Dallas, Texas

"I missed you. How was your day?", Sue Ellen asked as she hugged her husband as he stood in the Southfork driveway having just come home from work; JR enjoyed their new routine where she was always there to greet him; it made him feel good to know that he was someone else's number one priority. Getting married was a big change in his life, he never thought that he'd actually look forward to coming home at the end of the day, or actually want to have just one woman, but so far, he hadn't even thought about his old life, his new one was too satisfying. They walked into the house together and JR said hello to his mother before excusing himself upstairs to get ready for dinner; Sue Ellen waited a few moments before making her own excuse to follow him upstairs. She didn't want the family to know exactly what they were planning to do, what they usually did when he returned home from work. Although it was completely normal for a newlywed couple to want to be close to each other, she felt like it wasn't polite to be too obvious about their intentions. JR went along with her wishes even though he wasn't as shy as she was, he had no problem just taking her upstairs with him, no excuse needed. Out of respect to her, he'd usually request some silly thing like her help picking out a tie for dinner, or he'd leave the room and wait for Sue Ellen to make some excuse for why she had to go upstairs too, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable about it and he knew she was still a little shy.

Lucy Ewing walked out of her bedroom excited about showing off the new dress Sue Ellen and her grandma had bought for her earlier in the week; she was pleased when she spotted Sue Ellen walking up the staircase, "Sue Ellen!" Lucy's excited voice made Sue Ellen jump, she had one thing on her mind and it wasn't Lucy. "Sue Ellen, I love this new dress you bought me", Lucy twirled in the hallway and Sue Ellen smiled, "I'm glad", normally she would have a little more time for the child, but she hadn't seen JR all day and he'd looked so good just a few minutes ago when he returned from work, she couldn't wait to see him again. "I'm not sure about these shoes though. Do you think you could help me to pick out another pair of shoes to go with the dress?" she liked having a younger female around the house and she wanted to spend time with her. Sue Ellen sighed, she really wouldn't mind spending time with Lucy at a different time of the day, but not right now, "well I'm a little busy right now, but the shoes look lovely, I don't think it's a problem. How about after dinner, you and I spend a little time together and I'll help you select some more outfits for the week, complete with shoes and everything", she wanted to offer an alternative plan before Lucy got upset that she couldn't spend time with her right now. Lucy sighed as Sue Ellen told her she was busy, she had thought that having Sue Ellen around permanently would mean that she would have a friend at Southfork, someone to hang out with when she got lonely, but she had been wrong, it was only like that sometimes. When her uncle JR was home, Sue Ellen was always with him and she didn't have time for Lucy. She did perk up a little about their after dinner plans, but she knew that Sue Ellen was only offering that time because Jock and JR usually discussed business for a while after dinner, Sue Ellen had no other plans at that time, Lucy felt like she was second-best.

JR heard the sounds of Lucy and Sue Ellen in the hallway, he waited a moment before getting impatient, cocktails were in forty minutes and he wanted to enjoy his time with his wife before it was family time again. "Sue Ellen?" he opened the door and walked out into the hallway and Sue Ellen gasped at how handsome he looked; she loved his messy, casual look, his tie loosened, his sleeves rolled up and his shirt buttons undone enough to reveal part of his chest. "Lucy, be a good girl and go and see grandma; Sue Ellen will help you later", he'd heard part of their conversation and had no problem telling Lucy to leave them alone, this was his time with his wife and he wasn't going to have her monopolize it. "But…" she wanted to argue, she and Sue Ellen hadn't finished speaking yet, "no buts. Go play now, by yourself, downstairs with mama, or Teresa, or anyone. Sue Ellen is busy now and she'll help you later" he replied sternly, he wasn't in the mood to argue with a child, he didn't really care where she went as long as she left them alone. "I'll see you later Sue Ellen", Lucy glared at JR and then ran toward the stairs, she hated the way JR would say things, it was his tone more than his words. "No running!" JR shouted after her, he wouldn't have her falling down the stairs on his watch. His own parents weren't too good at disciplining her, so he always felt like it was partially his responsibility to parent her and be the sensible adult when it came to the youngest Ewing. If he let her run down the hallway and she fell, his father would definitely find a way to blame him rather than Lucy. Sue Ellen watched as the two interacted, she believed that JR just wanted what was best for his niece, and she was being a little bratty right now, so of course he had to shout at her. She blushed as she felt a small pang in her lower abdomen, in an indirect way, his show of power was a turn-on and she was even more attracted to him now than she had been a few minutes ago. "Damn child's gonna break her neck one day, she won't be so disobedient then", he mumbled under his breath as he watched Lucy change her pace and start to walk down the stairs before he turned his attention back to his wife. He was half expecting Sue Ellen to be sympathetic toward Lucy, the two seemed to have a good relationship so far and he was a little harsh, but as he turned back toward her, he was shocked to see the way she was looking at him. Taking her hand, he pulled her into their bedroom, slamming the door shut as he pushed her against it; there would be no further discussion.

Jock Ewing parked his car in the driveway and started to walk toward the house before stopping for a moment as he heard a loud noise; "JR!" he grinned to himself as he looked up at the partially open balcony door as heard the pleasured cry. JR was a very lucky man, and Jock hoped that soon he would be too; from the sounds of it, a Ewing grandson wouldn't be too far away. Half an hour later, the family gathered for cocktails, Lucy was still sulking but neither Jock or Miss Ellie really noticed, they were both more aware of the two Ewings who were late, though neither of them minded their lateness, they both knew exactly what the newlyweds had been doing upstairs. Both Jock and Miss Ellie were happy that JR finally seemed to be settled and family-oriented, and they hoped that there would soon be a new addition to the family; if getting a grandson meant a few late arrivals to pre-dinner cocktails then that was a small price to pay. Upstairs, Sue Ellen rushed to fix her hair and makeup; she was always happy when JR was kind and gentle with her, but the rare times he changed things around, his rougher dominant side always pleasantly surprised her. She was a romantic at heart, but sometimes she wasn't interested in romance in the bedroom, and tonight had been one of those times; JR was always the dominant one in their relationship, but at times like these when he was totally in control, it was even more exhilarating and thrilling. There was just something about him having complete control over her that she found appealing; of course, she wouldn't want it like that all the time, she loved when he was kind and romantic, but every once in a while it was exciting to do something different. JR watched her brush her hair as he tied his tie; she didn't look upset, and she certainly hadn't acted like she was troubled by his actions, but he felt guilty. Sitting in front of the mirror was a lady, his wife, not some tramp who he paid to act out his sexual fantasies. He hated the idea that he was cheapening her with his actions; she was so pure and innocent when he married her, and he wanted her to stay that way; he was far from pure or innocent and he felt like he was spoiling her respectable, ladylike being every time he slipped and accidentally lost control. It wasn't necessarily her fault, it was of his doing, she'd just looked at him that way and he'd reacted; he scolded himself for not being able to control his own behaviour. That was the one thing he never wanted to lose, he always wanted to be the one in control, the level-headed one; it gave him the upper hand in business, when other people were fretting about little things, he was taking control of the bigger picture. However, this wasn't business, it was personal, she was a lot more fragile than a business opponent, and he cared about how his actions affected her; he didn't want her to be distressed or upset, and he always wanted her to know that he loved her. He hated that he let himself get carried away, that part of his life was supposed to be over, he was married now and husbands and wives didn't do things like that, husbands were supposed to be supportive and loving, not dominant and controlling. It was a complex problem, she didn't look upset at all, but he felt more guilty than he had in a long time. "JR?" she now stood beside him, he jumped a little as he heard his name, he hadn't seen her stand up or walk toward him, "are you all right?" JR nodded, pushing the thoughts out of his mind for now, "yes darlin'. Are you ready?" She thought something was a little different about him, but it was probably best if they didn't start a discussion right now, it was almost dinnertime; she nodded and they walked downstairs together to join the family.

To be continued…