I have been debating whether or not to try a story for Sanctuary, but in the end wanted to do one that looked at a personal side of Helen Magnus in relation to pleasure, especially now that she has hired Will and almost three years have gone by. I hope this seems in character, and if it isn't, then I hope it is at least thought provoking. Gregg.
Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dr. Helen Magnus was sitting in her library silently reading a book while across from her in a matching leather easy chair Will was also silently reading. He had always had free access to all the books in her library, and they usually had personal meetings in her library, but it was only recently, within the last couple of months, that he would stay in the library with her while they each spent time silently reading. For someone who was not comfortable with change, even pleasant change, this alteration in their normal interaction was something that caused her to think about it more and more.
Of course she wasn't blind to the attraction she felt for Will, and she was also well aware that he was definitely attracted to her. More than once she had caught him looking at her, and it wasn't her face that his attention was focused on. In a way it was comforting to know that she could still draw a man's attention to her feminine attributes, but the fact that they hadn't acted upon their mutual attraction had also been comforting in its own way.
Helen Magnus was a woman who had the same feelings and desires that all women had, and as such she was not afraid to deal with those urges as they developed. Despite what many believed, the Victorian Era was hardly prudish in the bedroom. In many ways the Era in question was more open minded and liberated than the modern world. Take prostitution as an example. There may have been laws regulating, or even banning, the institution, but it was an understood reality that there would be little or no enforcement of such laws. If a man, or even a woman, wanted to pay for some sexual pleasure, then so be it. Helen was perfectly willing to condone the practice, and she found the modern efforts to curtail or eliminate it to be rather ridiculous, and at times comical. It was the crimes that took place during acts of prostitution that she wanted eliminated. The way to do that was not to eliminate the institution. At least in her opinion. She wasn't vain enough to believe that she had the answer to everything.
"Why are you here, Will?" she asked suddenly, deciding to find out if the suspicion that had been nagging at her for a while now was true.
"Huh?" Will looked up. He could see the piercing gaze of Magnus and knew that she wasn't angry, but she did expect an answer.
"Why are you here?" she pressed. "For some time now you've been sitting here in the evenings and reading with me. I would like to know why."
"Because I like the company?" Will offered, though he knew that it wouldn't be enough.
Helen raised a brow. It wasn't like Will to prevaricate like this, and she was fairly certain now that her initial thoughts about all of this were accurate. Will was nervous that she would react negatively if she found out he was beginning to press for more. She'd told him early on when the attraction was initially apparent that she was very deliberate and private about her sex life, and had hinted strongly that she would not become involved with him, even casually.
"Company?" she questioned. "You have a number of people to keep you company. Why me?"
Will visibly deflated and admitted defeat. "Because I like you, Magnus," he told her.
A quirk of a smile touched the corners of her mouth. "Like me?" she questioned. "Is that the correct term for the attraction you feel, and what you are attempting to accomplish, however slowly?"
She watched as his head shot up at her observation. He really was cute, in a humorous way, when he was flustered. She let her eyes wander admiringly over his clothed body. He was always a bit on the thin side, and rather young looking, but the last three years had given his body some definition and symmetry that she found appealing. When he couldn't really think of any way to respond, she decided to take pity on him.
"It's alright, Will," she assured him. "The attraction, and, dare I say, lust, is mutual. The problem is that I never take a lover, or, if I were to be accurate, I should say, a steady lover. It's difficult considering that they will grow old while I stay virtually the same."
"Some guys may consider that a real prize," Will attempted a joking comment.
Helen chuckled. "In terms of the sex, I should say so," she replied. "But growing old while your lover doesn't age is a very difficult thing to deal with. It's something I've avoided all along for that reason, as well as my connection to John."
"So this is no?" he asked. He felt like a fool, but at the same time the attraction and feelings for Magnus had been growing steadily over the last three years, despite her own warnings about the issue.
Helen put down her book and sighed. "No," she told him. "I am willing to give this a chance, but I want you to know about me, first."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm hardly a saint when it comes to my personal life, Will, and it would be unfair to begin a sexual relationship with you unless you know about me first, and how I have dealt with my needs for many decades now," she explained. She wanted him to know. The era she was born into may have had certain influences on her as a person, and her outward persona reflected that, but her personal proclivities were shaped by her unique set of circumstances. Will would no doubt be shocked at her bedroom repertoire, and while he would enjoy it, she wanted to make sure that he was not someone who would look on her with disapproval for having acquired such skills and also the things that gave her sexual pleasure.
"I'm not sure I understand, outside of the obvious which everyone does," Will said, trying to be a bit discreet in his terms.
"You mean masturbate," Helen met it head on. She nodded. "Of course there is that, and I indulge quite often in that activity. Despite my usual demeanor, I do have a number of internal struggles that are sexual in nature which masturbation alleviates. But sometimes nothing can replace the glorious feeling of having another person in your bed taking care of those needs for you and with you."
"But you always seem to be working and never take a vacation," Will commented. He was beginning to see how this conversation was important. She needed him to understand that her life was such that a steady companion was a difficult relationship to maintain. If they let this happen, then it would not be easy.
"But I do travel, Will," she pointed out, a small smile on her lips and a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"Ah," Will nodded. "Something like the old saying a girl in every port?"
"In my case it would be a man in every port, but to be honest it's nothing so flagrant," she chuckled. "I travel every month, or practically every week, but I only get a really strong urge to have a bed companion about every six months or so, and when it gets to that point I usually make some arrangements for when I am on a trip to have a man meet me and we spend the night together, sometimes several nights."
"An escort?" Will asked, a bit surprised.
"Usually," she replied. "Other times I simply make arrangements to spend an evening at a club and find a willing companion. It's not terribly difficult for a woman to find a companion for a night of sexual pleasure, I assure you." She paused. "Does the fact that I've paid men for sex bother you?" she asked.
"I think it's more the fact that it's you doing so," he admitted, showing his naivete about the era of her upbringing.
Helen kept herself from laughing. "Prostitution in my time was accepted, Will, if looked down on in some circles," she informed him. "While I wish that it weren't economically necessary for many men and women to have to resort to such a profession, I do not see how meeting a genuine need in an economic arrangement is much different than a woman going out on a lavish date where she is wined and dined at great cost and then she takes the man into her bed, or vice versa."
Will could see the logic in that, even if it was a bit disconcerting thinking of Magnus hiring a man to pleasure her. He looked up and nodded.
Helen sighed in a bit of relief. She had hoped that he would understand and not be terribly judgmental about her usual manner of dealing with her sexual needs when they became too much for masturbation to relieve adequately. Looking at him she felt her arousal growing a bit, as it had been since the conversation began. He still seemed so young to her, and his physical appearance aided in that youthful estimation, but at the same time, she could appreciate his male lines and the body that had gained definition and symmetry since she'd known him. The humorous thought of what people would say if they went out together to a restaurant or a club amused her. The term cradle robbing came to mind as she did look to be more of a mother or an aunt in terms of looks. But that was so superficial and not at all the case when one found out his real age, and also the intellectual caliber of the man. Yes, this felt right to her, and it seemed to bode well. She stood up and offered her hand to him.
"Huh?" he asked, startled at the seemingly sudden end to the conversation.
"I think we've spoken on the subject as much as was needed," she told him. "I thought perhaps we could take this to my room and continue this discussion in a more pleasurable manner."
It only took him a moment to catch on and then he placed his hand in hers and stood, keeping his hand firmly in her smaller one. She moved closer and leaned in to his ear.
"For now this is between us, Will," she cautioned him. "I would appreciate it if you exercised some modicum of discretion."
"Absolutely," he nodded in complete agreement. He was still trying to come to grips that this was actually happening. He'd hoped to ease her into a discussion about possibly dating at some point, but to have her confront him, and then wind up with her taking him to her bed that very night was something he'd only fantasized about.
"Then let us stop by the kitchen and pick up a couple of items," she suggested. "Some champagne and strawberries with some chocolate sauce perhaps?"
"Sounds great!" he said eagerly, hoping that he didn't sound like some horny teenager about to get lucky for the first time. He was a grown man and a professional psychologist for Pete's sake!
"Mmm, I like an eager man," Helen teased as she led him out of the study.
"Any man who wasn't eager to be with you would have to be insane," Will said without even batting an eye.
Helen thought for one moment about John Druitt and had to agree with Will's assessment, even if it was her own feminine ego at work.
"A flatterer as well," she observed in a huskier, sultrier voice than he'd ever heard her use. "You do know what they say of flattery, don't you?"
"Uh, huh?" he said, that daze coming back upon hearing that sexy voice.
"Why don't we test that?" she said as she let go of his hand and opened the massive refrigerator.
"Lead the way, Helen," Will smiled.
A/N: Here is the first of two chapters. The next will be what happens when she gets Will to her bedroom. I hope that you've enjoyed this so far. Gregg.
