Dépouiller (verb) to strip somebody or something of; to get rid of

As the sound of the door opening ricocheted around the echoey room, I pulled away from Alec, putting a foot of distance between us.

My first thought...was of Bastien.

I didn't want him to see me almost kissing a man.

Which was strange, because I shouldn't care what he saw or thought. This was my room after all.

But...some part of me did care.

The part of me that was dark and sinful and craved his touch. The part of me that wanted him to continue ruining me despite how much I hated him.

But when I looked to see who had thrown open the door, I realized it wasn't my prince standing in the doorway.

It was Tyson, along with his sanguine partner, Okeri.

I expelled a sigh of relief.

As always, Tyson had a smirk on his face, but he wasn't dressed in his usual finery. His black hair was windswept and his plain clothing was torn in a few places, like he'd been in a sword fight.

Only, he wasn't carrying a sword—but two bottles of amber colored spirits.

"I can't believe you're hosting a harem party and didn't invite us!" he announced, wagging the bottles at me. Before I could offer an explanation, he was already talking. "This is the perfect opportunity to play a proper game of Dépouiller!"

Excited applause and giggles went around the room at the mention of the card game, and I swore the temperature rose as everyone's attention shifted to me.

I recalled the game they'd taught me to play on our way here. The one that took me the better part of a day to learn and the one they'd abandoned, explaining it was only fun with more people and...strong drink.

Okeri was similarly dressed to the young prince, in trousers and a tunic that bore evidence of swordplay. Her curly hair had been braided in tight rows with colored beads threaded into the ends.

Tyson kicked the door closed behind him and the pair strolled inside without further invitation.

"Never choose your harem without playing Dépouiller first," Okeri told me, sauntering up to where I stood and pulling a deck of cards from the satchel around her waist. "It's basically an unwritten law."

She was so beautiful and fierce, it was hard not to be intimidated by her confidence and the way she just knew things. Especially about this role I was supposed to be filling.

Still, playing Dépouiller might be an unwritten law amongst sanguine partners, but I'd promised Bastien I wouldn't drink with my harem.

He'd told me there was no exception to this rule, and I thought that meant it was codified for all sanguine partners, but neither Okeri nor Tyson seemed to know about that rule.

Which made me think he'd crafted it just for me.

Frustration and confusion had my hands in tight fists.

He didn't want me. He was just making this complicated because he despised me for what happened the night of his Sangination Ball. He was still furious that I'd forced him to choose me.

Well, if he was singling me out because he was angry, why should I follow his rules?

Waving the cards in Alec's face, she gave him a playful shove away from me.

"If you want to prove how good you are to your Mademoiselle, go find some chairs for the table."

"Of course," he replied, bowing. As he rose, Alec caught my gaze, then flashed me a knowing grin. "It would be an honor to be on your team, Mademoiselle."

My team?

Okeri and Tyson hadn't taught me to play the game with teams. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I didn't want to seem foolish. Besides, I was supposed to be winning him over so I could have help conducting my espionage.

"The honor is all mine," I replied.

When he scurried off to tend to the chairs, my attention shifted back to Okeri, who really seemed to be in her element. Growing up in the capital, she was used to parties, whereas I was not.

Turning a circle, Okeri addressed the room. "Who wants to be on my team?"

Many hands rose, and after careful perusal, she selected a pretty brunette with curvy hips and full breasts. Deferring to me, Okeri asked, "Do you mind if she plays with me?"

Still unsure what that meant, but not wanting to seem stupid, I nodded. "Of course."

Meanwhile, Tyson had the buffet table cleared of food and was pouring amber liquid into little crystals cups. He wasn't doing a very good job, and liquor sloshed onto the table, staining the white table cloth.

Once again I had the sense that I was way out of my comfort zone and had no idea what I was getting myself into, but everyone else seemed excited to play, including Tansy and Devlinn, so I committed to enjoying myself despite my reservations.

"Don't let me drink too much, 'Keri," Tyson said, downing the contents of his glass before promptly refilling it.

She raised a brow. "And why is that?"

"Because I have a council meeting tonight, and I don't want to be sweating booze from every pore. My uncle won't approve."

A few people giggled, but I didn't. If he strolled into the council meeting drunk, and Bastien asked where he'd been, he'd be livid.

At him. At me.

I stopped myself from that line of thinking and reminded myself I didn't care if he was angry. He left me alone after touching me until I came undone for him, then made me feel guilty about it.

Everyone was taking their seats, and the pretty brunette was being pulled into Okeri's lap. Her twin on Tyson's.

Alec had chosen a seat between those two, and he beckoned me forward with a wave of his hand.

Oh. Right. I was going to be sitting on his lap since he was on my team. That was going to be...interesting.

Everyone else partnered up. Devlinn kissed the side of Tansy neck when she shamelessly straddled him. The image of Bastien standing behind me while he slid in and out of her drifted through my mind.

He hadn't done anything to indicate he'd want to be that close with me, nor did I expect him to.

It was forbidden, after all.

Smoothing a hand down the front of my dress, I took Alec's extended hand and lowered myself into his lap. The black satin robe he wore was doing a very poor job of covering his legs, or anything else.

I folded my hands anxiously on the table, not allowing all my weight to rest on him, and fixing my attention on Okeri as she shuffled the cards around the woman on her lap.

I needed to be confident like her. Flirty. Happy. It's what I wanted. To feel good and enjoy the moment, but something was holding me back.

Something...or someone.

Reaching for the crystal glass in front of me, I threw back a shot of amber liquor, and immediately regretted it, coughing into my arm as the flavor burned down my throat.

"Look at you!" Alec said encouragingly, and copied me, drinking his shot of liquor as well.

Both of the cups were refilled by Lena, who was still fluttering around the room, ensuring everyone was having a good time.

Tyson set his arm on the back of our chair, and leaned in. "You're going to love this version of the game so much more than the one we played in the coach. The only difference is that if a Jack is on the river, everyone takes off an article of clothes, regardless of if they're winning or not. You do a shot if someone plays a spade. And of course, all the losers have to remove an article of clothing for each number of tricks they're short."

I stared blankly back at him. "But most of the people here are only wearing robes."

He winked at me. "Exactly."

Sweat prickled along my skin and my heart accelerated like I was about to jump off the biggest of the falls at my favorite lake.

The point of this game was to get all of us naked and drunk as fast as possible.

And I was sitting on Alec's lap.

I closed my eyes and drew in a breath through my nose. The last time I'd been pulled into a man's lap, Bastien had made me come for him. Touching me and teasing me in ways that had driven me mad with need.

This didn't feel like that.

Intimate and inevitable.

In fact, this felt like the opposite. I was tense, and I wasn't sure I wanted to get naked in front of all these people, especially Tyson.

On the other hand, I didn't want Bastien to be the only one who could make me feel that way, because he'd told me he would never touch me again.

So, here I was, surrounded by beautiful people who were allowed to touch me.

This had to be good enough. Alec was very handsome, and had I never met Bastien, I'd probably think he was the most handsome man I'd ever met.

Two cards were dealt to each team, and three more were flipped over at the center of the table.

Alec's arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back so I was better seated on his lap before he picked up the cards, and I allowed myself to lean against him.

"We don't want either of these Corbinites cheating, do we?" he said loudly enough to make Okeri grin.

I smiled nervously and nodded. "No, of course not."

Throughout the first hand, he whispered sweet little words to me. Things that were meant to make me feel beautiful.

It worked, a little, and thanks to the shot of liquor sitting in my belly, I was feeling less concerned about what Bastien would think. 

I noticed other couples were already exploring each other's bodies. Hands disappeared beneath robes and heads tipping back.

"We've got a good hand," he said, while his traveled up my stomach, coming to rest just below the swell of my breasts. "What do you think? How many tricks can we make? Six?"

I covered his hand with mine, lacing our fingers together and halting his progress before he got any higher.

"Six seems like a lot. I'd say two."

He chuckled against my neck. "What's the fun in two?"

"If we lose..." I started to explain, then turned to catch his fox-like grin.

Oh. Right. If we lost, we'd have to take an item of clothing off for each number of tricks we didn't make. 

Six ensured we both would be naked at the end of the first hand.

"Let's say three, then," I offered.

He conceded, and bets went around the table.

As the cards were flipped and couples threw down cards and picked up others, the first hand went on much longer than it had in the coach. Especially since spades were thrown twice, and that meant we'd all taken two more shots.

My laughter came easier with each one. I stopped caring if Alec's hand found my breast or not. I scooted further back against him, letting his hard length rub against me.

More cards were thrown, until at last, Okeri was declared the winner, and it was time to pay up.

Everyone had to take another shot, which helped when I realized that we'd only won one trick, so that meant two items of clothing had to come off.

Alec only had one to remove—his robe—which meant I'd need to take off something as well.

From her winner's chair, Okeri was clapping and chanting, "Take it off!"

The energy around the table was palpable, like a sultry spell had been cast on everyone, and I found that I was swept away in it. Whether it was the alcohol or the laughter I wasn't sure, but I knew I wanted to be part of this.

I wanted to feel the pleasure I'd felt last night.

Lifting me off his lap, Alec rose from his seat, eyes locked with mine, as he undid the ties of the sash.

The move reminded me so starkly of Bastien, and the way he'd untied my robe, I was transported back to the warm bathhouse. His long fingers twirling around the silk sash while he was on his knees in front of me.

He'd worshiped my body with his eyes, drawing out the pleasure I felt without even touching me.

But Bastien wasn't here, and even if he was, he'd be brooding in a corner, not touching me.

Alec's robe fell to his feet, exposing all of him to me.

In a days time, I'd seen what three different men looked like naked from the waist down, and none of them looked remotely alike.

Alec had flawless bronze skin that looked like he'd never taken a wound in battle. Skin that was soft to touch and warm under my palms.

Unlike Bastien.

I couldn't decide if it was his best quality, or his worst.

"Your turn," Alec said, coming up behind me and running his hand along my curves, stopping when he reached my corset strings.

My turn indeed.

Slowly, he started pulling on the stings, loosening the front of my gown with each tug.

I wasn't wearing anything underneath except undergarments and a petticoat. When the dress was off, my breasts would be bared for everyone.

Nervousness pooled in my stomach, but I'd already committed to this. I pulled one arm out of my sleeve, then the other, and a chill crept along my bare skin.

Alec's lips skimmed over the newly exposed skin, tracing up one arm, across my shoulders, then down the other. The alcohol had me leaning back against his chest to steady myself.

I sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of his skin, but the sound was swallowed by the giggles and the sighs others were making.

I still couldn't believe I was doing this, but the alcohol dulled my inner voice.

With Alec's urging, my dress slid down my hips, and with another wiggle and a tug, landed beside his robe on the ground.

I cupped my chest, still self conscious, despite my reduced inhibitions, as I stepped out of it.

"I was wrong," Alec said, taking my hand and spinning me around. "You are more than beautiful. You are radiant."

Our eyes locked, and the anticipation that he was going to kiss me settled over me once again. Cupping my face, Alec pulled me close. His hardness pressed against my belly.

"Make me one of your own, Claire. Say you want me, and I'll give you whatever you want."

I hummed in response. Whatever I wanted sounded nice right now.

I closed my eyes, and pretended he was Bastien. I couldn't say why, but the vampire's frustrating image formed behind my eyes and I couldn't make it leave.

Or, maybe I didn't want it to leave.

"Yes. I want you."

I wasn't sure who I was talking to, the man inside my head or the one standing in front of me, and right now I was too drunk to care.

Just as his lips brushed against mine, the unmistable sound of Bastien's cane striking against the floor stilled my movement.

He'd come. But what did he want?

"My lord," someone gasped. "I wasn't expecting you."

Alec let me go so that he could bow, just as everyone else did.

Slowly, I turned to face him, and as I did, I dropped my hands. If he'd come to see me, then he could see all of me.

Y'ALL! 🙈🙊 I know you wanted me to have Bastien barge in at the beginning of the chapter, but I've been waiting for this very moment since I started writing this story.

The game. The drinking. The rules. The jealousy. The forbidden romance.

The next few chapters have lived in my head rent free for a few months and I cannot wait to write them!

Any theories on what happens next?