Every morning Scarlett woke up sick. And every day, Rhett's arm improved. Emma did take charge of his care, especially in the mornings when Scarlett didn't feel well. He had lasted only two days in the bed and grew restless, moving around the house, finding odd little chores, and spending time in the shade of the front porch, thinking and planning. Once she had found him with Will, their heads huddles over a piece of paper on the kitchen table. They were speaking softly and she had to strain to hear. What she heard hadn't made sense…something about a building on the front acreage, near the road. She tried to ask Rhett about it but he wouldn't answer, simply giving her that smug grin he'd used so many times on her. It was infuriating…and part of why she loved him.

On this particular morning Scarlett woke to what was becoming an everyday thing, Rhett's hands on her. This time, instead of her breast, his hand cupped her intimate area firmly, a finger lightly nestled in her folds, slowly fondling, slipping deeper into her treasure. It was a gentle touch, caressing but not demanding, and as she became more and more aware of his presence there, it became more maddening.

Rhett knew she was awake, knew she was enjoying; the increasing moisture in the region gave her away along with the occasional shudders that ran through her body. He feathered tender kisses along her shoulder, truly making love to his woman and not just seeking satisfaction. He found a spot over her spine and began to follow it down with his lips, his tongue tasting her sweet saltiness as he went. As he reached the small of her back, he felt her stiffen and arch in reaction, which only heightened his own reaction. Finally, he reached the base of her spine, just above her lovely ass and hesitated.

His hand was still firmly buried in her now engorged lips, soaked with her sweet juices as they trickled onto his hand. Forcing himself to remain calm, pushing his own desires aside, he continued to make love to her, worshipping her body with his lips and tongue and teasing her with his fingers. Her ass was the perfect mix of firmness and softness as he made his way around her cheek. He felt her muscles tighten with wariness and decided to move away. She had never been comfortable with too much close attention to that area and this morning was about her desires.

She arched again as he rolled her over and began to nibble on her nipples, first one and then the other. Like most women, one side was a bit larger than the other and he always started with the smaller breast first. Pregnancy was leaving its own special effects on her luscious mounds, swelling them and making them more round. Burying his face in her cleavage, he licked the saltiness of the perspiration that had gathered there. Using his free hand, he lifted her breast slightly and worked his mouth along the underside, cherishing that often forgotten area of a woman's form. He smiled as she squirmed, her torso wiggling under his attention and her core pressing into his hand.

As he flicked her belly button, she gasped. "Rhett, please….oh….Rhett…"

"Please what, my dear?" His tone was wickedly erotic. And as his eyes travelled over her, it sent a thrill up her spine. She reached for his throbbing manhood and pulled. "I …I want…" Briefly, he considered teasing her more, but the impatience in her grip convinced him to give in. He began to move, to position himself over her when she pushed him down and much to his surprise, crawled on top of him. It was a position he had shown her but this was the first time she instigated it. Before he had time to fully appreciate the position he was in, she had lowered herself onto him, gasping with pleasure as he filled her.

It was his turn to gasp and arch, as she surrounded him with her warmth and wetness. "God Scarlett, you feel so good…"

"Mmmm," she murmured, her head back and her eyes closed. Her breasts stood out enticingly; Rhett grasped them firmly, kneading and tweaking, sending waves of pleasure through both of them. She began to move, her muscles tightening as she coated him with her nectar. He felt the familiar twitches in his groin that sent fire through his belly as she took in more and more of his length.

The room was quiet, except for the sounds of their heavy breathing and occasional moans of pleasure. The sensations she created were so intense that he heard every breath, every whimper from her, and felt the warmth of her breath upon him. He kept his eyes focused away from her face, not wanting to do anything that might make her self-conscious and thus ruin the excitement of her aggressiveness. It was if all of his senses were on overload, his nose much more aware of her distinct sweet aroma as they kissed and even with morning breath, her mouth was delicious and so soft against his tongue.

She began to ride him hard, her tits bouncing over him as she rose and crashed back into him, her muscles tightening and squeezing his manhood more and more with each effort. Rhett's head pressed back into the bed, his body arched to meet her, completely on overload. He was having trouble catching his breath, needing to suck it in and cry out in sweet agony at the same time until finally, he could hold on no longer and he felt himself explode inside her. As his own body began to lose momentum, he saw that she was still in the throes of ecstasy and reached down, using his fingers to assist in her pleasure. Her climax was long and volatile, making him wish he had a second round left in him. But realistically, she had milked him dry and he wouldn't be able for a while, he knew, so he contented himself with watching over her pleasure and her descent until she collapsed on top of him.

Rhett held her to him, cherishing the satiated feel of an exhausted Scarlett in his arms, the powerful smell of their combined fluids permeating the room, just one more reminder of how good his life had become. When I die, I'll just be dead, he thought. This….this is heaven.

They had just finished freshening up and dressing when they heard the sounds of horses out front. Rhett glanced out the window to see the Army Major and the doctor dismounting and stepping onto the porch. "It's the doctor and the Major, sans troops, my dear." He turned to see Scarlett's face light up and once again jealousy struck. He spent the time descending the steps containing his bitterness that the handsome doctor elicited such a response in his wife.

"Good morning, Major, Doctor Gilbert." Rhett smiled and offered his hand to each man. "What brings you to Tara so early?"

Major James guffawed at Rhett's question. "Early? Mr. Butler, it is nearly eleven o'clock by my watch." Both men looked up as Scarlett descended the steps, making a grand entrance. Rhett's stomach began to boil.

"Gentlemen," she greeted them. "How nice to see you." Then flashing her green eyes at the Major, "and without a whole troop of men as well…" Both men bowed slightly, somewhat formally. "I thought I should check on my patient," the doctor explained. "But I see that he is recovering very nicely."

"Yes, your salve worked wonders for my husband," she replied as she looked lovingly in Rhett's direction. "He is quite recovered, I believe." Rhett smirked as he saw her expression, meant for him. While having one sort of conversation with the doctor, her eyes and her smile were telling him something entirely different and very intimate. He began to relax as he realized that Scarlett was just playing at being a belle once again. The doctor would get no serious attention from her, no more than the flock of beaus that had surrounded her at the Wilkes Barbeque, the day the war had started.

"Won't you gentlemen come into the parlor? Let me see about some refreshments." The men settled in comfortable chairs as Scarlett walked down the hall in search of Dilcey. Rhett was making small talk with the Doctor and the Major and then turned the conversation towards the store in town. "I've heard that the proprietor is charging outrageous prices for staples," Rhett commented.

Major James cleared his throat before answering. "What are you implying, Mr. Butler? Because it is not the Army's task to regulate prices…"

"Pardon me if I suggested anything of the sort," Rhett replied. "I was simply making an observation…I know many of our neighbors are doing without staple items."

"Well, Mr. Conrad is free to charge whatever he likes. I'm not a businessman but it seems senseless to me. If people cannot afford to buy his merchandise because of the pricing, then he is losing business that he would otherwise have."

"I agree with you, Major. My concern is for a solution, some way for our neighbors to be able to purchase the basics like flour and sugar."

The Major looked at him suspiciously, knowing that Rhett was had an agenda but not yet understanding what it might be. "Mr. Butler, I agree that Mr. Conrad should charge fair prices," interjected the doctor. "I am at a loss, however, about how to make that come about."

Scarlett entered with Dilcey behind her, carrying a tray. The conversation paused as the men watched Scarlett pour and handed cups of tea to each of them. Finally Rhett, glancing at Scarlett continued. "Gentleman, you may not be aware of it but my wife owns a general merchandise store in Atlanta; left to her by her late husband, Frank Kennedy. It has occurred to me that we could bring in the needed items through her business and sell it here, at a reasonable price. But I've seen Yankee officers protect the businesses of their countrymen, not allowing locals a fair shot at the market."

Understanding dawned in the Major's face. "Ah, and you are afraid I would not allow you fair access…perhaps find some constraints to place on your business…"

"It has crossed my mind," Rhett agreed.

As Rhett watched the Major, he could tell the man was framing his answer, wanting to be very careful with his response. Eventually blandness settled over him as he began to speak. "You have nothing to worry about from me. Having said that, I cannot speak for those who might follow me. I am here for only a short while."

"Thank you, Major. And I am sorry to hear that your sojourn will be a short one. As Yankees go, you are proving to be one of the more pleasant ones…you and the doctor, both."

"May I ask where you will go next, Major?" Scarlett inquired.

Rhett was surprised. Why would she care? He glanced from Scarlett to Major James, wondering where her mind was taking her now.

"Not sure, Ma'm. I was sent here to repair the damage done by the previous commander, both to his own troops and to your neighborhood. This is not my usual regiment. Currently, my last regiment is in Atlanta."

"You believe you will return to them?" Scarlett asked.

"Possibly. Although many of the regular Army officers are being reassigned as the regiments made largely of conscripts are being disbanded. Most of my former regiment were conscripts." Before the war, I was assigned out West," he finished.

"And what about you, Doctor? Will you be staying?" Now Rhett understood her line of questioning but understanding made him uncomfortable.

Doctor Gilbert seemed startled by the attention shifting to him. His eyes scanned the floor before meeting Scarlett's. "For awhile, Mrs. Butler. It is my intention to go back to Illinois next year when the Army releases me." His blue eyes shifted their gaze to something on the wall behind Scarlett as a flash of pain swept across his face.

"Illinois, oh my…you have family there?" Her questioning continued. Major James shifted uncomfortably in his chair, casting a side-long glance at the doctor. The two men were obviously friends.

"Ah, family…yes," Doctor Gilbert answered. My parents and brothers are there."

Scarlett opened her mouth to continue the line of questions but Rhett, who had moved to a position behind her, put his hand on her shoulder, silencing her. "Well gentlemen, as much as we will miss you here, we understand that you have other places you would prefer. This isn't your home, after all." Rhett's tone was light as he tried to shift the attention away from a clearly uncomfortable subject for the doctor.

Major James joined the effort. "It's been so long since I was back in Massachusetts that I suppose the Army is home now. I'll have a decision to make in a couple of years when my time is up."

"A decision?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes ma'm. Any family I might have back in Massachusetts has probably forgotten all about me. I don't think I've had a letter form any of them in years. And my nomadic life hasn't been conducive to finding a wife…"

"You're not married?" She seemed surprised.

"No ma'm. I was a long time ago, but…she couldn't take the Army life and moved back to Boston. Died in childbirth a few months later." Sadness was etched in his face as he spoke of it but his demeanor also revealed that he had come to terms with his grief long ago. Anguish tore at Doctor Gilbert's features, however. "My wife died last year," he said softly. "I was in Tennessee with the Army when the letter came."

"Oh dear, I am very sorry Doctor. I did not mean to dwell on such a painful subject…" Scarlett's anxiety was sincere.

"It's all right, Mrs. Butler. You had no way to know…" He grew quiet as the others took up more conversation. After a while, the two men bade farewell and rode down the lane, Rhett and Scarlett watching them as they rode away.

Back inside the house, Scarlett turned to her husband. "What was that you were saying about opening a store here? What are you thinking Rhett?"

"I'm sorry, my pet. I intended to talk with you first about it but the opportunity presented itself to talk with the Major. It wouldn't be a store like Kennedy's…just a …a commissary. Just sell staples like coffee and sugar…flour…"

Scarlet's business mind was turning the idea in her head. Rhett smirked as he watched, knowing the amount of activity behind those thoughtful green eyes of hers.

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