The Frenchman's Woman

by Lee Taylor

  She glanced surreptitiously at her notes again and said, ‘J’aime ta bite’. Is that right?”

  He shook his head incredulously, but couldn’t squelch the laughter bubbling up in his throat. “Elena, may I be as bold as to ask who taught you these words?”

  “Francine.”

  “What? Jesus God, Elena!”

  “I know. She was shocked, too. I had to threaten to fire her if she refused to teach me how to pronounce the words. Oh, don’t look like that. I wouldn’t really have fired her.

  “Can you believe it, Bai? She was crying. She said she had never said these words in her life. Isn’t that silly? To have all these good words at your disposal and never use them. What a waste.”

  She moved up to the sofa and stretched out with her pen and paper in hand, tapping her teeth with the end of the pen.

  “Now I need a few more verbs. How do you say, “I want to suck your –ooh, here is a good one—robinet?”

  “I have a better idea,” he said sitting up and moving toward her. “I will teach you something in English and let’s see how fast you can respond.”

  He reached up and grabbed for her. “Get your saucy little mouth over here, before I spank your ass so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”

  Seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she darted out of his reach, he said, “Better yet, I’m going to send you to your chambers, like the naughty child you are.”

  She backed up and tossed her head. “Nope, I won’t go.”

  “Why not?” He stood up, closing in on her.

  “Because I don’t have a fireplace -- and because you are not there.”

  He grabbed her. She shrieked in surprise when he threw her over his shoulder and walked toward the door.

  “Oui, my wicked little fillette. I think I will carry you over there now and lock you in your chambers for the rest of the night.”

  She pounded on his back. “Don’t you dare! I will scream so loud the servants will be there in minutes.”

  “Not if I tie you up and gag you.”

  “I will tell my father and Grandfather Wan what you did.”

  He dropped her back down on the quilt in front of the fireplace and lay down beside her. He took her chin in his hand and turned her face to his.

  “Too bad, cherie. I already have permission from Wyatt to blindfold and gag you.”

  She sat up and glared at him.

  “You do not! Actually, I take that back. I saw the two of you sharing your dirty little grins when you said you would spank me. I still can’t believe you said that in front of everyone – for God’s sake, Bai. My father, my grandfather, and Nianzu? I’ve never been as humiliated. Then you and my father have the audacity to agree that spankings between adults serve a number of ‘purposes.’ God! You probably do share the same proclivities.”

  He sat up across from her leaning against the base of the sofa. He reached behind him for one of his cigars. He lit it and blew the smoke up in the air and grinned.

  “Proclivities? That’s an interesting way of saying binding, blindfolding, gagging, and spanking. But, hell, if that is what your father is into, it would seem we share more than an appetite for killing people.”

  She raised her chin archly.

  “Just so you know, I might be willing to do the blindfolding and tying up thing as long as I can do it to you. But, gagging, no. And spanking, absolutely not! That you may never do again!”

  “Ah, that is too bad, cherie. Because now that I know what that beautiful ass of yours looks like when it is a fiery pink, I am going to spank you regularly – regularly and often. And since you probably will be screaming a lot, I will need to have a supply of gags handy.”

  “Hmm, Bai, I may have to bribe you not to do the things I don’t want you to.

  Are there body parts other than your chien you would like me to play with?”

  “You cheeky little wench!”

  He put his cigar in the ashtray, grabbed her and flipped her over on her stomach. He lay by her pulling her up next to his chest. “Let me ask you that, ma petite fille.” He ran his hands down her back and said in a hoarse voice, “Tell me, Elena, are there places on your body that you would like me to fuck?”

  She gasped and tried to twist away from him.

  He held her down and slipped his hand up under her nightgown between her legs.

  “Let’s see, I’ve fucked your pussy and, tonight without intending too, I fucked your mouth.”

  He nuzzled his lips closer to her neck and cupped her ass, then ran his thumb down the crack ending at the sensitive place where her thigh met her ass cheek. He pinched the tender skin and smiled when she squirmed under him. He whispered in her ear, his voice raspy with heat.

  “How about it, cherie? Anywhere else interest you? Just so you know, there isn’t a part of you that I’m not going to claim. When I want it, how I want it. And, ma petite -- more than likely, I will want it rough. Remember, mon amour, you said that I shouldn’t hide or hold back my passions, my ‘proclivities.’ You gave me permission, cherie. You can not renege now.”

  He lifted her hair off the nape of her neck and licked the sensitive place below her ear, then blew on the wet spot. He laughed when she shrieked and tried to squirm away from his tickling kisses.

  She lay with her cheek against the floor, her eyes closed as he nuzzled her. She twisted and looked up at him over her shoulder. “I love you, Bai.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t.”

  She sat up and turned to face him.

  “Yep, I do. And do you know what? You love me.”

  He sat up and moved back against the sofa. His face darkened and became serious.

  “No, I don’t, Elena. I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I can’t trust you.”

  Her face flushed and her eyes filled with tears. “That’s not true.”

  “What’s not true, Elena? That you specifically disobeyed your grandfather and could have been killed? Or that you flagrantly disobeyed me and once more you could have been killed?”

  “Oh, that, “she said dismissively. “You aren’t talking about trust, you are talking about controlling me. I might have known we’re back to the tying up bit.”

  He laughed and shook his head, but his face quickly became serious again.

  “Come over by me, Bai.”

  “No, Elena.”

  “Come, sit here in this chair by the fire. Let me take care of you.”

  “Hmm, you want to suck me off again, already, Elena?”

  “No, I want to rub your feet.”

  He hesitated and then got up and moved to the chair. She poured him a glass of bourbon and handed him a cigar. He watched her with a wry grin when she went into the bathroom, and came back with several hot towels that she wrapped around his feet.

  “You are so busy dismissing me as a frivolous child, you forget, Bai, that I am a healer.”

  She unwrapped one of his feet and looked down, but not before he saw the tears in her eyes. He knew he had hurt her when he said he didn’t trust her.

  He puffed on his cigar and took a sip of bourbon and said with a soft smile, “Just because I sometimes think you are a frivolous child doesn’t mean I am dismissing you, Elena.”

  She took a deep breath and her eyes flashed.

  “Let me have your foot. It’s best if you lean back and try to relax.”

  Many minutes and grateful moans and groans of pleasure later, Bai said, “Mon dieu, ma petite fille! Your hands are like magic and so strong. My God, Elena, you have a gift, you are a healer. I am feeling this everywhere in my body not just my feet. Promise you will do this to me at least twenty-three hours a day?”

  She smiled. “Sorry, but I have other powerful, strong, exhausted men who require my services -- such as my father and grandfather. Plus, my grandfather buys me beautiful trinkets, hair combs, earbobs, dresses. All you do is insult me.”

  “Ah, cherie, I fear I have hurt your feelings.”<
br />
  “Mostly you annoy me,” she said with a toss of her head, her lips firmly pressed together. She was quiet for several minutes and then said in an offhand voice, “Bai, do you sleep with whores?”

  He whistled. “That is one way to turn the tables, cherie.”

  “It is a simple question.”

  “No, I do not sleep with them.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Are you asking if I fuck whores?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, I do, on a regular basis.”

  “Hmm, not any more.”

  “I see. You mean not on a regular basis?”

  “Nope, not ever!”

  “Hah! Elena, French men always have whores.”

  “Not this one,” she said pointing to him. “Not any more.”

  He quirked an eyebrow and grinned at her obvious intent to confront him, challenge him.

  She looked up at him with an impudent smile.

  “Bai, do French women take lovers when their men have whores?”

  He jumped out of the chair and roughly pushed her down to the floor. He held her face close to his. His smile was grim. It didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Elena, I will kill any man who as much as touches you. Understand, Elena? Now you belong to me. Your body-- all of you -- is mine. No one will ever touch you, but me. You’re mine; whenever, however I want you. You are mine.”

  She pushed him away with a taunting smile.

  “See I told you. You love me, Bai.”

  He took her hands in his and pinned them to the floor above her head, the weight of his body pressing her down.

  He sneered, “No, I just intend to possess you, play with you, like a new toy. Break you like a fresh mare, or a new saddle.”

  She twisted under him and said pertly, “Interesting that you compare me to something that you can ride.”

  He threw back his head and roared with laughter. He held her against the floor for a moment and then whispered in her ear, “I need to look at your pussy—excuse me, your chatte.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to see if you are healed, among other reasons.”

  She turned her head, and closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.

  “And I need to put this in you,” he said, pulling one of the herbal suppositories from his shirt pocket. “Unless you want me to call Madam Chan to come and be ‘intimate’ with you.”

  When she kept her head turned and didn’t respond, he knelt up in front of her, a soft smile creasing his lips. Putting his strong hands between her knees, he gently spread them apart. He bent them up placing her heels next to her bottom. He pulled her nightgown up over her hips and moved in between her naked thighs. With his expert fingers, he separated her pussy lips, revealing the moist inner folds, exposing her to his hungry gaze. He leaned down and licked her slit from top to bottom then took her clit in his mouth and sucked -- hard. As a massive shudder shook her body, she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a passionate groan.

  He murmured, “Ah, oui. So pretty, so pink, and mm hmm, so wet. But still sore and swollen. By tomorrow, yes, cherie? And it is good to know, fillete, that even when you are ‘annoyed’ with me you cannot help but respond to my fingers, my words.”

  She didn’t answer, but couldn’t suppress a soft moan. He inserted the medicine, pinched her labia together and held them closed for several minutes. He murmured sweet words in her ear, licking and nipping around her ears and neck. She twisted away but he held her close. He leaned down and kissed each eyelid knowing that tears lurked below.

  “Elena, I will do my best to trust you. It is not something I do well. You will need to be patient with me, not try me.”

  She nodded but didn’t open her eyes. Rather, she moved up against him wanting him closer.

  He held her tight against his chest. His voice was soft, serious.

  “Elena, in ten years of fucking women in eight different countries, no one ever made me feel the way you did tonight.”

  She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  “How did I make you feel, Bai?’

  “Loved, Elena, well loved.”

  He leaned down and kissed her on her lips. Gently trapping her face between his big hands he bit the corner of her mouth.

  “And, yes, cherie, I do love you.”

  He added with a rueful sigh, “I’ve loved you since that day at the waterfall. I just didn’t have the courage to admit it.”

  ~~~

  They lay wrapped in each others arms. She had seen the strain on his face, felt it in his body when her healing fingers touched the places that were knotted with tension.

  “Are you awake, Bai?”

  “Qui, mon amour.”

  “Bai, tell me what happened at the meeting tonight.”

  He hesitated, sighing deeply. Many long moments later, he began to speak. He told her how disappointed he was, how fucking hard he had worked, how much it meant to him to succeed, and how frustrated he was that he had not been able to prevent the war that was sure to come.

  She asked occasional questions, but for the most part she was quiet, listening to the bitterness, the frustration, and mostly the disappointment. What disappeared as he talked and she listened, was the anger. In its place she heard a quiet resolve and she knew his strategic gift was kicking in.

  “Bai?”

  “Yes, Elena.”

  “I’m in love with a remarkable man.”

  “Ah, but one with many flaws.”

  “Perhaps one or two – but with a perfect robinet.”

  “That does it, you cheeky little minx. Over my knee, now! Mon dieu, never have I seen an ass like this that so needs to be spanked!”

  Amidst a chorus of shrieks and threats and the sound of a swat or two they tussled and loved and kissed their way to an exhausted, well-deserved sleep.

  ~~

  Chapter 31

  “The conclave left us with a difficult choice. The Tong leaders were clear. Feng Zhang personally threatened each of the Tongs with destruction if they allied with us. Unless they are confident that the Sing Leon can protect them from the Rongue Ri, they will not join the Brotherhood. Hence, the choice. We fight the war the Brotherhood was intended to prevent, or the Brotherhood is dead.”

  “That is a hell of a choice, Bai.” Wyatt was sympathetic.

  “Agreed.” Wan nodded.

  Nianzu spoke up. “It is important you both know, Bai was masterful at the conclave. The leader of each of the six Tongs praised his efforts and praised him as a man and a leader. There is no question that if the meeting had taken place before Wichi was killed, the Tongs would have signed on to the Brotherhood. As I am sure you know, this is particularly painful for me because it is my fault that Bai was forced to kill Wichi Fan.”

  An anguished frown creased Nianzu’s brow, underscoring the pain he felt.

  Wan and Wyatt nodded in agreement, but Bai remonstrated, meeting Nianzu’s gaze.

  “Nianzu, it is more complicated than that. As I told Elena last night, the Rongue Ri have been looking for an excuse for two years to drag us into the national Tong wars.”

  Bai chose to ignore the look Wan and Wyatt exchanged at his casual mention of Elena.

  Bai continued, “I hoped the formation of the Brotherhood would stop them and, yes, the killing of Wichi gave them a rationale for war. Whether they would have backed off, we will never know. As the Tong leaders also made clear, the non-aggression pact I proposed is a luxury the Sing Leon can afford -- but the minor Tongs cannot. I believe it was a Chinese warlord who first proclaimed, ‘When the elephants dance, the chickens get stomped.’ In this case, the minor Tongs, like the chickens, do not want to be in the middle of a war between the Rongue Ri and us.”

  Wyatt puffed on his cigar. “Do you still see a reason to meet with Feng, Bai?”

  “Yes, Wyatt, I do. This is what I want to discuss with the three of you. I understand the dangers and the unlikelihood of reaching an accord with Feng, but I am not wi
lling to go to full scale war until I know my adversary.”

  “Bai, I understand well what you are saying--as I know Wan does. Both of us have taken great personal risks for the sake of our organizations. That is why my Caballeros and your Sing Leon are so loyal. I also know the importance of meeting your adversary face to face. But how can we ensure your safety?”

  Wan concurred. “Wyatt, this is the question I have posed to Bai. At least at this point, I am not satisfied that we have a plan that sufficiently protects him.”

  When Wyatt and Nianzu nodded in agreement with Wan, Bai held up his hand to speak.

  “Before we continue, I need to clarify our understanding. Wyatt, I am honored to have you in this discussion. I respect you and your accomplishments, second only to Wan. Your advice will be invaluable. Nianzu is my loyal lieutenant – as valuable to me as I have been to Wan. I do have a condition, however. It is one that I’m asking of you, Wan, and you, Wyatt, the two men I honor most.”

  He bowed slightly to them both with a gracious smile, but his voice was firm.

  “I need you to agree that I am the final decision maker. I will listen carefully, encourage you to test, challenge my assumptions and conclusions, but ultimately the final authority needs to be me.”

  Bai saw Wan and Wyatt exchange a long hard look, confirming they both understood that Bai was challenging Wan for his leadership. While this was a moment he and Wan had planned, Bai was sure Wan hoped it would not be this soon. Wan had often talked about turning over the reins to him when Bai was thirty-five. At only twenty eight years old, Bai would be the youngest Tong leader by far, as well as head of the largest and fiercest Tong outside of China. But the challenge from the Rongue Ri needed to be answered and Bai was convinced that he was the right man to provide that answer.