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Vale’s nostrils flared, and with that same uncanny talent Criminy had, he suddenly see a tiny duke into the floorboards with a fist "Which duke?"

"Youand half worried, I pulled out the paper and unfolded it I hadn’t actually read it after taking it from Madame Sylvie and was ht offer to buy a woirl is a delight, and I will be the first to taste her charms

The usual details apply Please have her delivered after to was overly curly but hasty, and I could see the lust written into every loop Although I hadn’t considered the offer for even a er flared at the assu you a choice, bébé"

"I always have a choice"

"Will you go to hirin replaced and," I said "Do you work on spec?"

His grin matched mine "I’ll need a down payhtly slapped it "The whole point of this plan is that I’irl"

"And I appreciate that, especially as pertains to dukes So I’ll extend a line of credit, but you’ll owe me interest"

"Oh, I think you’ll like this plan Now, hand et ready to take notes Here’s what I need"

It was all business after that I told Vale what I needed, and he agreed to get it But when I tried to tip up the bloodwine to test the airiness of unicorn blud again, he snatched the bottle from my hand and shoved the cork in harder

"The rest of this vintage will make it easier to find Cherie And buy your supplies I only offered you a taste, bébé Not the entire bottle"

"But I wasted it!"

"That’s your fault, isn’t it? Perhaps next tiue out at hi me a kiss, he slipped out the ith the bottle in his bag and a last, hot gaze that swept up and down ret The room felt suddenly empty and quiet, soout the open , I found a narrow ledge and darkness, hazy with streetlalass around the fireplace and the lingering warined his and annoyances of a long fall and a thrilling debut Slight aches, including the balls of my feet, much abused by my first public can-can We would need better shoes if ere to perfor, thanks to my tumble from the catwalk, but it hadn’t affectedbreath, I had to wonder if perhaps I’d bruised a few ribs In the excitenored the needs of ry for blood, of which I had none At that ladly licked the bloodwine froe

I undressed and slipped on a night shift I found in Li I’d borrowed the night before Would Limone come back for it? And did I care? Probably not, and no Just as I had once walked the caravan, telling et Earth, now I paced Liet the caravan

I couldn’t put down the duke’s note, couldn’t stop reading the cold words that turnedwo, I still hadn’t internalized the general sentis to be used and, when they’d outlived their use, discarded Wohts here, unless they had a father or a husband to stand behind the at whoever threatened them The caravan was better than most places, thanks to Criminy’s liberal worldview, but here in Paris, I was on my own And I was practically chattel

I had no idea what Madame Sylvie had planned for me, whether she had any control over ht she did This duke could likely own the lot of us if I ry The shit would probably hit the fan in the , but what did I care? My answer to the duke was already in motion, out of my hands, and if Sylvie didn’t like it, I would find another cabaret and teach the, scandalous dance I’d just invented