"Ohh! How lovely! I'll be just a minute."
Leigh watched, horrified, as Jarek reached out a hand to claim a bouquet, which he tucked into his waist band. He leaned toward the woman, who placed a single stem in his teeth. He climbed upward, a full rose bobbing at the end of the stem.
"I'll kill him," Leigh muttered as her fingers ached from gripping the rope, fearing that it would loosen from the anchor and drop him to the ground.
"You're so lucky, honey," the woman called upward to Leigh. "Goodness, he's so romantic. Yoo-hoo, Mr. Stepanov on the ground there. If this is an act for the benefit of the guests, it's delightful. I'll tell my friends about it."
"I assure you, this even has not occured before. Possibilities for a repeat performance are not likely," Mikhail stated formally and stepped away into the darkness.
