Chapter 3

I woke to the sound of thunder outside my room. A moment later another flash of lightning lit the night sky. Thunder roared, delayed by the distance. Samantha stirred and snuggled closer to me. I smiled and gently stroked her shoulder with the tips of my fingers. I liked the comforting feel of her warm body next to me. Her soft silk camisole and my own boxer shorts were the only things separating us beneath the sheet of my bed. She had elevated her teasing, letting our fingers wander outside each other’s clothes while kissing passionately, but not yet moved to consummate our relationship, despite her recent commitment to doing that ‘soon’.

She stirred more as another flash filled the sky.

“Hmm,” she said as her own hand moved on my chest. “It sounds like a day to stay in bed.”

I kissed the top of her head as it rested on my shoulder. “I agree.”

A gust of wind rattled the windows and Samantha lifted herself enough to look outside. “It’s quite a storm. I guess winter is coming.” She flopped back down, laying more on top of me than beside me, but I was not about to complain.

I held her to me with one hand while lifting my other to stroke along her back, tracing the thin straps of her top from her shoulder then trailing my touch down her spine.

She nearly purred at my touch.

I felt her own hand trace down my side with a teasingly light touch. I resisted the urge to squirm, not letting her know I was a little ticklish. Her fingers reached the waistband of my shorts and then traced their way across my stomach before rising to my chest once more. Our touches were sensually complimenting one another and I could feel her breathing increase as I felt a stirring in my loins. I let my fingers trail lower, across her firm bottom and then to her hip beside me before dragging them back.

“That feels wonderful,” Samantha whispered. Her own fingers continued their delicate dance up and down my body, drifting closer to my silk covered erection as I delicately inched the hem of her own top higher, encountering only her warm soft warm skin.

I cupped her firm ass with my hand, strumming my fingers along her cleft as she moved her fingertips to softly scrape up my shaft from my balls to the tip of my engorged cock. The sensation was incredibly pleasant and erotic. I dipped my fingers lower, tracing the curve of her buttocks until I felt the warmth of her. She shifted higher, kissing me and lifting a leg over mine, opening herself for my fingers as she carefully stroked my manhood.

I accepted what she was offering, tracing the plump lips of her pussy, stroking as best I could with the hint of moisture growing. She kept her lips in contact with mine, and moved her hand to grasp and squeeze me.

“I want to feast on you,” I said softly, hoping for a distraction to keep me from cumming. “I want to worship your beautiful skin, your breasts, your nipples, your legs, your toes, your core.”

She purred in encouragement and lifted her leg to open herself more fully for my fingers. I stroked higher, touching her moistening tunnel and dragging my fingers higher until she shivered.

She shifted her weight, encouraging me to roll with her, and pulled me toward her. I accepted the invitation, and kissed her once again before lowering my lips to her ear, then the nape of her neck. I moved the strap of her camisole down her shoulder with my fingers and kissed lower, moving the fabric away with my lips. My other hand caressed her womanhood, stroking along the now wet folds and dancing across the bump of her clit. Her moans grew louder as my lips reached her nipple.

“Oh, Cosimo,” she gasped, thrusting her chest against my lips. I tongued her nipples, using my nose and lips to expose her other breast as she writhed beneath me. Her hands moved to my head, holding me to her breasts. I rolled her nipple in my tongue, sucking lightly and she moaned again. My fingers strummed her clit, then dipped lower and gently probed within. A scratching motion along the top of her tunnels caused her body to lock up and shudder delightfully as the volume of her moan increased. I held still, letting the sensations course through her body as her muscles pulsed and grasped my fingers.

I waited for her deep, panting breaths to subside and then kissed her softly between her breasts before moving lower. My lips caressed her tight stomach, then skipped past the camisole now bunched at her waist before moving to her hip. Her scent was distracting, but I slowly licked lower, tracing her taunt muscles to her knee and then along the inside of her calf before kissing the top of her foot. Her toes begged to be sucked and I obliged.

“Oh, that feels amazing,” she said.

I smiled before starting my journey bak up her leg. Her breathing was growing deeper as I rose higher. I kissed her thighs, urging her to spread them wider and finally reached her delicate center. I drank in her moisture with long licks, flicking the tip of my tongue against her engorged clit before returning to trace her lips with mine. By the time my finger entered her once more, she was nearly there.

“Oh shit!” she cried out as her second orgasm hit. I prolonged her pleasure with slow long strokes of my tongue coupled with gentle motions of my finger buried deep inside her. Her shudders and moans were my ample reward. Eventually, she sagged on the bed, breathing deeply and pulled my head back up toward her own.

We kissed once more.

“I knew you would make me feel incredible,” she said as our lips parted. “Now it’s my turn for you.

I was not going to even pretend to argue, as she pushed at my shoulder to move from above her. She paused her attack long enough to pull her top completely off as I laid back. She looked down at me in the dim light, the storm still thrashing rain against the windows, then moved her fingers to the waistband of my boxers.

She cupped my balls gently through the silken cloth with one hand then reached inside with her other. The heat of her fingers stroked along my shaft before she moved to slide my shorts down. My dick sprang free, saluting her as she smiled and leaned forward, quickly capturing it with her lips. Her hot tongue and wet mouth sucked me in, with just my head inside her lips. She delicately wrapped a hand around my shaft as the other gently massaged my balls.

I breathed in deeply, reveling in the feel and eroticism of her touch. She swirled her tongue around me, sucking and then parting her lips just enough for her spit to dribble down and provide lubrication for her hand to stroke me more firmly. I felt my balls tighten, and she slowed her efforts, freezing in place for a moment before pulling her lips from me and leaning up to kiss me again.

Back and forth she moved, always pausing when she felt my nuts start to tighten. It was exquisitely pleasant torture that seemed to go on for hours, even though I knew it was but minutes. Finally, as I felt myself tense once more and prepare for her to stop, she gripped me more firmly and sucked. I exploded into her mouth, expecting her to back off and being pleased as she continued to nurse me in her mouth as her fingers worked to ensure I was completely drained. I gasped for breath and then relaxed as she made one last swirl of her tongue and sat back before swallowing and licking her lips. She looked at me with a smile.

I pulled her down, wrapping her in my arms and kissed her, even as she struggled to keep her lips from mine. I gave her a little smack on her firm ass and she relaxed against me, kissing me fully.

“I love you,” I said as our lips parted.

She grinned in the dim light. “I know.”

I could not help but laugh.

“I love you, too,” she finally said and snuggled down next to me.

The storm outside had subsided to a steady rain and I noticed the barest hint of light to the east as I held Samantha in my arms. She rested her head on my chest, teasing my stomach with her gentle touch. I kissed the top of her head when I heard a sound in the hallway. It was time to get up and take care of my morning duties.

“Don’t go,” Samantha pleaded.

“You know I need to. I’ll be back.”

She smiled at me and then threw back to covers and sat up on the bed.

“I know, but I don’t have to like it. I’ll at least see you off for your morning tasks.”

My shower took longer than normal, but was worth any delay in my routine as Samantha rubbed against me. The feel of her wet skin against my own revived me from our earlier escapade. As I thickened in her soapy hands, she glanced at Ten standing in the entrance of the shower.

“Show me,” she whispered softly, tugging me while motioning to Ten.

I kissed Samantha hard, then guided her to sit on the bench out of the spray. I moved Ten to the adjacent wall and the seat along it, guiding her to bend and rest her hands on it. Her rear was directly in front of Samantha’s left knee. I ran my fingers up Ten’s muscular legs, spreading her feet with my own and dragging my fingers through her neatly trimmed bush and upward along the crack of her ass.

Samantha licked her lips, keeping her eyes on my fully erect cock.

I stepped in and lifted my dick to follow the same path through Ten’s warming crotch. She was not as ready as I was, but I suspected that was part of Samantha’s fantasy, for me to take the younger woman bent over before us. I lowered the head of my prick and caught the notch of her pussy. Slowly I pushed in.

She was not gushing as she had previously, but was not painfully dry either. I felt her body producing more lubrication as I reached bottom and pulled back out. I glanced at Samantha. Her legs were spread and her fingers were buried in her own neatly trimmed pussy. I pushed back into Ten.

Samantha’s fingers matched my rhythm as I luxuriated in the feel of Ten’s growing excitement. She closed her eyes tight and I saw the shudder of an orgasm sweep through her. I picked up my own pace, holding Ten’s hips tightly and thrusting for my own release. Samantha opened her eyes, watching me again. As I got closer, Samantha dropped to her knees next to us, keeping one hand firmly pressed to herself while running the other up the backs of my legs, reaching between me to cup my balls while leaning closer to see me plowing into Ten. The extra stimulation from her touch and the erotic imagery of her fascinated gaze so close to my coupling was enough to send me over. I pushed in fiercely, feeling Ten’s cunt clasp around me as I came. I jerked once again, then slowly withdrew.

Samantha grabbed my cock as it sprang free and pulled me into her mouth, licking the combined juices of Ten and I while looking up at me in adoration. I smiled and noticed another shiver of pleasure sweep through her body. She let my softening dick slip from her lips and sat back, sagging against the bench. I smiled at her, leaning over to kiss her gently.

“Did that meet your expectations?” I asked with Ten still leaning with her hands against the bench.

Samantha nodded.

“Thank you, Ten,” I said as I turned the heat of the water up some.

Ten straightened, turned and smiled at first me, then Samantha. “It was my pleasure to provide service, master.”

Our shower finished quickly after that. Ten exited the shower, dried and headed to lay out clothes for me. Samantha and I moved at a more languished pace. We traded kisses frequently as I dried off and got dressed. Samantha pulled on a robe and followed me to the kitchen where Twelve had coffee ready. We sat together at table and smiled at one another.

“Will you be back for breakfast?” Samantha asked.

I shook my head. “I need to head up to the collegium. I’ve got my oral boards for chemistry. Do you have any oral exams this week?”

She shook her head. “All of my courses have projects. We’re pretty set to present them next week. Isn’t it strange to have oral boards now?”

I sighed, wanting to scowl. “If I do well, I’ll be done with the chemistry sequence. Grandmother wants me to be finished to free up some time in my schedule. If I don’t pass the board, we’ll have an unpleasant discussion, I’m sure.”

Samantha sipped her own coffee, looking at me over the rim of her cup. “Will you ever tell me why the chemistry sequences are a family tradition for you?”

I nodded. “I will, but let me get through today first.”

She smiled. “Shall I plan a celebratory dinner for us?”

I leaned in and kissed her. “Let’s plan on going out, assuming the weather clears off. Thank you for this morning,” I added. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Good luck, though I doubt you’ll need it.” she replied.

I was off to gather the morning communications briefing, delivered it to grandmother with no significant callouts for her attention and then donned a rain jacket and headed out.

Three hours later, I was ushered into a conference room for my oral boards. I was surprised to see grandmother present, along with Professors Toma and Ayaan, the two most senior professors in the science curricula. I tried to keep my face neutral and took my seat across the table from them.

The two professors began questioning me, starting with the basics but soon progressing to the latest coursework. Many of the questions were novel and required me to draw on different courses to answer. We went from pure theory to experimental structure and processes over the course of the two hour examination. Eventually, the two professors stopped asking their rapid fire questions and looked at my grandmother. She nodded.

“Cosimo,” she said as she tapped on her tablet and a complex molecule appeared on the display we have been using. “Tell us how you would approach determining a method for synthesizing this compound.”

I looked at the complex protein slowly rotating on the display. I had no idea what the compound was, so knew a first step. Before speaking, I thought a little more. Chemical analysis would help, but that would only tell me the basics. I reached out and tapped the shape and moved it to the right side of the display.

“I would start with a basic analysis of its composition, but that would only be to confirm it is an organic compound and what elements it is composed of. To create this compound, I’d start with these two decompositions,” I said as I wrote out the two process names to the left of the compound.

“Why those?” Professor Ayaan asked.

“These are the two processes that are reversible. If neither presented an obvious step toward the base components, I would need to set up a much broader set of experiments to see if I could create a one-way synthesis that would result in the same molecule or structure. Starting with these two gives me the greatest chance of decomposing the compound into something I know how to synthesize and then being able to create the process to make the original compound.”

All three of my judges nodded.

I jumped to the left side of the display and wrote five more processes down the side. “These five processes are the most common starting points for synthesizing complex organic compounds. My experimental process would be to bridge from here,” I tapped the reversible process on the right, “to here.” I tapped the formulas on the left. “Depending on the intermediate compounds, there may be multiple paths from start to finish, but I would attempt to work back to a known starting point. Once the sequence was found, I would obviously have to test that the compound produced was an exact match to the original.”

Professor Toma reached out and touched the display, causing the original compound to rotate slightly.

“Why do you think this is organic?” he asked.

“It resembles organic proteins in shapes and some elements. I would have to confirm that when I did a base analysis.”

He nodded, then looked to my grandmother. “Are you certain Cosimo cannot continue studying here? He seems to have more than a firm grasp of the knowledge, techniques, and processes. I’d like to see him continue to progress.”

Grandmother smiled. “Cosimo will remain enrolled in the collegium, but I’ll take over his instruction in neurochemistry, Professor Toma. I may ask him to take some additional courses in your fields, but for now he has other obligations that will present obstacles to regular class participation. That is why I requested this special assessment.”

Professor Ayaan cleared her throat before speaking. “Cosimo’s foundations are solid and his approach for experimentation is excellent. I would be happy to provide individual guidance if he pursues research with you, madame. Your house has always had unique insights we can learn from.”

Grandmother smiled. “Perhaps in a term or two we can all convene and see if our interests overlap enough to warrant collaboration.”

The two professor’s beamed at her, then rose and reached across the table to shake my hand. I was more than a little confused, but smiled and made pleasant conversation as I escorted grandmother out of the room.

“You did very well, Cosimo,” grandmother said as we approached the exit of the building. “You’ve clearly mastered everything you need to proceed with our own branch of study. How are your other courses for the term?”

“All my other courses are project based, and have been completed. I need to attend two reviews next week, but they should be simple enough.”

“Excellent. You need to plan a trip to the capital once you’re finished. Coordinate with your father for some meetings there. It should be no more than three days away. Take one of your girls, but please don’t take Samantha on this trip.”

“As you wish, grandmother.”

She patted my arm. “How are things going with Samantha? Would the two of you care to join me for dinner tonight? Perhaps there is some family history we should discuss?”

I considered her proposition as her car pulled under the portico by the entrance. I opened the door for her, and then went around the car to join her in the back seat.

“How about I offer her dinner with you while I’m away? I’ll talk to her about our family tonight and mention I need to take a brief trip. I’ll answer the obvious questions, but I know she’ll have more. You know she’s going to want to ask about the founding of our family, right?”

Grandmother nodded. “She’s rightfully proud of her family’s heritage, being descended from the very first emperor, so I’m sure she’ll want to know how our family was selected to fall outside the aristocracy. Based on your plan, I assume you’ll be formalizing your relationship soon?”

I sighed and looked out the rain-streaked window. “I love her, but I’m worried about pulling her away from her family and into ours. Ever since talking to Michael and Rhys, I’ve worried about how she will react.”

“Is it better to worry or better to know?” she asked. “Broach the subject with her tonight. I’ll send some of the oath serum to your apartments. Make use of it, and then we will talk more as she settles her own mind. I think she loves you as much as you do her, so trust in that love, Cosimo. Everyone in our family has had to face this right of passage at least once. Don’t make it more worrisome than it needs be.”

“I guess that is good advice,” I said. “Was the compound the ingredient in the oath serum?” I asked.

She smiled. “Well done, young man. Your approach to analyzing and synthesizing was well thought out as well. I’ll have you actually perform those experiments fully before telling you how we typically make the compound. If you recreate our own process, then you’ll fully understand it. If you find an alternative process, our house knowledge will be enriched as well. When we get home, I’ll provide access to our house lab in the sub-basement. It was built when our family first settled in Cardino, nearly two thousand years ago. Very few people are allowed to even know of its existence. You’ll become very familiar with it,” she added.