bargained for.’
Gabrielle contemplated Simone’s words. ‘I’ll be careful,’ she said finally.
‘I hope so.’ Simone studied her pensively. ‘I started out in this conversation feeling protective of Luc. Now I’m sitting here wondering how on earth I’m going to protect you . You’re out of your depth, Gabrielle. Luc knows how to fascinate women. I believe he knows obsession. He’s felt the sting of it before. For you. I doubt he’ll play at seduction with a blunted blade the way you intend to. Are you really ready for this?’
Gabrielle gave the question the attention it deserved. ‘I’ll be very careful,’ she said finally.
Simone sighed heavily. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Gabrielle, because I don’t want to lose you again.’ She looked broodingly at her near-empty wine glass. ‘Either of you.’
Lucien dressed carefully for his dinner date that evening. Not a suit, no, a suit was too formal, but a pair of suede trousers and a favoured casual shirt, soft to thetouch and tailored to his physique. His watch had an antique gold face and a brown leather band and was also one of his favourites. A person had to know watches to know that it was Cartier. The cufflinks with the Duvalier crest he was undecided about. On the one hand, this was who he was. On the other hand, Gabrielle’s relationship with Caverness and the House of Duvalier was somewhat stormy.
He needed advice. Female advice.
‘What do you think?’ he asked when he cornered Simone in the television room. He held up the cufflinks. ‘Yes or no?’
‘More information required,’ said Simone. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Out for a meal. A casual, informal, getting to know you meal.’
‘With a woman?’
‘Yes.’
‘A woman you wish to impress?’
‘Not exactly impress ,’ he said. ‘This woman knows me already. She’s probably not all that impressable.’
‘Don’t wear them, then,’ said Simone. ‘Give the House of Duvalier the night off. That is, unless you’d rather wear them and feel secure in the knowledge that your shirt won’t be coming off in a hurry.’
‘My shirt isn’t going to come off at all,’ said Luc darkly, and set to threading the cufflinks through his cuffs. ‘Tonight isn’t about seduction. Tonight is all about showing restraint.’
‘Pardon?’ said Simone.
An incredulous pardon if ever he’d heard one. ‘Restraint,’ he said again.
‘Hnh,’ said Simone, but by the time he looked up from fastening his cuffs she’d turned back to her book. Luc sighed at her impressively short attention span and decidedly unsisterly concern for his needs.
‘So, let’s say I did want to make sure that the evening was a pleasant non-sexual one for all concerned. What do I do?’
Simone lowered her book with a sigh. ‘What do you usually do?’
‘Pleasantly non sexual isn’t exactly in my repertoire,’ he confided. ‘Hence the need for advice.’
‘Is Gabrielle the woman you’re intending to have this pleasantly platonic evening with?’
‘Possibly,’ said Luc. ‘Probably. Although there’s no need for your advice to be specifically tailored to Gabrielle. Generic advice will do. You never know when a few pleasant platonics will come in handy.’
‘You have no idea how underprepared I am for this conversation,’ said Simone darkly.
‘Well, if you don’t know, just say so,’ he began, but stopped when she held up her hand.
‘I’m thinking…’ she said. ‘Just give me a moment.’
He gave her two. ‘Well?’
‘Well…since you asked so nicely and waited so patiently for me to collect my thoughts, I’ll share a few ideas I have on the subject.’
‘Appreciated,’ he said.
Amusement slid through Simone’s gleaming gaze. ‘I recommend ignoring outright any moves laden with subtly sexual overtones.’
‘Ignore them,’ said Luc with a puzzled frown. ‘As in… ignore them? Really?’
‘Completely,’ said Simone. ‘Act as if they never happened. If
Gabrielle contemplated Simone’s words. ‘I’ll be careful,’ she said finally.
‘I hope so.’ Simone studied her pensively. ‘I started out in this conversation feeling protective of Luc. Now I’m sitting here wondering how on earth I’m going to protect you . You’re out of your depth, Gabrielle. Luc knows how to fascinate women. I believe he knows obsession. He’s felt the sting of it before. For you. I doubt he’ll play at seduction with a blunted blade the way you intend to. Are you really ready for this?’
Gabrielle gave the question the attention it deserved. ‘I’ll be very careful,’ she said finally.
Simone sighed heavily. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Gabrielle, because I don’t want to lose you again.’ She looked broodingly at her near-empty wine glass. ‘Either of you.’
Lucien dressed carefully for his dinner date that evening. Not a suit, no, a suit was too formal, but a pair of suede trousers and a favoured casual shirt, soft to thetouch and tailored to his physique. His watch had an antique gold face and a brown leather band and was also one of his favourites. A person had to know watches to know that it was Cartier. The cufflinks with the Duvalier crest he was undecided about. On the one hand, this was who he was. On the other hand, Gabrielle’s relationship with Caverness and the House of Duvalier was somewhat stormy.
He needed advice. Female advice.
‘What do you think?’ he asked when he cornered Simone in the television room. He held up the cufflinks. ‘Yes or no?’
‘More information required,’ said Simone. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Out for a meal. A casual, informal, getting to know you meal.’
‘With a woman?’
‘Yes.’
‘A woman you wish to impress?’
‘Not exactly impress ,’ he said. ‘This woman knows me already. She’s probably not all that impressable.’
‘Don’t wear them, then,’ said Simone. ‘Give the House of Duvalier the night off. That is, unless you’d rather wear them and feel secure in the knowledge that your shirt won’t be coming off in a hurry.’
‘My shirt isn’t going to come off at all,’ said Luc darkly, and set to threading the cufflinks through his cuffs. ‘Tonight isn’t about seduction. Tonight is all about showing restraint.’
‘Pardon?’ said Simone.
An incredulous pardon if ever he’d heard one. ‘Restraint,’ he said again.
‘Hnh,’ said Simone, but by the time he looked up from fastening his cuffs she’d turned back to her book. Luc sighed at her impressively short attention span and decidedly unsisterly concern for his needs.
‘So, let’s say I did want to make sure that the evening was a pleasant non-sexual one for all concerned. What do I do?’
Simone lowered her book with a sigh. ‘What do you usually do?’
‘Pleasantly non sexual isn’t exactly in my repertoire,’ he confided. ‘Hence the need for advice.’
‘Is Gabrielle the woman you’re intending to have this pleasantly platonic evening with?’
‘Possibly,’ said Luc. ‘Probably. Although there’s no need for your advice to be specifically tailored to Gabrielle. Generic advice will do. You never know when a few pleasant platonics will come in handy.’
‘You have no idea how underprepared I am for this conversation,’ said Simone darkly.
‘Well, if you don’t know, just say so,’ he began, but stopped when she held up her hand.
‘I’m thinking…’ she said. ‘Just give me a moment.’
He gave her two. ‘Well?’
‘Well…since you asked so nicely and waited so patiently for me to collect my thoughts, I’ll share a few ideas I have on the subject.’
‘Appreciated,’ he said.
Amusement slid through Simone’s gleaming gaze. ‘I recommend ignoring outright any moves laden with subtly sexual overtones.’
‘Ignore them,’ said Luc with a puzzled frown. ‘As in… ignore them? Really?’
‘Completely,’ said Simone. ‘Act as if they never happened. If
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