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Thea looked unbearably out of place. She was the epitome of
young and fresh juxtaposed against a backdrop of tawdry
cynicism.
The
brocade chaise upon which they sat was upholstered in a
color that put him in mind of blood. The velvet drapes were
the same deep red. Around the room, atop the various dainty
tables strewn about, sat do-nothings, carved from ivory or
onyx. He recalled now that upon closer inspection, some were
obscene—most were downright ugly.
Tremayne
had
only visited the place once before assuming the rent. The
furnishings and décor had remained from the previous
occupant, who had recently moved from London and hadn’t
wanted the majority of items. No wonder.
What had
he been thinking? This was no genteel establishment fit for
a lady—
But wait.
Technically, Thea wasn’t a lady. She was his ladybird.
Still, to expect her to live in these damnable surroundings
day after day? He must have been mad to even consider such a
thing. “Forgive me.”
At his
words, she stared at him blankly.
“You have
an allowance,” he finally remembered to tell her, reaching
into his pocket for a few bank notes, which he placed in her
hand. “Feel free…” He gestured at the furnishings in the
room. “You may choose things more…to your liking.”
She
laughed and leaned forward, as if imparting a great secret.
“May I keep them as they are?”
Her
request shocked him. He nodded slowly. “If you…”
His words
dried up when her hand caressed the fabric covering the
decadent chaise lounge. Seeing the motion, the desire he’d
worked to keep banked flared to life, inciting a fire along
his cock.
“For just
a short while, perhaps,” she said. “I find I rather like the
look of this place.”
With a
smile she stood and walked behind the chaise, digging the
tip of her fingers into the crimson upholstery. “It’s
extremely opulent, isn’t it? And so very rich. Why, I could
almost pretend I’m a queen.”
Seeing
her fingernails burrow into the fabric made him yearn for
her touch upon his body. He inclined his head, acknowledging
her words, as he watched her stroll around the room, her
fingers lighting upon various items. She stopped behind a
candelabra, its multiple flames causing shadows to flicker
over her body.
“I’m
being dreadfully fanciful I fear, but I have had no occasion
to enjoy furnishings such as these. Until now.”
“Then
leave the room as it is,” he murmured, basking in the
sensual atmosphere she created with her hushed words.
“I’m
enjoying how this home makes me feel,” she confessed,
looking down.
His
attention focused on her now-tangled fingers. They rested
beneath her bosom, flexing intermittently. From where she
hid in the corner of the room, she glanced at him from
beneath her lashes. He wished she was closer and her
features more clear so that he could gauge her mood
accurately. Judging by the tension that had returned to her
posture, she was far from calm. Was she nervous about
tonight?
Or
excited?
“When I’m
in this room,” she said softly, drawing his gaze back to her
face. “I feel pampered, indulged. Even a bit naughty,” she
ended in a whisper, her body shaking slightly.
The sight
put him in mind of an innocent virginal offering standing at
the edge of a great pit. Did her words and movements
indicate eagerness for their impending joining or relief
that their night would soon be over? He couldn’t read her.
Unlike his former mistress Louise, who had been such an open
book—one filled with blank pages—there was nothing left to
discover, Dorothea seemed such a contradiction. A puzzle he
wanted to unravel.
In
addition to pampering and protecting her, he damn well
wanted to explore this naughty side she’d just admitted to.
The pressure in his loins demanded release. He stood,
wanting to rip his confining trousers off, lift her skirts
and plow into her—right on the decadent chaise lounge she
rather liked. Before he lost all control, he bit out,
“Shall we retire upstairs?”
Cast the Leads! Contest
Some of
the actors suggested to portray
Tremayne include:
Hugh Jackman
Keanu Reeves
Richard Burton
And
actresses for Thea:
Morena Baccarin
Anne Hathaway
Elizabeth Taylor
Details on contest: To celebrate my first erotic regency release from Ellora's
Cave, I gave away a hard-to-find DVD of the movie Firelight and
a paperback copy of erotic stories from BetterSex.com,
featuring my regency short story, The Pirate's Pleasure.
To enter, readers emailed
their suggestions on who they'd cast in the
movie version of Impure Longings...who they thought
should play Thea and
Tremayne
and why?
The variety of actors suggested for the main roles in the
Impure Longings "movie" was terrific. Renny submitted
the winning entry, chosen primarily for the thoughtful way
she explained how she made her selections, which was
great...she also sent in a picture of the actress. Renny's
suggestions for Thea and Daniel are:
Morena Baccarin
Joseph Fiennes |
