Aubree left the house in a storming rampage, dust flying and hair blowing. Jumping on her horse she made a straight shot for the towns most popular woman's club, "The Randy Peach." For three months her brothers have been taunting her about making an appearance, and not for the reason one woman with her looks might be appearing. She had been ignoring them for months out of respect for her father. But they had really pushed her buttons this time. Dressed in her best slacks and shiniest boots and tightest shirt she was ready to mingle.
Leaving her horse in the front of the building she took a deep breath and started towards the entrance. An entrance in which she denied. Two large fellows with no necks and muscles as big as her head stepped in front of the door and stopped her from entering. "Ladies in through the back, and costume required." Aubree stared at them her mouth agape and all senses forgotten. Stuttering through her thoughts she was finally able to speak, "I'm not here for that, I'm a paying customer." Both men erupted in laughter grabbing their stomachs.
Aubree crossed her arms across her chest began tapping her foot against the ground impatiently, "Hey Ron, I don't think this broad is joking." Ron caught his breath and stood upright, clutching the stitch in his right side, "Lady are you kidding me?" Aubree shook her head, "No sir, I'm very serious. I'm here to have a drink and enjoy some music." Both men looked to each other and then to Aubree,"You're Eli Arturi's girl aren't you?" Aubree's smirk faded and nodded her head. "I am." The two doorman stepped aside and let her enter, "Sorry." was heard uttered as she entered the lightly lit room. Gawking around the room she found an empty seat at the bar, to her left was an older man with a drink in hand and a few empty in front of him. Ignoring his loud scene she ordered two shots straight up and knocked one back before leaning against the bar second shot in hand.
It got awfully lonely out there on the plains, so whenever Sita finally came back to civilization, one of the first places he hit up was the brothel. What could he say? A man had needs.
And there were certain things he could get at a brothel that he couldn't really get elsewhere. At least, that he couldn't get discreetly elsewhere, without fear of that information getting leaked.
But he didn't just come here to scratch an itch. Over the years, he'd come to know several of the peaches in a casual, friendly way. It was a good place to merely socialize, too, and sometimes after a rough day he just didn't have enough energy left for action between the sheets; those days, a massage was better than orgasms. Sore from work, he hadn't quite figured out what kind of night this was, but for now he was content to just unwind until Aidan was ready to see him.
Sipping ale in the common room--his third drink, and he was starting to feel it, and damn if it didn't feel nice--he was surprised when a young lady slid into a seat next to his. A young lady in trousers. A young lady downing shots like a man. Sita's eyebrows rose. Maybe...maybe she was one of the new peaches? Maybe one of her clients enjoyed it when women cross-dressed?
He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Haven't seen ya around before," he said, taking another swallow of ale.
Downing her second drink in one swallow she turned her body towards the man. She nodded to the bartender and he put two more drinks in front of her. She flashed her prize winning smile and tossed back the third. "No I'd guess not seeing as how this is my first time in here." Aubree met his gaze and knew instantly he thought she was "the entertainment". She then tossed her fourth drink back, "I'm from the area, I've not seen you around before. Passing through?" She knew almost everyone in town, and most traders. This gentleman wasn't one she was familiar with.
The bartender set two more drinks in front of her, starting to feel a bit tipsy she smiled at the bartender and drank another. She knew she'd regret it in the morning, but seeing how she fooled her brother's her chores would get done, and not by her. She drank her last drink and motioned for another, "And one for the good sir here." she motioned to the man sitting beside her, "I'm sorry didn't catch your name."
Yeeeah, she was no peach. Wasn't in her demeanor. Which meant...customer? While Sita knew women visited the brothel--after all, Aidan's sister serviced many of them--it was still downright bizarre seeing one here while acting like a man and drinking to excess on top of it all.
It was kind of awkward, and Sita didn't get to feeling awkward all that often.
He turned his attention back to his drink and took long sip to give himself an excuse not to talk. "Naw. I come here yearly," he finally said, voice suddenly stiff and terse. While Sita wasn't about to spoil business by speaking his mind and driving away a client--wasn't his place, wasn't his right, and while he was under this roof he obeyed their rules and honored them as their guest--and while he'd gotten used to some things over the years, it didn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable. Things were different in Adela than where he'd grown up on the plains, and some biases ran deep to this day.
His dear friend Eshe had challenged a lot of his notions, but even so, she still fell in a category all of her own. She was different.
"Anyhow, I'm Sita, horse trader. And you're...?" ...old enough to have a family and children all your own, so why aren't you home with them? he finished in his head, even if out loud he was simply asking her name.
"Aubree, Aubree Arturi." She finished her last drink and found the conversation turning to something she knew about. "A horse trader huh? My father raises horses and has a larger farm on the edge of town about two miles from here. My three brothers and I help him, he's getting a bit older so we try and keep him relaxed, but trying to tell my father to relax is like talking to a brick wall." she grinned again, shocked at her loose tongue and decided no more drinks for her.
"We all live together in the larger farm house, you may have met my brother's, they're in the plains a lot trading cattle. My father used to, Eli Arturi." Aubree had to shake the foggyness from her brain for a second and realize she was talking too much. "I'm sorry, I know I'm talking too much. I never drink this much." she giggled like a school girl and quickly tried to regain her composure.
ooc:sorry so short. I just woke up. LoL
That piqued Sita's interest and he actually turned to look at the girl then--and tried to recall if the name sounded familiar. Huh, interesting. Then that made her family competition, potentially, depending on what breed of horses he sold and for what purpose.
"Hm...may've met your brothers, sure, though the name don't ring any bells. It's possible. But the plains are mighty big, dear. Just 'cause they run in the same circles I do don't mean we're familiar," he finally said. You could go weeks, months even, without encountering another human soul in some parts, and he'd met more people than he could name over the decades he'd been catching and breaking horses.
Taking another gulp of beer to finish off his drink, he eyed the girl oddly as she giggled. Yeah, it was obvious she was a goner. "So what's someone like you doing in a place like this, anyway?"
[ooc: no worries! <3 Length doesn't matter to me!]
Aubree considered the fact that they were possibly competitors and decided to tread lightly. Her father would skin her if she gave away any family "secrets". "That's a funny story actually. See I'm the youngest of four children, and the only girl. My brothers have been aggravating me for months about coming here. The thought I wouldn't do it. So I had to prove them wrong."
She shrugged casually like this was no big deal. "I imagine that they owe me now. And they'll do it by doing all my chores tomorrow." she giggled again and put her hand on his leg and leaned in close to him, "What they don't know is that it was all a ploy to get them to do extra chores."
She rubbed his leg a little and leaned back, "My father will unhappy, but a girl's gotta live a little sometimes right?"
Before Sita could really ponder the bizarreness of the girl's words--why on earth would her brothers encourage her to come here? Her brothers should have been guarding her--his thoughts were cut off when she touched his leg. Rubbed it, even.
And it was a damned good thing that Sita was fresh out of ale or he may have choked on it, and not because he was the good kind of surprised. What the--just what the hell?
With an annoyed sound, he jerked his leg to shake her hand off of him. "Excuse me?" he snapped, shooting her a warning look. "Do I look like a whore to ya?" It was one thing for him to keep his mouth shut about certain beliefs of his when under someone else's roof, out of respect to his hosts and their establishment, but this? Was crossing the line.
"Sita!" Aidan breezed into the waiting room, totally unaware of the upset that had just happened. He was absolutely ecstatic that Sita was back in town. The man was stunning, rugged and paid well. Really, he was everything Aidan adored in a man.
Fresh from a bath between clients, Aidan hoped the marks on his dark skin weren't very noticeable. Reaching out, he held his slender hands out to Sita, beaming at him, "It's been ages! I've missed you! I was starting to worry you found someone younger and prettier than me to occupy your time."
Ah, finally. Eager to get away from the girl, Sita stood to greet Aidan, pulling the kid into a quick, friendly hug. "Like anyone could replace ya," he said, clapping him lightly on the back before drawing back with a grin. "'Sides, I know I'd never hear the end of it and I ain't one to make pretty folk cry."
He'd been coming to Aidan for nearly a decade and their relationship had long since evolved past just sex, though that was still very much a part of the arrangement. But sometimes, he stopped in just to say 'hello' and talk, see how the other was doing, because he truly valued his company beyond just the physical. He was comfortable with him, familiar with him, and trusted him--and trusted him not to judge, too.
Still, while he was comfortable with physical displays of affection toward him in the privacy of the bedroom, it was a little awkward giving him more than just a brief hug out here in view of other clients. Didn't really matter that the other clients either didn't give a shit, were here for the same reasons, or could assume what was going on between them solely on the basis that he was a man visiting a male peach.
"Sorry it's been so long. I ran into some trouble on the way back from the plains this year so that set me back several days, not to mention the drama that's happened since I been back. But so much for that. How's life been treatin' ya these days?"
Aidan pouted slightly, already leading Sita back to his room. Normally he liked to spend a little more time down with the drinks and things, but he knew Sita didn't like to be...obvious and he wouldn't relax until they were behind closed doors, "Well, I hope you brought me a really expensive gift to make it up to me. I've been pining away for your big, strong arms around me and you are off pissing about in the planes."
Entering his room, he gestured for Sita to sit. He had food waiting, all the horseman's favorites, covered on the table, as well as wine for himself and some cider for Sita, "Though, drama you say? Do tell. You know I can't resist a good drama."
Taking a seat on Aidan's bed, Sita waved a hand dismissively. "Just, y'know, takin' care of strays an' Eshe bein'...Eshe," he said with a laugh. "And before that, well, the weather along the way was pretty terrible. Flash flood, hadda get here the roundabout way, buuut..."
Withdrawing the small pouch he carried his coin in, he twisted away from Aidan to hide it, pulled something out of it, then put his hands behind his back. "Despite all that, I did manage to getcha a li'l somethin'. Which hand?"
Aidan started to make small, sympathetic noises as Sita talked about his weather, but those quickly turned to excited squeals when Sita announced he had a gift for him. Clapping his hands, the Peach bounced in place, "Both! I want both hands! Don't teeeease!"
Sita laughed, finding the peach's antics refreshing and endearing. It was always nice how easily Aidan could get his mind off of everyday stresses and into a more relaxed place. Being around Aidan was easy and he liked that. "Both? Now, that's just cheatin'! I dunno..."
He let Aidan squirm a little longer, pretending to debate that, before he held both hands out to Aidan, palms up. "Oh, fine, you win. Anyway, hope ya like 'em. Got 'em on the coast and it made me think of you."
In his hands were two pieces of jewellery, a jade bracelet and a matching jade pendant. They had cost a pretty penny, but he didn't mind spending money on his friends--and the more difficult part was simply finding something that he thought Aidan might like. He had no use for that sort of stuff so it always took a lot of guestimating and asking the vendors some very awkward questions.
"Oh Sita! They are beautiful!" Aidan was highly mercenary and very selfish by nature, but Sita was an old friend. So instead of fawning over the gifts right then, Aidan threw his arms around the horsemen and kissed him hard, molding his body against his.
Sita had been about to reply, but that was a bit difficult to do when you were locking lips with an attractive man. Not that he was complaining! Arms encircling Aidan's waist, Sita kissed him back forcefully and withdrew only long enough to get out between breathless kisses, "I take it I did well?"
"You did great!" Aidan squealed with delight, clinging to Sita's neck, "I adore them!" He covered Sita with small, happy kisses. After a moment, he let him go, setting the jewels aside. With a smile, he started to undo his robe, "Now, I believe I said I wanted both your hands. I suggest you get them working."
"You should visit me at the stables sometime," Sita murmured later, once the high had died down and he felt capable of speaking. He was sprawled out on his side against Aidan in the kid's now rumpled bed, one arm around the younger man's waist while his other hand idly stroked his hair. He placed a light kiss against Aidan's hair and rested his chin on top of his head. "It's been a while, eh? And ya don't get out enough. Though..."
A tired chuckle rumbled in his throat and he trailed his hand down Aidan's waist to his hip and back up his side, lazily tracing the contours he knew so well. "Your sister just might kill me if she finds out again."
"Mmmmm. Yeah. She's such a bitch." Aidan nuzzled closer, head under Sita's chin. The familiar warmth and smell and shape of the older man was soothing and after that rather intense session, he was feeling sated and boneless.
"Though you just want a freebee, don't you? Naughty man."
Sita chuckled at that and grinned, fingers still lightly playing over all that smooth, soft skin. It was so unlike his own, so unlike that of other men he'd laid with, and he couldn't stop touching him--at least not when they were alone and out of sight of others.
"I do like freebees," he agreed, threading his fingers through Aidan's hair. "Never pretended otherwise. Hey, ya can't tell me you wouldn't like a good ol' fashioned roll in the hay."
"I hate that hay. It pokes me." Aidan gave a pleased sigh, closing his eyes and enjoying that touch, "Maaaybe if you convince me its worth risking the wrath of Nadia, I'll think about coming and visiting you."
He had already planned on spending his day off with Sita, but he didn't need to tell Sita that.
"Oh, we'll lay a bloody blanket down if it'll make ya happy, ya priss," Sita said with a teasing grin. "But what's this about makin' it worth it? I bought ya jade. Surely that's worth at least one Nadia tantrum."
"The jade is for making me wait forever since you last visit. Doesn't count." Sure, Aidan liked Sita and the horsemen was one of his few friends, but he was a mercenary buisness man at heart. He wanted money and pretty things.
"I'm saving you the cost of my very expensive services." Aidan lifted his head to give Sita a smoldering look, "You know what my mouth can do to you. I think that's worth a little something."
"Well then, my little Adelan dandy," Sita said with a grin, gripping Aidan's chin and pressing a kiss to that delightful mouth of his. Yeah, yeah, kid had him there, it was pretty magical. Soft and sweet and very experienced. "How might I convince ya? What'll make it worth Nadia's rage and your lost time?"
Sure, they were friends--really and truly--but Sita didn't mind paying for Aidan's time. It was nothing personal; kid had to make a living and he understood that.
Aidan shivered and leaned into the kiss, making a pleased sound. He loved how rough and strong and so very masculine Sita was. All hard, lean muscle and while normally he detested beards, somehow Sita's was just right.
Sliding a hand along one of Sita's arms, Aidan pursed his lips thinking, "Well, she's been in an okay mood recently, I have a rather harrowing story to tell you. And what you'll need to convince me will depend on if we have to fuck in that awful barn or not."
"Awful barn? Excuse me? It's a lovely barn and I work my ass off in it," Sita said, brushing a strand of hair off of Aidan's cheek. "Don't see what's so awful 'bout it. Now, what's this about a harrowin' tale? Do tell."
"I believe I am the one who gets their ass worked in that barn." Aidan snorted, cuddling closer, "Hey, you stopped. That felt good." He liked how Sita's rough hands felt stroking along his back, "It's a really awful story. The worst ever. You know Avery? He and I were kidnapped! Only, they just left us out in the woods!"
Aidan went on breathlessly excited, thrilled to have a new captive and sympathetic audience to tell the story too. He made sure to leave out the parts that made him look silly and maybe the squirrel became a bear, but it mostly followed the actual events.
Well, that genuinely surprised Sita, and he listened intently and without interruption. Seriously? Kidnapped? As Aidan spoke, he ran his hands down Aidan's back and along his hips, tracing his hipbones and hoping to soothe him a bit. Alright, so he'd admit, when Aidan said "harrowing story", he'd just figured it was something about getting his clothes dirty or how it was Nadia's moon time so she'd been more wretched than normal.
When Aidan had finished, Sita let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's awful, but you two are damned lucky that's all ya went through. Woulda been worse if those kidnappers got ya to wherever they wanted to getcha." They were slavers, no doubt, or perverse men with worse things in mind than slavery.
He gave Aidan a comforting squeeze. "Anyone ever find out anythin' about those men?"
Aidan ate up the sympathy, clinging tighter to Sita and by the end, tearing up, "No! That's just the worst part! No one knows anything about them or anything. They are still out there! Waiting!"
It was nice to have someone that actually understood! Sita did! He understood how awful everything had been.
"I was so scared and everything was wretched and my favorite outfit was just ruined!"
"You or Avery remember what they look like? If nothin' else, I'm sure the place is watchin's things more, yeah? On high alert and all? They won't want a repeat."
Sure, the story sounded dramatic and Aidan was dramatic, but this just didn't sound like the type of thing he'd lie about. Come to think of it, the kid had always been fairly honest. He might make things sound like a bigger deal than they actually were, but the facts were still in there. Besides, considering the place he worked...well, didn't sound that out of the realm of possibility that a client might take things way too far, or the wrong men might come in there to scope out all the lovely possibilities and think they might make a killing with them elsewhere.
Sita stroked Aidan's hair. Ah, there it was. The clothes. Sita made a sympathetic noise. Dealing with Aidan was a lot like dealing with Eshe. "That's a shame. Which outfit?"
"No! Not at all! Oh Sita! It's awful!" Burying his face into Sita's shoulder, Aidan let the crocodile tears fall, "It was that beautiful one with the green that brought out my eyes and the flowers and it's ruuuiiiineeeed!"
"Oh, ya poor thing," Sita said, stroking Aidan's hair and having a feeling he knew just what he'd need to buy Aidan on his next visit. "That's a right shame. That one did look amazin' on ya, but to be honest, Aidan..."
Pulling back a little, he pressed a couple light kisses to Aidan's neck and shoulder. "I think you're prettiest when you're naked."
Aidan was enjoying getting to be dramatic and sobbing on Sita. Most of the regulars and all the Peaches had already heard the story plenty of times and didn't give much sympathy anymore. Sita was a fresh pair of ears and Aidan wanted to milk it.
But vanity and work were starting to win out. Sniffling, Aidan tilted his head back, exposing more of his dusky skin, "O-oh? You think so?"
"I know so," Sita answered, lips and tongue working along Aidan's soft throat. "All that smooth brown skin...it's far better than anything you could ever wear. Which is saying a lot, 'cause you've got fine taste, don't get me wrong."
Grinning, he gave his neck a light nibble. "Ya just taste even better."
Aidan gave a soft shudder, arms wrapping around Sita and tugging him close, shifting so he could stare up at Sita, all soft vulnerability. He blinked back a few tears, pouting softly at the older man, "Really? You think so?"
"Yup," Sita answered as he traced his callused fingers along Aidan's jaw and cheek, perfectly content to remain there and relieved that he'd at least calmed Aidan's hysterics. He brushed away the remaining tears and met the other man's eyes, smiling. "You're absolutely stunnin'."
Aidan gave another sniffle, not wanting Sita to know how well the flattery was working. Then he might stop, "You say that now. But you're always sniffing after young, pretty boys and you'll leave be behind."
"Never," Sita answered, then grinned impishly. "Besides, you're still plenty young and plenty pretty."
He laughed and kissed Aidan again, hugging him. "I'm just teasin'. Ya think I'd be spendin' so much coin on keeping ya good and spoiled if I just planned on forgetting about ya? I had to ask a nice older lady if she thought the jewelery'd go well with your complexion."
He gave Aidan a meaningful look, eyebrow raised. Yeah, that had been awkward. He'd tried to make it out like Aidan was a girl but may have stumbled over the pronouns a few times.
"You liar." Aidan grinned a little. It was exactly like being gay was okay in Adela, but it seemed much more of a big deal with the horse people Sita was from. The man was very embarrassed about enjoying the bodies of other men.
Aidan turned so he could sprawl across Sita, his hair loose and tangled from sex, "You hardly spend as much time here as you used too. I bet you found some beautiful youth to warm your bed and you don't have time for me anymore. I mean, I bet I could still get up and walk. You used to make sure I was so thoroughly ravished I was in bed for days."
Sita's eyebrow arched. "That a challenge, boy?"
In one smooth, fluid motion, Sita rolled Aidan beneath him and pressed him into the mattress, hands holding Aidan's arms pinned above his head. He leaned down and captured Aidan's mouth with his own and didn't let him back up for air until his lips were swollen from kisses.
"'Cause I'd be more than happy to fix that," he said against his mouth.
It had been a challenge and Aidan was more than happy to let Sita prove him wrong. When they were finished, he lay sprawled on top of Sita's chest, fingers twisting in his chest hair, "Well, that was better I suppose. But I still think you just want a prettier, younger boy."
"Only better?" Sita exclaimed, and let his head flop back against the pillows with a groan. Still he wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist and gave him a light squeeze. "Ya certainly know how to crush an ego, gotta give ya credit for that."
"I have to keep it crushed. So you know only I will have you. Scruffy old man." Aidan smiled, leaning up to nuzzled against him. It wouldn't be correct to say he was in love with Sita, but on some level, he did love him. He was an old friend, comfortable and easy.
"Oh yeah? Who ya callin' old, boy?" Sita laughed and lightly ruffled Aidan's hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "I think I've proven I can keep up with ya any day, pretty boy."
"You. You awful old man you." Aidan snuggled against him, "And you need a bath. You reek of those awful horses."