The Price of Desire (Avon Red)

The desire to have someone body and soul turns into love in this erotic historical romance tale of the beautiful young and innocent virgin Caroline Clemons who suddenly finds herself and her siblings penniless after the suicide of her prominent society banker father. She is depending on the honor of Captain Bellamy to hold to their engagement agreement. When he breaks the engagement and offers her the position of mistress instead of wife, Caroline is devastated. She sees her father's way as the easy way out. As she sits in the conservatory at a society gathering and plans the taking of her siblings life and herself, the handsome and wealthy Dominic Savage approaches her. He is under the misconception that she is the widow of the now deceased banker. He has desired her for his mistress from the moment he saw her across the room. Thinking this is to be her last evening alive, she gives up her innocence to Dominic with such passion that he wants her body and soul. Later that night, Caroline discovers she cannot go through with her plan and the following morning she and her siblings enter the local workhouse. Once again the evil Captain Bellamy tries to manipulate her to becoming his mistress and arranges it so that she is removed from the workhouse. As she and her siblings are being removed to the streets once again, Dominic steps in to rescue her. Now that she has no other alternative and he appears to be more honest and upfront in his offer, and mostly because she cannot forget the passion and pleasure she experienced when he took her virginity, she takes him up on his offer. He takes her and her family in and provides a home, education and dowries. She in turn is to provide him with every desire and pleasure and he will teach her everything he has learned about pleasure in India. At first Caroline is shy and uncomfortable, but soon learns to make the best of the arrangement. When Dominic takes her on a trip to spend time at a house of pleasure called Sugar and Spice, he comes to realize that he does not want to share Caroline with any other man. He discovers that he not only wants her to belong to him body and soul - he now wants to win her heart. He then begins to court her, but when a strange twist of fate causes him to lose his fortune, he can no longer keep her and she moves to the small estate given to her by Dominic in their original agreement. Caroline is then pursued by numerous gentlemen desiring her pleasures, but it is only Dominic that fills her thoughts and desires. When she finally has no choice but to offer herself up for auction in order to continuing supporting herself and her siblings, one bidder offers "...my love for you, because that is all I have to offer." The Price of Desire is a passionate, moving story of hardship, desire, passion and love that is not only a good sensual story, but well-written with substance. An excellent erotic read.