The Prince of Pleasure (Notorious 5)

For an instant, the sickening image flashed through his mind of the dead companion's body…

Dare shook his head adamantly. Julienne Laurent could take care of herself. He was the one who was in peril-of succumbing to her insidious allure.

Sardonically, he glanced down at his breeches. His guests would be expecting him, but he couldn't very well face them in this condition. He needed a change of clothing at a minimum. And as he let himself from Julienne's bedchamber, Dare wondered if he had time to take a cold bath as well.

Chapter Seven

"So?" Solange prodded Julienne the next day as they stood watching Dare dance with the moonstruck daughter of a neighboring squire. He had hired musicians from Brighton for the evening and opened his ballroom to the local gentry. "Are you not worried that you might have competition?"

"No," Julienne answered easily. "Lord Wolverton prefers his partners a trifle less tongue-tied."

Dare was far too experienced a rake to be attracted to a shy young miss barely out of the schoolroom, Julienne knew. More critically, he was unlikely to be diverted from his current goal of making her his conquest.

Dare had resumed his full-fledged pursuit of her- much to the gratification of the majority of his house-guests.

Truthfully, though, Julienne felt relieved now that she understood Dare's game. Why he would have swallowed his anger and injured male pride to publicly pursue her now made sense: he intended to have his revenge and attempt to expose a cunning traitor at the same time.

This house party was primarily for Riddingham's benefit, not hers, she saw now. And perhaps Dare's effort at spying wasn't as far-fetched as she had first supposed. Now that she knew what to look for, she realized that he paid close attention to Riddingham's slightest action or comment, although without appearing to. Dare missed nothing.

And even if she smarted a little from her own wounded pride, knowing that Dare didn't really want her, the fact that he was playing cat and mouse with someone else was somehow comforting, for she could better defend herself against his seductive assault. Her heart desperately needed any armor she could find. She would never survive falling in love with him again.

The ball proved a crush, since all his neighbors had accepted his invitation with alacrity. They had all heard of the wager, it seemed. And Julienne was determined to give them what they had come for. On the few occasions this evening when she'd encountered Dare, she had kept up her end of their verbal jousting for the benefit of the onlookers.

"He is a marvelous dancer," Solange commented now, watching with admiration.

He was indeed, Julienne agreed silently-fluid and graceful and highly attentive, focusing intently on his partner, even if she was a timorous young innocent.

"And he is said to be just as marvelous a lover. I hear he is fiendishly inventive in bed."

"His sexual prowess means little to me," Julienne prevaricated.

Just then the cotillion ended, and Julienne felt the bold touch of Dare's hungry gaze as his eyes sought her out from across the room.

"Mon Dieu," Solange breathed. "He looks as if he wishes to devour you."

Julienne managed a shrug. "It is all pretense. Merely a game we are playing."

"Bien," her friend retorted. "But you know what they say about playing with fire, mon amie. You should take care you do not get burned."

"I will keep that in mind. Will you excuse me? I think that is my cue."

Julienne could tell by the buzz of anticipation that she was the center of attention as she made her way through the crowd and demanded a waltz from Dare.

"For shame, my lord," she said with a flirtatious smile. "You promised to dance with me, but you have been unforgivably neglectful. Or perhaps it is that you fear giving me the opportunity to win our wager."

"I have been trembling in my boots all evening," Dare responded mildly.

"Quite a feat, since you are wearing pumps."

He grinned and took her in his arms.

Julienne allowed him to sweep her away, waiting until they had settled into the rhythm of the waltz before gazing up at Dare. "Truthfully, I thought perhaps I should rescue that poor girl. She looked rather like she might faint from fright."

Shaking his head, Dare gave a mock shudder. "I'm the one who needed rescuing. I owe you my gratitude, love."

"Think nothing of it, my lord. My gesture was not so selfless. I am eager to have you on your knees."

He chuckled. "Ah, my lovely Jewel, you know very well that you had me on my knees the first moment we met."