About A Game of Chance

by Kate Roman
14 pages / 3300 words
Ebook zipped file contains - html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub

When the young Duke of Avon takes a back exit at a masquerade ball, expecting to find like-minded players to share a high-stakes game of cards or dice, nothing can prepare him for what he finds. But in the arms of mysterious Lord Donahue, Sebastian finds this new game is more pleasurable than anything he anticipated…

Sample

Sebastian, the young Duke of Avon, moved carefully through the press of chattering party-goers. His black silk mask was skillfully tied, his wig carefully arranged to hide all clues to his identity. The fashionably high red heels to his shoes disguised his height and the cape he wore served well to hide his build. No one at the masquerade would know him. He could be any man of the Upper Ten Thousand.

At least until the midnight unmasking.

Sebastian deftly avoided a flirtatious, forward young girl in a pale pink taffeta gown and matching mask. She was obviously a debutante, using the privilege of anonymity to throw off the demure behavior expected of her. Sebastian smiled wryly as he headed for the small entrance at the rear of the ballroom. He knew exactly how she felt.

The door he sought was a discreetly curtained servant's entrance, set behind an ornate screen. Sebastian paused and drew out his snuff-box. He took a pinch as he carefully scanned the crowd. The dowagers were seated facing the dancers and the musicians were busy with their instruments. No one was looking his way.

Satisfied, Sebastian slipped behind the screen and through the curtained doorway.

The passageway he entered was dim, lit only by a wall-sconce at each end. He paused, looking this way and that, wondering which way to go. The conversation he'd overheard had mentioned only the door from the ballroom.

There had been talk of deep play and the forbidden game -- whether dice or cards, he had no idea, but either would do. He listened carefully, but heard no sound save the music and laughter from the ballroom. That meant it must be cards: he would hear the rattle of the dice box. Cautiously, he started down the hallway toward the far end.

"I feared tonight I was the only player." A deep voice, smooth and thick as velvet sounded in his ear. Before Sebastian could turn, strong hands closed on his shoulders and pulled him back against the heat of a man's body.