The Magic of I Do (Faerie 2)

She perched precariously on his knee, which seemed much sturdier than she’d thought. Every part of him was sturdy. He obviously didn’t live the life of leisure she’d assumed. He was lithe as a cat, and his body was strong and fit.

“I wanted to talk about—” she tried again, keeping her body rigid in his lap.

“Let’s discuss it later.” His hand landed on her hip, drawing her more comfortably into the shelter of his embrace. When had it become shelter? She wasn’t certain, but the thought was a little disturbing. She fought to remain rigid.

A bell rang down below, its insistent peal catching her ears. And Finn’s too, if the way he sat up to look over the railing was any indication.

“What’s going on down there?” she asked.

“Remember the live intercourse I mentioned?” he replied with a smirk.

“With actors?”

He grinned and shrugged. “Does it matter?”

He was interested now, sitting forward so that his front came up to meet her back. He sat up higher in the chair and tucked her bottom more snugly into his lap so that she was facing forward, still seated between his bent legs.

A shiver crawled up her spine as he brushed her hair to the side. “Oh, sorry,” she murmured as she gathered the lot of it and drew it over her right shoulder.

“Don’t be. I love it.” He tucked a stray lock behind her ear.

“All these curls. I don’t quite know what to do with them.”

“Well, I don’t love the color, but it always smells so good. Like sunshine. You’re certain it will wash out?” She nodded as he leaned his head into her neck and breathed deeply. The cool movement as he inhaled had the hair on the back of her neck standing up. This time, she did shiver. “Are you cold?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not a bit.” In fact, she was a bit overly warm.

“I lose all my common sense when I look at you,” he said softly by her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment to keep from swooning.

“Did you have any to begin with, my lord?” she teased.

A grin quirked the corners of his lips as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek below her mask. She smiled. She couldn’t help it.

The bustle of footmen below caught his attention. They hefted a big bed into the middle of the room and then placed a barrier around it.

“That’s a bed. Why are they putting a bed in the middle of the room?”

“Keep watching. You’ll see. You’re not offended by it, are you?” He suddenly looked concerned about the fact that he was allowing her to watch such a show. “Perhaps we should leave. Your father and my brother will murder me if they find out I brought you here.”

Viewing the show would be the least of his concerns.

“You know who they are?”

“I believe so,” he replied. “But they’ll be masked.”

“I see.” She didn’t know what more she could say. “Why?”

“Some people like to be watched.” He shrugged his shoulders. He pointed out the seating area the footmen were setting up outside the roped enclosure around the bed. “And even more like to do the watching.”

Both men and women were taking seats in the audience section. “The women, are they paid to attend?”

He shook his head. “They come because they like it. Many of them come with men. To share the experience. Still others come alone and try to find an interested party.”

“They’re about to begin,” she said, settling into his arms a little more deeply.

***

Finn was about to insist that they leave and go home. But her curiosity won out over his need to get her out of there. And he wouldn’t give up an opportunity to have her in his arms. The lights dimmed as footmen doused the lamps around the edges of the room. Only a single bright light hung over the bed.