For those of you wondering – Numair wasonly teasing Daine about the makeup in the previous chapter!
twenty one
Numair supposed it was downright strange, as opposed to a little unusual, that he and Daine were both dressed beautifully and on their way to dinner with Ozorne, but he'd decided that if he had to deal with Ozorne, he was at least going to look presentable. And having someone as beautiful as Daine on his arm while he entered the room to face his demon was definitely a source of courage and confidence.
"Now, Arram, you must introduce me properly to your lady friend," Ozorne said.
"Ozorne, this is Daine. Daine, this is Ozorne," Numair said blandly.
"And you are exquisite indeed," Ozorne said grandly, plucking Daine's hand from Numair's arm and lifting it to his lips for a kiss. Numair was tempted to try and punch Ozorne for the gesture, but he realised that it was unlikely he'd get much further than raising his arm before Ozorne's thugs were onto him. "How are you feeling, Daine?"
"Fine," Daine said shortly.
Ozorne smiled winningly at her, his white teeth gleaming. "Come now, my dear, we will be spending a lot of time together in the future. We must get along, for that time to pass easily."
Numair could see Daine opening her mouth to give a scathing reply, but he jostled her gently, despite the pain it would cause her. She couldn't say anything and mess up her chances of getting into Ozorne's good books! Daine gasped at the pain his cruel jostling brought upon her, jerking away from Numair's hold.
"Arram!" Ozorne admonished. "That is no way to treat an injured young lady! Come my dear, and sit with me for a bit. We will talk, while Arram is reacquainted with his old friends."
Numair wanted to ask what Ozorne meant, when an achingly familiar voice floated through the air to him.
"Arram!" the woman said clearly. "Oh, Arram, I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Varice," Numair said, looking at the woman. A dark blue silk dress highlighted her beautiful eyes, and the hair Numair had once lovingly pulled his fingers through looked as soft and silken as ever. "How are you, Varice?"
"How are you, Varice?" she mimicked. "Is that all you can say to me, Arram Draper, after all these years?"
"What else am I supposed to say?" Numair demanded.
"Nothing," Varice pouted prettily. "But I think a kiss hello is warranted."
Numair didn't particularly want to kiss Varice in front of Daine, but then he remembered his brilliant scheme of convincing Ozorne that he didn't really care about Daine. Varice's lips tasted like lipstick and rich wine that was almost too sweet; he longed suddenly for the taste of starlight again, but the memory was fleeting and he pulled away to look into Varice's smiling eyes.
"I never forgot you, you know," she said quietly, lifting a hand to his face. "I wondered what happened to you."
Numair had always been a ladies' man, but he had also remembered Varice. Varice had been the woman who had kept him captivated for the longest. She could be brilliant, he'd often thought to himself as he studied her body after their love making. Her mind was as sharp as a needle; she could be anything she wanted to be. Yet all Varice had wanted to do was entertain at parties and have her photo taken.
At one point he remembered she wanted to be a fashion model, but one photo shoot had convinced her she wasn't fond of standing in awkward positions for long periods of time, so she'd quickly gone back to being Ozorne's entertainer.
And, Numair thought darkly, not really listening to Varice's chatter, he was certain her entertainment had extended to Ozorne's bed as well. After all, Ozorne had always been jealous of Numair, despite his power and control, and Numair had become aware over time that everything he had, ended up with Ozorne. Even Varice, apparently.
And now Daine, he thought with a pang.
"Tell me, Arram, who is the country bumpkin?" Varice asked, still smiling at him, but he could see a glimmer of jealousy and annoyance in her eyes.
"Daine," Numair answered simply, and then braced himself for what he was about to say. "She looks nice, but she is rather backward, if you know what I mean."
Varice grinned and laughed delightfully. "Oh, wonderful!" she gushed. "Ozorne tried to tell me you and the little hen were involved, you know. Of course, I couldn't see Arram Draper ever looking twice at someone who doesn't have a manicure or wear silk."
Numair forced a smile onto his face. "You knew me too well," he managed, trying not to sound strangled.
The cold hard fact of the matter was, that at one point in time Varice was right about him. Had it only been three weeks since he'd first met Daine? Since the young girl, her ponies and a bitter woman with a battered past had ripped his sophisticated, snobbish world from under his feet and introduced him to the concept of life? Where once he would have wondered the best way to flirt and bed a woman without committing to her, he now cared about a girl with wild brown hair and a soft, pouting mouth even though he'd done precious little more than kiss her once or twice?
"Do I still know you?" Varice asked him, her voice surprisingly serious and her eyes boring into his.
Numair smiled at her. "Of course you do, Varice. You knew me better than anyone did."
"And now?"
Numair shrugged. "Not many people know me well at all; you know that."
She appeared satisfied with his answer, and smiled again. Varice was a beautiful woman, Numair knew, and her mind had kept him challenged while they were together. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to convince Ozorne that Numair didn't hold feelings for Daine, especially not when Varice was holding onto his arm and pressing her body against his.
Numair didn't turn to look at Daine; instead he smiled down at Varice and slipped his arm around her waist, his hand resting just a touch too far below the curve of her hip to be considered decent or platonic.
Varice's smile widened. "We're sitting together at dinner, you know," she told him happily.
"Wonderful," Numair forced another smile. "How much of you am I permitted to see this time?"
The double entendre flowed from his lips as easily as they used too, and by Varice's smile she understood and enjoyed the banter. "Oh, I'm staying in the villa for a while," she said airily, though not specifying. "I do think, though, that it's up to you how much of me you want to see."
Despite his confusion over his feelings for Daine, and the startling changes in his personality over the last few weeks, Numair really did like Varice. She was intelligent, funny and usually sweet. He'd considered her a friend at one stage, and even though she was in bed with the enemy, he still cared about her.
After all, the first time you thought yourself in love always left a lasting impact on a man. Even if it wasn't really love, only a very strong case of lust accompanied by pretty words out of a generous mouth.
"Well," he said huskily, guiding her toward the table, "I would like to see as much of you as possible."
"I'm certain that could be arranged," she demured.
---
In the years since Numair had worked for Ozorne, it appeared that Ozorne's tastes had grown more sophisticated. The food was aboslutely devine and perfect for the tropical weather – it wasn't heavy enough to make them feel uncomfortable, yet light enough to feel that they'd had a substantial meal and would easily be sated until morning.
Numair let his gaze wonder around the table as he ate. Other than Daine, Ozorne, Kaddar and Varice, none of the other diners looked familiar to Numair. He wasn't fooled by them dressing in suits and having table manners – he'd seen the outlines and shapes of several guns and holsters against dinner jackets and shirts when the men had moved – these men were here as Ozorne's guard and personal thugs.
Ozorne sat at the head of the large table, with Numair to his left and Kaddar to his right. Beside Kaddar, Daine was having difficulty eating, and Numair narrowed his eyes as Kaddar gallantly leant over and helped Daine cut her food into small portions.
"Thanks," he heard Daine say.
"Not a problem. I broke my collar bone once, and it was hard to cut anything until it was mended."
Daine smiled and held Kaddar's eyes for a moment longer than Numair felt was truly necessary. He really hoped Kaddar didn't make a play for Daine, he thought, scowling. A soft hand rested on his forearm.
"Numair?" Varice asked, looking at him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Numair said shortly, lifting the food to his lips.
"You were scowling at Kaddar," Varice whispered so no one could hear him.
"I wasn't," Numair lied. "I was upset because of Daine's table manners."
Varice nodded. "Yes, you can certainly tell she comes from the mountains," she agreed quietly, smirking slightly. "Still, she looks pretty enough, and I know Kaddar gets very lonely when he's here at the villa."
The words stabbed at something inside Numair like hot knives covered in acid. He forced himself not to say anything, and focused on his dinner. Why should it matter to him anyway whether Daine returned a boy's interest or not? Numair had flirted and had fun with more than enough girls to know it was commonplace and enjoyable for both involved.
But it was Daine, he thought plaintively. Daine wouldn't do that sort of thing. Would she? She was sweet and innocent and… and.. his.
The thought startled Numair and he dropped his fork, splattering a deliciously cold rice salad all over his plate, the table cloth and his trousers.
"That will not do at all, Arram!" Ozorne said crossly, wiping at his white suit which now bore two small red stains. "Did you forget your manners when you changed your name?"
"Numair is my real name," Numair said coldly. "Arram Draper was an alias I created during one of my more adventurous tempter tantrums."
Ozorne smiled at him, but Numair wasn't stupid enough to believe Ozorne was amused. "You lied to us all from the beginning," Ozorne said calmly, his gaze not once straying from Numair's. "I trusted you like a brother," he continued. "I gave you everything you wanted. And look what you do to us."
"You don't trust anyone," Numair said, ignoring the last accusations. "Besides, you don't have a brother."
"I trusted you as I would trust a brother," Ozorne re-emphasized. "Which is more than I trust most. You threw that in my face, and made me a laughing stock in my own work. I do not appreciate that."
"Then why keep me alive?" Numair demanded again. "Why not just kill me, if I betrayed and hurt you so much?"
Ozorne smiled coldly. "To kill you quickly would not give me enough satisfaction. Keeping Arram Draper – or Numair Salmalín – captive on an island with little to hold his attention will drive you insane," Ozorne said. "You have Daine now, and Varice, but we all know how you tire of women."
Numair's cheeks were burning with anger and shame. "You're playing with me. This is all some sick, twisted game for you to get even with me for what I did to you."
Ozorne smiled. "No one spits in my face and walks away, Arram. No one."
Numair studied Ozorne. Once, this man had been his savior and friend. Someone who'd respected Numair's mind and intelligence, and had made him feel useful and wanted - something his family had never quite managed to achieve. He'd done his best for Ozorne and had stayed with him a lot longer than he'd have thought he would. But ultimately, Numair liked his freedom, and the longer he stayed with Ozorne the shorter and tighter Ozorne had pulled the reins. So Numair had left one night, leaving a letter of apology and disappearing out of Ozorne's circle.
"I appreciated what you did for me, Ozorne, but you knew I wasn't going to stay around for ever," Numair said quietly.
"Yet you would go to the law and betray me."
"You murdered someone!" Numair said, outraged. "You say you know me, Ozorne, then you'd know that I wouldn't be part of something that murders people or breaks the law."
Ozorne smiled. "You will be now," he said calmly. "You will work as before, with Kaddar and Lindhall, or be responsible for the consequences."
Numair couldn't stop his eyes flicking to Daine who had stopped eating and was now, along with the rest of the table, paying close attention to the conversation between him and Ozorne. He looked back at Ozorne. "You've dragged an innocent into this," he said quietly. "Daine is nothing more than a friend, Ozorne, and you've dragged her into this to play your sick games."
"Whether you are involved or not," Ozorne said, "you care about her. My operative at the hospital indicated it, and when we found you your actions proved it. You, Arram, brought this upon her by offering her the same sparkling lies of your trust and friendship. How long before you tired of farm animals and riding through the rain? How long before you cast her aside in favor of your university parties and illusions of grandeur? I did her a favor, Numair. At least now she will have your undivided attention."
"I'd hardly say it's undivided," Numair drawled, looking deliberately at Varice.
Ozorne grinned. "I doubt Daine's attention will be undivided either."
Numair tried to tell himself the jealousy he felt at those words meant nothing to him, and he refused to let himself look at Daine. "Then there's not much reason for keeping her here, is there?"
Ozorne grinned again, turning his attention back to the food in front of him. "Oh, but Arram, you try so hard to get her away from here that I think perhaps you care about her being here. You don't want her here because you fear for her here. Why would I send her away?"
Numair scowled down at his plate; the delicious food in front of him lost its appeal and he wondered if he could force himself to throw up again. Hopefully this time on Ozorne's white suit, instead of his leather boots.
Varice's perfume was sweet and intoxicating as she leant close to him. "Don't worry about her," Varice said quietly. "If Kaddar likes her, she'll be fine. Ozorne will keep her around so his nephew has something to play with."
The words were meant to soothe him, Numair realized, and he wondered why they actually made him feel worse.
---
Whee! Jealousy and betrayal and drama, drama, drama!
I apologize in advance if my future updates are sporadic – I'm back at full time work now, and the nature of my work means I'm often away from home and computers for several days at a time. I promise I'll try and post/update as much as possible and not withhold chapters I've already written, even if it means flooding you guys with a few chapters each time I update!
Oh – reviews? Please? Remember, I AM shameless!