Read Online Wedding Favors by Sheri Whitefeather - Free Book Online
Authors: Sheri Whitefeather
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borrow my bridesmaid for a moment, sugar?” She winked at him with a grin. “Bouquet strategy.”
He sketched a graceful bow, though Tessa didn’t miss the flash of impatience in his eyes. “By all means.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Laura drew her close and hurried her toward the powder room. “Omigod, girl, what are you doing with that man? Do you have any idea the kind of things Treves Duchesne is into?”
“Wait. Who?” Tessa asked, momentarily distracted from confirming that Laura hadn’t set her up.
Her friend glanced at her incredulously. “Shay! Please, don’t say you don’t know who he is? He didn’t tell you?”
“He’s ...” Tessa faltered, growing alarmed at Laura’s obvious agitation. “Well, no, actually. We never exchanged last names. Who is he?”
Her friend shoved her into the powder room and plunked closed the toilet lid, pushed her down on it, and locked the door with a rustle of silk and a pouf of petticoats. “Oh. My. God. Tessa! That’s Treves Duchesne!” When she didn’t react, Laura explained, “As in Chez Duchesne. The owner of the maison !”
Shock rendered Tessa speechless. The owner ?
Laura paced back and forth in the tiny confines of the powder room. “When I saw you go upstairs with him last night, I was stunned to say the least.” So much for being set up. Laura gestured widely. “But okay, he can be charming, and despite his reputation for enjoying, um ... bondage and domination ... I know he’s not into actual pain, so I figured you were safe enough.” She turned to Tessa, eyes wide as dinner plates. “But Jesus, girl! You can’t possibly be interested in him? As in interested?”
“I, u-um—” Tessa stammered.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy and a good friend to Etienne,” Laura blurted out. “But obviously, he’s the worst kind of womanizer going. There’s no way you’ll last more than a night or two in his bed, no matter what kinky stuff you let him do to you or how good it feels. You know that, right?”
No kidding. Tessa wasn’t particularly surprised at either revelation. She’d figured out that much all on her own. “I appreciate the warning,” she found herself saying. “And I promise you, if I do get involved with him”— What? she exclaimed inside her head—“I’ll be careful not to put emotions into the equation.”
“Wow,” Laura said, visibly taken aback. Join the freaking club! “When you decide to let yourself indulge in a fantasy, you really go whole hog.”
Tessa smiled shakily and stood up. “I guess I do. Who’d have thought, huh?”
Laura chuckled, totally fooled by Tessa’s hard-won and very fake bravado. “Ho-kay, then,” her friend relented. “You realize you’ll be the envy of every woman here, including me? Shay Duchesne is considered the lay of New Orleans.”
Why did that not surprise her? “Yeah?”
“His reputation as a cockswain is pretty damn impressive. But he’s very choosy about who gets to see him naked. And lately, there hasn’t been more than a handful of women who’ve succeeded in tempting him.” Laura kissed Tessa’s cheek then unlocked the powder room door. “So, you go, girl. Just promise me you’ll be very, very careful.”
“I will. I swear,” she said. And she meant it. She would not mistake a fling for anything more than it was.
Laura went to join her new husband, leaving her with a parting shot. “I’m serious, Tessa. No matter what he says, do not give that man your heart.”
Chapter 10
Tessa returned from her little tête-à-tête with the bride and walked straight to a clutch of satin-clad bridesmaids, grabbed a flute of champagne off a tray, and proceeded to deliberately ignore him. Shay couldn’t decide whether to be aggravated or impressed.
Clearly, his cover was blown. He was only sorry because he’d wanted to tell her himself that he was Treves Duchesne, of the infamous New Orleans Duchesnes, owner of the maison and heir to a
He sketched a graceful bow, though Tessa didn’t miss the flash of impatience in his eyes. “By all means.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Laura drew her close and hurried her toward the powder room. “Omigod, girl, what are you doing with that man? Do you have any idea the kind of things Treves Duchesne is into?”
“Wait. Who?” Tessa asked, momentarily distracted from confirming that Laura hadn’t set her up.
Her friend glanced at her incredulously. “Shay! Please, don’t say you don’t know who he is? He didn’t tell you?”
“He’s ...” Tessa faltered, growing alarmed at Laura’s obvious agitation. “Well, no, actually. We never exchanged last names. Who is he?”
Her friend shoved her into the powder room and plunked closed the toilet lid, pushed her down on it, and locked the door with a rustle of silk and a pouf of petticoats. “Oh. My. God. Tessa! That’s Treves Duchesne!” When she didn’t react, Laura explained, “As in Chez Duchesne. The owner of the maison !”
Shock rendered Tessa speechless. The owner ?
Laura paced back and forth in the tiny confines of the powder room. “When I saw you go upstairs with him last night, I was stunned to say the least.” So much for being set up. Laura gestured widely. “But okay, he can be charming, and despite his reputation for enjoying, um ... bondage and domination ... I know he’s not into actual pain, so I figured you were safe enough.” She turned to Tessa, eyes wide as dinner plates. “But Jesus, girl! You can’t possibly be interested in him? As in interested?”
“I, u-um—” Tessa stammered.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy and a good friend to Etienne,” Laura blurted out. “But obviously, he’s the worst kind of womanizer going. There’s no way you’ll last more than a night or two in his bed, no matter what kinky stuff you let him do to you or how good it feels. You know that, right?”
No kidding. Tessa wasn’t particularly surprised at either revelation. She’d figured out that much all on her own. “I appreciate the warning,” she found herself saying. “And I promise you, if I do get involved with him”— What? she exclaimed inside her head—“I’ll be careful not to put emotions into the equation.”
“Wow,” Laura said, visibly taken aback. Join the freaking club! “When you decide to let yourself indulge in a fantasy, you really go whole hog.”
Tessa smiled shakily and stood up. “I guess I do. Who’d have thought, huh?”
Laura chuckled, totally fooled by Tessa’s hard-won and very fake bravado. “Ho-kay, then,” her friend relented. “You realize you’ll be the envy of every woman here, including me? Shay Duchesne is considered the lay of New Orleans.”
Why did that not surprise her? “Yeah?”
“His reputation as a cockswain is pretty damn impressive. But he’s very choosy about who gets to see him naked. And lately, there hasn’t been more than a handful of women who’ve succeeded in tempting him.” Laura kissed Tessa’s cheek then unlocked the powder room door. “So, you go, girl. Just promise me you’ll be very, very careful.”
“I will. I swear,” she said. And she meant it. She would not mistake a fling for anything more than it was.
Laura went to join her new husband, leaving her with a parting shot. “I’m serious, Tessa. No matter what he says, do not give that man your heart.”
Chapter 10
Tessa returned from her little tête-à-tête with the bride and walked straight to a clutch of satin-clad bridesmaids, grabbed a flute of champagne off a tray, and proceeded to deliberately ignore him. Shay couldn’t decide whether to be aggravated or impressed.
Clearly, his cover was blown. He was only sorry because he’d wanted to tell her himself that he was Treves Duchesne, of the infamous New Orleans Duchesnes, owner of the maison and heir to a
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