Tiger's Hunt Read online

  Tiger's Hunt

  Leslie Chase

  Contents

  Copyright

  Preview of Tiger’s Hunt

  1. The Gala

  2. The Exhibition

  3. Intruders

  4. Waking Up

  5. The Truth, or Some of It

  6. Escape

  Preview of Tiger’s Den

  About the Author

  Cover Design by Kasmit Covers

  Editing by Sennah Tate

  Copyright 2015 Leslie Chase

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences. All names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All characters herein are over the age of 18. All sexual activities are between consenting adults who are not blood related.

  Created with Vellum

  Preview of Tiger’s Hunt

  (Tiger’s Sword Book One)

  “So, who am I escorting in here for an illicit tour?” She asked, grinning to make a joke of it.

  “Ah, I have to apologize again, I should have introduced myself properly. I’m Maxwell Walters, and I’m delighted to make your acquaintance,” he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. His kiss was firm, warm, and sent a tingle shooting up her arm. She caught herself before she giggled like a schoolgirl. Not dignified, Lenore!

  “Well, Maxwell, I’m Lenore Kimble,” she said, and tried a curtsy to match his old fashioned manner. It didn’t seem to come off right, but his smile didn’t look mocking. If anything, it looked… hungry was the word that came to mind. She found herself blushing again, and snatched back her hand. “So, um, let me show you around!”

  He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a shiver through her. Lenore found herself unable to look away from his strong, rugged face, those fascinating amber eyes, that strong jaw… Come on, focus, she told herself. This is a private tour for a rich guest, not an opportunity to gawk at man-candy!

  Part of her didn’t believe that though, and as he took a step closer, she struggled with the urge to reach out and touch him. Biting her lower lip, she turned away, only for his hand to catch her lightly by the arm. His touch was gentle but irresistible, pulling her back to face him. Once he touched her, Lenore couldn’t keep her desire for him at bay. Warmth radiated between her legs, her breath speeding up, her heart pounding.

  “Lenore…” he practically purred her name. His hand tightened on her arm, and she realized she wouldn’t be able to pull away if she tried.

  Good thing I don’t want to try, isn’t it? Her hand trembled as she reached out for him, feeling his sculpted, muscular chest through his shirt. It was like running her hand over a silk-covered statue, he was so solid and perfectly built. Growling, Maxwell pulled her closer, hands grabbing her hips, and as their bodies met she could feel him against her through their clothes, his cock like an iron rod. She gasped at the size of him, and couldn’t help for a moment imagining what he would look like naked. A pulse of heat washed through her at the image.

  1

  The Gala

  The party wasn’t what Lenore had expected. It was considerably worse.

  All around her were beautiful skinny women, built like models. Rail-thin, and perfect in their little dresses, fake laughs and plastic smiles. She’d known it wouldn’t be the place for her, but Dr. Addison had insisted she come along, and well, it was a fundraiser for the museum. She knew as well as anyone that they needed the money if they were going to hire any more staff, so here she was, doing her best to match smiles with some blond a foot taller than her and half her weight.

  “I love the work you do here,” the blond said. Lenore couldn’t help wondering if she had the slightest notion of what that work was.

  That’s not fair, she chided herself. There was no reason to assume that the woman was stupid; it would just feel even more unfair if she were rich, beautiful, and smart when Lenore could only manage one of the three on a good day.

  Besides, Lenore wasn’t some expert - she was only admin staff, and temporary at that. Really, she only had a job at the museum because they couldn’t afford to pay anyone qualified a reasonable wage. Everything she knew about the displays she’d learned in the past month working at the India Museum, or memorized from a brochure specifically for this evening.

  “Thank you,” she said, trying to keep her voice friendly and welcoming. “Our museum has one of the premier collections of art from the Indian subcontinent, but a lot of it requires specialist conservation techniques and a lot of work goes into keeping it all just so.”

  The woman nodded vaguely, and Lenore felt a guilty little rush of satisfaction at the glazed look in her eyes. Foolish, she knew - they were relying on people like her to pay the bills, it wasn’t a good thing that they didn’t know what they were paying for. Still, as long as the guests put some money in the pot at the end of the night, it didn’t really matter. She did feel a little bad about implying that she was somehow involved in the art, beyond cataloging it: her job was in the office, though she did love the exhibits.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Lenore said, trying to look like someone had caught her eye across the room, “I think Dr. Addison is looking for me. Thank you so much for your support!”

  The blonde was already moving on to her next conversation as Lenore disengaged and fled. Dr. Addison stood over by the stairs in the direction she’d fled, but more importantly so was the buffet. Her boss seemed busy talking to a rapt audience of idle rich, and didn’t look like he’d welcome her interruption - but a table of food was never going to spurn her attention.

  That’s the logic that has you carrying all those extra pounds, she chided herself. It didn’t stop her from picking up a plate and start piling it with little snacks, though.

  It’s not as though a few less of these would have me looking like these girls, she comforted herself. And the food did look delicious; part of Dr. Addison’s drive to make money by spending money. Looking around at the room full of smiling rich people, she had to admit that the plan seemed to be working. Of course, that relied on them actually donating something at the end of the night. What the guests had paid to get in would cover the party with money to spare, but hardly put a dent in the cost of running a London museum for the year.

  Lenore sighed and bit into a pakora. Of course the food was Indian: the whole theme was. That was the museum’s one claim to fame and they were playing it up relentlessly. There were so many huge, famous museums in London, after all, they had to have something to stand out. Even here, they were up against the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collections. Despite Dr. Addison’s enthusiasm for re-founding the India Museum, it was nearly impossible to compete with the bigger names.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t that much interest in faraway cultures these days, and two museums on the subject might be a little much even for London, especially since the history of British involvement in India could be something of a controversial subject. No matter how good he was at convincing the owners of private collections to let him display their treasures to the public, if the public weren’t interested it wouldn’t get anyone through the doors.

  “You’re looking glum, Lenore. What’s up?”

  Turning, she saw Gina standing at the table beside her, carefully picking up a few pieces of fruit from the buffet. Gina was on one of her diets again, but Lenore had to admit that it was paying off for her - she was looking much better in her little black dress than Lenore could hope to manage. Guiltily suppressing a flash of envy, Lenore smiled at her co-worker.

  “I’m just not very comfortable at a party like this,” she answered. “You look great,
but I’m not fit for this kind of company.”

  Gina laughed. “Nonsense! You look wonderful, Lenore, I’m sure one of these guys will snap you up if you give them a chance. All you need to do is relax a bit.”

  Lenore shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You might grab one, but what have I got to offer them? There are plenty of prettier girls out there.”

  “Just give it a go, girl,” Gina said, gesturing with a bit of pineapple on a cocktail stick. “You’ve had your confidence shaken, sure, but how long’s it been? You owe it to yourself to have some fun.”

  It had been a while since Lenore had tried flirting with a man, let alone anything more. Maybe Gina had a point, she thought - her last breakup had been painful, and in the six months since she’d not really made an effort to find anyone else. Being taken for granted and cheated on had soured her on the idea of dating.

  Even if it was time to try again, though, she couldn’t help feeling that this crowd was out of her league.

  “Who here’s going to be interested in me, Gina? You can say what you like, but I know I’m not the prettiest girl in this room. Not even close.”

  “Well, you are making the mistake of standing next to me,” Gina said, mock-haughtily, before spoiling the effect with a giggle. Lenore couldn’t help laughing along. “But come on, if you don’t try, you can’t win.”

  “You make it sound like a lottery.”

  “Well, now that you say that…” Gina trailed off, looking past Lenore. “Ooh, now there’s a hunk who looks like he’s interested in you.”

  It took an effort of will for Lenore not to spin around immediately, but she wasn’t about to fall for a joke like that. “Not funny, Gina.”

  “No joke, I promise!” Gina solemnly crossed her heart. “Over there in the corner, the tall guy ignoring the leggy blond.”

  Cautiously, Lenore looked around, trying not to be obvious. She spotted the man Gina was talking about immediately, and blinked. That man was, well, gorgeous. Tall, handsome, broad shouldered and powerful. And yes, he was looking at her, not at the slender blond beside him, who looked like she was doing everything she could to catch his interest. The man looked away as soon as Lenore turned to see him, though, and the blond couldn’t catch his eye.

  “Go. Go talk to him.” Gina made a little shooing motion, and Lenore felt her cheeks heat up. “He’s interested, you know he is.”

  “He isn’t!” Lenore protested. “I can’t be that lucky.”

  “Well, if you don’t speak to guys, then you won’t ever be,” Gina said. “Now I’m off to take my own advice, and try to hook one of these gorgeous men. I’ve got to take them all on a tour in an hour anyway; I might not have another chance to chat one on one!”

  She put down her plate, smiled at Lenore, and swept off on her hunt. Lenore shook her head and smiled fondly after her, silently wishing her luck. She liked Gina well enough, but her energy could be tiring and her insistence on trying to get Lenore to socialize was borderline exhausting. Well, at least now she could enjoy a snack in peace, she thought, and started to gather some more food to her plate

  “You don’t look as though you’re enjoying the party.” The deep male voice at her side made Lenore jump, and she fumbled desperately trying to keep control of her plate. A strong hand caught and steadied it, and she looked up with a glare for the man who’d surprised her.

  It was the man Gina had spotted, looking even taller now that he stood over her, and large enough that she was surprised he’d been able to get close to her unnoticed. He must be a lot quieter than he looked, she thought. Big as he was, he was lean too - not an ounce of him looked to be fat. The suit he wore was exquisite, even by the standards of this room, and of course tailored perfectly to him, but still something about him seemed about to burst from its confines. His most noticeable features were his eyes, a strikingly odd amber color Lenore hadn’t seen before. An amused smile graced his lips, unapologetic for the shock he’d given her.

  “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!” She snapped, and felt herself blushing and trying to control her emotions. Aside from anything else, he was clearly at the party as a donor, and that was no way to ask a man for money. She made an effort to soften her tone. “I’m sorry, you just startled me.”

  “No need to apologize,” he told her, handing her plate back. “I didn’t intend to give you a fright, so if anything I should be the one saying sorry. I was only trying to say hello.”

  There was something intense about the way he looked at her. Lenore found herself blushing, wondering why he took an interest in her. Maybe he was just here for the buffet? He did have a hungry look in his eyes, but he never spared a glance for the food.

  “Are you interested in Indian art, then?” She asked. He didn’t seem the type, somehow. At least, he didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the donors.

  “Some of it,” he said, shrugging casually. “I’ve spent a few years in India, actually, and I have something of a connection there. A family connection, though somewhat distant. Perhaps you could show me around?”

  She felt her blush deepen slightly at the thought of being all alone with him in the exhibit. “The collection isn’t going to open for another hour, but then you’ll all get a tour of the whole thing. Why rush?”

  He laughed quietly, and the deep sound made her shiver. “I’d prefer a more personal tour, I think. Really, don’t you think it would be nicer with just the two of us than with all of these… people around?”

  His airy wave took in the roomful of donors, most of them beautiful disinterested plastic people present only to be seen by other plastic people. Dr. Addison had a remarkable gift for getting those people through the door, though none of them seemed altogether sure why they were here. Lenore stifled a laugh, and put down her plate.

  “Well, alright, when you put it like that,” she told him. “I’d rather show someone interesting - I mean interested.”

  “Oh, I promise you, I’m both,” he said, laughing.

  2

  The Exhibition

  They slipped out of the party-filled reception area and into the darkened halls of the museum easily enough. Lenore worried that they’d be spotted - not that it would be a problem for her, of course, she had access. But he wasn’t meant to be there, and he was a massive man, handsome and rugged and eye-catching. She found it hard to believe that no one would notice him leaving, and was a little surprised that they weren’t challenged on their way out.

  It was only when the door clicked shut behind her and she’d put away her key-card that she realized she hadn’t even asked his name yet.

  “So, who am I escorting in here for an illicit tour?” She asked, grinning to make a joke of it.

  “Ah, I have to apologize again, I should have introduced myself properly. I’m Maxwell Walters, and I’m delighted to make your acquaintance,” he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. His kiss was firm, warm, and sent a tingle shooting up her arm. She caught herself before she giggled like a schoolgirl. Not dignified, Lenore!

  “Well, Maxwell, I’m Lenore Kimble,” she said, and tried a curtsy to match his old fashioned manner. It didn’t seem to come off right, but his smile didn’t look mocking. If anything, it looked… hungry was the word that came to mind. She found herself blushing again, and snatched back her hand. “So, um, let me show you around!”

  He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a shiver through her. Lenore found herself unable to look away from his strong, rugged face, those fascinating amber eyes, that strong jaw… Come on, focus, she told herself. This is a private tour for a rich guest, not an opportunity to gawk at man-candy!

  Part of her didn’t believe that though, and as he took a step closer, she struggled with the urge to reach out and touch him. Biting her lower lip, she turned away, only for his hand to catch her lightly by the arm. His touch was gentle but irresistible, pulling her back to face him. Once he touched her, Lenore couldn’t keep her desire for him at bay. Warmth radiated betw
een her legs, her breath speeding up, her heart pounding.

  “Lenore…” he practically purred her name. His hand tightened on her arm, and she realized she wouldn’t be able to pull away if she tried.

  Good thing I don’t want to try, isn’t it? Her hand trembled as she reached out for him, feeling his sculpted, muscular chest through his shirt. It was like running her hand over a silk-covered statue, he was so solid and perfectly built. Growling, Maxwell pulled her closer, hands grabbing her hips, and as their bodies met she could feel him against her through their clothes, his cock like an iron rod. She gasped at the size of him, and couldn’t help for a moment imagining what he would look like naked. A pulse of heat washed through her at the image.

  This is crazy! You’ve just met this guy, and now you’re sneaking off with him into the stairwell? The practical, sensible part of Lenore tried to reason with her, but she pushed it aside. This kind of thing never happened to girls like her, and she wasn’t going to miss out on her chance!

  Maxwell gave a low growl that vibrated through her, pulling her close to him and bending to kiss her. Their lips met with an electric connection, powerful and unlike any kiss Lenore had experienced, a burning joyous feeling that shot through her from tip to toe. His lips were firm against hers, and warm, and he drove the memory of every other kiss out of her mind, leaving her shaking as their lips parted.

  “Lenore,” he purred again, drawing out the sound of her name as he nuzzled her neck. “This wasn’t what I had in mind when we left the party, but my God, how could I stop now?”

  She couldn’t think about his words. To be honest, she wasn’t thinking much at all, at least not with her brain. And her body really, really didn’t want him to stop. She reached down between them, sliding a hand across his hardness, feeling him swell in her grip as she gasped again at the size of him. The need she felt for him was nearly overwhelming, and she didn’t want to give him a chance to talk himself out of this.