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Sophie closed her eyes. Dear Lord, she didn’t want to help the stinging. She wanted to remember it forever. “Truly, I’m fine.”
“Yes, you’ll be fine,” Zach said, “but I don’t want you hurting on the morrow.”
“I promise you I am fine.”
“Indulge me, then. I quite like massaging you
.” He continued to rub the sweet-smelling ointment onto her. His hands were warm and firm.
She tingled all over, savoring his touch.
“You were able to take quite a lot,” Zach said. “Most women can’t take that much their first few times.”
Sophie stifled a sob. Most women. Others had come before her. Of course, she knew that. She just didn’t expect him to tell her about them. Then again, he was not courting her. No reason existed for him to be faithful to her. However, a bit of her heart broke at that moment. She was having feelings she had never even imagined, feelings she’d never had for Lord Van Arden or anyone else, even Frederick McKenzie, a young man she had known when she was but a blossoming teenager. He had been majestic and refined, and she had longed for him to pay her the slightest bit of attention. He hadn’t, but she dreamed of him for years. He’d been too old for her at the time, but the thoughts of him had given her pleasure. She’d needed the pleasure to escape the pain in her life.
“There you are.” Zach removed his hands from her.
Immediately she mourned the loss of his hands upon her. He stood and turned her away from the desk to face him. Perspiration gleamed over his beautiful face and hard glistening body.
“Please, forgive me if I took it to an extreme. You’re just so ravishing, and you seemed to want it so badly. I could never live with myself if I’d hurt you.”
Sophie forced a smile. “You didn’t hurt me. I…enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad you did. I enjoyed it too.” He brushed his lips over hers in the softest of kisses. “I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with you, from listening to your sweet voice when you auditioned on the stage, to kissing your perfect lips, to having you touch me through my trousers, to spanking your lovely bottom. There’s something about you, Lady Sophie MacIntyre, and I’m not quite sure what it is. All I know is I want to see more of you.”
It wasn’t an offer of courtship, but it was something. Zachary Newland was a talented and intelligent man. If she were Ally, Sophie would be thinking she could learn a lot from such a man. She was not Ally. But still, perhaps learning more in the art of pleasure and pain would not be a bad thing. In fact, the thought delighted her.
“You will see plenty of me when we begin rehearsals in a few days,” she said coyly.
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “We will see a lot of each other. And we will be rehearsing together. I cast myself as your leading man.”
Sophie warmed all over, suddenly very aware of her nakedness. “It will be my pleasure to work with you. You’re very talented.”
Zach chuckled. “Why so formal all of a sudden? Did you forget that you were just bent over my desk and I was spanking your gorgeous bottom?”
Fire spread to her cheeks. She clasped her hands over them. How could she have forgotten? It had been the most exciting thing that had ever happened in her life. “Zach…Mr. Newland… It’s difficult for me to…”
“Speak of such things?” Zach nodded. “It is for most ladies. But I assure you, there are plenty of ladies like yourself who enjoy these types of erotic arts.”
Yes, she had heard of such from Ally. She’d just never imagined she herself would enjoy such play. She resisted meeting Zach’s gaze. If only she were more like her sister… But she wasn’t, and right now, she needed to escape.
“I really must go,” she said, dressing as quickly as she could. She turned and allowed him to tighten her corset and button her dress. “Thank you for…” For what? She could hardly say thank you for bending me over your desk, swatting my bottom, and giving me release. “Well… Just…thank you.”
* * *
“Please…stay!”
But she was already gone. Zach heaved a sigh. Something about her drove him absolutely mad. He wanted to mold her, help her find her voice…in more ways than one. Her singing voice captivated him, and with some proper tutelage, she would become the toast of Bath and maybe even London. Zach had formal training in voice, and he wanted to share it with Sophie, to teach her, help her become who she was meant to be.
And sexually… A long time had passed since he’d been as aroused as he was with her. Not since he was a mere lad of fifteen and lost his virginity to a servant girl four years his senior. Evangeline was her name, and she had tresses of fiery red hair and a personality to match. “Spank me,” she’d begged. He had, and he’d found he was a natural dominant.
Some women enjoyed it. Others didn’t. Those who didn’t, he rarely saw more than once or twice. Those who did, he’d have longer relationships with. But never had he longed for something more… Something elusive…
Zach wasn’t the type to fall in love. He considered himself married to the stage. But Lady Sophie MacIntyre brought out something in him—something new and almost frightening. Since the moment he first saw her onstage and heard her enchanting voice, she hadn’t ventured from his mind. And once he’d kissed those lips, he’d been lost. Now he still ached for more. They had not yet consummated the relationship. He had no doubt that would happen, but he wanted to take it slowly with her. This was a new concept to him. Normally, consummation happened quickly, and if it didn’t, he was no longer interested. But with Sophie… He wanted to indoctrinate her slowly, help her find her muse not only in her performance but also in the bedchamber. He imagined being with her for years, perhaps even a lifetime.
Truth be told, those thoughts troubled him.
Zach hadn’t had an easy life. His father had run out on him and his mother when he was lad, and his mother had found work as a maid. His mother was all he had, and he was very close to her. Unfortunately, she passed on from the consumption when Zach was young. He’d cried and cried, begging her not to leave him, but she had. Afterward, he begged on the streets, making his own way until he was old enough to find work. He scrimped and saved, determined to make his way in the world as a performer, something he had dreamed about since he was a young lad.
