The Princess and the Playboy

Philippe Rasada, nicknamed the Hawk by his supporters and political adversaries alike, had the same knack of dominating a room simply by entering it. Talay forced a smile. ‘In that case, I will have a swim after all,’ she said around a throat gone suddenly dry. ‘I don’t wish to spoil your pleasure.’

His gaze lingered on her for the longest time. ‘Sapphan has many pleasures. Her crystalline waters hardly compare with the attractions much closer to hand.’

He gave her no time to absorb the poetic compliment, far less frame a coherent response, before he led the way back to the pool and cut a sleek arc through the air as he dived in. She held her breath as he stayed under for a long time and only released it when he finally surfaced on the far side, treading water with powerful thrusts which he managed to make appear effortless.

Hastily she turned towards the dressing rooms, where Allie kept swimwear for her as she spent much of her free time here. She emerged, wearing a modest one-piece costume which usually felt comfortable. In indigo and white, it was a traditional Sapphan design known as ‘flowing water’ which showed stepped patterns representing streams, rivers and waterfalls.

With Jase’s eyes on her as she walked towards the water, she was more aware of the parts the suit didn’t cover, such as the curve of her hips, her legs—which were long for a Sapphan woman—and the way the traditional material outlined the swell of her breasts.

As a member of the royal family she should be accustomed to public scrutiny, but Jase’s inspection managed to convey a far more personal interest. His appraisal was leisurely and frankly appreciative as she stepped to the water’s edge. His expression seemed to say, ‘If you were not a married woman...’

She dived into the water and welcomed the cool, silken feel as it closed over her. Unfortunately Jase moved while she was under water, or else she misjudged the distance, because she surfaced uncomfortably close to him. ‘Michael was right—you are a real water baby,’ he commented.

She smiled to hide her discomfiture. ‘In Sapphan we have a natural affinity with the water. Two centuries ago many of our people earned their living as pearl divers or shell hunters.’ Many were also sea-nomads and pirates but she didn’t point this out. ‘During the early eighteen hundreds many pearl divers from Sapphan worked along the north-west coast of Australia.’

‘With the pearling luggers, based in Broome,’ he confirmed. ‘At first the divers were aboriginal, then they came from Sapphan and later the Japanese took over.’

‘You know your history, Jase.’

He smiled wryly. ‘I should. I was born in Broome. I built my first resort there.’

It was the opening she’d hoped for but she hesitated, before taking advantage of it. Something about Jase Clendon warned her he would make a formidable enemy. He would also make a formidable friend, she suspected, which was probably why Michael Martine was so loyal to him.

Everything about Jase suggested he would also make a formidable lover, but Talay pushed the thought away. She wasn’t likely to find out. Nor did she want to, she added hastily to herself. They had other business and delaying it would only make it more difficult. As it was, she had only these two days in which to try to change his plans.

She side-stroked to the edge of the pool and clung to it, her feet just touching the bottom. ‘How many resorts do you own?’

‘Crystal Bay will be the fifth.’

‘Provided something—or someone—doesn’t change your mind about going ahead with it,’ she said, unable to stop her tone from sharpening.

He levelled a long look at her until she wondered if he sensed her disapproval of his plans. Before she could answer he shook his head, shedding water like a tiger having drunk at a watering hole. ‘Why would they want to try, Allie? My resort is needed to give the Pearl Coast an injection of new commercial life. The place is in danger of stagnating, otherwise.’

Despite the coolness of the water, her blood felt heated. How dared he call her beloved Pearl Coast stagnant? ‘Surely there’s a difference between tradition and stagnation?’ she demanded.

He looked startled by her vehemence. ‘You sound as if the area is important to you, Allie.’

‘It is. My mother was born there,’ she snapped.

She realised her mistake as soon as the words escaped her mouth. He frowned. ‘Michael told me your people come from the Jarim islands in the Andaman Sea.’

‘Oh, what a tangled web,’ she thought furiously. Her mother had come from the Pearl Coast. According to Sapphan law, royalty could not marry another member of the royal family so her father, the king’s brother, had taken as his bride a woman from a pearl-farming community. A blue-blooded woman, true enough, with vast land holdings and pearl farming interests of her own, but still a commoner under the law.

Bitterness rose in Talay as she thought of her parents’ lives cut cruelly short by a terrorist bomb attack ten years ago as they had boarded a plane for a visit to a neighbouring island. Talay, sixteen at the time, had been about to board the plane and had survived with horrific scarring to her face. Only the devotion of her grandfather, Leon, and the skills of Australian cosmetic surgeons had repaired the damage. But, however deep her gratitude towards his people, she wasn’t about to let this arrogant Australian dismiss her mother’s way of life as stagnant.

‘My family is scattered,’ she supplied diffidently. ‘Many of them come from the Pearl Coast. They’re a hard-working, fiercely proud people with strong ties to the province. The historical name for Crystal Bay even translates as “mother place”. It is said to whisper to anyone who leaves it, the voices only ceasing when they return to stay.’

The pool was barely large enough to contain her growing anger. He didn’t understand anything. Tremors shook her as she levered herself onto the stone coping and stood up. She had hoped they could discuss rationally the unspoilt beauty of Crystal Province, its historic and cultural uniqueness. Instead, she had allowed emotion to get in the way. She was as annoyed with herself as with him for letting him provoke her.

She was unaware of footsteps on the stone behind her until he took her arm and spun her around. The contact triggered a maelstrom of sensations inside her. She tried to tell herself it was because, as a member of the royal house, she was seldom touched other than by her maid and closest friends. It couldn’t have anything to do with finding Jase a hair’s breadth away, his arm extended towards her so every detail of his long-fingered hand burned itself into her awareness.

He had followed her out of the pool in such a hurry that water streamed from him, steaming gently in the hot air to create a misty halo around his body.

Her attention was captured by the contrasting tenderness in his gaze, and a totally unexpected warmth surged through her. Physically, he had no equal in her experience, but she sensed something more, a connecting of souls she hadn’t anticipated and couldn’t possibly allow with this man. Her every instinct warned her against such foolish indulgence.

The heart-stopping moment ended when he said, ‘I apologise for whatever I said to offend you.’

She shook her head. ‘You don’t understand why I’m angry, do you?’

His mouth twisted wryly. ‘No doubt you’re going to tell me.’

‘Pearl Coast Province is the last remnant of a way of life which has existed unchanged for thousands of years. The people are pearl farmers, shell hunters and sea-nomads, not innkeepers.’

He folded his arms across his broad chest. ‘What was the population of the province ten years ago, Allie?’

‘About five thousand. Why?’

‘And two years ago?’

She had to think. ‘Maybe three thousand.’

‘And today?’

She saw what he was getting at. ‘All right, I’m well aware the people are growing older and the younger ones are moving away to the cities to work.’ The whispering voices of the mother place couldn’t alter the fact that there was little work for young people in the province.

He nodded. ‘If they had a future at home they might not be forced to leave. A Clendon Resort is not only a playground for the rich. It’s also a training ground for the young, a nursery for endangered plants and animals and a monument to the past as well as the future. I’m proud of the concept, which is rare in the tourism business.’

It was hard to think rationally around the thunder of her own heartbeat. She wished they could have had this discussion in the air-conditioned living room, preferably fully dressed. While he talked her swimsuit had dried, and she was disturbingly conscious of the way it was moulded to her figure. She took refuge in annoyance. ‘I hardly think token eco-tourism can compensate for what will be lost.’

Fire snapped in his eyes. ‘You obviously know little about how I do things. Why don’t I take you with me to the site tomorrow and show you why you’re wrong?’

Given the way he made her feel, going anywhere with him was reckless. It was also impossible, without giving away her true identity. ‘I can’t.’

‘Afraid, Allie?’

His lowered tone stole over her like a caress. Musical voices were a characteristic of her people but his defied such a mundane description. It was as deep and rich as volcanic soil. The sound vibrated through her. She was afraid, but not in the way he apparently thought. Visiting Crystal Bay with him could only strengthen her conviction so it must be her reaction to his company she feared.

The surreal nature of today’s experience crashed over her. Today she wasn’t Princess Talay Rasada, she was Allie Martine, commoner and married woman. It was alarming how readily her Allie entertained fantasies which were forbidden to a princess or even to a married woman. It would have to stop. ‘I have other plans tomorrow—sorry. ’

‘A lover, perhaps?’

She stared at him in shocked surprise. ‘What an extraordinary thing to say.’

He met her look levelly. ‘You’re an extraordinary woman, not at all the way Michael describes you. This thing between us, for instance...’

Tension gripped her. ‘There’s nothing between us.’

‘Oh, yes, there is. We both felt it from the moment we set eyes on each other. It suggests to me that you’re not as faithful to Michael as he thinks you are. Which is why I asked if you’re seeing someone else.’

She drew herself up, regal hauteur in every line of her bearing. At some level she was intrigued by his willingness to confront her on his friend’s account. It suggested a capacity for loyalty on an enviable scale—provided he considered you his friend. For her own sake she was furious at being so unfairly suspected. ‘I can only assume you speak from your own experience. It’s said we suspect others of our own misdeeds.’

‘Quite possibly.’ His tone was mild but his eyes burned into her. ‘I don’t deny my marriage was a spectacular failure, as Michael would have told you. Nor do I deny having seduced many women but they were all willing, not to mention enthusiastic, at least at the time. And they were all available.’

She recalled his vow that he considered married women off limits, and felt the merest flaring of regret She resisted it but couldn’t stop herself from asking, ‘Why did your marriage fail, Jase?’

‘The question should be: why did we get together in the first place? The answer is that she got pregnant—on purpose.’ His expression hardened. ‘Don’t look so shocked. I’m sure women in Sapphan do it to snare men, too. She talked me out of using precautions, swearing she was protected, then used her pregnancy to put a noose around my neck.’

None of Allie’s talk about Jase had mentioned the existence of a child, and something clenched inside Talay as she pictured him with a tiny baby cradled against the hard wall of his chest. ‘Where is your child now—with the mother?’

‘There’s no child any more,’ he said in a voice laced with bitterness. The pregnancy didn’t last beyond the fifth month. By then we were stuck with each other.’

It was as cynical an opinion of marriage as she had ever heard. ‘With such a sad experience of marriage, no wonder you’re quick to jump to conclusions about me,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what you think you sense between us, Mr Clendon, but you’re wrong. I would never cheat on the man I love.’

‘Then there’s no reason why you can’t come with me to Crystal Bay tomorrow.’

Hooked as neatly as a fish on a line, she thought furiously. She would have to watch herself around him if she was to have any hope of winning her battle. That it might be lost already, she couldn’t afford to consider. ‘Very well, I’ll go,’ she conceded. Keeping up the fiction of being Allie Martine wouldn’t be easy, but she would find a way.

Keeping up the fiction that Jase had no effect on her—now there was the real challenge.

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS easier than she had anticipated for the simple reason that Jase declined her offer to prepare a meal for them and went out for the evening. Royal or not Talay was perfectly able to cook, having been taught at boarding school. The king himself was an enthusiastic cook and had taught Talay some of his favourite recipes.

So she felt more than a little piqued when Jase announced he was attending a business dinner that evening. He seemed almost eager to escape the villa, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was part of the reason.

Had he somehow guessed her identity? She didn’t think so and she had looked forward to the evening to provide her best chance to impress upon him the uniqueness of Crystal Bay. Now she would have to wait until he took her to visit the site to spend more time with him.

Frustration gnawed at her. As a princess, she could have requested his company at dinner and he would have felt bound by protocol to accept, no matter what other engagements pressed him. However, as Allie Martine she had no such influence.

‘I’d invite you to join me but it’s mainly business,’ he explained.

She pretended indifference. ‘Please don’t concern yourself. I’m looking forward to a restful evening at home.’

‘After your long journey,’ he said.

Her blank look almost betrayed her until she remembered the trip she was supposed to have taken. ‘It’s a three-hour drive from the capital. No wonder I’m all in.’

His eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘Which reminds me. I’m surprised Michael let you drive back alone. Didn’t he insist you have a driver?’ He looked around as if seeking evidence of one. But the longest ‘journey’ Talay had taken was to the Martine villa from her residence, a mere twenty minutes’ drive away, where her bodyguard had returned with the car after dropping her here.

‘Michael is a husband, not a keeper,’ she said tartly, aware that her ill humour had a lot to do with Jase deserting her for the evening. She pushed the feeling away. ‘He doesn’t let his wife do anything. She makes up her own mind. I’m well able to drive myself wherever I wish to go.’ She winced inwardly as a betrayingly regal note crept into her tone.

He didn’t appear to notice because his attention was fixed on something else. ‘Is it a peculiarly Sapphan custom to talk about yourself in the third person?’

‘Sometimes,’ she said warily. It wasn’t, but it enabled her to stick to the truth as much as possible.

‘I see.’ He straightened his tie and the simple act drew her gaze upwards, back to the hawk-like planes of his face. Stripped off to swim, he had looked awesome. It was hard to believe he could look even more prepossessing in a maroon tuxedo with a blindingly white dress shirt which showed off his Australian tan to perfection. ‘I’d better get going. It’s a shame the guest villa isn’t available. I don’t want to wake you if I return late.’

The message was clear—don’t wait up. She felt a quick flaring of anger but controlled it. What he did was no concern of hers, except as it affected her beloved province. ‘I’m not your keeper, either, Jase. Return as late as you wish. My bedroom suite is sufficiently far from the front door that you’re unlikely to wake me.’ Unlikely because he had disturbed her so much she was sure she would have trouble sleeping at all tonight.

‘Then I’ll wish you a good evening. If Michael rings give him my thanks and best regards.’

She inclined her head. ‘Of course.’

Then he was gone and the villa echoed with emptiness. Having spent many nights at her uncle’s vast Pearl Palace at Andaman, she wasn’t troubled by the emptiness. But she had never been so conscious of it before, as if some vital force had been drained from the rooms.

She started to pace then checked the action. She wasn’t bothered by Jase’s unexpected departure, only that it had robbed her of the chance to discuss his plans with him, she told herself. Nothing else explained the sensation that she would explode if she didn’t move.

The feeling almost drove her back to the swimming pool, but Jase had stamped his presence on it too indelibly. It wouldn’t help to be reminded of what a narrow band of Lycra could do for the male physique, in his case at least.

She resisted the vision, knowing the link between them was more than physical. Some of her more spiritual friends would say they had known each other in a previous life. She had certainly known him somewhere but more probably in this life. But where and when? Men like Jase Clendon were not easily forgotten. It would come to her in time.

In the meantime, she had told Allie that she wanted to use the villa to work on some new jewellery designs for her collection so that was precisely what she would do. Beyond his involvement with Crystal Bay, Jase meant nothing to her. She wouldn’t even miss him this evening.

As she rounded up her drawing materials she wondered why she found herself remembering Allie’s favourite English phrase about pigs flying.

Jase’s fingers drummed impatiently on the armrest as his driver negotiated the busy streets of Alohan, capital of Pearl Province. Traffic here was nowhere near as bad as in Andaman but it was bad enough.

He wished fervently that he had elected to drive himself, instead of letting his associates send a limousine for him. The traffic would have served as a distraction from thoughts he had no business thinking, such as how exotically beautiful Allie Martine was. No wonder Michael had fallen headlong for her, giving up his Australian citizenship to live permanently in Sapphan. For a woman like Allie, it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, Jase thought.

His stomach muscles tightened as he remembered how she had looked in a swimsuit. It was modest enough, covering far more of her body than the garments Australian women wore back home on Bondi Beach. But, in Allie’s case, the sensuous fabric hinted at secrets which practically invited exploration.

Lord, it was hot in here, he thought, reaching to turn up the air conditioning in the passenger compartment. The collar of his dress shirt felt tight suddenly and he hooked a finger into it, knowing the collar had fitted perfectly well when he had left the villa.

It came to him that Allie hadn’t been pleased to hear he was going out for the evening. The thought of spending the evening alone with her in the villa as the sun set and darkness gathered around them had him tugging at the collar once more. He hadn’t actually planned this business dinner until he had met her but it was the only sensible option. If he had stayed with her tonight...

He slammed one fist into the other palm so hard that pain vibrated all the way to his shoulders, shattering the image before it could take form. Allie was married, for goodness’ sake. She knew what could happen when a man and a woman struck sparks off each other the way they did. She should be grateful he had taken the initiative and removed himself from temptation.

Another thought occurred to him. She was married, but she wasn’t wearing a ring. Odd. He tried to remember if couples exchanged rings in Sapphan. They had some unusual customs, such as declaring two people legally married as soon as they formally agreed to the union. There was no concept of an engagement, simply, ‘Do you? I do.’ Any ceremony came later but it was purely a formality. The marriage existed from the time they agreed to be married. So rings were probably optional. All the same, Michael was Australian-born. Surely he would have wanted to give Allie a wedding ring, even if local custom didn’t demand it?

Jase frowned at his own thoughts. What business was it of his whether the Martines had exchanged rings or not? Ring or no ring, he was well aware of her status and it screamed ‘hands off at him. No trappings were needed, only a good deal of self-restraint, enough to leave him feeling shaken.

‘Did you sleep well last night, Allie?’ Jase enquired politely when he joined her for breakfast next morning. She had set out a traditional local repast of fresh papaya, pineapple and mango slices, croissants and an assortment of sliced cold meats. He was glad to see there was coffee. Tea was more common in Sapphan but it wouldn’t help his head this morning.

She smiled but he saw a hint of censure in her eyes. ‘Better than you, from the look of you.’

He massaged his forehead. ‘It was a heavy night. Lots of business to discuss.’

‘Naturally.’

He didn’t add that his business could have been concluded at the restaurant. He had had no need to continue to a nightclub where the music had pounded at him and the drinks had been at stellar prices. He didn’t normally drink to excess but last night he had needed the distraction for some reason. Unfortunately he was paying for it now.

The drink she offered him was a vile orange colour, and she persisted even after he shook his head, a shudder taking him. ‘It’s a local remedy for late nights and heavy business discussions,’ she said, with the merest trace of sarcasm.

He took a cautious swallow then another. After the first bitter taste it was curiously refreshing. ‘What is this stuff?’

‘Mostly tropical juices with herbs and a dash of pepper,’ she explained. ‘What you would call “hair of the pup”.’

‘Dog,’ he corrected. At her puzzled look, he added, ‘It’s called “hair of the dog” but this doesn’t qualify. The complete phrase is “hair of the dog that bit you” so, strictly speaking, it should be alcoholic.’

She started to rise but he stayed her with a hand on her arm. ‘This is fine, thanks.’

The effect of the contact was instant and electrifying. He felt it all the way to the soles of his shoes. She felt it too, from the way her pupils enlarged and she trembled ever so slightly under his hand. He hastily withdrew it and finished the juice.

‘Are you still coming with me to Crystal Bay?’ Even as he said it he knew he should have withdrawn the invitation, giving some excuse to go alone. Instead, he held his breath as he waited for her answer.

‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ she assured him. ‘After you’ve shown me the site of your resort, I want to show you a Crystal Bay which outsiders seldom see.’

He felt a frown etch his brow. ‘Carting me around some picturesque village won’t make me change my plans, if that’s what you’re hoping.’ It didn’t take a genius to work out that she didn’t favour the resort, which was strange, given her husband’s involvement with tourism.

Her look was mild but her hands wove together in her lap, he noted. ‘Somehow I doubt if anyone makes you do anything, Jase.’

She didn’t exactly say, ‘So who am I to try?’ And she didn’t bat her eyelids. But both were implied. He got a sense of performance in her behaviour today, as if she were acting a part. Probably the submissive Sapphan woman, he decided. Feminism wasn’t exactly rampant here but neither were the women especially submissive. They owned property, ran businesses, held government office, exactly as they did in his own country. Maybe she had some notion of using feminine wiles to influence his plans. ‘Why didn’t you go with Michael to Europe?’ he asked, suddenly suspicious.

She shrugged. ‘He didn’t ask me to.’ It was the absolute truth.