If her spitting in his face hadn’t ignited his fury, her heel coming down hard on his toes did – Not to mention the use of his full name. She pushed him back, catching him off guard, and he grit his teeth, impulsively bringing a hand up to strike her in return. He hesitated, and instead wiped her saliva from his cheek, flinging it away in disgust. All of his playful manner had been gone from the moment he slammed the door in her face, but now he was absolutely seething.
“You think me a forgotten has-been do you?” Bo spat back at her, cocking his head and narrowing his eyes. The space she’d created between them didn’t exist for long – each turn of phrase was punctuated with a languid step toward her. She thought she could threaten him, a god? The idea brought an indignant smirk to his lips. He could end her with a mere quirk of his brow.
“Funny – When I saved your life, I seem to recall you knowing exactly who I am and why you should be very, very afraid of testing my patience like you just did.”
Bo stood before her, not touching. He allowed her final threat to stand momentarily - it would do him no favors to have his staff unnerved by her screaming, even if they knew not to come to her rescue. Standing this close, he could feel her anger radiating off of her like fire, mingling with that undertone of fear that she worked so very hard to cover up. Even in the midst of his own fury, he couldn’t help but notice her flushed cheeks and defiant stare only added to her attractiveness. It would be her only saving grace for the time being.
“However, as it stands… I find you insufferably cute when you’re angry.” At this, he reached out and took her hand in his, gentle as could be, and placed a kiss on the backs of her fingers, taking in her response with wicked glee. “I am going to take such pleasure in breaking you of those bad manners.”
His fingers tightened around her hand, not allowing her to pull away. A second later, he’d tugged her toward him, landing her flush against his chest, before he turned and released her into the center of her room, fluidly and effectively removing her from the door.
“Dinner is at six,” Bo said, reaching out for the doorknob. “I expect you to be on time. Someone will be sent to you to be sure you look the part.”
It appeared he was finished with their conversation then; he opened the door and made to leave, confident that he’d won this round. However, before he could step through, he held up a finger, almost as though he’d forgotten to mention something else. He wished he could have stayed there indefinitely to admire the look on her face when he turned back to add the statement on – she was furious, and he reveled in it.
“Oh, and do try to keep the noise down if you must throw a tantrum. My staff will be preparing the dining hall for supper, and it makes them uncomfortable knowing my guest is so obviously unhappy.”
She was given a saccharine smile and Bo took his leave, locking her in the room with a flick of the key once he was in the hallway, pocketing it immediately after and setting off to ensure everything was in place. Jana may not like him now, but she would come around. And if she didn’t? Well. That wasn’t exactly his problem now, was it?
Jana’s blood boiled underneath her skin, every fiber of her being screaming at her to lash out. However, before she could react, the door was closed and the loud click of a lock being put to use informed her that she was trapped.
The brunette growled in frustration, kicking at the foot of the bed. She should have moved faster when she’d had the chance. No -- she should have just drowned at sea. Though... of course, Boaz was the god of the sea. He probably wouldn’t have let that happen, either.
What he couldn’t stop though, Jana figured, was her escape through other means. Looking around, she began to formulate ideas. She’d read of daring escapes made by dashing heroes in the novels she preferred -- she’d always sort of identified with the male protagonist for some odd reason, though she knew better than to admit that -- and she took note of the items at her disposal. There were windows, and bedsheets, and several dresses that had been laid out for her. None of them struck her fancy, so she felt no guilt in destroying them in order to escape.
Jana lifted the hefty, flouncy blue skirt of her gown and removed that godforsaken bustle. Whoever invented bustles, she determined, was either a complete misogynist, or a complete idiot (though she would concede that those two often went hand in hand). She’d never worn the garment at home and she would not start now.
The brunette, now being free of any excess fabric or boning, grabbed the sheets off her bed and put them in a pile with the dresses, then looked out the window.
She was at least three stories up, and it seemed highly unlikely that the bedsheets would be long enough to get her down to the ground. Even if they did, she reasoned, it was likely that Bo or a servant of his would see her shimmying down the makeshift rope and stop her.
Jana sighed in frustration and began taking off her dress. She decided that if she was at a disadvantage anyway, she wouldn’t let Bo have any easy wins. The bedsheets would become her new clothes. They’d be easier to move around in, at least.
Halfway through wrapping the bedsheet around herself, toga-style, the door opened. Jana whipped her head around to see a mousy handmaiden come in with a gorgeous ruby red gown trimmed with gold lace, and a box of cosmetics.
“My master sent me to ensure you would be ready for dinner, Miss Jana,” she said, giving her the slightest of curtsies.
Something about being referred to in that way made Jana cringe internally and she glowered at the poor unsuspecting handmaiden.
“You can tell Boaz to take his dinner and shove it up his arse,” she growled, garnering a horrified gasp from the handmaiden.
“I... I don’t believe I can tell him that, actually, Miss Jana.”
“Then have him come here and I’ll gladly do it for you,” she said, venom lacing every word.
The handmaiden looked down at the floor. “Please. I’m just doing as I’m told. And if you just do as he asks, it’ll make life easier on all of us... yourself included, Miss.”
“I’ll do no such thing. He might hold power over you, but he has nothing on me. I will starve if I have to,” Jana replied curtly.
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