Diplomacy

tell her about it.
    “And we walked into this coffee shop and they were smoking pot, right in front of us, well in front of everyone really. After sitting there for a while, I swear the air was so thick, we were both high by the time we walked out.”
    “They’re more tolerant of soft drugs in The Netherlands,” Lucas mentioned absent-mindedly to show he was listening.
    “I know but this was just…oh well. How was your weekend?”
    “Fine,” Lucas answered trying to sound bored.
    She moved closer again, seductively wrapping her arms around his neck. “Poor baby, you look really tired. I hope he didn’t work you too hard, honey?”
    “Yeah, well, you know how it goes.” Lucas tried hard not to lie to her outright. He felt like telling her the truth though. Actually, Lucy, he did work me hard. Right into the mattress. We fucked in the bathroom and on the sofa in front of the open window. He made me scream his name and I get hard just thinking about him. But there was no way he could hurt her like that.
    She leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head, so her lips ended up over his temple. “Why don’t you take your cup of tea, pop a movie in the DVD and settle on the couch. I’ll get the laundry together and we can order pizza or something tonight, okay?”
    She was sweet really, he knew that and she loved him, so he smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks, Lucy. That sounds great, but I’ll help with the laundry if you like.”
    “Don’t be silly. You work a lot harder than me. Just relax and I’ll take care of everything.” She rubbed her hand over his chest and then moved to the hallway where their weekend bags were sitting.
    Five minutes after Lucas started watching the movie he had chosen, he was sound asleep on the couch.

    D i p l o m a c y | 91

    LUCY smiled as she heard his familiar slow, shallow breathing and closed the curtain of the sitting room window to darken it. Maybe she could do this. She liked taking care of Lucas, and if Maria could do it, so could she. The Christensens were definitely a good example. She was going to take Maria up on her offer and do some charity work while she was studying. That way she wouldn’t feel so lonely sitting at home waiting for Lucas to come back and she would meet lots of new people, get to know this country a bit more. If nothing else, it would look good on her résumé and it would help her become more comfortable around people she didn’t know. She admired Maria and her way of always looking beautiful and confident in every conceivable situation. Nothing could faze that woman.
    As she was sorting the laundry she noticed three buttons missing on one of Lucas’s fine shirts. They usually came with one extra button, but three missing buttons was a bit much. She made a mental note to check the other shirts to see whether there were any loose threads on those, too. It was probably a manufacturing flaw.
    After turning on the washing machine, she started unpacking their toiletries, putting their toothbrushes together again in the little green cup on the rack over the backroom sink and placing his razor and shaving cream behind the mirror. Neither of them had taken a lot of stuff on their weekend outing, but she checked all the side pockets of their bags anyway.

    MARIA walked in, closely followed by the driver who was wheeling in her suitcase.
    “Will that be all, Ma’am?”
    “Yes, thank you, Paul.” She tipped the man and then walked over to Jack who was sitting at the kitchen counter reading the Sunday Times.
    “Hey, stranger.” She put her arm around Jack’s shoulder and as he looked up, she quickly kissed him on the mouth. “Did you miss me?”
    “Naah,” Jack answered, her hand still on his cheek as he demonstratively returned to reading his newspaper.
    “Oh well, I guess you don’t want your present then, either.” She walked away in the general direction of her suitcase and threw him a teasing look as she picked up her bags and walked towards the hallway.

    92 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    Jack felt guilty all over again. He had been screwing around behind her back while she was away for two nights and she even bought him a present. For a moment, he wished he could turn back the time, but then he thought of Lucas and the feelings the young Brit conjured up in him. He let his face rest on his palms, remembering how he and Lucas had made love last night. It hadn’t been just sex anymore. It was much more beautiful than