A/N: I was watching Thoroughly Modern Millie the other night and this popped into my head. It is rated M for a reason...a very good reason. It's probably pushing it for here, but I've seen stories with more, so I'm going ahead.
It was nineteen hundred twenty-two and Elsie Hughes had decided enough was enough. The ladies upstairs had been going about free of the restrictive corset for a few years now, while the ladies downstairs were still walking around like they had a board strapped to their backs, their fronts squished in the constrictive garment.
While most of the ladies weren't bothered by the squishing due to not having much to squish, she on the other hand had plenty, and the pushed up affect, while it might be enticing to a man (she rolled her eyes at the thought), wasn't enough to keep her from spending the money she'd had saved back on new more modern undergarments.
Biting her lip as she looked at herself in the mirror, she cocked her head to the side as she studied the new knickers and wiggled a bit up top to adjust the new brassiere. The material, satin and lace, made the garment more feminine looking than the corset she'd given up, but the feel of the same material in place of her practical cotton knickers…she frowned. The knickers were shorter than anything she'd ever worn, a bit more fitted. While the material felt wonderful against her breasts, soft, and blessedly freeing – against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, it was just a bit…distracting…she supposed was the word.
Looking at the clock on her night table, she frowned. "Elsie Hughes, stop staring at yourself and get dressed. Mr. Carson won't like it if you're late for breakfast. And you don't want to have to explain just why you were late. Now do you?" she asked her reflection before shaking her head and pulling the new slip on then stepping into her dress.
"Oh my," she breathed when she looked in the mirror again. The change in undergarments was going to be more noticeable than she'd anticipated. Shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders, she smoothed her hand over each stocking to make sure there were no wrinkles, slipped her feet into her shoes, patted her hair to make sure it was in place then turned and walked from her room.
"Hopefully no one says anything," she mumbled. Biting her lip when she started down the stairs, she looked around to make sure no one else was there. Her breasts were moving with each step she took, and good heavens…the brush of the satin against her inner thighs…she shivered and shook her head trying to concentrate.
And ran straight into Mr. Carson.
"Oh, Mrs. Hughes!" Charles nearly shouted as he reached out, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling backward. "Are you quite alright?" he asked as he let her go, holding onto her arms to make sure she was steady.
Elsie blinked. "I'm fine, Mr. Carson. I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention."
"You were rather lost in thought. Is it something I can help you with?" he innocently asked.
Elsie coughed at that. "Uh," she cleared her throat. "No, Mr. Carson. It's nothing to concern yourself with. I'm fine, really."
Studying her, Charles frowned, knowing that she wasn't being entirely truthful with him. "Fine then. I'll let you be on your way."
"Good morning, Mr. Carson," she whispered and turned to hurry away from him.
Charles blinked as he watched her. He could not be seeing what he thought. Dear god…he was seeing what his brain told him he was.
Her. Breasts. Were. Moving.
With each step she took.
Her. Breasts. Were. Moving.
If they were moving, she couldn't possibly be wearing a corset.
Her. Breasts. Were. Moving.
And with that repeat thought, he hurried into his pantry to keep anyone from seeing the effect his thoughts had on him. Leaning back against the closed door, Charles closed his eyes and tried to think of the dinner service he wanted to use that night. The silver he needed to polish. The wine he needed to inventory. Oh damn and blast it wasn't working.
Her figure.
Her figure had been different.
Her body had felt different when she'd been pressed against him after they'd collided in the hall.
Swallowing a groan, he gritted his teeth.
Dear god. She wasn't wearing a corset. It was no longer a matter of him merely thinking she wasn't. He knew now that she wasn't. The difference his fingers had noticed finally sunk in.
No corset.
What was the woman trying to do to him?
And how was he going to go about his work?
Growling low in his throat, he decided to do what he hated doing, at least in the daylight. This kind of thing was better left to the darkness of his room. But the raging arousal stirring him to life would not be ignored. So, he would do what he must to make it through the day.
Undoing his belt and trousers, he pushed them down slightly as his free hand turned the lock on the door. Freeing himself, he pulled the handkerchief from his pocket. No sense making a mess.
Closing his eyes, his hand morphed into the soft, slender hand of the woman that haunted his nights, his dreams. The woman that had brought this about with her lack of corset and subtly bouncing breasts.
Damn and blast the woman anyway.
CnE
Elsie kept her head down, staring at her breakfast. She'd heard the slight gasps as she'd entered the room and taken her seat. She'd seen the sideways glance Charles had given her, how his eyes had lingered on her breasts. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and hoped that no one noticed, knew that they did.
Dear god, what had she been thinking?
Why had she thought it would be a good idea to forgo the corset?
Yes, the ladies upstairs could go without, they were all practically flat-chested.
She, Elsie Hughes, was not, precisely what she'd thought when she'd made the decision to stop wearing her corset. A decision she was regretting.
"Stupid woman," she mumbled at herself.
"What was that, Mrs. Hughes?" Mr. Carson asked.
"Nothing, Mr. Carson. I just remembered something I have to do. Excuse me." She hastily scooted her chair out, aware of how her breasts moved as she did and hurried from the room.
Shutting the door to her sitting room, she leaned back against it. Her pulse was racing. This was insanity. The softness of the satin brushing against her inner thighs, and the sensitive flesh of her center, had her aroused, and the way Mr. Carson had been staring at her breasts only added to it.
Oh heaven help her.
How was she going to get through the day?
Each step she took aroused her.
If she was anywhere near Mr. Carson, the way his eyes watched her, specifically her breasts, with a hungry look, aroused her.
She couldn't hide in her sitting room all day.
Could she go up to her room and change back into her regular knickers?
Put her corset back on?
Closing her eyes she shook her head.
No.
No more corset.
Then what was she going to do?
"You're going to take care of yourself then get down to work," she informed herself as she turned the lock on the door. No need to give anyone a chance to burst in on her and embarrass her anymore than she already was.
Moving to her settee, she lifted her skirt and slip, then deftly slipped the small pearl button on the side of her knickers from their clasp. The peach material pooled at her feet, causing her to shiver before she stepped out of them and laid down, her legs shifting until she could touch herself. Closing her eyes, her hand morphed into a larger, more masculine hand, as she lost herself in her dreams.
Dreams of the man who had caused much of this by his staring improperly at her breasts with lust in his eyes.
The man that filled her night dreams with forbidden fantasies of his body moving over hers, his hands touching her, his mouth tasting her.
Damn and blast the man anyway.
CnE
"Mr. Carson!" Elsie nearly squealed as she turned to glare up at him. "What are you about? Shoving me in a room!"
"What am I about?" he nearly roared. "You're out of uniform!"
Elsie frowned at him. "Out of uniform? I don't have a uniform!" she seethed.
Narrowing his eyes, Charles flipped the lock on the door before stalking toward her. "You know what I meant, Mrs. Hughes," his voice was low, dangerous. He'd had all he could take of seeing her moving about, her breasts bouncing with each step she took. Taking care of himself this morning had been less than satisfying.
Elsie blinked and backed up. Studying him, her eyes flicked downward then back up. Arching an eyebrow, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she gathered her courage. They were locked in a bedroom at the far end of the house, no one would come looking for them as they were on their mid day rounds while the others were taking a break. Holding his gaze, she let her hands move to the buttons of her dress.
Charles pulled his eyes from hers, watching as her fingers slowly unbuttoned her dress. When she pushed the garment off her shoulders and pulled her arms out of the sleeves, his breath caught in his chest. His eyes widened as she revealed a soft slip that carefully followed the dress to the floor. Peach satin and lace cupped her breasts in what he knew was the latest fashion in women's undergarments. Creamy skin flowed from the band down to the waist of knickers in matching satin and lace. "Damn," he managed to mutter.
Elsie felt exposed standing in nothing but her stockings and undergarments. Resisting the urge to lift her arms and cover herself, she instead took a deep breath. "Is this what you meant, Charles? As you can see I'm quite put together."
"Corset," he mumbled. "No corset."
"You're right. I'm not wearing a corset. I've grown tired of the thing." Toeing off her shoes, she carefully removed her stockings. "We're locked in an empty room, Charles, and you clearly have a bit of a situation. I can help you with that." Where had that come from? she asked herself as she watched him blink rapidly at her, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.
"Elsie? Are you quite sure?"
"Isn't this what you wanted when you locked us in here?"
"I," he started then pulled off his jacket, his fingers moving to the buttons of his waistcoat. "I wasn't thinking. I suppose it was on my mind. Dear god, woman. Do you know what you've done to me? I had to," he started then stopped.
"Had to what?" she asked as she watched him, her breath growing shallow in anticipation as he unbuttoned his shirt.
"When we bumped into each other in the hall this morning, my body and hands registered the difference in the feel of you, although my brain did not. Then you walked away and," he paused again, pulling off his shirt. "And when you walked away your, your breasts moved in a way they never had before. I thought I was seeing things. It caused a reaction." He looked down then bent over to untie his shoes, taking them off and moving them away. "I couldn't go about with," he pointed to himself as he stepped out of his pants.
"So you took care of yourself." Elsie finished for him. "That explains the handkerchief I found."
Charles looked up at her startled. "You were going through my things?"
"I was looking for my ledger," she defended herself. "You hadn't left it on your desk so I looked where you some times put it."
"The bottom drawer," he groaned, a faint pink tingeing the tips of his ears.
"Don't worry, Charles. I've washed the cloth. It's in my sitting room drying."
Finally stripped down to just his underwear, Charles moved to stand close to Elsie. Reaching a tentative hand out, he drew a finger over her shoulder, down her arm. "Take your hair down," he whispered.
Shivering when his hands came to rest on her hips, she lifted her arms and began to pull the pins from her hair, her eyes never leaving his. She could see the lust there, the need to be with her. "Do you really want me that much?" she whispered as she pulled the last pin out, her hair falling freely down her back.
Lifting his hands from her hips, Charles combed his fingers gently through her hair, carefully smoothing any tangles out. "Soft as I'd imagined. Your hair and your skin."
"Please," she pleaded as she grasped his hand. "Answer my question. I need to know."
Pulling her against him, his arms wrapping around her, Charles smiled down at her. "What does it feel like?" he asked as he pressed her lower body closer to his.
"I need to hear the words, Charles."
"Yes, Elsie Hughes. I want you that much. I've wanted you for such a long time." Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he titled her head up, pressing his lips to hers.
Elsie closed her eyes as she pushed up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Feeling him lifting her off her feet, she wrapped her arms around his neck, his mouth moving from her lips to her face then neck. "Oh Charles," she moaned.
Moving them backward, Charles stopped when he bumped against the mattress. Letting her slide down his body to rest back on her feet, he looked down at her. "Take it off," he whispered as he reached out to cup her breast, his thumb moving over the nipple pushing against the satin.
Taking a deep breath, Elsie reached behind herself and unfastened the buttons with shaking hands. "No one has ever," she started then closed her eyes and let the garment fall off her arms.
"Then I'm a blessed man indeed," his voice was low and gravely as he cupped her breast again. Leaning over, he pressed opened mouthed kisses across the soft flesh making his way down, his tongue darting out to trace the pebbled flesh around her nipple before taking the taut bud between his lips.
"Oh!" Elsie gasped as she clasped his shoulders. The sensation was new, she'd only ever felt her hands touching her bare breasts, her fingers tracing and pinching the nipples.
"Elsie?" Charles asked a few moments later, his mouth having tasted the flesh of both breasts, teased both nipples until she was biting her lower lip to keep from crying out.
"Hmm?"
"You said that no one had ever," he started, watching her eyes when she opened them to look at him. "Did you mean that you have never been with a man?"
"I've been with a man, Charles. It's been a long time ago, but I'm not an innocent." Clasping his hand in hers, she held it between them against her chest. "I merely meant that no man had seen or touched my bare breasts. The times I was with someone was a quick go at it in a dark corner with raised skirts and pushing through the opening of my knickers."
"Oh Elsie," he breathed. "Was that all you ever wanted before?"
"It's all I was ever offered," she answered honestly.
"He was foolish."
"They, Charles. I'm not proud of it, but I was young and stupid."
"Still foolish…all of them." Moving around her, he turned back the bed. "Take them off," he told her, his hand caressing the band at her waist. "Pretty as they might be, they aren't you."
"But they're protecting me."
"Are you afraid?" Charles asked as he took her hands. "We don't need to go any further. If you want, we can merely lie here and hold each other, nothing more."
Looking up at him, searching his eyes, she took a deep breath and undid the button. "I'm only afraid that I won't please you," she whispered and looked away.
Standing back, Charles let his eyes roam over her. "Look at me, Elsie," he gently commanded. Giving her a wolfish grin when she looked at him, he moved closer. "You've nothing to be afraid of. You're perfection."
"Oh Charles," she scoffed as she blushed and shook her head.
"Merely telling the truth."
Elsie laughed at the grin still turning up the corners of his mouth. "You're a rake, Mr. Carson."
"You'll think rake, woman," he growled as he pushed her back onto the bed.
Elsie settled against the pillows and watched in rapt attention as Charles took off the last of his clothes. Her breath caught at the sight of him. "I always imagined," she started then bit her lip, blushing profusely.
"Imagined? You thought about me like this?" he asked as he joined her. Lying on his side, propping his head up on his hand, he stared down at her.
"Yes," she admitted quietly. "At night, alone in my bed. I would close my eyes and dream that you were there with me. Some times you were just holding me, other times,"
"Other times I was touching you like this?" Charles asked, voice low as he reached out and caressed his hand over her. Cupping first one breast then the other, gently teasing her nipples, he moved his hand lower, and watched as her eyes deepened to a shade of blue he'd never seen before.
Elsie gasped then bit her lip when his fingers moved over her. "Oh. Oh yes," she panted when he touched her in just the right way.
"Have you been thinking of me today, Elsie?" Charles asked, surprised at how wet she was.
"The knickers," she managed, her legs growing restless as his fingers gently pressed inside. "Charles," her breath caught, her eyes widening when he curled his finger.
"You can cry out, Elsie. No one will hear. It's just you and I in this part of the house. Let me hear you," he coaxed as he stepped up his efforts.
Clawing at the linens beneath her, Elsie's back arched, her body trembling as she called out his name. "Charles!"
Moving over her, Charles settled in the cradle of her trembling thighs. Nuzzling her neck, he nibbled at her earlobe. "Is that what you cry out at night when you touch yourself? Do you call out my name?"
Elsie swallowed and blinked a few times to gather her thoughts back into some semblance of order. "Yes. It's always your name on my lips when I,"
"When you come," he whispered hotly against her ear as he thrust forward.
"Oh! Mmm," she hummed as she adjusted to being filled and stretched. "Just like I imagined. So full," she breathed.
Charles groaned as she contracted around him, remnants of her first orgasm still tingling along her nerves. Holding his weight up on his forearms, he leaned down, his lips capturing hers as he slowly began to move against her.
Elsie tangled her fingers in his hair as she opened her mouth to his tongue. Holding him to her, she lost herself in the feel of him moving inside her body, his tongue tracing along her teeth then scraping across her tongue, tasting the tea and mint she'd had before leaving her sitting room. Wrapping her legs around his, she moved with him, holding his gaze when he broke from the kiss and stared down at her. "Everything," she whispered. "Give me everything."
Rolling over onto his back, taking her with him, he smiled up at her when she blinked at him in surprise. "Take it," he growled, one hand gripping her hip, the other reaching up to cup a gently swaying breast.
Staring down at him for a moment, she smiled and caressed his chest. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.
Tangling his fingers in her hair, Charles moaned into her mouth as she began to move, pulling from the kiss and pushing herself up as he let go of her hair. "You're beautiful, Elsie."
Bracing herself with her hands on his chest, her hair falling over her shoulders, Elsie smiled down at him with a cat like smile as she moved faster over him. "Give it," she breathed.
Gripping her hips, Charles thrust up to meet her downward moves, their rhythm speeding up, going wild as they both neared their climax. "Not much more," he groaned.
"Mmm," she whimpered, her head falling back as she fell over the edge, his name a keening sound rolling up from her chest.
Her orgasm bringing his own, Charles ground against her, her name a growl of complete pleasure. His head was spinning, breath raspy, heartbeat erratic. Her limp body lying on his, brought a satisfied smile to his face. This was better than any night time imaginings he'd ever had. She was softer, fuller…oh god…tighter…than he'd dreamed. Now that he'd had her, he groaned. He couldn't go back to merely dreaming.
"Charles?" Elsie whispered a few moments later, her hand caressing his shoulder.
"Yes, Lass?"
She smiled at that. "I'm far from a lass, silly man."
"You're my lass," he countered, his hand caressing over her back, smoothing her mussed hair.
"I like that." Elsie hummed her pleasure. "What are we going to do? I can't go back to the way it was. Not after this. Not after feeling your touch."
"We'll not go back, Elsie. I couldn't. Would you like for me to talk to His Lordship? Make it official? Or do you want to continue to meet like this?"
Pushing up a bit, Elsie stared down at him. "You'd marry me?"
"I've thought of nothing else. I've money saved back that I add to every pay day. If you want to leave, want to retire, we can." Caressing her hair from her face, Charles smiled tenderly at her. "I've a ring to give you. It was my mother's. I've known that you would be the woman to wear it some day from the moment I first met you. All that lovely Scottish spirit and fire wrapped up in a very nice little package."
"Watch it, Mr. Carson," she warned playfully nipping at a flat nipple.
"Elsie!"
Elsie giggled as she gently soothed the nip with her tongue. "You like my spirit and fire, remember?"
"Oh woman!" Charles laughed as he rolled onto his side and cuddled her close. "So? Which is it?"
"You've really a ring?"
"I do."
"Aren't you worried that we'll be sacked?"
Charles shook his head. "Lord Grantham is a fair man, but," he caressed her face. "Even if we are sacked, I've enough money saved we'll be fine on our own."
"I've money saved that we can use."
"No. Your money," he smiled slyly at her. "Your money is to be used for more of those fancy knickers."
"Charles!" Elsie laughed and shook her head. "That's what got us here in the first place! Me and my modern brassiere and knickers!"
"Thoroughly modern, Elsie. My beautiful Scottish lass. Will you marry me?"
Elsie smiled and tucked her head under his chin. "I will." She hummed in satisfaction, not caring that they both should be getting up and getting dressed to go back to their duties. "Mrs. Elsie Carson, thoroughly modern and completely satisfied by her tall, distinguished butler. I could get used to that."
"We should be getting dressed and finishing our rounds. Once we have, I'll find His Lordship and speak to him about us."
Combing back the wayward curl on his forehead, Elsie smiled at him, tears filling her eyes. "I love you, Charles Carson."
Kissing her nose, Charles smiled at her and wiped a tear from her cheek. "And I love you, Elsie Hughes. You and your modern ways."