Napoleon's Gift

by Alie Infante

  “Si beau.” So beautiful he said, his words interposing each strike. “Si doux.” So soft. He whispered, as he ran his hand over my stinging bottom again.

  “On cul a été fait de grève.” Yer bottom was made to strike, he stated hoarsely, as he struck me again, and I moaned. The resulting fire seemed to burn away my need to dispute this, and I gave up.

  “J’ai besoin de vous.” I need ye he moaned, jerked me up from the desk and placed me in his lap, as he drew the skin in the curve of my neck into his mouth. I screamed as he jerked my hips forward on the desk, causing him to fill me.

  “Dites-moi ce dont vous avez besoin?” Tell me ye need this. He hissed as he jerked me forward, then down, and my entire body responded to him.

  “Oui! Oui!” I screamed as I felt the sensations surge through me, as he struck my bottom again, and again.

  “Alors dites-le!” The say it, he demanded, as he tugged my hips faster, and I shook my head.

  “Non…pourquoi?” No…why? I screamed, and his movements became more demanding.

  “Parce que j’ai besoin de l’entendre! Tu me rends fou!”Because I need to hear it! Ye drive me mad! He said, and I was suddenly looking up at him and into his eyes, as he laid me completely on the desk. What I saw frightened me, because he let down his guard. I saw exactly what I assumed he meant for me not to distinguish. I tried to remove myself from the emotion, but the grin was back, and he shook his head.

  “Pas encore mon amour. Vous appartenez à moi, cette nuit entire.” Not yet my love. Ye belong to me, this entire night. He whispered, his eyes seemed to darken, and I knew I was done in then.

  Vendredi (Friday)…

  I sighed, as I looked into the glass once again. I had truly begun to grow weary of the tawdry outfits that Madame saw fit to parade me around in, when Monique entered the room with a thin white chemise. I sighed my relief. I also noticed she applied a simple amount of what she called make-up, and I was grateful at my normalcy.

  When he walked in, he smiled, and it was unlike any smile I had seen from him thus far. There was a gentleness in it, and I moaned my relief again, as he walked to the bed and sat down. He handed me the glass of wine, and I took it with a smile.

  After I drank my fill, he pulled me to him, took the glass from me, placed it on the side table, then laid me on the bed. His weight on top of me, however not enough to crush me. As his lips crushed mine, I sighed, and my body molded into his.

  He cupped my face, then deepened the kiss, and a soft moan escaped my lips as he drew back to look at my face.

  “Mon dieu, tu es belle.” My god, yer beautiful, he whispered, and before I could respond, he kissed me again.

  I felt it to the tips my toes.

  His head dipped to my throat, he sucked the warm skin in the curve of my neck into his mouth, and I gasped. I opened my mouth to say something, and he shook his head.

  “Ce soir, je veux vous aimer, comme vous le méritez.” This night, I want to love ye, as ye deserve, he whispered. His head dipped again, and the kiss he gave me astounded me. He pulled the chemise from my shoulders, and as his cool lips touched my heated skin I cried out, which caused him to bring his lips back to mine.

  I touched his face then.

  He looked at me searching my eyes.

  “Vous ne ressemble à aucun homme que je connais.” You are unlike any man I have ever known. I whispered, and he smiled.

  “Et vous êtes à la différence de n’importe quelle femme que j’ai jamais connu.” Ye are unlike any woman I have ever known. He whispered back, and something inside me seemed to regale in the elation I felt at his vow.

  Samedi (Saturday)…

  Madame was back to her tricks, because as I looked into the looking glass, the pirate’s patch caused me to moan from sheer aggravation. Equally, the garters were once again introduced. However, as he walked into the room, what I assumed would be an amusing expression on his face was one of pure lust.

  He noticed the vats of oil, the extra candles dispersed around the room, and his brow rose. I shrugged grinning.

  “Come.” He said, I smiled, then walked to where he was.

  He removed the eye patch with a chuckle, then commenced to undress me. He gave me a slight frown as he threw the get-up to the other side of the room. He was suddenly next to me again, lifted me, then placed me in his lap, and I forced the moan back down.

  He took the oil from the vat, smoothed it over my skin, and this time I could not control the moan. He grinned, took the perfumed cloth, rubbed it against my shoulders, then placed his nose in the curve of my neck and inhaled deeply.

  “My god yer stunning.” He whispered in English, as he brought the cloth across my breast, up my thighs, then looked up at me. His eyes had darkened, and they looked remarkable as he smiled at me.

  He brought his hand up, brushed it across my nipple, and my back arched as I moaned. My eyes closed, so I did not see the grin on his face.

  I moaned as he slipped his fingers inside, and my hips moved to meet the rhythm of his hand on their own accord. When his lips brushed across my nipple, a deep moan logged itself in the back of my throat as he took it into his mouth.

  “Ye are mine, and it shall remain so.” He whispered, I nodded, and that was my last coherent thought.

  Dimanche (Sunday)…

  I thanked the merciful lord that even though she plied her craft Madame had some small respite in decency, because as I lay awake in bed, I was grateful I was not expected this day. My caller was one voracious man, and I was not at all sure my body was up for the challenge.

  I sighed, as I closed my eyes, and sleep claimed me once again.

  Rouge Oiseau…

  Plantation…

  “I want something done immediately Jefferies! I shall not be bested by some third rate Earl from her majesties arse!” Mr. Charles spat, and the constable sighed.

  “I’m not rightly sure, what there is that can be done Charles. If he has Tobias’ last will and testament, what further action do you think I can muster? I may be constable, but it does not allow me to arrest people who have not actually committed a crime. Not to mention, he is an Earl Charles. I am behooved to wait this one out.” Jeffries cried, and Mr. Charles gave him a nasty look.

  “Then I shall attend to it myself. I don’t need ye.” Charles hissed, and the constable frowned.

  “Now, now Charles, let us not allow this to get the better of us. We must do this the proper way. If the magistrate were to get wind of this, especially with him being an Earl, this could indeed come back to haunt us, whatever shenanigans you’ve planned.”

  “Proper be damned! I have not waited on Tobias to die for the last two years, to allow this to slip from my grasp! Ye will not stop this Clinton!” He yelled, and the constable frowned.

  “Is your want of the girl this fanatical, that you would jeopardize all that we have worked for here? Cantor will not cotton to this, and you know it. Not to mention, I have no desire to deal with Younger. Just leave this be, you can find plenty of colored girls!” The constable lamented, and Charles shoved him onto the settee.

  The constable drew back, but it was not enough to keep Charles face from his.

  “Know yer place! It was I…who put you where ye are. I shall have her, and no one will stand in my way! She is not just some colored trollop. She is a symbol, to all that Tobias has kept from me in the last ten years. I will not allow him to best me, even from the grave. I will handle this myself!” Mr. Charles spat, snatched up his topcoat and gloves, then left Jefferies where he was.

  The constable frowned.

  He would never understand why Charles and Cantor would set themselves up with the lot of them in the first place.

  From what Jefferies knew, during the Civil War, savage guerrilla warfare wracked most of the state of Missouri. Thomas Cole Younger fought as a guerrilla under William Clarke Quantrill, and the fighting in Missouri during the Civil War was largely between pro-Union and pro-Confederate Missourians, though the
bushwhackers held special hatred for the Union troops from Kansas who frequently crossed the border and earned a reputation for ruthlessness.

  Younger joined the Confederate guerrilla leader Quantrill in a raid on August 21, 1863, taking part in the killing of some 200 men and boys at Lawrence, Kansas, which the guerrillas looted and burned.

  Likewise, Younger later claimed he left the bushwhacker ranks to enlist in the Confederate Army, and was sent to California on a recruiting mission. He returned after the Southern defeat to find Missouri under the rule of a militant faction of Unionists, the Radicals, who soon took over the regular Republican Party in the state. In the closing days of the war, the Radicals pushed through a new state constitution that barred Confederate sympathizers from voting, serving on juries, holding public office, preaching the gospel, or carrying out any number of public roles.

  On Election Day 1866, Clement led his men into Lexington, Missouri, where they intimidated Radical voters and secured the election of a conservative slate of candidates. A state militia unit entered the town shortly thereafter and killed Clement when he resisted arrest.

  Jefferies righted his shirtfront, frowning even more.

  Younger could not be trusted, whether Charles could perceive that or not.

  His reputation preceded him, and Jefferies believed every aspect of it.

  Why was he even in New Orleans in the first place?

  Jefferies wondered as he left the parlor.

  He would need to contact that Pinkerton immediately, before Charles sent the entire operation to pot, and got them all killed to boot.

  Canal

  Street…

  “Yes, I want it done as soon as possible, however, leave no trace. This cannot come back to either of us. Make it look like ardent pickpockets. Nevertheless, it must be done soon. I shall not wait any longer.” Charles hissed as he handed Declan the pound notes, he nodded, then Declan hurried off replacing the hood on his head.

  She would be his!

  Mr. Charles swore frowning.

  The years of simply waiting for her to ripen for the taking, and some self proclaimed Earl to come in and snatch that away from him.

  He thought not!

  Moreover, he was not above killing to get what he wanted either, especially for her. He had waited far too long to taste her, and he would be damned if anyone else would do it before him. It was the very reason he had broken Billy’s arm down on Basil-leaf plantation, because Sissy told him they had been intimate. He watched her closely after that, but Billy was the only one she had ever allowed to touch her, and Charles believed it because of the wine, so he deemed her a good girl.

  He would not allow her to be soiled by this rakish Waverly!

  Charles smiled evilly, then hurried to his carriage.

  Abel frowned, then removed himself from the shadows. The sun was just about to set, but he knew the transaction of evil when he saw it. He would have to keep an eye on Mr. Charles, because he was certainly up to no good.

  Chapter Six…

  Haven

  An additional three weeks passed, and Granny fared no healthier.

  I would care for her each day, pray that she would wake, and even go so far as to open her eyelids to see if I saw any movement or recognition; but there was nothing. She had lost a dreadfully large amount of weight, and everyday, I feared for the worst. Doctor Augustine came the day before yesterday, and told me that I needed to prepare myself for the worst.

  Nevertheless, I just could not!

  Not have Granny here; I did not even want to think about that!

  My only solace of late, was my caller, and Claudette.

  Claudette was a marvel.

  If ever I had found true friendship, it was in her. I often wondered if it was peculiar, that I had such feelings for a woman. I loved her in every way; nevertheless, it was much different from what I felt for my caller. Ms. Millie continued to regal me with the town’s ferocious gossip concerning Claudette, yet in spite of that, I could not see it. She was one of the most tentative people I knew, and she loved me for me. I was drawn to her very deeply. Nevertheless, what I felt for my caller surprised even me.

  I had begun to develop deep feelings for him. He was a very conscientious man, he would just listen, never judging, and each day, I drew closer and closer to him. He reminded me so much of someone else, but my mind would shut down whenever I thought of Benjamin. If ever in my life I had been cut deeply by love, it would have been with Benny. I was inexperienced, and did not truly understand the relationships between whites and coloreds at the time.

  I just knew that I was a girl, and he was a boy. Never in my life would I have imagined, that two people so young could love each other so deeply, however he’d let others come in and taint it to become something it wasn’t.

  He would have been my first lover, but thank the merciful lord, I found out who he truly was. It seemed as if we were both avoiding each other, because each time I would go to the big house when summoned, he was never there, and each time he would come to Granny’s seeking me out, I was at Madame’s, or on my way. I had yet to see him face to face, and secretly, I was grateful for it.

  I looked up as Ms. Millie came through the door.

  “How is she today chér?”

  “No better Ms. Millie, I fear for the worst.” I moaned, then touched Granny’s forehead. It was cool to the touch; however, she did not stir.

  “She’ll come through chil, you just have to believe.” Ms. Millie lamented, and I nodded blinking back the sting of tears.

  I did not think so, but I would hold onto Ms. Millie’s faith for now.

  “The sun is almost down chil, you had best get.” She said, and I sighed looking at Granny one last time as I headed for the door.

  French

  Quarter…

  When I reached Madame’s I was in a somber mood, she noticed it and frowned.

  “Here.” She said and made me drink a full glass of wine. “Whatever has you disposed, put it from your mind. We are here to entertain, and nothing more.” She snapped, and I nodded as Aribel and Monique led me up the stairs to dress me.

  “You select this time.” Monique smiled pointing to the outlandish apparel, and I sighed, then pointed to the black lace garters and matching bodice.

  “He seemed much taken with these.” I stated shrugging, and they both laughed. However, I gasped as Monique brought it to me, and I realized the bust area had no coverings. I looked up at her shocked, and she laughed just as Madame came through the door.

  “Parfait.” Perfect, she said as she walked through the entry smiling.

  I rolled my eyes, then frowned.

  Of course, she would imagine that.

  “Dress her, then make haste girls. The men are already arriving. Tis Mardi Grás, and you know how it seems to bring the animal out in the men.” She said laughing as she walked out the door, with wine glass in hand.

  “You’re fine?” Monique asked, and I nodded. “And your Grand-mier?” She questioned, I blinked back the tears, and she embraced me.

  “She’ll get better, you just have to believe. Now, here, drink this, and smile. You do not want her coming back.” She said, I nodded, causing my curls to bounce up and down, then tried to smile. I handed her back the whiskey glass, and she turned me towards the green room.

  I smiled as he walked through the door moments later, then clasped my hands together, because it was all that I could do to contain myself. I still did not know his name, because from the moment, he touched me, my thoughts ceased, and it seemed as if it was the same for him.

  He caressed my face, and I smiled.

  I had been waiting all day for him; however, I noticed a touch of sadness to him today as well.

  He kissed me before I could say anything, and I sighed.

  This was what I wanted right?

  What I felt growing every time he kissed me, was it love?

  I was not sure, but I knew every time that I looked at him my heart felt heavy. />
  His kiss deepened, and I sighed again as he slipped the dressing gown from my shoulders.

  He grinned as he noticed the cup-less bustier.

  He moved me towards the bed, then lowered me, his lips never leaving mine. He caressed my shoulders, then his lips replaced his hands, and all thought left me. I cherished the way his hands felt on my body, almost as if I craved them.

  “As addle as it may seem, I love ye. It is as though ye are a part of me.” He whispered, I stiffened for several moments, then his lips moved to my shoulder.

  He declared he loved me!

  Did I love him?

  “Oui.” I murmured, and he brought his lips back to mine as his hand slid between my legs parting them slightly.

  I felt his fingers, and as his thumb caressed me; my hips immediately rose to meet the rhythm of his hand of their own accord. My sigh deepened, and he chuckled.

  He pushed his hips forward and my fingers curled into the bed sheets, as he brought my hips up to meet each thrust. He paused to look down on me.

  His fingers went to my nipples squeezing them taut, and I bit my lip.

  “I want ye on top, ride me,” He commanded softly, and I was suddenly on top of him. I very slowly eased myself down. He groaned, and I smiled.

  I dug my knees into the bed, placed my hands on his chest, then moved slowly. He seized my hips and pulled me forward causing him to sink even deeper, and my head went back.

  “Oh…mon…Dieu!” Oh…my…God. I whimpered, and he gave me a smoldering look.

  “Yes.” He demanded, then sat up and my arms went around his neck.

  He took them down and pushed me backwards so my entire body was tight. I felt him hit something deep inside of me, a combination of both pleasure and pain, as he continued to raise his hips.

  “Shite woman, I treasure the way ye feel.”