The Aristocrat

by Penelope Ward

  He laughed. “You didn’t just say that.”

  “I’m not sure which part you’re asking about. By the way, did it annoy you when I called you that?”

  “From anyone else, it would have been annoying, but from you it’s kind of hot. Feel free to say it again, but I was actually referring to the tying you up part.”

  “Can we play Lord Covington does bondage with the peasant girl?”

  “You’re bad when you’re drunk, you know that?” He placed his knees on either side of my body and kissed my neck. “It brings out your devious side.”

  I shrugged. “At least you can say you experienced both sides of me before we parted ways.”

  “Don’t talk about that right now—my leaving.”

  “What are you going to do if I defy you?”

  “Let me guess…the right answer is tie you up?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Be careful what you wish for, Miss Dunleavy. I have no problem giving you exactly what you’re asking for and more. Especially the way I’m feeling right now.”

  “I’m sort of curious about the ‘and more’ part.”

  With a twinkle in his eye, Leo hopped off the bed and went to his closet. He returned with one of his ties.

  “Lift your hands over your head,” he demanded. His eyes were dead serious, and a thrill shot through me. Leo placed the tie around my wrists and tied it in a knot. “I’d put something over your eyes, but I like looking in them too much.”

  After he worked to slip my bikini off, he pulled his shorts down, leaving his glistening cock hanging in the air.

  “What shall I do first?” he asked.

  “Fuck my mouth.”

  I’d only gone down on him one other time this weekend, a random moment when I snuck up on him in the bathroom. He’d been caught off guard and came in a matter of seconds.

  “You discovered my weakness, didn’t you? Maybe I’ll last more than twenty seconds this time.”

  I sat up a bit, with my hands still over my head, as Leo knelt before me on the bed and stuck his cock in my mouth. He groaned as his eyes rolled back, surrendering to the gratuitous pleasure as I took him all the way down my throat.

  He suddenly pulled out and slid down. “Open your legs wide.”

  Within seconds, he’d pushed himself inside, fucking me hard. I wished my hands were free so I could grab his hair, but there was something arousing about giving up that little bit of control.

  “I’m going to fucking blow my load, Felicity,” he groaned. “Damn your pussy and the alcohol making me weak. But I know you’re not ready to come.”

  Bending my head back, I panted, “Come on my chest.”

  His eyes widened as he pulled out, jerking his thick cock until streams of hot cum shot all over my skin. It was simply breathtaking—the way his mouth fell open as he orgasmed and the sounds he made as he covered me.

  “Untie me,” I begged, so incredibly turned on.

  He did as I said, and the moment my hands were free, I brought them to my clit and circled it with my two middle fingers. Leo watched intently as I pleasured myself. It took a matter of seconds before the muscles between my legs contracted.

  “Watching you do that with my cum all over you is just about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  He lay on top of me and slipped his tongue into my mouth as we once again fell into a deep kiss.

  We found the tequila and stayed in our drunken state in bed for the remainder of the day.

  The afternoon turned to evening, and we’d just finished having sex again when Leo slowly pulled out of me and said, “I love…fucking you so much.”

  My heart nearly stopped. For a split second, I thought he’d told me he loved me. Would it have mattered that he’d said it while intoxicated? Likely not. But when he completed the sentence, I felt as much disappointment as I did relief.

  Why would I want him to say those words anyway? Stupid.

  The room spun a little, but I didn’t regret the tequila. It had done its job. I prayed that the thought of him loving me—or not loving me—would go away and forced my mind to something else.

  Sinking into Leo’s silk sheets, I made another random drunken announcement.

  “I wish I had a Shetland pony.”

  Leo cracked up. “Where in God’s name did that come from?”

  I hiccupped. “Blame the tequila. But a Shetland pony is something I used to wish for a lot when I was younger, and for some reason, I really want one right now.”

  “Like, right this second?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Would you take it to law school with you?”

  “Well, that’s the problem.”

  “We have several horses on our family property, actually.”

  “See? You’re lucky. A Shetland pony would blend right in.”

  “Pretty sure I take them all for granted.” Leo nuzzled my neck. “What is it about the Shetland that you like?”

  “Have you ever seen one?”

  “Can’t say that I have.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone. “Let me look it up.” He scrolled for a while. “Ah. They’re from Scotland. It says here that they were originally used as pack horses in the eighteen-hundreds, taken to work in the coal mines in England.” He turned to me. “They’re basically English. That’s why you like them.”

  I cackled. “That’s got to be it.”

  “Although, I thought you preferred us hung like horses. Not the horses themselves.” He slapped himself. “Christ, I sound like my cousin. Sorry.” He looked back at the image on his phone. “Gosh, they’re tiny, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah. They’re so cute.”

  He tossed the phone and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. “You’re so cute.”

  I wanted to make the most of the rest of the night, but somehow lying in Leo’s arms was the last thing I remembered before drifting off.

  A somber air cast a shadow over Monday morning. Our staycation was officially over, and that bummed me out. As expected, I’d awakened with a terrible hangover. Leo drove to Dunkin’ Donuts to get bagels, and ended up coming back with not only those, but donuts and other pastries, as well as a giant box of coffee.

  “I didn’t realize we were sponsoring breakfast for the entire town,” I teased.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I thought I’d get a variety. And I figured you’d need a lot of coffee this morning.”

  “That’s definitely enough.”

  He seemed a bit on edge, as he kept checking his phone.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked. “Is that Sig? He must be on his way back from Boston soon.”

  He placed his phone in his pocket. “No, no one texted. I was just checking the time.”

  “You’ve been looking at your phone a lot. I assumed someone was messaging you.”

  He hesitated. “I’m expecting a…visitor.”

  Before he could elaborate, the doorbell rang.

  “There he is now. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  Rather than wait, I followed him to the foyer.

  When he opened the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My jaw dropped.

  A man stood on the porch next to the most beautiful, gray Shetland pony I’d ever seen.

  “Leo, what the—what did you do?”

  He didn’t answer, and instead took a huge wad of cash from his wallet and paid the man. They exchanged some information, and before I knew it, the guy was gone, but the pony stayed. With my mouth still ajar, I walked over and began rubbing its soft mane.

  “Are you crazy?” I yelled at Leo.

  “Okay, hear me out. I—”

  “What are we supposed to do with him?”

  “Last night after you finally passed out, I went online to see if there were any Shetland ponies for sale in the area. As luck would have it, this chap is moving to Florida and needed to unload this little guy ASAP. I figured we’d enjoy him for a few weeks and then find him a perma
nent home before we both leave town.”

  “Okay…but where are you going to put him?”

  “I’ll keep him here.”

  I looked around. “Here?”

  “Yes. Sigmund won’t mind.”

  “What happens if we can’t find a home for him?”

  “Worse comes to worst, I’ll take him back to England. He can join the other horses on our property.”

  “I can’t imagine how expensive it must be to ship a horse to England.”

  “He’s not that much bigger than a large dog. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “How are you going to explain bringing a horse back home with you? Your family will think you’ve gone insane.” I pulled out my phone and did a quick Google search. “Oh my God, Leo. Ten-thousand dollars on average. That’s how much it costs to ship a horse overseas!”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He walked over to me. “Let me ask you this. Are you happy he’s here?”

  “Yes. Very, but—”

  “Then it’s worth every penny.” He petted the pony. “I can’t offer you the world. I can’t even fucking give you myself. Let me give you him until the end of the summer. Then I promise I’ll make sure he goes to a good home—even if it’s mine.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes. Too much about what he’d just said made me emotional. And this was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.

  “Is it wrong that I’m a bit jealous because he might get to live with you?” A tear fell from my eye.

  Leo bent to meet me where I knelt. He wiped my eyes and kissed me long and passionately until the horse neighed, interrupting our moment.

  “Does he have a name?” I asked.

  “I never inquired.” He turned to the animal. “Identify yourself.”

  The horse neighed again.

  I shook my head in laughter. “This is ludicrous.”

  “Indeed.” Leo eyed the animal. “Hmm… That would be a fitting name for him, don’t you think?”

  “What?”

  “Ludicrous.”

  “You know what?” I wrapped my arms around the pony’s neck and hugged him. “Oddly, I can’t think of a better name.”

  Here he was, our new, temporary love child.

  We spent the rest of the day buying supplies for him. Ludicrous was just the distraction I needed from my ever-growing attachment to Leo. Although, did I really want to fall in love with both a horse and a man I wouldn’t be able to keep?

  I froze as I realized what I’d just admitted to myself—I was falling in love with Leo.

  * * *

  Leo

  Track 15: “Never Say Goodbye” by Bon Jovi

  After a full day of horsing around—quite literally—Felicity returned to her house Monday evening. When Sigmund returned from his trip later that night, he was less than amused to discover our new roommate.

  “Why in the bloody hell is there a horse in our living room?”

  I closed the magazine I’d been looking at. “Oh, you’re back.”

  “Yes. Apparently, I should have stayed in Boston. What the fuck is going on?”

  “This is Ludicrous.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  “No. That’s his name. Ludicrous. I bought him for Felicity.”

  “I would ask why, but there is no answer that could ever make sense.”

  We’d set up a safety gate to cordon off an area of the living room.

  “She told me she’d always wanted a Shetland pony, so I decided to buy one and keep it here for the rest of the summer.”

  “Yeah. That makes total fucking sense, Leo. I knew you were a bit daft when it came to her, but this takes it to a new level.”

  “Don’t worry. He’ll be spending a good amount of time out in the side yard. I only brought him in tonight because it’s raining.”

  “Did you at least get to shag her before she had you turning this place into a funny farm?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  He laughed. “I’ll just check the condom box I left you and see if it’s opened.”

  “That’s not going to tell you anything, actually.” I immediately regretted my words.

  “Why is that? Please tell me you covered it up.”

  My lack of response and perhaps the look on my face caused him to draw the right conclusion.

  His eyes widened. “You didn’t use anything with her? Are you fucking insane?”

  “She’s on the pill.”

  He raised his tone. “I don’t give a damn what she says. You can’t trust it.”

  “Yes, I can trust her. And I do.”

  “Well, you’re stupider than I thought, then.”

  “You know I don’t take things like that lightly. I’ve always been careful, with every single person.”

  “Do you realize how easily she could trap you?”

  “She wouldn’t do that.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I know her, and I trust her more than anyone I’ve ever known. I trust her more than I trust you, for Christ’s sake.”

  “I think you’re officially delusional.”

  “It’s none of your concern, Sigmund. Besides, how is my having unprotected sex with someone I trust who’s on the pill any worse than you sleeping with multiple women at once and relying only on condoms? They can break. Nothing is foolproof. You’re taking a risk every time you stick your dick in someone.”

  “With condoms, at least I have some control. You have nothing but her word that she took a pill. What if she gets pregnant? How the hell would you explain that to your parents? You’d be stuck with her.”

  Stuck with her.

  Did he think the idea of being permanently bound to Felicity would scare me? It gave me the opposite reaction—a fleeting thought that maybe getting her pregnant would put me in a situation where I had no choice but to be with her. In that scenario, following my heart and doing the right thing would then be one and the same.

  “We don’t need to discuss this any further,” I said.

  “Yes, because clearly there’s no talking to you.”

  I gladly changed the subject. “How was your weekend away?”

  Sigmund looked down at his shoes and muttered, “It could’ve been better.”

  “Why?”

  “It seems having a small harem is only good so long as no one gets attached.” He rolled his eyes. “They…started fighting.”

  “About what?”

  “About not having enough alone time with me. They started getting competitive. It got weird, and I was ready for the weekend to end.”

  “So no more Marias, I take it.”

  “No.”

  I’d been enjoying his most recent “relationship,” if you could call it that, because it seemed to take his attention off of me. But it probably wouldn’t be long before he found someone else to occupy his time.

  The following morning, I woke up to a text from my cousin.

  Sigmund: Hey, tosser. That damn horse of yours just took a dump on the floor. Come down and clean it before I vomit.

  Oh. Not exactly the way I wanted to start my day, but I suppose I deserved it for my rash decision to buy the animal.

  After I cleaned up the mess, I took the horse outside and fed him. It was a beautiful day, so he’d be able to hang out in the side yard without me feeling guilty. I did need to start figuring out a permanent home for him. The earlier I lined something up, the better. But certainly finding Ludicrous a good home was the least of my problems. Today, in particular, I felt more down than usual about the inevitability of having to leave Felicity. It was hard to believe we’d only known each other for a matter of weeks, because I couldn’t seem to remember a time when she wasn’t in my life.

  My plans for today were up in the air. On a Tuesday, I normally would have headed over to Mrs. Barbosa’s, but the electrician and plumber needed one more day to complete their jobs. So we wouldn’t be able to get back to work there until tomorrow, at the earliest. I wasn’
t sure whether to call Felicity or give her some space after the whirlwind of a weekend we’d had. I felt even more addicted to her now, but I also recognized that if I kept things up at this pace, it would only hurt her more when I left. But part of me had started to wonder whether there was any way we could make this work. It was crazy to even ponder, but I didn’t understand how I was going to forget her. It would undoubtedly be the most painful thing I’d ever had to do. Was it possible to just walk away from someone you truly cared about?

  I needed to talk to someone. It couldn’t be Sigmund, that was for sure. He’d just tell me to rip the Band-Aid off and book my ticket home tonight.

  There was only one person I could trust with this situation. I picked up my phone and dialed her.

  “Hi, Leo,” she answered. “Everything okay? Usually it’s me ringing you.”

  “I’m fine, Nan. But I need to talk to you.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s about…Felicity.”

  “What’s happened? Oh, dear God, she’s not pregnant, is she?”

  “No, no, Nan. It’s nothing like that.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  “I need to ask you an honest question.”

  “Okay, my darling.”

  “Do you really think they’d disown me if I found a way to make it work with her?”

  Nan paused, and then let out a long breath in my ear. “Your parents…” She sighed. “My honest opinion is that they wouldn’t disown you. But that’s not to say they wouldn’t make your life miserable, particularly your mother. However, do I think they would take anything that’s rightfully yours from you? I don’t.”

  “It’s not about the physical things to me—the money, my inheritance. That’s not what concerns me. My fear is upsetting Dad, especially in his condition. I want to fulfill his expectations of me. But at what cost? I don’t feel like I can just…leave her. What if she’s the one, Nan? It’s only been a little over a month, but sometimes you just feel things in your gut. What if she’s the one, and I spend the rest of my life living in regret because I walked away?”

  My grandmother sighed. “You’ve really gotten yourself into a predicament, haven’t you?” After a period of silence, she said, “You asked me for my honest opinion, my love. And so I’m going to give it to you, even though you may not want to hear it.”