Celebration by Ella Ardent

Author:Ella Ardent [Ardent, Ella]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Ella Ardent
Published: 2013-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

The Count had a new plan.

It wasn’t as appealing as his old plan, but was distinguished by the fact that it would work. He didn’t need to rely upon anyone else, or the agreement of anyone else, to make this new scheme work. It would give him something to do and probably a lot of pleasure.

It would suffice.

He’d gotten the last bottle of champagne from the wine cellar in the house he’d decorated in tribute to Pauline and Athena. He sat in the living room, looking at the bottle unopened on the coffee table. It was a very good vintage, and he’d planned to enjoy it with Athena.

To celebrate their new project.

But that wasn’t going to happen and he couldn’t see the point of wasting good champagne. Athena was out of his life, probably for good, and he was going to make his peace with it.

The champagne might help.

He certainly wasn’t going to leave it behind.

The house was empty now, all of the servants dismissed. The BDSM paraphernalia was gone, most of it given to his staff as parting gifts. The house was just a plain house in a nice neighborhood, if one with a few secret passages. The real estate agent would list it for sale the next day. She was sure it would sell quickly, given its location, condition and the Count’s aggressive choice of a selling price.

But the Count would be gone even before the listing went live.

The alarm system gave a little trill and the Count turned with a frown. It immediately went silent, which was strange. Either there was an alarm or there wasn’t.

The Count walked into the foyer to check the control panel. It appeared that everything was fine and the house was secure. He ran all the checks again, confused. It was almost as if he’d imagined the warning sound, but the Count wasn’t fanciful.

Maybe the system needed service, or replacement. It would be someone else’s problem soon enough.

He headed back to the living room, feeling vaguely annoyed and unsettled.

A champagne cork popped just before he got to the doorway, followed by the unmistakable sound of champagne frothing into a glass.

The Count knew he was alone in the house.

Or had been.

He grabbed a candlestick from the hall table, the closest thing to a weapon within range, and crept toward the living room door. He raised the candlestick before revealing himself, but a smooth voice made him pause.

“Don’t bother,” Rex said quietly. “You’re outnumbered anyway.”

The Count lowered the candlestick as he stepped into the doorway. Rex sat on the couch opposite the one he’d occupied until a moment ago, looking sleek, relaxed and confident. The other man actually smiled as he took a sip of the Count’s champagne.

The Count simmered. Rex probably didn’t even know how good it was.

A flick of movement drew the Count’s gaze to the corner at his right. A man wearing a leather hood waved at him with a cheerfulness that seemed inappropriate.

“You look like a guard in the Plume’s Dungeon,” the Count said, his tone wary.

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