Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Five

Rhett had been very sweet to her the entire three weeks except for his mocking comments. He often had to go out to check on his businesses or go to play poker, but when he wasn't busy, he did his best to entertain her. He had often taken her down to the harbor to see his ships. He and his partner, Rudolph Saade had three of them. Right now, the ships were just hauling cargo in the United States, but they had markets all up and down the eastern seaboard and along the Gulf of Mexico. Rudy took care of managing the day-to-day part of the business. It had been a floundering business, but Rhett and Rudy had made it a success. Rhett often went to the North to line up more customers. He had even gone to New Orleans once.

One afternoon while returning to the townhouse, Rhett decided that if Scarlett was a good traveler, he would take her with him when he had to travel, especially to New Orleans. That seemed like a fun city.

Rhett continued going to the saloons to play poker because he always won a lot of money. Now he could save the money instead of spending his money on whores. Every night that he won more than ten dollars at poker, he went out and bought Scarlett a small present. It could be flowers, or chocolates, or stationery. She was always so appreciative.

The couple had attended several social engagements while in Charleston. At one engagement there was dancing. Scarlett was once again so pleased her husband was an excellent dancer. That made her very happy. So many of her beaus had two left feet. Ashley had been the worst. He was so bad a dancer that when she had promised him a dance, she would claim she was too tired when he came to claim his dance. She would beg him to just sit down and talk to her while she rested. Ashley, being the gentleman he was, would always agree to sit and let her rest.

Rhett loved to dance. He was so pleased his wife was an excellent dancer it made him so happy. He had danced with enough women that were like cows on the dance floor. They had no grace whatsoever. There was no rhyme or reason for which girls were good dancers. He had danced with some larger women who were graceful on their feet. He had danced with women who were slim and appeared graceful, but they ended up being tugboats.

The couple had spent almost the entire night out on the dance floor. Later that night Rhett said, "I am so happy you are a good dancer. I so loved to dance."

As Scarlett was taking her clothes off, she smiled at him and said, "Not as happy as I am. My feet are safe."

Rhett laughed. He was naked as he climbed into the bed. Every time Scarlett saw her husband naked, she was glad that he was her husband. Every time she saw his erection, it flustered her a little bit. Not so much that she couldn't enjoy herself, though.

It was the first of September in the early morning when Rhett and Scarlett boarded the train for New York. The night before he had said, "Be sure and pack a couple of shawls in case it gets cool in the evening."

"Really?"

Rhett had smiled and said, "Really."

After Rhett and Scarlett were seated on the train, he said, "We will not change our clothes until we get to the hotel in New York City. They have some makeshift beds, but they aren't very comfortable."

"How long will we stay in the city?"

"About ten days. Just long enough to make it worth the trip."

Every time the train stopped to take on water, Rhett would get off the train and get them some food. Scarlett would watch him as he would force his way to the front of the line. He always managed to bring back food. It wasn't always the best food, but she wasn't complaining She at least wasn't starving. As she was eating, she thought, 'Rhett's behavior isn't very gentlemanly, but he always brings back the food. I wonder how many of my beaus would have been able to accomplish that great feat? Certainly, not Ashley.' She giggled after that thought. When Rhett looked at her, she said, "It is amazing how you always are able to bring back food."

"It is not easy, and it isn't cheap, but what else can we do. We have to eat."

"Yes, we do. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Rhett told Scarlett a little bit about the history of New York City. She would never read a book herself, but she like hearing about the history of places. He said, "All of New York once belonged to the Dutch."

"The Dutch?"

"People from The Netherlands."

"Alright."

"Between sixteen-fifty-two and sixteen-seventy-six, the Dutch and the English fought three wars. In sixteen-sixty-four Charles the second gave this area to his brother James who at the time was the Duke of York hence the name New York. the English took over New Amsterdam which is now New York. At the end of the last war in seventy-six England had this area and the Dutch had Surinam and the island of Run in the East Indies."

"How do you know so much?"

"I was very well educated."

"At West Point?"

"No, at the University of Charleston. Also, I read a lot."

"Go on."

"After we declared our independence from England, the British first act was to take control of New York. It was a British stronghold until I think seventeen eighty-three. After we won, it was the nation's capital until the capital was moved to Washington, D.C in seventeen ninety."

"Wow."

"It is a center of finance now. It probably always has been."

When it became time to go to sleep, Rhett set up their bed. It was a single, but they both wanted to sleep together so they squeezed in there. It was not easy because Rhett was a big man. In the end, Scarlett ended up sleeping on top of Rhett. The next morning when Rhett woke Scarlett up, he said, "I will be glad when we get to the hotel. It was very difficult for me to get to sleep with you lying on top of me."

"It wasn't easy for me with your…. pressing into me."

Rhett roared with laughter. He said, "There isn't anywhere to brush our teeth, so we will have to put up with morning breath."

"Alright."

Around eleven the train pulled into the New York Train Station. Scarlett looked around the station. It was so busy with people rushing everywhere. The country bumpkin from Clayton County stood there in awe. Rhett took her arm and led her to the cab stand. They took a cab to a small hotel. The entire time on the trip to The Box House Hotel she was staring out the window.

Scarlett didn't know anything about the hotel, but she knew it was a step down from the hotel they had spent their wedding night and the hotel they had stayed in at Myrtle Beach. After he had registered them, and they were in their room, she looked around the room. It was clearly not as fancy as the other rooms they had stayed in.

Rhett could tell by Scarlett's expression that she was confused by the difference in their hotel room from the others they had stayed in. He explained, "This is a second-rate hotel. While clean and nice, it is definitely not as fancy. We are staying here because it is the best I can afford right now." Scarlett looked at him questioningly and he added, "My father will happily give me money for anything I want to buy in Charleston, but he won't give me a penny for my business ventures. Both the bank and the shipping line are making nice profits, nonetheless I can't be foolish with my money. Saving money is the main reason we are living with my family. Father does not expect me to pay for anything."

"I understand. I certainly don't want you beholden to anyone. I want us to do what we want to do."

"Exactly." There was a knock on the door. Rhett said, "That will be our hot water."

After the couple was cleaned up before they put their clothes back on, they had relations. Rhett took Scarlett's hand and put it around himself. When she tried to jerk it away, he held it in place. He said, "That feels wonderful. Haven't you ever wanted to know what a penis felt like?" Although Scarlett blushed, she nodded her head. He continued, "Then move your hand up and down so you can feel it all."

Scarlett did. Once she became more interested in touching and feeling Rhett's penis the less embarrassed, she felt. She like to rub the top of it the most. Suddenly, she jerked her hand away. She said, "Something came out."

"That is normal. Touch it again."

"No, I know what a penis feels like now.

"Alright, Honey."

Rhett started getting Scarlett even more aroused. He suckled on her breast and caressed her womanhood. She was squirming a lot, finally in a desperate way, she said, "Rhett."

Rhett didn't make her wait any longer. He quickly entered her and felt her orgasm. He tried to give her a couple more, but one more was all he could achieve. He still didn't have much staying power with her.

After Rhett and Scarlett had caught their breaths, he said, "To make up for last night."

"How are we going to make up for this morning?"

"Let me send my message to Mr. Vanderbilt, then I will show you how we are going to make up for this morning."

"Alright."

"You stay right here in the bed."

"Certainly."

When Rhett got back, he took off his clothes and got back in the bed. After a few minutes, he once again gave Scarlett oral pleasure. The only thing she did was spread her legs. She once again orgasmed. He once again entered her immediately. She orgasmed again and he was right behind her. He thought he was quite good at giving oral pleasure now. He wondered if he would ever be able to talk her into giving him oral pleasure. Not all the way to completion, but as part of their foreplay.

After that day, Scarlett began to touch Rhett. Not overly frequently, but often enough to make him happy for now. She didn't know why she did, but she would get a strong desire to touch him. So, she would.

That night over supper at a French restaurant, Rhett chose Scarlett's entrée, and she didn't object. They shared a salmon rillettes appetizer. He got her grilled tuna with vegetables and beef bourguignon for himself. They shared a souffle for dessert.

As Rhett and Scarlett were going back to The Box House, he said, "Let's go to Barnum's American Museum tomorrow morning right after breakfast."

"Alright."

After Rhett and Scarlett arrived at Barnum's American Museum the next morning, they were both thoroughly enthralled. The building was filled with dioramas, panoramas, "cosmoramas" (where people could view scenes of distant lands and exotic subjects through optical devices that magnified the pictures.) There were scientific instruments, modern appliances, a flea circus, a loom powered by a dog, the trunk of a tree under which Jesus's disciples supposedly sat. After seeing that Rhett said, "There is no way that is real." There was an oyster bar and Rhett bought them some oysters. He let Scarlett eat most of them. He hoped they would get her even more aroused. Later his hopes were fulfilled.

There was a rifle range, waxworks, glass blowers, taxidermists. Seeing the stuffed animals was amazing to Scarlett. When Rhett told her the animals had once been alive, she accused him of lying to her. Once the taxidermist told her that what Rhett had said was correct. She accepted it as being true.

Scarlett saw a man rubbing his hands over another man's head. She said, "What is he doing?"

"He is practicing the art of phrenology. By measuring the bumps on your head, he can tell you your personality."

"How silly. I don't need anyone to tell me about my personality."

"I agree one hundred percent."

There was a pretty baby contest. Rhett said, "When we have a baby, she will be the prettiest baby."

"Yes, she will."

There was Ned the learned seal and the Fiji Mermaid. Rhett said, "That isn't a mermaid. It is a monkey's torso with a fish's tail sewn on."

"I see it now."

The couple walked through the freaks show attractions where they saw an extremely fat woman, another woman with a beard, a very small man who had the name Tom Thumb, midgets, and a pair of twins that were conjoined that were called Siamese twins. They walked through the menagerie of exotic animals which included beluga whales in a huge aquarium. They watched a group of Indians perform traditional songs and dances. They saw several performances from Grizzly Adam's trained bears to magicians to ventriloquists to a group of minstrels in blackface performing adaptations of biblical tales.

Scarlett said, "Let's go see the egress."

Rhett laughed and said, "Egress is another word for exit."

"Well, I'm not ready to leave."

"Nor am I. "

Author's Notes: I read Olivia de Havilland claimed that Vivian Leigh couldn't dance and that Selznick had to hire a stunt double for the scene where Rhett and Scarlett dance at the Hospital Bazaar. One cannot see Leigh's face in those scenes (one can barely see Gable's face.) This might be true. The closeup shots were filmed on a spinning platform.