The young woman's eyes were downcast when she entered the store Silas owned. He watched as she furtively glanced around. Upon finding no other customers inside the apothecary, she made her way to the counter.

Silas stood behind it, giving her a courteous smile. "How may I help you today, miss?"

The woman, who couldn't have been more than twenty years of age, still refused to meet his eyes. It was then that he recalled her name: Ruth. Though she rarely frequented his store and had never before done so unaccompanied, he knew of her. She lived in the hills surrounding the small town where he'd set up shop, but even in their rural area, gossip traveled fast.

Silas had heard talk of Ruth being discovered in a barn with a married man, her skirts lifted while he rutted away between her thighs. Her family hadn't been cruel enough to send her away for her transgression, but she was as good as branded by shame. And the married man who had transgressed with her? Well, he'd suffered little more than an outraged scolding from his wife.

Ruth finally lifted her head, but she gazed past Silas at the myriad vials and jars lining the shelves behind him. Her expression grew befuddled as she struggled to explain why she'd ventured into the apothecary. Studying her, Silas found she was quite pretty, with vivid blue eyes and full lips. Her dark curls were drawn back from her face and neatly gathered at the top of her head. Her cornflower-blue dress was old and out of fashion, with none of the bows and bustles women now preferred. Buttons lined the front of her bodice, and the dress's cinched waist revealed her buxom figure.

When Silas spoke again, his voice was soft and cajoling. "Your name is Ruth, correct?"

She finally looked at him directly. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation, for she understood how he knew her.

He continued talking as if she'd answered his question in the affirmative. "What can I help you with today, Ruth?"

She searched Silas's face, as if to detect the same judgment in his countenance that she saw in everyone else's. He wanted to tell her she wouldn't find it. Though he was almost forty years old, he remained a bachelor. Several months prior, he'd been seen visiting the house of a woman of ill repute. Tongues had wagged throughout the town, yet Silas was unfazed. He was the only druggist for many miles around, and even if his reputation suffered, his business would not.

As a man, he could make such choices with few consequences. Ruth wasn't nearly as fortunate.

Whatever she saw in Silas's expression persuaded her to be frank. "I've had pain recently, a tenderness..." Her blush deepened even more as she vaguely gestured toward her dress bodice.

Silas's stare lingered on Ruth's bosom. She possessed just the figure he so desired, her body soft and curvaceous. The thought of her unclothed and draped across his bed sent a hot rush of lust through his veins.

"You mean to say, you've had pain in your breasts," Silas murmured.

Ruth raised a hand to her forehead, as if to shield her face. "It's been agony as of late," she revealed. "They have always been quite tender, but now the pain's grown worse, and my mother says it's a curse for... for what I've done."

His heart softened toward the woman then. "The tenderness you're experiencing isn't due to a curse." He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "In all likelihood, it's to do with your monthlies. Are they still coming regularly? You're not with child, are you?"

"No!" Ruth cried, daring to look at him again. She appeared stricken by his question. "I'm sorry, doctor, but—"

"I'm not a doctor," he said. "You're welcome to call me Silas."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have money to pay you. I was only hoping there's some sort of home remedy you can recommend." She spoke in a rush, clearly rattled.

Silas clasped his hands before him on the counter. "There's an herb I can give you. Chasteberry should alleviate the tenderness and help with other discomfort due to your monthlies. And you don't have to pay me for it right now. I'll put the balance on your account, with no accruing interest." Silas would have given the herb to her free of charge, but he was certain she wouldn't accept charity.

"I don't have an account here," Ruth pointed out.

Silas merely smiled. "I'll open one for you now, and you can pay me back when you're able. How's that sound?"

She swallowed hard, hesitating only a moment. Then she nodded. "Thank you, Silas. I am grateful for your kindness, and I promise I'll pay for the medicine as soon as I can."

As Ruth waited at the counter, Silas began preparing the chasteberry for her. All the while, he felt a deep, insistent longing stir within him. His mind was fixated on Ruth's breasts, so full and tender, and aching for relief. He was desperate to see them, and as he thought of how he might do so, his hands trembled, betraying his excitement. Out of habit, he smoothed back his hair. It was still thick and dark, and he was rather vain about it. Women often gave him admiring looks and coquettish smiles. He wondered if Ruth found him handsome as well.

Silas placed the herb on the counter before her, and she gave him a smile. As she reached to retrieve the small bottle, he covered her hand with his own. Her eyes widened at his boldness, but she didn't pull away.

"Is someone waiting for you right now?" he asked.

Her smile vanished, yet she answered him truthfully. "I came into town with my brother, who's gone to visit his sweetheart. I imagine he'll return to fetch me in an hour or so."

The store was still empty except for the two of them. It was strange, Silas realized, for there to be such a lengthy lull in customers. His voice was surprisingly steady, almost nonchalant as he told Ruth, "While I'm quite sure your ailment is not serious, I do have some medical training. If you're comfortable accompanying me upstairs, I could quickly examine your breasts for any obvious abnormalities."

Ruth gasped. For several moments, she didn't speak. She seemed too stunned to respond to his offer in any way. Then she began to breathe a little faster. Silas watched the rise and fall of her breasts as if mesmerized.

"Of course, I understand if you'd rather I didn't examine you," he said. Sliding the bottle toward Ruth, he began to explain how she should take the herb for maximum benefit. He wouldn't have her thinking she had no choice but to go upstairs with him.

"You can examine me," Ruth interjected. "What I mean to say is, I would like to make sure everything appears alright."

Silas struggled to keep his expression neutral. After giving her a curt nod, he left the counter and went to the store's front window, where he placed a sign indicating the apothecary was currently closed. Once the door was locked, he turned to Ruth. "Shall we go upstairs, then?"

Neither of them spoke as she followed Silas up the narrow stairway. He led her to his bedroom at the end of the hall. Ruth looked around, her gaze briefly settling on the bed. When Silas closed the door, she started at the sound, soft as it was.

His demeanor was businesslike while he regarded her. "Lower the bodice of your dress, and of course, you will need to remove your corset and chemise." He strode to the window, looking out onto the street while keeping his back to her. "It's a fine day, isn't it?"

"It is," Ruth agreed. Her voice held a slight quaver as she undressed.

Silas closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Already, he felt his member hardening, and he attempted to will away his lust. It wouldn't do to alarm Ruth.

"I'm ready, Silas."

He slowly turned toward her. The first glimpse of her bare breasts immediately stoked his arousal, and he had to fight back a moan. Fortunately, Ruth kept her eyes averted and didn't notice his erection straining at the fabric of his trousers. Those lovely globes, even larger than he'd imagined, seemed to beckon to him. Her nipples were prominent and somewhat elongated. They were the same enticing pink as the blush now heating her cheeks. Her left breast was slightly more rounded than the right, but Silas thought they were perfect even in their asymmetry. A puddle of saliva gathered on his tongue, for he yearned to draw those rosy peaks between his lips.

When Ruth finally looked at him again, he closed the distance between them. Standing directly before her, he hoped she wouldn't glance downward and discover how readily he had responded to her nudity. "Will you allow me to palpate your breasts?" he asked in a husky voice. She blinked in confusion, prompting him to clarify. "May I touch them?"

Ruth stared at Silas's chest as she nodded. His hands no longer visibly trembled while he placed a palm beneath her left breast. Ah, the weight of it! And her skin was so soft and warm against his. Silas rested his other palm atop her breast, then gently kneaded her flesh. She whimpered, and he immediately stopped. "Are you tender to the touch, Ruth?"

She shook her head. Her eyes had widened, and he felt as though he could drown in the blue of her irises.

"Shall I continue?" he whispered.

Ruth nodded. "Please do." She sounded a bit short of breath.

Silas resumed his intimate examination. While touching her, he ached to kiss her mouth. In the quiet of the room, he imagined he could hear his own fierce heartbeat.

He felt of her right breast in the same manner. "I observe no abnormalities. Your breasts appear perfectly normal."

A relieved smile appeared on Ruth's face, softening her strained features. He couldn't help but smile in return. At that point, the examination should have ended. He should have instructed her to dress and then accompany him back downstairs.

Yet Silas couldn't bring himself to take his hands from her breasts. Instead, he cupped both of them. Ruth trusted him now and didn't suspect anything amiss. She went so far as to look down in mild curiosity while he squeezed her flesh.

Then he grazed his thumbs over her erect nipples.

She released a moan. When her gaze met his, he was determined to hold it. They were both breathing faster now, both of them aware of the line he had crossed.

"Are your nipples sensitive?" he asked.

"Very much so," Ruth confessed.

He continued fondling them. "Have you been handling them roughly, Ruth? Perhaps while pleasuring yourself?"

"No!" That look of mortification shadowed her eyes again, but she didn't withdraw from Silas.

"It's fine, darling," he soothed while rolling her nipples between his fingertips. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Don't you know I often pleasure myself as well?" He ran his palms over her nipples, teasing them. "Would you like me to show you how nice it can feel when your breasts are touched gently?" Leaning forward, he brought his lips to her ear. "My tongue will feel very gentle."

Ruth let her head fall back as she moaned louder. Her slender neck begged to be kissed, but Silas didn't dare.

"Yes," she breathed.

He stepped away from her, his hands at his sides. "Go sit on the bed with your back against the wall."

Ruth hurried to obey, clutching fistfuls of her dress. Silas had grown hot beneath his clothing, and he wished he could remove his shirt, but he worried doing so would frighten the woman now arranging herself on his bed. When he approached her, she dropped her gaze to his groin. Her breasts rapidly rose and fell as she studied the outline of his hard member beneath his trousers.

Silas joined Ruth on the bed, taking care to move slowly. Retrieving one of the pillows, he placed it on her lap, then lay back so his head rested upon it. Desire overwhelmed him then, and he didn't hesitate to gather her left breast in his hands. She released a soft cry when he circled his lips around her nipple. A moan of satisfaction escaped him as he began suckling. With his mouth latched onto her breast, he teased her with his tongue. His eyes grew heavy-lidded while he sank deep into the blissful relaxation this act gave him.

Ruth look down at him, her expression almost pained. Still, she stroked his hair and whispered, "Yes, Silas, please..."

Silas let her nipple escape his lips long enough to ask, "Is my mouth soothing to you, Ruth?"

"Very much!" A primal need overcame her, for she placed her hand beneath Silas's head and lifted him to her breast once more.

He eagerly sucked, delighting in the sounds she made. "Shall I tend to the other one now?" he finally asked with a grin.

Ruth's skin was flushed and covered with a thin sheen of perspiration. "Yes, it needs soothing, too."

Silas changed position, now lying beneath her right breast. Her cries grew louder as she abandoned herself to the pleasure of his mouth. When he took her hand and placed it against his member, she immediately began stroking him. He groaned, his suckling growing more fervent as his excitement intensified. 

Unable to resist any longer, Silas worked at the buttons of his fly, desperate to free his prick. Ruth didn't shy away from wrapping her fingers around his hardness; her former lover had clearly shown her how to please a man with her hand. Silas was so aroused, he began panting at her touch. He watched as she deftly slid her hand up and down his length. Occasionally she paused to cup her hand over his sensitive tip, rolling her palm ever so gently against his flesh as though she were polishing it.

"Ruth, wait!" he cried, for he was already dangerously close to release.

When she halted her stroking, he sat up and climbed from the bed. With his jaw set in a determined line, Silas reached for her. As he dragged her toward him, she let out a startled yelp but didn't struggle in his grasp. Did she fear Silas would attempt to use her in the same way her married lover had? She needn't have worried, for he wanted to show her there was far more to lovemaking than what she'd experienced before.

He set about lifting the skirt of her dress, along with her petticoats. The many layers of clothing vexed him, drawing a growl of frustration from his throat. Finally, he reached her drawers. They were open at the crotch, as was custom. They were also perfect for what he planned. The sight of her furred outer lips made his mouth water.

Kneeling before Ruth, Silas slid his hands along her stockinged legs. Then he delved beneath her skirts, letting them fall over him.

"Silas?" Ruth's voice was tinged with alarm. Her previous lover had apparently never bothered to show her the pleasure to be found in cunnilingus.

Silas wasted no time spreading her plump outer labia with his fingers. Her scent was strong and heady. The moment he slid his tongue against her glistening sex, she drew in a shuddering breath. She was so wet, so excited for him! With a fingertip, he located her swollen pearl.

Ruth began moaning while he licked her with unbridled enthusiasm. The taste of her, even stronger than her scent, made Silas's hips thrust forward. He refused to pause his stimulation for even a second, and soon Ruth's thighs began to shake.

She cried out his name again and again. Her own hips started a sensuous rocking; she clearly enjoyed pressing her sex firmly against his face. When Silas dared to suckle her tender bud, her thighs clamped around him. She sounded so free and wanton. She sounded like a woman who had never known shame.

With his lips and tongue, he brought about her release. Her cries easily carried to him while he remained beneath her clothing. He persisted in his licking until he coaxed forth another wave of contractions, whereupon she begged him for mercy.

Silas slipped out from under Ruth's skirts, his hair mussed and his face hot. When he rose to his feet, she looked up at him with an astonished smile.

"I never dreamed a man could do such things with his tongue!"

Silas chuckled, pleased by her reaction. Clasping her hand, he brought it to his lips. "Darling Ruth, will you let me use those beautiful breasts for my own pleasure?"

She appeared puzzled by Silas's request, yet she nodded in reply. He placed his hands on her shoulders, easing her down onto the bed. She lay on her back, with her head on his pillow. A blush had spread over her neck and now pinkened her chest.

Silas rushed to strip from the waist down, and Ruth eagerly watched as he climbed onto the bed. He straddled her, careful so she didn't bear all his weight, then moved forward until his member was right at her lips. "Use your tongue," he urged, his voice thick with lust.

Ruth hesitated; Silas sensed this act was new to her as well. Finally, she extended her tongue and swirled it over his skin.

"Yes, that's it!" His arousal made him wild; he fought the urge to thrust into her mouth. As Ruth busied herself with licking the underside of his prick, making it plenty wet, he trembled with need. It wouldn't be long now, he realized. Changing position again, he placed his member between her breasts. Ruth's eyes grew wide when she understood what he meant to do.

"Wrap them snugly around me, sweetheart," Silas murmured.

She moaned while pressing her breasts together, enveloping his erection in her soft, warm flesh. Although his skin was wet with her saliva, and she had begun perspiring even more, Silas knew there would still be friction, but he was far too excited to stop and retrieve some salve to use as lubrication.

He began bucking his hips, his thrusts fierce as he drove himself between Ruth's breasts. She watched in fascination as the head of his prick appeared.

"Be a good girl and lick the tip," he said.

The sight of her tongue seeking out his glans made him groan. He paused long enough for her to wrap her lips around him. The sensation of her suckling mouth chased away all his restraint. He resumed his thrusting, his rhythm frenzied as he strove for his own release. It was near now, so agonizingly close!

Silas felt that familiar tension, almost painful, tauten his muscles. Ruth gazed up at him in wonderment, her lips parted. He shouted from the ferocity of his climax. Witnessing his seed strike her neck, just above the hollow of her throat, only heightened his ecstasy. She cried out in surprise, but he was far from finished. Withdrawing his prick from between her breasts, he let it sway wildly above them. Thick gobs of semen rained down on her skin.

When Silas was finally spent, he took a moment to catch his breath. Then he grinned down at Ruth. "What a mess I've made."

She grinned as well, a lovely blush rising in her cheeks yet again. Silas wasn't fully aware of how much time had passed. As he now looked at the clock, he found it was much later than he'd thought. Though his prick was slow to soften, he eased off of Ruth and left the bed. With a cloth, he wiped her skin clean, lingering over her nipples. A throaty moan escaped her lips while he teased her.

A few minutes later, they dressed in silence. Silas gave Ruth's breasts a final appreciative stare before her clothing concealed them from his view once more. He took a moment to run a comb through his hair, while Ruth did her best to tidy her disheveled curls.

As they returned to the store, Silas could still smell Ruth all over him. Though he relished her scent, he knew he would need to wash once she'd gone. Otherwise, customers might detect the remnant of her arousal clinging to his skin. He offered Ruth a drink, hoping to persuade her to stay a little longer, but she politely declined.

"My brother will be angry if he has to come looking for me." Her exuberance vanished as she spoke.

"I understand." Silas picked up the bottle from the counter and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Silas." Her sweet smile returned. "You've helped me a great deal today."

Before Silas unlocked the door, he drew Ruth into his arms for a fierce kiss. She readily returned it, her body pressed firmly against him. How he still wanted her!

When she reluctantly withdrew from Silas's embrace, he stroked her cheek. "I would like for you to work alongside me here in the apothecary, Ruth. I'll teach you all I know, and you will acquire a skill which will serve you well. You can have your own room upstairs."

She stared at him in shock. "That would cause a scandal!"

He lifted an eyebrow. "You and I are beyond caring for the opinions of others by now, aren't we, sweetheart?"

Ruth was quiet while considering his words. When she finally spoke, a smile played at her lips. "You are very generous to offer me such an opportunity. But while teaching me a skill which will serve me well, will you also expect me to serve you?"

"I will require nothing of you beyond a willingness to learn my trade," he assured her. She reached for his hand, and he again felt that intoxicating rush of desire as their eyes locked.

"And if I want to serve you in a way that will please us both," she said softly, "will you judge me, Silas?"

He planted a tender kiss on her forehead before whispering, "Never."