Portia Da Costa

In the Flesh


Скачать книгу

his laudanum-dosed model.

      Which left her a virgin, even if not completely naive. Like many women, she suspected, she’d picked up a variety of hints and whispers. Polly liked nothing better than to chatter about scandal and sexual antics, Charlie was sometimes careless with certain items of clandestine literature, and even the Ladies’ Sewing Circle was unexpectedly educational. Beatrice was well aware that games were played, diverse pleasures indulged in, and that in the privacy of their bedchambers, cosmopolitan men and women savored a whole cornucopia of outré entanglements that had little or nothing to do with procreation.

      And this was exactly what Ritchie wanted from her. This was what he’d paid twenty thousand guineas for.

      “Indeed I do, Mr. Ritchie, indeed I do.” Tentatively, she reached out and touched his thick fair hair. It felt like silk and, without benefit of Macassar oil or lotion, it curled waywardly.

      “Ritchie,” he reminded her, straightening up, his teeth white in a wolfish smile, his dark eyes glistening. He was so far from the polished gentleman of last night that he might as well be a different species of creature entirely. Perhaps a perverse and very masculine angel had tumbled to earth in order to tantalize and goad her?

      “Very well, Ritchie.” He was still holding her hand as if he owned her. Which he did, of course, now she’d signed the paper.

       I’m a whore now. A fallen woman. I’ll never be respectable again and I’ll probably never marry. I’ll be an unmaidenly old maid, typing for others for the rest of my days if Charlie spends all the money.

      Sobering thoughts.

      “What are you pondering about, Bea?” Ritchie’s eyes were narrowed again, but his expression was paradoxically gentle. “Not having second thoughts, are you?”

      “Not at all. I was merely reflecting on my new status.” She looked down at their hands. Ritchie’s was big, but elegantly shaped, and capable, as she knew from experience, of the most delicate mastery. Just thinking about how those fingers had felt between her legs made her anticipate them anew.

      “And that is?” He lifted her fingers to his mouth again, the kiss more formal and courtly this time, before releasing her.

      Beatrice stiffened her back, trying to ignore the melting, yearning, embarrassingly moist sensation he induced with every simple action. She cast her mind back to their conversation in the study at Lady Southern’s last night. It seemed like an aeon ago. “Well, Ritchie, as of now, I am the wicked woman that everybody believes me to be. I’m a whore.”

      The declaration was exhilarating. Liberating. Like a huge rush of pleasure at Ritchie’s hand. Of course, the sensations weren’t quite the same but the excitement was comparable. She’d thrown off a set of metaphysical shackles and could now float free, do anything, feel anything, enjoy anything. Her month with Ritchie could be the grand adventure of a lifetime, if she so chose, not a shameful state into which she’d been maneuvered.

      And after that? Who could tell what life might hold with twenty thousand in the bank and an annuity? She certainly wasn’t going to let Charlie get them into a horrible mess this time, that was assured.

      She held Ritchie’s gaze throughout the entire revelation. Allowing him the freedom to observe her feelings was a facet of her new understanding, a new kind of power. His slow smile told her he recognized it too.

      “Not a whore, Bea. I’d never say that and I’d never believe it.” He stroked his chin for a moment, and fascinated by even his smallest gesture, Beatrice admired the strong line of his jaw. “No, ours is a rational arrangement between two free-thinking adults who recognize a mutually pleasurable and advantageous situation when presented with it.” Such modern talk as he pushed back his jacket and reached into the inner pocket of his rustic jacket. “But if you must label yourself, I suggest you consider ‘courtesan.’“

       Courtesan? Infinitely better!

      Even to Beatrice’s relatively untutored ears, courtesanship conjured up images of luxury, decadence, sophistication and a state of willingness to be drenched in breathless, sumptuous pleasure.

      Her eyes popped wide when Ritchie withdrew his hand from his pocket—revealing a thick bundle of folded white banknotes. For all her new resolve, the sight still shocked her.

      But she willed her hand steady as Ritchie held out a portion of her remuneration on account.

      Yes, she’d be a courtesan … and revel in it.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/4RKrRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDEyOjA5 OjAxIDAxOjIyOjM1AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAABXigAwAEAAAAAQAACKoAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAARfQAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APPrKci6wimp920Bx2NLoEhu520H27inLMk49drWPIe7a17WktJMhrQ6Nvuc 32rU6Pl5OPZddiBoyBRvrc4j9GaraMwXtrc1/rWVOxPZV/13/BImQc0UWvFAIuwqcFwFkgtp9F5f TX6fsyNmCy51Vrv0eTf9qr/pFCkKHEOJnPs9BuLcbm+51QreXDX05LI3fT9n9dN6GVSWm2mwPtcW MBa4EuaQLK26e6xm73sXRPyLLPrBVnPx2VZGNa/Idji8lrg7KtLK/U9K39P9qytnqfzVtXo3VV1q vjHqPT6cFzKWC/pz7bMW6x4c1z74bRcKDW/fXW3Bt9H3/pf0P/F2Cypwm4+RYSKq3XN0cPTBdEkN b9H+U7ak71my7Y5oDtjyQYDh9Kv3f4T+Qtc4D305d9dLaMHMZ6lVQu3Gqoubn7J9Pdc6mqr0/oK3 1K/Py8fPqspqdW+1jy9tpc4ZGM11TLZ9IW3/AOT8fKpubb/Scq/7bv8A5qpK1OT0uq8ZT8j03+h6 bv0wadkbmN1sjb9L2rQsoyt9dfpWb7BLGbXS6NDsbHu2/nK30TEybc7Hs9Ib8TFazYbJY4V2B7C6 hzGu9G3/ALUVt9nrfpP8OtRuLkVN9NtLbccZT7LWWncHl7PRsoe0s/mranfp7dvrerXj2/orsatA qec+z5LK/XdVY2kifVLHBkH6P6SNnuSs9VmaxjwWPa7a5jgQWlp2vY9jvc1zHe1zVt04FlVVbC1t rKsh+TJsLmndXQ2mqwPr9SxlW3GdY/8Awv8AI+mqnVsfJf1mqzIAF91dT73NO4Ps2trfkaBux2R6 fqW1e/8ATep+kQUj9/iUlb+wPSSU/wD/0PPXusJDgXNPJgkHQyOFKS+s1y6REGTr5f2fzUWmyWmx 2jXHayfFANj90O0cw/L5KRCV1V7cYbXkFog6ngfRb/ZVNvrBnsc7aTqA4x8xKu/ahu2EbpjaB/36 UDIaxtrgw7dfcO3ySUxo9Y2Foe4NiHCSQQOG7foqdptbcHGx4b5OcOPd4/vIgdVTU1zQYcSJ7z5o V125gBIJ508ElPSf4uq/t31iuY8l4GHY5ocS6CH0t03LtcrpLRtAb2/KuU/xSObZ9a7zED7DaBPJ 99C9Q6g3HxsR+Zf/ADONUbbCIna1sujcWN/znph3S8c7po/d/NPj8FRyemtb1GgBsaDX5wuo6Vm9 M6y64YJcTQ337thHu+jDse29iF1TDdT1SuGgjZLe3+eUkND9nj9wpLTm394f5v8AtSSU/wD/0eO+ xMexodW8gcDsk7p9T9XVvJ4Co32ZGjq7HhsRoSpCzIFJDrXhxMiSQYCkQ2R0+uf5p8prMOpx3Prf PJJVI5eWW7W2PLhwQfuWtfmPsoczEY6iphbXW0Brnva/3BmRZt+0Oy7vR3b9/pP/AElFddaRPgpj bi9Lw6mfbPUvyi3fRgMEtIIJD8q7c3ZV9H2U73/8Uq+RlVWXirJw6mYzxoGN2WNYPp2V2Md/PVfu P9St6DlPzNnqWbhkOeRewtLbJIDq/pD+bb/Nsq/8mgvbk241t1oe2rGAaSQR73kNbVu/Mc5u+z3f 6NN8VPY/4sRjM+uM4oeKn4NulhBd9Ks/mf8AUrv/AK5ZOVX0dmPhbDdmg1EPJb+jFZtt22B9LWbW N3v/AEn837GLy3oPU