The madam nodded, her smile never faltering.
“I understand your establishment provides a wide variety of services to its members,” he continued, his voice lowering as he tried to find the right words. “And that you have very strict rules regarding privacy.”
“That is quite true, my lord.”
“I seek assistance—or perhaps training is the more appropriate word—in how to accept the touch of another person without the sort of reaction you just witnessed.”
“I see.” The madam shifted slightly in the chair, stretching her lush body in a way that immediately drew his attention. “Now, my next question is rather prying, but as I am sure you will understand, your answer is also quite necessary for me to know if I am to properly assist you.”
Distracted by the curves beneath her red satin gown, he nodded.
“Have you ever been with a woman? In the full sense, of course.”
His response came from a choked throat. “No.” He had never admitted as much to anyone. Yet she barely reacted to the information, simply nodding and continuing on. He realized this madam was not likely shocked by much of anything.
“Are you able to achieve arousal?”
His muscles tightened and his fingers curled dangerously tight around the snifter. “Yes,” he said after a moment.
Pendragon smiled and tipped her head. “Are you attracted to women, my lord, or do you find yourself drawn to other men?”
The question surprised him, but was easy to answer. “I am interested in women.”
“Excellent,” she replied in a breathy murmur.
He frowned. “I am not certain how such questions are relevant, madam.”
“Oh, I think you do.” Her gaze then met his with a direct but gentle focus. “You could have gone to a physician for the kind of help you are requesting, but you came here to me. Tell me, my lord, what else is it that you seek?”
Now, he hesitated. Not because he did not understand what she was asking, but because he did. She had seen through to the exact point he had been afraid to admit outright.
Anticipation dosed liberally with trepidation rolled down his spine.
His voice was low and thick when he finally answered. “I want to know what it is to feel pleasure.”
His answer seemed to please the madam. Her smile turned sultry and a light flickered to life in her gaze. “And so you shall, my lord.”
In a move as subtle as he suspected it was contrived, the madam smoothed a hand over the curve of her hip and down the surface of her thigh as she leaned forward, revealing the deep shadow of her cleavage.
“There is no better way to learn of pleasure than to discover all the ways to give it.” Her voice lowered to a husky murmur and her green eyes stared into his. “If you put yourself into my hands, I promise, my lord, you shall attain both of your goals. You shall learn how to accept a variety of physical stimulation, from the most fleeting and casual to that which is more intimate. You shall have access to beautiful, sensual women. Their bodies will be yours to explore, to command, and to satisfy. When you know what it is to give pleasure to a woman, your own fulfillment will naturally follow.”
At her words, the yearning he had struggled for years to deny surged through him. His heartbeat raced and his stomach tightened. He had lived so long with a sense of powerlessness, believing he would never know what it was to be with a woman. The idea that he might finally experience more than pain and discomfort from the touch of another person, was an intoxicating thought.
Pendragon’s gaze flickered to his lap before lifting again. She smiled and her expression, which previously had been all business, now contained a hint of playfulness. “I can see the idea appeals to you.”
He did not deny it. Her teasing made it easier for him to acknowledge the lust inspired by her suggestion. But still, he knew well his limitations, his total lack of experience. “I should hate to be a disappointment. To anyone.”
The woman’s green eyes narrowed shrewdly. “You shall do quite well, my lord, have no doubt. I possess a particular sense about these things.”
One
London, May 1817
Lily Chadwick knew there was something different about the fiercely scowling gentleman the first moment she saw him.
She could feel it.
The moment their gazes met, something skittered across her skin like a rain of white sparks. It entered her bloodstream, heating her from the inside until her breath became stilted and her knees went weak.
He stared at her boldly from beneath a brow drawn low in a forbidding expression. His eyes were so dark even the light of the glittering ballroom could not be reflected there. The angles of his face were hard, his jaw sharply defined, and he held his mouth in a harsh line which attempted to harden the full curve of his lower lip, but didn’t quite manage it.