Yet at that moment he wanted her to be more discerning in her tastes, her desires. He didn’t want her interested in the act alone. He wanted her interested in engaging in the act because of how madly she was drawn to someone in particular, drawn to him. What the devil was the matter with him?

“If you look closely, you’ll see that some of the gents wear a red button on their left lapel. They will provide that service for you.” He said the words flatly and yet an unwelcomed tightness was building within him like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

“I’m not interested in them. You intrigue me, Mr. Trewlove. You are the one I want.”

“Alas, I do not mix business and pleasure.” It nearly killed him to say the words.

“Consider it all business.”

“I do not involve myself with my clientele.”

“I’m not asking you to involve yourself. I’m asking you to bed me.”

He was accustomed to being the one in pursuit, not the one pursued. While he appreciated her boldness, was quite taken with it if he was honest, it did make him feel uncentered. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bed her. It was simply that he was wary of her motives. Did ladies in whom he showed an interest feel the same, worry they might be left with regrets?

Was it even possible to bed her without involving himself? Certainly he’d had encounters that were designed to merely slake lust, but she seemed a lady deserving of more. Did she fully comprehend the loneliness that could strike when the body was replete, but nothing called to the soul? It was an odd thing, having just met her, to realize he didn’t want to bed her and then be done with it. He wanted a bit more time to explore the possibilities of her.

“We can stand here and debate or we can waltz and debate.” Bowing slightly, mockingly, if truth be told, he waved toward the dance floor. “Shall we?”

“I’m not wearing shoes.”

“All the better.”

How often had she considered slipping off her slippers, certain the flow of her skirts would keep her bare feet hidden while she danced? She abhorred shoes, the manner in which they confined, often causing her toes to pinch. So the freedom she now had was as delightful as she’d always thought it would be, with her soles skimming over the polished wood as he swept her over the floor.

It didn’t hurt that a handsome man whose gaze never wavered from her was the one doing the sweeping.

“I shocked you with my bluntness.” Had shocked herself, truth be told. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out, had intended to be a bit more subtle in gaining what she required.