the bathroom and adjusted the flow of
water. Devlin followed. He sat on the toilet seat.
'I know what
you think.'
'What do I
think?'
'That this was
some sort of plan. I got you here this weekend for Gianni, because
he's so keen on English women.'
'You're right.
That's exactly what I think.'
'Stephanie,'
he said quietly. 'It's not true.'
'I'm English-craz ee ,' she said, mimicking the accent again.
'I know, I
know. I need him, Stephanie. I need him badly. I've got to get him
to sign a contract this afternoon. That's why he's here. No other
reason. If he doesn't sign...' He let his expression of gloom
finish the sentence for him.
'And you were
going to help matters along by introducing him to the cellars?'
'No. No. It
was strictly business. I need that contract signed. Now it's
academic.'
'Why?'
'Because of
you. He doesn't want to talk business. He just wants to talk about
you. I don't blame him, I have to say. You looked stunning this
afternoon. But I didn't plan it. Believe me, it's the last thing I
wanted to happen. I wanted to get the damn contract signed and get
him away again. So we could go back to our weekend.'
'Lust at first
sight.'
'Exactly! I
had no idea this was going to happen.' The look of anxious
desperation had returned to his face. He looked like a man facing a
firing squad. Stephanie felt sorry for him. And she was beginning
to believe what he said.
'You'll work
it out,' she said gently.
'I'll try.
Please, let's try not to allow it to spoil what we had.'
'Deal,' she
said, kissing him on the cheek.
'I need that
contract signed. Everything depends upon it.' He paused. He was
looking at her but his mind was elsewhere. 'Everything.'
Stephanie felt
he was genuine. 'It's just I don't go to bed with men I don't like,
Devlin. I never have. And I don't like him.'
She could not
help a wry smile to herself. She hadn't even known the man who had
fucked her this morning in the cellars, nor the masked man on the
plane, so perhaps Devlin was justified in thinking her sudden
acquisition of principles was rather odd. But, strictly speaking,
since she had not known the men, she could hardly dislike them.
With this syllogism she squared her moral tone. She knew Gianni,
and definitely disliked him.
Stephanie's
anger was assuaged. She turned off the water in the bath and tested
the temperature with her hand. Then she went and sat on Devlin's
knee and stroked the contours of his face with the back of her
hand. As her breast was closer to his mouth than her face, he bent
slightly and kissed her nipple, then the top of her breast. He
kissed her tentatively as though she might object. Stephanie hugged
his face to her bosom. Her feeling of affection for him had
returned; for the first time she sensed something in him she had
not felt before. He seemed suddenly vulnerable as though the world
were about to collapse around his shoulders, where he had carried
it for years. Obviously his desire to please Gianni was every bit
as serious as he had suggested.
Stephanie
stroked the thick wiry hair on his head. She wondered if she could
distract him from his veil of tears.
'What's Gianni
doing now?'
'Sulking.'
'Seriously?'
'He's in the
office. He's got some calls to make, if he can stop thinking about
you for five minutes.'
'How long will
it take?'
'An hour,
maybe.'
'Does he need
you?'
'No.'
'Good. So
let's take a bath together. Then you can relax for awhile. You'll
feel better.'
'That would be
nice,' Devlin responded with no real enthusiasm.
He watched in
the long mirror that ran the length of the bath as Stephanie undid
the buttons of his shirt and stripped it off his shoulders. Still
sitting on his lap she kissed each of his nipples in turn, flicking
at them with her tongue. Then she took his face between both her
hands and kissed him on the mouth, pushing her tongue between his
lips until it met his. As she kissed him she kept her eyes open.
There was something sexually electric about this man: she
water. Devlin followed. He sat on the toilet seat.
'I know what
you think.'
'What do I
think?'
'That this was
some sort of plan. I got you here this weekend for Gianni, because
he's so keen on English women.'
'You're right.
That's exactly what I think.'
'Stephanie,'
he said quietly. 'It's not true.'
'I'm English-craz ee ,' she said, mimicking the accent again.
'I know, I
know. I need him, Stephanie. I need him badly. I've got to get him
to sign a contract this afternoon. That's why he's here. No other
reason. If he doesn't sign...' He let his expression of gloom
finish the sentence for him.
'And you were
going to help matters along by introducing him to the cellars?'
'No. No. It
was strictly business. I need that contract signed. Now it's
academic.'
'Why?'
'Because of
you. He doesn't want to talk business. He just wants to talk about
you. I don't blame him, I have to say. You looked stunning this
afternoon. But I didn't plan it. Believe me, it's the last thing I
wanted to happen. I wanted to get the damn contract signed and get
him away again. So we could go back to our weekend.'
'Lust at first
sight.'
'Exactly! I
had no idea this was going to happen.' The look of anxious
desperation had returned to his face. He looked like a man facing a
firing squad. Stephanie felt sorry for him. And she was beginning
to believe what he said.
'You'll work
it out,' she said gently.
'I'll try.
Please, let's try not to allow it to spoil what we had.'
'Deal,' she
said, kissing him on the cheek.
'I need that
contract signed. Everything depends upon it.' He paused. He was
looking at her but his mind was elsewhere. 'Everything.'
Stephanie felt
he was genuine. 'It's just I don't go to bed with men I don't like,
Devlin. I never have. And I don't like him.'
She could not
help a wry smile to herself. She hadn't even known the man who had
fucked her this morning in the cellars, nor the masked man on the
plane, so perhaps Devlin was justified in thinking her sudden
acquisition of principles was rather odd. But, strictly speaking,
since she had not known the men, she could hardly dislike them.
With this syllogism she squared her moral tone. She knew Gianni,
and definitely disliked him.
Stephanie's
anger was assuaged. She turned off the water in the bath and tested
the temperature with her hand. Then she went and sat on Devlin's
knee and stroked the contours of his face with the back of her
hand. As her breast was closer to his mouth than her face, he bent
slightly and kissed her nipple, then the top of her breast. He
kissed her tentatively as though she might object. Stephanie hugged
his face to her bosom. Her feeling of affection for him had
returned; for the first time she sensed something in him she had
not felt before. He seemed suddenly vulnerable as though the world
were about to collapse around his shoulders, where he had carried
it for years. Obviously his desire to please Gianni was every bit
as serious as he had suggested.
Stephanie
stroked the thick wiry hair on his head. She wondered if she could
distract him from his veil of tears.
'What's Gianni
doing now?'
'Sulking.'
'Seriously?'
'He's in the
office. He's got some calls to make, if he can stop thinking about
you for five minutes.'
'How long will
it take?'
'An hour,
maybe.'
'Does he need
you?'
'No.'
'Good. So
let's take a bath together. Then you can relax for awhile. You'll
feel better.'
'That would be
nice,' Devlin responded with no real enthusiasm.
He watched in
the long mirror that ran the length of the bath as Stephanie undid
the buttons of his shirt and stripped it off his shoulders. Still
sitting on his lap she kissed each of his nipples in turn, flicking
at them with her tongue. Then she took his face between both her
hands and kissed him on the mouth, pushing her tongue between his
lips until it met his. As she kissed him she kept her eyes open.
There was something sexually electric about this man: she
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