Page 24 of The Virgin in the Rake's Bed
Unlike before, he did not remove it, but ran its length gently up her leg. A shiver ran through her at his touch, and she swallowed hard, her heart beating, unsure of what to do next. “I would betray myself, I fear,” she said, and he smiled.
“The art is showing yourself entirely unaffected by it. Indifferent, even,” he replied.
“But if I like it?” she asked, and he continued to fix her with his gaze, his foot running up and down the inside of her leg with just enough force to offer the right sensation of pleasure and longing.
“It is like the dance. You must not show it. Inside, your heart is racing, you long for more, you mind is turned to passion and desire. But do not let him see that. Let him think you are indifferent, that you have no interest in him, that a dozen other men about the table might steal your heart. It will drive him in a mad and frenzied ecstasy. Then he is yours, a plaything you may do with as you please. But if you show your interest, then he will think he has won, and then assume that you are his to do with as he pleases. That cannot be,” he replied.
It all seemed very confusing. Catherine had never imagined that a simple affair of sharing a dinner with others could become so fraught with pitfalls. “So, I am to allow a little seduction on his part, but ensure I remain in complete control?” she replied, and he nodded.
“Precisely, yes. It is not difficult. You are managing very well right now,” he said, and she smiled.
“I am not even trying,” she said, and he withdrew his foot from her ankle.
“Then practice,” he said, sitting back and taking up his knife and fork.
He eyed her across the table, causing her to blush under his gaze. “We have just sat down to dinner,” she began, and he nodded.
“And so, what will your first move be if I am to be seduced?” he asked, slicing vigorously into his meat.
“I will glance at you, though I will not stare at you. You will understand my interest in you, but it shall not be so obvious. Perhaps I will glance at other gentlemen, too,” she said, beginning to enjoy their little game.
“Yes, very good. The sight of you glancing at others will make me envious of them, and more desirous of you,” he said, indicating for her to continue.
“The meal will be served, and you will continue to glance at me, and I at you. I will wait for my moment – it would not do to rush in. But when it comes, I shall know. Perhaps your foot will brush against mine, and I will move mine back, waiting for the moment, then I shall move it forward, brushing it against yours, whilst maintaining perfect composure. I may even continue my conversation to left and right, though you shall know that my passions are focused on you,” she said, as he laughed and dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
“Precisely. And depending on the length of the meal, we shall feel our passions aroused to the most uncontrollable heights. It would be a most unsettling situation, though not without its joys,” he said, pushing aside his plate.
Catherine rather liked the idea of such a seduction, or rather, she enjoyed playing at it with Ian. She could not imagine doing it for real, though perhaps if the two of them found themselves at a dinner with others she might.
“And have you yourself been seduced in such a way, she asked, wondering if he had played such a game with others. He smiled and nodded, pausing for a moment as though remembering some long-ago affair.
“I have experienced such a thing, yes, though I am surprised you yourself have not,” he replied.
“I have never given myself opportunity to do so, Mr. Benn… Ian,” she replied, just as the maids entered the dining room to clear away the dishes and present the final course – a spectacular Charlotte Russe.
“Well, this luncheon has been quite the education for you, has it not?” he asked, and Catherine smiled.
“I am sure you are to tell me that there is still much for me to learn,” she said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.
Ian pondered for a moment, a smile playing across his face. “A little, perhaps, although you are possessed of considerable talents. It is not just any woman who can seduce me,” he admitted.
“I was not aware that I had. Were you not merely doing me a favor?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“You gave me your favor, too,” he replied, and Catherine startled as she felt the touch of his foot against her leg.
“It seems I am still not entirely at composure when it comes to a gentleman’s touch,” she said, taking a spoonful of the Charlotte Russe to her lips.
“Then there is still much to learn,” he replied, withdrawing his foot, though his eyes remained rigidly fixed on her, his gaze unwavering.
He smiled at her, taking up his spoon and sliding it into his piece of the Charlotte Russe, before reaching across the table and bringing it to her lips. She blushed, allowing him to feed her the sweet, delicate dessert, feeling herself ever more enamored by his seduction.
“Am I to do that, too?” she asked, taking her own spoon and offering to him.
He nodded, allowing her to feed him, the pleasure of their game heightening with every moment. For the rest of the luncheon, it seemed he toyed with her, offering her opportunities to make her own attempts at seduction, whilst engaging in his own, too. Catherine enjoyed their back and forth, though it was unclear whether or not this was a lesson or the real thing. Was he merely playing games with her, she wondered?
“I must be leaving now, no doubt a search party has already been sent out for me,” she said, rising from the table, and laughing at her own joke.
“Must you go?” he asked, and Catherine blushed.
