by Sahara Kelly
“It seems that at present I have no choice but to accept your hospitality. I thank you, my Lord. I shall, however, reserve the right to leave as soon as this situation is resolved. In the meantime, I think I should dress and perhaps take care of some of the Crescent paperwork. I’m sure Matty wouldn’t mind bringing it along with her when she returns? I shall need her constantly by my side, of course…”
Jordan stifled a grin. His Charlie was attempting to neatly circumvent the possibility of his presence disturbing her. And he knew it did. Knew it as sure as he could feel his heart beating. The woman had many strategies for keeping herself aloof, uninvolved. He was going to enjoy defeating every single one of them. It was time to begin.
“I understand.” He smiled politely. “However, I should point out that Mistress Matty has been running the Crescent in your absence. Do you have someone in mind to replace her while she stays here watching you?”
Having neatly reminded Charlie of her business obligations and also implied that Matty would be doing nothing more than fussing over Charlie, he waited to see how she would respond.
She didn’t disappoint him.
Her chin went up a couple of notches and she met his gaze with tolerance. Not a hint of what must have been a huge internal struggle showed in the clear gray eyes.
“You are correct in your assumptions, my Lord. I should have considered all the possibilities before I spoke.”
Charlie turned to Matty.
“Matty, I shall be forced to rely on you for a while longer, it seems. I would still like to have the paperwork brought over. The business end must be attended to and I can certainly do that without jeopardizing anything or anyone. If his Lordship would be kind enough to allow me the use of a desk…?”
One pale eyebrow arched in query.
“Of course. Although you’ve not had chance to explore, this suite does have a small sitting room through that door…” He gestured slightly. “You are welcome to use it for as long as you need to.”
“There you are, dearie. Now my mind can rest. Just look at this as a little holiday. Heaven knows you haven’t had one, and you’ve needed one ever since…”
“Ever since I took over the Crescent. Yes Matty, thank you.”
Charlie’s interruption had been rapid and deliberate. Jordan mentally noted it down on the little list he’d begun in his mind. It was devoted to solving the puzzle that was Charlie.
It was right next to the one that was already filled with ideas on ways to fuck Charlie.
“Now I must be off, the dinner menu needs to be finished up and the girls always feel better after I get back.”
Matty bustled around, collecting her shawl and her bonnet.
“Matty, I…” Charlie hesitated, as if loath to see Matty leave.
“Now you just let the Colonel take care of everything, sweeting,” soothed Matty.
“Indeed, Madam Charlie, there is nothing to concern yourself over. I have requested a bath be prepared for you shortly. Perhaps you would care to join me for a small informal meal later. I understand from Matty that you play chess…”
Jordan tilted his head, presenting the veriest picture of innocence. He could have been doing nothing more than being a polite host. In fact, his innocence radiated so strongly from him that the proverbial butter not only wouldn’t have melted in his mouth, it would have kept there for a se’nnight.
He devoutly hoped that Charlie was fooled. There was nothing innocent about his goals. They were simple and fundamental. Fuck Charlie. Understand Charlie. Make Charlie smile, then make Charlie scream. Oh, and then fuck her some more.
For Colonel Jordan Lyndhurst, Earl of Calverton, the battle was commencing. The strategies he’d use would be devious and skillful. His campaign would involve every tool at his command. His goals would be worth the fight, and Charlie’s surrender would be a prize beyond price.
He never actually considered the possibility that there might be casualties.
Chapter Nine
Charlie listened as the bumping and rattling in the next room told her of a bath being prepared.
Her skin itched, she swore she could smell her own sweat, and she was dying to sink into its warmth. A woman of fastidious habits, Charlie was used to a daily bath, be it small, quick, cool or whatever was available for her convenience. She’d missed it.
She waited, until the sounds receded and the room was quiet. Gingerly she crept from her bed through the doorway into the sitting room of the suite.
A warm fire was crackling in the hearth and the curtains had been drawn against the rain that had set in earlier and turned the outside world to an early twilight.
A large hip bath was drawn in front of the fireplace, with a small stool to one side upon which rested neatly-folded towels, a bar of soap and several small cloths.
With a sigh of relief, Charlie ran her hand through the water and found it just the right temperature. She crossed the room, threw the lock on the door and within seconds was immersed to her neck in the tub.
She felt her worries ease as the warmth of the water soothed her body and relaxed her mind. Her eyes wandered around the room, noting the fine carpet, a small desk to one side, a very comfortable looking sofa and a couple of well-used armchairs. Clearly this was one suite where guests had spent considerable time relaxing.
She could understand why. The painting over the mantelpiece was a wonderful seascape, empty of everything except a gull, some blades of seagrass and a deserted beach. It begged one to imagine oneself strolling along the sand.
A small clock ticked away the minutes as Charlie soaked, and the fire crackled its approval in the hearth.
The sound of six chimes recalled Charlie to a sense of where she was. She reached for the soap and began her bath, feeling cleaner by the second and noting that her bruises had faded away to almost nothing.
She pushed her hair up further on her head, wishing she could wash that too, but there was so much of it, and her shoulder was still somewhat sore.
She jumped at least a foot and slopped water over the sides of the tub when a deep voice spoke behind her.
“Why don’t you let me help you with that?”
Charlie froze. Instinctively she slithered down in the tub until barely her nose was showing. She turned angry eyes to Jordan Lyndhurst, who was negligently leaning against the doorjamb with two buckets at his feet.
“You forgot to lock the bedroom door.”
She narrowed her eyes and raised her mouth from the water. “What are you doing in here? I’m taking a bath, for heaven’s sake. This is extremely inappropriate.”
“I know.” His grin was pure seduction, and Charlie fought the urge to squirm.
“Someone had to bring up more hot water for your hair. I wasn’t about to let any of my servants in. This sight is reserved for my eyes alone.”
His gaze swept across the soapy water.
Charlie glanced down. She was mostly covered with bubbles and the water was not as clear as it had been earlier. She doubted Jordan could see much of anything. Her thighs locked together, however, just in case.
He neared the tub.
“I have warm water to help you rinse your hair. Are you going to allow me to assist you? Or are you too particular in your habits to let a humble man touch your head?”
Charlie’s chin went up. “It’s not a matter of being particular. I simply think this is an extremely improper situation. And I wouldn’t describe you as humble.” She muttered that last comment as she pushed a handful of hair out of her eyes and grimaced as she realized it really was quite filthy.
She cursed inwardly. He’d caught her once again with his logic and his straightforward conversation. “Damn you. I have no choice, do I?”
“There’s always a choice, Charlie. Just make sure it’s the right one.”
She glared at him, for once allowing some of her anger to show.
Jordan nodded. “Very well.”
Her eyes widened as Jordan proceeded to remove
his coat, his vest, untie his cravat, slip that off, and then unbutton his shirt.
Charlie’s voice returned when he got to the fourth button. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?” She refused to believe that she’d squeaked, but was secretly afraid that she had. There was something stuck in her throat that was getting larger as more of Jordan’s chest was exposed to her gaze.
a humble man such as myself is up to the challenge.”
He sighed dramatically and removed his shirt.
Charlie gaped.
“I really would prefer not to soak my clothes. Particularly my jacket, which I’ve been told is a very fashionable shade of green. The vest, well, I’m not sure about that, but the shirt is one of my favorites. You know how it is when you have a favorite item of clothing. You just seem to want to wear it all the time. I certainly don’t want dirty bathwater or soapsuds splashed willy-nilly over it. It is linen, you know.”
Charlie was having enormous difficulty following his words, because he’d brought the buckets over to the side of the tub. His chest had come with him.
And what a chest it was.
Solid, nicely muscled, with a delightful mat of hair spreading from just below his neck to the vicinity of his waist. Flat nipples could be seen lurking within this soft jungle and Charlie was astounded to feel her fingers curling beneath the water. She wanted to touch. For the first time in her life, she wanted to run her hands over his chest and feel all the different textures there for herself.
She licked her lips.
* * * * *
The second his hands touched her tumble of golden hair, Jordan was lost. He slipped his hands across her scalp, seeking tangled hair pins and removing them until the last lock was free and the silken mass was hanging loose across the water and down the back of the tub.
He had spoken nothing but the truth when he’d likened her hair to that of three women. It was thick, lustrous, and had a mind of its own.
He took a breath and gathered the unruly curls into his hands, pushing them into the water around her neck.
“Take a breath…” He warned.
“Mmmph…” She gurgled, as he pressed down on her head and dunked her. She came up sputtering.
“Good God, are you trying to kill me?” She spat water angrily from her mouth.
“I did tell you to take a breath,” he said reasonably, as he began to soap her hair.
“Well, yes…but…oh my.”
Jordan’s fingers worked lazy circles over her scalp and encouraged more lather to build between his hands and her hair. He massaged and soothed and rubbed her head and felt the muscles relax beneath his touch.
“Oh God, Jordan, that feels like bliss,” she sighed.
Jordan sighed too as the pressure of his swollen cock began to turn into pain.
“And what would a lovely young woman like you know of bliss, might I inquire?”
There was no answer for some moments, just the sound of his hands working the lather and the ticking of the clock on the mantel.
“Nothing.”
The answer was nearly a whisper.
“I know nothing of bliss. I can only assume that this sense of relaxation and warmth approximates what others might call bliss.”
“Not hardly,” he chuckled. “There is much more to it than that.”
Charlie moved her head slightly to get his hands working just behind her ear and flicked a bit of soap away from her nose.
“You are talking sexually, I assume.” All of a sudden she was Miss Prim Hoity-Toity.
“Among other things. But yes, sexual bliss is the best kind of bliss there is.”
Again, the silence fell.
“I wouldn’t know.”
The confession dropped into the quiet room like tiny explosions, turning Jordan’s rigid cock to marble. There was so much he wanted, and it was all within inches of his hands, and mouth, and cock, and it was all wet and slippery and naked.
He was probably going to have heart failure within the next five minutes. The Times would have to work hard to phrase his obituary so that the entire world didn’t find out he died of a severe case of unrequited lust.
He wondered if cocks had ever exploded.
He was afraid he was about to find out.
“Let me show you, Charlie.” The words slipped out before he could catch them, straight from his heart and his loins.
She froze under his hands. “I do not want to have sex with you, my Lord.”
“Are you sure?”
Her neck straightened so fast he could have sworn he heard the bones crack into place.
“I never want to have sex. With you or anyone. It’s a pastime I fully believe is best left to others. Yes, it’s my business, but not my pleasure. I have no interest in such things.”
“None at all?”
“That’s correct. None at all. Now, if you’re quite finished with my hair…”
Jordan reached for the spare bucket of water and tested the temperature. His mind was spinning, working out the logistics of his next move.
He pulled her hair back from her face and tipped the water through it, encouraging her to sit forward. Her breasts rose to the surface as her body swayed forward.
She coughed as Jordan, attention distracted, poured water over her face by mistake.
“Sorry.” He pulled his mind back to his task, making sure that all the soap was rinsed clear of the sodden yellow mass floating in the tub.
He caught up a towel and squeezed the worst of the moisture from her hair, bundling it up into a turban, as nurses and nannies had been doing since time began.
“Thank you, my L…” She began, only to have her words cut off.
“Charlie, I have a proposal. An experiment for you, if you will.”
She raised one eyebrow.
“You say you have never experienced bliss. And you don’t intend to become sexually involved with anyone. Ever.”
A slight color invaded her cheeks, but her eyes remained cool and alert. “That’s essentially correct.”
“What if you let me demonstrate what bliss is?”
He could see the denials and outrage about to erupt from her mouth. He stayed her words with a finger.
“I will not touch you, Charlie.” He moved his finger until it was a scant inch from her lips.
“I will show you bliss. Right here, right now. And I will not have to touch you to do it.”
Charlie snorted, disbelief clearly evident in her expression. “I really doubt that such a thing is possible, my Lord.” She looked down her nose at him. “Even if it were, I doubt that you’d find me at all responsive. Why I’d bet…”
Jordan’s ears perked up. “What would you bet, Charlie?”
“Nothing. I didn’t mean to say bet…”
“Yes you did. You said ‘I’d bet’. I heard you quite clearly. So you’re a gamester are you?”
Charlie bit her lip and stared down into the water, for once apparently unwilling to let Jordan see her gaze.
“What shall we bet, Charlie? I bet I can bring you to a woman’s bliss, in this tub, right now, without touching you. If I lose, what shall my forfeit be?”
He looked at her willing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
“I…don’t think this is such a good idea,” she muttered, not moving.
“Scared you’ll lose?”
That brought her head up. “Of course not. The whole idea is preposterous. And very inappropriate too.”
Jordan chuckled. “We passed inappropriate some time ago, Charlie. I have it—” He snapped his fingers. “That girl you rescued. If I lose this bet, I will provide a home and a job for her in the country. We’ll get her trained as a lady’s maid. What do you say?”
He knew he’d played a trump card. Charlie’s commitment to bettering the lives of her “poor unfortunates” was a major factor in his decision to place this particular wager. He was certain she couldn’t refuse.
“And if you win?”
She wasn’t going to give in without a fight, thought Jordan ruefully.
“If I win, then I will undertake to get two of your girls into maidservant training.” He grinned.
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, sending little ripples across the surface of the water. “Very well.”
He grinned some more.
“Do your worst.” She lay back in the bathtub, making sure that her entire body was submerged. Her chin hit the water, and her eyes followed him as he sank down onto the carpet next to the tub and hooked one arm over the side, swishing the water around. “You are not to touch me, is that understood?”
Jordan felt the heat sear his crotch and wished he had taken his pants off as well. His cock was tenting the fabric in a very uncomfortable way.
“Close your eyes, Charlie,” he answered, slipping his free hand to the fastenings of his breeches.
She obeyed, settling her head on the high back of the tub. He stifled a sigh of relief as his cock surged free.
“I will not touch you. I gave you my word, and believe it or not, my word counts for something. But I will give you bliss like you’ve never known. All I ask is that you let go.”
Chapter Ten
He wanted her to let go. Charlie stifled an internal snicker.
He couldn’t know that she never let go. Ever.
Her experiences with her late husband had made sure of that. Of course, it was certainly very relaxing lying in the warm water next to the fire, feeling clean and fresh, and with a nice male body next to the tub.
But let go? Absolutely not.
She tensed slightly as Jordan’s hand breached the surface of the water and he moved it around, setting up little currents.
“Remember, Jordan. No touching.” Smugly she settled herself a little more comfortably. This was one bet she’d have no problem winning. Her mind slipped to which girl deserved the chance to get away from the Crescent and accompany her newly rescued charge to the country.
Then she became conscious of a warm breeze.
“I won’t touch you with my hands, Charlie, never fear. I promised. I won’t touch you with any part of my body, although I’d certainly like to.”