Free The Pretender by Celeste Bradley Page B

stupid enough to hide something there?—he slid each drawer back into place before pulling out the next.
    Nothing.
    Dropping to his knees, he slid his hands over all the unexposed surfaces of the wood. Underneath, the bottom edges of the sides, around the kneehole.
    Nothing.
    Without pausing, he turned to the wall behind the desk and began neatly flipping paintings aside. He had just uncovered an iron safe-box when he heard a small sound. Smoothly he let the painting slip down and steadied it with his elbow as he turned.
    The door opened. Lavinia thrust herself inside as if pursued by wolves and shut it once more, leaning breathlessly against it.
    "Will it do?"
    "Will what do?" Simon nonchalantly moved forward to settle one hip on the massive desk.
    "The desk," she panted. "Can we use it for the 'technique'?"
    "Oh, yes, perfect. I was just searching for some ink."
    Simon was forced to step back as Lavinia flung herself at the desk and pawed wildly through a drawer.
    "Here!" She thrust an inkwell and brush into his hands, then hefted herself to sit on the polished ebony surface. A predatory snarl on her lips, she leaned closer and tugged at his cravat.
    "Where do you want me?" she growled.
    "Ah, here is good, for now." Damn, now what? Simon couldn't believe the speed with which she had gotten here. She must have run the entire way. He couldn't leave now that he was so close to success.
    Hmm. How gullible was she while aroused? Reaching into his jacket for the packet of headache powder, he waved it before her until her glazed eyes focused on it.
    "What is it?"
    "Ah, my lady, it is a substance so secret that it has no name. Ground from the root of a plant found only in the highest reaches of Peru, it is gathered in moonlight by virgins and preserved in bowls made from the skulls of lechers."
    Well, that was laying it on a bit thick. Hellfire, he was getting to be as much of a liar as Agatha. However, Lavinia was completely and utterly hooked. Now to reel her in.
    "What is it for?" she breathed.
    "A mere pinch in a glass of brandy will heighten erotic pleasure to an exquisite level. It—"
    Flinging herself from her perch on the desk, Lavinia rushed across the study to a small side table on which stood a full decanter and glasses. She sloshed a glass brim full and returned to him, holding it out eagerly.
    "Put it in!"
    Delicately Simon undid a fold of the paper and tapped a tiny sprinkle of powder into the brandy.
    "More," she demanded, and reached for it.
    He held it out of her reach. "Ah, now, my lady. There lies the road to madness. Imagine yourself caught up in an unending orgasm, lost in the throes of ecstasy forever." He shook his head. "A fate worse than death, to be sure."
    She didn't look sure at all. In fact, she looked quite ready to fling herself bodily into the pit of insane release. Simon shook a finger at her.
    "Now, my lady, you must trust me in this. If after you have drunk your brandy, you do not feel the effects, we shall see about giving you a bit more."
    She raised the glass and tossed back the brandy with a professional speed that made Simon blink. This might not be as easy as he had thought.
    "There. Nothing. Give me more." This time she brought over the entire decanter. Filling her glass again, she held it out. Simon sprinkled the powder and watched the brandy disappear with breathtaking swiftness once again.
    "Damn you, I feel nothing. Nothing at all." She glared at him suspiciously.
    Simon shrugged. "I don't understand. You should be trembling on the floor by now, lost in wave after wave of rapture."
    Her eyes bulged. "Wave after wave?"
    "Positively. Perhaps the formula has lost some potency over time. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you a bit more."
    He held out the packet over her glass. She snatched it from him and dumped the contents, watching the powder sink with a satisfied smirk. She backed away from him, swirling her brandy.
    "Sorry, love. I don't feel much like star—sharing." She blinked,