Silence Is Golden (Storm and Silence 3)

‘I…cannot…agree,’ Karim managed to get out between clenched teeth. I glanced over. The poor man managed to be red in the face, even under a tan as brown as mahogany. He was holding one hand clamped over his eyes, and the other outstretched towards me, as if to ward off evil. ‘Put those back on now!’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Making a little pirouette, I surveyed my new attire. ‘I like it like this. Nice and breezy.’

‘You…you…ifrit! Temptress! Demon in human form!’

‘How would you know? You haven’t taken a good look at my form yet.’

In answer to this, Karim only muttered a string of highly incomprehensible, and highly impressive, curses. Choosing to ignore him for now, I turned to Mr Ambrose with a sweet smile on my face.

‘And you, Sir? What do you think?’

Silence.

A very, very silent silence.

Yet was it a pregnant one?

Well, to judge by the way Mr Ambrose was looking at my legs, it very soon would be.

Slowly, very slowly, he raised his eyes to meet mine.

‘What in the name of all that is properly attired do you think you are doing, Mr Linton?’

I gave him a smile, as sweet as solid chocolate. ‘Why, simply adjusting to the climate, Sir, as you suggested.’

‘I didn’t suggest for you to run around displaying your unmentionables to the world!’

‘The world?’ I raised an innocent eyebrow. ‘But it’s the middle of the jungle. There’s no one here except Karim-’ A groan came from behind me. I ignored it. ‘-me, and of course…. you, Sir.’ I gave him another sweet smile.

‘You can’t have anything against seeing my legs, now, can you? After all…’ I stepped towards him until our bodies were nearly touching. Leaning closer to his perfectly still, chiselled face, I whispered: ‘It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?’

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his left little finger twitch.

Yay!

‘Are you going to continue with this lunacy?’ he growled. ‘Or are you going to remember what behoves a decent young English lady and give up now?’

‘I don’t really think wearing these-’ I pointed out, holding up my trousers ‘-is what most people think behoves a decent young English lady, Sir - but I’m doing it anyway. Besides…’ A wide grin stretched my face. ‘Have you ever known me to give up?’

His little finger twitched again.

‘Karim!’ he barked.

‘Yes, Sahib?’

The bodyguard snapped to attention, his hand still firmly clamped over his eyes.

‘Take your paw away from your face, man, and get to the front! I’ll be guarding the back from now on.’

‘Oh Sahib! A thousand blessings upon you! Thank you! May your soul be saved and find its way to the Garden of Eternal-’

‘Yes, yes! Move!’

Thumping against a few trees in the process, Karim made his way around me. Only when he was certain he was well ahead and out of the femininity danger zone did he lower his hand.

‘Well, now I know what to do if I ever want to get the better of you.’ I grinned at the Mohammedan’s broad back. ‘I’ll just have to drop my trousers, and that’ll be it.’

A growl from behind me suggested that Mr Rikkard Ambrose did not think very much of this idea.