Lessons of Love (10 page)

"This is what you deserve. You are here for my use, and nothing more.
Do you hear me wife? I control your body. You belong to m
e and you will learn to obey."

Jolie
collapsed on the bed sobbing, held up only by
Cole
's punishing hands. Gone were the soft strokes designed to give pleasure, gone was the tenderness with which he
had made love to her before, gone were the sweet whispered words. Her heart broke as he used her like a thing of pleasure. Her cries reached
Cole
's ears and though he tried to deny them they went straight to his heart. He pulled out of
Jolie
in frustratio
n, his rock hard shaft throbbing with need as she sank down on the bed, pulling her knees in, hugging her body as t
ears streamed down her cheeks.

Looking at her,
Cole
's mind raged like a hurricane. What was he doing? She deserved to be taken like a two-bit
whore. Her presence in his house was to serve his needs, so why did the sound of her cries and the sight of her curled up like a little girl bother him?
Cole
swore as he buttoned his breeches over his still throbbing manhood. He was being a fool but he c
o
uldn't help himself.

He sat on the bed and pulled
Jolie
into his arms. "I'm sorry, little one. Hush now, it's over. I
’
m sorry I hurt you."
Cole
tilted her head back and kissed the tears streaking her cheeks. She looked up at him with eyes full of fear and
shock, wearing her broken heart on her sleeve.
Cole
closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. He couldn't stand the look of anguish on her face. He rose and gently set her on her feet, pulling her close, kissing her head, his heart swelling with tenderne
ss
.

Jolie
could hear the sound of his heart beating as her ear pressed against his chest. She trembled in his arms, legs weak, threatening not to support her.
Cole
felt her sag against him and scooped her into his arms holding her tight, wanting desperately
to take back his violent actions with whispered words of apology. He gently laid her on the bed and knelt at her side, brushing her hair from her temple, kissing he
r forehead, shushing her sobs.

"I won't force myself on you again, little one. You will be
left alone. Would you like the seamstress to come back another day?"
Jolie
nodded, her lip trembling, unable to speak. "Very well. Your old gowns are in the wardrobe. I would like to request your presence at the dinner table tonight. I will call for you at
7:00. In the mean time I shall fi
nd you a proper chambermaid."

Once again
Jolie
gave him a slight nod then she lay motionless as he strode through her sitting room and out the door, pausing to turn the key in the lock. The sound of it caused
Jolie
to cle
nch her teeth. However opulent her quarters may be, they were still a prison cell f
rom which she couldn
’
t escape.

Cole
stormed down the hall his mind jumbled, his cock aching with a burning need. What the hell was he doing? Why couldn't he master the littl
e witch who was his wife, the way he'd mastered all the other women who had graced his bed? Emotional attachment couldn't be tolerated, it also couldn't be denied.
Jolie
was quickly worming her way into his heart and it confused the hell out of him. He ran
into Gregor at the top of the stairs and
scowled at his right hand man.

Gregor looked his boss over carefully. He noted the fact that
Cole
was still furious and it was painfully obvious that he was aroused. What had happened when he was with the little bi
tch? Gregor hadn't heard her screaming, leading him to believe that
Cole
hadn't strapped her. Her cries should have echoed throughout the mansion. Why hadn't he punished her? Was his boss going soft? The little twit deserved to be whipped. He would have do
ne so until her bottom and thighs were covered with lash marks. She needed to be dominated. No woman should speak to a man
in such a disrespectful way.

"Everything all right boss?"

"No Gregor, everything it not all right. My sweet wife is turning
out to b
e quite a handful."

"Perhaps we
should sell the little bitch."

Cole
shook his head, knowing he could never give
Jolie
up. "No Gregor. I
t's common knowledge that I married her and she can't very well disappear w
ithout serious repercussions."

"I would be gla
d to take her to the cellar and teach her some proper manners. Perhaps a few hours of my special talents would be just the thing to make her see the errors of her ways." Gregor's eyes took on an evil glint at the suggestion, hoping
Cole
would agree.
Cole
s
napped his head up, his own eyes steely. He didn't want Gregor ever laying a finger on
Jolie
again. The man had already harmed her and he wouldn't
get the chance to do it again.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary, Gregor. You needn't concern yourself
with my wife any longer." His words were light but his tone was icy and menacing. It was clear to Gregor that he would find himself on the receiving end of
Cole
’
s rage if he manhandled
Jolie
again.

"Bring the girl up from the cellar. She is going to be
Jol
ie
's new chambermaid."

"Are you mad? The two of them will plot revenge and escape. Besides, Buckland expects
her delivered two days time."

"Just bring me the girl, Gregor. You'll have to find another to replace her. My wife needs a maid and Celia will do n
icely. She will count herself lucky to be a servant instead of a whore, and my wife will be told that the girl will be sold if she so much
as breaths a word of treason."

Gregor grit his teeth to bite back his disapproval. It was painfully obvious that his
boss was going soft and it would put all of them in danger. He needed a way to get rid of
Jolie
and he needed to do it soon. Nodding his understanding he headed down the stairs to fetch Celia, fuming inside all the while.

Cole
's mind was still whirling wit
h thoughts of
Jolie
when the knock sounded on his sitting room door. He rose from his desk as he bid Gregor to enter. The man did so immediately with a terrified Celia in his punishing grip.
Cole
noted the bruises on the girl's arms, chest, and cheek and g
rimaced with distaste. Gregor was becoming increasingly vicious with the women they kidnaped and sold.
Cole
was a firm believer in punishment to break a woman's willful ways, but outright brutality was not something he practiced or cond
oned.

Celia's eyes
shown with pure panic as Gregor shoved her into the room. Her hands were bound behind her, and she fell forward onto her knees at
Cole
's feet. She whimpered behind the gag stuffed in her mouth, terror in her eyes. The giant had taken pleasure in brutalizin
g her all through the night, and she wondered what new horrors were in store for her now? Who was this new man? Would he hurt her too? Fresh tears fell from her eyes as the nightmare she
was living took another turn.

Cole
looked Celia over with a critic
al
eye. What had Gregor done
? They were t
o have sold her in two days
, yet he had marked her body. She was still beautiful and very enticing despite her haggard appearance, but she would never have been acceptable. Gregor knew their women were to be perfect an
d unblemished upon delivery. What had the man been thinking? Yes, it was best to make Celia
Jolie
's chambermaid, and to supply another girl to Buckland. When Gregor returned with his catch, he would make sure the new girl wasn't mistreated as this one had
been.
Cole
feared it was becoming necessary to appoint one of his other men as the overseer directly in charge of the slave
’
s training and care. The women were to be chastised for errant behavior and trained in pleasing men to some extent, but doing so in
a way that marked them was unacceptable. His customers wanted beautiful, passionate toys, not
frightened submissive puppets

Cole
walked to Celia and pulled her to her feet. He removed her gag and untied her hands. Celia immediately brought them up to cover
her breasts. Gregor growled at her actions but
Cole
waved him back. Celia wore only a torn chemise and
Cole
was very aware of her delightful attributes, though his expression didn
’
t let on. His manhood stirred in response to the beautiful woman before him
. His body burned for release, yet
Cole
doubted he could find that release with this wench. There was only one bewitching woman who could satisfy his lust now. Celia watched
Cole
with wary eyes as he appraised her, dreading the moment when he would touch h
er, sure she was to be molested. The giant told her she was to be sold as a thing of pleasure. Was th
is the man who was buying her?

Cole
reached up and stroked the bruise on her cheek, and Celia shied away, fearing he was going to strike her. "I won
’
t hurt
you love. Just stand still." The rest of Celia's face was perfect. Her skin was the color of rich caramel, hinting of African descent. Somewhere in her family's bloodline there had to be an ancestor who was Negro. One drop of Negro blood made her a slave
by law
,
and it was surprising the girl hadn't been caught and sold before now.
Cole
knew Gregor would have examined her to make sure her virginity was intact. Buckland always insisted on virgins. How was it that a beauty such as she had avoided a master's
bed until now? He was very curious as to where Gregor had g
otten her. She was exquisite.

Celia would be a perfect chambermaid because of her Negro blood. It would be expected that
Jolie
's maid be a slave. A white woman would have raised too many eyebrows
and a traditional slave would be more apt to talk of the things that went on in the cellar of the
Jameson
’
plantation. Instead, this girl was now in the position where she would be a servant rather than a whore, and
Cole
assumed she would be grateful. In t
he outside world she would be sold to the highest bidder unless she had papers declaring she was free.
Cole
had no doubt
Jolie
would treat the woman kindly. His wife was gentle and loving when she wasn't mad as a hornet and t
esting his temper.

Cole
shook h
is head to rid his mind of thoughts of his wife. His little imp was certainly a distraction albeit a pleasant one. He gently grasped Celia's chin and turned her face back and forth for his ins
pection. Her eyes were a sable brown,
with flecks of gold, her h
air black as a raven's wing. It fell in a shimmering wave down her back. She had high cheekbones and a small somewhat flat nose that gave her an aura of exotic beauty. Her lips were lush and dusky rose in color. They were extremely kissable and at the mom
e
nt they quivered with fear. Her breasts were large and firm with dark nipples that could be seen beneath her thin chemise.
Cole
brushed his knuckles over them by habit until they were hard little buttons. Celia whimpered at his actions, and
Cole
frowned, a
nnoyed with himself. He was used to fondling the women who passed through his home but he hadn't the right to touch this one. She wa
s to be a maid, nothing more.

"Is her gown still wearable?"

"Aye, it will do if you must dress
her again. I myself find her
…
"

"Gregor I told you what will be done with Celia. I can't very well present her unclothed. Would you please see that a bath is brought up and find her gown while I speak to Celia about her new position?"

Gregor narrowed his eyes at his boss's instructio
ns. The girl should be sold. It was dangerous to hold on to her. On the other
hand, it kept her in the house,
and it wasn't necessary to preserve her virginity any longer. He could have a go at her. Who would know? They could also continue the lessons in p
leasuring a man that he'd had begun last night. Her body was made for enjoyment, her lips moist and luscious, the memory of the way she'd whimpered and cried as he taught her what her mouth was for stirred a fire in his manhood. The boss now had a persona
l
plaything and so why shouldn't he. He'd threaten to slit the chit's throat in her sleep if she tol
d the new 'lady' of the house.