Jasper and Natalie were shown into a salon decorated in deep shades of red and brown. This club allowed women, but only those of questionable reputations, and their purpose was to entertain the gentlemen. Natalie was not to be anyone’s entertainment, however, and Jasper held her close to him.
When he removed her cloak and handed it to the footman who showed them to the salon, the poor man’s eyes bulged, and he swallowed, quickly looking away when he met Jasper’s cold glare. Bowing hastily, he excused them.
They were alone in the room, and he took her hand to lead her to a table on one end as she asked, “Do you come here often? The footman seems familiar with you.”
Jasper’s brows rose immediately as he caught her French accent. It was accurate, too. Her disguise was not merely in appearance, and he loved it. A smile curved one corner of his mouth. “This is the only club the Rogue would deign to visit.”
“Deign,Monsieur?” Natalie raised a sultry eyebrow, and as he lowered her into a red velvet chair, he leaned over her.
“Oui, mademoiselle,” he returned. “You never told me your name.”
“I am theComtesse Jacqueline De Villepin,” she replied, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
Jasper took her hand and kissed it. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Comtesse.” He admired her clever title, and there was a daring innocence about her that moved him to make her his. This feeling was more than lust, and it was more than the magic of the night. He quickly pushed it away and got onto one knee, and then he started tugging her black satin glove down her arm.
“Oh,Monsieur,you are being very impatient tonight. Will you not wait until we have returned to your ship?”
Apparently, they were lovers, and he lived on a ship. Excellent story to make London lose its mind. “You make me mad with lust,Comtesse,” he growled, relishing every minute of their game. He kissed her bare arm, abstractedly noticing that her fingers were slightly rough. “I can never have enough of you.”
Natalie giggled, and one of her hands raked his hair, sliding down the side of his face to touch the mouth of the mask. “Non, Monsieur.We must wait.” She looked past his shoulders, and he saw her tense almost imperceptibly. “Besides, we have company.”
Jasper turned to see Baron Peckhart in the doorway, and his dark eyes were on Natalie. More specifically, on her bosom. “Mr. Rogue,” he said, walking into the room. “Fancy seeing you here tonight.”
“You as well, Baron,” Jasper said through a tight jaw, rising to face the Baron and barring his path to Natalie.
“Who is that delectable creature you are hiding, Mr. Rogue?” Peckhart’s eyes gleamed.
“Comtesse De Villepin,” Natalie said behind him, holding her hand to the Baron.
Damn it!
“Oh, a countess!” Baron Peckhart knelt in front of her and kissed the hand that Natalie had just exposed. “Are you a real one?” he inquired.
Natalie rolled her eyes and called him an adorable fool in French. Of course, he did not understand and continued grinning and drooling over her. Jasper placed a hand on his shoulder.
“That is quite enough, Baron. The Comtesse is mine.” When Peckhart lingered, Jasper drew him to his feet. “Did you not hear what I said?” he growled.
Peckhart swallowed. “Indeed, I have.”
Releasing him, Jasper walked over to Natalie and took her hand, pulling her up. Then he sat in her chair and placed her on his lap, wrapping possessive arms around her small waist.
“What if I play you for a moment for her?” Peckhart asked, and Jasper almost shot to his feet and pounded his face. How dare he assume he could have her? But he reminded himself that Natalie was not a lady tonight but a daring Comtesse. Every man in this establishment was certain to lust after her.
She spoke before he could say anything to defend her. “I am not a piece to be won, Baron. I am particular about my company, and I will have you know that I chose the Rogue tonight and not the contrary.” Peckhart was flustered by that response, and she dealt him another blow when she said, “Besides, an undefeated champion is superior company.”
Peckhart glared at Jasper while he grinned in triumph. In a blatant display of power, he kissed Natalie’s shoulder with the artificial mouth on his mask, and she sucked in her breath, gazing down at him.
“Naughty, Monsieur!”
He laughed and pulled her tighter against him. Four gentlemen entered the room then, all stopping the instant they laid eyes on her. Peckhart found a seat in a corner while the gentlemen hovered curiously.
“That is the Countess De Villepin,” the Baron told them. “The Rogue won’t let you near her. He has his teeth into her like a wolf.”
“It isComtesse, Baron,” Natalie corrected with affected vivacity, and the gentlemen laughed at him. One of them bowed in Natalie’s direction.
“A pleasure, Comtesse.”
She turned back to Jasper without acknowledging him, and again, victory coursed through his veins. More gentlemen poured into the room, all hungry for an introduction to the Goddess, and he refused to grant each of them.
