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Julius Norreys and Francis Webster sat together at opposite ends of the chaise longue in one of the upstairs rooms at Quex's, not looking at each other. Their attention was instead focused on the rug in front of the fireplace, where Harry and Ash were grappling together in what might have looked to the casual observer like a demonstration of Greco-Roman wrestling. Two well-built, handsome young men, limbs entwined, and quite entirely nude, was a sight that would have set a sculptor's chisel ablaze. Yet here, the only audience was their respective partners, watching with a veneer of cool composure.
The thing about Harry Vane, Julius had found, was that his appetite for sex was considerably higher than Julius's own. Julius was of course quite willing to provide his lover with the outlets he required, to the best of his ability, but at times he found himself tense with the strain of keeping up with Harry. The matter had come to a head one morning after they had already fucked once, when Julius had snapped at Harry to stop pawing at him, and then had felt a complete cad as his beloved drew back, looking hurt and ashamed. Julius had immediately tried to recover from the faux pas, had even offered to bring Harry off by hand, but Harry had seemed almost offended at the idea. "I wouldn't want to push myself on you against your will," he said with injured dignity, and Julius knew then that they had to talk more seriously, before this situation grew into a greater rift between them. After all he and Harry had gone through to be together, the last thing he wanted to do was lose him.
And so, after much negotiation and soul-searching, a bargain had been made. Harry could fuck other people - as long as Julius was there. At times when he couldn't handle being touched, he could at least watch over Harry, and take some vicarious enjoyment that way, and Harry would feel like he was sharing the experience with the man he loved.
Of course, finding suitable partners was another matter. Within their close circle of acquaintances, the Ricardians, there were only a few possibilities, some of whom had their own companions and entanglements that made any such liaison impossible to envision. Lord Gabriel Ashleigh, however, or Ash to his friends, was Harry's closest friend among the group - the two of them were constantly ribbing one another, getting into scrapes and having to be extricated from them, and attempting to playfully outdo one another in matters ranging from fashion to drinking to cards. Ash's partner Francis was a man more in Julius's mould, except even more serious and severe, although indulgent of his beloved's occasional foolish frivolities. It was therefore an obvious proposition for Harry to invite Ash for a friendly fuck, and for Ash, after a bit of discussion with Francis, to accept gleefully.
"Think of it," Julius said to Francis when they made their arrangements and reserved the room upstairs at the private club patronized by the Ricardians, "as letting one's dogs frolic together at the park to let off some steam, or taking a restless horse out for a gallop."
Francis gave him a dubious side-eye at that analogy. "Do you consider your lover more of a dog, or a horse?"
"Neither, of course," Julius said. "But you have to admit, these young fellows have a good deal more energy than I at least can keep up with. I don't know about you, perhaps you have more wind in your sails."
Francis looked practically offended at the idea that he might not be able to satisfy his lover. "I believe Ash has no reason to complain about my performance," he sniffed.
"Well, how delightful that must be for Ash," Julius replied, trying to come across as equally haughty, and wishing just a little bit that they hadn't both agreed to stay and watch the show. It was one thing to take in the sight of one's lover being fucked by another man - some people would pay extra for that privilege, as he knew well from anecdotes Silas and David had alluded to - but sitting side by side with one's lover's lover's lover was a fair bit more complicated, even if the fellow in question was a friend. Especially if the fellow was a friend, in fact. It made everything considerably more awkward.
"You are all right with this, aren't you?" Francis asked him quietly. The concern on his face was somehow more difficult for Julius to deal with than the teasing and needling that had preceded it. "You and Harry are both all right?"
"Fine," Julius said. "I want him to be happy, I hope this will make him happy, and therefore make me happy too. I don't expect he and Ash will do anything foolish," and then, seeing Francis's raised eyebrow, he amended, "like falling in love."
"Oh, goodness, no," Francis assured him. "They're good friends, but they wouldn't suit one another in that way at all. And it's obvious to everyone that Harry adores you," he added, unusually comfortingly for a man of his prickly nature. Somehow the idea that he looked like he needed to be comforted served to make Julius feel even worse.
A couple of glasses of Quex's excellent port helped to ease the tension a little, though, and they eventually settled down to watch the main event get underway. Harry and Ash bantered and teased one another like two schoolboys, which Julius had to admit was adorable. It also felt less like a romantic interlude and more like a friendly sparring match, even as they began to undress one another. They didn't kiss, whether by mutual agreement or simply because it didn't occur to them that they could. Instead they jostled one another playfully, and then immediately had a brief squabble over what they wanted to do, which was settled swiftly enough when Ash offered to suck Harry's prick.
Julius felt his breath catch in his throat as Harry settled back on the carpet, legs splayed with Ash kneeling between them, both so casual and wanton. Harry bit back a moan as his cock disappeared into Ash's mouth, and clasped his hand at the back of Ash's neck to help guide his pace. For a little while, Julius wondered if this was going to be done in a matter of minutes - had Harry really been that pent up? Or perhaps the novelty of the situation was making him more excited? But after a short while, he pulled Ash's head up and said, "It's good, I'm not complaining, but I want to fuck you properly."
Ash grinned, wiping the spit off his chin. "Oh splendid, I was hoping you'd say that!"
Every private room at Quex's came well-supplied with the things gentlemen might need for their pleasures, including conveniently-placed jars of oil. Francis retrieved one from a drawer and proffered it to Harry, who took it with a cheerful nod. Julius would have liked to be that calm and collected, but he felt like he was going to boil over like a kettle, screaming. He hadn't expected to feel so overwhelmed by this, so tangled up in a mess of emotions that he was having trouble separating them from one another, and all of it overlaid with a thick residue of arousal that seemed to spread and get into everything, much like the oil on Harry's fingers as he began to open up Ash's backside. Julius bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood. He was as hard as though he'd been the one getting sucked off, and he felt sure it must be obvious to everyone in the room if they so much as glanced in his direction. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him, with Harry and Ash being fully preoccupied with one another, and Francis leaning forward to watch them with the intensity of a pointer dog that had scented prey. Julius took another sip of his port and tried to keep himself from asking if he could fetch Francis some opera glasses so that he could get a better look.
"I don't usually get to see him from this angle when he's like this," Francis said quietly. "He's lovely, isn't he?" He sounded awestruck, his voice low and jagged, as though he was holding himself carefully in check. Julius had the sense that he was aching to get in there, maybe to touch Ash's cheek, or feed his own cock into the young man's mouth, which hung open as Harry continued to finger him. If they hadn't agreed to confine themselves to watching, maybe he would have joined them. Julius thought he would have felt too self-conscious to even contemplate such a thing. He was already having a difficult enough time merely as an observer, but he knew that it would distress Harry if he got up and left, so he stayed seated, still as a statue.
"Please," Ash gasped, his fingers splayed on the carpet as though he wanted to hold onto something, "please, fuck me!" Harry wasted no time in giving him what he asked for, sliding his cock into Ash's eager hole. Julius tried to adopt Francis's attitude as his own - to appreciate the visual appeal of the scene, the beauty of the two men involved, the contrast of Ash's golden hair and complexion with Harry's darker one, the sounds of heavy breathing and flesh colliding with flesh as they fucked with enthusiastic vigour - but he found it a struggle. He wanted it to be him, or perhaps he wanted himself to be the kind of person who was able to do something this casually erotic without having to make everything so damned complicated. But he knew in his heart that he wasn't, and probably would never be. What if it turned out that he wasn't enough for Harry?
Just as he was feeling increasingly like some kind of prudish alien creature who had been deposited into a world where everyone else loved to fuck as often and as filthily as possible, Harry looked up and met his gaze. Until then he had been primarily focused on Ash, but now that he had found his stride, he took a moment to turn his attention to Julius, to see how he was doing. Harry would be able to tell, Julius thought in a panic - he would know that this was all a terrible idea, and it would be Julius's fault for not being able to grin and assure him that everything was fine. Or would it be worse if Harry didn't realize? If for all their promises of love and trust and the various ways they'd been able to open up to one another, he couldn't see the conflict on Julius's face?
Then Harry smiled at him, and Julius felt a little of the tension in his chest loosen. It was foolish, he told himself, to be distressed at the thought that Harry might not be able to read his mind. It was all right if he looked uneasy - he wouldn't be ruining the evening by visibly experiencing an emotion. He and Harry could talk later on about this experiment, and whether it had been a success or not, and one way or another, they would find a way to work things out. Judging by the blissful look on Ash's face, it wouldn't be much longer, and Harry wouldn't be far behind him, at the rate he was thrusting, his strokes no longer so smooth and steady, more erratic, more frantic...
Julius heard a hiss of breath from beside him and realized Francis was stroking himself - over his breeches, thank God - as he watched. He felt the back of his neck growing warm, the walls of the room seeming to draw tighter around the four of them, his vision blurring at the edges. Ash gave a wail of pleasure and came without his prick so much as being touched, and Julius experienced a flicker of curiosity about whether he could do that to Harry. Harry, who kept gamely thrusting through Ash's convulsions, and finally gave a harsh groan as he buried himself deep and came.
As soon as he was able to disentangle himself, Ash crawled over to Francis, laying his head against his lover's thigh, but very quickly moving on to helping him get his breeches unfastened so he could suck his cock.
Harry likewise came to kneel next to Julius, clearly a little less certain of what he should do. "Do you want...?" he began, with a nod at what was happening immediately to his right, but Julius shook his head.
"I just want you," he said, meaning it with violent intensity, and wound his fingers through Harry's sweat-damp curls, drawing him close. By the way Harry leaned against him, wrapping his arms around Julius, he needed him too, needed comfort and care that only Julius could give him.
"I liked knowing you were watching me," Harry murmured. "Couldn't have done it without you." Julius buried his face in Harry's shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent, and felt unexpected relief. Maybe he could do this after all.