Captain Weirdo: Aw, well- no, not at all ;) Thanks for commentating.
LadyLuxembourg: Thank you very much- hehe, lovely, right- but she´s not that bad, she´s just a bit lost- but she´ll find herself again...
bluegirl-783: Thank you- well, he sort of will- not the way you might be expecting though- I have something rather mean planned... Ok, THAT was mean not but don´t worry, you know me, I´m a sucker for happy ends- after lots of drama of course... ;)
addlogcon: Yeah, he´s in trouble but what a nice trouble it is... 3
green dame: Oh, she IS nasty- but then Clarisse has a rather self confident side to her, so I thought it would work and so far it is- thank you for reading and your pic is just adorable :D
lostmyangel: Thank you- hehe, yeah, I know what you mean- the first part of the reading session is going to be up now, it´s not THAT long and I apologize for that but I promise I´ll write another chapter this weekend.
Clarisse Renaldi: Good :D I don´t know that show but it sounds fun lol- please keep reading, thank you for the comment.
GraceBe: Of course you might, betting would be fun! Yeah, you´re right though it might not turn out as what they need... Hehe, spoilerish, wasn´t it... ;)
ForeverJulie: Aw, I´m always feeling better when I see your pic- Thanks for the comment and no, there isn´t.
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She was looking stunning in her riding gear but she had to admit that it was rather warm, even though she had foregone the jacket in favor of a sleeveless white blouse.
He was already waiting at the stables, not that she was surprised thought she had to admit that it might as well simply be on her orders, she was ten minutes late already and he wasn´t in the position to not be on time.
The stablehand was waiting with the horses and she briefly patted them before turning to Josef.
"Would you please help me up?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
His voice was polite but she could detect a slight nervousness beneath the calm facade and it made her smile, she had known he would react that way and she was intent to make him lift her off and onto her horse a few times more this afternoon, what more innocent way could there be to get into closer proximity with him.
Josef´s hands closed around her waist and Clarisse felt a shiver run down her spine as he effortlessly lifted her up, she could feel the heat of his body and the scent of his after shave made her head spin.
She suddenly felt even hotter in her clothes and almost regretted her decision to spend the afternoon on a horseback rather than staying close to her cool swimming pool, on the other hand she had wanted to be alone with Josef after all and this would be the only opportunity without her stupid maid watching their every move.
She watched as Josef expertly mounted his horse, admiring his muscles rippling underneath his shirt.
"Shall we?"
His voice penetrated her hazy thoughts and she hastily looked up into his face.
"Yes- of course."
She took the reins and turned her horse sharply, blushing at the thought that he had caught her staring at him, she simply had to get a grip on herself, there was nothing more uninteresting for a man than a desperate woman.
She kicked her horse into a fast gallop and quickly registered that Josef was capable to keep up with her, one more thing that set him apart from other man she had brought here so far.
Finally she reigned her horse in next to a small lake on east side of the grand park and waited until Josef had dismounted and held his arms out to her, she put her hands onto his shoulders and made sure to brush against him as he lifted her down from the horse.
She felt him stiffen and she added a dazzling smile to her whispered ´thank you´ before letting go of him, then she took the reins of her horse and let him over to the water, then she sat down on the soft grass.
"Josef?"
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Won´t you come over here?"
"If you wish, Your Majesty."
He sat down next to her, carefully keeping his distance but Clarisse didn´t mind too much, at least she was alone with him and he obviously would have no choice but to stay with her as long as she decided to stay outside.
"Is there anything you aren´t good at?"
She teased amusedly, nodding towards the horses.
"Most likely, Your Majesty" he answered politely but Clarisse noticed that he didn´t know what to make of her behavior.
"Can you give me a little hint?"
For a brief moment he looked surprised, then his poker face was firmly back in place.
"I don´t think that would be a good idea, Your Majesty."
Clarisse laughed.
"Smart, aren´t you- fine, I will find out on my own then."
She laid back on the grass and closed her eyes, enjoying the sunlight on her face and all the time being aware of Josef´s eyes on her.