Marrying A Snapping Turtle

Silly Gossip

Kensley felt sticky from sweating earlier. He had been so scared when Ida fainted and he thought his world shattered. When he realized she only fainted because the corset had been too tight he wanted to laugh at the incredulous situation but he was also furious that the servants around Ida were so incompetent. Were they trying to kill Ida!?

After Ida rushed off and locked herself in the bathroom he went into the room across the hall and used the bathroom there. He was a private man and never allowed anyone to stay over so he utilized every guest room on the first floor; this one in particular had been repurposed into a workout room.

As he was showering, he belatedly realized Ida didn’t have anything to change into, all of her clothing was in their master bedroom on the second floor. His face flushed as he imagined her bare skin. He quickly changed the water temperature and stood under the cold water for quite a while to calm his wandering mind.

After his shower, Kensley, still feeling hot, only threw on a pair of sweatpants before walking up to the master bedroom. As he eyed Ida’s section of the closet, he grabbed whatever came to his hand and cotton underwear. His face flushed as the soft fabric wrinkled in his fists.

He was a seasoned actor yet in moments like these, he showed his pure boyish naivety. In his 27 years of life, he never had a relationship. He’s watched his fair share of porn, but he never touched a woman in his private life. Everything was foreign to him and he was shyly curious.

He quickly made his way back down to the guest room Ida was in, intending to drop off the clothes but the moment he walked in he saw Ida walking out of the closet in an oversized sweatshirt.

His breath caught in his throat and he clutched her clothing to his chest, trying to keep his heart from leaping out.

“What… what are you wearing!?” he managed to stammer.

Ida’s eyes dropped to the floor and she pulled on the hem of the sweater that only ran to the top of her thighs. Her face was crimson as she stammered, “There wasn’t anything to wear…”

She coughed lightly, her eyes still downcast, her small fingers fidgeted with the oversized sleeves.

Kensley was completely out of character. His normal self would have cooly handed her the clothing and gave some snarky remark but his eyes were glued to her healthy thighs. His Adam’s apple bobbed and he lost his train of thought.

Ida, still embarrassed by the earlier fainting spell, couldn’t stand the silence and lashed out.

“Don’t just stand there! I need pants and…” she stopped short and blushed furiously, pulling down on the hem again.

Kensley seemed to understand and his eyes shot down to her hands as if he could see through them.

Ida finally looked up and saw the trajectory of Kensley’s eyes.

“PERVERT!!!”

After the shrill scream, what happened next became a blur when the servants rushed to the scene.

***

Ida screamed into the pillow. Never in her 24 years of life had she been so humiliated. Thankfully, Kensley was fast to react and stood in front of her. She didn’t see his expression but his cold tone sent the servants packing out of the room.

Ida hid behind Kensley’s broad shoulders and could only lean on his muscular back. He smelled like soap. The skin on her palms seemed to burn where they touched him. The clear contrast between his body temperature and his voice sent shivers down her spine; she stanned the cold domineering type of man. When everyone had left, Kensley wordlessly turned around, placed her clothing in her hands, and walked out of the room as well, closing the door behind him.

Left alone, Ida quickly changed into her clothing. Her crumpled underwear was still warm with his body heat when she slipped it on but she didn’t have the luxury to complain. When she was done, she launched herself onto the bed and buried her head into the pillow in shame. She didn’t know how long she lay there but after a long while she huffed and rolled to one side and gazed out the window, plotting her escape.

“Is it too late to run?” Ida asked herself out loud.

“Yes.”

Ida jumped at the sudden voice behind her.

Kensley laid down behind her and wrapped a hand around her waist. Ida struggled but she couldn’t get out of his vice-like grip. His hot breath hit the side of her ear as he whispered coldly, “You’re stuck with me for three years…darling.”

***

A week went by and the servants treated Ida with the utmost respect. She is the Mistress of the house and they dared not offend her in any way. Besides, the way their Master had stood in front of her on their first day was not something they would forget in their lifetime.

Kensley normally ignored them, finally became a doting husband and a domineering master. The maids squealed when they all congregated in the kitchen, Their only regret was that they couldn’t extract their memory and make a copy of it.

Today, like any other day, the maids gossiped as they worked.

“Our Master is so sexy these days! He never goes topless around the house but as soon as he married the Mistress, we’ve been seeing him topless more so than not.”

“I think the Mistress likes that– I caught her turning the corner and doubling back to ogle at him,” a young maid giggled.

“Really!? That’s so cute. I wonder why they seem to be so frosty on the surface though.”

“I heard the marriage is a family alliance.”

“Oh… that’s a shame. I think they genuinely like each other. I hope they can sit down and have a good talk and sort things out.”

Suddenly a maid whispered urgently, “Shh! Mistress is coming.”

The maids all pulled their lips shut and busied themselves with their work.

Ida hurried past the open room without a word. When her quick footsteps faded down the hallway, the maids looked at each other.

“Do you think she heard us?”

“We didn’t say anything bad so it should be okay, right?”

They went back to work and continued gossiping.

Meanwhile, Ida rushed into her atelier and grabbed her burning cheeks. She had caught the last half of the maid’s conversation.

‘Kensley likes me? Me?? No, that can’t be.’

They slept together on the same bed but he never made a move. Despite his busy filming schedule, he made her a priority and always came back on time for dinner. He gave her the best room of the house making it into her atelier so she had somewhere to paint. All the servants were forbidden from entering and he gave her a key so she could lock the door. She reasoned that Kensley did all this because she was a Jacques but was that really true?

Ida shook her head. “Don’t delude yourself! Look at you! Who would ever love a stubby chubby like you?!”

She sniffed irritably and sat down in front of her latest piece, intent on forgetting the silly words she overheard.