Chapter 2 – to hold a Queen

The princess laughed loudly and then grinned at Joe thinking he would appreciate her wit. Many people, the Queen included, had heard the girl's remark. For a heartbeat Joe feared that Her Majesty would smile, allowing the others to laugh at the picture of him wearing not much more than his ear-ring. His facial muscles went rigid as stone.

´You really remind me of your father little one,´ his saviour spoke.

´I do?´ Amelia beamed.

´Absolutely, wouldn't you agree Baron?´

´The princess does take after His Highness Your Majesty.´

Amelia jumped off the table and happily walked towards the Queen. Joe was not sorry to see her go.

´In what way?´ the girl asked her grandmother, ´Did he like to play games?´

´Yes he did. He particularly liked dexterity games and memory games as well.´

´There's one over here. Come on, let's play.´

Mia dragged her grandmother to another table.

´Amelia?´

´Yeah?´

´No more games for me.´

The Queen smiled sweetly but Mia noticed the warning in her eyes all the same.

´Alrighty. If you don't wanna play, fine with me.´

´Thank you darling.´

OoOoOoO

The Queen slowly made her way through the ballroom, chatting and greeting and impressing her staff yet again with her knowledge about their personal lives. She asked kitchen maid Christina how the preparations for her wedding were going on and the bride's enthusiasm for the subject almost overcame the shyness she felt in talking to Her Majesty.

´I hope you will have a wonderful day,´ the Queen said. The young woman blushed and her employer asked Mr Martinez from the post room whether hiring extra staff to handle the holiday greetings was something that could be repeated. He eagerly told her that it could, adding (he'd had a few drinks) that he felt like Q from James Bond when handling the scanning machine that had been installed. It made the Queen smile and the circle of bystanders laugh aloud. The Queen then took the opportunity to tell cleaner Serge that she was glad he had recovered from a pneumonia. Serge fingered his tie and mumbled that he'd now given up smoking.

´Which means that your singing as you clean the grand stairs will sound even more beautiful,´ the Queen said with a smile.

Her Majesty never stayed long for she realised that her employees would feel more at ease at the party when she wasn't around. Amelia's presence didn't yet restrict anyone, especially not since the girl had so much fun that she acted her age. Mia forgetting about her 'princess lessons' enabled the staff to think that she was an ordinary teenager.

After telling her granddaughter to enjoy herself and reminding her that they would see each other at 8.30 a.m. for breakfast the Queen was ready to leave. She didn't have to search for her Head of Security to escort her: Joseph was near. A small nod from Her Majesty made Joe excuse himself toward Count Rossano with whom he was talking. The Queen quietly left followed by her bodyguard.

OoOoOoO

On their way to her suite Her Majesty admiringly spoke about the new alto in the Pyran Choir and the beautiful decorations in town. Joe nodded his agreement and compared the ornaments in the Genovian capital to those in Düsseldorf where he had attended a conference about security in the second week of December. He'd by now convinced himself that the Queen's win had been beginner's luck and he pictured himself in her suite, playing cards once again. She wouldn't be wearing the gown she wore now: he needed layers of clothing. A skirt, a bolero, a blouse (Lord, just think of her long fingers unbuttoning it!), a chemise. Silk with lace. Stockings...

Suddenly realising that the object of his dreams was waiting for him to reply he felt ashamed. She had an innocent look on her sweet face and here he was, thinking her into a set of clothes that could be stripped off.

The Queen, who had inwardly smirked when seeing Joseph moisten his lips, repeated her question:´Do you think the staff will like their Christmas coupons?´

´I think they will ma'am. The variety of shops where the coupons can be spend will enable everyone to find something of their liking.´

She smiled at him. They passed a Christmas tree.

´It looks magnificent, doesn't it Joseph?´

Joe cleared his throat and confirmed whatever it was she'd said. When Her Majesty entered her suite, she looked over her shoulder.

´Could I persuade you to have a Christmas drink with me Joseph?´

Surprised, thrilled and somehow feeling caught for his new fantasy started in the same way Joe didn't trust his voice. He inclined his head by way of an answer.

OoOoOoO

The only light in the suite came from the fire place. The Queen switched on the lights that decorated her Christmas tree.

´It was a nice evening wasn't it? The chocolate dessert was delicious.´

Joe coughed.

´What may I pour you Joseph?´

She walked to a small drink cabinet and switched on a table lamp.

´A brandy?´ she suggested.

He cleared his throat. ´Yes please.´

Joe carefully avoided touching the Queen when she handed him his glass. She gracefully sat down on a sofa near the fire place. Joe took a seat on a chair. He tried to come up with something to say but what otherwise would have been a nice topic - the evening of games - had became a subject to be avoided. The Queen had been around speechless people on countless occasions and she chatted pleasantly, getting such responses as: ´Indeed´.

It wasn't until she dropped the words San Francisco that Joe woke from his reverie.

´I remember those days with fondness,´ the Queen mused, a gentle smile gracing her features.

Over the past months Joe had relived certain moments from their American quest: her touching his arm (´Will you help me?´), her being influenced by him (´You've been wearing black too long´). Her whirling out and into his arms. Her hips sensually moving in the boundaries of a dance. Reliving had lead to fantasizing.

´Yes, so do I.´

´Your help has been invaluable Joseph,´ she said in a serious tone.

Her saying his name like that made him need his drink. When he reached out to take his glass from the coffee table the Queen noticed that he wasn't wearing his watch. Her eyes sparkled but her voice didn't betray her amusement.

´You haven't forgotten your watch have you Joseph?´

´No I haven't,´ Joe replied and he patted his pocket to show her where he kept it. He took a sip of his brandy.

The Queen used the tip of a finger to remove a drop of wine from the rim of her glass. She then brought her finger to her lips, apparently unaware of Joseph's intense gaze. Lowering her voice half an octave, she replied: ´I had a good teacher.´

Joe tried a smile.

´When I was seven,´ the Queen explained, ´my father broke his leg. It was during the summer holidays. He got very bored for he was unable to leave his rooms and for the first time ever he noticed me. We spent a lot of time together. We read and talked and one day he taught me how to play poker.´

Joe barely registered what she was saying. He could only think of the fact that her childhood was a safe subject.

´So you see Joseph: I'm not unfamiliar with the game. It is not a shame that you lost.´

´I would never say it was ma'am.´

She raised her eyebrows.

´Please believe me ma'am.´

She raised her eyebrows yet again.

´Clarisse?´ Joe guessed.

For some years now he was allowed to call her by her name when they were together but he seldom did so. It seemed such an intimate thing to do, one of those things to merely dream about. When it was just the two of them, he simply didn't address her by her title.

´Yes?´

Despite himself he grinned at the teasing look on her face. He couldn't think of a reply though.

´How was Christmas celebrated at your home Joseph?´

He told her that to him Christmas started when his father and uncle carried their father up the stairs to their apartment.

´Abuelito Ramon was very heavy and he loved it that he gave his sons a hard time. He always cried out that they would drop him, while winking at us, kids, cheering our fathers on at the top of the stairs,´ Joe recalled.

The Queen laughed her warm rich laugh.

´What about your childhood Christmases?´

The Queen thoughtfully whirled the wine in her glass before looking at Joseph again.

´I liked the preparations: the smells coming from the kitchen, the holly being hung. I would buy presents for the servants and I loved to see the pile of gifts around the fire place in the knights' hall grow daily.´

She tilted her head in loving memory: ´My brother would return from boarding school and later on from the army. We'd have visitors. I very much liked those pre-Christmas days.´

´What about Christmas itself?´

The Queen shrugged. ´At Christmas we'd have to spend many hours in a chilly church and the priest would be invited for dinner and he never declined.´

She took a sip of her wine, exposing her neck to Joseph's hungry eyes. ´As I said, I liked the preparations best. The foreplay so to speak.´

Joe needed to contemplate her words. He knocked back his drink to gain time.

Foreplay? She smiled angelically and was probably recalling how the fire place in her family's castle had looked like. Some innocent words wouldn't make her think about whether or not a garter belt would count as a piece of clothing. Joe quickly started talking about his uncle's Christmas paella. After summing up the ingredients Joe mentioned that his uncle had always made the paella at his own house for he'd claimed he couldn't cook in someone else's kitchen.

´He would ring at the door and shout that no one should come down for he was bringing the paella upstairs. Once he'd safely placed the huge pan on our sink he'd go to the window to signal my cousins to come up.´

Joe returned the Queen's warm smile.

´My father would then accompany my uncle downstairs to carry my grandfather to our apartment. He couldn't walk the stairs any more and we, my brothers, cousins and myself, would watch our fathers carry -´

The Queen's eyes sparkled. Joe, forgetting that his glass was empty, brought it to his lips. He put it down again.

´At Christmas Eve we'd set up our little stable of Bethlehem,´ he revealed.

The Queen rose but he was glued to his chair as she approached him.

´At Christmas Eve,´ she said in a husky voice, ´we were allowed to untie one present.´

Standing close to him she cupped his cheek. She then caressed his neck until she reached his butterfly tie.

´May I?´ she softly asked.

Joe looked into her eyes. She slowly loosened his tie.

´Ever since we danced in San Francisco, I wanted you Joseph.´

Joe pulled her toward him. Her scent had an instant effect on his heartbeat.

´For Christmas?´ he asked, his voice hoarse and trembling from both uncertainty and desire.

She touched his face and shook her head. ´Christmas only comes once a year. That wouldn't do.´

He rose, not believing what was happening. ´Don't -´

´Toy?´ she finished his line.

She kissed him, barely touching his lips. ´I would never toy with you my dear Joseph.´

Taking his hands in hers the Queen stepped toward her bedroom. ´But I do want to show you my playground,´ she said. Her eyes sparkled.

Joe couldn't return her smile. Anyone seeing her now would never use the words 'prim and proper' to describe her. Sensuous and sexy.

´Querida! I want you!´ Joe growled before swaying her in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom. The passionate tones of a tango softly welcomed them.

´I put it on repeat,´ she said.

She used her teeth to pull at his earring before whispering: ´Feliz Navidad.´