Page 24 of Split or Swallow

His words were harsh, and Tem knew they were the truth. She was not the one with the power—she was here for the prince’s pleasure, not the other way around.

“Right,” she whispered. “Sorry.”

Caspen’s expression softened.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

His fingers returned to her clitoris, and for a moment, all he did was touch her. Tem felt the familiar stirring of desire rear its head, and she wished she could sit up and touch him too. She wondered if Caspen wanted her to. He was clearly hard, but she had no idea whether that meant he was actually enjoying himself since he didn’t stroke his cock like he did last time. He only touched her clitoris, and although it felt amazing, she desperately wanted more from him.

As soon as she thought it, he slipped two fingers all the way inside her.

Tem gasped. Caspen’s eyes flicked to hers. If she didn’t say something, she was going to moan, and that seemed inappropriate given Caspen’s silence. So she said:

“Does that have a name too?”

Tem’s mother had always called it her “womanhood”, which was decidedly vile. Vera called it her “flower”, which was even worse.

If Caspen thought the question was weird, he didn’t say so, instead answering calmly:

“Pussy. Center. Vagina. Cunt. You can call it whatever you like.”

The words were bizarre. Tem couldn’t fathom calling it any of them.

“What do you like to call it?”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Pussy,” he said simply.

Tem wondered what the prince liked to call it.

“Do you like that?” Caspen murmured, cutting off her thoughts.

“Yes,” Tem said.

“Good,” his fingers went deeper. “It is only the beginning of what you will experience.”

Tem couldn’t imagine anything more than this.

“It is my job to teach you what to expect,” he continued.

She nodded, although she wasn’t listening. What he was doing felt so good she couldn’t think straight—it was as if someone had poured honey into her brain, and all she could taste was sweetness. It felt as if every molecule in her body was on fire—like he was stirring the edges of her into a singular, perfect shape. It was different from the pulses, which were cerebral—reverberating and lingering in her body like electrical surges. His fingers, on the other hand, were undeniably physical, forcing her to stay in the present and experience exactly what was happening.

Now that Caspen was touching her, Tem felt suddenly jealous that anyone else had shared this experience with him. She wanted to ground him in this moment—to remind him that it was her that he was touching, and nobody else.

“You’re so…” Tem could barely get the words out. “…good at this.”

Caspen let out a small laugh.

“As I should be.”

“Will it feel like this with the prince?”

Maybe she was imagining it, but she swore Caspen frowned. His words were clipped as he answered:

“He has had anyone he wanted his entire life. So he is familiar with a woman’s body.”

Tem felt her stomach flip. Even though Caspen was teaching her—and touching her—she still felt like she would be clueless when she finally faced the prince. How could she possibly compete with girls like Vera, who had touched and been touched by men many times before? It was unfathomable. She couldn’t hope to compare.