Page 2 of The Duke's Pet

He nodded and his gaze slipped to Jemima.

“She’s in her room. You got a fresh one, eh?”

“I have, and she’ll need you to look out for her.” Emily turned to Jemima. “Will is employed by Madam, to make sure we don’t run into any trouble and we always get paid.”

“I’m here if you need me, all you got to do is holler.” Will’s wide lips were flattened. It seemed he took his job seriously, which was something at least.

“Hey, dark hair, my sweet.” A man staggered toward them, beer sloshing from his tankard. He wore a lopsided grin and his stained shirt was unbuttoned almost to his navel.

“Arnold.” Emily turned to him. “You’re looking fine tonight.”

“So are you.” He set his hand on Emily’s shoulder, closed his eyes and pouted.

Emily kissed him briefly.

Jemima didn’t know how she could. The man was a drunken, ugly old leech.

This isn’t for me.

I have to get out of here.

“I will return soon,” Emily said, tapping Arnold’s head as though he were a pet. “I have to take my friend upstairs, and then I’m all yours.”

“Good.” He burped. “Don’t be long. I have a hard dick and hard coins for you.” He laughed, swaying as he did so.

“I’ll be back very soon.”

Turning, Emily ushered Jemima through a doorway Will had pulled open at the end of the bar.

“You’re going to be intimate with him, that old man?” Jemima said.

“In a fashion.”

“What do you mean?”

Emily stopped. The base of the stairwell was quiet in comparison with the frenetic bar. “You saw how drunk he was.”

“Yes, I did.”

“And you know about drunk men and their cocks, right?”

“Er, no.” Jemima frowned. What was her friend talking about?

“Oh, Jemima, you really are so innocent.” She shook her head. “I should never have offered to introduce you to Madam.”

“No, don’t say that. I’m desperate, you know I am.”

“But you will not be able to bring yourself to... oh, never mind.”

“Tell me.” Jemima clenched her jaw. “Tell me what I need to know.”

“Okay, the drunker they are, the less their cocks work. Their desire is stoked by ale but they can’t perform. They’re the ones to go for, the really drunk ones.”

“Go on.”

“Arnold comes in every Saturday night looking for me. I wait until he’s inebriated, happy, and lustful, then take him upstairs. It’s all over in seconds, a quick grope, sometimes an attempt at sex, and then I get paid. He can’t remember any of it so there’s no arguing. Easy as taking money from a bairn.”

“Easy as taking money from a bairn.” Jemima tried to picture the scene with herself in it.

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