Fanchon's Book(9)

"Kristi, Kristi, you mustn't be so bashful. A woman should be proud of her body, not ashamed of it. If you get a little flattery, why not relax and enjoy it?"

"Yes, ma'm. I-I understand."

"Do you? Then why are you lowering your eyes like that. And such pretty eyes, too; green is one of my favorite colors. Look at me-there now, that's much better. See how easy it is? You're a beautiful girl, my dear, and you shouldn't be so modest about it."

"You-you think I'm beautiful? Please, ma'm, when you talk like that I get all… well, you know."

"No, dear. Tell me."

"Oh-you know. All funny inside. Kind of mixed up." But of course, yes, I did know. I knew exactly what she meant. And what a lucky break for me! stumbling upon it like that, the chink in her armor, the speck of information that would give me the extra leverage I needed. So she got all funny inside, hmm, just from a little compliment?

"Mixed up or not, Kristi, you must realize that I'm merely stating a fact. You're very beautiful. Frankly, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Ma'm?" She bit her lip. Then, in a tone tinged with coy naivetй, "Oh, you're just teasing me. I know I'm not that pretty. Not like the movie stars."

"Silly. A lot of those film stars are patched together, practically-and yours is a natural beauty."

"You-you really think so?"

"Yes, my dear, a natural beauty." I hesitated, then took the plunge. "Or as much as I've seen of it, anyway. Although you might be skinny and straight as a stick under that uniform. Are you?"

"I-uh… Madame has the desire to see me naked?" What a jolt! Her voice had lost its mumble: the words sounded cool and clear; I had to turn away to avoid the perceptive glint in her glance. Did she know? Oh yes, she must have. She knew. So it wasn't an illusion last night. Kristi had seen me.

I was certain of it. And yet, stunned as I was, I could only admire her diplomacy and be grateful for her depth of understanding. Without mentioning my sneaky foray into her room, the clever little darling had managed to let me know she shared my secret. So it was our secret now, a mutual awareness; in one sharply defined stroke she had bridged the gap and eased the tension-although it did take me another difficult minute to smooth out the dent in my composure. "Naked?" I said, groping for appropriately casual words. "Why, yes, you'd be ever so much more comfortable. Aren't you warm in all those clothes?"

"Oh, I'm quite comfortable, ma'm. I don't mind. I just thought it was something you wanted."

"Well, uh, as a matter of fact… "

"Ma'm?" She pouted prettily. "Please don't ask me to. Not here. Not like this." Then, brightly, "Oooh, I just had a wonderful idea. How about if I put on a show for you? Like a model or a famous actress, maybe. That would be fun."

"A show? A striptease, you mean?"

"Nope." She giggled-a sliver of crystal glee-"It's got "to be a surprise, so I can't tell you." The twinkling expression faded abruptly and she seemed to slip back into her shy shell. "Oh. I didn't mean to sound fresh, ma'm. It was just an idea."

"But you weren't fresh, my dear. I'm very interested. And curious too; won't you tell me what it is? No, I suppose that would spoil the fun. All right, I'll try your surprise."

"You-you'll let me do it my way? Promise?"

"Your way… " I shrugged. Ah well, noblesse oblige. What mistress could deny such a delicious little maid her whim?" Yes, Kristi, you may do it any way you like."