"If you are finished," he said, "we can retire upstairs."
When she agreed, he rose and moved around the table to draw out her chair. "Go ahead and make yourself ready," he murmured, planting a light kiss on her bare nape. "I will wait for you in the mirror room. Oh, and Jewel?" he added when she turned to obey. "Don't undress just yet. I want that enjoyment for myself."
Despite her determination to maintain her composure, she felt her excitement rise.
Julienne went to her bedchamber and utilized her coffer of sponges, then went in search of the mirrored room. Dare was waiting for her as promised, lounging against the pillows of the large bed, his lean, elegant body reclining with a lazy grace. He appeared to be nude except for the red silk sheet drawn up to his waist. Several candelabra lit the chamber, the flames reflecting brightly in the myriad mirrors.
When Julienne shut the door behind her, Dare remained in his sprawl and laced his hands behind his head. "Now you may take off your clothing."
"I thought you said you wished to undress me."
"I've changed my mind. I can enjoy the sight as much from here. And turnabout is fair play, after all."
She remembered the last time they'd made love, when she'd been so angry at him for thinking her a traitor. She had ordered him to undress in front of her while she watched.
But Dare apparently had more in mind now than reprisal. "From the first moment I saw you on stage, I've imagined you giving me my own private performance. Do it slowly, Jewel. I want to see every inch of your beautiful body… every lush, tempting curve."
She might have protested his arrogant directive, except that the devilish, even taunting, smile on his face could melt the strongest resistance. And this was one command she wanted to obey.
She began with her gown, unfastening the hooks and letting it fall to the floor. She hadn't worn a corset, only a chemise.
"Are your nipples hard?" Dare asked when she slid the fabric over her shoulders. "Let me see." When she drew the bodice down so that her nipples jutted out, hard as pebbles, he gave her a lazy smile of admiration. "I would say so. Now the rest."
When finally she stood naked before him, his gaze traveled slowly down her bare body and even more slowly upward again. His eyes burned, seeming to brand her where they touched.
"What now?" Julienne murmured, her own tone challenging.
"What do you want?"
"I want to see you."
"Then I am happy to oblige."
Throwing off the sheet, Dare rose gracefully and stood before her fully aroused. Incredibly aroused. His phallus was magnificent, darkly engorged, long and thick and silky smooth. Julienne's mouth went dry. "You are very large."
"The better to pleasure you, my sweet."
He moved toward her till he was almost close enough to touch. "Do you want to feel my cock sliding inside your quivering flesh?"
Her blood surged at the question. Julienne moistened her lips. "Yes…"
Grasping her shoulders lightly, Dare guided her backward till her spine was pressed against the mirrored wall. The glass felt cool against her hot skin, making her shiver. But it was Dare's emerald gaze that countered the chill. His indolent scrutiny brushed over her with an intimacy that set her senses on fire.
"I see before me an irresistibly aroused woman," he whispered, drawing a finger down her throat to her collarbone.
Deliberately he rested his hands on the pale, high curves of her breasts as if they were his property. A jolt of sensation burst through Julienne.
"I want to suck on your nipples till you come."
She had no doubt that he could. And she wanted him to.
"Do you want me to make you come?" he queried.
Aching from temptation, she nearly moaned aloud. "Yes."
"My name is Dare. Say it."
"Yes, Dare…"