Lori Brighton - [The Seduction 02] Read Online Free PDF Page B

no choice but to reside in this hell.
    Alex’s letters always put him in a foul temper, but there was no way to work off your pesky emotions like tupping. At the bottom of the steps, he turned left and started toward the parlor. The place was quiet in the evening when most women were preparing for a night of socializing. Morning was their busiest time of day. Husbands slept late and wives snuck out, supposedly shopping.
    He shoved the door open and paused. The room was small, an area merely for waiting, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t richly decorated. His gaze moved over the blue sparrow wallpaper imported from France, pausing at the marble fireplace. A man stood near the glowing hearth. Hearing Gideon’s approach, he turned to face him. He was dressed in a fine but plain suit.
    Gideon was far from an expert on the male species, having spent most of his time with women, but he seemed to be a gentleman, although not titled. Young, with blond hair and brown eyes. Gideon frowned. Lady Lavender was apparently expanding her empire to include the pleasuring of men. He sure as hell was notone to judge what people did behind bedroom doors, but he had no interest in the male species.
    “Sorry, but you’ll have to find another.”
    “What?” The man’s face went brilliant red. “No.” He shook his head and mumbled something under his breath that sounded deceptively like cursing.
    “You’re here for me.” A velvety feminine voice called to him softly. A husky voice that instantly made him think of the bedroom, of sleek bodies moving as one…
    Curious, Gideon turned. A woman stood near the light blue settee. Brilliant red hair curled from beneath her small straw bonnet, and he swore in the air hung the lightest scent of lilac. The woman from the foyer. A jolt of attraction flared through his body. She wore netting over her face, hiding her features, as most visitors did. Although it had never bothered him before, for he knew why they covered themselves, he was oddly curious about her eyes. Would they be a warm and rich amber? A brilliant blue?
    She took a hesitant step forward. “You will be going home with me.”
    Gideon had been surprised more than once today, but this shocked him to the core. Never had he been hired out. Leave the estate? He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Lady Lavender didn’t trust easily and liked to keep him close. She had her reasons, as in his youth he’d tried to escape more than once. He narrowed his eyes and scanned every soft curve of her body. Those lovely breasts strained against her bodice, the narrowness of her waist and flare of her hips accentuated her feminine body. Money or power? Which did this woman hold over Lady Lavender?
    “Very well,” he said noncommittally.
    The woman wrung her gloved hands, obviously nervous, or was it an act? “You have no questions?”
    He settled into the wing back chair next to the fireplace and relaxed, crossing his legs at the ankles. Something odd was mostdefinitely occurring. “The only thing that matters to me is what’s underneath your skirt.”
    The man near the fireplace sucked in a harsh breath, showing his displeasure. The woman’s elegant neck grew a brilliant red that crawled painfully slowly upward and he supposed, into her cheeks. “Mr. Smith, might you leave us alone for a moment?”
    The man stiffened. “Mrs. Ashton—”
    “Please,” she implored.
    He frowned, this Mr. Smith, but grudgingly left the room. So, the woman was in charge. But apparently she didn’t want to be in charge in the bedroom. Why else would she choose him? It made sense now. Was she a widow and this Mr. Smith her man of business? Or had he been her lover and she had grown bored with his gentle touch?
    “You will be gone a fortnight,” she said, pacing the small room. “I suggest if you have anything of importance, to bring it with. Clothing can be purchased. I prefer to leave as soon as possible.”
    A fortnight? More than wary, he remained