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He looks even more irritated. “I said—”
A sudden jolt hits his shoulder, and two green eyes appear, visibly clouded by alcohol.
“F-forgive me... Dorian... I did not mean— I did not mean to...” Richard mumbles, his step swaying and uncertain.
The Lord in question moves with a slight jerk, impatience spreading across his face.
“Richard,” I say, “perhaps you should moderate your drinking.”
Richard, laughing with his cheeks slightly flushed, proffers an empty glass toward him.
“I’ve been watching, you know... whispering all this time. What plot have you been hatching?”
Lord Dorian looks at the empty glass and sets it aside with a detached gaze. “I doubt it was us you were watching.”
Richard bursts into a thunderous laugh.
“Lord Dorian, I heard a Countess swear... she would sell her pearls just to spend half an hour with you!”
He looks away; a sigh, barely audible, escapes his lips.
His irritation is... amusant.
Richard points a finger at him. “Do you perhaps have a c-cock so large it would be worth all her pearls?”
His irritation is written plainly across his face, he stares Richard’s finger as though he means to break it. He mutters something under his breath. I cannot hear the words, but I am certain they are curses.
Once again, those rough sounds make my stomach tingle.
I move toward Richard with a quick step.
“What is going on, Richard?”
“Oh, Evander...” his voice wobbles, but his eyes glitter with excitement.
“Mr. Edmund Vane is waiting for you at that table,” he points vaguely, “D-do not keep him waiting.”
Before I can object, he gives me a slight shove in the direction of the table. Lord Dorian, swift as ever, catches Richard’s wrist.
“Lord Richard it would be wise for you to take a moment.”
With a gesture, he summons a nearby valet. The man approaches, ready to steady Richard, and escorts him toward a quieter corner, away from the hum of the room.
“Was that truly necessary?”
He moves a step closer.
“Did you not notice he wasn’t himself?”
“Perhaps you are offended because he questioned your... virility?”
“I assure you, those pearls would not be enough. In any case, I did not think it concerned you, Viscount. Are you that interested in my leng—”
“It does not concern me. And I am certainly not interested.”
“It is rude to interrupt someone who is speaking. Perhaps they did not teach you that in your crystal castle.”
I ignore his tone, I ignore him. I turn and walk away.
