They stepped into a sensual wonderland that could have easily come from ancient mythology. She stood blinking for a moment, unsure of where to look, or whether she should avert her gaze entirely.
In a large room, which Alice surmised had once been a ballroom, several dozen people were gathered. It was what they were wearing and doing that left her speechless.
There were a few men dressed similarly to Harry in short, linen togas—a number of which barely covered their buttocks. Others wore evening gowns matched with white gloves and shawls.
Men dressed as women. I have never seen that before.
Harry slipped his arm around her waist and murmured, “Let your eyes take it all in, but don’t allow your mind to judge. All of these people have embraced their natures, but society sees them as a potential threat. This is a place where they can be safe to express themselves, to be happy.”
Alice’s gaze drifted from the first group as some female guests arrived from another room into the main space. She blinked as she took in what they were wearing. It was very little. All were bare-breasted. One was fully naked; she was also painted silver from head to toe.
Low sofas and couches were dotted around the room. On them sat couples engaged in various different amorous pursuits. She put a hand to her lips as a woman straddled a naked man and sunk onto him.
Why is this making me so hot and my core pulse?
Harry motioned to a nearby footman bearing a tray of drinks. “Two brandies, thank you.”
With shaking hands, Alice accepted her glass. Without even looking at it, she took a sip. It was strong and bitter. Holding the brandy out in front of her, she studied it before offering it back to him. “I have never drunk brandy before. People always say it is not meant for women.”
Harry shook his head and refused to take the drink. He pointed at the glass. “Have some more. Remember that cage you keep telling yourself you don’t live in?”
Another footman stopped in front of them. He held a tray, on which was a selection of cigars.
Harry took a moment, then selected a thin cigar, which the footman lit and handed to him. He raised it to his lips and drew back deeply before blowing a long thin wisp of grey smoke into the air.
Alice was unsure as to whether she was game to try it if Harry offered. The brandy and the scenery were already going to her head.
“Relax. I am not going to offer you hashish. I want your thoughts to be clear for the rest of the evening. You won’t be getting high tonight. Another time perhaps,” said Harry.
He guided her toward a nearby staircase and they slowly began to ascend. When they reached the first landing, they stopped. Alice set her brandy glass on a nearby side table before taking in the gathering below; Harry came to stand close behind her.
“Take your time. Look closely at what is happening. Tell me how it affects you. Does it stir desires deep within or are you simply shocked?” he said.
Her gaze roamed over the scene below. Men kissing one another. Women on their knees in front of seated men, their heads bobbing up and down. A room full of people exploring their sexual desires.
She gasped. On a long table lay a woman completely naked; two men ran their hands and mouths over her body. Even from this distance, the woman’s groans of pleasure could be heard.
A soft kiss was brushed on the side of Alice’s neck.
“What does it do to you? Tell me.”
She was tight and throbbing in places that ached for his touch. For a moment, she imagined herself being the woman on the table, with Harry’s lips on her heated skin. Of him bringing forth her own cries and sobs of completion.
“I know I should think all this is utterly scandalous, but for some reason I don’t. I just can’t put anything I am experiencing right now into words,” she murmured.
He blew a soft, heated kiss in her ear and she swallowed deeply. Desire thrummed through her. Dangerous. Needy. Harry.
“Would you prefer to show me?”
She nodded.
He slipped his hand into hers and drew her away from the edge of the landing and up a shorter flight of stairs. At the top, they turned and headed along a narrow hallway which had doors to the left and right. Harry’s steps didn’t falter; he seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Five doors down on the left, he stopped. “Whatever happens in this room, you are in control. If at any time you wish me to stop, you only have to say the word. If I do anything that you don’t like, I will cease it immediately. Nothing happens without your express consent. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
He led her into the room and locked the door behind them. Alice suddenly wished she hadn’t left her brandy behind. She was in need of a stiff drink.
Why is this so wrong and yet it feels so right?
On a low table various bottles of wine and champagne were set. Harry had said he wanted her clearheaded for this evening, but she would dearly love to take the edge off her passions. She fought off the lure of alcohol, knowing that it was the one thing she could resist. Her body craved a hundred other heated temptations.
Harry crushed the end of the cannabis cigar into a nearby glass ashtray, then returned to Alice’s side. He pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a scorching kiss. Lips and tongues met in a now familiar dance. When Harry groaned into her mouth, Alice’s core clenched once more.
She wanted this man, ached to have his hands on her naked body. To let him do to her whatever he wanted. To give and be possessed.
Nimble fingers made quick work of the laces on her gown before tugging the front of her bodice open and pushing the sides down. He frowned at her undergarments.
“Tut-tut, Alice. A light corset? I would have thought you would go for the French fashion and wear nothing under your gown,” he teased.
She drew in a shaky breath and tried to steady her nerves. “Yes, well this is England and it is early December. This gown is chilly enough. The corset helps bridge the gap between being fashionable and warm.”
So much for being a sexual siren.
From inside his boot, Harry produced a small knife. He gripped the top of Alice’s stiff undergarment and grinned. “I hope you have plenty of these at home. May I?”
Harry’s knife was pointed at the laces. She gave a moment’s brief pause, then nodded.
With a deft flick of the blade, he cut the front of her corset straight down the middle, all the way to her waist. Without hesitation, Harry pushed the two halves apart and bared Alice’s breasts.
She gasped. “Oh.”
Cool air kissed her nipples, instantly turning them to hard pebbles. Before she had time to fully absorb the shock of being semi-naked in front of him, Harry had laid his hand on one of her breasts, resting it in his palm. His thumb gently rubbed back and forth over her peaked nipple.
“May I?” he asked again.
She wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking this time, but she nodded anyway. The way lust was coursing through her body, she didn’t have the willpower to say no.
Bending, he took the rosy bud between his teeth and gently nipped. It sent a powerful shockwave through her body. “Oh god,” she moaned.
As he proceeded to lick, suck, and nip at first one breast, and then the other, Alice was left struggling for air. With her hands resting on his shoulders, she was at his mercy. An ever-growing need for release slowly built as Harry inflicted a masterful, exquisite torture on her body. Heat pooled in her core and her clit throbbed.