Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

T he little rabbit ended up running away, after all.

Samuel Gale pulled his hand out from under his lover's skirt. She was still delirious, holding onto the front of his coat and breathing heavily while she tried to compose herself. He pulled his handkerchief out of his coat pocket, wiping her essence off his fingertips, his mind still stuck on the lady who had just run off.

He remained in his position, with his lover's body resting against his, keeping her upright, although all he wanted was to go back into the ballroom in search of the mystery lady. He was certain he would find her if he went in.

Samuel chuckled at the direction of his thought. He was not some young boy just out from under his father's thumb, eager to wet his length with the first woman he found interesting, nor was he some schoolboy who had developed a crush that he should be so eager to go find her. She was fascinating, but that was all that was.

He slid the handkerchief down the bodice of the woman's dress, his fingers grazing the softness of her breasts, pushed up in her dress. She looked down at it for a moment and back up at him, her sleepy brown eyes blinking continuously. She smiled, still not down from the high of her release.

"You are so gifted at that," she said in a breathy tone.

Samuel chuckled at her compliment, running his fingers up and down the sides of her face in a gentle caress.

"And you are so beautiful. As beautiful as the first time I met you, and I knew I had to know you," he said, stilling his hand as he pinched her cheeks affectionately.

"Simply knowing?" she asked, her voice flirty and teasing.

Samuel chuckled once again. "How bold you have become. You never would have been able to say things like this when we first met."

"And you like me for it," she said, wrapping her dainty fingers around his huge ones as she stared up at him with eyes filled with so much adoration.

"As you like me when I bring you pleasure," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

She giggled, adjusting her dress and fiddling with her hair to ensure that she looked proper.

He looked back at the spot where the lady had been standing only moments ago as she watched them. He had thought that this was a safe place for a tryst and had not expected that someone would catch him there.

He had been confident, since he had never been caught whenever he carried out little escapades like this, which was why it had come as a shock to him that someone caught him. He had managed to mask the surprise when he noticed her standing there, her lips parted and her eyes fully focused on him as his lips and hands moved expertly on his lover's body.

Despite his flirtation, he'd made certain that she didn't see his lover's face, painfully aware of her every move.

It baffled him that it was a lady who had caught them. Despite his actions, it made no sense that a lady would come so far out without a chaperone, considering it could cost her her reputation.

Samuel had not seen her face, since she was wearing a mask, and he could not tell who she was. However, despite that, he had known her every reaction as she watched them. Her lips had parted as she watched him.

All Samuel had been able to make out was her wide green eyes and the faint blush on her cheeks, which had rapidly turned a deeper shade of red the more she watched them. He laughed, unable to stop himself. He could only hope that she was not prone to gossip, which was also the reason he had to finish up things with his lover quickly before they were missed.

"We should return to the ballroom," he said abruptly.

She pouted, her long lashes lowering over large hazel eyes, the features that had drawn him to her in the first place.

"Can we not tarry a while?" she asked, allowing her lips to flatten into a smile.

Samuel shook his head. "I'm afraid not, My Lady. We've been gone quite sometime now."

He held his hand out to her as her face fell. "Come on. It's for the best if we go in now. We cannot risk anyone noticing your absence."

She didn't need to know how close they had come to having her reputation ruined. Things might have turned out differently if it had been someone else who walked in on them, or even a group of self-righteous and overzealous mamas.

Samuel had always been protective of his lovers despite not truly caring about them. The last thing he could ever be accused of was being careless with their reputations.

He didn't think that the masked lady saw Lady Priscilla's face, so she should be fine. However, there was a tiny part of him that was worried. She was the first person he'd been in a situation like this with, which was terrible, considering it was his last day with her.

Lady Priscilla was beautiful. Her black hair and big hazel eyes, coupled with a face of innocence, meant that she would be popular among the men and would have lots of suitors lined up at her door no matter what. The only thing that could ruin that was a scandal, and he would not allow it.

"Come along, Lady Priscilla," he said, not giving her the chance to argue.dispute.

She followed after him, her footsteps hurrying to match his pace.

They arrived close to the entrance of the hall, right before they turned the corner, and he stopped, his action causing her to stop as well as she stared up at him. She sighed, knowing what was about to happen.

"Very well, Lady Priscilla. I'm afraid we must say goodbye," he said abruptly.

She nodded, slipping her hand out of his. "I really wish we didn't have to."

He stepped away from her, leveling her with a steely gaze. There was no point in delaying the inevitable any further. His time with her was up.

"Very well, Your Grace. I suppose I had begun to expect more than was agreed upon," she said as the last bit of hope disappeared from her gaze.

Samuel watched her as she made her way into the ballroom, the pep in her steps that had been quite evident when she came out to meet him gone now.

He had never broken his rule, no matter how many people he had been with and how great they were at conversations or how pliant they were when it came to his requests. He knew he seemed like a cad, but that was just as well.

The moment the seven nights were over, no matter how long or how short it spanned out, they went their separate ways and no longer had anything to do with each other, although he was certain that some of them would have been happy to be more than just a number of nights.

It was time for him to move on to someone new.

Samuel adjusted his coat and ran a hand through his hair to make sure nothing was out of place. He waited for some minutes to pass, not bothering to tie his mask into place. The dratted thing had been a bother to him several times during the night anyway.

As he walked into the ballroom, people scurried out of his way in a hurry, some bowing to him as he passed. Samuel had always known he had an intimidating presence. It was not something that could be helped, considering that he towered over most people, had piercing blue eyes, and did not much care to smile freely at people.

It did not help that he had a reputation for being a cruel man. He could see that exact thought behind the eyes of some masked faces, their lips parted in slight gasps as though they had not expected to see him. He did not much frequent these events.

Samuel nodded in the direction of a group of men as he walked towards them. There was a hint of fear in their gazes but also respect as they watched him. He was not a man whose bad side they wished to be on.

"Your Grace," the Viscount of Silvermere greeted him.

Samuel turned to the Viscount. He had known him for years, and although they did not run in the same circles, they were often civil towards each other and indulged in business discussions whenever they met at the club, as gentlemen were wont to do.

"Lord Silvermere, how do you do?" Samuel asked as he surveyed the crowd. The woman he had seen earlier remained on his mind still.

"Splendid, Your Grace. It has been quite some time since we saw you at the gentlemen's club. We understand that you are a very busy man, but perhaps you could spare us an afternoon someday. Our conversations have been quite dull without you. We haven't been able to talk about important things since you stayed away," Lord Silvermere said.

Samuel

He watched the Viscount shrink when he frowned. He truly had been away for quite some time.

"Oh? I do apologize for my prolonged absence. I have been focused on some things involving my estate, but I am mostly done with the work and should be able to attend the next meeting."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. I have a new deal I am quite excited to present, and I would love it if you were present. I believe it will be the next big venture for anyone who chooses to invest in it," another man eagerly spoke from beside him.

Samuel stared at the Earl as he spoke.

Lord Malachi was known to be money-hungry, and Samuel never cared to do business with men like that. It only made them desperate, and desperate men were careless men. Still, he would listen to what the man was so excited to share during the meeting.

"Certainly, Lord Malachi. We will listen to your presentation when we attend the meeting," Samuel said, offering the man a smile that showed that he was ready to end the discussion.

"Perhaps I could just give you a small idea of what it is about so that you would have something to look forward to before we have to be there," Lord Malachi said, completely undeterred.

Lord Silvermere stared at the Earl with an annoyed look and opened his mouth to speak, when Samuel interrupted.

"Lord Malachi, I am sure your business venture is ingenious. However, we are at a ball. What kind of guests would we be if we spat on the hosts' generosity and discussed business instead of having fun like we are meant to? What kind of gentlemen would we be?"

He laughed, although his eyes held a warning, and the others laughed with him, albeit nervously. He was shrewd enough to know that none of them wished to offend him, and that included Lord Malachi, no matter how desperate he was to present his venture and garner investors.

He placed his hand on Lord Malachi's shoulder, feeling a little amusement when the man flinched. Samuel did not much mind the fear. If anything, it worked in his favor. No one wanted to cross him. It also helped to maintain the solitary lifestyle that he loved, without the prying eyes of the members of the ton.

The men dispersed, each going their own way with promises of being at the next meeting.

Samuel scanned the crowd, sighing in relief when he saw a familiar face.

Benedict Pratt, the Duke of Ravenwood, was Samuel's best friend. The two of them were a sight when they stood together. Benedict, with his blond hair and blue eyes, stood almost as tall as Samuel. They were an unlikely pair if there had ever been one.

Benedict was charismatic, and his looks always served to make women swoon. He was quick to flash a charming smile in their direction no matter who they were, and he often had a lot of ladies vying for his attention.

Unfortunately, his rakish tendencies warred with his romantic heart, making it difficult for him to settle.

"Ah, there's my favorite cad," he said slowly with a smile as he approached Samuel, two drinks in hand. He handed a glass to him as he stood by his side.

Samuel smiled as he accepted the glass from his friend. Benedict was the only one who could get him to relax and simply be himself. He was free to show him the man he truly was and not the version of him that people feared and respected so much.

"You should be careful with your words, my friend. Lest your tongue end up cut out permanently from your mouth," he warned in jest.

Benedict laughed. "You know you don't scare me like you do with the others. I know you better than they do. Besides, I can take you on in a fight."

Samuel shook his head at his friend. Benedict was well trained in sword fighting, much like he was. They often sparred together in their free time, and their matches never had a constant winner.

"I suppose we shall have to see about that, won't we?" he asked, grinning at Samuel.

"So, how did this week's lover take it? Did she go graciously, or did she try to fight?"

Samuel raised an eyebrow. Benedict was the only one who knew anything about his crazy rule for keeping a mistress. His friend had found it so fascinating that now, whenever he had a new mistress, he was completely invested in it, sometimes to an unhealthy amount.

Samuel did not much care. He could trust Benedict. That had been established long ago. It helped that there was someone he could talk to about anything he desired, although the one rule he kept with all of this was that he never told Benedict who his lovers were.

When he first began, he had made a promise to his first lover that he would hide her identity. Whatever happened to harm her reputation would come through no fault of his. He had kept that promise and had continued to carry on with it. He trusted Benedict not to do something to harm their reputations, but it did not change the fact that his finding out was too risky.many.

"She went quite graciously if I do say so myself. I have had less desirable endings than I did with her. She took it in her stride. I do believe she was one of the calmer ones when it came to ending things," Samuel said.

He had been utterly impressed with how Lady Priscilla managed to control her emotions, even though it was clear to him that she had hoped for more.

"So, nothing like your third mistress then." Benedict chuckled.

Samuel glowered. "Certainly nothing like that. It was a mistake to bed her. I should've realized that, considering she sought me out."

Benedict laughed. "Even the most shrewd men have been known to make mistakes. I suppose you're no exception, no matter how infallible you appear."

"Perhaps. Still, it shouldn't have taken me until the fifth night to notice my mistake."

"What was it again? She showed up at your home unannounced?" Benedict asked.

"That and she watched me on days when I didn't send for her. She approached me during balls to request dances, never relenting, no matter how much I chastised her. I've never known anyone to be so possessive."

"Her marriage must have been of great relief to you, then. It's always surprised me how she suddenly fell in love and stopped pursuing you."

Samuel rubbed his chin. "And with a man who loves her no less. I suppose it shouldn't be so shocking, considering how actively he pursued her."

He chuckled suddenly. "She does still glare at me every time she sees me."

Benedict laughed. "A small price to pay." He scratched his chin.

"I do not know why they expect more when you are usually so clear with them about the rules. I suppose I cannot blame them. You make them feel special." ," Benedict said, scratching his chin.

Samuel remained silent, taking a sip of his drink.