"This dress..." He kissed the back of her neck, his hands moving over her breasts as she pressed her backside against his pelvis. "I couldn't keep my eyes off you tonight."
She was wearing her blue, chiffon dress, and she knew what he was saying was true. All night his eyes found hers, looking deeply, longingly. They hadn't had a moment alone together in what felt like ages, and their bodies worked like magnets when given the opportunity. She wasn't sure about him, as they were in no mood for talking at the moment, but she was terribly worried that they had given themselves away directly after he picked up her guitar and sang. She was completely taken with him at that point.
"Someone could have noticed." Her words were breathless as he unbuckled his pants, causing her to pull down her panties as well. He didn't give her time to remove them past her knees, as he bent her over the bench behind the puppet stage and lifted her dress, entering her swiftly from behind. She caught herself on the bench, groaning at the force with which he entered her.
"I'm sorry." He came to his senses a bit, fearful he had hurt her.
"Don't stop." His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips and he began to thrust, eliciting a sigh of satisfaction from her lips. It had been entirely too long.
"Should we..."
"Shut up." He chuckled at the passion in her voice, continuing to move. She closed her eyes and moved against him. She had innocently been cleaning up the puppets, putting them back in their boxes and organizing things before planning to head to bed. After escaping his company, he rushed to find her as quickly as he could, knowing they wouldn't have much time before he was expected to return.
One of his hands reached around her, sliding up the inside of her thighs and touching between her legs as they moved. She bit her lip to keep quiet, feeling her body begin its ascent to coming undone. They were obviously both after their own release when they were together, but she loved that he always made sure she was satisfied before worrying about himself. He was such a caring and attentive lover, gentle when he needed to be, yet rough when she craved it the most. She couldn't have asked for a better person with whom to explore the most secret part of her life.
She gripped the edge of the bench in her hands, her fingers turning white as her body shivered and shook beneath his. She tried her best to keep quiet, a weak, strangled gasp managing to escape her lips. He groaned as his release hit him hard, the sound of their bodies slamming together echoing in their ears as they shared in the bliss of their climax.
He pulled out once the throbbing in their connection had eased, pulling her dress back over her hips before moving to make himself presentable again. She pulled up her panties and collapsed onto the bench, leaning her head back against the stage behind her. He smiled as he joined her, each of them struggling to catch their breath.
"My God, Maria..." She opened her eyes and met his, smiling before they shared a small laugh.
"Is it only because we haven't in a moment?"
"A moment; I've been trying to get you alone for a week." She sighed, leaning her head back once more as he took her hand in his. "You told me to shut up."
"I'm so sorry." She felt her cheeks turning red, but he only laughed.
"I quite like when you tell me what to do." She scoffed, turning to meet his eyes once again.
"What a lie."
"I would never lie to you. I like when you become aggressive because of the things I'm doing to you." He leaned closer and began nibbling at her neck, making his way to her ear.
"Oh, so really you like it when I'm stroking your ego. Ouch!" She jumped back as he bit down upon her ear. He kissed her lips, making sure she was kissed thoroughly before pulling away.
"I don't want to go back. I'd much prefer your company this evening." She brought her hand to her earlobe, rubbing at the place he had bitten. The few times they had been together recently hadn't been full of much talking; they had limited time and one goal in mind. She would have been lying had she said she didn't crave some tenderness sometimes.
"Well someone would very likely be suspicious if I just brought you up to bed with me." She laid her head upon his shoulder, their hands still connected and caressing one another. He pressed his cheek to her hair, taking in her scent. He loved the feeling of her pressed against him.
"We could meet somewhere later. Accidentally, of course. The kitchen for a glass of water?"
"When are you ever in the kitchen?" She laughed, wondering how long it had been since he had gotten a glass of water for himself rather than have someone fetch it for him.
"Is that what you think of me?" He feigned surprise, but she knew she hadn't hurt his feelings.
"We could both be taking a walk outside. Perhaps neither of us could sleep, and we just so happen to meet."
"I do like that idea. Though I'm afraid it won't get me out of spending time with my company for quite a while."
"You couldn't pick an argument with one of them?" He laughed, causing her to smile as well. She was only partially joking. It was well known that he could clear a room in an instant if he felt passionately about a subject, usually politics.
"May I come to your room after and simply hold you for a while?" His words were soft, taking her aback. She removed her head from his shoulder, looking deeply into his eyes. She couldn't read much, but it was obvious that he was searching for something, comfort perhaps.
"I would like that very much." They shared a smile, his fingers caressing her cheek before the door to the ballroom slammed open, and they jumped from their seated positions. She reached forward to straighten his tie before smoothing her dress, running hands over her hair.
"Georg, are you in here?" Max's voice echoed through the room, and she saw the Captain roll his eyes before faking a smile as his friend rounded the side of the puppet stage. "Oh, hello Fraulein."
"Good evening, Herr Detweiler." She nodded, going back to the task she was performing before she was interrupted earlier. She could tell he was suspicious by the way he looked at them, and she was trying her best to look natural, even though she could feel the remnants of the past moments making her thighs feel slippery.
"I heard quite the commotion in here as I walked past. It seems that Fraulein Maria was attempting to move all of these boxes on her own."
"I nearly had it. But thank you for coming to the rescue, Captain." She smiled professionally, directing her attention back to her task.
"Yes, of course." It was obvious that Max held some reservations, but he changed the subject and followed the Captain's lead as they left the room. Maria waited until she heard the clicking of the door behind them before she let out a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest.
Georg rejoined his company, sitting next to Elsa upon the sofa. She gave him a quick smile before carrying on with Max once more, laughing about some silly gossip they had heard. He looked at her face as she laughed, she was a beautiful woman. She truly had helped him see the light when he thought he would wither in darkness forever after his wife's death. He was indebted to her for all she had done for him, for the care and patience she had shown him; for the laughter and times of lightness they had shared. She was very much in love with him.
He wished he was in love with her, as it would have made everything so much easier for them both. On paper, they were the perfect couple. She wanted him to propose, and for practical reasons he knew he eventually would, but the moment Maria came into his life, all plans of marriage seemed to stall. He never imagined from their first meeting that he would end up in her bed; she was a postulant, for goodness sake. But he was completely taken with her, her passion and her gentle beauty.
When he was a younger man, he would have thrilled at a woman living in his home who wanted him only for his body. As a more experienced man, he wondered if he was a bit too old for the casual sex arrangement. He should have been more concerned with settling down. But it was so amazing, the way her body felt against him, the way her lips touched his, the freedom she made him feel. She could make him catch fire with a simple look. And she wanted nothing in return, he was purely an orgasm to her, and he chuckled a bit at the idea. She was not like any other woman he had ever met, but pursuing her would be wrong. She clearly didn't want him to try, had asked him not to have feelings, and he would accept that. He would let the affair run its course, and then he would ask for Elsa's hand in marriage. Not a kind arrangement, he had to admit, but one he was selfishly comfortable with seeing through. The thought of ending up alone frightened him even more than doing the right thing. He and Elsa could be happy.
He entered Maria's bedroom hours later, his warm body pressing against her as he lay beneath the blankets on her bed. She awoke smiling, pulling him close as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
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"Fraulein Maria, are you in there?!" She jumped awake at the sound of Gretl knocking upon her bedroom door, her bed partner jumping as well. She looked at the clock; it was quite late.
"Yes dear, I overslept. I'll be right out." She heard the girl's feet padding down the hallway, presumably to share the word with her siblings. She looked into Georg's eyes, finding them as surprised as she was. They were incredibly thankful he had thought to lock the door when he came in. "What do we do?"
"Get ready for your day. I'll wait until you've joined them for breakfast, and I'll sneak back to my room." She nodded, hopping out of bed and opening her armoire. She shuffled some hangers around, stopping when he hugged her from behind. He pulled out the dress she wore the day she and the children fell into the lake. "You look lovely in this one."
She took it from him, smiling before placing a gentle kiss upon his lips. She rushed to the bathroom to dress and brush her teeth, feeling lucky that she wore her hair short and hardly put on makeup anyway, as it took her no time to get ready. She found him fully dressed when she returned, sitting upon the edge of her bed. He smiled, reaching a hand for her to take.
"Is everything alright with you, Georg?" She placed her hand upon his cheek, wanting to provide tenderness to him, even though there was truly no time for it. He gave her a soft smile, surprisingly calm for the fact that they were not yet out of danger of being caught.
"I'm not sure. I'm doing a lot of thinking." He didn't continue, and she didn't press him, only nodded in response.
"Tell me if we need to talk." He smiled, pulling her down for a kiss before she opened the door, quickly closing it behind her and making her way to the children.
He waited a moment, finally hearing a plethora of footsteps running down the stairs as Maria ushered the children to breakfast. Looking around the room, he realized that he had never been alone in her space before. Why would he have been? He stood and began to look around at her belongings, her Bible on the bedside table, a little drawing that one of the children had made for her.
Entering the bathroom he saw a hairbrush, a few makeup items, and a little jewelry box. Intrigued, he opened the box and found a necklace, a ring, a pair of earrings, and a watch, none of which he had ever seen her wear the entire time he had known her. He knew her parents had died when she was very young; one of the few personal bits of information she had let slip once. Did the jewelry belong to her mother, perhaps?
He shook his head, deciding it would be an invasion of privacy if he explored any further. She had nothing to hide anyway and probably would have let him explore whenever he asked, he thought. As he approached her door, he turned back to look over the room, making sure there would be no sign of him when he left. He pressed his ear to the door, making certain no one was around before he opened it and made his escape.
Just as he opened the door, he came face-to-face with Frau Schmidt, who looked completely taken aback. He hadn't even heard her coming, and he scolded himself for not being strong the night before and simply going to his own bed. He closed Maria's door, clasping his hands in front of him as the housekeeper eyed him suspiciously. It was very clear that she knew exactly what she was seeing; how could she not, he thought.
"Captain, I see you're looking for Fraulein Maria. She's been with the children since very early this morning, I think one of the little ones kept her up all night. Breakfast will be served shortly." He nodded, and she raised her eyebrows at him before continuing down the hallway. He was thankful that she was giving him her unspoken word of discretion, but terribly embarrassed that she had found him in such a way. He wanted to tell her it wasn't what it looked like, but it absolutely was. There was no denying why he was leaving the governess' bedroom, and he was deeply ashamed that he had become the kind of employer who had taken advantage of a female staff member.
As he rushed to his room, he reminded himself that it was different with Maria. He hadn't taken advantage of her, she was a completely willing and equal party to him. He never felt that they were parts of different worlds, different social classes. He was simply Georg, and she was Maria. It obviously didn't look that way to anyone else, but they knew the truth.
She didn't meet his eyes as he joined them for breakfast, apologizing for keeping them and making some silly excuse. They all seemed to believe him instantly, and breakfast continued as it would on any other day. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to make him feel any differently...except everything had suddenly changed.