"I suppose you want to hear of my coupling experiences more than of my relations with different women" he chuckled
She stretched herself and smiled "I don't mind hearing both. Considering our age gap, I'd be asking you to talk of things that happened before I was born or when at most I was at Ella's age".
"I suppose I should start at the beginning which was with a friend I grew up with. We were both thirteen and she was the one who initiated er- things, which ended rather quickly."
"Ended quickly?"
He tickled her and laughed - "Are you dense or naive - my love? I was rather fast about things, in the bad sense of love-making" he kept laughing now at her embarrassment.
Scarlett ignored him, she had a plan and was not going to let him disturb her.
"Tell me more. Why did she initiate things?"
"Lena was a curious girl, alway daring. She was always with the boys when we were little, looked like a boy some say. Then at thirteen I grew much taller than the rest of the group, she once told me it was that."
Scarlett could picture him tall and slim as a boy, near her son's age. It amazed her, Wade was nearly that age too.
"I'd die if Wade would, well never mind Wade, the thought makes me shrink. What was it like? How was she like? Was she pretty?"
He was stroking her body with his fingers - "I was still half child but I was extremely happy and excited that she let me touch her, that she undressed in front of me. We were at this shack that was temporarily vacant. She took all her clothes first, forbidding me to undress and instructing me how to undress her."
"That's how you learned?" she laughed "And here I thought it was the numerous lovers, when in fact it was this friend of yours?"
He smiled -
"Go on! What was it like?"
"It fascinated me the way her nipples grew smaller and stiff at my touch. I've seen women, especially servants nurse, it was not uncommon. I always averted my eyes as proprietary required."
She felt a tingle of arousal at the thought and her own nipples mirrored the description. He rubbed them almost casually-
"You are actually enjoying this, aren't you?"
She wouldn't let him stop talking "It's non of your business, keep telling"
He breathed deeply – "Would you believe it if I said that I can hardly remember? Lena had long light hair and hardly had the body of a woman. I suppose she did look like a boy. If she did not wear skirts and grow her hair one could mistake her. Even today. I saw her in Charleston briefly last winter. She is as tall as I am, and very skinny."
To his amazement, his wife was on top of him now, kissing him with her tongue shamelessly, she was half whispering "Did you like the body of a girl? You met me when I was sixteen."
He became aroused from her motion on top of him and slid inside her swiftly, he inhaled deeply -
"You are heavenly, Scarlett"
Being inside her he was moving her back and forth lazily – "I prefer women, even at sixteen you were extremely lush, and alluring " He took her breast, covered in the white cloth of the nightgown in his mouth, nipping and biting it slowly, "But that's why I didn't kiss you - you were still half a child."
"I wish you had kissed me more often. Sooner."
"Me too"
"Did you do it with her again?"
"For a while, until I found out that she also saw a cousin of mine, Lorence who was 20 years old."
"She didn't"
"She did, and most happily."
"So you left her?"
"Hmff -" He was biting her slowly "I don't like sharing my woman. You should remember that always." He growled theatrically -
She giggled and then whispered "I don't want to be shared."
After a while he was caressing her slowly, both were trying to get their breath -
"Where did you get this idea, Scarlett?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased "I don't know, but during the months of your absence I'd think of you in all sorts of ways." She decided it was dangerous to keep this theme and asked "Did you confront her?"
"Naturally, a lovely mess it was, but only the three of us knew of it, I think, so we let it slide. Haven't you had enough storytelling for one evening?"
She ignored his question and kissed him on his chest playing with the dark mat of hair, noticing the grey hairs that were concentrated in the center valley of his chest. "I decided to trust you. You know?"
He inhaled deeply "You're brave. Braver than me."
"You should try it too, you know?"
"Really? And how far will you go with this trust?"
Looking serious she now said "As far as it takes."
The following days she'd come to meet him each noon at the Emporium and would go through whatever he'd ask her. In no time a month had passed.
"Come to the site Scarlet. It's changed. You'll love it."
She gave him a short look - "In a while."
"Scarlett, you are being absurd - it's your site, and it's been a month."
She lowered her eyes "I just feel so badly about him."
"Why?"
"I knew he was falling in love with me, and it flattered me because I was broken and miserable especially after New York. He is young."
"I'm not sure he's not older than you."
"Oh, you know it's beside the point. I don't want anyone to go through what I had gone through."
"Let me talk with him."
"Don't you dare!" she shrieked.
"Why?"
"It's as if Ashley would send Melly to console me, or reprobate me."
"Don't you trust me?"
She realized she was trapped - "You promise to be kind?"
He laughed "Am I falling in my own trap?"
"Only if you wish."
Harry Glowner was a tall man with wide shoulders. He had a rough chin and darkness in his features that almost hid the mere thirty years of his existence. He has grown in the better part of Savannah coming to Atlanta was graduating the engineering program at Yale, up north. He had had his share of lovers and girls but none of the women he met found their way to his heart like this small woman who was standing at the end of the lumber yard. He had seen her from afar during the past month, coming and going from the emporium. It was odd to see her dressed in colors as he had seen her in her constant mourning cloths for a year or so. At that morning after missing his usual coffee he had a foul mood, seeing her at the site brought a smile to his face, only to have faded a minute later as he saw her lean on her husband's arm.
"Mr. Glowner, won't you join us? Scarlet's been telling me of your expertise in foundations."
He took a long breath and joined -
"Good morning Harry." Scarlett smiled at him giving him her hand for a kiss.
He kissed the tip of her hand as accustomed and found a sincere smile in her face. She seemed different, only he could not put a finger to the source of difference.
The conversation flew in Rhett's uncanny maneuver. Scarlett was listening most of the time, although she was not withdrawn. After a while Rhett smiled and patted the young man on his back -
"I see my wife was right to tell me that you are brilliant. If you are not engaged otherwise I'd like to invite you as my guest to the Bank's Tobacco Club this afternoon, I'd like to hear more of your ideas and you may find other investors who might be interested in your expertise there."
"But Rhett, we were going to Aunt Pitty's this afternoon." interrupted Scarlet.
He smiled at his wife, obviously oblivious to his intentions "You go, I'll join you by six."
She raised her brow "Well, you never had much patience with her, it may be for the best if you come near the end of my visit to escort us home."
Both men laughed as she moved along to
