of
joining in. Not with Gianni.
'I think I'll
go and change, Devlin.'
'But you look
so elegant like this,' Gianni said at once.
'Have another
cup of tea first.' Devlin took her cup. 'Gianni is right. You look
wonderful.'
Gianni reached
forward in his chair and put his hand on hers. She pulled her hand
away. He put his hand on her knee. She looked down on it as if it
were some fat slug.
'Do you
mind?'
'Your flesh is
so soft.'
'I prefer not
to be pawed.'
He took his
hand away reluctantly.
Stephanie gave
Devlin the dirtiest look she could muster. Gianni was beginning to
annoy her now, and Devlin was not going to escape her wrath. Now
that she understood Gianni's penchant for the English it was
dawning on her why Devlin had brought this particular man over to
the island this particular afternoon. It was no coincidence. No
doubt if Stephanie cooperated, and she had, after all, cooperated
with everything else he had suggested so far, Gianni would be in
his debt. The way Devlin was deferring to Gianni with an
obsequiousness she would not have thought he possessed seemed to
confirm her theory.
But she was
not one of Devlin's slaves and had no intention of behaving like
one. Devlin handed her another cup of tea. Quite deliberately she
let the saucer slip through her fingers and it crashed down on to
the unforgiving ceramic tiles where it smashed into a hundred
pieces.
'I didn't want
another cup,' she said in her frostiest tone, being sure not to
apologise for the breakage. 'I'm going to change.'
She got to her
feet. Both men did the same.
'I look
forward to seeing you in a moment,' Gianni said, smiling broadly.
Clearly his skin was extremely thick.
Stephanie
walked into the castle. Obviously more sensitive than his guest,
Devlin caught up with her at the foot of the stairs.
'Is anything
wrong?' Devlin asked solicitously.
'Who is that
awful man?'
'You don't
like him?'
'I thought I'd
made that pretty obvious.'
Devlin looked
genuinely disappointed, a look Stephanie had not seen before. For a
moment his years fell away and he looked like a little boy who'd
just been told his favourite dog had died.
'He's a very
important man to me at the moment. Very important.'
'I gathered
that by the way you've been fawning over him.'
'I was
hoping...'
'That I'd
provide some meat...'
'That you
might like each other. I can see he's crazy about you.'
'Craz ee ,' she
mimicked.
Devlin still
looked pathetic. She had clearly been right about his
intentions.
'There's at
least two English girls downstairs, aren't there?' she said, trying
to be helpful.
'Yes.'
'Devlin, you
know I like you. But don't ask me this. Not with him. You can't say
I haven't been cooperative so far.'
'Of course
not. Forget it.'
But he didn't
make it sound very convincing. Stephanie turned on her heels and
ran upstairs. When she reached the landing she looked down and saw
that Gianni had come in and was talking animatedly to Devlin. It
did not take a genius to guess at the subject of the
conversation.
Chapter
Seven
Back in her
bedroom Stephanie fumed. The peace of this idyll had been rudely
shattered by a boorishness of which she would not have believed
Devlin capable. Up to now he had been charm itself, attending to
her every wish. She had been only too happy to play his sexual
games in return. But this was different. She was not a whore. If he
had mistaken her compliance in his outlandish sexual games to mean
that she was prepared to do anything in exchange for extravagant
presents and lavish hospitality, he was sadly mistaken.
She tore off
the wrap, regretting that she ever wore it, and went into the
bathroom to run a bath. She only just heard the timid knock on the
bedroom door over the noise of the water. She knew at once it was
Devlin. Without bothering to put on a robe she flung the door open
and stood in front of him naked, arms akimbo.
'What do you
want?' she asked angrily.
'To explain,'
he said.
'Explain
then.' She went back into
joining in. Not with Gianni.
'I think I'll
go and change, Devlin.'
'But you look
so elegant like this,' Gianni said at once.
'Have another
cup of tea first.' Devlin took her cup. 'Gianni is right. You look
wonderful.'
Gianni reached
forward in his chair and put his hand on hers. She pulled her hand
away. He put his hand on her knee. She looked down on it as if it
were some fat slug.
'Do you
mind?'
'Your flesh is
so soft.'
'I prefer not
to be pawed.'
He took his
hand away reluctantly.
Stephanie gave
Devlin the dirtiest look she could muster. Gianni was beginning to
annoy her now, and Devlin was not going to escape her wrath. Now
that she understood Gianni's penchant for the English it was
dawning on her why Devlin had brought this particular man over to
the island this particular afternoon. It was no coincidence. No
doubt if Stephanie cooperated, and she had, after all, cooperated
with everything else he had suggested so far, Gianni would be in
his debt. The way Devlin was deferring to Gianni with an
obsequiousness she would not have thought he possessed seemed to
confirm her theory.
But she was
not one of Devlin's slaves and had no intention of behaving like
one. Devlin handed her another cup of tea. Quite deliberately she
let the saucer slip through her fingers and it crashed down on to
the unforgiving ceramic tiles where it smashed into a hundred
pieces.
'I didn't want
another cup,' she said in her frostiest tone, being sure not to
apologise for the breakage. 'I'm going to change.'
She got to her
feet. Both men did the same.
'I look
forward to seeing you in a moment,' Gianni said, smiling broadly.
Clearly his skin was extremely thick.
Stephanie
walked into the castle. Obviously more sensitive than his guest,
Devlin caught up with her at the foot of the stairs.
'Is anything
wrong?' Devlin asked solicitously.
'Who is that
awful man?'
'You don't
like him?'
'I thought I'd
made that pretty obvious.'
Devlin looked
genuinely disappointed, a look Stephanie had not seen before. For a
moment his years fell away and he looked like a little boy who'd
just been told his favourite dog had died.
'He's a very
important man to me at the moment. Very important.'
'I gathered
that by the way you've been fawning over him.'
'I was
hoping...'
'That I'd
provide some meat...'
'That you
might like each other. I can see he's crazy about you.'
'Craz ee ,' she
mimicked.
Devlin still
looked pathetic. She had clearly been right about his
intentions.
'There's at
least two English girls downstairs, aren't there?' she said, trying
to be helpful.
'Yes.'
'Devlin, you
know I like you. But don't ask me this. Not with him. You can't say
I haven't been cooperative so far.'
'Of course
not. Forget it.'
But he didn't
make it sound very convincing. Stephanie turned on her heels and
ran upstairs. When she reached the landing she looked down and saw
that Gianni had come in and was talking animatedly to Devlin. It
did not take a genius to guess at the subject of the
conversation.
Chapter
Seven
Back in her
bedroom Stephanie fumed. The peace of this idyll had been rudely
shattered by a boorishness of which she would not have believed
Devlin capable. Up to now he had been charm itself, attending to
her every wish. She had been only too happy to play his sexual
games in return. But this was different. She was not a whore. If he
had mistaken her compliance in his outlandish sexual games to mean
that she was prepared to do anything in exchange for extravagant
presents and lavish hospitality, he was sadly mistaken.
She tore off
the wrap, regretting that she ever wore it, and went into the
bathroom to run a bath. She only just heard the timid knock on the
bedroom door over the noise of the water. She knew at once it was
Devlin. Without bothering to put on a robe she flung the door open
and stood in front of him naked, arms akimbo.
'What do you
want?' she asked angrily.
'To explain,'
he said.
'Explain
then.' She went back into
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