Copper (2 page)

I nodded and followed behind him. I saw the staff of Sir Michael’s for the very first time. One maid glanced sideways at me and dabbed her eyes before darting out of the way. We crossed the black and white checkered floor and ventured into a room that until now had been closed and off limits to me.

Detective Hargreeves pushed open the door and held it while I crossed the threshold. He followed me inside and then shut it firmly. Books lined every wall, a dark green couch sat against one of them and two high-back chairs sat in front of the fireplace.

The detective pointed to the one on the left. “Please take a seat.”

I walked over to it and sat. He sat opposite me. He undid his overcoat, revealing another jacket underneath. One button was missing, the other hanging by a loose thread, which told me he either had a lazy wife or was a single man.

He crossed his legs. “Miss Snow.”

“Please call me Emma.”

“Emma, you were the person who found Sir Michael?”

“Yes, that is right.”

“I do not need to ask you what you were doing here, because I already have guessed your line of work. However, I need to know if you found him straight away when you arrived.”

“No, sir. We went about our usual business. However, thinking back I am sure it was not Sir Michael who had sex with me today. I mean, he requests that I am blindfolded so I have never seen him while he is…well, you know.”

He pulled out a notebook and pencil from his overcoat pocket. “You wore a blindfold, but yet you know it was not him?”

“He was one of my first clients. I know all my clients well, and they fall into two categories. First type, the gentlemen who bring me to climax, and the second sort, those who never do. Sir Michael has never given me an orgasm before, and today, whoever the person was, achieved just that.”

He coughed and uncrossed his legs and then quickly crossed them again, but not speedy enough for me not to see that he now had an erection straining against his pants. He coughed once again.

“This gentleman had a longer and thicker shaft than Sir Michael, which I assume was the reason for my orgasm.”

He bit his lip, and I wondered what he thought of my frank tongue.

“Then it is possible this man is the killer?”

“Quite possible.”

“And you did not see him or saw nothing out of the ordinary?”

I shook my head. “However, I did detect an odor, a cologne that I would recognize again.”

There was a knock on the door. “If you would excuse me for one minute.”

Detective Hargreeves stood and left the room, giving me a chance to look around the place. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls with a tapestry of Venice on the far one. I stood and looked at the books, novels and books about the mind and psyche. Sir Michael’s specialty.

The detective returned. “We believe Sir Michael has been dead a good six hours. What time did you arrive?”

“Just before ten.”

He bit his lip again. “Looks as if whoever murdered him was here earlier, and for some reason, pretended he was Sir Michael. He obviously knew you were arriving, and no doubt thought he would make the most of the situation.”

“Then he had to know Sir Michael personally to know about our ritual and routine.”

“Your ritual. Maybe you could enlighten me.” He indicated for us to sit again and grabbed his notebook.

“I arrive at ten. I wash myself. I go to the bedroom and blindfold myself. The clock will strike the hour. Sir Michael would arrive, spank me, determine if I was wet enough for his liking, use his riding crop to excite me more and then would tie me to the bed and we would have sex.”

His cock was hard. There was no denying it as his pants pulled across his crotch. He tugged at the material, obviously trying to free it from the sudden tightness. He was a tall, muscular and handsome man. One every young woman dreamed about. I almost offered him my services for free.

“And your other clients? Could you tell me more about them?”

“I only service men in the upper classes, no back alley dress up, knickers down sort of nonsense. They are doctors, men of the legal profession, scholars, men with titles, and yes, even one of royal blood. Part of my service is that I am very discrete and will never reveal their true identity.”

“You do realize you might be in danger?”

“Danger?”

He nodded. “Whoever did this knows enough about you that he knew your arrival time and what your appointment with Sir Michael involved.”

“I cannot identify him other than by smell, so I very much doubt he sees me as a threat.”

“Nevertheless, the chief inspector would like me to act as your bodyguard until whoever killed Sir Michael is caught and put safely behind bars.”

“You are going to guard me, but I have a business to conduct, and am in fact late for my next gentlemen.”

“Then I think I should accompany you to your appointments for a while until we see if he tries to follow you or threaten you in any way.”

“You wish to watch me service my clients?”

He blushed, and for some strange reason, I found it refreshing He coughed once again and pulled on the front of his pants. It was at that moment I decided at some point I would seduce him into fucking me.

“That is not what I meant,” he said.

I did not like the idea of being escorted in case my clients were concerned about their anonymity, but at the same time I liked the idea of having him around and getting to know him better.

“Very well, Detective Hargreeves, you may accompany me to Mayfair.”

“Please call me Mark.”

“Mark it is.”

Chapter Three

Mark, as he was now known to me, held the hansom cab door open as I stepped out upon our arrival at Mayfair.

“This will not be a long visit as the gentleman is impotent.”

“Why would an impotent man require a woman, let alone pay for one?” asked Mark.

“There are other ways to pleasure a woman. Besides, his ego is soothed when he hears my cries of pure bliss during our time together.” He blushed again. “You can wait in the drawing room. I am sure the servants will give you tea too.”

Unlike Sir Michael, Lord Cedric wanted his servants to know he was visited by such a woman as myself, if only to throw them off the track about him having a limp dick. I rang the doorbell, and the maid opened the door and smiled.

“Miss Emma, his lordship wondered what had happened to you.”

“A slight delay today. I will go up to his study and put his mind at ease. This is Detective Hargreeves, who is escorting me to my appointments. Perhaps he can wait in the study?”

“A detective…yes, please do follow me,” said the girl.

I headed quickly up the stairs, going along to his lordship’s study. I knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

I stepped inside to see Lord Cedric already naked and sitting in the chair by the fire, reading. Despite the fact he was impotent and could never penetrate me, he still insisted on being naked during our session.

He stood and walked toward me, the limp object bouncing from thigh to thigh. “My dear Emma, I was most worried when you did not show up at our usual time.”

I never revealed one client’s name to another so I could not go into detail as to what had happened to me earlier that day.

“The hansom cab took its time.”

“Well, you are here and that is the main thing.”

I undressed as he sat back down. One thing he had always loved was seeing me take off my clothes. He rubbed his hands together once I was naked.

“I am sure your body grows more beautiful each time I see it. Come and sit yourself down in your usual spot.”

I sat in the leather chair with the upright arms, pushed my ass back and then put my legs over each arm.

Lord Cedric pulled up his chair in front of me. “And I do believe this pussy of yours grows more delightful too.”

He spread my labia before edging forward, lifting his limp cock and using it to circle my entrance.

“Would it not be wonderful if one day this thing grew rock hard and I could be inside you?”

“I look forward to such a day,” I said.

He let go of his cock and pressed his finger inside me, tickling my walls until I wiggled on my chair.

“Such a tight and ticklish pussy.”

I edged closer, knowing his routine and what he would do next. He pushed another finger inside me and thrust them in and out.

“That is it, relax and enjoy, let me hear your excitement.”

I held the side of the chair and closed my eyes. I groaned, part as an act to stroke his ego, the other half because he was in fact bringing me pleasure.

I opened my eyes, covered my breasts and then ran my fingertips over the nipples, because Lord Cedric always insisted I touch myself while he played with my pussy. He plunged his fingers deeper, catching me by surprise and making me cry out as my orgasm took over my body.

Lord Cedric removed his fingers and then kneeled on the ground for his second act of our meeting. He placed his hands on both my inner thighs, leaned toward my crotch and flicked his tongue around my opening. He had grown a beard since I had first became his client so this had become more pleasurable for me as his whiskers rubbed my folds and clit.

I groaned as his tongue speared my pussy, in and out and then lapping at me like a cat with a saucer of cream.

“Lord Cedric, you are a talented man,” I said, once again stroking his ego, but knowing soon he would bring about another orgasm for me.

I bucked against his mouth, allowing his tongue to go deeper. “Oh my.”

More ego stroking, but then he flicked his tongue across my clit and back down into my pussy, making my thighs shake. I grabbed the chair’s arms, enjoying my sweet release while thinking of the handsome detective downstairs waiting for me.

That thought brought about another orgasm as I shook and juices seeped down my thighs.

“My dear girl, you are in a highly excited state today,” said Lord Cedric.

“You are exceptionally clever today, your lordship.”

He stood and walked over to the table where he opened a drawer and then pulled out my money.

“You know how to make a man feel special,” he said, handing me the notes, which I placed into my bag before I dressed.

“Same time next week, and I have ordered some toys for us to experiment with,” he said, tapping the side of his nose.

“And it is not even Christmas yet,” I said, winking.

He blew me a kiss and then left. I finished getting dressed and then hurried downstairs to find Mark sitting by the fire in the library, drinking tea.

He looked at me. “I take it your business is done.”

“Yes, and just one more appointment today.”

He stood, put the tea cup down and followed me to the door. I knew he had something to say, but did not know me well enough to ask it yet.

We hailed a hansom cab.

“112 Charing Cross Road,” I told the driver.

“And this next gentleman?” asked Mark as we got inside.

“Is a business man who I cannot name.”

“I was not going to ask.”

The traffic was light, and we arrived sooner than I had thought. “You will have to wait in the servants’ area,” I told him.

“I will be reading my paper, but call me if you are in need of anything.”

“I will certainly do that.”

I hurried up the stairs to the office at the back of the second floor. Simon Presnell waited for me at his desk. He was a man of little words, and liked to be in total control.

I walked over to him and sat on the edge of the desk. He lifted my skirt and quickly felt along my thigh, edging close to my crotch.

“Have you been good?”

I shook my head. I stood, removed my underwear and allowed it to fall to the floor.

“You know what a bad girl needs to do,” he said.

I lifted my skirts and leaned over his deck, exposing my bare bottom to him. He took out a ruler from his desk and then slapped my left buttock before standing and unbuttoning his pants. His cock pushed inside me. He does not last long, usually six thrusts and then finds his release. He was one of my clients who fitted into the never-gives-me-an-orgasm category. That day was no different, and we were done with our business within fifteen minutes. He slipped the money between my ass cheeks and then left.

I reached behind me to retrieve the notes and then quickly put my knickers back on before dropping my skirt and thinking the man I really wanted to fuck me sat downstairs with the servants of the house.

Chapter Four

“I would feel a lot happier if you would allow me to watch over you at your home too.”

Mark’s announcement surprised me. “You do not think whoever this person is, is really going to come after me, do you?” I had not thought about Sir Michael’s killer wishing me harm until now.

“He does not know you did not see him. Blindfolds are not foolproof.”

“Do you not have a family who will miss seeing you?”

He hesitated in responding, but then turned to look at me. “I lost my wife and our unborn child two years ago. So no, no one is going to miss me.”

“I am sorry.”

I put my hand on his knee as the hansom cab rocked along Wensworth Street as we came closer to my home. He looked down at the floor. I squeezed his thigh, causing him to look up at me again.

“I know what it is like to be all alone in the world,” I told him.

Sometimes I lie about myself to my clients, hoping the mistruths will soothe their souls and make them feel better. I had not known Mark long, but he already had a way of making me want to tell him the truth. Perhaps that was what all coppers did.

I had been an orphan since I was two, raised by an aunt until I was nine and then when she was too frail to look after me, I was placed in a children’s home. At fourteen, I finally found work with a lady who I had grown to love like my own flesh and blood, but then she died too.

Mark was lonely and perhaps that was the reason he thought doing his job and doing it well would ease the pain.

“If you insist on being my protector then who am I to argue.”

The hansom cab pulled up outside a small house where I rented the upper floor. I paid the driver and then proceeded up the steps to the front door, pulling out my key before turning the lock.