Chapter Ten
Marian sat at her desk trying to focus on the customer files she had pulled, unable to think of anything but the man across the hall.
The last two nights she’d spent tossing and turning in bed, restlessly, her dreams filled with his image. She’d gone over every detail of the afternoon they’d spent together. Her imagination must be playing tricks on her to think he gazed with more than just friendship in his eyes. Yet something in his looks left her hot and restless.
Sighing, Marian glanced blindly at the scattered papers before her. With little experience with men and unable to perpetuate Jean’s interest in their marriage, she doubted her ability to discriminate between a flirtatious glance and a friendly hello. Her observations of the other sex could not be trusted. What made her think any man would be sending her flirtatious looks? After all, sitting behind this desk, few men would think of her as a woman, let alone an attractive one.
Creole women had run businesses in New Orleans for hundreds of years, but the Americans frowned on their women doing anything other than taking care of the family. Yet in a way she was taking care of her family by preserving the business for her son and supporting them.
And though Louis’s family was Creole, he made it clear that he had adopted the American way of thinking that a woman’s place was in the home. Perhaps he viewed her behavior as too masculine to find her attractive?
Footsteps alerted her that someone approached. Henry came into view, but turned toward Louis’s office.
“Excuse me, Mr. Fournet, you have a visitor up front”
Marian stared across the hall at the man her thoughts centered on. Another visitor? Another woman?
Louis glanced up from the papers on his desk. “Who is it?”
“A Mrs. Evette Simone.”
Marian gritted her teeth hearing the name of the well-known widow, renowned for her flirtations. Rumors said she often took a lover, though Marian didn’t know if this were fact or just gossip. Still she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the woman’s daring courage to live the way she wanted, without the restrictions of propriety.
Louis laughed and shook his head. “Bring her back to my office, Henry.”
“Yes, Mr. Fournet,” he said, and trotted off to do his boss’s bidding.
Louis looked up and caught Marian staring at him. He smiled and nodded in her direction. She tilted her head in acquiescence and then quickly returned to her papers.
Another woman. She wasn’t jealous. She wasn’t—just irritated.
“Louis!” the widow called when she saw him.
He came out of his office to greet her in the hallway, their bodies turned toward each other, giving Marian a clear view.
Mrs. Simone’s voice seemed cheerful, her pouty lips turned up in a come-hither smile.
Marian couldn’t resist watching as the widow greeted him taking both of his hands in her own. She pulled him close as she pressed her lips to his cheeks. She leaned back, not releasing his hands and gazed at him.
“Mon cher, I’ve missed you. What woman has stolen you away from me?” she said, her voice velvet huskiness. “I will have my servants toss her to the ’gators if she’s stolen your heart away from me.”
The woman flirted with Louis in a confident and coquettish manner. A stylish hat sat at a flirtatious tilt on her head, her dark hair hidden beneath the wide brim. Her clothes were the latest fashion and prominently showed off her curvaceous figure. Marian felt a twinge of envy.
“Evette, you know that if my heart were available, it would belong to you. But, alas, I have no heart,” said Louis.
She reached up and patted Louis’s cheek with her hand. “You lie, Monsieur, too easily. Don’t think that you fool me. I hear how easily you break women’s hearts.”
Louis shook his head, taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his elbow. He gazed down at her upturned face. “It’s all untrue. These women make up stories about me. I would give all women up for you, if I could.”
“Oh please, I know better,” she said as they walked through the door.
He shut the door behind him, effectively cutting off the rest of the widow’s response. Marian turned back to her papers and sighed.
How would it feel to be able to greet men as if you were bestowing your presence upon them like a gift? To look them confidently in the eye and flirt with them in an obvious manner? Why couldn’t she be so confident?
Perhaps because no man had ever wanted her in such a fashion.
She wished she were in Louis’s office and could watch their interaction. She wanted to see how the widow flirted with Louis, take notes, and practice coquettish behavior on Louis, to see if he would react to her the same way.
Was she crazy? She needed less of Louis Fournet and his rakish personality, not more. She must never fall in love or marry a man like him again. Too much charm with so little substance had proved detrimental when she had been foolish enough to give her heart away before. Yet he was someone she could practice her attempts at flirtation on.
The sound of laughter drifted through the door and she felt a stab of envy. Right here in the office he flirted with one of his many women friends, while she sat across the hall straining to hear like a pathetic old maid living vicariously through others.
How would it feel to have a man respond to her the way Louis had responded to the widow? How powerful to know that she could tempt men and banter with them in such a way that they tripped all over themselves. Was there a school where women learned the art of social banter and flirtation? Could Marian attend special classes that taught her the art of seduction and temptation? Would she graduate with a degree in enticement?
Could any of this have helped keep her marriage from deteriorating to the point that her husband had sought other women?
Maybe if Jean had stayed home enough for her to attempt seduction and charm, their marriage would have lasted. Or maybe his lack of desire for her would have brought the end quicker.
She frowned at the closed door. What were they doing behind that door?
It was none of her business!
With that thought, she jumped up and slammed her own door. She didn’t want to think any more about what Evette and Louis were doing. She didn’t want to think about how the widow might be seducing Louis. Marian had a business to run and a family to support and she didn’t need any of the distractions Louis’s women presented. After all, he wasn’t her man.
Thirty minutes passed. Marian kept her focus on the new accounts she intended to retain. Anything to keep her mind busy and not think about the office across the hall.
A knock on her door interrupted her and she glanced up. “Come in.”
Louis stuck his head around the doorframe. “Are you busy? I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
She took a deep breath, not really wanting to meet the widow, but not sure how she could politely refuse.
“Who?” she asked, pretending she didn’t know, the smile on her face feeling forced.
Louis pushed the door the rest of the way open and the widow swept in, holding out her hand. “Mrs. Cuvier, I’m Evette Simone, thank you for seeing me. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”
Marian stood and walked around her desk to greet the widow. “Thank you.”
“I have a lot of respect for a woman who has ensconced herself in a man’s world. I know you’re in mourning, but I’m giving a small dinner party next Friday night and I would love to invite you to be my guest.” She turned toward Louis. “Louis, you wouldn’t mind escorting Mrs. Cuvier, would you?”
Louis glanced at Marian, his brows lifted, questioning. “I would enjoy being your escort to the party, Marian.”
She looked from Louis to the widow, wanting to say no, but suddenly very curious about Evette and her dinner parties. “Yes, I’d be delighted.”
“Wonderful.” The widow held out her hand again. “I look forward to seeing you Friday night at my party.”
“
Thank you for the invitation,” Marian replied.
“You’re quite welcome.” The widow turned to Louis and reached up to place a goodbye kiss on his cheek. “I would ask you to save your flirtations for me, but I know that’s impossible. I’ll talk to you later.”
Louis smiled. “Always.”
“Goodbye,” Marian called as the widow swept out of the room almost as quickly as she had entered.
As she walked down the hall, they could hear her heels tapping against the wooden floor in a steady rhythm. The scent of her perfume lingered in the office, a pleasant flowery scent. Marian felt like an awkward girl compared to the woman who had just left.
“So what do you think of the notorious widow Simone?”
Marian shrugged as she gazed up at Louis expectantly and tilted her head to one side. “She’s beautiful and seems very pleasant.”
“She is,” Louis responded.
Marian sighed, the sound almost whimsical as she gazed off in the distance. “I wonder what men find attractive in a woman like that? I’m not being critical, I’d like to understand what men find fascinating about certain women.”
Louis begin to laugh.
She turned and stared at him. “Why are you laughing? While I’ve been here there seems to be a steady stream of women through your office, and all of them appear confident and sure of their womanly appeal. Is this why you’re attracted to these women?”
“I’m sorry, Marian. I’m laughing because you’re the only woman I know who would try to search out the reason why men find women attractive.”
He took a step closer to her, the smile on his face somehow tender.
Marian refused to budge though she wanted to run back behind the desk to have as much furniture between them as possible.
“Let me try to explain. Men are attracted to women for different reasons. With some women, it’s their smile. Could be the way they laugh, or the way they look, or what they say to you. Most of the time, it just happens and you’re not even aware of their allure, until you realize you can’t seem to get that woman out of your mind.”
“Is that the way it is with you?” she asked, her voice coming out in a breathless rush.
He moved closer, reaching out to push a tendril of hair away from her face, his eyes large and dark. “Sometimes.”
Marian swallowed, her throat feeling tight and constricted. “Are you attracted to the widow?”
“Evette? She’s beautiful and charming, as well as witty. I enjoy bantering with her. Just as I enjoy flirting with you.”
“Me?” she interrupted suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
“Yes. Don’t you enjoy flirting? Most women enjoy trifling with a man and testing their womanly wiles.”
“I—I’ve never been a flirt. Jean and I never ‘bantered.’ And I certainly don’t think I have any womanly wiles,” she said, the palms of her hands beginning to perspire.
Louis nodded. “Jean wasn’t very bright when it came to women. He seemed not to notice what was right beneath his nose, because you definitely have womanly wiles. Very nice ones too.”
“Oh?” Marian raised her chin and gazed at Louis with interest. The conversation had taken a definite personal turn. Somehow she had to get it back on more familiar ground, where she felt less exposed. “Wiles are not physical. Wiles are to entice or deceive.”
He grinned. “I know. Entice is what I meant.”
She shook her head. “I’m hardly enticing.”
“I disagree,” his voice was deep and sure and sent tremors through her body.
She felt her face flush and she thought she could hear her heart pounding. The conversation had definitely gotten personal again.
And then she asked the question that had bothered her almost from the day they first met. “Do you notice the women around you, all the time?”
“Pretty much.”
She pursed her mouth. “Then I would have thought you would be attracted to a woman as lovely as the widow.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” he said watching her. “Evette is beautiful, but she’s the type of woman who will never marry again. And I usually expect more from a woman than I think she could give me.”
“What do you expect?” Marian asked risking the conversation turning personal again. But she had to know.
“I like a woman who greets a man and makes him feel welcome and accepted. Whose attention makes him feel special, like he’s the king of the world and she’s his queen.” He stepped in close and cupped her face in his hands, tilting her face up toward him.
Marian took a deep breath and felt as if the room seemed to recede from the edges of her vision.
“I like a woman who laughs easily and isn’t afraid of getting mussed.”
She swallowed, feeling as if her throat were the size of a single thread.
His voice dropped lower. “I like the way a woman's eyes sparkle when she’s excited.” He ran his finger down the bridge of her nose. “The way her nose is gently turned up at the end and she raises it ever so slightly when she’s angry.” His fingers continued their path down her face to her lips. “The way her lips are soft and subtle and made for kissing. And the little sighs that come from between them when she’s complete.” His thumb felt rough against her lower lip and she could scarcely breathe. He was going to kiss her. She knew it, just as surely as she knew her next breath was just a heartbeat away. He lowered his mouth—then she heard Henry calling his name.
“Mr. Fournet?”
Louis stepped away from her immediately, breaking the spell that circled them. He swore, and then gazed with longing at her, taking several deep, long breaths and shook his head as if trying to clear it.
He glanced at her once again, his face a worried frown. The spell completely broken. “Excuse me.”
He walked from the room, his step sure, once more in control, but when he reached the door, he glanced back at her with one last look of longing.
Marian sank down into her chair and released a heavy sigh. She wanted to cry. His intention had been to kiss her and she’d longed for that kiss, ached for the feel of his lips against hers.
She glanced at the doorway through which he’d disappeared feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. She needed to get out of here. She needed fresh air.
They had been mere seconds from pressing their lips together. She grabbed her reticule, jumped up from the chair and all but ran out the door. God, she’d desired that kiss more than anything she had ever wanted in her life.
What was wrong with her? All she could think about was being in his arms. Foolish, very foolish indeed.
Marian jumped into her carriage, leaving the office behind.
“Take me to my sister’s house,” she demanded.
She needed to speak with Claire. The questions and the doubts had to end and Claire was the only person she trusted to help her decide what to do.
At thirty years of age, she had needs. Too many years had passed since she’d been with a man and the last times with Jean had been less than memorable. Suddenly her body refused to be ignored, screaming for attention every time Louis entered the room, she wanted him. No longer could she deny her curiosity, if being intimate with Louis would satisfy her.
She’d never in her entire life thought of being loved this way. Why now? Why had this man awakened her sleeping body?
When the carriage pulled to a stop, Marian jumped out and all but ran to her sister’s door. She pounded on the door until her servant opened the portal. “Is Claire home?”
The servant looked startled to see her.
“No, ma’am. She’s spending the afternoon at the Dupree’s residence. She asked that the carriage pick her up at three-thirty.”
“Tell her driver not to bother. I will pick her up in my carriage and bring her home.”
At three-twenty, Marian sat outside the Dupree’s home waiting for her sister to appear. She took her fan and tried to cool herself in the stifling carriage, but the summer air hung h
eavy, the clouds bulging with moisture. At any moment they would burst, releasing sweet rain.
If only they could cleanse this desire from her and leave her in peace. But her mind demanded answers for her injured self-pride. Was she really so undesirable?
Finally Claire came out the door expecting to see her own carriage. Her eyes widened in surprise to see Marian and she hurried to the waiting carriage.
“Good Lord, Marian, what’s wrong? Is one of the children ill?” she asked climbing up into the carriage.
“Everyone is fine. Well, everyone but myself.” Marian took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I had to speak with someone or go mad.”
“What’s wrong, Marian? You’re worrying me. You look tense.”
Marian shook her head, laughing. “I am. This is just difficult to speak about”
“No one has hurt you?” Claire asked suddenly fearful.
“No. I need to ask you a very personal question.” Claire looked stunned. “You drove out here to ask me a question?”
“Yes.” Marian paused and looked at her sister, needing the truth. “You’ve never told me directly, but several years ago I heard rumors that you had taken a lover.”
“I hardly think that’s any of your concern,” Claire said defensively.
“I’m not condemning your actions, but rather need your advice.” Marian took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I want to take a lover.”
Claire settled back against the cushions of the carriage and smiled at her younger sister. “Dear God. I’m shocked to hear you say that. But pleased.” She laughed. “I’ve often thought that a lover would be good for you.”
“Really?” Marian said, surprised.
“Yes, you should have taken one years ago.”
“I couldn’t, not while I was married to Jean. But now I have so many questions about myself, Claire, that I want resolved. Though I don’t have a clue as to how a woman lets a man know she’s interested in sharing her bed with him!”
The carriage bounced over a pothole just as a loud clap of thunder echoed in the streets of the French Quarter. “Oh dear, I think we’re in for a shower.”
“Good, the driver can’t hear our discussion and you can tell me how to seduce this man I’m interested in,” Marian said in a rush. “I don’t know where to begin.”
Claire grinned at her sister. “May I inquire as to who you’ve taken an interest in?”
“It’s hardly a secret Louis Fournet who else could it be?”
“Louis?” Claire asked. “But he’s given you so much trouble since Jean died. Are you sure of this, Marian?”
“He’s the only man I spend my time with nowadays.”
“You’re certain you’re ready to make him your lover?” Claire asked. “He is quite versed with the ladies. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Marian sighed and heard the first drops of rain hit the top of the carriage. “I must know if Jean searched out two other women to marry because of me. Because I lack some quality. I need to know if I am a desirable wife and lover, or if the problem was Jean’s.”
Claire shook her head. “You know my thoughts on your dead husband, though I understand your need to know your abilities as a woman. But what about Louis? How will he react to all of this?”
“I don’t know. He’s obviously bedded lots of women and possesses a casual attitude toward them. Although I could never treat lovemaking in such a callous manner, I have no intention of making any demands on him. I’m not looking for anything permanent. Just a lover for one night. Just someone to help me see if I’m ... desirable. He’s the only man I know well enough to consider.”
“You’re certain of this, Marian? You know if you do this it’s going to be hard to face him every day in the office afterwards. Are you sure you can do this?”
Marian glanced out the window at the rain that cascaded from the sky like a waterfall, pouring down on the earth. She watched as people scrambled to find shelter, splashing as they ran through puddles.
A woman of the streets stood beneath a street lamp letting the water trickle down her face and over her clothes. She danced a sensuous dance in the pouring rain, her skimpy clothing clinging to her curves in a way that was both erotic and enticing. Marian longed to be as free, so seductive and alluring that you were certain of your beauty.
For just a moment Marian wanted to join her in the rain dance, as the prostitute turned her face toward the heavens letting the rain cleanse her.
If only Marian could wash away the self-doubts, the years of marriage and Jean’s subsequent betrayal had bequeathed her.
Marian returned her gaze to the inside of the coach and her sister. “I must find out if I’m a normal, healthy woman or doubt myself the rest of my life.”
“Dear God, I never realized how badly he hurt you until this moment,” Claire said softly to her sister.
Marian glanced down at her hands folded tightly in her lap, remembering their near kiss.
“For the first time in my life, I want a man and I don’t know what to do.” She glanced up at her sister, tears pricking the inside of her lids. “Tell me what to do, Claire. How can I show Louis I want to sleep with him?”
Claire rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Oh Marian, this is going to be so much fun. We’ll plan the seduction together and believe me, dear Louis will be unable to say no.”
Wronged (Book 1) Page 29