night.
She couldn’t help but nod her appreciation to the guards, who nodded politely back as they walked into her rooms and looked through all the closets, behind the doors and curtains and in all the nooks and crannies possible, then took their sentry positions outside her door.
She was a bit exasperated with their thoroughness, but didn’t begrudge them taking their responsibilities so deeply. They were dedicated to keeping Hassan alive, and apparently she now fell under that category. She didn’t mind actually. She hadn’t slept so well in over a year. She hadn’t realized how lightly she’d been sleeping but knowing she was inside the palace walls along with two men outside her door, she had rested deeply and thoroughly. In her apartment, she woke to any kind of creak or groan, her mind sifting through the sound until it was categorized and classified as non-threatening. She hadn’t even realized she’d been doing that until she didn’t have to while sleeping here where everything was silent and she had people outside her door protecting her.
That didn’t mean she liked being confined. She paced back and forth in her room, not sure what to do with herself. She could watch television, but she hated that pastime, thinking it sucked up a person’s life so she avoided it as much as possible. She could put in a movie, knowing that there was a whole series of movies available to stream from any television or computer for Hassan and any guest in the palace. But she didn’t think she could sit still to watch a movie. She was feeling restless and irritable, and not sure why.
She needed an outlet for her nervous energy. She couldn’t exercise because she was afraid she’d run into Hassan and he was the very last person she wanted to talk to right now. It would be better if she confronted him once she’d calmed down a bit.
Of course, she wouldn’t really confront him. She had absolutely no claim on the man, except for their one night together. Which probably didn’t count in his mind. He probably had one night stands with a number of women. Dana knew there were some types who threw themselves at available, wealthy, powerful and handsome men like Hassan. She snorted in the silence of the suite as she realized that she’d probably throw herself at Hassan after describing him in that manner.
Which actually hurt even more. She hated the idea of Hassan being in the arms of another woman when she wanted him so much. But she disliked the idea that she was one of many. Knowing he enjoyed the company of other women made their night together seem sordid and tawdry.
Cooking, she thought. Yes, that was her outlet. Her reliable relaxation for anything that was bothering her. It had gotten her through worse times than this, she thought.
She didn’t have any other clothes and as amazing as these shoes were, they were higher than she was used to and the marble hallways of the palace made walking on the balls of her feet ache. She flipped the shoes off and padded to the closet, hoping she might find a pair of sneakers or slippers left behind by someone.
No such luck, she realized. There was another suit in the closet, this one in a lovely shade of brown. And another matching pair of shoes, but no slippers.
“I don’t care,” she whispered and carefully hung the suit jacket up on a hanger, then pulled her slacks up and marched out of her suite. The two men were surprised to see her but she didn’t even pause as she walked out of the double door of her suite. “I’m going to the kitchen if that’s okay with you boys?”
She waited for their reply, but they both just stood there looking at her. She assumed they weren’t used to their charges asking permission and shrugged their confusion away. Heading towards the kitchen, she thought about all the things she wanted to cook, considering and discarding several recipes.
In the kitchen, she approached the same young woman who had helped her before. “I’m sorry to bother your processes again, but would anyone mind if I just whipped up a couple of things?”
The woman was confused. “We will be happy to prepare anything you’d like, ma’am,” she said nervously, glancing behind Dana at the two body guards that were hovering.
“No, I just need to work through some nervous energy and cooking helps me. But if I’m going to be