I emerge from my room, immediately feeling lost as my stomach rumbles. I slept alone last night, something I wasn’t expecting when I agreed to get married. With the way Rick bedded me on the plane, and the way he talked about it, I figured he’d be pressed against my body as much as he could. Instead, I went to bed alone, and woke up alone.

Now, it’s early morning and my stomach is rumbling, but I don’t know anything about this house. Turning left, I head back towards the main area of the house that Freida showed me last night. I figure the kitchen has to be around here somewhere.

“What are you wearing?”

I turn, halfway down the long, sweeping stairway to the ground floor, and see Freida just coming out of a doorway below me. She’s dressed in a stunning skirt and blouse combination that hugs her trim hips and legs, sexy but not looking slutty at all. I look down at the loose silk pajama pants and top that I’m wearing, which kind of remind me of what I’d wear in China. “It’s the housewear that I found in my room last night.”

“I can see that,” Freida says, coming up the stairs towards me, “but you’re wrong in thinking that’s housewear.”

“I don’t understand,” I reply as Freida reaches me. “Is this not my house?”

“Yes and no. Of course as Mrs. Kelley, you have plenty of say in the house. But, Rick has expectations of you that surpass the… physical requirements of your prenup. Like I told you last night, I’ll be your mentor and teacher in those regards. And the first lesson today is, any time you leave the bedroom suites of the house, you need to be looking stunning. So, up the stairs you go, I’ll help you go through your wardrobe to find your first outfit of the day.”

“First outfit?” I ask, following Freida. She takes me to another room of the mansion, one I hadn’t seen last night. Opening the door, I’m stunned as I’m led into a walk-in closet that’s bigger than the living room of the apartment I shared with my mother and stepfather in Beijing. “This is….”

“More than sufficient for your daily needs,” Freida finishes for me. “Now, after breakfast, you’ll have your exercise time, so a sportswear outfit would be best for now. After that you’ll return up here to shower and prepare for the rest of the day, we’ll discuss the details of that over breakfast.”

Freida helps me pick out an outfit, shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt along with brand new sneakers that feel large and clunky on my feet as I tie the long laces. I tuck the bows inside my shoes like I’ve always done before standing up, letting Freida look me over. “Good,” she says, biting her lip contemplatively while I pull my hair back into a ponytail with one of the hair bands that I saw on the hangar with the outfit, “now breakfast, along with your vitamins and pills.”

“Pills?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow. “What for, I’m not sick.”

“No, but Rick wants to make sure you’re in perfect health for when you get pregnant,” Freida explains. “So you’ll be taking a daily series of vitamins to make sure your hormone levels are perfect and your body is ready to nurture a baby. Speaking of which, I guess we should have asked this the other day, but where are you in your monthly cycle?”

I think before answering. Until now, my monthly cycles were pretty much a matter of inconvenience, not a matter of vital information. “I’m about a week after my last flow.”

Freida hums. “Okay, I’ll inform Rick. He’ll want as much… bedroom time as possible for the next week. We’ll discuss it as the day goes on.”

The phrase ‘we’ll discuss it’ becomes a mantra of the day as Freida seems to have a never ending list of corrections to my behavior and actions. Table manners are an incomprehensible mess of spoons, forks, knives, enough plates to stagger the mind… and not a single pair of chopsticks in sight. I can’t pick up my bowl like a civilized person would, I have to switch hands after using my knife, and I apparently can’t even use a spoon properly. I’m not even sure I taste the food, I’m so nervous.

Exercise is fine, Freida shows me the mansion’s gym which, while again filled with enough strange equipment and devices to make me wonder just what the hell Rick gets up to when he uses this space, at least has a few things I understand, and best of all a large area where I can do the movements of wushu.

Freida, who watches from the side of the room while using a tablet computer, speaks up when I’m done with one of my forms. “Do you need any specialized equipment for your practice? I can have a mook yang jong delivered within two days and installed in the corner.”

“No thank you,” I reply as I wipe my face, touched and a little amused that Freida would go to the effort of learning about Chinese martial arts enough to pick up that word while still making a mistake that anyone in China would catch. “My style is wushu, not wing chun.”

“Weapons?” she asks, not put off at all.

I think, then nod. “I used to practice with the double edged sword, the spear, and the chain whip. It has been years though.”

“I’ll place the orders,” Freida says simply. I go back to my practice until I’m covered in sweat and ready to head upstairs. Freida stands up, handing me a towel. “If there are guests in the house, it is best to look like you’ve exercised, but aren’t exhausted. The staff is not as important. By the way, Rick would like you to take up swimming too, if you are able.”

“I can swim,” I confirm. “Why, though?”

“Because swimming is exercise that you can do all the way through pregnancy,” Freida explains simply. “Let’s get you freshened up for the rest of the day.”

* * *

It’s nearly eight in the evening before I see Rick, and I feel like the whole day’s been a training camp. Freida’s constant stream of suggestions, corrections and more hasn’t ceased all day until I finally lost it. It was as I sat down for dinner, and yet another spread that pushed me to the limit. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” Freida asked, looking it all over. “Do you not like seafood?”

“I love seafood,” I countered. “But I’m not going through this again, Freida. Not today. You want me to eat with ten forks and three knives with a silk handkerchief folded perfectly in my lap while my legs are crossed at the ankles? Fine. But not every meal. I’ve spent all day trying to absorb your lessons, and I think I’ve done a good job!”

“You’ve done… adequately,” Freida admitted. “But you need-”

“No, what I need is to remember that I will become the lady of this household. And when I have a baby, that child will be a quarter Chinese, and will have a mother who is not ashamed of who she is. So I will teach them to be proud of who they are. And that includes how to eat. So go into the kitchen, tell them to put some rice in a bowl, cut the fish up properly along with the vegetables, and get me some damn chopsticks!”

My outburst held up dinner for a half hour, and when it came out the preparation wasn’t quite up to the level that I’d experienced at breakfast and lunch, but at least the chopsticks were good. I’m just finishing up my food when Rick comes in, looking handsome as ever in a dress shirt and jeans. “Hello.”

“Hello,” I reply, trying to stay angry. It’s hard, he’s so handsome and the amusement in his eyes makes me feel as if my glowering consumption of the food the staff brought me is more than a little silly. Still… dammit, it’s late and I shouldn’t be ignored like this! “Where have you been?”

“I had an idea on a project I’ve been working on,” Rick says, sitting down next to me at the dining room table.

“Oh? What about?” I ask.

“You sure you want to know?” Rick asks. “You’re not an engineer.”

“No, but I’m not an idiot either. I studied economics, but I took some science classes,” I reply, scooping the last bit of rice out of my bowl and setting my dinner down. “Please pass my apologies along to Freida, I may have been a little strict with her about dinner.”

“I heard,” Rick says with a cocky smirk. “Not too many people have backtalked Freida since she started working for me. You two can work that out on your own over the next few days. As for my project, I’ve had an idea that could shift the energy market remarkably.”

“How so?”

Rick gives me an evaluating look, then nods in appreciation. “Okay then. Right now, most solar energy is produced through various kinds of panels. There’s an Aussie university that went around it slightly with a sort of paint that creates hydrogen from moisture in the air and solar energy, but it’s not very efficient. I’ve been pushing hard on skipping that, creating an efficient, economical solar energy system. I’ve had some advancements, incorporating a lot of those into some of my other projects and inventions, but I’ve been stymied in one area.”

“What?” I ask, intrigued.

“How to create a customizeable system that’ll link and not lose a ton of efficiency in cross-linking,” Rick says. “I had an idea on the flight back from Beijing of making something that’s a lot like a roll of paper. Thicker of course, but by using a two layered system… well, that’s getting into the engineering side. But you understand the potential.”

“Of course I do. If you can make it efficient, you can revolutionize the entire energy market,” I tell him. “The money involved… you’d take down companies that have lasted a hundred years. You could potentially topple countries even.”

“Perhaps, but I’d also be able to provide clean air, cheap electricity, clean water to billions for less than they’re paying now,” Rick says. “Yeah, I’d make money too, but that’s not what’s important. I’ve got enough money to last the rest of my life.”

“Then why push yourself so hard, when I’m here going through these insufferable lessons?” I ask. “Rick, you’re my husband, and yet I haven’t seen you at all today.”

Rick shrugs, like it doesn’t really matter. “Did you want to see me today?”

“It would have made the lessons more… tolerable,” I admit reluctantly. If he doesn’t care about me, why should it matter to me if he’s here or not. But it somehow still does. “Why put me through this?”

“Because you need to know these things,” Rick replies with a matter of fact tone that brooks no argument. “Freida briefed me on everything you guys did today, and you didn’t accomplish as much as I thought you would.”

“Excuse me?” I reply, getting upset again. Ignore me for ten hours today… fine. But to the criticize me? No, I didn’t leave Beijing and being trapped in that life just put up with more of it here in America. “If you think you can do better, why not be around more?”

“Because I don’t have the time to waste dealing with someone who wants to resist the reality of her new situation,” Rick replies, again not harshly but in a tone that says he doesn’t care if I like what he’s saying or not. “Today, I can think of a dozen different things you were shown or corrected by Freida that will apply in the next few months.”

“How?” I explode, losing my temper. “How is learning how to walk like an American woman in high heels important?”

“Because unless you plan on sitting on your ass or on your back for the next twelve months, I need you to adapt,” Rick growls back, losing his temper a little as well. He’s not a man who is told no often, that’s for damn sure, and I don’t even know why I’m standing up to him now, except that he’s pissed me off. “While I live in semi-retirement, I do plan on taking time with you to give you life experiences.”

I glower, but Rick’s unrelenting. “I see.”

“I hope so,” Rick replies, still tense but willing to accept my acquiescence for now. “Tomorrow, I have arranged a practice formal dinner for us. The other attendees will be house staff, but it is important that you behave properly. Freida will show you what to do.”

Without a reply from me he gets up and leaves, pausing at the door to turn back. “Also tomorrow night, we will have sex. Cycle times. See you later.”

* * *

I feel uncomfortable in my new cocktail dress, rolling my shoulders to adjust for my new bra. I thought my dress that I wore for work at the bar in Beijing was revealing, but I feel more naked in this. The tops of my breasts feel cool from the exposure, and my shoulders are breaking out in goosebumps as I meet Rick in the hallway outside the estate’s formal dining room.

“Your makeup’s flawed,” Rick notes, looking me over. “Too much on the eyes, you’re too close to the line.”

“What line?” I ask, thoroughly confused. “The eye line?”

“No… the line between sultry and slutty,” Rick says. “Come on, let’s see how dinner goes.”

The doors to the dining room open, and I take Rick’s arm despite my feelings, just like Freida instructed me. The room is half full, I can identify some of the people here from around the estate, but many of the others I don’t know. Freida, of course, is here, standing by the wall with her tablet in her hand. She’s the only person not dressed for a formal dining, wearing instead a blue suit that somehow makes her stand out as being the ‘referee’ of this whole charade.

“Pleasure to see you all,” Rick says, pausing for a moment before continuing. I don’t even listen to what he’s saying, as I realize I was supposed to say something as well. Shit. Strike one, and I wonder how many more I’m going to screw up.

The dinner continues, and while I try to keep up with everything Freida’s told me, I keep getting little glances from Rick that tell me I’m making mistakes. By the time the dessert’s served and it’s time for dancing, I’m a nervous wreck, twisting my napkin in my lap around my fingers until I can barely feel anything.

“Would you care to dance?” Rick asks, holding out his hand to me as the tables are cleared away and the sound system starts up. I want to say no, but I know that it’s expected of me and take his hand. The room clears out, this portion of the ‘practice’ is just for me and Rick.

The music starts and while I hear the beat, what Rick does takes me off guard and I stumble. This isn’t like any dancing I’ve done before, and Rick notices. “Relax, follow my lead,” he growls lightly. “Feel the pressure of my hand on your hip, our hands together. This isn’t a formal waltz or anything. Just follow my lead.”

Instead of arguing I let my mind go blank, just following the music and Rick’s guidance. It’s easier this way, letting him be in control and I honestly feel good this way too. He’s infuriating, but also commanding, and I can’t deny that he makes me feel safe and secure in his arms. The music slows and he pulls me closer, my body pressing up against his. I feel another tingle growing deep in my belly, and I realize just how handsome and sexy my new husband is.

“You made a lot of mistakes during dinner,” Rick says, looking into my eyes. I should be upset, but there’s something in the way he says is that doesn’t hurt at all.

“I’m not going to apologize for them,” I reply, letting go of his hand and putting both arms around his neck. “I know some of them, I’ll relax and do better next time.”

“That’s what I like about you,” he says, his body pressing against me and making me very aware that underneath this cocktail dress I’m wearing nothing but a sheer bra and thong set, along with a garter belt and stockings. My nipples tighten, and even though just minutes ago I felt like sex would be the last thing on my mind, now I’m unable to resist the urges he’s building inside me. “You’ve got strength, Su Lin. We’ll have to train it, but it’s there.”

I certainly don’t feel strong as Rick pulls me tighter, his lips finding mine and setting my brain on fire. He’s demanding, my mouth opening seemingly on it’s own to let his tongue in. I moan softly as Rick kisses down to my neck before pulling away as the music stops. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

I want to say no, that I need to have more than just a dinner and a dance, but my body knows what it wants. I take Rick’s hand, my heart fluttering and my stomach dropping as he pulls me close and picks me up, leading me not out of the same door we came in but a side door, up the stairs and to a bedroom I’ve never seen before. “Where is this?”

“Another bedroom, the estate has nine,” Rick says before kissing me again. He lays me back on the bed, pinning me down before sitting up and shrugging off his tuxedo jacket. “Don’t worry, the staff cleans the whole place regularly.”

Before I can protest, that this should be in my bedroom or his, he pushes me against the wall, covering my mouth again in a blistering kiss that leaves me panting. Sliding a hand up my leg, he lifts the hem of my dress higher and higher until he encounters the slim line of my panties. “When I said you were on the wrong side of the line between sultry and slutty….”

“Yes?”

“Right side now,” Rick says, tugging my panties aside and cupping my pussy. I gasp, I’m already so aroused from our dance and foreplay he doesn’t need to be gentle as he slides two fingers inside me, again curling them and making my body shiver at the sensations. “Do you know what I’m doing?”

“No,” I whimper, captured by his eyes as he continues to stroke something inside me. “What… oh fuck… what is that?”

“It’s called your g-spot,” Rick says with a chuckle. “It’s not a myth, you know.”

I whimper again, lifting my leg higher and giving him better access as he strokes and massages the area. I’ve heard of it, of course. After such a lousy introduction to sex as a college student I went on a bit of an erotic research streak… but I didn’t think it’d feel this good. Rick brings his thumb to my clit, rubbing it and making me gasp, my pussy gushing over his fingers. “Holy shit!”

“You certainly curse like a native,” Rick teases, pulling his fingers out. He wafts them under his nose, licking one of them in appreciation before offering the other. “You should see how intoxicating you really are.”

I’ve never tasted myself before, but I cannot deny him as he slides the still glistening finger into my mouth. The sensation is musky, spicy almost and nearly as heady as feeling him inside me. My hand comes forward, undoing his pants and wrapping around his cock, pumping him lightly until he’s fully hard in my grasp. “Please Rick… let me?”

“No,” Rick says with utter finality. He pulls me from the wall and shoves me towards the bed, where I hit and bend over. In an instant he’s on me, his lips on my neck as he pulls my dress up, my high heels putting me in the perfect position. Without worrying about our clothing he thrusts, filling me from behind and making me hiss in a mix of disappointment and desire. “You like?”

“Asshole...” I try and get out. “I want to suck your cock.”

“Another time,” Rick says, grabbing my hips and pulling back before stroking back in and sending a wave of pleasure up my spine to explode in my brain. “You have me so close that I wouldn’t have been able to last.”

His honest words reassure me that I have power too, and I push back into him on his next thrust, my ass and his hips slapping together. Rick growls, grabbing my hair and pulling me back, taking total control as he pounds his cock in and out of my body. I’m helpless but I don’t care, my eyes slitted tightly shut as I’m overwhelmed by the feeling of being thoroughly, relentlessly fucked senseless by a man who knows exactly how to do it. His free hand reaches under my dress, tugging on the fabric covering my breasts and something rips. I don’t care except for it gives Rick more access and my breasts soon add to the feelings rushing through me.

We speed up, and I plant my hands on the bed, trying to keep myself upright as Rick pumps his cock in and out of me faster and faster until my legs are trembling and my knees feel like they’re about to collapse at any second. I’m barely able to breathe when I feel Rick’s cock swell, and I know we’re nearly there. “Please!”

I don’t know what it is about that word but I love begging Rick to give me his cum and he responds, his hips hammering into mine twice more he nearly breaks my hips in half with a titanic thrust that buries himself so deep inside me I can almost believe he’s in my stomach. I feel him start to cum, and it pushes me over as well, clenching around him and keeping everything inside me as he squirts again and again.

My legs finally give out and I sag onto the bed, totally boneless while Rick holds me up in his powerful arms. “Not yet,” he murmurs in my ear, easing me all the way onto the bed, sliding behind me. In the deepest depths of my mind where I can still somehow thing, I realize that he’s not going soft, and instead, stays inside me as we stretch out and he lifts my leg. “Now… let’s really enjoy ourselves.”

* * *

I’m still shaking in the aftershocks of my third orgasm when Rick gets off the bed, reaching for his clothes. “Where are you going?”

Rick doesn’t stop, pulling his shirt on and buttoning it as he replies. “If you want to sleep here, that’s fine. If not, your bedroom is just down the hall. I have some things I need to do before I go to bed.”

I’m too surprised and shocked to say anything, and a minute later Rick’s dressed and leaves, closing the door behind him. I lay back, and it’s only a minute later that I feel the prickling in my eyes. The tears trickle from my eyes, but I bite back the sobs.

So this is what I am to be, a well trained womb who can take an epic fucking and give him plenty of entertainment that way.

Fine, I can live by that.

It doesn’t make it any easier, though.