“Is there room for me to play?” Lady Kerr appeared beside them, her hand on the back of Mr. Piper’s chair.
“Indeed,” Lord Sheffield grinned wolfishly, the crease in his chins deepening. “Have a seat, if you will, my lady.”
Lady Kerr sat across from Gabe as his partner while Lord Kerr shuffled and dealt the cards. Gabe tried with all his might to concentrate on the game and the other players. He should be watching for anything suspicious or malevolent in their behaviour, not lusting after his faux mistress. Mary knew the high stakes of this assignment, so why was she doing everything in her power to distract him from their purpose?
“It is your bet, Mr. Spencer.” Lord Kerr tapped the surface of the table agitatedly with the tip of his index finger.
“Pay attention to the game,” Mary whispered against his neck, as her lips kissed a trail down from his jaw to his shirt collar then up again.
Gabe clenched his jaw against the tempest of desire washing its way through him in gale after gale, and placed his bet of five pounds onto the table. They were playing a steep game, but Gabe was not concerned about funds, he was concerned about crucial documents being put into Napoleon Bonaparte’s hands.
If only he could concentrate.
“Play your four of diamonds,” Mary whispered against his earlobe as she dug her fingernails into the back of his skull.
How the devil could she pay attention to his game and he could not? She wasn’t even looking at the table!Ah, yes.Of course. She did such things on a nightly basis, while he had been celibate for these long weeks. Arousing men was an ordinary practice for the ever-talented Mary.
The resentment that suddenly shook him to his core dampened his desire enough for him to play the game. For a moment.
The tip of her tongue traced the edge of his ear, sending gooseflesh over his skin.
That was it. He’d had enough.
He placed his cards face-down on the table, then gripped Mary’s head in both of his hands as gently as he could. He pressed his own lips to her ear and breathed, “You are distracting me from my purpose. Now be a good girl and discreetly question the others.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then pushed her off his lap with a swat to the bottom. “Off you go, sweetling. Let me play some cards.”
With a pretty pout, Mary left the card table to join the others who lounged in the seating area. Lord Pondridge had fallen asleep on the chaise and was now snoring loudly with his disappointed mistress on his lap. Lord Jackson sat with one mistress on each thigh while he alternately kissed each of their necks. Mr. Piper had pulled out his elaborate, gold snuffbox and was sniffing the white powder from his little finger’s long nail, while his mistress looked on. And Reddington… He had been lounging with his own mistress, Mrs. McArthur, but now turned his attention toward Mary.
Damn. Gabe had not considered that this might happen. But he ought to have. Perhaps it was a curse that he happened to be facing the seating area and not sitting with his back to it.
Mary walked past the settee on her way to an armchair when Reddington set aside Mrs. McArthur and pulled Mary onto his lap. Mary squealed and Gabe clenched his jaw tighter, the ache nigh unbearable.
“Come, love, and give me some of that attention that was wasted on Spencer,” Reddington smoothed the backs of his fingers over the underside of her jaw.
Focus on your mission, Gabe. Do not let Mary and that villain distract you.
He looked at the table and tried to make sense of the cards placed there. As his turn came around, Gabe placed his knave of clubs down and hoped it was the right one.
His gaze flicked back up toward Mary to see her hands running over Reddington’s chest.
Those hands should be onmychest, he told himself.Theyhadbeen, don’t ye remember, ye fool?Ye kicked her off yer lap…
Aye, he remembered. He remembered her kissing a path up and down his neck and along his jaw, whispering game advice or warnings in the same ear that she had licked and nipped. He remembered her hands travelling over his body, heightening an altogether unnerving awareness to his senses.
That same awareness began to sizzle its way over his skin. He was too hot. Pulling at his collar, Gabe cursed the quick frown that troubled his brow.
He had to focus, blast it!
He played a two of…damn, he didn’t know. Was it even a two?
Mary’s peal of delighted laughter echoed through the room as Reddington pressed his mouth to her neck. Gabe’s gut flipped over.
How was he to get any investigating done while Mary behaved like a common trollop?
As luck would have it, just that moment the rubber ended, and Gabe rose, not caring that he had lost dreadfully. “I am out.”
With purposeful strides he moved to stand before Mary and Reddington, his hand extended and a forced lustful tilt to his lips. “I feel the need to retire, love.”
Several of the men chuckled or hooted while the women exchanged knowing glances.
