“How very glad I am that you accepted my invitation, Mr. P.,” Jason told him as he stood to greet the man.
“Please, Mr. Featherington, call me Roger, I insist.” Roger was an attractive male, by most standards. One might have mistaken him for a lord with his aristocratic features, patrician nose, strong angular jaw, and a tilting reddish brow that went along with his auburn hair. Certainly he was a man under whose spell a young lady could easily fall.
“Very well, Roger. Have you any idea why I’ve invited you here today?” Jason noted the man’s smile melt into an uncertain frown.
“Not exactly. I hope I haven’t done anything to offend you, sir. If I have, I’m heartily sorry. Beg pardon.” Roger must know who he was, and that he had many friends who would do anything to stay in Jason’s good graces. Good. Maybe he’d be more likely to be receptive to Jason’s suggestions.
“No, Roger, you’ve done nothing,” Jason assured him, as he motioned the man to have a seat opposite of him on the very wide, backless, ivory upholstered chaise.
Roger complied directly. Not much shorter than Jason, possibly 6 feet, the man only had a hair advantage over Lord M. He was dressed in the fashion of the day, minus the hat and usual cane most men carried. His fawn-colored trousers and dark-brown frock coat looked freshly laundered and well kept, but showed beginning signs of wear. Possibly the man might have come upon hard times. Jason would soon find out what he needed to know about Lady M.’s stepbrother. After the successful completion of this project, Jason might even suggest a way the man could assist Lord M. and himself at the same time.
“So Roger, I understand you have a stepsister?”
Roger looked shocked. “What?” The man sat up straight again, obviously nervous.
Jason shrugged, trying not to agitate the man too much, nonchalantly picking at an imaginary thread on his dark trousers. “Have you heard of me, Roger?”
“Umm, yes, I have an old friend who used your services once. He spouted you helped him tremendously. With what, he didn’t delve into. I assumed it was something financial.” Roger seemed eager to be in his good graces, and if he thought blunt was involved he would be more than happy to assist him.
Jason would be sorry to disappoint him. But Lord M. might possibly offer Roger a small recompense if he willingly helped with the couple’s predicament.
“Well, Roger, I do help people, but not usually with their finances.”
Roger’s frown returned. Actually he looked disappointed as Jason suspected he would. But perhaps not for long.
“Tell me about your stepsister.”
“Lizzie? What does she have to do with why you wanted to see me?” Roger looked suspicious now, his auburn brows furrowing.
Jason leaned forward in his tufted chair, his elbows and forearms resting lightly on his knees. It was imperative that Roger trust him. “I’ll get right to the point, Roger. I know about your relationship with your stepsister.”
“It’s a bloody lie! I don’t care what anyone says!” Bloody hell! Roger jumped to his feet as if ready to bolt.
Observing the other male’s response thoughtfully, Jason leaned back, rubbing his right thumb and forefinger along either side of his jaw line. “No one is accusing you of anything, Roger. I heard about the relationship from your sister’s husband.”
“What?” The man looked bewildered now. “I don’t understand.” Turning, he began to pace back and forth in front of the chaise, a frown marring his face. “Arthur knows about us?”
“I admit that he does. But the man holds no ill will toward you, Roger,” Jason assured him. “It seems you instilled in the girl the love of certain sexual things. Many of which he enjoys, but one thing in particular is causing him some difficulty.” Jason hoped his instinctive understanding of this man was accurate and he would be willing to help Lord M., since, for all intents and purposes, Roger had caused the man’s present dilemma.
“What things?” Roger asked as he stopped his pacing and turned to look at Jason, his expression mildly curious.
“The man must beget an heir, Roger, and Lady M. seems to enjoy things other than ordinary copulation, if you understand my meaning.”
Jason watched as realization seemed to sink in, and Roger grimaced and sat back down on the chaise. “Damn it all, I honestly didn’t think it would cause the girl a problem. Or Lord M. for that matter.” Roger easily fell in with Jason’s practice of using the first initial of his client’s last name. “I did think he would enjoy some of the things I taught her.”
“He does, he does, but since you instilled the lady with the love of that, we need to teach her the joy of other ways as well.”
“We?” Roger asked with a croak.
“Are you telling me you never wanted her in that way?” Jason didn’t really need to ask. He saw his answer in Roger’s face.
Roger nodded his head vigorously. “Of course, I wanted her in that way, but I knew my father would kill me if he found out I’d ruined the girl for a good marriage.” The situation was just as Lord M. had intimated.
“Well then, the girl has made a good marriage. But now it’s time for you to help her overcome her hesitancy in other areas of lovemaking. Do you agree to help?”
Roger’s head bent as if in shame, his elbows on his knees, raking his hands through his auburn locks in frustration, before looking back up at Jason with pleading in his intense hazel eyes. “I’ll do whatever necessary. I’ve only ever loved the girl. Had I had better prospects, I would have offered for her myself.”
“I’m sorry things did not turn out as you hoped, Roger. But now you must wish the lady happy in her life, and once you have assisted her, both of you can move on with your lives. Shall we begin? Can you be honest with me and tell me how your relationship with your stepsister began?”
The man’s lip twisted a bit, as if he were still unsure of whether or not he should trust Jason with something so very personal in his mind. “I…um…”
Trying to retain his usual patience, Jason motioned with his right hand to encourage the man to continue. “Well? Did your other friend not tell you of my assistance? I’m the soul of discretion, Mr. P. Were I not, my reputation would not be what it is today. When helping people with such delicate matters, it is of utmost importance for the clients to know their deepest, darkest secrets will never be discovered by society.” Leaning against the arm of the chaise he presently occupied, Jason relaxed his posture, hoping to get a reciprocal response from Roger. Since time was of the essence, he wanted to obtain the information he needed before his other guest arrived. “So tell me, Roger, how did your intimate relationship with your stepsister begin?”
Roger’s gaze now searched his face. Jason was certain he was still deciding if he could be trusted. With an effort, Jason kept his expression neutral. He was an expert at not appearing eager for information he needed. This decision, most assuredly, would be Roger’s to make.
Roger began his story, his eyes becoming unfocused as if visualizing the first day he had met her. “Although I had met her before our parents married, it wasn’t until after she and her mother moved into our family home that I began to know her better. She certainly should have been married and raising a family of her own by that age.”
“Was the attraction instantaneous?” Jason wanted to know.
Roger nodded. “Yes, I found her attractive from our first meeting, but I kept that fact hidden. I knew what pitfalls would be ahead if I decided to pursue such taboo feelings.” Even as he said the words, Roger shifted uneasily on the chaise he sat upon. “I also felt a hint of pity, I must admit.” Focusing again on Jason’s face, he admitted, “My stepmother is a nice enough woman, but she and Lizzie are as different physically as night and day. Whereas my stepmother is petite and fragile appearing, the kind most men would want to take care of, Lizzie is a robust girl, with lush curves, and exuding a raw sensuality that could scare some men looking for a sensible wife.”
It did not surprise Jason that his body res
ponded instantly to Roger’s vivid description of the unknown Lizzie. She sounded exactly the type of woman that had always attracted him most. Now he really was eager to hear more about her. “And this caused a problem?”
“For Lizzie, yes,” Roger informed him. “Her mother always watched her like a hawk, reminding her to beware of eating too much—”
“So the girl was plump?” Jason couldn’t help interrupting.
“Not overly so,” Roger conceded defensively, with a frown erupting on his face. “That wasn’t all. Her mother always pointedly reminded her about her appearance, her posture. Had I been the girl, I could imagine having any number of self-doubts about myself and my worth. I heard on several occasion, her mother complaining that if she didn’t reform, she’d never find a man who would have her.”
“I can only guess at the emotions going on in the girl because of this.” Jason agreed wholeheartedly with Roger’s assessment of the situation.
“Too right,” Roger agreed. “By this time, I knew I had to do something to help Lizzie. I could tell by her expression during this last prodding by her mother that she felt disheartened and a bit worthless. So when Lizzie left the room, I waited a respectable interval and followed her.”
“Very sound decision.” Jason nodded his approval.
“I think this time it had finally become overwhelming for her. I could hear her weeping in her room, so I knocked lightly on her door that I might get her attention without anyone being the wiser. When she came to the door, she looked disheveled and to me, completely adorable. Wordlessly, I took her hand and led her to my rooms. When I closed the door and locked it, she looked a little apprehensive, so I told her I wanted to speak to her privately.” Roger rose from his seat, almost as if truly reliving that day so long ago. “I escorted her to the full-length mirror in the corner of my room. Standing behind her, I said, ‘Do not let your mother’s opinion make you doubt yourself, Lizzie.’”
“‘But it is true that no man wants me,’ she insisted. ‘Why else have I received no offers yet?’ Her abject unhappiness moved me as nothing else ever had to that point in my life. So I told her, ‘I believe there are other circumstances that have played a role, my dear.’ After which she looked at my face reflected in the mirror, her eyes big with uncertainty, and asked, ‘You do not just think it’s because I’m a fat, clumsy girl?’ ‘Most assuredly not,’ I told her firmly, then added, ‘your mother is not taking into consideration that most young swains on the marriage mart are trained to always have their eye out for females who will increase their fortunes or connections.’ ‘So it is not just my personal appearance putting men off?’ she asked me.
“At that point I decided she needed to be convinced of the matter. ‘Shall I prove it?’ I whispered in her ear as I caught her gaze in the mirror. She gulped, but did not try to stop me as I began to relieve her of her clothing.”
Now Jason was all attention as his guest’s movements matched his story, his hands moving as if he were presently doing as he said he had done. “Lizzie is tall for a girl, so my head rested easily against hers. When she stood naked except for garters and hose, I moved behind her again, so she could watch everything I did in the reflection of the mirror. ‘There now,’ I told her and with her hands entwined with mine, I spread her arms outward, and let my hands glide downward, caressing her as I went. ‘What red-blooded male would not adore these glorious mounds of yours, my sweet?’ And they are glorious,” Roger admitted with a slight grumble of a groan easily heard from where Jason sat. “So I began fondling her delicious looking breasts, pinching and tweaking her nipples, until I had her writhing against me. She was so exquisitely responsive that I became hard instantly. But this encounter was not about me. I’d determined that I must prove to her how utterly desirable she truly was to me.”
Jason easily noticed even now the profound effect Lizzie had on Roger, because there was no hiding the man’s erection in response to his reenactment of his first time being intimate with his stepsister.
“‘Truly, what man could resist…’ I assured her, before moving around her so I might enjoy suckling her. And by God, I did enjoy it. So, as I felt her running her fingers reverently through my hair, I sucked on those sweet bubbies, reveling in her accompanying moans and undulations. Before long of course, my urges got the better of me and I guided her over to my bed, positioning her just so.” Roger spread his hands wide and looked down as if he could clearly see the girl’s out-spread thighs before him.
“She had a plump cunny and her folds glistened with her woman’s dew. I was excited to see her undeniable response to my lovemaking. When I looked up at her face, I noted she looked a little anxious, possibly thinking that I now meant to ravish her, but I assured her, ‘Do not fret, Lizzie dear. I only mean to show you how lovely and sensual you are to me.’ As I knelt before her, her big eyes got even bigger, as she watched me begin to kiss her sex softly and then harder, before I shocked her completely using my tongue to stimulate her desire.
“She learned quick and before long she demanded, ‘I want to feel your skin against mine. Take off your clothes.’ I happily complied with her wishes, of course. When I eagerly settled between her thighs, despite my urges and knowing my father would kill me if I took Lizzie’s virginity for my own selfish desire, I had to come up with a means of slaking my needs without ruining Lizzie’s chances for a future marriage. So for the rest of our afternoon in my locked room, I introduced her to all the ways we could be together without truly consummating our physical relationship.”
“This is when you first fucked her bottom?” Jason asked as he watched Roger resume his seat opposite.
He nodded. “Yes, and it was I who showed her how much pleasure could be had with oral stimulation. From that point on, we explored each other and enjoyed role-playing games that reinforced our bond.” Roger smiled indulgently. “And Lizzie blossomed under my devoted tutelage.”
“How could she help it?” Jason wondered aloud. “It sounds like she had a wonderful initiation to physical pleasure from you.”
Roger’s face heated. “I didn’t mean to sound like a braggart.”
“No, of course not. Do not fear, Roger. It is obvious you cared about the girl and her feelings.”
“That I did. Despite my burning desire for her, I never allowed myself to compromise her completely or irretrievably.”
“So I know you would be willing to do whatever necessary to help her move on with her life and find happiness, wouldn’t you?”
“‘Deed, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Good. Lady M. should be here momentarily. She knows she is coming here for me to help her, but she doesn’t know how,” he told Roger, motioning his head toward a door located to his right. “I’ll be behind that wall. Remember, I can observe everything the two of you do on that chaise.” Roger glanced down at the piece of furniture he sat upon. “Let everything happen as it normally did when the two of you were together.”
Roger glanced back at him. “But what if she wants to stay true to her husband and refuses me?”
“Did anything happen to cause a rift between you before she married?”
Shaking his head, Roger said, “No, I did not cause her any guilty feelings or anger when I had to release her. She must have known how I felt, though. The girl caused feelings in me that I’ve never recovered from.” His lips thinned into a hard line. “I hate the thought that she would accept me because she feels guilty.”
“Do not ponder on that. Just accept what she gives you willingly. I must warn you, though; I will be joining you. You must take her as you’ve always longed to take her; I will only be here to assist. But let her expend as much of herself as she desires.” Jason stood, tossing several packets beside Roger, before moving toward the door on the right. He turned and watched as Roger grabbed the packets of French letters Jason had supplied. Roger frowned down at the objects he held in his hands, before looking up at Jason. “We want no doubts,” Jason told him, and then continued
. “How long has it been since you and she were together?”
As a knock sounded on the door, Roger bolted upright.
“Ah, uh…since the night of her engagement to Lord M. It was her way of bidding me farewell.”
“All I can say is savor this time, Roger.” After which Roger swallowed hard, and Jason felt the man’s gaze follow him through the door.
Chapter 3
Jason sat in a chair situated behind the wall next to his chamber of discipline, as he liked to refer to it. He had an opening disguised by a tapestry that hung on the other side.
He gazed intently as he heard Henry announce the girl. Roger had jumped to his feet and gazed toward the opening door. Even in profile, Jason observed that his tense expression and body carriage could not hide his nervousness at the prospect of seeing the female who’d meant so much to him once again.
A tall woman, with hair the color of chestnuts infused with streaks of honey peeking out from beneath her bonnet, walked slowly into the room, her movements innately graceful. Her full, bright green skirt swished lightly against her pale green shoes before settling. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw the sole occupant of the room. As instructed, Henry slipped out of the room and closed the door, quickly, leaving Lady M. with Jason’s male guest.
She looked around frantically, nervous fingers grasping her pale green reticule, as if searching for some means of escape. “Roger? Where is Mr. Featherington? I thought I was here to discuss…eh…something with him.”
The girl was striking, with warm, golden, almond-shaped brown eyes, a creamy complexion, her curves voluptuous. No scrawny heiress here. Jason happily observed Roger had not lied about her charms. It was only thanks to the fact that she gazed toward her stepbrother that he could note her facial features beneath her pale green bonnet. The bright green of her gown suited her. The long-waisted flow of the material nicely emphasized her shape. The ruching around her neckline drew attention to the smoothness of her silken skin. Two flounces, decorated with fine lace, ringed the bottom of her skirt. That she was in the newest fashion confirmed her husband’s devotion to her pleasure. His rod twitched in response to his dedicated perusal of the female. Although he always did what his job entailed, he was partial to a woman with rounded curves and large breasts, and Lady M. fit the vision of his ideal.
Valmont, Cheri - Lady M [Confessions of a Victorian Master] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2