Page 1 of Taboo

chapter one

“That sleazy tosser,”Julienne Wulf bit out as she paced her brother’s home office. She’d been doing this for the better part of thirty minutes and her feet ached from it. Sure, it probably had more to do with the new pair of printed patent leather Louboutin Pigalles. She’d been meaning to break them in for a week now and this seemed like the perfect time. When she was angry, she paced. And any normal person would just kick them off and sink into the deep Aubusson carpet. This proved what her mother had always said. She wasnotnormal.

The one thing she was thankful for was that her brother was not in his home office at the moment. He would want to fix the problem and Julienne didn’t need that. She needed to vent and that’s what her sister-in-law Nicola was there for.

“I just never thought he would go this far,” Julienne said. When Nicola didn’t respond, she looked at her friend. “What?”

She sighed. “I worried he might go this way.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “Well, I didn’t expect him to dothisactually, but he always rubbed me the wrong way.”

“Me too, but I’m pretty sure we aren’t talking about the same thing.”

Nicola laughed. “Yeah, no. Gregor always made me uncomfortable.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She sighed, her demeanor growing serious. “You were head over heels about him, Jules.”

Julienne had been. She remembered meeting him, introduced by her mother. He had a few drops of blue blood in him—not that it was that important to Julienne—and had political aspirations. He wanted to work in government to make things better. Of course, now, Julienne was sure that had been a lie too. He’s probably some bastard who would steal from widows and orphans. And puppies.

“How is this going to help him in his career? Who wants to admit they couldn’t satisfy a woman?”

It was ridiculous.Royals, the newest online tabloid based in London, had a story about their sex life. Or what the reporting said was their sex life. Julienne had never really been featured in a tabloid report like this. Growing up rich and related to the Windsors did get her into some stories, but she’d been the boring sibling. The one who never stepped out of line. Jensen had been a drug addict and couldn’t keep it in his pants before he got clean. And Jakob, well, he just didn’t keep it in his pants. There was always speculation about who was warming his bed these days. That’s what happens when you get nominated for an Oscar and win a Bafta.

Julienne didn’t date that much, even before Gregor. She’d been a damned virgin when she ended up in bed with him. So, the idea that she did some of the thingsRoyalsclaimed she did was insane.

“We know it’s him, right?” she asked.

“We don’t know anything for sure,” Nicola said. “But I’ve got feelers out to find out. I’m pretty sure it’s someone from his camp. With or without his approval. What I’m more interested in is finding out who ownsRoyals.”

She thought about the look on his face when she ended things with him. “I’m damned sure it’s with his approval.” Then what Nic had said broke through. “You don’t know who owns it?”

Nic shook her head. “No one knows. I mean…noone.”

Julienne collapsed into the overstuffed chair that was opposite to the sofa where Nicola sat. There was a good chance that she was going to have to soak her feet tonight. Better that than her head, which was now pounding like a big bass drum.

“What I don’t understand is why he is doing this? What will he get out of harming my reputation? And why wait almost a year to start this all up again?”

When Julienne broke their engagement, he had gone to the tabloids then. Not overtly. One with a bit of money didn’t do that. No, he had his minions for that. But in the last month there had been fewer and fewer stories. And none of them had been this salacious.

Nicola studied her for a long moment, then sighed. “It’s probably his stupid ego.”

She thought about it and while she wasn’t completely convinced about it, there was a chance it was just that. “Probably. Still, though. Running a sex dungeon? When would I have the bloody time? And how? I can’t seem to make a move without the paps showing up to take my picture.”

“I take it David is handling the latest round?”

David was Julienne’s PA and devoted to her like none of her female friends had ever been. Since the first round of rumors started a few months after Julienne broke their engagement, each report had gotten increasingly ridiculous. The latest was that she was a sex crazed Domme who ran a sex dungeon and Gregor had broken off their engagement when he found out. Yes. Seriously.

“Yes. He’s furious at the moment.”

“I can imagine. He loves you.”

He did. If he weren’t gay, he might be the perfect man for Julienne. They had the same taste in movies and food, they were both clothes whores, and their sense of humor was drier than any 007 martini.

“I just don’t know how to escape this. I have ignored it. I’ve put out statements. And dating was bad enough before, but now that I’m known as a sex crazed Dominatrix, I don’t see myself getting many dates.”

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