Page 61 of Talon (Road Rebels MC 2)
Ronovia was located just off the south of France. It was a country a lot of people had never actually heard of, but one that Teagan had always wanted to visit. The place had a fascinating history and culture that she was dying to get to know more about. The first night they were being put up in the hotel by the Siri Yoga Intensive. That was what Siri had named his company. In addition to teaching yoga Siri was also involved in yoga products, vitamin water, new age books and teachings, rune reading, his own tarot cards, etc. The man had created quite the business empire.
Teagan wanted nothing more
at that moment than to just fall asleep and wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to go with the group. The plan was that they would spend the night in the hotel and the next morning bright and early they would be taken to the isolated location close to the ocean where they would begin their lessons.
She was so jet lagged that she didn’t know if she could stay awake for several more hours or not. But she knew that if she fell asleep right then, she was going to regret it because she would be wide awake at two in the morning. They were not scheduled to leave until six, and she had no idea how far they would have to travel. The odds were that there was going to be a lot of hiking involved.
She was ok with that, though. But she had to make sure she was properly rested.
Teagan forced herself to get up out of the comfortable bed and to grab some fresh clothes out of her suitcase. She knew that there were some excellent local clubs and bars nearby. Maybe she would go out and have a few drinks, mingle a bit, or at least just get out of the room where she would surely be dead asleep in twenty minutes.
She wondered if she might run into someone else from the tour when she was out and about. So far, she had yet to meet anyone having come straight from the airport to the hotel by taxi. She was pleased to see that that her name was left at the front desk and her room was properly reserved, all expenses paid. The culture shock just watching the world outside of her window as she was being driven to the hotel was something she would never forget. It was like landing in a whole other world.
The cab driver spoke perfect English, and he’d kept her fairly well entertained during the trip. She appreciated it even if she didn’t really want to talk that much. At least he was helpful and nice to chat with. She hoped that the rest of the people in the country were that friendly. It was kind of scary when you were new in another country and knew absolutely no one.
Suddenly she was beginning to think that going out by herself to a club seemed like something of a bad idea. But she quickly dismissed the thought from her mind and reminded herself that she was, in fact, a big girl. The hotel seemed to be located in a nice area, and most of the clubs and bars around the area tended to be more upscale based on the types of cars pulling up to the front to drop people off or pick people up. At least that was what she’d just observed from the taxi.
It was possible she was completely wrong. But she was feeling a bit frisky and adventurous. This was actually the first time she’d ever been outside of the country and to be selected to attend this amazing retreat with someone she respected and admired so much was more than a dream come true.
When she told Ellie about it, the girl basically told her she was full of it. She had to actually forward the email to her before Ellie believed it. Then Ellie let out one of her legendary screams right into Teagan’s ear. After the deafness went away, Teagan managed to ask Ellie if she would cover for her at the yoga studio for the week she was gone. She agreed to give Ellie all of the profits that week of course, but she couldn’t just close up for a week and risk her students finding another teacher that they liked more. Her business was still a bit of a fledgling operation, and she had worked too hard to take that sort of a hit.
But even if Ellie had said she couldn’t Teagan would have come here. Nothing in the world was going to derail her from doing this.
She left the hotel and walked down the street towards the Canal, an upscale bar that looked like it might have been fun. She was feeling a bit less tired by now, and she hoped that some energizing fun might just be the thing she needed to carry her over the hump.
When she walked into the bar, she was happy to see the place looked even better than it did outside. The thoughts of how much the drinks and food here might actually cost were forcibly pushed to the back of her mind. This was something she’d saved up for, and she was not going to worry about the money. She’d been saving for this trip ever since she’d decided to apply, confident that she would one day be selected. But even so, the fact that it was actually happening and she was really there was mind blowing.
She found an empty seat at the bar and ordered a beer. She figured it was best to start off light. It was also tempting to maybe order some food later, but right now she wasn’t too hungry. A waiter walked out of the kitchen just then with a plate of the most delicious smelling food she’d ever been around. Her mouth began to water, and her stomach started to pang. Maybe she would grab some food soon. After all, she was going to be doing intense yoga all week to burn off those calories.
Looking around she saw the place was filled with people from all walks of life. There were groups of a younger crowd, there were older people, couples, singles, groups of guys, groups of girls—all of them seemed to be having a blast. She wished that she had some friends or someone there to actually talk with, but she didn’t think she would be alone long. She was a girl sitting in a bar drinking by herself. It was only a matter of time before some guy came over to talk to her.
Hopefully, it would be someone interesting…
CHAPTER 4
Cort
“Ugh, why did I let you drag me out tonight?” Cort asked. He took a big gulp of his beer and tried to hide in the shadows of the corner.
Cort and his two best friends Markus and Brody were hanging out at the Riverside, a famous club that they frequented whenever they wanted to blow off a little steam. Cort thought that was the thing he needed after that tense meeting with his father, but now that he was out he was more desperate than ever to just be left alone to brood for a bit. He had a major decision to make and one that did not really need the help of booze, fun with the guys, and random ladies always throwing themselves at him.
“Because this is what we do,” Markus said. “I mean if we weren’t here you would just be somewhere feeling sorry for yourself. We figured a change of scenery would do you good.”
“Well, maybe being alone is what I really want at the moment,” Cort said. “I appreciate the thought guys, but I think I’m going to bail.”
“Oh, you aren’t leaving so soon are you? I was just hoping to catch a few minutes of your time.”
Cort turned to see a beautiful girl with long black hair, a sweet face, wearing a sleek black dress that perfectly accentuated every curve of her nubile body. He was interested in a purely physical level of course, but he really did not want to be bothered by this. It was obvious the moment that she stepped to him that she knew who Cort was. Over time he’d developed a sixth sense about the intentions of women. And many times, he’d used those intentions to get laid and had even had a few great relationships, but in the end, it just never worked out. He always felt that being the prince was the biggest thing with these women. All of them had delusions of grandeur of being a King’s wife one day. It was both a blessing and a curse.
“I was actually,” Cort replied. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’d be much fun at the moment.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman said. “I’m Vanessa by the way.”
“Vanessa,” Markus said stepping in. “Our buddy is feeling a bit shy this evening. He needs some alone time right now, but we will be glad to come to your table later for a few drinks if you are still around.”
Vanessa seemed disappointed, but she tried to hide it with her flirty demeanor.
“Ok, I’ll hold you to that,” she said walking away slowly.
“What the hell? Dude, turning that down? You are in some sort of funk,” Markus said busting Cort’s chops.
“I told you. This thing with seceding my father as king… it’s got me all turned around. I think I’m just going to go home.”
“Nah man. Don’t do that. You will regret it. We just need to get a few drinks up in you,” Brody said. He immediately went to the bar.
“I have a drink already!” Cort called after him holding up his beer, but Brody was already talking to the sexy bartender.
“He is right,” Markus said. “Just know we do this all out of love, man. We hate seeing you moping around. It’s not you.”
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“Well, what would you do in my shoes? You think I should just cheer up and marry some random woman to appease a silly rule created by some idiot bureaucrats two hundred years ago?” Cort asked.
“It could be worse,” Markus said. “You keep forgetting that you have all the power here. You could go out and find the best, coolest, most beautiful girl around here and she would marry you. I realize time is of the essence, but I think if you put together a team of recruits it can be done.”
Cort laughed. “Listen to what you are saying. It sounds like we are putting together a sports team or something. This is marriage. Call me old fashioned, but I really want to fall in love someday. I really want to make something great work here with the right woman. I don’t want to be railroaded into something I’m going to regret or be stuck with for the rest of my life. You know the rule. Once a woman is pronounced queen, there is no divorce from that. The King is basically stuck with her until one of them dies. And don’t say it!” Cort laughed.
“I was not about to suggest the queen have some unfortunate accident at some point down the road,” Markus joked.
“You are terrible, man!” Cort laughed. His friends were too much sometimes.
Brody returned with a couple of long island iced teas, Cort’s favorite drink. He begrudgingly accepted it.
“So, what did I miss?” Brody asked.
“Go ahead Markus,” Cort responded. “Tell him your plan.”
Markus rolled his eyes.
He was about half finished with his drink when he felt something rubbing his shoulder. Turning his head slightly he was not at all surprised to see a sexy blonde girl who looked as if she might have been slightly underage but had charmed the bouncers, or at least had a fake ID to gain admittance to the club. But the way she carried herself suggested she was much older than she appeared. She was looking at him with that mixture of recognition and hope, which Cort had termed the “Stalker Eyes.”
