Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [119]
“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