The Countess Takes a Lover

by Bonnie Dee

His heart had plummeted to his new, stylish boots, and he’d stood rooted to the spot as Hortense Simon prattled on about her new curricle. It was really over between them. Chris was no more to Meredith than any one of the numerous lovers she’d played with over the years. He was expendable, and she was finished with him.

  The desire to crawl into bed and never emerge was nearly overwhelming, but he refused to give into it. Although a shroud of sadness wrapped around him like a dark cloud, he knew it couldn’t last forever. Some day he would get over Meredith just as she’d told him he would. In time, memories of her silky hair trailing across his chest, her moist mouth, velvet-soft skin and wide, luminous eyes would fade. Maybe someday they’d be replaced by new memories of another woman, but if not, he’d be fine carrying on the work he enjoyed and seeing the exotic places he’d always dreamed about.

  The day following the ball he’d gone to Cambridge to see the Dean of Science about prospects of employment at the university. He’d miraculously managed to bypass a teaching job and go straight to his fondest desire, the opportunity of study in China.

  After speaking to his parents, Chris had gone to his room and packed. He’d moved to a hotel that very afternoon so he wouldn’t have to suffer their tirades or wounded silences in the days preceding his departure.

  Tonight, with only two days before he sailed, he’d been drawn back to the one place that had been a sanctuary to him in this city. The fact that it was the place where he’d first kissed Meredith was bound to haunt him, but he tried to push that particular memory out of his mind and concentrate on the burgeoning plant life that thrived on either side of the path.

  Ceratozamia latifolia, Xanthoria parietina, Ficus carica, Muscari comosum—the names almost served to distract him from thoughts of light, rippling laughter and a soft, throaty voice, the caress of gentle hands and images of bound, naked beauty. Yet somehow he wasn’t surprised when his feet led him toward the secluded spot in the jungle room where he’d first held Meredith in his arms.

  He remembered sitting stiffly on that bench beside her and wondering if he was imagining her interest in him. He’d never drawn much female attention before and it seemed impossible such a sophisticated lady could be attracted to him. Of course, he’d been right. It was all an illusion or simply an amusing game to her. The once sweet memory of their first kiss became bitter. Perhaps it was best he face that place where they’d kissed and exorcise all thoughts of the Countess of Lies. She didn’t matter now, he told himself. She was part of the past. He would put her behind him at last before setting sail into his future.

  As he neared the path that led to the bench just off the main walking route, he stopped. The sound of a woman quietly weeping floated through the air from the other side of a scarlet mass of bougainvillea. His pulse sped up and the hair on his neck rose. No. It couldn’t be her. The countess never cried. Not even when she’d talked about her foul, abusive husband or when Chris had unbound her from the bedposts and held her shaking body in his arms after that intense sexual encounter. It must be some other woman with a broken heart releasing her pain in what she imagined was the privacy of the grove.

  He walked quietly around the edge of the flowering vines and looked toward the stone bench. All he could see was a woman’s dove-gray skirt and a black shoe exposed by the raised hem. It couldn’t be the countess, who always wore rich colors reminiscent of exotic jungle flowers. But another step around the tangle of vines at the exact moment she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, revealed that the woman on the bench was indeed Meredith.

  Her shoulders shook and the heels of her hands were pressed into her eyes. She pulled her hands away long enough for Chris to see her face was blotched, puffy and stained with tears.

  Her mouth opened to draw in a shaky breath when she noticed him standing there. Her pink-rimmed eyes widened, and on a soft breath she exhaled his name. “Chris.”

  His carefully constructed wall of indifference crumbled. The passion, fury and hopeless love that had been dammed behind it burst forth. He approached her, uncertain of whether he was going to grab her shoulders, shake her and yell into her face how much he hated her, or pull her into his arms and cover her with kisses. Trapped in an agony of indecision, he stopped several paces in front of her, hands clenched at his sides.

  For a few beats of time, which felt like eternity, they stared at one another.

  Her teary gray eyes were like rain clouds. Her distraught expression brought a surge of gladness. He wanted her to hurt as much as he did. But the thought was instantly followed by a desire to embrace and comfort her. He never wanted her to feel pain, but to protect her from it always. The conflicting feelings tumbled through him as he continued to remain frozen.

  Finally he pushed a single word from his mouth. “Why?”

  It was the key that unlocked a torrent of words. They spilled from her mouth like rain bursting from a cloud. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. The arrangement I made with your father was before I knew you. We agreed to trade favors. I told you I’ve had many affairs in my life, and I assumed this would be another diversion with no repercussions. I didn’t know it would be you.”

  “And what if it had been some other naïve young man who came to care for you? That wouldn’t matter?”

  “Most men I’ve known are happy to have a no-strings-attached liaison. I didn’t think…” She choked and swallowed and new tears trickled down her cheeks.

  “No. You didn’t think.” He was amazed at how very cold his voice sounded when he felt such a hot turmoil of emotions. The desire to cuddle and caress her tears away fought against the wish to slap her, which warred with the need to fuck her until she wailed with pleasure.

  “But I did warn you it was temporary,” she reminded him, sniffing pitifully. She sounded like a penitent young girl rather than the controlled, sophisticated woman he’d first met.

  “That’s true. It was my fault. I convinced myself you only needed time to realize you were in love with me. I didn’t know it was a farce from the very beginning.”

  She rubbed her eyes hard and rose from the bench. “I did a despicable thing and I’m sorry. Do you believe me?”

  As incredible as it seemed, despite everything, he did believe her. Besides, she was crying before he arrived and had looked shocked to see him. These were genuine tears, not an act put on for his benefit.

  Still he didn’t say anything or move toward her. Inertia held him rooted in place.

  “My agreement with your father wasn’t the reason I wanted to end our relationship. I was afraid of being in love so I convinced myself I didn’t believe in it. And I didn’t want to marry any man and put myself under his control. Not after what I went through the first time.” Her sorrowful eyes held him fast. Her hands were held open beseechingly as she took a step toward him.

  “I can understand that,” Chris conceded quietly. “But tell me, what exactly was your deal with my father?”

  Her pink cheeks reddened further. “I was to help you emerge from your shell and become…more confident around women. In return, your father promised to support the millworkers’ bill.”

  “How did that benefit you?” His arms folded across his chest as though protecting his heart and blocking her advances.

  “The bill is concerned with better working conditions. I’ve already increased wages and improved safety in the mill I own, but I can’t compete if the rest of the owners don’t do the same. The expense was slowly putting me out of business. I needed that bill to pass—for the laborers’ safety, but also for my financial success.”

  Her action was hardly noble, yet Chris couldn’t help but be pleased she’d at least used him, in a twisted way, for a good cause.

  “I guess that’s how things work in politics. People are literally fucked in order for someone else to accomplish an agenda.”

  His acid tone made her flinch, and her open hands dropped to her sides.

  “You hav
e a right to be bitter. I never thought of your feelings, just what I needed. But I want you to know that although it may have begun as a business arrangement, it became more than that. You were right. I do have feelings for you—powerful feelings that won’t go away. I wish I didn’t, but there it is. I think I’m in l-love with you.” She stammered the word and finished on a broken sob.

  She looked so miserable and mortified by her admission that Chris nearly smiled.

  Rubbing her hands over her eyes, she cleared them of tears and focused on him again. “Can you forgive me? Is it too late?”

  “I’m not bitter,” he lied, glancing up to where the leaves of the Ceratozamia kuesteriana touched the ceiling overhead. “Because of you, I gained the courage to pursue what I want. I’m leaving for China on a field expedition in a few days.”

  “Leaving?”

  His gaze swept down the length of the tree and back to her face. Beneath the pink blotches, her face was pale.

  “I have to do this. I have to take control of my life and follow my dream.”

  “I know. Of course you should go. You must.” Her lips and chin trembled and her eyes glistened. “I only want you to be happy, Christopher.”

  A silent moment ticked by while he thought about all she had revealed, all he could easily hate her for, and all he was willing to forgive. Her penitent words and tear-streaked face went a long way toward softening his resolve to put her and every memory of her behind him.

  Finally he allowed a small smile to curve his lips. “Do you know what would make me happy? If you took the journey with me. You’re a very wealthy woman. I’m sure you could afford the passage.”

  Her wet-lashed eyes widened. “To China…with you?”

  “Didn’t you tell me you always wanted to travel? That hearing about exotic locations was the one part of your husband’s homecoming you actually enjoyed?”

  She moved toward him. “You forgive me and want me back?”

  Chris broke his defensive stance, dropping his arms to his sides. “Do you even need to ask? I told you before I love you. I didn’t say it lightly.”

  He held his arms open and she rushed into them, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing against him. He held her soft, scented body close, burrowed his nose into the side of her neck and breathed her in. It was like a miracle. He’d convinced himself he’d never have this again, that the gaping hole torn in his heart would be permanent, but here she was, filling his arms and his heart once more.

  Her body trembled and after a moment, she pulled away to look into his face. Tears streamed down her face, but laughter competed with her sobs. “I’m a mess. I haven’t been able to stop crying for days.”

  “Making up for lost years.” He wiped her cheek, then leaned to cover her mouth with his, tasting salty tears. Her lips parted at the pressure of his mouth, permitting his tongue inside. Her tongue coiled around his like the tendril of a vine seeking a place to hold onto.

  He kissed her until he was dizzy from lack of breath before pulling away. “So… Will you go with me?”

  Her eyes moved back and forth, scanning his. “I will.”

  “Your business affairs won’t suffer if you take an extended leave?” He caressed the small of her back through the fabric of her dress. Why had he asked such a foolish question? Did he want to give her an opportunity to back out?

  Meredith shook her head. “I have a manager I trust. Not as much as I trust myself, of course, but he’ll maintain things. I can book my passage today. And if there’s no room left on the ship, I’ll stow away.”

  “Mm, a stowaway in my cabin. How very romantic.” He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “Of course, I’ll request sexual favors in order to keep your secret.”

  “I’ll be at your command.” Her arms were around his waist now and her hands gliding up his back underneath his jacket. “Whatever you want to do with me, I’ll have to submit.”

  Although they were only teasing, his cock leaped at the word “submit”. He pressed his erection against her, seeking some relief through layers of fabric. Tilting his head, he found her lips again and nuzzled lightly. He kissed the corners, sucked her full lower lip into his mouth, then let it go before settling his mouth firmly over hers and taking control. Kissing her hard and deep, he claimed her as his own. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say he had no residual anger about the game she’d played with his life, but it seemed a minor thing compared to the joy of having Meredith back in his arms again.

  They kissed frantically, touching each other all over, loosening hooks and buttons so their fingers could reach flesh underneath. There were far too many clothes separating them, but Chris didn’t want to break apart from her long enough to get a carriage and drive to a different location. He had to have her here and now, to make a covenant with their bodies, and to make up for the past, torturous weeks without her.

  The sound of children’s voices and a woman answering them came from around the bend. Chris broke off the kiss and searched for a more private place. “Here.” He took her hand and pulled her off the path, behind the Cycad palms and an outcropping of rock over which water tumbled into a small pool. He led her to a shadowy space between rock and smooth tree trunks. More of the thick leaves and lush flowers of bougainvillea vines shielded the spot. No one could see them in this narrow alcove, unless they, too, strayed from the path.

  “Look, Nanny! Fishes!” a childish voice piped.

  Chris clutched Meredith close and smiled at her. Their breath brushed one another’s faces as their chests rose and fell in sync. They huddled in their shelter and listened to the exclamations of several children feeding the orange and black Koi that circled the pool on the far side of the rock.

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her while reaching for the plump fullness of her breasts hidden behind her bodice. The soft mounds rested in the cups of her corset, and he snaked his hand into the neckline of her gown to feel them yield beneath his palm and fingers. A powerful tide of lust swelled his cock.

  He pulled his mouth from hers and bent to press a kiss to her chest. He slicked his tongue over her collarbones and the flat plane that led to the round curves of her cleavage. Cupping one breast, he pushed it up from below. It bobbed toward freedom and his waiting mouth. He took the red nipple between his lips, drawing on it with hard sucks.

  Meredith gasped and thrust her chest toward his face. Her fingers gripped his skull, holding him to her.

  Doing scandalous things in a public place with the possibility of discovery heightened every sensation. Chris’s flesh tingled all over. He wanted to tear off his clothes and hers so they could fuck as freely as Adam and Eve in the Garden—except with passers-by only a few yards away. The voices of the children and their nanny had moved on, but newcomers were approaching.

  Chris finished sucking one nipple to a pebbled point and turned his attention to the other. He glanced at Meredith’s flushed face. Her eyes were closed and she panted softly. A little, animalistic whine escaped her throat, and she rolled her head against the rough rock against which he had pushed her. “More!” she moaned quietly. “Fuck me!”

  His balls drew tight at the sound of her begging and his cock strained against his breeches. He reached for the hem of her skirt and petticoat and pulled it above her waist, tucking the folds of fabric into the front of her bodice to keep them out of the way. His hand slipped into her drawers against the warmth of her taut stomach and through the curls that guarded her sex like a fluffy hedge. He exhaled a low groan when his fingers finally encountered her plump labia and the dripping wet opening of her sex and pushed inside.

  “Ah!” Meredith’s sharp gasp twisted his insides and tightened the tension another notch. He felt he’d snap like an over-tuned guitar string if he didn’t shove his cock inside her within the next few seconds. Her lessons about breath control were forgotten. He didn’t care about prolonged pleasure and only wanted to bury himself balls deep in her body, which was yearning toward his probing fingers
.

  After thrusting in and out a few times, he pulled his hand free and fumbled with the fly of his breeches. Her hands joined his, helping him release his aching cock. She grasped it and squeezed tight around the base. With her other fist she stroked all the way up and rubbed her thumb over the weeping slit at the crown. Her glittering eyes met his. “Shall I suck it?” she whispered.

  He shook his head and pushed her back against the rock again. “I need to be inside you. Right. Now!” He emphasized the words through gritted teeth, as he pushed her hands away from his cock. He jerked her drawers lower.

  Her skirts began to slip, and Meredith hoisted them up out of the way. As he cupped his hands under the curve of her bottom and lifted her, she wrapped her thighs around his waist. Her ankles were trapped together because of her dangling undergarment binding them together, but she was able to grip his waist between her knees. His cock nudged blindly at her entrance.

  Chris reached between them and guided her onto his erect staff. The warm humidity surrounding them in the room of glass and steel was nothing compared to the steamy tropical rainforest inside her body. She enveloped him, her inner muscles drawing him deeper, inch-by-inch, until he hit her very womb.

  “Ahh, Chrisss!” His name came out a loud, sibilant hiss, which blended with the steady rush of water on the other side of the rock. Her hands gripped his shoulders. She writhed against the boulder behind her and ground her hips into his.

  He grunted as he pulled out and thrust in again, gravity pulling her down onto him as he drove up inside her hard and fast. Sweat coated his skin beneath his vest, shirt and undershirt. It trickled down his chest, back and arms. Droplets slipped down the length of his legs under heavy wool trousers. Moisture pooled between their thrusting bodies. Their groins slapped together wetly. A light breeze tickled his naked ass and he wished their foolish clothes would disappear altogether, leaving them the way Nature intended.

  Her skirts were bunched between them. God, he wanted them out of the way. He wanted to see her totally nude here in this private-public spot, to see pale, delicate limbs sprawled against rough granite. His cock felt like stone as he pulled out and slid in with another grunt.