The Devil You Know: Chapter 55

It was the next day when Blair ran into Carly at the Metrocourt’s boutique.  “Hey, some last minute shopping?” Carly asked.



“Yes, I’ve decided to revive an old tradition between Todd and I,” she said, her smile knowing. 



Carly raised her eyebrows as she peeked in the bag Blair was holding.  “That must be some tradition.”



“It was…the first time we really connected.  And it’s been the connection we’ve always come back to,” Blair explained with some delicacy.  “Which is why I’m glad I ran into you.  I need to book a room for Christmas night.”



Carly smirked as she walked over to the main desk.  Knowing exactly what the woman was looking for, she brought up the reservation list.  “As it just so happens, the honeymoon suite is free that night.”



“Then would you please reserve it for me on December twenty-fifth?”



A few keystrokes later, the room was booked.  “You need anything else for the special night?”



“Just Todd,” Blair said.  She turned to leave and nearly ran smack dab into Tina. 



“Oh, Blair!  What are you doing here?” the redhead asked.



“Doing a little shopping and making some arrangements,” Blair answered, perturbed. 



Tina glared at Carly for a minute, and then tried to act calm.  “What kind of arrangements?”



Blair narrowed her eyes.  No matter how much Tina had improved over the past year, Blair still didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her.  “I’m planning on sexying up your brother and getting pregnant!” she yelled as she stomped out.  Before she made it to the door, she yelled back, “Oh, yeah, already did that!”  Then she was out.                



“Well, a leopard never changes her spots,” Tina said with a self-satisfied grin.  Then it disappeared as she turned to Carly.  “What arrangements?”



Carly shook her head.  “It was nothing, just something about a holiday tradition.”



“Ah, yes, I think I vaguely remember this,” Tina said.  “But you are sure it had,” she looked around her as she whispered, “nothing to do with the arrangements we made?”



“No, Tina, nothing to do with that,” Carly replied.  “But you should know, Todd also made some…arrangements.”



“What?  What kind of arrangements?”



Carly sat her down as she explained, “He was looking to book the Grand Ballroom for New Year’s Eve for his wedding.  I told him that it wasn’t available, that it had been booked months ago.  He did ‘book’ it for the next day, but I may have erased the reservation from the computer.”



Tina took a deep breath.  “Thank you.  So, neither have any idea?  Good, because we have to keep it that way for more than a week.”



As Tina was talking with Carly, Blair was slamming her way into the house.  Todd heard the commotion and met her in the foyer.  “Want to tell me why you’re making all this racket?”



“Tina,” came the answer in a snarl.



“Okay, what happened with my ditzy sister?” Todd asked as he led her to the couch.  He began rubbing her shoulders, hoping it would calm her down. 



“She was just being her usual, nosy self.  I was at the Metrocourt getting some last minute…gifts for you and she was butting in,” Blair told him as she enjoyed the massage.  “I guess I was just getting hormonal, but then again, Tina does tend to set me off.” 



“Tin tends to set me off.”  A pause, then, “So, gifts?  For me?” Todd asked in his typical, smart-assed way.  When Blair shot him a glare, he changed his tone.  “Well, look, Tina’s been better this last year, but she will never not annoy the hell out of us.”  He stopped the massage and turned her back towards him.  He kissed her, but before the kiss could go any further, pushed her again.  “So, what was this gift you were getting me?”



Blair lightly shoved him, but then said, “I thought we could revive some holiday traditions.”



Todd’s nose crinkled with perplexity.  “What are you talking about?”  When Blair’s expression got suggestive, he raised his eyebrows.  “But…that was Christmas Eve.”



“Well, I thought we could spend that day with our family and then leave them all here and restart our own…” kiss, “special…” kiss again, “tradition.”



“We could work on that right now,” Todd suggested.



Blair smiled and took his hand, leading him out of the study.  Unfortunately, before they could get any further, the doorbell rang.  “Hold up, I get rid of whoever it is.” She let go of his hand and went to open the door.



“Joyeux Noel!” called Dorian Lord through the open door.   



Blair was shocked.  “Dorian, what are you doing here?”



“Well, I was invited here, of course!”



Todd looked from Dorian to Blair, who gave him a confused look.  “Did you invite her here?  Cause I know I sure as hell didn’t.”



“No, Starr invited me.  I spoke to her on the phone,” Dorian said as she walked inside, “and I was telling her how excited I was about having you all at La Boulaie for the holidays and then she told me you were staying up here.  Then she said that Viki and Victor were also here and I knew just how outnumbered Blair would be, with all of your crazy family around.”



“My crazy family?!” Todd shook his head, trying to decide if he had heard her correctly.  “Didn’t the Cramers patent crazy long before there was any suspicion of it in Daddy dearest?”



Blair shot him a look before turning back to her aunt.  “And Starr invited you?”



“Well,” Dorian hedged, “invite may be a strong word.”



“You just invited yourself,” Todd stated for her.  Dorian didn’t argue.  “Well, you are not staying here.  I’m sure that the roach motel out on the highway has rooms still available.”



“That won’t be necessary, Todd.  I will be staying at the Metrocourt.  I just wanted to stop by and invite you all to dinner tonight, as well as the children.  Seven o’clock sharp!”  With that, Dorian was gone.



Blair closed the door, looking as if a tornado had hit her.  “Well, I guess we’ll be having a real family Christmas, then.”



“Yeah, with the Addams and the Munsters,” Todd retorted.  “I was so ready to tell her the baby’s name.  If she had kept it up…” 



“Todd, please don’t start any trouble with Dorian,” she begged him.  Then she took his hand.  “Besides, we were going to be working on our traditions.”



“And then Dorian showed up and killed the mood…again.”



Blair’s lips touched his neck.  “I don’t know about that,” she said, breathily, moving up into his ear.  “I try not to let…anyone kill a mood.”



Todd’s eyes closed as he was already getting a feeling.  “I guess…you’re right.  Can’t…let…the head witch…spoil a good thing.”



“Then shall we?  We only have till seven.”



Todd grabbed her hand.  “That’s probably plenty of time.”  With that, they headed to their room.



At that moment, Tina and Carly were finishing up their meeting when Tina spotted Dorian enter the hotel.  “Oh, God, what’s she doing here?”



“That’s Blair’s aunt, Senator Lord, right?  She has a reservation here through New Year’s,” Carly informed her.  But by the time she had finished, Tina had already sidled up by Dorian.



“Why are you’re here?” she asked impertinently.



“And hello to you too, Tina.  I was invited by my niece, to be here for the holidays…and other things,” Dorian told her.



“Blair invited you?” Tina asked incredulously.



“No, Starr,” Dorian corrected.  “And I will be having dinner with my family tonight.  Meaning, no Lords.”



“Well, I guess it’ll just be you and Blair, then,” Tina said.  “No Todd, Starr, Jack or Sam.”  When Dorian shot her a look, Tina’s response was “Well, Todd is a Lord and the children are all half-Lords, so that discounts all of them.”



Carly approached them.  “Senator, your room is ready.”



“Thank you,” she replied as she walked away.  Then she turned back.  “Oh, and Tina, you and I will be having a long discussion about the upcoming event.  I will not let you hijack this for Blair.”



As the elevator closed, Tina yelled, “It’s for my BROTHER too!”  Then she reached for her purse.  “Oh, Starr, we may have some trouble ahead,” she said as she dialed her niece.  They would need to strategize if they were to stop Dorian from steamrolling them and the wedding.


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