Behind his poker face, Aurelian’s thoughts were racing. She must be an absolute stunner of a dancer, he thought, followed by,Service? What are we looking at here?Kait had not broken eye contact while she said this, and he found himself mesmerized by her violet irises and long lashes. Aurelian wanted her to look at him with desire, to cast her eyes down in submission, to…Enough. What’s wrong with you? You’ve trained dozens of novices, at least half of them trying to seduce you. Get hold of yourself!
“I’m shocked to hear this,” Aurelian said, trying to keep an appropriate tone. “Forgive me for asking, but how do you know the bills were counterfeit? And how do you know an employee of the House was the guilty party?”
Kait looked unimpressed. “The bills didn’t even pass the bar scanner, and security cameras identified the grifter as Colin Turner, who works in your finance division.”
“A quick record check will confirm his employment, Kait, but, and again forgive me for asking, how do you know Mr. Turner was not simply passing along credits that had been passed to him?”
“Because he’d done it before,” said Kait flatly, “the previous week, with another dancer.”
Inwardly, Aurelian winced.Walked right into that one, Ari.C’mon, this is what they pay you for now. Handle this.
“What a shocking event, Kait,” he said, injecting sympathy into his voice. “Obviously, the Pleasure House will thoroughly investigate this matter, and, should circumstances warrant, will offer you a full recompense of what you are owed. Contingent on your not damaging the good name of the House, of course.”
Kait adjusted her severe glasses and leaned forward. “That’s not what I want,” she said, a little smile at the corner of her lips.
Aurelian stopped himself from leaning forward to match her. “Oh yes?” he said, affecting a bare curiosity.
This seemed to shake her confidence, and she swallowed before saying, “I want a placement. Here.”
Excitement stirred in Aurelian’s loins, but he showed nothing. “We don’t employ dancers at the House.”
“I don’t want to be a dancer. I want to be taken on as a novice.”
The sheer audacity almost took his breath away. “Impossible. We don’t simply take onanyone. Our novices go through a rigorous selection process.”
Kait tilted her head slightly, the slight smile returning. “So, fast-track me,” she said, a husky undertone to her words.
Aurelian stood and paced. “You would need to pass the Rites of Admission,” he said, with a hint of frustration. “That’s before your novitiate could even begin. And, well, without any preparation or training, it’s simply not possible!”
Kait uncrossed her legs and stood up, stepping into his personal space. She held her hands together in front of her and looked down. “Surely, there must be someone who could prepare me…” She locked her gaze with his. “Trainme?”
Aurelian was rock hard. What he was considering was a bad idea, atremendouslybad idea. Unless this woman was much more of a submissive than she appeared, one night and she would run screaming.But what guts, what courage!Aurelian was already just a little bit entranced by her.
What an opportunity, came the thought, out of nowhere. If he managed to get her into the novice program…well, that would give him renewed access and would maybe open new avenues of investigation. Could this be the chance he had been looking for?
Yes, this was probably a bad decision. And yes, he was going to do it anyway. He took out one of his business cards and wrote his home address on the back. He offered her the card. “If you’re serious, Kait, then be at this address at eight p.m. sharp tonight.” She put her hand on the card, but Aurelian still held it firmly. “And not a minute late,” he reiterated, releasing the card.
Her eyes flashed a little before she put the card in her purse.
You’re going to want to control that fire, Ms. Pyne.
“I’ll be there.” Head back and shoulders straight, she shook Aurelian’s hand firmly and marched out the door. He watched her admiringly as she left.She will look magnificent over my knee.He shook his head.Bloody hell, be careful, Ari. You might be getting into deeper waters than you think.
