by Taylor Lee
Bai stood, his arrogant posture indicating the meeting was over. “Thank you both for coming.” He added, “Nianzu, I will talk to you later regarding the particulars. As you know, I’m going to Sacramento for several days. I want you to stay here with Elena.”
“Thank you, Bai. I’m available to talk at your convenience.”
Nianzu bowed, then walked to the door. Elena got up to follow him, without saying good-by to Bai.
“Elena, wait for a moment, please,” Bai called out to her as she started to leave.
She stood at the door with her hand on the handle, glaring at him, clearly angry.
Bai walked around to the front of his desk and perched on the corner. “Close the door, please.”
Elena hesitated. She looked as if she might refuse. Taking a deep breath, she closed the door and leaned against it. Her face was pale, her eyes wide.
Bai put up his hands in front of him and said with a smile, “Do not be concerned, cherie. You see? I will stay right here. You are safe.”
When she started to protest, Bai put up his hand to stop her. His voice was serious.
“I owe you an apology, Elena, for last night in the garden. My actions were inappropriate, inexcusable. Please accept my apology.”
She looked surprised, and then tossed her head with a dismissive shrug.
“It was nothing. It meant nothing. I knew you were probably thinking about Agatha or, more likely, Sarah. I assume I was merely a handy substitute, filling in for them.”
Bai was startled, then he almost laughed out loud at her outrageous assertion. But it was clear she was angry and hurt. God knows, he reminded himself with a twinge of guilt, she had a right to be.
He kept his tone mild, swallowing the chuckle threatening to emerge. “Non, non, ma petite. Au contraire. The last thing I was thinking about was Agatha or Sarah or Ginny or Meg. Or any other woman for that matter. I was quite aware of who was in my arms.” He allowed his gaze to drift possessively over her body. A wicked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
She glared at him. Bright angry splotches stained her cheeks. Visibly struggling to control her emotions, she said in a casual voice, “Hmm. That’s too bad. I couldn’t decide who I wished you were – Greg, or maybe Peter. But seeing him this morning, I realize it was Nianzu I was thinking about.”
“I see.”
Bai made an effort to look serious, but couldn’t squelch the twinkle in his eyes.
“Well, Nianzu is a lucky man. I’m sure you are pleased with the security plan I developed for you. You will be spending much time with Nianzu. You will not have to deal with me. That will free me up to focus on other young women who need tending. Although, she is old enough to be my mother, I thought Mrs. Sampson had a lot going for her. What do you think? Think I should go after her?”
He didn’t try to hide his impish grin.
She grasped the doorhandle, her hands shaking.
She began to speak, her voice was cool, dismissive. “I know you enjoy making fun of me …You think…I…” Her voice broke. Angry, frustrated tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head as if to hold back the tears, then said in a harsh whisper, “I despise you, Bai. I hate you. God, how I hate you!”
She turned and ran out, slamming the door behind her. The reverberations cracked across the courtyard.
Bai walked back to his chair and sat down. He selected another of his custom cigars and clipped the end thoughtfully. Leaning back, he propped his feet up on the edge of his desk. He shook his head with a rueful grin. Damn, I deserved that. Puffing on his cigar, his smile widened. Greg, huh? Or, Peter? Hmm, I don’t think so, ma petite fille. But, merde, maybe Nianzu is right for her. At least she can push him around. Hell, she can push any of them around. Except me, of course. He smiled a genuine smile. And that, Miss Elena, mon cher, is why I am the man who is in charge of you.
~~
Chapter 13
Wyatt left the next morning after many assurances that both he and Lei would come to see Elena within the month. Elena was insistent, fierce that she wanted to stay in California. It was a matter of her pride. She refused to go back to the sheltered cocoon where she lived all her life. She insisted that she could handle the terrible things that had happened. At base, she was afraid if she went back, she would never leave.
There was another reason she wanted to stay at the compound. Bai. She told herself she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of running her off. But sometimes she wondered if it was more, more than she was willing to admit. She forced those thoughts deep inside, where she didn’t have to examine them. She only knew that at some level he was like a magnet. He attracted her in a way she didn’t understand -- and couldn’t explain.
Over the next several weeks, they developed an uneasy truce. Consumed with the rising Tong violence, Bai was rarely at the compound. When he was there, he kept his distance from her. They barely spoke. When they did, it inevitably ended in turmoil. When Bai insisted she do what he told her to do, Elena responding sharply, rudely. Stomping off, she emphasized her point with a slamming door. More and more, Bai saw her as an annoyance to avoid. Elena saw him as an arrogant bully, one she fought every step of the way.
In the meantime, Nianzu became her friend. Elena grew up surrounded by men, including her four brothers. She was especially close to her twin brother, Alex. All their lives they had been inseparable. Alex was spending a year in China, something he wanted to do since he was fifteen years old. Alex left for China a month before Elena came to California. As much as she missed him, Elena made Wyatt promise that no one tell Alex what had happened to her. If he knew she was attacked, he would insist on coming home.
Nianzu reminded her of Alex. He openly adored her and would do almost anything she asked. Everyday, he sparred with her in Wan’s kung fu practice center. Elena knew Nianzu had never fought a woman. Even though he seemed impressed with her warrior skills, he held back, humoring her. Elena had fought male prejudice in the dojo all her life. As she had with numerous other fighters, she took advantage of Nianzu’s reluctance to take her seriously. The third time she flipped him to the floor with a peal of delighted laughter, he leapt to his feet and began fighting in earnest.
Bai was passing by the dojo and stopped, attracted by Elena’s shrieking warrior cry. He leaned against the doorway, watching with amused admiration when Elena took Nianzu down with a particularly vicious throw.
When Nianzu dragged himself to his hands and knees signaling “enough,” Bai shook his head in mock dismay. “Letting a girl beat you, Nianzu? Hmm, I may have to reconsider your role as my lieutenant.”
Bai chuckled when Nianzu stumbled to his feet, his face flushed with embarrassment.
“Hell, Bai. You take her on. She fights dirty.”
Elena flipped the errant curls that escaped from her tight braid and flounced her delectable ass. She strutted over in front of Nianzu, her hands on her hips. With a taunting smile, she purred, “That’s not dirty, Nianzu. It’s Apache.”
Bai roared with laughter, then walked away, his chuckle reverberating behind him. Elena watched him go, disappointment tugging at her heart. Even when she threw his lieutenant to the floor, Bai dismissed her, as though it was some parlor trick, not the result of years of fierce, dedicated practice. Blinking back angry tears, she resolved once again to ignore him. She vowed not to care that he treated her as an amusing distraction – an annoying child to discipline or dismiss.
Although he never said as much, Bai was impressed with her fighting skills. She had raw talent, but he saw Wyatt’s and Lei’s disciplined teaching in her style and determined fierceness. As much as he came to admire her fighting ability, Bai was frankly amazed at Elena’s horse whispering skills. Wan introduced her to his horse trainers, who all knew and admired Wyatt. In short order, they respected his daughter almost as much. Along with the trainers, Bai marveled at her ability to calm a spooky mare with a quiet word or a soft click. Her hands were like magic. With the gentle tug on a sin
gle rein, she brought a wary horse to a standstill, patiently waiting for further instructions.
It wasn’t only skittish fillies she tamed. Bai happened to be near the ring when the word went out that Elena was about to take on a stallion appropriately named Diablo. Along with Wan and Nianzu, he joined an admiring audience who watched her tame the unruly horse that their most accomplished trainer couldn’t get near. And she did it in less than twenty minutes, without raising her voice or brandishing a whip.
Even though there was no question that he had done the right thing in putting down Magic, Bai was stung by Elena’s assertion that he had murdered her horse. He knew she said it to spite him, anger him, but he also knew how much she had loved Magic. Watching her work with the trainers, he saw why she thought she could have saved Magic. Like any dedicated healer, she had wanted to try.
~~~
One morning, as Elena left her chambers, Nianzu hollered out to her that her grandfather wanted to see her in the barn. Nianzu’s eyes were dancing and he urged her to hurry. When she got to the barn, Wan said he had a surprise for her. He insisted she close her eyes while he led her to the training ring. When she opened her eyes, she saw most of the ranch hands standing around the ring. They all looked up expectantly when she walked in. Their excitement was palpable.
Elena followed her grandfather to the ring and gazed in amazement at one of the most beautiful horses she had ever seen. It was a rare grey Arabian mare, tall and elegant. Technically called a grey, her coat was startlingly white. Most surprising were her dark blue eyes. All her life Elena had been surrounded by beautiful exotic horses. Never had she seen a horse like this.
She grabbed her grandfather’s hand, shaking with anticipation at the confirmation in his eyes.
“She is mine, Grandfather?” Her voice was a breathless whisper, her eyes wide with wonder.
Wan nodded, barely keeping his balance when she shrieked with excitement and almost bowled him over. The rest of the day, Elena and Nianzu and many of the trainers worked with the mare, marveling at her beauty and bearing. Elena had always wanted an Arabian like her father’s and Lei’s. Each time she needed a new horse, another horse from her father’s collection had claimed her love. In addition to the mare, Wan gave her a new saddle and tack. It was studded with lapis lazuli stones that, like the mare’s eyes, were a brilliant blue.
All through dinner, Elena gushed over the mare. She raved about one feature after another, detailing the astonishing things she could already do.
“My dear child,” Wan said with an indulgent smile, “I have never seen you this excited. I only wish Bai was here to see your response. Unfortunately, his meetings in Sacramento lasted longer than he expected.”
Elena frowned. “Why, Grandfather? Why would it matter to him? He doesn’t particularly seem to care if I am happy or not.”
Wan quirked a brow, chiding her. “Elena, Elena. You know better than that. For a man you say doesn’t care, he is acting rather peculiarly.”
Elena was puzzled. “What do you mean, Grandfather? I don’t understand.”
“Well, let me see if I can explain. Bai spent the last two weeks contacting every breeder in the West until he found this mare at a ranch in New Mexico. It might not have been as challenging except for his exacting requirements. He insisted on a purebred Arabian mare less than two years old. And, oh yes, she had to be white with blue eyes. He even arranged for a special car on the train from Albuquerque to San Francisco to get her here. I never heard of transporting a horse on a train, but nothing stops Bai when he makes up his mind. Frankly, I have no idea where he found a saddle inlaid with lapis lazuli stones. He must have had it designed to meet his specifications. ”
Elena was quiet. She didn’t know how to respond. Her first thought was that Bai felt guilty – that he was admitting he had murdered her mare. But she knew that wasn’t true. She had come to accept that Magic needed to be put down. She saw Magic’s eyes. She was dying. Begrudgingly, Elena came to admit it was a sign of respect that Bai put Magic down in her presence rather than behind her back.
But if he didn’t buy the Arabian because he felt guilty, then he must have wanted her to have a special horse to replace the horse she loved. She had never had a gift like this in her life, except from her father, who gave her everything she wanted, or her grandfather, who was a close second. But why? She didn’t understand.
~~~
That night Elena sat on her balcony after her bath loving the whisper of warm dry air on her still damp skin. Hearing the clatter of hoof beats, she saw Bai ride up to the barn. Wan had told her he might be coming back for the evening, but because he had morning meetings, it was more likely that he would stay in town. She watched him dismount, a tall, dark shadowy figure, and head to the barn. Though she wore only her nightclothes, on impulse, Elena decided to follow him.
She saw him in the Arabian’s stall. He was circling the mare, marveling at her beauty. He spoke in French, but the meaning of the words was clear. He was as impressed as all of them had been. This was a stunning horse.
Elena stood at the entrance to the barn, watching him. After a quiet moment, she screwed up her courage and approached him.
“Isn’t she beautiful?”
Bai turned, surprised to see her, but nodded in agreement.
“Yes, she is a remarkable horse. I’m sure you know this, Elena. She is called a grey even though she appears to be pure white. Her skin is dark under her coat.”
“No, I didn’t know that. The only Arabians we had at the ranch were black like my father’s stallion or a roan like Lei’s”
“Well, you will have to tell them that you have a pure white horse. She is unusual, particularly with the blue eyes. I saw a mare like this in Persia when I was a boy. I never forgot her. She was considered a royal horse, fit for a princess.”
He continued to walk around the horse, stroking her flanks, holding her head between his hands, murmuring at the startling blue of her eyes.
“Thank you, Bai. She is the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen.”
“I agree. She is the most beautiful mare I have ever seen, Elena. But don’t thank me, thank your grandfather.”
“Grandfather told me you bought her for me.”
“No, not really. I helped with the arrangements. It was Wan’s idea.”
“That’s not what Grandfather said. He told me that you contacted every breeder in the West looking for a horse with her particular characteristics. He said you had her brought from New Mexico by train.”
He lifted a brow and turned back to the mare. “Hmm. Well, however she got here, this is a beautiful horse.”
“Bai?”
“Yes, Elena.”
“You know I don’t speak French like Sarah and Agatha.”
“Yes?”
“What does cherie mean in English?”
“Hmm, it has a number of meanings, depending on the circumstances. It usually means ‘dear’ or ‘precious.’ Why?”
Elena clapped her hands in excitement. “Oh, I like that. That settles it. That is what I am going to call her.”
Bai’s face tightened. He reached in his pocket for his cigarette case and took out a cigarette. She watched him light it and take a deep drag.
He frowned at her from half lidded eyes. A strange look crossed his face, like he was amused. His eyes gleamed like the predatory wolf on his cigarette case. She knew that look. It was the way he had looked at her in the garden. It frightened her. And excited her.
His eyes drifted over her body, stopping at the places where her thin robe stuck to her damp skin. He smiled knowingly at the slight flush on her neck and chest. He edged up next to her, as quietly and dangerous as a panther. He studied her as if she was prey, vulnerable, available – his for the taking. His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. In a dry taunting voice, he said, “I see you are still running around practically naked, alone, Elena? At night?”
She tried to speak calmly, to explain, but she had a hard time qu
ieting her breath. Her words came out in a soft, strangled whisper. “I didn’t …I…I was afraid… I thought you would be gone in the morning…before I could thank you.”
He moved closer, looming over her. She breathed in his smell. The exotic aroma of his Turkish cigarettes and a strong musky male smell made her legs shake, her groin clench. He was like a magnet drawing her in, a powerful force field she couldn’t resist. She struggled against the urge to touch him. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her. Hold her tight against him. Run his hands over her body, the way he did in the garden.
He stepped closer to her, not taking his gaze off of her. Reaching out, he caught the collar of her robe between his fingers. His knuckles dragged along the neckline, tracing her bare skin down to the space between her breasts and then back up. He stopped to rest on that sensitive place on the inside of her throat. When her body quivered in response, he took her chin in his hand. He brought her face up close to his and looked in her eyes. She struggled to speak, to breathe, but he put his finger against her mouth to silence her. Running his finger around her full lips, he pinched the corner of her mouth between his finger and thumb. She trembled as a wave of sensation racked her body.
He stepped back, shaking his head. His voice was soft, firm. “Go to your chambers, Elena. It is past your bedtime.”
She gasped first in surprise, then confusion. She squeezed her eyes against the sting of tears.
He took another drag off his cigarette, turned and walked toward the villa. He looked back over his shoulder at her clinging to the doorway: her face pale, her body shaking.