Posted by PK on December 30, 2001 at 18:55:22:
"You said you had a proposition for me," Rachel reminded her.
"Eat first," said Amanda amicably. "Can't I have a pleasant evening with an old friend?"
It occurred to Rachel to point out that they were not old friends, that they had only met once
before when Amanda was trying to kill her and would have done so if unforeseen
cicumstances hadn't intervened. She didn't bother, she was almost sure Amanda was being
ironic and she didn't want to sound naive or peevish.
"Just don't serve me anything with people in it," she said. The smell of cooking pervaded the
room. It smelled good. She dreaded finding out what it was.
That got her a mocking, but not unfriendly, smile. "As if I would. It's just some South
American dish my...cook came up with. I'd estimate it's about ready."
"Cook?"
A woman entered the room. She was quite striking, apparently Hispanic and beautifully built.
Her hair was as dark as Rachel's, her skin brown and her eyes almost black. She had
smallish breasts with prominent nipples and long athletic legs, a small but thick thatch of hair
between them. Rachel could see all of this at a glance because the woman was naked.
"You're not really going to eat her, are you?"
"Of course I am."
Rachel wasn't sure why she had come here at all. After their last encounter, Amanda had
tried to contact her by e-mail, telephone and by letter post. Just once each, the Amazon
wasn't exactly harassing her. She had replied, eventually, to the e-mail with a coolly polite
note expressing the sentiment that they might meet again, one day but not too soon because
I'm busy....
Amanda had not pressed her.
Yet somehow, here she was being served dinner by a naked woman in the home of the
certifiable lunatic who had tried to kill her and then, inexplicably, saved her life.
With a feeling that she was going to regret it, she asked "Why?"
Amanda smiled as if she had made a point in some obscure game. "I won her," she said.
"Try the stew, it's really good."
Rachel took a mouthful. The food was good, unsurprisingly. She decided there was no point
in being paranoid, if Amanda had a surprise to spring on her it wouldn't be anything so
obviously devious as a practical joke or drugs. Not her style. It would be something direct and
unexpected. It was hard to say whether she was more interested than wary. Amanda didn't
indulge in much small talk as they ate, apart from a few pleasantries about the food and
wine. Eventually they sat back, drinks in hand and conversation resumed.