Undercover Guy has become another book about control and the lack thereof...or the manner in which people get it or exercise it. Devlin comes from an abusive background -- his father used to beat him, his brother and his mother as his way of keeping control of them. Until the man died. And I see hints that Dev may have helped him along in his death...but so far the dude's not talkin'.
Tawfi has his own sort of control. He's shifted from being a mere rich brat to next in line to his family's throne or sheikdom (in an unnamed country, of course, though I do hint it's along the Persian Gulf) to a man in total control. But he's so sure of that control, he either doesn't see danger looming or thinks he can handle it; I'm not sure which, yet.
Just for the hell of it, here's some of the back and forth between Dev and Tawfi. Dev's asked Tawfi if he's jealous of another man Dev's been seeing.
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He laughed in that soft chuckling way he has and asked, "Devlin, who do you think you are? A Padishah with his concubines? You disappoint me with that question. Jealousy is a weakness, and a man in my position cannot afford to show anything like that, not if he doesn't wish to be torn apart by the dogs snapping at his heels."
The way he said it made me disappointed in myself. "Tawfi, all I meant was -- ."
"You meant you are still caught in Victorian conventions, whether you choose to admit it or not. 'One is not half of two, but two are halves of one?' With apologies to e. e. cummings. Do you think me exclusive to you? Exclusive to men?"
I leaned against the dresser, feeling like a kid being schooled on the facts of life by a middle-aged hooker.
"You know," he continued, still half-chuckling, "I will marry, some day. Not because I must; because I wish to. Because as wonderful as men are, until such time as they can bear children, the female sex is necessary, and I wish to leave behind many of my progeny. However, for them to be legal, they must come from a traditional Muslim marriage. Which I do not mind; I am not averse to women."
"Jeez, how high up in your country are you?"
"England is not the only constitutional monarchy in the world."
Oh. Shit. "Guess that makes me the concubine."
"My father would disagree...and might have you beheaded. The old hypocrite. He thinks I don't know of rumors about him and a certain lieutenant in the Palace Guard, when he was my age. And if you ever repeat that, I will know from whom it came...and I will have your head. Both of them."
He tossed in a wink to soften the threat, but no question in my mind he was capable of it.
Tawfi has his own sort of control. He's shifted from being a mere rich brat to next in line to his family's throne or sheikdom (in an unnamed country, of course, though I do hint it's along the Persian Gulf) to a man in total control. But he's so sure of that control, he either doesn't see danger looming or thinks he can handle it; I'm not sure which, yet.
Just for the hell of it, here's some of the back and forth between Dev and Tawfi. Dev's asked Tawfi if he's jealous of another man Dev's been seeing.
-----------------------------
He laughed in that soft chuckling way he has and asked, "Devlin, who do you think you are? A Padishah with his concubines? You disappoint me with that question. Jealousy is a weakness, and a man in my position cannot afford to show anything like that, not if he doesn't wish to be torn apart by the dogs snapping at his heels."
"You meant you are still caught in Victorian conventions, whether you choose to admit it or not. 'One is not half of two, but two are halves of one?' With apologies to e. e. cummings. Do you think me exclusive to you? Exclusive to men?"
I leaned against the dresser, feeling like a kid being schooled on the facts of life by a middle-aged hooker.
"You know," he continued, still half-chuckling, "I will marry, some day. Not because I must; because I wish to. Because as wonderful as men are, until such time as they can bear children, the female sex is necessary, and I wish to leave behind many of my progeny. However, for them to be legal, they must come from a traditional Muslim marriage. Which I do not mind; I am not averse to women."
"Jeez, how high up in your country are you?"
"England is not the only constitutional monarchy in the world."
Oh. Shit. "Guess that makes me the concubine."
"My father would disagree...and might have you beheaded. The old hypocrite. He thinks I don't know of rumors about him and a certain lieutenant in the Palace Guard, when he was my age. And if you ever repeat that, I will know from whom it came...and I will have your head. Both of them."
He tossed in a wink to soften the threat, but no question in my mind he was capable of it.
2 comments:
OOOH, you book tease. Looks like another good one... thanks for the sample.
I'm damn well gonna have some fun with this one, even if it kills me. ;)
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