"But he is not coming back. Nor is Shanghai's most famous Tigress. Surely you know this."
It took all her training not to leap upon his news and demand answers. She lifted her gaze to his open expression and pretended complete stupidity. "I don't understand."
"The Tans have been taken by General Kang. You will most likely never see them again."
"You are mistaken," she said coldly, but her muscles trembled with the strain of remaining upright. His yang power was overwhelming, and she was rapidly failing beneath the onslaught. Her yin urged her to soften and yield. "I have served all the Tan guests, and you have never been one of them."
His smile widened at her words, and too late she realized their double meaning. She meant that she'd served them food. He obviously knew she did other tasks as well. Too late she remembered that he'd called Shi Po the famous Tigress of Shanghai. He knew, then. He knew what was taught here and was titillated by it.
Except once again, his energies did not feel sexually excited. They felt...
"I apologize," he said with a sudden burst of laughter. Her thoughts scattered at the sound, and she found her gaze pulled back to him. He looked like a stick pretending to be the happy Buddha. "I am Mr. Su, but you should call me Jian Lie. I believe that we shall become fast friends, you and I, as we weather this storm."
He was trying to seduce her, she abruptly realized. First he complimented her looks, then he offered her information, and lastly, he extended an equal friendship to her, a lowly cook. Add to that the heated pulse of his yang energy, and most women would collapse in gratitude without even knowing the cause.
Truly, he had the skill of a dragon, and yet such a focused campaign left her angry. She had no time for seductive games. The dumplings were probably rotting in the steamer right now. Still, she had responsibilities to Shi Po's students, if nothing else.
She straightened. "If you return tomorrow, I will find a student for you. Your yang runs too strong. It must be very uncomfortable." Then she bowed deeply before him. "My apologies, but my duties call me."
She turned to leave, but he stopped her with words that cut like cold iron. "Mr. Tan and I had business together. With him in prison, I must take on his tasks just as you must become mistress here. Do not think to gainsay me on this. I must see his papers."
"Mr. Tan is not here," she retorted firmly, part of her wondering where she found the strength. "Please return tomorrow. Perhaps he will see you then."
He released a hiss of frustration, a hot breath that fouled the air between them. Truly his yang was poisoning him. "The Tans will not return. How will you teach her students, feed their servants, and pay their taxes without money? How will you honor your mistress without my help?"
"By locking Mr. Tan's office door against all who would rob him."
"I am not a thief!" he spat. "I am trying to help!"
She almost believed him. But experience taught that a man of strong yang could make a woman believe almost anything. And yet she felt abused by him rather than persuaded. His yang cut tiny rivulets into her as surely as a knife scoured the scales off a fish. To hide the pain, she dropped into a respectful bow. "Apologies, sir, but I must attend to my duties."
He relaxed then. He smiled and ran a hand over his face as if in exhaustion while his bracelet winked in the sunlight; casual gestures that appeared too polished to be true. "Soon the money will be gone and creditors will break down the door. Only I, Su Jian Lie, can help you." He paused and his gaze burned with yang intensity. "All depends on you now. The Tans' fortune is under your control to strengthen or waste. Think of how you will be rewarded should you make the right choices. I will return for your answer tomorrow."
She had no answer for that and no time to ask; he spun on his heel and left while she remained frozen with indecision. Could he be right? She cared nothing for a reward, but what if the Tan money did depend on her? How could she manage? The kitchen money would not last long. Fortunately, she knew the location of the other cache: a large sum of money for emergencies. But how much was there? The Tan household required much cash to support both home and school. What if the Tans returned to find that their home had been lost, the students scattered to the wind, and nothing remained of all that had once been?
Was it truly Little Pearl's task to see that all remained as it once was? The thought was horrifying. And yet who else could bear this burden?
Cornered Tigress
The Way of The Tigress
Book Five
by
Jade Lee
~
To purchase
Cornered Tigress
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JadeLee
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
JADE LEE has two passions (well, except for her family, but that's a given). She loves dreaming up stories and playing racquetball, not always in that order. When her pro-racquetball career ended with a pair of very bad knees, she turned her attention to writing. An author of more than 30 romance novels, she's decided that life can be full of joy without ever getting up from her chair.
A USA Today Bestseller, Jade has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. Now an author of more than 30 romance novels, she finally gets to play in the best girl-heaven place of all: a Bridal Salon! In her new series, four women find love as they dress the most beautiful brides in England. Look for the first books in Feb/March 2012 with Engaged in Wickedness, an e-book novella, and Wedded in Scandal, a Berkley Sensation novel.
And don't forget KATHY LYONS! She's Jade's lighter, contemporary half. Kathy writes for Harlequin Blaze. She loves the faster pace of category books and that her humor can really let fly. She leaves the dark, tortured love stories to Jade.
If you're wondering where Katherine Greyle comes in, she's Jade's first persona. Sweet, funny, and with a love of all things regency, Katherine started publishing back in the 1900s. (She won't say how long ago!) But never fear, the romantic soul is the same whether it's Jade, Katherine, or Kathy!
So if you love that special feeling when two people just fit, then email her through her website www.jadeleeauthor.com. She's also on social media at Facebook - JadeLeeBooks and Twitter – JadeLeeAuthor.
Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
White Tigress
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Hungry Tigress
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Desperate Tigress
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Burning Tigress
Author's Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Excerpt from CORNERED TIGRESS (The Way of The Tigress, Book 5)
Meet the Author
The Way of the Tigress 1-4 Page 121
