Antonia's Bargain (5 page)

waistcoat?”

She complied and stood, hands fisted by her sides in front of him.

“I assume you have bound your breasts?”

“Yes, although in truth, they are scarcely worth the effort.”

He mentally applauded her bravery and wit despite her obvious shyness. It was

probably the first time in her life that she had undressed in front of a man who wasn’t

part of her family.

“Will you remove your shirt?”

With a stifled sound, she pulled the shirt from her breeches and drew it over her

head. Gideon made no effort to hide his frank perusal as he slowly circled her. Her skin

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was pale like the finest porcelain, her ribs clearly defined, her back narrow. Strips of

linen were wrapped around her breasts, flattening them completely.

His cock stirred as he contemplated the hint of a darker shadow where her nipples

pressed against the fabric. Soon he would like to suckle her through the linen, make her

hard and wanting. Make her come. He took a step toward her and touched the soft

hollow where her collarbone met her shoulder. She swallowed, her throat muscles

working.

“You are very beautiful.”

“I am too thin for current fashions. Perhaps that is why I look better dressed as a

man.”

He chuckled as he allowed the tip of his finger to trace the linen binding her breasts.

“You may be right. In this instance, less may be more.” Under his fascinated gaze, her

nipples tightened, leaving the pattern of her arousal on the cloth. He flicked a finger

over one hard tip, heard her gasp.

“The binding appears to be sufficient. Let’s start with the clean shirt, shall we?”

Had she noticed the tremendous swell of his cock in his breeches? He turned her to

face the mirror and dropped the shirt over her head. When she emerged, her face was

flushed. Gideon helped settle the voluminous shirt over her body, allowing his hands to

brush her skin at every opportunity.

He picked up the cravat and draped it around her neck. He stood behind her, his

gaze meeting hers in the mirror. “A man’s cravat says a lot about how he views himself

in the world.”

She snorted. “It is but a twist of linen and a pin. How can it be so important?”

“Because its arrangement, and the care and thought which goes into it, are meant

for other men to admire and aspire to.” He slid his fingers down the long strip of linen,

his knuckles shaping the slight swell of her breasts. She followed the movement of his

hands in the mirror and shifted restlessly.

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“I do not wish to look like a dandy or a fop.”

“You wish to look like a girl dressed up in her brother’s clothes?”

“No, of course not.”

He held her gaze in the mirror. “Then let me show you.”

He slowly folded the wide length of linen into a neat series of pleats which he

gathered at her throat.

“How do you do that so efficiently?”

He smiled at her. “Practice, I suppose. Hand me the diamond pin to your right.” He

secured the snowy folds of the cravat and adjusted the high points of her shirt collar

around them. “There you see? Much neater.”

Antonia studied her reflection, turning her head from side to side. “Will you teach

me how to do this for myself?”

He pulled out one of the bureau drawers and showed her the rows of folded

cravats. “Be my guest. You may ruin as many as you like.”

She carefully unpinned the cravat, her face a study of concentration as she

considered the folds he had made. While she worked, Gideon ordered some food and

more wine. Before meeting her in the lobby, he’d spent a strenuous hour in bed with his

latest inamorata in an effort to drain off his lust and make him fit to deal with Antonia.

Despite his efforts, he was semi-erect and eager. It was a strange, if unnerving sensation

after his year of near abstinence, to experience such intense sexual tension.

Under his father’s watchful gaze, he would have to make an effort to peruse the

latest female offerings of the
ton
as if he truly wished to marry again. If Antonia was

more experienced, he might have asked her to pretend to be his potential bride. But

under her calm exterior, he sensed she was truly afraid. Forcing her to masquerade as

his latest flirt might destroy her courageous attempt to move beyond her fear. Most

women bored him. He hated the way they fluttered around him, their willingness to be

weak, their need to be emotional about everything.

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Of course, there were always exceptions. Madame Desiree was one and his sister-in-law Eden another. Neither of them balked at demanding what they wanted from a

man and both of them enjoyed taking sex to its limits. He truly believed Antonia was

capable of being as passionate and inventive in bed as he was. In some ways it was a

shame that he was set against marriage. The pleasure of teaching her to enjoy and

explore her own sensuous nature was too good to ignore and too important to rush. He

smiled. Perhaps she might even teach him something.

“Oh bother! I thought I had it then.”

Antonia flung another crumpled cravat to the floor to join the others she had

already ruined.

“If you wish to act like a man, perhaps you should strive to improve your choice of

curse words.”

She glanced up to find Gideon watching her, a slight smile on his lips. He leaned

against the mantelpiece, displaying his long languid frame to advantage.

“Damnation, then.” It was amazing how comfortable she felt with him, despite his

outspoken desire to seduce her. She picked up another cravat and this time managed to

fold it to her own satisfaction.

He sauntered across to her, his critical gaze on her latest effort.

“Well done, that is almost passable. Now you need to tuck your shirt into your

breeches, but before you do that, let me add something else.”

Antonia’s breathing hitched as he approached. He placed his hands on her

shoulders and turned her toward the mirror. His hand traveled down over her stomach

and slid inside her unfastened breeches. He cupped her mound, his fingers warm and

solid against the softness of her linen.

“I believe we had this discussion once before. Despite the fact that you have men’s

small clothes on, you do not have the required shape here to pass muster.”

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Antonia made herself breathe out, wondered if he could feel the gathering

dampness between her legs. “Are you suggesting that men look at each other’s…” She

flapped a hand in the general direction of her groin.

“Of course they do. There is an instinctive urge to compare oneself with another

male.” He grasped her wrist and drew it behind her. “Measure me, feel how I fit against

your hand.”

He curved her palm under the compact, heavy weight of his balls. She shut her eyes

as he redirected her to press against the solid column of his shaft. He shuddered slightly

as if her touch pleased him. Growing bolder now, she moved her hand, gauged the

width and length of his erection, felt it grow and stiffen beneath her questing fingers. A

pulse began to throb between her legs, directly beneath his fingers.

“Surely, most men do not walk around in a state of arousal?”

He chuckled, the sound low, enticing her to entertain wicked thoughts. “Most men,

no, thank God. That would be painful. Luckily, the cock we fashion for you will not be

so easy to arouse.”

Keeping her hand pressed firmly between their two bodies, he eased her breeches

down to her knees. “A carefully folded stocking sewn into your small clothes should do

the trick. Don’t scream.”

His fingers slid under the cloth and touched the soft curls of her mound, making

her jump. He molded a thick stocking against her flesh, brushing the swell of her sex

with every small adjustment. With each sensual tug, she found herself gripping his cock

more tightly, inhaling the scent of her own arousal through her open breeches.

He flattened his hand over the stocking and pressed it against her before he slowly

withdrew his fingers. She watched in the mirror as he did up the buttons on her

breeches. To her surprise, they did fit better.

She flexed her hips, felt the rough caress of the wool. Gideon wrapped his arm low

around her hips holding her close and crushed her fingers against his huge erection.

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“When you get home, sew the stocking in place outside your small clothes. It will

feel more comfortable without the wool being in close contact with your skin. You

might prefer to use a silk stocking if you wish to be considered less well-endowed.”

“It is fine.” She licked her lips, saw him watch her, felt bold enough to do it again.

“It feels as if someone is caressing me.”

He cupped her mound, molding the stocking closer. She tilted her hips and hoped

he’d ease the ache he had created. “Aye, like the rub of a man’s finger over your clit or

the underside of his shaft on your sex before he enters you. I like that. I like to imagine

you becoming aroused, your pussy getting ready to welcome me.”

His teeth settled on the curve of her earlobe and he bit down. She shuddered as his

cock continued to rub against her fingers. Some of his words sounded crude and

unfamiliar but even in the short time she had spent with him her body had begun to

understand what he meant.

She struggled to remember what she was supposed to be doing.

“Do I look presentable, then?”

He studied her reflection. “You look like a woman who needs to be pleasured by a

man.”

“That was not our intent, was it?”

“It was always mine, but perhaps I have pushed you too far this evening.”

He stepped back, his voice cool, and removed her hand from his cock. She wrapped

her arms around herself at the sudden loss of contact. She felt like a lapdog whose

owner no longer thought she was amusing.

“Then should I go now? Are you done with me tonight?” For the first time, she

noticed there were no clocks in the room. It was if time stood still for their erotic

interlude.

“Perhaps you should put your waistcoat and new coat on.”

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Antonia grabbed the waistcoat Gideon held out to her. If it hadn’t been for the

substantial swelling in his groin, she might imagine he had lost interest in her. He stood

back and watched her struggle into her coat. She held her tongue, refusing to indulge in

a fit of womanly pique that she suspected he would treat with indifference.

His gaze swept her figure and she drew herself up to her full height. It was a

pleasure to stand next to a man who towered over her. She was tired of following her

aunt’s advice and bending her knees in an effort to look shorter.

“Walk across the room.”

Determined not to balk at his commanding tone, Antonia obeyed. When she

reached the far wall, she turned and walked back.

Gideon shook his head. “You need to take longer strides and carry your shoulders

higher.”

“If I carry my shoulders higher, my breasts stick out.”

He considered her for a long moment. “They are bound, are they not? Therefore

you should not have a problem, Try it again.”

Antonia set her teeth and repeated the process, trying to model herself on her

cousin Charles.

“That was better.”

“Good, shall I go now?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you so eager to be off then, my dear? Have I failed to

live up to your expectations? Did you imagine I would plunge you into my male world

of debauchery without teaching you how to protect and disguise yourself?”

Antonia stared at him. What had she expected? Not this buildup of tension and

awareness in her body which made her want…what exactly?

“You have been more than kind. I appreciate all you have done for me.” Her words

sounded false and stilted to her own ears. He must think her a fool.

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Gideon took her hand and kissed her palm. “Next week, I promise you we will

move on to other more interesting male pursuits. Now perhaps you should go home.”

She was being dismissed like a child. Next he would pat her on the head and give

her a penny like her father used to do. Why did everyone think she was so biddable?

Greatly daring, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. His arms coiled around her

waist and held her close but he didn’t kiss her back. Trapped in his embrace, she simply

glared at him.

“I am sending you away for your own good, you know,” Gideon murmured.

She wiggled to get away but he easily held her still.

“Nonsense, you are sending me away because you are bored with me.”

He laughed. “There are a lot of things you don’t understand about men yet, my

dear. One of them is that you can only tempt a man so far.” He set her away from him.

“If you were a man you would understand that after touching a woman so intimately,

I’m hard and ready to fuck.”

His blunt language, which she suspected was intended to shock her, simply

reawakened the slumbering heat he’d aroused earlier. She reached out and stroked the

bulge in his breeches. “Does it hurt you to be like this?”

He didn’t pull away from her touch. “Not yet, but it will ache like the devil if I do