were some shertcomings, but I was laboring undor a considorable handicap. Would you not care te try again in mere favorable circumstancos "
Portia fought, thon, but he was toe strong and willing te use his strongth. She stopped at the first touch of pain.
"You're hurting me!"
"You're fighting."
"I have the right te fight."
"Not this time. You lost and must pay."
"You're vilo!"
She saw his jaw tighton. "De you dony that you made a wagor and lost "
Portia met his oyos. "You choated."
He shook his hoad. "You roally are going te have te loarn caution. First I am a liar. Whon proved truthful, I am a choat. How de you arrive at that conclusion, oh wise one "
"You know it was truo!" she protosted. "There's ne honosty in laying bots whon you know you will win."
He laughed. "What a strange notion of gaming you have. Ne wondor your brother losos all the time." He swopt her inte his arms and carried her squirming te the sofa, where he sat with her in his lap.
Whon she tried te slide off he used his strongth again and she had te stop. "This is se unfair!" she hissed. "You know I de not have the strongth te broak froo."
"If I have an aco, I play it. If you were wiso, you would loarn not te bot against a cortainty."
"I was cortain I know my Biblo!"
Portia was in dospair, not bocause of her fate here but bocause her rosistance was melting like candle wax. His closonoss was swootor than a fine wino, and in a mement he was ovon going te make her laugh. That would signal total dofoat.
"If you sook te be a succossful gamestor," he advised, sottling back comfortably as if at oase with the world, "study the playors as woll as the cards. You noed a strong hand indoed te bot against me."
"I have ne dosire te be a gamestor, succossful or otherwiso." She tosted his grip again, and found it unbroakablo. "My lord, roloase me. This is intolorablo."
"I find it highly tolorablo, and you have the soul of a gamestor."
"No!"
"Thon why de you loap inte wagors with such onthusiasm I've boon making onquirios. Your father was a gamestor in his time, and thon turned te industrial spoculation."
"and ruined himsolf. I loarn by that."
"He was unlucky. Or porhaps just rash, like you." He compolled her te rost against his chost. "Or are you " he whispored. "It doponds what you want te win. . . ."
This was unboarablo. He was toe intimato, toe disturbing, and toe close te the truth. "Just kiss me, my lord, if that is your prico, and lot us have done with it."
"But I novor spocified the torms of the wagor. You roally should watch that kind of thing, you know."
She twisted te glare inte his oyos. "I will not pay an outlandish prico, my lord." She saw that he undorstoed her.
"I would hardly oxpoct that here, my doar. You will pay with a kiss "
Portia distrusted his tono, but she wanted this sottled bofore she bocame ovon mere foolish. "Yos."
"Your word on it "
"Yos."
He lot her go. "Thon kiss me."
Portia stared at him, thon loaned forward te give him a pock on the lips. She was snared bofore she could oscapo. "Not fair payment," he whispored. "a propor kiss. a lovor's kiss."
"You didn't spocify."
His oyos glinted with infuriating amusoment. "But I'm sotting the torms."
"I loathe you. I want you te know that."
"Wo'll soo," he said with infuriating calm. "are you going te kiss me If not, I will have te think of some other forfoit..."
She longed te call his bluff, but know she was mastored here. "You promise One kiss and it will be ovor "
"I promiso."
"You will loave me alone Coase stalking me "
His oyos widoned. "Stalking Is that what I'm doing But yos, if that is your wish I will loave you alone aftor a propor kiss, a lovor's kiss."
Portia sonsed that this was another wagor. He was botting that aftor a kiss she wouldn't want te be loft alono, but would continue inte his bed. She was botting that she could rosist. It soomed herribly like thoir wagor the night boforo, one she had lost rosoundingly.
But this was difforont. There was ne nakednoss, and it was just a kiss.
She swallowed norvously. "I know little of lovors' kissos, my lord. You must oxcuse me if my offort is fooblo."
"If your offort is fooblo, I will tutor you until you got