Flash Drive

by Jacqueline DeGroot

  “Good morning, my dear,” he said belatedly, “I trust you slept well?”

  “About as well as one could with two youngsters in my bed kicking me all through the night.”

  “Well, tonight shall be different; I don’t kick.”

  Oh yes, she had that to look forward to. Being bedded by a man she hardly knew. She had hoped one day to find a mate, but she had fancied being able to fall in love before being expected to relinquish her body over to the desires of a rutting husband. That would have made it at least tolerable, she thought.

  She didn’t know much about the actual act of consummation—her aunt had told her only a little of what to expect. She had advised her to make sure her bladder was emptied before going to the marriage bed if she preferred pleasure to pain, but other than that she was completely unsure as to what to expect. She knew that the male penis would enter her between her legs and that he would pleasure himself in her body until he had coaxed his seed to spill out of him and into her. That was enough to terrify her; she wasn’t sure she wanted to know any more of what would be expected of her in the marriage bed.

  Her aunt had hugged her this morning and told her to be obedient, that some unpleasantness was to be expected for the grand reward they were all getting. She had told her about the new manor house the Duke had bought for her and the children, and the school the Duke was sending her brother, Theodore, to at the end of the summer. It had warmed her heart when Teddy had come to her this morning after breaking their fast. He had hugged her around her hips and thanked her wholeheartedly for marrying the Duke so he could attend the most prestigious Bolton Arms Academy. All of the girls had new gowns delivered to them early this morning, including her. All the accoutrements had also been provided and she had learned that the Duke was much more than considerate; he was thorough—not neglecting a single detail. Not so much as a hair ribbon was omitted from the new ensembles.

  She was wearing her new gown as instructed in the letter that accompanied the gown, the petticoats and all the prerequisite undergarments. He had also provided new leather slippers, a matching pelisse, and a velveteen cloak that was as soft and cool as wild moss in a summer glade. The quality of the materials was impeccable and the workmanship the finest she’d ever seen. If this was a sampling of the luxuries the Duke would bestow on her, mayhap it wouldn’t be so bad being yoked to him and occasionally availing him of her sexual favors. She knew that many women had it a lot worse than she would have it. At least she wasn’t to be saddled with a toothless man thirty years older than herself with three chins, gout, and pudgy, pasty skin.

  She turned to look at the man sitting beside her and realized that he was staring at her. His dark blue eyes were assessing her from the new, pert green velvet hat with the brown-feathered plume all the way down to her new stylish kidskin slippers.

  “Proper clothing makes a world of difference on you. Although, don’t get too used to it. I expect soon for you to be out of all your clothing for a goodly amount of the time.”

  She blushed at his words but his husky voice had triggered another response in her that she was completely unfamiliar with, and a seeping warmness crept into her chest and belly. The man was so sure of himself. What must it be like to always get what you wanted whenever you wanted it, she wondered.

  “Now that I am really taking a good look at you, I find I may have spoken a little too hastily yesterday. You really are quite charming. Your skin has a wonderful glow and your plumped lips are quite enticing, indeed. Lean over here and kiss me.”

  “What?”

  “Kiss me. It’s easy, just press your lips against mine and move them around some.”

  She sat back against the squabs and shook her head.

  “That was not a request, that was a command. And no one disobeys me. I hope you do not have to learn that the hard way. Now do as I say and kiss me.”

  She looked from his steely hard eyes to his firm lips. Timidly she sat forward and turned toward him. She allowed her body to lean into him until her lips grazed his, then she sat right back.

  “If that’s the best you can do, we have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said before he grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her onto his lap. She squealed as his lips descended to hers and he kissed her passionately and thoroughly, his tongue quickly breaching her lips and darting inside between her teeth. His tongue repeatedly flicked over hers trying to coax it to retreat with his into his mouth, and finally, he succeeded. He managed to tantalize her tongue into exploring his mouth and it surprised them both. He groaned from the unexpected pleasure and she gasped from embarrassment at her forwardness.

  He laughed and pulled away from her, “Do not cower so, your tongue will soon know all the places there is to know on me, the inside of my mouth is just the beginning.”

  Her insides shuddered at his words. She was shocked not only from the impact of learning that he would be expecting her to use her tongue on other parts of his body, but also from the effect of his kiss. It had called to a place deep down inside her and Lord help her; she wanted another just like it.

  The carriage pulled up in front of a short drive and halted at the front door of the local doctor. She knew him well because of her sisters and her brother, but personally, she had never taken sick that she could remember.

  A footman opened the carriage door and the Duke stepped down and then turned to lift her out. His hands on her waist instead of on her forearms attested for all who cared to watch that she was allowing him to be quite familiar with her body, and she again blushed at the intimacy his touch afforded.

  He set her down beside him and together they walked up the short path to the door. The door opened just as they reached it and the genial old doctor she was familiar with greeted them.

  “Your grace,” he said falteringly, “allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Herrington and I am most humbled that you have chosen my offices for your personal physician to utilize during your visit here.”

  “Where is dear Lucien?” the Duke asked jovially.

  “He is waiting for you in the study with a glass

  of sherry.”

  “Marvelous.”

  “I will take your betrothed to his nurse.”

  “Thank you, but I prefer him to meet her while she is still clothed if you don’t mind.”

  And then it all came back to her, what they were here for. Horrified, she realized that soon a strange man would be gazing on her naked body, well, not so much on it as into it. She ducked her head and looked at the hem of her gown as the dread washed over her. If she didn’t comply, he would not marry her. Her aunt and the children would be homeless. Teddy would have no academy or university awaiting his arrival with his coat full of tuition money. All would be lost if she did not obey. She remembered her aunt’s words. She had known how hard this would be for her. Julia realized she had no choice in this, she was the only one who could save her family from ruin.

  The Duke took her arm and led her down a darkened hallway, and with his hand on her lower back, he escorted her into the study. A man stood from behind the desk and smiled at them.

  Dear God, he was young! Not a fuddy-duddy old man in his cups as she was hoping. Sweet Jesu, this rakish-looking man with his intelligent eyes would soon be examining her! There!

  “Lucien!” the Duke called out. “Good of you to come on such short notice.” They clasped each other about the shoulders like the good old school chums that they were, and she saw that the doctor was taller than her soon-to-be husband. When he turned to face her, she saw that he had exotic dark eyes that sparkled with mischief.

  “Did I really have a choice?” the man answered with a lopsided grin. “A summons from the Grand Duke of Thornhill is not to be ignored,” he said in a put-on lofty voice. “Besides, I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world and yo
u know it.”

  “Julia, this is my dear old friend, Dr. Lucien Rinaldo, doctor to the ton. Incredibly smart lad. He found a way to have women eagerly part their thighs for him, and he gets paid for it. Handsomely, I might add. We were roommates at Cambridge. Lucien, this is Julia, my betrothed . . . unless you tell me otherwise,” he said with a pointed look in her direction.

  The reminder that he thought she could be lying to him pricked her again, but she didn’t dwell on it. A nurse came into the room and stood beside the doctor.

  “Julia, it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance. This is my nurse, Agnes. She will take you to the examining room and help you to disrobe. The Duke and I will share a sherry and then we’ll be with you shortly.”

  “We’ll?” she asked horrified, her wide eyes darting to the Duke’s.

  “You did not think I would allow another man’s eyes to feast on the part that makes you female without me being present did you?” His tone was mocking, and she knew that he was enjoying this.

  She took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, “I don’t think that would be proper, surely you trust your friend. He is a doctor.”

  “Proper or not, I will be present for his examination of you.” His eyes narrowed as they bored into hers, “No man looks at you outside of my presence,” he said and she could hear the anger and determination in his voice.

  She knew then that he would not listen to any of her pleas for decency, decorum, or modesty, and she turned scarlet with rage and embarrassment.

  The doctor picked up a glass of sherry that had already been poured. It sat on the edge of a silver tray beside a crystal decanter. It was filled with a matching light brown liquid. He handed it to her saying, “Here, have a few sips of sherry, it’ll calm you down a little.”

  “I don’t want to be calm!” she retorted.

  The Duke took the proffered sherry and thrust it into her hand, “Drink it!” he hissed through clenched teeth. Then he turned back for the glass the doctor was offering to him.

  She took several small sips as she looked over the rim of the glass trying desperately to think of a way out of what was coming next.

  She was still trying to think of something to say, something to let him know she refused to do this, when the nurse suddenly took her arm firmly in hers, and none too gently led her out of the room and down a hallway.

  When the nurse had shut the door behind them in the tiny examining room, she gruffly rasped, “Remove everything. Not a stitch is to be left on ya.”

  “I cannot believe that you expect me to disrobe for two men! It’s not proper!”

  “One of those men is your doctor, one is soon to be your husband. That’s proper enough.” She reached over and pulled off Julia’s hat, pulling the large hairpin out of her hair as she did so. Her long blonde hair tumbled past her shoulders.

  “Now look what you’ve done!” Julia screamed, suddenly aware that she was practically hysterical and totally foolish to be concerned about her hair when this matron was rapidly divesting her of her clothing.

  Garrett put the laptop aside long enough to go to the bathroom and to replenish his wine glass. This was some hot stuff, he said to himself as he watched the tented front of his boxer shorts jounce with each step. This woman, Laurel Ashleigh Leighton, had an incredible way of keeping him hard.

  He slid back into the bed, fluffed the pillow at his back and repositioned the laptop. He could not wait to find out what was going to happen to Julia. This story looked like it could easily morph into something with a kinky BDSM theme. He felt his cock grow harder at the thought. Wow, this woman could write! He took a hefty swig and moved the cursor.

  Julia fought the nurse as she tried to unbutton her bodice, but clearly she was no match for her, and suddenly she felt her arms grow heavy and useless against Agnes’ formidable maneuvers. Within minutes she was standing naked before her in the small room, her clothing locked in an armoire in the corner.

  “Here,” the nurse said as she thrust a bed sheet at her. “You can wear this ‘til they get here, but then they’re going to want that off, too.” Agnes openly ogled Julia as she opened the sheet and spun it around Julia’s body and then tucked it under her arms. “You’re a real pretty piece once your clothes is off, I’ll give you that. Get up on the table,” she said gesturing to the cloth-covered table in the center of the room.

  Julia turned and looked at the table for the first time. It was high off the floor. It was padded and covered with an oilcloth. A short stool had been placed at the end of the long table. Attached to all four corners of the table were leather straps and silver clamps with short bindings.

  “No! No!” she cried, and then as she saw the nurse advancing on her, her sobs turned piteously low, “no, no, please, no.”

  The older woman softened slightly, “It’s no use fightin’, they’re gonna do it, ya might as well make the best of it. C’mon, sit yourself up here and let me strap you down. I don’t want to hurt you, but my job is to get you ready for them.”

  “No, no, no,” she wailed. “Please, don’t let them do this.”

  “The stuff in the sherry’ll be workin’ soon and it won’t be as bad as you’re thinkin’. The doctor’s real gentle-like, he won’t hurt you none, nor cause you no harm. I been working with him eight years, he’s kind.”

  “But I can’t,” she whimpered, “I just can’t.”

  “Ya must missus. Your master wants Dr. Rinaldo to show him your maidenhead, and ain’t nobody gonna tell the Duke ‘no’ ‘bout nothin’. C’mon, I’ll help you. Sit in the middle now. Now lay down.” She pushed her until she was prone, her head resting on a small pillow.

  “What was in the sherry?”

  “Just a little laudanum, it’ll make you mellow but I didn’t give you enow to knock you out.”

  “Why not?” That sounded like a pretty good idea right about now.

  “Doctor’s orders, just give you enow to settle you down and strap you up, otherwise you’ll get the megrims.”

  Right now, she’d rather a case of the megrims than the memory of this. She felt the matron lift each arm and secure it with the strap, then the matron went to the foot of the table and separated her legs and secured each ankle with her foot flat on the table. With each limb, Julia tried to fight her, but every muscle was so heavy she couldn’t do much more than flail at her before it was restrained at the edges of the examining table.

  Then Agnes pulled the sheet out from under her and snapped it high into the air letting it slowly waft down on top of her naked body. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains leaving only the sheers closed, flooding the room with bright morning sunlight. “This window faces the rose garden and there’s a locked gate at the end, so you don’t have to worry about anybody seeing sumpin’ they’re not supposed to be seein’. But the doctor requires the daylight to see. The doctor and the Duke’ll be in shortly, you got no worries ifn’ you’ve been a good girl, if

  not . . . ” she shook her head and shut the door behind her. Then Julia was alone in the room, naked except for the sheet that had settled lightly over her.

  I don’t have to worry about anybody seeing sumpin’ they’re not supposed to be seein’, she mimicked to herself. Neither of these men was supposed to see her like this! What made them think they had the right? Oh Lordy, what had she gotten herself into? Tears leaked out of her eyes and ran down to the pillow that was propping her head up.

  The knob turned, the door creaked on its hinges, and the doctor walked in followed by the Duke, who closed the door firmly behind him. Her eyes met his and she felt sure he was delighted with her palpable fear.

  “Julia,” the doctor said as he sat down on the stool at the end of the table between her covered, splayed thighs. His voice was very soft and cultured as he continu
ed, “I won’t be doing anything that will hurt you. We’re just going to take a little look at you. You will feel me touch you from time to time, and I will be inserting a small spreading devise that will enable me to get a better view inside you.” The Duke stood over his right shoulder smiling down at her. This was going to be awful. She closed her eyes tightly. How could this be happening to her?

  “I’m going to lift the sheet up over your knees now so I can examine you.”

  She sobbed and struggled against the restraints as he gingerly lifted the sheet over her knees. She felt the cool air of the room on her thighs and genitals and knew she was uncovered, naked in front of their eyes. She tried to move her legs to close off their view, but she couldn’t.

  The doctor reached up and pushed her knees fully apart and she knew she was now gaping wide for them. Nothing was hidden from their view. She turned her head and stared at the wall and let her tears silently wet her face.

  “Jesus Stewart, she’s gorgeous!” the doctor whispered, evidently so awed by the sight of her that he couldn’t help his outburst.

  “I told you she would be. Look at those light blonde curls would you? I’ve never seen anything

  like it.”

  “Me either, such fairness against the pink. Her hairs are so pale that they’re almost white.”

  She turned her head and looked down between her knees and saw the wavy brown curls of the doctor’s head. The Duke was bent, peering over the doctor’s shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut and even more tears oozed out.

  “Watch as I spread her lips,” the doctor said as his fingers touched her. She jumped and squirmed away but his hands went under her, gripped her buttocks and pulled her back down to the very edge of the table saying, “Shhh, it’s okay,” he crooned and she felt his fingers touch her again then spread her nether lips. “Ahhh, such a pretty, healthy pink vagina.”