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Donald starts to bow

"Nooo" I warn, because a boill draw attention "Don’t"

He holds still, the toothpick dropping out of his mouth

Lenora looks tothe ers "Hello, Donald It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance You have a verycolorful establishment here"

And the three-hundred-pound, six-foot-five manjust stares I wave my hand in front of his face He doesn’t even blink Lenny’s bewitched hiht then" I catch Donald’s wife’s eyes "Two pints, please, Mary And a lifetime of secrecy"

That snaps Donald out of the trance He pours us two Guinnesses and slides them across the bar to me Then he looks Lenny in the eyes

"Come by anytime you like, YouruhMa’am Enjoy a drink or a dance--what you do and say here will never leave this room" He taps the bar "You have the word of Donald Macalister on that"

With uide Lenny to a table in the back corner She takes a sip fros to her upper lip I want to lick it off But she beatsnaked?" I ask

"No" She s at me I can’t remember the last time no one looked at ood tonight A foursos to be danced to

"Fancy a dance, lass?" I ask

And Christ, she lights up for ht beforeto let loose

"I would love to"

I take her hand and for the next hour, irl around the dance floor Spinning and turning until her hair is damp at the nape of her neck and ork up a thirst for another pint We share a slice of Mary’s sweet cake, eating with our hands and Lenny sucks at the tip of her fingers, driving me mad

The band starts a new set with a slower tune and lyrics of love and loss Auide irl back to the dance floor, take her in the circle ofned--a divine torture

As the last notes of the song echo in the air, I tip Lenny’s head up and slant my mouth over hers in a quick, hot kiss meant to brand--tois swept away by the sharp quick slide of a fiddle Murh the dance floor and Lenny throws her head back and laughs--lusty and full and beautiful

She clasps the hand of my bended arm and my other hand holds her waistand our fast feet are off again, dancing the next hours away

Happiness makes the Queen silly Animated Unreserved She whistles the entire ride back to the palace and giggles as we scale back over the wall undetected Back into her world--our world

As alk through the quiet palace hand in hand, the occasional servant gives Lenny odd looks Most likely because of her clothes, the change in hairstyle--or it could be the glow on her cheeks and the breathtaking set to her bedroom, she spins in a circle in the center of the roo!" Lenora’s hair fans out behind her "Wasn’t it a ," she says

"What’s that?"

"Earlier you said you’d thought of ency, that you had taken care of it What did you do?"