The Captive (sispuppet and Bella)

Craig wakes up to the smell of something delicious being cooked. It takes him a moment to remember that he’s not still in the city, and that he has a captive with him here. A captive that likes cooking breakfast, apparently. Sitting up, he looks around before jumping off the bed. He rubs the sleep from his eyes as he walks down the stairs and to the kitchen. The sight that greets him leaves the bootlegger stunned. It was simply the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The simple dress suited Erin’s figure perfectly, and with the light reflecting off her hair, he wouldn’t be surprised if he discovered she was an angel. That she was cooking breakfast while doing all this, looking like a proper wife, only made the whole thing better. Then the moment is broken when she turns to face him. The girl’s eyes go wide, and after a moment of silence, she begins to yell at him while turning around. Broken from his reverie, Craig looks down, realizes what it is she’s going on about, and laughs all the way back to his room where he puts on a pair of pants before heading back downstairs, still not bothering with a shirt.

“You acting like you’ve never seen a man like that before. You lived in that apartment with your pa. You musta gotten a peek a few times.” He says as he pours himself a glass of juice. Erin had just finished cooking, but waits until she’s empty handed before turning her around and pulling the girl into a kiss. “Good morning beautiful.” He mumbles, smiling at her as he lets go, moving away before she can slap him. He gets two bowls out and puts some hot oats in each before setting them down on the table. It occurs to him that she had never specified that she had made for the both of them, but it seemed a moot point to worry about. “It looks delicious.” He tells her before spooning some and tasting it. “Mm, I could get used to this!” The man remarks with a wink at the girl before digging in.

She had been minding her own when he had come down with nothing but those under britches on and she might of fainted if she hadn't turned away, blushing so hard she feared all the blood in her body was up in her cheeks. By the time she had recovered, he was back downstairs, fixing himself some juice. "I haven't ever seen a man walk around like that before, especially da. If he wasn't in his suit, he was wearing a long wool robe over his pajamas. You are a scandalous lout-" she was saying, gasping as he turned her swiftly and kissed her. Before she could react, he was gone, fixing himself a bowl and her as well. once he started to eat at the oatmeal, she reluctantly sank down onto the nearest chair, sliding her bowl closer to her before eating.

She remains silent for a few minutes before speaking. "You have to stop kissing me. No cash, no checks, this bank is always closed," she said, giving him a hard look. "And your acting like a heathen where is your sense of decency. Wear a shirt," she said then looked down, once more eating in silence. When she finished, Erin stood, rinsing her bowl in the sink before washing up the rest of the dishes. "Don't get used to it. I only cooked breakfast because I was hungry and I don't see any point and lazing about and moping. Idle hands are the devils work and this whole house needs a thorough cleaning."

“Long wool robes sound like they’d cook me alive. I’d rather be cool and comfortable, and give all the Janes a nice look at what they want to see.” Craig remarks, stretching a little just so she can see his muscles. He moves his seat a little closer to hers and keeps on eating. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, then don’t be so much fun to kiss.” He tells her with a wink. “You don’t seem to mind em as much as you think. Nothing says I gotta wear a shirt. It gets warm in here, and I don’t want to have to wash too many clothes. Maybe I’ll go for a dip later. Then you can pretend you’re not watching me swim.” He finishes his own meal quickly and adds it to the pile, watching Arabella wash the stuff up.

“You sure I can’t get used to it? I don’t get a meal like that every day. It’s not exactly making me regret having you here.” He looks around, and she did have a point. There wasn’t a lot in the house, but no one had been sweeping, mopping, wiping, or dusting. It really could do with a proper clean up. “Oh trust me, it’s not just idle hands that can get devilish.” He moves up behind Erin, hearing her gasp as he presses his body against her back. He wonders if she’d be able to feel the hard bump in his trousers. He his hands down her arms, taking hold of her hands and giving her fingers a squeeze. Leaning in, he whispers in her ear. “I’d say everything in this house could use a woman’s touch.” From there, he kisses her neck before slowly pulling himself away from her body.

Erin's eyes closed as he moved behind her and she felt his hands lingering on her flesh causing her to grow warm from the inside out. She felt something pressing against her, different from the rest of him and growing. As he kissed her neck, she swallowed hard, feeling a mix of relief and loss as he moved away from her and she grabbed his bowl and spoon, washing it and setting it in the opposite sink to dry. "Well, enjoy your leisure. If I am forced to stay here, I'm going to make it less a dirt pile and more homey..." She said, glancing at him, cheeks blushing.

A thorough look around garnered some rags, a mop, broom and powder detergent and bleach with which to clean. Filling two buckets, she put on the radio in the main room and got to work, dusting, sweeping and scrubbing. It kept her mind off the lusty thoughts in her head as she imagined his hands touching her beneath her clothes, or more kisses. He certainly had more influence over her body reactions than what she liked. He was dangerous to her virtue and her soul.

“Oh, I intend to enjoy more than just that, if you get me.” Craig tells her with a wink. “Knock yourself out doll. I ain’t gonna complain. This place’ll never be the Ritz, but I wouldn’t mind if you started calling it home.” He says, watching and smiling as Erin blushes. He leaves her to get to work cleaning, not particularly worried about her trying anything with the chemicals. He got the feeling there wasn’t much danger of that. Sitting down, he starts to read a book, tapping his foot along with the song on the radio.

Both of them look up at it as a news broadcast comes through. It’s a missing persons report for her, telling people to contact the authorities if they have any information, and that a cash reward will be provided. “Damn, he moves fast.” Craig mutters, surprised that Erin’s father had gotten the word out so quickly. He wondered how quick people would be to answer though. If they give bad info, then they might just end up getting bumped off. Plus, despite him being the most powerful mobster in the city, there were still some rivals. They might be on the lookout for her now.

Craig looks over at Erin, gauging her reaction to it. Maybe he should have gotten rid of the radio as well. As the broadcast ends, Swanee starts to play. Happy for the distraction, Craig starts to sing along as he takes hold of Erin’s hand. “I’ve been away from you for a long time.” He sings in his best impersonation of Al as he pulls the girl to him and starts to dance with her. “I never thought I’d miss you so.” He even gets her into a spin and a dip, giving her a peck on the lips before returning to dancing.

As the radio switched to a news broadcast, her face fell. Her da was looking for her, just as she had known he would and as the news broadcast left off with a song, she sighed and was going back to cleaning when Craig took her hand, drawing her close into a dance. His singing voice was a good one. Of course she had never met an Irishman that didn't know how to sing. Blushing, she let him lead her about the parlor and spin and dip her. Her blush deepened as he kissed her only to draw her up and dance with her more.

"Well Craig, I will say you are certainly good at charming me," she admitted then bit her bottom lip. "This is...is my first dance," she murmured, lowering her gaze as her hand gripped his shoulder while the other was held in his warm grasp. The hand at her waist was warm and seemed to burn through the fabric of her dress. It was nice to get lost and pretend all was right. That they were at a club and she was dressed up fancy. "It's my first time away from home, your my first kiss. And you're right," she conceded. "I do like kissing you. But it has to stop..."

Erin swallowed then drew back from him, stopping the dancing. "You can't keep doing this. I...it's wrong. You say I'm what you want, well....I come at a price....and that price is marriage...."

Craig smiles as the girl finally admits to being charmed. It only grows broader as she gives in to enjoying the kiss. “It was your first dance, but it don’t have to be your last, doll. Just tell me when you want to dance again, and I’ll be happy to oblige.” He tells her. Marriage, well that had been his plan all along, hadn’t it? Admittedly, that was just to get back at Patrick, but Craig realizes that he could do a lot worse for a wife. Erin was a classic Irish beauty, the kind any man would want to marry, and he liked kissing and dancing with her enough to do it all day. She was the bee’s knees when it came to cooking and cleaning too. Having her around the house might actually make him want to stay there instead of going back to the city.

“Well I do want to one day.” He tells her. “There’s no rush just yet though. I’m sure you’d like to know me a bit better than the dancer who literally swept you off your feet.” He says, winking at her. “If you like the kisses though, if you like the dancing, then why not enjoy them for now?” He leans down and gives her a soft kiss on the lips. “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of kissing.” Craig says in a low whisper as he pulls away, staying a few inches from the girl’s lips. “So if you want to, then kiss me. I ain’t gonna complain.” He looks her in the eyes, both hands on the girl’s waist. He waits for her, curious to see if she would.

"Because...I...I don't trust myself," Erin admitted, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently. Licking her lips after he withdrew, hearing his words and then looking at him. She did want to kiss him. Damn it all. He had kidnapped her and brought her to the middle of nowhere and yet she couldn't help but feel attracted to him, and very sinful. Surely something that felt so good was wrong. As he pretty much dared her to kiss him, she flushed and then slowly lifted her mouth to his, innocently pressing her lips to his, her body melting against him. It was a dangerous thing to do, especially with her body reacting so vehemently that her veins felt afire. Drawing back after a moment, Erin found herself breathless.

"I...I shouldn't...I'm going to go to hell for this fornication," she muttered, thinking that kissing was the same as sex. She hadn't ever been told what sex was but figured it was something akin to the kissing. She didn't have a mother to explain sex and her father certainly hadn't told her about it. Only to stay away from men who sought to ruin her.

The kiss feels more innocent than their previous ones, and it's easy to know why. He was letting Erin lead, and she was nervous, even scared of what she was doing. Craig could only imagine how difficult it was for the girl to be falling in love with her captor. He gives her a moment to catch her breath, and nearly laughs at what she says. He couldn't believe it. He figured her old man kept her sheltered, but did he didn't think Patrick would be one of those parents that didn't explain nothing to their kids. He couldn't help but laugh a bit at her innocence. Old Pat really gave him a beautiful present wrapped up in a bow. "Baby, I figure you don't know from nothing about this stuff, but kissing isn't fornication." Smiling, he brings his arms to her waist, hugging her against him. "That's something else altogether, but it's even more fun. I know you ain't trusting anything I say doll, but believe me. If kissing was fornication, I wouldn't have done it without your permission."

He leans back and looks her in the eyes, not able to resist teasing her a bit. "You know that means you can kiss me all you want without getting pregnant, right?" He says in a low voice before stealing another one just to prove his point. Taking hold of Erin's hand, he moves it to her bare chest and starts to move it downwards. "No baby, fornication, that's something else. It's... well, let's just say there's a reason so many people think it's worth the sin." He keeps moving her hand until it's right above the bulge that's formed in his pants. "I could show you what it is, and make sure it feels really good for you. All you have to do is ask." He doesn't touch her hand to his hardness just yet, not wanting to scare the girl. "I can give you an idea about it though. You ever touch yourself, Erin?" He asks her. "You ever feel extra warm between your legs, or washed it a bit too long when you were in the shower? It's a way to make yourself feel real good without fornication." His free hand starts to move to the girl's front, resting against her thigh, mere inches from her sex.

As he laughed, her cheeks burned and then she felt his hand taking hers, fingers lightly trailing down the nakedness of his chest and then toward his waist, stopping above that bulge. When his questions about intimacy began, her cheeks only got hotter. "Well....sometimes when I'm in a bath....s-sometimes I get achy there...especially after, well...after my cycle...that's when it feels different. I asked father about it but he said I should just ignore those feelings because it was sinful..." As his hand moved to her thigh, she flushed more.

"How am I supposed to make it feel good?" She inquired then looked at him. "You can show me, just as long as you swear I won't get pregnant," she told him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "T-teach me....how to feel good without worrying about having a baby." By this point, Erin's cheeks were so red and hot she felt they might burst into flame. Her hand moved to curl over his. It certainly had to be sinful but Erin wanted to understand it. He said it could be good and well, she didn't exactly know how babies came to be so she just had to trust him not to take it to far.

Of course her old man would tell her to ignore it, that hypocritical bastard. Craig considers telling the girl what her deal old pa was like around the ladies that frequented his establishments, but decides against it. Erin definitely wouldn’t believe him about that. Instead he just shakes his head. “Ain’t nothing wrong with it, especially if you do it right.” He tells her. The man’s jaw drops at her question. Was she taking him for a sap? No, the way she’s blushing and saying he has to make sure she won’t get pregnant, she was serious about this! Craig has a broad grin on his face and nods. “I promise baby. I’ll show ya what you wanna see, and you won’t have to worry about getting knocked up.” He assures her.

Pulling Erin with him, Craig falls back on the couch, turning her around so that the girl sits on his lap with her back against him. Now he knows she can feel his bulge under her, but doesn’t worry about explaining it. She’d find out soon enough at this rate. Kissing her neck, he guides Erin’s hands down to her legs, moving her dress back up with them to start exposing her legs. “There’s a place you gotta touch, you know. That’s where your hands have ta go.” He’s whispering in her ear now, in between the kisses to her neck. His hands lead hers up to her thigh, her dress now pushed up far enough to expose plenty of her long pale legs to him. His cock gives a twitch against Erin’s backside, causing him to push up slightly as he looks at her.

Erin gasped as he drew her into his lap and turned her so her back was to him. She felt that bulge beneath her but didn't ask what it was. She was to distracted by the way he was kissing her neck and drawing her dress up with her hands. It was so sensuous, having him guide her hands over her skin and it felt to good to stop. I'm going to hell, she thought wildly but then he was kissing her again and she could feel twitching beneath her. Between her legs was throbbing incessantly. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. Not even those hot baths that had caused the throbbing before. No this was different, stronger. As his hands guided hers up to her thighs, she knew exactly where he meant to take those hands.

As her hands touched that place between her legs, she felt moisture mixed with her downy curls, soft and thin and when she touched a certain part, her hips jerked and when they jerked, her bottom rubbed that bump pushing against her backside, causing it to twitch again. "S-sorry..." she said, glancing back at him. "Wh-what do I do now?" she asked, surprised she even had the ability to speak. Lord knew she was about to faint from shear pleasure. And they hadn't even done anything.

"No..." Craig murmurs, pulling Erin down against him, grinding his clothed election along her ass. "Don't apologize. That was good." He says, holding her down against him. "Next, you just touch yourself however you like. Make it feel as good as you can. If you find a spot that's really good, then keep touching that." He leads her hand back to the spot that made her move so suddenly and has her focus a finger there, rubbing circles around it. The girl's face is red and hot not, ad he feels moisture on her neck when he kisses her again. "Just like that. You like it, don't you?"

Now Craig moves her hand away, hearing Erin whimper as he does. "Don't worry, let's just get this out of the way." After the reassurance, his hand guides hers along her smooth thigh again, and this time gets it under the cloth of her underwear. He can feel the moist heat of her arousal as he leads her to touch herself again, and when her finger brushes against the sensitive spot she loves so much, he lets his own thumb join it, rubbing her wet skin gently. "This would be easier if the clothes weren't in the way." He suggests, his free hand playing with the buckle of her belt but not loosening it yet. "What do you say, baby? You don't even need to take it all off. Just enough so we can see what we're doing." As he says that, his thumb pushes against her sensitive spot and he thrusts his hip up, pushing his cock against her backside.

Under his tutelage, she moaned softly and used her fingers just as he said. First on her panties and then he was moving her hand away. It had felt so good that she didn't want to stop. Then he was guiding her hands again and moving her underwear so that her fingers could get beneath it. Her soft downy curls were wet with some sort of liquid but she didn't understand what it was. Even so, Erin was quick to start touching herself again, feeling his own thumb joining her fingers as she brushed that sensitive spot. It felt to good to stop, so sinful but so good. As he spoke about getting naked, she blushed and then glanced back at him before slowly drawing her hands up, gasping when he pushed against that sensitive sweet spot between her legs and that thing pushing against her backside only seemed to aid in her arousal.

"Oh...." she panted and then with shaking fingers took off her belt and then slowly lifted her dress off to reveal her slender back and simple brazier. Slowly, she turned herself in his lap, straddling him as she drew her hair down as she looked at him, cheeks red. "I can't...can't finish..." she admitted and then leaned down and started to kiss him gently. "Please don't stop touching me Craig," she begged him gently. "I want to watch. Is that wrong?"

Craig takes over pulling the dress off of Erin, still amazed that she so willingly listened to him. The girl was drunk on arousal, and he actually wondered for a second what would happen once that ended. Well, he'd just worry about it when they got there. The dress and belt are quickly tosses aside, and the man is surprised again as she turns around. Her hair is dissheveled, falling in front of her face. If she had any idea how amazingly, sinfully beautiful she looked right now, he was sure the girl would be ashamed. "Of course I'll keep touching you." He says, accepting the kiss and returning a deep one of his own. "Nothing wrong with wanting to watch. There's nothing wrong with anything you want to do doll, unless you say it's wrong. Simple as that. So you tell me how wrong you say this is." As he talks, his hands move to her waist. This time, they travel around and down, grabbing the girl's ass cheeks hard and lifting her up before pushing her back down so that her crotch rubs against his.

There's a groan of pleasure from both of them as they rub against each other with only a few pieces of fabric between them. "This..." He mutters, rubbing against her. "Is fornication baby." He sees her eyes open wide and her cheeks get even redder, but he's quick to cut her off before she can freak out. "Well, not quite, but it's close." Craig actually regrets correcting himself. He would have loved to see if she would have continued, even thinking it was fornication. She certainly seemed eager to kiss him when that's what she figured. "All we'd have to do is get the clothes outta the way. Then I'd show you just how good it really feels."

His hands move up, undoing her bodice and letting it drop, revealing Erin's pale breasts. He looks down, devouring the sight of them before smiling up at her again. "God, you're beautiful. I've gotta say, I'm really not regretting kidnapping you right now." He says, leaning forward and kissing her as he grabs her breast. Having her sit up, he finds the hem of her underwear next, pulling it down quickly and throwing it behind the couch. Then he surprises Erin by having her stand up in front of him before he leans back. "Sorry doll, I'll get right back to touching you." He promises. "I just wanna enjoy the view for a bit."

As he freed her breasts, Erin found herself gasping and watching his face as he started to cup those pale orbs and then he was kissing her again. In this state she was sure she would agree to anything he did. Never in her life had she been so hot and sensitive. As he took off her panties and had her stand, her cheeks flooded and she resisted the urge to cover herself. Somehow, watching him look at her, made her feel even warmer. Brushing her red hair back, she blushed. "You are taking a lot of my firsts..."she murmured.

In the back of her mind, she knew that her doing this was morally wrong. She knew well that all of this would ruin her for another man and yet she couldn't stop herself from wanting. After standing there for several long seconds, she leaned forward and kissed him again. "Alright...enough looking," she whispered then kissed him again, moving to straddle his waist. "Please Craig," she begged, the Irish lilt to her tone more prominent with her excitement. "I feel as though I'm going to burst into thousands of pieces. As though I'm being strung tight inside. Is that normal?" She asked with a soft moan.

“That’s the plan, doll.” Craig mutters, running his hand through her hair. “I don’t just want to take a lot of firsts. I want to take them all.” He happily welcomes Erin as she straddles him again, pulling her into the kiss. “Oh yeah, it’s normal. You feel ready to burst, don’t you baby?” He moves a hand up her leg, and as a finger follows the parted line of her pussy lips, she shudders and kisses him again. His thumb draws a circle in the light red hairs above her mound, the soaked strands sticking together. Slowly, he pushes his middle finger past the lips. Her walls grip his digit tight, and she lets out another moan. “Damn, now how the hell am I gonna fit in there?” He asks, amazed at the feeling of it holding his finger.

He pushes it further until the tip hits against a barrier, causing the girl to jolt against him. Smiling, he leans in and whispers in her ear. “That’s your virginity, you know.” Of course Craig knew it wasn’t that simple, but he didn’t see a need to explain it further to her right now. “That’s what I’m going to take.” He mentions, wiggling the finger inside her to get the girl squirming in response. “You’re going to let me do it too, aren’t you?” He kisses her neck, as his finger works in and out of her and his thumb rubs against her clit, wanting only to drive the girl to her orgasm.

Soon enough he feels her body against him wrack in pleasure as she cums, her pussy squeezing his finger tight and covering it in her wetness. Craig doesn’t stop fingering her until she collapses against him, still shaking in pleasure. Chuckling, he tilts her chin up so he can give Erin a full mouthed kiss, his tongue finding hers and running against it before he pulls away. He lifts his glistening finger up, the smell of her sex strong on it. Smiling, he brings it to his lips and licks the finger clean. “Just as sweet as I thought you’d be.” He mutters, kissing her again so she would taste herself.

Erin moaned softly when he started touching her and then he was pushing something into her body. His finger, she realized and moaned anew, kissing him deeply, letting him do as he pleased. At his comments, she flushed and then only grew hotter as he explained what he was brushing against inside of her. The wiggling made her inner tension only grow and instinct had her hips rubbing against him. At his questions, Erin found herself unable to answer, being to distracted at the movement of his finger.

As he kissed on her neck, she moaned and then the tension inside of her broke and waves of heat crashed over her and inner muscles clenched on his finger. As he skis it out, Erin curled against his still clothed form, watching him suck his finger and then he was kissing her. The taste on his lips was strange but she didn't break her lips from his until she couldn't breathe. As her lips fell from his, she swallowed and then curled against him. "That...that was....I don't know how to explain it," she panted softly, curling into him. "I'm going to go to hell...." Her head lifted and she blushed and then looked down, her fingers trailing over the flesh of his chest. "Nothing that could....feel so good, could be right before marriage," she murmured. "Do you think I'm going to hell Craig?"

Craig hugs Erin tight to him, letting her whole body rest against his as he kisses her neck. “Better than the bee’s knees, wasn’t it?” He asks her with a chuckle. Her question catches his attention, but the man just shrugs his shoulders. “Can’t say, but look at it this way. At least if you do, I’ll be able to keep you company.” He says, knowing that if she ends up there, then there’s no way he wouldn’t. Slowly, he lifts her off him and sets her down on the couch before standing up to stretch. There’s an obvious bulge in his pants, right at Erin’s eye level. “Well if you’ll excuse me. I should get a bath in.” He remarks before heading back upstairs.

The Irish man doesn’t bother closing the door as he quickly strips out of his clothes and gets the water running. While waiting for it, he leans back against a wall, gripping his cock tight and remembering what had just happened downstairs. His length throbs in his hand as he strokes it, his mind filled with images of Erin’s naked body in the throes of her orgasm.

As he went to get a bath, Erin took a moment to gather her wits before slowly putting on her dress, leaving off brazier and panties because both areas were sensitive enough as it is. She made her way upstairs, pausing at the open door, eyes wide as she caught him stroking something in hand. Was that his...Blushing, she walked into her room and shut the door and then took a deep breath. Her hand went to her necklace and she slowly took it off, sinking down on the edge of the bed and staring down at the cross in her palm. Crossing herself, she could only pray for forgiveness and then laid the necklace on the bedside table before making her way downstairs.

If she continued being in this house, she would not be a maiden for much longer. Her father would be disappointed in her for allowing the man to seduce her but he was good at it and considering what she had already done with him this afternoon, she wasn't sure another man would ever make her feel as he had made her feel this afternoon. After gathering her courage, she moved from the bedroom and back downstairs, grabbing some meat out of the ice box and then decided to focus on starting dinner if only to keep her mind off of what she had already done that day. It was hard to ignore how sensitive her breasts were however, and the incessant throbbing between her thighs as if wanting another release.

Craig smiles as he notices someone pass him out of the corner of his eyes. The sound of a door closing only confirms what he already knew. With a couple more strokes, he lets loose one spurt after another of cum, sinking down to catch his breath before getting up and cleaning the mess. He bathes quickly, getting himself clean and waving at Erin as she runs by him on her way down the stairs. He finishes up, draining the water and drying himself off before going back to his room and dressing in clean pairs of underwear and pants before going down to join the girl in the kitchen.

“Enjoy the show?” He asks as he enters, watching her working on getting some dinner going. He slides in close behind her, kissing her neck. “Mm, well I’m not gonna complain. I bet it’ll be delicious.” He tells her, turning the girl’s head to him for a kiss. His hand rests on her neck, and he rubs it a bit, getting a confused expression on his face. “Leaving the cross behind? You were so much more fun with it on though.” He whispers in her ear, giving her ass a slap as he steps back. “I’m gonna read the paper. Just let me know when dinner’s ready.” He stops and smiles before leaning in close again. “Or come let me know if you want a closer look at what you peeked at.” He adds before heading back quickly to the sitting room. He falls back on the sofa, flipping open the paper and looking through it, tapping his foot along with the radio as it plays in the background.

He was being unfair at this point. As he kissed her and rubbed her neck, her body reacted strongly and when he commented on it, and on everything else, she flushed. As he slapped her ass, Erin gave a gasp and felt a stab of anger but also felt a stab of heat. Ignoring the last statement he made, she got to work on dinner, listening to the radio as she cooked. Soon she is caught up in her cooking and the music and is singing sweetly to the tune playing out over the radio. It's an old song from the early parts of the century called Beautiful Dreamer and it was one of the songs her mother had sang to her when she had been small. One of the few memories she had of the woman.

Erin made a simple Shepherd's Pie for dinner and plated it after an hour of labor, still singing to the songs that came on the radio. The cooking and singing helped to clear her head and make her feel more in control of herself. Especially after the afternoon of pure ecstasy and carnal pleasure she had exchanged with Craig. And the man was bound to drive her insane. She had to get a hold of herself but it was difficult when he was so damned handsome and persistent. Lord preserve her but she was done for and her only hope was that if, or rather when, she finally lost control of her ability to resist him, that he married her. Right now, there was nothing but lust between them and there had to be more between a man and woman than lust an sex. There had to be love and her own feelings at the moment were to muddled.

Craig had begun to doze off as he was reading, but the smell of the delicious food slowly wakes him back up. There’s a soft, beautiful sound that has him thinking he’s still dreaming, but as he sits up, he realizes that it’s Erin singing along with the radio. Craig slowly walks into kitchen, watching her in silence, his breath taken away. Even if he could speak, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t ruin this moment of watching the beautiful girl singing and cooking. If he actually married her, he realizes, then he would see this every day. The plan was to harm Patrick the best way he could, but to actually get to marry a girl like this, well, it would be a dream come true.

Erin seems to finally notice his presence and turns to face him. Without saying a word, Craig slowly walks into the room, stopping right in front of her. He puts a hand under the girl’s chin, tilting it up as he leans in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. “Your singing is really beautiful.” He whispers to her before pulling away. The two stare in each other’s eyes for a moment before the man comes to his senses. He quickly goes back to smiling broadly and acting like his old self. “Not as good as what you were singing earlier, but I’ll take it.” He says as he sits down and turns to his meal. Keep his eyes on the prize, that was the key here.

At his gentle kiss, she melted into him but then he was parting their lips and telling her how beautifully she sang. Erin looked up at him, feeling the whole world melt away and then the moment was gone. His eyes clouded over and his tone changed back to what she guessed was his normal self. Funny really, that moment had seemed genuine. This was beginning to feel like a ruse. Even so, she grabbed her own plate and then sank down onto her chair and gave a quick prayer before starting to eat. "Craig...where did you grow up?" she asked, looking at him then looking down. "I just think...with all that we've done...we could at least get to know the other a bit better don't you think?" she asked softly before brushing her hair back from her face. "I mean, you know enough about me...but....I only know your name. How old are you? What do you do for a living?" Her pretty eyes lifted, watching him, taking a bit of the slice before her and watching him intently.

"It's just that...I don't want something like this without substance. I'm not going to be able to marry anyone else the longer you keep me here, which stands to reason that you will be. Unless this is just some plan of yours to seduce me and then leave me out in the cold. I'd like to think you genuinely want me but...given that you don't talk about anything except trying to get in my skirts, it leaves me doubtful of your true intentions. I'm only sixteen, and probably more naïve than what I should be but I'm not stupid..." Erin looked down at her plate before looking back at him. "Are you going to indulge me or remain a mystery?" she asked him softly.

Craig stops mid bite at the question being asked. He looks at Erin in surprise as she explains herself. Setting his fork down, he thinks about it for a moment. There wasn’t really any harm in giving her more information. She had more than enough to give her pa now if she made it back to the city. More than that though, he did find himself feeling compelled to share some things about himself with her. Shrugging his shoulders, he answers her. “I’m a bit older than you, 27 years. As for where I grew up…” He waves a hand around the room to show her. “You’re looking at it. I was born in the old country, but my parents figured, new century, new lands, and we came here. It wasn’t an easy start, but soon we had this place we could call home.” He shakes his head, deciding against going into more detail. It wasn’t a time he liked to remember.

“As for what I do now.” He picks up the bottle of whiskey that had stayed there from the night before and pours some for each of them. “Bootlegging is what I mostly do.” He watches the look on her face, knowing she probably thinks him a rival of her father’s now. “Used to be that I was just a driver, working for some big hotshot bootlegger. Then I found out he was taking me for a sap. He was paying me in pennies when I was doing all the legwork. So, one day I cut out the middle man and did it on my own. So now I run my own joints, I make decent cash, and the guy’s too busy to teach his daughter what’s what.” Craig finishes the last line almost gleefully. This would be the best revenge he could get on Patrick, taking his daughter and teaching her all the things he didn’t want her to know about. The thought of revenge takes hold for a moment again, and for that brief period, he forgets just how Erin might react to hearing all of this.