An Introduction to Pleasure Read Free Page A

had made him angry. Now they were just embarrassing and tiresome.
    The last servant in the line was his butler, Pruett. Unlike the others, he was able to keep any emotion from his face, thanks to a great many more years of experience in service. He had been with Andrew’s family for years.
    “Welcome home, Viscount Callis,” the older man said with a shallow bow at the waist.
    “Thank you, Pruett,” Andrew said as he led the way inside. The other servants dispersed back to their duties, leaving him alone with the butler in the foyer.
    “And are there any messages?” he asked.
    It was habit to request them when he arrived, when in truth he expected only something from his father. His old friends no longer tried to coax him back into their wicked lives and he hadn’t tried to make many new friends since…well, in a long time.
    “Yes, sir, there are,” Pruett said, and to Andrew’s surprise he handed over two missives.
    Andrew wrinkled his brow in confusion. Two?
    “Thank you,” he said. “I will take these to my chamber. That will be all for the time being.”
    He wandered up the stairs, barely hearing Pruett’s response. The letter on top was the expected one from his father, of course, but as he flipped to the second, it was in a hand he didn’t recognize. It was feminine and the paper smelled faintly of lightly perfumed waters.
    He waited until he was alone in his chamber to break the seal and open it. As he scanned over the words within, he couldn’t help but sit down beside the fire with a thump.
    The message was from Vivien Manning.
    It wasn’t that he didn’t know the notorious former courtesan. The woman had been mistress to at least two friends from his youth, and he had always liked her.
    But he hadn’t seen her in almost three years, let alone spoken to her in a way that would encourage correspondence.
    And yet here she was, asking him to visit her home at his earliest convenience.
    He stared at the request over and over again, trying to decipher the meaning behind the simple, one-sentence request. There was no reason she should ask to see him. They had no relationship beyond a vague acquaintance, nor had he ever expressed a desire to expand that. Everyone knew he lived a monastic life, by his own choice. He had made that abundantly clear to the few friends who dared to question his lifestyle.
    But how could he refuse her request? He had no desire to be rude to Vivien, even if he had long ago divorced himself from the lifestyle she represented. Perhaps it was best to simply visit her, kindly make it clear that he had no interest in an affair with her, and be done with it.
    He did not look forward to that refusal, for he doubted Vivien heard the word “no” very often. She was a beautiful and powerful woman. One he couldn’t help but respect.
    With a sigh, he pulled a sheet of paper from the table beside his bed and scrawled a quick note indicating he would call on her for afternoon tea the next day. But as he called for a servant to take the note and arrange delivery, Andrew stifled the curiosity and thrill of excitement that filled his chest.
    He had let go of that life long ago. He had no intention of ever going back.

Chapter Three
    Andrew sat in Vivien’s parlor, staring at the delicate wallpaper. The dark red and pink pattern depicted something most people would never notice: naughty scenes of men and women entangled. He remembered coming to a party here once many years ago and trying to find all the hidden images.
    A lifetime ago. Before he had married Rebecca. Before everything in his life had changed. He could hardly recall the man he was back then. He didn’t want to recall it. In retrospect, it seemed like such a frivolous, empty existence.
    The door behind him opened, and he rose to his feet and turned as Vivien entered. She was undeniably one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, and that beauty had always been complemented by her quick sense of humor and sharp