Chapter 899 899 - A challenge**
Having lost all hesitation in the face of Erik's display, Asha began telling him about herself. Or, more specifically, about her sex life. She was bi and had a relatively submissive girlfriend, who was the actual creator of these beauty products. They had an open relationship, but only on Asha's side, and she made generous use of that freedom.
Erik got the feeling Asha felt something genuine for this girlfriend of hers, yet wasn't entirely satisfied with their sex life. Like him, Asha craved the rush of absolute devotion in a lover's eyes as they gave the entirety of themselves to their dom. She saw this devotion in Leila, but hadn't managed to create it in her girlfriend yet.
As she talked, the sounds of Leila gagging and slurping on Erik's fat shaft only served to underscore the topic of discussion, not distract from it. By now, her hands were hanging limply by her side as she continuously impaled her throat on his cock, bulging her flesh with his girth. Her eyes—while half-lidded and unfocused—never drifted far from Erik's face, constantly searching for the approval she craved from him.
Occasionally, he gave her what she wanted. Maybe he caressed her hair once, or gave her a small smile, or even just uttered a small groan from the pleasure she gave him. Leila received it all, and her mind melted in a puddle every time. When he gripped the back of her head a little tighter and began thrusting into her throat, she took it with glee.
Yet, his main focus was on Asha. "So, you've made some good steps, but you're clearly unsatisfied with your progress," Erik nodded after she was done. Then he smiled a little. "So, are you willing to receive a little help…?"
Asha was still lying on her belly on the counter, feet dancing in the air, peeking over the edge to look at Leila and occasionally glancing at Erik. When he asked her this, she first grinned and eagerly nodded… but then frowned and looked at him cautiously. "I do… but nothing in this world comes free. Why are you helping me? I'm sure you've got more important things to do. I'm enjoying the show, but what's it for?"
Erik chuckled mysteriously. "Honestly, partly I'm just enjoying myself… but you're right, there's something else I want from you."
Asha looked almost relieved to hear it. She considered herself a businesswoman and preferred dealing with up-front costs. She also didn't believe he was looking for her body as payment, not at this point. The measure she got from him was not of someone who enjoyed forceful domination, but rather a far more insidious kind. The same kind she enjoyed.
She nodded to let him continue, and he did. "I want to issue you a challenge," he smiled, his hips continuing to steal Leila's oxygen. "You see, I'm looking for someone to manage my Empire's economy."
Instantly, Asha's eyes widened. The gagging Leila was entirely forgotten, and she pushed herself up with her hands to meet his eye height. "I—!"
"Uh-huh," Erik smirked, pushing a finger against her lips to stop her. "Let me finish. Currently, my empress has taken this upon herself, but she's far too busy with other things. Now, if you take my challenge, I'll teach you how to dominate and give you gifts to aid you."
He cocked his head a little and narrowed his eyes. "If you complete my challenge and prove yourself, the position is yours. But if you fail, I'll take this store back as payment for my help. Alternatively, you can refuse my challenge and keep the store, but I won't teach you anything, and managing the empire's finances will be forever out of your reach."
Asha's eyes sparkled with green and a desire for power; her lips trembled against his finger. Laughing, Erik took his finger away, and as he expected, she immediately cried out: "Challenge accepted! Bring it on, whatever it is! I'll crush it!"
"So eager," Erik chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "You realise it will mostly just be a lot of work, right? I mean," he waved at his surroundings, "you won't be able to build up your own business anymore."
Yet, her grin only widened. "What are you talking about? The empire will be my business, and I'll love to see it grow under my fingers! I was just finishing my business studies when the awakening rolled around, you know?! I'm perfect for this!"
Erik's eyes glimmered in reaction to her enthusiasm. "It seems we really might have found a good one," Elora giggled in his head. "But are you sure this is the way you want to go? I doubt this woman will be as loyal to you as a member of your harem."
"Heh, you should know more than anyone that loyalty means little when you can use covenants and bonds to ensure it," he responded confidently. "Plus, none of my current wives or servants are suited for this type of work, and there's no guarantee I find someone in the future who is. Finally… I like this Asha. I think we could be friends."
The fairy could only agree with him, and truthfully, she was just happy she might soon be able to offload some of her responsibilities on someone else.
"So what's the challenge?!" Asha asked, practically hopping up and down on the countertop from enthusiasm.
Not keeping her in suspense, Erik raised three fingers. "It's three-fold. First, prove your ability to manipulate and dominate others. Second, prove your business acumen. And finally, I'll need you to accept my final demand. You'll find out more about that last one after you've successfully completed the first two. You'll have six months to complete those two."
He held up one finger. "For the first one, you need to form a harem of at least five people, all of whom should be entirely submissive to you, with at least one of them on the same level as Leila here." At this point, he pointed down at the loopy princess getting her throat expanded by his girthy cock.
"Furthermore," he continued, "more than half of them need to be second-ranked, and if you've reached the third-rank by then, at least one of them needs to be the same way. Finally… at least two of them need to be Runebound, and first-ranked once doesn't count here. Prove to me you can compensate for the natural, physical dominance of Runebound through spells, manipulation, and cunning."
He lowered his hand and grinned at her. "When you think you're done, you need to come to the palace and prove the devotion of your harem in the throne room, with me and others watching."
Though Asha started confidently, with every condition he added, she became less so. When he was done, she gulped a moment and looked down at Leila, before looking up at him again. After a moment of silence, she suddenly slapped her own cheek. Instantly, hesitation and doubt disappeared, and she grinned confidently again. "Fine! But those lessons and aids you promised me better be fire!"
"I'll teach you all I know," he chuckled with amusement. "It will be up to you to make use of what I give you."
She nodded quickly, and Erik explained the second challenge. "For the business side of things," he then shrugged, "just grow what you've got here in some significant way. I won't pretend to know enough about this to give you a coherent goal here, but you need something to point to and say 'look, this is how my business has grown in these six months', and I need to be impressed by what I see."
Asha's grin immediately widened, completely unconcerned. "Easy! I'll blow your socks off! I've already got so many plans!"
"Haha, good!" he laughed, matching her enthusiasm, before grinning mysteriously. "Now… let's start the lesson…"