Steampunk Desires: An Erotic Romance (The Complete Collection) (5 page)

Edwin’s silence only intensified Clarence’s dread, and he jumped to his feet, wailing, “I knew it would be awful! I knew it!” He turned for the door. Edwin caught his wrist.

“Just lower your sails, there,” Edwin said calmly, gesturing to the chair. “It’s not bad; I just don’t understand, is all. Clarence, your numbers are low, not zero! Clearly you know how to have sex; why do you need a woman to train you?”

Clarence shook his head emphatically, sitting down and gesticulating with his hands. “No, no, I know I don’t need to be trained,” he said impatiently. “What I mean is, why do I always have to take the lead? Why do I have to be the one who leads them to their orgasms? Why can’t they…” he paused, fishing for the words, “…take charge?” As the words came out, he felt a sense of relief. Yes, that’s what he wanted them to do: take charge of the act.

Edwin nodded thoughtfully, pointing at Clarence’s chair to keep Clarence still while he mulled it over. Clarence fidgeted but remained seated.

“So,” Edwin began slowly, “you want a woman to come on to you, is that it?” Clarence nodded, embarrassed. Edwin gave another thoughtful nod.

He mentally went through the women in his crew. Agatha could probably do it, but it would be out of character for her. Eleanor was still very new to sex and seemed pretty demure. His thoughts fell on Harriet. It was a shame she was married to her work! What a dominating personality! She’d probably take so much charge of Clarence, there’d be nothing left of him! He grinned inwardly; he’d love to see that, if it wouldn’t result in Clarence’s painful demise. His eyes lit up as an idea suddenly came to him: what about Scarlett?

Scarlett spent most of her time in the female energy collection room, but unlike most of the crew, whose sexual proclivities rendered them useful for only one kind of energy harvesting, she spent a fair bit of time in the bipolar collection room as well. In the female-collection room, she inevitably took charge of the encounter and was even worse about breaking her brass socks than Agatha was, and sometimes, she broke her partners’ socks as well. In the bipolar collection room, she was a fierce lover, but she never took charge, as it was not fit for a lady to do so, and her performance suffered as a result.

Edwin’s head reeled back minutely at the realization. That’s what Clarence had meant by the roles society was meant to fill. It all made sense now. Scarlett had hidden her personality in the presence of a man because that’s what society told her to do. She’d been more successful than Clarence had been. What a golden opportunity for both to be themselves! Edwin’s face beamed with excitement, but he quickly recomposed himself. He didn’t want to tip his hand before he was sure she’d be up for it.

“That may be doable,” he said at length. Clarence’s eyes widened slightly, and his breath stuck in his chest in hope. “Let me see what I can work out,” Edwin said, rising. “I’ll find you later.”

Clarence swallowed hard, hopefully. “Thank you, sir,” he said softly; the desire and hope had robbed him of his voice. He stood and followed Edwin out of his stateroom.

Edwin’s mind was whirling. It was an unheard-of prospect that a woman could command a man in the bedroom, but in this age when Victoria ruled England, why should it be unheard-of? Anything was possible, and if this happened to improve the output of two of his crewmen and maybe made the act of fornication more fun for them, he was all for it. He hastened to find Scarlett. He finally found her in the aft common area, tensely reading an article clipped from a newspaper, the
Oneida Whig
. On the table under her arm was a small book,
Report of the Woman’s Rights Convention
. Her jaw was firm, and she slammed the article down onto the table as Edwin approached. Seeing him, she composed herself.

“Good day, Edwin!” she greeted him, pulling a blond lock behind her ear and smiling warmly, her blue eyes flashing in pleasant recognition.

“Oy, Scarlett, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Edwin said breathlessly. He looked curiously at the article she’d just mistreated. “What’ve you got there?”

Scarlett blushed and smiled embarrassedly. “Oh, it’s nothing; just an article, is all.” She lowered her eyes, avoiding eye contact.

The article was not new to the library; Edwin had read it a few days earlier, and he knew what it was about, and if this was her reaction to it, she was absolutely perfect for the task he had for her. He decided to make his proposition.

“Scarlett,” he said slyly, “I have a…proposition for you. I think you’ll like it, but it’s going to be a bit different from what you’re used to.”

“Edwin, what are you up to?” she asked, her eyes lighting up, half in suspicion, half in anticipation. She didn’t know where this was going, but knowing Edwin, if he said it was something she’d like, she almost undoubtedly would.

“What if I told you that there was a man onboard this very ship who needed a controlling woman to direct his actions?”

Scarlett recoiled, taken aback. She brought her hand to her lips. Could such a thing be? Surely not! She bit her lip, frowning disbelievingly at Edwin. His expression remained earnest.

“Who’s put you up to his?” she asked softly, guardedly. “Was it Harriet? That’s not a nice joke to tell a lady,” she chided.

“The man himself,” Edwin said in self-satisfied amusement. He knew she’d love it. “And he’s not putting me up to anything. I’ve resolved myself to save this man’s job at all costs, and it seems the road to his salvation takes a heavy hand from the fairer sex.”

Scarlett frowned in thought, the words “save this man’s job” playing silently over her lips. “Clarence?” she asked, surprised.

“Bingo,” Edwin said with a wink. Scarlett’s eyes widened as the realization hit her: it made such good sense! Her expression quickly turned crafty: this was a unique opportunity for her, something she’d fantasized about her whole adult life, something she thought she’d never see. Now the opportunity was here! What would she do with him? Would she be kind, or would she boss him around like the dog he was? Would she hold his hand and lead him gently to his place as her sexual servant, or would she cast him there harshly, making demands and following them with cruel punishment?

Edwin read her face. “Don’t get too carried away,” he warned, interrupting her reverie. “In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not the boldest of men to start with, and it’s taken all these months to drag it out of him. He’s very ashamed of it. Be gentle,” he urged, “and go at his pace. You’d expect that of a man taking your virginity; afford him the same courtesy.”

Scarlett nodded: Edwin was right. But maybe after the first time, she contented herself, she could step it up. A wicked grin traced its way across her beautiful face. Edwin shook his head slowly, grinning in amusement.

“You in?” he asked.

“Um, yeah!” Scarlett said incredulously, and then checked herself. “Erm, that is, ‘yes,’ you have my interest,” she said politely.

Edwin rolled his eyes, then remembered: “Not a word to anybody,” he warned. “We can’t afford to have him losing his nerve. His salvation lies in this going well.” He paused. “But no pressure or anything,” he grinned. Scarlett smiled, and he turned to leave. She grabbed his wrist.

“When?” she asked.

“In about two hours,” he replied. “I want to set up some privacy for you two. Baby steps.” She nodded, and he departed.

I wonder if I can borrow some of Harriet’s chalkboards, he thought to himself as he walked briskly to the aft stairwell. He hoped she was still in the machine shop; he did not want to have to go find her again. He made his way up the stairs and walked abruptly into the machine shop. There was a light pinging sound as her work piece shot across the room, and Harriet let out an exasperated sigh, her shoulders sagging over the lathe. She paused a moment, reached over, and turned it off.

“You know you have the worst possible timing,” she said dully without looking up or turning around. “What now?”

“Are you not working on the afterglow discovery?” he asked, surprised.

“I was, until you walked in and sent my work flying across the room,” she replied, turning slowly to face him. “Not every tiny piece of brass I turn is a coition transconductor, you know,” she said. He said nothing; as far as he was concerned, they were tiny metal filings, albeit carefully crafted tiny metal filings, but they all looked the same to him. “What do you want?” she asked with mock patience.

“I wanted to borrow some of your chalkboards,” he said, “if any of them are blank.”

Her curly head turned purple. “You sent my PCPA flying across the room for chalkboards?! Get out! I’m going to turn you into a chalkboard!”

“But may I–”

“Yes, yes, take the chalkboards! Take all the chalkboards!” She got up and shoved him out the door, pressing on the back of his thighs, her head coming only up to his buttocks. “You and your daft self go take all the chalkboards to do whatever it is you’re going to do with the–” She stopped abruptly. “What do you need chalkboards for?”

Edwin rolled his eyes knowingly. Harriet was terrifying to someone who didn’t know her, but terribly predictable to someone who did. “I’ve had a breakthrough of my own, and I think I may be able to help Clarence.”

“Clarence needs an education now?” Harriet spat ironically.

“More so than you’d think,” Edwin grinned deviously.

Harriet shook her head. “Whatever, Edwin,” she said dismissively. “Don’t take any of the boards that have my notes on them.”

“Thank you, Harriet. You’re a good sport,” Edwin said graciously. “And, ah…”

“Yes, Edwin?” Harriet drawled.

“What’s a PCPA?”

“Post-Coital Phosphorescence Accumulator,” she said flatly. “Now go away.”

Edwin raised his eyebrows, frowned, sighed, and left, shaking his head. Post-conjugal flippetygibbet, whatever that did.

“Oy, Giles,” Edwin said as he met the servant, “I need your assistance moving some chalkboards.” Giles frowned. “I’ve got permission from Harriet already,” Edwin said, “and I need six blank ones.” Giles shrugged and led him to a dark corner of the lab, a veritable chalkboard graveyard where chalkboards that Harriet hadn’t yet found a use for waited patiently for their turn to shine. These six would probably rue the day of their fabrication.

It took almost an hour and a half to haul the chalkboards downstairs and get them set up surrounding one of the beds on the starboard wall of the bipolar energy collection room, and Giles vanished as soon as the task was done. Poor fellow probably got some dirt on him, Edwin thought sardonically. Or worse, semen! He chuckled to himself as he sought out Clarence. He found him where he expected to: in his room.

Clarence turned nervously to Edwin as he entered. “Ed, I’m really nervous about this.”

Edwin blinked indignantly. “That’s ‘Edwin,’“ he corrected. “Never call me ‘Ed.’“

Clarence cringed. “I’m sorry, Edwin; I–I’m just so nervous.”

Edwin smiled and clasped Clarence on the shoulder. “Clarence, my boy, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve found the perfect woman for the job, and she’s giddier than a lookout in a hurricane. I’ve already told her that you’re not proud of it, and she’s agreed to be gentle.”

A smile slowly spread across Clarence’s face as the realization hit him and the anticipation started building. He dared not appear too excited, but he could not help but let a little of it show. “When?” he asked breathlessly.

Edwin looked at the clock on Clarence’s nightstand. “About ten minutes,” he replied with a closed-lip grin.

Clarence’s jaw dropped, and his breath quickened. “But that’s so soon!” He fumbled with the book he’d been reading, putting it on the bed, then picking it back up, then putting it down again. “I’ve no time to prepare!”

Edwin rolled his eyes and reaffirmed his hand’s presence on Clarence’s shoulder. “Breathe, boy!” he said emphatically. “The only preparation you need to do is to lose those clothes.” He raised an eyebrow. “It just ain’t right for you to be a member of the propulsion crew this long and still cling to your clothes so,” he said in half-jest. “Besides, your Lady isn’t going to want to wait for you to strip for her,” he grinned, winking.