Free Tell Me I'm Dreamin' by Eboni Snoe

do allow something to happen between you and Ulysses? This way you can get the preliminaries out of the way, and gain some experience to boot And when you are back in the States no one will be the wiser.
    Nadine smiled to herself. You never know. Gloria might be right. Maybe I have been like a bud whose blossoming is well overdue. After my rendezvous here, I can return to the States a full-fledged rose. Who knows? It’s possible, if I don’t seize some opportunity real soon, the bud may just wither and fall off the bush. She giggled to herself, but underneath it all Nadine knew she had a real fear of growing old and never tasting the virtues of physical love.
    With that Band-Aid of self-advice, Nadine decided she would let things flow naturally with Ulysses Deane. She turned away from the painting feeling more at ease, and headed back toward her bedroom.
    â€œDid you enjoy your breakfast, Miss Clayton?”
    â€œI sure did,” Nadine answered, eyes sparkling with harnessed anticipation. “But I wish you’d call me Nadine.”
    â€œNadine it is then.” Catherine’s wise eyes noticed the glow on Nadine’s face. She threw a glance in the direction of the house where Ulysses remained. “If you do not have anything else planned, would you care to join me in my walk to the sugarcane fields? There is a small festival today at our rum still, and I usually bring some fresh molasses back to the house.” Catherine placed folded knuckles on her boxy hips. “Sovereign produces enough rum for most of the folks here on Eros. From what I understand we have the only still in these parts outside of the West India Rum Refinery near Bridgetown on Barbados.” Catherine lifted her chin a bit. “But their rum isn’t nearly as good as what we make here.”
    â€œI bet it isn’t.” Nadine smiled with understanding, picturing the homemade wine that Grandma Rose sometimes kept in the back of the kitchen cabinet. “I do have something planned a little later on today, but I’d love to see a real rum still.” She looked down at the green material that lay against her body. “But I’m sure this isn’t what I need to be wearing.”
    â€œDo not worry about that. Your clothes are waiting for you in your room, along with a couple of blouses and skirts I was able to dig up.”
    â€œYou’re a blessing, Catherine,” Nadine stated appreciatively. “I’ll go change and meet you on the lanai, say in about fifteen minutes?”
    â€œYes. Good. That will give me enough time to finish up a few chores.”
    Nadine felt more alive than, she had felt since she was a child. She walked through the house, staring. On an American scale, this would have been considered a very large house with extraordinarily spacious rooms. Unlike the majority of the structures in the States, the rooms were very rarely placed directly off hallways. You simply stepped out of one room into another.
    Nadine felt a heightened sense of anticipation as she closed the bedroom door. Removing the cord belt and taking off the chiton was simple. The pieces of material fell soundlessly to the floor when she unfastened the two brooches upon her shoulders. She turned the jewelry over in her hand for a closer look and was amazed at the weight and intricacy of the ornaments.
    A satyr holding a wineskin in his hands was carved upon one of the pins. The other displayed an olive-wreathed nude male riding a panther. Both appeared to be made out of solid gold. Carefully, Nadine placed them back in their original container, conscious of their apparent value, and the trust placed in her by allowing her to wear them.
    She felt almost buoyant as she dressed. What Nadine had experienced so far and what she hoped to experience was intoxicating. The island of Eros was proving to be more of a treasure than she ever imagined. Why, here, at Sovereign alone, was Ulysses, a rich historical,