Her revengeful Bastard

His world

*Kai*

I am being rude to my other guests. I know that and I don’t care. I set up the card room with the hope Kyle would abandon his fiancee, leaving me with free rein to see to her needs, needs she probably doesn't even realize she has. Any and all needs I will satisfy, willingly, eagerly. She has but to ask. She doesn’t even need to use her voice. Her eyes, a crook of her finger, a blush. But at the moment, she gives me none of those.

In her expression, I can see the indiscretion of my request has her mind spinning. At least she hasn’t declined me directly, which means she is considering it. As a waiter walks past, I reach out and grab two flutes of champagne, handing her one and watching as she sips delicately, imagining her sipping at my mouth in the same manner. I am not a novice when it comes to women, but no other has caused my head to spin with so many inappropriate thoughts. Yet it isn’t lust that drives me. It is something I don’t understand, and seem unable to interpret in any meaningful manner.

“How private ?” She finally asks.

“Only as private as you’re comfortable with. Why don’t we start by going up the stairs so you can look out over the room from the balcony ? The view is better”. I suggest.

Glancing up, she nods. I offer my arm. She lays her fingers on my forearm, and my groin tightens with her light touch. Good God, I would probably double over if she touched me with any real purpose. I acknowledge a few people I pass: a baker, a dressmaker, a milliner, all of whom will be tenants in my shops. I have sent invitations to several ranked wolves but fewer than half a dozen, not counting Kyle and Miss Anna, have made an appearance. The ones who have are young boars with no reputation to worry about. For the others, I am good enough to invest with but not to socialize with. The stigma of my birth always haunts me.

“This hotel suits you”. She says quietly. “It’s strong and bold, masculine and yet warm and welcoming. A woman will feel comfortable here”.

“I hope so. I need those of the feminine persuasion to visit my tearoom”. I say with a smile.

She smiles at me. “You have a tearoom ?”

“Lea insisted. Then we have an area for the guys with billiards and spirits. My brothers were responsible for that”.

“I think it’s wonderful that you welcome their opinions”. She says.

I chuckle. “They’re going to offer them whether or not I welcome them”.

“It must be marvelous to have so many siblings. Kyle and I would have each grown up alone if my parents hadn’t died”. She lets out a small sigh.

“How did they die ?” I ask.

A small sad smile. “Railway accident, a terrible one. Twenty-seven souls lost. I wasn’t the only child of a high ranking wolf to be orphaned that night. I have yet to take a journey by railway. I can't bring myself to do it. Even riding in a car makes me nervous. I prefer to walk where I am in control of my legs or ride a horse where I am in control of the reins. I suppose that makes me a bit of a coward”.

“I don’t find you cowardly at all”. But I would like to take her on the train. When I was younger, I had found ways to slip onto a car without a ticket. I had made a vow to myself that one day I would own my own luxury train car and travel wherever I damn well pleased. That goal has come to pass, and my car comes in useful as I am scouting out areas in smaller towns that I can develop. I am especially interested in building a hotel at the seaside. The rich especially have more leisure time, and they are interested in escaping the city for short periods of time. A man of vision can capitalize on that.

We reach the landing, and I walk her around to the balcony that looks down on the lobby. Behind them are a series of doors.

“What are the rooms up here for ?” She asks. “Sleeping ?”

“Not in this section. They can be rented for meetings or leased as offices”. I explain.

She looks curiously at me. “Do you have an office here ?”

“On the top floor. I have suites where I live and offices where I work”. I make a motion upward with my hand.

“That must make things convenient.”

“For now”. Eventually I will build a majestic villa on a large stretch of land where my wife will entertain guests and my children can run barefoot over cool green grass instead of dirty cobblestones. Although for the most part, I suspect they will be wearing shoes because they will always have shoes that fit and clothes that are not handed down from an older sibling or discovered on a rubbish heap and mended to be made functional.

People, who hold no rank but have a lot of money, walk by and nod toward me. A few tosses out a comment: “Splendid !”, “Well done, old chap !” But I care little for their praise, I care only what she thinks. None of them are dressed as fancy as she; none are as elegant. All lack her polish. She doesn’t have to scream that she is above them, she doesn’t have to do anything at all to proclaim her place in the world. She has been born into it, has worn it all her life. Yet, I suspect even if she had been taken to Mae Tempest’s door, she would have still grown up to reflect her origins.

“Who are all these people ?” She asks softly.

“Some will be tenants in the residences we will soon begin to build. Others will lease the shops. A few are friends, a couple I grew up with. Then there are lawyers, bankers, railway owners”.

She looks curiously at me. “Do you invest in railways too ?”

“No, but it’s helpful to know where they are going to be built. A railway in the area increases the number of travelers who will be passing by the shops or who might require lodging for a night or two. It also makes the movement of goods easier”. I explain.

“I’m impressed. A great deal of thought goes into what you do”. Her eyes shines towards me.

I smile warmly. “I like the challenge of it, figuring out how to maximize profits”.

She is studying my face closely, too closely. I know my best course is to look away, to distract her, but I enjoy cataloging her features, imagining my lips trailing along the edge where cloth fails to cover skin. I want to discover one freckle, one tiny freckle, to know the sun has kissed her where I long to. It is torturous being in her company, not being allowed to touch, knowing I should never possess her. I should send her on her way, to ensure she isn’t in my presence. Never before have I ever been so weak willed. I am a man of strength, and yet I think for her I would go to my knees.

“How did you come to build your empire ?” She asks.

I give a small shrug. “It’s hardly an empire”.

She leans toward me slightly. “My goodness, are you blushing ?”

“Absolutely not”. I am horrified by the thought. If there is any color rising in my face at all, it is because her nearness causes cool air to abandon me as I wonder about capturing those luscious pink lips, devouring that sultry mouth, knowing her taste …

“I think you are. You’re modest”. She sounds surprised.

I shake my head lightly. “Hardly. Modesty does not serve a man well when he needs his successes known in order to gain the trust of those with the means to help him up the ladder”.

“I can’t imagine you needing much help. Tell me how you came to be where you are”. She sounds like she is actually curious.

Your guardian cast me aside. “I worked as a dustbin boy, gathering up soot from houses”.

“Like a chimney sweep ?”

“Not exactly, although I worked for one for a while until I got too big to scurry up the chimneys”. I am certain she doesn’t know the particulars of how residences are kept spotless for the Alphas and Betas. “Between occasions when one has the chimney cleaned by a sweep, something must be done with the soot and ash that collects on the hearth. It’s placed in metal pails, set outside for bin boys to pick up. We would sell it to brick makers who use it in the making of bricks”.

Her eyes blink rapidly. “I had no idea”.

“Why should you need to know all that goes into keeping you comfortable ?” I give her another small shrug.

“I don’t know, and yet it seems I should. You can’t have earned much money doing that, right ?” She is clearly eager to learn.

“No, but I began to think, why sell the soot and ash when I could use it to make my own bricks ? I saved up until I could purchase a factory. I was eighteen. I earned more money selling the bricks to bricklayers and builders. From there, I decided why sell the bricks when I could use them to build homes or shops ?”

Her eyes widens slightly. “The bricks in this building, they’re yours ?”

I nod. “They come from my factory. It will provide all the bricks for all the buildings in this area”.

“What a remarkable achievement”. She sounds slightly breathless.

Until that moment I had never thought of it that way. It has all been what I had needed to do in order to get ahead in the world. She makes me feel as though my clothes are too tight. Why does she have to do that ? Why does she have to make me feel as though I am extraordinary ? Her admiration will make the seduction easier, only I don’t want it easier. I want to earn the privilege of having her in my bed.

Damnation ! What an odd thought. What does it matter how she gets there ? It only matters that she does, that she will be denied the Alpha’s heir, and instead be mated to the Alpha’s bastard. That the Alpha will recognize his failings to see after his ward just as he failed his illegitimate son. That every aspect of the Alpha’s legacy … his heir, his ward, his titles, his estates, his wealth, his position, his respect .. can be brought to ruin by one man, the one he has treated shabbily, failed to recognize.

“I’ve kept you from your other guests, Mr. Tempest”. She says softly.

Her voice brings my wandering thoughts back to the task at hand. “Call me Kai”.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate”. She points out.

I quirk a lopsided grin. “Do you always do what’s appropriate ?”

“I try. I think I would like to see the ballroom”. She is the one blushing now.

“I’ll escort you there”. I say with a small nod.

She shakes her head lightly. “That’s not necessary”.

“I insist”. Once more I offer her my arm. Once more, she takes it. I imagine her hand on my arm when I am an old man. Is it possible that she could come to love me, that she would stay with me when she learns the truth ? The notion taunts and teases me, makes me wonder if she could see me as good enough when no one else in society would.

“Are your brothers partners in your business ?” She asks.

I nod slowly. “They have shares in it. But they have achieved success in their own rights with their own ventures”.

We begin walking down the stairs. “They look to be near you in age”.

“They are. Only a few months separate us”. I tell her.

She looks surprised. “How can that be ?”

“Our mum, Mae Tempest, did not give birth to us. She merely took us in”. I shake my head. “I should not say merely. It was a burden for her, but she managed”.

“Where is she now ?” She asks softly.

“The rundown place where we grew up. I would provide her with suites here, but she has no desire to leave behind what she knows”. I really wish she would let me move her.

Her eyes show understanding. “I think most of us find it difficult to venture beyond what we know, what we are comfortable with. I know I’m not nearly as daring as I wish I were”.

“Is that the reason you’re marrying Kyle ? Because you’re comfortable with him ?” I boldly ask.

I instantly want to bite my tongue. Her reason for marrying my brother has no bearing on the matter, and yet it seems significant to know if she has given her heart to the man.

“I love him. I have since I was a little girl”. She says, but her tone is rather flat. There is no passion in her words, no conviction.

“A girl’s love is not the same as a woman’s”. I point out.

“Is that the voice of experience talking ?” She asks curtly as we reach the lobby. “Have you had a girl’s love and a woman’s in order to compare the two ?”

“I have known girls and I have known women. Their passions are very different. A girl may desire a doll or a puppy. A woman’s desires have more consequences, are more passionate, more … let’s just say they’re likely to keep her tossing and turning through the night”. I escort her into the ballroom, I take satisfaction in her surprised gasp.

Mirrors run up one of the walls, while red and gold brocade wallpaper line the other two. At the far end, windows and glass doors give a view of the outside. While gaslights illuminate the intricate gardens, I would like for her to see them in full daylight. They are small but intimate, not designed for lengthy strolls but for taking tea in the afternoon or relaxing with a book, a book that might very well be purchased in Lea’s shop.

On a gilded balcony, an orchestra plays. Willoughby has outdone himself, ensuring flowers and plants line the edges of the floor, but allowing enough room for small sitting areas here and there. Waiters walk the outskirts, offering food and beverages.

“It’s gorgeous”. She sighs.

Not as gorgeous as you hangs on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t bring myself to voice the words, no matter how sincerely I feel them. A time will come when she may view my words from the perspective of betrayal, and she will think I lied. Yet seeing the delight mirrored on her face makes me want to do all in my power to bring enchantment her way. “I hired a man with an eye toward creating beauty”.

“I might have to get his name from you when I begin setting up my own household”. She says softly.

For the residence where she will live with Kyle, where I will come to her bed. Will she quiver in my arms, whisper naughty things in my ear ? The jealousy that surges through me takes me off guard. “Your betrothed doesn’t seem to have left the card room yet. Would you honor me with a dance ?”

Her eyes nearly pop out of her head at the question. Anger rifles through me because she will think me too crass, too beneath her for so much as a waltz.

“Since your brothers don’t dance, I assumed you didn’t, either”. She mumbles.

My anger dissipates like fog before sunlight. Perhaps I am too sensitive about my origins. “It would be dangerous to assume anything about me”.

She gives me an impish grin, her smile hitching up slightly higher on one side. Another imperfection that makes her the most intriguing woman I have ever met. “Are you trying to frighten me away ?”

“I’m trying to be honest with you”. Probably more honest than I have been since I met her. Suddenly I want true honesty between us, I want to leave all the falsehoods behind, I want to tell her everything. Have her judge me, whether well or poorly. No, I want more time, an opportunity to present the best of myself before I reveal the less than favorable aspects.

“Does honesty not come naturally to you, then ? You have to work at it ?” She asks.

“I suspect there is a bit of dishonesty in all of us”. I admit.

She blushes at that, and I wonder what deceits she might have engaged in. Nothing too nefarious. Possibly plucking a flower from the garden when it was forbidden. She haughtily angles that tipped-up nose of hers, and those lush lips I want to taste curls up on one side. Then she issues her bold challenge. “All right, then. Prove to me you can dance”.