Silver Silk Ties (2 page)

"Where?
Ah, behind the bush. Is she
hiding?"

"No, my lord."
The doorman's voice was
lugubrious. "Scaring off the punters...I mean member…oh, tarnation.
The…ah, visitors, your visitors, actors.
Ah…"

"Quite," said that well-known voice. "I will
see what the young female wants."

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, sire,"
Leyton said. He sounded hesitant. "Not a
young
lady as such."

Bastard.
I may be three and thirty, but I am
not
in my dotage yet.
As footsteps approached her,
Ara
resigned herself to the inevitable and sat upright, staring in the direction
from whence they came.

"Hello, my lord.
Fancy seeing you
here."
She injected just the right amount of insouciance into her
voice.

"Araminta?"
He sounded surprised, as well
he should be. "Why are you here?"

"Your oaf,"—she waved at Leyton—"would not
let me in. I need to speak to Jeremy at once. It is imperative he returns home
immediately. Father is dying and if he is not there at the last, anything not
entailed goes to
cousin
Stanley. Aa Stanley is the attending
physician. I have left Jeavons watching him closely, but there is not long,
even a fool can see that."

"What makes you believe he is at this, er,
establishment?"

"Oh, really, Felton," she said crossly. "I am
not so gullible as to imagine Jeremy spends his leisure playing tiddlywinks, or
spillikins," she said, her impatience showing. Although, she suspected he might
well spill something!
Truly men were so ignorant
of a woman's intelligence.
How could she show her hand in a ladylike
manner? She decided she couldn’t. She took a deep breath. "I
neither know or
care how he is tied up this evening."
I could but wish I had the chance to indulge
so, but I may as well wish to be spanked until my cunt weeps. Neither is likely
to be forthcoming.
"He must untangle himself and return home post
haste. We all know he could not sustain his indulgent lifestyle with only the
entail, and I for one am not prepared to share my own inheritance with him or
any man." She paused and said with deliberate emphasis, "As you, my
husband,
should know."

There was silence. His lordships eyes sparked fire and
Ara
thought she saw amusement in them at her well-chosen words.

"I am sure he does, my lady. Alas, I must deny your
access. Leyton is correct, only members and their pre-arranged guests are
allowed through the doors. You are neither."
He may as well add or ever likely to be; the cad.

Fire swept through her body at the appraising look he gave
her.
Does he wish I could be?

"No, I expect not." Her tone was cordial.
"Although, you also admit performers?"

 
"If
the committee agrees.
No one else.
You are not
one."

 
She smiled.
Ara
knew it was not a pleasant smile. Her body was too
taut, too fine-stretched for it to be so. The color ran under his skin and one
brief glance showed her his cock proud and hard outlined by his pantaloons. She
moved in for the kill, as a predator in the wild would do. He had never seen
her aroused. That was to his detriment and her favor.

 
"I think you err,
my Lord Dalrey. I suggest you read your lease." Her voice, she hoped was
like liquid silk, soft and seductive as it curled round him.

 
His eyes were like
arrow slits with molten metal behind them. Not a man she knew to be swayed by
sensual things, his look sent long lost sensations of arousal through her. Her quim
tingled and her juices flowed at the expression on his countenance. If a man
ever wanted to gain the upper hand by any means, his demeanor showed him to be
that person.

 
"I beg your
pardon, Lady Suster?" The name was a knife in her side.

 
"Your
lease, third page, clause eleven."
Her heart was breaking as she
took a deep breath. Why now call her that? Her nails dug into her palms to steady
herself. The pain kept her equilibrium for her. "The owner shall be
permitted to enter at anytime, to inspect the premises without prior warning."

He nodded. Enlightenment swept over his face as she paused
for effect. He held a hand out to her, and she took it to help her to stand. His
touch sent goose bumps up her arm, and a low throb began in her cunt. He
stroked her palm with his finger. All Ara could think
of
was how that finger would feel stroking her quim.

Stop that. He does not know
what you like, or desire. Nor does he want to. Be thankful for what you have.
Or are about to receive.

Once on her feet, she dusted herself down briskly.

 
"You
do
remember that clause I presume?"

 
He nodded.

 
"Good, then let
us go in. Lead the way, Lord Dalrey. I am the owner and I am exercising my prerogative,
whatever name you chose to call me." She took a sheet of vellum out of her
reticule and handed it to him.
"As you see."

He took it with one hand and scanned the copperplate
writing.

He dropped her other hand, just as swiftly as she had
dropped her bombshell.

Chapter Two

Fuck, now what?
Felton picked up her hand
again and kissed it. Why had he used the name of her late husband? Why did he
not address her with her new title? He could kick himself.
It could be arranged for someone to do so.
He chose not to listen
to that voice.

"My love, you need not. I will see if he is within and
send him home. Do you not think you should be there?" He hoped he did not
sound as frantic as he felt.

"Why?" she asked him. "Why should I be at
home? My husband is not. Nor it seems, am I your love."

Sparks
flew from her eyes and hit
him as tiny daggers, piercing his heart. He had an idea she would not listen to
his answer.

 
"Truly, my dear,
you should not be here."

 
"Truly, my dear,"
she said and her tone mocked him.
"Nor should you."

Felton thought she had a point. How could he tell her what
demons chased him out of his marital bed?

 
"Araminta,"
he said. "I beg you, give me leave to have someone find Willingham,
wherever he is, and escort him home. Let me find someone to escort
you
to your papa's side. I will join you
later."

Her eyes shone with unshed tears and his heart sank. He had
brought her to this and had no idea how to cure it.
Unless
… No his mind shied away from the one thing he desired.
Araminta would be horrified. Or would she? His balls were rigid, his cock rock
hard as he saw the glint of battle spark in those deep grey orbs.

"Felton, you know as well as I, he will not wish to see
me. I am his disappointment. I have long accepted that, and it matters not. Willingham
has
to be there.
As
for you?
You may lie to yourself about your reasons for leaving me on
our wedding night, but do not lie to me. I was married, happily married for
five glorious, exciting, and too many, perverted years. I have done more than
most, and less than others. Why do you think George left me this building and
told me his plans for it? Why—" She paused, and her tongue slid between
her lips and traced their contours. His dick did a cotillion at the sight.
"Do you think he admired you so?" she continued. "Demanded I
allow you all this?" Her arm swept out to encompass the grey stones of the
building. After one swift downward glance, she lifted her gaze back to his face
and ignored his rampant erection. "Why he told me to ensure you could continue
to have this place for your activities. Why I was to reveal my position as
owner when I felt it was time?" She shook her head, and he saw amusement
obvious on her face. "Let us be clear here also.
Why
did he make sure all he left me was sewn up so tight no future
husband could acquire it as is the norm?"

 
He was silent. What
could he say? He had no answer, except, possibly
, I want to bury my cock so deep in your arse my balls will slap your cunt
as my hand reddens your globes?
Even though his newly wedded wife professed
to know all things dark, he was sure this would be beyond
Araminta’s
ken. He had heard no rumors about the proclivities of her late husband, or
indeed met him in any clubs he had frequented. He wondered how the true name of
the owner of the building had been kept from him. The ton seeped secrets like a
leaky bucket.

"So," she said once the silence had lengthened to
discomfort, "let us go."

 
He let out the breath
he had not realized he was holding. To his amusement, his cock deflated as a
pigskin bladder bereft of wind. She let him place her hand on his arm and he
moved away from the building.

The tug on his arm rocked him on his heels. The swat to his
rear made him spin round.

"I said I wish to go inside, Felton.
As
is my prerogative.
The fact you are trying to be helpful makes no difference.
Already I suspect your doorman will have hurried inside to dispatch any
excesses you think fit to hide from me." Her fingers drummed a rapid
tattoo of impatience on his coated arm. Each tap gave him the urge to respond
with a similar chastisement on her bottom.
Thrice over.
Even so, her prosaic statement made him laugh.

"You are wrong. He is standing slack-a-jawed watching
us, wondering if I am about to castigate you for that tap to my arse."

He felt a shudder go though her, and heard her gasp.

"Ah, and are you?" Her breath came in pants and he
saw
a sheen
of perspiration appear on her soft skin.
Felton's body tightened in desire. Did she truly desire such delights? He
feigned not to hear. Not then, he had a lot to think about, it seemed, before
he sat down and spoke with frankness to his wife.

She tilted her head up to him. Her dark curls were beginning
to come loose from her elaborate hairstyle. Felton had to clench his hands
tight to stop himself from discarding her hat and hairpins and using it to pull
her to him. He wanted to tug until he made her moan, pull her to him, and wind
it around his hand to hold her where he desired. Instead, he bowed his head.
Who looks the sub now?
he
wondered.

"Come then. Though you will go straight to the office
and I will dispatch someone to see if Willingham is here."

"You still do not understand, do you? This is
my
property. I have every intention of
inspecting wherever I see fit."

 
"Araminta,
you…" He hesitated. How to tell her many members came in anonymous and
remained so? "What happens within these
walls,
stays there. We have members who do not wish their identities divulged. I
cannot let you jeopardize that. So we will go to my office."

She pounced on the possessive pronoun. "So you now
admit you are the owner?"

He kissed her nose and ignored her startled jerk.
"Minx, you have the contracts, you know it is so. How though do I not see
your name there?"

"Silk Enterprises, my lord."
Now why hadn't he realized? Felton
was silent as he gathered his thoughts. Under the terms of the lease, they had
to allow the owner immediate access at any time or forfeit the lease.

"Then of course you must come in." He ignored the
snort of disbelief from Leyton, and the muttered, "Well that will set the
cat in it, won't it just."

"I have one demand." He deliberately did not say
request, and watched the pulse point in her neck move faster than it would if
she was calm.

"You have? Will I like it?" Her voice was honey
laced with something indefinable, and he smelled her arousal. It increased his
to discomfort levels. Dare he? Felton gave himself a mental shake. He had
nothing to lose. They were as of—he did a mental calculation —wed these past
fifteen hours. She had promised to obey. He had not thought it would be like
this.

He kept his voice low so not to be overheard. "We will
soon find out. I believe we may have more in common than I believed it could be
possible. Be that as it may, this is a demand not just for me, although 'twil
arouse me to an uncomfortable degree. I have to blindfold you. The lease does
not state you have to be sighted to enter. Please, my dear, you must see I have
to."

Ara
gurgled and her eyes lit up
in the lamplight. "That, my lord, I will not be able to do. See, as I will
have my eyes covered. But fear not, I accept it is necessary, until it is obvious
I will see no one I recognize, or they I. It benefits all of us."