Disclaimer: Fluffy Cat does not own or have any right to the characters associated with the Highlander the Series Universe. She does not profit in any way from writing this story other than the pleasure it gives her to visit them again.
Timeline: First Season in Seacouver
A Perfect Work of Art
By Fluffy Cat
"Tessa!" MacLeod entered the back of the antique store calling his lover's name. He shuffled through the stack of mail in his hand while he waited to hear the Frenchwoman's softly accented reply.
When it didn't come, MacLeod tossed the mail aside on a nearby table and called again. "Tess?" Worry tinted his voice and concern flashed across his face before it was quickly replaced by relief as he caught sight of Tessa's lovely backside protruding from a closet. Her blonde hair had yet to put in an appearance but he would recognize that lovely bottom anywhere!
His Tessa was safe.
French cursing ensued and Duncan didn't even try to hold back his responding grin as he approached the familiar backside and caressed it suggestively.
A surprised yelp answered his actions, "Duncan!" She chastised him while backing out of the closet and directly into his waiting groin. "You frightened me! Don't do that!" She fussed, her head finally emerging from the depths of the storage space, her long blonde tresses sporting the latest look in packing straw.
MacLeod wrapped his arms around her and grinned at the sight of his rumpled Tessa. "Why, Sweetheart, just last night you were telling me not to stop when I did that."
Tessa sighed at his rakish grin, "Last night we were in our bedroom and I wasn't covered with straw." She admitted ruefully, picking at the mess that covered her head, shoulders, and cream-colored sweater.
MacLeod picked a strand off of her left breast and twirled it at her, grinning. "No, as I recall you weren't wearing anything at all." Laughing, he added, "but we could try covering you in straw sometime, Sweetheart, if you'd like?"
Tessa rolled her beautiful eyes, "why do I get the impression I wouldn't be the first woman you've ever made love to who was covered with straw?"
Duncan panned an innocent expression. "I have no idea, Tess."
She succumbed to a short laugh, linking her arms around his neck while she brought her soft breasts to his chest, and her mouth to his lips, "Non, of course not."
Duncan captured her mouth and reveled in the sensuous taste of Tessa.
Richie chose that moment to enter the room, shaking his curly head. "Man, oh man, don't you two ever quit?"
Duncan's lips curved as he replied cockily, "Would you?"
Richie laughed. "Good point."
Tessa pulled out of Duncan's embrace reluctantly. "Mac, that is enough of this subject around Richie," she warned primly.
Richie gave Mac a 'man to man look' but grinned at Tessa like a little boy, "so, Tess, why the straw? Some new artist thing?" He asked curiously as he picked another strand of the stuff out of her bangs.
"Non." Tessa batted at the piece and turned back to the closet. "Richie, would you please pull out that crate for me?" She asked sweetly, pointing to the back of the closet.
"Okay, but I get a second serving of dessert for this." He informed her.
Tessa shook her head and smiled at Duncan over the young man's back. "Oui, you do." She agreed easily enough.
"What are you looking for, Tess?" Duncan quizzed his lover at the same time he wrapped his hands around her waist, tugging her against his hard chest. He proceeded to kiss her collarbone since it was so conveniently exposed to him. Tessa tilted her head, allowing him more room to indulge in the sexy activity while Richie dug around in the closet for her.
"I'm looking for an early piece of mine. I've misplaced it somewhere."
Duncan could tell Tessa wasn't happy with that scenario. "Which piece, Tess? Maybe I've seen it?"
Evading the truth, she shrugged lightly, "It's not that important, I'll find it."
Any man less than thirty years old could have picked up on her evasion, so it was a certainty that a man of Duncan's experience and age would have noticed it. "Come on, Sweetheart, odds are I have run across it. I have a good memory, you know?" He nibbled on her neck and took a light bite out of her earlobe.
"It doesn't matter." She tossed off his question, but gladly submitted to his affections.
Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod gave his lover an assessing look but said nothing. He kissed her again on the cheek. "Need any help, Rich?" He released Tessa and headed for the crate and Richie.
Dragging an open crate out of the closet, Richie straightened and eyed the beautiful French woman. "This it, Tess?"
Duncan watched Tessa dig through the straw, seeing the disappointment on her face. "Non." Her face fell. "It's not here."
The Highlander tried again. "Maybe if you describe it, Tessa, Richie and I can tell you if we've seen it somewhere?"
Lost in thought, a distracted Tessa turned to both men. "Non; that isn't necessary." She walked away and headed down the hallway to their bedroom.
"Mac, is it just me, or is something wrong with Tessa?" Richie asked.
Duncan watched the adorable backside he was so fond of wiggle away from him. "She'll tell us when she's ready." He told Richie, hoping it was true. He hated it when he had to pry information out of Tessa.
Such a situation usually involved tears accompanied by a substantial display of French temper.
After dinner, Duncan found Tessa in their room, her head buried inside another closet. He crossed his arms, leaned against the door frame and admired his lover.
She was so beautiful, so talented, so compassionate, so strong, yet still gentle.
And she was so lying to him!
Duncan sensed that whatever it was she was hiding from him; it wouldn't threaten their relationship. To be truthful, he wasn't sure there was anything Tessa could do that would threaten their relationship; that kind of danger usually came from his end of things; still… the lady was definitely hiding something from him.
The stubborn Scot felt an increasing need to discover exactly what it was.
Duncan found the sight of her muttering to the closet entirely too amusing, especially in light of the fact Tessa muttered in French. "Tessa, that closet is American, I doubt it understands French."
The irritated Frenchwoman spun around, finding his quip less than amusing this frustrating day. "Very funny, Duncan, and it is my closet, so I have taught it French." She countered with a feminine expression that oozed contrariness.
Duncan chuckled, loving every aspect of her personality. He approached her as she tossed boxes out of her way. "Tessa, what has you so upset, Sweetheart? Just tell me." He coaxed sweetly.
"There is nothing. I just need to find a certain piece, Duncan."
She wouldn't look him in the eye. The mystery grew deeper and deeper.
"Okay, Tess. We'll leave it at that… for now," he added.
Her face shot up to stare at his with dread. She knew that tone all too well. It meant Duncan was biding his time but in the end he would have his way. You didn't live with a man thirteen years without learning that particular tone.
She made a face at him for the subtle threat and turned back to the stack of boxes she was searching.
The Highlander laughed and exited the room, thinking to himself that even after four hundred years, the female of the species still kept him guessing the majority of the time. Life was good, he decided happily.
"Oui, Duncan, oui!" Tessa moaned softly as his lips kissed their way back up her body, teasing her thighs, gliding across her abdomen, and caressing her soft skin. Her fingers buried themselves in his dark hair as she arched her back and rushed to sit up, meeting him before he had finished his journey.
The Scot chuckled at her eagerness and folded her into his strong arms, covering her mouth with his gentle lips. Her long thighs wrapped around his hips and Duncan smiled into her soft, delicious neck. "You're beautiful, Tess. I love you." He whispered as he felt her start to climax around him.
Eyes closed; her breathing fast, her face glowing with a healthy shine that was a result of arousal and good old-fashioned exercise-induced sweat, Tessa didn't answer him.
Duncan took a moment to admire the lady he was making love to; he loved Tessa like this; her hair loose and damp, her face devoid of all cares except how to connect with him in the most intimate way imaginable. He never grew tired of seeing her like this. Never!
Duncan rolled her over on her back and covered her, quickly reaching his own orgasm.
A few minutes later, The Highlander held Tessa against him as she fell asleep. As his mind wandered to all the dark possibilities of what his lover was hiding, his arms tightened protectively around her.
Richie woke up thirsty. He rolled over, glanced at the digital clock beside his bed and groaned. Three AM? He considered going back to sleep, but in the end, sat up and made his way into the kitchen, reminding himself all the way down the hall to never again eat an entire bag of pretzels before he went to bed.
He spotted Tessa on his way back to bed, on the couch, sitting in the low light, her pedicured feet on the edge of the cushions and her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared into the flames dancing in the fireplace. She was wearing a loose robe that fell open and teased him with glimpses of skin he considered very off limits. She looked sad.
"Tess? You okay?" Richie asked, approaching her quietly.
"Richie!" Startled, Tessa jumped before smiling at him. "It's very late. What are you doing up?"
"Pretzels. I needed to swig a gallon or two of Mac's orange juice. You okay, Tess?" He plopped down next to her and nudged her shoulders with his own.
His concern for her was very touching. Richie had come a long way from the delinquent they had found breaking into their store a few months before; a very long way, she decided. Then again, maybe not? Maybe this was the young man he had always been but had never been given a chance to prove it? Tessa considered that theory for a moment and decided it was the most likely. After all, people didn't really change all that much or as Duncan would say, if they did, it took centuries. No, Richie was probably always a wonderful, caring, funny boy who had never been given a break.
Tessa was glad Duncan had been blessed with the wisdom to have seen that in Richie and had convinced her to allow the young thief into their home.
"Tess?" He called her name again.
"Oui, Richie, I'm all right." Tessa's voice quivered as she laid her head against the young man's shoulders.
"Okaaaaay." Richie stumbled over the word, sensing Tessa wasn't all right in the least. "Tess, you can talk to me, you know? I mean I'm no four-hundred year old Immortal who's seen everything and done everything, but I listen pretty good, well…..maybe not to Mac, but I listen to you, Tess." He chuckled lightly, wrapping his arm around her for support.
She smiled. She couldn't help it. "Non, you listen to Mac; you just don't always do what he says." She pointed out with a soft chuckle.
"Yeah, you're right. I usually hear him." Richie shrugged. "But it gets hard dealing with him knowing everything all the time, you know?"
"I know." Tessa sighed. "I do know, Richie. And believe it or not, there are times when it's hard for me to deal with that myself."
The two of them sat back against the couch and said nothing for several minutes.
Richie finally broke the companionable silence first. "Tess, is this one of those times? Is there something you have to tell Mac and you're not sure how to do it?"
"Oui." She sighed.
Her answer left Richie reaching for the right words. "Tess, I know I'm only eighteen and probably not the best person to give anyone advice, but Mac loves you like nothing I've ever seen before in my life, and I suspect I might never see anything like it again, so I'm pretty sure that anything you have to tell him won't matter all that much, you know? I mean, the way he loves you, well, you know."
"I'm not afraid he'll get mad or leave me, Richie. I've had Duncan angry with me before and we always work through it. It isn't that." Tessa gave him a weak smile. "I know Duncan loves me."
"Good." Richie sounded relieved. "Good, Tess. See? If you know he loves you and you aren't afraid he'll leave or anything, then how bad can it be?" Richie theorized. "I mean it's not like he'll take away your bike or anything." He laughed.
Richie immediately stopped laughing as a thought suddenly struck him. "You're not sick or anything, are you, Tess?" His heart pounded while he waited for her answer.
"Non!" Tessa rushed to assure the young man holding her. His face looked as white as a sheet at the prospect she might be terminally ill. "Non, it is nothing like that, Richie. I'm sorry if I worried you." She hugged him and sighed. "Nothing so dramatic, I assure you."
Standing at the end of the hallway, a few feet around the corner from them, Duncan finally felt his heart beat again. He had been there several minutes and found himself eavesdropping on two of the people who mattered most in his life. It hadn't been intentional. The empty bed woke him. And he had gotten up to find the woman who should have been beside him in it. When the opportunity had appeared for him to discover what was bothering Tessa without a direct confrontation and French temper, the wise Highlander had jumped at it.
"Okay, then, Tess, if you aren't afraid Mac will kick you out and you're not dying and his temper doesn't scare you, then I'll say it again, how bad can it be?" Richie hugged her once in a buddy-buddy fashion.
"I can disappoint him." She stated softly. "Loving a man like Duncan isn't easy. Well," she amended quickly, "it's easy to fall in love with him, but living with him while you are still mortal and very human isn't always…how do you say…a piece of cake?"
"No, I guess not. It isn't for me anyway, but Tess, you're perfect!" Richie argued.
She gave the young man an amused look before breaking into a soft chuckle that still managed to sound French. "Non, Richie, I am not perfect." She shook her head. "No one is; I make mistakes just like everyone else."
"Oh." Richie acted like he had never considered that before. "Cool! I mean, you're just like me, sort of."
She chuckled. "Sort of." She admitted, smiling at his pleased expression.
"So you've made a mistake, huh?" Richie asked nervously.
"Oui."
"Well…Mac loves you, Tess, right? I mean I know that and you know that and Mac sure as hell knows that, so he'll forgive whatever mistake you made, right?"
Before she could answer either way, Richie blurted out, "You didn't have an affair or anything, did you, Tess? I mean another man might be something Mac couldn't handle!"
"Non! Non! Never, Richie!" Tessa looked at him in shock. "I would never be unfaithful to Duncan! Never!"
Duncan's lips curved and he began to breathe easy again. Tess wasn't dying and she hadn't been unfaithful. She wasn't capable of doing anything criminal, so The Highlander was pleased. At this point, Tess could have sold the store out from under him and he would probably whistle a happy tune about it, he thought wryly. Anything else she might have done, they would work through together. As long as she was going to live and she still loved him, Duncan knew they could work it out.
"Tess, just tell me!" Richie pleaded. "I can't stand guessing like this. It's too hard on me."
She found herself chuckling despite her worry. "Oh, Richie, you do make me laugh." Tessa confessed. "If only I could find that sculpture and let him have it." She muttered softly, more to herself than Richie. "As much as it offends me to give into his demand, it would be better all the way around for everyone if I did."
"Give into whom, Tess?" Richie asked.
MacLeod was wondering the same thing, and the relief he had felt only a moment before had completely vanished. Some bastard was blackmailing his Tessa.
"Philippe." Tessa answered in a disgusted voice. "Richie, maybe you can help me find it?" Hope sprang into her beautiful blue eyes. "I know I have it somewhere. I never wanted to sell it or developed the courage to display it, despite the fact it is some of my best early work. If you help me find it and we give it to Philippe, then maybe he won't go through with it?" Her eyes pleaded with him to help her.
"This Philippe guy wants one of your sculptures?"
"Yes." Tessa stated. "He does. He wants a piece I did years ago so he can claim it as his. He believes he already has a buyer lined up for it and he stands to make a nice sum of money off the sale."
"Tess, this guy wants to sell one of your pieces and call it his own? And you're going to let him? You can't do that, Tessa!" Richie exclaimed. "That son of a bitch! Tess! Why would you let him get away with that?"
"Do you think I want to do this, Richie! Non! An artist takes pride in her work whether she is willing to display it or not! I don't want his name on anything I created, but this is the best way." She started to cry.
"Aw, Tess, don't cry. I'm sorry; really, if you think you need to do this then we'll do it! I'll help you, and we won't tell Mac about it. I promise I won't say a word, Tess." Richie patted her back, awkward at comforting her but determined to do it. "What's this guy got on you, Tess?" Richie choked on the question but managed to ask it.
MacLeod waited; his expression hard and determined. It was the look of a warrior despite the fact he was wearing black silk pajama bottoms and nothing else.
"It was before I met Duncan." Tessa explained softly. "Before a handsome, irritating Scot jumped into the boat with me and started correcting my French History." Her lips curved upward a fraction at the good memory before frowning again at the unpleasant one. "I was a student at the Sorbonne and I didn't have very much money and my art supplies always took what money I did have. I was in between jobs and I didn't want to drop out of school or quit my art, so I answered an ad on one of the boards at the school. It was associated with art and it paid very well and I decided it was a way to make some money quickly." She drew a deep breath.
Richie waited and when she didn't continue, prodded her a bit. "Sooo…you needed money and you took this job you found posted at the school? That's not so bad, Tess. What was it?"
She tilted her head in a classically French manner and admitted. "I posed for an artist. There were ads for many such positions. I had the misfortune of posing for Philippe."
"That's it? You posed for some guy so he could paint you?" Richie looked confused.
"Draw. Philippe isn't a very talented artist. He doesn't paint. He claims to sculpt but he isn't very good."
"That's why he wants your stuff? Because he's lousy at it and you aren't." Richie made a face. "Tess, this guy is scum. You can't let him sell your stuff as his."
"If I don't, he'll arrange for those drawings to find their way into a gallery here in Seacouver. Despite his lack of true talent, he is of the opinion that his work will be of interest to the art community since the model is now one of them, Tessa Noel, and her works were just recently featured in a successful show."
MacLeod shook his head. Why hadn't Tessa come to him with this?
"So, he shows people his drawings of you? Big deal! I could draw you too, Tess, anyone who sees you could draw you."
Tessa gave Richie a sympathetic look. "Non. Not like this. They are drawings of the human form, Richie."
"Human form?" Richie asked doubtfully.
"Nudes." Tessa answered the boy with a French shrug.
Richie was shocked. MacLeod wasn't.
He had deduced they must be nudes from the very first. Poor Richie, MacLeod mused; hearing that Tessa would pose completely nude for an artist probably came as quite a shock to the less than cultured lad.
"It's very common; in fact, it is a required course, Richie." Tessa explained softly. "The instruction in it, I mean, not the modeling for it." She sighed. "That is a decision each person has to make for herself."
"So…you…uh…posed for this guy so he could draw you? And now he has those drawings and is threatening to show them to people here in town?"
With complete disgust and disdain in her voice, Tessa told Richie the title of the proposed exhibit. "He is calling it a retrospective on the evolution of an artist from nude model to celebrated sculptor. Unless I give him this particular piece of sculpture to sell, he will arrange for the drawings to be displayed in a gallery here with my name in the title of every piece. You know, Richie, if he were the least bit talented in his execution of the pieces, I probably wouldn't mind so much, but my body depicted by his less than skillful hand is not very flattering, though unfortunately very recognizable, I'm afraid. Not that anyone would have trouble knowing it was me, with my name in huge letters below each piece." Tessa sighed.
"He's a scumbag, Tessa." Richie repeated his earlier point.
"Oui. Poor Duncan." Tessa started to cry again. "I can't stand the thought of him having to learn of this and hearing what people will say, because people will talk about it, Richie; they always do. It will make a nice little juicy piece of gossip in the art community, and that community is closely affiliated to the antique community and Duncan knows everyone from both sides." She shook her blonde curls sadly. "Someone will go out of his way to comment to Duncan on the nude drawings of his current live-in lover and insinuate that they were drawn by a previous lover." Tessa pounded her fists on the couch cushions. "I hate this! He was a rat fifteen years ago and he is still a rat! I despised him then when I posed for him and I despise him even more today! Duncan doesn't deserve this, Richie. He doesn't!"
"Neither do you, Tess." Richie pointed out gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulders again.
"Yes, I do. I agreed to pose and I took the money and now I must accept that it has come back to haunt me, though to be honest, rarely do models have names attached to them so that they are later acknowledged. But Duncan shouldn't have to live with this kind of public humiliation. He has so much pride, Richie. I hate that I'm a part of something that will strike at that."
"Okay, Tess, if you want this guy to go away and you're willing to give him one of your pieces so he will, I'll help you. I promise." Richie hugged the crying French woman while his mind raced with possible solutions out of the situation without Tessa having to sacrifice anything. He knew some people. There were a few contacts on the street he could get in touch with who might persuade this scumbag that leaving Seacouver was a better option than blackmailing a sweet and beautiful artist who had been kind to a former thief.
MacLeod had heard enough. He gave Tessa another moment to control her last bout of tears before calling her name as if he were just now walking down the hallway. "Tess? Sweetheart, you out here?"
He found them sitting beside each other on the couch. The Highlander had to control his reflexive smile at spotting the two of them breaking apart as if they had been engaged in something illicit. "Tess? Richie? Both of you having trouble sleeping?"
"I was thirsty." Richie shouted nervously. "And I found Tess just sitting here. I don't think she could sleep."
MacLeod just nodded at the lad. "I figured."
Richie jumped up off the couch. "Well, Mac, now that you're awake, I'll let you take care of the lady and I'm headed back to bed, Big Guy."
MacLeod grinned. "You do that."
"Night, Tess." Richie gave her a sweet smile. "Get some sleep. Everything is always better in the morning."
"Good-night, Richie." Tessa spoke softly. "Sweet dreams."
MacLeod studied the beautiful and sad lady in front of him. "Come to bed, Tessa. I can't sleep when you aren't beside me." He gifted her with the gentlest of loving smiles.
Her eyes filled with more tears. "Oui."
MacLeod tugged her off the couch and into his arms. "Come on, Sweetheart."
The Highlander tucked Tessa under the covers and into his arms, gently stroking her shapely back and bottom until she finally drifted off to sleep.
His dark eyes plotted how he would deal with Philippe tomorrow.
"Morning, Mac." Richie greeted The Highlander in the kitchen where the Immortal was busy preparing Tessa's breakfast.
"Hi, Rich." Mac looked up from the omelet he was making and grinned at the young man. "We're out of orange juice. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? I was certain we had almost a full carton yesterday."
"Pretzels." Richie answered, filling a glass with milk.
Duncan nodded as if the one word answer provided complete illumination on the missing orange juice. "So you have any plans for today?"
Guilt flooded the young man's face and Mac was forced to turn around and pretend he was searching for more spices in order to hide his quick grin. It was as he suspected; Richie had already gotten it into his youthful head to find an answer to Tessa's dilemma on his own.
"As a matter of fact, Mac, I do. I need to run a few errands today in the old neighborhood. People I need to see, you know? It's been a while since I've dropped by."
Duncan scooped the omelet out of the pan and onto a china plate where it rested next to a crystal bowl of fresh fruit. "Sure."
"Cool." Richie grinned, nodding his curly head.
"The last time you dropped by the old neighborhood you were almost killed and ended up fighting drug smugglers. Are those the type of people you need to see today?" Duncan made the comment while arranging a single red rose in a bud vase and placing it next to the omelet and fruit.
Richie stopped pouring his Fruit Loops and looked up at Mac. "Uh….no."
"Good." Mac gave Richie a sincere and knowing smile. "When I get back from serving Tessa breakfast in bed, we'll discuss your plans for Philippe." MacLeod shot the youth a cocky smirk. "You're not going anywhere while I'm with Tessa, right?"
Richie's shoulders dropped. "Nope; staying right here, Big Guy."
The Highlander laughed. "That's what I thought." He said as he carried Tessa's breakfast tray out of the kitchen.
Richie mumbled. "Son of a bitch, he always knows everything."
"I heard that." Mac shouted behind him as he continued to make his way to where Tessa was still sleeping.
It only took Richie a minute to start grinning. Mac had mentioned the scumbag by name. He knew all about what this guy was trying to do to Tessa. He'd take care of it. Richie's relief was immense. He wouldn't have admitted it to Mac but he had been harboring some doubts as to whether he would have been able to handle the problem for Tessa sufficiently on his own. If there was one thing of which he was certain; it was that Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod was more than capable of taking care of one lousy scumbag.
Tessa felt his lips first, softly caressing her cheek before she felt his weight press in on her. She automatically smiled.
Duncan.
Her lover.
Without opening her eyes, she stretched her arms upwards to wrap them around the Scottish warrior kissing his way along her cheek in a fashion designed to stir her desires. "Duncan." She spoke his name softly, sleepiness accenting her voice.
"Tessa." He called what he considered to be the loveliness of names slowly and with a bit of a Scottish burr before his lips covered hers.
Those talented lips traveled down her face, onto her silky shoulders and began a sexy journey over the tops of her breasts. She chuckled while her fingers played in the dark length of his hair. "Is that an omelet I smell?"
"Hmm?" He mumbled, intent on closing his hungry lips over her left nipple.
"Omelet?" She asked again, giggling softly when his night's growth of whiskers tickled her skin.
"No thank you, I've found something much tastier." Duncan answered against her bare breast.
Tessa laughed. "I wasn't asking you if you wanted one, Duncan MacLeod, I was asking if you had brought one for me. I can smell it and it's making me hungry."
Duncan never ceased his attentions to her breast. "Hmmm, me too, very hungry." He agreed, his tongue proving to her just how expert he was when it came to stimulating the female flesh.
She giggled again. "Duncan!"
He looked up, gave her a smirk that instantly reminded her of naughty boys rather than four-hundred-year-old Immortals. Her smile grew as he continued to flirt shamelessly with her with his gentle and teasing eyes. He stretched out fully on top of her and Tessa felt his intentions quite clearly.
Giving in, she sighed, "Okay, Duncan, but you have to make me another omelet after. I want one that is still hot." She demanded playfully.
"Hot? Sweetheart, would I serve you anything that wasn't?" And Tessa giggled again as he winked at her and pressed her deeper into the covers.
"Wow! Tessa must have some kind of appetite this morning." Richie commented when he walked back into the kitchen after his shower and found Duncan preparing a second omelet. "I've never seen her eat two of them before!"
Duncan worked hard to keep the humor out of his bland expression. "Some mornings she's hungrier than others."
The teenager with a bottomless pit for a stomach accepted that explanation easy enough. MacLeod smiled to himself.
"Tess!" Duncan called out, "It's hot. Come and get it before it gets cold." He chuckled as he scooped the masterpiece onto a plate.
"Hot, hmm?" Tessa entered the kitchen wearing a soft blue sweater that accented the breasts Duncan had taken such time familiarizing himself with just a few minutes before. "Well, I can't ever say 'no' to that, now can I?"
Duncan laughed and set the plate in front of her. "Thankfully, no." He teased her, kissing her on the lips sweetly before handing her a napkin and her juice. "Something happened to the orange juice, you'll have to settle for grape juice this morning."
"Pretzels." Tessa answered with a wink for Richie. "Grape is fine."
Shrugging at his second 'pretzel' answer that morning, MacLeod took a seat next to Tessa and admired his lover while she ate the second breakfast he had prepared for her. It appeared to be a morning for seconds.
Duncan debated his chances of getting Tessa back into the bedroom for seconds of another kind.
Catching the way Duncan was watching her, Tessa asked suspiciously, "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing, Sweetheart." He shrugged, his dark eyes dancing with suppressed humor. "Finish your omelet." He instructed with a second kiss.
Richie watched the couple and shook his head. He'd never seen anything like it in his life. Was it twelve or thirteen years they had been together, he debated silently? Yet, they acted like lovers who had just discovered each other. He hoped he lived long enough to have that kind of relationship with a beautiful woman.
He'd settle for one half as beautiful as the Frenchwoman sitting next to him. Then he noticed the dark circles beneath Tessa's eyes that she had tried to cover up with makeup.
Remembering the scumbag blackmailing Tessa, he lost his smile. Looking over at The Highlander, Richie gave Duncan a 'what are you going to do about this Philippe-character look?'
Astute enough to see the anger in the youth's eyes, Duncan accurately sensed Richie was thinking about Tessa's problem and how best to dispense with it. He gave the boy a negative shake to his head, indicating they would discuss plans later, out of earshot of Tessa.
Perceptive, Richie nodded and said nothing.
"Duncan, I thought I might spend a little time looking for that piece today if you can handle the shop by yourself?" Tessa asked sweetly, delicately wiping her mouth with the fine linen Duncan had given her.
Eyes narrowed, Duncan replied softly. "Sweetheart, I remembered something I have to do today. Your search can wait until tonight or tomorrow, can't it?" When her face fell, he added, "You did say it wasn't important, right? Surely it can wait?"
"Oui." She agreed, not too happy about it, but left without an excuse to demand a little time away from the business. Her face immediately brightened. "Perhaps Richie could watch the store while we both attend to things?"
"Sorry, Tess, I need Richie to come with me. I may need his help….carrying things." Duncan improvised quickly.
"Oh…all right then, I'll look for it later." She gave her lover a weak smile and tried not to show too much of her worry or disappointment.
Duncan sighed and bent forward to kiss her on the lips. "Rich and I have to go, Tess. We'll be back later. Don't sell the entire inventory at once." He teased gently, cocking his head to the side in an effort to make eye contact with her. She had been avoiding looking directly at him since the conversation regarding lost pieces and necessary errands had started.
She gave him a small laugh and nodded. "Non. I'll keep some to display."
Duncan kissed her again. "Are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell me, Tessa? You look worried." He encouraged gently.
Her expression cleared to only show a false brightness. "No, Duncan. I'm not worried. Just…distracted because I can't find that piece I want."
Stubborn. Contrary. Independent. She was going to give his Immortal face worry lines. Duncan's lips curved at the thought. "Okay, Tess. We're off. We'll be back later today. I'll make dinner. It's the least I can do after leaving you with the shop all day long by yourself."
"Deal." Her French accent rolled off the word and Duncan smiled at it.
"Come on, Rich. We have things to take care of today." The Highlander instructed, glancing back at his Tessa once as he followed the youth out of their home.
She looked sad.
The Highlander decided the sooner he took care of Philippe, the sooner his Tessa's smile would reach her beautiful eyes again.
Mac steered the T-bird away from the store and proceeded downtown. Richie gave him an inquiring look. Duncan didn't answer it though the youth strongly suspected he had seen it.
"So, Mac, exactly where are we going? And what am I going to be carrying?" Richie said half-jokingly.
"Probably nothing." Duncan grinned. "I couldn't leave Tessa with enough time to find that piece of sculpture and to arrange a meeting." Dark eyes with a touch of humor in them turned to the youth. "You just got out of a day's work at the shop because I couldn't figure out what else to do with you."
"Works for me." Richie laughed, prompting The Highlander to grin in agreement.
"I assumed it would." Duncan countered.
"How long have you known about this scumbag blackmailing Tessa?" Richie asked curiously.
"Since last night." Duncan answered, checking the rearview mirror before he changed lanes and headed into a section of town known as the hotel district because of its abundance of tourist accommodations.
"So you know she has to give him one of her early sculptures to sell or he is going to….?" Richie decided to fish for answers from the Immortal.
Duncan's lips curved at the test as he turned to look at the youth. "Present the art community with nude drawings of Tessa she posed for before I met her, all under the guise of a retrospective show, yes, I know."
Richie frowned. "She was really young, Mac. I mean she must have been really, really young and she needed the money." Richie had a series of excuses lined up and ready to list when he caught Mac's grin out of the corner of his eye. "You're not upset about this at all, are you, Mac?"
The Highlander made a face. "Of course I'm upset… some, we'll use your term for him, scumbag, is blackmailing Tessa."
Richie's hands went wild with gestures. The youth frequently used his hands to talk. Duncan smiled. "No, no, not that, Mac, I mean you aren't upset with Tessa?"
"Why would I be upset with Tessa?" His grin was wide. "She isn't responsible for what this guy is doing."
Richie stared at the Immortal, trying to figure him out and decided he'd never get a complete fix on just what made this man tick. "You aren't disappointed in Tessa for posing for that jerk years ago?"
MacLeod's expression turned wry. "I would have preferred she had found her position on the tour boat earlier, but no, Richie; I'm not disappointed in Tessa. She didn't do anything wrong." He stressed again to the youth.
"Man, you are something, Mac." Richie shook his head. "You aren't even a little bit disappointed in her, are you?"
MacLeod pulled into an underground hotel parking lot, killing the engine as soon as he located a convenient space, and turned to Richie with serious eyes. "Are you?"
Shock was the first thing Mac noticed on the youth's face. "No Way! I could never be disappointed in Tessa, Mac! I mean, she's…well…she's just perfect!"
MacLeod smiled. "Yes, she is." He agreed as he reached out and ruffled Richie's hairstyle. "Besides, tough guy, it would be a bit hypocritical of me to chastise Tessa for something I've done myself." He chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the driver's door.
Richie came to an abrupt stop on the other side of the car. "Wait a minute! You mean to tell me you've posed nude for an artist before too?"
MacLeod cocked his head a little and placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, but it was a while back." He allowed with a quick grin. "I was out of money too and no one wanted to hire me for my sword arm; no active feuds between families in the area." He continued to explain.
"So you stripped and let some guy draw you?" Richie asked in disbelief, shaking his head. "I can't see it, Mac."
"Actually, you can. Next time we're in The Louvre, I'll show it to you." Duncan quipped before walking away from the stunned youth.
Richie stood by the T-bird for more than a few seconds before he realized Mac wasn't stopping and he had better run if he wanted to catch up. "You're joking, right, Mac?" He shouted to The Highlander's back.
Duncan grinned and pressed the garage elevator button.
When Richie caught up with him, the doors still hadn't opened. "So, Mac…you're totally nude?"
"Totally." MacLeod chuckled in answer. "But you can't see too much of the Clan's assets, Rich. I had a couple of naked ladies draped over me at the time." Duncan's eyes were filled with laughter.
Richie stared at him for a moment before breaking into an even bigger grin. "So, naked babes and you got paid too? Not a bad gig, Mac."
"It had its moments." MacLeod replied, stepping into the elevator. "You coming or are you going to stand there with your mouth open?"
"I'm coming. I'm coming." Richie laughed, stepping in beside his friend and mentor. "Louvre, huh? Someone famous did it then, huh?"
"He is now. He wasn't so much then." Duncan remarked truthfully.
"Cool." Richie nodded. "But Tessa doesn't seem to think this Philippe guy's stuff will ever be worth anything."
"No, I suspect not or he wouldn't be trying to pass off Tessa's work as his own." The sense of humor that had radiated their conversation just a moment before had vanished. A hard edge came into Duncan's voice. "It must be a piece that she has never shown or presented ever." Duncan commented more to himself than to Richie.
He sighed as he considered the mystery while they ascended to the lobby floor. "Probably done while she was still in classes at the Sorbonne, otherwise how would Philippe know of it?"
"He saw her do it?" Richie suggested, "Or he knew she was assigned to do it, or he saw it just after she finished it and he knew she wasn't going to display it? He'd have to know that, right, Mac? I mean it can't be something ever associated with Tessa or he couldn't pull it off."
MacLeod turned to Richie. "Smart, Richie, very smart." A touch of pride showed in Duncan's expression as he patted the youth on the back, indicating they should exit the elevator and cross the lobby. "Even if Tessa has never displayed it, the art world can recognize her technique and identify many of her pieces. This must be a truly early one, one where she hadn't developed her signature style." Duncan theorized.
"Mac, if this piece is good enough that this Philippe scumbag thinks he has a buyer lined up and stands to make a nice little profit, then how come Tessa didn't sell it years ago?" Richie asked in puzzlement.
As the answer came to him, Duncan's entire demeanor changed. His relieved grin slowly spread across his handsome face. "I think I know the piece Tessa is looking for, Rich." At Richie's expectant expression, Duncan chuckled. "Don't worry, even if she closes the store and hunts for it while we're gone, she won't find it. I've got it."
"You do? Mac, you didn't even know which piece she was looking for?"
"No, but I still have it. I claimed it from her studio when we first started seeing each other. Tessa was embarrassed to show it to me and told me she would never display it, but it was some of her best work. It had been a class assignment. She kept it covered and packed it away while I was helping her move. I remember thinking I had to see what it was that she didn't want me to see." Duncan shook his head and sighed. "I sent her into the kitchen to pour us some wine and while she was out of the room, I uncovered it. It was beautiful. I was afraid she would decide on a whim to sell it and a part of me couldn't bear the thought of someone else possessing it, so I substituted it with one she had decided to discard and took it home with me." Duncan's fond smile over the memory turned irritated. "Philippe isn't going to possess it; I promise you that, Richie."
"Hey," Richie stated with hands held up at Duncan's demanding tone. "I never said he was, Big Guy."
Duncan chuckled slightly at his expression. "Sorry."
"So the scumbag is in this hotel?" Richie asked, looking around the elegant lobby.
Mac nodded yes. "According to my source, he is."
"Nice place for a scumbag." The youth commented. "Blackmail must pay pretty good."
"Not anymore." Duncan growled as he approached the front desk.
Tessa stepped under the shower spray and allowed the hot water to soothe her tense muscles. Business had been slow and she had opted to close the store an hour early and spend that time searching the apartment again for that piece she had created years before. It wasn't anywhere, she thought with frustration. What could she have done with it? She asked herself. She knew she had kept it. It was too good to toss out but after she had wrapped it safely in cloth and packed it away that day all those years ago, she hadn't bothered to hunt for it. It had to still be somewhere in her possession.
Tessa closed her eyes, leaned back and enjoyed the hot spray as it soaked her blonde tresses. She opened her eyes a moment later, straining to hear over the running water. She thought she had detected the sound of a door closing, assuming Duncan and Richie had come home, but there was no sound indicating it since then.
Deciding she must still be alone in the apartment, Tessa began to wash herself with heather-scented shower gel. Duncan always loved it when she carried the scent of Scottish heather. Her head downcast as she rubbed the soap over her leg and up her thigh, she missed Duncan's quiet stroll into the shower area. He stood outside the glass-blocked stall and watched her. "Let me do that, Sweetheart." He suggested in a sexy drawl.
"Duncan!" Startled, she looked up and shook her head at him. "You frightened me! Where is Richie?" She asked nervously.
Grinning, the Scot gave her an inquisitive look. "Would you rather he helped you shower?"
"Non. Don't be ridiculous! Is he here?"
"No." Duncan laughed. "I gave him twenty-bucks and sent him out to the movies for the evening."
"Oh." Tessa relaxed on hearing the teenager wasn't around and held her arms out to the man she loved with all her heart. "Then join me." She invited with a knowing curve to her mouth.
"I thought you'd never ask, Sweetheart." Duncan proceeded to strip out of his clothes, all to the admiring glances of his French lover. He stepped into the enclosure and folded Tessa into his arms. "Ahh…hot shower, just what I needed." He commented with a wicked grin as his hands immediately began to roam over her full breasts and down her slick abdomen.
Tessa responded with a sexy laugh. "Oui."
Tessa's hands began their own exploration down his broad chest. "So, you felt the need for a shower too, hmm?" She teased, clasping him in her palm.
MacLeod glanced down at what she was holding in her hand and nibbled on her soft neck. "Definitely; I started to feel so dirty."
"Hmm…" Tessa chuckled into his chest. "When was that?"
"As soon as I saw you through the glass blocks, Tessa, dirty, dirty, dirty…." He quipped before he lifted her and arranged her in a position conducive to what he had in mind.
Tessa gasped. "I hope it's long."
Duncan pulled back so he could see her face; his expression truly puzzled.
Tessa started to laugh again. "I meant the movie Richie is seeing!"
Duncan chuckled with her. "Glad to hear it. I'd hate to start disappointing you now."
Tessa was still giggling when Duncan captured her lips.
Tessa poured two glasses of wine and softly padded down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with a certain devastatingly handsome Scottish warrior. She was smiling broadly, wearing the look of a truly satisfied woman when she stepped into their bedroom. "Duncan, I brought the wine."
She found him sprawled across their bed, mostly nude except for some very low-riding black silk pajama bottoms. He watched her with such tenderness when she sashayed into the room.
"I wonder how much longer we have until Richie comes home?" She asked in a flirty French lilt.
Duncan grinned. "Close the door and it won't matter."
Tessa did as he suggested and approached him on the bed. She sat on the edge of the mattress, leaned into his chest and captured his lips for a lusty kiss. "Hmm…better than the wine." She quipped.
The Highlander chuckled, relieved her of one of the glasses of wine and took a sip. He swallowed the heady flavor and then set his glass down on the nightstand. Watching her with immense tenderness he suggested she do the same.
Tessa turned to place her glass on the table. "Duncan!" She shouted, shocked at the piece of sculpture she discovered sitting there. "Where did you find it?"
"Oh, is that the piece you've been looking for?" His tone sounded innocent but his dark eyes danced with amusement.
Tessa caught on right away. "You know it is." Hands on her hips, she demanded an explanation. "Where has it been? And how did you know this is the piece I've been searching for?"
"Richie would tell you that I'm Immortal, four hundred years old, that I know and have done everything." Duncan laughed.
Tessa made a face. "Richie is young and doesn't know you as well as I do."
Duncan chuckled. "I won't argue with that." His hands began to untie the loose oriental robe she was wearing. He leaned in and tasted her neck.
"Duncan?" Tessa stared at her artwork. "You didn't answer me."
The Highlander leaned back against the headboard and sighed deeply. "I've always had it, Tessa. I sneaked a peek at it when we first started dating and ended up stealing it." He admitted sheepishly.
"You what!" Tessa appeared stunned. "You stole it! From me?"
"Technically, I'd like to point out that I had already decided you would remain with me and I had no intention of ever leaving you, and so therefore, it's been in our possession the entire time." Duncan teased.
"Where?" Tessa crossed her legs and Duncan took the staccato beat of her right ankle as a bad sign.
"Packed away in my things in the warehouse."
"Why?" She looked puzzled.
"You might find it if I kept it in our place." He told her with a charming smirk.
She ignored his answer. Watching him closely, her eyes finally decided to sparkle back at him. "You were afraid I'd sell it, weren't you? You didn't want a sculpture of me going to an art collector."
Duncan's dark eyes traveled over the piece they were discussing. "It's a beautiful piece, Tessa. And you are quite nude." He cleared his throat. "You did a good job. It's very….accurate." His eyes cut back to hers to see how she was reacting.
Smiling at him, she tossed her blonde tresses off her shoulders. "Duncan MacLeod, I specifically remember we had just started to date when I finished this piece and packed it away and we had not made love yet."
He gave her a lusty grin. "That's why it appealed so much to me, Tess. It was a nice preview of coming attractions."
That comment surprised a laugh out of her. "Oui."
He wrapped her in his arms, tilting her chin so that his lips could touch hers. "I'd like to keep it beside the bed, Tessa. The guilt has weighed heavily on me." He confessed with dark laughing eyes.
"Hmm…I bet." She shook her head disbelievingly. "I can't believe you kept this secret from me for all these years."
"Well…"Duncan confessed, "actually, I hadn't forgotten it, Tess, but I did sort of put the fact I possessed it in the back of my mind."
She watched her lover with sudden comprehension. "And you remembered it because?" Her question had French condescension dripping off of it.
The Scot caressed her soft cheek. "I figured it must be the early piece you had never displayed and therefore the one Philippe wanted to extort out of you."
Her eyes filled with tears. She had hoped he didn't know all of it. It had been a false hope, Tessa realized. After all, she was involved with Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. Not much got past a four-hundred year old Scottish warrior. "You knew." It was a statement, not a question.
He nodded and kissed her lips gently. "Aye."
She pulled back to study his handsome face. "Are you disappointed?" She whispered her fear.
"Never!" He assured her, embracing her tightly, covering her lips in an effort to stall any additional tears before they slipped down her beautiful face.
"I'm sorry, Duncan." She whispered.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Tess." He tilted her face so that she could see the truth in his eyes.
"But now Philippe will show those drawings and with my name in the title, the entire art community will come to the exhibit."
"Philippe won't be putting on an exhibit, Tessa." Duncan stated firmly.
She knew that tone. Duncan wasn't lying to her. "He won't?" She looked back up at him hopefully.
"No, he won't." Duncan assured her with a secretive smile.
Relief flooded through Tessa. She knew she had been tense over the possibilities but until Duncan had informed her that Philippe's threat was no longer a concern, she hadn't realized just how much tension she had been carrying around with her. "Oh, that's wonderful, Duncan!" She threw her arms back around him.
He kissed her.
She kissed him back in a mixture of passion and relief. "I had hoped to handle the situation without your help." She mumbled.
"Why?" Duncan asked. His expression was gentle but curious. "We share most everything, Tessa. Why couldn't you come to me with this?"
She shook her head. "I could have, Duncan. I didn't fear what it would do to us. We're stronger than that. I just felt…it's hard to explain…I just felt that there are things I should handle on my own. I don't want to be one of those women who always runs to her man to solve every problem."
He laughed. Hard. "Tess, you are one of the most independent, stubborn women I've ever met. You shouldn't fear becoming otherwise."
"Non?" She asked him, her tears subsiding.
"No." He answered in a convincing voice.
She felt better. "Good."
Duncan's lips curved. "Now, Tessa, can we get back to what we were doing earlier?" His hands were on her robe again, loosening the tie.
She ran her fingers down his chest and through the masculine hair she found there. "Oui." Her eyes took on a new light. "Duncan, would you model for me? I'd like to sculpt a companion piece. We could place yours on my nightstand?" She suggested with a throaty chuckle.
"I'll think about it." He answered, flipping her over his body and tumbling her onto the sheets. He didn't waste any time covering her. "But first, we have other things to see to."
"Will it take long?" She teased him, laughing up at him.
"As long as it takes, Sweetheart…and as long as you want it."
The End