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Scandalous!
by: Koneko
divinepheonix@hotmail.com
Genre: A Regency Romance -- Humor?
Season: Alternate Universe
Rated: R (for strong sexual uhm... thoughts?)
Standard Disclaimer Applies.
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Serena's mouth slowly formed an 'o' shape as she took in the man
before her. He was big. Really really big. She almost felt like
stepping back even though he was ten feet away from her. He had the
muscles of a boar, and the handsomeness of a Greek statue. Her eyes
swept over his black hair before she recognized that he was speaking to
her guardian quite angrily.

"Mina, have you lost all your senses? Do you realize what would
happen if anybody came in here and saw you dressed like that? Have a
bit of responsibility for yourself."

Mina didn't reply.

"And on another note, inviting in this stranger to our home was
completely idiotic. She could be a thief, a murderer, or carry all
sorts of strange diseases, and now you're cavorting with her as if you
were one and the same person!"

Serena was incensed. She could practically feel the steam
billowing from her ears. Well, if that didn't prove that all sexy men
were chauvinistic pigs, she didn't know what did; so what if all men of
the nineteenth century acted so, this man deserved a piece of her mind.

"Listen you," she began, marching up to the big man, "You have
no right to address Mina in such a god awful way. For one, Mina has
been a wonderful help to me and you should be proud to know such a
giving person; I doubt you would have helped me! And secondly, I resent
being called a thief or murderer, and I'll have you know that I am
healthier than anyone in this time could ever be. So, if you would
please control your temper and acknowledge the fact that you're acting
like an ass, we would appreciate it if you would apologize to the both
of us!"

The mysterious man offered no reply, and Serena glared at his
back as he walked away. She turned to look at Mina, and raised an
eyebrow at the woman's frightened face.

"I—I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That was my brother,
Serena, the Duke of Kensington, and you just insulted him to his face."

"The… the Duke of Kensington is your brother?" Serena watched as
Mina nodded. Sitting down onto a chaise, Serena put her head in her
hands and wondered what was going to happen to her now.

* * *

Darien Shields, fourth Duke of Kensington, sat at his large desk
in the center of his study with a brandy in his left hand and pondered.
He tried to keep his mind on the meeting with Kunzite, but his head kept
wandering back to his run-in with the American. His blood heated at the
thought of her, and his head thought back to the way her body flowed as
she kicked and punched, her clothes leaving almost nothing to the
imagination.

He groaned. Mina's penchant for taking up distressed people in
the streets had to stop, right now. No matter what, he could not have
such a possibility for disaster living in his home. She could steal any
valuable objects from the house and jettison away without anyone
knowing. She could be a bounty hunter and murder him during his sleep.
Or she could sneak into his room and remove all of her clothes…

Darien stopped and sighed. This thinking process was not going
to get him anywhere. He gulped down the brandy and poured himself
another glass before walking to the broad window south of the desk.

His study was the domain of a man. It was large, wood, and
dark. The room was lined with books of all types, from information on
Africa to etchings drawn by the Chinese. Artifacts were strewn about
the room in a haphazard manner that only managed to make the room look
exotic. Resting before his huge fireplace lay a Persian rug that he had
bought from a maharaja. The room reflected Darien's lifestyle, bold,
exotic, and full of sensuality. He felt comfortable here, amidst his
collections of objects from all over the world.

His ponderings turned back to the thought of his latest trip.
He had made good progress, getting to the Indies and back quickly and
efficiently. The money made from selling the spices and silk would
inflate his earnings as well as Mina's dowry. The trips would have to
be put on hold though, as it was reaching the commencement of the little
season. Mina would be entering her fourth season, and she still had yet
to find a man to put her shackles into. He was glad she had enough
sense to avoid scandal in full view of the ton, but with this new
addition, he wasn't so sure what was to happen.

Mina was probably planning something completely inappropriate
that she wanted to have happen with that succulent houri when the little
season began. Whatever it was, he was sure that he himself wouldn't
enjoy it. Hell, he wasn't enjoying himself particularly well as it was.
He was feeling distinctly uncomfortable as he stared at the rug in
front of his fireplace, imagining the blond haired woman lying on it,
her hair fanning out behind her, eyes closed in ecstasy…

Yes, this curiosity would have to leave. She had far too much
of a hold on his senses already, and someone like that could not stay in
his town house; ever, his mistress apartments perhaps.

* * *

Serena had sense gotten over her shock, and had changed from her
work out clothes back into her day dress and was dealing with Mina
trying to teach her how to embroider. Sewing, much as she had tried,
had never been one of Serena's fortés. And as she tried, her thoughts
kept drifting back to what would happen the next time she came into
contact with the Duke of Kensington.

She still couldn't believe that Mina was the sister of a Duke.
A duke for cripes sake! As far as she knew, a duke was the highest
level of nobility a person could reach without being downright royalty,
and as far as she knew, there were no Prince Darien's during regency
times. And as much as she hated to admit it, her future now depended on
this man. With such a title and being a man, he could throw her out at
any point and she wouldn't have say at all.

Which was, she knew, not exactly the best thing that could
happen to her.

Accidentally pricking herself with the needle, she brought her
finger to her lips and tried to staunch the miniscule blood flow. It
was hard to believe that she was in this time at all, let alone be
staying in the house of a duke. A very tall duke with raven black hair
and rippling muscles and a nice, tight… Serena shook her head. Thoughts
like that weren't about to get her anywhere. She would have to, she
shivered, apologize for her actions. Her pride felt immediately piqued,
and she felt angry with herself for considering doing so, but she knew
that it was needed. She didn't want to be thrown out.

Placing the erstwhile embroidery and needle to the side, she
looked at Mina and made an 'ahem' noise. Her companion looked up and
settled her own embroidery in her lap, waiting.

"I've, uhm, well, I've decided to apologize to your brother."

"His Grace."

"What?" Serena questioned, looking at Mina incredulously.

"All Dukes and Duchesses are treated with the respect allotted
to such a position, and thus are referred to as Lords or Graces."

Serena blinked. "Right. I'll try to remember that. Am I
supposed to refer to you as Lady Shields then?"

Mina giggled and shook her head, "Heavens no, not yet. I'm not
married. Unmarried women are referred to as Misses, but we are close
friends, so you can just call me Mina."

"As I was saying, I'm going to go apologize to *his grace*."
Serena stated, emphasizing the last two words.

"That's wonderful! Why don't you go and do that now?"

The American rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair, "Well
obviously it's because I have no idea where he is right now."

"Oh, he's in the study. Go ahead, James can show you the way."

Before she knew it, Serena had been shooed out of the parlor and
was standing in the hallway gawking at the closed door. She turned to
James who simply raised an eyebrow and gestured with his hand.

"Follow me, Miss."

* * *

Darien was still staring at the rug, brandy glass in hand, when
the knock at the door sounded. Jolted out of his reverie, her swore at
the houri's ability to distract him and voiced an angry "Enter." The
soft rustle of skirts at his back told him that the person entering was
a woman, so he turned to greet her, but stopped.

It was the god damned houri herself.

His eyes ran over her, taking in more of her now that he wasn't
so angry. She was wearing a day dress, nothing extraordinary, but the
color and the way it complemented her eyes and emphasized her chest made
his entire body go rigid. Her eyes, he noted, were a royal blue, large,
and slightly curved at the ends.

She grinned plastically and looked up at him as if she had come
here only at the worst reluctance, but Darien's eyes were automatically
attracted to her shining lips. He was intrigued, not only by their
luscious color, but also by the way their moistness. He thought of
nothing but closing the gap between them until she began speaking.

And then he had to refrain from groaning.

"Uhm, I'm very sorry about my actions earlier today, your Grace.
I realize now that you hold the authority in this household and that…"

He blocked out the words and instead focused on the tone. Her
voice, when she wasn't yelling, was the most sensual thing he had ever
heard. He took a step closer to her, his eyes still focused on those
twin buds and let out a feral grin when her speech drifted off into
nothingness and she just stared at him, mouth slightly agape.

Serena had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she
had never seen a man stare so intently at her her entire life. She
didn't know whether to shrink back or glory in his attention. His
stare, however, felt like a hot brand. She felt it when she first
entered, drifting all over her body and then focusing on her face.

She wondered if he heard a word she just said. She wondered if
*she* had heard a word she just said.

All the pondering, however, was a moot point for what happened
next, when he pressed his searing lips to hers.

Serena was surprised, but helpless in her reaction. His lips
remained powerful over hers, and she brought her hands up to tangle
themselves in his hair. His own hands feathered their way around her
back; one held her in place at the small of it and pulled her closer to
him, while the other teased its way around her waist.

She was focused purely on the point where his lips touched her
own. His careful prodding soon turned to fires of passion when she
opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to sweep inside. The hand at
her back burned her skin, even through three layers of fabric.

Their lips still played, passionately, filled with a desire of
the likes that Serena had never felt before. She knew nothing except
for it, except for the want and the need of him. When he finally pulled
away, she sighed into his embrace. And opened her eyes.

She looked up after attempting to free herself from his embrace,
blinking.

"Wha… but you, and that… and…"

Her breathing was heavy, and was matched by the steady pace of
the man still holding her. Then her eyes widened as she felt something
strong against her stomach. She looked up at the man before her, and
wiggled out of his arms and ran out the door.

Darien, for his part, just felt damn frustrated. He watched her
leave and grinned. There would be more time. Perhaps his first
impression of her had been wrong. Perhaps there was more to this houri
than a flaming tongue, including a flaming desire. Perhaps, then, the
little season and the season to follow would not be as boring as usual.

Finally, he thought, a challenge.

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A houri, according the the Miriam Webster online dictionary, is a woman
who is extremely attractive and, uhm, voluptuous. o_o

But anyway... sorry it got so sexual right there (actually, I'm really
not), but damn, didn't that just make you want to be in Serena's place?
Hehe ^^ Romance novels are influencing how I think now. WAI!

Hey. Are people happy? I got another chapter out. And some character
developement... well, sort of. At the very least there was a lot of
pondering. And, if your wondering why I made Darien such a sex fiend...
well think about it! He's a MAN for criminey sakes. And we all know
what men love ^^ And besides, these are two grown adults (have I told
you their ages yet? I'll have to do that in the next chapter) so they
obviously know what they're doing.

And I'm sorry if I'm screwing with the characters themselves, but I'm
trying to keep the original personalities, matured personalities, with
some of 'em in a regency backdrop, which kind of hurts my head.

But ya. I DON'T HAVE WRITERS BLOCK.

And now what you want to do is e-mail me with wonderful notes or
critique me or something or other because it's just something that you
want to do, right? Hehe ^^ E-mail is wonderful and magnificent, oui?
I should sneak some french into this.

-Koneko
divinepheonix@hotmail.com