She had watched him out the corner of her eye right through dinner. The way he was happily engaged in conversation with Dame Nellie Melba and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't been sure if her message had gotten through to him in the drawing room earlier despite the fact that she had even cut him off and walked out but the since the two of them had quickly found a subject they enjoyed after turning, the conversation had flowed as freely as the claret. Cora had not cared much for her new dinner companion. Ever since he had arrived, Samson had been beating all the other gentlemen at poker which had concerned her somewhat and she had been relieved that Robert had not gotten too involved in it all. There was just something about this so-called gentleman that irked her. He was well presented in his manners and small talk as well as his card success but in her opinion, he was a bit too well oiled. So she had kept up a façade of politeness expected of her as the hostess while discreetly trying to catch her husband's eye across the table. It had taken longer than she had thought, such was his interest in the opinion of his dining companion about the dessert menu, but once she had got his attention, she had boldly made eyes at him, giving him her approval for his efforts. He had coloured slightly having been caught off guard by his wife who had less than an hour before, been angry enough to march out on him. Cora grinned to herself as she ambled through the saloon, pleased that after all their years together, she could still catch him out like that. After her initial move, he had begun to make a study of her at every opportunity whilst still entertaining Dame Nellie, a feat most notable in Cora's book. Naturally this had also meant that she had to conceal her change of feelings from the table at large. As she made her final inspection of the seating arrangement for the concert, she felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind. Squeaking her surprise, she tilted her head to find herself nose to nose with her husband.
"Next time you want to treat me like a naughty school boy you might do it in private? Not in front of an entire room of guests." His lips had found their way to her ear and his voice was husky. Cora blushed, recognizing her own words from a night nearly a decade ago. That night had started off bumpy as well with Robert becoming openly agitated at dinner before apologizing to his disgruntled wife in bed later that evening which had eventually ended with some passionate love-making.
His arms around her loosened and Cora suddenly realized that his hands had begun to roam over her body while he trailed kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder. Her memories of that night quickly faded as this fresh bout of sensations instead began to affect her. Vaguely aware that they were standing in the middle of the saloon with their guests all assembled in the drawing room, due to come through at any moment, she sought out his hands. One was poised to cup her bottom while the other had begun a leisurely trail up her inner thigh. Catching them both and stilling them, she breathed, "As much as I am enjoying this I regret to point out we are in a very exposed location darling." She felt his lips leave her skin as he lifted his head up. Humming his agreement he swept her up in his arms and carried her off.
Cora had thought he would take her upstairs at that point but instead he made his way past the great oak staircase, ignoring her protests, towards the door behind it. The back entrance to the downstairs sitting room. Naturally at this time of night it was shrouded in darkness but that was why Robert had chosen it. He had become more and more hot under the collar as he had mentally undressed his wife in the dining room and he no longer had the patience to get her upstairs to bed, such was his arousal for her. Not wasting any time he carefully lowered her to the ground and shut the door behind them before checking to make sure the opposite one that lead to the smoking room was also securely shut. Once he had satisfied himself in this, he turned to find his wife stood beside the sofa, bathed in moonlight which was filtering in through the window and he caught himself. Then she spoke.
"I really don't think we have got time for this Robert. The concert-" In a split second he was right in front of her again, crushing his lips to hers, kissing her breathless.
"The concert will wait," he growled throatily. Fusing their mouths again he determinedly pushed his tongue through the small parting of her luscious lips and engaged her in an intricate dance until they were both quite out of breath.
"Robert! What has…" Cora was now feeling a bit overwhelmed. "What has gotten into you?" she managed. Running his hands down her arms and around to her bottom he urged her forward until her body was pressed against his.
"You gave me your invigorating lecture before dinner. Now it's my turn." Cora gaped at him.
"That's what this is about?"
"You're talking too much Cora," Robert said firmly. Placing his hands on her hips he began to pull on one side and push on the other. "Turn around," he instructed and she did as he bid of her, her heart racing.
Cora was now directly facing an arm of the sofa and then it happened. His arousal pressed firmly into her backside, making his intentions clear. Robert stooped down briefly and grasped the hem of her sky blue dress, pulling it up purposefully with one hand while the other followed in its wake, trailing lightly over the inside of her thighs and sending shivers up her spine. When he reached the juncture of her legs, he immediately sought out the tie to her draws and gave the bow a yank. Cora felt her undergarment pool at her ankles as one of her hands now grasped onto her dress which was bunched around her waist. She felt so very exposed like this as the cool air of the room licked at her lower half but at the same time, she found the situation thrilling. Her husband was taking charge of her in a way he wouldn't normally and it made her own desire grow. Muffled sounds emitted behind her as Robert freed himself of the constraints of his trousers and then his own under things and she could hear how labored his breathing was.
"Bend over the arm of the sofa," he muttered. Again, she did as she was asked and placed her hands onto the sofa, leaning forward. She felt one of his hands slip between her thighs again and apply some pressure so she parted them to grant him better access and he was quick to take advantage, running his fingers over her blossoming flower. Satisfied that she was moist enough, he then aligned his sex with her own and pushed into her, causing her to gasp with pleasure.
He set a fast tempo inside of her, his hips moving like pistons. Ever since the war he felt like he had been fighting to retain the respect he had once held. His decisions were being challenged on a daily basis be they concerning the running of the estate, what was best for the family or in tonight's case, the correct place for a world renowned opera star. And his wife had certainly never had a problem in withholding her opinions if she disagreed with him, which seemed to be a more and more frequent occurrence. There was no question that he loved his wife, now more than ever, but there was also no denying how much her blatant disregard for his point of view had left him feeling exactly like a naughty school boy that night which was something he knew he could never become accustomed to. He was a man in a position of authority who had always known control and now, as he thrust into his wife, he sought to reassert himself over her.
One hand held onto her hip as he continued to drive himself into her whilst his free hand found its way around to her chest where he cupped a breast through the fabric of her dress, molding it roughly. He vaguely heard her moans that his actions were eliciting as he ran his fingers up to her throat and then back down again. His movements inside her became frenzied as she began to pulsate around him and it drove him wild.
The heat that was generated from their movements became too much for Cora and she strongly contracted around him, groaning through her release. Robert followed moments later, spilling into her and slumping onto her back. Summoning what little strength he had left, he forced himself upright and helped her to straighten up as well. Slowly she pivoted around to face him, a smile painting her features. Her dress had fallen around her legs again but her draws remained on the floor. Flashing him a saucy smile she crouched down and drew her draws up her legs, bringing the hem of the dress up again with it so he could enjoy them in all their glory. Robert was speechless. For all his efforts, he had thought he had gained the upper hand yet here she was already teasing him, mocking him. He watched raptly as she carefully retied the cord in a bow, as if rewrapping a gift and letting the soft, cerulean fabric fall around her one final time.
"Is something wrong?" she asked casually. Robert snapped into action and hoisted his own garments up back into place and buttoning up.
"Not at all," he assured her as he cleared his throat. Cora raised an eyebrow and daintily stepped away from him towards the door, careful to accentuate the swing of her hips. Reaching the door she peered back at her husband who hadn't moved an inch.
"I'm going to rejoin our guests. Don't be too long." Sweeping her gaze appreciatively over him she clasped the handle and disappeared into a sea of light.
Her words rang in his head, her voice oozing her American roots. Don't be too long. He stood motionless as his mind whirled over the way she had left him, had eyed him so purposefully and it struck him. He had been schooled. For a second time that night, she had got the best of him despite his attempt to gain the advantage and now he was beginning to realize with startling clarity that his wife had known what she was doing all along. The way she had made out to be so cross with him, then rewarding him with some flirting at dinner, then her leaving their guests under the premise of ensuring all was set for the concert when she knew he would follow her. There was no doubt about it. His wife was a very devious woman.
As Robert Crawley made his way through the other door into the vacant smoking room, bound for the secret door that lead into the library, the corners of his mouth twitched. Two could play at that game.
A/N Thanks to thankgodforcora for imploring me to write this smut! Robert and Cora have taken over the show as usual and there will be a second instalment added soon. I hope you enjoyed part one.