Slowly, she rose to her feet. “I’d like to shower. Will you wait?”

In the bedroom, she breathed in Lulu's scent, now mixed with the smell of oatmeal soap. Only when she searched her bag did she realize that her only change of clothing was an oversized T-shirt and panties. She brought them with her to the bathroom.

She had discovered earlier that the toilet was a hole in the floor with twin footsteps marking where she should position her legs. However, she hadn’t expected the same hole to serve as the drain for the handheld showerhead. She lost her small hotel soap before she was careful with the sliver of oatmeal soap left from Lulu's bath.

After the shower, she rifled through her bag of toiletries. Daniel's snuff bottle was among them. She traced the miniature details of the phoenix. In his way, possibly without intending to, Daniel had helped set her free from her gilded cage.

But she had entered it freely. She regretted none of it—until Wade had locked her cage and thrown away the key. A wave of anger filled her.

She brushed her wet hair and clipped it up. She lifted her blush brush when a glance in the mirror made her stop. She liked the clean feeling. No pretense. Tugging on the hem of her long T-shirt to cover another inch of her thighs, she was ready to step barefoot into the living room when, self-conscious, she reconsidered and put on her jeans.

Daniel stood by the window, his hands in his pockets. The light from the paper lantern behind him threw a circle of yellow light that reached his feet, but did not travel up, leaving his upper body in the shadows. He turned and took a step forward, partially entering the light until his mouth was illuminated, carved and strong. His eyes remained in the shadows.

“You look lovely,” he said.

Sexual excitement bloomed inside her, spreading, making her limbs heavy with anticipation. The seconds ticked in her veins, and nothing happened. She wanted to reach her hand inside him and twist and pluck that control board, yank loose the internal springs, computer chips and gears.

She sat down while digesting his first compliment. Having seen her in full makeup and evening gowns, he chose to praise the soap-and-water look. She refilled their ceramic mugs with tea, aware that Daniel didn’t rush to take over that task. No one in her entourage ever let her pour tea for herself, let alone for someone else.

For the next hour, they discussed her predicament. All too cognizant of Daniel's presence in the small room—and under her skin—she filled him in on the details and listened to his explanations.