Page 5 of Savage Suit

“J’ai appris? I learned?” she asked with hesitation.

I nodded.

After another moment of silence, she said, “Grâce à elle? Because of her? Hmmm. I learned French because of her?”

“Très bon.”

She beamed at me. “Why did you learn French?”

“Ma mère était française.”

“Your mother was French?”

“Yes.”

“We sound perfect for one another,” she said dreamily.

I smiled at her sentiment but otherwise didn’t comment. For whatever reason, she broke into peals of laughter. Her joy was contagious.

“I just remembered,” she said when her amusement settled. “Spades was on my champagne list, too.”

“I think you mean Ace of Spades,” I told her, wondering if her subject changes were as abrupt when she was sober.

She nodded. “I think I do.”

“Would you like a bottle of Goût de Diamants?”

“Noooo,” she sang, then held up two fingers. “I’d like two bottles. One to drink and one to save. Will to my future children. Assets other than money in the bank are so important.”

“It is,” I agreed.

“I want to work and build my nest egg before having children.”

“Work?” I echoed. Everyone saw my ideas about women in the workplace as outdated and chauvinistic. No one bothered to consider my mother might still be alive if she hadn’t been a career woman. “You want to work?”

“Yep,” she drawled, still looking at me.

Worried she’d get a crook in her neck, I adjusted my body so we faced one another.

“Work?” I repeated with distaste.

“Work,” she said firmly. “Loosely defined as activities performed to earn a livelihood.”

“Smart ass,” I said without rancor. “I know what work is. I just…you shouldn’t work.”

“Then I shouldn’t eat?” she asked. “Everyone must earn wages to survive.”

I wouldn’t see her again after tonight. And, even if I did, I doubted I’d remember her. Once she left, I’d ring for another drink, so continuing this conversation was pointless.

“What’s another champagne on your list?”

Lifting her hand, she ran her fingers through my hair and smiled at me. “I want to kiss you again.”

My cock had just settled down, but he stirred and hardened again, my balls tightening. My fingers tangled in her hair, and she sighed, stirring tenderness in my chest.

“A part of me wants to remove our masks,” she whispered, mewling as I massaged her scalp. “My sister tells me to live with audacity. She does. Tonight, in my disguise, I can, too.”

I drew her closer and slanted my mouth over hers.Immediately, she parted her lips and allowed my tongue entry. She tasted sweet, of peaches and orange blossoms. Yielding to me, she melted into my touch, her tongue dueling with mine. The sweet kiss quickly blazed out of control, turned hot, and demanding.