Her questioner lifted his arms into a wide, open-handed gesture. ‘Let us continue this conversation when you are feeling more comfortable. A warm bath, a change of clothes, some refreshment…’
She almost sagged at the heavenly thought.
‘I’ll have my men escort you to the women’s quarters.’
Right at this moment, Emily didn’t care if the women’s quarters was a harem full of wives and concubines. It would be good to be amongst females again, great to sink into a warm bath and get cleaned up, and a huge relief to be dressed in clothes that provided some sense of protection from the far too male gaze of Sheikh Zageo bin Sultan Al Farrahn.
CHAPTER THREE
ZAGEO glanced over the contents of the waterproof bag, now emptied onto a side table in his private sitting room and divided into categories for his perusal. He picked up the passport. If it was a genuine document, Emily Ross was an Australian citizen, born in Cairns. Her date of birth placed her as currently twenty-eight years old.
‘You have looked up this place…Cairns?’ he asked his highly reliable aide-de-camp, Abdul Haji.
‘A city on the east coast of far north Queensland, which is the second largest state in Australia,’ Abdul informed, once again proving his efficiency in supplying whatever Zageo did or might require. ‘The paper certifying Miss Ross as a diving instructor,’ he went on, gesturing to a sheaf of documents on the table, ‘is attached to various references by employers who have apparently used her services, catering for tourists at The Great Barrier Reef. They are not immediately checkable because of the different time zone, but in a few hours…’
Zageo picked up the papers. The certificate was dated six years ago so Emily Ross had apparently been plying this profession since she was twenty-two. ‘The resort on the Red Sea where Arnault supposedly picked up this woman…’
‘Is renowned for its diving around magnificent coral reefs,’ Abdul instantly slid in. ‘However, it also employs belly-dancers for nightly entertainment.’
Zageo flashed him a sardonic smile. ‘We will soon see if that picture fits.’ He waved to the meagre bundle of clothes. ‘This appears to be survival kit only.’
‘One can easily replenish lost clothes by purchasing them very cheaply at the markets.’
Zageo picked up a small bundle of American dollars and flicked through them to check their value. ‘There’s not much cash money here.’
‘True. No doubt Miss Ross was counting on using her credit card.’
Which was also laid out on the table—a Visa card, acceptable currency in most hotels. All the same, transactions and movements could be traced from a credit card, which didn’t exactly tally with criminal activities.
‘Surely there should be more ready cash if she is involved in the drug-running,’ Zageo observed.
Abdul shrugged. ‘We have no direct evidence of her complicity. I am inclined to believe she did make a deal with Arnault—free passage to wherever she wanted to go in return for crewing on his yacht…’
‘And sharing his bunk.’
The cyncical deduction evoked a frown that weighed other factors. ‘Curiously the search of Arnault’s yacht indicated separate sleeping quarters.’
‘Perhaps the man snores.’
‘There does not appear to be any love lost between them,’ Abdul pointed out. ‘Arnault is eager to trade Miss Ross for his freedom and…’
‘She jumps overboard rather than be caught with him. As you say, no love lost between them but sex can certainly be used as a currency by both parties.’
‘Then why would Miss Ross not use her very blatant sex appeal to win your favour?’
It was a good question.
In fact, she should have done. It was what Zageo was used to from the women he’d met in western society. For Emily Ross to be an exception to the rule made no sense whatsoever. It was a totally perverse situation for her to look furious at his taking note of her feminine attributes, and to try blocking his appreciation of the perfectly proportioned curves by folding her arms. Women who wanted to win his interest invariably flaunted every charming asset they had. It was the oldest currency in the world for getting where they wanted to be. So why was Emily Ross denying it?
By her own admission she was not an innocent virgin.
Nor was she too young to know the score when it came to dealings between men and women.
Many things about this woman did not add up to a logical answer. The way she had spoken to him—actually daring to challenge him—had verged on disrespect, yet there had been a quick and lively intelligence behind everything she’d said. Those amazingly vivid blue eyes could have played flirtatious games with him, but no, they had burned with the strongly defiant sense of her own individuality, denying him any power over her, showing contempt for his authority.
‘That woman needs to be put in her place,’ Zageo muttered, determined to do it before the night was very much older.
Abdul’s brow furrowed into another frown of uncertainty. He started stroking his beard, a sure sign of some perturbation of mind. ‘If she is Australian…’
‘Yes?’ Zageo prompted impatiently.
‘Perhaps it is because they are from a country which is detached from everywhere else…I have found Australians to be strangely independent in how they think and act. They are not from an authoritarian society and they think they have the right to question anything. In fact, those who have been in our employ at Dubai have bluntly stated we will get a better result if we let them perform in their own way.’
Zageo waved dismissively. ‘You are talking of men. Men who have gained some eminence in their fields.’
‘Yes, but I’m thinking this may be an endemic attitude amongst both men and women from Australia.’
‘You are advising me that this woman may not be in the habit of bowing to any authority?’
Abdul grimaced an apologetic appeal to soften any offence as he explained, ‘I’m saying Miss Ross may not have the mindset to bend to your will. It is merely something to be considered when taking in the whole.’
‘Thank you, Abdul. I will give more thought to the problem of Miss Ross. However, until such time as you have checked the references from her previous employers, we will pursue the course I have laid down. Please ensure that my instructions are followed.’
Abdul bowed his way out.
His aide always understood authority.
To Zageo’s mind it was utterly intolerable for Emily Ross not to bend to his will. At the very least the woman was guilty of trespassing. It was unreasonable of her to keep defying all he stood for.