I've again made some modifications to some previous chapters (specifically 4) but you don't need to check them out. Basically, instead of Murdoch having virtually no sexual experience, he has considerably more than this. Which is why this chapter is a bit M-ish. Happy Valentine's Day! ;)
Murdoch tossed and turned for hours, unable to get a moment's rest. The thought of Julia in nothing but a negligee in the next room was driving him mad. It had been quite awhile since his last intimate encounter in Halifax. For a week he had been working a case involving the missing son of a wealthy and demanding harbour master. Every fruitless night he would go to the same pub and order a spruce beer. Just the one to take the edge off of the growing tension he felt building within his chest. Eventually he got to talking to the attractive bar maid, Anna Fulford. One thing led to another, and afterwards he had felt like a new man again, ready to take on the world. He solved the case shortly thereafter and was assigned a new one in New York City. He never saw her again.
Murdoch didn't like the idea of using women in this way. He would much prefer to be married and have the act sanctioned in the eyes of his Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately, given the nature of his job and the never-ending travelling, this was simply not a practical solution. Assuming he stayed in one location long enough to actually fall in love and propose marriage - and this was a big if- his blushing bride would then either be dragged all across North America in order to perform her wifely duties, (something he doubted she would put up with for very long considering the less than ideal circumstances he often found himself in), or she would stay at home, wherever that may be, and he would rarely ever see her. In both cases his dilemma would hardly be solved. If anything marriage would only serve to make the problem worse.
The undeniable truth was that he was only human and could only hold out for so long in-between sexual encounters. Of course, he could simply acquire the services of a lady of the night to tend to his needs, and he knew where several of them currently where, but Murdoch had never been able to stoop to the level of paying some unfortunate soul to satisfy the needs of his flesh. To him, such a thing was almost a greater sin than the act itself. And then he always had so much trouble locating a priest to repent to and he would be forced to feel guilty for days, if not weeks after the fact. Not that the guilt ever really went away...but confessing at least helped to alleviate it somewhat.
Lately when he got like this - desperately aroused - he would consider changing professions. But he had been doing this for so long and it was such a part of his being that he wasn't sure he could do anything else. And if he did, then who would bring all the fugitives and murderers to justice? Not that he was bragging, but he oftentimes saw things that no one else did. And that is precisely why they had called him in for this case.
He flopped around a bit more and then decided he had to take matters into his own hands. Once he self pleasured himself, he would hopefully drift off into a deep sleep and be bright eyed and ready for the trials of the new day. While only a temporary fix, it was better than nothing.
Whilst he was in the midst of this 'chore', he heard a creak just outside his door. Murdoch stopped what he was doing and listened keenly for several seconds. When he didn't hear anything else he resumed his previous activity. Then came another creak and he figured whoever had gone passed to use the water closet had now returned to their room. After a third creak however, he became so fed up with this disturbance that he decided to go investigate. He was nearly at his door when it opened of its own accord.
Julia stood there in a simple cotton nightgown, hardly the vision he had been fantasizing about. Even so, she looked more ravishing than ever before, with her luxurious hair flowing freely, that it was an extreme effort not to do something untoward right then and there.
She smiled and said, "Good, you're awake," and then pushed him back into the room.
"Miss Ogden, what are you doing?" he feebly protested, while silently thanking God and then asking for forgiveness for invoking His name in such an affair.
She rolled her eyes. "I would have thought that obvious, William," she replied, still edging him back towards the bed, like she was herding a team of horses to greener pastures.
He wanted nothing more than to take her right there but he still had reservations about it, or at least his conscience demanded he at least pretend to have reservations about it.
"We barely know one another. And you are the daughter of my client. A liaison between us would not be prudent...and what of your sister? She may overhear something impolite..."
Julia ignored all this and said, "I can always tell when men are attracted to me. And I feel it is my obligation to inform you that you do not hide your desires nearly as well as you think." She looked down to the bulge in his pyjamas and smirked. "Case in point. Now then," she continued, invading his personal space, for once smelling nice, "shall we get on with this or do you have another asinine objection?"
Heaven's no.
Murdoch kissed her soundly and without thinking about what he was doing grabbed her by the waist and crushed their hips together. The pressure on his groin made him groan and he fell back into the bed, taking her with him. As they continued to kiss, he rolled her over onto her back to relieve some of the tension down below. Julia did not seem to like this arrangement very much and with more strength than he was accustomed to, rolled them back to their starting position. Her hair got in his face again, but unlike on the horse ride, he couldn't have cared less. She pushed off of him so that she was straddling him, and quickly undid the buttons to his top. Then she tugged off her nightgown revealing nothing whatsoever beneath save for her horse necklace, and pressed their bare torso's together. At this point his body reacted of its own accord and tried to thrust into her, only to become cognizant of the fact of that he still wore trousers.
"Allow me to assist you," she muttered, reaching down.
"Allow me to assist you," he said the next morning at breakfast, handing over the water pitcher.
Julia rolled her eyes and took it from him. Then she caught his eye and smiled slightly and he smiled right back, albeit smugly.
They ate their oatmeal and berries in silence, every few seconds he would inadvertently look over at her. It was hard to believe that only hours ago she had been writhing around beneath him. If it weren't for the way she was behaving now, and how satisfied he felt, he would have taken it all for a wonderful dream.
"Would you please desist?" she said, in a poor attempt at sounding stern.
He took another bite of oatmeal, chewed slowly and looked up, this time catching her watching him. She looked away quickly and pretended to be absorbed with her food some more, poking at it but not actually eating any of it.
"Something on your mind, Julia?" He grinned. "Someone?"
She huffed and glared. "If I had known you were going to gloat to this extent, I would never have even thought of seducing you. Vanity is a most unattractive quality." Murdoch simply smiled some more which served to infuriate her further. "You do realize that I only picked you to tend to my needs because you were on hand? It had nothing to do with how handsome you are."
Julia closed her eyes in consternation, gripping her spoon tightly. When she looked over again he was smirking to such an extent that she threw said spoon at his head. He nimbly dodged it and then hopped out of his chair and grabbed her wrist, pulling her upwards so that they were face to face. Murdoch was pleased to note that her breath had hitched at the contact and she could barely look away from his lips.
"I would advise caution, Julia," he said. "Lest you damage my handsome features."
"Oh, you are hopeless!" she returned, yanking her hand away from him. Then she grit her teeth as if deciding something and grabbed him by the collar, kissing him with heated intensity. He wrapped her in his arms and pushed her against the wall, trailing kisses down her jaw and settling in comfortably on her supple neck. His excitement mounted as her breathing quickened and his wandering hands found their way to her firm backside. She moaned into his ear as he squeezed her through the rough fabric of her trousers.
This was the scene that Ruby walked into.
"Well, I was going to pretend I did not hear anything last night, but now it seems there is little point."
They jumped apart from one another to behold the amused expression of the other Ogden sister. It had been awhile since he found himself in such an awkward predicament. Ruby nonchalantly went over to the table and served herself some oatmeal from the pot.
When they had yet to move she said, "I dare say you should finish what you started, William. No doubt Jules is in dire need of relieving all of that pent up aggression she is so fond of carrying around."
Murdoch and Julia shared a furtive look and then glanced away.
"Suddenly you are both bashful? How endearing. From the sounds of things last night, you were anything but. I wouldn't be surprised if the help got an ear full too."
"That is enough, Ruby," said Julia, finally finding her voice. "You would do well to remember your place."
"And what place is that?" she replied, the ice quickly building between them. "An unwanted third party? Did you consider for one moment that I perhaps did not want to listen to my sister carrying on a very loud dalliance in the next room?"
The verbal slap landed well and Julia flinched in response.
Murdoch was wise enough not to point out that he had taken this into consideration.
"It was not me who should have been forced to seek refuge in the stables like a commoner."
Julia was silent for a time and then walked over to her sister's side and took her hand. "You are right, Ruby. I am sorry for my lack of consideration. And deplorable conduct. Rest assured that it will not happen again."
So that is it? he thought dejectedly. I will never have carnal knowledge of her again?
He had been with a number of women in his thirty-five years of life. But there was something special about Julia, some indescribable quality that had him yearning for her warm embrace already, had him eager to sin anew.
Ruby nodded once. "Your apology will be taken into consideration."
Julia huffed and said stonily, "I have chores to attend to," and stormed out.
Unsure of what to do with himself, he followed her like a small child forced to pick between fighting parents.
"What do you want?" she snapped at him in the laneway.
It was a good question, and he really had no idea how to answer it in words. So he kissed her instead.
Immediately she pushed away, incredulous. "Did you not hear what I just said?!"
When he didn't respond she stormed off in the direction of the ranch hands accommodations, a little ways from the main ranch house. Murdoch wasn't sure how to salvage this situation so he got on his horse and left.
Wasn't supposed to end up angsty. Thanks a lot Ruby! Clearly someone was just super jealous.