Page 4 of A Lord's Chance
“I’d like to see you on your knees for me again.”
Lloyd stared at Mr Gilbert, whose cheeks had gone pink. “You want me to examine your watch while you are wearing it?”
Mr Gilbert rolled his eyes, which made no sense. “Are you really this obsessed with my watch?”
“Yes. I would have served an apprenticeship with Hobart if circumstances allowed.”
“Lords don’t do apprenticeships.”
Lloyd had heard that too many times, and by the time he’d reached his majority and could do whatever he pleased, Hobart was no longer producing, presumed dead, and he’d missed the chance to work with one of the finest silver workers and precision watchmakers in England, assuming he’d have been able to find him and convince him to let him work with him.
“I think you’ll find that a Lord can do whatever he wants.” His toes started to tap in his shoes, impatient to end this frustrating discussion and get on with his examination of the Hobart. Why was Mr Gilbert so reticent? Why bother inviting him here if he didn’t want him to investigate the watch? Was he wrong about it being a Hobart? Maybe Mr Gilbert knew that and didn’t want to be embarrassed?
Chapter 4
Nobbie shouldn’t find that assertion so incredibly hot. A Lord doing whatever he wanted was a simple fact of life, but for Lawndry to apply it to an apprenticeship in watchmaking should have been absurd. If Lawndry was acting, he was utterly brilliant, and Nobbie needed to understand his game.
“And what you want is to look at my watch?” He knew better than to ask why Lawndry had targeted him for this scam. His ability to turn a small fortune into a big one was well-known through the peerage. He’d advised many of them in various investments, although that was mostly a front for his real business with Adam. But he knew all their clients and all the people they’d spurned too, and Lawndry wasn’t among them. This wasn’t revenge either, unless he’d missed something. Unlikely. Nobbie couldn’t work out Lawndry’s motivations. It may just be the most basic of them all. Desire flickered in his veins, like flames licking at a log of wood. Not the best analogy if he wanted to keep control over his desire. Tempting him, almost grabbing hold of him, threatening to overwhelm him.
“Yes please.”
It was the please that did him in. He wanted to see Lawndry kneeling before him, saying please before Lawndry sucked his cock. He wanted to shock Lawndry and see those brown eyes open wide, and maybe even sink his fingers through his silky hair.
“On one condition.” It was a risk, yet Nobbie was good at reading people, and he didn’t think Lawndry would be horrified by his condition. He might even enjoy it.
“A condition?”
“Yes. I’d like you on your knees again, and I want you to remove the watch with your teeth.” If Lawndry had thesame inclinations as Nobbie, he’d understand what Nobbie was asking.
“Your request is not very practical.”
“It is not intended to be.” He wanted to test how keen Lawndry was and he wanted to know if he was correct about Lawndry’s understanding of what else had occurred yesterday.
“You have asked me to do this twice now.”
He had? Damnation. He was usually more careful. “I enjoyed it the first time.”
“But that was so innocent?” Lawndry’s cheeks bloomed into a lovely shade, a warm rich brown.
“Was it? You moved with the grace of someone who has knelt before.”
Lawndry’s blush darkened. “You are very bold. It would be safer to go to one of the many clubs that cater for such things, rather than make such suggestions to a stranger.”
Confirmation that Lawndry understood the potential between them made Nobbie’s head spin, light and a little bit giddy. Lawndry was completely correct in saying that a club would be safer, but only someone who’d been to such clubs would know what Nobbie meant.
“Audentes fortuna Iuvat.” Orphans weren’t taught Latin, but Nobbie had picked up a few useful phrases in his time, although most were cruder than this one about being bold.
“Yes. I accept, but I must have as much time with the watch as I need.”
“The watch? You are obsessed.” Nobbie stopped wondering what this man’s game was and became intrigued by his obsessiveness. No one could pretend such a thing without it coming across as desperate. It would give away the final goal of the game, but Lawndry didn’t show any of those markers that Nobbie usually picked up on.
“Yes.” Lawndry made it sound so simple. “I have been obsessed with watches since I was a boy, and yours represents a puzzle in the world of horology.”
Suddenly Nobbie understood. A puzzle made sense to him; just like when he was putting together a financial scheme to help a woman escape a bad situation. Finding the perfect solution to a problem was incredibly fulfilling.
“Then you may touch the watch.”
“With my mouth, or...”
