he couldn't live without
her any more than she could live without him.

Princes of Mannsborough, Chapter 8 of 22
by Vulgar Argot
(MF, rom, D/s)

--Vulgar Argot
  http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/VulgarArgot/www
--
"Vulgarity begins when imagination succumbs to the explicit."
  --Doris Day

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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