Page 44 of My Darling Clementine

“How humiliating.” Her voice emerged, muffled. “Do we have to?”

Clem kissed the veil covering her beautiful hair. “Trust me, Kizzy,” she whispered, “this part is just for show, like play acting. Follow my lead.”

She danced them near the Blairs, saying in a stage whisper loud enough to be overheard, “I promise, my dear, I’ll be gentle.” Raising her blushing bride’s chin, she kissed Kizzy, then danced them around the room one more time.

When they reached the door, Clem grabbed her hand, and they hurried through the lobby, up the stairs, and yanked each other’s arms as Kizzy turned left and Clem right. Rebounding, they collided and laughed along with those watching below. The groom swept the bride up in her arms and headed for the room at the end of the hall. Loud chuckles and wishes for “Sweet dreams,” followed them from downstairs. The fiddler took a break, and an expectant hush fell over the wedding guests, so when she kicked the door closed everyone heard it.

“Alone at last,” Clem carried her across the room, kissing her before setting her down. “How are you feeling?” she asked, arms still around her.

“I’m…” Kizzy offered her a tentative grin, “a little nervous, to tell you the truth, with all those people listening down there.”

Clem chuckled, removing her pocket watch and propping it open on the bedside table. “We’ll give it a few minutes, then we’ll make the appropriate noises and, after the fiddler starts up his last set, no one will pay any more attention to us.”

“Make the appropriate noises?”

Kizzy looked so cute Clem kissed the tip of her nose.

Quick as lightning, she figured it out. “Oh… oh!”

“Exactly, only louder,” Clem agreed, nodding. “You don’t want our friends and neighbors downstairs to wonder at my skills and ability, do you?

“Oh! Oh!” said Kizzy with much more volume. “Oh, Clem!” She grinned.

“Now, now, don’t get ahead of yourself.” She chuckled. “We’ve barely been in here long enough to begin undressing you.” Her hand roamed across the mounded hills of Kizzy’s breasts. “And that’s a job only an idiot would rush.” She leaned down and kissed one bare shoulder.

“Hm, so I would probably already be out of my dress.” Kizzy teased.

“And your shoes,” agreed Clem, unbuttoning them for her. “Kick them off.” As Kizzy did, she lost her balance and toppled onto her back on the bed. The hoopskirt petticoat popped straight up in Clem’s face. In front of her, a pretty triangle of light-brown curls peeked through a wide slit in satin lace pantaloons trimmed in blue ribbon. “Oh, my,” she managed, blinking several times before Kizzy hopped back up on her feet. “Now, if a man were to find himself looking at that,” she said with feeling, “he might not be able to wait a moment longer.”

“Good thing you’re not a man and can control yourself,” said sassy Kizzy with a smug grin.

Swallowing hard and clearing her throat, Clem took one of her own shoes and hung it over the doorknob, covering the keyhole. “For any prying eyes,” she explained. She draped a pillow over the end of the bed, gesturing for Kizzy to stand behind it and in front of her, facing the headboard.

Leaning down, she kissed one bare shoulder. “Together, we’re going to rock the bed with our knees. After a few bounces, I’m going to go faster and push hard, and that’s when I’m ‘taking’ your virginity. Then we’ll make loud noises as if going at it hot and heavy.” She put her arms around Kizzy’s waist, hugging her from behind. “I know you’ve been with women, but have you ever been penetrated?”

Sending a coquettish look over her shoulder hot enough to sizzle, Kizzy winked. “Is that a traditional wedding night question the groom asks the bride?”

Clem grinned back. “You’re right, it destroys the mystery. I’ll find out for myself soon enough. Okay, we’ll start slow, then when I speed up and give you a really big shove from behind, squeal like it hurts, but not like you’re scared.”

She leaned them both forward over the bed, snuggling her groin up close to Kizzy’s bottom, but the hoop skirt popped out at both sides. “What the hell?”

Kizzy laughed, then shoved them both upright again. “I’ll take it off, and the veil, too, so it doesn’t rip. Then we can start getting ‘hot and heavy’.” She pulled up her skirt and switched the waist of the petticoat around until the button was in front. Under Clem’s curious eyes, she let it fall from under her skirt to hit the floor, collapsing as flat as the silk top hat. Kizzy kicked the garment out of the way, then she raised her arms, pulled hairpins free, removed the veil, and tossed it on top of the petticoat.

With a wink, saucy grin, and slimmer silhouette, Kizzy scooted back over the pillow, a cascading wave of luscious hair spreading across her back as she lay down again.

Seeing her like that on the bed made Clem lose her train of thought. “Uh, where was I?”

“You’ll push hard and I squeal like it hurts.”

Clem stepped behind her, placing her feet between Kizzy’s. “But not like you’re scared. After that, you can make sounds of pleasure if you want.” She ran her eyes over the luscious body before her. “I will be, and you don’t want Mrs. Bates to worry you’re not enjoying yourself.”

“Heaven forbid,” Kizzy said, looking around at her.

“Then, after we do that for a while, I’ll speed up again until I give an even bigger push, and shout out your name.” Taking Kizzy’s hips in her eager hands, she felt those fascinating pantaloons under the dress and spent a moment exploring with curious fingers. When Kizzy turned to look up again, blue eyes smoldering, Clem cleared her throat and bent over her, once again covering her hands to maximize contact. She whispered in her bride’s ear, nibbling it. “Are you ready, my little virgin?”

“Ready,” answered Kizzy, snuggling her bottom back into Clem’s groin.

With a loud, theatrical groan, Clem nudged into Kizzy’s hips from behind, pushing their knees against the pillow draped over the foot of the bed. The bed frame rocked, bedsprings squeaked, and the wooden headboard tapped the wall behind it. She rocked them back and forth enough to tap the wall a half dozen times.