‘You don’t understand. Isfahan is in our blood. I remember when my mother was leaving she climbed to the top of the steps of the plane, then she turned around and did this.’ Lana opened her arms out as if to gather something in the air and bought it back to her face and kissed the tips of her fingers. ‘I asked her what she was doing and she said she was kissing the air of her motherland goodbye. I remember thinking even then that I must bring her back to that beloved land of hers.’
‘I’ve never been to Iran.’
‘Of course you haven’t. Iran doesn’t have a central bank. My mother says it is why the world wants to wage war with it.’
‘Does she also believe Elvis is still alive?’
Lana’s eyes flash suddenly. She glares at him. ‘We can dress this arrangement up and play it any way you want to, but don’t you dare criticize my mother. Even the dirt at the bottom of her shoes is better than you,’ she cries passionately.
He gazes at her flushed cheeks and glittering eyes without anger. She will be great in bed. ‘You brought her up,’ he murmurs.
Her anger subsides as suddenly as it came. ‘Yes, I did,’
she agrees flatly, and suddenly looks so young and lost, he reaches out to cover her hand with his. She pulls hers away.
He takes his hand away and looks at her coldly. ‘OK, have it your way,’ he says, and looks for the waiter.
A waiter appears almost immediately.
The waiter looks at Lana’s plate. ‘Was everything all right, mademoiselle?’
‘It was fine. Just not hungry.’
‘Perhaps you have left some space for dessert?’ he suggests with a tilted head.
She shakes her head. The waiter looks at Blake.
‘Monsieur?’
‘Just the check.’
‘Of course,’ the waiter says with a nod, and raises his eyebrow to another waiter hovering by a pillar. The man comes and begins clearing away the plates. The bill is presented discreetly in a black wallet. Blake drops his card into it. When the card comes back, Blake says, ‘Shall we?’
He stands and, with his hand on the small of her back, leads her out.
Twelve
he drive is completed in silence and when they get Tinto the softly lit apartment, Blake tosses his card key on the side table and turns to her. ‘Money’s in the bank?’
She nods
‘We’re good?’
She nods again.
‘I gave you what you need; now you will give me what I need.’
She nods, ashamed by her own rudeness. It was a deal and he had kept to his side.
‘I’ll pour us a drink. Change into those and meet me in the bedroom,’ Blake says, and nods towards the flat box that Peter brought in earlier and put on the side table. He leaves her and walks down that beautiful corridor into the living room.
She takes the box and turning into the first door in the corridor, goes into the main bedroom. Someone has come in and turned on the bedside lights, and turned down the bed. She goes into the bathroom and closes the door.
Inside the box are wisps of lace and silk. She takes them out. A little dress in some transparent white material, an all lace bra, a thong, suspenders and silk stockings and a pair of platform shoes very similar to the ones she was wearing the night they met. Except for the fine baby blue ribbons on the suspenders, everything is in pure white.
She looks at the size on the bra. Of course. 32B.
Lana quickly slips out of her clothes and gets into the bra and suspenders. Then she carefully pulls on the stockings. She has never worn suspenders before and the little hooks are fiddly and take her a long time. She hears a noise in the bedroom. Blake has already come in.
Nervously, she pulls on the lacey white knickers and looks at herself in the mirror. She can hardly believe it is her.
She rinses with mouthwash, takes a deep breath and, opening the door goes into the bedroom. And just stands there staring, her heart crashing against her ribcage.#p#分页标题#e#
Good God!
He is lying shirtless on the bed, propped against pillows, all sexy and toned. His legs are crossed at his ankles and his eyes are hooded. There is no expression in his face and no way of knowing what he is thinking. There is also something very bad and exciting about being in that lush bedroom with a cold, cold banker who has paid for you.
‘Come closer,’ he invites.
Clubland chart music is playing in the background.
‘Give Me a Reason’ by Pink and Nate Ruess comes on.
Pink is singing, Right from the start you were a thief. You stole my heart. And I your willing victim.
Lana walks slowly into the middle of the room. Her stomach is in knots. Her mouth is dry. Her eyes are saucers. There is not an ounce of fat on his sleek body.