Chapter 480: Not a King

Ian had seen Mina choke up, and he wanted to go after her, but the man she had been singing with was faster. He saw that she had not gone too far, and while he could not hear what she and the man were discussing; Ian could tell that she was comforted by his words, because after just a few minutes, he was escorting her back to the fire, her hand still in his.

When Mina returned, Mills accused her of hiding her beautiful voice and Mina laughed. She hugged Mills, only letting go when she was startled by a grunt from Drax. Carson ignored all of it and started to strum a familiar melody on his guitar. He asked Mina if she knew the song; it was a Pan Country classic, and she started to sing along.

The lyrics had no meaning. It was just a man complaining about how he used to wish to be an adult, and now that he grew up, his eyes no longer worked, his legs hurt, and he was sure his back hated him. It was a comical song, and even people who were not from Pan were familiar with it because the melody was catchy, and it was often played at sporting events.

Mina was shocked by how melodious Carson's voice was, and she was sure she had heard it before, but she could not quite place it. After a while, someone turned on a stereo and the real party started, making Mina feel uncomfortable as bodies in swimsuits started to press in close to one another. She sat down, looking to see if she could find Mills, which she did.

The woman was stomping up to another woman, who was drunkenly caressing Drax, who in turn, had his hands up in surrender. Mina was laughing until she saw Mills grab the woman by the hair, cover her mouth, and pull her toward the ocean. Mina was terrified for the girl, but at the same time, she had seen Mills push the girl away several times during the night, but apparently the woman could not take a hint.

"What's so funny?" Carson asked, startling Mina, he was handing her a red plastic cup that she could smell was alcohol from a distance, but before she reached out her hand, another hand gently held her wrist, a stark contrast to the slap he had given her innocent ice cream cone earlier.

"Don't do this," President Lee said, but it was more of a request than a demand. Carson pushed the man's hand away and stood up to face him, seemingly unafraid even though President Lee was much taller.

"I was told that you are not her boyfriend. If she wants to drink, you have no right to stop her." Mina suddenly had an image of President Lee dragging Carson down toward the ocean, and she quickly intervened.

"Carson, he is my boss and technically I am working right now." Mina stood up and bowed at the man bidding him a good night, but then he grabbed her wrist.

"He is your boss, not your king." Carson had not been there, but one of his friends who had been pretty much stalking Mina all day, had seen the ice cream incident, and had reported it to Carson, as a warning for him to stay away from the woman. Not wanting to fight in front of Mina, President Lee took two steps back.

"Mina, you are free to stay here, but I am going back to the hotel." he extended his hand, and Mina found herself torn between staying behind with opportunity and going back to the safety of the hotel room. Her head fell toward her chest, because she knew what the right choice was even if she did not want to do it.

"Good night Carson," she said as President Lee took her wrist in his hand and pulled her away.

----

Drax did not allow Mills to drown the woman like she wanted, but he did allow her to toss the poor girl into the water before he went to fish her out. The girl was drunk, and the current of the ocean was stronger at night. Although Drax knew Mills had killed, and would likely kill again, he did not want her to be guilty of murdering someone for finding him attractive.

After pulling the girl out for a third time, Drax was sure she was sober, and he sent her running toward her friends who had not even noticed she was missing. Mills clapped her hands together as if she had just completed a task on her list of things to do, and Drax, cold and wet, could not help but to pull her into an endearing hug.

"You know, you can't kill every woman who looks at me."

"Says the man who threw a woman who could not swim into the ocean for being my friend." Drax made a noise in agreement, then kissed the top of Mills head. He led her back to the party, but their friends were gone. Knowing that Ian was likely wherever Mina was and vice versa, the couple headed back to the hotel.

----

Mina looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had gotten a tan, and she looked more golden than usual. She did not know if it were her mind, but she could swear that it made her eyes appear more striking, and her hair lighter in color. She stared at her body, no longer feeling as insecure about showing it off as she had been, but still not willing to wear a bikini again. She heard Mills enter the room, and the woman came straight to the bath, knowing that was where she was going to find Mina.

Although they had separate sleeping areas, Mills and Mina had shared a bed the night before and planned to do the same for the rest of the trip. Mills got into the shower and began to wash her body free of sand and saltwater, while complaining to Mina about the woman Drax did not allow her to kill.

When Mills was done, she and Mina curled up on the sofa in the shared area of the suite and agreed to charge room service to the room. Neither woman had eaten much, and they saw no reason not to take advantage of having twenty-four-hour room service. When the server arrived, Mills recognized the woman as the same person who she had gotten to get Mina's swimsuit the night before. Apparently, the woman was assigned to the room for the night shift.

"Where are the handsome men you promised to let me see?" The woman playfully asked as she set the table.

"They are in room 605. They are there now if you want to peek." The maid looked perplexed, and Mills questioned her.

"It's just that… Well, I assumed that you guys were…"

"What is it?" Mills asked impatiently.

"Well room 605 is a single, not a suite like this." Mina and Mills looked at each other. They understood right away, and it was an overstep that needed to be taught a lesson.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Mills said with a sorry expression. "They are extremely close friends; they have been for years." The maid made an 'o' shape with her mouth, clearly misunderstanding, as Mills intended.

"You must see things like this all the time," Mina added, trying to add weight to Mills' words.

"We actually have a deluxe package for couples like them, but you have to know how to ask for it." Intrigued, Mina pressed the woman for details. "It's dinner and a show. From what I hear, men like that love it because it makes them feel like they have a place they can be themselves. It is not too late to schedule it. If you want, I can make the arrangements for you now."