Every Man's Fantasy Ch. 09

"Yes, what is it girls?"

Odette spoke.

"Madam Solange, can we stroke your horses?"

"Of course you can, but you must approach from the front. If you go behind them, they may kick. ... Better still, how'd you like to ride a horse?"

"Can we, can we really?"

Solange called over to her tribeswoman.

"Ash, give these girls a ride. Does anyone else want a go? Ezra, can you ride?"

"No!" It was almost a shout. "No, thanks," he repeated, in a normal voice.

"I understand," Solange said. "You're still angry with me. Don't take it personally. I was only testing you."

"Did I pass?"

"I said I liked you, didn't I?"

Solange turned back to her conversation with Calliope and Ferne, as Ash helped Juniel climb up onto a horse. Galatea also came to help and lifted Odette by the waist, heaving her onto the horse in one go. That feat of strength proved she was definitely Wildchild's mother.

Now Ash told the girls to hold tight as she walked the horses out of the camp. They were back quite soon, ready to give rides to other Mariners. Della and May, aged 3 and 6, insisted on going, of course, so Galatea and Ash had to mount and carry the girls with them, seated on the horses' necks.

Ezra watched all this fun from a bench. His expostulation, declining a chance to ride a horse, was not because he was still angry with Solange but because he was petrified of the animals. He had been so as long as he could remember. It had been a trial when his younger sister, Danielle, had gone through that horse-loving stage all girls seem to go through, and he was deposed to transport her to the stables and horse-shows, where the mad beasts would nuzzle him and (so he thought) try to bite and kick him.

A reflex of male pride, however, prevented him admitting as much, so he kept his distance and looked on as fearless Mariner girls whooped and cried for joy on the backs of the insane creatures.

"Come here please, Ezra."

It was Calliope. Solange had done discussing politics and now had something to ask him. He came and sat down at the table.

"Calliope has agreed to sell you to us Herders for three cows and eight sheep. What do you say to that?"

"I'd say that, though I've only just met you, I'm very surprised you've been bested in a deal: Calliope has got much the better of the bargain."

Solange laughed.

"I knew I was right to like you, Earthman. Why don't you come and visit us?"

"Why would I?"

"Well, for two reasons. First, my sluts will give you a very warm welcome."

"You call the Herder women 'sluts'?"

"Believe me, Ezra, you will too, once you've met them."

"And your second reason?"

"So you can see for yourself how life is meant to be lived on Samothea, not skulking in a forest eating nuts, nor pretending to be a mermaid swimming after fish (no offence, Calliope)."

"None taken," she replied, smiling.

"No, you need to be on the open savannah, hot horse-flesh between your thighs, an empty sky above you, riding freely between mountains and cloud-covered sea, your only companion an eagle, screeching overhead."

"It sounds wonderful."

"We Herders have a saying: Grab life by the tits! You can't do that while you're making salt or picking berries."

"Or being a gay shepherdess, nursing lambs."

She laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Called me out on my own bullshit! Well done! We're cow-girls as well, following stupid cattle around, who only munch grass and make dung. But sometimes we go for long rides on the open plain; and when it's just you, a horse, a sea of grass and the eagles, then life really is beautiful. I want you to see it for yourself, then you'll understand."

"I would like to see it."

"Well, why not? What's stopping you?"

"I'm a Woodlander. I have bedmates in the forest who need me - as you well know."

"The Wood-elves can fend for themselves, for now. Tell me, do they still dance naked around tree-stumps and write poems about mushrooms?"

Ezra laughed.

"I don't believe they ever did anything like that."

"Here, I'll make you a deal," Solange said. "I've confirmed the trade agreement with the Mermaids. So now I'll make a new trade agreement with your precious Wood-elves."

He looked quickly at Calliope.

"Don't worry, the Mermaids won't lose out," Solange assured him.

At the moment, the Mariners got a commission for the goods they traded between the Woodlanders and the Herders because the two didn't trade directly, just as the Herders took a commission on the Cloner and Farmer goods they transported to the other tribes.

"We'll lower the prices for the Wood-elves and split the commission with the Mermaids. So what do you say?"

"You'll begin trading with the Woodlanders directly, just to entice me to visit the Herders?"

"Yes, that's my deal, though it's not really for your sake. We should have resumed trading with them long ago, but the system was in place when I became chief and you know how it's easier to keep things the same than to make changes."

"I know. Very well, Solange, I will be happy to pay a visit to the Herders."

"When?"

"In two weeks, at the next trade-meeting with the Woodlanders. If you come to that trade-meeting, I'll leave with you and stay one month at your camp."

"Excellent. Well, I'll just take another bowl of your delicious soup, Sister, and then we'll be off."

Ezra said: "I may have a couple of favours to ask you, Solange."

"What favours?"

"I can't say yet. It depends on some other things happening."

"You're a mysterious fellow, Earthman. I won't commit myself to granting you favours but I promise I'll listen."

It was good enough. The prospect of an alliance between the Woodlanders, Mariners and Herders was good for Ezra's plans to salvage his ship; but it would be perfect if he could get Solange to forgive Wildchild and Tamar, who could then guide the Mariners to where they rescued him. Now, however, he had the problem of telling his Woodlander friends that he wasn't coming back at the end of the month.

***

The next two weeks Ezra spent mostly having sex. After Cressi and Salema, he made good his promise to Juniel by taking her mother, Leanne, as bedmate. At the same time, whenever he had the time and strength in the mornings and afternoons, he did his duty to Devon, who was trying to get pregnant while she was in her most fertile period. Then there was Odette's mother, Althea, who boldly came up to him one day and asked to sleep with him. She was looking to get pregnant again but lust was certainly also a motivator, so passionate and eager was she.

He had sex with all these women, plus Kalyndra. Of the fertile Mariners, only Thalassa was left out; but she was a patient and gentle girl who was content to wait, knowing that Ezra would be back for certain.

At no time had he felt so much part of the tribe as now. Though he was shagging morning, noon and night, he didn't feel like a human drone but like a husband: a man with every intention of being a father to whatever children his bedmates conceived. He told Calliope his hopes and she was strong in her support: whether he had been inducted into the tribe or not, he was now a Mariner and always would be.

With just three days left of his visit to the Mariners, he was exhausted from his sexual duty and needed to rest. He took two days off from both sex and work, relaxing in the shade, taking a swim or wandering along the beach, always turning up on time for meals.

On the last full day of his stay, those who could be spared from their jobs went to the beach for a lazy day. They took tent-sunshades, food and drink. Ezra relaxed in the shade with the matrons while the children played noisily in the sand and most of his bedmates went into the sea for a splash. It was a delightfully erotic sight when some of the women returned, running up the beach.

Water dripped off Kalyndra's succulent breasts and down her curved body and strong thighs. Devon's sleek physique, with sculpted stomach muscles and shapely legs, was more angular. The elfin Cressi had a frizzy blonde mane and blond pubic triangle, round legs and pert breasts. Salema and Leanne stayed in the water.

Thalassa had a serene beauty, despite her young age, but her colt-like legs and tiny waist needed to fill out a bit before Ezra would properly consider her mature.

The women came and pestered him, Cressi and Devon first, the others behind. He hadn't chosen a bedmate for his last night with the Mariners and they wanted to know whom he would choose.

"It's impossible to choose between such gorgeous women; so why don't we do as we did a month ago and have a race? The winner will be my bedmate."

"That's not fair," Cressi started to say, knowing she was a slower swimmer than Devon.

"I'll make it fair. You can all start in your current positions. The first to the raft and back to me wins."

Salema and Leanne were already in the sea. Kalyndra and Thalassa were halfway down the beach and Cressi was next to him under the tent with Devon behind them, getting some water. The handicaps were almost perfect.

"Are you ready? Then off you go!"

The women set off and it wasn't until everyone had touched the raft that Devon and Cressi caught up with those who had a head-start. Then it was Kalyndra with a small lead over Devon, followed by Cressi, Thalassa and Salema a few yards behind. Devon had over-taken Kalyndra by the time they were in shallow enough water to stand up and run, where Kalyndra had an advantage. There was less than a foot in it between the front-runners, with Cressi five feet behind and Thalassa another two behind her.

Splashing out of the water and running up the beach, Kalyndra and Devon bumped, putting them both off their strides. They recovered, were neck-and-neck for a second and bumped again. This time they fell over, forming a mangled heap of legs and arms. Cressi was only a yard behind now. There was a wave of blonde hair and a flash of pink. Cressi had leapt over the stricken women, took four more steps and launched herself onto Ezra, who held the girl tightly to him to stop her bundling them both over.

With an exultant cry, Cressi announced, "I won! I won! Ezra's mine tonight. I won!"

Thalassa came next and also leapt on Ezra. He hugged the two lovely girls to him. Then the curvy Salema also finished and jumped on the pile. When Leanne arrived, Ezra was struggling under a pile of naked women; so Ferne had to tell them to get off the poor man and let him breathe. They reluctantly obeyed but Ezra didn't get much chance to breathe because the children who had been excluded from the fun leapt on him with screams and laughs as soon as he was free.

Ezra kissed them all, then sent them away because he had noticed that Devon and Kalyndra were still contesting a small patch of beach, each accusing the other of causing her to fall, rolling over each other, trying to pin each other down. From her current station atop Kalyndra, Devon had made to stand up but Kalyndra had grabbed her hair and pulled her back down. As Ezra approached, the laughing women fought and exchanged insults.

"See how she cheats, Ezra," Devon protested to him. "It's not fair. I would have won if she hadn't tripped me."

"I didn't trip you," Kalyndra replied: "You tripped me."

"You did trip me, you big-titted clumsy Amazon!"

"Frigid flat-chest."

"Slut!"

"Bitch!"

The women took to fighting again, pulling each other's hair and trying to sit on each other.

"Ezra, you are the judge, you saw her trip me." It was Devon who spoke, in a muffled voice, from under Kalyndra.

Ezra addressed the fighting women solemnly:

"Ladies! Is this an example to set the children? I refer to your language as much as to your actions!"

This made Devon and Kalyndra giggle.

"Well?" Ezra demanded.

They started speaking at the same time and somewhere in the babble of excuses were the words "Sorry, Ezra".

"I don't know which of you clowns is to blame because I didn't see who started it," Ezra said and continued more loudly when Devon sat up to protest, "but I suspect Kalyndra." Devon relaxed back down and pinched Kalyndra's bottom. Kalyndra gave Ezra an injured look and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Cressi is my bedmate tonight but you two deserve punishment. In a month or two, when I come back, I will teach you about behaviour proper to mature sensible women."

"Come to me, Cressi," Ezra commanded. She ran up to him and put her arms around him possessively. "You are mine tonight," he announced. The look Cressi gave the errant women was priceless; a little different from the look they gave her back, not to mention their hand-gestures.

Ezra wanted to go back into the shade and suggested Cressi might like to go and play with the children.

"I won't!" she said, clinging to him and pouting. "I won you fair and square and I'm going to keep you."

Ezra picked her up and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. She struggled so much, kicking in the air and pummelling his back with her fists, that he had to smack her bottom a few times to quiet her down. Then, accompanied by the laughing children, he carried her down to the sea, waded in up to his thighs and threw her into the water. The children splashed in at the same time and swam around Cressi, holding onto her and demanding she play with them. She gave up trying to follow Ezra back to the beach but played contentedly with the children for the rest of the morning.

Although Devon was still entangled with Kalyndra, the fight had gone out of her. She didn't respond to any of Kalyndra's goads or insults.

"What's wrong, Devon? You're not jealous of Cressi, are you? Let her enjoy her time with Ezra: he always comes back to us."

"Actually, he always comes back to you, Kalyndra; but I'm not jealous."

"Then what's wrong?"

"What did Ezra mean by a punishment?"

"Is that what bothers you?" Kalyndra asked, laughing. She lay back on the sand, putting her arms over her head to stretch, letting the sun worship her proud breasts. "Devon, I promise you, you'll enjoy it. The worst part will be the waiting."

"I've seen Ezra tie you up, Kalyndra, but I've never seen him punish you. How often has he done it?"

"Lots of times. It's fun and it really turns him on, so the sex is even better than normal."

"What will he do?"

"Whatever he wants. That's the joy. He takes charge completely."

"Won't it hurt?"

"You're thinking of Belena, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well don't think of her. This is quite different. Belena was a Sadist. She was turned on by fear and pain. Ezra isn't a Sadist. He's just a man who likes to tie a woman up and do nasty things to her" - she smiled at her own statement and at Devon's uncomprehending look, then added - "just so long as she enjoys it as well. He wouldn't have any fun punishing me if I didn't have even more fun being punished."

"But there is pain?"

"Oh yes, but only until Ezra's decided I've had enough, which is never as much as I can really take. And, believe me, the more pain there is in the beginning, the more pleasure there is at the end."

"I think I see," Devon said. "I admit, I like the idea of being controlled but I don't like pain."

"Don't you?" Kalyndra asked and, with an evil grin, grasped one of her lover's nipples and gave it a hard squeeze. Devon stared at her friend but remained silent. Kalyndra then slowly twisted the nipple until it was half-way around. Devon shut her eyes and let her head roll back. Her tongue protruded from the corner of her mouth and she breathed out heavily. As Kalyndra slowly released the nipple, she patted Devon reassuringly and whispered in her ear: "Yes, you'll enjoy it. Trust me."

With Kalyndra smiling to herself and Devon thoughtfully quiet, the two malefactors got up and, holding each other by the waist, walked up to the sunshade to help with lunch.