The Duel
After regaining her composure, Tara had called down to the front desk but there was no answer. She paced the small space, feeling every bit a bear in a zoo enclosure but without the faces staring in at her. “Think Tara,” she muttered. “Think. What can you do?”
“I grew up with a chief for a father. I learned to lie without lying at a young age. Didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I did. I just got in a lot of trouble over the years and accepted it was inevitable.”
“So did I. But even when I lied without lying he always gave me this look, like he suspected something but couldn’t prove it. It got worse once I became a teen and had to take my oath to him as my chief.”
“But he didn’t give you the look at lunch?”
“No. Not at all. And I have no idea why.”
She blinked at the memory. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. If she couldn’t open the door then she’d know she was still a member of her father’s clan. But if she could pull that door open and put even one foot in the hallway, then nothing he commanded could hold her.
She strode to the door and put her hand on the handle, fully intending to just yank it open but at the last second she hesitated. If it doesn’t work you’re stuck.
If it does work you’re free.
She pulled. The door opened. She’d opened the door, against her father’s wishes.
He didn’t say ‘don’t open the door,’ he said ‘don’t leave the room’.
She took a deep breath and stepped out of the room, her hand on the door so it wouldn’t close and lock her out, going slow, one deliberate foot after the other. There was no bolt of lightning and no magic compulsion to hide in her room.
Free.
She slipped back inside, her movements hurried now by purpose. She packed, making sure she took everything, everything she’d packed and every complimentary sample or gift she could find in the room: coffee, soap, anything.
She surveyed the room one final time, grabbed all her bags, and walked out the door, this time letting it close behind her. She marched through the silent resort, down a few floors then across the promenade. She knocked on Remy’s door but expected no answer. The morning session had to be well underway already. She let herself in and tucked her suitcase beside his.
Her gaze fell upon the messy bed. Why hadn’t she thought to at least toss the covers back before she left for Remy’s room?
Because I didn’t intend to get caught.
“Well,” she said to the empty room. “I guess the best thing to do is stay here. That way Dad won’t find out I’m missing until lunch.” She clapped her hands together and wandered across the room, already bored and not seeing any reason to unpack. She could live out of her suitcase until morning.
Her pacing took her to the window and she looked out. The rooms on this side faced out over the garden but the room was high enough that should couldn’t see much of it, it was too close to the building. What she could see was a very large group of people. It seemed to be one side of a large circle.
“What are they doing out there? There’s no ceremony scheduled for today.”
And then she saw it, the great brown bear, rear up to its full height. Her father. In bear form. That could only mean one thing.
Daniel was right, Remy thought as he dodged another swipe of the larger bear’s paw. He’d been hit once already and knew how much power there was in one of those blows. Charles was a very large bear and his bear was evidently not feeling his years the way his human form was. He had an amazing reach and was surprisingly fast. And he was angry. All in all the deck was stacked against Remy.
But Remy had one advantage. He didn’t actually have to win. All he had to do was conduct himself with honor and put up a good fight. Once the obligation to the duel was complete, Remy could demand that Tara be questioned. Tara would back him up. Tara’s opinion would sway them all. All he had to do was survive.
Tara grabbed the bedside phone and called down to the front desk. This time someone answered.
“That group of people outside. Is that part of the conference?”
“I don’t think it was planned,” the lady said, “But yes, those are the people from the conference. There was a disturbance in the lobby a short time ago. Two men were shouting, it even came to blows. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be...”
“Thank you.” She slammed the phone down.
She bolted, not stopping to grab anything, not even stopping to make sure the door latched behind her. She ran past the startled housekeeping lady with her loaded cart. She skidded to a halt in front of the elevators and jabbed the button repeatedly until the elevator doors slid open. She hit the close door button and the main floor button and waited, willing the elevator to go faster.
When the doors slid open with the familiar ding, she bolted out of them like a race horse out of the gate. She pulled her shirt over her head as she crossed the lobby.
Behind her she heard someone whistle while the lady at the front desk shouted, “Miss, you can’t do that in here!”
She didn’t stop.
She stepped out of her shoes and dropped her bra just inside the door. The cool April air hit her bare skin as she burst out into the sunlight. Behind her people were still shouting but the door blocked the sound of their voices. She knew they’d follow and didn’t care. Pants and underwear came off together and she somehow got out of them without tripping and falling on her face. The socks, well, unless she stopped running the socks weren’t coming off.
The bear didn’t care about the socks. She called on her other self and felt the power of the change surge through her. One step she was a human, another two as she became something in between, and then her front paws hit the ground and she continued running, furry and on all fours.
Remy’s bright idea was not paying off like he’d hoped. Charles had a longer reach so he’d closed the distance between them, trying for a tackle. He’d ended up wrestling instead.
They danced about the cleared circle, snarling and clawing at each other. Charles threw Remy to the ground and the crowd danced back out of the way.
She was about to bellow but the people in front of her parted suddenly of their own choice. That’s when she saw them. Remy was sprawled on the ground where the edge of the crowd had been a moment earlier, and Charles was padding closer. Neither had noticed her yet.
She shifted from a fast lope to a full-out charge.
Charles stood, stretching to his full height, ready to bring his weight down on Remy in a crushing blow. Instead he landed on his backside with the full weight of a bear on his chest.
Charles was already in a fighting mindset. He didn’t stop to question who this new opponent was. All that mattered was that he couldn’t get to Remy to finish the job until this new foe was dealt with.
He pushed the smaller bear away with all four great paws and stood to find it was standing between him and Remy.
Remy lay panting on the cold, hard ground. He knew he had to get up but his shoulder hurt and it was hard to breathe. He just needed a minute. Just a minute.
He saw Charles stand, saw him prepare to strike. He wanted to close his eyes but forced himself not to. You have that much pride, at least. You are not a coward.
Something flashed over his head and knocked Charles aside.
What in the..? Get up. GET UP!
There was another bear standing between him and Charles.
The wind brought her scent to him as he struggled to his feet. Tara!
She wasn’t backing down. Charles was closing on her and she wasn’t backing down. Instead she bellowed at him.
Charles didn’t even stop.
She didn’t want to fight her father, not really. It was a fight she knew she couldn’t win. But she had to stop this, had to stop him from killing Remy. She took a deep breath and bellowed a second time. And this time her voice was joined by another, just behind her. Remy.
Now Charles faltered. Two bears, angry and ready to fight, stood facing him. There was shouting from nearby, voices the bear didn’t want to listen to.
He took another step towards the pair. Two against one was not ideal but he was larger than both of them and if he played this right he could take them both on.
All three bears felt the ancient words of power more than heard them. Remy willingly looked away from Charles for the first time in the fight, a move that could prove deadly if Charles didn’t stop. He spotted the men waving. His bear wanted to ignore them and he struggled for a moment to stay in control. The human part of his brain recognized the men as part of the Council but it took longer to register what they were saying.
“The duel is over.”
Over. If the Council was ending the duel then a winner had been chosen. Since he was the one who’d ended up struggling in the dirt, he was sure he hadn’t won. But he’d survived and hopefully presented himself well enough that his reputation would remain intact.
With a wary eye on Charles, he nudged Tara and then began shifting back.
Tara watched him a moment as understanding slowly dawned on her. Whatever was going on was over. It was safe to shift back. She took a deep breath and let go of the bear.
Nearby Charles was also shifting, his body shrinking rapidly. As his fur retreated, someone rushed over with a blanket and tossed it over his shoulders. Remy and Tara were offered the same kindness.
At least I don’t have to stand here naked in front of everyone, Tara thought.
“Get dressed,” Francis said.
Remy and Charles turned to where they’d left their piles of clothes but Tara hesitated. “Uh, my clothes ended up a little scattered. Could someone give me a hand?”
Someone near the back of the crowd pushed through with a bundle in their arms. “Here. I think that’s everything.”
“Thanks.”
She changed, balancing the blanket on her shoulders as best she could to cut down on the show she was giving everyone. They were all shifters, or shifter’s wives, and were used to the nudity that accompanied the change, but she didn’t know these people the way she knew the members of her clan back home so the idea of being out in the open like this left her feeling vulnerable.
When she was dressed, she joined Remy and Charles before the council, deliberately standing so Remy was between her and her father.
“You are Miss Tara Brown, I presume,” Francis said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know the rules of our people?”
“I was raised by a Clan Chief, sir, I know the rules.”
“So you know that you violated the rules when you interfered with an official duel?”
“Sir, I couldn’t let my father kill him.”
There was a pause and then Remy took her hand and softly said, “It wasn’t a fight to the death.”
“Oh.” She started blushing. “Oh. I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I – I guess they need to duel again?”
“I don’t know that I can shift again so soon,” Remy said.
“No, the duel was quite decisive. Charles Brown, you aired grievances against Remy and you’ve had your chance to take them out on him. Now, we will go inside to a conference room, just the three of you and the Council, and we will settle this without further violence. We will reorganize the remaining sessions so that the conference can end on time.” With a sharp nod, he turned and walked back towards the resort.
The crowd began to disperse. Charles said, “Tara, come with me.”
“No, I’ll walk with Remy.”
“Tara. NOW.”
“No.”
He stared at her in disbelief.
“That won’t work anymore. I’m not yours to command. I haven’t been for a while, now. If you couldn’t make me stay in my room, what makes you think you can make me follow you now. I’ll walk with Remy and I’ll see you inside.”
Charles opened his mouth to argue but spotted the lingering remnants of the crowd. All of them were watching the exchange with interest. “Fine,” he said, biting off the word. “I will see you inside.”
Daniel joined them and held out the second cell phone. “I think this is yours.”
Tara smiled. “Thanks. I was looking for that earlier.”
“Tara, this is Daniel. His clan is in Florida. He looks after all the retirees that want to live somewhere warm. And this is Marnie, from Quebec.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” Marnie said. “Awful it had to come to this. Some of these older Chiefs are so touchy.”
Tara laughed. “That’s one way to put it. I’m glad Remy isn’t like that.”
“You two had best get moving,” Daniel said. “You do not want to keep the Council waiting. We’ll see you both for lunch.”
The hallway outside the conference room was remarkably clear of people. Of course, having a Council member standing at the doorway like a bouncer was a good deterrent for anyone who might have plans to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Tara and Remy were the last to arrive and they came in hand-in-hand. Tara forced herself to walk tall. She was not going to let these men intimidate her now, not when so much was at stake. But having all eyes on her made that difficult.
Even Remy was feeling their combined dominance, and he was a Clan Chief. He squeezed Tara’s hand.
The chairs had been rearranged so there was a circle just large enough for everyone involved in the conversation. Again, Tara pointedly placed Remy between her and her father and refused to meet his gaze.
When they were all seated, Francis began. “Charles, your conduct in the lobby was unbecoming of a Clan Chief, especially given that The Human Order would love to post footage of a fight like that to prove that we are savages without control.”
“I may be a Clan Chief, but I am a father, too. I can’t help that I’m protective of my children.”
Tara snorted softly but said nothing.
“Without shouting, swearing, or interruption, Charles, what drove you to such an act?”
“That man coerced my daughter. He’s using her to get corporate secrets that will benefit his second, Brock Tandell. He and his father have always been envious of me and have used Brock to hurt my business in the past. I was only trying to protect my daughter.”
“And you, Remy? What do you have to say?”
“There are a few accusations in there, so I’ll address them one at a time. First, as an employee of Tandell Corporations, outside of choosing fonts for posters and the wording of press releases, I have no say in anything Brock Tandell does with his business. Second, as Chief, I do not interfere in the employment of any of my clan members unless it is to protect the clan. I have never asked Brock to show preference to, avoid, or drop, any business dealing.”
“Do you have proof?”
“None that Charles will accept. You can call Brock and ask, he’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told you, but Charles will tell you that we’re working together, so of course, our stories match.” Remy shrugged. “I’m telling the truth. Not what I believe to be the truth of someone else’s motives, but the actual truth of actual events that have not ever occurred.”
Francis nodded. “We smell no lie on you. What of Miss Brown?”
“I didn’t know she was Miss Brown when I met her. It’s true, my father and Charles did not get along and that dislike has extended between he and I. I should like to think that my conduct while here has been coolly courteous, at least. Tara and I met in the pool the first day I arrived, and she asked me out to coffee. Since I had time to spare I said yes. We hit it off instantly and shared a few meals, went for walks, played chess, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with her.” He looked over at Tara and smiled.
“Miss Brown, I think I would like to hear …”
“How can you just accept his story like that?” Charles cut in.
Andrew frowned. “We aren’t. We are asking for corroboration.”
“But he’s tricked her into believing that he loves her.”
“We still need to hear from her?”
“Why? She’ll only support his lies!”
“Oh, shut up,” Tara snapped. The room went silent. “I can see exactly what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to silence me. This is my life that is being discussed, not yours. My opinion matters far more here than yours does.” She turned to Francis and smiled sweetly. “What would you like to know?”
“Well – uh – what is your opinion on all this?”
“I’m so glad you asked that. I love Remy, I plan to move to New Orleans with him. We originally planned for me to return home with Charles to collect my things, then fly to New Orleans in a few weeks but given Charles’ reaction to the situation, I’m scared to do that. Charles is overbearing and controlling. I didn’t want to come to the conference at all, but he ordered me to – and yes, my mom was available to come. He used his powers as Chief to control me from the time I took my oath until sometime this weekend.”
“Now that’s not –“
Tara cut her father off. “It’s very much the truth. My siblings have had the freedom to pursue any educational path and career path they desired while my father meddled constantly in mine. My siblings are free to date as they please while my father has interrogated every one of my dates relentlessly, questioned my choices, and frequently frightened away boyfriends with his behavior. All the while he has been pushing me towards men he deems suitable as life-partners in his vision of my future, a vision he created without once consulting me.”
“Is there, uh, anything else?” Francis said.
“Yes. He locked me in my hotel room this morning, believing a direct order would keep me there. He took my key card, my ID, and my money. He did this because I was sleeping with Remy and hadn’t asked for his permission first. Considering that I’m an adult and that it was very much consensual, he had no reason, or right, to expect me to ask his permission before I engaged in any sexual activity with any partner. He has overstepped his bounds both as father and Chief on multiple occasions.”
As she finished, Remy reached over and took her hand, giving her another smile.
“Charles, these are very serious accusations.”
“You can’t prove it,” Charles said. “If I gave you a direct order you wouldn’t be here.”
“About that,” Remy said. “That hypothetical situation I mentioned early was not so hypothetical. We believe Tara broke free of Charles’ control days ago, which is why she was able to keep secrets from him for so long.”
“Still,” Charles pressed. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
“I can prove it,” Tara said. “You still have my wallet and key card.”
Charles actually blushed.
“Charles, your daughter is an adult, by the laws of this country and the laws of our people. You must return her personal possessions.”
“Here.” He pulled her wallet from his pocket and tossed it haphazardly across the circle. Tara half stood and snatched it out of the air.
She smiled. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“Before you leave, please check that everything of importance was returned to you,” Francis said.
Tara flipped through her wallet. “My key card isn’t here.”
“It’s my key card. I paid for the room,” Charles said.
Tara shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I already moved all my bags to Remy’s room. He can keep it.”
“Then I thank you for your time, Miss Brown.”
“Great. I missed a phone call. I have to take this.” As she hopped up, she kissed Remy’s temple. “I’ll see you shortly.”
Once she had gone, Francis said, “It is normally our policy to allow the Chiefs nearly full freedom of governance. If you are not putting anyone in danger, we don’t interfere. That has always been our way. However, after your actions with your daughter, and your unseemly conduct today, I am seriously doubting your ability to continue on as Clan Chief.”
“What actions? Having a fight with her?”
“Stealing from her, kidnapping her.”
“Kidnapping?! I did no such thing!”
“You locked her in a room, intending to keep her there, overnight, against her will,” Francis said.
“I wasn’t kidnapping her! I was protecting her! She’s been coerced into believing that this man loves her and I wanted to keep them apart long enough for her to clear her head. What’s so wrong with wanting to protect your child.”
“Charles.”
Even Remy was surprised by the amount of force Francis put into that one word.
“We will not remove you from your clan, but we are honoring your daughter’s request to move to New Orleans and her request to join Remy’s clan. We cannot stop her from pressing charges against you, but,” and here he turned his attention to Remy, “I doubt the police would do much as this was settled without harm done.”
“Understood. I don’t think Tara is interested in starting trouble,” Remy said.
Francis nodded and turned back to Charles. “I also cannot stop Remy from filing slander or liable charges. Again, I doubt that, under the circumstances, the charges would stick, but should any malicious rumors start up against either Remy or his second, they have our full support and permission to pursue legal action. Is that understood?”
Charles nodded, tight lipped and silent.
“Your name was on the list of Chiefs we were considering for a position on this Council. Consider your name revoked from that list. You’ve shown yourself far more concerned with your personal and professional well-being than with the well-being of you clan, or the overall well-being of our people.”
“But, I …”
“You started a brawl in the lobby of a resort with another Chief. You are fortunate that this resort is owned by the local clan and that the staff here are trustworthy or you would have become The Human Order’s poster boy for violent and dangerous werebears. We cannot have that sort of risk sitting on our Council. Our decision is final and there will be no chance to appeal it in the future.”
Andrew turned to Remy. “You lost the duel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“As we said outside, any debt or obligation you may have had to Charles was paid in that duel. You owe him no further explanation or communication outside of what may be necessary for the conference today. Should his behavior towards you or Miss Brown cause you concern, report him to the council.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, we need to rearrange the remaining sessions so the conference can end on time. You are both dismissed. Charles, your assistance as a volunteer will no longer be needed.”
Remy stood as Charles said, “Of course.” He headed for the door, hoping to leave all this behind him.
Charles was right on his tail and as soon as the door closed behind them, Charles put a hand on Remy’s shoulder. “This isn’t over.”
“It. Is, or do you want me to walk back in there and tell them you’re uttering threats now?”
Charles glared and stalked off.
Tara stepped out of the neighboring conference room. “I thought I heard you. It’s all over?”
“Yes. I’ll fill you in later. Is everything okay?” He gestured to the phone in her hand.
“Hmm? Oh, yes, fine.”
“Who was the call from?”
“There was no call. I wanted to get out of there and call my mother back home before my father had the chance to tell her his side of the story. I explained as much as I could and she’s agreed to pack some things for me and ship them to me. I just need to text her an address. Good thing I work freelance and can take my work with me when I move.”
“That was smart. Your father was furious. Come on. We’ve got until lunch time at least.”
She slipped her arm around his. “What did the Council do to my father?”
Remy filled her in on the details of the rather one-sided conversation as they rode the elevator up to his room.
She whistled. “That could have gone a lot worse. You lost that duel, they could have...”
“But they didn’t. And they’ve backed your decision. I think this calls for a celebration.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The ding of the elevator doors and someone clearing their throat cut the kiss short and they stepped away from each other. Tara’s cheeks flushed.
“Excuse us,” Remy said and they stepped out of the elevator. They hurried down the hall to his room.
Our room, Tara thought, smiling. It’ll be even better when it’s our apartment, and then our house.
Remy fumbled for his wallet, found his key card, and let them in.
She was undressed before he finished emptying his pockets.
He laughed. “In a rush?”
“Just impatient. Get over here.”
As soon as he was close enough, she started on the buttons of his dress shirt. He hadn’t expected to shift today so he’d dressed for the conference, not for comfort. She helped him out of his shift, pausing to kiss his chest, then started on his belt and pants. She followed his pants down, lightly dragging her nails over his hips and thighs as she eased the waist band of his boxers down.
He groaned in anticipation.
She took him in her mouth and used her tongue to tease him and play with him. When he was hard, she started working her mouth up and down his length.
Finally he groaned and said, “Get back up here.”
He helped her to her feet and kissed her deeply, reveling in the feeling of her naked body pressed against his. They shuffled awkwardly to the bed, neither of them wanting to break the kiss.
He lifted her into the bed and stretched out beside her. “Looks like you’re mine now,” he said.
“And you’re mine. I’m not sure who’s in more trouble.”
“I have no illusions.” He kissed her tenderly. “I love you, Tara.”
“I love you, too.”
Their kisses deepened as their hands started to wander and the desire to talk faded, replaced by a desire to touch. He rolled back, pulling her on top of him and she quickly settled onto him. He held her tight to his chest and for a moment they just lay there, feeling each others’ heartbeats and the warmth of each others’ bodies.
He kissed his jaw and wiggled her hips and eventually he let her up. She sat up, straddling him, and they soon found an easy rhythm. He marveled at her body, taut and firm as she rode him. Her eyes were closed and she alternately braced herself against his chest and ran her hands over her body.
Their speed and intensity increased as pleasure and passion built within them and between them. He climaxed quickly, his hips heaving off the mattress. She collapsed on top of him, giggling softly.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I’m just enjoying this.” She kissed him. “I don’t know what I’m going to do all afternoon while you’re at the conference,” she said. “I’m going to be lonely and bored.” She sighed dramatically.
“I’ll miss you too. You can stop rubbing it in, you know.”
“I could.”
“Come on, let’s get washed up. I want to eat before the sessions start.”
“Mmm, that would be nice.” She nuzzled against him.
“You’re on top, you have to get up.”
“You feel nice.”
“So do you.” He gave her a squeeze. “I know where your weak spot is.”
“Okay, okay, no tickling.” She rolled off.
“You’re so fucking hot,” he said as she skipped across the room.
“You’re not so bad yourself. You shoved me out of bed, are you getting up or not?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
They ordered lunch and checked their emails while they waited. “New schedule is up. They’d cancelled a few sessions and shorted some others. Looks like I’ll be busy.”
“Late dinner?”
“Probably.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re having a big lunch. Oh, hey, look. An email from my father.”
“What’s it say?”
“He wants all the notes for his sessions, the ones I have in my folder.” She turned her phone off. “Too bad I won’t be seeing that email until dinner tonight.”
He shook his head. “So you’re just going to hide here all afternoon?”
“I’ll give you a head start and then head for the pool. It’s good exercise and I’m feeling restless. Hey, do you know Dimitri at all?”
“No, why?”
“Just that he was harassing me all week and I didn’t see him at the duel. I mean, he might have been there but I didn’t see him.”
“I think almost everyone was there.”
“I hope he was. I was worried about running into him again. But now that everyone knows I’m moving to New Orleans with you, he should drop the issue.”
“I’ll see if I can’t visit him before I come up for dinner tonight.”
“Don’t do anything to piss off the Council, okay?”
“I promise. I’ll be subtle.”
When lunch arrived, he ate quickly, kissed Tara, and said, “Enjoy your much deserved afternoon off. I will see you for dinner tonight.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” He closed the door. As he walked down the hall, he marveled at how easily those words came to him, and how good it was to hear them.
Charles was pacing in the lobby as Remy got off the elevator. Their eyes met across the room and both men hesitated. Then Charles squared his shoulders and marched over. “Remy. Is Tara coming down?”
“Not sure. She mentioned the pool. I have a session to get to so we didn’t chat on it long.”
“Did she get my email?”
“She didn’t have her phone out when I left,” he said. If Tara wanted to play this game, he would back her play.
Charles harrumphed. He straightened his jacket. “Okay. Well, thank you.”
“Sure. See you around.” It was petty but Remy felt pretty good as he watched Charles walk away. He could just imagine the older man struggling through his last sessions without his notes, without his secretary, and with everyone talking and whispering about the events of the day.
They’ll be talking about me too, and I’m the one who lost that duel. Publicly.
No one in his next session even mentioned the duel but he could feel eyes on him at all time. They were all careful to look only when he wasn’t looking at them, but he could still feel it, and behind the gazes was the burning curiosity.
Duels were not an uncommon part of werebear life. The bear was a physical beast and solved most of its problems by bellowing at things and knocking them over. Werebears dueled over insults, and for rank within a clan. Most were no longer duels to the death. What was rare was seeing two Chiefs duel against each other, and Remy was well aware it left him, as the loser, distinctly vulnerable. Fortunately there were few seconds in attendance because any second in any clan might take Remy’s loss as an invitation to challenge him for control of his clan.
Once he was home in New Orleans, it was unlikely someone would make the trip down there specially to challenge him.
Gabrielle did it. Don’t rule anything out.
After a leisurely lunch, Tara spent a blissful few hours alone in the pool. She swam laps until her legs and lungs ached and then settled into the hot tub where she relaxed uninterrupted until she felt like a lobster. She drifted to the steps and climbed out, her skin tingling in the cool air. She reached for her towel to find it missing. She looked around, in a panic. Not because she was worried about theft, it was the hotel’s towel, but because she didn’t like people sneaking up on her, or harassing her.
“Looking for this?”
She looked over towards the showers. “Dimitri.”
He was dangling the towel. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“Keep it. I’ll even toss you in the pool so you can make use of it.” She grabbed her bag with her key in it and turned to leave.
He whistled. “You’re going to make a lot of guys happy walking through the hotel looking like that.”
“I don’t care what any of them think,” she said over her shoulder, not stopping.
She made it to the door before he caught up to her. “You lover was disgraced today.”
“My fiancé lost a duel today. It was my father who was disgraced.” She yanked the towel out of his hand and pushed through the door.
“Fiancé? That was fast.”
“And I’m not one to change my mind. So if you want to continue this conversation, take it up with him.”
Thankfully he didn’t follow her any further. She hurried back up to her room and turned her phone on so she could text Remy. “Ran into Dimitri. Told him we’re engaged.”
When she got out of the shower, there was a message waiting for her. “That’s kind of sweet. Of you, not him. I’ll take care of him. Subtly.”
“My knight in shining armor,” she wrote back.
Remy dragged the chair along the floor so the legs grated, calling the attention of the blond man already seated there, and then sat down without waiting for introduction or invitation.
“Can I help you?”
“Dimitri?” When he nodded Remy went on. “Took me a while to find someone who could point you out to me, but I’m sure you already know who I am.”
“I do, yes.”
“I’m sure you can guess why I was looking for you.”
“Your girl tattled.”
“No. My fiancé complained. She’s not a child. She’s an adult with a mind of her own and some pretty strong opinions, opinions she made very clear to you. But, since you don’t seem to understand the English language when it’s spoken by a strong-willed, independent woman, I’ll explain it to you again. Tara is not interested in you, she never was. You are not pressing your case, or courting her, or wooing her – you are harassing her.”
“Why is she insulted that I was interested in her?”
“She’s not. She’s pissed off that you don’t understand what ‘no, thank you’ means. And since you don’t, I’m going to put this in terms you do understand. She’s taken. She’s no longer romantically available. Which means you leave her alone or you deal with me.”
“Maybe I’m not afraid to deal with you. I already saw you lose one duel.”
“Make your choice, right now. Are you going to leave her alone?”
“No, I don’t think I will. She could do a lot better than you.”
“She couldn’t do worse than you.” Remy stood and waved to the doorway of the cafe. “You got all that?”
The owner of the resort came over. “Yes, I did. I’m sorry about this. My staff made me aware of the situation but I had hoped it wouldn’t escalate to this.” He turned to Dimitri. “I will escort you up to your room to gather your things. We will stop at the front desk to settle any outstanding balance you have with us, of course. And then I will call you a cab, unless you have a vehicle of your own.”
“What is this?”
“This is the owner of the resort,” Remy explained. “And you’re being removed from the premises for the harassment of a guest. Guess it’s a good thing the conference is over.”
“You set me up.”
“Keep blaming others for your screw ups if you want,” Remy said. “It will keep coming back to bite your sorry ass.”
“This way, sir,” the owner said.
Remy watched them leave, then wandered over to the front of the restaurant. He ordered dinner to be brought up to the room and then made his way upstairs.
Tara was tucked into bed, watching TV. “How was your afternoon?”
“Satisfying.”
“Uh-oh. Should I be jealous?”
“Maybe a little.”
She shut the TV off and sat up. “Oh?”
He laughed. “Dimitri got himself tossed out of the resort. I’m sorry you didn’t get the chance to witness that.”
“Mmm, I see. You’re right, I am a little jealous.” She crawled over to the foot of the bed.
He leaned down and kissed her.
“What are we doing for dinner?”
“I already ordered. Should be up shortly.”
“You really do think of everything.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her thoroughly until room service knocked on the door with dinner.