“No beating. We were a bit more creative than that. But he quickly came around to see our way of thinking.”
“Jack,” she said on a sigh. “I didn’t want you to hurt him.”
“He leaves unharmed, cara.”
“Is that the truth?”
He took her gloved hand and laced their fingers together. Then he kissed her knuckles. “I will never lie to you. I might not give you every tiny detail but I will never lie.”
“Well, thank you. His wife will be relieved to have him home, though I daresay she might be better off without him. I hadn’t realized as much when I agreed to find him.”
“Such is the risk when one tracks down these wife deserters.”
True. “I believe she loves him, though. She was quite distraught at his absence.”
“If nothing else, the financial support will come as a relief to her.” He kissed her knuckles again and sparks raced along her skin. “Nevertheless, you have done your best in resolving the issue.”
“Because you helped me.”
“You would have resolved it without my help, if necessary.”
“But it would have taken me weeks, perhaps months, to do what you accomplished in three days.” It would be easier if she had a badge and the power to arrest, of course. Her hands were tied because of her gender. Being a woman meant she could not join the New York City police force. At least not yet. She still liked the idea of being the first.
“As I told you,” he said, “power in this city rests in the hands of those who are strong and those who are rich. I happen to be both.”
Which made him considerably powerful. At least he was using his influence for good. The shirtwaist factory, the fundraiser. Now von Briesen. Perhaps she was rubbing off on him.
And really, if the end results were the same, why was she questioning the methods? Mrs. von Briesen would get her husband back sooner and Justine could move on to another case or issue. She could assist someone else in need. Everyone came out ahead.
“People certainly are more accommodating when you are involved,” she said.
“True. That is why you should allow me to assist you on all your errands.”
“Even the boring ones?”
“I suspect nothing is ever boring with you, chérie.” He turned her hand over and unbuttoned her glove. Then he began removing the cloth from her fingers, one by one. “Now, let’s discuss these delicate matters that require our attention.”
She angled to see him better in the dim light. His normally bright eyes were dark, his stare almost hypnotic as he watched her. He was so beautiful that her stomach flipped over. “You have something in mind, I suspect.”
“Of course. I am a first-class deviant, after all.” He tossed her glove onto the seat and started on the other hand. “But you also have a say. What were you thinking?”
The comment had been made lightly, a way to tease him outside the poolroom. She hadn’t really expected him to push her for answers. Especially when her experience in no way matched his.
Though she couldn’t deny she had been thinking about it. A lot. In the past two days she had contemplated all the things she and Jack might do together, even the things she’d never attempted before.
Especially the things she’d never attempted before.
Skin aflame, she mumbled, “Something akin to the other night. Except reciprocated.”
“I’m sorry, I could not hear you. You’ll have to say it again and speak up.”
She nearly rolled her eyes. The scoundrel had heard every word. “You are being difficult and trying to embarrass me.”
“You are the smartest and bravest woman I’ve ever met. When you want something, you go after it. So, what do you want?”
The praise melted her insides, and she burned the words into memory for the next time one of her sisters called her naive or sheltered. It also gave her the courage to voice her desires, something she couldn’t have done a few days ago. “I want to explore you. Pleasure you as you pleasured me the other night.”
He crowded her against the carriage seat, his clean familiar scent wrapping around her. Bringing his face to her neck, he slid his nose along her jaw, his humid breath gusting over her skin. “You wish to take my cock in your mouth. Is that it?”
She knew the gist of how it worked thanks to Florence’s erotic cards. Justine licked her lips. “Yes. I wish to suck your . . . cock.”