Authors: Saralynn Hoyt
"Oh yes," Cassie exclaimed. "I can make an
appointment for you if you’d like."
"Will you come with us?" Sabrina asked, knowing
she sounded desperate.
"Oh, well, no." Cassie was suddenly at a loss for
words. "I never intrude on such personal matters."
Sabrina snorted her disbelief.
"I mean, not when Madame Lou is doing her readings."
Cassie was acting funny. "I enjoy hearing about it afterward, but I never
go to the readings, ever."
It was an odd statement, especially since Cassie was so
vocal about supporting this Madame Lou. But Sabrina didn’t have time to wonder
about such things at the moment. Gerald Tremaine was walking into the
restaurant. He was impossible to miss, given his wide girth. Sabrina wanted to
sink under the table, but she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes off of him as he
sauntered into the room. Thankfully, it was a very large room and Sabrina did
blend in with all the other ladies having luncheon. The gentlemen usually
didn’t show up until later. Since her brother-in-law didn’t have a lady with
him, Sabrina had to wonder what he was doing at the Savoy at such an early
hour? Then she watched as he headed for the card room. Of course, he wasn’t
there to eat, he was there to gamble. For a man who had always belittled his
brother for his weakness of gaming, she found it ironic that he was there doing
the same.
"I think we should go."
"But we haven’t even had dessert," Cassie
complained. "The only reason to eat at the Savoy is for the dessert cart."
Sabrina sighed. She wanted to leave now, but she couldn’t
deny her friend the sweets that had brought them out today in the first place.
"Let’s just be quick about it," Sabrina agreed. "I
want to get home to Alice."
It was a dirty trick, but she knew Cassie would do anything
for the little girl.
"I know," Cassie said suddenly, with a gleam in
her eye. "Let’s see if we can get one of these stodgy waiters to put some
goodies in a box for us? Then we can take dessert home to Alice."
"That’s a perfectly wonderful idea," Sabrina said,
pleased that they could leave now and have their cake.
Gerald might come out of that room at any moment. There was
no way to be sure he was actually playing cards and not just meeting a business
associate for a drink and then dinner later. She simply couldn’t risk being
seen.
"Sir!" Cassie stopped the closest waiter and told
him what she needed. He nodded and hurried off, returning no more than five
minutes later with a cake box bound in twine.
"For the sick little girl." The waiter smiled
kindly at Sabrina, handing her the treats. "And we’ll send the bill around
to Mr. Northcliffe with his regular receipts."
"Oh no," Sabrina protested. She couldn’t possibly
allow Ford to pay for their meal.
"Don’t be silly," Cassie shushed her. "It’s
the way things are done. If you must, you can have him take it from your wages
and then I’ll repay you. But one doesn’t pay with cash in such a place."
"I never did understand how that worked," Sabrina
admitted. "Edward took care of such things. Even if he did make a muck of
it all in the end."
Cassie linked her arm in Sabrina’s and they left the Savoy
and looked for a hackney to transport them back to Park Lane. They found Alice
in the kitchen about to have some of Mrs. Dixon’s apple pie that had just come
out of the oven.
"Oh, lovely," Cassie cooed. "We can add the
pie to our little dessert party."
Delores helped Sabrina unwrap the box and pull out three
huge slices of cake, lemon, coconut, and chocolate, and two creamy custards.
Along with the pie, there was enough for them all to stuff themselves.
"Oh dear, the walk home is going to seem quite long
after this." Cassie said giggling and rubbing her very full stomach.
"You can’t possibly walk, Cassie. It’s much too far. Let
me have someone drive you home." Sabrina rushed off to find the chauffeur.
"Mama looks sad," Alice said to Cassie as soon as
Sabrina had left the room. "But Papa says she’ll have a lot to be happy
about soon."
"What did he say," Cassie asked casually, as if
talking to ghosts was an everyday occurrence.
"Just that he didn’t lose all the money like they
thought. Uncle Gerald tricked Papa and made him think we were broke. And Papa
said he knew how to make it all right again. Mamma will figure it out with Mr.
Northcliffe’s help." Alice drank the last of her milk. "When do you
think I’ll be able to call Mr. Northcliffe Papa?"
Cassie squeezed Alice’s little hand. "Soon, my pet,
soon. We just need a little help from Mrs. Northcliffe and then they will all
sort themselves out. I hope."
"Papa says that’s the big problem, Ford’s Mama. He’s
been talking to her too. But he won’t tell me much about that. He’s worried
that Mama’s going to find out about whatever Mrs. Northcliffe did and then she’ll
be real mad."
"Alice, will you ask your father how we can get Mr.
Northcliffe to listen to his mother?" Cassie looked at the little girl in
complete seriousness. "I just don’t know what I’m going to do if he
doesn’t."
"I can try," Alice said, just as serious. After
all, this was important business. "Anything to make Mama happy again."
Sabrina walked back into the kitchen. "George will
drive you home. Just give him another few minutes to pull the motorcar round
front."
"Why don’t we tuck Alice into bed while we wait?"
Cassie asked with a wink at the little girl.
Alice jumped up and ran ahead of the adults. "Come on,
Mama."
Sabrina laughed and followed them upstairs. She was still
worried about Gerald, but she would talk to Ford about that later. Maybe he had
heard from his lawyer about those papers? If only there was something there
that could help them. They put Alice to bed and Cassie read her a story.
After Miss Blakemore had left, Sabrina went in search of
Ford. He wasn’t in his laboratory or the study and the library was completely
empty. The note he had sent earlier in the day had been sweet and apologetic,
and although she still wanted him intimately, she wasn’t sure if she was ready
to face him in his bedroom again. Her feelings were too mixed up and she knew
she wouldn’t be able to resist him under those circumstances. It would be nice
to talk first, before she let him seduce her again. Finally she gave up and
went to his suite and knocked gently on the door.
"Come in," he called out.
She stuck her head in the door first, wanting to see what
was waiting for her before taking the plunge and going inside. He was fully
dressed, except for his jacket, which was tossed over the back of a chair.
There was a tea service on a side table and a half eaten piece of Mrs. Dixon’s
apple pie. Ford looked up, and smiled at her. Sabrina melted instantly. His
dark blond hair was slightly mussed and she longed to run her fingers through
it. What was it about this man that made her lose any good intentions she might
have briefly entertained?
"I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier." Sabrina edged
her way into the room.
"I’m sorry I made a fool of myself last night,"
Ford said, closing the distance between them. He moved behind her and locked
the door. "I was confused and mad at myself for compromising you. I never
drink, and after yesterday I never will again."
"I did wonder why Freddy and Roland didn’t want me to
see you." Sabrina said, pondering why she didn’t feel more nervous.
Ford had just made it infinitely clear that he wanted to be
alone with her while having no chance of being disturbed. There was only one
reason he would lock the door. A thrill of anticipation flooded her senses.
Ford took her hand and gently pulled her into the bedroom.
"I don’t want to presume anything," he said,
walking backwards toward the four poster. "If you don’t want this, you can
go. I won’t ever speak of it again, and I’ll never ask you to come to me. It’s
your choice, Sabrina. I want you, but only if you want me."
Sabrina couldn’t have stopped herself from walking this path
even it ended at a cliff, as it might very well. Ford watched her hotly as he
pulled off his spectacles and began to loosen his ascot tie. This was it,
plunge in or jump out.
"Let me do that," she offered, pushing his hands
away.
But instead of unbuttoning his shirt and vest, she ended up
in his arms, being kissed with such keen tenderness that she almost cried.
"Oh, God. Sabrina, what are you doing to me?" Ford
asked the question as he nibbled at her lips. "I haven’t been able to work
or sleep. All I do is think about you."
His words enflamed her. Sabrina didn’t know how to answer
him other than to kiss him back with all the passion and emotion she possessed.
Slowly, Ford began to remove her clothes, taking his time with each button,
making the experience so sensual that Sabrina wasn’t sure she would survive it.
Her own hands shook as she removed his vest and shirt, and when she came to his
trousers, her hands trembled. He pulled her onto the bed, removing her blouse
and kissing every inch of her skin, scorching her with his mouth. Between
kisses, he licked and nibbled her as if she were the dessert. When he got to
her boots, he laughed. "Why are your shoes so bloody complicated?"
Then he pulled the laces out with his teeth. It was so
sensual, but Sabrina couldn’t help but laugh. He looked like a big puppy dog
playing with her shoes. But what he did after he got them off wasn’t cute at
all. It was sinful the way he ran his hands from her toes, over her ankles,
caressing her calves and then tickling her behind her knees. When he reached
her thighs, Sabrina was close to exploding. And then he stopped. Just long
enough to untie her garters and roll her stockings down the same path he had
just traveled, reviving all the sensations in reverse this time.
"Take your hair down," Ford whispered, looking at
her with such fire in his eyes, she melted and complied immediately.
He then proceeded to duplicate his efforts on her second
foot, calf and thigh, bringing her to the brink once again. It was pure torture
to come so close to the precipice of completion, only to be pulled back again
and again. Pure, pleasurable torture that is. Ford wasn’t done with her yet,
though. He kissed her instep, and then ran his tongue around her already tender
ankle, moving back up to that exquisitely sensitive area behind her knee again.
And then, before she could stop him, he was pushing his way up between her
thighs. Stroking the tender flesh with his thumbs, he found his way to her
core. Sabrina nearly bucked when his hot mouth touched her most sensitive
feminine spot. It was almost magical the way he laved her, sucking and holding
her, making her burst in pleasure over and over again until she was weak with satisfaction.
"And here I thought you were the strongest woman I’ve
ever met. But now you couldn’t lift a kitten." Ford laughed and pulled
himself up, removing the rest of their clothes.
Sabrina felt too feeble to even move.
"Hmmm," she murmured, looking forward to the rest
of their encounter with unabashed enthusiasm. When his lips finally found hers
again, she could taste herself on him. It was sinful, yet somehow even more
arousing. She couldn’t wait to feel him inside her, filling her and making her
whole.
"Now, Ford, now," she said, spreading her thighs,
inviting him to finish what he’d started.
"Not quite yet, ma Cherie," he said, giving her
that crooked smile that made him look ten years younger. "I haven’t quite
had my fill of tasting all of your delights."
Then his hands were on her breasts, stroking the delicate
skin and his tongue was flicking over her nipples. They stood at perky
attention, sending fierce jolts of pleasure to her center with every kiss, lick
and nibble. Sabrina was thrashing around like a wild beast, urgently wanting,
no, needing Ford to fill her and make her whole. Somehow he managed to keep her
hands from finding him and breaking his control. It wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t
fair.
"Ford, let me touch you," she gasped the words
out, struggling to put two words together.
Another gruff laugh. "I don’t think so." His voice
sounded strained. At least she had that.
"You aren’t playing fair." Sabrina was desperate
enough to try any ploy. "You have to let me touch you."
"I don’t have to do anything, sweet Sabrina."
Somehow he had her hands in a vice of one of his own. "Except make you
moan my name."
"Oh, Ford, Ford, Ford!" She complied eagerly as
his fingers once again found the sensitive petals of her desire.
Wet with her perfume, he then licked her essence from his
hand. Sabrina had never witnessed anything so erotic. Until he dragged his
thumb over her already puckered areola, and her entire body shuddered and she
could feel her loins undulate. Finally, when she was practically weeping with
need, Ford moved his body to cover hers. But he wasn’t quite yet done teasing
her.
"Ah, Sabrina," he sighed, leaning down and kissing
her tenderly. "I can’t believe you’re here with me."
He softly moved his tongue over her lips and nibbled on them
gently. Plucking her mouth as if it were his only sustenance more and more
urgently until he finally kissed her completely and deeply. Sabrina was dizzy
from his kisses, almost spinning out of control, but not quite. His hands
loosened slightly during his plunder, and she was ready to take full advantage.
Pulling out of Ford’s firm grasp, Sabrina moved her hand
down over his smooth, hard chest, tickling the soft hairs that angled down his
chest until she reached the treasure she had been seeking all night.
Ford gasped with pleasure. He couldn’t believe this amazing
woman was allowing him to make love to her again. In all of his thirty-four
years, he’d never known such exquisite passion. His experience of women was not
very broad, but even the affairs he’d had in Paris while studying at the
Pasteur Institute seemed cold by comparison. Certainly the women had been
creative, but it had only been a release for him, not this opening of his soul.