Chapter Seven

M rs. Florinda Pickering quickly shut her bedroom door in her maid's face and made a mad dash for her silken robe that was still laying on the floor. She pushed her arms through the sleeves and went to her vanity mirror to check her appearance. With her disheveled hair and kiss-swollen lips, she looked like she had just crawled from a man's bed—which she had. She tore her gaze from the mirror to the man lounging in her bed. Lord Oliver Pitt was a handsome devil with his brown hair and eyes and certainly knew how to pleasure a woman in the bedroom. But as much as she'd enjoyed his attentions for the past hour, his presence in her bed now presented a serious problem.

"Is something wrong, my pet?" Oliver inquired as he stretched his muscular body.

Florinda took a second to appreciate the view considering the sheet had slid down to barely cover his manhood. "Asher's carriage just pulled up."

A chuckle left the man. "That is unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" she shrieked. "It's a catastrophe and you know it, Oliver."

The man shrugged but continued to lounge where he was. "I don't mind sharing you with Rowley, my dear, but not at the same time. I do have some standards. I thought you said the two of you were done."

"He hasn't been here in over a month. I just assumed…"

"I see." He put one hand behind his head and watched her frantically rush across the room.

"What is that comment supposed to mean?" she snarled, near frantic with worry. How would she explain to the man who was responsible for her current living arrangement that she had brought another lover into the bed he paid for?

"Only that a person should never assume anything, my dear. If you and Rowley were finished, I would have thought he would have arranged a settlement for you. That is all," Oliver replied.

"Do get dressed, for heaven's sake, while I try to think of an excuse why you're here," Florinda said in a panic.

His laughter erupted in the room. "No man of any worth would see you looking like that and believe any story you might concoct of my having come to play chess or borrow a book. He'll know what we've been doing, so why bother to lie? Get rid of Rowley and come back to bed. I certainly know how to keep a woman like you satisfied between the sheets."

God help her… Oliver had no plans to leave. "You are a beast, Oliver."

He chuckled again. "And you love every moment of what I can give you, Florinda."

She paused what she was doing to stare thoughtfully at the man in her bed. She shook her head and returned to frantically get dressed. "If I thought for one moment that you would see to my needs financially, I might consider never taking another lover," she huffed, but Oliver's response was more laughter. He took no care to muffle the sound.

"You know me better than that, my pet. I certainly have no intention of making our arrangement permanent—nor do I see any need to pay for what you offer me for free," Oliver said in a tone that was almost a warning.

She scowled. "As I said, Oliver… you're a beast!"

"If so, then what does that say about you, that you can't get enough of me?" he retorted.

Their time together confirmed how right he was but she couldn't dwell on that now. Asher would be waiting downstairs for her by now and he hated to be kept waiting.

Placing her feet into slippers, she left her bedchamber to the sound of Oliver's voice taunting her one last time to hurry back. She took her time going down the hallway to try to calm her racing heart. By the time she made it to the front parlor, she could only hope that she appeared calm and collected. Asher stood at the window, his hands behind his back. When he heard her approach he turned to face her. One look at Asher's face and Florinda knew, without any doubt, he was aware what she had been doing. One corner of his mouth turned up before he gave her the briefest bow.

"Good afternoon, Florinda," Asher said watching her intently.

"What a pleasant surprise, my love. I wasn't expecting you," Florinda purred stepping into the room.

A short laugh left him. "Obviously."

"Would you care for a drink?" she asked stalling for time so she could attempt to come up with a way to explain herself.

Asher ignored her offering. "I won't take up too much of your time so you might return to your… afternoon," he said reaching into his coat and handing her an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked breaking the wax seal and seeing a bank draft. She widened her eyes at the sum of money. She could live comfortably for the next six months on such an amount.

"A settlement," Asher replied casually as though this was as any other business deal he had done in his past.

"And the house?" she asked quickly wondering if she would need to vacate the lovely townhouse she had called her home for the past year.

"Keep it. I'll transfer the title into your name."

A gasp left her. She had never dared to hope he would be so generous. "That is very kind of you, Asher. I will miss our time together."

One of his brows rose. "Since I haven't visited in quite a while, I figured it was best for us to part ways. This would allow both of us to… move on with our lives."

Florinda could take that to mean several things, but she wished to know for sure. "You're getting married?"

"Eventually, yes, and having a mistress on the side goes against even my tainted morals."

"You were anything but tainted, Asher."

He shrugged and strode across the room. "I won't take up any more of your time so you might return to your… guest."

"Asher…" She felt as though she should say something more to this man. He had been an excellent lover, but she had realized long ago that he was never going to marry her, much to her regret. At one time she had hoped for such an outcome, but it had been a foolish fancy. The most she could have hoped for was that their affair would continue indefinitely, but he wasn't the sort of man to continue keeping a mistress once he had decided to settle down and seek a wife.

He pointed to the bank draft she held in her hand. "That settlement buys your silence, Florinda. I expect you to keep your promise that you gave me when we first made our arrangement not to go around spreading gossip on the brief time we were together."

"I've never said anything against you, Asher," she said in a huff of anger. "I've sat here for over a month wondering when you might drop by."

"And you will no longer have to do so. Besides… I believe you have already found my replacement. I wish you all the best with whomever he might be."

Asher didn't wait for any reply. Instead, he strode into the foyer to retrieve his hat and let himself out without another word. Florinda could only stare at the wooden portal in stunned silence. She shouldn't feel anger towards a man who had chosen to treat her generously, even when faced with her infidelity, but a small part of her was outraged. How dare he just pay her money and leave without even a hint that she had meant something to him!

She returned to her bedroom in a huff almost forgetting that Oliver was still in her bed until he threw back the covers and strode across the room. Admiration at his naked body filled her, and when he tore off her robe and crushed her body into his, she gave a sigh of pleasure.

"Are the two of you over?"

"Yes."

"It's about damn time," he breathed into her ear. "Now… Where were we before you had to leave?"

His lips slid across her own and her arms went around his neck. She held onto him when he lifted her and took her back to bed. Any other thoughts of Asher left her and she gave the man above her, her undivided attention. He was, after all, more than ready to prove that Asher was no longer in her life and Oliver… Oliver knew just what she needed right this instant.