The Footman and I: The Footmen’s Club Trilogy

by Bowman, Valerie

  Oh, God. His strong warm hands pushed up her shift until she was completely exposed to him. Then he lowered his head and Frances forgot to breathe. She was resting on her elbows watching him with wide eyes until the first hot lick pushed through her folds. An involuntary moan escaped her lips and her head fell back, her hair spilling onto the pillows behind her. The second lick made her thighs tense. The third made her knees fall apart. The fourth made her groan his name. In her entire life she’d never imagined anything like this. Pleasure me, she’d said. She’d had no idea.

  Lucas’s tongue found a spot at the apex of her thighs. He rubbed it, once, twice. She cried out. He rubbed it again and her hips jerked. Then he sucked the tiny nub into his mouth and she nearly came off the bed. His large hands held her hips tight and pressed them back onto the mattress, pinning her in place as his mouth tormented her. He licked her again, giving her just a moment to catch her breath, before his tongue circled the sensitive spot again and again. His tempo increased and her fingers grabbed at his dark hair. She wanted to pull him away because the feeling building between her legs frightened her, but at the same time she wanted him never to stop. She grabbed at his broad shoulders, trying to tug him up to her.

  “Let me love you more, Frances,” he breathed against her, just before his tongue descended into her wetness again.

  “Lucas!” she called, panting so heavily she thought her lungs might burst. “Lucas.”

  His tongue continued its gentle assault and he slid one finger into her wet warmth. She shuddered, contracting around his finger. His tongue brushed roughly again and again over the nub while his finger worked its way inside of her until he found a spot so sensitive that when he pressed it, she cried out and clasped his head hard with both thighs. His tongue kept up its rough lapping, while his finger returned to the spot and pressed again. She lifted off the bed, crying out. She bit the back of her hand to keep from being too loud as her body shuddered with wave after wave of rippling pleasure.

  Good God, what had this man just done to her?

  In the aftermath, she fell back against the pillow, her entire body feeling as if she’d gone boneless. Her breathing wasn’t right, and she wasn’t entirely certain it ever would be again. Leaving her shift bundled at her waist, Lucas moved up to pull her into his arms against his hard chest. “Well?” he asked, kissing her ear. “Did I pleasure you?”

  “Did you pl—?” she breathed. “Lucas, I can honestly say I’ve never felt such pleasure before.”

  He kissed her earlobe and nuzzled her neck. “I cannot tell you how pleased I am to hear that, my lady.”

  The words ‘my lady’ gave her a devilish idea. She plastered an equally devilish grin on her face and turned her head slightly to look at him. “Is my wish still your command?” she asked, arching a brow at him.

  “Yes, my lady,” he said. He pulled her fingers to his lips and kissed them one by one. “I’ll do whatever you want me to.” The look in his eyes was positively roguish.

  “Good then.” She pulled away from him and sat up, pulling her shift back over her thighs.

  He frowned when she covered herself.

  “Would you rather I be naked?” she asked.

  “What would you prefer, my lady?”

  “At the moment,” she replied. “I want to pleasure you.”

  His eyes flared.

  She let her fingers trail down his flat abdomen. “Which means, I demand that you tell me what you want me to do to pleasure you the way you just pleasured me.”

  “No.” The word shot out of Lucas’s mouth. He grabbed her hand to stop it from going any lower.

  She lifted both brows. “Did you just say no? Is that any way for a footman to treat a lady?”

  He shook his head. “No, but, Frances—”

  “Ah, ah, ah.” She waggled one finger at him. “I believe you said my wish was your command. Do you still mean that?”

  “I do,” he replied, bowing his head.

  A thrill shot through her. He was going to do this with her. He was going to let her be in control of him, let her tell him what to do. Only she needed his help. Well, she would just have to ask for it.

  “First,” she said, warming quickly to her topic. “We’re both going to get naked, you and I.”

  His eyes flared again, and he expelled a deep breath.

  “You first,” she demanded, only because she didn’t think she could stand to be the first one naked. She might be enjoying this, but at the moment she was still too shy.

  “Take off your breeches,” she demanded, quite enjoying her ability to get him to do whatever she said.

  “At your service,” he replied, his gaze not leaving hers.

  She watched as he pushed himself up on the bed until he was on his knees. Good heavens. She was quickly becoming aroused again with this playacting.

  He unbuttoned his breeches slowly. He pushed them down his thighs until she saw dark springy hair and his manhood, thick and heavy, in the center. It was so…large.

  He sat back on the bed and quickly discarded the breeches altogether. “What next, my lady?”

  She had to take a deep, shaky breath to right herself. “Next, I want you to lay down on the pillows.”

  He arched a brow at her but did as she commanded. His big strong body rested atop the mattress; his dark hair splayed against the white pillow. This man was magnificent. And he was going to be her husband. A shudder racked her body.

  She quickly pulled her shift over her head, deciding that the faster she did it the less self-conscious she would be.

  The moment he saw her nude, he sucked in his breath sharply and Frances was suddenly proud of her body, something she hadn’t thought much of before.

  “Do you want to touch me?” she asked, not entirely certain where that question had come from. Apparently, it had come from the place inside of her that wanted to enjoy every single moment of this.

  “Yes,” he breathed.

  “Touch me,” she ordered.

  “Where?”

  “Kiss me…my breast.” She rolled onto her back and he joined her, lying half atop her he trailed his lips down her throat to her breast until his mouth fastened on one nipple and she called out. He licked her, sucked her, and drew his thumb against her until she was nearly mindless with need.

  “Wait!” she called.

  His mouth came off her breast and he met her gaze with his own questioning one.

  “This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen,” she finally managed to say.

  “There’s not exactly a rule book,” he replied with a chuckle.

  “No, but I want you to show me how to give you pleasure.” She cleared her throat, intent upon not allowing him to distract her again. “On your back again,” she demanded, then added, “please.”

  “Very well.” He rolled over onto his back and propped up his head with both hands beneath it, a huge grin on his lips.

  She let her eyes travel over the entire length of his body. His gorgeous face, wide shoulders, muscled chest, flat abdomen, and his long legs covered in dark, coarse hair. His member still stood at attention, but the man seemed positively at ease with his nakedness. As he should be. He was more beautiful naked than he was clothed, and she hadn’t thought that possible.

  She had little clue what to do next, but she let instinct guide her. She rolled over atop him, her naked breasts pressing against the dark hair on his chest. He sucked in a breath and was about to pull his hands out from beneath his head to touch her, when she said, “No!”

  He froze. “No, what?”

  “No, don’t move your hands. Keep them under your head,” she said in her most commandeering voice.

  “You cannot be serious,” he said with a groan.

  “I’m entirely serious,” she replied pertly, trailing one fingertip down his side to stop at his hip.

  She rubbed her nipples along his chest to see the reaction in his eyes. Flames leaped in their depths. She smiled to herself. Next, she kissed
her way along his flat belly the same way he’d done to her earlier. His groan told her she was doing the right thing. She finally moved down between his legs until the musky scent of him filled her nostrils and she was staring at his manhood.

  Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and kissed it tentatively. He groaned. Oh, he must like that. She pushed herself up, her palms against the mattress on either side of his hips and kissed the tip of it. He sucked in his breath, hard. Ooh, that must have been even more pleasurable for him. She stared at it for a few seconds, contemplating what else might give him pleasure before deciding to touch the tip with her tongue.

  His hips nearly came off the mattress. She smiled to herself, immensely pleased with her discovery. Her tongue gave him the most pleasure. Duly noted.

  She wrapped one fist around him and held him in place before descending again to lick the tip.

  “Please can I move my hands?” he begged.

  “No,” she replied simply. “Not unless you tell me what else would give you pleasure.”

  She heard him swallow hard.

  “I—”

  “Yes?” She licked the tip again. He groaned.

  She licked again. “I cannot possibly be doing this correctly. I need you to tell me what else to do.”

  “Jesus. You’re doing it correctly.”

  She licked him once more before adding, “Tell me what else to do. I insist.”

  His voice was filled with half-pleasure, half-pain when he choked out, “Slide…slide me into your mouth.”

  Frances blinked. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She wasted no time. She pushed herself up on her knees and lowered her mouth so that she was just above his member. Then she kissed the tip once more before opening her lips and sliding him into her throat. His moan made her shudder. The farther she took him into her mouth, the louder and more intense his groan. When she nearly reached the hilt, she pulled her lips back up slowly.

  “Oh, my God, Frances,” he gasped.

  It was official. She was drunk with power. To have this gorgeous strong man at her mercy. She did it again and again as his hips thrashed. Then she pulled her lips off of him with a sucking noise. “What else should I do?” she whispered breathlessly, wildly. “To give you pleasure.”

  He moved one hand down to the back of her head and guided her back to his manhood. “Suck me,” he breathed.

  The wet warmth between Frances’s legs increased. She wanted to rub herself against him, instead she put her lips back over him and took him into her mouth again, this time sucking as she went. His hand stayed on the back of her head, gently guiding her as he trembled.

  She kept up the motion, again and again until she felt him tense.

  “Frances, please,” he begged.

  She pulled her lips off of him. “What is it?” She searched his face.

  “I can’t take much more. Please let me make love to you.”

  She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth and smiled. “Very well.” She moved away from him and rolled onto her back. “As you wish.”

  He wasted no time moving atop her. His mouth returned to her breast and he pulled her nipple between his teeth, making her arch her back and wrap her arms around his neck.

  He pushed her legs apart with his knee and she felt him probing against her wet warmth. She reached down between them to guide him and wrapped her hand around his manhood. He shuddered and groaned.

  Then he was sliding into her. He stopped when she made a little hitching noise in the back of her throat.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked, kissing her cheek.

  “No, I just didn’t think it would fit,” she admitted, her nose scrunched up.

  He smiled against her shoulder. “I love you,” he breathed, sliding in all the way.

  Frances blinked. She’d been expecting pain. Mama had told her to expect pain. But all she felt was the hot glide of him inside of her. When he rocked his hips, she forgot to breathe. Then his hand moved down between them and he found her sensitive nub once more. He circled it with his thumb again and again until she called out his name as she fell over the precipice.

  Lucas pushed inside of her again and again until he called her name and collapsed against her.

  Several moments passed in which they were silent. Rain pelted against the windows. The storm outside had begun in earnest and they hadn’t even noticed. Finally, Lucas pushed himself off of her and leaned up on his side to look at her. He pulled her against his chest and cuddled her to him. “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced,” he whispered against her hair, kissing the top of her head.

  “You don’t have to say that just because—”

  He lifted himself up over her until she was staring into her eyes. “Frances, listen to me. I promise to never lie to you again and I would never lie about something like that. I meant every word I said.”

  She smiled and snuggled back against him again. “Very well. I believe you, but while we’re on the subject of your, ahem, playacting, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” He kissed the side of her neck and a shudder went through her.

  “That playacting is quite fun,” she said, trailing her hand along the outside of his thigh.

  He grabbed her hand, pulled it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “You know we can do that again whenever you’d like,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Ooh,” she said. “Next time, can I pretend to be a housemaid?”

  “Whatever you wish, my lady.” He kissed her long and deep, then pulled her against his chest and cradled her in his arms. “I was serious. I’ll double, no triple, whatever purse Sir Reginald offered your parents.”

  “No doubt that will convince my parents,” she replied. “Only I’m afraid Father will just gamble it all away again.”

  “I’ve no intention of letting your father have the money,” Lucas said. “I’ll set up an allowance for him through my solicitor so he can’t plough through it, at least until your sister is wed.”

  Frances lifted up and turned to face him. “How did you know I have a sister?”

  He winced. “I sort of did an…investigation of your family. After I realized how much I was beginning to like you.”

  “You spied on us?” She blinked at him.

  He lifted his shoulders. “Spying is such a complicated word.”

  She arched a brow at him. “Is that how you learned my full name?”

  He nodded guiltily.

  She laughed. “Well, what else did you find out?”

  Lucas settled back onto the pillow. “I learned the details and sums of your father’s debts. I’ll be paying them all off, and don’t worry, I fully intend to settle a sizable sum on your sister when it comes time for her debut.”

  Frances caught her breath. “Truly?”

  He nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. She cupped her hand against his cheek. “That is the loveliest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  Lucas pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles again. “I love you, Frances, more than words can say. I’d do anything for you, and I know I already said it, but I promise you, I’ll never lie to you again. Thank you for showing me what was right in front of my eyes.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Lucas rubbed a fingertip against his temple. “The glaring difference between the classes. I’m ashamed to admit that I’d never stopped to think about it deeply until I was playacting at being a footman and talking to you about the Employment Bill.”

  Frances sighed. “I’d like to say I can’t believe the guests at the party didn’t recognize you when you were serving them, but the truth is I shouldn’t have found it surprising in the least.”

  Lucas nodded. “It may have begun as stupid, drunken bet, but I’ve learned more from this experience than I imagined, and I’ve gained far more than I deserved.” He touched his nose to her cheek and kissed her.

&nb
sp; “I should thank you, too, Lucas. You and Lord Bellingham, I suppose,” she added with a laugh.

  “For what?”

  “Through our disagreement I realized something about myself.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  She winced and ducked her head under the covers.

  Lucas laughed and pulled down the sheet to reveal her guilty face. “What?” he prodded.

  “Well, this may be difficult for you to believe, but I tend to think I’m always right.”

  “No!” he exclaimed, a mock-horrified look on his face.

  She laughed and pushed at his shoulder. “Yes. I was so convinced I was in the right about you, I wouldn’t even let you try to explain yourself to me. I might have let you go and married Sir Reginald out of spite. That’s madness.”

  “I thought I’d lost you forever,” he breathed, squeezing her hand gently.

  “That’s just it. Lord Bellingham made me realize that things aren’t always as obvious as they appear to be.” She shrugged. “Apparently, there is gray in this world. Not just black and white.”

  “Hmm.” Lucas stared at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. “I believe I’ve heard Bell’s ‘gray’ speech before. It is a good one.”

  “I was convinced I knew everything,” Frances continued. “But I’ve learned that I’ve been wrong about a great many things. And the best part is that I’m happy to have been found wrong.”

  Lucas furrowed his brow. “A great many things?”

  “Yes, in addition to realizing that you might actually have worthy reasons for behaving the way you did, I learned I was wrong about love and marriage. I was planning to marry Sir Reginald to keep my father from debtor’s prison, but I plan to marry you for one reason alone.” She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Love.”

  Lucas pulled her atop him. “I’m awfully glad to have changed your mind.”

  Frances kissed him soundly on the lips. Then she wiggled down and propped her chin on his chest. “Now, you must tell me something that Lord Bellingham wouldn’t.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair. “What’s that, my love?”