Read Online His Mistress by Monica Burns - Free Book Online

unlikely Tobias has found a woman strong enough to make him yield to her command.”
    The memory of Tobias’ frustrated expression sent a wave of excitement through Jane. Tobias had yielded to her tonight. It had been with great reluctance, but he’d yielded nonetheless. The knowledge filled Jane with a sense of purpose.
    “Then I shall be the woman who makes him yield,” Jane said with a quiet resolve. Angélique shook her head with concern.
    “That will not be an easy task, ma petite . Tobias is not like other men, Jane.” The Frenchwoman’s expression was that of someone gently trying to steer her away from danger. “Tobias has never submitted completely to any woman. It is a game he plays, and he has mastered it. The more layers you tear away, the harder he will fight you.”
    “I know.” She nodded at Angélique’s warning. “That was quite evident tonight.”
    “You spoke with him?” the Frenchwoman exclaimed softly.
    “Yes. I didn’t know it was him until he approached me…and offered to be of service,” Jane replied. The memory of turning around and seeing the wicked grin on Tobias’ face set off a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
    “ Merde , to my knowledge, Tobias has never approached a woman in the club before. He has always come to me to arrange private introductions.” Angélique’s surprise changed to excitement as she smiled. “But this is magnifique , ma chérie . That he sought you out demonstrates he recognized your innate strength. He wishes to test himself with you.”
    “Then he received his first test tonight.” Exhilaration flooded Jane’s senses as she remembered how Tobias had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to her instructions. She met her friend’s curious gaze and smiled. “I refused his offer of service for tonight and tomorrow night, but promised that if he would hold his seed for me, I would oblige him the next time we meet.”
    “ Mon dieu , I can just imagine how he reacted to that.” Angélique gasped with a peal of laughter before she stepped forward to take hold of Jane’s hands, a serious expression on her face. “But remember, Tobias Lynsted has never relinquished control of his inner demons to any woman.”
    Jane simply nodded and squeezed her friend’s hands in a silent gesture of understanding. In response, the Frenchwoman kissed Jane on both cheeks. Stepping backward, Angélique eyed Jane with amusement.
    “Come, we will arrive fashionably late for Lord Sunderland’s ball. But first, you must change, and I must have Bernadette attend to this hem of mine,” Angélique said with sniff of irritation as she lifted the skirt of her gown to show where the material had fallen loose.
    Jane smiled as Angélique pulled her toward the small changing room her friend had put at her disposal whenever the two of them were to leave the club for a late night affair. It took only a few minutes to change her gown, and when she was ready, Jane returned to the salon. From Angélique’s boudoir, she heard the soft sound of her friend and Bernadette arguing with each other about how best to repair the Frenchwoman’s gown.
    Smiling, Jane shook her head in amusement and crossed the salon to retrieve her mask from the table just inside the entrance to Angélique’s private rooms. The marble surface of the half-moon tabletop was cool against her fingertips as she picked up the mask.
    The silk ribbons rustled softly as she tied the domino securely behind her head. When she’d finished, Jane stared at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. The woman staring back at her wore a simple black mask that made her eyes seem larger than normal. The dark blue gown she wore clung to curves Angélique always claimed to be envious of.
    In the candlelight, the iridescent satin shimmered with color. It was her favorite of all the gowns she’d bought when she had gone shopping with Angélique yesterday. The modiste had been saving it for another customer, but her friend had