The only real obstacle they had encountered so far was Parisia's hedging about bringing the rest of the men over from the farm. She kept insisting that the search for volunteers among their women was proceeding, and they might not need to do anything that could upset Parliament when they were being so cooperative.
As Geoffrey served Robin her breakfast, she had to bite her tongue half a dozen times so as not to alert him about what day it was. Once they got to work at the factory, she actually managed to forget about it herself for several minutes at a time. She even forced herself to sit still through an unusually long dinner with Kara and Ray without revealing how anxious she was to go home.
However, when Kara yawned without trying to hide it, Robin could have kissed her for finally giving them an excuse to leave.
"Oh, Kara, I'm sorry. We're keeping you up," she said, looking as if she just realized the time. "Come on, Geoff. Time to toddle off, mate."
She was mentally congratulating herself on being an academy award class actress as they entered their apartment. Certain he was still unaware of what day it was, she vacillated between saying a few words to ease into the fact that she hadn't changed her mind about wanting a closer relationship with him or simply tackling him to the floor.
She was about to go for the tackle, when he practically ran to the bathroom. Thinking he was ill, she went to the closed door and knocked. "Geoff? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Just thought I'd take a shower before bed."
Robin smiled. He usually took his shower in the morning. Maybe he knew what day it was after all and was planning to surprise her. Quickly she retrieved the gold ribbon she had put away for this moment, then stripped off her clothes. After tying the ribbon around her neck with a pretty bow, she checked her image in the mirror and decided against greeting him so blatantly. Finally, she remained nude with the gold ribbon, but got on the bed with the sheet covering her from the waist down.
With thoughts of the night ahead filling her mind, she was ready to go back to the idea of tackling him by the time he finally emerged from the bathroom. She expected him to laugh, or be surprised or at least join her on the bed. She did not expect him to take one brief look at her, groan, and cover his eyes as if he couldn't bear the sight of her.
"Oh, my God," she whispered as reality crashed in on her. Tarla had been right about him not giving her his true reason for not wanting to consummate their relationship. She just had never considered the possibility that he found her unappealing. She yanked off the silly tie and buried her face in the pillow so she wouldn't have to watch him walk out of the room. Before she could stop it, a frustrated wail escaped her.
She felt his hand on her shoulder but refused to raise her head. The last thing she wanted was his pity.
"Aah, Robin, please don't cry," he murmured, stroking her hair.
"I'm not crying. Just humiliated," she stuttered into the pillow. "I feel like a complete ass!" She felt his weight on the mattress beside her.
"If there's an arse in this room, it's me, not you."
She shook her head. "Don't try to be nice. That's been the problem all along. If you had just come right out and said you really had no interest in me—"
"No interest?" He turned her onto her back and made her look up at him. "I'm on fire day and night from wanting you."
She sniffled and swiped at a tear trickling down her cheek. "I don't understand."
He caught another tear with his finger and wiped it away. "No, I wouldn't expect you to. As you once said, you go after what you want. You'd never let something pass you by for fear that it might cause more pain than pleasure."
"Will you please speak American?"
He gave her a shy smile. "My experience with beautiful women taught me that they are fickle creatures. You being the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I was certain your interest in me was fleeting at best. Though I couldn't avoid you completely, I thought if we at least didn't go to bed together, I could stop myself from falling in love with you, thus preventing a broken heart."
"That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard," she said with a grimace.
"Dumb and utterly futile. I fell in love with you anyway."
Robin's eyes filled with moisture all over again as he took her into his arms. "Well, it's about time you wretched man, because I've been in love with you forever."
As his lips met hers in the kiss that would mark the beginning of their life together, she only regretted that she hadn't tried bursting into tears two months ago.
* * *
Fulton massaged his temples to ease the discomfort in his head. He didn't want to think about what he had just heard, but it wouldn't go away. He liked working for Simone. She never scolded him or made him hurt inside the way Nadia did. She never threatened to stop him from seeing Chloe. He had felt good since Nadia left and Simone came to stay.
But what he had just heard could change that. Simone and four women who had visited her before were making plans to bring Nadia home. The mere thought of having to go back to serving her made Fulton's head hurt worse.
He had heard Nadia had done something bad and that the Imperial Prefect had punished her. Though he didn't know what Nadia had done, he did understand that she was supposed to stay away and that Simone and her friends did not agree with the punishment. They were also very upset about something called Parisia's defense plan and thought they could stop it by freeing Nadia.
Simone was now his employer, but the Imperial Prefect was hers. It was bad to do something against the wishes of one's employer. So, Simone must be planning something bad. If she succeeded, Nadia would be back, and he knew that was bad.
He felt as though he should do something about it, but what? The law forbade him from approaching any woman other than his employer.
Certain the thoughts that were making his head hurt would soon go away by themselves, Fulton distracted himself by washing the dishes from Simone's meeting.
He realized how important this matter was when he hadn't forgotten about it by the next morning. Fulton's head felt a little better when he awoke, but upsetting dreams had kept him from getting a good night's sleep. Nadia was back. Tormenting. Scolding. Frightening and petting him. There had to be a way to stop the dream from coming true.
Later that day, while he was at the marketplace, he saw Jason, the Imperial Prefect's son, and an idea occurred to him. Nadia had always hated it when he tried to make a decision on his own, but Simone had praised him when he had something ready for her before she asked for it. Good or bad, he had to tell somebody what he heard, and if Jason would listen, he could possibly pass it on to his sister. And then Fulton's head would stop hurting completely.
He barely got his information out when Jason grasped his arm and started pulling him away from the marketplace.
"Can't you move a little faster?" Jason asked in the kind of impatient tone that Nadia usually used.
Fulton pushed himself but he was already feeling a little dizzy from trying to keep up. There was something curious about Jason's behavior, but confusion over their destination took precedence in his brain. He obediently followed Jason to a big room on the top floor of a residence. There, four men and two women were seated around a table with Brianne of Acameir. They had papers in front of them, as if they were having a meeting.
But men were not permitted to sit at the same table with women.
Jason left Fulton by the door while he went over and whispered something to a man with dark hair. Fulton's confusion turned to shock when that man looked directly at Brianne and suggested she hear what their visitor had to say. He tensed, waiting to see what horrible punishment she would deliver to that man, but all she did was rise and walk beside him and Jason.
Jason introduced Fulton to Logan then Brianne put him at ease again by addressing him. "You have permission to speak in front of me."
Fulton kept his head bowed as he related what information he had retained. "My employer, Simone, has met with four women i
n her residence many times." He paused to glance at Jason for reassurance.
"Tell them what you told me," Jason said. "What do they talk about when they meet?"
"I do not usually listen," he said for Brianne's benefit. "But sometimes they speak loudly. About the Imperial Prefect and Brianne. And... and Nadia."
Jason gave him a prompt to continue. "You heard them talking last night..."
Fulton looked at him curiously. There was definitely something different about him but he could not tell what it was. His gaze moved to the man called Logan. There was also something very unusual about him.
"Fulton," Jason prodded. "Last night."
"Yes. Last night they were making plans to bring Nadia back home."
Brianne gasped. "That's ludicrous. They wouldn't dare."
Logan frowned at her and said, "Is it possible for this man to lie?"
Fulton felt Brianne staring at him and tried to make himself disappear.
"No," she replied. "It must be true. Did you hear how they planned to do this?"
Fulton nodded. "One of the women, Olympia, had a box she called a controller."
After a few seconds, Jason had to give him another push. "Now tell them what you heard them say they will do after they bring Nadia back."
Fulton swallowed nervously. This was the part that had made Jason grab his arm. He prepared himself for another strange reaction. "They are going to go to the Imperial Palace while Parisia, Brianne and Iris are asleep. They plan to take them away and Nadia will be made the Imperial Prefect."
"They speak treason!" Brianne exclaimed. "I must warn my mother and Iris immediately."
"Call and have them come here," Logan said. "Maybe we can help." He turned back to Fulton. "Did they say when they were planning to act?"
Fulton frowned. "I... I don't know. But I think it was soon." They made him promise not to repeat any of what he had told them, or let Simone know he had revealed her plans. Then, much to his relief, they allowed him to leave before the Imperial Prefect and her Advisor arrived.
* * *
"How did Parisia and Iris take the news?" Tarla asked Logan as they cleaned up the dinner dishes together.
"They were shocked right out of their perfect manners. Apparently, Nadia's been a pain in the ass for years but no one ever attempted to overthrow the government before."
"So, is Parisia going to take these women into custody or what?"
Logan drained the soapy water from the sink. "She can't. Fulton isn't permitted to testify against a woman. Besides that, Iris thought Nadia and her friends needed to be caught in the act to prove to everyone that they really are traitors."
That word hung in the air between them but neither voiced their thoughts. Dealing with Logan's frame-up was a matter for a future time. "How does she intend to do that?" she asked. "Or should I say, what plan did you come up with?"
Logan gave her a modest smile. "Fulton is supposed to let Jason know if he hears anything else but we can't depend on him. Because a few doubts keep popping up about the validity of the video of Nadia and Higgs, Iris doesn't want to simply rely on recordings made by a camera. She's decided they need impartial human witnesses to put a stop to the gossip once and for all. Parisia is assigning a group of women to secretly watch the barrier around the clock. She told them she heard a rumor that some Earth men are planning an escape.
"The instant anyone from the farm is seen coming through, the message will be passed along a string of observers, all the way to the palace. These women will be instructed not to interfere with the escapees' progress and also to prevent anyone else in the area from getting in the way.
"Our ten men, Alicia, and Lee will be waiting for them inside the palace, where Iris is going to make sure there are reliable witnesses to whatever happens."
"But how will you know when to expect them?"
"We won't, unfortunately. We'll just have to set it up and wait."
Tarla narrowed her brows. "Beginning..."
"In two hours," he finished for her.
"Until..."
He met her worried gaze and warmth seeped into his heart. "Until it's over."
"But that could be days... or weeks." She took a step closer and let her eyes tell him what she was thinking.
With a sexy smile, he eased her into his embrace. "True. It's impossible to tell how long I'll have to stay at the palace."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she murmured, "Then I'd say we'd better make the most of the next two hours."
"My thought exactly," he whispered, as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
* * *
Three days later, Tarla could barely concentrate on her work. Excuses for visiting the palace kept disrupting her sensible thoughts. She hadn't expected to miss Logan so much in such a short time.
Being in the apartment without him was more nerve-wracking than when she and Logan had been trying to avoid each other. She missed seeing him across the kitchen table, watching him shave, sharing the shower with him, waking up in his arms. Somehow, in the hours since he'd accepted his bondage to her, she'd become addicted to his presence. When he was near, she felt secure, protected, cherished and desired, all at the same time. When he wasn't, she felt... alone.
She hoped the day would come when he felt comfortable with her in his head all the time but for now, she had to be content with sharing their feelings only when they were making love.
* * *
At one o'clock in the morning, Simone and her small band of daring rescuers donned their black, hooded capes. They had purposely chosen a cloudy, moonless night, and didn't want to take any chances of being spotted or identified ahead of time.
Olympia carried the controller that would get them through the barrier, and they each had a canister of paralyzer spray in case they should encounter any of the savage Earth men along the way.
As Simone had assumed, all the men had retired by the time the women entered the commune. Since she had studied the recordings made by the sky monitor, she had little difficulty locating Nadia's tent.
Also from the recordings, she knew there was usually a man in the tent with her, so she thought it best to get Nadia to come outside to talk. "Nadia," Simone whispered into the dark tent. "Are you in there? It's Simone." When she heard no response, she poked her head inside.
Suddenly she was grabbed and held immobile by a powerful arm across her waist and a hand around her throat. All she could manage was a squeak of warning to the others but they were too terrified to run.
Olympia was the only one who thought to use her spray. As she pointed the canister above Simone's head, however, Nadia exclaimed, "Stop! Guy, please let her go, she's a friend."
Simone felt the clamp on her throat loosen, but the monster bracing her against his huge body didn't release her as Nadia had ordered.
"First we find out why she's here," he said in a chilling voice. "Then I'll decide whether to let her go. Get your ass outside with the rest of them so I can see what's going on."
Simone could not believe her eyes as Nadia practically jumped to obey his command. Since when did anyone—least of all a man—order Nadia to do anything?
Once he'd hauled her outside as well, the big man gave another order. "Everybody give Nadia your weapons and anything else you brought with you. And let me see some faces." When they hesitated, his fingers circled Simone's throat again and tightened painfully enough to cause her to whimper. "Do as I say or I break this one's neck."
That threat got him what he wanted and he ended his choke hold. Without letting her move away, he pulled back Simone's hood and gave her hair a hard tug to make her look around toward him. "Hmmm. I'm glad to see not all Heart's women are ugly cows like Nadia."
Simone's shock at his impertinence was surpassed by Nadia's failure to do anything but bow her head in shame.
"Now, explain," he said simply and gave Simone's hair another yank so she'd know he was speaking to her.
The slight pain didn't
bother her nearly as much as the way he combed his fingers through her curls and stroked her neck when she began to speak. "We have come to bring Nadia back and put her on the throne." With the man scaring her half to death, the speech she had planned didn't come out as intelligently as she'd intended.
Simone told of how many women were suspicious of the recording Parisia had used against Nadia and how they disapproved of the new defense plan but were afraid they would be exiled like Nadia if they spoke out against it. There were also serious concerns about the Earth women and men who had been freed among the more civilized Heart residents.
And finally, taking care that only Nadia would understand what she referred to, Simone said, "To protect your interests while you were gone, I moved into your home, took temporary custody of Chloe and maintained Fulton's employment. He is quite a devoted and well-trained servant. I found his assistance with my personal toilette particularly... stimulating."
Nadia's one eyebrow arched in comprehension. "Am I to understand that you approve of the way I trained him?"
"Absolutely. And I think there are other women who should be told—"
"Enough!" Guy growled. "I don't give a damn about how you train those sissies you call men. I want to hear how you figured on putting Nadia on a throne."
Simone had to fight the fear he instilled in her. "I... we thought that a direct takeover would be most effective. It would never be expected and, if we got Parisia, Brianne, and Iris out of the way entirely, we could fabricate a story about them fleeing the planet with the imperial treasury. At the same time, Nadia could explain how she was unjustly accused, creating a mood of sympathy and support for her as the new Prefect. We were hoping Nadia would have some ideas of her own to add once we got here."
Nadia's gaze scanned the expectant faces before speaking. "This is the best idea I can offer. Go home. Continue to talk privately to other women about your concerns until the number of our supporters grows. Then, in five years when I am released, the transition of power will occur as smoothly as the sun rises each morning."
LOGAN (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 5) Page 27
