His Mistress by Monica Burns

acute sensation made her heart rate skitter out of control as she realized her craving for him was even stronger than she’d realized.
    For a long moment, she didn’t move. She simply wanted to enjoy her heightened awareness of him. A low, impatient growl reverberated in the air between them, and she smiled. He wanted her. She glanced around the quiet room. But where to start? Doubt suddenly reared its ugly head. Tobias had been correct. She was inexperienced. Was she capable of making him do her bidding?
    In the next breath, Jane crushed her uncertainty. Angélique’s tutoring had been extensive. Her friend would not have allowed Jane to take Tobias as her partner if the Frenchwoman did not have faith in Jane’s abilities. No, she was more than capable of making Tobias submit to her. Her fear was rooted in years of submission to her father’s dictates and society’s expectations. Tobias would submit. He would yield to her utterly and completely. Without looking at him, Jane pointed to a spot on the large Persian rug covering a large portion of the floor.
    “Stand there, and undress,” she ordered in a soft, inflexible voice.
    “As you wish, my Lady.”
    There was a distinct note of amusement in his response, and there was laughter in his eyes as he met her gaze for a brief moment before lowering his head in deference. Jane’s mouth tightened with irritation. Already he was testing the limits of her will.
    “Do not look at me or speak unless I grant you permission to do so,” she said sharply.
    Although her rebuke made him jerk as if she’d slapped him, he didn’t raise his head to look at her. Instead, his tension seemed to have vanished, and his amused confidence returned. With a casual shrug, his jacket slid off his shoulders and flew through the air as he tossed it onto the bed several feet away. He pocketed his watch and chain in a vest pocket before he threw the sleeveless garment with equal nonchalance onto the bed. Something in his demeanor said he fully believed they would end the night on the very spot where he was depositing his clothes.
    With a lazy gesture of his large hand, his fingers undid his tie. Before he could discard it she stepped forward and pulled it out of his hands. Her movement made him immediately hold his hands out for her to bind him. It was the distinct action of a man willing to submit, but on his terms. She narrowed her gaze at him then smiled. Her experience might be limited in this game between them, but instinct guided her in how to answer his unspoken challenge.
    “Your eagerness pleases me,” she said with a soft laugh. “But I’m not quite ready to restrict your movements just yet. Continue please.”
    Tobias released a barely audible growl as he began to undo first one shirt button and then another. Jane’s heart skipped a beat at her first glimpse of his chest. Spellbound, she drew in a quiet breath as Tobias parted his shirt in an unhurried fashion. The deliberateness of his actions indicated his awareness of how enthralled she was.
    Jane had known from the moment he’d offered to serve her that it would be impossible to openly share her first moment with Tobias with anyone. In fact, she wasn’t sure she would ever want to share him. The thought alarmed her, but she quickly shoved it aside to remain focused on the task at hand. His white shirt landed on the bed with everything else, and this time she didn’t hide the breath she dragged into her lungs.
    He was beautiful. Powerful and fluid, his muscles rippled with each casual movement. She’d known he would be resplendent, but she was unprepared for her reaction to him. Every inch of her was on fire and the ache between her legs deepened.
    Finished with the task she’d given him, Tobias rested his hands on his hips. His posture exhibited an arrogant rebellion against her authority. It was a subtle sign he’d yielded only a small portion of control to her. Even with his head bowed, there was a suppressed