Page 90 of The Notorious Lady

His breath caught in his throat. There, rendered in fine black lines, was the unmistakable scene of a man and woman on horseback… entwined in a sensual embrace.

The woman’s hair streamed behind her, captured mid-motion as if caught in a wild wind. Her back was arched dramatically, her head tilted back, and an emotion of undeniable bliss was evident in her features. The man’s strong hands gripped her hips, holding her securely against him as they rode.

This sketch was definitely of the moment Grace and he shared together, except Grace had managed to change a few details. In this rendition, the woman’s torso was bare, her breasts were exposed to the viewer, and it was happening at night.

“That is absolutely… incredible,” he whispered.

Grace raised her head, her eyes expressing her vulnerability, her lips curved in a timid smile. “Thank you.”

“Is that your new subject matter you were talking about?”

She nodded. “Yes. I love sketching couples in the throes of passion, exploring each other’s bodies, and finding new ways to please each other. I started sketching things like this after meeting harlots in Hades’ Hell. They would tell me about the different acts, and I would draw them to understand what they looked like. Later, I started putting them in ink on the cards. I use them in my brothel now. Clients can select what they want without any words.”

He chuckled. “Clever.”

“I really enjoy it. The human body is rather versatile in the ways it can find pleasure.”

He turned toward her and licked his lips. “Teach me.”

She swallowed, their eyes holding for a long moment. “I’d say you’re quite capable.”

He leaned closer to her and shook his head. “No. Teach me something new. Something I haven’t done before.” Then his eyes dropped to her lips. “Something you’ve always wanted to try. I will be your willing puppet.”

Chapter 25

“Anything I want?” Grace breathed, her eyes sparkling in mischief.

Ford nodded. “Anything.”

“If you said that in my brothel, you might have regretted it,” she teased.

“Why is that?”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “It’s just that I have all my favorite… um… inventions there.”

He raised a brow. “I am intrigued.”

She licked her lips, a calculating gleam in her eyes. Then she turned away from him and pulled out a drawer under her desk. Nestled there was a little velvet purse.

“Wait here.” She left into the dressing room, then came out dangling something from her finger.

Ford eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

She came closer and opened her palm, showing a large metal ring with a little ball on top, and a gap on the opposite side of the ball, leather fastenings attached to the edges.

He recognized it as the ring he’d seen hanging from her chatelaine.

It was sparkling clean, the ball on top glinting in firelight, no sign of the grime from the travels.

Ford reached out a hand, but Grace snatched hers back. He raised a brow. “And what am I to do with it?”

“You wear it.” She flicked her eyes down to his crotch.

Ford cleared his throat. “For…?”

“Many men have said that it helps them last longer,” she said. He tried not to take it as a criticism of his performance. To be fair, with her he did have trouble controlling himself. She added, “And they also say it makes their pleasure more intense.”

“More intense?” What Ford had experienced with Grace so far had been mind-shattering already.