Lessons of Love (23 page)

Jolie
stamped her foot, irritated at his domineering attitude.
“
You are impossible.”

Her cheeks were flushed with anger, and
Cole
had to fight the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her until she was quivering with need. There was m
ore than one way to tame his little wildcat
’
s rebellious streak. “
I may be impossible, love, but you shall do as I say or face the consequences. Now behave yourself, we have other guests to see too. See that you stay out of Nicholas
’
arms or pay the price
later. The decision is yours. I warn you though, if I see you dancing with him I shall storm the dance floor and carry you
upstairs for a good paddling.”

Jolie
narrowed her eyes, nostrils flaring in anger as she tried to control her breathing. It wasn
’
t th
at she wanted to dance with Nicholas, she found him to be a boorish pig, she just hated it when
Cole
tried to exert so much control over everything she did. Before she could open her mouth to protest,
Cole
pulled her into his embrace and brought his lips d
own on hers in a punishing kiss that took her breath away and drove all thoughts of Nicholas from her mind. Just as her knees started to go weak,
Cole
broke off the kiss and gr
owled in her ear.

“
I mean it,
Jolie
, that man is not to touch you. Do you unders
tand?”
Her eyes fluttered open as she came back to reality. She looked at the surprised faces of their guests and silently nodded. Yes, she understood, there was no other man in the world for her and there never would be.
Cole
smiled at her submission, and
put his hand under her elbow, it wa
s time to greet their guests.

The evening was spent dancing, dining, and chatting with the men and women of New Orleans
’
high society.
Cole
danced with the matrons of the city, and all of
Jolie
’
s friends, much to their
delight, and she in turn found herself in the arms of many men, most of whom had the common sense to kee
p her at an arms-
length
. Whenever they found time to be in each other
’
s arms the conversation would stop as all in the ballroom stared at the beautiful
woman and the mysterious and handso
me man who laid claim to her.

It was obvious to all that both were in love and very happy in their marriage. This in itself put to rest most of the unsavory talk and rumors that had been flying around since their wedding
. Only time would tell if an early babe would be born, proving
Jolie
had been compromised, but as things stood now, Monsieur and Madam
Jameson
were to be coveted for the happiness they found in each other. Young women didn
’
t often find themselves in marria
ges that included love in these times, most unions were for the joining
of land, families, and wealth,
and for
Jolie
to have found a husband who truly cherished her caused surprise and envy i
n quite a few of their guests.

Jolie
’
s flush of desire whenever
C
ole
held her close, and the fiery kiss they
’
d shared in public caused a few shocked whispers to pass through the crowd of guests, but this was out of propriety
’
s sake alone. The old biddies who did the most gossiping wouldn
’
t know true passion if it came u
p and bit them in the nose. The men on the other hand, saw
Jolie
’
s fire, and many of them had to shift uncomfortably to hide their desire as thoughts of bedding the erotic beauty filled their heads and sent blood
pounding through their loins.

As the evenin
g wore on, it was obvious that the ball was a success. The food was praised. The mansion admired, and the wagging tongues of the gossips quieted as it became clear that the marriage of their hosts was a true love match. The matrons were still a bit shocke
d
by
Jolie
and
Cole
’
s obvious intimacy, but the stories of his unsavory dealings with innocent girls were laid to rest. How could a man who obviously treated his wife so well have been involved in the
disappearance of other girls?

No, it was decided, that
Monsieur
Jameson
was a gentleman, and should be welcomed with open arms. He had money and class, and a good head for business. If his fortune didn
’
t come from generation after generation of blue-blooded relatives, it could be overlooked in the face of his
gentlemanly manners. There was no reason to be suspicious about him any longer. If Hank approved of him for
Jolie
, the
n the man had to be upstanding.

Time after time
Jolie
was whirled around and around by one overly exuberant gentleman after another. She d
anced for hours and hours until finally, begging exhaustion after a dance,
Jolie
asked to be escorted to a chair as the music came to an end. Her partner was an older gentleman who fussed over her as he led her, slightly dizzy, to one of the settees circli
ng the ballroom. After the man left, promising to get her a glass of wine,
Jolie
scanned the ballroom for her husband. As she spied him, a smile appeared on her beautiful face. He was bowing before Emily Wellington and requesting a dance. The music began a
nd the snooty Emily slowly got up and went onto the floor with
Cole
.
Jolie
wondered if
Cole
was going to whisper anything scandalous in her ear and the thought made her
smile even brighter.

“
And who is th
at beautiful smile for, love?”

Jolie
turned with a s
tart to see Nicholas sitting down next to her. She slid over as far as she could and looked back in
Cole
’
s direction, but he was much too far away to notice that the forbidde
n Nicholas had approached her.

“
Cat got your tongue,
Jolie
? Don
’
t you have a sweet
w
ord or two for your old beau?”

“
Nicholas, you were hardly my beau. My father wouldn
’
t allow me to
see you or anyone else.”

“
And
yet he agreed to your marriage to that heathen in a heartbeat. I find that interesting. Here, love, have some
champagne. You l
ook flushed.”

“
If I
’
m flushed it
’
s because of your disparaging words about my husband. I
’
d like you to leave at once Nicholas. I don
’
t mean to be rude
,
but
Cole
wo
uld prefer...”

“
Do you do everything he tells you to
Jolie
? I see the way he handles you. Eve
ryone knows he beds you at the hotels in town. He treats you like a harlot. What did you give him in exchange for that bauble around your neck
Jolie
? A whore is a who
re no matter how she is paid.”

“
You are an uncouth beast, Nicholas. Please leave!”
Jolie
b
atted down the hand holding the champagne glass and sent it crashing upon the floor but the loud music prevented anyone from hearing it shatter.
Jolie
’
s eyes flashed with anger as did Nicholas
’
s and he grasped her wrist tightly in one hand, pulling her aga
inst him. He quickly slipped his arm around her waist as he ogled the creamy tops of her breasts, licking his lips in anticipation.
Jolie
frantically looked around, searching for someone who was aware of her predicament, but the old gentleman she
’
d danced
with earlier was nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, he
’
d seated her i
n a small, semi-hidden alcove.

“
I think we should walk in the garden,
Jolie
. Come along now. Do you really want to make a scene? Surely you have enough passion in that little body t
o share. You
’
re certainly flaunting yourself.”
Nicholas pulled her swiftly to her feet and spun
Jolie
so that he was behind her. The archway that led to the gardens was just to the right of where they
’
d sat and in a moment he had her outside on the terrace
.
Jolie
kicked backwards, delivering a sharp blow to Nicholas
’
s shin but it didn
’
t gain her her freedom, it only made him jerk her arm up behind her back. The pain took her breath away and stilled
her frantic fight to be free.

“
Nicholas, please stop. I
’
ll
scream.
Cole
will kill you.”

“
You won
’
t scream
Jolie
, think of the scandal it will cause if the gossiping shrews find you in the arms of another man. I will tell them you begged for my attentions then turned scared. Everyone saw you flirting with me, love.
You will be labeled a Jezebel and y
our husband a cuckolded fool.

It
’
s well known that your husband is trying to establish himself in our society. I could ruin him with just a word. My family is important and if we refuse to do business with him, the othe
rs will follow our example. As for him killing me, you should have thought of that when you flirted with me and promised me a dance. I am highly regarded for my skill with a pistol. Do you want him to challenge me to a duel,
Jolie
?”

Jolie
mutely shook her
head, tears shining in her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest as her mind played
over the things Nicolas said.

“
Very good choice, love. Now it
’
s time I had that dance you promised. We will do our dancing in the garden where I can hold you and sampl
e some of the delights your dress hints at.”
Nicholas tightened the pressure on her arm and turned her to face him. He slipped one hand down to caress her bottom, squeezing and fondling her as he ground h
is shaft against her stomach.

“
You
’
re lovely
Jolie
now that you are out of those smothering rags you used to wear. Tell me, do you like it when you husband beds you? I bet you do. I can see it in the w
ay you look at him.”

Jolie
fought him but Nicholas wrenched her arm so tightly she felt dizzy from the pa
in and was unable to move. He brought his mouth down on the tops of her breasts and
Jolie
gagged when she felt his wet tongue lapping at her.
Jolie
closed her eyes and fought the dizziness, knowing he would rape her if she blacked out. Just as she was tryi
ng to take a deep breath so she could scream, Nicholas was jerked backwards.
Jolie
stumbled and fell to her knees,
shaking her head to clear it.”

The image of
Cole
flashed before her eyes as he moved lightning quick, attacking the man who had dared to touc
h his love.
Jolie
heard the sound of fists impacting with flesh and covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut, knowing
Cole
would surely kill Nicho
las.

“
How dare you put your hands on my wife? I should kill you.”
Jolie
peeked at the two men.
Cole
was stand
ing over a bloody and dazed Nicholas. The man had his arms up in a show of weak defense but it was clear
Cole
could deliver as many punishing blows as he wanted by simply b
rushing the man
’
s hands away.