Chapter 19: Regime

One Year Later

There was a shaft of morning light that broke through the heavy curtains of their bedroom due to them having been incorrectly drawn by one of the servants, light that currently illuminated a few locks of Claire's wavy hair as she lay with her back to him beside him. Jack pulled an inch or so closer on instinct, missing her touch. He had grown decidedly accustomed to the soothing abdominal massages she had warded bouts of cramping off in the absence of proper, something called antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Claire had a good sense for it and did tend to know when he needed it without as much as asking, but after the days she usually spent in nearby villages and farms visiting patients, she kind of tended to fall asleep during her working on him, with her hand on his belly and her body close. And while sexual thoughts never occurred to him given his orientation, he felt she was giving him more than medical treatment, and something infinitely more valuable, human touch he had craved his entire life and could never seem to be able to achieve. Of course he had been going about it in all the wrong ways, he knew that now, but he also knew that he didn't have any other choice at the time.

Their little ritual had become really important to him and he had contemplated lying about his health so that her skilled belly rub happened more often, but there was more than one reason against that. Firstly, he could only exaggerate on occasion as he feared her expertise would give him away and moreso, she had also proved to be a great physician by ensuring that his replapses were milder and few and far in between. But mostly, he feared to break what was in the process of building between them, a certain, if limited amount of trust, companionship in what the two of them could only understand and relate to and if he was being generous, then perhaps there was some form of partnership there, at least as much as the children's welfare was concerned. He will have to think of something else to have her sleeping closer.

As he watched her, wishing circumstances to be different, he became aware of subtle movement that originated from her, making the bed shake a little. His interest increasing, he noticed her elbow move under the cover. From the rhythm and location its focus seemed to be, it wasn't hard to guess that she was pleasuring herself, probably assuming he was still asleep. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed either and he could not blame her for it. In the prime of her life as a woman, and she wouldn't have had the chance to fornicate with anyone for the nigh two years they have spent in each other's company. And from previous occasions this had happened, he knew that she couldn't quite help herself. Maybe she didn't dare to be vigorous enough as not to alert him to what she was doing, but fact remained that none of her breathing pattern or tension going out her body gave an indication that she had managed to do anything else than make herself more frustrated than she had been before. So this time, he turned to his side and extended a hand to touch the arm in motion. "Let me help you with that," he proffered confidentially.

It was abashment that froze her. "Mind your own damn bloody business!"

"Strange that you don't want any payment for all the services you provide."

"Do you have to make it sound dirty." Claire fell into the habitude of banter easily enough. It was the form of existence between them their hostility had boiled down to over their time together. So used to each other they were too.

"It would be a fair demand, Claire. It's rather taxing living in anticipation of when the stabbing back is due."

"I would hardly stab you as I would have to be the one having to treat you afterwards."

"For which, I am grateful." He raised himself on an elbow and managed to make her turn to look at him as he hovered over her. "Let me," he said determinedly, yet softly.

Claire pulled herself up on her pillows a little, intrigued by this turn of events he presented. Jack would never seize to surprise her, the same as she had been a constant source of fascination for him. "I thought you weren't interested in women."

"This issue has nothing to do with my inclinations, does it. It has to do with your inability to enjoy the favours your own body could provide to the fullest. And I shouldn't think I would need an entirely different skillset as opposed to sucking dick."

"Well, that sounded entirely inviting, not." Claire pursed her lips in frustration. She couldn't discard the idea however. At the very least, she was curious. She felt entitled too, Jack did owe her a lot.

He hardly ever touched her without previous invitation or consent, he had learnt early on that it was that way how it had to be if they were to establish a working relationship where the past was purposefully shoved to the side. He moved closer however to indicate solid intent. "I am good at it, a good few men could vouch for that."

Claire looked at him somewhat suspiciously. She didn't take him for someone who would play the submissive at any point. For obvious reasons, sexual relations was one of the taboo subjects between them, so the finding was another surprise. "No frills or unnecessary touch, just pleasuring at target," she set the terms, "and I don't want to see you while you're doing it."

Jack glanced up and contemplated whether he should close the curtains fully and make it dark in the room, but then he simply slid under the covers. "Works for me," she heard the muffled sound coming from near her tighs, his breath lightly touching her skin.

"Can you see what you are doing under there?" Claire questioned, the pause while he got his bearings under there giving her enough time to make her self-conscious a little and acutely aware of the unusualness and oddity of the situation. Her next inhale however was cut short by a flick of the tongue between the folds of her already swollen and overstimulated pussy, followed by another and another before she got used to the sensation enough to swallow and thump at where she believed his head to be. "Pleasure, not torture," she pressed out between her lips.

He didn't remind her how close those two were. Probably she had been too engulfed in the moment to make the connection and any allure to Jamie would certainly spoil their activities. Aware that he had perhaps been a little too forward and should gradually build up her release rather than shock her into it, he changed tack and rubbed his palm against her pussy instead, pressing hard, but not too hard, quite similar to how she had been doing when performing her healing abdominal massages. She was clearly wet and desperate to have allowed him to assist, that thankfully he didn't have to work on. He rubbed on, heel of his palm pressing to his opening, fingers slipping into his folds teasingly as if belonged. While not being completely familiar with female anatomy, he set out to give his attention to the entirety of her groins, since that was how it worked with men as well. He felt her tense when his fingers moved faster and her breathing more noticeable and decided it had to be a good thing. Besides, she was quiet and her back side arched up towards him involuntarily, body urging him to go on. Guessing at how outside simulation would never be enough as she had tried enough herself lately, he pulled his hand downwards and slipped two fingers inside her wide and ready opening. Nah, two fingers, ridiculous, she would be used to at least the width of three if Jamie's girth was anything to go by. He added another finger just as she spread her legs, perhaps unconsciously wishing the same.

It was so slick inside her, juices pooling at the ready so much that Jack had to wonder how it would indeed be comfortable in there for a penis. It was a purely poetic and theoretical question however as he had nor the means or the natural tendency and concentrated on his work instead. This was pure business, payment for services, same as his last encounter with Jamie had been, a man he could never keep out of his mind-bed, the same as Claire, that he was sure of.

The brunette was showing no indication that she was averse to his ministrations, in fact, her legs began to quiver. He pumped faster, keeping a finger in her clit the same way as he would still give attention to a man's balls while working his fist. Suddenly, her toes curled as they pressed into the soft horse hair mattress their bed was made of and she reached under the covers and grabbed at his long, freed hair and pushed his face into her pussy. "That much with the hands I can do myself," she complained.

"And yet you don't," he commented, a little disoriented and somewhat petulant. Sure, he volunteered, but how was he really supposed to know what made Claire peak. He kept his fingers inside her, but moved them slower at the same time and rate as he darted his wet, slick tongue out into and round her folds, reaching places she never knew were possible to reach.

Claire raised her arms, bit her lips as not to cry out in the chaos of sensations he roused in her, she would not give him that satisfaction to let him know he was indeed playing her like a musical instrument. Her shaky and intermittent breathing she could not control and the way her head wanted to be tossed from side to side, barely. It was a dilemma she had to solve quickly if she wanted release-she could never reach it if she held back. She arched up and licked her lips as his fingers curled inside her and his tongue circled her oversensitised nub. The volume of sensation threw everything else out the window, she had to let out a moan and clentch at the pillow tighly against the overload of nerve endings firing a storm. This warmth she felt grow inside her body she could not deny, would not, it has been so long since she felt this close. Her whole lower body was quivering and trembling, the walls of her vagina contracted rhythmically and her lips parted, gasping for air. Claire squirmed and his fingers reached deeper as a result, making her gasp on turn. She was close, she was so very close.

While Jack didn't particularly enjoy the taste or the experience, he did enjoy the reaction he got out of her. It was a bit like old times again, he was in fact the giver, the controller while from the outside it seemed like the opposite. And hearing her moan and whimper and feeling her getting wetter by the minute felt empowering, like a great surge of sparks and lightning and life force. He had missed the feeling and had to admit that it worked almost just as well if the other party was a woman. It almost saddened him when she threw her head back and let out a long moan, the muscles of her pussy seizing at length around his fingers because it meant it was over, she reached as far as she could go and then relaxed, tension noticeably going out of her, if gradually.

Jack crawled out silently from under the covers and plopped down into his normal space, breathless himself. It wasn't easy work, pleasuring a woman. She turned her back at him, but not before he could see the flush on her face going darker. He shook his head in disbelief at the turn of events and smirked. He felt like humming actually. Amazing. He had Claire, he had her where he wanted her. Well, for the moment, but still. In his self-appreciating trace he was too slow to notice the quick movement at his side. He groaned in discomfort when considerable weight pressed on his delicate stomach, with Claire atop of him, pinning his hands down and staring him down sternly, "let's make this clear. You are not to mention this again, and only repeat it when I request it."

The Englishman winced. It could have not been a coicidence that her bottom was sitting exactly atop of his midsection, with almost her entire weight pushing down where only light massage was recommended. "You liked it then," he concluded, cockiness returning to him despite the discomfort.

"Payment it was and payment I will take," she tried to sound like she still had a logical mind, "yes mistress Claire-is what you say."

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise, "you like roleplay?"

"Your role is to provide. End of story."

"Done."

"I'm not a fool. I know how much you get out of this," she warned before she climbed off.

Jack pulled a hand to his belly, "damn it."

Claire pursed her lips, "sorry about that," she frowned a little sheepishly, then placed a light hand on his stomach too, "I can massage it for you," she sighed in resignation, "you big baby." Her fingers started circling, but eye contact she avoided. No matter how used to they were to sharing their everydays with each other, it has been too weird, the past half an hour.

Neither noticed the smile dancing on both their lips.

Tbc