Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Sebastian sighed and leaned against the banister at the end of the staircase, eyes trained on the double doors leading outside of the mansion. In the hours between lunch and Hayley's soon-to-be return, she had been made up for dinner by her pixie handmaid. Hayley had made no demands regarding Sebastian's attire. Together, Sebastian and Holly picked a light blue gown with a swooping V-neck and gem design. Its loose straps hung from Sebastian's shoulders, leaving her chest to keep it in place. It had been expensive, the princess could see that. Most of the gowns Hayley had provided her were expensive. The dresses also accentuated her body's assets, brought out the hourglass shape and showed off the curves of her chest and behind.

Odd comfort was found in the dresses. Freedom, exhilarating and fulfilling. These gowns were more than just gowns. They were a breakout from the strict rules of her father, the ones she so often broke as a child. The happiness Sebastian felt attracting her lover in inappropriate attire, how wrong the whole situation was under her father's standards, was something she missed.

Whether breaking the rules or having a lover to excite brought her happiness was unknown to Sebastian and it didn't matter. She was happy, and Hayley was happy.

Hayley would walk through the doors at any moment, and Sebastian would be the first person she would see. Dressed in the light blue gown, she hoped she would be a wonderful sight for Hayley after a long day at work. If she looked good enough, Hayley would ignore the fact that she had dismissed Holly early.

Sebastian didn't want Holly around to tease her while she shared a moment with Hayley. Once they had finished meeting the chefs, Holly had calmed and resumed teasing her, as per normal, and Sebastian had gotten her own share of hits in regarding Holly's farmhouse lover.

But Holly couldn't be there for this. Not now. Sebastian needed to greet Hayley on her own, needed to see the captain and hold her after a day of being apart.

Horse hoofs against cobblestone could be heard outside of the mansion. The butlers readied themselves at the doors, hands grasping gold plated handles, backs straight, expressions vacant yet welcoming. They seemed to count to themselves and opened the doors as Hayley reached the top step, a routine they had fallen into after years of working for the captain. Sebastian perked up at the sight of the woman she had been without for a full day, her posture straightening and a smile stretching across her face. Hayley's eyes caught on Sebastian. She tilted her head to the side, a smile playing on the corners of her lips. Leaving her post at the banister, Sebastian walked to the doors, where Hayley was handing her bag to the butlers and nodding a dismissal.

"Well, hello there," Hayley said, wrapping her arms around Sebastian's waist and closing the distance between their bodies.

Sebastian rested her hands on Hayley's shoulders. "Hi."

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this lovely surprise?"

"I missed you."

Sebastian's eyes bore into Hayley, nearly causing her to lose herself completely in them.

"Did you?"

The princess nodded. "You've had a long day at work. It's time to eat and relax."

Smirking, eyes dancing with amusement, Hayley asked, "Eat what?"

Bright red coated Sebastian's pale skin, tinting her cheeks and neck. "I... um... Food."

"Are you my dessert?"

"Stop that." Sebastian nudged Hayley's shoulder.

She could feel the seeming permanent stain of red on her cheeks. The heat, hardly from embarrassment, radiated through her body to her constricted core. She didn't want an end to Hayley inappropriate comments. She quite liked the way they roused her body. But she had to make it through dinner without dragging Hayley to their bedroom or demanding Hayley take her on the dining room table.

She doubted the waiters would appreciate walking out of the kitchen to find them in such a compromising position.

Delighted by the reaction of Sebastian's body to her comments –the light pink hue that traveled down her neck and mingled with the creamy tone of her chest –Hayley dipped her head down, lips pressing against Sebastian's. The princess was quick to respond, lips molding with Hayley's, body relaxing into hers with a sigh. Excited energy transferred between the pair, bodies heating each other. But their hands didn't wander and they took the kiss no further. Hayley released the plump pink lips, pulling away enough to watch the happiness sparkle in the princess' hazel eyes.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Hayley mumbled.

"Yeah?"

Hayley hummed an affirmative, keeping her eyes on Sebastian's. Her mind had been dominated by the princess. Grapes had given her intense images of feeding Sebastian from the vine and licking wine from her body. Concentration had been difficult to say the least.

"What about me?"

"All of the things I like."

"And what do you like?"

"Everything." Hayley ran her tongue over her lips, pushing down her inappropriate thoughts. "We should eat dinner."

The sooner they ate, the sooner they would be able to head upstairs. Their bed was calling. Perhaps they could play a little with wine and bathe together. Their bodies would touch, Hayley would be able to watch Sebastian's body shudder all night.

And Hayley needed to stop herself.

"Okay. Let's go eat," Sebastian mumbled.

Hayley's arms slid from Sebastian's waist, her hand grasping Sebastian's. Their fingers laced together, and Hayley led Sebastian on the short walk to the dining room. She held the door open for her, watching the smooth movements of her hips in the dress as she passed. Holding in a murmur of satisfaction, Hayley followed the princess to the table and pulled out the chair next to the head of the table, which Sebastian took. Once she was situated, Hayley stole a quick kiss, enough to capture the taste of them again, then took her place at the head of the table.

Sebastian's lips were addicting.

Like the night before, the waiters walked from the kitchen door unprovoked, set bowls of soup in front of the women in unison, and disappeared into the kitchen again. Briefly, Sebastian wondered what the chefs were up to, what shenanigans they were taking part in.

Whatever they were doing, the food would be delicious. They never failed in creating perfect meals.

"How was the vineyard?" Sebastian asked, dipping her spoon into the soup.

"Perfect. The grapes are growing, everything is running smoothly. I think I'll have a larger shipment of wine going out once these are harvested, which will happen soon."

"That's wonderful."

"Especially since one of our consumers will be in need of a new shipment soon."

"A bar?"

Hayley nodded, taking a sip from her wine glass. "They've been selling the last shipment quickly."

"But that's a good thing, right?"

Admittedly, Sebastian knew little about alcohol businesses besides the possible prosperity behind them. She hadn't reached the stage of her training where she dealt with the wineries and vineyards. That was to wait till she could legally drink.

"It is, but meeting desperate demand can be difficult if the grapes grow later than intended," Hayley said, "Enough about the business. How was your day?"

"Eventful. I met your full estate staff."

Everyone. She had met everyone. All before she took her late lunch. It was something she was proud of.

"Even my chefs?"

A tremor of disbelief coated Hayley's voice. It didn't go unnoticed by Sebastian, and made her even prouder of herself for her day's accomplishments.

"Yes."

"And you're still willing to eat here? I applaud you."

"Holly made a similar comment while dressing me."

"I don't doubt that. She's seen how some of my past girlfriends and flings have reacted to the chefs."

Sebastian bit her lower lip, debating on whether or not to ask the question on her mind. There would be no punishment, she knew that. But she didn't know if it would hurt Hayley to have to relive any past events, and hurting Hayley wasn't something she wanted to do. She wanted to know, though.

Fuck it, she would ask.

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Depends. Do you want the number of serious girlfriends or the relationships that were just for fun?"

There was no malice, no cockiness, no pain in the pirate's voice. The topic drew up less emotion from her than work.

"Serious."

"Two."

"How serious?"

"To the point that I allowed them to live in my home. For me, that's as serious as marriage."

A mental reminder that Sebastian was living in Hayley's home flashed through the princess' head. According to Hayley's logic, they may as well have gone down the nearest chapel and been wed. With what they had done in their time together, Sebastian's logic designated the same.

But that wasn't important. Finding about the past relationships was.

"What happened to end those relationships?"

"One tried to put an end to my profession and disagreed with my choice of estate workers. It was best for my sanity that we parted ways. The other cheated on me. With a woman and with a man. Then, she decided she was straight."

"I imagine that was tough."

"It was, but I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

Hayley smiled. "If I hadn't moved on, I wouldn't have been able to care so deeply for you."

The flush returned to Sebastian's cheeks, the statement rousing shyness. She didn't know how to react to those kinds of statements, but those were the ones she wanted. She wanted Hayley to want her and no one else. A bit territorial but she didn't care. Hayley was her lover and no one would change that.

The dining room door opened, cutting through the intense gaze the couple was sharing. A butler stood in the doorway, a paper of some sort in hand.

"Mistress Williams, you have a letter," the butler said.

"Can't is wait?"

"It's from King Ferdinand."

Hayley's eyebrows drew together. Why was he sending her a letter? Their contact was to end once her task had been completed. He was breaking contract.

Not that Hayley wasn't breaking contract, too, but he didn't know that.

"Bring it here."

The butler did as instructed, crossing the expanse of the room and placing the letter in Hayley's outstretched hand. Hayley nodded a dismissal, to which the butler bowed and left, while tearing the envelop open. Her eyes scanned the contents of the letter. Sebastian watched, studying her expression change from confused, to shock, to worry, to fear. Hayley dropped the letter to the table, jaw slacked, eyes wide, and covered her face with her hands.

"Shit."