Scandal in the Wind

by K T Grant

  “Children? You work fast. And how many children do you expect us to have?” Jo asked in a snippy voice.

  “I won’t accept anything less than six.” Clinton landed his hands on each side of her and grinned. “I want little girls with their mother’s golden hair and beautiful brown eyes.”

  “And little boys with their father’s blond curls and dashing smile?” Jo’s arms came around Clinton’s shoulders as she smiled up at him.

  “We’ll have the most darling children together,” Clinton replied and gave her a kiss.

  Jo opened her mouth to receive him and pulled her fingers through the hair curling over the nape of his neck. She licked the inside corner of his mouth, breaking off the kiss as she moved her mouth over until it was close to his ear. “We may have to start working on making these six children as soon as we can. I’m not a young woman.”

  Clinton’s husky laugh made her legs tremble. His hands moved up and down her back and she hugged him closer.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked in a tensed voice.

  Jo kissed Clinton’s cheek and moved back. “I guess it is. I haven’t had many offers and now that I’m an ugly—”

  Clinton pressed his palm over her mouth. “Don’t make me pull you over my knee. You’ll never be ugly to me, or your sister or anyone here at the Delights. So what if you have a bad leg or a scar on your face? We all have scars, some noticeable, some hidden deep down inside.”

  “And where are your scars, Clinton?” Jo asked.

  “In my heart, but they all have been healed thanks to you.”

  Jo swatted Clinton playfully against the back of his head. “You’re going to make me cry.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

  “Happy tears this time,” Clinton gave her another kiss.

  She nodded and kissed him back. “Only happy tears from now on.”

  “You can count on it,” Clinton said, breaking the kiss. He reached behind her and lifted up the damp towel. “You were washing?”

  “I was going to give myself a quick bath, but then you interrupted me.”

  Clinton brushed the towel back and forth across her chest, causing her nipples to harden. His eyes grew wide and he licked his lips as her body respond to his administrations. “I do believe you’re still too weak to bathe yourself. I insist on helping you wash those hard to reach places like your back and in between your legs.”

  Jo felt a blush rising on her face but hid her reaction as she tugged down the straps of her nightgown and wiggled her hips to let it fall in a puddle at her feet. “I’m feeling tired and don’t think I could lift a finger.”

  Clinton unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. Jo sat down on the wooden bench, overcome by the magnificence of Clinton’s arms and chest. Clinton left the room and came back with a pillow and another towel. He placed the pillow under her head as she lay back, spreading her legs apart as she pressed her feet down on the bench. Clinton grabbed the washcloth, bowl, and soap and put it on the floor as he straddled the bench near her feet. His hands slid down the inside of her legs as his mouth descended.

  “First I must make certain this area is clean.” Clinton cupped her mound, causing her to arch up. “It’s very dirty and soap and water is not good enough. Only my mouth will do.”

  Jo pulled her fingers through Clinton’s hair as his breath swept over her. His tongue moved over her navel and she sighed. “Make me clean, Clinton.”

  “Whatever my future bride wants, she’ll have.”

  “Yes,” Jo whispered and enjoyed the loving care of her husband-to-be, the only man who made her believe she was beautiful and flawless.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Madam, I’d say tonight has been a rousing success.”

  Rose lifted her glass of champagne and clanked her glass against Clinton’s. She drank slowly as she watched the action down below. The opening night of Lily’s Rose was filled with far too many men, as well as women, as they gambled at the tables, danced in the ballroom, and ate at the various buffets on each level of the club.

  Opening her fan, Rose waved it back and forth to cool off her face. The June night was humid and sticky, but that didn’t stop the festivities. As soon as the sun set, and the doors opened, the club was inundated with Charleston’s best. It also helped that the Delights remained opened under the watchful eye of Tagg and Josephine. Soon she would find Lily and together they would walk the short distance back to check on things there.

  Rose eyed a striking looking Clinton who wore a tuxedo, complete with top coat and tails. He appeared relaxed and happy in truth, and not as an act, ever since he and Jo had been married earlier in the month.

  The buzzing of the crowd below filled the large room and she took pride in the outcome of the construction she had rushed to get done in less than eight weeks. The money she threw her builder’s way worked wonders.

  “I’m going to take a final walk around before I head back to the Delights. I hope I can find Lily in this crush,” she announced, giving Clinton’s arm a squeeze.

  “Lily said something about going back to change her shoes.”

  “Did she go alone?” Rose asked. She wouldn’t put it past Lily to do such a thing.

  “I’m not sure. I told her to ask one of the guards to escort her back. I was pulled away before I could see if she had done so,” Clinton explained.

  “I better go see if I can find her. Even though the streets are filled with many people tonight, I don’t like the idea of Lily walking around unescorted.” An uneasy jolt ran up her spine. The individual who had shot up the window had never been caught and was still on the loose. Even though there hadn’t been any other disturbances, she still was unsettled about the whole thing.

  “Would you like me to search for Lily with you?” Clinton asked.

  “I can look for Lily myself. She may still…what in the world?” Rose exclaimed as she leaned over the banister stunned by what she saw.

  “What’s the matter?” Clinton asked and searched down below.

  Rose lifted up on her toes as Margaret Anne and Lily walked together along the edge of the room. Margaret Anne held Lily close and whispered in her ear as Lily glanced around wildly. When she stopped suddenly and tried to pull her arm away, Rose zoned on Margaret Anne’s hand and what looked to be a small pistol hidden in the folds of her dress. Her mouth moved swiftly and Lily’s eyes widened as she eyed the gun. Margaret Anne gave her a push, keeping her hand around Lily’s arm the entire time as they walked toward one of the exits.

  “She has a gun! We must stop her.” Rose lifted her dress and flew down the stairs.

  “Who has a gun?” Clinton asked as he followed behind her.

  “Margaret Anne Bourdieu does and she’s taken Lily hostage.” Rose forced her way through the crowds, calling out for Clinton to get help as she tried to reach Lily before Margaret Anne shot her for revenge.

  * * * *

  Lily held back from slapping the woman in the face as she poked her in the side again with her pistol. They both walked down the stairs and outside away from the building. Only when they reached a shadowy section surrounded by trees and a bench did they stop.

  “Don’t move, you stupid bitch.”

  Spit hit Lily in the face. She clenched her fists and stared down at Rose’s former lover.

  “You’re the woman Rose was once involved with.”

  Margaret Anne smirked and jabbed the gun against Lily’s chest. “I’m the one Rose loves.”

  Lily bit the inside of her cheek to stop from arguing with the crazed woman in front of her. Margaret Anne’s eyes were round and bright as if she had one too many glasses of champagne. She kept twitching and every time an owl hooted or the branches above them swayed in the breeze, she’d glance around nervously.

  “Perhaps at one time she did, but no longer,” Lily said softly.

  Margaret Anne pushed her roughly and she slammed back into the tree behind her. “Shut your trap, you faithless slut! Before you came along Rose and I were hap
py. She felt sorry for you because your husband threw you out like yesterday’s rubbish.” Margaret Anne eyed her up and down. “Why would Rose want a skinny bean pole with sagging tits, when she can have a woman like me?”

  “Because Lily is not a crazy loon like you are, Anne.”

  A cry of surprise escaped Margaret Anne’s mouth and she aimed the gun up under Lily’s chin as she faced Rose. Lily mouthed her name and lifted her hand out toward her. Rose shook her head slightly in warning and Lily dropped her arm back down.

  “You always come to me,” Margaret Anne said to Rose and gave her a sickly smile. Lily flinched as Margaret Anne’s nails dug deep into her arm.

  “Anne, what in the world are you doing?” Rose asked and took a step close. “Do you really think I’ll come back to you now after ruining my night and scaring Lily this way? It’s just not done,” she said in a hard voice.

  Margaret Anne moved the gun away from under Lily’s chin and back to her side. Lily winced. By tomorrow, if she lived that long, she would have a horrible bruise there.

  “I can’t stand by and watch you be with this whore.” Margaret Anne shook Lily by the arm, while staring at Rose. “I won’t be forgotten by you either.” Her mouth formed into a smirk. “I got your attention when I shot up your window.”

  “You sure did. Why don’t you let Lily go and we can talk—”

  “How stupid do you think I am? Stop placating me like I’m a child. I’m not.” Margaret Anne stamped her foot and her lips twisted into an ugly frown.

  “Calm down.” Rose lifted both her hands and took another step closer to them. “You can rest assured I’ll never forget you after the damage you caused to my home and your actions here tonight.”

  Margaret Anne beamed at Rose. “I just want to be with you. You made me so angry. But I-I do feel horrible for the way I treated you in our hotel room. Can you forgive me?”

  “Anne—”

  “I love how you say my middle name, Anne.” Margaret Anne batted her eye lashes and sighed. “I can still remember the way you whispered it in my ear as you caressed my breasts and sucked on my throat, leaving your mark there to show the world that I belonged to you.”

  Lily swallowed a growl. Red materialized in front of her eyes at Margaret Anne’s flowery speech. She couldn’t stand to listen to Margaret Anne’s nauseating words of love. And she certainly wouldn’t end up being her victim.

  Rose whispered something Lily couldn’t catch and as she pulled back her fist to punch Margaret Anne in the face, with the purpose to grab the gun, two men appeared behind Rose. One was Clinton, the other a well-dressed older man with a black pencil thin mustache and salt and pepper hair.

  “Margaret Anne, what in the world are you doing?” the man asked in a cultured voice.

  Margaret Anne moved back, pulling Lily with her. “Nigel, what are you doing here?”

  Nigel stomped over, passing by Rose and going toe to toe with Margaret Anne. She stared at him wordless, and when he wiggled his fingers at her, she handed him the gun.

  “Lily, quick, come here.” Rose beckoned her over.

  Lily wrenched her arm from Margaret Anne’s grip and hurried over to Rose, who wrapped an arm around her waist and led her a safe distant away.

  “Who is that man?” Lily whispered to Rose.

  “Margaret Anne’s husband,” Rose said and she nodded at Clinton who took Lily gently by the elbow and moved her back even further. Suddenly two men appeared and came up behind Nigel.

  “My dear, you’ve ruined my night. I came here to gamble and unwind, and you have to go and ruin it.” Nigel turned slightly to wave behind him. “Your friendship with Mrs. Ware is over. This childish act of yours is the last straw.” He took his wife by her arm and pulled her up tight against him. “Did you forget what the ramifications of your actions would be if you humiliated me one last time?”

  Margaret Anne’s jaw dropped and tears filled her eyes. “Oh please, no. I promise I’ll be good. You can’t expect me to give up Rose—”

  Nigel shook Margaret Anne hard. “Shut up. I’m sick and tired of your childish tantrums.” He pushed Margaret Anne over to the two men who grabbed her by the arms. She struggled, calling out for Rose to help her. Nigel pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, and opened it, where he waved the contents under Margaret Anne’s nose. She suddenly stopped her crying and would have folded the ground if not for the support of the men next to her. One lifted her up in his arms. Clinton motioned them to follow him and they left with their unconscious bundle.

  Lily watched the puzzling exchange and glanced at Rose who gave her hip a squeeze. Rose smiled briefly at Nigel who took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow.

  “Are you going to blame me for Margaret Anne’s flighty actions of late?” she asked him.

  Nigel crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on his upper bicep. “You’re not the cause of my wife’s nature. I should have reined her in a long time ago. She won’t bother you or your lady friend any longer. I apologize for any inconvenience.”

  “That’s all you have to say? The woman tried to kill me!” Lily shouted out and Rose hushed her quietly.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” Rose murmured and then put her attention back on Nigel. “You can promise me Margaret Anne will no longer be a nuisance to me or my friend?”

  “Yes.” Nigel came in closer. “Margaret Anne and I will be taking an extended holiday to Europe where her excitable nature will be examined and hopefully cured by a few physicians in Switzerland.” Nigel glanced around and shook his head, his lip curling upward. “Charleston has lost its appeal for me. A change in scenery will be the right thing for Mrs. Bourdieu. Won’t you agree, Mrs. Ware?”

  “Yes, Mr. Bourdieu. I think it would be for the best.” Rose nodded and pulled Lily in closer. “I recommend you call it a night and attend to your wife. I really hope this is the last time I see you or her again.”

  Nigel bowed to her and Lily. “That’s a promise I can keep. Good night, Mrs. Ware. Goodnight ma’am.”

  When Nigel left, Lily covered her mouth to smother her cries. Rose’s arms came around her and petted her hair. She hid her face against Rose’s throat, mumbling words that made no sense, while Rose kissed the top of her head.

  “Everything will be all right now, my Lily,” Rose whispered and lifted Lily’s face as she kissed her brow.

  Lily shuddered and held onto Rose’s arms. “I’m so very confused by what has happened. I think I need to lie down.”

  Rose brushed away her tears. “We’ll talk back at home. Let’s see Clinton first to tell him we’re leaving for the night. I’ll call a carriage. You’ve had quite a scare and aren’t in the right mind to walk back to the Delights.”

  “Take me home then.” Lily tightened her hold around Rose. “You’ll lie next to me and hold me?”

  Rose gave her a tender kiss and smiled. “There’s no need to ask that. Of course. I would do that and more.”

  Lily curved her arm around Rose’s waist as they slowly made their way out of the darkness and into the brightness of their club.

  * * * *

  “You’re feeling better?” Rose asked as she cupped Lily’s cheek. She hated seeing the fear in Lily’s eyes as they had made their way back home and as she undressed her and put her into her bed. Only when she gave her brandy to drink, did the color return to Lily’s face and her body relaxed under her embrace.

  Lily nodded and circled a finger around Rose’s shoulder. “Now that I’m here with you, yes.” She rubbed the side of her foot over Rose’s calf. “I think I’ve had enough drama to last me a lifetime.”

  “In that, I agree.” Rose sat up. Staring down at Lily closely, her hands came around and cupped Lily’s breasts. Lily placed her hands on top of hers, giving them a light squeeze.

  “I understand if you aren’t in the mood after what happened—”

  Lily linked their fingers together and stretched out her arms. She scrutinized her chest and snorted. “That wo
man said I had sagging tits.” She sniffed. “Apparently she’s crazy because my breasts don’t sag. They’re my best attribute.”

  “Oh, Lily.” Rose laughed and gave Lily a hard kiss. Lily smiled against her mouth.

  Rose brought their combined hands up to her mouth and kissed them. “I’m sorry you’ve been thrown in the middle of my problems with Margaret Anne. I never thought she would react that way. When she held a gun on you, my heart stopped.” She blinked her eyes as they grew damp. “If you had been hurt...”

  “Shh.” Lily lifted up on her elbows as she rested her forehead against Rose’s. “Nothing happened. We’re alive and well and have so much to look forward to.” She squeezed Rose’s hands. “We both have been through so much over the years from war to losing loved ones to not knowing what tomorrow would bring. You and I have survived through it all. And no one, not bitter ex-husbands or deranged ex-lovers can take that away from us. We’re meant to be together.”

  “Us against the world.” Rose placed her cheek on Lily’s chest where she felt the pounding of her heart.

  “Damn them all to hell and back if they try and keep us apart,” Lily said with conviction. Rose lifted up her face and her lips met Lily’s.

  “Make love to me,” Rose sighed, straddling Lily as she swiped the back of her hands across her face and down her chest where she plucked her nipples.

  Lily bowed her back and groaned, her fingers digging into Rose’s ass cheeks as she rocked back and forth. “Always and only with you.”

  Rose reached down in between Lily’s legs and slid her fingers around against her pussy lips. Lily moaned and dropped her hand over Rose’s, where both their fingers made her dampen with desire.

  The early morning sun came up through the open window, the light casting shadows across the bed as Rose brought Lily to climax. Lily soon returned the favor. And when Rose fell across Lily in an exhausted heap, she smiled in contentment.