Maharaja's Mistress

by Susan Stephens

  ‘You always loved surprises, Mia.’

  Kissing Ram absolutely qualified as an acceptable surprise. Flirting with him? Yes, that too. But being seduced onto his super-yacht with just the promise of a guided tour? How dumb was she? ‘Maybe I did used to love surprises but that was half a lifetime ago and you can’t just take me anywhere you want without my say-so, Ram.’

  ‘Watch me.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous—you have to take me back.’

  ‘No,’ he said flatly.

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘Get used to it, Mia. You’re coming with me.’

  She had underestimated Ram and the ease with which his sophisticated yacht could slip out of harbour—making barely a sound.

  Chapter Eight

  HE’D reasoned it this way. He had a duty towards Mia. If it had been his sister holed up in Monte Carlo in a dead-end job—going nowhere, distanced from her family—he knew Tom would have stepped in.

  Of course, there was another part of this reasoning that could not include some fictional sister and his brother-in-arms. He was attracted to Mia—intrigued by her too. She had always been different, and now she was all grown-up he wasn’t ready to let go of her yet. ‘You can yell all you like,’ he told her as she swore at him like a trooper. ‘No one’s listening.’

  ‘So, you’re kidnapping me?’ she demanded as his sleek white yacht speeded up, leaving the shoreline far behind in its silvery wake.

  ‘Don’t you trust me, Mia?’

  ‘Don’t you use that look on me, Ram Varindha,’ she told him furiously.

  He had always wanted Mia to trust him, but since Tom’s engagement party Mia had doubted him—doubted his intentions. Well, she needn’t doubt them now—they were wholly dishonourable.

  ‘You kissed me so I wouldn’t notice the boat leaving dock.’

  ‘I kissed you because I wanted to.’

  She touched her lips. ‘You wanted to…’ She paused for the briefest moment and then she rounded on him. ‘And I’m supposed to believe that?’

  Ram had perfected the Look, Mia decided. It was the look she had always wanted to see on his face, but not now—not now when she needed her wits about her.

  ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he demanded as she walked away.

  She hardly knew herself. ‘To make a call—to the authorities,’ she said, firming up her plans as she pulled out her phone.

  ‘Why don’t you calm down, Mia?’ he said, catching up with her in a couple of strides. ‘I’m hardly the enemy.’ And then he laughed as if this were all one of their childhood jokes. ‘Or do you want me to restrain you?’ he murmured, bringing her close.

  ‘I don’t think that’s very funny, Ram…’

  But as Ram angled his chin to level a challenging stare at her, her gaze slipped to his lips. ‘You wouldn’t dare,’ she whispered.

  Ram’s brow lifted, leaving her to battle an intoxicating mix of excitement and erotic terror.

  ‘I’ve got plenty of time to decide what to do with you,’ he promised.

  ‘How long exactly?’ she pressed, refusing to be schmoozed. ‘Don’t you realise I have to go to work tomorrow?’

  ‘I took care of that.’

  ‘What do you mean, you took care of it?’ she demanded, losing it again.

  ‘I thought you looked a little jaded.’ He curbed a smile. ‘Monsieur Michel agreed with me—so we booked some time off for you—’

  ‘We? We booked some time off?’ Mia exploded. ‘You did what? How dare you? You had absolutely no right! You can’t make decisions for me.’ All the time she was yelling at him a little curl of excitement was busy in her lower regions—not that that was any reason to let Ram off the hook. He’d gone too far this time. ‘There are other people who will report me missing,’ she told him confidently.

  ‘Your flatmates?’

  Of course, he must have spoken to them too, Mia realised, and the girls would only applaud what they would see as Ram’s extravagantly romantic gesture. ‘You set this whole thing up—you can’t deny it.’

  ‘To be fair, it hasn’t been long in the planning.’

  The breath shot out of her lungs as he yanked her to him. ‘Are you sure you want to go back, Mia?’

  ‘Are you sure you know what you’ve taken on?’ she countered, only to spoil the effect of her threat by shivering with uncontrollable lust as Ram brushed her mouth with his lips. ‘So, what happens now?’ she said, shaking herself round to some semblance of lucidity.

  ‘What would you like to happen?’ Ram stroked her arms. ‘I could take you back in the helicopter…’

  And just when she should have said: Yes, you do that—she hesitated.

  ‘You used to love adventures, Mia.’

  ‘Yes. When I was in control of them.’

  ‘You’re in control now,’ Ram assured her. His grip softened in a way that made her want the moment to last forever. ‘I’ll take you back if that’s what you really want…’

  A frown brewed inside her. Was that what she really wanted? Or was this…?

  ‘Stay or go, make your mind up,’ Ram pointed out.

  ‘I’d like to…’

  ‘What?’ he murmured. ‘What would you like, Mia?’

  She wanted to be with Ram. She wanted to be his equal—if not in wealth and status, then at least in determination to fulfil her potential. Monsieur Michel had taken a chance on her and she hadn’t let him down. Maybe she could pick up her design career. Her girlfriends had never mentioned her injuries—Ram hardly seemed to notice them. Maybe she was just too wrapped up in herself—maybe she needed to take this opportunity Ram was offering her and exploit it on every level. She wanted him, didn’t she? She wanted to take the stuffy life he seemed happy to return to and turn it on its head. Suddenly all this burst out as, ‘I’d like to build rather than coast along—I’d like to pick up my life, Ram.’

  He went still and she fell silent, feeling rather foolish now. But she hadn’t finished yet. She couldn’t leave it here and braced herself for what had to come next. ‘So we take this trip together. What then?’ As Ram loosened his grip on her she felt as vulnerable as she ever had. There were no false promises in his eyes, or glib words falling from his lips. There was just the usual steel-trap brain working through the possibilities.

  ‘I could arrange an introduction to my design team—if that’s what you want?’

  Of course his thoughts would all be practical. There could be no talk of love and marriage, horse and carriage. ‘That’s very generous of you, Ram.’ And she meant it. How many people had taken a chance on her? Maybe it was time to pick herself up, she’d raced again—she could take back the rest of her dreams.

  ‘We might even be able to involve you in one of the new projects.’

  Oh, he knew just how to work her. But there was no harm in finding out more. ‘I’m listening…’

  ‘Let’s go inside.’

  The decision was made, Mia realised as they turned their back on the sea. Ram had baited the trap and she had walked in happily—but there was more than a piece of cheese at stake here. Ram was a practised seducer, while she had a heart so full of holes thanks to him it was like a sieve. ‘Will you let me off at the next port?’

  ‘You could hop off when we reach the Suez Canal, I suppose.’

  Mia’s mouth formed a question, but no sound came out, and before she could demand an explanation, Ram said coolly, ‘Perhaps you’d better sleep on it—let’s talk tomorrow. There’s plenty of time, Mia,’ he added when she looked at him blankly. ‘This won’t be a short voyage. I’ll have one of the stewards show you to your suite of rooms—’

  ‘My suite of rooms? So you knew I’d stay?’

  Of course he had. Ram wasn’t noted for his careless gestures—more for his exploits in the business world and the bedroom, which he executed with the same icy precision. And she had briefly thought he was the same easy-going childhood friend? A lot had happened to Ram since then—things she
didn’t know about or understand.

  That ice pick was bounding off his heart again, Mia mused as Ram walked away. So much for banishing the nightmares—’Ram—wait—’

  ‘I have things to do, Mia.’

  He didn’t even break stride. He just called back to her over his shoulder and kept right on walking.

  ‘Stay, Mia.’

  ‘What do you think I am—a dog?’

  ‘I’ll send the steward.’

  She gave chase. ‘What things do you have to do, Ram? You were ready to take me back to shore in the helicopter a moment ago.’

  ‘Yes, I was, but you made that unnecessary—and now it’s too late.’

  She hung on to his arm like a terrier to a bone. ‘The least you can do is talk to me—tell me where we’re going.’

  ‘I’m taking you somewhere you always wanted to go.’

  Ramprakesh?

  ‘Tell me,’ Mia insisted as the land of her dreams took shape in her mind. Ram’s homeland had always conjured up images of palaces and fireworks and elephants—and hellishly good-looking princes called Ram—

  By this time Ram was halfway down the stairs and she surprised herself with just how fast she could fly down a flight of stairs. ‘Why?’ she demanded, leaping ahead of him. ‘Why have you done all this?’

  ‘Because the time is right and because I might need you again.’

  She didn’t like the sound of that. ‘So you think I might be useful to you?’ The kiss must have been a try-out that left him cold—a ruse to distract her while the yacht slipped out of its berth. And that hurt.

  ‘Being useful is bad?’ he said, lips pressing down as if he couldn’t work that one out.

  ‘No. It isn’t bad—but when you want someone to do something for you, it’s usual to ask them first rather than assume they’ll fall into line.’

  He thought about that for a nanosecond. ‘No time,’ he said. ‘Some things just have to be executed and then discussed later.’

  ‘I’m not a thing, Ram.’

  His brows rose as if he were surprised at that.

  She gave up. ‘You’re impossible.’

  ‘So I’ve been told,’ he agreed. ‘But I am serious about having a design job I think you might be interested in—and you could start by taking a look around this overstuffed wedding cake—’

  ‘You don’t like the décor on the yacht?’

  ‘What do you think?’

  There was still a glimmer of the old Ram there. No reason to go easy on him, though. ‘You didn’t have to kidnap me to get my thoughts on your yacht.’

  ‘I’ll ignore the dramatic flourish. Firstly, I didn’t kidnap you—you came onboard of your own accord. And secondly, you can of course sulk for the entire voyage, but I wouldn’t recommend it.’

  Mia ground her jaw. It had been too long since she had played this type of mind game with Ram—she was a little rusty. But Ram and Ramprakesh—not to mention that promise to meet with his design team. Was she going to cut off her nose to spite her face and give the plastic surgeon another headache? ‘I’ll do it,’ she agreed. ‘I’ll take a look round your yacht—but only on my terms.’

  ‘Which are?’

  ‘You treat me with respect and pay the going rate—as an interior designer,’ she added hurriedly before he could get any other ideas. ‘I’ll look at the project first and then I’ll decide if I want to become involved.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Okay? That was it? Mia blinked. But then her mind cleared and she realised that back in Monte Carlo Ram had asked her why her design career had gone up in smoke, and instead of making fun of her for losing her confidence he had done this. And as much as she wanted to yell at him for manipulating her, she couldn’t help but be a little bit thrilled that life and Ram had finally given her the challenge she had been looking for. This might even work out—just so long as she kept everything in proportion and accepted this was Ram helping a childhood friend out of a hole and nothing more.

  So, her decision was made—there was nothing to stop her dipping her toe in the water—

  Her toe? Heck, this was full naked-body immersion, Mia realised, seeing Ram’s lips tug with satisfaction as he walked away. She only had to touch her own lips and feel how swollen they were to know how far out of her depth she was. Ram was certainly determined to take her on a voyage of discovery.

  But he was also giving her the chance to pick up the pieces of the career she had loved…

  ‘Mademoiselle?’ A steward dressed in immaculate whites distracted her. ‘May I show you to your quarters, mademoiselle?’

  Why not? In for a penny, in for a few billion pounds…‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling wryly as he led the way.

  Oh, this was fabulous.

  How easily she was bought, Mia reflected as she followed the steward down one gilt-bedecked corridor after another. But, although the decoration was vibrant and luxurious, it was all a bit over the top. She could see why Ram had fed her the bait. His yacht was huge and equipped with all the latest high-tech equipment, but the interior design was more suitable for his parents’ generation. If he was serious about combining stewardship of a country with his business interests, then Ram needed to showcase not just his country’s traditional wares, but the latest innovations too. Given half a chance she would encourage new young Ramprakeshi designers to submit their products for his consideration.

  Oh, how she wanted this brief, Mia mused, soaking in every bit of information she could as she looked around. She had never seen so many priceless artefacts and paintings outside a museum, and it came home to her then that, although everyone thought they knew Ram, few had seen him as she had—relaxed, approachable, humorous, sexy. They just saw what he was worth and drew their own conclusions about what he would want around him.

  Ram hadn’t just come back into her world; he’d turned that world on its axis, Mia realised. And as for The Kiss…kisses, kissing…She touched her eyepatch. However brave she appeared there was always part of her that thought people—especially men—found her injuries off-putting, but not only had Ram proved that wasn’t the case as far as he was concerned, but he didn’t make allowances for them either, which she liked. She didn’t want to be treated like an invalid, or an object of pity. So for all the black strikes against him, he had earned quite a few brownie points too.

  ‘Am I alone on this corridor?’ she asked as the steward stopped by one particular door. It was too much to hope Ram would be next door—and, of course, she didn’t want that anyway. She was just…well—getting her bearings.

  ‘The master has a suite of rooms on another level, mademoiselle.’

  ‘Up or down?’

  ‘Directly behind the bridge, mademoiselle.’

  Okay, so not that close. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  As the steward held the door open she completely forgot how mad Ram could make her. The accommodation she had been allocated took her breath away. This was luxury on an unprecedented scale.

  ‘There’s more, mademoiselle,’ the steward prompted her as she stood gaping at the door.

  ‘More?’ She sounded like a child at Christmas, hardly knowing which gift to open first. Forget the granny curtains and the quilted shiny satin throws—there were floor-to-ceiling windows and enough space to fit three apartments the same size as the one she shared with the girls. And at least the bed, with its silken drapes, tented canopy, tassels, fringes and assorted twinkles, boasted crisp white linen sheets, and a most inviting bank of pillows…

  She touched her lips—still swollen…still tingling with the memory of Ram’s kisses…

  ‘Would you like me to show you round, mademoiselle?’

  She started guiltily as the steward coughed politely. ‘Yes, please,’ she managed faintly, dragging her gaze away from the emperor-sized bed.

  The furniture was all hand-carved and polished with precious inlays of ebony and semi-precious stones—and, as she’d thought, the steward confirmed that the handles had all been cast
in solid gold. ‘Oh, yes, very nice,’ she said politely, thinking Ram would prefer something funky and that most of these things should be in a museum.

  ‘Would you like me to show you the rest of the suite, mademoiselle…?’

  ‘I’ll find my way around, thank you’ she said with a smile. She was dying to be alone to do some serious thinking, but first there was more investigating to do…

  There was a pink marble bathroom where a bleached blonde Barbie doll would be right at home—and a fully fitted dressing room that would fulfil the dreams of the most impossibly spoiled celebrity. The square bath was big enough for four. And as for the walk-in drench shower…

  Well, that was definitely big enough for…

  Activities, Mia decided, poking her head around the corner to size it up. Activities she could only dream about indulging in with Ram—

  Activities she definitely wouldn’t be indulging in, Mia informed herself firmly.

  Unfortunately, that self-imposed ban wasn’t enough to stop her imagination conjuring up a few heart-stopping scenes. To stop them dead she turned full circle slowly, concentrating her mind solely on her thoughts as an interior designer—Ram had switched a light on in her brain, and now she found it impossible to look at a single object or paint shade without giving it a professional review.

  She had Ram to thank for throwing her back into that world of breaking boundaries and thinking outside the box. Nothing about this visit was accidental, Mia concluded. Ram knew her life before the accident had drawn its oxygen from design, but she mustn’t mistake his concern for anything else.

  There were some things she would like to keep—this crimson, tangerine and fuchsia decoration in the dining room, for instance, where the colours had been allowed to clash in such a strange and fabulous way. This was a whole new language of design, and one she could use to embellish her contemporary take on things. Opening the sliding glass door, she moved outside onto the balcony with its wooden decking. It was still quite warm outside. Looking back into the dining room, she knew it would be flooded with light in the morning, but she would prefer to eat breakfast out here, and dream about Ram—