Many thanks to everyone who has given me such great reviews and support. They keep me writing and smiling. I seriously thought that anything written about Bill was going to die on the vine. Boy was I ever wrong! He has so many of us wrapped around his little finger. Or maybe another specific part of his anatomy :-0

This is a short one. I was having trouble making it work so I decided to dissect it a bit. I know I'll catch hell for leaving this in a cliffie, but some things are best left to the imagination. You'll see.

I do not own any of the characters from Southern Vampire Mysteries. They all belong to Charlaine Harris. Bless her for sharing them with us. Mattie is my very own.

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Chapter 17

Mattie always seemed to wake happy no matter what mood she fell asleep in. She had talked a blue streak on the car ride to Shreveport about the shows and attractions she was hoping to see on our trip. I believe she was trying to keep her mind on more pleasant thoughts other than the obvious negative prospects looming before us.

Naturally she made me drive. She wasn't about to leave her car in an airport parking lot. Please.

We arrived to meet Eric, Sookie, and Pam. Felipe had chartered us a small private jet for our journey. We climbed aboard and took our seats. Mattie snuggled up next to me and put her head on my shoulder. I could tell she was wavering between nervousness and excitement.

On the plane, we made several strategies depending on what Felipe requested of us. I would try the simplest of them first. I would claim her as mine and let the king know of the nature of our relationship. Mattie had agreed to obey my every word and not show the least bit of defiance. I knew this would be hard for her, but I also knew she was capable of anything.

Sookie was charged with gleaning whatever information she could from the humans in Felipe's entourage. They were not generally told much, but on the off chance, we would be one step ahead.

Eric thought it unwise to show the king just what Mattie was capable of, though he may request that anyway. We brought Pam to spar with her if the situation arose. They had practiced their moves enough times to make it look convincing without really hurting each other.

Eric had a few other ideas up his sleeve if Felipe persisted. Somehow I did not think Mattie would appreciate any of them. They were for worst case scenarios.

Mattie seemed to be calming down midway through the trip. She was rubbing her hand up and down my thigh and nuzzling my cheek. I had never been one for this sort of public display, but there just happened to be something about this woman that I simply could not resist. I was learning how to "loosen up" thanks to her.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and rose from the seat. Taking Mattie's hand, I led her to the front of the plane. Eric and Sookie were staring at us and Pam was wearing a crooked smile.

"Bill, where are we going?" Mattie had a little gleam in her eye.

"In here. We need to....talk." I shut the lavatory door and slid the lock in place. She immediately burst into giggles.

"What do you mean we have to 'talk'. People don't go into airplane bathrooms together just to talk Bill." Her hands were already struggling to remove my belt.

"Please, wait a moment. I have an idea I need to discuss with you."

Mattie gave me a moment to explain my need for us to speak privately. When I was through, she placed her hands on my face meeting my mouth for a long kiss.

"Baby, you never cease to amaze me. I love you."

She grabbed the counter and lifted herself up to sit. I took a step to her, settling between her knees. She wrapped her legs around me.

"Bill honey, you better make this worth my while."