Antonia's Bargain (2 page)

young protégé obviously hadn’t noticed that Lady Jane was one of the women writhing

on the couch in front of them. “I doubt she will, but I will make sure she knows where

to find you.”

As they walked down the long carpeted corridor, he admired Anthony’s profile and

his disheveled brown hair styled a la Brutus. Gideon reckoned Anthony was about fivefeet nine-inches tall. Five inches shorter than him. Mentally reviewing the many

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scandalous delights on offer at Madame Desiree’s, Gideon stopped at the fifth door on

the left. A plaque on the door read Fairy Tales.

“Here would be a good place to start.”

He opened the door and stood back to allow Anthony to precede him. To his

delight the room was dark and almost deserted. He followed Anthony to an empty row

of chairs and sat beside him. As they settled in their seats, a footman appeared and

began to light a set of candles in a large circle in the center of the room. Light

illuminated the shadow of a painted tree and the patch of fake grass beneath it.

Gideon stretched his left arm along the back of Anthony’s chair and brought his

mouth close to the boy’s ear. He slowly inhaled. Anthony smelled of lavender soap and

innocence, something Gideon had begun to believe no longer existed. “I think you will

enjoy this. It’s a tale about the power of lust.”

A young man dressed in medieval clothing came into the circle of light. In his

hands he held a lute which he began to strum. A second, unseen player added a

mournful counter-melody that was followed by the soft beat of a drum. A woman

stepped out of the shadows. Anthony jerked upright, his back making contact with

Gideon’s arm. He didn’t move away.

The woman wore a transparent white gown. Her long blonde hair hung to her

knees and was crowned by a garland of flowers and precious gems. The thin fabric did

nothing to conceal the dark hue of her nipples or the triangle of hair at the apex of her

thighs.

Anthony let out a breath. “The Queen of the Fairies and Thomas the Rhymer.”

Gideon allowed his fingertips to drop onto Anthony’s shoulder. “Despite your

youth, I see you are well-educated.”

On the stage, Thomas sat down under the tree and continued to strum his lute as if

oblivious to the vision beside him. The Fairy Queen knelt in front of him and kissed his

cheek. Still Thomas played on.

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“What exactly am I supposed to learn from this, sir? It’s a fairy tale,” Anthony

whispered. To Gideon’s delight, he sounded slightly shaken.

“Watch and see. I’ll ask you again afterwards.” He stretched out his fingers, felt the

fast beat of Anthony’s pulse at the base of his skull.

The Fairy Queen brought her hands to her breasts and cupped them as if offering

them to Thomas. For the first time his fingers faltered on the lute. She circled her

nipples with her thumbs until they stood out proudly through her dress. Leaning

forward, she brushed one taut nipple across Thomas’ lips. He sucked her nipple into his

mouth and held it there, pulling strongly on her.

Anthony swallowed hard, his body tensing under Gideon’s light touch. “Is that

pleasurable for a woman? To be suckled by a man as if he is her babe?”

In the darkness Gideon smiled at the curiosity in his voice. “Aye, pleasurable for

both. You would enjoy it immensely. Personally, I enjoy suckling a woman with smaller

breasts. There is less to suffocate in.”

Anthony stifled a choke of laughter. “I’ve never thought of it like that.”

“Men are sensitive there too. I enjoy a lover’s mouth on me.”

Gideon’s cock throbbed as Anthony’s startled gaze lowered to his chest. Hell’s

teeth, at this moment he’d settle for a nip on any part of his body.

Anthony swiveled back in his seat as if stuck with a pin. Had he seen something in

Gideon’s expression that unsettled him? Gideon hoped so.

On the stage, the Fairy Queen was determined to attract the mortal Thomas’

interest. When he continued to play, she stripped off her gown and sat cross-legged in

front of him. She licked her middle finger and placed it between her legs.

Anthony whispered in his ear, the sound a mere thread. “What is she doing?”

“I believe she has decided to play with herself if Thomas will not oblige her.” A

devil of mischief made him continue. “You cannot be so innocent that you have never

touched yourself?”

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“No, I mean, yes, of course I have…”

Gideon cupped his own growing erection and squeezed. He wasn’t sure which

intrigued him most. The sights on the stage or the sight of Anthony trying to pretend he

wasn’t excited.

The Fairy Queen slid her fingers in and out of her sheath; the wetness on her skin

caught the light of the candles. With her other hand she rolled and pinched her nipples.

She swayed in time with the music, toward and away from Thomas.

The rhythm of the music grew more insistent. Thomas grabbed the Fairy Queen’s

hand from her breast and pressed it to his groin before resuming his playing. She untied

his laces to reveal his engorged shaft. Gideon stroked his own cock as he measured the

width and breadth of the other man’s erection. Bigger than most, but not as big as his.

Beside him, Anthony shivered and brought his hand up to cover his mouth. As the

Fairy Queen bent to take Thomas’ cock between her teeth, Thomas’ fingers fell away

from the strings. With a groan, he cast aside his lute and reached for her. She gasped as

he pulled her head back and kissed her mouth.

Anthony made a stifled sound as Thomas then slid down the woman’s body and

licked the woman’s sex. The beat of the drum resonated through the room as the couple

fell into a frantic embrace. With a muttered excuse, Anthony shot to his feet and headed

for the door.

Within five strides, Gideon caught up with him and took hold of his arm.

“Let me go, sir.” Anthony’s cheeks were flushed, his pupils dilated.

Gideon tightened his grip. “I think we need to talk.” He pushed Anthony into one

of the deserted bedchambers and shut the door. He took his time lighting the candles

and kindling a fire in the grate. The candlelight revealed red silk walls and thick velvet

bed hangings that suited his mood. He wondered how the velvet would feel against his

cock, against the soft cream of Anthony’s skin. After a swift glance at his captive, he

poured himself a brandy from the tray on the dresser.

Anthony remained by the door, his hands thrust into his pockets.

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“Why did you run away?”

“I didn’t run. I just felt I had seen enough.”

“You found the scene offensive?”

Anthony simply stared at him. Gideon put down his glass and moved closer.

“Perhaps that isn’t it. Perhaps you found it arousing and you simply couldn’t allow

yourself to be human and enjoy it.”

“That’s not true. It was disgusting, it was…”

Gideon stopped in front of him. “It was sex. Isn’t that what you wanted to find out

about?”

Anthony’s chest rose and fell in agitation. “Maybe that’s why we are supposed to

wait until the privacy of a marriage bed. Maybe these acts are too intimate to be

displayed for an audience.”

“Ah, I see. A coward as well as a liar.”

Gideon grabbed Anthony’s hand and pressed it to the front of his breeches. “I am

aroused. Watching them couple and watching you watching them made me hard.”

“How dare you!”

Anthony wrenched his hand away and turned to the door. Gideon braced his palm

against it to prevent escape. He deliberately used his superior weight to keep Anthony

against the door, pressing his erection against those exquisitely slim buttocks.

He brought his hand around and cupped Anthony between the legs.

“Now if I were truly a gentleman I would agree that you do not appear to be

aroused. Your cock is in fact, nonexistent. I could be charitable and assume that the

reason for your lack of balls is due to a tragic accident or an unfortunate castration.”

Anthony tried to push away but Gideon held fast. “But you are aroused.”

With easy strength, he turned Anthony to face him. He ran his fingers over the front

of her coat. “Are your nipples tight and hard under your waistcoat? Do you find the

bindings chafe against your tender flesh?”

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Antonia’s Bargain

He brought his hand to her face and touched her cheek. “Your skin is flushed and

your eyes are wide with excitement whether you want them to be or not.” She tried to

speak but seemed unable to form the words. Gideon smiled as he recaptured her

mound. “And although you have no cock to betray you, I can smell your desire.” He

pressed his middle finger hard against the seam of her breeches. “I’ll wager you are wet

and ready for sex down here.”

She tried to kick him. He dragged her into an even closer embrace, more sexually

excited than he’d been for years. He threaded his fingers into her hair and made her

look at him. To his delight, passion mingled with anger in her direct stare. He rocked

his hips, allowed her to feel the length and heat of his shaft against her belly.

“Are you going to force me?”

“I’ve never taken a woman who wasn’t willing.”

She swallowed hard. “Well then, do you intend to expose me as a fraud?”

Gideon raised an eyebrow. “Why would I wish to do that? You didn’t deceive me

for more than five minutes.”

“So you have been playing with me all along.”

“I have been humoring you. And in a way, protecting you from others less

scrupulous than myself. Madame Desiree’s is no place for an inexperienced woman.”

She shifted her stance and Gideon fought a groan.

“Will you let me go and find my companion then?”

Unable to resist her bold courage, he stepped back. “Of course, my dear. But may I

suggest you go straight home?”

Her breasts rose and fell with each agitated breath. “Did you do this to punish me?

Did I amuse you?”

Gideon glanced down at his erect cock which fought the confines of his breeches.

“You did much more than that.”

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Her gaze followed his and fixed on the outline of his shaft. She seemed unable to

look away.

“Why do I feel as if I am being allowed to leave too easily?”

Gideon bowed. “If you truly wish to learn how to be a gentleman, come back here

in a week. I promise to teach you all you need to know.”

He reached into his coat pocket and extracted a card. He pressed it into her hand

and opened the door. “Goodnight, Anthony, sweet dreams.”

He watched her walk down the corridor and then shut the door. Absentmindedly

he helped himself to another brandy. For the first time since his wife’s suicide, he felt

truly alive. After her death, he’d drowned his guilt and rage in an orgy of drunkenness

and sex. Only his twin’s refusal to let him waste his life had saved him from the abyss

of self-pity. Wincing slightly, he unbuttoned his breeches and released his cock. Should

he call for assistance or manage by himself? He rang the bell.

Seating himself by the fire, Gideon wrapped his hand around the base of his shaft.

Damnation, he should have asked Anthony what her real name was. Her soft accent

had held a hint of Wales. He imagined her fingering her hard nipples, maybe thinking

about him and the sights he had shown her. He groaned and rested his head against the

back of the chair. In his vast and varied sexual experience it was rare for a woman to

hold his attention. But Anthony had.

In truth, when he’d realized Anthony was a woman, he’d been almost relieved.

Such a sudden, intense attraction to a man had never happened to him before. He

frowned down at his cock. Perhaps he should be more concerned. The last time he’d felt

this interested in a woman he’d ended up married and in a relationship from hell.

The door to the bedchamber opened and a man and a woman dressed in Madame

Desiree’s discreet uniform appeared. He studied them as they came to kneel on either

side of him. Did he want the quick coarseness of a man’s mouth or the slow

seductiveness of a woman’s?

He wanted both.

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At his command, the servants bent to their task, taking turns to pleasure his cock.

Gideon shut his eyes as he neared completion and concentrated on Anthony’s deep

gray eyes. At first, her body language had confused him. She moved as freely and

confidently as a man and had made no effort to appear womanly even when he

confronted her. Perhaps that was part of her appeal. The outward traits of a man

concealing the soft, stimulating curves of a woman’s body.

Would she have the nerve to return and take him up on his provocative offer? To

his surprise his discovery that Anthony was a woman hadn’t depleted his lust, only

exacerbated it. He devoutly hoped she would come back.

He groaned as the female servant gripped his balls and sucked his shaft. He eased

her mouth away and beckoned to the man. Hard and fast and rough now until his come

left his aching balls and traveled up his shaft to pour into the welcoming wet cavern of

the servant’s mouth. The woman kissed his thigh, her fingers digging into his buttocks

through his breeches. He stroked her long black hair, wondered how Anthony’s short