Page 3 of Ravishing Among the Roses
“You can’t ask the ton to do something they are bad at. Their egos wouldn’t cope. Heaven forbid that someone might seem them as flawed.”
Oh. Oh no. It was the first rule of performance, and of his old job, never to upset the client. “Then I’m back where I started with no ideas and only two weeks to figure out something amazing.” And organise it.
“Was the boxing a success?”
“Yes, although it was advertised as a fight between two champions and neither of them fought.”
“Was that not a failure then?”
Gabby paused to consider this. “It should have been but the audience only cared for the fight, not the fighters. I think...”
The man, Lord whoever, stared at him with wide brown eyes, a brown almost as dark as his own, with an expression that seemed to say that whatever Gabby said next mattered to him.
“I think it was the novelty of it that drew a crowd. Whoever thought to have a boxing match in a club like this?” Gabby knew the answer was so close, just out of reach, like a little taste of lemon on his tongue.
“Or any club, really. Imagine a boxing match at Whites. It would be the most unmitigated scandal.”
Gabby gasped. “Of course. I need to do something that no other club would do. A scandal making event.” It made complete sense but also was unhelpful as the very existence of The King’s Book Club was a scandal, but a ... different sort of scandal. Something that would thrill his audience by being unexpected.Lord Bennington was correct when he couldn’t dance; that type of scandal was an every day ordinary occurrence for this club.
“Why not just have an actual book club?”
Gabby laughed. “We could read passages from banned books. Or I could find an inventor to do a demonstration.” Those were popular with society.
“I wish you all the very best with it. I’m certain you will deduce an idea that will wow your audience.”
“Why does that sound like a dismissal?” Bloody Lords.
“I am conscious that I’ve taken up a lot of your time and you sound like I’m distracting you from your work. I should let you get back to it.”
“Actually, you’ve been very helpful. Please stay for a while.”
“Here, or out there?”
Gabby bit back a sigh. Perhaps he was being foolish. The man’s rugged beauty and naïve innocence wasn’t enough to recommend him; he was a Lord and Gabby would be well-pressed to remember that fact. He could so easily sink to his knees for this man. He’d bet he had a fantastic member to match the rest of his broad body.
“I am not good with crowds, the noise is overwhelming, and I am taking up too much of your time. I should go.”
Gabby nodded. Aunt Mei was the same, although she used her bad hip as a reason to never leave the house. This man, this Lord, didn’t have the same. “You are not a burden on my time. Entertaining guests is part of my job.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is late. The club will close soon and people will head home to their beds.” Well, someone’s bed anyway. Gabby should not be thinking about this man and bed in the same sentence. Desire roared to life, and he realised it’d been humming under his skin since the moment he first saw him. Had he rescued him to have him all to himself? Was he that selfish?
“I am unaccustomed to town hours.” The corner of the man’s mouth trembled and his nostrils flared as if he were supressing a yawn.
“Nor the crush of society, I bet.”
“No. I thought a simple book club might help calm me.”
Gabby giggled. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I’m sorry that this wasn’t what you needed. Let me entertain you.” Gabby deliberately looked the man up and down, letting his gaze focus on his groin. He stepped closer, licking his bottom lip, and fluttered his eyelids a few times. The man swallowed. Yes. He still had it.
“What are you doing?”
“Entertaining you. You do know why this club exists.”
