The Lady and the Vixen Read online

  “Why are you telling me this and asking me all these questions? Is this your idea of a cruel joke?” Lucy’s voice broke, and she lifted the mask to wipe the sweat from under her eyes.

  “Here, take it.” Tisha produced another handkerchief.

  No longer caring if Tisha knew what she looked like, she took off the mask and patted her face.

  “Better now?” Tisha ran her palm down Lucy’s back.

  She nodded, and her shoulders slumped. She was exhausted. All she wanted was to go to bed. First, she had to find her brothers. But for some reason, she kept herself from running from the room like before. Perhaps it was because Tisha hummed in her ear. Instead of irritating, it soothed her.

  “I’m so tired. It’s been such a long day.”

  “There’s no need for you to leave yet. Here, rest your cheek on my shoulder.” Tisha ran her fingers on the side of Lucy’s face. She nestled comfortably against Tisha, who, only a moment ago, frightened her with her insightfulness. It had been so long since she had confided her darkest fears and secrets to someone. And that someone, whom she once gave her heart to, waited outside, possibly searching for her. Never again would she trust anyone like she had Irena. But a small part of her wanted to reveal what lay hidden in her heart.

  “I don’t know what’s come over me. It must be the stress of dealing with my father’s illness and being back home, surrounded by so many memories.” She twisted the handkerchief and shut her eyes. I could fall asleep right now and—

  Tisha laid her palm on the side of Lucy’s neck. Lucy opened her eyes and lifted her head. Tisha smiled tenderly and placed a soft kiss on Lucy’s mouth. She gasped and moved back, but Tisha curved her arm around Lucy’s waist, restraining her.

  “I can help you forget your burdens for a while if you’ll let me. No one will ever have to know,” Tisha whispered and kissed the tip of Lucy’s nose.

  She didn’t struggle or stop Tisha when she lowered her on the chaise. She dropped her arms to her sides and stared up at the woman who ran her fingers across Lucy’s cheek and then her lips. She became lost in the spell of Tisha’s touch and the likelihood of what was to come.

  “You don’t have to do anything at all. Let me take care of you.” Tisha’s lips met the middle of Lucy’s chin. Her tongue came out and flicked the skin.

  Lucy moaned.

  “How does that feel?” She moved up to Lucy’s mouth.

  “Strange,” she croaked, and before she cleared her throat, Tisha’s mouth came down on hers.

  She stiffened but then relaxed as Tisha rubbed her lips back and forth. She shut her eyes and clutched Tisha’s shoulder, opening her mouth to let Tisha’s tongue inside. Tisha slid her tongue in, circling, finding Lucy’s tongue and engaging in an intimate dance that caused Lucy to dampen below.

  She dug her fingers in Tisha’s shoulder, the sensation of another tongue on her own almost too much to take. She arched up, pressing her chest to Tisha’s, her nipples spearing her bodice, the longing for them to be fondled too much to bear. She hadn’t been touched and pleasured by another person in such a long time. She wanted Tisha to be the one to break her dry spell and give her peace in a form of a climax.

  Tisha’s kisses grew harder and more demanding. Lucy cupped her face and raked her fingers through her hair. Tisha broke off the kiss and panted, staring at her with heavy-lidded eyes.

  “More?”

  “Yes.” She nodded and drew Tisha toward her again for more wonderful kissing.

  Tisha planted a finger on Lucy’s mouth. “First, tell me your name.”

  “Lucy.”

  She ran her finger across the bottom of Lucy’s lip. “Pretty.”

  Lucy lost the ability to speak when she kissed her again. The pull of Tisha’s lips and her plundering tongue caused her cunny to flutter, and that hidden knot of muscle she rubbed sometimes before bedtime swelled.

  “I need….” She gasped, arching again when Tisha moved her face down and peppered kisses on her bosom, licking and sucking until she reached the edge of her bodice and dipped her tongue inside.

  She bit her lip as Tisha cupped her breasts and poked and prodded her hard nipples. She cried out when Tisha snuck her hand inside her bodice and her fingers swept over her skin. Her other hand landed on Lucy’s stomach, rubbing and stroking.

  “Hurts,” she sobbed. Her pussy throbbed and fluid built within, the escalating pressure too much for her to control.

  Tisha removed her hand from Lucy’s breast. She cried out from the loss and seized Tisha’s hand and put it back, but the woman shook her head.

  “Be a good girl now, and I’ll give you what you want. I’ll take all the pain away,” Tisha purred and lapped the top of Lucy’s breasts.

  She covered her eyes with her arm, unable to bear the sight then rocked up and twisted her hips, trying to find relief. She was rewarded by Tisha lifting her skirts and scooting her hand up Lucy’s stocking leg and thigh. She searched for the slit in her drawers and sighed when she slipped her fingers inside Lucy’s mound.

  She turned her face to the side, ashamed by how wet she was. It had never been the case when she had been with Irena and certainly not with Giles. Tisha owned her body for the time being, and she gladly gave her free rein. She bowed back when Tisha’s cupped her cunny, her fingers spreading apart her feminine folds and probing deep within.

  “Aha, there you are.” Satisfaction lined her voice. She curled two fingers up, flicking Lucy’s button of pleasure.

  She whimpered and rocked in Tisha’s hand. She twined her leg around Tisha’s hip.

  Tisha nibbled on Lucy’s breast, and Lucy moaned. She wanted Tisha to rip the fabric and free her breasts, to feel Tisha’s mouth and tongue on her skin. She was on fire, ready to explode any minute.

  Tisha licked and sucked in time with her fingers that poked and prodded. She swept her fingers along Lucy’s folds, pumping in steady strokes. She rocked against Tisha, squirming and twisting, indulging in the sharp jolts running through her body.

  “Inside you?” Tisha lifted her head and panted.

  “I don’t understand…oh dear God!” She sat up when Tisha’s fingers impaled her. She clutched the back of Tisha’s head to gain purchase from the burning. Never before had she felt anything like it, and when Tisha twisted her hand, she saw black spots and started to shake. A burst of pressure and a deep throbbing rushed through her core and blasted right in her center. Her mouth opened in a wordless scream, only to be covered by Tisha’s wanton mouth.

  Each contraction from her cunny made her tremble violently. Tisha’s hand never stilled, and Lucy’s inner muscles latched around the instruments of pleasure, milking Tisha’s digits for all they were worth. Only when the pangs subsided did she fall back, mewling on Tisha’s mouth as she welcomed her consuming, succulent kisses.

  The rushing sound in her ears remained as she returned to Earth. Tisha slowed her kissing until to pecks with a few nibbles her and there. She hugged Tisha to her and thanked the woman with pats and strokes along her nape and head.

  Tisha moved to the side and withdrew her hand from Lucy’s drawers, fingers and palm glistened with her release.

  “Hmm, you enjoyed yourself.” Tisha licked away the dampness.

  Her breasts still tingled, and her nipples firmed and primed for another round of lovemaking.

  Lovemaking? She sat up, dislodging Tisha, and swung her legs around and landed her feet on the floor. She started to stand but became woozy. Tisha grasped her by the arm and pulled her back down.

  “You should sit for a while longer. Better yet, why don’t you lie down and we

  can—”

  A man and woman’s laughter came from outside the door. When the knob turned, she shot up, despite the room spinning. She pushed down her skirts and fixed her bodice, groaning at the wet spots on the fabric from Tisha’s mouth.

  Tisha touched her back, and Lucy darted to the side, searching for her mask. Finding it on the floor, she snatched it and put it
on. She patted her hair and searched for an escape.

  “I’ll get rid of them, and then we—”

  The bong of the clock on the wall made her jump. She had to get out of this room and away before she did anything else salacious and disgraceful. Hadn’t she learned once that engaging in such wicked intimacies could cause her to spiral into guilt and dark despair?

  “Take a moment to catch your breath. I’ll take care of the two outside.” Tisha lifted her face for a kiss, but Lucy backed away from the tempting woman.

  “I need to find my brothers. They might be looking for me now.” She didn’t care what she looked like. She ran to the door and opened it. The man and woman were in a passionate clutch, kissing one another as if their lives depended on it. She darted past them and down the hall.

  “Lucy, wait!” Tisha seized her elbow, causing her to stumble. Lucy bumped a gentleman, apologized, and ran ahead, intent on finding Colby or Chase and anxious to leave this place and Tisha, who’d reintroduced her to amazing delights she had long neglected.

  Tisha continued shouting her name. She hurried into the ballroom, swept up by the guests. She circled the room, trying to locate her brothers. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Tisha in the doorway and shoved people aside until she slammed into a hard chest.

  “Lucy! I found Colby.”

  “Chase.” She threw her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly. He patted her back awkwardly, explaining where he had been and how they could find Colby.

  When she caught her breath again, she allowed him to escort her away. With another quick glance, she spotted Tisha standing with her arms crossed and a disgruntled look on her face.

  She trembled and turned away, intent now more than ever in running as fast as she could away from this wicked place and the woman who’d brazenly seduced her.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The secluded bar in the back of the club suited Colby just fine. He needed the quietude, away from the merriment and gaiety found in the main ballroom and the rooms off to the side where card and dice games were played. Fortunes were made here, as well as lost in, a blink of an eye. He knew going in, placing his bet of fifty pounds, that he was in dire straits. He’d had one too many drinks on the house, due to his good friend Aidan who’d goaded him into the game. In less than ninety minutes, he had lost far too much and left even more depressed than he already was. Now, he drowned his sorrows in his fifth gin while he sat at the end of the bar, trying not to think of what would meet him on the outside. How could he face his family, especially Lucy, who, after years away, had returned to see their father, the man he had always disappointed and had tried so hard to impress?

  He was responsible for causing Father’s attack. Their fight, one Father had initiated because of Colby’s reckless spending, had led to horrible things said between the two of them. And when he accused Father of never loving him and blamed him for Mother’s death, Father agreed and said he sickened him. He stomped out of the house, cursing Father to Hell. It wasn’t until later in the evening when Chase found him at his gentlemen’s club that he learned Father was near death.

  Now, he drank himself into a stupor. He was an embarrassment to the Daugherty name.

  He sighed and drank the gin, the burn of the alcohol a balm. He was numb and had been for years. If not for learning about Pythos and becoming friends with Aidan, he would have been truly lost.

  Most importantly, he would have never met the woman who made him get up every morning, even though she would never belong to him.

  Abbie walked behind the bar. She and the bartender exchanged words, and the bartender left. She studied the room, half filled with men drinking and smoking cigars or cigarillos. Her nose wiggled, and she tightened her apron around her waist. Exhaustion infused her face, and he felt the urge to jump behind the bar and hold her.

  His cock stirred at the sight of this young woman who worked far too hard. Even though she belonged to Aidan and he took good care of her, she enjoyed her employment at Pythos. Every time he visited the club, which had become a daily requirement for him, he would spot her smiling, always happy, no matter what time of day or whatever duty she was involved in. Her younger brother Benji was the same way, a hardworking and polite boy who wasn’t much for conversation but always volunteered to help wherever possible.

  She wiped the bar top. He watched, enthralled by her movements. Even though her dress was an austere navy, it did nothing to dampen her beauty. Her blonde hair, always pinned under a small white cap, was perfect for a man to comb his fingers through. He wished he could be that man. But she didn’t belong with him. She never would. Aidan had basically warned Colby to stay away from her. He respected Aidan too much to even think of betraying him in such a manner. But it didn’t stop his yearning for the young woman who always made him feel welcome.

  The woman in question waved and approached him, her captivating smile in place. “Hello there, Mr. Daugherty. How are you this evening?”

  Colby, call me Colby, he wished to say, but she never would. Once he had given her permission to do so, but she’d gazed at him oddly and said it wasn’t right. The only men she called by their first names were Benji, and, of course, Aidan.

  He wanted to tell her everything in his blackened heart, about his ill father and how wretched he was. He wanted to admit how envious he was of Aidan, who had her love. But if he ever did such a thing, he would be thrown out of Pythos, never to see Aidan or Abbie again.

  He put on a brave face to act as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “My evening has been like most—entertaining, Miss Hale. I know I can always come to Pythos and have a grand old time.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” She pointed to his glass. “What are you having? Perhaps water?”

  He chuckled and hiccupped. She had to be teasing him. “Water? Try gin.”

  “How many glasses have you had?” Concern filled her voice. “Perhaps a soda water would be best. I’ve seen more than my share of men casting up their accounts outside tonight. I would hate for something like that to happen to you.”

  She was far too insightful. He understood why Aidan had claimed her. He didn’t want to lie to her. She would most likely know if he did. “I may have had one too many. I lost heavily at the tables tonight. Aidan has graciously offered for me to drink on the house to make up for it.”

  She took his glass. Their fingers touched, and he closed his eyes to savor the sensation. If only she was free, and he had the courage, he would take her by the wrist and kiss her palm, enticing her with his lips. He never had done such a thing with a woman before, but he would love to practice on her.

  The smell of coffee tickled his nose, and when he opened his eyes, a steaming mug sat before him. He stared at it, confused.

  She rested her forearms on the bar. “Coffee is what you need. Trust me on this. You don’t need any more alcohol, even though Aidan has offered.”

  Touched by her sincerity and empathy, he nodded in acceptance. He would drink a gallon of coffee, if only to appease her. Lifting the mug, he drank.

  She nodded, pleased. He lost himself in her sparkling blue eyes, refusing to look away. A blush covered her cheeks, and she studied the bar. His hand, as if with a life of its own, moved toward hers resting on the bar. Before he clasped them, Benji ran up, waving a piece of paper.

  “H’llo, Mr. Daugherty.” Benji took off his cap and slightly bowed to Colby. He then dropped his cap on his head and slammed the white flier on the bar. “Look, Abbie! Some gent gave me this here paper. It’s an invite to the big exhibition. Can we go? It ends soon.”

  She scanned the flyer. “Benji, anyone can attend the Great Exhibition. It’s not exclusive.”

  “Exclu-huh?” He scratched his cheek and shifted from right to left.

  “It means just what your sister has said. Anyone is allowed to go,” Colby stated. “You and Miss Hale will love it.”

  Benji nodded, his eyes widening. “Can we, Abbie? Maybe Mum will want to come also.”
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  She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Mum is still feeling poorly. But I’ll take you.”

  Benji’s smile expanded, and he clapped. “Hurrah!” He turned and faced Colby. “Would you want to go with Abbie and me?”

  Colby shared a tender look with Abbie, who looked uncomfortable at Benji’s inquiry. He was glad the boy asked. He would love nothing more than to escort both siblings to the exhibition. It would give him a chance to know Abbie better and perhaps become friends with her. If they couldn’t have any more than friendship between them, he would at least welcome that.

  “Where are you planning on going?” Aidan slid up to the bar and clapped Benji on the back.

  Benji stared at the floor. “Erm, an outing, sir.”

  Aidan took off Benji’s cap. “Remember, the cap stays off inside. I see a few tables that should be cleared. Take care of them while I chat with your sister and Mr. Daugherty.”

  Benji nodded and darted away to do Aidan’s biding. Colby never liked the way Aidan talked to Benji, but who was he to judge? Benji did tend to be high-spirited and forgetful. But then again, he had witnessed some tender moments between the older man and Benji, the majority of them when Abbie was in their presence.

  Abbie walked around the bar and came to Aidan’s side. She started to explain, but he swept her up in his arms and kissed her. Her palms landed on his chest as she welcomed the kiss. Colby turned away when he saw them sharing tongues. No one in the room appeared to have noticed or cared. Most who frequented Pythos had witnessed Aidan’s and Abbie’s public displays of affection in the past.

  Aidan finally broke off the kiss, and Abbie stared up at him, eyes heavy-lidded. He swept his thumb across her lips. They stared at one another, ignoring all else around them. Colby pressed his damp palms on his trousers and looked away from the sight.

  “Be a good girl and see if you can find Teague. Tell him I’ll meet him in his office in ten minutes,” Aidan murmured.