Today had been a good day, Erica decided. Caspian had begun to truly take his task seriously, and they seemed to be closer now than they were during their first few interactions. She would admit, a part of that was her fault. She had not made a good first impression on him. But, it had all worked out for the best—and best of all, she had finally managed to bust Marco and shut down his refining factories.

An official letter to the MSC would be sent out tomorrow, asking one of their representatives to come down and run a full-scale investigation into Marco's refining practices. They were sure to turn up some dirt on the thorny little pain in her perfectly-shaped rear end, then he would be gone for good, and she could divvy up the refineries among the more respectable managers.

Yes, all in all, today had been a very good day. Outstanding even.

Which was why Erica had decided to celebrate the best way she knew how.

Well... the second best way, actually, but with Derek bedridden, the first way was simply out of the question. Unless she decided to use Caspian, but she didn't think he'd be up for a wild night of passionate romping. She also had to account for his inexperience. The young man had, quite obviously in her opinion, never been with a woman. Delicious as he looked, Erica didn't think the young man would last long with her, and he wouldn't have the experience to know how best to please her.

Ah, well. Maybe some other time, like after Derek kicked the bucket. With luck, Caspian would still be available when that happened. It would be disappointing if he became Knighted to another Sorceress.

But those were thoughts for later. For now, she would just contend herself with a steaming hot bath. Few things in this world were more relaxing than a nice hot bath, which Erica could attest to. In fact, as far as she was concerned, only one thing in this world could beat a hot bath.

As she lowered herself into the steaming water that filled her bathtub, a happy sigh caressed her luscious red lips. A deep breath was taken. Erica inhaled the scent of lavender, smiling as several petals caressed her floating breasts, tickling her skin, and eliciting an appreciative moan from her.

She heard a noise that reminded her of a squeaking mouse and smiled. She could just picture Caspian's face, the redness of his cheeks, the round wideness of his eyes, the way he fought against his body's desire. No doubt the young man was even now imagining her lying in this tub, the water and flower petals gliding across her naked form like a thousand hands giving her the ultimate massage. The thought sent a thrill through her body.

"Would you like to join me?" she asked, feeling a devilish smile touch her lips. That smile only widened when she heard a loud crash, followed by a string of swearing. For such a young man, Caspian had quite the vocabulary on him.

"O-of course not! Why would I want to join you?! Why would you even ask that?!"

"No particular reason." Erica raised her arms, caressing her left arm with her right hand, enjoying the soft feel of her silky smooth skin. "I just thought you might like to help wash my back."

An intense banging sound was quickly followed by another, and then another, and another and... was Caspian bashing his head against her wall?

The crashing suddenly stopped, plunging the room into startling silence.

"I won't be washing anyone's back," Caspian declared, his voice slurred as if he was drunk.

"Not even your own? In that case, how about I wash your back?"

"You won't be washing my back either!"

"Oh, poo."

Despite the agitated response she received, Erica felt like laughing. What innocence! Truly, she had never met a soul more innocent than Caspian's. At least as far as acts of the flesh went.

Thinking on it, Caspian posed something of a mystery to her. She knew of him, the young man of ignoble birth who'd been granted admission into the most prestigious school in all of Arcadia. When Sylvia de Floresca had informed everyone that he would be granted permission to attend there, she had sent shock waves through the ranks. Many nobles had protested this, and even a few Sorceresses had questioned her sanity.

Erica had not, which had surprised everyone who knew them. Out of all the Sorceresses in Arcadia, she was the only one willing to butt heads with the Grand Sorceress of the Sorceress's Council and heroine of the Elven Wars. And they did butt heads. Their arguments were near legendary among the ruling classes. Even the nobles were aware of their many disputes.

Most of their peers had been downright stupefied when Erica had not contested Silvia's decision to allow a plebeian into the academy. In truth, she felt more than a little shocked herself.

But more than that, Erica felt intrigued. What made this boy so special that the greatest Sorceress in the world would let him go to Arcadia's Knight Academy? There must surely be more to this choice than a simple whim.

Erica planned on finding out that reason.

It was not well-known to the other Sorceresses, or known at all, but Erica, despite her dislike of books, absolutely adored puzzles. And Caspian, handsome, strong, talented and intelligent was definitely a puzzle—one that she would thoroughly enjoy solving.

"Hey, Erica? You mind if I ask you something?"

Erica stifled another moan. Raising one leg out of the soapy water and admiring the droplets as they ran down her shapely calf and thigh. "You just did."

"Fine then." She could almost hear the eye roll in his voice. "Would you mind if I asked you about something related to what happened today?"

"I'm not usually one for answering questions like that." Erica paused, letting the silence stretch out. Within her mind, she pictured Caspian leaning against the door, his ear pressed against the varnished mahogany. A giggle threatened to escape, but she quickly hid it by saying, "but I suppose I could answer your question, since it's you asking."

"Thank you." There was a pause. Gathering his thoughts, maybe? "I wanted to ask what will happen to those refineries now?"

"I suppose that would depend on what the investigation turns up," Erica hummed in thought, even as her hands moved up her calf and massaged the tautness out of it. Mm, she really wished Derek were well so he could massage her. "Chances are good that the investigation will show his factories to be in violation of several laws, in which case, he will be stripped of his position and sent to jail. After that, it'll be my job to ensure his holdings are given to people who are more responsible."

"And what of the people who work there? Now that the refineries are temporarily shut down, how will they make a living?"

"Oh my. Is that concern I hear in your voice?"

Caspian was silent for a moment. "It's... it's not like I care about what happens to them or anything. I don't know any of those people. I was just... curious."

"Curious, you say?"

"Yes, curious."

Erica giggled quietly to herself. The boy really was too easy to read.

If Erica had learned one thing about Caspian, it was that he hid himself behind a wall. That uncaring, lone-wolf attitude of his shielded him from the world, and his sharp tongue kept almost everyone at arm's-length. They kept people from seeing the real Caspian, the one that hid underneath several layers of sarcasm and aloofness. Deep down, the young man possessed a kind and caring soul.

It made her wonder why he had so many defenses in the first place. She supposed it was just another part of his mystery.

"You still haven't answered my question," Caspian said.

"You're right, I haven't, have I?" Erica set her legs into the water again and leaned back until her head rested against the lip of the tub. She stared up at the ceiling as she answered Caspian's question. "The MSC will provide for those who are no longer able to work because of the foolish actions of their manager. It was for their safety and well-being that the Magic Safety Coalition was formed in the first place. They will see to it that the workers are well-cared for."

"I see." Erica smiled when she heard the relief in Caspian's voice. Yes, the young man might try to hide it, but deep inside, he actually did have a caring and compassionate heart.

"Just like someone else you know."

Be quiet.

"Now then, I have grown rather tired of all this talk of work. Why don't you come in here and scrub my back for me? I'm sure it'll be an enjoyable experience for the both of us." Erica giggled when she heard several more crashes come from behind the door.

"By the spirits woman! Why won't you stop messing with me?!"

"Because it's fun. And who said I was messing with you? I was being quite serious. I would love it if you could help me wash my back."

...

No response.

"Caspie?"

She was met with silence.

"Caspian?"

Still no response.

Now actually feeling a little worried, Erica stood up and got out of her bath. She wrapped a towel securely around her buxom figure, then padded over to the door.

Upon opening the door, Caspian's prone form fell into the room. Erica immediately noticed that the young man had passed out. His eyes were rolled up into the back of his head, and his jaw was slack. Oddly enough, a trickle of blood also ran down his nose, as if he'd slammed his head face first into a wall or something.

Erica could only think of one thing to say.

"Oh, my."