Page 23 of A Pearl Possessed

Adrienne lay on her stomach in the bed that had been a refuge for the last four years and leafed through her journal where she kept track of her courses. Her visits from her "cousin" were so regular, they were almost like the movements of one of the king's regiments. Until now.

Damn that stubborn bull of a man. There was nothing worse than a man's ego to get a girl in all kinds of trouble. And Obadiah's "ego" was way bigger than that of any other man she'd known. At that thought she broke out into laughter. She couldn't stop until tears filled her eyes. She scrubbed the moisture awaywith the back of her hand and rolled over to stare up at the carved cherubs circling the ceiling medallion. The lewd little creatures were doing all sorts of naughty things to each other. Maybe it was time to teach her bodyguard a lesson.

And then as an afterthought, she ran a hand low over her belly. It was still early, only a few days, but she wondered if someone might be growing inside her. Her life had been so full of adventure and terrifying moments that she'd never considered the possibility that someday she might become a mother herself.

She made a vow then and there. No child of hers would have to live on the run, in fear of his or her life. There was nothing she wouldn't do to make sure her child would be safe.

In the meantime, she had a grudge to resolve with the man who might have fathered that child. He needed to be taught a lesson.

10 September,1826

Adrienne's Bedchamber

Number One Grosvenor Street

Obadiah stared across the table at Adrienne and worried. Why was she suddenly being kind to him after days of pique following their mutual rough love-making during which he'd, erm, gotten rather carried away? And spent inside her as she'd warned him many times to avoid...all through their lives of pleasuring themselves as far back as Martinique.

She'd invited him to share a meal with her in her parlor instead of taking his supper as was his usual custom in the servants' hall across the top level of the Grosvenor Street townhouses.

She silently poured him a glass of dark red wine before sitting down again primly as if this were the first time they'd met. She sipped at her own wine, and he inhaled a decadent sniff of the rich, burgundy liquid. At first the wine slid down his throat soft as velvet, but the aftertaste was oddly bitter. He would have thought the earl would have provided a better vintage for his mistresses, but then again this wine was much better than the plain ale provided at the servants' table.

"Is the wine to your taste? Would you like something else?" Adrienne's voice was full of concern.

"No, no...this is wonderful compared to the usual fare served to the footmen." He gave her a broad smile to assure her he was satisfied.

A fine cut of beef, boiled potatoes and cabbage, and a cold collation rounded out the meal. A sweet dessert wine accompanied a fine trifle dotted with fresh berries. Again, he detected a touch of bitter aftertaste. He decided not to complain, because maybe he was imagining things.

That was his last rational thought before he woke up in Adrienne's bed, which, to be fair, was his favorite place. However, he definitely did not appreciate the fact that both his hands and feet were securely tied to the ends of the bed frame...and he was as naked as the day he'd been born. Adrienne stood at the foot of the bed with a smug look on her face, and she was fully clothed. He was in trouble.

He strained so hard at his heavy cloth restraints that the bed rattled and shook, threatening to come apart. "How did you manage this?" He roared in frustration, rattling the bed more. "You have to release me. What if something happens while I'm tied up in here? Who will protect you?"

Adrienne didn't reply but gestured toward the door to her bedchamber. As if on cue, all of the Rutherfords except Toplofty leaned around the doorframe and saluted him.

His roar this time rattled everything in the room. "Release me...now," he bellowed.

The Rutherfords disappeared, and Adrienne leaned over his face, soothing his now-sweating brow with her cool hand. "You mustn't strain yourself. Who will protect me if you die in a fit of apoplexy?"

This was not the way he'd planned for this evening to end.

Although Adrienne'smouth watered at the sight of Obadiah's magnificent body splayed out in all its splendor for her pleasure alone, she meant to exact sweet revenge on her dunder-headed lover so that he'd never again forget himself in the midst of their love-making. He had to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, they'd spend the rest of their lives playing what's good for the goose should please the gander.

She left the room and returned to the small dining table in her parlor. Wetting the fingers of her right hand with her tongue, she then plowed them through the leftover creamy trifle and returned to her still bellowing lover.

First, she placed a healthy dollop of cream into his mouth mid-bellow to calm him before she reached down to capture his bobbing cock with her other hand. She used all the rest of the whipped confection to cover him, a task made easier because within seconds of her ministrations, the randy fellow was rigid in her hand. Although the bellowing ceased for a bit whilst Obadiah swallowed the cream she'd shoved into his mouth, when she closed her lips over his cock and sucked the cream into her mouth, he screamed in a kind of agony.

Adrienne smiled. She was going to enjoy this night immensely. At the rate her overstepping lover was crying out,the adjoining townhouses on Grosvenor Street might enjoy the night as well.

"Are you ready for the next course?" She'd changed into a lacy dressing gown which she'd now let fall open.

Obadiah quieted but continued leveling a murderous glare her way. "You think you're going to get away with this, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

She pulled a sharp kitchen knife from inside her wardrobe and advanced back to the bed where he still lay helpless. He flinched but kept steady eye contact. When she made a huge show of brandishing the knife in swooping motions in the air, his previously rigid cock retreated.

"Enough, Adrienne," he ground out in guttural tones. "Enough. I'm sorry if I've displeased you. Tell me what you want me to do as penance."

She didn't answer but instead plucked an orange from a bowl on the chest next to the bed and sliced it in half with one vicious cut.