“Enter,” he said.
Brooks opened the door, and the lady flew inside with the force of a fierce summer gale.
“You blackguard!”
Ian didn’t rise. “Good evening, Miss Ashton.”
She stiffened at the use of her name.
Brooks had taken her cloak, and she stood before him in a modest gown of blue alpaca that covered her from her neck to the tips of her shoes. It was an unflattering dress, but her clothing did not diminish her beauty or hide the swell of her breasts. Her distinctive lavender scent wafted to him.
“Leave us, Brooks.”
Brooks nodded curtly and quietly shut the door.
“Please be comfortable.” He motioned to one of the leather chairs before his desk.
She ignored him. He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “To what do I owe the pleasure of another visit?”
Her eyes flashed blue fire, and she placed her hands on her hips. “You know precisely why I’m here. Not only did you entice my father to your tables, but you let him win until he was in a fever of excitement, then you permitted him to continue to gamble until he lost his winnings and more. You took advantage!”
“I run a business, not a charity house.”
“You’re a liar. You tricked him. You knew his debt to you would double.”
Ian laughed gruffly. “Double? Since the baron began frequenting the Raven Club months ago, his debt has reached six thousand pounds.”
Her mouth gaped. “Six thousand pounds! That’s not possible.”
“I assure you it is. I have his IOU to prove it.”
“You are incorrigible.” Her cheeks flushed. Her breaths came in short gasps of anger, her breasts rising and falling beneath the bodice of her modest gown.
She was stunning in her anger. His cock jerked to attention, and he was glad he remained seated behind his desk, no matter how ungentlemanly his behavior. His arousal would be blatant if he stood, even to an inexperienced lady.
“Why would you do this? I offered you my mother’s jewels. Surely they would have been enough then and—”
“I told you, I won’t accept jewels, and I’ve decided I don’t want your money.”
“Then what?”
“I want something else.”
Her expression immediately turned wary, and a blush crept into her cheeks. He was entranced at how easy she was to read. She’d make a horrible card player.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I am a lady. My virtue is not for sale.”
“I’ve never doubted you are a lady,” he drawled.
“Then go seek one of the countless women who must throw themselves into your arms seeking a bedmate.” She bit her lip as soon as she blurted out the words. She had as much as admitted he was sufficiently attractive to have women crawling into bed with him.
His lips curled into a smile. “Thank you, but a night in my bed, no matter how enticing that sounds, is not what I require of you.”
“It’s not?”
“Oh, don’t mistake me. I would do everything in my power to make it most pleasurable for you should you decide to accept my initial offer. But that is not what I want.”
“No?”
She almost sounded disappointed at his disinterest. Erotic images sprang to mind of him teaching her all types of sensual delights. He’d start by having her peel off her dowdy dress. No, he had to cease thinking of her that way. He needed her for more pressing reasons.
He shifted in his seat and forced his thoughts to return to his dilemma. “I find myself in a predicament. I need a tutor.”
Her delicate brows drew together. “You can’t possibly mean you want to learn Latin or French or the pianoforte?”
“That’s not what I have in mind.”
“Then what, for heaven’s sake?”
“I need to enter polite Society.”
Her blue eyes widened. “You mean you need me to teach you manners?”
“Not just fine manners but how to act like a gentleman of the ton.”
She gasped as if he’d requested her to perform magic. “But that’s impossible!”
He arched a dark eyebrow. “Are you refusing?”
“It’s just that…that…I don’t know if I’m capable.”
“You are Miss Grace Ashton, the daughter of Baron Newbury, a lady of proper upbringing and standing in Society. A member of the Orphaned Children’s Relief Society, correct?”
Her brows snapped downward. “You seem to know a considerable amount about my affairs.”
“It’s in my interest to know about anyone who steps foot in my club. All their secrets and their desires.”
A blush crept up her cheeks. “Yes, but someone else would be—”
“I can’t think of a better tutor.”
“Why? Why would you care to enter Society when you have,” her hand fluttered toward the window overlooking the casino floor, “all of this.”
“It’s simple. My brother died.”
She blinked, clearly taken aback at his statement. “I’m sorry for your loss, but—”
“His Christian name was Matthew. He was my father’s oldest son and the Earl of Castleton.”
Her features softened. “I heard of the tragic riding accident, of course, but I didn’t realize the earl was your brother. I’m truly sorry.”
For some reason, her genuine sympathy disturbed Ian. He didn’t want her pity. He didn’t want anyone to know his true feelings for his older brother.
“Do not pity me,” he said tersely. “I’m now the earl and possess all the property and prestige that goes along with the title.”
Her gaze sharpened. “Of course, but from all that I’ve heard, you are already a man of wealth, my lord.”
The title made Ian stiffen. It represented everything he despised, everything he was now being forced to accept. “No ‘lord.’”
“But you are now a lord. Proper titles will be one of the first steps in any lesson.”
“No titles. Not when we are alone.”
“What shall I call you then? Mr. Swift?”
“No. Call me Ian, and I will call you Grace.”
She looked at him incredulously. “That’s horribly improper.”
“In private, remember? You may ‘lord’ me as much as you’d like while we are out and about, and I shall call you Miss Ashton. Now, do you agree to tutor me?”
She shook her head. “You do not need me. You can easily hire someone. A gentleman would be best.”
“I could, but you are here and are qualified. You are also not in a position to refuse.”
“You are gravely mistaken. I am not in a position to accept. If word got out that I was tutoring you, my reputation would be ruined.”
“I also prefer to keep my lessons a secret. I do not want my mother, the Dowager Countess, to learn of them.”
“I have more to lose. My reputation is all I have.”
“Then we must be careful.”
She worried her bottom lip. His gaze once again lowered to her mouth. He realized she bit her lip when she was nervous. It would drive him to distraction during his lessons. He wanted to lick her plump bottom lip, nip it with his teeth, and suck it into his mouth.