Confrontation

Seeing Roxy and Lynette standing near the landing of the stairs, a memory resurfaced in Paul's mind. It was a scene from the original series where the main character, Rudeus, stumbled across an impassioned Roxy panting as she sneakily masturbated to Paul and Zenith making love.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Paul half-closed the door behind him, questioning, "What's up? I doubt the two of you came to join in on the fun."

Since he had yet to summon Lyney, Paul knew better than to pressure or tease Lynette. There were occasions where they would kiss and cuddle, but that was about the extent of their intimacy.

Answering before Roxy could think of an excuse, Lynette calmly revealed, "I caught this one skulking around, so I stopped and questioned her."

With an indignant expression on her face, Roxy quietly yet exasperatedly exclaimed, "I wasn't skulking around! I came to investigate the source of a sound that was keeping me awake...!"

With Lynette not sparing Roxy a glance, it was up to Paul to ask, "What kind of sound...?"

Though it was incredibly obvious what Roxy was referring to, Paul still felt compelled to ask. He had invested a considerable amount of gold toward ensuring their room was adequately soundproofed. If the magical wards were already beginning to break down, he would be demanding his money back.

Hearing Paul's casual inquiry, Roxy blushed to the point it was perceptible even in the low-lighting of the hallway. She had never been very good at lying, so she didn't know how to respond without sounding like a pervert. It didn't help that Paul was currently standing topless with nothing but a bedsheet wrapped precariously around his waist.

With Roxy too overwhelmed to supply a response, Lynette took it upon herself to clarify, "There are no sounds coming from inside the room. It's the floorboards. They're creaking."

Not expecting such a response, Paul found himself at a momentary loss for words. He knew that Roxy had been laid to rest in the room previously used by Amalie and Esme. If she could hear the creaking all the way from the basement...

Exhaling a sigh, Paul's expression became noticeably sincere as he said, "Sorry. Had I known, I would have taken extra precautions..."

With Paul directing his gaze toward her, Lynette looked toward the nearby wall as if she had suddenly spotted something interesting.

"..."

Understanding it wasn't Lynette's fault that the floorboards were creaking, Paul just shook his head before shifting his gaze to Roxy and asking, "So? What do you want to do...?"

Realizing that Paul was addressing her, Roxy's expression revealed her confusion as she asked, "Pardon...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul said, "It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out the cause of the floorboards creaking. Someone as intelligent as you would have been able to put two and two together in a heartbeat. Yet here you are."

Unable to refute Paul's words, Roxy found herself clenching the hem of her dress as she muttered, "I...I just..."

Though he had the impression he was pushing the petite Migurdian a little too hard, Paul explained, "Listen, Roxy. I'm not going to pretend to be a good guy. It's pretty much impossible for me to stick with a single woman due to my circumstances, so you're setting yourself up to be disappointed if you think I'll stop sleeping with other girls. I respect you; I really do, so I'm warning you ahead of time...you would probably be a lot happier if you found someone else to fall in love with. I would treat you well, but I could never love you or anyone else as much as they deserve..."

Seeing Paul's usually carefree expression briefly replaced by a pained, self-deprecating smile, a solemn atmosphere suddenly permeated the dimly lit hallway. Both Lynette and Roxy felt like they should say or do something, but the atmosphere had completely overwhelmed them. They were like bystanders witnessing a tragedy, wanting to help but afraid they would only make things worse.

Fortunately for the reticent duo, they weren't the only ones listening in on Paul's words. The door behind him was abruptly flung open, followed by a naked Barbara wrapping her arms around him and fretfully asserting, "You shouldn't say things like that...!"

Correcting his expression, a light-hearted chuckle emanated from Paul's throat as he peeled away Barbara's hands and turned to face her. Then, with his hands cupping her increasingly toned yet still pliant buttcheeks, he raised her to face level as he said, "Relax...I'm talking about right this instant. Once everything has been settled, I'd be more than willing to fall in love..."

Without allowing Barbara the opportunity to respond, Paul planted a deep and passionate kiss on her lips. He hated receiving pity, so he had always put a tremendous amount of effort into concealing his vulnerabilities from others. The last thing he needed was a bunch of people trying to counsel or console him.

Though she could tell Paul was trying to distract her, Barbara couldn't help immersing herself in his kiss. His caress caused her body to tremble with anticipation while his saliva functioned like a powerful aphrodisiac, suffusing her brain and body with a fiery yet pleasant numbness. Kusanali had hypothesized this was due to Paul's desire to make them fall in love with him, but Barbara had never cared about such speculations. She had fallen for Paul the moment he acknowledged her and asked if she would grow stronger alongside him.

After more than a minute of passionate kissing, Paul allowed Barbara a moment to breathe, smiling as he gazed into impassioned, cerulean blue eyes and stated, "You're so fucking beautiful right now..."

Slapping Paul's chest, Barbara promptly chided, "Language...!" despite the silly smile plastered across her face. She generally presented herself as a very earnest and polite woman in public, but she secretly enjoyed it when Paul behaved like a rogue.

Suppressing the sudden urge to eat up the petite woman dangling in his embrace, Paul planted a comparably chaste kiss on Barbara's lips before setting her down and whispering, "Go back to bed. I'll be there shortly..."

Shaking her head, Barbara left Paul speechless as she suddenly looked toward Roxy and said, "Paul is a good man and a very considerate lover. Even if it's just for the remainder of our stay in Sharia, I recommend you indulge yourself in his care. You'll regret it otherwise."

Finished with what she had to say, Barbara supplied a playful wink before retreating into the comparably bright bedroom.

"That girl..."

Though he was tempted to ask what the hell happened while Barbara was at the Sword Sanctum, Paul momentarily shelved the matter as he shifted his attention to the petite duo standing further down the hallway. Lynette appeared as calm and collected as usual, but Roxy was blushing up to her ears as she gripped the hem of her blue and white dress.

Thinking Barbara's tantalizing may have been a little much, Paul was about to apologize and ask if Roxy wanted him to escort her back to her Inn. Before the words could even begin form in his throat, however, Roxy left him utterly speechless as she averted her eyes, raised the hem of her dress, and revealed, "I wore these especially for you..."

Rather than the plain white panties she typically wore, Roxy was sporting a pair of expensive black lingerie that she had managed to acquire during her brief stint through the Milbots Regions. When she initially formed the resolve to ask Paul to accompany her into the city, she had changed into them at the last moment. Not because she wanted them to be seen, but just in case Paul caught a glimpse...

Though it was one of the most awkward scenes he had ever witnessed, Paul managed a smile as he said, "Nice. I think dark blue would suit you a little better, but they're not bad at all."

Hearing Paul's 'compliment,' Roxy managed to meet his gaze as she said, "The merchant I purchased them from didn't have any dark blue ones..."

Restraining a laugh, Paul squinted his eyes slightly before making his way toward the petite blunette. Despite the low light of the corridor, he could make out that she was trembling slightly as she craned her head quite a bit to maintain eye contact with him.

Instead of kneeling down and meeting Roxy face-to-face, Paul mimicked what he did to Barbara. He had to stoop slightly, but he managed to grab the blunette's comparably small, almost palm-sized bottom before lifting her up and smiling as he said, "Caught you..."

Confused by Paul's words, Roxy was about to ask what he meant when her eyes suddenly became round as saucers. She had expected him to ask if she was sure about her decision. Instead, he sealed her lips with a kiss, his fingers writhing about beneath her dress as he massaged and squeezed her butt.

Though she panicked near the beginning, smacking Paul's chest with both of her hands, Roxy felt her heart and stomach fluttering when he released her lips and whispered, "I've been looking forward to this..." in a voice that seemed to pierce directly through her.

While it was true that he had been looking forward to becoming intimate with Roxy, Paul didn't reveal the actual reason why. It didn't truly matter in the end, so he allowed her to think whatever she wanted as he shifted her to a princess carry and planted another kiss on her lips. Lynette had already leaped into the rafters by that point, so Paul didn't bother asking if she wanted to join them as he turned around and carried the quivering Migurdian towards his bedroom.

Since the soundproofing didn't work when the door was ajar, none of the girls sharing Paul's bed were surprised to see him enter along with Roxy. Instead, it was Paul who was left confused as everyone had changed into their nightgowns or casual attire, clearly intending to leave the room.

Clearing any doubts Paul may have still had, Jean calmly explained, "A woman's first time is an important event. At least for tonight, the two of you should enjoy yourselves without disruption. We can worry about the rest later."

Before Paul could ask if they were certain, Barbara chimed in to tease, "We're not children, Paul. We can go one or two nights without having you dote on us."

Taking advantage of the fact she was standing near him, Barbara planted a quick peck on Paul's cheek before directing another wink towards Roxy and mouthing the words, 'Good luck.' Then, before she could change her mind, she departed the room with a bit of a skip in her step.

Following Barbara's example, Jean, Eula, and Ei all planted kisses on his cheeks before departing. This left Paul and Roxy as the only two people left in the room, both stunned to silence as they stood near the entrance with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

Recovering significantly faster than his diminutive companion, Paul forced a smile as he mused, "Those girls...how considerate of them..."

"..."

Feeling even more nervous now that it was just her and Paul, Roxy could barely manage a nod as she shrank within his embrace. She had originally planned to observe from the sidelines so she wouldn't make any mistakes. Now, she felt like she had studied for a test only to realize that the subject was something completely different come exam day...

Fortunately for Roxy, Paul was actually pretty spent after blowing his load in Barbara, Jean, Eula, and Ei a total of eleven times. He didn't mind taking things slow, so he softly assured, "We'll go at your pace and only move on when you're ready. No need to force yourself."

Thinking Paul was overly concerned due to her size, a faint pout formed on Roxy's face as he laid her down on his surprisingly large bed. It was big enough to hold five people comfortably, so it made Roxy appear even smaller as Paul stared down at her with a knowing smile on his face.

Resisting the temptation to point out how her pouting only made her appear even cuter, Paul quelled any arguments Roxy may have had by abruptly removing the sheet covering his waist. When her crystalline blue eyes observed what he was working with, even she began to have doubts about her ability to handle it. It only lasted for a moment, but Paul noticed a hint of fear in Roxy's eyes before she suddenly adopted an adorable yet incomparably resolute expression on her face...

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