Chapter 23

York, Great Britain. June 1068

On the first day of summer, Marion called Luke and Pollyanna into her office. Piracy continued to be a problem along the southern coast of England, but this area was too far from Hull to patrol effectively. The British Navy needed another base to patrol from, and the base would need an engineer to design it. Once Luke came into the office, Marion got right to the point.

“My navy needs a new base along the south coast. Any ideas?”

“Portsmouth. I was there before I was sent back, and it’s an excellent anchorage.”

“Any thoughts, Polly?”

Pollyanna was sitting due to her advanced pregnancy.

“Sounds good to me, but it’s not like I can go down there to supervise as I did in Hull.”

“I already know that; I only wanted your opinion. I’m ordering Luke to head down and oversee construction.”

“MARION!!! Why me?!?!”

“Simple, you’re my best remaining engineer.”

Luke wasn’t happy. If he was in Portsmouth, he couldn’t be in Marion’s bed, which meant he wouldn’t have Alice either. Alice couldn’t leave York because she taught several medical classes and performed one or two surgeries a day.

“Who’s going to run the army while I’m gone?”

“That’s what the telegraph and rail system are for general. You can run the army from Portsmouth just as well as from here. When can you leave?”

Luke snapped to attention, “I can leave today, your majesty.”

Marion caught on that Luke was ticked, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. While she was sympathetic, the new base had to be built and built quickly. If the raids were allowed to continue, it would undermine her authority.

“Very well, general. I will support you in any way I can. You are dismissed.”

Luke saluted and turned heel to leave. As he was walking out the door, Marion called to him:

“Luke, darling. I love you. I know you don’t want to do this but thank you.”

Luke paused and looked at his wife before leaving without saying anything. Marion and Gabriella looked at each other.

“Damn, he’s pissed!” exclaimed Gabby. “I wonder why?”

“Seriously, you wonder why? Think things thought for a second.”

Gabriella thought, and understanding came to her face.

“I wouldn’t have thought the dry spell would tick him off that much.”

“Gabby, this will be the longest we’ve been apart since we met. While I’ll have you and Alice to keep me company, Luke won’t have anyone.”

“Maybe you can send another woman with him?”

Marion looked at Gabby with a look of delusion.

“Seriously? I don’t think so; he’s got three women already. I think his bed is quite full.”

“How long is he going to be down in Portsmouth?”

“It could be a few months.”

“And you think you could go a few months without getting laid? Seriously, Marion, you can’t go a few days without getting laid, and you expect Luke to go months without getting laid?”

“Oh, come on, Gabby; he’s going to be too busy to even think about women, never mind getting laid.”

“He’s a guy Marion. That means he only thinks of two things; sex and food.”

“Oh, come on, Gabby. This is Luke we’re talking about; you know damn well he won’t sleep with another woman.”

“But you are Marion. I think until Luke gets back, you don’t get to sleep with another woman.”

“What are you saying, Gabby?”

“I’m saying that until Luke gets back, you get to sleep alone.”

Marion stared at Gabriella in disbelief. Gabriella had never done anything like this before, and Marion didn’t know how to react. Seeing Marion’s face, Gabriella shook her head and went to her desk to work on paperwork.

In the meanwhile, Marion had tears running down her face. Suddenly she stood up and strode out of her office with Gabriella trying to catch up. Gabriella might have been angry with Marion, but her job was to protect her at all costs, and Gabriella took her job seriously. Marion didn’t stop to wait for Gabriella to catch up; she had one goal and one goal only. She had to find Luke and apology to him.

While Gabriella and Marion were arguing, Luke was packing for several months. Even though he was ticked for being ordered away from his wife’s bed for months, the challenge of building a shipyard from scratch had him salivating. A construction project of this scale was something he had never done before. The complaining to Marion was nothing more than a soldier trying to keep his self-respect. His superior officer had given him a lawful order, and he was determined to carry it out. While packing, Luke made a mental list of everything he needed to do before he left. Top of the list was to visit Bard to organize the building of a rail line to Portsmouth.

After packing, Luke headed over to see Bard. Bard almost jumped out of his skin when Luke walked in.

“Hey, Bard, we need to talk. I was assigned to build a naval base in Portsmouth and will need some support.”

“What kind of support are you looking for?”

“We need a rail line with a double track from London to Portsmouth; this can also serve as the main line to southern England.”

“Then it’s a good thing we already own the land and have a route surveyed. That route wasn’t a priority, but I’ll put it at the top of the list.”

“Not good enough. Move some crews from other less important routes to get this one built.”

“Which crews, Luke? Every route currently under construction is vital for one reason or another.”

“Find one or two that don’t directly affect national security and pull the crews from them. Also, I need some heavy equipment moved down there. We’ll probably have to load it on a ship and move it that way; just make sure they have a naval escort with all the piracy going on.”

“Ok, when do you want the equipment to arrive?”

“Well, I’m leaving today with an engineering battalion, so if you can have the equipment there in, say, three weeks, we should have some piers built for offloading.”

“Anything else?”

Bard was ticked his schedules were being messed with again. It seemed like every time he had everything running smoothly, Luke would throw a wrench into things. This one wasn’t as bad as some, and from what Bard knew about the piracy problem, this base was badly needed. Still, it was annoying.

“Nope. I’m good,” Luke said while standing. “Just make sure to get started on the Portsmouth line ASAP and that the equipment makes it there in one piece and on time. Say hi to Ruth and your son for me, please.”

“You got it, Luke. Goodbye and good luck. Watch out for pirates while you’re down there.”

Luke nodded and was out the door. He would quickly visit the base to organize being away for so long and collect an engineering battalion before departing. The squad of guards assigned to Luke had difficulty keeping up with him, but Luke wanted to leave before sunset.

Walking into his office, Luke stopped dead in his tracks, causing one of his guards to run into the back of him and fall on his arse. Sitting in Luke’s chair was his beautiful blonde, her ever-present shadow in a corner.

“Hi, honey. What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you, darling, and apologize for how I acted earlier.”

“Nothing to apologize for. You are my superior officer, and gave me an order.”

“Luke, please don’t put it like that. You know damn well that everything I have accomplished was because of you. I am queen because of you. I have the most powerful military in the world because of you, and I’m happier than I ever hoped to be because of you. You gave me everything, and I go and take the one thing I can give you. I’m surprised you’re willing to talk to me, especially since none of your women can go with you.”

“Marion, I’m a soldier, and that’s one of the drawbacks. You have to spend time away from the ones you love. It’s part of the job.”

Marion stood up and crossed the room to hop into Luke’s arms. She wrapped her strong legs around his waist as his hands gripped her arse. Leaning forward, Marion whispered into Luke’s ear:

“I love you, Luke. I love you above everyone else, so don’t go getting yourself hurt while you’re down there. Also, I understand if you want another woman to warm your bed while you’re down there.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Luke growled. “When I married you, I gave myself to you, body, mind, and soul. I will never stray from you; you’re the only one for me.”

“What about Alice?”

“What about her? I love her, but she’s not you.”

“Luke, listen to me. Never tell Alice that. She loves you with all her heart, and if you tell her that, it will crush her. You love her in the same way you do me. I know it, and I know that you know it too.”

Luke stared at Marion, his blue-gray eyes piercing deep into her sapphire blues. Marion could almost feel Luke looking deep inside her, and she did her best not to block him. She wanted him to see everything. To see her love for him and her willingness to make any sacrifice for him. Eventually, Luke blinked and bent down to capture her ruby-red lips with his. Marion felt tension she didn’t even know she had leaving her body as she melted into Luke.

Seeing what was about to happen, Gabriella ushered the guards out the door and closed it on her way out. Neither Marion nor Luke heard Gabby leave or the door shut, and their universe only consisted of the person in front of them. Luke turned and sat on his desk with Marion still straddling him. She could feel his little soldier coming to attention as she ground her pelvis into his. Every move Marion made sent shockwaves of pleasure through her body; her thighs were so wet it felt like she had peed her pants. Luke could feel the heat from her core as Marion slowly rode him.

Luke finally slid a hand under Marion’s shirt and sent his rough hands up her spine, resulting in goosebumps all over her body. Marion’s nipples were now rock hard and begging for attention, attention they soon got as Luke moved his hands around to Marion’s front side. When his hands glided over her nipples, Marion moaned loudly as she tilted her head back to expose her neck. This was an invitation Luke never failed to accept as he moved in to nibble on her throat, producing more moaning from Marion.

Luke had to stop for Marion to remove her shirt, and before he got back to her throat, Marion removed his shirt. Now bare chest to bare chest, Marion rubbed her soft breasts against Luke’s chiseled chest, sending more shocks straight to her girly parts. If she was wet before, she was soaking now with moisture showing in the crotch of her pants.

It was now too much for Marion, and her hands attacked Luke’s pants. She had to remove the rest of their clothes and get him where he belonged. Luke tried to slow her down, but Marion was too far gone; she wanted to get laid NOW! Undoing her pants, Marion tore at the buttons on Luke’s pants as she battled to get them off. As soon as Little Luke appeared, he disappeared again, this time into Marion’s soft, hot tunnel.

The tip was barely in before Marion started cumming. Her orgasm never seemed to end as she couldn’t stop. Every movement Luke made sent her into a frenzy. With Marion clamping down on him so hard, Luke felt like he was with a virgin, and he didn’t last long. As Luke approached his peak, Marion started screaming in ecstasy, causing her guards outside Luke’s door to giggle like school girls as they listened. Finally achieving release, Luke felt like both his nuts would shoot out the end of his cock as he shot a flood of little swimmers.

Coming down from their orgasms, Luke and Marion were overtaken with the urge to sleep as they curled up on Luke’s office floor. He kept a few blankets in a small closet, which Gabriella used to cover the two lovers up when she slipped in to check on them. Before leaving, Gabriella kissed both of them on the cheek. She loved Luke and Marion so much that it hurt at times. It was worst when they had their few arguments. When they argued, Gabriella felt like a knife was being driven into her heart.

After Gabriella left, she finished making Luke’s arrangements for his travels. To help with security, Marion detailed a platoon of Household Guards to go with him. With the threats of piracy, they couldn’t be too careful. She also knew Luke would order a brigade from the 3rd division to join him at Portsmouth.

Two hours after they passed out, Luke and Marion woke up and wiped the sand out of their eyes. When Marion stood up, she felt Luke’s cum running down her legs and giggled.

“Hey Luke, don’t get up; I just had an idea.”

Marion threw her pants on and ran out the door. Luke was confused, but things cleared up when Marion returned with Gabriella. Before Gabriella could say anything, Marion undid her pants and pushed them down Gabby’s shapely legs. Gabriella was going to protest, but Marion silenced her with a kiss.

“Hop on, sweetheart. Both of you will need to build up some memories since he will be gone for a while.”

Gabriella straddled Luke and slowly slid down his cock. As her muscles stretched, her eyes widened until she felt the tip of Luke’s cock bottom out. Suddenly she turned into a wild woman and rode Luke for all she was worth. It was all Luke could do to hang on to Gabriella’s twisting body. Marion’s mouth hung open as she watched her best friend and protector ride her husband. Then Gabriella’s body froze, and her vagina tightened its hold on Luke’s cock. The feeling of her muscles milking him was too much for Luke as he shot another thick load out the tip. Feeling hot sticky semen shooting into her sent Gabriella shooting over the top as she flooded Luke’s lap with juice.

Gabriella’s eyes were glazed over as Luke laid her down, and Marion put a blanket over her. Before Luke put his pants on, Marion cleaned all the juices off his cock with her talented mouth and kept cleaning until a jet of cum hit the back of her throat.

Marion smiled up at Luke as she fixed his pants and stood up. By the time Marion stood up, Luke had regained his senses and pulled her in for a hug. Eventually, Luke let go and picked up his bag. Before he could think about it, he walked out the door, ready to get to work. The faster the naval base was operational, the quicker he could get back into Marion’s bed.

When the door shut, Gabriella woke up and looked at Marion as if she was seeing her for the first time. Getting up off the floor, Gabriella walked up to Marion and hugged her tightly before giving her a soft, loving kiss.

“Come on, Gabby, let’s go home.”

The pair left Luke’s office and locked it on the way out. Luke had his own key but wouldn’t be back for months. While it would be months before they were together with Luke, both had fond memories to hold them over until they could be with him again, which shifted their thoughts to Alice. She was the most sexually charged of the three but was the only one who didn’t get laid before Luke left.

Marion and Gabriella weren’t the only ones thinking about Alice. Luke was thinking about her, too, as he rode the train toward London. He hadn’t gotten to spend time with her and missed her. Marion was right to say Luke loved Alice as much as he did her. If Luke were honest with himself, he would have to admit he loved Alice more than Marion. Alice always seemed to know exactly what Luke was thinking and how to calm his fears. In that way, she was like his dead fiancé, and they were both redheaded doctors.

Climbing off the train in London, Luke had to put away all his thoughts of family and turn his full attention to his duty. The riots had calmed in London with the defeated rebellion, but the city was still a mess. Luke shook his head as he went to meet with the brigade commander who would accompany him to Portsmouth. The division commander would have been there, too, but he was busy squashing a minor revolt.

It seemed like a revolt would occur every few months in Britain. While the exact causes varied, most shared a common thread; hard-core religion was near the center. By this time, Luke was so fed up with religion that if he were king, he would have exiled all the priests in the nation. It was a good thing Marion was in charge and not him.

After the equipment was offloaded, Luke set their first destination. They would go to the fort that was the home of the 3rd division. There they would pick up the brigade that would be guarding them, and Luke would be able to speak with the division commander.

During the trip, the brigade commander filled Luke in on anything that might have been left out of reports. Luke had all the general outlines, but the brigade commander could fill in the holes in Luke’s knowledge. Holes like what the more minor revolts hoped to accomplish and civilians’ true feelings about the pirate raids. The civilians not directly impacted by pirate raids didn’t care, while the ones affected believed it was God’s plan. Luke was relieved when one of their responses wasn’t “Marion was at fault.”

Luke didn’t know if that was because the people didn’t care Marion had a female lover or if the news hadn’t reached them yet. He hoped it was the first reason but believed it was more likely the second. Either way, it gave Luke time to build the naval base.

The news when he reached the fort was equally interesting. The revolt the division commander had been suppressing was caused by a local noble who hadn’t been picked up after the noble’s rebellion. He believed he was the rightful heir to the English throne but hadn’t been able to participate in the noble’s rebellion because of sickness. Now he was dead, and his family had been forcibly removed from their dwelling. The division was disappointed because the noble in question had been relatively poor, so there wasn’t much booty.

Luke also learned that pirate raids seemed to be becoming more ferocious; this had Luke worried. If the pirates were becoming more brazen in their attacks, they might attack the shipyard before he could get it operational. The only thing Luke could do was to get the yard functional as quickly as possible and add more fortifications.

He planned on installing lighthouses on the Isle of Wight to mark the entrance to the harbor. In addition to lighthouses, Luke also planned to install watch towers and artillery emplacements to guard the port. With the increasing pirate activity, Luke decided these should take precedence over the harbor installations.