My Dangerous Rogue, Paula Wong [best books to read for self improvement TXT] 📗

the room, eyes landed on the pair. Whispers began.
Oh no, she thought looking around to find Lord Frinchester.
A figure stood out of the crowd, a thin man with a mask. He was wearing a dark brown suit, his mask hid his whole face but she knew who that is.
Lord Frinchester.
She inhaled a breath, and then looked around the find the rogue. No, he’s not here anywhere.
Maybe he had something else to do than enter a silly old ball? She smiled.
Good, at least Richard O’Conner won’t be able to embarrass her in front of the Ton tonight.
“I’m sorry about this,” she whispered looking around as he spun her. “I must be bothering you.”
“Yes, you are.” He said coldly, though smiling. “Tell me, what is a beautiful maiden like you doing out here without an escort?”
She blushed and smiled. “I am trying to avoid someone, well actually two someone’s,”
“Well can I ask who are you trying to avoid? Maybe I can keep an eye out for them,” he whispered in her ear making her shiver.
A familiar feeling rose again in her stomach. This feeling… the feeling she felt when she was in the O’Conner Estate, came rushing in her again.
Her green eyes looked up to his. “Who are you?”
He grinned and stopped dancing as the music stopped as well. “My identity is better kept a secret,”
“Why do you say that?” she whispered leaning closer to him.
“Because it is a masquerade ball, everything is better kept secret in a masquerade ball,”
“I see,” she muttered looking down.
He looked around, his eyes scanning the room. “Where is she?” he muttered looking at the entrance door as more people kept coming in.
“May I ask who are you looking for my lord? Maybe I can be of assistance,”
He smiled and looked down at her. “I am looking for the main host of this ball.”
“And who is this host? There are several,”
“Then I am looking for one of those several,”
“You are secretive aren’t you?”
He bowed and took her hand, placing a kiss on its place. “Yes, I am. I am sorry Madame but I’m afraid I must take my leave, maybe in the future, we can meet again,”
Loretta bowed and smiled. “Yes maybe in the future,” she watched him disappear in the crowd. Now he was an ideal man she would want to marry.
A kind and caring gentleman.
Except the secret part. No, if she’s getting married to a man then there will be no secrets between them. She sighed.
That is the problem, no man is perfect. Somehow, there will be a secret between them.
Another reason why she doesn’t believe in true love. Because there is no such thing.
“Excuse me,” said a voice behind her. She froze.
Oh no, it’s Lord Frinchester. She thought she was going to get away from him but eventually, that was a mistake.
Slowly, she turned around and smiled.
“Yes?”
“I am looking for my fiancé; she’s wearing a white beautiful satin dress and the beautiful sapphire necklace I gave her.”
Yes, the necklace you gave me for a wedding present, she thought then gave out a sigh.
“Lord Frinchester,” she smiled as she eyed his suit. It’s the same color as everyone else’s though it looked ridiculously large against his skinny features. “I didn’t expect you here,”
“Future wife, of course I would be here, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Sure you won’t, she thought but smiled. “Of course,”
“Would you like to dance?” he held out a hand.
Loretta hesitated and smiled. “Of-,”
“Loretta!”
She turned to the side and smiled. It was Vivian.
“Excuse me,” she bowed but before he can say anything, she was off.
“Looks like you needed saving there,” Vivian smiled, her red gown filled with red jewels, her hair tied up into a bun, some curled out in front of her.
Beside her was a man, Loretta blinked and smiled. “And you must be Lord Richmond,” she bowed. “Pleasure to meet you,”
The handsome gentleman chuckled and smiled. “Please the pleasure is mine,”
Vivian blushed and leaned against him, her arm hooking around his.
“Well anyway, thank you for the save. Please have a great time,”
She smiled. “We will. Good luck.”
Loretta bowed. “Thank you. I’ll need it,”
She slipped right in the crowd so Lord Frinchester won’t be able to see her. He is the last person she would want to see again. More importantly, if he’s here then the Earl of Kent must be here as well.
She stopped. Who was she kidding? There’s no way the rogue would actually come here. Unless of course he wanted to embarrass her. But no, because if he does, then he would he here right now which he isn’t.
Loretta glanced around. There were a lot of men in masks. How was he going to find him? No, it is impossible to find him in this crowd. Without noticing, she bumped onto a gentleman in front of her, she closed her eyes as the world seemed to stop.
Oh no, she would be embarrassed for sure, falling on her butt in front of these people.
Especially of the ton, god she was so clumsy.
She held in a breath as she fell backward…then stopped.
“You should indeed watch where you are going Madame, or you might slip and fall. We wouldn’t want to damage your reputation now would we?”
That familiar voice again. She opened her eyes to see beautiful blue-green eyes staring down at her, his smile breathtaking.
“No,” she said breathless. “We wouldn’t,”
His arm was securely around her waist his face inches from hers. Without thinking, she leaned forward her lips meeting his.
His eyes widened but kept open as he moved his lips, witnessing every expression she makes. He held her up, to where she was standing on both of her feet, though never breaking the kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip toes. He backed himself and quickly slipped out of the nearest door. He pulled away and looked down at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Loretta looked up at his eyes, she rested her hand down at his broad chest. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that nobody had done that to me before and I wanted to pay you back with a kiss. So thank you,”
He looked down at her, suddenly the scent of apples entered his nostrils. A scent that was oddly familiar. It was almost too familiar. “I would like to know the name of the woman I have saved from humiliation,”
Loretta looked up at him and smiled. Maybe it is better for this gentleman to know her name. After all it can’t hurt, he was kind and caring person. And additionally, he was her life saver. If she should have fallen in that ballroom, laughter should’ve surrounded the hall by now. She would be the laughing stock of the Season.
And no man would want to marry her.
What’s the harm of telling her name to him? She only looked out for one person and that is the Earl of Kent. Surely this man couldn’t be the Earl of Kent because if he is then he wouldn’t have saved her.
“My name is Natasha Seinfeld,” she smiled awkwardly. Okay that isn’t really her real name but when she finally decided to tell him her name, she can’t say it. Somehow deep inside her, she knew this would be a bad idea.
She wanted to say her real name to tell him this was wrong, that that name is fake but her mouth and tongue refused to fashion the word.
“Natasha Seinfeld,” he repeated.
She wasn’t sure she had imagined it but he sounded like he was disappointed. Disappointed how though? “Excuse me, but you seemed to be looking for someone. Please tell me who you are looking for so I can help you. At least that would be another gratitude I can repay you,”
“Loretta Chase,” he muttered looking down at her eyes, which slightly widened.
He was looking for me? She thought. Why? “What do you want with Lady Loretta?”
The handsome man smiled down at her. “That is for me to know and you don’t,”
“But you see… I need to know. Because I’m her cousin, and I know exactly where she is,”
Okay, this isn’t exactly what she’s planning but she’s just making things up as far as it goes. Again, something not wanted to say to her life saver. Speaking of, who is he?
“Now it’s my turn, I would like to know the name of the person who saved my life,”
“Since in you insist,” he hesitated then pulled away looking through the massive hallway. “Do you really want to know? Because I promise you if you do, then it’ll be too late for you to forget about it,”
Is it really that bad? She thought but remained silent. “Who are you?”
“Alright,” he ran a hand through dark hair. His eyes shining in the dark. “That is none of your business. My name remains a secret. For now,” he raised up her hand to take it in his lips but she pulled away.
“I’m sorry- I-I have to go.” She whispered looking up at him pushing him away from her, raising up her skirts, and dashing off onto the hallway. Chapter 5

Richard watched her retrieving figure. Something was odd about that woman.
First she tells that she’s Loretta Chase’s cousin?
“Strange,” he muttered looking back at her small figure disappearing in the hallway one last time, and then turned around to leave.
Straightening his overcoat and mask, he entered the crowded ballroom again. Every part of the room is filled with grouped members of the ton. Each one of them gossiping about each other.
Pathetic.
After a couple of minutes, he made his way to the long table. Quickly, he took a goblet off of the tray and gulped the wine down.
Even beside him, the gentlemen were talking away about some random murders in the city, but quickly changed into something he was interested in.
“Haven’t you heard?” the man closest to him said. “Rumors has it that the Earl of Kent has arrived. Do any of you know see him?”
Richard kept his back to them though changed his position, leaning against the wall, looking at the crowd while he take another sip of wine.
Every gentlemen in this room had masks on. Each of the designs different.
He sighed and looked at the couples who were dancing, on the far corner of his eyes, he saw the king and queen of England.
William is a smart man, really knows his politics.