A Scandalous Arrangement (8 page)

“What? Why? Why would you do that? It’s worth—”

“Please do not torment me with details. I am well aware of its value, but I am content that Wynne House should be returned to you. It is your family home and I would not wish you to be homeless. It would not suit me at all to see my mistress and business partner living in such reduced circumstances.”

“And in return, I must sleep with you. Is that it?”

“Not entirely, Victoria. My tastes are somewhat—singular, and though I will permit you to sleep when absolutely necessary, that will not be my primary purpose.”

“You know what I mean. You want sex. With me. In return for not forcing my family from our home.”

“I do want sex with you, but your home is yours whatever you decide on that matter. I am not a greedy or unreasonable man, Victoria. Your brother’s debt was more than covered by the mill itself, so we will concentrate our dealings on that. The house was superfluous, I have no doubt Edward only included it in the wager through ignorance or sheer carelessness. It is yours, or will be once I have instructed my lawyer to expedite the transfer.”

“I see. Thank you. So…”

“So, now that that is settled we can return to the sex you were so keen to discuss. Your offer to manage the mill on my behalf in return for a salary and a share in profits is an acceptable one. However, under my terms your share will be seventy-five percent rather than the fifty you suggested. You will find yourself in a position to repurchase the mill somewhat more quickly than you might have imagined. You will work long hours, I appreciate that, in order to achieve the return we both require, but your free time will be mine. To do with as I will.”

“As you will?”

He nodded. “Your time and your body. Mine.”

“I take only occasional weekends off. And I seldom finish work before late in the evening.” It did not escape Victoria’s notice that she had not yet advised him to go to hell.

“You will cease those practises immediately. You are no use to me or to the mill exhausted. I will appoint another assistant to take on some of the load, and we can promote Mr. Timmins. I am convinced he will make a fine under-manager.”

“That is ridiculous, a preposterous suggestion.”

“You disagree? Mr. Timmins strikes me as most able.”

“Not that. You, me, and…”

“You and me, and the sex?”

“Yes. That.”

“There I must disagree with you. But before we move on to discuss the finer details, I should explain exactly what I have in mind, what I will require from you.”

“I may be unmarried, sir, but I am not exactly ignorant in such matters. I know full well what it is that you are suggesting.”

“Excellent, but permit me to elucidate anyway. I will wish to tie you to my bed, blindfold you, gag you. Spank you. Whip you, and fuck you until you forget your own name. This list is not exhaustive but should be sufficient to convey the general flavour of my intentions. I am looking for a mistress who is also a sexual submissive, one who will be dominated by me. Are these the matters you are not ignorant of, Victoria?”

“I… I…” Victoria gaped at him, uncertain whether she had heard him correctly. “Mr. Luke, you cannot… I mean, no one would… Would they?”

“Oh, yes, Miss Wynne. They would. I would, and so will you. If you agree to my proposition.”

“No. Oh, no, certainly not.” Victoria shook her head, leaning away from him. Her actions were not lost on Adam Luke.

“You appear frightened, and I confess I have stated my requirements somewhat plainly. I felt it best to put matters out in the open. Please be assured though, I will not harm you. Your safety and wellbeing will be my utmost concerns. Should you agree to my terms as my submissive, I will expect obedience and respect from you, and as your dominant I will punish any failure to deliver those. Such punishment will usually be physical. However, a dominant’s responsibilities do not end there. I will also ensure that you are safe, cared for, and I will give you pleasure beyond your imagining.”

“Pleasure? You imagine I will derive pleasure from being beaten. You are deluded, Mr. Luke. Quite deranged.”

“I am neither, Victoria. May I venture to suggest that your experience of these matters is perhaps more limited than you had previously believed?”

Victoria lifted her chin and glared at him down her nose, an expression well-honed over the years spent running Wynne’s and that never failed to intimidate millworkers and owners alike. “No, sir, you may not. You may not venture to suggest anything at all to me. This is madness. What about if I should become pregnant? Have you thought of that?”

“I have. I will take every precaution to prevent that eventuality, but as you rightly point out, it is a possibility. Please be assured, if there should be a child I will make the necessary provision.”

“I don’t want providing for. I can stand on my own feet, I have for years. I want you to leave. Now.”

Adam showed no sign of compliance with her demand. Instead, he helped himself to another cup of tea and settled back again. “Please do not forget, Victoria, this is my mill. You do not get to order me out.”

“You cannot force me to, to…”

“And I will not. I would never force you to do anything against your will. Quite the reverse, in fact. I will require your willing submission. I merely ask that you consider my counterproposal, and the benefits it offers. I had not intended this, but I am even prepared to grant you a brief trial period, in order that you can become convinced of the truth of my assurances. Allow me to demonstrate how much pleasure I can give you if you submit to me, and that you will emerge from the experience uninjured.”

“And if I refuse? If I turn down your, your—offer?”

“Then I assume your original proposal remains on the table.”

“You will accept it? You will agree to enter into a purely business partnership, with none of the other, the other—terms?”

“I would, if I must. But I should advise you, Victoria, I am unlikely to repeat my offer to you. I am a dominant, and for reasons I do not choose to go into at this precise moment, I currently find myself without a submissive. This is a situation I intend to rectify. I am optimistic that you will agree to fill the role and that you will do so admirably, but if you choose not to, I will look elsewhere. The position will not be open to you for very long.”

“What would be involved? In this demonstration, I mean. What would I have to do?”

He smiled, and Victoria realised this was the first time he had done so, for her at least, since his arrival. Perhaps he scented victory. Perhaps he was right. For reasons she could not yet fathom she was actually considering his bizarre notion. The prospect of an extra twenty-five percent of the profits was tantalising enough, and might be sufficient in itself. But there was more, something else, something lurking deep down in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps lower.

Curiosity. She was shocked, certainly, but intrigued too. Mr. Luke might be a scoundrel, a sexual predator, a sadist if she understood his intentions correctly. But he was also devilishly handsome, attractive, and charismatic. She felt drawn to him at the same time as his outrageous suggestions repelled her. In short, she was confused. She should be appalled, but in truth she was not, not nearly so much as she had implied. His disgraceful words created images that danced around her head, and caused her pussy to clench and moisten. Victoria had little time for romance, and no social life to speak of. But she understood lust well enough, and she was no stranger to arousal. She normally explored those alien concepts in the privacy of her room at Wynne House, but she probed nonetheless. She was interested, and Mr. Luke could satisfy her yearnings. There was more he might offer too, but she would save that aspect of their discussion until later. First, she needed to know exactly what she might be getting into.

“Today is Tuesday. On Friday you will conclude your business here in decent time, and take a train to Leeds. From there you will catch the overnight express for London. You will come to my home and spend the weekend with me. You will return to Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon, and by then I guarantee you will be in a position to make an informed decision.”

“I cannot just—”

“You can, and you will. Won’t you, Victoria?” His voice had lowered; it was little more than a whisper now. He leaned forward, his emerald green eyes catching and holding hers.

Victoria hesitated, but her reluctance was not borne from modesty, nor even fear, she realised. It had rather more to do with the practicalities of getting away for a weekend of illicit—whatever—with this sinfully attractive man. And practicalities were something she could manage.

“Yes. I will.”

“Excellent. I believe we will get along famously, you and I. Now, would you be so kind as to conduct me on a tour of the mill? I always value an opportunity to properly understand any commercial enterprise I engage in.”

“What is that building? The one close to the gate into the mill yard?” Adam pointed to the long, single-story structure across the cobbled courtyard.

“That is our school. It was founded by my father.”

“A school? Is there no educational facility available in the town then?” He admired the fine set of Victoria’s jaw as he questioned her. He had enjoyed his tour of the premises and had learned as much about the woman who ran it as he had about the intricate process of weaving fine cloth. It was clear to him that she took immense pride in Wynne’s Weaving Mill, and there was no inch of the building unknown to her, no worker whose name she did not have ready at the tip of her tongue. Neither was there any aspect of their manufacturing process unfamiliar to her. She knew it all, in intimate detail.

His cock hardened on that last thought as he considered the details of her delightful form. He would learn the finer points of her body too. Soon.

Victoria smiled at him, her satisfaction apparent. “There is. An elementary school caters for children up to the age of twelve, though many leave earlier than that to take up employment. I do not employ anyone under thirteen, and then rarely. I prefer my workers to be at least fifteen years old. They are less accident prone.”

“I see. So, the school…?”

“The children of my workers are offered places here, after they leave elementary school. They continue to study until they are of an age to enter my mill.”

“This sounds most laudable. But expensive, surely.”

“A literate, educated workforce is a profitable one. And loyal. We have fewer accidents, as I mentioned, and my machinery is well-maintained. There is less wastage, so my costs are lower. My workers appreciate the benefits of our school; they want a good education for their children, and I provide it. They know I need to make money to pay for their additional benefits so they work hard. They have a stake in Wynne’s too.”

“There are other benefits to working here then, apart from the school?”

“Yes. As well as the two teachers we employ, we have a doctor, a dentist, and a lawyer. They practice in the town itself, but their services are offered free to Wynne’s workers and their families.”

“I see. You pay these professionals a retainer, I assume.”

“No. I paid for their training. The most able and gifted children in our school are encouraged not to work in the mill. Instead Wynne’s will fund their secondary education, and if they continue to do well, their university studies too. Once they qualify in their chosen profession, they are expected to return to Hebden Bridge and repay my investment as I have described. Talent and hard work are rewarded here, Mr. Luke, and my mill thrives as a result.”

“What if the beneficiaries of your largess do not choose to return here? You could not compel them, surely?”

“I accept that is a possibility, but no one has ever abused the system. Our doctor is the son of one of my over-lookers, and the lawyer, Herbert Fuller, lives with his mother in one of our cottages. She is a fine seamstress. I have mechanics who have been trained as engineers, and a very promising young bookkeeper. All have come through my little school. We grow our own, Mr. Luke.”

“Adam, please. Your philanthropy is not unique, but it is unusual. And it appears to work. Your financial results speak for themselves. I applaud your vision, Victoria.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else you wish to see?”

“No, I think I am satisfied. For now.”

“Good. In that case, I will return to my work. I have much to finish this afternoon. Are you taking the train back to London today?”

“No, I intend to remain here overnight.”

“I see. In that case, would you like me to summon a carriage to take you to your hotel? You will be staying at the White Lion, I presume.”

“Why would I do that when I have a perfectly fine house in the vicinity? Twelve bedrooms no less?”

He enjoyed her perplexed expression almost as much as he had her outrage earlier. “But, that is my home. My family is there. My mother.”

“I know that. I am looking forward to making their acquaintance.”

“You said I could have the house back.”

“I did, and I will be as good as my word. But for now, Wynne House belongs to me and I wish to enjoy its comforts. Shall we go?” He offered her his elbow.

“This is impossible, quite improper.”

“Improper? Oh, Victoria, I look forward to re-educating you as to the concept of what constitutes improper behaviour. I assure you, your parameters will shift.”

Her face reddened, though she was persistent. “But, how will I introduce you?”

“By my name, I imagine. I am a business contact, your business partner in fact. It is not unusual to entertain such acquaintances in your home. I assume your family are aware of the situation; Edward’s unfortunate gambling habits, I mean.”

She nodded. “Yes. I felt I had to tell them in the end. When I believed we had just three months to find a new home.”

“Well, now we have better tidings for them. That alone should earn me a dinner.”

“But, we are not expecting guests. Ours is a simple household. You would be much more comfortable at the White Lion.”