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“Apparently.” He stood, his stomach knotting, turning to stone. “Isn’t it fortunate you run a whore-house? Plenty of men available to you. Go find one to fuck and tell me how your explorations fare. See just how well your body responds when it’s another man’s hands touching you.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage her to find another lover. Have another man trail his fingers down her spine. Squeeze his prick into her tight—

Max’s vision blurred. He blinked away the tiny red spots that had formed.

“Perhaps I will.” She jumped to her feet and planted her fists on her generous hips.

“Good,” he bit out.

“Fine.”

One benefit to not undressing to tup, Max didn’t need to waste time looking for his clothes before getting the hell out of there. With a curt nod, he stormed from the room and pounded down the stairs. He flung the door open, and it bounced against the wall.

The three-piece band he’d hired was practicing in their raised alcove above the main room. Only a couple girls were out, chatting with the footmen before the customers arrived. A servant walked about with a candle in his hand, lighting the lamps along the wall. The man turned down the hallway to the back rooms, the corridor becoming brighter with each wick he set ablaze.

Molly sidled up to Max, a drink in her hand. She trailed a finger along his sleeve and cocked her head coquettishly. “Greetings, stranger. You’re looking awfully tense. Anything I can help you with?”

“Yes.” He took her glass and threw back a swallow of port. His tongue twisted at the cloying sweetness. He handed the glass back to her. “Thanks.”

“Not quite what I had in mind.” Playing with a heavy red stone dangling between her breasts, she raised a plucked brow. “You look like a man with a lot on his mind. Too many worries aren’t beneficial to a person’s health.” She smoothed her palm down his cravat. “I can make you forget. At least for a while.”

Rolling onto her toes, she whispered in his ear. “I can take the heat. Anywhere you want to burn me, you can. Anywhere.”

Unwillingly, his cock thickened at that invitation. Molly was a beautiful woman, but he’d never played with her before. She was too practiced. Malicious, even. To truly enjoy working with fire, a bond of trust needed to exist between the play partners. Something in Molly’s eyes warned she could never be trusted.

“Not tonight. But thank you for offering.”

She laughed, a musical tinkle. “So polite. Enough to make a lady wonder.”

Max looked back at the stairwell. Would Colleen be coming down tonight? Would she make good on her threat? “Wonder what?”

“If perhaps you might have a longing to try something different. At least for one night.” She stroked her hand lower, over his waistcoat. “Haven’t you ever wanted to lose yourself, Sutton? Let go of the reins, just for a little bit?” She stepped close, pressing her breasts into his arm. “Let me take control for the night. Relieve you of your burdens. You won’t have to think about anything except how hard I make you come.”

He grabbed her hand before it dropped lower. Blood pulsed through his length, and he was torn between pressing her palm into his groin and tossing it off of him. He knew what his cock wanted. Finding release in a woman who wanted nothing more than to make him happy. And he couldn’t deny that the novelty of taking orders from a domineering woman as skilled as Molly didn’t hold its appeal.

But this time, his big head won out. “Afraid not. That doesn’t interest me.” At least not with a woman he couldn’t trust. If Colleen ever wanted to play the strict nursemaid with him, perhaps crack a ruler along his palm, that could be another story.

His stomach sank to his toes. Colleen wouldn’t be doing anything with him anymore.His shoulders slumped, and Max desired nothing more than to be alone in his sitting room, with a book in his hand, and a gallon of whiskey by his side. There was another way to forget aside from a back room at The Black Rose, and Max intended to drown himself in it.

Molly shrugged, the wide strap of her gown slipping off her shoulder. Max was sure it had been intentional. “Your loss,” she said. “If you ever change your mind, I’ll be waiting.” She turned. “It’s the least I could do for my new employer,” she tossed over her shoulder and sauntered away.

Her employer. Max strode from the club. Ignoring the footman, he hurried down the block and hailed his own hackney. Clambering inside, he blew out a breath. At least that was one worry he didn’t have about Colleen. She would never have slept with him just because he employed her. Or to try to seduce money and gifts out of him. No, she was so damn honest she informed a wealthy baron, a man who could give her anything she desired, that she wanted to sleep with other men.

He slumped in his seat. He couldn’t fault her. Just because his emotions had become involved in their affair didn’t mean hers had to. And she was right. She’d only been with two men. How could she know from such a small sampling where her passions truly lie? He’d hoped—

He ground his fist into his thigh. It didn’t matter what he hoped.

The carriage rattled towards his home. Large and empty except for his plants and his servants. Colleen deserved better than him. She’d been remarkable enough to forgive his greatest transgression. She was a goddamn saint.

And he was a lonely bastard, still trying to figure out right from wrong. He needed his work with the Crown to end. He’d waded through the swamps of England long enough; he needed to get out before he sank. Once he was home, at his country estate, working with his plants, everything would make sense again. It would be easy to not cross certain lines. Easy to not have to hurt someone for the greater good.

Life would be undemanding. Trouble-free. Simple.

And he would be alone.

Solitude, something he’d always loved, no longer seemed easy.

He’d taken from Colleen, taken something precious.

But she’d taken from him, too. His comfort with seclusion. And he didn’t think it was something he’d ever get back.