Mistress on Demand

by Maggie Cox

  ‘I—I can’t just drop in on him unannounced. He might be busy. He might have visitors. He might—’

  ‘Sophie?’ Diana grabbed her by the wrists and smiled. ‘Stop looking for excuses. Go and change out of those old clothes, put some lippy on and I’ll run you over to his place. I’m meeting Freddie for a picnic in Hyde Park, so it’s on my way. Now, go!’

  ‘I need to stop off somewhere first. Do you mind?’

  Diana gave her a little shove. ‘Not if you hurry up!’

  ‘ Dalton. What a pleasant surprise.’

  Andrews answered the door, an unreserved smile on his lined face as he surveyed a nervous Sophie, standing on the step carrying a large white box.

  ‘Hello, there. I was wondering if Dominic was at home?’

  Now she’d come this far Sophie knew she would feel entirely foolish were henot at home. She didn’t know whether she would be able to pluck up the courage to make a second attempt at a later date. Already adrenaline was shooting through her veins, making her light-headed as she considered the very real possibility that she might have made a terrible mistake.

  What if he didn’t love her at all? What if all Diana’s convincing summations about the state of his feelings towards Sophie were wrong?

  ‘Yes, miss. Van Straten is in the drawing room,’ Andrews replied, holding the door wide for Sophie to come in.

  ‘Is he alone?’ She bit her lip, anxious that if he had company she wouldn’t get the opportunity to say what she’d come to say.

  ‘Yes, miss. Quite alone.’

  Andrews discreetly left her at the drawing room doors with a smile, and told her to go on inside. Waiting until his footsteps had receded down the hall, Sophie took a deep, bolstering breath and, still carrying the white box, opened the door and walked in.

  Dominic was seated in an armchair, a newspaper spread out on his knees and his eyes closed. From discreetly placed speakers drifted the languorous sounds of some gentle piano music. As quietly as she could Sophie managed to close the twin doors behind her. As the catch made a soft ‘snick’ Dominic’s eyes flew open, and he stared at Sophie as though she were some ghostly figment of his imagination.

  ‘Sophie.’

  He neither smiled nor rose from his chair.

  Feeling suddenly unsure about her own temerity, Sophie started to walk towards him. ‘I took a chance that you’d be in,’ she told him, her voice a little throaty because of nerves. ‘I—I hope you didn’t mind?’

  ‘Mind?’ He swept aside his newspaper and drove his fingers through his hair—as a person would when they were disturbed unexpectedly and were conscious of feeling momentarily vulnerable. But his unfathomable emerald eyes locked unsettlingly onto Sophie’s and made her heart jump. ‘No. Of course I don’t mind.’

  For a disturbing moment Dominic felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He’d been dreaming about her, and waking to find her there in the flesh had been a shock…ifa wonderful one. She looked sexy and pretty, in tight blue jeans, white shirt and a pale blue tweed jacket, her dark hair naturally settling softly around her lovely face.If she is part of my dream still, then please let me dream it a little longer, he thought with feeling.

  ‘I’ve brought you something.’

  Smiling, she put the box onto his knees and stood back while he lifted the lid to reveal a large iced cake.

  ‘What’s this all about?’ His voice unwittingly husky, Dominic frowned.

  ‘It’s a birthday cake,’ Sophie explained, her cheeks turning rose. ‘You didn’t have one for your birthday, and I thought you should. I’m only sorry that I didn’t make it personally. But then again you might well have been sorry if I had. I’m not exactly the world’s greatest cook. If my baking does turn out all right, it’s more by luck than judgement, I have to say—’

  ‘Sophie?’

  ‘Yes, Dominic?’ She stared as he put the box down beside the chair and rose to his full intimidating height. Her pulse started to race.

  ‘Did you come and see me only to bring a cake?’

  ‘No.’ Her feet rooted to the floor, Sophie searched her mind desperately for the right words. ‘I came to tell you I was sorry I just left you standing there like that. I know you meant well when you said you wanted to buy me something. It’s just that everything happened so quickly, and I got scared when I realised what we were contemplating…Especially when you didn’t—when you—’

  ‘I love you, Sophie. In fact I’m quite crazy about you. I should have told you when I took you to the jeweller’s, but I was scared too.’

  ‘You were?’

  ‘Love makes you vulnerable. I’ve never been vulnerable in my life, as far as I know. To love someone and to have them love you back—that is an awful risk, Sophie. One I was admittedly too scared to contemplate.’

  ‘Life is a risk, Dominic,’ Sophie replied tenderly. ‘And as far as I can tell you’ve embraced that with both hands, or you wouldn’t be as successful as you are. Ido love you. So now I’m taking a risk too. We’re in this together, Dominic.’

  Sophie stared at him hard, barely daring to believe that this amazing man had just confessed that he loved her and that it scared him.

  Stepping towards her, with a gentle brush of his fingers Dominic touched her cheek. ‘I never believed in falling in love until I met you,’ he admitted, smiling. ‘You made me hot, yes. But love? It has quite taken me by surprise. My family are in for quite a shock, I think.’

  ‘They don’t believe that you could fall in love either?’

  ‘My parents are pragmatists, Sophie. They never leave anything to chance. But when they meet you and get to know you I hope that they will grow to love you too.’

  ‘Even if they don’t, Dominic, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be quite content just to have your love.’ Her voice falling to all but a whisper, Sophie stood up on tiptoes and kissed Dominic gently on the lips.

  The touch of her mouth, damp and soft, made him groan and pull her hard into his chest. In just a few explosive seconds, he was on fire for her, his body primed to seduce her, needing the release of hot loving that only she could provide.

  But before he could persuade her that making love would be good for both of them—and hopefully she wouldn’t needthat much persuasion—he had to know why Sophie had come back to him. Especially when he’d been certain that all hope of seeing her again was lost.

  ‘How did you know?’ he asked, briefly holding her away from him to study the expression in her eyes. ‘How did you know that I must be in love with you?’

  ‘Diana came to see me. She more or less told me that she thought you were missing me and had concluded that you must be in love with me.’

  Dominic wasn’t surprised that Sophie had entertained her friend’s company once again. He’d never known a more generous-hearted woman than her. The warmth that he’d grown to feel around her seemed to expand inside his chest. ‘Ah.’

  ‘Yes, and I’ve got something else to tell you too.’

  Needing to touch him more intimately, Sophie slid her hand down his shirt, her palm feeling the tremendous heat he exuded with a little thrill inside her. ‘I’ve applied for a new teaching job.’

  ‘Oh?’ Knowing that this might be a bone of contention between them, even though they’d agreed they were in love, Dominic studied her animated face with silent reservation. He had several weeks’ business travel ahead of him, and he was not looking forward to leaving Sophie behind for even a single day—let alone weeks at a time.

  ‘It’s at a progressive new school in Westminster, and if I get the post I’ll start in six months’ time.’

  ‘Six months?’ Dominic grabbed her hand where it was sliding up and down his chest, provoking him into a near spin, and deliberately stilled it. ‘What does that mean, Sophie? Does it mean you can take some time off to go on honeymoon?’

  ‘Honeymoon?’ Sophie felt faint.

  ‘Of course. I want you to be my wife, Sophie. Not my mistress.’

  Sophie felt her heart race
, her lip quivering helplessly with joy. ‘Are you sure, Dominic?’

  His serious loving gaze left her in no doubt. ‘I am not accustomed to saying things I’m not sure of Sophie. Surely you knowthat much about me by now? Will you marry me?’

  This was one time when Sophie didn’t have the slightest doubt about the answer she would give him. ‘Yes, Dominic. I would love to marry you!’

  It was hard to keep his elation hidden—and for once in his life Dominic didn’t even try to hold back his emotions. ‘Thank God for that! You know you would have destroyed me if you’d said no?’

  At the mere idea that she could hurt the man she loved and cause him untold pain Sophie felt quite ill. ‘I would never do that to you, Dominic. Not in a million years! Although, would it be possible—I mean, would you mind—if we only had a very small wedding?’

  She almost held her breath while she waited for his response. To her relief, he chuckled. ‘Knowing your aversion to weddings, my love, I would not have expected your request to be any different. Of course…Whatever you want Sophie. Now, tell me what this new job of yours means.’

  ‘It means that—if you wanted me to—I could give up my current post and take a few months off so that we can be together. And if I get the job in Westminster in six months’ time—and it’s been hinted at that I stand a very good chance—I could practically walk to work!’

  As he let out a long slow breath, the crease between Dominic’s dark blond brows disappeared. ‘So…it was meant to be.’

  ‘What was meant to be?’ Allowing him to steer her firmly into his arms, Sophie smiled up at the contemplative expression on his handsome face.

  ‘You and me. The fates have conspired to help us be together, so it seems.’

  ‘You believe that?’ Her big blue eyes awed, Sophie sucked in her breath.

  ‘I am beginning to believe many outlandish things since I have met you, Sophie darling!’

  And before she could say another word to delay the thing that he most wanted to do, Dominic brought his lips down onto hers and kissed her soundly…

  ISBN: 1-55254-524-5

  MISTRESS ON DEMAND

  First North American Publication 2006.

  Copyright © 2005 by Maggie Cox.