A Beauteous Flower

Part 42 - The Depth of the Problem

A loud chop woke Madison the next morning. During Fall and Winter, Daniel always lit fires in the fireplaces for warmth and he split wood every morning to feed the fires. Madison sat up and winced at the little pinch in her side. Her face went flat with disappointment. Another wasted egg. Madison yanked on some sweatpants, shuffled into her fuzzy slippers, and peeked around the curtains. At least she could get a secret voyeuristic thrill.

Daniel wore his heavy, steel-toed boots and blue jeans. Stripped to the waist, he moved with an easy grace as the axe head circled up in a high arc to slam down, driven by the corded muscles in Daniel's arms and shoulders. There was something awesomely sexy to Madison in the sweaty masculine display of Daniel at the wood pile. She bit her bottom lip as Daniel placed another log on the block and split it with an efficient stroke. He kept up a steady, focused rhythm. One blow after another split a log efficiently and completely. She knew that rhythm and had felt it inside her in the depths of the night. Hungry sexual fog clouded her mind.

How long had it been since she had made love with Daniel? Madison looked away from Daniel so she could concentrate for a moment. It had to be close to three weeks.  Three weeks of cold turkey celibacy with nothing on the horizon which left Madison supremely frustrated. For now, however, the "look but don't touch" approach would have to satisfy her, so she turned her eyes on Daniel again just as he smote another log.

Daniel looked so delicious! She tried not to think like that, but she couldn't help herself. Three weeks of abstinence in addition to her current ovulation meant she was literally a bitch in heat. She positively ached for Daniel's touch and there he was, half naked and sweaty with that sultry midnight stubble on his face;, the portrait of the fearless, strong man in chick flicks that might either rescue a girl from the woods or relentlessly pursue a girl as she fled breathlessly through the woods. Both fantasies flitted seductively in Madison's mind as she peered out at him, and both fantasies ended with a luscious similarity. In the end Daniel flung her to the ground and had his way with her. Desire quivered up her legs and she could almost feel Daniel's musky sweat splatter on her body like warm drops of wax.

God, she wanted that man! Ignorant of her prurient leer, Daniel split another log and then wiped his brow with the back of his hand in a gesture that was wholly innocent, but secretly suggestive to Madison. Madison wanted Daniel so bad it made her squirm. A wild thought crossed her mind to run to him and attack him right there by the woodpile.

Then Daniel hitched his pants up and Madison noticed that Daniel had lost weight. Not only that, but some of the robust vitality seemed to have left him and his face had a set to it that was almost sad. Madison's desire faded. This wasn't the Daniel she remembered. This Daniel was sick with a fractured heart and yet all she all she could think about was how to get her lusty paws on him. Madison cursed and reminded herself that she wasn't allowed to have Daniel like that.  Not yet anyway.

If she did her job well, if she was gentle and kind and inspired his trust again, Daniel would come to her when he was ready. That is what she wanted with her all her heart, no matter what her body wanted. Until that time, however, she would have to patiently wait here in this sumptuous, velvety hell of desire. If she ever needed motivation in this new quest for Daniel's love, the memory of this moment would be just the ticket. Madison pushed open the French doors and went out onto the balcony.

"Good morning, Daniel," she purred and posed for him, bent forward on the railing. "How is my man today?"

Daniel looked up for a moment and then put another log on the chopping block and slammed the wood into two equal pieces. Maybe Madison might have been a little too forward. Daniel didn't wholly belong to her right now. Not anymore. Not yet. Madison cleared her throat in embarrassment.