Solo For Two

Sasha seemed embarrassed to make eye contact, but Karel wanted to look into Sasha’s eyes while making love. Despite the looseness of the relaxed entrance, Karel, with his oversized member, felt it was just right. He thrusted leisurely, rubbing against the inner walls until the friction built up, and only when Sasha started to curl up again, nearing climax, did Karel straighten up. Sasha, trying to escape the overwhelming pleasure, clutched the sheets helplessly.

“Should I make you feel even more?”

Sasha had a habit of holding his breath when he came. Karel gently stroked Sasha’s slender neck as he looked down at him. By deliberately stimulating Sasha’s sensitive spots, urging him towards climax, Sasha, too weak to even scream, trembled and cried helplessly.

Karel then gripped Sasha’s neck with one hand as he reached climax. Holding Sasha’s exposed white neck, he pressed his thumb against the carotid artery. Sasha struggled fiercely under Karel, but it wasn’t enough to escape.

As Sasha came and was simultaneously choked, the intense pressure inside him clamped down on Karel’s erection. The temporary cut-off of oxygen to the brain caused an incredible rush of pleasure. When Sasha’s body went limp, trembling uncontrollably, Karel released his grip on Sasha’s neck.

Sasha took a deep breath, the muscles in his body coming back to life and contracting around Karel’s member. Savoring the sensation, Karel poured himself into Sasha.

Sasha, dazed from the overwhelming sensations of consecutive orgasms, stared blankly at the ceiling. His briefly lost consciousness returned as Karel slowly withdrew.

Karel hugged Sasha tightly, their bodies pressed together, and left tender kisses all over Sasha’s sweat-dampened skin. Even when biting or sucking hard enough to leave bruises, Sasha remained compliant. It seemed he wasn’t fully aware of what had just happened to him.

Karel continued to kiss and lick Sasha’s damp skin until he was satisfied. The primal satisfaction filled him with joy as he bit and marked Sasha.

＊ ＊ ＊

Sasha lifted his heavy eyelids.

After a long sleep, the outside was bathed in the light of the setting sun. The aftermath of spending all day and night in bed was severe. Though his body was awake, it took a while for his sense of reality to return. Sasha realized he was utterly exhausted.

Turning over with a low groan to lie on his back, he felt a viscous liquid flowing between his inner thighs. He closed his eyes tightly, momentarily holding his breath against the chills running down his spine.

The reality of what had happened to his body over the past two days was daunting, and he often sought alcohol or convinced himself it was just a dream to cope. But the sticky sensation left after the act was undeniably real. Wanting to shake off the unromantic reality, Sasha got out of bed. Nearly stumbling, he shuffled unsteadily to the bathroom.

It was the first time in the past two days that Karel was not by his side when he woke up. During that time, Karel had diligently cleaned Sasha’s body and brought him meals. Karel was as tender as ever, so Sasha didn’t understand why he felt so melancholic.

Under the hot water, Sasha thought blankly. Technically, he had initiated this. No matter how drunk he was, if he hadn’t given consent, Karel wouldn’t have touched him.

Losing control of his body had been more shocking than he anticipated. Even the timing of his orgasms had been out of his control, reduced to just crying and pleading under Karel. It was hard to reconcile the well-mannered nobleman Karel with the man in bed.

The caresses were tender enough to melt him, but the penetrations were violent. At first, Karel persistently asked for consent, but at some point, he had become completely dominant. Then, he would once again tenderly caress Sasha’s body until he melted.

Sasha felt confused.

Initially, he thought he had given himself willingly out of affection, but upon reflection, Sasha couldn’t shake the feeling of being used.

Emerging from the bath and gathering his conflicted thoughts, Sasha found Karel waiting, fully dressed, as if nothing had happened.

“Sasha, did you shower alone? I wanted to help you.”

For some reason, seeing the concern and tenderness in Karel’s eyes again stirred a sense of injustice within Sasha. It seemed like he was the only one feeling exhausted and strained. Karel now seemed overly enthusiastic, as if he believed he had Sasha entirely under his control. He even tried to support Sasha in the brief moment from the bathroom to the bed.

“I’m fine.”

Sasha tried to refuse the support coolly, but the nuance didn’t come through with his foreign accent, and to make matters worse, the bed was too messy to lie back down after washing up. Groaning, Sasha leaned heavily on the sofa. Crouched on the sofa, barely big enough for one person to lie down, he saw Karel’s large shadow moving above him.

“You’re tired, right? I’m sorry. I lost control… But you seemed to like it too…”

“…”

“Okay, I’ll stop making excuses. But you should sleep somewhere comfortable. Not here… Should I move you?”

Seeing Sasha lying there, utterly exhausted, Karel looked visibly restless. Sasha deliberately ignored him. After the sex last night, which felt like he was entirely devoured, Sasha had been struggling with an indescribable emptiness. At that moment, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Karel seemed to want to sit next to Sasha or look into his face, but Sasha avoided giving him the chance.

This realization gave Sasha a bit of confidence. The Karel before him no longer seemed like an unattainable nobleman. Instead, he appeared as just another man who wanted to sleep with him again. This thought stirred something deep within Sasha. It was a peculiar sensation, both painful and thrilling. Sasha faintly recognized it as the selfish pleasure felt by someone who holds absolute dominance in a relationship.

“Sasha, are you going to sleep? Are you sure you don’t want to eat something?”

Karel kept talking, wanting to hear any response from Sasha. Not wanting to completely ignore him, Sasha pretended to sleep.

Even without much experience, Sasha knew Karel’s behavior had been extreme. Unable to escape Karel in bed, Sasha wanted to trouble him a bit. Watching Karel be swayed by him for a while might ease his mind.

So Sasha tried to recall how severely Karel had treated him in bed. If he didn’t, he feared he might forgive Karel too easily or even feel pity for his current groveling state.

＊ ＊ ＊

Soon, the day of Julian’s return arrived. Sasha felt depressed, as if his messy entanglement with Karel had taken advantage of Julian’s absence. If Julian found out, he would likely give Sasha that strange smile and a look that said, “Not bad.”

Karel didn’t seem like someone who would gossip, but he was surely closer to Julian than to Sasha, whom he had only recently met. It was natural to think that Karel and Julian might share lewd jokes about him.

Sasha spent his time holed up in the dark room, recalling the whispers in the ballet troupe about his relationship with the Grand Duke. He regretted boldly going to Karel’s room and acting impulsively while drunk.

Karel was nowhere to be seen all day. Lying around lethargically past noon, Sasha eventually made his way to the villa’s swimming pool.

Immersing himself in the water made him feel slightly better. Sasha preferred diving into deep water over swimming. Having danced all his life, feeling the buoyancy of the water and escaping gravity brought him a sense of liberation.

Sasha submerged himself, sinking slowly beneath the surface, where he found solace in the silence. Watching the sinewy sunlight filtering through the water, he felt a perfect, isolated peace.

A distant, faint call of his name broke through the peace. It was probably Karel. Sasha ignored his voice, knowing he couldn’t stay submerged for long anyway. But Karel’s voice grew increasingly urgent. Just as Sasha was about to surface, feeling puzzled, the water erupted around him.

The tranquility of the water shattered as Karel’s entry disturbed the calm. Thousands of bubbles tickled Sasha’s face, forcing him to close his eyes. Karel’s strong arm wrapped around Sasha’s neck, dragging him to the surface.

“Sasha!”

In an instant, the noise flooded into his ears, the air buzzed sharply, and Karel’s voice broke through. Sasha looked at Karel, feeling dazed as if someone had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Karel, still dressed, had jumped into the water, his eyes clearly showing his shock.

“Are you okay?”

Karel spoke with trembling lips, his hand repeatedly caressing Sasha’s cheek. “I was watching from the second floor, and suddenly you sank into the water… I was scared.”

Sasha remained silent, unable to find a way to explain. Judging by Karel’s terrified expression, he must have thought Sasha was drowning.

Sasha shook off Karel’s arm, which was still firmly holding him.

Karel hastily let go at Sasha’s cold gesture. Since they had been intimate, Karel had behaved even more like a guilty man when touching Sasha, as if he were ashamed of having his constant desire to touch Sasha exposed.

“I thought you were drowning.”

Karel wiped away the water streaming from his eyes. He had jumped in without even taking off his shoes. Feeling the need to get the soaking wet man out of the pool, Sasha swam to the edge and got out by himself. Karel, still looking bewildered, followed and sat down on the ledge. Sasha threw him a large towel.

Sasha just stared at him, unsure whether to thank him for his concern or be annoyed for disturbing his peace.

Karel, seeing Sasha standing silently, hesitated and then approached him, thinking that Sasha was being more approachable than the day before.

Karel nervously watched Sasha squeeze water from his hair, showcasing his beautiful naked body. Initially, Karel thought Sasha’s depression was due to physical pain from their first time together, realizing that in his excitement, he might have been too rough. Yet, despite his intentions to be sweet and caring afterwards, Sasha rarely gave him the chance.

Karel finally admitted to himself, with difficulty, that their relationship hadn’t changed much, and to Sasha, it might have just been a one-night stand. He was shocked by this, as he had believed that their intimate moment was a response to his persistent courtship. It hurt to see Sasha intentionally ignoring him afterwards.

Even now, Karel didn’t fully understand Sasha’s behavior.

Despite this, the one who gave their heart first would always be the more anxious one, so Karel kept trying to win Sasha over. He thought that by making a fool of himself by jumping into the pool, he had at least opened up a line of communication.

“I didn’t know you liked swimming so much. It’s too cold to swim in St. Petersburg, right…?”

“…”

“When Julian comes back, I asked him to teach me Russian. I want to talk to you more. You said you’d learn our language from Julian, right? It would be better if you learned from me… But you’re not very talkative, are you? I still wish I could know what you’re thinking. I wonder if you understand everything I say. We’ll get better at this over time, right?”

“…”

“Do you want to go out for parfaits this afternoon?”

At those words, Sasha stopped. It was clear he had reacted to the word “parfaits.” Delighted by Sasha’s slight response, Karel carefully took his wrist and led him, promising to get him parfaits and cakes.

＊ ＊ ＊

Sasha slowly savored the parfait, appreciating each layer of different colors. He was so focused and enjoying it so much that Karel ordered one for himself midway, but he couldn’t finish it.

Though the taste was fine, his appetite was ruined by his troubled mind. Sasha, who focused solely on the parfait without smiling or engaging, seemed like he didn’t want to talk to Karel. Karel couldn’t tell if Sasha had always been this cold or if his expectations were too high, making Sasha’s response fall short.

As Sasha was finishing his portion, Karel pushed his almost untouched parfait towards Sasha.

“You can have it all.”

Their eyes finally met. Sasha lightly thanked him and continued eating with focus.

Karel lowered his head, not wanting his expression to be seen. And he thought, Am I really asking for too much?

Realizing that his feelings were one-sided made his chest ache. Just when he thought he had grasped it, it slipped through his fingers like sand, leaving nothing behind. Winning someone’s heart is said to be the hardest thing, and even though he showered Sasha with honest affection, there was no response. Moreover, just when he thought Sasha was drawn to him, Sasha turned cold again.

Now, he had no idea what to do.

The hardest part was that despite everything, he still found Sasha endearing. The way his hair fluttered in the breeze and made him blink repeatedly, the slow, clumsy way he used the spoon—they were all endearing.

Perhaps he had shown his affection too openly. Like revealing the final card too soon in a relationship, Karel felt he had nothing left to offer. No matter how much love he could give, if it meant nothing to Sasha… It was like a pebble disturbing the still surface of a clear river, muddying the water. In that moment, a violent thought surged within Karel.

But Karel pushed away this thought, possibly closer to his true nature.

He wanted to believe that one day Sasha would be moved by his affection, that Sasha would see him as his destiny.

“Sasha.”

“…?”

“I love you.”

Sasha’s eyes, narrowed in the sunlight, met his gaze. Those bright brown eyes, almost translucent, revealed nothing of his true feelings.

“It’s okay if you take your time to respond.”

Karel cautiously took Sasha’s hand under the table. Sasha looked up briefly but didn’t pull his hand away.

He should be grateful that Sasha was even here with him. Their relationship could have ended with just a single encounter. Karel considered himself lucky to have been able to meet Sasha again, and he held Sasha’s hand desperately.

＊ ＊ ＊

“We should arrive at the Côte d’Azur before sunset, Madame,” Julian said to his companion in the carriage.

The companion, the Lady Rambouillet, nodded slightly and looked back out the window.

Julian, who outwardly appeared calm, was nervously tapping his fingers out of sight.

‘How did things end up like this?’

He had anticipated that the Lady of Rambouillet might be staying at her family home. So when Julian saw her again, he wasn’t particularly surprised. She didn’t seem disappointed to see him alone either.

Moreover, she hadn’t asked about Karel during his stay, allowing Julian to pretend ignorance and discuss business matters at length.

Then, this morning, just as Julian was about to leave, she requested to be invited to Ludwig’s villa in Nice.

Julian, taken aback, watched as the arrangements for the Lady’s visit to Nice were swiftly made. Since he owed her family in St. Petersburg, he had no valid reason to refuse. As a last resort, he had asked pitifully, “Will the Duke permit it?” But she had merely…

“He doesn’t need to know about a brief visit to a friend at a nearby resort.”

…dismissed it. Julian was familiar with the rhetoric of the nobility. Her words implied, ‘So, you keep your mouth shut and keep this secret.’

To make matters worse, the smooth progress of business discussions made Julian even more anxious. Silently sighing, he pondered how Karel would react to the current situation. Julian’s conscience wouldn’t allow him to shamelessly throw Karel to the wolves of Rambouillet. As he set out, he desperately hoped the telegram he had sent just before departure had reached Karel. The message was simple:

Julian swallowed his anxious sigh and looked out the window. The Mediterranean Sea came into view. Once the coast was visible, they would soon reach the villa. After maintaining silence for most of the journey, Julian spoke as they neared the villa.

“Would you like to have dinner as soon as we arrive?”

“That sounds good.”

The Lady’s responses had been consistently brief. It was as if she was openly saying, ‘I have no interest in you,’ which only heightened Julian’s unease.

Soon, the carriage stopped. A few attendants were waiting for Julian in front of the villa. When Julian stepped out and escorted the Lady, bewildered glances turned their way. It was clear no one had been informed he was bringing a guest. Internally, Julian thought, ‘We’re doomed!’ Clearly, the telegram had been slower than he had been.

Hiding his anxiety, Julian addressed the attendants calmly.

“This is the Lady of Rambouillet. She graciously hosted me in Russia, so I invited her here to repay the favor modestly. Linda, please prepare a comfortable room for the Lady. Kaufmann, ensure dinner is to her liking. Madame, would you like a tour of the villa if you’re not too tired? My father put a lot of effort into the place.”

As Julian led them inside, he walked as slowly as possible. He hoped the busy attendants would encounter Karel first and discreetly inform him of their guest’s identity.

However, Julian’s small hope was soon dashed in the most dramatic way possible.

“Julian?”

Karel, with his shirt half-wet and water dripping from his hair, appeared in the middle of the garden. Julian took a sharp breath and halted, while Karel, initially happy to see him, fell silent upon noticing the figure stepping out from behind Julian—the Lady of Rambouillet.

“Oh… yes, I just got back. This is—”

“Karel Clements, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

The Lady stepped forward, her youthful face alight with genuine joy. It was the first time Julian had seen such a girlish expression on her. He keenly sensed the fleeting moment, understanding that something significant had changed within her, beyond just the presence of a grand duke.

The Lady moved to embrace Karel lightly, but he stepped back slightly.

“I’m soaking wet. If you come closer, you’ll get wet too.”

Karel glanced sideways at Julian, having forgotten his manners. Their eyes met, and Karel’s silent rebuke was palpable. 

Julian wilted briefly under the gaze but then shot back a look that said,

“My apologies for this appearance, Madame,” Karel said with a sigh, as Julian asked,

“How did this happen?”

“I was… thinking of swimming.”

“In your clothes? That’s quite unusual.”

Karel clamped his mouth shut.

Even when eating parfait by the beautiful coast, Sasha hadn’t smiled. But back at the villa, he had splashed Karel at the pool and smiled a little. Karel had played along, acting foolishly, prompting Sasha to happily dive back into the pool. It was right after Karel had been splashed that he had stumbled upon this unexpected encounter. Why someone who seemed so composed would act like a ten-year-old when playing in the water was beyond him…

And so, while searching for a towel for Sasha, he had run into them.

A tense silence hung in the air until the Lady spoke first.

“I’ve heard the villa is wonderful. Could you give me a tour?”

“Even with me like this?”

“We can walk slowly and let you dry off in the garden.”

At the Lady’s innocent request, Karel briefly met Julian’s eyes. Julian stepped back, clearly uncertain and unable to do anything. Seeing Julian’s desperate look, it was evident the business matter had indeed been a successful bait.

Sighing lightly, Karel wiped his wet hands on his trousers and escorted the Lady.