Oh yeah. At an orgy.
Spy. Had Akira picked that one? A nod to him?
“Ahem.”
Realizing Harris was awaiting his reply, he snapped to attention. “Yes. Certainly.”
The butler gave him an arch look, unimpressed with him. “If you have any hard limits, you ought to make them clear. Everyone here is accustomed to frank speaking. Do you understand?”
“Hard…limits? Like, pain, you mean?”
“If you like.” Harris smoothed Jacob’s coat. “We normally test guests for any sexually transmitted diseases prior to their attendance, but Ms. Akira informed me we were making a special exception for you.” The butler pursed his lips, clearly unhappy with this directive. “Regardless, all guests are required to wear protection. If there is something you wish to have but do not see, simply ask, and someone will provide it for you. The only exception to this rule is if you and your partner or partners agree to forgo protection. That’s generally only done by those guests in a relationship.”
Jacob nodded. “Sounds fair.”
“You are not in a committed relationship?”
A certain hostess flashed in front of his mind. “No.”
Harris rocked back on his heels. “Finally, and this goes without saying, but Ms. Mori does require absolute secrecy regarding any events that transpire over the course of the evening.”
“Not going to make me sign a nondisclosure agreement?” He was half-joking.
“Unnecessary.” Harris’s grin was hard but tinged with pride. “Would you cross Ms. Mori?”
“I already have.” Jacob rubbed his neck. “It wasn’t an enjoyable experience.”
“Then you’ll know better than to do it again.” Harris pinned him with a stern glare. “This is not part of my usual spiel. If I ever see you skulking around this house in the middle of the night, I or an associate will shoot first and ask questions later.”
No. Not a poison. A gun, a quick and clean shot to the head. At the edge of a cliff, so cleanup would be painless. That’s what this man would use.
He should be offended, but oddly he wasn’t. He had spent years considering Akira to be a solitary creature, so it was good to see the depth of this man’s loyalty. Akira needed a pit bull in her corner. Preferably, many pit bulls. “Understood,” he responded.
“Excellent,” Harris said, brisk and professional now. “I will show you up to the salon so you may join the other guests.”
“That’s unnecessary, Harris. I can take Mr. Campbell everywhere he would like to go tonight.”
At the dulcet tones, his attention shifted to the woman standing midway down the stairs. He struggled not to gawk, but he was certain it was a wasted effort. Akira regularly took his breath away wearing those damn pencil skirts. This was…beyond anything he could have imagined.
She wore a dress tonight, but one he’d never seen a woman wear in public. The orange corset-like top cinched her waist so it was tiny enough he could probably span it with two hands. Red and orange swirled together in her long skirt, which draped over the stairs like a waterfall of flames. One slender hand rested on the balustrade. She took a step down, and her leg appeared out of a slit in the skirt, revealing her strong thigh.
She took another step down and smiled at him, her dark eyes flashing. This smile was practiced and smooth, different from the ones he had painstakingly coaxed from her over the past couple of weeks. It was a smile she could give any man.
He had filthy dreams of sharing her body with other people, but oddly, he wanted a smile from her meant only for him.
He didn’t hear what the butler said, but he was aware of the other man leaving them. Jacob moved closer until he was standing at the base of the stairs. They were separated by four steps, but her perfume, some dark blend of roses and honeysuckle, twined around him.
“Tell me something,” he murmured.
She cocked her head. Her long hair had been pulled up at the top to create a voluminous poof, and then curled and draped over one shoulder. Glamorous. Unattainable.
He wanted that smile, damn it.
“Anything you’d like.”
“Did you have to hold this pose for long, waiting for me to walk through the door?”
Ah, yes. The grin slipped. Surprise followed by irritation quickly chased across her face before she donned her mask again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
