Paradise Wild (6 page)

Corinne glanced at the clock on the mantle and impatiently began to tap her foot. One o’clock in the morning. She hated to be rushed.

“Florence, please hurry,” Corinne said petulantly. “Russell will be down the street any moment now.”

“If your hair wasn’t so silky, it would be easier to put up,” Florence replied, unperturbed. “And it won’t hurt Russell Drayton to wait a spell. He shouldn’t be out there anyway,” she added disapprovingly.

“Now don’t start on me tonight,” Corinne returned. “I’m in no mood.”

“You’re never in a mood to listen to reason,” Florence reminded her, though she never tired of trying. “Sneaking out in the middle of the night! One of these days you’re going to regret these little adventures, you mark my word. A lady just doesn’t do these things.”

Corinne grinned mischievously. “Would you like to come with me to see I don’t get into trouble? I’m sure Russell won’t mind.”

Florence actually looked shocked. Though she was only fifteen years older than Corinne, her morals were those of a much older generation.

“I can just see me in that fancy gambling house. Why, my mother, God rest her soul, would come back
to haunt me. And your mother’s probably been turning in her grave for quite a while, knowing what you’re about.”

“Now don’t you try and make me feel guilty, because it won’t work, do you hear?” Corinne snapped. “Lord, is it a crime to put a little excitement in my life? Gambling is fun, Florence. It’s thrilling,” she tried to explain. “And it’s not as if I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve learned how to play the games, and I’m really quite good.”

“You know you’re doing wrong or you wouldn’t be sneaking out of the house, and by the servants’ entrance, no less. Nor would you be wearing that special cloak to disguise yourself.” She gave an indignant snort. “Cheap pauper’s wool, as if you couldn’t afford better.”

Corinne looked at the dowdy cloak lying across the foot of her bed. “No one will recognize me in it.”

“You’re going to disgrace this family yet, Corinne Barrows. A scandal, mind you, and one you’ll never live down, because it will be the first to touch the Barrows name.”

“I’ll never bring scandal to this family!”

“And just how—”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Corinne interrupted. “Why do you think I pick clubs so far away? Because I won’t be known there. In all the time I’ve been going, I’ve seen only two people I recognized at the clubs.”

“You see!”

“But they won’t spread rumors about me, because they have their own secrets to hide.”

“Your father found out, didn’t he?” Florence reminded her. “Lord knows why he didn’t put his foot down then and there. I thought for sure that would be the end of it.”

“Well, he didn’t. I suppose he thinks I’ll outgrow it. And I will stop, just as soon as I can play in that one no-limit game I’ve been dreaming about for so long.”

“You’re obsessed, Cori. You’ve got to stop soon. Gambling can be a disease for some. They just can’t ever quit.”

“That won’t happen to me,” Corinne said with confidence.

With the last pin in place, forming a severely tight coiffure, and dressed in lavender velvet with long sleeves and a high collar, Corinne was ready to go. She withdrew her money from a locked drawer, then looked about for her purse. When she couldn’t find it, she frowned. Her expensive little knife was in that purse, and she always liked to carry it with her, especially at night.

“Have you seen the green silk purse I had with me today, Florence?”

“No.”

“Then I must have left it in the carriage today. I’m sure I had it when we left the cafe.”

“You haven’t said very much about what happened today,” Florence remarked.

“Because there was nothing to tell. I had a very boring time.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me,” Corinne said irritably, hearing the doubt in Florence’s voice. “Just get me another purse. I’m late enough as it is.”

Soon, concealed to her satisfaction, Corinne tiptoed through the house as she had countless other nights, and slipped out the servants’ entrance. And there, waiting a block down the street, was faithful Russell, ready for tonight’s escapade.

Smoke gathered above the room like a heavy blanket, from the many cigars, cigarettes, and pipes of the gentlemen present. The smoke could not escape the room, for the windows were tightly closed and heavily curtained. To the passerby, the house looked like any other, but to the occupants inside, it was a hotbed of excitement. Fortunes could be won or lost here, and love affairs could continue in the strictest of privacy.

Corinne had never investigated the upper regions of the house. She sometimes wondered what it was like up there, but she had never found out. Russell had tried to get her to go up with him a few times—for a private drink, he would coax. But she was no fool. She knew what he wanted. But he just didn’t have the power to make her want it too.

It made Corinne sick one night when a girl’s screams were heard from upstairs, yet no one downstairs moved. No one had gone to the poor girl’s rescue.

Why, anything could happen on the second floor, even murder, for the two parts of the house were completely separate. It was a rule that no two couples could leave the gambling hall at the same time. That way, if a couple wished to slip upstairs for a few hours before going home, no one could witness it.

Corinne could see the sense in that rule, but it irked her, for she could just imagine the men in the gambling room speculating, when she left, on whether or not she went upstairs with her escort. It was a constant embarrassment to her.

Nine round tables filled the brightly lit room. The house did not supply dealers at each table, but the house did very well by collecting money from each player before each new game was played. Different games of chance were played at different tables. Corinne often preferred faro, a game in which each player took turns
being the banker, or black-jack, the deal passing with each new twenty-one. She had learned to judge the odds well in the latter, and was ecstatic whenever she was dealt a blackjack, the desired ace and face card which paid double and gave her the deal. But though she did well in blackjack, she liked the poker tables best of all. With a little trickery, she could bluff herself a winning hand.

Corinne loved to bluff in poker. She wore elegant, yet prim gowns for the express purpose of keeping her figure from distracting from her face. Her expressions fooled many a player. Once they caught onto her, though, she would change tactics and fool them again. Even Russell could not tell when she was bluffing.

Tonight Corinne felt lucky. She had already won three hands out of the first five. The others at her table, three gentlemen and a brashly dressed young woman, did not show exceptional skill. Russell went to play blackjack once he was assured that the men at Corinne’s table were interested in cards, and not in her.

“Draw poker,” the dealer called, and dealt five cards to each player.

The other gentleman next to Corinne opened, and after she examined her cards and found a straight possible, she called. One other player called, and when it was Corinne’s turn to draw, she took one card to fill her straight. It was not the card she wanted, but a slight raising of her eyelids said it was. The opener checked to her one card draw and Corinne bet the limit, then sat back and waited. The other player did not hesitate to fold, but the opener took a few minutes to make up his mind before he, too, dropped out.

Corinne threw in her cards and raked in the chips. She won quite a bit during the next hour, though with
good cards rather than bluffing. She was enjoying herself immensely until Jared Burk sat down at her table.

She was stunned to see him sitting there across from her, dressed in black evening attire, grinning sardonically. Corinne was mortified that he had found her here, after she had told him she would be spending a quiet evening at home. What must he think? Was that why he was grinning?

“Maybe my luck will change now, with new blood in the game,” said one of the players.

“Perhaps,” Jared replied smoothly. “But it is hard to entice lady luck away from a—lady.”

Corinne felt her cheeks flaming. She had detected the sarcasm in his voice.

“Five card stud,” Corinne called in a stiff voice that was not lost on Jared. She dealt the cards quickly, putting an end to conversation.

From that moment on, Corinne lost. Every bit of her winnings and the money she had brought with her was transferred across the table as the hours passed. Corinne became furious with herself. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t concentrate on the game. She didn’t look at Jared, but she could feel his eyes mocking her. It infuriated her so that she could hardly see the cards she held, and had to be repeatedly reminded when it was her turn to bet or call. What must he think?

The final straw was looking at three kings in her hand, knowing she could finally beat Jared, and not having the chips left to bet with. She would not give Jared Burk the satisfaction of seeing her sign an I.O.U. to finish the hand.

“This hand is not worth betting anyway,” she lied, with a smile to cover her frustration. “I think I’ve had enough for tonight.”

Feigning boredom, Corinne left the table and crossed
to the long bar built against a wall. She ordered a straight whiskey. She wasn’t used to hard liquor, but why not? There was a first time for everything.

She had nothing better to do than sit there and get drunk. Russell was winning and would not want to leave yet.

“So this is how you spend a quiet evening at home, Miss Barrows?”

She turned to find Jared beside her, leaning smugly against the bar, his winnings in his hat. He swung the hat slowly to and fro.

“It’s not evening, Mr. Burk,” she said caustically, her temper surfacing. “It’s almost morning.”

“So it is.”

She glared at him, but he was not deterred. “I see you’re angry with me,” he said. “I’m not surprised, though. Most women are poor losers.”

“And most men!”

“True. We have that in common, don’t we? For I’m a very bad loser myself.”

She knew that he did not mean only at cards. She took a swallow of her drink, then nearly gagged as the fiery liquid seared her throat.

“So now you will drown your sorrows?” he taunted her. “I thought you had more spirit, Corinne.”

She frowned. “I did not give you leave to use my first name, Mr. Burk.”

“Isn’t it time we stopped being so formal?”

“I think not,” she replied haughtily.

Jared smiled. He looked away from her for a moment and his eyes fell on Russell. The man was obviously an utter fool, Jared thought contemptuously. He should have more sense than to bring his intended bride to an establishment like this. And then to leave her to her
own devices! Why, anyone could whisk her out of here, and Russell Drayton wouldn’t know of it for some time.

“Would you like me to escort you home?” When Corinne glanced at him suspiciously, he added, “Since your fiancé is otherwise occupied.”

“No thank you,” Corinne said coldly. “I don’t mind waiting for Russell.”

“Perhaps you would like a small loan, then,” he offered. “So you can continue to play? I did so enjoy your company at the table.”

“You mean you enjoyed winning my money!” she replied bitterly.

He shrugged, then grinned, his eyes dancing. “That, too.”

“I never borrow money when I come here, Mr. Burk.” She lied convincingly, but kept her eyes averted. “I set my limits and stick to them.”

“Very commendable,” he said drily. “Is that why you’re wearing no jewels tonight? Afraid you might be tempted to gamble them away?”

She couldn’t help smiling at his perception. Did the man know everything?

“I did get a bit carried away the first time I came to an establishment like this,” she admitted. “I lost a valuable diamond broach on the turn of a card. Since then I have left my jewels at home.”

“You talk as if you come here often.”

She was stung by the condemnation in his voice. “I do,” she replied defiantly. “I can afford to.”

“But can you afford to have it known?”

Corinne frowned. “Is that a threat, Mr. Burk? Are you implying that
you
will make it known?”

“I wouldn’t dream of tarnishing your good name,” Jared assured her.

“But you feel that I am doing so by coming here?”
When he shrugged, she continued angrily. “No one knows me here, Mr. Burk. And if someone did, they would say nothing out of respect for my father.”

“But you take that risk?”

“I come here to gamble. I gamble in that respect as well. Besides, it’s really none of your business, is it?”

Jared acquiesced with a slight nod. “I will say no more. But I still offer you a ride home.” When she started to refuse him again, he added, “Once I leave, Miss Barrows, you will be swarmed by gentlemen wanting to make the acquaintance of a beautiful woman whom they will presume is alone. There is no need to put yourself through that.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said, her proud nose rising in the air.

“Forgive me. I only assumed you wouldn’t want that kind of attention. Perhaps I was wrong.”

He was utterly infuriating.

“I don’t relish being bothered, Mr. Burk. I just feel I should wait for Russell.”

“Why?” he asked pointedly. “He’s not even aware that you are waiting.” Then he conceded graciously, “Though I’m sure he would come to you if he were aware of it.” She knew he didn’t mean it.

“Is it my presence that is stopping you from accepting my offer?” Jared suggested in a soft tone. “You’re not afraid to be alone with me again, are you?”

“Certainly not!”

“Well, then?”

Corinne looked at her empty glass. She had convinced herself earlier that she had nothing to fear from this man, so why was she hesitating?

“Very well,” she smiled agreeably. “If you will just give me a few minutes to tell Russell that I’m leaving.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Why, Mr. Burk,” Corinne teased lightly. “You wouldn’t want my fiancé to think I had deserted him?” She leaned closer and whispered, “He might think I’ve gone upstairs, and then cause quite a scene looking for me.”