by Win Hollows
Rem shook his head and turned, continuing to walk down the street. He had just remembered an order he had commissioned to be made last week might be ready. At the corner, he hailed another hackney and rode across town to a small shop specializing in gold engraving of jewelry and such. He went in, nodding to a fellow customer who was examining some samples of merchandise for sale in the window. He went straight to the counter, bypassing the racks of elaborately-detailed wood carvings, sculptures, and pieces of jewelry. The man behind the counter was bald on top, with round spectacles and a friendly smile. He greeted Rem, asking what he could assist him with. When Rem described his order, the man smiled in recognition.
"Ah, yes, I remember. My associate has been working diligently on it. I believe it's ready. Let me just go check." Rem waited for a moment or two, and when the man came back out, he was holding a plate-sized object, beaming. "We hope you're pleased with the craftsmanship, Sir. It was an unusual request, and my partner took a special interest in making sure it was exactly what you wished."
Rem took the cloth-wrapped object and held it carefully as he unwrapped it. It was a fairly flat, rectangular shape, but Rem could feel raised texture on the front of it. He uncovered it completely and smiled. It was perfect. Someday- and he was hoping that day would be soon- Laura would gaze at it with a far-off look in her eyes and remember...
Rem thanked the cheerful shop owner and paid him generously for the piece. He then went to his family's solicitor to pick up the other object that would make the set complete. He had gone to the man to ask him what kind of legal ramifications there would be for someone who was using a Daguerreotype camera to take pictures without authorization from the patent owner. Mr. Chismond had informed him that if the person in question wasn't selling the photographs, it would not be as severe an offense, but there would probably be a hefty fine involved, not to mention much publicity because of the novelty of the device. Consequently, Rem had decided to keep the photograph plate in the safe at the solicitor's office rather than chance someone seeing it at his family's home, even though he didn't like it to be out of his reach.
He entered the small waiting room of "Chismond and Danvers Solicitors" and took a seat in one of the fabric-covered chairs that sat along the wall. He didn't have an appointment, but he knew that the woman sitting behind the desk in the corner would let Chismond know he was there as soon as he was available. There was a well-dressed blonde woman sporting a deep plum riding habit with matching hat speaking to someone in the hall, but most of her person wasn't visible from where Rem was sitting. She was talking fast and in low tones. Rem could only make out a few words here and there.
"...don't see...not...my property...can't keep...this matter" Her voice sounded familiar, but Rem thought it probably wasn't polite to eavesdrop on a private conversation, especially one that one most likely sensitive. Still, something about the sliver of blonde hair he had glimpsed reminded him of...
Suddenly, the woman turned and marched back up the hall towards him with an angry sigh. His spine went rigid. "Laura?"
She stopped dead in her tracks, her face losing all color as she met his eyes. Rem saw her throat work as she tried to clear it. "Hello, Lord Rothstone."
"So formal. Aren't we past that by now?" Rem admonished, smiling when a blush came to her cheeks. "What are you doing here?"
She looked from side to side, then met his eyes again. "It's none of your business, Sir."
Rem laughed. "Perhaps not. But this is my solicitor's office, so it's quite a coincidence that you're here, don't you think?"
"It most certainly is. But, as I said, it's really none of your-"
"Yes, yes, of course." He waved her comment off. A sudden idea entered his mind. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"
She scowled. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
"Why not?" Rem rose from his seat, smoothly sliding the flat package behind his back in one motion.
"Well..." She appeared to be desperately thinking of a reason. Finally, she blurted, "I don't have a-"
While at the same time Rem said, "Good. Then it's settled."
"-chaperone," she finished sourly.
Rem smiled. "Not a problem. We can drop by your house on the way, and you can pick up Eliza."
"How do you know my maid's name?" she asked crossly.
"It was in the papers. She was interviewed after the shooting."
"Oh."
"And I spoke with her after visiting you that day."
"You had no right to do that," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
Rem ignored her sullen protest. "How is your arm, by the way?"
Laura quickly uncrossed them and held them at her sides. "Fine, thank you. There really wasn't any serious injury to begin with."
"There could have been," he said darkly.
"I know," she replied quietly.
Rem met her eyes. She didn't seem as combative as before. "So...this afternoon then?" He really hadn't anticipated seeing her today, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He wanted to spend every minute he could in her company. He did, however, have something in mind that he thought would interest her.
Laura grunted, clearly not wanting to answer.
Rem wanted to laugh at the tiny sound, but refrained.
"Fine. On one condition." She held up a finger.
"Anything."
"You're not allowed to touch me unless I give you leave to. Understand?" She pointed her finger at him.
The woman behind the desk snorted.
Rem sauntered toward her, his lips curved. To her credit, Laura didn't back away.
He leaned toward her face and spoke so only she could hear him. "Agreed. I won't touch you until you say so. In fact," he brought his mouth close to her ear. "I'll go one better. I won't touch you until you beg me." Rem lowered his voice even further. "And make no mistake, Laura," he whispered. "You will beg me." Her indrawn breath gave Rem great satisfaction as he stepped away. He gave her a short bow and indicated that she precede him out the door. "I will only be a moment."
Laura gathered herself and swept past him through the door without so much as a glance in his direction.
"Stupid. Stupid, stupid," Laura chided herself as she waited in her carriage for Remington. Why did she always give into him when she knew it probably wouldn't end well? Every time they encountered each other, they always seemed to end up in a confrontation that left her reeling and confused afterward. And what he had said to her just now... A shiver chased up her spine and caused her scalp to tingle. She would never beg him to touch her. She did have some pride left, and she would just have to rely on that to stop herself from doing something, well, stupid. The last time he had put his hands on her, she had been on the verge of begging him to not stop. She had to admit, he knew his way around the female body.
She scowled. He had probably practiced on countless women, doing all sorts of debaucherous things with them. It really wasn't fair. Men were allowed, encouraged even, to conquer the fairer sex and give into their desires whenever they felt the urge. Women, however, were expected to have no knowledge of anything whatsoever until their wedding night. So Rem was armed with the knowledge of how to manipulate a woman's sensuality, and she had no idea of how to counter it.
And that was why she was being absolutely idiotic by spending time with him. She knew it, and yet, it didn't matter. She couldn't resist him. His smile, his taunting, his intelligence, his silly fear of rain. He made her feel alive, like she'd been underwater for so long and had finally come up for air. The carriage dipped, shocking her out of her contemplation. Rem opened the door and slid onto to the seat opposite her.
"Sorry about the wait. I had to drop off something."
"It's fine," Laura told him as the coach sprang into traffic. She couldn't meet his eyes, but rather tried to look at everything but him, which wasn't working too well, since the inside of the carriage wasn't very interesting. It had burgundy velvet upholstery and two lamps, one on
either side, attached to the wall for nighttime traveling. Laura's family had had this same carriage since before she could remember, but the seats had been replaced at some point.
"Why are you so scared of me?" Rem asked curiously, watching Laura's eyes dart around the interior of the coach.
She paused. Drat him, why did he have to be so direct all the time? It wasn't polite, but she decided to be honest. "Probably because every time I'm alone with you, I feel like you're trying to trap me into something."
Remington appeared to think about this, then said, "Good instincts. I am." He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs, watching her.
Laura's heartrate increased. "I wouldn't think you'd want to reveal that."
"On the contrary, I have been quite forthright about it from the beginning. It's you who doesn't believe that my motives could be so simple."
He was right about that. She didn't believe it one bit. No one decided they wanted to marry someone within a few moments of meeting them. "I suppose you're trying to change my mind about that?"
Rem's smile was wolfish, predatory. It made Laura's clothes seem to confine the heat that built inside her. "I'm going to change your mind about many things, Laura. For instance-" Rem pushed off from the seat with the heels of his hands and moved to Laura's side of the carriage.
She scooted further towards the door. "What are you doing?" She tucked her hair nervously behind her ear.
"Changing your mind about letting me touch you."
The air rushed out of her lungs as he leaned over her. She pressed her back further into the padded cushion, but there was no more room for her to retreat. He brought his hand up to her torso, and let it hover over her collarbone. His fingers twitched slightly as he moved slowly downward, the palm of his hand now covering her breast, but not touching her at all. Her nipple puckered into a small bud, tingling in awareness. It was as if he already touched her there, such was the sensation. And her traitorous body wanted him to close the distance.
Rem locked his eyes on hers until she looked up at him. Then, he painstakingly moved his body across hers as she leaned back, careful not to touch her with any part of himself, though his knee was pinning her dress to the squabs. He kept his hand exactly where it was, just above the material of her thin silk day dress. Laura's mind went utterly blank, and the dangerously familiar haze began to settle over her senses. She couldn't speak, didn't want to, as he climbed over her with deliberate slowness. His outside arm formed a cage, enveloping her in a world where it was just the two of them. She was now almost completely horizontal, with one elbow propping her up. His face lingered directly above hers. She felt his breath come in unsteady bursts, fanning across her face with sweet warmth. He smelled like he always did, an intoxicating blend of forest trees and expensive shaving spices. His full lips floated a hairsbreadth away from her own, and she knew he wanted to claim her mouth, but he held incredibly still, his eyes demanding she not look away. The side of his jacket hung down to brush her ribs, making it clear how close his body was to hers.
"Do you want me to touch you?" His voice rumbled low in his chest.
Laura didn't immediately answer. The sound of hooves on cobblestones and men advertising their wares could be heard outside. This, she knew, was a contest, and she didn't want to lose. She had been right. They only thing standing between him and her complete surrender was her pride. "No," she said, but the word was more shaky than firm.
Rem grinned, his lower lip barely grazing hers by accident. "You are stubborn, aren't you?" He moved his head to the side, whispering in her ear. "That's alright. I like a challenge."
His words thrilled her, but scared her even more. Yes, she wanted his touch, but she wouldn't give in. She couldn't. Not when it meant giving him the knowledge that he could control her so easily. At least he had promised he wouldn't touch her without her consent. As long as he couldn't touch her, she was safe.
"Shall I tell you what I want to do to you?" Rem asked, his breath puffing against her lips. She met his eyes again, their blue seeming to darken around the irises. Laura tried to shake her head, but she couldn't with his face so close. "I want to kiss you until you're burning with need for me. Once you let me touch you, I'm never going to stop until I’ve claimed every inch of you as mine."
At his words, a swooping feeling swept through her chest, down to her stomach and pelvis. She tried to control her breathing, but every moment he was on top of her made it harder for her to control her body's response to him.
"I'm going to put my hands on you, where you've never had another person touch you before. And then I'm going to let my mouth do the same, kiss your shoulders, your breasts, your stomach, your thighs. Everywhere, until you beg me to give you what you crave."
Laura gulped. "W-what's that" she whispered.
"Me."
She already craved him with an ache that throbbed through her entire body. She hadn't counted on the power his words could have over her. It was making her want exactly what he claimed he would do if she let him.
His hand left her chest and drifted over the side of her cheek, molding the shape of her hair in the air above it. She desperately wanted him to just bring his hand down and make contact, to quench the need for his skin on hers. But he didn't. Everything- his lips, his hands, his hips- were inches from hers, and he wouldn't let himself touch her until she said so. Why couldn't he just break his stupid promise? She wanted him to, needed him to take control and absolve her of the decision. She began to fidget, to move so that her arm and her chest rubbed against his.
"No," he said firmly. "None of that, Laura. That's cheating."
Laura huffed and lay still, receiving a small jolt as the carriage went over an uneven spot in the street. "Why won't you just touch me? You might as well, you're on top of me," she reasoned.
Rem grinned. "I will if you beg me," he replied. He dipped his head down below her chin and brought his lips close to her throat, breathing warm air on it as he moved up towards her temple.
She couldn't stand it. Her skin tingled and became flushed everywhere his lips grazed above. She could feel heat pool between her legs. And he wasn't even touching her! Oh, but she wanted him to. "I...we can't."
"Yes, you can," he told her, bringing his lips to barely skim hers. "All you have to do," he whispered, "is say, 'Rem, please.'"
Laura felt the words buzz against her lips. The erratic beats of her heart interfered with her thinking process, but all she wanted to do was say the words. She still knew, in some remote part of her brain, that he was testing her, and that he was enjoying every minute of it. His lips were so close, and she wanted them to close over hers with the force he used at the Opera house.
She rose up quickly before he had time to react and captured his lips, loving the way they felt against her own. Rem jerked at the sudden movement, but didn't pull away. He let her lips move over his, remaining unresponsive throughout the onslaught. Laura paused when she realized he wasn't kissing her back. She looked up into his face, and saw a muscle ticking in his jaw. It was clear he was having trouble keeping his composure. He swallowed and breathed out slowly. Laura could see the arm holding him up was shaking, whether from keeping his current position or his self control, she wasn't sure. He licked his lips. "You want me to kiss you. Just say the words."
Laura frowned. "No. I know you want to kiss me. So do it."
"This isn't about me. It's about what you want. You aren't going to be able to tell yourself later that it was me who wanted it, that I coerced or seduced you. I'm not even touching you. You'll know it was your choice, that you want me because wanting me is built into you. You and I were always meant for this, Laura. You just don't want to admit it yet."
Trembling, Laura tried to think about the words he was saying. She feared he was right. All he had to do was be near her and she was drawn to him like a moth to the flame. Even when he was nowhere nearby, she just had to think of him for her heart to start palpitating. She wanted his mouth to close
the distance between them so badly. It was almost a pain, the heat that coursed through her at his nearness. She needed all of him, every inch against her, dragging her down into oblivion with him. What did it matter if she asked him to? He wanted her just as much, she knew. But if he didn't touch her now, she would surely shrivel into a shell that would never be satisfied by anyone again. Hang her pride. All she needed was him right here, right now.
Her mind made up, she deep in a deep breath, letting the essence of him fill her senses. He was watching her, studying the minute expressions that crossed her face, waiting to see what she would do. Fissures of need danced through her abdomen. Her chest began to expand slightly as anticipation filled her with nervous flutters. "Rem, plea-"
Rem's mouth came down on hers hard and fast, invading her with his tongue immediately.
Laura groaned into his mouth at the welcome assault.
He gradually melded his body to hers, letting himself put his body weight into her from the hip up so that he was pressed in agonizing perfection against every line of her. Laura could feel his chest moving quickly above her as he ravaged her lips, delving in and out with reckless need. Rem's hand now grabbed her ribcage and squeezed, sliding down over her hip and down her leg. Her legs were pinned under the long skirts of her dress, but Rem quickly adjusted his own so that he was able to lift the folds of her hem up to continue his exploratory path.
Only now, Laura felt his hand trail up from her ankle to her calf. Laura stopped kissing him momentarily, shocked that he would touch the bare skin above her short stockings. Rem met her eyes, knowing she was nervous about the direction his hand was taking. He watched her reaction as he slid his hand further up, slowly smoothing over her knee and continuing up. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps at the sensation he evoked. The muscles in her leg spasmed as his fingers glided across the bare skin of her outer thigh. He watched her eyes go wide and her breath hitch when he squeezed the flesh on the outside of her hip. Rem seemed to relish seeing her react to his touch, his own eyes intensifying in pleasure at her expression.
