The Queen's Tale Read Free Page A

but I know I do. Story to tell the grandkids, you know.” He winked at Philomena. “I’ve just the thing, your ladyship.” He reached behind the flap of his great coat and pulled out a pair of shiny silver bracelets, linked by short length of chain. “Hands out, Captain. Are you going to snap to or are we going to have to tell the lord chamberlain that he should send another man for this job?”
    “Philomena,” Dante said.
    Embarrassed to the core, she fell back on old habits. “I did not give you permission to use my name.”
    “We’d better gag him for you too,” Joseph suggested. “It’s his mouth that always gets him into trouble.”
    Philomena touched her lips, thinking of the kisses Dante’s mouth had demonstrated. When she realized he was watching, her face began to burn.
    Joseph took advantage of the distraction and locked one side of the wrist manacles in place while quick-stepping the man into a headlock.
    “That’s my boy!” he laughed, as Dante swung his head back and narrowly missed slamming the bridge of Joseph’s nose. “Grab his other hand, Thomas! If you’re not too busy just standing there?”
    Thomas jumped into the fray.
    “Behind the back is better—oomph—ow! Blasted—never mind. That’ll do.”
    The handcuffs were snapped into place. Grunts, fleshy smacks and thudding violence had Philomena cringing. A lengthof sturdy rope appeared from inside one of Joseph’s bottomless jacket pockets.
    “Rope his hands up. No! Top of the bed frame. Watch his knees,” Joseph grumbled. “Little bugger’s faster than he used to be.”
    “Perhaps we should reconsider—” Philomena started.
    “Not at all! Only another—oof!—moment, your Magesty. We’ll be out of your way.”
    “Don’t hurt—”
    “Nonsense. Just a bit of roughhouse.”
    Joseph and Thomas both stepped back, slightly out of breath. “There you are.”
    Dante’s arms were loosely suspended over his head, his manacled wrists roped to the top rail of her bed. The frame was ancient mahogany; the canopy pole thicker than Philomena’s arm. They all watched as Dante wrapped his hands around the rope and swung his weight against it.
    The rail held.
    “When I get out of here—” Dante lunged toward Joseph “—you’d better hope—”
    “The pubs are still open?” Joseph winked at Philomena. “No worries. We’ll all still be celebrating the queen’s special day. Won’t we?” He tipped his head toward the exit, and wrapped an arm around Thomas’ shoulder to lead him out. As he closed the bedroom door, he bowed deeply.
    “I don’t like this,” Dante began immediately.
    “Nevertheless—”
    “Untie me.”
    “I think not.”
    “You can’t do this to me!”
    Philomena blinked.
    She was the queen. Of course she could. Point of fact, she could do much worse, if she were that sort.
    “You never answered my question,” she realized. “Did you?”
    “Question?” he snapped in frustration. “What question?”
    “Tonight, it’s queen’s rules.” She walked to the door and picked up the key that Joseph had left on the small table. “That is the question you must ask yourself, sir. If you can not accept that, I will release you. And you will leave this chamber and never return. Answer me now, Captain Dante. Queen’s rules. Do you accept?”
    He hesitated. His eyes narrowed. Philomena was certain she heard his breath hiss as he exhaled. But he answered clearly.
    “I do.”
    A long sigh of relief slipped out. She felt lighter. The queen gave way to the girl inside. She didn’t resist the sudden need to smile.
    This beautiful man was hers to play with, feast on, enjoy for the entire night.
    All of him was pleasing to her, from the cut and curve of the arching muscles across his shoulders, to the shadowed hollow at the center of his chest, down to his navel, and even there, in the deep vee of his thighs. She squeaked with her next sigh.
    “Do your worst, Majesty. Anything you like.”
    “My worst?” she