The Bed You Make
Chapter 7, conclusion
Stefan exited the shower and found Dara exactly where he'd left her twenty minutes earlier. She sat in a padded chair near the balcony. “I thought you would have been asleep by now,” he observed. Stefan ran his fingers across his goatee. He'd just spent several minutes needlessly trimming the already perfect design. “Is there something you wish to discuss?”
“No,” Dara shook her head. “Yes.” Stefan watched her gnaw at the inside of her cheek as she gathered her words. “You do know that this sleeping arrangement wasn't a part of the agreement?”
“What I know,” Stefan replied, “is that there will be many eyes watching the two of us these first weeks. I also know that today has been a lengthy one for us all.” He began to take off his silk robe. “My intentions where,” he deliberately quoted Dara, “ this sleeping arrangement are concerned only involve sleep tonight.”
Dara tried not to stare at her husband's bare torso. Quickly she focused her gaze at a point somewhere behind him. “That is not what I wanted to hear.”
“Indeed?” Stefan's left eyebrow rose dramatically. “Did you desire that we consummate the marriage tonight?” He took a step toward Dara. “I would not wish to disappoint you.”“Of course not!” Dara stiffened. “You know what I meant. And I wish you would stop talking as if this,” she waved vaguely, “was anything but a business arrangement between us.”
“I apologize for my amusement at your expense,” Stefan replied. “Allow me to reassure you that your very obvious concerns for this night are unfounded.” He pulled back the covers. “I will not force unwanted attentions upon you nor molest you as you sleep. I am neither a rapist nor brute, despite the public's perception of the men of my family.”
Calmly, Stefan continued. “There are numerous women here in Port Charles alone that would hasten to engage in a physical encounter with me at any hour. I need only call.” The statement was made without false pride. Stefan was a wealthy, handsome and extremely sensual man who attracted a large amount of female interest. “So you see, you needn't worry.” Pointedly Stefan dimmed the lights and slid into bed. “You may come to bed or not,” he added, signifying the end of the conversation. “The discussion of the terms of our private intercourse is an encounter for another day.”
The room was silent as Dara considered her new husband's words. Stefan was a master of vocabulary. As a lawyer, she was not too bad with words herself. On the surface it seemed as though he'd gone out of his way to allay her concerns about the terms of their arrangement. Dara knew better.
Stefan lay on his side and waited patiently for his wife's next move. After moments of thought, he heard Dara move softly to the bed and gingerly slip beneath the covers. Stefan smiled in the darkness as he imagined his bride lying as close to the edge of the enormous bed as was possible without actually falling out.
“Goodnight, Dara.”
