Read Online Mind Guest by Sharon Green - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sharon Green
Tags: Science-Fiction, Fantasy
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give a non-specific answer to. The man might be temporarily flustered, but he wasn’t likely to be stupid; too many artful evasions would be bound to set him thinking. Instead of registering his question in any way I scrambled out of the lump chair and backed away from him in mute, wide-eyed fear, hoping I wasn’t pushing the act too far. I fully expected to back out the door into the corridor, but found myself startled for real when the door didn’t slide open behind me. I’d been wondering why Dameron had been so casual about leaving me unaccompanied and unwatched, and now I’d accidentally gotten the answer. Being locked in annoyed the hell out of me, but for the sake of the performance I was putting on for Valdon, I couldn’t let it show.
“This is ridiculous,” Valdon muttered, straightening slowly Out of the chair, seeming annoyed. “You’re act as though I’m about to attack you. My self-control is really a lot better than that – I haven’t attacked a woman in months.”
He grinned a very attractive grin to show he was just kidding, but I couldn’t afford to chuckle in answer the way I wanted to. I gave him a sickly smile to show I was trying, and put a shaky hand to my hair.
“I know I’m being silly, but I can’t help it,” I said in a very small voice, sending him a pleading look. “The way you were looking at me, the way you talk – I’m just not used to it. Do you think you can go and see what’s keeping Dameron?”
To say I was trying to get rid of him was an understatement, and I was expecting him to be more than happy to go – but things didn’t work out that way. A deeply frustrated expression flashed briefly across his face, and then he was looking apologetic.
“I already know what’s keeping Dameron, and I’m afraid I have to stay here,” he said, very sincere compassion clear in his tone. “I’ve got to keep an eye on the progress of certain of our projects until he gets back, and I’ve got to do it with this terminal. You don’t mind sharing the room with me for that short a time, do you?”
He brought the grin back and made it really warm, trying to jolly me out of my upset and interest me by turning on the charm. The only problem with that was that in another minute we’d be back to chummy conversation and more questions, the avoidance of which was my original reason for starting that nonsense. I needed him gone or neutralized, and if I couldn’t have one I’d have to settle for the other; it all depended on how gullible he was. I let my eyes begin filming over with tears, and plucked nervously at the one-piece suit t was wearing.
“But I’m afraid of you,” I whispered, making sure my voice came out ragged. “I’ve never been this close to someone like you before, someone who has actually worked among uncivilized barbarians. You keep looking at me the way one of them would – I’m going to cry hard, I just know I am!”
I sniffled a little, finding it damned hard not to burst out laughing at the stricken look that replaced his well-practiced grin. Most men were sensible enough to ignore blackmail tears, but every now and then one would come along who turned to quivering jelly at the first choked sob and/or glisten of moisture. I was almost ashamed to go on taking advantage, but he’d had his chance to bail out and hadn’t taken it. It was too bad, but business was business.
“Now, now, you don’t really want to cry,” he said, looking as though he wanted to come closer and put his manly arms around me – but didn’t dare. “What if I promise not to look at you the way one of them would? That would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” I snuffled, sounding absolutely forlorn. “Maybe – maybe – if you didn’t look at me at all -”
“That’s a good idea,” he agreed with enthusiasm, turning completely around to look at me over his shoulder. “This is better, isn’t it?”
“You’re still looking at me,” I
“This is ridiculous,” Valdon muttered, straightening slowly Out of the chair, seeming annoyed. “You’re act as though I’m about to attack you. My self-control is really a lot better than that – I haven’t attacked a woman in months.”
He grinned a very attractive grin to show he was just kidding, but I couldn’t afford to chuckle in answer the way I wanted to. I gave him a sickly smile to show I was trying, and put a shaky hand to my hair.
“I know I’m being silly, but I can’t help it,” I said in a very small voice, sending him a pleading look. “The way you were looking at me, the way you talk – I’m just not used to it. Do you think you can go and see what’s keeping Dameron?”
To say I was trying to get rid of him was an understatement, and I was expecting him to be more than happy to go – but things didn’t work out that way. A deeply frustrated expression flashed briefly across his face, and then he was looking apologetic.
“I already know what’s keeping Dameron, and I’m afraid I have to stay here,” he said, very sincere compassion clear in his tone. “I’ve got to keep an eye on the progress of certain of our projects until he gets back, and I’ve got to do it with this terminal. You don’t mind sharing the room with me for that short a time, do you?”
He brought the grin back and made it really warm, trying to jolly me out of my upset and interest me by turning on the charm. The only problem with that was that in another minute we’d be back to chummy conversation and more questions, the avoidance of which was my original reason for starting that nonsense. I needed him gone or neutralized, and if I couldn’t have one I’d have to settle for the other; it all depended on how gullible he was. I let my eyes begin filming over with tears, and plucked nervously at the one-piece suit t was wearing.
“But I’m afraid of you,” I whispered, making sure my voice came out ragged. “I’ve never been this close to someone like you before, someone who has actually worked among uncivilized barbarians. You keep looking at me the way one of them would – I’m going to cry hard, I just know I am!”
I sniffled a little, finding it damned hard not to burst out laughing at the stricken look that replaced his well-practiced grin. Most men were sensible enough to ignore blackmail tears, but every now and then one would come along who turned to quivering jelly at the first choked sob and/or glisten of moisture. I was almost ashamed to go on taking advantage, but he’d had his chance to bail out and hadn’t taken it. It was too bad, but business was business.
“Now, now, you don’t really want to cry,” he said, looking as though he wanted to come closer and put his manly arms around me – but didn’t dare. “What if I promise not to look at you the way one of them would? That would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” I snuffled, sounding absolutely forlorn. “Maybe – maybe – if you didn’t look at me at all -”
“That’s a good idea,” he agreed with enthusiasm, turning completely around to look at me over his shoulder. “This is better, isn’t it?”
“You’re still looking at me,” I
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