Billionaire: Billionaire Romance: Billionaire Tiger (A Billionaire New Adult Shifter Contemporary Romance)

by Loretta Devine

  “I thought you were happy for them,” he admonished gently.

  “I am,” she laughed. “I am.”

  The King's Mistress

  A TUDOR EROTIC ROMANCE

  Chapter 1

  Everything had to be perfect. The entire kitchen was in a state of excitement as more and more detailed instructions arrived on crumpled parchment from the powers upstairs. Delicious smells emanated from sizzling pans on the stove, herbs were being frantically chopped, and the kitchen was buzzing with excited chatter. With only six hours until the feast began, everybody was tripping over each other in their haste to get things done, and those in charge were noisily calling out demands to the lesser servants. Having only arrived in court the week before, Beth was not yet familiar with the routine of the kitchen, but was eager to impress and make herself useful. Having grown up in the local orphanage, once Beth was old enough to leave she had been allowed to stay on to help care for the children in exchange for meals and a bed at night. Only a month ago, a position in the kitchens at the Tudor Court had become available, and the nuns at the orphanage had encouraged her to take the position, knowing that she needed a change of scene. No doubt the nuns had also been aware that at the orphanage Beth would have had little chance of finding a husband. Beth had been so excited about taking the position at court, and today was an extraordinary day. Every counter was overflowing with exotic foods: stuffed birds of every variety, tiny intricate sweetmeats, and bowls laden with ripe fruit. Beth had never seen anything like it, and couldn’t believe that it was only that morning that the feast had been announced. The King’s news would be sweeping the country by now, and Beth felt proud that she was part of this exciting moment in history. The Queen, Catherine of Aragon, was with child again.

  Beth could clearly remember the events of the previous year. Like so many others, she had cheered in the streets at the marriage of the handsome King of England and his new wife Catherine. Then, a mere four months later, Beth had wept with the rest of the country when Henry and Catherine’s first child was stillborn. Today though, everything had changed, with the official announcement that Catherine was once again expecting a baby. There had of course been unofficial kitchen gossip about the matter, but it was only this morning that Henry VIII had himself confirmed the rumors. Immediately, the court leapt into action, organizing an elaborate feast with scrumptious food, music and dancing to celebrate the happy news. Realizing that the bucket she had been filling at the well was overflowing; Beth brought her mind back to the task at hand. Picking up the heavy bucket in one hand, she hitched up her generous skirts with the other in order that they would not drag through the now wet ground. As she did so, she heard a low whistle behind her. Slowly turning around with the blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment, she saw a messenger boy leaning casually against a nearby wall. As she slowly looked up at him through her thick eyelashes, Beth could see that the boy was casting his eyes up and down her slender figure. Dropping her skirts immediately, no longer remotely concerned about the damp ground, she quickly made her way back into the smoky and bustling kitchens.

  Chapter 2

  As she lay in her bed that night, aching from head to toe from the hard work of preparing, serving, and then clearing the food for the glorious feast, Beth couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. She had carried out her work without mishap, and was beginning to feel that she was becoming friends with Emma, the girl who shared her bedchamber. Also, however much she hated to admit it, she did feel a certain delight when she remembered the lust in the messenger boy’s eyes earlier that day. At eighteen years of age Beth had never so much as touched a man, and had previously never felt any desire to. However, as she lay in bed gradually relaxing after the exhausting day, she found herself imagining what it would have been like to run her fingers through his shiny dark hair, or plant a gentle kiss on the stubble of his cheek.

  Beth leaned across in the darkness and whispered, “Emma, are you awake?”

  “Yes, Beth, what is it? Are you unwell?” came the reply from the other side of the room.

  Beth paused momentarily, wondering whether she was being silly, then took a breath and whispered back, “Have you ever… kissed a man, Emma?” She felt as if she could feel Emma’s surprised smile in the darkness.

  “I have. More than a kiss too, if you must know.”

  “More?”

  “There are ways you can… show your love for a man. And he can show his to you.”

  “What sort of ways?”

  “Well of course, aside from actually coupling, you can pleasure him with your mouth and your hands and…” Beth cut her off, feeling suddenly utterly embarrassed and like a child in contrast to Emma’s obvious experience.

  “Can you show me how to kiss a man?” Beth’s words were barely audible and she was glad the darkness hid the flush of her cheeks. Before she had a chance to say anything further, she heard a rustling, and then felt a cold foot nudging her aside as Emma slid into her bed. Without a word, Emma moved her face above Beth’s, their lips inches away from each other.

  “Relax,” Emma murmured, “You need to learn, and I’m happy to show you. I reckon we both deserve a bit of fun after such a bleeding long day!” and with that she lowered her lips to Beth’s, at first simply holding them there so that they were breathing in each others’ breath. After a while, Emma began to gently and slowly kiss Beth, their soft lips moving together. Emma’s hand gently moved the hair out of Beth’s eyes, and then slowly ventured lower, moving aside the neckline of Beth’s nightgown so as to expose her pale, full breast. Beth drew in a short, quick breath, momentarily shocked, but as Emma began to flick her tongue over Beth’s now pert nipple, she offered no resistance. Beth could feel a flush rising to her cheeks, her stomach turned over in what was either nerves or excitement, and she felt the beat of her pulse quickening.

  “I am going to show you what a man will do to give you pleasure,” Emma whispered, “be very quiet, though!”

  Emma drew Beth’s gown upwards, and began to plant light kisses down her belly. When she reached the soft downy hair between Beth’s legs, she glanced up to check that Beth wasn’t going to ask her to stop, but instead what she saw was Beth’s face, upward turned, a slight smile playing on her lips. Emma slowly began to pleasure Beth with her fingers, surprised that she was already moist. After a few moments, Emma began to use her tongue, flicking it quickly as she inserted her now wet fingers slowly in and out of Beth’s writhing body. As Beth’s breathing began to quicken further, and a small moan escaped her lips, Emma positioned herself on top of her friend, grinding her breasts into Beth’s, and pushing her thigh between Beth’s legs. Both girls were now breathing heavily and moving rhythmically against each other. At exactly the same moment, a spring seemed to uncoil in both of the girls, and with an ecstatic moan Emma collapsed on the now satisfied Beth.

  After a moment’s silence as they caught their breath, both girls started to giggle softly, Beth covering her mouth with her hand, and Emma pressing her face into the pillow to try and stifle the sound. They rearranged their nightgowns and lay back, satisfied and exhausted, both still trembling with the after-effects of their ecstasy.

  “So that, my friend, is how a man will show his love for you.” Emma declared.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning, when Beth awoke, she couldn’t quite believe the events of the night before. After such an exciting and exhausting day, and the overwhelming grandeur of the celebratory feast, the moment with Emma felt like it must have been a dream. However, when Emma sat up in bed and flashed Beth a cheeky grin, she knew she hadn’t imagined it. That exhilarating experience had certainly been a surprise, but she could not pretend to herself that it hadn’t been absolutely delicious too. After they had washed and dressed, the two girls made their way down to the kitchen where they ate a simple breakfast and began their day’s work. Beth was surprised that now she had tasted the excitement and pleasure of arousal, she was thinking about her ow
n body in an entirely new way. She could recognize that her full breasts, pushed upwards by her bodice, represented a symbol of her sexuality, and she couldn’t help but wish the messenger boy would return and look at her once more with the lust she had seen in his eyes the previous day. Beth smiled to herself as she realized that until last night she had thought of herself as a child, but now that she had experienced pleasure between the sheets a whole new world of excitement seemed to open up before her. Shaking herself out of her reverie, and feeling a twinge of guilt that she was suddenly so preoccupied by pleasures of the flesh, Beth strode briskly back towards the kitchen to continue her work.

  Upon re-entering the kitchen, Beth felt that people were looking at her oddly, but put it down to the fact that she was still relatively new at court. A few hours later Emma and Beth were finally alone together, and Emma took Beth’s hand to reveal the reason that people had been behaving strangely that morning.

  “When you were out fetching water, a message arrived from upstairs. It asked that Elizabeth Scott report to the Privy Chamber after supper this evening,” Emma explained.

  “The Privy Chamber? What on earth for?” Beth’s mind was racing as she tried to make sense of this unexpected request.

  “I must admit I cannot begin to imagine what for. But nobody disobeys the Cardinal so I’m afraid you must go,” Emma replied.

  Beth’s heart seemed to stop beating. “The Cardinal? Wolsey? What have I done? Oh my God. Do you think that they somehow found out about last night?” Beth’s words were pouring from her mouth in her panic. Last night was certainly enjoyable, and Beth was glad to have had her eyes opened to such pleasure, but she could now clearly see it as it would have looked from the outside: two kitchen maids, writhing between the sheets like harlots.

  Emma laughed, “Our antics would certainly be no concern of Wolsey’s. He is a man of the cloth, the idea of two kitchen maids practicing how to give pleasure would not even occur to him,” she said as she laid a reassuring hand on Beth’s shoulder. “I can think of no reason why you should be in trouble, you have only just arrived at court for goodness sake. Perhaps he simply wants to welcome you to the Tudor Household,” Emma continued, but secretly she knew that a mere kitchen maid would not be offered an official welcome, especially not by one of the most powerful men in England.

  For the rest of the day, Beth struggled to focus on her work. She splashed some boiling water on her hand, which had caused a red and blistering burn. Beth’s first week at court had been going so well, she was settling into her new life, had made a friend, and felt excited by the news that Queen was with child. Now she could feel everything falling apart around her. She had briefly glimpsed Wolsey at the feast the previous night, his fat hands heavy with rings as he clapped the King on the back in congratulations. Of course, as a kitchen maid, she hadn’t exchanged a single word with Wolsey, so she couldn’t understand how she could possibly have displeased him. She found herself praying that despite their caution the previous night nobody had seen or heard Emma and Beth’s perhaps careless act. She had enjoyed it, and she was glad to know of the pleasures that awaited her once she found a husband, but she certainly would hate for it to be the cause of her dismissal from court. She wouldn’t be able to return to her previous job with the nuns after such a scandal, and would be out on the street with no income, no home, and no future.

  Emma could see the anxiety written across Beth’s face, and wished she could do something to help. It didn’t help that she herself could see no good coming of this assignation with Wolsey. She could see how Beth’s beauty, innocence and poise would attract a man, but she couldn’t image that Wolsey would want to embark on a love affair with a girl from court, that would be too reckless even for him. It was common knowledge that Wolsey had a long-term mistress, but she was kept far away from court. Emma suggested that Beth take a breath of fresh air outside, and offered to take over her work for a while. Beth attempted a grateful smile, but the anxiety on her face made the expression look more pained than anything else.

  The fresh air outside did make Beth feel a little better. The stuffiness of the kitchen was not helping matters when she was already feeling clammy and nervous. She perched on an upturned bucket around the corner from the entrance to the kitchen so as to have a brief reprieve from the curious stares of those in the kitchen. Taking a deep breath and trying to push her untameable hair away from her face, Beth tried to focus on a little bird pecking at the ground in an attempt to distract herself from her racing mind.

  “It is a jay.” The voice startled Beth as she had thought she was alone, and she turned around to see who was there, already wishing she could just be left in peace. However, when she saw the dark hair and handsome features of the messenger boy from the day before, she felt an unexpected jolt of excitement.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you, I am sorry. I was hoping to see you today, to apologize for my extremely uncivilized behavior yesterday. It is not normally my habit to whistle at any passing servant, but when you chose to flash your ankle right before my very eyes I reacted without thinking. It really is a most… what I saw was…my name is John.” Beth was amused to see that John had become very uncomfortable and was obviously trying to prevent himself from embarrassing himself further. She was gradually feeling much more relaxed, as John’s presence served to distract her from the anxieties of the day.

  “My name is Beth. I am new to court, I only arrived last week.” As soon as the words had escaped her lips, she wished she had said something more interesting.

  John smiled, “I assumed as much. I certainly would have noticed you if you had been here before! Oh, what is wrong with me, I am never normally such a flirt, I am so sorry…” He took a step backwards, and looked as if he was going to run away from Beth before she even had a chance to respond. Quickly, she came to his rescue by changing the subject.

  “Did you manage to watch any of the dancing last night?” she asked him. “I thought the ladies’ gowns were magnificent, and the Queen looks so well, do you not think?”

  “She looked lovely. I am glad to see some of her happiness return now that she is again with child. After last year she deserves happiness, I am sure you’d agree.” Both of them fell silent, in sad recollection of the tragic loss of the royal couple’s first child.

  “Yes, and the King was in good spirits as well, it was the first time I had seen him you know!” Beth’s excitement at being at court, the center of the world as far as she could tell, was gradually returning after the fright of the news about Wolsey. Before John had a chance to answer however, Emma came hurrying around the corner looking flushed, and informed Beth that her absence had been noted in the kitchen. Jumping to her feet, and with a quick backward glance at John, Beth followed Emma back into the dark and sweltering kitchen.

  Chapter 4

  Mercifully, the afternoon had been extremely busy, so Beth had not had much time to dwell on the mystery of the summons from the Cardinal. Now she stood outside the large oak door, smoothed down her skirts, and licked her dry lips. She raised her hand to knock on the door, withdrew it, and then raised it again. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable, but she was a kitchen maid with no experience of court etiquette, and was terrified that she’d make a fool of herself. As she took a deep breath and prepared once more to knock on the door, Beth heard the swooshing of a cloak behind her and turned to be confronted with the grand and imposing figure of Thomas Wolsey.

  “You came, Miss Scott” the Cardinal stated in his confident drawl, “Do come in.”

  Beth followed Wolsey into the room, looking at her surroundings in interest in spite of her nerves. Beth knew that the Privy Chamber was not simply a collection of rooms in the palace, but a symbol of power. She had heard of how ambitious men fought for their place in the Privy Chamber in order to be close to the King. Whoever controlled the Privy Chamber controlled the King, and Wolsey certainly seemed at home here. He had removed his gloves and was pouring a translucent golden l
iquid into an ornate cup, which he then proceeded to drink without offering any to his guest. This did not surprise Beth, she was a mere kitchen maid after all, but she was getting inpatient to learn why she had been summoned. After what seemed like a very long time Wolsey began to speak, and his small beady eyes bore into Beth as he did so.

  “Miss Scott. You are no doubt wondering why you have been summoned here but I shall get straight to the point in this delicate matter. As you will be aware having served at the feast yesterday, the Queen Catherine is with child. This is an exciting but also anxious time for the entire court, indeed the entire country. The sad loss of the King’s first child was a blow to us all, but no-one felt this loss more keenly than I myself did.” Beth felt herself redden in indignation, how could he possibly say such a thing when Queen Catherine herself had carried and delivered this child only to discover that her own flesh and blood was born without life? She couldn’t comprehend where Wolsey was going with this story, and was starting to feel an acute distaste for this self-important and calculating man.

  Wolsey continued: “As I am sure you will be aware, the Queen will soon begin her confinement in order to ensure the wellbeing of herself and the child. Of course, we all ardently hope that she is carrying the future heir to the throne, and therefore the utmost care must be taken. Once the heir has been delivered, God willing, all can return to normal at court, but for now we must take some steps to ensure that in the Queen’s absence no family is given the opportunity to gain undue favor.” Beth was completely lost by this point and could not understand what the Queen’s confinement had to do with Wolsey, and nor for that matter what this had to do with her. She wanted to ask, but the Cardinal’s intimidating presence made it hard for her to find the words.