Chapter 8: Jillian

The hotel ballroom could have been a hundred years old, with stone walls and intricate tile floors that wouldn't have been out of place in a Spanish castle. By contrast, the rumbling sounds of drums and amplified instruments playing pirate-influenced rock music kept the mood upbeat and modern. The whole ballroom was filled with people wearing period costumes of soldiers, pirates, maidens, and wenches. A few were wearing higher class costumes like Jillian's green dress, but as they walked into the ballroom she couldn't miss the envious looks they both got.

Zach strutted next to her, giving the crowd a smile and a nod, his hand holding hers in place on his arm. She loved seeing his muscles through the open neck of his shirt and filling out his leather pants. The work she'd done on his hair gave him a rakish appeal, but she kept her head high to meet the steady gaze of other women who seemed to be debating if they could steal him away from her. He's mine, her thoughts growled at them.

The band stopped for a break after finishing a song about keelhauling a filthy landlubber, and Zach paused to ask, "May I get you a drink, m'lady?"

"Rum," she said. "Something dark and sweet."

He left her to go to the bar of dark wood and brass that was next to the large plate glass windows looking out over the bay. The sun was still up, but the sky was dimming towards dusk. She saw lightning in the distance, but the sky around the island was clear.

"Ms. Cortez, you look stunning," a man's voice said. She turned and saw an older man wearing a general's costume as elaborate as her own. He had salt and pepper hair, tan wrinkled skin, and a wry smile on his lips.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," she said.

"I'm Victor Montoya, the hotel manager," he said and extended his hand to her. When she took it, he lifted it to his lips instead of shaking it. "I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far?"

When he released her hand, Zach returned and placed a cold glass in it without a word, but he was eyeing Victor with a possessive glint in his eyes.

"Zach, this is Victor Montoya, the hotel manager. Victor, this is my escort for the evening, Zach Gilbert. He was just asking how I was enjoying my stay." She kept the smile off her face as she lifted the neat shot to her lips, tasting the flavors of banana and blackcurrant along with the heat of the rum.

Zach chuckled. "Nice to meet you. If I can dare to speak for Jillian, we've both had a wonderful day."

"Good," Victor said with a suppressed smile as Zach slipped his arm around Jillian's waist. "I'm glad to hear it."

"I did want to mention one thing," Jillian said as she recalled the outburst on the beach. "There was a man on the beach yelling about something today."

Victor rolled his eyes. "We've been fighting the people living on the island ever since we purchased the property lease from the government. There is some kind of native superstition that pirates return on All Hallows Eve to demand a tribute from anyone they find. Don't worry about them. We've got good security at the hotel and a fantastic evening planned ... with pirates of our own."

"Like me?" Zach asked as he lifted his arm to indicate his costume.

"Since you are escorting the duchess, would you mind play-acting for our show later on? It's nothing, really, just banter with the actors a bit for the crowd. The pirate captain will swagger around a little, then throw a wench over his shoulder before he leaves."