— You may be right there.
And Choisy noted that he had sparked off in Rosalie a certain curiosity that would perhaps prove the key to the problem of becoming more intimate with her. He started being more tender with her, and saw that she was not fighting shy of it.
One evening, after they both had had dinner as guests of a common friend, with d'Haucourt, the latter offered to accompany them both home.
— I don't know if we must accept, said Choisy, there's the risk of some gossiper seeing us and starting to spread some unfounded rumours.
— It would serve me in good stead if someone did that, said d'Haucourt.
— But, sir, and what about my reputation?
— I shall stop at your door, d'Haucourt assured her.
— That's what you say-but I trust Miss Rosalie will do me the honour of accepting my hospitality.
— But certainly, Rosalie answered, pleased to be of service to her great friend.
And that is how d'Haucourt saw the door being shut in his face by the two women.
— The poor knight, said Rosalie, he thought it was in the bag.
— Shall I have a room prepared for you, as well as a fire? said Choisy. If I dared, I would offer you to share my bed, that would be the simplest solution, and I confess I would feel more in security with you in my bed in case the bold knight took it into his head to climb up to my window.
And Choisy gave Rosalie a friendly kiss, which convinced her to accept his offer. And so, while Rosalie was praising the furniture of Choisy's room, Choisy praised Rosalie's body, as she was undressing.
— Your shoulders are worthy of a goddess, he told her.
He started giving her little kisses which made her shudder with pleasure.
— Darling, do stop, please-are you trying to replace Rozan?
— Who knows? Oh, but here are breasts fit to make envious all the nymphs of the mythology.
Rosalie, although she was obviously influenced by the caresses and compliments Choisy was giving her, endeavoured to control herself and adopted a mocking tone as a shield to her emotions.
— My word, did Mr. d'Haucourt, put you in such a state? she asked.
— No, you did!
And his lips solicited Rosalie's with such skill that the comedian became all languid.
— I wonder how all that is going to end, she said, feeling a little ashamed at what she guessed was lying ahead.
— In the best possible way, Choisy said confidently.
Choisy left only one lamp on and, after having undressed quickly, joined Rosalie in his bed.
First, he just gave her a few friendly caresses which did not betray his real sex and which proved successful in exciting Rosalie.
— What we're doing is bad, she murmured.
— Would you prefer to have Rozan in your bed instead of me? asked Choisy.
— He certainly would like to be in your place! ejaculated Rosalie.
— But what is to prevent me from replacing him? said Choisy, and, so saying, proved his virility to Rosalie who, too late, tried backing away. Choisy precipitated his action and held close to him Rosalie's attractive body with an ardour that melted all her resistance.
The effect of surprise played a great part in seducing Rosalie, for, before the final assault-so to speak-she had been led by caresses to a state of exacerbation which made her subsequent resistance much too weak for Choisy's fire. And when the Big Bad Wolf was in, she could no longer think straight and abandoned herself to the intoxication of love.
They both came in a wonderful spasm that shook them to the core and emptied them for a moment of all energy. During the resting period that followed, Rosalie contemplated the instrument that had given her such wonderful feelings, and said:
— Gorgeous, that thing of yours, if your breast was false, at least that isn't.
— You're right, said Choisy, I've been well provided by nature… Imagine d'Haucourt's face if he had been in this bed instead of you! laughed Choisy.
— It would have ended in a duel!
— I prefer “fighting” at close quarters with you, mocked Choisy.
Then they started making love again. Rosalie gave him kiss for kiss and caress for caress. She was evidently highly pleased with having found so opportunely such an unexpected and skilful lover. And the very unusual way in which she had lost her virtue gave her conscience a good excuse for having done so.
She gave herself fully to her voluptuousness and suddenly seized with her hands the virile instrument of her partner, superb and palpitating, and growing bolder still, covered with kisses this rod which had given her such pleasure.
Choisy did not resist such caresses a long time, and had to withdraw after a little while in order to keep his sap in.
In less time than it takes to say it, the two lovers had started again their love-making in a furiously passionate way. Rosalie (thought Choisy) was a really attractive and well-shaped woman, just right for his size, too!
The kisses and the intermingling of bodies became more abundant and more nervous and produced an abundant perspiration. In the quiet room one could hear sighs, grunts of pleasure and the rubbing of bodies.
Choisy, who liked to prolong pleasure as much as possible, now proceeded to put his partner in the most perfect state of receptivity and lavished the most skilful caresses on her. His hands ran slowly along all the flesh part of her anatomy, and when his fingers reached the source of pleasure by excellence, they slowly drew apart its lips to penetrate their warm and humid intimacy.
Then he gave back to Rosalie the very intimate caresses she had spontaneously given him with her mouth. She lay there in ecstasy, breathing heavily, while she let Choisy drink in the sap of her body at its source. And she was really happy then as she had never been before and thanked Heaven to have got across her path such a wonderful lover as Choisy.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Choisy went on being Mrs. de Sancy, except for Rosalie. He had told his new mistress how “Monsieur,” the King's brother, had given him the taste for disguising himself as a woman but he pointed out that he, Choisy, had not lost any of his virility.
— And you find your ruse always successful? she asked, laughing.
— Well… sometimes, Choisy answered modestly, to admit of this metamorphosis it takes favourable circumstances as well as exceptional persons like you.
Rosalie, flattered, smiled. It was for her an unexpected pleasure to see her lover come out of his feminine chrysalis and then, after having given her proof of his virility, go back into his women's clothes. She reasoned that very few persons could have got away with it for any length of time. The remarkable thing was that Choisy was far from being a weak male or an awkward beginner. He was on the contrary expert in voluptuousness and very strong in constitution. But, being vain like nearly all women, she attributed Choisy's special fire and energy in love-making to her own power of seduction. She even went as far as thinking that her harmonious body had been the cause of Mrs. de Sandy's getting out of her reserve. That is why she took good care of keeping Choisy's secret for herself so that she should be the only beneficiary of it. She was at the stage when hidden affairs were more thrilling than open ones.
True, people had not failed to notice the strong friendship that united Rosalie with Mrs. De Sancy, but they had not enough imagination to suspect that anything unusual was afoot, so that their comments on the subject were without malice. Of course, both lovers wisely abstained from being demonstrative in public. They more than made up for their reserve when they were together in the intimacy of their bed-room. There, nothing could hold back their frantic passion.
