Chapter 18: Secretary Boy

Paza lit the bedroom by tapping a control panel on the wall, tuning down the intensity until it was dim and moody.

“I didn’t even know it could do that,” Steven muttered as he stepped onto the room-spanning mattress. It had seemed so large for one person, but the seven of them would fill it rather well. The rest of the flock filed in, taking up positions around the outskirts of the circular room, settling into the pillows and sheets like they were sitting around a campfire. Tilli sat down, then Ezi and Mima followed, the feathery Valbaran still unsteady on her feet. Ipal dropped down onto a pile of cushions with her bottle already uncorked, taking a swig from its narrow neck.

Paza still had Yemi by the hand, and she stopped in the middle of the mattress, turning her trembling charge around to face Steven. Yemi looked almost overwhelmed, his feathers as pink as Steven’s burning cheeks, his scaly lids batting as he struggled to maintain eye contact.

“Go on,” Paza whispered in his ear, giving him a gentle nudge to encourage him to walk forward. “Show him how you really feel.”

Yemi took a couple of unsteady steps towards Steven, slowly lifting his head as he approached, having to crane his neck to look the human in the eye. He barely reached Steven’s chest, his build even shorter and lighter than that of the females, the human’s cock practically poking him in the stomach.

“I never guessed,” Steven began, kneeling down on the sheets to put himself level with his friend. “I suppose I should have, based on what you said to me in the lounge, but chalk it up to me being a dumb alien.”

“Is it ... alright?” Yemi asked hesitantly. “Do Earth’nay not...”

“This will be a first for me,” Steven admitted, feeling his heart start to beat faster at the prospect. “But, I’ve seen a lot of firsts since I got here.”

“You’ve been so kind to me since you arrived,” Yemi began, averting his gaze and wringing his little three-fingered hands. “You looked out for me, you involved me, and you tried to build me up. You taught others to see me the way that you do. Until now, no female had ever shown me that kind of genuine, unconditional affection. You didn’t want anything – it seems that you never even realized I had anything to give.”

“I just thought you needed a friend,” Steven replied, not sure what else to say.

“You ... confuse me,” Yemi added with a flutter of uncertain purple. “You’re so much bigger than I am, you don’t act like a male, yet I find myself drawn to you. You’re so different that it hardly seems to matter how I refer to you.”

“Yeah, I kind of get that,” Steven chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “You look like ... well, you have a lot of features that we would associate with females. You’re small, curvy in the right places...”

“Will you two hurry up and fuck?” Paza grumbled, crossing her arms as her tail waved back and forth impatiently.

“Paza!” Mima complained, shooting her an angry flash of red. “They’re having a tender moment!”

Yemi snickered at them, taking another step towards Steven and planting a hand on his broad chest, seeming to sample the texture of his skin.

“You were gentle with the others,” he said, his voice so low that it was almost a whisper. “Will you be gentle with me, too? You may have me in any way that pleases you – I will do my best to accommodate.”

“God, Yemi,” Steven laughed as he glanced down at the enamored male. “We’re not at the office anymore. You don’t have to serve anybody.”

“But I want to,” he protested, planting a kiss on Steven’s neck as he had seen the females do. He smelled even better than Mima had, floral perfumes and soaps filling Steven’s lungs like he was taking a hit from a hookah. “You appreciate me in ways that others do not. I know that I can please you if you’ll only let me.”

His plea was impossible to deny, Steven reaching down to cradle the alien’s scaly face in his hands, guiding Yemi into a kiss. The male stiffened, his tail standing as straight as a pole and his rosy feathers spreading even wider, his lids drooping as he grew more accustomed to the sensation. His lips were no less soft and smooth than those of the females, like scaly pillows, Yemi leaning into Steven’s embrace as he lay his hands on the human’s chest.

There was uncertainty in each stroke of his tongue, the small, ribbon-like muscle doing its best to meet Steven’s far larger counterpart. Yemi had only been introduced to the concept that evening, but he took to it like a duck to water, falling more and more in love with the act as Steven explored his mouth. He flinched as Steven licked his textured palate, his legs weakening when their two organs joined, every new sensation a revelation.

When their lips parted, Yemi gazed up at Steven with something more carnal in his eyes, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The pair found themselves surrounded by a circle of pink, their audience looking on gleefully. Paza had taken a seat now, satisfied in having played the matchmaker, a smirk on her face as she lounged in the cushions.

Steven felt a surge of desire, and with his blood pounding in his ears, he reached for Yemi’s top. The Valbaran lurched as his fingers slid beneath its hem, lifting the garment and exposing more of the male’s flush torso. His midriff was subtly muscled, the sight of his navel lighting a fire in Steven’s belly, the scales of his beige underside even more touchable than those of the females. Yemi fretted about his appearance, waxing and preening, and Steven could feel it on his silky hide. The alien lifted his arms to help Steven along, but the garment caught on his head, his sheaths spread too wide for it to pass.

“Yemi,” Steven chuckled. “Can you stow those for a sec?”

“S-sorry!” the male chirped, fighting against his massive feathers. “I’m just so ... damn these giant things!”

They eventually succeeded, and Steven tossed the top aside, turning his attention to Yemi’s newly exposed torso. The girls hadn’t been lying – he really didn’t have any nipples. His chest was completely flat save for the subtle outline of his pectoral muscles, covered in that same soft, sensitive underbelly. It was oddly alluring, Steven running a hand from Yemi’s collar to the waistband of his shorts, feeling the twin rows of abdominal muscle tighten beneath his palm. All of that societal pressure to look his best – to keep his scales shining and his figure impeccable – and it was all Steven’s to enjoy now.

He felt an irresistible impulse to kiss the alien as Paza had, peppering his slender neck and narrow shoulder, crawling his lips down the Valbaran’s chest. He could feel the flustered male breathing beneath his lips, those glassy scales smooth and soft against his tongue, slick like silk. There were already droplets of moisture clinging to Yemi in the humid air, like someone had misted him with a spray bottle, making him glisten beneath the dim bedroom lights.

Yemi lowered his snout, following Steven’s hand as it trailed down his belly. Steven wasn’t sure what to do next. Yemi was a guy, even if every instinct rattling around inside Steven’s skull insisted otherwise, and he wasn’t sure where to go from here.

Fortunately, Paza was there to guide him. Like a stalking leopard, she snuck up behind Yemi and pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his slim torso as she laid her jaw on his shoulder. She nuzzled his cheek, his surprise fading as her hands roamed down to his waistband, sliding beneath it.

“Let’s see what the Earth’nay makes of you,” she whispered, grinning to herself as she pulled the clinging garment down. She had to practically peel it off him, the tight hem sinking into his soft thighs, but she managed to get it down around his knees. Yemi covered his face with his hands in embarrassment as she exposed him, his feathers burning pink.

Steven’s eyes were drawn between his legs inexorably, but he was momentarily confused. There was nothing there.

Paza’s tail slid between Yemi’s legs from behind, making him shiver as it stroked his inner thigh. It climbed higher, pressing against something soft, starting to make gentle circles. As it rubbed, Steven realized that he was looking at a pair of lips not unlike those the females had.

“Come on,” Paza purred in the little male’s ear, giving his neck a nibble of encouragement. “We are well beyond shyness now.”

The tip of her tail slipped between those lips, stroking slowly, Yemi leaning back into her arms as he let out a shuddering sigh. Something began to emerge, Steven watching as two fleshy lumps appeared, gradually engorging.

The girls had implied that males had two penises, but it looked more like a fleshy tuning fork to Steven. There were two distinct shafts that joined partway down their length to form a Y shape, the two tapered glans covered in tiny bumps – perhaps vestigial barbs? They were small and dull enough that they didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose other than maybe some extra stimulation. Its color was a dull pink with hints of purple, lighter at the base and growing darker near the twin tips, giving it the appearance of a partially sucked popsicle. It continued to grow, inflating like a balloon, clear fluid dribbling from both ends. Paza used her tail to tease it, encouraging it to swell, but it didn’t get much longer than Steven’s index finger.

No wonder the flock had reacted to Steven’s cock with such surprise and curiosity – their anatomy was so different that he might not have even recognized this as a penis under different circumstances. Paza’s tail curled around it, giving it a squeeze, more shimmering strands of fluid leaking from it. It seemed flexible and fleshy, lacking the firmness one would expect from its human counterpart.

Paza put a hand on Yemi’s shoulder, easing him down to his knees on the mattress. Steven’s cock was about level with the little male’s chest now, throbbing in the air, Yemi’s tail trailing across the sheets as he glanced down at the unfamiliar organ. Paza dropped down behind him, her feathers filled with dominant red and enamored pink, wetting her lips lasciviously.

“If you want to please him, then go ahead,” she purred. “You’ve seen what he likes...”

Yemi leaned in hesitantly, glancing up at Steven as though asking for permission, his lids fluttering in the way that Steven now knew indicated submission. He planted a kiss on Steven’s chest, gradually moving down, his thin tongue darting out to taste the salt on the human’s skin. His soft hands wrapped around Steven’s shaft as best they could manage, starting to squeeze and stroke as he had seen Mima and Ipal do. Steven leaned back a little, resting his hands on the sheets to steady himself, watching as his eager partner roamed lower. Yemi lifted Steven’s unfamiliar organ, weighing its heft in his hands, his pillowy lips finding its leaking tip. He kissed it experimentally, Steven shivering as the alien traced his slit with his tongue, those pursed lips sliding over the glans to cradle it.

The rest of the flock had crawled closer to get a better look, forming a circle around the two boys, their violet eyes flashing as they watched them intently. Paza was back to playing matchmaker again, pressing up tight against Yemi from behind, one of her hands sinking down below his belt to tease him as he sucked and licked.

“That’s it,” she cooed, nuzzling his cheek as she whispered in his ear. “You’re a natural, Yemi.”

“Gosh, they’re so adorable together!” Mima cooed as she watched them with longing in her eyes.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Ezi added with a sly giggle, one hand buried between her scaly thighs. “Do we really get to have them both?”

“Luck seems to follow Steven around like a shadow,” Ipal mused, taking another swig from her bottle.

Yemi began to swirl his tongue around Steven’s glans, coating it with his saliva, the warm little ribbon teasing him with every lap and stroke. It slid beneath his foreskin, those fleshy lips pursed tightly, the ribbed roof of the alien’s mouth rubbing against his cock as it slid deeper. His hands stroked the shaft all the while, sliding from its base to its tip. It was as wonderful as it was clumsy, Yemi putting his all into it, making up for his inexperience with earnest effort and a burning desire to please.

Paza’s stroking was certainly keeping him on his toes, the male flinching and shivering as she toyed with his strange organ. She whispered to him all the while, filling his head with sweet nothings in her own musical language.

He began to bob his head, taking the organ as deep as he could manage, Steven’s cock sliding against the cushion of the alien’s slippery tongue. Just like the females, he couldn’t really create suction with his long snout, but he did his best to paint every inch of Steven’s member. His impressive headdress waved back and forth with the motion, making the iridescent eye spots shimmer, the shining jewel that hung from his diadem on its fine chain bouncing against his forehead.

“Does it please you?” he asked, pausing his efforts and lifting his expectant eyes to Steven. There was still a drooping strand of saliva linking Yemi’s lips to his cock, the sight of it making Steven’s heart race. “I don’t ... really know how to do this,” he added with a nervous flutter. “I can only try to copy what I saw the flock do.”

“Y-yeah,” Steven sighed. “Yeah, it feels amazing.”

“I’m glad,” he replied, his feathers filling with hues of pleased green. “I want to learn how best to pleasure you – commit your every desire to memory.”

He resumed his stroking, his fists sliding along Steven’s shaft on a lubricating layer of his bubbling drool. His hands were almost as captivating as his tongue, inhumanly soft and delicate from a lifetime of office work, those deft fingers dancing along his length just as they would a keyboard. Lapping at Steven’s glans, Yemi sought out its sensitive underside, teasing him with rapid flurries. One of his hands roamed down to cup his balls, stroking them with that same maddening gentleness.

Steven felt something fluffy at his side, turning his head to see Mima sidling up beside him. She settled into the sheets, resting a hand on his thigh, watching with a smile as Yemi doted on him.

“You’ve always been so demure, Yemi,” she said with a flutter of pink. “I’ve never seen this side of you. You never let us.”

She reached out to touch him, sliding her palm across his smooth belly, his muscles growing more defined as he flexed in response. She was finally able to feel those waxed scales for herself. Years of hounding the poor male, and all it had taken to get him into bed in the end was showing him a little respect and courtesy. Her hand came to rest beneath his chin, Yemi pausing his licking to turn his eyes to her, Steven’s member pulsing an inch from his nose.

“May I kiss you?” she cooed. “It’s Earth’nay custom, after all.”

Yemi closed his eyes and leaned in, the two aliens joining, the pink in his feathers all the permission she needed. They couldn’t kiss as humans did, but Steven saw flashes of pink between their locked lips, those little tongues extending as far as their physiology would allow to intertwine with delicate licks. They turned their heads to the side, interlocking their jaws to get nearer like two pairs of scissors. Yemi seemed no less enamored, Mima giving him a warm smile as she broke away.

This wasn’t just about him and Yemi – the flock wanted to be involved too. Mima took Steven’s erection and lifted it to Yemi’s lips, Paza placing a hand on the back of his neck to ease him down, the male letting the organ slide into his mouth obediently. Paza’s hand was still stroking the male’s strange organ, squeezing it gently between her fingers, a seemingly continuous flow of that clear fluid forming spiderweb strands as it leaked from his tips.

“Are you close, Steven?” Mima asked as she cradled his sack in her hand. She said it with feigned innocence, giving his balls a teasing squeeze in a way that she knew he would enjoy.

“Yeah,” he sighed, a pulse of pleasure surprising him as Yemi’s tongue circled his glans.

“You hear that, Yemi?” Paza chuckled. “You’re doing such a good job that he can hardly stand it. Are you ready to taste him?”

“Here it comes,” Ezi trilled excitedly as she reclined in the cushions. “He’s going to do it again!”

“Finish for us,” Mima pleaded, her honeyed voice alone almost enough to push him over the edge. “Show Yemi how much you’re enjoying his company.”

The diminutive male met Steven’s gaze, and he found himself drawn in, the red paint that framed Yemi’s eyes contrasting with the green scales and dark sclera to make them leap out. They were such a beautiful shade of vibrant violet, matching the gemstone that hung between them. His nose brushed the human’s belly as he encompassed as much of his length as he could manage, his slimy tongue fighting it for space in his mouth.

Somehow, it was impossible to resist with Yemi peering up at him in a silent plea, one final lash of his tongue sapping the last vestiges of Steven’s resistance. Still sensitive from his last climax, the pleasure crept up on him, bursting forth in a dizzying wave. The first rope of his seed splashed against the roof of Yemi’s mouth, the little alien drawing back in alarm, a hint of yellow creeping into his pink feathers. The next gelatinous strand draped itself over his snout, dangling like the gem on his diadem, Mima stroking Steven’s cock to ease out more. A few more spurts landed on Yemi’s flat chest, the pearly globs seeping down his smooth scales. He turned his eyes down, following a milky droplet as it seeped along the channel between his abs, settling in his navel. Mima smiled to herself as she gave Steven a few more pumps, the last drips falling to Yemi’s thighs.

“Shit, sorry,” Steven stammered as he watched the alien wipe away a hanging string from his chin. “I could have warned you.”

“It tastes bad,” Yemi replied, sticking out his tongue. “But I like it,” he added, his face framed with pink as he gazed up at Steven.

Steven collapsed back into the sheets, sitting on the mattress as he basked in his afterglow, residual throbs of pleasure making his muscles ache. He wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened. Yemi was just as alluring as the females, if not moreso with his shy demeanor and his meticulous attention to his appearance, so Steven hadn’t really thought twice about it. Did this make him gay? The distinction didn’t really seem to exist on Valbara. All that truly mattered was that he liked the little guy.

Mima settled in beside him, her feathers tickling his skin, a smug expression on her face. Yemi was in Paza’s care now, leaning back into her arms as she nuzzled at his neck, tracing her fingers through the sticky web of fluid that clung to his torso. Ezi and Ipal soon approached, crawling in to his left and right, the male’s feathers flashing with uncertain colors as they boxed him in.

Their lips sought out his vulnerable neck and shoulders, their hands roaming across his polished scales, the overwhelmed male twisting and bucking beneath the bedroom lights. The moisture and the milky residue that decorated his torso glistened, his iridescent eye spots shimmering, his lithe body even more enticing when it was in motion. His hips swayed, his plush thighs rubbing together, his chest swelling as he grew short of breath. The girls were subjecting him to their signature brand of love, leaving him shivering and gasping, finally able to have their fill of their beloved secretary. Tilli was the exception, sitting apart and merely watching as she tended to do.

“I think you’ve made a lot of people very happy today,” Mima said as she leaned her head on Steven’s chest. She let her hand wander into his lap, amusing herself by keeping him hard. “I don’t think that Yemi would ever have found the courage to do this without your encouragement, and he would certainly never have joined our flock in bed. I was a little worried that we had misread the situation,” she added, watching as Ipal gave Yemi a sip from her bottle. “It didn’t occur to me that Earth’nay boys might not get along as Val’ba’ra’nay do.”

“Truth be told, we generally don’t,” Steven replied. Mima cocked her head, the yellow in her feathers begging a question. “I suppose we’re a little less flexible when it comes to sexuality. You guys are all individuals – all the same sex, but you have no problem being intimate together.”

“We are a flock,” she explained, running her clawed fingers across his belly. “Would you reject the intimacy of your own hand?”

“That’s about what I figured,” he said, his chuckle tapering into a sigh as she ran a finger up his shaft. “What about males?”

“They don’t flock with other males in the way that we do,” Mima continued. “Once they leave their parent flock, they tend to remain solitary until they enter a relationship. Some enjoy the company of the same sex just as Yemi seems to, but for others, it’s more of a cultural expectation.”

“How so?”

“Two males going at it as a common fantasy for flocks,” she added with another of her sly smiles. She must share that fantasy, and he had helped to fulfill it. “Even if males aren’t truly interested in other boys, they may put on the affectation to amuse or entice their suitors.”

“I see,” Steven mused. “Kind of like two women kissing in a bar for attention. Huh...”

“It’s going down again,” she continued, giving his receding erection a prod. “It seems that your Earth’nay stamina isn’t limitless. Come – lie with me while you recover. I’m certain that the others will put on a fine show for us.”

They turned their attention back to Yemi, who was now being eased onto the mattress by his three partners. Paza was still dressed in her business attire, making her look even more the part of the ringleader when contrasted with her nude companions. Ipal had set her bottle down, while Ezi was nuzzling Yemi’s neck, all of her restraint finally paying dividends. Steven could hardly envision a better form of positive reinforcement for her.

Ezi seemed to be the most eager of the trio, straddling Yemi as Paza knelt behind him, guiding his head into her lap. Using her soft thighs as a pillow, he glanced down, his feathers filled with both excitement and apprehension as Ezi kissed his throat. She roamed down his torso, dragging her tongue through the seed that still decorated his belly, licking it from his waxed scales. She crawled lower, kissing his hip and bringing her snout to his strange, two-pronged organ. It was swollen and leaking, pulsing gently in time with its owner’s racing heart.

“Let’s do it the Earth’nay way,” she giggled, drawing one of his glans into her mouth. Yemi tensed as she wrapped her lips around it, lashing it with her tongue, Paza laying her hands on the male’s shoulders as she watched him squirm from above.

Ipal took one last swig from her bottle, then moved in to join her flockmate, the two jostling for space. With their scaly cheeks pressed together, they shared his member between them, nursing at one glans each as Yemi’s feathers began to flash with nonsensical colors and patterns. Steven couldn’t see much of what they were doing from his perspective, but he could see Yemi reacting to them, Paza cradling his head in her hands as he arched his back.

When he was suitably overwhelmed, they drew back, Ipal sitting down to watch as Ezi swung a leg over him. Steven was given an admirable view of her toned ass as she put her back to him, the light catching the indent of her spine and the two little dimples above her pert cheeks. She reached down to take Yemi’s shining cock in her hand, guiding it towards her lips. Making a fist, she squashed the two shafts together so that they would both fit, pressing down on them. A shiver crawled up her spine as he entered her, the two aliens joining, her hips slamming down on him. After taking Steven, this must be a cinch.

Yemi moaned as she began to move, rocking her hips just as she had with Steven, keeping her partner snugly hilted. Seeing them together, their style of lovemaking made a little more sense. The pronged member was less suited to an in-and-out motion, but those dull barbs and nodules must provide a lot of stimulation.

Ezi lay her hands on his belly, making slow circles with her hips, throwing her head back as she ground against his cock. Seeing her make love from a distance gave Steven even more appreciation for how she moved and the flawless control that she exerted over her body, the taut muscles flowing beneath her shining skin.

As he watched, wrapping an arm around Mima to keep her close, he noticed that Ezi’s tail was moving. It slid down beneath her, Yemi’s feathers flaring as she pressed its tip between his cheeks, nudging gently. When she pushed a little harder, a couple of inches vanished inside him, but he didn’t protest. Instead, he bucked into her, Paza whispering her sordid encouragements in his ear as his feathers began to go haywire again.

“Is that something you guys usually do?” Steven asked apprehensively, watching Ezi start to pump her tail rhythmically. It slid in and out of her moaning partner, moving in time with the swinging of her hips, stroking him from within.

“Yes, why?” Mima asked with a smile. “Want to give it a try?”

“Nah, I don’t think I’ve advanced to that level yet,” he replied sarcastically. “I’m only a half hour removed from my first homosexual experience.”

“We’ll have to ease you into it,” Mima added.

“Poor choice of words,” he grumbled.

“Good boy,” he heard Paza purr, holding Yemi’s head in her hands as she stroked his cheek lovingly. “You’re taking her tail so well.”

“He needs the practice for Steven,” Ipal added, waving her bottle in the human’s direction. “Hear that, big guy? She’s getting him warmed up for you.”

“Is that even going to work?” Steven stammered, feeling his face start to warm. Ezi had been tight enough, and Yemi was even smaller than she was. That wasn’t even accounting for the obvious difference in gender.

“The prospect seems to excite you,” Mima replied, reaching down to give his cock a squeeze. He was swelling again, the few minutes of reprieve apparently enough recovery time. She took it in her hand and began to stroke it, her pace slow and teasing, keeping him wanting as they watched the sordid show together. “I think he’s done this before – look how deep she’s getting.”

Ezi had buried a good three or four inches of her tail inside him now, her thighs clamped tightly around his hips, his cock secured in her tight grip. They seemed locked together, the many points of contact making it impossible for the little male to escape, though the colors in his headdress suggested that such a thing was furthest from his mind.

He seemed dazed, his unfocused eyes moving between Paza and Ezi, one of his hands reaching out to fondle her bouncing breasts as she subjected him to the cruel motions of her skilled hips. He was the object of their affection, submitting to their desires, but they were so gentle and careful with him. It was a kind of loving subjugation that Steven had never experienced before. He felt a pang of anticipation at the prospect that he, too, might get to experience that feeling before the night was through.

The aliens had little stamina, so he doubted whether the encounter could continue for much longer. Both partners seemed close to their limits, their musical gasps and trills filling the domed bedroom, their pace growing faster and less graceful.

Ezi sank her tail a little deeper, making Yemi writhe between her thighs, whatever she was doing to him filling his feathers with those nonsensical colors and patterns. It looked like his brain was short-circuiting, his own tail lashing across the sheets like an anaconda in distress, his clawed toes curling. Ezi seemed to be just as taken with him, riding him into the mattress, throwing her feathery head back as her climax neared.

With a shiver, she let out a stifled chirp, her flexible body becoming as immovable as one of her wooden sculptures for a brief moment. Steven could see every muscle tense as the ecstasy tore through her limber frame, those sculpted cheeks quivering as she renewed her impassioned thrusting. Yemi’s eyes snapped shut, Paza cradling his head as he joined his partner in her bliss, watching the pair with a wry smile while their glistening bodies moved together.

Only when Yemi had ceased his bucking and gasping did Ezi slide her tail out of him, Steven watching inches of it reemerge. They remained joined for a few moments more, then she leaned down to kiss his neck, the two enjoying their afterglow as they nuzzled and trilled softly. She lifted herself off him, his two-pronged member popping out of her, the pink and purple flesh shining with their blended fluids. Strands of it still linked them, joining Ezi’s thighs, but it was hard to tell whether it had come from her or her partner. Yemi’s emission was perhaps clearer and more watery than Steven’s.

As Ezi flopped down onto the cushions at his side, her feathers flushed green with contentment, Steven found himself face-to-face with Yemi. The little male’s lids were drooping, his breathing slower and more relaxed, his member still swollen and dripping. Paza had one hand resting beneath his jaw to support him, the other stroking his chest, his head resting in her lap as he lay splayed on the mattress.