I’m capable of.»
She held his gaze. «Then perhaps you should take me upstairs
and show me.»
He bowed. «Perhaps I should.»
Robert sat down at the pine table in the warm welcoming
kitchen of the pleasure house and sipped at the cup of mulled
wine the cook had just given him. He couldn’t help but wonder
what his employer was up to, bringing his wife to such a
scandalous place. He could only guess that Minshom was trying
to frighten Jane into going back home. That would be just like
him.
He took another sip of the wine, enjoyed the tartness of the
apple and the warmth of cloves and cinnamon against his tongue.
But her ladyship had always had a way of getting around his
lordship. Robert suspected that she might enjoy the pleasure
house far more than Minshom anticipated.
«Robert, is that you? I thought I saw you in the hall.»
Robert got hurriedly to his feet and smoothed down his hair.
«Captain Gray, sir.»
He stared into the smiling face of the very man he’d hoped to
avoid. The man who haunted his dreams, whose face he
imagined every time Minshom fucked him. Captain Gray was
blond, his hair clubbed back in an old-fashioned queue, his skin
bronzed and weather-beaten from his days at sea. He was about
the same age as Minshom, but there the comparison ended.
Captain Gray gestured at the mulled wine. «Is there any more
of that?»
50 / Kate Pearce
«The wine, sir? I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the cook.»
God, he felt like such an idiot. He was probably blushing like a
girl as well.
«If you don’t object, perhaps I might sit with you?»
Robert shrugged and sat back down, watched as Captain Gray
laughed and flirted with the elderly cook in perfect French and
then brought not only a cup of wine back to the table but a
whole jug full.
«I haven’t seen you for quite a while, Robert.»
«No, sir, you haven’t.»
«Have you been down in the countryside working at Minshom
Abbey?»
«No, sir.» Robert stared down at his cup. «I’ve just been busy,
sir.»
«You haven’t been here for ages.»
«As I said, I’ve been busy.»
Captain Gray finished his wine and poured himself another
cup, offered the jug to Robert.
«Is something wrong?»
«With me, sir? No.»
«Then it’s just that you don’t want to talk to me.»
For the first time, Robert lifted his gaze from the tabletop and
found Captain Gray’s calm blue eyes fixed on his.
«It’s more the other way round, isn’t it, sir? I’m not quite sure
exactly why you would want to talk to me.»
«Because last time we met, you told me to leave you alone and
that you were quite happy with Minshom.» Captain Gray smiled.
«I didn’t believe you then, and I don’t believe it now.»
«Because you can’t believe I’d stop wanting you?» Robert
blinked hard. Didn’t Captain Gray understand that he’d done
what was best for all of them?
Before he could continue, Captain Gray spoke. «I’m not that
conceited, Robert. I think you wanted me to be free of Minshom,
and you sacrificed what you desired for yourself to achieve that.»
SIMPLY INSATIABLE / 51
«You’re wrong, sir. I’m perfectly happy where I am.»
«Being fucked by Minshom, being at his beck and call, being
used.»
Defiantly, Robert met Captain Gray’s skeptical gaze. «Just
because you decided you didn’t like it anymore, doesn’t mean
that I had to, sir.»
«My name is David. You’ve always had my permission to call
me that.»
«In bed, maybe, but out here in the real world? You’re the son
of an earl and I’m the son of a parson. You like fucking me;
Minshom likes to fuck me. We’ll never be equals, will we, sir}»
Captain Gray stood up and pushed away from the table. «Ah,
yes, hide behind your class, pretend that I view you in the same
light as Minshom does. You know it wasn’t like that between us.»
«Wasn’t it, sir? Perhaps you remember it differently than I
do.»
«Are you suggesting that I forced myself on
She held his gaze. «Then perhaps you should take me upstairs
and show me.»
He bowed. «Perhaps I should.»
Robert sat down at the pine table in the warm welcoming
kitchen of the pleasure house and sipped at the cup of mulled
wine the cook had just given him. He couldn’t help but wonder
what his employer was up to, bringing his wife to such a
scandalous place. He could only guess that Minshom was trying
to frighten Jane into going back home. That would be just like
him.
He took another sip of the wine, enjoyed the tartness of the
apple and the warmth of cloves and cinnamon against his tongue.
But her ladyship had always had a way of getting around his
lordship. Robert suspected that she might enjoy the pleasure
house far more than Minshom anticipated.
«Robert, is that you? I thought I saw you in the hall.»
Robert got hurriedly to his feet and smoothed down his hair.
«Captain Gray, sir.»
He stared into the smiling face of the very man he’d hoped to
avoid. The man who haunted his dreams, whose face he
imagined every time Minshom fucked him. Captain Gray was
blond, his hair clubbed back in an old-fashioned queue, his skin
bronzed and weather-beaten from his days at sea. He was about
the same age as Minshom, but there the comparison ended.
Captain Gray gestured at the mulled wine. «Is there any more
of that?»
50 / Kate Pearce
«The wine, sir? I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the cook.»
God, he felt like such an idiot. He was probably blushing like a
girl as well.
«If you don’t object, perhaps I might sit with you?»
Robert shrugged and sat back down, watched as Captain Gray
laughed and flirted with the elderly cook in perfect French and
then brought not only a cup of wine back to the table but a
whole jug full.
«I haven’t seen you for quite a while, Robert.»
«No, sir, you haven’t.»
«Have you been down in the countryside working at Minshom
Abbey?»
«No, sir.» Robert stared down at his cup. «I’ve just been busy,
sir.»
«You haven’t been here for ages.»
«As I said, I’ve been busy.»
Captain Gray finished his wine and poured himself another
cup, offered the jug to Robert.
«Is something wrong?»
«With me, sir? No.»
«Then it’s just that you don’t want to talk to me.»
For the first time, Robert lifted his gaze from the tabletop and
found Captain Gray’s calm blue eyes fixed on his.
«It’s more the other way round, isn’t it, sir? I’m not quite sure
exactly why you would want to talk to me.»
«Because last time we met, you told me to leave you alone and
that you were quite happy with Minshom.» Captain Gray smiled.
«I didn’t believe you then, and I don’t believe it now.»
«Because you can’t believe I’d stop wanting you?» Robert
blinked hard. Didn’t Captain Gray understand that he’d done
what was best for all of them?
Before he could continue, Captain Gray spoke. «I’m not that
conceited, Robert. I think you wanted me to be free of Minshom,
and you sacrificed what you desired for yourself to achieve that.»
SIMPLY INSATIABLE / 51
«You’re wrong, sir. I’m perfectly happy where I am.»
«Being fucked by Minshom, being at his beck and call, being
used.»
Defiantly, Robert met Captain Gray’s skeptical gaze. «Just
because you decided you didn’t like it anymore, doesn’t mean
that I had to, sir.»
«My name is David. You’ve always had my permission to call
me that.»
«In bed, maybe, but out here in the real world? You’re the son
of an earl and I’m the son of a parson. You like fucking me;
Minshom likes to fuck me. We’ll never be equals, will we, sir}»
Captain Gray stood up and pushed away from the table. «Ah,
yes, hide behind your class, pretend that I view you in the same
light as Minshom does. You know it wasn’t like that between us.»
«Wasn’t it, sir? Perhaps you remember it differently than I
do.»
«Are you suggesting that I forced myself on
Similar Books
