Author's Note : Million thanks to Tuduvant, missysammy, LittleOriginalOne, Tohru12, Lovely Blonde Belle, Aroon1190, Myra2003, the yellow flower, ficticious character, and Lil'xMissy. Your reviews have really made my day. Now here's chapter three! (Adult content towards the end of the chapter; reader discretion is advised.)
Chapter 3
Back to Charleston
"Rhett! You're back!" Anne rose up from the sofa she was sitting on, putting aside her embroidery.
With a smile, Rhett moved across the room to approach his wife and gave her the obligatory kiss on the cheek. He then turned to face his mother and sister. When he arrived, he found the three of them in the sitting room: Rosemary with her book, his mother and wife with their needlework. He greeted his sister with a kiss on the forehead before tenderly kissed Miss Eleanor's cheek.
"How's your business, dear?" asked Miss Eleanor.
"Great. Everything's great."
"That's really good," Anne beamed on Rhett, putting her hand lightly on his forearm. "I'm really glad your business has been done so well."
"Do you bring us something, Rhett?" Rosemary asked eagerly.
At her hopeful expression, Rhett couldn't help but laughed. "Of course I bring something for you, my dear sister! It's in my trunks in the foyer."
"Why don't you clean up a bit, dear. Then we all can have supper together," suggested Anne, smiling to her husband all the while.
"That seems to be a good idea. But I'm afraid my supper would have to be brought to my study," Rhett replied. "After my long business trip, there are a lot of things I have to take care concerning the Landing and the mines"
Miss Eleanor nodded in understanding. "That wouldn't be a problem, Rhett."
"Then I guess I have to excuse myself from you ladies," Rhett said before he retreated to his chamber.
Later when he entered his study, a tray of hot meals and coffee were ready on his desk. He took a seat and began to eat slowly. When he had finished, he reached his coffee. As he sipped it, he studied the paperwork on the corner of his wooden table.
The paperwork was only a part of the reasons why he had wanted to eat alone. The other was he didn't want to answer the questions about his trip yet. Pretending that everything was fine in front of his family was hard enough. He needed some time to compose himself. His trip back home had been long and torturous. He cursed himself for leaving Ireland. He knew he should have stayed there despite whatever Scarlett might say. Now that he thought about it, he shouldn't have trusted that Fenton guy. He left Scarlett with the very man who had caused her accident, for God's sake! Could he be anymore stupid?
And there was something about Fenton that was disconcerting. Maybe it was the way his hand had held Scarlett's tenderly that had bothered Rhett. Or the way he looked at her. There was a certain gleam in his eyes when he watched her and Rhett decided that he didn't like it at all. Could it mean he was jealous with Fenton? 'No, no. It was surely not the case,' he immediately dismissed the idea. Besides, there was nothing to be jealous over. Nothing would have happened between the two of them, right? Even now when they were going to see each other quite regularly; giving the fact that they were neighbors.
No, he simply refused to believe that.
With the passing hours, he found out that his initial plan to distract himself from Scarlett with his work had been unsuccessful. His work had been unproductive. He kept reevaluating the same ledger or read the same paragraph over and over again without really comprehended it. His thought had always come back to a certain green eyed woman in a faraway land of Ireland. With a sigh, Rhett decided to call it a day.
Rhett crept softly into his room. Not wanting to disturb Anne, he shut the door quietly. When he turned around, the last thing he expected was for Anne to be there, standing directly in front of him.
"Anne? What are you doing? Why haven't you been sleeping?"
"I've been waiting for you, Rhett." Her answer came tentatively and a little bit shy.
Annoyed on some level, Rhett answered curtly, "You shouldn't have. I might stay up very late."
Decided to ignore Rhett's unwelcome attitude, Anne made a bold move and put her hands on Rhett's chest. "I'm sorry Rhett, but I missed you," she whispered, her fingers making a lazy circular pattern. "You've been gone for too long." After a moment of hesitation, she tiptoed, bringing her lips to rest softly on his lips.
Rhett jerked with shock. His first instinct was to distance himself from Anne, but at the last moment he remembered that she was indeed his wife, and she had every right to do so. He forced himself to remain visibly still.
Noticing that Rhett was unresponsive, Anne pulled back. "What's the matter, Rhett? You didn't miss me?" Anne asked confusedly.
"No, it's not the matter," Rhett said quickly, shaking his head as an effort to clear his mind. "I'm just –"
"I'll be fine, Rhett. I had always been fine in the end."
Suddenly, Scarlett's voice was floating in the back of his head, causing his mind to become blank. Without thinking, he gripped Anne's shoulder. His eyes were hard on her face, searching. Then as if proving something, he kissed Anne's lips with a bruising intensity. He felt her body stiffened for a moment before finally weakened in his arms. Anne's hands moved to clasp behind his neck as her own lips eagerly reciprocated his action.
Rhett could feel the passion started to build inside of him. His free hands started to work on the buttons of her nightgown. He pushed the gown down roughly, leaving Anne shivered as she was suddenly exposed to the crisp night air. His mouth was tracing a wet hot trail along the expanse of her throat, down to the point where her neck met the shoulder. Biting a little bit harder than it was pleasurable, Rhett vaguely heard her whimpered.
"Rhett, what are you –"
Her words were cut by his lips that were back on her mouth. Picking her up without much effort, Rhett carried her to the bed. He threw her down none too gently and began to remove his clothes. He climbed the bed, moving toward the submissive Anne. Nudging her legs open with his knee, he forced them to accommodate him before swiftly entering her.
"Just go home, Rhett. Go back to your wife."
He had to do this. He had to wipe her out of his mind. She didn't want him anymore. She pushed him out of her life. 'I don't need you, Scarlett. Can't you see? I don't need you,' he thought desperately. With each thrust of his hips, he tried to prove to himself that he was freed from her hold. With each rugged breath he took, he tried to convince himself that he was content with his life without her.
But as the pressure escalated within him, the line between reality and imagination became blurred. He could faintly hear Scarlett calling his name between Anne's cries; in his mind, her voice was hoarse with pleasure. The body beneath him became lither, softer with familiarity that molded perfectly to his hard muscle. The hair that spilled like halo on the pillow was somehow seemed darker under the shadow of the night. He could even smell the faint scent of distilled rosewater; a scent he remembered from his early years of marriage as he laid at night with her hair wrapped around his throat; a scent he would forever associate with Scarlett.
'God Scarlett, I miss you.' His earlier resolve to put her in the past was long forgotten. He knew now that despite whatever he tried to do, he would always come back to her. That she would always be in the blood coursing through his veins. That her presence would forever lingered at his side. With one final thrust, he climaxed as his mind was full of the image of Scarlett.
Time stilled as Rhett collapsed onto Anne's body. Only their harsh breathing could be heard in the silent room. When he finally recovered from his release, his body was shaking badly. 'Oh God, what have I done?' he thought remorsefully, his mind turned grave. 'What was I thinking about?'
"Rhett? Are you alright?" Anne's voice permeated the air, her hand tentatively reached up to comb softly through his hair.
"Scarlett…" He muttered brokenly. Suddenly he felt Anne's hand stilled, her body was awfully tense beneath him. Opening his eyes, he could see the shock that was on Anne's eyes. It made him felt thousand times worse. He tried to roll over, to move from her body. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he didn't dare to face Anne. He put his head on his trembled hands as his body started to break into cold perspiration despite the previous activities.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice quavering. "I'm truly sorry." He wasn't even sure whether he apologized to Anne for thinking about Scarlett when he was with her; or to Scarlett for him being with Anne in the first place.
"I'm sorry."
Author's Note : Please, don't hate me for this chapter! I promise things between Rhett and Scarlett will get better.
To be honest, I'm not very satisfied with this chapter. It was very hard to write, not to mention that it was the first time I have ever written an adult scene. So please tell me whether you like it! Feedbacks are always welcomed. See you!
