Stormy Vows/Tempest at Sea (32 page)

Benjamin smothered a smile as he turned away and once again lifted the receiver of the phone to give the order.

Jane arrived in the lounge five minutes later. She wore her own black jeans and a man's yellow sport shirt with the tails knotted under her small high breasts and the sleeves rolled up above the elbow. She also wore an expression of determination and defiance as she strode angrily into the room.

“It's utterly ridiculous for you to punish the men for having a friendly dice game,” she cried furiously. She stopped before them, her breasts heaving, her flaming hair seeming to take additional fire from her blazing eyes. “It's absolutely medieval of you to withhold their pay for indulging in an innocent game on their own time!”

The two men exchanged amused glances before Benjamin attempted to assume a stern expression. “A game quite frequently ceases to be friendly when money is involved,” he said coolly. “The rule is quite reasonable on shipboard. Men have been known to lose an entire month's salary when faced with their boredom of days at sea. Some of these men have wives and children to support at home. How would you like them to be in need, even hungry, because of a ‘friendly’ little dice game?”

Jane's eyes were wide and stricken. “I never thought of that,” she said in a subdued tone. “You're quite right, of course.”

“Of course,” Benjamin agreed promptly. “However, we're here not to discuss the men's punishment, but your own, young lady. Not only have you disobeyed my orders about leaving your bed, but you've engaged in an illegal dice game.”

Jane made a face. “My knees are almost entirely healed now, so there was no reason to stay in bed. It was driving me absolutely bananas. And I wasn't actually gambling. I didn't have any money, so Simon was just letting me throw out the dice for him.”

“Simon?” Jake asked, his dark eyes narrowing.

“Your cousin, Simon.” Jane said, surprised; then, as he continued to look puzzled, she quoted impishly: “Four times removed in blood, forty million dollars in substance.”

“Oh, yes, Gordon Dominic's boy,” Jake said dryly. “I'd forgotten that he was on board.”

“You should get to know him better,” Jane said with enthusiasm. “Simon is a super person.”

“I'm glad you think so,” Jake said tersely. “Personally, I don't think much of a man who involves a young girl in illegal gambling.”

Benjamin raised his eyebrows at this hypocrisy from a man who had led dozens of women into much more iniquitous indiscretions, but he wisely withheld comment.

“It wasn't Simon's fault,” Jane said staunchly. “He wouldn't even have been there himself, if I hadn't told him I had never seen a dice game and asked him to go with me.”

“So it was you who lured the all-American boy down the path of wickedness,” Jake said lazily, taking a swallow of his drink. “It did seem a little out of character, from what I remember of Simon.”

“Couldn't you excuse him from punishment, just this time?” Jane pleaded wistfully. “It hardly seems fair that he should take the blame because I was curious.”

“I can't understand your fascination,” Jake remarked. “Surely
a covert dice game in a deserted storeroom is a little on the sordid side.”

“Well, actually it was rather exciting,” Jane said with a reminiscent smile. “You see, I'd never seen anyone gamble before. My grandfather was very strict about things like that.”

“I can't make an exception in Simon's case,” Benjamin said emphatically. “Any more than we can in your own.” He turned to Jake. “Have you made a decision as to her punishment?”

A curious smile lit Jake Dominic's dark face as he stared with narrowed eyes into Jane's. “Oh, yes, I think so,” he drawled. “Where's the closest gambling casino, Marc?”

Benjamin answered warily, “San Miguel. It's a few miles down the coast.” His eyes narrowed as he saw the flickering devilment in the other man's expression.

“Good,” Jake said with satisfaction. “I've thought it over, Marc, and what Jane needs isn't discipline, but knowledge. We need to show her the wickedness of these games of chance so that she may satisfy her curiosity and get it out of her system.”

“Rather an unusual solution,” Benjamin said sardonically. “So you intend to take her to San Miguel tonight.” It was a statement, not a question.

Jake nodded, his eyes still on Jane's face, which had suddenly come alive with excitement. “I feel it my duty,” he said mockingly. “Care to come along, Marc?”

“I think I'd better,” Benjamin said grimly. “San Miguel isn't Monte Carlo, you know. It's little more than a dive. It's certainly not the type of place you'd take a lady.”

“Well, we can take care of that easily enough,” Jake replied, his eyes running over Jane's slight figure. “Just find her a loose coat and that stocking cap she had on when she burgled my cabin. The lights are bound to be dim in the casino, and she'll have no trouble passing as a boy.”

“I'll wear the white sweater Simon lent me,” Jane put in eagerly. “I'm lost in it.”

“Just the thing,” he agreed promptly, his lips twitching.

“Should I bind my breasts?” Jane asked worriedly, looking down at her feminine roundness with profound disapproval.

Jake made a sound between a cough and a gasp. “No, I don't think that will be necessary,” he said solemnly, not looking at her. “Why don't you run along and get into your disguise? Meet us on deck in thirty minutes.”

“Right,” Jane agreed happily, and ran from the lounge.

Jake released the whoop of laughter that he'd been suppressing. He bent over the bar, his shoulders shaking helplessly with mirth.

Captain Benjamin looked on in disapproval. “I'm glad you're so entertained,” he said caustically. “You know that this isn't a wise venture, Jake.”

Still chuckling, Jake commented, “Sometimes being wise can be abysmally dull, Marc. I can't wait to see her reaction to San Miguel.”

Benjamin frowned. “I don't like the idea of exposing a girl to that kind of atmosphere just to furnish you with a few kicks, Jake.”

“She'll be safe enough with both of us there to protect her.” Jake said carelessly. “Jane's wild to go. You saw her face.”

The captain nodded reluctantly. “I can't deny that. But damn it, she doesn't have the best track record for choosing what's good for her!”

“Why, Marc, you sound positively fatherly.”

“The girl needs someone to take care of her. And neither of us has the qualifications for the job.”

Jake slapped him on the shoulder. “For heaven's sake, Marc,” he said impatiently, “we're not adopting the girl; we're only taking her out.” He swallowed the rest of his drink and set his glass on the bar. “Now, while I go down and change, why don't you run along and check to make sure Jane's not doing something drastic?”

“Drastic?” Benjamin asked, puzzled.

Jake Dominic's eyes danced. “She seemed very concerned about looking like a boy.” He grinned. “What's more girlish than a woman's crowning glory?”

“Crowning glo—you mean her hair?” Benjamin asked, his eyes widening. “You think she'd cut off all her hair?”

“It wouldn't surprise me,” Jake said mildly.

“Oh, my God!” Benjamin exclaimed, and he bolted from the room.

five

THE CASINO WAS LOCATED AT THE TOP OF A
hill overlooking the dusty, picturesque port town of San Miguel. The trip up the winding dirt road proved only a short ten minutes in the ancient rattling taxi that Jake Dominic had magically produced at the dock, and they were soon pulling into a bumpy, unpaved parking lot.

Jane peered eagerly out the window, her golden eyes blazing with curiosity and excitement. The parking lot was crowded even this early in the evening, she noticed. The large one-story prefab building that housed the casino was painted an astounding flamingo pink, and the name Tropicana was blazoned in nauseating chartreuse over the double doors at the front entrance.

“Disappointed?” Jake asked lazily, when she made no comment.

Jane shook her head. “Oh, no,” she said positively. “It's just as I imagined a dive would look.” She frowned in puzzlement. “Except for all those lights.” Both the front and rear of the casino were lit by several brilliant streetlights that illuminated the area until it was almost as bright as daylight.

He shrugged. “At a place like this it's probably necessary if you don't want to come back to a car with no tires.”

Benjamin nodded in agreement. “I've seen thieves completely strip a car inside and out in ten minutes,” he said dryly. “And that was in downtown Mexico City!”

Instructing the taxi driver to wait and ensuring his compliance with a sizable monetary exchange, Jake ushered them leisurely from the car, through the double doors, and into the crowded, smoky interior of the casino.

“It's utterly fantastic,” Jane breathed ecstatically. “It's like the movie set from
Casablanca
.”

Jake flinched. “Please,” he protested, with a pained expression. “Rick's Place at least had a certain class. This is more like the cantina scene from
Duel in the Sun
.”

The entire far wall of the room was occupied by a long narrow bar. The rest of the large room was furnished with several green baize tables, offering various games of chance. The dimly lit room was crowded and noisy even this early in the evening. The patrons were almost exclusively male, for the most part Mexicans, dressed in dark trousers and the ubiquitous long white shirts and sandals.

The exception to the masculine atmosphere was provided by several voluptuously endowed
señoritas
in low-cut scarlet gowns who were presiding as dealers at the gaming tables. The old-fashioned ceiling fans served only to shift the smoke-laden air rather than freshen it, and the faces of the gamblers were shining with perspiration as they crowded close to the tables as if magnetized by the red-gowned dealers.

“Stay close to either Marc or me,” Jake ordered. “And keep that cap pulled down!”

Jane nodded eagerly, jamming her hands in the pockets of the oversized jacket Captain Benjamin had provided, and swaggered after the two men with what she hoped was a boyish gait. Jake and Benjamin's goal was the crowded roulette table where Benjamin elbowed a place for Jane. Marc Benjamin and Jake
swiftly purchased chips from a dark-haired beauty, who gave them a dazzling smile, and they proceeded to play for several minutes, with indifferent success.

“Would you like to try your luck?” Jake asked quietly, pushing some chips in front of her.

Jane shook her head. “I'd rather watch.” The excitement and tension on the faces of the players was infinitely more interesting to her than winning or losing.

Jake shrugged. “It's really not my game either,” he said, looking around restlessly. “I think I'll try to find a blackjack table. Do you want to come with me?”

“No, I'll stay here with Captain Benjamin,” Jane said absently, her eyes on an obese man whose good luck was being raucously celebrated by much back-slapping and shouting. She was vaguely aware of Dominic's withdrawal.

For perhaps an hour she continued to watch with undiminished interest the goings-on at the roulette table before she, too, became restless. She looked down the table at Benjamin, hoping that he would also be ready to move on to another table. He looked quite content, however, his eyes fixed intently on the spinning wheel and a large stack of chips in front of him. He was winning heavily and would probably not even notice that she'd gone, she decided. She hadn't received more than a passing glance from any of the clientele of the casino. It should be safe enough for her to drift around by herself for a while.

She faded away from the table and pushed her way through to the sidelines to decide where to go next. She spotted a dice table in the corner of the room and decided to start there. For the next thirty minutes she visited several tables, with gradually dwindling interest. It was with some relief and pleasure that she finally spotted Dominic at a table across the room.

Jane started forward eagerly, only to stop abruptly after a few paces. The game Jake Dominic was playing was not confined to the cards in front of him. The ravishing Mexican dealer
was leaning toward him with an unmistakable glint of invitation in her dark eyes as she murmured something to him that brought a cynical smile to his lips and a look of appraisal to his eyes. His eyes wandered leisurely over the woman's generous curves, lingering for a long moment on the cleavage that was blatantly displayed in the low-cut gown, before he gave the woman an answer that made her smile with sultry contentment.

Jane felt a stab of pain so intense that it took her breath away. For a moment she stood there, her emotions raw and confused, before her mind clamped a protective shield over the hurt and started to provide her with a rationalization for that revealing moment of agony.

Of course she had felt something when she'd seen Jake with that woman, she told herself. They had grown so close in the companionable evenings alone together that she knew a certain sense of possession. It was natural that she would feel a trifle bereft when Dominic showed the unmistakable signs of desire for another, even though the relationship he was contemplating with the sexy woman was far different from the casual friendship he had with Jane. She should have known that a virile man of Jake Dominic's reputation would immediately seek out a woman willing to satisfy his desires when the opportunity presented itself. It had been surprise, not pain, that had shaken her in that first moment, she told herself firmly.