Golden Desire Ch. 03

Correctly guessing her thoughts, he said, "Making love to Henry is boring, isn't it? Not something you enjoy, rather something you endure?"

Thoroughly shocked at what he was saying, she pleaded in a harsh whisper, "Don't say such things, don't talk to me like this!"

When she didn't move, just sat slightly trembling, he continued, "It can be different. It can be magical. You owe it to yourself to feel it at least once. No one would ever know." Taking a different tack, he asked, "When you're with Henry you only lay on your back, don't you?"

She stared at him aghast, unable to find her voice to respond.

"There are other ways," he whispered to her. She seemed frozen to the spot as he continued to whisper the most scandalous things to her.

Finally, she couldn't bear to hear any more and ran from the lobby. She flew up the stairs to her room and closing the door behind her she stumbled to the bed and sank down on it. She was breathing heavily and her whole body was shaking. She couldn't help but think about what he had said. Were there other ways? She tried to conjure up the images of the positions he had mentioned and it took awhile to figure out how they would work. "Do people actually do that?" she wondered aloud.

Henry would be back in a couple of weeks. What if she suggested to him that they do those things. No, he would want to know how she heard about them and she wasn't about to tell him that she had been having those sorts of conversations with Nicholas. Could love making really be exciting and thrilling? What was the word he had used? Magical. And did she really deserve to feel it? Did she owe it to herself? What if it was magical, could she go back to boring?

She jumped from the bed and began pacing the room, astounded with herself for even thinking such things. She was a married woman and was not going to have an affair. It didn't matter that no one would know; she would know.

"I would know," she whispered aloud, stopping her pacing. "I would know what it could be like. What it can be like. Perhaps even what it should be like."

She went to the window and stared out. She knew she shouldn't be thinking like this, but she couldn't help it and she had to be honest with herself. Now that the thought had been raised, she was wondering what it would be like to be with Nicholas. Could she actually spend a night with him? At that moment, on the street below, Nicholas walked out of the hotel. He turned and looked up to her window and seeing her there, he saluted her. Much as he had that first day. She watched him walk across the street and climb into his carriage.

In a couple of weeks she would be gone. She would never see him again. Did she dare go to him? She wasn't sure and that scared her more than being sure either way.

At nine o'clock that evening she stood before the wardrobe, looking at her gowns. She pulled out the nicest evening one and laid it on the bed. She stood for a long time staring at it, before turning and leaving the room. She walked with purpose as she went down the stairs and to the front desk. She requested a carriage be ready for her in fifteen minutes before returning upstairs. She took a deep breath as she took off her day gown and corset and slipped on the evening one. She quickly looked at herself in the mirror, avoiding looking into her own eyes, as she pulled the laces tight. She tugged the shoulders down even lower, revealing a fair amount of cleavage. She figured if she was going to do this, she may as well look the part. Her ebony hair was only loosely pulled back, leaving most of it free to flow down her back.

She heard the carriage out front and pulling her wrap about her shoulders, left the room. She didn't think about where she was going or what she was about to do, she just went. She climbed into the carriage and after giving the address to the driver she concentrated on looking out the windows and watching what other people were doing. When they passed one of the brothels and she saw the women lounging on the balconies in various stages of undress, she felt a stab of guilt and had to look away.

When she arrived at Nicholas' house she had never been more nervous in her whole life. Not even on her wedding night. No, she would not think of Henry. Henry doesn't exist, she thought to herself as she alighted from the carriage. She looked up at the house before paying the driver and saw a curtain flicker.

Nicholas had heard the carriage pull up and couldn't believe it when he saw her step out of it. His carefully whispered suggestions had worked. He waited until the butler told him he had a visitor, before he went to greet her. He lingered in the hallway before entering the room, standing in the shadows, watching her. His heart skipped a beat when he saw how she was dressed. His eyes greedily drank in her low neckline and exposed cleavage. She was clearly nervous and her deep breaths were causing her breasts to heave in a most delightful manner.

"Good evening, Victoria. What brings you here at this late hour?" he asked, entering the room. His tone was light, conversational, even though he knew exactly why she was there. He could see the fear in her eyes, but also the excitement.

She stepped towards him, and said, "I want you to show me what it can be like."

With a step, he closed the gap between them and gently running his hands up her arms, he asked in a soft voice, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she whispered, staring into his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."

He wrapped her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She responded eagerly, kissing him back. All of the guilt and second thoughts were whirled away as her mind could only focus on one thing; his lips on hers. Before she knew it, without breaking the kiss, he was carrying her though the house.

He set her on her feet in a large, dimly lit bedroom. Staring into her eyes, his hands skimmed across her shoulders, down her arms and along the edge of her bodice where it dipped in the front. Just his touch sent her senses reeling. He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers again as he quickly shed his jacket and vest. He then reached around Victoria and slowly untied the laces of her dress. Taking her cue from his actions, she pulled his shirt out of his trousers and hesitating only slightly, slid her hands underneath over the smooth skin of his stomach and chest, relishing in the feel of his hard muscles flexing beneath the surprisingly soft skin. She was dazzled by the sparks that flew up through her hands and arms.

Nicholas dragged his lips from hers and moved them to her throat as he pulled her dress away. He was delightfully surprised that she wore nothing beneath the bodice of her dress and his hands eagerly reached for the exposed soft flesh.

Victoria tore off his shirt and eagerly went to work on his trousers. She had never undressed a man before, nor had she been undressed by one and this in itself was arousing her more than anything she had ever experienced.

He undid the ties to her petticoats and clad only in her underdrawers he lifted her and laid her down on the bed.

She nervously watched him as he finished undoing his trousers and pulled them off. His arousal was evident and she swallowed nervously. He lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently, his hands sliding over her body, exploring her curves. He cupped her full breasts and lowering his face to them, captured a pink nipple in his mouth. She gasped and arched her back as he continued to suckle the hardened nub.

He moved lower down, trailing kisses across her stomach as she lay back, clenching the sheets in her fists. She raised her hips when she felt him tugging on her drawers and held her breath waiting for what was next. He spread her legs and she again gasped loudly at his kiss on her inner thigh. His kisses went higher and higher until she thought she would lose her mind with the ecstasy that was coursing like liquid fire through her veins.

She tangled her fingers in his hair as his tongue gently plundered her inner depths, her heart pounding so fast she feared it might burst. She felt a pressure building in her and cried out as it exploded, sending shock waves through her whole body.

Nicholas raised his head and looked up at her with a wicked smile. He slid his fingers between her folds, listening to her low moan of pleasure, as he moved back up her body, nestling his face between her breasts, kissing the tender flesh. He worked his fingers on her as he guided her hand to him, showing her what to do. He moaned aloud as she found a rhythm in her strokes and again sought her lips with his. He left her lips to nuzzle the sweet hollow at the base of her throat, murmuring her name, when he again felt her muscles contract as she cried out loudly.

She lay gasping and panting on the bed, slick with sweat. "Oh Nicholas," she whispered. "I had no idea it could be like this."

"And we've only just begun," he murmured in her ear. "Are you up for it?"

"Yes, oh yes," she replied, turning her head and kissing his lips.

He grabbed her hips and rolled her over on top of him. She lay on him staring down into his face. "Sit up," he whispered. "Straddle my hips."

Tentatively she sat up, sitting as he instructed. He stood erect, just in front of her. Excitement bubbled within her as she guessed at what was to happen.

"Stroke me," he whispered as his hands slid up from her hips to her breasts, gently squeezing her.

After a few minutes, he begged her to stop. He lay beneath her, his breathing ragged as she bent down and kissed him. He tangled his fingers in her hair, kissing her back.

She eventually pulled back and correctly guessing what to do she raised her hips and using her hands, guided him into her. She slid down slowly, feeling him fill her. She watched his face to make sure she was doing it right and guessed from the low moan he uttered, that she was doing just fine. She ground her hips against him, and emitted her own moan of pleasure.

Moving up and down she stroked him inside of her, until she felt that pressure building again, she increased her speed and cried out yet again as the shock waves rolled through her.

Nicholas could also hold back no longer and cried out at his own release.

Victoria collapsed on top of him momentarily before rolling off to lay beside him. She snuggled up to his side and murmured, "Mmmmmnnnn...that was wonderful."

Breathing heavily, Nicholas replied, "Give me a minute."

She looked at him with surprise. "For what?"

With a wicked smile, he said, "Oh, we're not finished."

Uncomprehending, she said, "But you..."

Feeling himself stirring, he repeated, "We're not finished," as he turned to her and began to slowly kiss her lips again.

To her great surprise she could feel him against her leg. She looked down with wide eyes and then back up to him with a smile, and couldn't help but suppress a giggle, before returning his kisses.

It was just before dawn when she kissed Nicholas goodbye at his front door and climbed back into his carriage. She was a little nervous about returning to the hotel so early in the morning with her hair in disarray, still wearing an evening dress, but the clerks at the desk only politely wished her a good morning as she passed.

She turned the corner and paused on the first step, looking in her bag for her room key, when she overheard the clerks talking. "Well, it looks like the boss got another one."

The comment was answered with a gruff laugh, "Yeah, but he really had to work at this one. It took a month."

"A month? But she's only been here a little over two weeks."

"She was at the other hotel for two weeks before here."

"Really? I don't suppose anyone won the bet then?"

"No, none of us thought it would take so long."

Victoria felt faint. She turned the corner back into the lobby and stared at the young men behind the counter. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

They only stared at her in horror.

"I heard you talking. What did you mean?" When they still didn't answer her, she shouted, "What did you mean?" She looked from one to the other as they stood frozen, staring at her in shock.

"Is it some sort of game? He chooses a guest and you all bet on how long it will take him to bed her?" By their guilty looks she knew she was right. She felt like she was going to be sick. She stumbled up the stairs and into her room. Staggering to the bed she fell upon it, the tears already coursing down her cheeks. She curled herself into a ball, clutching her stomach, repeatedly moaning through her tears, "no, no, no..."

It can't be true, she thought, it just can't be. But the looks on the clerks faces had been undeniable. It was true. Horrible, but true. He had used her. She didn't mean anything to him, except as a conquest.

She began to pack her things. There were other hotels in town, she would stay at one of them until Henry came back. She suddenly realized she had no money to stay at another hotel. She barely had enough to stay where she was for much longer and now that Nicholas had had her, he probably wouldn't help her if Henry didn't return by the end of next week.

She broke down sobbing again. She sat on the floor, her head resting on her knees, rocking back and forth. What was she going to do?

Nicholas stood watching his carriage take her back to the hotel. He had wanted her to spend the night, but she didn't want to return to the hotel during the day still in her evening gown, so he had let her go. He climbed the stairs back to his bedroom and surveyed the rumpled sheets, a smile touching his lips as his mind went back to the events that had caused such disarray. The blankets had been discarded on the floor and the linens were half off the mattress. He had surprised himself when he had brought her here. He had never taken a woman to his own bed before, preferring to use one of the more anonymous rooms in the house. He then turned into one of the other rooms and dropping the robe he was wearing, climbed between the sheets.

He lay staring at the ceiling for a long time, trying to sort out the jumble of feelings swirling in his mind. He usually felt so satisfied after a conquest, but not this time. The woman in question usually held no more interest for him and he forgot them quickly. But with Victoria, all he could think about was seeing her again, spending time with her, talking with her. He truly began to worry that he would be hurt when she left, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to him was the time they had now. He mentally calculated that it would be at least another month before her husband came back, more likely two. He had that much time. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep, looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.