'Some more wine I think Matthew- will you fetch it my friend?!' called Rufus.
i glanced at Jenny. She was seated beside him, his hand casually upon her leg. The light summer frock was hitched up. He had gently teased her again.
'Yes sir' I responded hesitantly. I found it hard to leave the sight of her. I found it hard to think of them alone.
'No, Rufus, you call me Rufus, remember! The war, well that is done. There is no war here!' our billeted officer insisted.
I watched him kiss her. It was only a brush of their lips. It was just a signal of submission, a curtailment of hostilities. Jenny was quivering. The truth was, the terrible truth was, that she liked him. Rufus was cultured, often generous with the extra rations procured, and her brought her home silk stockings to wear. My wife didn't look at me. She refused to.
I went down to the cellar and found another bottle of burgundy. It was always the best burgundy that Rufus drank. Had a junior rank been. billeted with us, then it might have been beer. There might have been swearing and even violence. But after Jenny had gone to the billeting office, after she had been inspected, we had received the handsome Colonel. What was Rufus, may be thirty years old, too young to be a Colonel! You had to be ruthless to clamber the ranks quite that fast! I pulled the bottle, dusted it off and returned upstairs.
When I got there, she was seated on his lap, and he had a languid hand between her milk white thighs. I watched my wife kiss him as he petted her, her mouth, soft and open.
'The 82 vintage Matthew? It is so good?' he queried, pausing the seduction.
'Yes sir' I answered, forgetting his required term of address.
I opened the bottle, praying that the cork would not fail. His temper could be short. Everything about the man was precise, his crisp well fitting black uniform and highly polished cavalry boots, his starched white shirt, the perfect silver chain up his wrist. Jenny looked like a doll on his lap. Rufus eased her legs a little further apart, and teased her deeper. I watched her eyes close as he did so.
'Would you like another glass Jenny darling?' Rufus enquired.
She nodded. She wanted him to kiss her again. She wanted him to kiss and touch.
I poured the wine.
'You will enjoy the first glass Matthew,' he insisted. Well yes, of course, a precaution!
I had guessed the requirement already, and gulped down the wine with a 'so there, satisfied?' look in his direction. There were always residual precautions, 'security matters' Rufus said, so Jenny handcuffed me to our bed before she went to his room at night.
'You look beautiful together, it's a relief Rufus' I said. It was the truth, he solid, black, muscular and military, she petite, artistic, feminine and available on his lap. My wife glanced across at me. She didn't believe that, did she, but the war was done. We had lost. It was time to make peace.
'You are very noble Matthew!' said Rufus, teasing gently again. 'The fools at the billet office, you know they wanted to have a platoon of my men in your stables. But I said no, this is our nest. Matthew is pleased that I'm here! Jenny is so relieved that the change is complete!'
He smiled at my wife and then kissed her. She didn't resist.
