Love Against Duty

chapter 7

He expected it, as if he had no trust or belief in a human being. I will be there on Friday, she said. And I hope you intend to conduct yourself as a gentleman? Don't worry, I will try and learn how to be one, he teased. Would you dare to sin on crocodile skin? Why? Do you plan to bring one with the lunch basket? Paella, shrimps, champagne, and crocodile skin. It sounds like a wild kind of party, wouldn't you say? One hell of a party, she muttered, and she knew with certainty that Christy would be furious if she found out that her carefully raised Queen had let herself be forced into a beach picnic with a Spanish business man. Something quickened in Queen's veins—a strand of excitement mixed with those fine shiny threads that bound her in loyalty and gratitude to the formidable Christy. Since she was a child, she had always loved and obeyed Christy, but surely she was a grown woman big enough to cope with a man who had admired her and wished to have her to himself for a few hours. They both knew it could come to nothing—a little taste of danger for Queen with this man whom her wise friends will call a heartbreaker.

Even as this thought crossed her mind, she could feel him studying her, taking in every expression that crossed her face. Queen and the lion, he murmured, and the rough quality in his voice was very clear—a sharp edge to the words. A while ago, you were a court card, she reminded him. I refer to someone else who appears big on your skyline, but we won't argue about it right now. Time is not on our side.

What a pessimist you are, Mr. Alonzo! Call me Cas. Even that, even your name is case, isn't it? But it's suitable for a black-haired dago, wouldn't you say? Cagliostro should be your first name. She blushed as she spoke, for again, so disturbingly, he had read her mind. You called it a scam, Queen, and in a way, it is. I have it in me to take advantage of every vulnerable crack in the armor of the nobles.

You are like a flower hidden in the mist of grasses, and I can't resist taking you out for an airing. Something that has been refined into growth with no naturalness to me? She felt slightly offended. You have a very sharp mouth, Mr. Alonzo, and you know how to use it. There was ever in the Spanish a liking for steel. And roadside schemes? She couldn't resist asking. Would you prefer I buy myself into this elite club and play around with balls with the rest of the boys?

You wish! She laughed. You have to be voted in as a member, and the administrator here is probably the biggest snob of them all. And I don't see you alongside a group of smart, lazy people who regard hard work as a disease. Do you think I like hard work? I know it, Mr. Alonzo. It's written all over you. I bet many a time you've burned the midnight candle while you check and cross-check your account books. If I'm so in love with work, then how come you take me for a dangerous crook? His tone of voice sounded amusing, but his eyes never left her face. In your case, yes, she replied. And never had she felt so sure of anything. I don't think it would suit you to use up your energy as an amateur sportsman. You have to compete in the business market of buying and selling and ruthless competition. It satisfies something in you—a drive, a thrill—which some men might find in alcohol.

How tough and ruthless you make me sound! You are tough, aren't you? All the way, from the roots of my hair to the toes of my feet. Do I scare you very much?

Yes, you're cruel. You think so? But haven't you been wishing for a little icing on your angel cake? Don't you know that sometimes girls don't always want their wishes to come true? Meaning that being in danger is something a female likes to enjoy in her mind, like kinky s*x fantasy? Yes, you aren't a girl, are you? Her teeth caught her lower lip as she scanned his face. His nose was so pointed, and his eyes were as sharp as steel. He was so different from Austin. Austin was so polite, courteous, and unsurprising. Her teeth bit down hard on the edge of her lower lip. Don't do that; you'll draw blood. It wouldn't worry you. You're more than mean!

There are different types of mean, Queen. He smiled down at her with eyes filled with humor. I have never trapped a bird and watched its beautiful wings fall off its body. But I punched a man in the face, and his nose got broken. Oh, why? What did he do to you? He sold me some spoiled shrimp, but I will make sure that what I bring to Wild Bay will be the very best. So you're holding me to that promise, Mr. Alonzo? As firmly as I hold you right now, he said, his hands tightening and then relaxing. There are voices coming this way; it might be your fiancé looking for you. I suggest you go behind those window blinds and hide there while I find my way out. He smiled, released her, and, with a teasing bow, held aside the window blinds so she could slip behind them and hide as Casimiro Alonzo made his way out of the games room. Hello, she heard him say in his charmingly rough voice. Just check the game table to see if they're in order.

Queen pressed a hand against her mouth, forcing herself not to laugh. He was a devil, and he made her an accomplice. She wouldn't dare see him again; he is trouble, and she has to stay far away from him. And he will have to eat that paella all by himself. If he dared to come to Greco Villa, then she would deny knowing him. No one could enter the automatic gates without entering the code or getting approval from someone in the house. So she would be quite safe from him.