by Monica Burns
“Lady Mystère has ordered you to leave. Go now, or you’ll have me to deal with.”
The woman’s champion was unknown to Tobias, but he immediately liked the young man for stepping forward to protect Mystère. Nonetheless, Tobias remained ready to intervene if necessary. Ashcroft hesitated for a long moment before turning away with a dark scowl of displeasure on his face. As the Viscount departed, Tobias watched the tension ebb slowly out of Mystère as she leaned back into her seat.
The moment she relaxed, Tobias allowed his own pent up energy to ease out of his stiff muscles, while holding a small measure in reserve should Ashcroft return. Mystère lightly brushed the back of her hand across her champion’s cheek as he bent his head toward her. A sharp twist of possessiveness tightened Tobias’ gut.
He didn’t want her touching any other man with such tenderness. The thought made him wince. What the hell was wrong with him? As he struggled with his visceral reaction, he heard Mystère quietly issue a command for her small group of suitors to leave her. Their disappointment was obvious, but the men obeyed her command without protest. In less than a minute, Mystère companions moved away leaving her to her solitude.
Just as he had a week ago, Tobias studied her from a distance as she focused her attention on the Obedience Chamber. Almost as if she felt his gaze on her, she turned her head in his direction. A small smile curved her lips as she looked at him. It was like having a sledge hammer slam into his chest with the blow shuddering its way into every inch of his body. Bloody hell.
Throughout the past few days, he’d convinced himself that he’d over exaggerated his response to her. He’d been wrong. Tonight her allure was even more powerful, and the air left his lungs then returned in a sudden rush that left his breathing ragged. Inside his trousers, his cock stirred. It was a reminder of the command she’d given him a week ago.
The moment he rose to his feet, she immediately looked away from him to stare down at the scene below. Her posture was stiff for a moment before she relaxed in her chair. Satisfaction drilled its way through him at having shaken her composure, if only for a brief moment. Tobias maneuvered his way past several chairs and took a seat next to her.
Although he was certain she was aware of him, she continued to study the stage below and didn’t acknowledge him. The exotic scent of jasmine mixed with vanilla filled his nostrils. It was the perfect scent for her. Soft, sultry, and mysterious. He breathed in more of her seductive smell and suppressed a groan. He wanted to feel her skin beneath his mouth and fingertips as he pleasured her in whatever manner she decreed.
“Is it your habit to stare?” The soft question sent another sledgehammer blow reverberating through him.
He hadn’t forgotten the sound of her voice, but hearing it again brought his cock to attention in a pleasantly painful way. Warm, throaty, and ripe with invitation, her voice could easily make a man come with just a few well-spoken phrases. Hell, he was halfway there himself. Tobias’ mouth went dry at the thought.
“Was I staring?”
“You are staring,” she said with just the hint of smile as she leaned forward to look over the balcony railing.
Her tone wasn’t indifferent. Rather it held a note of confident amusement that said she knew precisely how much of an effect she was having on him. It also meant she wasn’t about to appease his needs until she was damn good and ready. Not about to let her know how badly he needed a release, he smiled.
“Would you like me to stop staring?” he teased in an effort to break the spell she was casting over him.
“Whether I do or not, I think you would find it difficult to obey me.” There was a breathy note to her voice that convinced Tobias she wasn’t unmoved by him.
“Command me, my Lady,” he said automatically as the familiar dark lust spread its way through his limbs.
“Then watch the performance below.” Behind the husky voice was a note of steely determination that made his gut twist with desire and need.
Reluctantly, Tobias turned his head to concentrate his attention on the scene below. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her open her fan and wave it slowly in front of her. It was a languid gesture that signaled serene control, but her rapid breathing betrayed her excitement. Perhaps there was justice after all for the agony she’d put him through since their last encounter.
“You’re fortunate young Galahad came to your rescue earlier.” At his quiet observation, she laughed softly.
“How could I have been in need of rescue with you standing in the wings?” Her words caught him off guard, and he turned his head to stare at her in amazement. She dipped her head slightly to glance at him. “You seem surprised that I knew one of the Knights of the Round Table stood in the shadows ready to protect me.”
“And which of Guinevere’s champions would I be?” he asked determined to hide his annoyance that she’d seen him, and not bothered to acknowledge him.
The instant she turned her head toward him, a vise tightened around Tobias’ chest. The burgundy mask with its plain black trim emphasized the air of mystery about her, while accentuating her generously full and lush mouth.
Dark sapphire eyes studied him with an insightful gleam, and he frowned slightly as he studied her in silence. There was something familiar about that beautiful gaze of hers. Where had he seen eyes like hers before? His question went unanswered as she tilted her head slightly. The seductive smile curving her lips strengthened his desire to carry her off to a private room where he’d willingly do what she asked of him if only for a small taste of her.
“Lancelot, I think,” she said with a note of confidence in her voice. An odd gleam shimmered in her beautiful gaze as she nodded with satisfaction. “Yes. Lancelot. A man struggling with an inner torment.”
“Not Sir Gawain?” he questioned in as nonchalant a tone as possible. The woman had hit far too close to home for his own comfort when it came to the ghosts of his past. “As I recall, he was referred to as the Maiden’s Knight for protecting any woman in need and was equally conflicted.”
“It appears you know your Arthurian legends,” she said with a laugh.
“The result of a stern schoolmaster whom my mentor provided.” He grinned as he took pleasure in the sound of her laughter.
“Then your schoolmaster was most adept in his tutoring.” She turned her head away, and he saw her heartbeat flutter on the side of her neck. “And your instruction in the pleasures one finds here in La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres?”
The probing question made Tobias smile with satisfaction. Her query strengthened his assumption from the other night. Mystère was far more interested in him than she was willing to admit.
“Does it matter?” He turned to look at her profile, and without thinking, he brushed his fingers across her cheek.
“Only in the sense that your training appears incomplete,” she said with a laugh as she caught his hand in a firm grip and laid it in his lap.
As she pulled away, her fingers glided across his inner thigh. Instantly, his body tightened with a dark need that he realized only this woman was going to satisfy. He knew the touch was meant to appear unintentional, but he knew damn well she was punishing him again.
“Then perhaps you will take me under your wing,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’m uncertain as to whether or not you will be able to obey my commands,” she said with a touch of irony.
“I’m always willing when the moment is right.” Tobias said with a grin as he looked her directly in the eye then respectfully lowered his gaze.
She didn’t reply, but even with his gaze lowered, he saw the tremor shake through her body. The sight heightened his need to please her in whatever fashion she demanded. Mystère continued to ignore him and focused her attention on the stage below. Despite the direction of her gaze, Tobias was certain the play in the Obedience Chamber was the last thing occupying her thoughts at the moment.
That certainty wavered as the silence between them lengthened. When she didn
’t comment on his confession, Tobias leaned back in his chair and forced himself to relax. Arms folded across his chest, he frowned. When was the last time he’d been interested in a Lady with Mystère’s kind of seductive abilities? He hadn’t. An image of Jane flashed in his head. While his fiancée possessed a natural strength of feminine power, it was undeveloped. And unlike Mystère, he had little doubt Jane would be appalled by his dark needs. For not the first time, he wondered how he’d find release from his darkest emotions after he was married. It was a question he’d worked hard not to consider since the day Jane’s father had blackmailed him.
The thought of what Culverstone had taken from him blackened his mood. If not for that bastard, he’d find himself free to enjoy Mystère’s talents for as long as was mutually agreeable and without any real consequences. Talents that he had reason to believe were not as extensive as Mystère might want him to think. It would be immensely pleasurable to be the man who served her as she blossomed and matured.
Tobias had recognized her innate strength at their first meeting, and to experience the growth of her ability would be a satisfying experience for both of them. The thought of surrendering his body to her touch made his muscles draw up tight like a bow ready to unleash an arrow. Damnation, the woman had him twisted up in knots. He turned his head and narrowed his gaze at her.
“You’re far more confident than I’d expect from a novice,” he murmured. She immediately turned to look at him.
“Novice? A bold assumption on your part,” she said with a smile.
Despite the amusement in her voice, her sapphire gaze flashed with annoyance. Clearly she wasn’t happy with his assessment. Satisfaction surged through him at having recovered some of his equilibrium where she was concerned.
“Is it? As I recall, you found it extremely difficult to rid yourself of Ashcroft.”
“Edward would be a challenge even for Angélique,” she said with a small laugh, her irritation with him either gone or well hidden.
“Perhaps, but an experienced Lady would not have gripped the balcony railing quite as tightly as you did when dealing with such a troublesome suitor. It gave you away.”
“Ahh…and what else did you discern about me from your eagle’s nest?” She avoided addressing his challenge and nodded toward the seat he’d vacated a short time ago.
“That you have the potential to exceed even Angélique’s ability to bend a man to her will.”
The moment he spoke, Tobias regretted his words. A seductive smile curved her mouth as she leaned forward to brush her fingertips over his lips. Instantly, his cock was rock hard in his trousers. A few brief moments of surrender at the hands of any of Angélique’s students would allow him to snuff out the powder keg inside him. But Mystère was different. Instinct said she possessed the ability to reach deep inside him to where he kept his darkest secrets. Deep into that place no other woman had ever touched before. Sanity urged him to run, but it was as if she’d turned him to stone with just one caress.
Chapter 5
Beneath her fingertips, Tobias’ mouth was warm and sensual. A wave of heat streaked up her arm as the full impact of his male beauty caused desire to swell inside her. The base reaction almost made her jerk her hand away in an attempt to halt the fiery sensations skimming through her. Swallowing the urge to pull away, she remembered something she’d seen Angélique do. Slowly, she pressed her thumb against Tobias’ lower lip in a gentle stroke, and in a split second, he nipped at the tip of it.
The soft bite made her heart pound erratically in her chest. From the first moment Tobias had entered Culverstone House several years ago, he’d always sent her pulse racing out of control. When they’d shaken hands to confirm the unwritten conditions of their marriage, her reaction to him had been even more disturbing. But now, this close to him, the effect he had on her was devastating. Not even the few times they’d spent together in the past week had prepared her for the way this intimate setting overwhelmed her senses with the raw essence of him.
Jane pulled her hand away from Tobias’ lips and trembled at the barely audible growl she heard rumbling in his chest. The raw hunger darkening his features sent exhilaration sweeping through her. Tobias wanted her. He desired her—plain, unassuming Jane. The heady rush of emotion evaporated quickly and disappointment stabbed at her as she turned away and stared down at the stage.
Tobias couldn’t possibly desire Jane. He hadn’t even recognized her. It emphasized how little an impression she’d made on him—on anyone. The knowledge stung, but she quickly discarded the emotion. She didn’t have the right to feel disappointment. For years, she’d done everything she could to make herself nondescript. Tobias’ inability to recognize her for the second time here in the club only emphasized her achievement to be obscure.
Self-doubt assailed her as she considered Tobias’ offer to serve her. More than a dozen times this past week, she’d questioned the rationality of testing her skills on Tobias. What would he do if he learned who she really was? It could make things quite difficult between them once they were married, especially if she lost her heart to him.
Jane brutally dismissed the idea. She would never allow such a thing to happen. Still, her freedom to choose might be in jeopardy if Tobias were to discover who she really was. As her husband, he had the legal right to control her movements. The men she knew preferred their wives to be circumspect in all things. Simply because they had an agreement didn’t mean he would be willing to let his wife visit the club.
And her presence here in La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres was anything but prudent. Simply because he found pleasure here in Angélique’s establishment didn’t mean he would approve of her participation in his lifestyle. Inwardly, she scoffed at the idea. To avoid discovery, all she need do was not remove her mask.
Not revealing who she was resolved everything. It was not as though she were actually betraying the vows they would exchange. She winced inwardly at the justification for her deceit. Despite her guilt, she wasn’t willing to risk telling him the truth.
Jane nibbled at her lip as she studied him, and another low growl filled the air between them. The sound crushed her guilt and self-doubt. Anticipation raced down her spine like a jolt of electricity and skimmed across her skin until her hair was on end. With a slight touch, a softly spoken word, and a confidence that was more of a façade than he’d guessed, she knew she had Tobias’ full attention.
He’d paid her the highest compliment she could ever hope to receive. He’d compared her to Angélique. Tobias believed her capable of using nothing more than her strength of will to make him submit to her demands. The idea was as freeing as it was exciting.
“Your compliment pleases me.” Jane was grateful her voice was steady even though her breathing was not.
“I’m glad,” he rasped.
“And shall I bend you to my will, mon cher?”
Jane traced a small circle on the top of his thigh, her gaze holding his for a long moment. In the soft glow of gaslight, Jane saw a flash of something dark and primitive in his eyes before he bowed his head in a gesture of deference. Triumph heated her blood as she waited for his reply. Less than a second later, her exuberance crumbled into defeat.
“You chose an intriguing name to use here at La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres, my Lady.”
He didn’t retreat from her touch, but almost as if he’d shut off a gaslight, the flow of sexual tension between them was snuffed out. It was deliberate on his part, and it put a distance between them that left her frustrated. She bit back a noise of exasperation. Angélique had told Jane that her expectations might be too high. The Frenchwoman had warned her Tobias would not submit easily.
Perhaps her friend was right. Jane’s heart sank. What if she’d failed in her quest to obtain Tobias’ surrender before she’d even begun? He was nothing like the malleable men who gathered around her night after night offering to submit to her. Even Edward, despite his childish behavior this evening, would be an easier postulant to tam
e than Tobias. Jane dismissed her misgivings.
Tobias was a challenge. He would test her fledgling skills and ability to secure his submission. She needed to remember that she was the one in control. He had only shied away from her, much like a wild stallion unwilling to be tamed. The thought evoked imagery in her head that made her heart slam into her chest. Not even Barnaby had ever engendered such hedonistic images in her head. Her mouth suddenly dry, Jane turned her attention back to the scene in the Obedience Chamber.
“I didn’t realize my name was anything more than the need to hide my true identity.” Jane deliberately infused her voice with enigmatic amusement.
“Usually it is, but the name you’ve chosen describes you as elusive, provocative, and fascinating. Qualities few men can ignore.” Buried beneath his teasing words, she heard the faintest echo of desire entwined with a determination to resist her.
“And do you count yourself among the men capable of resisting my allure…completely?”
With a flick of her wrist, she opened her fan. With as much lethargy as possible, she fanned the air in front of her. Deliberately she allowed the black lace of the fan to provocatively brush across the tops of her breasts. A chuckle escaped him, and she cast a glance in his direction to see him watching her with obvious amusement. Once more, he reminded her of an untamed steed daring her to try and conquer him. Jane quickly suppressed her frustration and snapped the fan closed then gently slapped the wood slats against the top of his hand.
“I told you earlier to watch the performance below,” she instructed in a tone that said she would brook no argument from him.
“As you wish,” he said with a mischievous grin. With a slight nod to acknowledge her dominate status he turned his head to watch the play in the chamber below.
“For a man who deliberately sought me out several nights ago, you display an obvious reluctance to give yourself over to my care,” she challenged.
“On the contrary, I obeyed the command you issued at our last meeting. I saved my seed for you and you alone. It is more than I have ever done for any other Lady.” His jaw tightened and a small tic appeared in his cheek. Instinctively, she knew he’d revealed more than he’d intended.