Page 16 of Kismet

She smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, she looked away from him to study the large cluster of yellowish green bananas dangling from the tree. Each fruit attached to the plant was long and thick and pointed toward the top of the tree as opposed to growing in a downward fashion. Erotic and suggestive, the plant could not have suited her needs any better. Her head tipping to one side, she glanced at him over her shoulder.

“I’ve enjoyed bananas at home, but I’ve never seen them growing before,” she mused with deliberate curiosity. “Do they all look like this? With the fruit . . . pointing upward?”

Dark eyes narrowing with the realization that perhaps he’d made a mistake in agreeing to the wager, he nodded but didn’t speak. She turned away from him before she let her mouth curl in a smile of satisfaction. The man had no idea how persuasive she could be.

“Do you like bananas, monsieur?” She reached out and slid her fingers over the length of one particularly thick stalk of fruit. With a quick snap, she broke off the banana while she allowed her breath to catch in her throat before she released it as a soft gasp of pleasure.

“Not particularly.”

The hoarse sound of his voice pleased her. Clearly, she was on the verge of making the fruit appealing to him. Her movements designed to be sensual and elegant, she turned to face him. Biting back a smile, she tipped her head and eyed him with mischief. For the first time since she’d met this man, she was in control. It felt good.

“What a pity. I find them quite . . . enticing,” she said with a smile.

Her gaze didn’t leave his face as she snapped the stem of the fruit to break open the peel. With delicate moves, she pulled back the yellow skin of the banana to expose the fleshy white meat of the fruit. His expression was unreadable, but he betrayed his rapt attention in other ways. The way he held himself rigid, and the tic flexing in his face. Then there was the fire darkening his intense brown eyes.

Tipping her head back in a slow, elegant manner, she parted her lips and swirled her tongue around the tip of the fruit. Eyes closed, she sighed with pleasure and slowly drew the banana into her mouth. The sharp hiss of his breath filled her ears and she quickly pulled the fruit from her mouth to eye him with innocent concern.

“Is something wrong?” she asked. He swallowed hard, and simply shook his head. Smiling, she sighed. “I hope you don’t mind me indulging myself. I adore bananas. They’ve such an . . . erotic quality.”

Not waiting for his answer, she closed her eyes then tipped her head back again to demonstrate the skill she’d learned years ago. Slowly, she slid the firm flesh of the fruit in and out of her mouth. With each leisurely stroke, she took more of the banana into her mouth until he rewarded her efforts with the choked sound of a man struggling not to cry out.

Certain of his undivided attention, she gently bit down on an ample portion of the fruit and freed it from the peel. In the next instant, she swallowed the piece whole. The dark growl he made vibrated across her skin, and she smiled with triumph. As if she were just awakening from an afternoon of lovemaking, she opened her eyes in a lethargic manner.

Lightly, she touched her fingers to first one corner of her mouth then the other as if to wipe away any lingering residue from her lips. The jubilant taste of victory flooded her mouth. The man had just experienced the illusion of Allegra Synnford, courtesan extraordinaire. Her gaze shifted downward to where his erection created a natural tent inside his sherwals, and she returned her gaze to his face.

Aware that she needed to retreat before his ardor subsided, she stepped to one side of him, her shoulder pressed into his. She turned her head and noted the taut white lines of tension at the corner of his mouth. He knew he’d lost their wager and he wasn’t happy about it. She needed to tread carefully. Gloating might easily be her downfall.

“Forgive me, monsieur, but I must return to the reception before I’m missed,” she said softly. Extending her hand, she brushed it over his erection. He jerked at the touch and dragged in a sharp hiss of air. “Thank you for a most . . . stimulating tour of the gardens.”