Storiesonline.net
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                                  Dman2
                              by Cold Creek

Copyright© 2011 by Cold Creek


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Description: The continuing saga of Mike Stewart from the Defenceman. If you haven't read that, then a lot of this won't make sense. This tale encompasses the spring and summer semesters after Mike's first year at U of M. New adventures, women and the draft are in store for Mike while he takes a break from hockey. Come along and see where in the world he ends up while meeting and helping people as only our hero can.

Codes: MF FF cons bi het celeb sport sch
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Chapter 1: Jamaica


I closed my eyes and let the sun beat down on my pale skin. There was a soft breeze off the sea that kept me cool even when the temperature was in the high eighties. The dark sun glasses I had purchased at the resort gift shop helped keep the sun out of my eyes and finally I could relax.

I was happy with the decision to come down early to the resort so I could have a couple of days alone to relax and de-stress. The resort was beautiful, right on the beach but still had a couple of pools. It was a world class facility with a plantation style motif and rich, elegant decor. Gardens and trees made parts of it secluded and romantic for the many honeymooners and couples here on a romantic getaway. They had all the amenities and activities available; a full spa and salon with all sorts of massages, mud baths and treatments for the ladies; a golf course and deep sea fishing for the men and water activities for couples. A hot tub was available off the smaller, secluded pool for the newlyweds to get romantic and the resort had both a patio and indoor restaurant. There was even a bar with a small dance floor.

The staff was discreet but plentiful and attentive if desired. Some of the couples liked being waited on hand and foot while others liked their privacy. There was a bar near the pools as well as a smaller one out by the beach to cater to the sun worshippers. I had a pineapple juice sitting on the table beside me, one of many varieties of tropical juices available.

I opened my eyes after a while and then looked out at the ocean for a bit. Every once in a while, people walked in front of me and I enjoyed watching them stroll down the beach. It was an expensive and exclusive resort, so only the very well off could afford it. Thus there were mostly couples walking along the beach though a few small groups of women also meandered by. I enjoyed looking at the women in their swim suits, with my sunglasses hopefully hiding my lecherous stares.

I noticed an oddity soon after she came into view from around the corner where the land dipped in, making a small cove. A woman, dressed in a black tee shirt and rolled up black jeans, was walking along the beach just above the high water line. She was the first person I'd seen in anything not white or colourful, and the only one not in shorts or a swimsuit.

As she came closer, I downgraded her age to something closer to mine or even younger. She had the requisite white ear buds attached to an iPod and her hair was short and obviously dyed black. Her makeup was dark and her skin was as white as, well mine I guess. I caught the glitter of jewellery in her ears and her overall demeanour led me to label her as a disgruntled Goth teenager, probably here with parents and not by choice.

She looked up and then changed her path to head back up to the resort. She glanced at me and saw me looking at her and stared back for a few seconds before she passed by. While she had a couple of earrings in each ear, I saw no visual evidence of other body piercings or tattoos but then there wasn't much exposed skin to check. The girl was pretty enough but the clothes and bad dye job made it hard to see. I moved on to watch other ladies, more appropriately dressed in bikinis, as they walked with their new husbands or boyfriends.

My phone rang and I leaned over to see that it was Katie.

"Hi Katie, how are you?" I asked after picking it up.

"I'm fine, and you Michael?" she asked in return.

"I'm doing very well, thanks for asking," I replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice?"

"I'm just checking to see if you're all set to fly to Jamaica in a couple of days?" she asked.

"Nope," I told her.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a worried voice.

"I'd have to fly back up to Detroit in order to fly to Jamaica," I answered. "I think I'll just stay here instead."

"You're already there?" she asked. "What are you doing there?"

"I just came down to get some sun and relax for a couple of days," I replied. "Right now I'm sitting on a beach, drinking pineapple juice and enjoying watching the ladies in bikinis in eighty five degree weather. The breeze off the sea is very delightful. You should come down and relax with me."

"I might have if you had told me," she rebuked me. "Did you get the suite I reserved for you?"

"No, it's still occupied until Sunday afternoon," I told her. "I just got a smaller room for a couple of days. So, are Trish and Barb coming down with you on Sunday?"

"Yes they are and they're very excited to see you again and to model with you," Katie replied. "Ok, I should let you go so you can ogle newlyweds. We'll see you in a couple of days. Enjoy your peace and quiet and have some fun."

"Have a good flight and I'll see you soon," I replied before we hung up.

After a half hour lying on my stomach to get some sun on my back, I put on my tee shirt and gathered up my stuff. I walked by the other couples getting some sun on the beach and headed up the flagstone path to the resort's main building. The two pools and hot tub were emptying as the dinner hour was fast approaching. I looked at my watch and saw it was quarter to six already, so I stopped at the patio restaurant and booked a table for six thirty.

After a shower, I put on a white golf shirt, tan shorts and sandals and headed back down to the lobby. I grabbed a couple of pamphlets on their water activities and then walked out to the patio. I was shown to a table for two near the entrance to the patio and handed a menu to peruse.

I decided on a seafood platter with a variety of fish and other creatures of the sea and put that order in when the waitress came over. The meal started with a clam chowder soup that I enjoyed greatly. I was sipping on some pineapple juice, waiting for my salad, when I saw the Goth girl from earlier in the afternoon. She was with an older woman, obviously her mother as they were almost identical in height and had the same facial features. Only the mother's blonde hair colour was different and probably only because of the girl's dye job.

The mother was dressed in a blouse and skirt with low heels and looked very good for her age, probably in her late thirties to early forties. The clothes were elegant and expensive and her hair and makeup were flawless. Her jewellery looked expensive but not gaudy; her whole appearance was that of a beautiful lady of means.

Her daughter had changed from her earlier black jeans and tee shirt she was wearing while beachcombing. She had on a black blouse and dress pants which, while showing off her trim figure, were so out of place it was almost laughable. She had on dark eyeliner and was obviously not happy to be here.

They were led to a table near mine and I gave them a smile as they looked over at me. I got a polite smile back from the mother and a non-committal look from the girl. The waitress came to take their order and came back with two tropical looking drinks.

"We didn't order these," the mother said.

"No, I took the liberty of buying two lovely ladies a drink this evening," a dark haired man said as he approached the table. "My name is Daniel; I was hoping I could entice you to join me for dinner this fine evening."

"Thank you for the offer, but my daughter and I wish to be alone this evening," the mother said. "Please take the drinks away."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said politely with a smile. "Here is my card if you change your mind during your stay."

The waitress took the drinks away as the man walked back to his table. I looked back at the two ladies and saw the mom blush when she read the card. The daughter looked curious and reached over and grabbed it from where her mother put it down.

"Daniel Rodriguez, escort," I heard her read out loud.

She grinned at her mom and said, "Thinking of giving him a call later? I can make myself scarce for a while if you want."

"Real funny Rachel," the mother replied. "We came down here to try and relax and work on our relationship, not to sample the wares of the local gigolo."

"You haven't been with anyone since you and dad split up a couple years ago," Rachel said, still grinning. "You really could use a romp in the hay with a total stranger."

"My sex life or lack thereof, is no concern of yours, young lady," the mother said primly. "And I certainly wouldn't start with him."

"I'm sure there are others around that are more to your taste," Rachel said. "I see three or four guys dining alone that you might find attractive."

I was grinning at the conversation when they both looked at me.

"Sorry ladies, I couldn't help but watch and overhear," I apologized.

"So, are you an escort as well?" the mother asked.

"Sorry, but no," I replied.

"That's a shame, my daughter could use a man to straighten out her attitude," the mother said with a wicked grin.

"Mother!" Rachel reacted while I laughed.

"I don't know about her attitude, but she does seem to have an issue with colour," I replied.

"Tell me about it," the mother agreed. "It's still hot out and she still insists on wearing all black and she has to wear pants."

"I'm sure she has a very good reason for her lifestyle choice," I said diplomatically. "Maybe she's embarrassed about her knobby knees."

"My knees aren't knobby!" Rachel protested.

"Sure, you say that but I'm afraid I'd need visual proof of that," I told her as her mother grinned.

"Not a chance," Rachel replied.

I turned to her mother and asked, "You ex had bad legs, right? She wouldn't have to hide them if she had your legs."

"Why thank you, young man," she replied. "I'm afraid I'm not sure whose legs she inherited; I haven't seen them in a couple of years myself. I was hoping she would put aside her look this week and get some sun but no luck yet."

"Hey, if you two want to talk about me, I'll just leave and let you get acquainted," Rachel said, starting to get up.

"Sorry, my bad," I told her. "Please don't leave; I'll mind my own business."

"Rachel, that wasn't called for, we were just doing some light teasing," her mother said. "You have to admit it's a bit silly to wear black pants in this setting."

"It's my choice," she replied as she sat down.

I looked away as my salad finally arrived, along with their soup. They got busy with eating as did I. I avoided looking over at them but caught them whispering to each other out of the corner of my eye.

The patio was getting crowded as the tables quickly filled up. I was finishing up my salad when two handsome men, one older and one in his twenties, approached the mother and daughter.

"May my son and I join you this evening, ladies?" the older man asked. "The tables are filling up quickly."

"Sorry but we're not interested," the mother replied. "We're trying to have some mother-daughter time."

"Of course, sorry to have intruded," he said. "Please take our card if either of you wish some company during your stay."

He put the card on the table and they walked away. I grinned into my salad and tried not to chuckle.

"We see you grinning, young man," the mother said to me. "It's not that funny."

I looked up and saw that she was serious.

"Sorry Ma'am, I guess they must think even beautiful ladies get lonely," I responded.

"Ladies don't hire escorts," she replied primly.

"I wouldn't think so but I'm neither a lady nor an escort so I have no experience on the topic," I told her. "Sorry for grinning at your situation."

"Mom, leave him alone, it is kind of funny," Rachel told her. "Next time we need to get a table for two so we're not bothered so much."

"Hmm, I guess so," the mother relented. "Maybe we should have him over here to stop the others from coming around."

"I think we're fine," Rachel replied. "Let's just eat and get out of here."

The rest of the meal went by without another incident. I polished off the seafood platter and had some banana ice cream while they had some lobster and skipped the dessert.

"You ladies have a good evening," I told them as I got up.

"You as well, young man," the mother replied for the both of them. "I'm sure we'll see you around this coming week."

"I hope so, I need to verify your daughter's knees," I told her with a grin.

"Don't hold your breath," Rachel said with a frown.

I sighed dramatically before walking away as her mother laughed.

I took a walk along the beach and out on the wooden boardwalk the resort had out into the sea. At the end there was a grass covered gazebo with a bench to sit on and stare out at the waves. I pulled out the pamphlets and perused the activities they had available. I thought jet skiing would be fun as would snorkelling in the lagoon with a guide. I even thought of doing some deep sea fishing but that would take a half day for sure where the first two would be done in one hour increments.

I stayed out there and watched the fantastic sunset and then made my way back to the resort. Once inside, I heard reggae music and followed the sound to a bar where a band was playing. I slipped inside and found a table in the back to sit down at. I ordered a Diet coke and sipped on it while listening to the music and watching some of the guests dance. The women were mostly in short skirts and colourful camisoles or thin blouses and it was a pleasure to watch them strut their stuff.

When the band took a break, I left the bar and went back upstairs to my room. It had been a long day as I had gotten up early in Ann Arbor to make the trip down. I was asleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

I was up at five as usual and, after a quick shower to wake up, dressed in workout clothes and made my way to their exercise room. The equipment was more than adequate for a good workout, including a long run on an elliptical. I had another shower in the dressing room and got into a swimsuit.

I walked out to the pool with a towel from the change room and claimed a lounge chair to put stuff on. The sun was coming up over the trees and had started warming the air. I tested the water and it was nice and warm so I walked in via the shallow end stairs and started swimming some laps. I took it easy for a while and then sped up as I got used to it.

When I was done my laps, a few morning people were just starting to appear out of the resort and either taking a seat at tables in the patio or on some of the loungers. I noticed a few people on their balconies as I dried off and appreciated some of the skimpy outfits some of the women were wearing after getting up from bed.

I went back upstairs and got into a tee shirt and dry swimsuit underneath some shorts before heading back down for breakfast. I found a seat near the pool and ordered an apple juice and a large breakfast which I ate while eyeing the lovely women who were coming out to sun themselves while the temperature was still bearable.

I signed up for snorkelling and for the use of a Jet Ski in the lobby and split them up, deciding on snorkelling in the morning and the Jet Ski in the afternoon. I had an hour to kill so I walked to the beach and lay on a lounger to work on my tan.

At the appropriate time, I threw on my tee shirt and made my way to the activity building, located on the far side of the resort where a small canal led to the sea. There were a few motor boats, Jet Skis, paddle boats and even a small sailboat all tied up along the canal. I moved over to the building that had an awning out in front and found a couple of people manning the front booth.

"Hi, I'm here for a snorkelling session," I told the guy and girl.

"You must be Mike," the guy said.

"Yep," I agreed.

"Are you a decent swimmer?" the girl asked.

"Yes, no issues there," I told her.

"Ok, let's get you some equipment and we'll walk over to the lagoon to start," she told me as she led the way into the building. "I'm Stacey by the way."

"Nice to meet you Stacey," I said as we came to a shelf with some flippers, goggles and snorkels.

"Go ahead and pick out some flippers from the far end, you'll need the biggest size," she directed me. "I'll find some goggles and a snorkel set to fit you."

Eventually she got me outfitted, including a two foot forked rod for protection.

"Once in a while small nurse sharks enter the lagoon and we have to push them away," she explained. "They're not big enough to seriously hurt anyone but we like to keep the guests coming back and a bite out of an arm or leg makes that a harder sell."

Stacey laughed and gave me a big grin after saying that. I was a bit less jolly about the prospect of swimming with sharks but, if she wasn't scared, I wasn't going to chicken out. I followed her along the path to the lagoon where we got out of our clothes. She had a very fit and sexy body, and her swimsuit was a two piece florescent orange bikini that really stood out from her dark skin. She whistled when I took off my shirt and long shorts.

"Someone's been doing a tad too much working out," she said, looking me up and down.

"I play hockey and have to be in good shape," I told her. "You're looking quite fit as well."

"Two reasons for that," she said. "I'm always swimming or diving so I have to be in shape."

"And the other reason?" I asked.

"All the husbands and boyfriends won't want to partake in the activities if we had plain looking instructors now would they?" she asked with a grin. "They don't mind leaving their wives and girlfriends to the hunky guys to instruct them as long as they get to have someone sexy to look at as well."

I laughed at what she said.

"So how often do you have to discourage the men from being too hands on?" I asked with a grin.

"Oh, if I even suspect one of them might be thinking of fresh, I just don't give them a shark prod and then let them know I can't be protecting them from sharks while trying to fend them off," she told me. "If that doesn't work, the shark prod usually keeps them at bay."

"So you don't think I'll be too hands on?" I asked with a grin.

"Once and a while I wouldn't mind a little hands on from a single guy," she responded with her own grin. "But no funny business when we're out there, we need to be alert."

"Don't worry, I'm here to learn how to snorkel and appreciate what's in the sea," I assured her.

"Ok, a few rules to keep you safe," she said. "There are a few things that are dangerous and you need to avoid them. Sea urchins, bristle worms, scorpion fish and stingrays all sit on the seabed and will protect themselves with their needles and spines or tail. Some are venomous and some are just painful. We will slide our feet when we walk out and then start swimming as soon as we can to avoid them. Likewise, avoid the coral reefs, some are fire coral and if you brush up against them, you will have a severe burning sensation. Basically, don't touch anything; just look and appreciate from a distance. Don't collect any souvenirs; I'll get you a couple of things at the end of the swim."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Jellyfish shouldn't be an issue until late summer, but obviously don't go near them," she replied. "Finally, Jamaica has some crocodiles but they congregate at river estuaries so we should be fine. If you see one, get out of the water and keep running."

She handed me a strap-on knife and showed me how to tie it on my leg down by my ankle.

"Just in case," she said.

I was starting to regret choosing this activity as she led the way into the water with our fins on. We were up to our waist in the warm water before we put on our masks and snorkels and started to swim. She had me look down and my regret disappeared. The lagoon was full of life; colourful fish swam through the coral and darted away as we approached. All sorts of rock lobsters without the claws and turtles moved on the floor as well as a couple of eagle rays.

I looked around once and a while and spotted a small shark going after some fish. Stacey would nudge me and point out another type of fish or a stingray now and then.

Finally she tapped me and pointed to the shore. I led the way and we walked out of the water and took off our equipment.

"That was fantastic!" I told her. "Thanks for showing me all of that; it was great to see all of the different varieties of fish and sea life."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it so much," Stacey replied. "Don't forget to fill out the guest satisfaction card so my employers know how I did."

"I certainly will," I told her as we slipped on our clothes.

I helped her get the equipment back to the building and then slipped her a hundred as a tip.

"Now I really regret not taking you to the hut just inland," she said. "We would have had an excellent time together."

I smiled and replied, "You're too much woman for me Stacey and you were still holding the shark prod."

"Come back any time and ask for me and you'll find out just how much woman you can handle," she said with a laugh.

I grinned at her and headed back to the resort's main building, bypassing the pool area and heading directly up to my room. I took a shower and got into another swimsuit before donning a tee shirt and shorts.

I was shown to a table on the patio and had ordered a clubhouse sandwich and fries when a larger group of four couples plus a single woman came in and took up two tables nearby. One of the men came over and asked to use the extra chair from my table and I nodded. I noticed an extra man stationed at the entrance to the resort and another closer to the patio.

The leader of the group was a handsome man in his late forties, with dark hair and greying temples. His partner was much younger, probably in her early thirties and a real looker. The other couples were of varying ages and all good looking and in shape. The single woman was much younger and was probably a daughter or younger sister of one of them. All of them were tanned and wearing expensive clothes, jewellery and watches. They looked Spanish or Latin to me but I wasn't a good judge of cultures.

They ordered nothing but the best; lobster and off season fish were accompanied by the best champagne and preceded by caviar and other delicacies.

The other three couples were pretty boisterous, while the older man was quiet but smiled at their antics. The single woman was also quiet but was almost embarrassed at the noise and disturbance some of them were causing. She was a classic, raven haired Spanish beauty with fine, delicate features and a slim body dressed in a short but elegant dress and heels.

I caught her glancing over at me a few times while I ate my lunch. I think she was trying to place me and just couldn't make the connection. I could tell it was frustrating her and she even had the next youngest woman turn and look at me to see if she knew who I was.

When I finished, I left a tip after signing the bill to my room. I stood up and gave the woman a wink before walking out of the patio and down the path to the beach. I had a couple of hours to kill so I flopped down on a lounge chair after taking off my shirt and watched the waves roll in.

A roving waiter took my drink order and I sipped on a banana-mango concoction while enjoying the sun and the cooling sea breeze. It was peaceful and quiet and I finally could relax and leave the world behind for a couple of days.

My contentment and seclusion lasted about twenty minutes before the Spanish invaded the island again, at least my little piece of the island I was occupying for a couple of hours. The whole group, including the two body guards, as well as two more that I hadn't seen, descended on the beach and took over most of the loungers and small huts and sun gazebos that were on the same side I was on.

Shirts and dresses came off and some of the people went into the water while others lay on the loungers and shouted for service from the wait staff. The young woman and her friend scooped up the two loungers closest to me but I noticed that one of the guards had drifted to stand behind their loungers. I returned the smile they gave me as they sat down, showing off they wonderful bodies in white bikinis. They helped each other with some sun screen before laying on the loungers.

All too soon the rest of the group came back from the water and the noise grew exponentially. The man who I thought was paired with second woman sat down beside her and shouted for a waiter. He then lay on his stomach and turned to the two women.

"Maria, I need sun screen on my back," he demanded.

The younger one beside me turned to him and said sharply, "Rodrigo, Maria is not here to service any of your needs, so I don't want to hear you address her in that manner again."

I looked over to see his face turn red as he fought with his temper. I could tell that he dearly wished to respond angrily but she must have been higher up in the group pecking order as he held his tongue.

"My apologies, Maria could you be a dear and put some sun screen on my back for me please?" he said, trying to turn his angry look into a smile.

"Sure," she replied as she sat up.

I must have been grinning at how the young woman put him in place because he caught a glimpse of it and had to react.

"Did that amuse you?" he asked me.

"Actually it did," I replied. "I'm surprised you didn't burst a blood vessel trying not to yell at them."

"I may have to put up with her insolence but I don't have to do anything of the sort for the likes of a common boy like you," he said as he sat up.

I sat up and stood up as he did. He was a typical Latin man; tall, dark and handsome and in decent shape. I probably had five inches and forty pounds on him so I wasn't worried much about a physical confrontation with him. I snuck a glance at the bodyguard and, while he was watching us, he didn't make a move to intervene.

"Rodrigo, you're not in Spain and the guards will not intervene on your behalf," the woman beside me said to him before turning to me. "Ignore his bluster, this is usually when a guard or his buddies step in to either fight his battles for him or pull him away."

"Bianca, you go too far," Rodrigo told her. "I think it's time someone put you over their knee and taught you a lesson."

Bianca stood up and went off on him in rapid fire Spanish as Maria stood to back her up. I noticed that the guard had moved closer and the others in the group were now paying attention to the argument. The older man got up and walked down to us and listened as the two of them went back and forth for a minute. He asked a question in Spanish and the woman answered, but with a lot less heat to her tone. She gestured to Maria and then to me and the older man glanced over at both of us.

He then asked a question of Rodrigo and he answered with a longer explanation and much waving of his hands as he pointed at me and the women. The older man listened patiently but I could tell he wasn't buying the story he was being told. He finally lost his cool and interrupted Rodrigo and whatever he said made Rodrigo shut up and cool his jets. The older man spoke to him for another minute and then pointed to the resort.

Rodrigo hung his head and gathered up his stuff before heading back to the resort. The older man nodded to the guard who followed him until they were out of sight.

"My apologies young man, Rodrigo's temper has embarrassed me for the last time," he said. "I'm sending him back to Spain and will let his family deal with his arrogance as they are the ones that have spoiled him for far too long. He won't be bothering you or my daughter again."

"No apology necessary, Sir, he obviously is a grown man and responsible for his actions," I responded. "I apologize for stirring up the pot when I should have just ignored him."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't have worked either," he told me. "This was a long time coming but I wanted to give the two of them every opportunity to make things work. Well, it's partially my own fault for raising a daughter to be independent and strong in a still male dominated culture such as ours."

"It's never a bad thing for a woman to be able to stand up for herself," I agreed. "I should leave you alone to get back to your relaxing. I have an appointment with a Jet Ski in half an hour."

I put on my shirt while Bianca and Maria watched.

"I'm sorry for the problems," I said and prepared to walk away.

"We haven't even been introduced yet," Bianca said quickly. "I'm Bianca Castile, my father Alphonso Castile and my friend Maria Consuelo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm Mike Stewart," I replied.

She hit her head with her palm and said, "I knew you were somebody I should know!"

"What's this?" her dad asked, clearly puzzled as the two women looked at each other.

"This is Mike Stewart, he's the guy who saved the British Actress, Emma Watson, from the acid attack a couple months ago," she told him. "He's also a model for Calvin Klein and plays a sport, football or hockey. Remember, it was all over the news?"

"Yes, it was a very brave thing you did there, Mike," Alphonso said. "You seem to have suffered no ill effects from the burns?"

I turned and showed them the scars on the back of the leg.

"They're not too bad and one ones on my butt are hidden," I replied. "I'm finally back to normal after a long recovery."

"You were in a coma for over a week, right?" Maria asked.

"That's correct and in the hospital for two weeks after that," I responded. "But better me than Emma and her mother getting it in the face."

"That was courageous of you," Bianca said. "The media coverage was so intense at the beginning but you never did any interviews afterwards. I heard that you turned down more than one award as well."

"I wasn't brave or courageous, I was just in the right place at the right time," I explained. "I thought it was just paint so it wasn't particularly brave of me. I've always disliked the trend of anyone who's done anything remotely special to make the rounds of all the talk and late night shows so I turned them all down. And since I didn't do anything brave, I wasn't going to accept a medal for it."

I could tell that both Bianca and Maria didn't buy it, just like the other ladies in my life. It looked like Bianca wanted to stomp her foot and tell me what I should do but she held her tongue.

"Well, I must be going, it was nice to meet you," I said. "I'm sure we'll bump into each other again."

"It was our pleasure," Alphonso replied.

I walked back to the resort and dropped off my stuff in my room before heading to the canal where the watercraft were docked. A guy helped me get a life vest on and then showed me how to use the Jet Ski. After a quick walk through a waterproof map, he sent me on my way, cautioning me to go slow until I was out in the sea past the breakwall.

I had a blast. It was so much fun jetting around on it that I didn't want to go back in when my time was up. I made myself a promise to get a couple of them when I finally settled down somewhere. On my walk back to the resort I ran into Rachel, still in a black tee shirt and black jeans.

"Afternoon Rachel," I said. "Did you have a good day today?"

"Hi Mike," she replied. "It wasn't too bad. We went exploring off the resort. How about you?"

"I snorkelled in the morning and just was out on a jet ski," I told her. "It was a blast. You should try it."

"I would but my mom would never go out on one of them," she replied.

"I can go out with you if you like," I told her. "We can go tomorrow morning while your mom enjoys some time at the spa."

She thought about it for a few seconds and then said, "Ok, how about nine if the equipment place is open?"

"I'll check in the resort right now and book two if it is," I replied. "I'll book the first available time if not and let you know either way. What's your room number?"

"I'll just come with you now so you don't have to do all that," she said, falling in beside me.

We walked in silence to the resort.

"You're even less a talker than I am," I noted. "That's rare in a woman from my experience."

"I don't love the sound of my voice and if I don't have anything to say, I don't feel the need to fill up the peace and quiet with mindless chatter," she explained.

I grinned down at her and kept walking until we reached the patio and moved inside. I led the way to the front desk and booked two jet skis for nine tomorrow.

"Ok, task one accomplished," I said.

"You have more than one?" she asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if you would do me the honour of dining with me tonight" I asked her.

"What?!" she asked. "You could have any unattached woman here and you ask me? Are you nuts?"

"Of course not, I'd like to get to know you better," I explained. "So, how about it?"

"I don't think so, I have to have dinner with my mother," she responded.

"I'm sure your mother won't mind if you dined with me," I responded. "Come on, you're the only person here anywhere near my age. I promise not to embarrass myself by eating with my hands or anything. I thought we could have a nice meal in the restaurant, say at six if that gives you enough time to get ready."

"I don't think so," she replied. "I'd rather eat with my mom."

"Ok, I'll eat all alone, looking foolish in a suit and tie while all the other couples make fun of me," I said with a sigh. "You might want to look in and add to the teasing. I'll see you tomorrow at quarter to nine at the equipment shed."

"I'm sure that Spanish woman would love to dine with you," she replied. "You should ask her."

"She's way out of my league," I told her. "Nope, it's you or eat alone again."

"Enjoy your solitude," she said as she walked away.

"You're a cruel woman, Rachel," I said to her back as she left me standing there.

I went upstairs to my room and had a shower before laying down on the bed for a nap. After waking up, I dressed in my suit and tie and headed to the fancier restaurant off the lobby. I was led to a table for two and I ordered a Diet Coke and a shrimp cocktail to start.

"Do you mind if I join you?" a woman asked.

"Rachel, is that you?" I asked as I stood up.

"Surprise," she said. "Is that invitation for dinner still open?"

"Certainly, let me get your chair," I said as I quickly moved to pull it out.

She sat down and I pushed it in before settling into mine. She had transformed herself from a Goth girl to a beautiful young lady in about three hours. Her hair was blonde, like her mothers, her makeup was flawless and she was wearing a white dress that showed off her arms and ended above her knees.

"Rachel, you look utterly stunning," I told her. "And those knees are definitely not knobby."

She blushed but said, "Thanks, my mom and the spa and salon worked on me for the last three hours to get me to look like this. So, you like the look on me?"

"I could tell you were pretty before but now you look beautiful," I assured her. "How do you feel?"

"Different, I haven't worn a dress in a long time, and nothing this revealing either," she admitted. "I guess I look a lot like my mom which isn't a bad thing. She's still beautiful at her age."

"So why the change?" I asked. "I would have enjoyed dining with you as you were."

"It was time to grow up, I guess," she replied. "When a guy that looks like you asks you to dinner and you want to go, you can't look like a silly Goth girl. It was growing very inconvenient and the reason for doing it was old and trivial."

"Well, if you're really ok with it, then I'll admit I like the new outer you," I told her. "Now, let's get you a drink and a table setting."

I waved to the waitress and she took Rachel's order and quickly had her all set up with dishes and cutlery as well as a menu.

"I ordered a shrimp cocktail that you could share or do you want something extra for an appetizer?" I asked.

"No, that will be fine," she answered.

I let her peruse the menu as did I and it took us a couple of minutes to choose what we were going to have. I decided on king crab while she opted for some lobster.

"I'm glad you joined me this evening," I told her. "You certainly surprised me."

"I surprised myself actually," she admitted. "When I heard you give your name as Mike Stewart, I recognized who you were. You didn't act like a hot shot jock or stuck up super model and you didn't try and use your celebrity to pick up that Spanish woman or me. I figured you were interested in me as a person, not for my looks. That impressed me and I thought maybe it was time to see what this whole boy-girl thing is all about."

"Good for you and for me," I responded. "I'm very happy that you took the risk and had the courage to change. I hope that I meet your expectations and live up to your high opinion of me."

"We'll see," she said with a grin. "I'm hoping that there is something behind the public persona."

"I don't even know what the public persona is so you'll just have to settle for boring old me," I replied. "My schedule is so full I don't have time to do much else but study and practice. I fit these photo shoots on school holidays or the weeks between semesters. Today was the first day of fun I've had in a long while."

"Well, you're not painting a very good picture of yourself, now are you?" she asked. "I guess we'll have to see what we can do to inject a social life into the mix."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. "First of all, I need to know all about you, where you live, go to school, what you study, all your hobbies, likes, dislikes, everything."

She told me that they lived in Chicago in a condo downtown. He mother ran her own investment company and did it very well. She was finishing up her senior year at a private high school and accepted a scholarship at Northwestern University at their prestigious Kellogg school of business in the fall.

"So, smart and beautiful," I remarked. "A combination I like the best. So are you eighteen already?"

"I turn eighteen Tuesday, actually," she replied.

"That's good, maybe we can celebrate with a meal and a cake," I suggested, "unless your mother and you have plans already?"

"I'm sure she won't mind you tagging along," she said dryly. "Right now, she thinks you walk on water for getting me to change."

"I didn't have anything to do with it; it was all you," I corrected her.

Our soups came out and we ate in a comfortable silence for a while.

"So tell me about what you like to do, any hobbies or sports?" I asked.

"I play the stock market," she said. "My mother handles the transactions but she lets me make the choices."

"And how are you doing?" I asked.

"Very well," she replied. "I've made a few mistakes but nothing serious. I have my own nest egg built up now and I'm going to keep at it while going to college."

"That's good, I'll have to get you to check out my investments that a firm in Canada is handling," I told her.

"Sure, I'd like to see the differences based on location," she agreed.

"So anything else for fun?" I asked.

"Mom and I work out together and I fence for the school team," she told me.

"Fence, what's that?" I asked. "See who can build a length of fence in the shortest amount of time?"

"No silly, we fight with thin, pointed rods of steel to see who can touch the other's body with the point first," she said, shaking her head.

"They still do that?" I asked.

"Only at the more discriminating schools," she said haughtily. "I like it because I can take out my frustrations on the other girls who belittle people. I'm very good at it."

"Good for you," I replied. "I wish I could go back and straighten out a few people now that I've grown six inches and added forty pounds."

"It's surprising on how many people don't enjoy looking back on their high school years, ' she stated. "I can't wait to get out of there."

Our salads came out next and we enjoyed them as we continued to talk. Soon after we were finished, our main courses came out. We shared forkfuls of crab and lobster with each other and it was nice to see her eat all of her food.

"I'm on the go so much and I have a high metabolism so I don't have to worry about getting fat," she explained when I teased her. "My mom is the same way so it looks like I won't have to worry for a while."

"That's good because I like to eat," I told her.

We finished up and I left a big tip for the waitress before we left the restaurant.

"How about a walk along the beach to work off our meal," I asked.

"Sure, but let's change into comfortable clothes and shoes," she suggested.

I walked her to her room and then raced to mine. I put on some shorts and a golf shirt and slipped into some sandals before heading back down to her room. She opened the door and slipped out right away. She had on a silver camisole and some snug white shorts along with a pair of sandals.

"Wow Rachel, I love the outfit," I told her. "Fencing does a body good."

She blushed but smiled at my compliment. We walked out the lobby and down the path to the beach. She decided that we would head to the left, away from the equipment area. On the way we picked up a couple pieces of driftwood to use as walking sticks.

We reached the end of the beach reserved for the resort but she wanted to show me a cove she had found on one of her walks so we walked a bit further. Five minutes later she led me to a secluded and beautiful cove, free of any human development. The trees encroached on the beach and the birds were freely walking along trying to catch the plentiful fish that used the cove for shelter from the sea. It was an idyllic setting.

"This is wonderful," I told her. "It's so peaceful and unspoiled."

"I know; it's the perfect place for some solitude," she agreed, "or romance with someone special."

She led me to an outcropping of rocks and we sat down, laying the walking sticks beside us.

"I'm new at this so you're going to have to take the lead," she told me. "I'd like to learn though and I thought you might like to show me how some things are done."

"Sure, we start by holding hands," I said as I reached for hers. "Then we sit here and enjoy the scenery for a bit as our palms get sweaty."

"You're a goofball," she said.

"I'm simply going by the geek's handbook of first dates," I told her. "After an appropriate amount of time, the girl gets tired and puts her head on the guy's shoulder and then the old yawn and put the arm around the girl trick is used."

"When is the first kiss in the sequence of events?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh, that's usually on the second or third date, an awkward one when you drop off the girl at the front door," I told her.

She leaned in and planted one on my lips. I kissed her back and slipped an arm around her to hold her tight. Her bare shoulder felt soft as silk on the outside but firm and muscular underneath.

She broke off the kiss and said, "Anyone tell you that you talk too much?"

"No, you're the first," I said, before kissing her again.

I felt her hand on my chest and I slipped my hand down her back as we opened our mouths and deepened the kiss.

"Well, isn't this a fine sight," a deep Jamaican voice said.

I quickly broke off the kiss and looked to find four men lined up nearby on the bench.

"Now she's a beauty," the leader said when he caught a better look at Rachel. "It looks like we didn't get the worst of the two tasks after all."

"And what would be those tasks?" I asked as Rachel and I quickly stood, using the walking sticks to help us up.

"Someone doesn't like you, big man," he said. "He wants you hurting big time."

"And who would this someone be?" I inquired.

"Some Spanish dude," he told me. "I don't know what you and the Spanish women did to piss him off but he's paying some huge coin to take care of you and them. So I'm afraid your romantic evening is over. We'll be taking care of that for you."

"I supposed to warn you that I'm trained in martial arts so you should leave before you all get hurt," I told them, knowing full well they wouldn't. "We won't tell a soul about this if you do."

"Sorry man, the money's exchanged hands already," he said. "It's time to mark up that pretty face of yours."

The pulled out knives, bats and steel bars from behind their backs and walked slowly towards us.

"Ok, Rachel, stick behind me," I told her as I stepped down from the rocks to get on firm ground.

After that it was a confusing blur as I brought up the stick and tapped the knife out of the leader's hand and then used the same end to poke him in the stomach, putting him down to his knees gasping for air. I had learned to keep an eye out for other attackers so I had time to duck a swing of a rod from the second man to reach me. I used the stick to sweep the legs out from under him as he was off balance and then gave him a quick kick in the head while blocking the bat of the third man. The stick broke in half and I used the piece I had left like a tonfa along my right forearm to block another swing while using my left hand to lay him out with a punch to the jaw, feeling it break under my fist. I swung around to find the fourth man on the ground grabbing his throat with Rachel standing over him with her stick pointing at his face.

"Well, I see the fencing has paid off handsomely," I said to her, relieved that she was all right.

"As has your martial arts training," she replied with a grin. "Are you ok?"

I nodded as I looked around to see that the second and third men were out while the leader was still trying to grab his breath. I walked over to him and pushed him on his back and squatted down beside him.

"Now, you're going to tell me who it was that paid for this and was the other task in regards to the with the Spanish women?" I asked as I put a knee on his arm.

"Not going to happen," he gasped out, even as I put my weight on it.

Oh, I think you'll talk and very soon if you want to keep the family jewels intact," I told him. "Rachel, grab that knife over there please."

She found the knife and brought it over.

"These men were going to do some very nasty things to you and me," I told her. "Why don't you go back to the resort while I use my powers of persuasion to find out what they have planned?"

"No, I have a better idea," she said as she squatted down and rammed the knife between his legs, coming oh so close to his equipment. "The next one goes up two inches you asshole."

She pulled it out of the ground raised it to strike and I quickly said to him, "Never bet against a pissed off woman, especially when you were going to rape her."

"Ok, ok!" he shouted. "Four guys were supposed to get the two Spanish women when they went out for their evening walk. They were to pull them into the woods off the beach at the lagoon and make sure that they weren't virgins anywhere and then dump them back near the resort."

"When?" I asked.

"Any time now," he said.

I slammed a fist into his jaw and he was out like a light.

"You don't happen to have your phone on you?" I said as I stood up.

"And where would I be hiding it?" she asked, showing me her cute derriere.

"Remind me to search you later on just to be sure," I told her. "Let's get back before it's too late."

The fourth man was starting to get up and I put him out with a kick to the side of the head before we took off down the beach, first taking off our sandals. Rachel kept up to me, proving she was in excellent shape and that I wasn't a particularly fast runner. It took only a couple of minutes to get back to the resort.

"You go in and tell them about what happened and see if the girls left," I told her as we came to the path. "Their names are Bianca Castile and Maria Consuelo. Bianca's dad is Alphonso and he should be warned what Rodrigo has done. I'll go see if they're already gone ahead."

"Ok, be careful and grab something to help on the way," she told me before she veered off.

I put a burst of speed on and rushed through the resort path and over the canal bridge to the equipment area. I looked around the building as I ran by but didn't see anything left out, so I continued over to the lagoon. I was watching the woods and saw the path leading inland and slowed up a bit to keep the noise down as I turned into the woods. A couple hundred yards in I found a clearing with a hut in the middle. There was a light coming from the window as it was getting dark, so I snuck a peek inside.

There were four Jamaican men holding Bianca and Maria as they struggled to get loose. Surprisingly, Rodrigo was also there and pawing at Bianca's bare chest, her shirt in shreds. I scouted the situation and saw that the four men had their backs to the door so I should be able to do a lot of damage before they knew I was there.

I looked around and found a couple of heavy sticks in a pile at the back of the hut. Moving around to the front, I checked the door to find it unlocked. I had one last look through the window to make sure nothing had changed, and after taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open and rushed inside.

A quick hit to the back of the head of the two holding Bianca and those two were down before they knew what hit them. I whirled to see the other two coming at me, one high and one low to tackle me to the ground. I raised my leg and kneed the one coming in low and made heavy contact to his face. The second one got a face full of the remnants of the stick that didn't break when I hit the first two.

The three of us went down with a huge crash and I wrestled with the one I poked in the face while the other one was dead weight on my legs. I grabbed the one in a headlock and really reefed down on his neck while pushing the other guy off my legs.

"Watch out Mike!" Bianca screamed.

I looked up to see the Rodrigo coming at me with a knife in his hand. I waited until he was close and kicked at the side of his knee, dropping him to the ground with a scream. I elbowed him in the back of the head after he hit the ground and the scream shut off instantly. The guy I had in a headlock went limp and I saw he was turning blue so I let him go as well.

I got up to my feet and made sure all five of them were out for the count. Only then I turned to the women who were looking at me in shock.

"You two ok?" I asked.

"A little worse for wear but nothing major," Bianca said, trying to cover up her bare chest.

I took off my shirt and passed it over to her and said, "While I appreciate the view, you should probably cover up before you dad and the others get here."

"You're both chivalrous and a hero," she said with a smile as she slipped it on. "How did you know we were here?"

I explained about the other four attacking Rachel and me.

"We should get back to the resort before they send an army to find you," I told them.

"What about these assholes?" Maria asked, kicking Rodrigo in the ribs.

"They won't be going anywhere for a bit," I told them. "It will be the hospital for all of them and then jail."

We took the kerosene lamp and started back up the path. We met a group of men running down the beach with Bianca's dad and the rest of the men from their group just behind.

We sent a few of the security team to go gather up the men in the hut while the Spanish group's men escorted us back. Rachel and her mother were waiting on the patio with Bianca's stepmom and the rest of the women of the group. There were hugs all around before we moved into a conference room the resort opened up for us. Someone found Bianca a shirt and I put mine back on, much to the disappointment of the three young ladies.

Rachel let me know that the resort had sent men to the cove to bring back the other four men. She sat down beside me with her mother on her other side of her. Bianca and Maria sat on my other side and the rest of their group crowded around to hear our story. Rachel and I told our story at the cove and then Bianca and Maria explained what happened to them.

Mr. Castillo came over to me and I stood up as he shook my hand and said, "Mike, what you did tonight was unbelievable. A simple thank you is certainly not nearly enough to express my gratitude for what you did for my family. We owe you so much more but for now just know that you will be amply rewarded for all that you have done."

"A simple thank you is all that I need," I told him. "Remember Rodrigo sent them after me at the cove probably because of what I said to him earlier today. I'm sorry that my words brought this on."

"Nonsense, if anything it was what I did that made him go insane," Mr. Castillo replied. "Neither of us is to blame for this; Rodrigo stepped way over the line and the blame is all on him."

He moved over to Rachel and said, "I'm most sorry that you were involved, young lady. Your actions tonight helping Mike at the cove and coming to the rescue of my daughter and her friend will never be forgotten by my family. You also have my heartfelt thanks."

"You're welcome Mr. Castile, but I'm afraid I did little to help your daughter," Rachel replied.

"Nonsense, you helped me by taking out the fourth guy," I told her. "Without that, we could be still lying out there and there would have been no rescue. You were fantastic and don't ever think differently."

She gave me a big smile and her mother hugged her tight.

Hotel management and the head of security came in and the whole story was told to them again. We had to do it again for the local constables a half an hour later and, when they wanted us to come down to their station, Mr. Castillo showed just how powerful he was by refusing to let us go tonight. He insisted that the interview would be held in the morning, here at the resort.

Finally we were done with all the questions and everyone left the room except the parents.

"Ok, I'm going to get my lawyers here for tomorrow's questioning, so don't answer anymore questions until they do," Mr. Castillo told us. "The hotel manager told me that some of the men are hurt badly and the local authorities might try something to protect the local men. I'm going to get the Spanish consulate involved and inform both the Canadian and British authorities since Mike is a Canadian citizen. I want the four of you to get a good night's sleep while I handle this. I promise it won't be a bother."

"What are you going to do about Rodrigo?" Bianca said. "He planned all of this and he had his hands on me and was going to rape me and then let those other men do unspeakable things to us."

"He will be charged for all of his crimes here in Jamaica," Mr. Castile told his daughter. "I will be speaking to his family about what their son has done and what he wanted to do to you. Believe me daughter, they will pay for their son's actions as will Rodrigo. A Spanish man in a Jamaican prison will not be treated well. He'll be lucky to survive to the first hearing. They tell me his knee is destroyed and his face is a ruin so he is already paying for his actions."

"I will defer to your wisdom on this matter Father, but remember that all of the women in this room should not have to fear that there will be any further retribution from him or his family or from the local men and their families," Bianca told him. "The same goes for Mike of course."

"I see your point Bianca," Mr. Castile replied. "I will make sure the authorities here will handle the locals while I will take additional steps to make sure his family in Spain does not pursue things further. Now, it's late and I have much to do. Let's get you girls to your rooms and we will meet at eight on the patio for breakfast and we'll have a plan in place."

Bianca and Maria gave both Rachel and I hugs and kisses before they left with her parents. I escorted Rachel and her mom to her room and got a hug and kiss from both of them before they went inside.

I made my way to my room and had a quick shower. My hands were skinned from the punches but luckily nothing else was damaged. I was going to make sure that Sensei and Asuka were amply rewarded somehow, even though I knew they wouldn't take money from me. I would have to think of a way around that fact and find a way to show my appreciation.

I lay in bed for a while thinking about my life and why I seemed to get involved in so many dangerous situations. I seemed to meet women that other men desired or felt so strongly about that they would do anything to possess them one way or another.

I never set out to be heroic or to try and draw attention to me. I was glad to help people and particularly beautiful women, but I knew that I had been pushing my luck tonight. One of these times I wasn't going to survive, luck and skill only went so far. Hopefully, I could settle down with someone and keep from getting into the situations in the first place.

It took a while to fall asleep and my dreams were violent.

Sunday morning I was up at my usual time and did a workout and swim before showering and joining everyone on the patio at eight. I dressed in slacks and a good shirt and shoes and was pleased to see the girls all in elegant dresses without a hint of any extra sexiness I knew they all possessed. There were a few extra people gathered around and Mr. Castile took control from the beginning.

"Everyone, let's get started, the constables will be here at nine," Mr. Castile said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I am Alphonso Castile; this is my wife Sophia and my daughter Bianca. Bianca and her friend, Maria Consuelo, were attacked by Rodrigo Perez, a man that was rejected by my daughter and who I thought I had sent back to Spain earlier in the day. Mr. Mike Stewart here, along with his date for the evening, Miss Rachel Daley, were also attacked at the other side of the resort due to the same verbal incident that forced me to send Rodrigo home."

Mr. Castile paused for a second and then continued, "Rodrigo Perez hired eight local men to help him attack these four young people, four men for Mike and four to help him rape my daughter and her friend. Mike, with the help of Rachel, managed to defeat the four at the cove, and then the two of them raced back to the resort. Rachel raised the alarm at the resort while Mike ran onward to the lagoon and the hut in the woods. There he saw the four Jamaican men holding the two women while Rodrigo was molesting my daughter, nude to the waist. Mike attacked and defeated all five men, rendering them unconscious. He graciously gave up his shirt to cover Bianca and was escorting them back to the resort when we met up with them."

He looked around at everyone and said, "I know it sounds like a plot out of a movie, but the girls are the ones who have told the story while Mike tried to downplay it. Nevertheless, the men were all recovered from the two sites and were taken to hospital where they are under guard as they receive treatment. Why we are all here is that the local authorities will be here at nine to question these four and we think that they have ties to the Jamaican men that participated in the attacks. The resort security men found large amounts of money, in new bills and we have the serial numbers written down and a bill from each of the men in our possession in case something happens to the rest of it. I have invited several people to help these four get through this without any issues."

"This is Senor Martinez from the Spanish consulate in Kingston, Mr. Middleton from the Canadian consulate and Miss Harris from the British Embassy," he made the introductions of the three that were in one group.

The four of us nodded to them and received nods and smiles in reply.

"Over here are some of my legal team that I could scrounge up on short notice," Mr. Castile said with a grin. "Mr. Potts represents my companies in the Caribbean, Mr. Chase handles some of my legal issues in the States and Mr. Lopez works for our Mexican branch. Finally, Mr. Saunders handles some of my security matters and is handling the local investigation."

We exchanged nods with the men.

"Ok, I'm going to turn things over to the two groups that have more experience with these situations and they can work out how to approach the situation," Mr. Castile finished up.

The legal team assured us that everything should be cut and dry, a clear case of self defence and advised us to just tell the truth. The embassy and consulate reps let everyone know that the ambassadors had called their government contacts and the regional and national authorities were in the loop. Representatives of the police and government should be here for nine as Mr. Castile did have a lot of pull.

The Canadian and British reps came over to talk to me while the Spanish rep obviously talked to the Castile family.

"Mr. Stewart, the ambassadors have passed this back to the governments of both our countries," Mr. Middleton told me. "Rest assured that as part of the Commonwealth, we have sufficient pull to make sure that you're treated fairly and with respect. We have been instructed to pass on messages of support and that you have the full backing of the Prime Ministers of both countries."

"Thank you for that, we can use all the help we can get," I replied. "I had to unfortunately use my training to defend myself and the men were hurt in the process."

"You did what you had to do to protect yourself and the women," Miss Harris stated in her lovely accent. "The Governor General has been informed and will be here to intervene and to ensure that the rest of your stay here is uneventful."

"That's certainly good news," I stated.

Her eyes shifted quickly to Mr. Castile and back to me.

"Your actions yesterday will have far reaching consequences for all of our countries," Miss Harris stated quietly.

"I'm glad I was able to be there in time," I said.

"Mike, here's a card with a special number on it," Mr. Middleton said. "If you need anything from us, here or anywhere else in the world, give that number a call and we will do everything in our power to provide assistance, no questions asked."

"Thank you Mr. Middleton, I hope to never need it but it is a great comfort to have it in my wallet," I told him.

Miss Harris handed me a card as well. "This card has my personal number as well as a number similar to Mr. Middleton's. Call me anytime, day or night while you're here. I'm to render any assistance you may require."

"Thanks Miss Harris, I appreciate you help in this matter," I told her.

"Mike, the Governor General will want to speak to you after things settle down," she added. "There are issues arising from the attack that he wishes to speak to you about."

"I'm certainly available to meet with him," I told her.

"That is good news," she replied. "Shall we get back to the others?"

We rejoined the group and received interested looks to see how things went. Miss Harris informed everyone that the Governor General would be intervening in the case so things should not get out of hand.

We were served a continental breakfast to tide us over until things were done. Right at nine four local constables were escorted in by hotel management along with several others in uniforms or suits. The senior constable spoke up.

"We have taken the liberty to type up your statements that you have provided last night," he stated. "Please read them over and if they are correct, then sign them and your involvement in the matter is finished. The transgressors will all be charged with many offences and in the unlikely event that you are needed to testify, we will arrange for video conferencing from wherever you are at the time. They have already confessed to the crimes so the odds are that you will not be needed. We regret that you had to endure this in our town and that the constables last night placed any undue extra stress on you. We find your actions purely self defence and the matter is closed."

We read the statements and they were an accurate statement of what occurred. We nodded to each other and had the lawyers look them over quickly. They agreed and let us sign the documents. We received a copy of them and the local constables left along with the rest of the uniformed men.

One of the men in suits came forward and spoke.

"My name is Mr. Truman and I am the Governor General of Jamaica, representing the Queen of Jamaica in all matters," he said. "On behalf of her Majesty, the Jamaican government and its people, we extend our sincere apologies that this happened to you fine young people in our country. We have taken steps to ensure your safety for the rest of your visit and we will of course pick up the tab for all of your expenses while here. This is not a usual occurrence in our country and we wish you to experience some of the good that we offer to counterbalance the negative."

"Mr. Truman, you have my thanks for resolving the issue for these youngsters," Mr. Castile said. "It would have compounded the trauma that they already ready had to deal with last night."

"Duque de Castile, please let me extend my personal apology to you and to the Marquesa de Leon for having to go through this in our country," the Governor General said while bowing to him.

"Governor General, the situation was started by a countryman of ours, so the fault is not only of the men from Jamaica," he said, returning the bow.

"I do thank you for making this morning's activities painless," Bianca said after she stood up and curtsied. "Mike and Rachel definitely didn't have to go through any additional difficulties for saving us."

"My sincere apologies for what transpired last night Marquesa, we will ensure your safety from now on," he bowed back.

"It appears we're not in Kansa anymore, Toto," I said to Rachel in a not so quiet whisper.

Mr. Truman and Mr. Castile smiled at my remark and Bianca gave me a grin as well.

"Mr. Stewart, you have saved the only daughter of the Duke of Castile, who is also the Marchioness of Leon in her own right and heir apparent to the Dukedom of Castile in Spain," Mr. Truman informed me. "The Duke has far ranging business interests in many countries, including this one. You have done everyone a great service with your heroic deeds."

"I'm glad we were in time to save Bianca and Maria," I said. "Rachel deserves just as much credit for helping save me and the ladies. We would have done it for anyone."

"We try not to use the titles in everyday life or we would do nothing but bow and be exceedingly polite to each other," Mr. Castile told us with a grin. "I thank you as a father first and foremost and my Bianca and Maria thank you as young women. Mr. Truman and I have to act a certain way officially."

I nodded and kept quiet.

"Before we have a talk, could I speak to Mike for a moment?" the Governor General asked.

"Sure," I said, getting up.

We walked over to another table and sat down.

"Mike, what you did last night has far reaching consequences, beyond saving the two women," Mr. Truman told me. "The government and the Royal family are both very thankful for what you did."

"I'm just glad to have saved the Marchioness," I told him. "I appreciate their thanks but I really didn't do it for them."

"Nevertheless, they will be in touch shortly," he told me. "Keep your phone handy, Miss Harris will be in contact depending on how my talk goes with the Duke."

"I'll be here all week on the shoot," I told him.

"Don't count on it, Miss Harris will be talking with Miss Dunn and it might be shortened," he informed me. "You'll find out soon."

We rejoined the others and the Duke suggested, "Why don't the four of you head into the restaurant and have a proper breakfast while we finish up here?"

"Certainly Father," Bianca said before turning to the group. "Governor General, Gentlemen and Ladies, on behalf of the four of us, I extend my heartfelt thanks for all of your assistance in this matter."

Bianca curtsied to them, got bows from everyone and then motioned for us to get up and follow her. She led the way into the restaurant and asked for a table for four for breakfast and waited until we were seated before explaining.

"I'm sorry for not explaining earlier, but like my father said, we try not to use the titles when we're on business or on vacation," she started. "Everyone acts differently when they know so it's just easier to leave them behind. We wanted you to be comfortable around us and act normally. You two saved us and we're the ones who are in debt to you so there is no need for you to call us anything but Bianca and Maria."

Rachel responded by asking, "So do you have a title, Maria?"

"I'm the Lady Maria de Palencia, a nearby city close to Leon," Maria admitted. "I'm the second daughter of the Vizconde de Palencia, so I am not the heir apparent to the Viscounty. Bianca and I are friends and I help her out with some of her royal duties."

"Cool," Rachel said, clearly not intimidated by their titles. "So tell me about the guy who did all this, I thought he was part of your group?"

"He was," Bianca admitted. "His father is a nobleman in Spain and he was the heir apparent to his father. His family and my father thought we might be a good match but Rodrigo was arrogant, a womanizer and he spent money his parents no longer had. I refused to have anything to do with him and when he finally had screwed up enough, my father sent him home. Only he didn't get on the plane and decided that, if he couldn't have me the honest way, then he wanted to make sure one else would have me first."

"What an ass," Rachel said.

Both Bianca and Maria laughed at the younger girl's statement.

"Yes, and now his family will pay for his actions," Bianca stated. "My father will need to ensure that they do not try anything and that they pay restitution. They can't afford much so they may have to sell their lands and title, or more likely cede them over to my father."

"That seems harsh for having nothing to do with what Rodrigo did," I commented.

"They are lucky my father is an honourable man, and that I would not allow it or their daughters would be subject to the same fate that we three almost had," Bianca stated hotly. "A daughter's virginity is still the closest guarded asset of a noble family in Spain. A hundred years ago, their entire house would have been killed and the daughters brought to our house and made slaves for what they let happen. It is the family's responsibility to teach and control their descendents. They have let him run wild like a wild dog among the girls and women of Spain too long."

I kept quiet as did Rachel.

"Sorry, I overreacted," Bianca apologized. "I'm a bit too hot-headed, especially since I couldn't take care of him myself."

The waitress took our orders and we kept things light for the rest of the meal.

"Ok, we owe you two so much, so we want to spoil you rotten for the rest of the week," Bianca told us.

"No need to do that for me, but Rachel here needs a new wardrobe since she's just given up the Goth," I told them. "A shopping trip would be in order and I'll make sure the Calvin Klein store in Kingston puts it on my tab."

"Nonsense, we'll be taking care of her by ourselves," Maria insisted.

"Wait a minute, don't I get a say in this?" Rachel asked.

The three of us all said, "No!" at the same time.

"Well, I could use some new outfits," she stated with a grin.

"Good, now we should bring your mom along and spoil her a bit as well," Bianca stated.

"Maybe, she might not want to butt in," Rachel said. "What about your mom?"

"She's my step-mom actually," Bianca replied. "We can ask her as well."

We stood up and I got hugs from all three of them before they left the restaurant and went out to the patio. I saw them get Rachel's mother in a conversation that Mrs. Castile joined soon after.

Mr. Truman and Mr. Castile were sitting at another table with a man from the Duke's party and one from the Governor General's party. The discussion looked serious, with the neither side looking particularly happy.

I left the patio and went back to my room and got into a swimsuit and then covered up with shorts and a tee shirt. I made sure to have my phone and my cardkey before heading back down.

The patio was empty when I walked past on the way to the beach. I parked myself on a lounger and tried to put the whole affair behind me. I got a couple of drinks from the waiter when he came by and watched the waves roll in. It was getting close to noon when my phone rang.

"Hello? I asked.

"Where are you?" Katie asked.

"I'm on the beach," I told her. "You here already?"

"Yep, we're in the lobby," she replied. "Can you meet us here please?"

"Sure, give me a minute," I told her as I stood up.

We hung up and I put on my shirt and shorts before walking back to the resort. I found Katie, Trisha, and Barb standing out near the pool.

"Hello ladies, you're looking beautiful as always," I told them.

"So what did you do now?" Barb asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

"I was just relaxing in the sun," I told her.

"Last night?" Katie asked.

"Had a good night's sleep," I answered.

"And before that?" Trisha asked.

"Oh that," I replied. "I saved a couple Spanish ladies while knocking eight of nine guys."

"I see, what happened to the ninth guy?" Barb answered.

"The girl I was with handled him," I said.

"And where are these three ladies?" Trisha asked, looking around.

"The two Spanish ladies took the third lady shopping in Kingston to get her a new wardrobe," I said. "So how did you find out?"

"I got a call from a Miss Harris who informed me that Mr. Stewart will be required sometime this week and could I be a dear and condense my shooting schedule," Katie answered. "Miss Harris works for the Governor General of Jamaica who represents the Queen of Jamaica. The Queen of Jamaica is also the Queen of England. Why does the Queen of England want me to condense my shooting schedule?"

"The two Spanish ladies are actually a Marchioness and a Lady, and the father of the Marchioness is the Duke of Castile, all of Spain," I told them. "They were apparently in the midst of a big deal when the incident occurred."

"And how does that affect my shoot?" she asked.

"The Governor General just said not to count on being here all week," I said with a shrug. "I'm not sure why though."

"Apparently somehow it does because they also called Mr. Carroll and he's instructed me to condense the shoot in case they need to steal you," Katie told me. "So, the three of you will start this afternoon and we'll add the rest of the models as they get here. You three have some lunch and then meet the team out at the lagoon."

She left and I looked at the two of them.

"She's not been in the best of moods since Alexis was sacked," Barb informed me.

"They didn't give her a replacement?" I asked.

"Yes, but the replacement is a guy," Trisha told me. "And since it was your visit that caused the firing, she's none too pleased with you."

"And how did my visit get Alexis fired?" I asked.

"Someone was reviewing the tape from the lobby and recognized you," Trisha informed me. "The brown-noser passed it up the chain and questions were asked. Apparently you don't belittle the talent, especially one that has increases sales by ten percent in one week."

"I didn't mention that to anyone," I told them.

"Oh we know, but the video also had audio and the expression on your face was all Mr. Carroll needed to fire her," Barb said. "Don't feel bad, she was a real bitch to everyone."

"Ok, let's go get some food and then we finally get to model with you," Trisha said.

I led them to the patio for a quick bite to eat. We caught up on what they had been doing since I last saw them. Barb didn't go into many details of the Yakuza issue other than that it got scary a couple of times. The two of them were living in the same apartment now in New York and had done a couple of shoots together.

After we ate, I led the girls over to the lagoon and we saw that they were all set up with make-up and wardrobe tents and with all the equipment for the photo shoot. There wasn't going to be a commercial shot this week, but there would be a video documentary filmed about the shoot. We were quickly rushed into separate tents and hair and makeup personnel got busy.

Next was wardrobe and I was given a bathing suit to try on. It was brief but not a Speedo so I didn't complain. They sprayed some sun screen on and then I was led out to the beach. Trisha and Barb came out in red and green bikinis to start and soon we were posing; singly, in pairs and all three of us.

Suits were changed and they took a bunch more. We got in the water next after they made sure we had shoes on and some of the resort's divers were in the water to ward off rays and sharks. Most of the pictures were with the water at about knee high to make sure the bottoms of the suits were showing.

We finally got a break and I ate some food and drank a couple bottles of water. I walked to the equipment building and used the washroom. When I got back, Katie was having a fit.

"What's the hold-up?" she asked me. "We're ready to go and you're nowhere to be found."

"I had to go to the washroom for a couple of minutes," I told her.

"Times a wasting," she said. "Let's get out there."

"Did she mean that much to you?" I asked. "She didn't seem like a nice person to me or anyone else that knew her."

"She was different when we were alone," Katie said. "And yes, she meant a lot to me."

"You want her back?" I asked.

"It will never happen, I was lucky enough to keep my job," she told me.

"Well I'm not going to put up with your attitude all week," I stated. "Act pleasant around the models and the crew and I'll see what I can do with Mr. Carroll."

"Ok, but it won't be easy," Katie said. "Mr. Carroll sent her away."

"She might not get her job back but at least you two can be together," I told her.

"I'll ditch the attitude," she promised. "But we do need to keep working; there are a ton of shots to do."

"Alright, just get some water and shade for everyone and take a few more breaks or you'll have a mutiny on your hands," I told her.

"Deal," Katie said and led the way out.

We ended up working until sunset, but with more frequent breaks. The Jamaican model, named Shandra, showed up and we took a bunch of pictures with her. We moved on to some active wear and light summer clothes before the light got too dim. A few final silhouettes were taken in bathing suits with the sun setting behind us that turned out quite well when we looked at them.

We called it a night and the three female models walked back with me. The desk manager caught me and gave me my new key card to my suite for the week and told me the resort staff had moved all my clothes and belongings for me. I thanked him and he told me it was on the first floor just down the hall.

"Ok ladies, I'm bushed and Katie wants us out for sunrise that comes up before six," I told them. "I'll see you three in the morning."

All three of them gave me a kiss and a hug before we split up. I loved the new suite; it had two bedrooms and a living room that looked over the secluded pool and hot tub. The bathroom had a shower and tub that would both fit four people. I used the shower to clean up and then slid into the cool sheets. I was asleep a few minutes later.

Monday morning I got up earlier than usual and worked out before joining the models for an early breakfast in the restaurant as it was still dark. Molly, the redhead from England, Sofia, the raven haired beauty from Paris, and Gina, the blonde from California, joined the other three models already here. No one was particularly perky this morning as the time zones really screwed up with their sleep schedules. Everyone had caffeine of one sort or the other and the staff sent the girls off with another cup in plastic mugs while I carried another can of Diet Coke.

The morning was more catalogue shots just to get the standard shots of all the clothes on all of the models. At the first break, I called Mr. Carroll.

"Mr. Carroll, its Mike Stewart," I said when he answered.

"Mike, it's good to hear from you, everything straightened out down there?" he asked.

"Yep, no legal issues at all, the Governor General made sure the locals went by the book," I told him.

"Good, is the shoot is going well?" he asked.

"Quite well, we got a lot done yesterday and the other three models joined us this morning and we're ploughing through the catalogue shots," I replied.

"Very good, with whatever might happen because of that attack Saturday night, I want all of those plus the magazine ads ready to go in next week's publications," he said. "So, what can I do for you this fine morning?"

"Get Alexis back for Katie," I told him. "I don't mean her job back but just let them be together if that's what they want. Katie is doing her job well, but is plainly not herself. She'll work even better knowing Alexis is ok and coming back to her."

"Mike, you're a good guy, but Alexis was poison around here," he told me.

"So don't let her back into the building, just let them be together if that's what makes them happy," I responded. "No one but you and I need to know about it and I'll never tell a soul. You'll make Katie happy and a happy Katie gets more out of everyone."

"Mike, you're too much of a softie," Mr. Carroll said. "Do you want her down there?"

"God no, just have her in New York for when Katie gets back and let them talk on the phone or something," I said.

He laughed and then said, "Ok, it's done. Now get back to work so my stock options keep growing."

"I will, and on that subject, I'm thinking that I'd like my payment in stock options as well for this shoot," I told him. "You just have to put them through my Canadian broker of course."

"Now you're learning," he said. "I'll make sure that it happens on Friday, Mike. You're making the board very rich and I want you to be just as happy as we are. Anything else I can do for you?"

"I think I'm good, Mr. Carroll," I told him. "Thanks for taking my call."

"Mike, you're number two on my speed dial after the Chairman of the board," he told me. "I'll always take your call."

"Have a good day," I told him.

"You too," he said before he hung up.

I walked over to Katie and whispered, "Alexis will be in New York when you get back and should be calling you later."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really, really," I told her. "She doesn't get her job back but I'm sure you make enough for the both of you. Just keep her away from headquarters and from me."

She gave me a hug and a kiss and thanked me profusely.

"Alright already, now quit moping around and get moving," I told her.

"Yes Sir!" she replied before she walked away to get things going again.

I went to follow but caught sight of Rachel, Bianca and Maria and walked over to them.

"You three look gorgeous," I told them.

"And you are looking hot as well," Bianca told me. "We've come to say goodbye, my father insists on going back to Spain."

"So soon?" I asked. "I barely got to know you."

"Its business, I'm afraid," Bianca said with a pout. "We're sorry that we can't spend more time with you. My father and I extend an open invitation for you to visit us in Leon any time. Just give me a call at least a couple of hours in advance so I can get spruced up!"

"I will take you up on that, but I'm not sure when," I told them. "Have a good cruise back. Maria, you two take care of each other."

"We will," Maria said. "Good luck with the photo shoot."

I turned to Rachel and asked, "So are you sticking around?"

"Bianca and her parents have invited my mom and me to go with them on the cruise to Spain," she said. "I hope you don't mind that we accepted?"

"Of course not, I'm glad to see that you're all getting along so well," I told her. "You three have fun and be careful. Are we going to keep in touch?"

"Absolutely," she said. "I plan on visiting you in Ann Arbor and having you over to Chicago."

"Good," I told her.

I got hugs from all three of them.

Bianca said as she hugged me, "We owe you so much, Michael; we are in your debt. Please come visit us soon, we will show you around Spain and treat you like a prince."

"No need to treat me like a prince, just treat me like a friend and I'll be happy," I said. "I'll try to make it as soon as I can."

"We'll be waiting," she said. "My father will be along shortly so stick close."

She went back to the others and they gave me a big smile before leaving. I watched them until they were out of sight and waited a couple of minutes until Mr. Castile came around the corner.

"Michael, so good of you to wait," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear you're leaving so soon, Duke de Castile," I said, giving him a short bow like the Governor General did.

"No need for that Michael, Mr. Castile is more than fine between us," he replied. "For what you have done for us, I should be calling you Mr. Stewart."

"Michael is just fine, Mr. Castile," I told him. "I'm sorry that events have forced you to leave early."

"It's hard to do business with a country where my daughter was attacked," he admitted.

"There are a few bad apples are in any country," I noted. "And Rodrigo did flash a lot of money around."

"All true but for now it's best to put things on hold," he said. "Enough about business. My daughter extended an invitation for you to visit us in Spain and I second it heartily. I insist you come as soon as you can and we'll treat you to a fantastic visit. It's the least we can do for all that you've done for us."

"I will certainly do that as soon as I get an open spot in my schedule," I told him. "I thank you for the invitation."

"Good, we'll have much to discuss when you come, you're now part of the family!" he said. "If only you were of noble birth, you would be a perfect match for Bianca!"

"You think too highly of me, Duke," I said. "Your Bianca is a special lady, much too lofty for me."

"Bianca would snatch you up in a second if she could," he said. "And I would heartily approve if it were possible. But such is life. If you can't be her husband, you can be like a brother to her."

"You honour me greatly by your words Duke," I told him. "Tell my sister that any guy who wants to go out with her goes through me as well as her father."

The Duke laughed and patted me on the back.

"Spoken like a true Spaniard," he said. "I'm not sure if she's going to like having you as a brother; she'll probably never get married!"

"I suppose not," I agreed. "Take care on the trip back and thanks for inviting Rachel and her mom along."

"We'll take good care of them, the girls want to spoil them some more and I agree heartily," he told me. "She is easy to thank and reward, you're a much harder one to handle."

"Rewarding her is enough for me," I replied. "I'm not into anything more. I'll come visit and just your hospitality will be more than enough."

"We'll see," he said. "I must go now. I thank you Michael Stewart for saving the girls and you are to call me if you ever need anything."

"Duke, you are most welcome and I'll see you soon," I said as we shook hands.

He walked away and I got back to the shoot.

With Katie's improved attitude and the girls finally getting energized, the shoot started picking up steam. As we got to know each other better, the sexy shots started happening, first with Trisha and Barb, and then with the others. They all tried to outdo each other when they posed with me and I played along, my hands roaming their bodies as they draped themselves all over me. I knew I was getting to them as they responded in kind.

The shots kept getting hotter as eventually all the girls lost their bikini tops and I had to cover their breasts with my arms or hug them to my chest, their hard nipples assuring me that they were as turned on as I was. They rubbed themselves on my hardening erection and started kissing me as part of the shoot. Trisha and Barb egged on the rest and soon each model got hot and heavy with me as the sun went down behind me.

I moved back a bit in the water when we were done and tried to cool off so my erection would go down.

"Need some help out there?" Molly asked. "I'm sure any of us would be very happy to help with any swelling issues."

They all nodded as I chuckled and replied, "Ladies, that was a fantastic experience, I'm not worthy of any of you. Now if you would put on something so I don't keep staring up your beautiful breasts, I might be able to get out of the water in an hour without scaring the women and children."

They all whipped their hair away from covering up their breasts and stood there in all their glory.

"Ladies, I'm begging you, have pity on a young man," I pleaded. "You're all so gorgeous I'll be here all night."

"Ok girls, let's give Mike a couple of minutes and we can all head back to the resort," Katie said with a grin.

There were giggles as the six moved to their tent. I left the water and went into mine and got dried off and into some shorts and a tee shirt. I joined the girls when I heard them come out and we walked back to the resort. They had a buffet for us in a separate room and the girls all teased me for eating so much.

When we were done, I wished them all a good night and left before they could tease me anymore. I had a quick shower and slipped into bed. I was asleep a few minutes later.

Tuesday morning I worked out and then joined Katie and the other models for the continental breakfast.

"Morning ladies, did everyone sleep well?" I asked.

"No, we were all waiting for you to join us," Molly said with a grin. "You didn't show up in my room."

The rest said acknowledged the same thing.

"Sorry ladies, my head hit the pillow and I was out like a light," I told them. "Besides, how can I choose between you beautiful ladies?"

"I guess we should have handled that amongst ourselves," Barb said. "I'll let you know later how things will go."

"Ah, I'm not going to survive being with all of you," I said. "Let's just keep things professional."

They didn't like the sound of that and moved to another table to talk things over.

"Alexis called and she's waiting for me in my condo," Katie told me. "All thanks to you."

"I'm glad I could help," I said. "Just keep her on a short leash for a bit."

"I should try that, she might like that," Katie said with a chuckle as I shook my head.

Eventually we all had something to eat and then we piled into a van and were driven to the nearby Dunn's River falls, the most famous falls on the island. There, with the help of their tour guides, we were led to various plateaus and everyone got in some shots. We stood on top of the rocks, below the rocks to let the water cascade down on us and at both the bottom and the top of the falls. We had lots of fun and still got tons of great pictures.

Finally we were done and headed back to the resort. It was early enough for us to have dinner on the patio. We were just finishing up when my phone rang and I walked away to answer it.

"Mr. Stewart, Miss Harris here," she said.

"Hello Miss Harris, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm extremely busy, I'm afraid," she informed me. "Are you ready to leave for London?"

"What?" I asked. "Of course not. What makes you think that I would be?"

"No one has been in contact with you?" she asked.

"You're the first," I told her. "What's going on?"

"You're needed in London as soon as possible, that's all I know," she said. "They've sent a jet and it should be here soon."

"There is no way I'm flying to London now; we're only two days into the shoot!" I told her. "If someone wants to talk to me then they can call me. Or come here and we can fit it in on breaks."

"Mr. Stewart, the people we're talking about just don't fly half way around the world at a drop of a hat," Miss Harris informed me.

"I don't either," I said.

"Mr. Carroll knows about it," Miss Harris said.

"He hasn't called me on it and even if he is ok with stopping the shoot, I'm not," I said. "I'm going to talk to Katie and see what we have left to do and how quickly we can finish up. One of us will call you back later."

"Mr. Stewart, the jet will be at the airport, it just can't sit there until you make up your mind," she protested.

"I don't work for you, the Governor General or anyone in England," I told her. "You could have had the slightest bit of courtesy to call me and let me know what was up. Since no one did and I have no idea what is going on, I'll be staying here."

"Keep your phone on, and expect some phone calls," she said.

"It's getting late, I'll be in bed in a couple of hours," I told her before hanging up.

I rejoined the ladies and they were curious but didn't pry. I motioned for Katie to come to another table.

"They have a plane waiting at Kingston to take me to London now," I told her. "I told them no as they didn't inform me. What's left to do for the shoot?"

"Tomorrow we have booked a sailboat for the day and we'll be spending it out on the sea," she said. "The next day is in a suite where we get you and girls in the sexier shots. After that, we were going to do some separate shots of the girls."

"Can we shorten the next two days into one and I leave tomorrow evening if they really pressure me?" I asked.

"I suppose, if we start early and go late," Katie replied. "Don't you think you should just go tonight?"

"I'm not their employee or beholden to them, whoever they are," I said. "If they don't have the courtesy to call and explain what's up then it's their fault."

Her phone rang and she looked at it and said, "It's Mr. Carroll."

She picked it up.

"Yes Mr. Carroll?" she said and then listened.

"He just informed me, he's right beside me," she told him. "They didn't tell any of us what was going on until now. He says he's not going."

She listened and then handed the phone to me.

"Mr. Carroll," I said.

"Mike, I've just been told off by a Miss Harris from Jamaica," he informed me. "I gather that you're just as pissed off at them as I am?"

"They, whoever they are, don't get to just show up and expect me to drop everything for them," I said. "One, I'm working and two, I don't work for them. Katie and I think we can shrink the sailboat and bedroom shoots into one day, tomorrow and then, if I feel like it, I might go. That is if I find out who is asking and why."

"Ok, I'll back you up, we've spent a great deal of money on this shoot to waste the opportunity," he said. "The girls can finish up their portions the rest of the week while you're gone. Keep me in the loop so I know what's up."

"Certainly Mr. Carroll, sorry for the problem," I told him.

"Somehow they had better make sure we're both compensated for their problem," he responded. "Your salary will be half and CK will stand to lose a lot more by not having you in the ads we could have shot."

"I'll mention that to Miss Harris as I'm sure you will as well," I replied. "Good night Mr. Carroll."

"Ok, I stay at least tomorrow," I told Katie. "Get things set up for as early as possible so we're out on the water by sunrise."

"Ok, you and the girls better get to bed now then and no midnight visits," she said as we got up.

We told the ladies what was up and they weren't happy. We all left and headed to our separate bedrooms. My phone rang as I started to get undressed.

"Mr. Stewart, it's Miss Harris again," she said.

"Yes," I replied.

"Did you talk with Mr. Carroll?" she asked.

"Yes, and we've decided I'm sticking around tomorrow," I told her. "We're trying to fit two days of shooting into one. After that, we'll see what happens. I still haven't heard from anyone but you about this. Who wants me there and why? Why should I fly to London without a very good reason?"

"Expect a call in ten minutes," she said before hanging up.

I hopped into the shower and quickly washed off. I was drying off when the phone rang.

"Mr. Stewart, it's Mr. Truman, the Governor General of Jamaica," he said.

"Governor, I hope you can shed some light on why I'm needed and why no one bothered to let me know beforehand?" I asked.

"It has to do with what we talked about on the patio," he said.

"I assumed that but why the need to fly to London?" I asked.

"It's very confidential and secret," he said. "I can't tell you that on the phone."

"I'm not getting on the jet tonight, Governor," I told him. "We're trying to condense two days of shooting into one tomorrow. If someone comes here and convinces me of the importance and need to go, then I'll consider it. I don't know why someone just can't come here and tell me all I need to know rather than have to waste a couple days flying back and forth."

"I'll be there in the morning," he told me.

"We'll be on a sailboat at four thirty in the morning so I suggest you wait until we get back in the early afternoon," I responded. "We'll be shooting the rest of the day and into the evening in a suite. We can talk in between shoots as soon as we hit shore."

"Fine, but please make arrangements to be on the plane that night," he said. "I'm sure that you will agree to go once you know the details."

"That may be, but I'll be leaving six beautiful women behind that are already perturbed that their plans for me are not coming to fruition," I replied. "I'm not feeling very accommodating either."

"I see," he said with a chuckle. "Oh to be young again. I apologize to you and will do so to the ladies tomorrow. We'll have to endeavour to make sure that we make it up to all of you at a later date."

"Good luck with them, just let me know when you're going to do it so I'm out of the line of fire," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow Governor."

"Good night Mr. Stewart," he replied.

It took me a while to fall asleep as I thought about what they wanted from me. I was sure it was about the Duke and whatever deal he had with the Jamaicans. Eventually I fell asleep but my dreams were disturbing.

Wednesday morning I was really dragging as I got up. I had to skip my workout and met the crew and the ladies in the lobby. We took the same van to the nearby marina and boarded a pristine sailboat. We set sail with an accompanying small yacht so some of the other photographers could take pictures as well. As we headed out to sea, Katie hustled us below decks and quickly had us in our summer wear and sent us back up for the first shoot as the dawn was fast approaching.

The morning was busy as we spent it taking pictures with us at various parts of the boat, helping with the rigging, piloting or even diving off the back. The poses got progressively sexier with fewer clothes on the girls. They loved to tease me as they rubbed their bodies all over me for the camera. I had to dive off the boat more than once as I got aroused. We were heading back in around noon when Barb cornered me down in a cabin.

"I need you," she said as she pushed me down. "I've waited for months to get you alone and you're not running away again."

She sat on my lap and gave me a kiss that showed she meant business. I wrapped her up in my arms and kissed her back.

"You sure about this?" I asked as she pulled off my shirt. "We're a thousand miles apart now."

"I know we'll never be together as a couple, but I need you so bad," she replied. "You owe me this at least."

"I know, but this is not how I envisioned our first time to be," I explained.

"I don't care, I just want a first time," she said as she took off her bikini top and pulled my head to her breast.

After a few minutes of me sucking on her breast and nipple, she stood up and pulled down her bikini bottoms and helped me with my swimsuit. She sat back down while holding my erection and made sure the tip was right where she wanted it.

"A condom, Barb," I said.

"Not a chance," she replied. "I'm clean, you're clean and I'm on the pill. I want to feel you cum in me."

Before I could argue, she lifted up and slid down on me. She was wet as anyone I had felt and oh so tight.

"God, that's what I thought it would feel like," she said. "You're so big and it's been so long for me."

"You feel fantastic," I told her as I pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

It didn't take her long for her first orgasm and I just kept going as she shuddered in my lap. When she came down I stood up and turned us around and laid her on the bed.

"Oh yeah, I want to feel you so deep in me," she said as she wrapped her legs around me.

I started thrusting in deep and she started moaning again. I was just getting into my groove when she started cumming again, using a pillow to muffle her shrieks. She collapsed her arms and legs wide and I slowly stopped.

"Michael Stewart, that was fantastic," she said. "I'm never going to forget that."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I told her.

"You didn't cum, did you?" she asked.

"Nope, but that's ok, I thoroughly enjoyed making you happy," I said.

"Maybe I can help with that?" Trisha asked from the doorway.

The cute blonde walked in and hugged me from behind.

"That was so hot, I'm ready to boil over," she said as she caressed me.

"Hi there Trish," I said. "I'm kind of still with Barb here."

"Who do you think told me to show up now?" she whispered in my ear.

I looked down at Barb who was grinning at me.

"I knew I couldn't satisfy you by myself and she wants to make things up to you," she explained.

I pulled out of Barb and Trish turned me around, kneeled down and quickly had me in her mouth.

"Hmmm, two of my favourite tastes of all time," she said with a smile as she looked up at me. "I'm so sorry for lying to you. I'll never, ever to it again. Please don't shut me out of your life."

"It's hard to argue with a beautiful woman when she has me in her mouth," I told her as I caressed her head.

Barb came up behind me and said into my ear, "That was our plan. I love you both and want us to spend time together whenever we can arrange it. Please keep us in your life as you're the only man for us."

"Ok honey, we'll see if we can make thinks work," I said as I thrust a bit deeper into Trish's mouth.

"That's it, make her work for your forgiveness," Barb said with a lick of my ear.

I thrust in and out of Trisha's mouth until her eyes got big and she started to choke. I pulled out and pulled her up to me.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, you're too big for me to take so far in," she said.

"Sorry, I got carried away," I said, holding her by her ass.

"It's ok, I'm yours to do with what you will," she told me. "I was a stupid idiot but I'll never disappoint you again, I promise. I need you so bad. Please Michael, make love to me."

I reached up and took off her bikini top and then slid my hands down inside her bottoms to grab her ass. I squeezed her tight ass and she moaned.

"Take me Michael, any way you want," she said as her hands found my cock and started pumping it.

"Barb, lie down on the bed, I want to watch the two of you together," I commanded.

She let me go and lay spread eagled on the bed with a big grin on her face.

"Ok Trisha, show me how you two make love and I'll join in," I told her.

"Sure Mike, I'll eat her lovely pussy while you take me from behind," Trisha said. "I get the best of both worlds."

She bent over and slowly licked up Barb's leg until she reached the junction. Barb moaned as Trisha licked her pussy while climbing up onto the bed. I reached and pulled Trisha's bikini bottom down her thighs and helped her get it off one leg at a time.

"I still don't have a condom," I told them.

"I haven't been with anyone since you except for Barb," Trisha said. "I'm on the pill so don't worry. Please Michael, I'm so ready for you. Feel me, please."

I reached forward and caressed her world class ass for a bit before slipping my fingers below and running them gently through her smooth lips. She moaned and my fingers came away wet with her juices. I slipped a finger inside while also rubbing her clit and she gasped and stopped her attention to Barb.

"Oh God, you fingers are magic," Trisha said, looking back at me. "I bet you could make me cum in a minute with just them."

"We'll see, but you better get back to Barb or she'll get mad," I told her.

Barb pulled her head down to her pussy while I continued to drive her closer to her release. When I knew she was close I pulled my hand away from her thrusting pussy and stepped back.

Trisha looked back at me in a panic and said, "Michael, I'm so close, please let me cum."

"Finish up Barb and then we'll decide if you deserve to cum." I replied.

Barb was more insistent and pulled her down again. I got right behind Trisha and held her hips tight as I teased her with the head of my erection. One of her hands reached back and tried to pull me in but I lightly slapped her bum and she released me. I rubbed her clit with the head as Barb started moaning louder.

Soon I had Trisha pushing her hips back to get her clit rubbing more on my head, while Barb had grabbed Trisha's head and was bucking her hips up at her. When Barb finally came with a shriek, I slipped inside Trisha to the hilt, causing her to scream into Barb's pussy, further increasing Barb's orgasm.

I started a slow in and out movement but Trisha would have none of that. She pushed herself back while still licking Barb and I soon was thrusting deep and fast into her. I'd like to say that I lasted a long time but with her tight pussy squeezing me as she had an orgasm, I let loose right after. It didn't help that Barb was cumming again as well.

I rested in her for a minute and then pulled out of her and helped her lie beside Barb. They both kissed and hugged as I rested on the bed.

"Now that was something to watch," we heard from the doorway as the other five girls gave us a hand.

The three of us blushed red as we scrambled for the covers.

"How about a bit of privacy?" I asked.

"We thought you should know that we're docked and the Governor General is waiting for you," Molly said with a grin. "Should we send him down now?"

"Shit!" I said. "Stall him for five minutes will you? Tell him how angry you are that he wants me to leave tonight."

"What! Before we get our turn?" Gina said. "Oh, he is going to hear it from me!"

They rushed out and I turned and looked at Barb and Trisha.

"That was something else, you two," I said. "I have a damn good reason to come to New York more often."

"Good and we'll be visiting Ann Arbor as well," Barb said. "We have some ideas on how we can both take care of you at the same time."

"We really want to you to think of us as more than just friends with benefits," Trisha added.

"I don't think of you two like that," I told them. "I care for both of you a lot. I don't sleep with just anyone and I certainly don't think of you as friends with benefits."

"Good, because you're our only man from now on," Trisha stated. "Please don't abandon us. We need you as often as you can make it."

"Ok, we'll work something out," I agreed.

We got up and quickly got dressed. I let them go up the ladder to the main deck. We saw the Governor General surrounded by the others on the dock and he looked a bit flustered.

I helped her off the boat and joined Katie who was watching the spectacle with a grin on her face.

"You should rescue the poor man before he has a heart attack," she said. "We start up in an hour in room 204."

"Ok, I'll see you then," I said, looking at my watch.

We walked to the group and the girls stopped almost on cue.

"Ladies, if you will excuse us, the Governor General and I need to talk," I said. "I'll see you all in an hour.

"Ok, Mike, see you then," Molly said with a friendly voice.

The others all greeted me like pleasant ladies and dragged Trisha and Barb from my arms as they went on to the van.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"Now I know why you're rather upset about leaving," he said wryly. "Let's get into my car and we can talk there in private."

He led me to a limousine and the driver got out and opened the door for us. We climbed in and sat across from each other.

"A drink perhaps?" he asked.

"A bottle of water and a Diet Coke would be fine," I replied.

I gulped down the water and then opened up the pop to sip on.

"This is not to be repeated to anyone," he started. "This gets out before the deal is announced by those in charge and it could all go south in a hurry."

"I have no one to tell or any reason to," I replied.

"Ok, the Duke of Castile is a very powerful man in his country, for several reasons," the Governor said. "He's a Duke which is just below the royal family in terms of nobility. He's a very successful businessman and very popular in his country. What we're interested in is his businesses. We've been negotiating with him for over a year to partner with him on several fronts in many countries. He has interests in mining, energy, manufacturing, real estate, resorts and even retail. The deal is worth billions in every country over several years."

"And now he's broken things off and set sail for home," I responded.

"Yes and thousands of jobs in many of the Commonwealth countries will be lost," he added.

"So you want me to go talk to him and use whatever influence I have with him to get back to the table," I stated.

"I sure that it is going to entail some sort of interaction like that but the powers that be want you in London first," he told me. "Before you ask, I have no idea why other than the fact that the Duke is beholden to you."

"I should just fly to Spain and talk to him direct," I told him.

"That is not how they want to handle it," he said.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"The major power brokers in London," he said. "They'll have someone meet you at the plane and bring you to them."

"So I'm supposed to fly to London without knowing who I'm to meet or where I'm going?" I asked. "You've not given me anything to motivate me to go, Governor General. You did see those girls right?"

"Yes, I can understand your reluctance on various fronts," he answered.

"If I leave tonight, I lose half my payment for this shoot and CK loses untold millions of lost revenue from the missing ads," I told him. "If I do this, the governments have to agree to compensate CK somehow."

"And you too, correct?" he said. "They will want to take care of your lost wages and compensate you for your help."

"We'll talk about that later," I responded. "Is Canada involved in the deal?"

"There is a company in Toronto that will get a big order to supply parts to the Duke's automotive manufacturing facility in Mexico in the deal," he informed me. "There is also a mining deal in the far North for the Duke to offset the extra costs of shipping the parts. There are other secondary deals as time goes on."

"Ok, I'll go if you get the CK compensation assurances worked out so Mr. Carroll is satisfied," I said. "I'll agree to meet with them and I may or may not agree to help. I might agree to help but not using any of their plans. I will need a plane ride back here or to Ann Arbor or Spain. I trust that all expenses are covered by the powers that be. Did I leave anything out?"

"Compensation for your services and lost revenue," he said.

"To be determined," I replied. "You can check with Mr. Carroll on how much I'm losing."

"Ok, I'll have answers for you when you're done," he said. "Miss Harris will be waiting in the lobby at seven to take you to the Kingston Airport. There will be information on the plane for you to study on the deal."

He dropped me back at the resort and I caught up with the girls on the patio. They stopped talking when I came close.

"Ok, what have I done wrong now?" I asked, sitting beside Barb.

"You haven't taken care of the rest of them," Barb said with a grin.

"Yeah, are you going to give the rest of us a shot?" Sofia asked.

"No, I'm afraid I'm leaving in a few hours," I told them.

"NO!" Gina practically shouted. "We were all looking forward to spending time with you. It's not fair."

"I know but it's very important, or I wouldn't leave," I told them all.

I put in a quick order for a burger and fries and ate it with relish while the girls looked on in envy. The others went to get ready and left me with Molly for a few minutes.

"So, you're going to London and the Governor General is involved," she said. "You're going into a hornet's nest without backup. Is there anyone on your side?"

"Not sure," I said.

She took out a pad and wrote down a number.

"Call that number and ask for General Atkinson and tell him I told you to call if you needed help," she said. "He'll look after you if anyone can."

"Thanks Molly, I hope I don't need it but I appreciate you looking after me," I said. "I'm not sure how long I will be there but give me a call when you get back."

"Count on it," she responded. "I want my chance to woo you as well."

We walked inside and found the room for the final shoot. They had a big white bed set up and the rest of the girls were already in makeup and wardrobe. We followed suit and soon the shoot started.

The girls were in all sorts of lingerie and did their best to look like they were making love to me. The pieces got so thin that they had to have me cover them with an arm or my body. Later, they got into some of the artistic poses where the girls were nude and were photos were shot from different angles to capture them with me. All of them rubbed their bodies all over me and the sexual tension showed in the shots.

Finally it was over and we were done. I spent a few minutes with each lady to tell them how much I enjoyed working with them this week. They all insisted on giving me their numbers and contact information and made me promise to keep in touch. Molly reminded me to call the number if I needed and told me she would call me when she got back into town.

Miss Harris showed up right at seven o'clock and Mr. Carroll was called to confirm his satisfaction with the compensation deal. After I was satisfied, I was whisked away to Kingston. At nine o'clock I was walked past security and brought to a private Gulf Stream jet. She bid me adieu and told me a Miss Jones would meet me at Heathrow Airport in London and would be my guide.

I was the only one in the ten passenger jet except for the pilot, co-pilot and Nancy, the beautiful brunette that was the flight attendant. They told me it would be a ten hour non-stop flight and we would be arriving at seven am Eastern Time or noon London Time.

After we were in the air, Nancy showed me to a bedroom in the back and suggested I get some sleep. I told her I wanted to study the material that the Governor General had said was waiting for me. She handed me a file folder that was wrapped with a top secret band and then left me alone in the bedroom.

Breaking the band, I opened up the file and pulled out several small binders and looked them over. Each was labelled for a different industry and I browsed through each. Mining, auto manufacturing, apparel, retail, resort development and management, heavy machinery and construction, real estate and property development all had a binder. A final binder summarized the deal and the figures were extraordinary. The deal looked good from both sides and it was unclear why the Duke would walk away from it so quickly. I could only surmise that he was using the attack as a bargaining chip to have the other side sweeten the deal.

I packed the binders back in the file folder and set it aside. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I slid under the covers and shut out the light. I was asleep a few minutes later.



-------

Chapter 2: London

"Good Morning Mr. Stewart, it's time to get up and get ready," Nancy said, gently waking me up. "We'll be landing in an hour and we have to get you fed and dressed properly."

"Morning Nancy, you look much too beautiful after nine hours of flying," I told her as I sat up.

She was in her short black skirt and white blouse that she had on when I first boarded the plane and looked as fresh as when I saw her then.

"I took the liberty of resting and then changing into a new uniform," she replied with a smile. "So, why don't you use the facilities and then we'll get you fed before we dress you into one of your new suits."

"Alright, give me a few minutes," I told her as I stood up.

I forgot that I was only in my shorts and she gave me a quick once over. She blushed when I gave her a grin.

"Sorry Mr. Stewart, that was unprofessional of me," she said.

"Don't sweat it, you sneak a look, I sneak a look, we're even," I said. "You're gorgeous; I'm surprised the pilots aren't chasing you around the airplane the whole flight."

"Oh, that's a big no-no," she told me. "Fraternizing with the flight attendant gets them shipped to Antarctica."

I grinned at her before shutting the door behind me. I used the toilet and then to gave myself a quick wash. I wet down my bed-head hair and tried to get it to look decent before I went and slipped into some sweats and a tee shirt that Nancy had laid out on the bed.

When I entered the main cabin, the smell of eggs and bacon almost had me salivating. Nancy came in from the attendant's room, separated from the main cabin by a curtain. She was carrying a tray with a plate of food and some apple juice. She set it down on one of the tables between two seats and beckoned me over.

"Sunny side up eggs, bacon only slightly crisp, hash browns, rye toast and apple juice," she explained. "I believe all are to your usual specifications?"

"Very much so, it looks wonderful," I said. "I won't even ask how you knew all of my specifications. There is only one thing missing."

"And what is that, Mr. Stewart?" she asked.

"A plate for you to join me," I told her.

"I don't eat with the VIPs, Mr. Stewart," Nancy said. "Besides, I have too much to do to get you ready. Hopefully your penchant for fast eating hasn't deserted you."

"No problem, I'll be done in a couple of minutes," I replied as I sat down.

She smiled and went back to her station for a couple of minutes while I dug in.

"Is everything to your liking, Mr. Stewart?" she asked when she next appeared.

"It's all very delicious," I told her. "You know you could call me Mike."

"Certainly, Mr. Stewart," she replied with a wink. "I'll get your suit laid out for you now."

She disappeared into the back while I quickly finished up. Five minutes later I joined her in the back and washed up in the bathroom. I found my travel case already in the bathroom, and brushed my teeth and then quickly shaved.

She came in the open door and looked me over.

"Shall we style your hair or leave it as is?" she asked.

I looked in the mirror and saw my usual do.

"Looks ok to me," I said.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Let's get you dressed."

We went out to the bedroom and she told me to get out of my clothes. I waited for her to leave but she just stood there.

"I can dress myself you know," I told her. "I've done it for years now."

"I'm here to help," she stated. "You just spent a week nearly naked with six women. You can't be shy or embarrassed."

"True, but they were nearly naked as well," I retorted as I took off my shirt, giving her a lecherous glance.

I slipped of my sweatpants and put them on the bed.

She looked me up and down and twirled her finger around. I grinned and did a slow three-sixty for her.

"Underwear too, Mr. Stewart, it was a long flight," she instructed.

I dropped my briefs and gave her a raised eyebrow.

Nancy grabbed a pair of black socks and squatted down and had me lift my foot up. I felt her breath on me as she slid first one and then the second sock on. She stood up and I felt her hair brush my cock and it started to rise. She took a new pair of briefs from the bed and squatted down and helped with them, tucking me in.

Nancy then grabbed the suit trousers and held them up for me to step into before holding a white shirt for me to slip on. She insisted on doing the buttons up and then expertly knotted a tie for me and clipped it down with a fancy tie clip. Finally she helped me on with the navy blue suit jacket. Nancy walked around me and picked off bits of fuzz off my suit as she smoothed it down.

"How does it feel?" she asked. "It looks like it fits well."

I moved my arms and it had just the right amount of play to let me move without feeling restricted.

"It feels good actually," I told her.

I walked to the door and looked in the mirror. I looked pretty good, mature and sophisticated.

"You're hired," I told her. "I need you to dress me for all my events."

"I'm glad you're satisfied," she said with a smile.

She asked me to go sit in the main cabin and buckle in as we would be landing shortly. I looked out the window to find we were already over London and coming in to land. Nancy walked through the main cabin and did some straightening up at her station and then used the intercom before sitting down in a seat by the door. She gave me a smile after she buckled her seatbelt and not a minute later the plane touched down with a gentle touch. We stayed seated as we taxied to a private hanger, not stopping and starting as you usually did on the way to a terminal.

"That was a quick trip across the airport," I commented as she indicated we could unbuckle.

"You're in a very special plane, Mr. Stewart," she said as she opened the cabin door.

"Good luck this week," she said.

"Thanks Nancy, for everything," I replied before heading down the steps, carrying only the file folder of binders.

At the bottom of the steps a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a sharp business suit, stood waiting for me.

"Mr. Stewart, I am Miss Jones, I'll be your guide and coordinator this week," the black haired woman said. "If you would follow me please, we'll be on our way."

I nodded and the fell in beside her. She led me to a Rolls Royce limousine with tinted windows and a chauffeur standing by to open the back doors.

"After you, Miss Jones," I said.

"Thank you, Mr. Stewart," she replied.

I ducked my head and got in after her and took the seat opposite her. The chauffeur closed the door and then walked around to get in. Without any direction from Miss Jones, he drove off through the nearby security gate, not stopping at the guard station.

"How was the flight from Jamaica, Mr Stewart?" Miss Jones asked.

"I spent most of it sleeping so it was good," I told her. "I just had time to have some excellent breakfast before we landed. I highly commend the crew; I was well taken care of."

"Excellent, I'll pass on your remarks," she responded. "We'll be at our destination in about a half hour and we'll get you settled before your first meeting at one pm."

"How am I supposed to act around these people, whoever they are?" I asked.

For any of the royal family just address them as His, or Her, Royal Highness unless it's the Queen," Miss Jones informed me. "The Queen is Your Majesty. After you've done the salutation once, women can be called Ma'am and men can be called Sir. "If you want to show respect to them, you can add a head bow, like this."

She did a quick demonstration of a head nod from the neck.

"Ok, doesn't sound too hard," I said. "I don't know a lot about the nobility so I hope I'll be getting introductions."

"Certainly, no one wants you to feel embarrassed," Miss Jones replied. "They've brought you here for a purpose and we've been instructed to treat you as a VIP so we are to make sure you're comfortable and relaxed."

"So why am I here then?" I asked.

"I'm not privy to that information," she replied. "So I'll just get you to your destination and make sure your stay is comfortable."

We drove in silence for a bit as I watched the city go by through the windows.

"Would you care for something to drink?" she asked.

"No thanks, I'll probably spill it all over the suit and upholstery," I replied.

Eventually we turned onto a tree lined road with no traffic on it and came to a stop. I tried to look out front but couldn't see much as we continued on a short time later. We pulled into a parking spot near a tall building and I looked at her with an obvious inquiring look.

"Welcome to Buckingham Palace, Mr. Stewart," Miss Jones said with a smile.

"Jesus, they're pulling out all the stops, aren't they?" I said as the chauffeur opened the door.

She nodded and indicated that I was to exit first. I got out and helped Miss Jones out the door and she led the way into a small side door of the imposing palace. Again, I was walked past security with only a nod from the guards, first to her and then to me.

I was led down a corridor and up a flight of stairs and we passed through another checkpoint. This time we both had to sign in and I was issued an identity card and had my fingerprint scanned into the system. I then followed her through into the residential portion of the palace, making sure my card and fingerprint worked.

The room she led me to me was very elegant with an old chandelier and a large four poster bed covered by a heavy, rich looking bedspread. Miss Jones told me she would be back in fifteen minutes to take me to the first meeting. I looked around the room and peeked out the window and found it looked over the inside courtyard. The attached bathroom had an old style claw bathtub which had an attachment for a shower and one of those circular curtains.

I was looking through some of the books on the shelf when a man brought in two garment bags and my suitcase. I tried to give him a tip but he waved it off. I spent the next few minutes hanging up the suits in the closet and putting away my clothes in the dresser drawers. My handler came to fetch me and led me to a meeting room downstairs. I helped myself to some of the snacks laid out and then sat down. Miss Jones did the same and poured us each a glass of water.

At precisely one o'clock, a man I recognized as Prince Andrew, the Queen's second son, came into the room accompanied by a younger woman. Both were dressed in business wear, the Prince in a suit and the woman in a matching jacket and skirt.

"Good afternoon," the Prince said pleasantly.

We both stood up and Miss Jones curtsied while I bowed my head.

"Your Royal Highness, may I present Mr. Michael Stewart. Mr. Stewart, His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York," Miss Jones made the introductions.

"Your Royal Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said as I shook his hand.

"Mr. Stewart, the pleasure is ours," the Duke said. "Has Miss Jones been treating you right?"

"Yes Sir," I replied.

"Good to hear it," he said. "This is Lady Elizabeth Trenton."

"Lady Trenton, it's also a pleasure to meet you," I said.

"And I you, Mr. Stewart," she replied with a smile. "I look forward to working with you on our enterprise."

"With that, I'll take my leave and will come back at two thirty," Miss Jones announced.

"Thank you Miss Jones," Prince Andrew said and waited until she had closed the door behind her.

"Shall we sit down?" the Prince suggested.

He helped Lady Elizabeth with her chair and indicated I was to sit.

"First of all, I want you to relax around us, Michael," he started off. "We have much to discuss and neither of us need you to bow or call us His Royal Highness. Get comfortable with calling me Prince Andrew and Lady Elizabeth. We won't mind if you forget the Prince or the Lady prefix but others might when we're not alone. Ok?"

"Yes Prince Andrew," I replied.

"Lady Elizabeth is not just a beautiful lady; she also has her degree from Oxford in Business and helps me in my capacity as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment," he informed me.

"Very impressive, Oxford is one of the premier universities in the world," I replied.

She nodded and smiled.

The Prince continued, "As the Governor General told you, we have been working on a massive deal with the Duke of Castile that would benefit most of the Commonwealth countries, including Jamaica and some of the surrounding smaller countries in the Caribbean. The incident last week has put that on hold, even though his countryman was the cause."

"Yes, I tried to convince him to stay on Monday when he came to say goodbye," I told them. "He said it was hard to do business with a country where his daughter was attacked. I told him there were always a few bad apples in any country and that Rodrigo flashed a lot of money around. It didn't work, I'm afraid."

"It was good of you to try, but it was too soon," Prince Andrew said.

"So why am I here?" I asked. "If I couldn't convince him then, why do you think I can later?"

"We're going to give you some better backing when you approach him next," he replied.

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked.

"We need you to be a bit more of an even keel with him so there will be a ceremony tomorrow to take care of that," Prince Andrew answered. "We'll also be sending you with a couple of people to help with the negotiations."

"One, I'm just supposed to get him back to the table with you, there shouldn't be any negotiations when I'm there," I told him. "Secondly, he's a Duke which puts him on an even keel with you. What kind of ceremony will put me anywhere near that level?"

"The Queen would make you a Knight and provide you with a Barony so you could be called Baron Stewart of somewhere," he said.

"No thanks," I said. "I'm not noble and making me one just to talk to the Duke is ridiculous. So, if someone needs to come along, pick someone of equal stature and he can present a case after I get the Duke to the table to at least talk. How about you and I fly over and meet with him as soon as he gets home?"

They smiled at my naiveté and Prince Andrew responded, "I just can't jump on a plane and drop in on the Duke, there are protocols to follow for a royal visit."

"Ok, I looked over the deal on the way here," I said, patting the file folder. "I'm not a business expert but the deal looks pretty even for both sides, depending on what the Duke finds in some of the mines you're letting him develop. There is too much to lose for him to back out of the deal, especially when his daughter wasn't seriously harmed. So he has another motive for delaying the deal."

"Go on, what do you think his motive is?" Lady Trenton asked, clearly curious.

"Either there is something wrong with the deal or he just wants you to sweeten it to come back to the table," I said. "Was there anything wrong with any aspect of the deal, especially with the Jamaican portion of it?"

"Not that I know of," Lady Trenton replied, looking at Prince Andrew.

"I can't think of anything either," Prince Andrew added.

"Then he wants something extra," I stated. "Was there anything negotiated out from your end that he wanted? Again, maybe in Jamaica?"

"He wanted access to some land on the coast to build another resort but the Jamaican government wouldn't allow it," Lady Trenton stated. "There were a few mines in different countries that he was also interested in as well."

"And did you have anything in Jamaica that he turned down?" I asked.

"We wanted him to establish a manufacturing site there to jump start high tech industry in the country," the Prince stated.

"So, offer some land in exchange for starting up the manufacturing site," I suggested. "Make sure that the deal slants a bit in his favour."

They looked at each other and Lady Trenton dug through to find her Jamaican folder and pulled out two binders. They looked through both folders and talked quietly while I got up and explored the tray of treats.

"You may be on to something, Mike," Lady Trenton said to get my attention. "It could be enough to get him back to the table to finalize the deal."

"If not, find some other nugget of information that doesn't cost you much to provide but will pay dividends to the Duke," I suggested. "You really don't need me for this."

"We do if we want to get this done quickly," Prince Andrew said. "The Duke isn't in the same time crunch as we are. We will need to get him back to the table by outlining our additional offers. Lady Trenton and I will get working on the additional proposal and look for another nugget as you say."

"Ok, good luck with that," I said. "Can I get a ride back to Jamaica or Canada please?"

"Mike, you're going to have to take the offer to the Duke," Prince Andrew said.

"Why?" I asked. "Now that it's just a negotiation, anyone can do it."

"It's not a negotiation until he's back at the table," Lady Trenton stated. "You have to get him there. Give us a couple of days and then we'll fly you over there and you can give him our proposal verbally and if he bites, you can hand him a binder."

I looked at both of them and sighed.

"I suppose I could see some sights while I wait," I said. "I'll need to be able to work out while I'm here."

"I'll get Miss Jones on it," Prince Andrew said, picking up his phone.

He talked quietly for a minute and then hung up.

"Ok, Miss Jones will be here shortly and will get you situated," Prince Andrew said. "We're going to get with the rest of the team and go over your suggestions. One of us will keep you informed of our progress."

We stood up and they both shook my hands before heading out. I waited for Miss Jones and she showed up in the company of a military man.

"Mr. Stewart, this is Sergeant Thomas, he will take you to the barracks so you can work out," she told me. "When you're done, he will bring you back and I'll arrange for some sightseeing activities while you wait for Prince Andrew and Lady Trenton."

"Sounds good, Miss Jones, thank you," I said. "Sergeant Thomas, it's nice to meet you."

"Mr. Stewart, the pleasure is mine," he stated diplomatically. "Shall we head out?"

"I should change first, don't you think?" I asked.

"I'll provide you with some workout gear, Mr. Stewart," Sergeant Thomas replied.

"Then I'm all yours," I responded.

We took the stairs down and exited at the side of the palace. He guided us to a small car and we drove over to a nearby old building. Once inside, the sergeant led me to change room and handed me a tee shirt and fatigue pants as well as some runners. I got changed and he led me to a weight room.

"This should suit you, Mr. Stewart," he said.

I looked around and nodded before saying, "It's little light on the amount of weight available, but I'll just do more reps. Sergeant Thomas, you can call me Mike, you're more than twice as old as I am."

"Alright Mike," he replied. "I'll just watch from here to make sure you are ok and then leave you to it."

I nodded and stretched for a bit before starting with the bench press. It only went up to two fifty so I just did sets of fifteen. I moved on to shoulder pull downs and again used the entire weight with more reps. When I was done I noticed that the sergeant was no longer watching.

I finished up an hour later and dried off with a towel. I found an open area in the corner and did my stretches and then went through my forms. The sergeant was watching as I finished up.

"Do you do any sparring?" he asked.

"Just with my two instructors," I told him, "nothing competitive or organized."

"Want to get some in?" he asked.

"Sure, but I couldn't tell you what level I am or that I know any of the accepted rules," I told him as we walked down a hallway.

"No problem, we'll start at the low end and work our way up the ranks," he said as he guided me into a gym.

There were perhaps a couple dozen men and a few women using the various pieces of equipment around the gym or sparring on the mats. The sergeant walked to an open mat and called over a small man practising kicks against a punching bag.

"Ok, Private Smith, feel like sparring with Mike here?" sergeant asked him. "He's got you in reach and strength, but we don't know his level of competency yet."

Sure Sergeant," the private replied.

I took off my shoes and joined him on the mat.

"Any rules I should know about?" I asked. "Do I pull my punches or what?"

"No maiming hits to the face or vulnerable areas," the sergeant said. "Private, let's start slow so Mike gets a feel for how we do things."

"Sure Sergeant," the private said with a grin.

We squared off in the middle and I stood in my ready position. The sergeant said start and the private came at me slowly. He threw a punch that I blocked easily. I didn't use a counterpunch though he left himself wide open.

Private Smith slowly sped up, mixing both punches and kicks into his attack. I found him very slow and easily avoided getting hit. After a particularly wild swing, I pushed him off balance and swept his feet from underneath of him so he fell on his back.

"I think that shows you're much better than Private Smith," the sergeant said dryly. "Off you go, Private."

I nodded to the private and then watched as Sergeant Thomas picked a bigger man who was sparring with a woman on the other mat. They both came over.

"Corporal Peters, this is Mike Stewart, we're trying to find him a sparring partner but Private Smith was sadly lacking," the sergeant told the man. "Care to see if you match up with him?"

"Sure Sergeant, it would be my pleasure," Peters said.

We lined up and the sergeant said start.

The corporal came at me in a rush and used an offence designed to quickly overwhelm me. I avoided the punches and blocked the kicks easily as we moved around the mat. His attack became predictable and I simply pushed him to the side when he overextended himself.

"And stop," Sergeant Thomas shouted. "Corporal, you overextended yourself there, didn't you?"

"Sorry Sergeant," the corporal replied and left the mat.

The sergeant looked around while I rested.

"Ok, let's go way up and see how you do with one from the top five," Sergeant Thomas said. "Sergeant Ming, front and centre!"

"Yes Sergeant," a tiny oriental woman soon stood in front of him.

"Your turn against our guest," he said.

"Certainly Sergeant," she replied with a grin.

We took our positions and waited. Sergeant Thomas said start and we just stood there.

"Ok you two, let's see some offence," the sergeant said. "Mike, you haven't shown us any yet, why don't you open up a bit."

"Alright, you ready Sergeant?" I asked.

"Bring it," she replied with another grin.

She wasn't a bad defender, but was nothing compared to Asuka or the Sensei. I had her concentrating on a few punches when a front kick got her in the stomach and she folded up. I bent down to see if she was ok and while she was having a hard time catching her breath, I hadn't used much force on the kick. She was up in another minute and helped off the mat.

By this time the rest of the people were avidly watching the matches.

"Ok, Staff Sergeant Miller, it's up to you to defend the Company's honour," the sergeant said, looking at a tall, well built man, the oldest person present except for the sergeant.

"I'm afraid none of us is in his class Sergeant, but I'll try my best," he said.

The Staff Sergeant was decent, clearly the best of the bunch so far. We had a good thirty second attack and counter attack going before I decided to end it with a leg sweep and light elbow to the stomach.

"I believe you're out for the count there, Staff Sergeant Miller," the sergeant said as I got up and pulled Miller up as well.

"He doesn't even look winded," Miller replied. "It's your turn Sergeant."

"Oh, I don't think so, can't have the troops see me lying on the ground like you just did," Sergeant Thomas replied with a short laugh. "Mike, tell these troopers how long you've been studying martial arts."

"A few months," I told them.

"No shit?" the staff sergeant asked.

"No shit, Staff Sergeant," I replied with a grin. "I just happen to have two very good teachers. You need to bring someone better in to train these people or they're going to be mincemeat out there. I'm sure you must have access to some of the best in the world in your Special Forces and such."

"I'll see who I can scrounge up for tomorrow and maybe you can help again," Sergeant Thomas replied.

"Sure, I'd be happy to," I said. "Maybe we can start with this before I work out, if you're bringing in better trained people."

Sure, how about in the morning then?" he suggested.

"I get up at five so anytime after that is fine," I agreed.

He led me to the change room and I showered before putting on the suit pants and shirt.

"I hope I didn't embarrass anyone today Sergeant Thomas, that wasn't my intention," I told him. "I might have misspoken when I talked about their training."

"Since we're the ones doing the training, only the Staff Sergeant and I were embarrassed," he said. "I'll reserve judgement until after tomorrow and see how some of the others fair against you."

"Ok, it was a bit hard to spar against them, I haven't had to pull my punches before," I said. "It will be interesting to see if the new ones are good enough to really go at it."

"How old are you?" he asked as we walked out of the barracks.

"Eighteen," I told him.

"And you work out so much just to stay in shape?" he asked as he unlocked the car doors and we got in.

"I play hockey and I have the combine for the NHL draft in less than a month," I told him. "I will have to do all sorts of exercises for the teams so I need to keep in peak form."

"I see, well you should do well enough, you're in as good a shape as anyone I've seen," he told me. "We should get you out for a run with the company tomorrow."

"I don't run much," I admitted. "Skate lots and use the elliptical or bike, but I don't run."

"Alright, we'll skip the run then," he said was we started back.

We drove in silence back to the palace and we showed our ID cards to get back in.

"I'll see you tomorrow at five fifteen then Mike," Sergeant Thomas said.

"Alright Sergeant Thomas, and sorry again for speaking out of turn," I said.

He nodded and left me to find my way back to my room. I finally did by asking a staff person. I changed into some casual clothes and made my way out of the palace. I walked towards the Thames River and found a bank that would change my U.S. money into pounds and got directions to the London Tower and the Tower Bridge.

I spent a couple of hours prowling around the various towers and keeps of the Tower and then took a walk across the Tower Bridge. I even visited the museum light Cruiser ship HMS Belfast moored in the Thames River.

I returned to the Palace and found Miss Jones pacing in front of my room.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Out for a sightseeing jaunt," I replied. "I took in the Tower, the Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast."

"I've been looking for you since the sergeant dropped you off," she said.

"Why didn't you just call?" I asked.

"I don't have the number," she admitted.

"Here it is," I said, showing her the number on the phone.

"Thank you," she said as she programmed her phone. "Ok, we need to hurry, you're dinner date scheduled for half an hour from now and you need to shower and get dressed."

"I have a dinner date?" I asked. "Who with?"

"I don't know, I was just told to have you ready for seven," she replied as she hustled me inside. "Ok, take a quick shower while I get your suit ready."

"Yes Ma'am," I said, grabbing some clean underwear and shorts.

Twenty five minutes later I was outside one of the entrances standing beside Miss Jones when a limousine pulled up.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Stewart, don't forget you have a five fifteen start time with the sergeant," Miss Jones said.

"You too, Miss Jones," I replied.

I approached the car and the chauffeur got out and opened the door. I leaned in and found the car empty. I sat down and the he shut the door before going around and getting in the driver's side. He drove off and I wondered where he was taking me. A few minutes later, he stopped outside the Ritz Hotel and opened the door for me. I got out and looked at him.

"The lady will meet you in the bar, Sir," he said.

"Thanks," I replied and walked up the stairs and into the lobby.

I marvelled at the elegant decor and had to move to the side before being trampled by a couple of men eager to get somewhere. I asked for the bar at the concierge's desk and was directed to the Rivoli Bar down the hall.

I walked in and drew the immediate attention of most of the people in the room. Everyone was in suits and elegant dresses and the place was crowded for a Thursday evening. I looked around to see if I recognized anyone but no one stood out to me. I moved to an empty stool at the bar.

I asked for a diet coke when prompted by the bartender. I handed over a few of the pound notes and then turned and surveyed everyone again to see if I missed anyone. I was getting looks from a lot of the people but I still didn't recognize anyone. I looked at my watch and saw it was a couple minutes after seven so I was on time.

I sipped my pop from time to time and watched the doorway as well as the people interacting. Eventually I got tired of waiting and, after checking the time at seven thirty, left the bar. I found a taxi out front and headed back to the palace. I used my ID badge to get in and went and changed into some sweats and then walked around until I found a kitchen and raided the fridge for some fruit. I took it back up to the room and turned on the TV. My phone rang after eight and it was Miss Jones.

"Mr. Stewart, where are you now?" she asked, clearly exasperated.

"I'm back in my room watching TV and eating an apple," I replied. "Whoever my date was supposed to be, she didn't show up by seven thirty so I left."

"Haven't you heard about being fashionably late?" she asked.

"I've heard it when you're going to an event, but never on a date," I told her. "I'm not interested in getting to know someone who's that inconsiderate. Good night."

I hung up the phone and went back to watching TV. I remembered to set the alarm for four thirty and fell asleep early.

Friday morning I was up at the first sounds of the alarm and stretched before having a quick shower. I was waiting outside the palace at five am when the sergeant showed up.

"All set Mike?" he asked as I walked to the passenger side door.

"Yes Sergeant Thomas, I'm looking forward to this," I said as I got in. "This trip is beginning to suck big time but at least I'm getting some exercise and sparring in."

"Sorry to hear that," he said.

I shrugged and looked out the window for the short drive.

I had put on my own sweats so we headed straight to the gym when we got inside the barracks. The one side had the company from yesterday seating in the bleachers while on the other a more serious bunch of men and women were stretching and warming up. Two men in uniform were standing at ease along the back wall.

When we came in, the room quieted down quickly as I took off my shoes. I looked them over and they were all in excellent shape and had an air of competence and confidence about them. A slightly older man came forward from the bunch and the sergeant saluted him.

"At ease Sergeant Thomas, no need for that here," he said. "So this is the guy who went through your company like they were kids? He's just a kid himself."

"Yes Sir," Sergeant Thomas said. "Eighteen and only been training for a few months."

"I guess we'll start at the bottom of my crew and see if he can survive," he said, walking away.

"Is he any good?" I asked the sergeant quietly.

"The best of the bunch," he replied.

"I want him last then," I said.

"Let's see if you survive past the first round," he replied with a chuckle.

"Do I have to pull punches with this lot?" I asked.

"Not if you don't want to," he replied, looking up at me.

"Let's do it that way, for those that want to," I told him. "Make sure they know I'm serious."

The leader sent over a young man who got kidded as he stepped on the map.

"Mike is suggesting full contact, no pulling of punches," Sergeant Thomas said loudly. "He's serious about this and I suggest you take this a bit more seriously."

The young man looked back at the leader who shrugged and nodded. The young man nodded to the sergeant who nodded to me.

I took off my sweatshirt and just had a tank top underneath. I heard a few mutters from both sides of the mat as I stepped on.

Sergeant Thomas asked if we were ready and we nodded. He waited a couple of seconds and then shouted start.

The young man rushed in and started throwing combinations along with kicks. I blocked the flurry and let one push go past my head and punched him in the stomach hard as he overextended slightly. He staggered back and his hands lowered to his stomach. Instead of punching him, I pushed him on his head and swept his feet from underneath of him, having him land on his back.

"And done," Sergeant Thomas said.

"Hey, I'm not done," the young man said, rolling to his feet.

"You got a push rather than a punch in the face or kick in the head," Sergeant Thomas said contemptuously. "You're outclassed. Next!"

The young man looked at his leader and he nodded before pointing to a woman. She was quickly on the mat.

"Full contact?" Sergeant Thomas asked her.

She nodded and looked at me like I was raw meat.

"Ready?" Sergeant Thomas asked and when we nodded, shouted, "Start!"

The woman wasn't much better than the young man. She mixed up her attack better but she didn't have the quickness or the power to back it up. I blocked a kick to the thigh with my shin and snapped it up into her face, pulling it so I didn't break her jaw or neck. She still flew back and was knocked out.

"Ok, quit with the amateurs or someone's going to get hurt," I said. "I had to pull that kick or she'd be dead now."

Two of her comrades checked her out and then pulled her off the mat. I was glad when I saw her start to wake up. In the meantime the sergeant went over and had a discussion with the leader. They agreed on something and the leader came out to the mat.

"Full contact?" Sergeant Thomas asked and got a nod in return. "Ready? Start!"

The leader was cautious and we circled for a bit. He tried a combination from farther out and danced back out of reach when I easily blocked them both. I surprised him by following him back and tried a combination on him. He blocked the first on, slipped the second but had nothing for the front kick to the stomach.

He was tougher than the others as he flew back and did a back somersault and came back up standing, ready for an attack. I waited while he caught his breath and stepped back in front of me.

The leader decided to try for my legs and take me to the ground. He aimed a vicious kick to my knee under the disguise of a flurry of punches. I turned my leg out to meet his on my shin and all the work with Asuka paid off as he was the one who felt it.

I didn't let him off the hook as I used the same leg to kick at his side. He got his arm down to block it but staggered under the force of it. I put him down with a punch to the jaw when he couldn't move the arm back up fast enough.

"And done," shouted Sergeant Thomas when the leader was too slow to get up.

Two men helped him sit up and hobble over to a bench.

"Anyone else?" Sergeant Thomas asked.

No one came forward for a few seconds.

"I'll take two of them on at the same time, full contact but I won't be able to pull my punches," I said, loud enough for them to hear. "It had better be the next best two if they're game."

Sergeant Thomas waited with me while they looked at each other. No one came forward.

"Ok, thanks for sparring with me," I said to them. "I'm going to use the gym if you don't mind, Sergeant Thomas."

"Be my guest Mike," he said with a grin. "I suggest no one go in there unless you want to be further embarrassed. Our Canadian friend's muscles aren't store bought."

I went and worked out and I did notice the two men in uniform watching me along with the leader. They were waiting for me when I got out of the shower.

"An impressive display this morning, young man," the older uniformed officer said. "Sergeant Thomas tells us that you do all this because you play hockey?"

"Yes Sir, once and a while a hockey game breaks out between fights, and while I usually won, I got hit as well," I told them. "Now I don't get hit."

"Who trained you?" asked the younger officer.

"I just know him as Sensei in Ann Arbor," I replied. "I have a friend who helps as well. She's a lot better than me or Sensei. I can barely keep up with her for a few minutes."

"We would like to have them come help train our men and women," the older one said.

"Probably won't happen, they live in Ann Arbor and the woman is a protector for someone," I replied. "The Sensei is in his seventies so he probably won't want to uproot either. When I get back, I'll see if they have contacts here in London that might like be able to help and pass them on to someone."

"How about you son?" he asked. "Care to join up or at least help train?"

"Sorry, got enough going on in my life thanks," I responded. "I'll do what I can to find you someone capable."

The two officers left and just the team leader remained.

"Sorry about the jaw," I said. "I didn't hear it crack so I hope I didn't break anything."

"Just my pride but that's what I get for getting cocky," he said. "You taught us all a valuable lesson today Mr. Stewart; one I won't let them forget."

"That was my goal," I said, "well, that and get some exercise. Your overconfidence could have gotten all of your men killed. I never underestimate an opponent because I get my ass handed to me three times a week by a hundred pound nineteen year old girl. I have no reason to get cocky."

"I'd dearly like to meet the woman who can do that to you," he responded. "Will you be back tomorrow?"

"Not sure, might have to head out by then," I told him. "It was nice to meet you, Sir."

"As it was you, Mr. Stewart," he replied.

Sergeant Thomas and he exchanged salutes and then he limped away.

"I made a bundle off of you today, Mike," Sergeant Thomas said.

"Good for you," I replied. "They were even denser than I thought if they knew you were betting on me."

"They won't make that mistake again," he chuckled as we walked out of the armoury.

He dropped me off at the palace and wished me luck. I was surprised that it was only just approaching eight o'clock in the morning when I looked at my watch. Returning to the kitchen I found last night, I asked where I could get some breakfast. The cook took pity on me and set me up with a plate of eggs and toast, having me sit right there at the kitchen table. I ate quickly and thanked her before getting out of the way.

I changed into some casual clothes in my room and decided to go see Westminster Palace and the attached clock tower where Big Ben chimed. I wanted to also go walk down Whitehall Street and look in on Downing Street where the Prime Minister lived at 10 Downing Street. I didn't bother checking in with Miss Jones as I was fed up with her.

I walked from Buckingham Palace to the Westminster Palace where the Houses of Parliament had their chambers. I took some pictures of the huge building and of the famous Clock Tower with its Big Ben bell. After a bit, I moved on to Whitehall where a lot of the administrative branches of the government had their offices.

I stopped at the iron gates on Downing Street and took some pictures of 10 Downing Street. After that, I walked to the London Eye, the towering Ferris wheel with huge pods that hold twenty five people. I waited in line and then boarded one of the pods and took pictures of the London skyline for the thirty minute ride.

When I got off I found a nearby restaurant and had some authentic English fish and chips. I headed back to the Palace after that and checked that I still had a room. Everything still seemed to be in order so I walked around the palace for a bit, admiring the paintings in the galleries and the fancy rooms.

"Young man, why are you walking around the Palace by yourself?" I heard from behind me.

I turned around to find the Queen standing behind me, along with another mid-aged woman beside her.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," I said as I bowed. "I was just admiring the paintings and the rooms. I'm waiting for Prince Andrew and Lady Trenton to finish up work on a deal."

"You must be that young Canadian boy that saved the Duke's daughter in Jamaica," she said.

"Yes Ma'am, I'm Mike Stewart," I told her.

"Well come with us, we'll sit down and have a chat," she commanded and turned back down the hall.

I followed the ladies down the hall and through a set of security doors. She turned into a sitting room and took a seat in a high backed chair and motioned for me to sit on a nearby settee.

"Would you care for some tea, Mr. Stewart?" she asked.

"No thank you, Your Majesty, water would be fine," I replied.

She nodded to the waiting lady who left us alone.

"So, you are the same boy who saved Emma Watson and her mother from that acid attack a few months ago, is that correct?" she asked.

"Yes Your Majesty," I answered.

"You can call me Ma'am, Mr. Stewart, you're still on my good side," she said with a small smile.

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

"You didn't accept the awards they were offering at the time and Prince Andrew tells me that you found the plan to make you a Baron ridiculous," she commented.

"As to the first, I thought I was saving her from paint, so it was hardly brave or award worthy," I explained. "As to the second, going to see the Duke is hardly a good enough reason to become a Baron. He'll see me and at least listen to me because of what I did for his daughter, but he'll get back to the table when he has a good enough reason to."

"I see," the Queen responded. "I have to agree with you on the second point. I already have to give out Baronies to the most undeserving people on the advice of other people. Giving you one for that reason is just as bad. However, giving you one for what you did for Miss Watson and the two Spanish ladies is a very good reason."

"Ma'am, I'm an eighteen year old freshman at University and play hockey there," I told her. "The last thing I need is a fancy title to get teased about. I've made new friends with Emma and the Marchioness and Lady Maria and that is more a reward than I need. Having a conversation with you is icing on the cake."

"Well, I'm glad I'm the icing and not the cake then," she replied with a grin.

The lady came back with a tray and placed it on the table between us. She served a tea to the Queen and then handed me a glass of ice water.

"Thank you Amy, Mr. Stewart and I will sit and chat for a bit," the Queen told her.

"Yes Ma'am," Amy replied. "You have the meeting with the Prime Minister in half an hour."

"Fine, bring him here when he arrives," the Queen instructed.

"Yes Ma'am," Amy replied.

She went up to the Queen and whispered in her ear for a minute. The Queen responded quietly and the lady left.

"Lady Amy tells me that our Miss Jones is very put out with you," she said.

"I was a tad disturbed when my mystery date didn't show up after a half hour and Miss Jones brushed it off as being fashionable late," I explained. "I made my way back here and found some fruit in a kitchen for supper. I haven't spoken to her since."

"Yes, and you've been wandering around our city without anyone to accompany you," she noted, "except when you're beating up my house guards and one of my Special Forces team."

"Not exactly beating them up Ma'am, just sparring with them," I corrected her. "As to wandering around your city, I enjoy exploring new places by myself. I'm alone a fair bit with all the studying and working out I have to do, so I'm used to it."

"Solitude has its advantages and disadvantages," she remarked. "You model for Calvin Klein as well. That seems to be going well."

"For both CK and myself," I agreed. "I'm still pretty self-conscious about having to model underwear but the money was too good to pass up."

"Yet you willingly gave up half of it to come help with this deal," she noted.

"The deal helps out several countries and hopefully provides thousands of jobs over the years," I explained, which I seemed to be doing a lot of. "I've got plenty of money already so it's not a bother."

"You're a complicated young man, Mr. Stewart," she said before sipping her tea.

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment, Ma'am," I replied with a grin.

She just gave me a smile in return. I took the opportunity to take a quick drink.

"I've summoned a few people here; I'm going to take a more active role in this issue than I usually do," the Queen informed me. "I would like you to stay and be a part of the conversation if you don't mind."

"Yes Ma'am," I answered.

"I would like you to keep whatever happens here a secret, I have a public persona that needs to be kept up, while I sometimes need to privately exert the power of the throne to get things done," she stated.

"Certainly, Ma'am," I agreed.

Lady Amy showed in a young woman.

"Your Majesty," the woman curtsied.

"Beatrice, I would like you to meet Mr. Stewart, the man you stood up last night at the Ritz," the Queen said in a stern voice. "Mr. Stewart, this is my granddaughter, Princess Beatrice."

I stood up and said, "It's good to meet you, Your Royal Highness. Sorry that we got our wires crossed last night."

"I must apologize Mr. Stewart, it was rude of me to be so late, I was detained," she said as we shook hands.

"When your father asked you to have dinner with Mr. Stewart, he was asking on my behalf," the Queen told her. "Your lack of courtesy and disrespect you've shown is deplorable. There are things afoot far beyond your comprehension or knowledge that your selfishness might have seriously jeopardized. As a Princess, you may have to do things that you might not like but you will do them when I, or your father, ask. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Princess replied. "I am very sorry to have disappointed you."

"I expected better from you," the Queen continued. "You are no longer a child, Beatrice. This man is three years younger than you and yet has done more in his short years than many men will do in a lifetime."

The Queen softened her voice and said, "I would have thought you would have been eager to meet a Calvin Klein model, which he does in his spare time when he's not rescuing beautiful young damsels in distress."

"I was unaware of who I was to meet," Princess Beatrice admitted.

"Alright, I trust that I won't have to have this talk again with you, granddaughter," she said.

"No, Your Majesty," the Princess stated.

"Good," the Queen said. "Now, I have business with your father and others soon."

"Perhaps I could keep Mr. Stewart company while you conduct your business, Your Majesty," Princess Beatrice asked.

"There, that is what I expect from a Princess," the Queen said with a smile. "Mr. Stewart is part of that business, so he will be staying. If you wish to stay, I will allow it so you can learn and realize how serious things are. You may join Mr. Stewart on the settee."

We both sat down and Lady Amy served the Princess some tea.

"Beatrice, this must be kept secret from your friends," the Queen stated. "It's not something to use to impress anyone. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Princess replied.

"Good, now you two don't have time now to get to know each other, but act as if you're at least acquaintances if you don't mind," the Queen suggested. "It may be important later."

"Yes Ma'am," I agreed as did the Princess.

"So, come here often, Princess Beatrice?" I said with a grin.

"Oh, from time to time," she replied. "It's Mike, right? Or do you prefer Michael?"

"I'll answer to both," I said. "Michael is a bit more formal, I guess."

"Michael it is while we're here then," Princess Beatrice said. "Mike it will be when we have our makeup date tonight."

"That would be my honour, Princess," I responded.

"Excellent," the Queen said. "All is put to right, and just in time."

Prince Andrew and Lady Trenton were shown into the room by Lady Amy.

I stood up as they bowed and curtsied to the Queen.

"Prince Andrew, Lady Trenton, I have the Prime Minister coming here in five minutes," the Queen informed them. "Please sit down and quickly bring us up to date before he arrives."

I sat down after they did and Prince Andrew glanced over at us.

"Mr. Stewart and the Princess will be attending the meeting with the Prime Minister," the Queen told him.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," the Prince replied. "We've made good progress on the additional aspects of the deal with the Duke to entice him back to the table. The Jamaican government has agreed to give up the land in exchange for a high tech facility being built and run near Kingston. As an extra incentive, should it be needed, we've come up with a probable large deposit of oil located in a South American country that we would never be able to operate in, but the Duke can."

"Excellent, so we can present this to the Duke as soon as possible, perhaps tomorrow?" the Queen asked.

"It will be ready to, but the matter of who is now up to debate," the Prince informed her.

"Explain," she demanded.

"Some of the senior government officials and the business partners want a more important person to present this to the Duke," the Prince stated. "I've tried to convince them that Mike is just to get the Duke to the table with a small teaser and then the details can be done by the negotiating team. But they feel the Duke will ignore him and we would then have to give up something else."

"Who do they want to send?" the Queen asked.

"A senior cabinet minister, either for industry or energy," he answered.

"They won't get to see the Duke for a week or two," the Queen stated. "The longer we wait, the easier it is for the Duke to move on to another deal, maybe one with the Latin countries instead."

"They don't see the time crunch in the same way," the Prince said.

Lady Amy showed up then with the Prime Minister.

"Your Majesty, I see that you have guests, we can reschedule for later if you like," the Prime Minister said after he bowed.

"We were just discussing the deal with the Duke, Prime Minister," the Queen said we all stood up and they shook hands. "You know the Prince and Lady Trenton of course."

They all shook hands.

"Princess Beatrice is here to learn more about the behind the scenes activities," the Queen told him.

The Prime Minister and the Princess exchanged greetings.

"And this young man is the reason we still have a chance at keeping the deal in place," the Queen stated. "Mr. Stewart, meet the Prime Minister."

"It's an honour to meet you, Sir," I said as I offered my hand.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Stewart," he replied as he shook my hand. "I commend you on your timely rescue of the Duke's daughter and her friend."

"Thank you, Sir," I replied.

"Why don't we have a seat and we can discuss the latest developments before the Prime Minister and I have our weekly meeting," the Queen suggested.

After we sat down, the Queen had the Prince go over the status of the deal and the additional incentives. After he was finished he brought up the issue of who would present it.

"Prime Minister, there is nothing stopping the Duke from walking away from this deal and starting a new one with the Latin countries in the region," the Queen stated. "The longer we put this off, the easier it is for him to decide to do just that. I strongly suggest that we get the additional offer to the Duke as soon as possible. Mr. Stewart can be there tomorrow morning and see him right away."

"The issue is still the fact that he could turn him down and keep the offer, which will mean we'll need something else after that," the Prime Minister stated. "We need an experienced negotiator on the scene to react and seal the deal."

"So we send someone with Mr. Stewart to finalize it, but we don't take two weeks to get the Duke back to the table," the Queen reacted.

"We just can't send a Minister with him tomorrow," the Prime Minister protested.

"I agree, so I have a proposal," the Queen said. "Princess Beatrice and Mr. Stewart have a date tonight where they will be photographed as being together. Tomorrow, she will accompany him to Leon and they can drop in on the Duke. The Princess can lend an air of authority to the proceedings and even present the proposal as if from me. If it works, she will call her father and the Prince and the Duke can talk without having to wait. From there, the team can arrange another meeting as quickly as possible."

The Prime Minister sat and thought about it as did the Prince and Lady Trenton. The three of them looked at each other and then at us.

"Do you two think you can pull it off?" the Prince asked. "This is a very serious task the Queen has proposed for the two of you."

I looked over to the Princess and she nodded to me.

"I was always prepared to go and meet with the Duke," I said. "The Princess will be most welcome and could be just the thing to get the Duke back in the negotiations."

The Prince and the Prime Minister looked at each other.

"She will represent Her Majesty and the Duke can't well ignore her without offending the Queen," the Prince said. "On the other hand, he can't negotiate further with her as he'll know she's not part of the team. It's actually a very good idea."

"Thank you, I do have some experience in these matters, from before either of you were in pants," the Queen replied a bit frostily.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I was just thinking out loud," the Prince said.

"Hmmm," she said, giving him a look before turning to the Prime Minister. "What say you, Prime Minister?"

He thought about it a bit more and then replied, "I think it is the best idea yet. If it pleases Your Majesty, I would like to have Prince Andrew and Lady Trenton help me present it to the cabinet this afternoon and the Prince can relay their decision back to you."

"That would be fine, Prime Minister," the Queen replied. "In the meantime, I will endeavour to prepare these two youngsters on how to best present themselves. The staff will leak this evening's date and the appropriate papers will pick up the photos for the morning editions. Either they can be stopping over for a short visit on their way to a quick trip to Monte Carlo or can be just getting away from the attention of the media."

"Both very good ideas, Your Majesty," the Prime Minister replied. "If you would excuse us, we'll get on this immediately."

"Certainly Prime Minister, we'll reschedule our regular meeting for after we hear the results of their visit," she said, standing up.

We all followed suit and after the usual handshakes and bows, the three of them left.

"Now do you see why it was important Beatrice?" the Queen asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Prince Beatrice responded. "I thank you for still believing in me. I promise I won't disappoint you."

"Even if it means consorting with Mr. Stewart this evening?" the Queen asked.

"I suppose I'll just have to suffer through a date with a hot supermodel," the Princess said with a fake sigh. "Just how much consorting can I do?"

"After an intimate dinner, perhaps you can take Mr. Stewart to one of the clubs where you might be photographed dancing together," the Queen suggested. "I'll leave the rest of those details in your hands. In the morning, we'll get you to the airport in Leon and you can call the Duke or the Marchioness from there. You can say you just wanted to stop for a quick visit on your way through to Monte Carlo. Then Beatrice can let the Duke know that she was entrusted with a proposal to give to him and that her father would like to talk over the details. You might have to get a bit pushy and insist that he reads it and talks to your father before you can leave. You can use your charm and appeal to his chivalrous side by saying this is your first important responsibility for me."

"I'll make sure he reads it and he talks to father, Your Majesty," Princess Beatrice assured the Queen.

"Ok, go get packed and be ready to go early in the morning," the Queen said. "I'll have Lady Amy reserve a table at the Ritz again and then you can decide where to take him dancing."

"Yes Ma'am," we said as we stood up.

"Good luck tomorrow if I don't see you before you leave," the Queen said. "I do want to see you both when you get back."

"Yes, Ma'am," we replied.

"Holding hands would be a good touch," she said as she sat down to finish her tea.

Princess Beatrice smiled and took my hand and pulled me out of the room.

"So Mike, you ok with being a Princess's date for a weekend?" she asked with a grin.

"I'm not sure if I'll survive, but it should be interesting, Princess Beatrice," I replied.

"Ok, when we're alone or out on a date, you can call me Beatrice or Bea, I'm not a stickler for the formal crap," she instructed.

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

"Funny," she said dryly. "Now, for tonight we should coordinate, are you wearing a dark suit?"

"I guess I am," I answered.

"I'll wear something light, maybe silver or light grey," she thought out loud. "I've have to wear heels and something short so my legs stand out or I'll look like a Munchkin next to you."

"I'm sure you'll look beautiful in a potato sack, Princess," I said. "I hope a jealous boyfriend won't be coming after me."

"Not if he knows what's good for him," Beatrice replied. "I heard about what you did to the Special Forces group this morning."

"We just sparred," I said. "No one was hurt."

She led me back to my bedroom and came in. She walked to my closet and went through my suits and picked out a classic black suit that was tailored for my body. She picked out a shirt and tie and put them all together in the closet.

"There, that should do for tonight," the Princess said before sitting me down. "So, how many girls are going to get jealous when they see the pictures of us together?"

"A few, I suppose," I told her. "My relationships never seem to work out because of scheduling and location. Darn, that reminds me, I have to call Kristen and tell her not to meet me back in Ann Arbor."

"Kristen?" the Princess asked.

"Kristen Stewart, she was coming to stay for a week," I said.

"Are you and her an item?" she asked.

"No, she turned me down after a visit out west to see her, but I think she changed her mind," I replied. "I'm not sure what's going on."

"I'm going to go pack and then get ready," she informed me. "You make your call and then pack as well. "I'll come get you at six forty five so be waiting at the same entrance as yesterday."

"I'll see you then, Princess," I replied.

I left Kristen a message and then packed up all my stuff, except for a good casual outfit for the next day. When I was done, I took a nap and then got ready for the date. I was standing outside the palace when a small Jaguar pulled up.

"Get in already," Princess Beatrice commanded from the driver's seat.

I walked around and got in the passenger side, on the left hand side of the car.

"You look beautiful tonight, Princess," I said.

"And you look quite dashing as well," she replied. "Ok, we should make it just in time if we hurry."

She drove like a madwoman and leaned on the horn more than once on the short trip. We pulled up with a screech of the tires and she swung out of the car seconds after putting it in park. She threw the keys to a valet and looked at me with impatience. I just smiled and joined her at a more leisurely pace.

"We're right on time Princess, no need to rush things now," I muttered as she grabbed my hand.

"My grandmother will check on my timing so let's make sure we're on time," she replied.

I held the door for her and then she guided me to the restaurant.

"Good evening, Your Royal Highness, your table is ready for you," the Maitre'd said as we arrived one minute before seven.

"Thank you," the Princess replied.

We were led to a table and I helped her with the chair. We had received head bows on the way and were the attention of most of the people in the restaurant. The Princess ordered a glass of wine while I asked for water.

This was the ultimate in high class dining, with Queen Anne chairs and elegant decor. I was pretty nervous that I would screw up but the Princess was attentive and supportive. We talked about her charity work and her appearances for the Queen for which she received an income. She was much sought after for various women's and girls' clubs and she supported several children's charities.

She asked about my life and I gave her a short version after we ordered. She expressed her sympathy when hearing about both of my parents' deaths and reached over to hold my hand. She kept hold on it as I moved on to tell her about my year in Ann Arbor and only let go when the soup arrived.

The dinner progressed and we would catch someone taking a picture using a cell phone from time to time. The Princess was wearing a silver dress with a low cut front but long sleeves. It was tight and came down a bit further past half way down her thighs. She looked sexy without being trampy but more a beautiful lady rather than a prim and proper Princess.

Our meal was delicious, as could be expected at the Ritz. I had a traditional British meal of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding while she had the beef Wellington. We passed on dessert and she wouldn't let me pay, telling me that the Queen was picking up the tab. She led me out of the restaurant and, in what I thought was a spur of the moment idea, led me into the Ritz Club.

"Your Royal Highness, so good of you to stop by," the host said as we entered the lobby. "I see you have brought a guest. Please sign him in and we'll be happy to make him a member if you desire."

The Princess looked at me but I shook my head.

"No need for that," she replied.

"As you wish, Ma'am," the beautiful blonde replied. "I will have to see some ID from the gentleman please."

I pulled out my passport and she verified my name and age.

"Thank you Mr. Stewart," she said. "If you wish to gamble, you will have to pick up chips at the booth."

I nodded and followed the Princess to the booth. She got out ten thousand and I followed suit, using a credit card.

"Ok, they have Roulette, three card poker, Blackjack and Baccarat," she told me as we entered the gaming room. "There will be some professional gamblers here so be careful if you play Baccarat."

"I'll just play what you're playing, though I like poker," I responded. "Three card poker sounds a bit complicated.

"I like Roulette and Blackjack," she admitted.

We spent some time losing money at one of the Roulette tables and then made it up at the Blackjack table. Several people greeted the Princess and she returned the greetings. I was introduced to Earls, Viscounts, and Barons and their wives as well as people without titles. One stunning brunette came up to us and the Princess nonchalantly took my hand.

"Princess Beatrice, it's good to see you out," the woman said. "Who do you have here?"

"Lady Wentworth, this is my date, Mr. Michael Stewart," Bea replied. "Michael, this is Lady Wentworth."

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Wentworth," I said as we shook hands.

"It's certainly my pleasure to meet you, Michael," the Lady responded before turning to the Princess. "Where ever did you find this handsome man?"

"Oh, the Queen found him wandering the halls of the Palace so I snapped him up before he could get away," the Princess said airily. "We're going clubbing later and then head down to Monte Carlo for the weekend."

"Well, that sounds romantic," Lady Wentworth responded. "You look familiar Michael; should I know you."

"Think hunky Calvin Klein models," the Princess told her.

"Oh, the Emma Watson incident," Lady Wentworth said excitedly. "Princess, you've outdone yourself with this one. Going to spend a weekend with him are you? You are so bad!"

"Hush now, I don't need it getting out to the bloodhounds," Princess Beatrice shushed her. "And no tempting him like you did the last guy I brought here."

"Princess, I'll be most discreet," she replied. "And I can see that you have him firmly in hand so I'll leave you two alone. Have a good evening and a wonderful weekend."

"You too, Lady Wentworth," the princess replied.

The Lady walked away and the Princess led us to a table where we could watch her discreetly. Lady Wentworth pulled out a phone and was soon talking animatedly.

"Good, she took the bait," the Princess whispered. "She's a gossip hound that snitches to the press whenever she can. We'll have a good story in tomorrow's papers, especially if we can win or lose big. Quick, give me a kiss, she's looking over here."

I leaned down and gave her a kiss. She made sure it was more than a peck as she held my head with her hand and slipped a little tongue.

"Wow, that was nice," I said.

"I'm not a naive little girl, Michael," she told me. "I plan to enjoy this weekend."

"I guess so will I," I replied.

"Ok, I think she might have got that with her camera," the princess said. "Let's go lose or win big at the roulette table before we leave."

We walked over to another table and started putting down bigger bets. Our losses mounted until we each had a thousand left. I put it all on nine while she put it on twenty two.

"We have a winner, black nine!" the dealer said loudly.

Princess Beatrice made a big show as I grabbed my winnings, which were paid out at thirty five to one. We went to the cashier's booth and I gave her the extra twenty five grand.

"You don't have to do that, Michael, you won it fair and square," she said.

"Use it at one of your charities," I told her.

"That is so sweet of you," she said, giving me a hug. "I'll make sure they know it was from you."

We left the club and, as expected, the paparazzi were in full force, waiting just outside the lobby. We had the car brought round and then hurried into it with the help of hotel security. We had to wait while security cleared the front of the car and then the Princess gunned the motor and shot away.

"Well, that should be interesting to see in the morning," she said while grinning at me. "Off to the club now."

"Just so you know, I don't dance," I said.

"We'll get you through it," was all her reply.

Ten minutes later we pulled up to a trendy club with a neon sign denoting its name as 'Club Royal'. Princess Beatrice pulled into the VIP parking area and handed over her keys to the valet. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the doorway where two large men stood. On the right was a long line-up and to the left was a much shorter one for the VIPs while a few paparazzi hung out front taking pictures. The Princess bypassed both lines and went directly to the front doors where one of the men put his arm out to stop her.

"No one just goes right in," he said in a low voice. "Please head to the back of one of the lines."

Princess Beatrice looked at him and his arm and then at the other bouncer.

"Is he new?" she asked.

"First night on the job, Your Royal Highness," he said before turning to the other guy. "Princess Beatrice is the Queen's granddaughter, idiot. Let them through before she has us both fired."

"Sorry Princess; didn't recognize you," the first man said as he withdrew his arm.

I opened the door for her and she proceeded me in. She led the way to the VIP section, weaving expertly through the mass of people while I tried not to knock people down.

"Hi there beautiful; sorry, but if you're not on the list I can't let you and Lurch in here," a slick guy with a clipboard said, guarding the entrance to the elite seating.

"Perhaps you need to dress up this way more often so your subjects can recognize you," I told her with a grin.

"You hush," she said to me before turning back to the guardian of the gilded rope, "and you, if my name isn't third on that list I'll be having words with your ex-boss."

He looked down and read off the name, "HRH Princess Beatrice is the third name on the list after HRH William and HRH Harry. Are you trying to pass yourself off as a Princess then, chicky? Head off then before I have you thrown out."

She pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Royce, would you mind stepping over to the VIP section please? For the second time tonight I've been stopped from getting somewhere in the club," she said.

She hung up and crossed her arms while looking at him.

"Dude, you might want to think about a strategic retreat right about now," I told him. "I can see the steam coming out of her ears."

"I don't care if little Miss Prissy breathes fire, you're not getting in," he said. "Now go play out with the peasants."

"Big mistake," I said.

"I've had enough of you two, step aside and let the people behind you through," he said, as he went to go push her to the side.

I grabbed his hand and said, "Nobody touches the Princess."

He tried to pull it back but I wouldn't let him budge.

"This is a bit over your pay grade, so calm down and we'll get it straightened out shortly," I told him. "Consider yourself lucky you didn't touch her."

"You two are in so much crap now," he said as three men quickly arrived on the scene.

The leader was a well dressed man while the two others were large bouncers.

"Princess Beatrice, my apologies for not arriving sooner, I see that Charles has overstepped his bounds," he said smoothly.

"Royce, he was about to lay a hand on me and my date reacted as only he can," Princess Beatrice told him. "I'm very disappointed in your employee training."

"It's hard to get brain mixed with the brawn sometimes, Princess," he replied. "I'll have him disposed off immediately."

He turned to the two men behind him and said, "Boys, escort Charles off the premises."

They came and bracketed him as I let go. He threw the clipboard at Royce before stomping off. Royce picked it up and unhooked the rope.

"Princess, your reserved table awaits," Royce said as he bowed. "I'll send over a bottle of Don Perignon to the table right away."

Beatrice led us to a reserved table and pulled me to the back bench as she slid in behind the table.

"You just got yourself a lifetime membership to my favourite persons list," she said before giving me a hot kiss.

"Ahem, Princess Beatrice, what are you doing sticking your tongue down my Michael's throat?" I heard a woman's voice ask.

"I was kissing him, as I plan to do often this weekend," Beatrice said as she broke off the kiss. "You didn't lock him up when you had the chance."

Emma Watson was standing there with her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I live here, Michael Stewart, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"You live in a club?" I asked.

"No silly, I live in London," she replied. "Why are you here?"

"Princess Beatrice wanted to go dancing," I said.

"So you jumped on the first plane here when you found out or what?" she asked, still perturbed.

"I was at the palace and the Queen thought it would be a good thing," I said.

"And pray tell, why were you at the castle talking to the Queen?" she inquired.

"Apparently I have a new side job rescuing damsels in distress," I told her.

"This I have to hear," Emma said, sitting down.

"Ahem, Princess here, on a date with a hunk who just saved me," Princess Beatrice said.

"Get in line Bea, he saved me first, he'll always be mine," Emma said. "I'll let you borrow him for the weekend but don't get all possessive or I'll call your Grandmother. She wasn't too happy when you stood him up last night, was she?"

"Ok, what gives with you two?" I asked.

They both started laughing and Emma got up and gave Beatrice a hug.

"Michael, Bea called me as soon as she left you in your room to pack," Emma said, "which is two days earlier than when you should have called me. We cooked up this surprise for you. Surprise!"

"Don't I get a hug and kiss?" I asked with a fake pout.

"Not when you're on a date with another woman," Emma replied. "Bea let me in on the plan for the weekend so I wouldn't get all bent out of shape. Bea and Genie let me hang out with them from time to time to build up my rep."

"Like she needs us for that!" the Princess said drolly. "She's probably the most popular and eligible young woman in the UK while I can't even get recognized in my own club!"

"You own this club?" I asked.

"Along with William, Harry and Eugenie," she replied. "Royce is the manager. Emma is seventh on the list after Kate and Pippa, William's girlfriend and her sister."

"They didn't ask for any other partners or I would have jumped at the chance," Emma said with a pout.

"Sorry Em, you and Mike will have to start your own club and have us on the list," Bea responded.

"So, what did Kristen say when you told her you weren't going to be home?" Emma asked me.

"I left a message and she hasn't called back yet," I replied. "I'm sure she won't be happy, just like you weren't when I cancelled your visit."

"Two beautiful and popular actresses in blockbuster movie series and you're turning them away like they're chopped liver," Princess Bea said with a shake of her head. "Maybe I better just cut my losses too before I'm cast aside like yesterday's bath water."

"Are you two done picking on me yet?" I asked.

"Not yet," Emma said. "We need to make sure who else is pining for you. Barb told me that Trish and her had a great time with you yesterday on the boat and that the other models all wanted you as well. There was a Molly that is going to call you here when she gets back. Who else do we have to lock up in the Tower?"

"Molly was worried that I didn't have anyone here for support; she knew something was up when the Governor General showed up," I said. "I probably won't even hear from her and couldn't tell her anything even if she calls. The Queen wanted it kept a secret, probably even from you."

"There's been a slight change in plans," the Princess informed me. "I told Her Majesty about calling Emma and the Queen suggested getting her involved. It would help break the ice with the Marchioness and the Lady. We could even ask if they would like to join us in Monaco for the weekend."

"Not a bad idea," I commented. "Emma and you together should be able to get those two ladies on our side. I should just let the four of you go by yourselves and head home after finishing up with the Duke."

"You don't get off that easily, buster," Emma said. "I'm not going to be the only civilian around three noble women. I'll end up having to fetch for them and say Lady and Princess all the time. You're coming to handle all of that."

"Ah ha, now I know why I'm here," I said.

A waitress came over with some glasses and a bottle of champagne. I lightened up my strict no alcohol policy and had a sip of the Princess's glass.

"Tasty," I said. "I could easily get addicted to that."

"Not at five hundred a bottle," Emma replied.

"True," I agreed.

We talked for a bit while watching the crowd. From time to time friends of the ladies would come over and I would get introduced. They even dragged me onto the dance floor to dance with both of them. I'm sure that pictures were taken of the Princess and me dancing close and of all three of us as well.

It was after one when we decided to leave. Emma came with us as she was going to stay at the palace and come with us in the morning. She had dropped off her suitcase at the palace earlier. I led the way this time and made sure they kept close behind in the crowded club.

The paparazzi were waiting and took a bunch of pictures of the three of us as we walked to the parking lot. I got Emma in the back and the Princess in the driver's side before getting in. It took a couple of minutes to edge out of the parking spot as the idiots were trying to provoke a reaction. Finally we got through and she roared off. We had some try to follow us but were stopped at the palace gates.

Once inside the palace, the Princess led us to my bedroom and they both came inside. She looked at Emma and then came close to me and put her arms around my neck and gave me a hot kiss. I held on to her hips and returned it until she pulled away.

"Ok, date's over," she said with a grin. "Shall I leave you two alone or show Emma to her bedroom?"

"I'll just get a good night kiss from him, it's not very proper to fool around with him after he was on a date with you," Emma said as she moved in.

She duplicated the Princess's kiss and again I held her by her hips.

"Maybe I could stay a bit longer," Emma said as she held onto me.

"Come on, we have to get up early," the Princess said. "You can play with him in Monte Carlo."

"Bea, you're no fun at all," Emma replied. "Mike is going to be so lonely tonight."

"Don't you mean you're going to be lonely tonight?" the Princess asked.

"That too," Emma admitted.

"Good night Michael, we leave at eight so no going and beating up more of the special forces in the morning," Princess Beatrice told me.

"You know, you're a real party pooper tonight, Princess," I said. "I'll be back by seven and ready by seven thirty."

"Fine, but I'll send out the hounds if you're not," she replied. "Now let go of Emma so we can leave."

"I don't wanna," I said.

She rolled her eyes and pulled Emma away. I grinned at them as they left the room. After getting out of my suit, I packed it away and then hit the hay. It had been a long day and I was quickly out for the count.

Saturday, I was up early and already walking to the barracks when the sergeant pulled up in his car.

"A little birdie told me you might have one more morning with us," he said as I got in.

"I have to be back by seven, we're off to Spain by eight," I told him.

"No problem, I lined up five more sparring partners for you before you work out," he said.

"Have you put more money down on the outcomes?" I asked.

"Maybe, but don't you worry about it, just have fun," he replied.

We pulled up to the barracks and he led me to the gym. There were more spectators, most of the ones from yesterday, including the Special Forces people. On the other side of the mat were five men, dressed in fatigues and warming up. A few more officers were in attendance, this time sitting in chairs along the fourth side of the mat.

I started stretching for a few minutes and then took off my sweatshirt and shoes and socks. The first opponent was the biggest, near my size and probably outweighed me by twenty five pounds, none of it fat.

Sergeant Thomas spoke up, "I've been informed, by someone we all work for, that Mike needs to be on a plane in two and a half hours, in one piece and without visible bruising. So, both sides will pull punches wherever possible. Mike has less training in that regard but has done well in the last two days. The rest of you know how to and are commanded to do so. I will judge the fight based on that. Are you ready? Start!"

The big man stalked me. I moved latterly away from him for a bit until it got boring and let him in striking range. He immediately started throwing punches and kicks designed to punish me. I blocked and deflected everything but didn't hit back for at least thirty seconds. Then, when I got into the rhythm of his attack, I slipped a punch past his guard and snapped his head back. I followed it up with a kick to the stomach which made him pause.

I took the offensive, sending kicks to his legs while raining combinations at his head. He raised his arms to block two punches and I kicked him again in his mid section. He bent down and I raised my knee lightly and knocked him back to the mat.

"And done!" Sergeant Thomas shouted.

I took a quick break as the big man was helped off the mat. I had a drink from the nearby fountain and then stretched out a tight muscle in my back before I stepped back on the mat. I was joined by a Japanese man who was lean and, at most, five foot nine.

The sergeant started the match and ten seconds in I knew I was in trouble. He was by far the fastest of my opponents so far and he knew all the forms. He would have been toast against Asuka but he was giving me a run for my money. We traded combinations and were blocking each other's kicks for the next five minutes.

In the end, it was my extra power that did him in. I put extra power into a shin kick that he blocked but I knew hurt him. Using the same technique as I employed yesterday on the special teams leader, I aimed a kick to the same side but higher up where he had to use the arm to block it. That let me slip a punch overtop of the slowed block and hit him in the jaw, pulling it at the last second.

He went down for a second and Sergeant Thomas jumped in and stopped it.

"Did you pull that punch?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Fight's over," Sergeant Thomas said immediately.

I helped the man up and we shook hands. He didn't seem worse for wear or upset at the punch or the calling of the fight.

The third man looked mean. He was just over six feet and had scars on his face and forearms. I'd hate to meet him in a well lit alley, let alone a dark one.

As soon as Sergeant Thomas yelled start I front kicked at his face as he stepped in. I guess he wasn't expecting it and it got through and hit him square in the nose. I felt it crunch as he fell backwards.

"Shit, sorry about that," I said, looking down at him and then at Sergeant Thomas. "I thought for sure he would block it or I would have pulled it more."

A medic came onto the mat and held a towel to his nose and eventually he got up.

"Good one kid, I wasn't expecting that," he said, offering his hand.

"Sorry about your nose, I thought you would block it for sure so I didn't pull it all the way," I told him.

"No problem, I lost either way," he said. "Now the nose matches the rest of the face."

The fourth fighter tried to wrestle me to the ground by grabbing at my arm as I punched at him. He turned his back to me and attempted to flip me over his back by pulling my arm. Luckily, Asuka and Sensei had shown me the error of my ways early about overextending a punch. I was still over my centre and curled my arm back and lifted him clean off the floor before stepping to the side and slamming him down on his back, going down to a knee beside him. It was a move that Asuka and I had practiced a few times and it worked spectacularly. The breath left his body in a whoosh and I tapped him on the nose.

"And done!" Sergeant Thomas shouted as I stood up.

I helped the man up when he got his breath back and we shook hands.

The final fighter looked different. His hair was longer and he didn't have the same military bearing as the rest. He still was in great shape and moved like a confident fighter as he stepped onto the mat. He was about six two and maybe two hundred pounds and was probably in his late twenties. Something about him made me very cautious.

He came out flashy, throwing kicks and fake punches followed by fast combinations. Everything was easily blocked or avoided. I grazed his cheek with a counterpunch and then hurt him with a leg block on his shin. I could tell he was pissed off after that because the flashy stuff stopped after that and he started taking it seriously.

One of his punches got through and hit me in the stomach and another grazed my cheek as he got aggressive. I stepped it up a notch and put my weight behind my kicks to the side of his legs and ribs. He retaliated with a flurry of punches that I was hard pressed to block or slip. I stepped back to fake panic and he took the bait, rushing in to finish me off. He walked into a front kick that was too high to block down and too low to block up. He took it full on the chest and flew back to land on his back.

He was up quickly enough and was surprised I didn't take advantage. I just relaxed as he rubbed his chest for a few seconds as he looked at me funny.

"You should have finished me off when you had the chance," he said as he got ready. "No more Mister Nice guy."

"You had your chance, now it's my turn," I told him as we approached each other.

I took off my internal restraints and went after him, using all my advantages of reach, speed and power. He never laid a hand or foot on me again as I kept him on defence with a high pressure attack, mixing combinations, high kicks and low shin kicks at random. He was very good but was used to timed matches I think, because he progressively got slower while I sped up. Punches and kicks started getting through his defences and finally a kick to the stomach put him on his knees. I didn't have to perform the finishing tap as Sergeant Thomas stepped in and shouted it was over.

I reached down and helped him up.

"Nice match," I said. "But you're not a soldier, are you?"

He grinned and shook his head.

"They asked me to come in and see how good you really were," he said. "Apparently, you're better than I am."

"Thanks for taking the time to spar with me," I told him. "It must have been a bitch to get up so early to come here."

"Kid, I wasn't sparring and neither were any of the others," he said. "You've got a real future in competitive martial arts."

"Oh, this is just a hobby for me, I play hockey," I told him. "Anyway, thanks."

I offered my hand and he shook it while shaking his head. He turned back to his side of the mat and I went to mine and put on my socks and shoes. I carried the sweatshirt to the equipment room and started working out. After my shower, I found Sergeant Thomas chatting with an older uniformed man with lots of ribbons on his uniform.

"Mike, this is General Atkinson, he'd like to speak to you for a moment," Sergeant Thomas said.

"General, it's nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. "I believe we have a mutual beautiful redhead acquaintance in common."

"Yes, I received a call from her to make sure I looked after you," he replied. "I don't think I'll tell her much about your sparring, or the temper she inherited from her mother will raise its ugly head."

"Good idea, what they don't know can't hurt them, or us," I replied with a grin.

"So, Molly speaks very highly of you as do several others at the palace," the General continued. "As the person responsible for the security of the Royal Family, I must say that I'm happy you're going on the trip with the Princess. Her Royal Highness is reluctant to have security accompany her around town let alone to another country. I have to keep things low key and secret from her."

"Of course I'll look out for the Princess and Miss Watson to the best of my abilities, General," I assured him.

"I know you will, Mike; it wasn't even a matter of debate," he replied. "You should be fine in Spain, but keep an eye out for rakes in Monte Carlo. There will be men who try and seduce either of them away from you. Keep a close eye on them at all times."

"That's not hard to do," I replied.

"Good, now about my daughter and you," he said. "I haven't heard my daughter excited about a boy or a man in a long time. I hope you're not leading her on and going to break her heart."

"I like your daughter but we're just friends," I responded. "She was going to call me when she got back into town but I'm afraid I have this to do for the Queen. As much as I'd like to get to know Molly better, I'm afraid it will have to wait until the next time we model together."

He looked at me for a few seconds and then nodded before saying, "I'm sorry to hear that, I think the two of you would make a good couple. Hopefully you'll work together soon."

"I hope so too," I replied.

"Call the number she gave you night or day if you need anything," the general stated. "Good luck in Spain and in Monte Carlo and I might see you when you get back."

"Thanks General," I replied as we shook hands.

He left and the sergeant and I headed out to his car.

"So, who was the last guy?" I asked as we started moving.

"He's ranked in the mixed martial arts league here in England," Sergeant Thomas replied. "You did great today Mike, those other four were the best from the four branches of the military."

"Really?" I asked. "It's good to know I can compete with the best."

"No, you handily beat the best and one after another too!" he rebutted with enthusiasm. "You've got another career opportunity now."

"I guess so, but that would be a last resort I think," I told him as we pulled up to the palace. "Sergeant Thomas, I thank you for your help the last three days. It's been a pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine Mike, take care of yourself," he replied as we shook hands.

I headed through the checkpoint and quickly changed into my good casual outfit after shaving. I packed up my stuff and was ready to go by seven-thirty. Emma and Princess Bea came in soon after and looked me over. They looked at the slight bruise on my face but didn't get crazy about it.

"Ok, let's get going," the Princess said.

I grabbed my bags and followed behind them. We got in a limo after we put our bags in the trunk and we were soon off to the airport. An hour later we were in the plane and off to Spain.



-------

Chapter 3: Leon, Monaco, London and New York


We touched down in Leon around ten thirty local time and I immediately called Bianca.

"Hola," Bianca said in Spanish.

"Hello, am I speaking to the beautiful Marquesa Bianca?" I asked.

"This is Bianca, is that you Michael?" she asked.

"Yes it is," I replied. "Are you back home from your cruise?"

"Yes, we returned Thursday and put Rachel and her mother on a flight back to the US yesterday evening," Bianca replied. "Where are you now?"

"Oh, sitting in a plane at the airport in Leon," I said.

"You're here?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"A couple of friends and I are heading to Monte Carlo and I thought we would drop in and say hello," I replied. "That is, if it's not too much of a bother?"

"Of course not, you're always welcome here," Bianca responded. "I'll send our car to get you and your friends right away. He can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Sounds great, we're just taxiing to the terminal now so we have to go through customs," I informed her. "We'll see you soon."

"Ok Michael, but you should have given me more notice so I could get ready!" she complained.

"Bianca, you look beautiful any time of the day," I responded. "Don't fuss."

"Humph," she replied. "I'll have Alfredo take the long way home."

I laughed and said, "I'm sure we'll enjoy the scenery. Bye for now."

"Chao," she replied and hung up.

I turned to the ladies and said, "Bianca is sending her car and driver. He should be here in fifteen minutes so transportation is arranged."

"Good, one less worry," Princess Beatrice responded. "Ok, let's leave our luggage here. If things go well, we should be back this evening and in Monte Carlo tonight. If not, we'll fly back to London instead."

The cabin door was opened after the steps were rolled up to the plane. We walked down the steps and entered the terminal. We were greeted politely at the customs station and an English translator was found. When I explained we were here to visit the Duque and the Marquesa, we were quickly passed through after a brief look at our passports.

We waited outside, basking in the sun, for the driver to appear. Five minutes later a Mercedes limo pulled up right in front of us and a short Spaniard quickly got out and ran around to the back doors.

"Senor Stewart, I am Alfredo, from the Duque de Castile's staff," he said before bowing.

"Alfredo, it's nice to meet you," I replied. "So how much of a detour has the Marquesa told you to take us on?"

"Not long at all Senor," he replied with a laugh. "I'll simply point out a few of our sights for you on the way."

I let the two ladies go in first and then followed them in before he shut the door. He raced around and soon had us on the road. Along the way he pointed out some of the ancient buildings and walls built by the Romans as well as the impressive Catholic Cathedral and other buildings. It was an interesting ride and the half hour it took went by quickly.

Bianca and Maria were waiting out in the courtyard of their villa when we pulled up. They were sitting in the shade of a large tree at a white wrought-iron table set. They got up and met us as we got out of the limousine.

"Marquesa Bianca de Castile and Lady Maria de Palencia, this is Her Royal Highness, Princess Beatrice and some other girl we picked up along the way," I made the introductions.

"Your Royal Highness, this is quite the surprise," Bianca said as she bowed her head. "Welcome to our humble villa, Princess Beatrice and nameless girl."

"Marquesa, sorry for dropping in unannounced but the big lug here didn't want to have you make a big production of it," the Princess replied. "As you can imagine, it's been interesting with him around."

"Oh, we can imagine," Lady Maria replied with a grin. "Did he rescue you as well, Princess?"

"From a minor incident in a club but he's on my favourite people list, as I'm sure he is on yours," the princess replied.

"Come sit down in the shade and we'll have some lemonade before we give you a tour," Bianca said, leading the way. "Michael said that you're heading to Monte Carlo?"

"Yes, just for a couple of days to get out of London," the Princess replied. "We picked up this stray along the way and she won't let him out of her sight now."

"Miss Watson, welcome to our humble villa," Bianca formerly said as we sat down.

Marquesa, thank you for letting me sit amongst such royal company," Emma said with a grin. "All these titles are making my head spin."

"Shall we all dispense with the titles so poor Emma can relax?" Princess Beatrice asked. "I'm comfortable with Bea if you two are with Bianca and Maria."

"So we shall," Bianca agreed as she poured some lemonade for everyone.

"So, how are you two feeling after the events in Jamaica last week?" the princess asked. "It must have been horrifying to have gone through that."

"It wasn't pleasant but Michael came before it got out of hand," Bianca replied. "The nightmares have stopped for me and Maria never had any to begin with."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through any of that," Bea said, reaching out to hold her hand. "My Grandmother told me to extend her best wishes and hope you recover from your ordeal quickly. She was most upset to hear about it and wants me to extend an invitation to come visit us when we have our garden party in the summer. You can stay with us at the palace and be our special guests; both of you and your parents of course."

"That is a wonderful idea," Bianca responded, obviously pleased. "I'm sure Maria and I can make it and we'll ask Father when he comes home for lunch. He'll be pleased to meet you all."

"Good, we'll have a great time showing you the sights as well," Bea said with a smile.

We sipped our lemonade and then were taken for a tour around the villa. It had the typical white stucco exterior with a red clay roof. It was a big three storey mansion with lots of arches and out buildings surrounding the central flagstone courtyard. A pool made up the fourth side of the courtyard and beyond that was twenty acres of lawn and orchards.

Inside, the rooms were large, with large fans or chandeliers hanging from twelve foot high ceilings. Marble or highly polished light wood covered the floors and everything was airy and bright.

"This is a wonderful villa," Bea announced. "It's so open and bright. I envy you growing up here."

"Thank you Bea, I love the place so much I don't want to move out," Bianca responded with a grin. "My dad loves that of course; he can keep a closer eye on me that way!"

We stopped in the kitchen and Bianca told the cook that we would be eating lunch with them. After that, we sat near the pool and looked over the acreage below. North of the villa, a mountain range could be seen and it provided a fantastic backdrop to the view.

The three noble ladies were quizzing Emma on acting and some of the celebrities she got to meet when the Duque came home. He saw us sitting around the table and came over, his quizzical look changing to a big smile when he saw me.

We all stood up and he gave me a big hug as he said, "Michael, this is a great surprise!"

"Duque, it's good to see you as well," I told him. "I have the honour of presenting you Her Royal Highness, Princess Beatrice of York. Princess, the Duque Alphonso of Castile."

"Your Royal Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you at our humble little villa," the Duque said as he bowed low.

"The pleasure is mine, Duque Alphonso," the Princess replied, giving him a curtsy in response. "I hope you don't mind us just dropping in unannounced, but Michael wanted to stop by and say hello as we flew to Monte Carlo for the weekend."

"Michael, and of course you Princess, have an open invitation to stop by at any time," the Duque responded. "Now, who is this other beautiful lady with you, Michael?"

"Oh, just a stray we picked up along the way," I replied airily. "Duque, this is Emma Watson; Emma, the Duque de Castile."

"Ah yes, the famous actress you saved," the Duque said. "Sorry for not recognizing you, Miss Watson, you look much more mature and beautiful than on screen."

"Thank you Duque de Castile, at least some male appreciates me around here," she replied, giving me a glare. "You have a wonderful Villa, with a breathtaking view."

"Thank you, it's been in my family for five generations," the Duque replied. "You're all joining us for lunch, yes?"

"Yes father, I've already informed Sonya in the kitchen," Bianca told him.

"Good, good," he replied. "I will go wash up and come back in a few minutes. Sit down and relax again."

We did just that as he walked inside.

"So, is this a purely social call or is the Princess here in an official capacity as well?" Bianca asked.

"When the Queen heard we were going to Monte Carlo, she asked me to give something to your father," Bea answered. "If he was agreeable, I'm supposed to call my father and have the two Dukes talk. It's my first real task for the Queen, my grandmother, and I hope I don't screw it up."

"So you're using Michael to get to my father?" Bianca asked shrewdly.

"No, it was just a fortunate coincidence that we decided to get out of London for a couple of days," Bea replied. "We were at the Ritz last night and we both enjoyed some gambling at their club and we thought we would try Monte Carl for a couple of days. We met up with Emma later and invited her along. Have you two ever been?"

"A few times now, but Father doesn't like us losing money too often or getting hit on by the men there," Bianca replied.

"So you wouldn't want to come along?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't say that," Bianca replied with a laugh. "A chance to spend some time with our hero is always a good thing."

"Remember, he's my hero first," Emma told the table.

The others all laughed at that and were still laughing when the Duque came back.

"I see everyone is getting along well," he said with a smile. "I love to hear laughter at our villa."

"Father, our hero has invited Maria and me to spend a couple of days with them at Monte Carlo," Bianca informed him. "Emma reminded us that Michael was her hero first. She's very possessive of him."

The Duque chuckled at this and looked at me, "Normally, I wouldn't think too highly of this idea but I know you'll take good care of the ladies. I trust that everyone will stay close and act responsibly both at the gambling and elsewhere?"

"Of course," I replied, followed by the others.

"Then of course Bianca and Maria can accompany their hero," he announced with a grin.

"We must go pack," Bianca said to Maria. "Emma, would you care to come help us for a few minutes?"

"Certainly Bianca," Emma answered, getting up as well, "as long as the Princess promises not to sneak off with Michael."

"Sorry, I can't make that promise," Bea answered with a laugh.

"So, my daughter gives you time alone with me," the Duque said with a smile. "I gather the visit is not all pleasure."

"You and your daughter are very perceptive," Bea responded. "Yes, the Queen asked me to talk to you and pass something on once she heard we were coming this way."

"I see," the Duque said. "Well, let's get through it before the ladies get back."

"First of all, Her Majesty asked me to convey her personal regrets about the attack and her well wishes to you and your daughter," Bea started. "I've extended her invitation to Bianca and Maria and now to you and your wife to attend our summer Garden party at the Palace as our personal guests."

"Thank the Queen for her kind words and her invitation, I'm sure that the ladies will all love to attend the Garden Party," the Duque replied.

"I will do that and send you all the information when we get back," the Princess said. "Now, the other thing that she tasked me to do was to present this binder to you. It contains a modification to the deal you and my father, among others, have been working on. It is hoped that it will provide incentive to get everyone back to the negotiating table."

"Ah, I see," the Duque said with a smile. "And they had you deliver it with Michael to save time."

"To save time and with the hope that I can at least convince you to have a conversation with my father after you've read the details."

"Your grandmother is a very smart lady," the Duque said. "This is how the game is played, my young friends. How can I insult both a lovely young lady such as yourself, or her Majesty by proxy, if I don't at least read the offer and call the Prince?"

"Your Grace is a very wise man in your own right," the Princess replied. "The Queen is in fact a very smart lady and I hope to learn a lot by being involved with this endeavour."

"Good, you're just like my Bianca, she wants to be involved with everything as well," the Duque told us. "Ok, I will read the proposal and I will call the Prince afterwards. Your mission is a success, Princess."

"My task is complete but my mission is a success only if both sides can complete the deal that seems to be mutually beneficial to both parties," the princess replied with a smile. "I do thank you for agreeing to read it and talking to my father. The Queen and my father will be happy about that for sure. Hopefully, we of the next generation can become friends and continue to work together for years to come."

He considered her for a few seconds and nodded. He took the offered binder and glanced through it for the next five minutes and then sat there thinking it over.

"This is a most generous addition to the deal," he said. "As an honourable man, I should turn down this offer and continue with the earlier deal. However, I had my heart set on developing a resort in Jamaica and this is just what I was hoping for. Someone on your side knows me all too well."

"From what I understand, it was this lug's idea," Bea responded.

"Michael? What do you know about all this?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"The Princess exaggerates, Duque," I explained. "I just suggested to them that you might need some incentive to get back to the table and that it might entail something from the Jamaican portion of the deal. The Prince and Lady Trenton put the proposal together."

"You're a very perceptive young man," the Duque said. "Well, I think a call is definitely in order."

He took out his phone and scrolled down to find a number and then hit the call button.

"Prince Andrew, this is Alphonso Castile," he said.

"I'm very fine actually; I'm sitting with your beautiful daughter and Mr. Stewart," the Duke responded.

"Yes, I must say that I'm very impressed with the Princess's poise and intelligence in discussing both the offer and the deal itself," he said with a smile at Bea. "It gives me great hope for the future of our countries when I see our daughters getting along so well and showing great interest in our current endeavours. They are already making plans to continue to expand them in the future."

"Yes, they will all travel to Monte Carlo together, under the watchful eye of their protector, Mr. Stewart," the Duke said. "The Princess tells me that he helped in the proposal though he's too modest to let me know that."

"I agree," the Duke said. "How about we get together Monday morning and finalize this deal, Prince Andrew? I'm going to be selfish and accept this additional proposal but we'll leave that as a plus for my side as we go forward. I'm sure we'll have many more additions as we continue to mutually benefit from our association."

"Certainly, I'll make arrangements in Madrid for Monday morning and forward them to you shortly," the Duque replied. "Please pass on my regards to Her Majesty, I look forward to having a chance to meet and have a discussion with her."

"Thank you Prince Andrew, it's been a very good morning for both of us," he said. "I'll talk to you soon."

The Duque hung up the phone and gave us a smile.

"Princess, Michael, congratulations are in order," he said cheerfully. "I was thinking of abandoning this deal for one more suited in the surrounding Latin countries. There were several plusses to this deal for both sides and you have succeeded in making me recommit to this deal. I'm sure that your father and grandmother are very proud of you Princess, and well they should be. Michael, again I'm in your debt as is their side."

"Just knowing that both sides are happy with the deal and that it will provide jobs and income for many people is reward enough for me," I told him.

"Modest as always," the Duke shook his head. "Here come the ladies. I'm afraid I'm going to be busy the rest of the weekend preparing for Monday's meeting. It's good that you're taking them with you."

Bianca, Maria and Emma sat down as the Duke stood up.

"Things went well, I take it?" Bianca asked.

"Yes daughter, I will be meeting with them Monday morning in Madrid, so I must take my leave of you," the Duque responded. "All of you have fun and ladies, keep close to Michael. I will call Prince Albert and have him keep an eye out for you as well. Be safe and I'll talk to you when you get back."

We all stood up and he gave the ladies hugs and kisses and shook my hand before he went inside. The lunch was served and the ladies talked about going shopping and what else they wanted to do in Monaco. I took the opportunity to eat a big lunch as I skipped breakfast.

"Michael, do you plan on eating the table as well?" Emma asked.

"Why, is it edible?" I asked with a grin. "I skipped breakfast and had an energetic workout this morning."

"Michael has been beating up some of the Queen's Special Forces in the sparring ring the last couple of days and today I was told he took on the top four martial arts champions in the forces as well as a professional mixed martial arts fighter," Princess Bea informed them. "He took them on one after another and beat them all. I guess he's earned a big lunch."

"So, this is how you could fight off all those men," Bianca stated. "I thought you had only been training for a few months?"

"Yes, that's true," I told her. "Fortunately for me, I have two very good instructors. Emma has met them both."

"Yes, his Sensei is a very wise, older Japanese man and the second instructor is a very beautiful nineteen year old Japanese girl who is by far the best martial arts person I've ever seen," Emma explained. "She whips his butt every time they spar. She's the personal bodyguard of Mitsuko Matsuda, eldest daughter of the President of Matsuda Corp. Mitsy is another of Michael's rescues. He saved her from a mugger at the arena and in fact recently saved both Mitsy and Asuka from a Yakuza hit man."

"You seem to save only women Michael, why is that?" Maria asked with a grin.

"Just lucky I guess," I replied with an answering grin. "I like how ladies reward me with kisses and hugs so I'll continue to rescue them first."

"I see; maybe if those of us who you've already rescued paid more attention to that, you won't constantly have to rescue others," Maria suggested as she looked around at the others.

"Well now, I certainly wouldn't argue with that logic," I replied.

Emma hit me on my arm and said, "Maria, don't encourage him, I already have too much competition for him."

"Sorry Emma, but all is fair in love and war, isn't that the saying?" Maria asked.

"Well, look at the time," Princess Bea said, jumping in. "We should get back to the plane and head down to Monaco."

"Yes, I agree," Bianca stated. "I'll have the car brought around while everyone freshens up for the trip. Come on inside and I'll show you to the washrooms."

We followed her inside and washed up. We met up in the foyer and moved outside to the limo. Soon Alfredo had us on our way to the airport. Once there, I helped him with the bags for our Spanish ladies and carried them up the steps of the plane. Ten minutes later, we were up in the air on our way South-East to Monaco via Nice Airport.

The flight took about an hour and twenty minutes and then, after passing through customs in France, we took a short twenty minute helicopter ride to the Monaco Heliport. It was a quick cab ride from the heliport over to the Hotel de Paris Monaco located next to the Monte Carlo Casino.

When we checked in at the lobby, we found that we had been booked into two suites. We requested an additional suite for Lady Bianca and Lady Maria and the staff quickly found a nearby one for them.

"Your Royal Highness, Princess Beatrice, we have a note from His Serene Highness, Prince Albert the second, to pass on to you," the manager said as he handed over an envelope.

"Thank you," she replied as she accepted it.

She quickly opened it and then told us, "We've been invited for a cruise and dinner aboard Prince Albert's yacht this evening. Dress is semi-formal but we'd better wear dresses and Michael should wear a light suit."

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

"Ok, we have a couple of hours to get ready, we should get to our rooms and get started," she said, looking around at the ladies who all nodded.

"Ok, you ladies have fun with that," I said. "I'm going to explore for a bit."

"Michael, you don't have time for that now!" the Princess protested.

"Princess, it's going to take me fifteen minutes to get ready, so you ladies go do what you have to do and I'll be back in plenty of time," I told her as I grabbed my bags. "I'll just put these away in my room and meet you back here in an hour and forty five minutes so we can be on our way."

Without letting her have a chance to reply, I marched up the stairs and found my room. It was over the top in terms of fanciness, but at least it had the usual bed and a nice view of the sea. I quickly hung up my stuff, laid out what I was going to wear and then left the room.

I explored the hotel for a bit, finding the indoor swimming pool next to the fitness centre. I wandered outside to the patio and then made the short walk to the casino next door. The building was a marvel and I took the time to appreciate the design before I walked through the doors. Inside was a study of old world charm and elegance you just never saw in North America. I was dressed in good casual clothes but felt underdressed compared to some of the men in suits and ladies in fine dresses and gowns. I glanced at my watch and decided not to gamble at this time. I looked into some of the rooms to see what they offered before heading back to the hotel.

I headed up to my room and had a quick shave and shower before getting into my light grey suit. I was down in the lobby with ten minutes to spare and found a seat along the wall. I enjoyed people watching for a bit while waiting for the ladies. Everyone was dressed in expensive dresses and suits or at least very good casual clothes as they entered or left the lobby. I admired the beautiful women as they walked in their high heeled shoes and clingy dresses or short skirts.

"Enjoying the view?" a woman asked as she sat down.

"Yes I am," I admitted with a grin.

She was an elegant brunette, probably in her mid to late twenties, and dressed in a pale yellow dress that showed off her long legs and trim body.

"Your lady allows you the freedom to do this?" she asked in a French accent.

"I'm sure they would frown at my uncouthness if they were here, but lucky for me they're still getting ready," I told her. "Your gentleman friend is not a wise man to let you wander out alone. A beauty like you will be scooped up in a second by any number of other gentlemen."

"I have no gentleman friend at the moment, but have no plans to be scooped up either," she informed me. "You said your ladies are getting ready? How many ladies are we talking about?"

"I'm escorting four ladies this evening," I admitted.

"Very impressive," she remarked. "I'm surprised four ladies would agree to share any gentleman."

"Oh, no sharing is being done, I'm just accompanying them to our destination," I clarified. "So what are you doing here all alone?"

"Enjoying the sun, the gambling and the nightlife," she admitted. "Sometimes I find a lone gentleman to spend the week with."

"The lucky gentleman," I said with a wry smile.

"So are you here for a while?" she asked with a smile.

"Just for the weekend," I told her.

"That's a shame," she said as she stood up. "Good luck with your ladies."

I watched as she walked away and passed the ladies coming to find me.

"Who was that, Michael?" the Princess asked in a less than friendly tone.

"I have no idea actually," I replied, standing up.

"What did she want?" Bianca asked, her tone also a bit frosty

"Oh, I think she was looking for a companion for the week," I told them with a grin. "Luckily I'm only here for the weekend."

"I knew we shouldn't have left him alone," Maria spoke up. "The women here are like vultures."

"That's it, I'll have to sacrifice myself and spend the rest of the weekend with him," Emma said as she grabbed my hand.

"I believe I'm the one supposed to be spending the weekend with him," the Princess noted.

"As invited guests, we should be the ones to be accompanied by Michael," Bianca added.

"Ladies, I'm here to ensure your safety so I'm all of your escorts this weekend," I said. "Let's just enjoy what little time we have together without fighting."

"Who do you want to be with?" Maria asked.

""I'm with you all, which is exactly how I want it," I said. "I'm with the four most beautiful, intelligent and special women in the world. My life is complete as of this moment."

"You're good," Emma said. "How can we fight over you now?"

"You can't, you have to be proper ladies," I replied with a grin. "You four look fabulous, if I may say. I'm the envy of every man in the country for sure."

"Shall we go then?" Princess Beatrice asked, waving the invitation. "There should be a car waiting outside for us now."

"After you, ladies," I said and followed them out of the lobby.

A chauffeur was waiting outside by the back door of a Rolls Royce Limousine and opened the second he saw us emerge from the hotel.

I helped the ladies into the car and followed them in. A two minute drive and we were at the marina where a long line of luxurious yachts were gleaming in the sunshine. I got out first and helped the ladies, getting some glimpses of their wonderful legs as they swung them out before standing.

The chauffeur let the way down the long dock until we came to one aptly named Monaco. The Prince was waiting at the side of the yacht with a tall blonde lady by his side.

The introductions lasted almost five minutes as all the bowing and Royal or Serene Highness went back and forth. The lady beside the Prince was his charming girlfriend, Charlene Wittstock.

"Now that we got that out of the way, we can now just get to know one another," the Prince said with a smile. "Come on up to the top deck and we'll cast off."

We took the stairs up two levels to the open top and found a bunch of people there as well. More introductions were made as the yacht got underway out of the marina. Hor'dourves was served as well as drinks as I found our group separated as the other guests engaged the ladies in conversation.

"Hello, I'm Charlotte Casiraghi, Prince Albert's niece," a beautiful dark haired lady introduced herself to me.

"Hello Lady Charlotte, I'm Mike Stewart," I replied as we shook hands.

"Just Charlotte, Mike," she replied with a smile. "Are you enjoying your stay in Monaco?"

"We just got in a couple of hours ago but what I've seen so far is wonderful." I told her. "The weather is perfect and the architecture of the older buildings is fantastic. You don't see that much care put into buildings anymore."

"You're right, everything is about the cost and timing," Charlotte responded. "So, you're the new Calvin Klein model right?"

"Yes, I just finished a shoot in Jamaica in between semesters," I told her. "Do you model, you certainly look like you could?"

"No, though I have designer friends in Paris and London and go to a lot of the shows," she told me. "What are you taking in school and where do you go?"

"University of Michigan for computer science," I responded.

We talked for a while longer as I kept my eye on my charges.

"You seem concerned about your travelling companions," Charlotte noted.

"I'm sort of responsible for their safety," I told her.

"And perhaps romantically involved as well?" she asked with a smile.

"Let's just say that I care for them all," I replied.

"Then they are all very lucky ladies," she commented. "So what brings you to Monte Carlo?"

"We're just here for the weekend to relax," I said as we moved to the railing to watch the city go by.

The other ladies came over and I was introduced to Charlotte's boyfriend Alex, her two brothers, Andrea and Pierre, and a Count from Spain.

"Michael, this is Count Ernesto de Alvaraz, from Spain," Lady Maria said. "Count, this is Michael Stewart, our protector and escort for the weekend."

"Count Ernesto, it's nice to meet you," I said, offering my hand.

"Mr. Stewart," he said as he shook my hand. "Lady Maria tells me that I must present myself to you in order to ask for the honour to escort her around Monaco this weekend."

I looked at Maria who nodded slightly and then back to the Count.

"I suppose that is correct, Count; the Duke de Castile charged me with their safety this weekend," I admitted. "I have no problem with you joining our excursions for the weekend. I would hope that you present yourself to the Duke as well as Lady Maria's family if you wish to take things further."

"Of course Mr. Stewart," he nodded before turning to Maria. "Lady Maria, I ask you for the honour of escorting you this weekend and, if we get along, I would like to visit you at the home of the Duke and your family."

Maria looked at Bianca, who nodded and then at me. I nodded as well so she smiled at us and then turned to the Count.

"It would be my pleasure, Count Ernesto," Maria responded.

The Count lifted her hand and gave it a kiss before smiling at us all.

"Count, you're showing us all up," I said.

"You all could benefit from the Count's example," Charlotte replied, looking at Alex and then her brothers.

"That's it, over the side with the Count," Andrea, Charlotte's older brother announced.

That got a laugh from everyone and loosened things up. We all watched the coast go by as the siblings pointed out landmarks and interesting tidbits of information.

We were soon all called to diner downstairs in the main cabin. We were seated at a long table with Prince Albert and his girlfriend at the one end and his sister, Princess Caroline, at the other. She was the mother of Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre as well as Princess Alexandra, who wasn't on the cruise. We were interspaced between the rest of the guests, with Emma switching with Charlotte so Alex could sit beside Charlotte and Emma by me.

The meal was an elegant affair, even while on a yacht. There was soup and salad before a pasta course, a seafood melody and then a filet mignon course. The portions were small so I appreciated the extra courses. I looked longingly at Emma's barely touched filet but I knew that it would be bad manners to just lean over and spear it with my fork.

After a small dish of sorbet, the dinner was over and we went back on deck to appreciate the cool Mediterranean Sea breeze. We were cruising down the coast of France and continued on into Italy's waters. There were cliffs as well as beaches to see in the light of the setting sun. The siblings provided us with tidbits of history as we passed towns and cities along the way. Eventually the yacht made a wide turn out to sea and back to Monaco. It took over an hour to get back and it was dark when we finally moored.

We thanked our hosts and the escorts for a wonderful evening and the four ladies joined me in the limousine to get back to the hotel.

"Is anyone tired yet?" I asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Let's go to the casino for a bit then," I suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Princess Beatrice agreed as did the others.

We had the driver drop us off at the casino and, after showing our identification, entered the luxurious lobby and purchased some chips. We spent the next couple of hours at a roulette table and then a Blackjack table. I promised myself I would try my hand at poker tomorrow. Bianca won big at the roulette table, hitting on an eight with a thousand dollar chip paying off at thirty-five to one. The Princess and Maria made up their losses at the roulette wheel with an impressive run at the Blackjack table. Emma and I lost a few grand at both tables before we called it quits.

We walked back to the hotel and made plans to meet for breakfast at eight in the morning. We walked Bianca and Maria to their suite and got hugs from them before moving on to the English ladies' suite.

"You two have a good night and I'll see you in the morning," I told them.

Princess Beatrice gave me a hug and a kiss on the lips before saying, "Thanks Michael, for a nice evening."

Emma was next in line and she also gave me a hug and a kiss.

"Good night Michael, sweet dreams," she said.

"Good night," I replied and waited until they were both in the room before heading to mine.

After hanging up the suit, I climbed into the bed and thought about the day. I started the morning sparring in England, visited the Duke in Spain, and dined with the Prince of Monaco and made new friends with his nieces and nephews. It had been definitely a day to remember. I fell asleep and dreamed I was a King of my own country and I had a few wives to keep me company.

Sunday morning I was up early and in the hotel's fitness centre at five thirty. I did a heavy workout and then jogged on the treadmill for half an hour. After a quick rinse in the shower, I put on a swimsuit and did some laps in the indoor pool. I had a shower in the locker room and then went up to get into some dress shorts and a golf shirt. I met the ladies in the restaurant at eight and we ordered breakfast before talking about the day's activities.

"We've decided that we need to go shopping this morning," Princess Beatrice told me. "Maybe you can work out or something and then we can meet for lunch. This afternoon we thought we would hit the beach and then go to the casino again this evening after dinner."

"Sounds good but I've already done my workout this morning," I told them. "I'll find something to amuse myself for the rest of the morning."

The ladies looked at each other and the Princess spoke up, "Leaving you to walk around alone is not such a good idea, Michael. How about you come with us shopping? You're supposed to be our protector anyway."

I groaned and said, "That's low, Princess. Fine, but I'm not going to be your pack mule and I won't be going into each store with you. I'll wait outside with a book."

"That will do nicely," she replied with a grin.

We finished up with breakfast and were soon on our way to the shopping district. For the next three hours, I moved from one store front to the other and sat outside on a bench or wherever it was convenient. Of course they left their packages with me before going into the next store.

Fortunately for me, Maria insisted on being back at our hotel for noon as Count Ernesto was meeting us for lunch. We found him in the lobby and Maria and he went to the restaurant while the rest of us brought the packages to the ladies' rooms.

We let them have an intimate lunch while the rest of us sat at another table. After lunch, we all walked down to the Beach Club associated with the hotel and baked in the sun for a few hours. I had three women to put lotion on and they helped me with my back from time to time. All four ladies were wearing two piece bikinis that let me see their wonderful bodies. Maria and Ernesto seemed to be getting along well as they talked away in Spanish.

We all had enough sun by four and we walked back to the hotel. Ernesto said he was going to take us to dinner at a restaurant that he was associated with so we got ready and waited for him to return.

He arrived in another limo and we drove the short distance to a Spanish restaurant near the palace. We had a fantastic meal and everyone had a wonderful time. Maria met Ernesto's Aunt and Uncle and we could all see that we had a budding relationship on our hands.

Ernesto joined us at the casino after supper and finally the two of us could get in a game of poker at a private table with four other men. We all started with fifty thousand in chips and it was a Texas no-limit hold em game. The ante and blinds went up every half hour so it was going to be interesting.

Early on I wasn't getting any cards so folded most of my hands. About an hour in I started getting some better cards and got to play more hands. I took two pots and then called the man with the short stack all in bet and beat him with two pair. I was now back amongst the leaders in the game. Ernesto was also doing well as he was the next to eliminate one of the others.

The next to fall was a Frenchman who lost the rest of his chips to the Italian, making him the chip leader. Ernesto and I whittled away at his stack until we were all pretty even in chips. The ante was now five hundred and the blinds were up to three and six thousand so the game wasn't going to last much longer.

On the last hand I was dealt a king and jack of diamonds. I called the big blind as did Ernesto. He raised us another six thousand and we both called. The dealer dealt the flop and an Ace of diamonds, the queen of diamonds and a queen of clubs were turned over. We all bet and we went around until we were all in. The cards were turned over and the Italian had a full house with a pair of aces in his hand. Ernesto had three queens and I had a possible royal flush if I could get the ten of diamonds.

The turn card was dealt and it was another queen to give Ernesto the lead with four queens. The Italian couldn't believe his luck as he shook his head. I patted Ernesto on the shoulder and put on my jacket, getting ready to leave. I was finishing my Diet Coke when the dealer flipped over the river card and when I looked down it was the ten of diamonds. I had won the whole pot with a Royal Flush.

"Sorry Ernesto," I said, shaking his hand after the Italian's.

"It's just the luck of the draw sometimes," Ernesto replied.

"You ok for money?" I asked. "I can give you back your fifty thousand if you like."

"No, you won it honestly, I'm fine," he said.

"I'm going to donate the winnings to the Princess's charity so it's going to a good cause," I told him. "I just like playing and the chips are how to keep score."

"That's very generous of you," he said as we left the room to find the women.

They were at a blackjack table and had a group of three men trying to impress them.

"It's about time," Princess Beatrice said when she saw us.

"Sorry my dear, Ernesto was reluctant to give up his chips," I said, showing her the tray with my winnings.

"Oh, you won, did you?" Emma asked. "Maybe now we can get the car out of hock and pay off some of your debts?"

"Yes dear, and pay for your new dresses," I played along. "Sorry, Bianca and Maria, you'll have to do without again."

"How could you be so stupido?" Maria said to Ernesto, throwing up her arms. "That money was going to pay the bills and get the children some new clothes."

"Sorry dear, I thought I had a sure thing but Michael filled a Royal Straight," he said.

"Now we have to return these dresses," Bianca said in disgust. "Let's go before he hocks those and we have to walk out in our underwear."

The ladies got up and left the three men looking at us in wonder. We held in our laughter as we cashed out and I had a cashier's cheque made out to the Princess's charity for the two hundred and fifty thousand that I had won. The girls all made a bit of money as well so everyone was happy as we left.

"We can't leave you ladies alone for an hour without men hanging all over you," I noted.

"What can we say, we're beautiful women who all men adore," Bianca said airily. "If you two find playing cards more important than spending time with us, then I'm sure others will fill your places."

"Shall we go back and find another game then," I asked Ernesto.

"Certainly, the night is young," he said as we turned back.

"Oh no you don't," Emma said, grabbing my arm just as Maria did Ernesto's. "We're all going for a walk so just ignore Bianca's attempt at humour."

Bianca stuck her tongue out at her and they all laughed as we walked down to the beach.

It was dark when we got back to the hotel. I let Ernesto walk our Spanish ladies to their room while I walked the two English beauties to theirs.

"Care to come in for a bit?" Bea asked.

"It's getting late and I was up at five, so I better not," I replied. "We're leaving after breakfast right?"

"That's the plan," Bea replied, obviously disappointed.

"You two have a good sleep and I'll see you at eight," I said, giving both of them hugs and kisses.

I made sure they were in safe and went back to my room. I packed up my stuff and hit the hay.

Monday morning was a repeat of the previous day's as I worked out and swam before meeting the ladies. Ernesto was there as well, wanting to spend as much time with Maria as possible. We gave them some space after we were done and then we all said goodbye to him.

After a quick trip up to our rooms, we checked out and took a taxi to the heliport. A half an hour later, we were on our jet and flying back to Madrid, to drop the ladies off to meet Bianca's dad. We made sure that they were safely in a taxi on their way to their hotel before we got back on the plane and headed to London.

The Princess spent most of the time on the phone, talking quietly, so Emma and I chatted in two seats farther back.

"So, are you going to meet up with Molly after you're done with us?" she asked.

"No, I'll talk to her but I'd rather spend time with you," I replied.

"I was hoping we could have some alone time," she replied with a smile. "The Princess has been putting a block on it whenever she can."

"I'm not going to be anything more than friends with her," I stated.

"She might be coming to that realization but I'm sure she's hoping," Emma said. "You and I are a long shot as well, but at least I'm coming to America soon."

"You're not a long shot at all," I told her.

"That's good to hear," she replied with a smile.

We sat for a bit in silence as she looked out the window. Bea finally finished up and came over to us.

"My grandmother will see us this afternoon as soon as we arrive at the Palace," Bea told me. "Then you're free to do what you want the rest of the day. The plane will take you back to Detroit in the morning."

"Ok, thanks Bea," I said. "It will be nice to get home. I've been back and forth to seven countries in the past few days and I could use a couple days to relax before school starts."

"The plane can leave as early as you want in the morning, just let me know when," she said.

We talked a bit more about our busy schedules for a while longer until the attendant, someone else other than Nancy, asked us to buckle in as we were going to arrive shortly. We were on the ground ten minutes later and we bypassed security again by getting into a limo right off the plane. We waited while our luggage went into the trunk and then headed though the city to the Palace. Bea called ahead and had extra staff to help with our luggage when we got there. Emma and I found our ID badges and used them to get past security.

Bea let us through a different hallway and I got suspicious as we approached a pair of men bracketing a set of double doors.

"What's going on, Princess?" I asked. "Why aren't we meeting the Queen in her apartment?"

"She usually doesn't meet people there, this room is a bit bigger," Bea responded.

She nodded to the men and they opened the doors wide.

"Princess Beatrice of York, Miss Watson and Mr. Stewart," one the men announced loudly and stepped aside.

I peeked into the room and was not amused to see a group of people waiting for us at the other end of the large room. The queen was standing with her husband on a raised platform while others were standing on either side of a red strip of carpet leading up to them.

"What's all this?" I asked Bea.

"Just a small get together to thank us for what we did," she said. "We should go, they're all waiting."

My suspicions were right on target it seemed.

"You two go ahead, I need to find a bathroom," I told her and took off down the hall.

"Michael!" Bea said loudly behind me.

"Got to go, go on in without me," I said, holding my stomach.

I found the way up to my room and quickly grabbed my bags and hoofed it back downstairs and out the side door. I walked off through the gate and grabbed a cab that had just dropped off someone.

"Heathrow airport," I said to the driver. "There's a nice tip in it if you get me there quickly."

"I'll have you there in a jiffy, Sir," the man said and sped off.

He weaved through traffic like a professional race car driver and we were at least half way there when my phone rang. I indicated that he was to be quiet and then hit the button.

"Hello?" I said in a pained voice.

"Michael, where are you?" Bea asked. "We're all waiting for you!"

"You better go on without me, I'm still on the toilet," I replied. "Something I ate isn't agreeing with me. I'm going to be here awhile."

"Michael, you just can't run off like that, we have a lot of important people here," she said.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. "I just can't shut it off with a damn cork! Just do whatever you're doing without me. I'll meet with the Queen some other time."

"Michael!" she said as I hung up and shut off the phone.

We reached the airport fifteen minutes later and I handed him a bunch of money and rushed into the terminal with my bags. I picked Delta as they flew into Detroit but when I got up to the counter I saw there wasn't a flight to Detroit for another five hours. Instead, I got a first class ticket on a flight to New York that took off in an hour and checked in my bags. It took me almost most of that hour to get through security and walk to the appropriate gate.

I looked around as I walked through the airport, expecting the Queen to send someone to stop me. Nothing happened and I was able to board the plane as soon as I showed my boarding pass. I didn't relax until we were finally in the air twenty minutes later.

Sipping on a Diet Coke, I wondered how much trouble I was in. Well, I really didn't need to visit England for a while and hopefully Emma would still want to see me when she came to the States.

A worried looking flight attendant came up to me an hour later.

"Mr. Stewart, you need to come with me please," she said.

"Where and why?" I asked.

"You have a call from London," she said. "We have a private area in the front you can take it."

"Damn, how the hell did they find me so quickly?" I muttered as I got up.

I followed her past their station into a small room just before the cockpit bulkhead.

"Just pick up the phone and hit line one," she instructed before shutting the door.

I nodded before sitting down and reached for the phone. I took a deep breath before hitting the button.

"Hello?" I said.

Michael Stewart, what the hell are you doing on a flight to New York?" Princess Bea asked, clearly very angry.

"Just avoiding whatever it was that you ambushed me with," I replied. "You knew that I didn't want anything like that and you went ahead and tried to sneak it in anyway."

"You didn't even know what it was so why just jump to conclusions and leave the country?" she asked.

"Was I right?" I asked.

"Partially," she admitted. "The Queen is very angry with you and so is Emma. It was a very immature thing to do."

"I'll apologize to Emma later," I said.

"And the Queen?" she asked.

"Princess, the Queen and you both knew how I felt about what you tried to do and you still did it," I replied. "After all that I did for you the past week, you still went against my wishes. I think leaving before anything started was better than refusing to accept whatever trinket you were going to present. Perhaps if you had checked with me prior to setting the whole thing up, things wouldn't have progressed that far."

"You wouldn't have shown up if we did," she responded.

"That's correct, but at least you wouldn't have wasted everyone's time and I could have said a proper goodbye," I explained. "Now I get to be called immature when it's really your fault. If this is the way you treat friends, I'd hate to see how you treat enemies. Goodbye Princess."

"Michael, don't you dare..." I heard before the phone rested on its cradle.

I went back to my seat, thanking the woman for her assistance along the way. The other first class passengers looked at me curiously but I just looked out the window through the clouds at the ocean below us.

I fell asleep for a couple hours and then had the chicken dinner when the food came around. We landed a couple hours later, around seven pm back in London, but only two pm in New York. I joined the line through security and then went and grabbed my luggage. I was deciding whether to stay over in New York for a night or find a flight to Detroit, when two men in suits approached.

"Mr. Stewart, we're from the British Consulate here in New York," one said. "The Consul-General, Sir Allan Collins, would like to have a word."

"Sorry, I'm going to catch a flight to Detroit," I replied and went to move by them.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to insist, Mr. Stewart," the second man responded. "We have a car waiting outside."

"I don't really care if you insist, I'm not going anywhere with you," I replied, shifting my two bags to my right hand. "I am not a British citizen and you have no jurisdiction here anyway. I don't wish to talk to the Queen or the Princess right now, let alone a Consul-General."

"Please, this is important, we have a situation we need your help with," the first one said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"We can't talk here," he replied. "It's only a short drive to the Consulate."

"I'm not leaving the airport, so you better have someone call me," I said, pulling out my cell and turning it on.

"I'll make a call," the first one said.

"I'm going to listen to my messages over there," pointing to a bench of seats.

I called my voice mail and found out that I had six messages.

"Michael, where are you?" Bea asked. "Call me."

"Michael, it's Emma, call me," she said.

"I can't believe you left!" Bea said. "Call me back!"

"Bea just told me that you're on a plane to New York," Emma said. "I can't believe you left without saying goodbye. I'm very mad at you; I thought I meant more to you than that. The Queen was mad but hid it well. The Princess was furious, to say the least. Call me when you get this."

"Michael Stewart, you are the most immature, stubborn child I know!" Bea yelled. "How dare you hang up on me! I don't want to ever see you again."

The last message was a quick hang-up so I did the same and slipped it back into my pocket. I looked up to see the first man walking over to me, a phone to his ear. Without a word, he handed the phone to me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Mr. Stewart, this is Allan Collins, I'm the Consul-General here in New York," an older man's voice said. "There has been an incident here that you might be able to help with. Two women disappeared yesterday and one of them has ties to the person you ran out on earlier today in London."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but how can I help?" I asked.

"They both worked for a fashion house and we hoped your contacts in that area could be useful," he replied.

"I can make a couple of calls; can you give me more information?" I asked.

"Yes, it's a quick drive to the consulate and we have all the information you'll need," he replied.

I sighed and said, "Ok, I'll come over."

"Excellent, I'll see you soon," he replied. "Thank you, Mr. Stewart."

"You're welcome," I replied and handed the phone back. "Ok, let's go."

I stood up and followed them out the door into the waiting limo. It was a quiet drive as we sped into New York. Half an hour later, we were pulling into the consulate and I was led into the building after receiving a visitor's badge to wear. I was shown into a room where a team of people were bustling about.

"Ah, Mr. Stewart, thank you for coming," a man in his fifties said, holding out his hand. "I'm Allan Collins, the man who spoke to you on the phone."

"Consul-General, nice to meet you," I replied, shaking his hand. "What's the situation?"

He led me over to a board with two pictures on it.

"That is Chelsea Windsor, a granddaughter of the Queen," he explained. "The girl with her was a model friend of hers and they both disappeared yesterday here in New York when they didn't come back from lunch. They both work for a fashion house; Chelsea being an intern and the other girl models for walk-in clients. The police and some members of the security team here in New York are investigating but they don't have any leads."

I looked them both over. Chelsea was pretty and the model seemed wasted on doing spot modelling for a fashion house's walk-in customers. She was an exotic black-haired beauty with traces of Asia and European backgrounds in her face.

"Maybe she was the target," I mused. "She looks too good to be a walk-in model."

"That is a possibility," Mr. Collins admitted. "There have been no ransom demands or calls to the fashion house or the Consulate. The police and the security team don't have much to go on. That's why London thought you could stir something up using your contacts here."

"I can try," I said. "What fashion house did they work for?"

"The Trinity Fashion House," he replied. "It's a small one but gaining a good reputation."

"Ok, let me make a call and I'll see what I can dig up," I told him. "Is there a quiet room I can use?"

He led the way to another room and left me alone. I found Mr. Carroll's number and gave him a call.

"Afternoon Michael; how is Europe?" he asked when he answered.

"Afternoon, Mr. Carroll, Europe was fine but I'm New York right now," I told him. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure, what do you need?" he asked.

"Two women disappeared yesterday, here in New York," I explained. "One is a model and the other is an intern, both at the Trinity fashion house. Apparently they disappeared somewhere between the restaurant and the house after lunch and haven't been seen since."

"And you wanted to see if I could help, with my extensive contacts in the fashion industry," he stated.

"Yes, those as well as any other contacts you might have in other areas," I added. "I can send you pictures and their bios as well as the particulars of the disappearance."

"Why are you involved?" he asked.

"The intern is very important to someone in England and I was asked me to see if any of my fashion contacts could help," I replied. "Any help you could provide would be seen in a very good light and I'm sure it would be appreciated."

"I see; this person is the same one who arranged for the compensation for your early departure?" he asked.

"Indirectly," I responded.

"And the missing intern is a relation?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Ok, I'll get on it immediately," he said. "Send me what you have and I'll call you as soon as I get anything. Don't bother calling Katie or anyone else on this; she won't have the right contacts to get anywhere. I'll be in touch as soon as I find out anything."

"Thanks, Mr. Carroll, I appreciate anything you can do," I replied.

"It's a big city, I'm not sure if I'll be able to help, but I have a lot of people who owe me favours," he replied. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Ok, bye," I answered and hung up.

I walked back to the busy conference room and asked Mr. Collins if he had the information available to send electronically. He did and I asked him to send it to Mr. Carroll's email address.

"Now we wait," he said when he got confirmation that Mr. Carroll received the email. "Let's go sit in another room and get comfortable."

He led the way to an office and we took a seat in the corner lounge area. I took an offered bottle of water while he mixed himself a drink. The phone on his desk rang and he moved over to it and started talking quietly. He was kept busy so I picked up a magazine and leafed through it while we waited.

Minutes turned into an hour until finally my phone rang.

"Mike, I've got a definite lead on them," Mr. Carroll said. "They're alive but their situation is dicey."

"At least they're alive, that's great news," I replied. "What's the situation?"

"The model caught the attention of a group of people who provide services to a certain type of people who like to collect exotic things," he danced around the subject. "The intern got snatched at the same time. The scoop I'm hearing is that they go on the auction block tonight somewhere in Queens. The model should fetch some serious money but the intern will probably go to one of the brothels."

"Can you get someone into the auction, or better yet, can we make a deal before the auction starts?" I asked.

"Michael, you just can't walk into this place and put a bid down on someone," he replied. "They're very secretive and a close-knit operation."

"What do you think they would be sold for?" I asked.

"The intern, fifty grand, the model, up to two fifty to three hundred," he replied.

"Can you get them word we'll pay four hundred for the both of them, with no questions asked and no authorities involved?" I asked.

"You can authorize that?" he asked.

"I can pay for it myself, you know that," I told him. "I'm sure someone will scrounge that up as soon as I give them the word."

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm talking through several intermediaries," he informed me. "It's going to take time."

"I'm sure you'll do your best, Mr. Carroll, and you'll be well compensated for your assistance," I told him.

"Ok Mike, start getting the money together and I'll see what I can do," he said before hanging up.

I informed Mr. Collins and he got busy on the phone gathering the money. It took half an hour for Mr. Carroll to call back.

"Mike, bad news, my contact couldn't get them to make a deal beforehand," he said. "The best she was able to do was get you into the auction with her."

"Me?" I asked. "That could blow up in our faces if someone takes a picture of me there. I was thinking of someone from the security team here."

"They won't let in anyone they don't know and they know you from the ads," he explained. "They know you can't rat them out or the negative publicity will ruin your career. Sorry Mike, it's the best I can do."

I blew out the air in my lungs and then said, "Well, if that's what it takes, then I guess I have no choice. When and where?"

"You're at the Consulate, right?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"She'll pick you up outside in half an hour," he said. "She'll teach you how to act and what to do at the auction. Just so you know; you're going to have to act a lot different there. These people don't treat these women well and you'll have to fit in or you'll disappear like the women will."

"I'll do what it takes to get them out," I responded.

"Another thing, payment is all down by bank transfer, so have your people set up an account for you," he informed me.

"I'll get them on that as soon as we're done talking," I assured him.

"The woman's name is Helen Smith, for this type of thing anyway," Mr. Carroll continued. "She doesn't do this much anymore but agreed to help. Listen to her; she'll get you through this if anyone can. Keep your feeling and opinions to yourself and don't act on whatever you will see. These people, both the bidders and the sellers, are very dangerous and well connected. Just get in and get out as quickly as possible."

"I understand, Mr. Carroll," I replied.

"You don't, but you will when you get there," he said. "It's not going to be pleasant for you but you have to let things happen as they are. Once the girls leave there, they will disappear. They'll be watching you and will probably bait you to see what you do. One look of disgust and you'll be on the next barge out to the Atlantic Ocean to be dumped with the garbage and I lose our best model in ten years."

"Don't worry, I'll do what it takes to get them and me out of there," I assured him. "There is too much at stake not to."

"Ok, I'll tell Helen it's a go and I'll expect a call when it's over," Mr. Carroll said. "Good luck Michael."

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Carroll," I replied. "Talk to you soon."

I told Mr. Collins what the game plan was.

"I don't like it Mr. Stewart, it's very dangerous for you," he said.

"I'm not thrilled about it, but we don't have much choice," I explained. "We won't be able to find her once the auction is over. I'm willing to take the risk for them. Can you get me an account set up or shall I use mine?"

"Let me make some calls," he said.

Ten minutes later, he motioned me over and handed me the phone.

"Michael, are you sure you want to do this?" the Queen asked. "I never meant you to put yourself at risk like this."

"It's what I do best, rescue damsels in distress, Your Majesty," I replied. "It's for the best of reasons, don't you think?"

"You're a very brave man, Mr. Stewart," she replied. "Do you have a pen and paper handy? I'm going to give you a special account we're having set up in your name right now. It will have a few million dollars in it and you have to give a password each time it is accessed."

"One second, Your Majesty, I'll get a pen and paper," I said, looking over at Mr. Collins.

He handed me a pad and a pen.

"Go ahead, Ma'am," I told her.

I wrote down what she told me and verified what I had written with her before ripping off a few pages.

"We'll let you know how it goes as soon as I can, Your Majesty," I told her.

"We'll be waiting for your call Michael, good luck and be safe," the Queen replied.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I replied. "Goodbye for now."

I changed into a suit after washing up and waited with the Consul-General just inside the front door. When a limousine pulled up, I gave him a quick handshake and walked out through the gate and looked in the open door.



-------

Chapter 4: New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor


"Mr. Stewart, I presume?" the lady asked with a smile.

"Yes; Miss Smith?" I asked.

"Yes, do come in Mr. Stewart, time is in short supply," she said.

I climbed in and sat across from her, facing the front of the vehicle. Helen was probably in her mid thirties, and looked like a confident, high level executive or lawyer, dressed in a short skirt with a matching waist jacket over an expensive silk blouse. We got moving as soon as I sat down.

"You can call me Helen, Mike," she said. "We don't have much time so I'm going to just get right to it."

"Sounds good to me, Helen," I replied.

"The people who trade in young women are ruthless," she started. "They have to be to do what they do. You will see the girls drugged and pawed at by the buyers and whipped by the sellers if they don't respond properly. You have to be able to keep a straight face and not react to any of it. In fact, you might have to do some pawing of your own."

"Mr. Carroll explained it," I replied. "I'll do what I have to do to get the girls out and keep my feelings to myself."

"I hope so," she replied and then continued. "You're going to have to show that you're their equal. If someone gives you his or her first name, use it. If not, then you call yourself Mr. Stewart. Be almost arrogant with the sellers or they'll sense weakness in you. There might be time before the auction to inspect the merchandise. Take advantage of that and check them out, including the two you want. Everyone else will and you'll look out of place if you don't. Don't talk to them, ask questions and demand answers. They won't allow sex with them, just examinations of their fitness and firmness. Virgins won't be allowed to be touched below the waist. Any questions so far?"

"No," I replied.

"Bidding is just done by hitting a button on the table by your chair," she continued. "Your account information is handed over at the beginning, and if you're the winner, they will automatically take the money from the account. Bidding goes up by twenty five thousand over the last bid. Normal auction rules apply; if you hit the button, the bid is final."

"Sounds easy enough," I remarked.

"Ok, I'll be sitting next to you and help you when I can," she told me. "Don't bid too quickly or the price will go up. Both of them are older so they won't fetch top dollar like the young virgins do. There will be eight girls being auctioned off in total with four new acquisitions and four trained slaves, so we'll have to stay for the entire event. We'll be there for at least a couple of hours. The acquisitions you win will be brought to the car so at least everyone won't know who you've bought."

I nodded and we drove in silence for a bit. The limo turned into a warehouse and drove through it and back on to another street. We turned again and then pulled into a large deserted looking building. The car stopped at a door where a large man stood guard along with a smaller man in a suit holding a clipboard.

"Showtime, get your arrogant face on Michael, and let's go," Helen said.

"After you Helen," I replied with a smirk.

"You just might pull this off," she said as the driver opened the door.

She got out and I admired her ass as I followed.

"Miss Smith, it's good to see you back, and this must be your Mr. Stewart," the small man said. "I trust you've explained the rules to him, he seems rather young."

"That doesn't affect the amount of money in my account, and that's the important thing, now isn't it?" I asked with a cool look as I straightened up to my full height. "I'm here to buy what you're selling, and my age has nothing to do with it."

"True, Mr. Stewart," he said hastily. "I didn't mean to offend you. We need to keep this a secret for all of our sakes."

"Do I look like a fool?" I asked sharply. "One sniff of this gets out and it will be in every newspaper and on every TV in the Western world. So your people better keep their mouths shut or we'll all be sorry. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," he said as the other guard nodded.

"Fine, let us in before someone takes a bloody picture of us out here," I said.

"Certainly, Claudia will escort you to the pre-show viewing area after you've given her your account information," he said quickly. "She's just inside the door."

He reached for the handle and opened it. I went in first and Helen followed.

"Claudia, I presume," I stated confidently.

"Yes Sir, You must be Mr. Stewart and of course I remember you, Miss Smith," Claudia said, standing up from behind an elegant desk. "Welcome and welcome back. If you would please insert your account information, we'll confirm by taking out a hundred thousand as a deposit, to be returned if you don't win any bids."

I typed in my account information and she made up a transaction request. I typed in the password into the laptop and then turned it around.

We waited until the transaction was approved.

"You've been approved, Mr. Stewart," Claudia said. "Miss Smith, is the account information on file still current?"

"Yes Claudia," Helen said. "You look simply ravishing today, doesn't she Michael?"

"Yes she does," I replied, looking Claudia up and down. "I hope the selection is as good as she or we'll be most disappointed."

"Thank you both for the compliment, I'm sure we'll have someone who will please you," Claudia said smoothly. "Please follow me and we'll get you a closer look at today's selection."

She led the way and I enjoyed watching her ass sway in her tight dress. I looked over at Helen who was also staring at Claudia until she caught my glance.

"She is quite the sexy thing," Helen said with a smirk. "Unfortunately, Claudia has never joined a buyer afterwards, man or woman. Believe me, many have tried."

"I'm sure she's very picky as she has every right to be," I said.

Claudia looked back at me with a slight smirk and said, "Mr. Stewart is right, I am very choosy and most who visit here have an issue with an equal as a partner."

"True," Helen admitted.

I kept my mouth shut as I really didn't need another woman in my life right now. We went down a hallway and then entered a door half way down. It led into a room that looked empty. Claudia opened the closet and pressed a code into a keypad hid behind an innocuous looking piece of wood-trim. Once the green light appeared, a seamless door slid open and she led the way in to a small room. The door shut and she pressed a button and the small room became an elevator and lowered itself down.

"I'm beginning to see how you've kept this place secret for so long," I remarked.

"Yes, we take security very seriously," Claudia said.

The door opened and she led the three of us down a hall and opened the door near the end.

"Ah, I see our last clients have arrived," a handsome man of Mediterranean heritage said as we entered the large room. "You're just in time for a quick preview before the auction must start. Miss Smith, your presence at our auctions has been missed. I hope we can provide an adequate selection to entice you to add to your collection."

"Mr. Lombardi, it has indeed been too long," Miss Smith conceded. "You're looking well and the place hasn't changed a bit. I'm thinking of adding at least one or two to my collection."

"I'm sure we have something to entice you," Mr. Lombardi replied.

"Mr. Lombardi, meet my protégé, Mr. Stewart," Helen made the introduction.

"Mr. Stewart, welcome to our humble abode," he said, offering his hand. "I must admit being quite surprised when Helen asked to bring you."

"Mr. Lombardi, it's a pleasure," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm new at this obviously, but I can afford to indulge and isn't college the time to experiment?"

"Yes it is, Mr. Stewart," he replied with a grin. "You're with one of our special clients so we trust that she has explained the need for discretion from both sides. Any loose talk will be dealt with harshly for all concerned."

"I hope so, because we both have powerful friends that will ensure payback if anyone breathes a word of me being here," I replied. "I have no reason to rat you out and every reason not to."

"Good," Mr. Lombardi replied. "Your deposit money has already been transferred or our lovely Claudia wouldn't have shown you down here, so why don't the two of you have Claudia give you the particulars of our merchandise up for bid this afternoon. We'll start the bidding in fifteen minutes, so I'm afraid your examinations will have to be brief."

"That's quite fine, Mr. Lombardi, I'm sure a cursory inspection will be quite satisfactory," I said. "Miss Smith assures me that all of your acquisitions are superb."

He nodded with a smile and Claudia led the way. Helen and I walked together close behind.

A stunningly beautiful woman came from the corner and said, "Helen is that you? It's been to long!"

"Stella, I thought you gave this up as well?" Helen asked as they hugged.

"My Cindy grew up and has left me, so I'm on the lookout for another one," she said. "How is Penny?"

"She is a delight but I thought I would add a couple to share the load," Helen explained. "Stella, this is Michael Stewart, a protégé of mine. This is his first auction."

"Michael, it's a pleasure to meet you" Stella said. "You're a bit young to get into this type of thing I would have thought, though you have the size and the look of it."

"And you're much too beautiful to have to find someone here, Stella," I replied as I took her hand. "I would have thought you would simply smile and bewitch any man or woman alive."

"Oh, he's good," Stella said to Helen. "With your looks, I would have thought the same."

"My age does tend to get in the way of certain appetites I'm developing," I replied, "both for the older and the younger."

"Yes, I could see how that could happen," Stella agreed. "Sometimes it's just easier to purchase them raw and mould them into what you want."

"Exactly," I replied with a knowing smile before looking down the room. "So, are they any gems among the selection provided?"

"I have my eye on a young thing, but I'm sure she'll be everyone's target, including yours," she said with a smile.

"Perhaps, but I'm looking for a couple a little older as well," I replied. "I'll leave you two to get caught up and go ahead with Claudia, if you don't mind?"

"Certainly, maybe we can converse after the auction?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"I would like that but we'll have to see how things go with the auction," I replied. "I'm sure Helen has your contact information if we can't."

"I'll give it to her again if she doesn't," she assured me.

I smiled and then Claudia and I moved along.

"You've already conquered Miss Redwood, an impressive feat for a newcomer and one so young," Claudia remarked quietly. "Maybe there is more to you than meets the eye, though what meets the eye is impressive enough."

"I'm new to this but I would have thought that someone interested in this line wouldn't find another one of us that attractive," I stated.

"The women who attend as bidders come in all types, and the lines get blurred for them," Claudia said. "They like to dominate other women but some still like men. Not too many women will like to have a subservient man so they're attracted to men like themselves. They hope to be equals in that relationship but few men who come here will allow themselves to be equal to any woman, let alone subservient to them. She's hoping since you're young and new to this that you might be willing to be an equal to her."

"You got all that from that quick conversation?" I asked.

"I'm not much different from her, but I'm not into hurting, let alone dominating, other women," she replied.

"Not to judge you, but why do you work here then?" I asked.

"Family commitments," she said. "I also try to keep the real bastards away from the auction, though I still will probably go to hell for what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you could do something else if you wanted to," I suggested.

"You don't leave this line of work except in a body bag or the slave of someone else," she said. "Enough about me, let's see who you might like. I have the feeling that you don't want anyone already trained and hardened. I think you might be a bit of a softy underneath all that brash and muscle. We have four new acquisitions that you might like as well as four trained slaves."

"I'm not all that soft, Claudia," I stated. "I'll take a quick look at everyone, but go ahead and point out the new ones."

"This first one just came to us yesterday, she's twenty two year old model and is Dutch Chinese," Claudia said. "Her name is Natalie."

Natalie was in a black bra and tiny g-string underwear underneath a thin black robe that hid nothing while looking sexy.

"Turn around," I told her.

Her eyes looked slightly out of focus as she slowly moved around on her high heels.

"Lovely," I said quietly. "What did you model?"

"Lingerie," she answered.

I looked at Claudia with an arched eyebrow.

"Sorry, Mr. Stewart, she was instructed but it hasn't sunk in yet," Claudia stated. "Do you wish a whip or shall we have the Mistress give her a quick refresher course?"

"Lingerie, Sir!" Natalie said quickly. "Sorry Sir, Ma'am. I can't seem to focus properly."

"They are all sedated to keep them calm for the auction," Claudia informed me.

"Fine, we'll forgive one slip," I said, looking at Natalie. "Come closer."

She moved close and even though she was on a six inch platform and had high heels on, she still was only eye to eye to me. I had noticed that both Mr. Lombardi and a brutal looking man were quite interested in me so I raised a hand and traced down her arm to her fingertips and then slid my fingers to her hip and traced up her side to her breast. I cupped her breast and squeezed her nipple. She closed her eyes and gasped quietly.

"Responsive," I said and liked how she blushed.

"I like this one," I told Claudia and stepped away. "Next."

Claudia gave me a smile and moved on. The two men seemed to be less interested in me but I knew I had to keep up the show for them.

"This is Mindy, she's fifteen and as you can see, was attending Catholic school when she was brought to us," Claudia informed me. "She's been certified as a virgin so no touching below the waist."

Mindy was an angel, long blonde hair, a beautiful face and a body just blossoming into womanhood. Her breasts were high and pert in her open blouse and her legs were coltish leading up to her short schoolgirl skirt and slim hips.

"Hi Mindy, what have you done with a boy so far?" I asked.

"I've been kissed and had a mouth on my breasts," she said, and quickly added, "Sir. I've felt one boy's thing through his pants but nothing else."

"And with a girl?" I asked.

"I've slept with one in the same bed and we've explored each other's body through our clothes, Sir," she replied.

"Come here," I commanded.

I reached in and traced her stomach up to just below her breast and she shuddered but didn't move away.

"Very nice," I said to Claudia.

I ran my hands down to the top of her skirt and ran a finger along the edge. She sucked her stomach in and I almost slipped a finger down but pulled my hand away and moved on.

"So is she the one everyone will go after?" I asked.

"Her and one more," Claudia said. "There is a young trained slave that most will go after, even though she's not a virgin."

I walked to the next woman and it was Chelsea, though barely recognizable as her. They had made her up nicely and the sexy negligee showed off her lovely body.

"This one is Chelsea, a twenty two year old from England, here as an intern," Claudia said.

"Where in England are you from?" I asked.

"London," she replied. "I mean London, Sir."

"I love the accent," I said to Claudia before looking back at Chelsea. "Turn around."

Chelsea was quite fit and had an excellent body.

I crooked her closer and cupped her ass shortly as I turned her around by her hip.

"Very nice as well," I said. "I'll be bidding on you for sure."

I hated to move on but had to before I let things get out of hand. I left her there and moved to the next one.

"She'll go cheap, Mr. Stewart, she's too old for most of them and not trained," Claudia said quietly.

"Good, I'm suddenly looking at acquiring more than one," I told her.

Claudia and I moved on the last girl in the first bunch. She was a thin Japanese teenager, pretty but sullen.

"This is Kim, a transfer student that was taken before she got on the plane home," Claudia informed me. "She's seventeen and, until her trip here, was a virgin."

"Oh, you met a boy here, did you Kim?" I asked.

"That's not your business," she said angrily. "I shouldn't be here, dressed like this. My family will find me and you'll be sorry."

"Feisty," I said. "You'll be a handful, I'm sure."

They had her in a short open Japanese robe with red bra and panties seen through it. She was just as sexy as any of the others.

"So, Kim, should I let one of the older men take you home with them, or maybe one of the women?" I asked. "Or would you like to come home with me instead?"

"I just want to go home to Japan," she replied angrily.

A woman dressed in black leather was walking close by and, before anyone knew it, gave her a swat with a whip, right on her butt. Kim shrieked and the other buyers still in the room laughed at her plight. I kept my face bland.

"Now, answer the Master properly slave or you'll get five more of those," the big woman threatened.

"I would go home with you Sir," Kim said quickly.

"That's good to hear," I said. "Turn around for me."

She presented her backside to me and I rubbed the mark left by the whip.

"Who was the boy who took your most prized possession?" I asked.

"The older brother of the girl I was staying with," she said and added, "Sir," when the lady enforcer raised the whip.

"Did you like it?" I asked.

"No, he was not gentle, Master," she replied.

"Neither will I be," I told her before looking at Claudia. "Let's just do a quick pass through the trained slaves."

"Yes Sir," Claudia said and led the way.

There were four slaves being sold by their previous masters. They all showed more poise than the new acquisitions and tried to show off their bodies to the best of their abilities. I watched as a man freely felt up one of them and the girl smiled and thanked him afterwards.

As Claudia suspected, only the youngest, a girl named Hanna attracted my attention. She was a slight girl, almost skinny but she was made up to look sexy in her heels and underwear. Her face was her best attraction; she had the face of an innocent child. She gave me a smile that would have melted the most brutal heart, and almost broke mine. I didn't have the heart to stop and give her false hope.

"Let's get you seated in the bidding chamber," Claudia suggested.

We left the room and walked down a hall.

Claudia led me inside a set of double doors at the end of the hall. The room was narrow with a catwalk running down the middle from a curtained off area at the other end of the long room. There were spotlights lighting up the catwalk, leaving the rest of the room dim. I could see chairs and small tables along the catwalk, most with people in them. There appeared to be about six other buyers in attendance. I couldn't see their faces, just the outline of a body in the chair.

Claudia let me to a chair at the far end and said, "You're bidder seven, Mr. Stewart. Use the green button to bid, and the yellow one to summon help if you need it. Good luck this afternoon."

"Thank you Claudia, you've been very helpful," I replied.

She smiled and walked away. Helen was about six feet away in her chair. She motioned me over.

"Ok, how many are you going to try and save?" she asked with a grin.

"My two and the other two new acquisitions," I told her. "I'd like to go after the youngest trained slave as well but I'm worried about drawing too much attention. Are you going for anyone?"

"Not for me," she admitted. "Stella is going after the youngest slave girl."

"Can you do me a favour and buy the schoolgirl and the Japanese girl?" I asked. "I'll pay you back after the auction. That is if you have the money to do that."

"Of course I have the money but the question is, do you?" she asked.

"I have few million from overseas, and about three in my account," I told her. "I can get more if needed."

"You'll get your two for less than four hundred and the school girl could go for at least four hundred to seven hundred," Helen informed me. "The Japanese girl will probably go for three hundred to five hundred."

"I can do pay for all four from the one account," I said. "So, will you do it?"

"We'll piss off the rest of these bidders but this is the last time I'm coming here and you'll never return either," she said. "I'll get the two of them. Leave the young slave for Stella; she'll be in good hands with her."

"Ok, let's do it," I said, hoping the Queen wouldn't mind me helping save the others.

I walked back to my seat and a minute later Mr. Lombardi came in and stood on the catwalk under one of the spotlights.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice," he stated. "As always, all bids are final and payment will be taken from your account after Claudia comes around for the password and any other security protocols you might have. Each time you bid, the price increases twenty five thousand dollars over the current bid. If, after a minute, we have no more bids, the last bid will be accepted. Are there any questions?"

He looked around for a second and then gave us a smile before disappearing behind the curtain.

"Our first selection is Darla, an eighteen year old trained slave," Mr. Lombardi's voice came over hidden speakers. "Bidding starts at a hundred thousand."

One of the four trained slaves came out and walked down the catwalk, confident in her high heels and lack of clothing. She had a smile on her face and looked at each person as she passed. She was pretty and in good shape and I heard several buttons being hit.

"One hundred, one twenty five, one fifty, one seventy five ... two hundred thousand from bidder five is our current bid," Mr. Lombardi said.

Five more bids came before she was sold and she smiled at the room before leaving the runway.

Chelsea was next out on the catwalk.

"This is a new acquisition, an untrained slave of twenty two from England via New York; I present Chelsea," Mr. Lombardi stated. "Bidding starts at twenty five thousand."

Chelsea walked timidly down the catwalk, looking scared and wobbly on her high heels but looking good to me in her outfit. I hit the button when she reached the end and turned around.

"We have a starting bid of twenty five thousand," Mr. Lombardi announced.

Chelsea looked around worriedly as she walked back to the curtain. I took a few seconds after Lombardi announced the second bid and then pressed my button again. I waited the minute after it was announced and sighed when nothing happened.

"The final bid is seventy five thousand for Chelsea to bidder number seven," he announced.

Chelsea gave the room a final worried look and disappeared behind the curtain. Claudia appeared at my side with her laptop.

"Excellent buy, Mr. Stewart," she whispered. "I will take it off your initial deposit."

"Thank you, Claudia, please make sure she is transferred to the limo as soon as possible, without any undo further molestation," I replied.

"Certainly, Mr. Stewart, she's now your property and anyone touching your property is dealt with severely," she assured me. "Good luck with your future bidding."

The next one out was another trained slave that went for good money to bidder two. Natalie came out and bidding started at a hundred thousand and quickly five bids took it to two twenty-five. I put one in after that and two more brought it up to three hundred. I went to three twenty five and had to bid again at three seventy five. Luckily that was enough as the price went too high for the other bidder.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stewart, please input the password," Claudia said as she put the laptop on the table.

I typed it in and we waited until she got the approval from her bank and said into her headset, "We have Mr. Stewart's funds in our account."

She patted my shoulder and left. I was happy that I got the two ladies I came for and I relaxed. Kim, the Japanese teen was up.

Kim looked angry as she marched down the catwalk. She glared each time Mr. Lombardi announced the current amount. Bidding started at a hundred and fifty thousand and it finally stopped at four hundred and seventy five thousand at Helen's bid.

The third of four trained slaves went for five hundred and then Helen had to go up to six hundred and seventy five thousand to get Mindy the school girl.

"Our final selection is the cream of the crop in my opinion, though those last four were spectacular," Mr. Lombardi. "I congratulate all who have won a bid. Now, I present our last trained slave, Hanna, a precocious thirteen year old. Bidding starts at five hundred thousand dollars."

Hanna came out and walked down the aisle with the poise of a twenty five year old model. She smiled to everyone and cocked her almost non-existent hips at the end of the catwalk. I could hear buttons being pushed one after another in the darkness.

"I believe bidder four is the current bidder of record at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for this little minx," Mr. Lombardi announced.

Three more rounds of the five bidders went on before Stella finally put a bid in at one million, one hundred and twenty-five thousand. She finally won Hanna at one million two hundred thousand dollars. I heard Claudia congratulate her and get the transfer approved.

"That concludes our auction for this afternoon," Mr. Lombardi announced. "I thank you all for showing up and congratulate all of you who won your bids. I hope to see you all again next month."

The lights stayed dim which kept us anonymous a bit longer. Helen came over and she guided me to the hallway and to another door which led to some stairs. We opened the door at the top and had only a few steps to our limo, her driver waiting by the back door.

"Everything ok, Henry?" she asked warily as we approached.

"Yes, four ladies have been delivered and await you inside," he replied with a grin. "Congratulations to the both of you. All scans are negative."

"Thank you Henry, take us back to the Consulate," she replied before getting in.

I followed and found the ladies in various states of worry as we climbed in. They all sat on the one bench while Helen and I sat looking at them on the other.

"Hello ladies, I am Helen Smith and this is Mike Stewart," Helen stated as Henry got us moving. "Before any of you talk, we'll wait until we're back on the freeway."

All four of the girls looked worried but I gave them a smile and Chelsea gave me a tentative one back. Helen waited until we were clearly on the freeway and heading back to Manhattan.

"Let's get the money transfer done before we get back to the Consulate," Helen suggested quietly.

I nodded and she called her bank. I handed her the account information, including the password. I did a quick calculation and found I had just spent just one point six million dollars of the Queen's money.

"Ok, they are all yours, Michael," she said with a grin. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

"Of course not, but I'll have help once we get back to the Consulate," I replied, "I hope."

"Ok, Michael, you better tell them before they all pee their panties," Helen said with a laugh.

I looked over at their worried faces and said, "I was sent here to rescue Chelsea and Natalie and decided to get the other two of you out as well."

"Are you saying that we're not going to be your slaves?" Natalie asked.

"Nope, we're going to get you all back to your families as soon as we can," I told them all. "I'd like to apologize to all of you for having to touch you inappropriately, but I had to be in character or they wouldn't have let me bid on you."

They all broke out into excited chatter, laughing, crying and hugging each other. They had put short dresses on the girls to at least make them look a bit respectful. I was glad that they had as Chelsea came over and gave me a hug and a kiss with Natalie following suit. Mindy still looked worried and Kim looked angry.

"What's wrong Mindy, I won't hurt you and you're safe, I promise," I said, looking over at her.

"I'm not scared or worried about you, I just don't want to go back to the orphanage," she replied. "One of the caretakers there was the one who sold me to those people."

"Well, you won't have to go back there then, and we'll have someone take care of that person," I told her.

"Really?" she asked. "Am I going to stay with you now?"

"Ah, no, I'm just eighteen and not a proper guardian for a young girl like you," I quickly replied. "I'm sure we can find you a proper home and family that will take care of you."

"Nobody wants to adopt a teenager," she replied with a sad look.

"Oh, I think we'll find a nice family that will want you," I told her. "We have some very nice people on our side and they'll make sure you are looked after."

"Ok, but I'm not going back to the orphanage," she insisted. "You bought me so I go with you if no one wants me."

"I'll make sure you're well taken care of," I assured her.

I looked at the last girl who still looked angry.

"Kim, I'm sorry for what happened, I know the whip hurt and I touched you inappropriately," I said. "I'm going to call some Japanese friends and you can talk to them and, between them and I, we'll get you home. I promise you'll be home as soon as I can arrange it."

"I don't believe you," she spat out.

I took out my phone and called Mitsy.

"Michael, where are you?" my little Spitfire asked. "I've been waiting for you to come home for days!"

"Hi Mitsy, I was working in Jamaica and then had to go to Europe," I replied. "I'm in New York right now doing a favour for some people in England. Along the way I rescued a young Japanese exchange student but had to pose as a buyer to get her and some others out. She doesn't trust me so can you talk to her and maybe help me get her back home. I'm not sure if we have any documentation on any of the girls anymore."

They all shook their heads.

"I guess we're going to need documents to get her on a plane," I told Mitsy.

"I'm going to want the whole story later, Michael," Mitsy said. "I suppose they are all young and pretty?"

"Yes, everyone is young and beautiful," I replied ruefully.

"I swear we're going to lock you up," she said angrily. "Now put her on the phone."

"You can't be angry when you talk to her, Mitsy," I instructed her. "She's been through hell and doesn't deserve you being mad at her."

"I'm not mad at her, I'm mad at you!" she shouted.

"Why are mad at me?" I asked, getting grins from some of the girls. "I just saved four women from being sold into slavery. Don't I get credit for that?"

"That is four more women we have to compete against," she said. "Now put her on the line."

I handed the phone over to Kim and said, "Her name is Mitsy Matsuda and she's mad at me, not at you. She'll help you, I swear."

She took the phone with great hesitation and said hello into it. We all watched and listened as she switched to Japanese and the angry look turned into a smile as she glanced over at me. She even grinned at something Mitsy said. After a couple of minutes she nodded and said one last sentence into the phone before handing it to me.

"Well, that did the trick, she has a smile on her face," I told Mitsy.

"Of course, I'm a very sweet individual," she said primly.

"To other people, maybe," I responded. "You know you could be nice to me once in a while."

"Maybe I will, if you ever come back to Ann Arbor," she replied. "Bring her with you if you can get her on a flight. You might have to drive her here and we'll get her home."

"Ok, I'll work on that with the people that are helping me," I replied. "I'll call you later with an update."

"You better," she replied before hanging up.

"It sounds like Mitsy would make a very good Master," Helen said after I hung up.

"You have no idea," I replied, causing much laughter.

Kim came over and gave me a brief hug and said, "Thank you for saving us. Mitsy tells me you're a very nice man and I can trust you. Her family is very important in my country so if she says you are nice, then I believe her."

"That's good to hear," I replied. "I'm still sorry."

"I think we can all agree that you did what was necessary," Helen said. "So I suggest that we all agree to never speak of it again, privately or publicly so Michael doesn't get into trouble. Are you all agreed?"

All four of them quickly agreed. I pulled out my phone and called the Consul-General.

"Mr. Collins, it's Mike Stewart," I said. "We're on the way back with Chelsea and Natalie as well as two others. We should be back in twenty minutes."

"Excellent news Mike, congratulations," he replied. "Have the car pull into the compound and into the garage."

"Ok, we'll do that," I said. "Have some of the female staff on hand to help with the girls please. They've been through a pretty traumatic experience."

"We'll be ready," he responded. "See you soon."

The girls were still a bit woozy from the drugs so it was a quiet trip back to the consulate. I did call Mr. Carroll and gave him the good news and thanked him for his help.

I put down the window when we got to the gate and the soldier looked in before waving us through, pointing at a garage door that was opening. We drove inside and pulled up to a door where several people were waiting for us. I got out and helped the girls out as the Consul-General and his staff approached.

"Welcome ladies, I'm glad Mike was able to save you all," he said. "If you would follow Edith and the rest, they will take you inside and have our medical staff look you over and get you cleaned up. Mike and I will join you after you're refreshed. I have food coming in an hour as well."

The older girls kept the young ones close as they followed Edith and the other women after I nodded and smiled at them.

"Ok Michael, it's been a treat, but I don't think we'll be seeing each other again," Helen said.

"You never know," I replied. "Thank you so much for all of your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

"No you couldn't have," she agreed with a grin. "Oh, Stella gave me her card to pass on to you."

"Thanks Helen," I replied, taking the card from her. "Is she a good friend?"

"Heavens no," she replied. "We've met three or four times in the last five years at auctions. It's just nice to have another woman there, you know."

"Good to know," I said. "I'll be in touch."

"Take care Mike and keep the girls out of New York," she said.

"Will do," I replied.

The Consul-General and I watched as her limo drove out the garage.

"Excellent work Mike," Mr. Collins said. "I shouldn't have been surprised that you saved others. We need to make a call to London, there are people waiting up to hear from us."

"It's ten o'clock already here, what's that, three am back there?" I asked. "I'm sure they are all asleep."

"We'll see," he said as he led the way inside.

We went into his office and another man joined us.

Mike, this is Mr. Hart, he's in charge of security and other things for the consulate," Mr. Collins made the introduction.

"Mr. Hart," I said as I shook his hand.

"Mike, very good job this evening," he replied.

I nodded and sat down and requested a Diet coke when I was asked what I would like to drink. Mr. Collins made the call and talked quietly for a minute before putting it on speaker.

"Your Majesty, you're on the speaker," he said.

"Thank you, Sir Allan," she replied. "Michael, are you there?"

"Yes, your Majesty," I replied.

"I hear you have good news for us," she stated.

"Yes, we managed to get not only Chelsea and Natalie out, but also two other girls," I told her. "There were four other girls that were being auctioned, but we couldn't buy them all. I have a lead on where one went to."

"Very good news indeed," the Queen responded as we heard clapping and cheers in the background. "How is everyone?"

"They're in with our doctor getting examined and cleaned up," Mr. Collins said. "I'll pass on the report as soon as we can. No one seemed to be visibly hurt in the brief seconds I saw them."

"They all went through a tough time, to be sure," I added. "They'll need help dealing with what happened but no one seemed extremely upset once they knew they were free."

"Of course we will help the girls any way we can," the Queen said. "Can you tell us what happened?"

I went over in a bit more detail what happened and then gave them a list of the girls and where they were from. I told them that my Japanese friends would help Kim but we couldn't send Mindy back to the orphanage. I also explained about the young girl who was bought by Stella and that I had a card with Stella's number on it.

"Remarkable story, Michael," the Queen said. "The orphaned girl can come here with Chelsea and Natalie if a suitable family can't be found for her there. I'm sending my plane to get them now. We'll also make arrangements to get you and the Japanese girl home to Ann Arbor."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I replied. "I'm sorry I used more of the money than we thought we would need. I'll pay you back for the two others."

"You will do no such thing, Mr. Stewart," the Queen said. "I will pay for all of the girls; it's the least we can do."

"That's most generous of you, Ma'am," I replied.

"Michael, I'm very proud of you and we're all very thankful for what you've done for us," the Queen continued. "Sir Allan will find you someplace to spend the night and we'll talk more in the morning."

"Thank you, Ma'am," I said.

"I need to speak to Sir Allan and Mr. Hart in private now," the Queen said. "Give that card to Mr. Hart and we'll take it from here. Good night Michael."

"Good night, Your Majesty," I replied and got up.

"Just wait outside for a minute and I'll call someone to come find you someplace to stay for the night," Mr. Collins said.

I nodded and gave Stella's card to Mr. Hart before I left the room. I sat in a chair in a small waiting area and closed my eyes to rest.

"Mr. Stewart," said a voice as my shoulder was shook.

I opened my eyes to see a pretty blonde woman smiling down at me.

"You were sleeping," she said, giving me a smile.

"Nonsense, I was just resting my eyes," I responded.

"You were snoring loud enough to wake the dead," she replied with a grin. "Let's get you into bed. I'm sure we have a soundproof room around here someplace."

I stood up and looked down at the early twenties woman, who was almost a foot shorter.

"I don't snore," I told her.

"Sure, and I'm a supermodel," she replied. "Come on, follow me."

She turned and her low heels clicked on the tiles as she led me down the hall and up a flight of stairs. I admired her pert derriere in her tight skirt as she took the stairs quickly. She looked back and I just had time to avert my eyes from her tush and give her a smile. She rolled her eyes and opened the door to the next floor.

"Haven't you had enough of ogling girls for the day?" she asked as she continued down the hall.

"One can never have enough of ogling pretty ladies," I replied, looking down at her.

"Very cheeky, Mr. Stewart," she said as she stopped in front of a door.

She used a key to open the door and moved inside.

"Ok, I took the liberty to hang up your clothes and unpacked the rest of your things into the drawers," she said. "Your toiletries are in the bathroom through there. Let's get you into the shower to clean up and then I'll have some food brought in for you."

She started sliding my suit jacket off and hanging it up in the closet.

"I think I can handle it from here, Miss?" I asked.

"Harriet Treadwell, Mr. Stewart," she replied.

"Call me Mike," I instructed her.

"Yes, Mr. Stewart," she replied as she came back and started unbuttoning my shirt.

"Miss Treadwell, I'm perfectly capable of undressing myself and getting into the shower," I said. "Why don't you go get the food and come back later?"

"I was instructed to take care of you, Mr. Stewart, as if you were a member of the Royal Family," Harriet replied, still undoing my shirt.

"Surely you wouldn't be undressing a member of the family," I retorted, lightly grabbing her wrists. "I appreciate your hands-on approach, but I can take it from here, Miss Treadwell."

"Would you like to undress me so I can wash your back?" she asked with a coy smile.

"While that is a very tempting offer, I'm going to have to pass on that," I said as I let her go and stepped back. "Please just let me shower and go get the food."

She gave me a pout and responded, "You're going to get me fired if you don't let me service you properly."

"I highly doubt that this level of service is in your job description or your instructions," I replied wryly. "Please, I'm already in enough hot water with the women in my life. Accepting your kind offer would undoubtedly get me hung from the Tower."

"As you wish, Mr. Stewart, but I am available twenty-four seven if you change your mind," Harriet responded. "Will a steak and baked potato suffice?"

"That would be lovely," I replied. "Medium on the steak would be ok."

"Certainly, Mr. Stewart, I'll have that for you in about half an hour," she said as she moved to the door. "Have a nice hot shower and relax. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Miss Treadwell," I responded and watched her as she smiled and left.

"Damn morals," I muttered before heading into the bathroom.

I locked the door and did have a nice hot shower. I nearly fell asleep but woke up when the hot water started running out. I was in a tee shirt and jeans when Harriet came in without knocking, pushing a cart into the room.

"We need to get you fed quickly, apparently the girls are asking for you," she said as she stopped in front of the table in the corner.

She started setting up a place for me as I sat down in the chair.

"Are they ok?" I asked.

"It's another strange place and they don't know anyone," Harriet stated. "The older two just want to thank you but the two younger ones are a bit upset."

"I should go now then," I told her, meaning to get up.

"You can spare a few minutes to eat, Mr. Stewart," she told me as she rested her hand on my shoulder. "They're just finishing eating right now, so let them get cleaned up first. They're being well taken care of and will just need some assurance from their hero before he tucks them in for the night."

I nodded and dug in.

"This is delicious," I said after a bite of the large steak.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied as she poured a can of Diet Coke. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Nope, I'm good," I told her. "Have a seat and relax."

"I have a few things to take care of," she told me. "I'll be back in ten minutes to bring you to the ladies."

I nodded and watched her walk out, of course getting caught when she turned around.

"You had your chance to do more than look," she said with a grin.

"I'll be rethinking that decision for a long time," I replied with an answering grin.

"Luckily it's one that can be changed anytime you like," she responded as she gave me a sultry look before leaving the room.

I shook my head and attacked my food. The potato was piled high with butter, sour cream and real bacon bits and the steak was just the way I liked it. My plate was empty and my teeth brushed before she got back.

"Impressive," she said. "Shall we go?"

I nodded and followed her out the door and down the hall. We had to pass through a set of glass doors which required Harriet to swipe a card. Once through, we walked past a couple of closed doors and then she stopped at a set of double doors. She knocked and they were opened by an older woman.

"Dr. Price, Mr. Stewart is here for tucking in detail," Harriet said with a grin.

"Quite right, thank you Miss Treadwell," Dr. Price replied. "Mr. Stewart, please come in."

She opened the doors wider and led the way into what turned out to be a suite. There was a large living room with two open doors leading into bedrooms and a common bathroom in between them.

"The ladies are ready for you," she said. "The older ones split up to stay with the younger ones but they all could use some reassurance from their hero."

"It wasn't very heroic, I just pressed a button until I was the highest bidder," I said.

"Mr. Stewart, just going there was heroic," she replied. "Using your initiative to get the two young ones out was brilliant. We're all very impressed and you have four very devoted fans in there. Be careful not to let any of them get carried away, the older two will probably get a bit physical in their thanks. Try not to let that happen so the young ones don't try and copy them."

"I'll do my best," I replied.

I moved into the one on the left where Natalie and Kim were waiting, sitting at the end of the bed. They both had flannel pyjamas on and looked cute. They smiled when they saw me and stood up.

"Hi ladies, you're looking much better," I said. "How do you feel?"

"We're much better now that we've had a shower and ate something," Natalie said. "The drugs they gave us have worn off so we can think clearer but we're pretty tired."

"That's all good to hear," I said. "A good night's sleep will do wonders."

"Are you going to be here when we get up?" Kim asked.

"Yep, I'm staying just down the hall," I told her. "We'll all have breakfast together and we'll work on getting everyone home. So no need to worry, no one will harm you here. You are perfectly safe. Natalie will keep you company and the other two are just across the hall."

"Good, I was worried you had left us here," she admitted.

"Nope, I'm taking you to Ann Arbor so Mitsy and Asuka can get you home, remember?" I asked.

"Yes, but sometimes people say things and don't mean them," she said.

"Well, I always say what I mean," I told her. "Now, it's time to get you two into bed so you get a good night's sleep."

Natalie looked at Kim and said, "You first, Honey."

We led her to her side and Natalie said, "You do the honours, Mike."

I pulled the covers back and held them open for Kim to slide into bed. She lay on her back and I covered her with the blankets, pulling them up while she held her arms up.

"Ok, all tucked in, safe and sound," I said with a smile.

"Mike, she needs a hug," Natalie said.

"Oh," I said, looking down, "only if she wants one."

Kim nodded and held her arms up. I bent over and she wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Thank-you for saving us, I owe you my life," she said.

"You are very welcome Kim, but you don't owe me anything except to get back to normal as quick as you can," I said. "Now you better let me loose before you make me pass out. That wouldn't look good for my reputation to be choked unconscious by a little bit of a girl like you."

She let me go with a smile.

"Ok, you have a good sleep and I will see you in the morning," I told her.

"Ok Michael," she replied.

"Alright, your turn Natalie," I said.

She pulled me over to her side of the bed and planted a kiss on my lips as she moved in close to give me a hug. I held her loosely by her hips as she squeezed my neck hard.

"Natalie, I do need some air to breathe," I choked. "We also have an impressionable young lady watching."

"Hush, I get to thank you my way," she said. "Kim, close your eyes for a minute, honey."

"Nope, I'm not a little girl, remember?" she replied. "Besides, I need some pointers."

"Natalie, you're very welcome," I said, pulling away from her. "Now let's get you into bed before you fall asleep."

I pulled back the covers and she slid in with a pout. She planted another kiss on me before I finally could stand up.

"Ok you two, no giggling or talking all night, get some sleep," I said in a stern voice.

"You don't scare us one bit," Natalie said. "Besides, I'm older than you."

"Yes, but I'm very much bigger," I growled.

Natalie stuck her tongue out at me and Kim laughed. I just shook my head and walked to the door.

"Door open or closed?" I asked.

"Open," Kim replied.

I left it open and crossed to the other side. No sooner than I entered the room than a body crashed into me, her blonde hair hiding her face in my chest as she clung to me.

"Chelsea, a little decorum, Mindy might get the wrong idea," I said, holding the bundle up.

"Ahem," Chelsea said from the bed. "You have Mindy there, Michael. She's a bit upset now that she's looking back at what could have happened to her. The drugs are wearing off."

"It's ok Mindy, it's all over and nothing bad is going to happen now," I said, rubbing her back.

"I would have disappeared if you hadn't saved us," she said through her tears and my shirt.

"But you're safe now so there is no need to cry," I said. "This is a very expensive five dollar shirt you're ruining by leaking all over it."

"Oh, sorry," Mindy said, leaning back to look up at me and I grinned down at her.

"Michael, you might as well carry the poor girl over here and we'll put her to bed," Chelsea suggested as she got up and we both moved over to the side of the bed.

She pulled the sheets down and I lightly lowered the teenager down. Unfortunately, she didn't let go of my neck and I almost pulled her out of bed when I went to stand up.

"Mindy, let Michael go before he stands you right back up," Chelsea said, exasperated. "You'll see him in the morning."

She let go with a pout and flopped back down to the bed. I quickly pulled the covers over her and grinned down at her.

"There you go, all tucked in and safe and sound," I told her. "You have a good sleep now."

"Ok Michael, thank you for saving us," she said. "You're staying here tonight right?"

"Yep, just down the hall," I said. "Don't worry about a thing. Chelsea is right beside you and I'm sure the rest of the staff will be checking in on you."

"Good," she responded.

I smiled before moving over to the other side of the bed.

"Now, let's get you into bed, young lady," I said with a grin.

"I'm at least three years older than you, Michael," Chelsea said, her arms crossed underneath her breasts.

"Should I call you old lady then?" I asked as Mindy giggled.

Chelsea stuck her tongue out at me but still wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Thank you for what you did for all four of us," she said quietly. "We will never forget it. We owe you big-time."

"You're very welcome," I said. "You help look after the giggle-pus over there and we're even."

"Of course we'll all look after her; that goes without saying," she replied.

"Good, now into bed, and no all night girl-talk," I said with a stern face.

I covered her up once she was in.

"Good night ladies, I'll see you in the morning," I said.

"Good night Michael," they replied in unison.

I left the door ajar and joined the doctor and Miss Treadwell in the hallway.

"They seem ok, Mindy was a bit emotional but calmed down," I said. "The drugs seem to be wearing off."

"Yes, they're not showing any bad reactions to them," the Doctor agreed. "Other than mental anguish, they don't seem to be injured. We've taken blood samples and will check them out but I'm hoping we got lucky and got them out before anything bad happened. We'll check in on them regularly during the night, so don't worry. You better get to sleep yourself; I gather it's been a long day for you."

"You could say that," I replied. "Alright, thanks for looking after the ladies so well, Doctor. Have a good night. Don't hesitate to come get me if I'm needed during the night."

She nodded and I walked back to my room with Miss Treadwell beside me.

"Have a good night, Miss Treadwell, thank you for your assistance this evening," I said when we got there.

"So you haven't changed your mind yet?" Harriet asked.

"I'll be asleep in five minutes, Miss Treadwell," I responded. "I appreciate the offer, but I have the feeling the girls might need me sometime in the night and it would be awkward if you were discovered with me."

"Just pick up the phone and call 217 if you change your mind," she replied. "Have a good night, Mr. Stewart."

"You too, Miss Treadwell," I replied and went into my room.

I quickly changed into another tee shirt and shorts and slipped into bed. I was asleep very soon after.

Tuesday morning came early as I woke up at my usual early time. I lay in bed and thought about the last few days. It had been quite an adventure, meeting new people and travelling to different countries. I would like to go back in the future and explore Europe at a more leisurely pace. I thought about last night's rescue and hoped the girls would recover quickly.

I got up and stretched a bit before getting into some sweats and heading out to see if they had a workout room somewhere in the Consulate. I took the stairs down to the main floor and wandered around, looking into open rooms until I was found by a guard.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"Looking around for your workout room," I replied. "Do you have one?"

"How did you get in here?" he said, looking around.

"I'm a guest of the Consul-General, I have a room up on the second floor," I told him. "So do you have a weight room?"

"Yeah, but it's downstairs in a restricted area so you're out of luck," he replied. "I'm going to have to call this in."

"Listen, don't wake up the whole Consulate over this," I said. "I'll go back upstairs and wait until someone is up that can give me access."

Of course he didn't listen and eventually Mr. Hart showed up.

"Sorry for getting you out of bed, Mr. Hart," I told him. "As I was trying to explain to this gentleman, I was just looking for a place to work out. I forgot to ask about it last night but I had other things on my mind."

He motioned the guard to leave and then said, "Come with me."

I walked beside him as we took a different set of stairs down to the basement. He led me to a well appointed gym.

"Will this do, Mr. Stewart?" he asked.

"Yes, it will do nicely," I replied.

"Please do not wander from this room, I will be back in an hour to get you," he said before leaving.

I went through my routine a bit faster than usual in order to get done in an hour. I was just finishing up when he came back in.

"Sorry to have gotten you up early this morning," I said as I dried off my face. "I should have made arrangements last night."

"I rarely get to sleep in so it wasn't a real pain," he said as he led the way up to the main floor.

I thanked him again and went up to my room to shower. Once dressed, I decided to go for a walk. The same guard was at the door but we just glared at each other as I went out the door.

I walked along 3rd Avenue and pulled out my phone to call Barb.

"Mike, it's seven thirty, why you calling so early?" she asked when she finally answered.

"Sorry Beautiful, I'm in town and thought I'm come see you," I replied. "I'm walking up Third Avenue as we speak. Where do you two live, anyway?"

"You're in town?" she asked with a bit more excitement.

"Yep, not for too long but I thought I could drop in for a couple hours if you're not busy," I replied. "So where do you live?"

"720 Park Avenue, Condo 410," she said.

I'm on 3rd Avenue at Fifty-Second Street, is that close?" I asked.

"Not too far, you go west two streets to Park and then north up Park to just past 70th Street and we're on the west side," she said. "Just ring the bell and I'll come down to get you. It's less than two miles so it shouldn't take long."

"Ok, I'll be there soon," I said.

"Take your time, we need to get cleaned up," she said.

I chuckled and then hung up. I set a leisurely pace as I followed her directions.

I was on Fifty-Second Street just before Lexington when a cargo van screeched to a halt beside me and four men poured out of the side sliding door, carrying bats or knives.

"Get in the van," one of them said as they approached me.

"I don't think so," I said, quickly backing away.

They quickly cornered me in the building's front alcove a few yards back from the street. I took a quick look around for something to use as a weapon but nothing was handy. A fifth man followed them and was clearly the boss.

"One way or another, you're getting in the van, Mr. Stewart," he said.

"We'll see," I said and got ready.

"Get him in there quickly, we don't want any witnesses," he said to his men. "I need him alive."

They all came at me at once and I moved to the left to put one of them in the way of the others. He swung his bat at my side and I moved inside the swing and blocked his arm with my side while kneeing him in the groin. He bent over and I pushed him down at the feet of the others. The next guy was too close and tried to jump over while slashing a knife at me. He didn't clear his buddy's body and sprawled over top of him, giving me a clear opening at his head. My foot met his face and I felt his nose give as I wasn't gentle.

The two remaining men dodged the pileup in front of me and came at me from both sides. The man on the left swung the bat from a few feet away and missed as I moved towards the other guy with a knife. The bat smashed the window of the store and an alarm started blaring. I ignored it as I avoided a slash at my mid-section from the guy with the knife and moved in close, pushing his knife arm into his body. My other arm came up and my elbow caught him in the jaw as I pushed him back to avoid a hit from behind by the man with the bat. I twirled the guy in front of me around and used him to block the next swing of the bat. It hit him on the head and he became dead weight in my hands. I pushed him into the bat wielding man and they both fell over. It was simple to stomp on the hand that held the bat and I bent down to pick it up. I kicked the man in the face as I looked at the boss man standing at the opening of the alcove.

He started backing away and I ran towards him. I caught him from behind as he was getting into the van and pulled him out by the collar of his jacket. He slammed to the ground and the van took off. I looked at the license plate for a second and memorized it while putting my foot on the leader's right hand while leaning the bat on his chest.

"If you don't want to be eating out of a straw for a week, I suggest you stay still," I said, looking down at him.

He glared at me but put his left arm out to the side.

I used my spare hand to pull out my phone and called information.

"The British Consulate on 3rd Avenue please," I said when asked. "Please dial it for me."

I watched the four men as well as the one under my foot but they were all in no shape to get up.

"British Consulate, how can I direct your call," a woman's voice asked.

"Mr. Hart or Mr. Collins as soon as possible," I said.

"And who should I say is calling?" she asked.

"Mike Stewart," I replied.

"Please hold," she said and I soon heard music playing.

It took half a minute for someone to answer.

"Mr. Stewart, where are you?" Mr. Hart asked.

"I'm on Fifty-Second Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington," I replied. "I just was attacked by five men. Send some help please and have the cops look for a white cargo van, licence plate ADP 4734."

"We'll be there in a minute," he said and hung up.

He was true to his word as two men ran up a minute later and a consulate van pulled up thirty seconds after that.

"Keep an eye on those four," I told the men as I kept my foot on the leader.

Mr. Hart got out of the van and approached me.

"This guy was the leader, he told the four in there to get me into the van," I said. "I caught him after I put them down and before he could drive off in the van."

"You shouldn't have left the consulate, Mr. Stewart," he said. "Head back there now; we'll get this cleaned up."

"Shouldn't I wait for the cops?" I asked.

"I'll deal with it, now get back there," he said. "Tom, escort Mr. Stewart back now."

"Yes Sir," Tom replied and motioned for me to come with him.

I handed the bat to Mr. Hart and went with Tom as Mr. Hart crouched by the leader. Tom and I jogged back and were back inside the consulate in less than a minute. Both Mr. Collins and Miss Treadwell were waiting in the lobby.

"Are you hurt, Mr. Stewart?" Mr. Collins asked.

"No, I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?" Miss Treadwell asked, pointing to my stomach.

I leaned over to see that my jacket and shirt were both sliced horizontally and a line of blood was seeping down my shirt, staining it bright red just above my belly button.

"I do believe I've been cut," I remarked as I looked back at them. "I thought that one missed."

"Let's get you to the doctor," Miss Treadwell said, moving to take my arm.

"Before I go anywhere, someone is going to tell me how they knew where I was and why did they come after me?" I said, pulling my arm from her.

"Not here, Mr. Stewart, I'll explain on the way," Mr. Collins said. "Let's go to the infirmary and get that taken care of."

I gave him a glare for a couple seconds and then nodded. Miss Treadwell led the way and I admired her nice butt in her tight skirt. I glanced at Mr. Collins and he gave me a quick wink and I almost grinned at him.

He spoke quietly, "Right after you left the auction site last night, the Queen ordered a team of Special ops to raid the auction compound. We had placed both a tracking device and a listening bug on you before you left. Our team followed you there and surrounded the compound and waited for orders. They went in after you left and captured everyone they could find, rescuing the four girls you couldn't save as well as a five others being held captive. Unfortunately, at least one or two people escaped through tunnels we didn't know existed."

"That explains why they came after me, but not how they knew where I was," I said.

"We had a team on Miss Smith and we intercepted a team trying to capture her," he explained. "Unfortunately, we didn't take into account the driver of the limo. They found him and beat it out of him where he picked you up and dropped you off. Miss Smith got a call from his wife at the safe house. He's in the hospital."

"So why wasn't I told about this last night?" I asked. "I wouldn't have gone out if I had known."

"We didn't want to worry you, and I was going to let you know this morning," he said. "No one expected you to go out this morning."

"So now they're out to get me because you unilaterally decided to attack their compound without even asking my opinion or advice," I said. "I'll have a target painted on my back for the rest of my life as will anyone associated with me."

"We'll get the girls out of the city today as soon as we can," he replied. "We've already decided to send all four girls to England and send Kim onward from there. We can handle the paperwork to get her home. We highly doubt that they will pursue them to England or beyond. As for you, we'll wait and see what Mr. Hart will find from your attackers."

"Swell," I said as we climbed the stairs.

His phone rang as we walked down the hall and he indicated that we were to proceed without him. We left him talking on his phone and rounded a corner. Miss Treadwell led the way to a glass door marked Infirmary and pushed it open. The good doctor from last night was waiting for us and pointed to an open doorway. I slipped off my jacket and my tee shirt once I was in.

Dr. Price closed the door, leaving Miss Treadwell in the outer room.

"I see that you've cut yourself shaving," she said with a grin as I lay down. "I don't understand you youngsters and your proclivity of shaving your entire bodies. This is what can happen when you don't use the proper equipment."

"Sorry Doc, I'll try to be more careful in the future," I replied.

She cleaned the cut with some antibiotic brown liquid that stung like the dickens. She took a quick look at the cut itself and then had me hold a bandage over it.

"Ok, it's not too deep, just through the skin really," she said. "You don't have a lot of fat on you so you got lucky. It's going to take a bunch of stitches to close it up though."

"Do your worst Doc, I'll try not to scream like a little girl," I responded.

"I'll give you a local so you won't feel much," she said dryly. "We wouldn't want your fans down the hall to hear you cry. Give me a minute to get an assistant in here and get ready."

She left and my phone rang. I pulled it out and it was Barb.

"Hey Barb, sorry but I'll have to visit another time," I said. "I ran into a bit of a bother and I'm back at the consulate."

"Oh, that's too bad, we were looking forward to seeing you again," Barb said. "Can you come by later?"

"Probably not," I told her, "so don't screw up your day waiting around for me. I'll call you when I can but it probably won't be for awhile."

"Damn, we wanted to introduce you to our new roommates," Barb said. "Promise me you'll come see us soon."

"I'll do my best but no promises," I replied as the Doc came in with a pretty nurse. "Ok, I've got to go. Talk to you soon."

"Ok, goodbye Michael," she replied and then I hung up.

"All done?" the Doc asked.

I nodded.

"Ok, this Mary, she'll be helping me," the Doc made the introductions.

"Hi Mary," I replied. "Has she signed the non-disclosure form so she won't blab when I start crying?"

"Nope, I'll be the one taking pictures and selling you out," Mary replied with a grin.

"Swell," I replied, shaking my head.

"Ok, this is the local," the Doc said as she started jabbing a needle in me all along the cut.

A few minutes later she started with the stitching with Mary helping. I felt it every time she put the needle in me as she moved from one side to the other. It took her a while to put in the forty stitches across my stomach.

"Ok, that should keep your insides in," Doc Price said when she was done. "Let a professional shave you next time."

"Thanks for the great advice," I replied dryly.

She grinned at me and then moved to the sink to wash up. Mary cleaned me up and then put on a bandage after the Doc poked around.

"Here, put this on," the Doc said, handing me a patient's robe. "Your jacket and tee shirt are garbage. Miss Treadwell has your stuff."

"Thanks Doc and Mary," I said as I stood up and slipped on the robe. "Send me the bill."

"Oh, you'll get the bill alright," Doc replied.

I grinned and went out to find Mr. Collins waiting for me with Miss Treadwell.

"It looks like you'll live," Mr. Collins stated.

"Looks like," I agreed.

"Good, let's get you a new shirt and then we'll head down to my office," he said. "Thank you ladies; please keep this confidential."

You're welcome Sir, and we will," the Doctor replied.

I put on some deodorant and slipped into new clothes while they waited outside my room. This time Mr. Collins led the way to his office and we found Mr. Hart waiting just outside.

"Mr. Hart, you have news?" he asked as we all went inside.

"Yes Sir," Mr. Hart replied as he shut the door and took a seat. "It seems the leader of the men who attacked Mr. Stewart was one of the two men who escaped from the raid last night. The other man, a Mr. Blake, is apparently a senior lieutenant in the organization and is in charge of security. He ordered them to watch the consulate and gave the order to pick up Mr. Stewart. He was hoping to use Michael to free the others."

"Can we get our hands on this Mr. Blake?" Mr. Collins asked.

"Probably not, as the driver of the van would have warned him what happened," Mr. Hart explained. "We have the cell number of this Mr. Blake and we're monitoring for any calls from it. The police found the van abandoned near a subway station so the driver could be anywhere now."

"What have we learned from the people we captured last night?" Mr. Collins asked.

"Tons," Mr. Hart replied, "names, locations and accounts. The girl is singing like a canary."

"Would that be Claudia?" I asked.

"Yes, she's being very helpful," Mr. Hart said.

"She was helpful with me at the auction too," I responded. "She doesn't like what she's had to do, I gathered her family runs the business and she had to be there."

"Yes, we're using that to our advantage," he told me. "She's being kept away from the others and they are all in a hidden place of ours. I'll have them ask about this Mr. Blake and see if she can help locate him. He seems to be the last link. The four guys with the leader this morning were all hired muscle, just for the job."

"Ok, let's make this Blake fellow our top priority," Mr. Collins directed. "I'll call England with Mr. Stewart and let them know the situation."

"Yes Sir," Mr. Hart said, getting up and leaving the room.

Mr. Collins punched a number and picked up the receiver. He spoke quietly while we watched and then hit a button and hung up the receiver.

He hit another button and said, "Your Majesty, you're on speaker with Mr. Stewart and Miss Treadwell in the room with me."

"Sir Allan, Miss Treadwell, I'm most distressed to hear that Michael was hurt this morning," she said frostily. "Did I not make myself clear that he was to be protected as if he was part of my family?"

"Yes Ma'am you did," Mr. Collins replied. "Unfortunately, our decision not to tell Mr. Stewart about the raid backfired when he left the compound without that knowledge. I take full responsibility for not telling him last night and for the subsequent attempt to capture him."

"Hmmm," she said. "Michael, what made you go out of the compound?"

"I just wanted some fresh air and was going to visit some friends while the girls slept in," I replied. "I can't believe you went in without even discussing it with me beforehand. At a minimum I could have told you more about the facility and provided guidance about the people. I would have known the dangers this morning rather than walking alone in New York."

"I agree with your assessment of the situation, Michael," the Queen stated. "Your knowledge would have been useful in the planning but others disregarded it as being unreliable and unnecessary, due to your youth. I'll be addressing that with them after we finish this conversation. Now, how badly were you cut?"

"A long shallow cut across my stomach," I replied. "It took forty stitches to keep my inners still inners."

"You were most fortunate to yet again to escape serious injury," the Queen responded. "As Sir Alan has already told you, all four girls will be coming directly here. We will get the Japanese girl home through our diplomatic channels. Now, we need to get you out of New York and somewhere safe until the situation is under control."

"I start school again on Monday," I told her.

"Only if the target on your back is gone," she replied. "I'm not just thinking of you but innocent bystanders and all of the people who care for you. School will be there when you are safe. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but think about all thirteen girls you were responsible for saving and weigh their new lives against your temporary situation. We will make this right for you; you just have to be patient."

I sighed and responded, "You're right of course, Your Majesty. When you put it like that, I'm being a bit selfish."

"No, you have every right to be selfish after what you have done for so many people," she corrected me. "Unfortunately, it will take a bit of time to correct the situation. We're going to split you away from the girls. I don't want any of you in that city one moment longer than necessary. The plane is standing by in our secure hanger so the girls will be driven directly there with a heavily armed escort of several vehicles. We're working on where to take you where you'll be safe. Are you on board with this Michael?"

"Yes Ma'am," I replied. "I don't like it but I see the need for it."

"As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished," she replied. "Ok, if you could go with Miss Treadwell and help get the girls up and explain the situation, I would appreciate it. They will take it better coming from you. While they are getting ready, pack up your stuff and be ready to leave as well."

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

I nodded to Mr. Collins and followed Miss Treadwell out the door.

"Let's get them up and then you can pack while I help them get ready," she said.

I nodded and followed her upstairs. She swiped her card to get into their area and then nodded to the guard outside their suite. He opened the door and we went in. I took the bedroom with Chelsea and Mindy and Miss Treadwell took the other.

I knocked on the open door and went in as they stirred.

"Ok ladies, rise and shine, it's time to get up!" I said. "The plane is already for you so let's get moving!"

"Michael, it's only eight o'clock," Chelsea said as she looked at the clock.

"Things are afoot, you need to get going," I said. "Mindy, please wake up honey!"

"Go away, I want to sleep s'more," she muttered as she pulled the covers over her head.

"No can do, beautiful," I said, pulling the covers off of her. "It's time to get cleaned up. You're leaving as soon as possible. You can sleep on the plane."

"What's the hurry?" Chelsea asked.

"Things have changed, we all have to get out of town," I said quietly. "So get her up and ready quickly please. I'm going to pack."

She nodded and shook Mindy's shoulder.

"Mindy, get up now, we have to get ready," Chelsea said as I left the room.

I peeked in the other room and saw the other two rubbing their eyes.

"Good, you're up," I said from the doorway. "No time to waste ladies, plans have changed and we need to get going. You can sleep on the plane."

Natalie looked at me and saw I was serious and nodded. Kim just yawned.

"Let's go Kim," Natalie said. "It sounds serious."

I nodded at Miss Treadwell and left the room. Once back in mine, I packed up my stuff, keeping my passport on me. I carried my suitcases back to the glass door and the guard let me in. I went into their suite and waited in the living room. Miss Treadwell went back and forth into each room a couple times before they finally came out; each dressed in skirts and blouses, probably borrowed from the female staff.

"You all look beautiful," I said, standing up. "Let's get going."

Miss Treadwell led the way downstairs to Mr. Collin's office and had us sit in the waiting room while she knocked and went in.

"What's going on Mike?" Chelsea asked.

"They raided the auction facility and rescued the rest of the girls but didn't get everyone of the bad guys," I told them. "We're all leaving now. You four will be safe in England."

"What about you?" Natalie asked.

"I'm going somewhere else," I replied.

"You're in danger now, aren't you?" she inquired.

"Just until they get a few people rounded up," I replied. "I knew the risks going in."

The two younger girls started to look worried.

"Mindy, Kim, don't worry, we have the resources of an entire country looking after us," I said. "You just have to drive to the airport and get on a plane and they won't be able to ever touch you again."

"I thought we were going to go to Ann Arbor to meet Mitsy?" Kim asked.

"We were, but now you're going to England and then onto Japan from there," I said. "You'll probably be home earlier, because we don't have to go to Ann Arbor and then onwards."

A few men came up to the office as the Mr. Collins and Miss Treadwell came out of it.

"Ok ladies and Mike, we're all ready to go," Mr. Collins said. "Let's head down to the garage and we'll get you on your way."

Soon enough we were in the garage and saw three identical vans with darkly tinted windows. They had cars lined up before and after each van.

Mr. Hart took out a handheld device and scanned each of the girls and then me. Then he scanned my suitcases and the green light switched to a red on the device. He swore under his breath and had one of the men open the case. They looked around inside until they found a small disk slid into one of the pockets. He put his finger up to his lips to warn everyone to be quiet and handed it to the driver of the first van. The driver put it inside his van and shut the door before coming back.

"We're taking extra precautions to get you there safe," Mr. Hart explained. "Mike, give me your phone and Brad will lead them on a merry chase."

I handed it over and he passed it onto the driver of the first van.

"Ok, good luck and we'll talk tomorrow," Mr. Collins said. "Ladies, you're in the second van with Mr. Hart. Mike, you're in the third van."

The girls all gave me a hug and a kiss before climbing into their van in the middle convoy. I shook Mr. Collin's hand and got into the last convoy's van with my two bags. The first convoy took off, then the girls left and finally mine did, each taking a different direction.

There were two men up front in the van and each car had four men in it. We moved along at a slow pace in traffic until we took the Lincoln Tunnel over to New Jersey. I watched carefully where we were headed as we took the 280 west to the 80 expressway, still going west. Less than an hour later we started heading North-west on 380 until we hit 81 going straight north.

"So, are we headed up to Buffalo then?" I asked the guys up front.

"Not sure yet, we're getting instructions along the way," he said, tapping his earpiece.

We stopped in Binghamton, New York about three hours after we left the Consulate. The two cars escorting us had spread out in front and behind us during the drive but pulled closer as we pulled into a McDonalds. The men from the lead car scoped out the restaurant and used the bathroom before a couple of them came back out with some food and let me go in with the two drivers. Once we were done in the washroom and had got some food, the men from the rear car went in.

We quickly ate and disposed of the trash before continuing on. I was surprised when we pulled up to the nearby Binghamton regional airport and were let into the airport property. The van pulled into a hanger where a private jet was waiting.

"Ok, end of the line for us," the driver said. "And before you ask, we don't know where the jet is taking you. Put on this cap and keep your head down so the pilots don't see you. You'll get more instruction once you're on the plane."

I put the cap on and shook their hands before grabbing my bags from the back. I walked up the stairs and entered the jet.

"Please come in and shut the curtain behind you," a woman's voice said.

I pulled the curtain aside and pulled it shut behind me. A blonde beauty sat in one of the eight chairs that were scattered in the small cabin. I heard the cabin door being shut behind the curtain as I looked around. She stood up and in her hand she had a similar device as Mr. Hart had. She scanned me and my bags and nodded when the green lights stayed green.

"Mr. Stewart, I'm Melissa Gold, we're going on a bit of a trip where we can keep you safe," she said.

"Miss Gold, it's nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand. "Who do you work for?"

"Indirectly, I work for a nice older lady who lives in London," she replied as she shook my hand with a surprisingly firm grip. "She's very angry at the moment and she insisted that I keep you safe until they sound the all clear."

"Good enough, where are we going?" I inquired.

"You don't need to know that yet, you'll find out when we get there," she replied saucily. "So have a seat and buckle in and we'll be on our way."

I put my bags in a closet beside the entrance and then sat down in a chair by the window. We started moving as I found the two ends of my seatbelt and snapped them together. It wasn't long before we were in the air as the airport was not a busy one. After taking off in a northerly direction, we banked left and headed west. Melissa got up once the seatbelt sign went off.

"Come with me Mr. Stewart, we have things to do," she said and led the way through the door in the back.

She sat me down on a chair in the bathroom and draped a towel around my shoulders before proceeding to dye my hair black. She also did my eyebrows and made sure that I didn't have any chest hairs that needed colouring.

"Put on some different clothes, something that makes you look older," she instructed once she was done with my hair.

She went back to the main cabin while I put on some black dress pants and a long sleeved white shirt. I dug out my good shoes and got them on before joining her.

"That will do for now," she said, looking me over. "You can pass as a young executive and I'll be your assistant."

"Sounds good to me, make me a computer expert and I'll be able to talk a bit intelligently about that subject if it's needed," I told her.

"So be it, you're Mark Smith, computer systems analyst for TZB International," she informed me. "I'm Melissa Gold, your personal assistant."

Melissa took a few pictures with a digital camera and then pulled out a laptop and a printer and started working on making up my new driver's licence, a birth certificate as well as a company ID and business cards. She printed them out and had me sign them, along with a few credit cards before she pulled out a lamination machine for the company ID.

"Let me see your wallet and passport," she demanded.

I pulled them out and she put them in her suitcase. She pulled out a new wallet and filled the slots with the new cards.

"The credit cards will work if you need them and can't be traced back to your real identity," she informed me. "You're from Cincinnati, Ohio, born and raised, and work out of the TZB offices there. The phone numbers for the company will work and it has a website. Obviously the birth certificate and driver's licence won't stand up to official scrutiny but they will pass a visual inspection."

I nodded as I tucked the wallet into my back pocket.

Melissa continued, "Since this is a private domestic flight, they won't check our luggage when we land and we won't have to go through security. We're going to hide out at a hotel across the street from a big convention being held so we won't be conspicuous. We have a two bedroom suite already under my name so you won't even have to go up the front desk. Just keep your head down and we should be fine."

"Sounds ok to me," I responded and sat down as she put away her equipment.

Twenty minutes later we were descending. I didn't recognize the city as we prepared to land.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Chicago," she replied. "Close enough to Michigan but no one will have any suspicion we're here."

The plane landed without any issues and we came to rest at a private hanger. We carried our luggage down the steps and caught a taxi once we left the airport. She directed the driver to the Navy Pier. After the taxi drove off, we walked a few blocks to the hotel. I waited outside for a few minutes and then casually walked in and joined her in the elevator when she was done. We got off on the tenth floor and found the room around the corner. I was surprised to see only one room with a queen bed in it.

"I'm sorry Mark, the damn reservation was screwed up and this is the best that they had left," Melissa said.

"Well, you better not bring any guys up here then, because I'm not into sharing," I said with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes as she got out her device and scanned the entire room, including the air ducts and sprinklers in the ceiling. She disappeared into the bathroom and came out and signalled the all clear.

"Let's unpack and we'll get some food sent up," she suggested, moving to the bed where her suitcase was.

We unpacked and split the drawers in the dresser as well as taking half of the closet. Anything that she wanted to keep hidden went into a false bottom in her suitcase, including my wallet and passport.

We ordered in some food and I hid in the bathroom when it was delivered, just to be safe. After eating, Melissa and I took a walk around the hotel and found the exercise room.

"I get up before six and work out," I told her.

"I heard all about your workouts," Melissa replied. "I'll come down with you but we won't be sparring here."

I laughed and responded, "Don't worry, all I want to do is lift some weights and ride an elliptical or a bike. I've had enough sparring and fighting for a while."

"Good!" she said.

We walked crossed the street and went into the convention centre where a collector's convention was being held. There were sports memorabilia like trading cards and signed items as well as coins, books, stamps, comic books, action figures, posters, pictures, dolls, old and rare toys and anything else you could think of. There was a mixture of all ages and both men and women and girls and boys attending. There were line-ups at some booths where someone once famous was signing autographs.

We spent at least a couple hours walking around the huge main floor. Melissa collected coins and bought a few while I bought some hockey trading cards and movie posters. We called it a night around ten and I put on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt while she put on a long tee shirt that came down almost to her knees. It had been another long day and I fell asleep quickly.

Wednesday I was up early as my internal system clock was all screwed up. A quick glance at the clock showed me that it was only three thirty. The beautiful blonde agent was sleeping on her side of the bed with her face in my direction. I admired her face in the dim light and then sighed and turned over and tried to get back to sleep.

After a restless couple of hours, I got up and had a quick shower before getting into some sweats. Melissa heard me coming out of the bathroom and went in after me. Twenty minutes later we took the elevator down to the lobby and used our key cards to get into the exercise room down the hall.

I was impressed with her workout routine, both in its intensity and the amount of weight she was using. After we finished with the weight machines, we both used an elliptical for half an hour.

"I must say, you're in very good shape," I told her when we finished.

"Have to be in this line of work," she replied. "The stories about you were true as well. For such a young man, you have a very good work ethic."

"There is always someone bigger, faster or stronger so I have to constantly keep improving or I'll be left behind," I responded.

We went back up to the room and showered again before having an early breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. After breakfast, we walked to a nearby electronics store where Melissa purchased some prepaid cell phones. We took a taxi south to the Osaka Garden and strolled among the trees, lagoons and plants. Melissa took the opportunity to report in and get an update while I made sure no one was watching or eavesdropping. After she was done, she wiped the phone clean and pulled out the sim card before throwing it in a garbage can.

We walked around some more we took a taxi to the John Hancock Center and then walked back to the hotel. Melissa scanned the hotel room and then sat me down.

"First the good news," she started. "The girls made it to England and Kim was put on a private plane to Japan. She should be home soon. The other three are staying with Chelsea's parents in a secure location until the crisis is over."

"Very good news," I said.

"The not so good news is that they haven't caught that Mr. Blake yet," Melissa continued. "He's being very elusive. They found the driver with a bullet in his head this morning in an alleyway in Queens so they think Mr. Blake is covering his tracks. What they don't know if he's coming after you, the girls or Miss Smith, or has left the city all together."

"So we stay here for another day?" I asked.

"At least," she responded. "We'll take precautions like we just did with the phone call and we should be able to fly under the radar."

"We should have bought a laptop while we were at the electronics store," I said.

"You can use mine as long as you don't check your email or visit sites that give us away," she offered.

"Thanks," I replied.

We actually had some fun in Chicago the rest of the day. We were close to the magnificent mile; a name for mostly high end shops on North Michigan Avenue so Melissa did some shopping while I was her mule. We even dined out at Gibson's Steakhouse, an expensive restaurant that served the best steaks in town.

Melissa took my hand as we strolled back to the hotel. I looked over at her and she smiled up at me.

"You don't hold my hand enough, Sweetie," she said.

"Sorry, that simply won't do, now will it?" I asked with a grin.

"No, it won't," she agreed.

We walked over to a small park at the end of North Michigan Avenue where it met Lakeshore Boulevard. We could see over a multilane road to the beach and the lake beyond while sitting on a bench. I put my arm along the back of the bench and she took the opportunity to snuggle in close as the breeze off the lake was cool in the evening.

"It's been a nice day," she said.

"Sure, you got to shop and use me as a pack mule all day," I replied with a frown. "At least you fed me properly."

"I thought you might like that place," she responded with a grin. "I like to keep my domestic help well fed to keep up their strength."

"So what news do you have from the home front?" I asked quietly.

Melissa had checked back in during our walk to the restaurant, far enough away to not lead anyone to the restaurant itself. We hadn't talked about anything significant in the restaurant as the tables were close together and it was impossible not to hear what others were saying.

"Nothing new yet, other than the Japanese girl is back safe with her parents," she whispered. "Apparently her dad has relatives very high up in the Tokyo Yakuza Clan and has put the word out on our Mr. Blake as well. They don't think he'll be trying anything but hiding in a deep hole."

"That's good news, I've had some experience with the Yakuza and they are tenacious to say the least," I responded. "I gather we stay here for at least another day."

"Yep," she said, snuggling in closer, if that was possible.

"We should head back before you bore a hole into my side," I said. "While I don't mind a beautiful woman being close, you're going to pop my stitches if you keep that up."

"Oh, sorry" she said, as she moved away.

"It is a beautiful evening, but we should head back before you get too cold," I said.

"Alright," she agreed and stood up as I did.

We walked along the lake and then headed back to our hotel once we hit the street it was on. Once inside our room, I helped her out of her long dress coat and then took off my jacket. She was wearing a slinky dress and heels while I had on a shirt and dress pants. At the restaurant, she was the focus of every man when we walked in, and because of that, every woman as well. I had to grin as I walked behind her and watched the reaction.

"You certainly made an impression at the restaurant in that dress," I told her as I looked her up and down. "Every man practically broke their neck as you went by and then had their jaw broke by their significant other."

She grinned at me and replied, "I picked it today just for that reaction. Not too many people were looking at you, were they?"

"True, you certainly had all their attention," I admitted.

She did a quick scan of the room and the bathroom with her scanner before sitting down on the bed.

"So, did you pick out the dangerous people in the restaurant?" she asked as she swung her leg, her heel dangling from her foot.

Melissa had been teaching me how to appraise people as we shopped and had given me the task of scoping out the restaurant this evening.

I sat in the armchair by the desk and replied, "I saw five or six men and two women that I thought might be dangerous."

"Describe them and where they were and why you thought they were dangerous," she said, leaning back on her elbows in a very sexy pose.

"The tall thin man, mid-thirties, at the table across from us with the five other men," I spoke up. "He watched everything while avoiding the conversation. He actually reached into his jacket when a man bumped the chair. He didn't once laugh at the jokes. I pegged him as a bodyguard for the loudmouth beside him."

"Yes, he was one," she agreed.

"The woman in the black dress with the good looking older gentleman in the corner table," I continued. "She had a knife strapped to her thigh and also kept a very close eye on her surroundings. She was one of the few that didn't chastise her companion for staring at you and actually looked at me for a few seconds before dismissing me."

"Not just jealous that she wasn't into you?" Melissa asked with a grin.

"No, she sized me up and then discarded me as not being a threat," I answered her.

"Did that tick you off?" she asked.

"No, I wasn't a threat to her, so she got it right," I replied.

"Go on," Melissa instructed.

"I got a bad vibe from a handsome brown-haired guy with big shoulders at a table by the front windows," I said. "He was in a grey suit with a white tie with a brunette on his left and a blonde on his right. The other guy was a black-haired guy in a black suit with his back to us. The brown-haired guy gave me a look while we were eating that would have had me shivering in my boots a half year ago."

"That's three," she said.

"I just caught a quick glance at a small guy as he was walking out with a couple of other men," I told her. "Shirt and tie, black pants, thin and probably not more than five eight with blonde hair. His walk reminded me of the guy I fought back in London, very confident in himself without having to be cocky about it. He avoided a clumsy guy getting up as if he was a dancer. I didn't see a spare ounce on him."

Melissa nodded.

"The Chinese woman in the pink dress by the far wall amongst three men," I continued. "If she wasn't physically dangerous, she wields enough power to be dangerous to anyone in the restaurant. The two men sitting at the table beside them were hers and were carrying guns."

"Yes, she is the local head of the Triad," she complimented me. "Anyone else?"

"There was a grey-haired man sitting amongst a group of loud mouths in the centre of the restaurant," I said. "The rest of the people were drinking and having fun but he faked it while looking around from time to time. He caught me looking at him once and his stare back was very penetrating. I caught him looking over at me a few times after that. He moved well when they left."

"Very good, Mark," Melissa said. "That older man is the head of the Mafia here in Chicago. A very dangerous man in his own right and of course wields tremendous power. The first woman is a bodyguard as was the first man you mentioned. The small man is a fighter of some repute and the brown-haired man with the big shoulders did look very capable of handling himself in a scrum. You missed one person at a table in the back. A non-descript man in a black suit sitting alone, wearing glasses and just looking around as if he was just people watching. Did you see him?"

"Yes, like you said, nothing stood out and he seemed harmless," I answered. "His look was non-confrontational and he didn't stare or seem interested in anyone in particular."

"That's why he was the most dangerous man in the room, no one would suspect him to be anything but a mild mannered introvert dining by himself," she responded.

"And how did you know he was dangerous?" I asked.

"Let's just say that we move in the same circles," she responded. "You did quite well for a newbie. We'll make you one of her Majesty's Secret Service soon enough."

"No thanks, I'm just trying to get through this and go back to school," I replied with a laugh. "Remember, I'm just a kid."

She snorted and sat up to reply, "You're playing in the big leagues now and I'm not talking sports. Even if you never do another assignment for her, you're going to be moving in important circles and need to be extra vigilant out in public. You've been out on dates with the Princess and other important ladies and they will always be targets. So, you're a part of us now, whether it's official or not."

I stood up and found some shorts and a tee-shirt to change into. Without acknowledging her statement, I went into the bathroom and washed up before changing. When I came out, she was standing near the bathroom door.

"Can you unzip me please?" she asked as she turned her back to me.

I slid the zipper down to the small of her back while thinking that, if she got it up on her own, then why did she need me to undo it? Catching a glimpse of her bare back made me not really care why. She gave me a sly look as she held the dress to her front while scooting by me into the washroom. I watched the door close before heading to the bed and getting in. I lay on my back and heard the shower turn on and eventually must have dozed off.

I woke up with the room dark and Melissa close beside me, her head resting on my shoulder. She was breathing slowly and had her arm and leg draped over my body. I turned to look at the clock to see it was just after six am on Thursday morning.

Reluctantly, I slid out from underneath of her and used the bathroom before getting into my sweats. She looked too peaceful to wake up, so I grabbed my keycard and went down to the exercise room. Again, I had to be careful not to pull my stitches but still got in a good workout.

When I entered our room, Melissa was sitting in the bed, a phone to her ear and a gun pointed at me until she was sure it was me. She gave me an angry look and motioned me to come in as she muttered into the phone. I grabbed some clothes and went to have a shower.

I was out in about fifteen minutes and she was dressed in casual clothes, ready to go with a jacket already on.

"We have to go meet a contact, there apparently have been some developments that can't be passed on via phone," she said. "And don't ever leave without me again."

"Sorry, you looked too peaceful to wake up," I replied as I got my shoes on.

She frowned at me and led the way out the door and into the elevator. It was a quiet ride down as she gave me the silent treatment by looking at the floor numbers light up. Once outside, she pointed us in the direction of the lake and took off at a brisk pace.

"So, do you have any information to share?" I asked.

"No, just that we're meeting at the park bench we sat on last night," she said.

We walked until we hit Michigan Avenue and headed north. We walked in silence while looking at the window displays. The shops weren't opened yet of course and the streets were mostly empty. We passed the John Hancock building before she said anything.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked.

"No, I'm an only child," I replied. "You?"

"I have a younger sister, just a few months younger than you actually," she replied. "She's a real sweetheart and even prettier than me."

"I find that hard to believe," I responded. "You are as beautiful as any model I've worked with."

"A few more compliments like that will get you back in my good graces," she said with a small smirk. "But it's true, Jenny is taller and the most beautiful young woman you'll ever meet."

"Two beauties in one family means that your mother must be just as gorgeous," I remarked. "Your dad must keep a shotgun at the front door."

"Mom was beautiful but unfortunately they both passed away a few years ago in a car accident," Melissa told me.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "So you've had to look after your sister since then?"

"Yes, she's been in a private school and will be attending university in the fall," she replied. "There wasn't much left of the estate so I've done the best I could taking care of her. She doesn't know what I do of course; she thinks I'm a business consultant and trouble shooter."

"She's lucky she has such a caring big sister," I noted.

"I'd do anything for her," Melissa stated as we entered the small park area where we sat last night.

We found the same bench and sat down, with Melissa scoping out the area. I looked around as well and saw only a man and a woman walking towards us along the path near the lake road. Melissa spotted them as well and focused on them. When they got close enough to see clearly, I was surprised to see the brutal looking man from the auction with a younger version of Melissa in his grasp.

I looked over at Melissa and she gave me a sad look before saying, "It was Mr. Blake on the phone this morning when you came in. Somehow he got hold of my sister. She's the only thing in the world that would make me betray my Queen, country or you. I'm sorry but I can't let him hurt her."

"It's ok, she's just as important as any of the other girls I saved," I told her. "Just make sure she gets safe. You could have told me, I still would have come. Someone is playing for the other side if he knew how to get her and how to get a hold of you."

"Only a couple people in the world know about both Jenny and how to get a hold of me," she whispered as we stood up. "If we get out of this alive, I'll be paying them a visit."

Melissa had her hands in her pockets, hopefully holding a gun. Her sister Jenny was looking scared but hopeful now that her sister was visible. Mr. Blake stopped and yanked her close before pulling his other hand out of his jacket. He had a small device in it that had a switch depressed with his thumb.

"Open your jacket," he instructed Jenny.

She undid her sash and opened the long jacket to show a vest of explosives over a blouse and skirt. Her hands shook as she held it open for a few seconds.

"So, no funny business or little sis goes flying to Heaven to see your dearly departed parents," Mr. Blake threatened.

"You got us here, what do you want?" Melissa asked.

"I want Mr. Stewart of course," he replied. "I think that the powers that be will be willing to exchange him for the others as well as returning the money that was in our accounts."

"The girls both go free and I'll come with you," I told him.

"You're in no position to dictate what happens here," he said with a snarl. "The girl comes with us so I know that big sis will do what I want."

"No deal, you might as well let go the switch now," I told him. "There is no way she leaves here with you. I'm a good enough hostage for you."

"Michael!" Melissa hissed.

"Don't press your luck big man, you're on my least favourite people list right now," he said.

"You're at the top of mine as well so cut the crap," I replied. "You want me, they go free. If not, we all go boom. You better make up your mind quickly before it gets crowded in here and people start wondering what is going on."

"I've got half a mind to just let go now and take all of you with me," he growled.

"You're not the martyr type so don't give us the crap," I responded with a sneer. "You're still after the money so you expect to get out of this in one piece. I'd rather do that as well as well so let's just get this over with. I'm going to take the vest off her and put it on while you watch. Once it's on me, they go free and you have me as the best hostage you could possibly want."

Without letting him object, I moved close to Jenny and opened up her coat.

"Hi Jenny, I'm Mike, it's a shame we're meeting like this," I told her with a smile. "I didn't believe your sister when she said you were prettier than her but it's true. Let's get you out of this vest; it's not a very good look for you."

"Ok," she whispered as she eyed Mr. Blake with fearful eyes.

"Don't worry, Mr. Blake doesn't want to die anymore than you or I do," I tried to reassure her. "He's only going to let go of that switch if someone does something stupid. So, what are you going to study in University?"

"Biology and oceanography," she replied.

"I'm sure your male classmates will love seeing you in the water," I said with a grin as I unfastened the knot holding the vest together.

She blushed as I slid the vest off one shoulder while she took her arm out of the jacket sleeve. We got the other arm out of the vest and then I pushed her over to her sister who hugged her with her left arm.

"Ok, off you two go and Mr. Blake and I will go our merry way," I said.

"Wait a damn minute!" Mr. Blake said. "Get the vest on now or no one goes anywhere. Big Sis, help him get it on."

Melissa held my jacket wide to hide the vest from any passersby while I put my arms through the openings. The vest was too small to be tied up but I put my jacket over top and zipped it up.

"Ok, the vest is on," I said. "Do you have any instructions to pass along before they go?"

"Yeah, you have two hours to free all of the people you captured and put back the money into our accounts," he told Melissa. "I want another twenty million put into an account for lost revenue and to return Mr. Stewart in one piece. Call me on the number I gave you this morning in less than two hours or he and a whole lot more people will go boom. You understand?"

"I understand," Melissa replied.

"Ok, get moving before I change my mind," he shouted.

Melissa dragged Jenny away from us as she mouthed thanks to me. Jenny had a sad look for me as well but I gave her a wink. I waited until they were well away before turning to Mr. Blake. I noticed he still had the device still out of his pocket while watching the sisters and decided this was the time to take the chance I had already planned to take. There was no way I was going to let him get me in a populated area or use me to free those other scum.

I grabbed for his hand and squeezed it as hard as I could while my left hand hit him in the throat. He started to fall back so my left hand joined my right in holding his hand tight while he fell to the ground. I went down with him while still holding his hand as if it was the most precious thing in the world. His other hand grasped at his throat for about thirty seconds or so while he gasped for air until he was still. I got my thumb on the switch before prying the device from his hand.

After making sure he was at least unconscious, I wiggled out of my jacket and then got the vest off by shrugging my shoulders while keeping my thumb firmly on the switch. I looked back at where Melissa and Jenny had gone and saw them stopped and looking back at me. I waved and held up my hands with the device in one and the vest in the other. Melissa had Jenny sit at another park bench far away and came back.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked when she came close.

"I decided not to play his game anymore," I told her. "Once you two were out of the way, it was easy to put him out. Do you know how to disarm this vest so I don't have to hold the switch all day?"

She took the vest and looked it over for a minute. She pulled the detonators from the C4 explosives and then pulled wires from a small device in the back. She then pulled the four packs of explosive out of their pouches and placed them on the bench. Finally, she took the device from my hand and pulled out the battery from the back. She let the switch go and thankfully, nothing happened.

"You're a good person to have around," I told her as I put my jacket back on.

"So are you it seems," she replied. "I'm sorry to put you through all that. I didn't know what else to do."

"It's ok, you did the right thing," I replied. "Let's get this stuff put away before the cops get here. I don't know what we'll do with him."

She handed me the explosives and I put them in my bigger pockets. She took out another of the phones and called for help while looking around for witnesses. Surprisingly, only a few people were walking along the park's edges and while they were curious, they didn't come and investigate.

"I need assistance at the park at the end of North Michigan and Lakeshore Boulevard," she said quickly. "Clean-up and protection required ASAP. Code triple nine."

She shut the phone off and walked over to a nearby garbage can and dropped the phone into it. Melissa had me help her get Mr. Blake's body up on the bench and she checked his pulse and then slipped his gun and wallet out of his pockets.

I looked over at Jenny and she was staring at us. I gave her an ok sign with one hand while smiling at her and she gave me a tentative smile back in return.

"Mike, I want you to take Jenny back to the hotel room and I'll join you later," Melissa said. "I don't want either of you caught up in this if it goes official."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yes, so get going before it's too late," she said. "We still don't know who is working for the other side."

"I'll call the Queen direct and let her know what's happened," I told her. "She can get the General on it and isolate the two or three people who knew about me and about your sister."

"Ok do that, but talk to no one else," she said as she handed me yet another phone. "I'll see you soon."

"What do you want me to do with the explosives?" I asked.

"Just bring them back to the room and put them in the false bottom of my suitcase," she instructed me.

"Don't be too long, your sister will be worried," I told her.

"Take good care of her but keep your hands off of her," she warned.

"Yes Ma'am," I replied with a grin.

I walked away without looking back and reached Jenny in less than thirty seconds.

"Hi there Beautiful, let's go for a walk back to the hotel," I said as I approached.

"Shouldn't we wait for the authorities and my sister?" she asked as she stood up.

"She wants to keep us out of all of that," I told her as I took her arm in mine. "She'll be along soon enough."

"What happened over there Mike?" she asked as we headed back down Michigan Avenue. "We turned around and saw him on the ground and you getting out of the vest."

"I decided I didn't want him getting us close to other people or use me to free those other creeps," I told her. "I got hold of his hand and then hit him rather hard. Luckily it worked or I wouldn't be holding your arm right now."

"You do seem to be rather fresh for someone I've just met," she said with a grin. "I suppose you're a step up from that horrible man. He kept ranting on about what he was going to do to us when he got us all together. You really screwed up his plans when you wouldn't let him take us. Are you some kind of secret agent?"

"No, I'm just a computer science student who also does a bit of modelling and plays hockey," I said. "I'm Mike Stewart by the way."

"Jenny Henderson," she replied. "Mike Stewart, isn't there a Calvin Klein model by that name? He's blonde though."

"That's me; your sister made me dye my hair to keep me incognito," I replied.

"You saved Emma Watson from that acid attack, right?" she asked. "Didn't I see pictures of you a few days ago with Princess Beatrice and Emma at a nightclub in London?"

"Yes, we needed a public reason to get out of town to go see someone on business," I tried to explain. "It's a long story. I'll tell you what I can later. Let's pick up the pace a bit so we get undercover until it blows over."

She nodded and we walked a bit faster, barely looking at the windows as we passed.

"So if you're not a secret agent, is my sister?" she asked.

"That's something you will have to ask her," I replied.

"I'm not stupid, she looked pretty competent disarming that bomb and I wasn't brought here to try and influence you," she said with a frown.

"I didn't say you were right or wrong, just that she should be the one to let you know," I responded. "So, besides being beautiful and smart, what else do you like to do?"

"I play soccer and swim on the school team as well as ride horses," she replied. "I play a mean game of chess as well."

"An athlete and a geek," I observed with a grin. "You must have all types of guys after you."

"I go to an all girl school so no guys are after me," she replied primly.

"I'm sure they will come calling when you get to university," I told her. "So, where are you planning to go to school?"

"Oxford, I'm already accepted on a full scholarship," she replied.

"Fantastic, and congratulations," I told her.

When we got there, I led her into the hotel and up to the room. Once inside, I did a quick check of the room and the bathroom while indicating to her to be silent. I got out Melissa's suitcase and put the explosives in the false bottom before using her detection device to scan the rooms and both of us. Lucky for us the green light stayed green.

"Ok, if I'm using it right, we should be clear," I told her. "Would you like to get cleaned up? Maybe some of your sister's clothes will fit you."

"She's a couple inches shorter but I don't think you'll mind a slightly shorter skirt?" she asked with a smirk.

"Heavens, the nuns will be all aghast if they saw you like that," I replied. "I'll do my best to avert my innocent eyes."

She grabbed some clothes and her sister's make-up case and closed the bathroom door after giving me a grin.

I waited a minute until I heard the shower start up and dialled the only number I remembered over there.

"Bea, it's Mike," I said. "Don't say anything, especially my name, do you understand?"

"Yes," Princess Beatrice replied.

"There's been an incident here but everyone is ok," I told her. "I need to talk to your Grandmother immediately but no one but you and her are to know about this. Are you near her?"

"Give me a minute," she replied.

It was almost two minutes before I heard a noise indicating the phone was being passed to someone else.

"Michael, Beatrice tells me there has been an incident," the Queen said.

"Yes, your Majesty," I replied. "You know who my protector is?"

"Yes, Miss Gold," she answered.

"Do you know her family status at all?" I asked.

"I believe she has a younger sister that she looks after," the Queen responded. "What's this all about?"

"The younger sister was kidnapped, flown over here and a vest full of explosives was strapped to her until about a half hour ago," I told her. "Somehow, very top secret information such as who was guarding me, her family situation and not only our location but a secret telephone number was given to Mr. Blake. You have a serious breach of security to deal with Ma'am. Miss Gold tells me only a couple people in the world could know about her sister as well as our location and that number. We need you to deal with that leak immediately before someone else comes after us to shut us up."

"I'll get on that as soon as we're done talking, rest assured," the Queen responded, her voice iron hard. "What is the situation now?"

"Miss Gold is cleaning up the mess at the park where we met Mr. Blake, using the triple nine code when she called for assistance," I told her. "I have the sister back in our hotel room. Mr. Blake is no longer an issue and is either in serious need of medical attention or part of the cleanup."

"That is good news," the Queen responded. "I'd like to hear more about how you got yourselves out of that spot of trouble later. I will get on the security issue immediately. I will call you back on this number as soon as I have news."

"Thank you, your Majesty," I said. "I suspect someone at the Consulate is also involved so don't forget to follow the chain down or up. Miss Gold, as well as myself, are most irritated that our allies are helping these creeps. I suggest you find the culprit before Miss Gold takes apart your entire hierarchy to find the people responsible for putting her sister in his hands. I'll be very willing to stuff the C4 down someone's throat as well."

"I can imagine how you both must feel," she replied. "I'll get the General on it right away and I'm sure he'll have something back to me shortly. Try to keep Miss Gold on that side of the pond for a day so I can minimize the bloodletting when she does get here."

I laughed and replied, "I'll do my best but I'm not as squeamish about that as you are. I trust you will take very good care of the two ladies from now on."

"Of course, they'll be well looked after," the Queen replied. "You're always looking after others, Mr. Stewart. You deserve some reward for all you've done for us."

"No need for any reward, I'm just glad I can go back home now," I replied. "I hope to hear good news from you soon."

"I'll ring you back as soon as there is news," the Queen responded. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, your Majesty," I said and hung up.

I closed my eyes and saw Mr. Blake face again as he tried to gasp for air. I had either hurt him badly or taken another human's life and, even if he deserved to burn in hell, it wasn't a pleasant thing to have to contemplate. Self preservation was a good motive, but I had the feeling that his face would haunt me for a long time.

I was still deep in thought when Jenny came out of the bathroom. She had one of the hotel's white robes on that covered everything but her calves and feet. Her long blonde hair was still wet and combed back from her face. She didn't appear to have any makeup on either but still was stunningly beautiful.

"Wow, you clean up good," I said. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes, I did," she said as she climbed on the bed and kneeled beside me. "I forgot to thank you properly for what you did for me and my sister."

She leaned in and gave me a kiss while holding my face in her hands. She looked at me with her clear blue eyes that seemed to memorize me as she held the kiss for longer than normal. She leaned back after a minute and let me catch my breath.

"Wow," I said, the lack of oxygen clearly affecting my ability to talk, or think for that matter.

"Thank you Michael, we'll never be able to repay you for what you did, but it is greatly appreciated," she said with a very cute smile.

"You are very welcome, and that kiss is more than enough payment," I managed to respond.

"I think we can manage a little something extra," she replied with a grin.

"And what is going on here?" Melissa said from the doorway.

"Just thanking Michael for saving us," Jenny said without blushing or looking concerned. "You probably owe him a few kisses as well."

"I told you to keep your hands off of her," Melissa said to me.

"She kissed me and technically, my hands are on the robe, not her elbow," I replied. "Nothing else happened."

"And you have no reason to be angry with Michael," Jenny said, standing up. "I'm the one who has plenty of reason to be angry with you though, don't I? You're a business consultant and trouble shooter? More like a secret agent for her Majesty. I might have been more cautious if I'd known what you really were doing."

Melissa's shoulders slumped and she undid her jacket and took it off. She put her gun on the nightstand beside the bed before standing in front of Jenny.

"It wasn't easy taking care of you," Melissa said. "The private school was expensive but I wanted the best for you. So I took on extra duties as I got trained and now I'm one of the best. I was going to tell you once you were done school this year. I'm sorry you got involved in this. Only a couple people knew that you were my sister so there was a very serious breach of security."

"I talked to the Queen and she is looking into it with the General," I quickly inputted. "She'll call us on my phone as soon as she has anything to report. She also promised to take care of both of you for what happened to you, so I think you'll be ok."

"It doesn't excuse you from not telling me sooner," Jenny said to her sister. "What if something bad happened to you, I'd be all alone."

"You would have been well taken care of by the service, I made sure of that," Melissa replied.

"I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about being alone in this world with my only relative gone," Jenny rebutted. "I could have gone to a public school and we could have lived on a much smaller salary in a smaller apartment. I never asked to go to that school."

"I wanted you to have the best education possible, you're so smart and beautiful," Melissa responded. "I'm sorry but what's done is done. I'm probably going to be kicked out of the service for what I did today anyway so you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"I'm sure the Queen will find something safer for you to do, if you actually feel the need to work again," I jumped in. "Money won't be an issue for either of you, I'm sure."

"Would you butt out of this?" Melissa asked, looking down at me.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that, he's saved our butts and made sure the Queen will be properly grateful," Jenny said. "I think I need to take him out on a date to thank him."

"I'm not going to let you go on a date with a guy like him," Melissa responded. "He's a playboy."

"You don't get to tell me who I can date, not after this," Jenny retorted. "I woke up this morning handcuffed to a bed next to that creep. After having his hands all over me, I think Michael is a perfect guy to make me forget what happened. It's about time I started living life a bit, rather than being the perfect younger sister."

"I know you went through a rough time but don't go overboard compensating for it," Melissa responded. "We should take you to a doctor and have you checked out."

I got up while they kept arguing and rummaged around until I found my wallet and passport in Melissa's suitcase. I then pulled out my suitcase and started packing. I was nearly done when they finally noticed what I was up to.

"What are you doing?" Melissa asked.

"I'm going back to Ann Arbor; the bad guy is no longer a threat and I have school starting on Monday morning that I have to get ready for," I told her. I'm going to rent a car and drive home and let you two fight it out alone."

"It's still not safe yet, we don't know who set us up," Melissa argued.

"I don't care who did it," I responded. "I'll call you once the Queen lets me know what they found out. You two obviously need time to work things out and Jenny does need to see both a doctor and probably a therapist to talk about what happened."

"I'm not staying in this city if Michael isn't with us," Jenny added as she moved over to stand by me. "I say we all get out of here now."

Melissa looked at both of us for a bit and then sighed as she nodded.

"I'll pack while you get dressed," Melissa instructed her sister.

Jenny took off the robe and showed us that she was dressed already.

"I just need to put on a bit of makeup and I'll be ready to go," Jenny told us. "Now, no fighting out here while I get ready or I'll kick both you butts."

She tried to look fierce but broke out in a grin as Melissa and I just gave her 'yeah right' looks. She turned and went into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

Melissa started packing her stuff into her suitcase while I sat down at the desk and watched. She looked at me from time to time but surprisingly didn't say anything. Jenny came out of the bathroom with her sister's makeup case and put it into the suitcase.

"So, how do I look?" she asked as she twirled around.

"Very gorgeous," I said.

"Thank you, kind Sir," Jenny replied with a smile. "I didn't hear a peep out of you two and there isn't any blood showing. Are we calling a truce for the ride to Michael's?"

"I wisely kept my mouth shut," I told her.

She reached up and patted my face and said, "You're a smart man. I think I'm going to like going on a date with you.

"Let's not antagonize the lady with the gun," I responded with a grin. "She's very protective of you and rightfully so. Besides, you're going to have to get in line with the other ladies that seem to think I owe them a date."

"I'm not a teenage girl anymore," Jenny replied. "She doesn't get to choose who I spend time with."

"True, but your sister wants you to find a normal, safe guy, not someone like me," I replied. "She knows more about me than you do."

"Then it's a good thing she's coming along to protect me while I learn more about you and these other women," Jenny responded. "If you're really that bad of a guy I'll let her shoot you and we'll head back to England. Sound like a plan, Sis?"

"It would be my pleasure," Melissa said as she checked out her gun before putting it in her jacket.

"Great, more women mad at me," I muttered as I picked up my suitcase and garment bag. "Shall we go?"

The ladies put on their jackets and Melissa put her case on the ground and pulled out the handle. She gave it to Jenny to pull while her hand went into her jacket pocket. Melissa checked the hallway out by using the peek hole in the door and then opened the door. After looking both ways, she led the way to the elevators.

Jenny and I waited in the lobby while Melissa settled the bill. Once she was done, we stepped outside and hailed a cab to take us to the nearest car rental place. When we got there, Melissa insisted on renting the car, using a fake id that no one knew about. She got an SUV and, after getting a map, took the wheel while Jenny and I sat in the back.

Over the next four hours we exchanged stories of our lives. She didn't seem to be fazed about all the women in my life or make judgements. I couldn't tell if Melissa was listening from the front but I caught her eyes looking at me in the rear mirror a few times.

I directed Melissa to my condo building when we got to Ann Arbour and had her park out front. I let us in and I grabbed my mail before taking them up to the condo. After shutting off the alarm, I gave them the quick tour and let them freshen up using the bathrooms and the spare bedrooms while I went into mine. After changing into some comfortable clothes, I went out and looked through my mail and checked my messages.

I moved to the kitchen when I was done and made up a tray of cheese and crackers as well as anything else I could find to snack on. I plugged in the kettle in case they wanted a spot of tea and carried out the tray and some water bottles to the dining room table. I went back for plates and napkins and both sisters were standing by the table when I came out.

Both had showered again and their hair was slicked back. They didn't have any makeup on but neither needed any. They were both wearing sweats but still looked good.

"This looks good," Melissa said, indicating the food.

"So do both of you," I replied.

"We're wearing sweats," she said, rolling her eyes. "You must be pretty desperate if you think we look good right now."

"Just trying to be nice," I replied. "I've got water boiling if you would like some tea."

"That sounds good," Jenny responded quickly. "Thanks for being a good host."

"No problem, have a seat and help yourselves while I get the tea made," I told them.

I got the water poured into the tea pot and took out everything on a tray. They were sitting at far end of the table, both with one leg underneath of them looking almost like twins.

"It's going to need a few minutes to steep," I told them, putting the tray on the table.

"Sit and relax," Jenny said.

I slid into the chair at the end of the table and they passed the food over to me to make my selections.

"So, you live in this condo by yourself?" Jenny asked.

"Yep, but the extra bedrooms come in handy from time to time," I replied. "It's close to the college and it has a secure garage and front door."

Jenny tried to keep the conversation going about school but Melissa wasn't interested and I wasn't much in the mood either. They helped me clean up and listened in when the Queen called back.

"Michael, what is your situation?" the Queen asked.

"We're back in Ann Arbour in my condo, your Majesty," I replied. "How is it across the pond?"

"We found out that we our impregnable computer system is actually no better than Swiss cheese," she said in disgust. "Our benefit plan for our operatives was hacked and that's how Miss Gold's sister was found. We have patched that leak but have spent the last few hours making sure everyone on the list is safe. On a positive note, we found out the culprit at the Consulate and she's singing like a canary. Now we just need to talk to Miss Gold and her sister so that we can trace what happened since you left the Consulate."

"Do you want to talk to them now?" I asked.

"Yes, the General is here to conduct the de-briefing so if they're available, that would be the best," the Queen responded.

"Here is Miss Gold," I said, handing the phone to Melissa.

I moved us all to the living room to at least sit in comfortable chairs while they talked. Mel gave the General her story and then Jen got on the phone and gave hers. Both described what I did to Mr. Blake from afar and ended their story soon after that. Jen handed me the phone when she was done.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Fine work you did today and yesterday morning," General Atkinson stated. "I'm beginning to believe it's not just blind luck."

"Just trying to stay alive General, nothing more," I responded. "I trust you'll find those responsible for putting everyone in danger."

"We're well on our way and with the information we got from the sisters, it should be easy to cross-reference alibis and find who was responsible," he answered. "We should have everyone in custody by tomorrow."

"Hopefully that will be the end of it then," I said. "Let us know when it happens."

"We will," he responded. "In the meantime, keep inside just in case."

"Will do," I replied.

"Talk to you tomorrow," he said before hanging up.

"Ok, hopefully one more day before it's over," I told the sisters. "Now, we can expect a visit from two Japanese ladies within twenty minutes if not sooner. I'm surprised they aren't already here."

"Who's coming over?" Jen asked.

"I told you about Mitsy and Asuka in the car," I reminded her. "They either got a call from someone here in the building that her father owns, or will be getting one from a nosy actress in England. You might want to get spruced up."

Melissa gave a sigh as she got up and Jenny followed her sister's example and left to go to the bedrooms. I finished cleaning up and wasn't surprised when I came out of the kitchen to see Asuka and Mitsy sitting at the table.

"Ladies, you're late, I arrived here over an hour ago," I said with a grin. "It's good to see you both."

In a surprise move, Asuka came to me first and gave me a hug and a soft kiss on my lips. I kissed her back and hugged her before giving her a big smile.

"That was a very nice greeting," I said.

She smiled and stepped back. Mitsy came up and also gave me a hug and a soft kiss, pulling my head down to plant one on me.

"Thank you ladies, I'm honoured by your wonderful greeting," I told them. "Now who are you and what have you done with Asuka and Mitsy?"

"We've missed you Michael and we wanted to show you how much," Mitsy said.

"And that is also thanks for saving us at the restaurant," Asuka added. "Plus, the girl you saved in New York has gotten her Dad to help stop the feud we have going with the Yakuza so we are further in your debt."

"That is great news," I said to them. "Let's not talk about any debt between us. Without your training Asuka, I'd be dead in Jamaica, London, New York and in Chicago so we are always even. Speaking of Chicago, I'd like the two of you to meet Melissa and Jenny Henderson."

The two sisters had come into the living room as we talked.

"Mel and Jen, this is Asuka and Mitsy," I made the introductions.

They all greeted each other warily.

"Now I'm sure everyone is wondering who everyone is, so let's sit down and I'll explain as quickly as I can," I said as I herded them into the living room.

I took a chair so that no one could stab me from the sides. I explained my relationship with the Japanese girls to the sisters again and then went through my two weeks of adventures starting in Jamaica so they would all know what happened. As I went through the tale, it sounded to me like a bad action/adventure novel. I didn't quite believe it myself now that I was back home.

"So, you put on the vest of explosives yourself?" Mitsy asked. "You barely knew either of them."

"I didn't know you at all when I fought that guy in the arena parking lot either," I reminded her. "I'm a sucker for damsels in distress."

"Lucky for all of us that you are," Jenny said. "I couldn't believe it when he did it. I was quaking in my shoes and he just comes over and starts taking off the vest like he did it every day."

"I was calling his bluff, that's all," I said. "But enough about me, now you all know each other and the reason why everyone is here. Who's up for some tea?"

They looked at each other and Mitsy took charge and said, "I think that would be a wonderful idea, Michael."

"Ok, talk amongst yourselves while I get another pot brewing," I replied, glad to be out of the line of fire for a few minutes.

I stood up and made my escape to the kitchen, grabbing the tray from the table. I took my time getting the water into the kettle and then re-setting the tray with the washed teapot, cups, sugar bowl and creamer. The water seemed to boil very quickly and I reluctantly went out with the tray to what was surely going to be a lynching of epic proportions.

The girls were all smiles and were chatting away as if they were lifelong best friends. I put down the tray and they went on talking as if it was always there. I stood there trying to decide to make a break for it or just sit down.

"Sit down Michael," Asuka said with a smile. "We can't be as bad as a vest full of explosives, can we?"

"Depends on which of you is holding the switch," I remarked.

They all laughed at me as if I meant it as a joke.

"So Michael, we would like to take you out for a nice meal tomorrow evening once the all clear is called," Mitsy said. "My parents and grandparents would like you, and Jen and Mel obviously, to come to the restaurant, say at six."

"You two are going to stick around that long?" I asked the sisters. "I thought Melissa would be out of here and drag Jenny back with her as soon as possible."

"These two assure me that you will be on your best behaviour," Melissa replied. "Jenny could use a bit of fun before we head back."

"I'm going to have to pick up something to wear," Jen warned us.

"We'll come and get you tomorrow and we'll go shopping at the Calvin Klein store on Mike's tab," Mitsy told her. "They have some nice outfits there."

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy tomorrow," Jen said with a big grin.

The girls talked about clothes and other places to shop while I watched and listened. I was pleasantly surprised to see Asuka participating in the conversation and enjoying herself. She caught me looking and winked at me. Mitsy's phone rang soon after.

"Hi Emma," Mitsy said. "We're over at Michael's condo and we're having tea with the sisters."

"Of course they're beautiful and tall, he only rescues beautiful damsels in distress," Mitsy responded with a sigh. "But they are both very smart and witty and we're going to take them shopping tomorrow before we go to the restaurant."

"Surprisingly, not so much," Mitsy remarked. "The secret agent is eying him like a hawk so he doesn't abscond with her younger sister, despite our assurances that she's safe with him. And Michael is on his best behaviour as well."

"Here he is," Mitsy said before handing me the phone.

"Hi Emma, I'm sorry for running out on you at the palace, it wasn't directed at you," I said first thing.

"Michael, you don't make it easy to want to be with you," she stated, ignoring my apology. "How could you run out on us like that and then don't call for days? I was so worried about you and now I find out you have two new women with you."

"Give me a second so we can talk in private," I told her.

I got up and went outside onto the balcony and shut the door behind me.

"I'm alone now," I said. "Listen, the older sister was the person they assigned to protect me after the attack in New York. Somehow the guy after me got a hold of her sister and strapped a vest of explosives to her this morning. We got lucky and survived that and decided to get the hell out of Chicago. There is nothing going on between me and them. Mitsy and Asuka are here and they will make sure that everything is on the up and up. You have no need to be jealous."

"And that explanation is supposed to make me feel better?" she snapped. "Explosive vests, an attack in New York? What is going on with you?"

"You know how it all got started, helping out the Queen," I said. "Things went all haywire after that. But I'm back home, the sisters will leave in a day or two and I'll be all alone and concentrating on school."

"And I'm all alone on the set without my planned evening with you," she stated. "I'm not a happy camper, Michael. First you run off like a child, then you almost get killed, more than once and you're rescuing beautiful women left and right. I'm sure everyone one of them would happily jump into bed with you at the drop of a hat. How am I supposed to react to that?"

"What am I supposed to do, just let the Queen's granddaughter get sold into slavery?" I asked. "Or let a girl get blown up because a slaver wants to get even with me? I did what I had to do, just like I helped Mitsy, Asuka, Barb and you. I don't plan these things but I hope that they are at least appreciated by those that I do them for."

"Oh they'll show you how much they appreciate what you've done for them," Emma replied.

"Listen, I'll make plans to come over next weekend and we can spend the whole weekend together and talk this out," I suggested.

"What makes you think I want to spend next weekend with you?" she asked.

"Emma, I don't know what else you want," I replied. "I asked you to be my girlfriend last month, apologized for running off on you, offered to come over and none of that seems to be enough for you. I've had a hell of a couple weeks so either come out and tell me exactly what you want or let me know that I'm not who you want to be with."

She was silent for a long time.

"I'm not sure if I want to be with you," she said. "You're not the person I thought you were."

"The last two weeks doesn't define who I am," I retorted. "You seemed to enjoy spending time with me on the weekend in Monte Carlo and earlier when you were here in Ann Arbor. Let me come there next week and we sit and talk in face to face. All I'm going to be doing this next week is going to school."

"I'm going to be busy on location so we won't have much time alone," she warned.

"I don't care, I'd like to come see you anyway to try and make this work," I told her. "I don't want it to end this way."

"I can't stop you from coming," she responded. "It's probably going to be a waste of time."

"To me you're worth the effort," I said.

"I have to go now, you better put Mitsy on the phone," she said.

I went back in and motioned for Mitsy to come and talk to Emma. She excused herself and came over to take her phone. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a Diet Coke before rejoining the other three.

"Everything ok?" Asuka asked.

"No, not really," I answered. "She's angry and upset about a lot of things. I'm going to go over next weekend and see if we can talk things through."

"She's needs time to calm down and she also needs to see how you feel about her," Asuka advised. "A trip next week is a good idea."

"I hope so," I said.

"So you and Emma Watson?" Jenny asked.

"We're just friends right now and I'm not sure if we'll ever be anything else, but I'd like to try," I said.

"She seems like a nice girl," Melissa stated. "You definitely shouldn't give up on her."

"I don't plan to," I replied.

Mitsy came in and slapped me on the back of the head before saying, "That's for scaring Emma half to death over the last few days. Now, we have a dilemma, ladies. You two are way too beautiful and too much of a temptation for this simple boy. Since I don't even trust myself or Asuka around him, I don't have much confidence that you two won't try something. So, I think the four of us will head to our place for the night. It's much safer than here and we have all sorts of things to pamper you, like a sauna, a hot tub and expert Japanese masseuses. If not, we're going to have to stay over and commandeer the middle bedroom."

The sisters looked at each other and Melissa responded, "We'd love to spend some time at your place. It will keep these two away from each other."

"Hey, I wouldn't poach him while he's trying to patch things up with Emma Watson," Jenny said. "If he was single, now that would be different."

The two sisters got up and went to the bedrooms to pack their stuff, yet again.

"Ok Michael, don't blow it with Emma, you are right for each other," Mitsy said. "And stay in tonight, just in case."

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

"At least this gets you some peace and quiet," Asuka stated. "You should do some stretching and your forms. We'll need to get you back to the Dojo on the weekend."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed.

The sisters came out and I gave everyone some hugs and promised to meet them at the Calvin Klein store after lunch. After the ladies left, I followed Asuka's advice and did my stretches and forms.

The rest of the day I read my textbooks for my upcoming classes, having a simple supper of soup and sandwiches when I needed a break. After supper, I continued reading the textbook for the Artificial Intelligence, or AI, class as that was the one I was most worried about. I wanted to get through a bunch of chapters before the first class as I was sure that I was woefully lacking in the prerequisites for the class.

I fell asleep with the book on my chest and had nightmares of Mr. Brooks at least three or four times during the night.



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Chapter 5: Ann Arbor, North England, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Ann Arbor


Time seemed to speed up hen I finally got home. I had a pleasant afternoon with the ladies the next day when we met after lunch at the CK store. The dinner at Mitsy's restaurant was finally an eventless success and the sisters from England really enjoyed the whole Japanese experience.

The General had called in the morning and let me know that they had caught the two people who were responsible for providing the information to Mr. Blake. One was a section head of the Secret Service which had them scrambling to see what other damage she had done over her career.

The sisters flew home on Saturday and we were there to see them off. I picked up my SUV from the long-term parking lot after their flight left. When I dropped off Mitsy and Asuka at their home, we made arrangements to meet at the Dojo Sunday evening.

The rest of the weekend I read ahead for my classes. I was taking the second half of first year calculus; the AI class and a third year computer graphics course so it was going to be three classes a day, four days a week with the corresponding amount of homework as the semester was only eight weeks long.

I remembered to book my flight to London for next weekend. I corresponded with Emma via email and found out that they were filming in the Yorkshire Dales National park in Northern England that weekend so I had to book a flight into Gatwick airport, south of London, and then another flight up to the smaller Leeds airport. I found a flight that left at five on Friday afternoon so I would landing in the Gatwick airport at eleven PM my time or four am London time. The connecting flight up to Leeds would take off at six so I would be in Leeds before seven am Saturday. Emma said she would be busy filming that weekend but she would have a car waiting for me at the airport.

Sunday evening I joined Mitsy and Asuka at the Dojo. I passed on the offers from the General to Sensei and Asuka and they both declined but would let me know if they had any contacts in London that would be interested in helping them out. Mitsy joined us in the private room in the back as Sensei and her family decided that she needed additional training to protect herself. Sensei worked with her while Asuka and I sparred, first without weapons and then with them. The two weeks off from the Dojo showed, even though I had been sparring and fighting. Asuka was so much better than any of them that I had to really focus just to defend myself.

Near the end of the night, all three of them got into the act, playing the bad guys against me. First it was just with fists and then we graduated to weapons. We didn't go at full speed but it was still very fast and dangerous. We would stop often so that Sensei and Asuka could show both Mitsy and I what to do in each situation. It was very educational but exhausting.

The first week of school was an eye-opener. The pace was almost frantic in comparison to the regular length semesters. I could handle the calculus course and even the third year graphics course wasn't too bad but the graduate AI course was overwhelming. I had six chapters under my belt when I walked into the classroom on Monday morning but Dr. Albert covered all of those in the first class, skimming through them in the hour and twenty minute class by just touching on a point here and there.

The other two courses had assignments after every class so I had to take advantage of every spare minute during the day to do handle those and then spend all evening reading ahead for all three courses. The AI class had two major projects, one midterm and a final, while the other two had the daily assignments, one midterm and the final.

So, other than my early morning workouts, I spent the rest of the week on school work, not counting my two trips to the Dojo Tuesday and Thursday. Friday, the calculus class has an optional workshop taught by a Teaching Assistant if you needed help but so far I understand the work so I didn't attend. I spent the day finishing assignments due Monday morning and researching for the first project in AI. I packed my book bag with my AI research on my laptop and my textbooks to get in some reading on the plane and when Emma was busy on set. I left an hour earlier than normal for the airport so I could stop at a store. I took a bit of time choosing a few items but still made it the airport in plenty of time.

There was no trouble at the airport and we took off on time. I read and slept for the six hour flight and was woke up just before we landed.

Not much was open at the Gatwick airport when we finally got through customs. I followed the signs to the gate for the flight up north to Leeds and settled down in a chair near the deserted boarding area. I tried to fall back asleep but being in an unfamiliar country and a fairly dark airport had my imagination working overtime. I pulled out my laptop and started working on some code I had in mind for my AI project. As usual, once I got into programming I tended to have tunnel vision, so I was startled when there was a bang at the counter at the boarding gate. I looked up to see a woman behind the counter turning on the computer.

"Good morning, young man," she said with a smile. "Have you been here long?"

I looked at my watch and replied, "Morning, Ma'am. I came in on a flight from Detroit around four so I've been here about an hour and a quarter. I didn't even hear you come in."

"You're just like my son, tunes everything out when he's playing on his computer," she said with a shake of her head.

"I was doing some programming work actually, but you're right, I do tend to tune everything out when I get in a groove," I agreed. "So, what's the schedule for the flight up to Leeds?"

"We'll start boarding in about twenty to twenty-five minutes and it should take off right at six am," she replied. The flight is only about half an hour so you should be on the ground around six thirty. If you want to come up now, I'll get you your boarding pass so you don't have to wait in line."

I got up and handed her my ticket. She ran it through the scanner and checked things on the computer and soon enough I had my boarding pass and was back in my seat before the first passengers started showing up. I worked another ten minutes on my project and then packed up my laptop and my books.

Eventually we boarded the smaller jet and took off on time. I was still in first class so I had a wide window seat that let me look out on London as we passed over it and then the English countryside. We landed without mishap and, as promised, a driver was waiting for me at the luggage carrousel. He was just a normal guy in jeans and a tee-shirt but was holding a cardboard sign with my name on it. I grabbed my duffel bag and walked up to him.

"Hi, I'm Mike," I said.

"Hey, I'm Stan from the driver pool on the set," he replied, holding out his hand.

"Hi Stan," I said, shaking his hand.

"Let's get going, we don't want to keep Miss Watson waiting," he said. "Do you have anything more to retrieve?"

"Nope, this is it," I said. "Lead the way."

He led the way out of the airport to a Land rover. I put my stuff in the back and we took off.

"They're filming above Malham Cove today so we have about an hour's drive into the Yorkshire Dales National Park," Stan told me. "It's a bit of a winding road so just sit back and enjoy the scenery."

"What is Malham Cove?" I asked.

"It's an 80 metre high horseshoe shaped limestone cliff about 300 metres wide that is about a kilometre outside the village of Malham," he told me. "On top there is a huge flat area of limestone rocks that looks like cracked pavement where they are going to film a few scenes with Daniel and Emma. I've been up there, you can see for miles."

"Sounds cool," I said. "Will I be able to watch them film?"

"Sure, we all watch when we can," he told me. "So, you're the guy who saved Emma from that acid attack a few months ago?"

"Yep, got lucky to be in the right place at the right time to save her and her mother," I told him.

"That was a cool thing you did, man," Stan responded. "We all owe you big time for that. No one could replace her in these last two films."

"I'm glad I was there," I said. "So when do they start filming today?"

"They're already up there trying to get the sunrise shots," he said. "They have some daytime shots to do and then later this evening, they need to get a few sunset and night time shots and then we're done with this location. That is if it doesn't rain."

"So they're working all day and into the night here?" I asked.

"I'm afraid so, yesterday's shooting was scrapped due to rain," he explained.

Emma was not going to be a happy camper, I thought to myself as we headed in to the huge area that was designated a national park. The scenery was fantastic and we reached the small town of Malham and drove right through about a half hour later. The cove was just down the road and we were stopped well away from it and were told to shut off the vehicle and its lights. Stan guided me to the rock steps that led up to the top and then told me he had other duties. I threw my duffel bag over one shoulder and my book bag over the other before heading up the stairs, following a pair of guys carrying a large equipment box up the path. There were a string of lights along the pathway.

We got half way up and then a person with a megaphone shouted down the cliff for silence, so we stopped and rested. The lights were turned off and we waited as the sky brightened until the all clear was sounded. We made it up to the top of the stairs and I saw a bunch of people over to the side as well as a small tent set up just a few metres away from the cliff side. A small group of people were congregated near it and I recognized Daniel and Emma amongst them.

"This is a closed set," a burly security guard said as he came up from the other gathering of the set workers.

"I'm a guest of Emma Watson's," I told him.

"She busy now so I can't confirm that," he said. "You'll have to wait back down the cliff."

"I'm sure she put me on a guest list if you'd like to check," I said mildly.

"We don't have a list," he replied.

"Perhaps I could talk to someone in charge?" I inquired. "I don't imagine Miss Watson will be very happy if I'm not allowed in. I don't particularly want her mad at me so if you could check, I'd appreciate it."

"If you're wasting my time, I'm going to enjoy throwing you off the cliff," he threatened. "Don't move a muscle or else."

He stomped off to the group other at the side while I looked around at the wide expanse of limestone, worn flat by water and wind. I had never seen the like, even up in Northern Ontario where rock outcrops were exposed to the elements from all the glacier movement during the last ice age. I turned and looked out at the view from the cliff and it was spectacular. The sun was rising and I could see for miles. Rolling hills, valleys and other rock escarpments were visible in the breathtaking view. I turned around to see the security guard walking back with an older woman.

"Michael Stewart, I presume," the haughty lady said.

"Yes Ma'am," I replied.

"Well come along out of the shooting angle," she said as she led the way over to the area where the production staff were congregated under open-sided tents. She stopped at an empty one with some chairs in it.

"You can watch from here, and the speakers will play the dialogue if there is any," she replied. "We have a couple hours of shooting to do before we'll break for breakfast. Try not to get underfoot; we have a full day of shooting."

I nodded and sat down in a chair. From this distance, there wasn't much to see and the speakers were silent. A few minutes later, they crackled and a voice said, "Quiet on the set."

The group around the actors moved over towards us except for a couple camera crews. Daniel and Emma got into positions and someone shouted "Action."

I watched the pair as they sat apart and looked down at something in their hands. After a bit of that, Daniel got up and moved towards the cliff and looked out. Emma looked up at his back but didn't say anything.

"And cut!" shouted a man from underneath another canopy.

The group marched back and discussed things and they did the scene a few more times. I got bored looking at the same thing over and over and got out my laptop out of the book bag and went back to programming. I looked over from time to time as they moved on to another scene in which they finally started talking to each other. I listened as they went over the scene a few times until I tuned it out and continued with my project.

"Are we that boring?" Emma asked some time later.

"Not at the beginning, but hearing you and Daniel repeating the same lines a dozen times does get a bit repetitious," I replied as I got up. "It's a gorgeous area to shoot in and you look wonderful."

"Thanks, you look very industrious," she replied.

"I'm working on my first project for my graduate AI course," I told her. "I'm afraid I bit off more than I can chew with that course plus two others. Everything is accelerated and every spare minute I have is filled with homework or reading."

"I told you that you shouldn't have come, we're both busy," Emma stated. "I'm barely going to have any time to spend with you this weekend and you're going to have to do your homework every spare minute."

"I wanted to come see you," I told her as I stepped closer to her. "I wanted to apologize in person for last week when I ran out of the palace. It wasn't anything to do with you. I really like you a lot and thought we could spend a bit of time alone to see if we could talk things over and get things back on track."

"We talked about this when I was in Ann Arbor," she responded. "Both of us are very busy this summer so we were just going to do our own thing and wait until I came over for school."

"I thought we were getting closer on our trip to Monte Carlo and we were going to spend time together in England when we came back?" I asked.

"That might have happened but you ran off," she spat out. "I'm not sure how I feel about you right now and, with the shooting schedule today, we won't have much time to talk."

"I'm willing to stick around and wait for the chance to spend some time with you," I told her. "I didn't run off on you, just what they wanted to do."

"Part of that ceremony was for what you did for me so you ran off on me as well," Emma retorted. "How do you think I felt when you took off?"

"I didn't need a medal or whatever else the Queen was offering for what I did," I told her. "I thought we were past all that and we were getting closer to being a couple."

"I'm not so sure now," she admitted. "Look, I have to have something to eat before getting back out there. We got rained out yesterday so we're trying to fit two days of shooting into one. I'll see you in a while."

I watched her walk away and then sat back down. That didn't go as planned, I thought to myself. She hadn't changed her tune from when I talked to her on the phone last weekend. Hopefully after some food she would be a bit pleasant but working all day and evening probably wouldn't improve her temperament.

I waited for her to come back but the next time I saw her she was walking back to the filming area with the group. I shook my head and picked up my laptop and continued where I left off.

The only good thing about the day was how much I accomplished on my project, and when my battery started to run out, how much reading ahead I did. Emma brought me a plate of food for lunch but was quiet while we ate.

"Can we at least talk about it?" I asked. "You seem almost angry that I came to see you this weekend. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Michael, these scenes require me to be sad and almost angry," she replied. "Luckily I'm still mad at you for what you did to us last week. I'm upset that you almost got killed several times over the last couple of weeks and worried what will be next with you. Add in jealousy over all the girls that now owe you their lives and I'm in the perfect mood to shoot these scenes. What my mood isn't good for is to make up with you today. So, you're going to have to put up with me for today and tonight and we'll try tomorrow to mend our relationship."

"Ok, I can understand how you feel and if it helps you get through the day better, then so be it," I replied. "I'll keep out of your hair until you're done shooting for the night."

She nodded and we finished the meal in silence.

"Emma, we'll be ready in five," a man came by a bit later as we finished up our food.

"Thanks," she replied and stood up. "I'll see you later, Michael."

"Ok Emma, good luck," I replied.

She nodded and walked to a tent where I watched her get her make-up and hair quickly touched up. They got started on another scene soon after and I went in search of a washroom and then an extension cord where I could plug in my charger.

The day was long and tiring for everyone. I dozed off at one point as the lack of sleep caught up with me. It was after ten pm when they finally called it a day. I was packed and ready to go when Emma came to get me. I grabbed her bag from her tired hands as we joined the line of people taking the stone stairway down to the road.

Emma led the way to a little mini-cooper and she drove about twenty minutes to a hotel in a larger town. She already had the keycards for the rooms so we went in the back door and up to the third floor by the stairs. She handed me one of the cards when she stopped.

"You're in 305, I'm next door in 307," she said. "I'm going to have a shower and be asleep in ten minutes. There's an exercise room on the main floor. Wake me at ten if I'm not up. Good night Michael."

"Good night Emma, have a good sleep," I said.

"You too," she replied before using her card to enter her room and shut the door.

I did the same and, after a quick shower, also hit the hay after setting up my laptop and phone to charge. I set the alarm on the clock radio for six and fell asleep quickly.

Sunday morning I used their exercise equipment to work out and then even swam for a bit in their pool. After a quick shower, I headed up to the room and continued on with my project until ten am. I went over to Emma's room and knocked and waited until she answered, obviously just gotten up.

"Sorry to wake you Emma, but you told me to wake you at ten," I said.

"Give me half an hour to shower and get ready," she said, dressed in a tee-shirt and sweats. "I'll come get you and we can go have some brunch."

"Ok," I said and went back to my room.

I continued to work on my project until she knocked on the door. I let her in and saved my work before shutting off the laptop.

"Ok, let's go," I said.

Emma led the way to the car and drove us to a restaurant nearby. We got a table in a secluded corner and she ordered a coffee and I got an apple juice from the waitress before we went up and filled a plate with breakfast items.

"How did you sleep?" I asked.

"Like the dead," she replied. "How about you?"

"Pretty good as well," I answered. "I'm still on Ann Arbor time so I was bushed. Did you get everything done that you needed to yesterday?"

"Yep, that's why we stayed so late," she responded. "At least we got today off."

"Good, I was worried you had to go back later," I said. "Where do you film next?"

"There's a park a half hour out of London where we'll do a few scenes starting Monday," she said before taking a sip of her coffee. "I'll either drive down or take a quick flight from Leeds when you go."

"I have a flight out of Leeds at five to Gatwick if you want to join me," I told her. "My connecting flight leaves at six thirty back to Detroit."

"Maybe I will, if we're still talking by then," she responded.

"Emma, even if we never get together as boyfriend and girlfriend, we'll still always be friends," I chided her. "I know you're mad at me for running out and for having all these women around me, but I didn't fly all night and thousands of miles to see anyone but you. The women are grateful, just as you were but I am crushing on you, not them. Now, you have to decide if you want me as a friend or something more."

"You're crushing on me, are you?" she asked with a hint of a smirk.

"I've told you how I've felt about you from the get-go," I said. "Your jealousy of the others lets me know you have at least some feelings about me too. I worry about you finding someone as well so you're not the only one with issues. I'd like for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend so we don't have to be jealous and we can be with each other whenever we have time."

"That's the thing, we don't have much time," she said. "Look Michael, I'm not going to hook up with anyone before I head back to the States for school. You don't have to worry about that."

"That is a relief to hear, but I still want us to be together as soon as possible," I told her. "Other than the distance between us, I don't see any reason why we can't be together now rather than wait."

"Michael, I like you a lot, but with filming and the premieres for the sixth movie this summer, it's going to be non-stop without adding you to the mix," she explained. "I'd like to keep things as uncomplicated as possible before heading into school in a new country."

"That's the thing, you're going to be just as busy at the start of school as well," I said. "Four months will drag on to eight and we'll never be together."

"You don't know that," she retorted.

"I know how overwhelming both a new country and a new school are," I told her. "Homework, new roommates and friends will all take up your time. You'll need weekends to go out with them and to get homework done. It isn't the time to start a new, long distance relationship as well."

"So how is starting one now any better?" she asked.

"We would be over the awkward first stages and be comfortable with each other before you get there," I tried. "I wouldn't be a new distraction but a welcome break."

"People start new relationships all the time once they get to college," she contradicted me. "Believe me, after handling acting and going to school at the same time, just going to school will be a breeze. So your argument doesn't hold water. What else you got?"

"I want us to be together now so it will keep the others away from me over the summer," I admitted.

"I see, you don't think you can be faithful to me for four months," she stated. "That doesn't bode well for our relationship."

"I can be faithful to you, it will just make it so much easier to deal with them if we're together," I explained. "It's not the main reason of course; it's just a good benefit. I just want to be with you as soon as we can."

"Michael, I've made up my mind on this, you're going to have to wait until the fall," she said in a very firm tone. "I want a bit of freedom this summer not to have worry about a man in my life."

I looked at her for a bit and then sighed as I sat back.

"I'll never understand women as long as I live," I stated. "Ok, friends it is."

"Michael, just until school starts," Emma said.

"It will be interesting to see what happens then," I said. "Who knows where we'll both be at that time."

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "Michael, what do you mean by that?"

"A lot can happen in four months," I said innocently. "Maybe you'll like your freedom too much. Heck, I could be playing pro hockey if the right team drafts me. Who knows what the future may bring. But at least we'll still be friends."

"Michael Stewart, I know what you're doing but it won't work," Emma said with a fierce look.

"I'm not doing a thing," I protested. "You don't want to be more than friends now and I have to respect that. I don't have to like it but you're too stubborn to change your mind. We'll see what happens in four months. I'm going up for another plate of food."

I went to the buffet line and let her stew for a few minutes. If she thought that the quartet of Barb, Trisha, Mitsy and Asuka were going to let things be for four months, she was fooling herself. Who knows that some of the other women would try to pull if it was known I was single. I'm sure Emma was thinking that very thing right now. I filled my plate and headed back and saw she was just picking at the food on her plate.

I sat down and proceeded to eat as if I didn't have a care in the world. I was rather hungry so I let her continue to stew in silence while I ate with my usual gusto. When I finished my plate, I looked up to see her still playing with her food.

"Aren't you going up for some more?" I asked. "You haven't had much of that plate yet."

"I'm not that hungry," she replied, looking up. "I see that you have your usual appetite."

"Oh, not really, I'm full already," I told her. "Do you want anything else or should we go?"

"I'm done if you are," she replied.

I motioned for the waitress and asked for the bill. Emma paid for the meal as I didn't have any local currency. We headed back to the hotel room and packed up our stuff in our separate rooms. It didn't take much time for either of us and we were soon on our way.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm going to drop you off at the Leeds airport and then I'm going home," she said.

"You're driving to London while I sit in an airport for five hours?" I asked. "What did I do now?"

"You basically threatened that you won't be waiting for me in four months so I don't see the need to pretend for another five hours," she spat out.

"All I said is that making plans for four months from now is uncertain at best," I retorted. "You know as well as I do that four months is an eternity at this point in our lives. You seem to be willing to risk that and now you're acting like you don't want to even be friends. Not everything fits neatly into your plans, Emma. You have to be flexible too."

"My plans are set for the next four months," she said. "They are a little more important than the feelings of an immature boy who can't look past his own needs and wants. My work has to come first until the films are done. Then I'm free to do whatever I want. If you want to go play with other girls in the meantime, then go ahead. I'm tired of worrying about it or wondering what danger you're getting into."

I opened my mouth to respond but luckily my brain shut my mouth before I said something that I would regret. I felt like smashing the window with my elbow but just grasped my knees and looked out at the passing countryside as we drove in silence.

I spent the next twenty minutes thinking about what I how I wanted to respond, but in the end, I decided it wasn't worth aggravating the situation any further. I knew I would never go out with her now, but getting in one last dig would just prove her statement that I was immature.

So, when she pulled up to the terminal entrance, I got out of the car and shut the door lightly. I quickly had my duffel and book bags out of the back hatch and closed it without slamming it down before heading into the terminal without looking back.

At the ticket counter, I was lucky enough to exchange my ticket for an earlier flight for both the quick jump to Gatwick Airport as well as the flight back to Detroit. I was on the way to London an hour later and flying to Detroit by three. The flight was long and boring so I read and napped. We landed in Detroit six hours later at nine pm London time or four pm Detroit time. I was back in my condo by five thirty.

I decided to have a small snack and go to the dojo to relieve some stress. I was early and had my stretching and forms done twenty minutes before the girls were to show up. I decided to take out my aggression out on some of the equipment around the sides of the main floor. I attacked a padded wooden post that stood six feet up from its well anchored base. For the next fifteen minutes I punched, elbowed, kneed and kicked that post, trying to break it as I increased the force until I was hitting it with all my might.

"I gather that the trip didn't go well," Mitsy said from behind me when I finally took a break.

I turned to see Asuka and Sensei also there.

"No, it didn't" I replied.

"Has it made you feel better to beat up on the post?" Sensei asked.

"A bit," I admitted.

"Then it has served its purpose," he said. "Now, you must re-centre your mind so we can practise properly. Let us stretch and do the forms together."

I cooled down and put my thoughts of Emma aside while we stretched and did the forms. After we were done, Sensei had Asuka work with Mitsy while he showed me some new techniques using different Japanese weapons. It was a teaching session rather than a sparring one and it was just what I needed to keep my thoughts away from my troubles.

After the session was done, the girls cornered me in the parking lot.

"What happened, Michael?" Mitsy asked.

"Her feelings for me took a turn before I even got there and it was a losing battle from the get-go," I told them. "She didn't have time for me at all on Saturday and today she was insistent on waiting until she came over here to get together. I tried to change her mind but in the end she was adamant while calling me an immature boy. She dropped me off at the airport five hours early and we parted without a word to each other."

"I can see why you were so angry before our session," Asuka remarked.

"What did you say to her to get her so angry at you?" Mitsy asked.

"I tried to change her mind about waiting," I said. "She's as stubborn as you are. It's probably for the best. I'm going to be too busy for anything else but school and hockey for a long time. Add in martial arts and modelling and my time is all taken up. I'll see you two on Tuesday night."

"Michael, you can't run from your troubles all the time," Mitsy said as I walked to my car.

"I'm not the one running away, she was," I said over my shoulder. "I'm staying home and concentrating on my work, just like she is. Goodnight."

I got in my SUV and drove home. After a quick shower, I hit the hay and fell asleep, exhausted from the travelling and the emotional rollercoaster I went through.

The next three weeks before the NHL draft combine were very busy as I finished my AI project, wrote three midterms while working out to get ready for it. I modified my diet to eliminate as much fat as they were going to measure my body fat as well as take all sorts of medical tests.

John came back to Ann Arbor a couple weeks before the combine and tweaked my workouts to best suit what was needed. I worked out twice a day, spending more time on my cardio as that was a big component of their physical testing.

We left Ann Arbour Wednesday afternoon and drove up to Toronto. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle and my two little cousins. I had warned my Aunt that I wouldn't be eating much until after the physical testing was done so she had made us a big salad and had fruit on hand as well. We got in around seven so we spent some time with my nieces before they had to go to bed.

"So, I'm surprised you're only here for a couple of days," Uncle Aaron said. "Isn't it going on all week?"

"Yes it is, but NCAA rules state we can only spend two days at the combine," I told him. "So tomorrow I take the mental tests and have interviews with some of the teams and Friday I do all the physical testing."

"They have way too many stupid rules," he replied. "What harm could it be to spend the whole week here?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. "It's easier to go with the flow than try and buck the system over there."

We didn't stay up late chatting to them as we had an early start to our day tomorrow.

In the morning I did a light workout using my uncle's small Universal machine and exercise bike before getting dressed. I got into some good casual clothes and we drove the hotel where the Central Scouting Bureau of the NHL had several floors booked for interviews and the psychological and physical tests.

"Ok, each interview with the teams will be twenty minutes with a five minute break in between. They're going to give you the psychological test first and then you start your interviews at nine. Do you have your schedule of teams?"

"Yep, almost all of them wanted an interview with me but I could only fit in twenty one in the eight hours," I said. "Why don't you go have some fun today in the city, I'm not going to have much time to talk with you."

"I'll wait around until after the test and we can talk before you go into your first interview," he said. "Good luck Mike."

"Thanks for everything John, I appreciate all you've done for me and your support," I told him.

"No problem, I'm glad to help out," he replied.

There were twenty five of us in the room for the test and we had an hour to complete it. It had all sorts of questions that made you think and really didn't have a right answer. I took my time and still was done in three quarters of an hour.

"Well that was interesting," I said.

"I know, it's a weird test," John agreed. "Now, go hit the washroom while I get you a snack."

After hitting the can, I drank a Diet Coke and munched on a granola bar while John gave me advice on how to answer some of the standard questions.

"I just checked, they have you ranked seventh in the North American rankings and twelfth on the overall list with the Europeans added," he told me. "The twelfth pick belongs to Minnesota. Part of the reason is that you're a relative unknown in hockey terms. You need to wow them both in the interviews and in tomorrow's physical testing to move up."

"I'll do my best," I told him.

Everyone has it Tavares, Hedman, Duchene, Kane and Schenn as the top five, so you're shooting for right after them," he said. "Phoenix, Toronto, Dallas, Ottawa, Edmonton and Nashville are six to eleven so concentrate on swaying them if you can. Phoenix, Ottawa, Nashville and Minnesota need defensive help so they are your top priority."

I nodded and then it was on to the interviews. I had Ottawa first and was waiting outside when the door opened and I was asked in.

"Hello Mike, I'm Brian Murray, the Senator's General Manager," he said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," I replied.

Mr. Murray introduced me to their head scout and their assistant GM and then they started asking me questions. Anything from if I had done drugs to who I would like to meet, Sean Avery, President Obama or Maria Sharapova. I picked the President but didn't know if they liked that answer or not. They asked me about college and if I was picked by them, would I continue in school or join their team. I told them that I would probably be staying in school for two more years, graduating early. I explained I was taking a full course load during the spring and summer each year to finish early.

I got to ask a couple of questions and asked if they were going to draft a defenceman in the first round and didn't get a definite answer. I also asked if they drafted me, what would be their plans for me for the first year, should I decide to join the team. They admitted that unless I wowed them in the pre-season, I would probably start off at their farm team in the American hockey league.

When the twenty minutes was up, I thanked them for their time and for their consideration of me.

Most of the rest of the interviews were along the same vein. I had one with Detroit, even though I knew being picked by them was a long shot as they were second last to pick, as the losers of the Stanley cup finals. I met with Kenny Holland and Jim Nill, the GM and Assistant GM.

"We were a bit surprised when you took our invitation, Mike," Mr. Holland stated.

"I know I'm supposed to be neutral about all the teams, but Detroit has been my favourite team my whole life," I admitted. "Playing at Michigan gives me the opportunity to watch the Red Wings more than most and playing at Joe Louis a few times is an honour. I know I'm projected somewhere in the middle of the first round and you're near the bottom but who knows what can happen. This is probably the only team that I would seriously consider joining right away if you selected me rather than finishing school. Unfortunately, it's probably the only team that doesn't need help on defence immediately."

"It's nice to hear that you would like to play for us, and both Mr. Nill and I have watched you play at Joe Louis and in Ann Arbour," Mr. Holland replied. "We would love to see you in a Red Wing uniform as well. We have you in our top five in this draft but we have the feeling you'll be long gone when we pick at twenty-nine."

"I realize that but I thought I would try and convince you to do what you could to trade up, even though you have a tendency to draft from Europe," I stated. "I think you'll find that I'm ready to play in the NHL both physically and mentally. I'm taking a graduate Artificial Intelligence programming class now at the college during spring semester. I have a 3.8 GPA in computer science while playing hockey and modeling. Tomorrow at the physical tests, you'll see that I'm in great shape and probably stronger than most of the other draft prospects. On top of that I study martial arts three times a week so I can take care of myself on the ice and off. My stats in my freshman year speak for themselves and I was just learning how to play for the first half of the season."

"Very impressive Mike," Jim Nill stated. "We weren't aware of some of those things. But to trade up that high, we're going to have to sell the farm; most of our draft picks and at least one roster player. It's not something we usually do, even for a player of your potential."

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Nill," I replied. "I'm not usually so boastful of my abilities or this forward but I had to give it a shot. I realize that your team has been the best team in hockey for over a decade so selling the farm isn't necessary. Your team will do excellent with or without me on the team. All I can guarantee is that none of the other draftees will ever outwork me, whatever team I do eventually get drafted by."

"Your coach at Michigan said much the same thing to me just last week," Mr. Holland said. "He said that if he was in my seat, he would do anything he could to trade up to number one and take you. Fred Benson is a man that I greatly respect and he has never said that to me about any of the other great Michigan players that he has coached. All I can tell you is that we're exploring all our options so don't count us out yet."

I thanked them for their time and continued on. I had a good interview with Lou Lamoriello and David Conte of the New Jersey Devils, having met them last fall at the arena with the twins. They were highly interested in me but didn't pick until twenty-third.

Finally the interviews were over and John and I headed back to my Aunt's house. I told them a bit about the interviews over dinner and then we played some board games with the family. After the girls went to bed, I did a light workout and then went to bed as well.

John and I were back at the hotel by noon as I was in group seven that didn't start until four. In that group was Victor Hedman and Jared Cowen, both big defencemen rated in the top ten. Victor was six foot six inches and Jared was six five. I was right in between them at six five and a half. The other guys were smaller forwards. We weren't on until four o'clock in the afternoon for the physical testing, but we had our medical exams at one.

They did a full medical exam, taking blood and urine samples as well as doing joint and heart exams. After our group was done our exams, they let us look through some of the sponsor's booths but warned us NCAA collegians that we couldn't accept any merchandise or talk to agents. I found John outside and we relaxed for a couple hours. I did some reading to pass the time while John fooled around on my laptop.

"You're that model, aren't you?" a guy smirked to impress his group of friends.

The guy was maybe six feet tall and one hundred and eighty pounds and his buddies were all around that size.

"I'm not sure I'm that model, but I am a model," I replied.

"You know what they do with gays in the NHL, don't you?" he asked with a sneer.

"I wouldn't know, but you seem very interested in the subject," I replied. "You should be ok; they're preaching tolerance now-a-days."

"Fuck you, you're the queer fashion model," he protested. "I'm surprised you even showed up with such limp wrists."

John started laughing.

"What's so funny?" the guy asked. "You're probably his fuck buddy."

"You guys have heard of the Waters twins right?" John asked.

"Yeah, the swimsuit models, so what?" he asked.

"They were his girlfriends, idiot," John replied. "Every photo ad he does has a smoking hot woman in it and they're not hanging out with the guys. So go run along with your little boyfriends and leave the men alone."

I chuckled as the guy's face turned red. He took a step forward and I stood up with John quickly standing beside me.

"You better save your energy for the exercises," I said, looking down at him. "It won't look good if you have to bow out because your jaw is wired shut."

"As if, college queer-bait," he said. "How about we take this outside?"

"What are you, two?" I asked him. "We'll see who the better man is based on the results of the physical tests. If you think you still have a shot after that, we'll meet in the alley way out back and you can show all your little buddies how tough you are."

"You're on," he yelled. "I'm in group seven."

"Good, me too," I said. "Care to put a wager on who's better?"

"Sure, a pansy like you won't beat me in anything," he said. "I've got a hundred bucks that says I'll do better than you in more events than you will."

"I'll take that bet and any that your friends want to bet as well," I told him while looking at his buddies.

They quickly pooled their money and came up with four hundred amongst them all.

"Ok, four hundred each it is," I agreed. "We'll meet after the end of the group session and the winner will take all."

"It's going to be a pleasure taking your money and then pounding in your pretty-boy face," the guy said. "I'm looking forward to it."

I just smiled and sat down again and they finally took off.

"What a little asshole," John said. "It will be nice to have some spending money from the pricks."

"I don't know, he seems very confident," I replied with a grin.

"Please, after the spring you had, you could probably take all of them by yourself," John retorted. "I think I'm going to take some pictures of his face when he watches you do the exercises. They should be good for a laugh."

Finally it was time for our group. It was standing room only for the spectators and I recognized a lot of GMs. which was good because I planned to put on a show today. We lined up for simple wingspan, height and weight measurements and then body fat measurements from six different areas on our bodies. We had to disrobe down to bicycle shorts for the measurements and I was pleased that I looked as cut as the smaller guys who were going for leanness rather than muscle mass.

They took all of our measurements and flashed them up on a screen for the viewers while we got ready for some of the manual exercises like push-ups, curl-ups and sit-ups. Each of us did as many as we could in the next segment and I held my own with the best of them. The next segment was jumping, both vertically and standing long jump. I sucked at long jump but was decent in the vertical.

The power segment was next, bench press, upper body pull and push, grip strength and seated medicine ball throw. I watched as the best number of reps on the bench press at one hundred and fifty pounds was eighteen. I was last and I went for it. It was too easy for me as I was used to doing up to thirty at two hundred and fifty pounds. I reached forty five and looked around. I kept it up until seventy and then put it done.

"Sorry, I usually do this at two fifty for thirty reps," I said. "You have any more weight to add?"

"Sorry, the test is set at one fifty," the guy running the show said.

There was a buzz in the audience which was exactly what I wanted. We moved on to the upper body push and pull tests where I was measured at both at over four hundred pounds, easily beating the record again. The grip strength was measured on both hands and I also excelled with both hands. Finally the seated medicine ball throw was last. It was a four kilogram ball (8.8lbs) and the best throw was two hundred and forty eight inches, or eight inches over twenty feet. I reared back and beat the best throw by two feet.

I was pleased at my results so far but now the fitness part was up, the dreaded Wingate and VO2max tests. The Wingate test was a thirty second cycle ride where we went all out so they could measure our leg power and fatigue. The VO2max tests measured oxygen and heart rate as they increased the workload every minute. The test produced a rating as well as an endurance time.

More than one guy threw up after they did one or the other tests. I had kept my lunch small so I wasn't too worried about that. I wasn't sure of the Wingate results but I kept on the VO2max bike test for fifteen minutes before I had to stop. Luckily that was the last test of the day.

The mouthy guy definitely wasn't there to show off his power. He didn't come close to any of my results in those categories and when they flashed the results for the fitness portion on the screen; my results were as good as the smallest speedster.

John came down and congratulated me.

"Damn you blew them all away," he said quietly. "You broke six records and got the top score so far in nine exercises. You are going to move up for sure."

"That was the plan," I said. "Did that weasel beat me in anything?"

"Maybe long jump," he said. "Man, you sucked at that one."

"It should be interesting to see if he pays up and still wants to go out back," I said. "I'm going to have a quick shower and meet you out in the lobby."

I went back to the room they set aside for us and had a quick shower before getting dressed. The little weasel didn't have his buddies around so he kept quiet as he got dressed.

"So, still want meet out back or shall we just settle up our bet and you can leave now?" I asked quietly.

"Maybe I misjudged you," he said. "Here's my hundred and I'll skip the beating if you don't mind."

"Good enough for me, but your buddies can give their cash to my friend before you leave," I told him.

He nodded and quickly left. A couple of the others congratulated me on my results before we left the room. I was surprised when James Cybulski from TSN came up to me and wanted to ask me some questions on camera. I agreed and they quickly got set up in another room.

"Hi Mike, you stole the show in there," he said once the camera was rolling.

"I don't know about that, I was just trying my hardest to show that I belonged there," I replied.

"Well, I was sitting in the audience and it certainly looked like you more than belonged," he said. "We haven't seen much of you this side of the border but you certainly got the GMs talking."

"Hopefully that's a good thing," I responded with a grin. "Sometimes you only get one shot to impress them so I've been working hard to make sure that I was in the best shape I could be."

"Your Wingate and VO2max results were as good as the speedster forwards and your strength testing blew everyone away by far," he stated. "You certainly look ready for the NHL. How did your interviews go?"

"Pretty good for the most part, I think," I answered. "I didn't get a chance to meet with every team but there is only so much time we can be here as NCAA collegians."

"You're currently ranked seventh from the North American group and twelfth when the Europeans are added into the mix," James stated. "With your performance today, do you think you'll move up in the rankings?"

"I'm competitive enough to hope so but I really have no knowledge how they rank prospects from such different programs worldwide," I responded. "In the end, I hope that I get drafted by a team that needs and wants me, not because of some ranking, but what they see in my on-ice performance as well as the results from today. All of the guys that I spent time with today seem like great guys that worked hard to get to this stage. Now it's up to the GMs to figure out who goes where."

"You're also a top Calvin Klein model, how will you fit that into a busy hockey schedule?" he asked.

"Oh, just like I fit it now into a busy hockey and school schedule," I said, "creative scheduling by a very agreeable management at Calvin Klein who are willing to work around my existing schedules."

"Thanks for your time and good luck in June at the draft," James said.

"Thank you James," I replied.

The light went out on the camera.

"Good interview Mike, thanks for doing this," James said.

"No problem, thanks for thinking of me," I replied.

I left the room and spotted John waiting for me. Before I could get to him a few reporters from various newspapers and sports magazines surrounded me. It took me another fifteen minutes to answer their questions. I finished up with them and finally got over to John.

"Let's get out of here before someone else stops me," I said when I got there.

"Those asses paid the three hundred and said the guy with the mouth paid you," he told me.

"Yep, and he won't be joining us in the alley," I replied with a grin.

"Not totally brainless then," John responded.

I called up my aunt as we walked out of the hotel and invited them all out to dinner, my treat. She checked with my uncle and then agreed and suggested an upscale Chinese buffet that the girls enjoyed. We agreed to meet there in an hour and continued to the SUV.

It took us most of the hour to get across the sprawling Greater Toronto Area back to where my Aunt and Uncle lived. We followed her directions to the restaurant and met them in the parking lot. We got a table for six and went up for a plate of food before discussing the day at the combine. I had fun helping out my cousins get something they couldn't reach while we were in line.

"So, how did it go today?" Uncle Aaron asked.

"It went ok," I said.

"He's being his usual modest self," John interrupted. "It went fantastic. He broke a few records and was the best at probably nine or ten exercises. He was in a group with a couple big defencemen rated higher in the rankings and he blew them away in all categories. If the drafted just on today's results, he would go first or second."

"Congratulations Michael," Aunt Nancy said.

"Yeah cousin Mikey!" the girls added.

"All that hard work paid off Mike, good for you," Uncle Aaron added.

"Thank you everyone, but unfortunately they don't draft just on today's results," I told them. "John tells me I was ranked twelfth before this and realistically I could move up to about sixth, depending if that team needed a defenceman."

"That was before you did so well today," John corrected me. "I could see you in the top five now. You could be the first defenceman to go."

"I think Hedman will go first, his resume is better, despite how he did today," I disputed John's thinking. "I think the biggest issue will be that fact that I'm in school and probably won't leave to play for a team right away. Hedman and some of the others will start in the NHL from day one. I probably would only leave school if the right team drafted me and promised me that I would play in the NHL and not for their minor league team."

"You should stay in school, you never know what might happen," Aunt Nancy agreed. "Look at your parents, your dad was drafted number three overall and he ended up working in a saw mill. You could get injured before you ever play a game in the league."

"That's my plan unless Detroit moves up to get me," I said. "Luckily I have enough in the bank now that I don't have to worry about money. I can always take classes part-time. I plan to graduate in two more years so we'll see how things go."

We dropped the subject and enjoyed the dinner. I loosened my strict diet for the night and partook in some dessert before we headed back to their house. After a quick game of Sorry, we tucked the girls in before we turned on TSN to see if they were going to show any of the Combine interviews or results. About fifteen minutes into their broadcast, they showed a clip of one of their anchors, Darren Dutchyshen, doing the same tests that I had done earlier. He did better than everyone else but me on the bench press and some of the other strength tests and was in pretty good shape, all in all.

After that clip ended, they discussed some of the top names and how they did before getting to me.

"One prospect stole the show though," Jennifer Hedger said into the camera as my picture came up over her shoulder. "Mike Stewart, a freshman defenceman from the University of Michigan, was clearly a man among boys as he broke several records in the strength exercises while still scoring in the top five for fitness and endurance in the Wingate and VO2max tests. Some of you may know Mike as a top male model for Calvin Klein, but his impressive showing today has GMs from all thirty teams buzzing. Our James Cybulski caught up with him afterwards."

They played the interview and then Jennifer Hedger continued.

"While several GMs we contacted now rated Stewart in the top five in next month's draft, most thought that he would probably go somewhere between six and fifteenth due to being in college and the needs of the teams at the top of the draft board," she said. "Stewart, who had been linked to the Waters twins, was seen recently in the company of Princess Beatrice and the actress Emma Watson in London and in Monte Carlo. It seems his impressive body is not only very good looking but the real deal as the other prospects found out today."

"Jennifer, I didn't see very good looking in the script," the other male anchor noted with a grin.

"Oh, we're allowed a little personal observation from time to time," Jennifer replied. "I'm sure every woman watching will agree with me on that point."

"Well, every guy wouldn't," he stated. "We certainly wouldn't want him to run into us on the ice though. He measured in at six foot five and a half and two hundred and thirty five pounds."

"We wouldn't mind it if he ran into us," Jennifer replied with a laugh.

"Moving on to baseball," the anchor said, rolling his eyes.

We muted the sound as I shook my head.

"Well, they seem to concur with your thinking on where you'll go," Aunt Nancy said. "So how are Emma and the Princess?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't talked to either of them in three weeks or more," I replied. "Things didn't go so well when I visited her at the beginning of May. Both are mad at me for running out before a medal ceremony. I'm staying clear of women while I try and get through the spring and summer semesters."

"That's too bad, I liked Emma and so did the girls," Aunt Nancy commented.

"She's swamped with filming and premieres so we're both too busy for a relationship," I declared.

Aunt Nancy dropped the subject and John and Uncle Aaron talked about where they thought I would end up. Phoenix was a good possibility at number six or Minnesota at number twelve if I didn't go to Ottawa at number nine. Either place was ok with me but Phoenix was having money problems so there was talk about them moving. Eventually, we called it a night and headed to bed at eleven.

Saturday morning, I went out to a nearby shopping centre and got the girls some toys and my Aunt and Uncle a nice fruit basket. I also went online and got tickets to a show downtown. While I was at the mall, I went to a bank and withdrew some money for John for spending a couple weeks getting me ready.

The girls were early risers so they caught me with the bags as I came in. I put the fruit tray in the kitchen and then gave them their toys in the playroom so they wouldn't disturb their folks. They looked in on us an hour later.

"What is going on in here?" Aunt Nancy asked.

"Cousin Mikey got us some new toys!" the girls shouted.

"Michael, you spoil them too much," she told me.

"Ah, I hardly ever get a chance to spoil them, besides, they are my favourite cousins in the whole world," I said.

"Humph, and what is that gigantic fruit basket doing in my kitchen?" she asked.

"Oh, the Easter Bunny dropped it off, said he forgot to bring it earlier," I said.

"And these horribly expensive tickets?" she asked.

"Oh, those came with the basket, they were just giving them away," I said innocently. "Hopefully you'll like the show."

"Michael, you don't need to buy us stuff when you come here," she said as she rapped my head with her knuckles while I was still sitting down.

"Hey, I'd like to see you try that when I'm standing up," I growled at her, making her daughters laugh.

"I take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves," she replied with a grin. "Now, what shall we have for breakfast, my spoiled little Munchins?"

"Pancakes!" they shouted.

"Is that ok with you, nephew?" she asked me.

"That's fine with me," I agreed before turning to the girls. "Shall we go help your mom dirty her kitchen up?"

"Yes we should," Mary the oldest, said in a serious voice.

Ellen nodded and got up as well.

Aunt Nancy rolled her eyes at me and said, "Thanks."

"We'll be the best helpers ever, Aunt Nancy," I told her with a grin as I took one in each arm and carried them to the kitchen as they giggled all the way.

"You're helping with the cleanup then," my aunt threatened.

"We'll be as tidy as pigs, right girls?" I asked.

"Right!" little Ellen agreed.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Aunt Nancy muttered.

I made sure to get the girls highly involved but between their mother and me, we managed to keep the damage limited to the countertop. I manned the two frying pans while the girls helped set the table. When we were ready, we sent the girls to wake up their dad while I banged on John's door.

The girls came back, pulling their sleepy dad with both hands.

"Wow, this looks good," he said.

"We helped make the pancake batter, Daddy!" Ellen said.

"Really, I'm sure that they're going to be delicious then," he said, looking at the countertop with a wince.

"It was your nephew's idea to involve the girls so he gets to help clean up the mess," Aunt Nancy told him.

"Better him than me," Uncle Aaron responded, grinning at me.

"No problem, just open one of the drawers, slide it in and voila, no more mess," I said.

He nearly choked on his sip of coffee as he laughed at his wife's horrified look. John came in and was handed a cup of coffee before he sat down.

"Daddy, Cousin Mike got us some new toys and a big fruit basket," Ellen announced.

"That was nice of him," he said. "He's spoils you two rotten, doesn't he?"

"Yep, that's what big cousins are for!" Ellen replied, giving me a smile.

We all laughed at her and I gave her a nod.

"Your nephew also got us tickets to that show we've wanted to see," Aunt Nancy added.

"That was overly generous, Mike," he told me.

"Oh it's just a little something for letting us stay here for the last couple days," I said, waving it off.

He just shook his head and dug in. We all helped the girls get situated and then passed the food around. It was a great to spend some time with the family.

After breakfast, we packed up and got ready to go. John and I both gave the girls hugs and kisses and promised to visit again soon. After hugs and handshakes with the adults, we were on our way. I slipped him the envelope with the cash and thanked him for all of his help. He looked inside and whistled before thanking me.

We drove straight through to Ann Arbor and arrived around four pm. He stayed the night in my condo and then headed back to Amanda in the morning.

I spent the rest of Sunday catching up on my assignments for Monday and worked on my second AI project. Mitsy and Asuka congratulated me on my fine showing at the combine when we met at the dojo.

May turned into June and I spent all my time working at my schoolwork. I had requests for on-ice workouts from some of the teams but had to decline due to school commitments. Some of them didn't like that and said it could affect their pick, even after my explanation.

My second AI project was complicated to say the least, and I had three finals the last week of June just before I had to go up to the draft in Montreal. I still made time for work-outs and the martial arts training at the dojo, but other than that, l lived the life of a recluse.

Katie called and wanted to schedule the next photo shoot in between the semesters. I had a week off after the NHL draft which was taking place the Friday and Saturday in late June before new classes started on July sixth. I suggested that since I was going to be up in Montreal that weekend, we could do the shoot there and in Quebec City or even in the Maritime provinces. She thought that might be a great idea and would pass it up the chain to see what they thought.

"They want to use all new models this time, Michael," Katie informed me. "They have a new crop of young ladies that they want to get some exposure and use to shoot some back to school ads. You're becoming a pro at modelling so we don't think you need to have familiar faces this time. What do you think?"

"On a personal level, it would be nice to have some of the same girls, but professionally I have no problem working with new ladies," I responded. "Aren't I a little old to be seen in back to school ads?

"Michael, some of your biggest fans are high school and college girls, and they are all going back to school," Katie said with a laugh. "You're in school yourself, so you're just the right age."

"Ok, if you say so," I replied. "I have commitments on the Friday and possibly on the Saturday the first weekend, but I should be free after that."

"Ok, I'll let you know what they say and get started on the arrangements if they like the idea," Katie said. "So, how is everything else going?"

"I'm swamped with school so I've been a hermit for the last month," I said. "I've got three weeks left and this semester is done."

"You work too hard Michael," Katie stated. "You need to enjoy life a bit. Barb told me that you and Emma aren't speaking and you're all alone. You should let them visit."

"Maybe next semester, I'm too busy for distractions right now," I told her. "Let me know if they like the Montreal idea when you can."

"Ok Mike, I'll talk to you soon," she replied before we hung up.

Katie called back a few days later and said that they had booked hotels in Montreal, Quebec City as well as Ottawa, planning on spending two to three days in each city. I thought it was a great plan and told her so.

Time marched on despite my need for it and all too soon it was the Friday before the week of final exams and also when the final AI project was due. I had worked like a madman to get the project done as I had switched my project to something different about half way through. The first idea I started on was so good that I didn't want to use it as a school project but keep it for myself. I went with a multi-level chess AI program instead and added the graphical interface to make the presentation look flashier.

I took off Friday evening off as Layla Burns called in her marker to take her to her prom. I showed up at her door in a classy black tux carrying a corsage.

"Hi Mrs. Burns, is Layla ready?" I asked.

"Hi Mike, she should be out in a minute," she gushed. "It's so nice of you to take her to her prom."

"It's the least I could do," I told her politely.

"So, Layla tells me that you will probably be picked high in the NHL draft next weekend," she stated.

"Oh, I don't know about that, it will be nice just to be drafted," I replied.

I was saved from further interrogation by the arrival of Layla and her older sister Lily.

"Wow, you look great Layla," I said with a smile.

She was wearing a long gown in deep green that showed off how tall and slim she was. Her hair, looking more red tonight, was done up on her head and she was wearing some nice matching earrings and necklace.

"Thanks Mike, you look very handsome," she replied with a blush.

"Let's get some pictures of the couple," Lily said, for once thinking of her sister.

Mother and older sister had us pose for about fifteen pictures before Layla insisted we had to go. I wished them good night and promised there would be no drinking and driving.

"You two have fun and we'll see you tomorrow," Mrs. Burns said with a wink.

I took Layla's hand and we walked down to the elevator.

"Ok, first thing, there's no need to be nervous with me, right?" I told her. "We're friends and there is no pressure tonight."

She took a deep breath and nodded while trying to relax.

"Second, I don't dance fast so if you want to do that, you're going to have to dance with other girls or find a boy that will dance fast," I continued.

"It's ok, I don't dance either," she said.

"Finally, why didn't you go with that boy I've seen you with from time to time?" I asked.

"Marty?" she asked. "He's just a study friend."

"You seem to get along ok, and he's not bad looking or anything," I responded.

"He didn't ask me," she said simply.

"Did you want him too?" I asked.

"Maybe, but I really wanted to go with you," she answered. "There are a couple girls I'd like to show up just once."

"I know what you mean, I didn't even go to my prom," I told her. "But listen, you're beautiful tonight and you've already grown into your height. They might be envious of your date, but believe me; the guys are going to be envious of my date as well."

She smiled as we stepped into the elevator and got out of the lobby. I walked her outside and I walked her to a cherry red Ferrari parked out front.

"Is this yours?" she asked, looking at it in awe.

"I rented it for the night," I told her. "It's a little ostentatious for everyday use around here but I thought we would arrive in style."

"Thank you Mike, you're making this the best night of my life," she said as I helped her in the low car.

I got in the driver's side and drove the few minutes to the downtown hotel the prom was being held at.

"Ok, are you ready for your grand entrance Layla?" I asked.

"Wait a second," she said. "How do I introduce you?"

"I'm your date for the evening and your good friend, Mike," I told her. "Sound good?"

"Have we been on any dates?" she asked quickly as we approached the hotel.

"Would you like to say one or two?" I asked her with a smile.

"I'd love to," she nodded.

"Ok, but let's not use boyfriend, I don't want the media to come after you," I told her.

"Ok Mike," she agreed.

I revved the engine as we pulled into the line of limos dropping off other classmates. It got people looking at us as I wanted for her, though they didn't know who was in the car. There must have been a hundred people milling around outside when I finally pulled up to the valet and got out. I was happy when an older guy came to drive the car away.

I slipped him a hundred and said, "No joyrides and keep it safe and there's another hundred in it for you."

"Yes Sir!" he said.

I walked around and opened the door for Layla and helped her out, her legs showing in the slits at the side of the dress. She smiled at me and looped her arm in mine and we walked through the crowd who were all looking at us. I was happy for her and she smiled at a couple of her friends but played it cool and made it look like we were a couple. Her friends followed us in and they commandeered a table after we showed our tickets.

"Mike, this is Christine and her date Henry, and Mary and her date George," Layla made the introductions. "Everyone, this is Mike Stewart, my date for the evening."

"Mike Stewart, as in U of M hockey team star defenceman, Mike Stewart?" George asked.

"I wouldn't say star defenceman, but I do play on the team," I replied.

"Mike Stewart, as in the Calvin Klein model, Mike Stewart?" Christine asked.

"That is also correct," I told her.

"How did you get him to come with you?" haughtily asked a girl from behind us.

"I asked him," Layla simply said. "We've been out a couple of times but his schedule is real busy this summer."

"How much did you have to pay him?" asked her snotty sidekick.

"What the hell are you talking about, Vivian?" Layla asked.

"I think she's just trying to get a rise out of you, my dear," I said. "Besides, I don't think you could afford me. Nope, she got me here the old fashioned way, by just asking."

"You've dated supermodels and princesses, why would you want to go out with Layla Burns?" the first one asked loudly, attracting attention.

"Because she's beautiful and smart, and I happen to like tall ladies," I said. "Now if you would excuse us, we'd like to go get something to drink."

I stood up and pulled Up Layla. We looked down at the much shorter girls and they had to back away as I walked towards them. They had to split up and Layla smiled at them while holding my hand.

"God, that felt good," she said when we were far enough away.

"Happy to oblige," I responded.

There was no alcohol being served which was fine by me, so we got a couple of Diet Cokes and walked around, holding hands. She said hi to a few people and generally just smiled and had fun using me.

"Shall we head back to the table, show-off?" I whispered.

"I guess so, I think everyone has seen us," she replied with a grin.

We sat down back at the table and everyone started finding their seats. There were some speeches before the meal from the principal, the student council president and a running back from MSU that used to attend the school. After that, awards were handed out during the meal, the usual types, most likely to succeed, most popular and so on. The recipients were mostly all from a couple of tables filled with popular and good looking guys and girls.

They played a slideshow of pictures of the happenings for their grade this year and again it was mostly just the popular kids unless they were making fun of someone. No one at our table clapped, cheered or laughed at the pictures and a good portion of the room was doing the same thing.

Eventually the torture was over and the food and dishes were cleared away from the tables. A DJ started the music and the lights were dimmed.

"Sorry about that, Mike, the popular group kiss ass better than most and got them selves on the prom committee," Layla said.

"Not your fault, so don't apologize," I replied. "I came to spend some time with you and let you have your moment in the spotlight. Though, why you feel the need to impress those people is beyond me. You should be enjoying some time with a guy you like and don't worry about what other people think."

"You're probably right, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up," she explained with a grin. "How about I ask him to dance later?"

"Ok, and if you want to leave with him, my feelings won't be hurt," I added.

"I'm not that mature yet," she replied. "I'm leaving with the supermodel, thank you very much."

I sighed and gave up for now.

She got me up onto the dance floor whenever there was a slow song and I had to admit it was nice to dance with someone almost six feet tall in high heels. While her classmates didn't appreciate her, I thought she was gorgeous and even sexy in the clingy gown.

Around midnight, she went in search of Martin while I asked one of the two girls sitting at our table that came without dates. She accepted and we had a pleasant dance. I took her back and asked the other girl who also accepted. I watched as Martin and Layla talked a bit and then she put her head on his shoulder and they danced close.

I went back to the table with the girl but Martin and Layla danced twice more before he brought her back to the table.

"Mike, this is Martin," Layla made the introductions.

I stood up and shook his hand.

"Layla had told me good things about you Martin," I said as he returned the handshake with a firm one of his own.

"She's mentioned you more than once as well," he replied dryly.

"Why don't you pull up a chair and keep her company while I use the facilities?" I asked and didn't wait for an answer.

After using the washroom, I wandered around a bit, keeping an eye on the two of them from time to time. They were talking and having a good time with their friends so I walked out a side door for a breath of fresh air.

There was a woman leaning against the side of the hotel having a cigarette. She was wearing a form fitting short black dress that matched her hair and she looked much more mature than the girls at the prom. She was slim and very sexy and looked at me with a confident look of someone who knows she's beautiful but doesn't flaunt it. I was reminded of Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie, but without the voluptuous of either.

"Well, you're definitely not a junior from Ann Arbor High," she said before she had a puff on her cigarette.

"I could say the same thing about you," I replied.

"I'm the date of the running back from MSU," she replied, "and you?"

"I'm a date of one of the students," I replied. "I'm hoping a friend of hers steps up and asks to take her home."

"Not planning to take the girl up to a room and help her get rid of her pesky virginity?" she asked with a smirk.

"Nope, not in the plan," I told her. "I'm surprised your date left you alone for more than a minute. You don't seem the type that a sane man leaves unattended."

"He's chasing some blonde cheerleader type that thinks she can latch onto him," she explained. "He's willing to let her try and convince him."

"And you're ok with that?" I asked.

"I said I was his date, not his girlfriend," she answered. "Since I don't sleep with him, I don't really care who does."

"I see," I said, not really understanding.

"I'm sure you don't," she stated, walking over to me. "He needed a date for this event and since he's in the Tri-Gamma Fraternity at MSU, he asked our house for someone to come with him. I'm in the Tri-Delta Sorority there and one of the few women around for the spring semester. So I had to come with him to this."

"Had to?" I asked.

"We each provide escorts to events to the other when needed," she explained. "There are two types, strictly platonic or open for business."

I laughed at that but she didn't even crack a smile.

"Ok, I gather it's not a joke," I said, stopping laughing right away.

"The system is barbaric and still slanted heavily in the male's favour," she said. "You actually have to tell some of these clowns before the date so that they don't pull you into a room and try to screw you as soon as they pick you up."

"So why be in a sorority?" I asked her

"There are some social benefits such as networking, prestige, camaraderie," she replied. "It can be fun and the parties are the best. But enough about me, what's the story with you?"

"No time for a fraternity and no desire to join one," I told her.

"I won't hold that against you," she said. "Continue."

"Computer science major at U of M," I said. "I'm Mike."

"I'm Elizabeth, automotive engineering at MSU," she responded.

"It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth," I said, offering her my hand.

"My, a gentleman," she said, flicking away her cigarette and shaking my hand firmly.

"No, just had parents that believed in manners," I told her. "Now, I have to check on my date and I'd rather not leave a lady outside alone, so why don't you at least come inside."

"I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself," she said.

"Suit yourself," I said, shrugging my shoulders and looking up and down the alley. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Elizabeth."

I went back inside and walked over to where Layla and Martin were sitting. Martin made to get up but I waved him down and sat in his chair.

"So, are you two getting along?" I asked.

"Of course we are," Layla said. "You didn't have to disappear you know."

"I didn't disappear, I just went to the washroom and got a breath of fresh air," I said. "So how about you let Martin take you home, if he drove?"

"I did have my heart set on going home with a supermodel," she said, "but I'm ok with it if Martin is."

"Sure I'm ok with it," Martin said with a grin. "I drove so it's no problem."

"Ok, call your mom and let her know the change of plans and then I'll get out of your hair," I told Layla.

She did just that and had a mini-argument with her before telling her she would be home when she's home.

"Sorry about that, mom's under the delusion that Mike and I were going back to his place to conceive a baby so I could trap him into marrying me," Layla stated.

"Lucky I wasn't drinking anything or it would be all over your dress right now," I told her. "No wonder they were so nice earlier."

"You got it," she replied. "Don't worry, I'm on the pill."

She said it deadpan and it took Martin and I a few seconds to get it.

"Martin, I think that's your cue to step up to the plate," I said, standing up. "Do you have a place to go?"

Layla pulled out a cardkey, obviously for a room upstairs.

I grinned at her and she smirked.

"You two have fun and I'll see you around," I said.

She stood up and gave me a hug and a kiss before saying, "Thanks Mike for a great evening. I appreciate you doing this for me."

"You're quite welcome, Layla," I replied. "Be gentle on him."

"Oh, he's stronger than he looks," she replied.

Martin also stood up and we shook hands.

"Take good care of her, she's a special lady," I told him.

"I will, and thanks Mike," he said.

I nodded and wished them a good night before walking out of the hall. I handed my valet ticket to the same older guy and he ran to get my car. As it pulled up I sensed a presence beside me and looked down to see Elizabeth standing there.

"Well, a gentleman would open the door for a lady," she said.

"Certainly," I said, and pulled open the door.

I held her hand as she got in and admired her legs before shutting the door. I slipped the valet the other promised hundred dollar bill and then got in.

"Where to, Elizabeth?" I asked as I got underway.

"It seems like I could use a ride back to Lansing," she stated. "Apparently the blonde was willing to do whatever it took for her to get him."

"Lansing it is," I said and headed north to the 23 freeway.

"Is this yours?" she asked.

"No, just rented it for the night," I responded. "It's too flashy for a college student."

"You could get any co-ed to spread her legs for you just for a ride in this," she stated.

The black dress she was wearing was mid thigh length when she was standing and showed off more leg when she was sitting. I looked over at her legs and they were tight together and grinned.

"It doesn't seem to be working with you," I said.

"Foreign cars don't turn me on," she admitted with an answering grin.

"I see," I responded.

We were quiet for a couple of minutes and she leaned in to turn on the radio. She surprised me by putting on some classical music and turned it up.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"Would it matter if I did?" I inquired.

She smiled and shook her head.

"Then no, I don't mind," I told her.

We drove north to the sounds of Beethoven until we saw a sign for the I96 interchange a mile away. I slowed down and got into the right lane. I took the ramp to head up to Lansing and we continued to drive in silence for a while.

"So I saw you let the boy move in on your date," Elizabeth stated. "She was beautiful; why didn't you want to spend the night with her? She was all prepared to take you upstairs."

"She just turned seventeen and she's my neighbour," I said. "I'm too old for her and I'd rather just stay friends. Besides, they're just right for each other."

"Hmmm," she replied. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen, almost nineteen," I told her. "You?"

"Nineteen, almost twenty," she replied. "Eighteen is not too old for a seventeen year old."

"It is in my book," I said. "She's basically almost two years younger and with my life the way it is that's too much of a gap. She's a nice girl but not for me. Martin and her are study friends and now can take the next step."

"That was nice of you," Elizabeth said.

"He's a bit like I was back in high school," I replied.

Once we got into Lansing, Elizabeth guided me to her sorority house where she was staying for the semester. She pointed out a three storey brick house with a large lawn that was definitely one of the nicer properties on the street. I pulled into the driveway and put it into park.

"It was nice to meet you, Elizabeth," I said with a smile.

She looked at me and chuckled after a few seconds.

"You're just going to drop me off and leave, aren't you?" she asked with a grin.

"That was my plan," I agreed.

She sat there for a few seconds and then asked, "I've never done this before, but would you like to come up?"

I thought about it for a few seconds and then replied, "As much as most of me wants to take you up on your offer, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass."

She waited for a few seconds and then said, "Usually when a guy turns down a girl, he at least tells her the reason, so as not to not destroy the girl's self confidence after putting herself out there asking a person up to her room."

"Elizabeth, you're a gorgeous woman and you seem to have a personality that I could like, but I don't do one night stands for a few reasons," I told her. "It's absolutely nothing to do with you personally."

"Ok, would you like my number so you could ask me out on a date instead?" she inquired after a few seconds. "That is if you have any interest in anything else besides my legs."

"Alright, but it won't be for a couple of weeks, I have exams next week and then I'm going away for the week between semesters," I told her. "Don't expect a call for two to three weeks, ok? Let me find some paper."

"Michael, just get your phone out, I'm going to need your information as well," she said, rolling her eyes.

She took it from my hands once I got it out and her fingers went into warp speed doing things with both phones almost at the same time.

"There, you have my information in there and I have yours," she stated, handing my phone back to me.

"Thanks," I replied before putting it back in my pocket.

"You can call me just to talk if you need a study break or someone to talk to," she said. "I'm not seeing anyone right now and I have exams next week as well. It would be nice to talk to someone just to escape the studying now and then."

"I just might do that, but there's nothing stopping you from calling me in the evenings as well," I told her. "We can at least attempt to be friends even if we never get together."

"I'm not sure if I've had a conversation with a guy who isn't actively trying to get into pants," she said. "You don't look like you're gay, not that there is anything wrong with that."

I laughed and replied, "I'm not gay, though it may appear that way after I turned you down. I'm very interested in you sexually, but after I know you a bit better. I'm sure it comes as a surprise but I would hope I'm a bit more sophisticated than the running back and the blonde cheerleader."

"Apparently you are but I'm not much better than her," Elizabeth responded, shaking her head.

"Oh, I'd rate you much higher on the scale than her, and you certainly have much better taste in men," I said with a chuckle.

"Isn't that a bit conceited of you?" she asked with a grin.

"If the fool would rather be with a high school junior then with a gorgeous and obviously highly intelligent college woman, I have to say that I at least beat him in smarts and in height," I answered. "I'll let you decide on my other attributes as we get to know each other."

"True, but he is a college athlete, destined for the NFL in a year or two," she reminded me.

"If that meant that much to you, I'm sure he would be up in your room with you right now instead of a hotel room with the blonde," I said. "You let him go up with her. Besides, I work out now and then."

She grinned and opened the door before getting out.

"It's true, I'd much rather be with you than him," she said. "So, call me when you can and I'll do the same."

"Sounds good, I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Elizabeth," I responded.

She looked at me for a few seconds and then said, "Me too, Michael. Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it. Pencil me in for a date three weekends from now."

"We'll see how things are once I get back, but we'll be talking lots in between," I replied.

"You're giving me a complex, I'm the one who usually has to keep suitors at bay," she said, shaking her head.

"Good night Elizabeth," I replied with a grin.

"Good night, Michael," she replied and shut the door.

I made sure she got inside safely before driving off. I drove right home and hung up my tuxedo before heading to bed, thinking how stupid I had been turning Elizabeth down.

I got up early on Saturday and had a quick workout before continuing on the project. I got in the groove with my programming and worked until lunch, only stopping to hand over the keys to the car when they came to pick it up. I heated up some soup and made some sandwiches. After cleaning up, I bit the bullet and called Elizabeth.

"Michael!" she said. "I'm so happy you called."

"Hi Elizabeth, it's nice to hear your voice," I responded. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"No, it took me a long time to fall asleep," she said.

Me too actually," I told her. "I regretted not taking you up on your offer all the way home and the next couple of hours while I was laying on my back looking up at the ceiling."

"I was doing the same thing," she agreed. "I don't invite guys I know up to my bed let alone strangers, but I was very disappointed when you didn't take me up on my rash offer. Then I was angry that I had made the offer and I worried all night and today that you thought I was a tramp and that you wouldn't call. I'm so glad you did."

"I thought nothing of the sort," I told her. "I'm just trying to find a girl to have a relationship with so sex isn't the first thing I want to do with you, that's all. Well, it is, but I also want to be friends and make it last. Do you understand?"

"Of course I understand, that's what I want too," she replied. "Usually the roles are reversed when a guy and a girl first meet, but it's been a long time for me and I thought I'd try a different tack and hopefully keep you interested longer than a night. So, how is your studying going?"

We talked for half an hour, about my school work and exams and what she was taking. She also was taking three spring semester classes and had exams next week. We branched out into why she went to MSU; apparently her family had always gone there and the family business was in the automotive sector, hence the automotive engineering. She admitted to racing all types of vehicles when she was younger but now played tennis and swam to stay in shape.

I kept hockey and modelling out of the conversation and just told her I worked out and spend extra time doing programming for my graduate course in AI, which impressed her.

"Ok Elizabeth, it was great talking to you," I told her. "I'll leave it to you to call next when you have time."

"I'll do that," she said. "I'll talk to you soon, Michael."

I got back to the programming and made significant progress during the afternoon. I only had to perfect the user interface portion of the game and it would be complete. After a bite to eat, I studied for my first exam on Tuesday.

Sunday, I worked out and then finished the user interface for the chess game before studying for exams. I went to the Dojo and worked out with Mitsy and Asuka but didn't mention Elizabeth. When I got home, I found a message from Elizabeth and called her back. We chatted for a bit and she learned about my martial arts training and admitted she did a bit herself.

The presentation went well on Monday and the class had fun trying to find ways to trip up my program but couldn't succeed. Professor Albert gave me a very good mark for the presentation and wanted to review the programming before giving me the final mark.

The next three days were spent studying and writing the final exams. I felt comfortable after each exam and pleased with my effort this semester. Elizabeth and I talked every night and learned more about each other. I found out she had two older brothers and a mother and father who lived in Lakeshore. I told her about my parents and that I had an aunt and uncle along with two young girl cousins up in Toronto. Before I hung up, I told her I was heading up there for a week and would try to call but would be busy much of the week. She was going to spend the week with her parents.

I got on the plane to Montreal late Friday morning and landed in Montreal, Quebec by one pm. I took a taxi to the Marriott hotel just down the street from the Bell Centre. John had suggested I book a room a couple months ago for the weekend and it turned out to be a great idea. I tried out my horrible high school French on the clerk at the front desk.

"Pardon mon français, s'il vous plaît," I said in French. "Je suis Mike Stewart; j'ai une réservation pour trois nuits."

"That was correct grammar Mr. Stewart, but I think we'd better converse in English or we'll have the language police here to stop you from further mangling the language," she said with a grin.

"That's probably best as that was the extent of my high school French," I replied. "Unfortunately languages were never my strong suit."

"At least you tried," she said. "So, we have you in a one bedroom suite with a king sized bed for three nights. Is that correct?"

"I believe so," I replied.

We did the credit card exchange and she handed me a key card for the room.

"Will you need a map of the city or help from our concierge?" she asked.

"Not tonight, I'm just walking down to the Bell Centre," I replied.

"Mike Stewart, the defenceman and model, yes?" she asked excitedly.

"That's correct," I admitted.

"Maybe you will get drafted by the Canadians?" she asked.

"Maybe, it would an honour to play for them," I replied.

"Good luck tonight then," she said as I picked up my bags.

"Thank you," I responded before walking to the elevators.

I found my room and hung up my suit and put away my other clothes before collapsing on the bed. I reached over and set the alarm for four o'clock and quickly fell asleep.

When I woke up, I had a sandwich and fries brought up so I wouldn't be starving all night. A shower and shave followed before getting into my suit. I grabbed my invitation and an AI book that I wanted to read and headed out.

They wanted all the potential first round prospects to be there for five so we could be interviewed and told how to act. I turned down an invitation to be part of earlier events for the top prospects because I didn't really want to be part of all of the hoopla, let alone have spare time. I had also turned down the offer to sit at a table with the other top prospects during the first round.

I hadn't paid much attention to the various predictions about where I would be picked but John had. Some had me going second to Tampa, while others had me going sixth to Phoenix. Others had me going at twelfth to Minnesota or even later. I was adamant that I wouldn't be one of those guys left in the so called green room waiting all night to be picked, the cameras on me each time someone else got picked instead of me.

I presented my invitation at the side door as instructed and was shown where to sign in and get my name tag. I moved on to where about fifty hopefuls were waiting around for their turn to be interviewed. Realistically, only thirty of these prospects would get drafted in the first round tonight, but I guess some had high expectations. I wasn't sure if I would be picked tonight myself. I took a seat along the wall and opened up my book.

"Excuse me, Mike Stewart?" a woman's voice asked after a while.

"Yes?" I said, looking up.

"Can we get you over for an interview with one of our TSN anchors please?" a cute young lady asked.

"I don't suppose I can just politely decline, can I?" I asked.

"Why do you think they picked me for this job?" she asked with a cute smile. "But you don't look like a shy teenager that's afraid of the spotlight. Come on, the quicker you get up, the quicker it will be over."

"You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you use that line on most of these guys," I replied with a chuckle.

She caught on quick enough as I stood up and blushed prettily.

"You are so bad, Mike Stewart," she said as she looked up at me.

"Again, you're confusing me with most of these other guys," I responded with a grin.

She shook her head and led the way over to where three separate cameras were set up so that three different hosts could do interviews at the same time. The lady was going to put me in the shortest line but then decided to put me in the line of the female host, Jennifer Hedger.

"I see you're trying to get me in trouble," I said.

"Oh, I think the two of you will get along quite well," she replied with a chuckle of her own. "Good luck with her and in the draft."

"Thanks," I replied and watched her walk away to get another sucker.

I waited about twenty minutes in line and then it was my turn.

"Mike Stewart, thank you for taking the time to do an interview with TSN," Jennifer said.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Hedger," I replied, "especially with such a beautiful anchor."

"Why thank you Mr. Stewart," she replied with a smile. "So, how are you feeling, just a short hour before the draft starts?"

"I'm doing ok, it's a wonderful arena, I've never been here before," I replied, looking around.

"So, what sort of contact have you had with the teams since your impressive showing at the combine last month?" she asked.

"I've had a few requests for some on-ice workouts but I was unable to fit them in due to being in school," I answered. "That's about it."

"So, where do you think you'll be picked?" she inquired.

"I'm not sure, actually," I responded. "I've heard anything from second overall down to the bottom of the first round. I suspect farther down at the bottom of the first round or maybe in the second."

"Our analysts have you going in the middle of the first round," she stated. "There wasn't a significant change from your position prior to the combine. Why do you think that was?"

"Most of the teams are looking for an immediate impact player in the first round and I'll be in college for a couple more years," I explained. "That and the fact that I've only played one year of upper level hockey probably makes it difficult to pick me with a high pick."

"Do you have a team you'd especially like to be chosen by?" she asked.

"Oh, I have sentimental favourites but the reality is I'd love the opportunity to play for any of the thirty teams in the league," I replied. "A year ago, I wasn't even playing pick-up hockey so to be here today with the possibility of being drafted by any team is more than enough for me."

"You model for Calvin Klein, how will that be affected once you start playing for a NHL team?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't suppose it would be affected at all," I replied. "The team that drafts me will know about that already and Calvin Klein is very good about working around my current school and hockey schedule. In fact, I'll be doing a photo shoot right after the draft is over, here in Montreal and other nearby cities."

"Well, we'll look forward to seeing those pictures," she stated with a smile. "Good luck tonight, Mike and we'll talk again when you finally find out which team drafts you."

"Thank you for your time, Miss Hedger, it was a pleasure meeting you," I replied with a smile.

"As it was for me," she replied, giving me a smile before the camera went out.

She leaned in and whispered into my ear, "Mike, make sure to look me up after you've been picked. It will make for a great continuation interview."

"Only if you'll join me for dinner sometime this weekend," I whispered back.

"Mike, you're a bit young for me, don't you think?" she asked.

"Only in years, Jennifer," I replied with a grin.

"Sorry, but it wouldn't look right for me to be seen with you," she replied as she moved away.

I smiled and left the area, ducking under one of the spotlights. I hadn't really thought she would accept my offer, but it was fun to tease her after what she had said last month. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman, very statuesque. I had made it a point to always watch Sportscentre on TSN when she was one of the anchors.

I made my way back to my chair along the wall and continued to read my book. About six twenty there was a commotion as a camera crew made its way through the room. I looked up to see Don Cherry going around the room, picking guys to do quick interviews with or just shake their hands. I stayed sitting and avoided having to do one with him. I didn't mind him but he was a bit over the top, on purpose I was sure.

After he had left the room, we were let out to go sit with our families or in the room off to the side of the stage for the privileged few. I made my way out to the area and found a seat off to the side and partially hidden from view. I had asked Aunt Nancy and her family not to come because I didn't want them to be disappointed if the evening didn't go well. John had a family thing come up so I attended the draft by myself.

Finally the cameras rolled as Gary Bettman, the Commissioner, took the stage and welcomed everyone to Montreal during their hundred year anniversary celebration. He made a little speech and then put the New York Islanders on the clock. Each team had six minutes to make their pick.

I watched the proceedings with interest as a bunch of people went on stage from the Islander's organization. One of them went to the podium and announced that the first pick was John Tavares, the centre from the London Knights of the OHL. That was the consensus first pick for the last month.

The team from Tampa Bay came up next and picked Victor Hedman, the big Swedish defenceman, again as predicted. The next few teams, Colorado, Atlanta, L.A. all picked centres. Phoenix, the next team thought to need a defenceman, picked one but it was another Swede. Toronto picked a centre, one not even in the top twenty, as did Dallas.

Ottawa picked Jared Cowen, the other big defenceman in my combine group at number nine, proving that the combine didn't have much influence on the picks. Edmonton picked a left winger and it was now after eight o'clock and we were a third way through the teams.

Both Nashville and the New York Islanders picked other defencemen, with New York trading up into Minnesota's number twelve spot. Buffalo picked a right winger at the number thirteen spot and Florida picked a Russian defenceman at fourteen.

I pulled out my book and started reading as I knew it could be a long night. I was glad that I hadn't let my aunt and uncle come with the girls as they would be fidgeting badly by now. Anaheim and Minnesota picked forwards and St. Louis picked another Swedish defenceman.

Montreal picked a forward with a French last name which made the hometown crowd go wild. New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils both went with centres to round out the top twenty picks.

Three more defencemen got drafted before it was Detroit's turn at number twenty nine. Unfortunately for me, Detroit traded the pick to Tampa who picked a left winger. The final pick was from Pittsburgh, the current Stanley cup champions who picked the other defenceman that had slid down from a top ten ranking.

I got up and headed out with the crowd. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I knew I was as good as some of the defencemen selected ahead of me but unfortunately I couldn't control what the teams' brain trusts thought. I couldn't get mad at any particular team as they all had passed on me, even Detroit.

I made my way out of the arena and walked back to the hotel. Once inside my room, I took a shower and turned on TSN while checking my messages on my turned off phone. They were conducting interviews with the picks and in between each interview, their analysts graded each pick.

I turned down the volume and listened to messages from John, Aunt Nancy and Mitsy telling me how sorry they were that I didn't get picked in the first round. John thought I would go within the top five picks of the second round, maybe to Detroit with the second pick that they traded back to from the first round.

I watched for a bit longer and they listed the four of five players that they thought should have been picked tonight and I was on the top of the list. Finally, I set the alarm for five and fell asleep.

Saturday morning I worked out in the hotel exercise room and then had breakfast in their restaurant after showering in their locker room. I got dressed in a different suit and walked over to the Bell Centre for seven thirty as the second round got started at eight. I signed in and then found my seat out in the arena. I had my phone on vibrate and it buzzed in my pocket about ten minutes before things got started.

"Hello?" I asked, not recognizing the number.

"Mike, it's Ken Holland from the Red Wings," he said.

"Mr. Holland, how are you this morning?" I asked.

"I'm very good, how are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm doing well, thanks," I replied.

"So I bet you were pretty mad last night not getting picked in the first round," he stated.

"A bit disappointed, but not angry," I replied. "I had the sneaking suspicion that teams would go for players that could contribute right away. I saw that you traded back a couple picks to get an extra pick in the third round."

"Yes, that's why I'm calling; we've talked to the Islanders last night and found out that they are picking a goalie so we're going to pick you with the second pick of this round, which is our first pick of this draft."

"That's excellent news, Mr. Holland," I said. "I promise you that you won't be disappointed."

"We don't think we will either," he said. "Just so you know, we don't want you to leave school early, we have a pretty good defensive group right now and we'll need you in a couple of years when they start to retire."

"Even better news," I said. "I think I just got everything I could wish for today rather than being picked yesterday. I really appreciate this, Mr. Holland. It's a dream come true and I love the fact that I don't have to leave Michigan."

"This will score us some major points with a lot of U of M fans so it's going to be a win-win situation for both of us," he said. "I'll see you on the stage in about ten minutes."

"Ok, thanks again, Mr. Holland," I replied before we hung up.

A few minutes later the second round started and reps from the Islanders went up on stage. I wasn't paying that much attention to them as I was still in a great mood from the earlier conversation with Mr. Holland.

"The Islanders are very pleased to select Mike Stewart, defenceman from the University of Michigan as the first pick of the second round," their GM, Garth Snow announced.

"Shit no!" I screamed inside my head as I sat there for a second.

I forced myself to get up and walk to the stage, glancing briefly at the Detroit Red Wing table and seeing their shocked faces. I climbed up the steps and put a smile on my face as I shook Mr. Snow's hand and then accepted a New York Islander's Jersey with a two on the back from the owner, Mr. Charles Wang. We posed for pictures on the stage and then exited to the room off the side.

"Mike, I know this comes as a surprise but when we saw you still available, we wanted you on our team so we changed some plans last night," Mr. Snow said. "We're happy that we could get you with our second round pick when by rights you should have been gone early yesterday."

"Thank you, Mr. Snow for picking me so quickly this morning," I said, trying to come up with something good to say. "I must admit I didn't see this coming as we didn't have a chance to talk at the combine or before the draft."

"Sometimes that's the case with these things," he said as we sat down at a table. "We don't have much time to talk as we have so little time between rounds today. This is Mr. Wang, the owner of the Islanders and Mr. Scott Gordon, our coach."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said, shaking their hands.

"The pleasure is ours, Mike," Mr. Wang said. "We're having an excellent draft now that we've added you to our first round picks, John and Calvin. We were very pleasantly surprised that you were available this morning."

"We're in the beginning of a re-building stage and we're using the draft to do it properly," Coach Gordon stated. "All three of you will be our cornerstones for years to come."

"I like the sound of that," I said.

"We're also working with Nassau County to get a new arena built in the next few years, so it's an exciting time for us," Mr. Wang stated.

"It sounds like you're putting a lot of effort into turning your franchise around," I said. "It will be fun to be a part of that."

"You're going to be a very big part of that," Mr. Snow said. "Now, we'd like you to stick around today so we can get all of our draft picks together after the draft is over. John and Calvin are going to show up later as well. We have a suite at the Marriott where you and your family can relax in the meantime."

"I'm here by myself and I have a room at the Marriott as well," I told them. "What time do you want me to be back here?"

"We should be done by three o'clock but before you go, we'd like to spend a bit of time trying to convince you to forgo the rest of your time at Michigan for a chance to start on defence in the fall," Mr. Snow said. "We don't want you to make up your mind right away, but both Coach Gordon and I think you have what it takes to start on our third pair right away."

"That is certainly a great offer, but I'd definitely need to think about that and talk with Coach Benson back in Michigan," I replied. "I'm taking classes in both the spring and summer sessions so I'll be finished school a year early. Can I ask what would happen if I left school early and then you don't think I'm good enough to make the team?"

"We would have you report to our AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Tigers in Connecticut," he replied. "It's not far from us, just across the Long Island Sound actually. We wouldn't keep you there long; we want our young players to get experience in the NHL as soon as possible, since we're in a rebuilding phase."

"I'll definitely have to think about it, I didn't have plans to leave school right away," I admitted.

"We realize that and we don't hold that against you; believe me," Mr. Wang said. "A good education is never a bad thing to have behind you. There is an alternative. We have many excellent colleges nearby that you can continue your education while playing hockey."

"I will have to research that avenue as well," I responded. "Do most of your players commute from Manhattan?"

"Some do and some live closer," Mr. Snow replied. "We can certainly help with finding you a place to stay once you decide to join the team. There are some excellent areas within thirty minutes if you want to purchase a house in a nice neighbourhood. Usually rookies pair up with veterans so they can mentor them on all aspects of being a professional athlete."

"As you probably know, I model for Calvin Klein," I told them. "Do you have any issues with that?"

"No, as long as it doesn't affect your attendance at team practices and games," Mr. Snow replied. "That will be another advantage to sign with the Islanders; we're within forty minutes of their New York headquarters."

"It seems that I have some serious thinking to do," I told them. "What kind of contract will you be offering for me to leave school early?"

"The league minimum is five hundred thousand and the max rookie salary, including signing and games played bonus, is nine hundred thousand plus we would negotiate schedule A bonuses and the league also awards Schedule B bonuses," Mr. Snow said. "I'll send you information on the bonus system the league has drafted up as well as some examples of ours. If you signed your entry contract between the ages of 18 to 21, you would have to sign a three year contract. Ages 22 to 23 you would sign a two year contract and if you sign an entry contract at age 24, you'd only get a one year contract as per the CBA."

"I'll do some research on all of that as well," I told them. "I have a photo shoot this coming week and then I'm back in school for the summer semester. I'd like to visit your facilities sometime soon if possible."

"We were going to suggest that ourselves," Coach Gordon replied. "We could make it on a weekend to fit your schedule if that helps."

I nodded and thought about other questions.

"I'm curious about your second pick, Calvin," I said. "Are you planning to have him join your team in the fall?"

The three men looked at each other for a few seconds and then Garth answered.

"We'll give him the opportunity to make the team, but in all likelihood, he will go back and play for the Ottawa Generals in the OHL," he replied. "I'll give you the answer to your next question before you ask it. Calvin has a longer history in hockey that we could look at and we felt more comfortable with picking him at that spot. That being said, we all feel that you can contribute now at the NHL level and will probably outperform him if play like we know you can."

"Thank you, as much as I don't want it to bother me, I had to know why I was passed over by everyone last night," I said. "Believe me, when I do join your team, be it this fall or in two years, I'll be reminding every other team the mistake they made for not picking me. You have a highly motivated player on your hands, gentlemen; I do not like being made to look like there was something wrong with me."

"All the more reason to join us sooner rather than later," Garth responded. "I promise we'll make the contract rich with incentives that a motivated player can easily meet."

"I'm definitely going to be thinking about it for the next couple of weeks," I told them. "I should probably let you get back to your draft table so you can prepare for the next round."

"You're probably right," Garth replied.

They stood up and each of them gave me their cards. I wrote down my contact info and gave it to Mr. Snow. After another round of handshakes, I promised to see them at three o'clock. They walked back to their table and I was immediately set upon by reporters asking my thoughts about being passed over last night and being picked by New York this morning.

"I wasn't expecting to be drafted high in the first round so it wasn't a crushing disappointment," I replied. "Still, I look at it as motivation to prove myself when the time comes to play against the other teams that passed on me."

"What do you think about the New York Islander's organization?" asked another reporter.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Snow and Mr. Gordon are rebuilding the team using the draft and I think they are on the right track with this year's draft so far," I replied. "Both John and Calvin are excellent players that will be great additions to the team. Obviously the Islanders have struggled in the last couple of years, but I think they are doing everything they can to make improvements."

"Do you plan to forego your last three years of college eligibility and join the Islander's this year?" a man asked.

"I've said all along that I was planning on staying for two more years to complete my degree," I stated. "We discussed all the options in the short time we had and I have to think things through and talk with Coach Benson and friends and family. As of now, my plan is to return to Michigan, but in fairness to the Islanders, I'm not ruling anything out."

I took a couple more questions and then excused myself and left the room. I left the Bell Centre via the side door and made it back to the hotel room safely. My phone rang and I recognized Mr. Holland's number.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Mike, it's Ken Holland," he said. "I'm calling to apologize for what happened this morning. I jumped the gun talking to you and I'm sure you're upset with me."

"It certainly came as a shock to me when they called out my name," I admitted. "Hopefully I didn't look too disappointed or angry when I got up there."

"No, you pulled off a pretty good acting job, I must admit," he replied. "So, I'm not supposed to be talking to you, now that you're their property so I'll keep this short. I wish you luck with the Islander's organization and I'll be keeping an eye on you if an opportunity comes up down the road. Again, I apologize for misleading you this morning."

"Thank you for the call Mr. Holland, I wish things had turned out better, but life has a way of screwing with you just when you think things are going your way," I told him. "Good luck the rest of the draft."

"Thank you and have a good rest of the weekend," he replied before he hung up.

And that was the end of that dream.

I took off my suit and relaxed for a bit before dressing casually to go to the restaurant for lunch. I had to sign a couple of autographs but I didn't mind.

After lunch, I called Katie and told her I was available starting Sunday if she wanted to start early. She said she everyone was flying in Sunday afternoon so to enjoy a day off. She asked how the draft went and I told her about being drafted by the Islanders. She seemed happy about that and asked me if they were treating me right. I told her that I was going back to the Bell centre in a couple hours to meet with the management and the other draft picks for dinner. She told me to have a good time and said that I could move to my suite in the CK booked hotel on Sunday afternoon. I wrote down the information and told her I would see her tomorrow afternoon before we hung up.

I next talked to John and Aunt Nancy about what happened but didn't mention talking to Mr. Holland before getting drafted. They both congratulated me before trying to convince me to stay in school.

When it was time to get back to the Bell Centre, I put on my suit and carried my jersey back with me. I showed my invite at the side door and looked around the back for the Islander's contingent.

"Mr. Stewart?" a tall brunette lady in a business suit asked.

"Yes, that's me," I replied.

"I'm Stacey Bates, Mr. Wang asked me to look out for you and to escort you to the room they are all gathered in," she said with a smile. "If you would please follow me, I'll lead the way."

"Certainly Stacey, please call me Mike," I replied, falling in beside her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mike, we're all very excited that you are going to be part of our organization," she stated.

"It's nice to meet you too, Stacey," I replied. "So, what do you do for the Islanders?"

"I work in the prospect development department," she replied. "We handle everything to do with our younger players once they are drafted. We are your first point of contact with the team from now on. I've been assigned as your personal coordinator so here is my card. If there is anything you need or have questions about, don't hesitate to call, email or text at anytime. Mr. Wang moved my other charges to other coordinators, so my time is yours."

"Jeez, he didn't need to do that; what if I stay at Michigan for two more years, you're not going to have anything to do?" I asked.

"Officially, we wouldn't have much direct contact with you as an amateur, but unofficially Mr. Wang wishes you to know that the Islanders will be taking very good care of you," she said quietly. "Mr. Wang chose me to be your personal coordinator and gave me strict instructions that you are to be looked after like a VIP."

"I'm flattered but I'm pretty self-sufficient so you're going to have an easy time of it," I told her as we approached a closed door.

"Mike, I'll explain more when we head back to the hotel," she said with a smile. "Now, let's get in there before they send out a search party."

She opened the door and ushered me into the conference room set aside for the Islander's use.

"There he is, last but definitely not least," Garth Snow announced. "Mike Stewart, come meet the rest of our draft prospects."

I was introduced to John and Calvin from the first round and then two goalies from Finland and Sweden that were as tall as I was. Rounding out the rest were a defenceman from Russia, and two centres, one from Toronto and the other from Minnesota. They had a traded for extra picks and used them wisely. Some of the other management were also in the room and I was introduced around before we were lined up for pictures. I donned my Islander's jersey and stood in the back with the two goalies.

We had pictures taken with the management group as well and then they took us out to a posh restaurant where they had reserved a room in the back.

The spread that they laid out was spectacular to say the least. Seafood, beef and veal, pasta all came out in courses that by themselves would have been enough. I kept my cool and tried to eat like a gentlemen as I saw several of the management, including Stacey and two other young beauties, watching us closely.

During the meal the owner, Mr. Wang, got up and gave a welcoming speech and then turned things over to Mr. Snow, the GM. He outlined a few codes of conduct for draft prospects and said that each of us would be assigned a coordinator to help with the transition and any questions we might have.

Mr. Snow also told us that he would be meeting with each of us in the coming weeks to determine the team's plan for us. All of us would get a shot at making the NHL team but most would return to the leagues they were currently in. Contracts would be offered based on their plan and those that didn't have an agent should get one unless they were keeping their amateur status. The coordinators would explain everything in more detail and would work with the players and their agents until everyone understood.

When the meal was done, Mr. Snow asked John, Calvin and I to remain behind for a few minutes while the rest of the draftees were escorted out by some of the management team. Only the three ladies and Mr. Wang remained.

"Gentlemen, as our first round draftees; and we include Mike as one of you; we place an extra importance in your well being," he stated. "As such, you have been assigned individual personal coordinators. You are their only clients and should be very well taken care of. Any questions, difficulties, problems, needs, wants are to be addressed to them and if they can't solve it, they will come to me for assistance," Mr. Wang said. "This is a strictly confidential situation that only the people in this room need to know about. This is a private perk between me and you to show you how much you mean to me and the team. If anyone asks, just tell them that she is your contact for the team and then let her know that someone is curious about her. Is this understood?"

I nodded as did the other two.

"Good, now the ladies were chosen to match up with your individual personalities, but should conflicts arise, we can shuffle things about," he continued. "You personal coordinators will explain everything in more detail as they escort you back to your family or your hotel accommodations. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head as did the others.

"Ok, as our first round picks, we would like to use you in some of our media presentations and promotions, so your coordinators will be scheduling a couple of photo shoots and media days this summer," he said. "Everyone is very busy so we'll do our best to fit them in on any off days. John and Calvin are already professional hockey players, so they already know what this is all about. Mike is a model so he knows about photo shoots and fitting them into tight schedules as well. Your participation and cooperation is appreciated and you will be compensated in ways beside just your contracts and bonuses."

I nodded as did the others.

"Ok, welcome to the Islanders and please don't hesitate to call me directly if there is something that you feel the need to talk about that your personal coordinators can't handle," Mr. Wang said in conclusion. "I hope to see you all at our facilities as soon as you can make it. Thank you for your time."

We got up and shook his hand and then Stacey pulled me out of the room as Mr. Wang left.

"Mr. Stewart, I know Mr. Carroll and he spoke very highly of you, saying that you're mature well beyond your years," Mr. Wang said. "Your character is beyond reproach and you are making his company a great deal of money. While he wouldn't tell me exactly how much money he is paying you, I realize that money won't be a motivating factor in getting you to play for us. Despite what the media might think, I know that you, as much or more than the two boys in there, will increase ticket sales and interest in the Islanders. Miss Bates was handpicked to be your personal coordinator not only for her looks, but for her brains. I wish the two of you to have a frank discussion of your college degree, what you plan to do with it and then what it would take to delay or put aside that and come and play for us. I'm not pressuring you, but simply trying to see if we can come up with a mutually satisfactory plan. I know you have plans for next week, but spend this weekend with Miss Bates and, while you are working for Mr. Carroll, Miss Bates and I will discuss your situation and see if we can come up with a plan. How does that sound to you?"

"I don't suppose it would hurt to spend some time with a beautiful and intelligent lady in this city," I answered. "I'm interested to know how you're going to react if I do stay in school."

"I'd be disappointed to be sure, but even I don't get what I want all the time," he said. "We will survive without you but we will do better with you here. Tell me, how many computer jobs are out there that will pay nine hundred thousand a year plus bonuses?"

"Only the ones where I develop my own software," I said.

"You don't need a four year degree to do that," he responded. "If you're thinking about that, you must have the programming talent already and what you don't know you can learn on your own."

"True, but there are higher level concepts that I'm still learning, especially now that I just finished my first graduate AI course," explained. "Another couple of the really high end classes will get me what I need."

"So take those in your spare time and then do your programming in your off time here while playing for us," he suggested. "I can help set you up with all that you might need at the college right close to the arena. This is good, I want you to explain all of this to Miss Bates and then we will put our heads together and find a solution that will work for all of us."

"I like your enthusiasm Mr. Wang," I responded. "Ok, Miss Bates and I will have an in-depth discussion and we'll see what you can come up with."

"You two have a good weekend and we'll be in touch," Mr. Wang said, shaking my hand and smiling at Stacey before walking away.

"He's very adamant about me coming on board right away," I said to Stacey.

"Mike, it's not easy to sell tickets to a losing team when there are two other hockey teams within an hour's drive of the Coliseum," she explained. "You are a very popular celebrity, especially in New York because of the fashion industry and what you did for Emma Watson. Women who would never come watch a hockey game will now want to come to see you. We're projecting a thirty to forty percent raise in season ticket sales and corporate luxury suites. Jersey sales will go through the roof and that is all before you even set a foot on the ice."

"So it's all about the money," I stated.

"That's what the owner measures," she agreed. "The more you win the more money you generate. You benefit because you make more money. It's why you earn seven figures for modeling while they make eight or nine on you. Don't get me wrong, everyone wants to win because we're competitive as well, but it's also a business."

She led the way out of the building and we walked side by side to the hotel.

"What floor are you on?" I asked as we entered the hotel elevator.

"The same as yours," she replied.

I hit the button for the fourth floor and we got off together.

I walked to my room with her by my side.

"Do you mind if I come in for a bit to talk?" she asked. "I'd like to get to know you better."

"How about we meet in the morning for breakfast instead?" I suggested. "What time would be good for you?"

"Mike, I'm here to take care of all of your needs and wants," she replied as she stepped closer. "How about we step inside and discuss this some more in private."

"Stacey, you're a gorgeous woman and I'm sure I would enjoy your company but we need to keep this on a professional level," I said.

She looked surprised at that and said, "Those other two first round draft picks are most certainly enjoying some alone time with their personal coordinators before returning to their families. We came here so we could be private and spend the night together rather than in a more rushed atmosphere."

"You represent my potential employer and as such there are potential conflicts and even sexual harassment issues," I responded. "I appreciate the offer but I'll have to decline."

"Wow, I did not see this coming," she stated. "Would you be happier with another woman or perhaps a man?"

"No, I'm not gay and it's nothing to do with you personally," I responded with a grin. "You're very attractive but I'd like to keep this professional. This doesn't mean that we still can't work together."

"Ok, we'll give it a try but I might not be your coordinator for long after Mr. Wang finds out," she replied.

"Then you get to sue him for sexual harassment and I definitely won't be signing with the team," I told her. "You can't be forced into sleeping with anyone."

"In these economic times, I'm lucky to have a job," she replied. "Besides, in your case, I was going to enjoy spending time with you."

"And I'm sure I would enjoy it as well," I stated with another grin. "So, let's meet tomorrow for breakfast and have a good talk about all my options. Go get a good night's sleep and I'll see you at eight."

"Ok Mike," she said, shaking her head. "I'll see you downstairs at eight. Good night."

"Good night Stacey," I replied and waited until she walked to her room and went inside.

I opened my door and went into my room, my body already regretting my decision. My mind knew it was the right one as both Stacey and the Islanders could use it against me down the road, but it had been a couple months since I had been with Barb and Trisha in Jamaica. I thought about Elizabeth and was happy with my decision.

I hung up my suit and turned on TSN to see if anything interesting was being said about the second day of the draft but they were showing a baseball game so I turned it off. I read for a bit before calling it a night.

Sunday morning I used the hotel's exercise room and then met Stacey in the restaurant at eight. She was looking tired but was dressed in a nice blouse and dress pants.

"Good morning Stacey, did you have a good sleep?" I asked.

"Good morning Mike, and no, I didn't," she replied. "I was worried about my job and how to deal with you and what Mr. Wang would say and do."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Let's get you come caffeine and we'll have a good start to our conversation. I hope you're hungry."

"Not really, I'm not a big eater at the best of times," she admitted.

"Well I am, so at least get some fruit or something," I told her.

We went up to the buffet line after ordering our drinks and surprisingly, she ordered an omelette from the chef station. I just had them do some eggs over easy and then filled the plate with bacon, sausage and hash browns. Once back at the table, we ate in silence for a bit while she woke up.

"Ok, let's talk about your degree and your expectations using it," she said when she finished.

I went through what I was taking, where I was presently stood, including the graduate course, and what my plans were. She asked precise questions that led the conversation exactly where she wanted it to go. I told her a bit about my idea using AI programming without giving her any specifics. She agreed that half of the courses that were required wouldn't help me in my long term goals for my programming.

After we finished breakfast, we took a walk and sat on a bench in Mount Royal park just a kilometre or so to the west.

"Ok, we've talked about what you're doing in school and what you want out of it," Stacey said. "Let's say, for argument's sake, that we can get you set up with what you need at a nearby college and in your home or condo so you're happy with that portion of your life. What else would stop you from joining the Islanders? Do you have friends, family, a girlfriend or anything else that would stop you?"

"No one would stop me, but they might try to discourage me from leaving school," I admitted. "They all know that this would be in my future in two years, so it won't be a big shock if it happens earlier. I would miss a few people in Ann Arbor, but my only family is in Toronto."

"Ok, besides the programming, the major issue will be leaving the Wolverines in a lurch," she said. "I believe you were a walk-on, correct?"

"Yes, my scholarship is from the Computer Science department, not the athletic one," I told her.

"You lost a lot of seniors this spring, how do you think the team will do this year?" she asked.

"Probably not as well," I admitted. "You never know what the future holds but if I had to predict, I'd say that we would be lower in the standings and win a few less games."

"So, you'll probably have a good individual year but an average team year," she stated. "The next year would probably be better as your rookies develop."

"Sounds about right," I agreed.

"That doesn't sound like you'll get a whole lot of satisfaction out of that or increase your hockey skills all that much," she said. "So to sum up, there isn't family, a great hockey situation or even a real need for a degree to hold you in Michigan. Yes, the situation there is ok and you could spend two more years there, but it won't really enhance your career or personal goals all that much."

"I think you're slanting it a lot to your side of the equation, but continue," I responded.

"Ok, now to the benefits of leaving early," Stacey said as she held up her hand. "One, you get paid to play hockey. Two, you learn on the job what it takes to play in the NHL rather than have to go through a learning curve in two years. Three, we set you up to do the programming you want to do without having to take the courses you don't need. Four, you're close to CK headquarters which lets you do more modelling and earn more money. Five, they really need you there, so you'll get to negotiate easy requirements to earn bonuses from the team and with your work ethic, you could earn a lot of schedule B bonuses from the league. Six, there are some very nice properties along the coast line of the Long Island sound within half an hour's ride to the Coliseum. Seven, you can drive to the Hamptons and enjoy either the solitude or the celebrity happenings there. Eight, if you sign now, when you're twenty one, you can negotiate a new contract for the money you'll deserve as a restricted agent. I'm sure there are many more benefits to signing now, like prestige, women and even the exposure to be considered part of the Olympic team next year."

"You make some good points there, but some I'm sure are exaggerated," I replied. "Now, let's go over the bad points."

"Obviously there are a couple," she admitted. "You could get injured or you don't make the team. If you get injured you still get paid and every player has injury insurance if it's a major one. If you don't make the team, you go across the Long Island Sound to Bridgeport and play for them for a while until you acquire the skills to make it in the NHL. We don't think that will happen and we don't want that to happen. You're worth so much more to everyone, including yourself, playing for the Islanders."

"Both are definite drawbacks," I agreed. "You can add abandoning my Wolverine teammates, my friends, losing out on two more years of the college experience, having to move from a great condo in an idyllic setting to crowded Long Island. Not everything is better in your scenario Stacey. I know it's your job to highlight the positives, but you're not dealing with a kid here."

"You're right, I'm here to convince you to join us," she said. "Since you won't let me practice my feminine wiles on you, I have to use persuasive arguments. You know I was terribly insulted that you turned me down. I was hired for both my looks and my brains."

"So how long have you worked for the Islanders?" I asked.

"Three years now," she replied. "I interned in ticket sales and then moved to this position when I finished my business degree."

"Do they always assign a personal coordinator for their top picks?" I asked.

"Each year I have been in the department they have," she admitted. "This is the first year I've been asked to be one."

"And you had no problem with the sexual portion of the job?" I inquired.

"There is a promotion with a significant raise and a bonus if we meet our targets and my issues with it went away when I was assigned to be your coordinator," she replied with a grin. "Besides, there were going to be layoffs in our department so I had to ensure I would keep my job."

"So what happens to you if I don't come to New York right away?" I asked.

"I would probably be let go," she said simply. "Mr. Wang doesn't suffer failure lightly."

"It doesn't sound like working for Mr. Wang is a very good idea," I said.

"That's not true, he takes good care of his employees but expects good productivity and results," she corrected me. "You are now very important to his plans. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted the position."

"Good enough," I said. "So you've stressed the pros and cons for joining the team. What else do you have to tell me?"

She went into an explanation of the schedule A and schedule B bonuses and then gave an overview of what I could expect for training camp and then the life of a professional hockey player.

We headed back to the hotel and she retrieved her laptop from her room and showed me on some internet maps the view of the Coliseum and the surrounding area. Just to the north was the Long Island sound and she zoomed into some of the nice houses on the coast. To the east were the Hamptons where all the celebrities and the old money families vacationed.

We broke for a late lunch and then afterwards she asked if there was anything else I had questions on. I couldn't think of any right then so she just told me to call her anytime, day or night if I did.

"Let's get you packed for the trip over to the other hotel then," she said as walked to the elevator.

"Oh, I'm basically packed, just need to brush the fangs and put my kit away," I told her. "When's your flight back to New York?"

"Tomorrow morning," she replied. "I'll make use of some of the amenities here for the rest of the day."

We stopped at my door and she came up close to me.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you with an afternoon rendezvous before you go?" she asked in a sultry voice. "I'm not asking as your personal coordinator but as a very interested woman."

"Stacey, as much as I'm sure it would be a wonderful time, I'm going to have to regretfully turn you down," I responded.

"Damn," she said with a pout. "Ok Mike, I'll be in touch with Mr. Wang's proposal and for the scheduling of the photo shoots in New York. We can show you around the facilities and the area at the same time. You should plan on spending a weekend there. I'll look up some houses and condos for sale in the area so you have some idea of the price and selection. It there is time, we'll scoot out to the Hamptons and take in the life out there for a day."

"Sounds great Stacey, let's tentatively schedule it for the second weekend in July," I told her. "I can fly in Friday and leave Sunday night."

"Ok, I'll work with those dates," she agreed. "Ok, have fun with the models but remember to keep everything circumspect and make sure they are legal before fooling around with any of them."

"Calvin Klein has a strict conduct policy as well, so Katie is just as watchful as you," I told her. "Alright, have a good flight back in the morning and we'll talk soon."

She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before walking to her room. I entered mine and quickly packed up my stuff. I had the room for the night but wanted to spend time with Katie and the models before we started working in the morning.

Katie had us in the Hotel Le St. James, a five star hotel in Old Montreal, just over a kilometre away from the Marriot Chateau Champlain where I was staying now. I decided to walk over there as it was a great day to take in the sites. I checked out at the front desk and slung my garment bag over my shoulder and carried my other suitcase in my hand as I walked out into the sunny day.

Montreal was one of the oldest cities in North America and the part designated as 'Old Montreal' contained the oldest buildings in the city. I enjoyed the fresh air as I walked north-east along Rue St Jacques. The St. James Hotel was an old but elegant building that used to be the Merchant Bank and was built in 1844. The building was white with impressive columns up the front of the building. A doorman was out front to help with the door and the impressive lobby had a high multi-domed ceiling and large chandeliers lighting a marble floor. It was impressive as any hotel I had been in. I approached the desk and a very pretty clerk smiled and said Bonjour and hello.

"Hello, I'm Mike Stewart, I believe I have a reservation for a suite under the Calvin Klein booking," I told her.

"Yes you do, Mr. Stewart and welcome to the St. James, we're very happy to have you and the rest of the models staying with us," she said. "We have you booked in our Penthouse suite for the next three days, the most prestigious suite in the city."

"That sounds like Katie, always going over the top," I said. "Is Miss Dunn or anyone else arrived yet?"

"I believe some of the young ladies and their guardians have arrived, Mr. Stewart," she replied. "Miss Dunn did wish me to inform you that she and the other models and their guardians would be dining in your suite at six. We have arranged for a Cordon Bleu Chef and staff to use your suite's kitchen starting at four thirty to prepare the meal."

"My suite has a kitchen?" I asked.

"It has a kitchen, a ten person dining room table, a master bedroom with a king size bed, walk in closet and large bathroom, a second bedroom with its own bath, a large living room with full entertainment area and gas fireplace as well as a fifteen hundred square foot wrap around terrace with an unparalleled view of Old Montreal," she replied. "It is by far one of the best suites in the country, let alone the city."

"I don't know why she keeps putting me in these things, it's really not my style," I stated.

"I believe there was talk of shooting some of your photo shoot on the terrace and in the suite," she informed me.

"I see," I said. "Well, point the way and I'll go unpack before the man in the white hat comes up."

"I do believe the chef is a woman," she replied with a smile. "And I'll have Pierre bring your bags up and show you through the suite. Your suite is only accessible via a private elevator, located over in that corner."

"There's no need for that, I carried them all the way here," I said.

"My manager would fire me on the spot if the occupant of the Penthouse suite was seen carrying his own bags," she told me as she beckoned a bell hop over.

"We mustn't have you lose your job over me then," I responded with a grin.

"Thank you Mr. Stewart, I appreciate your concern for my continued employment," she replied with a smile before turning to the bellhop. "Pierre, please carry Mr. Stewart's luggage to our Penthouse suite and show him through the suite."

"Yes Miss Louise," Pierre responded, taking the key from her hand. "Right this way, Mr. Stewart."

"Have a good afternoon Miss Louise," I said while Pierre picked up my bags.

"You too, Mr. Stewart," she replied with a big smile. "Don't hesitate to call down using the number 7 for the front desk if you need anything at all. It would be my pleasure to assist you in any way you might need."

I smiled and nodded before turning to follow Pierre. Miss Louise was a very pretty young lady and the way she had phrased that response while smiling had me thinking of some personalized service I wouldn't mind from her. I shook off the thoughts as I entered the elevator.

"You're the Mike Stewart that got drafted first in the second round, correct?" Pierre asked.

"Yes, that's correct," I replied as the elevator started up.

"The Canadians should have taken you in the first round, the imbeciles," he said. "Instead they draft a forward from the United States. You could have helped from the get go. I couldn't believe no one picked you in the first round. Look at you; you're huge and still as fast as a forward. I don't know what these GMs have for brains nowadays."

"They probably weren't sure that I would leave school right away," I said. "I haven't had much experience either."

"I've seen some of the highlights of your year at Michigan," he stated. "You were like a man amongst boys. You're ready for the NHL now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pierre," I said as the elevator door opened into a marble foyer.

"Ok, we're here," Pierre said. "Follow me and I'll show you around."

For the next five minutes Pierre expounded on the features of the fabulous suite. The views were fantastic and the décor was sophisticated and elegant. I slipped him a twenty before he headed back down.

After unpacking, I grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge in the kitchen before sitting out on the terrace to enjoy the view while contemplating the pros and cons of leaving school. If I looked at it logically, it didn't make much sense to stay in school but if I added my feelings to the mix, the decision got less black and white. After a while going back and forth, I was glad I had some time to make the decision.

I stayed out on the terrace, basking in the sun with just some shorts on when I heard my name being called.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Stewart," a woman in chef whites said as she stepped outside. "We are here to start the preparation for the dinner tonight. I am Madam Cartier, your chef for the evening."

"It is nice to meet you, Madam Cartier," I replied as I first sat up and then stood.

Four ladies, two in kitchen whites and two in skirt and blouses, had followed her out on the terrace and were smiling at me while looking me up and done.

"Sorry ladies, just getting a bit of sun," I told them as grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head.

"These are my assistants, two for the kitchen and two to prepare the dining room and to serve the meal," Madam Cartier informed me. "We'll get started now and try to keep out of your way, Mr. Stewart. Dinner will begin promptly at six and is semi-formal."

I nodded and watched as the she herded her charges into the kitchen. I sat outside for another half an hour and then went into my bedroom and had a shower in the huge glassed-in multi-head shower. After a quick shave and tooth brushing, I got into a light suit and sat in the living room to await the ladies.

The elevator chimed at twenty to six and I stood up to meet them in the foyer. Katie got out first and gave me a big smile and came over to see me.

"Michael, you're looking good," she said as she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"So are you, Katie," I replied.

She was wearing a nice dress that showed off her wonderful figure.

"Thank you, kind Sir," she replied with a grin. "I had to dress up or I'd never get your attention with these ladies around. Let me introduce you to them."

"Ladies, this is Mike Stewart," Katie stated, turning to the ladies as they filed out of the elevator. Mike, we have six ladies here to model our different back to school lines for tweeners, teens and college students. Our raven haired beauties are the Chase sisters from New York: Christina, eighteen, Madison, sixteen and Brittany, fourteen. Their mother is here as well, Mrs. Chase."

"It's my pleasure to meet you ladies," I said with a smile.

The girls all said hi as they smiled while their mother nodded.

"Our three blondes are the Jasper sisters from Vancouver: Monica is nineteen, Lisa is seventeen and Alice is fifteen and they are under the care of their mother, Mrs. Jasper," Katie continued.

"Welcome ladies, it's also a pleasure to meet you," I stated, giving them a smile as well. "This should be an excellent photo shoot in a wonderful city. Come and see the view of Old Montreal from the terrace."

I led them out into the sunlight and they all marvelled at the view as they walked around corners to see different parts of the city. The sisters were all in short dresses and had their hair done up to make them look older. The two mothers were probably in their late thirties or early forties and were definitely where their daughters got their good looks from. They both looked wore elegant dresses that showed that they worked hard to keep their figures fit and trim. The family from New York were a bit more aloof than the ladies from Vancouver, but everyone seemed to be getting along.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes, please be seated in the dining room," one of the chef's staff announced.

I helped the ladies with their chairs, those that hadn't sat down already that is, and then sat at one end while Katie sat at another. One of the two wait staff poured water for everyone and bread and butter was passed around.

I had the two oldest sisters, Christina and Monica, on either side of me and both were friendly and attentive.

"Mike, I saw that you were drafted with the first pick on Saturday by the Islanders," Monica said. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, it was nice not to have to wait around all day," I said.

"The Islanders?" Christina asked. "Our dad has season tickets for them. Wait until he hears we've met you! Are you going to join the team next year?"

"I'm not sure yet, my plan was to finish my degree at Michigan in the next two years, but the Islanders are pulling out all the stops to try and get me to join them in the fall," I responded.

"At least you didn't get drafted by a Western Conference team," Monica said. "We're all big Canucks fans and it would have been hard to cheer for you when you play against us."

"I'm sure we'll play them a couple of times a year," I told her with a grin. "We'll have to meet up when I visit out there."

"Definitely," Monica said with a big smile.

"Are you going to visit the Coliseum soon?" Christina asked.

"Yes, for a weekend in a couple of weeks," I answered.

"Then you'll have to visit us as well," she insisted. "We live about a half hour away and we also have a place in the Hamptons that we can show you around."

"I'm not sure if I'll have the time but I'll definitely keep it in mind," I told her.

"What are you ladies arranging down there?" Mrs. Chase asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mike is going to be visiting the Nassau Coliseum in a couple of weeks to tour the Islander's facilities and I thought he could visit us in New York and, if he has time, we can take him out to the house out in the Hamptons," Christina informed her. "Mike just got drafted by the Islanders."

"Congratulations, Mike," Mrs. Chase said. "We would love for you to visit us if you have time. My husband is a big fan of theirs."

"Thank you Mrs. Chase, I'll try to find time to visit," I replied.

"Mike is going to visit us when he's in Vancouver as well," Monica told her sisters and mother. "It won't be too often but we would love to see him as well."

"Certainly, I'm sure he'll be dying for a home cooked meal by then," Mrs. Jasper agreed.

"I appreciate the invitations, ladies," I said. "It's nice to have friends to visit in strange places."

The meal was a great success. French Onion soup came out first and then small garden salads were next. A creamy pasta dish was then served before the main meal of small filet mignon with steamed vegetables with an accompanying skewer of shrimp was brought out. The ladies were served smaller portions and still didn't finish while someone had made sure I was given much larger portions. After the main course was done, some simple sorbet was served as a dessert.

We all thanked the chef and her staff before retiring to the chaises and loungers on the terrace. The older sisters graciously allowed their younger siblings time with me so I had the four younger girls gathered around asking questions about Emma and the Waters twins and other celebrities I had met while their mothers and the older sisters huddled with Katie.

"Mike, where are the washrooms?" Katie asked.

"There are two, both are attached to the bedrooms," I said. "Go ahead and use either."

The older ladies slipped into the suite and then they bragged about them so much that their daughters had to go check them out. I sat out with Katie while the two families explored the suite.

"How do you like the girls?" she asked with a grin.

"They're beautiful and friendly and look like they will be easy to work with," I replied.

"I agree, their mothers insist that we won't have a problem with any of them," Katie stated. "We're going to first shoot just the catalogue shoots and then we've got an idea on how to use the sisters as sort of the same girl through the years, first as friends, then as a first date and then as a college lover for you. That bathroom off the main bedroom will be perfect for some shots and video of you and the older sisters. They both suggested some shots in there with you, and their mothers both thought that it would look great. The middle girls want some sexy shots with you as well but we'll have to keep those pretty sedate because of their age."

"I agree, none of us need any trouble over the girls' ages," I told her. "So are we just shooting here at the hotel?"

"No, we have a shoot scheduled down at the water and one in the Mount Royal Park as well," she informed me. "We'll do the standard shots in the conference room downstairs starting tomorrow morning and then move up here on the terrace. We're here until Tuesday evening and then you and I move on to Ottawa and we have a new model and photographer meeting us there. We stay there two days and then have two days in Quebec City. You fly back to Ann Arbor Sunday morning."

"No rest for the wicked," I said.

"Sorry Mike, we need to fit in as much as we can in the time you give us," Katie said. "It's going to be busy from morning to night, so get a good night's sleep tonight."

"Yes mom," I replied with a grin.

"Speaking of moms, be real careful with the girls, those two moms are very protective of the younger ones but something tells me that they might be thinking that a match between you and their oldest would be a good thing," Katie warned. "Both Christina and Monica seem very interested in you so be aware of that."

"They're both beautiful women but I'm not looking for a long distance relationship right now," I told her.

"Ok, I hate to be a party pooper, but we have four o'clock wake up calls already scheduled, so we all better head to bed early," Katie said, standing up as the girls came back out onto the terrace.

"Ah, it's just eight thirty," Brittany complained.

"And everyone needs their beauty rest before a big day of shooting," Katie replied with a grin, "especially Mike!"

"Hey, no one is going to be looking at me with these beauties in the pictures," I stated. "But, it's been a long day for me so I'm going to get out of this suit and relax for a bit."

I saw a frown on all the girls' faces and had to chuckle.

"Don't blame me, they're the heavies," I said, pointing at their mothers and Katie. "I don't mind having all of you here longer if you don't mind me in shorts and a tee-shirt."

"You need to get that makeup off and comb out those hairdos," Mrs. Chase said to her girls. "You're going to spend the next two days with Michael from sunup to sundown so don't give me those pouty faces."

Mrs. Jasper added, "That goes for my girls as well. Now thank Miss Dunn and Mike for their hospitality and then we'll be going."

There was a chorus of thank you from the young beauties and then Katie and I walked them to the elevator. I pushed the button and the door opened up right away.

"You ladies have a good night and we'll see you all bright eyed and bushy tailed in the conference room at four am," I said with a grin.

"You want us to wear bushy tails?" Alice asked, sounding puzzled. "Isn't that going to look a bit funny? Are you wearing a tail as well?"

I shook my head as they entered the elevator, giggling at me.

"Sleep well," I said as the doors started to shut.

"Good night Mikey!" they all shouted just before the doors closed.

I could hear them laughing as the elevator went down. It was good to hear their laughter as I hadn't heard too much of that lately. I got changed and shut the terrace doors before relaxing in front of the big screen TV. After watching Sportscentre, I turned it off and went to bed, setting my alarm for three so I could work out.

Monday morning came way too early as I tried to shut off the alarm. After a quick wet down of my hair, I took the elevator down and found their exercise room. It was a particularly well equipped room and I got pumped up for the shoot. After a quick shower, I made my way back down to the conference room where everyone was just arriving.

"Good morning everyone, did you have a good sleep?" I asked.

"Oh no, you're one of those!" Monica said, shaking her head.

"And what would one of those be?" I asked with a smile.

"A cheerful morning person," she replied with a grimace.

"I've been up for an hour and already got in my workout, so I have you at a disadvantage," I told her as I grabbed a Diet Coke.

"Even as hot as you are Mike, if you don't tone it down, one of these girls is going to bop you in the nose," Katie said as she reached for the coffee pot.

"Alice, is that right?" I asked the droopy-eyed blonde teen.

She nodded and flicked a finger at my nose. She was sitting so she didn't have a chance to hit me but I still stuck my tongue out at her anyway. I moved on to the Chase ladies.

"Good morning ladies, how are we this fine morning?" I asked.

They mumbled something I couldn't hear from any of them and I just shook my head.

"I just don't know what it is with young people these days," I said.

Christina motioned me over and had me bend close to her.

"Mike, it would be best for your continued well being if you would lose the cheery disposition for the next couple of hours," she said extra sweetly.

I sighed and said, "Fine, but I'm doing it under protest."

"Good man," she responded, patting my cheek, "just do it quietly and over there in your chair."

I rolled my eyes at her and moved over to it, sitting down as a black lady came over.

"Hi Mike, I'm Rhonda, I'll be making you look terrific today," she said with a smile.

"Finally, a person with a smile this morning," I said. "Good morning Rhonda, I'm afraid you've got your work cut out for you today."

"Well, at least I don't have to paint on muscles for you," she said with a laugh. "It appears you have plenty of those to spare. We'll do what we can with this face of yours and hope they look too hard at it. What with you and these beauties in the picture, no one will be looking at your face, darling."

"Truer words have never been spoken, Rhonda," I replied with a grin. "Go ahead and do your best."

I shut my eyes and let her work on my face and hair while I sipped on my Diet Coke once in a while. I noticed that even the two youngest sisters were drinking coffee to wake up while being worked on. The two mothers were talking nearby with Katie and the photographer and video cameraman.

Once everyone was all prepped and ready to go, we were shuttled off to our makeshift wardrobe areas. I was joined by a lady named Tina who quickly had me in jeans and a tee shirt with Calvin Klein written in big letters on an angle down the front. I slipped on some casual shoes and was sent out to the area set up for the simple catalogue photos.

They took a few pictures of me alone and then each of the girls as they came out. Once they were in the sight of the still or video cameras, the girls became very professional and put smiles on their faces. They all posed as directed, with the younger ones keeping things friendly and light hearted while the middle pair was told to add romantic poses and looks. The older two did both the light hearted and romantic poses and then added a few sexy poses as well.

The first set of clothes and poses took us half an hour to finish and then we all changed into new duds and repeated the process. We went through fifteen to twenty changes of clothes, but we quickly got into a rhythm and flew through each set.

We broke for breakfast around ten and went through the small buffet line they had set up for us along the far wall. We all sat together at a long table while Katie discussed things with the mothers and the tech people.

"So are we over our grumpiness yet?" I asked.

"We were never grumpy Mike," Lisa stated, "rather, we were planning the work we had ahead of us today. The morning is our time for quiet contemplation and peaceful meditation."

She said it with a straight face and none of the other girls even cracked a smile as I looked around.

"I see," I replied. "I'm sorry I disturbed your quiet time then."

"Apology accepted," Madison, her teen counterpart, replied. "Hopefully you will be more considerate tomorrow morning."

"I'll strive to be neither seen nor heard until your ladyships have finished your contemplations of life and other higher matters," I responded.

The older four nodded while the two youngest had to hide their grins behind their hands. I started eating and the table was quiet for a while.

"So Michael, Katie tells us that you're single," Monica said with a small smile.

"I am one individual person," I agreed.

"An unattached person, with no accompanying female on a regular basis," Christina elaborated.

"I have been known to have females accompany me," I responded. "I have six accompanying me right now."

"Yes, but do you have one particular female accompanying you on a regular basis, right now?" Madison asked.

"I do have a female that I'm just in the very beginning stages of a relationship with," I told her.

"Oh, that's too bad, we were hoping that you might like to start one with one of us," she said with a pout.

"We don't exactly live close together," I reminded them. "I'm afraid a relationship wouldn't work very well."

I could see them looking at each other but they dropped the subject. After breakfast was over, we moved up to my suite and took a ton of pictures out on the terrace. Lunch was served on the terrace and then they moved us into the bathroom. The girls got into pyjamas of different age-appropriate types and I was in sweats and a tee shirt as they shot pictures with the youngest girls, acting as a teasing friend. They had me be more romantic but still a bit apart from the middle two as they were in various shorter gowns and camisole and short sets.

The shots with the older two started out the same as the middle two but quickly moved to risqué as their outfits became lingerie and I was now in underwear. The green marble used as the main colour scheme in the bathroom was used to contrast their outfits.

I was moved behind them as they bent over to put on makeup in the mirror and they arched their backs to make the shoots even sexier. Another scene was making out against the glass of the shower, with them in tiny bra and panty sets. Both Monica and Christina had terrific bodies and weren't shy about getting close to me. The photographer had me slide down bra straps, move my hands and arms to various positions on their bodies. The girls in turn ground their bodies up against mine and put on sultry looks on their faces.

The last scenes of the afternoon were in the shower with each of the girls as we both only had bottoms on. They either were facing me while I leaned on the back wall so their sexy asses were to the camera, or they were turned around and I had an arm covering their bare breasts. When we were in that position, they both ground their asses into my groin as they reached their arms above their head to wrap them around my neck. It was very a very erotic shoot with the water cascading down on us as they took pictures and video.

We shot the scenes with several different outfits, thongs, hipsters and bikini underwear for the girls, and different coloured underwear and lengths for mine. Both girls tried their best to make me hard as they teased and tempted me. The kisses and hugs were dialled up as they turned the kisses into passionate French kisses and moved their hands all around my body.

"Pick me up and put me against the glass wall," Christina whispered into my ear as she bit the lobe.

I did as she asked and she wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I pushed her up against the glass. She made sure she rubbed her pussy on my erection as she moaned into my mouth. They filmed us like that for a minute before yelling cut. The wardrobe girls came in with robes as I let Christina down to her feet, holding onto her until she got steady on her feet.

"Ok, that's a wrap for dinner," Katie shouted. "That was great work, Christina and Monica! You're going to be very popular when these come out. You two go get changed for dinner and Mike and I will see you downstairs."

"Ok Katie," Monica said. "Come on Christina."

Christina looked at me and I gave her a friendly smile before Monica led her away. The crew left the bathroom and the bedroom and Katie shut the door.

"You ok there Mike?" Katie asked. "It got pretty intense in there."

"I'll be ok in a few minutes," I replied. "They were both trying everything they could to get a rise out of me."

"They obviously succeeded," she said with a laugh as she looked down at my erection. "Either one or both would be happy to help you with that if you wanted."

"As much as they are very sexy women, I'm not going to start something with either of them and then not see them again," I said with a sigh. "I'm going to take a cold shower now and see you downstairs in twenty minutes."

"Ok, I'll go see how they are doing and then escort them down so you're alone up here," Katie responded. "I'm sure they're very worked up as well. They were very sexy scenes, especially with Christina. It got everyone turned on which bodes well for the commercials and print ads."

"I'm glad you got what you needed," I said. "I'll see you in a bit."

She nodded as she left the room and I made sure to lock the door behind her before heading back into the bathroom. I got into the shower and washed off the makeup and the stuff in my hair before turning the water to cold to cool off.

I dressed in tan slacks and a black collared shirt before heading down to the restaurant.

"Ah, Mr. Stewart, your party is already seated," the man said without me having to say a word. "Miss Dubois will show you the way."

"Thank you," I replied.

"Follow me please," the young lady said with a smile before turning.

Miss Dubois had a nice bubble butt that I had to fight hard not to stare at all the way to the table.

"Here we are," Miss Dubois said as we arrived at the long table in the back.

"Thank you," I said as I moved to the open chair at the far end.

"Hello ladies, sorry I'm holding everyone up, is everyone as starved as I am?" I asked.

"Yes, the girls couldn't wait any longer so we've already ordered," Katie said. "I ordered you the biggest Porterhouse steak they had. Was that ok?"

"Can't go wrong with that," I said with a grin. "So, how did we do today?"

"So far everything looks great," she said. "We have some pictures to take after dinner of everyone in some evening gowns and prom dresses up on the terrace. Tomorrow, we'll head to the park and down to the port to shoot some more school clothes outdoors."

"Mike should look good in a prom dress," Alice said with a grin.

"And in heels," Brittany added. "Oh how fine he'll look in with those sexy legs."

Everyone laughed and I had to grin at the two young teens.

"As long as I don't have to wear nylons," I said.

"God, could you imagine him?" Monica asked. "Mike in drag. That's like putting Clint Eastwood in a dress."

"Promise me you'll never be seen in public like that," Katie demanded. "That would ruin your career."

"I have no plans to do that," I told her with a chuckle.

There was a glass of pop in front of me so I had a sip while looking around the restaurant and the girls. Everyone seemed to be in good moods and each pair of same-aged girls was busy talking to each other as were the moms with Katie. Our salads came and the conversations were dropped for a bit as everyone dug in hungrily.

"You're quiet this evening," Monica said when we were done and the girls were all talking again.

"Just enjoying the company without having to keep up a conversation," I responded.

"Christina and I wanted to thank you for how things went this afternoon," she continued. "You made it very easy to shoot those scenes. We were very comfortable with you and felt safe."

"I'm glad you felt comfortable and safe," I replied. "Katie seems to think it went very well so thank you for being willing to do those scenes. I know it's not easy to be in so little and have to be fairly intimate with a stranger."

"Luckily you're not a stranger then," Christina spoke up. "You made us feel like friends right away and then something more while we were doing the actual scenes."

I felt a hand on each knee when she said that.

"I'm glad we could connect so easily," I said. "It certainly helps make the scenes as realistic as we can make them."

"They definitely were realistic," Monica stated as her hand moved up my thigh.

"Yes, we didn't have to act at all," Christina agreed as her hand moved up as well.

"Ladies, I appreciate the candour and the attention, but I won't start anything with either of you when we won't see each other after tomorrow," I told them and I lightly held their hands with mine under the table. "I have too much respect for you for that."

They both gave me fake pouts but did remove their hands from my legs.

"You know Christina lives in New York so you can see her again," Monica pointed out, "especially if you decide to turn pro this summer."

"True, so if that happens then I would visit her there and see what happens then," I responded.

"I would definitely be agreeable to that," Christina quickly told me. "Don't forget you promised to come see us when you visited the Islanders the weekend after next."

"Yes I did promise and I will certainly try," I agreed.

"So, maybe you and Christina can start a little something now and continue it when you get to New York" Monica suggested.

"Is she your dating advocate?" I asked Christina with a grin.

"She seems to be doing a good job of it," Christina answered, smiling at me. "I have to tell you that she would love to hook up with you as well."

Monica nodded enthusiastically while I shook my head.

"You're both lovely ladies and I'm flattered that you like me that much after just knowing me for a day," I told them, "but I don't want to jump into anything on the spur of the moment. Let's get through the photo shoot and see what the future brings."

They looked at each other for a few seconds and then shrugged. Luckily our meals came to put an end to the conversation.

Eventually the meal was over and we had to get back to work. Katie rushed us through a series of pictures with each girl in various dresses. All of them looked a year or two older as they posed romantically and a bit sexily. Christina and Monica took turns ramping up the sexiness as their dresses became more daring.

Katie finally called it a night around ten pm.

"Ok girls, that's it for tonight," she told them. "We have an early morning down at the port to catch the sunrise at six, so get some sleep. We'll see you down in the conference room at five am for makeup and hair and then we drive down there. Great work today, this is going to be a great campaign for us and for you."

They all smiled tiredly and went to get out of their last set of clothes.

"Great work Mike," Katie said quietly. "This will be huge for us. They'll put these ads in all the kid's celebrity magazines and we should see a big jump in sales."

"Good to hear it," I responded. "The girls are all working very hard."

"Yes they are," Katie agreed. "This will be great for their careers. So, are the two of them going to be visiting you this evening?"

"Of course not, I told them I wouldn't be starting anything with either of them," I replied. "I'm tired of starting something with a woman and then not have them around. I'm keeping it just friends."

"Definitely for the best," Katie stated. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok, have a good night," I replied.

She went to the other bedroom and helped get the girls corralled and to the elevator.

"Good night ladies, I'll see you in the morning," I told them with a smile.

"Remember, keep the cheeriness to yourself," Monica said.

"Grumpy and surly I will be," I promised.

They grinned at me as the doors shut. I had a quick shower to get the crap out of my hair and off my face before falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Tuesday morning I worked out and was waiting outside when the first crew members showed up at the conference room. I was already in Rhonda's chair when the Jasper sisters showed up, not looking anymore cheerful then yesterday morning.

"Ladies," I said in a flat voice.

"Mike," Lisa said while April and Monica just nodded and moved to their chairs after getting some coffee.

The Chase sisters weren't much better but Christina had a quick wink for me before she grabbed a coffee.

When we were all made up and dressed in our first outfits, Katie had us pile in a van and we drove down to the port. As the sun came up behind us, the photographer took shots of us with ships in the background, wearing urban and school clothes of various types. Katie varied the girls and the number that took pictures with me. They all had their pictures taken without me as well.

Breakfast was on the go as we each got individual breaks to go to the table and grab something. Mrs. Chase sat down across from me with a muffin and a coffee when it was my turn.

"You've made quite an impression on my daughters, Mr. Stewart," she said, "especially my eldest."

"You have wonderful daughters, Mrs. Chase, you must be so proud of them," I responded. "I'm glad to see that you take such an active role in their modelling career."

"Of course I'm proud of them," she responded. "I'm sure they would like me to give them a bit more freedom but there are unscrupulous people out in the real world that would take advantage of young girls."

"You're definitely doing the right thing," I told her. "So you've come to warn me away from your daughters or I'll be sorry, right?"

She laughed and replied, "If I did that, my eldest would pull you into the first available room and make sure you knew that she was an adult and could do what she wanted. My middle one would be next in line and the youngest would do her best to tempt you as well. No, I'm here to advocate for my daughter but to try and keep things from going too fast. I'm sure you're both physically attracted to each other, but I suggest you try to get to know each other a bit before you get too far along."

"You don't have to worry Mrs. Chase, I have no plans to get physical with Christina," I said. "I hope that I'll have some time to visit when I go to New York in a couple of weekends from now, but your daughter's virtue is safe with me."

"She's not going to be happy about that!" Mrs. Chase said. "She is a wonderful girl Mike, you two would make a great couple. Katie speaks very highly about you so I wouldn't mind you two dating in the normal timeframe for those things."

"I appreciate your endorsement, Mrs. Chase," I replied. "We'll see how things go during the visit as we get to know one another. Scheduling conflicts and distance won't make it easy."

"True, but nothing good in life should come easy," she responded. "I'll leave you to finish your breakfast."

Katie was right. The mothers were pushing for their eldest daughters and me to get together. It was probably best to stay away from the whole situation just to be safe.

We finished up at the docks just before lunch and drove to the park before eating. At the park we got into active wear as well as some of outerwear and it was kept fun and light with all the girls.

At five Katie called it a wrap and thanked everyone for their hard work. We drove back to the hotel and dropped off the girls and their moms.

"Ladies, it's been a fun couple of days," I told them all. 'I hope to work with all of you again soon."

"Thank you Mike, we had fun as well," Monica replied. "Good luck in Ottawa and Quebec City and we hope to see you again as well."

"And we hope to see you in about a week and a half in New York," Christina said.

"Hopefully I can slip away from the Islanders to come see you," I responded with a smile.

"Ok ladies, you have the rooms until noon tomorrow," Katie stated. "Have a good night and a safe flight back. I'll be in touch when the ads are developed."

Everyone hugged everyone and then Katie led me to a waiting limousine.

"You're stuff is already packed and we have some food for the ride to Ottawa," Katie told me as she got in.

"Cool," I said as I followed her.

We waved to the girls as we pulled away from the curb. Once we turned the corner, I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"They were really putting the pressure on you, weren't they?" Katie asked with a grin.

"It wasn't too bad but it was there," I answered. "Christina's gorgeous, sexy and seems nice enough, but I hesitate to get involved with someone so far away that I know next to nothing about."

"Well, you don't have to worry about them for a while so relax and enjoy the ride," she said, patting my arm. "I've got a few phone calls and emails to take care of so go ahead and grab some food out of the basket. We've got about two and a half hours until we get to Ottawa so eat and then settle back."

I did just that. There were gourmet sandwiches, with pickles and chips as well as a fruit basket and a veggie tray. I happily munched away as she talked to her new assistant and others in New York. She even talked to Alexis before eating. Once we were done, we packed the remnants away and stretched out our legs.

"That was great Katie, thanks for always taking so good care of me, I really appreciate it," I said. "You make this so doable for me."

"You're welcome Mike, it's nice to hear that," she said. "You're very easy to work with so it's not that difficult. I appreciate that more than you know."

We talked a bit about how things were going in both our lives. Alexis was living with her but had a new job at a different fashion house. Mr. Carroll was happy with how things were going so she had received a bonus and a paid vacation after the shoot.

The conversation petered out and we both dozed until we hit the outskirts of Ottawa. Eventually we pulled up at a huge stone castle like hotel just down from the Parliament buildings. The Fairmont Chateau Laurier was the one of the top hotels in the city.

"Geez, don't you ever pick a more sedate hotel for us?" I asked.

"Carroll would kill me if you weren't in the best," she said. "It's a drop in the bucket compared to what we pay you or what they make on you, so enjoy the luxury."

"Fine, but please don't use my suite as the photo shoot site, I would just like a one bedroom room instead if you are," I told her.

"Don't worry, we're not doing anything here at the hotel," she said. "You're in one the presidential suites again but it's all yours. "Sorry about Montreal but they were booked solid once we got the girls in the other suites."

"It's ok, I just didn't have anywhere to go for privacy," I said. "Alright, let's get in there."

The driver opened the door and I got out first and helped Katie out from the low seats. She led the way in and took charge at the front desk.

"Ok Mike, we're not starting early tomorrow, so do your workout and meet me in the restaurant for breakfast," she said.

"What time?" I asked.

"Let's say nine," she answered. "Sound ok?"

"Sure, I'll see you then," I agreed. "So what's the schedule after that?"

"It's a surprise," she said. "Have a good sleep and relax."

"You too," I replied.

We split up and followed our porters to our rooms. I was up high in one of the suites and it was overkill as usual. I gave the guy a twenty and locked the door behind him.

After a shower in the oversize marble shower, I watched some TV and then hit the hay.

Wednesday morning I got up at six and worked out before taking a swim in the hotel pool. After a quick shower, I put on some decent shorts and a CK tee shirt before taking a walk down to the locks on the Rideau Canal. They were an engineering marvel for when they were built. I headed back up the stairs and walked to the nearby hotel. After getting my AI book from my suite, I took the elevator down and found Katie in the restaurant just before nine.

"Good morning Katie, did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Yes I did, and you?" she replied.

"Very good," I responded. "I thought we would be joined by some models this morning?"

"Just one plus a photographer," she replied. "We're going to get shots of you two during the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament hill as well as on a tour of the Parliament buildings."

"That's right, it's July first," I said. "I forgot all about it. They always have a big shindig here every year. It should be cool."

"I think so too," Katie agreed. "Today is mostly about having fun so what you're wearing is fine."

A waitress came over and I got an apple juice while Katie got a coffee. We waited on the two before ordering breakfast.

"Where are those two?" Katie asked fifteen minutes later.

"Would those two lovebirds be who we're waiting for?" I inquired, pointing at a striking redhead hugging a dark haired guy with a camera bag over his shoulder.

"Yep, that's Abby and Tommy," Katie told me. "I didn't know they were together."

Katie waved them over.

"Sorry we're late," Tommy said. "I just couldn't keep my hands off her this morning."

"Abby Shaw and Tommy Becker, this is Mike Stewart and I'm Katie Dunn," Katie made the introductions.

I stood up and shook both of their hands.

"Hi Abby, Tommy," I said.

"Hi Mike," Abby replied pleasantly enough.

"Damn, you're a big one," Tommy stated with a grin. "You should try reading a book now and then instead of visiting the gym for hours every day."

"I try and read a comic book at least once a week," I responded.

"Good for you," he said as he sat down and put his arm around Abby's shoulder.

"So, how long have you two been an item?" Katie asked.

"What's it been Abby, about nine hours?" Tommy asked.

Abby blushed as she nodded.

The waitress came to the table and we ordered breakfast. Katie explained in more detail what she was going for today but other than that we were pretty quiet as we ate.

Katie and I waited in the lobby for Abby to change into what Katie brought for her to wear today. Tommy went with her, so a five minute wait turned into thirty minutes before they showed up. To top it off, Abby wasn't wearing the tank top that Katie asked her to wear under a loose shirt.

"What the hell took you so long?" Katie asked, clearly pissed.

"We had some quick fun and then we had to search for a better top for Abby's colouring," Tommy told her.

"Ok, that's it," Katie said. "Sorry for wasting your time Mike, but today's photo shoot is cancelled. You two, check out of your rooms and head home on the next available flight. Your agencies will hear from me later about your unprofessionalism."

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked. "So we're a bit late; it's not the end of the world."

"Once is ok, twice in one hour is unacceptable, let alone unilaterally changing the outfit," Katie retorted. "It's not even a Calvin Klein shirt damn-it! You have fifteen minutes to pack and leave the hotel or security will escort you out."

"This was probably the Neanderthal's fault," Tommy said snidely. "What, you couldn't stand the model with someone else, could you ape?"

"He never said a thing," Katie told him. "This is all on you two. Now go get packed and don't even think of doing a thing to those rooms or I'll have you both blackballed."

Abby turned and left without a word, leaving Tommy to bluster for a few seconds before he stomped away.

"Sorry Mike, they each came highly recommended," Katie turned to me. "It looks like you have a day or two off to enjoy the sights."

"No chance of getting someone else here?" I asked.

"Not on a holiday," she replied. "I'll make some phone calls and see but it won't be for today. Why don't you go enjoy yourself while I try and see what I can do?"

"I'll stick around until they're gone," I told her. "I don't trust that guy."

We sat on a couch and waited for them to come down. Abby was down first and handed in her key card at the desk and then came over and put the CK clothes down on the table in front of us.

"I'm very sorry for how I acted, Miss Dunn," she said. "I agree it was unprofessional. I'm not really sure how it happened but I'm leaving by myself before he gets down here."

Katie handed her a note with a flight number and time back to Toronto. Abby thanked her, apologized to both of us again and then quickly left. I watched as she hailed a cab and drove off.

Tommy came out down ten minutes later and threw his keycard at us before stomping out of the hotel. Katie went up to the front desk and explained things while I watched to make sure Tommy got in a cab and drove off.

I read my book for the next hour while Katie was on the phone trying to find replacements. She also had her laptop open and was looking at models while talking to someone back at the home office.

"Mike, I can't get anyone here in time, we're going to have to just write the next two days off," she said at eleven.

"Well, let's put our stuff away and go enjoy the festivities," I suggested. "We deserve a bit of time to relax and have some fun."

"I better not, if Mr. Carroll found out I was out having fun after this debacle, I'd be toast," she said. "You go enjoy the concert and I'll see you later."

"You sure, he'd never know?" I asked.

"Oh, he'd know," she assured me. "Maybe I can relax tomorrow. Go have fun; you need it worse than I do."

"Fine, call me if anything changes," I told her and gave her my book to hold on to.

It was less than a five minute walk to the Parliament buildings where the first of two concerts were being held. The place was starting to get packed as I arrived around eleven fifteen. I accepted a pamphlet from a man and glanced through it as I walked towards the big stage. There was two large areas of lawn on either side of the wide walkway leading up to the Parliament Building. Everything was filling up quickly. In front of the stage there was a section roped off for VIPs so the public couldn't get too close to the stage. I stood at the base of the walkway where the Centennial Flame was burning in the middle of a water fountain and looked around.

I stayed put for a minute while looking at the acts that would be performing today. The headliner was Sarah McLachlan from BC and then there was a list of other groups or people from each province. Besides the performers, there were flyovers by the Snowbirds, some CF-18s and some Tutor jets. This was the first of two shows as they were going to have a second show at seven thirty in the evening with a slightly modified line-up.

I noticed a group named Willow from Ontario and it triggered a memory of a girl from Dryden where I grew up. Her name was Willow Rose and she had been one of few people and probably the only girl that I had been sort of friends with. She was shy, and while I always thought she was pretty, she always hid her body in loose clothes and had her hair covering her face. We had never gone out, with each other or anyone else, but she had played a pretty good game of chess. We had a few classes together all through high school and I did remember she played piano as she was always running off after school to lessons three times a week rather than playing chess.

I had lost touch with her after high school ended. I'd basically just zoned everything and everybody out after my mother died. I didn't go to graduation or the prom and while she tried to help, I wasn't in any condition to appreciate it. I never heard what she was planning on doing after high school. I didn't think she was in the group listed on the pamphlet but it was nice to think about her again.

I found a lamppost to lean on and settled in to watch the show. Right at twelve the Snowbirds flew overhead and then came back to do a few stunts before the show started.

Sarah McLachlan opened the show and she was great as usual. I recognized all four songs she did and the audience sung along. Other acts from the different regions of Canada followed and while some weren't to my taste, I enjoyed the concert.

Willow was the second last group to perform. I watched in interest as the MC introduced them and they walked out. There was a drummer, bass guitar and lead guitar as well as two female back-up singers plus the girl who sat down at the piano.

"Hello Canada, we're the band Willow and we're very happy to be here celebrating Canada Day," the girl said into the mike. "This first song is called Sorrow."

Her voice sounded like it could be the Willow that I knew, but what I could see from where I was standing, she didn't look all that similar. She had on a tighter tee shirt and a shorter skirt on than my Willow would ever have worn. Her hair colour, a dirty blonde, was similar, but it was cut in a current style away from her face.

The drummer counted them in and they broke out into a rock ballad with the piano picking up the melody. Her voice was quite good and the song sent shivers down my spine. There was a very nice round of applause from the crowd.

The next three songs were all different. There was a rock song then an instrumental jam for the third where the girl showed off her virtuosity on the piano. The final song featured the voice talents of the lead singer with the back-ups as they all stood in front of the stage and grooved to a sort of rock/dance beat while singing in three part harmony. I sort of reminded me of a hard Christina Aguilera tune. The three singers moved in unison and looked down right sexy without being slutty. The song ended with the three of them singing the chorus without any music and when they finished, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

The last band didn't impress me as I decided to go see if the singer was the Willow I knew from high school. Of course the tent off to the side of the stage was restricted and had two beefy guys guarding the entrance.

"Hi, is there any chance I can get in to meet the lead singer of Willow," I asked them. "I think she might be an old friend of mine."

"Sorry, only authorized visitors allowed," the one guy said.

"There will be a meet and greet with all the performers after the show is over, so just head over to the VIP area and you might get lucky enough to get close enough to see her," the second one informed me.

"Thanks for the info," I told him and made my way back to the front of the stage as the concert ended.

I waited around as the crowd left the area slowly. I stood near the roped off VIP section and watched as the performers came out to mix with the people inside. There were a couple hundred people all standing up and milling around in there so it was hard to find any one person.

I noticed that there were other people waiting around the outside of the area to get autographs or pictures of some of the groups. Hopefully the band would come around to greet their fans.

The VIPs filtered out slowly and some of the performers did make the effort to visit with the fans around the outside perimeter. I stood with my hands in my pockets as I finally saw the band I was looking for. As they approached where I was standing, I looked the singer closely. She was the right height, about five foot eight, and just as slim as I remembered, especially since she wasn't hiding her body anymore. Her face was beautiful, no other way to say it. I wasn't sure if it was my Willow or not. Her blue eyes looked familiar but it might have been wishful thinking.

She finished signing autographs for the group near me and moved along. I watched her face as she looked at me for a second and then moved on as I wasn't holding anything for her to sign. I didn't see any signs of recognition from her and I thought it was only a ten percent chance it was her.

I watched her for another minute or so and saw her look back at me. I took a chance and smiled at her and she looked at me with a puzzled expression and then continued on. I shrugged my shoulders and turned away.

I was almost out of the Parliament Building grounds when I felt a hand on my arm.

"Mikey?" a voice asked.

"Was that really you on stage, Willow Rose?" I asked as I turned around.

"Mikey!" she exclaimed and gave me a hug.

"I can't believe you got up on stage in front of thousands of people," I said. "I like the new look; it's nice to actually see your beautiful face."

"University life has been good to me," she responded. "I have friends and they brought me out of my shell and helped me grow up. So you like the new changes?"

"I love them," I replied. "You were amazing up there by the way; I didn't know you could even sing but you sounded fantastic. I remember you always racing off for piano lessons but I never heard a peep from you about singing."

"I had voice lessons as well, but I never wanted anyone to know back then," she responded. "But look at you, all buff and handsome now. Are you the same Mike Stewart that's a model and just got drafted by the Islanders?"

"One and the same," I answered. "I guess we've both had some major changes in the last year. I can't get over how gorgeous you look."

She blushed as she straightened out her skirt.

"I don't usually wear something this short but its part of the show," she said.

"You look terrific, no need to blush," I told her with a grin. "So, do you have some time to talk so we can catch up?"

"Not too much, we play another show at seven thirty tonight, so we have to work on some issues and grab some food," she replied.

"I understand, maybe after the show or tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'd like that," she said. "There's a party after the concert, I can get you in as my guest. Tomorrow we were planning on heading back to London in the afternoon so we could meet for breakfast if the party doesn't sound like fun."

"How about both?" I asked. "I'm here with my coordinator for CK; she might like to come to the party if you can get her in. Our photo shoot got cancelled so I have a free day tomorrow before we move on to Quebec City. Then I have to get back to school for Monday."

"Sure, I can get her in," Willow said. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, she's just my coordinator," I replied. "Man, I just can't believe how much you've changed. You're not hiding behind your hair and you're performing in front of thousands of people."

"Yeah, well you're being seen in your underwear by millions of people," she retorted. "You would barely wear shorts or take off your shirt in the summer."

"Too true," I replied. "I bet those wonderful classmates of ours would shit if they saw us now."

"I saw a couple of them last month at a bar where we were playing," she said with a hardening of her tone. "Remember Shirley Printer and Lisa Horvath?"

"Those two bitches?" I asked. "Of course I do, they were my worst tormenters."

"They showed up and wanted to hang out, pretending we were friends," Willow said. "It felt so good not to let them into the afterparty."

"Good for you," I said. "So I'm not on the banned list?"

"Mikey, other than the fact that you never asked me out, you were practically the only boy who even acknowledged my existence in high school," she said. "You will always be welcome."

"Good to hear it," I said. "So, shall I walk you back?"

"Certainly, kind Sir," she said. "Rach and Crystal are going to shit when they see you."

"Your back-up singers?" I asked.

"Yep, though they're more than back-up singers, we're really the group," she said. "We added the guys a few months ago instead of using canned music for the rhythm section."

"So, you got this started at school?" I asked as we turned back.

"Yes, I went to the University of Western Ontario in London for music and met Rach and Crystal there," she explained. "We hit it off and started working on some songs in our spare time. After a talent show that we entered on a lark, we were asked to play at a bar and it just snowballed from there. This is by far the biggest thing we've done but we've been getting great feedback from everyone."

"Have you recorded anything yet?" I asked.

"No, that's the next step we have to take," she answered. "We're hoping to garner enough attention from doing this show to attract a producer or a record company."

"They must be recording the shows right?" I inquired. "That would be a pretty good demo CD for you to use in the meantime."

"That's what we're thinking," she agreed. "It's real expensive to record even a demo CD, let alone an album."

"We'll talk more about that tomorrow, I may be able to help in a few areas," I said as we walked up to the tent.

"Don't tease me like that Mikey, tell me what you're thinking!" she begged.

"Nope, I need to make sure you're still going to want to see me after the show," I responded with a grin. "Katie and I will be waiting outside the VIP area for you when you're done. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Wait, I have some passes for the VIP area that we didn't have anyone to give them to," she said. "You and Katie can watch from there. Don't leave Mikey."

She showed her pass to the guards and ran in. She came back out and her two girl friends were with her.

"Mike, this is Rach and Crystal; girls, this is Mike Stewart," Willow said with a big grin on her face as she handed me two VIP passes.

"Holy Shit," Crystal said, "it is him. She wasn't bullshitting!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you ladies, it was a terrific show," I said.

"How the hell do you know Willow?" Rach, the redhead, asked.

"She was one of my very few friends during high school," I told them. "She's probably my oldest friend I have."

"Damn, I can't believe you knew him and you didn't say anything," Rach said to Willow.

"I knew Mikey, not Mike Stewart," she explained. "He's four inches taller and forty pounds heavier and now takes his clothes off for a living."

"Not all of them," I corrected her. "Besides, modeling is just a part time thing. I'm still in school."

"True, Mikey was the smartest person back in high school," Willow told them. "I could never beat him in chess, even when he was playing several people at once."

"You two were chess geeks?" Crystal, the black haired beauty, asked in shock.

"Yep, Willow was very good but she wouldn't practice enough," I told them. "She was always running off to her piano lessons."

"Lucky for us," Rach said.

"Ok, I know you three have lots to do to get ready for the next show," I said, "so I'll leave you to it and see you after the show. Thanks for the passes by the way."

"You're welcome," Willow said. "We'll see you later, Mikey."

"Willow, no one except my two little cousins calls me Mikey anymore," I told her in an exasperated tone.

"Good, then you'll know who's talking when you hear it again," she responded with a grin. "Come on girls, we need to kick it up a notch for tonight's show now that we know a celebrity is in the audience."

"Damn right," Rach agreed.

They all gave me a last once over before turning and heading back in. I made sure to check them out as well and sure enough they turned their heads to see if I was watching their exaggerated wiggles. They gave me a grin before ducking inside.

I went back to the hotel and called Katie to see if she wanted to eat together. She agreed and we met in the hotel restaurant after I put on some better clothes. The afternoon wasn't particularly pleasant for her as Mr. Carroll came down hard on her and whoever recommended the model and the photographer. So she was definitely interested in my afternoon.

I filled her in on what had transpired and our invitation to the VIP area for tonight's concert and the afterparty. She was happy to go and had to know all about my relationship with Willow. I told her a bit about what we went through in high school and how she tried helped me through my rough patches.

"So, they're really good and the next step is to record a demo CD or actually get a recording contract," I told her. "I want to help them out. I'll pay the costs of the demo if the recording of this concert isn't enough. I'd like to help them record an album as well, whether with a recording company or do it independent and then market it to a company. I know sometimes music and fashion people mix; do you know anyone you would trust with their career? They're all beautiful, I'm sure you could do a CK thing with them as well, maybe provide their clothes and sponsor them or something. I think they're going to be a hit. And I'm not saying that because she's a friend. You're going to be amazed when you hear them. I'm going to call Mitsy as well."

"Settle down Mike, of course we would be interested if they're as beautiful and talented as you say," Katie said with a smile. "It's nice to see you so enthused about something. We do have a couple of high profile music people that we sponsor and use in our advertising. I'll start the wheels rolling this evening and, if they're as good as you say, I'll have them under contract for modeling and sponsorship by tomorrow. Is that good enough for you?"

"As long as you handle them, I'm happy," I told her.

"I'll also see who we should get them involved with musically," Katie continued. "You should call Mitsy; her family might have connections as well. Between the two of us, we should find someone we can all trust."

"Thanks Katie, you're the best," I said. "You know, I don't pay you enough."

"You don't pay me at all silly," she retorted. "Though it was a good vacation you sent me on."

"Set up a bank account in the Caymans and I'll double what CK is paying you," I told her.

"Mike, you don't have to do that!" she protested.

"You look out for me and will look after Willow so I want to do the same for you," I told her. "Your efforts need to be rewarded better."

"Mike, it's too much," she said. "I'm just doing my job."

"No, you go above and beyond," I told her. "You're getting the money, even if I have to set up the account myself."

"I guess I better rethink the girl only lifestyle," she said with a sigh.

"What, pray tell, are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm going to have to start sleeping with you now," she said matter of factly.

"And why is that?" I asked mildly.

"I have to earn that money somehow," she replied. "Shall we go up to your room or mine?"

"As much as I would love to roll around with you on your bed, we don't have time for such frivolity at this time," I said. "I'll call Mitsy and then you have to get dressed in good casual clothes for the afterparty."

"Fine, but let me know if Willow is coming back tonight, so I know whether to come to your suite, or not," Katie said with a grin.

"Katie, stop kidding around, all three of them will be coming back and you'll have to help with them," I said with a straight face.

She burst out laughing and I had to grin.

"You know it's not out of the realm of possibility," she commented when she settled down. "Who knows, one or two of them might lean that way."

"You're welcome to them, as long as it's not Willow," I said. "Now go get ready and I'll call Mitsy."

She settled the bill and we took the elevator up.

"Mike thanks for thinking about me in such high regard," she said quietly. "It means a lot to me that you care about me. All kidding aside, if you ever get lonely, I would love to spend time with you if you're not seeing anyone."

"Katie, that is a wonderful offer, and if I didn't already feel like you're my big sister, I would take you up on it," I said with a soft smile. "I think we're beyond that now, though you're certainly a gorgeous woman."

The doors opened for her floor and she said, "That's sweet of you, but just remember what they say little brother, incest is best."

She gave me an evil grin as she walked out of the elevator and down the hall. I watched her pert ass until the door closed. I pulled out my phone and had Mitsy's number ready to call once I got inside my suite.

"Michael, as usual, you have the worst timing," Mitsy said.

"Hello to you Mitsy, what am I disturbing now?" I asked.

"I happen to be out on a date, if you must know," she said. "So make it quick."

"You're out on a date and I haven't met him yet?" I asked.

"Damn, Asuka bet me that was what you were going to say," she said in disgust. "Yes, who I date is not subject to your approval. Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

"We'll be discussing your dating partner when I get back Sunday," I told her. "For now, do you know anyone in the music recording industry?"

"Of course, I know someone in every industry," she replied. "Who is she?"

"It's them, not her," I said. "I heard them play this afternoon here in Ottawa at the Canada Day concerts and they're playing again this evening and it will probably be on TV. They're really good and I'm going to help them and so is Katie. Now we just have to find a trustworthy record company."

"Who is she?" Mitsy asked again.

"Her name is Willow Rose and the group is called Willow," I told her. "She's my oldest friend from high school. She's the one who helped me get through high school without becoming a crazed lunatic. I'd appreciate any help you can provide me in helping her and her friends."

"I'll have the show recorded and pass it on to our subsidiary company," she said without the usual sarcasm. "I'll be in touch in the morning with their appraisal and we'll go from there. If they're as good as you say, we'll work with you and Katie to get them started."

"Thank you Mitsy, you caved in pretty quickly, I thought I would have to beg," I responded.

"Michael Stewart as a raving lunatic means I'm not here anymore as are many others," she replied. "I'd like to meet the girl who could keep you sane."

"I'm sure you just want to find out all about my earlier life before you knew me," I replied with a laugh. "There will be plenty of opportunities for you two to talk."

"Good, now quit bothering me so I can get back to my date," she replied.

"Is he a good guy?" I asked.

"He's no Michael Stewart but I hope you will approve of him just the same," she said quietly.

"If he's good to you and you like him, of course I will approve," I replied. "Besides, he must have already gotten Asuka's approval or you wouldn't be anywhere near him."

"True, but she wouldn't double date with us and his friend," Mitsy told me. "She told me that you and I still need protecting and she doesn't feel any rush to date. Personally, I think she's holding out for you. Maybe I need to send her to live with you and you two can work things out."

"You need her around to hand you stuff from the second shelf," I responded. "You get back to your date and have a good time but not a great time."

"Now you know how we feel," she said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She hung up and I knew exactly what she meant. I wasn't happy hearing that she was on a date with someone else even though I knew I would never be with her. It was bound to happen with all the women I knew, but I didn't have to like it. I was glad that Asuka didn't want to date.

I decided to have a quick shower and got into a different set of clothes before meeting Katie. She was also dressed well and looked sexy.

"Mitsy is going to record the show from the TV and pass it onto a subsidiary and contact me tomorrow," I told her as we walked out onto the crowded street.

"That's excellent news," Katie said. "I did a bit of research on them and they are very cute. How tall are they?"

"Willow is probably five eight or nine and the other two are just a bit shorter," I responded.

"Ok, I'll have some preliminary contracts ready for breakfast tomorrow, and the coordinators of our other music talent are making inquires about reputable companies as well," Katie said. "We need to get them signed and protected before they get bombarded with unscrupulous offers."

"Good, thanks Katie," I replied.

"No problem, it's the least I can do for my new boss," she said with a grin.

"Katie, I'm just taking good care of you, I'm not your boss," I told her with a roll of my eyes.

"You better get a girlfriend soon or I'll be using and abusing you every chance I get," she warned as we entered Parliament Hill.

We walked through the gathering crowd and presented our passes at the entrance to the VIP area. We found some seats near the back but smack dab in line with the centre of the stage.

"Great seats," she said. "This is turning out to be a good day. Signing them will be very good for CK and for my career if they're as good as I hope they are."

"See, everyone wins when we work together," I said. "Those two sillies this morning did us a big favour."

"Yeah, you might not have even met her if we were doing the photo shoot," she stated. "It's a funny world sometimes."

We were quiet as we reflected on things while people watching. There were some pretty women in the VIP section, mostly attached to men but some there with other women or in a group. Katie and I passed the time by guessing if the women were wives, girlfriends or mistresses. Eventually the MC came out on stage.

"Welcome everyone to our evening show celebrating Canada Day!" he yelled.

The crowd cheered.

"We've changed up the show from this afternoon's and have a couple extra acts for you, so without further ado, please give a warm welcome for Viking!" he announced.

The stage lights came on and the band started into their rock act. It was a bit loud for me but they were decent. A rapper came on next and then a North American Indian group came on to change things up. The rest of the acts from the afternoon show came on one after another.

Sarah McLachlan was introduced and I looked at Katie and said, "I hope nothing went wrong with them."

"Maybe they were moved to last if they did so well in the afternoon," Katie suggested.

"I hope so," I replied.

We listened to Sarah's four songs and clapped with the rest of the audience. She stayed on stage and after the applause stopped and the lights dimmed except the one on her.

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce the last act of the evening," she said. "We've moved them to the end because frankly, none of us wanted to go on after them, they are that good. I'm sure we'll be hearing great things from these young ladies for a long time. Without further ado, direct from London Ontario, here is Willow!"

She left the stage and the lights went out. The bass and drums started up a fast dance beat and then the three girls started a high three part harmony as spotlights lit them up. They were in shiny short dresses, identical except for colour and they looked and sounded terrific.

"Wow!" Katie said as they moved towards each other while singing.

"I told you!" I replied.

Once they were next to each other, they moved as one while Willow sang the verse. Those hips of theirs were moving like snakes and they were sexy without being sleazy. They sounded like Destiny's Child or Moulin Rouge and looked just as good. The crowd showed their appreciation when the song was over with a long ovation.

The next song was the ballad and then the song they ended the show with in the afternoon. Their final song was the rock song that sounded like Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart but only in three part harmony. Willow and the guitar player both did great solos and the girls ended with the last chorus without accompaniment. It was a great finish to a great performance.

The crowd gave them a standing ovation that lasted a couple of minutes. They kept chanting Willow long after they had run off the stage.

The small spotlight lit up the MC.

"What a fantastic show, right people?" he shouted.

We all clapped and yelled and chanted Willow.

"We've convinced them to do one more song! Here's Willow!" he yelled and ran off the stage as we cheered.

"Hey Canada!" Willow shouted. "Thank you so much for that great response. We hope you had a great Canada Day just like we did!"

She waited while the crowd roared.

"Here's something we put together this afternoon after someone walked back into my life," she said. "It might be a little rough in some spots so bear with us."

Willow sat down at the piano and nodded to the drummer who counted them in. She immediately went into an elaborate piano introduction that showed her talents to the fullest. It led into the first verse that she sung as well as anyone I had heard recorded. The girls joined her for the chorus and then each sung a verse. The ending ramped up in volume as Willow adlibbed on the piano while singing the chorus with the other two.

At the end Willow held an incredible high note while the other two hit the third and fifth below as she played like a concert pianist going up the scales until she hit the final key on the piano and they all stopped at the same time. It was an incredible ending and it left the crowd in shock for a few seconds.

The three of them took the time to shout, "That's for Mikey!" before the crowd erupted.

They met in the middle of the stage and locked arms before bowing to the crowd. They left the stage waving their arms with big smiles on their faces.

The MC came back out with the lights still on.

"Wow, what an ending to a great show," he said. "Thanks to all the great acts and for your great response tonight! Good night Canada!"

The lights went out on the stage and the lights out along the pathways came on to illuminate the way out. Even the Parliament building lights were turned up to help.

"You better get them on board tonight or you'll have every agent and producer knocking on their door tomorrow morning," Katie said. "They're fantastic and gorgeous. I'll have the top brass kissing my tush if I get them to sign with us."

"I'm sure they'll hear us out, especially when they find out what we have lined up for them already," I said. "If they get a better deal with a reputable company, I have no problems with that. Besides, the song was about me, remember."

"Great, your head is going to swell even bigger now," she quipped.

I grinned at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

We waited until the performers started showing up and as we suspected, the girls were surrounded. Katie and I stayed in our seats to give them time to sign autographs and shaking hands. They finally got free of them and went around the outside doing the same thing.

They took another fifteen minutes doing that and then walked over to us.

"Well Katie, if they treat us like this now, just imagine how long it will be before they grace us with their presence when they're huge stars," I said. "You'd think being their inspiration for their new song would rate something."

"Well, I suppose we're just little people to them now," Katie sighed.

"Are you two done?" Willow asked. "Your humour hasn't improved much since high school, Mikey."

"And were you fibbing to all those people out here?" I asked, standing up. "How could you compose the music for that last song in two hours?"

"We wrote the lyrics in two hours, Willow made up the music on the fly," Rach said. "She just tells the guys what key and rhythm to use and she wings it."

"Really?" I said, looking at Willow.

"Really, really," she replied with a grin.

"Very impressive," I said, "not as impressive as playing chess with ten people at the same time, but still impressive."

"It's not just his body that got bigger, was it?" Willow asked Katie.

"No, the ego is starting to get expand past the safe limits," Katie answered. "We're lucky we're outdoors."

"Oh yeah?" I said. "You're short and you..."

I looked Willow up and down and couldn't find anything to critique.

"Yes Mikey?" Willow asked with a grin.

"You missed a note in the last song just before the end," I finished.

"How would you know if I missed a note, you've never heard the song?" she asked with a piercing look.

"It was plain as day, you two must have heard it," I replied, turning to the other singers.

"You did miss that B flat just before the end," Rach admitted.

"It was lucky that our voices covered it up," Crystal added.

"Then how did he hear it?" Willow asked, turning to me.

"What can I say, I have good ears," I replied. "So don't go poking holes in my ego, Miss 'I made up the music on the spot and never make a mistake'. Just because you're beautiful and can sing and play fantastic doesn't mean you're perfect."

"That's telling her," Rach said wryly.

"Pretty soon she'll be crying her eyes out," Crystal added.

"Are you all done?" Willow said. "Shall we get changed and head to the party?"

"We shall," Rach said. "Shall we leave these little people here to wait for us?"

"Unless you want Mike to help you with your dress," Crystal stated. "Don't bother answering that."

"We'll see you in a few minutes," Willow told us and led the other two to the tent by the side of the stage.

"Pushing your luck there, weren't you?" Katie inquired.

"Not really," I said. "She would always bring me down to size when I got too smart for my own good. The problem is I can't retaliate with the usual hair in her eyes or baggy clothes."

"She is smart, beautiful and talented," Katie said. "Don't be a total idiot and let her get away this time."

"They're going to be very popular and very busy," I replied. "I doubt we'll find the time to be in the same city let alone have a relationship. Come on, we might as well move a bit closer to wait for them."

As we approached we could hear raised voices and, since the guards had gone in to see what the issue was, we poked our head in.

"You have no authority to sign us up with an agent, Simon," Willow shouted.

"We're part of the band, we have equal rights," he retorted.

"No, we give you equal split of our gigs but only the three of us have legal rights,"
Rach stated. "That contract isn't worth the paper you signed."

"If you don't sign with Hampton, we're quitting and start our own band," the drummer threatened.

"We're not signing with him," Willow said and crossed her arms.

"We're out of here," the bass guitarist said, grabbing his guitar and amp.

"Where's our cut of this gig?" Simon asked.

"We haven't been paid yet," Willow said. You'll get it next week."

"We need it now!" the drummer said.

"And I said we don't have it!" Willow retorted.

"We need gas money to get back to London in the van," Simon said.

I walked in and asked, "What's their share, Willow?"

"I'm not sure, maybe a thousand," she said.

"Here's four hundred," I told her, giving her most of what I had in my wallet. "That should hold them for a few days, right guys?"

"Yeah, that will get us back, but we'll need the rest on Monday," Simon said, trying to grab the money.

"Is any of the equipment owned by the ladies?" I asked, holding it away from him.

"The keyboards and the mikes are theirs," he replied.

"It will be returned in good shape to them when you come for the rest of the money, correct?" I asked.

"Fine, it's not worth that much anyway," Simon said. "Can I get the money so we can blow this place?"

"I looked at Willow and she nodded.

"Here you go," I handed it over.

He grabbed it and they quickly left the tent.

"Thanks Mike, we'll pay you back as soon as we can," Willow said.

"Don't worry about in, think of it as the first instalment from your new backer," I said.

"What did you just say?" Rach asked.

"I was going to save this for later, but I'm going to front you guys the money to record an album and get you guys the equipment and other stuff you need," I said. "Katie is ready to sign you guys up as well."

"Sign us up for what?" Crystal asked.

"We haven't been formally introduced by Lurch here," Katie said. "I'm Katie Dunn; I work for Calvin Klein and manage everything to do with Mike's modeling. We would like to sign your group to a sponsorship deal where we provide all your clothes, both personal and on stage, as well as help sponsor your concert tours and part of your album in exchange for you modeling in some of our ads and putting CK logo somewhere on your posters and on stage and in the media promotions. We would also pay you personally for what you do. We have a few musicians and groups already and we'd be happy for you to talk to them so you know what it's all about."

"Why are you two doing this?" Willow asked.

"I would have done it sight unseen just because it's you," I told her. "After hearing you this afternoon, I knew you were good enough to hit it big. After tonight's show, we both know you're going to be huge."

"What do you get out of it?" Crystal asked.

"Nothing, except knowing I'm helping three lovely ladies that need a bit of assistance," I said. "I'm not looking for anything back from you. Katie works for a company so they need something back from you but they provide what you will need as well as pay you and they get you to promote their products. Katie would be your coordinator like she's mine and I trust her to take very good care of you."

"I promise you'll be well looked after," Katie stated. "You're good friends of Mike and no one in the company will do a thing to make Mike unhappy. Bad things happen to people who do that."

"Mikey, have you been a bad boy?" Willow asked with a grin.

"Oh no, well not at Calvin Klein anyway," Katie interjected quickly. "Mr. Carroll, the president of the company, is very protective of his number one model. Firing is the least of their problems if they're mean to Mike. On the other hand, no one in their right mind makes Mike angry by hurting anyone that Mike knows, so you're in good hands."

"Mike's a bad ass," Rach said with a grin.

"I play hockey so I have to know how to handle myself out there, that's all," I explained. "So, are you going to the party in those dresses? They're great and all, but I don't want to fight off every guy there just to stand close to you."

"No, we got in the argument with those three as soon as we got in here so we couldn't get changed," Willow said. "We'll change now and be out in a minute."

Katie and I waited by the door and then helped them with their bags when they came out.

"Damn, now we don't have a ride to the hotel or back home tomorrow," Chrystal said. "Where the hell are we going to put these things in the meantime?"

"We'll bring them to our hotel," I said. "We're just at the Laurier down the street."

"That's convenient, that's where the party is," Willow remarked. "They stuck us in this crappy hotel twenty minutes away."

"If we can't get you a suite there, you can stay with me tonight, the suite has a huge King size bed you three can use and I'll take the couch," I told them.

"Mike, you don't have to do all of that for us," Willow said as we stepped out the door.

"I don't have to but I want to," I replied. "Once you three get that CD out, you'll be big stars and can afford anything you want. Until then, Katie and I will make sure you're taken care of."

Crystal spoke up as we walked to the hotel, "Sarah McLachlan said we would have tons of people wanting to rep us and sign us to contracts. She warned us to be careful of what we signed. Maybe we need to listen to some other offers before we go with these two. No offence, but we don't know you."

"Good points," I said. "I encourage you to listen to all the offers. I'm sure some will sound fantastic. I'm not here to ask to rep you, or manage you or sign you to a record deal. I'm offering you money, without any strings attached. If you don't want it, I'm not going to be heartbroken. Willow is my friend and I want her to succeed without any strings attached. I can give her the money direct and she can do whatever she wants with it. Maybe she'll hire you as her backups."

I grinned at them as they looked at Willow worriedly.

"Mikey, she doesn't know you like I do, she's being careful," Willow admonished. "Girls, I trust Mikey with my life and our careers so don't worry about his motives. We can listen to all the offers, but having control of our music and what we want to put on the CD can only be done if we're in the driver's seat. So remember that when the others start promising the moon. In regards to Katie's offer, we find out the details, get advice from her other clients and then compare hers to some of the others offers. If we like what she's offering we give her last chance to match any competing offers unless we're blown away by something. I like the fact that she was ready to make a deal on Mike's word before she even heard us."

"I agree with that," Rach said.

"Ok, if we all agree to listen to everything before we make a decision, then I'm on board as well," Crystal stated.

"Is that ok with you Katie?" Willow asked.

"Obviously I'd like to have you signed before the rest of my competition starts making outrageous offers to you," she replied. "We won't get in a bidding war against some of the other companies that will want to sponsor you. I'll have something in writing for you to review tomorrow morning along with the contact information of our other clients."

"Thank you Katie, it's nothing against you, we're just being cautious," Willow told her as we arrived at the hotel. "We really do appreciate the offer and we'll give it very serious consideration."

"That's all I can ask," Katie replied. "Mike, you take them up to your suite and let them freshen up properly while I see if there is another suite available."

"Ok, thanks Katie," I said and led them to the elevator and up to the suite.

"Holy Shit, this is sweet," Rach exclaimed. "This is all for you Mikey?"

"Yep, Katie spoils me even when I tell her not to," I replied. "If you guys want to freshen up better, feel free to use the washroom."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Charlotte said before heading to down the hall.

I carried their bags to the bedroom and placed them on the chair in the corner for now. The other two took their turn in the bathroom while I waited in the living room. Katie knocked on the door and I let her in.

"No luck finding an extra room let alone another suite," she informed us. "I have room in my suite for one or two of you so everyone can sleep in a bed."

"Thank you for helping us out," Willow said. "We really do appreciate this."

"No problem at all," Katie replied.

"So, we all ready to hit the party?" Rach asked. "It should be fun."

We headed back down to the lobby and found the party in one of their big rooms on the main floor. Willow showed our tickets and we were let in. Almost immediately the three girls were set upon by people wanting to talk to them and congratulate them on the show. Others wanted to talk business and we barely got to a table.

"I'll get you something to drink while you three are busy," Katie told them.

She took their drink orders and I went with her to help carry them back. it took a few minutes and by the time we got back, the trio had a crowd around them, the chairs and area around the table full of admirers and others trying to get involved with the group.

"Excuse me, coming through," I said, carrying a couple of drinks for Rach and Willow.

I lightly pushed through the crowd and deposited the drinks in front of the two and Katie slipped in and gave Charlotte hers. They gave us a quick smile before they were re-engaged by the people around them.

Katie and I moved to the table next to them and relaxed while keeping an eye on the proceedings. Someone ordered a bottle of champagne and soon it was flowing around their table like water. For now everyone was having fun and the girls were enjoying the attention.

"They're going to need someone to watch out over them and quick," Katie observed. "Someone needs to limit who gets access to them at parties and other functions or they'll get drunk or stoned and get taken advantage of. Who knows what they will sign up for or who they will wake up with?"

"We'll keep a close eye tonight and then have a talk with them when they recover tomorrow," I responded. "Do you know anyone who can manage them?"

"I might, she managed one of groups we sponsored before they broke up last year," she replied. "I'll give her a call in the morning and see what she's up to."

"Hopefully they will be open to the idea," I said.

"The way they're drinking that champagne, they'll have hangovers in the morning and should be open to having someone to look after them," Katie responded.

"That's probably true," I agreed.

Katie went with them when they had to use the washroom and I made sure no one doctored their drinks in the meantime. At one o'clock, when the bar closed, I discouraged a couple of guys from trying to get them to join them in their rooms. Katie and I helped the three of them out to the hall and into the elevator.

"Shall we put all three of them in the king sized bed up in my suite?" I suggested. "I'll sleep on the couch and check in on them a few times during the night."

"It might be better if I sleep on the couch and check on them," Katie responded. "That way the other two won't be suspicious of what you might have done while they were unconscious. You can use my suite for the night."

"If you think its best," I concurred. "I'll pack some stuff up before heading down there. I'll work out early in the morning and then come up about nine to see if you need help."

The three girls were almost asleep on their feet. I helped Willow and Rach down the hall and Katie guided Charlotte. I leaned my two on the wall beside the door and quickly opened the door. On a hunch, I snapped a couple of pictures of them and then two of Charlotte being held up by Katie.

"Why did you do that?" Katie asked as we moved them into the suite.

"If they don't believe us, maybe the pictures will do the trick," I answered.

"Good idea," she said as we got them into the bedroom.

We lay them on the bed and Katie got their shoes off. They were in pants and blouses and we decided to leave them in their clothes. They were all snoring a minute after their heads hit the pillows.

Katie went down to get some stuff from her room while I packed up my sweats and a change of clothes. We switched keycards and I wished her luck before leaving the suite and heading down to hers. After a quick shower, I got into some shorts and was asleep soon after.

Thursday morning I took it easy, heading down to the exercise room at seven. After my usual routine, I grabbed a paper and headed up to Katie's room to shower and get dressed. I read the review of the concert and as suspected, Willow got great reviews, saying they stole the show. I was pleased for them and brought the paper with me when it was time to meet up with Katie. A soft knock on the door brought Katie to the door in a robe over a sexy chemise.

"Looking good there Katie," I said as I handed her the paper. "Your charges got a great review in this morning's paper. How are they doing?"

"They each threw up at some point in the night," Katie said with a yawn. "Let me go check on them now."

"I'll order some a pitcher of OJ and another one of water," I told her. "A pot of coffee would be good as well. Do you want some breakfast?"

"We might as well eat, but they won't want much," Katie replied. "Get some toast for them but they'll probably sleep for a while longer."

I placed the order with room service while she checked on the girls.

"They're still out like a light," she informed me. "I'm going to take a quick shower before the food arrives."

I turned on the TV and watched TSN to see what teams had signed the current crop NHL free agents. I was interested in the Islanders and they had signed Dwayne Roloson, a goalie who last played for Edmonton. That was the only signing they had so far. There was a lot of other movement that was interesting but the Islanders had stuck to their game plan of not spending big money in free agency but would build from the draft.

The food came while Katie was still in the bathroom. I waited for her to come out in jeans and a tee shirt before starting to eat our breakfast.

"So, what do you think they'll do?" Katie asked.

"Who knows how much they'll even remember about last night," I said. The offers would normally be pouring in this morning but who even knows where they are?"

"True, but they'll eventually find them," she said worriedly.

"They're not stupid women, give them a fair offer and they'll probably take it," I told her. "Remember, you don't need the bonus that bad, it's more important that they're looked after properly."

"Yes, but it would be even nicer to have both!" she grinned.

We finished up our breakfast pretty quickly and put any trace of food out in the hallway, except for the toast and the liquids. Katie got on the phone and talked to Mr. Carroll as well as some of the coordinators for the music acts. She also lined up the manager she knew just in case they wanted to meet with her. She could be here in a few hours once she was notified. I got a call from Mitsy and she wanted to sign them up immediately. I explained the situation and my offer to let them record the album they wanted by themselves. Mitsy still wanted to be the distributor if they decided to go that way.

Willow appeared out of the bedroom at ten thirty and went into the bathroom. She came out five minutes later and sat down on one of the couches in the living room.

"What happened last night?" she asked in a very soft voice.

"The three of you over indulged on champagne," I said quietly.

"How did we get back up here?" she asked, wincing at the sound of my voice.

"We helped you up here after Mike chased off the guys who wanted to take you to their rooms," Katie said. "You should drink something, you're dehydrated. What do you want, coffee, OJ, water?"

"Some OJ and water, please, "Willow said, holding her head.

She took a small sip of each and then swallowed three aspirins before sitting back with her eyes closed.

"I don't remember much about the party after the champagne started floating," she said.

"All of you were plastered within half an hour after the champagne arrived," Katie said. "You had fun but we made sure nothing bad happened to you."

"Thanks," Willow said.

She was quiet for a bit and then started snoring lightly a couple minutes later.

"Your sweetie snores, isn't that cute," Katie said as she grinned.

"She isn't my sweetie," I reminded her. "She's not looking all that sweet right now either."

"I think I'll get someone from home office to coordinate the shoot in Quebec City for tomorrow and I'll stay here with them," Katie informed me. "Try not to get in too much trouble there without me."

"When am I leaving?" I asked.

"Not till five so you should have time to talk to these three before you go," she answered.

I read my AI book until the other two came out of the bedroom at eleven, not looking any better than Willow. They each used the bathroom and then helped themselves to coffee or water and each took three or more aspirin. Willow woke up when she heard the bottle of pills rattle.

"What happened last night?" Rach asked.

"The three of you drank champagne like water until you basically passed out at the table," Katie said. "Mike chased off the guys that wanted to take you to their rooms and then we helped you back up to Mike's suite. I stayed up here on the couch to keep an eye on you."

"Each of you got sick during the night and Katie helped get you to the bathroom and cleaned up," I added.

"Not so loud," Charlotte complained with a moan.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"So, Mike and I were going to Quebec City later this afternoon so we were checking out of both this suite and mine in an hour," Katie stated. "I can stay over and find the four of us a suite or a pair of rooms so you can recover properly and we can talk. Mike or I will foot the bill and get you home or wherever you want to go."

"I'm going to throw up if I have to go anywhere today," Charlotte said, holding her head.

Rach nodded and Willow shrugged.

"Ok, let me see if this suite is available for another day, if not, you're going to have to walk to the other one," Katie informed them. "I'll stay another day and make sure you get home safe. Mike flies out at five so he has to leave by three to get to the airport."

Willow nodded to her and Katie left the room.

"Thanks for looking after us, Mikey," Willow said softly.

"No problem," I responded. "Listen, I know you're not up to anything heavy right now, but I want you to think about something when you are. You need someone to look out for the three of you. A manager who can make sure you're ok when I'm not around and advise you on all of this. Either do a search for one or Katie can have someone she knows meet with you tomorrow. Apparently she used to be a manager for a group they sponsored. I'll foot the bill on her salary and getting you home and anything else you need until you don't need my help anymore. Sound ok?"

She sat there for a few seconds and looked over at the other two who had their eyes closed.

"Ok, I agree we need babysitting when we're out," Willow replied. "We can meet with Katie's friend tomorrow. I'm ok with you helping but if they aren't then it will just be between you and I and l will pay you back as soon as I can. The rest we can discuss tomorrow when we're not hung-over."

"I good friend of mine is interested in signing you to a record deal or will distribute your album if you do it yourself," I continued. "Here is her number and you can call her tomorrow."

"Thanks Mike," she said, taking the slip of paper.

"Ok, keep me in the loop via email," I instructed her. "I'm in Quebec City Friday and Saturday and then fly home to Ann Arbor Sunday morning. After that I'm in school Monday to Friday but we can meet on the weekends if need be. I can transfer the money within a day once you tell me where to put it."

She just nodded and poured a glass of water and held it to her forehead.

Katie came back in and said, "Ok, we have this suite for another day but not the one downstairs. Mike and I will go down and get our stuff and come back up. Why don't the three of you go back to bed?"

Willow nodded and stood up. Katie and I helped the other two up and got the three of them back into bed where they fell asleep soon after their heads hit the pillow. Katie and I went downstairs to grab the rest of our stuff and then discussed the girls. I told her what Willow agreed to in terms of a manager and she arranged the manager to visit tomorrow.

Eventually it was time to get ready go. I looked in on the girls and they were all sleeping. I wished Katie luck with the girls tomorrow and then grabbed a taxi to the airport. There was the usual wait but luckily the flight was short.

I grabbed a taxi to the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a huge old hotel overlooking the St. Lawrence River. Katie had me booked into another suite and when I checked in I was given a note to call Lorna when I got in. I was led up by a porter and hung up my clothes before giving her room a call.

"Hello?" a woman asked.

"Hi Lorna, It's Mike Stewart," I told her. "I just got in."

"Hi Mike, I thought we could have dinner together with the two models you'll be working with for the next two days," Lorna said.

"Sounds good, I'm starving," I admitted.

"Katie said your appetite was extraordinary," Lorna responded with a laugh. "We'll see you down in the restaurant in fifteen minutes."

"Ok, see you in a bit," I replied.

When I stepped up to the Maitre'd, I was quickly shown to their table without having to introduce myself. I thanked him before arriving at the table. The two models were different as night and day. One was a dark haired, olive skinned girl, probably from the Mediterranean Sea area. The other was a platinum blonde haired girl with pale skin and blue eyes, probably from one of the Baltic countries.

Lorna was a cheerful looking brunette woman, probably in her late twenties. She was pretty without being gorgeous and dressed in a blouse and dress slacks. The two models were in similar outfits and both seemed more like high end fashion models rather than the back to school type.

"Good evening ladies, I'm Mike," I said as I sat down on the open chair.

"Hi Mike, I'm Lorna and this is Cherise and Hilda," Lorna said.

"It's a pleasure having three beautiful women as dinner companions," I responded, shaking their hands. "Something tells me we won't be doing back to school pictures for the next two days."

Lorna chuckled and replied, "No, these two are here for the high end formal clothes and lingerie ads for Europe. We thought Quebec City would be a good substitute for some of the cities there."

"From what I've seen, it's probably the best city in North America to use as that," I agreed. "And these two lovely ladies look like they are from Northern and Southern Europe so we should get some great shots."

"That's what we're hoping," Lorna stated. "Hilda is from Denmark and Cherise is from Greece."

"And we're both looking forward to posing with you," Cherise said. "You're getting famous over in Europe, with the ads and your friendship with some of the Royals."

"I just met them once actually," I explained.

"Still, the papers like to speculate," Hilda stated.

"That they do," I agreed.

We ordered our food and listened as Lorna outlined the game plan for the next couple of days. There would be a mixture of outside shoots as well as inside shoots using a high ceiling room that was decorated with antiques. They were going after high class elegance and sophistication for the ads. Lorna also warned they would be significantly more risqué than what I had shot up to now as they were targeted for the European tastes. I told her as long as I was still wearing my underwear, everything should be fine.

"We'll see about that," she said as the food arrived.

While we ate, Lorna and I learned more about the two models. They both were runway models for the shows in Paris, London and Milan and had worked together for three years now. They both had Vogue and other magazine covers on their resume and were considered two of the top ten models in Europe.

"I'm surprised you came over just for two days," I stated.

"We'd both come over just to take one picture with you," Cherise said in her lovely accent. "You can only help our careers and we wanted to meet you."

Hilda nodded and smiled at me.

I just shook my head and kept eating. The three ladies didn't eat much as per usual but ate slow enough that I could finish at the same time they did.

"Ok, it's about seven thirty; shall we go see what the concierge suggests we do for the evening?" Lorna asked. "We start at seven am for makeup and hair so we can stay out a bit later than usual."

"Sure," Hilda answered. "It seems like it will be a cool city at night."

Cherise and I agreed and we found the concierge at his desk. He made several good suggestions and in the end the girls picked an outdoor Cirque de Soleil show and then wanted to go to a nightclub to dance. I warned them that I might not be able to get in as I was only eighteen and that I didn't dance.

"Oh, we can get you in, and we'll get you on the dance floor," Lorna declared.

We had some time before the nine-thirty show so I rode a bike for half an hour before the girls joined me in the pool wearing tiny bikinis. The girls swam some laps with me and were in very good shape. I appreciated their lovely shapes as well when we got out and they seemed to appreciate what they were looking at.

When we met in the lobby the girls were in sexy short dresses and I was in dress pants and a good shirt. We took a taxi to the show and we were amazed at what the performers did on the open stage. When the show was over, we followed some of the crowd down the street to a hip club. As the girls predicted, it was easy for me to get into the club.

The ladies ordered a drink while I had Diet Coke once we found a table. The DJ was playing mostly fast dance music that had the girls moving in their seats. They went up to the dance floor while I stayed at the table to guard the drinks and their purses. I did appreciate their sexy moves as they boogied in their small circle. Of course they attracted the attention of several single men who went onto the dance floor to try and dance with them. I had to grin as I watched their attempts to break one of the ladies away from the others or insert themselves into the circle without success.

It was even funnier to see their reaction when a pretty woman approached me to dance.

"Hi, I'm Aimee, would you like to dance?" the raven haired beauty asked with a smile.

"Sorry Aimee, I'm afraid I don't dance," I told her. "Thanks for asking though."

The three dancers were back at the table before Aimee could reply.

"Mike, who's this?" Cherise asked as they sat down.

"This is Aimee, she just asked me to dance," I replied. "Aimee, this is Cherise, Hilda and Lorna."

"He doesn't dance, or so he told us," Hilda said, patting my leg.

Aimee gave them a smile and said, "I see you have very protective women already. It was nice to meet you Mike."

"Likewise Aimee," I replied.

She nodded and went back to her table where two other women had been watching events unfold.

"We obviously can't leave you alone for a second," Lorna said. "One of us better stay with you from now on."

"I'm perfectly capable of being alone," I told her. "You three have fun out there. I don't need a babysitter."

So for the rest of the evening only two of them went up to dance while the other stayed with me. They did drag me up for the couple slow dances they had for the couples from time to time. All three of them got up close and personal with me then it was their turn. I resisted the urge to run my hands down to their pert derrieres though I don't think they would have minded.

The girls were also inundated with requests for dances or for their numbers. They turned everyone away, regardless of size or how handsome they looked. Some of the guys didn't take the rejection well but I only had to stand up once to get them to leave.

It was after midnight when Lorna called it a night for us. We hopped into a taxi and were back at the hotel in a few minutes. We rode up to our floor and they all insisted on a kiss goodnight. Lorna made sure I was dropped off first and went in alone.

"Remember seven am sharp in the small conference room on the main floor," Lorna told me.

"Good night ladies," I said and watched them walk down the hall.

I set the alarm for five and was asleep a few minutes after my head hit the pillow.

I was waiting outside the conference before seven am Friday morning after working out and having some breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. I kept my mood to myself as everyone arrived and we got prepped for the first shoot. After we were deemed ready, we moved outside and started taking pictures around the hotel's exterior in formal and semi-formal wear. They had a tent set up for us to change in and we went through a dozen outfits. There were some great shots capturing the old world feel of the city as well as the St. Lawrence below.

After lunch we went inside to escape the heat of the day and continued with the semi-formal wear inside one of their charming host rooms, complete with antiques and an old crystal chandelier hanging from the twelve foot ceiling. The ladies were professionals and were used to quick wardrobe changes at the fashion shows, so we progressed quickly through the rest of the outfits Lorna had for us. After an afternoon break, we started on the lingerie pictures. They used the antique furniture to arrange us in old-time poses to start; the girls sitting while I stood beside the chairs. It progressed to more intimate configurations where both models were draping themselves on me as I held them close. Lorna called it a day around seven and we agreed to meet in the lobby at eight to find a restaurant to have dinner.

After a quick shower, I checked my messages and found one from Willow asking me to call her when I could. I quickly dialled the number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey Willow, it's Mike," I told her. "How are you feeling?"

"Almost back to normal," she replied. "Thanks for looking after us yesterday; we would have ended up in big trouble without the two of you there."

"No problem, you three needed to enjoy your success for one night," I replied. "How was your day today?"

"It was busy but very productive," Willow informed me. "We met with Vera, the band manager and liked her right off. We signed her up, pending on financial support from you of course. She agrees that funding the recording by ourselves is much better if we want to control the content."

"I'm glad you have someone looking after you," I responded.

"Once she was on board, we called your friend Mitsy and had a good conversation with her," Willow continued. "She's offered the use of any of their recording studios in four locations for the month we would need to get it done. They're in New York, LA, Detroit, and Toronto and she's giving us a great rate. They are offering two types of contracts, depending on whether they pick up the recording bill or we do."

"With Vera and Mitsy looking after you, you have lots of options now," I told her. "What else happened?"

"All sorts of calls started coming in once they got our contact information from the concert promoters," Willow answered. "We let Vera handle all of them and we had a review at dinner. We're going to need an agent but we have the power to set terms. After we hire one, we'll take some of the offers to play one or two songs for the TV shows that want us. Ellen, Letterman, Leno all want us to appear as well as some of the Canadian shows. We want to fit them around the recording sessions so it's going to be hectic."

"Congratulations, it sounds like you're going to be very successful," I told her.

"It's happening too quickly, we're getting overwhelmed," she replied. "We don't even have a CD out and we're getting booked on the top shows. We're not ready for this!"

"So space them out and do the songs you know," I told her. "Recording the CD is top priority but a few shows will just make the CD sell better when it hits. You're such great musicians that you should be able to record it quickly and get it out as soon as possible. By then you'll be used to the spotlight and you guys can do a proper tour. You just need to surround yourself with caring people who will protect you and look after you."

"Vera is step one to that, and Katie is another person we want around," Willow stated. "We've agreed to sign with Calvin Klein as a sponsor but only if she's our coordinator. They've agreed and she's only going to manage you and us."

"That is great news," I reacted. "I know she'll look after you as well as she does me. It sounds like you're getting things under control. I'm happy for you."

"It's all because of you, Mikey," she said. "You don't know how much we appreciate what you're doing for us. It would be insane if we had to do this on our own."

"I'm happy to help, Willow," I responded. "You're important to me and I want you safe and very well taken care of."

She was quiet for a bit.

"You still there Willow?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"What's wrong?" I inquired.

"Nothing is wrong, you don't know how long I've waited for you to say something like that to me," she whispered.

"I've always felt that way about you," I responded. "At least now I can do something about it."

"You've always looked after me as best you could," Willow stated. "Is this more of the same?"

"I'm not the shy, skinny nerd I was back then," I replied. "My feelings for you haven't changed, but now I'm in the position to act on them. I'll make sure you have anything and everything you need."

"I appreciate you looking out for me," she answered. "Do you think we could see if we could be more than friends?"

"I'm not sure how our schedules will mesh or where even where we'll be in the next month," I responded. "I don't want to tie you down as your star rises."

"I didn't know you were into that kinky stuff, Mikey," Willow said with a laugh. "I'm willing to try anything once with you."

"Willow Rose, you're officially out of your shell, aren't you?" I asked.

"Not yet, but I'm willing to shed it for you," she replied.

"Let's get you set up first and see where you're going to be recording before we see what may happen between us," I told her. "In the meantime, where do you want me to transfer some money so you can pay Vera and get the recording studio booked?"

She gave me the account information for the band's business account and I wrote it down.

"I'll put some money in there tomorrow," I told her.

"Thanks Mikey, we really appreciate what you're doing for us," Willow responded.

"Ok, I should let you go," I said.

"Wait, we haven't even talked about your day or when we'll see each other again," Willow said quickly. "How was your shoot today?"

I told her about my day and then told her my schedule for the next week at school and then the trip to New York on the weekend.

"So you might go pro right away?" Willow asked.

"I don't know right now," I admitted. "I'm going there to tour the facilities and check out houses and talk with them. This week I'll talk to Coach Benson at school and see what he says."

"We need to know where you will be so we can choose the right studio," she told me.

"I'll be at Ann Arbor for all of July and August for the summer semester," I told her. "What I do after that is up in the air."

"Ok, we'll book the studio outside of Detroit," Willow stated. "It's close to London if we want to go back there on the weekends."

Alright, it will be fun to drop in and hear you playing," I said. "So, are you going back to London for the next couple of days?"

"Yep, we're catching a flight to there in the morning," Willow answered. "We'll make arrangements to start recording as soon as possible once you transfer some money to our account."

"I'll handle it first thing in the morning," I told her. "I'm flying back to Ann Arbor Sunday morning."

"Ok, I'm not sure when we're going to be in Ann Arbor, it depends on when we can book the studio and get our immigration paperwork to be in the States," She stated. "Call me tomorrow night and hopefully we'll know."

"Ok Willow, I'll do that," I told her. "I better get going; we haven't eaten yet so they're probably waiting for me."

"Have a good evening and I'll talk to you tomorrow," Willow responded. "Good night Mikey."

"Good night Willow," I replied. "Have a safe flight."

We hung up and I just had enough time to brush my teeth before heading downstairs to meet the three ladies.

"We've decided on a French restaurant that the concierge recommended," Lorna told me when I walked up to them. "That ok with you?"

"As long as there is enough to eat, I'm ok with it," I agreed.

We took a taxi to the restaurant and waited ten minutes in the small lobby for a table to open up. The girls ordered a bottle of wine but I stuck with my Diet Coke. I decided to try a French Canadian classic, Tourtiere, which was basically a meat pie with a flaky crust topping. The ladies each tried something different and we traded forkfuls of each other's meals to see what we liked.

After the meal we were all pretty tired so we went back to the hotel and retired early.

Saturday was busy but we were getting to be old pros together and went though the standard poses pretty quickly. I contacted my money manager in Toronto and had her transfer half a million to Willow's band account when we broke for lunch.

The afternoon shoots were the most risqué by far as we were in a huge four poster bed and the two were down to skimpy underwear bottoms and no tops. They had me pose with one or both of them at the same time and their topless wardrobe required strategic placement of their bodies on mine or mine on theirs. I kept things professional and other than some teasing, the two models did as well.

We finished around seven and had some supper in the hotel restaurant before retiring for the night as we all had early flights in the morning. I called Willow and we chatted for a bit, with the only new piece of information being that they were going to head to Ann Arbor on Monday. Mitsy was going to let them stay in the empty condo where the girls had lived last semester. That was going to be interesting for sure.

I went to sleep a bit earlier than normal but the flight took off at nine back to Detroit, so I wanted to work out early before leaving for the airport.

Sunday morning was taken up with a workout and quick breakfast before taking a taxi to the airport. The flight wasn't too long and I was back in Ann Arbor just after lunch. I did some laundry and checked my messages and emails before calling Mitsy to tell her I was back. She was with her boyfriend again but said I would meet him at the dojo that night.

The rest of the afternoon I got ready for next semester. I was taking the second half of computer graphics, the second half of the second year database programming and another graduate course in game design. It would be a challenging semester, especially since practices would start for hockey in August. I read ahead in the textbooks and did some online research for the latest in game design theory.

After a small supper, I drove to the dojo and warmed up before the others got there. When they did, they were accompanied by a Japanese man, probably twenty one or twenty two, who was taller than Mitsy but around Asuka's height. He was in decent shape and neither real heavy or overly slim.

"Michael, this is Norio Kudo," Mitsy said. "Norio, this is Michael Stewart."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Norio," I said as I offered my hand.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Michael," Norio replied as he shook my hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm sure they had nothing but bad things to say about me, especially short stuff," I responded. "She's by far my worst critic; I'm glad she has someone new to focus on."

"Yes, I've recently found out I've been dressing myself wrong for the last twenty one years," he told me, looking at Mitsy with an exasperated expression.

"Not wrong, Norio, just a bit off the normal conventions," Mitsy replied innocently. "Michael has Calvin Klein to wear so I can't really fix him but you're not a lost cause yet."

I patted Norio on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "Like I said, better you than me."

He frowned at her and she just grinned back at him and said, "Don't worry Norio; I'm not going to do it in public like I do with Michael. I know how you have your Japanese manly pride to keep intact."

"Is Michael's manly pride not a factor in your nattering and bossy attitude?" Norio asked.

"Michael knows we torment the ones we care about, so welcome to the club," Mitsy replied. "He's a big boy, he can take it."

"Up to recently, Mitsy has had Asuka to protect her, but Asuka likes me better now so Mitsy knows I'll paddle her ass if she really bugs me," Michael told him. "I'll be happy to hand that chore over to you Norio."

"I am not sure about my status with Asuka so I'll let you continue until such time as Asuka allows me the honour of paddling Mitsy's ass," Norio said with a straight face.

I grinned at him and then laughed out loud when I saw Mitsy's worried face. She took a step closer to Asuka.

Asuka kept a straight face and said, "One must not get in between a couple when they are discussing domestic issues as long as physical or overtly mental anguish is not used. Of course a light paddling is considered an adequate discipline if the transgression warrants it."

"Asuka, you're supposed to be my friend and protector," Mitsy whined.

"I am and always will be your friend and protector, but your relationships are your business and I would only interfere if there was need," Asuka replied. "Norio doesn't seem the type to be physically harmful to you. You need to treat him as your equal and respect him as much as he respects you."

"Why is everyone picking on me tonight?" Mitsy asked.

"We just want you and Norio to be happy and it probably means that both of you need to compromise somewhat," Michael explained. "Ok, enough about that, I have a week of rust to get rid of, so let's get busy."

We lined up and did our stretching and forms before the Sensei came in and paired us up. Norio was better than Mitsy but not as good as I was. We did get a chance to spar and while his style was a bit different, but he wasn't too hard to contain. Asuka and I went at it and quickly got to my full speed. We kept it up for a full five minutes until Sensei stepped up.

"Very good, your speed is improving Michael and your control is as well Asuka," he complimented us. "Let's practice with some weapons for the rest of the night."

After an hour with various weapons, we called it a night. Norio and Mitsy took off in his car and Asuka stayed behind to talk to me, carrying her motorcycle helmet in her hand.

"Michael, Norio has some pretty good security so if they get serious, I will become redundant and therefore not needed," Asuka told him. "I would like to stay with you if that becomes reality."

"Don't you think Mitsy will still want you around anyway?" I asked.

"It is the man's duty to provide adequate protection," she replied. "It would be an awkward situation if I stuck around. Now that I've been here in the west for a while, I've noticed is that the woman can approach a man that she likes and initiate a relationship. Michael, I wish to start a relationship with you."

She went on her tippy toes and kissed me like she meant it. Her arms pulled me tight and her incredibly fit body moulded itself to me.

'Great' I thought to myself as I held her by her hips.

"You don't look pleased," Asuka stated.

"I am and at the same time I'm not," I admitted. "I have been talking to a girl from MSU who would like to get into a relationship with me. Willow has more or less implied that she would like to get together also. Now you wish to throw your hat in the ring as well. I'm flattered that all of you would like to be with me as well but I'm not sure how to handle everyone."

"If we were in Japan, I would simply eliminate them, but I suppose you would find that distasteful," she said with a straight face.

I looked at her to see if she was joking but she didn't let on one way or the other.

"I would find it very distasteful, Asuka," I told her. "I'm sure we can find a more civilized solution to the issue; one that keeps everyone alive and happy. Please don't harm either of them in any way."

"Fine, but I'm not going to be the timid Japanese girl who let's the others have you without a fight," she warned me. "We have a bond and we both owe each other our lives. I think that we also have a mutual attraction, so we have very good reasons to be together. I can see why you have feelings for Willow as you have history with her, but this other girl you've only been talking to, right?"

"True, but she's also smart and beautiful, like the two of you," I told her. "Listen, we're not going to resolve this tonight, so let's sleep on it and we'll talk things over tomorrow evening. Willow will be here by then and you two can at least meet. Maybe I'll get caught in the crossfire and I won't have to worry about it after that."

"Michael, you are a funny man," she said without smiling. "You know I don't miss what I'm aiming at. I'll see you at the condo."

She went to put on her helmet and I quickly said, "I meant sleep alone, Asuka."

She frowned at me and asked, "When was the last time you were with a woman?"

"Back in late April with Barb and Trisha in Jamaica on the boat," I said. "When was the last time for you?"

"Back in Japan, over a year ago," she replied. "Am I not as attractive as Barb or Trisha?"

"You're just as beautiful as them," I answered. "It's just that sleeping with you right now complicates the issue with the other two."

"That is not my fault, Michael, it's your problem," she said, moving close. "Do I not deserve some of your affection and attention for what we've done for each other? Am I not as important to you as Barb or Trisha, or these new girls?"

"Of course you are important to me and you do deserve my attention and affection," I said, putting my arms around her. "I'm not saying no, Asuka, I'm just asking you to wait a bit so I can prepare everyone. I'm not a good liar so I'd rather not have to lie to anyone about the situation."

"I am giving up the tactical advantage to those two by not sleeping with you first," she said. "Would you sleep with Willow tomorrow night if she asked?"

"Not now," I said, exasperated. "I'm starting to think I'll never sleep with another woman ever again."

"It's your own fault," she said as she stepped back and put her helmet on. "You make too much of sleeping with women. You don't have to love everyone you sleep with. Sex can be fun and it's very therapeutic for you. You put too much stress on yourself by insisting you have to have romantic feelings for every woman who wants you. While I agree both Willow and I do have feelings for you, I bet most of the models you were with would have slept with you."

"That is probably true," I admitted. "I've been trying to get a relationship going rather than just having sex. It's been frustrating."

"Luckily with me, you get both," she said as she climbed onto her motorcycle. "I'll give you tonight to think things through Michael, but you better find a way to fit me into your life. I've waited long enough for you and have been very patient. Come clean with both of them and see what happens."

She started her bike and after another look at me, drove off. I got in my car and drove home. After a shower, I lay in bed thinking of my options with the three women and finally fell asleep hours later, without making a decision. Between deciding about the women and whether or not to go pro, I wasn't going to get much sleep in the near future.


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The End
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Posted:  2011-07-03
Last Modified: 2011-10-30 / 12:29:49 pm
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