Todd's Saga 5: Masquerade

        “I told you, Dorian, I have to make this trip.  I need you to keep an eye on the boys while I’m gone.  Cutter says he wants me to check out a group that’s playing down in New Orleans, and I need to get away from here for a little bit.  It will give me time to regroup.  I also want to check into some Micro-breweries while I’m there.  They’re all the rage, and it might be good for the club to add to my drinks selections.”

“Blair, really?  Beer, how gauche.  I know what this is about, it’s about him?  I told you not to get involved with that degenerate again, but you didn’t listen.  Now he’s gone off and disappeared, and you’re heartbroken all over again.  When are you going to learn?”

Blair was barely able to keep her rage in. She snapped. “Enough Dorian, I don’t want to talk about Todd.”  Her emotions were all over the place because of the hormonal changes taking place in her body, but it infuriated her when anyone spoke against Todd.  So far she had managed to hide the pregnancy from Dorian, and she knew she only had a few more months where that would be possible.  “He’s gone, you don’t have to worry about him right now.”   Tell her. Tell her you’re Mrs.Todd Manning.  You know you want to. She paused and took a deep breath.  “I’m sorry Dorian, like I said, I’m stressed out.  I’ve never seen New Orleans, this is just what I need to get him off my mind.”

Dorian smiled smugly. “Of course my dear.  You’re right.  Maybe you should go.  Who knows, you might meet a man who knows how to treat a woman the right way.”  With that, she swept out of the room, content in knowing Blair was free of Todd.

Blair sat down on the edge of her bed, determined not to cry.  She had been doing a lot of that ever since her last time with Todd.  The only thing keeping her mind off him had been the club and the problems she was still encountering there.  Cutter had been able to explain the discrepancy in the inventory that didn’t match with the books.  He had told her, he had sent two of the Dom Perignon bottles to Carl Peterson the night of the gala as a show of hospitality.  Blair hadn’t liked it but had been forced to eat the cost in order to maintain the image she wanted to project for the club and to keep clients like Mr. Peterson coming in.  Taking the financial hit had been one thing, but Blair had vowed to keep a closer eye on Cutter and his spending.

         When Cutter had suggested going to New Orleans, it had given Blair an idea.  Todd had disappeared in Louisiana, and she was tired of waiting for his text message to show up again.  She remembered how frantic she had been when she first heard of his disappearance.  The only thing that had kept her from going off the deep end had been his text to her telling her not to worry and that he had disappeared on purpose and would be in touch.  Unfortunately, that had been his last message.  The lack of any further messages was beginning to scare her. With Cutter’s suggestion as an excuse, Blair decided it was time to go see if she could locate Todd or at least get a handle on what had forced him into vanishing.

****

It had been another back-breaking day, and Todd had been looking forward to a quiet night.   He was heading for his car when one of the guys he worked with, called out to him.  

        “Hey, Tony, what do you say? Go into New Orleans with us tonight.  Big weekend ahead with Halloween next week.  The French Quarter comes alive.  We can hit the bars, maybe find some company.  It’s been a long week if you know what I mean.” The men all laughed.

        Todd had taken a chance picking Tony Lord as his name, but he figured the organization wouldn't be looking for anyone other than his brother by that name and they had already snagged Victor.  He was about to turn them down when his phone went off in his pocket.  Baker was the only one who knew how to reach him on that particular phone. “Hang on Fellas, I need to check this.”
He looked at the text:

        “I’m in.  Have the run of the place but haven’t been able to find out if Victor is here.  Working on it.  Heard your name come up.  They’re searching for you, stay low. Got to go. B”

        Todd looked over at the guys he had been working with.  Baker’s information had come at the right time.  If the organization was searching again, it might be a good idea to leave the area for a couple of days.  “Okay, guys, sure.   A little weekend fun sounds good right now.”

          Several hours later, he and the guys were headed into their second club. Revelers were out in force that evening because the celebration of the first Halloween party of the weekend had gotten underway.  Many were costumed even though Halloween was still five days away.  The guys had all joined in the fun by purchasing masks so they could approach the single ladies anonymously.  Todd had agreed to wear the Phantom mask since he was the only one in all black.  He didn’t mind, because it made it harder for anyone to recognize him.

          The guys had been right about the women out and about and soon a couple of the guys had managed to find some company.  Todd, for his part, had been relatively quiet behind his mask, not engaging when several women came over.  

         “Hey, Tony, loosen up.  Remember we came to enjoy ourselves.” said one of the guys with a girl sitting on his lap. 

          “I’m loose, Al.  Just have a particular type that interest me. You guys enjoy.  Who knows when my type might come in.”  He sat back and listened to the conversation as his thoughts went to his perfect type, a tall leggy blonde with emerald eyes.  He was brought out of his reverie by the whistles of his fellow workers and looked to see who had gotten their attention.  Todd almost fell out of his chair. Even from behind, he recognized her.  She strolled across the room, her long legs seeming to go on for miles, and her hips swayed sensually.  She was wearing a shimmering emerald green, hip-hugging dress that just accentuated her svelte body.  Her shoulder lengthed blonde hair bounced freely as she moved.  She was drawing attention from a number of men around the room.   He watched with shadowed eyes as she walked to the bar.

        “Would you look at what just walked in the door.  Now that’s one tasty morsel, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on.” Sid stated.  So far he, like Todd, had just been studying the eye-candy in the club.  He started to rise from the table, intent on approaching her when his arm was gripped roughly. “That one’s mine,” Todd growled.

         All of the guys looked in surprise at him. They had never heard that tone come from him.  Sid was all set to protest, but Tony’s grip on his arm told him if he took another step he’d be doing so with a broken arm.  His very tone was threatening, and Sid didn’t want to start a brawl. “Sure Tony, whatever you say. Let go, will you?  I’ll wait for the next one.” 

        Todd released his arm, and watched Sid slide back down in his chair. 

         Al, who had spoken earlier, looked over at the bar and saw the blonde give a cold shoulder to several men standing close to her.  “I don’t know, Tony, that one looks a little chilly to me.”

          Todd’s jealousy towards Sid had eased.  He turned his attention toward Al momentarily.  “Oh, don’t worry, I know just how to handle someone like her.” He scanned the room looking for anyone who might be showing an unusual interest in the woman at the bar.  Seeing no one else studying her, he slowly stood up and made his way toward the bar. 

         Blair was oblivious to the conversation that had just gone down, so she was taken completely by surprise when two muscular arms and a lean body trapped her against the bar. ”Back off, Mister.  I’ll..”  She gulped as she got a glimpse of the stranger pinning her there.  All she could see, was a hint of a beard, as his face was hidden behind her own in the mirror across the bar from her. She attempted to move his arms, but they wouldn’t budge. “Release me this instant.” The stranger made no move to let her go.   She tensed up as he moved even closer.

         “Don’t you know it’s dangerous for a woman like you to be alone on a night like this,” Todd whispered in her ear.

         A thrill went through her, as she recognized the voice. Just like that, she felt herself turn to putty. Unable to stop herself she leaned back into his body.  Shivers went down her spine when he nuzzled her neck for a brief moment, but she huskily replied to his statement in an effort to regain some control. “I don’t know about that.  I find it can make for an interesting night.” She reached for his face with her right hand and was shocked when she encountered the smooth feel of his mask. He was still keeping her close to the bar and she could feel his lower body responding to her.

           Across the room, Al looked over at Sid. “Well, it seems our Tony was right. That one is definitely his.”

          Sid rubbed his arm and smiled ruefully.  “Yeah, I guess so.   Man, I would never try that maneuver.”  

          “I must admit, I never would have believed it of Tony.  I think the guy’s been holding out on us,”  said Al, who then squeezed the girl sitting on his lap. “Right, Sugar?” She responded with a high giggle.

          Up at the bar, Blair turned herself in Todd’s arms until her back was against the bar. She took in her husband with the mask covering his scar.  She had to admit, she liked the beard, it made him look even more devilish. He was bronze from obviously being out in the sun a lot and her hands moved up his rock hard arms appreciating the feel of his muscles beneath them. His hazel eyes were intense as he seemed to be trying to read her mind.  She worked to get her heart to slow down and reached again for his face.  “The Phantom of the Opera, how apropos. But why the mask?”

         “Just mingling in with the revelers.  Besides, not easy to recognize this way."  Todd stared at her, his thoughts all over the place.  On one hand, all he wanted to do was kiss her till her knees buckled and the next second he wanted to put her over his knees for being there. Did she have any idea how much trouble she could be in by just being there? "What the hell are you doing here, Blair?” Todd couldn’t keep his anger in check.  He had never been so scared in his life when he realized she had come to New Orleans.

          Blair paused, she had heard that accusatory tone far too often in the past.  What had ruffled his feathers?   She frowned. “I’m here on business and I’m looking for my husband, you haven’t seen him, have you?” She responded angrily.

          Todd winced and took a deep breath. From the sudden chilliness of her tone, he knew he had stepped in it and now he had to make it right.  “I’m sorry.  It’s dangerous here right now.  I just wasn’t expecting to see you.”  He took a step even closer to her, their bodies touching fully, and placed his forehead on hers. “God, you’re beautiful when you’re angry.” His mouth found hers, and she molded up against him, accepting his apology.  Her tongue parted his lips as they eagerly tasted each other. When they parted, both were breathing heavily.  Todd held her close.  “We need to get out of here.  Hang on a moment, I’ll be right back.” 

         Blair leaned back against the bar, using it to hold her up as her legs felt weak in the knees.   Composing herself, she curiously watched Todd walk over to a rough-looking group of men.  He obviously knew them, and they were certainly not white-collar types.  Just what had he been up to since he disappeared off the radar?  She noted Todd’s easy swagger and couldn’t help but admire his physique in the tight jeans he was wearing.  

           “Al, I need to ask your lady friend for a favor.” He grinned at the guys and looked back at Blair. “Um,  we’re heading out, if you get my drift, but I was wondering if I could buy your mask, sweetheart.” he pulled out a hundred from his wallet and watched the girl’s eyes gleam. 

           She stripped off the mask and handed it over to him, winking as she did it; then took his money and stuffed it into her top.  “Sure, Doll.  Go have yourself some fun.  My gals and I will take care of your pals here.” 

          “Don’t worry, I intend to.” he smiled at his pals and they all laughed and gave him thumbs up.  

          “Tony, don’t forget, you need to be back to work Monday morning,” yelled Al as he walked away.  The guys roared and went back to partying.

          Blair watched bemused as Todd left his friends and wandered over to another young woman.  After a few words, she handed him her scarf and boa.  Todd walked back toward Blair, his items in hand, and grabbed her, pulling her to a dark corner of the bar.”Todd, what’s going on?” 

          “Humor me.”   Within seconds he had put the scarf around her in such a way to change the whole look of her dress, then he tossed the boa around her shoulders and put the feathered black mask on her face.  He stood back to admire his work.  She now looked nothing like she had when she walked in.

          Blair caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored wall.. “Tawd, I look like a masquerading streetwalker.”

         “Exactly, Babe.  No one following Blair Cramer would recognize you or me now.  We’re just two drunken revelers out having fun.” his eyes twinkled.  “My hotel is just down the street. I think it’s time we started doing just that.” he went in for another kiss, catching her off guard.  “God, I’ve missed that, Mrs. Manning,” he said as he finished the kiss.  He wrapped his arm around her, pulled her close, and together they left the bar. 




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