The look he bestowed on her was half angry, half amused, before the impenetrable shutter once more masked his expression. “You'd better pray that the final unveiling doesn't scare the hell out of you, redhead,” he said lightly.
He reached for the bottle of wine and filled another glass and handed it to her. “Now, if you won't join me for lunch, at least have a glass of wine,” he ordered, grinning mischievously. “I promise I won't tell Brockmeyer.”
A few mornings later, they anchored at a small island off the southern coast of Mexico in answer to an urgent radio message from one Sheikh Ahmet Kahlid, a Middle Eastern oil potentate and apparently an old friend of Dominic's. Though Simon had apprised her of their passenger's arrival, Brockmeyer had kept Jane so busy in the kitchen that she didn't get a glimpse of the sheikh until it was time for her to go to the lounge to serve lunch.
She drew a deep breath before opening the door quietly and striding quickly across the lounge to the bar to choose the wine to accompany the meal. Kahlid and Dominic were sitting in the two large brown leather chairs in the center of the room, conversing lazily. Though Jake looked up when Jane came in the door, he didn't greet her, as he usually did, and she drew a breath of relief. It was clear that she was to be treated as just another steward, in the presence of Dominic's guest. She would have found it exceedingly uncomfortable to have to submit to Jake's teasing in front of this stranger.
Ahmet Kahlid's appearance was not exactly dashing, she noticed from the corner of her eye. His large, sturdy body was dressed in a gray business suit that screamed of Savile Row. He was well over six feet, with dark hair and beard and expressive dark eyes, which twinkled like bright buttons. He reminded her vaguely of a big, cozy teddy bear.
Jane pulled a bottle out of the wine rack and examined the label with satisfaction before placing it on the bar.
“No, not that one!” Jake called sharply, rising to his feet. “Excuse me, Ahmet, but there's a rather good wine I want you to try.”
He strode across the room and behind the bar. Jane watched in surprise as he reached for a bottle of quite ordinary vintage. The one she had chosen was much better, she thought indignantly. She opened her lips to tell him this, then closed them quickly as she met Jake Dominic's dark, furious gaze.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he muttered in a harsh undertone. “I thought even Brockmeyer would have the sense to send a substitute, with Kahlid here.”
“Why should he?” Jane hissed back indignantly. “I'm perfectly capable. Mr. Brockmeyer trusts me completely.”
Jake Dominic muttered an imprecation beneath his breath and thrust the bottle at her. “I don't want to hear a word out of you, do you understand?” he asked, his eyes flashing. “And tell Brockmeyer I want a different steward by dinner.”
He turned and walked back toward Kahlid, the smooth mask once more in place on his dark face. Jane stared after him, her face flushed with confusion and hurt at the sheer injustice of the attack. As she turned away, she intercepted Kahlid's curious, speculative gaze.
Jane was conscious of several such glances from Kahlid during lunch as she carefully obeyed Jake's orders. Not one word did she utter as she served each course and kept the wine-glasses full. When not needed, she stood at rigid attention behind Jake Dominic's chair, her blazing golden eyes staring straight before her.
It was a building fury that caused her to make the blunder that was to have such far-reaching consequences. Her hand was shaking slightly as she refilled Kahlid's glass for the third time, and she splashed a little on the white damask tablecloth.
Without thinking she murmured absently in Arabic, “Forgive me, effendi,” and dabbed at the spreading stain with a linen napkin.
Kahlid broke off what he was saying to Dominic to stare in surprise at Jane. “But this is a wonderful surprise, Jake. Why did you not tell me your little servant spoke Arabic?”
Dominic shot her a furious look before smiling coolly at Kahlid. “I have to confess to ignorance, Ahmet. I wasn't aware that she did.”
Kahlid smiled gently at Jane and said in Arabic. “It warms my heart to hear my language on your lips, little one.” He sighed mournfully, reminding her once more of a cuddlesome teddy bear. “One gets homesick for the sound of one's own tongue.”
Jane's golden eyes were glowing with sympathy at his words. The sheikh was really quite nice, she thought warmly. She, too, knew the longing to hear one's own language in a foreign land.
“I spent two years in Kuwait as a young child,” she replied gently in Arabic. “I am pleased that my small accomplishment brings you pleasure.”
“You may go, Jane,” Dominic interrupted abruptly. “Please give Mr. Brockmeyer our compliments.”
“No! No!” Kahlid protested, his shining eyes running eagerly over her, from the bright red curls to the tip of her sensible brown leather shoes. “Do not send her away, my friend. It pleases me to have her here. She is a most unusual type, n'est-ce pas?”
“Oh, most unusual,” Jake answered dryly. “You might say she's one of a kind.” His hand tightened imperceptibly on the stem of his wineglass as he gazed expressionlessly at Jane. “However, the girl has duties to perform in the kitchen. I'm afraid that you'll have to do without her.”
“The kitchen!” Kahlid scoffed. “It is criminal to send this one to the kitchen, when she could give such pleasure to me. You have any number of servants who can work in the kitchen. Send one of them!” He turned to his friend with the pleading look of a lonesome puppy. “Assign this little Jane to me as my personal steward,” he asked impulsively.
Jane's eyes widened in surprise as they flew to Jake's impassive face.
“Impossible,” he said coolly. “As I said, Jane has other duties. I assure you that you'll be quite content with the steward whom Captain Benjamin has assigned you.”
Kahlid shook his head stubbornly. “Content, perhaps, but not happy,” he argued, his eyes running almost caressingly over Jane's heart-shaped face. “I know this little Jane could make me very happy,” he finished softly.
A flicker of annoyance passed over Jake's face at Kahlid's persistence, but his tone was still even. “I said no, Ahmet.”
It appeared that Kahlid was a man who did not recognize the meaning of the word. He smiled jovially. “Then you must change your mind, my friend,” he said persuasively. “You are not usually so inhospitable to your guests. What I have asked is not unreasonable. Did I not provide you with all that you could desire when you visited my home in Algiers last year?”
“You don't understand,” Dominic said deliberately, “Jane is my personal servant.”
The jovial smile faded from Kahlid's face, and he sighed despondently. “I suppose that I should have suspected. Never before have you had a female servant on your yacht.” He turned back to Jane, his bright eyes regretful. “It is really too bad, little Jane; you would have brought me much pleasure.” Without waiting for a reply from the bewildered girl, he asked Jake, “If you grow weary, you will send her to me?”
Dominic smiled mockingly. “Are you not my friend?” he asked evasively. He rose and threw his napkin on the table. “Now, if you will excuse me, I'd like a word with Jane before she returns to her duties. I'll join you in a moment.”
He took Jane by the wrist and strode toward the door, forcing her almost to run to keep up with him. He did not stop until they were out of the room and on deck. When they'd reached a deserted area a little distance from the lounge, he released her wrist, but only to take her by the shoulders and swing her roughly around to face him.
His black eyes were blazing. “Was it too quiet for you?” he raged. “Was everything going so smoothly that you were compelled to raise a little hell just to make things interesting?”
“It's you who's raising a fuss over nothing,” she said indignantly, trying futilely to pry those iron hands from her shoulders. “All I was trying to do was perform my duties as efficiently as I was able, and all you can do is yell at me and order me aroun
d. I didn't want to be there, you know!”
“It wasn't enough for you to come prancing into the lounge wriggling that cute little bottom in front of Kahlid, but you had to coo sweet nothings in Arabic to him,” Jake said furiously. “Have you no sense at all?”
“Prance? Wriggle?” she squeaked, outraged. “I do not wriggle, and I was merely being courteous to the man. What was I supposed to do, ignore it when I spilled the wine?”
“You were supposed to serve lunch, keep your mouth shut, and stay the hell out of Kahlid's way. Now look what you've done, with all that melting tenderness and cooing.”
Cooing? It was the second time he had used that nauseating word. “I do not coo,” she said between her teeth. “I was merely being sympathetic to the poor man. He was obviously homesick and a little lonely. What harm did it do to show a little concern and kindness? I only uttered a few words to your friend.”
“They were evidently the wrong words,” Dominic snapped. “Ahmet was most persistent about having you assigned to him. What would you have done if I'd let him have you?”
“It wouldn't have been so bad for a few days,” she said defiantly. “The poor man just wanted to have someone to talk to.”
He shook her again, his face dark with exasperation. “Don't you realize that you'd have been in Ahmet's bed tonight if I hadn't refused to hand you over to him?”
Her golden eyes were astonished, and her mouth dropped open. “That's crazy,” Jane said faintly, when she could speak. “He couldn't have meant that when he asked for me. He wouldn't have assumed that you could snap your fingers and order me into someone's bed just because I happen to work for you. This is the twentieth century!”
“Not in Kahlid's country,” Jake replied grimly. “It's a different culture and a different century. Oh, he's got a surface sophistication, thanks to his Western education, but the basic beliefs are still very much alive in him. Did you know that he had two wives, last time I counted?”
That cozy teddy bear of a man? She had known from her stay in Kuwait that such arrangements existed in the East, but it appeared slightly incongruous in connection with Kahlid.
Dominic continued relentlessly. “It might interest you to know that he also keeps three or four pretty female servants at his home in Algiers in case his male guests want a woman.”
“Is that what he meant when he said he provided you…” Jane's voice faltered.
“Why not?” he said, his voice hard. “As I said, it's a different culture. The women are more than willing, and they're free to leave Ahmet's house at any time.” His dark eyes flickered. “I doubt if you would have proven so compliant.”
Jane shook her head dazedly. “I still don't believe it,” she protested. “I don't even have the looks Arabs admire. I'm much too thin.”
“Kahlid has developed a variety of sexual appetites,” Jake said meaningfully. “Believe me, you'd appeal to quite a few of them.”
Her face was puzzled. “I don't understand.”
“Forget it!” he snapped impatiently. “Just accept the fact that we have a problem, thanks to your blasted naïveté.”
“But there's no problem now,” she protested. “He accepted it very well when you convinced him you really meant your refusal.”
“Heaven help me!” Jake swore. “He accepted it because I told him you were my personal servant. In other words, I've reserved you exclusively for my own bed.”
Jane's face was now as scarlet as her hair. “Surely that wasn't necessary.” She choked, her eyes not meeting his. “I could have just told him no. He seemed an understanding man when I spoke to him in the lounge.”
“Kahlid is charming as long as he gets his own way, but in case you haven't noticed, he doesn't know how to accept a refusal. He just keeps plowing ahead like a bulldozer. Ahmet informs me he'll be with us at least until we reach Cozumel, and I assure you he'd be after you a large portion of that time. I have no desire to set a guard outside your door. Ahmet would consider it an insult.”
“And I suppose that would be simply terrible,” Jane said ironically. “We mustn't offend the man just because he may have the intention of raping me.”
He shot her a quelling look. “As I've already explained to you, he wouldn't look at it the same way another man would. He would think your refusal was merely to tease him.” He frowned. “I have no intention of antagonizing Kahlid if I can help it. He has enormous influence, and he was very useful to me last year when I was filming in Tunis.”
“Charming!” Jane replied caustically, “Perhaps you should hand me over to him. After all, one must maintain one's contacts.”
“Be quiet,” Jake gritted, his black eyes flashing. “You've caused enough of a problem without adding your damn insolence to it.” His lips thinned as he said ruthlessly, “I warned you I like things my own way, and that's exactly how I'm going to have it. I'm going to keep Kahlid resigned to the situation and moderately content. I'm going to keep my Middle East contact”—his eyes flickered cynically—“and if we're extremely lucky, I may keep you out of Kahlid's bed until he leaves the ship at Cozumel.”
“And how do you intend to accomplish all this?” Jane challenged. “Move me into your bed instead?”
“That won't be necessary,” Jake retorted coolly. “Ahmet won't expect you to sleep with me permanently or move into my cabin. That privilege is reserved for a mistress. A woman of your status would receive only an occasional invitation and a moderate amount of personal attention. Most of the time he would expect you to be treated exactly like any other servant.”
“Then it will be quite easy to deceive him,” Jane said, relieved. “We need only continue as we are now.”
“Not entirely,” Jake said dryly. “Kahlid is no fool. We must spend some time alone together to give an appearance of intimacy.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I think perhaps you'd better meet me each morning for a swim and have breakfast with me on deck. That should be adequate.”
“Are you sure this is really necessary?” Jane asked unhappily, biting her lip. “You know what the crew is going to think if you start paying attention to me.”
“Exactly what Kahlid is going to think,” Jake said indifferently, then his eyes hardened. “Who are you worried about, the crew or Simon?” he asked harshly. “Do you think it will turn him off to think he may be sharing you with me?”
There was a look of shock and hurt on Jane's face, and quick tears filled her eyes. “There's nothing like that between Simon and me,” she said huskily. “We're just good friends.”
“Just good friends,” Jake echoed. “Then you won't mind if he thinks what the rest do about you.”
“I mind very much what he thinks about me,” she said quietly. “I wouldn't want anyone to believe I was anything more than a member of the crew. It will be very painful and embarrassing to know that they think I'm just another one of your playmates.”
For a moment there was a curious flicker of regret in Jake Dominic's eyes. “You should have thought of that before you involved us both in a situation that presents no other solution,” he said curtly. “I can't get you out of this mess just by knocking a few heads together, Jane.”
“I suppose not.” She sighed despondently. “I just wish—”
“Too late for that,” he interrupted tersely. “Meet me on deck at seven tomorrow morning and we'll begin our little charade.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. “I rather expect your attitude should be respectfully adoring in public,” he continued mockingly. “Work on it, will you?”
“I'll try,” she said wryly. “You may have to use all your directorial skill to wring a plausible performance from me. I'm no actress.”
“I'm fully aware of that,” Jake said resignedly. “Why do you think I picked early morning for our supposed romantic trysts? Ahmet will be up and about only occasionally, and it shouldn't be too much of a strain on that blasted transparency of yours.”
“Shall I tell Mr. Brockmeyer that I'm to be rep
laced as your meal steward?” Jane asked.
He shook his head. “Kahlid will expect you to continue, under the circumstances. In my place he would display you with a certain discreet pride of possession.”
“You seem to understand him very well,” Jane said slowly.
“Perhaps I do,” he said cynically. “Kahlid and I aren't so very far apart in our rather primitive reactions to certain situations. You'd be wise to remember that.”
Jane's eyes were troubled as she asked hesitantly, “Is there no other way? Couldn't you just release me from our agreement and send me home? I promise that I'd send you payments every month until the panel was paid for.”
Jake's dark eyes sparked dangerously. “No, damn it, you stay here!” he said harshly, his face suddenly satanic in intensity. “You belong to me for the rest of the cruise. We'll handle the problem exactly as I've indicated.”
Before she could answer, he had turned and walked away.
seven
JANE SHOULD HAVE GUESSED THAT ANY PLAN that Jake Dominic had devised would be a total and unequivocal success. The morning rendezvous obviously thoroughly convinced Kahlid of Jane's supposed position in Dominic's life. After joining them two or three times during the next week for breakfast and a swim, Kahlid evidently decided his presence was an invasion of their privacy and subsequently ordered breakfast in his cabin.
Though his absence relieved Jane from the strain of acting the adoring paramour Jake had described, their meetings were still charged with the same burning restlessness that had characterized their association before Kahlid's arrival.
Jane looked back wistfully at those first uncomplicated evenings they had spent in the lounge, bent in amiable conflict over the chessboard. Now it seemed that everything she said to Jake was wrong. She seemed to have a talent for setting off that famous mercurial temperament without the least effort, and her own temper responded like a brushfire in a strong wind.
She had reluctantly come to the conclusion that Jake Dominic was entirely correct in his assessment of Kahlid's attitude toward her and the necessity for their charade. Though Ahmet was perfectly charming to her in their brief encounters when she acted as steward, a few times she had noticed an appraising glance that was totally foreign to the innocent teddy-bear image. Once, when he joined them for a swim, his frank approval of her in the tiny bikini verged on pure lechery.
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