She ripped his shirt from him, tearing it over his head and throwing it. Once she could feel his skin she pressed her breasts again him, reveling in how hardened every inch of his flesh was. It was just as she expected, each sensation just as unforgiving.
"I think about you when I change," she admitted, slipping a hand to his erection beneath his pants. So long. So burning hard.
"What?" he asked, fitting his hand over hers, showing her the punishing rhythm he liked.
"When I have to become a woman again I think of you, think of how this would feel," she said, placing a kiss on his neck.
He growled at that, a manly, penetrating sound. He shoved his pants down over his hips, revealing his shaft. She wanted to lick it, to suck at it, to see him come as she handled it. However, she wanted it deep within her even more. He seemed to know that.
In one strong sweep he was seated in her, fully connected. She shouted, arching into him, her mind a sudden welcome blank. Nothing existed outside of this exchange of flesh, this rough, wild dance that brought them so close together.
He was, in the act, just as she expected. He bit at her and grabbed, pushing her ever closer, farther and farther down until he was sunk to the hilt. She gave it back, leaving bruising nips and kisses along his body. She dug her fingers into his back, edging him closer, calling his name with each sliding thrust. It was so good. Too good. She flung her head back as she came, over and over again, each wave stronger than the one before. As she climaxed he didn't stop the constant rhythm, instead spurring each spasm into greater pleasure. As she reached the peak one last time he snarled her name and emptied himself inside her.
"My fighter," he said, pulling her to him.
~*~
EROTIC & ARRANGED MARRIAGE COLLECTION
~*~
His Empty Heart
~Bonus Story~
A Victorian Arranged Marriage Romance
Business is thriving and life is good for Clement Moore until political tension arise in the thirteen colonies and his shipyard business suddenly comes to a halt. He finds himself stuck in a marriage to Cornelia Attlee, daughter of John Attlee and while she tries her hardest to win him over, Clements' heart remains empty for her.
But love can come to you in the strangest of ways and for Clement Moore, it was in the form of a highly contagious disease called Smallpox. But smallpox is not the only thing that is contagious, so is love.
* * *
Chapter 1
The air felt thick and a strange feeling engulfed his chest with every step that he took – was this what returning home after being away for months was supposed to feel like? Clement Moore was unsure what the answer to that question was supposed to be but still, he knew that this was an isolated incident and the usual joy he felt when returning home to Boston was the antithesis of what he was feeling right now.
It was not an unwarranted emotion that had just sprung up without any rhyme or reason though – it was a rooted concern as the situation with his business endeavors had recently taken an unpleasant turn.
Clement Moore was the owner of one of the most successful and biggest shipyards in all of Massachusetts. His influence and reputation surpassed his presence and he was known for his honest dealings all around the thirteen colonies – a feature that had left him very well endowed in the monetary department. However, having such influence and having made friends in the British navy, he felt himself in a tight position as the political atmosphere around him stirred to a boil. Revolution was the flavor of the time and there was great political instability concocting in the thirteen colonies.
However, Clement tried to push all thoughts away from his head. He was home now and he should revel in that fact alone.
“Greetings!” the familiar voice of a certain George Farthing greeted him just minutes after he set afoot in his abode. It was his neighbor.
“George,” Clement replied in acknowledgement.
Although Clement felt tired from his journey, it was comforting to see a familiar face around.
“How are you doing, old chap?” the former replied, “It is good to see you be back! You, with all your expeditions and trade – a busy fellow! How is the business going?”
Clement always had a hard time masking his thoughts – and so he could not hide the look of dissatisfaction that overcame his features. “I would choose not to comment on that. Things have been difficult with the current political atmosphere.”
“I have not seen you in such a state before,” George replied, “Come – let us discuss this matter in detail. It does not bode well with me to see you in such a state of distress, Clement.”
The two men made their way inside the house and once comfortable, Clement began to voice his concerns.
“How comforting was it when the idea of mixing politics with business was a distant reality,” Clement sighed, “With all this talk of revolution and independence, my future contracts with the British navy have come under great uncertainty – there is no surety whether or not there will be a renewal!”
“This new act I tell you,” he continued, “the colonials are speaking out about how unfair it is and it is terrible, terrible for business!”
Clement was referring to The Stamp Act, recently introduced by the British government, which imposed heavy taxes on the colonials.
“I am against it!” George replied in a rather passionate declamation, “It is farcical, a clever way to ruse money from the masses – the British government should expect this level of backlash and might I say, I even support it!”
Though Clement agreed with Georges’ criticism but wishful thinking had him dreaming about a time when the colonials were content with their state.
“I wish I could share your enthusiasm,” Clement replied in a flat tone.
“Benjamin Franklin – a fine man, really, he has been quite vocal about his for a while now. He has been writing in the paper and quite frankly, I agree with every word,” George replied in a continued show of enthusiasm.
“While all that is fair and well, George, you do realize that my source of income depends on these intricate relations between the colonials and the British – so do understand when I have to put aside my political concerns and think of my own vested self-interests,” Clement sighed.
George noticed the change in demeanor in his friend and decided to let go of his stance for now, “You are an enterprising young man, I am sure you will find a way around this. Do not lose hope over this, chap.”
But his words failed to have their intended comforting impact on him – in fact, Clement felt even more disheveled about his situation than he did before after talking to George.
He feigned a smile, “Thank you, I appreciate your concern and confidence in me. However, I must find a way around this.”
“I have full faith in you,” George nodded, “However; I do also hope these uprisings continue. Too much greed can lead to downfall and that is what you see now happening to us.”
Clement pressed his lips together in a tight line, “Well, if you may excuse me now, I would like to get some rest. It has been a tedious and long journey – I must bid you farewell for now.”
“Of course, of course,” George stood up, “I will leave you to your own device. You shall figure things out in all due time.”
Clement did not know how that was going to be possible.
A solution was springing up inside the confines of his brain – he could take the mavericks route and start taking up private contracts for his business. But the very idea was a risk on its own – he was used to his lucrative and clean deals with the British navy. Venturing out as a private dealer would both be uncharted territory and not as monetarily benefitting. Clement had a decision to make.
-
The definition of friends is individuals who come through in times of hardships and Clement was pleased to see that he did not lack those in his life. It was a process but day by day, Clement felt the burden of his worries shared amongst his friends and in a stra
nge way, it made things easier for him to process. For the first time since he had arrived in Boston, he felt perhaps there could be a viable solution regardless of the political situation in the thirteen colonies.
“I have this person I would like you to meet,” Clements friend Earnest told him one day not long after his return over a shared cup of tea.
“Who is this person you speak of, dear Earnest?”
Earnest hunched over, “I know of a tobacco industrialist through some mutual contacts. Through word of mouth, it has come to my attention that he is looking for someone of the likes of you to conduct his business for him.”
This caught Clements’ attention at once and he probed his friend to continue.
“He requires ships to take his wares across the Atlantic Ocean to markets in Europe. When I heard of the news, my mind immediately went over to you and thus, I came as fast I could today to inform you of the news,” he said.
“Oh Earnest,” Clement proclaimed with a sigh of relief, “you do not understand how much of a blessing I feel right now to be your friend!”
Clement was not one to waste a moments worth of time – he immediately sought out the necessary contacts and arranged a meeting with John Atlee himself.
“It is a tremendous pleasure meeting you, sir,” Clement told Atlee, who seemed to share this reverence for him as well.
“Of course but the pleasure is all mine. I have heard remarkable things about you – and doing business with you can prove to be mutually lucrative for the both of us.”
“Yes, my shipyard exceeds its reputation and the business is a great success – but you understand now with the political atmosphere of the country being how it is in its current state, I have had to branch out and seek private contracts,” said Clement.
“You have come to the right place.”
The two agreed on the terms and John Atlee said, “We should waste no time now for I want the ships to depart as soon as possible. We should sign a contract today.”
And thus, the contract was drafted. Clement felt as though a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders and that glee of hopeful optimism in regards to his business had been restored.
Clement was already in such high spirits when John Atlee extended a surprising act of friendship, “Clement, it has been a pleasure doing business with you. I hope to continue this partnership and therefore, you must come tomorrow to my house for supper together with my family,” he said.
Clement was taken off guard. Business with the official state employees never resulted in a call for supper together; however, Clement realized that the dynamics of private contracts would be different.
“It would my pleasure.”
-
Chapter 2
John Atlee surely had some extravagant tastes – Clement arrived at his house and saw that the man owned a considerably large mansion, decked with lavish interiors. The Atlee family was quick to greet him, with John standing at the door with visible enthusiasm and a lady next to him, which Clement assumed to be his wife, smiling softly.
“Welcome, young chap,” John greeted, “We have been waiting for you. In fact, I was just telling my wife about you. Clement, meet Jacqueline.”
The lady smiled, “Very nice to meet you, Clement.”
“Thank you. Though I must say that your husband has been flattering me quite a great deal – so you must not take his word on your impression of me entirely,” Clement replied rather modestly.
“Oh stop,” John Atlee said with a booming bout of laughter, “You must know that I only pick the best people to do business with.”
“Gentlemen, we must proceed to the table now,” Jacqueline said in a gentle reminder.
The three of them sat down at the table. There was a large variety of food set out and the ambiance of the room was one that made Clement feel comfortable. But just before he could begin with the feast, John Atlee diverted his attention to something else.
“Clement,” he said to him, “you must meet my daughter, Cornelia. She will be joining us today for supper.”
Clement looked up to see a young women who had just entered the room. She was a blonde woman of a petite figure with her hair braided to the side. The two met their glances from across the room and for a small moment, Clement was struck by her colored eyes that seemed to demand a kind of attention he could not give sitting here at the table.
He nodded towards her direction in greeting. She smiled softly and quietly took her place on the table.
The supper continued with John making attempts at conversation that revolved mostly around matters of business. Jacqueline would intervene every now and then and ask Clement about his life. However, soon after, the two men retired to the common room to have a smoke together. It was then John brought up the following topic of conversation up.
“You have met my daughter Cornelia. What did you think of her?” he asked her.
“I thought she was a fine young lady,” Clement’s response was nonchalant but it made John nod in approval.
“Excellent. That is an excellent start, so to say,” John said with a light chuckle.
Clement raised his eyebrows in curiosity, “I am afraid I do not quite understand what you are implying here. What sort of start are you referring to?”
“My motivations to have you meet my family today did not just end at the prospect of a lucrative business deal, my son,” he said.
“But that is what I came here to discuss.”
“Of course, but you have met my young daughter. I am sure you agree she is lovely and quite agreeable. She is at the tender age now where I have to think of her getting married and to a father that is always a hard decision. But having met you, I believe half of my worries have melted away,” he said.
Clement was alarmed at this point. He was unsure what to say and even before he could formulate a response, John decided to continue on his monologue.
“I propose that you marry my daughter as an act of goodwill, considering our business dealings have been successful. It shall serve to start a new relationship – one that I am sure that you will benefit from greatly,” John weighed his words carefully.
Clement knew what John had proposed had large ramifications on both accounts of him accepting or not accepting. The business venture was important to him and he could not afford to lose the deal, however, the idea of marriage was a farfetched concept in his brain. He had not thought about it much up to this point.
“Quite frankly, sir,” Clement started, “Marriage has not been an immediate concern in my life up until this point when you have forced me to think about it.”
“Forced you to think? My daughter is a perfectly good companion – I shudder to think of the idea that I would have to force you to think about anything,” John replied.
“Of course – my Lord I did not quite mean that there is any shortcoming on the part of your daughter,” Clement was growing visibly awkward at this point.
“Then what are you trying to say?” John asked him with blatant impatience laced in his tone.
“I,” John felt his throat close at a loss of words. He had made larger trade-offs for business before but a thing such as marriage felt far too personal.
“Clement, tell me,” John pressurized, “Do you feel there is something wrong with my daughter?”
“Of course not, my Lord!”
Business was a tricky affair and Clement knew that he was toeing a thin line. If he said the wrong thing, the contract would be revoked and all of Clements’ qualms about his business would return to him.
“Then, what is the matter?”
“Nothing – there is absolutely nothing wrong.”
Johns’ face broke into a knowing smile, “Ah, you need not to be modest around this household. I see that you have your own agreement in this as well. But I shall make it easy for your timid self – do you agree to marry my daughter, Cornelia?”
Clement panicked and out of a sheer sense of obligation, he blurted out the followi
ng words, “Of course. I will marry your daughter Cornelia.”
And with that, John stood up and engulfed him into a hug and a pat on the back. “I knew you would not say no. You have made a wise decision and I would be happy to call you to my son in law!”
Clement smiled back but he could only do so half-heartedly. Had he just gotten engaged?
John was not done with his celebrations. He called over his wife, who came into the room with a large grin on her face on having heard the news.
“Congratulations!” she nudged Clement, “Oh, Cornelia is going to be pleased to hear this. I cannot wait for the wedding!”
Clement felt like a passive observer in his own life. He had not realized the immense decision he had just took.
-
Chapter 3
The next morning, Clement found himself in his study surrounded by an empty bottle of scotch and cigar ash. He had made a point not to leave the house, for he was still wallowing and trying to make sense of what had occurred last night. However, John Atlee was a man of great influence and news like this travels fast in the city of Boston.
It was not long before George, his neighbor, came visiting. This time, he brought along his wife Elizabeth with him.
“So much has happened in your life in the short period since we last met,” George said in place of a greeting once he saw him.
However, his expression of glee dropped in intensity as he saw the state his friend was in. He exchanged a look with his wife, who spoke up.
“Now I do know that you are a man of a few emotions, Clement but I am sure this is not the way of going about expressing your happiness on an engagement,” Elizabeth commented, plugging her nose to prevent the smell of smoke from going in.
“Why, I am not sure if the entire thing was done with my consent or not. I should say I felt like a passive observant in my own wedding proposal,” Clement replied in a dejected tone.
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