Chapter 13
"We'll be staying a few days in Chicago," Lew informed his wife, as the stewardess brought them coffee. "I have some "business to take care of, and you have to shop for a wardrobe. Then we'll have a short honeymoon, in separate rooms, of course, before we head for home," he said.
"That won't be necessary, the clothes, I mean," Belle said in an icy tone. "I don't want you to spend any more money on me. I've been paid and you've already done quite enough," she said, feeling guilty for having accepted such a large sum of money, giving him no explanation of what she'd done with it and giving him very little in return for his overly generous investment.
"You aren't afraid of becoming obligated, are you, my dear?" Lew teased and chuckled at her embarrassment.
In Chicago, he took her to the chic and expensive Anton's Boutique.
"I shall leave my wife in your capable hands, Anton," Lew said. "When I collect her at noon, I shall expect everything, according to my specifications on this list, to be packed into new luggage and ready to go. You shall be paid in cash and I want nothing cheap." Then, after dutifully kissing his wife on the lips, he turned and left the boutique.
He could feel Belle's angry eyes boring into his back. He was still the boss, and he chuckled at her frustrated fury. He even laughed out loud; something he hadn't done for ages and didn't give a damn that people were looking at him. He had someplace to go, the secret apothecary shop of a certain Mr. Poe.
Catching a taxi, he hopped in and gave the address he wished to be taken to. As the cab finally turned down a street lined with distinguished, rich-looking homes, Lew knew that Poe would have a covering of respectability about them.
After telling the cabby to wait. Lew went up to the front door and knocked. When the maid opened it, he said, "Tell Mr. Poe that Mr. Bugger is here. I'll wait."
His wait was brief. A rotund, little man gushingly ushered him inside, unable to be kind enough to the man who had patronized him for so many years.
"I'm so happy to meet you in person. Anything I can do for you will be an extreme pleasure," he gushed and led Lew into his study. "Now what is your desire, sir?" the greedy, little man asked.
Lew described the particular serum he wanted, and the amount he wanted of it. "Remember, I want the tasteless kind. The one I can put into tea and not change the taste," he instructed. Poe poured Lew a glass of brandy and asked him to be seated, promising what he needed within a few moments.
The little man rushed from the room down to his room below where he kept a supply of goods locked up. And, because Lew Bugger was one of his very preferred customers, he returned to his study in minutes, carrying a small square box.
"The bottles are inside, sir, and are merely labeled 'do not take internally.' That's for the benefit of anyone coming upon them unexpectedly. We wouldn't want someone to take it thinking it were cough medicine," he said, laughing at his own joke.
Lew drew out his wallet. "Oh, you can send me a check anytime, Mr. Bugger," Poe said.
"I'd rather pay now," Lew said, and handed the man two five-hundred-dollar bills. He was anxious to get out of the same room with the obnoxious creature.
When he'd returned to his waiting cab, he directed him to take him to the best hotel in town.
When he arrived, he registered an entire suite for himself and his wife which consisted of two bedrooms and a sitting room, with a bath off of each bedroom. There was also a small dining alcove which stood before a thick, fuck rug. Lew was satisfied and hoped Belle would be impressed.
He ordered flowers to be sent to the suite and ordered a special luncheon to be served in their room at one. He then left to pick up his wife. His wife! The words sounded wonderful. When Lew arrived at the boutique to pick up his wife, everything was in readiness. He paid the bill and escorted Belle out to the cab. They sat together in the back seat while her luggage was loaded into the trunk. He even took her hand in his and held it. "Remember, we're in public," he whispered, and cherished her discomfort, knowing it wouldn't always be this way.
For the next few days, Lew courted his wife in every way but physically. He took her to the finest restaurants, treated her to the theaters, and even took her dancing, something he hadn't done since he was twenty.
And because she was shy and wasn't too good a dancer, Belle didn't mind that his two-step wasn't the latest mode in dancing and willingly followed his head.
If only Lew could tell her what her nearness was doing to him. It was doing so much to his cock that he purposely had to sit out several dances or his erection would have caught the eye of everyone in the room.
When finally he had himself in control, he suggested that they return to their hotel. Before retiring for the night, he informed Belle that on the morrow they would be going home.
Lew called, once he was alone, and informed Mike of their returning. He left instructions for his car to be at the depot.
"Well, what do you think of your new, temporary home?" Lew asked his bride over coffee.
"It's lovely, Lew. Especially the library! I'm looking forward to reading some of the books, if you don't mind," she answered.
She didn't know that Lew hadn't read a single book in his library, none of the decent ones. And she didn't mind at all when Lew mentioned that he was looking forward to an occasional evening of her reading aloud to him. Casually, he told her she had a lovely speaking voice, trying to make the compliment sound casual, yet convincing.
Lew knew by the slight aloofness in her voice that Belle was peeved at him over the business of the new wardrobe. Especially since he'd burned every item of clothing she had brought from her own home.
What he didn't know was that Belle had never had such exquisite materials against her skin in her life! She felt like a queen and wished she wasn't too shy to thank him properly, and also wished she was the kind of person that could respond to him naturally, but just couldn't.
"How's your maid working out?" Lew asked, breaking into her thoughts. "If she's not satisfactory, I'll get someone else," he said.
"Oh, no! Jane is fine," she answered. "Although I really don't need a maid. I've never had one before," and her voice softly trailed away as she realized how very much her family had had to do without over the years, ever since ... but no, she forced herself not to think about it anymore!
Lew knew already, without having to ask his wife, just how good Jane was working out. Mike had liberally described her capabilities and some of the cute, new ideas she had introduced into his sex life.
Also, she had jumped at the chance of making a nice little bonus every week for doing a special little favor for Lew.
"Remember Jane, only two drops in her tea every night, just before she retires. And, if she forgets ordering her tea, just go ahead and fix it. I want her to learn to depend on her bedtime tea and expect it. She has a sickness, but she isn't aware of it. Her doctor has prescribed this medicine and it's my duty to see she gets the proper dosage every single night. That's why it's labeled like it is. If she happened to come across it, you're to pretend it's a disinfectant or something."
Jane agreed and also offered to serve him in any other way he desired. Lew promised that if he needed anything he'd call upon her and pay her well besides.
However, for all that Belle felt like a queen and was treated with kindness and consideration by her husband and his staff, she was really an unfortunate woman, at least according to her husband's standards. She'd reached the age of twenty-two, and had never been fucked, and never intended to be. Therefore, she couldn't even look forward to ever having any children and basically, Belle was the type of woman that needed children.
It seemed that just the idea of a man touching her naked flesh made her sick. She could hardly stand to go to a doctor, even for a sore throat.
She was very grateful that her husband wasn't the type of man to break his word, or the kind that would attack a woman and use her for his own lustful pleasure. Little did she know. But she wouldn't think about it anymore. She didn't know why she was thinking about it now. But sometimes she itched down there.
As September rolled in, Belle knew her days were numbered! Lew had told her in the beginning that their marriage could be annulled and Belle expected him to come home one day and inform her that the wheels were already in motion.
It's too bad that she didn't know that Lew was just as worried that she would mention it to him. He'd done so much to try to build a kind of affection between them. He'd sat for hours in the library listening to her read books or poems that never would have held five minutes of his attention if anyone else was reading them. But he willingly suffered it, just to be in her company, forcing her to become used to his presence and his looks! He longed to touch her, but refused to be less than the man of his word. He waited and hoped.
Belle began staying up just a little later at night, for she was enjoying the companionship of her husband. By eleven, after drinking her tea, she was too tired to stay awake. All her life she had kept early hours and the habits of her system were hard to change.
So, yawning, she would say a pleasant goodnight and go to her room, never knowing for sure what time Lew went to his. Belle always kept their connecting door locked. It wasn't that she didn't trust Lew, but she remembered.
Lately though, instead of falling asleep, she found she lay sleepless. She was beginning to have the strangest feelings, yearnings, almost. More than once she had dozed off, only to wake a short while later finding her hand locked between her legs. The desire to rub at herself had been almost overpowering.
Belle was shocked and ashamed. Except for persona! hygiene, she had never touched herself sexually la her life. These episodes were becoming more frequent and more alarming to her. She needed help. She wanted help.
She was too mortified at her shameful behavior to consult a doctor. And she couldn't call her moth-r and ask her about it on the phone. She certainly couldn't mention it to her husband, who wasn't her husband at all.
"What am I going to do?" she cried into her pillow as the sensations in her groin became a burning itch that she was finding harder to eradicate Shafelt so degraded, when she was forced to rub. but it did seem to make it feel better, warmer, almost thrilling.
It was four o'clock in the morning when Lew returned from Jake's and climbed wearily into bed. Except for the comfort he received from his friend, and it wasn't what he craved, he was getting no sexual relief. Up until his marriage, there'd rarely been a day or a night when he hadn't been sexually satisfied several times.
It was beginning to drive him crazy being married to a beautiful, curvaceous redhead, that he was honor-bound not to touch. She tantalized him during his working hours and haunted him during his sleeping hours.
At times, he ached just to grab her and throw her down and sock it to her; right on the library floor, or wherever they were. His frustration over his carelessly given promise was becoming paramount.
Disgruntled with his thoughts, Lew plumped up his pillow and rolled onto his side. He hoped sleep would come quickly. At least in his dreams, he had more luck with his bride, often waking to find masses of sticky goo on his belly and on his sheets.
He was just beginning to doze off when Belle's blood-curdling scream startled him to his feet. Without pausing for his robe, he kicked open the locked door between their rooms and raced to her side.
His heart pounded against his ribs, as he took in the sight of her luscious body, revealed by her transparent nightgown, while she was viciously tearing her pillow to shreds.
"You filthy beast! You're killing her!" Belle screamed, clawing at her pillow with her nails.
Her flaming mass of hair wildly caressed her back and shoulders and covered one of her breasts.
And then, she looked up! As her glazed eyes discovered his presence, she again screamed wildly, not recognizing him!
"Please, not me too!" she cried and began to weep hysterically.
Hating himself, but knowing he had to do it, Lew raised his hand and slapped her sharply across her neck. Then, dropping to her side on the bed, he pulled her into his arms, where she cried and drew comfort from his warmth and strength.
Lew could hardly believe he was holding the softness of his wife's nearly naked body against his own naked, hairy chest! His cock was rock hard, and poking against her. Quickly, so as not to frighten her, he pulled a section of her sheet against his groin, hiding the sight of his hungry tool from her vision.
"Are you better now?" he asked tenderly.
Belle nodded, but said nothing. Her flesh was tingling at her husband's nearness and her crotch was beginning to burn like hell.
"Why don't you tell me what's wrong, honey," he whispered, the endearment slipping out. "That wasn't just a nightmare, was it?" he added.
"I was a coward, and they killed my sisters!" she sobbed.
"Can you tell me about it?" he coaxed.
"No!" Belle cried, fright lighting up her eyes.
"All right, we'll leave it until another time," Lew whispered and rocked her softly.
"Belle, put it out of your mind! Come!" Lew said, slipping her robe about her shoulders and lifting her off the bed. "You can't sleep in this mess," he added, looking about them at the mess she created. "You'll spend the night with me. Don't be afraid, Belle. I won't break my promise," he assured her, carrying her through the doorway and tucking her under the covers.
"I'll be right here beside you if you need me," he added, no longer thinking about his nakedness. But as he stretched out beside her, he became very aware of it. With a soft moan, he rolled onto his stomach, shielding the aching spurts that soaked the sheet beneath him.
"Tomorrow," Lew decided. "I'll get my shiny good luck piece and find out what's troubling Belle."
Belle could hear his regular breathing. And, strangely, she knew that she was no longer afraid of Lew and never would be again. His nearness was bothering her tremendously.
"Please, let it stop itching!" she prayed.
Ever so slowly, she eased closer to the warm, hard body beside her, until her flesh just barely touched his hip. As their flesh met, the wildest sensation raced through her. She pressed her pussy against his hip and draped her arm across his back. As warm waves seemed to soothe her groin, she slept.
It was past noon when Lew awoke. For a moment, he thought he had dreamed the events of the night before. But as his eyes were drawn to the splintered door, he smiled. It wouldn't be long now! She'd soon lose her bashfulness! He vowed to encourage her in every way he could without breaking his word.
As tantalizing pictures filled his thoughts, he pressed the buzzer, informing the kitchen he was awake.
While he waited for his tray, Lew marveled at his self-control. He couldn't ever remember sleeping with any woman without making love to her.
Yet, he had slept beside his wife and had slept soundly. He could still feel the soft fullness of her breasts as he had comforted her against his naked chest. His thoughts were about to relive the entire event all over again when he was interrupted by a soft knock.
"Come in," he called, expecting one of the maids. But to his great surprise, it was Belle.
She looked so sweet and young in her slacks and sweater that clung to her just enough to hint at the lush curves they covered. Also, her glorious hair hung loose, controlled only by a wide band of yellow velvet that matched her sweater.
"I hope you don't mind me bringing your tray," she said, as she smiled. "Where should I put it?" she asked.
"Right here." Lew answered, propping himself up and reaching out to take the tray onto his lap. As he did, their fingers touched.
"Why are you trembling?" Lew asked, taking her by the hand and gently tugging until she sat on the edge of the bed.
"I wanted to thank you for last night," she whispered.
She knew she shouldn't have brought his tray! She had thought it such a good idea, but now that she was here she was feeling like a silly schoolgirl. She knew her cheeks were flaming as she saw his gaze glued to her hair. She could feel the heat in them right up to the roots.
"Forget last night. It's a husband's right to comfort his wife when she's in distress. You needn't thank me. After I've had my breakfast I'm going to shower and dress. I want you to wait for me in my study. There's something I want to talk to you about," he said, keeping his voice impersonal. But his eyes smiled at her shyness as he watched her nod and rush from the room.