Rylzt joined us a short while later, followed by Caelnel and Brudaer. “Everything is taken care of, I presume?” I asked. Caelnel nodded. “Good,” I said, then leaned forward and gently kissed the back of Zeera’s neck. She had returned to my lap shortly before Rylzt, Caelnel, and Brudaer arrived.

“Thank you, Rylzt,” Zeera said quietly. Rylzt smiled and gave a polite nod without saying anything.

Half an hour later, I was growing tired and figured that if I had to give the first private performance of my life, I’d better get to it while I still had some energy. I’d never admit it out loud, especially not around the men at the table, but it wasn’t something I was looking forward to. Zeera was attractive, and I liked her. If that was what she wanted, I’d happily oblige.

I gave Zeera a squeeze and pulled her tight against my chest. She leaned her head back so I could whisper in her ear. “I’m getting a room upstairs if you’d like to join me.” Zeera turned and looked at me with a playful smile, then nodded. She stood up, and I followed close behind her.

Before walking away, I turned to face the guys still sitting in the booth. “Well, it’s been fun. I hope you enjoyed the show.” I said, giving an exaggerated low bow, holding my hat out wide and my head low. The table cheered again, and I stood up and chuckled. Everyone enjoyed a good Masdrin show.

I paid for the night’s drinks and a room for Zeera and me. Grinning wide, I led her up the stairs to our room. Once inside, I looked around in awe. I had asked for the nicest room they had, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The room was dimly lit with a few lanterns—enough to see but not enough to hurt sensitive dark elf eyes. Drow like myself had no such imperfection; light didn’t bother us. Fine tapestries and fabrics lined the walls, and everything was ornately decorated and finely crafted. The bed was a beautiful ebony canopy bed with black dragon motif bedding. The dressers, tables, and chairs were all dark wood and intricately carved.

As I began to remove my clothes, I heard Zeera’s voice. “Um... Masdrin?” she said timidly as I removed my cloak and hat and tossed them onto a nearby chair. I looked at her with a smile, and she immediately looked at the floor. She suddenly seemed nervous, and I had a feeling I knew why.

“Would it be okay if we didn’t… if we didn’t…” she struggled to say it, but I knew what she was asking.

Unbuttoning my shirt and tossing it aside, I kicked off my boots. Then, I moved in front of her and gently lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. “Zeera, you don’t have to have sex with me if you don’t want to. I’ll never force myself on you,” I said softly.

“Can I hold you?” I asked. Her frown slowly turned to a smile, and she nodded. I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around her, and felt her relax as I held her. It made me happy to know she was beginning to trust me. “Can I kiss you?” I asked. Zeera’s cheeks began to glow, and she nodded again.

We shared a long, passionate kiss. When we finished, I smiled at her before walking over to the bed and removing my pants so I was standing in just my shorts. “Well, I’m going to bed. You’re welcome to sleep here with me or on the couch… or, uh… hmmm… I guess that’s it. Regardless, even if you choose to lie next to me, we don’t have to have sex,” I said as I crawled between the sheets and under the blanket. I held the covers up and nodded, beckoning her to join me.

“You promise?” she asked hesitantly, and I nodded in reply. She smiled wide and reached behind her back to untie the black ribbon that pulled her dress tight around her, showing off her hourglass figure. A moment later, the dress was on the floor, and Zeera was in bed next to me. I smiled as I lay on my side and closed my eyes once we were both comfortably under the covers. I was pleasantly surprised when she snuggled up next to me, putting her back tight to my chest. I was even more pleasantly surprised when, under the covers, she reached back and grabbed my hand. She pulled my arm around her and held my hand tight against her chest. I smiled contentedly as I felt her heartbeat through her chest.

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As I was beginning to drift off to sleep, I heard Zeera say quietly, “It’s not you, Masdrin.” Her voice seemed filled with guilt.

“Mmhmm…” I said sleepily.

“Masdrin?” she asked, unsure if I had actually heard her.

Without moving or even opening my eyes, I replied, “Zeera, would you like to know a secret?” I asked quietly.

“What?” she asked curiously.

“I don’t care if I ever have sex,” I said as I squeezed her hand and flexed the muscles in my arm to give her a hug. I held her tight against my chest. “This is what I like,” I said, accentuating the point by kissing the exposed side of her neck. “So, stop worrying about it. You’re already giving me everything I want,” I said happily. “Just relax and let Masdrin look after you. I promise you; you won’t regret it,” I said before gently squeezing her one more time. “Now go to sleep; we both have work in the morning,” I said softly as I rested my head on the luxurious down pillow. I felt her relax, and soon we both drifted off to sleep.

When morning came, I woke early. I kissed Zeera’s exposed shoulder and accidentally startled her awake. She let out an audible gasp and jumped, turning under the covers to face me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” I said quietly.

“It’s okay, I just forgot is all. I like when you kiss me,” she said as she relaxed back in the plush bed.

I got up and began getting dressed. “I like this room. I think I’m going to stay here,” I said casually as I buttoned up the fly on my pants.

“You’re thinking of moving into the inn?” she asked in disbelief.

“Why not? I can afford it. I spend most evenings here drinking, the food is better than the chow hall, and the accommodations are much more in line with the tastes of a Drow like myself,” I said as a wide grin spread across my face. “There’s room for both of us here,” I said nonchalantly as I put my shirt on and began to button it up.

“Oh? You think I’m just going to move in with you like that, huh?” she asked.

I turned to face her as I tucked my shirt. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but the decision is yours to make, of course. I just know I’m moving into this room and that I enjoyed sleeping next to you, and if I can, I’d like to do it every night,” I said boldly.

Zeera slid out of the bed and walked up in front of me. She adjusted my collar for me while I adjusted my cuffs and cufflinks. “Of course, I’ll stay here with you, handsome,” she said softly. I smiled at her, but hearing her say that she’d stay with me made me happier than I could recall ever being at that point. As she stood there in her undergarments, I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself. I was often proud of myself.

Zeera was beautiful by any standard, even Drow standards. She was short for her age, though still just a little taller than me. She had long, flowing black hair that she kept tied back. Her beautiful dark green eyes were a rarity amongst Dark Elves. It was even rarer in the Drow bloodlines due to most believing that any eyes but red meant you had some surface elf blood, something the Drow considered inferior. The way her soft, thin lips would curl into a disarming smile was a thing of beauty in itself. Her figure seemed perfect, and as I gazed at her beauty, I couldn’t help but feel lucky to have a woman as beautiful as her to call mine.

In the dim light of our room, I could see the bruises on her body left, no doubt, by Chey. I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her close. She felt warm, and her body pressed against mine brought me a certain amount of comfort. When she kissed me, it nearly stole my breath and made me feel things I had never felt before. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew I liked it and wanted as much as I could get.

We shared a long kiss before I leaned back and grinned my crooked grin at her. “I need to leave early so I can stop by my private quarters and get my armor and pack. I’ll meet you downstairs after your shift,” I said as I looked into her eyes. Zeera smiled and nodded at me as I let her go. I moved towards the door but stopped short. “When I finish for the day, I’ll take you shopping, get you some clothes befitting your station,” I said as I cast her a wink. I was all smiles as I got to the bottom of the stairs.

Zeera earned her own money and didn’t need to rely on me for new clothes, but she didn’t let that stop her from smiling and nodding at me. “Okay, handsome! See you after work!”

In the main room, I spotted Rylzt, Caelnel, Brudaer, and Durdrin eating their breakfast in our favorite booth. I walked over, and they all grinned wide at me. “What?” I asked as I slid into the booth next to Durdrin.

“How was your night?” Durdrin asked with a smirk.

I shrugged. “Great, yours?” I asked.

Durdrin sat back in his seat and sighed. “Fine, keep your secrets,” he said, sounding like a pouting child.

Rylzt looked over to me and grinned. “What?” I asked.

“You two looked awfully cute snuggled up under that blanket,” he said, drawing a chuckle from everyone at the table.

“At least I know my place in bed, Little Spoon,” I retorted. Everyone at the table fell silent except for Durdrin, who burst out laughing.

Rylzt slowly stood up, but Caelnel and Brudaer both restrained him. “You take that back!” he demanded.

I smiled at him and shook my head. Rylzt’s reaction was to be expected. Among dark elf and Drow men, "little spoon" was an insult. Being the “little spoon” when you were snuggling with your missus was viewed as weak and less of a man. Most men enjoyed being little spoon once in a while, but none ever admitted it.

Rylzt sat down with a huff, and Caelnel smiled at him. “I told you he’d win a battle of wits against you!” he said with a chuckle. Rylzt waved his hand dismissively and muttered something about still winning a real battle, under his breath, of course.

After discussing the day's mission with Durdrin, I went and paid to rent the room for the rest of the month. I’d eat some breakfast and lead my team to complete our mission, inevitably winding up back here later in the evening.

This routine would continue for almost three years. I’d wake up in the morning and slide out of bed, trying not to wake Zeera, get dressed, meet everyone downstairs, go perform my task, and then end up back at the inn to drink and go to sleep next to Zeera.