An Introduction to Pleasure by Jess Michaels Page B

leaned against it, her breath coming short. What she had seen was an education…what she had heard…well, it was one too. It was too easy to allow emotions to merge with the physical aspects of an affair. They seemed to go hand in hand, didn’t they? Passion with love.
    Only they couldn’t. Not for her.
    She pushed away from the door and weaved her way unsteadily downstairs. Nettle stood there, almost as if he was waiting, but if he knew what she had been doing, he gave no indication. He merely bowed slightly and said, “Miss Manning is in her study. The third door on the left. She said for you to see her before you depart.”
    “Th-thank you,” she said, still too unsteady not to stammer. “Would you tell my driver to ready himself for our departure? I’ll be going once I finish talking to Miss Manning.”
    He nodded and left her to find the study. She hesitated before she knocked and heard Vivien’s voice on the other side of the door.
    “Come in, Lysandra.”
    She opened the door and found Vivien at a large desk, much like the ones she’d seen in a man’s home. She was looking over a ledger but set it aside as Lysandra entered.
    “Hello again. I trust this means it is over?”
    Lysandra blushed. “Yes.”
    “And did you take anything away from your voyeuristic activities?” Vivien smiled. “Aside from that flush to your cheeks that tells me you enjoyed what you saw?”
    Lysandra lifted her hands to cover her face and looked away. “Is it so obvious?”
    Vivien shrugged one shoulder. “It is to me, but why should you be embarrassed? Did you not see how much both Annalisa and her major enjoyed their joining? How much it gave them pleasure? And how active and willing she was?”
    “Yes.” Lysandra sat down across from Vivien. “I could see how bold she was and how much he enjoyed that boldness. It is a lesson I must take with me as I continue my training with Andrew.”
    Vivien nodded. “Good. And did you see how their passion could be restorative to them both. Healing?”
    Lysandra hesitated. “Yes. I think it was…but I also saw another pitfall in this arrangement.”
    Vivien tilted her head. “Pitfall?”
    “Emotion,” Lysandra whispered. “There is something deeper between them than mere sex. And it is a source of pain and strife for them both. I could see how easy it would be to fall in love with a man who was a protector or lover.”
    Vivien stood up and there was a moment where pain registered on her normally controlled and lovely face.
    “Yes, what you say is true. Emotion is a great enemy of women in our position. Love is easy to grow, but hard to keep alive. And most men don’t want it from their mistresses, as it causes no end to inconvenience.”
    Lysandra nodded. It was just as she thought. A mistress could offer everything but her heart to her lover. And she would do well not to forget that in the heat of passion and pleasure.
    “Thank you for showing me this today,” she said with a shrug. “I resisted doing something so shocking, but in the end, I believe it has given me a great education.”
    “And an assignment,” Vivien laughed and her darker emotions were gone.
    Lysandra looked at her in confusion. “An assignment?”
    Her friend nodded. “Seduce Andrew. Draw passion from him, give him your own. The sooner you are a full participant when you make love, the sooner you will enjoy your training and become a good mistress to him…or to whomever else you end up with in the long run.”
    Lysandra swallowed. It was one thing to watch a woman who possessed such boldness, but to become one, herself?
    “I don’t know—” she began.
    Vivien moved closer. “Don’t say that. Don’t cut yourself down before you even try. I would wager you’ve been doing that your whole life. It must stop now. You are capable of passion and desire and whatever else you want to achieve. Believe that and he will be forced to do the same.”
    Lysandra nodded. Faith in herself was a difficult