Both places had been set at the same end of the table; one at the head and the other to the right of it, and just for a second Lisa felt an insane desire to giggle at the thought of her amateurishly contrived tajin being served in such luxurious surroundings. It was much more than it deserved, as her host would soon find out.
Turning her attention to him at last, she found him still watching her with that unwavering gaze, and it was irresistible to angle her chin the way she did, and to meet his eyes with her own dark and resentful blue ones. 'You'll have to make allowances for the way I look,' she told him in an aggressively husky voice. 'I've been working in the kitchen for hours and it's very hot and sticky. As you'll know, I've nothing I can change into.'
That is something that will be remedied/ he told her, in such a quietly confident voice that Lisa looked up sharply at him, for it suggested that her stay was likely to be long enough for her to need a change of clothes.
'I shouldn't need any more clothes, if I '
'Please sit down. Miss Pelham/ He interrupted her, smoothly cutting across her protest as if she had not made it, and for a moment Lisa felt herself trembling with annoyance.
But he had drawn out the chair next to his own at the head of the table and there was little point in refusing to sit and eat with him now that she had come this far. Her eyes when she looked at him were wary and defiant, and she was far more anxious than she had any intention of letting him know.
Td like to know just how long you intend keeping me here against my will/ she said, doing her best to steady her voice.
Still standing with his hands on the back of the chair he had pulled out for her, Yusuf regarded her for a moment in silence, his dark eyes disturbingly confident. Tou will remain for as long as it is necessary/ he informed her. 'Now will you please sit down and eat some lunch, Miss Pelham, I am sure you must be hungry/
She could not deny it and, since there seemed little chance of anything else coming her way, Lisa did as he said and sat down. Unwelcome guest or not, she was treated with courtesy, she noted when her chair was pulled out for her. And yet again, when he leaned over her, she was made aware of his vibrant masculinity.
His brown hands hovered for a moment while she settled into her seat, and powerful-looking arms reminded her of how she had once been carried in them to the comfort of his car. An open neck revealed a vee of brown throat and through a soft cream shirt the warmth of his body touched her for a moment, bringing havoc
to her heartbeat. She had never in her life been so affected by the sheer sensual virility of a man, and she sighed in almost audible relief when he moved away to take his own seat.
'I hope the food is to your taste/ he said when he was seated, and Lisa looked at him curiously.
'You mean the tajin I made?' she asked. 'I can't guarantee it, I've never attempted it before and I had to guess at the recipe/
Yusuf eyed her in a way that stirred up those ever-present suspicions again. 'I hope you were successful/ he told her. 'Both for the sake of my crew and for your sake. But you will not be eating the tajin; Ali prepares my meals separately. Ali is my personal servant/ he added, as if it was essential that he explain, and looked up for a moment when the same young man who had summoned her to lunch, put in another appearance. 'I hope he has chosen something you will like/
Lisa had to admit to a sense of relief when she learned he would not after all be eating the tajin, for she felt certain he would have found something to criticise. In fact she was so hungry herself now, that she would have eaten anything that the smiling Ali provided. 'Whatever it is, I shall like it/ she assured him. Tm so hungry, and it seems like hours since I had breakfast/
'You were about early, of course/ The smooth deep polite voice almost sounded as if he sympathised with her, although she found it hard to believe it. 'Please eat as much as you like, I am sure Ali has prepared plenty/
Ali responded with a wide, crooked smile as he brought in their lunch. He was well trained; his slight figure moved back and forth between them, swiftly and fairly unobtrusively, serving dishes of cold chicken and salad, and beaming encouragingly whenever he managed to catch Lisa's eye.
He was seemingly under the impression that she
needed encouragement, and Lisa wondered just how much he knew about her situation. She speculated on the likelihood of his being willing to help her, should she make another attempt to leave the Djenoun, but second thoughts suggested that he was probably unlikely to go that far in his sympathy, and risk angering his employer.
Yusuf poured the wine himself; a light French one that Lisa found very pleasant but rather more potent than she anticipated when she drank the first glass of it on a virtually empty stomach. Very little was said and, as Ali left the room, he caught her eye once more, giving her the merest suggestion of a wink and another of his beaming smiles. It was automatic to glance at Yusuf ben Dacra to see if he had noticed and quite unexpected when she realised he was already looking at her.
'I didn't expect this/ she confessed when his black brows arched curiously, and he frowned.
*You did not expect to be given a meal ?' he asked. 'But my promise was that if you did not do as I asked and work in the galley you would not eat, mademoiselle. You have done as I said, so of course you have a meal yourself/
Lisa's eyes challenged him from the shadow of her lashes.'And if I hadn't?'
He did not answer at once and it was impossible to read what was in his eyes. Then I would have had to see how long you could stand being hungry, Miss Pel-ham. I feel sure you would have yielded before you reached starvation!'
Uncomfortably suspicious that he meant exactly what he said, Lisa gave her attention once more to her meal, doing her best to ignore a wildly thudding heartbeat that she suspected had more to do with excitement than fear of that dark threatening face opposite. 'What I meant was that I didn't expect the honour of sitting at the cap-
tain's table/ she told him, quite unrepentant about the hint of sarcasm. Just briefly she caught his eye, challenging him to explain the unexpected gesture. 'I thought the galley or the crew's quarters would be my lot in the circumstances. It's what your usual cook would get, isn't it?'
Yusuf sampled another mouthful of chicken before he answered her, and for the moment his eyes were hidden by the thickness of his lashes. Lisa suspected he knew just how curious she was about his invitation, but whether or not he was prepared to satisfy her curiosity remained to be seen.
'You are, I believe, intelligent enough to know that I cannot treat you in exactly the same way as I would Hassan/ he said.
'Of course/ Lisa agreed with deception meekness. 'You couldn't drive Hassan with the threat of starvation, could you?'
Ignoring the attempt to make him angry, Yusuf shifted his dark gaze slowly over her features and came to rest on her mouth with a lingering intensity that made her shiver. 'Neither do I believe you are under any delusion concerning your more obvious attractions, mademoiselle, although you will find most Moroccan men rather less easy to seduce than the type you are probably accustomed to. I keep you separate from my crew. Miss Pelham, more for their sake than for yours.'
Lisa's heart was beating so urgently that she found it hard to swallow the morsel of chic ken she had in her mouth before she answered him. Then raising her chin slightly, she met his eyes for just a moment. 'It may surprise you to learn that I hadn't even thought of seducing your crew,' she told him in a slightly choked voice. 'You seem to have a curious idea of my morals, Mr ben Dacra. And if you really don't like having me aboard,
the remedy is in your own hands. Put me ashore and you have no more worries about me corrupting your men, or of having to answer charges of abduction!'
'Abduction?' His dark eyes regarded her steadily and something she saw in them made her uneasy without her being quite sure why. It was a certain air of confidence, over and above his normal arrogance. The question of your being abducted does not arise, made-moiselle, not when it is known that you came aboard the D
jenoun of your own free will/
'Not the second time!'
His eyes glittered darkly at her, unmoved by her faint threat. 'No man would have left you at Bouli on your own/ he told her. 'I would have been guilty of extreme callousness if I had abandoned you in such a place, and your father would have had every right to blame me for whatever happened to you!'
Reminding her of her father brought a momentary twinge of longing for him, but it was a moment she hastily dismissed. She could take care of herself, she had told her father as much when she came to Morocco, and she believed she could, no matter what her present circumstances were.
'If I don't arrive home/ she began, but fell silent when he shook his head.
'You have gone to spend a few days with a friend/ said Yusuf, using his hands to emphasise the point. 'Young women are seldom if ever abducted by romantic sheiks in this liberated age, Miss Pelham; it is so unlikely that no one would believe itf'
'I wasn't thinking of you '
Her voice trailed off when he said something in French. She did not understand it, but something in his voice and the gleaming darkness of his eyes brought a swift flush of colour to her cheeks. Hastily she looked away, trying to keep her voice steady.
'You wouldn't approve of the liberated woman, of course/ she said.
Yusuf raised a brow and got on with his meal. 'I am no woman-hater/ he assured her quietly, 'but I confess that my tastes tend more towards the less aggressive type of female/
Looking down into her wine glass Lisa tilted it round and round, watching the contents spin and whirl like liquid gold in the light. 'You don't believe in freedom/ She said it without for a moment really believing it, despite what she knew about him. And Yusuf confirmed it by shaking his head firmly, as if he had complete confidence in his own argument.
'Of course I believe in freedom/ he said. *What I cannot agree with is the complete reversal of roles where men and women are concerned. History and evolution have shown that women do not naturally take to the dominant role, nor do they need to with so many alternative means of influence at their disposal. I do not grudge women their liberty, mademoiselle, in some spheres it is long overdue, but I cannot see the advantage of living in a society where they dominate at the expense of their femininity/ His eyes regarded her with such intensity that Lisa was bound to look at him. 'I am more easily persuaded than threatened. Miss Pelham, like most of my kind/
Such an obvious alkision to her own attitude was impossible to mistake, and Lisa felt a curious tingle of excitement as she listened to him, even though she did not agree with his theories. Putting her glass to her lips she eyed him with deliberate provocation over its rim while she spoke.
'Like most of your kind, you have no doubt at all that men have the upper hand by some God-given right, do you?' she challenged, and it was typical of him, Lisa thought, that he did not attempt to deny it.
I would rather cosset a woman than have to- regard her in the same light ias I would another man/ he said. 'I am not given to dealing gently with an aggressive opponent, no matter who it might be. Yes, mademoiselle, you are right; in the man-woman relationship I like to think I have the dominant role, and I believe that is the way a lot of women like it too.'
'I see.' Sitting there with the wine glass between her hands, Lisa appeared suitably submissive, but when she looked up suddenly, he could hardly have missed the bright gleam in her eyes. 'You sound very confident, Mr ben Dacra. But I would scarcely call it cosseting a woman to force her into a menial post that she has no talent for, and hasn't the slightest inclination for. Nor would I call it cosseting her to hold her against her will on a yacht crewed entirely by men.'
Yusuf s eyes condemned her dramatic summing up, and it was futile to think she was going to be allowed to get away with it. 'And I would remind you, Miss Pelham, that your present situation was brought about entirely by your own actions. You came aboard the Djenoun uninvited, and threatened me with violence; you are very lucky to be getting off so lightly. As for the rest, I have given you my word that no man on board will lay a hand on you.'
'And you count yourself a man too?'
Lisa felt curiously lightheaded, filled with a wild, inexplicable chaos of emotions that made her heart beat hard and fast. But she was already regretting her impulsiveness, for not only had she been indefensibly rude, she had destroyed whatever frail chance of a truce had existed during the last few minutes.
Yusuf s mouth tightened ominously and the knuckles of his fingers showed starkly white through the tanned skin as he gripped the stem of his glass. 'If I found aggressive viragos to my liking/ he said harshly, 'you would
have discovered before now whether or not I am a man, mademoiselle !'
Appalled at the fury she had aroused, Lisa shook her head in an attempt to mollify him. 'I—I didn't mean '
Roughly he cut her short. 'Give me credit for a little intelligence, mademoiselle ! I know exactly what you meant, and I hope that you have now salvaged your pride with that minor victory!'
Lisa was alarmed to realise how close to tears she was, and she could not imagine why. As Yusuf said, she should feel satisfied with her minor victory, but instead she regretted even having thought of taking such a petty revenge. 'Please/ she ventured, 'I really didn't mean that the way it sounded.'
'Oh, but I think you did. Miss Pelham,' he declared confidently. 'You reacted in what I can only assume is your customary style, and I should have been prepared for something of the sort.' He placed his knife and fork carefully side by side on his empty plate, and spoke without looking at her. 'If you have finished,' he went on in the same cool hard voice, 'I will call Ali to serve the second course. But please do me the favour of remaining silent so that I may enjoy the rest of my meal without losing my temper.'
Trembling and unhappy, and scarcely knowing who to blame for the way she felt, Lisa got swiftly to her feet; almost stumbling when the chair legs caught in the carpet and impeded her turn. 'Please don't bother for me,' she said huskily, 'I've had enough. If you'll excuse me, I'll go back to my cabin.'
It was unfamiliar and rather alarming to feel as horribly vulnerable as she did at the moment, and Lisa wished Geoffrey could have been there to reassure her. It seemed such an interminable distance to the door that she could not imagine how he managed to get there before her. His big hands behind him against the wood
panels in a seemingly casual stance, he stood blocking her way, and Lisa dared not raise her eyes any higher than the set sternness of his mouth for the moment.
'Please sit down and finish your lunch/ he said firmly. There is no need to aggravate the situation any further by making a martyr of yourself, Miss Pelham. Your friends will not thank you for it.'
'My friends?' Lisa stared at him for a second un-comprehendingly, then shook her head slowly. It was incredible to think that, just for a moment, she had forgotten why she was there. 'You're wrong if you think I was trying to be a martyr,' she told him in a small shaky voice that was unlikely to convince anybody, and particularly Yusuf ben Dacra. 'I'm simply not hungry any more, that's all.'
The touch of his hand under her chin was unexpected and caught her unawares so that she gasped aloud, looking up swiftly with wide, wary eyes. For a moment he stood looking down into her face with his customary boldness, taking explicit note of every single feature, including the flush on her cheeks and the fact that she soon lowered her eyes again.
'You are an incredibly bad liar,' he stated firmly and with unexpected frankness. His long fingers spread out ov^r her face, cupping her chin in his palm. 'If you are to work, you must eat, and I must remind you that you have another meal to provide for the crew this evening/
'Oh, I can't V
For a moment she believed she sjhook him with the fierceness of her protest, but his surprise was short-lived and his dark eyes gleamed a warning. 'You have proved that you can/ he insisted. 'And do you not have a saying in England, that practice makes perfect? It is very true, you will find/
&nb
sp; It wasn't merely anger that made her tremble so, Lisa realised. She felt alarmingly helpless and very close to
tears as she stood there facing him. He would probably have revelled in the idea of making her weep, even in sheer frustration, but he was unlikely to be moved by tears now. Her stock was much too low at the moment. Just the same her voice had a shiveringly husky sound and her eyes were just a little too bright.
'You can't go keeping me here/ she told him shakily. 'It—it just isn't right!'
'Right?' She had not realised that he still had his hand beneath her chin, and his fingers closed a little more tightly for a moment, curving into her cheek. 'By what right did you bring yourself aboard my vessel, eh? By what right did you invade my privacy and threaten me with your silly warnings? You talk of right, mademoiselle, as if you alone are entitled to have rights!'
Lisa's mouth trembled, there was nothing she could do to stop it. She wanted to beg him to let her go home, but she was prevented from doing so by the last shreds of her pride. She would not beg him for her freedom, but something in her eyes made the appeal silently when she raised her eyes to him.
'You're every bit as hard and unfeeling as I expected you to be,' she accused huskily. 'You're an arrogant, selfish monster and I wish I'd never come on board your wretched yacht!'
His mouth tightened into a hard straight line and she caught her breath audibly when he gripped her by her upper arms and pulled her close to the lean hardness of his body. 'So do I,' he murmured between gritted teeth. l Mon dieu, so do I!'
Lisa offered no resistance because the move took her by surprise, and a swift upward glance showed his eyes gleaming darkly in the second before he bent his head and the warm, spicy touch of his mouth parted her lips, bruising in its hardness. Alarming and exciting and breathtaking in its fierceness.
It was a deliberate assault on her senses that left her without strength or resistance, and tremblingly limp and pliant in his arms. When he let her go the strong, bruising fingers slid from her arms slowly, almost reluctantly, and she took a moment or two to recover her breath, looking up at him with blank, stunned eyes.
Close to the Heart Page 8