Knight's Mistress (11 page)

Since the handover of the territory from the British to the Chinese in 1997, fewer white men were members. But Dominic was ushered in with his usual deference because he
was
a member and even if he hadn’t been, men like Dominic Knight were always welcome everywhere. Even without a tie.

An attendant showed them into the small, cosy library, empty of guests.

‘Would you prefer champagne or drinks?’ Dominic asked as he ushered Kate to a fawn-leather club chair. ‘The cellar is excellent here.’

A small, irresolute pause. ‘You decide.’

Dominic gave her a teasing look as he dropped into an adjacent chair. ‘Feeling out of your element, Miss Hart?’

‘Am I not allowed?’ she testily retorted.

‘Ah, that’s better. Compliance doesn’t suit you.’

‘I didn’t think you even knew the word.’

He grinned. ‘It depends on how it’s being used.’

She shot a quick look at the waiting attendant.

‘They don’t listen,’ Dominic said.

‘Of course they do and if they’re lucky, they get paid for the information they put on the net. I believe you already figure largely on one of those sites.’

‘Not anymore.’

A spiking glance. ‘You shut it down?’

‘I didn’t personally, but someone in my organization did.’

‘Maybe I shouldn’t drink at all or I might be on YouTube tomorrow.’

‘The site you referred to was shut down with a good deal of money as an inducement.
Along with a threat.
So rest easy, you won’t be on YouTube. I promise.’

‘That was really you? It wasn’t photoshopped.’

‘No.’

‘No, it wasn’t you or no it wasn’t photoshopped?’

He smiled faintly. ‘No, it wasn’t photoshopped.’

‘Obviously, that doesn’t bother you.’

‘No, but since it bothered you, I had it taken down.’

‘You didn’t have to do that for me.’

‘I got the impression I should. If you want to know something about what you saw, just ask.’ He glanced at the young man standing at attention. ‘A Krug Clos d’Ambonnay ’96 and two plates of tea-soaked shrimp. There now,’ he said as the attendant walked away. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘Where was it?’

‘Paris.’

‘Why so many women?’

‘For the usual reasons: variety, self-indulgence, lack of restraint …’

‘I saw plenty of restraint.’

He shrugged. ‘That’s part of the game. Excess is an escape for me, a defence against old ghosts and what seems at times a soulless reality – present company excepted, of course,’ he said with a small smile. ‘I like to feel something rather than nothing and that’s why I do what you saw in that video.’ His eyes went blank for a moment and his nostrils flared, as though he were struck by some internal image, then he shrugged again in such obvious dismissal, his shuttered gaze came as no surprise. ‘Vanilla sex works for some people. I need more. Sorry if I’ve frightened you. You shouldn’t have asked.’

‘I wouldn’t like any of that – stuff that hurts,’ Kate said, wanting to make her position clear.

‘You don’t know,’ he casually said. ‘You might.’

‘Now you
are
frightening me.’ Half breathless, she pressed into the chair back as though putting distance between herself and danger.

‘Then let’s not talk about it.’ His voice was tempered, like his gaze; he could have been discussing the weather. ‘Let’s just enjoy a night on the town. And seriously, don’t worry about YouTube. You won’t be on it.’

His level of indifference was amazing. He didn’t care that he was uber-notorious for probably more than that single video. And he talked about kink without inhibition; she could have been asking him whether he liked puppies or kittens. He obviously considered it unexceptional. But just to be certain, she confirmed her position. ‘I’m not interested in super kinky sex.’

He smiled. ‘Does that mean you’re interested in something less than super kinky?’

‘Maybe. I told you I don’t know yet.’

He suddenly laughed. ‘Actually, I don’t either. I go crazy for a while wanting you, then talk myself out of it, then go crazy again. Christ, now I’ve offended you. It’s not a question of your appeal, Miss Hart. You’re tempting as hell. I’ve been equivocating because we might be from two different universes, galaxies … whatever – and I’m not so sure you can deal with it.’

She immediately took offence, even though they were
clearly on the same page. An unreasonable reaction that had nothing to do with logic and everything to do with having a man say no to you before you could say no to him.

‘Look,’ he said softly, leaning forward slightly. ‘Don’t be pissed. It has nothing to do with you. It’s me.’

She gave him a pouty look. ‘That’s the classic line when you’re blowing someone off.’

‘I don’t do classic lines, Miss Hart,’ he said, thinking her pouty look was really fucking hot. ‘I’m just trying to be honest. Ah – here’s our champagne and shrimp.’ He smiled at her, then at the server, waited while their glasses were filled, said, ‘That will be all,’ and raised his glass to Kate. ‘To a memorable evening.’ His smile was so sexy it had to be illegal. ‘Drink up, Miss Hart. We’re not going to think too hard. We’re just going to have fun.’

She exhaled, felt her tension ease. She was within touching distance of God’s gift to women, warmed through and through by that sexy smile and honestly, like him, she’s wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do. Although right now it wasn’t out of the question that she could come to orgasm just by looking at him.

Dominic was casually dressed in a black T-shirt, a sepia and black houndstooth sport coat, black slacks and sepia suede lace-up shoes, his dark silken hair gleaming in the subdued lighting, curling slightly at his nape, his high cheekbones and fine straight nose the gold standard for
classic beauty. His brilliant blue gaze was pure temptation because he was smiling at her like she was the only woman in the world. Even if it was in play, that smile-across-the-room moment took her breath away.

‘Hey.’ Soft, low, almost a whisper.

She slowly smiled. ‘Hey back.’

‘Enjoying yourself?’

She wanted to get up and hug him she felt so good. ‘Yeah,’ she said instead. ‘I’m checking this moment off my bucket list.’

‘Maybe I can give you some more moments later,’ he drawled.

Conscious of the deliberate mood shift, she flirted back. ‘Maybe I’ll let you.’

‘
Let
me?’ An infinitesimal edge had entered his voice.

‘Do you have a problem with that?’

His gaze was suddenly cool. ‘You’ll know if I do.’

Kate dragged in a shaky breath, her carnal nerves twitching big time like they’d been jolted by a power surge. ‘Don’t,’ she whispered.

‘It’s really complicated, isn’t it?’ he softly said.

‘Seriously fucked up,’ she said as softly, wondering what was wrong with her that she responded to his authority with such instant lust.

His brows settled into a slight frown. ‘I haven’t done this virginal dance before, if it matters.’

‘And I’ve never been turned on just looking at someone,’ she said in the same grudging tone.

He suddenly laughed. ‘We’re going to have to lighten things up.’

‘Easy for you to say when you can turn off your sex drive like a spigot. I can’t do that.’ She shifted slightly in her chair as the heated pleasure waves rippling inside her punched it up a notch as though to emphasize her point.

Dominic noticed, covertly glanced at his watch. Christ, it was only eight forty-five. And selfishly, he was damned hungry. ‘Lesson number one, Miss Hart. Think of something else. Or let me help you. We don’t have to discuss this now if you’d rather not but it just occurred to me that I haven’t heard from Roscoe whether we had the twenty million wired to our account. Care to lay odds on whether we won that little game or not? I’ll give you two to one the transfer’s been made.’

‘I’d be stupid to take that bet after seeing what you did to those guys.’

‘How about odds on who drinks more tonight?’

‘Again, not a reasonable bet. We
could
guess each other’s favourite ice cream.’

He grinned. ‘Seriously, ice cream? That’s gotta be a woman’s question. It’s always chocolate, isn’t it? Don’t look at me like that, the only woman I know who eats ice cream is my sister. OK?’

‘OK. Then who’s ahead on points in the NBA?’

‘Now I’m impressed. The Heat.’

‘Only by six points.’

‘Now I’m
really
impressed.’

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘You did good.’

‘See how easy it is.’ He grinned. ‘Watch and learn, babe.’

But he liked that she was so adaptable. Swift to arouse, she could be pacified just as quickly, her mind and body extremely sensitive to stimuli.

How gratifying.

He was deeply obliged to Max for having found Miss Hart. Quite separate from her whizz-kid capabilities in forensic accounting, her company made the world less grey.

Champagne seemed appropriate to the occasion.

After their drinks, they cabbed to the recently designated ‘best restaurant in Hong Kong’. Cépage was the Hong Kong affiliate of the highly rated Les Amis restaurant in Singapore. The decor was sleek and modern, from the panelled red-wine cellar to the teak dining room with burgundy velvet armchairs to the rooftop gardens where cigar smokers could retire after dinner. The menu was cosmopolitan, all the best cuisine of Asia and Europe drafted into seasonal roles. The wine list included the pricey ’96 Krug Clos.

They started with a carpaccio of Hokkaido scallop, citrus fruit and lemon balm, topped with a little sea salt, moved on to the Tayouran egg
confit
, with truffled oxtail
gelée
, Iberico ham, and croutons. Then to a Chin Chow classic, spectacularly moist goose meat – an extra serving for Dominic – with a soy sauce fuelled by ginger and anise. Along with a simple steak frite on the side for Dominic while Kate finished her goose.

Not that she picked at her food, Dominic noted. She ate everything with relish. He liked a woman with an appetite.

Dominic Knight ate enough for three men, Kate thought. How did he stay so buff? Sex probably, damn him; as if she had the right to be pissed.

Two bottles of champagne later – the majority downed by Dominic – they finished their meal with a sour kumquat ice cream on a nutty cookie base and, leaning back in his chair, Dominic motioned for the cheque. ‘Unless you’d like coffee.’

‘God no, and lose this nice buzz?’

He grinned. ‘You’re always frank, Miss Hart.’

‘In contrast to everyone else you meet?’

‘Yes.’ He peeled off several large bills from the folded money in his pocket, dropped them on the table and looked up at Kate with a smile. ‘Thank you for your company, Miss Hart. I enjoyed myself.’

‘Thank
you
. The food was delicious.’ The company was more delicious, but she wasn’t quite drunk enough to say so.

Minutes later, they were standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, the electric excitement of the city swirling around them, the pavement a crush of people.

‘Would you like to go dancing?’ Dominic offered.

‘I’m not sure I can move after all that food.’ Kate looked up at him. ‘You’d have to carry me around the dance floor.’

He smiled. ‘I could do that.’

‘You’re different,’ she abruptly said, giving him a searching look.

‘I am?’

‘Normal, happy.’

‘Probably drunk. You haven’t seen me drunk before.’

‘Are you drunk?’

‘Not really.’ He tapped his thigh. ‘Hollow leg. It’s a real advantage at a Chinese business dinner where there’s a toast every five minutes. Or in Moscow where vodka’s consumed like water.’ His brows flickered up and down briefly. ‘I never sign the wrong contract.’

‘I’ll bet others do.’

‘Sometimes.’ He grinned. ‘Have I gotten you drunk enough to sign the wrong contract?’

‘I come from a town with ten bars on the two blocks of main street. What do you think?’

‘Maybe we should do shooters.’

‘Are you
trying
to get me drunk?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Could be.’

‘For?’

‘For you to make a move on me. I’ve been trying to behave.’

‘And I’m trying not to make a move on a man who’s got so many notches in his belt, I’d fade into oblivion a second afterward.’

A quick smile. ‘After what?’

‘I’m not going to say it.’

‘Should I?’

She looked around at the stream of humanity swirling past them.

‘No one cares,’ he said. ‘We’re just an impediment in their way. So let me be clear. I want to sleep with you, Miss Hart, despite your earlier indecision and mine. I’ve wanted to since the first day I met you. Maybe you could take pity on me before you leave. I promise to be gentle, if that helps.’

She didn’t say he was the last man on earth who was a candidate for a pity fuck. She said instead, because she was a woman and wanted the words, ‘Why me?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said in the typically male way. ‘Maybe it’s because you’re so smart.’ He grinned. ‘Or smart alecky.’ Or maybe you remind me that wild, urgent feeling still exists in the world and even someone like me can feel hope. Now tell me to shut the fuck up. Seriously.’

She smiled. ‘So you’re not all bad-ass and ripped edges and cut-throat after all.’

‘Don’t get your hopes up,’ he gently said. ‘I’m ninety percent irrevocably damaged.’

‘Maybe I don’t think so.’

‘And maybe that’s part of your disobedient personality,’ he said, more softly than necessary, his long lashes partially hiding his eyes. ‘You haven’t learned to agree with me yet.’

‘That’s probably not going to happen,’ she warned.

He looked at her with a slightly wry smile, his gaze thoughtful. ‘Sure, kill all my dreams.’ The sharp rise of his cheekbone twitched, his smile appeared.

And she suddenly saw him through a raw, unfiltered lens—he looked bulletproof, self-sufficient, not damaged, broad-shouldered enough to hold the world on his shoulders, unadulterated male of such obvious beauty, she said without thinking, ‘I’ll bet women never say no to you.’

His lashes dropped slightly. ‘It’s a mercenary world, Miss Hart.’

‘Please. They don’t all want your money.’ She knew better. Money or not, he wouldn’t lack women in his life.