His Mistress (9 page)

Before any of the other men surrounding her could even rise from their seats,
Mystère
tugged her arm free of Ashcroft’s grip and turned toward her assailant with a jerk. With a vicious swing of her hand, her closed fan connected with the man’s cheek. In the quiet of the balcony, the fan’s wood slats created a distinct, audible pop. Almost instantly, blood from a long cut pooled on the surface of the submissive’s skin.

“
Leave
, and
do not
come near me again, Edward.”

Even from the short distance that separated Tobias from the group, the remarkable display of composure
Mystère
demonstrated was impressive. Tobias could only imagine the look of contempt she directed at Ashcroft before she turned away and focused her attention on the Obedience Chamber.

Clearly startled, Ashcroft touched his cheek. Staring down at the blood on his fingertips, a lascivious look of lust and excitement crossed the man’s features as he stretched out his hand to
Mystère
once more. Despite the serene expression on her lovely features, Tobias saw her hands tremble as she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the balcony railing once more.

Instantly, his body transformed itself into a coiled spring as he prepared to lunge out of his chair and physically remove Ashcroft from her presence. Before he could move, one of the men in
Mystère’s
entourage quickly placed himself between the Lady and her antagonist.

“Lady
Mystère
has ordered you to leave. Go now, or you’ll have me to deal with.”

The woman’s champion was unknown to Tobias, but he immediately liked the young man for stepping forward to protect
Mystère
. Nonetheless, Tobias remained ready to intervene if necessary. Ashcroft hesitated for a long moment before turning away with a dark scowl of displeasure on his face. As the Viscount departed, Tobias watched the tension ebb slowly out of
Mystère
as she leaned back into her seat.

The moment she relaxed, Tobias allowed his own pent up energy to ease out of his stiff muscles, while holding a small measure in reserve should Ashcroft return.
Mystère
lightly brushed the back of her hand across her champion’s cheek as he bent his head toward her. A sharp twist of possessiveness tightened Tobias’ gut.

He didn’t want her touching any other man with such tenderness. The thought made him wince. What the hell was wrong with him? As he struggled with his visceral reaction, he heard
Mystère
quietly issue a command for her small group of suitors to leave her. Their disappointment was obvious, but the men obeyed her command without protest. In less than a minute,
Mystère
companions moved away leaving her to her solitude.

Just as he had a week ago, Tobias studied her from a distance as she focused her attention on the Obedience Chamber. Almost as if she felt his gaze on her, she turned her head in his direction. A small smile curved her lips as she looked at him. It was like having a sledge hammer slam into his chest with the blow shuddering its way into every inch of his body.
Bloody hell.

Throughout the past few days, he’d convinced himself that he’d over exaggerated his response to her. He’d been wrong. Tonight her allure was even more powerful, and the air left his lungs then returned in a sudden rush that left his breathing ragged. Inside his trousers, his cock stirred. It was a reminder of the command she’d given him a week ago.

The moment he rose to his feet, she immediately looked away from him to stare down at the scene below. Her posture was stiff for a moment before she relaxed in her chair. Satisfaction drilled its way through him at having shaken her composure, if only for a brief moment. Tobias maneuvered his way past several chairs and took a seat next to her.

Although he was certain she was aware of him, she continued to study the stage below and didn’t acknowledge him. The exotic scent of jasmine mixed with vanilla filled his nostrils. It was the perfect scent for her. Soft, sultry, and mysterious. He breathed in more of her seductive smell and suppressed a groan. He wanted to feel her skin beneath his mouth and fingertips as he pleasured her in whatever manner she decreed.

“Is it your habit to stare?” The soft question sent another sledgehammer blow reverberating through him.

He hadn’t forgotten the sound of her voice, but hearing it again brought his cock to attention in a pleasantly painful way. Warm, throaty, and ripe with invitation, her voice could easily make a man come with just a few well-spoken phrases. Hell, he was halfway there himself. Tobias’ mouth went dry at the thought.

“Was I staring?”

“You
are
staring,” she said with just the hint of smile as she leaned forward to look over the balcony railing.

Her tone wasn’t indifferent. Rather it held a note of confident amusement that said she knew precisely how much of an effect she was having on him. It also meant she wasn’t about to appease his needs until she was damn good and ready. Not about to let her know how badly he needed a release, he smiled.

“Would you like me to stop staring?” he teased in an effort to break the spell she was casting over him.

“Whether I do or not, I think you would find it difficult to obey me.” There was a breathy note to her voice that convinced Tobias she wasn’t unmoved by him.

“Command me, my Lady,” he said automatically as the familiar dark lust spread its way through his limbs.

“Then watch the performance below.” Behind the husky voice was a note of steely determination that made his gut twist with desire and need.

Reluctantly, Tobias turned his head to concentrate his attention on the scene below. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her open her fan and wave it slowly in front of her. It was a languid gesture that signaled serene control, but her rapid breathing betrayed her excitement. Perhaps there was justice after all for the agony she’d put him through since their last encounter.

“You’re fortunate young Galahad came to your rescue earlier.” At his quiet observation, she laughed softly.

“How could I have been in need of rescue with you standing in the wings?” Her words caught him off guard, and he turned his head to stare at her in amazement. She dipped her head slightly to glance at him. “You seem surprised that I knew one of the Knights of the Round Table stood in the shadows ready to protect me.”

“And which of Guinevere’s champions would I be?” he asked determined to hide his annoyance that she’d seen him, and not bothered to acknowledge him.

The instant she turned her head toward him, a vise tightened around Tobias’ chest. The burgundy mask with its plain black trim emphasized the air of mystery about her, while accentuating her generously full and lush mouth.

Dark sapphire eyes studied him with an insightful gleam, and he frowned slightly as he studied her in silence. There was something familiar about that beautiful gaze of hers. Where had he seen eyes like hers before? His question went unanswered as she tilted her head slightly. The seductive smile curving her lips strengthened his desire to carry her off to a private room where he’d willingly do what she asked of him if only for a small taste of her.

“Lancelot, I think,” she said with a note of confidence in her voice. An odd gleam shimmered in her beautiful gaze as she nodded with satisfaction. “Yes. Lancelot. A man struggling with an inner torment.”

“Not Sir Gawain?” he questioned in as nonchalant a tone as possible. The woman had hit far too close to home for his own comfort when it came to the ghosts of his past. “As I recall, he was referred to as the Maiden’s Knight for protecting any woman in need and was equally conflicted.”

“It appears you know your Arthurian legends,” she said with a laugh.

“The result of a stern schoolmaster whom my mentor provided.” He grinned as he took pleasure in the sound of her laughter.

“Then your schoolmaster was most adept in his tutoring.” She turned her head away, and he saw her heartbeat flutter on the side of her neck. “And your instruction in the pleasures one finds here in
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
?”

The probing question made Tobias smile with satisfaction. Her query strengthened his assumption from the other night.
Mystère
was far more interested in him than she was willing to admit.

“Does it matter?” He turned to look at her profile, and without thinking, he brushed his fingers across her cheek.

“Only in the sense that your training appears incomplete,” she said with a laugh as she caught his hand in a firm grip and laid it in his lap.

As she pulled away, her fingers glided across his inner thigh. Instantly, his body tightened with a dark need that he realized only this woman was going to satisfy. He knew the touch was meant to appear unintentional, but he knew damn well she was punishing him again.

“Then perhaps you will take me under your wing,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’m uncertain as to whether or not you will be able to obey my commands,” she said with a touch of irony.

“I’m always willing when the moment is right.” Tobias said with a grin as he looked her directly in the eye then respectfully lowered his gaze.

She didn’t reply, but even with his gaze lowered, he saw the tremor shake through her body. The sight heightened his need to please her in whatever fashion she demanded.
Mystère
continued to ignore him and focused her attention on the stage below. Despite the direction of her gaze, Tobias was certain the play in the Obedience Chamber was the last thing occupying her thoughts at the moment.

That certainty wavered as the silence between them lengthened. When she didn’t comment on his confession, Tobias leaned back in his chair and forced himself to relax. Arms folded across his chest, he frowned. When was the last time he’d been interested in a Lady with
Mystère’s
kind of seductive abilities? He hadn’t. An image of Jane flashed in his head. While his fiancée possessed a natural strength of feminine power, it was undeveloped. And unlike
Mystère
, he had little doubt Jane would be appalled by his dark needs. For not the first time, he wondered how he’d find release from his darkest emotions after he was married. It was a question he’d worked hard not to consider since the day Jane’s father had blackmailed him.

The thought of what Culverstone had taken from him blackened his mood. If not for that bastard, he’d find himself free to enjoy
Mystère’s
talents for as long as was mutually agreeable and without any real consequences. Talents that he had reason to believe were not as extensive as
Mystère
might want him to think. It would be immensely pleasurable to be the man who served her as she blossomed and matured.

Tobias had recognized her innate strength at their first meeting, and to experience the growth of her ability would be a satisfying experience for both of them. The thought of surrendering his body to her touch made his muscles draw up tight like a bow ready to unleash an arrow. Damnation, the woman had him twisted up in knots. He turned his head and narrowed his gaze at her.

“You’re far more confident than I’d expect from a novice,” he murmured. She immediately turned to look at him.

“Novice? A bold assumption on your part,” she said with a smile.

Despite the amusement in her voice, her sapphire gaze flashed with annoyance. Clearly she wasn’t happy with his assessment. Satisfaction surged through him at having recovered some of his equilibrium where she was concerned.

“Is it? As I recall, you found it extremely difficult to rid yourself of Ashcroft.”

“Edward would be a challenge even for Angélique,” she said with a small laugh, her irritation with him either gone or well hidden.

“Perhaps, but an
experienced
Lady would not have gripped the balcony railing quite as tightly as you did when dealing with such a troublesome suitor. It gave you away.”

“Ahh…and what else did you discern about me from your eagle’s nest?” She avoided addressing his challenge and nodded toward the seat he’d vacated a short time ago.

“That you have the potential to exceed even Angélique’s ability to bend a man to her will.”

The moment he spoke, Tobias regretted his words. A seductive smile curved her mouth as she leaned forward to brush her fingertips over his lips. Instantly, his cock was rock hard in his trousers. A few brief moments of surrender at the hands of any of Angélique’s students would allow him to snuff out the powder keg inside him. But
Mystère
was different. Instinct said she possessed the ability to reach deep inside him to where he kept his darkest secrets. Deep into that place no other woman had ever touched before. Sanity urged him to run, but it was as if she’d turned him to stone with just one caress.

B
eneath her fingertips, Tobias’ mouth was warm and sensual. A wave of heat streaked up her arm as the full impact of his male beauty caused desire to swell inside her. The base reaction almost made her jerk her hand away in an attempt to halt the fiery sensations skimming through her. Swallowing the urge to pull away, she remembered something she’d seen Angélique do. Slowly, she pressed her thumb against Tobias’ lower lip in a gentle stroke, and in a split second, he nipped at the tip of it.