A Case of Seduction

by Melody Lewis

  At the rate they were going, Zachary had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before he ended up being Sebastian’s lover, and at that point, there would be no return. He wasn’t even sure about Sebastian’s feelings, too, the other man never having spoken clearly of them since five years ago. For all he knew, Sebastian just wanted him because he presented a challenge, and once that challenge was gone, he would move on to another, just as he moved from case to case.

  Zachary shook his head, stunned that he was wondering about Sebastian’s feelings like a woman, which only meant that he shared some of the same, a thought which shocked and annoyed him even more.

  There was only one way to put a stop to the madness, Zachary thought, and that was to solve the case so he would never again have to see Sebastian.

  With that thought firmly in mind, he set off to pay another visit to the Viscount of Westbury, convinced that he held the most important clue and hoping that his anxiety would cause him to blunder and expose himself.

  As before, however, the Viscount of Westbury was reluctant to speak with him. Even when he agreed, he spoke briefly and revealed nothing helpful, his impatience to be left alone apparent in the way he kept glancing at his pocketwatch.

  Even more frustrated than before, Zachary left Westbury Mansion, deciding to walk instead of taking the carriage so that he could calm himself down and refresh his mind. For some reason, though, he found his thoughts wandering to Sebastian, his mind going back to the time when they had first been acquainted many years ago, vaguely remembering how he had been in awe at Sebastian’s intellect and surprised at his warmth and sense of humor, traits he had never expected to find in someone who had been raised by an Earl, his distant uncle, as his own son. In fact, if he chose, Sebastian could have inherited a title but instead, he opted for the life of a private investigator.

  Zachary was so deep in thought that he did not notice he was being followed until he heard the sound of a gunshot. In the next instant, he found himself being pushed towards the pavement, a man suddenly on top of him.

  Sebastian.

  He was unsure of how Sebastian had suddenly appeared but he had no time to think as he watched Sebastian draw his own pistol and shoot the other man, whom he recognized as the Viscount, effectively disarming him and then hitting him on the leg, which he grabbed in a curse and a howl of pain.

  “He must have panicked and shot you,” Sebastian explained to Zachary as he sat up. “Just as he had likely panicked and shot Lady Rosalind.”

  “That wench was supposed to be in love with me,” the Viscount interjected, still grabbing his bleeding leg. “If only she had come quietly, I wouldn’t have hurt her.”

  “So she changed her mind, after all,” Sebastian said. “It turns out you were right, Mr. Williams.”

  Zachary stood up and dusted his sleeve, waiting for relief and triumph to flood him as it usually did after a case was solved. Instead, though, he was filled with alarm as he noticed the blood seeping through Sebastian’s shirt.

  “You were shot?”

  “It is only a scratch, I assure you,” Sebastian said, holding his shoulder. “Although your concern is certainly…”

  The rest of the sentence vanished as Sebastian lost consciousness and fell, Zachary catching him quickly.

  “Sebastian!”

  ~ ~ ~

  Sebastian was unconscious until the next day, which the doctor explained was due to the loss of blood. Other than that, there was no other cause for concern, the bullet, which had not lodged deep enough to cause significant damage to his right shoulder, having been successfully removed.

  All throughout, Zachary was at his side, worrying and blaming himself for Sebastian’s injury, convinced that if only he had not suddenly gone to the Viscount or if only he had been more careful, Sebastian would not have been injured. Even when the Earl of Pembridge called for him to express his gratitude at the conclusion of the case, he did not go, saying that both he and Sebastian would go pay him a visit when Sebastian had recovered.

  He had not slept or eaten, either, though by afternoon, he had been so mentally and physically exhausted, though, that he fell asleep at Sebastian’s bedside, waking up when he felt a hand stroking his hair. Immediately, he sat up, his whole body flooded with relief as he saw Sebastian awake and genuinely smiling.

  “What’s this?” Sebastian spoke. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  When Zachary didn’t answer, nor did his serious expression change, Sebastian reached out to touch his arm. “I’m sorry to have caused you so much worry, but I’m quite sure there is no longer any need for it.”

  “You fool.” Zachary was finally able to find his voice. “Since when did I ask you to risk your life for me?”

  Sebastian gently stroked his cheek. “I suppose I really can’t control my body when it comes to you.”

  The words caused something inside Zachary to snap and unable to control himself, he leaned over to kiss Sebastian, startling him. His own soul be damned, but he could not deny any longer that he held affections for Sebastian. He had realized it the moment Sebastian fell unconscious, making him terrified as he had never been in his life.

  Although he had initiated the kiss, Sebastian eventually took control of it, deepening it, his tongue entwining with Zachary’s. When the kiss broke a few minutes later to allow both to fill their lungs with air, Zachary looked into Sebastian’s eyes, finding lust and something else there that made his heart swell.

  Feeling braver, Zachary moved to work on another part of Sebastian’s body, unlacing his breeches.

  “I beg your pardon, Mr. Williams, but I fear that I don’t understand what is going on,” Sebastian said. “You did not, by any chance, hit your head on the pavement, did you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did,” Zachary answered, finally managing to undo the fastenings of the breeches. “But that is not the reason why I am doing this.”

  “Then would you care to explain why, Mr. Williams?”

  “Consider it an expression of my gratitude,” Zachary said, taking out Sebastian’s arousal, making the other man hiss. “Unless you have any objections.”

  “I can think of none whatsoever, Mr. Williams.”

  He was unable to speak any more as Zachary began stroking him, employing the same techniques he recalled Sebastian using, his fingers wrapped around the length as they moved up and down. Encouraged by Sebastian’s gasps, he tentatively licked the tip, not minding the taste, causing Sebastian to whimper.

  “You are not in any pain, I hope?” Zachary asked.

  “Rest assured, it is not my wound that is troubling me at the moment,” Sebastian answered.

  Grinning, Zachary resumed his task, this time licking along Sebastian’s length, the tip of his tongue tracing the veins, before engulfing as much of the entire member as he could in his mouth, making Sebastian throw his head back against the pillow and groan in pleasure.

  Using his lips, tongue and his fingers, he began a slow and steady rhythm and was about to pick up the pace when he felt a hand on his arm. Reluctantly, he let go of Sebastian’s arousal and eyed him questioningly.

  “I’d like to bring you pleasure, too,” Sebastian said, his voice hoarse with desire. “Unless you have any objections.”

  Zachary wanted to say that he had received all the pleasure before but decided to indulge Sebastian. Nodding, he got off the bed to remove his breeches and drawers, then, guided by Sebastian’s uninjured arm, got back on top of him, his face right in front of Sebastian’s crotch.

  Immediately, Sebastian set to work in pleasuring him, his hand and tongue bringing him to full arousal in seconds. The pleasure was overwhelming, in fact, that Zachary nearly forgot about what he was trying to do, reminded only when Sebastian’s arousal prodded his cheek. Taking it and trying to focus as much as he could, he resumed his task, his rhythm soon matching the other man’s, though he suddenly stopped when he felt Sebastian touching him somewhere else, somewhere more intimate.

&
nbsp; “Sebastian, what are you…?”

  He was unable to finish speaking, completely robbed of breath as Sebastian’s tongue followed his fingers, circling against his skin before slithering in. Zachary’s arms and legs trembled, his strength leaving him as the strange sensation turned pleasurable. His speech seemed to have left as well, moans and whimpers the only sounds he was able to produce as one of Sebastian’s fingers entered him.

  When another one entered, he felt a gush of pain, but it was immediately soothed by Sebastian’s tongue, which deftly laved not just at his opening but at his sac, making his body break into shivers.

  After a few moments, the pain had subsided entirely, pure pleasure taking its place, causing Zachary to thrust his hips back, although he stopped when Sebastian’s fingertips brushed against a sensitive spot inside him, his vision turning blurry as he cried out.

  He could almost feel Sebastian smirking as he brushed against that spot a few more times, making Zachary grip the sheets, pleasure consuming every fiber of his body. Just as he felt he was about to climax, though, the tongue and fingers withdrew and he felt Sebastian pushing him off the bed.

  Again, he turned to Sebastian with a questioning glance.

  “Would you like to experience something more pleasurable, Zachary?” Sebastian asked.

  The sound of his name on Sebastian’s lips was enough to make Zachary’s knees shake and he was unable to say anything, so he just nodded.

  “Take me inside you…please.”

  Guided by Sebastian’s arm once more, Zachary moved back to the bed on top of Sebastian, this time with his hips in line with the other man’s. When his arousal brushed against Sebastian’s, he whimpered, the slight friction enough to ignite the flames which seemed to be burning throughout his body.

  It seemed as if the action had the same effect on Sebastian, for he impatiently tugged at Zachary, pulling him forward so that Zachary felt the tip of Sebastian’s arousal prodding against the part where his fingers had been earlier.

  “Take a deep breath,” Sebastian instructed. “And lower yourself slowly.”

  As if he had no will of his own, Zachary obeyed, lowering himself down, stopping when he felt the tip enter him, causing pain to gush through his lower back. Sensing his pain, Sebastian grabbed his member, which had softened from the pain, stroking it back to hardness and offering Zachary a distraction. The ensuing pleasure, along with the deep breaths Zachary remembered to take, helped, allowing him to continue until Sebastian was fully inside him.

  He stayed still, savoring the feeling of being filled until he felt the pain become bearable, at which point he started moving his hips, causing Sebastian to curse.

  “Am I doing it wrong?”

  “By all means, Zachary, proceed…please.”

  Zachary obeyed, lifting his hips and lowering them down while bracing his arms on the bed and the wall for support. Sebastian began moving his hips, as well, meeting Zachary’s and thrusting deep inside him, making Zachary throw his head back as he felt a nudge on his sensitive spot.

  Soon, both Zachary and Sebastian were able to establish a steady rhythm which, as the two became impatient for release, became faster and then erratic as they were pushed over the edge, Sebastian reaching his climax first, having been holding back for so long, his essence coating Zachary’s insides as he let out a growl. Zachary followed just seconds after, his own essence spurting over Sebastian’s hand and onto his chest.

  His strength spent, Zachary was about to collapse on top of Sebastian, but remembering his injury, managed to pull himself off the other man and lie down beside him.

  “You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Sebastian told him, gaining his voice back first.

  “Oh, hush,” Zachary reprimanded, his chest still heaving as he forced air back into his lungs.

  “When I am better, I shall be sure to repay you.”

  “How can you be certain I’d still be around by then?”

  “Oh you’ll be around, Mr. Williams,” Sebastian said, grinning. “My instincts are never wrong, remember?”

  In spite of himself, Zachary chuckled before turning to Sebastian with a warm smile. “I’ll hold you to it then, Mr. Jones.”

  About Melody Lewis

  Melody Lewis worked as a copywriter and assistant when it occurred to her that writing would be even more fun if it was much, much sexier. So she has emerged as one of the exciting voices in erotica, her work for Steam Books Erotica & Romance and other publishers specializing in the type of hot, steaming passion that can occur between men.

  Melody's credentials outside the erotica field are notable, as well, having earned herself a Bachelors in Mass Communication and Journalism. Her education has undoubtedly only made her all the more skilled in the art of eroticism.

  And more from Melody Lewis:

  THE MALE CONDITION

  Frederick, the Earl of Westbrook has a serious problem – his wife has just left him and as a result, all of society now suspect he is impotent. Frederick suspects it is true himself, and so he goes to see a doctor, a very unusual doctor, whose cure might just drive him madder than he’s ever been…

  A GROOM FOR THE EARL

  The Earl of Whitecliff has a reputation for being eccentric and cold-hearted, but to a groom desperately seeking work such as Allen, this accounts for nothing, and so he goes to work for the Earl’s stables. Quickly, he realizes just how strange the Earl’s methods are, especially when it comes to punishment, though he also discovers something else – how even the coldest hearts can melt in the flames of passion.

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  BONUS

  Please enjoy a tease from the hot novelette,

  MAY THE BEST GENTLEMAN WIN

  by Melody Lewis

  Ulysses, the third Earl of Wolfshire, was not in the best temperament.

  Certainly, some gratitude was in order for the fact that he had been spared from having to linger at the ball of Lord and Lady Farringdon, the biggest hypocrites in the ton in his opinion, with Lady Farringdon constantly spreading gossip from behind her jeweled fan even though her own reputation was far from being pristine – rumor had it that not all her daughters were Lord Farringdon’s – and Lord Farringdon meeting with several doctors in hopes of finding a cure for his impotence, all while boasting of having more mistresses than any other noble.

  Still, he would have been more grateful if he was not in a brothel—and what was likely one of most ill-kept brothels in London at that, the walls showing signs of rotting and the carpet smelling of alcohol and something from the sewers.

  As it was, he was currently walking one of the dim corridors of the shabby establishment, not of his own will, of course, but on the behest of his sister, Jocelyn. Earlier, she had come to him with a plea – to find out why her husband had started to act strange recently. At first, he had not paid her much attention, telling her it was but the norm for men to act strangely on occasion, but then she had started sobbing and he had not been able to refuse her.

  He was beginning to regret that now. After learning that Jocelyn’s husband--Edward, the Earl of Pinehill—had disappeared from Lord Farringdon’s ball, he had made the decision to search for him in the brothels, suspecting that a woman was behind his strange behavior, in which case he would only have to issue the man a stern warning and then all would return to normal.

  He was now at the fifth brothel, however, and still, there was no sign of Pinehill.

  He cov
ered his nose with a gloved hand as a particularly strong stench assaulted his nostrils, and then he gritted his teeth. He would definitely show Pinehill no clemency once he found out what he was up to, which he swore he would.

  Perhaps, if he were like most nobles of the ton, he would not have minded going to one brothel after another and having women throwing themselves at him, but he was not: unconventionally, he found breeches more arousing than corsets and chemises.

  In short, he preferred men. Though of course he exercised precautions in order to keep the fact secret, fully aware that the contrary would only result in the biggest scandal in London.

  He kept walking and was about to turn back and acknowledge the futility of his efforts for the evening when he caught sight of a narrow stairwell at the end of the hall, concealed behind a thin curtain. Curious, he climbed it, ignoring the stairwell’s creaks in protest, and found himself in a small hallway, at the end of which was a door which looked in better condition than the ones he had seen so far, making him think that this room was perhaps more remarkable than the rest, reserved for nobles.

  Slowly, he approached, his hessian boots hardly making a sound on the wooden floor, and taking a deep breath, he bent down to peek into the keyhole.

  What he saw was something he had never expected to see.

  Inside, a slender man sat on a chair in only his linen shirt, his eyes closed and his head thrown back, his hair and skin clearly giving away the fact that he was a noble. In front of him knelt another man, younger and thinner and without any clothes on, his eyes blindfolded and his hands tied behind his back.

  And his head moving back and forth between the noble’s legs.

  Ulysses let go of the breath he had been holding as he straightened up. So he was not the only noble who preferred men, after all.