Man on Man, Lord Craven-Moore and Gideon

I knew right away when I saw the back cover copy of Charlotte’s Her Ladyship’s Companion, that I would have to meet up with this Gideon fellow. After all, the LIT ladies are forever encouraging me in my endeavours. They say I need to find ways to amuse myself. Little do they know....

So, being eager to please my ladies, I decided to read Her Ladyship’s Companion and discover for myself why Charlotte was walking about with pink cheeks and a familiar glow which I, myself, have put there many times.

Imagine my shock when I discovered the object of her fascination. Gideon.
A male prostitute...upon my word, I was intrigued, and a trifle miffed that Charlotte appeared to be rather smitten with the bloke. So, never one to let opportunity or research pass me by, I set out to Evangeline Collins’ place in search of the hero and the on dits of his past.


Upon first meeting Gideon, I’m rather taken aback. Immediately I feel a trifle ruffled. Gideon, you see, could make a lady swoon at a hundred paces. Currently my swoon worthiness is seventy-five paces! I begin to wonder where else this man might out measure me. But then, I immediately brighten. Gideon cannot claim the affections of the LIT ladies. In that, I am one hundred percent certain.

I take the wingback chair by the fire and reach for the snifter he has filled for me. I must concede, he has excellent taste. The brandy is smooth and a fine vintage, and his clothes, well tailored and expensive, are in the first stare of fashion. Upon close inspection, he is every inch the gentleman. Nothing like the tawdry Haymarket street walker I had envisioned. Damn his eyes, I can see why the ladies pay to have this man pleasure them.
He allows me to study him, but then I suppose he’s used to having his stock taken in and...measured.

With an arch of his dark brow he waits, although I’m aware his patience is wearing thin. I cough. I suppose I am staring. Bad form, that.

“Well,” I ask, bristling under his intense scrutiny, “what thoughts ran through your mind when you were travelling to Scotland to meet Bella?”

“I fully expected it to be the same as every other appointment, but I will admit to a level of curiosity. I was being sent quite the distance to visit a lady who, to my knowledge, had never laid eyes on me. In my experience, women tended to prefer to make their selection themselves. And I was to be this lady’s guest for a fortnight. Definitely outside the realm of the usual.”

Tell me how you felt the first time you ever laid eyes on her?

“She quite literally took my breath away. So exquisite, so lovely, so beyond anything I had expected, yet at the same time, she was exactly what I had expected.”

I find myself wanting to ask if ever found himself in the position to pleasure a lady of less pleasing attributes. What must that be like to be forced to pleasure one who did not stir the blood? While the question burns in my brain, it is rather gauche. And while this man was essentially a hired servant for a lady’s pleasure, he was not tactless. I could not bring myself to ask, even as I pondered the dilemma he must have faced at times during his....career. Something told me, though, that this fellow could find beauty in even the most plain woman. Which, of course, made him a very great threat to the rest of the gentlemen out there.

“Bella is a beauty, for certain, but what else did you discover about her upon your first meeting.?

“I did have a few moments to take in my surroundings before coming face to face with the lady of the manor. The grounds, the manor house, and her formal drawing room led me to expect a refined, sophisticated English lady. And Bella is every bit of that, and yet so very much more. I definitely had not expected to find such a beauty tucked away at a remote Scottish estate.”

What made the lovemaking different with Bella than with your other...patrons?

I notice the frown that flickers across Gideon’s perfect lips. Perhaps I have rubbed him the wrong way. I realize that he is trying his damndest to appear unruffled. I wonder why the question would upset him so, and if he would, indeed answer it.

“Bella cannot be compared to another.”

I have, indeed, offended him. Perhaps it was adding Bella into his past, or cataloguing her with the other women who had once purchased him. Perhaps it is that he and I are not so very different in our pasts except for the pesky fact he had accepted money for his services.

The tone is now a bit tense between us and I strive for a question that will set us once again on the right footing.

Evangeline confessed her favourite naughty bit of the book, what was yours?

The frown vanished, replaced with a slow grin. “Sometimes it is better to simply sit back and…enjoy. Truly a rare luxury, and one most graciously bestowed upon me. Though I’m not certain if I’d term it ‘rare’ anymore. And that’s all I will say on the matter. We are speaking of a lady, after all.”

Damned gentlemanly facade! Good breeding was highly overrated. Besides, I could be silent as the tomb when required. I lean forward and demand that he spill the details of the scene, but he merely smiles and sips his brandy. I make a mental note to scour every damn page of that book in search of that scene.

What is your favourite seduction technique?

"Might I ask why? Is it because you require some assistance in that area, Lord Craven-Moore? For if you do, I would be more than happy to offer my assistance…for the sake of your lovely ladies, of course. And I will offer this piece of advice - every woman is unique, and each moves at their own pace. One cannot just be interchanged for another. Therefore seduction is not a static technique. It is more about discovering what a woman desires, carefully fanning those desires…and then fulfilling them.”

Hmmm, I’m trying to decide whether to call him out or laugh at his audacity. Me requiring assistance? Just who does he think he is? I will give him this, though, he’s an intelligent fellow, even if he has too high an opinion of himself. I know women, and especially my ladies. Nothing goes un-noticed by me and I can safely say that I provide ultimate satisfaction. Although, I have quite quickly decided that Charlotte will not be allowed anywhere near this man. He’s exactly the sort she could cause a scandal with.

What is your favourite piece of clothing to remove from a woman?

“Silk stockings. And preferably saved for last. The only sight that compares to a woman in nothing but her stockings, is a woman clad in nothing at all.”

"In that we are agreed. Myself, I do enjoy removing corsets. I have a very great love of them. Now then, tell me which is first for you kissing or touching?

“While touching a beautiful woman does hold more than a certain amount of appeal, the power of a kiss can never be discounted. A kiss reveals a woman’s true nature. And with Bella, her kisses are the very definition of a promise of more.”

And that, darling readers, is Gideon. I tried to ply him with brandy to loosen his tongue but he stayed steadfastly stubborn and the consummate gentleman. He would not say a word against his lady or his past paramours. And while I have every respect for a lady’s reputation, I am not above spreading, or listening to a bit of tittle tattle.

In the end, my opinion of Gideon is this, stay away from my ladies because I feel you are far too smooth and accomplished. He knows women, and more than what they want in the bedroom. If I did not have every confidence in my own sexual prowess, I would be deuced worried about my ladies transferring their affections.

I have a good opinion of Gideon and I think you will too. If you would like an opportunity to win his book, comment, ask him a question, or myself, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Gideon’s book, Her Ladyship’s Companion. Gideon and myself will be back later this evening to announce the winner.

Hugs and Kisses
Lord Craven-Moore