Big warning kids; This chapter earns it's M rating, so if that's not your cup of tea, skip it, or email me and I'll send you the chapter without the erotic stuff.
I hope you are all well. Thank you for reading this story and reviewing. It will be finished. - Leesainthesky
Re-cap:
Erik and Gabrielle make up. He talks about asking her shopping in London…
Ch 28 Afternoon Delights…
Tell someone you love him and the equilibrium of the relationship will shift. Monsieur Dupuis and I were now on uneven footing, and that made me uneasy. Erik had not professed to love me back, yet In spite of my misgivings, my desire for him could not be quelled. The quandary was: How would I lavish TLC on Erik without overwhelming him?
"Shall we retire to my bedroom, my sweet?" Erik suggested quite-matter-of-factly.
I peered over his shoulder and into the hall, nervous that Madame or Monsieur Roux would suddenly appear.
"Do we dare, I mean, it's the middle of the afternoon, Erik?" I said somewhat surprised by his sudden flirtatious behavior.
Erik moved to embrace me; his eyes glowed with carnal interest. He slipped both arms around my waist and pulled me against him.
"Tell me Gabrielle; is there a more proper time of day for a rendezvous? I'm not keen on embarrassing myself by making an improper suggestion."
"Yeah, right," I chucked him under his chin. "You rascal, I will bet you your violin that I can coax you into bed regardless of what position the sun takes in the sky."
"Really now?" Erik raised his visible eyebrow and chuckled, "Madame Gabrielle is rather sure of her prowess now isn't she?"
"Even the most disciplined of men has his, shall we say soft spot?" I titled my head sideways and grinned.
Erik nodded his head in the direction of the main staircase, "I bid you, upstairs now!"
I pulled away from him, my right hand still holding onto his, "Erik, I should go first, in case Madame Roux is about. I don't think it would be wise for both of us to go upstairs in the middle of the day at the same time. Marie's not a stupid woman, you know."
"Discretion, yes, of course—I would not wish to soil your image with the righteous Madame Roux. You go first, and I'll follow. The door to my room is open at the moment," Erik instructed.
"Maybe you should wait a good fifteen minutes before joining me—just so it doesn't look too fishy."
"Fifteen minutes?" Erik exclaimed. "Why must I wait so to join you? This is my house and I am inclined to do as I please!"
I rolled my eyes, "Come now Erik, I'm only being tactical."
"If you insist Madame," he sighed with resignation. "I shall oblige your forethought. But I had better find you in my bed…naked," his eyes never left mine while he kissed the back of my hand.
Naked in his bed…good lord, the man was killing me.
I winked at him, turned on my heels, and left the library with my skirts swishing behind me.
I'd only ventured into Erik's bedroom a few times before, back in my early days of changing linins.
The room was as I remembered—lots of gold and black silk and velvet, heavy dark wood furniture, and marble. All of the draperies were closed giving the room the appearance of dusk. I made the decision to draw back the draperies that covered the French doors leading to the balcony. Small panels of muted light streamed into the room. Feathery snowflakes fluttered from the heavens, transforming the landscape below into a sparkling fantasyland, the perfect backdrop for a lazy afternoon of amour.
I crossed over to the washstand, undressed and laid my clothes on a nearby chair. After sponging off, I headed for his massive bed.
Getting into Erik's bed was not easy, the mattress sat up high and I could not find a stool—I assumed Mr. Long legs didn't need one. I hoisted myself up onto the bed, rearranged several ornate pillows, turned back the covers and snuggled beneath them.
Many nights I could hear Erik pacing the length of the hallway. I wondered what demons robbed him of sleeping in a bed so amazingly lush and comfortable?
In ten more minutes he would be with me—ten maddening minutes. Waiting always made me apprehensive, so I turned up the gas lamp by the bedside and searched for reading material to occupy my time.
A thick book lay next to the lamp. I reached for it, and scanned the cover title. My, my monsieur, what have you been up to?
Leafing through the pages, I was amazed to find beautifully illustrated depictions of women and men engaged in erotic foreplay. Whoever authored this book, had a keen grasp of human sexuality. Normally sexual relations of most 19th century cultures consisted of a wham-bam-thank-you-man sort of rutting.
The difference with the French was, that although they were publicly prudent people, in private, they approached the art of lovemaking with ardent zeal!
Poetic, yet precise prose accompanied the illustrations, expounding on the joys of what made each particular act enjoyable.
I became all too quickly engrossed in my reading when I was startled my Erik's presence in the room. Somehow he'd opened and closed the door without making a sound.
He strode to one of the twin armoires and meticulously hung up his clothes, then drew out a stunning red silk and black silk robe, which he slid into and headed to the washstand where he removed the mask and splashed his face.
Quickly Erik smoothed his dark hair into place and hid behind the mask once more.
I watched his movements with wonder. The man moved so elegantly, so stealthily. His was a presence of parallel darkness and light—softness within hardness. I longed to touch him, to whisper lovingly in his ear, to sooth his hurts and reassure him of his magnificent masculinity.
As he neared the bed, our eyes met and we smiled knowingly at one another.
"My dear, I see you've been engrossed in my nightly reading material."
Somewhat embarrassed, I closed the book and placed it back on the side table.
"Interesting reading, Erik, I do admire a man with a curious mind," I smirked at him in an attempt to hide my discomfort.
"Is Madame Thomassen curious to know what I have learned from perusing its pages?" he inquired while he sat next to me on the bed.
"Um, what you have learned? I was of the impression that you already knew all that was worth knowing, darling. What else could there be?" I cocked my head innocently.
"You'll pay dearly for your smart mouth, Madam," Erik grinned, and ran a solitary finger down the side of my face to the top of the coverlet.
I let the covers fall away from, allowing Erik access to my breasts. He cupped them both gently, juggled them around is his hands, and then lightly palmed my nipples.
"These have the most exquisite texture," he said enthusiastically. "They are unlike anything I have ever felt—even softer than the finest silk or velvet," he marveled.
Erik's eyes shifted back to mine, "Gabrielle, stand on your knees—in the bed."
Without questing why, I did as I was told. I balanced on bed on my knees and posed for Erik's perusal.
Like this?"
"Yes," he whispered huskily, while drinking in my nakedness. Erik knelt before me and ran his graceful hands down my arms before resting the on the swell of my hips. "You inspire me in new and unimaginable ways, Gabrielle. "
I shivered with desire.
"Are you chilled my darling?"
"Chilled?"
"You have goose flesh"
I shook my head emphatically, "Oh no, not cold, nope, not one iota. It's the heat radiating from you, your hands, your mouth, those penetrating green eyes, yours mesmerizing voice—god Erik, everything about you effects my senses in ways that no other man ever has."
"Erik's lips parted slightly. He bent in and granted my lips a demure kiss, then sat back. His jade eyes were wide with wonder, "Gabrielle, my mind cannot fathom why a woman as sensual as you could be aroused by a monstrosity like me? I feel like a thief when I touch you."
I looked him squarely in the eyes, "Stop saying such things about yourself, Erik. To me you are all that is sensuality in a man. I am not lying to stroke your ego. That is not my way. Do me a favor for the time we are together this afternoon, do not think— simply, be. Let your hands and thoughts roam where they will. Allow yourself to be the man that you are."
Erik's eyes took on a sharp, intensity. He enfolded me in his arms and laid me back into the pillows. For that moment on, sensation was all we knew. I hardly remember untying the sash on his robe and sliding the thing from his body. His trousers, I do recall urging his trousers off of him—he had a proud hard on that would not be ignored.
Hands teased and rubbed, legs tangled and entwined. Our lips kissed and our tongues licked everywhere possible. Sighs, moans and unintelligible whispers filled the air like musky perfume. Eventually Erik's trail of kisses found the path to my secret garden. He skimmed his fingers over the skin on the inside of my thighs and I whimpered.
Using the back of one hand, Erik urged my thighs open and began nipping at the sensitive flesh between my legs.
"My darling Gabrielle, from the amount of sweet nectar dripping from you, I see that I do arouse you greatly," he murmured with satisfaction.
"I would not be acting as a proper French libertine if I did not see to your needs now would I?" With those words Erik plunged his tongue into me and began licking about. This glorious torture of his continued for a long time, making me squirm with unabashed pleasure. Suddenly I flinched and gave a small kick with my right leg. "Oh!"
"What have I done?" Erik peered up at me with concern on his damp face.
"Nothing bad, you've nipped the smallest and most sensitive spot on my body, "I explained.
"Oh dear, I am dreadfully sorry, my apologies, darling, I will take care to be more gentle on the little pink bud," he sounded a bit mortified.
"Make no mind of it love," I reassured him, "Navigating the garden can be a trial and error adventure."
Erik approached lovemaking with the same emotional deftness he used to compose his music. Beginning largo, working up to steady andante rhythm, then pulsing up to a intense prestissimo, before concluding in a frenzied crescendo of passion, and finally fading into soft echoing ripples, all under the maestro's thundering velvet hand.
A delicious pressure continued to build up inside me until I could take no more," I grabbed a fistful of Erik's dark hair, pushed my hips into his face and exploded with brilliant ecstasy. All I could do was whimper as though dying from pleasure. When I stilled, Erik rose up on his elbows, smiled at me and kissed my belly.
I patted the pillow beside my head, "Up here next to me my, please."
Erik obliged by rolling on his right side and siding upward. He buried his face in my hair. I nuzzled his neck and purred like a well-fed kitten.
"Erik," I giggled slightly embarrassed by the obvious, your mask, it smells of …my essence. Maybe next time you'll choose to remove it?"
"I'll savor your musk, for the remainder of this day my dear," he growled into my left ear.
Facing him, I reached up to stroke his cheek. "You are good…very good. I'm forming an addiction to your touch. You'd best not toss me out into the cold cruel world anytime soon."
A frown wrinkled his forehead, "Toss you out, Gabrielle? Has your brain been fevered by ecstasy? What in devils name makes you think such thoughts? I've no intention of tossing you out. You belong here with me, do you not realize that by now woman?"
I smiled sheepishly and drew little invisible circles around one nipple with an index finger, "Nagging insecurity; you're not the only one who suffers from it you know." I lowered my head to kiss where my fingers had just been, causing Erik to groan with pleasure. Creeping lower with my kisses, I eventually found what had been silently flexing against the side of my leg.
Erik's majestic erection—I placed a loving kiss on the swollen tip, then licked at him until I felt his hand on my head, suggesting with a gentle push that I love him with my entire mouth.
I drew Erik as deep into my mouth as possible and suckled him until he was panting my name. This only urged me on. I quickened my pace to match the cadence of his hips, and felt him stiffen and gasp. Erik's hot release burst forth into me.
When I rose to lie next to him, Erik was staring at the ceiling.
I brushed a piece of damp hair from his face, "I do love you, Erik Dupuis," I whispered.
"My darling, Gabrielle, you amaze me," he said drawing me close and lazily stroking my back with his fingers.
We were drifting on a haze of afterglow when I heard Marie's voice from down the hall, "Gabrielle, are you in your room dear? It is late and I noticed you have not made any preparations for tonight's supper. Are you ill dear? If so, it is no problem for Henri and I to fend for ourselves, really."
"Oh boogers," I mumbled peevishly.
Erik chuckled deeply. "Are you ill dear?" He mocked. "Shall I inform Madame Roux that at present, you are occupied with more pressing household matters?
"You're an uncommonly brave man, why don't you? I'll just hide here until Marie stops calling us me unkind names. It's always the woman who tempts the man into dishonorable acts, you know."
Erik sat up in bed, and fondled my beast, "Naturally it is completely your fault my dear. I am a mere innocent!" He then he bit me playfully on my neck.
There are more adventures to come. In the next few chapters we will meet Nadir and go to London with Erik and Gabrielle.
I hope you take the time to drop me even a quick review. I cherish each and every one of them! - Leesa
