The King's Advisor
By Kelly

"So you've made your choice then?"

"My heart has chosen for me."

"You'll be happy then?"

"That is what I am now free to discover."

Lawrence let the crowds on the dock jostle and close in around him as he watched Dorothea and Anne board the ship together.  A hand fell on his shoulder as a cloaked figure shadowed his face.  Moist breath caressed his ear as a voice whispered to him.  "Come with me, Lawrence Hayes."  The hand slipped from his shoulder to grasp his hand, and pulled him from the crowded docks.

The cloaked figure led Lawrence to a small rented room.  It was clean, at least, and Lawrence dropped himself on the crisp sheets as the man before him discarded his cloak.  Strawberry gold curls flowed down  the man's neck and kissed his shoulders as he shook them.  Full lips glistened under the wetness from his tongue, and Lawrence sighed.  So unlike Fraser was this man... broad to Fraser's slight build, light hair to Fraser's dark, open eyes to Fraser's cold and calculating ones.  He curled his lip with distaste, remembering...

The bronzed stranger introduced himself, and Lawrence twisted his tongue around the strange name.  "Iphicles.  What do you want from me?"

"I want you."  Iphicles' lips whispered against Lawrence's neck.  "I want to stop the pain I see in your eyes... I want you to need me."

Lawrence half-turned to look into Iphicles' eyes, and that brought the man's lips even with his own.  A slight flinch forward brought the king's lips into contact with Lawrence's, and he took over the kiss, sliding his tongue to rasp against the other man's.   Iphicles' hands were buried in Lawrence's hair, holding the fragile mouth under his. He could still taste the cheap ale on the man's tongue, and he savored that sour taste as much as the hard body pressed against him.

Lawrence yielded to the soft kiss, desperately needing, clinging onto the man who was showing him such tenderness and devotion.  Iphicles held tightly onto Lawrence, returning the man's passion with his own.

Iphicles felt heady.  Finally, here was someone who needed him, not the other way around.  The king let his arms hold even tighter to the other man, gently moving him around to lie him out full length on the bed.  Lying beside Lawrence, Iphicles untucked the shirt from Lawrence's waistband and drew it up and over the man's head.  Lawrence rose slightly to accomodate the king, then lowered himself back to the bed.  Next, Iphicles removed Lawrence's boots and heavy socks, then his trousers.

A basin of water sat warming on the hearth, and Iphicles carried it over to the bedside, wiping Lawrence's body clean with a woolen cloth.  Lawrence struggled to rise, but Iphicles pushed him down.  "Let me serve you now.  Lie still."  The king ran the rough cloth all over Lawrence's naked body, cleaning the hard body, familiarizing himself with the contours.  When Iphicles was done, he stood beside the bed and slipped out of his own clothing, and Lawrence reached up to bring the king down on top of him.

Lawrence clasped the king's weight against him, spreading his legs to let Iphicles settle between them, resting his elbow on one side of Lawrence's hip, the other hand drawing small circles around the man's navel.  Lawrence slightly trembled under the teasing touch.

"I don't want to hurt you, Lawrence," Iphicles reassured him.  "Only to please you, to help you--and myself--stop hurting.  I've had my eye on you for a while now... this afternoon only proved what I have been thinking.  You are such a good man, Lawrence...my kingdom could use a man like you. If you would come back with me, accept a position in my court..."

"I left my political career behind and I came here as a new man to start over. I do not wish to get into the same position I was before."

"It will be different, Lawrence.  As the King's Advisor, you will have nothing to fear, your opinion will always be highly valued.  Please, Lawrence.... I need you."

Lawrence inspected the king's eyes, which indeed showed his need for Lawrence. But it was a different need that was being communicated... the need for living flesh to touch living flesh and know that hearts still beat behind each chest.  Reassurance that their lives hadn't died with their hopes.

Lawrence laughed bitterly.  "Need me.  Everyone needs, or doesn't need Lawrence Hayes.  What about wants?  Who WANTS Lawrence Hayes?"

Instead of reassurance, Iphicles replied with a question himself.  "Who needs Iphicles?  Everyone wants something from the King... who needs the man himself?"

Lawrence stopped and thought.  He and the king... One man wanted to be needed, the other needed to be wanted.  Two sides of the same coin... two halves needing to be whole.  Lawrence needed Iphicles' compassion, his openness, his wounded heart, and Iphicles wanted Lawrence, wanted the feeling of being needed by someone.  For now they could help each other... and now is all that mattered.

Both men spoke at the same time, almost reading the other's thoughts.  "I need you," Lawrence said at the same moment Iphicles said "I want you."

Iphicles moved up Lawrence's body to kiss him again, and their tongues met and twined around each other as the king held his lover's head still.  His fingers twisted in Lawrence's hair, and anchored him.  Iphicles kissed down Lawrence's chin, licking each nipple repeatedly until the tips were hard and throbbing. He suckled one in his mouth, then the other, feeling the rough texture of the pebbled nipple under his tongue.

Lawrence's hips were thrusting, and his cock was rubbing against Iphicles' flat stomach.  The king licked his way down the thrusting body until he reached the quivering cock.  Delicately, his tongue reached out to lap at the head with soft strokes.  Then as Lawrence moaned, Iphicles licked the length of the shaft, from the underside of the head to the spot where the shaft connected to his soft sac.  He cupped the scrotum in his hands, rubbing his fingers and thumb over the balls while licking and sucking Lawrence's cock.

Iphicles felt the tightening in Lawrence's sac, and saw his body stiffen slightly.  He let his hand replace his mouth, and pumped Lawrence's slick cock until he came into Iphicles' waiting hand.

Iphicles took the rapidly-cooling semen and smeared it onto his cock, then pushed Lawrence back down, and tilted his hips up.  One coated finger slipped in to stroke the other man's anus in long strokes, and Lawrence cried out in surprise as a second one joined the first.  The two fingers stroking together were larger than Fraser had been, and suddenly Lawrence knew that once Iphicles was inside him, there was no turning back.  He would always belong to the king.

The cold head of Iphicles' cock pressed against the stretched muscle, and the king's eyes captured  Lawrence's.  "If you truly don't want this, say so now.  Because once I take you, I won't let go.  You will be mine," Iphicles said, giving voice to thoughts in Lawrence's mind.

In answer, Lawrence raised himself, offering himself to Iphicles, and Iphicles thrust forward slowly.  As he pushed, he leaned forward and kissed the man, feeling Lawrence's teeth sink into his tongue as he filled him.

Once Iphicles was inside, the tightness around him relaxed a little, and he began to move, thrusting deeper with each stroke until finally one stroke hit the gland and Lawrence screamed out the king's name.  Iphicles slightly angled Lawrence under him so that each stroke hammered the same place, and he watched as pulse after pulse throbbed through Lawrence's cock.  He leaned forward so that the head rubbed against his stomach while he thrust into the man's tight ass.

Lawrence reached down to pump his aching cock, but Iphicles caught the stray hand.  He brought it to his lips, and sucked one finger into his mouth.  His tongue swept over the fingertip, tasting it, nibbling at it.  He treated all five fingers to the same care, then kissed the palm.

"Please," whispered Lawrence.

Iphicles nodded, and took Lawrence's throbbing erection into his hand.  He started to pump it, and Lawrence's hips began to snap up, thrusting into the stroking fist.  Soon, Iphicles' fist was slick with Lawrence's first orgasm. But as Iphicles continued to pound into him, a second orgasm spurted out as his muscles clamped around Iphicles.  With a shout of Lawrence's name, Iphicles came, pumping his cum into Lawrence's body.

Lawrence could feel the heat spreading through his body from where Iphicles' cock was still filling him.  Slowly the king withdrew, and Lawrence reached up to brush sweat-matted curls from Iphicles' forehead as Iphicles lay beside him, breath tickling the back of Lawrence's neck, panting.

"If you still want me to come back with you I will."

"I need you, Lawrence.  I want you."

"Then I am yours, my king.  I am yours."

"You will come back with me?"

"I will, Iphicles.  For as long as you want me."

Iphicles kissed his lover's bare shoulder.  "Thank you."

The End