Free Viridian (The Hundred-Days Series Book 2) by Baird Wells

completing their transaction at a full
gallop, impatient with his stalling. He prayed Olivia fulfilled her task at the
same break-neck pace.
    Alexandra fell back onto her sofa's
plush arm, dangling a foot until her pink silk slipper fell into his lap. Toes
worked inside the shoulder of his coat, sliding skirts up her hips until she
was completely exposed. He spared the barest glance for an angry rash painting
her thighs, aggravated by her earlier exertions, and swallowed.
    Her big toe traced a line below his
lip. “Some ladies find it vulgar, a man using his mouth so. I cannot agree.”
She slid the ball of her foot down his shirt, pressing between his thighs. He
sucked in a helpless breath at his body's reaction.
    Alexandra closed her eyes, smiling.
“I allow a man to pleasure me any way he likes.”
    He preferred not to share a bed
with four other men. It wasn't just that she'd had other lovers; he had shared
liaisons with all sorts of women, on assignment and by choice. Beautiful women,
intelligent woman. Experienced women; a few who had never been in the
market for an exclusive affair, seeing him only when he was home on leave. Even
the aging marchioness with whom he'd spent a delightfully exhausting spring in
Rome had been captivating. At forty-five, over two decades his senior, Isabel
had shown signs of her years, but she wore the lines and softness gracefully,
underscored with dignity. And ability.
    Alexandra, for all her beauty and
stage grace, had no dignity. Common prostitutes could hardly dream of the life
she led. A celebrated career, men quite literally willing to fight one another
to wed her. Wealth and influence, but no soap and water. She was steeped in
filth, willing to accept as well as offer the absolute minimum. Ty couldn't
bring himself to take advantage of a woman he suspected was fundamentally
broken inside. No affection, not even genuine emotion; all human interaction
was to use or be used.
    That was the direction they were
headed now, if things didn't move along. Heels bit into his ribs, and Alexandra
dragged herself half into his lap.
    An air current shifted, pulling
back into the bed chamber and softly rattling the parlor window.
    Olivia .
    Giving silent thanks, he ran a hand
along Alexandra's calf, praying they were nearly done.
     
    *          *          *
     
    Olivia exhaled when the bedroom
door sprang open under a breeze, smacking her with stale air. Rather than
annoyance, she felt a wave of sympathy for Ty. It would take a great deal of
persuasion and probably some coin to convince her even to lie near such a
smell, let alone touch it. She quickened her pace.
    A door between the bedroom and
antechamber stood wide open, making her privy to Ty's exchanges with Alexandra.
It also would make her visible to them. This was going to take some doing. Dropping to her knees, she shuffled to the edge of the bed, lifted the yellow
satin dust ruffle and peered underneath. Nothing.
    She tugged each white porcelain
handle of the bedside table drawers, rifling inside. It was filled with the
usual pocket tailings: perfume, handkerchiefs, and a few coins. Folded papers,
but she doubted anything valuable would be so close at hand. Stuffing them into
her jacket, she crawled the length of a pink and blue Persian rug, stopping at
the foot of the bed.
    “No, no.” Ty's voice rose above a
murmur. “Stay here. Mm, just so.”
    A pink silk slipper sailed in
through the door, bounced off of the foot board and nearly caught her in the
face; a warning from Ty.
    Alexandra screeched. “Not my knees,
monsieur!”
    Olivia crouched, still until she
caught a rustle and a sigh. She continued around the bed, pausing to lean
forward, getting a look out into the parlor.
    Alexandra's head lolled against the
back of a gaudy floral sofa. Ty leaned over her, one hand grasping its back,
one knee on the cushion. He looked comically huge compared to the tiny bit of
furniture. A hand clutched Alexandra's naked thigh