Page 35 of In a Rake's Embrace
“Yes.”
Bea chuckled softly. “Oh, darling, after your lesson last night, do you wish to challenge the earl? He seemed to be a master at forced pleasure and of himself. No lady here has ever made him lose any sense of himself. Radbourne has never been enamoredof anyone, and if a lady seemed to like him too much or became clingy, he dismissed her.”
“There’s no chance he’ll dismiss me. As my tutor and a man of honor, he’ll see his commitment through to the end.”
“You seem to know him well,” Ellen said, canting her head to study Agatha.
“I know only what he shows me,” she said.
“Have you considered that might turn the tables on you again for another lesson? Not only the fourth floor will hear your pleas for mercy.”
Agatha’s cheeks flushed, but she held her ground. “Perhaps.”
“There are so many ways to torment a man using only your mouth.” Bea leaned in, her gaze gleaming with mischievous delight. “You must learn to draw out the anticipation, tease him until he is desperate for more.”
“How?”
Ellen’s smile widened, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “Start slowly ... kiss him in places he does not expect, perhaps the hollow of his throat, just beneath the ear. Men are sensitive there, more than they care to admit. Light, feathery touches with your lips, never rushing.”
Bea frowned thoughtfully. “The earl has bedded neither Ellen nor me. However, he has been with Hettie ... and she mentioned though he is a giving lover he is also ... cold and indifferent to her touches. She never made him lose control, and whenever she tried, he merely smiled with that mocking humor in his eyes. Lady Susanna then took up the challenge and failed miserably.”
Oh!“Bloody hell,” Agatha whispered.
Ellen smiled—a sly, almost dangerous curve of her lips. “I think you should still try.”
“I agree,” Bea added, her eyes dancing with devilish amusement. “Tell him you want to see and understand the malebody. You want to ... touch and be familiar so you are not scared.”
“I like that,” Agatha said, smiling.
“Take this chance to touch him all over, all for education purposes, of course,” Ellen said. “Trace his skin with your tongue, the curve of his jaw, the hollow of his collarbone. Let your breath be warm against his skin, but never too much contact. Make him want it—make him beg for more.”
Agatha’s pulse quickened as the image formed in her mind, the tantalizing power of turning the tables, making him lose that iron-clad control he seemed to wield so easily.
“And when you finally reach his cock,” Ellen continued, “take him into your mouth, slowly, agonizingly slowly. Do not rush to please him. Every flick of your tongue should be deliberate, as if you are tasting him, learning him. Let him know you are in control.”
Bea leaned closer, her voice a velvet caress. “Make him feel every single stroke of your lips, every gentle scrape of your teeth. Vary your pressure—sometimes soft, sometimes firm—but never too much at once. And when he thinks he cannot stand it anymore ... slow down. That is the real torment.”
Agatha felt a rush of heat surge through her at their words, thrill and anticipation swelling in her chest. There was a wicked satisfaction in imagining herself in that role—teasing, tormenting, making him come undone.
Even if she failed, she would feel better for trying.
“And when you know he is close,” Bea added, her lips curving into a sly smile, “pull away. Make him ask for it. Make him beg. That is where the power lies, darling.”
Ellen nodded in agreement, her eyes glittering with amusement. “The moment you have him at the edge, that is when you will see just how easily control slips away.”
The thought of driving Thomas to that brink, of seeing him struggle to hold onto his composure, made her pulse race.
“I will make him beg,” she whispered.
Yet there was another part of her that simply wanted to give him pleasure. Agatha shied away from that awareness.
Both women grinned, their eyes gleaming with approval.
“We can teach you all the ways a woman can use her mouth to tease, torment, and unravel a man like him. Believe me, it’s an art,” Ellen murmured. “But we cannot promise it will work.”
“I will—” Agatha began, determination blossoming through her when a sharp knock interrupted.
The door swung open to reveal Madam Rebecca standing with a composed smile. “Lord Radbourne is here for you, Agatha.”
