“So are you,” she whispered back.
He kissed her again, and Eliza was aware of Todd shifting around—maybe slipping out of his trousers? And then Eliza felt a hand cupping her tit. A soft, small hand. And then lips, kissing and then sucking on her left nipple, sucking with tenderness but also firmness, as if innately aware of what a woman wanted. Tori’s lips…
Tatum moaned as Tori sucked Eliza. He had stopped kissing her and now stood beside the bed. Eliza saw Todd at the end of the bed. He was naked, his erection pointing up into the air. And Tatum was right beside her. Their cocks were quite similar. Pretty much the same length, Todd’s a little thicker, Tatum’s with a wider, more rounded head. Eliza reached for Tatum, to feel him, stroke him, compare what she knew with what she didn’t. Tori watched and smiled. Then she kissed Eliza again. Todd’s fingers slipped inside Eliza’s pussy. Tori’s hand still fondled one tit, and Tatum’s cock pressed into Eliza’s hand and closer to her face. He nudged Tori’s kissing lips away. She acquiesced, licking the head of his cock once, and then he was pushing himself into Eliza’s mouth and she opened wide to receive him.
Tori moved away, and Eliza saw her reach for Todd’s cock. She gripped it with one hand and cupped his balls with the other. Todd moaned at her touch and made eye contact with Eliza for a second before he seemed to be mesmerized by Tatum’s cock dipping in and out of her mouth. Todd’s fingers, at least three, reached deep into Eliza. His thumb tapped her clit lightly. She arched her back, which also stretched her neck, allowing Todd to penetrate deeper. Eliza gagged a little and then relaxed.
Tori bent over and sucked Todd, and his fingers slid out of Eliza and toward Tori. First Todd put his wet fingers in Tori’s mouth and then with both hands he held her head and set a fast rhythm. Amazingly, Tori kept up with it. Tatum drove deeper into Eliza’s mouth, moaning as he watched Tori and Todd.
Eliza didn’t know if the men made eye contact or not, but Tori and Eliza did, and their eyes smiled as if they shared a sinful secret.
Eliza suddenly wanted Todd. She desperately wanted to feel a cock buried deep in her pussy and the more aroused she got the less she would care whose it was. She released Tatum from her mouth and gripped him now with her hand as she shimmied closer to Todd and Tori. Tatum adjusted with her until he was standing next to Tori, who stood up to kiss him. She kept her hand wrapped around Todd’s cock the way Eliza held Tatum’s.
Eliza kneeled on the bed next to Todd. She leaned in to kiss him with her soft, swollen lips. Todd slipped the fingers of one hand between Eliza’s legs and with his other hand he fingered Tori as she stood in front of him kissing Tatum.
Tatum slid his hand down Eliza’s back and into her pussy from behind, while the fingers of his other hand swirled around Tori’s clit.
Both men fingered both women at the same time. Eliza’s breathing grew ragged as she crept closer and closer to climax. She could hear Tori gasping between Tatum’s kisses and wondered if she was close, too.
Eliza really needed to feel Todd inside of her. She let go of Tatum and straddled Todd, pushing his chest back onto the bed as she sat over him. He unfolded his legs so they were hanging off the side of the bed.
When she sunk over his pulsing cock, Tori withdrew her hand and pulled Tatum toward her. She led him around to the other side of the bed and then leaned over, supporting herself on her arms and keeping her feet on the floor so Tatum could fuck her standing.
Tatum and Eliza locked eyes as he thrust into Tori.
In a strange way this was a fantasy come true for Eliza. She had been so hot for Tatum when she first met him through Tori, though she had kept her infatuation to herself. He was just as gorgeous naked as she had fantasized about years ago. Maybe more so. He had filled out a bit; his shoulders were broad, his waist trim, his legs strong and long. His cock, too.
Eliza was head over heels in love with Todd, but seeing Tatum in the throes of passion while he stared at her, a powerful lust in his gaze, was such a turn on.
Todd throbbed inside her. With his free hand he reached under Tori’s leg and rubbed her clit as Tatum thrust into her from behind.
Eliza leaned forward over Todd, so that her clit rubbed against his moving shaft. She leaned forward a little more as Tatum pushed into Tori as deep as he could go. Eliza and Tatum both leaned forward just a bit more until their lips met.
Tatum probed Eliza’s mouth with his tongue. When he paused he whispered, “You’re so sexy, Eliza. Since I first met you, I’ve fantasized of sneaking into your shop and fucking you like this. From behind.”
Tatum had fantasized about her?
She watched him plunder Tori and imagined he was doing that to her.
Eliza was so close to her climax now.
Todd was bucking his own rhythm under her. By the speed of and intensity of his movements she knew he was close, too.
Beside Eliza, Tori started trembling and shuddering. She cried out, “Yes, yes, more!”
Tatum moaned. He would be familiar with Tori’s rhythm and cries. Was he ready to come, too?
Todd palmed Eliza’s right tit, pinching her nipple as she swirled into an ecstatic oblivion of sensation. She felt him clench and release as she rode him, her hands on his chest now, her gaze fixed on his face as her orgasm engulfed her.
The room blurred, and only Todd seemed to remain, as Eliza’s pleasure fanned out around her and then ebbed into a sweet pooling afterglow.
She fell forward over Todd’s chest feeling sated and sleepy. She didn’t want to think. She didn’t want to make room for sense or reason or anything to turn this moment into something other than what it was. It was simply the moment after. And she was happy to find herself in Todd’s arms. She’d think about the rest another time. She’d make sense of it if she could, but she told herself it didn’t really matter. It didn’t have to matter or make sense at all. So long as she and Todd were together.
Tatum gathered up Tori. They both said goodnight, and thank you, and they each kissed Eliza and Todd on the cheek as they lay on the bed. They retrieved their clothing and slipped back to their room.
“Are you fine?” said Todd.
Eliza just nodded into his chest. She didn’t particularly want to talk.
“Let’s leave this room and go to yours in the other wing. We can shower and sleep on those nice clean sheets.”
He squeezed her lovingly, found her robe and his trousers, and together they padded down the hall to get a few hours of rest.
Breakfast was awkward. It was as if they didn’t recognize each other with their clothes on. Todd and Eliza sat on one side of the table and Tatum and Tori on the other. They smiled shyly at one another.
It didn’t help that Marjorie flitted about with fresh coffee saying, “How are the lovebirds?” No one knew who she was referring to exactly and so everyone turned a different shade of pink. And she made a big fuss about Eliza arriving in the night, and what might have happened, and how usually she locked the door at night, and what if she had, and Albert would make a fuss, and why couldn’t everyone just do what was proper and expected. Why indeed.
Marjorie’s fussing got so amusing that they all eventually relaxed and with barely more than smiles and a few meaningful glances, they put the previous night behind them. Tori mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to Eliza from behind her orange juice glass so she guessed everything had turned out all right between them.
“Did you tell Eliza the news?” said Tatum to Todd.
Todd lifted his eyebrows at the query and then seemed to recall what Tatum was referring to. He broke into a wide grin that made his eyes sparkle.
“You’ll never guess.”
Todd swallowed the last bite of his toast and took a sip of coffee.
“What is it?” said Eliza, on tenterhooks now because Tatum and Tori were grinning like fools, too.
“Dante placed in the last race. He’s going to run in the Gold Cup at Ascot!”
“Isn’t that great news?” said Tatum.
/> “Now we can all go together!” said Tori.
“Todd, you must be so happy,” said Eliza, beaming. He had always said Dante’s Fire was a winner. “Will Jimmy ride him?”
“That’s up to Harvey Selfridge, but I’m guessing, yes. He’s been winning a lot this year.”
The name Selfridge brought up the rest of the drama they were embroiled in, and Eliza realized that she wouldn’t be attending Ascot with Todd at all. He would be going with Melissa, to keep up appearances. She was booked to go to Canada the last week of June, the week after the Royal Ascot. Eliza just had to hold on until then. It would take an effort. Sitting here with friends who knew the truth, including Marjorie and Albert, felt so liberating.
She put her napkin on the table. “I’m afraid I’ll be too busy to attend the race week.”
“But all your recent work leads up to that, doesn’t it?” said Tori looking disappointed.
“There will be clean up and then the weddings that get pushed off until the palace contract is complete.”
“Just one of the days?” said Tatum. “You have to at least come for Ladies Day to see all your work in one place.”
Todd cleared his throat. “Let it go, you two.”
Tori touched her forehead in a gesture of finally getting the point. “This is about Melissa, of course. I’m so sorry. How inconvenient.” She frowned at Todd.
He set his jaw firm and shrugged. “What’s done is done. Eliza understands.”
Eliza did understand, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t an annoying situation to be in, and the stress at work didn’t make it any easier to bear.
“Let’s take a walk,” Todd said to her. “Your train back to London isn’t for another couple of hours. I want to show you something.”
Eliza and Todd headed out on foot, crossing a meadow and passing into the forest. Birds chirped gaily as they flitted about building nests. Todd led Eliza down a trail that opened onto a clearing spangled with bluebells. On the other side of the floral sea striped with bright new grass stood rows upon rows of white birches.
“That’s what I wanted to show you.”
“The trees?”
“That stand of birches there.” He pointed. “I’ve watched it grow and change for the last twenty years. Nature changes so easily, and without a fight. But not people.” He sighed. “I can hardly imagine not seeing this forest evolve for the next twenty years.”
Eliza gathered this was about Evergreen. “Tatum bore bad news then?”
He nodded. “He came down early yesterday so we could get the business out of the way. His hands are tied. The decision is made. They're going to parcel the land out and sell some. They’ve had an offer on the dairy farm and some rich foreigner’s been sniffing around Evergreen.”
“Oh, Todd. I’m so sorry to hear that. You must be disappointed.”
He shrugged. “Nothing stays the same forever. I’ve learned that over and over. It seems to be the nature of everything.”
He reached for her hand and continued walking along the edge of the birch forest. Bluebells brushed their ankles.
“What about the horses?” said Eliza.
“I’ve got a buyer for the new foal. I’ll be able to keep Fanfare and Honey, for recreational riding, if I board them.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Actually, there is. But you’re so busy right now.”
“I like to make time for you. You know that.”
“Can you get out of town again in a couple of weeks?”
“To come back here?”
Todd shook his head. “No. Oxford.”
Which wasn’t nearly as far from London. “What’s there?” asked Eliza.
“My parents’ house. The one I grew up in.”
Eliza remembered hearing about it. The house where his mother died.
“I’d just rather not go alone,” he said.
She reached over and took his hand. “If I focus completely on work between now and then, I might be able to arrange one more night off.”
“Then I’ll give you your space and I’ll focus on Melissa. Some people aren’t convinced we’re a real couple. The engagement party was a bust. I couldn’t bring myself to kiss her in public.”
Eliza bristled but tried to hide it. She had just shared Todd with her best friend the night before and yet this little pretend romance with Melissa bothered her more. Maybe because it was public. She didn’t like having to pretend that the man she loved was in love with someone else. More than that, she didn’t like him pretending to love someone else, because it made Eliza keep dwelling on that possibility and it brought up all her insecurities. She kept reminding herself that it would all be over in a few weeks.
Todd seemed to sense her mood change. He lifted her hand up and placed it against his chest. “I know this isn’t easy for you. It’s hard for me, too. As well as Melissa and Christine.”
“What will happen to us after they move away?”
“Let’s just get through the next few weeks. You need to focus on work and I need to make plans to leave Evergreen. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about the future later.”
It frustrated Eliza that Todd didn’t want to talk more specifically about the future, but at least it seemed to be on his mind. And he was right that Eliza had little room left in her mind for anything but hat design and creation. She would have to draw on all her focus and discipline to meet her deadline.
In addition to all the real work of hat-making, Eliza was having to give fashion interviews and make the most of the media attention that accompanied being the designer for the majority of the palace’s Royal Ascot attendees. Carmen handled a few of the interviews, and after one such meeting she returned to Candied Locks with a frown on her face.
“One of the magazine assistants started asking about your personal life and your connection to the Montgomery family. I blew her off, of course, but I thought I should warn you.”
Eliza didn’t have any plans to see Todd until they drove up to Oxford so she wasn’t too worried that the reporters would uncover any details before the ‘official’ engagement broke off. Hang on just a little while longer, she told herself. But the stress was getting to her. Between work, not sleeping well, and not seeing much of Todd—except for reading about him and Melissa in the papers—Eliza’s nerves were on edge. She even snapped at Annabelle a few times and Carmen had to smooth things over for her.
But within a couple of weeks they had accomplished a ton of orders and Eliza was able to rationalize getting away at the weekend with Todd. She left Carmen in charge and was totally confident in Annabelle’s abilities. She had turned out be a hard and dedicated worker. Eliza was considering keeping her on as an assistant after offering Carmen a partnership.
It was a beautiful day in late May and Todd borrowed Tatum’s roadster for the drive up to Oxford.
“I hate to admit it but I’ve never been,” said Eliza over the roar of the motor and the wind.
“Then I’ll have to give you a little tour. I’ll show you some the Harry Potter film locations.” He winked.
Once again, Todd had guessed one of her whims. She loved that about him. It’s not that she expected him to read her mind, but when he plucked something seemingly out of the air like that, she was struck again by his sensitivities, their similarities, and the way he could be unexpectedly playful. Somewhere deep down they knew each other very well, even though they were so different, and this relationship was like a treasure hunt, a discovery of the little jewels hidden in each of them. Some of the jewels were rock-encrusted and needed cutting and polishing, like some of the pain of the past—the death of Todd’s mother and Eliza’s fractured self-esteem—but the careful work of carving away the dross was well worth the wealth to be recovered underneath.
Todd turned off the motorway and followed a curving narrow road lined on both sides by tall hedgerows. Eliza prayed another car wouldn’t come up from the other direction; Todd was driving too fast once again.
/>
“Remember the last time we drove together?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively.
“Of course, I do. You drove too fast that time, too.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he chuckled, as the road opened up to reveal rolling hills of farmland and small villages in the distance. There was such beauty to be savored just outside of London.
“I know,” she smirked and gave his knee a squeeze. “But I’m not going to miss any of the view this time,” she said cheekily.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Todd, returning the knee squeeze. It was warm, nearly summer, and Eliza had worn a skirt and open-toed sandals. Todd didn’t stop at a knee squeeze but let his hand travel up Eliza’s thigh, under her skirt, until he found the triangle of her panties. With a deft little finger he pulled them aside until his middle finger found the nub of her clit.
Eliza gasped. “Why do you turn into such a bad boy behind the wheel?”
A rush of blood made her clit swell instantly.
“Must be the mechanical power at my disposal. Goes to my head. And other places.”
His finger dipped lower to gather her quickly flowing juices. Eliza slid forward to give him more access.
“Well, if you insist…” She let her legs relax and her knees open.
“Oh, I do…” He trailed his wet finger back up to her clit and started swirling.
Eliza moaned and leaned back in her seat.
“I thought you didn’t want to miss any of the view,” Todd chuckled.
“Now I have an outer view and an inner view. I don’t want to miss either.” She rocked her hips forward and back while Todd expertly stimulated her clit.
Eliza was surprised that he was able to do this and drive at the same time. He must have been thinking the same because he said, musingly,
“I think this type of concentration helps my driving.”
“Lucky me,” sighed Eliza, rolling her pelvis forward. Breathily, she asked, “Would it mess things up if you went inside me?”
Todd slipped two fingers into her pussy. Eliza gasped. His palm pressed against her clit and mons. His fingers twitched inside her, curling up and back toward her g-spot. Eliza’s eyes rolled back in her head—all views giving way to a deep, dark, inner fire taking over her center.
London Lace, Series Complete Set Page 23