Chapter Twenty-Three #2
“You needn’t lie to me, Simon. I know you were unaware of my existence,” Penelope replied in a voice that was barely audible.
Shyness assailed her, and she wondered almost dazedly what precisely Simon saw in her that he found so desirable.
She was hardly as attractive as the women he had surrounded himself with in the past.
A slight frown furrowed his brow. Dark hair fell across his forehead, shielding his eyes from her gaze as he stooped down so he could brush his lips along the column of her neck. “I always noticed you, mouse, even when I was not consciously aware of it.”
His hands slid down to her spine, and with a skill a modiste would be envious of, he unfastened the buttons to her gown, sliding the cap sleeves off her shoulders until the upper part of the gown pooled around her waist. Now clad only in her half-stays, Penelope fought to keep from covering her breasts as they mounded above the stiff garment.
Simon glanced up, catching her stare in the mirror as he pressed hot kisses to her neck and the sensitive spot behind her ear.
The design of her coiffure gave him unfettered access, and he smiled as he began removing the pins.
When her hair finally tumbled down around her shoulders in a glossy, dark-brown mantle, he laced his fingers with hers and silently urged her to stand.
A second later, the vanity chair was kicked aside, and Simon’s hard, hot body was behind her, the buttons of his evening coat imprinting on her back as he embraced her.
“Oh, little mouse. What am I to do with you?” he breathed against her hair. There was an odd note of vulnerability in his tone that made Penelope’s stomach all topsy-turvy. “You have turned my world upside down, and I am discovering that perhaps, just perhaps, I prefer it that way after all.”
Penelope could not speak, her surprise at his unexpected admission was so overwhelming.
Something inside her bloomed and burst open, flooding her with emotions she never thought to experience with this man.
Understanding. A connection. A sense of belonging.
And yes, maybe even affection that went beyond the attraction between them.
It all felt so magical that her eyes prickled with tears.
Unlacing her stays with quiet efficiency until they fell away, he silently commanded her to step out of the pool of fabric.
Now clad only in her stockings and spool-heeled pumps, she waited for Simon to instruct her.
Her bare breasts heaved with desire, her nipples taut and aching for his mouth as her figure was reflected in the mirror.
“Bend over the table, wife. I want your pretty, little arse jutting out toward me. Now, brace yourself on your elbows. And stay still.” His voice was husky as she quickly obeyed him.
Will he spank me again like he did the first time in his office? Do I want him to?
Apprehension mingled with a spark of fear at the thought of experiencing such a thing again. That she enjoyed the punishment more than a proper lady should was confusing.
“Such an obedient little wife,” he crooned, and as Penelope watched in the mirror, he began removing his clothing.
The anticipation nearly overwhelmed her as Simon’s muscle-toned body was revealed inch by inch until finally he was completely bare.
She was shaking as he smoothed a hand over the curve of her buttocks.
“Do you remember what I told you in the gazebo?”
“Yes, Simon.”
He smiled at her quick response. “Good. Because you may only come when I give you permission. Do you understand what that means?”
She nodded, then was shocked when Simon’s hand reached over her shoulder and gripped her chin. His free hand slapped one buttock cheek, and she let out an involuntary yelp at the sting.
“You must use your words when we are like this, Penelope. As I instructed before, you can stop me, though I do not think you will. We must have a word to use that brings everything to a halt.” He considered her for a long moment, their eyes locked together, and another smile lifted his lips, this one containing a hint of seductive cruelty that made Penelope’s skin tighten in response.
“Scarlet. That is your word, and it’s the color I shall turn your bottom before the end of this evening.
Now, do not move from this position as I use you. ”
Sinking to his knees behind her, Simon’s fingers plunged inside her tight channel.
Penelope’s head dropped, a low moan of bliss rising to choke her.
The desire to reach completion returned with the force of a wildfire, fanned into an inferno as Simon pressed kisses and nibbling bites to her tender buttocks.
He drove her to the brink of insanity. But when she began to tremble with an inevitable orgasm, he abruptly stopped.
“My lord?” she questioned in her delirium. The resulting strike he administered to her arse almost sent her tumbling over the edge. She gasped, her body clenching around his fingers.
“You haven’t my permission, wife,” Simon laughed softly, withdrawing from her.
Rising to his feet, he gripped her hips with brutal hands and spun her around so he could lift her up onto the vanity.
“Spread your legs for me.” When she did, he sank back onto the floor, hooked his arms behind her knees, and kept her open using the width of his broad shoulders.
Both of his hands cupped her buttocks, holding her steady for the assault.
Penelope’s head fell back, a shaky cry on her lips as Simon began feasting upon her. Again, he brought her to the brink and denied her. When she sobbed in protest, he lapped at her sex and teased her with his tongue and teeth.
Finally, she weakly fought back, lacing her fingers in his thick hair and tugging until his head lifted.