Fragment #61 - Mrs Delancourt's phone call

I’m sunbathing nicely by the pool, when one of the waiters comes by my side, carrying a phone on his tray.
“Un appel pour vous, mademoiselle.”
“Merci. Allo ?”

I look at Steve getting out of the pool. He waves at me, and I can see the deception on numerous faces around the pool. Yes, ladies, he’s taken, and he’s mine. Get off.
“Hey gorgeous.”
“Hey Steve.”
“You’re not going for a swim?”
“No, I want to get a perfect tan, and there are still a couple of spots missing.”
“Oh, but to get those, you’ll have to strip a little, miss.”
I kiss him. He holds me close, his hand on my neck and the other arm around my waist. I smile and he steps back a bit.
“What’s funny?”
“I’ve just made myself a few more enemies…”
“What do you mean?” I show him the disappointed look of the three American women, staying on the other side of the pool. He laughs, and points at the almost angry faces of the three lifeguards.
“Apparently, so did I…”
We hug even more tightly. I whisper, like a secret, “I love you…” over and over again, crescendo, until I’m screaming it. We rush back into our room, unable to stop laughing.
I throw myself on the bed. Steve lies next to me, his head on my belly.
“I just got a call from Mrs Delancourt, you know, the lady from the French Embassy…”
“Mmmm, what about her?”
“Well, she took care of that guy, at the shop, the one that was arrested.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, what’s up with that fellow?”
“Well, he’s a French citizen without a criminal record. So his story was more or less quickly solved: she got him a good lawyer and as they didn’t have any proof against him, except the accusations of that man Abou, he was released after his bail was paid. But she said that it would probably be a good idea for him to go away a couple of month so that this M. Abou doesn’t create any more trouble.”
“So, where is he now?”
“I don’t know. I suppose he went home. Mrs Delancourt said he went off by himself.”
“And that guy Abou? He accepted the bail?”
“I don’t know. He seems like a very powerful someone here. Apparently, it won’t do you any good to stand in his way.”
“Isn’t it what you just did?” Steve has got his worried voice. I reassure him with a caress.
“No, my name is nowhere. Actually, Mrs Delancourt said that she received a mail about that case a couple of minutes after I came to see her. See? I’m safe, I promise!”
“Hummm… And who is this woman anyway? She sounds so powerful…”
“Yeah, well, she told me she met my dad when he was in South Africa, before Mum and Dad met. She didn’t say anything clearly, but I think they were more than friends. But Dad went off with his career, and since they only see each other in very rare occasion.”
“What, do you think she still loves him?”
“I don’t know. But what I know, is that she’s all tenderness when we talk about him…”
“Hum… Yeah, tenderness… What’s that again? Can you show me?”
I laugh and tickle him.
“I’d like to go to that shop again tomorrow, Steve. Please?”
“If I say yes, will you promise not to set a foot out of this hotel again until we leave?”
“Aye, aye, sir!”
He sights. “Then, I suppose we’ll go…”
I jump on him, and show him the true meaning of tenderness.