Page 92 of Enslaved
When Diana finished the broth, she drank a full glass of water, then reached for the pot of tea.
Mark Hardwick cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I was so brusque before.”
Diana cast him a sideways glance. “It almost chokes you to apologize.”
He bristled at her words and Diana felt a flicker of satisfaction.
With effort, he hung on to his temper and said most reasonably, “If you will tell me about your ordeal, I promise to listen. You must tell someone.”
“And that someone ought to be you? How patronizing. And when I’ve finished my tale, you’ll pat me on the head and pop a sugarplum into my mouth. Then you’ll relate everything I’ve told you to your friend, Charles Wentworth, and you’ll both laugh your bloody heads off!”
“For God’s sake, Diana, give me a little credit. I am quite capable of being open-minded.”
“Diana, is it? What happened to Lady Diana?”
“That’s what I’d bloody well like to know! Whatever happened has robbed you of your sweet air of innocence.”
Diana began to laugh. “Innocence?” she gasped. “That was the very first thing I lost. I lived with the decadent Romans. I was captured by General Marcus Magnus. When he saw me naked, he ordered me bathed and perfumed and sent to his couch. And I became his slave!”
Chapter 29
Mark Hardwick’s jaw almost fell open. Her words painted such an erotic picture, blood surged in his veins, hardening his already swollen shaft to marble. His skin-tight buff riding breeches made his condition most uncomfortable. He stood up in an effort to conceal his arousal, but her amethyst eyes slid over the enormous bulge knowingly.
Was she openly admitting that she’d had a lover? The idea shocked him. She was a young, unmarried,titled lady.It was unheard of. His mind searched for another explanation.
“Are you trying to tell me you were raped, Diana?” he asked grimly.
“No! But you must understand that I was a slave in his household. He had absolute authority over me.”
Mark thrust his hands into his pockets to stop his fists from clenching. “So you yielded to him?”
“No! I refused to obey his orders; refused even to acknowledge that I was his slave.” The corners of her mouth lifted. “You were absolutely livid! Sorry … Marcus was absolutely livid.”
“Did he beat you?”
“Marcus? Good heavens no. He had a slave master with an enormous flagellum to whip his slaves for him.”
She’s making this up, and enjoying every moment,Mark thought silently.
“He gave orders that I was to be put to work mopping his tile floors until I was ready to yield to him.”
“That is when you surrendered?”
“No! I mopped the bloody floors.”
“But you told me you lost your innocence; by that I assume you meant your virginity?”
“My virginity.” Her mouth curved in remembrance. “It absolutely fascinated you—I mean him.”
The earl ran his tongue over his top lip. Christ, she was so titillating, he wanted to push her back in the bed, remove the prim white nightgown, and thrust between her thighs.
“Since he owned me and had total authority over me, I knew that sooner or later I would have to obey him; it was inevitable.”
“So you yielded.”
“No! I did something you taught me to do; I negotiated.”
His mind flew back to the time he had carried her up to his town house to negotiate.
