I folded my legs and curled up against the wall of the crate. Bai Ye crouched above me. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but at least that made both of us fit snugly into the small space. We had barely settled down when the muffled sound of a few men’s voices seeped through the thick wooden planks, along with approaching footsteps.
“We already counted these two days ago,” someone complained. “If the boss is so concerned about them, why did he make us leave them here? It wouldn’t be the first time that something gets stolen from an ungated alley.”
“How would you steal a crate as big as yourself and not get caught?” another man huffed. “They aren’t worth much anyway. We just need an updated number for loading the goods tomorrow. Now get to work.”
A few more mumbles, and the voices subsided. Footsteps moved away from us towards the end of the alley.
I let out a short sigh. If they were only counting, then no one would know that one of their containers was hosting a pair of surprise guests right now. We were fortunate that this group didn’t arrive earlier to hear that gasp from me …
A little ire of vengeance rose in me now that I had the time to think back on what Bai Ye had done. This man was getting more and more brazen in the way he teased me. If he dared do something like that again right now—
But wait. Why did it always have to be MY modesty at stake? Why did I always let HIM get the upper hand at catching me off guard?
The next thought that flashed through my mind made my heart skip a beat. I wanted to turn the table on him, and I wanted to be the one to have him at my mercy. I glanced up at him. The cracks between the planks let in only a faint trace of light, and all I could see was a looming shadow of him, but that was enough for me to realize how intimate a position we were already in. I was sitting on my knees, him bending over my shoulders with one leg on each side of me. Our bodies were pressed so close to each other in the tight space, my face almost against his groin.
I swallowed. I must be mad, and it must be either my petty annoyance or the festive boisterousness that got to me. But I couldn’t resist this mad urge. I pressed my ears against the wall of the crate. Footsteps were still at the far end of the alley, accompanied by a few murmurs that were probably from the men counting numbers out loud. They were far enough away that they couldn’t hear us at the moment yet … So I decided to go with my whim. Keeping the rustles of fabric to the minimum, I reached up, and I pulled on his breeches.
A jolt answered my move. “Qing—” Only one word escaped him before he snapped his mouth shut.
I bit back a giggle. Now he knew how I felt earlier … Satisfied by my little success, I craned my neck and whispered, “As long as we stay very quiet … Why would anyone look into this empty crate for no reason?”
He let out a sound that was halfway between a chuckle and a growl. His hand glided over to my face, and he pinched my cheek. I wondered if he would’ve preferred to bite me if he could reach. “You ARE a little devil,” he breathed. But he didn’t stop me, and he stayed quiet indeed as I freed him from those garments.
The moment I realized how hard he already was, those little fires of vengeance in me roared even higher. He must’ve been like this for quite a while by now … Did that mean he really was planning to do something in that dark corner of the alley? I gritted my teeth. There was no way I’d let him get away easily with this one then. Taking my time to return the tease, I ran my hands slowly along his legs, and I bent my back lower to brush my lips over the inside of his thighs.
He tensed, his breath catching. Content with the response, I worked my way upward. Moving gingerly within the tight space around us, I trailed my kisses from between his knees to his groin, lingering longer as I reached further.
I hadn’t touched him like this before, and I wondered why. This was such a delectable treat that I missed out on. His skin was hot and smooth, perfect against my palm and my lips, and the scent of him filling my nostrils tempted me, coaxed me. I released a tiny sigh, letting my breath brush over him like a lure.
His breathing grew heavy, the sound of it quickly filling the enclosed crate. My own heartbeat started to quicken at his change, but I kept things at my pace while tuning my ears sharp for the voices outside.
“… First batch all checked out.”
“… This one in the corner chipped. We’ll have to count it out.”
Footsteps drew closer towards us. Seeing that the opportunity I was waiting for had arrived, I slid my hand back from behind him, and I curled my fingers around his shaft.
His breaths became yet heavier as I stroked him, and for a second, I wondered if everything only sounded loud to me because of the echoes within the crate, or if it was really loud enough for people outside to hear. A tinge of uncertainty suddenly hit me. Would someone actually hear us? I didn’t really intend on getting us caught, after all. But what if I overestimated the crate’s ability to muffle sounds … or our ability to hold back?
Well, it was too late to hold back now anyhow.. I lamented over the last bit of my modesty that seemed to have just shattered, and I parted my lips, swallowing him.