Home of the White Dolphin - Segment 09

Chapter 41

December 01, 2008 – In Walker’s fourth-floor apartment

The last few weeks had been busy for both Walker and Samantha, planning for and then celebrating Thanksgiving. Walker also spent most of his mornings working with his accountants and lawyers. The third-quarter financial statements of his many companies now were on his office desk awaiting his signature. From these, computers would calculate the generous yearly bonuses of the thousands of his employees.

Now, after a hectic day for both of them, Walker and Samantha had just finished a light dinner sent up by Chef Geoffrey. Walker carried the dirty dishes outside his apartment and placed them on a small table next to the elevator. By the time he returned to the living room, Samantha was sitting on the sofa, shoes kicked off, and a look of perfect contentment on her tired face.

“Come sit and rest your bones,” she called out, “no more work tonight.” When Walker wearily sat down on her right, she scooted over a bit to give him more room. “So? Have you heard anything back about the baby? Robyn said the police still hadn’t been able to identify Genji’s mother.”

Walker shook his head, before giving a big yawn. “Sorry, Sam. I hate doing paperwork, and there seems to be more of it every year.” He closed his eyes while yawning again.

“I said no work, Walker, and that means no more talk about work.” Samantha turned slightly toward him and saw his hair was in need of a haircut. She reached over and pushed one rebellious strand off his forehead. Her fingers grazed his skin, and she watched him slowly open his eyes to look at her.

“Sorry,” whispered Samantha, taking a peek at her wristwatch, “I should leave and let you get to sleep.” She started to get up, but Walker caught her arm and gently pulled her back beside him.

“Stay a bit longer, Sam. I promise not to fall asleep and will give you my total attention. Promise and cross my heart.” He made a tiny X over his heart and gave Samantha such a phony little-boy expression she couldn’t help but smile. “That’s better. Now, Sam, I’m giving you one last chance to tell me what I can get you for Christmas. Every time I ask you, all I get is ‘I have everything I need.’ Before you leave tonight, I demand you tell me.”

Sam erased her smile and pretended to be as serious as he was. “And what will you do, Mister, if I don’t tell you?”

“This,” and Walker reached over and started tickling her in the ribs. Within seconds, he had Samantha unable to stop laughing and trying to fight off his hands. Neither one of them knew at what point the tickling stopped. Walker slid his left arm behind her waist and slowly drew her closer. His other hand went up, and one finger touched her smiling mouth. “Sam, I...” That’s all he got out before the feel of her parted lips proved a temptation too strong to resist. He leaned down and kissed her, encouraged when she stayed in his arms and didn’t pull away.

Walker’s tentative kiss turned hungry, wanting more from Samantha tonight, much more.

Chapter 42

February 26, 1846 – That same morning at the Edgeworth estate

Once he left his father’s study, Mitchell forced himself to slow down. All he wanted to do was race upstairs and find Elizabeth. There was no way he could let her stay after hearing what Lord Edgeworth planned for her tonight. Unbidden, into his head came images of Elizabeth forced to have sex with a man over 40 years her senior. Just the thought of his father taking Elizabeth against her will made Mitchell gag and lose his breakfast in a potted plant near the front door.

“What a waste of good food.”

When he heard this sarcastic comment, Mitchell stepped away from the plant. He wiped his arm across his mouth while watching Jane coming toward him. Much as he disliked Jane, he felt he should give her the chance to back off from marrying into this family. “Jane, are you sure you want to marry Ronald? You’ve seen his paintings of young boys. That’s where his interest lies, not with you.”

She smiled, confident in her ability to satisfy men. “Mitchell, my father knew I would love the challenge of seducing Ronald. He had mentioned what was waiting for me. Trust me! I give my future husband a month before I have him wanting to paint me, not those silly children.” With that, she left Mitchell and headed outside.

“Saucy little temptress, isn’t she?” Unobserved, Lord Edgeworth had come up behind Mitchell. “I heard what she said, and I know Daniel taught her well. If she can’t bring Ronald around, I’m afraid no woman can.” He laughed before saying, “Too bad their father failed with Elizabeth, or my son could have chosen from two females. Well, Ronald’s loss is my gain. Don’t you think I get the best one, the little virgin?” Not waiting for Mitchell to answer, Lord Edgeworth left him and headed for the small breakfast room.

Furious, Mitchell had refused to turn and face his father. Instead, he walked outside toward the stables. Once inside, he found Robbie helping Bill Atwood hitching the horses to the carriage. “That’s good, Atwood, ‘cause we’re not waiting until this afternoon to leave. I want you two packed and ready to go in half an hour.” Mitchell noticed Robbie’s relief and once again felt guilty at having left him with Ronald.

Robbie’s next words showed Mitchell how mature the boy was. “Sir, what about Miss Elizabeth? This ain’t no place for her, not with Lord Edgeworth looking at her the way he does. You know, Sir, like she was a tasty dessert ready for the tasting.”

Mitchell tried not to show pride in the youngster he’d reluctantly brought on the trip with them. “What do you think we should do then about her? Her sister expects her to be a companion. I understand later on Elizabeth is to be governess for Jane’s children.”

“Bugger her sister’s children. Miss Elizabeth should have her own, and purty ones they’d be. You’d be a damn fool to leave her here, Sir.” Robbie gulped at his audacity in speaking to his Captain that way, but stood up straight and tall, ready for his punishment. Instead, he found himself pounded on the back by a laughing Atwood. The driver had stood by silently while listening to everything Robbie was saying.

“So, Atwood, I gather you also think I shouldn’t leave Miss Elizabeth behind when we go?” Mitchell gave a big sigh. “I guess I’ll have to take her back to London then. You two finish packing up and have the carriage out front when you’re done.”

It took him only a few minutes to return to the mansion, race up the stairs to the servant’s floor, and head down the hallway. He was out of breath from running and hoping Elizabeth had followed his earlier orders to remain in her room.

Chapter 43

December 01, 2008 – In Walker’s fourth-floor apartment

Walker pulled Samantha even closer. His right hand moved to caress her cheek and finally further down, stroking the softness of her neck. “Sam, you feel so good.” Walker managed to get those few words out, before returning to the temptation of her mouth.

When he once again shifted her body slightly within his arms, he waited for her to object. His hand left her neck and slid down to find the top button of her blouse. Giving her time to stop him, Walker slowly undid one button after another until the blouse was fully open down to her waist. Meanwhile, he continued to ravish her mouth. His fiercely probing tongue soon found entry between her lips and swept inside.

He managed to pull himself away from her mouth long enough to say in a hoarse voice, “If you want me to stop, Sam, you better tell me now before we go too far.”

“Please, no. Don’t stop.” Samantha reached for his hand that had remained near her skirt’s waistband and placed it over her left breast. She felt his fingers pull down that side of her bra until she was completely uncovered.

Walker abandoned her mouth to lean down and ever so gently catch her nipple between his teeth. By now, both were having trouble breathing normally. His tongue teased and licked her exposed flesh, finally taking as much of her breast as he could into his mouth.

When he heard her tiny moans of pleasure, Walker gave one last nip to her breast, now wet and glistening in the low lamplight. He started to slip her blouse off her shoulders, bringing a bra strap with it. After he reached behind her back and managed to unsnap the bra, Walker eased the lacy material down under both her breasts. The little sobbing catch in her voice made him look more closely at her. She was staring at him, eyes glazed with passion, her lips swollen from his kisses.

At that moment, he heard someone knocking on his apartment door. Walker tried to ignore the interruption and returned once more to Samantha’s parted lips. The knocking came again, this time louder and more insistent.

“Stay here, Sam. I’ll see what’s going on and be right back. Don’t move, Sweetheart.” Walker, swearing under his breath in anger, took once last look at Samantha before stomping barefoot down the hallway to the front door.

Through the closed door, he yelled, “What the hell do you want?”

Jack Notting, the person on the other side, had never heard Walker use that tone of voice before. Too late, he realized disturbing Walker this late in the evening might not have been that great of an idea. His need for certain papers Walker kept in his desk no longer seemed as critical. “Never mind, Boss, it can wait until morning. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

When Walker heard the footsteps disappearing toward the elevator, he hurried back down his hallway toward the living room. He let out a loud frustrated groan when he met Samantha halfway there and heading for the front door. After managing to button her blouse all the way up, she was trying to tuck the material back into her skirt’s waistband.

Samantha tried to avoid looking at Walker when she went by him. He heard the embarrassment in her voice when she said, “I’d better leave. Edith has Genji tonight, but the baby might need me.” With that, she reached the door and nearly ran from the apartment.

He whispered, “I need you, too” just as she disappeared down the short flight of stairs, back to her own rooms.

Chapter 44

December 02, 2008 – Later that same evening in Walker’s apartment

Walker returned to the living room, his painful erection a reminder of what almost happened. “Well, can’t do anything about it, old friend. I did tell her she could stop me at any time.” He went around the room turning off the lights and headed into his bedroom. After taking a long shower in the adjoining bathroom, an unsatisfying cold shower, Walker dried off and returned naked to his bedroom.

“Might as well get some sleep,” he grumbled to the empty room. When he reached into his bureau drawer, a small smile did cross his face. On top of the pile were the pajamas Edith had given him for his birthday a few months earlier. The party motif, when he had turned 51, was for a child of only five. The adult pajamas followed that theme with a design of playful puppies and kittens. Edith never told him where she was able to find such silly men’s nightwear. Leaving the top in the drawer, Walker pulled on the pajama bottoms.

After turning off the bedroom lights, he climbed into bed and wearily fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Walker woke up after only a few hours’ sleep, more tired than when he went to bed. From past experience, he knew it was useless to try getting back to sleep. Yawning, he left the bedroom and walked barefoot down the hallway to his office, the room closest to the front door. He checked the clock on his desk and noted it was almost midnight.

Maybe if I read some of Whiting’s log, I might learn how to… Walker didn’t finish that thought, knowing he could never treat Samantha like the 19th century Captain did his women. Better yet, his log might give me a clue how my parents came to have the two books.

Walker went to his wall safe and punched in the combination to open it. Inside, he quickly found the log and began taking it out. Walker hesitated when he saw Colin Edgeworth’s journal stacked beneath the log. His thoughts raced back to those terrifying days when he feared he’d lost Samantha forever.

* * *

Supposedly here on a simple visit from England, Colin had kidnapped Samantha and taken her into an underground cavern behind the mansion. Jason Edgeworth, the original owner of the mansion and Colin’s ancestor, had left the bodies of four women in the same underground cavern with separate journals describing how he first subjected each woman to excruciating pain before killing her.

Colin, who was insanely determined to follow in his ancestor’s footsteps, also left behind a journal. After Walker found Samantha near death, he later read a couple pages of that journal. Just those few paragraphs made him physically ill, horrified by what Colin had done to Samantha and his plans for her future. Walker had stuffed the journal in the safe that day and never wanted anyone else to know of how Colin had tortured Samantha. This brutality forced her to have a hysterectomy because of the internal damage caused by Colin’s repeated object rapes.

* * *

I should have destroyed this a long time ago, thought Walker, angry with himself for keeping the journal so long. He replaced the ship’s log and took out Colin’s journal instead. He glanced around his office, looking for a container large enough to hold the book. On the credenza to the left side of the desk, he spotted a large terra-cotta pot filled with jelly beans. That’ll do. I can burn this damnable filth in that. Walker pulled out one of his desk drawers and dumped the candy inside. He next tried stuffing Colin’s journal inside the empty pot, but it wouldn’t fit.

He had just put the journal back on his desk, when once again he heard someone softly knocking on his front door.

Chapter 45

December 02, 2008 – That same evening in Samantha’s apartment

Once Samantha got inside her apartment, she turned and leaned her head against the closed door. She couldn’t stop her body from trembling. By rejecting Walker tonight, she knew she’d hurt him once again. I tried, I really did. She started crying, wondering if he felt frustrated like she did at the moment. Her fingers touched her breast where Walker’s strong hand had been only moments before. Samantha knew it was only her imagination, but she could still feel his mouth against her own.

When she was able to stop her useless crying, Samantha slowly walked into her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and started rummaging through her underwear drawer, determined to put Walker out of her mind. For some reason, all her usual prim nightgowns repelled her. Instead, she found herself pulling out a beautiful peignoir set. Edith had given this to her last Christmas. Samantha never wore it, considering it a sweet but silly gift. She ran her fingers over the floor-length lingerie and next pulled out its matching robe.

After Samantha lifted the gown over her head, she felt the light-blue material searching out every curve of her body. She failed to notice the gown’s sheerness revealed glimpses of the naked skin underneath. Tossing the matching robe on the end of her bed, she turned off the lamp on the bedside table. When she got into bed, she tossed and turned before finally falling asleep.

* * *

In her dreams, she once again felt Walker’s arms around her. This powerful man, the feared enemy of deceitful businessmen, whispered love words into her ear with promises to never, ever hurt her. Suddenly, ugly vile threats replaced those words of love, and her dream became a nightmare. Walker turned into Colin, and she felt the gentleness in which Walker always treated her turn into brutal and unending agony.

Samantha cried out in her sleep, “No, Colin, don’t hurt me again.” Feeling Colin forcing the whip’s handle inside her again and again had Samantha screaming, struggling to get away from the agonizing pain. “Walker, make him stop! Please, don’t let him hurt me.” Her screams for Walker to help were enough to wake her, and slowly Colin’s brutal touch and the remembered pain were gone. Samantha sat up in bed until all remnants of her nightmare were gone, leaving only the soothing balm of Walker’s love.

When her heartbeat slowed to normal, she got out of bed and quickly walked to her front door and out into the hallway. Even though she was wearing only the sheerest of lingerie, Samantha ran barefoot up the stairs to the fourth floor. When she reached Walker’s apartment, she softly knocked on the door.

The door opened almost immediately, and Walker stood there dressed in the silliest pajama bottoms she’d ever seen. Before he could say anything, Samantha stepped inside his apartment.

She turned to face him, absolute trust in him showing in her eyes. “You told me I couldn’t leave tonight until I told you what I want for Christmas.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “I know what I want.”

When she told him, Walker didn’t say a word. He nodded his agreement, closed the door, and tenderly pulled Samantha into his arms.

Continued in next segment

Home of the White Dolphin - Segment 10  (GC) Chapters 46 thru 50 #2091580 by J. A. Buxton