Caleb looked at Kitten who seemed transfixed by the sight of the woman. Her slender hands were bawled into tight fists and her face appeared flushed.
“What are you thinking, Pet?” Caleb asked. It was the first moment they had to themselves and he was somewhat surprised at how much he enjoyed being in Kitten’s sole company. He smiled gently when her big, puffy, eyes shyly met his.
Her lips trembled from her effort to keep fresh sobs from escaping. Caleb sighed. So much for a moment of peace. He pulled his fingers away from Kitten and stood up to get a glass of wine from the tray.
The girl was deathly still as he reached for the glass. Her lips were slightly open, allowing for slow and shallow breaths. Caleb did the girl a favor and carefully selected a glass that wouldn’t disrupt her balance and returned to Kitten who immediately rubbed her head in supplication against his knee.
“Scared I would leave you?” he taunted.
Kitten nodded against his knee.
He was still angry from their showing with Rafiq earlier but it was directed mostly inward. He shouldn’t let Kitten get to him. “It would be no less than you deserve.”
She whimpered and pressed even closer.
Caleb knew he should correct her behavior, but he opted to reward the fact she wasn’t crying. He was also oddly pleased that while she did not respond to Rafiq, or his orders, she had attempted to follow all of Caleb’s. To varying degrees of success, he mused. He reached into his pocket and took two vicodin from the bottle he kept there. He was out of morphine and Kitten still had a lot of pain.
“Open your mouth,” he said. He offered her a smile when she immediately complied. He knew she was scared. He had no doubts it was the only reason she obeyed him, but having her yield was still incredibly arousing. He put the pills in her mouth and lifted the wine glass for her to drink. He watched the long graceful slope of her throat as she lifted her head to swallow greedily until the glass was empty. His cock stirred.
Kitten’s chocolate colored eyes looked on him in gratitude and supplication. She could say so many things with her eyes. All of her emotions were there for him to see. If she was an actress, she was a very good one.
Or perhaps you only see what you’d like to see. Caleb’s brow furrowed slightly and he noticed Kitten instantly returned her stare to her thighs. Perhaps Caleb also said things with his eyes. He needed to stop that. Caleb looked up just as Rafiq made his way over and sat in the seat next to him.
“I put the whore down,” Rafiq said in Arabic.
“Here?” Caleb was careful not to telegraph his mild surprise.
“Caleb, please. We are guests here. I put her down in the cellar… to sleep.” Rafiq’s tone was meant to poke fun at Caleb.
Caleb didn’t see the humor. He nodded and let the subject drop. “How much longer is this going to last? I want to get out of these ridiculous clothes. You deliberately didn’t tell me you were here. Furthermore, you didn’t mention there would be so many people bearing witness to our crimes. Yet, I’m the sloppy one.”
Rafiq laughed and smacked Caleb on the back of the shoulder. “Ah, Khoya. It’s always betrayal with you. Even as a boy, you had to have things on your own terms. Do you remember the first time I took you to a brothel? You’d never been with a woman, but you would not be content with just any woman. It had to be the ‘perfect’ woman! Then what happened, Khoya? I’ll tell you: you lost control and finished in less than a minute!” Rafiq laughed so hard, he shook Caleb’s shoulder as he laughed.
He loathed that story and the way Rafiq took such enjoyment in its telling. He did not like being made fun of, even by someone he considered a friend, a brother, and most importantly, an ally. Caleb felt his face warming in equal parts anger and embarrassment. “Damn you, Rafiq! If you want to reminisce with someone, why don’t you find your friend, Jair? I’m sure you’d enjoy his company much better.” Caleb shrugged off Rafiq’s hand.
Rafiq wiped tears from the corners of his eyes as he slowly brought his laughter to a winding halt. “Such a child, Caleb. Jair is a source of information when you are less forthcoming. I know you well, Khoya, and I would be a fool to think you tell me everything. Besides, I wanted to see this girl you’ve selected for Vladek. I want to be sure she’s perfect for the task. Frankly, as of this moment, I am unconvinced.”
Caleb drove his anger inward; absently, he reached out to stroke Kitten’s hair. “I take offense, Rafiq. I chose Kitten myself and just as in your story: I’m content with my choice. Did it ever occur to you that a minute in that whore’s arms was all I needed?” Caleb finally relented and smiled, “She said it was perfect.”