Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [106]
“I can't make an exception in Simon's case,” Benjamin said emphatically. “Any more than we can in your own.” He turned to Jake. “Have you made a decision as to her punishment?”
A curious smile lit Jake Dominic's dark face as he stared with narrowed eyes into Jane's. “Oh, yes, I think so,” he drawled. “Where's the closest gambling casino, Marc?”
Benjamin answered warily, “San Miguel. It's a few miles down the coast.” His eyes narrowed as he saw the flickering devilment in the other man's expression.
“Good,” Jake said with satisfaction. “I've thought it over, Marc, and what Jane needs isn't discipline, but knowledge. We need to show her the wickedness of these games of chance so that she may satisfy her curiosity and get it out of her system.”
“Rather an unusual solution,” Benjamin said sardonically. “So you intend to take her to San Miguel tonight.” It was a statement, not a question.
Jake nodded, his eyes still on Jane's face, which had suddenly come alive with excitement. “I feel it my duty,” he said mockingly. “Care to come along, Marc?”
“I think I'd better,” Benjamin said grimly. “San Miguel isn't Monte Carlo, you know. It's little more than a dive. It's certainly not the type of place you'd take a lady.”
“Well, we can take care of that easily enough,” Jake replied, his eyes running over Jane's slight figure. “Just find her a loose coat and that stocking cap she had on when she burgled my cabin. The lights are bound to be dim in the casino, and she'll have no trouble passing as a boy.”
“I'll wear the white sweater Simon lent me,” Jane put in eagerly. “I'm lost in it.”
“Just the thing,” he agreed promptly, his lips twitching.
“Should I bind my breasts?” Jane asked worriedly, looking down at her feminine roundness with profound disapproval.
Jake made a sound between a cough and a gasp. “No, I don't think that will be necessary,” he said solemnly, not looking at her. “Why don't you run along and get into your disguise? Meet us on deck in thirty minutes.”
“Right,” Jane agreed happily, and ran from the lounge.
Jake released the whoop of laughter that he'd been suppressing. He bent over the bar, his shoulders shaking helplessly with mirth.
Captain Benjamin looked on in disapproval. “I'm glad you're so entertained,” he said caustically. “You know that this isn't a wise venture, Jake.”
Still chuckling, Jake commented, “Sometimes being wise can be abysmally dull, Marc. I can't wait to see her reaction to San Miguel.”
Benjamin frowned. “I don't like the idea of exposing a girl to that kind of atmosphere just to furnish you with a few kicks, Jake.”
“She'll be safe enough with both of us there to protect her.” Jake said carelessly. “Jane's wild to go. You saw her face.”
The captain nodded reluctantly. “I can't deny that. But damn it, she doesn't have the best track record for choosing what's good for her!”
“Why, Marc, you sound positively fatherly.”
“The girl needs someone to take care of her. And neither of us has the qualifications for the job.”
Jake slapped him on the shoulder. “For heaven's sake, Marc,” he said impatiently, “we're not adopting the girl; we're only taking her out.” He swallowed the rest of his drink and set his glass on the bar. “Now, while I go down and change, why don't you run along and check to make sure Jane's not doing something drastic?”
“Drastic?” Benjamin asked, puzzled.
Jake Dominic's eyes danced. “She seemed very concerned about looking like a boy.” He grinned. “What's more girlish than a woman's crowning glory?”
“Crowning glo—you mean her hair?” Benjamin asked, his eyes widening. “You think she'd cut off all her hair?”
“It wouldn't surprise me,” Jake said mildly.
“Oh, my God!” Benjamin exclaimed, and he bolted from the room.
five
THE CASINO WAS LOCATED AT THE TOP OF A hill overlooking the dusty, picturesque port town of San Miguel. The trip up the winding dirt road proved only a short ten minutes in the ancient rattling taxi that Jake Dominic had magically produced at the dock, and they were soon