JК
The Harlequin :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 28 из 330Chain someone up on stage and hit them with a flogger a few times, and people think you're abusing them. Of course, the flogger had been Nathaniel and Jean-Claude's idea. A part of Nathaniel's regular show, apparently. What I'd done next had been all me, and Nathaniel. I had marked him, bitten him hard enough to bleed him, on stage. It had been the first time I'd voluntarily marked him like that, not just because the ardeur got out of control, but because he liked it, and I liked it, and I'd promised.
Arnet was convinced that I was Madame de Sade and Nathaniel was my victim. I'd tried explaining that Nathaniel was only a victim when he wanted to be, but she hadn't bought it. I'd been convinced she would tell the other cops and out me, badly. Living with a twenty-year-old stripper with juvenile arrests for prostitution was bad enough, but getting on stage myself, well, that would have been… oh, hell, bad.
«How private a dance did she get?»
He grinned. «Are you jealous?»
I thought about it for a second, then had to say, «Yeah, I guess so.»
«That's so sweet,» he said.
«Just tell me about Arnet.»
«She didn't want the dance. She wanted to talk.» He seemed to think about it for a second, then added, «Okay, she wanted the dance, a lot, but she was too uncomfortable with me to ask for what she wanted. We just talked.»
«About?» I said.
«She tried to get me to admit that you were abusing me. She wanted me to leave you and save myself.»
«Why didn't you tell me?»
«You were already worried about Arnet telling Zerbrowski and the other cops what she'd seen. You were in the middle of some messy murder investigation. I didn't figure you needed the hassle, and I handled it.»
«Has she been back?»
He shook his head.
«Tell me next time, okay?»
«If you want.»
«I want.»
«She can't tell on you, because she'd be afraid you'd tell them that she has a thing for your stripper boyfriend. She doesn't want to admit that what bothered her the most about the show you and I did is that she liked it.»
«I didn't think Arnet swung that way,» I said.
«Neither did she.»
I looked at him, studied that face. There was a look on it now. «Just say it, the look in your eyes, just say it.»
«You hate most in others what you don't like in yourself.»
«Huh.»
«What?»
«I thought something almost identical to that earlier tonight.»
«What about?»
I shook my head.
Arnet was convinced that I was Madame de Sade and Nathaniel was my victim. I'd tried explaining that Nathaniel was only a victim when he wanted to be, but she hadn't bought it. I'd been convinced she would tell the other cops and out me, badly. Living with a twenty-year-old stripper with juvenile arrests for prostitution was bad enough, but getting on stage myself, well, that would have been… oh, hell, bad.
«How private a dance did she get?»
He grinned. «Are you jealous?»
I thought about it for a second, then had to say, «Yeah, I guess so.»
«That's so sweet,» he said.
«Just tell me about Arnet.»
«She didn't want the dance. She wanted to talk.» He seemed to think about it for a second, then added, «Okay, she wanted the dance, a lot, but she was too uncomfortable with me to ask for what she wanted. We just talked.»
«About?» I said.
«She tried to get me to admit that you were abusing me. She wanted me to leave you and save myself.»
«Why didn't you tell me?»
«You were already worried about Arnet telling Zerbrowski and the other cops what she'd seen. You were in the middle of some messy murder investigation. I didn't figure you needed the hassle, and I handled it.»
«Has she been back?»
He shook his head.
«Tell me next time, okay?»
«If you want.»
«I want.»
«She can't tell on you, because she'd be afraid you'd tell them that she has a thing for your stripper boyfriend. She doesn't want to admit that what bothered her the most about the show you and I did is that she liked it.»
«I didn't think Arnet swung that way,» I said.
«Neither did she.»
I looked at him, studied that face. There was a look on it now. «Just say it, the look in your eyes, just say it.»
«You hate most in others what you don't like in yourself.»
«Huh.»
«What?»
«I thought something almost identical to that earlier tonight.»
«What about?»
I shook my head.