Chapter 9.

Getting more towards de adult material now.

9. Sweet dreams

A few weeks later.

Joseph was half asleep half awake. This early in the morning his room was still dark, and he lay down on his back on the soft mattress. He just woke up somewhat from a dream in which he was alone with Clarisse. She said into his ear "I expect you to woo me properly." He replied with "Your whish is my command." In his dream he pulled her towards him and kissed her, then took of her clothes and stoked her bare breasts. She was sweet, willing and ready. The pictures were blurry in his head, but it still turned him on. Sleepy he let his hand wander inside his boxer short. He found his hard member and stroked it. One, twice until he found a well know rhythm. His breath became a little laboured. Keeping his eyes shut he focussed on Clarisse's face. Wondering what it would look like while experiencing pleasure.

Suddenly her face turned angry and his dream Clarisse said, "You picked her up for one night of sex!".

Joseph's mood changed immediately.

Still panting he jumped out of bed. A move he regretted when he felt the effect that had on his knees. He ignored the pain and stumbled towards the bathroom. He took off his boxer short and tossed it away. He turned on the shower and twisted the temperature knob to the left. Cold water ran over his body. It was so cold that his body could not stand it and he stepped back from the spray against the tiled shower wall.

The short contact with the cold water woke him up completely. Still shivering he was able to think strait again. He arousal was gone.

This was not the first time the last weeks he had a dream about Clarisse. They always started sweet and sensual and every time he tried to find a way to relief his building desire. Then suddenly his sweet dream turned into a nightmare when Clarisse reminded him of his sexual escapades…

The last weeks since Clarisse visited him in his room were confusing. After years of holding back and not acting on his feelings, they took a sudden turn. Without really discussing how, what, when, and so on. She asked him to woo her, and he agreed. He had to keep that promise, but how?

He did not want to ruin their friendship. He still felt guilty about the incident with his one-night-stand. And then he supposed that she wanted to keep things under the radar and there still was her duty to Genovia and towards the princess.

He knew how to get intimate with a woman. He wanted to kiss Clarisse, stroke her everywhere, fall into bed together. But this was Clarisse, a royal. You don't invite a queen strait into your bed in order to start something more then a friendship. She told him to go slow and wait a little. He understood and respected that. But… it was not easy.

Every time he was alone with Clarisse he wanted to act. But every time he felt afraid that maybe it was too much or well… He did not really know. He was just nervous about the possibility that it could go wrong. He knew that he should start with small gestures. But when to start with that?

Acting too quick was wrong but doing nothing was not the right also.

He turned the shower off and while drying himself his knees pained him. The cold water didn't do any good. "I am getting old" he muttered to himself. "Before you know it, you are death in your grave."

Dead. Time was ticking away. I must get going with this Joseph realised. Before it's too late. We've already wasted so much time. Whatever the outcome will be. When I don't try, I am sure it won't work.

He was able to set his nerves aside. He dropped the towel and quickly dressed. It was still early in the morning when he walked through the flower garden. He picked some pink and white roses and rushed towards the queen's office which as he expected was still empty at this hour.

While walking towards the desk he realised that he forgot to bring a vase. But he saw the pencil box and emptied it. He opened a drawer and threw the pens inside. Then he went to the bathroom and poured some water. Back at the desk he looked at the result. The bouquet looking quite nice.

Yes, this would be a good start.

When Clarisse came into her office her eye fell on the small bouquet of roses that was on her desk. The fact that it was there and that her pencil box was used as vase made her smile.

Finally, she thought.

Since their confession in Joseph's room a few weeks ago she and Joseph were going…well…nowhere.

He promised to woo her. Which was an exiting prospect. Scary and confusing, but also very exciting. She had no experience being romanced. Her marriage with Rupert was arranged by their parents. They had been friendly with each other from the start. But there was no need from both sides to persuade the other into a relationship. That was determined already. The focus had been on becoming friends and getting to know each other.

Clarisse wanted to keep things in the shadows. Amelia was graduating and coming home within a month now. Another few months and she would be crowned. So busy and stressful months were coming up. After that the new queen would still need daily support from her grandmother. And to sum that all up that meant that a little scandal in the news about the queen's new lover was not what Genovia needed right now.

Still a little shocked about Joseph's sex life she told Joseph to go slow. She said that to him not because she did not want to be a little intimate. But because she did not want to sleep with him at the first night. Thinking about his one-night-stand she expected the first step to come from him, making up somehow. She expected him to understand. Clearly, he understood her wrong.

There had not been a sign of anything since their talk. Thinking that Joseph was afraid to overstep his boundaries Clarisse had decided this morning to take things in her own hands and to take initiative herself. She was still thinking about a way to surprise him, but now she had found the roses. It made her happy, she did not even mind that the flowers came from her own garden.

Smelling one of the pink roses she noted that there was no card or any other sign that this was Joseph's work. But she knew it had to be. She wondered where her pens had gone, and she opened the top drawer of her desk. She laughed to herself when she saw the messy heap of pens inside.

It was lunchtime when Joseph knocked at the door and after her "come in" stepped into the queen's office. He carefully closed the door again, he wanted this conversation to be private.

He smiled when he saw Clarisse concentrated at work next to his improvised vase with roses. After signing a document, she looked up and smiled when she realised it was him.

"It's lunch time I suppose?" she asked while she stood up.

"Yes, it is. I have been told that lunch indeed is ready for you."

Joseph watched while Clarisse walked over to him until she faced him and stood quite close. He held his breath, he was a little nervous about her reaction to the bouquet.

"The roses are lovely" she said, and she stroked his face with her right hand while placing a light kiss on his left cheek.

Joseph sighted happily and enjoyed the feeling of her hand and her lips. He did not expect her to be so forward with her thank you. He let his hands caress her upper arms. This turned out quite well. He really liked her, and he decided to tell her, "Clarisse, I like you a lot."

She didn't move away from their close stance and replied, "I already knew that, didn't I?"

"I guess so, but I hope that you don't mind me saying it every now and then?"

She gave him that sweet smile again and replied, "No I don't mind too much." A broader smile. "Walk me to lunch?"

"Yes, sure." Joseph reluctantly leaved their embrace and turned away to open the door for her, when he heard her say.

"Join me this evening after work?"

He turned back a little surprised and glad at the same time, "Are you sure? I don't want compromise you."

"Yes, but Joseph… I don't mean to…" she did not finish whatever she wanted to say.

He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. "I believe I understand Clarisse. I won't try anything if that idea worries you."

She looked at him again, smiling. "It's not that I don't want to…well…how to put it…I just want to say that there is a middle between nothing and everything."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Which startled both and they quickly stepped apart.

"One minute" Clarisse said towards the door.

She continued in a low voice "see you tonight then?"

Joseph nodded.