Harnessed Passions (49 page)

"I don't know. Perhaps we'll go to the
dressmaker's shop. I ordered some gowns the last time I was in
town; I can see if she has them finished yet. If not, we can just
visit."

"You're not going to tell her anything about
last night, are you?"

"She's going to ask Daniel. I really do owe
her an explanation. After all, you said it yourself; if it wasn't
for her, you and I would still be friendly enemies."

"We were never enemies, Princess, merely
distracted lovers. It just took time to break through your
shyness."

"My shyness? What about
yours? As I recall you told me
no
more than once yourself."

"That's different. You weren't ready for
what I had in mind."

"That's a poor excuse if ever I've heard
one." Julia snuggled closer to Daniel again and laid her head on
his shoulder. She couldn't image ever being more content or happier
than she was right now. She had her husband, she had her life and
perhaps someday, she'd have a child. The thought brought a smile to
Julia's lips. A child would prove to everyone she loved Daniel, but
most of all it would prove to Daniel how eternal their love really
was.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked,
noticing the soft smile and gentle blush of her cheeks. Julia
lowered her lashes and deepened her smile.

"I was just thinking about us," she
answered. "What do you think our future will be like?"

"Happy," he told her, with a hug.

"I think so too, but I can't help
wondering."

"About what?"

"What my life would have been like if father
hadn't made out his will the way he did. Why do you think he made
those conditions?"

"Probably, because he wanted you to be happy
and he knew how much I loved this land."

"But you said you didn't marry me for the
land?" Julia pushed away from his shoulder and frowned. She didn't
want to believe he had lied to her, but the implications were
there, nevertheless.

"I didn't marry you for the land, so stop
frowning and quit thinking I did. Your father left me half of it -
which I knew he was going to - but I didn't marry you in order to
obtain the whole mass. I wanted you Julia; I've wanted you since he
first told me about you, only I didn't think he knew. He described
you as young, beautiful and stubborn. You sounded like my kind of
woman, thought I wasn’t anticipating marrying you at the time. It
wasn't until I saw you that day in the stables, that I realized
just how much I wanted you."

"Do you love me Daniel, or do you just want
me?"

"I love you and I want you. I can't have
either one without the other, Princess."

"Why do you insist on calling me that? I'm
not a princess." Julia felt the blush darkening as she laid her
head back against his shoulder.

"Yes you are. Your father
once said you were a
spoiled little
princess
. The title fits."

"Meaning you think I'm spoiled?" she
snapped, sitting up straight in the seat yet again. Daniel chuckled
and pulled her back toward him, holding her tight in the bend of
his arm.

"Meaning, you're a little princess. You're
my Little Princess."

"I have a feeling I've just been insulted,"
she snorted, snuggling down against his side feeling the rumble of
his laughter against her cheek. "But I've never enjoyed being
insulted so much before."

The carriage pulled to a halt in front of
the Leonard house in the new high end district of town and Daniel
climbed down from the seat. He secured the horses to the hitching
post before helping Julia out from beneath the covered
interior.

Margie opened the front
door calling to them with the most annoying
yo-hoo
Julia had ever heard before.
Daniel growled under his breath, certain she made that caterwauling
sound for his benefit and waved as Julia turned to leave. She found
herself spinning back around; the arms of her husband encircled her
waist as his lips fell to hers in a kiss so searing and passionate,
she felt as though her feet had grown wings and she was floating up
to heaven.

"Stay out of trouble," he insisted, lifting
his mouth off hers, but just an inch. "I shouldn't be long, and
then we'll go back to my flat. I want to get some of my stuff to
take back to the ranch with me and then we’ll take up where we left
off this morning."

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered,
arching her body into him just enough to brush her breasts against
his chest.

"God don't do that," he warned, pulling her
against him tighter. "Just the thought of what lies under that
tight little riding habit, makes me horny."

"What's that mean?" Daniel chuckled at his
wife's innocence and pressed the evidence of his desire against her
thigh.

"Remind me to show you sometime. Right now,
I have to get to work. You stay with Margie and keep your little
mouth shut."

"And if I don't?" Julia knew she was playing
with fire, but she never realized getting burned could feel so
good.

"I'll have that pretty little neck of
yours."

"Again?"

"Again and again and again," he whispered,
taking her mouth as his willing prisoner once more. Julia could
feel Margie's stunned eyes on them, but the feeling of Daniel's
body pressing against her, his lips tormenting her with secret
promises of what was yet to come, made her forget all else.

"I've got to go," he growled softly. "I'll
be back around supper time." Julia walked up to the concrete
sidewalk in front of the Leonard’s three story house and watched
him jump back into the carriage. He waved good-bye to Margie and
glanced to Julia who stood a few feet away from the Dearborn.

"I love you," he told her, watching the soft
color rise in her cheeks.

"I love you, too." Daniel winked at her and
pulled the horses around, heading them toward his office. Julia
stood there for several minutes until he was gone from sight. Her
heart ached and her stomach jerked when she considered the many
hours they'd be apart. It just wasn't possible to think she would
someday have to get used to Daniel being gone all day, every
day.

"Come inside," Margie insisted, drawing
Julia's attention away from the empty street. "I have to know
everything." Julia walked with the woman into the spacious
Victorian style home and smiled; it reminded her of its owner.

The sitting room was well furnished and
comfortable with a large cobblestone fireplace that filled half of
west end of the room. The walls were covered in neck high bookcases
and large old portraits while two picture sized windows looked out
to the street beyond. Everything was plain, yet pleasant and Julia
began to compare this room with those of her own home, making her's
look drab and dreary.

"Well?" Margie insisted, waving the maid
away with her hand as they sat down on one of the two sofas.

"I think I'm going to redecorate the ranch
house," she said, her attention still on the room's decor. "After
all, it is mine now; I think a few new drapes, a new carpet, some
new furniture, perhaps a portrait or two might look nice."

"Yes, yes, but what about Daniel?" Margie
was beginning to grow irritated with the woman and her vagueness
and it showed in her edgy tone.

"Oh, I think Daniel would approve. I wonder
what it would take to have a picture of the two of us made."

"Forget the blasted pictures!" Margie
snapped, leaning back against the sofa's back. "What happened last
night?"

"Oh that," Julia answered, her naturally
pink cheeks took on a shade deeper color. "I can't say."

"You what?"

"Daniel threatened everything short of
scalping me if I told you." Margie grumbled for several seconds,
stomping her foot against the floor as she crossed her arms over
her chest.

"That's not fair. How am I supposed to know
if you two got together as lovers if you're not allowed to talk
about it?"

"I never said I couldn't talk about it. I
merely said, Daniel wouldn't permit me telling you. He never said I
couldn't answer your questions."

"Oh!" the redhead's attention grew as she
eyed the blushing woman next to her. "I think I'm going to like
having you as a friend," she giggled, sitting upright on the sofa
again.

The dressmaker’s shop was
bypassed as Julia and Margie spent their afternoon playing
twenty-one questions
with
Julia saying nothing more than
yes
or
no
. A message was sent to the dressmaker's shop to deliver the
gowns to the Leonard house, and by supper time Julia was convinced
her face would be tinted red for a week. The promise of a repeat of
the previous night’s activities brought several new ideas from
Margie she said would prove,
interesting
and intoxicating
; the suggestions however
caused Julia's growing embarrassment to turn into eager
anticipation. She only hoped she didn't look guilty when Daniel
returned for her.

“
Do you know if Daniel ever
had a serious girlfriend?” Julia asked as she played with Maggie
while Harrison nursed at his mother’s breast.

“
He never mentioned anyone,
neither did Harold. I do know the two of them liked to
play
in England, as Daniel
puts it. Harold told me of several occasions where they would find
women willing to enjoy perverted evenings, though he has never
elaborated on what those evenings entailed. I think it’s
disgusting, but I suppose that’s how the Europeans are. They have a
far different opinion on sex than we Americans do.” Margie watched
Julia’s expression as she frowned in thought.

“
Why do you ask? Anything
happen you want to tell me…or answer?” Julia smiled as she looked
up to the red-haired woman. She did love having a friend and Margie
was such an open, loving woman, it was difficult not to confide in
her.

“
Nothing has happened,” she
said at last. “It’s just that Daniel mentioned some things to me
that made me wonder if he ever had anyone of
importance.”

“
What kind of
things?”

“
I don’t know that I should
say. It may make you worry and there’s no need.”

“
Now you have to tell me,”
Margie said with wide eyes.

“
He just said he wanted
to…oh, Lord, I don’t even know how to tell you.”

“
Just say it! For heaven’s
sake, you’re going to drive me crazy.”

“
He said he wanted to spank
me and then make love to me.” Julia could feel the heat burning all
the way up the top of her chest that the riding habit didn’t
cover.

“
Oh that,” Margie snorted.
“That’s nothing. Harold really likes to spank too, and he loves to
tie me up.”

“
What?” Julia nearly
dropped the doll Maggie handed her.

“
Nothing horrible,” Margie
said with a soft blush to her freckled cheeks. “He ties me to the
bed and makes love to me. It’s really very erotic and I love how I
can’t resist him. It makes orgasms much harder not being able to
touch him.”

Julia thought about last night and frowned;
Daniel held her hands above her head as he made love to her; did
that mean he wanted to tie her up as well?

“
Stop worrying,” Margie
said, laying Harrison across her shoulder to pat his back. “It’s
fun and I know Daniel won’t hurt you; it’s not his nature. But he
does have an overwhelming sexual appetite.”

“
How would you know?” Julia
frowned again, causing the woman to laugh.

“
We’ve been friends for
five years; I’ve seen him with more women than I can count.” Seeing
the expression of horror, shock and jealously cross her friend’s
face, made Margie laugh.

“
You didn’t think he was a
virgin, did you? He had to learn how to do all those wonderful,
wicked things to you from someplace. Just think of his past as a
time for learning. Because of those women, he knows what excites
you and how to please you.”

“
But am I enough for him?”
Julia asked, more to herself than the woman across from
her.

“
Of course you are,” Margie
insisted. “That’s one reason men like Daniel and Harold take
virgins as wives; they can teach us to satisfy them the way they
like and in exchange, we get to have fun.”

“
Isn’t it illegal to have
sex the way they want?”

“
Who’s to tell? Besides, I
didn’t invite anyone into our bed to witness our love making and
neither did Harold. What goes on between a husband and wife in the
privacy of their own room, should stay between them…except for best
friends. We have to support each other and suggest new ideas to
keep our men interested.”

“
Do you like playing?”
Julia asked as she slipped her bottom lip between her
teeth.

“
I love it, and you will
too, just give the man a chance. He’ll teach you all sorts of
perverted ideas to keep you
coming.
” Julia’s blush returned as
Margie laughed. Somehow, Daniel’s wicked ideas didn’t seem so bad
after discussing them with her friend and she was eager to see what
it was Daniel wanted to do and how far she would go to please
him.

Daniel found his office pretty much as he
had left it, except for Anna straightening his desk. He sat down in
the large leather chair behind the massive oak desk and sighed. He
hadn't realized just how much he'd missed this place. The window
looking out on the world, the three plants hanging in the corners,
the book shelves filled with years of facts and advice, all added
up to a part of his heart he'd never be able to surrender
completely. He smiled, realizing just how small a part this side of
his life had become since he met and married Julia.