Burning Tigress (9 page)

"To give up her essence to you? And then would I lie gasping and withered in
your
wake?"

He didn't like the way she was throwing his words back at him. No white person—much less a barbarian woman—had ever demonstrated such cleverness with words. Still, he would not lie to her. "Yes, that is what I thought you wanted."

"Because I am ignorant and lewd."

He shrugged, unable to deny it.

She abruptly pushed off the bed. "You are a pig, Ken Jin, and I would not take your yang if you begged me." She headed for the door, but he was there before her. "Get out of my way," she snapped.

"Give me the scrolls, Miss Charlotte." He matched her threatening tone, but his words were more deliberate.

She was not impressed. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and shifted her weight to step around him. "They are mine until Joanna returns."

He was losing patience with this farce. "They are stolen property, Miss Charlotte. They belong to the Tigress school, and I will see them returned."

She lifted her chin. "I don't believe you. And don't try to find them. I've hidden them where no one will ever guess."

He doubted that, but he did not argue. He could not have her angry with him. His livelihood depended on the Wicks. Plus, he wanted those scrolls. So he switched tactics. No woman could resist a trained Dragon, and his skills were legendary. So he reached out and took hold of the bow tie Charlotte wore. It was a silly female parody of a man's, only serving to emphasize how very feminine she looked, but it was useful to him. He pulled it loose with a single flick of his wrist. Another tug and he held it in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she cried.

"You wished to learn. Indeed, you threatened my employment if I didn't teach you."

"I have changed my mind."

He shook his head. "Sluts are not allowed to change their mind. Indeed," he said as he took a firm step forward. "I believe some sluts particularly desire to be threatened. Pushed." His voice dropped. "Forced."

She was shying backward—away from him, toward his bed. "Stop this immediately! This is most unlike you, Ken Jin."

"I didn't know you were a slut before."

She backed up to the bed. "Let me go!"

"Give me the scrolls."

"I'll scream!"

His hand went to her throat, quickly cutting off her breath. The force of his assault knocked her backward onto his bed, carrying him down on top of her. He was a large man with trained hands. He knew how to make a woman's yin flow like a glowing river, and he knew how to stop it cold, which was exactly what he planned now. He pressed his hand into her throat, restricting her breath but not stopping it. Then he leaned down far enough to whisper his threats into her ears.

The motion brought his dragon full and hard against her skirt, and the bonfire that was her cinnabar cave began to torture his thoughts. Her legs slipped open and he thrust fully against her. Thankfully, the barrier of his thin trousers and her even thinner skirt kept him from slipping inside her heated cave. Still, he could feel her wetness, even smell her scent on the air as their bodies ground together. Once, twice, even a third time he pressed forward, his yang strengthening to a hard rod of glorious power.

"This is what happens to sluts," he said as she gasped beneath his onslaught. "This is what those scrolls teach. This is the life that your Joanna has embraced." He did not add that her friend's choice would probably lead to her death. He wanted to frighten Charlotte, not inflict a pain that would come all too soon. "This life is not for you. Now give me those scrolls."

"But," she gasped. "Ken Jin..."

She was struggling. Her face was flushed, her eyes were wide; even her back was rigid with horror. So he thrust one last time, hard, his meaning unmistakable despite the separation of fabric. And then, as a further punishment, he crushed his pelvis against her, round and round in the pleasure circle.

She would not soon forget his meaning or this experience. Her reaction was coming; he could feel it. Her body was rigid beneath him. Charlotte had great pride, but she would give in. It was her female nature to yield, especially when a man showed his superior strength. This was inevitable, and Ken Jin was man enough to relish the moment.

Then she wrapped her legs around him, arched her back in her own sudden thrust, and exploded in a yin rush that made her scream a joyous whoop of victory.

* * *

July 16, 1881

To Wen Qui Xiu:

I thank you for your warning. The demon Ken Jin did indeed appear on my doorstep. As you urged, I cast him off. However, as he departed, my heart was most heavy. He did not seem at all demonlike, but quite a normal, resourceful boy. Is it possible that the demon who possessed your son has fled for a better victim? Would you like me to watch this boy? If nothing else, I could learn more about his demonic ways. And if the demon has left, Would you not wish the return of your son?

In hope.

Tigress Tan Shi Po

PS—I understand your husband is an acupuncturist. How fortunate for you! I wish my husband had such talent. Alas, we have spent our time in the study of plants. Though my skills are feeble, I do have a recipe to release the fog that clouds many elderly women's minds. Could you pass this on to your mother-in-law? It may help restore peace in your home. And please have her write me to tell if it is effective.

To honored Grandmother Wen Ai Men, Tigress sister,

I recently began using this recipe. The patient stays in my home so I can watch for any ailment or problems. So far, the tea has been most effective.

Sincerely,

Tigress Tan Shi Po

(Attached, a recipe labeled: To Ease Your Mind. In truth, it is a common potion known to all tigresses for the strengthening growth of young dragons.)

To treat Insomnia: Before retiring, take a leisurely walk, self-massage the body all over, and then massage the yung chuan acupoint, which is in the middle of the sole of the foot.

Tong Sing, the Chinese Book of Wisdom,

Dr. Charles Windridge

Chapter 4

Charlotte felt her legs go slack as the last of the ripples shivered through her. The sensation dissipated quickly, and if it weren't for Ken Jin's weight upon her, she would already be feeling chill. But he was here, and she found his presence a wonderful addition to the experience. "Now I know why Sophie says it's better with another person," she murmured as much to herself as to him.

"Your yin peaked!" he said, obviously stunned. "But I wasn't trying to... Few Tigresses even..." He swallowed. "How is this possible? How can you have such responsive yin?"

She blinked, trying to understand his words. She couldn't, of course, but she was feeling so lovely that she didn't really care. "Thank you, Ken Jin. But that wasn't what you were supposed to teach me, you know."

He reared back, then scrambled off her. Once on his feet, he clearly had no idea what to do except gape. "You are supposed to be ignorant!" he accused.

She pushed onto an elbow and frowned. "Is something the matter? This
is
what you expected to do this afternoon, isn't it? This is what you thought my 'lesson' would entail."

He didn't answer. His gaze leapt from her face to her belly and then back again. His mouth was open; then it shut; then it fell open again. So Charlotte sat fully upright. She fussed with her clothing, not because it needed straightening, but because she needed something to do with her hands.

"That was delightful, Ken Jin, truly. But..." She glanced up at his blanched face, then quickly down at her skirt. "It wasn't really what I came here to learn. As I was trying to say before, I want to understand about
men's
bodies. I already know all about mine."

"You do?" he squeaked. Then he took a breath and spoke in a steadier tone. "You understand what just happened?"

Charlotte sighed. "Do you truly believe that women in this city are so ignorant? That we know nothing of these things? I'm twenty-five years old!" She set her feet daintily upon the floor. "Think, Ken Jin. My father disappears for hours on end while my mother preaches ceaselessly about the horrors of physical pleasure. Yes, I know there are girls who know nothing of the body's pleasures, but my parents piqued my curiosity when I was still playing with dolls."

"Your mother preaches against such things!"

"My mother said that fun such as this was the devil's trap." She rolled her eyes. "All I heard was fun."

"But how—"

"My friend Stacy has a machine. One to prevent migraines."

He stared, obviously not understanding.

She shook her head, unwilling to give up her friend's secrets. "She taught me."

He took a step forward, anger contorting his usually placid features. "What did she teach you?"

Charlotte stared at him, annoyance beginning to sour her mood. "Why are you angry?"

He blinked and abruptly stiffened his shoulders. "I am not angry!"

Except, of course, he obviously was. Charlotte sighed. Men pursued their pleasures with single-minded abandon, and yet it never occurred to them that women could discover their own ways to enjoy life. How disappointing to find out that Ken Jin was just like other men.

Charlotte abruptly pushed to her feet, her tone prim and authoritative. "Ken Jin, my actions are none of your affair."

He stopped abruptly. So did she. And there they stood, on opposite sides, servant and master, English and Chinese. Except...

"You wish to learn more," he said, his voice low and eerily calm. "I wish for a return of the sacred scrolls."

She blinked. "They're sacred?"

He nodded, but the movement was slow, as if he had not intended to reveal so much. Then he abruptly sat down, then gestured to the open space beside him on the bed. "Please, Miss Charlotte, will you sit and listen?"

His manner was so different than from a moment before, she needed to adjust. Then they'd struggled across a great divide; now he seemed to want to be her friend. Or, if not her friend, her equal. The concept was so disorienting that she sat down merely because she could no longer stand. Just what was this Chinaman about?