“I know, but I have always worked at the store. I love that place. It’s, well . . . it’s like part of my family,” she explained, mentally considering that they had never settled on any exact amount of money for their bargain. The only thing Victoria had been interested in was having the store. She hadn’t stopped to consider that there might be more than that as his words now clearly implied.
“And that was our deal,” she whispered the reminder.
“Indeed, it was our deal... and now that I understand your position completely I will honor our deal to your satisfaction. Do you really believe your sister can manage the store? I could send someone to help.”
“Johnny and Mandy can manage on their own,” she stated still suspicious, searching his eyes for the slightest indication of deception.
What more would he want in return for all of this? Just to share her bed?
In that instant staring into his glowing, silver eyes that penetrated her very soul, Victoria knew he wanted more. He would not settle only for sexual gratification. She knew with certainty that he wanted all of her, to command to demand, body and soul.
And for him to have such power would mean certain destruction for her.
William’s lips curled up in a sensual smile in response to her stubborn stance.
Then, he pinched her chin in a playful gesture. “Now, get that stubborn look off of your exquisite face, and tell me what you did today.”
Victoria smiled into his twinkling eyes, dizzy with relief and reeling from his touch, then nervously launched into a list of things she had done during the day.
“The fresh bloom is back in your face which means that the drug does not appear to have caused you any lasting damage,” he said at length, when she had run out of words to cover her nervous anticipation.
Victoria felt the heat rise higher in her face. “I do feel much better.”
“You are so beautiful,” he said in a husky voice. “I am more pleased than you could possibly imagine that you have agreed to be mine.”
His shocking words causing a pausing tremor to dash through her.
“You may not be so pleased with your choice...after....after…it is done.”
“You could not be more wrong. I am certain it will be a remarkable experience.”
“Oh my...” Victoria choked, heat simmering in her cheeks.
William’s intense gaze captured and held her. “However, I am curious and concerned...does the prospect of our intimate relationship make you afraid? I do not want you to be afraid of me.”
Victoria hesitated, her heart humming.
“I am afraid — I mean, maybe nervous is a better word, but I will do what you want,” she whispered lowering her lashes over her eyes, embarrassed beyond anything she ever believed possible. “I cannot be so casual in speaking of these things, but I have made up my mind to do this.”
“You do not strike me as a woman who would do something she really didn’t want to do, but I want to be sure.”
“It is what I want to do.”
“You make me wish I was not such a terrible ass. You make me wish I could give you what you want and let you go,” he said softly. “But I find that I cannot.”
“Therefore I will make you happy,” he assured her, his silver gaze burning into her with promise. “Everything in your life will be perfect, I promise.”
“I do not know what to say,” she said softly lost in his silver gaze where she saw the sincerity of his promise.
“I am buying a house for you, do you like that idea,” he announced, abruptly changing the subject. “It is yours just like the store.”
“You mean a house here?”
“Of course here darling one. A house, with a view of the bay, a little way from my home,” he answered, watching her closely.
“It would be unseemly for me to stay here with you, I suppose, but I never considered having my own house.”
“I want us to be completely alone, away from my family and nosy servants,” he supplied.
“Of course,” she answered. “I do not want to run into any more of your family members.”
William laughed.
“Yes, well, then I will find the most beautiful house to be found in the city,” he said. “Because I want you to know how much you mean to me.”
“It is very kind of you.” She spoke in a breathless voice. How could someone bestow such a gift?
“I will take you there in a few weeks when it is purchased and ready. Between now and then, I will be gone until late tomorrow and the following day. I have some dinner engagements and business that will keep me away. But we have tonight. I wanted us to have a quiet dinner here in the house, so I had the cook prepare something special.”
She would be alone in the house with him. Victoria’s heart battered her chest.
“Sweetheart, do not look at me as if I have contracted the plague. Here my whole life I have been led to believe that women find me irresistible, but apparently you do not share that feeling.”
“I didn’t mean....” Victoria started.
“It is alright my darling, I know what worries you. We are not going to consummate our bargain tonight. It’s too soon, sweetheart. I want us to get acquainted and I don’t want you looking at me as if I have two heads!” he chuckled.
“This might seem funny to you, Mr. Worthington, but I can assure you, I find no humor in the situation.” How dare he talk about such things, let alone laugh about them, when it was she who would be ruined by their intimate activities.
And he had so accurately guessed her thoughts and her fear.
Still smiling, William reached out and brushed her cheek with his finger tips.
“Don’t be angry, darling. I am just enjoying you, not laughing at you,” he said in a soothing voice. His silver eyes burned into her like diamonds under a hot sun.
Ignoring his hand and how hot and tingly she felt inside, Victoria continued to glare at him.
“It is because of your mother, isn’t it?” she asked, her chin rising just thinking about that mean, hostile woman who had so completely insulted her. “That is why you found a house for me isn’t it?”
“My mother? Have you seen her?” William looked at her so innocently that Victoria could almost believe he didn’t know about his mother’s visit.
“Seen her? I should say, she barged right into the bedroom and demanded to know who I was and what I was doing here.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told her I was your mistress,” Victoria replied. Prickly heat moved from her throat to her checks.
Throwing his dark head back and slapping his knee, he laughed, deep and masculine. “I would love to have seen her face,” he said between alluring barks laughter.
Victoria smiled in response remembering just how angry Mrs. Worthington had been.
“She also said some very ugly things and called me names that were not so far from the truth.”
William stopped laughing and said, “I am sorry about what happened with my mother. However, she will not bother you again,” he stated, taking her hand from its resting place on her lap and folding it into his own.
“You will not be caught up in the unpleasantness of society, or its silly notions of propriety,” he said, squeezing her hand possessively.
Even if she was nothing more than a toy, he would not let her be insulted.
“Come, darling, let us go to dinner.” William’s voice was soft and low. He stood, gently taking her up with him.
“I need to change my dress for dinner,” she said.
“No need. It will only be the two of us and to me you are beautiful just as you are.” His eyes glowed into hers and his husky voice whispered across her skin.
She trembled.
Victoria knew, soon, very soon, he would consummate their entente. Desire emanated from him as if it were some tangible, live thing. Drawn to him and to the invisible beckoning force, Victoria wondered if he knew just how much power he held over her person.
That she wanted him equally was a humiliation she could never reveal, for to do so, would mean certain doom.
William led her from the room and down the stairs to one of the smaller more intimate dining rooms while surrounding her with his charm and small talk.
In the middle of the room was a white, oval table that seated twelve people. A crystal chandelier dangled from the ceiling casting sparkling light all over the room.
In contrast to the heavy tapestries that hung on the walls of the main dining room, this dining room was completed with gold framed, scenic paintings and mirrors and a large china cabinet that displayed a set of delicate white china.
Two neat settings were artfully arranged on the table and were soon filled with roast beef and a variety of colorful vegetables and potatoes, compliments of a pretty, smiling Chinese servant named Lam.
After she set dinner out, William smiled at Lam and dismissed her in Chinese.
“You speak Chinese then?”
“Yes, I learned it when I was a child. I was raised in a household filled with Chinese people. They are very intelligent and interesting people,” he replied. “My father paid their passage to come build the railroad.”
Victoria was surprised by his open minded comment. So few were kind to immigrants, especially the Chinese.
The roast beef was delicious. Resisting the urge to close her eyes in pleasure from the taste, Victoria was careful to eat with every scrap of the manners her mother had drilled into her.
“Did the dress maker come to see you?” William inquired politely, putting his fork on the plate and looking at her. Would she ever get use to his silver eyes that singed her wherever they landed?
“Yes, she came, and she had so many fabrics and so many ideas,” Victoria said, remembering earlier in the day when the sweet, softly rounded, French woman named Cloe had descended upon her in one of the parlors. Strong perfume had floated with Cloe’s every move, and moving was something Cloe did a great deal of. Her hands fluttered like a humming bird as she spoke.
Cloe had brought what seemed to be endless bolts of fabric that were carried in by her assistants and some household servants for Victoria to consider. They spent several afternoon hours picking out patterns and fabrics. And whenever Victoria suggested that they were buying too much, Cloe would shoo her concerns away with her ever fluttering hands.
Victoria felt her face grow warm. She wouldn’t dare mention the frilly nightgowns Cloe had insisted she have. They were scandalous to the extreme!
“I am certain we purchased too much,” Victoria said.
“I am sure you didn’t purchase near enough. You are going to need many gowns. I instructed Cloe to see that you had plenty of things for every occasion,” he answered, picking up his wine glass and taking a swallow, all the while his glittering eyes watched her.
“It makes me wonder just what sort of things a mistress is supposed to do,” she said, picking up her own glass and taking a small sip, trying to sound sophisticated, and hide the blush that was sweeping over her face and neck.
Setting his glass down, Will’s silver eyes probed hers as if he was carefully selecting his words.
“I will ask much of you. Your job isn’t just to be in bed, I want you to go places, I want you to see things. I want this to be an enjoyable experience for you. Perhaps here in San Francisco our outings will be limited, but I plan for us to travel, I want you to see the world,” he said, then paused while his eyes caressed her skin like a soft feather. “I want your company.”
“My company?” A thrill jolted through her. “You mean travel to other countries with me for company?”
“Yes, you’re very charming company,” he replied, smiling. “But I have many, many other things I want, things that I will not explain to you now, but I can tell you they are things we will both enjoy,” he finished, his voice low and tantalizing.
The image of the two people in the red room flashed through Victoria’s mind. Heat seared between her legs. Shifting in her chair Victoria picked up her fork with a trembling hand and resumed eating.
William made her think of things she had never thought of before. He made her want him in ways she never wanted another man. She should feel shame and be repulsed by her own thoughts, but she didn’t and wasn’t. Instead, she wanted him all the more.
And damn him. He knew it. It was there in his eyes.
“I want to make love to you in secret places. I want to make love to you in ways you have never dreamed of,” William murmured, sending her fork clattering to the china plate. Her eyes shot to his.
“I want you to burn with the need that burns in me,” he finished, his eyes reaching the depths of her soul. His words were spoken in low, husky tones that brushed across Victoria’s skin like silk. His words impacted every part of her being. Her inexperience, the uncertainty of what would happen and her desire frightened her.
“William, I don’t know if I can give you those things you want, I just don’t know . . .” Her urgent, whispered words deserted her. How could she explain to him that she was not sure she was capable of doing all of those things? How could she explain that she was not an object of desire, she was just a simple girl from the country? How could he cast her in a role that she could scarce begin to play?
“Don’t worry, we will find these things together, darling, I promise,” William assured her, reaching out to her with a warm, gentle hand and caressing her cheek.
Victoria gasped, her face burned.
“But I move too quickly sweetheart, you are young and inexperienced. I am sorry, but when I am near you, I find it almost impossible to keep myself from you.”
“Please do not say such things, please,” she whispered, closing her eyes to shut out the intense burn of his eyes.
“I understand,” he said softly. “How is your dinner, then?” he asked politely, taking his hand away from her.
Her eyes flew open. Victoria gathered her wits quickly and picked up her fork and resumed eating with shaking fingers.
“Everything is delicious,” she replied with relief mentally stilling her breathing.
For the remainder of dinner they kept to easy topics of conversation, and soon, Victoria was able to relax again in his company.
Over the remainder of dinner, Victoria found William to be charming, funny and very well read. She enjoyed his company so much that she didn’t even notice the hour had grown late.
“Come, Victoria, let me take you to your room,” he softly commanded taking her hand and standing up. It was then that Victoria realized she was tired. And he must be exhausted after working all day.
Victoria’s heart pounded when William placed her hand in the crook of his arm and walked with her up the steps. As they ascended the steps he caressed her arm lightly, sending shivers of delight through her.
When they arrived at her bedroom door, he said nothing. Putting his hands on her waist, William pulled her up to him into a firm embrace, his mouth hungrily covering hers sucking the breath from her body in a hot rush.
Demanding and probing, his lips brought Victoria’s entire body alive. Her arms came up and circled his neck in an automatic response. The earth shifted under her feet.
He caressed her back, with slow and gentle hands, while his lips consumed her mouth, tasting and probing. Hot and tantalizing, his breath filled her being, pulling her to him and making her body throb. Her body pressed into his putting her in immediate contact with his male hardness straining against her belly.
Nothing had ever felt like this. A soft moan escaped her lips.
Then, suddenly Victoria was free of William’s embrace. The only thing that kept her from stumbling back was his strong hands on her shoulders steadying her.
Her shocked eyes met his. Her breathing labored with sensual emotion. They both knew he could take her if he so chose.
“Inside you go, then,” William commanded in a hoarse voice. “Before I go back on my word to wait and make you mine.”
V
ictoria stared at him dazed a moment longer before he turned her, opened the door and gently pushed her inside.
“Damn.” He swore harshly on the other side of the door. “Damn.”
CHAPTER 15
“Victoria!”
Rising from her chair and toppling the book on her lap, Victoria went swiftly to the door and down the steps. It had become a habit over the last few weeks for William to call her when he arrived home. And it was her practice to go to him.
There was something distinctively domestic about this routine. However, Victoria didn’t bring this to William’s attention. There was, however, certainly nothing domestic about his hot glances and tangible desire.
As always, he looked her up and down, slowly lingering over her curves while she moved down the winding staircase toward him; as if he wanted to consume every inch of her.
And someday, she was certain he would.
Victoria’s heart thudded against her ribs. When would he take what he so clearly wanted from her and what he had bargained for...what he had purchased?
“I have something to show you ... come,” he softly commanded.
Taking his extended hand, Victoria followed him outside to the waiting carriage with such haste that she forgot to take a wrap to warm her against the chilly fog that was creeping over the city.
“Let me go back and get your wrap,” he offered.
“No, I don’t need it. “What is it you wish to show me?” she asked.
“You will see my darling,” he whispered, his eyes glowing into hers.
When they had settled inside the carriage, Victoria drank in his striking figure sitting casually across from her with a mischievous smile playing about his sensual lips. Victoria instantly cast him in the role of beautiful Satan, tempting her to some unknown sin.
William wrapped her in small talk and his allure while they traveled a few blocks and came to a stop in front of a winsome house painted light blue with intricately carved white trim and darling shutters framing the windows. Neat rows of hedges punctuated with abundantly blooming red roses spanned the front of the house.
The Letter Page 13
