I think I'm going to need to move this over the the "M" rating since our honeymooners insist on - well, honeymooning. We'll see what the next chapter brings. I always start with one thing in mind and Edith and Anthony seem to take it over and go places I wasn't planning.
As always, I do appreciate your comments and reviews. You all are the best!
The Franschhoek equivalent of the high street was enchanting, Edith thought as the meandered through the district. There were sidewalk cafes and artists stall everywhere. The buildings were painted in bright, happy colors and people meandered all along the pavement. A few art galleries were near the center and they spotted a couple of upscale restaurants. Edith pulled Anthony into a ladies clothing store where she found and purchased a light weight dress with a local flair and as she stood looking at various accessories, Anthony reached around her to pick up a beaded piece. "What's this?" he asked the clerk as he fingered the beadwork.
"Oh, those are waist beads. Many of the Zulu tribes still use them to denote the various stages in a woman's life. They wear them under their clothing. They are placed on a girl to denote her virtue. And as the girl grows into a woman, other strands might be added. Often, the strand is not removed until a girl marries and her husband removes them on their wedding night. Then she might replace the beads with a wider strand to denote her married status. She might wear those under or over her skirts."
"Oh, much as many women wear a ring on their finger?"
"Yes."
"Which of these are for a married woman?" He asked.
The clerk reached over the counter and picked up a strand that had tiny red and white triangles woven into it. "This one looks like it would fit your daughter perfectly," the woman smiled.
Anthony's face turned pink and he frowned. Edith, watching the scene unfold, smiled and then put a hand on his arm. Looking at the sales woman, she replied. "My husband was possibly thinking of purchasing these for me, but I am content with the beautiful ring he has already given me."
Replacing the beaded jewelry that she had been holding, she turned to Anthony. "Darling, I think I saw a gallery just down the road that looked interesting. Shall we go there now?"
Still flustered by the sales woman's comment, he merely nodded and turned, slipping his hand over hers as they walked out of the shop. "I…I'm sorry, my sweet. I knew that comments like that would be inevitable but…."
"It's alright, love. She was mistaken to make an assumption like that."
"No, I mean, well…. it was an understandable mistake as I am old enough to be your father. It's just… it felt so…" He flinched as a thought crossed his mind. "It made me feel like a lecherous old man."
Edith giggled. "Well, if your performance since the wedding is any indication you are perhaps a bit lecherous, but certainly not old."
Anthony began to relax in the comfort of Edith's good humor. They stopped at an art stall along the street and were browsing through various small pieces. Edith reach across, in front of him to pick up a piece to his right. As she brought her hand back, she made a point of brushing against the fly of his trousers. She was rewarded with a quick gasp from him. Smiling, she made a study of the picture and then reached across him to replace it, once again brushing against him. "Oh god," he whimpered softly.
They left the stall and moved to the next shop, which displayed pottery. Anthony felt awkward in the shop with so many breakables around him. It made him intensely aware of his larger than usual size. Edith stayed close to him, eyeing several pieces. One sat on a top shelf where she could not safely pick it up. Seeing her dilemma, Anthony reached up to it, this time his hand brushing against her breast. He smirked when he heard her intake of breath. He held the small vase down for her and she studied it closely. But he noticed that she seemed a little flushed. Finally, she handed it to him to replace on the top shelf. This time, he stepped behind her, placed his free hand on her waist as he leaned over her to put the piece back. Edith groaned as she felt his manhood at her posterior. She had started something that he was obviously planning to finish.
They eventually found an outdoor café, where they stopped for tea. The couple sat in companionable silence as the partook of the light fare and watched others passing by. Finally, Anthony broke the silence. "So, more shopping or do we need to go back for an afternoon rest?"
"It is getting rather warm," Edith commented. "I was thinking of the pool just outside our door."
"Oh, that does sound inviting," Anthony agreed. Once they finished, Anthony paid for the meal and they meandered back to the hotel, hand in hand, peering into shop windows and simply enjoying their own company.
Once back in their rooms at the hotel, Edith disappeared into the bathroom to change into her cozzy while Anthony changed into his swimsuit in the bedroom. As she was taking a while, he wandered out to the pool and sat at the edge dipping his feet into the cool water. It really did feel quite good after their rather warm stroll through the village.
Anthony sat with his eyes watching the ripples his legs were creating in the water when a pair of rather pale, dainty feet appeared next to him. "This is marvelous, sweet one," he said as he slid down into the pool without looking up.
"Really?" Edith replied. And then she jumped in beside him. It was only when she surfaced that he looked at her and his mouth feel open. "You… you're … where's your…."
"Still in the bathroom," Edith giggled. "I decided there was no point in putting it on when we both know you will have me out of it quickly."
Despite the cool water, Anthony felt a reaction to her teasing in his groin. Looking about frantically, he whispered loudly, "but what if someone should see?"
Edith threw her arms around his neck. "Silly man. There are nude beaches everywhere. No one would think anything of it. But, we do have a private pool, do we not?"
Anthony relaxed only a fraction as he took in the feel of her next to him, her arms around his neck and now, her legs fastening around his waist. "We do, but…." He gulped. "I… I don't want other men looking at you…. Not like… like this," he confessed.
Giggling again, Edith leaned in to kiss him. "And I would never let another man see me like this, my darling. I am only for you." Claiming her lips, Anthony growled in response.
As it happened, Edith had been correct in her prediction that Anthony would have had her out of her swimsuit quickly. A few minutes of snogging and groping in the cool water managed to heat them both. He'd played with her breasts, fascinated by their buoyancy in the water and then reached for her nether region that hid beneath the surface. Edith, for her part, had managed to strip him of his bathing suit rather quickly. And she too was fascinated with his parts that acted differently in the water. She also realized that while he certainly came to attention in her hand, there wasn't quite the enthusiasm that was usually on display. "I've always heard that men don't respond as well in cold water," she'd commented. Anthony had merely laughed and said that no, cold showers were usually the answer to a troublesome erection.
Edith pulled away from him and climbed out of the pool, leaving Anthony standing in the cool water to watch as her dripping body crossed the deck to the table where two towels rested. Picking one up, she dabbed at her body before trying to dry her hair. Her movements were bold and enticing and had Anthony mesmerized as she moved over her body. He knew what she was doing, bending over at just the right angle or wiggling just so to accentuate various body parts. Despite the cool water that surrounded him, Anthony was feeling warmer by the minute.
When she was done with her hair, she looked at him and smiled. "Well, are you coming or not?" She then turned and saucily walked through the door to their bedroom. Anthony was out of the pool and drying off in a flash. In his frenzy to follow his wife inside, he failed to realize that his swimsuit was still hanging off the side of the pool deck into the water.
The sight of Edith when he walked through the door nearly took his breath away. She was lying on the bed, one knee bent with her leg to the side and the other bent upwards, spreading her thighs and giving him a magnificent view of her treasures. Watching him through hooded eyes, she smiled lustfully as she saw his reaction. "Oh my, our little dip in the pool seems to have revived you quite nicely," she said.
"It wasn't the pool," he replied as he joined her on the bed. "it was what was in the pool…" He leaned in for a kiss.
"Oh, and what was that?" She whispered as their lips parted.
"There were these two delightful floating devices, "he answered as his hand moved to her breast, his thumb sliding over first one nipple and then the other. "And I wish I'd had a snorkel because what was beneath the surface was very enticing as well." His lips were nudging at her neck by then.
Anthony was so involved in tasting and feeling Edith that he didn't realize where her hand wandered until she gripped his manhood rather firmly. "Yes, there were the most fascinating things below the surface," she teased.
They took their time with love making that afternoon, feasting on touches and kisses, relishing the sensations that each created for the other. And once their adventure was concluded, they remained quiet on the bed for a short while, contentedly holding one another, simply enjoying the feel of their closeness.
Edith's mind wandered back over the past months, remembering her efforts at even getting her wonderful man to notice her in the midst of Rosamund's antics. Anthony, on the other hand, was marveling at the small miracle that had brought his sweet one into his life. Because, he did believe her presence beside him was miraculous. He'd been through such deep darkness and had emerged to the joy of her bright light. Yes, a miracle indeed.
