by Josie Dennis
“W–what shall I play?” she asked.
Stephen laughed softly before choosing a song from the sheets atop. Thankfully it was one she’d played so often that she knew it by heart, so she began to play. Goodness knew she could barely concentrate on the written notes with Stephen’s hand slowly inching its way up under her skirt. Each time he turned a page he gained more ground. As he reached the top of her stocking, his fingertips brushing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, she was trembling. Her fingers faltered and she missed a note.
“Naughty Emmy,” Gabriel said from behind, his voice low. “Allow me to show you.”
He bent close, guiding her hand as his lips brushed over her shoulder. It was torture and heaven at once, Stephen tickling her flesh so close to the source of her nighttime yearning while Gabriel placed teasing kisses up and down the side of her neck.
Parting her legs a bit, she leaned back against Gabriel. Stephen’s fingers brushed her through her drawers, which were damp with desire now. A flicker of shame washed over her, gone the instant he touched a spot she had not known existed. Swallowing a sigh, she closed her eyes.
She knew Gabriel blocked the Wests’ view of what was going on, and attempted to focus on playing the music. Should she falter again Gabriel and Stephen would surely take their delightful assault from her and leave her bereft.
On the knife’s edge of something delightful, Stephen withdrew his hand and straightened her skirts. Nearly screaming her frustration, she fairly pounded on the keys as she came to the end of the song.
Gabriel leaned closer, his lips at her ear. “Did you like what Stephen did, Emmy?” he whispered.
“Y–yes,” she breathed.
Stephen laughed, a light sound that belied the tension she saw in his face. “This was surely the first of many such evenings the three of us can share.”
She blinked then turned to see Gabriel give a short nod. Some communication was transferred between them, that much was obvious to her. “What are you two about?”
Stephen grinned. “I daresay Gabriel will be happy to illuminate the subject for you soon.”
Little wonder, that. Gabriel had always been the one to point out her failings and transgressions. What of this new development? Would they ever finish whatever it was they had started?
To her growing frustration the remainder of the evening passed in a decidedly tame manner. Gabriel made his farewells, and she did likewise. As he and Stephen escorted her into her father’s carriage, their touches lingered on her hands.
“Until our next exchange,” Gabriel said with a cool nod.
Stephen, however, was his usual jovial self as he made a show of bowing over the hand he held. “Good night, Emmy.”
She could only nod, her body still humming from their earlier caresses. Over the short ride back to Hartfield she managed to collect herself. The woman engaged to look after her father would surely be abed, but Emmy couldn’t take any chances. Her father tolerated Mrs. Waltham’s company, a situation she would not wish to overturn. If Gabriel and Stephen were to be believed, there would be frequent opportunities to explore the delicious notions they’d awakened in her this evening. Mrs. Waltham’s employ must not be jeopardized.
A smile broke across her face as she walked through the quiet house. She had no notion of her favored gentlemen’s plans, but she would be a worthy participant. Or pupil, if Stephen’s teasing was to be believed.
She could not wait for their lessons to begin!
* * * *
Gabriel walked down High Street, his mind working. Emmy’s response in the Wests’ parlor three nights ago had been surprising and gratifying. Stephen’s suppositions were correct, then. Emmy would take eagerly to their lessons. They had but to put the question to her and gain her agreement and the three of them would soon begin their journey of sexual discovery. Tonight, if all worked out as they’d planned. He’d sent a note round to Hartfield this morning and gotten her answer in the affirmative. She would dine at Dunwell Abbey with him and Stephen. Gabriel took in a breath. Yes, his staff was capable and his cook gifted, but Emmy was the delicacy he couldn’t wait to taste.
“Mr. Kingley!” a girl’s voice called. For a moment he thought it was Emmy, and was acutely disappointed when he found Miss Stoat before him.
“Miss Stoat,” he said with a bow of his head.
“Is it not advantageous that you are in Highbury this afternoon?”
“Is it?” He knew little of the lady, save for Emmy’s tutelage of her since she moved here three months ago. According to Emmy, Miss Stoat was apparently enamored of a farmer on Gabriel’s estate. Emmy thought the man beneath her but Gabriel believed him to be well-suited. It was yet another subject on which he and Emmy argued, and the reason he’d had the excuse to pull her so close that he could smell her sweet lemon scent. He had no notion why, however, Miss Stoat thought it fitting to address him on the street.
“Pray, illuminate.”
She dimpled up at him, her brown curls bouncing. “Why, Miss Woodson and I are to take tea!”
His heart sped up a beat. “Indeed?”
“Yes, and—oh! There is Mr. Churchill.”
Gabriel turned to find Stephen striding toward them, the usual smile on his face. Gabriel felt his lips twitch in return. “Churchill,” he said in greeting.
Stephen stopped before them. “Kingley.” He turned to Miss Stoat. “Good afternoon, Miss Stoat.”
She blushed and dropped a curtsey. “Hello, Mr. Churchill. I was just telling Mr. Kingley that I am to take tea with Miss Woodson this afternoon. Say you’ll join us?”
“Perhaps.” Stephen arched his brows, a glint in his eye. “If we can persuade Mr. Kingley to as well.”
She blinked, looking from one to the other. “I would have thought he…”
“…is a bit too busy to take the time?” Stephen laughed. “I daresay I will not be able to enjoy myself without his company.”
There was a wealth of meaning in his words, bringing this coming evening’s encounter with Emmy to Gabriel’s mind.
Stephen grinned. “I am certain we can convince him to abandon whatever mundane task brings him to the village today, for at least a little while.”
Gabriel bowed his head in answer. Stephen was the only man who could get away with teasing him, and he found he had missed it. “I suppose I shall.”
“Capital!” Stephen said, holding his elbow out to Miss Stoat. “And where is our dear Miss Woodson?”
“I don’t—”
“Good day!” Emmy called with a wave.
Gabriel drank in the pleasing picture she made. Her eyes sparkled as she approached, her body lithe and graceful. It took little to imagine what she would be like once he and Stephen initiated her. Just three days ago he’d watched as Stephen touched her pussy. His own lips on her neck, Stephen’s fingers working on her clit, she’d nearly climaxed there in the Wests’ parlor!
“Miss Woodson,” he said, holding his arm out to her.
She touched his sleeve and Gabriel felt it straight to his cock. She had always been the one to arouse him. Now that she would soon be theirs? It took all of his famous resolve to keep his expression passive and his body unaffected.
“Joining us for tea?” Emmy asked. “What a pleasing development. Was this your idea, Harriet?”
Miss Stoat colored, then nodded. “You are always speaking of how much you enjoy their company, Miss Woodson.”
It was Emmy’s turn to blush, and Gabriel exchanged a look of import with Stephen. They were linked in her mind, then. She was attracted to them, that was clear. Did she love them? Desire both of them? He prayed for the fortitude to survive until tonight.
After escorting the ladies to the tearoom, Gabriel made an excuse of a previous appointment. Stephen bowed out as well, joining Gabriel once more on the street.
“An appointment, Switch?” he asked.
Gabriel looked about, relieved to see that apparently no one had overheard the nickname. “The leath
ersmith, Stephen. I had him make up a few items to my particular specifications.”
“Indeed?” Stephen leaned his head closer. “Soft and supple, I trust?”
Gabriel thought of the cuffs, straps, and crop he’d ordered after dinner at the Wests’. “Only the best for our girl.”
Stephen rubbed his hands together. “I can scarcely wait for this evening.”
“We must tread lightly,” Gabriel said. “Make her want us again first. Show her she can trust us. As to the leather?” He pictured Emmy tethered to his big bed, her lovely legs spread and her body flushed and ready for them. Her breasts high and firm, their nipples rosy. Her pussy plump and soaking wet. “That will come later.”
“You are the expert there, Switch. And the teacher. I bow to your edict.”
Gabriel nodded. He was quiet for a moment. “We have not yet discussed who will take…”
“You, of course.”
Gabriel blinked. “Of course?”
“You have wanted her forever, and I have been away for years.” Stephen gave a shiver, a clear look of lust crossing his face. “That night at the pianoforte her pussy was scalding hot against my fingers,” he whispered. “Let me taste her and you can ride her.”
Gabriel nodded at a passing acquaintance then smiled. “We are in agreement.”
If tonight went as they hoped, Emmy would begin to learn what he and Stephen already knew. She was theirs to please and theirs to take. Body and heart. Forever.
Chapter 3
Emmy went over the details with Mrs. Waltham on the drive in front of Hartfield, out of her father’s earshot.
“Mr. Woodson will need your attention, Mrs. Waltham,” she said. “I will be out all evening, despite his assertions that I take an early meal and return directly.”
The woman nodded, handing Emmy her cloak. “I shall keep him occupied, Miss Woodson. Have no worries.”
Emmy thanked her and stepped up into her carriage. She had the evening to herself now, to do with as she would. And an evening with Gabriel and Stephen was what she’d wanted since that aborted pleasure she’d glimpsed at the Wests’.
The short ride to Dunwell Abbey seemed to take forever. To her surprise and delight the two of them met her in the entry.
“Where is your venerable butler, Gabriel?”
He smiled, an expression she seldom saw on his face. It was devastating. “My staff has been instructed to serve and disappear, dear Emmy.”
Intrigued, she handed him her cloak and gloves and followed him into the dining room. “We are to dine right away?”
“What were you expecting?” Stephen asked as he stood near the table. His brown eyes sparkled merrily. “Did you wish for us to ravage you in the entry?”
Her cheeks heated and she gave a shake of her head. “I…” She waved a hand. “Oh, I have no notion of what to say to that.”
“That is a first,” Gabriel said.
She looked over at him, expecting his usual disapproving glare, only to find his face wearing a smile again. He was actually teasing her!
Stephen barked out a laugh and took her hand. “Come, Emmy. Let us enjoy Gabriel’s food and wine. We will discuss matters of ravaging later.”
His touch was magic on her flesh, stroking as he placed her hand gently on the table. Gabriel sat back as the servants brought out the courses, leaving them in peace in between as he had promised. He looked serious now, his eyes dark on her as she began to eat. She could scarcely taste the food, fine though it undoubtedly was. Several glasses of wine helped ease her, blurring any apprehensions that niggled at her mind as both Stephen’s and Gabriel’s expressions grew more carnal. She found it far more pleasant to let her body lead her tonight.
“I enjoyed our dinner at your father’s, Stephen.”
“I enjoyed your performance,” he quipped.
Gabriel laughed. He laughed! She turned toward him, her eyes wide. There was something about the two of them together, a combination of his stiffness and Stephen’s joviality, that was irresistible. It was as if they each spoke to a decidedly different part of her, in perfect accord nonetheless.
Leaning forward, she set aside her plate. “I liked what you did,” she admitted on a breath.
“Which one of us?” Stephen asked.
He placed his graceful fingers on her hand once more. He stroked her, teasing circles that mimicked his play on her secret flesh. Gabriel’s beautiful lips parted, reminding her of the kisses he’d placed on her throat.
“What both of you did,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. “Oh, I am a wanton.”
“Hardly.” Gabriel stood, reaching out to take her other hand. “We wish to show you more, Emmy. Will you let us?”
She knew she should say no, should bow to convention and inexperience and run from the two of them, but she had thought long and hard over the past three days of self-imposed solitude. She was wealthy in her own right and had no true need to marry. Her father would require her company into the foreseeable future. Gabriel would undoubtedly lose patience with her one time too many and Stephen would flee Highbury once again when the summer was over. But these few months ahead of her? They were hers.
She would spend them with the men who captivated her. Her heart may get bruised but her body would revel in the experience. She would let them instruct her and please her and she would try her best to do the same in return. Damn her to perdition, she wanted them to show her everything!
“Yes,” she whispered.
Stephen let out a whoop and came to his feet, gathering her into his arms and hurrying toward the parlor. There were no footmen about, she saw. Nothing but the stately room she’d been in numerous times over the years. As they directed her toward the settee, their bodies so close to hers, she knew this would be like no other visit. Tonight she would surrender everything to them. Her breath came fast and her stays felt tight against her breasts. She could scarcely wait.
Stephen pulled her close, bringing his mouth to hers. He kissed her, softly at first until he moaned against her lips. “Open, Emmy,” he rasped. She did, taking his tongue into her mouth. It was scandalous and delicious and she wanted more. He tasted of the wine they’d all shared, and of a sweetness she’d never before encountered. Though unsure of what to do, she tangled her tongue with his. Heat bloomed within her in response.
His hands were on her back, cupping her bottom to bring her belly up against the hard intriguing bulge in his trousers. Her drawers grew damp and she began to tingle at the juncture of her thighs.
He brought his mouth to her throat, tickling her skin until she shivered. “Are you ready for your next lesson?”
She could scarcely form an answer as Gabriel pressed close behind her as he had that night at the pianoforte. Tonight she felt his manhood flush between the cheeks of her bottom, hard and impossibly huge. His large hands cupped her breasts, teasing and pinching until she gasped. “Gabriel!”
He turned her, plunging his tongue into her mouth before she would catch her breath. His taste was different from Stephen’s, darker and richer and just as compelling.
Stephen’s hands were beneath her skirts now, lifting and stroking over her stockings as he teased her flesh. “Will you be ours, Emmy?” Stephen asked, his lips close to her ear. He tongued her ear. “Tonight?”
“Yes,” she sighed as Gabriel’s delightful mouth dropped kisses over the swell of her breasts.
“There will be no turning back, love,” Gabriel said, licking at her cleavage. He lifted his head to face her. “It will be irrevocable.”
She met his gaze. “I know.” She sucked in a breath as Stephen ground his body against her from behind. “I… will live out my days at Hartfield, Gabriel.” She trembled between them. “Let me have this summer with the two of you.”
Stephen stilled. “Emmy, this is not—”
Gabriel shot Stephen a glance, which quieted him, then smiled down at her. “Are you ready for your next lesson?”
She closed her eyes, so attuned to
both of them, to what they did to her. Stephen continued to caress her as Gabriel held her close. It was like that other evening but more. So much more.
“Teach me,” she sighed.
Her legs buckled and they led her to the settee. Turning her, Gabriel began to work at the back of her dress, loosening her stays and easing the bodice down until her breasts were bare. She glanced down at her nipples, puckered and tight and throbbing. She should stop Gabriel and Stephen. She should scream out a maidenly protest, but she refused to do so. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her blasted virtue be damned, she wanted this.
Gabriel turned her, laying her down on the settee while Stephen removed her slippers. Propping one of her legs up on the back of the couch, he raised her skirts until she was nearly bare to his gaze. She felt the cool air dance across her thighs, felt the dampness in her drawers as her woman’s flesh swelled. Unable to resist, she opened her eyes. Stephen smiled down at her then ran his fingers lightly over her flesh through the thin fabric.
“Scalding hot,” he murmured. He’d removed his jacket at some point, and now loosened his cravat. He held the neck cloth out to Gabriel, who shook his head.
“Another time,” Gabriel said.
Stephen removed her drawers and placed a hand on each of her thighs, his thumbs rubbing back and forth, ever closer to her center. She could not seem to draw her legs together. No, she wanted to spread them further and beg him to touch her again.
Gabriel’s hands were on her breasts now. He gazed down at her face as his fingers circled her nipples until she thought she would perish from frustration. He then took them between his fingers and thumbs, pinching until she cried out. How exquisite!
“Do that again, Switch,” Stephen said.
She blinked. Switch?
Gabriel twisted gently, urging a long moan from her lips. Wetness flooded her flesh and Stephen chuckled. “God, yes.” He began to stroke her at last, teasing the amazing spot he’d discovered that night at the pianoforte. Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to it.