Bound for the Outer Banks (24 page)

Ella had just finished applying her mascara and berry colored lip gloss when she heard Lacey blow the horn. She was in the Jeep but had the top on so the girls’ hair would not be big rats’ nests by the time they arrived at Hidden Cove. Chief and Sam had docked the Lacey Lorelei in the marina, and would shower and dress on the boat before hanging with some of their old teammates from high school after the race.

The girls entered Santa Marie’s Tiki Hut and immediately heard the bodacious laughter of men from one of the high, round tables overlooking the marina. The table was placed directly under a giant replica of a Blue Marlin. The bar itself was named after the boat that had landed the real life, record setting, one thousand, two hundred, twenty eight and a half pound Blue Marlin in one of Hidden Cove’s fishing tournaments.

Sam peppered Lacey’s lips with a few quick kisses. He then introduced Ella. A few of the guys commented on the name, Belle Butler, being a catchy name. Ella could see the wheels spinning in each of their heads to see if they could rewind the pornographic movies they’d viewed in order to match the name with the face. One handsome guy with a strong, square jaw and a blonde buzz cut couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off Ella during the conversation. This was not lost on Chogan Montauk. Chief knew perfectly well that some available bachelor would snatch up Ella, a.k.a. Belle, soon, especially after the attention the Hottie’s raft had garnered earlier that day.

Sam gave up his chair to Lacey and Chief gave his chair to Ella before any of the other men had a chance while they waited for the server to close out their tab. Both Sam and Chief had on loose fitting, linen shirts and dress shorts, ready to attend the party. As soon as Chief signed the receipt he placed one hand on the back of Ella’s high back chair and offered her the other hand for assistance. He had endlessly debated himself regarding the appropriateness and timing of getting involved with her, especially since she was his charge. He finally decided that a few dates wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, it would be easier to keep an eye on Ella if they had a temporary fling. He decided she was a big girl and was already aware that both their days were numbered on Roanoke Island. He would be returning to The Bureau soon and she would be shipped out to testify or disappear in the night again to be taken to the next safe house. It wasn’t like either of them was going in blind.

When the four arrived at the pavilion, the band, Furious George, was already playing a few warm up songs. The band was wildly popular throughout the Southeast because of their unique pattern of playing one classic rock song, followed by a club song, and then a country song. There was always something for everyone and most people liked more than one type of music anyway.

Sam informed Lacey that he wasn’t going near the dance floor until it was packed with enough people where he could be lost in the crowd. Chief asked Ella if she’d like something from the bar. She asked for a glass of merlot. Sam tagged along to get Lacey and him a drink as well.

“He likes you,” Lacey said, yelling it slowly so Ella could hear over the band.

“How do you know?” asked Ella.

“Trust me, I know,” answered Lacey.

Ella wondered how Lacey could know such a thing. Had Chief said something to Sam or was it just a hunch? She didn’t think Lacey would ever set her up for failure so Ella decided to accept it as fact. Now she was even more prepared to pursue something with Chief, no matter how brief it might be.

When the guys returned with the drinks, Lacey grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor.  “Sweet Home Alabama” was playing and there was a flood of people heading in the same direction. Chief tried to yell over the band and the dancers singing along to ask Ella if her wine was O.K. Ella couldn’t hear and kept shaking her head and signaling toward her ear. Chief reached out and took Ella’s hand. Without saying a word he led her out of the pavilion and down the boardwalk. Before they reached the boat slips, where everything from commercial fishing boats to world class yachts were docked, the pair came across a row of wooden swinging benches for those looking to relax and enjoy the view.

Chief led Ella to the swing he knew had the nicest view of the sunset. He’d used the same ploy numerous times in high school and on visits home from the Army. Since he’d been at The Bureau, visits home had been few and far between. He hadn’t been on a real date on The Banks in several years. He had never thought of his hook up with Elise Winslet as a date. He thought of it more as a matter of convenience.

Chief and Ella discussed the day’s events. Chief told Ella about different rafts from past races including rafts designed like a box of crayons on its side, a hollowed out Volkswagen Beetle, and a raft carrying a group of gay guys in gold polyester bell bottoms and boas lip syncing ABBA songs. Ella did a lot of listening since she wasn’t sure if it was safe to reveal too much about herself even though Chief was an agent. Her whereabouts were only known to a select few to reduce the chances of The Sacred Crown bribing an agent. Corruption was a part of every organization and Ella always tried to keep up her guard incase Dante got to someone who knew her predicament.

Trying to keep up appearances, Chief asked Ella about her career as a fashion writer. He silently gave her kudos for her ability to bullshit a truthful sounding answer. It pleased him to know she could act the part of Belle Butler. It would help protect her true identity and keep her safe. Chief had been keeping much closer tabs on Ella since the dinner at Miss Melody’s. He never felt like a stalker, but instead, he had an overwhelming desire to protect Lacey’s new friend from the certain threat she was under. He’d watched The Crown murder his best friend and he had absolutely no intention of allowing them to harm one hair on the head of Miss Eleanor Augusta Barrantine.

Chief became so caught up in their conversation, while gently swinging back and forth, that it was Ella that pointed out the impending sunset. He took out his phone and found the official time of the day’s setting sun. The couple had two minutes. “You almost made us break the tradition,” said Chief.

“Me?” asked Ella. “I’m the one who reminded you! But what exactly is the penalty for breaking the tradition?”

“You would be stuck making out with me until midnight to please the sunset gods,” explained Chief. He had never known what the penalty was for not obeying the “kiss at sunset rule.” He’d always blindly obeyed it, but his quickly fabricated punishment sounded good.

Chief held up his phone to show Ella the countdown sunset clock. When the clock hit zero, Chief leaned in slowly toward Ella. She cupped her hand and placed it over his mouth. “Not so fast. I need to finish my wine.”

Ella slowly and sultrily sipped her wine until it was gone, while Chief watched silently. She then gasped, and with a flourish placed her hand in front of her mouth with exaggerated melodrama, “Oh, no! It looks like we missed our kiss at sunset!”

Chief smiled and took Ella’s now empty wine glass from her hand and set it at the base of the swing. He wrapped both arms around Ella and engulfed her body in his embrace. Ella hadn’t felt this safe since before she met Dante Vitali. The two kissed passionately for a long time taking occasional breaks to admire the last red and purple clouds from the final rays of the setting sun and then taking in the harbor lights. Ella took Chief’s hand and began to pull him toward the pavilion. She hadn’t been to a party in years and she wanted to dance. Chief protested that the two had not paid their penance to the gods of the sunset.

“We can make out on the dance floor!” Ella yelled back, since the decibels of music had already begun to drown out her voice.

Chief and Ella joined Sam and Lacey on the packed dance floor. There was a chill in the night air and everyone was happy to welcome the Fall after a long, hot summer. After a large crowd had just completed some type of line dance to the country song “Beachin’,” the band began to play Eric Clapton’s, “You Look Wonderful Tonight.” Ella placed her arms on Chief’s shoulders and her hands at the nape of his neck. He wrapped his hands around her waist and they began to sway. They began to slowly, lustfully kiss one another trying to please the sunset gods. Sam yelled out to his brother and Ella, “Get a room!”  Lacey bonked her husband on top of the head and began to kiss him much like her new friend and brother-in-law had been doing earlier until Sam so rudely interrupted them. Ella had looked up toward the outburst and turned beet red. Chief had had a lifetime to perfect ignoring his brother and this time was no exception. He ran his fingers up the nape of Ella’s neck and began to kiss her once more.

Lacey held up her keys, swinging them back and forth, and asked Chief if he minded driving Ella home. She explained that she and Sam had some business to attend to. Chief took the keys from Lacey and put them in the cargo pocket of his shorts.

After a few more songs, Ella told Chief that she was ready to leave if he was. He walked her to the Jeep and reached out to open her door. She stole one more kiss before getting into the vehicle. Upon arriving at the cottage, Chief walked Ella to the door. She turned and said, “I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of slut, as a matter of fact I haven’t been with a man in a VERY long while, but we’re both on borrowed time. My job might take me from here on a moment’s notice if I get a new assignment, and I know The FBI can call for you anytime and -”

Chief placed his finger gently on Ella’s lips to silence her. “You’re wasting precious time,” he said.

Chief followed Ella to the small bedroom. He removed his .45 from his waist band and placed it on the table beside the bed. She’d felt it earlier that night but hadn’t said anything. She was relieved he was carrying a gun. Ella liked the thought of leveling the playing field since she figured if one of Dante’s men showed up he’d be armed to the teeth.

Ella slowly unbuttoned Chief’s shirt revealing the rock hard body she had secretly admired all afternoon during the raft race. Chief grabbed the bottom edge of Ella’s dress and slowly pulled it over her head, revealing her nude breasts and red lace panties. She then began to unbutton his shorts and joked, “I know where your gun is so I’m guessing this means you’re happy to see me.”

Chief quickly finished unbuttoning his own shirt and hungrily wrapped his arm around Ella and gently laid her across the bed. He lay down next to her, propped up on his elbow, and ran his free hand across her bronzed skin. He had not been able to get her off his mind since the beach party. Ella had enjoyed being with Dante but this was different. With Dante, she had been focused on her work and she didn’t see him as often as most girls see their boyfriends. She felt for the first time that she needed a man. She desired Chief unlike she had ever desired any other man. She couldn’t imagine being limited to seeing him once or even twice a month. Ella felt the need to spend lots of time with Chief, talking, making love, and having fun like a young couple should. She placed her lips on his and wrapped her arms around him pulling his body closer to hers. He then took the lead and pressed himself against her until she was on her back and he was hovering on top of her holding himself up with his arms. He gently lowered his head to kiss her. Ella reached under the waist band of his boxer briefs with her toe and pulled. Chief laughed and told her he could help her with that. He removed his trunks and then slowly peeled the red lace panties off Ella revealing a distinct tan line from the Trina Turk bikini. The two spent the night making love and stayed in bed the majority of the next day. They both knew they were indeed on borrowed time with one another and wanted to make the best of it. Ella finally had a glimpse of normalcy in her life and although she knew it may be short lived, she planned to savor every moment.

Chapter 23

In the three weeks following the raft race, Ella and Chief had spent at least a few hours together every day. He had driven her the full length of The Banks all the way down to Ocracoke, where the residents spoke in an Irish accent like their ancestors before them. The dialect was known as Ocracoke brogue. Chief borrowed Lacey’s and Sam’s double kayak and he and Ella would paddle around Shallowbag Bay and Pamlico Sound. He told Ella the history of his Roanoke Indian tribe, including the legend of Wanchese, the Chief of the Roanoke and Manteo, Chief of the Croatans. Both tribes were part of the Alqonquian Nation and spoke the same language. The two Indian Chiefs helped supply the English settlers of The Lost Colony with food after a shipwreck laid waste to their winter supplies. One theory about The Lost Colonists was that they abandoned their fort because they were starving and joined Chief Manteo’s tribe. One of the colonists, Eleanor Dare, was believed to have carved the word CROATAN into the wall of the fort. This was the only trace of the colonists when the English finally decided it was safe enough to return three years later.

Ella enjoyed kayaking with Chief and listening to the legends of his people. She loved seeing bottle nosed dolphins and sea turtles swimming alongside their kayak. Ella especially loved the abundance of birds including majestic Blue Herons, ducks, and pelicans. One day they were treated to seeing a herd of wild horses graze on the bank of a quiet estuary they had entered.

Occasionally the two would paddle to a secluded, small beach, unfurl a blanket, and make love. Both Ella and Chief tried not to dwell on the fact that these escapades would be short lived. Instead they treated each day together like it would be the last.

Since the success of Hottie’s raft, Ella had received numerous requests for gowns for the upcoming Peacock Ball. Miss Melody had hosted the two couples for dinner a couple of times since the raft race, and when she overheard Lacey and Ella planning a trip to New Bern to purchase fabric for new ball gowns, Melody Gainsborough put in her order for one as well.

Melody Gainsborough had been sponsoring The Peacock Ball since she refurbished the upstairs of Pinkie’s, turning it into a ballroom for special events. Pinkie’s ballroom was host to wedding receptions, proms, corporate Christmas parties, debutante balls, and all types of other celebrations. The space was opulently decorated in eighteenth century style. Besides the five enormous, crystal, wedding cake chandeliers, it featured eighteen foot ceilings with huge arched windows down the length of the room displaying panoramic views of Shallowbag Bay. The border of the massive floor space was lined with gilded, moulded arches placed five feet from the wall. This was a historically accurate feature and provided a space for dancers taking a break or a spot to socialize for those not participating in the dancing.

By the time the fabric shopping day had arrived, Ella had received ball gown orders from The Rays as well. Tanqueray and Dylan had broken up not long after the raft race. Tanqueray, who was quite smart and well read, had decided she could not continue to have limited conversations about NASCAR, Dylan’s performance in past bar fights, and what the next season would bring in the TV series “Swampers.”

Tanqueray decided she was tired of short lived romances with hot lunkheads. She’d dated a guy in high school who’d ended up being the valedictorian of their class. The two knew that a long distance relationship was not for them but vowed if both were still single when he finished college they would try to continue their relationship. The summer after he graduated from college, Keith Carlisle came home to Manteo for one month. He’d asked for time off before he started his new aeronautical engineering job with Lockheed-Martin in Lexington, Kentucky. That month he and Tanqueray rekindled their relationship but the long separation had cooled Tanqueray’s desire for Keith and when he suggested she join him in Lexington, she politely declined.

Never did Tanqueray think she’d made a mistake by being simple minded. She loved The Banks, her family, and mostly her twin, Desiree. She had a job that she enjoyed and couldn’t imagine a future anywhere else. So although Tanqueray wasn’t dating anyone she still planned on attending The Ball. As a matter of fact, there were many young singles who attended The Peacock Ball. Historically balls were one of the only venues that brought eligible ladies and gentlemen together in a social setting. The No Kill Shelter of The Outer Banks was a charity near and dear to everyone’s hearts, young and old, therefore The Ball was one of the most popular charity galas of the year since it was not geared to only “blue hairs” Lacey would say.

Ella and Lacey went to New Bern to Rosemary’s Fine Fabrics again. Ella had given everyone a choice of sparkle, satin, or velvety smooth for their dress style. In the 1700’s, in addition to the dark, rich velvets, more pastel gowns began to come in vogue. Lacey and Tanqueray had chosen to go all out with gowns featuring sparkling
 
lamé
insets in the bodice lined with shiny silver cording.

Tanqueray had chosen an ice blue color with a silver lamé bodice and underskirt. Lacey’s gown featured a crimson bodice with gray satin edging. She preferred a late 1700’s closed, full skirt in alternating bands of gray and crimson. Desiree’s dress was a rich jeweled satin with a black lace accent fabric giving it a bit of a Spanish flair. Ella had decided on a gold satin gown with ivory braiding lining each side of the bodice inset. Miss Melody wanted a more regal looking heavy damask dress in an emerald green with velvet accents. She insisted on Watteau pleats on the back after Ella showed her some period examples. “Now that looks very queen like plus that style is very forgiving for someone with a big ass,” Melody said, pointing to the photo on Ella’s laptop.

“You got it,” Ella said with a grin.

All the gowns had sharp pointed waists in front with full skirts. Besides Lacey’s, all the skirts had open fronts with contrasting petticoats. The virago sleeves of each dress were beautiful features. These long sleeves had full length slashes gathered into two puffs and held tightly by feminine ribbons or cords tied at the elbow.

Ella couldn’t wait to get started. Each lady gave Ella one hundred dollars for fabrics and trim and would pay her one hundred and fifty dollars for labor. Ella had offered to sew the dresses for free but the ladies thought the money was a small price to pay for a custom period ball gown. They also convinced Ella that they considered it an investment since they were certain she would be famous one day and eventually become the editor of Vogue or some other fashion magazine. Ella informed the ladies she would be writing an article on the revival of true balls for charity galas and discuss period ball gowns in her next article. She would also chronicle her experience customizing the ball gowns for each of the ladies. Since she’d done nothing in almost two years in the way of adding to her fashion portfolio, this was as good as anything else. Besides, fashion houses liked to see diverse portfolios. Ella couldn’t think of anything much more diverse than Hard Rock cocktail waitress uniforms and period ball gowns.

Chief was impressed with the intense fervor Ella displayed in sewing the ball gowns. She’d cheated a bit by buying a medieval princess costume pattern and altering it to fit her needs. She didn’t have enough time to draw her own patterns from scratch. There were exactly three weeks until The Peacock Ball and she had five ball gowns to construct. Luckily, each of the ladies already owned crinoline slips.

Ella worked on all five dresses at the same time instead of completing one dress and moving on to the next one. This way she could have the ladies over for fittings and everyone could see how all the dresses were coming along. Also for each fitting, someone always brought wine and the ladies would while away the evening catching up with one another. There had been no shortage of comments directed to Ella about doing the deed with Chief. She would blush and explain to everyone that they were just having “fun.” She then reminded everyone that he or she could receive another assignment at almost any time.

Chief would sleep over sometimes and awaken to the whirring of Ella’s sewing machine. He liked the fact she had been able to unleash her talent and creativity during her stay on The Banks. The closer he got to Miss Barrantine, the more he felt the need to be by her side protecting her from The Crown’s thugs. Chief knew there was no use questioning Ella about what she might possess that could incriminate Dante and his associates. She had been interrogated endlessly by The Bureau and everyone believed she was hiding nothing. Still Chief was concerned. Flynn had informed him that surveillance had revealed that finding Eleanor Augusta Barrantine was a top priority for The Crown, before vital information was divulged that would be crippling to the leaders of the organization.

The Bureau was trying to uncover anything from the information Ella had already given to them. They had searched all the places she and Dante had stayed on the supposed extended vacation and questioned Nicoletta, Alphonse, and anyone else Ella could remember coming into contact with. Chief had not told Flynn about how closely he’d been watching Ella, for instance, rolling over almost every morning, pulling her body against his, and eventually looking into her eyes as he slowly entered her.

Ella was convinced that Chief was on Roanoke Island merely because he’d been sent home for his psychological health after Brad’s murder. She hoped that photographing the steps in creating the ball gowns and making notes for her “article” would lend credence to her cover story of being a fashion writer. Ella, like The Bureau, felt that the fewer people who knew about her situation, the safer she would be.

After three fittings, followed by good wine and conversation, the ladies came to Ella’s cottage to try on their gowns one last time. On this night Lacey brought several bottles of champagne and a tray of smoked Gouda and Edam. The ladies were going to model the dresses for one another.

Desiree was the first to try on her Spanish inspired ball gown. There was a collective gasp when she walked out in the deep purple dress. The black lace stomacher inset was outlined by a black eyelash trim. The open draped skirt revealed a matching black lace petticoat. Her shiny, purple, puffed sleeves were held in place by wide black lace ribbons that Ella had created.

Lacey proposed a toast to Desiree’s “Orchid Orgasm” dress. With the toast, Lacey made a proclamation that everyone’s dress had to be given a name since in her eyes they were true works of art. Next up was Tanqueray in her sparkling ice blue gown. The stomacher of her gown was a silver tissue lamé fabric. The point of the gown accentuated her tiny waist. “You look like an Ice Princess!” exclaimed Desiree.

“Ass Princess it is,” declared Lacey. Tanqueray looked pleased with her dress’s name. There was another collective toast while Tanqueray exaggeratingly shook her behind back to the bedroom. In a few minutes Miss Melody walked out lifting the large skirt of her dress. The brilliant green damask fabric had a beautiful sheen. The inset of her bodice was a matching emerald velvet. Slowly, Melody turned revealing the Watteau pleated back. Everyone shouted remarks about how pretty the back of the dress was. When Melody turned to the front, the boning in the bodice had pushed her breasts up revealing an impressively ample décolletage. “Ooo Lah Lah!” said Lacey. She then lifted her glass and designated the name of Melody’s gown, “Booby Trap!” Everyone began laughing.

“Well take a good look because if I find an eligible bachelor at The Ball, I’m going to set these girls free!” clucked Melody.

Everyone held up their flutes. “To the Booby Trap!” exclaimed Lacey.

While Lacey was putting on her dress, Ella refilled everyone’s glasses.

In keeping with the Hottie’s theme, Lacey had chosen an elegant crimson red satin dress with a contrasting gray satin fabric. A small string of squared rhinestones trimmed the sleekly designed dress. When Lacey twisted back and forth in the dress, the rhinestones sparkled, projecting prisms all over the room like a disco ball. “Hot Disco Balls!” shouted Desiree. Everyone saluted the dress with the champagne before taking a swallow.