Darque Wants

by Diana Steele

  “Now let’s eat before I expire,” Faith exclaims. Dorian chuckles quietly at her straightforwardness.

  “Of course, let’s eat,” he says with a smile. How his father could have been so right about the kind of woman he would need, he has no idea.

  They eat in silence for a time. It seems to suit them both equally, taking the time to study each other and look for anything that would indicate subversive nature or otherwise detrimental behavior. At the end of the light meal, they are both somewhat satisfied that the other is not going to kill them once their back is turned.

  “I have some more appropriate garments for you, if you would like to see them. I can bring them up here and you can review them privately,” Dorian says, breaking the silence.

  “I guess that would be okay,” Faith replies.

  “I’ll return presently, then.” Dorian leaves the room and takes the stairs almost two at a time in his haste. He gently gathers the items he had laid out earlier and carries them back upstairs. He lays them out at the end of the bed and holds out a hand to Faith to help her stand.

  She takes his hand and squeezes it as she pulls herself up. Her legs are functioning again, which is a relief. She takes in the garments laid out before her and positively sighs. This is the stuff of dreams. She has never seen a blue such as this in real life. Even their ‘costumes’ back home were made of the drab and dull shades that were relegated to her class. The boots are especially eye-catching. All eyeholes and lacing across black leather. She looks to Dorian and smiles.

  “I don’t know what to say. I have never seen so much color in my life. Are you sure I am allowed to wear this in public?” Faith asks incredulously.

  “Most assuredly, you may wear any color you like and in any fashion. When you are better rested and more yourself, we will see a seamstress and she will fit you for a new wardrobe to your liking. For now, my mother’s things will have to do. I believe you are about her size, so everything should fit well.”

  Faith is taken aback. She is beginning to believe that Dorian does not want to hurt her and in fact wants to make her feel at home. This gesture is surely an offer of friendship and a sign of respect, something that she is not entirely used to.

  “I am honored, truly. Although I am not sure that I will be here that long.” Something shifts in Dorian’s stance as she says this, almost imperceptibly but still discernible as she has been studying him.

  “We will have to discuss the future over dinner. Your next task is to get dressed. Do you think you can manage on your own? You may need help with the stays. Call for me if you find that you need me.” Without waiting for a response, Dorian exits the room, carrying the tray from lunch with him as he goes.

  Well, that seemed kind of rude. A bit flustered, Faith sets about removing her clothing and discerning which undergarment goes on first. From her obsessive study of this era, she finds her way easily through the layers of clothing and begins to get dressed. She can almost feel herself becoming this new person, one who wears blue, says what she thinks, and thinks what she says. Of course when she comes to the corset she can’t manage it on her own.

  “Dorian,” she calls. “I need help with the stays!” She can hear him coming up the stairs and turns her back to the door as he opens. Between all of her previous sexual encounters, at least hundred or more men have seen her naked, but dressed in these undergarments she feels shy and vulnerable.

  “I’m here,” he says. “Let’s have a look at these. I don’t have a lot of practice so forgive me if I harm you in any way.” He begins studiously cinching the corset and lacing the remaining length. While he can visibly see the roundness of her backside through the light chemise, he fastidiously tries to ignore it. Her proximity to him is maddening and comforting all at once. Forgetting what he is doing, he pulls a bit too tight and Faith gasps as the corset squeezes her painfully.

  “I’m so sorry, forgive me. Let me loosen that a bit, there you go. Shall I help you with the gown?”

  “Yes that would be nice, thank you. I didn’t know how heavy it would be. I suppose it makes sense though, with how cold it can get here. I loved reading about what people did and how they lived before the Earth gave way to the wasteland I live in.”

  “I am happy that our future generations were able to preserve some of their past, but deeply saddened that they squandered the Earth’s gifts so wantonly. Surely there are still seasons then?”

  “No, not like there used to be. Everything is about the same every day, all the time. The only variation is light precipitation that never reaches the ground.”

  Dorian ponders this information while he helps her into the gown, fastens the back of it, and then fetches the boots. He notices that she has already donned the stockings, which cover shapely calves and slender ankles. Carefully slipping on one boot then the other, he laces them up for her.

  “Well, maybe tomorrow we can go for a ride and you can see what late fall looks like. This is my favorite part of the year.”

  “That would be nice. What shall we do now, though?”

  “Would you like to see my study? It isn’t much but it is yours to use as well as any other room in the house. I can also show you the workshop.”

  Thinking about the time machine made her feel slightly ill.

  “We don’t need to go in to the workshop anytime soon. I would love to see your study.” His face lights up at this. He is so handsome. Why can’t she stop thinking this way?

  “Maybe after that, we could take a walk outside? I have never breathed fresh air before or smelled a tree.”

  “Of course we can. I would enjoy showing you all of that and more.”

  *****

  The day passed easily between them. Faith was enamored by the study and pulled almost every book off the shelf to look at it. Dorian was proud that he had taken such care to make sure that he kept up with his father’s collection. Their outdoor excursion proved wondrous to Faith. They picked the late blooming flowers and brought them home to put in the kitchen.

  “Shall we make dinner?” Dorian asks as Faith plops unceremoniously into the chair in the kitchen. Faith takes a moment to consider what is in the kitchen before she answers.

  “I don’t think I will be much help to you. I don’t see a single thing I recognize.”

  “How do you mean? Did you not prepare your meals every day?”

  “No, actually, I didn’t. I had a robot butler. He took care of everything. The kitchen system was quite ingenious; all he had to do was hit the right menu button and a full meal would appear in the compartment. I could never be sure what it was actually made of but it was filling.”

  Dorian’s mouth is agape in wonder. A working robot that could follow commands? This was monumental.

  “We will have to remedy your lack of cooking skills later, for now tell me how the robot worked while I cook us dinner.”

  “I may do a better job of explaining it if I get my sketch book and sketch it out for you.” For the first time in her life, Faith feels like she was in the right place at the right time. She still isn’t sure, though, how she feels about being plucked from her life because a man wanted her to be here. Something about that doesn’t sit right. But sitting in the kitchen with Dorian busily sketching out the robot almost feels normal.

  “So the robot almost looks like a man,” she explains. “He has rounded edges and stained metal to emulate clothing. His face moves in a lifelike way. I believe you would maybe call it artificial intelligence?” Dorian’s blank face tells Faith this phrase hasn’t come into use yet.

  “Never mind, can you tell me about what is going on in the town?” Dorian’s face immediately changes, his scowl tells her that whatever is going on, it isn’t good.

  “Let’s sit down for dinner first and then we can discuss our current situation.”

  At dinner, Dorian starts the conversation and begins to describe what is going on in the city.

  “The men that currently occupy the city are nothing less than a
ruthless plague. It began when they murdered the Sheriff. After that horrendous act, people were afraid to stand up to them despite the fact that we outnumbered the gang. Overtime, the gang took control of everything. The bank, the hotel, and the market are no longer safe to go into alone and there is an unchecked lawlessness that permeates our home. ” Here he takes a moment for all of this to sink in for Faith.

  She has to hold her tongue to keep from telling him about the dangers of her home. She knows for him this must be very hard.

  “My father believed that the gang also employed an inventor to create a machine that could control the thoughts and actions of those that came within certain proximity. That is how they are able to keep an impression of serenity. Father knew that although he was an expert in his field, he would need someone who had advanced knowledge of machines to overcome the gang and their mind machine.”

  Through all of this, Faith remains serene. At this point, though, she realizes just how dangerous the situation is. If they have a mind control machine then there is no hope for any of them. In another part of her, she is bursting with excitement. It’s like she has been transported into one of her novels and is the heroine. How could Dorian possibly have known this about her? Every word that comes out of his mouth makes her want to kiss him, full and well on his unbelievably kissable lips. While she is attracted to him, she knows she should be angry with him. Somehow, though, that adds to the appeal. If he knew what she was thinking, she would be in trouble tonight.

  “We are going to have to do something about the machine first. I have no way to defend myself against something like that. In my world, it was a constant presence in my head. I am afraid that I would completely succumb without any fight at all.”

  Dorian is surprised and saddened to hear that she has experience with something like this.

  “Yes, I agree. Somehow, we will have to permanently disable the machine.”

  After dinner, they retire to the study and attempt to get to know each other, but the tension in the room is getting in the way of anything stimulating. Whether it is the candlelight dinner or the claret she had, Faith is starting to feel the effect of what appears to her to be a romantic overture. Never having been romanced before, Faith is feeling particularly open to taking advantage of the situation and exploring her ultimate fantasies. She has been holding back. Finally Faith gives in to her baser instincts.

  Dorian has been oblivious to the war going on inside Faith’s head, carefully concealed below the surface of her smile, which he hasn’t been able to look away from. Dorian himself is trying desperately to maintain his composure as a gentleman should. He also doesn’t want to frighten her. Much to his surprise, he has thus far been able to keep it together. He knows though, that if Faith makes any indication she is interested in him, he won’t be able restrain himself.

  Throwing her judgement out the window, Faith gets up from the settee and moves toward Dorian, who is seated across from her. Almost at the same time, Dorian rises to leave to make coffee for them as Faith is coming toward him. Instead of the seductive move Faith was hoping for, they collide and topple backward on to the settee. Laughing, they look into each other’s eyes. What passes between them doesn’t need words.

  It is Faith’s first lesson in how complicated it can be to get out of the Victorian contraptions that pass as clothes. It was never this hard to get undressed in her fantasies. In their frustration to get to each other Faith hikes up her skirt, exposing her stocking clad legs and the frilly drawers further up.

  Dorian somewhat hastily yanks the drawers down around Faith’s ankles. She giggles as she grasps his shoulders to keep from losing her balance and steps out of them. Dorian caresses her foot as he pulls away the garment. Knowing that she is fully vulnerable now, he runs his hands up her legs to her thighs and is rewarded by a soft moan escaping Faith’s lips and a tremor goes through her body he can feel in his heart.

  Faith is filled with ecstasy, hardly able to contain the anticipation of what is to come. She doesn’t give Dorian a chance to do anything else below her navel as she grasps him by the shoulders and pulls him against her.

  Seizing the opportunity, Dorian swings her up into his arms and carries her upstairs to the bedroom. The journey from the door to the bed is a flurry of kissing and fondling as Faith tries to find her usual patterns, but Dorian isn’t behaving as a normal twenty-first century man would. It is confusing and frustrating. She wants him to rip off her clothes and take her, but he seems to be moving like a broken down hover craft.

  He in turn is surprised by her voraciousness. Having been with only a handful of women before, his experience is of course limited, but he doesn’t recall them being this excited or aggressive. It takes him some time to get comfortable with her aggression, which in her case is not to be confused with passion, but soon enough he is responding in kind.

  Divested of the remaining barriers to naked skin to skin contact, Faith takes the lead and pushes Dorian to bed. Mounting him, she pulls her hairpins and shakes out her hair. Placing her hands on his chest, she begins to move up and down.

  The sensation of having a woman on top of him almost brings Dorian to the edge, but he is able to stop himself. Faith is a vision of wantonness as she rides him to the edge and back again. She obviously knows how far to push and is enjoying toying with him. This is her way of satisfying herself, having control of her partner and her pleasure is the only way Faith has ever been able to come to an orgasm.

  Satisfied that Dorian will let her do as she pleases, Faith takes her pleasure from him and only after she finishes does she ride him in fast hard movements to bring him over the edge in a rush. Faith gracefully dismounts and flops on to the bed with a flourish and a big sigh. Dorian is absolutely bewildered by the experience.

  “Faith?”

  “Yes?”

  “I haven’t lain with a woman in a long while. This sort of behavior though usually means the woman is a prostitute.” He is silent for a moment before he asks quietly, “Are you a prostitute in your time?”

  At first Faith wants to be horrified and offended, and then she just loses it. The hilarity of the situation is just too much for her. Her laughter seems to be unnerving Dorian, so she tries to calm herself.

  “I’m sorry,” she says between giggles. “I am not a prostitute, per se, it’s just that in my time, sexual interactions are treated differently.”

  “You mean wantonness in females is accepted?”

  “Well yes, I suppose it is.”

  “Hmmm…” he murmurs softly. Dorian doesn’t seem convinced but also doesn’t have an argument that would make any difference. With memories and thoughts swirling in both their minds, they fall asleep together in companionable silence.

  *****

  November, 1881 – Durango

  The morning is dawning bright. The sun is just hitting their faces from across the room. Faith’s raven black hair is spread across the pillow in perfect pin up waves. If there was a camera in the room, it would be a boudoir photo incarnate, with legs intertwined and arms draped provocatively.

  Faith finds that she wakes without the usual bile in the back of her throat, something that hasn’t happened for her in a long while.

  Dorian wakes for the first time with a woman in his bed. Spending an occasional evening in a pleasure house isn’t the same as having a partner next to you. For the first time, Dorian feels the pang of loneliness that has been hiding below the surface. Even after the strange feelings Dorian had last night, they seem to have happened long ago and to another person as he looks adoringly at Faith. She couldn’t be more beautiful in his eyes and he is looking forward to their next romantic encounter even though he knows it is dishonorable.

  Languidly, they smile to themselves and detangle. Clutching the sheet to her Faith, looks for the bathroom door, then she remembers where she is and realizes she will have to ask Dorian about what to do. How embarrassing, she thinks.

  “Um, Dorian?”

  “Yes?�
��

  “Where is the bathroom?”

  “The what?”

  “Where do I relieve myself?” To her dismay, he reaches under the bed and pulls out the chamber pot. Thankfully, it’s empty.

  “You can take it behind the screen if you like. There is a cutout seat there to use.” He smiles as he turns his back to dress and give her some privacy.

  She hadn’t considered this part of the equation. Studying the finer points of history had not been one of her priorities. She mainly focused on the glamorous side of things.

  Once dressed, Dorian heads downstairs to make breakfast and coffee. Faith follows shortly after and he helps her with the lacing and closure of the dress.

  In the fresh light of day, Faith sees her situation for what it is. She has virtually been kidnapped and while she isn’t being held against her will, per se, she can’t leave at will either. Last night was a mistake and will never happen again, she vows to herself.

  “Dorian, what do you think I can do to help you with the town? If I do help you, will you let me go home?”

  “I am not sure how to get you home, actually, but I will do what I can to make that happen. As for what you can do, well that is another matter entirely. My father never gave much direction as to what I should do once I found you. I think it is something that we will have to discover together. I think we should start by getting to know our enemy which means we will have to go to Main Street and spend some time there. My hope is that at some point a sensible and realistic plan will form between us and we will know what to do. I always thought we should be able to go in with brute force if the whole city rose up against them, but my father was not convinced that everyone would band together.”

  “Then the sooner we get started, the sooner I can go home right?”

  “Yes, I suppose that is true. But truly, if you ever are unhappy or wish to leave my home, you may. I am not holding you prisoner here.” Inside, Dorian is crushed and he barely keeps the disappointment from his face. After last night he truly thought they had made a connection. Apparently not. He refuses to give up, though, and vows to change Faith’s mind about staying with him.