West Virginia part seven
Leo had left the house and went to the first club he could find. How could she have done this to me? How could she let him kiss her like that? Had this morning meant nothing to her? He couldn't get the image of Piper and Dan out of his mind. And when he reached for another glass of his brandy a hand stopped him.
"You are not going to find the answers in the bottom of that glass" he heard Cole say. "Nope maybe not, but it sure as hell is gonna make me feel better!" as he shook the hand of his arm and tossed the glass back finishing his drink in one gulp. "Mike another one please" as he motion for the bartender to fill his glass again. Cole shook his head towards mike. Indicating Leo had more then enough. Leo turned towards Cole. "What the hell do you think you are doing, if I want another drink who are you to stop me!" he roared at his friend. "I am your friend and as your friend I am saying you have had enough!" Cole said trying to be patience "Well I don't need a friend the only friend I need right now is mike, mike?" as he again motioned for mike to fill the glass.
Cole took the glass and slid across the bar out of Leo's reach. "What the hell!" Leo shouted and turned to Cole to land him a blow. Cole not near being intoxicated deflected the blow easily and Leo flew past him. "Yup, that's enough already" he muttered and took Leo by the scruff of his neck and hauled him up on his feet. "Mike put it on my tab." He said as he helped Leo outside and in the coach he had waiting for them. Cole decided that I would be better if Leo went with him to his mansion and sleep his stupor of there. "I am not as drunk as you seem to think I am!" Leo said. "I think you night be right there buddy." Cole answered him.
Leo turned towards Cole. "Tell me one thing, Cole?" "What?" "How the hell does the same thing happen to me twice in one life time, how is it possible that I pick the worst of the women on the face of this god forsaken planet." He asked his friend. "I think you know that is not true Leo, you know Piper is nothing like Hannah." Cole said. "Oh no, did you not see what I saw tonight?" Leo asked him with a frown. "The question is, did you see what I saw tonight?" Cole countered him. While helping out of the coach and into the house. Telling his butler he didn't need him for the rest of the night and he would make sure Leo would make it to the guestroom.
"What do you mean by that, what I saw was Piper draped al over Dan like a love sick puppy." Leo continued the conversation after the butler had left them alone. He walked over to the little mini bar and pored him self- another brandy he tossed his head back and finished the drink in one swallow. He shuddered at the image going through his mind. Setting the glass down with a resounding bang. He turned towards Cole.
"How could I have been so wrong about her?" "I am telling you, you are the one that is wrong, did you not see the look on her face when she saw us?" Cole asked him. "Yeah the face of a woman that got caught in the act, the face of a woman who kisses one man in the morning then another in the evening!" Leo said forlorn. "No she looked like a woman who was being manhandled that is what she looked like, and if you would have stayed for a few minutes you would have seen the same thing!" Cole said with a little force behind his words. His friend couldn't really be that dense could he?
"Leo I am telling you, Piper did not want to be kissed by Dan, if you would have seen how upset she was after you left you would know that too" he added to his earlier statement. For the first time it looked like Cole was getting through to Leo. "You really think that is what happened?" Leo asked not daring the hope. "Yes I really think that is what happened." Cole said.
Leo turned his back and started to pace the room. When he turned around Cole could see that Leo now believed him. And what he also saw frightened him a little. Leo was mad. No he was furious and it was written all over his face. He gave Cole a little smile. A scary smile. Cole thought. "You know what I have to do don't you" he asked Cole. "Yes I know, but I would hold of on that." Cole said to him. "Why should I, I have to defend her honor Cole, he forced himself on her I would not be a man if I let him get away with it." "I didn't say you couldn't I said hold off on that for a few days!" "Why" Leo said pacing back and forth across the room. "Because I have a plan." Cole said with a smile of his own on his face.
This got Leo's interest. "What are you talking about?" he wanted to know. Cole indicated that Leo should take a seat. For the next half-hour he explained to Leo what he thought had happened and what they should do about it. Leo's smile got brighter with each minute. And when Cole had finished his tale. He was almost beaming. "But after all this has been set in motion, I get the challenge him? It is a question of honor Cole." He said to Cole daring him to dispute it. "I give you one better then that, when you challenge Dan for this duel I will be your second, how about that?" Leo stood and shook his friend's hand. "Thank you Cole a man never had a better friend." He said. "Same here Leo, same here." Cole answered him.
Leo got a crease in his brow and frowned at Cole. "What about Hannah in this whole thing, you are supposed to marry this woman." "Like I told you if Hannah has anything to do with this, there will be no marriage, I am not sure there is going to be a marriage at all even if she has nothing to with this, which I highly doubt by the way." Cole said. "And why would that be?" Leo wanted to know. "That would mean I should have listened to you when you told me Hannah was not suited for me." Cole told him. "Well yes, but besides that!" "I think I fancy that Phoebe Halliwell." "You think!" Leo laughed. "You where all over her tonight, I am surprised Hannah had not picked up on that" "Okay I don't think, I know I like Phoebe, and as for Hannah it seemed she was to busy with Dan to notice me and Phoebe. And that is the crux of the matter!" "What do you mean?" "If I was really in love with Hannah, her being so occupied with Dan should have bother me." "And it didn't." Leo concluded for him. "No I didn't." Cole agreed. "But it would have bothered me if Phoebe would have spent the evening talking to him." He added to it. "Then my friend lets put this plan of your in motion" Leo said and slapped him on the shoulder.
Tbc
Leo had left the house and went to the first club he could find. How could she have done this to me? How could she let him kiss her like that? Had this morning meant nothing to her? He couldn't get the image of Piper and Dan out of his mind. And when he reached for another glass of his brandy a hand stopped him.
"You are not going to find the answers in the bottom of that glass" he heard Cole say. "Nope maybe not, but it sure as hell is gonna make me feel better!" as he shook the hand of his arm and tossed the glass back finishing his drink in one gulp. "Mike another one please" as he motion for the bartender to fill his glass again. Cole shook his head towards mike. Indicating Leo had more then enough. Leo turned towards Cole. "What the hell do you think you are doing, if I want another drink who are you to stop me!" he roared at his friend. "I am your friend and as your friend I am saying you have had enough!" Cole said trying to be patience "Well I don't need a friend the only friend I need right now is mike, mike?" as he again motioned for mike to fill the glass.
Cole took the glass and slid across the bar out of Leo's reach. "What the hell!" Leo shouted and turned to Cole to land him a blow. Cole not near being intoxicated deflected the blow easily and Leo flew past him. "Yup, that's enough already" he muttered and took Leo by the scruff of his neck and hauled him up on his feet. "Mike put it on my tab." He said as he helped Leo outside and in the coach he had waiting for them. Cole decided that I would be better if Leo went with him to his mansion and sleep his stupor of there. "I am not as drunk as you seem to think I am!" Leo said. "I think you night be right there buddy." Cole answered him.
Leo turned towards Cole. "Tell me one thing, Cole?" "What?" "How the hell does the same thing happen to me twice in one life time, how is it possible that I pick the worst of the women on the face of this god forsaken planet." He asked his friend. "I think you know that is not true Leo, you know Piper is nothing like Hannah." Cole said. "Oh no, did you not see what I saw tonight?" Leo asked him with a frown. "The question is, did you see what I saw tonight?" Cole countered him. While helping out of the coach and into the house. Telling his butler he didn't need him for the rest of the night and he would make sure Leo would make it to the guestroom.
"What do you mean by that, what I saw was Piper draped al over Dan like a love sick puppy." Leo continued the conversation after the butler had left them alone. He walked over to the little mini bar and pored him self- another brandy he tossed his head back and finished the drink in one swallow. He shuddered at the image going through his mind. Setting the glass down with a resounding bang. He turned towards Cole.
"How could I have been so wrong about her?" "I am telling you, you are the one that is wrong, did you not see the look on her face when she saw us?" Cole asked him. "Yeah the face of a woman that got caught in the act, the face of a woman who kisses one man in the morning then another in the evening!" Leo said forlorn. "No she looked like a woman who was being manhandled that is what she looked like, and if you would have stayed for a few minutes you would have seen the same thing!" Cole said with a little force behind his words. His friend couldn't really be that dense could he?
"Leo I am telling you, Piper did not want to be kissed by Dan, if you would have seen how upset she was after you left you would know that too" he added to his earlier statement. For the first time it looked like Cole was getting through to Leo. "You really think that is what happened?" Leo asked not daring the hope. "Yes I really think that is what happened." Cole said.
Leo turned his back and started to pace the room. When he turned around Cole could see that Leo now believed him. And what he also saw frightened him a little. Leo was mad. No he was furious and it was written all over his face. He gave Cole a little smile. A scary smile. Cole thought. "You know what I have to do don't you" he asked Cole. "Yes I know, but I would hold of on that." Cole said to him. "Why should I, I have to defend her honor Cole, he forced himself on her I would not be a man if I let him get away with it." "I didn't say you couldn't I said hold off on that for a few days!" "Why" Leo said pacing back and forth across the room. "Because I have a plan." Cole said with a smile of his own on his face.
This got Leo's interest. "What are you talking about?" he wanted to know. Cole indicated that Leo should take a seat. For the next half-hour he explained to Leo what he thought had happened and what they should do about it. Leo's smile got brighter with each minute. And when Cole had finished his tale. He was almost beaming. "But after all this has been set in motion, I get the challenge him? It is a question of honor Cole." He said to Cole daring him to dispute it. "I give you one better then that, when you challenge Dan for this duel I will be your second, how about that?" Leo stood and shook his friend's hand. "Thank you Cole a man never had a better friend." He said. "Same here Leo, same here." Cole answered him.
Leo got a crease in his brow and frowned at Cole. "What about Hannah in this whole thing, you are supposed to marry this woman." "Like I told you if Hannah has anything to do with this, there will be no marriage, I am not sure there is going to be a marriage at all even if she has nothing to with this, which I highly doubt by the way." Cole said. "And why would that be?" Leo wanted to know. "That would mean I should have listened to you when you told me Hannah was not suited for me." Cole told him. "Well yes, but besides that!" "I think I fancy that Phoebe Halliwell." "You think!" Leo laughed. "You where all over her tonight, I am surprised Hannah had not picked up on that" "Okay I don't think, I know I like Phoebe, and as for Hannah it seemed she was to busy with Dan to notice me and Phoebe. And that is the crux of the matter!" "What do you mean?" "If I was really in love with Hannah, her being so occupied with Dan should have bother me." "And it didn't." Leo concluded for him. "No I didn't." Cole agreed. "But it would have bothered me if Phoebe would have spent the evening talking to him." He added to it. "Then my friend lets put this plan of your in motion" Leo said and slapped him on the shoulder.
Tbc