A Gentleman's Secret ~ The third novelette from "Different Desire", a Gay Victorian Romance and Erotic novelette collection Read Free Page A

mischievous grey eyes challenged mine boldly and he added , “Really.”
    And before I had time to react, several things happened at the same time. First of all, Simon, who had had his arms raised by his head to show me that he was unarmed, grabbed the spear end with one hand, and with surprising strength, he swiftly twisted it to one side, away from him. That made me lose my balance somewhat, which in turn made his next move all too easy to execute. He seized me around my neck, he pulled me closer, and he… he kissed me!
    His lips crushed mine, and I froze completely. The only thing I managed to do was to utter a slight muffled protest at the shock of his lips touching mine. I had never been kissed in my entire life and definitively never ever against my will by a man! I had not even embraced anyone since I was a small chil d, and physical contact for me was very, very rare. So to be so utterly violated by this intimate action was , of course , upsetting to say the least. I was absolutely unable to do anything; I only stood there and let it happen. The kiss lasted no more than a few seconds; however , the feeling of his warm lips, his sharp unshaved cheek, and the smell of him would haunt me for weeks to come .
    As unexpectedly as he had begun the kiss, as swiftly did he break it. He almost lazily tilted the lantern with one foot and stepped out the flame before he grabbed some of the jewellery by the broken cabinet and went to the open window to disappear.
    However, at last I was broken out of my stupor, and as he had nearly climbed out of the window, I reached out and grabbed his dress coat. Our eyes met for a heartbeat. Me standing by the window sill holding on to his blue coat while he was already climbing down the first thick branches of ivy below . The spell was broken when he swore and struggled to get free. But my grip was firm. H owever , he was too devious for me, the trickster, and he managed to wriggle out of the dress coat and escape .
    In the end, I was holding an empty dress coat in one hand and an African spear in the other, as I watched him look up at me from the courtyard below. He made a vexing mock salute before he , with great agility , leaped over the garden wall in one smooth movement and disappeared into the London night.
    I stood there by the window for a very long time, my heart racing. My mind seemed to be in perfect turmoil , and I never noticed the cold January air from the open window. I should have felt revolted and shocked over what had happened, but mostly I felt strangely agitated and bewildered.
 
    *
     
    I decided to stay completely away from the white terraced house in Kensington and its inhabitants. I even promised myself I would not go back. In fact, I swore that I would not return.
    But I lied, of course. After a week , I started to spy on the building , and sometimes I would even follow after Anthony Percival-Davis as he took his long walks around Kensington Garden. The whole incident felt unreal to me when I thought about it. Had he really threatened me with a tribal spear? Half-naked? And why had I kissed him? And why the hell did I even thi nk about him at all? But there was something about him that drew me back. I knew I should have counted myself lucky to g e t away , and I do not know why I tempted fa te the way I did, spying on the house and its damned master.
    Another mystery was that Anthony Percival-Davis never reported the burglary at Holland Park Avenue . I had sent Little Brian to investigate the latest reports at the police station , but the crime was n ever even filed. Ha s he not realized that I had managed to steal something , or is it below his dignity to report a petty theft to the police? I wondered, and it was the only explanation I could come up with; however, it did not make any sense. Surely , he must have noticed that I took the bracelet after I had stolen my kiss?
    I had not pawned the golden bracelet yet. I told myself it was because I wanted the storm to