The Bed You Make
Chapter 46, continued
A smiling maid knocked and then entered the room with a tray of simple breads and meats for Dara to partake. Her timing was perfect. Dara's stomach was virtually empty from the previous night and the rich, yeasty aroma of the bread and the lightly smoked scent of the various meats made her mouth water. Still, Dara raised a hand to dismiss the young woman. She did not want to take the chance that Stefan would maintain his frank demeanor throughout the duration of a meal.
"You may place the tray upon the dresser and leave." Stefan derailed his wife's obvious intentions. "I will serve Mrs. Cassadine."
As soon as the maid cleared the room, Dara raised a brow. "You, serve. I should hold you to that. It would probably be fascinating to see."
Stefan calmly retrieved the tray. He considered the contents for a moment before selecting a variety of choices and placing them on a plate. "You will find, should we agree to terms, that I am quite adept at it." He handed Dara the plate. "Serving your needs, that is."
Dara chose to focus on the part of her husband's statement that did not make her ears hot. "Terms? You had binding agreements with your..."
"Longtime sexual partners?" Stefan provided when Dara's question faltered. "Yes. The conditions of the relationship, while not in writing, were stipulated quite clearly from the beginning."
"Whose conditions?"
"I concede that the majority of the stipulations were mine," Stefan admitted. "The needs of the women involved were fairly simple. They stood only to gain from the relationship. I had far more to protect."
"Your wealth?"
"Nikolas' future as the head of the Cassadine family." Stefan gestured that Dara should eat the food he'd selected. "I did not wish any misunderstandings about the limited scope of influence a relationship with me allowed."
Dara was fascinated."Is this standard procedure in your circle?"
"My circle?"
"Your circle," Dara repeated. "Wealthy royals like Albert and Charles and you?"
The disdain on Stefan's face was almost comical. "I assure you I belong to no circle that would include men so careless where their children are concerned."
"So that would be a no."
Stefan sighed. Dara suspected he was reaching the limits of his openness. "I found it best for all involved," he explained, "that it be made clear there was no possibility of the relationship becoming more than it was - a continued sexual liaison between two consenting adults."
It was an almost empowering experience watching Stefan's obvious discomfort as he struggled to uphold the 'total honesty' clause of their discussion. Dara knew that it was probably just a bit cruel to enjoy his dilemma, but still she did. For once he knew how she felt in just about all of their personal interactions. Dara couldn't resist gently teasing him. "Wow! And I didn't even break a sweat getting you to the altar! Are you sure you want to negotiate with me, seeing how I have the upper hand?"
Stefan responded to her teasing quips with an almost feral smile. "Shall we commence with the negotiations and see?"
