Page 1 of Enemies with an Earl
Prologue
Felix
1805
London, England.
Men sat in each other’s laps. Kissing. Fondling.
For everyone to see.
And they didn’t have to hide. Not here.
Excitement, and a fair bit of nerves, thrummed through Felix as he watched the revelry in the alehouse, the men openly dancing with other men. It would never cease to amaze him, watching all these men—people—be free.
“You ready for tonight?”
Felix turned to his best mate, Benedict, whose eyebrows were lifted knowingly. A huff of laughter escaped Felix. He was more than ready. Just neededhimto arrive. William. Felix’s heart gave an extra-hard thump.
Felix'd had his share of trysts once he and Benedict had started perusing the cruising grounds, once they’d found their favorite molly houses—and Christ, what a surprise it had been that there wereso many. An entire world of others like him.
Felix’s exploration had made one thing extremely apparent: what sort of man he attracted. He’d inherited his father’s height and breadth. Men saw him and wanted to be thrown around, liked his size.
And while he was lovingfinallyexploring the pleasures of the flesh, he’d begun to discover what sort of manhewanted. Felix wanted that, too—a large man to toss him around. To makehimfeel small. But there weren’t many men larger than him. And just because a man fit everything Felix wanted in the physical sense, didn’t mean they’d be compatible. But he’d finally found someone last week when he and Benedict had beenhuntingin the Moorfields. William.
“I’ll admit, I'm a mite jealous. That man is a delectable specimen,” Benedict murmured.
Felix’s lips curved. That he was. Benedict had the same taste in men that Felix did. Which was actually how they'd met. Because Felix was Benedict’s ideal type.
Benedict was an actor and incredibly attractive—with rich brown hair that somehow always looked sex-tousled, and striking green-blue eyes that promised devilry. When he was on stage, he was captivating. A little over a year ago Felix might have…started attending every performance Benedict was in.
Felix hadn’t been as subtle as he’d thought, because one night after a performance, Benedict had ambled past Felix, and bold as you please, had murmured in Felix’s ear:I've felt your gaze for weeks. Follow me and I'll give you the kind of performance they'd never dare to put on stage.Felix had stood there in shock. Because men didn’t just approach men like that. Did they?
Apparently, they did. That was when Felix realized how different it was forhimversus men of a lower-class. If he did something like that and approached the wrong man, it’d be all over the scandal sheets. As the heir to the Earldom of Bentley, his every move was watched, scrutinized. But for Benedict, he had an element of invisibility that made it easier to move around.
Felix hadn’t been able to resist the invitation—not as a nineteen-year-old who hadn’t ever even kissed a man. The curiosity, the bone-aching want, had been too much. And while Benedict and he had quite a bit offun—Felix had also found Benedictfunas a person—there was a physical attraction, but nothing more. They’d quickly fallen into a fast friendship, where Benedict exposed Felix to the underground world that existed for people like them. Like this alehouse, a place designated for men like them. Mollies.
Some men seemed to own the term proudly. Felix didn’t think it quite fit him. He was just a man who enjoyed men.A sin,whispered through his mind.Unnatural. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. That’s what the world was determined to believe.
But Felix was extremely blessed. He had a family who knew of his preferences and loved him despite his defect. He could almost hear his mother’s voice, scolding him for thinking that way.
She was a dainty slip of an angel. But one did not cross Lydia Jennings or her family. She was firm in her stance that she believed society were the ones that were defective in their beliefs. And being in this room, full of other people like him? It was a little easier to believe his mother. Because surely there was nothing wrong with this: happiness, joy, love.
Benedict’s elbow dug into Felix’s side. “He’s here!”
Felix’s heart rate picked up, and he scanned the room. His gaze instantly foundhim, taller than nearly every other man here. Dark brown hair. Wide shoulders. Square jaw. A shiver stole down Felix’s spine.
“You’re giving yourself away.”
Felix caught Benedict’s eye, whose gaze flicked to Felix’s breeches and then back up. Felix’s cheeks heated, but a grin spread across his face. “Can you blame me?”
Benedict let out a wistful sigh. “No, I really can’t. What I wouldn’t give to be the meat in your sandwich.”
Felix snorted. “Maybe with a different man. But I want this one all to myself.”
“Yes, yes. I know. Salt in the wound.” Benedict gave Felix a small nudge. “Go get your man,Perce. And I wantallthe details after.”
Felix disappeared into the crowd, heading for William. Normally, he and Benedict shared stories—sometimes shared men. But this time? Felix thought he’d want to keep this one for himself. Because as he dragged the man toward one of the private rooms in the back of the building, he knew tonight was the night he’d finally experience what it was like to have a man insidehisbody. And there was no one more perfect than William to be his first.
