Free Lady Mistaken (Le Débauché Club) by Aubrey Beck Page B

raven-hued hair down about her shoulders, he could barely believe his eyes.
    Vivian!
    Good God, what was she doing here?
    * * *
    When Miss Grace Garwood got her hands on Aaron, she just might strangle the life out of her younger brother. She stared, dumbfounded at the group of people in the middle of the ballroom. No one was clothed. Women were being used in all sorts of ways she’d never imagined – their mouths, their bottoms, their most private of places. Men groaned and cried out, and Grace was rooted to the floor, unable to turn away. Something she didn’t quite understand washed over her at the sight. She tried to push past the feeling. Whatever it was, she shouldn’t be feeling it.
    Was Aaron part of this? She hoped not. She didn’t think so as everyone engaged in the hedonism before her were all wearing masks, and she’d confiscated Aaron’s when she refused to let him head off Berridge Downs. She supposed he could have found a new domino as he’d headed off for Berridge Downs anyway, despite her demand that he not take one step from Fairview that evening.
    “My cock has missed you, ” a deep voice said from behind Grace. “Want to kiss him for old time’s sake?”
    Before she could even form a reply to that, a man’s arm slid around her waist and pulled her back against the strong wall of his chest, something hard poking her in the back. His arm moved upward and his quick hand delved beneath both her bodice and chemise. Grace gasped as he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Something shot through her, straight to her core.
    Good Gracious! Grace wrenched herself out of the man’s grasp, turned on her heel, and promptly slapped a hand across his face. “How dare you!” she hissed.
    Though the tall man’s face was covered by a domino, the silver of his eyes seemed to spear Grace. “You’re not Viv,” he said, a note of apprehension to his voice as he touched a hand to his abused cheek.
    Grace didn’t know who Viv was, but if she let men go around greeting her the way this man had done, she hoped never to encounter the woman. “Most certainly not!” Her voice pitched higher in indignation as the reality of her situation seemed to settle in her mind. Good gracious! She’d been accosted. Accosted by a strange man!
    The man glanced quickly to the throng of hedonists in the middle of the ballroom, then his silver eyes flashed back to Grace. “Keep your voice down,” he grumbled, grasping her arm and dragging her towards the double glass doors, which seemed to lead to a balustrade.
    Grace dug in her heels. She didn’t know who the man was, but she certainly wasn’t going to go anywhere with him . “Let me go!” she demanded.
    But the man’s determined silver eyes narrowed on her. “You are making a scene.” He pulled her closer towards the glass doors.
    A scene? Grace would do more than just make a scene! But despite her protestations, the man was much stronger than she was; and in no time, she found herself standing outside on the balustrade, the cool night air whipping about her skirts.
    The masked man stood tall before her, his hands folded across his chest like an angry Zeus. “I’m not sure what you were told about this assignment, but—”
    “Assignment?” Grace echoed. Did he think she was one of those women? Like the ones writhing around the ballroom floor naked? “Look, sir, all I want is my brother, and—”
    “And they say I’m depraved.” The man scoffed.
    They were most assuredly right, if he regularly attended events such as this. “—and then we’ll happily leave this den of iniquity.”
    * * *
    And then she’d leave? Who the devil was she? Who the devil was her brother? And why would the dolt tell her abou t Le Débauché ? Was the man a complete idiot? Did he want his membership revoked? But the best question – the most important question was – even if a man was foolish enough to tell his sister about one of the club’s meetings, why did she