PluckingthePearl

by Afton Locke

  His jaw tightened to the point of pain. “Jimmy touches you…like this?”

  She lifted her head and smiled at him. “Of course not. He touched my arm a couple of times today. When you touched my chin yesterday for the first time, I felt so many things but when he touched me I felt nothing at all. Why is that?”

  Caleb’s taut joints loosened with relief. “Because we have something special. It sounds as if Jimmy might be a little sweet on you.”

  He could kick himself. Talking about anything but them would break the mood. She’d start thinking too much and put her stockings on again.

  “I think he is. Touch me again,” she said, “so I can make sure you’re really special.”

  “Gladly.”

  But he had other things planned besides touching. He began at her ankle, putting his mouth on her. When he dragged his tongue across her flesh, over the swell of her calf, she gasped and parted her legs a few inches more.

  “Well? Am I special?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Her reply came out as a breath.

  Once started, he couldn’t stop. He lifted one leg slightly and licked the sensitive area behind her knee.

  “Am I the only man who can make you feel this way?”

  “Yes, Caleb. Yes!”

  Her words wrapped around his cock, hardening him to stone. He needed to be her man, her only man. She touched his hair as he moved higher and kissed her inner thighs halfway between her knees and the loose garter clasps. He toyed with them as he kissed and licked. The thick scent of her arousal went to his head, making him dizzy with need and reminding him how close he was to her hidden wet folds.

  Something louder than a moan rewarded him when he nipped the tender skin of her inner thigh between his teeth. His member ached so hard he had to clap a hand over the front of his trousers as if to keep it contained there. Panting and aware his face was slick with sweat, he looked up at her and ran a finger around the round neckline of her dress.

  “I need to taste you here too and I don’t want to get slapped this time.”

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the buttons of her bodice but his impatient hands pushed hers away. The sight of her white bra blocking his way made him frown.

  “You certainly wear a lot of undergarments,” he grumbled.

  Before she could reply, he pulled down the straps and then the cups until what he was after displayed proudly before him. Her nipples were much darker than her skin, he realized. More importantly, they were long, succulent and erect. He couldn’t get them into his mouth fast enough.

  Not wanting her to close her legs again, he positioned himself between them and braced his hands behind her on the table. Then he leaned his mouth to one upturned nipple.

  Her breath hissed in the back of her throat when he hesitated. She must want this as much as he did. Maybe even more. Deciding to tease her, he dragged his moustache across the tip. He wanted to make her as hard as his cock.

  She gyrated in response, pressing her breast against his moustache and mouth. Without warning her, he extended his tongue and flicked the erect tip back and forth until he thought they both might go crazy.

  He groaned when she clasped the back of his head and pulled him closer. Reading her needs, he opened his mouth and took the succulent nipple inside. He intended to savor her slowly but that was impossible. His mouth constricted, sucking harder than he intended as his lips clamped down.

  Her fingers dug into the back of his neck. The sensation of scratching nails and the sting that followed barely registered. To his delight, she pulled his head to her other breast. He gave it the same treatment but faster because as much as he wanted to tease the point slowly to full erection, he couldn’t slow down this time. He pulled her into his mouth, rolling the tender bud with his tongue.

  The vision of a red light formed in his mind, warning him they were both out of control but trying to stop it would be harder than halting a train. If they did too much more of this, he knew he’d spread her legs the rest of the way—dangling stockings and all—and fuck her right here on the table. And he wouldn’t be able to stop until he was satisfied.

  He also knew she didn’t want that.

  Pushing off the table for leverage, he forced himself to step back. The energy it took to restrain himself sapped him, making him hang his head for a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Everything, he thought as he looked up at her upturned breasts, the dusky nipples slick with his saliva and swollen from his hard, insistent sucking.

  “I want you so much.” His voice sounded so raw he barely recognized it as his own.

  Feeling a bit more in control, he moved closer to her again. He wasn’t done with her tonight and if he just went more slowly he was sure he could stay in control more easily.

  When he cleared his throat and gripped her knees to part them, she held them closed with surprising strength.

  “Am I going too fast?” he asked.

  She looked away. “It’s not that.”

  He persisted and spread her legs until he saw the prize he sought. She wore step-in panties of white cotton and the wide legs teased him with a view of her nether hair. The large, wet circle revealed just how much he’d aroused her.

  “They’re old and very plain,” she admitted, lifting her chin.

  So that’s what was bothering her. Her previous employer’s charity hadn’t extended to undergarments.

  “I couldn’t care less, honey,” he replied. “In fact, I like silk stockings and old cotton panties.”

  The dampness made the thin, worn fabric look thinner, hinting at the shape and rich coffee hue of her folds. Caleb gripped her knees hard and brought them together, hiding the slick treasure from view.

  “It’s getting late.” He pointed to the dinner he’d brought. “We should eat.”

  Instead, she glanced up at the clock on the wall and put her hand over her mouth. “Leroy has been waiting a long time. What must he think? And my aunt is surely waiting up for me.”

  He winked at her. “Tell them there was extra cleaning to do.” He took a deep breath and helped her roll her stockings back up. “Pearl, I didn’t just stop because of the time. I was starting to lose control and I know your virginity is important to you.”

  “Thank you,” she replied as she hurriedly snapped the garter fasteners and smoothed down the legs of her panties and the hem of her dress. “We shouldn’t even have done this. I can’t believe I’m so weak. It can’t happen again.”

  When she pulled her bra straps back into place and worked on buttoning her bodice, he helped her with that too. “We said that last time,” he reminded her. “I think we’re well beyond trying to stay away from each other now, don’t you?”

  She smoothed her pinned hair. “Maybe you’re right. I hunger for you as if I’m starving and it never goes away.”

  Caleb’s heart did a somersault of joy in his chest. “I was thinking we could work out an arrangement.”

  “An arrangement?”

  He took a hanky from his shirt pocket, reminding him of the day he’d met her, and mopped his damp forehead. “Yes. We would spend this time together every evening you work late.”

  Her arched eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Every evening?”

  “You’ll marry someday.” He took her hand and studied it, unable to look into her haunting eyes right now. “And that’s when I’ll lose you. For now, let’s just enjoy this. I swear I won’t take your virginity from you.”

  “But it’s still wrong, even if I stay a virgin.”

  He interlaced his white fingers with her dark ones and held up their locked hands. “Look at the colors of our skin, Pearl. Under the circumstances, this is all we can ever have. Our passion isn’t very convenient but it’s a gift we can’t just throw away.”

  She traced their interlaced fingers with the finger of her other hand. “I wish things were different.”

  “So do I but th
ey’re not,” he said firmly. “I need you. I never realized how lonely and obsessed with work I was.”

  “I need you too,” she whispered.

  “I never want you to feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to do and your jobs are safe no matter what you decide,” he reminded her. “Will you agree to our arrangement?”

  She lowered her eyelids and hesitated but when she lifted them again, he saw the green depths of passion in her eyes. When she nodded at last, his heart did another somersault and he kissed her to lock their agreement, gently and slowly this time. They had time and a future to look forward to now. Not much of one but it was better than nothing.

  He helped her off the table. “I could buy you some fancy panties if you like. They make them with lace and fabric so sheer you can see right through it.”

  She held up a hand. “Absolutely not.”

  “Then don’t wear any tomorrow.”

  Pearl blinked in surprise. “That wouldn’t be proper. I could forgo the stockings…”

  “Wear the stockings and garters but no panties. That’s an order.”

  She lifted her chin and went to fetch the fallen broom behind him. “We’ll see. Caleb!”

  He spun around. “What is it?”

  “Your neck,” she exclaimed. “It’s full of scratches and you’re bleeding.”

  Barely aware of the vague sting, he swiped a hand across the back of his neck. “I’ll be damned,” he said when he saw the traces of blood.

  She took the hanky from his hand and wiped his wounds. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did that to you.”

  “I’m not a bit sorry,” he said proudly. “I guess I’ll claim I got into a tangle with a wildcat. At least it’s not far from the truth.”

  “And I have to be careful not to bathe in front of Sadie or Wilma. I think you bruised my breasts.”

  He headed to the door. “We’ll both have to be more careful. If anyone ever found out about this, it would be a disaster.”

  “So why are we doing it?” she asked.

  He hated the worry that knit her delicate brow and knowing he put it there with his selfish wants.

  “Because we can’t not do it but our guard has to be up with everyone at all times.” He put his hand on the doorknob. “I’ll be thinking about you all day tomorrow.”

  “Me too. Until tomorrow,” she said.

  “Shall I walk you to the restaurant to meet Leroy?”

  “No, I can manage,” she replied. Just before she left, she kissed his cheek. “Good night, Caleb.”

  After she’d gone, he leaned against the wall. His legs were so weak and rubbery he nearly slid down the length of it yet his heart raced as if he’d run across the island and back.

  What had he done? He’d just made an arrangement he had no business making but his desire hadn’t given him a choice. Until Pearl married, he was going to savor every stolen moment with her.

  As he turned the overhead lights off in their special room and closed the door, he hoped she didn’t marry anyone else for a long, long time.

  Chapter Five

  Pearl took her place at work the next day, avoiding eye contact with Leroy.

  “You’re late,” he’d told her last night at the restaurant. “The boss man treat you all right? He ain’t forcing himself on you or anything, is he?”

  The blood had drained from her face as she wondered how much he suspected.

  “Of course not, Leroy. He’s very polite. I just clean like he tells me to.”

  Luckily he’d seemed satisfied with her answer.

  She’d spent so long getting ready that morning Wilma had fussed at her. In the end, Pearl had decided to follow Caleb’s orders not to wear panties, but regretted it. The loose legs of the undergarment had given her more protection than she’d realized.

  Now she felt every draft caress her bare skin, reminding her of his hands on her legs, pulling down her stockings and kissing her inner thighs.

  What if a wind blew through the open unloading dock door and raised her dress, exposing her? Luckily the warm morning air told her it would be a still, summery day. She kept her legs pressed as tightly together as she could while she worked, sure everyone knew her secret.

  For some reason, the thought made her wet. Every time she reached for an oyster, the tips of her breasts—sore from Caleb’s relentless mouth—rubbed the inside of her bra. That made her even wetter.

  What would he do to her tonight? His order not to wear panties suggested he had plans for the spot between her legs. She hoped so. All the attention he’d given her thighs last night had made it throb with unbearable heaviness. She’d nearly sat doubled over on the boat ride home because the sweet ache pressed against her entire pelvis.

  What had the man done to her?

  Even the sight of the oysters made her tingle with need. Each time she shucked one, she imagined how wet and arousing it would look on Caleb’s tongue.

  To her horror, a hot rivulet of fluid dripped down the inside of her thigh. She froze, sure it would course all the way down her leg for all to see.

  “Are you all right?” Jimmy asked her. “You’re standing so stiffly you look sick or something.”

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “Please don’t interrupt your shucking on my account.”

  After he finally turned back to his work, Pearl expelled the breath she’d been holding. Although her thighs were still damp, nothing rolled down to her calves. The tops of her stockings must have caught the droplets. The weather wasn’t helping. It was hard to tell where the humidity in the air ended and the moisture on her skin began.

  Good heavens. What had become of her? She’d gone from respectable girl to a dog in heat. How could she have agreed to Caleb’s indecent arrangement? She could almost hear Mama’s voice, telling her how wrong it was and how disappointed she was in her. Pearl pried an oyster open with extra force.

  It’s not vulgar, she told herself. Caleb was special. If they were the same color, they could court and marry like a normal couple, but they weren’t. He was such a caring man, only taking from her what she gave instead of forcing himself on her as many men in his position might have done. He’d even stopped when his control had threatened to slip.

  What would happen if he did lose control? Would she be able to stop him? She hadn’t been in control last night herself. When he put his searing, wet mouth on some of the most tender areas of her body, she would probably agree to almost anything. He’d given her his word he wouldn’t take her virginity and she trusted he’d abide by it.

  She pushed thoughts of Caleb from her mind and focused on her shucking, hoping her thighs would dry and stay that way. Shucking was so automatic to her now that there wasn’t as much to focus on as she’d hoped.

  And just when she’d successfully gotten her mind off him, she heard his voice. She took a breath and dropped the latest piece of oyster meat into a pail. At least now she was prepared for him to ignore her. His words came back to her as she reached for the next oyster.

  We both have our roles to play.

  Despite the way her body had turned into something wild and unrecognizable, she was determined to play her role well. She put her full attention on the oyster sitting on her cutting block, holding her breath until he walked by.

  “Morning, Jimmy. Still shucking at the speed of light, I see.”

  The noisy din of shucking vanished. Instead, Caleb’s easygoing waterman’s accent wrapped itself around her as if it were a silk ribbon, drifting up her legs…

  Go away!

  “And how are you, Miss Wilson?”

  Pearl’s throat went completely dry as she turned around. He certainly wasn’t ignoring her today. The unpredictable man stood right in front of her, fixing her with a white-blue stare so intense it nearly melted her to the floor. His eyes glittered with meaning and so many unspoken, secret words.

  “I’m well, Mr. Rockfield.”

  He stood with his thumbs casually hooked in his suspenders where th
ey attached to his trousers. Against her will, her gaze drifted there and skimmed across his pelvis before she directed it back to his face.

  She remembered to look for the scratches on his neck. He wore a tie with the collar pulled high in the back but because she knew what to look for, she saw a scratch from the side. Knowing she’d put it there made her stomach feel as if it floated out of her body.

  “Did you follow your instructions today?” he asked.

  When she realized he meant her panties, searing heat raced across her face before shooting down to her naked bottom.

  Unable to speak, she nodded.

  “Excellent,” he said before he sauntered away.

  After he’d gone, she gripped the edges of the oyster table and struggled to catch her breath. She nearly jumped to the roof when Jimmy touched her arm.

  “Are you sure you’re not sick?” he asked. “It’s awful hot today. Maybe you should lie down for a bit.”

  “Maybe later,” she replied. “It is hot.”

  “And don’t let the boss make you nervous,” Jimmy added. “He’s a fair man and treats us pretty good.”

  But Pearl barely listened. Why had Caleb asked such a daring question? Her reaction had drawn Jimmy’s attention and maybe that of others too. Was he trying to reassure her after ignoring her yesterday or did he enjoy playing with danger?

  * * * * *

  Pearl sat in the lunchroom next to her family, wishing the day were more than half over. All she could do was think about that private room and what would happen tonight. Guilt and anticipation had warred inside her for so many hours they had left her limp and exhausted.

  Jimmy sat next to her. The sleeves of his green shirt were rolled up high enough to expose his biceps and Sadie’s gaze clung to the damp, coppery-brown muscles. Pearl might have stared at them herself if she’d never met Caleb. Now they didn’t interest her any more than the wooden table did.

  “Are you feeling better, Pearl?” he asked. “Maybe some of this chicken will help.”