Read Online Sinful Seduction by Kate Benedict - Free Book Online Page B

the people who caught her attention. The men were dressed in formal black - but the women! Dressed in vivid satin dresses of every hue, with lace shawls and feathered fans, they laughed and chattered and flaunted their finery like an aviary of exotic birds. In her lilac print dress Maggie felt as out of place as a violet in a bouquet of hothouse flowers.
    â€˜I can’t stay here,’ she protested, shrinking back. ‘Look at me; I’m not dressed properly.’
    He looked at her seriously. ‘Believe me, you’d be twice as pretty as any woman here, even if you were wearing a sack,’ he assured her. ‘But if it worries you so much, we can soon sort that.’ He clicked his fingers and a waiter came rushing up. ‘The lady and I would like a private room,’ he said.
    â€˜Certainly, sir,’ said the waiter politely. ‘Right away, if you’ll just follow me.’ He led them through the throng to a door hidden behind a blue velvet curtain with gold swags. Maggie felt a pang of unease as she mounted the richly carpeted staircase. What on earth did she think she was playing at? She should be home by now, not going to supper with the master’s son. What if this was a house of assignation and she was being led to a bedroom?
    â€˜Here we are,’ announced the waiter, throwing open a door, and she sighed with relief. It wasn’t some tart’s boudoir after all. It was a perfectly ordinary room with a long settee along one wall and a table set for two in the middle. The waiter pulled out a gilded chair for her as if she was the queen herself, and she sat down and smiled at Master Jeremy as he took the one opposite her.
    â€˜Cor, this is lovely,’ she beamed.
    â€˜Just wait till you taste the food,’ he smiled back, and nodded to the waiter. ‘We’ll have oysters and champagne,’ he said.
    Maggie gasped. ‘Champagne? Ain’t that expensive?’ She’d rather have had a nice cup of tea. The only alcohol she’d ever drunk had been the odd glass of sherry at Christmas in the servant’s hall - and it had been horrible. She’d taken one sip and poured it into Mrs McAllister’s glass.
    â€˜Worth every penny,’ said Master Jeremy. ‘In fact, let’s push the boat out.’ He smiled at the waiter. ‘Make that two bottles.’
    When it came Maggie sipped it gingerly, then smiled. ‘It’s lovely,’ she agreed. ‘Like lemonade only fizzy.’ She emptied her glass and giggled as he refilled it. ‘You’ll get me tiddly,’ she protested - but drank it all the same.
    By the end of the meal she felt she was floating. It didn’t seem to matter any more that she was just a maid and he was the master’s son. They were just two people - a man and a woman. She watched as he tilted his head back and opened his mouth to swallow another oyster and felt a prickle of heat at the base of her belly. What would it be like to feel those lips touch hers?
    â€˜I think I’d better get off home now,’ she muttered, pushing her chair back and standing up. She staggered a little. ‘Ooooh, I’ve come over all dizzy,’ she giggled. ‘Must be them oysters.’
    He leapt to his feet and took her arm to steady her. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
    â€˜I’m fine,’ she said, then staggered again - and was lost. Her knees weakened as his arms went round her and she felt the hard planes of his body pressed against her. She sighed, her head tipped back, her lips parting in anticipation, and he needed no second invitation. With a moan he pulled her tighter against him, his hungry mouth possessing hers, his tongue eagerly exploring. She could feel his growing hardness pressing against her belly and sighed again.
    A hand was fumbling at the small buttons at her neck, undoing them one by one until he could push her dress from her shoulders. It slid down her body