“Trust me,” he said soothingly. “Trust me.”
She did trust him. With her life, in fact. She let out the breath again and forced herself to relax. Soon the pain was gone, and he was slipping his finger slowly in and out of her anal opening. He leaned down and took her pussy in his mouth while still finger-fucking her arsehole.
Oh, the pleasure—such that she never imagined. A few more seconds of his tongue tantalizing her, and she shattered into a euphoric climax.
When she had come back to earth, she opened her eyes and found his head between her legs, his gaze meeting hers.
“Again,” he said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Six Weeks Later
Sophie took her second, third, and then an unprecedented fourth curtain call after the finale of Love on a Midsummer Night. A total of four dozen red roses were handed to her, from Zach, from the director, and from two of the theatres’ benefactors.
Life had been good these past several weeks. The ominous notes had stopped, despite the fact that Mr. Bertram, still incarcerated, maintained his innocence. Though she and Zach hadn’t been able to spend a lot of alone time together due to their unrelenting schedules, they constantly stole looks at one another during rehearsals, reminding each other of their love. Ally had recovered, and babies Maureen and Sophie were thriving.
Yes, life was good.
Breathless and exhausted, Sophie left the stage for the dressing room. She was waylaid by Ally and Evan, her mother and the earl, Lily and the duke, and Rose, who had accompanied Lily and the duke because Cameron was working the performance.
Ally looked radiant, her chestnut hair pulled up and tumbling over her neck in ringlets. Her golden eyes were dancing. She pulled Sophie into a fierce hug. “Oh, my darling, you were absolutely spectacular. Your voice never sounded sweeter. You will be the toast of the town in no time.”
Sophie couldn’t speak. She just smiled.
“My dear Sophie,” her mother said, “you are positively glowing.”
Sophie didn’t doubt it. She was warm and clammy and on top of the world.
Everyone wanted a hug, and everyone wanted to congratulate her. She appreciated it, she truly did, but she really wanted to see Zach. He had disappeared after the curtain calls, no doubt to his office.
She finally forced herself to speak. “Thank you all for coming. I do so appreciate your support. And I’m so glad you enjoyed the show. Rose, Cam is a genius. His music and Zach’s words were a joy to sing. They
made me look good.”
“Don’t be silly,” Rose said. “Cam and Mr. Newland are both geniuses, but so are you.”
The others all agreed, hugging Sophie again. She was blessed to have such a loving and supportive family. Most of all, she was betrothed to the most wonderful man in the world. Sophie missed him. They had sneaked in some kisses when they could, but Sophie was looking forward to spending some quality time with her husband-to-be.
Tomorrow was Sunday, and Zach had promised the cast a day off—the first since May Day. Sophie planned to surprise Zach at his townhome and spend the day in his bed.
She finally broke away from her family, and instead of going straight to the ladies’ dressing room, she made a detour to Zach’s office. She was surprised to find it dark. She opened the door, but still blackness greeted her. Zach was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he was in the men’s dressing room, removing his stage makeup and changing into street clothes.
Sophie made her way to the ladies’ dressing room to do the same. The ladies applauded when she entered, and Sophie’s heart melted. They had finally opened up to her and accepted her. She had proved her worth during the grueling six weeks of rehearsal, working as hard or harder than they all did. She would not be seen as a pampered lady of the peerage. And truth be told, she was not a pampered lady of the peerage. She had probably grown up in worse circumstances than they had.
After removing her stage makeup as best she could, she changed back into her street clothes with the help of one of the dressers.
She quickly ran past Zach’s office. Still dark. So she strode to the men’s dressing room and waited outside. When one of the male cast members came out, she said, “Barrington, have you seen Mr. Newland?”
“I’m sorry, Lady Sophie. I didn’t see him the entire time I was in the dressing room.”
Sophie wrinkled her forehead. “That is odd. He’s not in his office either.”
“Perhaps he had business to attend to with benefactors. I’m sure he’ll turn up. Have a pleasing day off on the morrow.”
“Yes, thank you. You do the same.”
The man disappeared down the hallway.