The Rake's Proposition
Page 20
“Not after tonight,” he said bitterly. “I will never be able to erase those images from my mind.” His expression turned dark. “Is your fine, upstanding employer here tonight by any chance? I’d like to have a word.”
The thought of Leo confronting Fowler terrified her. Leo was strong and fit, but Fowler was a barbarian who spoke of killing people as if it were a matter of no great import. She moved around him and blocked his path to the door. “You will not interfere here. I went to you for help and you failed me. I tried to tell you about Alex that day at your office, but you didn’t even give me the chance, just like you are not giving me a chance now. I once thought your experiences had made you a more understanding person, but now I think they’ve only made you more judgmental.”
His eyes flickered over her as if she were some exotic dish he could no longer palate. “You won’t have to suffer my interference in your bizarre schemes any longer. You may consider our association at an end. I’ll have the rest of your things packed and waiting for you in the front hall. Maybe your charming new swain can collect them for you.”
The unnecessary cruelty of his remark made her gasp. He was permanently dismissing her from his life without further consideration, sentencing her without a trial.
Well, good riddance. He’d proven himself fatally disloyal.
Someday she’d be glad he’d severed their connection, but at the moment she only felt profoundly hurt, devastated in fact. And he stood before her without a trace of anguish upon his arrogant face. Where was the fairness in that?
She wanted to give him cause to regret his ugly words and hasty decision. She wanted him to suffer. And at this precise moment, she could think of only one way to accomplish that. Slowly, she began to untie the sash of her dressing gown.
His eyes fixed upon her waist. In an instant, his air of indifference vanished. “What are you doing?”
Her heartbeat raged, but she managed to sound insouciant. “You know how I love to tease,” she purred in a teasing voice that had become second nature to her. “Why are you still here? I thought you were finished with me.” Her fingers wrapped about the lace trim and pulled the garment open, revealing just enough of her breasts and belly to entice. She had no idea what she was doing, but her alter ego knew exactly.
His hot gaze followed every moment, devoured the sight of her exposed flesh. Her body felt stiff and cold, but she gave him her sultriest expression as she noted every nuance of his desire. His chest rose and fell with quickened breathing. He was fighting a battle with himself and losing with each passing second.
She’d never felt more powerful. “If you’re going to stay, I suggest you look away before I offend your sensibilities. I wouldn’t want to nauseate you again.” Her silk gown slid down her shoulders and back in a sensual caress and slipped from her numb fingers to pool about her bare feet.
His eyes skimmed over her body and then returned to her breasts for a second, more thorough, look. “Is this an invitation or just another show?” he asked, his voice almost unrecognizably dark and husky.
The bite in his words made her lose her nerve completely, and she shivered despite the warmth of the cramped little room. She’d been wrong to think him emotionless. He was angry.
This was all a terrible mistake. There had been too many cruel words spoken, and she was no seductress in any case. She tried to retrieve the garment and cover herself, but her movements were awkward and slow.
His, on the other hand, were fast and sure. In an instant, his hands were sliding down the curve of her spine, cupping her bottom, pressing her body against his. Desire coursed through her, and she gasped at the force of it just as his mouth captured hers. His tongue swept into her mouth with more aggression than finesse. She didn’t care. She stood upon her toes and clung to his shoulders, straining to be closer.
She heard a sharp intake of breath before he lifted her to the couch. His weight crushed her against the cushions, his arousal pressed against her exposed thighs through the rough fabric of his trousers. They kissed and moved against each other with unrestrained passion and soon the friction, the very essence of him, made her forget the hateful things he’d said or at least put them aside for the moment.
He made a low sound in his throat and rose from the couch only to lift her up, lay her on the rug, and rejoin her once again. He leaned over her, exploring the contours of her hips, waist, and breasts with possessive thoroughness. Her breath caught with longing as he lightly teased one nipple with his tongue and sucked upon the other one. “Come to me,” she moaned in frustration, wrapping her legs around him.
He disentangled himself, whispering, “Patience,” in a way that only made her need more pressing. His thumbs stroked a burning path along her inner thighs. Then his hand smoothed over her belly and sifted through her curls to caress and tease until she was writhing and panting.
He touched her in ways he had not before, but she was so lost to her need for him she welcomed everything he did. A deep ache compelled her to arch and spread her legs wider for him.
He whispered praise into her ear, but his tone and some of the strange words he muttered made her feel suddenly ashamed and confused. It was as though he despised her for making him want her.
As the thick head of his penis pressed against her opening, she looked up at his face and saw only lust and hard, cold determination. It was all wrong, but he slid easily inside her eager body and quickly began gliding back and forth in that sensuous rhythm she recalled. As pleasure rose higher and higher, she felt hot tears trail from the corners of her eyes to her temples.
He stilled inside her and whispered in a strangled voice, “Please don’t cry. Do you want me to stop?”
She could only shake her head.
“Good,” he breathed. He caught a fresh tear with his lips and kissed her softly. “Let me love you.”
She hated him for using that word because she had loved him and now he was making a travesty of it. But the tone of his voice, and the tenderness of his touch worked that same strange magic within her. His thrusts became deeper, almost fierce, and despite her confusion and despair, she reached her peak quickly in a sharp burst, a cheap imitation of the ecstasy she’d known with him before. A single high forlorn sounding note emerged from her lips.
His release was prolonged and silent, only revealed by the tensing of his mouth and jaw. And a deep surge within her.
And all at once she realized he hadn’t used anything to prevent pregnancy. “Leo!” she warned too late.
Snapping out of his delirious fog instantly, he pulled out, spilling the remainder of his seed upon the rug. In seconds, he came to his knees while she leaned forward on one elbow. They both stared at the damp spot on the rug while absorbing the implications of their carelessness. They looked anywhere but at each other.
What had she done? “It should be of no consequence, I think,” she said in a weak voice.
He swept his hand through his hair. “I’ve never been so careless in my life.” He removed his handkerchief from his coat pocket and attempted to clean her. “What have I done?”
She jolted away from his gentle ministrations and came to her feet, desperate for any semblance of clothing. “You did nothing.” She spotted the discarded dressing gown, snatched it up, and tried to find the sleeves, but her hands were shaking.
He rose as well and began to button his trousers. “Funny, I seem to recall playing some role.”
“The one I lured you into. Do you not recall that unique performance of mine? I seduced you.”
“And why was that, Claude?” he asked in a light, almost playful tone that made her want to claw his face.
The name elicited happy memories and old wounds at the same time. He hadn’t called her that since she was a child. “I wanted to make you suffer.”
He laughed as he tucked in his shirt. “If one could enumerate mankind’s suffering from greatest to least, making love to you would be nowhere on the list.”
She untangled the sleeves of her silk go
wn and slipped her arms inside, rapidly losing faith in the logic of her plan. “You were completely and utterly in my power, helpless to resist me.”
Silently, he came behind her and put his arms around her, drawing her back against his hard chest. “Very well. You win. Maybe I am helpless when it comes to you.”
His tenderness made her eyes burn. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“Because I love you. Even when I’m furious with you, I love you. And I’m going to marry you so it doesn’t really matter if there’s a consequence or not.”
Electricity prickled across her scalp, and she turned to face him. “I beg your pardon?” The question came out as little more than a whisper.
“Surely you realize we must marry now. I know that might put a crimp in your performance schedule, but when you think about it, the inconvenience is outweighed by the fact that you love me too.”
“Such conceit I’ve never heard. Do you think all of our difficulties can be sidestepped because of a few minutes of passion? You must rate your skill very highly indeed, monsieur.”
His slow grin confirmed that he did. His eyes drifted over her exposed breasts and belly, and she realized she’d forgotten to tie the sash of her dressing gown. She did so now. “You don’t even know if anything will come of this.”
“I think there’s an excellent chance.” He sounded most pleased about it.
“You are insufferably overconfident in everything you do.”
He gave her a tender look and stroked the curve of her cheek. “I’ll try to be more uncertain if that would please you.”
“Why don’t you try being less judgmental?”
“I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. I suppose I have bit of a possessive streak.”
“A bit?”
His accusations still stung, though not as much. Exhibitionist. Some words could not be wiped away. They left a stain. “Don’t apologize if you meant what you said. You were partially correct. I’ve come to enjoy being on stage. I like the attention, though not in the way you implied. It’s new and exciting to me. I lived almost all of my life trying to live up to some impossible standard of propriety and failed in the most humiliating way possible. I’ve discovered a new side to myself these past few weeks, and I don’t want to bury it away so if you expect me to behave like that meek girl you met in Paris, I’m afraid you will be disappointed.”
His head reared back as if she’d slapped him. “You’d rather continue singing here than become my wife?”
She stomped her foot. “I told you why I came here and why I made that deal with Mr. Fowler. You should have taken my part. Instead, you acted as though I was either simple-minded or wanton or both.” His hard expression said it all. “You still don’t believe me, do you?”
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard. “Let’s just go home and forget this entire episode ever occurred.” He reached for her, but she stepped back.
“I can’t,” she whispered hoarsely.
The door swung open. “Barnett! After all the lousy lies you spread about me, I never would have expected to see you here at my theater, bothering one of my girls.” Jonas Fowler stood at the entrance to the room, looking both surprised and pleased. His eyes roved all about the room and lingered upon the rug.
When he looked up at Leo again, there was a prurient quality to his expression. “But then again, you were always a two-faced hypocritical back stabber so why should I be surprised?”
Leo’s expression turned murderous. “Your memory is as unreliable as your accounting practices.” He seized Claudine’s arm. “We were just leaving.”
Fowler leaned one hand against the doorframe, effectively blocking the door. “Are you actually trying to poach one of my best girls right in front of me?”
“She’s not your anything. As much as I would like to crush your face right now, I think it would be juvenile and pointless. The lady is finished here.”
Claudine’s mouth fell open with shock. While she had decided there was no point in remaining here any longer, she hadn’t authorized Leo to speak for her or to antagonize Fowler. She would have been much more subtle about departing. Her plan involved not showing up without explanation. Now she had to worry about some sort of vindictive response from a man notorious for vindictiveness.
Fowler displayed his crooked teeth in a cruel grin. “We’ll see about that, old friend, and you’d not fare well in a fight with me so spare me your lame excuses. I’d like to have a word with my employee alone so step outside, will you?”
Leo stepped toward him. “Like hell.”
The animosity between the two men terrified Claudine. She would not see Leo harmed on her account. She had to diffuse the situation. “I’m not going home with you.”
Fowler chuckled. “She’s had more than enough of you, old friend. I think you’ve lost your touch.”
Leo turned to Claudine with a stunned expression. “What are saying? You can’t expect me to leave you here with him.”
Her heart squeezed, but her resolve remained firm. She could see no other way to avoid violence. Besides, he really had disappointed her with regard to the entire Alex situation. In the long run, giving him cause to doubt his irresistibility might prove beneficial to their relationship.
Fowler broke the silence. “I must ask you to leave the premises now. You’re causing a disturbance.”
A muscle worked in Leo’s jaw as he regarded his former partner. Then he bowed his head to Claudine, and said coldly, “As you wish.”
Chapter Seventeen
The moment Leo closed the door behind him, Claudine began to have second thoughts about the wisdom of her decision. She was still angry with him for insulting her and not believing her, but she loved him. Would he understand that she was trying to protect him by sending him away? He looked as though she’d stabbed him without provocation.
Mr. Fowler sauntered closer. “You seem shaken. Did he hurt you? You might not be safe on your own. Why don’t you come home with me?”
She nearly laughed at the absurdity of his offer, but she restrained the urge. Insulting this man seemed unwise. In fact, the less she confronted him, the better.
He stood entirely too near now. His dark eyes were so intense she found it hard to look away. “A woman of your quality should not go about unprotected in the night. You should be looked after. You deserve the very best. I could give you anything you want.” His meaty hand rested upon her shoulder.
His audacity knew no bounds. She made a last attempt to contain her fury. “Could you leave me alone? I’d like to be alone right now.”
“Ha! That’s what I get for showing some kindness. The fine princess orders me to leave my own theater.” His tone of bitter amusement sent a chill down her spine.
“I didn’t ask you to leave the theater, only this room, but it doesn’t matter. I was just going.”
His nostrils flared as he lowered his head to speak inches from her face. “You’ll leave when I say you can.” She realized then that she was still wearing nothing more than her dressing gown.
Her control snapped. “I’ve had enough of your bullying and your threats,” she shouted back at him. “I don’t think you have any idea where my cousin is. I’m finished with you.”
His left arm snapped back as if he were about to strike her. Then he grinned at her and pinched her cheek hard. “I think not. We’re just getting started, peach.” He turned calmly and left the room.
Though her hands were shaking, Claudine never dressed so quickly in her life and hurried through the corridor to the stage door. She stepped outside into a light drizzle. The dark alleyway smelled of beer and urine. Wet cobblestones mirrored the streetlight.
Footsteps and the splattering of puddles sounded behind her as she neared the street. She quickened her pace. Someone was running to catch up with her.
“Madeleine, wait!”
Claudine turned to find Maude rushing toward her. “Do you have a safe place to stay tonight?”
“I saw Mr. Fowler go into your dressing room, and heard the gist of your conversation. The walls are thin. You shouldn’t stay at your apartment.”
“Why not?”
“He gave you that apartment, didn’t he?”
“He took the rent out of my salary.”
“You know he has a key, right?”
She sickened at the thought. “You don’t think he would use it, surely?”
“You can sleep on my couch until you find other lodgings.”
She was overwrought from the emotional strains of the evening. It would be far better to see Leo first thing in the morning. “Thank you.”
Maude’s flat was small, but cozy with a surprising number of fine antiques. “From my grandmother,” she explained as she made tea for them in her tiny kitchen.
“You’ve got a lot of spirit to stand up to Fowler the way you did. I’ve never seen anyone dare, let alone a woman.”
Claudine recalled her words with a sense of bemusement. She’d changed so much in these past few weeks. “I did do that, didn’t I?”
They moved into the sitting room, and Maude slouched back against her plush sofa. “I’m more than a little jealous of your courage. Anyone can see you were meant to become a star, but you must realize Jonas Fowler will only get in your way. You’re far too talented for The Crystal. What you need is a fresh start.”
So this was the motive behind the invitation. Simple friendship would have been too much to hope for. Claudine sat in an armchair which reeked of stale face powder. “Where do you propose I get this fresh start?”
“Chicago’s booming. You’d be an instant sensation there. I know a man who knows the brother of the owner of The Strand.”
“Why don’t you go there if it’s such a grand opportunity?”
“Because I want Jonas.”