Dealing With Discipline (30 page)

When he finally began to push inside
of her, she was nearly mindless with the pleasure and hot need.
 Her body opened for him, tight muscles rippling as he filled
her wet sheath, and her back arched, thrusting her breasts upwards.
 The taut nipples retained the deep red color they'd achieved,
hard little buds that rubbed against his chest.  As they met
the wiry hairs on his body, scraping against them, Eleanor shivered
and moaned. 

The line between pleasure and pain had
blurred, leaving her in Edwin's hands to send either way.
 Remembering one of the pictures in the Kamasutra book that
Wesley had given him, Edwin grasped each of Eleanor's ankles and
rested them on his shoulder, bending her nearly in half.  They
both groaned as his cock slid deeper than ever inside of her,
bumping up against the back of tunnel and nudging her womb.
 She could feel the muscles in her legs straining as Edwin
leaned forward.

The position made it incredibly easy
for him to reach down and grip the rounded cheeks of her bottom,
lust flaming through him as he looked down at her and deliberately
pulled halfway out of her body and then thrust back in hard.
 The high keening sound Eleanor made as her breasts jiggled
from the force of the thrust went straight to Edwin's cock.
 Gripping handfuls of her soft bottom, he dug his fingers in
as he began a steady rhythmic pounding of her open pussy.
 Looking down he could see the way his cock was splitting her
open, the pink lips tightly stretched around his straining rod
which was coated with her glossy cream.  

His wife whispered his name over and
over again, as if she couldn't think to say anything else, writhing
and arching as he rode her.  With her ankles around his ears,
it was the deepest penetration he'd ever achieved and he felt as
though he was claiming every last inch of her, branding her with
himself.  He wanted her to feel the lingering effects of his
loving for days afterwards, to wipe away every last doubt she might
have about his constancy. 

The chanting of his name grew louder
and louder as Eleanor neared her climax, his thrusts following the
speed and intensity of her voice.  He could feel his balls
tightening just as she began to shriek, her eyes closing as the
intense ecstasy flowed over her, fireworks bursting behind her
eyelids as the explosion rocked her core and spread outwards like
lightening along a rod.  She could feel it through her stomach
and sore nipples, up her legs and arms, until every inch of her
body was throbbing and tingling with the orgasmic rapture.
 The inside of her body clenched over and over again, muscles
tightening in such a way that it was like she was trying to suck
Edwin's cock deeper into her body.

Hot cum splashed against her womb as
he groaned and his seed pulsed into her. His cock expanded,
throbbing against her walls as they tried to tighten around him,
their bodies' reactions dueling for supremacy.  Eleanor's legs
slipped down, allowing Edwin to slump on top of her, and she
thrashed as the new position pressed his body against the swollen
nub of her clitoris, sending a second wave of overwhelming pleasure
through her already sensitized body. 

She was practically
insensate by the time Edwin unwound the cravat from her hands.
 A damp cloth swiped between her legs, setting off another
chain reaction. Then warmth surrounded her, cuddling her.
 Hard, strong arms drew her against the long, muscled body of
her husband, nestling her head into his shoulder so that they were
facing each other and he could envelop her completely.
 

"I have no need for a mistress when I
have you, sweet Nell," he murmured as he kissed her forehead,
caressing her shoulders and hair.  The little loving touches
were enough to make her eyes spark with tears, even as she felt
herself sinking into much needed oblivion under his touch.
 

Edwin would have been happy to spend
all afternoon holding his wife while she napped in his arms, but
his valet came in to quietly pull him away.  Lord Hartford had
come to call, and unfortunately the man had urgent business that
needed to be attended to immediately.  Reluctantly he pulled
away from Eleanor and allowed Johnson to redress him, ignoring the
man's muttered comments about the clothing that had been left on
the floor.  

Pressing another kiss to Eleanor's
forehead, careful not to disturb her slumber, he sighed and went
back to work.

******

The maid woke Eleanor, leaving her
feeling strangely disappointed when she realized Edwin was no
longer in bed with her.  She knew that it wasn't entirely fair
of her to feel abandoned, she vaguely remembered Johnson coming
into their room which meant that someone had come to see Edwin, but
she still would have preferred to wake with Edwin there.
 

"I brought you some tea, my lady."
 The maid bustled around, gathering up the shredded dress that
Edwin had so eagerly ripped apart and doing her best to hide her
shock.  Garbed in her dressing gown, Eleanor couldn't help the
little smile that played on her lips as she remembered her
husband's passion. 

Her nipples were still sore and hard,
making her lean forward a little so that the fabric of the dressing
gown didn't brush against them.  The area between her legs
tingled with the aftermath of their loving.  

Today had felt...
different.  As if Edwin had wanted to prove something to her.
 Something emotional.

But, casting her mind back to
everything he had said, she felt that same vague disappointment.
 There had been no words of love, only of desire and passion.
 He did not have a mistress, which caused her much relief and
joy, but that didn't mean that he loved her.  It only meant
that he desired her and she satisfied his needs.  What if she
stopped satisfying his needs?

Eleanor nibbled her lower
lip wondering if she dared deny him.  When she had her courses
he still wanted to sleep in the same bed as her and was remarkably
affectionate, but that was only a matter of days. What if he was
denied for longer?  Would he remain faithful if his wife was
denying him his marital rights?

The only reason she could think of
that Edwin would tolerate such a situation would be if he truly
loved her.  What other reason would a man such as he, with his
high passions, remain faithful when his needs were not being
met?

Of course, Eleanor had no
illusions about her ability to deny Edwin when he was with her.
 He knew exactly how to touch her, to tease her, and he
insisted on sleeping in the same bed every night whether or not she
had her courses.  She loved sleeping in his arms, having his
warmth beside her.  Which meant that she would have to leave
his presence for a while and see what happened.

Bath!  She could
visit her parents in Bath!  Edwin had already planned to visit
his parents after the Season was over, she could go see hers and
tell him that she would join him later.  If she left before
the Season was over it would cause some comment but most would
probably assume that she was with child.  It wouldn't matter
that they were wrong.  Still, she couldn't travel such a
distance on her own.    Perhaps she could find a
traveling companion and then leave as soon as possible, whether or
not the Season was over. Unfortunately her brother probably
wouldn't want to leave the city so soon after his
return.

But Grace wanted to leave London.
 

"I need to dress," she
said to the maid, setting down her teacup only half finished.
 "The lavender and cream jaconet, please."

******

To Eleanor's surprise, when she
arrived at Lady Grace's townhouse, her friend was having an
at-home.  Peters looked both concerned and disapproving when
he informed Eleanor that there were several visitors.
 Fortunately the parlor wasn't overly full; Lord Conyngham,
Grace's escort to Eleanor's last dinner was there, as were several
other men with rakish reputations, and several ladies who were
tittering and flirting with the men.  Eleanor recognized them
all as the young, bored matrons who had already born their husbands
an heir and a spare and so were basically free to enjoy their own
pursuits.

Only Grace had been able to shake off
that requirement, although it did exclude her from some very select
events. Still, she certainly seemed to think the trade was well
worth it.   

Putting a social smile on her face,
Eleanor gracefully joined the gathering.  Grace welcomed her
with every evidence of happiness.  Although the dark blue eyes
were still shadowed and there were still slight circles under them,
overall Grace looked healthier than she had the last few times
Eleanor had seen her friend.  Beside her on the couch,
Conyngham was lounging comfortably, as if he felt perfectly at home
in Grace's parlor.  

The next hour passed
quickly as Eleanor chatted and flirted, in a rather detached sort
of way.  Although the gathered rakes had quickly attached
themselves to her, seeing her as new blood, it didn't take them
long to figure out that she meant her carefully couched refusals
and they moved back to easier prey.  Gossip circulating
amongst the
ton
had indicated that Lord Hyde had turned in his wolfish
reputation for that of a shockingly loyal husband and apparently
his wife was cut from the same cloth - even if she was spending her
afternoon at the scandalous Lady Brooke's. 

They didn’t realize that the distance
in her demeanor was partly because she’d found that her nipples
were incredibly sensitive even hours after Edwin had used the clips
on her. Even the slightest brush of fabric had her tingling. And
the area between her legs was still sore in the most delicious way.
But she kept her smile on her face and interacted as naturally as
she could, not even realizing that the slight distance her
distraction created only intrigued the men even more.

Slowly the crowd trickled out until
only Grace, Eleanor and Lord Conyngham were left.

"Give me a moment Nell," Grace said,
smiling as she excused herself to see the young Lord on his way.
 

"Lady Hyde, once again, a pleasure,"
Lord Conyngham said, a merry twinkle in his eye.  Eleanor
found herself smiling back at him automatically, a sincere smile to
match his own. 

"Lord Conyngham."

No wonder Grace enjoyed the
young lord's company lately, Eleanor mused.  He had similar
looks to Lord Brooke, both had the same height and breadth of
shoulder, although Brooke's hair was more auburn, but the biggest
difference was that Conyngham always had a smile on his face.
 The rake was dangerous not because he was an obvious
predator, but because he could lure a woman in with his smiles and
friendly charm before she even noticed that he was seducing her.
 While she hadn't been able to speak much with him during her
dinner, she now knew that he was possessed of a quick and ready
wit, although he was never cruel with it that she'd seen thus far,
and an obvious admiration for Grace's spirit and disdain for
the
ton
's
protocols. 

In short, personality wise, he was
practically the complete opposite of Lord Brooke who was quite
serious and very proper.  Although she suspected that beneath
that stony exterior, Lord Brooke might be harboring a much kinder
and more open-minded person than anyone suspected.  After all,
he did let Grace do as she pleased whereas another man would have
already divorced her or taken... other measures to force her to his
will.  Grace could have very easily found herself locked away
in the countryside.

Eleanor wondered whether it was
benevolence or something else on Lord Brooke's part that he allowed
his wife to behave as she did.

"Hello darling, do you have time to
stay?  I'd hoped for a few moments alone," said Grace as she
re-entered the parlor and came to sit next to Eleanor on the couch.
 Her eyes were sparkling and the smile on her face was the
first that Eleanor had seen in a long time.  She was glad for
it, she was, it was just that she had hoped Grace would be willing
to quit the city with her.  If her friend was happy again then
perhaps she wouldn't be.  

Had Lord Brooke left
London?

"No," said Grace, a vague look of
anxiety passing over her face before it was replaced by defiance.
 Eleanor started guiltily, she hadn't even realized that she'd
spoken out loud.  "He's still in the city... but Rupert came
by a few days ago and we had a long talk and he talked me into
going out with him.  We went to Lady Poplar's soiree and of
course Alex wasn't there."

"Of course," Eleanor echoed, trying to
hide her shock.  She'd realized that Rupert Conyngham would
have entrance to some of the less, ah, proper gatherings of the
darker echelons of Society, but she hadn't expected Grace to ever
go to any of them.  Normally Grace kept to the more acceptable
outings. 

"I know what you're thinking," Grace
said with a sigh, her hands balling in her lap.  She looked
down at them and then shrugged and looked back at Eleanor, her
expression resigned.  "But I miss going out.  It was so
lovely to go somewhere and not have Alex show up... although Rupert
is trying to convince me to return to my usual events as well.
 He pointed out that it's not like Alex actually approaches
me."

There was something in Grace's voice
that made Eleanor wonder if Grace wished her husband would
approach.  Although Grace went out on another man's arm, she
was sure that she'd seen Lord Brooke with other women on his arm -
or in them on the dance floor - when she had seen him in the
evenings.  Did Grace still harbor some kind of feelings for
the man?  Did it hurt her to see him with those
women?