by HELEN HARDT
Ally’s heart fell to her stomach. Evan owned a printing business? Yes, he had said something like that before… Here, in London? Or at home, in Bath?
“I don’t understand…”
“Do not act so innocent. Who else could be behind it? You are my new stepsister, and you write for The Ruby. Who else would have taken it to my business?”
She shook her head, confounded. “You need to back up a few steps. How is your business involved?”
“You really are something. My business is printing that rag—for free, no less. And it’s all your doing.”
“It’s not. I swear. You know of my involvement. It’s a servant at our home in Mayfair. I know nothing else, I swear to you!”
“Please, spare me the sinless act. Who else could have taken The Ruby to my printing house?”
“Why, I have no idea, but I promise you I will find out.”
“No!” Evan pounded his fist on the mattress. “You will stay out of this from now on. Once I am able, I will take care of it. In the meantime, I will have some trusted employees look into the matter. I should have taken care of this days ago. Instead, I had to follow you here to London. If I had known you were behind this from the beginning, I would have let you come to London alone and get into all the trouble you wanted. I would not have cared.”
Ally looked down, swallowing, and then up to meet Evan’s gaze. His eyes were misty as though he wanted to cry. Her heart shattered.
“Evan, I love you. I would never do anything to harm you.”
“I do not wish to hear it, Alexandra. Leave my chamber now, please.”
“But—”
“I said now!”
She looked down the length of his bed. His arousal was still apparent. He was not as immune to her as he would have liked her to believe. He could not make love to her. He wouldn’t want to. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have the strength. But she had the strength…
She grasped him through the coverlet.
He winced, a small groan escaping his throat. “Alexandra…”
“Please, let me.” She removed the cover and unbuttoned his night shirt. His cock stood proudly from its golden nest. So beautiful he was, perfectly sculpted. A pearl of clear liquid emerged from the tip. She leaned down and licked it off.
He trembled. “Alexandra,” he said again.
“I love you, Evan,” she said, and sank her mouth onto his hardness.
“Ah, God…” His body stiffened.
His cock was warm against her tongue, the skin soft as velvet. He tasted of salt and cinnamon, with a touch of musk. Delicious. His low moans wafted to her ears, and she wanted more than anything to give him this. Though her nipples were tight and her loins aching, she only wanted his pleasure. Her own was unimportant, inconsequential.
She twirled her tongue around his cockhead, sucking and licking, his soft groans fueling her desire to please him. When his shaft was nicely lubricated, she grasped the base and moved her fist up and down along with her lips, finding his rhythm.
He jerked his hips and let out a small cry.
She pulled her mouth away. “No, my love. Don’t move. Your thigh can’t take it. Let me do the work. Please. I want to do this for you.”
He closed his eyes, and a tear squeezed out from one. Ally’s lips trembled as she descended onto his cock once again. Emotion overwhelmed her—love, tenderness, soul-wrenching desire to give him everything. She sucked him slowly, gripping him and moving with him, loving him in the most intimate way she could.
When the tiny convulsions started at the base of his cock, she took him deep, to the back of her throat, drinking in his seed as though it were the nectar of life.
“Alexandra…my God.”
She let his cock drop from her mouth and slid forward, kissing him, letting him taste his own essence on her tongue. He responded, sweetly returning her kiss, moaning into her mouth, grasping her upper arms.
Until he pushed her away, breaking the suction of their mouths with a loud smack.
“Damn it! I cannot!” He turned away from her.
She cupped his cheeks and forced his gaze back to her. “I love you, Evan, my dearest Evan. Please don’t turn me away.”
“Without trust, we have nothing.”
“I swear to you, I had nothing to do with your business printing the paper.” Tears streaked down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Alexandra.” Evan cleared his throat, his own tears pooling in his beautiful eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
Ally turned, her body nearly immobile. Sadness clogged her throat. She willed her muscles to move and left the bedchamber, closing the door quietly behind her.
She should be angry at Evan for not believing her, and she was, but she hadn’t proven herself the most trustworthy during the past weeks. Damn it! How could she have been so ignorant?
Who could be behind this?
Whoever it was would not cost her true love. She would find a way out of this mess.
* * *
After a good cry, she swallowed back her tears and raced downstairs to the first story of the townhome and into the office. No help. Most of Evan’s important papers would be in his office on the estate in Wiltshire. She had to get back there, but how? It would be easy enough to escape Evan, he being bedridden for the next few days, but the earl and her mother were due to come through London first before going home to the estate. And what of Sophie? Sophie would not let Ally out of her sight right now.
And she was tired of running. She had run off to London twice now and hadn’t gotten what she wanted either time. But she had found something so much more wonderful. She had fallen in love with Evan, and she would not let him go without a fight.
She riffled through the papers on the desk. If Evan owned a printing business, perhaps he owned other businesses. She knew precious little about the man she loved. She had thought he was a second son with nothing to his name. She should have known better. Evan was much smarter than that. He would have seen to his own financial well-being, just as she had tried to. Evan and Ally were cut from the same cloth. She warmed at the thought.
As much as she enjoyed it, Ally would no longer write for The Ruby. She couldn’t risk anyone she loved paying for her actions. Evan had been right. She had not used good judgment.
She sighed. Nothing on the desk. She would have to check the drawers and the cabinets. She would find something, even if it took her all day.
After nearly an hour of investigating, she stumbled upon the address of a printing house in London. Printing houses of the same name were located in both Bath and Edinburgh. She scribbled the London address on a piece of parchment and headed to the parlor to tell Sophie she would be leaving on an errand.
Before she left the office, she caught a glimpse of a corner of parchment sticking out from under the desk blotter. Curious, she removed it. She dropped her mouth open. It was a poem, written in Evan’s hand.
Her hair the color of roasted chestnuts, silky against my fingers,
Her eyes of liquid gold, sparkling as she gazes into mine,
Her skin of rosy porcelain, soft as a feather beneath my touch,
Her voice like a delicate claret, so sweet as she says my name,
Her breasts, scarlet-tipped peaks, velvet against my tongue,
Her pussy, pink and swollen, slick as she moves against me,
Her hands, peachy and delicate, nestled in mine,
Her lips, ruby red and supple, so perfect as we kiss,
Her beauty, her strength, her will…like a storm on the roaring sea.
She is my love,
She is…
Alexandra
Ally’s heart melted. Evan wrote poetry? Erotic poetry? No wonder he didn’t have any issues with her writing for The Ruby. And this had been written for her.
Her eyes misted with tears. He was a writer. Evan. Her Evan.
And yes, damn it, he would still be her Evan. He still loved her, and she would prove she was worthy of his love. She wou
ld get to the bottom of whatever was going on at his business.
She walked quickly to the front entrance, looking around to make sure no one saw her. Sophie was in the conservatory playing the pianoforte and singing.
She opened the door and—
“Good afternoon, my lady.” Nathan Landon bowed.
Goodness, was it afternoon already? What was Mr. Landon doing here?
“Mr. Landon, I’m afraid I was just leaving…”
“My lady, I was so relieved to hear of Lady Sophie’s safe return. I have been worried sick about both of you.”
Ally forced a smile. “I do thank you for your concern. However, I’m afraid I do not have the time to visit.”
“But my lady, I was so hoping to finish our conversation. I would consider it a great honor if you would consent to be my wife.”
Mere weeks ago, Ally would have been delighted. Right now, all she could think of was her true love, Evan, who currently wanted nothing to do with her. The old Ally would have jumped at this proposal. Not today’s Ally. She was done with Mr. Landon. She intended to marry only one man, and he was in his bedchamber upstairs.
“Mr. Landon, I am indeed flattered by your offer, but I’m afraid that the sun has set on our time together.”
“You mean, you don’t wish to marry me?”
Ally shook her head. “No, and I’m truly sorry. I have enjoyed our time together.”
Mr. Landon returned her smile, and was that actually a look of relief on his handsome features?
“I am disappointed, my lady, but I do wish you well.” He bowed again.
“And I you, Mr. Landon.” An idea came to her. “Might I ask you a quick favor?”
“Of course, my lady, anything.”
“Could you give me a ride in your coach a couple of blocks into town where I might hail a hansom cab?”
“I can do better than that, my lady. It would be my honor to escort you to wherever you’re going myself.”
What would be the harm? He probably knew Evan owned the printing business, and it would not be unusual for Ally to go there. “Mr. Landon, I would be most appreciative. Thank you.”
When they arrived, Mr. Landon helped Alexandra alight.
“I thank you for the lift, Mr. Landon. And I do hope there will not be any awkwardness between us as we both go about our lives.”
“Of course not, my lady. I hope to see you at many events in the future. Please always save a dance for me.”
Ally smiled and blew him a kiss as he left. Then she turned and walked forward.
She drew in a deep breath, opened the door to the printing house, and strode in confidently.
Confessions of Lady Prudence
by Madame O
Amelia, all the licking and sucking, cocks and pussies everywhere. It was pure heaven, I tell you. Christophe grabbed me first and pressed his lips to mine. We kissed with fervor, our tongues whirling, twirling, dueling, my skin tingling all over, my pussy wet and hot.
Hattie was still bound to the bed. Lars unfastened her and turned her over, entering her swiftly from behind. She shrieked as he pounded her.
Christophe released me and positioned me in front of Hattie. “Lick Lady Prudence’s pussy, Hattie.”
I’d dreamed of this moment since I first seduced Hattie, Amelia, but she shied away.
“Don’t be timid, dear Hattie,” said I. “We shall both enjoy this. I promise you.”
She smiled and bent to her work. Her tongue was silken, Amelia. I’m not sure I’d ever felt any sensation quite like it. She licked my folds gently, so unlike Lars or Christophe. Tingles shot through me, and I nearly shattered.
Christophe straddled me, the tip of his cock nudging my lips. I opened for him gladly, taking him into my mouth. We were all joined, Amelia. Lars pounding Hattie, Hattie eating me, and me sucking Christophe. It was pure hedonistic pleasure.
I wanted to cry out, to scream all their names and tell them of the wonderful pleasure they were giving me, but my mouth was full of Christophe’s cock. I sucked him to the back of my throat, his knob nudging my tonsils. I grabbed his buttocks, kneading his muscular arse as he pounded into my mouth.
Hattie continued to eat me, her silky tongue pleasuring me like no other. When she forced a finger into my wet cunt, I nearly climaxed then and there. Such a slender little finger, Amelia, but the feeling was indescribable. She continued to fuck me with her finger as she sucked on my clitoris. I moaned, groaned, Christophe’s cock still filling my mouth. As much as I adored sucking his cock, I wanted to be able to see Hattie eating me and Lars behind her, fucking her. But imagination is almost as good, dear Amelia, and the images in my head made me so hot.
I brought my hands to Christophe’s cock and added them to the pleasure I was giving him. Soon he groaned and pumped into my mouth, spilling his seed down my throat. No sooner had I swallowed than my own climax came to me, and I shattered over Hattie’s silky tongue and finger. Behind her, Lars grunted loudly, withdrawing his cock and spurting over the lovely globes of her arse.
We all collapsed in a heap of quivering flesh, absolutely sated.
Amelia, I must part for now. Just thinking about our romp has me wet, and I am going to retire to my bedchamber and pleasure myself. Until next we write, I am affectionately yours,
Prudence
Chapter 22
A young man stood behind the counter. “May I be of assistance, madam?”
Ally gathered her courage. “Yes, please. My name is Lady Alexandra MacIntyre. I am stepsister to Lord Evan Xavier, who owns this establishment.”
The young man extended his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. My name is Frank Osborne. What may I help you with today?”
“It has come to my attention that certain erotic literature is being printed here.”
Osborne arched his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“I believe you heard me. Do you wish me to repeat myself?”
“No, of course not, my lady. But I can assure you that—”
“You may not be aware of it, but Lord Evan is currently recovering from a gunshot wound.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“He was shot by a member of a group that crusades against obscene literature. Evidently, they believe Lord Evan is publishing it at one of his printing houses. I am here to find out who is behind this.”
“You should probably check with the night staff, my lady. I can assure you nothing like that is done during the day on my watch.”
Yes, the night staff. That did make sense. No one would be stupid enough to print erotica during the day, especially without Evan’s knowledge.
She would have to return after dark. But how could she? Her mother and the earl were due home any day now, and she needed to be at home. She breathed in and once again steeled herself for bravery.
“I will have a look around back myself.”
“My lady, I’m sorry but that is quite impossible.”
“This is my stepbrother’s establishment. You would be wise to do as I ask.” She walked behind the counter.
“My lady, please…”
Ally ignored him and headed toward the back. The sound of the presses whirred, the pungent scent of ink and newsprint wafted to her nose. The workers stared at her, their mouths open.
Osborne ran behind her. “My lady, please…” he said again.
And then, staring her in the face, at the end of one of the lines, sat a stack of papers.
The Ruby.
Ice formed in her veins. She turned to Osborne. “You lied to me. You did know that this was going on. Do you have any idea how much trouble Lord Evan could be in because of you?”
Osborne curved his thin lips into a nasty smile and moved his jacket aside to expose a handgun in his waistband. “You would do well to come with me.”
Alexandra shivered. The frigid fingers of fear lynched her. Not again. Hadn’t she endured enough?
Osborne took her arm and led her to the b
ack and up a narrow flight of stairs. A chair sat in the middle of a dark room.
“I will have to keep you here until I can figure out what to do with you,” Osborne said. “I’ll have to gag you, though any noise you make wouldn’t matter anyway. No one would hear you over the sound of the presses.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Osborne pushed her into the chair and bound her ankles to the wooden legs. “Why do you think? For the money, of course. Not everyone is born into finery like you are, my lady.”
Ally gulped and said nothing. This man had no way of knowing she had been far from born into finery. Her mother had only recently married into it.
Money. Always the money. She had been no better than this man only a short time ago. She grimaced at how shallow she’d allowed herself to be.
“You do understand that what you’re doing is against the law.”
“Yes, yes, it’s a lousy misdemeanor. I am not worried.”
Ally saw red. “No, you don’t have to be because it is Evan who will take the blame if you are exposed.”
“Yes, that is a bit of a benefit. But I honestly never thought he would be exposed. We are only printing the papers here and at the facility in Bath.”
“Why didn’t you just ask Evan if you could print papers here?”
“Are you completely mad? First of all, he would want the house to be paid. But more importantly, he’s an uptight peer. He would never have consented. He would never do anything against the law.”
“No, he wouldn’t. He is a good man—more of a man than you will ever be.”
“Easy, my lady. I can show you exactly what kind of man I am right here. And no one would hear you scream.” He licked his lips lasciviously. “You are a beautiful woman. Beautiful…and that body…” His tongue snaked over his thin lips again.
Ally squirmed, nausea overwhelming her. No one would ever touch her again, other than Evan. Certainly not this lowlife. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
He chuckled. “What exactly would you do about it if I did? As I said, who would hear you? And if you went running to the constables, I would expose you for the little harpy you really are.”