A Jewel Among Thieves

Chapter 9: Wine

By the time Rezo came back, Safia was leaning against the wall closest to his chair again, artfully posed to show her body off to the best of her ability. She was rewarded by the half a second pause he had between steps and the flicker of his gaze over all of her when he caught sight of her. She pretended not to notice while inwardly she was pleased. All she needed to do was draw him in, steal his keys and then...

Safia hid a frown as she realized getting his keys would still leave them at an impasse. She left that notion in the back of her mind to percolate and smiled at Rezo. "I see you weren't lying." She nodded at the dark glass bottle he carried, the two wooden mugs in his other hand an odd contrast.

Rezo raised his eyebrows. "You doubted me?"

"Well, you do have me locked up here. For all I know you have an entire stable of thieves to visit, and might have forgotten who you promised wine to."

He chuckled. "You do have quite the imagination. But don't worry, you're the only thief I have at the moment. You can feel special again."

"Thank you, I was deeply concerned about that."

Rezo moved over to the table and but the two mugs down, before opening the wine bottle. "To make it up to you, I'll give you the first cup."

"Such a gentleman."

"I do aim to please."

Safia smiled slyly. "Really? Then how about letting me out of here? That would please me, even more than wine."

"Unfortunately," he said, walking over. "I can't help you with that. But I can give you the wine." Rezo bowed, extending the hand that held the mug out to her.

Taking it, Safia ignored the little jolt she felt when her fingers brushed his. She both appreciated and was annoyed by the gesture. It was in keeping with the mood they'd been fostering and helped him keep his distance. There was no chance of her getting the keys before he noticed and could move away. Which meant he was still wary of her, something she'd have to change if she wanted to escape.

She waited until he had poured himself a cup before raising hers. "A toast, to my last hours before I get arrested."

Rezo raised his own mug, his hand hiding his mouth. "To a job well done."

Safia sipped the wine, surprised to find it quite good. She'd thought he'd have grabbed something cheap, given she was a prisoner and all, but this was something she'd have drunk herself. "Your master won't be upset you're raiding his stores?"

"Oh, I imagine my employer would be. But he'd have to notice to get upset. And I was given free rein to do what I thought I needed for this job, so if I'm called on that I'll say I needed it."

She snorted. "I'm sure he'll believe you needed a bottle of wine."

"I'll just tell him it was to trick and disarm the pretty thief I found." He took a quick gulp of wine as soon as the words left his mouth.

Safia took a small drink herself, to hide her smile. So Rezo thought she was pretty. That pleased her. It meant that her efforts at using her nudity to her advantage hadn't gone to waste. At least, that's why she told herself she was pleased. Any other reason was... Well, silliness and stupidity. Rezo was dangerous and on the opposite side of the law. She was a thief, and the kind you weren't supposed to see. That was it.

Still, he wasn't half bad. Definitely within her hit zone. She studied him over the top of her cup, eyeing his broad chest and the muscles not hidden at all by the leather he wore. His big hands looked strong, a contrast to his full lips. If they'd met under different circumstances she might have tried to lure him into her bed.

Before she realized it, her cup was mostly empty. Safia stared down at it, trying to figure out how she'd drunk the wine so fast. That's what she got for being distracted. She needed to focus if she was going to get Rezo to let her out. The wine was definitely a step in the right direction, but not enough of one.

"Need a refill?" Rezo nodded at the loose way she held her mug.

Safia smiled and held out her cup to him. "That would be lovely."

He reached out to take it, but ended up jostling her, causing the dregs to spill over her hand. "Sorry!" Rezo grabbed the cup and shuffled back, his whole posture like a dog after it had been yelled at.

She shrugged. "It's just a bit of wine. Still, can't let it go to waste, not when I doubt I'll be getting wine again any time soon." Safia licked the along her fingers, ignoring the few drops that hit her toes.

Rezo made an odd little noise and turned away, busying himself with pouring her a new cup. She paused and smiled wickedly. She hadn't meant to get a reaction out of him with that, but wasn't about to disagree with the results. Not when time was ticking by.

"I hadn't realized you were a true cat, as well as being a Cat." His back was still to her, the muscles of his arms flexing in a way that was just a bit distracting.

Safia shoved the brief imagining of what he'd look naked away. This was not the time for that. "I don't like being sticky, and I don't have anything to clean myself or even dry myself off with. It's not like I have a lot of options locked up in here."

"I suppose you don't." His voice was even as he moved over, handing her the mug back, eyes bright on her.

She took it gingerly and looked down, like she couldn't meet his gaze. Then she licked her lips in what she hoped looked like a nervous gesture and not the temptation she wanted it to be. It hadn't escaped her notice that Rezo was much closer this time, almost within an easy reach of the bars. Just a little more. She just needed to get him a bit closer and then...