Tea's legs seemed nailed to the floor as she continued to be captured by the stare of the man who had spoken. What the hell? Pete? Oh my God, where was Tom?

He rose extremely slowly from the chair, giving her ample time to take in his appearance again. No, Tom was gone! He would never dress like this! Neither would Todd for that matter!

"Tea, you look like you could use a drink," he said somewhat patronizingly as she continued to remain in the same spot.

She could only nod vacantly as he moved with animal-like grace toward the ice bucket. He expertly opened the bottle with an elaborate-looking corkscrew and poured the liquid with careful attention into two tall wine glasses. He cocked his head toward her and in a sneering tone said, "Shall I come over there, Mrs. Manning?"

Tea's composure had never been reduced to such a state. She was literally shaking inside and for some reason, she knew that this Pete character knew it, too. Okay, Delgado! You've got to call on whatever willpower you have left and meet this new personality face to face. She felt in her bones that it was extremely important for her to let him know that she would not be intimidated. She willed herself to move toward him and he handed her the glass.

"Thank you...Pete?"

He smiled at her with no light in his almond eyes and as if he had some secret knowledge of her.

She tilted the glass up to her lips and drew in the wonderful bouquet of the wine. She was going to need a few more swallows of this to calm down, but she didn't want to drink too much. Not now -- especially not now! She watched as he savored the taste of the wine with his full lips, and seemed to enjoy it that she was noticing his every move.

"Shall we dine first?" he asked artfully. "I know you have all sorts of questions to ask me, but I'm really ravenous, and I don't want our dinner to be delayed."

He ushered her into the dining room, and she couldn't help but be pleased at the effect of the table. She had dreamed of a setting such as this, but she certainly never expected it to be the result of the entrance of another one of Todd's DID personalities. This Pete was full of surprises.

"Did you do all of this?" she asked with a wave of her hand over the table.

"Actually...yes. I just thought of what would want, Tea, he said pointedly. "The rest was easy."

Tea sat down in the chair he had pulled out for her thinking that she had taken a wrong turn into a fictional story. Here was a man who this morning had acted like an overgrown kid, and now was acting like a character she might have read about in a romance novel. She wanted to laugh that this Pete had such bizarre taste in clothing, but it seemed to suit the kind of manner he exuded. Perhaps this was the side to Todd that wanted to be extreme and shocking. She found herself becoming intrigued with this personality in spite of herself.

Pete had never felt so powerful and so in command. Todd boy, this is just the kind of set-up you should have planned for this hot little Latino. You always were a big failure in any seduction schemes. I used to laugh at your pathetic attempts to woo Delgado. You never knew what to do with her. I had to sit back and watch from the sidelines while you blew it bigtime with her. Well, I can thank you for one thing -- you really primed this little chiquita for me. She's more than ready for me now!

Tea marveled at the entire six-course dinner, which Pete served to her with practiced skill. If Todd were faking, he sure had been faking his crude mannerisms and total lack of social skills all this time. Everything was perfection down to the chocolate mousse he served her for dessert. As he had said, she had a flurry of questions to ask him, but she bit her tongue and said nothing during the dinner. Todd...or Pete...did not seem to want to discuss anything right now. She tried her best to just enjoy what she was experiencing and to shake the vulnerable feeling that kept coming over her as his eyes seemed to rove intimately over her.

"That was incredible...Pete!" she acknowledged her satisfaction with the entire dining experience as she put the brocade linen napkin over to the side of the fine china plate.

As she rose to move from the table, Pete handed her a rounded brandy snifter with a luminous coppery liquid floating inside. "We can talk now over our peach brandy," he said.

The many candles in the room still cast their glow in the deepening darkness. Tea sank into the sofa with a sigh of contentment for the pleasant sensation of the full feeling she had and the warm, soothing brandy that glided down her throat. If this was a dream, she was going to savor every sensuous minute of it. As the effect of the brandy lulled her into a state of well being, she began to think about the man who had gone to so much trouble for her. So this was Pete? Or was it? Who was Pete anyway? She remembered a bit of conversation in the hospital with Tom who had told her about Pete. He had mentioned that Pete was the "mean one" who had done terrible things and even said that he had hurt her. Wouldn't it be just like Todd to come up with all this, though? Maybe he thought in some sick way that he was giving her eveyrthing she wanted, and how convenient for him to "hide" behind these characters to live out what he couldn't do as himself. Hmmmm...a game of wits between you and me, is that it, Manning? She almost smiled openly as she began to get an idea of something that might blow his cover for good.

Pete walked confidently over to the sofa where she was sitting, holding a glass of the peach brandy. He slid into the sofa a few inches from her as if he was unaware of his close proximity to her. He raised his glass in the air and said, "Cheers" with a look of supreme accomplishment.

"Cheers," she said back to him and her eyes suddenly brightened engagingly.

"So, Pete I kept quiet during our lovely dinner, but I think I'm certainly entitled to ask a few questions now, aren't I?" she said pleasantly enough.

He swirled the brandy around in the glass he was holding and his long lashes lowered a little. "Go ahead, Tea. I've got nothing to hide."

She continued to speak and tried with some effort not to focus on his well- formed chest which peeked out from beneath the folds of his shirt. "Okay...first, where is Tom?"

"Oh...Tom?" Todd repeated the name disarmingly. That weasel! Don't tell me you miss that idiot, Delgado! "Well, I don't really know where he is now. Maybe he left because he was feeling a bit...overwhelmedwith everything. He's not a very mature person as you know."

"So...you do know him?" she questioned expecting him to hedge the answer.

"Yes, I know him." He's a little two-faced, lying kid. "He's around here and there."

"And Todd? Do you know him?" Tea asked with intense curiosity.

Pete assumed an immediate mask of indifference as she mentioned Todd's name. You mean that insufferable bastard who has been fighting me for all these years? Yeah, I know him. I had to keep his head above water so many times because he was too weak. And there's something about him that makes me want to kill him, Delgado. He wants you.

"Yes, Tea. How could I notknow him?" he said with apparent scorn at her question. He shifted his body more toward her on the sofa and tapped the glass purposefully.

"Then...I guess you took over for Todd a lot of times. You seem so different...more sure of yourself." She leaned forward and moved closer into the small space between them. Her lips moved provacatively as she spoke and each word was carefully spoken in a very soft, seductive tone.

Pete watched her movements with veiled derision. Are you coming on to me now, Delgado? I bet you think I'm that poor, inept fool, Todd, who will just panic when you become the aggressor. Baby, you give it all you've got! Todd's not here at all. But I sure am!

Pete moved a half inch away from her as he pretended to let Tea think that she was getting the proof she needed that he was really Todd. This was going to be even more fun -- Delgado thinking she was going to shake him up as she always did with Todd. He openly flinched as he saw her move her hand over to his arm and slide up the length of it.

"Pete," she said coyly, "I've always been somewhat disappointed in the relationship between Todd and me. It left a lot to be desired," she said silkily, her hand moving closer in to his open chest and finally resting right underneath the soft material of his shirt. She felt his muscles tense in his chest and she proudly thought to herself, Gotcha, Todd!"

His muscles flexed again, but this time it was Pete who was simultaneously thinking, Gotcha, Delgado! His large hand grabbed the arm which was under his shirt and pulled her in so forcefully that she didn't have time to think. His lips bore down into hers in a harsh, viscious manner with no gentleness at all, and imprisoning her body against him. Her mouth ached with the bruising force of his mouth on hers which was taking complete control of her. As he finally released her mouth, his long hair fell against her chest as he pushed his lips down severely onto her neck. He raised his eyes to her and said in a voice she knew immediately. "Remember me, Delgado? I think you do. I caught you at a little game you were playing at the Palace Bar when you were trying to "taunt" Todd. His face broke into a mock grin with evil looming behind it as she stared at his dead eyes in horror. "Yeah, give the woman a cigar! You're not looking at Todd anymore, my pet. I really am Pete!"

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