Gain his ear:
Jamie woke when the sun's rays hit his eyes so brutally.
He sat abruptly, feeling cold, wet, hungry and most of all hard.
Damn, ever since they married it was becoming an almost everyday occurrence for him to wake up so.
Only difference was that she wasna here to help him wi' such things.
He had only now discovered the joy of the flash and had received the gift of doing so with the most magnificent creature he had e'er seen, only to have it ripped from his grasp, verra rudely and mercilessly.
Once by his own wife, for his mishandling of her (as accordance to her beliefs)
and a second time, a trice, after he finally bridged his way back to bliss,
ho Lord, such bliss,
by his unfortunate positioning between "ye are to be laird" and "ye'll die before ye'd be laird" clot heids.
He shielded his eyes from the monstrousness of the light's ray, with one hand, while rubbing his face and stubble to wake with the other.
He took a deep breath through his nose, only to wince and phew at the smell of him.
Thank the all -mighty she wasna here!
She wouldna come near him smelling as he did.
And Jamie had enough in his life to ever want her to shy away and reject him again, for whatever reason.
Never again, he decided when he woke her by taking his mouth in between those white, smooth, shivering thighs.
Not ever, he swore, as she cried loudly thumping her hand on the headboard, unable to take breath.
Two mornings ago, which seemed to him, now, as two life time's ago.
"Merde" he expressed his feelings.
The reminder of that morning only made him grow firmer.
"Fine, fine I hear ye" he said to the part of him that made it clear, he was going nowhere, especially when all he could think 'obout was her.
Her skin, her hands, her mouth, her eyes, the way she looked at him wi' gloom and heavy-heartedness when he separated from her.
Did he manage to touch said heart? He asked wishfully to the heavens.
She was sad to see him go, this much was clear.
He shouldna rejoice o' it, nay when he could feel his own misery for ever being more than ten feet away from her.
But it spoke of her feeling to him and that… that he would take in whatever way she saw fit to reveal it.
"Come back to me James Fraser" she said pleading his return to her.
If she would ha' cried 'oot his name only once more, he would have surely hurdled himself off the damn horse and rash to her arms again, not able to ever let her go.
He leaned on the wall where he slept, looked around to see no one was in sight and inched up his kilt.
He brought forth the memories of touching her for the first time, kissing her, removing her dress, touching her skin and breast, being inside her.
But it was those eyes that made him spill himself.
Those eyes which held her hurt and sorrow at his departure.
Will ye ever love me, mo nighean donn?
Will ye be mine as I return to ye?
And will ye hold me in your arms and ask me to never leave again?
"Please do Sassenach, please do" he said as he unraveled at the end.
When he had himself in clear mind again, he glided himself up along the stone, cold wall of the stable where he slept, at the second brothel Dougal made arrangement for them to stop at.
Bleeding aching Jesus Christ. In a time of grief and loss o' lover, child and wife, the man seemed to only regard his own cock as the solution.
Jamie kent he said, quite vehemently, he willna call upon such establishments, which seemed to be where his uncle chose to lament so thoroughly.
He dinna want to see or touch none but her, but the smell of him and his stomach had vetoed such resolves and declared of other needs and desires than just her.
God damn stinking, traitors.
So he found himself wryly coming closer to the kittle hoosie in pursuit only of a wash basin with some warm water, a decent mug of ale and some porridge, nay more!
"I ken I said it dinna matter" he spoke to the ether as he walked closer to that blue door that screened many women that were not her.
"That I would love ye enough for us both, only-
Christ Sassenach, ye ha' so much love in ye, anyone can see it.
And such passion that will sear the world, if it be all ignited"
He sighed deeply
"Aye I ken what I said before. But that was BEFORE!"
He almost berated her now
"Before those moments. Those moments ye invited me to see into your soul, before those moments ye were mine and with me, those moments when ye laughed whole-heartedly, when ye touched, when ye allowed for me to touch ye back"
He slid quickly aside to prevent himself being sodden by a naked lass emptying a chamber pot from one of the windows.
"Nay lass, less o' ye is no longer enough. I want it all now.
Will ye ever give it to me?"
He asked the cold pale skies, as he averted his gaze from the spill.
He sighed again and let his shoulders drop wi' his gaze.
No answer will come to him now and certainly no here.
There was a moment one night, when she turned to him in sleep, found a spot on his chest, cradled her heid there, burrowing into him as if she was a winter mole finding herself a protective spot inside the ground.
That was what her face reflected.
Warmth, comfort, protection.
Her curls cascaded on his form, all fanning on his skin, to remind him that although they were a whorl of freedom, that stood on ends at times.
They were soft as silk;
and if he touched them, they seem to melt into his skin, as warm honey would, if it be glazed on warm fresh bread, same color as weel.
Her hand came to lie on his chest, still fully asleep and her lips softly skimmed his nipple, which became hard in a matter of seconds.
He dinna dare move or breathe, as to no wake her or ha' her leave such position.
It felt like-
?~?~?~?
"Good morrow and what ha' we here?" asked a breast exposed woman as he closed the door behind him "We no usually get callers in this time o' the morning, ye do ha' crown dunna ye? Ye nay a beggar?"
"Good marrow" he replied ignoring her words and tone, by the sight of him he couldna fault her.
"Your servant ma'am" he bowed lightly.
"A gentleman then?" she said, her face shocked with surprise.
Weel, as he said the look and smell of him.
"Ye be wanting Edina then," she said regaining her composure "she does the dandy ones. Though she doesna take it up the arse or swallows what comes 'oot, ye hear?"
Jamie choked on his own breath.
"Aye, a bit of a dandy herself if ye ask me," the woman said thinking he was appalled by Edina's haughty and not by her words "But there ye ha' it.
If this be your pleasure, though, Might I interest ye wi' one that does? I think-" she paused to listen a moment and Jamie heard a harsh cry from the second floor, fallowed by a deep moan.
"Aye, Muriel be done by now, for proper coin wi' that one and ye could put it anywhere ye'd like"
"No" Jamie exclaimed in distress when he saw her about to call out for the lady.
"Water, food" he blurted, forgetting how to compose full-length sentence.
Mother of God, this much straight up crudeness so early in the morning did leave a man wi'-
?~?~?~?~?
"What's amiss then?" another woman appeared from a fancy side door to his right.
This one was at least fully dressed, thank the Lord for small blessings, and was looking much milder and delicate than is current companion.
But by no means less sharp.
As a razor, Jamie concluded as she surveyed and scrutinized him with brown hawk honey eyes, as to make him feel naked and exposed himself and this wi'oot him even moving or speaking.
Could he no catch a break?
"I" was all he could come up with.
"Food, wash" he finally said recalling.
"Ye're the one that slept at my stables, are ye not?"
He nodded.
When she spoke, he could hear she had an accent of some kind, but could not quite put his mind as from where.
"Jamaica, that is where I'm from, although my father was French, but my mother black" she said and he wondered how she could possible ken his mind.
She turned to the lass that greeted him.
"Shona, how many times must we repeat this? Ye dunna corner a man at the door, ye dunna offer service unless asked and ye dunna…."
"Aye, aye I ken, ye dunna yell" Shona answered rolling her eyes, apparently she was being told that many times.
"I was going to say, tell a man's preference outside a closed door. Whatever he seeks shell be shared between him and ye in private. Well comprendre?
Silencieux is what determines if a whore is for a night or a whore is for a life.
Proper gold is earned with the latter not the foremost are we clear?"
Shona nodded, clearly irritated at being reprimanded. Yet again.
"But of course, we also nay scream in my establishment, ye leave that for the clients n'est- ce pas?" the woman, which was clearly the Madam of this residence, snapped a bit angrily.
"Now ye are with Dougal than?" she finally returned to acknowledge Jamie.
He dinna even need to nod again, as she inclined her heid for him to fallow, pointing with the fan she held to a door across what seemed to be the salon of the establishment, saying
"come".
Jamie followed mesmerized and bewildered all at the same time.
As they entered the room, she closed the door behind them and to his relief he saw there was a full sized bath standing at the north corner of it and nay a bed.
"Oui, I kent your mind." she said seeing his relaxation "and so does your uncle" a smile spread on her lips "Although he did ask me to give it my all and get ye 'settled' with a lass once ye would come and have your fill of food." She pointed with her fan again
"I added the bath once I saw the look of ye".
"I thank ye" Jamie replied, trying to stir from his stupor.
"Your servant ma'am" he bowed lightly.
"Although whatever Dougal paid ye to ha' me 'settled'" he said regaining his self-possession and straightening "I'll double it, if ye just be obliged to bring me some food and drink in here and lock the door wi' me within, alone, awaiting 'till he is done and good to leave"
"Might take him a while" she grinned knowingly "Once he rises he usually takes them by the three's"
"By the what?" Jamie gawped.
"Three girls at a time" she clarified, looking so undisturbed by this fact "although something must be on his mind by the way he doubled his efforts last night and took five o'my best girls"
"FIVE?!" Jamie shamefully squeaked.
"Dunno be worrit, he was only served by two of them. Made the other three play for him while he did so, though"
Jamie could actually feel his eyes threaten to pop from their sockets.
"This surprises ye?" she queried, now looking surprised at his reaction.
"I thought ye said discretion is what makes a… ye ken what ye said.." he said trying to repel any further revelations regarding his own uncle's habits behind closed doors.
Christ, he lived under the man's roof as a child. Such things were as if one would think of his own father-
Jamie coughed, choking and stuffing that thought deep, deep within himself, where he could never find it again.
"Your uncle tastes and appetites are well known and he likes it so." she said in such a way that made Jamie ponder if there was ever a question this woman dinna ken how to answer.
"And as I always say 'the client is always right'. If he wishes all men to ken his virility, I be the first to scream it all through the streets, or, at least, ask my girls to do so" she cocked an eyebrow at him "Your uncle pays very well"
"Aye, aye." Jamie said understanding her meaning and was already extracting coins from his sporran.
"Fine then," she said taking the coins, but nay even looking at their worth "ye bath here; I'll see that a fresh shirt and breeches will be brought for ye.
For the food, though, you will be joining me at my table, n'est- ce pas?"
This was no request and Jamie kent it.
"Of course" he nodded inclining his heid in thanks and smiling kindly.
"Bien" she smiled back at getting her way and Jamie wondered did she ever no?
"Now shell I call for someone for ye?" she asked as she was about to take her leave.
"What?" he asked baffled.
"Such things are included if one pays for a bath" she explained "one receives Shirley or Willamina to have 'it' washed properly"
"Have what wash?" he asked, then caught on and declared "No! no need ye can tell Shirley and Willamina and Shona and anyone else to take the morning off and off of my 'it' as far as I'm concerned, if ye please" then he added with another cordial bow "But I thank ye kindly, truly"
"Aye, I figured as such, with you anyway" she said half out the door.
"I dinna fallow your meaning?" he asked at the last second, wondering what else was known to her of him.
"Come join me at my table, we will talk then" she smiled mysteriously and was out the door before anything else will be revealed.