In the other's shoes

Chapter 4

He arrived at the door of Bridgerton senior's office, she had never known them.  But seeing him in the painting hanging in Violet's living room gave him a sense of tenderness.... I had the same sly smile as Colin and the same sweetness emanated from his eyes.
He knocked softly....no one answered, then he knocked harder, hurting his knuckles.
- Colin are you here?  -
Colin was sitting at the desk with one leg on the armrest and a glass in hand swinging dangerously on the two back legs of the sturdy chair.
-Ohh little Penelope you came to the wolf's den at your own risk..I'd leave.  Colin said softly.
Penelope heard nothing.
"Colin, I'm coming in..." she said as she opened the door.
A gust of stale air hit her, the smell of tobacco and the scent of cedar and then a more musky, murky smell, the smell of Colin.
This smell hit her strong with her femininity, it had never happened to him and her heart started pounding so fast that she put a hand on her chest as if to stop it.
Penelope stopped at her door trying to get her bearings it was completely dark.
She moved slowly moving towards the center of the room.
-Colin, I know you're here, I feel you're here.  Can you please turn on the light?  -
Nothing.  She then she felt like a movement of air, as if someone had passed by, she felt a shiver in the back of her neck.
-Colin you know I don't like the dark please turn on the light so we can talk-
Penelope heard the latch on the door close behind her, barely managing to see her as she lunged at the door trying to open it.
-Colin what have you done!  You must open this door now!  - trying to move her in vain.
-Come to my house and push me around?  Penelope Featherington?  Ohh sorry Penelope?  What is your last name now?  -
Her voice, if he heard it behind him, was hollow and hoarse.  Penelope was facing her exit and she felt it not far from her, she perceived its heat ... her smell .. of her she didn't dare move so as not to run into him.  It wasn't the Colin's voice she knew.
-This is actually not your house, but your mother's Violet .... in theory ...-she knew she had said something stupid ... but she had to say something ..
-Really Penelope?  - Colin said sarcastically
-And I'm Penelope Featherington... -
-Ahh already you married your distant cousin ....- Colin said getting a little closer, he needed, an urgency to feel her closer to smell her ... he was already excited as hell ... I wanted to play a little with her.  After all, after how he had treated him he had to take his revenge.
He felt it before he touched it, an electric shock.  He had never felt this way with Penelope.  At first he felt for her a source of infinite tenderness, certainly at times he felt a fervor and excitement typical of a man in love with her.  Now instead he felt something stronger, intense, lustful.  Maybe because he couldn't have her anymore....it was the allure of the forbidden, he thought.  He wanted to seduce her, smell her, taste her.  And he would.  Even if he was then damned for life.
-So....who do we have here?  - he said leaning on the door with one arm and with the other he took Penelope by the waist.
Penelope held her breath…almost scared, then she raged.  They were all worried about Colin and she too was baffled by her behavior.
-Stop playing, Colin Bridgerton, open the door, turn on the light and talk to me!  -
It was like lighting the fuse on a firecracker, hearing Penelope's nervous voice, feeling her warmth and her breath against him, Colin got so aroused that he nearly moaned.  And he pushed against her hard.
-Does it look like I'm playing?  You're married now dear Penelope, you know what that means - thrusting his groin excitedly against her.  - You know what that means?  That I've been wanting you for a lifetime, that I want to kiss every inch of your butter flesh, that my tongue would like to taste your every sweet fold.  That I would like to hear my name, not your husband's name, but MY name, every time you come!  I'm not really kidding!  -he said hissing in her ear-but you know, I'm just a wandering dreamer, that's what you called me that night with your friends right?  he said, pulling away from her abruptly.
Penelope lost her balance landing on her knees, she was still left with the image of Colin's tongue in the folds of hers and a tingling between her legs that she had never felt before.

The gentleman in Colin, still not quite asleep, came to her rescue unceremoniously pulling her up.
That was enough for Penelope to think about Colin's words.
Colin thought she was married.
And Colin had overheard her conversation with the gossips the last night they'd seen each other.
Penelope pushed him away without the grace of her who always guided her.
-Colin Bridgerton first thing before talking to me you have to take a cold shower!  -
Colin tried to smuggle…
-No.... No. Listen to me carefully!  I didn't get married....not that it's any of your business... But my cousin is very young and he fell in love with my sister Felicity as soon as he saw her she's the one he's going to marry.  As you can see, I'm still a spinster and ... you didn't listen to all the conversation I had that evening with those hags.-
-But you called me a vagabond dreamer... -
- Wandering dreamer ... not a wanderer, a wanderer and I didn't say anything bad, you travel and if you are a dreamer and damn you want to turn on this cursed light!!  She said raising her voice more than necessary.
Colin first smiled then he started laughing heartily.