The Frenchman's Revenge (56 page)

~~~

Bai and Elena planned to spend the night at the Palace Hotel.
As they s
aid
stood in the hallway saying
good night to
Wyatt and Nianzu, Bai
took a puff off
his
cigar and didn’t try to hide the twinkle in his eyes or the grin on his face.

“I’ve been thinking about our plan to take down Aldo. Since Rory is
anxious
to work with us, it might be interesting to incorporate him.”

Wyatt
looked at him in surprise
.

“I sure as hell didn’t think I’d hear you suggest that, Bai!”

Bai smiled and took another puff o
ff
his cigar.

“He wants to be our apprentice? How about we make him one – an unwitting one,
that is
.”

A minute
later
,
after
listening to Bai’s idea, both Wyatt and Nianzu were grinning
in admiration
.

Wyatt shook his head and
clapped Bai on
the
shoulder.

“Hell,
that’s rich, Bai. Christ, I
’
m always reminded of how goddamn happy I am to be working with you
, not against you! But you’re right. That son of a bitch wants to work with us? Crazy bastard.
Yeah, let’s give him a taste of what that means. Especially since he’ll be doing it without his knowledge.’

All three men laughed in appreciation at the thought of Rory’s unwitting participation.

Chapter 2
5

Bai
sat sprawled against the back of the chair, his feet crossed at his ankles
, a
large snifter of brandy in one hand, his cigar in the other. His hair was loose, tousled from running his fingers through it.
His fine linen shirt was open at the neck
,
revealing
the s
m
attering
of
soft
black hair on his chest. He had unbuttoned most of the buttons and rolled up his sleeves.
His relaxed posture showed his
bulging
arousal to excellent effect.

Elena peeked over at him, not sure what to expect.
Though Bai had been cordial, charming at dinner, she knew he was furious that Rory had propositioned her and angry that the four men had openly fought for her attention throughout the evening.

Elena
thought with an exquisite shudder, he looked as though he was ready to go to work – on her.
Only his eyes, hard, dark, gleaming yellow, telegraphed his
quiet fury
. His voice was soft, clipped.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Elena?’

“Very much, did you?”

“D
id
you like
having four men lust after you
?”

“Hmm, I
thought
that there were five men lusting after me, but I guess you were too busy charming our guests.
”

“
Ah,
I see.
My naughty little whore, my
vilain
petite puta
is feeling feisty, challenging? Do you think that is wise,
cherie
? To taunt me when you know I am angry?
”

She was determined not to be cowed by him.
She knew she had done nothing wrong and
,
damnit
,
she couldn’t help it if those men thought she was attractive. She walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a tumbler of brandy.
She took a sip and turned to Bai with a
haughty toss of her head
.

“Why are you angry, Bai? I thought you liked knowing that every man in the room envied you
,
w
ished that your woman
belonged to them
.
”

“
A
h
,
cherie
,
is that why you tempt them? Taunt them?
To rub their nose in the truth that they cannot have you? Is that why you let the top of your dress slip ever so slightly?”

“For God’s sake, Bai, you bought this dress for me.”

“
Mais oui
,
so
I
did.
But did I tell you to wear
a silk chemise that
emphasizes rather than conceals
your lush curves
?
Did I tell you
to
bend over in such a way that every man at the table had a tantalizing glimpse of your beautiful breasts?
Did you want them to
think about your nipples? W
onder
if
they
a
re hard
or soft? Pink or rosy?
Is that why you do those tempting things that you do so well,
cherie?
To te
ase
, taunt?”

Elena knew at some level Bai was correct.
She was a bit of a tease.
She had always loved to flirt.
All her life men looked at her
the way they
did tonight
.
Damnit, it was flattering. She decided to take Bai on.
They were married
,
for God’s sake.
He was going to have to get used to men reacting the way they did.
L
ook
at
how he reacted to her body.

She gave a little shrug and said, “It’s not my fault that men find me beautiful
,
Bai. You’ve told me often enough that I am.”

Bai leaned back further in his chair and
,
though he
appeared
relaxed, Elena felt her stomach clench.
She had seen that look in his eyes many times
; it was sultry, hot,
threatening
.
It made her feel
small
, helpless, like a
field
mouse
frozen in place,
w
atching a
grinning cat
casually
licking its paw
s
preparing
to pounce.
She took a large swallow of brandy
,
hoping the burn
in
her gut would give her courage.

Bai watched her for another moment and then his eyes narrowed ominously.

“Take of
f
your dress,
cherie
.”

She
hesitated
then
leaned back against the cabinet
and swallowed hard when his eyes blazed
.

“N
ow
.”

She
waited for another moment
,
then with a nonchalant toss of her head
reached behind her and unbuttoned her dress.
She let it slip to the floor
,
then
stepped out of it
and kicked
it aside
,
taking a casual
sip o
f
her
brandy.

Bai
took a long drag off his cigar and blew the smoke up in the air.
He raked his eyes over her scanty underwear
:
her silky revealing chemise and matching French drawers. She
shivered when
h
e
focus
ed
on the bare skin on her thighs above the lacy garters holding up her sheer silk stockings
,
then
let his eyes drift
down her legs to land on her
indigo
high heeled slippers.
She took another sip of brandy and forced herself to meet his eyes, trying to ignore his sardonic grin
and the rush of heat in her
core
.

“Show me your breasts,
E
lena
.”

“Ask me nicely and maybe I will.”

Her pulse jumped and s
he stepped back when he slowly stood up
,
unwinding his long lean frame from the chair in a graceful threatening movement.
He looked like a pirate
with
his tousled hair, his dark skin,
and his
gleaming eyes.
All he needed was an eye patch to be thoroughly intimidating.
She couldn’t take her eyes off of his body, his taut musc
ular arms
, hard chest
,
and
strong
thighs. Her
groin
clenched and
,
to her dismay
,
she felt a
flood
of moisture between her legs.

He looked at her for a long moment
. A
smile that didn’t reach his hard eye
s curled his lips.
He
ground out his cigar in
the
ashtray on the
table
then picked up the riding crop
next to
his
chair. He held the carved handle in one hand and
with the other
casually stroked the leather
striking strips
.

Elena gasped, startled.
She stared at the wicked looking crop,
took a deep breath and grip
p
ed the edge of the cabinet trying
to cover her fear
—and her excitement
.

“I…I didn’t know…I wasn’t aware the wicked warlord was here.”

“
Mais, oui
,
cherie
.
He most certainly
is
here and from
what I
can tell
,
he is as displeased with his
petite puta
as I am.
”

His voice
dropped
t
o
a
soft
whisper.

“May I assume
you didn’t hear
my request
,
cherie
?
”

She bit her lip and looked down.

“
Non
?
In that case I will say it again. S
how me your breasts.
”

Elena
tried to ignore the
shivery need washing over her
.
She knew she was asking for trouble
,
but she was annoyed by his blatant attempt to frighten her and
frustrated by her body’s
wanton
response
to his
erotic
commands
. S
he
hesitated
,
then
shook her head no.

Bai’s smile tightened and he took a step toward her,
slapping
the end of the crop
against his palm
as he approached.

“Elena, I don’t want to tear another of your lovely chemises.
Be a good girl and take off that enticing
bit
of lace and – for the last time – show me your breasts.”

Elena
sna
pped,
“Fine, damnit!”

She d
efiantly ripped the chemise down the middle and tossed it on the floor.
She resisted the impulse to cover her
breasts
, instead glared at him
,
her chest rising and falling in angry pants.
Without looking down
at her breasts
,
she knew from Bai’s grin that her nipples were already peaking.

“Ah,
mon petite putain
is angry? Angry but also aroused,
mais oui
, amour
?”

He reached out and ran the end of the crop over one hardened nipple and then the other.
He chuckled softly when she gasped and tried to cover her breasts.

“
Non, non, petite putain
. Hands at your sides. N
ow
.”

Elena felt her anger rise.
She dropped her hands
,
holding her fists
tight against her thighs,
then glared at him
,
daring him to touch her.