Mistress of Deception

Kathleen Coddington

Her gaze flickered toward the tub. “I'm almost finished with the unpacking. What do I do next?”

The maid shot her a surprised glance. “You're to help your master with his bath, of course. You have done this before?” she inquired with a slight frown.

“Of course.” Isabella shot her a look of disdain. She had no intention of admitting that she had no experience in performing the duties of a personal servant.

Her look was wasted on the maid who shrugged and replied, “In that case, I have other chores. As the door closed behind her, Isabella turned to contemplate the tub of steaming water. Marco had mentioned bathing him would be a part of her duties. Still, the prospect of having to bathe a large, naked, and if she was honest, very attractive man, was daunting. Her heartbeat quickened as she imagined her hands moving across the rippling muscles of his chest.

The door swung opened behind her and Marco walked in. “Ah, there you are,” he said as he spied her. “Is my bath ready? We'll have to hurry. Dona Emilia is serving dinner early. She's determined to get a decent meal into us.” Divesting himself of his doublet, he moved toward the tub.

Isabella hurried to stand in front of him. “Do you actually expect me to bathe you?” she demanded, feeling the heat rising in her face.

Marco's fingers paused on the fastenings of his shirt, his gaze settling on her face. “It is considered part of your responsibilities.”

She eyed the tub of steaming water. “Surely, there's some other duty I can perform while you bathe?”

He appeared to contemplate her request while he pulled his shirt over his head. “If I recall correctly, you promised to do anything I required if I would take you to Rome.”

She lowered her head, knowing her face must be scarlet with embarrassment. “I know, but…” Her voice trailed away.

“Do you regret your bargain so soon?” he taunted, tossing his shirt to her as he walked to the tub. “You agreed to play the part of my body servant.” He pulled off his boots then reached for the ties at the top of his hose. “Now you're going to have to deal with that decision.” Without waiting for her response, he peeled off his hose and stepped into the tub.

She turned her back and busied herself with folding and refolding the towels. She heard a splash as Marco shifted in the water.

“You may wash my back.”

She turned in his direction, staring at a spot on the opposite wall above his head. “Wash your back?”

“It is customary, you know, for a body servant to perform such duties. Besides,” he reminded her. “I can't reach the soap and the rag without standing up.” He bent one knee and leaned forward as if preparing to do just that.

“Don't,” Her voice became a squeak as she saw his hands tighten around the rim of the tub. “I'll do it.“ Grabbing the soap and the cloth from the pile, she hurried to the back of the tub. Her mouth tightened as she saw his barely concealed smile of satisfaction.

“You'll need to rub harder than that,” he commented as she made a half-hearted swipe across his shoulder. She grasped the rag and scrubbed harder. He glanced over his shoulder. “Is that the best you can do? Put some muscle into it.”

She gritted her teeth. Put some muscle into it! She’d show him. She scrubbed his back until his skin turned red.

“Ouch.” He jerked upright. “That's enough. I can finish.” As he reached for the cloth, their fingers met and tangled in the folds of white fabric. Instead of releasing his hold on her hand he pulled her closer.

She strained backward. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, he reached for her other arm and jerked her towards him. She barely had time to yelp before she landed in the tub sprawled across his lap.

Excerpted from page 50-line 21 to page 51end of page