Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

"How was your day?" Sebastian asked, taking a small amount of soup into the appropriate spoon from the series of silverware and daintily captured the spoon with her mouth.

Sebastian's perfect posture didn't go unnoticed by Hayley. Her back was straight, shoulders back, head held up. She ate with the grace of a properly trained princess, though there was the air of the ruler she was trained to be around her. Even the question that flowed from her lips was one she was alarmingly comfortable with. This was what Sebastian was used to, sitting at a large table, eating food prepared by specially trained chefs. She was breed for this. Sebastian was meant to take this place in Hayley's home.

None of Hayley's past girlfriends had lived up to that standard. It was a nice change, one Hayley accepted with open arms.

"My day was fine," Hayley stated, "Very productive. Pete has proved to be a great addition to the company. I'm thinking about keeping him around to manage things for me. I've relied on him so much, I don't see a point in getting rid of him now."

Pete would make things easier on Hayley. She wouldn't need to be around constantly. Maybe a few days a week at most, just to make sure things were running smoothly. A major plus was that Hayley wouldn't have to screen possible managers for the time she would go sailing. She couldn't remember any of the past temporary managers being that useful.

"What does your company sale?"

Hayley had mentioned the company a number of times, but Sebastian still knew nothing about it. The pirate could well have been involved in illegal drug transport.

Pirates did that, right?

"Guess," Hayley smirked.

Pretending to think, Sebastian tapped her chin. "Island girls?"

The smirk slipped from Hayley's face, her jaw hanging on its hinges. Was she serious? Did she honestly think Hayley partook in human trafficking? Hayley would never, in her life, take part in that kind of activity.

Kidnap attractive princesses, maybe. Human trafficking, never.

She had more morals than that.

Giggles tumbled from Sebastian's lips. The expression donning Hayley's face was almost as hysterical as her father's face as he was being taken away for one of Sebastian's many accusations.

She liked seeing what she get away with.

"I was joking," Sebastian said, stifling her fit of giggles.

Shock, confusion, and happiness flooded Hayley. She didn't doubt the emotions had effected her expression. Sebastian was joking, similar to the "Why" game she had played with Hayley in the study. Her comfort level in the house must have risen considerably during the day. Sebastian was slowly opening up, allowing her personality to come through.

Hayley liked this side of Sebastian.

"Well," Hayley said, collecting her bearings, "we don't sale island girls, so you're safe, sweetheart."

"What do you sale then?"

"Various alcohols. We're popular for our wines. I'll have to take you to the vineyard one day. It's gorgeous. Granted, it's about an hour away to keep it from potential pollution. We'll have to have a picnic there."

"Do you drink?"

Sebastian hadn't seen the pirate drinking, not on the ship or in the mansion. It was odd, considering what she thought she knew about pirates.

Hayley just wasn't a normal pirate.

"On occasion," Hayley answered, "At dinner normally."

She picked up the wine glass next to her plate and showed Sebastian the purple contents, swirling the liquid slightly. Sebastian's eyes followed the wine as it twisted in the cup. There wasn't much in the glass, about the same amount Sebastian was given at special events. Not enough to get her drunk, not enough to get her buzzed, only enough to wet her pallet and allow her to enjoy the beverage.

Of all the delicacies considered to be the norm for royalty, wine had been one of the ones Sebastian enjoyed.

She especially enjoyed watching her brother's get drunk on wine they would sneak from the kitchen. Her brother's were funny drunks.

"It seems you do awfully well selling alcohol," Sebastian remarked.

"That's because alcohol is a foul-proof business. When the economy is bad, people drink. When the economy is good, people drink. If your alcoholic beverage is made properly, people will drink it. If your alcoholic beverage does not taste good, people will still drink it. If they're drunk enough, they won't even taste it. You can't really go wrong with alcohol unless your business plan is miserable."

"How did you get started in the alcohol business?"

"My father used to own a wine business. When I was a child, he would bring me to the vineyards. I remember it being absolutely beautiful, almost magical. I had been in the business of pirating for a few years, and I decided I needed something to fall back on in case something was to happen to keep me from the water. I gathered a bunch of money I had made, bought some land, and started creating my vineyard. It seemed fitting to me, since I knew the business somewhat. When I realized there were so many more branches of alcohol I could dive into, I decided to stretch my horizons. That proved to be the right decision."

"Why keep pirating if you have your business."

"I have to find some way to put up dowry for staff members who accept that as part of their payment."

"You really do provide dowry for your staff?"

"There are different payment plans I come up with. Any member of the staff who runs my estate is allowed to pick a plan that fits them best. The dowry isn't much compared to what you're probably expecting, but its enough if they decide to get married."

"That's nice of you to do for them."

"I have to treat them properly or risk mutiny of some kind. I'd rather not find out what would happen if I abused them."

"That's amazing."

"It's not that amazing."

"Trust me, it is. You went from being kicked out of your home and having nothing to being able to provide dowry to the staff of your estate."

Sebastian had a high respect for people who could turn their situation around. Some catastrophe could take away everything they owned or they could be born into a world of poverty, and, through determination, they could change it all. They had a drive that Sebastian never needed, something she couldn't fathom needing.

And Hayley had that drive.

"I," Hayley faltered, "Um, thank you." Warmth filled her, caused by the respect and acceptance in Sebastian's voice. In her distraction, she almost overlooked the empty bowl in front of the princess. "Are you ready for the main course?"

"That would be lovely."

This time, Hayley clapped her hands twice, the staccato noise they made ringing in the dining room. The two waiters returned, new plates in hand. With practiced movements, they took the empty bowls and placed the plates in front of the females. Again, Sebastian mumbled her thanks and the waiters left the room.

Honey ham, a salad, and a roll.

It was nothing too large for Sebastian to finish, but she wanted to leave room for the cake Hayley had praised. She would attempt to eat as much as she could. She didn't want to offend the chefs.

Offended chefs meant bad food in the future.

"This looks delicious," Sebastian said, picking up a knife and fork.

That wasn't a lie. The ham had been cooked to perfection, the contents of the salad looked deliciously fresh, and the roll was the right golden brown.

"It should be as good as it looks," Hayley said, already cutting into her ham,

"You hold your chefs in high esteem."

"Because they are great at what they do."

"I'll take your word for it. You seem to have pretty good tastes."

The warmth that hadn't quite left Hayley swelled. Sebastian was putting trust in her. Sure, it was in regards to food, which wasn't as big a deal, but at least the princess wasn't afraid Hayley would poison her.

That trust was better than the food, which was pretty damn amazing.

Knives and forks clattered against plates, filling the brief silence surrounding them. Sebastian's tongue tingled with excitement from each bite of ham. It was delicious, much to her pleasure.

It was easy to make terrible ham and hardly as easy to make good ham.

"Do you approve?" Hayley asked.

"Absolutely."

"I'm glad."

Hayley needed to make Sebastian's time in the mansion as pleasurable as possible. The princess would be staying there until King Ferdinand was no longer a threat. That could be any length of time.

However, Hayley wasn't sure if she would allow Sebastian to leave when the king was gone.

She had grown an intense liking to her.

"What are we doing after this?" Sebastian asked.

"Going to bed, most likely. Unless you have other plans."

"I've been in the library for most of the day. I'm not really tired."

"Next time, you can look over my finances," Hayley joked.

Sebastian's face twisted in disgust, "As exciting as that sounds, I'll pass."

"You're loss."

"I don't mind letting you have all the fun."

Chuckling, Hayley said, "How kind of you. What would you like to do until you're ready for bed?"

The question pushed one thought past Sebastian's mental filter, filling her mind with images. Hayley's hands brushing against her, sending her through waves of pleasure, their naked bodies pressed together. The perfect before bed activity.

Sebastian hadn't exactly been brought down from her worked up state that started in Hayley's study.

As the fantasy played out in her head, Sebastian's face flushed. Hayley tilted her head to the side. Was Sebastian thinking about what Hayley assumed she was thinking?

Well, they would have a fun night.

"I, um," Sebastian paused, clearing her throat, "I'm not sure."

"We can decide later."

Sebastian nodded, continuing to eat from her plate, willing the sexual thoughts to disappear from her mind.

It wasn't working.

Hopefully, Hayley would catch onto hints without Sebastian demanding her touch. She didn't think she could verbalize the want.

"Are you ready for dessert?" Hayley asked.

Sebastian glanced down at her plate. She had eaten the entirety of the honey ham, a few bites of the salad, and a nibble of the bread. If she was planning on eating dessert, she wouldn't be able to stomach any more.

She nodded, and Hayley clapped her hands twice. Sebastian hopped the rest of dinner wouldn't take long. She couldn't keep her thoughts clean.