The Honourable Mr. Dominick Burke never planned to become a courtesan. But crushing gambling debts and a taste for indulgence led him to The Gentleman Courtesans, where he now makes a living satisfying the desires of wealthy women. It’s a comfortable enough existence… until a new client changes everything.
Miss Calliope Barrington doesn’t want a lover—she wants a fiancé. As the biracial daughter of a wealthy Indian merchant and an English gentlewoman, she’s long walked a tightrope in high society. Hiring Dominick to pose as an enamored suitor is a calculated move to catch the attention of the man she truly intends to marry.
But nothing about Dominick is easy to ignore. His charm is disarming, his flirtation relentless—and his kisses far too convincing.
Their fragile arrangement begins to unravel when Calliope’s target finally takes notice… and Dominick’s past threatens to do the same. Now, to win the woman he’s fallen for, he’ll have to break the rules of propriety—and risk a scandal the ton will never forget.