Page 27 of First Snow

“Aww, come on,” Annikki coos. “You haven’t done your show with the whip for ages.”

“And you know why.”

“If we clearly state that it’s a show and not a demonstration, people can take responsibility for themselves. I’d say no one in his right mind will try to copy that number for real.”

“And you know that’s not what I’m concerned about."

“Spoilsport.” Annikki laughs. “Oh, hey, there’s Arttu.” Annikki swings around in her hammock and waves at the man entering the main hall.

Jareth turns halfway to drink in the sight of Arttu still clad in his leather jacket, his hair slightly disheveled. That’s why he senses Annikki slipping a second too late. She loses her balance and lands on the floor with an ominousthud.

“Perkele!” she exclaims.

Jareth crouches down by her side. He feels Arttu dropping to his knees right next to him.

“Are you okay?” Arttu asks, concern lacing his voice.

“Dammit, woman, what are you doing?”

“Whoops,” Annikki groans and shakes out her wrist.

“Let me see.” Jareth takes her left hand and scans it carefully for potential damage. “Nothing broken, but it could be sprained.”

“Does it hurt?” Arttu asks.

Annikki sends him a fond glance. Jareth understands his own obsession with the man to a certain extent, it’s a Fae thing. His kind can get infatuated very quickly. Not that Jareth has experienced it before, though he has been warned about it. But Annikki has taken a liking to Arttu, too, the traitor.

“Not much,” Annikki answers. “But I probably won’t be able to do my demonstration like this.”

“You’ll have to find someone else,” Jareth growls. Damn, he knows where she’s going with this.

“You can’t let her work like this,” Arttu says.

“Why don’t you do your infamous spanking demonstration?” Annikki asks slyly.

Oblivious to Annikki’s little scheme, Arttu raises a questioning eyebrow at Jareth.

“Youknowwhy I won’t,” Jareth grits out.

“Care to enlighten me too?” Arttu chimes in.

Jareth glares at him, but, well, if Arttu insists... Why the fuck not? Someone has to teach him that being the knight in shining armor doesn’t always pay off. He needs to be more careful. “Are you volunteering to do the demonstration with me?”

Arttu’s eyes widen. “What?” His voice turns satisfyingly high-pitched. Good.

“He needs a sub who does the spanking session with him, honey,” Annikki says.

“Oh.” Arttu blushes, his gaze switching between Jareth and Annikki.

“Yeah, I thought as much,” Jareth growls as Arttu fails to answer. “We’ll find someone else.”

“What would I have to do?”

“Come again?” Jareth can’t believe his ears.

“What would I have to do?” Arttu chews on his bottom lip, glancing up at him nervously through his lashes. Like this, he looks good enough to eat. Jareth is so screwed.

“You just have to hold still and look pretty,” Annikki says, not helpful in the least.