She sighed. “Sadly, no.”
He grinned and shook his head. “You must get over your propensity for telling lies, my dear. I will not tolerate liars.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go away then, for that was what she was. However, her innate honesty stopped her. “My lord, why?” she asked in exasperation. Could he not see his ideas were anathema to her? “What are you doing? Why me, why here, and why now? Can you not just leave me alone?”
****
“Why?” Theo considered her stubborn expression. Had he pushed too far too soon? He thought not but vowed to proceed with caution. “Because I think there is more to you than people realize. That your husband had no idea how to deal with you, to let you be you, or to realize your potential. I can do both. And no, I can not leave you alone. That would be a waste of a perfect submissive.”
He waited and was not disappointed.
“A what?” Eleanor opened her eyes wide and shook her head. One errant ringlet slipped out of her elaborate twist of hair. It dangled, begging to be touched just above her right ear with its sparkling diamond drop. Together they tantalized, enticed, and aroused him. “Never,” she muttered under her breath.
Theo was mesmerized. Did she add not again?
“Do you want to elaborate?”
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. “Never is surely sufficient.” Even with a face as black as thunder, he wanted her. Plus, he was certain the exchange enervated her as much as it did him. She glowed with suppressed emotions, and he had to hope some were positive ones.
Theo could imagine her wearing no more than those earrings and silk bonds—decorated with diamonds, of course, ready and waiting for him.
He raised one eyebrow. “I’m sure a fuller explanation would help me understand why you wish to deny what I suspect is at the very core of your make up. The need to please, to let me give you the pleasure you deserve.”
“Dream on, my lord. I am no submissive nor wish to be.” One silk-shod foot tapped out a staccato rhythm on the wooden floor. “I’ve had enough of men trying to dictate to me. If you think I would be happy to be in that position again, you are away in another world. Never in a hundred years. The last thing I want is a man telling me what I can and can not do.”
Why did she sound so desperate? Another puzzle to fathom out.
“You carry on thinking that, my pet,” Theo said in an undertone. “Until you understand differently. But consider this. I would not be the one in charge, you would. As your Dominant, my wish is to give you everything you truly desire.”
He waited. As ever, she did not disappoint.
“In that case, stop talking nonsense and leave me alone.”
“I can’t. That is not what I mean, and you know it. You are under my skin, inside my head. You invade my thoughts, infiltrate my dreams.”
Her mouth dropped open and she paled. “Ball … balderdash, my lord. You are bamming me, and that is unkind. I am no sort of person to do such a thing. It is cruel and heartless to suggest I am.”
Theo looked closely at her. Shivers rippled through her, and he was darned sure they weren’t from desire.
Curious.
“Time for supper.” Time to diffuse the situation. Whatever he desired now was neither the time nor the place. Theo smiled and gave her hand a surreptitious squeeze. “All will be well. Come.”
Eleanor glowered.
Theo bit back a sigh. Why, oh, why was she so bloody contrary? Any other woman would be nigh on swooning. But then, a little voice whispered in his ear, you’d hate that.
“Please,” he added. “I promise not to bite … at the moment. Please, dear Eleanor, may I have the pleasure of your company at the supper table?”
“In that case…” Her smile was both provoking and like the hint of the sun as it appeared from behind a cloud. “How can I refuse? Do you know,” she added contemplatively, “I do think you are the first man to ever ask me something and say please? Usually, it is a you will do this, not will you please.”
“Then I promise always to say please.”
She laughed. “I’d like to see that, for I doubt it.”
How on earth she could be so contrary, Theo had no idea. But he acknowledged her attitude spurred him on.
“I would go down on one knee except no doubt the tabbies would take it amiss.”
Eleanor opened her eyes wide. “Oh, good grief, do not, I am enough of a talking point as it is. But as you have asked me so nicely, then yes, my lord, I would be pleased to accompany you to supper.” The minx curtsied and placed her hand oh so properly on his arm. “I believe we are to be serenaded by Madame Coeur from Covent Garden over the pastries and fruits.”
“Then I hope you have something with which to plug your ears,” Theo said. “She screeches.”
Eleanor missed a step. “I beg your pardon?”
“Marie Coeur,” Theo elaborated. “She is a screecher.” He winked. “Or so I am told. I haven’t discovered that myself, you understand. Not to my taste.”
Yet again, Eleanor surprised him. Instead of puckering up at the innuendo, she giggled. “Is this where I say thank goodness for your superior taste or admit I screech?” To put him off was the intimation.
“When you make love? I’ll cure you.”
“That, my lord, is for me to know and you not to discover.” Lady Icicle had returned with a vengeance. “Where shall we sit?”
Grief, it was two steps forward three back. Theo pointed to a table for two where a liveried servant stood behind a chair. “That is our table. Sit there.”
She raised her eyebrows.
Theo sighed. “Please.”
Eleanor smiled. “Then of course, my lord, your wish is my command.”
He grinned, bowed, and bestowed a swift kiss on her wrist. The inside of her wrist.
“My lord.”
“My dear?” He waited for her riposte.
“That is not convenable.” Her eyes sparkled. “Behave,” she hissed. “People will see. You must not.”
“Why not?”
She had no answer except to splutter. “Be … because…”
“And that, my pe … pretty lady, is not an answer.”
“It is, however, the only answer you will get,” Eleanor retorted. “Enough. Feed me.”
He chuckled.
She narrowed her eyes. “With food.”
“Spoilsport.” Theo held her chair out, waited until she was seated, and put his hand to his heart. “You wound me. However, perhaps you will be more amenable after you have eaten.” He paused and winked. “Food.”
Theo turned to the footman whom he noted had followed the interchange with a blank face and sparkling eyes. No doubt it would all be repeated verbatim in the servants’ hall later. He made a mental note to seek the man out later and exchange a note for the man’s silence. “Whatever you think will stop my lady growling.”
Chapter Four
Eleanor opened her eyes wide. “I never growl. Snap, snarl, and say what I mean, but never growl.” This bandying of words was far nicer than she had ever thought possible. Theo was, Eleanor admitted, a good sport to let her cross swords with him. She was under no illusion he could and often would give anyone who tried a deserved put-down but it seemed that at the moment, he chose to humor her. Why?
She thought about it as the footman and one of his counterparts delivered food and champagne to the table, bowed, and withdrew. The notion you were some sort of insect, being closely examined under a microscope and probably about to be dissected, was not a pleasant one. Eleanor tapped her foot with impatience until one long hard look from Theo stopped her, mid-tap.
“For goodness sake, my lord, this is annoying and no good. I’m happy as I am. I…” She hesitated, and Theo pounced.
He shook his head. “Tut, tut. Liar. You’re bored out of your skull, going through the motions, and need more to life than that of a not-so-merry widow.” He tapped her nose. “Never feel you have to hide the real you from me, pet.
”
There was that sobriquet, pet again. Did that mean the rumors of his proclivities were true? Did that excite her or scare her? Probably a little of both, Eleanor decided. She was sure he was nothing like her poor, late husband. However, she had no intentions of finding out which way her interest inclined. Especially at a ball.
“My lord, please, remember where we are. I am not a merry widow on the lookout for a husband or a lover. I am a contented-with-my-lot widow who now wishes to lead her own life.”
Theo scrutinized her so closely she wanted to wriggle. She willed herself to stay impassive. No mean feat. Why on earth was he so insistent? The last thing she wanted was a man who thought he could run her life for her. “I need to be given space to breathe. To be me. I do not need anyone to tell me what to do or how to do it.”
“What on earth happened to make you like this?”
“I’m not prepared to discuss my marriage,” she said in a stiff tight little voice she despaired of. “Suffice it to say, I prefer living alone. I’ve done my duty, this is now my life, and I will live it as I want.” She held her breath. Would he go, or would he strike back?
“Who mentioned marriage?”
How could she be so stupid? The badinage was exhilarating, if not a little wearing. Had she ever had the chance to take part in such an exchange before?
“Enough.” Lord, let me go home now.
“If that is truly your desire, my dear, I will, of course, obey your every whim. However, if I said come with me now, what would you say?”
Eleanor put down the pasty she had just picked up. “No.”
He grinned. “Your point. If I said, my dear sweet Eleanor, would you please come with me, what then?”
She tilted her head to one side. She might act innocent but she understood enough to know if she agreed, she was potentially agreeing to more than a simple chat. Eleanor understood that however much she might act as if she had no clue what sort of man he really was, she’d heard enough to realize his idea of dominance was not the same as…
Enough. Contrariness, thy name is Eleanor. She shut that thought down before it formed. “Where and why? Or is that why and when? Argh, you confuse me. You know what I mean.”
****
How arousing it was to see her rosy and flustered. One day, Theo vowed he’d see her rosy for another reason, but for now…
“I do my sweet, pet … love …whatever sobriquet we both desire. Somewhere private, so we can talk and exchange views unheard. Will you? Please?” Theo waited and hoped to hell his impatience didn’t show.
“Where?”
He had some ideas but didn’t think it diplomatic to share them yet. Half-naked up against the library door, shacked and bound, with a cloth in her mouth to muffle her screams as she comes was perhaps not the way to explain what he desired from her.
“Do you trust me?”
“I’m not sure.” She picked up a crab patty and began to nibble the pastry. “Should I?”
“I would like to think so.”
Theo waited as she ate the patty, slowly sipped some champagne, and contemplated him. Finally, she drained her glass, put it down on the table, and wiped her mouth and fingers on a napkin.
“Then with the proviso no means no, yes.”
He laughed. “Then please, pe … oh hell, we need to discuss a name for you.”
“What’s wrong with Eleanor?” she asked in a puzzled voice that belied the twinkle in her eyes. “It is my given name.”
“But for when we are together alone, and in a certain … mood, you need a special name. One for me to use and you to know what it means when I do.”
She blinked. “Ah.”
Theo waited.
“Then I will have a think.”
Around them, people began to leave the supper room. From the ballroom, the strains of the orchestra began to sound. Theo stood up, ready to follow them, and rapidly revised his plans. “Can I get into your house, unseen, tonight?” he asked in a low voice. “Will you let me come to your bedchamber when the house is quiet and the servants abed?”
“For what purpose?”
Lord, she asked so many questions. Although, Theo thought ruefully, it was perhaps for the best. He wanted there to be no misunderstanding between them. “To talk, to explain, for you to ask questions, and for me to answer them. To perhaps take some enjoyment from each other in whatever way it pleases you. And me.”
Eleanor bit her lip. It was so hard not to chastise her. Not to bark out an order not to mutilate it. Instead, he placed his finger gently over the spot where her teeth showed white on the rosy flesh. “You will hurt yourself. If it is such anathema to you, I will say no more, and make my bow.”
The words for good hovered in the air between them.
“No … perhaps, oh heavens, I sound so stupid. I need to be decisive and now look what you’ve done. Got me talking out loud to myself.” Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Very well. To talk only, mind. If you come via the mews, I will make sure the little gate is unlocked. Then use the long window into my sewing room, which is at the bottom of the stairs.”
Theo inclined his head and made sure no satisfaction showed in his expression. He still had a long way to go to get her to agree to his ideas. Talking was one thing, doing another, and in between was a gap that might never be closed.
“Around an hour after you return home. I’ll look for servants and once I see no one around, I’ll come to you. Where is your bedchamber?”
“Above the sewing room, the third door along from the stairs, but…”
“Don’t worry, that is my job. No buts.” Theo glanced around. Apart from the servants, they were the only two people left in the dining room. He took one step closer to her and placed his hands firmly on the soft rounded globes. Her silk-covered quim pressed against his cock, which predictable as ever, went from flaccid to rock-hard in a split second.
Eleanor gasped and her gaze slid downward to where their bodies touched. “You … I mean…”
Theo was hard pressed not to laugh at her astonishment. Anyone would think she’d never had a prick tease her cunt before.
That was food for thought. He’d heard stories about Charters, of course. That he was not the best-endowed male in the ton, but surely…
Enough. Ponder on that later. “I’m hard and ready?” He rubbed back and forth until her breaths came out in short, shallow pants. “Oh yes, sweet Eleanor, that is what you do to me. I want no more than to bury myself inside you and fuck you senseless until we both come. However, as much as I’d enjoy the thrill of here and now, we won’t.”
She gaped at him. “But you’re ready?”
He inclined his head. “More than.”
“But so fast. I mean…” She faltered to a stop. “Oh, hell.”
It seemed so. “We will talk later,” Theo said firmly. “For now, let’s go back into the ballroom and behave with decorum.”
With a staff ready to break in two, that was not going to easy. It was only due to his iron will his erection subsided and he could walk without appearing like a bow-legged sailor on a three-week bender.
With more reluctance than he thought possible, Theo took a step back and put several inches between them. Not a moment too soon, as an aged Earl puffed in and stared at them.
“M’lady left her shawl. Silly woman. She’d leave her head if it wasn’t attached.”
Eleanor emitted a shaky laugh. “I almost forgot my reticule,’ she said in a steady voice that Theo admired. “If his lordship hadn’t reminded me, I’d be hunting all over for it.”
“Women, eh?” The older man appealed to Theo, who nodded.
“As you say.”
****
“Women, indeed,” Eleanor muttered a few hours later as she sat in her wrapper while her maid unpinned her hair and began to brush it out. “What a man sort of thing to say.” The absurdity of her ruminations hit her and she sniggered. She was as bad as them.
“Beg pardon, my lady?” Her maid put the h
airbrush down, helped Eleanor out of her wrapper so she stood in her nightgown, ready for bed, and prepared to leave. “Do you need anything else?”
Eleanor smiled. “No, thank you, Millie. I’m fine now. You take yourself off to bed.”
Millie bobbed a curtsy and within seconds, shut the door softly behind her. Eleanor glared at the hairbrush and put it out of sight into a drawer. Even the sight of it made her arse ache. It was unfathomable to her how some people thought to be spanked with some such thing was enjoyable. Her musings brought Theo to mind. How hard it had been to act as if she had no idea what Theo was alluding to when he had mentioned submission. She knew what it was, and on past dealings with it, had decided it was not for her.
However, she had to admit the way Theo spoke of domination was nowhere near her understanding of it. The upcoming meeting could be interesting. If nothing else, it had her on edge and wound up. She understood she would have to explain her marriage and late husband to Theo and it didn’t sit comfortably on her. Those months had been painful in more ways than one and somehow it seemed disloyal to have to share what was, to both her and Bertie, her late husband, an upsetting and worrying time.
Eleanor adjusted the lamp to a warm glow, wrapped a fine woolen shawl in her favorite blue around her shoulders, and wriggled to get comfortable in the chair. Time to wait for the noises of the household to slow and cease as the building and its occupants quietened down for the night and see if Theo turned up.
The last of the servants crept upstairs and the third step on the back stairs creaked as it always did. It didn’t bother Eleanor, even though due to a fluke of the house, she heard it every time someone stood on it. It reminded her she wasn’t alone in a house she detested, with reminders of a life she was glad to be rid of.
The house did its usual creaks and sighs as woodwork settled. A piece of coal slid into the grate with a hiss and a thud and for one brief moment, an ember flared.
The Dom Who Said Please Page 3
