Shifting Priorities

They crested the hill and saw the village just up ahead. He released Kimberly's back as they coasted down the slight grade towards their destination. They followed the group down a side street and reached a small outdoor patio with tables. The support van was there and Kimberly sighed in relief.

Soon they were relaxing under the umbrellas of a small cluster of tables overlooking the fields and valley beyond.

Fiona had managed to snag a chair next to Kyle at his table with Vivian and Kimberly getting the other two. At the table to their right, Jules was entertaining the Burkettes and Helen while the table to Kyle's left had Dita and Skye whispering to each other and smiling in his direction, much to his unease.

The booze was not covered but Kyle ordered a bottle of wine as the setting seemed to cry out for it.

"None for me today," Kimberly moaned and received nods from the others.

"I'll have your glass!" Skye called out and Kyle rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Lunch was fresh meats, local cheeses, fresh bread rolls, and salads. Kyle made himself some small sandwiches.

As they enjoyed their meals Fiona leaned forward to catch Kimberly's attention. She caught Kyle's eyes in her cleavage and smiled happily for it. "Did you drink the water I gave you last night?" she asked the woman.

"Yes! That was from you? Thank you!" Kimberly gushed.

"That means you can claim that second kiss Kyle promised you," Fiona teased.

Kimberly's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. "Second... kiss?"

Vivian was watching the drama unfold with intense interest.

"Yes! You were... very affectionate last night. Don't you recall grabbing Kyle's yummy ass?"

Kimberly made a squeak noise as her eyes shot to Kyle.

He raised his hands to calm the woman. "It's not as racy as Fiona is making it out to be. You were drunk and yes, you got a little handsy."

Kimberly squeaked again, her hands now covering her mouth in dismay.

"I gave you a kiss goodnight and promised to give you another kiss if you drank the water. We were concerned you wouldn't drink enough and you'd be in pain today," he explained.

"Oh my god! This is why I don't drink!" the woman moaned.

Kyle laughed gently. "You were fine. Nothing inappropriate happened. You hugged me, gave me a little extra squeeze, and I gave you a little kiss. It was innocent."

Fiona laughed. "Those lusty looks she was giving you last night weren't so innocent."

"Hey! You be good!" he chastised the blond who raised her hands in mock surrender.

"You can punish me later," Fiona purred and bit her lip which sent sparks to Kyle's groin.

"Teens," Vivian mumbled to herself and Fiona grinned at her, feeling as young as one.

Kyle cleared his throat and shifted on his chair to ease the pressure much to Fiona's delight. He had to change the subject. "Vivian, you said your boyfriend rides in the Tour de France. Is that where you met him?"

She grinned happily. "No, I was leading a tour through the countryside and he was on a training ride and caught up to us. He decided to ride with us to the next town. He lived there and he invited me to dinner. The rest is history."

"Sweet!" Kyle said with a grin and Vivian glowed happily with her memory of the day. "Have you ever attended the tour with him?"

"Not yet but I'm working on him for this year!" she said with a determined look.

"His coach will forbid it," Dita offered.

Vivian looked over at her in question.

"The man does not allow his riders to have sex during the tour," Dita explained.

Vivian got a flustered look on her face. "We wouldn't-"

"Oh please! I've heard you speak of him in ways that would make Skye blush!" Dita teased.

"I don't believe anything makes Skye blush. She's shameless," Kyle scoffed.

The young woman in question laughed and nodded to him, licking her lips. He shifted on his chair once more and returned his attention to his lunch as he heard her chuckle.

Once lunch was finished they made their way back to the bikes. Kimberly pulled him aside.

"I'm very sorry if I did anything rude to you last night," she said contritely.

He smiled to assure her. "As I said, it was innocent."

She bit her lip nervously as she focused on his mouth. "Would- would it be ok if later, once I feel better... could I ask for the kiss then?"

His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh, uh, are you sure?"

She nodded as she looked up at him through her bangs.

He smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Her smile was brilliant and she rushed off to join Jules in the van.

He shook his head at how bizarre his life had become since he'd come to France.

The afternoon's ride was definitely more challenging and Kyle found himself having to assist Fiona up one hill and Helen up another. When he helped Skye he caught on that they were just looking for an excuse for him to touch their asses.

He told them they were on their own on the rest of the route and got pouts for that.

It was late afternoon when they rolled into the parking lot of the hotel. It wasn't at the level of the chateaus they'd been staying at but it was definitely pretty from the outside. Dita and Vivian helped Jules stow the bikes as the rest made their way inside. They could tell Vivian was eager to head home. Kimberly rushed up to Kyle's side just inside the front doors.

"I'm feeling much better," she said with a wide grin.

"That's good- Ohhh!" Kyle said catching her real intent as her smile just got wider.

"I don't remember last night's kiss so I'll need to pay special attention to this one."

Fiona, Helen, and Skye were all giggles as Kyle looked a little flustered. He was glancing around at the expansive lobby and the bar beyond.

"Here?" he asked.

She nodded, unwilling to change her course and lose her nerve. "And this has to be a real kiss, not just a peck on the lips."

He squirmed a little more as Carl and Larissa paused to enjoy his predicament. He took a deep calming breath and turned his complete attention on Kimberly. He saw she was trembling with her own nervous excitement. This must be really outside of her comfort zone too. He fell back on his lessons from his now defunct relationship. He put everything else out of his mind, and Kimberly became his focal point, his universe. Her eyes widened as he stepped closer and looked deeply into her eyes. Her 5' 4" stature meant he was going to have to bend over quite a bit to reach her mouth. Instead, he surprised her by lifting her up against his body.

When she gasped, his mouth found hers and she was lost to his sensual kiss. After the initial surprise, her hands went into his hair and she made needful whimpers into the kiss, her legs wrapping around his body. He slowly pulled back from her soft mouth, stroking her trembling lips with his and she sucked in a breath from the shocks he was sending through her body.

"You need to put your feet down so I can set you down," he said breathily next to her ear and tingles rushed through her body.

Then the message sank into her consciousness. She unhooked her ankles and dropped her legs. He let her slowly slide down his chest and she gasped again feeling his hard bits pressing her soft bits in all the right ways.

He kept his arms around her as she got her legs under her and supporting her weight.

She looked up at him and licked her tingling lips.

"Was that ok?" he asked quietly.

Cheers erupted from the three watching ladies and Larissa jumped in surprise as she came out of her daze abruptly. Carl just rolled his eyes.

Fiona, Helen, and Skye surged forward to hug Kyle and Kimberly who was back to grinning madly.

"Kyle?"

The voice from behind him derailed Kyle's brain completely. He felt his world shift, his smile fell away, and he turned slowly to face the speaker.

Standing a few steps away was someone he never expected to see again.

Short, tousled black hair. Large, blue eyes showing surprise behind those sexy, serious, black rimmed glasses resting on her cute button nose. Her sensual mouth, just a little too wide but built for mind obliterating smiles, was currently hiding her white teeth as she wasn't smiling.

Beyond lovely.

"Hello, Gwen," he managed as his throat threatened to close.

The brunette suddenly found herself the focus of many pairs of shocked and angry eyes. "Can- can we talk? Alone?" she asked timidly.

Skye surged forward angrily but Kyle managed to catch her arms. "You'd like that wouldn't you! To sink your bloody claws into his heart again!" she spat venomously.

Gwen blinked in nervous surprise and turned her eyes to the others.

Fiona walked up to her and looked her up and down. "You made a truly stupid decision when you failed to appreciate what you had. I, for one, hope he doesn't give you another chance to hurt him."

With a hot glance back at Kyle, she walked away with great dignity, in spandex.

The Burkettes walked past without even looking at her and Helen pulled her daughter past, though both of them were scowling at the intruder.

"Are you sure you want to be alone with her?" Kimberly asked Kyle quietly.

He nodded to the redhead and she gave him a quick hug before leaving. But she kept her angry eyes on Gwen as she passed.

Then they were alone.

"May I ask you what you told them about me to generate such hate?" Gwen said with barely contained anger.

Kyle rocked back in surprise as that was not the first thing he was expecting her to say. When he recovered, he actually felt more centered. He could answer this question. "The truth. How I arrived expecting to find my fiancé only to discover, in a letter, that she'd dumped me. This after forcing me to spend stupid amounts of money on a trip for two when she never intended to join me," he growled.

Gwen blinked her big blue eyes at him, unfamiliar with facing his anger.

"Why are you here?" Kyle asked pointedly.

She glanced back over her shoulder in the direction of the reception desk where the others were arranging their rooms. She saw a few faces turned in their direction. She faced Kyle and collected herself as she began again. This was not going as she'd rehearsed.

"The woman with the huge..." she cupped imaginary tits out in front of her own.

"Fiona," Kyle said tersely and Gwen nodded.

"She... she was right. I made a terrible mistake... but I was seduced by Antoine! The moment I began working for him he began pursuing me. He was so passionate and tenacious I was swept away against my better judgement! He was the one who convinced me that you didn't deserve me!"

Kyle watched her closely. Partially because he had to determine if she was lying but mainly because his heart desperately wanted her back. He was shaken to his core just how much he wanted that. A hint of a smile began to appear on her lips as his need for her must have shown. He clenched his jaw and pushed that need down deep with sheer force of will, his eyes holding hers with an intensity which made her lose that smile quickly.

"You... you discarded... me," he ground out.

"No! I-"

He held up his hand to stop her. "After you tossed me aside I came to realize just how much you were in control of our relationship. I admit I was a willing subject. I would have done, and did do, anything you asked. You... changed me. Molded me into someone you wanted me to be. Someone closer to your ideal of a boyfriend then fiancé. Someone to fulfill your desires and as long as you were happy I gladly accepted it. Along the way, I forgot... me."

"I never meant-"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted. "Being discarded hurt. More than I thought possible but... once more I find myself grateful to you. As much as I want to hate you for what you did to me when you tossed me aside for another man, the truth is, that cruel act woke me up. It made me realize I had to start thinking about me again. What I wanted out of life!"

"What... what do you want?" she said timidly and bit her lip as she used to when she wanted something.

He felt that small gesture rip through him and heard the roar of blood in his ears as tingles raced through his body. He staggered back a step as he realized he'd moved closer to her, wanting to kiss that lip. He took a few deep breaths with a scowl on his face as she watched him with worry now in her eyes.

He recalled that she knew exactly how to manipulate his emotions and physical reactions. She had direct access to his controls.

"DON'T!" he barked at her with a rough voice and heads turned in his direction. He glanced towards the group and raised his hand to stop them from returning to his side. He shook his head as he got control of himself.

"You don't get to do that to me anymore," he said with a strained voice, his eyes returning to hers. He saw her big blue eyes were becoming glassy and that felt like a knife in his gut. "No tears!" he blurted desperately.

"I'm sorry! You're making me very sad and I cry when I'm sad!" she exclaimed emotionally as her bottom lip trembled.

Kyle struggle to keep himself still. A voice in his head was yelling at him to pull her into his arms and kiss her tears away but he couldn't trust that voice as he realized it was hers. Trained into him. He'd been well and truly programmed. He couldn't trust his reactions around her and as the tears fell from her long lashes he realized he had to leave. Now.

His feet guided him out the front doors of the hotel and pointed him in the direction of the main square in the village. He walked without seeing and when he realized he'd stopped, he found he was sitting on a bench watching a fountain. He looked around and saw it wasn't in the main square. Just homes all around a small community courtyard with a nice water feature. It looked like a neighborhood.

He was lost.

Sometime during his walk, the sun had gone down and a cool breeze had picked up. He was beginning to feel just a little uncomfortable. He knew he had to go back to the hotel and get changed but the idea of facing Gwen again made him uneasy. So he watched the water dance.

"Kyle?"

He jumped as he heard the teary voice behind him and spun to face Gwen.

Except it was Vivian. Her nose and eyes were red from crying and she was looking at him in confusion, annoyance, and surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked through her sniffles.

He leaned back against the bench letting his heart rate calm and shook his head. "I'm lost." He looked closer. "Are you ok?"

"Do I look ok?" she barked at him.

He just looked at her with sad eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Vivian looked like she might yell at him once more when she just collapsed on the bench next to him and began to cry again. He pulled her into a hug and she cried against his chest as he rubbed her back.

When her tears seemed to be stopping she pulled back and took another look at him. "Why- why are you still in your bike clothes?" she sniffled.

He frowned and looked down, feeling stupid for his actions now. "Gwen was at the hotel."

"Gwen? OH! That Gwen!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. She started to cry and I couldn't deal with it. She's inside my head. She knows all the buttons to push. I felt like I was about to cave in and accept her back into my life so I just left and started walking. Next thing I knew, I was here." He shrugged and looked to her. "What brings you to this lovely fountain?"

Vivian looked like she was about to begin crying again but she forced it down. "Mathieu broke it off with me. He- he's moving to the States. He got a job with a big pharmaceutical company there."

"So he's moving to the states. Why does that have to mean he's breaking up with you? Weren't you already in a long distance relationship with him?" Kyle asked.

"One of the reasons he's going is named Melissa, his new fiancé. Daughter of the president of this big pharmaceutical firm," Vivian growled as she wiped her eyes.

"Ah! Bastard."

She nodded at Kyle's opinion of her boyfriend. Then her stomach growled hungrily. Kyle smiled at her.

"I take it you haven't eaten yet either?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I know a nice local place not far from here," she said.

He gestured to his cycling clothes.

"Not to worry. They're very informal," she assured him.

He stood and helped her to her feet. She hooked her arm through his and guided him through a few side streets to reach another small restaurant off the beaten path.

The hostess was a white haired, older woman who rushed over and kissed Vivian's cheeks, almost starting the waterworks again. She spoke quietly to the blond for a bit then Vivian introduced her to Kyle and they were led to a table at the back.

Once they were seated and alone Vivian smiled self-consciously at Kyle. "Adeline is very sweet! She kind of adopted me when I first arrived. She was telling me how disappointed everyone is that Mathieu is giving up professional cycling to work in the States. She's especially upset with him for leaving me."

Kyle grinned at her. "She's good people!"

"The best!" Vivian agreed with a fond smile.

They ordered wine and a yummy looking stew with fresh baguettes. As they ate they discussed next steps for both of them. The wine was very good so they ordered a second bottle when they'd drained the first. They were both feeling much better and much more relaxed.

"So that's your plan! Quit and run around the world?" Vivian gushed as she swept her arm around in a big gesture sloshing wine onto her hand. She looked at the droplet and licked it off before turning her eyes back to him.

"Yes, I'm going to resign and give up my apartment... once Gwen gets the rest of her stuff out," he frowned thinking about that complication. He shrugged as it was trouble for another day.

"I don't collect... stuff, so I can easily carry my essentials in the duffle bag I'm using on this trip!" he asserted. The idea of shedding the excess and living light really appealed to him.

"I'm still young. I'm going to do a little traveling to see what life has to offer me!" He looked slyly at Vivian whose eyebrow rose as her eyes widened. "Maybe... maybe I'll try my hand as a tour guide for a bicycle touring company," he said with a grin.

Vivian burst into drunken giggles at the thought of him leading a group of excited ladies through the French countryside. "Remember our rule of 'No sex with the guests'! That might prove too difficult for you to follow!" she teased with a big grin on her face.

"Hey! None of that is my fault!" He snorted in frustration then paused as he recalled kissing Kimberly. "Ok, most of it isn't."

She grinned and nodded to him. "Well, I think you're being very brave and your plan is very exciting!"

"Thank you," he said nodding his acceptance.

"I only have a small amount of belongings, mostly clothes, at Mathieu's home." She sighed, not looking forward to the confrontation. "I'll get it tomorrow," she said.

"Nonsense! I'll go with you and we can get it tonight!" Kyle insisted. "The sooner he's out of your life, the sooner you can get on with your life and be happy again!" He flagged the older woman down and asked for the bill. Vivian made noises of protest but Kyle wouldn't hear of it. He gave the woman, the owner apparently, a generous tip then Kyle and Vivian staggered out the door leaning on each other.

They stopped to take deep breaths of fresh air. "Woo! I think you drank too much wine!" Vivian asserted.

"Me? I was just keeping up to you!" Kyle exclaimed. He puffed up his chest and put on a grand theatrical voice. "Never-the-less we must make haste to yon ex-boyfriend's domicile to collect your dainty unmentionables!" This sent Vivian into hysterical giggles. "See! You're the one who drank too much as that was terrible! Not funny in the least," he said with a grin.