Free Rory by Julia Templeton Page A

display of affection. “Of course, I do. I love you, too, Vic.”
    Clinton was nervous as he followed the butler into the parlor of the fashionable townhouse in the Mayfair District.
    Lady Anna had invited him here, and knowing she was a link to get to Lord and Lady Graston by way of Lord Ambrose, he would do whatever he needed to.
    Hopefully Rory would be here tonight.
    “Mr. O’Connor, it’s good to see you again,” Thomas said, a welcoming smile on his face.
    “Thank ye for having me, Mr. Lehman.”
    “Can I interest ye in a brandy?”
    “Certainly.”
    It was then Clinton noticed Anna, sitting in the far corner of the room.
    “Lady Anna,” he said in greeting, and she smiled.
    “Is Lord Ambrose not coming?” he inquired.
    “You just missed him, I’m afraid,” she murmured. “He was not feeling well.”
    He was disappointed when he realized it would be just the three of them, but he was a patient man.
    Thomas walked across the room and poured a drink. The servantwho had met them at the door had disappeared and the house fell quiet, except for the ticking of the second hand on the clock above the mantel.
    “I have a little treat,” Thomas said, handing Clinton the glass of brandy. He motioned to Anna, who went to the side cupboard. Making herself at home, she pulled out a pipe and a little box.
    Next, she kicked off her shoes and sat on the settee, bringing her knees up beneath her.
    Intrigued, Clinton stepped farther into the room.
    Thomas blew out a few of the candelabras so that only a few candles lit the space. He then joined Anna on the settee and motioned for Clinton to come over. Soon the room was pungent with the sweet scent of opium.
    Never before had he tried the drug, and he hesitated, not wanting to lose control in any way. Yet he didn’t want to destroy his chances at building a friendship that would get him what he wanted.
    Anna pulled a small white bead out of the box and set it in the bowl of the pipe. Apparently, she was no stranger to the drug. She brought the pipe to her lips, leaned forward, over the oil lamp, and slowly began to inhale the smoke into her lungs.
    She closed her eyes, her lips curving into a smile as she handed the pipe to Clinton.
    Almost instantly her shoulders relaxed. How bad could it be? he thought to himself, taking the pipe into his hand and bringing it to his lips. Anna sat back on the settee, a dreamy look in her eyes. Thomas assisted him with the lamp and Clinton inhaled, the smoke filling his lungs.
    Within seconds he could feel the drug’s effect as warmth spread throughout his limbs. He felt fingers brush against his hand. The pipe was removed from his relaxed fingers by Thomas, who winked at him.
    “Lovely, isn’t it?”
    “Mmmm,” he replied, already understanding the appeal of the drug, and why so many had sampled its healing ways. He closed his eyes, and when he next opened them, he saw Thomas and Anna kissing on the settee, the man’s hand covering a small breast. Her gown had been loosened and bunched about her waist. The other man lowered his head and kissed her rose-hued nipples, first one, then the other.
    Clinton kept his gaze lowered but could not ignore the throbbing in his groin.
    Anna unbuttoned Thomas’s trousers, her hand finding his cock, fisting it. The man smiled, and when she pushed him onto his back, he let out a little laugh and then a moan as she took him into her mouth.
    His mouth was as dry as cotton, and he yearned to reach for the whiskey, but he didn’t dare move. His cock was now hard against his belly, and he was grateful for the dark room so that his companions could not see his excitement.
    Anna aggressively sucked and laved the other man’s cock. Clinton let his gaze wander over Thomas’s solid frame, the wide chest, the chiseled abdomen, the thick cock.
    Thomas’s hand stilled her movements and she looked up at him with a knowing smile.
    Clinton’s manhood quivered against his leg.
    Anna straddled Thomas, and he