He instructed the driver to take the carriage into the rear mews; the neighbors did not need to be granted an audience to Patience’s distressed state.
A footman pulled down the steps and helped the youngest North sister to alight. Without a word of good night or gratitude, she stormed into the house, leaving an embarrassed Alice to deal with Harry.
“Thank you, Harry. You saved me from a thoroughly unpleasant evening. My sister is not one to be pacified when she is in such a mood. Mama calls her Boadicea when Patience starts getting all riled up. The only thing missing is the blue woad on her face.” She rose from her seat, ready to climb out.
Harry reached over, and taking hold of the door handle, tugged it closed. He rapped on the roof, and the carriage pulled away.
The sudden jolt had a startled Alice finding herself quickly back on the bench. “Are we returning to the concert?”
“That is up to you. I know you are keen to go and listen to the orchestra, but if you are in the mood for something a little more interesting, I could take you to a place I know,” he replied.
She scowled at him. Knowing Harry, interesting could mean a great many things. London was a city full of dark, fascinating places. A more prudent and staider woman might well have demanded he turn the carriage around and take her home. Alice North was fast discovering that she wasn’t that kind of woman.
Still, she wasn’t going to go quietly.
“Is this place that you speak of somewhere that I am going to be able to tell my sister or parents about?”
Harry moved and came to sit alongside her. He took hold of her hand. “Let’s just say I don’t think it is somewhere that you would wish to speak of in polite company. But it is a place where you and I need to go.”
“I haven’t lived as sheltered a life as you seem to think,” she replied.
He brushed a kiss on her lips. She met his gaze. A bright impish light glowed in his clear green eyes. “Alice, my sweet, you have not seen more than an inch of London. Your parents might well have led you to believe you were living a free life, but in truth, they just gave you a bigger cage.”
She didn’t like hearing him say this. Alice had always felt she and her siblings had been granted freedoms beyond the norm. That the North family was somehow special.
“My family don’t keep their women in cages,” she replied.
“No? Just because you cannot see the sides of it doesn’t mean that it is not there. Come with me tonight. Allow yourself to experience things you have never done before, then tell me how much your life is not your own.”
Who knew what danger Harry might expose her to this night, or what tomorrow morning would look like through her eyes? He frightened her; she wasn’t ashamed to admit that to herself. But he also tempted her, challenged the way she saw things and what her heart desired for the future.
If there was a chance that Harry could be the one man in all of London who not only wanted her for himself, but who she could possibly share her heart with, she owed it to herself to take the risk. “Promise you will do all you can to keep me safe tonight. I am trusting you, Harry.”
He slipped his hand around Alice’s waist and pressed himself against her. She searched his gaze, and for just the tiniest of moments, she could have sworn she saw love staring back.
Harry Steele and love. Oh, Alice, you are headed into treacherous waters. Be careful.
“I will always protect you. Where we are going is somewhere, I hope you will feel free to be the real Alice North,” he said.
Alice nodded. She could only pray that if tonight did reveal the truth of who she was, Harry would still want her. If he didn’t, she may as well stay in that cage.
Chapter 12
Lord Harry Steele had done some really stupid things in his life. He’d engaged in downright dangerous activities, which had brought him to the brink of death more than once. Taking Alice to a secret London sex club was right up there with the best or worst of his choices.
He was already having second thoughts by the time the carriage pulled into the rear mews of a plain brick building in Jermyn Street. No one was foolish enough to enter the Temple of Diana by way of the front entrance.
When the club’s footman opened the carriage door, Harry waved him away. “Give us a minute, Janus, will you?”
Janus politely backed away and stood out of earshot. The staff at this establishment were well-trained in protecting their clients’ privacy.
Harry paused for a moment in an attempt to collect his thoughts. Bringing Alice to one of London’s notorious sex clubs was a risk. If she didn’t take it the way he hoped she would, it was more than likely any possible chance he had for winning her heart would be left stone dead.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Inside that building is a club called the Temple of Diana. It is full of men and women who have escaped their cages and embraced who they are; I want you to see them because that is the world to which I belong.”
Alice frowned, and Harry inwardly cursed himself for having put their relationship in peril. He waited. Any moment now, she would ask him to take her home and not to make mention of this night ever again. His greatest fear was that if she did just that, the growing connection between them would fracture and die.
Can you blame her?
“I see. But why have you brought me here? I am not of your world,” she replied.
Harry swallowed deeply. A wrong word or poorly put phrase and it could all be over between them before it had begun. “What if you were of my world—if, for a time, our lives were somehow bound together? Wouldn’t you want to know as much of me as you could? Because if we are to truly discover whatever this thing is between us, you need to understand who I am.”
Silence reigned once more. Alice turned her gaze from him to the fancy gold-tasseled trim of the curtains. She lifted a hand to them, running her fingers along their finely tailored edge. The tassels connected and released with her touch. “Yes, I would.”
And with that, Alice reached for the door. Harry followed; his heart thumping so hard in his chest that it echoed in his ears.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The door which led into the Temple of Diana was plain black with a simple silver handle. Nothing denoted its purpose or what lay beyond.
As they drew close to the entrance, following the burly thug-cum-footman, Harry took a firm grip of Alice’s hand. “You will see things that you didn’t know existed. And for those that already did, your perception of them will be changed forevermore. There are only two things I ask of you tonight. One, that you keep an open mind.”
Alice huffed at him in annoyance. She hated being patronized. “And two?”
“You don’t run screaming from the place. Some of these people are my closest friends.”
She was about to enquire as to why she would do such a thing when the door was opened, and Harry hauled her inside.
They walked down a long dark hallway. Every step had her heart thumping and her mouth as dry as a desert. At the end of the hall, in front of a gold draped curtain, stood another footman. This servant was dressed in black from head to toe. He reminded her of the butler at Harry’s house. Perhaps this was where he obtained his servants.
The footman bowed low. “Lord Steele, always a pleasure.”
His gaze then fell on Alice. It lingered, roaming seductively over her body. Under her cloak, Alice shivered. She was still fully dressed, but somehow, he had managed to make her feel completely naked.
Harry handed his hat to the footman. “Hypnos, good to see you.”
Hypnos. Janus. Temple of Diana. All the staff are named after Greek gods.
Harry didn’t introduce her to Hypnos, instead he slipped his hands to the clasp of her cloak and unfastened it. Alice shrugged out of it, and with elegant ceremony, Harry handed it to the footman. Harry then unbuttoned his long salmon-colored coat.
Alice bit down on her bottom lip as he rid himself of the coat and turned to he
r. Now she understood why Harry had been reluctant to take it off at the earlier function.
He was clad in, of all things, a short, gold-trimmed toga. It reached just below his knee, leaving his calves on full display.
What the devil?
“Temple of Diana. One must pay suitable homage to the gods,” he said.
Alice was too busy staring at Harry’s shapely legs to take in much for the next few minutes. The footman drew back the curtain and ushered them through.
They stepped into a sensual wonderland that could have easily come from ancient mythology. She stood blinking for a moment, unsure of where to look, or whether she should avert her gaze entirely.
In a large room, which Alice surmised had once been a ballroom, several dozen people were gathered. It was what they were wearing and doing that left her speechless.
There were a few men dressed similarly to Harry in short, linen togas—a number of which barely covered their buttocks. Others wore evening gowns matched with white gloves and shawls.
Men dressed as women. I have never seen that before.
Harry slipped his arm around her waist and murmured, “Let your eyes take it all in, but don’t allow your mind to judge. All of these people have embraced their natures, but society sees them as a potential threat. This is a place where they can be safe to express themselves, to be happy.”
Alice’s gaze drifted from the first group as some female guests arrived from another room into the main space. She blinked as she took in what they were wearing. It was very little. All were bare-breasted. One was fully naked; she was also painted silver from head to toe.
Low sofas and couches were dotted around the room. On them sat couples engaged in various different amorous pursuits. She put a hand to her lips as a woman straddled a naked man and sunk onto him.
Why is this making me so hot and my core pulse?
Harry motioned to a nearby footman bearing a tray of drinks. “Two brandies, thank you.”
With shaking hands, Alice accepted her glass. Without even looking at it, she took a sip. It was strong and bitter. Holding the brandy out in front of her, she studied it before offering it back to him. “I have never drunk brandy before. People always say it is not meant for women.”
Harry shook his head and refused to take the drink. He pointed at the glass. “Have some more. Remember that cage you keep telling yourself you don’t live in?”
Another footman stopped in front of them. He held a tray, on which was a selection of cigars.
Harry took a moment, then selected a thin cigar, which the footman lit and handed to him. He raised it to his lips and drew back deeply before blowing a long thin wisp of grey smoke into the air.
Alice was unsure as to whether she was game to try it if Harry offered. The brandy and the scenery were already going to her head.
“Relax. I am not going to offer you hashish. I want your thoughts to be clear for the rest of the evening. You won’t be getting high tonight. Another time perhaps,” said Harry.
He guided her toward a nearby staircase and they slowly began to ascend. When they reached the first landing, they stopped. Alice set her brandy glass on a nearby side table before taking in the gathering below; Harry came to stand close behind her.
“Take your time. Look closely at what is happening. Tell me how it affects you. Does it stir desires deep within or are you simply shocked?” he said.
Her gaze roamed over the scene below. Men kissing one another. Women on their knees in front of seated men, their heads bobbing up and down. A room full of people exploring their sexual desires.
She gasped. On a long table lay a woman completely naked; two men ran their hands and mouths over her body. Even from this distance, the woman’s groans of pleasure could be heard.
A soft kiss was brushed on the side of Alice’s neck.
“What does it do to you? Tell me.”
She was tight and throbbing in places that ached for his touch. For a moment, she imagined herself being the woman on the table, with Harry’s lips on her heated skin. Of him bringing forth her own cries and sobs of completion.
“I know I should think all this is utterly scandalous, but for some reason I don’t. I just can’t put anything I am experiencing right now into words,” she murmured.
He blew a soft, heated kiss in her ear and she swallowed deeply. Desire thrummed through her. Dangerous. Needy. Harry.
“Would you prefer to show me?”
She nodded.
He slipped his hand into hers and drew her away from the edge of the landing and up a shorter flight of stairs. At the top, they turned and headed along a narrow hallway which had doors to the left and right. Harry’s steps didn’t falter; he seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Five doors down on the left, he stopped. “Whatever happens in this room, you are in control. If at any time you wish me to stop, you only have to say the word. If I do anything that you don’t like, I will cease it immediately. Nothing happens without your express consent. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
He led her into the room and locked the door behind them. Alice suddenly wished she hadn’t left her brandy behind. She was in need of a stiff drink.
Why is this so wrong and yet it feels so right?
On a low table various bottles of wine and champagne were set. Harry had said he wanted her clearheaded for this evening, but she would dearly love to take the edge off her passions. She fought off the lure of alcohol, knowing that it was the one thing she could resist. Her body craved a hundred other heated temptations.
Harry crushed the end of the cannabis cigar into a nearby glass ashtray, then returned to Alice’s side. He pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a scorching kiss. Lips and tongues met in a now familiar dance. When Harry groaned into her mouth, Alice’s core clenched once more.
She wanted this man, ached to have his hands on her naked body. To let him do to her whatever he wanted. To give and be possessed.
Nimble fingers made quick work of the laces on her gown before tugging the front of her bodice open and pushing the sides down. He frowned at her undergarments.
“Tut-tut, Alice. A light corset? I would have thought you would go for the French fashion and wear nothing under your gown,” he teased.
She drew in a shaky breath and tried to steady her nerves. “Yes, well this is England and it is early December. This gown is chilly enough. The corset helps bridge the gap between being fashionable and warm.”
So much for being a sexual siren.
From inside his boot, Harry produced a small knife. He gripped the top of Alice’s stiff undergarment and grinned. “I hope you have plenty of these at home. May I?”
Harry’s knife was pointed at the laces. She gave a moment’s brief pause, then nodded.
With a deft flick of the blade, he cut the front of her corset straight down the middle, all the way to her waist. Without hesitation, Harry pushed the two halves apart and bared Alice’s breasts.
She gasped. “Oh.”
Cool air kissed her nipples, instantly turning them to hard pebbles. Before she had time to fully absorb the shock of being semi-naked in front of him, Harry had laid his hand on one of her breasts, resting it in his palm. His thumb gently rubbed back and forth over her peaked nipple.
“May I?” he asked again.
She wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking this time, but she nodded anyway. The way lust was coursing through her body, she didn’t have the willpower to say no.
Bending, he took the rosy bud between his teeth and gently nipped. It sent a powerful shockwave through her body. “Oh god,” she moaned.
As he proceeded to lick, suck, and nip at first one breast, and then the other, Alice was left struggling for air. With her hands resting on his shoulders, she was at his mercy. An ever-growing need for release slowly built as Harry inflicted a masterful, exquisite torture on her body. Heat pooled in her core and her clit throbbed.
When he finally rel
eased her from his attentions, Alice whimpered.
Why did you have to stop?
With her hand in his, Harry led Alice over to a nearby low sofa. When he had arranged her with her back against it, he took her lips once more in a soft, tender kiss. She sensed his hard erection poking against her stomach, and the memory of the woman downstairs with her lover’s cock in her mouth suddenly filled Alice’s mind.
Will he want me to do that to him? He will have to teach me.
“Are you ready for more?” he asked.
This game of sexual manners was exactly what he had promised. Nothing happened without her express approval.
“Yes.”
He slid a hand beneath her skirts, tracing his thumb up the inside of her thigh. When he touched the tip of her sex, he stopped. Alice whimpered with need.
“May I?”
“I shall die if you don’t” she replied.
And with that, he slipped his thumb into her wet heat and began to stroke. Each time he withdrew to the edge of release, his knuckle rubbed over her sensitive bud and she sobbed.
“Harry.”
Harder and deeper he stroked her, creating an urgent need which built steadily within. Between her sobs and groans, all Alice could do was let Harry take the lead. She was completely at his mercy.
“You saw the woman on the table being pleasured by a man’s mouth. Did it arouse you?” he murmured.
“Yes.”
“May I?”
She had got in enough of an aroused state simply watching from the top of the landing. The prospect of Harry doing that to her had Alice sucking in a shuddering breath.
“Please,” she whispered.
He drew her onto the carpet, then knelt between her legs. The instant his tongue touched her oversensitive nib, her hips bucked. A wicked chuckle echoed in the quiet space. The rogue knew how close she was to exploding.
“Harry,” she begged.
He answered her plea with his thumb and mouth, thrusting into her sex while he licked and sucked at her clitoris. She grasped for him, her fingers spearing into his hair.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Scandal: a Christmas collection of Historical Romance (Have Yourself a Merry Little... Book 1) Page 8