Antonia's Bargain (11 page)

with a coarseness she found offensive. They might at least pretend to be interested in

her for herself. But then why should they? In the company of other men there was no

reason to flatter her.

Gideon cleared his throat. “Are you ready to play, Anthony? And didn’t your

mother ever tell you not to eavesdrop?”

She managed a tight smile as she picked up her cards. “You will have to lend me

some money, sir. I still have no coin.”

He handed her fifty gold sovereigns. “If you lose these, I will expect you to obey me

without question for the rest of the evening.”

“I thought I had to do that anyway.”

He raised an eyebrow. “But you don’t obey me. Tonight you will.”

She swallowed slowly. Too aware of the tightness of her nipples where his fingers

had been so recently, of the pulsing ache of her sex where she yearned for his touch. “I

will have to play very carefully then.”

Within two hours, her last sovereign was gone and Gideon had moved on to

another victim. Antonia stood and watched the play of the cards until she felt confident

enough to saunter around the room. It was difficult not to display her amazement at the

sums of money that changed hands at the tables. Gideon’s earlier winnings were as

nothing here. As the evening progressed, IOUs piled up, promising payments of

unimaginable size.

Antonia began to detect which players were truly confident and which were on

edge. She also took note of which of her suitors were in desperate financial straits.

Despite the lavish apartments, the games played here were far more deadly and serious

than those at Harpy’s. Although the same air of heightened desperation and tension

was present, the high stakes made matters more deadly.

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A young man stood up and almost knocked her over as he pulled back his chair. He

bowed jerkily to the man at the head of the table.

“If it pleases you, Lord Delamere, I will settle with you on the morrow.”

“But it does not please me.” The man sifted through the crumpled notes in front of

him. “By my reckoning, you owe me at least ten thousand pounds.”

“Are you suggesting I do not intend to honor my debts?”

The men around the table fell silent, all eyes fixed on the older man.

“Of course not, Lord Hartford.”

Antonia edged farther back into the shadows against the wall. Lord Delamere’s

contempt and deliberate hint of doubt in his question were meant to be obvious to

everyone.

“I will send my man of business to see you tomorrow morning, Hartford. Perhaps

you will find it easier to deal with him.”

She resisted an urge to hold Lord Hartford back as his hands fisted. To her relief, he

simply bowed. “I look forward to it.”

She let out her breath as he headed for the door. The vacant, stunned look on his

face left her in little doubt that he had no idea how he intended to pay such a vast sum

of money.

Lord Delamere chuckled as the door shut quietly behind Hartford. “He is a foolish

pup. Perhaps it is time for him to learn not to try and ape his betters.” He motioned at

one of the younger men sitting to his left. “He’s a friend of yours, isn’t he? May I

suggest you follow him and don’t allow him to do anything foolish like blow out his

brains? I’d hate for my man to have to deal with that mess in the morning.”

The boredom in his voice made Antonia long to slap his hard, cynical face. She

almost jumped when Gideon touched her shoulder.

“Are you ready to leave?”

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She was more than ready. It seemed that beneath the veneer of sophistication all

men cared about was money. How on earth did she expect to find a way around that?

Antonia was quiet when she reached Gideon’s carriage. He studied the serene lines

of her face, tried to remember when he had ever thought her plain. One more stop was

planned for the evening. His cock throbbed and hardened at the thought of her reaction

to his last choice of entertainment. He touched her cheek.

“Is something wrong?”

She looked away from him. “It’s just occurred to me that men always win in the

end.”

“Not according to some of the women I know.”

She studied him, her expression serious. “I thought I could avoid my destiny by

learning to understand men and using those discoveries against them.”

He took her hand in his and stroked her fingers. “There is nothing wrong with your

reasoning. In truth, women have been managing men like that for centuries.”

“By using their bodies or their wealth to secure themselves the best alliance?”

Her flash of temper aroused him. “And what is wrong with that?”

Her chest rose and fell in agitation. “Because it shouldn’t have to be like that.”

He slid his arm around her back and pulled her close. “Why not? Because you are

too afraid of your own sexuality to try it? Wouldn’t you like to rule me? Wouldn’t you

like to see me on my knees begging you to fuck me?” He kissed her hard and

possessively. With a moan she kissed him back, her fingers tight in his hair.

He dragged his mouth away from hers and stared into her passion-filled eyes. “You

promised to obey me this evening.”

“Only if I lost all your money.”

“You did.”

She met his gaze head on. “Then I suppose I will have to.”

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The carriage stopped and Gideon reached across to open the door. “Good, because I

have a surprise for you.”

Antonia gulped as Gideon led her into the ground-floor parlor of the house in Hans

Town. It was furnished in shades of red and gold like a shabby theatrical version of a

sultan’s harem. A number of women in various stages of undress sprawled amongst the

low couches and cushions. A few men already occupied some of them. One man had

his hand down the front of a bored-looking woman’s corset as he enthusiastically

pumped himself against her thigh like a dog in heat.

“Ah, Gideon.”

A large elderly lady dressed in a flowing violet bed gown advanced and kissed

Gideon on both cheeks. “We have not seen you here for a long while.” She gestured at

the women who were all staring avidly at him. Antonia noticed that the lady’s French

accent was as false as the color of her hair. “Is there anything in particular you require?”

Antonia cringed as Gideon slapped her hard on the back. “Actually, Madame, I’ve

brought one of my cousins here.” He winked suggestively at the room at large. “He’s

never been to town before. I promised to show him a good time.”

Her cheek flushed so red she could feel the heat. She glared at Gideon but he

refused to acknowledge her.

“I thought perhaps Louise might teach him a few tricks to take back home to Wales

with him.”

A tall red-haired woman rose from one of the cushions and walked across to

Antonia. She studied her for a minute before nodding.

“I would be delighted. Go up to my room at the top of the stairs. I will join you in a

moment.”

Face still flaming, Antonia allowed Gideon to lead her away. “Do you expect me to

watch while you have sex with her?” she hissed.

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“Not at all, I’ll be doing the watching.”

She stared at him openmouthed. “As soon as she undresses me she’ll know I’m not

a man.”

He shrugged. “So?” He opened the door and pushed her inside. The small room

smelled of stale perfume and sex and was dominated by a large four-poster bed and a

floor-to-ceiling gilt mirror.

“Gideon…”

He caught her chin in his hard fingers. “You promised to obey me this evening. If

you refuse to keep your promises then why should I keep mine?”

She remembered her desire to see how far she could push him and licked her lips.

“What if I wanted you to break them?”

He brought his head down and kissed her, the slow sensual attack left her

trembling and wide-eyed. He drew back a scant half inch, his voice a mere whisper of

sound. “I want you to enjoy this. I want to see you come while I watch. Is that too much

to ask?”

She could only shake her head at the sexual promise in his words. So much for

dominating him. All he had to do was kiss her and she wanted to agree with everything

he said.

Before Antonia could form a reply, Louise appeared through a connecting door in

the wall. She wore an open green silk dressing gown, a black corset and stockings. Her

eyes widened as she took in their closeness. Gideon stepped away and bowed.

“My cousin is a little shy. I promised to stay with him and offer my…expertise.”

Louise gave a soft laugh. “You mean that I should treat him just as you tell me to.”

Gideon placed a substantial stack of gold coins on the corner of Louise’s dressing

table. Antonia studied Louise’s face. She guessed the woman was about her own age,

although the lines around her mouth suggested life had not been as easy for her as it

had been for Antonia.

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“I’ve always appreciated your intelligence, Louise, and your discretion.” Gideon

pointed at the red satin counterpane which covered the four-poster bed. “When you

have finished undressing him, I’d like to see you both kneeling on the bed.” He drew

up a chair, placed it at the foot of the bed and sat down.

Antonia’s anger fled and was replaced by anticipation. Was she really so desperate

for Gideon’s approval that she would allow another woman to touch her? Dammit, it

seemed that she was. Every time he asked something of her, he pushed closer to the

wildness that slumbered within her. She had also begun to understand that if she chose

to let it free, he would be there to fan the flames and catch her as she burned.

Louise giggled when she finally pulled off Antonia’s shirt. “It seems as if your

cousin is confused. Does she really believe she is a man?” She flicked one of Antonia’s

erect nipples, making her shiver.

“Perhaps that is why I brought her to you, Louise. I thought you could help clear

up any confusion.”

Refusing to reply to Gideon’s pointed remarks, Antonia was soon stripped naked

by Louise’s knowledgeable hands and led to the bed.

Gideon sat and watched as Louise climbed up behind her. He tossed two leather

ties onto the counterpane. “As my cousin is so innocent, perhaps you might restrain

her. God knows what she might do in her passion.”

Antonia bit down on her lip as Louise bound her wrists to the two end bedposts.

Her promise to obey Gideon had led her into deep waters. Her traitorous body still

hummed with the anticipation of pleasure and release. She knelt up on the bed, naked

and aroused and felt no shame.

“Fondle her breasts, Louise. Tell me how she feels.”

Antonia shivered at Louise’s touch. The lace bodice Louise wore beneath her silk

bed gown scratched Antonia’s back, adding to the prickling sensations already crawling

over her skin. She looked down as Louise’s fingers closed gently over her nipples,

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coaxing them tighter and tighter. Louise rolled them gently between her finger and

thumb. Antonia found she was unable to look away.

“She is beautiful, sir. She cannot hide how much she wants you.”

“Show me her sex. Is she wet for me?”

Antonia held Gideon’s gaze as Louise parted her flesh and stroked the swollen

wetness within her pussy.

“Oui, sir, she is soaking. Shall I slide my fingers inside her and show you how

quickly she will come for you?”

A moan escaped Antonia’s lips as Gideon shook his head. “No, for she is a virgin.

But we will make sure she comes in other ways. Oil her for me, would you?”

Antonia inhaled a heady mix of spice and orange in the warm oil as Louise slowly

spread it over her breasts. God, after Gideon’s priming in the coach, she was so close to

coming. Did they know that? Did they like to see her writhing on the edge?

Louise slid her fingers over Antonia’s sex and plucked at her clit, rubbing it until

Antonia tried to move her hips into the rhythm but her bonds held her close.

“Take off the rest of your clothes, Louise and then go back and kneel behind her.”

Louise finished undressing and climbed back onto the bed behind Antonia. Gideon

moved his chair even closer. When he sat down again, his face was a bare inch from

Antonia’s pussy. His warm breath tantalized her swollen flesh. She wanted his mouth.

“Gideon.”

He looked up at her, his expression inquiring. “What?”

She realized he was not going to make it easy for her. “Please touch me.”

“Where?”

Louise returned her attention to Antonia’s nipples, her now oiled fingers making

them gleam like two hard red berries. Her own generous breasts pressed hard into

Antonia’s back.

“Touch my sex, oh God, please, touch me there.”

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“Louise, show me where she means.”

Antonia groaned as Louise’s clever fingers exposed her swollen clit between her

finger and thumb. Gideon leaned forward and sucked it into his mouth. Antonia

climaxed instantly, pressing herself into the welcome hardness and relief of Gideon’s

mouth as if her life depended on it.

He released her with a last long lick and sat back. “Whose touch do you prefer,

mine or Louise’s?”