by Zara Chase
“Hope he gets my better side,” Carl said, primping.
“You don’t have one,” one of the other guys pointed out.
“Right, guys, let’s do this.”
Ward skied to the start of the course and left his class to look down it. It was steeper than they’d probably realized and shut them all up.
“Carl, why don’t you go first?”
Ward went ahead of the cocky guy, then skied backward so he could watch him closely. At the halfway point he waved Carl on and motioned to the next in line to come on down. He wasn’t surprised that Tanya put herself last. She was a competent skier, neat and graceful in her turns, and didn’t try to show off. When she reached Ward’s position he gave her a thumbs-up.
“Good job,” he said, skiing backward again and staying with her until they reached the end of the course. Tanya smiled, hit a patch of ice, promptly lost her balance, and took a tumble.
The others laughed. She wasn’t the first to fall that day and plenty more spectacular spills would go down before the week was out. Ward went over to her, offered her a hand, and pulled her easily to her feet.
“Okay?” he asked.
“She’s well padded,” Melanie said, laughing.
Ward shot her a look, thinking the comment was unnecessary and inaccurate. From where Ward was standing her padding was spot on.
“Tell me the cameraman didn’t get that,” Tanya said, brushing snow from her backside.
Ward was incapable of telling her anything right then. Even through the double layers of their gloves, making contact with her hand did weird things to him, as had watching her ass while she was skiing. He liked a gal with a good-sized rear. All the better for spanking it. He cleared his throat, hoping his rigid cock wasn’t visible through his salopettes.
“Don’t worry about it. Just so long as you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. The only wound is to my pride.”
“That’s a lesson for you all,” Ward said to the group. “Tanya’s fall wasn’t her fault. The new snow has been bashed down on top of icy patches and the wind has blown some of it off. You need to look out for it, and if you hear it beneath your skis, try not to tense up. I’m betting that’s what happened to you, Tanya. Am I right?”
“Guilty as charged,” she replied with a rueful grin.
“Okay, lunchtime. There’s a cafeteria right over there,” he said, pointing.
“Aren’t you joining us?” Melanie asked, pouting.
“No, I have a private class booked. I’ll see you all back here at two.”
Ward skied off. He didn’t have a private client but was already too fixated on Tanya and needed to put some space between them. There was a vulnerability about her that got to him. She oozed sensuality but probably wasn’t aware of it because she was cowed by Melanie. Ward sometimes used his ski classes to pick up a cute girl for a week-long fling—fun for the both, no strings attached.
But Tanya definitely wasn’t fling material.
Chapter Three
Carl and Melanie discovered another local delicacy during the course of lunch. A Lumumba turned out to be a hot chocolate drink laced with cheap brandy.
“They reckon it wards off the cold and takes away the skiing fear,” Carl said, knocking back a healthy swig and smacking his lips together appreciatively, no longer looking hungover.
Tanya didn’t think Melanie would be interested. Chocolate equaled calories and calories were the devil’s spawn. When she accepted a cup and sipped at it, albeit more delicately than Carl, Tanya felt concerned. If Melanie’s desire for alcohol overcame her neurosis about her weight then she had a problem.
“You should try it, Tanya,” Melanie said, wiping chocolate from her lips. “It’s divine.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Everyone else in the class had taken a cup. She felt like a party pooper, but would rather that than have issues with her balance when they went back to the slopes. Besides, no one was trying to persuade her and she was happy to fade into the background—a skill Tanya had honed to perfection—and let the rest of them take center stage.
“You need to lighten up, hon,” Melanie told Tanya as they visited the ladies’ room before resuming classes.
“I’m lighter than a sunbeam. In fact, I’m having more fun than I’ve had for a while.”
Melanie flashed a sympathetic smile. “Is this holiday helping you to forget?”
“Melanie.” Tanya waved a warning finger beneath her friend’s nose. “We agreed not to talk about him.”
“I know, but I worry about you, babe. I feel responsible for what happened.”
“It had nothing to do with you.” Tanya gave Melanie a quick hug. “Now come on, we don’t want to keep Ward waiting.”
“I’ll keep him any which way he likes,” Melanie said with a lustful sigh.
“That goes for just about every single woman on the slopes, I’d say.”
Melanie shot her a look. “Including you?”
“Sure, why not.” Tanya rolled her eyes. “Like he’d give me a second look.”
“He likes you. I can tell.”
Did Melanie realize how condescending that sounded? Had she always spoken to Tanya that way? If so, why hadn’t she noticed before now and why hadn’t it occurred to her to mind? Tanya shook her head, putting her unsettled mood down to the altitude and reminding herself that Melanie didn’t have a condescending bone in her slender body.
“Everyone likes me, hon,” she said cheerfully, waggling her butt. “What’s not to like?”
The pathos in Tanya’s tone clearly passed Melanie by as she glanced in the peeling mirror and gasped.
“Oh my god, I’ve caught the sun. Just look at my nose! Quick, sunscreen.”
“I’m on it.” Tanya rummaged in their backpack, found the tube of factor fifty, and passed it to Melanie.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Tanya,” Melanie said when she’d finished plastering her face with sun cream. “You’ll feel rejuvenated and be able to make a fresh start when we get back.”
“I keep telling you, I’m fine.”
Melanie pouted at her reflection. “Why is Ward being so stubborn, do you think?”
“Is he being stubborn? I mean, he can hardly ravish you in front of the whole class.”
“No, but…oh, I don’t know. I’m not getting any vibes from him.” She turned an accusing gaze on Tanya. “He seems to like you better.”
Tanya laughed aloud. “You’ve had too much Spanish brandy.”
“Have I?” Melanie fixed Tanya with a considering look. “Come on, we’d best get out there.”
“Just supposing for the sake of argument that you’re right, why would that be such a bad thing?”
“Tanya, you’re on the rebound.”
“I prefer to think that I’m free, single, and out to have fun.”
Melanie’s mouth fell open. She as quickly snapped it shut again without saying whatever she’d been about to say. Awkward in their ski boots, they made their way cautiously up the concrete steps and joined the rest of their group.
The afternoon’s class was just one hour of technical stuff—skiing without poles and other exercises that improved balance and control. After their Lumumbas, Carl and Melanie didn’t have much of either and giggled their way through the session, both of them falling more than once.
Tanya was still reeling from Melanie’s suggestion that Ward had taken a fancy to her. She didn’t actually believe it but did start to notice how his eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled at her, which was frequently. She also noticed that he didn’t rush to help Melanie up when she fell over in the way that he had when she’d taken a tumble. Still, that didn’t mean anything.
“Right,” Ward said at the end of their hour. “You’ve had enough of me for today, I’m sure. You can practice on your own for the rest of the afternoon or head back and get some rest before the après-ski shenanigans. I’ll see any of you later that make it to Hadleigh�
�s.”
He waved over his shoulder and skied away.
“What do you want to do?” Tanya asked Melanie, watching Ward’s cute butt encased in tight salopettes until he was lost from view. She told herself that nothing had changed and that the day hadn’t gone flat now Ward had left them.
“Let’s head back and get some rest,” Melanie replied. “My legs are begging for mercy. Besides, I need time to get ready for tonight.”
“That’s fine by me.” Tanya still had work to catch up on. “Let’s go.”
They waved to Carl and the others, who were discussing whether or not to try a black run. Rather them than me, Tanya thought. She was beyond the age of trying to prove anything to herself, especially if broken limbs were the most likely outcome. Men, on the other hand, appeared to have issues with growing up.
* * * *
Ward leaned against the bar in Hadleigh’s. It was still early. They wouldn’t open for a half hour yet, and he enjoyed this daily moment of calm before the madness let rip. Leo Hadleigh, owner and top buddy, was behind the bar, taking inventory. Both men were swigging light beer straight from the bottles.
Leo, an American exile for a whole load of personal reasons, had tempted Ward to come to Nevella for a vacation at a time when Ward needed an escape route. He hadn’t gotten around to leaving yet. The same could be said for the four other Yanks who made up Leo’s inner circle. They all had something they were running away from, and this little corner of the world was one of the few places left where they could lose themselves without anyone asking intrusive questions.
“Okay, shoot,” Leo said, hefting a crate of beer onto a shelf and leaving it there for his bartender to decant when he came in for work. “What’s on your mind?”
“Why does anything have to be?”
Leo laughed. “I’ve known you since grade school. Think I can’t tell when you need to unload?”
“There’s such a thing as knowing someone too well.”
Leo’s brown eyes brimmed with infectious good humor. “I’m only trying to help.”
“Ah well, since you’re offering—”
“Hold up, what makes me think I’ve walked into something I ain’t gonna like?”
Ward took a swig of his beer, enjoying getting one over on Leo for a change. “Just a small favor?”
Leo’s eyes lost their humor and narrowed suspiciously. “How small?”
“I have these two chicks in my class and one of them is hot.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Ah, I get it, you want me to distract her ugly friend while you do what you do best.”
“Nope, and for the record, her friend ain’t ugly.”
“Okay, you’re thinking a foursome?”
“Wrong again. Want I need you to do for me, my friend, is to distract the hottie.”
“I hate it when you try to be unpredictable.” Leo stretched his arms above his head and grinned. “Okay, I’ll bite, what’s on your mind?”
“The blonde bombshell ain’t my type.”
“What’s she like?”
“A traffic stopper, and she knows it.” Ward went on to give a more graphic description of Melanie. As he knew would be the case, Leo didn’t seem impressed. “Not my type either.”
“She’s got her eye on me, but it’s her friend Tanya that’s—”
“That’s got your panties in a twist. Yeah, I got that part.” Leo sent him a probing look. “What I don’t understand is why. You have women crawling all over you every single week. I’ve never seen you get even remotely intense about any of them before.”
“Wish I knew how to answer that.” Ward drained his bottle, tossed it into the recycling bin, and frowned. “I just want to talk to her and—”
“Talk?” Leo’s eyebrows disappeared beneath his hairline. “Fucking hell, you have got it bad.”
“Just do this for me, bud, and I’ll owe you one.”
“Okay, the sacrifices I make. Point them out to me when they come in and leave the rest to your Uncle Leo.”
“Thanks, man.” Ward slapped Leo’s shoulder and grinned. “But they won’t need no pointing out. Melanie knows how to make an entrance. Trust me.”
The barman and a few of the servers appeared through the staff entrance, along with the DJ, who switched on his equipment and cranked up the volume. Classic rock sounded from the speakers, making normal conversation impossible. The barman unlocked the front door and the first of the evening’s customers barged through it.
“Showtime,” Leo said, retreating a safe distance with Ward as the two friends watched another potentially profitable evening start to unfold.
* * * *
The girls discovered that in spite of Ward’s warnings about dining times, the hotel did start serving dinner at six, catering for their British clients who preferred to eat before bedtime. Tanya insisted that they feed themselves before hooking up with the rest of their class.
“But we’ll miss all the fun,” Melanie protested. “Everyone will stop by Hadleigh’s right off the slopes. That’s when it’s wildest.”
“The fun starts when you get there, sweetheart.” Compliments usually worked on Melanie. “No party’s complete without you. But if you wanna go ahead without me, that’s fine. I need to eat before I get involved with drinking.”
“No, you’re right.” Melanie’s frown gave way to a decisive nod. “Keeping them waiting works better.”
“Attagirl!”
In honor of having to leave the hotel, Melanie had abandoned her killer stilettos this evening, but Tanya knew before she even looked that whatever she wore would still be skintight. Tanya didn’t blame her for that. If Tanya’s body was even half as decent as Melanie’s then she’d want to show it off as well. Sure enough, Melanie wore tight-fitting black stirrup pants, dainty flat pumps that made her look tiny and vulnerable, and a sparkly sweater in shades of blue and green. Tanya wore another pair of baggy jeans and a different tunic. She had however washed her hair and took a bit more care with her makeup.
“I still don’t get why Ward isn’t more receptive,” Melanie complained as she toyed with a shrimp salad.
“This is only day one.”
“Yes, but even so.”
Melanie didn’t need to say any more for Tanya to get the message. Her friend never had to wait as long as a day for a man to come on to her, especially if she’d given him encouragement. Melanie was jealous, Tanya realized with a jolt, which accounted for her sullen mood. She was actually jealous of her. It was surreal and Tanya had no idea what to say to her to cajole her out of her grumpy state of mind.
Melanie’s radar was never far off track when it came to men. Could she actually be right? The more Tanya thought about it, the more she realized that Ward had given her way more attention that day than he’d spared for Melanie. It was weird. It was exciting. It probably didn’t mean anything, but it was a timely boost to her almost nonexistent self-confidence. She’d been sensible for way too many years, and all that ever happened was that she got exploited and hurt. Well, the time had come to let her hair down—if the opportunity arose. That tingly feeling she’d gotten when Ward focused penetrating blue eyes on her, making her feel like she was the only woman in the world worth knowing, needed to be pursued. There was no telling where it might lead.
“Tanya, wake up.” Melanie clicked her fingers in front of Tanya’s face. “Did you hear a word I just said?”
“Sorry.” Tanya shook her head. “I was miles away.”
“I was asking if you thought that guy on the slopes that came to watch the class a couple of times and seemed to know Ward was his boss. That would explain why Ward was keeping me at a distance. Probably didn’t want to be seen fraternizing with the customers and risk losing his job.”
Or could it just be that he isn’t interested in you? That possibility made Tanya smile, even though it would destroy her friend’s fragile ego if that was the case. Welcome to the real world.
“Come on.” Tanya put her napkin aside and
stood up. “You’re obviously not going to eat that salad so we might as well split.”
The girls went back to the room to get their coats. Melanie took the opportunity to apply another coat of makeup and a liberal amount of flowery perfume.
“Okay,” she said, having kept Tanya waiting for ten minutes. “Let’s go.”
The walk to Hadleigh’s took less than three minutes. Even if they hadn’t known where it was, it would have been hard to miss. They heard the music before they saw the sign or the crowds of people hanging about outside in the freezing cold, many of them smoking the cheap cigarettes available to them thanks to Nevella’s tax-free status.
A path appeared between the mass outside as if by magic, allowing Melanie, and by association Tanya, easy access to the door. A bouncer gave them a toothy smile and ushered them inside, where the warmth and loud music hit them like a tidal wave. They left their coats with all the others in a pile by the door. Tanya knew hers would be safe enough—no one would want her old parka. She worried about Melanie’s expensive designer number, even if Melanie didn’t seem to give it a second thought herself, carelessly adding it to the pile. Tanya shrugged. Nevella was supposed to be virtually crime-free. They’d just put that boast to the test.
“Wow, what a place!” Melanie’s eyes lit up with expectation. “Do you feel the vibes?”
All Tanya felt was nauseous. She panicked in tightly packed places and hated bumping against strangers. Carl saw them and whistled to attract their attention. Melanie waved and pushed her way toward him and the rest of their class. They were, predictably, propping up the bar. As Tanya took up her usual position behind Melanie and followed her across the packed room, she noticed several large television screens dotted around the walls. She imagined that was what it must be like inside an American sports bar. The screens were all showing footage of that day’s skiing, and she sincerely hoped she’d missed seeing herself.
By the time she reached the bar, Melanie already had a glass in her hand. Carl asked Tanya what she would like, and she opted for a light beer. A bottle was handed to her. Carl then seemed to think he’d done his duty and turned back to Melanie. No change there then. Melanie was eaten up by the crowd, and Tanya, alone in its midst, took a good look around, telling herself she wasn’t trying to find Ward.
