Page 6 of Kismet

“As you wish. I admire your ability to withstand the charms of Miss Synnford and your commitment to Hakim, my friend.” The Sultan laughed. “But I, on the other hand, am fascinated by the woman and have no desire to avoid her charms.”

With a light clap on Shaheen’s shoulder, Mulay Hassan headed in Allegra Synnford’s direction. Anger slid through him as he watched the stout ruler join Hakim and the other men circle around the woman. A courtesan. What a fool he was. He’d spent the better part of his day preoccupied with thoughts about her only to discover she was the type of woman he avoided with resolute determination.

Her complete lack of guile and flustered behavior this afternoon had made him think she might be a widow or a spinster visiting a family member. When she’d disappeared into the train station, he’d debated going after her. He wasn’t certain which had irritated him more, his fascination with the woman or his indecisiveness as to whether to go after her. The need to know more about her had overridden his desire to stay away from her.

When his men had lost her trail, he’d tried to put any thought of her out of his head, but even as he’d entered the palace this evening, he’d found himself wondering if she might be present. He clenched his teeth. It had been a long time since any woman had piqued his curiosity as this one had, and the fact that she made her living by accepting favors from men only heightened his annoyance. He should have listened to his gut and ignored his fascination with the woman.

The sound of her laughter echoed in his ears as he saw Hakim offer her a glass of champagne off the salver a footman held. He frowned at his charge’s expression. Damnation, Hakim was already besotted with her. The woman would have the boy for breakfast then discard his rotting carcass when she was through.

She laughed again, her head tipping backward as she did so. He didn’t understand how, but she made the slight movement appear erotic and seductive. His fingers dug their way through the soft wool of his gambaz to pinch deeply into his upper arms.

One would think that after all these years he’d know better than to be intrigued by a woman of Allegra Synnford’s ilk. With perhaps the exception of this woman’s mastery of seduction, he doubted there would be any difference between her and Frances.

The sudden onslaught of emotions made his body grow taut as he remembered his one-time mistress. Calculating, greedy, and without a heart, Frances had been interested in one person and one person only. Herself. It hadn’t bothered her in the least to take two lovers at the same time. Nor had she cared that both of them had thought themselves in love with her.

He returned his attention to Hakim, and he clenched his jaw at the expression of adoration on the boy’s face. Christ, had he looked like that when he’d been in love with Frances? No, not love. He’d been in lust with the woman, never in love. If he’d realized that all those years ago, would it have mattered?

His skin grew cold as he remembered how the feathery snow had brushed across his face that wintry, dark night. If he’d been late reaching Frances that evening, perhaps things might have been different. He grimaced at the wishful thought. The past was written, and it was useless to consider what might have been.

He focused his attention on Allegra once more to see her smile at one of the men in her circle. With a low growl of annoyance, he watched her continue to weave her spell on the men around her. Even from here he could understand why her audience was so captivated.

She had an elusive, mysterious quality that served as a silent temptation to every man around her. With a simple tilt of her head or a soft smile, she invited every man to lure her into a liaison. He might know what she was, but he couldn’t help but feel the urge to answer her unspoken challenge.

Every laugh, every turn of her head pulled at him, enticed him to join her. His lack of self-control infuriated him. He took pride in his ability to avoid temptation, but this woman fascinated him more than he cared to admit. Muttering a violent oath, he strode quickly out to the open terrace that led down into the Sultan’s gardens. He could just as easily monitor threats to Hakim’s safety from the patio.

The night air was cool and he drew in a deep breath of it. Merde, he’d gone without a woman for too long. When this hellish event was over he’d take Hakim back to the house the family maintained in Marrakech, then he’d find a brothel where he could wear out his cock. Maybe he’d even take the boy with him, just to convince him that whores were all alike. The scent of citrus floated up from the gardens and filled his nostrils. It reminded him of Allegra Synnford. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and blew out a hard breath. Behind him the sound of applause made him turn his head and he saw a small contingent of dancers begin to perform for the Sultan’s guests.

Instinct made him search the small gathering for Hakim’s familiar figure. Mere seconds later, he saw the young man enjoying the performance in front of him. Shaheen’s gaze continued to sweep the room in search of Allegra. To his surprise, he saw she’d freed herself of her circle of admirers and was moving away from the other guests. Slowly, she put distance between the gathering and herself, and it took him a moment to realize she was headed toward the terrace.

He wasn’t sure why, but he retreated into the shadows as she stepped out onto the balustrade-enclosed patio. When she reached the marble railing, she gripped the smooth stone and stood there quietly. Eyes closed, she tilted her face up toward the moonlight. Several long moments passed before a soft sigh escaped her and she turned her head to look back into the palace.

The vulnerability he’d witnessed in her earlier today had returned. She seemed reluctant, yet resigned to going back into the drawing room. A surprising behavior for a woman who made her living the way she did. But then the worried expression on her face was startling, too. It stirred in him a sudden desire to offer her comfort from her troubles. The idea created a restlessness in him, and he shifted his position slightly. The moment he moved, his gambaz brushed against the branch of a small pomegranate tree that hung over the railing. She jerked her head toward the rustling sound with a low cry.

“Who’s there?”

“Someone else who sought a moment’s solitude,” he said, not leaving the shadows.

The moonlight illuminated her surprised expression, and she took a step toward him, peering into the shadows in an effort to see him. “I know you. Your voice. You were at the train station today.”

“Most fortunate for you it seems,” he said with a touch of irony.

She winced at his words. “I know it was foolish of me to be so close, but I was spellbound by your horse. He’s magnificent.”

“I agree.”

“I don’t suppose . . .” She nibbled at her lip in hesitation. “Would you consider selling him? I would give you a fair price.”

“Abyad isn’t for sale.”

“Oh.”

The soft word reflected a disappointment that was unexpected. She turned away from him, and moonlight drifted across the side of her neck like pale, translucent silk. It surprised him that she would give up so easily. It wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. Frances would have immediately switched tactics and tried to seduce him into getting what she wanted. But this woman wasn’t even making an attempt to persuade him to change his mind about Abyad.

Was it possible for a courtesan not to use her wiles to get what she wanted? The thought intrigued him. Fascinated, he moved closer without leaving the shadows. His fingers itched to trace the moonbeam’s path and he almost gave in to the temptation.

“Perhaps other arrangements could be made,” she mused as she stared out at shadows of the garden.

“What sort of arrangements, ma belle?” he bit out through clenched teeth. It infuriated him that he’d actually contemplated the possibility that she was different than Frances. She might be the most sought after courtesan in Europe, but she was no less manipulative than the next whore. No doubt she thought she could earn the horse by lying on her back.