by HELEN HARDT
It was hard as stone. She could never have imagined. Though she had seen the bulge, she hadn’t imagined it could really be solid like granite. Timidly, she squeezed just a little.
Zach jolted. “God, yes. Your touch excites me so much.”
She squeezed him again, harder this time. His cock jerked. She trembled, her body sparkling with energy. Yes, the power.
“Sweet, you must stop that, or this will be over before it has begun.”
Sophie wasn’t sure what Zach meant, but she drew her hand away quickly.
“Easy, love, you’ve done nothing wrong.” He bent his legs and helped her lie down on the Oriental rug. The fine fibers tickled her back. He spread her legs.
She squirmed. That secret part of her… “Are you sure…”
“Shh. Let me pleasure you.” He crawled downward, his tongue meandering over her belly, pushing into her navel, and then stopping to rest on her blond curls. He inhaled. “You smell of the glory of spring, my Sophie. Your pussy will taste sweeter than the finest fruit.”
When his tongue touched her…clitoris, Sophie melted into the rug, floating on something softer than a silken mattress. “Zach. We… We’re…”
His breath tickled her wet folds. “Let me suck the honey from you.” He stroked her pussy with one smooth swipe of his sleek tongue. “Red as a ruby, sweet, and succulent as a peach.”
He forced his tongue inside her slit, and her body quaked. His strong hands pushed her thighs farther apart.
“More of you, Sophie. I need more.”
Her body pulsated in fiery heat. He sucked on her folds, tugging them, his teeth scraping the delicate skin and threading jolts of delight through her. He kept sucking, taking her pussy lips between his teeth and tugging. Had anything ever felt so good? He licked her like a cat lapping cream, his tongue moving rapidly against her clitoris, against her folds, and then he sucked her entire wet pussy into his mouth. So good… Wicked longing permeated her. She tried spreading her legs farther, wanting to open to him completely. The slurping sounds he made as he sucked on her drifted to her ears, and she unraveled further. Her skin rippled.
“Mmm. So sweet,” he said against her folds, still sucking.
He was enjoying this—having his face between her legs, his tongue within the most secret part of her.
“Yes, Zach. That’s so good. More. More!”
In an instant, he flipped her over to her hands and knees. His face was back down between her legs in a flash, his tongue vibrating over her pussy once more. For an instant, his tongue slid over her most secret and forbidden opening.
He turned her back over so she lay on her back. His lips descended to her pussy once more as he caressed her abdomen and breasts. Had anything ever felt so wonderful? He squeezed her breasts as he continued to suck her, finding her nipples, twisting them.
When his full, firm lips closed around her clitoris, she leaped into nirvana and spasms rippled across her flesh, taking her higher into the air. When she floated downward, she opened her eyes and looked between her legs. Zach floated with her, his fingers massaging her slick channel. His brown gaze locked on to hers, and he smiled, his pearly teeth a stark contrast against his swollen pink lips glistening with her cream.
She melted softly into the ornate Oriental rug.
“Zach…”
He kissed her pussy once, twice, and slid up her body, his tongue leading the way, until he found her lips and devoured them. Sophie opened, sucking his tongue into her mouth and tasting her own spicy essence. Zach. Oh, God, Zach.
Of their own volition, her hands slid to caress his shoulders and arms. The sinewy muscle was taut under fingertips. How had she come to this? This sheer amazing experience?
When he finally broke the kiss, his lips and chin shone with her essence. “You are wonderful. Never have I tasted a pussy quite so sweet.”
Sophie didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or flattered. That she had just let a man taste her down there still frightened her. But oh, how good it had felt. And it had led to another…climax.
Release.
Zach pulled her up until they were in a sitting position. “May I show you something?”
She gasped. Did he mean to take his…organ…out of his trousers? She wasn’t quite ready for that. Still, she had come this far. “I suppose so,” she said.
He rose and helped her into a standing position. He turned her around and leaned her over his wooden desk. “Brace your hands on the desk, sweet.”
Though she had no idea what was going on, she did as he bid.
“Oh!” She gasped as his hand came down on her bottom. As it had yesterday, the slap stung but metamorphosed into intense pleasure that she didn’t comprehend. Before she could think it through, another landed on her bare bum.
“So grand, Sophie. Such a pretty shade of pink on your arse.”
“You must stop…” But even as the words crossed her lips, she knew she didn’t mean them.
“Of course I will stop if that is what you wish.”
When another smack didn’t come, she found herself desiring it more than her next breath of air. But he was a gentleman. He would not spank her again unless she asked for it. I should get up. I shouldn’t lie here, bent over, my bottom exposed. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to move.
“If you want more, Sophie, you’ll have to ask me for it.”
She was immobile, numb. Oh, how she wanted to say the words… Yes, spank me again, please. I need you to.
Tiny sweet nibbles covered her buttocks. Zach was kissing the cheeks of her arse, kissing the sting away. How sweet and gentle he was.
She opened her mouth, gathering her courage and her wits. “Spank me, Zach. Please.”
Smack! His palm landed on her bottom, and the jolt arrowed straight to her pussy. Shivers coursed through her. More. More.
“Again, please.”
And again his hand descended upon her bare buttocks. Once more, the pain transformed into pleasure, and this time, something nudged her clitoris. His finger? She didn’t know. She didn’t care. All she knew was she was flying again, another intense climax overtaking her.
Release. Sweet release.
“You like that? You like coming for me?” Zach’s voice was raspy with lust. “I like it when you come for me. You’re so beautiful, and your arse such an alluring shade of raspberry.”
Sophie gripped the edges of the desk and braced herself. “Again.”
CHAPTER NINE
His hand came down upon her, harder this time. She winced, clawing at the desk, wanting—no, needing—more. The pain… It was what she craved—the way it shimmered into pleasure…
“And again, please.”
Even harder this time his hand came down upon her. God, such heavenly sensation… Bliss. Pure unadulterated bliss.
“Please, Zach… Again!”
The softness of his lips met her derriere. “No, my sweet, you’ve had enough for one day. You’re new to this. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
Sophie loosened her grip on the edge of the desk. Rationality flooded back into her brain. What had she been doing? Here she was, naked, bent over a mahogany desk, letting a man she barely knew spank her bare bottom. She should be ashamed of herself. Oddly, though, she wasn’t. For some reason, what had just transpired felt very natural to her.
Zach was gently massaging her stinging bum. “I have some salve that will help the smarting. Of course, there is no broken skin. I would never do that to you.”
Soon his warm hands were rubbing something oily and soothing over her buttocks.
“It’s beeswax and oil of rosemary. It will help the stinging.”
Sophie closed her eyes. Dear Lord, she didn’t want to help the stinging. She wanted to remember it forever. “Truly, I’m fine.”
“Yes, you’ll be fine,” Zach said, “but I don’t want you hurting on the morrow.”
“I promise you I am fine.”
“Indulge me, then. I quite like massaging you
.” He continued to rub the sweet-smelling ointment onto her. His hands were warm and firm.
She tingled all over, savoring his touch.
“You were able to take quite a lot,” Zach said. “Most women can’t take that much their first few times.”
Sophie stifled a sob. Most women. Others had come before her. Of course, she knew that. She just didn’t expect him to tell her about them. Then again, he was not courting her. No reason existed for him to be faithful to her. However, a bit of her heart broke at that moment. She was having feelings she had never even imagined, feelings she’d never had for Lord Van Arden or anyone else, even Frederick McKenzie, a young man she had known when she was but a blossoming teenager. He had been majestic and refined, and she had longed for him to pay her the slightest bit of attention. He hadn’t, but she dreamed of him for years. He’d been too old for her at the time, but the thoughts of him had given her pleasure. She’d needed the pleasure to escape the pain in her life.
“There you are.” Zach removed his hands from her.
Immediately she mourned the loss of his hands upon her. He stood and turned her away from the desk to face him. Perspiration gleamed over his beautiful face and hard glistening body.
“Please, forgive me if I took it to an extreme. You’re just so ravishing, and you seemed to want it so badly. I could never live with myself if I’d hurt you.”
Sophie forced a smile. “You didn’t hurt me. I…enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad you did. I enjoyed it too.” He brushed his lips over hers in the softest of kisses. “I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with you, from listening to your sweet voice when you auditioned on the stage, to kissing your perfect lips, to having you touch me through my trousers, to spanking your lovely bottom. There’s something about you, Lady Sophie MacIntyre, and I’m not quite sure what it is. All I know is I want to see more of you.”
It wasn’t an offer of courtship, but it was something. Zachary Newland was a talented and intelligent man. If she were Ally, Sophie would be thinking she could learn a lot from such a man. She was not Ally. But still, perhaps learning more in the art of pleasure and pain would not be a bad thing. In fact, the thought delighted her.
“You will see plenty of me when we begin rehearsals in a few days,” she said coyly.
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “We will see a lot of each other. And we will be rehearsing together. I cast myself as your leading man.”
Sophie warmed all over, suddenly very aware of her nakedness. “It will be my pleasure to work with you. You’re very talented.”
Zach chuckled. “Why so formal all of a sudden? Did you forget that you were just bent over my desk and I was spanking your gorgeous bottom?”
Fire spread to her cheeks. She clasped her hands over them. How could she have forgotten? It had been the most exciting thing that had ever happened in her life. “Zach…Mr. Newland… It’s difficult for me to…”
“Speak of such things?” Zach nodded. “It is for most ladies. But I assure you, there are plenty of ladies like yourself who enjoy these types of erotic arts.”
Yes, she had heard of such from Ally. She’d just never imagined she herself would enjoy such play. She resisted meeting Zach’s gaze. If only she were more like her sister… But she wasn’t, and right now, she needed to escape.
“I really must go,” she said, dressing as quickly as she could. She turned and allowed him to tighten her corset and button her dress. “Thank you for…” For what? She could hardly say thank you for bending me over your desk, swatting my bottom, and giving me release. “Well… Just…thank you.”
* * *
“Please…stay!”
But she was already gone. Zach heaved a sigh. Something about her drove him absolutely mad. He wanted to mold her, help her find her voice…in more ways than one. Her singing voice captivated him, and with some proper tutelage, she would become the toast of Bath and maybe even London. Zach had formal training in voice, and he wanted to share it with Sophie, to teach her, help her become who she was meant to be.
And sexually… A long time had passed since he’d been as aroused as he was with her. Not since he was a mere lad of fifteen and lost his virginity to a servant girl four years his senior. Evangeline was her name, and she had tresses of fiery red hair and a personality to match. “Spank me,” she’d begged. He had, and he’d found he was a natural dominant.
Some women enjoyed it. Others didn’t. Those who didn’t, he rarely saw more than once or twice. Those who did, he’d have longer relationships with. But never had he longed for something more… Something elusive…
Zach wasn’t the type to fall in love. He considered himself married to the stage. But Lady Sophie MacIntyre brought out something in him—something new and almost frightening. Since the moment he first saw her onstage and heard her enchanting voice, she hadn’t ventured from his mind. And once he’d kissed those lips, he’d been lost. Now he still ached for more. They had not yet consummated the relationship. He had no doubt that would happen, but he wanted to take it slowly with her. This was a new concept to him. Normally, consummation happened quickly, and if it didn’t, he was no longer interested. But with Sophie… He wanted to indoctrinate her slowly, help her find her muse not only in her performance but also in the bedchamber. He imagined being with her for years, perhaps even a lifetime.
Truth be told, those thoughts troubled him.
Zach hadn’t had an easy life. His father had run out on him and his mother when he was lad, and his mother had found work as a maid. His mother was all he had, and he was very close to her. Unfortunately, she passed on from the consumption when Zach was young. He’d cried and cried, begging her not to leave him, but she had. Afterward, he begged on the streets, making his own way until he was old enough to find work. He scrimped and saved, determined to make his way in the world as a performer, something he had dreamed about since he was a young lad.
While he was performing at a tiny hack theatre outside of London, the Marchioness of Denbigh spotted him. She was so taken with him and his talent that she set him up as an apprentice at the Theatre Royale in Bath. He worked hard, trained in acting and voice, and became one of the top actors of his time. When he reached the age of one-and-thirty, just one year ago, he opened the Regal Theatre.
Sophie reminded Zach a bit of his mother. She had been timid and soft-spoken as well, and she was all he’d had in the world.
“Please, Mama. Please don’t leave me,” he’d begged through his tears.
The pain in her eyes still haunted him. She’d held on for days, and in the end, even at the tender age of seven, he could see that she was in agony. He told her to go ahead to a better place, that he had been selfish to beg her to stay, and she went, a serene smile on her face as the life drifted out of her.
Zach closed his eyes, willing back the tears that threatened to fall. He hadn’t thought of his mother in ages. He had fleeting thoughts now and then, always wishing that she could see how far he had come in the world. She would have been his biggest supporter, and she would have been proud of every step he took toward his career.
Something about Sophie brought thoughts of his mother to the surface, but not in a strange sort of way at all. Her demeanor just reminded him so much of his mother’s demeanor.
His attraction to Sophie—that was something different altogether. She was truly beautiful. Those hazel-green eyes were so big and doe-like and her lashes so long. Her hair was a stunning darker blond, thick and rich, and her body… She may not be as buxom as some of the women he had been with, but she was absolutely perfect. She fit against him so well. When they finally joined their bodies in the act, he had no doubt the earth would move.
He tried shooing the thoughts away. After all, he had much work to do. Rehearsal started on the morrow. He went about his work, but Sophie’s face still hovered inside his mind’s eye.
He feared he’d never be free of her.
* * *
Sophie sucked in a br
eath, gathering every ounce of courage she possessed. Then she entered the parlor where Ally sat, alone, thank goodness.
“Ally?” she said timidly.
Ally looked up from the book she was reading. “Oh, Sophie dear, I didn’t hear you come in.”
Sophie eyed her sister’s bulging tummy. “How are you feeling today?”
“Pretty good. Thank you for asking. Although, this baby seems to think my bladder is an enemy. I’ve had to use the convenience a dozen times already today.”
Sophie let out a small chuckle. She loved that Ally could always find the humor in every situation. How had Ally, who had grown up in the same household as she and taken much more abuse, turned out so different? Ally wasn’t afraid of anything, and she went after what she wanted, often defying convention to do so. Sophie wished she were more like her sister.
“Could I…talk to you for a few minutes?”
Ally put her book down on the table and patted the seat next to her on the divan. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”
What was on her mind indeed? Sophie hoped she could get the words out without stumbling over them. But if anyone could understand, Ally could.
“I’ve…just come from the theatre.”
Ally’s eyes shone. “And I suppose you saw Mr. Newland there?”
Sophie nodded, her cheeks warming.
“And…” Ally urged.
“Oh, Ally, it’s all so…complicated.”
“Love is rarely uncomplicated, my dear.”
Love? Sophie hadn’t said anything about love. “I’m not talking about…love. At least, I don’t think I am.”
“Very well, then. Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I… I let him kiss me again, and we went…further again.”
Ally’s mouth dropped into an O. “Are you saying you actually…had intercourse with him?”
Sophie vehemently shook her head. “Oh, goodness no, no, no. But he…”
“Gave you another climax?”
Sophie let out a breath. More than one, actually. She nodded.
