Southern Heat

Kalina had been alone and lonely for longer than she ever had. French Waters Plantation on the river had taken all the time and heart she had to give since her father passed away, but in a way it had been a good thing. The demands on her from this huge mass of land by the river and the mansion with its large trees surrounding dripping with Spanish moss had kept the grief at bay, had kept it from taking over her mind.

She had, of course, traveled to England and the continent. Her father had seen to that. Her mother was taken by fever when she was but a child, so when she was of age, her father had arranged a trip to the continent with a companion, her Aunt Maven Cardot, to complete her education as a young woman. Maven was her aunt by marriage and Kalina's father thought her properly straight-laced. On the trip (especially in Paris) Maven turned out to be anything but. Kalina wondered if she could ever enjoy a man's company after Maven. Memories of slow Parisian afternoons in bed and the stories Maven told her of her first dominant lover were burned into Kalina's heart. Usually those tales were told when they lay back in joyous exhaustion after the most delicious wickedness that Kalina could ever have imagined. Maven had taught her things that no one in the society of home could ever know, but she could not and would not ever forget.

All that ended when she received the telegram about her father's illness. By the time her ship docked in Savannah her intuition (always strong) told her that he was dead.

The plantation took all the energy her grief could supply. Two years passed before Kalina began to feel anything like herself, though the void inside still ached to be filled. She wanted to go back to Paris, back to Maven, but Maven was now married again and a pariah from the family for not properly observing her widowhood until her death. It hardly mattered. There was no one to run the plantation but her. She was rich, no doubt about it, but she felt like a prisoner in her own home and shackled to the land. The local men swarmed about her like horseflies and she felt the same urge to slap them to the ground when she felt their eyes upon her. She knew their desires were more for her money than for her and she treated them with the same consideration she gave horseflies whenever hints of romance came her way.

This changed when the adjacent plantation just upriver from hers changed hands. It was separated from her land by a thick stand of cypress trees but the house was visible from her own. For weeks there was a beehive of activity there and she watched it from her third floor balcony (fewer mosquitoes due to the height), particularly in the morning when she had her coffee and in the evening when she sat outside to feel what coolness there was coming off the river.

She had seen the man who bought it in town. He was tall, with broad shoulders, cut-muscled arms and long fingered hands so strong that had he wanted his handshake could have brought a strong man to his knees. He always had an entourage of two people with him, a man who saluted him with a fist to the forehead and called him 'Captain', and a beautiful girl that followed two paces behind him everywhere he went. Kalina wondered what she was to him, for the woman seldom spoke.

He had only laid eyes on Kalina once that she knew of. He was talking to a businessman on the street but turned to look at her as she passed. He had large angular eyes the color of fine whiskey and she felt them burn into hers, then stroke down her body and back up in a way that made her shiver, feel naked before his gaze. She stood her ground, looked him straight in the eyes with her head held high. He did not speak, but merely smiled, tipped his hat to her and then turned back to the man and continued his conversation. The attention of his open gaze had made her blaze with anger at first, but that reaction was nothing to what his apparent dismissal of her did. As Kalina looked away from him her eyes found the woman and blazed at her instead. The woman bowed to her, her low-cut gown revealing hints of luscious curves and kept her eyes to the ground.

Kalina used her pride to control herself and returned to her business and tried to put him out of her mind. She was unsuccessful. She was also unsuccessful in putting the woman out of her mind. She reminded Kalina too much of what she imagined a young Maven had been. When she mounted her horse to ride back to her plantation she missed the stirrup with the first try. She glanced about to see if anyone noticed and saw his manservant heading her way.

"Beggin' your pardon ma'am." He put his fist to his forehead. "I have a message from the Capt'n."

"Who? Who is 'the captain'? And who are you?"

"I'm Barnaby Cragg, ma'am. And the captain is Captain Randolph, ma'am."

"I don't know any Captain Randolph."

"Captain Randolph has just bought the place beside your ma'am. He owns Cypress Hill."

"Oh, has he? I'm glad to see the old place being taken care of. What's the message?"

"He's like to visit this afternoon ma'am, if that's all right with you, to discuss some business."

"What business?"

Barnaby shook his head. "Oh, that's for the Captain to be tellin' you, ma'am. Not my place at all."

"I understand. Well, tell the Captain he may come this afternoon. He'll be expected for afternoon tea about four."

The fist came up to the forehead again. "Thankee, ma'am, you're most kind. I'll tell the Captain."

"You do that."

"That I will, thankee again, ma'am."

That evening Kalina could not get the 'Captain' and his woman out of her mind. Captain. Captain Randolph. Barnaby hadn't given his christian name.

They did not show up at the appointed time.

They arrived at the dock just as night was beginning to fall. Her servants showed them in and they stood in the entrance hall, their cloaks dripping on her oriental rugs.

"You're late, Captain Randolph."

"Yes." He bowed to her. "Most regrettable. My favorite mare had some trouble foaling and then as you can see," he indicated their dripping attire "Barnaby is not accustomed to the currents in this river as of yet. Oh, he's a good boatman, but he has yet to learn this river. I sent him home."

His woman's head barely showed over the top of his shoulder. Kalina saw just her eyes. They closed and opened again just once, languidly and held hers.

"Richard, show them into the parlor." She spoke to her manservant and turned back to them. "You should have sent word. You're so late I thought you weren't coming. I'll be back down in a moment."

"Of course."

She went to her dressing room, grinding her teeth at the thought of dealing with a man so rude. She arranged her hair and ensured her clothes were proper for a formal introduction. She went back downstairs, listening carefully as she descended each step.

What she found almost made her explode. The man was already sitting down, his feet up in the lap of his female companion as she sat on Kalina's embroidered ottoman. The woman's back was to her. She crossed to the mantle and leaned upon it to collect her thoughts, then drew a deep breath and turned to face them.

As she looked down at them her breath was taken away.

He stretched his arms over his head, leaned back and gazed up at Kalina appreciatively. There was none of the boy's appetite of the town that she hated so much. There was no greed for money in it. There was only confidence in the large golden amber eyes that caressed her face and figure. Confidence, arrogance and naked desire. She dropped her eyes from his and they landed on the huge bulge in his trousers. She purposefully tore her eyes from him as not to give him the satisfaction of knowing she noticed his attributes and looked over at his companion. His companion sat on the low stool by his feet. The woman's head was bowed over the man's boots and ... Kalina only now noticed the most scandalous plunging neckline she'd ever seen. She had not seen such a sight since Maven. Kalina's jaw slackened. The woman was beautiful and as she turned her face up to Kalina's her eyes came into view, huge, green and deep, framed in rich thick auburn hair.

Kalina gave up and turned toward the window. There were dark clouds, thundering great cumulous clouds building up in the evening light and the wind was beginning to slap tree branches against the side of the house.

Protocol demanded it. She had to invite them to supper and to stay the night. And it was so late and with the storm brewing outside she couldn't send them home. She hated it. Kalina strongly suspected she was being manipulated, but gritted her teeth and instructed her manservant to tell the cook to prepare supper and prepare rooms for them.

"We appreciate this is an imposition and I apologize with all sincerity."

The Captain certainly didn't look like he was sorry. Not at all. Again, protocol dictated she must be cordial and extend all hospitality possible. "I thank you for your concern." She looked out the window. "It certainly is blowing a gale out there." It was true. The wind was whipping the rain against the windows and it splattered against the glass. She gritted her teeth. "There is no question of your returning home tonight." She pressed her lips together. She would not let him intimidate her. She turned and looked him directly in the eyes. "So it seems you must be my guests tonight."

"So it seems."

"My manservant will show you to your quarters. I need to dress for dining."

"As do we."

"You brought clothes?"

He smiled full into her face. His teeth were white and even. "At sea we have to be ready for any eventuality."

"You certainly are not at sea now."

His smile was small and from one side of his mouth. "Certainly not."

"I hope you will find your quarters to your liking."

"I'm sure we will."

Kalian left the room as smoothly as she could, leaving her manservant to show them to her rooms and went to her room to change.

She thought it odd that they brought a change of clothes.

As she mounted the stairs to her room, she glanced out the window again. Darkness was falling and the wind and rain showed no sign of abating. She passed into her private parlor to get ready herself. She bathed, wrapped a dressing gown about her and came out into her outer parlor. It was dark; her manservant Richard had not yet lit the candles. The window was open a crack to let in some fresh air and the room smelled of moist fresh air from the storm. Visions tortured her of the Captain and his companion, wonderings of what they were to each other collided with memories of Maven.

She looked out her open parlor window to the guest rooms across the courtyard. The lamps were lit there and as she gazed into their rooms she saw the Captain, again reclining with his feet up on an ottoman stool. Kalina glanced about her dark parlor as if someone was going to catch her watching through the open window and cast her gaze back over to the small square of light. Kalina stared at the scene, unable to rip her eyes from the window.

The woman glided into the other room with a cool drink, set it by his hand on the table then sank down on a stool by his feet. He took a deep draught, rose to his feet and held his arms out and nodded to her.

His companion began to undress him. She pulled off his coat and even from this distance she could see the bulge in his trousers. As he stood before her the woman kneeled before him and laid her hands on his bulge and began to caress him. He spoke something to her. She stopped and lifted her hands to the top of her dress and slowly pulled it down. As she did so Kalina's mouth began to water. The Captain's companion had the loveliest pair of breasts that Kalina had seen since Maven's. Memories of Maven and what was possible between women flowed like a torrent through Kalina's mind, weakening her knees and stirred her flow as it hadn't in the years since Paris.

But her pride took hold. He had to know what effect he and she were having on Kalina. She breathed deep and decided she would beat him at his own game. Kalina crossed to her walk-in closet, right to the back. She hated his arrogance, but he was the first interesting man she'd seen in years. And his companion. Oh, his lovely companion. If they could do this, here in this place, her place, then so could she. Her hands trembled as she reached for a gown she thought she would never wear. She had bought it to wear for Maven, knowing that it would have brought Maven to her knees, literally. But the awful telegram had come and her life had turned over and slammed her and her joy with Maven to the dirt. She had packed the gown and her passionate dream into a storage case, never dreaming it could ever been opened again. Now, now Kalina would grasp her sensual self, seize her power and display it to match these people.

The gown was the most revealing thing she had ever purchased. She slid into it. It plunged so far down in the front and the back she didn't need assistance to dress. It had simple ties around the waist and was made of such thin material it showed all of her curves and would probably reveal her nipples if she stood in the right place by the firelight. But it did not show all, just enough to make the eye wonder what other wonders rested underneath the silken folds. She looked at herself in the mirror and smoothed the thin material over her body. Her nipples showed ever so slightly. It would do.

Kalina was rewarded when her manservant Richard knocked on the door. She called for him to enter. When he opened the door and faced her his eyes grew wide and could not speak. His mouth gaped, his face flushed deep as his auburn hair and he managed to stutter that supper was served in the dining room. The movement of his hands balling into fists at his side caught her eyes. Kalina could tell he was holding himself still with enormous effort. She nodded to him and told him she would be down in a moment. He nodded to her and bowed deeply to her and turned to leave she noticed the effort was not the only thing enormous about him. His erection tented his trousers but obviously he could not make an adjustment in front of her. He could not admit or even acknowledge his erection in from of his mistress, but she could plainly see the man was in torture.

Kalina's confidence swelled with the sight of her manservant. She set her shoulders, breathed in deeply and assumed the pose of dignity of her Paris training school and slowly left for dinner.

When she arrived in the salon adjacent to the dining room, she could see her manservant had not yet recovered his composure completely, but was stiffly serving drink to her guests. When she entered the room she saw that they had both changed into clothing quite as scandalous as her own.

She knew her own eyes were riveted to her guests and felt the pressure of their eyes on her. She felt ... charged ... and as her manservant served her drink she could see that though he had been able to adjust himself, he was having difficulty walking.

"Richard, you may retire. We can serve ourselves tonight."

"Thank you, ma'am." Her manservant bowed deeply to her, adjusted the positions of the serving dishes on the sideboard and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Thea, serve us." His tone was gentle, but there was no opposing it.

Thea stepped delicately over to stand before Kalina. The huge green eyes held hers for a moment, and then she bowed deeply. Kalina could look directly down her bodice and see wonderful curves of her breasts and, wonders that made Kalina's breath stop, a glimpse of her nipples. They are nicely sized, pink and Kalina's gaze was in rapture until she realized there was a break in conversation. She cleared her throat. "Pull out my chair."

Thea pulled out Kalina's chair for her. As soon as she was settled, Thea bustled about serving wine and food from the sideboard.

"So, 'Captain', what do you intend to do with Cypress Hill? It is such as charming old place, but it has never been profitable. There's just not enough land to support itself. Or that's what the Shelton's used to tell me."

The Captain leaned back and smiled. "Oh, I have plans, never fear. And with enough attention and care, I think we'll make a go of it just fine."

The conversation wandered this way and that through the meal until dessert was served ... fruit, as the European custom.

Her manservant Richard had recovered somewhat by the time they were ready to retired to the sitting room. He led them to the room, ensured that the decanters were full and the fire was burning nicely and bowed his way out, closing the doors behind him.

French doors open out onto a balcony overlooking the river and sweet moist breezes flowed into the room, fragrant with honeysuckle.

The tension was closer now. She walked closer to him. By now she was no longer embarrassed to look at him and she saw that his response to her was somewhat like her manservant Richard's ... but he was in control of himself. Kalina looked over to Thea. Thea looked as if she was melting and fanned herself and breathed deeply, her lovely breasts moving inside her bodice with every breath.

"You know what you're doing to her, don't you?" His voice was low, soft, even and certain.

Kalina looked at Thea. The girl was trembling and looked up at her helplessly.

Kalina wanted to shock the Captain, so she moved to Thea, lifted her chin and kissed her full on the lips. Thea moaned, clung to her and shuddered. Kalina realized that in that moment Thea had climaxed just from the kiss. Even Maven had not been that responsive and her heart beat strong in her chest.

Kalina turned to the Captain, his woman servant in her arms and saw, not a nonplussed face as she had expected, but a wide smile, and confident smile.

He strode to them, took both of them in his arms and kissed Kalina where Thea's lips had rested not a moment before.

She felt her insides melt. Taken by his strength, she knew she would do anything now, anything he asked.

The Captain took her hands, kissed the inside of both her wrists, then turned her around and bound her hands behind her back. He sat her on a stool, guided Thea to sit on another stool. He slowly unfastened the back of Thea's dress and slid it off her shoulders.

Thea's knees touched Kalina's and Kalina could feel that the woman was still trembling from the climax of the kiss. He stripped her clothing from her until Thea is kneeling before her in nothing but a corset and chemise.

"Thea."

She looked up at him.

"You are to do her service now, do you hear?"

Kalina watched a delicious shudder pass through the woman's body, her breasts shaking slightly as she nodded.

"Now undress her. Remove her gown and kiss her neck."

Kalina sat in rapture as Thea did so, her breath coming quick and shallow as Thea's lips neared her skin. The only sound she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Thea kissed her neck and her shoulders then pulled the front of Kalina's dress down but the Captain stopped her.

"Slowly, Thea. Slowly."

Kalina could see the anguish in Thea's eyes, bare passion and she could tell Thea wanted to see her naked in the worst and best way.

"Now stop."

The edge of Kalina's dress was now right at her nipples, rubbing against them. Her areolas were visible and they were both held there by the power of the Captain's command.

"Now, pull the dress free from her breasts ... and kiss her nipples. Take her nipple into your mouth ... and suckle."

Kalina watched as Thea's hand reached for her ... trembling ... her breath coming ragged ... Kalina heard a quiet gasp as Thea saw her nipple.

Thea collapsed forward ... fastened her mouth on Kalina's nipple and sucked like a woman possessed.

Out of the corner of her eye Kalina could see ... out on the balcony ... in the shadows ... her manservant Richard. He apparently thought he was hidden, could not be seen and she saw he had an enormous erection. As she watched out of lowered eyelids she saw him open his trousers and with great difficultly, pull it out. She could see the head ... huge ... red ... pulsing ... and as he watched, watched the lovely Thea suck Kalina's nipples, he began to stroke his cock and Kalina realized that she was the inspiration for his tumescence.