Lilac Temptress (32 page)

Still she couldn’t take her eyes off
the pair. The woman had long raven black hair that curled in
spirals to her waist. Her large luminescent eyes, adorned with long
lashes, were a metallic violet-blue and seemed to pierce the depths
of Drake’s countenance. She had a well-shaped mouth that seemed to
pout as she spoke. Her body was well proportioned and appealing
with desirable curves, wrapped in a silky violet gown. The low cut
bodice exposed her pale ivory skin.

The woman did not go easily unnoticed
in such an outfit. She pervaded the room. Her suggestive gestures
were designed to elicit the reaction of others, and she had the
attention of many—men in particular.

Sierra met the woman’s blazing eyes;
who returned her stare with curiosity. Something made Sierra feel
uncomfortable but she dare not look away first. It was apparent
that any man might surrender to the exquisite woman. It was also
obvious that the woman didn’t like Sierra watching her and that she
seemed rather possessive of Drake.

The woman smiled elusively Sierra’s
way as if sending her a hidden message that Drake was hers. Sierra
watched her glide her hand along Drake’s arm. She had a graceful
way of movement as she led Drake outside the ballroom.

Sierra wanted to dash for the doors
and follow Drake and this voluptuous woman, who matched her in
every curvaceous way, but then of course she couldn’t do that and
waist all of Rosaline’s lessons in etiquette. Sierra stood
perfectly still, helpless and insecure—sure that the young women
who circled her with their idle gossip would drive her absolutely
mad.

“
Isadora just left with
Drake, Rosaline. I swear when that woman is near him she commands
all of his attention,” one of the young ladies remarked.

“
Isadora commands the
attention of all men. Well, perhaps not for long.” A pretty,
petite-blond smiled at Sierra.

Sierra smiled back at her
graciously, containing her true feelings as they began to boil
inside her.
Just who in the hell is this
Isadora and why do I feel so intimidated by her?

“
Are the rumors true? Does
Drake court Isadora? Are they seeing one another?” a young woman
called Amelia, asked curiously.

With tremendous interest, Sierra
mentally rejoined the conversation, taking great care to veil her
emotions and maintain a neutral expression on her face.

“
I know nothing more of my
brother’s activities than you do,” Rosaline answered quickly. “Just
rumors at best,” she said glibly.

Sierra reached for a drink from a
waiter’s passing tray, as if the concoction in her hands boded more
interest than the conversation about Drake and his possible
intended.

“
And what of him, is he new
money?” Another young lady peeked in the direction of Kyle, who was
standing alone and leaning against the wall, glancing out over the
crowed ballroom.

“
He is very handsome. A
prime catch, wouldn’t you say so? I should like to know him. I
would like it very much if he would come and ask me for a dance,”
Amelia said as two other young ladies giggled in
agreement.

Sierra wished to escape
them.

“
He is an acquaintance,”
Rosaline asserted briskly, her tone conveying her intent to change
the subject. Kyle was the last person on earth she wanted to speak
of. She had already been struggling to keep thoughts of him at bay,
and now these chatty socialites ardently savored him as if he were
the last piece of cake. If only they knew the truth of Kyle, would
they still find him so attractive? Certainly not, but she did know
the truth of Kyle, and she still could not bring herself to stop
thinking of him.

“
But is he anything
more than
only
an
acquaintance?” Amelia snapped Rosaline from her thoughts with her
question.

“
Yes, he courts me,”
Rosaline blurted out all of a sudden, surprised at her own
blunder.

Sierra widened her eyes at Rosaline
wondering what on earth had gotten into her.

“
Excuse me, ladies. Can I
steal her away from you?”

Sierra turned to find Girard standing
before her. He was ever so handsome in his eveningwear. Flashing
his gleaming white teeth, Girard smiled at her for the first time
then bowed his head to her.

“
Please dance with me,”
Girard voiced, lifting and kissing the back of Sierra’s hand.
Raising his head, he eagerly grinned. “You look quite lovely
tonight, if I might say so. I’ve wanted to ask you for a dance for
some time now.”

Remembering proper etiquette as
Rosaline had instructed her, Sierra curtsied. “Of course I shall
dance with you,” Sierra replied, placing her drink on a moving
tray. She wanted to get away from these gossiping women as quickly
as possible. She let Girard guide her to the dance
floor.

Immediately, Girard swept her into his
arms being careful to maintain the proper distance and support, far
enough away not to have his character questioned. Sierra allowed
herself to be led by him.

“
Has anyone told you yet
that you are the most talked about woman here tonight?” Girard
asked, guiding Sierra along effortlessly.

“
I wouldn’t have noticed.
You are the only man whom has even asked me for a dance,” Sierra
said nervously, wishing that it were Drake who held her.

“
That’s because all these
gentlemen are terrified of your rejection. Some are so intimidated
of not being able to hold a proper conversation with you that
they’d rather only gape from afar. You did arrive here with Drake,
after all.”

“
Does that make a
difference?”

“
Absolutely, you
are
his
guest, and
of course your beauty rivals that of Isadora Marcos, which is
enough to make any man skittish.”

“
I have seen her,” Sierra
uttered, hoping Girard wouldn’t sense her jealousy and irritation.
She knew Drake was with Isadora now, but what she didn’t know was
what they might be doing. She wanted nothing more than to find
them. Holding herself at bay was the hardest thing she ever had to
do. And what would she do anyway if she did find them? What would
she do if she found Drake embracing Isadora?

“
You are captivating. Every
man here is dying to dance with you. I am the envy of them all,”
Girard interrupted her thoughts.

“
Are you?” Sierra voiced
with reservation. “I never would have guessed that you liked me,
even a little. You barely spoke three words to me on our travels
from Jadesville.”

Girard remorsefully replied, “Please
excuse me if I made you feel uncomfortable on our journey together.
Drake and Daniel have a way with... sometimes I forget myself in
the presence of a lovely woman. Do you think we can start
over?”

Sierra smiled at him despite her wish
to continue holding a grudge.

* * *

“
You clean up well,”
Rosaline observed.

Kyle stared at Rosaline silently. He
would not be amused with any insults she might have for him
tonight. He had been enjoying her from afar and even though their
journey to Faircrest had been rather amicable, he didn’t know if
that might change at any moment.

“
Why do you just stand here
leaning against the wall all alone? At least have some champagne or
something to eat,” Rosaline remarked, her eyes meeting Kyle’s hard
grimace.

“
Why does what I do concern
you? I didn’t even think you had seen me standing here. After all,
you’ve been preoccupied dancing with a number of gentlemen
tonight.”

So you have been paying
attention,
Rosaline
thought
.
“The
ladies standing over there wish to dance with you.” She gestured to
her left with her eyes. “It is most impolite to stand aside and not
make any offers, unless of course, you do not know how to dance at
all.”

“
Impolite?” Kyle
chuckled at her. “I’ve been waiting here, thinking that there is
only one woman that I am interested in tonight, Rosaline, and
if
she
would have
me as her companion in a dance then I would be most pleased. But in
all honesty, I’ve been too nervous and afraid to ask
her.”

Rosaline fidgeted and looked toward
the young women with whom she had been speaking that night. She
wondered which fortunate lady Kyle had his eye on. In her opinion,
none of those ladies were worth Kyle’s efforts. “And whom is it
might you want to dance with, may I ask? Perhaps I can make you a
proper introduction.”

“
But I already know her,
Rosaline... and I am warning her now that she ought to be careful
with me. As beautiful as she looks tonight, I just might decide to
make her fall in love with me.” Kyle’s clever smile became wide as
he took Rosaline’s hand, beckoning her to the dance
floor.

“
Are you confessing? I’ll
take your remarks as your declaration of undying devotion to me.”
Rosaline matched his wit, beaming as he lured her into the crowd of
gliding dancers.

* * *

“
It’s a divine, enchanted
evening,” Isadora’s French accent whirred. She stood near the
balcony’s stone-etched railing and watched Drake
intently.

“
Not even the stars in the
heavens can compare to your radiance.” Drake routinely complimented
her in his usual fashion when in her presence; though this time his
words were emotionally empty.

“
You look quite handsome
tonight,” Isadora purred while placing her hand on his cheek. “In
fact, I can’t recall ever seeing you look more dashing. Did you
dress especially pleasing for the woman that you arrived here with
tonight, or did you dress this way for me?”

Drake raised his brows. “I’ve never
known you to feel insecure in the presence of another
woman.”

“
I am simply acknowledging
that tonight many men have taken notice of her,” she said dryly.
“Do you think she is more desirable than me?”

Drake fixed his eyes on her. “Isadora,
do not compare yourself with another woman. It is distasteful and
unbecoming of you,” Drake stated plainly, he did not find her
jealousy attractive. “Is there something you wish to speak to me
about?” he continued in an impatient tone, wanting to return to the
ball. He wanted to know how Sierra and Kyle were faring.

Appalled and displeased with Drake’s
offhand response, Isadora subdued what would have been her natural
reaction to fly into a fit of rage. Instead, she chose to remain
composed. She had promised herself she would never let Drake see
that vicious side of her, at least not until after they were
married. And she was well aware that Society perceived her as quite
ornery, but in Drake’s presence, she became an enchantress—an
unpretentious beckoning seductress. How else might she win the man
she intended to marry?

But, must Drake be so
forward?
His candor was the one thing that
angered her most about him. Sometimes he could be as direct and
tactless as she could be, and she wondered if he might prove hard
to master after they were married.

Bending Drake to her will was
sometimes difficult, but she had clever ways of making him see
things as she did. Regardless, it had been hard at first to
convince Drake that they should marry. Over time he had come to
know everything about her, including her promiscuous past, which
not only infuriated her but also nearly thwarted her plans for
matrimony.

Though, she knew Randal wanted their
union, Drake still had not succumbed to his father’s wishes and
married her. And it was hard to tell when Drake, a man
characterized by such a high degree of individuality and
independence, might settle down. For that reason, she needed to
persuade Drake that marrying her was the best for their
futures.

However, the opportunity hadn’t
presented itself until a year ago, after the death of Angelique
Normand. Drake could not avenge her death, and his guilt had been
insufferable. It was the first time that Isadora had ever seen him
powerless.

Isadora recalled already having
indulged in a few secretive trysts with Drake, before Angelique’s
untimely death, as he had let no woman bind his heart. And he had
many women at the time, but after Angelique’s death, she’d decided
to make herself more available to him, and his unquenchable thirst
for her persisted.

Isadora knew that Drake used her body
to help him forget his troubled mind, and this had made it easier
for her to manipulate him to her advantage. She had allowed him to
feel that he was unworthy of a woman’s love.

And convincing Drake that no woman
would ever understand his determination to succeed, except her, had
gone smoothly. No other woman could help him manage his future
empire. And although Drake had acquired a reputation for being a
notorious ladies man, she thought he had been unfairly accused.
Most women did not wish to share themselves with Drake and his
work. And Drake didn’t have time between his women and business
dealings for anything more than brief flings.

While coming out of her thoughts,
instead of showing Drake her wrath, she bit her lower lip
succumbing to him, and batted her eyelashes as genuinely as she
could. She smiled, ridding her mind of his comments.