Free Unlaced Corset by Michael Meadows Page A

out identification papers and showed them to the man.
    "Ah," the plump man muttered. He rubbed his beard for a moment. "Yes, it seems as if he left some time yesterday afternoon. I wasn't informed until this morning, of course, so now I have to keep an eye on the place to keep out for robbers and sneak-thieves. I'm sorry to have bothered you, but you can't be too careful, you know."
    "Of course. Are you…are you the landlord, here?"
    The man hummed in assent and smiled.
    "Thank you for all of your help, it's most appreciated."
    "Any time, young man."
    James took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His feet ached, and he was aware of the woman in his flat like a splinter just under the skin. It chafed and rubbed in all the wrong places, and he couldn't help but want it gone.
    Even if this splinter was a beautiful woman, and she was going to be laying in his bed that night.
    He tried to pretend it was a coincidence when his path took him by the pub down the street, even though it was at least two blocks out of the way. He hadn't been thinking, obviously that had to be it. It couldn't be that he was avoiding going home.
    The bartender greeted him happily enough, and for a brief moment, James almost managed to forget about Mary, to forget about the Geis family's problems and the missing man he'd come back into the city to speak to.
    The whole thing couldn't be a coincidence, he knew. But sometimes it was easier not to think about it, and this was one of those times. He needed to sleep, and not just a few minutes' rest before going out like he'd gotten when he came back into town. He needed a night's rest.
    What was worse, though, was that he didn't want a rest. He had other appetites, gnawing hunger that he couldn't repress, no matter how he tried. He tried to shake it off. He was a man, and she was…well, she was all sorts of woman. An unforgettable woman, if ever he'd met one.
    All he wanted to do was put her behind him, but he had work to do outside of the bedroom. Work that was more pressing than his desire to act chivalrous in front of a lady.
    He got up and paid for his drink, and then made his way to the door. His face felt hot and he thought that maybe he'd overdone it a little more than he thought. It wasn't long, but he could feel his mind drifting. He could practically imagine Mary, nude and beneath him.
    It was a tempting thought.
    But it wasn't going to happen, he reminded himself. That was absurd, the stuff of lewd penny dreadfuls. He was a gentleman, if not noble, and he would conduct himself as a gentleman. He'd slipped once, but he was stronger now. Smarter, and he knew what to look for.
    He'd lose his only lead. The last thing on his mind should have been intimacy. Even if it was a woman as beautiful as Mary Geis.
    He took a deep breath and opened the door.

15
     
    Mary
     
    The room was small and shabby. Mary knew it, and she wasn't exactly afraid to admit it, but it had seemed like it would be rude to say so in front of James. He was young, though, she thought. It wasn't as if he'd had years to make his fortune. Her eyes fell on an envelope with his name on it, and the sign of a hospital.
    She shouldn't pry, it was awfully rude. But it seemed so terribly tempting, and he shouldn't be home for a little while now. After all, he'd need to go over quite a bit of material, she was sure, with the solicitor. The two of them both had quite a few questions, and James had the best hope of finding the answers.
    But at the same time, the place was quite bare. She hadn't even thought to bring a book along, an oversight that she hadn't realized until she was sitting alone in the room. She couldn't go out; she hadn't any proper money, and she didn't know where a bank could be found. Certainly not her bank.
    Her biggest hurdle, though, was what she was going to do when James got back, and later in the evening. She wanted to be near him, to spend time with him, but she knew that he was trying not to pursue her, and she