Him for Daniel, so you do believe. Don’t ever say that, chéri, for He might punish you.”
Reuben didn’t like the direction the conversation was turning in. “What would I have to give, to promise, to get you to rub or even tickle my back?” His eyes were hot and smoldering as he leaned across the table.
“Give? Promise? Such unadulterated nonsense. Simply ask me.” Mickey could feel the heat starting to build within her.
“I’m asking.”
“It sounds like a demand to me.”
Reuben laughed. “Will you please rub and tickle my back?”
“But of course! We’ll tickle each other’s fancies!” Instantly Mickey became aware of the smoldering fires deep within his eyes, of the sudden tightening of the cords in his neck. The sensation of touching became overpowering. She imagined she could feel his smooth skin and rippling muscles beneath her fingertips. She hungered to run her hands through that thick mane of black hair, to hear him moan his delight. And then, when he would turn over to take her in his arms, her lips would graze the flat of his belly and the hairs that pointed downward….
He knew her little joke even before she uttered the words. It was a cue, a perfect little opening to their lovemaking. He adored her when she writhed and stretched like a cat beneath his touch. Even this moment his fingers ached to touch her, to run the length of her body, to bring her pleasure.
They both forgot the chocolate and climbed the staircase to the bedroom. Neither of them was aware that just a few feet away from them, Bebe lay exhausted on her bed, sobbing her heart out to Daniel.
“I want to go home, Daniel. I hate it here! No, that’s not true, I like it here. I like Mickey and I like you. It’s Reuben who’s making me miserable! Why, Daniel, why? Why does he treat me like he does?” Her golden hair was a tumble, her lower lip pouting to hold back tears, her delicate chin trembling.
Daniel shrugged, his puzzlement evident. “Bebe, why did you scream like that at the table? All you did was spill the wine. It wasn’t a catastrophe. If I’d been sitting in Reuben’s chair, I’d have been looking at you, too. You shouldn’t take offense so easily.”
Playing devil’s advocate didn’t come easily to Daniel, and he was uncomfortable with it. “It’s not good for you to keep thinking that Reuben hates you. Don’t play games to get your own way, Bebe. It won’t work here.” Then a bolt of lightning hit him. “You aren’t…you don’t…what I mean is, you don’t find yourself attracted to Reuben, do you?”
Bebe bolted upright, her golden hair tumbling to below her shoulders. “Where did you get such a stupid idea? I may be young, but I know about the birds and the bees. They’re sleeping together, you know it and so do I. I have eyes and ears, and what’s going on is…is…decadent. In America everyone thinks all Frenchwomen are whores, even my father.”
“Are you referring to Mickey?” Daniel challenged.
“No…yes…Oh, I don’t know. She’s so religious and saintly, giving money to the church and doing all kinds of good things for the poor, and then she takes a man half her age to bed. What does that tell you?” There were shards of ice in Bebe’s eyes, a sharp bitterness in her voice.
“You’re jealous of Mickey!” Daniel accused her.
“I am not!” Bebe retorted angrily.
“Yes, I believe you are,” Daniel mused. “I believe you want Reuben for yourself. You like Mickey, you may even love her, but she has something you want. You want Reuben. Admit it. Once you do, you’ll feel better. It’ll be our secret.” Daniel didn’t know where this insight was coming from, but even as he spoke, it all began to fall into place. “I’ll never tell,” he assured Bebe. “And you’ll have me to talk to. I think you need a friend, Bebe, a friend you can be honest with.”
“Daniel, I don’t want to talk—”
Daniel ignored her protest with a wave of his hand. “There’s no room for you in their relationship. You have to accept it. You can’t continue to cause friction. I can see through you, Bebe. You keep acting up, causing scene after scene, hoping Mickey will come to your defense, and that will drive a wedge between her and Reuben. It won’t work, and you’ll be the one who’s hurt in the end.”
“Don’t be so smug.” Bebe began crying again, huge tears rolling down her cheeks. “So what if it’s true, and I’m not saying it is, so what? Who cares?”
Suddenly she threw herself at Daniel, bursting into racking sobs. He’d never been this close to a girl before, and he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Bebe was hugging him tightly, sobbing on his shoulder. Almost of its own volition, one of Daniel’s arms surrounded her and the other stroked her golden head. Strange, wonderful feelings washed through him, but a stranger feeling warned him that he shouldn’t take advantage of the situation.
It occurred to him that he was mopping up after Reuben. Reuben had created this problem with Bebe, for whatever reason, and here he was trying to make things right. Was this a harbinger of things to come?
It never occurred to him that Bebe Rosen would and could use him to get to Reuben. He totally forgot that she had grown up among actresses; blinded by her soft arms around him, he wasn’t focusing on the fact that she was capable of playing a role and giving an excellent performance.
“Daniel, I don’t know what I would have done without you these past weeks,” Bebe said, sniffling. “You’ve been so good to me. You’re always there when I need someone. I wish I had a friend like you in California. All my other friends are fake and racy. The gossip columns say I’m just like them, but I’m not. I do like to have a good time, but I’ve been…a good girl. Do you know what I mean?” Her voice held a childish, innocent note. “C’mere,” she whispered, drawing him close. “I’m still a virgin. Bad girls aren’t virgins, are they? Don’t blush, Daniel, we’re friends, and friends can talk about anything. Are you a virgin, too? I’ll bet you are. You don’t have the same look in your eyes that Reuben has.”
“Reuben’s older….” Daniel wished his neck didn’t feel so hot; he knew his face was scarlet. It felt the way it did when he was running a fever.
They sat together far into the night, sharing secrets and confidences while Reuben and Mickey made love again and again.
It was still dark, with hours to go before dawn, when Bebe finally fell asleep, her hand curled sweetly under her cheek. Daniel kissed her brow, lightly breathing in her warm, clean scent. For a moment he felt almost light-headed. When he became aware of a thread of heat flowing through his body, he quickly left the room.
Under the covers in his own bed, in the darkness, he reached out for sleep with both arms, welcoming it like a long-lost friend.
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