“Inevitably, Evan’s propensity for outrageousness led me astray as it so often does. I tried my hand at a few restraints for sexual games, and a secret, elite, lucrative business was born.”
A servant knocked, delivering tea.
Beth gasped. “I hadn’t realized the time. I must go check on Althea.”
She pecked him on the cheek as she brushed by him, then he was alone.
Telling himself he was relieved, he went to check on the day’s activities. The rain continued, so riding or walking the estate were not options. As those were the only things that might have tempted Robert, including a quick nip in to visit with Evan’s mama, who he adored, he chose to continue his leatherwork in an attempt not to obsess on how and if he’d find a way to get Beth naked again without an audience.
Tying off the last stitch of another piece, he moved to place it on the pile of completed work. Frowning, he flipped through the pile, then the other piles, then gazed around the room in consternation. A garment was missing.
Understanding dawned. “Why, that little hellion. ‘Outrageous’ is right. So much for ‘only the evenings.’”
Chapter Five
Beth took her time dressing for dinner.
When Robert had left that morning, she could not resist rummaging through the piles of leather cut in all widths and lengths that lay around the sitting room. Hoping he’d participate in that night’s games with her, she wanted to ensure he’d search her out.
She could not decipher how to wear most of them.
I suppose there is not a wrong way, given that he employed two different configurations with me last night using only one set. I must admit, though, I am impressed. He might think about intimacy even more than I do. And he is certainly more creative.
She’d found an item that looked like drawers cut off at the crease of the thigh, leaving only the person’s most private parts covered. They had a narrow channel around the waist for a drawstring, but there was no tie added yet.
What made these so exciting? Was it the feel of leather against one’s nether regions or the tight fit, assuming they were specifically designed for women? Or were they simply very short drawers in a different fabric? It seemed rather tame.
Nevertheless, she wanted Robert to search her out again, and taking them had been a way of ensuring he did so.
Beth pulled them out of the drawer she’d tucked them into. Althea had already dressed for dinner and gone to take the meeting Beth had arranged with Evan regarding her store expansion.
Untying the wrapper she had slipped on after her bath, she removed its sash and ran that through the waistband of the leather garment, using a bent hair pin to lead it through.
Even before donning them, the thought of that rich smooth hide sliding between her legs had her pulse racing. As they slid up, there was less and less slack in the leather, and she worried they would not fit her bottom or even her thighs. When they glided up over her cheeks, she sighed in relief. The leg holes still had a finger’s worth of room.
She shifted side to side for the pure pleasure of the animal skin against her own.
Oops.
There seemed to be a seam or fold of fabric that caught against her most sensitive spot. Frowning, she tugged them down a few inches to peer into the undergarment.
No seam. No fold of fabric. In fact, he’d taken care to ensure there was not a seam or hem near sensitive flesh, by adding a layer of leather inside. But—she prodded—there was a lump under that layer.
Ah, well, she’d tell him about the flaw when she saw him. She dragged them back up and tied them around her waist, layering a petticoat and a gown of a dark color, to ensure the black of the leather did not show through.
Her first strides into the hall were large and confident. Drawing a sharp breath when the lump brushed her folds, she shortened her gait and slowed. Stepping onto the first stair wrenched a gasp from her.
Oh my. She paused with one foot still on the floor of the upper level, one foot on the step.
With one leg stretched and one bent, the bump caressed her growing protuberance through her parted nether lips.
Right, then. Not one to waste an opportunity, she took the stairs at a lingering pace, swinging her hips to test different angles. By the time she reached the main floor, the leather was slippery with her arousal. She was hungry for more than dinner and hoped Robert was sitting near her to plan for dessert.
Reaching the drawing room, she found everyone pairing to venture to dinner.
Desperate to find Robert, she returned Althea’s nod and kept scanning the room. She sighed in relief when he stepped from the shadows to offer his arm.
“I believe you have something of mine,” he hissed, leaning in and turning his mouth toward her ear so others would not overhear.
