House of Pleasure, Deborah Court [great books of all time TXT] 📗

she wore. The golden bow she held in her hand and the arrows on her back left no doubt of whom she impersonated – Diana, the goddess of the hunt.

Try to run as fast as you want, goddess, Luke thought as he approached her, making his way through the crowd of guests who willingly stepped back when they saw the furious look in his eyes. But you will be very surprised who is the hunter and who is the prey in your little game.

Jane felt his angry gaze resting on her before she even saw him. When she lifted her head she did not know if she wanted to gasp in awe or smile.

Luke was wearing the costume she had chosen for him. She couldn’t believe it. And he looked unbelievably good in it.

His tiny white toga left one broad shoulder and a good part of his sculptured chest bare, showing off his strong arms. It was so short that his tanned legs were naked up to his muscular thighs. He wore a white half mask and a laurel wreath on his head, and his leather belt was adorned with bunches of ripe red and green grapes dangling from his waist. He even wore the golden sandals she had chosen for him, their strings wrapped around his calves. A lovely smile enlivened her face.

“Luke!” She went to him with outstretched hands. “Or should I say, Bacchus, the god of wine, fertility and the most ecstatic carnal pleasures? I am so glad to have you as my guest of honor tonight!”

He was still thinking about a fitting answer to her teasing words when a tall man appeared at her side, watching him with an expression of shock on his face, the same Luke’s own features showed.

It was impossible, but yet he couldn't deny what he saw with his own eyes.

The stranger was undoubtedly Ryan, the friend Jane had spoken about after their passionate encounter on the tea table. But he didn't only look similar to Luke, as Jane had said.

He looked exactly like Luke. The same height, the same face with the ice blue eyes, straight nose, angular jaw and strong chin. The same broad shoulders and muscular body, Ryan was even wearing the same costume, with the only difference that his toga was not white but dark red, and his masquerade was completed by a bow and arrows instead of grapes. He was Cupid, the god of love.

Jane looked from one to the other, looking exactly like a cat who had just discovered a bowl of cream – or two of them at once. “I think this is going to be a very interesting night,” she said.

"Dear Luke, I would never have thought you could dance at all," Jane remarked while Luke swept her in a waltz over the dance floor. "You just don't seem to be the type."

Luke pressed her closer to his body, enjoying how good it felt to hold her in his arms. "I am full of surprises." He grinned. "If you don't believe me, I'll think of a ... more physical proof to convince you."

Jane looked him in the eyes in a very provocative way. "Maybe you could convince me, Luke, if you meet me in the garden pavilion at midnight. We'll have more privacy there. Besides, I have to tend to my other guests now."

"Just tell me one more thing," Luke said, reluctant to let her out of his grasp once again. "What about this Ryan? Who is he? And why does he look like me? Is he another creation of your vivid imagination?"

Jane laughed. "Indeed, most of the guests tonight are, but he isn't ... well, at least I think he's real! I am not sure where he came from. I just found him knocking at my door a few days ago, and he seemed to have lost his memory, he didn't even know how he happened to be there. At first I believed that he was the real you, but later I found out that he was just another creation of the house. Sometimes it has its own will and gives me a present, something that I need without knowing it. But I knew that I wanted to get to know you, Luke - the real person, not just a dream."

"And why is he still here, when you have me now?" Luke growled, feeling jealousy raising its ugly head again. "You just said that you need him?"

"I think so," Jane answered honestly. "Although I don't know why yet. Ryan ... he may look like you but he's totally different. He seems to be romantic and kind. You can talk to him all night long. He'll pick flowers for me in the garden and bring them to me, or shower me with rose petals. He loves to sing under my window in the middle of the night. Oh, his voice is beautiful. And he can ..."

"That's enough!" Luke thundered just as the music played pianissimo, causing several heads to turn around to them. "When this Ryan is so perfect, I don't understand why you wanted me here! I could as well go and ..."

"YOU wanted to be here, Luke!" Jane shouted back, clearly upset now. "Yes, the house transported me to L.A. so we could meet, but admit it - you wanted to be with me from the first moment you saw me in the park! I haven't put a spell on you, if this is what you believe. You are here because this is exactly what you wanted. I only showed you the way. You can leave whenever you want, you've never been my prisoner! Just do the same thing that brought you here: lie down, close your eyes and count from ten backwards. Farewell and have a good life."

"Oh no, dear Jane, I won't do you this favor so you can be undisturbed while you have your little tête-à-tête with this oh-so-romantic, idiotic ..." He stopped shouting when he noticed that the