The Rules of the Game
Today, Laila was wearing a dress of violet satin. Her exposed shoulders were delicate and pale, and the neckline that followed them was so slender that one could easily snap it with just a touch of their lips.
Ezekiel felt the illusion of a surge of heat erupting between his thighs, but he spoke with cold detachment.
"I don't have a companion."
"I thought you might want to see me?"
"Do you even know who I am to be saying such things?"
Ezekiel retorted with a sneer. Of course, as the theater owner, it was normal for her to identify all her guests, but if one wore a mask, it was only respectful to pretend not to know them. Especially if you were the host who provided the mask.
He could sense the hint of a smile behind Laila's mask. Feeling an inexplicable sense of impatience, Ezekiel tapped his fingers against the armrest.
"It seems you, too, know exactly who I am."
"......."
"An uninvited guest arrived, and I was simply curious."
Ezekiel twisted his lips beneath his mask.
"Curiosity, towards me? You don't know your place."
"Is that so? Then I suppose you like women who don't know their place."
"What?"
For the first time, Ezekiel turned his head fully toward Laila. However, her facial expression remained hidden behind the black mask.
Laila asked back in a calm, indifferent voice.
"Am I wrong?"
"You speak as if I'm fond of you."
"If I had truly overstepped my bounds, wouldn't you have ordered me to leave?"
"Insolent."
But she was right. The very fact that they were sitting side by side, exchanging words, was something that couldn't happen if he didn't like her.
"But you are curious about me."
Laila spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, not as if asking a question, but as if she already knew everything.
She was a truly insolent woman. Yet, Ezekiel felt his mood improve. His nervously tapping fingers came to a stop.
The air inside the theater, which had felt stifling due to the breath of so many people, now felt much easier to breathe as it mingled with Laila’s scent.
Theater ushers wearing white masks moved about, turning off the interior lights that had been lit between the seats. As the stage was not yet illuminated and the surroundings were dark, Ezekiel looked over at the adjacent seat. Because of the lights beneath the stage turned on for the orchestra, he could make out her silhouette, but her face remained invisible due to the mask. Only the scent, like flowers drenched in rain, grew more intense.
Finally, the stage lights came on, and the overture began to play. Laila stood up as quietly as she had entered, and spoke politely, as if she had come to greet an important guest as the theater owner.
"Then, I hope you enjoy our performance."
Ezekiel did not look back at her. There was no reason to accept the greetings of a mere theater owner.
Just as when she entered, the scent drifted away along with the soft rustle of her dress. Ezekiel knew she had stepped outside the partition. He remained there for a moment, staring at the still-empty stage.
He hadn't been interested in the opera itself anyway. No, he had thought he wanted to see the production of the curtain opening once more, but now he was certain that wasn't what he had wanted to see.
He stood up abruptly. No one openly criticized him, but a slight murmur spread through the surroundings. The hem of Laila's violet dress was disappearing through the door.
Ezekiel strode across the seating area. Whether it was the overture or the complaints, he could no longer hear them.
Stepping outside the door, he immediately took off his mask and crumpled it in his hand. He felt pathetic for playing along with such a game, but his pace only quickened.
He caught up to Laila in no time. Even though she must have heard his footsteps, she did not stop. Ezekiel grabbed her arm and spun her around.
As expected, there was no sign of surprise in the turquoise eyes behind her mask. Her narrowed eyes held a smile. As if she had known he would follow.
Even though he had been toyed with, he felt more exhilarated than displeased. It was the first time he had realized he had such a preference.
He gripped Laila's chin and used his other hand to pull away the mouth portion of her mask. He then tried to press his lips against her lips, which were painted a deep, dark rose color. But before he could, Laila caught his wrist.
"What is this, without a lady's permission?"
"A lady?"
Ezekiel retorted with a mocking voice.
"A lady doesn't approach a man who is alone and hiding his face."
"Then did you take off your mask to be bold? To let me know that a man with a fiancée is kissing me?"
Laila did not seem to fear him at all. Because of the thirst rising to his throat, Ezekiel began to feel genuinely annoyed.
Yet, he had no intention of casting this woman aside. He wanted her. His deep blue eyes took on a dark, lustful glow.
"Fine. I'll play along."
He let go of Laila's hand and put his mask back on. Then, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and swallowed her lips.
As he bit and grazed her lips with his teeth, the sweet scent of her cosmetics invaded his sense of smell and taste simultaneously. Ezekiel moved his tongue as if searching for her true scent and taste hidden within.
Laila did not reject him, but she did not actively respond either. He brushed against her tongue, then wrapped his own around her tongue as it trembled and tried to flee, drawing her deep into his mouth. He ran his hand through her long, flowing black hair, then moved his hand to her back, where her bare skin was exposed.
Her skin was soft. He fully enjoyed the sensation of her skin with his fingertips, stroking down her shoulder blades. He then traced down to the area covered by the thin satin, slipping his fingers inside her dress, and pulled her even closer.
His member was already swollen to the point of bursting at the slightest touch. Intending to pin Laila against the wall and take her right there, he tried to lift her by holding her waist and hips with both arms.
But before he could, her hand touched his groin. Feeling her slender fingers, cool as a snake, wiggling between his trouser buttons, Ezekiel let out a faint laugh and a ragged breath at the same time.
"You really are overstepping."
"That's what you find fun, isn't it?"
Laila whispered in a low voice. Ezekiel lost the desire to pin her down and simply set her back on the ground. He was curious to see just how bold this woman would be.
Click.
The fingers that had slipped inside his trousers slowly undid a button. The front of his trousers, which had been pulled taut, snapped open.
Laila's fingers moved over his drawers as if tracing his outline. Despite the simple movement, Ezekiel was aroused to the highest degree.
"Do it properly."
"Is that an order? That's a violation of the rules."
She was right.
A mask hides one's identity and makes people equal. By putting his mask back on in front of her, Ezekiel agreed to the rules. That he would not buy a mistress with power and money, but play a game between a man and a woman.
Laila's silk mask shook lightly. It looked as if she were giggling.
"Ugh."
The moment his glans was pinched between her thumb and forefinger, he clenched his teeth. This game was quite disadvantageous to him. He was currently exposing his arousal openly, but he had no way of knowing her state.
He tried to lift her up once more. He needed to go somewhere quiet. To his home. Or, at the very least, to his carriage.
But before he could, Laila stepped back a couple of paces and slipped out of his embrace. She didn't forget to press firmly on the tip of his member one last time before doing so.
His drawers were slowly becoming damp with slippery pre-ejaculate.
"I think this is enough for today."
"You're going to tuck your tail and run like this?"
"Games that end too quickly aren't fun."
"Games that end unilaterally aren't fun either."
Ezekiel said that and took a step toward her.
"And the rule that you can end it unilaterally is also unfair. Don't you think?"
Just then, a bell rang throughout the theater. Ezekiel suddenly turned his gaze elsewhere. The theater doors were opening, signaling the end of the first act.
In that moment, Laila turned and left the spot like a fleeing deer.
Ezekiel chuckled.
She was right. If he had already started the game, it was better to enjoy it as much as he could rather than rushing to end it. Especially if it was a game he was going to win.
He adjusted his trousers, took off his mask, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his lips. The handkerchief was stained with dark red lipstick and saliva.
He folded it and put it back in his pocket. Then, he stepped out of the theater.