Master Class [Après-Ski 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read online

  He adjusted his position to conceal the fact that his cock liked what it saw as much as his brain did. Yep, this one definitely had possibilities.

  Ward tuned out as the chief instructor went into his introductory spiel, banging on about safety and etiquette on the slopes. He told them what they must already know. They were in Medina Village in Nevella, a small independent principality between France and Spain with its own government, laws, and no direct taxes.

  “Cheap booze then,” one of the male punters said.

  How many times had Ward heard that one, and seen the results when the idiots overindulged?

  “We have five ski valleys here,” Mason told them. “Each valley is run by a different local family and those families compete with one another to offer the best facilities, so that’s good news for our visitors. We now have one of the best ski-lift networks in the region and, as you can see, one of them starts from right outside the hotel here.”

  “Short stagger in the morning then,” said a guy who appeared to be wholeheartedly embracing the Brandwieser.

  “Right.” Mason answered a few banal questions and joined in the general banter. “All your lift passes are prepared in advance. Those of you without your own gear need to report to the ski shop next door at nine in the morning and they’ll kit you out. You need to be up on the slopes, ready for lessons by ten in the morning.”

  “Aw, have a heart!” the boozer said, groaning.

  “Okay, people, listen up.” Mason waited for quiet. “I’ll introduce my fellow instructors first, and when your name’s called, go make yourself known to him or her.”

  Ward checked his list. There were two single females on it. He didn’t have to wait long to discover that white jeans and her intriguingly rounded friend were his for the week, along with four others, including the drinker. He led his class to a corner of the bar and further drinks were served. White jeans, whose name was Melanie, accepted. Her friend Tanya didn’t. Ward smiled at her and pushed a bottle of chilled water her way. She looked surprised to have been noticed and nodded her thanks.

  “Go easy on that stuff, buddy,” Ward said to the drinker, Carl, when he reached for the jug yet again. “Don’t forget you’re at altitude here so alcohol affects you more than you’d think. You need to take a day or two to acclimatize.”

  “I’m cool,” Carl replied, refilling his glass anyway.

  Ward shrugged. He’d seen it all before. The guy’s skiing would be blighted by a hangover tomorrow.

  “What will we be doing tomorrow? I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from you.” Melanie had taken the seat next to Ward. She fluttered her lashes and touched his arm as she spoke, her eyes flashing an invitation that Ward was probably the only guy in the room who’d find it easy to resist. He was a Dom and liked to be the one who made the running. “You’ve got so much experience.”

  “You’ve all put yourselves down as medium-grade skiers,” Ward said, moving his arm and dislodging Melanie’s hand. “But that covers a multitude of sins.”

  “Hmm.” Melanie’s eyes sparkled. “And I’ll just bet you’ve committed most of them.”

  “Let’s go round the table and see just how much skiing you’ve all actually done.”

  “What about you, Tanya?” Ward wasn’t surprised when everyone was prepared to boast about their skiing exploits but she sat back and said nothing.

  “This is my fourth time,” she replied. “The rest of you sound way more experienced than me. I don’t want to hold you all back. Perhaps I should drop down a class.”

  Hell, no! “Let’s see how it goes tomorrow, then decide.” Ward was well aware that people wildly exaggerated their abilities.

  “What brings an American to this backwater?” Melanie asked.

  “Actually, there are half a dozen of us here, which reminds me. The traditional après-ski hangout is called Hadleigh’s. It’s just a few minutes along the street from here. It’s run by a buddy of mine, who’s also American. There’ll be cameras up on the slopes tomorrow and you can see yourselves in action, tumbling falls included, in the bar when we finish tomorrow. We have decent music, too, and food if you don’t wanna eat at the hotel every night.”

  “Will you be there?” Melanie asked.

  “Never miss it.”

  “Then so will we be.”

  Good, Ward thought, more income for his buddy Leo’s legitimate business. He glanced at Tanya and his cock stirred again. Her fresh, outdoor-girl features were even better looking up close, but he’d bet his bank balance she didn’t know it. If he played his cards right, perhaps there would be some business going down in Leo’s private club before the week was out, too.

  “Okay, then. I’ll leave you to your dinner, guys. Just remember, they keep Spanish hours here.” Ward glanced at his watch. “So dinner at nine in the evening is early.” He stood up and shared a wave between them. “See you up at the ski school just before ten in the morning.”

  He winked at Tanya and strolled from the room.

  Chapter Two

  “Wow!” Melanie linked her arm through Tanya’s as they followed the rest of their group into the dining room. “Ward is so hot. What’s he doing in this place? Do you think he’s gay? Or married?” Her eyes flew wide open. “Oh my god, you don’t think he’s married, do you?”

  Tanya laughed as they found the rest of their new classmates and joined their table, already bonding with them. Carl lost no time in attracting the waiter’s attention and ordering wine for them all. “It’s included in the price,” he said. “Might as well get our money’s worth.”

  Melanie held out her glass. “I like the way you think.”

  “No, I don’t think he’s gay,” Tanya said when Melanie’s attention returned to her. “Definitely not gay.” She’d caught a lascivious wink that was obviously intended for Melanie. Guys who winked at women in such a suggestive way had only one thing on their minds. Well, that wasn’t saying much. All men thought of only one thing when they looked at Melanie. “He wasn’t wearing a ring, but I can’t imagine anyone who looks like him not having a significant other.”

  “As long as she’s safely back in the States, she can rely on me to take care of her man for this entire week.”

  Tanya grinned as she shook her head. “I’m sure she’ll be real grateful.”

  Tanya enjoyed the meal but slipped away as soon as it was over. She had work to catch up on and knew she’d cramp Melanie’s style if she hung around. Just because her friend had fixed her sights on Ward, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t make do with whichever men wanted to ply her with drinks in the meantime. Carl was good looking, a lot of fun, and the two of them were getting stuck into the wine. If Tanya hung around, Melanie always felt obliged to include her. It was sweet of her, but embarrassed Tanya because more times than enough the guys she was with resented her presence and made her feel surplus to requirements.

  She’d been tucked up in bed for half an hour by the time Melanie staggered in close to midnight.

  “You awake?” she asked.

  “I am now.”

  “Sorry, but I had a great time. Seems that Hadleigh’s really is the place to be seen. Some of the people in the bar have been here for a few days and they say the place rocks. Can’t wait to check it out.”

  “What else did the ladies you were talking to have to say for themselves?”

  Melanie blinked. “Ladies?”

  Tanya laughed. “Never mind. Drink plenty of water and then get some sleep. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Mum.”

  Melanie enjoyed the vino, but it never seemed to affect her, even though she was so tiny and ate so little there was never much inside her to soak it up. Tanya had stopped trying to figure out how she got away with it. Life wasn’t fair. What else was there to say?

  True to form, Melanie was bright-eyed and ready for action when Tanya roused her at seven thirty the following morning. They went down and enjoyed the buffet breakfast—well, Tanya did. Melanie made do with
coffee and a low-fat yogurt.

  “You’ll be freezing if you don’t have more inside you to keep you warm.”

  Melanie shrugged. “I can’t eat first thing, you know that.”

  She couldn’t eat anything was nearer the truth. Melanie’s relationship with food was complex.

  Back in their room they dressed themselves in thermal underwear and donned skiing gear. That meant salopettes and a thick parka, woolen hat, and padded gloves for Tanya. Melanie had a piercing-green one-piece ski suit made of expensive thin material that retained body heat apparently. It sculpted her body, leaving little to the imagination, and looked sensational with her hair coloring. Unlike Tanya, all her accessories were coordinated. They slung their lift passes around their necks, collected sunblock, glasses, goggles, and all the other things they were likely to need and stuffed them into a backpack. It wouldn’t match Melanie’s outfit so Tanya figured she’d be the one toting it all day.

  “Let’s head for the ski shop, girlfriend,” Melanie said. “Hope they have skis the same color as my suit.”

  “If they haven’t, I’m sure you’ll charm one of the assistants into finding some for you.” Tanya flashed a wicked smile. “What will Ward think if your skis don’t match your outfit?”

  Melanie feigned horror. “Don’t go there!”

  Flirting came as naturally to Melanie as breathing, and it was quite something to watch her in action. There were other people ahead of them in the shop, but they weren’t made to wait and none of the guys in line objected when Melanie strolled past them like she owned the joint. Not one but two eager male assistants descended upon them, and in no time flat both girls were kitted out with ski boots and top-of-the-range skis. Naturally, Melanie’s had green flashes along their length and she was delighted with them.

  They left their comfortable moon boots in a locker in the ski store, and Tanya resigned herself to having dead feet for the rest of the day as she slid them into the crippling ski boots. Surely someone could come up with a design that was a decent fit and comfortable? They waddled across the road, skis thrown over their shoulders, and stood in line for the cable car that would whisk them up the mountain. Seeing Melanie carrying her own skis was a rarity. Tanya wondered how many more times it would happen on this holiday. She wouldn’t bet against never.

  They got on the cable car with a dozen other early skiers. Melanie fell into conversation with the guy next to her—of course she did!—but Tanya concentrated on the scenery. It was spectacular. The pine trees they floated above were still coated with overnight snow. Long icicles dangled from the branches, glistening like frosting and making it look like a scene from a Christmas card. Melanie ran out of things to say and the quiet was surreal, working its magic on Tanya’s damaged psyche.

  She was almost sorry when they reached the top, the doors opened, and they were catapulted back into the real world. She and Melanie put on their skis and slithered the short distance to the ski school. Ward was already there, looking just as devastating in his ski gear as he had the previous night in his old jeans. There was something about him—something that went beyond his good looks and vital masculinity—that affected Tanya on a level over which she had no control. For the first time since Brad had shattered her confidence three months ago, Tanya felt a spark of desire swirl through her bloodstream. Well, that was safe enough. Ward was a hunk, way out of her league. Besides, Melanie had staked a claim so she wouldn’t get a look in, even if she wanted to, which she didn’t.

  Melanie made her way straight up to him, but Ward barely acknowledged her. Instead he looked over her head directly at Tanya and sent her a devastating smile—his even white teeth a stark contrast against his deeply tanned face. She looked around her, convinced he must be zeroing in on someone else. When she realized that sexy smile really was meant for her, she was so surprised that she almost lost her balance. Tanya planted her poles in the snow and leaned on them for support because her legs no longer felt fit for purpose. She forgot to smile back.

  “Morning, everyone,” Ward said. “Hope you’ve all dressed warmly. I’ll be checking.”

  “Anytime,” Melanie muttered to Tanya.

  “It’s cold as a witch’s tit up here, but I intend to work you hard and keep you warm. No need to thank me. It’s what I get paid to do.”

  Tanya was too confused to join in the ensuing laughter. She couldn’t understand what was going on. First off Ward had definitely smiled at her, ignoring Melanie. Now she could have sworn he’d directed his comments about clothing checks to her alone. She put the fact that her nipples hardened beneath his penetrating gaze down to the cold. Unfortunately even she couldn’t persuade herself that her pussy was leaking for the same reason, or that the buzz surging through her body was due to the climate.

  I absolutely don’t need this. Men. Are. Trouble.

  “What will we be doing today?” Carl asked.

  “We have great conditions, guys, even if it is freezing. The overnight snow topped up the slopes nicely and the pisters have been out early this morning, bashing it all down for us. As you can see, the sky’s clear and we’re in for a cold but sunny day.”

  “Can we go off piste into the powder?” someone asked.

  “Hey, let’s check out how you all ski first. We’ll take a relatively easy blue run, come down it together, and I’ll get a feel for your abilities.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Carl said. He didn’t look too well and clearly didn’t want to do anything adventurous.

  “He can check me out whenever he’s ready,” Melanie said, pulling her hat lower to cover her ears and all but salivating as she glanced at Ward.

  Tanya followed Melanie as they skied toward the lift, wondering how long it would take her friend to get the delectable Ward into bed.

  * * * *

  As Ward had known would be the case, his new class were of mixed abilities. Tanya was as good as any of them. The fact that she didn’t overestimate her abilities probably put her ahead of the rest. Excessive confidence, Ward had good reason to know, was the main cause of skiing accidents.

  They reached the bottom of the blue run without mishap, and Ward called them all together for a pep talk.

  “Okay,” he said. “That went well.”

  “Can we do a red run now?” asked one of the guys.

  “Sure we can. But let’s throw in some slalom gates for fun.”

  “Slalom?” Tanya shook her head. “Not sure I’m up for that.”

  Ward sent her a teasing smile. “Trust me, darlin’, you can do it. Besides, I’ll be there to catch you if you fall.”

  “Well, that’s not the sort of offer you get every day,” Melanie said in a quiet aside that Ward probably wasn’t supposed to hear. Or perhaps he was. “Maybe I’ll start falling over.”

  “Please don’t,” Tanya replied. “You know how clumsy you can be. You’ll only break something important.”

  “Hmm, could be worth it.”

  Ward metaphorically rolled his eyes. When did women get to be so predatory? They took all the fun out of the chase.

  “Come on then, guys. We need to take a different lift to get to this piste.”

  His class followed in his ski tracks, making him feel a bit like a mother duck. This was a three-seater chair lift. Ward waited at the gate and ushered his class through ahead of him. Hopefully Tanya would arrive last and he could ride up with her. Melanie got to the gate and was joined by two of the guys. The others had gone ahead of them. That left just him and Tanya to ride up together. Perfect.

  Or it would have been if Melanie hadn’t glanced over her shoulder. Before the chair came around she took her life in her hands by ducking out to the side and waiting for the two of them to ski up to the line.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Ward said. “The chair’s coming round real fast and could have taken your head off.”

  A negligent shrug was the only sign she’d heard him. “You looked kinda lonely,” she said.

  Melanie dropp
ed her dainty rear onto the seat next to Wade. Tanya sat on his other side, glancing down at the colorful skiers beneath them as they moved upward, saying nothing. Not that she could have done, even if she’d wanted to, since Melanie seemed perfectly capable of conducting a conversation entirely alone.

  “How long have you been in Nevella, Ward?” she asked.

  “A couple of seasons.”

  “Whereabouts are you from in the States?”

  “Colorado.”

  “Cool. Why would you want to leave the Rockies?”

  “Why does anyone leave anywhere?”

  If she was deterred by his clipped responses or the lack of progress she was making, she didn’t show it. Even so, it must be bugging her. Ward figured she didn’t often have to work this hard to get a guy’s attention.

  “You okay?” he asked Tanya, when they’d almost reached the top and she still hadn’t said a word.

  “Fine.”

  “Tanya’s nursing a broken heart and thinks all men are bastards,” Melanie said.

  Tanya shot her friend an annoyed look, clearly not happy with Ward knowing anything about her personal life. Or perhaps she didn’t appreciate Melanie assuming to know what she thought. Ward, on the other hand, was grateful to Melanie. Mending broken hearts was a specialty of his.

  “Okay,” he said, once they’d all safely exited the chairlift and congregated around Ward at the top of the slope. “We’re gonna ski down to the start of the slalom course, right there.” He pointed and six heads obediently nodded. “Then, one at a time we’re gonna ski down, remembering to execute our turns smoothly, keeping our knees bent and our weight properly balanced. I’ll position myself halfway down the course and keep an eagle eye on you all. Oh, and just in case you think I can’t see you all the way down, the cameraman keeps this course under constant lens cover.”