just super, the way you decked him. Like absolutely awesome. I've never seen anything like it. Wow. You really flattened him. Totally. Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine, Jennifer."
"That was a really super song you wrote. Some people just don't appreciate real talent." Jennifer shot a cool glance at Letty.
"Not now, Jennifer," Peabody muttered, his frustrated gaze still on Xavier.
The banquet hall door closed on Sheldon Peabody's twisted grimace of frustrated fury. Letty did not appear to notice. She was too busy guiding Xavier across the lobby.
"I can't believe what happened in there," she said as she steered her charge into the elevator and punched the button. "Two grown men brawling over the banquet table."
"Welcome to the exciting life."
She glowered. "Xavier, this is not a joke. You could have been seriously injured."
He hung his head and tried to look chastened. "I know. I was a fool. I just couldn't handle it when I heard that verse about caressing your fair, white breast. I went a little crazy. Hell, Letty, even I haven't caressed your fair, white breast."
"Neither has Sheldon Peabody, so don't get upset," she retorted. "Honestly, Xavier, I told you it was just a song in the tradition of the medieval style of chivalric love. The knights who wrote the poems sang a lot about longing to caress their ladies, but the fundamental principle of chivalric love was that it was platonic and unrequited. The ladies weren't supposed to actually respond."
"Don't try to tell me Peabody was only thinking of worshipping you from afar when he wrote that damned song for you. And don't tell me you weren't responding. You were enjoying that stupid poem."
She had the grace to blush. "Well, it is the first time anyone ever wrote a poem to me, I must admit."
"It was an insult, by God."
"Listen, Xavier. You want to talk about insults? I'll tell you right off that I was a lot more insulted when I found out you'd had me investigated than I was hearing I had fire in my hair and fair, white breasts."
Xavier recognized a bad strategy when he saw one. He retreated quickly, groaning loudly and rubbing his jaw. "Ow. Sure hope Peabody didn't loosen any of my teeth."
Letty immediately stopped berating him and started fussing nicely. "I can't believe Sheldon hit you. How dare he? He always seemed like such a nice, civilized sort of person. This is so unlike him."
"Uh-huh."
Xavier considered going back down to the banquet hall and shoving Peabody's teeth down his throat. Common sense overrode male hormones, however. After all, Xavier told himself, he was the one alone up here with Letty. Peabody was downstairs, no doubt stuffing himself at the head table and wondering why the fair lady had left with the loser.
Xavier grinned faintly at that thought. Obviously Peabody was better at writing stupid love Songs than he was at understanding how women like Letty thought.
"What's so funny?" Letty eased Xavier off the elevator at the third floor and started down the hallway.
"Nothing. Just a grimace of pain."
"Oh, dear." She looked up anxiously. "Is the pain getting worse?"
"I'll survive. I think." He searched for the pocket in the strange clothes he was wearing. "Here's my room key."
She took it from him and opened his door, "I have never been so shocked in my whole life as when you leapt over the table and went to confront Sheldon." She switched on the light and helped him sit down on the edge of the bed. "I've never seen two men fight before. It was sickening."
"It's even more sickening to lose."
"Who could have guessed Sheldon would have turned so violent? Just be grateful you weren't hurt any worse than you are." She went into the bathroom. "Stay where you are. I'll fix up a compress."
"Thanks." Xavier listened as she ran water into the sink. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and winced at his grim image. Dressed entirely in black with his dark hair rumpled and nursing a split lip he was probably not a maiden's
"I'm fine, Jennifer."
"That was a really super song you wrote. Some people just don't appreciate real talent." Jennifer shot a cool glance at Letty.
"Not now, Jennifer," Peabody muttered, his frustrated gaze still on Xavier.
The banquet hall door closed on Sheldon Peabody's twisted grimace of frustrated fury. Letty did not appear to notice. She was too busy guiding Xavier across the lobby.
"I can't believe what happened in there," she said as she steered her charge into the elevator and punched the button. "Two grown men brawling over the banquet table."
"Welcome to the exciting life."
She glowered. "Xavier, this is not a joke. You could have been seriously injured."
He hung his head and tried to look chastened. "I know. I was a fool. I just couldn't handle it when I heard that verse about caressing your fair, white breast. I went a little crazy. Hell, Letty, even I haven't caressed your fair, white breast."
"Neither has Sheldon Peabody, so don't get upset," she retorted. "Honestly, Xavier, I told you it was just a song in the tradition of the medieval style of chivalric love. The knights who wrote the poems sang a lot about longing to caress their ladies, but the fundamental principle of chivalric love was that it was platonic and unrequited. The ladies weren't supposed to actually respond."
"Don't try to tell me Peabody was only thinking of worshipping you from afar when he wrote that damned song for you. And don't tell me you weren't responding. You were enjoying that stupid poem."
She had the grace to blush. "Well, it is the first time anyone ever wrote a poem to me, I must admit."
"It was an insult, by God."
"Listen, Xavier. You want to talk about insults? I'll tell you right off that I was a lot more insulted when I found out you'd had me investigated than I was hearing I had fire in my hair and fair, white breasts."
Xavier recognized a bad strategy when he saw one. He retreated quickly, groaning loudly and rubbing his jaw. "Ow. Sure hope Peabody didn't loosen any of my teeth."
Letty immediately stopped berating him and started fussing nicely. "I can't believe Sheldon hit you. How dare he? He always seemed like such a nice, civilized sort of person. This is so unlike him."
"Uh-huh."
Xavier considered going back down to the banquet hall and shoving Peabody's teeth down his throat. Common sense overrode male hormones, however. After all, Xavier told himself, he was the one alone up here with Letty. Peabody was downstairs, no doubt stuffing himself at the head table and wondering why the fair lady had left with the loser.
Xavier grinned faintly at that thought. Obviously Peabody was better at writing stupid love Songs than he was at understanding how women like Letty thought.
"What's so funny?" Letty eased Xavier off the elevator at the third floor and started down the hallway.
"Nothing. Just a grimace of pain."
"Oh, dear." She looked up anxiously. "Is the pain getting worse?"
"I'll survive. I think." He searched for the pocket in the strange clothes he was wearing. "Here's my room key."
She took it from him and opened his door, "I have never been so shocked in my whole life as when you leapt over the table and went to confront Sheldon." She switched on the light and helped him sit down on the edge of the bed. "I've never seen two men fight before. It was sickening."
"It's even more sickening to lose."
"Who could have guessed Sheldon would have turned so violent? Just be grateful you weren't hurt any worse than you are." She went into the bathroom. "Stay where you are. I'll fix up a compress."
"Thanks." Xavier listened as she ran water into the sink. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and winced at his grim image. Dressed entirely in black with his dark hair rumpled and nursing a split lip he was probably not a maiden's
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