by Taylor Lee
He moved closer. Ana took a deep breath and tried to ignore his powerful smell. The scent of sandalwood flirted with the sweet pungent aroma of his Turkish cigarettes. But the smell that made her knees shake and her stomach clench was a woodsy, wild smell that was totally male.
His smile was soft, seductive. “Because I wanted to do a little more investigation,
test the connection between us.”
She shook her head in disagreement and moved down the railing to put space between them. Trying to break the spell of the moment, she said, “Can I ask you a question”
He nodded.
“Please have the decency to answer.”
He shrugged and gave her an ironic grin. “Of course. Decency has always been my strong suit.”
She ignored his joke and squeezed her eyes shut, to avoid the twinkle in his. “Why are you here?”
“I just answered your question, Princess. But I’ll say it again. I want to see what’s beneath those porcupine quills you wrap around yourself. I’ve been wondering. How far below the surface of this gorgeous woman in her outrageous red dress is that dirty little urchin I met in the barn?”
She trembled and couldn’t keep her voice from shaking. “If you had any manners what-so-ever, you wouldn’t mention what happened in the barn.”
He grinned. “That’s another connection we have, Princess. Neither one of us seems to care much about good manners.”
She stammered. “I… I’m not a princess.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek, smiling when she jumped back.
“Ah, but you are. We’ve established that you are not a little girl, and you sure as hell aren’t a boy.” Raking his eyes over her dress, he said, “No, you are indeed a woman.” His voice dropped, became huskier. “It’s more than that. It’s about your spirit, your spunk. Nope, a princess. That’s what you are. A regal little tyrant that has me questioning everything I thought I knew about women. Hmm, yes. Princess. That’s what I will call you from now on.”
She felt his power, his seductive pull. She knew if she didn’t leave now, she wouldn’t be able to resist him. She would be no better than Molly or any of the other countless women who’d succumbed to his charms.
Ana drew herself up as tall she could, and forced herself to be strong. Tossing her head, she moved away from him and headed to the doorway. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, “You won’t be calling me anything from now on, because I don’t intend ever to see you again.”
He leaned back against the railing and took a drag off of his cigarette. His voice was low, with a touch of menace. “Uh, uh. Princess. I’ll tell you when you can go.”
She stopped at the command in his voice, and turned back as if trapped in an invisible net.
He nodded, jerking his chin to a spot in front of him.
“Here, Princess. Come here.”
Horrified at her body’s response to his insulting order, she sputtered, “Why, you arrogant bastard. You… you—”
“Come here, honey.” He reached out his hand and caught hold of hers, pulling her close to him. She struggled to move back, and then for just a moment she promised herself, she rested against his chest. She buried her face in the soft linen of his shirt and sagged against him when she smelled the wild woodsy male smell that was drawing her in like a magnet. Startled, frightened, she leapt back.
He let her go. His voice was soft, crooning.
“Settle down, Princess. Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She took a deep galvanizing breath and moved far away from him, backing against the pillar anchoring the balcony.
Reaching for her courage, she decided to try another tack. Her voice was cool, taunting.
“That was an interesting conversation at dinner. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by your behavior, given what I learned about your father tonight.”
Gabe’s expression hardened, his eyes grew cold.
She persisted, seeking an advantage.
“So, Gabe, you are your father’s son? You decided that you would pick up where he left off?”
When he didn’t respond, just gazed at her, a warning flashed in his eyes that she chose to ignore. She lifted her chin and glared back at him.
“Did you decide to start on the west coast while he took the east? Did you plan to meet in the middle to compare notes?”
His eyes narrowed. For a spilt second she thought she saw pain in his eyes. His voice was soft, flat, “I have no plans to meet him. Now or ever.”
Ana was embarrassed. She could see that she’d hurt him. At the dinner table she sensed that the conversation about his father hit a painful chord. Intuitively, she knew her words were a low blow.
Grasping for a way to change the subject, she asked, “How do you know my father?”
“You should ask your father that.”
She was insistent. “I want to know.”
His response was guarded, non-committal. “We did some work together in the past. He asked me to come here, said he needed help with a couple of things.” He shrugged. “That’s why I am here.”
Strengthened by the physical distance between them, she asserted herself. “I wonder what he would think… if he knew what happened today in the barn.”
He raised a questioning eyebrow. “Hmm. I thought we weren’t going to refer to ‘that’.”
“And we are not. But I think my father would be interested.”
“Yeah, he probably would be. Although he would likely be more interested in the fact that you stood there for twenty minutes spying on me, than what I did to inspire your interest.”
She felt the heat flood her cheeks and moved again toward the door. “Get out of my way. I’m leaving and you can’t stop me.”
He shook his head and stepped in front of her.
“Uh, uh. Remember? I’ll tell you when you can leave. Until then, Princess, you are staying right here.”
She stepped back, seeing that at least for the moment she couldn’t get around him.
He grinned at her. “Yeah, Princess, I think you were pretty damned intrigued by what you saw in the barn. Hell, I’m still trying to take the darts out of my chest that you threw my way anytime Molly was within ten feet of me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous of her, Princess.”
Ana reared up and shrieked. “Jealous? Of her? That… that… fat piggy—” She stopped herself when she saw that he was laughing at her. She tossed her head in disdain.
“You really are a despicable man.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, we already established that, Princess.”
He began to move toward her, slowly, inexorably. She backed up, but the pillar was behind her, a solid wall. He continued to close in on her. Grabbing a deep breath, she threw a longing look over his shoulder at the doorway, but it seemed miles away. There was a seductive glint in his eyes that frightened her and sucked her in, as if she had stumbled into a powerful vortex that she couldn’t resist.
A wicked smile quirked his lips.
“I’m curious, Princess. When was the last time you were spanked?”
~~~
Gabe smiled at the fury that flared in her eyes. Her spirit, her fearless spunkiness challenged him. And, aroused him even more. Hell, he reminded himself, he’d been aroused since he taunted her in the barn. Unfortunately for his physical well-being, the result had been an unrelenting hard-on that he wasn’t likely to lose anytime soon.
She started and her eyes widened in surprise. She lifted her chin and asked angrily. “How dare you threaten me?” When he just grinned at her, she hesitated, then added, a rosy flush staining her cheeks, “I… I’ve never been spanked.”
“Until now,” Gabe said.
Ana flushed bright red and bit her lip. Gabe continued.
“You know, honey, that explains a lot.”
He was within a foot of her now, drawn in by a spicy exotic fragrance that had his erection begging for relief.
“Let me tell you something, Pri
ncess. You’ve needed it for a long time.”
She put up her hands to push him away, to put distance between them.
She was shaking, her voice was urgent. “Get away from me!”
He saw her fear, but could smell the enticing, irresistible odor of an aroused woman.
He shook his head.
“No, honey, I don’t think I’ll do that. In fact I’m gonna get even closer to you, so that I can drink in that luscious smell of yours that is driving me crazy.”
Her eyes were wide dark pools, shining with a mix of fear and desire. He decided he’d go for the desire and work on erasing the fear.
He stubbed out his cigarette on the edge of the railing then closed in on her.
His voice was soft, husky. “You need a lot of things that you haven’t been getting, Princess. A spanking is just one of them.”
He inched closer and put his hand over her pounding chest, centimeters away from the swell of her breasts.
She whispered a soft plea. “Please, don’t. Leave me alone.”
“Uh uh, darlin. Neither one of us wants me to do that. Did you know that your heart is beating like a little pigeon? A little bird cornered by an eagle?”
She choked, acknowledging the apt analogy.
He pulled her closer to him, gazing at her full lips. They were red, swollen from her nervous bites. He struggled against the urge to reach down and suck one than the other into his greedy mouth. Only the fear in her eyes stopped him. Pulling her even closer, he whispered, “Oh, yeah, Princess, there are a lot of things I’m going to teach you.”
He held her without moving for a moment, then reached down and lifted her chin holding her gaze. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m curious, Princess. Who decided to ‘alter’ your dress?”
She startled at the question, and pulled back. She hesitated for a moment then whispered, “I did.”
He persisted. “Who did it? Who cut the slit?”
“My… my maid. Jing.”
“Who decided how far up the opening should go?”
A knowing tremor shook her slender body.
“It was… as high up as Jing would allow.”
He had encircled her now, his strong arms trapping her against him.
“Why did you do it, honey?”
She put her hands against him, creating an inch of space between them.
“Because… because it was hard to walk in. I… I don’t like restrictions. It’s like I told my aunt, I don’t like being restricted.”
He chuckled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated against her.
“Yeah, Princess. I noticed that.” He lifted her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes.
“Are you sure your aunt wasn’t right? Sure you didn’t want to show off those beautiful legs of yours? Give all those lecherous men out there a peek at those fabulous legs and ankles?”
She jumped back, trying to twist out of his grip. “No! No, that’s not true.”
He smiled and nudged the slit open with his knee, keeping her chin captured between his finger and thumb.
“I tell you what. If I’d been helping you I would have insisted Jing cut that opening a hell of a lot higher.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, “Stop.”
He bent down and ran his fingers along the opening in her dress.
“Yeah, let me see. Hmm, yeah. At least another six inches higher would be just about right.” Running his fingers along the slit he trailed them up her thighs perilously close to her crotch. He stopped, allowing his hand to rest against the top of her thigh. The heat of her skin burned through the satin of her dress. He nodded down at his hand, then gazed in her eyes. “Yeah, maybe up to here.”
She buried her face in his chest. Her breath was coming in short pants. Clinging to him, she whispered, “Don’t.”
He ignored her and hissed. “And those shoes, Princess. Christ, honey, those damn shoes. They’re amazing. Not that I don’t like you just the size you are, but those four extra inches are useful. They help out a lot.”
With a groan, he pressed his arousal against her groin, rubbing his erection against her.
She gasped. “I… I… I don’t understand.” She swallowed hard; he could hear her heart banging against her chest. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He grasped both of her hands in one of his and raised them above her head, pinning them against the pillar. A low male sound rumbled in his chest as he pressed against her.
“Oh, yeah you do, Princess. You know exactly what I mean.” He ran his tongue over the sensitive spot beneath her ear and bit down gently. A massive tremor shook her body. Holding her tight against him, he whispered, “Or then again, maybe you are as innocent as you seem. Just means more for me to teach you, Princess.”
~~~
At the sound behind them, Gabe broke his grip, allowing Ana’s hands to fall to his chest. He looked over his shoulder to see Kai standing in the doorway, his fists clenched at his sides, his lips pressed in a thin white line. Fury emanated from his rigid body.
“You! Damn you! Get away from my sister!”
Gabe stepped away from Ana, but didn’t let go of her hand. He gazed at the young man who was shaking with anger and said, “Certainly.”
Kai made a visible effort to control his fury, then spit out, “For some reason my father wants to see you. Now. In his library.”
Gabe reached in his vest for his cigarette case. He took his time lighting a cigarette, then blew a puff of smoke up in the air.
Flicking an invisible fleck of tobacco from his lips, he returned Kai’s hard stare, then nodded. “But, of course.”
Turning to Ana, who was standing beside him, a slender trembling column, her eyes wide, the flush on her cheeks visible in the moonlight, he leaned over and chucked her under her chin. Brushing his lips against her hair, he said, “Later, Princess.”
Kai scowled and barked out. “Not if I can help it.”
Gabe nodded at him as he passed by.
“Unfortunately, boy, there are things you can help, and things you can’t.” Looking back at Ana, he said, “This is one of the things you can’t.”
With that he strode to the door.
Chapter 7
Gabe ran his hands through his hair and straightened his cutaway coat. He grimaced knowing how unlikely it was that Chao wouldn’t notice everything about him, including signs of where he had been for the last half hour. He knocked on the door and entered at the sound of his friend’s welcome.
Chao rose from behind his desk to greet him. As always, Gabe was struck by the graceful bearing of the Chinese man. A slight smile softened the stern lines of the older man’s face.
“Ah, Gabriel, thank you for coming.” Gesturing to the chair in front of his ornate carved desk, he added, “Please, sit.”
Gabe sunk down in the soft leather chair, relieved at the cover it gave his wayward body. Glancing around the room, he noted the tell-tale signs of the man who had become his friend. Tasteful Chinese woolen rugs strategically placed on the marble tiled floor divided the room. The work space was anchored by Chao’s dark ebony desk. A lounging area across the room had an overstuffed leather sofa and several comfortable matching chairs. A low fire burned in the stone flanked fireplace across from the sofa, casting a flickering glow over the room. The furnishings were simple, elegant. Unlike his own father, Gabe thought with a grimace, Chao didn’t find it necessary to shout out his wealth. Two walls of shelves held what must be over a thousand books. Knowing Chao as he did, Gabe wouldn’t be surprised if four or five languages were housed in the leather bound tomes that graced the shelves.
Chao stood by a glass fronted cabinet and held up a decanter. “May I entice you with a libation? Brandy, cognac, port?”
Gabe grinned. “If that cognac is anything like the one you served me in San Francisco, I will definitely imbibe. There’s only one problem with a liquor that aged, that fine. It can slip up on a man. But, yes, thank you,
cognac will be appreciated.”
Chao poured two glasses of the pungent amber liquid, and handed one to Gabe. Settling in the chair behind his desk, Chao reached in the humidor in front of him and withdrew two slender cigars with a questioning glance at Gabe.
Gabe nodded, grateful for his host’s courtesies. He took his time clipping the cigar with the silver tiger- headed clipper Chao pushed his way. He lit it, then puffed on it until it was drawing and the aromatic smoke of the fine cigar gave him welcome cover. He needed a moment to clear his head, to erase the sights and smells of the young women he had held in his arms in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Shaking his head as if to erase the visions, he looked up to see Chao gazing at him.
Rather than responding to the unspoken questions in the distinguished man’s eyes, Gabe reverted to his usual method of handling stress, his ready humor.
“It isn’t necessary to ply me with fine cigars and the best damned cognac I’ve ever drunk, Chao, to get me to do your bidding. Money, a great deal of it, will suffice.”
Chao smiled. “Why not all three, my young friend?”
Gabe struggled against an unwelcome twinge of guilt. Chao was his friend. They had known one another for ten years, since he was a cocky eighteen-year-old kid. He saved Chao hundreds of thousands of dollars by outing an accomplished gambler who had been stealing Chao blind in a sophisticated undercover operation for an opposing Tong. Not only had Gabe spotted the gambler’s shill game, but took his life in his hands identifying the more than a dozen inside accomplices who Chao thought were loyal gang members.
When Gabe left the marshal service, Chao was his first client. It was Chao who opened Gabe’s eyes to the possibilities of helping wealthy men with issues that no one else would or could touch. In the last four years, Chao called on him for one job after another. The work was dangerous. It required the utmost secrecy and skill. What Chao valued most were the astonishing insights and violent proclivities of the handsome Irishman that enemies and friends alike underestimated at their peril.