Flash Drive

by Jacqueline DeGroot

  “Yes. In fact, that is why we are here. Your aunt has sent us to this secluded orchard for you to do just that. She has assured us of privacy while you bare yourself to me so I can see if you are as pleasing to the eye as she has told me.”

  “She would never!” Julia was indignant and shamed to her toes. “Surely, she did not!”

  “Madame, I assure you that she did. You are welcome to check with her if you like. She knows it is a condition of my accepting you as my wife. You are to display yourself for me this night, here in the moonlight in this secluded glade.”

  He bent and kissed her on the neck. It felt warm and tingly and it thrilled her. He continued kissing her neck, trailing light kisses all the way up to her ear where he engaged his tongue in the whorls. Her body was betraying her and she sensed that he was counting on that.

  “So, what say you?” he breathed devastating warmth into her ear. “Do you wish to be my bride?”

  He was right, she could do a lot worse than this incredibly handsome man who stood before her causing her body to vibrate and sing. His hands caressed her forearms as he kissed her lightly on the lips, then he kissed her eyelids and her nose before clasping her hands in his and gazing into her light blue eyes.

  She stared back, mesmerized, looking into his hard, steely, dark blue ones. She simply nodded as if in a spell. She had acquiesced without meaning to.

  His lips descended to hers and he greedily feasted on her full, pouty lips, nipping lightly on first one then the other before forcing her tongue to tangle with his. He murmured his pleasure as he kissed alongside her jaw. He felt her lean into him as her knees weakened and he smiled into her hair. When his lips reached her ear he breathed into it again, “Bare your breasts for me, or as I prefer to call them, your titties.”

  She was shocked by his vulgar words, but strangely, also tantalized by them.

  “I . . . I cannot,” she whimpered.

  “You can,” he countered, keeping his eyes on hers as he deftly unbuttoned the line of buttons along the back of her gown. Then he started pulling her gown down over her shoulders. When her lily-white shoulders were bared, he forced the gown even lower, revealing her lace chemise and corset.

  Unlacing the bodice, he whispered, “No one is around, it is just you and I,” as he continued to tug on the strings lacing her in. Before she could stop him the tension eased and all was undone. His hands moved the fabric of her gown and corset out of the way. Then he pulled her chemise to her waist, baring her breasts to the night air.

  “Sweet Mary Agnes, she was right. Your tits are magnificent,” he said as his eyes hungrily devoured her. She stood there in her shame as she watched his eyes rove over her. His face was alight with pleasure, his lips in a wide grin.

  “Perfect, perfect—the shape, the size, the nipples. They are absolutely perfect.” It was hard not to see the pleasure and lust in his eyes, and even though she was unnerved posing like this in front of him, she was also excited and thrilled by his lavish praise.

  His hands reverently cupped her and he gingerly hefted each breast, his fingers groping and kneading as he felt how full and pliant she was. “Like warm, soft clay, molding itself to my hands,” he murmured as he stroked her and pinched her. The sensations were new to her. She was flushed with heat and tingling with feelings she had never felt as he continued to stare down at her and fondle her. His thumbs grazed her nipples and she moaned from the intense pleasure he was giving her.

  “Ah, responsive, too. I like that very much.” He circled her nipples over and over and they budded into tight hard pellets. Then he bent and took a nipple in his mouth, and she thought she would die from the heat it sent coursing through her.

  “Oh my!” she exclaimed.

  “Oh my, is right. These mounds are luscious. They display very nicely, very nicely indeed.”

  He bent to kiss the other breast and she swooned. He had to catch her about the waist to hold her up as he continued to suckle her.

  “Ah, yes,” he said as he straightened, never taking his eyes from her chest. “These will do very nicely. Now let’s have a look at the rest of you.”

  “The rest?” she squeaked.

  “The rest,” he said firmly, looking up from her breasts to meet her eyes. “Your cunt, your womanhood, the juncture between your thighs. I want to see your body and learn all its secrets.”

  “Sir, I beg of you, surely this can wait for the nuptial night?”

  “Surely madam, it cannot. Pull the hem of your gown up to your waist and I will remove your pantaloons.” His brusque matter-of-fact manner unnerved her, yet she didn’t know how to deny him.

  She moved to cover her breasts with the camisole but he grabbed her hand, “Keep those uncovered, I have not yet looked my fill upon them. Now raise your skirts.” It was a voice not to be brooked, his ducal voice, one she imagined caused everyone to bow to his demands. Immediately.

  Her hands trembled as she inched her gown up from the sides, each hand bunching the satin material. He watched as she revealed her feet, clad in soft but badly worn slippers, her trim ankles encased in white snagged stockings. She hesitated at her knees, but all he had to do was pierce her eyes with his and arch his brow and she continued gathering the folds in her arms. When she finally stood before him with the skirt of her gown completely gathered at her waist, revealing her garters and her pantaloons, he sighed in appreciation.

  She stood before him topless, her breasts bared to the night air as she held her dress out of the way so he could strip her of her pantalets. His aim, to view her womanhood, or in his words, “her sweet naked cunt,” uttered as he prepared to strip her of her remaining undergarment.

  He was excited beyond measure at the sight in front of him. He was as hard as he’d ever been and he could not wait to kneel before her and examine her closely. He stood and took her by the shoulders and gently led her backward so she could lean against the trunk of a huge tree.

  “This may take a while, you may need the support,” he said as his eyes raked over her breasts again. Then she watched as he knelt in front of her and his hands moved to unfasten the tapes of her pantalets. She held her breath as he undid them and slid them down her thighs, letting them fall below her knees.

  She felt his low gasp followed by a long drawn out sigh of wonderment as his breath fluttered the tight curls sparsely covering her. She was tempted to drop the skirts she was holding, but knew that was not the thing to do—already she had divined his one-mindedness about her body. But his perusal there, the knowledge of exactly where his eyes were focused caused her knees to buckle. He gripped her thighs tightly to steady her.

  “Do not even think of removing this sight from in front of my eyes by fainting,” he murmured as his fingers skimmed the insides of her thighs on their way to their target. His thumbs led the way, gently pushing against the flesh at the top of her thighs to splay her for him.

  “Spread your legs further for me,” he commanded in a soft whisper. And even though she whimpered, she knew better than to disobey. His fingers groped higher, pushing the flesh apart between her legs.

  “Beautiful muff, my love. Show me more, I want to see it all,” he said as he forced her legs even further apart. She looked down to see that he knelt on one knee, wedged between her thighs with his neck crooked so he could view her better. She saw the top of his head angle to the side as he craned his neck to look into the absolute core of her body, and she felt so violated that she sobbed out loud.

  “Shhh . . .” he whispered. “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to look. You are incredibly beautiful here, my love. You have the most beautiful cleft I have ever seen. Patricia was right, you are perfect. I will have you as my bride.”

  He leaned in and kissed her where his fingers had separated her labia and she trembled. She felt hers
elf stiffen under his warm caress and then she involuntarily arched herself to receive another blessing from his lips.

  He laughed as he stood, moving close to her so that even if she dropped her skirts, they would still stay up. “You will break in just fine.”

  His hand caressed her naked thigh as his eyes sought hers, then his fingers found her warm, wet slit and he softly massaged her. “My fingers feel good on you, don’t they?” he asked, daring her to lie.

  She only nodded as she trembled against him and he chuckled again. He kissed her thoroughly as his fingers explored her, and she didn’t know what was delving deeper, his tongue in her mouth or his fingers in her secret place. The sensations he was causing as he kissed her, impaled her, and then bent to suckle a tender, fleshy breast flooded her with a desire she had never known before. Her breath came in hard uneven pants as heat coursed through her veins, she felt lightheaded and in need of something she couldn’t name. When she jerked against his finger, drowning it with her hot, sticky juices she cried out with her release.

  She felt she was being washed over the edge of a precipice after reaching the summit, and then softly floating down to be caught by a welcoming wave of fluffy cotton. It was like drowning in a warm sea while still being able to breathe. Her body shuddered against his, and he kissed her beneath her ear as he whispered, “I promise you that is the first of many, my delectable bride-to-be.”

  “Was I right?” A voice called out in the still night, and Julia recognized her aunt’s voice. She strove desperately to cover herself, but the Duke would not allow it, forcing her hands from her breasts with one hand while keeping her skirts up with his other hand around her waist.

  “Yes, you were right. As always,” he said to the approaching voice as he indicated the bared breasts with a flourish of one hand. His hip, pressed into hers, secured the gown when he removed his other hand from her waist, “These are magnificent—ripe, full, fleshy and high on her chest. With soft pink nipples I will be the envy of. And this,” he cupped her mound, “is every man’s dream. Cunt hairs so soft and sheer, it is almost like she is shaven for viewing. You have done well, my love.”

  My love? Why was he talking to her aunt that way? And why was he allowing her aunt to see her like this? Why was he not covering her? She struggled to free herself, but he held her firmly. The word “nipples” connected in her mind to “envy” and “shaven for viewing” screamed at her, but she couldn’t make sense of what they could possibly mean. She continued to try to pull away from him so she could cover herself.

  “Now, now, you have a body built for display, do not be self-conscious. While you are not fair of face, you are more than fair of body. Believe me, few women possess such enticing charms in both arenas,” he said, his tone mocking.

  Her aunt sidled up and took her time surveying her. “Yes, she is first quality. I fear you may not have paid enough for her. Mayhap, we should renegotiate?” she said with a sly smile.

  “I’ve settled enough on you for you and your brood to live comfortably for the rest of your lives, and you know it,” he said with a wink. “Accept my thanks for finding me this prize, I shall indeed treasure it. I have the dispensation and the special license with me; we will be wed on the morrow after the doctor has certified her for me. You’re sure she is virginal?”

  They were talking as if she wasn’t even there, yet both sets of eyes were fully on her. She was red with shame but helpless to cover herself.

  “I am sure. I have allowed no males, servants or otherwise to be in her presence alone, especially once I discovered her naked in her bath. I knew she was uncommonly formed.”

  “Good,” he said as he ran his fingers through her tight curls, angling his head down to see past the bulk of the wadded gown. “She is an incredible find, I cannot wait until I have the time to play with my new toy and discover all its special secrets.” He pulled his hand away and let the gown drop to the ground. Julia visibly relaxed until she remembered that her breasts were still uncovered and both her aunt and now her betrothed’s eyes were fixated on them.

  Her aunt sauntered over and grabbed a handful of the plump flesh and pinched it together, letting her thumb graze the nipple. “You did well, Your Grace. You will be truly proud on your wedding day.”

  “That I will,” he said as he pulled Julia’s camisole up over the full white mounds with their jutting rose-colored tips. “That I will.”

  “What are you two talking about and how do you know each other and why do you call her ‘your love,’” Julia demanded in her indignation, as she tried to piece her garments back together and to achieve some semblance of order in her appearance. “And why are you allowing him to look upon me like this after all these years of teaching me to be proper and chaste and ladylike?”

  The words were issued in a scream as the realization of exactly what had happened here in the openness of this orchard came to her. She was now betrothed to this man. She would be marrying him tomorrow as soon as the doctor vouched for her! Her body would be his to do as he willed and apparently he willed it to be displayed for his eyes. How often, she did not know, but he was obviously paying a great deal for the right to do so as often as he wished.

  Her aunt had indeed sold her to this man, this man she knew nothing of, nothing except that his kisses drugged her soul and made her body betray her by relishing the touch of his fingers and mouth.

  “You may tell her all you know of me when you are away with her tomorrow, but I would have her know nothing of us until she is far away from here,” her aunt said with a stern countenance.

  “I understand.”

  “Come Julia, I will see you to your room where you will be locked in for tonight. It is for your own good. I have come too far in this for anyone to breech you and ruin my arrangement.”

  Julia was stunned by her aunt’s words. Her aunt had plotted in this scheme, or whatever it was, and now she, Julia, her once beloved niece, was not even to be trusted until the morrow when a doctor would come and examine her?

  “Molly and Meg will sleep with you tonight to insure that you do not harm yourself,” she said, the meaning of her words all too clear. “Your maidenhead will provide a roof over the heads of your siblings and half-siblings. They will have new clothing on their backs and ample enough food because of you. Should your maidenhead be breached tonight, they will be orphaned.”

  Her aunt did not say this in a mean-spirited way, just in a matter-of-fact way, as if the choices were simple—as if this was indeed the last option open to them. She looked tired and sad, but unapproachable. It was obvious that her mind was made up and that nothing Julia could say would sway her.

  Her life had been given over. She now belonged to the Duke of Thornhill— body and soul. But sadly, he only seemed interested in her body. She followed her aunt back to the house and up to her bed chamber where her sisters were already in bed waiting for her.

  She was surprised when the Duke arrived at nine the next morning to take her to the doctor.

  “I thought Dr. Herrington would be coming here,” she said.

  “You’re not seeing Dr. Herrington, you’re seeing my doctor. Dr. Lucien Rinaldo. He’s traveled from London to examine you for me. He and his nurse have been invited to use Dr. Herrington’s offices in town.”

  “You don‘t trust anybody do you?” she sneered at him.

  “No. Not when it’s important. And this is very important.”

  “Why? Why is it so important that I be a virgin? You obviously aren’t unpracticed.”

  He laughed uproarishly. “That is, in fact, true. However, I paid for a virgin and a virgin I shall have. I don’t really have to explain it to you, but I will. I am thirty-two, never married—in fact, never planned to marry, until my eldest brother died late last year. Now the line must continue with me. I will eventually need an heir
. You shall provide me with one when the time comes. When I deem you are ready to bear a child for me, you will do so. Although I would prefer the mother of my children be a virgin on the day I marry her, the legacy of my family requires it to be so. So, I must be assured that no man’s prick has found its way between your thighs before mine.”

  She gasped at his language and he chuckled, “You might as well get used to my language, I don’t intend to change it for you.” He took her elbow and assisted her onto the carriage block.

  The coach pulled up and she saw that six outriders as well as the over-embellished, liveried footmen from yesterday accompanied it, along with the same two drivers she’d seen the day before. Even the tiger, the young man riding on the back, was in full uniform, and from the little she knew of the aristocracy, that was considered a flagrant display of excess. How wealthy was this man she was going to marry anyway?

  He handed her up into the carriage and for all outward appearances, it looked like he was a detached gentleman taking her for a Sunday afternoon outing, not the rake she now knew him to be, taking her to his doctor to have her inspected because he believed she could be lying to him. And never in her life had she ever wished so much that she had lied and that the good doctor would back her in her lie. But since he was such a good friend of the Duke—that was highly unlikely.

  Molly and Meg had been so severely instructed not to let her out of their sight last night, that she was not even left alone to go to the garderobe, so even if she had been able to find something appropriate to use, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to use it to cause her virgin blood to flow. But she had thought about it all night as she tossed around in her sleep.

  As soon as the Duke was situated in the carriage beside her, he tapped on the roof and the carriage surged forward.