Tempted Tigress (58 page)

She had set the first dumplings in the steaming pot when another caller appeared: an associate of Master Tan requesting an audience. Little Pearl sighed. These interruptions did not make for balanced food.

She wiped the moisture off her face and hurried to the reception hallway. Two steps outside of the kitchen and she had to turn back around. She could not appear before a businessman as a cook. She quickly stripped out of her food-stained tunic and pulled on a respectable gown. She had only one—a well-worn black silk tunic with gold embroidery to bring brightness to her dark eyes. It was designed for seduction, the clasps pulling the fabric tight to her small hips and pert breasts. The skirt was slit all the way up her thigh. It was a respectable
chong san
for a respectable woman, though rather elaborate for midafternoon. It also made the men salivate and their yang surge, especially since it gave full view of her tiny bound feet.

She'd taken too much time changing her clothing, so now she had to rush to the receiving chamber. She used the handholds placed throughout the compound to ease the ache in her legs and to speed her progress, but she still appeared inappropriately breathless when she stepped into the reception room.

"My deepest apologies for the delay," she whispered, her voice automatically taking on the husky tones of a seductress. She never consciously changed her mannerisms, they simply shifted as she donned one outfit or another.

The man turned to greet her, his black Manchurian queue barely shifting with his body. She smiled and bowed to him, belatedly realizing that she had erred. Not only had she forgotten to order tea, but she was not hidden behind the women's screen. Only a prostitute or the clumsiest servant would appear before a visitor like this.

She felt her shoulders hunch in shame and her gaze dropped to the floor. Too late to slip behind the screen now. At best, she would have to act as exactly what she was: a stupid, ignorant servant awkwardly thrust into a role too elevated for her training.

"Master Tan not home today," she said in a coarse accent. "Best come back tomorrow."

The man didn't answer but studied her with unnerving intensity. She reciprocated the inspection, but through lowered eyelashes. He was of average height for a Han Chinese and had a fastidious appearance. His tunic was made of the best silk and excellently tailored, but his tone was modest, his entire impression... inconsequential. All except for a nearly hidden jade bracelet on his right wrist: an imperial dragon which marked him as a very well-connected man in Shanghai.

He dressed to be unnoticed, but Little Pearl had been trained to evaluate a man's qi in a heartbeat. This man had enough yang power to overwhelm a woman. He was not insignificant. If anything, he had the power of a governor or viceroy running through his veins. That he would hide such strength beneath modest tailoring made him doubly dangerous. The deadliest snakes hid in the most common grass.

"Greetings, Tan mistress," he said formally, his friendly tone completely at odds with his suppressed energy.

"No, no," she responded with pretend embarrassment. "I am not the mistress here. I am merely—"

"The cook. Yes, I know."

She blinked, momentarily stunned. His lips curled in a friendly smile that clashed with his energies. She could not define how, only that she did not trust his false openness.

"You are Little Pearl," he said. "Kui Yu spoke of you often. He praised your cooking...." His voice dropped in tone. "And your beauty."

Was she supposed to be flattered? What kind of woman would be pleased that she distracted her mistress's husband? She straightened and folded her hands demurely before her. "You are correct, sir. I am the cook. Please return tomorrow to speak with Mr. Tan."

"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

~

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Cornered Tigress

from your favorite eBook Retailer,

visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page

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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 -
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Other Titles by

Jade Lee