I lay sleeping in our bed, buried deep in the covers, when I felt a kiss on my forehead. I smiled and opened my eyes. Jack sat next to me holding a tray of breakfast and coffee, with a beautiful single rose. I sighed. “You’re so sweet, my love. How could I possibly be so lucky?” He smiled back at me. “I’m the lucky one, you beautiful creature. Now, eat up, we have a train to catch.”
“Train? Where are we going?”
He winked at me as he buttoned his shirt. “Why, on our honeymoon, of course. Did you think I had forgotten to plan one?”
Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about it at all. This whole week had felt like a honeymoon, seeing new places, experiencing new things.
“Where are we going?” He laughed, and told me it was a surprise. He already had my bags packed, and had laid out a beautiful travel dress for me. I got ready, taking special care to primp myself a bit extra, so that I looked good for him for our honeymoon. We were driven to the train station, and we boarded a train a bit fancier than the one I had arrived on. This one had sleeper cars, and a restaurant. “My goodness, there are beds in our cabin! How far away are we going?” I asked him.
“Well, my love, it takes some time to get to southern Florida, and I want you to be comfortable, of course.”
“Wow, Florida? I’ve never even left Georgia before!”
He laughed. “Well, I haven’t been able to show you the world yet, but, it’s a start.”
The train was lovely, we dined with the other passengers, exchanging stories, and laughing. An older couple cooed over us being on our honeymoon, and told us of theirs. They had gone to London, and I was enthralled as they told me all about it, and the adventures they had. We drank champagne, ate too much food, and laughed too loudly. It was wonderful. My favorite part of the trip, however, was simply looking out the window at the changing landscape. We made love on the train that night, Jack taking it easy on me so I wouldn’t disturb all the other passengers with my screams. It didn’t take much, though, just knowing I was naked, on a train moving through the night towards adventures unknown, with other passengers just on the other side of the thin wall, was a thrill enough. We arrived in Florida about a day and a half later, and a car was waiting for us at the station. As we drove, I wondered what type of place we would be staying in. A beach house? Somewhere in the bayou? A cozy country cabin? What I did not expect was a boat. We pulled up to the dock where there was a huge ship, bigger than I ever knew existed. “What is that, Jack?”
He looked proud of his ability to impress me. “It’s a passenger ship, the first of its kind. We’re going on a cruise. You are officially leaving the United States of America, dear wife, and we will arrive in Kingston, Jamaica to make all your island dreams come true.”
I gasped, dumbfounded, and threw my arms around his neck. He picked me up and spun me around, laughing. “Did I do good?” he asked.
“Did you do good? Jack, I only told you about my travel desires a week ago, how did you manage to plan this so quickly?”
He cleared his throat and straightened his collar, trying to look very debonair. He raised one eyebrow and said, “Well, I AM Jack Hudson, after all.” We both laughed at his silliness, and he took my arm, leading me towards the boat. Our bags were taken to our stateroom, which was beyond luxurious. I was in awe of everything, running my hand along the beautiful wood, appreciating every fine detail. We went back to the upper deck as the ship departed, and I watched my country slowly disappear from view. The excitement in my stomach made me feel like a child, and I wanted to run around, to take everything in all at once. It took everything I had to hold it in and stroll slowly along as we were given a tour of the ship. There was a gallery that overlooked the dining hall, which looked to me like something presidents and kings would dine in. There was a gymnasium, which excited Jack, and he said he was going to spend some time in there.
“Oh, you’re going to abandon me on our honeymoon, are you?” I teased him. “Only because I know you’re going to abandon me once you see what else they have on the ship.” He said with a twinkly in his eye. He was right, once I saw the library. Imagine it- a library, floating in the middle of the ocean. He managed to pull me away to have dinner, where we enjoyed a band playing while we ate. My eyes were starting to hurt, they had been wide with wonder ever since I laid eyes on the ship. After dinner, Jack said he was going to the smoking room to enjoy a cigar with the men, and then to the gymnasium. I kissed him and promised to meet him on the upper deck at sunset.
I literally skipped all the way to the library. I was alone in there, and I spent some time admiring the collection. It was hard to choose just one book, but I found one that was all about Jamaica, and I knew I’d made the right choice. I made my way to a quiet part of the upper deck, and settled down with my book. Normally, I would get lost in between the pages, but I constantly found that I had stopped reading, and was simply staring out at the ocean, pondering the drastic turn my life had taken in such a short time. From fetching water for my small shack in a poverty stricken town, to dining with wealthy people from all over the world, on a cruise ship to Jamaica. Not to mention the amazing man whose last name I now carried. I leaned back on the bench, reminiscing on our bedroom adventures, closing my eyes at the warmth of the memory, astonished that I was craving him again. I had literally never had an interest in sex. I had barely ever had an interest in the opposite sex. I wasn’t the type of girl who had gotten caught kissing the boy next door in the orchard. I never cared for any of them, and certainly didn’t want their mouths on me. Now all I could even think of was my man’s mouth, on places I had never realized a man was willing to put it.
I bit my lip and smiled as I saw Jack walking towards me. He tilted his head. “What are you over here looking guilty about?”
I giggled. “Am I that obvious?” I pulled him close and kissed him, long and passionate, before I whispered in his ear, “I was having impure thoughts about the things you do to me with your mouth.”
He gasped and pulled away in mock horror. “Mrs. Hudson! Well, I never! You are supposed to be reading a book, fueling your mind, not your body. What a naughty, naughty girl you’ve been. I think you’re due for a good spanking.” And he made good on his promise, after making me wait an inhumane amount of time. We were curled up together, watching the sunset, and I kept begging him to take me back down to the room, quietly, so the other passengers scattered about wouldn’t hear. He simply tsk’ed at me, told me I was still being naughty, and that a proper lady like me should learn to have some patience. The anticipation nearly drove me mad. Finally, when the last passengers had wondered off the deck and we were alone, he scooped me up and laid me over his lap, face down. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Aren’t we going to the room?” He pulled my dress up and my panties down, and I felt the warm sea air on my ass. He smacked me loudly and I looked around frantically, afraid we were going to get caught. It was like I was back in the window of our house again, praying that no one looked.
“Still questioning me, I see. When will you learn your place, Mrs. Hudson?” He asked, smacking me again and then sliding his fingers between my cheeks, grazing my wetness with his fingertips.”
“I’m sorry, sir, Please don’t be mad at me.”
He stood me up and pressed my back against the railing, sliding my panties off. Going down to his knees, he placed his face firmly against me and slid his tongue inside me, lifting one of my legs. I gripped the railing tight as he devoured me, my knees shaking, trying to be quiet so that I didn’t draw attention. Once I came and he licked up every drop, he turned me around and bent me over the rail, and fucked me while I looked out at the ocean, fulfilling a fantasy I didn’t even know I had. As we returned to the cabin, I stopped suddenly and turned to face him in horror. “Oh, my god, I left my panties on the deck.” Laughing, he responded “Good, they’ll know this ship has been properly christened.”
Our time in Jamaica was incredible. We went to a theater, ate food I had never even heard
of before, we walked the local streets and met all sorts of interesting people, each one having a unique story, and I soaked it up. We visited a local bookstore and I think we met their sales quota for the year. Jack joked that he was going to have to have an expansion built onto our library. I told him he was probably right, and I definitely wasn’t joking. Jack took me to a neighborhood that was rather poverty stricken, the hut-like structures a huge contrast from the tourist area. We visited the school there, and the children fawned over me and the chocolates we had brought them. I thought it was very sweet that Jack took the time to make sure I was able to experience all of the island, and not just the fancy parts. The absolute best part of the trip was that when we left that school, he gave them a large check in my name, that would allow them to purchase all the supplies and repairs and food they needed for some time. I never knew charity work could turn me on. I was wrong. We made love in our hotel, on the beach, on a small rowboat he rented for the day, even under a waterfall. It was so much more than I had ever imagined it could be, and I loved him so much, I was bursting. I felt like my happiness would never fade.
That came to an abrupt end one morning shortly after our return home. We sat in the dining room eating breakfast, planning our day. It was Jack’s last day of the self-appointed vacation he had given himself, workaholic that he was, and he said he wanted to take me to have a picnic for dinner on a bluff, so that we could enjoy the sunset from the perfect viewpoint. He was in the midst of telling me about the bottle of wine he was going to bring- apparently it was imported, old, and delicious- when the maid burst into the room. “I’m sorry, sir, I tried to tell her to wait in the parlor, she refused, and I couldn’t-”
“Well, hello again, Mr. Hudson. It’s been some time.” A beautiful woman swept into the room, brushing past Mary. She was tall, blond, and very pregnant. “I do believe we have something to discuss.”
Jack looked shocked and horrified. “Lillian, what are you doing here?”
She smiled smugly. “I have something that belongs to you,” she said, placing her hand on her stomach. He looked flabbergasted, and turned to Elle. “Dear, I- um… Please excuse me for a moment.” I was looking in shock between him and the woman, unsure of what to do or say, so she simply nodded. Jack stood up, took the woman by the elbow, and led her towards the parlor. I sat frozen at the table, plate of half eaten food in front of me. The maid busied herself clearing the table, not bothering to ask first, as if she knew there was no chance I would still have an appetite after the commotion. She was right. I strained to hear their conversation, but they were two rooms away. There was the occasional raised voice, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. It was only a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. I sat there, feeling immensely uncomfortable and awkward. Finally, Jack re-entered the room. He stood in the doorway, brows furrowed and face flushed, staring at me like he didn’t know what to say. He finally took a deep breath and came to sit next to me, his movements slow as if he were exhausted.
“Elle, I-” he began, and then sighed deeply again, placing his head in his hands.
“What?” I asked. “Who is that woman?”
He took both of my hands in his, and I saw the pain in his eyes. “She is a former assistant of mine. We- we had a short fling some time back. It only happened once, and I haven’t seen her since. I sent her away because the next day her entire demeanor changed, she started demanding gifts, money, acting like I owed her something. But now- the baby, Elle. She’s saying it’s mine.” My face must have registered pure horror, because he grabbed me and held me tight. “Elle, please, I-”
Before he got a chance to say anything else, Lillian came into the room and plopped down at the other end of the table. “I’m starved, can I get some service around here? I’m eating for two, you know. You wouldn’t want OUR baby not to be properly nourished, now would you, honey?” The smug smirk as she looked from him to me made angry tears well up in my eyes. I pulled myself away from Jack, crying as I ran from the room. Jack called out after me, but I just kept running, up the stairs and into our bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling fragile, on the edge of breaking. I should have known better. I never should have allowed myself to get so comfortable, so happy. Now it was all going to be put to an end. I bent over my knees, body shaking with sobs. Jack ran into the room, his face crumpling when he saw the state I was in. “Oh, Elle, come here,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. I jumped up. “Don’t touch me, I can’t- you aren’t mine anymore,” I said as I pushed past him and headed for the door.
Part III
He grabbed me, pressing me up against the wall. “Elle, stop. I didn’t know about this.” I sobbed again. “I should have known better than to ignore all the rumors. I should have known that your indiscretions were going to end up hurting me. I just need to go. I’ll go back home.” I tried to pull away from him, but he pressed his body against mine, pinning me in place. “Stop, damnit!” He said, voice raised in anger. His tone only made me cry harder, my body slumping. He sighed and gently kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to yell at you. But Elle, please listen to me. I would have never put you in this situation willingly. I know I’ve played the field a bit, but I’ve always been careful. I don’t know what happened. She was long before you, Elle. I didn’t even have intentions of anything happening with her. It was New Year’s Eve, we had a get together for all of the employees. I drank too much whiskey, and she all but threw herself at me. I laughed off her advances, at first, because I would have never involved myself with an employee. But, eventually the alcohol numbed what was left of my good sense. The next day, I had intentions of apologizing to her and trying to set things right, maintain our professional decorum. But, she never showed up at work. Instead, my butler came midday and told me that she was at my house, ordering everyone around as if she lived there. When I came and questioned her about it, about why she was here instead of at work, she laughed at me and said she couldn’t be expected to work when I was going to marry her. It was obvious to me she had misunderstood what had happened, but she wouldn’t even let me get a word in edgewise. She was talking about how she wanted me to take her shopping for new clothes, and how she was going to redecorate the house. She was utterly delusional. It turned into a big fight, I had to have her physically removed from the house. She was still screaming at me that I owed her diamonds as she was being dragged out of the door. She’s crazy, Elle! How I to even know if this baby is mine? But, I can’t very well just have her dragged out right now, can I?” He sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry, Elle. I can’t even imagine what this must be like for you.”
I wiped the tears from my face. “Well, there’s no sense in crying over spilled milk. What’s done is done, and she says the baby is yours. I will pack my things.”
“No!” He yelled, rushing across the room to where I still stood, back pressed against the wall. He fell to his knees in front of me and grasped my hands, his forehead on my thigh. “Please, just…just wait. I don’t want you to go, Elle. I- I love you already, don’t you know that? You’re so perfect, like you were meant just for me. You’re beautiful, and smart, and you want to do great things in the world and I already can’t imagine my life without you.” I heard his voice break, and I gasped. I lifted his face up and saw tears in his eyes. This, my dominant man, who seemed to have the whole world at his beck and call, who was always calm and in control, was crying. This was not the man I knew, and it broke my heart to see him in such a state. “I love you too, Jack! But, what are we supposed to- oh, everything is just ruined now!”
He stood and embraced me. “I just need some time to figure all this out, alright? I will take her to the doctor tomorrow, and see if there’s any way he can confirm whether or not she got pregnant the night we were together. I don’t want you to worry. If this is my baby, if I must be forced into a life with her, I promise you I will take care of you, Elle. We can divorce, you can go to any Unive
rsity you want, and I will pay for everything, your schooling, your housing, everything you need, for as long as you need. I will set up a bank account for you, you will be free to do anything you want to do. You don’t have to go back home to that hopeless town. I know that’s not what you want, some man taking care of you, but please allow me to give you the means to accomplish your dreams. I will provide for you, Elle. If you want to leave right now, I understand. I don’t want you to, please, please don’t go just yet, but I understand.”
“No.” I said, taking in a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t want to leave right now. You do whatever you have to do to find out what you need to know. I will stay here with you until we have absolutely no other choice.”
Bent Over A Barrel Bundle: Western Cowboy Romance (Full Length Novels) Page 36
