Carte Blanche

by Camille Anthony

  “Yes!” Dare agreed, dropping down beside her and sweeping her into his embrace. Bending her pliant body backwards, his lips dipped into the hollow of neck and shoulder, skimming the smooth exposed skin. He opened his mouth on her, repeating his earlier caress of tongue against warm flesh.

  She flung her head back, arching her breasts into the solid expanse of his chest, offering up the banquet of her body. He eagerly accepted her invitation, heart beating out of sync as he skimmed the tops of her breasts.

  With breathless anticipation he pulled back long enough to tug off her gloves. He wanted to feel her skin-to-skin and the gloves were a hindrance.

  With a sigh, she sank her fingers into the thick black mass of his vibrant hair and he reciprocated, combing his fingers through her silky strands, glad she’d gone against fashion and worn it down.

  “I have felt your phantom lips on mine forever, but you always left me wanting. Let my feel you now. Kiss me…kiss me …” she urged, using her hold to tug his head up to hers.

  With a groan of excitement, Dare resisted her, determined to make her wait, make her as hungry as he. Stealing little nips and sips of her flesh, he nibbled his way up the column of her throat, his hands busy at the bodice of her gown. Triumph swelled through him when his hands at last touched warm, pliant flesh, and his fingers opened and closed over the full mounds of her breasts, plumping them, thumbing the rising crests.

  A frisson of heat unfurled low in his belly when Chastity moaned with need and growing arousal. Her hand lowered to boldly cup the steely length of his penis, her fingers testing the rampant surge through the sturdy cloth of his pants.

  Dare melded their mouths in a fiery kiss, his tongue speaking within the sweet dark cavity of her mouth. It was an ancient language promising dark delights and endless ecstasies.

  Beneath his studied assault, Chastity mewled and moaned and melted, drenching the fingers that had forged their way up the smooth flesh of her thigh to pry open the pouty lips of her sex.

  He found her wet and creamy. “Oh gods!” he groaned. “You are so responsive!” His praise was muffled against her swollen lips. He swirled a finger high up inside her tight passage. “So drenched and juicy…I want a taste, need to see if you are as sweet as you smell. Will you let me?” he asked, introducing another long finger into her honeyed depths and stirring, stirring.

  Chastity squirmed on his hand, her inner muscles spasming on his marauding fingers. “I shall explode!” she warned him, her breath coming faster, harsher. “I feel as if a tumultuous storm is battering me from the inside out.”

  “No storms yet. This is too sweet to rush.”

  Dare eased his movements, backed down the pleasure, lengthening it, drawing it out. He eased his fingers out of her and stripped off his coat. Spreading it on the broad bench, he settled her back and went to his knees beside her.

  She bit her lip as his hands coasted up her thighs, lifting her skirts. He met her eyes as the material bunched around her waist. Even in the dark he could see the wash of warm color change her face from pale white to pale pink cream. He stretched up to caress her mouth with his, tongue dipping and sliding along the slick surface behind her lips.

  With a rough groan of need, Dare moved back down. His hands went before, pressing against the top of her thighs, widening her legs so he could fit between them. Against the soft smooth protected flesh near her womanhood, his face and hands felt rough and clumsy.

  Brazen and bold, he opened her, his thumbs pressing the feminine lips apart. Leaning close, he took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet, musky aroma of her feminine scent. “Mhmm, you smell divinely--creamy and hot and mouth watering. I can’t wait any longer. I have to have a taste…” He bent to her, his mouth hungry and hard against her tender skin.

  She moaned, fingers burrowing through his hair to tug at his scalp. He loved the feel of her hands on him, urging him on. He nibbled on the sweet knot of flesh exposed by his unveiling hands and her hips bucked. Tightening his hands on her, he held her down and fluttered his tongue in her welling juice, thrilling at the liquid proof of her desire.

  “You taste delicious, darling. I’m going to slurp you up.”

  Gasping, Chastity grabbed her skirts, flattened them so she could watch him feasting on her, lapping the length of her weeping opening, taking her tender labia into his mouth.

  “Guardian Angel Serpents, that feels good!” Her body undulated, unable to hold still under his ministrations. She eased herself back on her elbows, bringing her legs up to clasp his head between her knees.

  The sweet smell of her aroused flesh drove Dare beyond control. Hands palming her bottom, he lifted her hips, brought her to his mouth and thrust his tongue deep into her churning passage.

  A groan welled up in Chassy’s throat, the sound rising like pleasurable agony. The vibration of her extremity rumbled in his chest and he attempted to devour her, to drown her in sensation. He tongued and bit and drew and nibbled until she writhed beneath him, whimpering as she fell into a grinding completion.

  He felt the explosions under her skin, tightening her tendons and bowing her back. Her belly muscles rippled and she screamed her release, falling boneless beneath his ministrations.

  Reluctantly, he dropped one more kiss on her quivering pussy before moving up to cover her lips with his, cutting off her scream before others could hear and investigate. Leaning his forehead against hers, he drew in several deep chests full of air, fighting to control the almost overwhelming urge to open his pants and release the huge hard-on throbbing behind the tight cloth.

  His earlier need to fuck had transmuted into a need to be within this one woman. His body wanted no other. He greatly feared she’d just ruined him for any other woman.

  *****

  “You didn’t enjoy that as much as I did,” Chastity said when she regained her sanity. “Let me ease you,” she offered, placing her small hand on his still rock-hard penis.

  Dare captured her hand, held it prisoner against his begging erection. “This is not the time or place.” He groaned and clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth at the tight hot pressure compressing his cock. Her hand around him felt beyond good.

  “Much as I would enjoy taking you up on your generous offer,” he whispered with a wry smile, wishing he dared take advantage of her willingness, “we’ve been gone too long. I'm surprised some chaperone hasn't already come looking for you.”

  Unable to believe he’d actually refused the chance to have his cock sucked, he shook his head while he eased Chastity's skirts down, assisted her in righting herself and helped her to her feet. And was there to catch her when her legs gave way, his arms strong and supporting about her slight figure.

  With a shaky laugh, Chastity clung to him. “See how you make my knees weak?” she teased, trailing a hand down his chest to his groin and giving his penis a generous squeeze. “You were miraculous. Thank you.”

  Groaning, Dare took her rounded derriere in both hands and pressed her into his jutting hardness, trapping her hand between them. He took her mouth in a desperate kiss that swept them both into a dark, climactic paradise. He felt her shiver, felt her melting, reforming around his jutting hard on. He felt her in his soul. “I want you…need you…”

  She gasped into his mouth. “I want you, too…so much!”

  “Come to me soon! Tonight,” he demanded.

  “How and where?”

  “Come to my rooms. I'll make the arrangements. Will you come?”

  Chastity leaned against him and gave a shaky laugh. “I already have and no doubt I shall again!”

  His laughter joined hers. Entranced with her, bewitched by her, he was amazed at how she lifted his dark spirits. Simply by existing, she had changed his beliefs about debutantes and marriage in less than an hour's time. She was right. It was miraculous. She was miraculous! “Chastity --”

  She placed a hand over his lips. “Call me Chassy.”

  “Chassy…Aphrodite…Persephone…my goddess…! May I ask y
ou an important question?”

  Chastity's eyes lit up. “Before you ask, will you permit me to ask something?”

  “Of course, my dear, whatever you wish.” Dare smiled reassuringly. She had probably heard the rumors about him. He had never before attempted to defend himself. His pride hadn't allowed it. But for her, he would put the old stories to rest. And he could assure her she needn't worry he would continue to keep mistresses after their marriage. With her generous and passionate responses, she’d convinced him her erotic fire would supply all the warmth he would ever need.

  Chastity eased out of Dare's arms. “I've heard the rumors about your brother and his fiancée--”

  Ah, just as I thought. He reluctantly let her go. “I can expla--”

  She held up a restraining hand when Dare made to interrupt. “I do not believe a word of that silly story.” Her brisk, matter-of-fact words convinced him of her sincerity. Before he could thank her for the gift of her trust, she continued.

  “I know about your resulting financial situation. I’m an heiress. I can make things easier for you, if you’d let me.”

  Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands in front of her. “The solution to your dilemma is simple. All you have to do is accept my offer of carte blanche.”

  Chapter Four

  “You did what?” Alicia fell back against the mound of pillows, her cup of chocolate wobbling in her hand.

  Chassy sighed. “I tell you, I thought the man would drop dead from a stroke, he grew so angry. I never suspected he’d have such tender sensibilities.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand what I said to anger him so. Don’t all men want the freedom of sex without the ball and chain of marriage?”

  “Surprisingly, not all do. I know a large number of men who revel in the married state. Once they get passed the hurdle of the actual proposal, they settle down quite nicely.”

  “He hadn’t proposed. In fact, he asked me to come to his rooms so we could finish what we started.”

  “Well, technically, he couldn’t honorably ask you to marry him when you hadn’t officially broken your betrothal with Bernard.”

  Chastity went over to the chocolate pot and poured herself a cup of her cousin’s favorite brew. Snagging a handful of scones, she walked over to where Alicia was lying. “Scoot over.”

  Alicia drew her legs up and made room for Chassy at the foot of the bed. “Don’t keep me in the dark, what else happened?”

  ”First, let’s get back to what you just said. You know…that statement about how Dare is honorable? Is this the same guy you were warning me about last night, the guy who is supposed to be bad for me, a social pariah?”

  The Marchioness fluffed her pillows and threw herself back on them. “Everything I said is true. He’s all of that and some. I think its worse that he can exhibit honor at times and still act so dishonorably when it suits him. Now give…tell me what he did after you dropped that bomb.”

  Chassy took a sip of her chocolate. She kept her head down when she answered. “He turned me down. Flat. For a moment, I thought he would hit me. Then he left. That’s when I came back into the ballroom and made my public ‘hell-no-I-won’t-go’ speech to Bernard. He took it well, by the way, don’t you think?”

  Alicia smirked. “As well as one of dad’s lapdogs could take it, knowing he’ll have to give the great man bad news.” She sat up. “All kidding aside, Dare is a dangerous man. Angering him like you said you did could have seriously scary repercussions.”

  “He should be worrying about the repercussions I’m planning,” Chassy hissed. “Do you know how much it hurts to be left primed and ready, and then have the man walk off in a huff?”

  “If Monty did that to me he’d be sleeping in the nursery for a month!”

  They laughed together.

  When they subsided, Ali asked, “So what are you going to do, now?”

  “Make him change his mind, of course. I don’t want to be a virgin anymore, but since I met him I don’t want anyone else to be my first. It has to be him.”

  “You’re in love with him.”

  She stiffened in her seat. “I am not! I’m in lust with him, yes, but not the other L word.”

  “I think you’re lying to yourself, cuz. I’ve never seen you like you were last night.”

  Chastity stood up and placed her empty cup back on the tray with a little snap of her wrist. “When are you getting up? I want to go shopping.”

  “I’m still sleepy. Monty kept me up late last night, celebrating father’s name on his petition. His spirits were…shall we say…very elevated!” She brought a hand up to cover her giggles.

  “I really don’t want to hear about you hitting the jackpot when I crapped out. Get your lazy butt up and out of that bed and get dressed.”

  Alicia threw her covers back and swung her legs out of the bed. “You are such a tyrant. I’ll go, but I get to drive the flitter this time.”

  “Oh, hell, no, she said to the kamikaze, flitter pilot. The last time you were at the controls we were ticketed seven times.”

  “Monty fixed them.”

  “In seven minutes.”

  “No one told me they had changed the speed limits there.”

  Chassy raised her eyebrows. “They didn’t, Ali. They’ve been subsonic since the landing.”

  “What can I say? I like to go fast.”

  “What can I say? You’re not driving!”

  Ali pouted while she signaled for her maid. “You are such a flathead when it’s anyone else but you acting up.”

  “Newsflash--! I may ‘act up’ but I never endanger anyone by my actions. You can’t say that about your driving techniques. Get your bath, dress and hurry up or I’ll leave without you.”

  Ali paused on her way to the bathing room. “And I want to go with you…why?”

  Chassy poked out her tongue. “Because I’m going to flit around till I find Dare’s hangout and your nosey ass will miss all the action.”

  With a laugh, Ali skipped into the disrobing room. “I’ll be out in ten minutes. Don’t dare leave without me.”

  Chassy kept the smile on her face until the door closed behind Alicia. When she heard the snick, she sank down on the side of the bed and buried her head in her hands.

  Ali thought they were going to find Dare so she could proposition him again, pressure him into an affair he’d already said he didn’t want, but she needed to find Dare and apologize, to ask him if they could start over again. Her mind shied away from the memory of how badly it had hurt when he’d turned her offer down.

  Pain had flashed throughout her system, burning along her nerves like carbolic acid etched steel. The scary part had been realizing her pain had very little to do with still being horny as a celebeast in heat and more to do with fearing he was walking out of her life before he’d walked into it.

  Why did she only remember what Liana said when it was too late?

  *****

  The men rushed into the apartment, Dare shooing away the last of the persistent angel-serpents that clung, fluttered, cooed and groomed him every chance they got. Going outside in the daylight hours always ended this way. Thank the gods the angel-serpents weren’t nocturnal beasties—he’d have no social life at all.

  “Damned persistent things won’t leave me alone.”

  “You aren’t aggressive enough with them,” his brother observed, eyes glued to the flash of iridescent colors. No one could ignore the beautiful winged snake-like creatures. Their presence drew fascinated stares and wishful thoughts of being accepted as a companion. In all of Landing history, no one had ever drawn a cloud of them the way Dare did.

  “They know you don’t mean it when you shoo them away.”

  “Oh, I mean it, all right. I just have no intention of accidentally angering one and dying a quick, horribly painful death.”

  C.C. picked up the decanter of bourbon before glancing over his shoulder. “I don’t think you have to worry about that, Dare. Those serpents are highly prot
ective of you. I’ve never seen the like. In fact, if we went according to legend, you couldn’t possibly be guilty of anything because the angel-serpents only flock to those they’ve judged pure in heart.”

  Dare snorted, amusement lighting his countenance. “I wasn’t feeling very pure in heart last night, I’ll tell you. After being propositioned by the woman I planned to make my wife, being pure was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to fuck her to within an inch of her life and then beat that last inch out of her.”

  Chezαnn’s eyebrows twitched together. He tilted his head to the side and studied his elder sibling, a confused glint in his eyes. “You never came back into the house. I saw Chassy and she looked like she’d been run over by an out-of-control celebeast. I wanted to ask her what happened, but when I got close enough for conversation I saw her eyes…”

  Dare jerked around to glare at his brother, quick panic running up his spine and jangling along his nerve endings. “What was wrong with her eyes?”

  “They were lifeless. Dead. She looked traumatized.” C.C.’s voice held censure and disapproval. He flopped down on the long settee in the drawing room. “She didn’t deserve whatever it was you did to her. I didn’t defer my interest in her for you to mistreat her.”

  “Mistreat her? Mistreat her? That is so not what happened between us. You should ask how she could mistreat me, so. Hell, I was ready to offer her marriage, and she offered me carte blanche!”

  After a moment of shocked silence, C.C. threw himself back on the settee, convulsed with laughter. “You've got to be kidding! She really offered you carte blanche? Oh, to have been a fly on the wall-- “

  “She really did.” Dare snapped, his words clipped and surly. He still couldn’t believe it. He had found the woman of his dreams, and all she had been thinking of was turning him into her gigolo!

  “Well, what were the terms?” Dare's younger brother could hardly get the query out without choking on his giggles. “I mean…was it a generous offer?”

  “You find this funny, Chezann?”

  C.C. sobered at the warning chill radiating from his elder brother. Dare only called him by his full name when he was beyond irked at him. But he could only maintain his sober mien for a moment before his grin broke out again.