CHAPTER 11
Teagan
I sat down on the bus clutching at my bag. It felt good to be sitting in a vehicle again, knowing that I was on her way back to civilization. The past four days had been challenging, but so rewarding. I would never forget the experience, and I knew that the combination of the yoga classes, and business discussions would help me grow my practice to where I wanted it to be. Having the privilege of working with Siri one-on-one and getting to know and commune with the others was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was still in shock that she’d been chosen, and I felt that by the third day I was really starting to impress Siri and the others. There were some good, dedicated practitioners there, but I was impressed with how well I held her own.
I think what I improved the most on was how I was able to focus my wants and needs for Cort, to my yoga practice. It was as if I took all my pent up sexual frustration and channeled it towards pushing myself. And it helped me to learn and grow. I knew that I would be able to use that knowledge to help my students push through their own worries and channel it into something useful to them.
It felt odd to be thinking so highly of myself when I tended to suffer from self-doubt, but Siri had given me a lot of praise, but it was hard earned. He really pushed me, and then I started to push myself. Hopefully, I still had students to go back to. I needed to talk to Ellie and find out how everything was getting along without me there.
As the bus drove back towards the hotel, I unzipped her bag and grabbed my cell phone. I clutched it in my hand for several minutes, just feeling it, glad to have this little beacon to the real world back in my possession. It was funny how much she missed having the phone, but by the second day, I had forgotten about it. I still had thoughts about Cort, but I was able to push them aside to focus. And now that I had it again, I was a bit nervous about what I would find.
I opened up the cheap little flip phone and was excited to see I had a few missed phone calls and had two voicemails. The phone suddenly felt slippery in my hand as my palms began to sweat. My nerves started to get the best of me, and I felt a bit dizzy. Closing my eyes, I tried to get a grip on myself, but a small giggle escaped my throat. Mira, a young woman sitting across from me, gave her a strange glance. I smiled warmly and then went back to her phone, blocking out the rest of the world.
I saw the missed calls were both from a number I did not recognize, but they were both the same number. It had to be Cort. I wiped a few beads of sweat from my forehead and watched the screen so long it began to grow dim until I pushed the home button to bring it back.
What was I waiting for? I wanted to listen to these messages. It would be so good to hear his voice again. Had it really only been four days? Why did it feel more like four months?
And why was I still waiting?
I selected the first voice mail and held the phone to my ear. It was Cort! The sound of his husky voice sent ripples of goosebumps up and down the back of my neck. Soon my whole body was tingling. How did this man have so much control over me when we barely knew each other? What started off as just a chance encounter with a sexy, fun stranger and passionate sex had somehow become so much more.
I was falling for Cort; I knew that. I somehow felt closer to him than the men I had serious relationships with. And that scared me. It wasn’t normal, was it? To feel so close, so desperately needy for the touch of someone I barely knew?
A small voice inside my head told me to not care. To allow myself to feel how I wanted to feel and not worry about what other people would think. I felt the way I felt, and I had made a decision long ago to give in to my desires and feelings. There was no sense in hiding who I was or what I actually wanted. This was my life. And I was damn sure going to live it.
As I listened to both of Cort’s messages, I began to get a bit worried. I detected a bit of frustration in his second message. He didn’t sound as confident and relaxed as he normally did. Was it because of me?
No, it couldn’t be… unless he felt the same way, I did? Was that possible? I thought he probably wouldn’t even call me, and here I had two voicemails from him within four days. That meant something, didn’t it? If he weren’t that interested, he probably wouldn’t have called back, right?
I felt the tingling sensation move through my stomach and turn into butterflies. It was like I wanted to jump out of my own skin. I wanted to explode with the excitement I was feeling right now, but I found the restraint to stay seated. The bus trip could not possibly be short enough. I wanted to call Cort the first chance I got and talk with him. Part of me was tempted to call him right there sitting on the bus, but I knew I needed to talk to him somewhere private. I didn’t need an entire bus full of my colleagues hearing my conversation.
I explain why I hadn’t called him back. Now, he probably thought I was just messing with him and leading him on. The thought made me sick, that I might have blown it again with this amazing man.
But the timing was just wrong. Surely, he would understand that. If I ever got a chance to speak with him, that was. What if he didn’t want to talk with me now? I took a deep breath. All I could do was try. I had his number now. I would give him a call and see if he answered.
Ugh why was this all so complicated?
I spent the rest of the bus ride going over different scenarios in my head. What would I say if he answered? What would I say if it went straight to voicemail? My nerves were getting the best of me and I worked the rest of the way to calm myself down.
When the bus dropped us off, I decided that I needed a drink to calm my nerves before she called Cort. I was a nervous wreck and would have probably have ended up speaking a-mile-a-minute and sounded like a crazy person, if I didn’t take a moment to fully collect my thoughts.
I found a quaint little bar not far from my hotel and ordered a cocktail and a sandwich. I was suddenly starving.
The place was pretty busy for a pub during the midday of a weekday. It was filled mostly with business men and women grabbing a quick lunch and a few drinks before heading back to the office. I quickly wolfed down my sandwich and finished my drink. It was a delicious version of a Manhattan but it had a name I couldn’t pronounce.
I took a deep breath and pulled out the phone from my purse. I was about to press send to dial the number when my eyes landed on the television above the bar. I was just able to hear the reporter, and I dropped my hand down to the counter.
“The council has reached a final decision on the appeals of the prince and his desire to secede his father to the throne in the upcoming month. The prince must choose a bride before his thirty first birthday, which is just three weeks away, or he will have to forfeit the throne to his uncle.”
Wow, I thought. I had thought that Ronovia was a forward thinking country, but apparently I was wrong. I closed my phone, as I became more intrigued by the new story.
“It would appear that some lucky lady out there is about to become a bride and queen all within the next month. Unless the Prince has other plans. According to his advisors, he is still reluctant to choose a bride, and he is fighting this decision tooth and nail. We will bring you more on this as soon as we have more news.”
I laughed at the idea. That sounded like such an old-fashioned and silly rule. But it was going to make some girl pretty happy to marry a bona fide prince and become the queen.
I started to glance away from the TV and make my phone call, taking another deep breath to steady my shaky nerves when the image on the screen flashed over to a picture. The image was striking. It appeared in the corner of my eye.
She recognized the face immediatley. On the screen with a big smile was Cort. And underneath the picture was the words “Prince Cort Monreau”
Cort was the prince?
I couldn’t breathe.