A Midnight Dance Read Free Page B

death. But—”
    “ Death , Raymond? He didn’t simply die .” Jules couldn’t keep the venom from his tone. “He was falsely convicted and executed for treason.” Why the bloody hell was Raymond bringing up the subject? He knew better. The mere mention of his father’s tragic end immediately hurled him into a volatile mood. Just about anything set him off now. He barely recognized the man he’d become over the last five years. Angry. Bitter. The man he once was, was gone, along with his birthright. His family’s honor.
    His beloved father.
    “Be that as it may,” Raymond said. “What I do not understand, my lord, is this celibate lifestyle you’ve adopted. How many times have we come ashore and you have allowed the men to sate themselves? Many. How often have you indulged yourself? Rarely. You’ve always had your share of beautiful women, some all but begging for any sexual favors you were willing to bestow upon them.”
    Unwanted memories of his past sexual exploits flooded his mind. His body tightened, a physical reminder that his latest stint of celibacy had been lengthy.
    “Raymond,” he said, his voice low, edged with fury, “are you trying to torment me this night?”
    “Of course not! I’m trying to alleviate some of your torment.”
    His torment wasn’t going to be alleviated by thinking about those days when he’d had it all—when he was heir of the Marquis de Blainville. A distinguished officer in the King’s Navy. And had his choice of women wherever he went, indulging in carnal diversions—his favorite vice—when he wasn’t occupied with his naval duties.
    In his absences from home, he never imagined anyone would fabricate lies—that his father had been in league with those who’d tried to overthrow the King during the Fronde . Or that he and his brother, Luc, would be stripped of their nobility, their lands, tossed out of the Navy, and forced to feed themselves by captaining privateer ships for Simon Boulenger, the captain of the realm’s unofficial fleet.
    He hated what he’d been reduced to, what had been done to his family’s name. Not a friend to be found in the cursed lot of his peers.
    And now Raymond wanted him to purchase sex . This added a different dimension to his humiliation. A humbling example of how far he’d fallen for a man who had always been offered carnal pleasures in abundance for free .
    It was damned difficult for his pride to bear.
    And so he took to abstaining until he reached a point where he could stand it no longer; then and only then did he allow himself a brief fuck, the women utterly forgettable. In fact, in the last five years, he couldn’t remember a single one of their faces.
    He’d sooner take his cock in hand than pay this camp follower for sex.
    Jules placed his hands on his hips and gazed at the crackling fire. “Get rid of her. All of them. I’m not interested.” His life was on the verge of changing at last. As soon as he delivered this latest capture to Boulenger, he’d take his share of the bounty and walk away from privateering for good.
    “No,” Raymond answered defiantly for the first time ever.
    Jules’s gaze shot to his servant. “What did you say?”
    Raymond swallowed. “It—It is out of regard for you that I decline. To speak frankly, my lord, it has been difficult to watch your self-induced suffering with these long periods of abstinence.” He shifted his weight, nervously. “Did—Did I mention her fair coloring? It is the very type you have always preferred . . .”
    Jules crossed his arms over his chest, wrestling with his ire.
    “M-May I be frank again, my lord?”
    “Well, of course, Raymond,” he responded tightly. “There seems to be no stopping you tonight.”
    “This latest capture is significant. It would be beneficial if you had a clear mind. Knowing you as I do, you’re ready to leap out of your very skin.”
    Jules tamped down his resentment. He knew Raymond’s words were true, but he’d be damned