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Sophie’s own bum ached for a good spanking. Of course, right now was not the time. She toweled her face dry and looked around the dressing room.
The other ladies were getting ready to leave for the evening. They hadn’t made an effort to be overly friendly with Sophie. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she was a lady of the peerage and they were all common folk. Or perhaps it was Sophie’s imagination. As timid as she was, she didn’t go out of her way to be friendly to them either. Perhaps she should try.
She walked toward two of the girls in the chorus. “I was just wondering… Are you ladies hungry? Cook prepared me a delicious dinner in this basket, but he always gives me way too much. I would be…most happy to share it with you.”
One of the women, Mary, rolled her eyes. “Really, my lady, we can see to our own meals.”
Sophie’s heart fell. She truly was just trying to be friendly.
“Oh, Mary,” the other girl, Elizabeth, said, “she is kind to offer to share her repast with us. I, for one, appreciate the thought, Lady Sophie.”
Sophie smiled. “Not at all. And please, call me Sophie.” She opened the basket. Inside was a feast of cold fried chicken, fresh fruit, a French baguette, and a canteen of watered-down wine. “Do help yourself.”
Elizabeth grabbed a chicken drumstick and took a bite. “Delicious! Do you eat this well all the time?”
“The Brighton chef is quite a talent. We are very well fed.”
“Well, it must be nice to be fed so well all the time,” Mary said, raising her eyebrows.
“Mary, really…” Elizabeth said. “You ought to try the chicken. It’s scrumptious.”
Sophie fumed. Here she was, trying to be nice, but Mary would not let her. And unbeknownst to Mary, Sophie knew well the torture of hunger. “You are both welcome to as much food out of my basket as you care to eat. I am happy to share what I now have in abundance. It may interest you to know, however, that my father squandered what little money his estate had on gambling and the drink. My mother, sister, and I lived in near poverty until his death. So I know what it is like not to eat so well on a regular basis.”
Sophie turned, leaving her basket open. She was no longer hungry. She headed to Zach’s office for her private voice instruction. She was early since she hadn’t finished the dinner hour. She would wait until Zach got there.
She was surprised when she saw Zach sitting at his desk. “I’m so sorry I didn’t knock. I just assumed you would be out at dinner since I was so early.”
“No, no. I find myself not very hungry these days. Since you’re here, we may as well begin.”
Zach seemed distant, same as he had been since he left Sophie’s home the afternoon when the earl had refused his suit for Sophie. He rose from behind his desk, walked to the pianoforte in the corner, and sat down on the bench. He opened his score to one of Sophie’s songs. “Let’s start at the beginning of this one and see what you’ve learned from Dame Helga this week.”
Zach started to play, and on cue, Sophie began singing.
After a couple of lines, Zach stopped her. “Your jaw is tight. I can see how tense you are. You need to keep your facial muscles relaxed. Too much tension in your throat will affect your voice.”
Dame Helga had told her much the same. However, right now, Sophie was little tense after her altercation with Mary and Elizabeth. She said only, “Thank you, Zach. I will try.”
Zach began playing at the beginning, and Sophie came in on her cue. She tried to be aware of her facial muscles and consciously relax them. After a few more bars, Zach stopped.
“You’re still tense, Sophie. You’ve untightened your jaw a bit, but now your shoulders are tense. I can see it in how you’re standing.” He rose from the bench and stood, facing her. He placed both hands on her cheeks and began massaging her jaw. “Relax. This will help. I promise. When you are relaxed, your vocal cords will be relaxed, and they will be able to work better and produce finer sound. Just as you must tune a pianoforte or any other instrument, so must you care for your voice. Your voice is your instrument, Sophie. You must take great care with it.”
His fingers on her face felt heavenly. Sophie found her eyes closing as he massaged down the tight corded muscle of her neck and onto her shoulders.
“So tense. You need to relax, sweet.” He continued manipulating her upper arms and then back up to her shoulders and neck. “My God, you’re so lovely. I want so much to kiss you right now.”
Sophie popped open her eyes. “Please.”
Zach’s lips came down on hers gently. The kiss was slow and deliberate at
first, so different from their previous raw and passionate kisses. It held a bit of sadness. Perhaps Zach truly wanted to court her and was just as disappointed as she that the earl said no. They continued the kiss, devouring each other gently, their desire building.
Sophie brazenly probed her tongue into Zach’s mouth and touched his. They dueled and swirled together, the kiss gaining momentum, passion. Yes, this was the kiss she had been waiting for, the kiss that would help her relax.
When Zach finally broke the kiss and drew in a deep breath, he moved Sophie to the divan on the far wall of his office and gently laid her down, her neck and shoulders propped up on the arm of the divan. Slowly, he stroked one finger from her temple down her cheek to her chin. Sophie’s skin tingled in the wake of his touch. Zach sat on the edge of the couch and leaned toward her, raining tiny wet kisses on her cheek and neck. He brushed a strand of fallen hair behind her ear and then kissed her jaw, trailing his tongue along her outer ear and gently plunging it inside. With his other hand, he slid his fingers from her forehead down the bridge of her nose, tracing every line of her face, down to her lips. Instinctively, she puckered her lips and kissed his fingers as they traced the contours of her chin. He followed the trail down to her chest and over the swells of her breasts still tight within her corset, her nipples hard as pebbles.
“So very beautiful, Sophie.” He pulled her upward and unfastened the back of her dress, slid it over her shoulders and her waist, discarding it. While she was still sitting forward, he gently unlaced her corset. He traveled down her body and removed her shoes and stockings. He pushed her back down gently, and his fingers continued their quest. She was clothed only in her lacy chemise and her drawers. He glided over the gentle swell of her breasts and circled one nipple. It beaded beneath his touch. He flicked and tugged at it through the flimsy fabric. He then meandered downward to her navel and swirled a finger softly around it, delving in and out of the sensitive area.
Sophie squirmed under his gentle ministrations, her core vibrating. She worried her feet together and clenched her hands into fists. God, what he did to her!
