Britney had been mistaken.
Justin observed the man across the over crowded salon and smiled to himself. Yes,
Britney had been wrong. Joshua Chasez was not interested in him.
He watched the older man as he worked his way around the room. Justin and
Britney had been at Chasez’s house for two days now, enjoying the country air
and fine food and wine. And other than saying hello, Justin had been left alone.
Which was fine with him. He didn’t need…didn’t want that kind of
attention. Not after what it had cost him already. It was wrong. Wrong to feel
like that. He was glad Chasez had left him alone.
But Britney had not been left alone. And Justin was beginning to worry about
Chasez’s attentions to his friend. She was by herself in the world now, no
male relative to protect her, and Justin felt an obligation to look out for her.
His eyes narrowed as Britney laughed at something Chasez whispered to her.
Across the room, Joshua caught the look Justin was sending their way. “Your
young friend seems a bit…jealous,” he observed.
Britney cast a glance at Justin, smiling brightly at him and waving him over.
She laughed as he was stopped by a bevy of young girls before he could make his
way over to them. “Do you really think so?” she mused.
“Are you going to marry him?”
She blinked at him in surprise. “Marry Justin?” she asked astonished. “Why
ever would I do that?”
“You have to marry someone,” Joshua said.
Britney shook her head. “No, I don’t,” she assured him. “I’m rich,
your grace. Very, very rich. And since I am, I have no need to marry unless I
want to. And I will not marry anyone just to marry. I’ll only marry for love.”
“And you don’t love Justin?” he asked.
“Not that way,” she said, watching as Justin slipped out a side door.
“He’s a great friend, a wonderful person, but no, I don’t love him enough
to marry him. And really, right now he feels responsible for me, but he
doesn’t love me, either.”
“I find that hard to believe,” he murmured.
Britney regarded him thoughtfully. Chasez had spent most of week at her side. He
was a gracious and entertaining host, but Britney couldn’t shake the feeling
he really didn’t want her. She figured it was time to press the issue. “And
what about you, your grace?”
He looked at her quizzically. “I beg your pardon?”
She waved her fan at the room. “I see many other people here, sir. Some much
prettier and more skilled in social graces than I. Why have you spent all your
time with me?”
“You don’t believe I’m merely being a good host?” he asked.
She shook her head. “You have other guests, your grace.”
Joshua smiled at her. “And you don’t believe I just want your company?”
“No, I don’t,” Britney concurred. “Do you want to marry me?”
she asked bluntly.
He looked at her calmly. “Would you have me?”
She cocked her head at him in thought. “You’re handsome, rich, and
sophisticated. Every woman’s ideal.” She shook her head again. “But no, I
think not.”
“We would make a good match,” Joshua said. “We like each other, but
don’t need each other.”
Britney considered this, frowning. “Sounds very calculated, your grace.”
“Marriage usually is.”
“No,” she argued. “My parents married for love, and I will do no less.”
She smiled brightly, tapping her fan on his arm. “And you, your grace? Do you
have no one you love?”
“Love?” He laughed so loudly heads turned in their direction, causing
Britney to shush him. “I assure you, I will never fall into the trap of love,
mademoiselle,” he said, eyes shining with humor. “Besides, life is so much
more fun without it.”
Britney regarded him thoughtfully before answering. “You have much love to
give, your grace, I can sense it.” She smiled mischievously. “You just
haven’t found the right person…or have you?”
Justin
hit the cue ball sharply, sending the white ball into the others with a
resounding crack. He watched as the balls went rolling across the table,
frowning as not one went into a pocket. He lined up another shot, hit the cue
ball, but failed to put the ball in the pocket. He lined up another shot and
pulled back to strike.
“Having trouble?”
Justin felt the billiard stick slide through his fingers, hitting the cue ball
with little force. He looked up at Chasez standing in the doorway. Justin
straightened up quickly. “I beg your pardon, your grace,” he stammered. “I
saw the table, and hoped you wouldn’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” Chasez assured him, entering the room and shutting the
door behind him. “You are my guest, Justin. I want you to feel comfortable
here.”
Justin considered the older man as he came towards the table. Chasez was dressed
in his traditional black, but his cravat had been untied. He looked casual and
comfortable, his blue eyes shining as always with hidden humor. Justin watched
as Chasez took off his coat, leaving him only in breeches and a soft white shirt.
“Thank you, your grace,” Justin murmured.
Chasez shook his head. “I insist you call me Joshua, Justin.” He approached
Justin and took the cue stick out of his hands. “Titles can be so…cumbersome
between friends.” He smiled brightly, and then bent to aim a shot on the
table, hitting the cue ball cleanly and pocketing a colored ball. “See? It’s
just a matter of power and control,” Joshua said, handing the stick back to
Justin.
Justin took the stick gingerly, pulling back as though burned when their hands
touched. Joshua was too close…Justin walked to the other side of the table,
bent, aimed, and hit the white ball. It struck a colored ball, but it failed to
go into the pocket.
Joshua came around the table. “You have the power, Justin, but seem to lack
the control,” he said.
Justin’s breath caught as Joshua covered his hands on the stick, pulling it
down to the table, causing Justin to bend down. Joshua stood behind him, moving
the stick back and forth across the table. “See?” Joshua whispered into his
ear. “Power and control is the key.”
Justin shivered as Joshua’s hot breath fanned across his ear. He felt
Joshua’s chest against his back. They moved the stick back and forth, then hit
sharply at the cue ball. Justin watched as it hit a colored ball, which promptly
disappeared into a pocket. They moved to the next ball, and it too went into its
pocket. But by the third one, Justin had lost all interest in the game and could
only think of the warm body pressed against his own, of the hardness he could
feel against his hip, of the soft lips so close to his own…
Justin twisted away from the table and from Joshua quickly, dropping the cue
stick with a clang onto the table. “Thank you for the lesson, your grace,”
Justin said quickly, leaving the room in a rush.
Joshua watched him leave, noting not only Justin’s flushed face, but also the
excitement that had been in his bright eyes. He smiled, realizing that this
might not be as difficult as he’d thought after all.