PIECES OF ALWAYS

BeElleGee@hotmail.com

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I remember when Asher told me he was a vampire.

Despite the cold and drafty room we were in, winter's winds howling just outside our door, he was sweating and nearly wringing his hands with anxiety, cowering almost, in the dark corner farthest from me.

I was afraid, but I feared for him: imagining all manners of misfortune to have fallen upon him. What could have possibly put him in such a state?

Then he told me. Right out. At first, I did not believe my ears. Senses can be so deceitful in times of trial and anxiety. Then as My Heart's words registered in my anxious mind, I remember I made the sign of the cross, touching my forehead, chest, and shoulders automatically, stupidly, and loosed a flow of tears from Asher I have not seen from him since. Mon Dieu, I had whispered, still unable to think.

Asher had covered his face and turned away from me, fairly dissolving with the most heartwrenching sobs. All the bones seemed to have left his body for he sunk to the floor in fluid distress and huddled there, in that dark corner, crying, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as if desperately trying to hold himself together, certain if he did not, he would simply break apart.

It took me only the span of a breath to recover from my initial shock--to determindedly push aside the innumerable thoughts vying for attention in my mind; mainly the ingrained fear of the evil, godless being now cowering on the floor before me.

A veritable war for my soul began raging in my head, but I would not recognize it. I would only see Asher, my heart, my beloved, suffering such agony on my behalf. How could I not see him for the man I knew him to be? Not as a vampire, but a man. The same man who had courted me so tenderly, doted unceasingly on me, and coaxed from me the first real stirrings of love this heart has ever known. For love him I did. Wholly, devoutly, even madly.

I went to him then, and took him in my arms, pressing his fair, golden head to my breasts, trying to soothe away his pain and reassure him that I still loved him. No matter what. Yes, I even spoke those exact words to him.

Of course, as determined as I was to love Asher, how could I have known at the time all those three little words entailed? My world would never be the same, simple, relatively normal world I'd always known. In taking Asher's hand in mine, I would forever, yes forever, be transported into a new world few in my station will ever see, let alone live in. But I would do so willingly. My love for Asher was what made it all bearable. His love for me gave me the strength and courage to live in his world; to embrace it with all its marvels, oddities, and yes, even its horrors.

No matter what I had sworn that night, and meant every word. Could I have even imagined such a declaration would also include the acceptance of Asher's peculiar lifestyle? Not so much as a vampire, but an extremely uninhibited man? None of which I had even the slightest inkling of before that fateful night. A lifestyle which included Asher's other lovers. Lover, to be more precise, for there was only one other he truly loved.

His name was Jean-Claude. I had met him many times before. It appeared to be at those times, he and Asher were merely fast friends--so close, and affectionate with each other, they could have passed for brothers if not for the sharp contrasts of their looks.

Where Asher was all gold and summer sunshine, Jean-Claude was darkness, and like a snowy winter's night. Strikingly handsome in his own right, to say the very least. I knew him to be in possession of no less than sixteen different females in the span of a fortnight. His lovelife seemed to me to be an endless parade of new faces with nothing in particular in common. Promiscuous, I had promptly and disapprovingly labeled him. I did not know at the time my Asher was ordered to entertain no less the number of lovers Jean-Claude took to his bed.

For I soon learned Asher and Jean-Claude were part of a vampire hierarchy. Asher at least had earned his mistress' abiding devotion long ago. She was a cruel woman by the name of Belle Morte. Both Asher and Jean-Claude were within her esteemed inner circle of lieutenants, so they had earned the respect of many, but Jean-Claude was still striving for power, and like Asher, his hold of Belle Morte's affections was now tenuous at best. He simply had no choice but to indulge her every whim willingly. The fact that I had condemned him for it, now saddens me.

Asher's love for Jean-Claude was another of those anxious declarations made across a room, a different room, sometime later. I had agreed to reside with him in the opulent apartments he kept with Jean-Claude on the Rue de Gavril. Upon moving in however, I found myself somewhat surprised (again!) that Jean-Claude had no intentions of moving out.

Asher had taken me aside, stood me in the center of the library, and positioned himself in front of the closed door, pacing nervously back and forth like a caged beast. That night he told me about Jean-Claude. More specifically, he and Jean-Claude. He didn't love me any less, Asher had said, but he could not deny his feelings for the man, a vampire as well, whom he had befriended some years back, just because I had come into his life. His existence, as he had put it. Only if I insisted upon it, would he cast away Jean-Claude's affection for him. He loved Jean-Claude and fairly pleaded with me to let him keep him.

I found this revelation even more shocking it seemed, though in truth, I cannot recall why. Knowing what I do of vampires now, the surprise seems downright silly, and the accompanying disgust and outrage, shameful. Mais oui, I have changed beyond recognition this past year, ever since that strange winter night in my cottage. I didn't like it, but I could tell from the look on My Heart's face, had I denied his request, something would have changed between us. Since I clung to Asher's love so adamantly, I reluctantly agreed to the living arrangements, and so found myself residing with not one, but two vampires.

At first, I was determined not to like Jean-Claude. Though he and Asher were at first, careful to keep their displays of affection for each other discreet and their occasional trysts far from my disapproving eyes, I was still aware of what was going on between them and did not harbor any kind of assent of my situation. I more readily accepted the so-called assignments Asher was sent on. I understood the necessity of maintaining Belle Morte's favor for my presence had placed a strain on his relationship with her, and thus complying to her demands with absolute obedience on his part was a necessary evil, so to speak. But Asher's relationship with Jean-Claude was different. They didn't have to be together, but chose to do so. I didn't like it, but what could I do?

So I saw Jean-Claude as the solitary rival for My Heart's affection and resented him--his presence among us. He sensed this from me, as I took no pains to keep such ill-will from him. However, it only seemed to make him more determined to befriend me. Despite the challenge I presented to him, he rose to meet it, and in no time at all, I found myself rather fond of him for he became irresistible to me. His rakish manner and rather dry wit soon gave way to his genuinely empathic nature and too-oft concealed compassion.

What truly won me over was his love for Asher. He tried to be discreet as I have afore mentioned, but he could not disguise the adoration in his eyes when he looked upon him, or the softening of his voice when he spoke to him. Here was something my own heart could understand and relate to. How could anyone not love Asher? I pondered. Did it matter that men as well as women fell under his spell? Asher's heart was vast and capable of limitless love--deep and abiding love, such as I had never known before. There was plenty of room in his heart for both of us.

********

All these past events were occupying my mind as I gazed at Jean-Claude now. He had been depressed and somewhat restless earlier, but now he was standing by the window, peering out into the street with such a solemn look on his face. It was raining and the single candle on the window sill cast his face in an unearthly, almost angelic glow. So beautiful, I thought. For truly, Jean-Claude was beautiful. I found I could look upon him tirelessly if he allowed it. This being one of those times, since he seemed so preoccupied, he was not aware of my adoring stare.

"We should employ an artist," I suddenly said. "To reside with us at all times. To capture such a pose as you are presently striking would surely become a masterful work of art."

Jean-Claude turned slightly and looked at me, a vague shadow of a smile tugging at the corners of his lovely mouth.

"If Asher were here, he would chide you for contemplating such frivolity on my behalf," he replied, his deep, slightly breathy voice brushing against my skin like a warm summer breeze.

"Asher would agree with me, were he here to see you just now," I told him, raising my chin defiantly.

At that Jean-Claude's smile broadened. "I would not be striking such a pose if he were here now." He turned away from me then, and resumed his vigil. He swept his long black hair off his shoulder with a gracefully, languid motion of his hand, making even that small unconscious gesture something exquisitely sensual. He combed his fingers through those waves of black silk and paused to massage the back of his neck. He groaned then, softly and deeply, sending a wave of warmth over me.

I sighed, setting aside the pattern on the pillowcasing I was working on, and folded my hands together in my lap, totally losing interest in what I was sewing. The light in the room was too dim to embroider by anyway, and my eyes were aching with strain. Mid-morning was the best light to do such intricate work by, but like my cohabitants, I had become nocturnal. Practicality had changed my internal clock, and my forays into the daylight now were only made due to a necessity.

I gazed appreciatively at Jean-Claude. The smile I had provoked was gone now, as if it had never occurred. He leaned against the window frame, wrapping his arms around himself as if to ward off the night's chill, but I noticed his shirt remained open to the waist. If he was cold, he made no move to cover himself.

"You keep watch as if you expect Asher to return tonight," I murmured, wondering if Jean-Claude knew something I did not. The two of them had the most vexing habit of keeping me uninformed as to their comings and goings. They divulged details only under extreme duress. But I knew more than they wanted me to. Accompanying them to Court as many times as I had, one could not help but pick up the bits and pieces that made up the rather sordid puzzle of their lives.

I was, after all, Asher's human servant. I had accepted such a bond with him and all it included willingly some time ago. Such a dramatic and drastic alteration in my life and of our relationship had only strengthened our love for each other and bound us together for all time--more so than any blessed union I knew of.

Jean-Claude kept his gaze fixed firmly out the window and when he spoke, his voice was soft and wistful. "Asher wanted to be home by tonight. He said he would try." He paused and gestured out the window with a billowy wave of his elegant hand. "This weather may hinder his progress, I fear."

I licked my lips and leaned forward in my chair by the fire. "You miss him, don't you?"

The vampire lowered his head, but did not turn to look at me. "Don't you?"

"Of course I do!" I proclaimed, rather indignantly. "I miss him terribly everytime he goes away and leaves me behind. I miss the way he looks at me, with such sweet affection, his touch upon my skin, his arms around me, his kiss so tender and passionate all at once. I miss his love. I'm nothing without it. I can scarcely bear the hours when he is away. I crave him. Constantly."

Jean-Claude turned then, stepping away from the window towards me. There was a slight hesitancy in his walk and he held his shoulders back as if leaning away from me, as if his mind was forcing his body to advance when it did not wish to do so.

"Do you find my company so lacking solace?" he whispered unexpectedly. There was no anger in his tone. If he felt insulted by what I had said, he didn't convey it. However, I did notice the small catch in his normally smooth voice when he spoke.

I opened my mouth to protest, to dismiss his ill-conceived notion, but was stilled when he knelt before my chair and grasped the arms of it tightly in his hands. I looked into his eyes and could only shake my head.

"Julianna," he said, breathing my name. "I crave his proximity as well. These times when we are forced, by circumstance, to rely solely on each other, need not be so trying if we could turn to each other."

I leaned back--away from him if you will, and tried to reply to his peculiar insinuation as nonchalantly as possible. "Perhaps it is you who finds my company lacking," I teased.

Jean-Claude dropped his eyes from mine momentarily and took a small breath. His left hand moved off the arm of the chair and he trailed his fingers over my hand. The hard muscles of his long thighs were pressed against my shins and he shifted his weight on his knees ever so slightly, parting my legs with an almost imperceptible pressure.

"I only meant, there is a manner in which we could assuage the craving we both suffer in Asher's absence." His hand drifted up my arm to my shoulder, settling under my chin. He leaned towards me then, parting his lips, and turning his head as if to kiss me.

My heart began pounding with anticipation. For a moment, I could not think. I could only feel. How easily I could succumb to him--the soft sweetness of those beautiful lips. The way I longed for him shook me and it wasn't until his mouth was a mere hair's breadth from mine that I recovered my senses enough to push him away. Hard enough to throw him back on his heels and give me a means of escape.

I knew now, his intention was to seduce me, but he'd actually been subtle tonight, compared to the other times I'd seen him exercise his skill. Brazenly sexual and predatory, his usual methods of seduction left little room for innuendo or miscues. Or escape.

Exasperated and shocked, I scuttled across the room, then turned loose on him the full extent of my displeasure.

"How dare you?" I seethed. "And how woefully masculine too! Thinking nothing of the consequences of your behavior. You would use Asher's absence as an excuse to betray him with me? Shame on you!"

Jean-Claude stayed on the floor, settled back on his heels, and fixed his gaze on the chair I had so recently vacated.

"Perhaps this was not the best time to approach you," he relayed quietly. "Please understand that I would never do anything to hurt either you or Asher. Forgive me. I only sought to...invite you...to consider me--to let you know I am willing, should you be."

I could not speak. I could only stare down at the kneeling vampire dumbfoundedly. I struggled to calm myself. In a way, his interest in me was understandable. I lived side by side with him. I made love to Asher almost nightly. It didn't seem to matter if Jean-Claude were in the apartment or not. Asher was, as I said before, uninhibited, and had made me almost as uninhibited as he. It wasn't uncommon for Jean-Claude to be lying beside Asher when we made love, having just partaken of Asher's boundless passions himself. It had to be difficult, to say the least, for a man like Jean-Claude to be around me the way he was, and not be...moved by me.

"Julianna," again Jean-Claude seemed to breathe in my name. "I thought perhaps we could comfort each other. I know I will never replace Asher in your heart and that is not my intent. But those attributes of his that you named, many of them I can offer you, if you will let me." He paused and closed his eyes briefly, then passed the tip of his tongue over his full upper lip in agitation. "I crave the same things when he is away. I have missed him so much these past few weeks."

I felt all the ire drain from me and moved to stand before Jean-Claude. He looked up at me finally. I shook my head, kneeling beside him on the floor.

"Is that why you tried to seduce me tonight?" I asked him gently, leaning into him and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I placed my head against his and hugged him in an attempt to comfort him. "I am your friend and I will always be here for you, but I know you don't want to have sex with me tonight, Jean-Claude. Not really. You are simply feeling lonesome. You want Asher." I kissed his silky hair and bent to whisper in his ear. "I understand."

Jean-Claude sighed, heavily as if relieved, but brusquely pulled away from me. He rose quickly to his feet and crossed the room to the door in three long strides. Lifting his cloak off the rack beside the threshold, he threw it over his shoulders and opened the door.

"You thought I was trying to seduce you? You believed the craving I spoke of was for sex? I spoke of love. You are the one whose mind was occupied with sex. Yet you dare to feign such pious outrage. You are a hypocrite." He reached up and dragged his hand roughly through his hair, pushing it back, away from his face. "It was my heart that moved me to kiss you, Julianna, not my...." He turned away from me sharply. I caught the hurt shadowing his expression just before he reschooled his visage to reflect nothing of what he was feeling.

I stared up at him, too shocked and saddened to frame a proper reply. "Don't leave," I simply begged, my heart going out to him now. I longed to ease his pain, but simply did not know how. "Asher will want to see you," I offered him lamely.

"Asher. Yes. There is always Asher," Jean-Claude said and shook his head forcefully. "I am not one of those men who thinks sex is love," he continued, indignantly. "But sex can be an expression of love. It is that expression I sought tonight. Foolishly. Awkwardly, perhaps." He turned his gaze away from me and took a deep breath. "I was...deluding myself." With that he turned and with an audible snap of his cloak, he disappeared down the darkened foyer leading to the steps outside.

********

Waiting for Asher, I took up vigil by the same window Jean-Claude had stationed himself at previously, my tears flowing nearly as steadily as the relentless rain, hoping with all my heart one or both of them would return home soon. Three long hours passed before I spied a figure on horseback approaching our townhouse. It was Asher, at last.

I did not even wait for him to come inside. I launched myself out of the apartment, not bothering to cover myself with a cloak or shawl, and ran down the steps to meet him.

He had no sooner dismounted and handed his horse off to our groom, when I threw myself into his arms and kissed him hungrily.

It took him only a moment to recover from his initial shock at having been so accosted and within a matter of heartbeats, he swept me up into his arms and carried me up the steps, out of the rain. He set me down just inside the threshold and indulgently kissed me, holding me to him in an almost crushing embrace. When we finally parted, neither one of us could speak coherently, so breathless had our kissing rendered us.

"Par bleu, did I miss you!" he breathed, smiling brightly, his gaze full of adoration. He reached up and stroked my now damp hair with his gloved hand, then took a moment to look me over as if to make sure I had not altered my appearance any in his absence. He frowned suddenly, turning my face to the dim candlelight. "You've been crying."

"Here, let me take your cloak and place it by the fire," I offered moving behind him, dismissing his observation with a wave of my hand.

Asher caught me though and pulled me against him once more. "Julianna, do not turn away from me. What has happened?"

"Nothing. It is silly, really. I'm just so pleased to have you home." Again I thought to distract him from his concern. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned towards him to resume the passionate embrace we'd broken off earlier. Thankfully he complied. It was several minutes before we mutually parted and I saw at once the perplextion in Asher's eyes as he scanned the empty apartment. Yes, Jean-Claude was conspicuously absent.

"Ma cherie, where is Jean-Claude?" Asher asked, letting me relieve him of his rain-soaked cloak at long last.

I gathered it up in my arms and spread it over the back of one of the chairs to dry. "He left a few hours ago. I do not know where he intended to go. He was upset so I didn't ask."

Asher knitted his fair brow and peeled off his riding gloves, tossing them precariously close to the fire. I nudged one aside with the toe of my slipper, certain once the discarded glove dried it would catch fire. I could tell Asher was angry now, or maybe just a little hurt.

"I told him I would be home tonight," Asher relayed. "I would have been home sooner, but the roads were a quagmire from the rain. I had to take it slow or my horse would have slipped. Did he finally give up on me? Did he think I wouldn't make it tonight? I would have taken flight if need be to get here. He should have known that."

I moistened my lips distractedly and made my way back to where Asher stood. "I upset him," I confessed, taking hold of Asher's large hands and squeezing them. His skin was damp and cold and I rubbed his hands briskly between mine to warm them. I pressed his hands against my cheeks and kissed his knuckles, then delicately licked the soft skin between his long fingers.

Sighing with pleasure, Asher moved to sit in the overstuffed chair by the fire, and pulled me with him into his lap. "How could you have possibly upset him, cherie? Are you certain his anger was directed at you? Is that the reason you were crying? Damn him." He began kissing my cheek, down the side of my face to my neck. "Do not take his temper to heart, Julianna." His breath was cool against my skin and made me quiver slightly. I felt his hand slide up the bodice of my dress and tug at the lacing, pulling apart the small bow with an exaggerated slowness.

"I misunderstood him," I began, having to struggle to answer Asher's questions as forthright as I could through my rousing passion. "I believed he was trying to seduce me--"

Asher pulled back far enough to look me in the eye. "He tried to seduce you?" He smiled then, rather mischievously. "The only thing that surprises me there, cherie, is the fact he has not made an attempt sooner than this."

"But he wasn't trying to seduce me," I corrected, playing with the glistening golden locks of Asher's damp hair. "I think he was trying to tell me something, but now I'm not sure what. I think he's lonely."

At that Asher laughed. "Julianna, if there is one thing Jean-Claude is not, it is lonely. The man entertains a different lover every night." I knew Asher was exaggerating to stress his point, but not by much.

Asher had succeeded in unlacing my bodice and was in the process of slipping the garment off my left breast. He bent to kiss me there, but I squirmed away from him. My renewed distress was quelling my libido.

"He is lonely," I declared. "He said he didn't want sex, he wanted love, or sex as an expression of love. I'm not sure exactly. I didn't understand him."

Asher tightened his grip on my shoulders to keep me from evading him again as he covered my exposed nipple with his mouth. I felt the wetness of his tongue on my skin and the careful press of his fangs against my flesh. I sighed and squirmed now for a different reason.

"Asher, you are not listening to me," I half-protested.

Straightening, Asher pulled away from me and gave me his undivided attention. "What would you have me do, cherie? He is not here. But when I see him, I shall make certain he knows how unhappy I am with him tonight."

"No! Do not hurt him!" I countered, leaning away from Asher in dismay. "I already hurt him tonight. I insulted him and accused him of betraying you." I sighed despondently. "He has not been himself, these past few days. I'm worried about him, Asher. Something is wrong with him."

"Merde,"Asher grumbled and captured my head in his hand, then proceeded to kiss me deeply. He released me, trailing the back of his hand soothingly over my bare shoulder and gazing down at me with those astonishingly pale blue eyes of his. "I could not hurt Jean-Claude anymore than I could hurt you, ma cherie. I do not like the fact he upset you so, but it would appear you upset him as well." He paused and shook his head. "What am I to do with the two of you?"

I smiled sweetly up at him. "Just love us," I whispered.

Asher returned my smile and rose suddenly, gathering me up in his arms. He carried me off into my bedroom. Placing me gently in the center of the bed, Asher proceeded to undress me, and I, him.

Once we were both naked, Asher lay over me and peered down at me with the most tender and compassionate expression.

"Ma belle, do not fret over Jean-Claude," he murmured, running his fingers through my long brown hair. "He will be back as soon as his temper has cooled. I am sure he is not as angry with you as he is himself."

I nodded, but I could feel the tears misting my eyes. "He tried to kiss me tonight," I whispered, reaching up to stroke Asher's beautiful face.

"Kiss you?"

"Yes," I said and swallowed thickly. "Asher, he said his heart inspired him."

At that Asher bent down and lifted the threatening tears from my eyes with a brush of his silken lips. He smiled at me with such unabashed love, I felt my eyes misting all over again.

"Julianna, don't sound so surprised," he murmured softly. "How could anyone not be inspired by you? You are the closest to heaven I will ever get. God has blessed me, damnable creature that I am. He has given me one of his precious, precious angels." He paused to press a tender kiss on my lips. "Such perfection, such beauty, and passion, and a heart that knows no bounds. You are heaven, Julianna. How could Jean-Claude not see this too?"

I could feel Asher's love for me then like a tangible living thing. It warmed me and filled me and soothed away my distress. How I missed this feeling of being loved. "I am so happy you are home," I sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, my angel," Asher said with an easy smile.

We kissed yet again, devouringly, our smoldering desires flaring like a stoked fire. Our limbs entwined as our bodies locked together as one. Asher poured his power over me, freeing my consciousness to meld with his on a different plane of existence. He loved me so passionately, so deeply, and completely. The rhythm of his body moving over mine overwhelmed my heightened senses, and the depth of his love all but consumed my heart. It was all the love I would ever need, all the love I ever wanted.

My feelings for Asher were unparalleled in the hours of lovemaking which followed, but fleetingly, occasionally, I thought of Jean-Claude and wished he were here, feeling as loved, body and soul, as I.

********

I dozed in Asher's arms, drifting in an out of an exhausted, but sensually satiated sleep. He often stayed with me in bed, holding me close, even though I knew he never drifted off to sleep with me.

Distantly, I heard the door to the apartment open and felt Asher's body shift. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and carefully untangled his limbs from mine. He must have believed me to be asleep, for he said not a word as he slid from the bed and out of my room.

Through the haze of my fading afterglow, I heard the hushed voices coming from the living room and forced my mind to clear enough to decipher what they were saying. I propped myself up on my elbows, recognizing Jean-Claude's deep silky timbre.

"Asher. In all your glory. What a sight for sore eyes you are. Or am I dreaming somehow?"

I didn't understand what he meant until I remembered Asher had left my bedroom sans clothing.

"And you are just a sight," Asher grumbled. "Yet you manage to be lovely even in those filthy, wet clothes."

I crept out of the bed and positioned myself just behind the partially opened door to hear them better.

"The streets are muddy," Jean-Claude said coolly. "It is still raining. I was out, walking...."

"All this time?" Asher replied, his voice tightening. "Just wandering about in the rain?"

"No. Not entirely," Jean-Claude admitted sounding recalcitrant. "I happened upon an aquaintance of mine and passed an hour or so under their roof."

They were often like this with each other. Lovers who had been together for a very long time, exchanging barbs and veiled insults to incite emotion, to mask their raging passion for each other.

"Why didn't you just stay with her then? Didn't she suit you?" Asher murmured, his voice tinged with irritation. "Or was it a him? Did you believe some whore had more to offer you than I? You must have, mon ami, since you chose the night of my return to seek one out. I told Julianna she was wrong about you. Tonight proves it."

Peering around the door, I could just see the two of them through the narrow opening. Jean-Claude was swathed in a dark, rain-heavy cloak, his long black curls dripping indiscriminately on our newly acquired Persian carpet, his pale skin made even whiter with the night's chill. His head was bowed and he looked miserable and pitiful. Then there was Asher, standing a few paces before him, naked and golden like a mythical sun god, his anger evident in his crystal-like blue eyes.

As if he couldn't bare the sight of it anymore, Asher stripped the muddy, wet cloak from Jean-Claude's shoulders and placed it over his own to dry. He picked up a poker and jabbed a few blackened logs, splintering one and starting the fire anew with its blazing embers.

Jean-Claude said nothing. He stood watching Asher as if in a hypnotic trance, mesmerized by the sight of his ethereally beautiful body.

"Julianna was weeping when I arrived home tonight," Asher continued.

"Weeping?" Jean-Claude repeated. Then he moaned softly as if pained somehow.

Asher nodded, still staring into the newborn fire. "She believes she upset you, but I know I am, somehow, at the root of your anger, otherwise, you would have waited for me tonight."

Jean-Claude sighed heavily. "I did wait....but it just seemed everything I did tonight was all for naught."

Somewhat startled, Asher turned sharply, his mouth open in surprise. Then he stalked up to Jean-Claude, pulling him roughly to him.

"All for naught, Jean-Claude? Is this all for naught?" He grasped the younger vampire's chin and tilted his face up to his. His mouth suddenly descended on Jean-Claude's in a deep, passionate kiss. Gradually his arms folded possessively around Jean-Claude's back, imprisoning him to his naked body.

Jean-Claude tensed at first, then grasped Asher's hips. His hands slid caressingly over the taut roundness of Asher's buttocks. He moaned into Asher's mouth and curled himself tightly around him, so there was no part of him he was not touching.

Once freed of Asher's torrid embrace, Jean-Claude exhaled forcefully. "Not you, Asher, never with you. I meant Julianna...."

I opened the door to the bedroom a little wider, my ears perking up at the way Jean-Claude had spoken my name. Such longing, such reverance, such...despair.

Asher was still holding him, dotting his face with small kisses. Jean-Claude's eyes were closed and I could see the slight glint of tears on his cheeks reflecting the flickering light from the fire.

"Julianna?" Asher mumbled. "I don't understand."

"I'm such a fool," Jean-Claude went on, his voice a breathy, barely audible whisper.

Asher shook his head and leaned back to look at Jean-Claude's face. Jean-Claude opened his eyes and looked up at him and another tear slid down his cheek. Asher sighed heavily and drew Jean-Claude to him in a tight hug.

"My dear friend, what is it? Tell me," Asher pleaded. "Why do you berate yourself so?"

"My reasons are viable," Jean-Claude murmured into Asher's shoulder. "I think I am in love with Julianna."

I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing Jean-Claude utter those words. I never imagined he'd fallen in love with me. I had always known he desired me--he had made that obvious from the moment I met him. I truly didn't think I was the kind of woman who interested him, however--as far as having a bonafide relationship with goes.

Oh, how I wished I had understood sooner. How differently I would have treated him tonight. But as heartwarming as the thought of having Jean-Claude's love was, I was troubled by the awareness that I was not exactly in love with him. I was very fond of him, and as he knew, I found him quite attractive, but I wasn't in love with him. Did he believe I was? Had I done something to make him entertain such a notion? I cursed myself, though for what reason, I was not sure.

Asher smiled gently. "You think you are in love with her? You are not sure?"

Jean-Claude pulled away from Asher and stepped back. He shook his head, his wet hair flinging tiny droplets of water about the room. "What I feel for her seems different somehow."

Asher shrugged. "Different from what you feel for me?"

Jean-Claude bit his lower lip before replying. "We are lovers, Julianna and I are not. Perhaps that is where the difference lies. Perhaps I do equate sex with love. I have never known love without sex. As it was, I tried to show her what I was feeling, but I only confused her. She thought I was trying to seduce her. My expression of love appeared to be nothing more than a proposition of sex. But truly, I only wanted to touch her to look into her eyes and see a reflection of love in them. For me."

"Julianna loves you, Jean-Claude," Asher countered. "I know she cares for you deeply."

"Cares for me," Jean-Claude fairly growled. "I think I realized tonight that is all she can offer me. After all, her heart is so completely possessed by you. There is nothing left of true love there for me."

Asher reached out and brushed a strand of Jean-Claude's hair off his face. "Would you say the same of me?"

The younger vampire looked up at him, his eyes widening slightly. He grasped Asher's outstretched hand and pressed a soft kiss on his palm.

"I...I don't know what you mean."

Asher sighed softly. "Only that you underestimate our Julianna. I am inclined to say I love her with all my heart, but that is not entirely true, as you too, possess a piece of it. Do you believe Julianna any less capable of such love? She, whose heart is ten times that of mine? Do not give up on her, mon ami. Earn her love, win her heart as you have won mine."

A faint smile brightened Jean-Claude's face. "With you it was easy," he told Asher. "Ours was a very...physical...relationship from the beginning, if you recall." He dropped Asher's hand and sighed heavily. "I cannot express myself in that way with her. Even the slightest, most innocent touch with her comes across as seduction from me. I...do not know how to express my feelings any other way."

"Then perhaps it is time you learn," Asher replied. "Remember, she is a woman."

Jean-Claude's smiled even more. "That should not be too terribly difficult..."

Asher sneered at him. "Maybe I should have said, she is delicate in nature and feminine, and not another vampire. Definitely not one of those oversexed courtiers, or aristocrats you so often find yourself in the company of." He paused then, and his face lit with revelation. "Think of her as an angel. Keep in mind the purity of her heart, the gentle goodness and compassion that makes up the very fiber of her being."

Jean-Claude looked crestfallen. He sighed again and frowned deeply. "How does an incubus vampire go about courting a creature from heaven?"

Moving to stand beside him, Asher threw his arm around Jean-Claude's shoulder and pressed an affectionate kiss on his temple. "With a little care, kindness, and romance, my friend. Be sweet to her. Offer her trinkets. Flowers. Flattery."

"Flowers? Do women really respond to such things?" Jean-Claude sounded rather dubious. From his experience, women responded to being disrobed by him.

"Offer her one, for no apparent reason beside the fact you came upon it and thought of her, and you'll see for yourself," Asher informed him.

Jean-Claude peered up at Asher adoringly. He moved to stand in front of him and reached up to stroke Asher's face with the softest of caresses. They stood, looking deeply into each other's eyes like that for several moments before bending towards each other as if drawn together by some invisible force, and kissed, quite tenderly this time.

Then Asher pulled Jean-Claude's shirt over his head and worked to unfasten the lacings of his trousers. Slowly and methodically, he undressed his lover to give even the slightest movement, the faintest touch, a significance all its own. His hands slid over Jean-Claude's body with undisclosed savor, reveling in the silkiness of his skin, the toned firmness of his muscles, and the perfection of his form.

Jean-Claude's hands were busy as well, exploring the planes of Asher's body as though he was touching him for the first time, marveling at every hollow, curve, and texture within his reach. He dragged his lips over Asher's forehead, kissing his eyes and down his cheeks. Then he took his head in his hands, easing his mouth over Asher's with a slow sinking pressure so sensual, it made Asher moan into Jean-Claude's mouth.

Standing together, the vampires wrapped their arms around each other and descended languidly to the floor in front of the fireplace where they kissed again.

Then Jean-Claude lay down beneath Asher, holding him tightly, as Asher nibbled along the line of his jaw. He entwined one shapely leg around Asher's and used his heel to stroke the back of Asher's knee, his hands kneading Asher's sides.

Jean-Claude knew the backs of Asher's knees was one of his peculiar errogenous zones few were aware of and Asher became quite aroused if touched there just right. He writhed against Jean-Claude, incorporating his entire body to caress him now, bringing forth soft, heated moans from the depths of Jean-Claude's throat which matched his own.

Slowly Asher worked his way down the younger vampire's prone body, kissing random places on his chest and stomach and groin with a fervency that spoke of his increasing desire. So obviously delighting in his lover's body, Asher fairly growled with pleasure, running his hand down Jean-Claude's long legs while gnawing his abdomen. Positioning himself between them, Asher licked a slow, wet line along Jean-Claude's inner thigh.

Jean-Claude released his breath forcefully through his teeth and reached out, stroking Asher's hair several times, pushing it back from his face. Then he delved his fingers into those tousled golden locks, cradling Asher's head in his slender, elegant hands. He closed his eyes in anticipation and gasped loudly when Asher finally took him in his mouth, then sighed softly,deeply, in unconcealed rapture.

I stood staring at the two vampires from behind the door for the longest time, still too taken aback by their exchange of words to move, and also mesmerized by the erotic voyeurism of watching Asher and Jean-Claude make love. Finally, I turned away to grant them some privacy, feeling the weight of fatigue draw me back to the downy comfort of my bed. I slipped beneath the quilts, my mind full of questions, wonder, and discord that I was simply too tired to reason through, and fell asleep listening to the soft masculine sighs and groans coming from the other room.

********

Normally, I would wake before the vampires. Early afternoon at the latest. It worked out well, for I had time to bathe and dress, do some shopping if necessary and eat a little supper before being in their midst.

Asher and Jean-Claude employed a maid, a young shapeshifter from Belle Morte's court named Portia. She was a pleasant enough girl, but rarely seemed to be around when I needed her. She came to the apartments just after dawn and worked there while the three of us slept, cleaning and cooking for me, receiving the mail and seeing to the household accounts for the vampires. She normally left at half past three, just about the time I would stumble out of my bedroom. Sometimes I could persuade her to stay longer and help me into a gown if Asher and I were going out some evening, that is, if I woke before she left for the day.

Tonight, I came out into the living room well after four to find her sitting on the damask sofa, her hands folded tidily in her lap as if waiting for me.

"Ah, tres bon, you are up at last!" Portia greeted me and hopped to her feet. "Now we can get to work!"

She skipped towards me enthusiastically and tugged at the sash of my robe as I stood staring at her in open-mouthed shock. I tried pushing her off of me, but she would have none of it.

"Mademoiselle, if you are to have a bath and be dressed by seven, you need to relinquish your robe," Portia insisted. "I have the water ready, I need only fill the tub."

I yanked the lapels of my robe from her grasp and stomped my foot. "Wait! What is all this about? Asher said nothing to me last night about going out this evening." A thought suddenly occurred to me and I rolled my eyes. "Please tell me he hasn't been summoned to Court. He just got home last night."

The last thing I wanted to do was follow Asher around Court as he followed Belle Morte tonight. She would often make a point of putting her hands on him lasciviously and kissing him open-mouthed in front of me, just to vex me and try my patience. It does vex me, but I have learned to hide it well, for there is nothing I can do about it. Belle Morte owns Asher and treats him as a mere possession. I know there are other, worse things Belle Morte subjects Asher to--Jean-Claude as well, for that matter--but those things are kept behind closed doors, far away from my too-human eyes and heart to have to suffer through.

I was already working myself into a lather at the idea of going to Court, but thankfully, Portia assured me such was not the case tonight.

"Non, not to Court, Mademoiselle, but I understand you are going out tonight. I was instructed by Monsieur to dress you for the theatre." She produced a small piece of parchment stationery from her apron and offered it to me. "Ah, and there is that left for you by Monsieur." She now gestured at another sheet of parchment sitting on the fireplace mantle.

I raised my brow as I accepted the letter of instruction from her. "Asher is taking me to the theatre?" I wondered why he hadn't mentioned it before.

But one look at the writing on the page dispelled my assumption. The instructions were written in Jean-Claude's hand, not Asher's. I handed the note back to Portia and stalked over to the fireplace mantle. That note too, addressed to me, was in Jean-Claude's hand.

I took it and opened it and read carefully. It said:

My dearest Julianna,

Accept my apologies for my behavior last night.

Asher told me that you were disheartened by

what I had said and done and therefore,

I feel compelled to make amends.

Please come out with me to the theatre tonight.

The curtain rises at eight. I will have to meet you

there, but I will be on time. Until then, cherie.

Jean-Claude

Inside the note was a single ticket to the new opera which had opened just a few months ago. I had heard about it and secretly wished to see it, but wanted to see it with Asher, not Jean-Claude. I sighed heavily and faced Portia.

She frowned at me. "Why the long face, Mademoiselle? Had I an invitation to the theatre from Monsieur Jean, I would not look quite so sad. Mais non, I would look happy. Much happier than that."

"Oh, I am...happy, it is just...I know what he is trying to do and I know it is not going to work out and that makes me sad. For him," I admitted. I would have to tell him tonight: tell him that I loved him as a friend and nothing more and nothing he could say or do would change the aspects of our relationship. He had the right to know. I would not lead him on. I would accept his invitation as the apology he intended it to be and leave it at that.

Portia shrugged, not comprehending and not particularly caring to. "Your bath, Mademoiselle. It will grow cold soon. We must hurry."

********

Hurry we did, for I was bathed, dressed, and out the door at twilight. I opted to have supper in a small cafe not far from the theatre and then retire to the box seats Jean-Claude had procured to wait for him there.

I sat fanning myself distractedly, studying the color patterns of the enormous chandlier gracing the ceiling of the opera house. The lamps in the halls were being dimmed as it was nearly time for the curtain to rise. The conductor was making his way to the front of the orchestra to thunderous applause from the opera's numerous patrons. I was beginning to worry. Jean-Claude said he would be on time, but this was cutting it a little too close.

I had no sooner thought that, when I felt his presence just behind me. I turned around the best I could in my corset and numerous paddings and silk skirts, a sharp rebuke on the tip of my tongue. I would have no time to talk to him now before the performance, but then, perhaps he had planned it that way. However all such reproachful inclination left me the moment my eyes fell upon him. To say he looked breathtaking would not do him justice, though he truly did take my breath away.

He wore a beautifully tailored, sleek blue waistcoat of the like I had never seen him in before. It matched the color of his sparkling eyes. His shirt was a mound of ruffled white lace and his vest and pants were of a simliar dark, but more vivid blue than his coat. His long hair was painstakingly curled to perfection in what must have been hundreds of finger-length curls. How he had managed to achieve such a state of formality in so short a time was beyond me. I noticed too, he held a hat, which matched his coat to perfection, in his right hand, and used it to affect the most practiced bow before me, then gallantly presented me with a rose of an exquisitely beautiful powder-like pink.

He smiled at me then and praised my choice of gowns and complimented the styling of my hair, but I was still too awestruck to grasp his flattery. Instead, I sniffed delicately at the rose he'd given me and turned my face away from him to clear my head. I deserved no such praise, for he was far lovelier than I tonight.

"I am so pleased you agreed to accompany me this evening," Jean-Claude continued, arranging himself in the velvet-cushioned seat to my left.

"I accept your apology," I managed and cleared my suddenly dry throat. "And I thank you for the rose. How thoughtful."

"It comes from Belle Morte's garden," he informed me. "Her roses are the finest in the city. She uses her power to enhance them. Their color and their scent. Do you like it? I have spent many hours in her garden and knew the exact bloom I wished to present to you. It comes from a trellised vine by the name of Eternity."

My eyes widened slightly and I looked over at him surprised. "You took this from her garden? Oh Jean-Claude, how could you? You know the woman despises me as it is. Should she ever find out--"

Jean-Claude laughed lightly, which sent a cascade of warm tingles over my skin. "She will not miss it, I can assure you. Would you have settled for a bloom of lesser quality to appease her possessive vanity?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Jean-Claude's finger was on my lips. Another wash of heated tingles danced over me.

"Hush," he chided. "You may have, but to present you with anything but the finest would not have been worthy of you, ma cherie."

The theatre was completely dark now and the maestro raised his arms. A low humming from a single violin filled the air. The curtain over the stage began to rise and reveal the complex scenery beyond its folds. I turned towards it, clutching my rose to my breast and sank back into the cushions of my seat. There would be no more chance for me to talk anyway. I would simply have to insist on a conversation after the performance if I were to get said what needed saying.

Jean-Claude leaned towards me and I felt the brush of his perfect curls against the side of my face. I resisted the urge to turn and look at him.

"Relax, Julianna. This is your night," he whispered in my ear. "Enjoy yourself." With that, he sat back and focused his attention on the stage below us.

Only then did I turn slightly and peek at him. How absolutely splendid he looked sitting there. He was so entrancing, I was having a difficult time convincing myself the matters of the opera were more appealing than the man beside me. To my chagrin, I soon realized I was not the only one struggling so. I just happened to catch the gaping, adoring gazes Jean-Claude was garnering from the ladies in the booths around us before they noticed me and turned away in coy embarrassment. With a sigh of resignation, I turned my attention to the performance, already well under way.

********

With regret, I confess I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to follow the opera very closely, though what I was able to grasp was soaringly beautiful.

Jean-Claude rose to his feet after the last of the applause had died away and stretched out his hand towards me. I took it, but was reluctant to leave.

"Oh Jean-Claude, that was marvelous, truly. Thank you so very much."

"You are quite welcome, Julianna. It was my pleasure," he replied. Then: "No doubt you are anxious to get home to Asher now. I will hire a carriage for you to take you back."

I was anxious to see Asher, but then I wasn't quite ready to take my leave of Jean-Claude. I shook my head demurely and squeezed Jean-Claude's hand.

"Can't we find an open shop to linger over a pot of tea for an hour or two?" I suggested, determined to speak with him. "Or do you have to be somewhere tonight? Is that the reason for your haste?" I was painfully aware of the fact Jean-Claude was often sent out on assignment by Belle Morte even more so than Asher.

The smile my simple offer provoked was no less than dazzling. Jean-Claude bowed slightly over my hand and pulled me to my feet.

"If that is what my lady so wishes," he breathed. "There is no where in particular I need to be tonight."

I smiled now, but I know the smile did not reach my eyes. "Good. I was hoping to speak to you about something of a rather sensitive nature that demands to be said. Something that has recently been made known to me."

Placing my hand upon his arm, Jean-Claude escorted me through the milling crowd, saying nothing. His face had taken on that distant, remote expression he often wore when troubled however, and I wondered what could possibly be going through his mind.

"I didn't mean to alarm you," I consoled him, leaning against him as we made our way out onto the bustling street in front of the theatre.

He turned to look at me then. "Do I appear alarmed to you?" he asked, softly.

I nodded. "I know that particular expression of passivity, Jean-Claude, for Asher often adopts it when he is most upset about something," I informed him. I stopped walking, forcing him to stand with me.

Jean-Claude sighed, but still looked utterly composed. "There is only one concern of yours I can think of which may be of, as you put it, sensitive in nature, and that is Asher." He closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep steadying breath, totally betraying the extent of his alarm with the gesture. He opened his eyes and faced me again, his gaze all but pleading. "If this is about him, if you know something which I am yet unaware of, that concerns him, I beg you to tell me now. Please don't make me wait until we are seated at a table over tea. Has it been this bit of news that has distacted you all evening?"

Shaking my head, I almost toppled the hairpiece Portia had so carefully applied. "No. No. It is not about Asher. Nothing is wrong, I swear to you." Naturally he would think my concerns were for Asher. What other subject ever graced our conversation with such frequency and depth? I realized then, Jean-Claude and I scarcely talked of anything but Asher. I knew so little of Jean-Claude, the man. Strange for having resided with him so intimately under the same roof for so long. I decided right then and there I would not discourage him tonight, but instead ask him questions and learn, once and for all, who he really was.

Much to my dismay, his concern, quite readible on his face now, shifted to me. He stepped in front of me and took my free hand tightly in both of his. I still clutched his rose in the other.

"Julianna, has this something to do with you then? You say nothing is wrong, yet you are troubled and sad and no matter what I have done this night, I cannot seem to lighten your mood."

I lowered my eyes and frowned. There was nothing left but the truth. Had I tried to ply him with anything less, he would have sensed it.

"Yes and no," I began, my voice sounding strained. "I was not sleeping when you returned home last night. I overheard you confiding in Asher. I am aware of everything you said to him."

Jean-Claude grew very still before me. "Everything?" he asked breathily.

I nodded. "You believe you are in love with me and have now set out to stir my heart for you." I looked up at him and sighed softly.

He peered at me so intensely then, I could almost feel the weight of his gaze. Several moments passed before he finally spoke.

"I am in love with you, Julianna. I have been for quite some time, but have only recently recognized my feelings for what they are." He paused and squeezed my hand gently. "I regret that I was not able to convey my sentiments to you personally. I did try...and failed, as I am certain you now know--I told Asher as much last night. I truly wanted you to know what I feel for you. I am not put off by the manner in which such information was attained. Did you think I would be offended?"

Licking my tinted lips in agitation, I pulled from Jean-Claude's grasp. I wanted to turn away from him, but forced myself to look him in the eye. "It is not that. My trouble stems from the fact that I do not love you in return, not as you want me to. I do not wish to hurt you, for you have become quite dear to me in the time I have known you, but my heart belongs to Asher. I cannot love you, Jean-Claude and I cannot allow you to pursue me further. I accepted your invitation tonight as a courtesy. That is all." I freed my gaze from his lovely face and let it fall upon the velvety rose blossom I held to my chest.

There. It was said. It was over. I steeled myself for the misery to come, but apparently I underestimated Jean-Claude just then. His finely-honed arrogance would see him through my rejection unscathed and quite undaunted.

"Ma cherie, that makes no sense," he muttered. "How can you be so certain you will not fall in love with me if you will not allow me to court you?"

Startled, I looked up at him again. "Because a woman knows such things!" I replied, indignant and flustered.

A slow, sexy smile lit Jean-Claude's face just then. It made my heart flutter in spite of myself.

"How do you know?" he persisted, placing his hands on his slender hips.

"I just know."

"You don't."

I sighed. Actually, he was right. I didn't know. Perhaps if he did woo me properly, and I came to know him better as a person, there was always a remote chance, the slightest possibility. Observing his rather defiant stance, I quickly came to the conclusion, if I did not give in to him, our present argument would carry on throughout eternity, for he would remain as entirely unswayed by my conviction as he was now.

Jean-Claude must have felt my wavering resolve for he continued on determinedly.

"Julianna, do you recall the way you felt about me when you first learned Asher and I were lovers?"

I did, so I nodded. I knew right away what his point was. "I disliked you. I nearly hated you."

Jean-Claude nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me, cherie, do you feel that way about me now?"

Frowning, I shook my head. "You know I don't."

Raising his hands in a gesture befitting an obvious conclusion, Jean-Claude smiled and said, "There, you see? Had I inquired of you then if there was ever a chance you might like me, would you have said 'yes'?" He shook his head. "I do not think so."

I had to smile. It was true. It was all true. "Very well," I conceded. "You may continue to court me if you desire, but I will not, cannot, guarantee my feelings will be affected by it. And I must insist you not court me so...extravagantly as you have tonight."

Jean-Claude's expression sobered in the blink of an eye. "Tonight was compensation for my behavior the night before," he said quietly. "My indignation gave me no right to speak to you the way I did. It was my own folly which led to your misunderstanding. I deeply regret worrying you. If I could have done more for you tonight to make amends, I would have."

My heart was thudding in my chest as I gazed at Jean-Claude with undisclosed affection. I reached up and touched his cheek with my hand. He closed his eyes and leaned into it, covering my hand with his.

"There is one more thing you could do for me tonight," I whispered.

Jean-Claude slowly opened his eyes and peered down at me. "Anything," he sighed.

I smiled. "Buy me a pot of tea and sit with me while I drink it?"

Turning his head, Jean-Claude pressed a light kiss into my palm and nodded. "I'd be delighted," he murmured. He trailed his soft, full lips down to my wrist before catching himself and releasing my hand. "Forgive me," he breathed. "I promised myself I would not touch you in anyway that could be misconstrued, but it is difficult. You have my permission to strike me if you ever feel I venture beyond what is appropriate." He paused and shrugged slightly. "I will have to experiment, however, to gauge my progress. The levels of intimacy I am allowed will tell me what I need to know."

He sounded so analytical, I had to laugh. He really had given my courtship a great deal of consideration. "I understand," I told him, slipping my hand back in his.

We started walking again. I very much wanted that pot of tea, for I was chilled to the bone now from the dampness of the night, but I wanted my conversation with Jean-Claude more so. As it was, I steered him to the cafe I had dined at earlier this evening. We were given a secluded booth by the fireplace and ordered a fresh pot of black tea. One cup and saucer.

********

My long overdue conversation with Jean-Claude carried me from his childhood through all the sordid and heartwrenching details of his life, death, and existence as a vampire. Asher had relayed few facts to me previously and so I sat, my pot of tea soon forgotten, awed and moved by Jean-Claude's story.

He spoke quite candidly and eloquently, with only an occasional bitterness tainting his tone. How he had come away from such experiences as unscathed as he had was beyond me. I could not stop the welling tears from falling from my eyes at the suffering I imagined this poor man had endured.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, dabbing my eyes with the white linen nakin folded at my place setting. "Please go on."

Shaking his head, Jean-Claude smiled warmly, and came to sit beside me. He drew me into his arms and hugged me as I cried upon his chest.

"Do not weep for me, Julianna," he whispered in my ear. "You know I cannot bear to see you cry."

I sniffed, rather indelicately. "You were only answering the questions I put forth to you," I began. "It is only that I had no idea."

"How could you?"

"Oh Jean-Claude," I moaned miserably. "If only I possessed a fifth of your strength. I would feel as if I could take on the whole world."

Jean-Claude laughed lightly and nuzzled my hair. "You do not need to be strong. You have Asher...and me. We will be strong for you."

I continued resting my head comfortably on the pillow of lace covering his chest and snuggled my body closer to him. He tightened his hold of me and I felt his lips brush my forehead. I could hear his heart beating gently, feel the steady rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took, and suddenly became aware of how much I wanted to raise my face to his and capture his beautiful mouth with mine. It seemed strange to feel that way about him so soon. To thwart the inclination, I pushed myself away from him and wiped my watery eyes with the back of my hand.

"It is getting late," I announced. "We should head home."

Jean-Claude nodded readily. "Yes," he agreed. "Asher will start to wonder where we are." Without further delay, he rose and summoned the garcon, who came to us promptly. We were after all, the cafe's last patrons of the night. Pressing a coin into the boy's hand for the tea I had barely touched, Jean-Claude thanked him for the choice booth he'd given us, then turned to help me to my feet. He placed my cloak over my shoulders and took my hand in his.

We walked in silence through the quiet streets until we happened upon a waiting hansome cab and climbed in. Jean-Claude paid the driver extra to take us through the park, for it was scenic and quite peaceful at night.

I found I only had eyes for Jean-Claude however and noticed little of the picturesque view. I had always found Jean-Claude to be strikingly handsome, but tonight, gazing upon him beside me in the cab, knowing what I did of him now, it was as though I was seeing him for the first time all over again.

********

We arrived home in the wee hours of the morning. There was only a few hours left before dawn, but I knew Asher would still be up and about. It seemed like an eternity since I last saw him. I wanted to feel his arms around me, his kiss upon my lips, and the reassurance of his caress. I was keenly aware that only a scant hour had passed since I craved the very same from Jean-Claude.

I pondered the fact that, yes, these were the cravings Jean-Claude had spoken of the night before. The offerings he had presented to me. Mutually having someone to hold and kiss and love on a lonely rainy night. Cravings I had normally relied on Asher to satisfy, but now saw a real possibility that Jean-Claude could fulfill them too. Last night made so much more sense now. If only I had opened my eyes and heart and understood.

Asher was waiting at the door to greet us as we came in. He bestowed welcoming kisses upon both our cheeks, but it was me he drew into his arms and lingered over. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jean-Claude walk past us towards the room where he kept his things on the opposite side of the hall from mine. He disappeared behind its door and Asher and I were suddenly alone.

"Did you have a pleasant time, ma cherie?" he asked me, casting an appraising eye up and down my person. "You look astoundingly beautiful tonight. Jean-Claude must have been the envy of every gentleman there."

"Yes, I had a wonderful time," I said and blushed. No matter how many times Asher complimented my looks, he could still make my cheeks burn. "Perhaps some men envied Jean-Claude on my behalf, but I know for a fact many a green eye turned on me because of Jean-Claude." I gestured at the closed door to his room. "Did you get a good look at him? He looked incredible this evening."

Asher smiled easily and nodded. "Cherie, how do you think he got that way? Not an easy feat considering our limited time, but between Portia and I, he did turn out well, didn't he?"

Ah, so Asher and Portia had helped dress him. "To say the least," I replied. "I hope you told him as much."

Asher's crystalline eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, before he departed, there was no doubt in his mind how delectable I found him this evening. Why do you think he was nearly late?" He paused and winked at me. "I simply could not help myself. Then he insisted on another bath. We had to dress him all over again and Portia, dear sweet, indulgent Portia, stayed to repair his hair."

I laughed. "Why you lecherous cad, how dare you partake of MY date!" I tapped him playfully on the chin with my rose.

Taking me in his arms once more, Asher smiled and kissed me. "I would just as readily partake of you, Julianna, my dove, but I fear by the time I liberate you of your petticoats and corset, the night will have been spent."

Now that he mentioned it, my body began to fairly ache to be free of my fashionable prison. I wiggled uncomfortably in his arms.

"I will barter with you," I said slyly. "Help me undress tonight and tomorrow night when you rise, I will greet you wearing nothing at all."

Asher leaned forward and kissed me again. This time slowly and seductively. A hint of things to come, no doubt.

"Sounds like a fair deal to me," he murmured and nibbled his way down my neck. "Tomorrow you are all mine."

I sighed in anticipation. "Sounds like a fair deal to me as well." I forced myself to pull away from him and started sauntering towards my bedroom. I turned and crooked my finger at Asher, bidding him to follow.

********

Asher did manage to get me out of my gown before he retired for the day. Thankfully he was as proficient with the intricacies of feminine attire as he was with men's, since I did not have Portia at my ready disposal. There had been enough times when I had to rely on Jean-Claude as well, to help me in and out of my clothes. He too, proved himself quite adept at managing ladies' unmentionables.

Alone now in my bedroom, I sat at my vanity table, comfortable once more in my plain muslin nightgown, and brushed out my hair. I was tired to the bone, but feeling quite appreciated and admired by the two men in my life. A good feeling that.

I went to bed and fell fast asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and dreamt the most peculiar dreams of costumed angels and operaettas, teapots and copper bathtubs. Throughout the dream, a beautiful boy with luxurious black curls sang an aria so lovely and stirring, I woke to find my pillow casing wet with my tears.

It was early afternoon, my usual time of rising, but Portia had already left for the day. She should have been given the day off considering the extra time she had put in yesterday, but Portia was somewhat enamored of Asher and Jean-Claude--what female wouldn't be?--and there was little she would not do for them.

I stumbled out into the kitchenette and put a kettle on the fire to heat water for tea and to wash my face and hands with. I noticed the small pile of new letters on the table where Portia usually left them. She knew my habits well and always put our mail beside a clean teacup and saucer to be sure I'd see both.

I went to retrieve the letters, usually bills or invitations to some marquis' birthday party or some grand duchess' masked ball. My hand froze however, upon spying the all too familiar, and dreaded, rose motif of Belle Morte's stationery at the very top of the pile. I felt all the color drain from my face and held my breath. A summons, perhaps, or another assignment. The note was addressed to both Asher and Jean-Claude. I stared at it a very long time, unable to move, and debated whether to open it.

The kettle began to whistle, breaking into my reverie. The water was nearly bubbling over! I turned my attention to the kettle with a rare curse and seized it from the fire. The water would be too hot to bathe in now. I could drink my tea first, and wait for the water to cool a little, but felt a little put off by having to alter my waking routine even that much.

With shaking hands, I tried not to think about the letter and set about brewing my tea. I poured a little of the boiling water into the basin I used to wash with. Clutching my robe in one hand and the kettle in another, I tramped to the open window and cast the remaining water into the street below, then returned to the pump to refill it. I added that cold water to the hot water in the basin and tested the temperature with my hand. It was too cold now. Cursing again, I placed the kettle back on the fire and sat at the table to wait for it to heat back up, wondering whether or not to toss out the tepid water in the basin as I had done with the kettle water.

Such decisions! I soon found myself dissolving in tears of childish frustration, but in the back of my mind, I knew Belle Morte's letter was the real reason for my distress. I did not think I could bear anymore of her cruelty. Asher had only been home two nights. The thought of him having to leave me again was like a knife stabbing my heart. And if it were a mere summons, I was to simply stand by and let Belle Morte use him in any manner she saw fit.

I pounded my fist on the table, rattling my teacup and spilling my tea. But I didn't care. The kettle water was boiling again, but I didn't care. I remembered what Jean-Claude had told me last night: of the horrific tortures and abuse he had endured at the hands of the more powerful vampires and how Belle often sent him to someone as a payment of a debt or as a bribery for a favor. He was nothing more than a prostitute to her. Did she know anything of his heart? Did she know anything about him at all besides his prowess in bed?

Finally at my wit's end, I seized the brewing tea and flung it to the stone floor, the saucer thus collided with the wall opposite me, as well as any other small object within my reach. Oh, how tempting it was to hurl that wretched woman's note into the fire!

Well, I had placated Asher the hour before dawn, telling him I would greet him in nothing at all and that is exactly how he and Jean-Claude found me when they rose for the night. I was still in my robe, unwashed, undressed, scrubbing the scalded kettle and floor to amend the mess I had made in my frustration earlier. As it was, my robe was stained now with tea and charcoal,and I had cut my hand on all the pottery I had shattered, thus wrapping it carelessly in a strip of rag. To say I was in a sorry state when Asher happened upon me, was quite the understatement.

He knew immediately something was wrong. He knelt before me on the floor and reached over to brush the loose tendrils of my hair from my eyes. So tenderly. Lifting and examing my injured hand, his eyes narrowed in concern. I stopped my chore and leaned into him, drawing from his quiet strength and let him hold me there on the half-scrubbed floor.

Jean-Claude stood leaning against the wall surveying the damage with a carefully blank expression on his face. The only hint of discomfort I gleaned from him was the small move he made to gather his robe more tightly around himself as if suddenly chilled. He too, knew something was wrong.

"I am sorry," I apologized to him, then looked up at Asher. "So sorry. This was childish of me. I am so very ashamed."

Asher bent to kiss my forehead. "Julianna, my dear. Did you have a bad day?"

All I could do was nod slowly.

Sparing a concerned glance up at Jean-Claude, Asher shrugged slightly before turning sympathetic eyes on me. He rose to his feet and drew me up with him, holding me close. "Leave this. We shall deal with it later. Come and sit down. Tell me what troubles you."

Now I shook my head and gestured feebly towards the table. "The mail," I tried to explain.

Asher and Jean-Claude both looked in the direction I had indicated. It was Jean-Claude who crossed the room to retrieve the bundle of letters, since Asher still had his hands full with me, literally.

I knew the moment Jean-Claude recognized the top piece, for his whole body tensed and he shot a look of undisclosed apprehension at Asher.

"There is a note from Belle," Jean-Claude murmured.

Asher closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Standing as close to him as I was, I could feel the smallest shudder course over his body. I hugged him tightly, shaking my head adamantly.

"No. You are not going anywhere this time!" I grumbled. "I don't care how powerful she is! She can find another vampire to do her bidding."

"Julianna," Asher began in a soft, appeasing tone. "We don't even know what she wants yet. Do not jump to conclusions." He pried my arms from around him and stepped away from me. His expression was quite pained and I know he was dreading his mistress' decree as much as I was, but I also knew he had set me aside to let me know he wasn't about to tolerate my protests. Belle Morte was becoming a rather sore subject between the two of us.

I put my hands on my hips. "There are only two conclusions I can make, Asher," I argued. "A summons to her bedchamber or an assignment that will carry you to someone else's bedchamber or worse."

"Would you rather see me punished?" Asher shot back, his eyes flashing like lightening. He turned from me then and strode into the parlor.

I ran after him and grabbed ahold of his arm once I caught up to him and hauled him around to face me. "How can you let her mistreat you like this?"

Asher pulled free of my grasp. "I will not condone jealousy from you, Julianna. I have explained this to you time and time again."

Tears stung my eyes. "I am not jealous! I am concerned!" I protested, stomping my foot for emphasis.

"You are acting like a spoiled, possessive fishwife!" Asher retaliated hotly.

"Asher! Enough!" Jean-Claude yelled from behind me, startling me. He walked past me, towards Asher with a slow, gliding stride.

Asher looked into Jean-Claude's eyes as he approached, and I saw the hardness of Asher's expression soften. His mask of anger dissolved away to reveal his deepening sorrow and pain.

Sighing, Jean-Claude drew Asher into his arms, tenderly kissing his face and stroking his hair. He whispered softly in his ear. Leaning against the younger vampire's body, Asher close his eyes and trembled.

He folded his arms around Jean-Claude's neck, clinging to him as though he were the only strength he had left. I realized then, as I should have before, that my protests and distress made it that much harder for Asher. He loved me and to see me so distraught had all but broken his heart.

Suddenly, I felt deeply ashamed and sickened with remorse. Jean-Claude had recognized Asher's pain where I had not. Tentatively, I crept forward, ready to throw myself at Asher's feet and beg forgiveness.

"Julianna loves you so deeply, she cannot bear the thought of you away from her again, for whatever reason," Jean-Claude told Asher. "And I cannot bear to see her so torn asunder. I will take your place. Whatever Belle wants of you, I will beg her to let me go in your stead."

My heart twisted inside me at Jean-Claude's noble suggestion. I adored the fact he loved Asher the way he did. The way I did. And he loved me. I truly believed that now. He had said he could not bear to see me in such pain. Sadly, he seemed to believe I would not care so much if he were sent away. That assumption left me feeling breathless and chilled. The fact was, I did care. I cared so much, the thought of him having to subject himself to that despicable woman's barbaric whims made me want to cry, scream, and start throwing things all over again.

Asher leaned away from Jean-Claude and shook his head.

"I appreciate your offer, mon ami,"Asher said to him softly, "but the letter is addressed to us both. You cannot be in two places at the same time." He reached up and lovingly trailed his fingers through Jean-Claude's hair.

Jean-Claude closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He nuzzled Asher's hand and brushed his lips over his fingers.

"Perhaps, if we read the letter first, we can come up with a more suitable solution," Jean-Claude stated breathily.

Asher nodded his consent. I could only stand by, feeling nauseous and numb. I did not want to know what was written. There remained the possibility that I would lose one or both of them to a far off assignment. One of them was bad enough. Both of them was unimaginable.

Jean-Claude pressed a soft kiss on Asher's brow, then released him and glided back into the kitchenette to retrieve the letter. Asher and I looked at each other, an awkward tension filling the room. Finally Asher held out his hand.

"Julianna...come to me," he whispered.

I took one hesitant step, then practically flew into his arms. He caught me and embraced me tightly, his breath hitching with emotion. I wrapped my arms around his waist and lay my head upon his chest.

"Forgive me," I sniffed. "I know I have behaved abominably. It is just that I love you so very much. I would do anything to keep you safe."

"As I would do anything in my power to make you happy," Asher replied. "I loathe these summons. You know I do. But it is not within my power to disregard them. I am not my own person. Neither is Jean-Claude. We do what we must do to survive the best we can. You know we are too valuable to Belle for her to do any permanent damage to us. Jean-Claude and I can endure a little cruelty from time to time. Please promise me, Julianna. Do not be so anxious for us. My heart cannot take it."

I wiped futilely at my rapidly watering eyes. "I wish we could just leave this place. Leave Belle Morte and all of them behind."

Asher kissed me and smiled gently. "One day, cherie. I promise."

He peered up suddenly and I turned around in his arms to see Jean-Claude.

"I do hope such lofty aspirations include me," he said with a grin. He was holding the letter in his hand. It was opened, but strangely enough, whatever it contained seemed to have brightened his mood considerably. He came towards us and held the note out to Asher. "The portrait Belle commissioned some months ago of the two of us is to be presented to her tomorrow night. She requests the honor of our presence at its unveiling." He laughed then, a robust, joyous laugh that sent a tingling wave over my skin.

Asher and I sighed heavily with relief. He took the letter from Jean-Claude and scanned its contents, then threw the beastly thing up into the air. He grabbed me and swung me around the room ecstatically until I was nearly dizzy and begged to be set down. When he did, I half-staggered to the nearest chair and flopped, quite unlady-like into it. Asher turned from me and went to Jean-Claude. He grabbed hold of him as well, but kissed him--deeply, and with such passion, the younger vampire moaned sensuously.

"We need to celebrate!" Asher abruptly announced. "We need to go out! We should take Julianna to the finest restaurant and let her gorge herself on decadently rich food. Then, we need to find the social gathering of the season and waltz the night away under the stars." He faced me with the most boyishly charming smile. "What do you think, ma cherie?"

I laughed, delighted, and nodded my consent. Asher turned to Jean-Claude next, and raised his brow.

"I think we better feed first," Jean-Claude said, the very voice of reason. He sighed softly and started across the room. "I will get dressed and go out. It won't take me but an hour."

He meant to hunt and I knew this, but was suddenly and strangely unsettled by the idea. It wasn't the idea of him feeding--I'd been among vampires far too long to be put off by that. It was more the thought of him having to feed off some unsavory derelict on the street. The blood would fulfill him, but the experience had to be demeaning and could be downright dangerous at times.

Before I realized fully what I was doing, I called out to him.

"Jean-Claude, wait!"

He turned to look at me, a curious expression on his face. "Cherie?"

I stretched out my arms, one towards Asher and the other towards Jean-Claude. "I do have two wrists you know."

Jean-Claude merely blinked at me in something of a stunned silence. Asher was shaking his head.

"Dear...charitable Julianna," Asher sighed. "I am sure Jean-Claude appreciates your kind consideration on his behalf, but do you really believe there is enough blood in that tiny, lovely body to feed the two of us?"

Lowering my arms, I frowned deeply. I hadn't thought of that. They might both feed on me, but then I would scarcely be fit to traipse around town and dance the night away afterwards. Foolish of me to have offered such a thing. I turned to Jean-Claude with a look of apology.

Sweetly, he smiled at me and knelt at the side of my chair. "That is quite all right, ma cherie," Jean-Claude said and squeezed my hand. "I am touched to the heart by your offer, but Asher is right. We cannot both feed from you." He lifted my hand and brought it to his lips in a delicate kiss. "I promise, I will not be gone long."

"Wait," Asher suddenly added. He came to kneel beside my chair on the other side. Jean-Claude and I both looked at him expectantly and Asher flashed us the most breathtaking smile. "I will not need blood tonight. Did I not say we were to take Julianna to the finest restaurant where she will dine on pastries and pies, fish and fowl, and breads and wines?" He paused and rubbed his stomach and licked his lips. "I can taste it all now."

Of course. As his human servant, Asher could sustain himself through me. What nourishment I took, he could utilize.

Jean-Claude looked less than happy with Asher's solution however. His dark eyes flickered from Asher's to mine and he released my hand and stood up.

"But she belongs to you," he said to Asher. Then to me: "Are you certain you want to do this?"

I hesitated only a second before nodding my head. I knew what an intimate act feeding was for a vampire and I knew without a doubt I wanted Jean-Claude to feed from me.

"Tres bon. It is settled then," Asher announced. "I will leave you two and go soak awhile in a nice warm bath." He leaned forward and kissed me, then gave Jean-Claude an encouraging nod. "Salut."

With that, Asher rose to his feet and glided out of the room. Jean-Claude and I both watched him go, then turned and looked at each other apprehensively.

********

Jean-Claude and I were extremely affectionate with each other and indulged in a rather non-platonic, uninhibited friendship. As I have mentioned before, he often helped me in and out of my gowns. He has tied my garters and laced my corsets countless times. We have even come upon each other nude several times, in the bath and in bed--with Asher. But we had never been intimate with each other. And the way we were staring at each other now, with complete uncertainty and trepidation, you would think neither of us had ever been intimate with anyone at all.

Finally I stood up. Clearly I was going to have to make the first move to show him I truly intended on going through with my inclination. I stepped up to him and loosened the sash of my robe so I could pull the collar away from my neck.

Jean-Claude swallowed visibly. "Julianna...I know you have experienced Asher's...considerable gift in the past, before you became his servant." He shook his head woefully. "I am not so gifted. I never have been."

I shrugged slightly. "You are not Asher. You are Jean-Claude," I said quietly.

I opened my robe wider, exposing my décolletage to him. Within moments, his eyes bled to a solid sapphire blue as he looked upon me and then gathered me into his arms. I became very aware of his body in that instant. Every shapely curve of muscle and bone that was pressed against me. My heart was already pounding and my skin was flushing with a rush of heat centering deep in the cradle of my hips. I felt his hand on the side of my face and leaned into it, purposefully gazing into his eyes.

Jean-Claude's power poured over me then, and gradually, with sweet familiarity, my mind began to empty and all the tension in my body eased away. I slumped against him and felt his arm tighten around my shoulders. His hand moved like cool smoke over my neck, brushing aside the tendrils of hair which had escaped my long braid. My mind began clouding with arousal as I felt Jean-Claude's heavy lips upon my skin, the wetness of his tongue, and the hard press of his fangs. I could think of nothing beyond the intense pleasure of every sensation my body was being subjected to. More, yes, I wanted more.

Jean-Claude's teeth entering my vein felt like the moment a man takes you, filling you up with such blissful solid warmth. I moaned and tightened my fists around the soft velvet folds of his robe. Even that sensation beneath my hands was remarkable. Like a savoring caress, his mouth began working at my throat and instantly, I felt the blood being pulled from my body. I writhed in Jean-Claude's embrace and tugged at his robe until it fell open. My hands eagerly slithered over his chest, and down his sides to his hips, reveling in the naked masculine beauty now exposed to me. I pressed myself as tightly to him as I possibly could, passing my tingling fingertips over his sinewy arms and shoulders. How exquisite he was! How extraordinary it felt to have him locked so fiercely to my body. More, I thought hazily. Please, more.

Gasping and groaning in ecstasy, I entwined my fingers deeply in his luxurious hair. When he tried to pull away from me, I held him fast, refusing to release him even as he was trying to release me. Not yet, I silently pleaded. His body was warm now, bordering on hot. Mon Dieu, how I wanted him in that instant! To explore every part of him, wrap myself around him, and bring him deep inside me. Surely I would go mad if I could not have him!

Jean-Claude pulled harder against my grasp, freed his head from my hands, and managed to withdraw his fangs from my vein. Blood spilled from my wounds and he sensually dragged his tongue over my skin to catch the seepage. The feeling made me quiver. His power still worked on me, but I wasn't being pumped with it now, and my body was calming some, settling back into itself. I still felt incredible, euphoric even, but also sapped, light-headed, and a little bit nauseous.

Jean-Claude was kissing and nibbling his way down my neck. Somewhat impatiently, he yanked open my robe and deftly pulled it off my shoulders. Now I was even more exposed than he was. But the sensation of his nearly nude body covering mine--as exhilarating as it was--quickly brought me back to my senses, so to speak.

I tried wedging my hands in between us to push him back, but he held me in a fetter of a grip, too sexually aroused now to be aware of my feeble protest. He did have the most delectable touch, and used his mouth with an unprecedented proficiency on my breasts, and I was having to struggle with myself to keep from succumbing to such erotic charms. I did not want him to take me. I think. Oh! My mind was still a muddle of desire. I wanted him to continue, then in a way, I didn't. I wasn't certain. When I felt the hard length of his erection brush against my thigh however, I knew if I was truly inclined to stop him, I was going to have to resort to a more forceful means of protest.

I drew my hand back and slapped his face. I did not intend to hurt him, only get his attention, but the sound of my slap seemed to resonate throughout the room and drew such a startled gasp from Jean-Claude, for a moment I thought I had injured him after all.

"Oh! I am sorry!" I exclaimed, immediately regretting my violence. Cradling his face in my hands, I sought to console him, covering it with soft kisses. "Are you all right?" I turned his head from side to side, examining the reddening handprint on his cheek.

Trembling slightly, Jean-Claude nodded and pulled free of my grasp. He closed his eyes tightly and seemed to be struggling with himself, his breaths coming in fast, deep pants. Finally, he became quiet and opened his eyes to peer at me. "I am not hurt," he reassured me, his voice barely audible.

Remorse flooded my heart. I may not have hurt him physically, but I knew my rejection hurt him in other ways. I reached out to him--to stroke his stinging face, but he flinched away from me. I gaped at him in surprise.

"My ardeur," he explained, "is back under my control, but if you touch me, it may overwhelm me again."

I gathered my ruined robe about me tightly and inadvertently stepped back. "Was that the reason you...got a little too amorous?"

Placing his hands on his hips, his eyes flashed at me indignantly. "Too amorous?" He shook his head. "I was not testing you, and you should know, I do not make a habit of indulging my passion without consent. I felt your desire, Julianna, and merely responded in kind." Pausing, he dropped his gaze and licked his lips anxiously. "My ardeur did rise, but I only relinquished my control of it when I assumed it would be satiated with you."

It was my turn to feel indignant now, though staring back at Jean-Claude--that gorgeous face of his, the pose he had struck with that amazing body--made me reconsider my emotions. He had not yet bothered to close his robe. The knave.

"My desire was fueled by your power," I stated, though I must confess, now I was not entirely sure. He was not feeding from me, but my body was still reacting to the sight of him and the recollections of how enticing he had felt beneath my hands. I bit my lip and blinked up at him. "You know how attractive I find you, Jean-Claude. But if I somehow...hinted...my willingness to be with you tonight, then I apologize. It is not that I didn't desire you...Perhaps I simply let myself get carried away. Your bite was quite extraordinary...and the way in which you held me..." I frowned. I could see from his dubious expression, I was not convincing him for a minute. "...The sensuality of it all and the way your mouth felt upon my skin..." Par bleu, I was only digging myself deeper into a hole as black as a well.

"...And the way you undressed me," Jean-Claude added. "The way your small hands explored my body. The way you clung to me after I had released you....all those sumptuous moans and sighs." He smiled then, quite devilishly. "Perhaps, you simply could not help yourself."

"Rake," I muttered under my breath, blushing hotly.

Still smiling, Jean-Claude turned from me then and walked away. I called after him. I did not want him to leave me. In all truth, I wanted him to come back to me, take me in his arms, and hold me close. He paused at my summons and peered over his shoulder at me.

"Where are you going?" I asked lamely.

"To join Asher," Jean-Claude replied. "I have denied my ardeur once tonight. If it rises again, I will need to feed it. I would rather do so now with him, than later, at a less convenient time or appropriate place." He continued on, slipping out of his robe completely, draping it over a chair just before disappearing through the doorway to the washroom.

My mouth went completely dry at the sight of him. Even that one tantalizing glimpse. I do not know why. As I have mentioned, I have seen him naked before. But I never reacted to him beyond a mere appreciation of his striking beauty. I realized then, my feelings for him were beginning to change. I was so much more aware of him now. Everything he said seemed infinitely more important than before. The smallest gesture he made or a certain look in his eyes seized my attention now. He simply mattered to me more than he ever had. And that realization left me wondering how I could have possibily felt anything less towards him before now.

I sighed heavily and reclined on the settee to wait my turn in the bath. I was alone now. Left to ponder the opportunity I had so astoundingly spurned. Left aroused and wanting. It would have been gloriously torrid. I knew that without a doubt. I closed my eyes, opened my robe, parted my legs, and touched myself.

********

We found ourselves at the Viscomte de Livre's society ball. It was a splendid, grand affair to announce the engagement of the Viscomte's son to the Lady Elaina from Portugal. Both Asher and Jean-Claude were known in high society and had no trouble garnering an impromptu invitation to the festivities at the door. In fact, our host insisted they were indeed sent a letter of invitation some months back. Whether or not this was true, no one could tell, (I recalled no such letter), but we were pleased to be received tonight nonetheless, and wisely left it at that.

As is usually the case in such mixed social gatherings, Asher and Jean-Claude immediately drew the attentions of every lady in attendance, not to mention the Lady Elaina, and even I had my fair share of young, handsome, albeit tenacious suitors. Asher was quick to lay claim to me however, driving the men away with heated looks, as he swept me off to the dance floor time and time again.

Normally, Jean-Claude indulged himself quite freely at these affairs, dancing in turn with any number of ladies, before departing to the privacy of some darkened, unoccupied chamber with a particular zesty beauty from among his throng of admirers, for an hour or so.

Tonight however, he approached no one, dancing only with the ladies possessing audacity enough to approach him. Graciously he would oblige them, then shortly take his leave, retreating back to the fringe of the gathering to mingle with the men.

I noticed his eyes were never off me very long, for I felt the weight of his gaze everywhere I went about the room. It was only after the Lady Elaina twisted an invitation from Asher to dance with her, and I momentarily found myself without a dance partner, did Jean-Claude come to me. A few eager bachelors hurried to take Asher's place with me, but quickly retreated back to their own partners upon spying Jean-Claude's intent.

Watching him walk towards me fairly took my breath away. There was something in his expression, a determination of sorts, that seemed almost predatory and decidedly virile. I felt the heat rising within me. He too, intended to lay claim to me.

I was soon to discover the Lady Elaina had arranged for the musicians to play a tango, a dance from her native Portugal. I had heard of it, but had never had the opportunity before to dance it, being somewhat of a homebody. Asher and Jean-Claude, with their many travels and experiences, were naturally at ease with the prospect. Besides Elaina's kin, Asher and Jean-Claude appeared to be the only two men present tonight who were capable of executing this daring dance, amusingly enough.

My mouth fell open in surprise and acute trepidation upon hearing it announced. The music began, strange and seductive. I pulled my gaze off of Jean-Claude long enough to glance at Asher sidling up to Elaina. I scowled at the woman, realizing she had fairly schemed to claim Asher for this particular dance. They started to move, so very close, so vapidly intimate, I found myself mesmerized.

It wasn't until Jean-Claude touched me that I turned my attention back to him. He smiled slyly, and locked his arm around my back, pressing my body tightly to his. His eyes full of sultry seduction, he stretched out my arm, and lay his cheek next to mine.

My heart was hammering in my chest and I know my skin had to be red with heat. I tried to relax,