Mogul Read online

  Raves for Joanna Shupe

  Magnate

  “This original and captivating historical romance splendidly portrays two protagonists with complex and layered personalities.. . . The ensuing battle of wills is engrossing.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A determined heroine ahead of her time and a daring, sometimes ruthless entrepreneur who clawed his way to the top find validation in an engaging romance that successfully launches a trilogy highlighting New York’s opulent Gilded Age.”

  —Library Journal

  “[A] sexually charged, intense, poignant, and powerfully written love story.”

  —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

  “Readers will enjoy this entertaining romance about two people who refuse to let society dictate who they love.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “A beautiful romance . . . sexy and clever—set in an era the genre has been waiting for.”

  —The Washington Post

  “The story made me care . . . and I love the setting.”

  —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

  “A great historical romance . . . It made my heart melt . . . [An] amazing author.”

  —Harlequin Junkie

  The Lady Hellion

  “A beautiful and complex love story . . . Wildly entertaining.”

  —Sarah MacLean, The Washington Post

  “Shupe invites readers to sit back and enjoy the terrific chemistry between the unconventional Lord Quint and the exasperating Lady Sophie in the conclusion to the Wicked Deceptions trilogy. With emotional intensity, poignancy, passion and murder, they won’t be disappointed.”

  —RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars

  “Sophie’s independent nature makes her a delightful protagonist. . . . The romance is delectable as sensual love scenes balance the well-woven mystery subplot.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “I enjoyed this series quite a lot, and am looking forward to seeing what Shupe writes in the future.”

  —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

  “The Lady Hellion is a fabulous, wonderful book! An exciting and meticulously researched story fraught with suspense, startling plot twists, and a beautiful, tender love story! Absolutely terrific!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  The Harlot Countess

  “With her knowledge of the modes and morals of the Regency era, Shupe delivers a well-crafted novel in this second installment of her Wicked Deceptions series. Steady pacing, delightful characters and an ability to build steamy sexual tension make for a lively love story.”

  —RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars

  “A good story well told. This is a fun series.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “An intriguing tale, The Harlot Countess is an emotion-packed, sexy historical romance that will keep readers captivated right up to the very end. Angst, heartache, vengeance, blackmail, secrets, miscommunication, passion, forgiveness, romance and love all intertwine in a story that readers will not soon forget.”

  —Romance Junkies

  The Courtesan Duchess

  “The powerful passion in this riveting tale of betrayal and forgiveness will knock your socks off!”

  —Sabrina Jeffries

  “Joanna Shupe’s compelling story of an estranged couple brims with emotion and sensuality.”

  —Miranda Neville

  “Heartfelt. . . . This original and alluring novel is a very promising beginning to Shupe’s career.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Shupe’s debut Wicked Deceptions tale is passionate and seductive. Her carefully drawn characters and their nicely crafted, poignant love story engage the readers’ emotions and will have everyone anticipating the next book in the series.”

  —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

  “Shupe launches her romance-writing career with a polished Regency-set historical that successfully merges engaging characters, steamy sensuality, and a dash of danger into one captivating romance.”

  —Booklist

  “A lively story . . . A naïve, desperate heroine and a thoughtless, rakehell hero mature delightfully as they come into their own in this steamy debut that is the first of a back-to-back trilogy and skillfully sets the stage for more stories to come.”

  —Library Journal

  “From its first naughty page, be prepared to be swept away by Joanna Shupe’s The Courtesan Duchess. Julia will win your heart, and hero Nick’s too! This skillful debut reads sure and true, and I can’t wait to see what Joanna dreams up next in the series.”

  —Maggie Robinson

  “One of the best debuts I’ve read in years. Joanna Shupe’s The Courtesan Duchess is fast-paced, compelling, and super sexy. You won’t be able to put it down.”

  —Valerie Bowman

  “Joanna Shupe is a wonderful new voice in historical romance. The Courtesan Duchess takes readers on a steamy ride from Venice to London, proving that some happily-ever-afters are worth waiting for.”

  —Jennifer McQuiston

  Books by Joanna Shupe

  Wicked Deceptions

  The Courtesan Duchess

  The Harlot Countess

  The Lady Hellion

  The Knickerbocker Club

  Tycoon

  (novella)

  Magnate

  Baron

  Mogul

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  MOGUL

  JOANNA SHUPE

  ZEBRA BOOKS

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Praise

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Teaser chapter

  ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2017 by Joanna Shupe

  Tycoon copyright © 2016 by Joanna Shupe

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4201-3988-4

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3989-1

  eISBN-10: 1-4201-3989-4

  To all those who built America

  without fair compensation,

  just labor practices, or decent living condition
s.

  Acknowledgments

  The Knickerbocker Club series has been a labor of love for me. But just because I love the bling, social conventions, and technology of the Gilded Age doesn’t mean I’m incapable of recognizing the downside as well. Workers, including young children, were cruelly treated. The poor were piled into dirty, unsafe tenements with appalling conditions. Immigrants and freed slaves were feared and persecuted, subjected to unfair laws and regulations.

  One shameful regulation, the Chinese Exclusion Act, is a central plot point in Mogul. Signed into law by President Arthur in 1882, the Exclusion Act stands as the strictest immigration law ever in US history. After three decades of anti-Chinese sentiment began to build up, the United States prohibited Chinese laborers from entering this country. Non-laborers could immigrate, as long as they could prove they were not laborers. As you can imagine, this proof would have been very difficult to obtain.

  Reentry was also prohibited once they left, so the act also made it nearly impossible for Chinese men in the United States to reunite with loved ones back in China. Chinese women would have been smuggled into the country, a practice not without its own danger and expense. Sadly, the law lasted for sixty years.

  So many wonderful people helped me with this story. Thank you to Lin Gavin, Edward Lim, Yin Chang-D’Arcy, and Winnie Lam Wu for the Cantonese translations and cultural guidance. Thank you to my awesome beta readers Mingmei Yip, Piper Huguley, Sonali Dev, Lin Gavin, Diana Quincy, and Michele Mannon for their perspective and feedback. All the errors here are my own.

  I owe much gratitude to . . .

  Peter Senftleben, editor extraordinaire, for the support and guidance on this book and the entire series.

  Jane Nutter for helping to spread the word, and to the entire Kensington team for giving the Gilded Age a voice.

  Laura Bradford for always being in my corner.

  The Violet Femmes, Lucky 13s, NJRW, and all my writer pals who make the romance community such a joy to be a part of. I couldn’t do it without you!

  Lastly, love and kisses to my family, my parents, my husband, and my daughters. Thank you for the unwavering support and understanding, especially when you had no dinner and were forced to live in squalor.

  Lastly, thank you to the readers! I’m so appreciative to all of you who gave the Knickerbocker Club books a chance. These have been an absolute joy to write and I’m forever grateful to those who have enjoyed them.

  Chapter One

  “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

  yearning to breathe free.”

  —Emma Lazarus

  Chinatown

  New York City

  April 1889

  She never expected to find her former husband in an opium den.

  Lily inwardly cursed her terrible luck and turned to the person next to her, the man who’d found her quarry. “How long has he been here?”

  “Two days, ma’am.”

  Good heavens. Dark and depressing, the place reeked of a nutty, sweet scent, one that forced her to cover her nose and breathe through her mouth. Men and women of all ages and skin colors reclined, glassy-eyed, on small cots, long pipes remaining within reach. Several scantily clad women hovered nearby, as did the owner, who no doubt wanted her gone.

  Which made two of them. She would rather be sailing on the Chesapeake or lounging in her family’s home in Newport. Riding her horse in Palm Beach, or shopping in Paris. Anywhere but standing right here, looking at the one man she’d hoped never to see again.

  Calvin Cabot. She peered at him while he slept and tried to assess the changes, if any, that had occurred over the last four years. Still long limbed and well proportioned. Impossibly handsome, despite the shaggy light brown hair and the whiskers covering his face.

  He’d ignored her letters for almost two weeks, each one returned, unopened. Furthermore, every time she arrived at his office or his home, he’d disappeared. No matter the hour, no matter which day she chose, he remained one step ahead of her. Frustrating, considering they had a delicate problem, one he needed to help solve before someone else discovered it. There had been no choice but to hire Pinkertons to kidnap him.

  Yet she never expected to find him here. Was he addicted to the pipe? One of the East Coast’s most powerful publishers, Calvin was sprawled in filthy, wrinkled clothing, an unpleasant odor emanating from him. How did he possibly manage a hop habit and his empire?

  Not that she’d ever understood him. Lily and Calvin had been oil and water—or, as he’d been fond of saying, oil and champagne. Though he hadn’t always hated the wealth and privilege her family represented....

  “What would you like to do, ma’am?” the man at her side asked. She’d hired twelve men to find Calvin, and this man Jessup had been the one to earn her two-thousand-dollar reward.

  Lily turned to the den’s owner. “How much does this man owe?”

  Avarice lit the owner’s dark eyes—far from the first time Lily observed that emotion when someone noticed her clothing and jewels. But she was her father’s daughter, not some silly, easily intimidated female. For goodness’ sake, she’d served as the president of the Davies Mining Company since her father’s death. No one got the best of Lillian Davies.

  “Three hundred.”

  She laughed at the outrageous sum. “Now the real amount.”

  The owner glanced at Mr. Jessup, obviously weighing his chances of flimflamming her out of more money without getting pummeled. Not that Lily would ask the Pinkerton to step in. Lily did not need a man to solve her problems.

  “One hundred and twenty dollars,” the owner said.

  Lily nodded, though she’d have paid more. She desperately needed Calvin.

  The transaction was completed quickly and she turned to Mr. Jessup, who hadn’t left her side since they arrived. Pointing at the unconscious man on the cot, she said, “Throw him in the carriage, if you would.”

  Hotel Fauchère

  Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

  Four years earlier . . .

  “Lily, darling, the skin on the side of my cock is beginning to chafe.”

  “Poor man.” Lily bent and used her tongue to soothe the abused area. “Let me help you.”

  Calvin, her husband of less than three weeks, fell back on the bed and let out a moan comprised of equal parts pain and bliss. “You’re not actually helping,” he wheezed as she dropped kisses along the sensitive skin.

  His body responded immediately, with his erection growing, expanding beneath her lips. Instead of pushing her away, strong fingers threaded her blond hair, pulling the strands away from her face, exposing her ministrations to his hungry blue gaze. “This is what caused the trouble in the first place. A man needs recovery time, woman.”

  Lily ignored him, fully focused on her task. She loved the way he tasted, how the smooth velvet length felt on her tongue. Soft skin stretched tight over hardness. Most of all, she loved how he responded to each and every thing she did, like he couldn’t get enough of her. She well understood the feeling; she didn’t ever want to stop touching or kissing him. Didn’t want to stop breathing the same air. In fact, since the honeymoon had begun twenty days before, they had barely even left the bed.

  The courtship happened quickly, the two of them introduced a mere two months before they’d decided to elope. While many would call her foolish, Lily hadn’t been more certain of anything in her entire life. Calvin was everything she wanted. Intelligent and adventurous, he worked tirelessly as a reporter for the New York Bugle, where he championed the causes of those less fortunate. Exposed corruption. Revealed the hypocrisy in New York politics. He was handsome as well, with brown hair and bright blue eyes, and a tall, slim build that vibrated with energy and confidence. He had ambition and strong convictions, a man who would achieve wondrous heights in his lifetime. Lily looked forward to assisting him every step of the way.

  No doubt her father would require convincing to accept the marriage, but Lily had her argumen
ts ready. Calvin maintained that Warren Davies would be furious his only daughter had married a mere reporter, a man without money or prestige, but Lily had faith in her father. After all, he’d gone off to the Dakotas in his teens to earn his fortune and emerged with a prosperous silver mine. He respected hard work and determination, any man who relied on his wits and guts to make his way in the world. Undoubtedly he would come to like Calvin once the two became acquainted.

  She released Calvin with a wet pop, and her husband’s erection dropped to his stomach. “Do you want me to stop?” she purred, dragging her fingernails up the insides of his thighs.

  Calvin shivered. “God, please no. I know I don’t have much, but I’ll sign it all over to you if you’ll just let me in deeper—Yes, like that,” he groaned when she reapplied hot, slick suction. “Oh, if this kills me, it’ll be worth it.”