Lani Price gazed in the mirror admiring her reflection. Her long hair was pinned under in a mock bobb. Her dress was sparkly with fringes all over, and plunged in the front and back. It featured spaghetti straps, hugged like a second skin and fell just below the knee. She looked like she stepped right out of a 1940s film noir. "All I need is a flower and I could be Madame Billie Holiday," she said to herself, fixing the bright red lipstick she'd applied a few minutes ago. Smokey eyes finished the look. Yes, she was a diva.
"April in Paris," Lani began to sing as she grabbed her bag and opened the door to find Xander standing there looking handsome as the devil in black tux. She continued to sing as she took his arm and they walked together down the hall. "April in Paris/ I never knew the charm of spring/ I never met it face to face/ I never knew my heart could sing/I never missed a warm embrace…"
"I didn't know you could sing," Xander said as he pushed the button to the elevator. April in Paris. Haven't heard that number in awhile. I take it Billie Holiday is your muse for this evening," his eyes ran over her form appreciatively. The elevator doors opened right away and they stepped inside.
"How did you guess Billy Holiday?" Lani queried. "So many others covered April in Paris."
"I knew it couldn't be Frank Sinatra or Benny Goodman."
"What Xander you surprise me. I wouldn't have taken you as a jazz fan."
They stepped off of the elevator at the ground floor and immediately encountered a woman selling flowers. "There's quite a bit about me you don't know," Xander said as he stopped the woman and purchased two purple gardenias. He turned to Lani "Hold on a sec," he said and placed one of the flowers in her hair. "Perfect," he took a step back to look at her. Then he placed the other flower in his lapel. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm again and then they entered a ballroom where hundreds of well dressed people were dancing, milling around or talking in small circles.
From out of the crowd emerged Kristen DiMera wearing a red off the shoulder evening gown. Her hair was rolled in a chignon at the nape of her neck. "Don't you both look nice," she said and took a drink out of the champaign flute she was holding. "And Lani this is ginger ale, so don't nag me about drinking on the job."
"I wasn't going to say a word," Lani responded and looked around. "Any sightings yet?"
"Our friends, yes. Enemies, no." Kristen said and nodded to a man who looked remarkably like Brady Black as he walked by. "We still have some time, so if you'll pardon me." She left trailing behind the Brady lookalike.
"We do have a bit of time," Xander said and gave a half bow in Lani's direction. "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" Just then the orchestra struck up a waltz.
"Do you think we really should?" Lani said, trying to catch sight of Kristen in the crowd. "We're here to do a job, not dance."
"What's the matter? Don't know how to waltz?" Xander teased, a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Are you kidding me. I can waltz, tango, fox trot and mambo," Lani sashayed her hips seductively.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Xander grabbed Lani around the waist and whisked her to the center of the ballroom floor.
Xander and Lani danced the waltz several times and stayed when the music changed to a salsa. Lani was not surprised to discover that Xander was a fantastic dancer. He was light on his feet and knew how to lead. At one point he spun her around and dipped her back and while upside down Lani caught a glimpse of exactly what she'd been looking for all night. He was wearing white tux with black trimming. His back was to her, but she'd recognize him anywhere. He disappeared as soon as she spotted him. When Xander lifted her to a standing position she said, "Enemy spotted, 4 o'clock, white tux."
"Well, then you know what you've got to do then," Xander said. They left the dance floor arm in arm then once they were clear of the thickest part of the crowd, they walked in opposite directions. Lani knew Xander was off to find Kristen, while the white tux was her target. The fun part of the night was about to begin.
Lani weaved in and out of the crowd until she finally found the white tux at the bar. There was a glass in front of him and the bartender was filling it with sparkling water. She sidled up next to him and said in his ear, "When you said you'd see me later, I didn't think you were going to follow me all the way Paris. Is there no one else to cheat on your girlfriend with in Salem?"
Eli Grant turned to her, cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Who says I'm here to see you?"
"Oh, I don't know, just an educated guess," she said, examining him from head to toe. "You clean up very nice."
"You're not doing too bad yourself."
Lani smirked at his compliment and glanced at his glass of sparkling water on the bar. She sat on a stool next to him and put her bag beside his drink. Eli was no fool, also whomever he was working with-most likely John Black and his son Paul-were lurking around as well. But somehow she had to get the knockout drops in her bag into Eli's drink and then lure him up to her room so he could not interfere with what was about to go down.
"What are you doing here Eli?"
"This is an international event with dignitaries from all over the world, many of them wearing their crown jewels. Like that woman there," he pointed to an attractive middle-aged woman with grey streaks in her hair. "She's the princess from the Republic of Frov Skanaand and that bling around her neck is hardly costume jewelry. They need all of the security they can get."
Lani's heart skipped a beat when Eli pointed out the Princess of Frov Skanaand, and she knew it could not be a coincidence. Even as her heart beat rapidly she schooled her features to make sure she did not reveal a thing. She casually glanced over at the princess and back at Eli as if disinterested, when the truth was she'd been researching the princess for months and knew every detail about her itinerary for the evening including the dress and the jewels she was going to wear. And so far Xander's sources had been correct about everything. The princess was one of the "friends" Kristen referred to when Lani and Xander first entered the ballroom.
Lani had already factored in security provided by Frov Skanaand and the hotel itself, but had not counted on Eli, that is until earlier that day when she figured out his promise to see her soon meant he would see her in Paris. Now they were ready for him. Eli had his eye on the princess and so did Lani and her crew. "John hired you as extra eyes for the ISA," Lani asked. She was trying to keep Eli talking so he would forget about his drink for awhile.
"And you're here with Xander because…"
"Don't answer a question with a question," Lani said and signaled the bartender. "I'll have what he's having." Her best bet was to put the knockout pills in her drink and then figure out how to switch the glasses before Eli was the wiser. There were four other targets aside from the Frov Skanaand princess, and most likely Paul and John had them covered. The bartender sat Lani's drink in front of her.
Xander was so confident in their plan he didn't feel the least bit threatened by the prospect of Eli, John and Paul being there. But Lani knew better than to underestimate Eli Grant. She told Xander she would take care of him personally, which she had every intention of doing. Not only was he trying to set her up along with Xander and Kristen. He had tried to make her his side piece to boot. No, she was not going to let him get away with any of that.
"If you had a problem with my dancing with Xander you could have always cut in," Lani said leaning in close to Eli, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"I didn't say I had a problem with you dancing with Xander. I asked why you're here in Paris with him."
"You don't seem all that surprised."
"I'm thinking about the last time we talked. You said you were leaving the mansion. And so you did."
"And you promised you'd see me today and here we are in Paris at the same place at the same time." If the situation were not so dire, if so much money not to mention her freedom were not on the line, Lani would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She and Eli trying to find out what the other one was up to, and doing a piss poor job at it, because -and speaking for herself-she had to admit her attraction to him was getting in the way. She wondered if Eli felt the same as his interrogation skills were far superior to what he was displaying right now.
"And you were dancing with a jewel thief in a ballroom that's overflowing with jewels."
"Is that a crime?" Lani asked. "And make that former jewel thief. Xander has moved on to bigger and better things."
"So you're saying the Princess of Frov Skanaand and her jewels are safe?"
"Safe as can be. If any jewels are stolen tonight it won't be Xander doing the stealing." Lani loved being able to tell the truth and lie at the same time.
Just then the orchestra struck up a tango. Eli stood and drained his glass. "Good, I have nothing to worry about then, and it's been a long time since we danced." He held out his hand to her. Without hesitation, Lani accepted it and slid from the bar stool right into Eli's warm embrace.
There were two things Lani could never resist. One was a tango. And the other was Eli Grant. Right now she wanted to dance the tango with him more than she wanted to render him unconscious per the plan. Besides, another plan began to quickly form as she stared into his dark soulful eyes.
Eli moved her across the floor and together they seemed to glide until they were in the center of the ballroom. Lani knew Eli could dance, but this would be their first tango together. They danced freestyle at clubs, parties and in his room, but there were very few occasions for ballroom dancing in Salem.
"So where did you learn to tango," Lani asked as she circled around him clapping her hands, more flamenco than tango. But she wasn't a purist when it came to dance. When she was in front of him again, Eli pulled her into the softest tango embrace and Lani felt herself reading way too much into it. He lead so well they did not bump into anyone else as he guided them along a counterclockwise path around the crowded dance floor. Dancing with Eli, Lani could not help but to feel intrinsically connected to him. Their bond was so real and natural.
"I went deep undercover once for a year and I had to learn ballroom dance for the role I was playing." Eli explained.
"What role was that?"
"A very, very expensive gun for hire who frequented places like this for clients."
"You never told me about that assignment."
"That's the point of being undercover, you don't tell anyone."
"But if the case is over."
"It's not exactly. One day I may have to reprise my role again."
Lani didn't like the idea of Eli going under deep cover. First of all it sounded way too dangerous. On top of that it meant he wouldn't be able to contact her at all while on the assignment. Then she reminded herself. Once the Paris job was over she'd never see him again anyway.
She pushed all of those thoughts away and focused on the music and their dance. One of the things Lani loved about the tango is that it's essentially stylized "walking" but the lead has to know what he is doing so no toes get stepped on. Eli knew what he was doing, even opening his embrace a few times to allow her to have some fun with spins and turns. Eli danced the same way he fought in the martial arts. He was all power and control, whereas she was creative-a risk taker, an artist. After he gave her some leeway to be creative, he'd always draw her back to him. When they were together as a couple in Salem, was that not their dynamic as well? They'd part and come back together again. Was it at all possible for them to reunite one last time?
No! Lani chastised herself. He was with Gabi.
And she was on a job. The job was the reason she was in Paris. Not to tango with Eli. Despite how heavenly it felt to be in his arms, with romantic music playing in a beautiful ballroom in the City of Love, Lani knew she had to make her move and soon. Just as she turned her head to say something in Eli's ear, all of the lights went out. The entire room went dark. Then a woman screamed. And Lani realized she was too late.