Delia Page 6

  Well, she hadn’t expected that.

  “Francis, are you serious right now? We are leaving, how will we be married?”

  “Well, not until we get back, of course, but that will give us both something to look forward to, right? Then we can do more of that all the time.”

  Delia smiled. That sounded nice, even though she was a little sore at the moment. She studied Francis carefully. He was an emotional creature, unlike her, in fact he seemed to be totally dominated by the workings of his ID. He was however, the only friend, aside from her sister, that she had ever known. He had been her only boyfriend, and the sex they had just shared had indeed been pleasurable. Her mind hadn’t gotten around to marriage at this point in time, but she supposed it had always been inevitable. After all, marriage was part of her plan for a prosperous future.

  “Yes, Francis, I will be your wife.”

  Francis beamed at her, and then slid the tiny gold band onto her finger. “And you will be mine forever.”

  “I will wear this ring as my promise to be yours and no one else’s.”

  She looked down at the ring for a moment.

  “Does this make you happy, Francis?”

  “It does, Dee!” Francis hugged her tightly again. Delia patted his back. She did think the ring looked very nice on her finger.

  “Good. Let’s go back home now.”

  “Hey, Delia.”

  “Yes?” Delia was feeling just a little impatient now.

  “I am a little afraid. I’m afraid of not seeing you again.”

  “Don’t be so bothered,” she told him as she took his hand and led him into the wheat field that had been sold many years ago. His warm chocolate eyes sparkled with moisture. He is such a strange man. “I will be your wife when you return. You will be a good man, I will be a good wife, and we will be prosperous.”

  She was trying to be reassuring and did not understand why he still looked so forlorn. “I think that if having sex makes you worry this much, maybe we shouldn’t do that again tonight.”

  “Tonight?” he asked excitedly. His rough face was instantly brighter. “Well, I’m not worried at all, then.”

  “Good.”

  *****

  That night was completely different. It was as if Francis had matured into his sexuality in just a few short hours. Delia still shared a room with Lilly, so even though she was eighteen, a secret meeting in her house would be impossible. Francis’s house was not an option either because it was, well, creepy as hell.

  Their earlier adventure with sex out by the old tree had awoken a deep carnal desire within Delia. She wanted it again, and now that she knew how it would feel, she was very eager to try to improve upon the last experience. The last time they did it she had felt a little detached, and was studying it more than enjoying it. In the hours that had passed she was consumed with a greedy need to experience it again. She had tried touching herself several times but could not replicate the feeling of another hot body next to hers, inside her.

  Delia gathered up two soft blankets and rolled them into a bedroll to take with her. Then, as the rest of her family slept, she snuck out into the night. Francis had told her to meet him at the edge of the woods. She crept along the damp lawn with her heart beating wildly with excitement and anticipation.

  “Dee, over here!” She heard Francis whispering from just a short distance away. When she found him he was grinning wildly.

  “I found the perfect place, Dee.”

  Delia gave him a little smile. While she did not feel too confident in his ability to find a perfect spot, she really didn’t care either. She wanted more sex. She didn’t get to experience the fierce release of pleasure and adrenaline that Francis had earlier, so her body was still yearning with desire.

  She let Francis lead her out into the woods until they entered a small clearing of tall grasses. In the middle of the clearing was a smoothed over, stomped down depression.

  “It’s a deer bed,” she marveled, looking up at him, “it really is perfect, Francis.”

  He grinned at her, and she placed a long fingered hand on his hard chest, feeling the taut muscles beneath twitching at her touch. Her hand traveled down his torso, stopping momentarily at his waistband. Then she slid her hand down further and cupped him fully between his legs. She gave him a little squeeze, to which he moaned a little.

  Delia stepped back from him. “Off with your shirt now.”

  Francis crossed his arms over his torso and pulled off the t-shirt quickly. The t-shirt dropped to the ground and revealed his heavily muscled body. She smiled appreciatively and grasped one of his rippling biceps in her hand, squeezing the hard muscle. She rubbed her hand over his arm, then again across the large muscles of his chest. Between his massive pectorals was a small soft patch of curly hair, which Delia twined her fingers around. The interest that was growing deep in her loins flared up as she touched him.

  “Now your turn.”

  Delia stepped back and with a wicked grin, slowly unbuttoned each individual button along her full-length dress. She let the dress fall silently to the ground behind her. Delia was not overly confident in her body, in fact she spent many hours wishing she was one of the beautiful girls, one with a pretty face and not such an awkward, super tall body. She knew she was thin though, and that her breasts were a pleasing size. Francis grinned and advanced on her, pulling her against his hot flesh. His hard, muscled chest pressed against her small firm breasts and they kissed, hard and deep.

  Delia had never felt the emotional connection many associated with kissing, but she definitely felt her sexual desire rise and she pressed her body against him. Their tongues met and danced within their mouths. Francis reached up between them and began to caress one of her soft breasts, and then pinched her nipple gently.

  That was all Delia could take. A hot wave of desire spiked deep within her and she pulled back from him.

  “What are you doing?” he gasped.

  Delia shushed him and dropped down to her knees in front of him. Then she attacked his waistband, first pulling his belt free, then whipping open the fly of his pants and pulling them off. When she finally got his pants down, she gripped him greedily. She slid her hand back and forth against him, delighted by the way he reacted to her touch.

  Francis was moaning above her. He was very very ready.

  “All right, lay down now,” she told him softly, but in the forceful way that was just her.

  Francis did as he was told and lay down on the makeshift bed. Delia pulled his pants the rest of the way off and moved over on top of him. Her sex was wet and sore with longing, so she lowered herself down slowly on top of him. With a gentle massage, she got him into the right place inside her, then began to slowly rock back and forth.

  The feelings were incredible. With her in control, every tiny nerve lit up with a pleasurable fire and before she knew it, she was panting with pleasure, even though she was moving slowly. She ground her body down against his, forcing him deeper and deeper within her. No matter how deep he went, she felt like she wanted more.

  She began to rock against him harder, with more earnest longing, and with a primal need she had never felt before. She rested her hands on Francis’s rock hard chest, her short fingernails biting into his skin. With every move of her body, Francis’s hips came up to meet her, filling her deeply. Soon a great pressure began to build in her lower abdomen. A sensuous heat was blossoming deep within her sex. Something powerful and electric and alive awoke within her, then erupted throughout her entire body. Her arms felt weak as her hips bucked hard against Francis and her back arched involuntarily. She let out a loud squeal as the waves of pleasure battered her mind.

  She was reeling from the orgasm but felt Francis shivering and moaning beneath her.

  “Oh God, oh God,” he was wheezing.

  Delia quickly rolled off of him and knelt down beside his legs. She grasped him in both hands and massaged him quickly. She was just in time, for a moment later he erupted in an
intense release of his own. Now that, she thought, was more like it.

  *****

  “It will be lonely here while you’re away.”

  Delia sat on her bed with Lilly. She wasn’t looking forward to this goodbye. Delia was able to contain her emotions and think clearly in most situations, but Lilly didn’t live on that level of Delia’s consciousness. From the very beginning, Lilly had seen right through Delia’s walls, and she dwelled somewhere deeper. Lilly could always tell when Delia was hurting, and knew when she was happy, and often times why, even when Delia didn’t know it herself.

  “You have made many friends at school now.”

  Lilly nodded her agreement. She had grown into a gorgeous young woman. She was only twelve but looked much older. In fact, her body had almost as many curves as Delia, who was mostly lean muscle. “I like the new school better than the old one-room school house we used to go to. It’s good to be separated from the little kids. I can learn more that way.” Lilly sighed and slipped her hand into Delia’s. “It will still be lonely for me. You are my best friend.”

  As their hands connected, Delia felt Lilly reaching softly within her soul and slowly turning on that switch that she kept turned off to the world. Her adopted sister could make her feel when no one else could, not even Francis. As they sat hand in hand, Delia’s eyes began to well up. Their connection had always been strong - and confusing. Delia didn’t know why she kept herself shut down to the world. She wanted to experience fun and joy, but it just seemed beyond her reach. Not with Lilly though. Every minute with her felt charged with emotion.

  “I know. I’m really going to miss you, too,” she said with tears in her eyes. Lilly made her feel good; she made everyone feel good. The tears just reminded Delia of how much Lilly really meant to her.

  “Do you remember when we were little, Dee and we snuck out to stay in the woods over night?”

  An unexpected smile crept over Delia’s face. “I do remember,” she chuckled. “We were both so damned scared we couldn’t sleep all night!”

  Lilly nodded. “We curled up against each other, pressed tight against each other’s warmth. “

  Lilly came forward and before Delia could stop her, she placed a soft kiss on her lips. Then she looked away and leaned against her shoulder. The confusion was thick in the air between them, so they stayed silent for several minutes. Delia and Lilly leaned against each other on the bed and Delia stroked one hand through Lilly’s long brown hair.

  “I don’t think you’ll come back here, will you?”

  Delia sighed and did not answer at first. Lilly was the last person she wanted to hurt. She was such a pure soul, Delia could not deceive her, so when she spoke, it was with a heavy heart.

  “No. I don’t intend to return here after school. I’ll be headed to the war I think. Then I don’t know where I will go.” She sighed as she spoke, even though Lilly already knew all of this.

  “We can visit each other though, right?”

  “Of course! For now I want you to focus on being the best that you can in school. Remember that you need to prepare yourself for life every step of the way, sister. Do not just stay here.” Delia was trying desperately to maintain a grasp on her emotions and speak to Lilly as a wise older sister, and not the unsure mess she was now.

  Lilly nodded against her. “I love you, sister.”

  Delia pulled her head up to her own and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you too, sister. I will visit you as soon as I can.”

  Delia walked out of the bedroom then, bound for the city and for the Army Corps of Nurses training school. She looked back at the house as she climbed into her getaway vehicle. Lilly was up in the window waving to her. Delia smiled and waved back to her little sister. As Delia turned away from the house tears streamed down her face. She had held her emotions tightly in check most of her life, but she could not keep them contained as she walked away from the one person she had felt more connected to than any other.

  Chapter Seven

  TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER

  Delia was twenty when she graduated from the training academy for nurses. As she expected, it was very easy for her. Unlike grade school and high school, where half of her troubles had been avoiding strange social situations and managing Francis’s uneven temperament, the academy was all about learning, instruction, repetition.

  She was accustomed to hard work and to the practice of medicine from assisting Uncle Don with his veterinary practice. Much of what they did at the academy was surprisingly similar to working with cows and pigs. The way skin reacted to a scalpel, the type of sutures used to ensure a wound was closed properly, and even the calming mannerisms needed to keep patients at ease were no different than when they had to coax an angry bull into submission. Giving injections was something so elementary for her that the instructors had her helping other students on the very first day.

  There were many times she received compliments from her instructors, especially on her composure and coolheadedness in the face of a troublesome or complicated case. The other women were squeamish and sometimes quite immature. During one exercise, the instructors unfolded a sheet to reveal a fully nude male with “battle wounds” on his midsection. While the other girls giggled and one young woman even shielded her eyes, Delia methodically went through her procedures. She ignored the flaccid penis in front of her and assessed the “injuries” in order to dress them properly without wasting any time on childish behavior.

  A bull’s penis is much more impressive anyway, she thought.

  Delia thought some of these girls were going to have trouble in the field, although she kept this to herself. Her only goal was to be the best nurse she could be, because the best nurses would get the best recommendations to work in private offices after the war, and being a nurse was one of the highest paid female positions in the country.

  After a rushed graduation ceremony, Delia was pulled aside by a female instructor.

  “Nurse Jensen.”

  “Yes ma’am?” Delia stood still with her chin high, awaiting instruction.

  “The army requires your service overseas. You and most of your graduating class will be heading to Europe right away.”

  “I understand. I am ready to go wherever I am needed.” Delia had known from the beginning she would be required to serve in the European war campaign, it was one of the requirements for all nurses who accepted the army’s aid in paying for nursing school. “How long do I have before I leave?”

  “Less than 24 hours. You’re leaving today if you are able.”

  “I am ready.” She said the words without hesitation, but she had really hoped to go back and see Lilly one last time before leaving for the war. Her heart ached to see her sister again and to have a meal with her family. She wanted to give Uncle Don a hug and thank him for everything he had done for her, but now she had to do what was best for her career.

  “I knew you would be. There is a critical shortage of nurses right now. Even though you aren’t experienced in the field, your proficiency in the classroom will more than make up for what you lack in experience.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m actually going to be joining you.”

  Delia startled just a bit. “Really, ma’am?”

  “Yes, really, and you don’t need to call me ma’am now. We’re both nurses in the corps.” The woman put her hand on Delia’s shoulder. Delia looked up and saw that she was smiling at her. Her eyes were a clear blue and wrinkled in kindness. Her long burgundy hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

  “Nurse Jensen, you were our best student for this last session. Does that make you happy?”

  Her words were like honey on fresh bread. Delia smiled broadly now, “It does, ma'am-I mean-” she paused. “Ma’am, what is your name?”

  The woman chuckled. It was a pleasant, musical sound. “My name is Alice. My friends call me Ali.”

  “What should I call you?”

  “Call me Alice for
now, but we’ll see where it goes.” She smiled as she spoke.

  Alice was a striking woman. She was just as tall as Delia, but with more feminine lines. Her uniform was tight and curved over her long body gracefully. Delia wondered why she was noticing Alice’s physique at all; she didn’t normally pay attention to people’s clothing or body types.

  “So you’re going to be my roomy for a while.”

  Roomy? Delia was startled by her instructor’s casual tone. The past two years had been run with military efficiency and decorum. Delia wasn’t prepared to be engaged in casual conversation at this time. In fact, she had rarely ever been good at making small talk. I will have to work on that. Alice must have noticed her quizzical look, because she continued.

  “The two of us are headed for the airport. We will fly out to the East Coast, and from there we’ll make the flight over the big pond. We’re going to have a whole day in New York, so I was planning on getting a nice room downtown. You don’t mind bunking with me for a little while do you?”

  “Well, no. No, I do not suppose so. Won’t we just be shipping out with the other nurses?”

  Alice had a bit of a mischievous tone when she spoke again. “Oh, I guess you could say that I get a bit of special treatment because I’m an instructor, and I want you with me.”

  Delia was still standing tall in front of her, as if she were receiving instruction in the classroom. Why does she want me to go with her? This seemed highly unusual, but Delia didn’t think there was anything inappropriate with the arrangement either. I have always wanted to go to the big city, anyway. Though she didn’t quite understand what was happening, she knew better than to question her superior. Even if they were both nurses, Alice was also an officer. “If you want me, then you’ve got me.”

  “All right,” Alice said happily. “Go pack your things, then, and we’ll hit the road.”