Chapter 156: The Queen's Reward
Cersei's hands rested upon Jon's chest.
"What else are you offering?" he asked.
Her green eyes gleamed in the firelight.
"That depends upon how courageously you collect what you have already earned."
Jon's hand remained upon her waist.
The crimson fabric beneath his fingers was remarkably thin. Cersei had not chosen this gown for warmth, modesty, or comfort.
She had selected it for him.
Jon looked toward the cups waiting upon the table.
"Did you bring wine because you believed I would require courage?"
"I brought it because civilized people drink before enjoying themselves."
"I have watched Uncle Robert drink before, during, and after nearly everything he does. I no longer associate wine with civilization."
Cersei laughed softly.
"You refuse a cup offered by the queen?"
"I refuse anything capable of dulling my senses while alone with you."
"Still frightened I might poison you?"
"No."
"Then what do you fear?"
Jon drew her closer.
"That I might miss something worth remembering."
Cersei's smile deepened.
"That was almost charming."
"I can attempt something less polite."
"I would prefer that."
Jon's eyes descended toward her neckline.
"You made a clear promise last night."
"I remember."
"Do you?"
Cersei traced one finger along the collar of his tunic.
"I promised to show you my bare bo*bs and allow you to touch them."
The deliberate bluntness of her words affected him exactly as she intended.
His grip tightened slightly upon her waist.
Cersei noticed.
Her expression became triumphant.
"You enjoyed hearing me say it."
"Yes."
No embarrassment.
No denial.
Cersei was accustomed to men lying about their desires. They either stared like starving dogs or looked away and pretended they possessed honour beyond temptation.
Jon did neither.
He wanted her and admitted it.
That honesty made the game considerably more interesting.
"Then collect your reward," she whispered.
Jon looked down at the fastenings running along the back of her gown.
"Turn around."
Cersei slowly obeyed.
She gathered her golden hair and carried it over one shoulder, revealing the pale skin of her neck.
Jon began loosening the fastenings.
He took his time.
Cersei had expected impatience after the open desire he displayed. Instead, each fastening came loose with deliberate care.
"You are remarkably cautious for a man who fought thirty warriors this morning."
"Those warriors were less dangerous."
She glanced back at him.
"Is that intended as flattery?"
"It is an observation."
"You sound like Barristan."
"Do not insult me while I am undressing you."
Cersei laughed.
Another fastening loosened.
Then another.
Cold air slipped beneath the gown, but the fire and Jon's presence behind her prevented her from feeling it.
When the final fastening opened, the crimson fabric relaxed around her body.
Jon did not immediately remove it.
Cersei waited.
His hands settled upon her shoulders instead.
"Impatient?" he asked.
"It is my gown."
"And my reward."
"You should not keep a queen waiting."
"Then perhaps queens should not make men fight thirty soldiers before granting what they both want."
Her breathing changed.
Jon heard it.
He slowly pushed the gown from her shoulders.
The crimson fabric descended along her arms and gathered at her waist, revealing the thin shift beneath it.
Cersei turned to face him.
The gown remained loosely wrapped around her lower body. Her shift concealed what she had promised, though the pale fabric left little to imagination beneath the firelight.
She lifted her chin.
"Are you satisfied?"
"No."
The immediate answer made her smile.
"You are demanding."
"You promised nothing would hide them."
"Perhaps this is enough."
"It is not."
"Perhaps I have reconsidered."
Jon released her and stepped back.
The sudden absence of his hands surprised her.
"Then our business is finished."
Cersei stared at him.
"You would leave?"
"You offered a reward and established its terms. If you refuse to fulfil them, I have no reason to remain."
"You are standing before a half-undressed queen."
"And?"
Most men would have begged, threatened, bargained, or attempted to claim more than she offered.
Jon simply waited.
Cersei recognized the challenge.
She caught the hem of her shift.
"Your confidence is intolerable."
"So I have been told."
She raised the fabric and removed it above her waist.
The shift gathered around her middle, leaving her completely bare from the waist upward.
Cersei stood before him without covering herself.
Golden hair spilled across her shoulders, framing pale skin and the generous curves she had repeatedly caught him admiring.
The chamber became silent.
Jon looked openly.
He did not pretend respect demanded that he avert his eyes. He studied every detail with the calm attention of a man appreciating something he had wanted for a long time.
The confidence Cersei had worn began to weaken beneath his gaze.
"Well?" she demanded.
Jon continued looking.
"Jon."
"Thirty men were a reasonable price."
Cersei's lips curved.
"Only reasonable?"
"If I had known precisely what awaited me, I might have fought fifty."
Her smile widened.
"And if I asked you to fight one hundred?"
"I would first demand better terms."
"Greedy."
"Practical."
Cersei stepped closer.
"You have received the first part."
"Yes."
"And the second?"
Jon's eyes descended again.
"You promised I could touch them."
"I did."
"Yet my hands remain here."
He rested them upon her waist.
Cersei placed her hands over his.
For several seconds, she did nothing.
She wanted him waiting.
Wanting.
Thinking about what came next.
Then she guided his hands upward.
Jon allowed her to control the movement until she placed his palms over her bare bo*bs.
His fingers closed gently around them.
A quiet breath escaped her.
The reaction was smaller than a gasp, but Jon heard it.
Cersei searched his face.
"Do they satisfy you?"
"Very much."
"You appear calmer than I expected."
"I am appreciating them."
"Then appreciate them properly."
Jon's hands moved.
Cersei's breathing deepened.
She had intended to watch him lose control. Instead, the slow certainty of his touch affected her more than frantic desire would have.
He admired her without worshipping her.
Wanted her without becoming helpless.
That was not how men behaved around Cersei Lannister.
She leaned closer.
"Do not be timid."
Jon looked into her eyes.
"You believe I am timid?"
"You are touching me as though I might break."
"You will not."
His grip became firmer.
Cersei's lips parted.
"Better," she whispered.
Jon continued until warmth spread across her face.
Then he released her.
Cersei immediately caught his wrists.
"Who told you to stop?"
"The reward has been collected."
"I decide when the reward ends."
"That was not part of our agreement."
"I am the queen. I may increase the reward."
Jon looked down at her bare body.
"What is the increase?"
Cersei returned his hands to her waist and moved closer until nothing remained between them except his clothing and the fabric gathered around her hips.
"Discover it."
Jon bent toward her neck.
He allowed his lips to brush the skin below her ear.
Cersei tilted her head, granting him greater access.
He kissed her neck once.
Then again.
Her hands climbed his chest and settled upon his shoulders.
Jon continued along the curve of her neck until he reached her jaw.
Then he stopped.
Cersei waited.
He did nothing.
"Why did you stop?"
"You promised a private display and permission to touch."
"And?"
"This exceeds the agreed reward."
"Are you complaining?"
"No. I am determining whether you are offering it freely."
Cersei turned her face toward him.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I collect promises. I do not take what was never offered."
For a moment, her teasing expression disappeared.
Beneath the arrogance, power, and desire, Jon had given her an opportunity to refuse.
He would stop if she asked.
Cersei understood that clearly.
She placed one hand behind his neck.
"I am offering."
"How much?"
"As much as you possess the courage to claim."
Jon's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"You should stop questioning my courage."
"Why?"
"Because I may continue until you ask me to stop."
Cersei pulled him closer.
"Then continue."
Jon kissed her.
The contact began slowly.
Cersei intended to control it. She pressed herself against him and tightened her hold upon his neck, expecting Jon to follow the pace she established.
He did not.
One hand moved behind her back while the other remained upon her waist. He drew her tightly against him and deepened the kiss until Cersei stepped backward.
Her lower back met the edge of the table.
The cups rattled.
Jon caught one before it could fall without breaking the kiss.
He placed it upright and returned his hand to her body.
Cersei separated from him, breathing harder.
"You caught the cup."
"It was expensive."
"You were kissing the queen."
"I am capable of doing two things at once."
"That does not sound flattering."
Jon looked at her bare bo*bs.
"My attention was divided among several valuable things."
Cersei struck his chest lightly.
Jon laughed.
She kissed him again.
This time, she abandoned the effort to make the embrace delicate.
Jon responded immediately.
Cersei's fingers entered his dark hair as he lifted her onto the table.
The remaining cup toppled.
Wine spread across the wooden surface and dripped onto the floor.
Jon glanced toward it.
Cersei caught his face and turned him back toward her.
"You cannot save everything."
"I selected the more valuable option."
"That was better."
Jon kissed her neck again while his hands moved along the body she had freely offered.
Cersei repeatedly encouraged him whenever he slowed.
"Closer."
He obeyed.
"More."
Jon continued.
When he paused again, impatience entered her voice.
"Do not stop."
Jon lifted his head.
"I enjoy hearing you say that."
Cersei narrowed her eyes.
"You are becoming arrogant."
"I entered the room arrogant."
"Then perhaps I should teach you humility."
"You may try."
Cersei pulled him toward her, but Jon resisted just enough to remain beyond the reach of her lips.
Her frustration increased.
"What do you want?"
"To hear you ask."
"I am the queen."
"Tonight, you are my reward."
The words should have angered her.
Instead, heat travelled through her.
Cersei tightened her legs around his waist and caught the front of his clothing.
"More," she said.
Jon smiled.
"Better."
He returned to her.
The game continued until neither could honestly pretend that Cersei remained its sole architect.
She had summoned him.
Prepared the chamber.
Selected the gown.
Granted every new permission.
Yet Jon controlled the pace, and each time he withdrew, she was the one who pulled him back.
That was not supposed to happen.
Men pursued Cersei.
She decided how close they came and how much they received.
Tonight, she found herself demanding that Jon continue.
The realization should have frightened her.
It excited her.
"You enjoyed the fight," she whispered.
Jon's lips moved along her jaw.
"I enjoy training."
"I watched you."
"I noticed."
"You knew I was there?"
"I knew precisely where you stood."
"Even while thirty men attacked you?"
"Yes."
Cersei's hands moved across the hard muscles beneath his tunic.
"You wanted me to watch."
"I wanted everyone to watch."
"Not in the same way."
Jon drew back enough to study her.
"No."
Her pupils widened.
The confirmation affected her more strongly than she expected.
Cersei kissed him again, then whispered against his mouth:
"You could possess anything you desired."
"I already possess considerably more than most kings."
"Not in Westeros."
"I do not require Westeros."
"But Westeros may require you."
There it was.
Jon heard the shift immediately.
Her voice remained soft.
Her body remained pressed against his.
But seduction had become negotiation.
Cersei traced the line of his jaw.
"Robert respects you."
"When sober."
"The northern lords fear you."
"Some do."
"You possess soldiers no army in the Seven Kingdoms can defeat."
Jon said nothing.
Cersei continued.
"With your support, the peace Robert created could survive another generation."
"Whose generation?"
"Our children's."
"Be specific."
"Joffrey will inherit the Iron Throne."
Jon released her.
The change came instantly.
One moment, Cersei had been held against him.
The next, Jon stood beyond her reach.
Cold air touched her bare skin.
She stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Refusing the purchase."
Her expression hardened.
"What purchase?"
"You."
Cersei slowly descended from the table.
"I fulfilled a wager."
"The promised reward ended several minutes ago."
"And everything afterward?"
"Was offered because you wanted something."
Cersei reached for him.
Jon caught her hand before it touched his chest.
"You believe I allowed this merely to discuss Joffrey?"
"I believe you intended to make me desire another night."
"Did I fail?"
"No."
The honesty surprised her.
Jon looked over her bare body.
"I desire another."
Cersei's confidence returned.
"Then—"
"But desire is not obedience."
Her smile disappeared.
Jon released her hand.
"You believed that after touching you, kissing you, and receiving more than you promised, I would become afraid of losing access to you."
Cersei remained silent.
"You intended to offer another reward whenever you needed my influence, soldiers, or support for Joffrey."
"You assume too much."
"You are beautiful, Cersei."
She lifted her chin.
"You are not mysterious."
Anger flashed through her eyes.
"You dare—"
"Yes."
"You stand within my chamber after putting your hands upon me and accuse me of manipulation?"
"This is not your chamber."
Cersei glanced around.
Jon's mouth curved.
"And you placed my hands upon you."
She struck his chest.
Jon barely moved.
"You arrogant bastard."
"I have been called worse."
"You believe you understand me?"
"I understand enough."
"Then why did you come?"
Jon's eyes descended toward her exposed bo*bs once more.
"Because the reward was worth collecting."
For a heartbeat, Cersei simply stared at him.
Then she struck him again.
This time, Jon caught her wrist.
She attempted to pull free.
He released her immediately.
That somehow angered her more.
"Leave."
Jon inclined his head.
"As you wish."
He turned toward the door.
Cersei watched him take one step.
Then another.
He was genuinely leaving.
No bargaining.
No apology.
No desperate attempt to regain what she had offered.
His hand reached the lock.
"Wait."
Jon stopped.
He looked back.
Cersei stood beside the table, still bare above the waist, golden hair disordered and cheeks warm from their encounter.
The queen had disappeared.
For the first time that evening, she appeared uncertain.
"No Joffrey," she said.
Jon remained beside the door.
"No alliance."
He waited.
"No requests," she continued. "Not for the remainder of tonight."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because if I mention politics again, you may leave."
"I can leave now."
Cersei's eyes narrowed.
"You want to remain."
"Yes."
The answer gave her some confidence.
"But I do not need to."
That took it away again.
She crossed the distance between them.
Cersei stopped before Jon, took his hand, and placed it against her bare waist.
"No politics," she repeated.
Jon studied her face.
"What do you want?"
She could have lied.
Could have claimed diplomacy, curiosity, or continuation of the wager.
Instead, Cersei answered:
"You."
One word.
No hidden condition.
Jon's hand moved around her waist.
"That is considerably clearer."
Cersei pulled him into another kiss.
This time, neither mentioned Robert, Joffrey, the alliance, or the kingdoms waiting beyond the chamber walls.
The fire continued burning.
The fallen wine spread beneath the table.
What followed belonged only to them.
Much later, Jon fastened the final clasp of his clothing.
The fire had weakened.
Cersei rested beneath the blankets, her golden hair spread across the pillow. Her gown remained abandoned near the table.
She watched him attach his sword belt.
"You are leaving."
"Yes."
"You could remain until morning."
"And walk from this chamber beside you?"
"I could leave first."
"Jaime is already suspicious."
Her expression tightened.
"You are unusually concerned with Jaime."
"I am entertained by him. That is different."
"He may challenge you."
Jon looked toward her.
"He lost to one elite soldier while supported by Barristan."
Cersei almost smiled.
"His pride would not allow that fact to stop him."
"His survival instinct might."
She pushed herself upright, holding the blanket against her chest.
"Do you belong to me now?"
Jon paused.
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Not even slightly?"
"My desire belongs to me."
"Then what did tonight accomplish?"
Jon's gaze moved across the discarded gown, overturned cup, and queen waiting beneath the blankets.
"It proved the reward exceeded the promise."
Cersei threw a pillow.
Jon caught it easily.
"You are intolerable."
"You said that before inviting me back."
She glared at him.
Then her expression became thoughtful.
"Would you fight thirty men again for another night?"
"No."
Cersei's face cooled.
Jon crossed toward the door.
He unlocked it and glanced along the empty corridor.
Before leaving, he looked back.
"Next time, I expect you to ask without hiding behind a wager."
Cersei stared at him.
"You assume there will be a next time."
Jon's eyes descended deliberately toward the blanket covering her body.
"I do."
He closed the door behind him.
Cersei remained alone.
She had intended to make Jon hunger for her approval.
She had wanted his strength, his influence, and eventually his obedience.
Instead, he had collected everything she freely offered, exposed her manipulation, and left on his own terms.
She should have hated him.
Part of her did.
Unfortunately, that was not the part controlling her thoughts.
Cersei looked toward the locked door.
She was already considering when she could ask him to return.
End of Chapter 156
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