Her breath knotted in her throat at his deep timbre. It was smooth, like brandy, full of innuendo.
“I will.”
Lifting his hand, he pointed to the floor before him.
“Then, prove it to me. To us both. Come, kneel before me, Sophie. Show us what an obedient lass you are.”
Heart pounding against her breast, Sophie pushed away from her seat. She twisted the silky fabric of her skirts to hide her trembling hands. When she came to stand in front of Sebastian, she held his gaze as she sank to the rug. Tipping her head back, she let her weight settle on her knees. The faded Aubusson cushioned her penitent’s pose.
Breaking their connection, Sebastian glanced over her head to the man behind her. “Come, Atherly, and undress her as I watch.”
“Er, as you wish, my lord.”
Sophie fought the urge to sneak a sideways glance while Edward approached. Was he angry at the marquess’s derision? She fair burned with the humiliation she knew he must feel. He would follow Sebastian’s commands while loathing every second of it. He’d long struggled against the dominance of his betters, and he would not think well of her for putting him in such a position tonight.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the flash of Edward’s coat as he tossed it upon the other chair. Sophie pictured him in his shirtsleeves, slowly advancing toward her. Even while she knelt in front of Sebastian, half of her attention focused on Edward. The thought of his hands playing over her body made her core pulse. She felt a slip there, a burgeoning wetness.
Approaching warmth indicated Edward’s arrival at her back. She looked up at Sebastian and flinched when Edward’s agile hands swept her hair off her neck and over her shoulder. A quick tug on her laces loosened her satin bodice, and it sagged forward. Tilting her head, she watched as the dress gaped, exposing her chemise. The rigid stays lifted her breasts in an erotic display. Edward reached around and unfastened her undergarments. Nimble fingers drew both downward and away, uncovering her breasts. The chilly air made her nipples tighten, and Sebastian’s equally cool inspection furled them into straining points.
Edward’s fingertips played dangerously near the taut peaks, but he did not touch her there. She wished he would and even urged him silently to move his thumb just inches. A hair’s breadth more to the right and she would be able to breathe again. However, he skirted her desire in this as he had on many other occasions. She hoped that he would not remain so reticent all night, else this adventure would prove disappointingly dull. As it was, she trembled with want, frustration, expectation, and a bit of chill.
Edward drew his warm hands back up to her shoulders, and swept the layers of cloth down her arms. His fingers settled at last above her elbows, holding her steady.
Sophie watched Sebastian’s hand as it flashed around behind him. On the next blink, the looped leather end of the quirt she’d spied earlier slid under her chin and pushed her head back, forcing her to look up at him.
“You, Sophie, will answer either of us with ‘my lord.’” The gentle gleam in his hazel eyes belied the austerity of his command, but Sophie trembled at it just the same. Considerate a lover as he might be, her Sebastian was still a marquess: authoritative, demanding, certain that his orders would be obeyed. And Sophie had never yet shied at doing his bidding. Indeed, it thrilled her to comply. Her submission to his authority was yet another game they liked to play.
“Yes, my lord.”
Trailing the crop down her throat and into the space between her naked breasts, Sebastian brushed the end over one swollen curve, teasing the pebbled tip where Edward had not.
“However, Atherly, as we are comrades in this sortie, we must set formality aside. Call me Sebastian.”
Ah, so he was sensitive to Edward’s pain, Sophie mused. How like Sebastian to see even that private embarrassment. She had never met a more perceptive man, and she wondered now how he had gained such unusual insight and empathy. In her experience, thoughtfulness was atypical in men of his class. But then, so much of Sebastian struck her as curious. The deep mystery of his person and his uncommon beauty were what consistently drew her to him.
Edward’s hand delved into the remaining material clinging to her and pushed it off, denuding her from the waist in one swift stroke.
“Edward, then.”
“Well, Edward. Let us begin.”
Chapter Two
“Would not a bedroom be a better place for this, er, what did you call it? Sortie?” Edward asked, and Sophie blessed him for it. The hard floor had already created an ache in her knees, but she had not wanted to complain. The night had grown unpleasantly cold. Nonetheless, she couldn’t say with conviction whether the tremors bubbling through her body right now were brought on by the cool air of her drawing room or the urgency of her need. Knowing her abigail would have warmed her room by setting a fire in the grate made the idea of retreating to her apartments even more of a lure.
“Rise, Sophie-girl, and take us to your boudoir.” Again, the glimmer of wit in Sebastian’s eyes belied his dramatic command.
As Sophie rose to her feet, Edward’s hands slipped along her hips, peeling the fabric the rest of the way down over her legs. As she stood, her gown and unmentionables, helped along by Edward’s sure tugs, pooled on the floor. He stripped her of the heavy garments until she stood before both men clad only in her garters, stockings, and shoes. Now, Sophie was hardly a blushing debutante, but even she quailed at wandering through her household in the nude, when any servant might see.
“Onward, then,” Sebastian prodded, as if sensing her unspoken reticence. Her cheeks flushed hot at her state of undress. She hoped none of her servants had lingered in the hallway or vestibule. They knew that she entertained lovers, of course. Fortunately, they did not share gossip with their friends who worked in other households. At least, she had heard no echoes of such tittle-tattle. Her social acquaintances surely understood that she did not sleep alone, but as of yet her reputation remained unexceptionable. Of course, if her staff saw her this way—and trailed to her boudoir by two gentlemen in shirtsleeves—she suspected her reputation might suffer somewhat in gossip.
Nevertheless, Sophie showed her obedience by stepping around Sebastian’s towering frame and dragging the doors open. Her slipper heels clicked on the wood floor, and she felt keenly the stares of her lover—rather, lovers—on her arse as she sashayed to the stairs and mounted them.
If she swayed her hips rather more than usual, who could blame her? Naked as she was, she felt covered completely by their combined regard, enveloped in their desire. Sophie had never had a curtsey or a Season before her marriage, and so she was unschooled in being at the center of attention. To have two such handsome and delicious gentlemen attend only to her now stoked her ardor, roiled the burn between her legs and down her throat. She arched her back a bit more and felt a corresponding brush of air along the seam of her buttocks and upward. Someone behind her cleared his throat, and Sophie smiled secretly.
She did not spy any of her staff as she led the men to her bedroom, but that did not mean no one saw. With a great sense of relief, Sophie opened her own door and ushered the gentlemen within. Sebastian chucked her under the chin when he passed. His gesture of approval warmed Sophie to some extent. Edward did not meet her eyes.
She closed the door. Leaning back against the varnished wood, she observed her room, now full of randy delectable maleness. Unbelievably, both these gentlemen had agreed to see to her pleasure. Sophi
e could barely contain the mewl of expectation that rose in her throat. Instead, she raised both hands to her head and unmade the coiffure her lady’s maid had so expertly formed earlier. She knew that Sebastian loved to see her hair down and wild. For his gratification, she had resisted the fashion for short-cropped curls. When her tresses were loose, she traced one errant ringlet down along the swell of her breast. At its end, her fingers brushed a nipple, and she pinched it, thrilling when Edward gasped at the sight. Sebastian’s gaze latched onto the swollen tip; a tight smile was his only reaction.
“I presume that you have enjoyed the show, my lords. And now, if you will, I would see you bare. Both of you. Please.”
Edward moved to comply, kicking his shoes off and sitting on her bed to remove his stockings. Sebastian remained in the center of the room. The edges of his mouth turned down into a slight frown.
“I thought we agreed, Sophie, that you would adhere to my commands…and to Edward’s.”
“Am I not permitted to issue directives of my own, then?” she sassed back, shaking her head and enjoying the luxuriant stroke of her silken hair down her back and along her shoulders. The sensation, and the dual attention of the men, was sparking reactions across her entire body. Especially low, between her legs. She forced herself to keep her hands high and not delve there. Not yet.
“No.” Sebastian’s voice was clipped. She saw that he still held the crop in his hand. “We have done this before, my dear. You’ve only to tell me that you’ve had enough, and I will stop. But until that point, you must be compliant.”
“Very well. Command me, my lord.” Her hands slacked, and she settled them calmly at her sides. Within, though, her need surged. She bit back a whimper; her own stimulation had served only to heighten her arousal. Now, the pulse in her nipples and in her cunt had become painful, if bearable yet.
“Set your elbows on the bed, but keep your arse high, girl,” Sebastian said, pulling the braided leather shaft through his hand, stroking it. Sophie hastened to obey; she fair skipped toward the bed. She climbed up onto the bed and balanced on her knees. Leaning forward, she propped her elbows on the quilt, and that is when she noticed that Edward had not moved. He sat on the side of the bed, one leg bent and angled over the coverlet. He’d divested himself of his cravat and shirt and had partially unfastened his pantaloons. Half clothed thus, and with his dark beauty, he reminded Sophie of a gypsy prince, dangerous and glowering down at her. She gazed at him through the fringe of her unbound hair and touched her tongue to her suddenly dry lips.
“Have you a command for me, my lord?” she asked him. His mouth worked for a moment, but no words came out. Sophie saw the sleek swell of his erection, jutting from the loose placket, and her tongue paused at the peak of her upper lip before taking a slow trek down the side. She had been unschooled in many things the last time they’d been together, and she had learned so much since then. It occurred to her that though her mouth had traveled over his chest and face in wild explorations, she had never tasted his straining length.
“No,” he whispered. “I’ll wager you already know all my desires, Sophie.” She knew that Sebastian wouldn’t have heard the words clearly, and she knew just as well that Edward had not been speaking for an audience other than her.
“Not all,” she said. Alas.
Even as she felt Sebastian move in behind her, even as her lover’s cool, capable hands roamed the small of her back, stroking down toward her bum, Sophie scooted on her elbows. She arched her back the more, stretching. The warmth of Edward’s body enveloped her head as she dropped her mouth to his lap, kissing first along the quiver of his abdomen and then downward. His cock had drawn up tight toward his belly, and she felt it butt against her chin, her cheek, decadent as sun-warmed satin. He sighed and leaned back, bracing his hands against the bedclothes, though she could still feel the intensity of his gaze on her head.
“Move your hair,” Sebastian directed, and Sophie shifted her balance to just one elbow, shoving the mass of tangled strands back and over the opposite shoulder. She tilted her chin to the side ensuring that Sebastian would have a clear view as she dipped her head again and took Edward into her mouth.
God. He tasted just as he smelled: mint and citrus, musk and bitter. She took her time savoring him, laving from the base of him to the tip, then swirling her tongue back downward. She sucked the tight spheres at the base into her mouth gently, one at a time, cradling them with her tongue. The coarse brush of his curls tickled her ear, and she giggled against one heated, sensitive sac. He must have enjoyed the vibration of her chuckle on his skin, she thought, for his thighs tensed. When he moved them apart slightly, the motion gave her a better angle and more space. Sophie rewarded him with a nip of teeth against the swollen crown. In response, he uttered a curse beneath his breath. She wanted to hear that sound of his pleasure again.
At last, having teased her fill, Sophie pressed her tongue down against the floor of her mouth, curled her lips under to protect him from her teeth, and lowered her head along the silken sides of his shaft, filling herself with him so completely that she could no longer draw breath. She stayed there, holding him in the far reaches of her mouth, relaxing. Hollowing her cheeks, she moved him slightly deeper, further to the back of her throat. Edward rewarded her with a tense groan. A thrill rushed through her when Sebastian muttered a curse.
“That’s it, my girl. Take it all. Is her mouth not the richest drug, Edward?” Sebastian rasped. He grasped her bum with both hands and squeezed hard. Within his right fist, though, Sophie could feel the cool metal of his quirt handle, a harbinger of his intention.
“Yes,” Edward said. “God’s breath, Sophie.”
Her hair had spilled again; she felt it loose and soft against her face. It seemed just one more thing smothering her, stifling her, driving her need and desire. When she saw black from holding her breath, she pulled away, rasping her tongue along the underside of Edward’s cock. She traced the throbbing vein and pursed her lips to force a greater suction on the tip. His whole body tensed this time.
Without waiting for Sebastian to mention it, Edward brushed her hair to her nape. Instead of allowing those ringlets to cascade in a riot over her shoulder, he fisted them tight, winding them within his grasp as if they were reins and he guided her on. She could feel the pressure of his knuckles against her skull as he directed her along his engorged length. Sophie groaned and took him deep, letting his grip at her head set the rhythm.
He did not move her too quickly, and Sophie found that she could keep up with his pace and still breathe easily. She moaned against the pull of his fist on her hair and the carnal pleasure of having her will so forced by his grasp. Edward had not been this masterful when last they’d fucked. Apparently he had learnt things in the interim, as well. Sophie rather liked them.
So focused was she on fellating Edward that the first sting of Sebastian’s whip on her buttocks burned like fire, and she yelped.
“No, do not pause. Work your mouth, Sophie,” Sebastian instructed. At her ear, Edward’s fist yanked her head up and jerked it downward again, muffling her cries with his cock. Sophie braced herself against the bedcovers and tried to reconcile the slide of Edward’s girth in her mouth with the sting of Sebastian’s assault on her rear. Two more strikes landed, and the pain forked through her body, shivering deliciously along the pleasure points. She could feel the coil of pain and joy at her core, expanding, contracting, tensing.
She wanted to come, but she
knew from past experience that Sebastian would be disappointed with her if she did so without his permission. She clenched her interior muscles and keened in the back of her throat. Had her mouth been free, she might have begged, but as it was, she could muster no argument, make no defense. Edward’s hold on her head proved relentless, and she sucked him deeper into her mouth. After stroking him with her tongue, she retreated and returned, increasing her pace, going ever faster. Her whole body shook from the force of movement as she bobbed her mouth along Edward’s cock.
“She’s an eager one tonight.” Sebastian’s lazy drawl only heightened her growing arousal. Underneath Sebastian’s humor, a hint of warning could be heard. He didn’t have to explain what he planned to do. She knew he would take her further, beyond simple physical satisfaction, by pushing her to the brink of her control.
The gentle sweep of his fingertip along the stinging ridge of a welt left by the quirt contrasted with the twinge. Her body trembled as he pressed harder, crossing over the swell of her bottom to the upper curve of her thigh. He traced the lace encircling her leg, the ribbons securing her stockings in place. Skating his palm forward, he nudged the aching flesh at the apex of her legs. A rough circle of his knuckles increased the pressure. Sophie pushed back against his hand, grinding herself into his mobile fingers, but even that did not quiet her body’s clamoring for a swift, hard penetration. Please, she thought, pausing in her movement and holding entirely still.
“I know what you want, Sophie. You must wait.” Sebastian played across the folds of her sex, sliding into the cleft only a sliver of an inch. When he retreated, he dragged his fingertip back, spreading her silky moisture as he went until he glanced off the puckered entrance beyond. The touch there surprised her and she jolted, off balance, in surprise. Edward released his grip on her hair. His erection pulsed and she retreated from his length, needing to catch her breath. She watched in awe as Edward fisted himself and pumped from the base to the tip. Insistent fingers cupped her neck and kneaded as he brought her back down. She was poised to take him inside her mouth once again. The wide head bumped her lips and she kissed the wet, rounded peak.
Sophie's Rogues Page 2
