AS YOU WISH Published by Linden Bay Romance, 2005 Linden Bay Romance, LLP, UK Bury, England
ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-905393-03-2 Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned): PDF, PRC & HTML
Copyright © LARA WILLIAMS, 2005 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The work is protected by copyright and should not be copied without permission. Linden Bay Romance, LLP reserves all rights. Re-use or re-distribution of any and all materials is prohibited under law.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.
Edited by M. Morpeth Cover art by Beverly Maxwell Cover Photography by:
[email protected] www.celsopinto.com
AS YOU WISH
Lara Williams Chapter 1
“What was I thinking? Am I crazy?” Samantha Bernstein paced back and forth in front of the fireplace waving her arms frantically. “Obviously I am. I’m pretty much going to have to go with the crazy defense here, aren’t I? Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I didn’t purposely get a totally inappropriate birthday gift for my best friend, you see, I was temporarily insane.”
“She’ll love your gift, Sam. You’ll see. It’ll be fine,” Marsha assured her. She took a sip of the herbal tea she’d just made and looked around the familiar bungalow. “I like the new paint scheme. Don’t you? The deep sage is rather calming.”
“Hmm,” replied Sam.
Marsha McCoy realized that trying to soothe her lover was a lost cause. So instead, she curled up on the brown leather sofa, leaned back, and closed her eyes. She’d always loved this part of town. The houses were old. They had history. Character. The architecture in the neighborhood was predominantly of the Craftsman style. Marsha had always admired how the owner had taken special care when renovating the space. How she’d somehow managed to maintain the traditional feel while adding modern conveniences, respecting the past while embracing the future. She sat up, set down her tea, and rolled her shoulders.
“Tough day?” asked Sam as she watched Marsha work at relaxing her tired muscles.
Marsha smiled as Sam walked behind her, swept her long brown hair over one shoulder, and began to awkwardly massage her shoulders.
“Ow!”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t quit your day job, Sam,” she laughed.
“I know, I suck,” said Samantha as she placed a quick kiss on the top of Marsha’s head and
immediately resumed her pacing.
“You’re preoccupied,” countered Marsha walking over to Sam. “You should wear your hair down more often,” she said lovingly running her hand over Sam’s fiery red hair and twirling a long curl around the tip of her index finger.
“Oh, Marsha,” sighed Sam, placing her hands on Marsha’s hips, “I should have picked the book.”
“She would have loved the book.”
“The 25th anniversary edition of The Princess Bride signed by William Goldman, it would have been the perfect gift,” groaned Samantha. She turned, walked over to the mantel, and picked up an envelope.
“I kind of liked the cow idea, Sam.”
Samantha stabbed the air with the envelope. “Oh, God! You’re right! Elizabeth would have loved to donate a cow to some poor family in some Third World country. Do you think it’s too late? Could we cancel and just e-mail a donation to Heiffer.org? Tell me it’s-”
Sam paused mid-sentence, interrupted by the doorbell.
“I think the universe just sent you your answer, sweetie,” Marsha said nodding towards the door.
Samantha took a deep steadying breath. She wasn’t used to second guessing herself. As an attorney she was used to winning. In the courtroom she was confident, precise, and good at making the right choices.
“It’s not too late,” she said tossing the envelope onto the coffee table. She quickly smoothed down her hair and skirt, then marched over to the door. “I’ll just tell him I made a mistake and we’re going with something else. That would be the smart thing to do. Right?” she asked and opened the door.
Samantha found herself looking into the most amazing pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen. She only vaguely registered hearing Marsha walk up behind her.
“O-or not,” said Marsha, placing a hand on her girlfriends shoulder. “Cows and books are often overrated.”
~
“H’lo. I take it one of you lovely ladies is Samantha?”
Sam swept her eyes over him. He wasn’t especially tall, but he possessed a certain intensity. He had a certain presence, a certain style. His black trousers, silk shirt, boots, and knee-length leather coat were casual but worn with confidence. His hair was dark brown with a sprinkling of pre-mature gray. A moment passed without response. Then Samantha watched as a smile spread across his finely chiseled features.
“Yes, I’m Samantha,” she said, finally extending her hand. “Elizabeth is so going to love me! Come in!”
“Right! I’m William. I traded e-mails with you. Think you made a good choice, love. I always try to come up with unique gift ideas. You know, tailor them to meet the needs of a particular client. I have to admit this one was a bit of a challenge. But, based on what you told me, I think you made the right choice. It sounds like Elizabeth could use a night of feeling special, being treated like a princess, no demands, no expectations…”
“So, do you need any help setting up?” asked Marsha.
“S’not me doll. I’m not the guy. I’m just the idea man. I hired a professional,” he said with a wink as he sat down the box he had been carrying.
“A professional what?” asked Sam nervously as soon as he left to continue unloading the car.
“You don’t suppose he meant a professional…you know…”
Will returned carrying a second box. This time he headed immediately back towards the kitchen.
“A professional actor. No worries. His name is Alan. He’s a friend. He was given a file to study earlier this week. Trust me, it will go without a hitch. I’m just here to drop off supplies. Alan was running a little late and asked that I meet him here to save him having to stop by the office to pick everything up-”
The ringing of his cell phone cut William off. He placed the box down on the table and answered. “H’lo. What? You bloody well better be joking, mate! Bollocks! Right, I’m being a stupid git as usual. You take care of yourself, that’s the important thing. Any suggestions as to how on earth I’m going to get this job covered on such short notice? You’re kidding right? Alan? Alan? Oh, bloody hell!”
~
“Gosh, Raven, he sounded a bit panicked,” said Alan as he hung up the cell phone. He looked up at Raven who was smiling brightly, totally oblivious to the moral dilemma he was experiencing. “I’m not really sick,” explained Alan. I shouldn’t lie to Will. He’s my friend.”
Raven stiffly patted him on his shoulder and with assurance said, “Alan, trust me. This is a win, win, win, win! William will end up thanking you.”
“How do you figure?” asked Alan.
“Elizabeth still gets her birthday present. William gets his first date in forever. You get the weekend off. Well, sort of. And, I get your undivided attention! See? I’ve figured out a way to make everybody happy. Go me! Damn, I’m good!” The ringing of her cell phone interrupted Raven’s celebratory dance. Giving Alan a rather smug smile she walked over to her desk and picked up her phone. “Raven Jefferson!”
“H’lo, Raven? William Carlton, here,” the voice at the end of the phone said. “I’m so sorry to have to do this to you, especially on such short notice. I know you said that it was tonight or next month to go over your list for Christmas-”
“Blah, Blah, Blah! Come on, William, if you’re calling to cancel, just do it already so we can get on with our evenings!”
“It’s just that something unexpected has come up. Can we re-schedule?”
“Re-schedule? Sure! Fine! Call me sometime next week,” said Raven as she walked over and jumped into Alan’s lap. “Have a good weekend, William!” she chirped before disconnecting and tossing the phone back onto the desk.
~
William hung up, looking puzzled and feeling more than a bit confused. He’d expected her to be upset. Actually, he’d expected her to be furious, possibly fire him. Raven was notoriously demanding.
“Oh, good God! We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” asked Samantha effectively pulling him back to the present.
“No! No trouble here,” William assured her. “I’ll just be getting the rest of the supplies and moving my car.”
Neither woman looked convinced. They waited patiently in the kitchen for his return.
“Right, then,” he said, after setting the final box and a bag down on the counter. He clapped his hands together, trying to drum up false enthusiasm.
“What’s happened?’ asked Sam.
“Nothing. We’ve just had a slight change in the play list is all. Your friend will still have a great birthday.” William started to usher Samantha and Marsha out towards the door. “Leave everything to me.”
“Wait! I almost forgot!” said Sam. She ran over to the coffee table to retrieve the envelope. “I was going to leave this on the door. I just need to find some tape.”
William took the envelope from her, pulled a pocket knife out of his coat pocket, opened the lock-blade, and then unceremoniously drove the tip of the knife through the envelope securing it to the outside of the door. “There! Go on, now.”
Samantha frowned. It wasn’t quite the effect she’d been hoping for. The cheerful yellow envelope that said, “Happy Birthday! Love, Sam,” now looked like a ransom note.
“I’m not sure that’s right. It looks a bit menacing. I thought we were going with sweet and romantic?” Sam reached out to remove the knife.
William stepped in front of her. “We’re running late. You girls go on and let me get to work. I’ll try to make up the time and fix it,” said Will shooing them out the door.
“Maybe if you drew some little hearts on it,” suggested Sam, hopefully, right before the door closed.
William leaned his back against the door and took a few calming breaths. “You can do this. Don’t be an idiot. The chit deserves a brilliant birthday and you’re going to give her one.”
The first thing he did was to unload all of the prepped food into the refrigerator. Next he pulled out the two bottles of wine and opened them. The white wine went into an ice bucket, the red he left to breathe on the kitchen counter.
“Music,” he murmured as he searched through his jacket pocket for the compilation disc he’d made especially for tonight. He walked back through to the living room and popped the disc into the CD
player. It took him some time to figure out the speaker system, but soon he had the music softly playing in the bedroom, kitchen, and out on the back deck. He removed his jacket, laying it across the back of the sofa and then returned to the kitchen.
William opened the double French doors that led from the kitchen onto the back deck and walked outside, surveying the area. It hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d been there. His practiced eye had then taken in every detail of the backyard, just like it had taken in every detail of the house. He knew for instance that the living room had a fresh coat of paint. That was obvious. But, he also noticed the not so obvious things. He noticed she’d transplanted the hydrangeas into slightly bigger pots. He noticed she’d replaced the citron candle that had been on the table with a fresh one. And he noticed she’d carelessly left the bathroom window unlatched, yet again.
William went to work transforming the back deck, as planned. First, he covered the table on the deck with a white linen tablecloth and set it with the china and matching crystal he’d brought. The china pattern had been selected with Elizabeth in mind. It was simple and elegant, a plain white background with a platinum band along the edge. Next, he arranged the dozen or so glass votive candleholders on the table and dropped a white tea light in each. Finally, the starched white linen napkins and sterling silver cutlery finished off the job. He surveyed the results with satisfaction and then walked over to the corner of the deck and plugged in the pump to the rustic water fountain.
He walked back into the kitchen and carelessly tossed the now empty box onto the floor in the corner.
“Almost there,” he muttered and rummaged through the remaining bag. He pulled out a bottle of lavender and vanilla bubble bath, six large white pillar candles, and a dozen red roses. Setting the bubble bath and candles aside for now, William focused on pulling the petals off of each long stem, dropping them back into the bag. Once the job was done he deposited the flower stems in the cardboard box that he had used to transport the food, and then made a quick trip outside to dispose of the trash.
On his way back to the kitchen he quickly checked his watch, noting that he had about 10-15 minutes left. He hastily grabbed the pillar candles, bag of rose petals, and the bubble bath before making his way down the hall to Elizabeth’s bedroom.
He had to give the girl credit for her good taste, he thought walking into her bedroom and looking around. The room was decorated simply and comfortably. A four-poster bed with a rich cherry finish dominated the room. There were matching nightstands and a large wardrobe that she used to store a television, DVD’s, books and such. The bedding was of a deep red Chinese silk pattern with gold piping. The lamp on the nightstand was covered with a gold silk shade. He turned it on and admired the soft, warm glow that it cast on the cream colored walls. In the corner sat a black velvet chaise. His eyes were immediately drawn to the red silk nightgown that Elizabeth had casually left on it this morning. William switched on the floor lamp adjacent to the chaise, and then aware of the time he proceeded to the bathroom.
Her bathroom was spacious and it looked as if it had been recently remodeled. This girl is obviously one that likes her baths, he concluded. The walls and floor of the room were covered with a golden
marble tile. The bathtub itself was huge - hotel suite huge - with various bath potions and hair products lined up across the back. There was also, of course, the customary commode and a sink encased in an antique wooden vanity.
William set the candles on the counter, quickly gathered up all of the products from the tub and deposited them under the bathroom sink. He stopped up the bath, poured in a generous amount of the lavender/vanilla bubble bath and started to fill the tub. Next, he arranged the white pillar candles all around the tub’s far edge. As the bath filled he wandered back into the bedroom.
A time check showed five minutes remaining. Williams’s eyes drifted to the red nightgown on the chaise. He seemed to have it in his hands before he knew it, lifting the soft silk to his cheek and inhaling deeply. He could smell her. He quickly pulled himself out of the moment, shaking his head.
“Wanker! Remember this is business and you’re a professional.”
William set the nightgown back down where he found it, then went back into the bathroom to light the candles and shut off the taps. He turned off the bathroom lights and then reached into the bag of rose petals, sprinkling a few handfuls into the tub, atop the bubbles.
William walked back down the hallway, out onto the deck and sprinkled the remaining petals onto the table. He poured out two glasses of Chardonnay and then brought the ice bucket with the remaining wine back into the bathroom, setting it onto the floor. Finally, Will unlocked the French doors in her bedroom that opened onto the back deck, lit the table candles, and then proceeded back through the kitchen to the living room, grabbing the two glasses of wine on the way. “Showtime,” he said, releasing a nervous breath.
~
After locking her car door, Elizabeth picked up her purse and briefcase in one hand while pressing the speed-dial on her cell with the other. Running up the front steps, she heard Samantha pick up on the other end. Elizabeth cradled the phone awkwardly against her shoulder. When she noticed the knife in the door she was momentarily alarmed, then she recognized Sam’s writing on the envelope.
“Hey, Sam! Sorry, I’m running late. I’ve had the day from hell,” she said slipping the key into the lock. “It’s been a typical ‘Elizabeth Birthday Day’. I know I was supposed to call before leaving work, but I spaced. Thanks for the card by the way. Why not just give it to me at dinner? We’re still on for seven o’clock right? And, please tell me that this knife isn’t my present!” she said, pulling the knife out of the door.
Samantha was standing next to Marsha outside of a local restaurant with her cell phone to her ear, her mouth gaping open and then closing, no sound coming out.
Marsha smiled and said teasingly, “What’s wrong? You’re doing your fishy impression. That always means something’s wrong. Sam?”
Samantha snapped out of it and yelled, “Elizabeth, you were supposed to call me before you left work so that I could explain your present!” The next thing that Samantha heard was a shrill scream and a thud as the cell phone presumably hit the floor.
~
Elizabeth used her shoulder to push the door open and then walked into her apartment. Like every other night she closed the door with her foot and set the briefcase and purse down by the entry table. Then she slipped out of her shoes. As she listened to Samantha scold her for forgetting to call sooner she rounded the corner to the living room to find herself face-to-face with a strange man. She screamed. Shrieked, would be more accurate. Liz dropped her cell phone and fled back towards the door. The only thought in her head was that she had to escape, had to get out. As she struggled to remember how to turn the goddamned doorknob, over the thundering beat of her heart, she heard someone say, “Elizabeth! It’s okay. Samantha can explain! Samantha can explain!”
She slowly turned her head around and saw the cell phone in front of her face. As if on autopilot she reached out and put the cell phone to her ear.
“Elizabeth? Elizabeth?” she heard her friend say. She must have said something in response, because Samantha continued to talk. “Oh, Christ! Elizabeth, I’m so sorry. You were supposed to call before you left the office so that I could explain. See, you’ve seemed so lost lately and well, that’s understandable what with all that’s happened and so that’s basically why I picked this and not the cow-”
Elizabeth turned her back on the stranger in front of her and whispered, “Samantha! You’re babbling. What are you talking about? What cow?”
“No,” Samantha said shaking her head. “There’s no cow. See, I picked William instead of the cow! Well, originally it was going to be another guy. But, something happened with him and so-”
Elizabeth started to feel dizzy. Suddenly there was a complete lack of oxygen in the room. She felt someone take the phone from her and off in the distance she vaguely heard a voice say, “Or, maybe Samantha can’t explain.”
She was walking, and then sitting, then breathing, slowly, into a bag. Then she saw blue. Then it was gone. She removed the bag from her face and closed her eyes taking one slow breath. Breathing was good. She opened her eyes and he was again standing in front of her, with and a glass of wine. He knelt down and put the glass to her lips.
“Sip,” he commanded, pouring a small amount into her mouth.
She mindlessly followed his instructions. When he pulled the glass away a small trickle of wine managed to escape and drip from the side of her mouth down the line of her jaw. He reached out with his thumb and captured the drop. Without thought, he brought his thumb to his own mouth, his tongue darting out to capture the taste. He then stood up, placed the glass in her hand and walked out of the room.
Elizabeth took a moment to look around, her heart beating wildly. There was a bottle of red wine sitting on the counter. The French doors to the deck were open and the table was set. The apartment smelled of fresh flowers and she registered the sound of soft music playing in the background.
“Oh my God!” she thought, “Samantha got me a man for my birthday? That’s crazy! I’m going to die of embarrassment. Or, possibly I’ll die by lethal injection, for killing my best friend. That’s still the death penalty in California, right?”
There he was in front of her again. This time he was carrying his own glass of wine. He pulled another chair out from the table and pulled it up next to hers.
He took a sip of his drink, smiled softly, leaned towards her slightly and said, “Right, then! This is much better, with you breathing and all. You alright?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Here’s the condensed version then. I’m William. Samantha hired me to take care of your birthday present.” He noticed that he was losing her again as she paled, her breaths once again coming in rapid succession. “Shh, it’s ok. Let me explain, and then I’ll go if you want. There’s no need to be frightened. I understand what a shock this must be. You see I’m sort of a private concierge. I have a select group of clientele that I find things for, arrange things for. Things like special gifts, hard to get tickets to shows, vacation packages, artwork selection, and whatnot. Raven, Samantha’s boss, hired me last month to arrange for the trip that Samantha and Marsha took to San Francisco. You know, the thank you for winning the Broday case. Anyways, I’ve done work off and on for the law firm of Giles and Jefferson for a couple of years now. Samantha enjoyed the trip and hired me to help choose a gift for you.”
He could see she was calming as she brought the glass of wine to her mouth and took another sip. “You’re here to deliver a present,” she said, relief flooding her body.
“This kind of is the present. Samantha chose this option,” he said and looked down at the floor, “because she wanted you to remember what it was like to feel special, to be treated like you deserve. She hoped it would leave you…ready to try again. Alan was supposed to be the bloody knight in shining armor. He’s an actor you see, and we worked it out sort of like this wonderful, romantic play. Then he got sick - food poisoning - and well, now it’s turned more into a farce, hasn’t it?” He looked up at her
shyly and she burst into laughter. “Well, it’s not that bloody funny, is it?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes, it is” laughed Elizabeth. “You actually are able to earn a living doing this?”
“Well, no. This would be a mistake, obviously. I will give your friend a full refund. Although you probably won’t believe this, I actually am normally very good at my job. I apologize for this disaster. I’ll just pack up the dishes and be on my way then. There’s food in the fridge for your dinner and the wine’s in the bathroom.”
William picked up the cardboard box from the kitchen floor and walked out onto the back deck with it.
“Bathroom?” thought Elizabeth as she walked down the hallway into her bedroom. The moment she walked into the bathroom her eyes filled with tears. Her day had been truly awful and the soft candlelight, music, and inviting bath were exactly what she needed. Exactly. It didn’t matter how cliché the scene appeared on the surface. It was perfect. She saw the bottle of white wine sitting in the ice bucket on the floor, quickly grabbed it and walked out onto the back deck. William had just finished blowing out the candles and had begun packing them up.
“They looked pretty,” said Elizabeth walking up to him and handing him the bottle of wine.
He tilted his head slightly to the right and a look of confusion fluttered across his face.
“I think I need a refill before my bath,” she said holding up her glass. “How long till you’re ready for me?”
“Ready for you?” he asked with a slight smile.
“The bath,” said Elizabeth, “how long can I soak in the bath? How long until dinner is ready?”
“Of course. The bath. Take as long as you want, love. I’ll just re-light the candles. You set the pace,” he said.
Elizabeth smiled at him, turned around, and headed back towards her bedroom. She walked into her bathroom and quickly undressed. She pinned her hair up on top of her head, set her wineglass on the side of the tub, and tested the water with her toe. Surprisingly, it was still hot. “If Sam sent him he’s got to be alright,” she assured herself. “He can’t possibly be a serial killer. Nope. I’m perfectly safe.”
She stepped in and slid her body down beneath the suds. She breathed in the aroma of the bath and focused briefly on the flames of the candles. They started to blur as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m just
tired,” she moaned, softly, trying to shake it off, and taking a sip of her wine. Elizabeth leaned her head against the back of the tub, concentrated on her breathing and tried to clear her mind. Images of her day flickered, unbidden, before her. Soon she found that despite her desire to forget, to push it away, tears were leaking out and running down her cheeks.
She remembered in stark clarity the case that had caused her to be late tonight. She recalled how she’d sat with the boy’s mother in the waiting room while the trauma team worked to resuscitate him. She’d known that he wasn’t going to make it the second she’d laid eyes on him. She knew that he was dead. His color was awful. He was already ashen when the paramedics brought him in. She was told that his mother called 911 and reported that he’d accidentally locked himself in a trunk in his room and that she didn’t have a key. That was her story.
Elizabeth listened as the paramedic explained that they arrived literally within minutes of the call. How long he had been in the trunk was unclear. Apparently the mother reported that she had been vacuuming, with headphones on. They broke the lock on the trunk. He was unconscious. No pulse. They couldn’t get one at the scene and they wouldn’t get one here either. She heard the attending surgeon call the code and declare the child dead.
The room was silent. Elizabeth listened as the surgeon asked the paramedics questions, she noticed that the boy had bruising on his head, presumably from hitting it against the top of the trunk. Elizabeth felt her throat tighten and her stomach lurch. She walked closer to the body and felt overcome by a cold chill. “Carter,” she remembered saying, “I think that we need to check him carefully.”
“What-” he started to ask.
“I…I think that we need to turn him over.” She remembered how the room seemed to sway as they rolled his body over and she saw the scars across his back. Elizabeth’s eyes met his and she said, “I’m calling Child Protection to see if there’s a history. Give me two minutes”.
The rest of the night went by in a blur. First, the coroner arrived. Then the police began questioning the mother, paramedics, and finally Carter. Eventually they left, taking the mother into custody. Elizabeth remembered looking at the small boy and imagining his last moments. Trapped. Throwing his tiny body against the top of the trunk in an effort to force it open.
“Elizabeth?” she felt his warm breath against her neck and his hand as it softly touched her arm, which was draped over the edge of the tub. She opened her eyes with a start, wondering if she’d dozed off and how long she’d been in the bathroom. The water, she realized had gone cold.
Although the lights were still off, in the candlelight he could see the tears on her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I knocked. I thought you might want more wine. You didn’t answer. And, well, I was worried.”
“It’s alright. I just had a bad day,” she whispered back. “But, it’s over now. No need to dwell. It’s my birthday after all.”
He tilted his head and looking straight at her said, “This isn’t a date, love. You can dwell all you want. Whatever happened today? Feel free to dwell on it. Wallow in it, if you want. No need to spare me. No need to be anything other than real.” He reached out and wiped the tears from her face. He then turned around and grabbed one of the oversized bath towels off the rack. He held the towel out and politely averted his gaze. “Come on, doll,” he said, “the bath’s cold.”
She stepped out of the tub and turned her back to him, allowing him to wrap her in the towel. As the warm cotton and his arms wrapped around her she felt her sobs break loose. He turned her around and placing one hand at the small of her back and the other on the back of her head pulled her close. She cried into his chest as he murmured soothing words that meant nothing and everything. Finally, she was spent. William pulled back and lifted her chin with his index finger. He looked into tear-filled eyes and brushed his lips softly across her forehead.
“You talk when you want. Or, don’t talk at all. There’s a robe on your bed. It’s part of the birthday surprise. Slip it on and meet me out on the deck,” said William before walking out.
Elizabeth blew out the candles, and walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Her eyes immediately searched for the robe he’d mentioned. It was a beautiful royal blue silk with a black cord sash. She brought it back into the bathroom, dried off and slipped into it. She hung the wet towel up over the towel bar and moved to the sink to quickly wash any remnants of make-up from her face. After taking a moment to apply a thin layer of moisturizer and lip-gloss, she made her way out onto the back deck.
From her bedroom doorway she could see William sitting outside at the table. She leaned against the doorway and took a moment to enjoy the view. The table looked beautiful, granted, but what most caught her eye was the beauty of the man before her. She hadn’t really looked at him before, but did so now. He sat with his legs stretched out in front of him and his head tilted back, gazing up at the stars. He held the wineglass in his hand and it was almost empty now.
Elizabeth walked up to the table, picked up the bottle of white wine and poured what remained, dividing it between their glasses. “Looks like you could use a refill now.”
“Yes, well, I was pacing myself,” answered William getting up and going into the kitchen.
A moment later he was back on the deck carrying two salad plates. “Caesar salad with lemon-infused lobster to start, milady,” he announced as he set them on the table and pulled out her chair so that she could sit down.
Elizabeth waited for him to join her before she picked up her fork and put a bite in her mouth. She
looked up to find him staring at her, expectantly.
“Good?” he asked.
“Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding me? It’s fabulous!” she assured him.
He smiled, and picked up his own fork. “I’m glad you’re pleased, glad something can go right for you tonight.”
Without thought she reached out and touched his hand. “If I were to be fair, I would tell you that the past hour has been the most right part of my entire day. Possibly my entire week.”
For a few moments they ate in silence. William stole a glance at Elizabeth between bites and saw her stretching her neck to the right and then the left. He set down his fork and got up from his chair. He walked around the table until he was standing behind her. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and began to knead her obviously sore muscles.
Elizabeth laid her fork down. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”
“I want to. Let me do this for you,” he responded. “Take a deep breath and just let it out.”
“I want to tell you,” she whispered. William stopped and moved around so that he faced her. He knelt down before her and took her hand, preparing to listen. A half hour later Elizabeth had finished explaining her day.
William stood up and turned around. With his back to her, he ran his hand through his hair. When he turned back to her he found he was at a loss for words. “I-”, he started.
She stood up and moved to him, placing her index finger over his mouth she said, “Shh, you don’t need to say anything. Thanks for listening, and for understanding. It feels…I feel…Well, Thanks.”
“Got dinner after this. It’s getting late. Samantha said filet mignon was your favorite. Should I fire up the grill?”
“I’m suddenly not so hungry. Would you be offended it I asked for a rain check for the steak?” she asked.
“No, no offense,” he responded. “How about I call tomorrow to arrange a time to come pick up my
stuff?” asked William.
“No! I mean, yes,” said Elizabeth. “But you’re leaving?”
“Thought that was the idea, doll. Not ready for me to go yet?” he asked.
“Well, I haven’t tried the red wine yet. And, I’m guessing that there’s some dessert in my future. Not to mention I rudely interrupted what promised to be a really good shoulder rub,” said Elizabeth with an almost teasing smile.
William felt self-conscious. Suddenly he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, he didn’t know what he should do with his hands. So, he put them in his pockets and suggested that Elizabeth retire to the living room.
He spent a few minutes clearing the plates, then put the chocolate torte and red wine on a tray. As he carried the tray into the living room he noticed Elizabeth sitting on the sofa. The sofa faced the fireplace and there was a coffee table in between. William sat the tray down on the coffee table, then took a minute to throw another log onto the fire that he had started during her bath. He grabbed the red chenille throw off the arm of the sofa and laid it out before the fireplace. Then he grabbed a pillow off of the sofa and placed it on the throw, in front of the coffee table. William sat on the coffee table and patted the pillow now lying between his feet. “Your massage,” he said softly. “I believe I owe you.”
Elizabeth got up, walked around the coffee table, picked up the glass of wine from the tray and deposited herself at William’s feet. She took a sip of the wine and then stared into the fireplace releasing a breath as she felt his hands once again start to knead her tired shoulders. Slowly they moved up her neck and into her hair. As his hands slid back down, over her shoulders, he deftly slipped them under her robe, so that he could directly work her muscles. Elizabeth heard herself moan and immediately put her hand over her mouth, flushing a bright crimson. William chucked and said, “If you think the shoulder rub is good, you should taste the torte.”
A forkful of rich, delicious cake appeared before her eyes and she opened her mouth, waiting. The dark chocolate flavor was the perfect compliment to the full-bodied red wine that he had selected.
“You like?” he asked.
Elizabeth nodded, then took the fork from William and moved his hand back to her shoulder. “Cake later, more magic fingers now, please,” she said.
William smiled and immediately resumed rubbing her shoulders. He could feel it in his own body as her tension began to melt away. Slowly, gradually, her body began to relax. Within minutes her breathing was slow and steady and she was leaning back against him. William reached back for another pillow from the
sofa. He then slid off of the coffee table so that he was seated on the floor behind her.
He realized that she was drifting off to sleep. He moved forward with her a few inches and then wrapped his arms around her and began to lay her down. He reached over to place the pillow under her head and softly stroked her hair. He couldn’t see the peaceful smile on her face because her back was to him. “Goodnight, Elizabeth. Happy Birthday,” he whispered before he started to get up.
“No,” she said, pushing aside her fears and voicing the simple truth. “Don’t go. I don’t want to be alone just yet.”
“You’re not alone. I’m right here,” he said as he settled back down. Will curled one arm under his head and draped the other casually over her waist.
“Stay with me?” asked Elizabeth releasing a tired yawn.
William breathed in the scent of her and moved just a little closer. The tender feelings that her request evoked caught him completely off guard. “As you wish,” he said placing a gentle kiss on the back of her neck.
Chapter 2
Elizabeth woke up feeling rested, enveloped in the smell of fresh brewed coffee. She opened her eyes slowly. She was lying in her bed, still in her new silk robe, covered only with the red chenille throw. She couldn’t remember actually going to bed last night and wondered if William had carried her there. Thinking of him brought a smile to her lips.
“It’s going to be a beautiful day!” she said climbing out of bed.
She made a quick stop in the bathroom, and after deeming herself presentable, went to the kitchen in search of William. As she walked into the kitchen the first thing she noticed was that she was alone. The second was the note on the coffee maker.
Elizabeth slid to the floor overwhelmed by a similar memory of a morning just two short years ago. Then the note had simply read, “Sorry. Well, not really. A lot of it has been…fun! Hugh.”
It had taken her three days to realize he was really gone. She’d had no indication that their marriage was anything but happy. He had always been attentive, thoughtful, loving. Theirs was the relationship everyone envied. Also, he hadn’t taken one thing from their home. His car was there, all of his clothes,
his toothbrush, everything. She’d contacted the police worried that he had been kidnapped or worse. Then she got the call, the one from detective Harris telling her that her husband didn’t exist. He’d simply vanished from the face of the earth. And taken her fortune with him.
Elizabeth had let her late mother down in the worst possible way. Joyce Reynolds, the famous artist, had dedicated the last years of her life to forming and running “The Reynolds Foundation and School of the Arts.” Hugh had managed to embezzle over two and a half million from the foundation and another three million from Elizabeth’s personal accounts. Elizabeth, despite objections from other board members had resigned from the board of directors in shame. In one day, her life had collapsed. It had been Father’s Day, the day after her birthday on that particular year. The day she’d been waiting for all week. The day she’d planned on telling Hugh the big news - he was going to be a father.
Elizabeth took a deep breath to steady herself and slowly got to her feet. She walked over to the coffee pot and looked at the note. It simply read, “Sorry to not be here when you woke up. I had to work this morning. Still owe you a steak dinner. Tonight? 7:00 p.m.? Call me! William.” He left a number. He was sorry to not be here this morning and he left a number.
When Elizabeth had poured herself a cup of coffee she picked up the phone and dialed. “Samantha?” she asked.
“So? How was the birthday present?” Samantha replied in a singsong, teasing tone.
“I need to talk to you, Sam. Last night was great! And now I’m panicking. William wants me to call him and he wants to make dinner for me tonight. Only, I don’t know if it’s because he didn’t serve me the entire dinner last night, or because he wants to see me again.
“Why didn’t you get to dinner last night?” asked Sam. “Did something scandalous and sordid happen?”
“Nothing sordid happened. And, I’ll have you know, we got to dinner. Just not all the dinner.”
“Something happened.” Samantha wasn’t about to drop it.
“He was so tender, and so there. He was completely present and genuine. And, what am I thinking? I have a terrible track record with the whole ‘judging the sincerity’ thing. He could be a narcissistic, sociopath for all I know!” said Elizabeth pacing back and forth. “He’s probably a professional con man! That’s right! He’s probably got some sinister plan. He’s going to get me to fall madly in love with him so that he can impregnate me. Then he’ll abandon me. Taking all of my money and-”
“Elizabeth, do you have a date with William tonight? Is that it?”
“I’m not sure. What if I do? What should I do?” said Elizabeth in a near panic.
“Liz, you don’t even know if this is a date. If it is…Oh, I so wanted for you to walk away from this birthday ready to try again. Remembering the nice things about being with someone. Being ready to start dating again. But, I’m also scared for you. I love you, Elizabeth. I think you deserve happiness and I want you to find it!”
“Sam, are you sure you’re not the therapist?” joked Elizabeth. “I’m going to call him, and take this one step at a time. I’ll continue to be the cautious, suspicious Elizabeth that you’ve learned to know and tolerate during the past two years. Continuing to guard my heart carefully from all potential foes. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks sweetie!” Elizabeth hung up before Sam could get another word in.
Not wanting to give herself a chance to second guess her decision, she quickly dialed William’s number, “Carlton speaking,” he said sounding a bit hurried.
Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure what to say and found herself not saying anything.
“Elizabeth?” he asked.
“Y-Yes. How did you know?” inquired Elizabeth feeling suddenly flush and very stupid.
“Had your number programmed into my cell. So, are we on for seven o’clock? I’d love to cook those steaks for you. You really deserve a complete birthday dinner you know.”
Elizabeth was surprised when a feeling of disappointment began to take hold. She’d obviously begun to hope this was a date and he too had felt something between them, or maybe even just the possibility of something, a spark maybe? She put on her best plastic smile and politely confirmed the 7:00 p.m. appointment so as not to hurt his feelings and to get the obligation over and done with.
“It’s dinner. Dinner, and that’s all,” reiterated Elizabeth to herself.
Elizabeth spent most of the day running errands and doing laundry. She made a stop by the market to purchase more wine and to get salad supplies. William had packed up the china and whatnot from the night before and taken it with him earlier, so she reset the table with her casual everyday stuff. She pointedly decided against primping, scurrying about the house getting it “just so”, or even making the salad ahead of time. As seven o’ clock approached she found herself getting increasingly agitated. She opened the bottle of white wine she’d bought and poured a glass. Just then, the doorbell rang.
Elizabeth answered the door wearing a casual light yellow sundress. The color showed off her tan skin and golden hair. She was the picture of relaxation, barefoot and holding a glass of wine. “Sorry I took so
long. I was in the kitchen,” she said opening the door.
“Who am I to complain? So far, I would have to say that you’re coming right close to fulfilling fantasy number 33,” said William, giving her a charming smile. In his hand was a bouquet of brightly colored Gerber daisies.
“Fantasy number 33?”
“My very own beautiful barefoot goddess whose only desire is to serve me,” he explained as he relieved her of her glass and took a sip. “Only in my fantasy I think that you’re merely wearing ivy, perhaps some strategically placed flowers here and there,” he smirked.
“O-okay, come in! I need to ask you a really important question before we go any further.” Elizabeth walked with determination back into the kitchen. William followed her, a puzzled look on his face.
“Is this still business, or is it that you want to spend the evening having dinner with me? Either way is okay. I just… I need to know what we, what you, are doing. I just need to be clear about the expectations.”
“Expectations,” repeated William, nodding solemnly. “Right! Well, my plan for this evening, which is an evening off from work by the way, was to come over here and cook up some delicious steaks for someone I would like to get to know better.”
“So, this is a date?” asked Elizabeth hesitantly.
William tilted his head to the side, and asked, “Do you want it to be?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and pointing her finger at him said, “Look, I don’t have the heart for this anymore. That’s why I came straight out with the question. I know you’re here to cook the steaks. It’s not the ‘what’ I’m questioning; it’s the ‘why’. It’s not that I don’t want you to cook steaks with me, exactly. It’s just that I’ve been, well, cooking my own steaks for a while now and it may not be as satisfying, cooking your own steak all the time, but it’s fine. I mean I’ll give you that it’s not as good as when you are able to share the cooking with someone else. But, you have to be careful about who you cook with, because sometimes that so called perfect person, the one you think you can cook steak so well with? Well, they turn out to be a vegetarian, or-”
William’s jeans started to feel slightly tighter. He gazed at her lips, soft and beautiful and realized he wanted desperately to kiss them. His gaze wandered down the long length of her neck, over her collarbone, and settled on the little spot at the hollow of her throat. The very spot he’d dreamed about tasting during his few short hours of sleep last night.
“Are you listening to me?” Elizabeth cut through his thoughts.
“Got to admit, love, I drifted off a bit between the sexy steak metaphor and the ‘are you listening’ question. Come on. Let’s take our wine, sit out back, and have us a chat.” William filled their glasses then walked out to the back deck. He placed the glasses on the table, pulled out two chairs and sat in one of them. “Come on now!” said William looking at Elizabeth and patting the seat of the chair. Elizabeth warily walked over and took her seat.
“Okay,” said William. “I know that you’ve been hurt in the past. Samantha told me about your marriage and in trying to learn about you I read about it in some old newspapers. I get that the experience has left you afraid. You’re afraid that you’ll never know love again. But, you’re even more afraid of thinking you might have it, of trusting in it, and being betrayed. Isolating yourself from the possibility has kept you safe. The problem is that you’ve known that feeling. Even if you believe now that it wasn’t real for him, it was for you, and you miss it. So, it seems like there are only two choices. Either you stay ‘safe’ and cut yourself off from the possibility of loving again, or you risk everything on something you feel you can never be 100% sure of. Elizabeth, we can never be 100% sure of anything. I’m not sure I’m going to wake up tomorrow.”
Elizabeth looked up at him and took in a ragged breath as she nodded.
William continued, “There are a few things that I do know. I’ve spent almost my entire life playing it ‘safe’ in terms of relationships, avoiding emotional attachment so that I didn’t have to, well, so that I didn’t have to feel. The way I grew up? It goes a long way towards explaining how I became so good at reading people. I can spend a few minutes with someone and like that,” William snapped his fingers loudly, startling Elizabeth a bit, “tell you how to play them. It’s a gift that helped me survive and I’ve turned it into my livelihood, a legitimate and respected business. I’m not a con man. I know that you want to know what my ‘intentions’ are. It’s an old-fashioned term, but bottom line is- that’s what you want to know. All I can tell you is that last night, with you, left me wanting more. I’m not going to make any promises I can’t keep and I’m not going to just play out some bloody fantasy that your friends cooked up. That part is over and done with. It served its purpose, didn’t it? It made you remember some of the good stuff. Tonight we are going to sit here with our wine and watch the sunset. We’re going to get to know one another and share a meal together. It might be awkward, it might be boring as hell, it might be absolutely glorious, but it’ll be real. So, how ‘bout it, love? Is it a date?”
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and gave William an appraising look. She searched his eyes for a hint, a sign that this was a game. Course, she’d looked into Hugh’s eyes a thousand times and seen nothing but love and devotion.
Elizabeth leaned forward and with the palm of her hand caressed William’s cheek. As she looked into his eyes, those deep blue eyes that she realized she could get so easily lost in, she swallowed hard. “William,” she whispered, “I can do this, this date. I can share meals with you, I can share stories with you, I could even envision sharing my bed with you, but I can’t love you. I’m sorry. Most guys would consider that a pretty winning proposition, but somehow I think you need more, deserve more.”
William stood and walked to the edge of the deck. He put his hands in his pockets and seemed to be studying his shoes. Elizabeth sat, quietly watching him. His shoulders straightened and William clapped his hands together. He turned and walked back towards his chair, moving it so that it was adjacent to Elizabeth’s and he sat down. He looked sideways at her, smirked, and tilted his head towards the sunset, “Gonna miss the show, love, all this serious talk,” William placed his arm around Elizabeth. “So, if I understand you right you’re offering me friendship and possibly sex, but no love, never love. Strange as it sounds doll, seems perfectly normal to me. Never had it, didn’t think I ever would, not really.”
Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat in silence watching the sunset and sipping their wine. Suddenly Elizabeth’s stomach rumbled, loudly. William chuckled and suggested they start on dinner. The two of them made their way into the kitchen and Elizabeth started to pull salad supplies out of the refrigerator, handing them to him. They worked side by side putting the salad together. Then Elizabeth started cleaning the baking potatoes while William whipped up a dressing for the salad. Liz put the potatoes in the microwave for a few minutes, and then wrapped them in foil while William started the grill and placed the potatoes over the fire.
“Are we ready to put the dressing on the salad?” called Elizabeth.
“Best wait, the steaks will take a bit yet. Why don’t you bring out the dressing and light some candles? I’ll put the steaks on in a few. Have any red wine?”
Elizabeth held up a bottle with a triumphant smile. “Ta da!”
William walked over to her and reached for the bottle. He grabbed the neck of the bottle, wrapping his fingers directly over Elizabeth’s. His other hand reached out and circled Elizabeth’s waist, his open palm resting at the small of her back. He pulled her closer to him, and could feel her gasp slightly as he did so. Will guided her arm downward, setting the bottle onto the kitchen counter. His fingers grazed her soft skin as his hand traveled the length of her arm, over her shoulder, and up her neck until he was able to thread his fingers through her silken hair.
William’s eyes never left hers as he slowly tilted his head and bent down towards her tantalizing mouth. She closed her eyes briefly as her tongue darted out licking her lower lip in anticipation. Before she could re-open her eyes his lips were there, touching hers, softly. Elizabeth felt him pull her head in more as he stepped yet closer to her. His mouth opened to take in just her bottom lip, pulling on it slightly; she felt his teeth graze it as he playfully nibbled.
“Getting hungry myself, doll,” whispered William. He placed a light kiss behind her ear, sending shivers up her spine. Then let her go. Turning his attention momentarily back to the wine.
William opened a couple of drawers looking for the corkscrew then turned back to Elizabeth to ask for it. She was still flush and hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d let go of her. He felt himself smile, proud that he seemed to have affected her so. He concluded that she needed to be kissed more. She needed to be
kissed more thoroughly and certainly more often. Suddenly, it was as if a cloud passed over his face.
“Elizabeth?” William began, “One thing you need to know about our arrangement.”
Elizabeth turned to him and self-consciously smoothed her hair and dress.
“I don’t like sharing. If you want to end it, ever, you tell me first. Got it?”
Elizabeth pulled open the drawer that William had just closed and pulled out the corkscrew. She handed it to him, looked directly into his eyes and matching his serious expression said, “Yes, I’ve got it.”
He opened the bottle of red wine and handed it to her to take out to the table. Within minutes the steaks he’d pulled from the refrigerator were cooking on the grill. The aroma was intoxicating. It was almost as intoxicating as the kiss, almost. William checked his watch and closing the grill asked, “So, mademoiselle, what’s your pleasure? How do you prefer it?”
“Huh?” asked Elizabeth feeling suddenly panicked. She’d been remembering the kiss and thinking about how good it had felt, how good he had felt.
“Come on, no sense in me guessing how you like it,” William said suggestively, “Just tell me. I’m happy to oblige.”
“I-I’m just not used to being so direct, I guess,” Elizabeth trailed off.
“Well, how have you responded in the past when a bloke asked for your order?” asked William.
“Order?” asked Elizabeth a little shocked and confused.
“When they ask how you want your steak?” clarified William.
“My steak! Of course! Rare, please, I like my steak rare!” said Elizabeth, relieved.
William turned around and smiled mischievously to himself as he lifted the lid to the grill and flipped the steaks. He paused to look back over his shoulder and winking at Liz said, “See, doll? I can do sexy steak metaphors too.”
Elizabeth laughed and threw one of the cloth napkins at him. Will effortlessly caught it in the air and
casually tossed it right back on the table.
The meal was relaxed and delicious. Elizabeth asked William to tell her about what life was like growing up in England and after several moments of awkward silence he relented. He told her he’d grown up in various homes and institutions and revealed that he never knew his father and barely knew his mother. His mother, a heroin addict, was hopelessly neglectful and had been imprisoned for possession. Four-year-old William had been taken into custody by Social Services. He’d seen his mother maybe once or twice between that time and her death. He was never again in her care, not that she ever cared for him when he was.
“So, you don’t have any family?”
“Oh, I have family,” explained William, “a half sister, Jennifer. She’s eight years younger than me. Didn’t meet her or even know about her until I was 15. They brought her to live with the same family that I’d been staying with at the time, the Carlton’s. Someone felt it was best to keep us together. Didn’t even know one another existed before that, but they thought it would be best.”
“Where’s Jennifer now?”
“In a hospital back in London. As hard as I had it, Jen had it worse. The life she had in her seven short years with Mum, well, it broke her. I’d had a good thing going with the Carlton’s. They were…decent. Within three months it had all fallen apart and I was back in an orphanage.”
“What happened?”
“I didn’t really know at first. They hadn’t planned on telling me anything. Had to overhear some new kid talking about it. It had been all over the bloody papers. See, apparently before she even came to the Carlton’s Jen had poisoned our mum and the man she was living with at the time. They had abused her horribly. Jen was so young that they decided it wasn’t her fault. They figured she didn’t know what she was doing. After a brief hospitalization she was sent to live with the Carlton’s. Something must have happened that I didn’t know about, or maybe it was just Jen being crazy. She poisoned them too. I came home from school to find the three of them at the table having tea. Only, Mr. and Mrs. Carlton, they were dead. Jen’s seventeen now. She’s hasn’t left the hospital in ten years. I call and write frequently, always go to see her on her birthday. Seems right that I do, her being family and all.”
“What’s she like now? What do you think will happen when she’s eighteen?” asked Elizabeth feeling completely taken aback.
“Don’t know. I’d say I didn’t care, but that’s not exactly true. It’s not like I love her by choice. I don’t know Jen, not really. I care, but mostly because I feel guilty, our situations could have been reversed. She could have come first, have been taken away first. I could have suffered through her torment, had a more fragile mind. But it wasn’t that way, was it?” William set his fork down and looked down at his
plate. “Good thing I’d eaten most of my dinner before getting onto that subject. Not feeling so hungry anymore. Let me clear and do the dishes. It will help shake this mood…I hate feeling broody.”
Elizabeth sat back and let William clear the table. She sat under the stars, and enjoyed the evening as she listened to the water running in the sink and the dishes clink softly in the background as they were rinsed and put into the dishwasher.
She turned around slightly in her chair so she could look through the French doors and watch Will at work in the kitchen. She thought about how quickly it seemed she was getting to know this complicated man. His eyes looked up from what he was doing and met hers. She smiled at him and he went back to work. He was letting her in, she thought. And if she wasn’t careful, really careful, she was going to end up breaking her own rule. She was going to fall in love with him.
Elizabeth got up, walked down the length of the deck into her bedroom and turned off the lamp next to the chaise, shrouding the room in darkness. She proceeded through to her bathroom and began to draw a bath. Liz lit the candles that were still there from the night before and poured in some of the bubble bath William had used the previous night. She then went over to the bed and turned down the covers. Elizabeth looked at her closet and after a moment’s hesitation walked over to it and stepped inside.
Her closet was much more generous than would normally be found in an older home. She reached up, pulling a box off the top shelf. Elizabeth pulled the lid off the box and took out the man’s robe that had been inside. She had planned on giving Hugh the robe for Father’s Day; only she’d never got the chance. Elizabeth pulled the tags off and brought the robe into the bathroom. It was made out of high-quality black Egyptian cotton. It felt like silk. The inside was a plush red terry. It was obviously expensive and she remembered briefly the three hundred dollars she’d spent on it without giving it a second thought. Money had been plentiful then and Hugh liked expensive things. Elizabeth shut off the taps and turned the bathroom lights out. She stopped by the television cabinet and picked up a DVD case before heading down the hall to the kitchen.
She came up behind William just as he finished closing the dishwasher. She waited for him to hit the start button before wrapping her arms around his waist. He jumped, made a little yelping noise, and quickly spun around in her arms.
“Did I scare you,” teased Elizabeth.
“Scare me? Pfft. Hardly,” William said full of bravado.
“Oh! Aren’t you the tough guy!” laughed Elizabeth.
“Baby, you have no idea what I’m capable of,” said William with mocked menace.
“Oh, yeah!” she laughed glancing down at the dishtowel that he had tucked in the waistband of his jeans. “You look very dangerous.”
“And, don’t you forget it, Missy,” he teased as he wiped his hands off on towel then folded it neatly and placed it on the counter.
“My bad! I guess you squealing like a girl threw me off.”
“I did not squeal like a bloody girl!”
“Did so. Come on,” said Elizabeth taking his hand and leading him back towards the bedroom. “You took care of most of the dinner, let me take care of the movie.” Elizabeth waved the DVD case in front of him and he grabbed it.
“Sweet Home Alabama?” William rolled his eyes.
“Look, it’ll be fun. The truth is that this evening has been heavy with the serious. Most guys would have run screaming from this place. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night. Unwind, curl up and watch a good movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard it’s great.”
She led him to the bathroom. “Last night I got to experience the luxury, tonight it’s your turn. You soak, I’ll cue up the movie,” directed Elizabeth.
“You… you expect me to take a bath? Guys don’t take baths!” William proclaimed. “Okay, I may have yelped but the chick flick and a bubble bath? Suddenly I’m feeling the need to somehow reassert my manhood. I mean, give a guy a break, Liz,” William pleaded.
Elizabeth slid out of her sandals and walked into her bathroom. She untied the belt around the middle of her dress and slid the straps off of her shoulders. The soft yellow fabric pooled at her feet. She was wearing only a white lace thong underneath. Elizabeth hooked her thumbs in the sides of the thong and pushed it down her long well toned legs.
William’s eyes followed her every move. Finally she stepped out of them and swept both her dress and thong over to the side with a flick of her foot. Elizabeth grabbed a clip off of the side of the tub and quickly pulled her hair up. She stepped into the tub, stretching out so that she was leaning against the back. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. “The way I see it? Now your manhood will be seriously compromised if you do not get in this bath.”
William couldn’t remember ever seeing anything so beautiful. Elizabeth was lying in the huge sunken tub surrounded by candles and waiting, for him. She opened one eye, looked at him and asked, “Well, are
you coming?”
William held back from making the obvious retort. He merely held up one finger then stepped out of the bathroom. He could hear the water slosh as he imagined Elizabeth sitting up. He walked out onto the back deck to retrieve the wine glasses, then through to the kitchen. William retrieved the last of the Chardonnay from the refrigerator, quickly filled the ice bucket and added the still half-filled bottle to it. When he walked back into the bathroom he saw that she had slid back down so that the bubbles surrounded her, her right arm and right leg were both draped over the edge of the tub. There was a sheer layer of perspiration covering her face and upper chest.
“You’re back,” she said softly.
“You’re hot,” William observed.
“I bet you say that to all of the girls,” said Elizabeth as she stretch her neck up, in search of some cooler air.
William set the ice bucket down next to the bathtub and poured each of them a fresh glass of the cold wine. He then took one of the washcloths, sunk it deep into the ice bucket, and wrung it out. He smiled while he folded the washcloth in fourths, and handed it to Elizabeth.
“My hero!” teased Elizabeth.
“Your willing slave is more like it,” chuckled William as he sat on the toilet to take off his boots.
Elizabeth placed the cold washcloth over her face and took a deep breath. She heard his clothes fall to the floor. A brief moment of panic ran through her, but she pushed it aside. Elizabeth felt the water stir as he stepped into the bath. She pulled her knees up and let them fall gently apart to make space for him to recline against her.
The tub was spacious and she’d spent many hours in it fantasizing about a moment such as this. Elizabeth removed the washcloth from her face and dropped it back into the ice bucket. She took a sip of her wine, then set it back down on the side of the tub.
Elizabeth brushed the backs of her fingers down his cheek before turning her hands over and running them down his chest. His body was exquisite. He was thin but well muscled. Not in that yucky, bulky way, but in that yummy sculpted by a great artist kind of way. She picked up her bath sponge, dipped it into the bath, and then lifted it over him letting the lavender infused water cascade down his chest.
He was nestled comfortably between her legs, his back against her chest. He could feel her breasts
against his back. Her knees poked up, slightly, through the bath suds. He placed one hand over each kneecap and made slow, deliberate circles with his thumbs.
“Mmmm, good slave,” moaned Elizabeth.
William reached over and again wrung out the washcloth, handing it to her. “Don’t want you to get overheated love.”
Elizabeth poured some bath gel into the sponge. “Sit up.”
William moved slightly forward and sat up straight allowing Elizabeth access to his back. She washed his back gently with the sponge. William stretched his neck gently to the left, then to the right. She felt him relaxing, taking a slow, deep, breath before again reclining back against her. The slickness of his soapy back was arousing, causing her nipples to pebble. Elizabeth started to slide the sponge down his right arm.
As the sponge traveled back up the path she noticed his well-defined biceps. She moved the sponge to her left hand and repeated the process with his left arm. She set the sponge on the side of the tub and rinsed her hands in the bathwater. When she pulled her hands out of the water she ran them up his arms, her fingertips exploring the contours, enjoying the feel of him. She retrieved the sponge and started on his upper torso. Elizabeth moved the sponge back and forth slowly, and sensuously. It dipped under the water and traveled a path down his right thigh. She felt something stiff brush up against her forearm. When William involuntarily moaned she couldn’t help smiling. Her affect on him was obvious and it made her feel a sense of confidence that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Elizabeth pulled the sponge out of the bath and proceeded to squeeze out the excess water. It was still very full of soap and her hands were quickly covered in suds. William, craving her touch, instinctually raised his hips towards the surface of the water. Liz set the sponge on the side of the tub and gently brushed her palm over the head of his cock. She felt William’s hands grasp her knees and heard it as his breath hitched. Encouraged, she wrapped her right hand around his now fully erect cock and applying a steady pressure stroked slowly down.
“Oh, Elizabeth!” William said with a ragged breath. Despite his obvious arousal she could hear a slight hesitation in his voice.
“Shh,” said Elizabeth, “Let me do this. Let me touch you. I want to touch you.”
William tried desperately to control himself as Elizabeth began to slide her right hand up and down his shaft, twisting slightly on each down-stroke.
“Not gonna last much longer love,” William panted.
Elizabeth felt a stirring deep in her own stomach. She smiled against his back and lightly bit his shoulder as she continued her slow and steady pumping. Her own hips were rising in time to each downward stroke and she could feel herself becoming increasingly aroused and breathless. William arched up and leaned his head further back, his chin tilting up towards the ceiling as if seeking something.
Elizabeth took the opportunity to reach her head around and with her tongue lick up the side of his neck. When she reached his earlobe she tugged on it with her teeth, sucking it into her warm, wet mouth. Her left hand unwound itself and using her nails she lightly scratched a path up his stomach and chest while she began to pump him faster with her right. William groaned and Elizabeth could feel his body begin to shudder as her hand moved over him. One of her nails lightly grazed his left nipple and she couldn’t resist rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. William’s hips were now thrusting up to meet her strokes. Turning his head slightly, he plunged his tongue into her mouth.
Exploring, his tongue found hers and they wound around one another. He kissed her thoroughly, deeply, and passionately. Pouring all of the feelings he was experiencing at that moment into the kiss.
Elizabeth pulled away, suddenly aware of the need to breathe, and gasped, “Oh, God! William! You feel so good! You feel so good, baby.”
That was all it took. William felt himself begin to lose control. As he thrust his hips upward into Elizabeth’s fist he realized he was feeling dizzy, he was breathing irregularly, his lips were numb, and he couldn’t remember the last time…was there ever a time? God, he couldn’t think! “Oh, baby! Oh! I’mI’m-”
Elizabeth’s face, neck, and chest were completely flushed. She was breathing hard and she, too, felt dizzy. William’s breaths were still ragged. His lips remained pleasantly numb and his now soft cock tingled as she continued to play with the sensitive tip. Soon they found that their breaths were matching pace. They were slowly coming down, together. Their breathing gradually became more deliberate, fuller, deeper, and slower.
The phone rang, rudely interrupting their post-coital bliss. She chose to ignore it until she heard the machine pick up.
“Elizabeth? It’s Charlie. I’m hoping that you’re home. I don’t know what to do, Liz. Carter is freaking out. Are you there? Liz, please pick up! I’m in the Intensive Care unit and Carter is losing it, big time.”
Elizabeth gently pushed against William’s back, “Let me up, I’ve got to get that.”
She jumped out of the tub and ran, naked, into the bedroom to grab the cordless phone.
“Hello, Charlie. What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked as she walked back into the bathroom to grab a towel.
William pulled the plug out of the tub and sat on the edge to cool off. He took the towel from Elizabeth’s hands and opened it in front of her. She stepped closer to him, and then turned around so that he could wrap the towel around her body. Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the tub next to him and continued to listen. William once again plunged the washcloth into the ice bucket. This time, however, he used it to cool off his own face, neck, and upper body. He wrapped a towel around his waist and heard Elizabeth say, “Charlie, you’ve got to be kidding me. That’s ridiculous. Tell him he’s being stupid!”
Elizabeth pulled the phone slightly away from her mouth and whispered, “William? Would you get me some water please?”
William nodded and walked out to return a few moments later with two opened bottles of water. He was already drinking one and he handed the other to Elizabeth who now stood in the doorway leading to the back deck. The night air was cooling. He slipped past Elizabeth, walked back out onto the deck and sat in one of the chairs.
William heard her follow him, but was surprised when she spontaneously sat in his lap. His arm comfortably wrapped itself around her waist and he found himself nuzzling her shoulder.
“What do you mean he won’t come to the phone? What did he say? Charlie, when did Carter last sleep? When is he being relieved? Well find out, Charlie! Look, I didn’t mean to yell. I’m sorry. Take a deep breath. You’ve done well, really well. Is Kathy alright? No, I don’t think there is anything to be gained by calling a code now. I’ll be there in 10 minutes. I’m glad that you recognized Luis. Call Mike stat and let him know his patient was admitted and that we need something sedating. Have Alex talk to Mike and get the orders. I’ll come talk Carter down.” Elizabeth looked at William and asked, “Do you mind? Could you give me a ride to the hospital?”
“Don’t mind at all, love. I’ll go get dressed. Let me up.” William said, gently lifting Elizabeth up so that he could stand.
“Elizabeth?” she heard Charlie ask as she watched William walk back into the bedroom. “Oh my gosh! There’s a guy there? You’re? Oh, I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?”
“Charlie! It’s okay. I’m going to hang up now and I’ll be there in 10 minutes. If Carter regains his senses in the meantime take him to the lounge. I’ll check the ICU first. If you’re not there, I’ll come find you in the lounge,” said Elizabeth.
William walked back out onto the deck, once again dressed in his black boots, blue jeans, and white t-shirt. He was dangling his car keys in one hand and Elizabeth’s lace thong and dress in the other.
Elizabeth walked up to him and retrieved her clothes. She got dressed, then unclipped her hair and ran a brush through it quickly. Elizabeth ran a cool washcloth over her face, added a light moisturizer, dabbed on some concealer under her eyes, and ran a quick slick of lip-gloss over her mouth. She grabbed a sweater from her closet, clipped her hospital ID badge to it and extended her hand towards William.
“Ready, love?” he asked. Elizabeth nodded and let him lead her out to his car. He opened the car door to his red BMW convertible for her so that she could climb in. The top was down and Elizabeth leaned back, taking a moment to look at the beautiful night. William opened the driver’s door, climbed in, and started the engine. “You want to share the story?” asked William as he made his way to the hospital.
“A trauma patient came in last night. A young guy in his twenties who ran his car into a cement wall at fifty plus miles per hour. He was unconscious when he arrived, with two broken legs and a closed head injury. He had no ID and was admitted to the Intensive Care unit as a “John Doe”. Tonight while the trauma surgeon was making his rounds and examining another patient, John regained consciousness. His nurse was taking his blood pressure at the time and John slugged her, breaking her nose. Carter, that’s the trauma surgeon, jumped on top of John and basically punched him in the face and pinned him to the bed. The nursing supervisor called Charlie, because Social Services is whom they always call to deal with the weirdness. She immediately recognized that the John Doe was actually, a young schizophrenic patient who frequents the psychiatric unit. He’s probably off his meds, psychotic, and scared as hell. My bet is that he’s been having command hallucinations again and that’s what drove him to take the car and run it into the wall. Him waking to Kathy taking his blood pressure probably felt threatening. Even on medications he’s pretty paranoid. Anyways, Carter just thinks that he’s some punk and is saying that he’s not getting off him until the police come to take him away. He’s not listening to reason.”
“So, this Carter is just sitting on the poor kid?” asked William.
“Yup! Pull in there, through the gate.”
William pulled up to the booth at the gate and an older gentleman stepped out.
“Hey Frank!” said Liz. “Let us in will you? I won’t be long, on a bit of a rescue mission. Make sure we don’t get towed?”
“Sure thing!” assured Frank as he let the gate up so they could proceed through.
William and Elizabeth got out of the car. He followed her through the doors to the emergency room, down a long corridor and over to a bank of elevators. Elizabeth pressed the “up” button and while they waited for the elevator William asked, “Would you rather I just wait for you here or in the car? I don’t want to intrude, or be a bother.”
“Welcome to my life!” Elizabeth said, spreading her arms wide. “Come on, hopefully this won’t take long. I’ll show you to the lounge and you can have a cup of absolutely horrible coffee.”
The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped in. Elizabeth punched the number ten and the elevator climbed swiftly to the tenth floor. When the doors opened, William held them ajar with one hand as he allowed Elizabeth to walk through first, his palm resting at the small of her back as he followed her out. A young woman with long brown hair immediately approached them. She was obviously flustered and William guessed she was Charlie.
“Elizabeth! Thanks for coming. I’m sorry to interrupt,” Charlie trailed off as she looked at William, then back at Elizabeth.
“I’m William. You must be Charlie,” he said, extending his hand.
“You’ve been holding out on me!” accused Charlie as she looked pointedly at Elizabeth. “Come on. The circus is still going on in there,” indicated Charlie with a nod of her head.
Elizabeth walked over to the door marked ICU and held it open for Charlie to walk through. William looked at Elizabeth still holding the door open and raised his eyebrow. She smiled and nodded. He walked through the door and took a look around. There was a long desk with multiple computers. Across from the desk in plain view were ten hospital beds, all containing patients. Curtains were drawn around the conscious ones, the unconscious ones were in plain sight. There were various machines, tubes, and lines - all unfamiliar to him - a world Elizabeth lived in everyday.
Elizabeth pointed to an empty chair at the desk and William sat down. She walked over to the curtain surrounding bed number three and pulled the curtain open. There was a young Hispanic man lying in the bed. He was hooked up to various monitoring devices and IV’s. The IV pole was laying on its side, having been pulled over in the obvious struggle. A man dressed in scrubs had the patient pinned to the bed; sitting astride the young mans hips. The patient’s arms were trapped between his own body and the doctor’s knees. One of the doctor’s hands was pushing on the patient’s chest, the other was pushing up into the patient’s chin, causing his head to crane up and back, hyper-extending it to an odd angle. The muscles in the physician’s arms were taut and the muscles in his face twitched.
“Hey, Carter,” Elizabeth smiled. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Luis here already has a steady. He’s also a bit on the shy side, not so much comfortable with public displays of affection. He’s got some trust issues, and some difficulty connecting, what with being a paranoid schizophrenic and all.”
“I’m not getting off until the police come and take him away,” insisted Carter.
“Carter, it’s not going to happen,” said Elizabeth, patiently. “He’s a sick kid. He’s hallucinating. No one is going to hold him responsible. The question is going to become ‘Why wasn’t he appropriately assessed and medicated?’ ‘Why wasn’t a proper code called when the patient became assaultive?’ ‘Why did this
city’s best trauma surgeon spend his Saturday night sitting on top of some patient?’”
“Alex? What did Mike say to give him?” Elizabeth shouted to the young intern sitting at the desk.
“A now order of Haldol and Ativan. He’ll be in at seven a.m. to see the patient, write routine orders, and transfer him to the psychiatric service. That’s if we can give a medical clearance.”
“Carter? How about it? Let’s give Luis some meds and let him get some rest. You need to wrap things up with your other patients. You’re being relieved in, what…?”
Elizabeth looked over to Charlie who mouthed twenty minutes. “Twenty minutes. You barely have time to chart this incident. Alex? Go ahead and give Luis his meds. Charlie? Get the chart ready for Carter.” Elizabeth went closer to the bed and spoke to the patient. “Hey, long time no see. I can see you’ve met Carter. Not much of a bedside manner. It’s not personal. He’s often an asshole. He’s going to get off you now and I need for you to stay calm. You’re safe here. I’m going to make Carter go away. You won’t be seeing him again. I’ve spoken with Dr. Stevens. He knows you’re here and he’ll be here in the morning to talk with you. Everything’s going to be alright,” Elizabeth assured the patient as Alex injected his IV’s with the medication.
Carter climbed off of the patient and walked over to the nurses’ station as if nothing had happened, taking the chart from Charlie. “Plans tonight, Charlie?” Carter asked as he leaned over her, just a little too close and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.
“Not with you, psycho,” said Charlie bluntly.
“You, my friend, have a date with a pillow, perhaps some herbal tea?” interrupted Elizabeth. “Finish up and go home like a good boy.”
“Keep me company and I promise to be good, real good,” said Carter suggestively moving closer to Elizabeth, too close for William’s comfort. Carter reached for a lock of Elizabeth’s hair. “What do you say, Goldilocks?” as he leaned in and whispered something to her that William couldn’t hear.
William pushed the chair back on its rollers and abruptly stood up. The noise pulled Carter’s attention and he became aware of the other man at the nurses’ station for the first time. Carter turned to look at William and in his patently superior way asked, “Do you need help with something?”
William walked up to Carter slowly. He was a head shorter then Carter but looked him directly in the eye. “No, mate. I’m all set.”
“And you are?” asked Carter.
William tilted his head to the right slightly and continued to glare a Carter. Although only a few seconds passed, it seemed like longer, a lot longer to Elizabeth and Charlie. The tension between the two men was palpable.
“With Elizabeth,” said William simply. He took one step back then sauntered over to the door to the ICU. Charlie watched him appraisingly. His walk was confident and relaxed. As he moved towards the door he removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and place one, unlit, between his lips. William reached the door and pushed it open with one hand while extending his other out towards Elizabeth.
“Come on, love. The show appears to be over. I’m bored now. Let’s go home. I believe we have some,” William took a moment to rake his eyes over her, “unfinished business.”
Elizabeth looked over at Charlie who seemed clearly amused by the testosterone display. Charlie winked at Elizabeth and nodded her encouragement. Elizabeth walked around a still stunned Carter and allowed William to take her hand and lead her out of the room.
“Well, Doc,” said Charlie standing up, “I think it’s time to call it a night.” As she reached the door she turned to add, “Might want to close your mouth before you head outside, you know, flies and all.”
~
Elizabeth was silent as William led her back towards the elevators. William continued to hold her hand in his as he pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive. When the doors opened he quickly pulled Elizabeth into the elevator. Will pushed the door close button, and then moved with her over to the sidewall of the elevator. Her back was to the wall and William’s body was pressed up against her. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. “He touched your hair,” William said softly as he stared at the golden strand.
“Yeah, well, Carter has poor boundaries, in addition to a host of other problems,” said Elizabeth, attempting to make light of it.
William’s eyes rose slowly to meet hers and he said evenly, “I didn’t like it.”
“Are you going to go all caveman on me?”
“Maybe,” he responded stepping back and punching the button to the first floor. “What’s the story with the two of you? Were you lovers at one time?”
“What?” Elizabeth asked incredulously. “No. Carter and I, we work together and-”
“And?” he prompted as the elevator doors opened.
Elizabeth laced her arm through his and explained quietly as they walked to the car. “There was this one night. Things were really bad for me. Hugh had left and I had recently lost the baby. There was a beach party and someone brought “Summer Beer”. Ever heard of it?” William shook his head and Elizabeth continued, “Well, it’s evil. Elizabeth and hard alcohol do not mix and this was liquor disguising itself as lemonade, a mixture of lemonade, vodka, and beer. I had too much to drink and Carter started to look like not so much of an asshole. Somehow we ended up back at his beach house, away from everyone else. I woke up in his bed, naked. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t even remember what happened. I’m not promiscuous William. The “Carter incident” is an embarrassment and he uses it to humiliate me from time to time. Nothing that I can’t handle.”
William opened the car door for her and she climbed inside. He walked around to the driver’s door, climbed in and started the engine. Tossing the unlit cigarette onto the ground he said, “Be careful, Elizabeth. I think he could be dangerous. You’ve seen tonight that he can be impulsive, violent even. Not with someone strong, but he’s more than happy to prey on the weak. Mark my words. If he’s had a taste of you, he’ll want more. A guy like that takes ‘no’ personally.”
Elizabeth leaned over towards William, her lips brushed his lightly as she asked, “And, would you protect me, William?”
“Till the end of the earth, love. But that’s just the kind of chivalrous bloke that I am,” he replied as he put the car in reverse and he pulled out of the parking space.
“So,” said Elizabeth changing the subject. “You smoke? I didn’t smell cigarettes on you earlier.”
“Not really, not anymore. Did for a long time. I allow myself to smoke unlit fags when the mood strikes and I can’t seem to squelch it,” he explained.
“Huh,” said Elizabeth. “You know, I can’t quite figure you out. Upstanding business man, dressed to the nines, or cigarette-smoking rebel,” she concluded as she reached out and mussed his hair.
“Hey, watch the hair, doll!” William hollered.
“Your hair looks great all mussed up!” Elizabeth insisted.
They pulled into her driveway.
“Well, goodnight Liz,” said William as he reached over, took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, pressing it against his lips in a soft kiss.
“No way, Will!” she said as she got out of the car and closed her door. “You still owe me the watching of one chick flick, my pick. I’m making popcorn,” she insisted.
William had the good sense in that moment to realize that he was beaten. And the truth was, he didn’t mind at all. He put the top up on his car, locked up, then met her at the door. “With butter on it?” he asked.
“Ok, you drive a hard bargain,” she concluded as she walked through to the kitchen. “Note to self,” added Elizabeth, “William may be bribed with popcorn.”
William chucked and walked up behind her as she dropped a packet of popcorn into the microwave. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled her neck, “Buttered popcorn,” William clarified, “And, if you’re taking notes, back rubs and blowjobs work too, for bribes, I mean.”
“What?” Elizabeth feigned shock. “Color me surprised! Is there such a thing as a man who wouldn’t be motivated by a blowjob?”
William appeared to give the matter serious thought. “If there is, I haven’t met him,” he admitted. “I do have a confession of sorts to make though, love.”
“Oh?” she prompted as she pulled the popcorn out of the microwave and poured it into a bowl.
“I’ve already seen Sweet Home Alabama,” admitted William as he followed her down the hall back to the bedroom.
“No!”
“Yeah.”
Elizabeth looked at William intently and said, “Well, you are a man of mystery, aren’t you?” then she released a yawn.
“You’re tired, love,” William observed.
“True. But, if I fall asleep you can fill me in on what I missed!” Elizabeth grabbed her robe and disappeared into the bathroom. “Cue the movie up?” she shouted back.
Before the door had a chance to close all the way she pulled it back open and tossed the black robe out to him. “If you want,” she said, “or not, it’s up to you.” She closed the door and then he heard the water in the sink running. William laid the robe on the chaise, slid the DVD into the player, and punched the play button on the remote. He stripped down to his boxers, leaving his clothes in a pile on the chaise, then slid between the covers with the remote control and the bowl of popcorn.
Elizabeth quickly brushed her teeth, removed her make-up, and changed into her nightgown. The truth was that although she was incredibly tired, she wasn’t ready for the evening to end. As she opened the bathroom door she could hear that the movie was starting. It was a good thing, too. It helped draw her away from the image of William in her bed. “Not nice to stare,” Elizabeth reminded herself.
“Any wine left?” asked William, casually.
Elizabeth replied, “On it!” She left the room for a moment, only to return with a freshly opened bottle of white and two glasses.
She poured both she and William a glass and crawled into bed. “Hey, rewind a bit,” she directed as she scooted over closer to him and started to nibble on some popcorn.
William picked up the remote control and pushed the rewind button, stopping where the story really began.
“Ready?” he asked Elizabeth.
“Yeah huh,” said Elizabeth her eyes seemingly glued to the screen.
William reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. A contented sigh escaped Elizabeth’s lips as she laid her head on his chest. Will smiled and without thought ran his fingers through her hair and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. After a few minutes he reached for his glass of wine and took a sip, “Sweet dreams, Elizabeth,” he said.
“Night, William. Be here in the morning?” she asked before drifting off to sleep.
“I’ll be here,” he assured her as he reached over to the bedside lamp and turned off the light.
Chapter 3
William opened his eyes. Elizabeth was spooned up against him, her body molded to his. His arm was wrapped around her and he was cupping her left breast in the palm of his hand. He gave her breast a gentle squeeze and rubbed his thumb over the silky fabric of her nightgown, teasing her nipple. “I could get used to waking up like this,” William thought smiling to himself. He lifted his head to look over Elizabeth at the clock on her nightstand. The display read 10:00 a.m. The phone rang and he reached for it quickly.
“H’lo,” he said softly, trying not to wake her.
“William?”
“Yeah?” he responded hesitantly.
“It’s Charlie. I was calling to debrief with Elizabeth about last night. I mean, the part of last night that happened at the hospital. That last night,” she said, stumbling over her words.
“Elizabeth’s still asleep. I’ll have her call you when she wakes up,” offered William as Elizabeth began to stir against him. “Wait a sec, I think Sleeping Beauty is coming around as we speak.”
Elizabeth opened her eyes and found William looking down at her, his hair adorably spiked up and his eyes incredibly blue in the morning sunshine. “Morning, love. Charlie’s on the phone.”
Elizabeth smiled up at him then reached for the phone. “Morning, Charlie.”
“Elizabeth, I wanted to apologize for bugging you last night. Of course, I also want the gossip on William. You should have seen Carter’s face! Priceless! Do you have plans today? Maybe we can have coffee or something later?”
“Will? Do we have plans today?” asked Elizabeth as she rolled over to look at William.
William swung his legs out from under the covers and sprang from the bed. “Yes, as a matter of fact. I’m going to take you sailing. Invite Charlie if you want. We can leave from here at eleven o’clock, be on the water by noon, and eat lunch on the boat. It’ll be fun. I’m off to make coffee,” he announced.
“Hear that?” Elizabeth asked Charlie.
“Yeah! Sounds great! Think I could ask Conner to join us? Please?” Charlie begged.
“I didn’t know you were going out with Conner!” Elizabeth said, a little surprised.
“Well, I’m not. Not yet, anyways. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Hopefully we’ll both see you shortly. I happen to know he isn’t working today. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck!”
“Well, seems like you’re suddenly lucky-in-love girl! Maybe some of your luck will rub off on me,” teased Charlie.
“Don’t wish for my luck in the relationship department. Elizabeth and true love is like oil and water, Charlie.”
“What about William? Seems like there’s definite chemistry between you two. Where did you meet? How long have you been holding out on me? Spill!” commanded Charlie.
Elizabeth winced and said with trepidation, “Well, it’s not that I’m holding out. We just met Friday night. Hewassortofmybirthdaypresent.”
“Huh? I could have sworn you said he was your birthday present. You’re joking?”
“No. But it’s not like it sounds,” Elizabeth assured Charlie as William walked back into the room with a fresh cup on hot coffee.
“Thanks,” said Elizabeth reaching for the cup.
“No trouble,” said William placing his own cup on the nightstand and tossing the newspaper on the bed.
“Elizabeth? I’m gonna hang up and try to reach Conner. You are going to explain the birthday present thing,” Charlie said before hanging up.
“Sailing?” asked Elizabeth taking a sip of her coffee.
“Not yet, love. Now I’m just trying to catch up on the news and enjoy my cuppa. Hey, how did you
like the movie last night?” asked William while he scanned the headlines.
“Thanks for indulging me. I owe you,” said Elizabeth sheepishly.
“Pfft. Nonsense, doll, I loved every minute of it,” William said reaching over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “How about you shower while I run to my place to put on some clean clothes. I’ll swing by a sandwich shop and get them to pack us a nice lunch?”
“Deal!” said Elizabeth cheerfully as she climbed out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. She stopped abruptly as she reached the door and turned around. He was once again looking at the front page of the paper and sipping his coffee. He looked over the rim of his coffee cup and met her eyes. After swallowing he asked, “Everything alright?”
Elizabeth felt tearful and nodded as she turned to head back into the bathroom. Suddenly his hand was on her shoulder; she turned to bury her head in his chest and sighed.
“What is it, love? Tell me.” William murmured softly as he held her closely and kissed the top of her head.
“I just suddenly felt…not alone,” Elizabeth whispered.
“Does that scare you?”
“Yes,” she said simply, her head still buried in his chest.
“Me too,” he admitted.
Elizabeth started to laugh. “Well that was reassuring! You were supposed to lie to me and tell me you understand everything and it’s all going to be alright. You know, no more hunger, world peace-”
“I was going for truthful, in honor of it being Sunday and all,” William winked. “You get ready, I’ll be back soon for you and Charlie. We’ll have fun.”
“Oh!” said Elizabeth. “I almost forgot, Charlie’s going to try to bring a date. I hope you don’t mind?”
“The more the merrier. See you in an hour or so, I’ll be back before you know it,” he said as he started to dress.
Elizabeth walked into the bathroom and went to the sink to brush her teeth. She heard the front door close. As she replaced her toothbrush in its holder by the sink she caught her reflection in the mirror. Looking sternly at herself she warned, “Don’t. Let. Him. Break. Your. Heart.”
~
As Elizabeth finished applying sunscreen to her legs, she heard the doorbell ring. She put the lotion back in the cabinet and yelled, “Come in!” as she started to walk towards the door.
“Hey!” said Charlie. “It’s beautiful out there. Are you ready to go?”
Conner followed Charlie inside and started to close the door, then hesitated, looked outside and waved. “Is that William?” he leaned over and asked Charlie.
Charlie peered over Conner’s shoulder. “Yup! Oh, and he has a cool car!”
“I have a cool car!” said Conner indignantly.
“You so do not have a cool car, you drive crap. But you’re cute, you have potential.” Charlie said as she patted him on the shoulder.
“Come on!” William called from the Driveway. “We’re wasting the wind!”
By 12:30 p.m. they were on the boat as planned. This was Elizabeth’s first sailing experience and she was fascinated as she watched William run about, adjusting lines and checking things.
He turned on the boat’s engine and maneuvered out of the slip, heading out into the harbor. After about five minutes he cut the engine and began hauling up the sails. Gone were the black boots. William had traded them in for a pair of rubber-soled tennis shoes. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt over his blue jeans and it billowed in the wind as he stood at the wheel of the boat, his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses.
“There’s beer in the cooler, and sandwiches. Pass me a beer when you have a chance, Conner?”
Elizabeth stood up and walked over towards William. As he turned towards her she slipped between him and the ship’s wheel and faced him. She reached up and lifted his sunglasses a couple inches. “There they are,” she said in a hushed tone. “I missed them.”
“Are you flirting with me?” asked William, smiling.
“Me? No!” said Elizabeth.
“Cause that definitely seemed like flirting.” William reached out and tickled her stomach playfully. Elizabeth spun around and he placed her hands on the wheel. “You drive!” he directed as he reached out and took the beer Conner was handing to him.
“Would you like a beer, Elizabeth?” asked Conner.
“No thanks, not much for beer,” said Elizabeth.
“There’s some white wine and plastic cups in there. Corkscrew is down below in the top right drawer,” William told him. Conner disappeared down below for a few seconds, then reappeared with the corkscrew in hand.
As he opened the bottle he said, “Nice boat you have here, Will. You know, I used to sail quite a bit in college, before medical school, when I had a life. Now it seems I practically live at the hospital. The trials and tribulations of an intern, eh? What do you do for work?”
“Oh! Let me guess!” interrupted Charlie before he could answer. “You come from one of those really old, rich families and you grew up spending summers sailing in Newport!”
“No, grew up quite poor actually,” said William.
“You work for the mob. You’re a hit man like John Cusack was in that movie, you know the one!” Charlie said enthusiastically.
“Loved that movie,” said William. “But, no.”
“Let me try,” insisted Conner, “The boat was a gift, given to you by a really rich and beautiful woman. You’re her favorite sex-toy, so she gives you anything you want.”
Charlie gasped and looked at Conner in shock. “Is that your fantasy? To be someone’s sex-toy? My goodness, you think you know a person.”
“Not someone’s,” corrected Conner, “a really rich and beautiful woman. I have standards, you know.”
“William runs errands for rich people,” said Elizabeth.
“Hey! Why did you tell? This was starting to get interesting!” complained William.
“I don’t get it,” said Charlie. “Explain.”
“Well, basically my business is getting people what they want. People that are too busy to get it themselves, maybe even too busy to figure out what they want. I figure it out, and then make it happen. Presto,” explained William.
“What kinds of things?” asked Conner seemingly puzzled.
“Gifts, artwork, houses, vacations, stuff like that.”
“There are people who would hire someone to buy them a house?” asked Charlie.
“Oh, yes!” confirmed William. “Sometimes they have me decorate it too.”
“Famous people?” asked Charlie, “Tell us a story!”
“I don’t do that. Discretion is the key to success in this business. Well, one of them at least,” he clarified.
“So, how did you two meet?” asked Conner.
“That, you’ll have to ask Elizabeth,” said William. He tossed his empty bottle at Conner and waited for Conner to hand him a new one.
“William was Elizabeth’s birthday present!” offered Charlie. She turned to Conner and continued, “My birthday’s next month, by the way. If you can’t decide what to get me and Elizabeth’s done with him-”
“My friend, Samantha, hired William to find me the perfect gift. That’s how we ended up meeting,” interrupted Elizabeth.
“And did he? Find you the perfect gift?” Conner asked.
William curled his arm around Elizabeth’s waist and pulled her closer to him. Her tank top crept up slightly and he could feel her warm skin against his forearm. He leaned down and inhaled the scent of her hair. The fresh air, mingled with the scent of Elizabeth, felt intoxicating. He felt his jeans getting tight and almost imperceptibly tilted his hips forward to rub the growing bulge against Elizabeth’s ass. Elizabeth leaned back against his chest, tilting her head so she could look at him over her shoulder. “It was a great gift, a great birthday. But, it was very personal. So, I’m not going to give any further details.”
“Well, I’m gonna go down below and pay a visit to the ol’ head. Any words of advice for me, Will?” asked Conner.
“Just your routine pump, s’not tricky. But, if you need help just give me a holler and I’ll demonstrate how to get it done. You might want to take Charlie down there with you and show her,” suggested William.
“Come on, Charlie,” Conner said reaching for her hand, “let’s see if we can figure this out!”
Charlie looked slightly panicked as she was led below deck.
As soon as they were below William spun Elizabeth around in his arms so that she faced him. He stepped in closer, pressing her up against the wheel of the ship, and kissed her. His lips pressed to hers and his tongue immediately darted out, licking her lower lip and begging entrance. A soft moan escaped Elizabeth and he used the opportunity to slide his tongue inside her eager mouth.
She could feel his erection pressing up against her and she angled her hips slightly so she could return the friction. William pulled away from the kiss, took a deep breath, and rested his forehead against hers. As they stood there in silence for a moment he gently cupped her face in his hands. He stood up straight and looked at her with such intensity that Elizabeth found herself blushing. William shook his head slightly, as if to dismiss a thought, and then looked away, almost shyly.
“What?”
“S’nothing,” shrugged Will.
“That wasn’t a nothing. That was definitely a something. What did you see? What were you thinking?”
“S’nothing,” he insisted, “really!”
Elizabeth glared at him. “See this look?” she asked. “I inherited this from my mother. This is my
determined face. I can be truly unrelenting. You should just save yourself the time and give in. Besides, no secrets between us.”
William couldn’t help chuckling. “I was thinking about shagging you senseless,” he confessed, “here, in the moonlight.” Then he looked away no longer able to maintain eye contact.
“And?” she prompted. “Don’t be afraid to tell me what you want.”
“It was just a thought, doesn’t have to bloody mean anything,” said William, wondering what her reaction would be.
“No, it doesn’t,” she confirmed as she took her knee and slowly ran it up the inside of his leg.
Taking a chance he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You were tied to the wheel.”
“Yeah?” Elizabeth asked, a smile escaping her lips.
“Yeah,” he admitted.
“So you want to, what? Capture me? Take me hostage? Make me yours?”
The question Elizabeth was posing was arousing him beyond belief. As images again flashed before his mind he felt his erection straining painfully against his jeans. It had been a long time since a woman, any woman, had evoked such an intense reaction.
Charlie and Conner chose that moment to resurface from below deck. “Elizabeth! Did you know that the head is what they call the bathroom on a boat?” asked Charlie, laughing.
William allowed Elizabeth to turn back around to face them. He let her body shield his erection as he tried desperately to think. The problem was all he could think of was “Must. Have. Elizabeth. Now.”
William pulled his shirt down in front in hopes that it would shield the obvious affect that Elizabeth was having on him. He handed his beer to Conner and said, “You’re driving. Stay clear of anything bigger than us. I’m showing Elizabeth’s what’s down below.”
~
Elizabeth found herself quickly pulled below deck and into the rear cabin. Before she was able to utter a word William had closed the door, pushed her up against it and pressed his body firmly against hers, effectively trapping her in place. His hands held her face in place as he captured her mouth in a demanding kiss. She felt one hand move to the back of her neck while the other traveled down the side of her body and began to explore the hem of her tank top. William’s knee pressed between her legs, slightly nudging them apart as he began to leave a trail of hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses down the length her neck.
“Need you, need you so bad,” moaned William as he pulled back just long enough to pull Elizabeth’s tank top up, over her head. “God, you’re beautiful,” he panted as he took in her swollen lips, slightly messed hair, and the rise and fall of her breasts as they peeked out over the cups of her white lace bra.
William lowered his head and licked the tops of her breasts. He lowered the straps from her shoulders, unhooked her bra, and let it fall to the floor. He began to knead her left breast as his mouth traveled hungrily, taking her in. Elizabeth hissed when his tongue flicked over her right nipple then grazed it with his teeth, before sucking on it. He could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest as he abandoned her left breast and moved to work on unbuttoning her cutoff jeans.
She barely registered the sound of her zipper sliding down. Her body felt like it was on fire, she couldn’t remember needing anything, wanting anything, as much as she wanted this, him, now. His mouth felt like heaven and he used it to worship her body. His hands seemed everywhere, caressing, yet insistent.
Elizabeth felt her jeans slide down her hips and she stepped out of them, pushing them to the side. She could feel the growing wetness between her legs as his hand traveled over her stomach, her hip, then stopped at her panties. She was wearing a delicate lace thong and he hesitated but a moment before ripping it from her body. Elizabeth barely noticed as she lifted her right leg up, curling it around the back of his.
William could feel Elizabeth’s want as she began to climb his body. He reached around her, confidently grabbing her ass and pulling her to him, grinding into her with his still-covered erection. He lifted her up as she wrapped her other leg around him turned them around and laid her on the bed. William was still fully clothed and both his and Elizabeth’s hands began to fumble, trying to undo his belt. Liz surrendered the task to him as she started to concentrate on unbuttoning his shirt. She was able to reach and unbutton the bottom four, before giving it a yank, the last button popped off, lightly bouncing off one of the cabin walls and onto the floor.
William managed to undo his belt, open his jeans and free his throbbing cock. He leaned over her, her legs spreading apart allowing his hips to drop down between them. He reached out to touch her, to see if she was ready for him. His fingers separated her folds and plunged into her wetness, sliding in and out first with one finger, then two. Having affirmed her desire for this, for him, he could wait no longer. He already felt so close. He removed his fingers and with his hand guided himself to her entrance.
Elizabeth was lost in the feel of him on top of her. She wanted, needed more of him. His fingers were moving inside of her but it wasn’t enough. She moaned into his mouth and his lips met hers in a searing
kiss. She felt the head of his cock glide across her entrance.
“You’re so wet,” he moaned as she lifted her hips up allowing him to slip inside of her. “You’re so tight, you feel so good, love, Oh God! O-O-Oh!”
Elizabeth felt William thrust one last time within her as he buried his head in the crook of her neck and groaned, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby! God! What a stupid, bloody prat!” William pulled out of her and started to turn away from her as he refastened his jeans.
Elizabeth reached up and took his chin in her hand, turning his head back towards her. As she searched his eyes with hers she asked, “What? What are you sorry for?”
“Are you kidding? This was- I acted like a schoolboy. You deserve hearts and flowers, doll. Instead I drag you down below decks, don’t even get my clothes off, and practically come in my pants. Elizabeth, I didn’t even stop to put on a condom. I’m a bloody embarrassment is what I am!”
Elizabeth sat up and moving her hand behind his head, slid closer to him. She rested her forehead against his and murmured, “Shh,” before kissing him softly on the mouth.
As she pulled away he saw tears in her eyes that were threatening to spill over. His stomach twisted in further shame.
“William, you wanting me so much, it was exciting. I haven’t felt this much passion with someone in, well, to tell you the truth, never. I could have stopped it until you put on a condom. That’s not just your responsibility.”
“It was irresponsible, I’m sorry,” murmured Will.
“When I was in the hospital, after losing the baby, the doctor told me that having children would pretty much take a miracle. I had myself tested for STD’s early on in my pregnancy, I was afraid about the possibility, but I tested clean. There’s only been the possible Carter incident since then. We can be more careful from now on, if you’re worried, or if I should be worried. Should I be worried? About you, I mean?”
William wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and said, “No. You have nothing to worry about. Believe it or not I’ve never shagged without using a condom before. Be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” William slipped out the cabin door, walked the few paces through the galley, and climbed up a couple steps so that he could clearly see how things were going topside.
“How are things?” he asked Charlie and Conner. Conner looked at home at the helm and Charlie was
standing next to him with a beer in her hand. “Well, Captain,” said Conner, “I regret to inform you that I’ve taken over your ship. She sails like a beauty. I’ve got wind, a beer, and this saucy wench. I’m happy.”
“Glad to hear it mate! Elizabeth and I will be up in just a few. Toss me a soda will you Charlie?” William asked.
“Sure thing! I was just about to check out the sandwich supply,” she said as she opened up the cooler. Charlie tossed William a Diet Coke and watched him disappear down below again. William popped into the bathroom to retrieve a warm washcloth and towel, then returned to his cabin. Elizabeth had just finished gathering up her clothes.
“Don’t think that the underwear is salvageable,” said Elizabeth.
“I thought you might want to freshen up before heading back out,” he said as he put the washcloth, towel, and soda on the bed. “Anything else you need?” he asked.
“Two things as a matter of fact, and they are both so obvious I can’t believe you didn’t think of them already! Sit!” ordered Elizabeth, pointing to the bed. “First, I need for you to not get weird on me about this. We acted a little impulsively, which brings me to the second thing,” she popped open the soda and slowly climbed up onto the bed straddling William’s lap. She was still completely nude and he could feel himself getting aroused again.
“And that would be?” William asked as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
Elizabeth leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Practice. I need lots and lots of practice. Can you help me with that?”
Elizabeth heard William moan, “Oh, yes,” as she nibbled on his earlobe.
“Good!” she said as she climbed off of him and took a swallow of her soda. “Oh my God!” she said, putting her hand over her mouth and giggling.
“What?” he asked.
“I can’t believe that we just had sex not ten feet away from Charlie and Conner! You, William Carlton, are a bad, evil man,” teased Elizabeth as she quickly ran the washcloth over her body, toweled off, and redressed.
“That’s me!” he confirmed with a smirk. William tucked a loose strand of hair behind Elizabeth’s ear and kissed her on the tip of her nose, “But, in my defense, s’not entirely my fault. You see there’s this girl, and she does things to me, makes me want her, in point of fact,” William said as he took Elizabeth’s hand and placed it over the bulge in his pants, “seems I’ve been in a perpetual state of wanting her since the moment I laid eyes on her.” William then lifted Elizabeth’s hand up to his mouth. He turned her hand over and lightly kissed the inside of her palm, then licked, and kissed on the pulse point of her wrist. With a sense of loss he dropped her hand, then turned and opened the cabin door. As she stepped past him to exit the cabin he reached out, grabbed her elbow, and again confirmed, “Practice, huh?”
She turned back towards him, and flashed him a beautiful smile. “Lots and lots of practice.”
~
As Elizabeth approached the ladder she overheard Charlie say to Conner, “That prick! I can’t believe it. Carter is, well, he’s a big fat liar is what he is.”
“What’s Carter lying about now?” asked Elizabeth as she climbed up the ladder, William right behind her.
Conner looked uncomfortably at Charlie. “Oh, nothing, really.”
“Tell her!” insisted Charlie.
“Well,” started Conner, “I was just telling Charlie that I was surprised you and Carter had been an item at one time.”
“An item?” asked Elizabeth
“Well those weren’t his exact words,” hedged Conner.
“What were his exact words?” asked Elizabeth trying to rein in her anger.
“Um, something to the effect that you’d had a thing, but that he broke it off because you were…” Conner trailed off.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake Conner! You’re a doctor! Spit it out, the word is ‘frigid,’” said Charlie.
Conner saw the look of shock and anger on Elizabeth’s face and quickly attempted to smooth things
over. “But you know, I might have misunderstood. Anyway, it obviously isn’t true. I mean to say, it’s clear that you and William aren’t having any problems in that area. What I mean to say is the two of you seem to be, well…”
“Boinking happily!” finished Charlie. “Couldn’t help hearing. Well, with Will here yelling out to the Almighty. Figured he had suddenly been ‘saved and born again’ or he was in the midst of a mind-blowing orgasm.”
“Actually,” said William, speaking for the first time since coming back up on deck, “I think it was a little bit of both.”
Elizabeth turned around to face him, broke into laughter and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry,” she said to Charlie and Conner as her laughter finally died down and she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Not sorry,” she said reaching out to William, “that it happened, not at all. I just wish it had been more private. Sorry if we made you uncomfortable, that’s really not my usual style. I don’t know what possessed me.”
“Feel free to blame it all on me. I have very broad shoulders. I guess the good news is that I can personally vouch for the fact that the girl isn’t frigid. Course, I’m not a medical doctor, perhaps I should defer judgment pending further research,” William offered as he walked over to the cooler and pulled out two sandwiches. He handed one to Elizabeth and winked saying, “Eat it, you’re going to need to keep your strength up.”
Elizabeth took the sandwich from William and sat down to eat, suddenly starving.
“Just for the record?” said Conner, “I think that Carter is a maniac. I report to him, for this rotation anyways, so I have to make nice, but he’s a maniac. Alex called me last night after you all left the hospital to fill me in. What a circus. I had been on for 20 hours straight and Alex knew it, but he woke me up to fill me in, that’s how freaked he was.”
“Gosh,” said Charlie, “I should have stayed longer and spent some time with Alex. Actually, now that I think about it, I was so anxious to get out of there I didn’t even debrief with the nursing staff. Elizabeth?”
“So, you’re not perfect Charlie. The truth is, emotions were running pretty high at that point and most of the players involved were really tired. Whether you realized it or not at the time, you were using good judgment. The crisis was under control and no one was in a resourceful enough space to process the event. On Monday we can confer with Luis’ psychiatrist and work towards scheduling an open meeting to debrief events. I’m also going to schedule a private meeting with Dr. Imperiale. He needs to know what happened. Carter’s a risk to the hospital. That trauma program is Dr. Imperiale’s baby and Carter’s arrogance and poor judgment is a liability. I don’t want Imperiale broadsided by him, I respect
him too much.”
“You sure you want to take Carter on, Elizabeth?” Conner asked.
“This isn’t about taking Carter on. Really, it isn’t. I’m going to meet with Imperiale and share my perspective, give him reason to look more closely at things. He’s been around a long time, he has a lot of integrity, and he doesn’t tolerate bullshit. If he thinks Carter’s a liability he’ll take him on. He’ll force him to fly right, or he’ll get rid of him. And, just for the record, Carter and I never went out. Not. One. Date.
There was a beach party one night, I don’t usually drink very much but that night I did. I was in a really bad space and somehow I lost what happened between being on the beach with everyone and waking up in Carter’s bed. The sad and very embarrassing truth is that I’m not even sure what happened, if anything. And you can tell that story to anyone you want, because it’s the truth, embarrassing, but true,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth, I don’t need to tell anyone. Nothing happened between you and Carter. My guess is that even drunk to the point of blackout you wouldn’t let him…you know. That’s probably why he made up the story,” said Conner as he stared into his beer.
“Wow,” said Charlie. “Is it just, me? Or, are you noticing that guys are getting more and more insightful these days?”
Conner and William looked up at each other and grinned. “Yep,” said Conner, “started taping Dr. Phil and it’s made a huge difference in my life.”
“And I always read the new Cosmo cover to cover,” added William, “all sorts of insightful tips in there.”
“What a beautiful day!” said Elizabeth as she took a sip of her soda and leaned back, tilting her head towards the sun.
“The day’s not the only thing that’s beautiful,” observed William as he looked directly at Elizabeth, took a sip of his beer, and steered the boat for the open ocean.
~
The day on the ocean had been splendid. Conner and Charlie left as soon as William brought everyone back to Elizabeth’s. It was 6:00 p.m. and there was still plenty of daylight left. William walked Elizabeth
to the door with the intention of saying goodnight. As she put her key in the lock she looked over at him and said, “Are we saying goodbye, or goodnight? Because I don’t really want to.”
“I was going to, doll,” he shrugged. “I figured with tomorrow being Monday and all.”
Elizabeth unlocked the door, walked into her house and then turned to face him.
“But, the truth is, I don’t really want to go either,” admitted William.
“What would you say to Chinese and a little “Sweet Home Alabama”? I still haven’t really seen it,” Elizabeth’s begging was interrupted by a yawn which she initially tried her best to stifle.
“I’d say that I have a meeting at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. I should run home and get a change of clothes. That way we can eat, curl up in bed, and you can actually watch the bloody movie and end my torture,” concluded William.
“Is it truly as bad as all that?” Elizabeth asked as they walked through the door.
“Truth?” asked William. After she nodded affirmation he admitted, “No, it’s a pretty good movie, just trying to keep up my tough guy image. Look, you call in the order for Chinese at Mandarin Dynasty. Leave it under the name of Carlton. I’m going to run home, shower, and get clothes for tomorrow. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Does that sound alright?”
“Sounds perfect,” said Elizabeth handing him a takeout menu, “anything specific that you can’t live without? By the way, what’s up with the meeting tomorrow? Don’t feel like you have to tell me. I’m just curious. Does it feel like its freezing in here to you?”
“No, it’s fine in here. I’m afraid that despite the sunscreen, you managed to get sunburned, love. I have a new client that I’m meeting with tomorrow. He and his wife want to grow grapes and have a house in the valley. I need to travel up to Napa and start looking for land, find a patch for them to buy, someone to build the house and guesthouse, someone to maintain the crops, and I’ve got to start lining up prospective purchasers for the grapes. Thank God they aren’t grandiose enough to think that they could actually produce their own wine,” summarized William.
“Sounds like a big project,” replied Elizabeth feeling suddenly sad and very cold.
“Yeah, it will be. Originally my plan was to stay up there for the duration. But, I’ve revised the plan,” William explained as he handed Elizabeth back the menu.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be doing a lot more back and forth over the next few months, maybe even getting someone to come up and spend some time in Napa?” he asked. “Order whatever you want love, just make sure there’s a lot, I’m starved.”
“William,” asked Elizabeth, “when do you leave for Napa?”
“Tomorrow morning’s meeting with the client is to gather some initial information. I have a flight out tomorrow night. They’re already set on the area, so that’s a given. After my meeting tomorrow morning I need to hook up with the movers. I didn’t see the point in keeping my apartment down here when I was planning on being in Napa for six months or so. It’s already been rented out to someone else. That’s going to pretty much take up my day,” answered William.
He was actually somewhat pleased to see that Elizabeth appeared a little disappointed.
“So, after tonight, I probably won’t see you until?” she asked.
“Let’s decide when I return with dinner. You should have a soak in a tepid bath while I’m gone. Drink a big glass of water and take some Tylenol. When I come back I’ll slather you down with aloe vera, feed you, and indulge your addiction for sappy chick flicks. Can I take a key so that if you’re still in the bath I’ll be able to let myself in?” William asked.
Elizabeth disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and emerged with an extra key. “Here you go,” she said, handing him the key. “I’ll call the order in and I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
“See you in an hour,” he confirmed as he turned her towards her bedroom and playfully slapped her bottom. “Bath.”
~
William returned to Elizabeth’s apartment an hour and fifteen minutes later. He carried a small duffle bag to the door, and then went back for his hang-up bag, briefcase, and the bag of Chinese. He knocked on the door, waited a moment, and then used the key to let himself in. Elizabeth emerged from the bedroom wearing her blue silk robe and toweling off her hair.
“Hey, mind if I hang my suit up in your closet, doll?” William asked as he handed Elizabeth the bag of food, then with his free hand picked up the duffle bag.
“Not at all. The aloe vera was a good idea, by the way. It’s helping with the stinging. Should we eat before the movie or during?” asked Elizabeth.
“I vote for now, out on the back deck. I’ll meet you out there in a second?” William said before walking to Elizabeth’s bedroom to drop off his clothes.
When he joined Elizabeth minutes later she had already managed to set the table out on the deck and arranged the various cartons of food. She opened a bottle of white wine and as she poured them each a glass asked, “William?”
“Hmm?” he said looking up at her.
“I’m afraid that I’m going to miss you. Actually, I’m afraid I’m going to lose you, not that I have you, it’s just…” Elizabeth stood up and moved to the edge of the deck.
William immediately followed her. He wrapped his arms gently around her waist, rested his chin on top of her head, and released a sigh. When he felt her begin to relax he swept her hair off to the side, leaned down, and placed a soft kiss her on her neck. Her skin was still pink and hot from the sunburn. His lips felt cool against her flesh, causing her to shiver.
“Elizabeth, things seem to be moving fast, maybe too fast, I don’t know. Last night I heard you say there would never be love between us, that you would never love me. I can accept that, for now. I do know that being with you makes me happy. Now that I’ve found you I don’t want to give you up. Just the opposite, I want more. Whatever this is that we have growing between us? I want it. I want you. I realized when I was showering that I was already missing you. The first thing I did when I got out of the shower was to call the airlines and schedule a flight back for Friday. I still have my boat; I can stay there for the weekend and fly out early Monday morning. What do you say? Can we give this a go?”
Elizabeth turned to face him. “I don’t want you to stay on your boat. We’re going to have such little time. I want you to stay here, with me.”
“Deal!” he said as he swatted her on the ass and returned to his seat to resume eating.
Elizabeth joined him at the table and sat back down, wincing as the backs of her legs hit up against the chair. “I don’t understand how I got this sunburn! I put on sunscreen. It hurts to even move,” she complained.
“You used that washcloth, after we shagged, love, and you didn’t put any more on. If I had known how easily you burn and if I’d been able to form a coherent thought, I would have reminded you,” said Will.
“Well, I’m afraid that the practice session I’d hoped for tonight might have to be postponed, in the interest of avoiding pain,” Elizabeth said sadly.
“Baby, I intend to make this afternoon up to you. If I can’t tonight, then I’ll make it up to you next weekend,” William promised as he gently kissed her hand.
They talked easily as they finished their dinner and disposed of the paper plates. Then they made their way back to the bedroom. Elizabeth exchanged her wine for a tall glass of water, which she sat on her nightstand. William opened his briefcase and pulled out a sleek laptop computer and power cord. “Mind if I do a little research while the movie plays?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she said as she climbed into bed and reached for the alarm clock. “What time do you need to get up?”
“Six o’clock should give me enough time, unless your sunburn is better, then you should wake me at five o’clock,” William said casually as he crawled into bed beside Elizabeth and fired up his computer.
Elizabeth hit the play button on the remote control and leaned back against her pillows. The back door to her bedroom remained open and there was a gentle breeze passing through the space. William was intently clicking away on his keyboard, although he looked up occasionally to check in and see how Elizabeth was enjoying the movie.
About two-thirds of the way through he realized that her water was empty and he took a break to refill it. When he returned to the bedroom Elizabeth paused the movie briefly to ask what he was working on. He explained that he was doing research about the clients he would be meeting with in the morning. He’d been working for a couple weeks, profiling them and building up information so that he could satisfy their wishes, but there were still a few holes here and there that needed filling.
As the movie credits started rolling he closed his laptop and looked over at Elizabeth.
She’d once again drifted off to sleep. He chuckled softly and shook his head, wondering how much of the ending she missed. It was only 10:30 p.m., but he was knackered after the day out on the ocean. He tucked his laptop under the bed, looked at the woman lying curled up beside him and wondered how in the hell, in such a short time, she had managed to crawl inside and steal his usually well-guarded heart.
Chapter 4
“So,” asked Charlie as she stood in the cafeteria line next to Elizabeth with a cup of coffee in her hand, “William’s gone for the entire week?”
“Yeah,” said Elizabeth, obviously disappointed. “We both slept until the alarm went off this morning so we only had about an hour to get showered, dressed and on our way to work.” A shadow of a smile passed across Elizabeth’s face as she remembered how handsome he’d looked in his dark blue suit, and royal blue shirt and tie. “I won’t be seeing him until Friday night.”
“It’s kind of sad. I mean, you just met and he’s moving away.”
“Not really. His boat’s here, and we can see each other on weekends, and- oh, who am I kidding!” Elizabeth said as they walked over to a table and sat down. Elizabeth pushed her coffee cup aside and let her head fall to the table. “It’s only 9:30 a.m. and I already miss him. How the hell am I going to last the week without going crazy?” she asked, before a horrible thought occurred to her.
“What?” Charlie asked.
“What if he doesn’t come back?” Elizabeth wondered out loud.
“Elizabeth?” Charlie said, getting her friends attention. “You do realize that you’re worth coming back for, don’t you? What Hugh did to you wasn’t about you. You didn’t deserve that. You deserve to be loved, and loved well. Just let it happen and he’ll be back, I know it. Watching the two of you yesterday, I could see something.”
“What?”
“A beginning,” said Charlie with a smile.
“You are a hopeless romantic,” Elizabeth said with a smile. Her cell phone rang.
“Elizabeth Reynolds,” she answered.
“Where are you,” the low, deep voice on the other end of the line asked.
“In the cafeteria having coffee with Charlie, you caught me on a break.”
“What are you wearing?” he whispered bringing his already husky voice down a notch.
Elizabeth blushed immediately and looked up at Charlie who mouthed the words, “Is it him?”
Elizabeth nodded to Charlie then spoke into the phone, “I take it your meeting is over?”
“No, I’m still here with my clients, we’re on speaker phone, thought if I could get you to talk dirty for a few minutes I might be able to up my fees,” William said. “But seriously, was on my way to meet the movers and…”
“And?” asked Elizabeth.
Charlie noticed Conner and Carter walking into the Cafeteria. Conner immediately spotted Charlie and Elizabeth and began to make his way over to the table. Carter filled his coffee cup and headed their way as well, not even bothering to stand in line and pay.
“And, I realized that I missed you. Things seemed so hurried this morning I felt I didn’t get a proper goodbye. Don’t you agree that my leaving without a proper goodbye would be tragic?”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“Me? No!” said William quickly.
“Because that definitely felt like flirting!” Elizabeth responded, then looked up in time to see Conner and Carter join her and Charlie at the table.
“So, what if I was flirting. You’re my girl, aren’t you?” asked Will, suddenly sounding insecure. “I mean you haven’t changed your mind, have you? About us, I mean?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, “I haven’t changed my mind. The truth is, I was just telling Charlie that I already missed you” She looked up and realized that although Conner and Charlie were busy talking to each other, Carter was staring at her intently. “Give me a few minutes to get to my office and I’ll call you back,” she said. “Is that okay?”
Elizabeth felt a hand on her back and turned around. She was taken by complete surprise. William was standing right there beside her.
He put his cell phone in his pocket and took hers out of her hand, closing it and setting it on the table. He grabbed a chair from the next table over and pulled it up next to where Elizabeth was sitting.
Will looked positively dashing in his suit. The blue in his shirt made his already intense eyes impossibly
brighter and Elizabeth felt her heart flutter as she looked into them. For a moment it was as if they were the only two people in the room. William leaned in towards her; resting his forehead against hers he whispered so that only she could hear, “Don’t know how I’m going to stand being away from you all week.”
Elizabeth became suddenly aware that someone was clearing his throat. William and Elizabeth simultaneously both slowly turned their heads towards Carter realizing once again where they were.
“Hey!” said William extending his hand to Conner, “Good to see you mate. Charlie, you’re looking fetching this morning! Carter, how are you?”
“Do you care?” asked Carter snidely.
“Not really,” shrugged William. “But pretend I do, I’m experimenting with something new, it’s called manners. Why don’t you give it a go?”
“Are you saying that I’m rude?” said Carter, his voice getting slightly louder.
“No. Don’t believe I did,” responded William innocently. He kept his voice purposely low, while continuing to look at Carter.
“You think that you can just walk into my hospital and insult me?” demanded Carter his voice now loud enough that it was getting the attention of a few of the patrons at neighboring tables.
“What I think,” said William, smiling politely and making his voice even softer, “is that for some strange reason, you’re just itching to pick a fight with me.” William leaned across the table and looking Carter directly in the eyes added, “Believe me, that would be a mistake. I came here for one reason only. I’m going to do what I came here to do, and then I’m going to leave. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”
William stood up and pulled Elizabeth up out of her chair. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her body in close to his, and bent down, crushing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. As he pulled away he took a second to run his fingers through her hair and said, “I’ll be home by six o’clock on Friday. My flight arrives at 5:30 p.m. but I’m leaving my car at the airport so, no need to pick me up. You have my cell, call me.”
“Conner,” William said once again extending his hand towards the young man. He then turned to Charlie, “Take care of my girl while I’m gone this week?” he asked before turning and walking out of the cafeteria.
Elizabeth stood, rooted to her spot, as she watched him weave between the various tables and exit the
cafeteria.
“Oh, my gosh! Elizabeth he is so into you and he is so hot!” bubbled Charlie.
Elizabeth sat back down acutely aware that her heart was still pounding in her chest and that she was flushed with excitement.
“Hey,” said Conner to Charlie. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Ew, thanks for the visual Conner, very gross. Why have you never kissed me like that?” asked Charlie.
“I, well you see, it’s just that, I mean, I didn’t think, not that I haven’t thought, or don’t want to…”
Charlie smiled at him sweetly and asked, “You’ve wanted to? To kiss me, I mean?”
“Good God!” said Carter standing up, “Are you people freaks? Come on Conner, we’ve got patients to see.”
Conner stood up to follow Carter out of the Cafeteria.
“Conner,” called Charlie, “you can pick me up at seven o’clock for dinner.”
Conner smiled and nodded his head before turning again to leave.
“Thanks for the inspiration Elizabeth!” said Charlie cheerfully.
“Glad I could be of service,” she replied.
Charlie tilted her head thoughtfully. “Did you catch the tension between Carter and William? Will was right. Carter was definitely trying to instigate something. I think he’s jealous. You should have seen how mad he looked when William grabbed you and kissed you.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve never given Carter reason to believe something could exist between us. There’s no reason William kissing me should make him feel jealous,” Elizabeth tried to reason.
“I don’t think that’s what did it specifically. I think it was more that you let him kiss you. And, more
importantly you kissed him back. My guess is that Carter thinks he should be on the receiving end of your kisses,” concluded Charlie.
“Are you going to Imperiale’s party next Saturday?” Elizabeth asked, changing the subject.
“I am, I’m going with Conner. Though he doesn’t know that yet, so don’t spill the beans,” said Charlie conspiratorially. “Want to go shopping after work tomorrow? I need a new dress, something that will render Conner powerless against me.”
“That’s a great idea!” said Elizabeth enthusiastically. “How about we grab something to eat before hand?”
“Sure!” agreed Charlie. “Hey, did you get that appointment with Imperiale?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, “Alex said that he was going to meet with him about the incident. It’s the end of his trauma rotation and he already has an appointment scheduled. I left Imperial a message stating that Alex and I had some concerns about the incident and that Alex was going to review them with him. I offered to elaborate on anything that he wants clarification on. I just hope that Alex doesn’t cave.”
“Are you bringing William to the party?”
“I was planning to, although I haven’t really talked to him about going yet. If he doesn’t want to go, I’ll just wear my new sexy dress wherever. I’ll call and ask him tomorrow,” said Elizabeth as she got up to return to work.
The day went by quickly. Elizabeth left the hospital at five o’ clock and went to meet Samantha and Marsha at a local restaurant for dinner. She bought the first round of drinks to thank them for her birthday present. Samantha was filled with questions and made Elizabeth promise to invite them over soon, when William was in town, so that they could get to know him better.
~
It was eight o’clock when Elizabeth pulled into her driveway. As she walked up to the front door she heard something crash along the side of the house. The sound startled her and she dropped her keys. Before she could bend down to retrieve them, her neighbor’s cat ran out from the side of the house and up to her, brushing itself up against her legs. Elizabeth reached down, picked up her keys, and gave the cat a pat. “Hello, Miss Marple, you scared me! I thought there might be some baddie back there waiting to pounce on me! But it was just you rummaging in the trash again. Run along home!”
She walked into the house, set her purse on the table, and went straight back to her bedroom. As soon
as she entered the room she noticed that the back door to her bedroom was slightly ajar. “That’s funny,” she thought, “I could have sworn I’d closed and locked that this morning.” She locked the door and then hit the play on her CD player. Once the music began to play she made her way to the bathroom, lit some candles, and started a bath.
Satisfied that she had a few minutes before the tub would be full Elizabeth left the room to get herself a glass of wine and grabbed her mail. Upon returning to the bedroom she sat on the bed and flipped through the handful of envelopes, quickly scanning them. She then leaned over, hit the speakerphone button on her phone and punched the autodial so that she could check her messages.
“Baby, it’s me. I arrived in San Francisco without a hitch and drove up here to Sonoma. The Daniels’ are putting me up at this beautiful resort. You would love it. I miss you. I hope that I didn’t embarrass you at work today. Just couldn’t leave without seeing you again. I wish I were holding you in my arms right now, tasting your lips. God, just thinking about you gets me hard, doll. Hope you’re listening to this in private. I’m off to take a cold shower and go to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day of checking out properties. Ring me up sometime in the evening if we don’t talk before then.”
There weren’t any other messages. Elizabeth turned off the taps to her bath and began to undress. She tossed her clothes into the hamper in the bathroom then walked, nude, back into the bedroom. She punched the number for her answering service again so that she could listen a second time to William’s message. She picked up her glass of wine, walked back into the bathroom and stepped into the warm tub. Elizabeth leaned back and let his voice wash over her as she ran her hands over her body and pretended they were his.
She pulled the plug when the water started to feel cold, wrapped a towel around her body and walked back out to her bedroom. As Elizabeth stepped into the room she froze in place. The back door to her bedroom was once again ajar. She looked around her room anxiously then ran over to again close and lock the door. She grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency number for police department.
Their response was prompt and the officer was extremely kind. He checked the house carefully and made sure that all of the doors and windows were locked. There were no signs of forced entry. The officer speculated that Elizabeth must have left the door open and it allowed someone to sneak into her room. He explained that she probably caught the intruder by surprise and that he hid, waiting until she got in the bath to leave. Elizabeth felt completely shaken. The officer promised that they would do extra patrols in the area and talked to Elizabeth about home security. After he left, with reluctance she crawled in bed and proceeded to have a sleepless night.
~
“That’s scary Elizabeth! No wonder you didn’t sleep last night. You should have called me. I could have come over and kept you company,” scolded Charlie.
“I didn’t want to interrupt the big date,” explained Elizabeth.
“Don’t be a martyr. I’m staying at your place tonight and that’s that. My date, by the way, was spectacular. Conner is really shy, but I can tell that he likes me. We’re going to Imperiale’s party together by the way. Are we still on for tonight?” asked Charlie.
“Yes, only I have to meet you at the mall. I’m having a home security system put in today. I’m running home at lunchtime to let them in, then I have to go back at four o’clock to pay them and get trained so that I can work the damn thing. There’s really no need for you to stay over. I’ll be all safe and sound,” she assured Charlie.
~
The day went by quickly. As planned, Elizabeth left during lunch to meet the workmen from the security company. They set about wiring all of her windows and doors, and placed motion sensors in various rooms. She left them to their work, promising to return at 4:00 p.m. so that they could show her how the keypad worked. When she returned to the hospital there was a psychiatric patient waiting in the emergency room to be assessed for possible admission. There was also a homeless woman in Labor and Delivery that had just delivered a baby who tested positive for opiates.
Since the homeless women didn’t appear to be going anywhere at the moment Elizabeth completed the psychiatric assessment first. After getting the patient safely admitted to the unit she proceeded to Labor and Delivery. Mother and baby’s charts were side by side. Elizabeth reviewed them both and pulled a Child Abuse Report form out of her binder. She completed the form, faxed it to the local hotline number, and then called to obtain authorization to place the infant on a court hold. Elizabeth filled out the hold paperwork, and taped it to the front of the infant’s chart. She pulled out a brochure about Methadone Maintenance and a card with the telephone number for Narcotics Anonymous before making her way to the mother’s room. The new mother was not at all upset to hear that her child was being taken into custody. In fact, it was just the opposite. She expressed relief and asked how soon she was going to be discharged. She wasn’t the least bit interested in giving up her heroin habit. Elizabeth struggled, doing her best to remain professional, to not get emotionally involved. It was hard. She found it especially hard when there was an innocent child involved.
At 3:30 p.m. as Elizabeth walked through the lobby en route to her office, Carter ran up to her. She heard the overhead announcement, “Code Trauma, Code Trauma.”
“Elizabeth, glad I caught you, there’s a really ugly one coming in! I’m going to need you to stay,” said Carter.
“Sorry, Carter, I can’t tonight. There’s something I have to take care of.”
“It’s gonna have to wait. Bunch of kids cut school, spent the day at someone’s house boozing it up and smoking grass. There was a 911 call about an alcohol poisoning and as the operator was on the phone a
gunshot was fired. It seems a couple of the kids decided to play Russian roulette. So there’s an alcohol poisoning and a gunshot wound to the head. They’re only 16. Liz, it was the Mayor’s daughter that made the call. I’m sure that the media will be here any minute. These kids were from prominent families, visible families. Charlie won’t be able to manage this alone and I don’t have time to argue with you,” concluded Carter.
Elizabeth nodded her consent.
“You’re with me?” asked Carter, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
“Yeah,” agreed Elizabeth, following Carter to the Trauma room.
While they were waiting for the ambulance to arrive Elizabeth called the security company and explained her situation. They agreed to put the charges on her credit card and to lock up and secure the house before they left. Elizabeth asked that they leave the keys with her neighbor, Mr. James. They talked her through the basics over the phone and agreed to leave all of the instructional materials on her kitchen table.
By that time the two ambulances had arrived and they were unloading both victims. The gunshot wound went into the Trauma room and the alcohol poisoning into the Emergency Room. Carter was at his best. Elizabeth had to admit that he could be positively brilliant. He directed the attending of the Emergency Department to take charge of the alcohol poisoning and assigned the lead trauma nurse and resident to assist.
Carter had paged the neurosurgeon on call as soon as he heard of the incident. Carter and Conner worked in tandem, trying desperately to stabilize the patient. It became obvious very quickly that the situation in the trauma room was hopeless. The boy began seizing, and then stopped breathing. In the blink of an eye a full code was in progress. The neurosurgical consult was cancelled. The code was called. The patient was declared dead. Elizabeth put on some gloves and looked through the boy’s wallet. The driver’s license said, Thomas Imperiale. The emergency contact was listed as Anthony Imperiale, his father. Anthony was one of the cities most prominent attorneys and he happened to be Dr. Vincent Imperiale’s younger brother.
“Carter,” said Elizabeth, “One of us needs to page Imperiale, this was his nephew.”
“Christ!” said Carter as he pulled off his gloves and threw them angrily into the hazardous waste bucket. “Would you mind? You’re much better at this. I’m gonna go take over the Alcohol poisoning, nothing more I can do here and I should let Hank get back to his other Emergency Room patients”
Elizabeth picked up the phone in the trauma room and asked the Operator to page Dr. Imperiale. She next called Anthony Imperiale and was told that he was in Court. Elizabeth explained to his secretary that she was calling from the hospital and that he had to be tracked down. Whatever was happening in court
would have to wait. After getting the name and number of the courtroom he was trying the case in, Elizabeth called and spoke to the bailiff. Within minutes she had spoken to Mr. Imperiale and he was on his way to the hospital.
Dr. Imperiale responded to the page moments after. Elizabeth explained with sensitivity and compassion what had happened and listened as he broke down on the phone. He was already in his office at the hospital and told her he'd come to the trauma room immediately so he could help break the news to his brother. The evening was emotional for everyone. The media was present in full force, lurking around, trying to get the story. The police were there as well, interviewing people, and trying to piece together events. The EMT’s told Elizabeth that there were four other kids on site and that they were all being taken into police custody for questioning.
She spent the next several hours with the Imperiale family. She held Mrs. Imperiale’s hand as she went to see her son for the last time. Although Annette and Tony Imperiale had ended their marriage in a very public and messy divorce, they came together in grief. At their request, Elizabeth called their parish Priest and stayed with them through the coroner’s questioning. Dr. Imperiale took the lead in addressing the question of organ donation, but the boy’s family decided against it. Their Priest recommended a funeral home to the couple and Elizabeth again made the necessary calls.
By 8:00 p.m. there was nothing more to be done except get the family out discretely, so that they could grieve in private. The exits to the hospital were blocked with reporters. Elizabeth picked up the phone and called over to the convent, asking to speak to Sister Rose Genevieve. The Sisters of Mercy originally ran the Hospital and there was still a small convent across the street, which housed a few remaining nuns. A tunnel had been built decades ago between the convent and the hospital. It was rarely, if ever, used anymore. But it was going to be used tonight. Elizabeth and Vincent Imperiale escorted the family through the tunnel. Vince promised to come back around in 10 minutes with the car and left the devastated couple in the good hands of the Sisters.
Elizabeth doubled back, through the tunnel, with Dr. Imperiale. As they approached the end of the tunnel Elizabeth felt him reach for her hand. She looked at him and saw his face crumble as tears began to spill out of his eyes and course down his weathered cheeks. This man had seen war, both actual war and the everyday evidence of the war that humans, in peaceful time, wage on each other. He was a master at salvaging the unsalvageable. But, Thomas couldn’t be saved. Elizabeth sat on the floor with him at the edge of the tunnel, and held him while he cried and she cried, in silence.
The quiet was broken by the sound of a cell phone going off. Dr. Imperiale stood up and began to pull himself together, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Thank you,” he said to Elizabeth before walking off. “You have been an angel. I won’t forget this.”
Elizabeth nodded then took a moment to collect herself before answering the phone.
It was Charlie telling her that she was wrapping up with regards to the other case, she wanted to beg off shopping and said that Carter had just gone to the cafeteria to commandeer a table and forage for food for everyone. Elizabeth agreed to meet Charlie there so that she could eat something before going home.
Liz stopped by the ladies room to splash some cold water on her face, then made her way over to the cafeteria. Charlie and Conner were at the table with sandwiches, bags of chips, and sodas in front of them. Elizabeth pulled out a chair and sat down. She was suddenly exhausted and could barely even think anymore. Carter joined the table and placed a steaming bowl of Minestrone Soup and a roll in front of her.
“You need to eat something,” he said.
“No,” said Elizabeth. “This is yours. I’m not hungry.”
“I’ll get more. You were incredible tonight. I saw Imperiale for just a second, on his way out of the building. Thank you, Elizabeth. I needed you here tonight and you were there. We make a hell of a team,” Carter concluded.
Charlie and Conner were both looking on, speechless. Carter actually seemed to be giving someone a compliment?
“Thanks Carter, it’s been a long night. The soup will be perfect,” said Elizabeth graciously.
“You know,” started Carter. “Since we’re on a roll, I think that we should go to Imperiale’s Party together on Saturday. You and me, what do you say?”
Elizabeth’s spoon stopped midway to her mouth, and then she slowly set it down. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and reign in her emotions. She decided to take a page out of William’s book and simply said, “Carter, I really appreciate the soup, and your praise. It means a lot; you don’t give praise often so I’m going to consider it a great compliment. Your right, we do make a great team,” Elizabeth took a moment to pointedly look around at Charlie and Conner, “a great team. I already have a date for the party Saturday. I kind of wonder if Imperiale will even go through with it? If he does I think that we should all go, to show our support if nothing else.”
“I agree,” chimed in Charlie, trying to break up the tension a bit. “Elizabeth, how about we reschedule our shopping spree for tomorrow. Only three shopping days left, not counting Saturday!”
“Sure,” said Elizabeth, as her cell phone rang. “Elizabeth Reynolds,” she answered.
“What are you wearing?” asked William in a husky voice.
Elizabeth smiled. “Are you going to ask me that every time I answer the phone?”
“No, just when I happen to be horny, love. Oh, wait a minute! On second thought, yup, that would probably be every time you answer the phone,” teased William. “How has your day been?”
“Sheer hell,” responded Elizabeth, “so bad, actually, that I can’t even bear the thought of reliving any of it at the moment.”
“Well, I’ll take a second to tell you that my day was positively smashing. I think I’ve found the perfect property. I took the digital camera out and shot some tape tonight at sunset and e-mailed the file to Catherine. I just heard back from her and she loves it. She has a call out to her husband. I’m just waiting for the go ahead to move forward with negotiations for the purchase. This is going to be a huge commission, love. Saturday night, I’ll take you anywhere you want,” promised William full of excitement.
“What’s your favorite color?” asked Elizabeth.
“Huh? ‘Afraid I need a bit of a context, doll,” he responded.
“Context?” asked Elizabeth, “Come on, just tell me!”
“Well,” started William, “it makes a difference! Like, if we’re talking lipstick I’d have to say a dark red. If your asking about my favorite colored M&M I’d go with red. If you were asking about flooring I’d go with a white or black marble, or a Dark Walnut hardwood. If you’re asking about…”
“A sexy cocktail dress,” interjected Elizabeth.
“Oh, well, that would be red,” said William as if he were making a proclamation.
“So, basically, unless we’re talking about flooring, red is your favorite color,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Kind of looking that way at the moment,” admitted William. “Are you still out and about? I called you at home and I kept getting your machine.”
“Still at work, actually. I’m about to leave though. Hope you left me lots of messages to listen to. I live for those, you know,” admitted Elizabeth.
“I did. I am a firm believer that phone sex is highly underrated. Once more, I am happy to do my part to raise public appreciation. Or, more accurately, I endeavor to raise your appreciation. If I do an adequate job, you may feel free to reward me in whatever way you feel would bring me the most pleasure,” said
William as his phone beeped. “Hold on, doll.”
Elizabeth sat on hold for a minute and while she waited she took a few more bites of her soup. Carter, Conner, and Charlie seemed occupied for the most part reliving the evening’s events. William came back on the line, “Great news, Mike agreed with his wife and I’ve got the go ahead to move forward. He’s got some questions about the neighboring properties and wants to look at an aerial view. I’ve got to ring off, doll. Got research to do and I’ve got to find a helicopter and someone to take aerial photos in the morning. Call me tomorrow night? I really do miss you.”
“I miss you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Elizabeth said before hanging up.
Everyone had finished their dinners and they were ready to call it a night. Carter was actually on until 11:00 p.m., so he made his way up to the floor to complete rounds. Conner offered to drive Charlie home, but Charlie insisted on following Elizabeth, to ensure that her place was safe from baddies. After Elizabeth was able to safely enter her newly secured home and demonstrate her ability to arm and disarm the alarm, Charlie and Conner left her for the night. It was almost eleven o’clock and since Elizabeth hadn’t slept the night before she was absolutely exhausted. She set her new home alarm, drank a cup of herbal tea, put on a relaxation tape, and drifted off to sleep.
~
“So, where were you all day?” asked Elizabeth as she looked through a rack of dresses.
“In the janitor’s closet, with Conner,” said Charlie. “Just kidding! I was busy working on a proposal to start an internship program for social work graduate students. A hospital this size should have one. We have a lot to offer. Plus, free labor.”
“It really is a great idea. How is it coming along?” Elizabeth asked as she pulled a red dress out and looked at the back.
“It’s coming along great. I’ve completed all of the research and I managed to finish the first draft of the proposal. I’m sure that the school will accept us as a field placement site. It’s mostly going to be about convincing the hospital that it’s worthwhile. They already have programs for nursing and medical interns. Really, how can they say no?” asked Charlie.
“I’m trying this one on,” said Elizabeth, “have you found anything yet?”
“No. I hate my body. You haven’t come across any with built in breasts, have you?” Charlie asked.
Elizabeth laughed and scolded her friend, “Charlie, you have a models body! Stop being so hard on
yourself. We’ll find something. You need to just start trying stuff on. I’ll meet you in there. We’re not leaving until we find something!”
Elizabeth took the red dress into the changing room. It was a matte jersey/lycra blend. The fabric felt soft and silky. From the front it looked like a fairly plain, conservative dress. It fit exceptionally well and had a fabulous drape. The dress ended just above her kneecap and had a slit on one side from the hem to the middle of Elizabeth’s thigh. She wondered if it was too revealing for a work-related event and turned this way and that in the mirror trying to see how much of her leg would actually be exposed. As she turned she caught a glimpse of the back and abandoned the cubicle she was in to look in the larger three-way mirror located just within the entrance to the dressing room.
Elizabeth swept her hair over to one side and looked at the view from the back. The dress was essentially backless with a halter- top. She held her hair up, pulling loose some wisps of hair. She then let it fall back down, around her shoulders, shaking it out. She smiled, excited, “First one I tried on!” she said to herself.
Elizabeth changed her clothes quickly then went back out to find Charlie. By that time Charlie had actually gathered four or five dresses in her hands.
“Having luck?” asked Elizabeth.
“I don’t know,” moaned Charlie, “what do you think of these?”
Elizabeth told Charlie that she was going to pay for her dress she’d chosen, then dedicate the rest of the evening to helping her. It didn’t take Elizabeth longer than five minutes to pay. They agreed to hold her purchase at the register so that she could continue to shop. She took the now seven dresses from Charlie and looked through them. “No… No… Maybe… Definitely sexy… Good color but I don’t know about the neckline… I’d have to see this one on… Great fabric,” Elizabeth commented as she sorted through the dresses placing the definite “No’s” back on the rack.
Elizabeth took a seat in the chair just inside the dressing room by the three-way mirror. Charlie tried on each of the dresses and modeled for Elizabeth. The “maybe” became a “no”. The “definitely sexy” reportedly felt “definitely silly.” The neckline, on the otherwise beautiful emerald green dress, was completely wrong. That left only the one black dress, and it was too large. Elizabeth remained optimistic and took the dress from Charlie, telling her to wait in the dressing room while she looked for a smaller size.
She made her way back out to the floor and asked the sales lady for help since she didn’t know where, exactly, Charlie had picked the dress up. As Liz followed the sales lady she mused, “You know what would look good on her? A Chinese cheongsam, it would enhance her natural long lines and delicate bone structure. Do you have any long Oriental style dresses?”
The sales lady handed Elizabeth the dress that Charlie had already tried on in a smaller size, and then disappeared out back. She returned with an absolutely spectacular dress. The background of the Chinese silk was cream, with yellowish-gold brocade. The dress looked to be very fitted with slits on both sides from the floor to mid-thigh.
“That’s it!” said Elizabeth excitedly, “Lets find her some shoes-size 7 and a half, and some long exotic gold earrings, something really dramatic.”
Elizabeth agreed to take the black dress to Charlie after eliciting a promise from the sales lady to hurry back with earrings and shoes. She handed Charlie the dress and warned her that she had found one more that she wanted her to try. While Charlie was busy in the dressing room, Liz sat down and pulled out her cell phone. It was 7:00 p.m. and she thought she would give reaching William a try.
“H’lo sexy lady!” he answered.
“Well, I hope that you knew it was me,” teased Elizabeth.
“Of course,” William assured her. “Before I forget, I sent you something today. It should be arriving tomorrow. And, before you ask, it’s a surprise.”
“What are you wearing?” asked Elizabeth turning the tables on him.
“Well, lets see, a charcoal gray suit, a white shirt, and a red tie,” said William as he unlocked the door to his room and walked in. He set his briefcase on the floor, sat down in a chair, and started to take off his shoes.
“Are you in your hotel room?” she asked, her voice a low whisper.
“Just got in, doll. I was planning on ordering some room service and catching up on the news. It’s an exotic life I lead.”
“William? Are you sitting down?”
“Yeah,” he said raising his eyebrow. “I’m sitting down. Do you have news of the sit-down type?”
Charlie walked out of the dressing room and twirled around in front of her. Elizabeth shook her head no and frowned. Charlie took a moment to look in the three-way mirror, obviously disappointed. The sales lady walked in and held the dress up to Charlie, along with the earrings and a pair of shoes. She grabbed them all excitedly and ran back to the dressing room.
“I want you to take off your tie and let it drop to the floor,” Elizabeth directed.
William smiled and quickly following Elizabeth’s command said, “Done.”
“Now,” continued Elizabeth, “I want you to unbutton your shirt. Pretend your hands are mine. Run them over your chest, over your abs. Baby, I want to feel your muscles ripple beneath my fingertips. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes,” said William the anticipation evident in his voice.
“You said that just thinking about me gets you hard, are you hard now?”
“I’m always hard for you.”
“Good boy, now run your hand over your cock on the outside of your pants. How’s that feel?” asked Elizabeth seductively.
“Want it to be your hand,” admitted William.
“Pretend, Will. Pretend that it’s my hand. Unbuckle your belt and unbutton your pants.”
“And then?”
“Unzip your pants and free your cock,” directed Elizabeth. “Run your palm over the tip then squeeze the head and slowly slide your hand…”
“Elizabeth! Look!” said Charlie who was now standing before Elizabeth, looking absolutely stunning.
“Is that Charlie? Where are you?” asked William, sounding a little confused and more than a little breathless.
“Sorry, honey. I’m in a dressing room at the mall. I was waiting for Charlie to try on a dress, but she’s out here now and…Wow!” said Elizabeth.
“Bloody hell, doll. You’re going to hang up and leave me like this?”
“No,” said Elizabeth slowly as she smiled big at Charlie and gave her an enthusiastic thumb’s up. “I’m going to suggest that you put the cell phone next to you and complete your… job,” said Elizabeth. “I’ll just be patient and wait on hold until you’ve, finished, listening intently.”
Elizabeth let Charlie hand her the dress, shoes, and earrings and she proceeded to take them out to the register while Charlie got dressed. Elizabeth could hear William, gasping, panting, moaning, and finally calling out her name.
“Elizabeth, are you still there?” he asked, his breathing returning to normal.
“Oh yes, baby. I’m still here,” answered Elizabeth as Charlie joined her at the register and handed the sales lady her credit card.
Charlie looked at Elizabeth. “Liz, are you feeling alright? You look really flushed.”
Elizabeth nodded to Charlie to indicate that she was fine and held up her hand to indicate that she would just be another moment.
“Flushed are you?” William asked his voice still rough. “So, I’m guessing, it was good for you too? You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
“Two more days William. Sweet dreams,” said Elizabeth softly into the phone.
“I’ll be dreaming of you, love. Goodnight,” said William before hanging up.
Elizabeth and Charlie stopped by at a little Italian place next to Elizabeth’s house and enjoyed Pizza and Chianti. Elizabeth was home by nine o’clock. She hung up her new purchase, undressed, and spent some time stretching on the floor of her bedroom while she drew a bath.
She pinned up her hair and leaned back letting the warmth of the water soak into her joints. She thought about her telephone conversation earlier, with William, and began to feel a slight tingle between her legs. Liz stretched her arms up as she rolled her neck from side to side, exhaling deeply. She bought her fingertips down to her neck, slid them over her collarbone, and then used them to draw little circles around the tips of her nipples.
From where he was standing outside her bathroom window he could see her, lying in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles and candlelight. Soon, it would be him surrounding her. He licked his lips and felt his own arousal as she began to touch her breasts. He wanted to taste them, taste her, possess her, and
he would. Because he always got what he wanted.
There in the dark he unfastened his pants and began to stroke himself as he watched Elizabeth bring herself closer to orgasm. Once she was his, she would never do that again. She’ll never have to satisfy herself, he thought, unless it was for his pleasure so he could watch her like this.
He couldn’t hold on any longer as he watched her build to her own climax. As she came, so did he, shooting his seed against the back wall of the house, under her window.
As he stepped back and tucked himself inside his pants he felt something brush up against his legs. It was a damn cat. It startled him and he bumped into one of the chairs on the deck. In the still of the night it sounded loud and he heard Elizabeth call out, “Is someone there?”
He wasted no time as he turned and ran. He stepped onto the garden bench at the far wall of her property, and then launched himself over the fence into the neighbors yard. He ran out the neighbor’s side gate and over two blocks until he reached his car. His heart was pumping from the excitement and he was impossibly hard again. It wouldn’t be long now, he thought, that look on Elizabeth’s face, those little noises, it would all be for him.
Elizabeth called the security company immediately. Their response was prompt. They tested her system and then conducted a perimeter check. After examining the area outside of her window they called the police department and explained to the dispatcher what they thought had happened. An officer came out to take a report. The security officer recommended that she have motion sensitive lights put around the perimeter of the building and he agreed to send someone out later that day, Friday at the latest. After they left Elizabeth locked up and then secured the alarm. She crawled into bed, turned the television on, and had another sleepless night.
~
Elizabeth was paged to the 10th floor nursing station. Waiting for her was a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Several of the nurses were hovering around them waiting to see Elizabeth’s reaction. She reached for the card, which simply read, “After Saturday, you’re mine.” Elizabeth smiled, looking forward to the weekend with William.
“They’re beautiful roses. Do you like them?” asked Carter who was now standing behind her.
“Oh, yes! I love roses,” Elizabeth said smelling one of the flowers
“You know, I seem to remember you mentioning that. You deserve them,” he said as he leaned over to smell one of the flowers himself.
“Thanks Carter, that’s sweet of you.”
Carter walked away to complete his rounds and Elizabeth took the flowers back to her office. She picked up her phone and called William’s cell.
“H’ lo love,” he answered.
“They’re beautiful.”
“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this weekend, Liz. My head was filled with images of you, stretched out on your bed. Perhaps it was silly, or impulsive,” said William.
“Flowers are never silly. They’re always welcome.”
“Yeah, but probably not too many blokes sending you sheets.”
“Huh?” said Elizabeth, looking over at the flowers a shiver passing up her spine. “William, did you send me flowers? Beautiful red roses?”
“No, I sent you a set of black silk sheets, for our bed,” explained William. “Did someone send you flowers? Who signed the card?”
“No one,” Elizabeth read the card to William as she sat in her chair.
“What happens on Saturday?” she wondered out loud. “And, did you say our bed?” she teased.
“Did I? I-” he trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. “Do you think you have a secret admirer?” he asked changing the subject.
“Or something,” said Elizabeth, feeling more and more uneasy. “This has been a strange week, with not much sleep. I’ll fill you in once you get back in town.”
“Have time now, to listen, if you want,” offered William.
“No, I’ll wait until I have you here, in person,” said Elizabeth.
“Won’t be long, love. You’ll be in my arms before you know it,” he assured her. “I think I’m going to need your help with something though, I’m a little hesitant to ask, so I need your assurance that you’ll say no if you’re uncomfortable.”
“As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with borrowing my underwear,” said Elizabeth as Charlie walked into her office.
“What? No! I’m a boxer man myself,” said William matter-of-factly. “At any rate, I was awakened before the sun this morning by Jennifer’s doctor. She’s turning 18 soon and he says they can’t really keep her any longer. I’m not really sure what to do. I’m the only family she has. I can’t stand the thought of her living on the streets. She’d never survive. This doctor seems to think that there’s a chance Jen could live a “normal” life, whatever that means, for a girl who’s been in an institution for a decade.”
“How do you want me to help?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t really know. I don’t understand everything the ol’ doc is saying and I know that you speak his language, love. Could I fax you a release and have you give him a call? I don’t think I can make any decisions or plans without understanding her condition, you know?” William concluded.
“Are you thinking of bringing her back here? Is that an option you would consider?”
“Been thinking about it, doll. Can’t really help her much if she stays across the pond, can I? So, you’ll do it? You’ll speak to the doc for me?” asked William, hesitantly.
“Of course, what’s your fax number? I’ll also need the name of the place and the doctor’s name for the authorization request. I’ll fill it all out so you just have to sign it. Fax it back with his phone number and I’ll give him a call. I’ll do my best to get the skinny and we can talk it through this weekend,” she committed.
William provided Elizabeth with the requested information, said he would keep a lookout for the fax, and promised to talk with her later in the evening, after she got home. The remainder of the day was relatively uneventful. Elizabeth successfully exchanged faxes with William and managed to schedule a phone conference with Jennifer’s psychiatrist, Dr. Bernard Friedman, for 6:00 a.m. Friday.
Elizabeth went grocery shopping after work. She didn’t want to have to stock up on Friday after a long day of work. Plus she was expecting William back on Friday. She didn’t want to waste time at the grocers, when she could be in his arms. So tonight she bought groceries to make a nice home-cooked meal for Friday. She also picked up some wine, additional breakfast goods for Saturday and Sunday morning, and some general staples. She stopped by a deli on the way home and ordered a large submarine sandwich, planning to take half to work tomorrow.
It was close to 8:30 p.m. as Elizabeth pulled into her driveway. It was dark outside. Since there were many grocery bags she settled on first unlocking the front door, planning to make several trips into the house. The neighborhood was quiet as she walked to the door and noticed a small package waiting for her on the top step. The trunk of her car stood open. There was a porch light lighting the area directly in front of her door, and the light from the trunk glowing 15 feet away. Elizabeth walked up the steps holding her keys in her hands.
As she stepped up to the door, Miss Marple came from around the side of the house to meet her. When Liz started to turn towards the cat to say hello it scampered off. In the blink of an eye Elizabeth found herself pinned to the door. There was an arm around her waist and a hand touching her breast. She could feel someone’s hot breath on the back of her neck, feel their heart beating rapidly through their clothes, feel their arousal against her bottom. She felt complete panic and paralyzing fear run through her entire being.
“Please, please don’t hurt me,” she begged.
The hand quickly released her breast. The arm unwrapped itself from around her waist. Elizabeth took this opportunity to push against her attacker. Hard. She took off towards her neighbor’s house, running across Mr. James’ front lawn before she realized that no one had reached for her, no one was chasing her. She turned back to see William standing in her doorway. Elizabeth felt the world start to spin around her, and then suddenly it all went dark.
“Elizabeth, love, are you okay? Elizabeth?” William said as he held her in his arms.
Elizabeth came to and could feel someone’s hands on her; she immediately started struggling against her captor.
“Elizabeth! It’s okay! It’s me, William!”
Elizabeth began to remember the image of William, standing in front of her home. Her eyes began to once again focus, her breathing slowed and she realized that she was cradled against William's chest on Mr. James’ front lawn. She immediately tried to stand up, but was surprised by another dizzy spell. As she swayed a bit William was there to catch her and scooped her up, into his arms.
“Still a little dizzy? I think your head hit pretty hard when you fainted. Thank goodness you were on the grass,” said William.
“I fainted?” asked Elizabeth while she was playing with the collar of William’s shirt.
“Yep. Just like in the movies. Have you ever fainted before, love?” William asked her as he started to carry her across the street to her home.
“No. And, I think you can put me down now,” said Elizabeth as she started to feel embarrassed.
“Nope, not yet,” Will declared.
“Really, I’m alright. I think it was a combination of fright and not eating since breakfast, that’s all. I just thought he had come back-”
She felt William stiffen immediately. He unlocked the door using the hand that was behind Elizabeth’s back, turned the knob, walked into her apartment, and flicked on the entryway light.
“Wait,” shouted Elizabeth as she reached forward and punched some numbers into a keypad.
“That’s new.”
“Yes,” acknowledged Elizabeth. “It’s been a hard week,” she said as tears started to leak out of her eyes.
“Shh,” hushed William. “You’re alright, doll. I’m here. I won’t let any nasties get to you.” William carried Elizabeth back to her bedroom and set her down onto her bed. He kissed her forehead and left the room but for a minute. He returned with a glass of wine, turned on the television and handed her the remote control. “Here, you watch some telly while I unload the car and lock up. Can I order some dinner for you? Or I could whip something up?”
Elizabeth sniffled and reached for a tissue. “No, thanks, I picked up a sandwich on the way home, it’s big enough we could split it if you haven’t eaten.”
William nodded and left to finish doing as he promised. Twenty minutes later he returned to the bedroom with a tray laden with submarine sandwich, potato chips, and a second glass of wine for him. He climbed in on the other side of the bed and set the tray down between them. Elizabeth looked over at him and simply said, “Thank you.”
“Well,” started William, “Have to say I feel like a stupid git for scaring you the way I did. I got more done than I anticipated so I figured I’d surprise you and show up a bit early. I should have told you. I’m sorry, Liz. I just wasn’t thinking.”
Elizabeth took a bite out of her sandwich and leaned her head back onto her pillow. She closed her
eyes for a moment suddenly realizing how hungry she had been. She swallowed, and then started to explain. “Monday night, when I came home from work, that back door was wide open.” Elizabeth indicated the door leading from her bedroom onto the back deck. “I shut and locked the door, then got into the bath. When I got out of the tub it was ajar again. I called the police and they were great. They thought I surprised a burglar and that he just hid until I was in the bath and he could escape. I had the security system installed Tuesday. Last night, while I was in the bath I heard a noise. I just knew someone was out there and I called the security company. They said that someone was watching me while I was in the bath and there was evidence-”
“What, did they get fingerprints or something?” asked William trying to contain his own anxiety.
“No, apparently the guy was watching me while sharing a special moment with his own hand,” clarified Elizabeth. “Then, today I got the flowers. When you came up behind me I thought you were him. It could be that it’s not even all the same person, you know? Maybe I just freaked. Anyways, motion sensitive lights are going up tomorrow.”
As William listened to Elizabeth he could feel his anger rising. “You tell me this stuff like it’s nothing! This is not a nothing. This is a something! A big something!” William said as he jumped up from the bed and began pacing in the bedroom obviously angry.
“Are you mad at me?” asked Elizabeth feeling confused.
“Damn right!” shouted William. “You need to be more careful! ‘Please don’t hurt me?’ What the hell is that? You think if I was some badass out to get you that would convince me?”
“Why are you yelling at me?” Elizabeth shouted. “Besides, I got away-”
William struggled to rein in his anger. He purposefully took some slow breaths and walked over to sit next to Elizabeth on the bed. “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s not you I’m angry at, not really. I think that this is all the same guy, Elizabeth. It’s too much of a coincidence otherwise. You need to know that I released you as soon as I could tell you were afraid. If I had wanted to hurt you, I’m certain I could have. If you have someone stalking you, you need to be prepared. I know what I’m talking about. Believe me. You’ve taken some good steps, with the security and all. But it could just come down to you. What if you were the only weapon? If stripped of the alarms or access to call the police. What could you do?”
“Why do you even care? You barely know me!” Elizabeth demanded. Her nerves felt frayed beyond belief.
William’s eyes met hers and as he looked into them he realized the simple truth of the matter. “I don’t know. What have you done to me Elizabeth? This isn’t me! I don’t form attachments like this! I take care of myself and that’s it!”
“No one asked you to get attached! I don’t need a puppy dog, William. I certainly don’t need you! I’ve learned to live quite well without a man in my life. Don’t think for a minute that a few sexual encounters and seemingly intimate conversations is going to change that.”
The room was deafeningly quiet save for the sound of the television as William and Elizabeth glared at each other. William climbed to his feet, picked his keys up off of Elizabeth’s dresser and put them in his pocket. He refused to make eye contact. “It seems, doll, that I’ve made a mistake,” he said softly. Then, without looking back he walked out of her room, down the hall, and out the front door.
Elizabeth heard the front door slam and without a moment’s hesitation she jumped out of bed, ran down the hall, and opened the front door.
“That’s it? You’re leaving?” she called out to him.
William was standing, in front of his car door, his back to her. “It’s what you want, isn’t it?” he asked.
“No!” said Elizabeth. “It’s not what I want. Things, this past week… Look, I’m tired, hungry, stressed out of my mind and I think that we just had our first fight. Now, it’s been awhile, but I think that following the fight phase comes the apology phase. So, I’m sorry. Can we just move onto the make-up phase?”
William smiled and turned back around to face her. Her eyes were wide and still brimming with tears. He reached out and gently cupped her cheek. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you hurt. I need to be honest with you, Elizabeth. I do feel attached. I feel the need to… No, I want to protect you. These aren’t feelings that I’m use to and I’m not quite sure what to do here. Am I allowed to express how I feel? I know that you said you wouldn’t ever love me. I don’t want to push you away, but I can’t pretend that you don’t mean something to me,” William finished.
The tears spilled over and ran down the sides of her cheeks. He brushed them away with the pads of his thumbs and stepped closer to her. “Elizabeth? Say something,” he begged.
“That was a really good apology. Are you sure you haven’t had a lot of experience with this?”
William started laughing and Elizabeth quickly joined in. It felt good to laugh. She intertwined her fingers with his and pulled him back into the house. As Elizabeth turned away to close and lock the door she said, “It’s not that I won’t ever love you. It’s that I’m not sure I can ever love anyone. I’m afraid, afraid that I’m too broken. But, I can honestly say that you mean something to me, too. When you walked out of here tonight, it hurt. I don’t want you to discard me. I want…”
“Tell me,” he said as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist in a close embrace.
“It’s ridiculously unfair,” she whispered.
“Tell me.”
“What I want is to feel love again and be positively assured that I will never be hurt or abandoned. The only way I can think of to ensure that is to hold something back, to shield myself so that when the inevitable happens I can go on living. Losing Hugh and the baby, it almost killed me. I can’t, I won’t go through that again,” finished Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth, what Hugh did to you was unforgivable. He deceived you. You trusted him completely. He was your husband, and you should have been able to trust him. I’m not Hugh. I can’t promise that I will never say or do a hurtful thing. But I can promise that whatever we have won’t be a lie. It’ll be real.” William turned Elizabeth around and looked steadily into her eyes, “Tonight, when I walked out of your house, it was just that. I wasn’t planning on walking out of your life forever. This past week, you're all I thought about, your scent, your smile, the sound of your voice, the taste of your skin, the way your body responds to my touch. Elizabeth, I feel consumed by you. Just give me something. Tell me we have a chance.”
Elizabeth leaned in and softly kissed him on the lips. As she pulled back slightly he heard her say in the softest of whispers before she pressed her lips again to his, “There’s a chance.” William stepped back, a bright smile splitting his face. He grabbed her hand and began to tug her down the hall towards the bedroom.
“Are we now moving on to the make-up phase of tonight’s program?” teased Elizabeth.
“Well, yeah, but I need to feed you first. Otherwise you’ll be no good to me at all, will you?”
“Right! Nourishment first, ravishing later,” agreed Elizabeth. “How about we eat on the back deck. We can light a few candles? I think it’s safe with you here.”
“You’re safe,” said William. “And the back deck sounds great, love. How about a bath after?”
“Were you hoping to work a bath in before or after the ravishing, Mr. Carlton?” Elizabeth asked as she carried her sandwich and wine to the back deck.
“I was thinking between ravishings,” responded William as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Elizabeth laughed and leaned back in her chair so that she could gaze up at the night sky. In silence she worked on her sandwich and chips. When she was close to finished she slid her plate across the table so
that it was closer to William’s, climbed to her feet, walked over to him, and crawled into his lap. Satisfied, she picked up her sandwich and took the last bite. William began playing with a strand of her hair as he searched her face.
“What?” she asked. “You were too far away. I was lonely way over there. This is much better, don’t you think?” she asked wiggling her hips a bit.
“Couldn’t be happier,” said William, as he smelled her hair and took a sip of his wine.
“Are you sure?” asked Elizabeth seductively. “Because, I have a feeling I could make you much, much, happier.”
William ran his hand through Elizabeth’s hair and kissed her softly on the lips. “What time is it, love?” he asked.
“Huh? I must be doing something wrong if you’re wondering what time it is,” pouted Elizabeth.
“It’s not you, love. There’s a call I need to make yet tonight. I have what I hope to be a final offer in on that property I’ve been looking at. They have to respond by ten o’clock, so I was going to ring up the seller’s agent,” William explained.
Elizabeth got up and walked to her bedroom so that she could look at the clock on the nightstand. “You’ve got fifteen minutes yet,” she said, “Can I get you some more wine?”
“Yeah, sure,” answered William.
“If you think you might be awhile on the phone I’m going to take a quick bath.”
“Take as long as you want in the tub, love. Why don’t you start your bath and I’ll get the wine?” William offered.
As William returned to the back deck with their glasses refilled he could hear the water running in the tub and the sounds of the television in the background had been replaced with some sultry Spanish guitar music. He stopped, briefly, to watch Elizabeth through the bathroom window. She was dressed in her blue silk robe and she had her back to him as she pinned her hair up, then poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub. She started to make her way back out to the deck and he met her at the door, handing her a fresh glass of wine.
“Tell me about this property that has you so distracted,” she asked as she took the glass of wine and
fingered one of the buttons on his white shirt.
William took her by the hand and led her back into the bedroom. He took off his suit coat and laid it on the bed, then sat on the chaise, pulling her down next to him so that she was reclining against his chest.
“It’s lovely, really. Nine acres of cabernet already established and there’s an existing agreement with a local vineyard to maintain and harvest. There’s a main house that’s 5400 square feet, a tennis court, and a pool with a 1500 square foot guesthouse. The main house has five bedrooms, five baths, and a 4000 bottle capacity wine cellar. Once we close I’ll move into the guesthouse and stay there while I work on decorating the main house,” William explained.
“How long will it take?”
“Hard to tell. Depends on a lot of factors, really. I can tell you that I’m motivated to get the job done,” he said as he tilted his head and smirked.
“Are we still talking about the house? Oh! The Bath!” shouted Elizabeth as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom.
He watch, from his perch on the chaise as Elizabeth turned off the taps, lit the candles, and stepped into the bath. He removed his shoes and socks, then picked up the cordless phone, walked into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. Ever so slowly, he leaned forward to kiss her lips, her nose, and her eyelids.
“Mmmm, feels nice,” moaned Elizabeth.
“Yeah,” said William, “be right with you, love.”
William dialed the phone and waited for an answer.
“Carlton here. What’s the word? Good work, Sara! Yes! What am I going to do to celebrate? I think I’m going to celebrate tonight with a hot bath and some cold Champagne. That’s what your doing? I see, well I’ll let you get the little one off to bed then. Is she sleeping through the night yet? Well, with $100,000 you could take the rest of the year off. You should think about it. What am I going to do with my commission? That’s none of your business, you nosey bint. Night, Sara,” concluded William.
“Champagne?” asked Elizabeth.
“Brought some just in case and popped it in the fridge. I’ll be right back, we have to toast,” said William
as he jumped up enthusiastically.
He returned but a moment later with two glasses, and the champagne open and in ice. He poured them each a glass and handed one to Elizabeth. He knelt by the side of the tub and held his glass up. “To this being the beginning of, something,” he said as he searched her eyes. “Can you toast to that, Liz?”
“To the beginning of something,” agreed Elizabeth as she lightly touched her glass to his, and then took a sip. William handed Elizabeth his glass of champagne then slowly unbuttoned his shirt, letting it slip off of his shoulders, onto the floor. Elizabeth could feel her arousal start to build as she watched him remove first his shirt, then his trousers. The flame flickered over his body. A body that was truly exquisite. Lean yet muscular, and hard, for her. William motioned for her to make room for him in the bath. She slid forward and he stepped in behind her. She could feel his erection pressing up against her lower back as she leaned comfortably into his embrace.
“God, this feels wonderful. I have officially decided that I am never leaving this bath,” declared Elizabeth as she took another sip of champagne.
William nuzzled into her neck and then dripped some of his champagne onto Elizabeth’s shoulder. The cold champagne trickled over her collarbone and between her breasts. She instinctively arched up as William began to lick the champagne off of her shoulder. His hands moved to her breasts and began to knead them, softly.
Elizabeth tilted her head further back, exposing more of her neck.
William took one of her hands and brought it slowly to his lips, kissing her fingers. He pulled her index finger into his mouth and let his tongue circle around the tip. He released her finger, raised her arm slowly into the air, and then kissed his way down to her shoulder, then up her neck. His tongue outlined the shell of her ear as he continued to tease her nipples. He could hear Elizabeth’s breathing catch as he bit down on her earlobe, tugging it gently and pulling it into his mouth and growling, softly. The vibration against her ear seemed to penetrate her body. It felt primitive, and possessive, and passionate.
“I want you, now,” demanded William. He reached down to test her readiness, feeling her slickness as he stroked between the folds of her lips. Placing his hands around her waist he lifted her then began to lower her onto him.
“Wait,” said Elizabeth.
William froze.
Elizabeth brought her right knee up close to her chest. “I want to look at you,” she said as she pivoted so that she faced him. She lifted her hips, impaling herself on him in one thrust. She moaned as he filled
her completely, amazed at how well they fit together, how right it felt. She wrapped her legs around his waist and then lifted her champagne glass to his lips. After giving him a sip she poured the remainder of the champagne over her neck and breasts. She arched back so that he was now buried to the hilt inside of her.
He kissed her soundly, exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue. He licked down the length of her neck then latched onto her breast as he began to move in and out of her. His thrusts were gentle at first. Her moans encouraged him to increase his pace. He released her breast and looked up into her eyes. They were half-closed, hooded in desire, but became wide with recognition as she realized that he was watching her. Their eyes connected as they continued to silently rock back and forth against each other. Elizabeth could feel her orgasm building and her breathing became more and more labored. As William kissed her deeply she could feel the insides of her thighs start to tremble. She pulled back from the kiss and he tilted his head back, his breathing now ragged as he continued to penetrate her again and again. Elizabeth, feeling slightly dizzy, leaned down and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder.
Will didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. The sound of her panting against him was driving him over the edge. Then he felt it, her inner walls started to squeeze him as her entire body tensed and she bit down into his shoulder. William let go; his release was complete as he came with one final thrust.
“Elizabeth?” William asked as he ran his cheek against the side of her face and down her neck.
“Hmm?” she responded.
“Can I have some more?” said William with a smirk.
Elizabeth laughed out loud before unwrapping her legs and sliding off of him. “I’m all yours,” Elizabeth said as she softly kissed him before moving to the other end of the tub.
“I need to give you fair warning, doll, I could get used to that. I may never want to let you go.” William picked up a sponge, poured bath-gel onto it, and began to wash Elizabeth’s feet and legs.
“Keep treating me so well and I’ll never want you to.”
William finished washing her, and then used the sponge to wash himself. Once he was finished he stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist. “More hot water, love?” asked William.
“Nope, I’m plenty pruney. Thank you very much!” said Elizabeth standing in the tub.
William held out a hand and helped her step out onto the floor. She wobbled slightly, “Oops, I’m not sure that my legs are working again yet.”
He wrapped a large bath towel around her and lifted her into his arms, carrying her back to the bed.
“Why do you like carrying me so much?” she asked.
“Makes me feel all strong and manly,” he answered as he unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed.
The covers were turned down, and he left her reclining against the pillows to go and refill the champagne glasses. As he came back into the room he took a moment to drink in the image of her. She had let her hair loose from the hair clip and her golden tresses were splayed across her bed pillow. Her skin was flush pink, partly from the bath, partly from their earlier lovemaking. Her eyes were closed and he could barely detect breathing. She looked angelic and he realized that he wanted her again. He wanted her still. He set the champagne down on her nightstand, went back into the bathroom and returned with two candles, which he set next to the champagne. William went about the house, dousing all the lights, before crawling into bed.
He watched her as he crawled up from the end of the bed. He had removed his towel and began to gently tug on the edge of the one that was still wrapped around her.
Elizabeth stretched luxuriously, opened one eye, and smiled up at him. “Are you trying to take advantage of me while I’m half asleep?” she asked playfully.
“Well, I figure if you’re only half asleep, it’s only half taking advantage of you. Wouldn’t you agree?” reasoned William as he unwrapped the towel from around her body.
Elizabeth wrapped one arm around Williams back and ran her other hand over the side of his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get much sleep this week. But, just for the record, you’re not taking advantage of me here, William. I want this. I want you.”
William hovered over her, his arms supporting him, his body now nestled comfortably between her legs. She could feel his erection again begging entrance and reached down to guide him in. William cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Your so beautiful, I-”
William was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash as a garden statue was thrown through the bedroom window showering the chaise and the floor in front of it with glass. Will’s instincts kicked in immediately as he grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her off the far edge of the bed, covering her body for a moment with his. “Stay here and don’t move,” he said as he started to get up.
“Where are you going? Your totally naked and there’s glass all over the floor and… Please, don’t leave me!” cried Elizabeth.
William took Elizabeth in his arms before murmuring, “I won’t leave you, sweetheart. I’m right here, baby. I’m sure the asshole is long gone. Let’s get our clothes on and call that crack security company of yours. Them and me, we’re going to have ourselves a chat.”
~
“H’lo, this is William Carlton. I am going to say this once, so listen carefully. I am at the home of Elizabeth Reynolds, 15 Trinity Drive. An intruder has just thrown something though her bedroom window. This is the third incident this week. We are not happy with your services thus far. I need a clean up crew out here and an armed security officer within the hour. The security officer will patrol the property. Tomorrow morning someone will be out here installing the automated security lights around the perimeter of the property. If those requests are not carried out as I have specified, to my complete satisfaction, I will not hesitate to cancel your contract. If any of this is unclear, in any way, I will expect a call from your superior to clarify my needs within the next 15 minutes. Goodnight.”
Elizabeth sat on the sofa in her living room wearing her blue silk robe. William was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace and was once again dressed in his trousers and shirt, although the shirt remained unbuttoned and he was barefoot. As he hung up the phone he immediately dialed the police department and reported the incident.
Elizabeth looked at him a little surprised, “You don’t think you were a little rough on them?”
“Are you kidding me? Elizabeth, I don’t want to frighten you needlessly. But I think this is serious! I hate to think about what you have been through in the past week. More importantly, I hate to think of what might have happened to you. My instincts tell me to take you away from here, now. If they can’t send a security officer here to patrol tonight I am taking you to my boat, or a hotel. If you refuse, I will stay up all night patrolling. And, gear up, love, I am going to try to steal you away and take you to London with me next week. I have to go for a few days and I want you to come with me. We don’t need to discuss it now, but we will tomorrow, when this is more settled,” William finished.
Elizabeth looked up at him with almost no expression on her face. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and she seemed so small, so fragile. He stopped his pacing abruptly and sat down along side of her on the sofa, pulling her into his arms.
“It’ll be alright, doll, you’ll see.”
Elizabeth leaned into his embrace and confessed, “I hate to admit this, but I’m frightened, I’m afraid that-”
“What, love?” William asked.
“What if it’s Hugh? I mean, do you think it could be?”
“No,” said William. “I think Hugh is long gone. Whoever this is, we will find him. I will find him.” He leaned down over Elizabeth and kissed her softly on the lips.
The phone rang. “Shall I get it, love?” William asked. Elizabeth nodded and he pressed the talk button on the phone, “Reynolds’ residence, Carlton here.”
“Mr. Carlton, this is Steve Thompson with Ace Security. I understand that there’s been an incident. We have a Security Officer on the way. That’s the routine response and it’s fully covered by the existing contract. Was there an additional service that you wanted to discuss adding?”
“Thank you for calling Mr. Thompson. Yes, we are in need of some additional services. Let me outline what I have in mind, and then you can let me know if you can accommodate my request. I want someone here within the hour to clean up the glass from the broken window and to repair said window so that it’s again secure. I want an armed security officer patrolling the property for the remainder of the night. First thing in the morning I want the crew out here installing those motion sensitive lights. If anyone steps foot within one inch of this property line I want the place to light up like a bloody Christmas tree. Can you do this Mr. Thompson?” finished William.
“Well, yeah. We can get the lights up tomorrow, but a guard on short notice like this? I don’t know, it’s really late,” hedged the voice on the phone.
“Fine,” said William an edge creeping into his voice. “Effective immediately your contract is cancelled. I will contact Dalton Essex and have him assume responsibility for the property’s security. I’ve been referring clients to Dalton’s company for years and his service has been flawless. I have every confidence that he could get someone out here tonight. Although I appreciate your efforts thus far Mr. Thompson, it seems that our present needs have surpassed what you can provide.”
“I didn’t say we couldn’t do it. I just said that it would be difficult. We can accommodate all of your requests Mr. Carlton, no problem. I assure you that we can handle this job. If everything is not done to your complete satisfaction I want you to let me know.”
“Pillock!” growled William after hanging up the phone.
The next two hours went by in a blur for Elizabeth. The police arrived and they looked at the scene, took some photos, asked some questions, and left with the garden statue. They expressed doubt that they would find any fingerprints on it, but assured William that it would be checked. The security company made good on their promise to send out someone to clean up the glass and place a board over the window. The security officer that responded related that he was directed to remain on patrol for the
rest of the evening and that he would be walking the perimeter. Finally they were alone again.
“You need to call in sick tomorrow, doll. You’ll be far too exhausted to work,” observed William as he locked the front door.
“I can’t believe its 2:00 a.m. already. I have that conference call with Jen’s doctor in four hours. I’m not going to sleep. I just know it. Why is this happening?” Elizabeth asked with fresh tears in her eyes.
William walked over and pulled Elizabeth into his embrace. “I don’t know. Let’s make some tea, cuddle up in bed, and watch movies for the next few hours. If you’re not up to it, I’ll cancel the call with Dr. Friedman. You’ll stay home tomorrow and we can spend the entire day in bed. We can even sleep some if you insist,” William finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Elizabeth smiled, “That sounds like a marvelous plan. You make tea and I’ll call work. There’s tea in the pantry.”
Elizabeth called and left a voice-mail message for her boss, explaining what had happened and that she need to stay home to both secure her home, and get some much needed rest. She then walked down the hall to her room. As she entered the first thing that she did was close the curtains. Because her bedroom looked out onto her back yard, it usually felt private. Suddenly she felt exposed. She tried to shake it off and started to sort through her collection of DVD’s.
William walked into the room and looked over her shoulder as he handed her a cup of tea. “That one,” he suggested. She removed the DVD from the case and joined William in bed.
“I love this movie,” said Elizabeth as she inched closer to William.
He wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head on his once again bare chest. “I haven’t seen it in years. I remember it being long,” said William as he toyed with a strand of her hair.
Elizabeth pinched his side playfully making him jump a bit. “Oi, hot tea here!” William exclaimed.
“William?” Elizabeth asked as she sat up so she could look at him.
“Yeah?” he asked searching her lovely hazel eyes.
“Thank you, for being here. It’s been a strange night. I feel a bit like I’m getting off of a roller coaster. If we hadn’t of been interrupted, earlier, I know that it would have been wonderful. And, after, I would have laid in your arms and told you so. I’m sorry,” finished Elizabeth.
“Hush,” said William as he reached behind her head and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. “No need to be sorry. You make me very happy. You excite me beyond reason, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth snuggled back down against William’s chest as the opening sequence to “Dr. Zhivago” began to play.
Chapter 5
William and Elizabeth woke to the sound of the telephone ringing. Liz looked at the clock and said, “Shit!” as she reached for the phone.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Reynolds? This is Bernard Friedman, calling about Jennifer Bennett.”
William got up out of bed, grabbed a pad of paper and pen out of his briefcase and handed them to Elizabeth, kissing her hand. He then left the room promising to return with coffee.
“Yes, Dr. Bennett,” said Elizabeth, “thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me.”
“What would you like to know about Jennifer, exactly?” asked the doctor.
“I was hoping that you could give me a brief overview of her case history, diagnosis, the key dynamic issues, medications, current functional status, prognosis, the works. William is thinking about bringing Jen back here to the States and he would like me to help arrange suitable accommodations for her here. So, as much information as you can tell me,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Well, it’s a very sad story, really. Jen’s biological mother was a heroin addict and sometimes prostitute. There were lots of “Daddies” in young Jennifer’s home. Leon Bennett moved in when Jen was five. He was a drug dealer, very violent. Jennifer witnessed lots of spousal abuse and was a victim of physical abuse and neglect. At the age of six Jennifer’s mother became pregnant. It was around that time that Leon started to sexually abuse Jennifer. Her mother was obviously aware and did nothing. There were pictures found at the scene of the crime. It’s a miracle that she survived at all.
Somehow she spiked their afternoon tea with common household rat poison. In some macabre way it seemed an appropriate finish. Jennifer spent some time recovering physically and emotionally in a
psychiatric hospital. She was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was determined that she didn’t fully comprehend the consequences of her actions and that the circumstances were isolated. After a period of observation she was released into the foster care system.
William had been in the system for years at that point. He was currently in a very successful placement and when those foster parents were approached about accepting Jen they agreed without hesitation. For months things went along swimmingly.
Then, she killed them, the Carlton’s, I mean. It appears that she overheard the Mrs. telling her husband that she was with child. Jennifer offered to make the afternoon tea to help celebrate and added poison. In her mind, she linked her mother’s pregnancy to her own abuse. Upon hearing of Mrs. Carlton’s condition she became convinced that the cycle of abuse was about to repeat itself. When William came home that afternoon she was still sitting at the table, her own tea, of course, untouched. She was completely catatonic. It was months before she spoke again and then only to William, when he visited. It was almost two years before we were really able to start working in therapy.
She appears very delicate physically and she is extremely fragile emotionally. She evokes a desire to shelter and protect. At other times she can be seductive, edgy, abrasive, even seemingly wicked and perverse. When stressed she can easily slip into psychosis, very easily.”
“Sounds like borderline personality disorder on top of the PTSD,” reflected Elizabeth.
“At times they have called her schizophrenic, schizoaffective, dissociative identity disorder, bipolar, you name it,” concluded Friedman.
“But you don’t think so?” asked Elizabeth.
“I have reviewed her records thoroughly and I have spent a great deal of time with her. I haven’t seen any evidence of manic episodes. Of course there’s been depression, she has a depressing life, but it’s not what I would call a clinical depression. There has been a history of psychotic symptoms, thought distortion, and hallucinations, but those symptoms wax and wane. I just haven’t seen evidence of the functional impairment that typically comes with schizophrenia. Her interpersonal relations, school performance, attentiveness to her dress and grooming are all pretty unaffected. She’s a bit of an enigma. I believe that she simply has PTSD.”
“Have there been any other episodes of extreme dangerousness or violence?” she probed.
“Four years ago. An orderly attempted to sexually assault her. She poked one of his eyes out with her thumb. It was a horrible incident. It came to light that he had assaulted several of the girls on the ward. They came forth once it was clear that he wasn’t going to be coming back to work. Jennifer became a bit of a hero to them then,” he added.
“Medications?” asked Elizabeth as William handed her a cup of steaming coffee and sat down next to her to listen.
“That’s been tricky. There have been many trials over the years, as you can imagine. When I took over her case she was on about six different medications with about as many different side effects. I started slowly weaning her off of everything so that I could see her baseline. I have her on a little Zyprexa to target the psychosis and a low does of Ativan to curb her anxiety. The combination, for the most part, seems to give her sufficient ego glue to ward off the psychosis,” said Friedman.
“You said for the most part-”
“Yes, there have been a few episodes and normally we just use Haldol/Ativan as needed. It pretty much puts her out. Jennifer then takes a nap and when she wakes up she is fine. We can without fail trace those episodes back to a specific stress trigger,” explained Friedman.
“Functional status and prognosis?” Elizabeth asked.
“Well, she has been completely institutionalized for over half of her life. She’s not prepared to enter into mainstream society on her own, that’s for sure. She’s had an education and is actually quite bright. Could take some college classes. She’s an exceptional artist, although her work is a bit on the dark side. She’s lacking in the life-skills department. No real understanding of money, can’t cook, never had to do her own cleaning or laundry. Those things have always been done for her. Also, having been here as long as she has, has afforded her this certain unusual, how shall I put it? Status,” he finished.
“You’ve grown fond of her,” said Elizabeth.
“Yes. I’m afraid we’ve all treated her like a bit of a princess. Unfortunately I don’t believe that there are any openings presently within the royal family and we can’t keep her here, much as we would like to. So, what do you think Ms. Reynolds?” asked Friedman.
“I think I’d like to meet Jen. My impression, correct me if I’m wrong, is that Jennifer could function adequately if continued on medications in a low-stress, and supportive environment. You think she’s bright and could be eased into learning additional social or life-skills. Perhaps even taking some college or art classes, as long as it’s kept to a minimum,” Elizabeth finished.
“Yes, I do believe that we are on the same page. Are you going to come meet her?”
“Yes, I think so. William will get back to you with the details. I need to get some time off from work. Perhaps I will be there sometime this coming week. Thank you for your time doctor. Jennifer’s been lucky to have you for the past few years,” Elizabeth added before hanging up the phone.
“London, doll?” asked William with a huge smile splitting his face.
~
Elizabeth left a message regarding her vacation request for her boss. The workman arrived at 7:00 a.m. and Elizabeth was eventually convinced to retire to the quiet of her room, leaving William to oversee the work.
Will spent the day conducting research so that his trip would be maximally advantageous. His client, Mrs. Daniels, was Welsh and he hoped to acquire some paintings from a promising Welsh artist that she had mentioned taking a liking to. So he spent time reviewing the current works he had for sale and evaluating which he thought would be the wisest purchase. Then, there were the stained glass windows that he wanted to get from St. Mary’s in Swansea. He had read recently that the church was being renovated and he had contacted the diocese to purchase three of the old windows for the wine cellar.
After lining up meetings William set about booking tentative flight and hotel reservations. Around 2:00 p.m. the ringing of the phone interrupted him. He answered it promptly so as not to wake Elizabeth.
“Hello? Reynolds’ residence, Carlton here,” he said as he answered.
“Hello, this is Gail, is Elizabeth available?” asked the voice on the other end.
“No. Elizabeth is sleeping at the moment. I could take a message or have her call you back,” William offered.
“Yes, that would be fine. This is her boss. She had called in and requested next week off. It sounded like there was some family business that she hoped to take care of. Anyhow, tell her that it’s fine. She should go ahead and make her plans,” said Gail.
“Thanks Gail, I really appreciate you being so flexible. I know this was short notice. It’s actually my family emergency, so, thank you,” confessed William.
“Oh, you must be the fellow Charlie was telling me about. I understand you’ll be escorting her to Imperiale’s party tomorrow night. We’ll get to meet in person. Well, see you tomorrow night. Goodbye, Mr. Carlton.”
“Please, call me William,” he quickly responded. “Could I ask you a favor? Before you ring off, could you transfer me to Charlie?”
“Sure, I’ll page her and have her pick up. I’ll put you on hold. If she doesn’t pick up in a couple minutes you can press the star key and the system will accept a voice-mail message,” offered Lorraine.
William heard silence for a few moments. Then, “This is Charlie-”
“Charlie? It’s William. Listen, I know it’s short notice, I’m wondering if you and Conner can come to dinner tonight at Elizabeth’s?” William asked.
“No, absolutely not. Elizabeth can’t cook. We could order in or go out and that’s my final offer. It’s been the day from hell here and all I’ve had to eat all day is a Pop-tart from a vending machine. By the time dinner comes around I’ll be ready to chew my own arm off,” declared Charlie.
“I’m cooking,” offered William.
“What time?”
“Come right from work. I think Elizabeth could use the company. What about Conner?” asked William.
“He’s in. As luck would have it he’s assigned now to Carter and Carter has the weekend off so that he can get ready for the party, go to the party, recover from the party. Conner’s off today at three o’clock, I’ll pick him up when I get off and we should be there, like, 5:30 p.m.?”
“That’s great, see you then.” William signed off.
William checked Elizabeth’s refrigerator, then wrote her a quick note before walking out the door, locking it behind him.
Elizabeth woke up around 2:30 p.m.; she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then made her way out to the kitchen in search of William and a soda. His laptop was on the kitchen table and there were various photos of paintings scattered about. As she went to get a soda from the refrigerator she saw the note.
Elizabeth,
Gail called and we are on for London. I have been busy making arrangements and will fill you in tonight. I’m off to pick up my tux from storage. I invited Charlie and Conner to dinner tonight. I hope you don’t mind. I thought it would be fun. I’m going to stop by the grocers and pick up a few
extra things. Don’t worry. I’ll do the cooking and cleaning up. I should be back no later than four o’clock.
Love, William
Elizabeth grabbed a soda, and then reread the note. “Love, William”, she said out loud, and then smiled. Elizabeth decided to shower and get ready for dinner. She spent the next hour primping. She washed and conditioned her hair. Then, she meticulously applied makeup aiming for that natural, “I’m not wearing any make-up,” look. After staring into her closet for an eternity she chose a pair of faded extremely comfortable blue jeans and a white peasant top. Some little white sandals and gold hoop earrings completed her outfit. She then grabbed the latest novel she’d picked up from the mall earlier in the week and went to sit on her back deck. Although the workmen seemed to have cleared out it was still very light outside and she felt safe. That’s where William found her when he returned.
“You’re looking much happier, love,” he said.
Elizabeth looked up to see him leaning in the doorway that led from the kitchen to the back deck.
“I feel much better. Thanks for suggesting I get some sleep. I certainly needed it,” she said.
“Want to keep me company while I cook?”
“Sure! And, by the way, what did you have to promise Charlie to get her to come and eat here? She always wants to go out.”
“I promised her an unforgettable meal. Oh, and I used my sexy, persuasive voice. It gets them every time,” said William.
Elizabeth picked a dishtowel up off of the counter and snapped it, playfully across Will’s ass.
“Hey!” he shouted, “You’re supposed to kiss the bloody cook!”
Elizabeth tossed the dishtowel nonchalantly over her shoulder. “My mistake,” she said before stepping closer, wrapping her arms around William’s neck, and kissing him passionately.
“William?” asked Elizabeth as she lightly traced his lips with her fingertips.
“Hmm?” he answered.
“Can I keep these forever? They seem to be able to do the most amazing things.”
“You better mind what you wish for, doll. You’re going to fill my head with ideas and then you’re going to be stuck with me,” he teased.
“Can I help with the dinner?”
“Set the table? Wash and drain the lettuce?”
Elizabeth nodded and said with mock seriousness, “As you wish.”
As she finished setting the table she inhaled deeply. The aroma that was wafting out from the kitchen smelled marvelous. William had cubed some sirloin steak and browned the meat in extra virgin olive oil. He then sautéed a medium onion, added some chopped tomatoes, some water, and a generous amount of curry paste. Sweet basmati rice was cooking on the stove. After Elizabeth washed the lettuce, he prepared a mixed green salad with mandarin orange slices, coconut and almonds. For dessert he had brought home an orange sorbet. He was in the process of slicing the oranges in half, extracting the meat, adding scoops of sorbet, and placing them in the freezer.
“Are you really Martha Stewart?” Elizabeth asked.
“What? No! Just trying to put together a simple meal is all.”
She could tell he was a little offended and pressed it. “Cause, I would swear, if I didn’t know any better, that you were Martha. Sure you’re not a wo-“
William pulled Elizabeth to him, aggressively, and placed one of her hands over the bulge in his jeans.
“It’s true,” gasped Elizabeth. “You are always hard for me.”
“Damned right,” answered William as he squeezed her breast and began raining kisses down the side of her neck. “The question is - what are you going to do about it?”
When the doorbell rang Elizabeth started to pull away.
“Ignore it,” whispered William nibbling on her ear.
“You’re the one who invited them for dinner. We can’t leave them standing outside.”
“Okay. Let them in, then come meet me in the bedroom.”
“What? No! We’re going to be good,” declared Elizabeth.
“Oh, I know we’ll be good,” said William grinding his erection into her.
“Stop it! Bad!” scolded Elizabeth, pulling free from William’s embrace. As she reached the door to the kitchen she turned around and blew him a kiss.
“You’re killing me here,” he called out after her.
A few minutes later Elizabeth brought Conner and Charlie back through to the kitchen. Charlie immediately walked over to the stove so she could take a closer look at what William was stirring.
“Oh, my God! That smells fabulous. I am truly impressed. Did you really make it?” asked Charlie.
“With my own little hands. Slaved away on it all day too,” responded William.
“He did not. He just threw this together like it was nothing. And, don’t get any ideas. He’s mine and you can’t have him,” said Elizabeth as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
William turned around in Elizabeth’s arms then lifted her chin up so he could kiss her softly on the lips. “You’re a demanding little chit, you know that?” William told her.
“I am not demanding,” pouted Elizabeth. “I’m just comfortable expressing my needs.”
William poked Elizabeth in the ribs making her giggle and returned his attention to the meal. “There’s drinks in the refrigerator. Conner, do you mind handing me a beer?”
“Not at all, I think I’ll join you. Ladies? Want anything?” asked Conner.
“I’ll just have a soda since I volunteered to be your designated driver for the weekend!” teased Charlie.
“I’ll have a glass of the white wine if you don’t mind pulling the bottle out,” said Elizabeth.
Conner pulled out a couple beers, a soda, and the wine. Charlie and Elizabeth retired to the deck to catch up and Conner decided to hang back in the kitchen with Will.
“What’s up with this? Aren’t the girls supposed to be the one’s slaving over the hot stove while we’re just hanging out outside?” asked Conner.
William shrugged and simply answered, “There’s certain advantages.”
“Like what?” asked Conner, curiously.
“Well, a happy, relaxed, well-fed Elizabeth will be a grateful Elizabeth. And, a grateful Elizabeth makes for a happy William,” he responded wiggling his eyebrows. “Plus, my cooking I know we can eat.”
“What happened here last night?” asked Conner, changing the subject.
William turned the rice off. He climbed up and sat on the counter and took a long pull from his beer. “Some git threw a garden statue through Elizabeth’s bedroom window. We were in bed, sharing a moment, when it came crashing through.”
“Man! Did you see who it was?”
“No. I was going to give chase, but Elizabeth was scared and wasn’t about to let me go. I don’t want to frighten her further, but there have been several incidents and things seem to be escalating. First someone broke in here and apparently spent time poking around in her bedroom. Then he jacks off while he’s peering in her bathroom window watching her bathe. The next day she gets flowers at work with an unsigned card inside. That brings us to last night,” finished William.
~
“…and that brings you up to date,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Wow. You really think it might be Hugh?” asked Charlie.
“Charlie, I have no idea. None. But when I saw the angel statue on the bedroom floor the thought crossed my mind. Angel was his pet name for me,” she explained. “Anyways, the security has been improved and with William here I feel safer,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Yeah, but isn’t he going back to the Bay Area this Sunday?” Charlie asked.
“Actually,” interjected William as he came onto the deck carrying a large bowl of salad, “Elizabeth and I are heading to London on Monday.”
“What?” Conner asked putting the tureen of beef curry on the table. “When did this happen?”
As William returned with the rice and started serving, Elizabeth explained. “Well, last night, actually. William kind of insisted I let him take me there next week.”
“I don’t want her here, alone,” he interjected. “I’m hoping that getting Elizabeth out of this guy’s line of sight for a bit will help him cool off. Plus, it’ll be a fun trip. It’ll be especially fun now that I’ll have Elizabeth for company. I was going just to take care of some business related to the project I’m working on. But, now I’ll make sure to work in some pleasure,” he finished as he reached over and grabbed her hand.
“And don’t forget, Jen,” added Elizabeth.
“Jen?” asked Charlie. “Whose Jen? This is every bit as fabulous as it smelled by the way”.
William suddenly let go of Elizabeth’s hand and picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” said Elizabeth quietly reaching out to touch his arm. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned-”
“S’alright, I’m just not used to talking about her.” William looked directly at Elizabeth covered her hand with his and said, “It’s okay. She’s going to be a bigger part of my life, I need to get used to this.”
Both Charlie and Conner were hanging on their every word. “The anticipation is killing me here,” complained Charlie.
“Go on,” said William giving Elizabeth permission to explain.
“Well, William has a younger sister who lives back in London. She’s going to be 18 soon and he’s the only family she has. So, we’re going over there to start making plans to bring her back,” finished
Elizabeth.
“So, is she coming out here to go to college?” asked Conner.
“No. You see, Jennifer’s not well,” said William awkwardly as he ran his hand through his hair. He looked over to Elizabeth for help and after she received a brief nod, she continued.
“Jennifer and William both grew up in the social service system. Jennifer was horribly abused as a child and has spent most of her life institutionalized. She remains extremely fragile emotionally. She can’t continue to stay where she has been now that she’s turning 18. They want to release her. We’re going to go meet with the doctors and spend some time with Jennifer to get a sense of what we would need to have in place in order to bring her back here, where she could be closer to him,” Elizabeth concluded.
“Here?” asked Charlie.
“We don’t know exactly where yet. That will depend on what her needs are. But, someplace in or around San Diego,” explained William.
As the two couples enjoyed the remainder of the meal, conversation eventually turned from the upcoming trip to London to Imperiale’s big party. Elizabeth and Charlie told stories from parties past and their excitement about the upcoming event rose. Conner and William listened on as the girls chatted about everything from earrings to what shade of stockings they planned to wear.
Finally William interjected, “Hey Conner. I’m going to wear my black tux and a white shirt? How about you?”
Conner looked horrified, as he said, “Oh, No! I was going to wear a black tux and a white shirt. Do you think anyone will notice that we are like practically wearing the same out-fit? That would be so embarrassing.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Ok, I get it, enough with the fashion talk.”
“What?” Conner asked when he realized Charlie was just staring at him.
“Huh?” she asked.
“You looked like you drifted off for a moment-”
“Oh, just enjoying the visual,” answered Charlie. “You know, handsome man, tux, beautiful moonlight, champagne, dancing under the stars,” Charlie finished dreamily.
Conner swallowed hard and paled a little before asking, “Dancing?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, nodding enthusiastically.
“But, I don’t dance!” gasped Conner panic stricken.
“What do you mean? Do you mean you don’t know how? Or, do you mean you know and won’t? Or, are you afraid to?” asked Charlie.
Conner scratched the back of his head and said, “I guess I never learned. And, I don’t think I want to try to figure it out at a huge party like that. I’ll look like a fool.”
“Well,” said Elizabeth, “Welcome to the Reynolds’ dance academy. Let’s get these dishes in the dishwasher, then we’ll move this table off to the side and practice.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Conner, hesitantly.
“Conner, think about this,” William said softly as he bent over Conner to retrieve his plate, “you get to hold Charlie in your arms, flush against you. You get to glide your hands over her body as you move together. Think of it as foreplay, mate. And it’s perfectly acceptable to do it in public, in front of all those people.”
“Okay, Charlie” Conner said standing up to help carry plates into the kitchen, “for you I’ll give it a try.”
“What do you think William said to him?” asked Charlie as she started rinsing the dishes and adding them to the dishwasher.
“Don’t know, seemed to work though,” said Elizabeth.
Within fifteen minutes the dishes were in the dishwasher, the table and chairs had been pushed to the side of the deck, and Charlie was in the process of making a pot of decaffeinated coffee.
“Elizabeth, why don’t you pull dessert out of the freezer, I’ll find some music,” suggested William heading over to the stereo cabinet. He saw a CD in a blank case that simply said “Dance Music” on it and popped it into the CD player. He walked back into the kitchen as the music began to play. He
noticed Elizabeth stiffen as her hand moved to her stomach.
“Are you alright, doll?” William asked.
“Just bad memories,” explained Elizabeth. “Wedding music, mine and Hugh’s.”
“Well, its time we created some new memories,” he said and entwined her fingers with his to lead her onto the back deck.
Conner followed them out dessert in hand, and said, “Okay, man, show me what you know.”
“This is a waltz,” William started to explain. “It’s slow, elegant, in 3/4 meter, there is basically a 1-2-3 rhythm with an accent on the 1. The waltz caused quite a scandal in the early 1800’s when it was first introduced in England. A man, holding a woman in his arms, close to his body - denounced by the Church it was.”
William stood in front of Elizabeth, “Shall we assume the position and demonstrate?”
Elizabeth stepped into William’s arms, one hand still entwined with his, the other resting softly on his shoulder. His hand moved to her waist. Elizabeth was able to follow William effortlessly. His eyes locked into hers as he led her across the deck. She could feel the strains of the music flow through her body and soon she completely forgot they had an audience.
“I’m not getting the 1-2-3 part,” said Conner bringing Elizabeth out of her reverie.
“Oh, watch, here’s the count-1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3,” offered Elizabeth. “Come on, you try.”
William released Elizabeth’s waist as the song ended. He then bowed slightly, kissing her hand before releasing her to Conner. Conner stiffly placed one hand on Elizabeth’s waist and she took his other in hers. The music started up again. “You’re the guy in this scenario, that means you start. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine, start on the second count, 1-2-3, 1-”
Conner began to tentatively lead Elizabeth in what was initially a very awkward dance. As William and Elizabeth encouragingly coached him he gradually improved in both confidence and skill. After a second song William politely tapped Conner on the right shoulder. “May I cut in?” asked William.
“No,” said Conner, teasing, and resuming the dance.
William tapped Conner on the shoulder again this time saying, “First off, the answer to that is always supposed to be “yes”. Second, get the hell away from my woman and go find your own.”
William reclaimed Elizabeth and Conner walked over and politely asked Charlie to dance. As the song ended, Elizabeth noticed that William was trying his best to suppress a yawn. “You’re tired,” she observed. “You didn’t catch up on any sleep today at all, did you?” she asked.
“Afraid not, love,” he said.
“I think we should call it a night,” said Conner. “Thanks for the great dinner, and the lessons, now I can wow them tomorrow night,” Conner said dipping Charlie slowly so he could kiss her. “Take me home.”
“You go get ready for bed, I’ll see them out,” offered Elizabeth.
After cleaning up the few remaining dishes, Elizabeth locked up for the night, set the alarm, and made her way back to her bedroom. William had unmade the bed, and was fast asleep still propped up against the pillows. Only the nightstand light was on. He’d removed his shoes and socks, and unbuttoned his shirt. It was obvious that he’d intended to wait up for her. He held a pen in one hand and a legal pad sat on his chest. Elizabeth gingerly removed the pen from his hand and set it on the nightstand. She then picked up the legal pad and caught a brief glance at what he’d been working on. She flipped back a few pages and saw various other versions of the same thing, some with words or lines crossed out or changed. She then returned to the final version and sat on the edge of the bed to read.
My love, how long will this paradise last? Like the springs breeze you have renewed my Faith. First, you looked into my eyes, then my heart. Now, love, it is my soul that you have reached. My lonely soul had so long lain dormant, Now it sings each sunrise a joyous song. Its soft, sweet melody with you I share. Under the summer sky, together, we love. The stars witness the joining of our bodiesGlowing, glistening, giving approval. Like others I’ve loved will you leave me soon?
Like the heavens stars will you be beyond reach? I thank God for you, for the time we have. My love, how long will this paradise last?
Elizabeth felt overwhelmed. The last line blurred and her eyes filled with tears. She brushed them away and again read the poem. She felt suddenly self-conscious as she wondered if he ever meant to share it with her. She stood up and placed the pad on the nightstand next to his pen. Then she turned out the light, undressed, and climbed into bed. As she molded her body to his she whispered quietly in the darkness, “How does forever sound, William?”
Chapter 6
William sat in the living room waiting for Elizabeth to emerge. He was dressed in his tux and sipping on a scotch when he heard the bedroom door open. He looked up in anticipation. She was simply breathtaking. The stunning red dress hugged her curves in all the right places. Her shoulders and arms were bare and as she walked her thigh peeked out from the dress’s skirt. The fabric clung to her body and he couldn’t help but speculate about what she wore underneath. As she approached he sat his drink down and stood up. “What a lucky bloke I am. You look positively radiant, love. I’d tell you that I want nothing more than to stay here and shag you senseless tonight, but the truth is that I want to take you out and show you off. First I’ll make all the other boys jealous, then I’ll bring you home and shag you senseless.”
Elizabeth’s smile lit up the room, and managed to melt William’s heart. “Really?” she asked as she swept her hair over one shoulder and turned around slowly.
William’s breath hitched in his throat and he could feel himself getting aroused as he looked at the back of Elizabeth’s dress. It was essentially backless and the way it draped, dipping slightly below her lower back was making it hard for him to concentrate. He reached out and slowly dragged his index finger down the length of her back, making her shiver.
“Uh, Elizabeth?” asked William, his mouth suddenly dry.
“Yes?” she asked, turning and looking back over her shoulder.
“Our car awaits.”
“Our car?”
“It’s a party, figured there might be drinking, hired a car. Told Conner the other night that if they wanted to take a cab there and leave with us they could so that they could enjoy the dancing and champagne. Shall we?” he asked opening the front door.
A chauffeur stood outside, next to a black Rolls Royce, waiting for them. “Mr. Carlton, beautiful evening,” said the driver.
“Yes, James, it is. You have the address?”
“Yes, sir, the ride won’t take but 15 minutes or so.” James opened the car door to allow William and Elizabeth to slide into the car. He then climbed into the driver’s seat, put up the privacy window, and began the drive to the party.
As the two of them walked through the entryway of the Imperiale’s home heads turned. They were striking. William took two glasses of champagne from a serving tray as they passed through the living room, handing one to Elizabeth.
The Imperiale estate was beautifully decorated. It was elegant in a simple sort of way. All of the furniture, fabrics, etc., were of exceptional quality, yet the house was warm, tasteful; it felt like a family lived in it. It still felt like a home. William and Elizabeth spotted Conner and Charlie outside at one of the tables and started to make their way over to join them when Dr. Imperiale called out.
“Elizabeth, so glad you could make it,” he said leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Elizabeth. “I’d like you to meet William Carlton. William, this is Dr. Imperiale.”
“Actually, its Vince,” said Imperiale. “And, as luck would have it, I believe that you are someone who I’ve been playing phone tag with this week. Am I right? Are you the same William Carlton?”
“Yes, I do believe so. Isn’t this an incredible coincidence? Tell me, what’s your whole take on the mixing business with pleasure thing?” asked William.
“Are you kidding me?” asked Imperiale. “I think I better try to catch you when I can, see if I can pique your interest.”
“You’re a friend of Elizabeth’s, you have my interest. What can I do for you Vince?” asked William.
“I hear you organize weddings, amongst other things. And you come highly recommended. I’d like to discuss possibly hiring you to organize my daughter’s wedding.”
“I’d be happy to help you out. Have you set a date yet?”
“They would like to plan on next June, but no set date yet.”
“Fine. I’ll need for you to decide on a budget. That’s really the first step. All of the expenses, including my fees should be included. Think it over then leave a message on my cell with the figure. I’ll fax a contract over tomorrow. There will also be a section that you need to complete regarding who you want the final decision maker to be,” explained William.
“Well, that would be Mariah, right? It’s her wedding,” said Imperiale.
“Right, well, you’d be surprised how many parents forget that. So, I’ll work directly with Mariah. Is she here? You could introduce us tonight,” offered William.
“Yes, she’s around here somewhere, I’ll make sure to introduce you before the night is out,” Imperiale promised as he shook William’s hand then left to greet other guests.
Elizabeth and William made their way across the dance floor and joined Conner and Charlie at the table.
“Exquisite dress, Charlie,” said William as he held out a chair for Elizabeth then shook Conner’s hand.
“Thanks!” responded Charlie.
“Where’s the bar?” asked Elizabeth.
William turned to Elizabeth and said, “I’ll fetch us some drinks, love, what would you like?”
“Champagne?”
“Coming right up!” William declared. “Anyone else need a refill?”
“I’ll come with you,” offered Conner.
The two men made their way through the crowd, leaving Charlie and Elizabeth alone at the table. Elizabeth was in the middle of explaining to Charlie that Imperiale had just hired William when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She covered the hand with her own, then looked back, expecting to see William.
“Carter,” she said, quickly removing her hand.
Carter leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You look delicious, positively good enough to eat. Dance with me.”
“I’m here with William. He just left for a moment to get drinks.”
Carter sat in the chair next to Elizabeth. He draped his arm over the back of her chair and leaning in suggestively said, “So, you could always leave with me. You should leave with me. Lets go, now.”
“Are you drunk?” asked Charlie.
“Why hello, Charlie, I didn’t even notice you,” said Carter snidely as he stood back up. “I’ll catch up with you, later,” he promised Elizabeth with a wink before walking off through the crowd.
“Did we miss the good doctor?” asked William as he set the drinks down on the table. “That’s a disappointment.”
“Yeah,” offered Charlie, “you missed him hitting on Elizabeth. God, he is so infuriating.”
William looked at Elizabeth and raised an eyebrow.
“It was nothing,” Elizabeth assured him, “let’s dance.”
William led Elizabeth onto the dance floor. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close thinking about how tiny and fragile she appeared. He breathed in her perfume and ran his hand softly over her back.
“This is a beautiful song,” said Elizabeth as they swayed back and forth.
“It pales next to the beauty that is you,” said William.
“You really are quite the poet, aren’t you,” said Elizabeth without thought.
She felt him stiffen slightly. “You read it.”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“I didn’t mean for you to. I’m sorry, it was-”
“Sweet, honest, open?” suggested Elizabeth.
“I was thinking more like, pathetic and overly revealing,” admitted William feeling embarrassed.
“I loved it,” said Elizabeth, “and I’m going to love it even more when you recite it to me, as we make love, on the deck of your boat.”
“Does that happen before or after I get to tie you up to the ship’s wheel?” William teased.
Elizabeth looked up into his eyes, licked her lips, and then coyly said, “That would be up to the Captain.”
The song ended much too soon. As William and Elizabeth left the dance floor, Imperiale approached them. “I caught up with Mariah and she is dying to meet you. She’s thinking about wanting to have the ceremony here. There’s a spot overlooking the ocean she wanted to show you. It’s just at the end of the garden path, but a short walk. Why don’t we refill our drinks and I can show it to you? Mariah was going to track down her fiancé, Chris, to let him know where she’s going, and then meet us there.”
“I’ll start down,” said Elizabeth. “I’m afraid with these shoes it’s going to take me a bit longer.”
Elizabeth started to stroll down the garden path. Thankfully, it was well lit. She paused here and there to enjoy the flowers along the way. Towards the end of the path was a large archway covered with night-blooming jasmine. The archway led to an expansive clearing, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There were several garden benches scattered at the edge of the property and Elizabeth made her way over towards one of them. She rested her hands on the back of the bench and leaned forward just a tad, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh ocean air.
Elizabeth felt his lips softly graze her bare shoulder and she smiled. His arm moved to encircle her waist and pull her closer. She could feel his growing erection and she gently pushed her ass back, rubbing up against it.
“God, I want you,” he said as he reached around to cup her breast with his left hand. At the same time his right hand started to reach underneath the hem of her dress.
Elizabeth froze. Her heart began to race as she tried to disengage from his grasp. “Carter, what are you doing?”
“I would think it’s obvious. I don’t want to wait. I want you. Now,” he said pushing her so she was leaning slightly over the back of the bench. Carter ran his hand up the inside of Elizabeth’s thigh. “Are you wet enough for me yet?”
“Get off of me! Carter, you’re, you’re drunk! You’re not thinking clearly!” pleaded Elizabeth as she struggled to set herself free.
Carter just held her tighter against himself, his hand now hurting her breast.
“Carter, you’re hurting me, let me go!” she begged.
“I’m sorry, thought I could wait until tomorrow to make you mine, but I was wrong. Write the date down, Carter Etheridge was wrong. Let’s get out of here,” he said.
“You sent the flowers!” gasped Elizabeth trying vainly to pull his hand from her breast.
“’Course I sent the flowers, thought that was obvious. I know you had already agreed to come tonight with him. Thought I could wait, but I can’t. I need you Elizabeth,” said Carter pushing his tongue inside her ear.
Elizabeth jerked her head away. She succeeded in doing nothing more than further exposing her neck to him and he started sucking on it, biting the area under her ear. She pushed back against him hard and now in a total panic said, “Oh my God! You’ve been the one, the one lurking about my house!”
“Never been to your house, Goldilocks. I’ll take you there, now, if you’d prefer. But, you know, my place is closer. You remember, don’t you Elizabeth? I remember,” he said as he started to slide his fingers inside of her thong.
“Carter, please, let me go! You’re scaring me, you-” suddenly Elizabeth was free. She spun around, heart still racing, fear in her eyes. Carter was on his knees before her wincing in obvious pain. William was standing over him, holding his wrist at an odd angle.
“Don’t speak, don’t move, or I break it,” said William through clenched teeth. Imperiale stood about fifteen feet away, next to his daughter. They each held two drinks in their hands. Mariah’s eyes were wide with fear. Imperiale looked on in rapt attention, clearly disgusted by Carter’s actions, yet slightly amused by how deftly Will had taken things in hand.
“I didn’t do anything she didn’t want- arrrgh-” ground out Carter in pain as William increased the pressure on his wrist.
“Thought I told you to keep your gob shut,” threatened William. “Now, from where I was standing I heard her say you were scaring her. That was right after she asked you to let her go.”
“Yeah, well she’s a tease, she was also grinding her tight little ass into -arrrgh- for Christ’s sake I’m a surgeon! You’re going to break my hand!” yelled Carter.
“You should have thought of the before you put your hand on my woman!” said William, so tense that his jaw muscle was twitching.
“Ah, William?” asked Imperiale. “Not that I’m defending Carter here, but, surely you can get satisfaction and still leave him fit for work on Monday?”
William rolled his eyes, then let go of Carter’s hand and took a step back. Carter immediately pulled his wrist to his chest. Cradling it he started to stand. As Carter looked up William struck with a powerful right cross knocking Carter back to his knees. They all heard the bone break and blood began to gush forth out of Carter’s nose.
Imperiale took his cell phone out of his pocket, dialed a number, and then said, “It’s me, and I’m at the end of the garden path. I need a bucket of ice and some towels, right away.”
William took his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped Carter’s blood off his hands. He knelt down next to Carter, and although he spoke softly Elizabeth clearly heard him say, “Carter, I thought I made it clear to you that you didn’t want to mess with me. You are way out of your league. Trust me. You come near me or mine again and I will not hesitate. I have killed over less. Want to know about my first kill? I was fifteen. Some wanker fucked with me and I shoved a railroad spike clean through his eye. Then, once it was imbedded in his brain I wiggled it around-just a bit-you’re a big, smart surgeon. You know what happened. Now, I’m prepared to walk away from this, but I need two things. Do I have your attention?”
Carter nodded as one of Imperiale’s caterers suddenly appeared with a bucket of ice and some towels. Imperiale dismissed them quickly and handed Carter one of the towels so he could try to stop the bleeding.
“I’ll have someone escort his sorry ass home,” said Imperiale.
“I can get myself home,” replied Carter
“I don’t trust that’s the case. You’re drunk. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“But right now,” interjected Will, “you are going to apologize to Elizabeth, and you are going to sober up. Apparently the alcohol tonight has rendered you both stupid and deaf. And, by the way, I’m being incredibly generous by allowing you that excuse. In addition, unless it’s strictly business and you have to interact, you are to stay the hell away from her. At work, when you find it necessary to be around her, you are going act like a fucking boy scout. I will not forget this,” he finished. William stood, folded his handkerchief back up, and placed it back in his pocket. He took a moment to straighten his jacket and tie, and then walked over to Mariah.
“Mariah,” he said extending his hand, “William Carlton, pleasure to meet you. Please, don’t let this incident spoil your vision. This will be an absolutely breathtaking setting for your wedding. I’ll be in touch sometime this week so that I can start gathering information. A year may seem like a long time to plan, but it will be here before you know it.”
William turned to Imperiale, shook his hand, and then reached to interlace his fingers with Elizabeth. “I’m terribly sorry about all this, I think Elizabeth and I should be going. Do me a favor and let Charlie and Conner know that I will send the car back around for them.”
“But it’s early yet.”
William looked intently at Elizabeth, “Sorry Vince, we’ve got a date to go sailing.”
~
William had given James the address to the marina and now the three of them were on their way there, driving in silence. Elizabeth was staring out the window.
“So,” began William, “great party. Don’t you think?”
“Did you hear? Carter sent the flowers. But he denied ever being at the house.”
“You believe him?” asked William skeptically.
“Yeah, I mean, I just can’t see Carter - you know - while he peeped in my window. Normally he’s so confident, cocky even. I just don’t see it.”
“You’d be surprised, doll, sometimes behind the confident, cocky exterior there is just a scared little boy,” said William looking down at this own hands.
“What was up with that story?” Elizabeth asked placing a hand on William’s knee.
“Wasn’t a story, love. It happened. Ok, I embellished the bit about scrambling the brains, got caught up in the moment,” admitted William.
“Stop it!” gasped Elizabeth. “You mean to tell me you really killed someone?”
“Was self-defense. It was the day of the Carlton’s funeral. I’d skipped school that day so that I could go. As I walked along the railroad tracks back to the orphanage afterwards I found a loose railroad spike and put it in my pocket. That night I was woken by one of the wards orderlies. I wasn’t about to be buggered. I was small for my age and the sick fuck thought he could just do as he pleased with me. I managed to reach the spike on my nightstand and, somehow, twist around and shove it right into the bastard’s eye. It all happened really fast,” he concluded.
“God, William, what an awful story,” said Elizabeth as she slid closer to him, wrapping her arms around his arm. “So, where did you learn that move you used on Carter?”
William smirked. Then quicker than a flash he had Elizabeth, pinned, underneath him. “Baby, I’ve got all sorts of moves,” he said huskily before placing an almost chaste kiss on her nose.
“Truth is I’ve studied lots of martial arts and I’ve done some boxing. I wanted to always be able to defend myself. You see, doll, there was never anyone looking out for me, not really. Only me.” William sat up, pulling Elizabeth with him. “Come on, it’ll be a beautiful night for a sail.”
The car pulled to a stop in the marina parking lot. William instructed James to return to the party and to wait for Charlie and Conner. He and Elizabeth then made their way down to the boat. William had Elizabeth wait on the dock while he unlocked the hatch to the cabin and dropped below.
He opened the middle drawer in the galley and pulled out a plastic bag. He carefully pulled the blood-soaked handkerchief from his pocket, placed it inside, and then tucked it into the drawer of the nightstand of the aft cabin. William took a deep breath as he washed the last of Carter’s blood off his hands and assured himself that for now Elizabeth was safe, that they had this night, and that he was going to make the most of it, for her. Tomorrow he would take her away, and do whatever he needed to do to keep her safe.
Elizabeth noticed the deck lights come on and some soft jazz began to play. William came back up with cushions for the seats, then disappeared again. This time, when he emerged, he’d removed his jacket, shoes, and socks. His bow tie was now undone, the top two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and he was carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
He set the champagne down and did a quick check of the boats lines. He then stepped up onto the bench and leaned over the cabled rail. Extending his hand towards Elizabeth he said, “Come on up the stairs, love, but hold my hand, it can be slippery, especially at night.”
Elizabeth gingerly climbed the three steps. William had unhooked the rail, and taking her hand, led her over so she could sit on the bench. “Have a seat while I take her out.”
William opened the bottle of champagne and poured them each a glass. He then fired up the motor, pulled out of the slip, and headed out into the harbor.
Elizabeth leaned back to look up into the night sky. The summer night was warm and there was a gentle breeze. The movement of the boat as it rose and fell over the waves was lulling. William looked exceedingly happy as he steered the boat into the wind. His eyes met hers and he winked at her before cutting off the engine. “I’m going to drop anchor, be right back.”
Within a few minutes, true to his word, William had returned. As he made his way back towards Elizabeth, he leaned down and picked up the end of a piece of well-worn cotton line. “Lucky for us, we have plenty of jib sheet I can put to use,” he said and walked slowly towards her. His steps were almost predatory as he stared intently into her eyes. William sat Elizabeth’s glass down on the wheel’s console next to his, then reached around her waist and pulled her sharply to him and into a standing position. He took a moment to nuzzle her neck and take in the combined smell of her perfume and the tangy ocean air.
“Do you trust me?” William asked seriously, pulling back and searching her eyes.
“I-”
“Let me rephrase that,” said William. “You can trust me, Elizabeth. I promise you, I’ll make it so good for you baby. And, I won’t hurt you, except maybe in a really good way.”
Elizabeth smiled shyly and felt suddenly embarrassed and afraid to look William in the eye.
William swept Elizabeth off her feet and carried her the few steps over to the ships wheel. He set her down and kissed her, passionately. He broke off the kiss, and then taking the jib sheet, using a simple slip hitch, he first secured Elizabeth’s right wrist, then her left.
William brushed the hair back from Elizabeth’s eyes, “Comfortable, love?”
Elizabeth smiled and looked away. William lifted Elizabeth’s chin so that she looked him in the eyes and said, sternly, “Look me in the eye when I talk to you, wench.”
William noticed Elizabeth’s eyes widen as he spoke sharply to her. He winked at her in an effort to set her again at ease. He then stepped back and took his time taking in the beautiful creature before him. “You take my breath away,” said William. Elizabeth’s long, golden, hair was draped over her left shoulder. She was still dressed in her black high-heeled sandals and red dress. Her wrists were tied to the ships wheel at the two o’clock and ten o’clock position. He could visibly see her chest rise and fall as she was breathing rapidly, partially from excitement, perhaps a little bit from fear.
William reached behind Elizabeth’s neck and unclasped the back of her dress. He slowly let down the halter-top, leaving behind a trail of kisses as he moved down her neck, around her shoulder, across her breasts, and over her stomach. He fell to his knees before her and as he gazed steadily into her eyes gently he pulled the dress down over her slender hips. He coaxed her to first lift one foot, then the other, so that he could toss her dress to the side.
William reached around the side of the console and picked up her glass of champagne. He tilted the glass to Elizabeth’s lips allowing her to take a sip while he gently ran the pads of his fingers over her right nipple. “Cold, love?”
“A bit,” she said, softly.
“Not for long,” assured William.
He sat down on the bench across from her and took a leisurely sip of his champagne. Elizabeth now stood before him dressed only in her black heels, black lace thong, garter belt, and nude stockings. Her breasts were bare and bathed in moonlight. His cock was already throbbing with the need to be inside of her. He was determined, however, to draw this out. He wanted to bring her as much pleasure as possible.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to show you just how much,” replied William as he stood up, finished the champagne, set the empty glass on the console, and then walked slowly towards her.
William covered each of Elizabeth’s hands with his then rested his forehead against hers. He slowly brought his lips closer and grazed her mouth, his tongue darting out to sweep across her bottom lip. As she opened her mouth in invitation he slipped his tongue inside and delved deep within its wetness. He
pulled away only to then begin a fierce rain of kisses on her neck. He realized that he’d never wanted a woman so badly as he took her earlobe between his teeth and, grinding his still clad erection into her, growled, “Tell me you’re mine.”
“I’m yours,” said Elizabeth, breathless.
“Tell me you’re only mine,” demanded William as he took one breast into his mouth and reached down behind her, grabbing her ass to pull her closer seeking more friction.
Elizabeth panted, “I’m only yours, there’s no one else, William. Only you.”
He dropped to his knees and slowly, possessively ran his hands up her legs. With his index finger he then teasingly traced the tops of one stocking before moving on to the other. Then, finally, William gently coaxed her legs further apart. He licked his lips in anticipation, then reaching behind her pulled her just a little closer. He grabbed her thong underwear with both hands and with a strong tug, ripped the delicate lace panty, then cast it aside.
Elizabeth was writhing now in anticipation and it only served to excite William further. “Tell me you want me,” he asked.
“I want you,” moaned Elizabeth. “Please, I need you.”
“What do you need?” asked William, still on his knees, looking up into her eyes.
“I need you to make me yours, only yours,” Liz replied.
William spread her legs, used his fingers to separate her folds, and then he slowly dragged his tongue up the length of her slit. She was already wet and he gratefully lapped up her juices. He explored her inner folds, applying pressure with his tongue. Then using just the tip he flicked his tongue across her clit for a few seconds before taking it lightly between his teeth, pulling on it gently. William could feel Elizabeth’s excitement growing as her juices flowed exquisitely into his mouth.
He took two of his fingers and slipped them inside of her, moving them in and out in time to her now thrusting hips as his mouth continued to pull on her sensitive bundle of nerves.
“More!” demanded Elizabeth.
William grinned in pride as he kept up his ministrations, but added an additional finger. He gently curled the fingers of the hand moving inside of her forward, searching for the spot that would ensure her release.
At the same time he gently pressed down on her lower abdomen. He could hear Elizabeth’s breathing becoming more and more ragged. Her hands struggled against the bonds that held them. She wanted desperately to entwine them in his hair and pull his head closer to her center, but she couldn’t. Her upper torso arched forward, her head was thrown back as she pulled against the ropes. Her legs and thighs were quivering, then trembling, and then, she came - screaming his name. He’d never heard a more satisfying sound.
William rolled back onto his heels, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and gazed up at her. She was glistening with a sheer layer of perspiration, her hair was tousled, her breathing winded, her skin flush. She looked wanton as she gazed at him through dazed eyes. He had never seen anything so beautiful, and for that moment, he knew she was his.
William stood up and while she watched him, he slowly licked his fingers. Then, he kissed her, softly, deeply on the mouth. As he broke off the kiss he wrapped his arm around her waist and released the knots that held her wrists.
“Thank you, love,” he said and kissed her behind her ear. “Now, you answer however you want. What do you want?”
Elizabeth pulled back and searched his eyes. Did he think this was only a game? A role-play? she thought. Elizabeth reached up and caressed the side of William’s face before responding, “I want you, only you.”
William ran his thumb gently across Elizabeth’s lips before kissing her again. “I’ll be right back, love. Pour us some more champagne,” he said before disappearing below deck.
He returned a moment later with the down comforter from the aft cabin and a pillow. William pulled a couple of the seat cushions off of the benches and laid them on the deck. He then spread out the comforter and dropped the pillow on top. Elizabeth sauntered over to him and handed him his glass of champagne.
“Someone’s very overdressed,” she said.
William took a sip of his champagne while he slowly walked around Elizabeth, looking her over closely. “Well, I could be wrong, love, but I don’t think it’s you.”
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. “No, definitely not me,” she said lying down to recline on the comforter.
William leaned down and handed her his glass, “Hold this for me, will you, doll?”
Will then pulled the tie from around his collar and dropped it on the makeshift bed. Next he started to unbutton his shirt, his eyes never leaving hers. His skin shone pale under the moonlight and Elizabeth openly admired his body as it was revealed to her. His beauty never ceased to amaze her. Will slowly removed his shirt and let it fall to the deck. He then unbuttoned the waist of his trousers and gradually eased down the zipper. Then he hooked his thumbs over the waist of his boxers and pants, slipped them down, stepped out of them, and pushed them aside. He was still hard with want for her, his erection jutting proudly from his body.
“This better, love?” William asked as he moved to join her on the blanket.
Elizabeth set their drinks on the deck and reclined back against the pillow as she watched William move towards her. The soft rocking of the boat reminded her, vaguely, of their earlier dance. The night air was warm against her bare skin. The ocean was unusually still, although she could still hear it lapping against the side of the boat. William lay down beside her and reaching out to cup her face asked, “My love, how long will this paradise last?” As Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond he quickly covered her lips with the tips of his fingers and moved to hover over her. “Like the springs breeze you have renewed my Faith.”
He looked, deeply into her eyes and whispered with almost heart-breaking sincerity, “First, you looked into my eyes, then my heart.”
He kissed her lower lip, pulling it into his mouth and gently sucking on it before showering a rain of kisses down her neck. He could taste the salt on her skin. Her hands had entwined themselves in his hair and he reached for first one, then the other. He interlaced his hands with hers and positioned them slightly above her head before leaning down. As he gently slipped inside of her he whispered into her ear, “Now, love, it is my soul that you have reached.”
William slid in and out of her, totally absorbed in the feel of her, so tight, so wet, so - his. Elizabeth felt overcome with emotion, never had she been made love to with such intensity. William’s eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight with unshed tears of wonder. “My lonely soul had so long lied dormant, now it sings each sunrise a joyous song. Its soft, sweet melody with you I share.”
As he continued to steadily thrust inside of her, Elizabeth could sense that his excitement was building. He bit down on his lower lip then briefly rested his forehead against hers while making an effort to control himself. “Under the summer sky, together, we love.”
His control began to shatter and he reached down to apply the pressure to her clit that she so desperately needed, “The stars witness the joining of our bodies-”
William’s thrusts were deeper now and with each stroke he pulled out almost completely before burying himself in her up to the hilt. He continued to stroke her, his hand reaching between their bodies. She tilted her hips upward and wrapped her legs around his waist, increasing the angle and increasing their
pleasure. “Glowing, glistening, giving approval,” said William as his breath became more ragged. He felt Elizabeth’s body begin to tremble beneath him.
He surrendered to his emotions, to the almost incomprehensible sensations running through his body and came with her. His seed spilling into her womb as freely as he’d spilled all that was locked up in his heart. As his breathing returned to normal he kissed her lips, cheeks, eyes, and nose. Before pulling back, while he was still inside of her, he asked, “Like others I’ve loved will you leave me soon? Like the heavens stars will you be beyond reach?”
He rolled off her, slipping out and wrapping his arms around her pulled her close. “I thank God for you, for the time we have.”
William reached across Elizabeth and grasping the end of the comforter pulled it over to cover them. He could sense she was already drifting off to slumber, and so was he. As the gentle rocking of the boat lulled him further, just as sleep overtook him, he questioned, “My love, how long will this paradise last?”
“Let’s make this last forever,” Elizabeth dreamily replied before she joined him in what was at last for both a peaceful sleep.
~
Elizabeth woke up as the sun started to break over the horizon to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon cooking. She was still warm and snugly under the comforter and she stretched, languidly.
“Oh, Captain? Your wench is hungry!” she teased.
“Breakfast is coming right up, my feisty little vixen,” William said as he climbed up the ladder and handed her a steaming cup of coffee.
“My hero!”
William leaned over, and pressing his lips to hers, gave Elizabeth a good morning kiss. “Last night was incredible, Elizabeth. I… You…”
Elizabeth smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. “We are good together, aren’t we?” she asked.
“I’d go for bloody brilliant, love. The things you do,” marveled William as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“So,” said Elizabeth coyly. “Does that mean no more practice?”
“No!” said William quickly, “You know, practice makes perfect. We’re close, but not quite there yet.”
“Hungry,” pouted Elizabeth.
“Coming right up! Got bacon, eggs, and biscuits. When I moved out of my apartment I stored the food I thought would keep awhile here. No real milk for the coffee though, just the fake stuff. How about we eat up here?” William asked.
“Perfect!” said Elizabeth as she picked up William’s tuxedo shirt from the deck and slipped into it.
The morning was spectacular. They ate their fill, enjoyed their coffee, and then spent a few hours sailing around the harbor. It was a perfect day for sailing. As the wind filled the sails the boat cut a graceful path through the ocean.
By mid-morning they had started to head back to the dock. Elizabeth and William cleaned up from breakfast, dressed, and then began to secure the boat. By noon they were in the back of a taxi, on their way back to Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth reached for William’s hand and interlacing her fingers with his said, “I almost don’t want to go back, to real life, I mean.”
“You just need more of last night in your real life. Just need to figure out what it was about last night that you enjoyed so much, and then make sure that you get more of it,” suggested William.
“Oh, I think we both know which parts I enjoyed,” teased Elizabeth as she drew little circles on the back of William’s hand.
“My memory might be fading a bit, you might need to remind me,” he whispered into her ear as they pulled into Elizabeth’s driveway.
“Bloody Hell! Unbelievable!” exclaimed William as he noticed Carter sitting on the steps in front of Elizabeth’s front door. He was still dressed in his tuxedo from the night before, his shirtfront still covered in blood. His nose had been reset and bandaged, both of his eyes black. He looked like hell, but the amount of satisfaction that would have given William was driven away by the fact of his mere presence.
William paid the driver, then after exiting the car himself he reached in to help Elizabeth out. “Let me see what he wants,” said William.
Elizabeth watched as William confidently walked towards Carter, all sex and swagger. Carter stood up, hands in his pockets, looking rather sheepish. As Elizabeth walked up closer she heard Carter say, “I came to apologize to Elizabeth. And, well, to you too. I had too much to drink and acted impulsively. I really want to make things right again. I really want things to be just as they were between us.”
“Go away, Carter,” said William.
“William, he’s trying to apologize,” said Elizabeth softly as she walked out from behind William so that Carter could speak to her directly.
“Elizabeth, I really am sorry. I thought that the initial start that we had was just too fast for you and so, since then I’ve worked at just trying to build a friendship. Working alongside of you, everyday, I was waiting for you to be ready to take our relationship to the next step. I thought that was what you wanted too. But now, I see you with William and, well it was hard to watch you fall in love with someone so quickly, someone that wasn’t me. I had convinced myself that if I just continued to be patient that you would come to care for me. I- I’m sorry for everything.”
Elizabeth reflexively glanced at William when Carter mentioned her being in love and saw William almost imperceptibly shake his head. Was that what people thought? What William thought? They’d known each other for such a short time…
“I’m sorry,” said Elizabeth, “if I ever did anything to lead you on. I can accept your apology, but things can’t be just as they were between us. You need to know that a relationship between the two of us is not going to happen. You’ll find just the right girl someday Carter, someone that will give you what you deserve in a relationship.”
“Thanks for understanding Liz,” said Carter. Then he extended his hand out to William, “William? No hard feelings?”
Elizabeth nudged William’s shoulder then left the two men alone as she walked up, unlocked the door, and went inside.
William glanced down at the ground briefly and shook his head, a smirk emerging as he looked back up to meet Carter’s eyes. He could see Elizabeth watching the two of them through the living room window so he reached out to accept Carter’s outstretched hand.
Still holding Carter’s hand in his strong grasp, William stepped a little closer and in a low voice, with a hint of admiration said, “That, mate, was something.”
“Aw, shucks,” said Carter a smile forming on his lips, “that means so much, coming from you.”
“The way I see it,” explained William, “you think you’ve managed to get back into her good graces with this little gesture. Now, aside from the fact that she doesn’t want you, you’ve only got one other obstacle.”
“And that would be?”
“Me,” said William as he let go of Carter’s hand walked to the door. Before crossing the threshold he turned and added, “You see, Carter, I’m not going away, and I’m a lot harder to convince.”
Chapter 7
The lights were dimmed on American Airlines flight 100 to London, Heathrow. Elizabeth and William flew from LAX to JFK where they boarded the luxurious Boeing 777. William had used his frequent flyer miles to upgrade his ticket to first class and to pay for Elizabeth’s ticket, which caused a slight argument. Liz wanted to pay her own way. When Will pointed out how much he would have to pay a private case manager to accompany him to London and assist with making arrangements for Jennifer’s care, Elizabeth relented.
The seats extended all the way back, like a bed. Each seat was equipped with data-ports and a movie screen. For the first portion of the flight William tried to work on his computer while Elizabeth watched a movie. After twenty minutes of trying not to watch it on Elizabeth’s screen, without sound, he finally surrendered and put on his own headset so that he could enjoy the film with her.
Now, she was sleeping. The flight attendants had come around after serving dinner and “made up their beds”. William always had a hard time sleeping on planes and he wasn’t hopeful that this flight would be any different. He tried to stay focused on work, but his thoughts kept drifting to his sister and the inevitable struggles she had before her. He had to admit, if only to himself, that he was afraid for her, for him. He was also worried about Elizabeth.
He looked over at her, sleeping peacefully, golden hair fanned out on the pillow beneath her head. He shifted in his seat, turning onto his side so that he could study her more comfortably. How had he ever gotten himself into this position? He had spent his entire life, caring only for himself. Now, suddenly there were two women he felt compelled to watch over, to care for.
He started to write.
How is it that I have let this happen? This is an unfamiliar dance for me.
The melody new, the steps never tried. How have you taken such hold of my heart? What powers, my siren, do you possess? I gazed for the first time into your eyes And suddenly felt my silent heart beat. No longer still. It beats, in time, with yours. My soul, it sang as you looked upon it, me. Your gaze travels down my body, I live. As your hand caresses my skin, I want. More. More of you, of love, of life, I want. Want so desperately for you to know, Know just how it is you make me feel.
It took some time for William to complete the poem. But, by the time he was finished he felt satisfied and sleepy. William pulled a pad of Post-it’s out of his briefcase, carefully wrote the verse down and after sticking it to the back of the seat in front of Elizabeth went peacefully to sleep knowing that when she woke, it would be the first thing she saw.
~
Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly, gradually awaking from sleep. The first thing she noticed was how peaceful William’s face looked, asleep, beside her. It wasn’t the first time she’d woken up beside him, and she found herself wishing for many other mornings such as this. The thought was fleeting, however, and she quickly scolded herself for the indulgence.
The flight attendant walked through the cabin and Elizabeth requested some club soda. As she brought her seat to an upright position she saw the Post-it notes and began to read. When she finished reading the last line she could feel his eyes on her.
She turned her head slowly; his eyes were open but still slightly glazed over from sleep. “Hey, sleepyhead,” she said smiling softly.
“Kind of surprised I dozed off,” admitted William sitting up again in his chair.
Elizabeth leaned over and whispered, “Thank you, it’s beautiful,” as she rubbed her cheek against his.
“Not as beautiful as you,” William whispered back before taking her face in his hands and kissing her. As her mouth opened slightly, he gently pulled on her lower lip with his teeth.
A soft moan escaped her as she felt his tongue slip inside. His hand moved of it’s own accord to cup the roundness of her full breast. The kiss was long and lingering as he explored the warm heat of her mouth. He stroked her tongue, tenderly, with his. He could feel his arousal building and was struggling to keep his need for her in check. As he pulled back from the kiss she snuggled against him and said, “I need to ask you something and I want an honest answer.”
“Shoot,” he responded.
“It’s about what Carter said yesterday-”
“About you falling in love with me so quickly,” William finished. “I think he was trying to make you uncomfortable. Probably trying to make both of us uncomfortable. Don’t worry, love, my eyes are clear. Not that you’ll be able to resist my sinister charms forever. The way I figure it? Eventually I will wear you down, or wear you out trying.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Elizabeth nodded and looked away. William reached for her hand and she looked back into his eyes.
“What else?” he asked.
“How do you feel? About this?” she asked hesitantly.
“Hell,” said William, “thought I was wearing my heart on my bloody sleeve.” He gestured to the poem that still rested in her lap.
“So, they’re not just words?”
William tilted his head to the side as her meaning finally dawned on him. “You’ve heard words of love before and found you couldn’t trust in them. My words scare you,” he said as he brought her hand and held it to his heart.
“It’s the fact that I find myself wanting to believe them that scares me,” admitted Elizabeth, snuggling into his embrace.
~
The Taxi pulled up in front of The Park Hotel located in the heart of London, on Hyde Park Corner. It was early morning, but both William and Elizabeth were exhausted from the travel; they had slept little on the plane.
William suggested Elizabeth have a seat in the lobby while he checked them in, returning about fifteen minutes later, accompanied by an older looking gentleman. “Doll? This is Thomas. He’ll be serving as our regular butler during our stay. He’s already arranged for a nice English breakfast and there’s some champagne in the room. Are you ready love?”
Elizabeth and William were led through the lobby, up the elevator, and to their room. Elizabeth noted that all of the furniture in the hotel was of the Regency style. It was rich and elegant.
The suite was decorated in shades of cream, green, and burgundy. The room offered a beautiful view of the park. The entryway door opened to a full-sized sitting area with a wet bar and there was a dining area that could comfortably accommodate six off to one side.
“I’ll just begin the unpacking, sir,” said Thomas. “I’ll take whatever needs to be pressed with me and return within the hour, if that’s convenient.”
“I think we’re going to try to get some shut-eye after we eat, Thomas. How about I ring when we’re ready to have you return our clothing?” William suggested.
“Very well, sir” said Thomas as he bowed slightly and walked through the archway leading to the bedroom and bathroom area.
“William,” said Elizabeth as she stood in the middle of the room bouncing up and down on her toes, “this room is incredible!”
“Glad you like it, baby.”
William was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was room service and they started to set up breakfast and coffee in the dining area. Thomas emerged from the bedroom and after dismissing the room service staff, took over setting up the breakfast meal himself. He opened the champagne and meticulously set the place settings and food out on the dining table.
“Breakfast is ready, sir. You and Mrs. Carlton are unpacked. I will just be gathering the clothes that
require pressing and take my leave,” he said.
“Thank you, Thomas,” responded William, “and it’s Miss Reynolds, she’s yet to do me the honor.”
Elizabeth blushed, then excused herself, suddenly embarrassed. She noted the luxurious king-sized bed before making her way into the bathroom. Thomas had already turned down the bed and it seemed to call out to her. The bathroom floor and walls were of Carrara marble. Elizabeth spent a few minutes freshening up, and then joined William in the dining room.
After breakfast and a glass of champagne both Elizabeth and William felt sleep was close upon them. Elizabeth tried to stifle a yawn, but was unsuccessful.
“Time to turn in, love,” said William. “I’m going to take a quick shower, then I’ll join you.”
“I’ll just call room-service and have someone come and remove the breakfast dishes,” offered Elizabeth.
Ten minutes later the dishes were gone and Elizabeth had retired to the bedroom and undressed. As she began to slip into her long red silk gown she paused. She could hear the shower still running and imagined how William would look in there, through the steam. She abandoned the gown on their bed and instead slipped into the bathroom.
The mirror above the vanity was fogged, as were the glass doors of the shower. Through them, however, she could still make out the silhouette of his hard lean body. He was shaving, facing away from the door and into the spray of the water.
William’s eyes were closed as he concentrated on shaving. He had long been in the habit of shaving in the shower and so he was practiced at it. This morning, however, he was tired and was taking extra care. He felt a sudden draft against his back and opened his eyes.
Elizabeth rested her hands on his shoulders before gliding them down his back and finally around his waist. “Hands are cold, love,” remarked William as he involuntarily shuddered.
Elizabeth placed her hands under the hot spray of the water and stepped closer to him. He could feel her breasts pressed against his back, her nipples hard. She reached back for the bottle of shower gel. The scent was minty, refreshing and soothing at the same time. She squeezed some of the shower gel into her hands and rubbed them together to create lather. The heady aroma began to fill the room and Elizabeth inhaled deeply. The warmth of the water, the smell of the shower gel, the feel of William’s well-sculpted body under her hands, it all seemed incredibly sensual.
Elizabeth began to explore the plains of his abdomen and chest. She teased his nipples as she kissed his back, and then gently bit William’s shoulder.
William leaned his head back and moaned as Elizabeth’s hands moved to wrap themselves around his erection. The ingredients of the shower gel made his cock tingle. Her hands and the sensation further increased his arousal as well as his desire for her.
In the blink of an eye Elizabeth found herself wrapped possessively in William’s arms. He held her body flush against his as he kissed her deeply, passionately. His lips moved down her neck then his teeth grazed back up the same path. “I need you, now,” growled William his voice raspy with desire.
“I need you, too,” admitted Elizabeth, softly. “I want you, so much. Please, take me.”
Elizabeth pulled back a bit and looked up at William. Her hair, like his, was wet. Their bodies glistened in the water, in the heat. William took a moment to run his hands over her face, then down her neck and rested them on her shoulders.
“Turn around,” he instructed as he gently guided her so that she was facing away from him.
William lathered some shower gel into his own hands and then gently began to stroke down the length of her back, over her ass, and across the tops of her thighs. He slipped his finger between her legs and sought out her heat. He gently guided her to the back of the shower. Elizabeth leaned forward a bit, her hands supporting her against the tile wall. William lifted one of her legs onto the tiled shower bench opening her up even further. He reached around with one hand and began to massage her breast. He squeezed her nipple as he continued to stroke along the now slick path that ran from between her legs to between the globes of her enticing ass. Will could tell, by the way she was pushing back against him, that she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. He continued to rain kisses down her neck and across her shoulders as he reached down and guided his stiff cock into her.
Elizabeth gasped as she felt him fill her in one, deep thrust. William’s arm was wrapped around her waist and he held her tightly. He pulled out almost completely before thrusting in a second time, this time angling up and penetrating her even deeper. He stilled his thrusts for a few moments so that she could adjust.
“All right, love?” William asked, his voice tense from his efforts to restrain himself.
“Oh, you’re so deep baby,” moaned Elizabeth, almost whimpering, “I, I-”
She felt William start to pull out. “Don’t want to hurt you, love.”
“Don’t, don’t leave me!” Elizabeth cried out as she pushed back against him, driving him back into her depths.
“Never. You feel so good, baby,” moaned William as he began to slowly slide in and out of her. “You make me feel so good.” He could feel Elizabeth’s body begin to tremble as her excitement built. He reached around just then, and pinched her clit. Elizabeth reflexively threw her head back. William had never felt so deeply connected. He looked upon her, amazed. The intensity of his very own ecstasy seemed to be reflected in her beautifully flushed face.
~
As William and Elizabeth waited outside of Dr. Friedman’s office at Broadmoore, Elizabeth reflected on their trip thus far. They’d flown out of LA on Monday morning, somehow in the blink of an eye it was now Wednesday. The plan was for them to fly back Sunday morning and arrive back in LA Sunday evening. Only four days left, thought Elizabeth, and William was planning on being away Friday and some of Saturday so that he could complete the business he had planned in Wales.
Although she and William were both tired from travel yesterday, neither could seem to manage to call a halt to their lovemaking as they became totally lost in one another. They paused briefly sometime in the afternoon for nourishment provided by the hotel’s room service. Their coupling vacillated between tender and unhurried to furiously intense. Finally, sometime in the late afternoon or early evening they’d fallen asleep, totally exhausted, completely sated, in a tangle of sheets and in each others arms.
Elizabeth could feel herself begin to blush at the memory. “A penny for your thoughts, love,” William whispered as he reached for her hand.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and her lips broke into smile. “You first,” she insisted.
“Well, I was just reliving position number three, or was that four? The one you seemed to like so much,” teased William as the door to Dr. Friedman’s office suddenly opened.
The doctor seemed to be in his mid fifties. He was short, thin, and was sporting a beard. “Mr. Carlton, Miss Reynolds,” he said as he approached extending his hand, “nice to see you.”
“Is Jennifer expecting us?” William asked, while Dr. Carlton shook hands with Elizabeth.
“Yes,” answered Friedman. “I thought it would be best to explain that you were bringing someone to assist you in making plans. She does best when things aren’t sprung on her, you know. She earned extra time in the art room this week. I believe she’s there now, working on a painting. I’ll take you there, and then leave you to your visit. I think we should limit it to 30 minutes, an hour at the most. Test the waters so to speak.”
Dr. Friedman led them down a corridor and through a series of locked doors. Finally he stopped outside of what appeared to be a classroom. The upper part of the door had a window, made of safety glass. Through it Elizabeth could see a pale, thin, hauntingly beautiful creature. She was standing with a canvas in front of her, the sun’s rays at her back as they poured in through the window. Her hair was as dark as ink. Her eyes, unlike William’s, were also dark and as they looked up and met Elizabeth’s, she felt a slight jolt.
“William, you remember, the panic button is to the left of the door should you require any assistance?” Dr. Friedman asked.
“Yes, I remember.”
“Good luck,” he said, before walking off. “I’ll be back in thirty to forty-five minutes.”
William nodded before reaching down, turning the doorknob, and opening the door. Jennifer set her paintbrush down, walked around her easel, and slowly walked towards William, arms outstretched. “Will, do you have a kiss for me?” she asked.
“Of course, doll,” said William as he wrapped his arms around the slight young woman and kissed the top of her head.
“You found her,” she said, looking up at him her eyes wide with wonder. “I didn’t think it was true, what it whispered to me,” said Jennifer as she rubbed her fingertips together close to her ears, “but I should have known-”
“Is the wind still talking to you, love?” asked William.
“Almost always,” confided Jennifer, “only I’ve learned to not speak about it anymore. People find it disturbing, but not you, my dashing knight. You will always love me, won’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” said William. “I will always love you.”
Jennifer looked up then. “The breeze is quiet now, though. I hear nothing at all, I guess there are no more secrets to tell.”
“Well, Jennifer, love, you’re indoors, not much of a breeze.”
Jennifer smiled, and softly batted at his chest. “Silly boy, I know that. Introduce me to this beautiful creature. I didn’t think it was true, but here she is.”
Jennifer left William’s embrace and walked over towards Elizabeth. “You’re a pretty one, you are,” she said as she studied Elizabeth.
“I’m Elizabeth. I’m a friend of William’s.”
“Oh, you’re more than that,” suggested Jen. “He’s completely covered in-”
“Elizabeth is going to help me make arrangements so that I can take you back to the States with me, Jennifer,” explained William.
“Will, you naughty boy, you’re not giving her enough credit now. Is he, dear?” asked Jennifer as she continued to gaze knowingly at Elizabeth.
“I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re saying,” admitted Elizabeth. “Perhaps you can tell us what you mean?”
“You’re the one,” said Jen, knowingly as she took Elizabeth’s hand in one of hers, and then cupped the side of William’s face with the other. “Giving my sweet Will life, you are. It’s a miracle I never thought I would see.”
“God, Jennifer, you make me sound hopeless. I have dated before, you know, you silly bint. Miracle! I’ll have you know some women would think me quite the catch,” he finished embarrassed.
Elizabeth attempted to smooth things over by saying, “Including this one.”
“Well! Who wants to see my painting?” asked Jennifer.
“Me!” said William as he and Elizabeth followed her back around so that they could view her work.
She’d used acrylics, black, white and various shades between. She’d also used some deep purple and dark blue. It was a painting of a graveyard at night. Old headstones resting in the midnight blue grass, some tilted, some broken. It appeared as if the viewer were looking at the graveyard through a shattered window.
“Tell me about your painting, Jen?” asked Elizabeth.
“It’s about leaving behind a shattered life and finally finding peace,” said Jennifer.
“So, death is peace?” asked Elizabeth.
“I know it,” said Jennifer softly, almost wistfully.
“Your painting is beautiful,” offered Elizabeth. “You know, my mother was Joyce Reynolds, perhaps you’ve heard of her?”
“Oh, yes!” exclaimed Jennifer. “You really like it?”
“I do,” confirmed Elizabeth. “Perhaps I can help get you into a class or two at the Reynolds School of the Arts? It’s obvious that you have great talent.”
“It’s true then?” asked Jen looking hopeful. “You’re going to take me away from here?”
“Yes, Jennifer. Elizabeth and I still have lots of arrangements to make, but the plan is for you to come to California. It will be a few weeks yet though. Elizabeth’s a social worker and she’s going to help with finding a good doctor for you, a suitable place to live and all that rot,” said William.
“Am I just going to another hospital?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, “it won’t be a hospital. We’ll find you a nice place, you’ll see.
Jennifer nodded then patted Elizabeth on the shoulder. “I know you’ll take good care of me. We’ll be like sisters!” As she grabbed William’s hand she added, “We’ll all take care of each other!”
“Yes,” confirmed William, “we’ll take care of each other.”
“Wonderful!” exclaimed Jennifer. “I’ll see you both tomorrow?”
“Absolutely, love,” agreed William, “I thought we might do a bit of sightseeing in the morning, then stop by for the afternoon.”
“Perfect! The two of you can join me for tea. Could you bring cakes? It’ll be a party! There’s so much
to celebrate,” said Jennifer. Smiling, she spread out her arms and slowly turned round and round, making a circle.
~
Elizabeth sat alone at a quiet table for two in the corner at Cramer’s in Covent Garden. It possessed an old English club atmosphere and the menu looked fabulous. William had stepped away from the table a few minutes ago when his cell phone rang and she could see him standing just outside the restaurant talking with the artist he would be meeting with on Friday.
The attentive waiter brought their drink order over and Elizabeth sipped her club soda as she reflected on their day. After leaving Broadmoore they had done some shopping in Knightsbridge. It was in a small shop there that Elizabeth had found the black silk slip dress she was wearing. It was cut on the bias and inspired William to insist on taking her to dinner and the theater tonight.
After making a few phone calls he managed to get them tickets to the eight o’clock show of “Chicago” at a local theatre and the ten-thirty dinner reservations. As William rejoined her at the table Elizabeth said, “You know? I have an entirely new appreciation for the British custom of tea in the afternoon. If you hadn’t suggested it I would be gnawing on this table by now.”
“See anything good on the menu, doll?” William asked.
“Everything on the menu looks fabulous but I think I’m going to go with the lobster thermidor,” said Elizabeth.
“Caesar salad?”
“I was going to order the bisque,” answered Elizabeth.
“Yeah, me too, that’s why I was thinking only half a Caesar salad,” admitted William.
“Sounds like a plan. I loved the show, by the way. Thanks for thinking of it,” said Elizabeth. “This entire trip has been wonderful. I don’t think I realized how much I needed to get away. Being here with you has been… William, you’ve given me… I think…”
William could tell Elizabeth was struggling to express herself; her eyes spontaneously welled up with tears. She looked away from him and towards the ceiling in an attempt to collect herself.
“Elizabeth, it’s okay. I feel so much when I’m with you, sometimes it’s confusing and it’s hard to put into
words. You’ll find the words, doll. Then you’ll tell me. I’m not going anywhere,” finished William.
The waiter arrived and, after placing their order Elizabeth asked, “So, what are our plans for tomorrow?”
“I thought I’d take you to see the Tower of London, if we have time maybe St. Paul’s Cathedral, unless there’s something else you’d rather do,” offered William.
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I suppose it would be kind of silly to come all the way to London and only see the inside of the hotel room.”
“Well, I do have to say that the most memorable sights and sounds I’ve seen in London so far were yesterday, in that very hotel room,” William admitted with a wink.
“Are you flirting with me?” asked Elizabeth as their waiter approached with the bottle of white wine William had ordered.
“Absolutely!” answered William before he turned his attention to tasting the wine.
Elizabeth and William enjoyed quiet, easy conversation as the meal progressed. The food was delicious and the atmosphere relaxing. Elizabeth found herself trying to remember the last time she’d had this feeling. It was in those early days of dating Hugh. She’d fallen quickly for him, and hard. They’d connected at once and there was an immediate feeling of intimacy, much like she was starting to feel with William. That feeling of connectedness and intimacy with Hugh had grown rapidly to a deep and consuming love, that once in a lifetime kind of love. Or was it? Her attraction to William was almost immediate and she had to admit that she’d never experienced such passion, such intensity during lovemaking. She realized that she’d drifted off and lost track of the conversation.
“Elizabeth, about Jen, I don’t want you to feel that you have to, I mean, it was a lot to ask, and, well, I had no right-”
“Stop it,” she said and reached out covering his hand with hers. “I liked her. And, more importantly you love her. I already have some ideas. There’s a place in San Diego, they have what they call a transitional living program. I think it would work for Jen.”
“What’s it like?” asked William.
“They mostly cater to younger people with emotional or learning disabilities. They focus on teaching life skills and encourage increased independence. The goal is to eventually prepare the residents for apartment living. Some residents stay only a few months, others a couple of years, some end up being
kind of permanent. It’s a supervised living situation so she wouldn’t be on her own. I’ll get her into one or two of the studio classes at the Reynolds School of the Arts. Between her life-skills training at Chrysalis and the studio classes her days will be pretty structured. What?”
“Do you have any idea how amazing you are? You spend an hour with Jen and already you’ve sussed it out. It would take me weeks, maybe months to do what you’ve done in minutes.”
“Well, it is what I do,” said Elizabeth shrugging off the compliment.
“I’m feeling a bit guilty, like I shouldn’t be just bringing her back and dropping her off. I feel like I should spend a little time with her and make sure she’s settled in. I don’t know,” he finished as he ran his hands through his hair.
“What if you put in some extra hours with your current job over the next 2-3 weeks? Would you be able to maybe take a week off? Fly out to accompany Jen to San Diego and stay for a few days?” Elizabeth suggested.
“Maybe, but that means seeing less of you during the next few weeks,” said William thoughtfully as the waiter arrived with their coffee and William’s crème brulee.
“I brought two spoons,” said the waiter as he sat the dessert on the table, “just in case the lady wants a taste.”
“Well?” asked William after the waiter left.
“Well, what?”
“Do you? Do you want a taste, love?” he said as he dangled the spoon in front of her mouth. Elizabeth parted her lips and William fed her a bite of the sweet dessert.
“That has to be the most wonderful thing I have ever tasted. More!” she said as she once again opened her mouth.
“Oh, I don’t know, I’ve tasted better,” said William with a shrug.
“What? What could possibly taste better than this?”
“Not a what, a who,” William responded with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Here, you finish this, while I
take care of the check. I suddenly feel like something else for dessert.”
It took William just a few moments to get their waiter’s attention and pay for their meal. As they were leaving the restaurant Elizabeth suddenly realized that she’d left her wrap behind at the table.
“I’ll go fetch it for you, love, won’t take but a minute,” offered William.
“That’s okay,” said Elizabeth, “I’ll go. You do that whistle thingy to get a cab. If I’m going to be seeing less of you over the next few weeks, I don’t want to waste any time. I’ll be right back.”
William walked to the edge of the sidewalk as a taxi pulled up to drop someone off. When the door opened a familiar face emerged. “Aidan?”
“Oh my God! Will! How the hell are you? It’s been awhile,” responded the gentleman enthusiastically.
William waved off the taxi and the two men shook hands. “Yes, it has. Are you still with Hamilton?”
“Yeah, left for a while, Daria went through this period where she was tired of me. I was able to get away for a bit, but she came to her senses, tracked me down, now I’m back in the fold,” said Aidan. “Heard you’re a respectable business man now. Truth or cover?”
“Truth.”
“That’s a shame, you were so good, such potential,” said Aidan remembering times past.
“So, where’s Daria now? Normally she doesn’t let you out of her sight.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not really herself these days. I left her at the hotel so that she could have some, and I quote, ‘alone time.’ She’s four months pregnant and half the time I swear she acts like a raving lunatic, the mood swings are unbelievable,” explained Aidan.
“And that would be different, how?” asked William with a raise of his eyebrow.
“Be nice, Willy, I can still kick your ass, especially now that you’ve gone all soft,” said Aidan baiting him.
“Soft?” gasped William, “That’s rich, coming from you!”
William saw a change of expression come over Aidan’s face; it was as if he had suddenly seen a ghost. He seemed almost frozen in place as he stared at something behind William. “What?” asked William as he turned around and saw Elizabeth standing just a few feet behind him. “Yeah,” said William, “had the same effect on me the first time I saw her.”
William extended his hand out to Elizabeth in invitation. “Elizabeth, love, come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Elizabeth stood rooted in place. Her expression was emotionless. William walked over to her and placing his hand on her elbow guided her over to Aidan. “Elizabeth Reynolds, I’d like you to meet-”
William’s introduction was interrupted as Elizabeth pulled back and slapped Aidan, hard, across the face. Aidan attempted to grab a hold of her wrists as they started pounding against his chest and shoulders. William grabbed Elizabeth around her waist and pulled her away. She was sobbing now and struggling against him. Finally, he managed to turn her around and lock in eye contact. “Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Stop! What the hell are you doing?”
“Hugh,” was all she said as she attempted to regain control of her emotions.
“What?” asked William as he turned back around and noted that his friend had disappeared. “Are you sure? Of course you’re sure! What a bloody, stupid question. Doll, that man’s name is Aidan O’Connor. Are you telling me that he’s-”
“My husband,” interjected Elizabeth looking at the spot in which he had been standing.
“Ex-husband,” corrected William.
Elizabeth looked back at William and nodded numbly. “Yes, of course, ex-husband.”
They made their way back to the hotel in awkward silence. Once they were back in the hotel room William insisted, “Elizabeth, talk to me. What are you thinking?”
Elizabeth started laughing. She shook her head back and forth and almost doubled over in hysterics. Tears started to pour from her eyes and she brushed them away with the backs of her hands as she made her way over to the mini-bar and poured herself a vodka and tonic. “Don’t want to think. Never. Ever. Again,” said Elizabeth as she took a swallow of her drink, and then poured in more vodka.
“Elizabeth, stop!” said William taking the bottle from her. “Remember? You don’t handle liquor well.”
“That’s me! I don’t handle things well! That’s why I’m alone, why I’m going to stay alone. This was Fate’s way of telling Elizabeth Reynolds to wake up,” said Elizabeth.
“What are you talking about?”
“That entire hearts and flowers routine. You know? I was actually starting to fall for it. What? You figured you’d just finish off what you’re friend started? The money’s all gone. The only thing left is this,” Elizabeth said, indicating herself, as she opened her arms wide.”
“That’s all I want, Elizabeth. All I need,” he said as he walked up to her and attempted to pull her into an embrace.
“You’re a fool. Why would you want Hugh’s leftovers? You’ll never have what I gave him,” yelled Elizabeth taking a large swallow from her drink and grabbing the bottle back from William to add more.
“Hate to break it to you, doll, but I think I’ve already had it. Probably had it better than he did too, I’d wager.”
Elizabeth took another swallow from her drink before slamming the glass down on the table. “Men! You’re such pigs!” she said kicking off her shoes and pulling off her dress leaving her only in her strapless bra, thigh-high stockings and thong. “Is this what you want? Come on, William, where do you want me? Right here?”
“Elizabeth, don’t do this, don’t reduce what we’ve been building to just sex. You and I both know it’s been more than that.”
“Maybe for you, but not for me. My heart has been so shattered I can’t afford to give away one more piece. What? Did you think you’d bring me here and sweep me off my feet? Pick off what little is left of me? Was that the plan? To finish what your good friend started?” shouted Elizabeth as she picked her glass back up and took another gulp.
“That’s it! You’re pissing me off now,” said William as he took the drink from her hands and pushed her down onto the sofa. “You listen to me,” he said as he knelt down in front of her.
As Elizabeth stubbornly tried to look away William grabbed her chin. “You’re going to hear this whether you like it of not. I am not O’Connor. I had no idea he was the one. There is no plan, doll. Just like you, I’ve been taking this one step at a time. You have got to get past what he did to you. Whatever it is that you think you’ve lost. Whatever it is you’re afraid of. Let’s just slow down and talk this out. Together we can work through this, Elizabeth. You have to work through it, love. If you don’t, you’re
going to lose something else. You’re going to lose me. We’re going to miss this chance. Elizabeth? Are you hearing me? Please, love, don’t push me away.”
Elizabeth stood up and walked towards the bedroom. He could feel her distancing herself from him, both physically and emotionally. “So, does this mean we’re not going to fuck tonight?” asked Elizabeth coldly.
“What?”
“I can’t bear to listen to any more of this tonight. You knew what the score was from the beginning. Nothing has changed. You’re good,” said Elizabeth as she openly raked her eyes over his body, “but you’re not that good.”
William turned on his heels and walked to the hotel room door as he reached for the doorknob he heard her say, “Okay, fine, I’ll bite. Where do you think you’re going?”
He turned around, looked her right in the eye and said, “Out. Bitch.”
As soon as William left the hotel room, Elizabeth went to the bathroom and broke down in heart-wrenching sobs. She cried over her fantasy marriage that had so unceremoniously collapsed around her. She cried over the child she’d lost, conceived out of love, or was it lies. She cried over the children she would never have, the love she would never have. Most of all she cried over the look of pain she’d seen in William’s face before he walked out the door. As she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror she thought, “God, Elizabeth, what have you done?”
~
“So, let me get this straight,” said the young guy who worked hotel security. “You’ll give me $500 cash if I let you watch the security tapes of the lobby from today.”
“That’s the deal,” confirmed William.
“Why?” asked the guy.
“Looking for someone,” said William, vaguely.
“What do you want with this someone?” asked the security officer suspiciously.
“Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies,” answered William.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” hedged the young man.
“Five hundred. You take it, you show me the tapes, you have no trouble,” said William.
There were a limited number of hotels in the area that he thought Daria would agree to stay in. Three hotels and four hours later he had found them. He had their room number and they were registered to stay until Sunday. William felt with confidence that Aidan would not entertain a change in plans that would require him to explain anything to Daria.
It was about 5:30 a.m. as William unlocked the door to the hotel room. Elizabeth was asleep, wearing the shirt that he’d worn earlier in the day. Her arm was hugging his pillow. In her hands she held a tissue. Others were scattered on the floor, he assumed filled with her tears. He walked over and closed the blinds to block out the sun’s rays for a while longer. Then he heard her stir.
“You came back,” she said, her voice still a little hoarse from the crying.
“Of course. What? Did you think that just because you were totally insufferable that I’d decided I’d be better off without you?” he asked before turning to face her.
“And I said mean things. I can be stubborn, I know,” said Elizabeth as she sat up in bed.
“Yes.”
“And I’m a mess,” declared Elizabeth, as she blew her nose.
“Have to be honest, I have seen you looking better, doll,” he admitted.
“And I have this stupid blind-spot,” she said as she stood up and walked over to William, “sometimes I can’t even see what’s right in front of me. Then, by the time I see it, really see it, it’s too late.”
William closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. “Elizabeth, I don’t want to talk about Aidan anymore. I’ve been up all night, doll, and I’m tired. I know where he is and he and I are going to have a little confrontation in a few hours, after I get a little sleep. Right now? What I need is a little shut-eye.”
“I’m not talking about Hugh. I’m talking about you,” said Elizabeth as she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Let’s just forget we even saw Hugh. Things were going so well-”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. It happened. You’re not going to forget it. I’m not going to forget it. No matter how much you want to deny it, unless we work through this it’ll always be there, between us. O’Connor will always be between us. You’ll always wonder. There are circumstances that you don’t fully understand. There are things that I haven’t completely explained to you yet. Never thought I’d have to. Things I’ve done in the past that I’m not proud of. My life was different then. I was different then - that man is not who I am anymore. It’s complicated; when I can I will explain it. We’ll figure this all out, and then, maybe, we’ll move past it.”
“You’re scaring me a little, Will,” said Elizabeth as she sat back down on the bed.
“I don’t mean to scare you, doll. Really, I don’t,” said William as he started to undress. After stripping off his clothes he crawled into bed. He leaned over, picked up the phone and requested a wake-up call in two hours.
“Can I join you?” Elizabeth asked hesitantly.
“Too tired to fuck you, if that’s what you want,” said William as his head hit the pillow and he turned away from her.
Elizabeth winced. “I’m sorry,” she said softly as she climbed into bed beside him and curved her body around the back of his, wrapping one arm around his waist and gently kissing his back. “Please forgive me,” was the last thing that William heard before he drifted off to sleep.
The ring of the telephone startled both of them. William picked up and heard the automated voice telling him it was eight o’clock. He quickly disconnected, then rang up room service, ordering a pot of coffee and a basket of croissants. He said nothing as he crawled out of bed and went to the shower. Elizabeth lay in bed listening to the shower run. She wished he’d asked her to join him, that they could recapture the joy and ease of the previous morning. There was a knock on the door and Elizabeth answered it accepting their breakfast order. She fixed a cup of coffee for William and making her decision walked towards the bathroom with it, knocking lightly before opening the door. He’d just turned off the water and was in the process of wrapping a towel around his waist.
“I come bearing coffee,” she said somewhat tentatively.
“Thanks,” said William taking a sip, “where’s yours.”
“I don’t deserve coffee, I think that as part of my punishment I should only be permitted bread and water,” said Elizabeth trying to lighten the mood.
“Look here,” said William as he sat his coffee down on the bathroom sink, “you are not allowed to act all cute and coy with me. I’m right upset with you! You hurt my feelings and I’m trying to stay mad.”
“For how long?” asked Elizabeth as she moved closer to him and started to play with the short strands of hair at the nape of his neck.
“How long, what?” asked William trying his best to not to get lost in her eyes.
“How long, do you need to stay mad at me for?”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve decided,” he said wrapping his arms around her and gently kissing the top of her head. “Now, go get yourself some coffee and something to eat, otherwise you’ll be too cranky and tired to walk around the Tower of London and I’ll have to carry you.”
Elizabeth poured herself a cup of coffee, nibbled on a croissant, then took over the bathroom for a quick shower. When she emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later William had already dressed casually in blue jeans, a black sweater, and his black boots. “Get dressed, doll. I’m going to call Aidan, we’re going to have a chat and you’re going to listen in on the extension.”
“What are you going to talk about?” asked Elizabeth, her heart suddenly pounding.
“You,” said William, simply. “No secrets.”
Elizabeth nodded then quickly dressed in jeans and a sweater. William picked up the cordless phone and after dialing a number he picked up the extension in the bedroom, gave the handset to Elizabeth, and left her alone in the bedroom.
As he walked out into the living room William closed the door behind him. He sat on the sofa and listened as the phone rang once, twice.
“Hello?” said the voice on the other end.
“O’Connor, slept well I hope?” asked William with mock cheerfulness.
“Will, what do you want?” asked Aidan speaking in a hushed voice.
“We need to talk, now. Can you talk where you are or do you need to go somewhere and call me back?” asked William.
“Give me the number,” said Aidan in a rushed whisper.
William read off the number to their hotel room and disconnected. He came back into the bedroom and stood over the phone by the side of the bed saying nothing to Elizabeth. Within a few minutes the phone rang. On the second ring William picked up the bedside phone and at the same time he hit the talk button on the cordless. He handed the bedside phone’s handset to Elizabeth and again quickly left the room.
“How’d you get away so quickly?” asked William.
“Daria has morning sickness, offered to go track down some crackers and ginger ale. I don’t have long,” explained Aidan.
“Well let’s get right to it then, shall we? What went down between you and Elizabeth?” he started.
“Are you sweet on her, William?” teased Aidan. “Too bad you’ll always have to live knowing that I got there first.”
William could feel his anger rising at the casualness of Aidan’s remark. He paced a path back and forth across the living room. “Aidan, I plan on taking her places that you’ve never been and never will be, not with your cursed soul and unbeating heart. Besides, you’ve found the perfect mate. I’m sure you and Daria will live unhappily ever after together. Now spill!”
“You’re actually in love with her!” laughed Aidan, understanding dawning.
William, suddenly very aware that Elizabeth was listening on the other end of the phone, said nothing. After a minute of silence Aidan started to talk. “Alright, here’s the long and short of it. Daria dumped me. I took the opportunity to drop off Hamilton’s radar. She didn’t want me around so he didn’t push the issue. I had some money stashed away, enough to get a passport and disappear. I went to California and within a week I met Elizabeth at a fundraiser for her mother’s Foundation. Saw an opportunity and grabbed it. You’ve had a taste, how could I pass that by? She was rich, cute, a willing lover…although not very experienced, at first. Has she done that thing with her tongue yet? You know, where she-”
“Enough,” said William.
“Oh, sorry, I digress. Anyway, things were going well. The marriage gave me access to her assets; I had her whenever the mood struck me. All in all it wasn’t a bad set-up. Then Daria came along. Tracked me down. Wanted me back. You know I could never resist her charms,” explained Aidan.
“Or her father’s power,” interjected William.
“Yeah,” admitted Aidan, “someday you’re going to explain how you managed to do it. How you managed to break away.”
“That’s another conversation. And one we’re not having. Not today anyways,” said William.
“Whatever,” agreed Aidan. “So, I agreed to leave Elizabeth and return to Europe with Daria. Only, Daria being Daria wanted a show of Faith. Wanted me to prove that she had nothing to worry about, that Elizabeth didn’t really mean anything to me.”
“So, you cleaned her out.”
“Yup. Satisfied?”
“Two more things,” said William, “Someone’s been sort of stalking Elizabeth. Have you had anything to do with that?”
“No,” said Aidan. “Besides, I’m not really the stalker type. You know that.”
“What about Daria, you said she’s been off lately. Any chance she’s feeling insecure and hired someone to watch Elizabeth?”
“It’s possible,” said Aidan. “When Daria told me she was pregnant and wanted to get married I was, less than enthusiastic. You know me, Will, what kind of a father will I make? Anyways, she had a fit went on and on about how Elizabeth was good enough to marry and have a child with, but not her. She was waving a gun around and everything - even for Daria it was over the top.”
“So, Daria knew that Elizabeth was pregnant when you left her?”
“What? Elizabeth was pregnant? With my child?”
“Yes, you stupid prat! Of course with your child!”
“So, I have a kid?”
“No, O’Connor, she lost the baby. And it was bloody hard on her! Losing the money, you, the baby. I need you to promise me that if you find out Daria is behind this thing with Elizabeth that you’ll let me know. Promise me! I’ve saved your useless life more than once, you owe me this much. I’ll keep you out of it, unless you piss me off.”
“Yeah, Okay, Will. I’ve got to get back, is there anything else?”
“Did you ever love her? If Daria hadn’t threatened you, do you think you could have stuck it out? Made a go of it?”
“I’ll tell you the truth if you answer one question, honestly, for me first,” offered Aidan.
William stopped his pacing and sat down, preparing to finally explain the truth about how he managed to break away from the fold. “Fine.”
“Do you love her?” asked Aidan.
It was not the question William had expected. “Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “Your turn.”
“No,” replied Aidan. “I never loved her, I just don’t have it in me Will. It was fun while it lasted. I probably couldn’t have kept it up much longer though. You know, you can only fake sincerity for so long. Plus, I was starting to get bored. I missed the danger, the intrigue. Not to mention the maiming, torturing and killing. You know, all the fun stuff. Don’t you ever miss it Will? You know Hamilton would take you back in a heartbeat.”
William walked back towards the bedroom and opened the bedroom door. Elizabeth was still sitting on the bed. He walked over to her, took her handset away, and before hanging up the telephones said, “No, I don’t miss it. I’ve found what I want. And, unlike you, I’m not going to throw it away. Call me if you find out anything.”
“You know you’re going to have to explain all that to me, don’t you?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yeah,” said William as he flopped back onto the bed, one arm above his head, the other stretched out to the side, “eventually, I promise.”
Elizabeth reclined along side of him on the bed. After a few moments, she leaned up onto her elbows and kissed William, softly on the lips. “Are you done? Being mad at me, I mean?” she asked.
“Guess so,” said William, sounding a bit disappointed.
“Good! Because I want to hear you say it.”
“Say what?” asked William, playing dumb.
“I love you,” said Elizabeth.
“And, here, all this time, I thought you were playing hard to get,” William teased as he flipped her over and started to tickle her.
“No!”
“No?” asked William as he sat up. “See, I told you, you wouldn’t be able to resist my sinister charms forever,” he added smugly.
Elizabeth reached up and pulled William into a passionate kiss. As the kiss broke off she whispered, “When you kiss me like that, I forget why I want to resist.”
“It’s because you’re a coward,” said William, sitting up.
“I am not a coward!”
“Scaredy-cat?”
“No,” pouted Elizabeth.
“Chicken?”
“Am not!” she insisted.
“Prove it! I’m not asking you to say anything that’s not true. I don’t want to hear anything that’s not true, that you’re not completely one hundred percent sure of and comfortable admitting. Tell me how you feel,
about me, about being with me” he requested his blue eyes gazing searchingly into hers.
Elizabeth swallowed and said, “When I’m with you, I find myself suddenly wanting, feeling, believing…”
“Believing what, love?”
“That a second chance just might be possible,” she admitted so quietly that he almost didn’t hear her.
William smiled and tucked a lose strand of hair behind Elizabeth’s ear. “Thank you,” he said as he got up and started to put his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. “If we leave now we’ll make it to the Tower just a little after ten, I should think.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me? How you feel? About me?”
William tilted his head to the side and appeared to be thinking her question over very carefully. He searched her face, so beautiful, so vulnerable, and so hopeful. “Nope,” he simply said.
“Nope? What do you mean?”
“You’ve heard enough already. I’m not ready to say any more, not now. You know, Elizabeth, you’re not the only one here that could get hurt,” he said to her taking her hand in his and placing it over his heart. “You want to win my heart, my love, my trust? You’re going to have to work at it, not just me. I’m placing you on notice, love. The rules of our game, the one’s you made up? They’ve just changed. As long as you promise to keep yourself open to the possibility of love, and I mean a soul bearing, forever kind of love, we continue. If at some point one of us decides that it’s not possible, that’s the end of it. Deal?”
“What if, at some point one of us becomes certain that it is possible?” she asked.
“Well, then, you might get to see my victory dance!” said William, playfully as he opened the door and they made their way out of their room.
After William retrieved a picnic lunch, and tickets for the Tube and the Tower of London from Thomas, he and Elizabeth were on their way. The tube stations weren’t terribly crowded at this hour but the couple chose to stand anyways. When the Tower Hill stop was called they disembarked as the recorded female voice in a crisp British accent reminded them to “mind the gap.”
Elizabeth glanced over at William before disembarking and said, “Mind the gap? I don’t get it.”
Pointing to the slight space between the car and the platform William said, “Watch your step, doll, that’s all.”
It was a short walk from the tube station to the Tower of London’s entrance. Since William had purchased tickets, they were able to avoid the long line. One of the Yeoman Warders tours was about to start and they joined the group.
The Yeoman Warder was dressed in the traditional uniform. He was clever and the tour was both exceptionally entertaining and informative. The day was beautiful and most of the tour was outside. William held Elizabeth’s hand in his as they followed their assigned group around the grounds.
They heard about the history of the Tower of London. They were told first of the completion of the White Tower in year 1100, and then the subsequent additions of the moat, the bell tower, and the first palace. Although the Yeoman Warder regaled them with many stories and much information, Elizabeth’s attention was particularly drawn to the site of the execution of two of Henry the VIII’s wives on Tower Green and the tower in which Elizabeth I was once imprisoned.
She also was impressed, of course, by the ravens that occupy the Tower. As William pointed one out he explained, “Legend has it that should the ravens ever leave the Tower of London that the Tower, the monarchy and even the kingdom itself will fall.”
The Yeoman Warder pointed out that indeed the only recorded time that there were no ravens at the Tower was in 1946. As this was just after World War II and England had come perilously close to falling he speculated that the legend might carry some weight after all.
Elizabeth and William, along with the rest of the crowd, went inside to see the Crown Jewels. The area was dark and there was a brief video presentation. As they stood at the rail the video began again at the beginning. Liz leaned casually back, into Will’s embrace and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt tired, very tired and she felt herself sway just a bit. William tightened his embrace and bending forward slightly whispered, “You okay, doll?”
“Yes, just really tired, didn’t sleep much last night,” she admitted.
“What do you say we skip the video, do a brief walk through, then sit to enjoy these sandwiches Thomas packed for us,” William suggested.
Elizabeth nodded and they quietly made their way around the other tourists over to the viewing area. There was an automated sidewalk that took them past the jewels. Elizabeth was amazed at the extravagance and they took their time ogling the various pieces. After leaving they spent a short amount of time in the gift shop where Elizabeth purchased a small Christmas ornament to remember the trip. Finally they retired to a bench along the Thames so they could enjoy their lunch.
They spent a couple hours on that bench snacking on their picnic, watching tourists, enjoying the sunshine, and reveling in one another’s company. As the afternoon began to wane, Elizabeth and William stopped by a bakery to purchase some cakes for tea then found a cab to take them to Broadmoore.
Jennifer had managed to commandeer the dining room for their afternoon soirée. “I am so excited! Here we are, one big happy family. I never thought I would see it, Will,” said Jennifer as she walked up to them and wrapped her arms around William to embrace him in a hug. “Our little family is growing. How happy I am for you.”
Jennifer then pulled away and after giving Elizabeth a hug softly said, “You look beautiful.”
“Shall I pour the tea, Jen?” asked William.
“Oh, yes! And you brought cakes!” exclaimed Jennifer as she sat at the table that contained the tea set. “Tell me what you’ve done today, Will. I want to hear of your adventures!”
“Just some sight-seeing, doll. We went to see the Tower of London.”
“Oh! Do tell me what it was like. I want to hear every detail,” said Jennifer as she sipped her tea.
Their visit passed quickly. Both Elizabeth and William enjoyed recounting their day and Jennifer’s enthusiasm was infectious. Too soon they were interrupted by one of the staff members who reminded Jennifer that they needed to start setting the dining room up for dinner.
“Please, just five more minutes?” begged Jen, wide eyed.
“Ten. And that’s my final offer!” said the young man before he walked out the door.
“You drive a hard bargain, love. Don’t expect there’s a man alive that could resist that pout,” teased William.
“And don’t forget the puppy dog eyes,” Jennifer reminded him, “that’s where my real power is. It gets them every time.”
“You know, I can’t believe how fast this visit has gone, we’ve hardly had time to talk with you about the plans we’ve been discussing,” interjected Elizabeth. “Maybe I could come back tomorrow and we could visit some more? William’s going to be away on business tomorrow, but I’m free. What do you
say, Jen?”
“I would love it!” said Jennifer. “Do you have pictures you can show me? I want to see my new home.”
“Better,” said Elizabeth. “My neighbor’s son, Andrew, is in film school. Before we left I asked him to go out to Chrysalis and to put together a little video tour. He has his own personal web site and he said he would post it there for us. He was also going to shoot a little video at the Art School. Sound good?”
“You’re bloody unbelievable,” said William as he looked at Elizabeth and squeezed her hand gently.
“It’s a date! You bring the movie and I’ll have Cook make us some popped corn. What time?” asked Jennifer.
“Around one?” suggested Elizabeth, as she got up from the table and started to move their plates onto the tray.
“Perfect. Oh, don’t bother, they’ll remove them,” said Jennifer waving her hands at the dishes.
“Why don’t you lend me a hand, Jen? In San Diego there won’t be any staff to do these things. Out in the world, adults have to pick up after themselves,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“Really?” asked Jennifer looking over to William for confirmation.
“Unless you are very rich and have servants,” offered William.
“Then I think I should like to be very rich,” said Jennifer. “How do I do that?”
William chuckled. “Doll, I think your best bet would be to get it the old fashion way. Marry into money.”
Elizabeth slapped William, playfully on the arm, “Shame on you! Jennifer could be a famous artist one day. Don’t listen to him, Jen. You should never marry for money. You should only marry for love.”
“But, what if he has money AND the sex is really good?” asked Jen.
William became visibly flustered and standing up said, “Well, I think that’s enough visiting for one day.”
Jennifer was allowed to walk with William and Elizabeth all the way to the entrance. As they walked out the gate and the orderly relocked it, Jennifer reached through and grabbed William’s arm. He turned around and looked at her. “What is it, Jen? It’s okay, I’ll be back in a couple weeks, doll.”
“She’ll tell you. Someday she’ll tell you. But, don’t wait for that and don’t wait too long. She’s going to need to know. It’s important. Don’t wait too long,” whispered Jennifer.
William nodded. “The wind whispering to you again, doll?”
“Yes, my sweet, there is much in front of us. I’m trying so very hard to put it all together. Whispering words, sending thoughts, pictures, it’s all so vexing. I’ll suss it out though, I always do,” she smiled sweetly at him before turning away and gliding back down the hallway. As he watched, Jennifer proceeded down the corridor humming a soft tune and gently running the fingertips of one hand along the wall.
~
The cab pulled up to St. Paul’s Cathedral. William paid the driver, stepped out, and then helped Elizabeth exit. “If you’re not busy, come back in forty-five minutes?” William asked the driver. “If I don’t see you within forty-five to fifty I’ll just hail another taxi.”
William took Elizabeth’s hand in his and they began to climb the steps. “I know you’ve got to be tired, doll, I am too. But, this is a bit of a tradition with me. Whenever I’m in London, I try to make it to at least one service.”
Just as they were about to enter the church William could feel Elizabeth hanging back a bit. He looked over at her and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Do you believe in God, William?” asked Elizabeth quietly.
William stepped to the side, then pulling Elizabeth with him sat down on the steps. He leaned in close to her and quietly, reverently said, “Absolutely. I have no doubt in my mind of His existence. You know, I grew up with nothing. The idea that there was someone, something that loved me, and that someday, perhaps I would be able to find heaven was comforting. I’ve seen so much evil in this world, half the time as a kid I wondered if perhaps this was hell. But there’s goodness in this world too, and light, and beauty so pure that I ache for it. And it’s when I see that,” William explained as he held her face in his hands and gently kissed her lips, “like when I look into your eyes, I am certain that God exists. And if you tell anyone that I said that, I’ll deny it! Sound like a bloody poof, don’t I?”
“No,” said Elizabeth softly, “you speak from your heart. I love that about you.”
Elizabeth started to stand so that they could enter, but William pulled her back down, “Do you?” he asked. “Do you believe in God?”
“I was raised a Catholic, always did the stuff I was supposed to. My faith was a part of me. Hugh didn’t want to be married in the Church and I relented. Then things fell apart. I lost the baby, and I thought for a time that I was being punished. I was so angry with God. I couldn’t understand why…”
William took her hands in his and encouraged her, “Go on, doll.”
“I just never understood why he would punish that innocent life. Why take my baby from me?” she asked as the tears slipped from her eyes.
“I don’t know, love. I won’t even pretend to be able to explain it. But, maybe, that just wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. For you, for O’Connor, for the little one you were carrying. Maybe it was all a false start and it was being set straight again,” William offered. “We don’t have to go in, we can go back to the hotel.”
“No. I-I want to go in,” said Elizabeth as she stood up and walked to the entrance. As they reached the doorway she held her hand out to William and he was there. He laced his fingers through hers. They entered together, and took their seats.
The choir of about fifty began to sing Evensong and the words and music, woven together, touched Elizabeth’s heart. The service lasted about forty-five minutes. Elizabeth was moved by both the sound of the choir and the glory of the cathedral. She looked up towards the Whispering Gallery in the dome, where supposedly a whisper at one side could be carried and heard around to the other end. For a moment she fantasized that she was on one side and William on the other. She imagined him softly saying the words that she longed to hear.
Elizabeth was brought out of her fantasy by the touch of William’s hand on hers. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her palm. As Elizabeth looked at William she saw that his eyes were glistening with tears. Spontaneously, she reacted in kind. They leaned in towards one another. He reached behind her head and pulled her close. As he cradled her head against his chest he remembered, remembered Jennifer’s words “Don’t wait too long. She’s going to need to know. It’s important. Don’t wait too long.”
Elizabeth felt William pull back a bit and she looked up at him searching his eyes, “Wha-” she started to ask.
William placed two of his fingers over her lips. “Hush, don’t say anything. Just know, Elizabeth, that with all that I am, I love you.”
Chapter 8
Elizabeth felt suddenly cold and empty. As she woke she realized that William had quietly slipped from their bed. Then she heard the shower turn off. It was 6:30 a.m. and he had an eight o’clock flight. Not much time she thought. Last night they were both exhausted and, after the church service, had returned to the hotel for a light supper before curling up in one another’s arms and drifting off to sleep. She felt a twinge of regret as she realized she would be sleeping alone tonight.
She imagined William standing in the bathroom, naked, water glistening on his toned body as he was surrounded by steam. She stretched languidly and turning away from the bathroom door, reached out to pull the pillow that he’d slept on towards her. She could faintly smell him and it made her smile. She heard him speaking to someone and it took her only a moment to realize who it was. “It’s Will. Need a favor. I have to go out of town today and I won’t be back till tomorrow, early evening. I’m leaving now actually. I want someone to keep an eye on her, but not you. Stan, if he’s still around. Don’t worry; I’ll clear it with Hamilton. Thanks, Aidan. You have my cell. Make sure nothing happens to her while I’m gone.”
William softly opened the bathroom door and walked quietly back into the bedroom. Elizabeth could hear him getting dressed. He’d packed a small bag the night before. Her mind was racing and she struggled with knowing how to respond. She could feel him sit on the side of the bed and run his hand through her hair. He didn’t realize that she was awake. He bent over her and called softly, “Elizabeth, love, I’m on my way out.”
Elizabeth rolled over and looked up into his eyes. “Wish you didn’t have to go,” she said honestly.
“Me too. But I’ve got work to do. Work I’m good at and proud of. I’ll be back tomorrow and you’d better be waiting for me,” he said with a smile. William leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. The kiss was lingering and sweet and full of promise. “Elizabeth, I’ve asked that someone watch you while I’m gone. I just wanted you to know. No secrets.”
“But, why?” she asked, relieved that he’d told her.
“I need to know that you’re safe, or I wouldn’t be able to walk out that door,” said William honestly. “You won’t even know he’s around, I promise. Do whatever you want. Go wherever you want.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of confidence in this guy.”
“Just don’t leave the room until after 10:00 o’clock. It’ll take that long for him to set up watch.”
“What’s his name? What does he look like?”
“You don’t need to know that,” said William. Then, upon seeing her questioning look he added, “Fine, his name is Stanley. You have my cell. Call me if you need anything. Oh, and there’s a present for you on your nightstand.”
William stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked to the hotel room door. As he reached for the knob he heard her call his name. He turned to see her running towards him, arms outstretched. As she reached him she entangled her hands in his hair and holding his head steady crushed her lips to his in a mind-blowing kiss. His body was flattened against the doorway and Elizabeth was firmly pressed up against him. He dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He ran one hand down her satin gown and grabbing her bottom pulled her in even closer. As her tongue plundered his mouth hungrily she could begin to feel the evidence of his returned arousal growing against her lower stomach. She broke off the kiss when the need to breathe was no longer deniable. “I wish we had time to make love,” said Elizabeth nuzzling William’s neck.
“Me too, love.” admitted William. “But, I’ve got to go. If I don’t leave now I’ll miss my flight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be right here, waiting for you. Only I’ll be really well rested, and I’ll have really missed you. Oh, and I’ll try and make myself extra pretty for you.”
“You mean to tell me, you can look even more beautiful than you do right now; fresh from sleep, skin glowing, hair seductively tousled? Now, the promise of that is enough to make a man hurry home,” said William as he kissed the top of her head and then walked out the door.
Elizabeth looked around the suite. It now felt so empty. She called and ordered breakfast then went back into the bedroom in search of her present. William had left her a gift certificate for a full day at The Serenity Spa. There was a note saying that a car would pick her up tomorrow at 10:00 AM in front of the hotel and that she shouldn’t expect to return until late afternoon.
Elizabeth picked up the remote control and started to flip through the stations on the television. She settled on a classic romance. A short while later there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth grabbed her robe, slipped it on, and then went to answer, expecting breakfast.
“Hugh, what are you doing here?” asked Elizabeth, immediately on guard.
“Doing a favor for Will. Stan can’t get here until ten o’clock and I didn’t want to leave you alone and unprotected,” he said as he brazenly raked his eyes over her body. Aidan licked his lips and reaching out to touch her face said, “God, I had forgotten how beautiful you are.”
Elizabeth stepped back as if she had been scalded, wrapping her robe around herself. “I distinctly heard William ask that it not be you watching me. If for some reason you feel the need to until Stan gets here you can do it from the hallway,” said Elizabeth as she started to close the door.
Aidan put his hand out to stop her from closing it. “What? Not even going to invite me in for breakfast?”
“Ahem, so sorry to interrupt Ms. Reynolds. Perhaps I misunderstood your order. Did you want coffee for two after all?” asked Thomas.
“No, Thomas. You understood perfectly. Come in, it’s just breakfast for one,” said Elizabeth. She stepped aside so that Thomas could enter then smiled sweetly at Aidan and closed the door, softly, in his face.
“May I ask if everything is alright?” asked Thomas.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. Annoying ex-husband,” said Elizabeth nodding towards the door.
“Ah,” said Thomas. “Where should I set up breakfast?”
“Bedroom?” asked Elizabeth. “Too depressing eating in the dining room all by myself. William won’t be back until tomorrow evening.”
“Yes, he mentioned that. So, will you want something special for tomorrow evening then? Not too much time to plan, but I think we could pull it off,” suggested Thomas as he arranged her breakfast on a bed-tray and poured her a cup of coffee.
“Oh my gosh! That’s a wonderful idea! You’re brilliant!” gushed Elizabeth, the excitement evident on her face. “It’ll be our last night here. I want it to be special! Beautiful, romantic, sexy…”
“Yes, well, Mr. Carlton said that I should endeavor to assist you in any way possible. I’ll do my best Ms. Reynolds. Perhaps if you tell me what you have in mind?”
Elizabeth picked up her coffee cup and took a sip while images ran through her mind. “Candles. There should be lots and lots of candles, and dinner in the dining room. And, the food should be special. Oh, and I need a new nightgown, red, he loves red. And I’ll need romantic music.”
“Any food allergies?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Size?”
“What?”
“The nightgown.”
“Oh, six,” said Elizabeth.
“Very well Madam. That would be a ten, I should think.”
“A six sounds better.”
Thomas smiled, “I will be back with some proposed menu items shortly. We’ll have a selection of nightgowns for you to choose from by 11:00o’clock. Is that soon enough?”
“You’re wonderful,” said Elizabeth spontaneously wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.
“Yes, well, thank you Ms. Reynolds, I’m sure,” sputtered Thomas as he smoothed his jacket and made his way out of the suite.
~
Elizabeth sat in a taxi on the way to Broadmoore reviewing the cookbook that Thomas had brought her. It was full of recipes and the base ingredient of each and every one was an aphrodisiac. Elizabeth smiled as she remembered how embarrassed Thomas seemed when he handed it to her saying, “Perhaps you might find something suitable in this? Our new French Chef recommends it highly.”
Thomas had promised some tall candelabrum for the dining room and tea candles to put around the suite. A boutique had, indeed, delivered three different red nightgowns. Elizabeth had chosen the red lace one. It had a boat-neck neckline, delicate cap sleeves, and it snugly hugged the curves of her body. The back of the gown ended in a train, which swept gracefully as she moved across the marble floor of the dining room. The nightgown cost Elizabeth nearly a half a weeks paycheck. It was extravagant but it looked absolutely stunning.
As the taxi pulled into the driveway at Broadmoore, Elizabeth slipped the cookbook into her bag. She went directly to Dr. Friedman’s office. She’d spoken with him earlier in the day and he offered the use of his computer and Internet connection so that she and Jen could watch the video that had been prepared.
“Dr. Friedman?” asked Elizabeth as she knocked gently on his slightly ajar office door.
“Miss Reynolds, come in. I’ll have them bring Jennifer up,” he offered. “My meeting with the Hospital Board should take about an hour, I assume that will be plenty of time?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you so much for letting me do this. I think that Jennifer will feel more at ease about this transition once she has more information. And, a picture is worth a thousand words,” said Elizabeth cheerfully.
“I must say that Jennifer seems to be doing well. Better than I expected actually,” he said before picking up the phone and asking one of the orderlies to escort Jen to his office. “The computer is on and I have the Internet up and running for you. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate you leaving the web page up when you and Jen are finished. I’d like to have a look myself,” he said before walking out the door.
Elizabeth sat behind the desk and pulled up Andrew’s homepage. Within a few minutes Jennifer had arrived.
“Elizabeth! Look, Cook made us some popped corn and I brought cola,” she said as she walked through the office door.
“Great! Snacks are definitely of the good,” Elizabeth responded. “Come sit by me over here. I have Andrew’s web site pulled up and the video is loaded for our viewing pleasure. Are you ready?”
“Oh, yes!” exclaimed Jen as she eagerly pulled her chair closer to the monitor so that she could see more clearly.
Elizabeth clicked on the link. Within a few seconds they saw the title, A Day in the Life of Andrew- and a tour for Jennifer. A thin, short young man with pale skin and blonde hair appeared on the screen, “Hi, I’m Andrew James. My neighbor and good friend Elizabeth asked me to shoot some video at the Art School and at a place called Chrysalis. Her new boyfriend - they are totally hot together by the way - has a sister that is going to be moving to San Diego. This is for her. So, she can get an idea of what to expect. So, Jennifer, this is for you.
Now, this also happens to be an assignment for one of my film classes. I’m supposed to film a day in my life, 15-30 minutes in length. So, here we go. It’s 8:00 and I’ve been up about an hour. I’ve already gotten dressed, had breakfast, all that stuff. I’m about ready to leave for class, but I thought I’d take a
few minutes to show you the neighborhood where I live….”
Elizabeth and Jennifer watched as Andrew showed them the outside of his house, then Elizabeth’s. He drove down Washington Street pointing out the hospital where Elizabeth worked and some of the shops. He then went on to UC San Diego and the video showed little snippets of the campus and a montage of Andrew attending his various classes throughout the day. The next section was about the Reynolds Art School. Andrew had managed to talk the current Dean of Admissions into making a few brief comments and giving him a tour.
It was early evening by the time he arrived at Chrysalis House. Veronica, the Program Manager was there and was her usually outspoken self as she spoke into the camera, “Hey, Liz! Andrew here told me that you wanted to have him capture a little footage so that you could show ol’ Jen what the digs are like here. Well, this is it, Jen. I’m Veronica, and I’m in charge of the joint. We are now in the main house. This is where you’ll be staying at first….”
The first time they watched, Jennifer said nothing. At the end of the video she asked to see it again. The second time around she had many questions, especially about UC San Diego, the Art School, and Chrysalis.
“Veronica seems a little scary,” said Jennifer as the video ended for the second time.
“Veronica had it tough growing up,” responded Elizabeth, “she’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s okay. I wouldn’t recommend you stay there if I didn’t have confidence in her.”
“Thank you for showing me all of this. It feels like a bit of a fairy-tale. Do you think we could be friends, Elizabeth?” asked Jennifer as she reached for Elizabeth’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.
“Of course we can be friends, Jennifer.”
“You know, I’ve never had one before,” said Jennifer matter-of-factly. “You know what this means? This means we can share secrets. So, can I help you plan Will’s party? I love parties!”
“What party, Jen?”
“The one you’re planning with candles instead of streamers, all vanilla scented,” said Jen as she looked around Dr. Friedman’s office, almost as if she were looking at a different room.
“I see a pathway of little bitty candles starting at the door. It leads to another path. The second path begins in what looks like a parlor. In one direction the path leads to a dining room. In the other direction the path leads to a bedroom. You want him to go to the dining room.”
Jen suddenly turned to Elizabeth and said, “Music! If you have music coming from the dining room it will call to him. He’ll go there first and find you.”
Elizabeth felt a chill pass through her. Despite the overwhelming feeling to the contrary Elizabeth attempted to normalize Jennifer’s perceptiveness. “Well, it just so happens, Miss Smarty Pants, that I am planning a little surprise for William.”
“It’s so funny to hear you call him William, I haven’t heard anyone call him that for years. He always went by Will, right up until the time he left the government,” said Jennifer.
“You mean since leaving London for America?” asked Elizabeth.
“No. He stayed in London for a short while working as William before going to America. I just never called him that. He’ll always be just Will to me. He went back to William after leaving the job,” Jen clarified.
“The job?”
“The job with the government,” offered Jen as she picked up a strand of Elizabeth’s hair. “I love the color of your hair.”
“William worked for the government? What did he do for the government?” asked Elizabeth extremely curious.
“I don’t know. He never told me anything about it.”
“But, he told you he worked for the government at one point?”
“No. It came to me one night, whispered on the wind, and when I told him about it he didn’t deny it. He said, ‘The best way to keep a secret, pigeon, is to never tell anyone. Don’t want to lie to you, but the truth is sometimes dangerous. What else is the wind whispering about these days?’” finished Jennifer.
Elizabeth’s head was spinning a bit. Could this be true?
“So!” said Jennifer, bringing Elizabeth back to the present conversation. “What’s your song?”
“My song?”
“No, silly, not your song,” Jen said pointing at Elizabeth. “Yours and Will’s song.”
“We don’t have a song.”
“But, couples in love have songs. You need one. It’s obvious that Will is mad about you. I mean mad, like he’s totally head over heels in love with you. He is a good catch, you know. It’s not like he’s some crazy, slightly paranoid guy who thinks he’s a vampire,” said Jen.
“Huh?”
“Reginald, bloke on ward six. Been here about four months now. Thinks he’s a vampire,” clarified Jen. “He has a major crush on me. He’s not a vampire by the way. I proved it to him, too. Well, if he had the sense of a hoe handle he would have taken it as proof. But, I guess the being insane thing clouds his thinking a bit.”
“Tell me more,” encouraged Elizabeth, trying her best to draw Jen out.
“Well, Reginald believed that he worked for a secret branch of the military that fought demons. He claimed that in the line of duty he was captured and turned into a vampire. Constantly moaning about needing blood, walking around the patches of sunlight, refusing food, the whole bit. Anyways after he was here a week they were about to put him on intravenous feedings. I snuck into his room early in the morning right after sun up. He woke up immediately as I opened the door. I stepped in quietly and closed the door behind me. His bed is along one side of the room and a desk and chair is on the opposite wall. Right in the middle is a single window. I opened the blinds a bit so that there was a stream of sunlight cutting a path down the center of the room. Then started to untie my robe as I slowly back through the sunlight, so that I stood in the patch of darkness on the other side. I dropped my robe to the floor and just stood there, completely starkers, waiting to see what he would do. It was a very interesting experiment.”
“Jennifer, did you and this Reginald have sex?”
“Yep, and in the sunlight. Thought he’d get it, but no. Now he just thinks that he’s a vampire on some path of redemption. He eats real food now though, so I guess that’s progress.”
“Jennifer, are you and Reginald still involved?”
“Involved? He thinks I’m his salvation. I don’t love him, if that’s what you mean. I barely like him. He is sometimes amusing and he does have a nice body. But he’s a clumsy lover, I think, although, I’m not
sure. This girl who was here for a few months had this book. It was about a pirate and there was lots of very descriptive sex in it. The way it was described in the book? Someday I hope to experience that. Is that how it is with you and Will?”
“Jen, I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking to you about this,” said Elizabeth a little nervously.
“But, you said we’d be friends. Girlfriends talk about the men they’re in love with to one another, or the men who think they’re vampires and that they sometimes have sex with. Perhaps you have one of those you’d like to tell me about?” asked Jen.
“Ah, that would be a no,” said Elizabeth.
“Oh! I get it! You haven’t told him yet that you love him. Well, you should,” said Jen with certainty.
“It’s complicated.”
“Love is never complicated. It just is. People complicate it,” said Jennifer.
“How did you get to be so smart?” asked Elizabeth a little teasingly.
“I’ve spent the last 10 years locked up in this place, not a lot of distractions. So, I just keep trying to figure it all out, life, I mean. I imagine if I can, then maybe next time around will go a bit better for me.”
“Jennifer, you are in some ways truly amazing,” praised Elizabeth.
Jennifer shrugged off the compliment. “Not really, there’s only so much basket weaving a person can tolerate. But, you still need a song! Something simple, romantic, something that will communicate the depths of your feelings.”
“Am I interrupting?” asked Dr. Friedman as he knocked and simultaneously stuck his head through the door.
“Oh! You can help!” exclaimed Jennifer. “Elizabeth and my brother need a song. They don’t have one. You’re an old, married guy, doc. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Well, Mrs. Friedman and I have been together 35 years. I suppose I could let you borrow ours if you’d like. It may be old, but it’s timeless. Out of my chair, I’ll burn it onto a CD for you. If you like it, fine. If not, well, that’s fine too.”
Elizabeth and Jennifer moved to the other side of Dr. Friedman’s desk and watched as he slipped a blank CD into the burner and selected a song from his playlist. Elizabeth heard the velvety voice of Etta James over the speakers. The simple words of the song resonated. Elizabeth recalled Jen’s earlier statement, “Love is never complicated. It just is. People complicate it.” Her eyes felt suddenly misty.
“That’s beautiful, thank you,” said Elizabeth as she took the CD from Dr. Friedman. “And thank you Jen,” said Elizabeth as she wrapped her arms around Jennifer, embracing her in a warm hug. “I’ll see you in San Diego soon.”
“Take care of Will, Elizabeth. You have his heart you know,” whispered Jennifer. “Don’t wait too long to tell him. He needs to hear it just as much as you do, maybe more. And, I hate to say it, but life is just going to get more complicated for you both.”
Elizabeth went back to the hotel and spent the remainder of the evening going through recipes and trying to put together just the right combination of foods for William’s homecoming. After calling her selections into Thomas she took a long hot bath, ordered dinner from room service, then settled down to call William as she waited for her meal to be delivered.
“Carlton here,” he answered.
“What are you wearing?” asked Elizabeth.
“H’lo, love. Still wearing the same ol’ clothes I had on this morning. I’m in a cab, heading back to the hotel. Got almost everything I needed. I’m having lunch with that artist I told you about before catching the flight back tomorrow. I bought the painting that I originally wanted, plus two others. His work is fabulous. He said he met your mum once, by the way,” said William.
“Sounds like things are going well.”
“Well, I have this one problem that I can’t seem to get past. Truth is, it’s been a little distracting and I’m not sure what to do about it. You see, there’s this bird, I’m crazy about her. It’s only been a few hours since she was in my arms, but I miss her, terribly,” finished William.
“I miss you too, truly. I can’t wait until tomorrow night,” said Elizabeth softly.
“How did things go with Jen today?”
“Great! Oh, and that reminds me, did you use to work for the Government?”
There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone. For a moment Elizabeth thought they’d been disconnected. “William?”
“Yeah, doll?”
“You still there?”
“Still here.”
“Well, are you planning on answering my question?” she asked.
“Was kind of busy pretending you hadn’t asked the question to be honest,” said William. “I don’t want to lie, love. This isn’t a conversation we can have. Not now, and certainly not like this.”
“Okay, I’m adding this to the list,” said Elizabeth.
“List?” asked William.
“Yup, the ‘Things William needs to explain to Elizabeth List’ and it’s getting a little long, by the way.”
“Well, we’re young, we have lots of time to sort things out. Be patient, doll. You keep track and eventually we’ll run through your list,” William assured her.
“Did I tell you I missed you?”
“Yes, but you can tell me some more,” suggested William. “Look, doll, we’re pulling up to the hotel. I’ve got to hang up and pay the driver. Should I call you back?”
“That’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll try to remain brave and strong in the face of my devastating loneliness. I just hope that cute boy from room service isn’t the one delivering my dinner tonight,” Elizabeth trailed off coyly.
“If you feel tempted, doll, just remember those three important words,” suggested William.
“And those would be?”
“I’ll kill you,” said William, matter-of-factly.
“William! Someone’s knocking on the door, it’s probably room service interrupting what I promise was about to be a good rant. I’ve got to go,” said Elizabeth hurriedly.
“Goodnight, baby, I love you,” said William before disconnecting.
~
The wake-up call came around nine o’clock. Elizabeth took a quick shower and ordered a smoothie for breakfast. She dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, slipped on some sandals, then went to catch her ride to the spa.
The ride itself was short. The minute she stepped into the place she knew she was in for a day of luxury. The welcoming atmosphere appealed to all of her senses. She was surrounded by the soft sounds of Tibetan cymbals. A relaxing aromatherapy blend of essential oils wafted through the air. The lighting was soothing and she felt herself begin to relax as she walked further into the entryway. Elizabeth was escorted back through to the ladies locker room. She was given a locker, key, and slippers and was instructed to change into one of the spa robes and proceed to the “Zen room”.
After changing Elizabeth walked through the door at the end of the dressing room as instructed. The music and scents she experienced in the entry permeated this room as well. In addition there were numerous fountains and spa chairs with footbaths. Elizabeth was offered some herbal tea and was instructed to sit in the chair and after a few minutes of soaking, while waiting for her scheduled treatments to begin, Elizabeth received a foot massage. She had never minded waiting for anything less.
After about 15 minutes a woman, who introduced herself as Lisa, called her name. “Elizabeth, since you are having multiple treatments today you were booked into a beautiful suite. So, we’ll be in the same room for the next few hours,” Lisa explained as they continued down a maze of corridors. “It’s a lovely space. Just let me know if you need anything. Bathroom’s across the hall here, we’ve got plenty of water and I encourage you to drink lots of it.”
Lisa opened the treatment room door and let Elizabeth inside. The next four hours went by in a flash. The entire day had been one of total indulgence. Her skin felt soft and smooth and wonderful. She felt completely restored, completely at peace as she left the spa and walked into the elevator. Just as the elevator door was about to close a hand reached in and pushed the doors back open.
“Elizabeth, what a coincidence,” said Aidan.
“I feel really good right now, Hugh, so I’m going to pretend you’re not here, if it’s all the same to you,” said Elizabeth candidly.
“Fine with me,” said Aidan as he leaned over and punched one of the elevator buttons.
Elizabeth stepped back a bit towards the back of the elevator to allow him wide berth. Somehow, it wasn’t enough. He pulled the “stop” button then moved back, into her space, until she was pressed to the back corner. “Just ignore me,” he whispered huskily into her ear as he reached out to touch her breast.
“What is it with stupid men?” she hissed, right before bringing her knee up and ramming it, forcefully, between his legs.
She heard him gasp and saw his face turn bright red as he clutched himself, hunched over in pain. “Christ, Elizabeth! What’s the matter with you?”
“What’s the matter with me? Are you insane? Are you that arrogant? You are a complete and utter bastard, you know that?” shouted Elizabeth as she moved around him and pushed the “stop” button back in. Once again the elevator began its descent.
“Well you used to love it when I came onto you in the elevator,” ground out Aidan. “I guess your tastes are a little more, mundane, now that you’re sleeping with Will.”
“Hugh, don’t make this mistake again. My reaction had nothing to do with William, or Will. It has nothing to do with changes in my preference of sexual venues or sexual positions. It has nothing to do with my hormone level, the positioning of the stars, or anything other than you! What you did to me, I will never forget and I don’t think I can ever forgive. God help me, I want to. And, there are moments when I think I can. But…Oh! I don’t even know why I’m trying to explain this to you. Just stay away from me, Hugh,” she finished as the elevator doors opened.
“Well, this is a little awkward, isn’t it,” said the woman with blonde hair who was waiting for the elevator in the lobby.
“It doesn’t have to be, Daria,” said Aidan.
“Are you kidding me?” said the woman who was effectively blocking Elizabeth’s exit.
“Do I know you?” asked Elizabeth, knowing perfectly well who this woman must be.
“I’m Aidan’s wife, Daria,” she said, smiling sweetly as she caressed the small bulge of her belly.
“Lucky you! My recommendation is that you keep a close watch on him; he has a tendency to slip away. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In my case, it really has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Worth every penny that you stole from me,” she said looking pointedly at Aidan. “Now, if you don’t mind, I had this really great relaxed thing going on. I’d like to hold onto it. Plus, will you look at the time? Got to get ready for a hot date,” she explained as she gently pushed passed a stunned Daria and left.
As Elizabeth rode back to her hotel in the car she took some deep, cleansing breaths and closed her eyes. She realized, then and there, that the only thing Hugh had stolen, really, was the money. All the rest, she had somehow surrendered to him. She smiled serenely as she thought, “Well, I’m taking the rest back.”
Elizabeth had showered, shaved all her shaveable places, and meticulously applied her makeup. She dried her hair so that it was straight. She applied a light mist of perfume and slipped on the hotel robe so that she could go and check on Thomas’ progress.
As Jen had described, she asked Thomas to make a path with the tea lights on the floor. At first it lead from the door through the entryway. The path then split, to one side it lead to the bedroom, to the other the dining room. Although the CD player was in the living room, there were speakers and a control panel in the dining room that she could use to trigger the start of the music. Thomas had the front desk on watch for William’s return. The plan was for them to call up to the room when William got into the elevator.
At five o’clock Elizabeth saw Thomas to the door. He had finished lighting all of the candles and the food that she had selected had been set out in the dining room. “Thank you for everything, Thomas, I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“It was my pleasure,” said Thomas, genuinely. “Please ring when you are ready for the coffee and dessert. Or, if there is anything else that you require.”
As the door closed Elizabeth turned around to survey the room. The effect of the tea lights was stunning. She followed the path back to the bedroom and slipped off the robe. She picked up the red lace gown and standing in front of the mirror, stepped into it. She turned, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The gown hung perfectly against her body. Happy with the effect she walked back up the path to survey the dining room. As she’d requested there was only one chair and one place setting, at the head of the table. Various covered dishes adorned the tabletop. Elizabeth picked up the lighter and as she started to light the candles on the first of three candelabrums the phone rang, twice, then stopped. Elizabeth tried to hurry, as she started on the last candelabra she could have sworn that she sensed William approaching the door. She pressed play on the remote.
Will slipped his keycard into the locking mechanism and opened the door. For a moment he stood, frozen in place. Before him was a candlelit path. He set his bag inside the door to the left and stepped into the room. It was then that he heard it, sultry jazz beckoning him towards the dining room.
He was dressed casually in jeans, a t-shirt, and his black boots. As he reached the entryway he could see that the table was set for one and that there were a variety of dishes and wine scattered about. But the most riveting sight was that of Elizabeth. When he first saw her, her back was to him. The length of her exquisite red lace gown pooled at her feet. Her delicate arm was outstretched, lighting the last of the tapers on the candelabra. He could see her nakedness, glowing in the candlelight, peeking at him, seductively through the lace. His jeans suddenly felt unbearably tight.
Elizabeth turned to face him and became totally lost in his eyes. She brought the match slowly to her beautiful lips and blew out the flame.
William held his hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into his arms. He encircled her waist with his other arm and pulled her body flush to his. And they danced, slowly, wordlessly, as the remainder of the song played out.
As the song ended William stepped back slightly, still holding Elizabeth in his arms and looking into her eyes simply said, “Beautiful.”
Elizabeth looked around the room and smiled proudly. “Yeah, it really looks great.”
“No, I mean you. You’re absolutely stunning. Radiant. You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen. I’ve never looked forward to coming home before. Coming home never really meant anything to me. But knowing you were here, waiting for me? God, I couldn’t wait to get back to you! And then to see all this, I’m overwhelmed, really,” said William as he looked around the room.
Elizabeth stepped away from him and retrieved the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket. “Well, do you think you can recover enough to open up some champagne?”
“Of course,” said William as he took the bottle, removed the foil wrapping and cage from around the cork, and then slowly worked the cork loose. Elizabeth handed him first one fluted glass then another as he poured the champagne. She watched the bubbles in her glass stream up from the bottom. She noticed that he was about to take a sip and she quickly reached out to still his hand.
“I want to make a toast.”
“Okay, love. What shall we toast to?”
“To finding our way home,” said Elizabeth, softly, as she touched the side of his glass with hers before taking a sip.
“To finding our way home,” repeated William.
“Now,” said Elizabeth as she walked over to the head of the table and patted the seat of the chair, “did you know that alcohol is actually the base ingredient of most love potions?”
William cautiously walked over to the chair and sat down. “Love potions? Is that what you’ve kept yourself busy doing while I’ve been working my fingers to the bones? Learning about love potions? You should have been working on something more useful. You don’t need a bloody love potion. Now a locator spell to find all those “weapons of mass destruction” that your President kept yammering about, that might have been useful.”
“Oh, let’s not talk about him,” said Elizabeth as she moved behind to the back of the chair and started to knead William’s shoulders. “Uncover the first dish.”
William lifted the cover off the plate to discover six oysters on the half shell, resting on a bed of shaved ice. “They’re loaded with zinc, which increases testosterone production. I read that Casanova used to start a meal by eating 12 dozen oysters.” Elizabeth whispered as she leaned forward reaching for one.
She leaned over his shoulder and reached for the first oyster. As she stretched further forward to pick it up, her left breast brushed up against his cheek, momentarily distracting him. He watched as she lifted the oyster off of the plate. The translucent meat glistened against the inside shell. Elizabeth slowly brought the shell up to her red lips, and then tilting her head back, she let the oyster slide into her hungry mouth and down her throat. William felt his own mouth go suddenly dry and he reached for another sip of champagne.
“You, on the other hand, get three,” she said as she moved around to sit in his lap.
“Now a man, me for instance, could take that a couple different ways,” he said as he opened his mouth and let her feed him his first oyster.
“Yes, you could take that a couple different ways. Then you could take me a couple different ways,” she said right before swallowing her second oyster and washing it down with some champagne.
Elizabeth picked up William’s second oyster and as she fed it to him noticed a slight look of uncertainty pass across his face. As he swallowed she began to run her hands over the hard planes of his chest. “Before we go any further, let me assure you, this isn’t an attempt at remedying a deficit. You, William, are a truly spectacular lover. This is about embracing an evening of indulgence, seduction, and passion.
Now I need to know, are you in or are you out? Come on now, I need an answer, I don’t have all night, and I’ve got me this whole big seduction scene all meticulously planned out.”
“I- I’m in,” said William, nodding eagerly, never more certain of anything in his life.
“Good! Glad you’ve seen the light! Now, eat up!” she said swallowing her last oyster and handing him his.
She waited patiently for him to swallow and then she tilted his glass to his lips giving him a sip of his champagne. As a trickle escaped from the side of his mouth she gasped, “Oh! Let me get that for you.” She lapped up the drop with her tongue, then arched back, reaching across the table for the next covered dish. He could see her hardened nipple peering at him through the lace of her gown and he reached out to give it a slight pinch before wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her back up, and crushing his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss.
“Want you,” he growled as he released her in favor of air.
Elizabeth wiggled a bit in his lap, making his noticeable erection harder yet. “Yes, I can tell,” she assured him before uncovering the next dish and picking up his soupspoon.
“Tomato-basil soup,” she said. “The Italians, beginning in the sixteenth century, thought tomatoes to be an aphrodisiac. Round. Smooth. Firm. Ripe. Delicious.”
Elizabeth brought a spoon full of the soup up to William’s mouth. “Now, open wide,” she asked as she brought the creamy nectar to his mouth.
“What about the basil?” he asked as he palmed one round, smooth, firm, ripe, delicious breast.
“Now I found out that women who were worried about their husbands fidelity used to powder their breasts with basil, to keep them from straying,” Elizabeth whispered into the shell of his ear before taking his earlobe into her mouth and sucking on it gently.
William groaned and started to slide one hand up the length of Elizabeth’s leg, under her gown. Elizabeth leaned back and gave him a second bite. He continued to slowly, traverse the length of her leg, lifting her gown as he searched out his goal. Elizabeth pretended to not notice, alternating between peppering his lips with kisses and giving him spoonfuls of soup. Once he’d reached her bare bottom he pulled the gown over her hips and lifted her so that she straddled him. He kissed her collarbone and started to tug on one of her sleeves. She arched back, away from his grasp and as she did, her breasts lifted slightly begging him to capture them.
William latched onto her left breast and sucked greedily. Elizabeth threaded her fingers through his hair and gave herself over to the sensation of his lips surrounding her nipple, his mouth hot and moist as he tugged at it nipping it between his teeth. She gasped audibly and pulled back.
“Did I hurt you?” William asked a little embarrassed. “God, Elizabeth, you’re driving me crazy, I didn’t mean to be too rough, baby.”
“I’m okay, really,” she said as she started to tuck her breasts back into her gown.
“No!” William begged with a pout. “Please don’t put them away. I’ll play nice, I promise, I won’t even touch them if you don’t want me to.”
Elizabeth smiled at him and once again lowered her gown, exposing her breasts to him. She then reached down and pulled at the hem of his t-shirt. “If you get to ogle, then so do I. It’s only fair.”
William sat up and allowed Elizabeth to pull his t-shirt off over his head. She lightly ran her fingernails down the length of his chest, barely grazing his nipples before lowering her head and leaving a trail of kisses from his neck to his chest. She slid off the chair so that she was on her knees before him and continued the trail of kisses down his stomach. Elizabeth reached his bellybutton and dipped her tongue inside, sweeping the interior as her hands worked to unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans.
Elizabeth looked up at him from her position on the floor. She was there on her knees, her lips red and swollen from the kisses, her hair slightly messed, her breasts heaving as she struggled to control her breathing, her excitement. “It’s time for the main course, push your chair back a bit,” she requested.
William didn’t need to be asked twice. He quickly pushed his chair back to give Elizabeth more room. His felt barely able to control his excitement as he watched her-stand up and reach across the table.
Elizabeth pulled a plate across the table towards her as she uncovered the dish she announced, “Rosemary lamb over pasta and steamed asparagus.”
“Not what I would most like to eat right now,” said William as he raked his eyes lustfully over her body.
Elizabeth pushed his plate back and climbed onto the table. She sat, perched directly in front of him and with a crook of her finger, beckoned him closer. As soon as he moved his chair closer to the table she pulled her gown up to her knees and crossed her legs. Her bottom foot anchored itself on the chair, next to his crotch. The toes of her other foot began to tease the muscles of his abdomen.
“You know you’re killing me here, right?” he asked.
“Uh-huh,” said Elizabeth, playfully as she pulled a piece of lamb off the bone with her fingers and held it out for him to sample.
As William opened his mouth to accept the meat he took the opportunity to lick Elizabeth’s fingers clean.
“More,” he demanded.
Elizabeth smiled and pulled another piece of meat from the bone. “Medieval women used to scent their bathwater with rosemary to entice men,” said Elizabeth as she picked up a fresh sprig from the table and ever so slowly ran it up her leg and over her knee, her head rolling back as she brought the herb cutting up and swept it teasingly across her own breasts.
William stood up and pulled a piece of lamb off the bone, offering to Elizabeth. She wrapped her lips around the morsel and in the process sucked his fingers into her mouth, teasing his fingertips with her tongue. He then picked up a few strands of the rosemary angel hair pasta. He leaned his head back and coiled the pasta onto his tongue.
Elizabeth uncrossed her legs so that he could step in closer. He reached behind each of her knees and stepped in between her legs. She used her hands then feet to push his jeans off and down to the floor as far as she could from her position on the table. William finished the job and within seconds he was standing, naked, before her. He reached up and slid the gown down off her arms, then rolled it further down, exposing her stomach.
Liz picked up a stalk of asparagus and rolling it tantalizingly between her fingertips said, “Asparagus, increases hormone production and energy. And, best of all, it looks,” she said looking brazenly at his fully erect cock, “delicious.”
Elizabeth slightly parted her lips. As she looked William steadily in the eye she slowly pushed the stalk into her mouth, devouring it.
“Try some pasta,” he said as he picked up a few strands and offered them to her.
She parted her lips and slightly stuck her tongue out, awaiting the bite. He broke. Instead, William dropped the pasta back onto the plate and sucked her luscious tongue into his eager mouth.
The kiss was long, and deep, and left them both panting desperately for air.
“How much longer?” he managed to get out.
“Not long,” she assured him. “You enjoying yourself?”
William looked down at his obvious erection. He looked up and with a smile on his face said, “Yeah, I’d say we’re having a pretty good time. What’s next?”
Elizabeth stood up, walked over to the phone and after punching a button simply said, “Dessert.”
Within a few moments they heard the door to the room open and then close. “Could you go and get it?”
William followed the candlelit path once more and sitting on the floor at the start of it was a silver tray. The tray contained coffee, two brandies, and a covered dish. William walked the tray into the dining room and after setting it on the table removed the cover, unveiling the dessert.
“Strawberry empanadas and chocolate hazelnut truffles,” she said as she bit into one of the empanadas. A bit of the warm filling escaped, falling onto her breast.
“Allow me,” offered William as he lapped up the filling with his tongue and then offered her a bite of the truffle before finishing the rest himself.
William moaned as he plundered her mouth, tasting the chocolate and strawberries on her delicious tongue. With a sweep of his hand he pushed the dishes aside. He caressed Elizabeth’s face then possessively ran his hands down her neck, over her collarbone, and around her breasts. He gently pushed her down so that the upper half of her body was lying back on the table. He quickly divested her of her gown, then picked up another of the empanadas and after biting off one corner, proceeded to squeeze the contents out and onto her stomach and thighs.
Elizabeth leaned up on her elbows and watched as William methodically bathed her with his tongue. His eyes never left hers as he lapped up the heavenly filling. Upon reaching her thighs he gently spread them apart and continued his ministrations until there was only one dollop of filling remaining. William scooped it up with his finger and then moved up the length of her body.
The sight of her, hair splayed out on the table, was mouth-watering. As he approached her mouth with the strawberry filling she parted her lips for him. At the same time, the tip of his cock approached her entrance. He needed no invitation as he slipped inside, between her wet folds. She took his finger into her mouth and sucked on it voraciously. His cock was buried to the hilt inside of her and he took a deep steadying breath as he bit on his bottom lip, trying to control his urge to thrust.
Elizabeth reached up and removed William’s finger from her mouth, she moved his hand so that it covered her breast. His other hand continued to support his upper body. “Just let go, baby. Can you feel
it? Can you feel how wet I am? Can you feel what you do to me? How much I want you? Need you?”
Her words were driving him over the edge. He pulled out almost completely before thrusting back in, in one smooth, deep stroke.
“Oh!” exclaimed Elizabeth, she could feel the head of his cock bumping up against her cervix.
“Is that a good ‘Oh’?” asked William.
“Yes! More!” demanded Elizabeth as she held onto his forearms, which now rested on either side of her waist. Elizabeth wrapped her legs around his ass and used them to pull him in closer.
Will smiled as they found their rhythm. He continued the deep, steady thrusting as he watched his love writhing underneath him. As their passion built he could see her body becoming more and more flushed, her breathing becoming more and more ragged. He took care to angle down with each inward stroke, so that the base of his cock rubbed against her swollen clit.
“Faster!” she cried as she arched upwards, slightly lifting her hips off the table.
He took the opportunity to slide one arm under her slim waist and he tugged, pulling her closer to the edge of the table so that he could get even deeper. “Elizabeth, love, you’re so hot, you feel so good baby,” William moaned.
“Only for you. Only for you,” she declared as she propped herself up onto her elbows.
“Mine!” he growled as he reached behind her waist with both arms, pulling her into a full sitting position.
“Yes, I’m yours. I’m so yours, Will,” she agreed as she covered his mouth with hers and wrapped her arms around his beautifully sculpted back.
She could feel it as he started to lose control. She had never had a sexual experience so intense before. She felt herself fall over the edge, and she kept falling and falling, knowing that when at last she came down he would be there to catch her. Was she still breathing? She wasn’t sure. Was it the food? Was it William? Was it love?
There were lights, and sensations too extreme to describe, then dizziness, then she was looking into his eyes. Concerned eyes as he gently wiped away the tears that had were rolling down her cheeks.
“Okay, love?” William asked hesitantly. Uncertain as to what the tears meant.
“No. That was much more than okay. I’ve never… Not with anyone. It’s never been quite like that. It was beautiful. You’re beautiful,” said Elizabeth softly as she swooned a bit.
“I do believe I’ve worn you out!” said William proudly.
“Tired,” confirmed Elizabeth as he stepped back, pulled out of her, lifted her into his arms and proceeded to carry her back to the bedroom.
“Come on, precious, let’s tuck you in bed. You need your rest and we have an early flight tomorrow,” said William walking into the bedroom and gently lying her down on one side of the bed.
“William?” asked Elizabeth breathlessly as she rolled onto one side and he covered her up.
“Hmm?” he answered placing a soft kiss on her temple.
“I-I have a present for you. It’s on you’re nightstand,” she told him right before closing her eyes.
William noticed the envelope sitting propped up against the lamp and reached for it. It was the hotel’s stationery. His name was on the outside and the envelope was sealed with a kiss, Elizabeth having used it earlier to blot her red lipstick. William broke the seal and slipped out the single sheet of paper that had been folded in half.
On the outside of the paper Elizabeth had written:
Now remember, this is my first effort at poetry…
He unfolded the sheet.
Roses are red. Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet. William…
“It’s not finished,” he whispered disappointedly before looking over at Elizabeth, turning off the light, and climbing into bed, spooning his body to hers.
“That’s because I was supposed to say the last part out loud,” said Elizabeth quietly, in the darkness as she struggled to fight against sleep.
“What’s the last part, love?”
“Just… Just wanted you to know…”
William sat up and rolled Elizabeth over onto her back. “Oh, no. You’re not going to sleep on me now. Tortured me all bloody night, you did. Have to admit that I did receive a positively mind-blowing shag out of the deal. But, truth is, I’m a greedy bloke and I intend to keep you awake until I hear my entire present!”
William had neglected to close the blinds. The moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing them in a soft glow. Elizabeth looked up, her eyes luminous and wide with wonder. A satisfying and peaceful smile emerged and lit up her face as with complete certainty she said, “William Carlton, I love you.
Chapter 9
Elizabeth sat outside the hospital’s emergency room on a bench. “Breathe,” she said to herself taking some slow steadying breaths followed by a sip of Sprite. She and William had flown back from London on Sunday as planned. She’d returned to work on Monday while he flew on to San Francisco. She just hadn’t felt right since.
The truth was that they still had lots to talk out. The “list” that Elizabeth had joked about had yet to be addressed. Sunday morning was hurried, the airplane didn’t seem private enough, and Elizabeth just didn’t feel like this was something to address over the phone. So she, Elizabeth Reynolds, was trying to exercise trust and patience. Woo boy.
Here it was Thursday. She and William agreed that he would put in extra hours during the 10 days since returning to the States. He would then fly to London, sleep a few hours, pick up Jen and fly back to San Diego. They were set to arrive in San Diego on a Saturday evening and would both stay with Elizabeth until Monday, at which time Jennifer would move into Chrysalis. William had made arrangements to stay in until Wednesday morning. A week and two days until she would see him again, and even then, Jen would be there. God, she missed him. Although they’d spoken every night it just wasn’t the same. “Lovesick,” she thought “that’s what I am. Stupid guy. Making me miss him.”
Elizabeth flipped open her cell and dialed Samantha’s number.
“Samantha Bernstein,” she answered.
“Sam? It’s me. Don’t hate me, but I’ve got to bail. I’m fighting off the flu from hell. I just want to go home after work and crawl into bed,” said Elizabeth.
“Are you sure you’re not being avoidy? Everything is alright?” asked Samantha sounding more than a little concerned.
“Cross my heart and hope to die. My jet lag excuse on Monday was totally and completely legitimate. I could give you graphic details to convince you of the validity of tonight’s excuse, but I would just gross you out. Trust me on this,” explained Elizabeth.
“Poor Elizabeth! How about I pick up some chicken soup from the deli and bring it by? No demand to visit. But, rest assured, I will continue to hound you until I get the full, uncensored scoop on your trip,” finished Samantha.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure that I can even eat soup, Sam. Really, this is ugly.”
“Humor me. You’re sick and I’m a Jew. Just go with the stereotype here, Liz. Eat the damned soup, throw it away, I don’t care. It’s nothing more than an excuse to set eyes on you and make sure you’re really okay. I won’t stay, I promise. Unless you want me to,” Samantha said.
“Sounds good. I’ll be home by five o’clock,” said Elizabeth before her pager went off. “Code Trauma,” it read. “Okay, got to go!” said Elizabeth as she concluded her call with Samantha, finished the remainder of her Sprite and threw the can away.
The ambulance pulled into the parking lot and the double doors to the Emergency entrance opened. The trauma room was off to the immediate left. The EMT’s quickly unloaded the patient and wheeled him into the emergency room. Carter and the trauma team were ready to receive him and they went to work immediately. Elizabeth walked into the room, quickly put on gloves and began to gather up the clothes of the victim as they were cut away and tossed in her direction. She started to search through the pockets looking for any identifying information. The bullet had entered through the stomach, there was so much blood that his shirt and his pants were saturated. Elizabeth felt her stomach lurch. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to talk herself out of being sick. “You can do this, you do it all the time,” she said to herself. She opened her eyes again as she pulled out a wallet, she dropped his clothes into a plastic bag and placed the bag onto a gurney. Elizabeth walked over to the counter and began to search through the victim’s wallet.
The room suddenly felt very hot. Elizabeth picked up a packet containing a sterile gauze pad and used it to fan herself. She started to feel a little light headed and tried to shake it off, the last thing she heard was Carter demanding, “Suction! Come on! I can’t see what I’m doing here. Christ! What a mess!”
Crash! The members of the team looked over to find Elizabeth on the floor, unconscious. She had managed to tip over a tray of sterile instruments on the way down. Everyone looked to Carter for direction.
“Conner, you check out Elizabeth. Take care of her. Use my office. Nancy, get me that goddamned suction.”
Conner looked torn. “Do it! I can handle this!” shouted Carter at him. “You don’t want us distracted and worrying about her.”
Conner quickly pulled off his gloves and walked over to Elizabeth. She was already starting to come to. He very easily scooped her up and carried her out of the Trauma room and over to Carter’s office which was about 20 feet away. As Conner started to lay Elizabeth down on the couch she grabbed hold of his scrub shirt and nuzzling into his chest murmured, “I missed you.”
Conner set Elizabeth down, then gently took her hand in his. “Elizabeth, it’s me, Conner. You fainted.”
Elizabeth opened her eyes and focused on Conner, crouching down next to her.
“I fainted?”
“Yeah, has it ever happened before?”
“Once. I was really scared. Had a bit of a shock and I hadn’t eaten,” explained Elizabeth.
“Well, there was a lot of blood in there.”
“Blood usually doesn’t bother me. It’s not that. I’ve just been fighting a flu,” she suggested.
“You look kind of pale.”
“I’ll be fine, really. I… Just…”
Elizabeth’s sentence was interrupted as she sprinted off the couch in a desperate run for the bathroom. By the time Conner reached the bathroom she was sitting on the floor, in front of the commode. She had already emptied what little contents were left in her stomach, but she couldn’t seem to stop responding to the spasms. She was tremulous as she wiped tears from her eyes.
“God, Conner, I’m sorry,” she said.
Conner grabbed a washcloth off of the shelf, ran cold water over it, wrung in out, and after pulling Elizabeth’s hair aside, laid it across the back of her neck. “Elizabeth, your emesis is totally clear. When did you last eat?” he asked.
“Yesterday morning? I got sick right after breakfast. Didn’t feel like eating any lunch. Tried dinner. Without success, I might add. This morning I just couldn’t stomach the idea of food. I thought I would try a soda around lunch; see if I could hold that down. Bad idea,” Elizabeth concluded.
Conner crouched down in front of her. He grabbed her wrist and looking at his watch took her pulse. “It’s a little fast,” he said.
“I’ll be alright. I’m sure it’s just one of those 24-hour things. Or maybe 36-hour things?” Elizabeth said with some degree of uncertainty.
Just then, Carter walked in. “So, how’s my favorite patient?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be saving lives?” asked Elizabeth as with Conner’s help she rose from the bathroom floor and moved back over to the couch.
“I stabilized him. I’m off shift. Imperiale is on so he’s doing the surgery. The patient’s in good hands,” concluded Carter.
“She’s been experiencing nausea and vomiting for 24-36 hours. Can’t even hold down clear liquids. I’m concerned she’s getting dehydrated. I think we should do a blood draw and check her electrolytes,” said Conner.
“Fine. Good. Call Mandy and have her come down. Let’s give her some Compazine to help stave off the nausea,” said Carter.
“Elizabeth, do you have any allergies?” asked Conner right after he called Mandy and ordered the laboratory tests.
“No.”
“Any chance that you might be pregnant?” he inquired.
“Not likely.”
“Not likely? When was the first day of your last period?” he asked.
“God, Conner, I don’t know. After I miscarried Dr. Jennings told me I wouldn’t be able to have any children. So, it’s not something I’m worried about.”
“Jennings?” asked Carter, “Did he explain why? Give you a reason?”
“I don’t remember! Look, it was a horrible time. Can’t you just give me something to settle my stomach?” pleaded Elizabeth.
Conner and Carter looked at one another and then Conner said, “Elizabeth, I think we should do a test to be on the safe side. It will only take a minute. You lay here and rest. Would you rather have someone else order the tests? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“No, Conner, I trust you. Go ahead and order the tests. The results will go to you, right?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Conner, “and I’ll come back and review them with you.”
Within 30 minutes Conner returned with Elizabeth’s lab results. Elizabeth was curled up on the couch and Carter was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork. “Carter, would you excuse us for a few minutes?” asked Conner.
“You’re joking, right?” asked Carter looking up from whatever he was working on.
“Ah, no. Elizabeth, do you want Carter to stay? Or, is it alright if I ask him to leave?” asked Conner.
“I really don’t care, let’s just get on with it so I can start feeling better,” groaned Elizabeth.
Conner crouched down on the floor in front of the sofa. He smiled softly and whispered trying to be discreet. “Elizabeth, it’s not the flu, it’s perfectly normal. You’re pregnant. You’re going to have a baby. Granted, the little bugger’s giving you a run for your money at the moment, but-”
“What?” said Elizabeth sitting up suddenly. “That can’t be right! I can’t be pregnant!”
“Well, I ran both a urine and a blood test. I think the results are pretty indisputable. So, given that, I don’t want to recommend prescribing anything. I think we should consult with an OB. I have a lot of respect for James Walker,” said Conner.
“Walker? He’s no good. He won’t do an abortion,” interjected Carter.
“Carter, I think you need to back off a bit. We don’t need to be making any assumptions. This is Elizabeth’s business. Well, Elizabeth and William’s,” clarified Conner.
“Of course. You’re right,” said Carter. “Elizabeth? How about we call Walker and get you an appointment. I’m off for the day. I can walk you over there and then drive you home. We’ll see if we can get the nausea under control, get you re-hydrated, maybe get some food into you,” finished Carter.
“Thanks, I’ll take you up on the help getting the appointment,” said Elizabeth. “But, my car is here, I can get home by myself. And, my friend, Samantha, is coming by with dinner tonight. So, there’s no need for either of you to worry about me. I’ll be alright. Really,” she said, struggling to take everything in.
“You are not driving yourself home,” said Carter. “If you don’t want me to take you, we can call a friend or a cab. Don’t be stubborn about this, Elizabeth. You can barely sit up. You’re not driving.”
Conner picked up the phone and within a few minutes had confirmed that James Walker was in his office and would be willing to squeeze Elizabeth in between patients.
Their pagers all went off simultaneously and the overhead PA system announced “Code Trauma, Code Trauma.”
“Shit!” said Elizabeth.
Carter picked up the phone and was immediately patched through to the radio room where the EMT’s bringing in the patient could be heard giving report. It was an automobile accident. The victim appeared to be intoxicated and was thrown from the vehicle on impact through the front windshield. He simply ran off the road, no other victims involved. Although he probably had numerous lacerations and likely a concussion, it didn’t sound serious.
“Conner, this one is pretty straight forward, you can handle this with Alex and the residents. If you need help from me, just page me, I’ll just be across the street,” said Carter.
“Thanks! Good luck, Elizabeth. Feel better. Let me know if there’s anything you need. Anything at all,” offered Conner before rushing off to attend to the incoming patient.
Carter and Elizabeth made their way over to Walker’s office. It was located in a complex right across the street from the hospital. The waiting room was pretty full. There were about five other women there, some with children, and some with husbands. Elizabeth was given a clipboard containing mounds of paperwork. She did her best to fill it out. Carter noticed that her hand was shaking.
“Here, let me help you,” he said taking the clipboard from her. Carter proceeded to ask her the questions and wrote down Elizabeth’s responses. Within 20 minutes they had completed all of the paperwork and Elizabeth was brought back into the doctor’s office.
“Hello. Elizabeth, is that right? I think I’ve seen you up on Labor and Delivery on occasion. I’m James Walker,” he said leaning across his desk and extending his hand.
“Yes. I don’t usually work L&D, but I sometimes end up having to take a case there. You know, if we’re short-staffed or I’m on-call,” she explained shaking his hand before taking a seat.
“Well, did you bring the lab results from the hospital?” he asked
“Oh! Yes. Here they are,” said Elizabeth handing the lab results and other paperwork over to the doctor.
“Okay, then. Looks like you’re pregnant and a little dehydrated. Conner already told you that, though. I think that the first order of business is to get the nausea under control, then we need to get some fluids in you,” said Walker.
“We can schedule an appointment for tomorrow morning and you can come back for an ultrasound, make sure everything is going alright. Should we ask Carter to come in so that we can compare schedules and set up an appointment?”
“Why would Carter be at the appointment?” asked Elizabeth, confused.
“Well, he’s here today, and he’s your emergency contact on your medical record here. So I just kind of thought he was… Bad assumption on my part, obviously.”
“Carter and I are just co-workers, he helped fill out the paperwork. Let me change the emergency contact,” she said reaching out to retrieve the form. As Elizabeth scratched out Carter’s name she began
to tear up instantaneously. “I guess most women just automatically put down their husband’s…”
Walker pulled a tissue out of the box on his desk and handed it to Elizabeth. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of the game here. We can slow this down. Elizabeth, plenty of unmarried women decide to have children. I’m guessing this has come as a bit of a shock to you?”
“You could say that. I didn’t think that I could conceive,” said Elizabeth as she blew her nose.
“Ah, I see. Well, I should let you know up front that I don’t do terminations. If that’s a consideration then I can recommend another doctor. And, if you’ve already decided that’s the direction you want to go there would be no sense, really, in doing the ultrasound,” finished Walker. “It’s very early on. You have time to think over your options.”
“No… I… Oh my God! I can’t believe this is happening. I mean… How?” she asked as she stood up and nervously started pacing in the office.
Walker smiled. “That’s a rhetorical question, right? I know this is a big decision, a big responsibility. You have a choice to make that affects all three of you really. I mean, you could tell the baby’s father and make the decision together, but you don’t have to. Whether he ever finds out is really up to you.”
“You think I should tell him?” asked Elizabeth reaching for another tissue.
“I think that I know nothing about your personal situation and I have absolutely no right to encourage you in any direction. I will tell you that being a father has, for me, been one of the most profoundly rewarding experiences of my life. But, that’s just me. That’s just the way things turned out for me. Everyone’s different,” said Walker.
“He’s under the impression that I can’t have children and we’ve known each other such a short time. What if he thinks I’ve misled him? How could I ever explain this?” she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and she reached for another tissue.
“Look, Elizabeth, the bottom line is, no matter how prepared we think we are, no matter how well we think we know ourselves, life has a way of throwing us curves, of surprising the hell out of us. No one asks for these kinds of challenges, but they come nevertheless. It's how you respond to the challenge that counts. That’s what you have control of now. Figure out what you want, who you are. Make the decision that’s right for you.”
Elizabeth took a deep steadying breath and after exhaling said, “I’m going to have a baby.”
“Well, it’s one option,” he confirmed.
“I’m going to have a baby,” she said her voice sounding more certain. “So, doctor, what time should I be here tomorrow? Wait, tomorrow’s the 4th of July, you’re seeing patients?”
“Just you,” said Walker. “Then I’ll be off to a day at the beach with my family.”
“I appreciate it. In the meantime, what can I do to make sure that I’m taking in and keeping down enough food and fluids,” asked Elizabeth.
“I recommend we go with the conservative approach for now. I’ll have Debbie give you one of my morning sickness kits on the way out. There’s a brochure with some eating tips, an acupressure wristband, which some report to be helpful, and some small containers of food items you may have some luck with; chicken broth, ginger ale, it’s all on the list.
“How about you try some of this tonight and we’ll meet tomorrow at ten o’clock for the ultrasound?” Walker asked.
“Well, earlier or later works out better with work, if that’s possible,” suggested Elizabeth.
“No work tomorrow for you. Your body needs the extra rest. Morning sickness isn’t a bad sign. But your lab values are a little below normal, you need to drink more fluids. Let’s get you back on track,” Walker concluded.
“Check. Get rest. Try to keep some liquids down. I got it,” responded Elizabeth.
“Let’s see if we can pin down a tentative due date,” said Walker as he handed her the calendar. “When was the first day of your last period?”
“Oh, I’m bad about keeping track of this,” confessed Elizabeth as she started to study the calendar. “Okay, hmm, William and I had sex for the first time on June 15th, Father’s Day, way wiggy. Then I didn’t see him until late in the week. I haven’t had my period since meeting him. Think! Oh, I know!” exclaimed Elizabeth as she flipped the calendar back to May.
“Ha! It was after Memorial Day, because I was at Samantha and Marsha’s for a cookout and pool party, didn’t have it then. I started late that week. Around the 30th, maybe?” Elizabeth concluded.
“No other intercourse between the 30th of May and June 15th?” He asked.
Elizabeth shook her head no.
“Okay! So we’re talking really early in the pregnancy here. If we calculate the due date from what we think was conception, you should be due around March 8th. That’s about three weeks gestation. Counting from the first day of your last period that’s about five weeks into the pregnancy.”
“March 8th,” repeated Elizabeth still struggling to take it all in.
“Near as we can tell. As the pregnancy progresses we’ll have a better idea,” said Walker.
“Okay then, I’ll see you at ten o’clock. Thanks for everything,” said Elizabeth as she shook Walkers hand and made her way out of his office.
After confirming her appointment for tomorrow at the front desk and retrieving her supplies, she again tried to decline Carter’s offer to drive her home.
“Look,” said Carter as he walked her to her car, “I know I screwed up the other night. But, we’ve worked side by side for a long time here. You’re pregnant with his baby for Christ’s sake. You’re my friend. You’re sick. Let me drive you home.”
Elizabeth nodded and wordlessly allowed Carter to lead her to his car.
Minutes later, as he pulled into her driveway he asked, “Do you need a ride to your appointment tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah, I guess I will. I’ll have my friend Samantha take me,” said Elizabeth.
“Look, if you need me to give you a lift, you know I will,” he assured her.
“You’ve done so much, thank you,” said Elizabeth, truly grateful as she opened the passenger door and exited the car.
Carter turned off the engine and got out himself. “Let me at least make the chicken broth for you. You can take a bath while I heat it up. A couple saltines, a couple sips of the broth, then a little rest. Doctor’s orders.”
“No. My friend Samantha was going to bring by some chicken noodle soup in about an hour. I can just wait until then,” suggested Elizabeth.
“That’s going to have pasta and vegetables in it. You need to start with clear liquids first. I guess I can’t blame you for not wanting to put up with me. But, I don’t want to leave you alone while you’re this sick. Look, you’re still a bit tremulous,” Carter pointed out. “Maybe we should see how much longer it’s going to be before Sam arrives?”
“First off, I’m not sick, I’m pregnant,” said Elizabeth. “Second of all, you’re…right. It’s silly of me not to accept your help until Samantha gets here.”
~
“Will? It’s me,” said Stan.
“What’s wrong? Is Elizabeth okay?” William asked, alarm evident in his voice.
“Not sure. I’ll know more in a minute. Carter Etheridge brought her home tonight. He drove her home in his car. He’s walking her to the door to her apartment. I have the place wired. That was a piece of cake. I mean, did you see the alarm system? Want to know her pass code?” asked Stan.
“No,” said William trying to be patient.
“I’ll be able to hear what’s going on once they’re inside. Do you want me to tap you in so you can hear directly?” asked Stan.
“Look, I’ve told you. I don’t want to invade Elizabeth’s privacy. I just want to make sure she’s safe. If you think she’s in danger I want you to go in and make like the bloody cavalry,” ordered William.
“Why is she so important to Hamilton anyway?” asked Stanley.
“She’s not,” said William. “She’s important to me.”
“Hold on, I’ve got sound,” said Stan as he set the cell-phone down and put on a headset.
“Do you want help starting the bath?” asked Carter.
“I think I can handle drawing a simple bath.”
“Just don’t pass out. Lots of hard surfaces in there,” Carter reminded her.
“How do you know?” asked Elizabeth suddenly a little suspicious.
“Well, it is a bathroom. Most of them have sinks, toilets, tubs, all hard stuff?”
Elizabeth relaxed again and as another wave of nausea swept over her she said, “On second thought, maybe I would like to lay down while you get the bath ready, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” replied Carter.
He followed Elizabeth back into the bedroom and while she lay down on the bed he went into the bathroom and began to draw her a warm bath. As the tub filled he went back to the kitchen and found a large mug. He opened the can of chicken broth, poured it into the mug, and placed it in the microwave, setting the timer for one-and-a-half minutes so that he would only need to push the “start” prompt. Carter walked back into the bedroom and saw that Elizabeth had dozed off. He turned off the water and debated whether or not he should wake her.
Carter pulled the stopper out of the bath, turned out the lights, and made his way back to the living room. He pulled out his cell and paged Conner who called back within minutes.
“Dr. Etheridge,” answered Carter.
“It’s Conner, what’s up?”
“Wanted to see if everything went okay,” said Carter.
“Yeah, everything’s good on this end. How’s Elizabeth?” asked Conner.
“She’s sleeping now. I drove her home after she saw Walker. Her friend, Samantha, should be on her way here now, actually. I’m hanging out until she gets here though, just in case. She has a follow-up appointment in the morning that she’s going to have Samantha take her to. Walker gave her a bunch of natural remedies to try. She was advised to take tomorrow off and rest. Listen, it sounds like someone’s pulling into the driveway now. See you tomorrow,” concluded Carter as he hung up the phone.
~
“Will?” called Stan.
“Yeah! What’s up? I’m on pins and needles here!” answered William.
“It’s fine. She’s safe. She’s…” Stan trailed off struggling with how much to reveal in light of Will’s expressed wish to preserve Elizabeth’s privacy.
“She’s what?” asked William, panic creeping into his voice.
“She was feeling a bit under the weather. The doc brought her home and she’s gone to sleep. Her friend Samantha is on her way over with some chicken soup,” explained Stan.
“Oh, thank God,” said William, breathing a sigh of relief. “Look, don’t stand down while he’s still there. I don’t trust him. Not one bit. Once Red arrives you can probably get some shut-eye, as long as the alarms are set and you stay wired for sound.”
“You know I’m one of the best. That’s why you asked for me. While I have you on the phone let me tell you, we’re nowhere with the DNA. I had the blood from the handkerchief run. I checked her apartment a couple days ago, nothing. The police officers that responded to the call about a trespasser didn’t take any samples. It was treated as an isolated incident. I could spend some time trying to connect-the-dots for them. But, why?” finished Stan.
“So that the police can arrest the bad guy and bring him to justice?” said William slowly.
“Get out!” exclaimed Stan. “You surprise me, Will. Have you been away so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like? If someone is a danger to Elizabeth, taking him down like this will get him nothing more than a slap on the wrist. You want to play this as straight as possible. I get that. I’ll honor that as long as it doesn’t interfere with what’s been defined as my mission’s top priority.”
“Keep Elizabeth safe,” said William.
“Exactly. Glad we’re on the same page,” said Stanley as he noticed a car pull into Elizabeth’s driveway, next to Carter’s. “I’ll check in tomorrow at the regular time, sooner if I need to,” he said before disconnecting and leaning back to watch the attractive redhead approach Elizabeth’s door.
~
Samantha was startled as Elizabeth’s door opened before she could knock. The redhead jumped back a bit, “Good grief, you scared me! You are?”
“Carter Etheridge,” said Carter, extending his hand for a handshake. “Come on in. I was just hanging out until you arrived. You know, in case Elizabeth needed anything. She and I work together. I gave her a ride home from the hospital tonight.”
“Yeah, well, okay. I’m going to just go and, and check and make sure she’s, you know, okay,” said Samantha nervously.
“I’m going to head out then, it was nice meeting you, Samantha. Oh, and don’t give her the soup you brought just yet. There’s some clear broth ready to go in the microwave and some saltines on the counter. She needs to start with that. You probably should wake her and see if you can get her to eat anything.”
Samantha heard Carter let himself out. She put the soup down in the kitchen, and then proceeded up the hallway to Elizabeth’s bedroom. It was fairly dark, but the bathroom light had been left on and Samantha could clearly see Elizabeth lying on top of her bed, covered by a chenille throw. Samantha walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and placing her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder softly called her name.
“Elizabeth? It’s me, Sam. How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asked softly.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes. Then, even more slowly her face lit up with a beautiful smile.
“Hey, I thought you were sick! What’s with the happy face?” said Samantha suspiciously.
“Oh, Samantha!” said Elizabeth leaning up onto her elbows. “I’m not sick at all! Well, I am, but it’s okay, it’s normal. I’m pregnant!”
Samantha continued to look at Elizabeth as if she hadn’t heard her. Then she said, “I’m sorry, I could have sworn I heard you say that you were pregnant.”
“That’s what I said,” confirmed Elizabeth.
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Samantha excitedly as Elizabeth moved over to let Samantha crawl onto the bed beside her.
“Yeah,” agreed Elizabeth. “Now, in addition to my squeezy stomach, my head is swimming. What the hell am I going to do?”
“About?”
“Everything Samantha,” said Elizabeth as she flopped back down onto her pillow.
“Well, let’s start with the obvious,” suggested Samantha. “In your mind, is terminating this pregnancy a possibility?”
Elizabeth inhaled deeply and placing a protective hand across her stomach said, “No. No it isn’t. This feels like a second chance and I’m not going to give it up. Even if I have to do this all on my own.”
“Elizabeth, you have me and Marsha. You and the little one will never have to be alone,” said Samantha as she brushed a loose strand of hair out of Elizabeth’s face. “Can I call Marsha and have her come over? I’ll have her bring Chinese food. Maybe in a while you’ll be able to eat some plain white rice. Yum. Yum.”
Elizabeth laughed and said, “Yeah, call Marsha and tell her the news. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you combusting internally due to inability to spread the juicy gossip! I’m going to start a bath. You can come visit if you want after you’ve gotten hold of her.”
Ten minutes later Samantha knocked on the bathroom door, and then pushed it open. Elizabeth was reclined in the tub. Samantha walked in and sat on the tub’s edge. “I assume that William is the father?”
“Yes. There hasn’t been anyone else,” confirmed Elizabeth. “I’m afraid, Sam.”
“It’s a big thing, a baby.”
“Not just that. Do you believe in fate? I don’t know. I’ve known William for such a short time. It feels unbelievable. This is crazy,” said Elizabeth.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes, Sam. Yes, I do,” said Elizabeth.
“Has he given you any indication that he feels the same way?”
“Yes, he said it first.”
“You believe him?” asked Samantha.
“About loving me? Yes.”
“But?”
“But there are things about him I don’t know, or don’t understand. The last time I found out I was pregnant I was married. I was very much in love with my husband. Then, before I could even tell him it all came crashing down. I found out he wasn’t who I thought he was. He certainly didn’t love me. I was alone and then…” Elizabeth trailed off as her hand again instinctively moved to hold her still flat stomach.
“I know the story, I was here. But, we’re not talking about Hugh here. We’re talking about William. The two have absolutely nothing to do with one another,” said Samantha.
Elizabeth got out of the tub and after wrapping a robe around herself she rejoined Samantha in the bedroom. As she sat on the bed, Elizabeth started laughing, then within seconds she was sobbing. Through Elizabeth’s tears Samantha was able to make out, “But we ran into Hugh in London, he and William are friends. Well, maybe not friends, but something. They’re connected somehow. William asked me not to go to the police about his real identity. On the plane ride home he asked me to trust him, to hold off on saying or doing anything about Hugh for a few weeks. I don’t understand why, but like an idiot I agreed. When he looks at me with those deep, blue eyes I just lose all sense of, well, sense. Then there’s this whole thing about William working for the government. I don’t really know who he is, Sam!”
“William told you he works for the government?”
“No,” said Elizabeth as she grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and blew her nose. “His sister, Jennifer, told me. She heard it…whispered on the wind,” she said as she pulled another tissue from the box. “She said things were going to get complicated and she wasn’t kidding.”
“The crazy sister?”
“Yeah,” confirmed Elizabeth, nodding and wiping her nose.
“The crazy sister that has been locked in a psych ward for a decade tells you William’s what, living some double life? And you believe her? Are you sure insanity isn’t contagious?” scolded Samantha. “Of course you don’t know everything about William. You’ve known him for a few weeks. You couldn’t possibly have it all figured out. Two things you do know,” said Samantha as she climbed out of bed and began to pace, as if standing in front of a jury. “One, you are carrying his child. Two, you love him. Elizabeth? That’s a hell of a start.”
“Okay,” agreed Elizabeth. “But, I knew those two things. You’re not helping. Tell me what to do!” pleaded Elizabeth.
“Oh no! Not me. I’m supportive best friend here. I’m not going to pile on the ‘shoulds’. I’ll be Miss Sounding Board. A model of neutrality, that’s me,” concluded Samantha.
“You think I should tell him?” asked Elizabeth hesitantly.
“Of course you should tell him, you ninny!” said Samantha as she picked up one of Elizabeth’s throw pillows from the bed and gently knocked her upside the head.
“But how?” she moaned wrestling Samantha for the pillow.
“We’ve got all night to figure that out. We can book you on a morning flight to San Francisco,” said Samantha as she finally regained control over the pillow and, in doing so, flew completely off the bed.
Marsha had been watching their struggle from the bedroom door and she burst out in laughter. “Oh my gosh! She so kicked your butt! You need to brush up on your pillow-fighting technique, sweetie,” she said as she walked over to Samantha, helped pull her up off the floor, and kissed her hello.
“She so did not, I was going easy on her. What, with the entire being sick, slash, pregnancy thing,” defended Samantha.
“Nope. She beat you fair and square,” confirmed Marsha.
“Harrumph!!” said Samantha. “Let’s eat. I’m going to warm up some nice clear chicken broth for Madame and we’ll get right to work.”
“What are we working on?” asked Marsha.
“Elizabeth’s going to tell William about the baby tomorrow and we’re going to help by being neutral sounding boards,” finished Samantha.
Elizabeth and Marsha exchanged a knowing glance, and then Marsha, patting Samantha on the arm said, “Sure honey.”
Chapter 10
Elizabeth looked down at the photo. It looked like an amorphous blob, really. But it was so much more than that. It was a life. It was a life that she and William had created. It was her baby, their baby. Elizabeth looked back up as she felt the airport van pull into the driveway of the estate and slow to a stop.
“Well, this is the address,” the driver said.
“Would you mind pulling over closer to the guesthouse? It’s supposed to be around back,” asked Elizabeth.
A couple minutes later Elizabeth was paying the driver and collecting her one bag of luggage. The guesthouse was of Japanese architecture. It appeared to be one long rectangular building. The exterior walls consisted of movable sliding wooden panels. Elizabeth could see that in most of the rooms every other wood panel had been slid open to reveal a screen of mounted rice paper.
What appeared to be the entryway was open. As Elizabeth walked inside she noticed that the interior of the house seemed to be subdivided by screens into a series of airy spaces. The wooden panels and all of the flooring had been stained a dark, almost black walnut. Elizabeth knocked softly on one of the wooden panels and waited a few moments. She could hear William laughing inside and moved towards the direction of his voice. As she turned the corner and came upon what appeared to be the living room she called out, “William?”
Elizabeth came to a sudden halt as she struggled to take in the situation. William was sitting on the sofa with…No, it couldn’t be. They were laughing and sharing a glass of wine. Elizabeth started to feel slightly dizzy and attempted to shake it off. Spontaneously she took a step back, attempting to retreat in embarrassment. It was too late to simply pretend she’d never intruded, he had seen her.
“Elizabeth!” he said, placing his glass of wine on the table. “What a surprise!”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m obviously interrupting. I should have called,” she finished, sounding every bit as insecure as she felt.
“You’re not interrupting,” assured Catherine. “We were just sampling a wine that one of the local vineyards sent over, thinking we might want to stock it in the cellar. I’m Catherine, by the way,” she said.
By that time William had walked over to her and enveloped her in his arms. “I missed you so much,” he said softly. “You have no idea what a welcome surprise this is. Please, come on in. Let me give you a taste of this wine, it’s incredible really.”
William had taken her hand in his and led her over to the sitting area. As they circled around the couch Elizabeth could see a toddler playing quietly with some crayons and drawing paper on the floor and an infant in a car-seat/carrier.
“I’ve got to run to the restroom. Do you two mind keeping an eye on them for a few minutes? I promised I’d take Dylan out to the pool and I need to change,” said Catherine.
“No problem,” said William as Catherine left the room.
Elizabeth sat down on the sofa, her head was spinning and she suddenly felt queasy. “Love? Are you okay? You’re looking a little off. Still have a touch of the flu?”
“No, I’m fine. I am tired. And, is it alright? My being here, I mean?” asked Elizabeth.
“It’s more than alright,” said William as he sat down next to her and kissed her softly on the lips. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
William felt a tugging on the leg of his pants and looked down at the toddler standing before him. “What is it, poppet? What do you need?”
“Swimming!” said Dylan as he held out the little swimsuit that he had retrieved from his mother’s tote bag. “Weeyum, you help.”
Just then Sara decided to make herself known, her fussy whimpering escalating into a full-blown shriek. Elizabeth picked the infant up and after cradling her to her chest she began to bounce up and down while at the same time she swayed back and forth, “Hush, your mum will be back in a minute.”
William meantime had begun to help Dylan change into his suit. “See, I’m wearing big boy underpants now,” said Dylan proudly. “My dad said that he would buy me the foxers kind, like his.”
“I think you mean boxers, poppet,” suggested William as he helped Dylan step into his suit.
“Yeah, foxers. Do you wear foxers, Weeyum?” asked Dylan.
“Yup! I’m a boxers man too,” he said as he patted the toddler on the bottom. “There, you’re all set for the pool. Go pick up your crayons. Your mum will be ready to take you down in a minute.”
Dylan walked over to the area that he had been working in and obediently began to pick up the crayons and put them into the Tupperware container.
Sara was still being fussy and her cries were increasing in intensity. Elizabeth shifted the infant to a cradling position. The little girl began rooting, searching, open mouthed at Elizabeth’s breast.
“She’s hungry,” said Elizabeth.
“Don’t look at me, doll,” said William.
When Elizabeth looked up her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Her emotions felt raw as she looked down at the little creature she held in her arms.
“I’m sorry,” said William as he moved over closer to Elizabeth. “Do you want me to take her?”
Elizabeth shook her head no. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“That she is,” said William as he caressed the infant’s head, cupping it in the palm of his hand. “Is it hard for you? Being around a baby?”
Just then Catherine breezed back into the room. “Mummy’s here, Sara. Are you hungry?” she asked as she took the child from Elizabeth’s arms. “Thanks for watching them. I think I’m going to take the kids over to the pool, feed Sara, put her down for a nap, and then Dylan and I can get in a swim. What do you say Dylan?”
“Yeah!” yelled Dylan as he bounced up and down on his toes.
“How about we postpone tomorrow’s start time to ten o’clock?” asked Catherine.
“Sounds fine with me. But, are you sure?”
“Absolutely!” said Catherine. Then she looked at Elizabeth and said, “I hope to see more of you. Don’t be a stranger. There’s no need for you to make yourself scarce, I’d actually welcome another opinion.”
Catherine asked William if he wouldn’t mind carrying her tote bag and the baby carrier out to the pool and the two of them left, children and provisions in tow.
Elizabeth took the few minutes of quiet to gather her thoughts. “What the hell were you thinking?”
She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Samantha’s number.
“Samantha Bernstein,” she answered.
“How did you talk me into this!” said Elizabeth frantically.
“Wow! Slow down! What did he say?”
“Nothing, I haven’t told him yet. When I got here and intruded on his sampling wine with Catherine Morgan I kind of got a little distracted,” answered Elizabeth.
“What? I thought you said he was working for some couple by the last name of Daniels. Oh. My. God,” said Samantha.
“Yeah,” said Elizabeth as she heard William walk back into the room.
“I’ve gotta go Sam, I’ll call you soon,” she said before hanging up.
“Are you okay, love?” asked William as he walked back over to Elizabeth and joined her on the couch.
“Yeah. I’m good. But, we need to talk.”
“Ah, of course. The infamous list,” he said. “In all honesty, I thought we were going to have time to talk all this through before leaving London. But, I was met with a pleasantly distracting surprise upon returning to the hotel if you recall. Anyhow, the airplane was just too public. But, here we are. Now, it’s just you and me. We have all night. I’m so glad you came. I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t quite know where to start though,” said William as he jumped up and started pacing in front of her.
Elizabeth took a deep breath before standing and walking over to him. She reached out taking both of his hands in hers and said, “When Hugh left, I realized that I never really knew whom he was. And, not knowing that, we never had a chance, not really. How can you feel secure in someone’s love of you if you never reveal your total self to them? You said, “No secrets”. You said, “This will be real”. I want that. I need that. I demand that. I want to know who you are, Will.”
William leaned down and captured Elizabeth’s lips in a gentle kiss. “I want that too,” he said as he
started to rain kisses down the side of her neck. “I want you.”
Elizabeth felt her knees weaken as that familiar tingling sensation begin to grow deep in the pit of her stomach. “Oh no! No distracting me with the smoochies.”
“Sorry, love. It’s just that, well, it’s been days, and I’ve missed you,” he said looking a bit sheepish.
William took Elizabeth’s moment of hesitation as permission. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
“William, put me down! We were going to talk,” demanded Elizabeth struggling against him.
“Me have way with woman now. Talk later,” said William, playfully, as he quickly carried her over to the far wall, slid one of the interior panels open and threw Elizabeth unceremoniously onto the bed.
“No way, cave boy. Talk now. Shag later,” clarified Elizabeth.
“Did you just say shag, love?”
“What? Oh my God, I did, didn’t I?” exclaimed Elizabeth. “That’s your fault,” she said poking him playfully. “You’ve got me talking all funny.”
William started to gently tickle her in the ribs. “Wait a minute. Are you saying I talk funny? Take it back!”
Elizabeth started laughing and squirming underneath William in an attempt to escape his attack. Without much warning her stomach lurched. She used one hand to push him off of her, hard, clamped the other hand over her mouth and through it managed to say, “Bathroom! Going to be sick.”
William quickly sat up and pointed to one of two partially opened panels off the bedroom. Elizabeth sprinted to the bathroom, fell onto her knees in front of the commode, and quickly emptied the contents of her lunch.
William followed her into the bathroom. He pulled Elizabeth’s hair out of her face and held it while she finished.
“Done, love?” he asked, gently.
“I think so,” she said still a little shaky.
William walked over to the sink, wet and wrung out a washcloth, then crouched down on the floor next to Elizabeth. “Here,” he said as he ran the cool washcloth over her face. “Elizabeth. You’ve been at this for several days now. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
“I-I did see a doctor,” she said softly.
“Well, what did he say?” asked William with obvious concern.
“Mouthwash?”
“Huh?” said a confused William.
“Do you have any mouthwash?”
“Yeah, under the sink,” he answered.
“Will you go and get my purse?”
“Sure. Elizabeth, I love you. You’re scaring me a little here. Whatever it is that’s wrong, I want you to tell me. Even if its really bad,” pleaded William.
“Just get my purse. Please? I’ll tell you,” said Elizabeth. She remained on the floor for a few moments and took some steadying breaths. The bathroom was completely black. There was a black tub, black commode, and black sink. The only color in the room came from the blood-red towels. It was obviously a space William had decorated.
Elizabeth quickly rinsed her mouth out with the mouthwash, and then made her way back into the bedroom. It was sparsely furnished. The room contained only a bed with a nightstand on both sides, and a large cabinet that looked like an apothecary chest. The chest, nightstands and the bed’s headboard were all of black lacquer. The bed was covered with a red silk duvet. She climbed on top of the king-sized bed and reclined against the pillows.
“Here, love. Here’s your purse.”
Elizabeth propped herself up on one elbow and began rummaging through her purse. She extracted a
plastic baggie, broke off a small piece of crystallized ginger, and popped in into her mouth. She then pulled out the ultrasound picture and handed it to William.
His face reflected his confusion as he looked at the photo. “What is it, doll?” he asked.
“It’s an ultrasound photo,” said Elizabeth as she closed her eyes and took some shallow breaths, trying to push down the nausea.
William piled a bunch of pillows up against the headboard of the bed to prop himself up and climbed on top, alongside Elizabeth. He enveloped her in his arms, pulling her so that she was cradled against his chest, and then positioned the photo so that they could look at it together. “An ultrasound of what?” he asked, his voice a little tremulous. “Is-is it a tumor?”
“Oh! God, no! William, it’s not like that. It’s a baby. Our baby,” she said.
William remained silent as he tried to let what he had heard sink in. “A baby?” he asked, looking at it more closely and sounding totally bewildered.
Elizabeth became instantaneously choked up and as much as she tried to fight back the tears, they won out. Tears spilled from her eyes as she said, “Please, it’s so important to me that you believe me. I’m not one of those… What I mean to say is, I really did believe that I could never have children. This wasn’t just… Oh, God! I had this entire speech worked out and I can’t remember it. I’m doing this all wrong!”
“Elizabeth, love, please, you’re going to make yourself sick again. Look at me,” demanded William.
Elizabeth shyly and tentatively looked up at him. “What?”
“Elizabeth, I love you. And I don’t believe for one second that you attempted in any way to deceive me,” assured William before turning back to again look at the picture. “A baby.”
William ran his hand through his hair as he studied the ultrasound photo. It didn’t really look like much of anything. But there it was, at the bottom-“Reynolds, Elizabeth. Estimated due date March 8, 2004. Estimated gestational age 19 days”. William suddenly became aware that Elizabeth was talking.
“William, I know that this may seem unfair. For me to make this decision on my own, but I need to let you know that I intend to keep the baby. I can’t… No, I won’t terminate the pregnancy. I- I just couldn’t,” said Elizabeth tears streaming down her face.
“I wouldn’t ask you to, doll. But, we’re in this together. We make decisions together,” said William still
completely stunned.
“I really had no idea, William,” assured Elizabeth. “I’m so sorry. I want you to know that I don’t expect anything. I can do this. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I know I can. Plenty of women do. I mean, you can be involved as much or as little as you like. You didn’t ask for this.”
“Neither did you,” observed William. “But here we are,” he said as he protectively placed his hand lovingly over Elizabeth’s stomach and lightly rubbed her abdomen.
“Yeah, but I’m making a choice to have the baby, be a mother. I want that responsibility.”
“I see,” said William. “At least I think I do. Elizabeth, if I let you make the decision to keep this baby all on your own you’ll always wonder if it’s something I would have chosen not to do. You’ll always feel like the responsibility and the joys that come with it are more rightfully yours. Not only does that seem unfair, doll, it is downright unfair.”
“But-” started Elizabeth before William placed two fingers over her mouth.
“No. I know you want a baby. But this isn’t your baby. Is it? It’s our baby. We need to make this decision together. Look, I know, you have doubts about me-” William was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He looked at the number and answered. “Carlton here.”
“It’s Stan. Just give me an answer then you can pretend it’s a wrong number. You’ve got her. Can I take the weekend off? You can call me when you need me. The usual two hours notice, will work,” said Stan.
“Hey Stan. Yes, I’ve got her,” answered William as he looked pointedly at Elizabeth. “I’ll call you when I need you to take over again. Enjoy the time off.”
Elizabeth looked over at him surprised and slightly alarmed. William tossed the cell onto his nightstand and flopped back down on the bed. “I want to tell you some things about myself. Things you deserve to know, especially now. It’s going to take awhile. It’s almost time for dinner, do you want to-” before William could finish Elizabeth cut him off.
“Food? Now? The answer to that is a world of no. It’ll be awhile before my stomach settles. I’ll take some ginger ale though, if you have it. In a bit maybe I’ll brave a cracker or two,” Elizabeth responded.
“How about we move to the living room? More space for pacing in there,” he suggested.
Elizabeth slipped off her shoes and followed William through the sliding panel. She walked across the rich red, black and gold Oriental rug and made her way over to the red leather sofa. The panels that led to the kitchen/dining area were open. William walked through and emerged seconds later with a ginger ale for Elizabeth. He was also carrying a bottle of scotch, an empty glass, and a pack of cigarettes. As he flipped open his lighter to light the cigarette his eyes connected with Elizabeth’s and he froze.
“Bugger!” said William as he closed the lighter and tossed it on the black lacquer coffee table. William began pacing as he poured himself two fingers of scotch and quickly drained the glass.
“I thought you quit,” said Elizabeth, quietly.
“I did. I’m just nervous is all, I kind of don’t know where to start,” said William as he continued pacing and poured himself another scotch.
“How about at the beginning?”
“I’m not even sure I know when the beginning was, doll,” said William.
“Okay,” said Elizabeth slowly. “How about you explain why you didn’t want me to go to the police about Hugh?”
“Well, that would be kind of the end point of this little story. I guess I can start there and we can work our way back,” offered William.
He walked over the dining room table, retrieved his laptop and came and sat on the sofa next to Elizabeth. He connected to the Internet and handed Elizabeth a business card. It simply said,
Phillip Cabbot Relationship Manager Suisse Private Banking One Park Square, London E17 4QJ, United Kingdom Within the UK: 0207 888 6000 Outside the UK: +44 207 888 6000
William logged onto Suisse’s On-line banking service. Then pushed the keyboard over towards Elizabeth. “Enter the number I’m going to give you into the contract number field, 024-262-169717-002. Tab down to the password and enter 256A10G26Q.”
“What are we doing?” asked Elizabeth.
“Visiting your three million. The three million Aidan stole from you,” as William said this Elizabeth watched the screen change. It showed two separate accounts held under the name of William Carlton.
“That one’s yours,” said William pointing at the second account.
Teasingly Elizabeth moved the cursor over the first account, and then looked over to William for a reaction.
“I have nothing to hide from you doll. If you want to take a peek, go right ahead,” said William.
Elizabeth moved the cursor down to the second account and clicked. The balance read, ‘3,991,534.82.’ “Oh. My. God. That’s, like, four million dollars!” said Elizabeth, stunned.
“No, love. Its four million Swiss francs the current exchange is 1.33. That makes it just a little over three million. You’ve earned about a grand of interest. But, you’ll have to pay 35% of that in taxes to the Swiss. Or, I will, that is. For now, it’s mine. Your government would have a lot of questions if you suddenly had three million dollars transferred into your account without explanation. And, I don’t really want to offer them one. Since I already had an account open, it was easiest this way. We’ll arrange for you to have access or we can outright switch it over to a separate account,” explained William.
“I have a million questions,” said Elizabeth as she closed the laptop and reclined back on the couch.
“I’m sure you do,” said William.
“How? Please, tell me you didn’t do something illegal.” asked Elizabeth a little alarmed.
“Nothing illegal. Aidan knows it’s gone and he knows I have it. I sort of insisted. This was about making something right. He may not have really loved you, Elizabeth. Well, we know he didn’t. He was just biding time. But he wasn’t the one that cooked up the idea to hurt you that way. It was that bitch, Daria. Aidan will leave it alone,” assured William.
“How do you know? How do you know he will leave it alone?”
“I explained to Aidan the possible ramifications of his not returning the money. The way he took it? It was impulsive and sloppy. He’s too high profile now. He can’t disappear. The three million is nothing compared to what they could lose if this were to come out. They don’t need that kind of heat. It would
ruin them both. Believe me, they have a lot more to lose. I told him that he could give it all back, or I’d support you going to the authorities,” explained William. “The rest of it is going back to the foundation from Daria’s trust fund. It’ll be an anonymous donation in your name. That took a little more work. Anyway, I’m not gonna hold my breath waiting for the invitation to be godfather now. I think I’ve shot that chance all to hell.”
“William, how are you involved in all this?” asked Elizabeth warily.
“Get comfortable, this is going to be a long story,” he started. “I first met Aidan when I was 15. He was my roommate at the time I was attacked and killed that bloke. Found out later he had been hurting Aidan as well. Wasn’t the last time I saved his sorry ass. Anyways, we were friends of a sort, growing up. We watched each other’s backs. At eighteen, when we left the orphanage we went our separate ways and lost touch.
He went to work in a bar, that’s where he met Daria. She introduced him to her world and eventually he went to work for Hamilton’s organization. I took a different route,” said William as he got up and resumed his pacing. He picked up the bottle of scotch and took a sip directly from it before saying, “I went to work for MI5.”
“You mean like James Bond?” asked Elizabeth incredulously.
“No! Not like bloody James Bond!” said William as he sat back down, sounding disgusted. “MI6 is the foreign service. MI5 is the UK’s Security Service it’s supposed to protect national security. I was a Generalist-Graduate Equivalent. Early on in training I exhibited a certain proclivity at behavioral profiling. Once in the field I found it easy to slip into a situation, read people, manipulate to position myself within an organization, infiltrate it, then get the goods.”
“All sexy, secret agenty?” asked Elizabeth as she moved over closer to William on the couch and ran her hand under his shirt.
“God, why didn’t I ever tell a woman this before?” he asked as her hand ran over his abs.
“You’re serious!” she gasped.
“’Course I’m bloody serious! Haven’t you been listening?” he asked standing up again and resuming his pacing.
“Sorry! Yes, I was listening. It just sounds so, well, unbelievable.”
“Yeah? Well it gets better!” he responded taking another sip from the bottle.
“William! You’re going to make yourself drunk or sick. You’re probably going to make yourself both drunk and sick. Please, put away the scotch,” Elizabeth pleaded.
William put the cap on the scotch and returned to sit back down on the couch. “Got me wrapped around that little finger of yours,” he groaned as he leaned his head on the back of the sofa and propped his still boot-clad feet up on the coffee table.”
“Don’t you think you should take your boots off if you’re going to put your feet on there? I don’t think the Daniels’ would want it scratched,” said Elizabeth.
“Yeah? Well they can sod off!” said William.
Elizabeth climbed onto William’s lap and as she straddled him she began to play with the soft curls at the base his scalp. “I think the scotch has made someone feisty,” said Elizabeth.
William lifted Elizabeth up and turned, laying her on the sofa. He nudged her legs apart with his knee as he crushed his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss. As he pulled away he said, “Let’s finish this, love.”
“Right. I’m all about staying focused,” said Elizabeth as she sat back up and straightened her top. “So, you went to work for MI5.”
“Yeah, in 1996 the agency became involved in working with and supporting other law enforcement agencies countering serious crime, organized crime, things like illegal drug importations, arms trafficking, excise fraud and illegal immigration rings. We’d come in on request to collect and disseminate intelligence, as well as investigate, assess, and counter possible threats.”
“After I had been with the agency about two years they sent me in to work undercover in Hamilton’s organization. Hamilton inherited the business from his father who had earned most of his money from drug trafficking, heroin to be specific. It took me a while to work my way in and up, but I did it. The fact that Aidan was dating the boss’s daughter helped quite a bit. Aidan never knew who I worked for and my prior association with him proved helpful.”
“Ole Quentin used a slightly different approach than his father. I think that a part of him always wished that it was all legit. He set up honest businesses to launder dishonest money. He employed “clean skins” people without records, without alliances to any of the crime families to assist with trafficking. It was quite clever, really. These were all low profile people, like your neighbors. They have jobs, pay taxes, drive simple cars or use public transportation.”
“Anyways, I happened to be out one night at a club with Aidan and Daria. Daria mouthed off to some
guy and he called her a bitch. Aidan got the brilliant idea that he had to defend Daria’s honor and punched the guy. The problem was this guy was bigger and he was packing a knife. He lunged for Aidan, but only grazed him, leaving a shallow cut across his abdomen before I leveled a strong kick, breaking one of his kneecaps. Once he dropped to the floor I used a pressure hold to make him release the knife. Daria promptly picked up the knife and drove it into the bloke’s stomach. Last thing I needed was to blow cover, we already had too much invested in the operation. I pulled out the knife and got them out of there. The guy lived. I got promoted to Daria’s bodyguard. Lucky me. They moved me into the main house.”
“So that’s how it went. Me living the life and sending reports back periodically. But it became harder then. When you do deep cover, you become that person. You do what would have been expected of them. I didn’t like who I was most of the time. I kept reminding myself that ultimately it was for the greater good. We would bring down Hamilton and his organization. But the more I got to know him, the more I realized his heart wasn’t in it either, not really. It was more like the organization was running him,” said William as Elizabeth’s cell phone rang.
Elizabeth retrieved it from the coffee table, where she’d left it after calling Samantha. She recognized the number as Charlie’s.
“It’s Charlie, she’s probably worried. I didn’t tell her I was leaving town,” said Elizabeth.
“Go ahead and answer it, doll. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’ll just take a minute. Hello?” said Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth? It’s me, Charlie,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. “Are you okay? I’m working the 3-11 shift tonight. I heard about you passing out during a trauma yesterday. Connor won’t tell me anything and this is the first chance I’ve had to call!”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Do you need anything? I can swing by when I get off,” offered Charlie.
“No. I mean I’m not home. I’m in Napa, with William.”
“But you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back Sunday evening. I’ll see you at work on Monday. Tell everyone working at the Rumor Mill that Elizabeth Reynolds is alive and well, but a little embarrassed,” said Elizabeth.
“Will do. Have a great weekend, Liz!” replied Charlie before hanging up.
Elizabeth put her cell phone away and rejoined William on the couch. Her stomach made a large gurgling noise.
“Hungry, doll?” asked William.
“Actually, yeah, I am kind of hungry,” she answered.
“Well, what do you fancy?”
“French toast?” she suggested.
“For dinner?” he asked.
Elizabeth nodded.
“With cinnamon?”
“My hero!” she said as she got up and followed him into the kitchen. “How about some tea?” she asked.
“Here, you start the kettle boiling,” he said as he handed her the teakettle and pointed to the sink. “I’ll start on our French toast. How about I continue this little tale while I cook? Now, where was I? Oh, yeah.”
William looked over and saw Elizabeth standing in the pantry trying to suppress a yawn.
“You’re tired, love. Why don’t you go lie down in bed and I’ll bring you some supper,” offered William.
“No, I’m fine. My energy level is just-” Elizabeth’s sentence was cut off by another yawn.
William walked over to her, took the box of tea out of her hand, and set it on the counter. “No arguing. I’m bigger than you, stronger than you, and at the moment more alert than you.”
William tucked her into bed then walked over to the cabinet and opened the false front to reveal a state of the art entertainment center. “Here, you watch some telly. I’ll go make us some French toast and be back in a wink,” he said as he handed Elizabeth the remote control.
“William?”
He stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at her. She looked so vulnerable laying on the bed, heavy lidded with her arm outstretched, reaching for him. He went to her, taking her hand in his, and sat alongside her. “What is it, love?”
“I need to know the truth about everything. Promise me?”
“That’s an easy one,” he assured as he reached down and brushed his lips across hers. “Look, let me feed you, then we’ll finish this off and you can get some rest.”
Fifteen minutes later William had returned to the bedroom with a tray laden with tea, French toast and strawberries. As they began to eat he continued. “I told you that I was put in charge of watching Daria. Well, Daria had developed a rather bad drug habit. It started putting her in danger. She would place herself in stupid situations, her health was affected, and her judgment was impaired. I told Hamilton. Daria was put on house arrest so that she could detox and I was tasked with keeping her inside. I thought she was insufferable on the dope? Elizabeth, you have no idea what I put up with. Anyways, on the third night she went totally ballistic on me. Ranting and raving, she demanded that I get her a fix. Course, I refused. She attacked me outright. That’s how I got this scar on my chin here. It was from a ring Daria was wearing at the time. I managed to subdue her, then she broke away and ran through the house towards Hamilton’s office.”
“Daria was convinced that he had a stash in there for business associates. She tore the place apart. Finally, I managed to contain her. I actually ended up gagging her and tying her to her bed. I just couldn’t bear to listen to one more word. Have to say, it was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. I figured there was nothing Hamilton could do that would be worse than having to listen to that chit for one bloody more minute. I went back to the office thinking I would straighten up a bit. That’s when I noticed them.”
“Noticed what?” asked Elizabeth.
“Daria had pulled down a small wooden box off of one of the bookshelves. There were pictures of Hamilton, a young Hamilton, and my Mum. I had only ever had one picture of her, and I lost it when I left the Carlton’s, but I knew it was her.”
“Are you sure?” asked Elizabeth still trying to understand what it all meant.
“Yeah. He found me when he came home that night, still sitting in his office, holding the picture. The date on the back of the photo was eight months before I was born. Elizabeth, Hamilton is my father,” finished William in a voice so hushed she could barely hear.
“But? So, he knew about you? Knew who you were?” Elizabeth asked.
“No. Apparently his father had arranged for a marriage with Daria’s mum. He threatened to hurt my mum if Hamilton didn’t concede and follow through as planned. He never knew my mum was pregnant, he never knew about me. He kept his word to his father and stayed away. It was easy. They existed in two totally different worlds. She was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and all that. They’d met by chance, fallen in love, conceived a child, and then he allowed them to be separated. That was that. It was the beginning of the end for my mum. I have to wonder how it all would have turned out if only he’d stuck it out. Told his old man to sod off.”
“But he knows now? You told him?” she asked.
“I told him. We got drunk that night together. He told me how he always regretted being his father’s pawn. He wasn’t really happy. He didn’t really have his heart in the job. Deep down? Hamilton wanted to be a white hat. He was trapped. Trapped by fate. Trapped by tradition. Trapped by obligation.”
“I then had to ask myself, who was the bad guy here? Who was deceiving whom? It all suddenly seemed so murky. He trusted me. I told him all of it. Told him that I was MI5 and that they had been collecting information for a while. Told him it was just a matter of time before they had all they needed. Told him that he was going down, unless. Unless, he was serious about going straight.”
“We talked most of the night and into the next morning. He wanted me to stay, but I just couldn’t. I called the next morning and quit, just like that. Spent months in “debriefing” and then, finally, I told them all of it too, laid it all out,” William explained.
“What did they say?” asked Elizabeth.
“Bad spot of luck!” quoted William.
“What? You’re joking!”
“Nope. And I said, ‘Quite’. It was all very British,” related William as he briefly relived the moment.
“Then what did you do?” asked Elizabeth.
“Then I set out to earn a living. I had about 40,000 pounds in savings. Although my salary at MI5 was very modest, it had been going pretty much straight to the bank. I had spent very little while undercover. I rented some office space that doubled as living quarters. I’m sure that probably 75% of my clients that first year were from Hamilton, but I couldn’t be sure and couldn’t turn them away. No one ever mentioned him and he kept his word to leave me be, to let me find my own way. Eventually, after I’d experienced a certain amount of success I came to California.”
“Was Hamilton arrested?” asked Elizabeth.
“No. Not yet. Probably won’t ever be. He stalled his operations when I left. Told his associates that he needed to cool off due to the heat. It’s been the excuse he needed. He’s been selling off the business piece by piece. Don’t really know what his plans are, I hadn’t spoken with him until we were in London. I called him to have him check into whether Daria had some goon following you and to call in a favor.”
“Stanley?”
“Yeah, he loaned him to me. He’s still been watching you. Making sure you’re safe,” admitted William.
“I thought that was only for a couple day’s while we were in London!” accused Elizabeth. “It’s really not necessary. Not to mention creepy!”
“I just… I didn’t want anything to happen to you. That’s all. I’m pretty convinced that Daria doesn’t have a hand in this. It could be that whoever had an interest in you has moved on to another target. Or, it could be that he’s biding his time, waiting for an opportunity,” said William as he stood up and began his nervous pacing once again.
“Look, Stan can’t watch me forever. What? I’m going to be, like, sixty-five years old, playing in the front yard with my grandkids and one of them is going to ask “Grandma, who’s that guy over there?” And I’m going to say, “Oh, don’t mind him. That’s Stan. William asked him to watch me,” finished Elizabeth.
“Why are you “Grandma” but I’m only “William”?” he asked.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes before placing her hands on her hips and saying, “You’re missing the point here. And I think you’re doing it on purpose.”
“Okay, you’ve got me there. Let’s just give it until I come back with Jennifer. If nothing else happens and you still want Stan gone, I’ll cut him lose,” promised William.
“Is that everything?” asked Elizabeth.
“I think so. I mean, don’t you think that’s enough? Truth is, it’s just the tip of it all, Elizabeth. How could I possibly explain it all in this amount of time? I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it too. For so long I had no one. I didn’t belong anywhere. I didn’t belong to anyone. And now-” William drifted off.
Elizabeth put her fork down and said, “I think I’m done. You?”
“Yeah, I’m finished,” he said.
“Let me do the dishes,” offered Elizabeth as she started to climb off of the bed and lift the tray.
“No. You take a bath. It will just take me a second to throw these in the dishwasher,” assured William.
“Can you bring my bag in when you come back?” she asked.
“Of course. There’s a robe behind the bathroom door that you can use,” he said kissing her gently on the mouth before leaving to do the dishes.
Elizabeth walked into the bathroom and turned on the taps. She stripped off all of her clothes and took a moment to study her body in the mirror. It was hard for her to believe that there was a baby inside of her. From experience she knew that soon her body would be undergoing many changes. As she realized that the tub was well on its way to filling up, she turned her attention to looking for some bath-gel. She found a container of the bath-gel that the hotel in London had provided on the side of the tub and Elizabeth poured some under the stream of water. The fresh mint fragrance permeated the area and she breathed it in deeply. She’d told him. He wasn’t running away. He’d told her. She wasn’t running away. But, where were they, exactly?
“And, where do we go from here?” Elizabeth asked her reflection in the mirror as she pinned her hair up.
~
Elizabeth pulled the stopper on the tub, slipped on William’s robe, and went in search of him.
As she slid one of the panels open from the bedroom, she could see that he’d started a fire in the fireplace. Many of the exterior panels had been slid open and the fresh night air filled the room. He’d swung the sofa around so that it faced the outdoors. He had a bottle of ginger ale and two glasses sitting out. She could hear a track of Spanish guitar music playing softly. So softly that she could still hear the
sounds of the crickets outside.
She walked through and found him in the kitchen. He was perched on a stool and was intently peering at his laptop, which was sitting on the kitchen counter. She noticed that he’d placed the ultrasound picture on the refrigerator and that he was nursing a glass of brandy while reading. She quietly walked around the counter and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Sorry, love. Got a bit distracted,” he said as he set down the brandy glass.
“So,” she said waving her hand dramatically in the air, “I guess the spark is gone.”
William grabbed Elizabeth around the waist and pulled her in close. “Never,” he said as he held her face in his hands and passionately kissed her, exploring her mouth, still tasting the sweet maple flavor of the syrup on her tongue.
“Okay, I stand corrected. There is still definite sparkage,” she confirmed. “What are you looking at?” she asked.
“Elizabeth, this is amazing. Look at this website I found. You enter the date of conception and you get a day-by-day developmental calendar. It’s incredible!” said William enthusiastically.
“Really? Let me see,” said Elizabeth as she stepped in between his legs so that she, too, had a good view of the computer screen.
“Here. For the first five days it’s all about the, you know, sperm and the egg creating a single cell. Then that cell, the zygote, divides into more cells. On the 21st of June? The night of Imperiale’s party? The night we spent on my boat? Around then the embryo would have been implanting in your uterus. At this point the amniotic sac, cavity and yolk sac has formed, the placenta’s begun to develop, and the primitive streak and the head has formed!”
“That primitive streak? He gets that from you,” she teased.
“It’s like an early spinal chord, love.”
“I know. I was just teasing. Not like I’ve never been through this before,” she said.
A mixture of anger, embarrassment, and disappointment quickly passed across William’s face.
“Look, I know that you’ve been through this before. But, this time it’s different. This time, it’s mine. It’s yours and its mine. So much is going to be happening over the next few weeks. Elizabeth, by Sunday there should be early heart beats!”
“So,” said Elizabeth tentatively. “Does this mean that you want to have the baby too?”
William turned Elizabeth around so that she was facing him. He looked at her and with complete certainty, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, said, “Elizabeth? My father walked away from a woman that he loved. I am not going to do that. You and this baby,” he said as he lovingly caressed her stomach, “you’re stuck with me. I love you. I love you both. Please let me do this with you. Please let me make this choice. I know that this is a lot to take in. It has been for me too. I know that most folks would say that it would take a bloody miracle for us to make this work, having known each other for such a short time. But, we’ve already created one miracle, haven’t we?”
Elizabeth could only nod as her eyes filled with tears. After a few seconds William untied Elizabeth’s robe then leaned down and softly said to her stomach, “You’re a little miracle, aren’t you, poppet?” Elizabeth giggled as she felt the warm caress of this breath dance across her bare belly. William looked up at her and as he gazed deeply into her eyes he asked, “What do you say? Can we give this a chance?”
Before she could respond, a huge explosion sounded. William jumped off of the stool and pulling Elizabeth with him ran back towards the living room. He stopped in front of the sofa and turned her so that she had a clear view of the outside. There, over the vineyards, she saw the sky completely aglow with an absolutely spectacular fireworks display.
“You know,” he whispered, “you’ve got to hand it to Mondavi. The guy’s got class. Treating us to this. How do you suppose he knew that we had so much to celebrate? Happy Forth of July, Elizabeth,” said William as he pressed his lips softly again hers in a gentle kiss, a kiss filled with love.
~
Elizabeth woke up alone in bed. The last thing she remembered was being curled up on the sofa, next to William, watching the fireworks. She realized that he must have carried her to bed after she’d fallen asleep. “Some fun date you are,” said Elizabeth to herself as she threw back the covers. She was still wearing William’s robe. She went to the bathroom, quickly ran a brush through her hair, then made her way out of the bedroom to search for him.
As Elizabeth made her way into the kitchen she heard Catherine talking to someone on the phone, “Okay, sweetie, love you too, talk to you later,” she said before hanging up.
“Morning!” said Elizabeth as she looked around, “Where’s William?”
“It’s actually afternoon, one o’clock. I made you some decaf,” said Catherine as she walked over and poured a cup of coffee. “William left just a few seconds ago to go work out. There’s a gym down the path a little ways, adjacent to the pool.”
“Thanks,” said Elizabeth as she accepted the coffee. “I can’t believe I slept so late!”
As Catherine walked over and picked Sara up from her bassinet, Dylan toddled over to her and requested some juice.
“Do you mind getting Dylan some juice while I feed Sara?” asked Catherine.
“No, not at all,” responded Elizabeth as she pulled some apple juice from the refrigerator and poured it into Dylan’s sippy cup.
“You know, I was exhausted too, for the first couple months. Michael used to tease me about it all the time.”
Elizabeth was obviously flustered and seemed a bit at a loss for words, “I-”
“I saw the ultrasound on the refrigerator. William said that the two of you hadn’t had a chance to talk about how or when you were going to let people know. Sorry. I don’t mean to be intrusive. Believe me, I understand. I can appreciate your wanting to keep your private life, well, private,” said Catherine.
“I guess I’m still adjusting to the idea,” said Elizabeth as she sat her coffee cup on the counter and walked over to look at the ultrasound photo.
“It changes your life, motherhood, that’s for sure,” said Catherine as she looked lovingly at her daughter feeding from her breast.
“I didn’t think I would ever have children, didn’t think I could. Now, suddenly I’m going to be a single mom, it’s daunting,” confided Elizabeth.
“It’s daunting even when you’re married. It’s such a responsibility, raising a child. But, it’s such a privilege too. Who’s to say you have to do this alone? It’s obvious William loves you. I get the distinct impression that he intends to be a part of your lives,” said Catherine.
“Well, he’s said he wants to be a part of the baby’s life,” said Elizabeth.
“You’re not sure how he feels about you.”
“No, not exactly, I know that he loves me. I’m being stupid,” said Elizabeth.
“Blame it on hormones, that’s what I did,” suggested Catherine. “Why don’t you go see him? You’ll feel better. As soon as I finish feeding Sara I was going to put her down for a nap and take Dylan for a swim. Come down to the pool with us. I’ll show you where he’s working out.”
“Are you through for the day?” asked Elizabeth.
“Yeah. We are now. You two need to spend some time together. You know what would be fun? Why don’t you surprise William with a cookout by the pool this evening?” suggested Catherine.
“I’m not very skilled in the cooking department.”
“Lucky you! I can show you how to make my personal favorite,” offered Catherine as she moved Sara to her shoulder to burp her.
“What’s that?” asked Elizabeth cautiously.
“A phone-call to gourmet delivery?” answered Catherine as she picked up the telephone and started to dial. “You go get ready for the swim, I’ll call and arrange dinner.”
“But, I didn’t bring a suit,” said Elizabeth.
“Just go in your knickers and a t-shirt. Dylan and I won’t care and the workmen are all gone for the day,” suggested Catherine. “You know, we’ll be out of here altogether in an hour. I’ll have your dinner delivered here, with all the fixings. Just have William light the grill and come up and fetch it.”
“Are you sure?” hollered Elizabeth from the bedroom as she pulled off the robe and started looking through William’s drawers for a t-shirt.
“Most definitely!” assured Catherine.
Ten minutes later they were on their way down the slate path towards the pool. Catherine pointed out the workout room to Elizabeth. She could see him through the windows that lined the front, boxing gloves on, hitting a punching bag. He was shirtless, a heavy sheen of sweat making his torso and abdomen
glisten. Elizabeth licked her lips. He looked intent as he pounded, mercilessly, on the bag. Then he stopped. Elizabeth watched him pull off his gloves. He tossed them onto the floor, picked up a water bottle and took a deep drink. Then Elizabeth watched as he disappeared around a corner.
“He’s going into the steam room. You know, it’ll be all hot and, well, steamy in there. You should probably go check on him. Make sure he’s not too lonely,” said Catherine with a wink before giving Elizabeth a nudge towards the work out room and heading off with the kids towards the pool.
William sat, reclined, on the bottom step of the steam room, which was tiled in white marble. There was a row of benches along two of the walls. An infusion of hot steam had just been piped into the space. William leaned his head back against the slick marble and exhaled. He hadn’t slept well the previous night. There were too many thoughts rolling around in his head. He was reflecting on how, in a moment, your priorities can change. How your life can change.
Elizabeth opened the door to the steam room and she was immediately engulfed in what appeared to be a thick, dense, fog. She stepped inside, cautiously, so as not to slip on the wet marble. At first the air in the room felt stifling, almost suffocating. The steam was so dense that she couldn’t see. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, and then she saw him, through the mist. He sat up, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist.
He saw her walk slowly into the room. She was wearing one of his t-shirts. Almost instantly the level of moisture in the room caused the cotton fabric to fuse to her skin, revealing every curve. As she approached him he sat up and reached out towards her.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said.
“Hey yourself. Lucky for you, I’m feeling all refreshed,” she replied coyly as she stepped between his legs. She noticed a bead of sweat roll off his face. It continued past his neck and was now making the pleasurable journey over his well-defined pecs. Elizabeth reached out and ran her fingers over his sweat-drenched forehead, down the sides of his face, and over his neck before leaning down and kissing him passionately.
William reached for the hem of her t-shirt and began to pull it upwards. As Elizabeth broke off the kiss he pulled the garment up and over her head, tossing it onto the damp floor. Her underwear came next. He hooked his thumbs over the sides and pushed them down to her knees, then he used his foot to nudge them the rest of the way off.
Elizabeth reached down and pulled Williams towel open. His cock was already fully erect, a drop of pre-cum weeping from the head. She was barely able to register the image as he quickly pulled her towards him, engulfing her breast in his mouth, worrying her nipple gently with his teeth.
“Oh,” gasped Elizabeth, “tender!”
William released her nipple immediately and gently, soothingly, licked it. “Sorry,” he said softly as he reached up to pull her head down and towards him. He kissed her then, softly at first. He ran his hands down the length of her body, now sopping wet with perspiration from the steam, from the heat. “From me,” he thought as he slid a finger between her folds to confirm the dampness existed there as well. He then began to kiss her more ardently, his need for her, to be inside of her, mounting. He took her lower lip into his mouth sucking on it eagerly. God, he wanted her.
Elizabeth could feel his arms tightening around her as his tongue continued to stroke hers. His kiss was becoming more insistent, more passionate. She climbed onto his lap so that she was straddling him, one knee on either side, kneeling on the marble, her hands grasping the top step for support. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her body against his chest. In one fluid motion she impaled herself on his cock. He broke off the kiss as he released a gasp, his eyes widened in surprise at how quickly she had taken him in.
Her hair and body were now drenched. He ran his hand, reverently over her slick skin as she began to move up and down. The moisture on their bodies mingled as they moved, writhing against one another. It felt exceedingly erotic, exceedingly primal. William kissed her hungrily, like a man drowning. She pulled back in desperate need of air and found herself locked in the gaze of his eyes. The rhythm they had set then turned deliberately slow. They said nothing as they danced that timeless dance, their eyes fixed only on one another, unwavering, searching, connecting something deep inside of them, as they became one.
Elizabeth began to feel dizzy, whether it was the heat, the intensity of the emotion, or her impending climax, she didn’t know. She could feel her thighs and the lining of her inner walls begin to quiver. She placed both of her hands around the back of William’s neck, rested her forehead against his, and came, shouting his name as the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced ripped through her.
William reached up and wrapped his arms around her back as, in a final thrust, he emptied his seed deep within her. He was trembling, despite the heat. Elizabeth was essentially collapsed, like a ragged doll, draped over him. He felt overwhelmed by emotion, so grateful for the creature he held in his arms. He kissed her on the shoulder, and then gently moved her so that she sat, reclined, on the bench. He stood slowly, his own legs still feeling a little shaky, and walked over to push the steam room door open. The cooler air outside was bracing. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, sending beads of sweat onto the floor. He then went back into the room, gathered her into his arms, carried her back out, and sat her on the wooden bench just to the right of the door.
“Don’t want you to get overheated,” he said as he offered her a sip of water.
Elizabeth used the back of her hand to wipe the beads of perspiration off her brow. “I’m all sweaty,” she said quietly, as she leaned her head back against the cool, tiled wall, her breathing still somewhat labored.
“You have never been so beautiful,” he said as he knelt before her, now handing her a towel.
“Yeah?” she asked, her face aglow.
“Yeah,” he confirmed.
~
The first thing Elizabeth saw upon waking the following morning was that William was still there beside her, watching her. He reached over and brushed back the hair from her face.
“How long have you been awake?” she asked.
“A while,” he responded. “I enjoyed last night.”
“Me too. Wish I didn’t have to go back this morning,” she admitted.
“Stay.”
Elizabeth smiled contentedly; feeling assured that he wanted her. “I can’t. There’s this little thing called a job that I have to go to tomorrow. You know, that thing that pays the rent.”
“You’re a wealthy woman, Elizabeth. You don’t have to go back to work. Not unless you want to,” he reminded her.
“Just how did that happen?” she asked sitting up.
William sighed, “Do we really need to go over it again? Feels like I’ve explained it at least a dozen times. Maybe I should just write it all down?”
“No. No, I’ve got it. It’s just-wow,” she said as she lay back down and snuggled against him.
“I really want you to,” he murmured, his lips up against the shell of her ear.
“Want me to what?”
“Stay.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t? Course you can. You just pick up the phone, call your boss and say, ‘I quit. I’ve taken a new job being William’s love slave. The pay isn’t much but the fringe benefits are tough to beat,’” suggested William.
Elizabeth giggled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Nah! I’m an enlightened, sensitive guy. Wouldn’t want to objectify you as some stereotypical sex object. Unless… How to you feel about red leather?” he asked with a glint in his eye.
“You’re wicked!” she said hitting him playfully on the chest.
As he pulled her on top of him he confirmed, “I’m very bad. I deserve to be punished. Come on baby, give it to me good.”
“Thought you got it pretty good last night,” she replied.
“I did! But, I want some more!” he begged.
“Sorry,” she said as she leaned down to kiss him. “But you have to take me to the airport.”
“Bollocks! Thought I was close to convincing you to stay,” he groaned and turned his head away from her.
Elizabeth climbed out of the bed and walked around to the side, so that she was facing him. She crouched down so that her eyes were level with his. “I feel the need to keep some things in my life constant. It seems like it took me a really long time to get my life together. My work, my home, they’ve been like anchors.”
“You’re still not sure of me, sure of us. Are you?”
“No,” she admitted, “not completely.”
He nodded his understanding then rolled onto his back as she started to walk towards the bathroom.
“Elizabeth?” he called out to her, as he rose up on his elbows.
She turned around, her eyes moist, “Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. I tried my hardest not to, but I can’t seem to help it. I can’t afford to make another mistake, William. There’s too much to consider,” she said as she instinctively placed a hand over her womb.
William climbed out of bed, walked over to her, and wrapped her in his warm embrace. “Love, nothing we do together could ever be a mistake. God! I’m going to hate being away from you this week. You’re all I’m gonna bloody think about!”
Elizabeth smiled. “I’m going to miss you too. We both are.”
He leaned back and kissed her gently on the forehead, then turned her around and swatted her on the bottom. “Go get cleaned up. You’ve got a flight to catch, doll. I’ll make us some coffee,” he said as he started to walk out of the room.
“After you start the coffee will you come help me with all of those, you know, ‘hard to reach’ places?” asked Elizabeth.
William stopped dead in his tracks a smile on his lips as he turned around. He placed his hand over his chest and in mock shock said, “I’m surprised at you, Miss Reynolds. Are you, a dirty girl?”
“Oh yes!” she nodded wide-eyed as she peered around the corner to the bathroom door, “I’m very, very dirty.”
William started to move towards the bathroom and she held up her hand. “Stop! Start coffee first. Clean Elizabeth second,” she commanded.
“As you wish,” he said bowing in her direction before heading to the kitchen to do his love’s bidding.
Chapter 11
It was Saturday and Elizabeth was extremely restless. William had been traveling extensively for the past couple of days. Since she’d returned from her trip to Napa he’d taken to calling her practically every hour, unless they were sleeping. The truth was, she appreciated it. She felt the loss as much as he did. They were out of touch entirely during his flight over to London. Although he called her on his way to the hotel, due to the time difference, their conversation was brief. He then did a quick turn around in order to fly back, leaving them once again, incommunicado. She looked at her watch and smiled. “They should have landed about an hour ago, won’t be long now. They need to get their luggage, clear customs, and drive back here. Maybe another hour,” thought Elizabeth.
Elizabeth poured herself a glass of iced tea, grabbed a book, and prepared to sit on the back deck and read. On her way out to enjoy the early evening her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey Liz! How are you feeling?” asked Samantha.
“Fine! I am little nervous if you want to know the truth. Was that a genuine ‘How are you feeling’?” responded Elizabeth.
“Of course!” insisted Samantha. “What’s with the nervousness?”
“Sam, have you been paying attention? I feel like I’m a living soap opera at the moment!” said Elizabeth.
“No! If you were in a soap opera your name would be something like Sky. And William? He would be, like Brock. You’d get into this major fight, all over some total miscommunication, of course. Then, you’d run off, to have the baby in secret. Years later, William would find out that Candice, the stranger with amnesia that he was inexplicably drawn too and found on the brink of death in that snowdrift in the French Alps…was none other than his love child. The child that he never got to meet!”
“Ah, Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re lunching at Starbuck’s again, aren’t you?”
“Caught me. I’m in the middle of prepping for a huge trial. Anyways, that’s sort of related to why I called,” explained Samantha. “You know, all work and no play?”
“What’s up?” asked Elizabeth.
“Well, tomorrow’s Sunday and I thought maybe we could do an impromptu beach party. Nothing fancy. Raven lives right on the beach and she and I got to talking today, we realized that a day of fun in the sun was just what we needed. She offered her house and Marsha and I are going to take care of the food. Are you guys in?” asked Samantha.
“I don’t know,” said Elizabeth, a little hesitantly.
“Oh, come on! You know I want to get to know William a little bit. Raven already knows him. It’ll be fun for Jennifer. Raven has a pool. We could play some volleyball…”
“I’m just not sure that Jennifer will be up for a big crowd.”
“Maybe I’m not explaining this right. We weren’t thinking about a big party. At first it was just going to be Raven, her boyfriend, Marsha and myself. Then I spilled the beans about you and William and we thought, ‘Hey! We should invite them too!’ What do you say? Please?” begged Samantha.
“Well! When you put it like that, how could we refuse? Think it would be okay for me to invite Charlie and Conner?” asked Elizabeth.
“Sure! Did Charlie get a hold of you the other night? She called me frantic with worry,” asked Samantha.
“Yeah. She caught me on my cell.”
“Does she know the news, about the baby I mean?” Samantha asked.
“Yup. I filled her in Monday. But, I’m not telling folks in general yet though. I want to wait a few weeks,” explained Elizabeth.
Just then Elizabeth heard the front door slam as William yelled, “Hi, honey! I’m home!”
“Got to go!” said Elizabeth quickly.
“Yeah! Yeah! The hunky guy walks in and suddenly I’m chopped liver. That’s why I’ll never leave Marsha for you. Elizabeth, you’re too fickle,” Samantha teased.
“Bye!” said Elizabeth as she hung up the phone and started to head out of the kitchen in search of her hunk.
But, before she could even make it to the kitchen entry, there he was. All in black and all hers. “Missed you!” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him crushing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. She could feel his arousal growing through his jeans and it excited her, knowing that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I missed you too,” she admitted as they pulled back from their kiss. “How was the flight?”
“Long, even though they managed to get us here early. Didn’t get much sleep. Well, didn’t get any sleep,” said William.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“No. Didn’t want to stop. Wanted to come straight home to you,” he explained. “I am feeling a bit peckish though. What do you say to dinner and an early bedtime?” he asked with a suggestive wiggle of his brows.
Elizabeth giggled, “Sounds good to me. Should we check with Jennifer? Where is she?”
“In the loo,” said William as he stepped back then bent down to kiss Elizabeth’s stomach. “And how’s my little one doing?” he whispered.
Jennifer finished up in the bathroom and began to make her way over to the kitchen where she could hear Elizabeth and William talking. The flight had been unbelievably long. Since leaving Broadmoore it seemed she’d had one fantastic experience after another. She’d been running on pure adrenalin, unable to sleep and suddenly, she felt exhausted. As she passed by the sofa she stopped abruptly and swayed a bit, her hands involuntarily moving to her temples. Her head turned slowly, her gaze coming to rest on the table lamp.
Jennifer frowned as she walked over to the lamp. She appeared to study it closely, her head tilted to the side. She leaned over closer and placing both hands on the lampshade said in a soft voice, “Hello?” She stood up quickly and turned around as Elizabeth and William walked into the room.
“Jennifer! How was the trip?” asked Elizabeth as she approached Jen, arms outstretched, preparing to hug her.
“Brilliant! I’m quite knackered though. Think you could point me to my room? I’d like to rest a bit before supper is served,” said Jen.
“Well, for tonight and tomorrow you’re going to be sleeping here, on the sofa. Elizabeth’s only got a one bedroom,” explained William.
“Out here?” asked Jennifer, obviously finding the idea unacceptable.
“Or, you could take my room?” offered Elizabeth.
“Yes! That would be much better,” confirmed Jennifer.
“No. She will not take your bedroom. We’re sleeping in your bedroom. You need your rest,” declared William.
“Okay, so Elizabeth and I will take the bedroom and you can sleep on the couch!” suggested Jen.
“What? No. And, stop with the puppy dog eyes. I am immune. You’re getting the couch and that’s final, princess,” finished William.
“Very well,” sighed Jen as she sat down on the sofa, chin in her hand.
“So! I’m in the mood for Italian. What do you say?” asked William rubbing his hands together.
“Oh! I know the perfect place. It’s just down the hill in Little Italy. They make incredible garlic pizza,” exclaimed Elizabeth.
“Garlic pizza?” asked William tentatively.
“Yeah! It’s really good, I promise. Good for your heart,” declared Elizabeth, patting his chest.
“Yeah, I bet! And, let’s not forget, it’ll keep those nasty vampires away!” teased William.
“Vampires?” asked Jen. “Gosh! I think I miss Reginald.”
“Who’s Reginald?” asked William.
“Her boyfriend,” explained Elizabeth.
“Thinks he’s a vampire,” said Jen.
“Jen, honey? We really need to discuss your standards. You need to raise the bar, just a tad,” said William patiently.
“Hey! What about that Andrew guy that did the video? Maybe you could introduce me to him,” suggested Jen.
“Sorry, Jen. I’m pretty sure that Andrew is gay,” said Elizabeth. “But he’s your age and could maybe be a friend, introduce you around.”
“Why is it that the good ones are gay, or your brother, or locked up in a mental institution far away on another continent,” sighed Jen as she leaned her head back on the couch.
“That’s a rhetorical question, right?” asked William as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Come on, ducks, let’s get us something to eat.”
“Could you guys go without me? I’m completely done in. I’d love to just take a bath and rest. You can bring me back something. I promise, I’ll be good,” said Jennifer fluttering her eyelashes playfully.
“I don’t know,” responded William obviously hesitant.
“Oh, come on! It’s not like I’m going to set the house on fire,” said Jen, getting a little aggravated.
Elizabeth and William exchanged a glance with obvious alarm. “Ah, Jen? Have you ever?”
“No! I mean, there was this one time I shorted out a hair dryer trying to roast a marshmallow? There were sparks. I was around 10 and I was living on Ward 6 at the time. No. No fires. Really, I’ll be fine. You can trust me,” finished Jennifer.
Elizabeth looked at William and nodded. He handed her his cell-phone with Elizabeth’s number pre-programmed and said, “If you need anything, press this button and it’ll ring Elizabeth’s phone. We’ll be here in a blink. Don’t answer the phone and don’t answer the door. We’ll be back in about an hour.”
Five minutes later William and Elizabeth were out the door. Jen waited until she saw the car pull away. Then she waited a few more minutes just to be sure. Eventually she couldn’t stand it any longer. She
opened the front door and proceeded to walk down the street. There was a nondescript white van parked four houses down, on the left. She approached it from behind and knocked, assertively on the back door. After waiting a few moments she knocked again. “I’m not going away. I know you’re in there. You should just open up,” she called.
Another minute went by and the door opened a crack. “Hello! I’m Will’s sister. And you are?” she asked.
He said nothing. He looked past her, as if he was searching for someone else. “It’s alright. It’s only me. Listen, Elizabeth wouldn’t like you listening in, not one bit. More importantly though, whatever you’re using? It’s, well, it’s distracting me. I can’t focus in there and I’m going to have to sleep on the bloody couch right next to that lamp. So, come on,” commanded Jennifer as she pulled the van’s door open further.
“I’m sorry, miss. I’m sure I don’t know what you’re referring to,” he said as he reached out for the door handle, trying to once again pull it closed.
“Oh, you know quite well what I’m talking about. You have thirty minutes. I suggest you move it. I know you don’t want trouble. Come on,” she coaxed with a crook of her finger.
Stanley climbed out of the van. He reached back and grabbed a backpack, then locked up. As he started to follow Jennifer back to Elizabeth’s she asked, “What’s your name by the way?”
“Stanley.”
“Well, you’re quite handsome. Are you rich, Stanley?” asked Jen.
“What a rude question! S’a bit intrusive, don’t you think? I mean, we’ve just met-”
“Sorry, Stan. Thought, what with the whole spying thing you’re doing, that maybe your boundaries in general and your threshold for ‘private’ would be a little flexible,” related Jen.
“Do you really think I’m handsome?” asked Stanley shyly.
“Oh yes! Truly!” agreed Jennifer as she opened Elizabeth’s front door. “Now you have about twenty-five minutes.”
~
Elizabeth and William slid into opposite sides of a booth accepting the menus from the waiter. William opened his up, and then promptly closed it. “God, I’m tired,” he sighed as he gently rubbed his eyes. “It’s good to see you,” he said as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand, interlacing her fingers with his. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling fine. Everything is fine. I’m a little tired too,” Elizabeth said, suddenly feeling nervous.
The waitress approached the table and they quickly ordered the pizza and a serving of ravioli. William ordered a glass of the house Chianti and Elizabeth requested some sparkling water. As soon as the waitress left, William got up and joined Elizabeth on her side of the booth. As he slid in he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a little squeeze.
“What’s up?”
“Did you tell Jen?” she asked.
“No,” he said simply.
“Have you told anyone?” she asked.
“Just Catherine. But you already know I told her,” he replied.
“Only because she saw the ultrasound photo,” Elizabeth reminded him.
He pulled back a bit and looked at her with puzzlement. “What’s your point, love?”
Elizabeth looked down, her hands twisting the napkin that rested in her lap, and whispered, “Are you ashamed?”
“What?” he asked totally taken aback.
“I mean, it would be kind of understandable-”
“No. I’m not ashamed. We just hadn’t talked about it. How to, or when we would tell people the news. Are you telling people?” asked William.
“Just a few people,” explained Elizabeth.
“Who?”
“Well, Conner knows. He ran the test. I fainted at the hospital, long story. Carter knows-”
“Carter?”
“Yeah, I passed out in the middle of one of his Trauma’s. He ordered Conner to take care of me. He was in the room when Conner gave me the results. Conner was really sweet and he was trying to be discreet. But, when he told me the news I-I guess I forgot Carter was even there, and he heard. He’s actually the one that brought me over to see the OB, and then he drove me home. He was very sweet and- and well behaved. God! Why do I feel like I did something wrong?”
“Elizabeth, you’re a trusting person, you search for the best in people. It’s one of the many things I love about you. But, Carter should not be trusted. You put yourself in a vulnerable position, being with him, alone. Maybe you feel like you did something wrong because you knew I wouldn’t like it,” suggested William as he slid away from her and turned to accept their drinks from the waitress.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. I felt so sick-” she trailed off, tears in her eyes. “Don’t be mad. I know you’re right. It was stupid. I need to be more cautious around him. Not give off any mixed signals.”
“I’m not mad. Okay, that’s not entirely true, I am mad. He could have tried to seduce you, or hurt you, or hurt the baby,” finished William awkwardly as he rubbed his hands on his thighs.
Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder and assured him, “It’s you I love, you I want, your baby I’m carrying inside of me. I’m sorry if my accepting his help that day has made you doubt any of that, or my judgment. It was a mistake, I know. But, I didn’t want to hide it from you,” she explained.
“Don’t do it again,” he said, as he looked her directly in the eyes.
“No, I won’t,” she promised and he nodded.
“So, who else knows?”
“Just Samantha, Marsha and Charlie. And, I think that Jen knows. I think she knew before anyone. Something that she said in London made me wonder if she had, I don’t know, some sense of it. I’d like to officially tell her,” said Elizabeth.
“How about tomorrow? Then we could go out for dinner and celebrate,” suggested William.
“Oh, that reminds me, we’ve been invited to a beach party tomorrow. Well, not a party, really, just a few friends getting together. Samantha, Marsha, Charlie, Conner, Raven and her boyfriend, I don’t remember his name,” she finished.
“Alan.”
“Yes, that’s it!” said Elizabeth, surprised.
“He was the one that was supposed to do your birthday dinner, doll.”
Elizabeth cupped her hand over her mouth and gasped, “My gosh, I had completely forgotten. So, you know everyone then.”
“Well, Alan and I are mates. I’ve known Raven for a while,” he said and when he noticed Elizabeth raise her eyebrows quizzically. “In a strictly business sense,” he quickly added. Elizabeth crossed her arms in front of her and he finished, “I swear.”
Elizabeth’s face broke into a radiant smile. “I believe you. I’ve only met Raven a few times, but I know she places a very high value on orgasms. She would undoubtedly have considered you too valuable a commodity to let go.”
William finally released the breath he seemed to have been holding. “Okay, was it just me? Or, were things a little awkward between us for a bit there?”
“I felt it too,” admitted Elizabeth. “But I feel better, now. Suppose it will always be like that when we see each other after time apart?”
“I don’t know. I don’t particularly like it though. But I guess it’s to be expected,” he said.
“You know, I was thinking last night about the pregnancy thing, and, well, how it’s changed the way I feel about you, about us,” she admitted.
“Go on,” he encouraged as he took a sip of his wine.
“I’m not sure that I can explain it. I mean, when I first met you, right away I felt this attraction. I didn’t
particularly want for it to be there, even kind of fought against it. I knew that we were on our way to building something. Normally that takes a while, it should take awhile. Now, suddenly there’s this really intimate thing that we’re sharing. There are moments when I feel this overwhelming connection to you, like on some level I’ve always known you. Then, there are times when I’m reminded about how long we’ve actually known each other and suddenly I feel acutely aware that in many ways we are still practically strangers. Am I making any sense?” asked Elizabeth.
“Totally,” answered William. “I had a lot of time to think on the airplane. It occurred to me that here I am, experiencing something I never necessarily thought I would. I’ve always been a bit of a loner. Never thought about having children. Suddenly, here I am going to share one of the most deeply intimate and important things a couple can with a woman that I love. That’s when it hit me.”
“What?”
The waitress came and placed their food on the table. William ordered a second glass of wine and they filled their plates. “What?” asked Elizabeth for a second time.
“All the implications, of loving you. How quickly I’ve come to think of us as a couple. How we’re going to be parents. How the three of us, together, are now a family,” finished William his voice a little shaky as he said the final word with reverence.
Elizabeth’s eyes glistened with tears. “I love you very much right now, William Carlton.”
“I love you too, doll, truly I do. There’s something that I want you to think about,” he said.
“What?”
“I want you to think about us getting a place together. No, that’s not right. What I mean is, us trying to build a home together. Even without me in the equation, your place is too small for a baby. Well, maybe not an infant but certainly you would outgrow it quickly. The point is I want to be there with you and the baby. I hate not being with you everyday, even now. I want you to think about it, we could start looking for a house next weekend even. Get moved in and settled long before the baby arrives. I’m overwhelming you…”
“Yes. No. A little,” she settled on with a smile.
“I know, I’m pushing too soon, too hard,” he said picking up his fork and taking a bite of ravioli.
“That’s not it. It’s more like what you were describing earlier. That shift from Elizabeth Reynolds, divorced, career woman with no dating prospects to Elizabeth Reynolds with child and-” she trailed off
not sure what to call him. “I’m going to think about it, lots of very serious thinking. But first I want to work a bit more on that building intimacy thing,” she said as she took a big bite of pizza. “Ask me again if I’m feeling okay.”
William smiled, took another sip of his wine and asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
Elizabeth turned around a bit in the booth so that she faced him. “You really want to know?”
William nodded eagerly and said, “Yeah, love, I really want to know. What have I missed?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Well,” she started, “I can already feel my body going through changes….”
~
Jennifer walked out of Elizabeth’s bathroom fresh from a bath as she heard William and Elizabeth enter the house.
“Jennifer?” called William. “We’ve got your dinner, doll.”
Jennifer bounced down the hall and found them in the kitchen. “Yum! It smells wonderful and I’m starved.”
As Elizabeth dished up the leftovers and served Jennifer she said, “I see you’ve found the bath.”
“Hope you don’t mind. Thought this way I could eat and then nod off straight away,” replied Jen as she took a bite of the pizza.
“Sounds like a good plan,” agreed Elizabeth. “Let me get the pullout ready for you. It’ll just take a few minutes.”
When Elizabeth left the room Jennifer set her fork down. “Will? Sit.”
William pulled out a chair and joined her at the table. He leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, and rested his weary head against the wall. “I’m about ready to turn in too, Jen.”
“Naughty boy! What were you thinking?” scolded Jen.
One of William’s eyes popped open, then the other slowly followed as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “What are you talking about, love?”
“Those listening devices. Elizabeth wouldn’t like that. Plus? They were bothering me! Hissing and squealing and transmitting his bloody thoughts back so loud! I could hardly hear myself think! I had to have them removed,” she said quickly.
“Whose thoughts?”
“Stanley’s. Are you paying attention?” asked Jennifer feeling irritated. “He’s very handsome, by the way. I think I might like to get to know him better. Is he rich, Will? He wouldn’t tell me-”
“Is who rich?” asked Elizabeth as she breezed back into the room and began to make herself a cup of tea. “Anyone for tea?”
“Sure, love,” said William.
“None for me,” responded Jen.
“Well?” prompted Elizabeth.
“I was talking about Stanley, a friend of Wills, he stopped by looking for Will while you were out,” answered Jen.
“Jennifer! You weren’t supposed to answer the door,” Elizabeth reminded her.
“Oh, I didn’t, and I told him he would have to come back,” said Jennifer.
“I wonder what he wanted?” asked Elizabeth. “I had kind of forgotten about him. Hey, why don’t you invite him to the gathering at the beach tomorrow? There’s no need for him to continue to be all stealthy guy. Everything’s been quiet here. What do you think?”
“Well-” started William.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea! Let’s call him right now!” said Jennifer excitedly as she clapped her hands.
Elizabeth smiled and she handed William the cordless phone and said, “I think Jennifer has a crush on the mysterious stranger, and I want to meet my protector. Call.”
“Bloody Hell!” said William as he dialed the phone.
“Hello?” answered Stan.
“It’s Will,” he said. “What have you been up to lately, Stan?”
“Sorry, Will. I guess you know my cover’s blown. I tried to call but you didn’t answer your cell phone. Jennifer found the van and insisted I clean the place out. Interesting bird. Don’t take this the wrong way, but she’s a little, um, scary,” finished Stan.
“Yes, well, I’m calling because it looks like this arrangement may be coming to a close. Elizabeth feels perfectly safe and thinks I’m a stupid, over-reactive, git,” he started, “Ow! Chit just hit me on the head!”
“Bet the little girl hits hard, too. Huh, Nancy?” asked Stanley.
“You have no idea,” answered William as he rubbed the top of his head. “Look, I’m calling to invite you to a little gathering tomorrow. Elizabeth wants to, uh, thank you.”
“Is this truly an invitation or is this a command performance?” asked Stanley.
“It’s an invitation,” confirmed William.
“Truth is, I’m really behind on sleep. You know how it is when I’m on a job. I need to get some shut-eye. If I’m off the job, really, what I most want is to sleep for the next couple days,” explained Stan.
“Sure. Understandable. I’m in town until Wednesday,” said William.
“Will? There’s something I want to ask you about,” said Stan, hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve done good work for you, haven’t I?”
“Very satisfactory, Stan. What’s on your mind? Out with it,” said William as he stood up and walked out of the kitchen and onto the back deck.
“I want out. Somehow you’ve done it and survived. No, flourished, actually. You obviously have influence with Hamilton. I’m tired of this existence, skulking in the shadows, watching other people’s lives. Will you help me, Will?” asked Stanley.
Will felt someone’s hand grasp his shoulder. He spun around to see Jennifer standing there. Elizabeth was busy rinsing off the dishes and loading then into the dishwasher. “Say, ‘yes’,” whispered Jennifer. “It’s a good idea. It’s what’s meant to be. It’ll keep him around. You need help, Will. Especially now.”
William’s eyes narrowed and his head cocked to the side a bit as he studied Jennifer and weighed her words. He turned back around and said, “Yes, I’ll help you. You get some sleep. I’ll see if I can work something out. Call me when you wake up.”
“Thanks, Will,” said Stanley, relieved that Will didn’t view this as a betrayal of Hamilton, relieved that Jennifer had been right.
William turned back around and watched Jennifer for a moment. She was standing out on the back deck, dressed in her white nightdress, her head thrown back, her arms stretched out, as she breathed in deeply.
He pulled out one of the deck chairs and sat down. Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen with two cups of tea. She handed one to William and joined him at the table. “Your bed’s made up, Jen. You can turn in whenever you’re ready,” she said.
“Isn’t the night glorious?” asked Jennifer. “I’ve never smelled anything quite so sweet.”
“It’s night-blooming jasmine,” offered William. “It covers the fence over there.”
“No. That’s not it, Will,” said Jennifer as she walked over and kissed him on the top of his head. “What I smell,” she whispered into the shell of his ear, her warm breath mingling with the cool night air, “is my freedom.”
“Sleep sweet, Jen,” said William as he reached for her hand and kissed the back of it gently.
“Thank you, Will,” said Jennifer as she turned and walked back towards the kitchen. As she reached the doorway she turned around and added, “Thank you too, Elizabeth. I really appreciate all that you’ve
done for me.”
“You’re welcome, Jen,” said Elizabeth.
“Kind of feels like we’re family now, the four of us,” said Jennifer.
Elizabeth’s hand involuntarily moved to her stomach. “You know,” she said.
“Before you did. It told me,” she said looking out into the darkness. “I knew the moment I looked at you. You’re the one, Elizabeth,” said Jennifer softly, the light from the kitchen illuminating her from behind.
“I don’t understand, what do you mean, Jen? What do you mean by ‘the one’,” asked Elizabeth as she slowly stood up. William placed his cup back on the table and stood alongside her, protectively wrapping his arm around her waist.
“Why, you’re going to save us all. It’s already set in motion. Don’t you feel it? Watch your hands, the die has been cast. Tick tock. Goodnight, Elizabeth,” she said as she stepped backwards into the kitchen, turned off the light, and disappeared into the darkness.
“Is it just me?” asked Elizabeth. “Or, can she be a little scary?”
“It’s not just you,” William assured her having heard that for the second time in the last half hour. “Let’s call it a night, love.”
~
It was 9:30 a.m. on Sunday as Elizabeth pulled into her driveway. She’d been awake for almost two hours and was just returning from a quick trip to a local bagel shop. She quietly unlocked the door and slipped inside.
“Where have you been? I woke up and you were gone. I’ve been practically frantic,” finished William trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake Jennifer.
“Shh. I just went to get bagels,” said Elizabeth as she held the bag up. “Did you find the coffee?”
“You should have left a note,” he grumbled. “Did you hear me say I was worried?”
“Yes. I’ll leave a note next time. You know, I leave my apartment all of the time. I was only gone for about twenty minutes,” she explained.
He continued to look at her with those piercing blue eyes and she added, “But next time I’m leaving you a note.”
“Good. Fine,” he said.
“Can we say good morning now?” she asked as she walked towards the kitchen.
He followed, catching up to her as she opened the refrigerator door and leaned in to get the cream for her coffee. William walked up behind her and quickly molded his body over the back of hers. He snaked one arm around her waist, his hand reaching up to cup a full breast in his hand. He slid his other hand between them and ran it up the back of one of Elizabeth’s thighs. “Sorry. Sorry for acting like a prat. Good morning, doll. I missed waking up with you.”
Elizabeth could feel his growing arousal against her bottom and she couldn’t help pushing back, into it.
“Oh,” Elizabeth moaned as he took her earlobe between his teeth and pulled on it gently.
“I love it when you-” William began.
“I’m awake!” shouted Jennifer as she climbed out of the sofa bed and started to walk towards the kitchen.
Elizabeth and William froze momentarily. “Bugger!” he said as he quickly moved to sit down at the kitchen table. William grabbed a section of the newspaper and opened it up in his lap to hide his erection.
Elizabeth smiled as Jen rounded the corner. “I’ve got fresh bagels and coffee,” she offered.
“Think I’ll shower first, if you don’t mind. Not sure what to wear today, though. I don’t actually have a swimsuit,” said Jennifer.
“We’ll, you’re in luck! I bought two new ones just last month when I went on a shopping spree with my friend, Charlie. You can have your pick. I’m pretty sure either one would fit you,” said Elizabeth as she walked out of the kitchen, Jennifer following quickly behind.
William took the opportunity to get up, pour himself a cup of coffee, and fix a bagel. He then took it, along with the newspaper, onto the back deck. Elizabeth joined him a few minutes later with a glass of orange juice.
“Beautiful morning,” Elizabeth said with a sigh as she sat down.
“It’ll be spectacular at the beach, I expect. Good wind, too. Maybe we can squeeze in a sail while I’m here. Maybe Monday. After Jen is all settled in. We could put together a picnic and spend the night on the boat. Think you could arrange to go in late Tuesday?” asked William.
“I’m way ahead of you. I actually worked yesterday. So, I was planning to take Tuesday off entirely. I kind of figured it would be the only chance for the two of us to have, you know, alone time,” said Elizabeth, a little embarrassment evident.
Thirty minutes later found Jennifer ready, in Elizabeth’s new red one-piece swimsuit. She sat in the kitchen watching William prepare her coffee and bagel. As he handed them to her, Jennifer said, “Will, you better go check on her.”
William walked back to the bedroom, still in his pajama bottoms. As he walked into the bedroom he could see that Elizabeth was standing in front of the mirror. She quickly grabbed his shirt, which after wearing last night he had left on her dresser, and used it to shield her body from his view. “Everything alright, doll?” he asked as he closed the door.
“No! Everything is not alright. My breasts are starting to swell and this is a brand new suit. Oh! This is awful,” she said as she walked over to her closet. “Surely I have a nice, baggy, non-revealing shirt that I can wear?”
“Let me see,” suggested William.
“What? No. I don’t think so,” responded Elizabeth shaking her head.
William walked over to her and after placing his hand at the small of her back he whispered, “Just turn around.”
Elizabeth turned around, but failed to meet his steady gaze. “Okay, I can understand you wanting to be modest. But there is no need to hide yourself from me. You said just last night that you were starting to experience changes, that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” asked William.
Elizabeth nodded then looked up at him and said, “What if you don’t like the changes? What if you
don’t want me anymore?”
“Elizabeth,” he said, his voice rich with emotion as he reached for his shirt and gently pulled it away, exposing her body, “I always want you.”
“That’s sweet honey, but it doesn’t solve my problem,” she said as she pulled on her bikini top trying to push her breasts down further.
“Elizabeth, love. You have no idea the effect that you have on me, do you?” he asked as he leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth.
“I have an effect?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said as he started to trail a line of kisses down her neck over her collarbone and across the full mounds of her breasts. “Knowing I’m responsible for all that’s happening inside your body, how could I not want you? Your breasts are spectacular,” he whispered in her ear.
“So, you didn’t like them before?” she asked as William had begun to suck on the pulse point just behind her ear. He froze and slowly pulled away from her.
“Oh, no! I’ve heard about these questions,” he said as he walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a pair of black board shorts and a loose white linen shirt. After tossing them onto the bed he said, “I’m gonna take a quick shower and shave. That should still leave us enough time to swing by the mall before going to Raven’s if you really want to.
“Well, don’t you think I should? Why did Jen have to pick the one-piece?” Elizabeth groaned.
“Will you stop? Okay! At the risk of getting myself in trouble here, you’re a beautiful woman. The first time I saw you, when you slipped out of that yellow dress in that bathroom over there? You took my breath away. I swear, my heart stopped beating. So, your body’s changing a bit. As the months go by it’s going to change a lot. But, it’s not going to change my feelings about you. In point of fact, I find myself looking forward to it, even fantasizing about it. Not because of the changes themselves, but because of what it all means. The suit may not fit like it did when you bought it, but it fits. Once more,” he finished as he raked his eyes over her body, his arousal evident, “it fits well.”
As William turned and entered the bathroom, Elizabeth skipped over to the mirror and looked at her body in a new light. She smiled as she shook her head and scolded herself, “He loves you. He’s not Hugh. He’s not leaving. He’s right. The suit does fit well. Stupid hormones.”
Suddenly the bathroom door opened and William stuck his head out, Elizabeth could hear the shower
running. “Elizabeth? The fact that I’m fantasizing about, you know, when your,” William mimed a big, round belly; “is that, well-” he trailed off.
“Perfectly normal,” she assured him.
“Right,” he nodded. “So, what’s the verdict on the swimsuit?”
“I’m wearing it,” she said.
“Good! That will give us enough time to stop at a bookstore on the way over. There’s too much I don’t know, about this whole pregnancy thing. I’ve got some research I want to do. Be out in a minute!” he said as he once again disappeared behind the bathroom door.
~
The three of them drove over to Raven’s in William’s convertible. He had put the top down on the car after they made their purchases at the bookstore. Elizabeth leaned her head back onto the headrest of the car seat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the feel of the sun and wind on her face.
“Did you two remember your sunscreen?” hollered William as they pulled off the interstate and headed in the direction of Sunset Cliffs.
“Yes, Daddy! Elizabeth and I were good little girls and listened the very first time you asked. Or, was it the forth time that we listened Elizabeth?” responded Jen, obviously annoyed.
Elizabeth reached over and gave William’s knee a squeeze.
“Just don’t want either of my ladies getting all sun burned,” he said, defending himself.
“We’re good, honey,” said Elizabeth, suspecting that he was remembering the last time she’d gotten sun burned. They were stopped at the first traffic light in Ocean Beach. Elizabeth leaned over and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. As she pulled away from the kiss the light changed. William interlaced his fingers with hers. Holding her hand, he drove through the small, crowded streets heading towards the coast.
“Ever been to Raven’s?” he asked.
“No. I’ve been here to go to the beach before though,” said Elizabeth.
“Alan and I have gone surfing over at the Cliffs more times than I can count. Kind of wish we’d stopped by the storage unit to get my board and wetsuit. Too late now,” he said as he pulled into Raven’s driveway.
“You could drop us off and go back,” suggested Jennifer. “Surfing, Will? This I’ve simply got to see!” said Jennifer enthusiastically.
“Well, not today, ducks,” responded William.
William put the car in park, turned off its engine, then realized that Elizabeth seemed suddenly pre-occupied. “You okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I just realized, well, I think that’s Carter’s house over there,” indicating the house next door with a nod of her head, “I was trying to remember exactly.”
William looked over at the house and back to Elizabeth before saying, “Jen? What do you think of the house over there?”
Jennifer leaned forward over the back seat, wrapped her arms around William’s neck, and kissing him on the cheek said, “What do I think? I think it is not the house that you are interested in, dear, is it now?”
William didn’t answer. They climbed out of the car and William walked around to the back and unlocked the trunk so that they could gather their belongings.
“I can’t believe you bought that book,” said Elizabeth shaking her head and blushing.
“You’re actually blushing!” observed William.
“Well, didn’t you feel, I don’t know, funny? I can’t imagine what the salesgirl thought when you walked up to the register with The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy, The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-To-Be, and The Illustrated Guide to Extended Massive Orgasm?
“She thought Will was hot and assumed that you were pregnant and had lost all interest in sex,” said Jennifer as she reached in to grab the hat that Elizabeth was letting her borrow and the magazine William had let her buy.
“See!” said Elizabeth.
William rolled his eyes and said, “She’s making that up,” as he opened the bag from the bookstore. He pulled out the expectant father book and flipped to the table of contents.
“No, I’m not,” pouted Jen.
“Ah ha! Here it is. Whew! ‘Paranoia and Pregnancy’ must read that chapter first,” said William, closing the book with a snap and tucking it under his arm.
Elizabeth reached out and snatched it. “Let me see that,” she growled as she quickly flipped to the same page. “I don’t see anything even remotely-” she started before looking up at William who was sporting a teasing smirk. “Oh! You think you’re so funny.”
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging and taking back the book.
“Come on!” Jen yelled from the door. “Stop dawdling you two, we’re going to miss the party!”
William closed the trunk and he and Elizabeth joined Jen at the door. “Go ahead and ring the bell, doll,” said William.
Just a few minutes later a smiling Raven answered the door. She was dressed in a hot pink bikini with a loose fitting mans shirt on top. She was barefooted and her hair was piled loosely on top of her head. “Come in, the gang’s out back by the pool. Alan’s in the process of mixing up a pitcher of margarita’s,” she announced.
“Brought something for you, doll,” said William. He handed her the book as he leaned over, kissing her on the cheek.
“Oh! I have the one they wrote before this, The Extended Massive Orgasm, but I don’t have this one yet. Oh, look! Lots of pictures! You are so good! You know just what I like!” crooned Raven as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.
William’s eyes met Elizabeth’s and he assured her, “She means that in a strictly non-sexual way, love.”
Raven quickly released William from her embrace. She turned around to face Elizabeth and confirmed, “Oh, Yes. We’ve never traded orgasms. It’s nice to see you again, Elizabeth. And, I heard that congratulations are in order you two! I was more than a little surprised when Samantha told me. I mean, here you’ve barely met, and bam!” Elizabeth looked away breaking eye contact. It was obvious to William that Raven’s blunt remark had made her uncomfortable.
“Does Alan know?” he asked as he moved over to stand next to Elizabeth. William leaned in to kiss her cheek while at the same time he reached for her hand.
“No. It occurred to me that you would want to tell him. Surprisingly sensitive of me, to think of that, don’t you agree? It seems that Alan is good for me in more ways then one,” she said as she waved the book briefly in the air before dropping it casually on her entry table. “You must be Jennifer,” said Raven extending her hand.
Jennifer’s eyes were transfixed on the view of the back of the house. There were four sets of French doors, and all of them were open. White, gauzy curtains fluttered in the gentle ocean breeze. Outside she could see a group of people gathered around a large swimming pool. There was a beautifully landscaped stone wall at the far end of the property with an inset gate that she imagined led to what was beyond and below. Although from the height of the property she could only see the edge of the sand, as it met the breaking surf, the view of the ocean took her breath away.
“Jen?” called William, bring her back.
Jennifer noticed Raven’s still outstretched hand and reached out to grasp it, “Thank you, ever so, for having me.” She then leaned over towards William and asked in a hushed whisper, “Will, are these people all your friends?”
“Yes, doll. They’re friends. Come. I’ll introduce you,” he answered as he placed his hand on her back to gently guide her out to the pool.
As they started to proceed through the living room the doorbell rang. Jennifer jumped at the sound.
“That must be my neighbor, I invited him,” explained Raven. “He’s supposed to be bringing a refilled propane tank for the grill.”
“Got yourself an admirer who’s willing to run little errands for you?” teased William.
“We had, a thing. Briefly. Before I knew Alan. But it’s very over. Alan keeps me quite satisfied sexually, thank you,” she said as she walked back towards the door. “It’s no big deal, but please don’t tease Alan about it. It would just make him jealous and broody, and all distracted, and that,” Raven continued, as she turned around and pointed a finger at William, “could inhibit his performance later.”
“No teasing, I promise, doll,” William assured her, before turning away to lead Elizabeth and Jennifer out to the pool. Charlie and Conner had yet to arrive, but other introductions were made. After they had a chance to say hello to everyone Alan led them over to the bar.
“Can I tempt you with a big frosty margarita?” Alan asked Elizabeth as he tossed William a beer.
“Do you have any non-alcoholic beer?” asked Elizabeth.
“Well, that wouldn’t really count as beer, now,” said Alan shaking his head and wagging a finger.
“How about a soda?” she requested.
“Coke?” suggested Alan as he reached in to fish a can out of the cooler.
“Something without caffeine?” asked Elizabeth.
“I’ll take the Coke!” offered Jen as she reached for the icy can, opened it, and then walked over to the walls edge to gaze on the ocean below.
Alan handed Elizabeth a Sprite and watched as she made her way over to join Jen. “Got yourself a real spitfire there,” teased Alan. “No alcohol. No caffeine. Let me guess, she doesn’t eat meat and she loves the missionary position.”
“Alan, mate. You have no idea. What’s more? You couldn’t even begin to guess. Not in a million years,” said William with a smile as he brought the ice-cold beer to his lips and took a sip.
“Okay. Spill,” ordered Alan.
“I love her. We’re going to have a child together,” said William softly.
Alan burst out in laughter; he doubled over and struggled to regain control of his breathing as he wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “Oh! Good one,” he said patting William on the back after he finally collected himself. Then his eyes met his friends and he sobered, quickly.
“Oh my God! You’re serious! Hellooo?” said Alan as he made a fist with his hand and not so gently wrapped it on William’s head. “You just met this girl! Are you crazy? Look, I know you don’t get out much. Maybe you’re confused, from, from all the sex. I mean, you probably had all this testosterone built up and now, suddenly… And you should just slow down, mister! Love. Marriage. Starting a family. Those are all really big steps and, heck, people take years to work up to that.”
“Well, not me. Not with her,” William said before taking another sip of his beer.
“You mean you’ve told her? That you love her?” asked Alan shaking his head in dismay. “Man! You are whipped! Next thing you know you’ll be asking for the non-alcoholic beer. Who are you? And, what have you done with my normally levelheaded buddy, William? Tell me you haven’t asked her to marry you! Please!”
“No. I haven’t asked her to marry me. Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. But, it’s too soon,” said William.
“Damned right it’s too soon!” agreed Alan as he finished his beer and grabbed another.
“For her,” explained William. “It’s too soon for her. And I didn’t mean that we were thinking or talking about starting a family. I meant that we are having a baby together.”
Alan continued to drink down the beer until the bottle was completely empty. He walked over to the recycling can and dropped in the empty bottle, then walked back over to William. He stuck his index finger in his ear and after wiggling it around for a few seconds looked at William and said, “I’m sorry, I could have sworn I heard you say that you’re going to have a baby?”
“Yeah. In March,” nodded William.
“Just shoot me!” moaned Alan.
“Well, I suppose I could,” agreed William. “Then, on the other hand, who would crew for me when I’m back here and want to race in the Winter Regatta?” William then realized that Alan wasn’t looking at him. He was looking past him.
“Hey, everyone! This is my neighbor, Carter,” chirped Raven.
“I hate that guy. He’s so damned smug. He and Raven had a thing for a while. He’s so annoying!” moaned Alan.
“He’s more than that,” said William his jaw ticking.
“Okay. You’re right. I mean look at the way he’s staring at her breasts! How would you like it if he were leering at Elizabeth like that? Cretin! Only I can leer at Raven’s breasts! God, I could kill him,” he said passionately. Then he smiled and scratched the back of his head. “Only, I’m a lover. Not so much about the fighting, or, ah, killing.”
“Well,” offered William, “if at first you don’t succeed, I’ll kill him.”
Alan placed his hand over his heart and said, “I am truly touched. I didn’t realize how much you cared.”
“Nothing to do with you, you stupid git,” said William as his eyes traveled back and forth between Carter, who was now being introduced to Samantha, and Elizabeth.
A low soft whistle escaped Alan’s lips. “So, Carter and Elizabeth?” he asked.
“He wishes. Tried to insist. Stepped out of line. Way out,” said William as he brought the bottle once again to his lips.
Jennifer sat atop the wall. She watched the tall, dark, and handsome man as he chatted with Samantha and Marsha. He possessed rakish good looks, and exuded both confidence and wealth. Jennifer’s gaze wondered over to Elizabeth. After taking a moment to study her, Jennifer’s eyes found William’s. She could feel the energy in the air crackle and the wind, as it whispered against her cheek, made her shiver. She rolled her head back and breathed in trying to steady herself. She could smell the almost overwhelming desire, the greed, the longing. And she understood.
“Hey, Jennifer! This is my mate, Alan,” said William as she joined the two of them.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard nice things about you, especially about your ability to perform sexually. Raven’s obviously very proud of you,” said Jennifer.
Alan began to choke on his last sip of beer.
“Ah, Jen? Don’t use Raven as a model for appropriate social behavior. She’s a bit, unconventional. One doesn’t normally talk in social situations about sex,” explained William as he patted his friend on the back, in an attempt to quell his coughing fit.
“Oh!” gasped Jennifer, placing a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I just thought… Well, I thought maybe it was an American thing and…”
She trailed off when she realized that she’d lost his attention. Carter had walked over to where Elizabeth was standing. The two of them were chatting and looking out towards the ocean. A look of possessiveness flashed through William’s eyes.
“Someone isn’t worthy,” sang Jen evocatively. “No need to be jealous, dear,” she assured him. “It’ll never be him, he’s beneath her. She only has eyes for you.”
“Thanks, doll” said William as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Nice to have you on my side.”
“I understand. I understand all too well, Will,” said Jennifer as she turned towards him, bringing the palm of her hand up to softly caress his cheek. “No need to worry,” she declared in a hushed tone, “the wheel may be spinning but the ball is evasive.”
William reached up and covering her hand with his gently removed it from the side of his face. He stepped closer towards her so he could make sure to catch her words.
“Clack. Clack. Clack it goes,” she whispered as she swayed slightly, her eyes closed. She brought her fingertips up to the sides of her head, where they pressed against both temples. “Evading the black. Avoiding the red,” she continued quietly, her eyes closed. “Darkness. Blood. Fear. Greed. Envy. I can smell it. It’s so…intoxicating.”
Jennifer opened her eyes and shook her head to clear the fog. She flashed her brother a quick smile and grasping his forearm gaily said, “I’m having such a good time, Will. This party’s simply brilliant!” Then, after placing a quick peck on the side of his cheek, she sauntered over to rejoin Elizabeth.
“Is she stoned?” asked Alan.
“No.”
“Well, what the hell was she talking about?” asked Alan.
“Roulette,” said William as he tossed his empty bottle into the recycling bin and grabbed a bottle of water, “and my future, I think. It’s still a little muddled, but she’s working on sussing it all out.”
“Okay. I’m gonna go with another, ‘What’? But this time I’m gonna throw in a ‘Huh’?” said Alan.
William smiled at his friend as he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, “I know at times she sounds completely nutters, I’m not daft. But, well, I think she senses things,” he explained.
“What are we talking about here, William?” asked Alan. “Are you saying, like, if we had a box of chocolates she could point out all the good ones? Because, you know, that would be great, I hate the ones with the creamy fillings.”
William shook his head, “Fine. Poke fun,” he said as he twisted the cap off of the bottle of water and started to walk off.
“Well, that’s part of my job,” he called after him. “I’m the sarcastic comic relief guy. Come on! Where are you going?” yelled Alan. Then, shifting into a softer, breathier voice he added, “Oh, Will, you know I hate it when we fight!”
William turned back around and chuckled as he tossed the cap of the water bottle into the trashcan. “I’m going to grab my girl and take a walk on the beach. You keep an eye on Jen. Make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.”
“Yeah! Sure! But, I’m not through with you. You’ve still got plenty of explaining to do!” Alan shouted to William’s back as he walked away. “Keep an eye on Jen,” said Alan softly to himself as he looked over to find her waving cheerfully at him. He smiled tentatively and then hesitantly waved back.
“Great. He gets to play Romeo and I’m stuck here babysitting the double scoop of Spooky…with crazy sprinkles…and nuts,” he mumbled. As Jennifer started to walk towards him Alan felt his mouth go dry. He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.
~
William stood at the oceans edge. After spending about an hour walking along the beach and exploring the tide pools, they had finally made their way back to the spot in front of Raven’s house. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his board shorts, as he dug his toes into the sand.
“Is everything okay?” asked Elizabeth, hesitantly.
“Yeah,” he said as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. He peeled his shirt off and tossed it to Elizabeth. “Hold this, will you?” he asked before turning back around and taking off, at a run, into the water. He ran until the water was thigh deep, and then dove under into a wave.
Elizabeth watched for him to come up. She realized that she was holding her breath and admonished herself for being silly when she spotted him. He was hard to locate within the foam of the wave as its crest rolled over, breaking. Elizabeth brought her hand up to shade her eyes from the sun. She watched as William continued to swim farther out into the ocean, diving under the waves as they approached him. She became fidgety, then downright anxious as he went further out. As the minutes passed, she lost track of him altogether.
Elizabeth frantically looked back and forth, between Raven’s house and the horizon. Her heart was
racing. She closed her eyes and struck a deal with herself. She would count to 100, then panic.
1, 2, 3… Elizabeth looked back towards the house and could see both Alan and Raven looking out at her. She waved to them, motioning with her arm to encourage them to come join her. Raven merely waved back. 30, 31, 32… Elizabeth looked back out desperately trying to shield her eyes with both hands. 45, 46, 47… She looked back to see if Raven and Alan were on their way, no luck. Then she gathered up the bottom of her sarong and walked a few feet into the water, as if that would make a difference. 64, 65, 66… Elizabeth’s stomach clenched and her eyes welled up, tears threatening to spill over as she endeavored to push down the panic. 89, 90, 91…
“There! Was that him?” she asked herself as a large wave once again obstructed her view. She waited patiently. “Yes!” she rejoiced jumping up while still in the water. Relief washed over her. But it was only temporary as, seconds later; another wave took him yet again from her sight. “I am going to have to kill him. I’ll just wait, patiently, until he comes out of the water and then he’s dust. Scaring me like that!” she murmured as she paced back and forth within the water.
The swim back didn’t take as long as the swim out to the kelp beds. Of course he was able to use the momentum of the waves to help propel him through the water on the way back. Although it wasn’t probably more than a quarter of a mile either way, it was a decent workout. He hadn’t been able to squeeze in any exercise for the past couple days due to the quick turnaround time of the London trip. He needed this, desperately.
William stretched out his stroke and found his rhythm, as he deftly cut through the cold saltwater. He loved the ocean. He always felt a deeper sense of connection to the earth when he was here, especially in the early evening hours. That was his favorite time. By dusk most of the sunbathers were gone. He loved to come down during low tide, sit at the base of the rocks, build a small fire, and quietly watch the sunset.
An image ran through his mind and a sense of peacefulness washed over him. He could see it clearly. In his fantasy Elizabeth was leaning back against his chest as they roasted marshmallows in the fire, her cheeks red-orange from the glow of the flame. He imagined a beautiful golden-haired tot, asleep, curled up on the beach blanket beside them. William dove under the water as a particularly tall wave started to break over his head.
“He’s a really sound sleeper,” he imagined reminding her as he turned her around, then laid her down right there in the sand. She’d wiggle, tantalizingly beneath him, like she does, making his already hard cock impossibly harder. Then she would kiss him and ask him to make love to her. And he would. He would make slow, sweet love to his wife under the stars, in the moonlight, by the glow of the fire. William felt like his lungs were on fire and he burst through the surface of the water taking in gulps of air. “Getting way ahead of yourself there, mate!” he thought, chastising himself as he stopped for a moment to tread water. He only had about 300 feet to go. He could clearly see Elizabeth, waiting patiently on the shore.
“Hold this, will you?” she mimicked, furious. “Scared him going to the friggin’ bagel shop, did I?” she ranted as she stood there waiting for him to get closer.
“Whew!” William said as he stood up after riding in the wave. As he walked closer to her he wiped the saltwater from his face and shook the water out of his hair.
Elizabeth’s resolve crumbled. Her anger melted. She just felt so completely overwhelmed, and she couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She ran towards him and throwing herself into his arms began sobbing, “I was so worried! I thought something had happened to you!”
He wrapped her tightly in his strong embrace, mindless of the fact that he was wet. Her body trembled as she cried on his shoulder. “Elizabeth, love, it’s ok! I’m fine, doll. I’m a really good swimmer. I just went out to the kelp beds and back.”
“I’m sorry. I’m overreacting. It’s just that I couldn’t see you and you were out so far-” she cried, suddenly mindful that a few people at the edge of the water were watching them.
“It’s okay. I understand. It’s like I felt this morning. When I woke up and you were gone. I didn’t know where you were, or if you were alright. It scared me. We’ve found something wonderful. I think we’re both afraid of losing it, aren’t we?”
“How did you get to be so smart?” asked Elizabeth as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I watch a lot of Public Television,” answered William in all seriousness before breaking into a smile. “Come on! How about we go back to the house and see what our sassy little hostess is cooking up for us.”
William and Elizabeth took their time strolling back to Raven’s. As they rounded the corner leading to the private staircase William came to a halt. He pushed Elizabeth up against the wall and pressing his body flush against hers huskily whispered in her ear, “I want you so bad.” As he pulled away Elizabeth could see the raw desire in his eyes and her body began to respond. “I was thinking earlier,” he said as rubbed his cheek against her temple, “about making love to you on the beach, on the sand, in front of a fire.” He began to nibble on her ear, “You were beautiful, and it was glorious,” he told her.
“William, our friends, they’re all up there,” said Elizabeth, breathlessly. His mouth was now traveling across the full tops of her breasts. “They’ll see us,” she managed to squeak out, desperately trying to keep her wits about her.
“Not unless they come down here,” he tried to assure her as he ground his erection into her before crushing his mouth to hers in an intoxicating kiss.
She had missed him so much. The heat between them was scorching. He managed to unfasten the top
strap of her swimsuit’s top and her breasts were pressed up against his bare chest. William reached down and slid his hand inside her sarong, he found the top edge of her bikini bottoms and snaked his hand in, “God, you’re so wet,” he groaned as he slipped his finger between her folds.
“William, I-”
“Hush. I’m shielding you with my body. No one can see. Want to make you come. Want to watch you,” he whispered softly as he looked into her eyes. He increased the pressure on the heel of his palm as it rested at the top of her mound. He used the pad of his thumb and began to expertly palpate her swollen clit. He could feel her juices as they spilled out, onto his fingertips. Her body beckoned for him to fill her and he slid two fingers inside. As he massaged her clit firmly he continued to stroke her inner channel pushing her yet higher.
Her breathing was already ragged. Her lips, sensuously parted, looked red and deliciously ripe, still swollen from his earlier kisses. Her hands were curled around his biceps, holding on, for now. He could feel that she was getting close. Her hips moved in rhythm with his hand. She closed her eyes and let her head roll back to rest against the wall. “No, look at me,” he demanded.
Elizabeth looked at him through hooded eyes, her face flush with excitement. He could feel her hold on him increase as she squeezed, her fingers digging into his biceps. He reached up with his other hand and pulled on her already erect nipple. Elizabeth moaned, her hips surging forward. William fastened his lips over the nipple, sucking it into his hot eager mouth and circling it with the tip of his tongue. As he felt her body start to tremble he released her breast. “You should see yourself,” he told her, his voice low and gravelly from emotion, “so beautiful. So sexy.” William’s hand was completely soaked.
“More,” she managed to get out.
William slid in two more fingers and continued to massage her slippery channel. He twisted his hand on the upstroke trying to provide more friction and to heighten her pleasure, “Oh, God!” she cried.
“Come for me, love. Let it go,” he encouraged her as he pulled out his index finger and used it to pinch her clit and push her over the edge.
“Oh…William!” she cried as she came, juices flowing into his hand.
He was smiling, filled with pride over the effect that he had on her, the pleasure he had managed to give her. He reached up with his free hand and pulled her in for a soft, almost chaste kiss. “Love hearing you cry out my name like that,” he admitted as he pulled his hand out of her swimsuit. He held her around her waist while she struggled to catch her breath. Then he brought his glistening fingertips up to his mouth and slowly, sensuously licked them clean while she watched. Before he completely finished, however, he stopped. His eyes locked with hers. He turned his hand towards her, her fluid still coating his palm.
“Taste.”
She wrapped both hands around his wrist, and then deliberately brought his hand to her mouth. She never broke eye contact as she, bit by bit, lapped up the contents of his hand, like a kitten savoring cream.
William grinned and let his head roll back. “God you’re fun! Can I keep you? Please! Say you’ll be mine forever!” he laughed gleefully.
Suddenly the playful mood turned serious. Neither one said a word while seconds passed, maybe minutes.
“Have you though about it?” he asked.
Elizabeth swallowed, “About what?”
“About us going house hunting next weekend. You promised me that you’d think about it,” he reminded her.
“Yes. I’ve thought about it,” admitted Elizabeth.
“And?”
“It’s a big step, you know,” she said as she checked her appearance and straightened her sarong.
“I know. But, it’s one I want to take,” he assured her.
“It can be hard, living with someone. I mean… I would always be there. We’d have to figure out how to do all sorts of things together like paying the bills, doing household chores-” she started.
“Whether it’s my turn or yours to be on top,” added William.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. “It’s not all about sex, you know!”
“It isn’t?” he asked with mock astonishment.
“No,” she said shaking her head.
“Oh. Forget it then,” he said as he waved her off and turned to walk away.
“Hey!” she said as she reached out to grab his hand. “Come here!”
“What? You expect me to come in this same ol’ place? No ma’am! I want to come someplace new and exciting. Lets see you put a little effort into this, use your imagination a bit,” he teased.
“You are a pig!” she said as she slapped him playfully on the chest.
“And, you love me,” he reminded her, nodding.
“And, I love you,” she agreed.
“We’re going to do this? Aren’t we, love?”
“Yes,” she said, “we’re going to do this.”
~
Elizabeth sat with Jennifer at a table, under the shade of an umbrella watching the water volleyball game. “Are you sure you don’t want to join them?” asked Elizabeth. “Really, I’m okay now that my tummy seems all settled.”
Jennifer pulled her chair a little closer to Elizabeth and said in a hushed whisper, “I can’t swim.”
“No?” asked Elizabeth.
“Never been in a pool,” said Jen. “So, you see, you’re really keeping me company. Pathetic. That’s what I am. Never knew how much I was missing.”
“You’re still so young, Jen. You have a lifetime ahead of you. Lots of time to experience things,” Elizabeth assured her.
“I suppose,” said Jennifer as she stood up and walked over to look out at the ocean.
Elizabeth followed her and ran her hand over the back of Jennifer’s head in a comforting gesture. “Jen? How do feel about the baby?” asked Elizabeth.
Jennifer turned around and splayed her hand over Elizabeth’s stomach and breathed in deeply, “I feel…hope.”
“Hope?” asked Elizabeth.
“Makes me want to believe that anything is possible,” confided Jennifer, “even maybe for me.”
“Of course, even for you. I believe in you, Jen. You could make any kind of life you want for yourself,” said Elizabeth as she pulled the younger woman into her embrace for a quick hug before they resumed watching the game.
After the game came to a close Alan mixed up a fresh pitcher of margaritas and Raven offered shower facilities to those who needed one. The guests alternated sipping cocktails and freshening up for dinner. As Elizabeth emerged fresh from her shower in her pale yellow sundress she noticed that William was in the process of visiting with Charlie and Conner while Jennifer was chatting animatedly with Carter.
Samantha, Marsha, Alan and Raven were gathered around the outside fireplace that was adjacent to the barbecue at the end of the yard.
William looked up and caught Elizabeth’s eye, motioning her over. As she joined him he handed her a margarita, “Had Alan pour you one before he added the alcohol. Don’t need to drink it if you don’t want.”
“Mmmm,” she said, taking a sip. “Crushed ice and lime juice! How could I possibly pass this up?”
“I’m gonna get myself a beer. You guys want one?” asked Conner.
“Count me in!” said William. “You don’t mind driving, love?”
“Not at all. But I’m keeping track, just so you know,” she said winking at him.
Conner returned and handed William and Charlie a beer before taking a swig from his own. William looked at the label then cautiously took a sip, “You know there are quite a few American beers that are
downright undervalued. This, however, isn’t one of them.”
“Snob,” said Charlie. “This is perfectly good beer.”
“Well, here. Have two,” said William as he handed his to Charlie and went in search of some bourbon.
“So, how are you feeling?” asked Conner.
“Better. Still really tired. Still caught off guard sometimes with the nausea. Still adjusting,” explained Elizabeth.
“How did you like Walker?” he asked.
“I liked him a lot, I think he’ll be a good OB,” answered Elizabeth feeling a little preoccupied as she watched Carter and Jennifer.
“So, Doctor, you really think that I could volunteer at the hospital?” asked Jennifer.
“Sure! And, please, call me Carter. I’m not your doctor, there’s no need to be so formal,” said Carter.
“Well,” said Jen coyly as she crossed her legs and seductively rubbed her top leg against the one below. “I don’t have a physician here in the States and I do need one.”
Carter felt himself harden at the thought of just how he would go about examining this beautiful, innocent, young woman. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m a trauma surgeon, I don’t exactly have regular patients. I could recommend someone.”
“Ah,” said Jennifer, “that would explain all the blood on your hands. I can see it. And to think that yours is the last voice they hear before they take in that final breath, as peace washes over them.”
“Actually, I’d like to think that I’m able to save most of the patients that find themselves in my hands,” countered Carter.
“It intoxicates you, doesn’t it?” Jennifer continued as she twirled a strand of her long hair around her finger. “That power to make life, or death. Even when you fail you find it exhilarating, empowering.”
Carter flashed her one of his charming smiles and tilted back in his chair. “Well, yes, I admit it’s exciting.
Being in charge of the team, making the tough decisions. Even when I lose a patient, I try not to dwell. You know, I try to turn it into a learning opportunity. I wonder what decision, in those final moments was the critical one?” Carter finished his attention wavering a bit as he noticed Elizabeth looking over towards him.
“You’re fond of her,” observed Jennifer as she waved to Elizabeth.
“She’s made her choice,” responded Carter, resolutely.
“Now, now. You expect me to believe that you’ve given up so easily? Piffle!” scolded Jen.
“I’m trying to make amends, accept things and move on,” said Carter as he suggestively raked his eyes over her. “As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go over and say hello to William and Elizabeth,” he said as he stood up and started to walk away. After taking a couple initial steps he turned and pointedly said, “I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”
Jennifer smiled and seductively bit her lower lip.
Carter couldn’t help himself, he walked back over towards Jen so that he was standing in front of her, blocking her from view. He then nodded in the direction of Elizabeth and William. “Any suggestions?”
“What’s the current strategy?” asked Jennifer as she covertly rubbed the inside of his calf with her bare foot.
“I’m going for the ol’ ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’,” revealed Carter.
“Mmmm, Yes!” moaned Jen rolling her head back as if she were being pleasured. Jennifer stood up so that she could look him in the eye. “One of my personal favorites. Who would have known we’d have so much in common. I must admit that I find the darkness in you terribly exciting Carter,” she said breathily. Jennifer then deliberately shifted her gaze from his face to the now evident bulge in his pants and suggestively whispered, before gliding away, “I expect I’ll be seeing…more of you.”
~
They had just finished a fabulous meal. Sam had recently won a high profile case for the son of a professional fisherman. As an extra thank you for handling the case well, and keeping his son out of jail, he’d brought Sam a large supply of fresh ahi tuna. Marsha had marinated it in olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice before cooking it on the grill. They served it Mexican style. She’d even prepared a homemade flan for dessert.
“Gosh, Marsha, you’ve really outdone yourself!” commented Liz as she joined the others around the fireplace which was now lit.
“I’m so glad that you liked it. It’s good to see you eat,” said Marsha.
“Well, I certainly ate enough tonight to make up for the past couple weeks,” said Liz blushing slightly.
“Nonsense!” said Raven. “You’re supposed to eat a lot, you’re eating for two now. It’s a fabulous excuse! You shouldn’t be embarrassed by your excessive appetite.”
“That reminds me, I’ll be right back,” said Carter as he got up and walked into the house.
“Here, love,” said William as he started to get up, “take my seat. I’ll grab another.”
“Actually,” said Liz tossing a seat cushion from one of the chairs onto the ground in front of the chair, “I’m gonna sit here, in front of you. You, sir, can put those magic fingers to work on my shoulders.”
William sat back down. As soon as Liz sat in front of him, he planted a kiss on the top of her head and began to knead her shoulders.
“Why don’t you massage my shoulders like that? I have tension! I have a really hard job, you know,” accused Raven as she looked at Alan.
“You know, you’re just making it hard for the rest of us, Will,” said Alan as he looked at William and shook his head. “Come on, Raven,” said Alan patting the ground in front of him. “Sit down and I’ll see if I can work those knots out.”
A few minutes later Carter returned carrying four cigars, “Thought we could have a smoke, you know, in celebration,” he explained. “Congratulations, William,” he said as he first handed William a cigar, and then handed one to Conner and Alan.
“You expect me to smoke this?” asked Conner, making a face.
William rolled the cigar between his fingertips then placed in under his nose and inhaled. “Cuban.”
“Shh,” said Carter.
“Really?” asked Alan as he bit off the end and, unceremoniously, spat it into the fire. “Give me your light.”
Carter clipped off the end of his own cigar, lit it, and then tossed his lighter towards Alan.
“And not just any Cuban, an El Rey del Mundo. Where did you get these doc?” asked William as he accepted the lighter from Alan.
“Saved the life of some bad-ass gang banger. He never paid his bill, but he drops a little package on my doorstep first of every month, like clockwork,” said Carter, smiling around this smoke. “So, you know your cigars. What? You have a big demand for these amongst your clients?”
“Probably do. But I wouldn’t supply them. I don’t handle that kind of merchandise anymore,” responded William.
“Hey, why don’t you guys take those smelly things down to the beach. Pregnant woman here,” said Sam.
“And we want the baby to have clean pink lungs,” added Marsha.
“Darn Tootin’, now scoot!” finished Sam with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Why do I get the feeling that there’s a story there, Will? Were you, like some famous cigar smuggler in a previous life?” asked Carter, ignoring Sam’s comment for now.
“Nope,” said William as he started to make his way over to the staircase. “Spent most of my time in Cuba smuggling arms and cocaine.”
“He’s kidding. Right?” asked Carter, turning towards Alan.
Alan grinned and replied, “Well Doc, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” before walking off to catch up with William.
“Coming, Conner?” asked Carter before walking off himself.
“Go!” said Charlie encouragingly. “Go play nice with the other boys. Just don’t get into any trouble.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve got my hands full with you,” said Conner giving her a quick kiss before leaving to join the others.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Liz.
“What?” she asked.
“He is totally hot!” said Sam.
“Told you,” said Charlie smugly.
“And totally into you!” added Marsha.
“Told you,” said Charlie smugly.
“And totally shot me down when I tried to advise him about the importance of asset protection!” announced Raven.
“Huh?” the five women asked in unison.
“Well, that’s either a sign of sheer stupidity or its temporary insanity brought on by the intoxicating effects of L.O.V.E. I see it all the time,” explained Raven.
“Will’s not stupid,” defended Jen.
“No, he’s not,” agreed Raven. “Therefore, the prosecution rests. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, after examining the evidence put before you today in this court of law, you have no choice but to draw the conclusion that Mr. William Carlton, A.K.A. “Will”, is obviously, totally and completely-”
“In luuuuuv,” finished Marsha, Sam, and Charlie.
“Did you guys rehearse this?” asked Liz, laughing.
“No!” said Sam, shocked. “Well, maybe we talked a little.”
“He seems really nice, Liz,” said Marsha quietly.
“And he seems genuinely excited about the baby,” added Sam. “Major good guy points there!”
“He’ll make a wonderful father,” said Jen softly as she reached for Liz’s hand. “You’ve made the right choice, to do this together, really together.”
Liz squeezed Jen’s hand slightly then turning to her friends announced, “William asked me to move in with him.”
Jennifer shook her head emphatically. “No, that wasn’t it!” she said in a hushed voice.
Liz studied her for a moment while the others waited. Then, Liz turned back to them and clarified, “William wants us to create a home together, to raise the baby together, to-to be a family.”
“Yes!” Jen cheered, a smile lighting up her face. “A family.”
“You know what? I feel like doing something wild and crazy. I mean, it’s not every day that people fall and love and decide to increase the population,” said Raven enthusiastically. “Ok, so, actually it is. But, heck, let’s celebrate anyways!”
As the men finished their smokes and started to make their way up the stairs back to the pool area they could hear music playing.
“Oh, no!” said Alan, stopping dead in his tracks.
“What?” asked Conner. “What do you mean, ‘Oh, no’?”
“Karaoke,” Alan responded.
“Raven has a Karaoke machine?” asked William, amused.
“I bought it for her. She likes to play ‘The rock star and the groupie’,” explained Alan.
William continued to stare. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“I’ll explain it to you later,” said Alan hurriedly.
“Or, not,” suggested William as he resumed the journey up the stairs.
Chapter 12
Their time together was passing way too quickly; there were no two ways about it. Here it was, Monday evening already. She wished there were some way to magically freeze this moment as she watched William steer his boat out of its slip. It was close to 5:00 p.m., they’d spent most of the day taking Jennifer shopping for clothes and sundries. Then they’d settled her into her new home. Elizabeth gazed out at the ocean and reflected on how fragile Jennifer had looked when they’d left her there.
“Think we should call and check on her?” Elizabeth asked him.
“No. She’s fine. They have my cell phone. They’ll call if there’s a problem,” William assured her.
“She looked a little frightened when we left her,” said Elizabeth, sounding pre-occupied.
“Wow!”
“What?”
“Just got a glimpse of what our conversation is going to be like when we leave the little one home with a sitter for the first time.”
Elizabeth touched her stomach and said, “I can’t wait to feel him.”
“Him?”
“Or, her. It could be a her.”
William smiled and asked, “Can I ask you a question?”
“What’s on your mind?” asked Elizabeth as she stood up and walked over to him, inserting herself between him and the ships wheel.
“Your last pregnancy, how far along were you when you lost the baby?”
Elizabeth smiled, reassuringly. “William, I’m not going to lose this baby.”
“You don’t know that,” he said over the sudden lump that had formed in his throat.
“No,” Elizabeth admitted resting her forehead against his.
“Talk to me?”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and then explained, “I talked with Walker a lot about this. I think, maybe you should come with me to my next appointment. Hear him out. Ask questions. He’s recommending a procedure. It’s simple, really. Then in March…poof…baby!”
“Okay, back up. I don’t think I followed you around that last bend, love,” said William.
“Which bend?”
“Procedure.”
“I carried the last baby for six months. I have an incompetent cervix,” she said with a hint of shame.
“A what cervix?” asked William, confused.
“Incompetent. The cervix is supposed to open as a result of contractions at about nine months. Mine opened early. I started bleeding. My water broke-” Elizabeth trailed off as her eyes filled with tears.
William wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a comforting embrace. “But it’s…fixed?” he asked hesitantly.
“No,” said Elizabeth quietly.
William pulled back and looking at her with concern asked, “So it could happen again?”
“Yes,” she admitted, and then quickly added, “but it won’t.”
“Could you be in danger if we try to have this baby,” he asked as he searched her face for any sign that she wasn’t being totally honest with him.
“There’s always risk, even with a perfectly normal cervix things can go wrong,” she said vaguely.
“You weren’t even going to tell me! Were you?” he said as he let go of the wheel and started frantically pacing back and forth in the few feet available on the deck. “Can’t believe it… Of all the bloody stupid-”
“William!” she shouted, alarmed.
“What?” he growled back.
“Boat! Sailing! Steer!” she responded frantically waving him back over to the ships wheel. “I was going to tell you, just for the record. I just hadn’t figured out quite how. Or, or when. Or, or how.”
“I want to hear the rest of it,” he said. “I’m gonna drop anchor.”
“Shit!” said Elizabeth to herself as she sat back down on the seat located behind the ships wheel. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”
Five minutes later William was back. “Go,” he said, sitting down beside her. His arms crossed defensively in front of him.
“Walker managed to get the records from my hospitalization. He reviewed them carefully. The doctor I had at the time didn’t explain it well. Although it’s possible that he did, and I just couldn’t process it at the time,” began Elizabeth.
“Anyways, my mother had five miscarriages before me. She took some medicine, called diethylstilbestrol.”
“Di-what-all?
“It’s commonly known as DES. They used it to prevent miscarriages. As a result I’m here,” she said opening her arms wide, “but with a defective cervix.”
William winced, “Stop calling it things like defective and incompetent.”
“Look, I know that you men like to believe that your penis’ are sentient beings. But, I can assure you my cervix has no feelings. It’s totally, 100% feeling free,” stated Elizabeth, emphatically.
“Tell me about the procedure.”
“Walker recommends a cervical cerclage to prevent a miscarriage. When I’m about 14-16 weeks he’ll insert a stitch around the cervix to prevent it from opening too early.”
“Well, what about when the little one wants to come out?”
“If they end up doing a c-section they’ll just leave it. Otherwise, they’ll remove it when I’m ready to deliver.”
“It sounds simple. But, there’s got to be a downside or you wouldn’t have been fretting over how to talk to me about it. Out with it,” he said.
“Well, which downside do you want to hear first? The stuff that happens, like, once in a million years or, the stuff that I know will happen?” inquired Elizabeth.
“There are only two categories?” inquired William.
Elizabeth responded with an eye roll and he said, “Alright. What could happen?”
“Rupture of the membranes, infection, injury to the cervix, or pre-mature labor,” rattled off Elizabeth. “Walker is experienced. He’s good. That’s not going to happen.”
“The rest?” he coaxed.
“After the procedure I’ll need at least 24 hours of bed rest. He said that I’ll need to decrease physical activity and get plenty of rest and did I mention the…part?” Elizabeth concluded.
“Didn’t catch the end there, doll,” he said, leaning in closer to her.
“No sex,” she repeated.
“None?” he asked, a pained look on his face.
“No vaginal sex,” she clarified.
“Well, that still leaves us a lot of room! Doesn’t it now?” he said cheerfully.
“But, William, your fantasy…with me being all…big, filled with your baby,” she said sadly.
“Is that what you’re worried about? Not being able to fulfill my silly fantasy?” he asked aghast.
“I don’t want to lose this baby,” she said. “But, I don’t want to lose you either.”
“We’re not going to lose our baby,” he assured her kissing her softly on the lips. “In about eight to ten weeks we’ll pay the doc a visit and have him sew up your cervix nice and secure like. Then, you’ll just lie around for the rest of the pregnancy on a big pile of silk cushions while I feed you bonbons. Oh! Hey! We can learn all about tantric massage!” suggested William.
“Really?” asked Elizabeth feeling suddenly tearful.
“Really.” William responded with a nod of his head.
“But, I really like having sex with you,” she said quietly pouting.
“Oh, sexy! Will you look at that pout? It gets me every time, love. I’m powerless,” he said. He moved in quickly and teasingly caught her bottom lip with his teeth. He let his teeth slightly graze over it before pulling it into his mouth and sucking on it gently.
“Oh, William,” Elizabeth sighed as he released her lip.
He kissed her softly on the mouth and admitted, “I really like having sex with you, too.” Then, as he searched her eyes he added, “There is no way you could possibly comprehend how much you excite me. Just the sound of your voice can get me. Or, the way the light of the moon makes your hair gleam. Even the way you taste exactly like vanilla ice cream right… here,” said William as he leaned over and licked a spot just behind her left ear.
Elizabeth giggled at that and started to squirm away.
William took her face gently in his hands. Then, gazing earnestly into her eyes he promised her, “I’m not going anywhere, Elizabeth. I’m the long-haul guy.”
~
Elizabeth’s eyes slowly opened, it was still late at night, or possibly early morning. It was pitch black in the cabin save for the narrow strip of moonlight coming in through the porthole on the starboard side. William’s arm was draped over her, the palm of his hand splayed across her stomach. She nuzzled back, just a bit more, into his warm embrace and once again closed her eyes. She listened to the rhythmic sounds of the water splashing up against the sides of the boat. The sound was lulling and she started to drift back off to sleep. And then she smelled it. Gas. Gasoline.
She lifted her head off the pillow and sniffed the air. Then she heard a noise, a thud. Elizabeth gently lifted William’s arm up and slipped out of the bed. He didn’t stir. “Probably a seagull,” she reasoned. Then she heard another noise. It sounded as if something had hit up against the side of the boat.
“William!” she whispered. Nothing. Elizabeth crawled back up onto the bed and leaned closer to him. “William!” she said a more loudly. Still nothing. She reached over to shake his shoulder and felt something… wet. She groped in the darkness following the trail up his neck and to the back of his head. Her eyes widened in fear and she held her breath while she moved her now trembling hand up to the moonlight. Blood. Her hand was covered in blood. His blood.
“William!” she shrieked. “No! No, no, no, no, no-” her cries were cut off when she heard the sound of a motor starting. From the corner of her eye she caught the image of something being thrown into the cabin. In slow motion she watched the lit rag float down to land in the puddle of gasoline that had been poured onto the galley floor.
“Oh, God!” she cried. Smoke was rapidly filling the small, confined area. Elizabeth quickly closed the cabin door, already coughing, already struggling to breathe. Her eyes were stinging from the tears and the smoke. She placed her hands on the door and could feel the heat radiating from the other side.
“Not much time,” she thought as she fell to her knees and crawled over to William. She pulled his body from the bed and leaned over him, desperately trying to tell if he was breathing. “Please, William. Don’t leave me! Please! I love you!” Elizabeth cried. “Oh! God! Somebody help us!”
Elizabeth stood up and struggled to open the porthole hoping to get some fresh air in her lungs, then, maybe she could get the overhead hatch open. The smoke was coming in from under the door. She stopped, briefly to shove a blanket in the crack then crawled back to the window. As she pushed the latch open a gust of smoke rushed out. She blinked her eyes. Through the haze she could see the small motorboat as it pulled away. There, standing in the boat, plain as day…”
Elizabeth gasped as she woke with a start. Her stomach clenched and she jumped out of bed, running for the head. On her way she heard William’s cell phone ringing and she heard him answer.
“Carlton, hold please,” he said.
She realized that it was probably the phones ringing that woke her from her nightmare. “Only a dream,” she tried to assure herself as she retched.
“You okay, love? Can I get you anything?” William asked from the doorway.
Elizabeth nodded and held out her hand, “Washcloth,” she said.
William set his cell phone down on the side of the sink and quickly wet and wrung out a washcloth. “Here you go, baby. How about some ginger ale?”
“Yeah. That would be good,” she said as she stood up. “Who was calling?”
William quickly reached for the phone and said, “Carlton, here”
“Will? Is everything okay?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone.
“You’re calling me in the middle of the bleeding night. I’m supposed to be asking you that! What’s up?” asked William.
“Oh! Right! Time difference. I had forgotten,” he said.
“Hamilton,” whispered William to Liz, covering the mouthpiece. Then speaking into the phone he replied, “You never forget anything, old man, you have a mind like a steel trap.”
“Daddy! What are you doing? You shouldn’t be using that in here! Give me that cell phone,” William heard Daria shriek.
“Daria, it’s fine. Give that back! Aidan, will you get her out of here? I need to finish this call,” Hamilton said with a sigh.
“Sure, but switch to the landline. She’s right. It could interfere with the monitors. We’ll be back in ten. Can you reach the phone?” he heard Aidan say.
“No! Bugger! Bring it here and give him the number to call,” growled Hamilton, fully irritated now.
“Hello?” said Aidan into the phone.
William rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face. “Hello, Aidan. Mind telling me what the bleeding hell is going on!”
“Will?” asked Aidan.
“Will! Daddy, why do you persist in staying in touch with that vile, loathsome creature?” William heard Daria ask.
“Married life treating you well I hear,” said William, dryly.
“Yeah, you know, sheer bliss, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” sighed Aidan. “Let me hang up and I’ll dial you back on the other phone.”
“Yeah, okay,” responded William before disconnecting.
“What’s going on?” asked Elizabeth.
“Not sure yet,” answered William as his phone rang yet again.
“Carlton, here,” he answered.
“Here he is,” he heard Aidan say.
“Hello? Will?” Hamilton confirmed.
“Yeah, it’s me. Want to tell me what’s going on?” asked William as he opened the refrigerator and poured Elizabeth a glass of ginger ale.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” said Hamilton. “Is everything okay?”
“What is this? Fatherly concern?” said William, wearily.
“Don’t mock me, Will,” warned Hamilton.
“Sorry,” replied William, and he was. “Here, love” he said to Elizabeth as he handed her the ginger ale. “Go lie back down. Take small sips. I’ll be back to bed shortly.”
Elizabeth accepted the glass and crawled back into the bed. She propped some pillows behind her back and took a sip of the ginger ale. She had a clear view of William as he paced back and forth in the small galley.
“Are you finished with Stanley?” asked Hamilton.
“I was going to call you about that, actually,” started William. “I wanted to ask…”
“Go on, what?” coaxed Hamilton.
“Can I keep him?” asked William, then he scowled at how strange that sounded. “I mean I’d like him to work for me. He’s done a great job. I could use the help. Look, I know that you’ve gradually been getting out of the business. Let him go.”
“You need him?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. You know I’d do more for you if you’d only let me. Stubborn is what you are,” he said.
William smiled, “Yes, well, came by that honestly, didn’t I.”
Hamilton chuckled on the other end of the phone then said, “Daria will be back shortly. She’s watching me like a hawk. Can’t quite tell if it’s genuine concern or if she’s hoping I’ll kick the bucket so that she has free reign of her trust fund.”
“Probably a little of both,” chuckled William, then he quickly sobered. “You’re in the hospital!”
“Yes. That’s the real reason I called. I’m coming to California. I want to see you,” revealed Hamilton.
“What? Why are you in the hospital?” asked William as he opened the refrigerator and reached for a beer.
“Heart attack. There was a blockage in the coronary artery. As I understand it, it stopped blood flow and oxygen from going to some of the heart tissue, damaging the muscle rather extensively they say,” Hamilton explained.
William took a sip from his beer. “But you’re alright now?”
“Oh, yes, quite!” said Hamilton, a little too quickly.
“So, there’s no further risk?” asked William more specifically.
“Well they inserted an defibrillator. In essence it’ll restart my heart should it stop beating again,” finished Hamilton.
“Christ!” said William, his palms suddenly sweaty.
“Yes, well, anyway, as I was saying, I plan on coming to California this weekend. I had the procedure a couple days ago. Everything seems in good working order. I go home tomorrow. I see the doctor for a wound check Thursday afternoon. If all is well I’ll jet over on Friday. I have an appointment at Cedar’s Sinai Monday morning. I’d like to see you, Will. Where will you be over the weekend?” he asked.
“Here, in San Diego. Elizabeth and I, we were planning on looking at houses over the weekend, so I was going to come back here,” William explained.
“Are you sure, Will?”
“Completely,” he answered. “And there is nothing you could possibly say to dissuade me. I’m my own man, Quentin. I make my own decisions.”
“Point taken. Wish I had that arrogance and confidence when I was your age. Things probably would have turned out differently,” Hamilton lamented.
“So, Saturday, then?” asked William.
“Yes. I’ll fly into San Diego. I’ll be at the Hotel Del Coronado. Why don’t you stay the night?” he
asked.
“Well, I suppose we could come up late afternoon, have dinner, and stay over. Maybe return Sunday afternoon-“
“You need to check with the boss?” teased Hamilton.
William smiled. “Yeah. Elizabeth?”
“Mmmm?” she said.
“My father’s had a heart attack. He’s in the hospital. He’s alright, for now. He has some medical appointments in Los Angeles on Monday. He’ll be in California over the weekend and wants to see me, see us. What are your thoughts about joining him Saturday night in San Diego?”
Elizabeth jumped out of bed and walked over to him. She ran her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture and said, “We can postpone looking for a house. If you want to spend the weekend with him, you should.”
“Doll, I want to get us settled in before you have to have that procedure. I want you all nice and comfy. No worries. Even with a thirty-day escrow, that only gives us a few weeks to find something and get all moved in.”
“I worry you’re taking on too much, Will. You have the Daniels’ job, which is huge, the Imperiale wedding, Jennifer, a baby on the way, finding a home for us, and now your father-” said Elizabeth shaking her head.
“He’s holding, doll,” William reminded her.
“Oh! Heaven’s! Of, course. Yes, Saturday. Saturday will be fine. Peachy even,” she said as she kissed him on the top of his head and padded off, back to bed.
“Hear that? We’re on. Saturday, late afternoon, at the Hotel Del,” said Will.
“Yes. Did I also hear that Elizabeth’s preggers?” Hamilton asked, shock evident in his voice.
“We’re due in March,” confirmed William.
“Should make for interesting holiday,” mused Hamilton.
“Holiday?”
“Can’t you imagine it? All of us gathered around the table while I carve the Christmas goose. You and Elizabeth, Aidan and Daria, the tots playing with their new toys under the tree-” said Hamilton dreamily.
“Aidan and I pulling Daria off of Elizabeth-” finished William. “You know that’s not going to happen.”
“It could happen. We could sedate Daria. It used to work wonders for her mother,” replied Hamilton.
“You used to sedate her?” asked William, incredulous.
“Well, if you had met the woman you would have understood. Unbearable. Really, unbearable,” He said.
“Are you on some type of medication?” asked William suspiciously.
“Oh, yes, lots. I took that little pill to help me sleep just before calling you. I think it’s starting to take effect. I would imagine the nurses find me much more agreeable when I’m sleeping. I’m sure they’ll celebrate my leaving tomorrow,” he concluded.
“Goodnight Quentin. I’ll see you on Saturday,” said William, softly.
“Goodnight, son,” he said hanging up the phone.
“Feeling better?” he asked upon returning to the cabin. He climbed in bed and spooned behind Elizabeth.
“Yeah. Bad dream,” she said.
“Want to tell me about it?” he offered as he wrapped his arm around her waist and cupped her left breast in the palm of his hand.
“We were here, asleep. A noise woke me up and I tried to wake you, but I couldn’t. You were hurt. Someone had hurt you and they were still somewhere on the boat. Then there was the smell of gasoline,
and the cabin caught fire. We were trapped and you wouldn’t wake up. I was screaming and so scared. I was going to try to open the hatch and pull us out but I couldn’t breath. I opened the porthole, to get some air and I saw him, pulling away in a motorboat.”
“Saw who, doll? Who was it?”
“I don’t know,” said Elizabeth, sleepily. “Some strange little man. He was cranking one of those musical things and he had a monkey on his shoulder. It was eating peanuts. Wonder what that’s supposed to mean?”
William snuggled in closer, “It means no more dairy for the pregnant woman right before bedtime.”
“That wasn’t dairy. That was Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Chunky Monkey. It’s in a food group all its own, one that pregnant women should have more of. It’s right there on the food pyramid, right above…whatever it is that’s close to the bottom of the pyramid,” she finished.
“Go back to sleep, doll. I love you. We’re perfectly safe,” William assured her.
“Mmmm,” she agreed, nodding her head slightly, then drifted off.
~
Jennifer was fast asleep in her twin-sized bed in the main house. She woke with a start and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. The red illuminated numbers showed it to be 2:00 a.m., then she heard it, gravel being thrown against her window. She slipped out of bed and pulled back the curtain.
She smiled down at the man below then quickly opened the window. Her room was on the first floor so he was only a few feet below the sash. Leaning out of the window she rested her arms on the sill, breasts peeking out suggestively over the top of her nightdress, her raven black hair appearing to glisten in the moonlight. Her eyes were wide, marveling as she said, “You found me. I knew you would my dark and dangerous savior. Have you come to rescue me from my ivory tower? I promise to be very, very naughty if you do!”
He motioned to her to come down. Jennifer quickly slipped on the sundress and sandals that she had worn earlier. Then she sat on the edge of the windowsill, swung her legs over the side, and slid down into his waiting arms.
It had been but a short drive to the marina. They now sat, quietly on the docks, looking out at the boats. He hadn’t said anything since she’d climbed into his car.
“How did you find me?” she asked as she slipped her shoes off and dropped her legs over the side of the dock, dragging her feet in the water.”
“I’m smart,” he responded simply, with a shrug of one shoulder, as he sat down and joined her.
“Well,” she said, letting her head roll back. “That? I knew.”
“I heard Elizabeth telling Samantha that they were moving you into there. Gave the first kid that I woke up a fifty to tell me which window was yours. And, to keep his mouth shut,” explained Carter.
“Very resourceful of you, doctor,” she said as she leaned back and slightly brushed her shoulder up against his. “Are you going to tell me why you’re so sad?”
Carter looked at her, and then looked out into the harbor. His eyes settled on one particular boat. “They’re out there,” he said.
Jennifer followed his eyes and extended her hand out into the darkness in front of her, “Ah, yes. Lovers wrapped up safely in each others arms.”
“She doesn’t see me,” he said softly looking away.
Jennifer reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand, turning his face towards her, “But I see you. A powerful man surrounded by fools.”
Carter reached up and carefully removed her hand from the side of his face. Jennifer pulled it out of his grasp and placed it over his heart, “They couldn’t begin to imagine what lies within.”
“But you can?” asked Carter as Jennifer began to release the top buttons of his shirt.
“I see what you want,” she said as she slipped the thin straps of her sundress off her shoulders and slowly tugged the bodice of her dress down, exposing her white creamy breasts to the night, to him. The water reflected the light of the moon and it bounced off of Jennifer’s alabaster skin casting her in an ethereal glow. “Something pure and innocent,” she said as she took his hand and slowly brought it up to her breast.
“Innocent,” he repeated.
“Do you want me?” she teased.
“Oh, yes!” he said as wrapped his arm around her waist and roughly pulled her towards him. He swung her around so that she straddled his lap, one of her knees on either side of his hips.
Jennifer spread her arms wide open and began slowly bending backwards. Her face reaching up towards the moon, her body bowed back so that the ends of her long hair almost touched the water, her breasts taunting him.
“God, yes,” he gasped as he latched on forcefully.
Chapter 13
It was early afternoon. William and Elizabeth slept in, then enjoyed a late morning breakfast at a restaurant on the coast. Upon returning home Elizabeth excused herself for a few minutes to go through her mail and check her messages.
“So,” she said as she walked into the kitchen and sat down to join William at the table, “what would you like to do for dinner tonight?”
William looked up from his laptop and said, “How about we cook something up here? We can have a quiet night in?”
“Sounds great,” she said as she got up and walked over to sit on his lap. “But, if we’re going to cook here we’ll need to go to the grocery store. What are you working on?”
“I was just finishing an update on the project plan for the Daniels renovation.”
“Wow,” said Elizabeth “What’s that?”
“It’s a Ghant Chart,” he explained pointing to the computer screen. “I use it to organize the various tasks that need to be completed on a project and to track my progress.”
“That’s some elaborate ‘To Do’ list,” said Elizabeth as she scrunched up her eyebrows and leaned in to take a closer look at the screen. “Who’s SH?”
“Stan, I’m going to offer him a job as my assistant. I’m re-assigning some tasks to him,” William said as he kissed her on the cheek. “Can you fetch the phone for me? I want to give Chrysalis a call and check on Jen.”
“Sure,” she said standing up and walking over to retrieve the phone from the cradle on the kitchen wall.
“You’re pretty sure Stan will accept?” asked Elizabeth.
“Definitely,” said William as he dialed the phone. Just then the doorbell rang and Elizabeth went to answer it.
“Hey, Andrew! How are you?” asked Elizabeth when she opened the door.
Andrew shuffled his feet a bit, shrugged, and with little eye contact responded, “Me, oh, well, you know, okay I guess.”
“What can I do for you?” asked Elizabeth.
“Well, I was just wondering if Jennifer was here? She e-mailed me after she watched the video I made. She seemed, I don’t know, nice. I thought maybe she could use someone to show her around town?” finished Andrew as he awkwardly stuck his hands into his pockets.
“That’s awfully kind of you,” said Elizabeth. “We moved her into Chrysalis yesterday. William is calling her now, to check and see how things are going. You want to say hello? Ask her for her number?”
“Yeah! Sure!” he said as he followed Elizabeth back to the kitchen.
“So, everything seems to be going alright then?” William asked, talking into the phone, as Andrew and Elizabeth walked into the room. Elizabeth held up a finger to indicate that she wanted to say something.
“Hold on a moment, doll,” William said, and then he covered the mouthpiece of the phone.
“Honey,” began Elizabeth, “this is Andrew from next door. He made the video that Jennifer and I saw in London. He was thinking maybe he could show her around town a bit. I think she’d like that.”
“Nice to meet you, Andrew,” said William, extending his hand. “But, are your intentions honorable? I’d hate to have to hurt you,” said William.
“W-W-What?” said Andrew as he shook William’s hand, in obvious alarm.
“William, stop teasing!” Elizabeth admonished. Then, turning to Andrew she explained, “He’s teasing.”
“Oh! Good one,” said Andrew looking relieved while continuing to shake William’s hand.
William smiled at him and said, “Ah, Andrew? You can stop shaking my hand now.”
Andrew had finally looked William in the eye. When William smiled at him, Andrew lost all ability to think. “Okay,” he said softly and stopped.
“Would you mind letting go?” asked William, looking down quizzically at their still-joined hands.
Andrew laughed nervously. “Oh, of course, sorry,” he said as he quickly released William’s hand.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She took the phone from William and handing it to Andrew said, “He’s mine. Here’s Jennifer, talk.” Then with a nod of her head she motioned for William to follow her onto the back deck.
“How about some lemonade?” suggested Elizabeth, as William was about to sit down.
“Sounds good, doll,” he said, “want me to get it?”
“Do you mind? And, maybe bring out the paper?” she asked.
“Lemonade coming up. But, I have to say no to the paper. I’ve got an assignment for you,” he stated before disappearing into the house.
“What part of ‘Day Off’ don’t you get?” she called to him.
Andrew came out and said, “Thanks, Elizabeth. I’m gonna go now. Jennifer gave me her number. Sounds like they’re keeping her pretty busy through tomorrow. But I’m gonna pick her up in the afternoon on Thursday and were gonna have coffee. Thought I’d show her around town a bit. Did you know she’s never seen ‘Star Wars’?”
“No, I didn’t know that. You know, there’s a lot of pop culture that Jen’s missed out on. Thanks for
making an effort to make her feel comfortable here,” Elizabeth said.
“It’s nothing,” said Andrew. “I know what it’s like to feel left out and awkward. Tell…tell William that my intensions are perfectly honorable in a totally innocent ‘just be friends’ kind of way.”
“Will do!” Elizabeth assured him. “Do you want me to walk you out?”
“No. I know the way,” said Andrew, obviously preoccupied, as he watched William through the French doors.
The sunlight streaming in through the kitchen created an almost halo effect. The blue silk shirt that he was wearing made his incredibly blue eyes impossibly bluer. He had it casually unbuttoned and had rolled up the sleeves. Both his well-defined pecs and perfectly sculptured abs were pleasurably exposed. As he performed the simple task of squeezing the juice out of the lemons the muscles in his forearms and chest flexed. William reached for another lemon half, cupped his hands around the rind rolled it in the palms of his hand. The juice from a lemon half burst forth. Although most of it trickled down into the glass pitcher, a few droplets sprayed out horizontally landing on William’s stomach.
“Andrew?” said Elizabeth after a few moments, “You okay?”
“He’s totally hot,” whispered Andrew.
Elizabeth smiled and waved her hand in front of Andrew’s face, “Did you not get the ‘mine’ part earlier?”
“Are you sure?” asked Andrew. “I mean, he seems to have really good fashion sense and he knows his way around a kitchen.”
“I’m sure,” said Elizabeth.
“Sure about what, doll?” asked William as he walked onto the back deck carrying a tray with the lemonade.
“I was just starting to tell Andrew that we were going to be moving soon, getting a place together,” said Elizabeth, covering for Andrew.
“Yeah,” confirmed William. “We’re going to get serious about house hunting next weekend. We really don’t have much time, just about a month or so.”
“What’s the rush?”
William looked at Elizabeth and she shrugged her shoulders. He then turned back to Andrew and said, “We’re expecting. In early March.”
Andrew just continued to look at William as if he were waiting for him to finish his sentence. “A baby, Andrew. I’m pregnant. Our baby is due in early March.”
Andrew’s mouth fell open and he let out a little gasp, “Oh, that’s so cool! Geez, I bet she’s going to be beautiful.”
“So,” said Elizabeth, “betting on a girl, huh?”
“Well,” responded Andrew with a shrug of his shoulders. “Got a 50/50 chance. Hey, congratulations. Really! I gotta run. I promised Dad I’d mow the lawn today,” he said before waving goodbye and walking back through the house to head home.
“You really shouldn’t tease him, you know. He’s just a boy. It’s not nice,” said Elizabeth as William sat down.
“Sorry, I just feel a little protective of Jen. She’s vulnerable,” explained William.
“I’m not talking about Jen. Andrew is not about to sully her virtue. And, you do realize that she’s not a virgin, don’t you?” asked Elizabeth.
“Look, she’s been through a lot. I know that-”
“Besides, I wasn’t talking about your teasing him about Jen. I was talking about you,” she said as she stood up and walked over to sit in William’s lap. “Hypnotizing him with those gorgeous blue eyes, taunting him with those chiseled cheekbones and exquisite chest,” she teased as she traced a pattern of little circles around his nipple. “And, not to mention the way that you blatantly flaunted your prowess in…the kitchen,” she seductively whispered into his ear.
“Prowess in the kitchen?” he asked her as he started tickling her sides. “You implying I’m not manly enough for you?”
“No! No!” squealed Elizabeth. “You’re very manly, one hundred percent man, you’re the poster boy, er, man for manliness,” she shouted between giggles.
“Damn right. Now that we’ve got that settled, let me go and get my questionnaire,” said William pushing her up off of his lap.
“Questionnaire? Don’t tell me you really do read Cosmo!”
He grabbed a file folder and pen off of the kitchen counter, and then returning to the deck said, “Ha, Ha. No. These are questions that I normally ask someone that wants to buy a house. I use it as a starting point to get to know their preferences. I thought we’d go through it together, I could write down our answers, then we’ll see what points we need to negotiate or compromise on.”
“Compromise?” asked Elizabeth, fluttering her eyelashes. “I’m not sure I’m familiar with that term.”
William put down the pen and leaned back in his chair, “Don’t think that for the rest of our lives your just going to flash those gorgeous green eyes at me and get your way. As much as I love you and want you to be happy, I’m not going to forget who I am, what I want, what’s important to me. You were right, Sunday, when you said we have a lot to figure out. Where we want to live and what kind of a house we want is just the bloody beginning.”
“You said for the rest of our lives,” said Elizabeth, quietly repeating his words.
“You have other plans? Because now would be a really good time to fill me in,” said William looking pointedly at her.
“No,” she replied seriously, “no other plans.”
“Good!” he said with a smile, “You okay starting with this?”
“Fire away!”
Several hours later they had both completed the questions and spent considerable time going over points on which they differed. William stood up and stretched.
“How are we going to actually buy, I mean as in pay for, the house?” she blurted out.
“We’ve got plenty of money, we could pay cash. But, we should probably carry a mortgage. I think we’ll appreciate the write-off come tax time,” he suggested.
“We don’t have any money. You have money and I have money. Come to think of it? You actually have all the money. I have about $5000 in a savings account, a 401K through the hospital and this,” she said gesturing to her home.
William opened the file folder, and flipped through papers until he found the ones he was looking for. When he did, he pulled them out and handed them to her.
“What’s this?” asked Elizabeth as she accepted the papers and began to look through them.
“This is the errand that I had to run yesterday before we went to the harbor,” said William. “It’s a copy of a document giving you my Power of Attorney. Raven has the original. The rest contains information about my accounts; the locations, account numbers, the works.” William reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He searched through it and extracted a funny looking key, which he handed to Elizabeth, “This, is a key for a safety deposit box at the San Diego Savings and Loan. There are copies of all of these documents there. And here,” he finished handing her a small card, “are my pass-codes. Memorize them, then burn this.”
Elizabeth’s head was spinning. “You’re giving me access to your money?” she asked, stunned.
“I want to make sure, should anything happen to me, that you and the little one are taken care of,” he said. “Raven’s working on drawing up some other documents.”
“What kinds of documents?”
“Estate planning, custody,” he explained. “I want you to feel secure about this. I know that the rug was pulled out from under you when Aidan left. I want you to feel confident about this, about us.”
“Custody?” she asked, her voice suddenly sounding hollow and far away to her own ears.
“Fifty-fifty,” he said, “and a commitment to never demand more.”
Elizabeth swallowed. “You know? I’m feeling suddenly tired. I think I’ll go lie down for awhile,” she said as she stood up and walked back to her bedroom in a bit of a haze. Elizabeth closed her bedroom door, climbed into bed, hugged her pillow to her chest, and let the tears begin to flow. “Couples in love, planning to spend their lives together, do not talk about custody,” thought Elizabeth. “Couples divorcing, splitting up, or afraid that they aren’t going to make it talk about custody.”
William sat alone at the table out on the back deck feeling slightly agitated and more than a bit disappointed. He didn’t quite get the reaction from Elizabeth that he’d anticipated. He thought she’d be
thrilled with his gesture and the level of commitment he was trying to demonstrate. He was trying to not push her, but at the same time give her a sense of security. Maybe she’d just gotten suddenly tired. Maybe after a nap… He tapped his pen anxiously. As the seconds ticked by he felt increasingly uneasy.
“Bollocks!” he said as he stood up. William walked into the house, down the hall, and paused outside her bedroom door. He then took a steadying breath, quietly cracked open the door, and peeked in.
Her back was to him. She was curled up and her entire body was shaking as she sobbed quietly into her pillow. His heart felt like it had been wrenched in two. “Elizabeth?” he called to her quietly as he moved over and sat alongside her on the bed. “Did-did I do something wrong?” he asked, hesitantly.
“No,” she said through her tears. “It’s not your fault. It’s just not how I ever imagined it, you know? Not that I’ve imagined it lately-” she trailed off. “Never mind, I’m being stupid.”
William walked over to the other side of the bed, pulled a tissue from the box on the nightstand, and handed it to her as he crawled onto the bed beside her.
“I doubt that you’re being stupid,” he said stretching out and rolling onto his side so that he could face her. “Help me understand.”
“What am I to you?” she asked, leaning up on one of her elbows.
“What?” asked William, feeling puzzled. “Haven’t I made my feelings for you plain enough? Lord knows I’ve been trying to. I love you, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. Then she asked, “Are we friends, William?”
“Yes,” said William. “Of course. You’re my friend, my lover…Elizabeth, you’re going to be the mother of my child.”
“Woman in my position. I should consider myself lucky. You being willing to share rent with me, be partners in raising the baby, and still be my lover. It’s a good offer. It’s a great offer,” she finished trying her best to drum up enthusiasm.
William wasn’t sure how to respond. He suddenly felt as if everything was quickly spinning out of control.
“What if I wasn’t?” she then asked.
“What if you weren’t what?” he said feeling more confused by the second.
“What if I hadn’t gotten pregnant? Or, what if I were to lose the baby? Where would that leave us?” asked Elizabeth.
“Right here,” he said. “Look, I’ve really been trying to assure you, to show you that I’m committed to you, to the baby. It may not have been something that we planned, but it is something that I’m happy about,” he said.
“For now,” added Elizabeth, turning once again onto her side to face him.
“No, not just for now. It wasn’t just some random slip, what I said earlier, about the rest of our lives. That’s how I’d like it to be with you,” he said softly as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m not sure you’re being totally honest with yourself. Maybe it’s just that you so much don’t want to be your father, that you’re-”
“Don’t give me that!” he said, starting to feel angry.
“Oh, right, nothing says ‘I plan on spending the rest of my life with you’ like custody papers. You know de Beers better watch out!” she yelled as she hopped out of bed and began pacing in front of him. “This new custom could give them a run for their money. Certainly cheaper than a diamond and so practical too! This way, when things don’t work out? Everything is already arranged, nice and tidy!”
William jumped up and walking over to her yelled just as loud, “Bloody hell, woman! What do you expect of me?”
William began pacing almost frantically. He felt caged. His hands were so tightly clenched into fists that his knuckles were white and the veins of his forearms were prominent. He shook his hands slightly in an attempt to relieve the tension, sat down on the edge of the bed and with one hand began to rub his forehead as if it ached.
“I mean, I am trying here, you know? S’not like I have a soddin’ road map. I have no one to model after. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, how I’m supposed to be acting. And I don’t feel like I have the time to figure it all out. Everything is moving so fast! So, I made a mistake. It was a wrong bloody call. I told Raven that I wanted to fix it so that you didn’t have to worry about me not being committed to raising this child together. She suggested… It’s just that I’ve been so afraid of scaring you off, pushing too hard… Damn! I just…Oh, I don’t know what I saying. Obviously, I’m an idiot, a
complete fool. I’m so sorry.”
Elizabeth walked over to him and laid her hand gently on top of his head. He buried his face in her stomach. She ran her hands through his hair, then down his neck and across his back. William wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled, inhaling deeply of her scent. Then, his voice thick with emotion he quietly revealed, “In my entire life there is only one thing that I’ve been absolutely sure of, and that’s my love for you. I don’t know how, or why, but you have touched my soul and I, I need you like I’ve never needed anyone. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone. You told me in the very beginning that you would never love again. But then you started to. It’s seemed like such a miracle. It feels fragile…”
“I don’t want it to feel fragile,” Elizabeth said as she knelt before him. “I believe that you meant well. But, ‘custody papers’, ‘estate planning’, and ‘free checking’? It’s not what I most need from you. I don’t really know what I’m doing here either, you know. I guess we’re not doing too bad, considering.”
William nodded, then loudly exhaled a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and fell backwards, collapsing, arms outstretched across the bed. “Now what?” he asked.
“Hmm,” said Elizabeth as she sat on the edge of the bed and collapsed back alongside him, in a similar posture. “I think we should make that grocery store run, cook us up some dinner, and stop being afraid to just say what we want, what we feel. Stop being afraid to ask questions. Deal?” she asked extending her right hand over to him.
“Deal!” he said, as he took her hand firmly in his grasp and pulled her across his chest and into a passionate kiss.
~
William unlocked the trunk and pulled out the two grocery bags containing their purchases. “Hand me one,” suggested Elizabeth.
“I’ve got them, you get the door,” responded William.
They made their way into the house and through to the kitchen. William sat the bags onto the counter and sighed, “Can’t believe I have to leave tomorrow.”
“I know, I don’t want you to go,” responded Elizabeth.
After a few moments of silence William spoke up, “You said we shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. So, do you have any? For me?”
Elizabeth had been washing the baking potatoes. She thought for a moment while she poked a few holes in them, and then put them in the microwave oven. “I have lots,” she said, “I’m sure you do too.”
“Yeah, I do,” he admitted.
“How about we take turns. We take tonight to go through twenty straight forward questions and give twenty straight forward answers,” she suggested.
Williams began washing off the vegetables for the salad, “Sounds good to me. Pour me a glass of wine, doll?”
“Sure. You want to ask first?” she replied as she opened the bottle of wine they had purchased for him.
William pulled a knife out of the drawer and began cutting up the vegetables, “Question 1: When we were talking about how many bedrooms we wanted in the house, you said four. Are you thinking that, maybe someday… Do you think that you want to have more children?”
“I’ve always wanted two,” she admitted. “I always wished I had a brother or sister. Question 2,” she said moving towards him and handing him the glass of wine, “how does that sit with you?”
“I think that will depend on how you and the little one make it through this time. I know that you feel confident that Walker’s going to get us through safe and sound. But there’s still a part of me that’s afraid.”
“Fair enough,” she said.
“Question 3: Is there any way I can convince you to cut back at work? You said rest was important, and I have my own selfish reasons,” he finished.
“Say more.”
“I’d like to spend more time with you. I’d like nothing more than to be able to take you back to Napa with me tomorrow morning. I hate being apart,” he admitted.
“I’ll talk to Gail this week and see what she thinks. Maybe I could work part-time for a while,” suggested Elizabeth.
“How about no time? We don’t need the money.”
“It’s not just about the money. I like my job. My work is a part of who I am.”
He nodded his understanding, “I know, thought it was worth a shot.”
“Question 4: Sex preference?” she asked.
“With you and often, any position,” he said grabbing her around the waist and kissing her soundly on the mouth.
“No!” she said slapping him playfully on the chest, “I mean, boy or girl.”
“Don’t care.”
“Me neither.”
“What about religion? Seems like, I don’t know, we should think about that. Are you going to want to have the baby baptized?” he asked.
“I have been thinking about it, actually,” she said as she pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. William paused what he was doing and turned around to give her his full attention.
“What are you thoughts?”
“I’ve found myself praying a lot, asking God to watch over us,” she said as she affectionately rubbed her stomach. “I think I’d like to make an appointment to talk with Father Clavin. I’d like to maybe start going to Mass again. And, I would like to have the baby baptized. It’s important to me.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Would you do that?”
“Sure, but don’t ask me to convert. Not up for that, leastwise not at this point,” he clarified.
“Question 6,” she started, “Are you going to let Hamilton talk you into getting involved in something
illegal?”
“No,” he answered as he tossed the salad together. “Absolutely not.”
“Seven. Do you think Jennifer is a bit? I don’t know…”
“Psychic?”
“Yeah!” he confirmed.
“Sometimes, I think so,” she admitted.
“Me too!” he agreed. “I know it sounds totally nuts-”
“My turn. Do you think that someday you’re going to want to move back to England?” she asked.
“Hmm,” he said, giving the matter some thought. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think so. I started to pay into Social Security here, thought I would work out the rest of my days and retire here. My question. How is it you never cook?”
“Oh! Good one! Have you ever seen “Mermaids”? That movie with Cher?” asked Elizabeth.
“Can’t say that I have, love,” he replied.
“We absolutely have to rent it then. Anyways, in the movie she can’t cook, not really. Everything she makes ends up looking like little party hors d'oeuvres. That was my mom’s cooking skill level, totally. She was always busy with her art. By the time I was born she was already pretty popular. We had a cook. I just never learned,” she explained.
“But what about when you and Aidan were married?” he asked, as he removed the potatoes from the microwave and wrapped them in foil. “Didn’t you have dinner together in the evening? Sitting around the kitchen table, exchanging stories about your day?”
“That would be a no. We would meet at a restaurant, every once in a while we’d do take out. Hugh knew less about cooking than I did. And, he loved to go out, try new places.”
“So, you want to learn? Or, were you thinking I would be the official chef and you would be my
sous-chef?” asked William. “That’s ten I believe, by the way.”
“Your what chef?” inquired Elizabeth.
“Sous-chef. My second in command in the kitchen,” clarified William. “It’s French, doll. ‘Chef’ is ‘chief’, ‘sous-chef’ translates as ‘under the chief’.”
“You speak French?” she asked.
“Enough to get by,” he replied, hopping up to sit on the counter. “So? Do you want to learn?”
Elizabeth moved towards him, and after positioning herself between his knees she beckoned him to lean forward with a crook of her finger. Then she stretched up onto the tips of her toes and seductively whispered in his ear, “Being under you works just fine for me. But you’re welcome to teach me, so that I may better serve you, master.”
William wrapped his legs around her waist, took her head in his hands and kissed her hungrily. “How do you do that?” he asked looking at her with wonder.
“Do what?”
William took her hand and placed if firmly over his erection. He gasped slightly as she gave it a little squeeze. “I’m a really good kisser?” she suggested as she continued to run her hand along the outline of the now even more prominent bulge.
“Ready to take orders in the kitchen?” he asked, grinning and suggestively curling his tongue behind his teeth.
“Oh yes!” she said with mock enthusiasm. “I’m eager to learn. I want desperately to please you!”
William placed his palms behind him on the counter and leaned back. He tilted his head to the side as if her were assessing her. “How much do you want to please me?”
Elizabeth took her index finger and trailed it playfully down his chest, over his stomach, and around the outline of his cock as she slowly begged him, “Please…tell me…what…you…want.”
William could feel his heart beginning to race. His erection was becoming painful. “Want you to take me into your mouth,” he gasped.
Elizabeth’s eyes lifted to look up at him, slowly.
“You-you don’t have to,” he quickly added.
“And get fired? First day on the job?” she responded as she shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t do.”
Elizabeth unbuckled his belt and with painstaking slowness slid it through all of the loops, finally dropping it onto the floor. Then she popped open his top button and bending down took the zippers head in between her teeth, dragging it all the way down.
William watched her in fascination. His excitement was building to an almost unbearable level and she had yet to touch him. He’d fantasized about this, so many times. She freed him and after tossing her long hair over the side of her shoulder she reached down and lapped up the drop of pre-cum that was leaking from the tip. “Mmmm,” she moaned as she swirled her tongue lightly around the head. “Tastes…good,” she said, sounding surprised. “Now what?” she asked looking up at him.
“Have you not done this before?” asked William.
Elizabeth blushed, feeling suddenly shy and shook her head.
William leaned forward, lightly brushed his lips across her forehead, and then jumped off the counter.
“Wha-? I can try though!” she insisted.
William grabbed her hand and started leading her out of the room, “Oh, you’re gonna do more than try, love,” he said as he looked back at her and winked.
He quickly led her back to the bedroom. William opened the door to the back deck and a delicious cross breeze began to waft through the room. He kicked off his shoes and sat down on the chase to remove his socks. He paused, briefly to look up at her. She was standing just inside the doorway.
“Strip,” he commanded.
She smiled and asked, “Why?”
“Because I asked?” he responded, gazing at her intently, desire evident in his eyes.
Elizabeth pulled her white tank top up and over her head, and then dropped it on the ground. She slipped out of her sandals, pushing them aside with a sweep of her foot. She then unzipped her jeans, pushed them down over her hips, and with a slight wiggle, let them drop to the floor. She stepped out of her jeans and took two steps towards him. “As you wish,” she said.
“Not quite,” he replied pointing to her bra and panties.
“You want to take them off?” she asked, taking another step towards him.
“No,” he said, quietly. Then, he pointed his index finger towards the floor and made a little circular motion.
Elizabeth was momentarily confused, and then she spread her hands out and spun around. William shook his head, “slowly,” he said.
Elizabeth began turning around again, much more slowly this time. “Stop,” he commanded as soon as she was facing completely away from him.
Elizabeth could see herself reflected in the mirror of her dresser, and she could partially see William, now standing, several feet behind her. William bent down and she could hear him pull off his pants and, she imagined, his boxers. She saw his eyes close as he exhaled, a look of pleasure on his face. She could see his shoulder and upper arm moving. She thought that he was stroking himself and she felt her own breath hitch at the image. Then she saw one of William’s hands run up over the outside of his shirt, stopping at the top button. As he continued to stroke himself he gradually removed his shirt, “Go ahead and start to slide off your knickers,” he directed.
Elizabeth’s eyes connected with his in the mirror. She hooked her thumbs in her waistband and began to ease her panties down over her hips. As she bent forward at the waist and leaned over to step out of them, he moved forward. As Elizabeth stood back up William slipped his cock between her legs and glided it across her already dripping exterior folds. After a few strokes she moaned. He stopped, stepped back a bit, and unhooked the back of her bra, letting it fall to the floor. Then he walked backwards until he could feel the chaise against the backs of his legs. He sat down, and reclined back, comfortably. His legs were stretched out in front of him and slightly parted. “Here, kitty, kitty,” called William as he moved slowly spreading his legs wider.
Elizabeth turned around and looked at him. He was truly glorious and she so wanted to please him, to taste him. She dropped to her hands and knees and like a large cat stalking her prey she began to slowly crawl towards him. As she reached his leg she took one toe into her mouth and sucked, hard. She heard him gasp and when she looked up saw that he had begun to again stroke himself. With her tongue she traced a line up the side of his calf, over his kneecap, and up his thigh. She moved so that she was poised, sitting between his knees, his cock in front of her. She reached out and first stilled his hand, then
removed it. She leaned closer and rubbed her cheek, lovingly along his shaft and across the glans.
“Tell me what to do,” she whispered.
William took her hand and placed it at the base, “Firmly, but gently,” he said. “Use your hand to help control the depth. Think of it as an extension of your mouth. Spit is good, the more the better. You’re going to move your hand and mouth as if they were one. On the upstroke, twist your hand in a corkscrew motion as it moves toward the head. Exhaling on the down stroke will help relax your throat muscles.”
“Relaxed throat muscles are good? What else feels good?” asked Elizabeth.
“Are you kidding? Pretty much everything,” said William with a smile.
“Okay,” said Elizabeth, “but come on, some stuff must feel better than other stuff.”
“Licking, nibbling, sucking, kissing, blowing, swallowing when it reaches the back of your throat-” started William, and he noticed Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide.
“I mean, swallowing before I come. Tickles and creates a bit of a vacuum. Feels good. Don’t worry about me coming in your mouth and what to do about it. I won’t. I’ll let you know before I come. Just focus on enjoying this,” William suggested. “Oh, and this part right here? It’s the most sensitive.”
Elizabeth looked him in the eyes, tilted his cock slightly away from her so that she had a clear view of the underside of the glans, then after collecting some extra saliva in her mouth, stuck her tongue and eagerly licked the area that he had pointed out. She heard his sharp intake of breath and watched as he leaned his head back.
“No, watch me,” she said.
William looked down at her as she swept her tongue, in a circular motion, around the head. She started by licking and flicking her tongue back and forth. He sighed in extreme pleasure as he watched the head of his cock disappear into her luscious mouth. She sucked on the tip like she would a lollipop. Upon releasing him she smacked her lips. He was trying to stay focused. The sight of her devouring his cock with such abandon was exhilarating. He felt as if his stomach was beginning to coil. He focused on his own breathing as she took him again, deeply, into her mouth.
“Mmmm,” she said, making her throat rumble slightly, acting as if she just sampled the most delectable of sweets.
William reached out, and grabbed a handful of her hair, close to the base of her skull. She exhaled as she took him all the way in and swallowed. She could feel the pressure in her mouth increase and she could tell, from his breathing that his excitement was building. She utilized her hand as he had instructed twisting on the upstroke.
Elizabeth was using her spit to her advantage now, letting it run down his shaft and into her own hand. When she reached the top of the shaft, she allowed her tongue and mouth to separate from him completely. Then she blew a cool stream of air and used her hot breath to provide additional stimulation.
“Christ! Elizabeth! It feels so good, baby. Just like that,” he moaned as the sensations began to overwhelm him.
Elizabeth moved her attention to his balls. At first she took them gently into her mouth. Then she lapped, licked, kissed, and finally she cupped them in her hand as she enthusiastically took his cock in again, as deeply as possible.
She was becoming increasingly sure of herself as time when on, his almost constant stream of feedback making her more and more confident. The passion and enthusiasm that she was demonstrating brought William closer still, to the edge. Then she fell into a rhythm.
“Perfect! Oh, God!” he gasped as she took his pleasure up another notch, massaging him with her throat, licking, pulling away. Over and over she continued, while she moaned in pleasure. William clawed at the cushion he was sitting on, his breathing becoming increasingly ragged. His stomach began to clench.
“Elizabeth, love. Stop, I’m gonna-”
Elizabeth released his cock. William quickly wrapped his hand around the base and leaned over to reach for his underwear. “No,” said Elizabeth, placing her hand on him. His eyes connected with hers as she quickly licked the palm of one hand and rubbed it across the head of his cock. She simultaneously dragged her other hand across her breasts. “Come here,” she said leaning forward and arching back, presenting her breasts and stomach to him, her hair flowing behind her.
William came with a roar, shooting his seed across her breasts again and again. He watched as the milky fluid dripped down her torso and onto her belly. As his breathing began to return to normal she sat up straight once again. Elizabeth ran her hands over her breasts and stomach, massaging in his spendings. “I’m all sticky,” she said, more of an observation than a complaint.
“You’re superb,” he said, as he let his head fall backwards. “I swear I can’t feel my lips. In fact, I think my entire face is numb.”
Elizabeth got up onto her knees and crawled up his body until her mouth hovered over his. She kissed his lips hungrily. When she pulled away she assured him, “I can confirm that your lips are still there and in good working order.”
“Elizabeth? Forget about learning to cook. You never have to cook if you don’t want to,” said William, smiling contently.
~
Elizabeth stood in front of the grill, one hand on her hip and the other brandishing a metal spatula. “Okay, explain to me again why I’m doing this when less than an hour ago you said I never had to learn how to cook?”
William was seated at the table, watching her. “You can’t hold me to that,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was in a state of delirium.”
“So, I wasn’t superb?” pouted Elizabeth.
William got up from his chair, walked over, and wrapped his arms around her. “Superb? Is that what I said?” he said teasing.
She began to pull away, but he tightened his grasp, “Wait. I shouldn’t tease. You were superb. As for the cooking, I have no problem taking the lead. I like cooking.” William took the spatula from her and turned over their steaks. “But what if I’m working late some night? Or, what if I have to travel out of town on business?”
“I won’t let you,” she said sitting down in the chair he’d previously occupied.
“You won’t let me? Just how whipped do you think I am?”
Elizabeth’s expression turned serious. “I don’t want you to go tomorrow.”
“I know,” said William. “Talk to Gail? See if you can cut back?”
“Yeah,” agreed Elizabeth. “I’m going to tell her tomorrow. I’ll tell her about the baby and see if there’s something we can work out. How much longer for the steaks? I’m starving!”
“About five more minutes,” said William as he pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “Question 11: Was that really the first time?”
“Yup.”
William frowned. “Okay. I’ve gotta ask. You can tell me it’s none of my business. Aidan. You two were married. You never? I mean, he never asked you to?”
“No.”
William’s eyebrows furrowed, “Back in London. He said something to me, about you doing something with your tongue. I didn’t like it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, s’just the way it is,” he said. “I mean he was your husband…”
“No, that’s the way it was. This is the way it is. I want you to know, that what I experience with you is…”
“Is what?”
“It was never with Hugh like it is with you,” she said softly.
“You don’t have to say that,” he said as he got up and walked over to the grill. Then he turned around, a huge grin splitting his face as he tilted his head back and spread his arms wide, “Who am I kidding? I love to hear you say that! Brag on me some more!”
Elizabeth laughed as she poured the dressing onto the salad and tossed it. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked shaking her head.
William appeared to give the question serious consideration. “How about I make a list? You can just work through it at your leisure. Today blowjob. Tomorrow…” he trailed off with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “I’ll have to give this some serious thought.”
They two of them enjoyed a relaxed dinner. Both of them trying to focus on the next time they would see one another instead of the few days they were about to spend apart.
“Take me for ice cream?” asked Elizabeth as they finished cleaning up the dishes.
“I thought you were going on the wagon after the nightmare about the man with the monkey,” said William.
“Nope. That was your idea, not mine. My idea involves a double scoop of New York Super Fudge Chunk,” she declared.
Twenty minutes later William and Elizabeth were walking hand and hand down Main Street, enjoying the summer night and their ice cream.
“Let me taste yours?” she asked.
“What?” he said shocked. “You’ve already got a bloody double scoop. What do you have to taste mine for?”
“Cause yours has that toffee in it,” she said, batting her eyes at him. “I can’t believe we had to park so far away. It’s really crowded around here tonight,” she observed as they turned down a side street on the way to the alley where they’d found a parking space.
William had pulled in so that his car faced the brick wall. The passenger side was closest to the opening of the alleyway.
“Here, have your taste,” he said handing her his cone as they paused at the alley’s entrance. William fished the keys out of his pocket, and then took his cone back as they walked further in towards his car. “What’s the verdict? Still prefer the New York Super Fudge?”
“I think I need another comparison taste,” she said as they neared the car. William pressed the remote button that disengaged the alarm and locking mechanism.
“Don’ move!” they heard someone say. William heard the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered behind him. He froze.
“Turn ‘round, slow,” said the voice.
William slowly turned around. He handed his cone to Elizabeth and with a sweep of his arm pushed her behind him. There, standing a few feet away, were two young men, one armed with a handgun, the other with a can of spray-paint. The guy with the spray paint shook the can vigorously while he walked further
into the alley and around to the wall in front of the car. He popped the lid off the top of the spray can and started to spray over the graffiti that was already on the wall.
William took a step towards the man with the gun.
“Da’ ride,” he said, holding his hand out for the keys.
“It’s yours, take it,” said William dropping the keys into the shooter’s hand. “You’ll love it, really. It’s in fabulous condition,” said William casually, as he took a step to the right to better shield Elizabeth. He looked back and forth between the two men, trying to sum up the situation.
“Yo, Cuzz,” called the second man as he replaced the cap on the can of spray paint, “get his wallet too,”
“Wallet!” shouted the shooter.
“Sure, no problem,” said William, taking another small step to the right. As he carefully opened up the front of his jacket, he angled his body a bit. The shooter took a quick step to the left, so that he could maintain a clear view of what William was doing. As a result of William’s maneuvering the shooter was now standing with his back about a foot from the wall. William reached into his jackets inside pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed it over. “You’ve got the car, you’ve got the wallet, go.”
The painter had just finished his job. He snapped the cap back on, slammed the spray paint down on the hood of the car then started to walk back around the vehicle so that he could close in on Elizabeth and William from behind.
“You don’ tell us what ta do!” he yelled, threateningly.
William shifted a bit to look over his shoulder. The action allowed the light from the street to shine into the alley, illuminating Elizabeth’s face.
“Hey, she’s a looker. Check her out, Cuzz. Bet she tastes as sweet as she looks,” the shooter said, suggestively, as he licked his lips.
Elizabeth dropped both cones and latched onto the back of William’s coat, a fistful of leather in each hand. “William?” she whispered quietly, fear evident in her voice.
“Look, fellas, we don’t want any trouble. I’m sure you don’t want any trouble-” he started.
The painter had by now made his way around the car. He reached for his gun as he came up behind Elizabeth. His back was open to the entry of the alley as he taunted, “This is gonna be even more fun than I thought.”
“Don’t move a bloody muscle,” came the unmistakable crisp British accent of Stanley Houghton.
William saw his adversary’s attention waver for a moment. That moment was all he needed. He struck so suddenly that Elizabeth barely registered his movements. He stepped forward while sweeping his right arm into an arc, effectively executing an outside block, pushing the enemy’s arm aside and in one fluid movement wrapping his own hand around the back of the assailants. He made certain that his grasp encompassed the top of the gun, and he used the advantages of surprise and leverage to bend the shooter’s wrist forward. As he did this, William inserted his left index finger on top of the shooter’s trigger finger.
“So,” said William with a smirk as he applied a little extra pressure on the wrist hold, “who’s in control now?”
William watched as beads of sweat suddenly began to form on the kid’s forehead. The barrel of the gun was now pointed back towards the assailant’s own chest and the shooter realized that if William applied the least amount of pressure, the weapon would blow a hole through his heart.
“Stan?” called William.
“I have this one covered, Will,” came the response.
“Cuzz! You betta keep yo mouth-” the painter started to say, right before Stanley hit him on the back of the head with his gun.
Elizabeth gasped as the painter slumped to the ground. She reflexively brought one hand up to her mouth and the other protectively across her stomach.
“Much better,” said Stan, obviously pleased with himself, as he prodded the unconscious body with the toe of his boot. “Do you suppose he knows how ridiculous he looks with that hankie on his head? I mean, really! Like we’re supposed to take him seriously?”
“Were you following us?” asked Elizabeth not knowing whether to be grateful or upset.
“No. Just happened to be on my way to get some ice cream. There’s this incredible little shop around the corner. Oh,” he said sadly as he looked at the dropped cones, “you lost your cone. Well, come on,
I’ll buy you another.”
Elizabeth looked back and forth between William, who still had the man up against the wall, a gun to his chest, and Stanley who was gallantly offering his arm as if he were going to escort her into the dining room for dinner. So, this is how Alice felt when she fell down that rabbit hole, thought Elizabeth. It all seemed so…surreal.
She was brought back to reality as William suddenly moved again. He’d ruthlessly kneed the shooter in the groin while slamming his arm against the wall, forcing him to release the gun. The boy doubled over in pain and began to make retching sounds. William unceremoniously grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him to the pavement.
The kid instinctively rolled into a fetal position. He was groaning in obvious pain as William kicked him again, effectively rolling him onto his stomach. William took a moment to tilt his head to the side and crack his neck. Then he kneeled down, placing one knee strategically on the back of the kid’s neck, and aimed the mouth of the gun at the base of the shooter’s skull.
“Stan? Take Elizabeth home. I’ll be there shortly,” he said, his voice sounding cold and distant. He looked down and as he pressed his gun to the back of the kid’s head said, “It’s interrogation time. Now, we can do this the hard way or… You know? Come to think of it? There’s just the hard way.”
“William?” called Elizabeth. “Let’s… Let’s go together.”
“Stan? I could do with a little less distraction,” shouted William.
“William!” called Elizabeth, insistently. “Walk away. Just walk away,” she pleaded.
William shook his head. “Can’t. Someone sent him. Need to know who. And you’re going to tell me,” finished William as he increased the pressure of the gun against the back of the kid’s skull. “Stan? You have your silencer on?”
“Yeah,” he responded.
“Give me your gun,” said William as he reached out with his other hand.
William took the gun from Stan, aimed it at the enemy’s leg, and pulled the trigger. Blood spattered onto his face, his hands, his clothes, as the kid and Elizabeth simultaneously screamed. Stan grabbed Elizabeth and quickly pulled her to his chest in an attempt to both comfort and silence her. “Get her out of here,” said William again.
Elizabeth was all but collapsed against Stan as he encircled her waist with his arm pulling her from the alley. She appeared to be in mild shock as he placed her gently in the passenger side of his car and drove her home.
Elizabeth hadn’t said a word since leaving the alley. After they pulled into the driveway Stan helped her out of the car and to her front door. “Do you have your keys?” he asked.
Elizabeth looked at him blankly. He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin leather bundle. Stan unrolled the bundle and extracted something. Within seconds the door was open and he was punching in the code to disarm the alarm. “How about a nice cup of tea?” he suggested.
Elizabeth looked up at him, his words finally registering, “What? You want to drink tea?”
“No, I want scotch. Thought you might like some tea,” said Stanley as he walked over to where Elizabeth kept the liquor and helped himself to a drink.
“Is he going to kill him?” asked Elizabeth quietly.
“Don’t know,” shrugged Stan.
Elizabeth jumped up as she heard William’s car pull into the driveway. She ran to the door, opened it wide, and started to throw herself into William’s arms, “Thank God! Are you okay?”
“Elizabeth, love, stop!” said William, his arm outstretched. “I’m covered in blood. Douse the lights.”
Elizabeth’s arms dropped to her sides and her eyes grew impossibly wide. Then, before she knew it, she was on her knees, retching onto the entry floor in the darkness. “First things first,” said William as he sat his car keys on the step. “Stan, I need someone to sanitize the car and I need to get rid of these clothes. Can you take care of that?”
“Don’t move,” said Stan. He disappeared into the kitchen only to emerge seconds later with a large roll of plastic wrap, a large plastic bag and a garbage bag. “Wallets in here,” said Stan, holding out the plastic bag, “clothes in the garbage bag.”
William quickly disrobed, dropping everything into the bag. Stan then took the roll of plastic wrap out of the box and placed the end under William’s feet, so that he could step onto it. Stan stood up and continued to unroll the wrap as William walked forward further into the apartment. They continued in that fashion as they moved through the living room, down the hall, into the bedroom, and finally into the shower. Stan left William to clean up as he gathered up the wrap and added it to the bag of clothes.
He found Elizabeth sitting on the floor, trying to get her breathing under control, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Did…did he kill him?”
“I don’t know,” answered Stan.
“But there was so much blood.”
“Gunshot wounds tend to bleed,” said Stan dryly as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Elizabeth had just finished cleaning up the last remains of her vomit. She was leaning against the wall in the entryway, trying desperately to collect herself. She started to move to answer the door. “Stay where you are,” said Stan as he moved to the door and opened it slightly. Standing in the doorway was a small man, wearing a pair of mechanics overalls. Plastic gloves covered his hands, and surgical boots covered his shoes. He was carrying a large plastic garbage can.
“What’s the situation?” he asked.
“He shot someone then drove home in that car. Walked from the car to the front door. Stripped outside. Clothes are all in this bag. Walked on plastic to the shower. The plastic wrap is in the bag too. His wallet and the wallet of the two goons are here,” concluded Stanley, handing him both bags.
“Where’s the weapon?” he asked.
“Don’t know,” responded Stanley.
“I’ll work backwards,” he said. “Show me to the shower. Either of you touch him since the shooting?”
“No,” answered Stan.
“Good,” he said as he walked down the hall.
Elizabeth sat on the entry floor for what felt like hours, in silence. Finally, she looked up at Stan and said, “Stan? I’ll have that tea.”
Stan helped her to the sofa, and then went off to the kitchen to make tea. While he waited for the kettle to boil he opened the doors to the back deck and leaned against the doorjamb sipping his scotch.
Elizabeth joined him in the kitchen as the teakettle started to whistle. She sat down at the table and rested her weary head in her hands. A minute later Stan sat a cup of herbal tea in front of her.
“Thank you,” said Elizabeth tiredly. She then leaned her head on the wall. “How much longer are they going to be?”
“Probably not much longer.” said Stan.
Right on cue William appeared, framed in the doorway that led to the back deck. His hair was still damp from the shower. He was dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Elizabeth wasted no time in jumping up and running to his arms. As he wrapped her in his embrace she released the sobs that she had been trying so desperately to control.
“There, there, kitten. Everything is going to be okay. We’re safe,” said William, trying to comfort her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’ve seen things, done things in my life that I would just as soon you never know about. I want you to know that I tried to contain it, shield you from that part of me, but once their intentions were clear my training, my instincts, they took over. I did what I had to do to protect you.”
“Couldn’t you have just scared him?”
William smiled. “Elizabeth, guys like that don’t get scared until they start to feel their own life slip away. Or, until they believe they’re about to.”
“My gun?” asked Stan.
“Dropped it down a sewer grate miles from the scene. I’ll replace it.”
“Did you do them both?” asked Stan.
“No.”
“You know they can identify us,” said Stan.
“Doesn’t matter,” said William as he kissed Elizabeth on the top of her head, then stepped away reaching for Stanley’s glass.
“I was right, they were sent by someone,” said William.
“So you let them live?” asked Stanley.
“To take back a message,” said William as he walked to the living room to retrieve the scotch and a second glass.
“Killing them would have sent a rather strong message, I should think,” remarked Stanley.
“Elizabeth wouldn’t have liked it,” said William softly. “I thought I could avoid it, so I did. If they get medical attention in a reasonable amount of time they’ll both live.”
“How did you know? What made you think someone sent them?” asked Stan.
“They didn’t want my car,” said William as he poured them both a scotch. “They were members of a gang. The “hankie” you referred to that was tied around the bloke’s head? Gang colors, theirs was blue. My car is red. It’s a rival color. I don’t think they had any intention of driving my car back to their neighborhood.”
“What do you think they wanted?” asked Elizabeth.
“I think they were looking to rough me up.”
“But, why?” asked Elizabeth.
“One thing I can tell you is that they were sent by someone who doesn’t really know me, know what I’m capable of. I think a certain Cuban cigar-smoking doctor asked them to find me and exact a little revenge. They were unprepared and sloppy,” said William before taking a sip of his scotch.
“What? Carter? Did they confirm that?” asked Elizabeth.
“No. They didn’t know. They took their orders from someone else,” he answered.
“Ahem, excuse me,” said the strange man quietly. “I’m finished in here. I need the car keys. I’ll take it to a garage for cleaning, then bring it back.”
“I left the car keys on the front step,” said William. “You’ll need to check them and the step for blood too.”
“Yeah. I know. Inside’s finished. I’ve got from the door to the car to do. Then I’ll take the car. What about the scene?” he asked, “Did you touch anything?”
“Just the guy, and the gun. The gun has been disposed of,” said William.
“Very good. I’ll drop the car back off tonight and slip the keys through the mail slot. I took your wallet, I assume you’d like it back; I’ll take care of it as well. Here are the other two,” he said with a little bow, then walked out the door, carrying his barrel.
“Stan, you have gloves?” asked William.
“Yeah, in the car,” said Stan.
“We have their wallets, let’s find out just who these guys are and whom they take orders from,” said William as he pulled Elizabeth into his lap. “I’m going to bet I can trace them, somehow, to that bloke that Carter was bragging about saving.”
“Do you want me to stay and work on it?” asked Stan. “We’ll need to clear it with Hamilton.”
“I spoke to Hamilton, it’s been cleared. I want to offer you a job, working for me, as my assistant,” explained William.
“Really? Hamilton agreed to that?” said Stanley, sounding unconvinced.
“Stan, Hamilton is my father,” revealed William.
“What?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to be involved in that life and he’s taking steps to liquidate everything anyways, he agreed to let you come work for me. I have a job now renovating a large estate. We need to install security. Thought you could start with that,” offered William.
“Hamilton’s your father?” asked Stan, disbelief evident in is tone.
“Yes. It’s a long story and one I’m not going to tell tonight. What do you say to the job offer?”
“Sure. Yes. Of course!” replied Stanley. “When do I start?”
“Not until the weekend. I have to go back tomorrow morning. I want you to stay here, with Elizabeth. Sorry, there’s only the couch. I want surveillance on Carter and I want you to know her whereabouts at all times. Can you manage that?” William asked.
“Yes, Will. No problem. If there’s danger?” he asked.
“Protect her,” said William. “Take whatever means are necessary.”
“What time do you leave tomorrow?” asked Stan.
“Seven,” said William.
“See you then,” answered Stan, extending his hand towards William and sealing their deal.
“I’ll fly back Friday night,” said William. “Once I’m here, you can go up to Napa for the weekend, get the lay of the land and start thinking about how you recommend we secure the perimeter. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
“No, it shouldn’t,” agreed Stan. “I got a bit of an impression the last time. I think it’ll be pretty straightforward. If you can get me the blueprints, that’ll give me a head start.”
“I’ll overnight copies here. You’ll have them by Thursday,” concluded William.
“Good enough, see you in the morning,” said Stan as he reached for the doorknob.
“Stan?” called Elizabeth.
Stan turned around to find that Elizabeth had walked up behind him. She reached up, standing on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said softly.
“Yes, well, you’re most welcome, Elizabeth,” responded Stan before he walked out the door, taking his leave.
~
It was around 10:00 o’clock and Jennifer stood, surrounded by darkness, her hair blowing wildly in the wind. “The wind tastes of salt,” she observed licking her lips.
“And you,” groaned Carter as he placed his hands around her neck and pulled her in for a passionate kiss, “taste like ripe, dark cherries. Delicious.”
“The view from here is beautiful,” whispered Jen as Carter pulled away from the kiss. “I can almost touch the stars,” she said as she reached out towards them wiggling her fingers.
Carter slowly loosened the sash around her waist and parted the sensuous silk fabric. It was his robe, and she was naked underneath. The cool night air made her nipples instantaneously pebble. “You’re exquisite,” murmured Carter. “The things you do,” he said as he trailed kisses down her neck, “the things you let me do to you. You make me want even more. I can’t get enough of you.”
“I thought I had perhaps stopped you, distracted you,” interrupted Jen, sadly.
“From?” asked Carter as he slipped the robe off her shoulders leaving her standing nude on his back deck, overlooking the ocean, bathed in the moonlight.
Jennifer looked over his shoulder, her eyes resting on the tall man that stood in the doorway that led onto the deck. Carter’s eyes followed her gaze, and then he quickly spun back around, bent over to retrieve the robe, and covered Jennifer.
“You here, in your fancy house, mackin’ on some chick, while my homies are out there gettin’ jacked up?” a man’s voice shouted before he walked back through Carter’s living room and opened the front door, allowing entry to other gang members. It took four men to carry in the two wounded.
“Christ, Diggs! What happened?” asked Carter as he ran over and closed his front door. Carter was unable to mask his surprise and obvious alarm. His instincts and training took over, however, and soon he was busy assessing both patients.
“Will,” whispered Jennifer.
“I been dissed by you, man. You made like that guy was some punk! He got both of their pieces. And, he had someone with him that was packin’. You gonna fix my boys up, then I’m gonna be givin’ you a hard look,” said Diggs threateningly.
“What are you talking about?” asked Carter, now alarmed.
“He didn’t know,” said Jennifer as she glided over to Diggs and placed a hand, gently on his forearm. “He’s a bit obsessed with the girl, it’s clouding his judgment. Forgive him. I’m trying to help, really I am. But he’s making it so bloody hard and the pieces on the board all keep moving and shifting… By the way, the test was positive. She lied. She is pregnant. You have a chance to save them both, but you have to act quickly. Otherwise, tomorrow she’ll prick herself again and all will be lost.”
Diggs sat down heavily on the sofa and tried to refocus. Jennifer’s words hung in the air. The other four men wandered around the living room, waiting for additional orders. As Diggs watched Jennifer uncomfortably, out of the corner of his eye he continued, “William ‘Will’ Carlton,” he explained, “is Quentin Hamilton’s son. He’s up on it.”
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This guy is like a decorator or something,” insisted Carter as he applied pressure to the gunshot wound and gave orders to two of the men to help him lift the patient onto the dining table so that he could extract the bullet. They looked over to Diggs, and after receiving a nod, they did as Carter asked.
“I’m telling you, straight up,” insisted Diggs. “I got a call from an O/G. There’s going to be retribution for this, doc.”
“What the hell is an O/G,” growled Carter, now completely frustrated.
“Someone that’s been at this a long-time,” explained Diggs.
“I believe that I’m ready to go home now,” announced Jen, walking up to Diggs. “Carter seems busy. I’m going to dress, then I’ll permit you to escort me,” she said before she started to walk off, towards the bedroom, to gather her clothes. As she glided past Carter she paused, then turned and said, “I’ll see you at the hospital on Saturday.”
“I’m not working Saturday, Jen,” he said as he continued to work.
“No,” agreed Jen as she looked over at Diggs. “You won’t be working.”
~
“How can it possibly just be 10:30 p.m.?” asked Elizabeth as the closed the door behind Stan. “I’m exhausted.”
“Let’s get you to bed,” said William, holding out his hand.
She looked down at his hand and remembered it holding the gun at the base of the kid’s skull and she shivered.
“Elizabeth?”
“Sorry.”
“You were remembering. Want to talk about it?”
“No,” she responded, “not really.”
“I’m the same man I was a few hours ago. You’ve just seen more of me. My life hasn’t been all roses and poetry. It’s been dark and bloody. I made a decision to abandon that world and I’ve made myself a different life. I want to hold onto that different life. I want to hold on to what I have here with you.”
As he finished his sentence he saw Elizabeth wince and bend forward, slightly at the waist. “What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.
“Cramp,” she said taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly in an effort to calm herself.
“Let’s get you some rest, love,” said William as he gathered her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her gently onto the bed. “Relax. I’m going to set the alarm. I’ll be right back.”
William was gone only less than two minutes. Just long enough to set the alarm and turn off the lights, when he returned to the bedroom, however, the bed was empty.
“Elizabeth?” he called.
He turned to see that she was leaning against the door jam to the bathroom. She was as pale as chalk as she slipped to the floor.
“William, there’s blood. I’m spotting. Please! Call Walker. The number’s on the refrigerator,” instructed Elizabeth her voice struggling to stay steady.
William ran to the kitchen, grabbed the number and the cordless phone, and began dialing on his way back to the bedroom. He fell onto his knees alongside Elizabeth. As he wrapped his arm around her in a comforting embrace and listened to the phone ring he realized that never before had he felt this frightened.
~
William and Elizabeth walked up to the registration window at the emergency room. “Hey, Elizabeth!” said Nancy. “I didn’t know you were working tonight.”
“I’m not,” said Elizabeth quietly as she took a seat. “James Walker asked me to come in and be assessed. I need to register as a patient.”
“You know what? I saw him come in just a few seconds ago; he’s already back there. Let’s get you on back and we’ll fast track your registration. I’ll go tell Connie in triage that I’m bringing you back.”
“Thanks, Nancy, I really appreciate it,” said Elizabeth.
“No problem.”
“Fast track?” asked William as he stood alongside her, running his fingers through her hair.
“It’s what they do with the critical patients. Take them back to start the triage process right away and ask them all of those boring questions like where do you live and what type of insurance do you have while they’re examining you or after,” explained Elizabeth.
Nancy returned and pointed Elizabeth towards the double doors leading to the emergency room, “Actually, I caught James, go on through. You’re in exam room 10. I’ll be back in a bit to complete the registration. Have you ever been a patient here before?”
“Yes, and nothing has changed except for the emergency contact. I still have the same address, phone, allergies, insurance, all that. William? Do you have a card you can give her for the emergency contact info?” asked Elizabeth.
“Of course, love,” said William reaching quickly into his pocket and pulling out his wallet so that he could retrieve a business card. “Use the cell phone number,” he requested as he handed Nancy his card.
“Elizabeth?” called Walker from the door.
Elizabeth turned around and made an effort to smile, “Ready for me?”
William interlaced his fingers with hers and walked with her to the door. “Dr. Walker? I’m William Carlton,” he said, extending his hand. “We spoke on the phone.”
“Yes! I’m pleased to meet you, William. Let’s get our girl back here and get her all checked out. You’re welcome to come. I’m sorry to have to meet under such circumstances. You said you two were mugged tonight?” he asked as he led them back to an examination room.
“Yeah,” said William, “two kids. But, they were armed and threatening.”
“It must have been very frightening,” said Walker as he handed her a hospital gown. “My guess is that you’re tired and stressed. Some cramping and even spotting isn’t unusual. But given your history we want to be conservative. Put this on and I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll do an ultrasound to ensure that everything is as it should be. I bet we can even see the heartbeat,” he said with a reassuring smile before he walked out of the examination room.
“Do you need help, doll?” asked William.
“Tell me it’s going to be okay,” pleaded Elizabeth.
“It’s going to be okay,” responded William dutifully as he enfolded her into a comforting embrace and bent over to kiss her.
She undressed quickly and slipped on the hospital gown then hopped up on the table.
Her gaze fell on the pile of clothes and she whispered, “William! Move my underwear underneath my blouse.”
“Right!” he said as he began to follow her order. Then turning back to her with a puzzled expression asked, “Why?”
“I don’t want him to see my bra and panties.”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding. You’re not kidding,” he said as he discreetly tucked her bra and panties underneath her blouse.
“No. It’s a…thing. Underwear is private.”
William shook his head and asked, “But isn’t he going to be seeing your-”
“That’s different!” she insisted. “That’s his job. My underwear is not his job.”
“All set?” called Walker from behind the curtain.
“Yup!” Elizabeth answered, trying to sound cheerful.
“Okay,” he said as he walked into the room. He reached down and pulled up the stirrups that were attached at the bottom of the examination table. He then wheeled a cart with the ultrasound equipment over. As he pulled on a pair of gloves he said, “Now I want you to scoot your bottom all the way down to the edge of the table, place your feet in the stirrups and cover your bottom half with this sheet. William? Why don’t you come stand over here with me? You’ll have a front row seat. Ready to see your baby?”
William quickly moved over to Walker’s side. He held his breath while Walker began to insert a hand-held probe into Elizabeth’s vagina. Images began to appear on the screen.
“What are we seeing?” asked William.
“Think of it as high-frequency sound bouncing off of human tissue. When the sound reflects from tissues, it’s read as darker or lighter, depending on the density of the tissue. We’ll be able to visualize the cervix, the uterus, gestational sac, and embryo itself. Let me take you on a tour, I’ll explain what we’re looking at. How you doing so far, Elizabeth?”
“Okay, I guess,” she said.
William repositioned himself so that he could hold her hand and still see the screen.
“Here’s the gestational sac,” said Walker, pointing to the screen. “It looks perfectly intact. Here’s the baby itself. And right here? You can see the heart.”
William leaned forward, “Can I pull this monitor closer so that Elizabeth can see better?”
“Sure,” Walker responded. “I’ve seen what I need to. Everything looks just fine for now. It’s possible you could continue the pregnancy with some spotting.”
“Isn’t the loss of blood bad for the baby?” asked Elizabeth.
“Bleeding like this is rarely enough to compromise the baby's blood supply and oxygenation. First trimester bleeding is common. As the endometrium builds up a thick bed of blood vessels and the blastocyst implants, some blood is released from the uterine wall. That’s what we seem to be dealing with. But we’ll monitor you closely by doing periodic ultrasounds and hCG readings. That way we’ll know for sure that things are progressing as they should be.”
“Okay,” said Elizabeth. As she watched her baby’s heart beat on the monitor a few tears leaked from the corner of one eye. “So, everything is fine.”
“Yes. If your spotting turns bright red, or becomes heavy, or you start passing clots or tissue call me right away. Also, if you develop increased pain and/or fever,” instructed Walker as he removed the probe and pulled off his gloves.
“Anything else that she, or we, should or shouldn’t do?” asked William.
“No well controlled studies have confirmed effectiveness of bed rest in this situation. But, a lot of doctors would recommend it because it may help. Early pregnancy requires an incredible amount of physical and emotional energy. You’d benefit from the extra rest regardless.”
“What do you think?” asked Elizabeth.
“I think you’ve had a stressful experience tonight and it’s further taxed your system. I think you should take whatever reasonable steps you can to get extra rest,” he suggested.
“We were talking earlier today about the possibility of having Elizabeth decrease her hours at work,” offered William.
“If you can’t do that,” said Walker, looking at Elizabeth, “you need to think about how you can get extra rest otherwise. Nap when you get home, have someone else take over the household chores for a bit, that sort of thing.”
“Should she take the rest of the week off?” asked William.
“He wants you to say yes,” warned Elizabeth.
“Look,” said William, “Right now I see two options. You can either come back to Napa with me and be waited on hand and foot over the next couple days… Or, I can wrap you up in bubble pack and tie you to your own bed here. Personally I’d go with option one because option two has complicated scenarios like food and bathroom needs that have yet to be worked out.”
Walker laughed, “Is it necessary? It’s probably not necessary. Could it help? Yes, it could help. Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing for certain.”
“I want to do everything I can to make sure I maintain this pregnancy and have a healthy baby,” said Elizabeth.
“If she were your wife, what would you have her do?” asked William, seriously.
“I’d have her take the rest of the week off, spoil her, and pray that the spotting doesn’t worsen,” said Walker, honestly. “Call my office in the morning Elizabeth. We’ll schedule a follow-up in two weeks.”
“Thanks,” said William, as he shook the doctor’s hand.
Elizabeth checked out and accepted her discharge instructions. As she and William started to proceed down the hallway towards the doors that led to the parking lot Elizabeth heard the familiar overhead “Code Trauma, code trauma” page. Charlie and Conner rounded the corner from the opposite side and the four of them almost collided.
“Elizabeth!” shrieked Charlie. “They’re bringing Carter in!”
“What do you mean?” asked William.
“The trauma,” explained Conner. “Apparently someone broke into his house, the place is pretty trashed. His pressure is bottoming out and his breathing is thready. Looks like a neighbor heard a bunch of noise and called 911. He should be here any second. What are you guys doing here?”
“We were mugged earlier,” explained Elizabeth. “I started having some symptoms and we were worried about a miscarriage.”
“Are you okay?” asked Charlie reaching for Elizabeth’s hand.
“Yeah, Walker checked me out. All is good,” she said rubbing her belly.
“For now,” clarified William. “But she needs to take it easy. I’m taking her back with me for a couple days. Walker recommended bed rest.”
“And spoiling,” added Elizabeth. “Don’t forget that. That was the really important part.”
Just then the doors to the ambulance bay crashed open and Carter was wheeled through to the Trauma room on a cart. Imperiale was right behind him already shouting orders. Conner and Charlie followed them into the room.
Elizabeth looked at William, “You didn’t?”
“No.”
“Stanley?”
“All Stan was to do was find out who those guys were. If this had anything at all to do with what happened tonight, the retaliation was from someone within their chain of command. I promise,” said William. “Any chance I’m going to get you to leave now?”
“None,” she said.
William slid to the floor, crossed his arms over his knees, and rested his head on top. Elizabeth slid down the wall and joined him. “Let’s just give this a few minutes, then we’ll go either way. I know I need to rest.”
William looked up, smiled, and draped his arm across her shoulders. Five minutes later Elizabeth was fast asleep. Her head resting in William’s lap as he softly stroked her hair. He leaned his head back against the wall and waited.
Inside the trauma room they had already diagnosed a pneumothorax as well as several broken ribs, multiple abrasions, contusions.
“Christ,” said Conner. “Looks like someone hit him with a baseball bat.”
“We need a blood type,” yelled Imperiale as he quickly assessed Carter’s neurological status, “Run all of the routine labs, stat. Once his breathing is stabilized we’ll wheel him over to radiology, see what else is going on. Can’t believe he was so lucky!”
“Lucky?” asked Charlie, incredulously.
“An attack like this? And they left his head, his arms, and his hands alone? This could have been the end
of his career. He’s got a few broken ribs and a punctured lung, I’d say he was lucky,” explained Imperiale as he quickly inserted a chest drain. The blood that had accumulated within the left lung as a result of the puncture began to drain and the lung started to re-expand. Carter’s breathing improved. His oxygen saturation levels began to climb and his other vital signs started to stabilize. All of the members of the trauma team collectively sighed. “Let’s get him to X-ray,” said Imperiale as he stepped back and pulled off his gloves.
As the doors to the trauma room opened and the gurney was pushed through Elizabeth started. William stood up, and then helped her to her feet. “What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked Charlie.
“Looks like he was beat up pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as he could have been. No head injury. Basically looks like a bunch of broken ribs, but one or more ended up puncturing a lung, hence the barely breathing thing. Imperiale has him stabilized. They’re taking him to radiology to make sure that there’s not more internal injuries or bleeding,” explained Charlie.
“I’m going to take Elizabeth home,” said William. “She’s got to get some rest. Will you call if there’s more to it? Otherwise we’ll know that things are under control.”
“Sure,” said Charlie. “I’m sure they’ll know shortly. If you don’t hear from me that he’s going into surgery within the next half-hour I’d say he’s out of the woods.”
“Has he said anything?” asked Elizabeth.
“Not a word, but then there was the whole struggling to breathe thing,” Charlie reminded her.
“Of course,” said Elizabeth.
“Good night, Liz. You go take care of yourself. I’ll keep you posted,” said Charlie as she hurried off towards radiology.
William and Elizabeth were both quiet on the drive home. Each of the lovers was wrapped up in their own thoughts.
“Why don’t I draw you a bath, doll. Then we’ll tuck you into bed for a good night’s rest. I’m going to call the airlines and get a later flight, for the two of us and Stanley.”
Elizabeth nodded as she began to undress. Twenty minutes later she heard William softly saying her name and she opened her eyes. “You drifted off, doll. Come on, the water’s getting cool,” he said as he held out a towel for her.
Elizabeth rose from the tub and allowed him to wrap the towel around her.
“I love you,” said Elizabeth as she stepped into his embrace.
“I love you too,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Don’t know what I would do if something happened to you or the baby.”
Tears started to leak from the corners of Elizabeth’s eyes. “What would we do if anything happened to you? I was so afraid for you tonight.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, doll,” William assured her.
Elizabeth pulled back from his embrace and as she looked searchingly into his eyes she clarified, “No. I’m not stuck with you. I choose you.”
William smiled and without thought said, “Marry me then.”
“What?” asked Elizabeth, her eyes wide with surprise.
William clapped his hand over his mouth. “I just said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly, not quite sure what to think.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. It’s just that I find I’m thinking about it all the bloody time. Oh, hell! Why couldn’t I just be patient?” he groaned, obviously upset with himself as he walked out of the bathroom. William ran his hand through his hair and began pacing, “Elizabeth-”
“Yes.”
“I know patience isn’t one of my virtues-”
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she clarified.
“You will?” he asked, stopping abruptly and turning to face her, still not quite trusting his ears.
“Yes,” she said, smiling, her eyes wet with tears.
William looked at her with complete wonder and let out the breath that he’d been holding for what seemed like a lifetime. He walked over to her, scooped her up into his arms, and laid her gently onto the bed. Will turned the lights off, stripped, and climbed in alongside her. They laid there silently in the dark, their bodies molded to one another’s.
“Are you going to say anything?” asked Elizabeth as she felt William softly kiss her shoulder.
“Can’t,” said William, his voice thick with emotion.
Elizabeth rolled over to face him. “If you didn’t mean to ask-” started Elizabeth.
“God, no!” said William as he leaned up on one elbow. He could see the outline of her face in the darkness. “It’s just that I’ve never felt like this before.”
“How do you feel?” asked Elizabeth, quietly.
“I feel…” he started to say as a tear slid out of the corner of his eye and splashed down onto Elizabeth’s face, “…really, really happy. You really said ‘yes’.”
“Yes, William. I really said ‘yes’,” she assured him as she picked her head up off of the pillow and pressed her lips to his in a loving kiss.
Chapter 14
“Hi! I’m here to pick up Jennifer,” said Andrew.
“Sure, kid. She’s expecting you. Come on in. I’ll let her know you’re here,” said Veronica as she stepped aside, allowing Andrew to enter.
Andrew sat on the sofa in the living room and waited. About five minutes later a thin, fragile looking woman entered. Andrew stood as she walked into the room; her pale skin and large doe-like eyes struck him.
“Jennifer?”
“Yes,” Jen said as she walked up to him and gave him a quick hug. “You must be Andrew. I’m so glad to see you. I’ve been cooped up here since I’ve moved in! I can’t wait to get out and about. Where are we going?”
“Well, I was up really late last night working on a film project for school. I lost a bunch of editing changes on Wednesday and I have to redo them. I actually just woke up about an hour ago. How about we stop by the Espresso Pump for coffee and then I can show you around the campus?” suggested Andrew.
“Sounds good. I’d love to see what you’re working on,” said Jennifer as they walked to Andrew’s Jeep.
“Really? That’s so cool. Maybe we can stop by the editing lab and I can show you,” he offered.
~
Elizabeth walked into the living room of the guesthouse. Stan and William were leaning over a set of blueprints that were spread out on the coffee table. “Well,” said Stan, “I think that about does it. Now it’s just a matter of choosing a vendor, getting all of the supplies, and then of course there’s the installation.”
“Here’s a list of local companies we might be able to sub-contract installation out to. Why don’t you start screening them, if we can use someone local it will save on time and expense,” suggested William.
“Do you care who we use for a vendor?” asked Stan.
“Nope. Hey, love, have enough lounging by the pool?”
“I’m bored just laying around by the pool,” said Elizabeth, listlessly flopping next to William on the sofa.
William wrapped his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze before turning his attention back to the task at hand. “Can you think of anything that might make it more enjoyable?” he asked absently. “They haven’t finished installing the speakers yet, so we can’t pipe in music. But, I have a portable radio. Or, maybe you could pick out a book or magazine?”
“How about a pool boy with cut abs named Carlos? He could bring me fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them and slather me up with sunscreen?”
“Someone’s not getting enough attention,” sang Stan just as the phone rang. “I’ll get it.”
“No. No pool boys with cut abs. If we ever find ourselves in need of a pool boy he will most assuredly be at least forty, significantly over-weight, smell bad and love bowling. And, even then there will be no slathering of any kind!” said William, wagging his finger scoldingly.
“Poo!” said Elizabeth with a pout.
“You know, this is not a good sign. We’re not even married yet and you have roving eyes? What am I going to do with you?” asked William, turning to her.
“I don’t really want Carlos, the pool boy. I’m just trying to get your attention,” she admitted as she leaned forward and kissed him.
“I actually had plans to knock off a bit early tonight. There’s an errand we need to run, then we could do dinner. Do you think you want to eat in or go out?” asked William.
“How about we bring back Chinese and a movie?” suggested Elizabeth.
“Whatever you want. Your wish is my command,” said William as he stood up and gallantly bowed.
“But, no Carlos?” she confirmed as she too stood up and walked over to him.
“No Carlos!” he said, turning her around and swatting her on the behind. “Now go make yourself scarce for a bit longer. I’ll be finished up by four o’clock and we’re going to have to leave then to go run our errand.”
“What’s the errand?” asked Elizabeth as she started to walk towards the kitchen to fix herself a little lunch.
As William once again returned his attention to the blue prints he said, smiling, “Got to see a man about a ring, for a girl.”
~
“Are you sure you don’t mind hanging out with me in the film lab, Jen?” asked Andrew.
“Don’t mind a bit,” said Jen as he held open the door for her. Jennifer walked into the room. Although there were enough workstations to accommodate a dozen students there were only two others there.
“Walter, Michael, this is Jennifer,” introduced Andrew.
“Hello, boys!” said Jennifer, as she rested one hand on her hip and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“I’m Walter,” said the taller of the two standing up and extending his hand to shake hers.
“Jennifer’s going to hang out here for a bit while I work on recovering the editing changes we lost last night, if that’s okay with you guys,” said Andrew.
“Fine by me,” said Michael. “Hey, maybe you can give me your opinion here. I’m working on the sound. Trying to find that one, perfect, blood-curdling scream. I’ve narrowed it down to three.”
“Sounds like great fun!” said Jennifer enthusiastically as she pulled up a chair alongside Michael. “Why is she screaming?”
“It’s a commercial for frozen piecrust,” explained Walter. “First she has this experience of serving a pie to guests and the crust is so tough that no one can eat it. Then we cut to her preparing for her next dinner party. She’s all disheveled, covered in flour, and she opens the oven-door to take out the piecrust. Only the bottom of the crust is all puffed up, so she let’s out a scream of frustration as she tosses it onto the counter alongside about two dozen other failures. Suddenly an angel appears with a box of “Perfection Frozen Piecrusts.” Next, we see her all dressed up and serving the perfect pie to a table full of dinner guests. As they bite into it and go “Mmmm” you see across the bottom, ‘Perfection Frozen Piecrusts…perfect…every time’. Let me show you what we’ve done so far.”
As the clip ended Jennifer looked between Andrew, Walter and Michael. They all seemed quite pleased with themselves. She blinked, then turned to Andrew and said, “Oh, that’s just bloody awful! Would that make you want to go out and buy that piecrust?”
“No, but I don’t make pies,” said Andrew sheepishly.
“But, does it even make you want to make a pie?” asked Jennifer.
“I guess not,” said Andrew.
“But it makes me hungry for a pie! Especially that piece at the end,” said Walter.
“Who was that woman?” asked Jennifer.
“My mother,” said Michael. “She was in the drama club in high school. She starred in South Pacific she was one of the girls who sang ‘I’m gonna wash that man right outta my hair.’”
“I don’t believe I know that one,” said Jennifer.
“She’s never seen ‘Star Wars either,” interrupted Andrew.
“No!” shouted Walter and Michael simultaneously.
“Try to focus. Work with me!” pleaded Jen. “What’s guaranteed to grab someone’s attention and sell things?”
The three boys began to think, simultaneously.
“Gift with purchase?” blurted out Walter.
“A voice over by Patrick Stewart!” suggested Andrew. “He’s got a great voice. But we’ll never get him. Hey! Your brother Will has a hot voice, think we could get him to say ‘Perfection Frozen Piecrusts…perfect…every time’?”
“Are you all on some kind of medication?” asked Jennifer curiously.
“Wait, I know! I know this!” announced Michael proudly, “It’s sex!”
“Yes!” Jennifer clapped happily. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I’ll help you with your project and I’ll learn a few things in the process!”
~
“Are you sure you don’t mind stopping by to pick up Jennifer?” asked William for the third time.
“Not at all. I have to drive by the campus on the way to my hotel anyways,” said Stan. “You told her six o’clock?”
“Yeah. We’ve got 7:30 p.m. dinner reservations. Didn’t count on the flight getting in late,” said William as he and Elizabeth exited the car.
“No problem. You two freshen up. It’s 5:30 p.m. now. That gives me plenty of time. How about we just meet you at the restaurant?” suggested Stan.
“That sounds like a good idea,” weighed in Elizabeth.
“See you there, then,” said Stan as he put the car in gear and backed out of Elizabeth’s driveway.
~
“God, Jen, this stuff is awesome!” said Walter as he scanned through the various film clips.
“And I have so found the perfect track mix to run behind it, sexy clarinet with barely perceptible gasps, sighs and even a few moans,” added Michael, excitedly.
“Are you sure we don’t need a voice-over, there at the end?” asked Andrew for what felt like the hundredth time.
“No,” shouted the other three.
“Just…asking,” he said. “We do need to re-shoot the foot up the pant-leg shot. It was too dark by then in that house last night. I just couldn’t get the light right.”
“Can we just do it here?” asked Michael.
“It was a tight shot,” said Andrew, thinking out loud, “I think we could just shoot it against a black backdrop with low lighting.”
“Let’s do it!” agreed Walter. “Jen, you still have the silk robe and high heels?”
“Yeah, in my back pack. You boys turn around and I’ll undress.”
“I’m worried about how her skin is going to look,” said Michael. “Last night she covered herself with oil
so that it would glisten.”
“I have some baby oil in the glove-box of my car,” offered Andrew.
“I really didn’t need to know that,” said Walter.
“I’m going to go change back into the dress pants that I had on last night,” said Michael as he grabbed his car keys and started to head out the door.
“I’ll just…get the oil,” mumbled Andrew, softly.
Twenty minutes later they had finished shooting the scene and Andrew had uploaded it onto the clipboard. “Walter? Go ahead and add it, will you? I’m gonna put the camera equipment away,” said Andrew.
“Anyone mind if I turn the radio on? If I don’t hear something else soon I’m going be stuck having that one track that I’ve been working on all day running around in my head forever,” said Michael.
“Go ahead,” said Andrew.
“I don’t care,” added Walter.
“Me either,” said Jen as she continued to look over Walter’s shoulder. “I’ve got to be going soon. William will be here at six o’clock to pick me up.”
“You’ve got a good twenty minutes to go. Hey, maybe you can see the finished product before you leave,” suggested Michael as he turned on the radio.
The opening chords of a popular rock classic began to play. As Jen leaned behind Walter, holding onto the back of his chair, Michael noticed instantly that she couldn’t help swaying slightly to the music. Jennifer tilted her head back slightly and began to move it from side to side, the feel of the music running through her.
As the chorus started and the tempo picked up Michael turned up the volume. Jennifer’s hips were now sashaying back and forth in time to the music.
Her hands ran slowly up the curves of her body over her neck, and lifted up the back of her hair. Andrew and Michael were both totally and completely fixated on the dark, uninhibited beauty as she
danced provocatively before them. But no one in the room was as enthralled as Stanley Houghton who stood, breathless, outside the doorway of the film lab. He’d arrived early and stood, mouth agape, as he watched Jennifer dance, through the door’s glass window, a siren in a short silk robe and black high-heeled shoes.
As the final chorus started Michael took the volume up another notch, catching Walter’s attention as well. By now Jennifer was completely consumed. The silk robe had seductively slipped off one shoulder as she tossed her long raven black hair wildly about, her lean body gyrating in carefree celebration.
The boys clapped and whistled as the song ended. Jennifer laughed, “Okay, show’s over. Turn around.”
Walter, Michael and Andrew obediently turned their back on her as they once again began to attend to the computer. Stanley took a short step back into the darkness of the hall. He knew he, too, should have turned around. A gentleman would have turned around, and he was a gentleman. But, somehow he couldn’t move. He watched, mouth dry as she untied the sash of her robe and slid it off her shoulders. Her back was to him. She wore only her black-laced bra and knickers underneath. The black was striking against her pale skin. She stepped out of her high-heeled shoes, then bent forward to pick up her backpack. Stanley abruptly turned around and moved over to the wall adjacent to the door. He leaned up against the wall and tried to collect himself, to clear his mind of the sensual images, and to rid his body of his now raging hard-on.
Ten minutes later, just as Walter was adding the final touches there was a knock at the door and the door opened.
“Jennifer? Will sent me. Are you ready?” asked Stanley.
“Oh! Hello, Stan. Yes, I’m all set,” said Jennifer picking up her bag.
“Hey,” said Andrew. “Want to show him the commercial?”
“Oh,” said Jen, casually as she walked over to the door, “I think he’s seen enough for now. We’ve got to run. E-mail it to the address I gave you. Will added me to his account a long time ago so we could stay in touch. The address is still good. I can show Stan later.”
“We have to swing by my place first. Hope that’s alright,” said Stan, stretching his neck. “I wanted to take a quick shower and change before dinner. It won’t take long.”
“Your neck bothering you?” asked Jennifer.
“Yeah. Headache,” said Stanley as he led her into the car.
“A long, hot shower and some pain reliever should help,” Jennifer as she climbed in and he walked around to do likewise. “Take as long as you need.”
Fifteen minutes later Jennifer was sitting comfortably on the bed in Stanley’s hotel room watching an old re-run of the Brady Bunch. “Insipid show,” she thought as she heard the shower turn off. Jennifer turned off the television and as a smile formed on her lips she walked, slowly, over towards the bathroom door. Right on cue she heard the shattering of glass followed by Stanley yelling, “Bloody hell!”
Jennifer turned the knob and quickly opened the door. Stanley stood in the still steamy bathroom, a towel wrapped casually around his waist. He had filled the bathroom sink up with water so that he could shave, and then decided he would take the aspirin. The water glass, wet with condensation had slipped from his hand, shattering on the edge of the sink. He’d managed to cut both his thumb and forefinger picking up a piece of broken glass.
“Are you okay?” asked Jennifer.
“No, I’m a complete idiot,” said Stanley, now picking the pieces of glass up off the sink with his left hand and dropping them into the trash.
“Here, let me help you,” said Jennifer, “you’re barefoot. Don’t move.”
Stanley stood, frozen in place, while Jennifer picked up all of the remaining glass shards and tossed them into the trash. She then handed him two aspirin, filled the second glass with water and handed it to Stanley. After swallowing the pills he softly said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she responded as she climbed up onto the bathroom vanity, positioning herself between him and the sink. “Let me see your hand.”
“You don’t need to-” he started to say as Jennifer reached down and grasped his wrist, bringing it slowly up so that she could examine his cuts.
Stanley saw her lick her lips as she looked at the beads of blood that had seeped from his two cuts. “They should be cleaned,” he said, doing his best to think of the mundane and not Jennifer’s lips.
“Yes,” she agreed as she opened her mouth and inserted first his thumb, then his forefinger. After sucking hard once on each digit she began to lap at his wounded fingers like a cat.
“I was rather thinking of soap and water,” said Stanley, nervously as he desperately tried to keep his arousal in check.
“I like this idea,” purred Jen. “I like you.”
“Jennifer,” said Stanley pulling his hand away and moving around her just enough to grab the soap and wash it off in the water. “You shouldn’t expose yourself to someone’s blood. It could be dangerous. It could be tainted. I think I’ll give up on shaving for tonight,” Stanley said as he dried his hand off with a washcloth and applied pressure. Within a minute the wounds had started to clot and the bleeding considerably slowed.
“I need to get dressed,” said Stanley, awkwardly.
“Pity,” said Jennifer, not moving.
“Would you mind terribly much waiting out there,” he said, indicating the bedroom with a tilt of his head.
“I know that you watched me,” she responded, softly. “I know you liked watching me. You did like what you saw. Didn’t you, Stan?” whispered Jen.
“Yes,” answered Stan, shakily. “I’m sorry, Jennifer, it was wrong of me. I did turn away.”
“Just not right away.”
“No,” admitted Stan, ashamed “not right away. How can I make it up to you?”
“You want to make it up to me?” asked Jennifer, truly touched.
“If I can,” said Stan, sincerely.
“Stan?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t turn away,” commanded Jennifer as she slowly tilted her head to the side and softly brushed her lips across his.
Stanley couldn’t believe this was happening. Jennifer was sitting in front of him, her legs open, her arms curled around his biceps, pulling him in closer to her. He wanted nothing more than to thread his hands through her hair and to deepen this kiss. That was a lie. He wanted more than that, much, much, more than that. He moaned, involuntarily at the thought and Jennifer slipped her tongue inside his mouth. She slowly caressed his tongue with hers, keeping the pace gentle and languid. As the kiss broke off Jennifer leaned her forehead against his and said, “So, that’s what a kiss feels like.”
“You’ve never been kissed?” asked Stanley, astonished.
“My lips have been kissed. But no one has ever kissed… me. Thank you,” she said, her eyes misting over.
“May I kiss you again, sometime?” Stanley blurted out. “No, what I mean to say is, I’d like to get to know you better-”
“I’d like that too. Hey, let’s pretend this is a date tonight. I’ve never had one. You can drive me home and then I can give you a good night kiss,” suggested Jen.
“Then what?” asked Stanley.
“Then you can ask me out for another date, a proper date,” said Jen, sliding off the counter.
“I’d like that.”
“Don’t go making rash decisions now, I could be a terrible bore and by the end of the evening you might just be aching to get ride of me,” said Jennifer, smiling as she walked out of the bathroom and closed the door to allow him to dress in privacy.
Stanley looked down at his growing erection and mumbled to himself, “Yeah, I’m likely to be aching by the end of the evening, but not from boredom.”
Chapter 15
Elizabeth took a seat in the lobby of the Hotel Del Coronado and watched William standing in line at the reservation desk. The interior of the hotel was rich and beautiful. The lobby bustled with guests and tourists. This wasn’t the first time she had been to the Del. Hugh had brought her here once before. As a matter-of-fact she thought they’d conceived their child here. Elizabeth looked down at her engagement
ring. That other life now felt like so long ago.
She loved the rings they’d chosen. William had taken her over to a small jewelry store in St. Helena. They had met with the owner/designer and she’d quickly settled on the very first ring he’d showed them. The simplicity and brilliance of it struck her. She twisted it a bit on her finger and watched the lights play off the diamond. It was a single stone of 1.62 ct in a platinum tension setting. The designer assured them that the setting was perfectly safe, relying on pressure instead of traditional prongs to hold the diamond in place. The band seemed to be embracing the diamond after catching it in mid air. The stone itself looked as if it were floating in defiance of gravity. They’d purchased plain platinum bands along with it.
“Hey, watch where you point that thing. You could blind someone!” teased William.
“I don’t think there’s any danger of that,” laughed Elizabeth, standing up. “But, I do believe it possesses magic hypnotizing powers.” Elizabeth formed a fist then slowly made a circle with her hand in front of William’s face, “Take me to my room and make love to me,” she said in a trance-like voice.
William wasted no time grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the antique birdcage elevator. Although the controls were now automated, there was still an elevator operator inside who dutifully took them up to their second floor junior suite. Their luggage had already arrived. The room characterized the late 1800’s in its charm. The 420 square foot space was relatively small by modern standards, but hugely spacious by Victorian ones. In addition to the king-sized bed, there was a small sitting area that included an overstuffed chair and couch.
By far the best feature, however, was the balcony accessible through a set of French doors. The view of the Pacific Ocean was breathtaking.
Elizabeth immediately proceeded through to the outside. She leaned over the railing and shading her eyes with her hands looked out to see a few remaining sunbathers on the beach, some children making sand castles, a couple of lovers strolling hand in hand, and a group of young surfers running into the ocean to catch the last waves of the day. She heard a pop and turned around.
“Seems Quentin sent us a bottle of champagne,” said William. “Think a sip for a toast would be okay?”
“Absolutely,” agreed Elizabeth, reaching out to accept the half-filled glass.
“To Gail,” he said, raising his glass, “the best boss in the world.”
“And, to finding a house,” added Elizabeth raising hers, and taking a sip of the champagne.
“You really liked it, didn’t you?” asked William.
“I loved it! But do you think we’ll get it?” asked Elizabeth setting her glass down.
“Oh, we can get it. Question is, do we want to spend more than it’s worth to get it?” asked William.
“No,” said Elizabeth. “I don’t want to be foolish. The real estate market is crazy enough here as it is. Everything already seems so outrageously expensive. But, I love the old Craftsman architecture and the neighborhood is perfect.”
“It needs a little work. The bathrooms and kitchen need upgrades,” said William, thinking out loud.
“That’s true,” said Elizabeth. “I really loved the stained glass windows that were on either side of the fire place. Oh, and the wood paneling in the dining room? Gorgeous.”
“But it needs refinishing, as do the hardwood floors. So,” concluded William, “we’re going to make an offer?”
Elizabeth smiled and nodded enthusiastically. William reached into his pocket and took out his wallet to extract the business card of the listing agent. He dialed her on his cell phone and left her a message. “There,” he said, “as soon as she gets back to us with a fax number we can send over an offer.”
“Just like that?” asked Elizabeth.
“Just like that,” answered William. He picked up the note that had accompanied the champagne. “Bugger! I don’t believe it.”
“What?” asked Elizabeth feeling slightly alarmed.
William handed her the note, which read:
Will, Hope that you opened the champagne before you started to read this. The bad news is that Daria insisted on accompanying me to the states and I didn’t have the heart to refuse her. She and Aidan are both here, actually. You should also know that I’ve told them that you are my son. My time may be short and I have no desire to withhold the truth any longer. I’m in the process of finishing up some changes to my will. That alone seems to have had quite a positive influence on Daria’s behavior. (Aidan had convinced me that sedating her, in light of the pregnancy, was not a good idea. This has proven to be quite a successful alternative.) Stanley informed me about the
attack the other night, when he called to confirm that he would be working for you effective immediately. I had the identity of those blighters run and made a call to their superiors. I let them know that I was certain there must have been some terrible mistake and all that rot. There should be no further occurrences of that nature. I will see you in the Crown Room for dinner at 7:00 o’clock. Enjoy the ’96 Cristal - my sommelier described it as “a wine of great purity, the perfect blend of power and finesse.” Thought it sounded like you.
Quentin
“So,” said William, nervously, “I can call the front desk, have someone come up and get our luggage. We can be back in San Diego in an hour.”
“That’s ridiculous, you came to see your father and that’s what we’re going to do,” Elizabeth said firmly.
Will waved the paper in front of her face. “You did read the part about Daria and Aidan being here?”
“I saw Hugh in London, while you were away. I got some closure. It’ll be fine,” assured Elizabeth.
“Closure?” asked William.
“Yup,” said Elizabeth.
“Did he apologize?” William asked, incredulous.
“Ah, that would be no. Hugh was an ass,” said Elizabeth.
“I don’t understand.”
“He was an ass, made a pass at me in an elevator. I set him straight. We came to an understanding,” explained Elizabeth.
“You came to an understanding? What does Aidan understand, exactly?”
“That a knee to the groin is really painful. He might have grasped more of what I was trying to explain, but I’m not sure. It was hard to tell, what with all the girlish screaming. He did get that I’m not his anymore and never will be again, that I’m sure of,” concluded Elizabeth. She walked over to William and
wrapped her arms around his neck.
William winced, involuntarily. “You did that?”
“Well, he deserved it!” said Elizabeth.
“Not saying he didn’t…ouch,” said William.
“Stop thinking about Hugh. You’re supposed to me making sweet love to me,” Elizabeth reminded him nuzzling into his chest.
“You sure it’s alright?” asked William with caution.
“No more spotting,” said Elizabeth. “Think we can do slow and gentle? I’ve missed you, the past few days. What are we going to do when we have to abstain?”
“We’ll manage, we’ll be creative. And we’ll keep reminding ourselves that we have a lifetime ahead of us,” said William softly caressing her face. He leaned in for a kiss and right before his lips met hers he whispered, “By the way, I definitely can do slow and gentle.”
~
William and Elizabeth walked hand in hand into the Crown Room for dinner. Elizabeth was wearing a simple black silk dress that was sleeveless and cut on the bias so that it flowed gracefully over her body. William wore a black suit with a dove gray shirt and black silk tie. The hostess led the two of them over to the table and after quickly shaking Aidan’s hand, William pulled out a chair for Elizabeth. “How have you been, Daria?” asked Elizabeth in an attempt to be polite.
“She’s talking to me,” said Daria, looking at Aidan.
“I know,” said William as he bent over and placed a quick kiss on the side of Elizabeth’s neck, “you’ll have to excuse her. I keep telling her that all she has to do is look pretty, but she just keeps trying to over-achieve.”
Daria glared at William, “And you! I don’t know what you’re trying to pull. Making Daddy believe…Oh, I need a drink or I’m going to scream!” Daria pushed her chair back and walked away from the table in search of the waiter.
“And boy, can she scream,” said Aidan as he tiredly rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m telling you, it’s constant these days, and I don’t know what to do. Then Quentin drops this on her.”
“Have you tried tying her up and gagging her?” suggested William wryly. “Worked for me.”
Elizabeth backhanded William on his arm and gave him a reproachful look, “I’m just teasing,” he defended. “He knows she’s bloody impossible.”
“That I do,” confirmed Aidan picking up his scotch and draining the remainder of the glass. As he sat the glass down he looked softly at Elizabeth, “You look lovely. I always loved that dress.”
“How much have you had to drink?” asked Elizabeth.
“Not enough,” said Aidan, forlornly.
“Well,” said William, waving over the waiter, “this is just wonderful. Really! We should do this more often.”
Daria walked back over to the table carrying a martini. Elizabeth looked at William and raised an eyebrow. The waiter approached shortly on Daria’s heels, “Good evening, my name is Raymond. I will be serving you this evening. It looks like you’re still waiting for someone. May I take a drink order?”
“I’ll have another scotch,” said Aidan.
“Make that two,” added William.
“Club Soda with lime?” asked Elizabeth.
“I’ll have another of these, just in case I can’t find you later,” said Daria, holding up her glass.
Elizabeth leaned over and discreetly whispered to Aidan, “You know she shouldn’t be drinking, right?”
“Would you please take your hand off of my husband? He doesn’t belong to you anymore,” said Daria, her voice rising.
Elizabeth pulled her hand quickly off of Aidan’s forearm and looked momentarily panicked.
“Daria,” said William firmly, with resolve as he leaned across the table, “we need to get a few things straight. I’m only going to say this once, so I want you to pay close attention. Elizabeth isn’t going to take Aidan away from you. We’re in love and we’re going to build a life together. We’ll be getting married soon, and we’re expecting a baby in March. For Quentin’s sake I’m proposing a clean slate. That means no sniping. Aidan may be willing to put up with you’re horrid behavior, but I’m not. I’m simply not going to tolerate it. Not towards me, not towards Elizabeth, and not towards Quentin.”
William held his hand up to get the waiter’s attention and when the waiter came to the table he ordered another club soda for Daria.
“You’re despicable!” hissed Daria quietly as she reached for her martini.
William reached across the table and pulled her two drinks out of reach, “Why are you drinking?” he asked her, a note of caring slipping into his voice.
“I like to drink!” she said indignantly. “It makes things less…annoying.”
“But you were clean, last time I saw you,” he responded. “Remember? Remember what we went through to get you there, Daria? Plus, you know it’s not good for the baby.”
“You’re not my protector anymore, Will. Need I remind you, you resigned from that post,” Daria responded, resentment evident in her voice.
“Old habits are hard to break,” said William, smiling, as he picked up his menu. “Besides, someone’s got to rein you in.”
“You don’t have the balls,” said Daria, contemptuously.
“He’s got the balls. He’s also got the power,” said Quentin as he tossed a thick envelope in William’s direction. “Good evening, all. Sorry I was delayed.”
Elizabeth turned around in her chair to get a good look at the man standing behind her. As she did he reached out for her hand, “Stand up! Let me get a good look at you.”
Elizabeth allowed him to help her pull out her chair and she stood up to face him for what felt initially like some kind of inspection. He was of a little more than average height, about 5’11”, thin, his hair was dark with a fair amount of gray mixed in. He had it slicked back, like William sometimes wore his. His face was rounder, softer, than Will’s. He wore glasses, which seemed to make his bright blue eyes even bigger. He was dressed meticulously in a navy blue suit, cobalt blue shirt, and a blue and gold tie. Despite
the outward appearance, Elizabeth could see that his face was drawn, tired, and weary. He held Elizabeth’s arms out and studied her for a moment.
“Exquisite!” he proclaimed. “Quite solid! Have a seat,” he said as he held out her chair.
“Celebrating tonight, William?” said Quentin, eyeing the three drinks that sat in front of his son.
“Only the scotch is mine,” said William, standing to shake Quentin’s hand.
“I’ll rescue this, then,” said Quentin as he picked up the martini.
“So? What did I miss?” he asked, looking at Elizabeth.
All eyes turned to Elizabeth. “Well,” she started, “William and I were just telling Daria and Hugh, I mean Aidan, that we’re expecting in March.”
“And?” Quentin coaxed as he lifted her hand and studied her ring.
“And- and we’re going to be getting married,” Elizabeth added, getting slightly nervous.
“And?” asked Quentin, still holding her hand while looking intently into Elizabeth’s green eyes and smiling.
“And, he was expressing concern about Daria’s drinking,” she confessed. “He had just taken her drinks away before you walked up.”
“There is nothing wrong with my having a drink every now and then, is there Aidan?” asked Daria.
Aidan was silent as he looked into his glass of scotch, then pushed it away.
“Well,” said William, cheerfully as he clapped his hands together, “here we are, all together, bloody unbelievable! Don’t you think so, sis? When was the last time we all got to sit down and enjoy a nice meal together, as a family?”
“Never,” replied Daria, puzzled, “and don’t call me that! What is that anyways?” she asked William, pointing at the envelope that her father had tossed to him.
As William scanned the documents in front of him a look of confusion, then horror passed over his face.
“Look, this isn’t nec-”
“It most certainly is. I had a close call. We need to be practical. You’re my choice. I know that I can trust you, even to take care of Daria and Aidan,” finished Quentin as he took a sip of his scotch.
“But-”
Quentin held up his hand and cut him off. He turned to Daria and gently said, “Will is in charge, should anything happen to me. He will be the one making decisions about my healthcare. I worry that you won’t be able to abide by my wishes. I love you, Daria, but I can’t trust that you will put your own needs aside in this matter. I trust that Will can make sure that your interests are protected. You, too, know that is true. It’s that very quality of nobleness in him that annoys you so much. Because it prevents you from manipulating him like you do all of the others. I’ve given him permission to act on my behalf in all matters of business. There is little left actively going on at this point. I’ve liquidated almost everything. The rest should be finished by the end of this quarter. Then, if I’m still well enough, I will be looking at reinvestment and development of a charitable foundation. My grandchildren will have a different life, unburdened by the Hamilton legacy. They will have a choice. You will have a choice. There’s nothing I can do about the past, about the way the Hamilton empire was built. But, I can set expectations for the future face of our organization.”
“Daddy!” Daria whispered in horror reaching for his hand. “What, exactly, have you done?”
“Something I should have done a long, long time ago,” he said as he looked over at William.
“But, this is crazy!” pleaded Daria.
“No, I’m setting things right,” said Quentin taking her hand in his.
“But I like things the way they are,” begged Daria her eyes now glistening with tears.
“No you don’t,” said Quentin, candidly, “or you wouldn’t have become so reliant on drugs and alcohol to escape. You’ve been unhappy for a long time. You like the money and the power,” observed Quentin. “But we both know that it’s come at a price; expectations, obligations, the constant hypervigilance, the fear of getting caught, or killed. I don’t want it anymore and I certainly don’t want it for you. You will not dissuade me in this, Daria. The matter is closed. Now, no more questions tonight. I find I am tiring. It’s been a long day.”
The waiter returned with a club soda for Daria. Quentin raise his glass and chuckled before announcing, “I wish to make a toast!”
Everyone looked at him and raised their glasses. “To family,” he said simply.
“To family,” they repeated, looking around at one another.
“Well, Aidan…all those times, growing up that we wished for some nice, normal family to adopt us?” said William looking around the table.
The two of them burst into laughter. Soon Elizabeth and even Daria joined in. Quentin looked at them all, then slowly picked up his menu, so as to hide the huge smile that he couldn’t stop from forming on his tired face.
~
“Good evening, I’m here to pick up Jennifer,” Stanley explained to the brunette that answered the door.
“You must be Stan,” said Veronica brazenly giving him a once over. “How’s it hanging?”
“How’s… What?” asked Stan.
“Come on in. Jennifer will be out in a minute. She needs to be back by 11:00 o’clock or she needs to call and let me know she’s staying out overnight,” Veronica explained as Jennifer walked into the room.
Stanley’s breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a long red skirt and a matching top that clung to her shapely torso. There was just the slightest gap between the bottom of her blouse and the top of her skirt. Her pale, perfect skin peeked through. It beckoned to him. Stanley walked over to her and placed his hand gently on her back, feeling the heat of her bare skin on his palm. “Are you ready, Jen?”
“Yes, all set,” she said and allowed him to usher her out the door. “Where are we going?”
“I thought perhaps we could have a picnic?” suggested Stan, tentatively.
“Sounds lovely,” said Jennifer as she climbed into the car and fastened her seatbelt. “At the beach?”
“No, I have another spot all picked out,” he told her.
The drive didn’t take long. Stanley pulled into the park and drove along the narrow road until he reached the parking lot closest to the lake. “How did you find this spot?” asked Jen.
“The manager of the hotel recommended it,” answered Stan. “Fancy a walk or are you ready to eat?”
“It’ll be dark soon,” said Jennifer looking up at the sky. “If we take a walk it might be too dark to enjoy the picnic.”
“I brought candles,” Stan explained, “so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“What if we get lost?” asked Jennifer looking around at the wooded landscape surrounding the lake.
“We won’t get lost. There are paths. Trust me?” asked Stanley holding out his hand. “Please? It’ll be lovely.”
Jennifer slipped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her onto the walking path that started at the edge of the parking lot. “Tell me something about yourself, Stan,” requested Jen, nervously.
“My favorite color is blue,” said Stanley without hesitation. “Your turn.”
“I sometimes see and hear things that others don’t,” said Jennifer.
“What, you mean like, hallucinations?”
“Visions,” corrected Jennifer.
“The difference being?”
“Hallucinations aren’t real,” said Jen.
“I’m not sure I believe in such a thing,” replied Stan, honestly.
“That’s okay, you will,” said Jennifer. “I think, perhaps we should call Veronica now, otherwise we are likely to forget.”
“I-I wasn’t planning on you…What I mean to say is…” sputtered Stan, self-consciously. Jennifer suddenly stopped walking.
“What is it?” asked Stanley as Jennifer took a step backwards.
“She’s up ahead,” said Jennifer tears forming in her eyes. “I knew this was the place.”
“Who?” asked Stanley, confused.
“The little girl. She’s all broken and bloodied. But she still smells like sunscreen. Her favorite color was pink. She loved mint chocolate chip ice cream. And she dreamed of being a princess, just like I used to. But, there will be no fairy tale ending for her. Her mummy is frantic with worry,” finished Jennifer, as she started to pace back and forth. “Up around that bend,” she said, pointing just ahead, “on the right. Don’t go near the body. You’ll disturb evidence.”
Stanley slowly backed away from Jennifer and headed up the path. He was afraid to take his eyes off of her. She was trembling like a leaf in the warm California evening. Her coloring was almost ashen, as if she were in shock and she seemed terribly agitated. As he rounded the corner he looked, along the right shoulder of the path and saw nothing, Stan quickly returned to Jennifer. She was still frantically pacing, “singing truck…white…makes no sense -” she was murmuring to herself.
“Jennifer, calm down. There… there was nothing,” said Stan as he placed his hands on her shoulders, attempting to steady and comfort her.
“What?” she asked her voice sounding distant as her legs began to buckle beneath her.
Stanley caught her in his arms just before her eyes rolled up and she fainted. He eased himself to the ground and was cradling Jennifer in his arms as she came to. “She’s behind the rock,” whispered Jennifer.
Stanley turned his head slowly to look at the path ahead. Daylight was fading fast. Indeed, there had been a large boulder, just off the path up ahead. “Can you stand?” asked Stanley, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.
“Yes,” said Jennifer. “I don’t want to see her again,” she begged, tears streaming down her face.
“Wait here,” said Stanley as he once again walked away to look up ahead.
Within a few seconds Jennifer heard the unmistakable sounds of someone retching. Stanley returned to Jennifer. He, too, seemed tremulous, pale.
“My God!” he said. “You…you saw her?”
Jennifer nodded, solemnly.
“And you saw what happened to her?”
Again, Jennifer nodded.
“And you see and hear things like that all the time?”
“Things like that and other things.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“Not yet,” she responded, “it’s all jumbled. But I’m getting bits and pieces, flashes of images and snippets of sound. And, the begging and the screams, the horrible, terrible screams.”
“Lord, how do you keep from going mad, love?” asked Stanley as he wrapped his arms around her and softly stroked her hair.
“I’m not sure I do,” murmured Jen grabbing onto Stanley’s shirt, fisting the material in both hands. “Sometimes I think I am mad,” she whispered, fervently.
“You’re not mad,” said Stanley, emphatically lifting her head up so that he could look into her eyes. “You’re very special, Jennifer.”
“I don’t feel special. I feel cursed,” she said, looking up at him. “And, completely knackered. He’s watching another, Stan. If they don’t catch him soon he’s going to take her too.”
Stanley pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. After hanging up he promptly dialed Veronica, “Veronica? It’s Stanley. I brought Jennifer out to the lake for a walk and a picnic. We- we stumbled across a little girl’s body, in the woods. I just called the police. I imagine we’re going to be a long while with the police and Jennifer seems pretty shaken. No, I’m taking care of her. But she won’t be back by eleven.”
Jennifer heard the sirens as the police cars entered the park and sped en route to the parking lot where they had left Stan’s car. She began to walk back up the path towards them as she heard Stan say, “Yes, I’ll make sure she’s with me and safe. I’ll call you with an update as soon as I can. You have my cell number.”
Stanley ran the twenty feet up the path to catch up with Jennifer. As they walked off the pathway three police cruisers pulled into the parking lot, lights flashing in the darkness. The sun had set and the flashing blue and red light cast an eerie glow. “I’m Officer Woods,” said the tall, handsome black officer who stepped out of the first vehicle. “Were you the one that called 911?”
“Yes,” said Stanley, extending his hand. “Stanley Houghton, at your service.”
“You’re British?”
“Yes, just arrived a couple weeks ago.”
“You’re here on vacation?” asked Woods.
“No, business,” responded Stanley.
“You’re wife looks like she might be in slight shock. Perhaps she should wait here while you take us back?” suggested Woods.
“No,” said Stanley placing a protective arm around Jennifer. “I promised Jennifer that I would stay by her side.”
“Suit yourself,” said Woods as he pulled a large flashlight out of his utility belt and motioned for the other officers to follow.
“Charles,” called Jennifer, softly, right before they reached the bend. “May we speak to you in private, for a moment?”
Officer Woods froze, then turned and walked over to the couple, waving the other officers ahead a bit. “Have we met before?” he asked.
“No,” said Jen.
“How did you know my first name?” asked Woods, suspiciously.
“The same way that I know you grew up poor and ran with a gang. That you’re going to law school now and that you desperately want to ask that girl out that sits in front of you during your Wednesday night class. You should, by the way, ask her out I mean. She’s going to be the love of your life, Charles.”
Officer Woods stepped back as if he had been burned and looked anxiously over his shoulder. He ran his hand over his short-cropped hair and whispered, “How? Why?”
“Because I want you to believe me when I say that if you don’t catch the man who did this he’s going to do it again. He’s going to do it again tomorrow. You don’t have much time. He-he drives a white truck that-that sings…”
“You mean an ice cream truck?” asked Woods.
“Yes!” Jennifer exclaimed, relief washing over her. “That must be it. Her favorite was mint chocolate chip,” she added as another tear rolled down her cheek. “Please find him, Charles. He won’t stop until you do.”
“We’ll find him Mrs. Houghton,” said Woods with confidence as he resumed walking. “She’s gonna say yes? If I ask her out I mean?”
“Definitely,” said Jennifer.
“Huh,” said officer Woods. “Imagine that.”
“She’s just around the bend, on the right, behind the large boulder. You can’t see her from the path,” explained Stan. “You’ll have to walk around the boulder.”
“How did you find her?” asked Woods.
“I just knew,” said Jennifer.
“Or,” began Stanley, “I could have been walking a bit into the forest to catch a closer look at a…”
“Rabbit?” suggested Woods.
“Very good! Yes! Quite good! Rabbit it is then!” said Stan, enthusiastically.
It was nearly midnight by the time officer Woods had dismissed Stanley and Jennifer. “I didn’t think to ask earlier, do you want to call Will?” asked Stanley as they drove out of the park.
“No, I don’t want to bother him. He and Elizabeth are enjoying a night away. Anyways, there’s nothing he can do,” said Jennifer.
“Does he know?” asked Stanley.
“The truth is that I’ve learned not to speak of it,” said Jennifer. “But he knows. Deep down, he knows.”
“Why tell me?” Stanley asked when they were stopped at a traffic light.
“Because I don’t want to hide things from you,” said Jennifer directly. “Course, we don’t always get what we want,” she added, sadness creeping into her voice as she leaned her head against the cool glass of the passenger’s window and started to drift off to sleep. “Take me home with you, Stan?” were the last words that drifted from her lips before exhaustion simply overtook her.
Jennifer had a vague impression of being lifted up, carried, safe in his arms. “Can I rest now?” she whispered. “I’m so tired,” Stan heard Jen whisper as he laid her down upon his bed.
He sat next to her and gently brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she reached for his hand, pressing it up against the side of her face and nuzzling into it. “You fell asleep in the car,” he said.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” said Jennifer.
“Can I get you anything? We never did eat. I could call room service,” offered Stan.
“Nothing,” said Jen. “What I most want is sleep. Promise you’ll stay with me?”
“I’m just going to take a quick shower. I’ll only be five minutes,” he assured her.
Jennifer nodded, then rolled over and again closed her eyes.
True to his word, Stanley emerged from the shower five minutes later. He quickly dried off and donned a t-shirt, then pulled a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. When he opened the door to the bathroom he noticed the room was completely dark. Stanley switched off the bathroom light and walked quietly over to the chair, planning to get some rest.
“You’re not going to sleep there,” said Jennifer, quietly.
“Was going to, yes,” Stanley responded.
“Please, come lay with me,” she said. He heard the rustle of bedding and the creaking of the mattress.
Stanley hesitated for a moment. Then he climbed into bed alongside her. Jennifer sidled up against him, draping one arm across his stomach, her hand resting over his heart. “I can feel your heart racing,” she said. “Don’t worry, Stan. All will be well. Sleep.”
Stanley rolled onto his side and Jennifer spooned up behind him, molding her body to his. “Is this the end of our date?” asked Jennifer.
“I believe so,” said Stan, smiling to himself.
“Veronica said that I should make sure to say that I had a nice time,” said Jen, yawning.
Stanley chuckled, rolled back onto his back and snaked his arm around Jen, pulling her in close to him. For the first time he realized that she had removed her top so that she wore only her bra. He imagined that the skirt was gone, too. But he was hesitant to check and couldn’t readily tell. He found himself wishing that he hadn’t put on sweats. He assumed he would be sleeping in the chair, without covers. Now he was warm and he so wanted to feel her bare legs gliding over his.
“You frighten me a bit, Jen,” he admitted.
“I know.”
“How does it work, Jennifer,” he asked her. “Do you, know what people are thinking?”
“No. Well, sometimes. I don’t know how it works,” she responded. “I don’t seem to be able to control it or predict it. Sometimes I can influence the outcome, change a path, but not always. My mum said my seeing things made me wicked. I don't want to be bad, Stan. After the Carlton’s I promised William that I would never…”
Stan could tell that she was silently crying because her body shook against his and he felt the moisture of her tears as they fell on his chest and soaked through the cotton of his t-shirt.
“Will told me why you were in the institution. What happened with the Carlton’s, Jen?” he asked her.
“They were going to die,” she choked out. “There was going to be a horrible car accident. Will was to be there too, only he was thrown clear. He was to have broken only his legs, but he was going to have to lie there and see it all. The car on fire, Mrs. Carlton, trapped in the back seat, unable to climb forward because she was injured, Mr. Carlton refusing to leave her or save himself. They were going to burn to death in that car. They were nice people. I wanted it to be peaceful for them. They deserved that. I was so young and stupid. There are so many things that I could have done differently.”
“Have you ever explained that to Will or the doctors?” Stanley asked.
“I tried, once, to explain to Will. As soon as I mentioned the Carlton’s he began to cry. He told me he couldn’t seem to think of them without crying, so I stopped. He was in so much pain and he was struggling so much not to hate me. The doctors wouldn’t accept what I said. Of course, it does sound crazy. I know that now. Finally, I told them that I was afraid they were going to start treating me like my parents had. They accepted that. They seemed quite pleased by it, actually,” finished Jennifer.
“Your parents?” asked Stan.
“I’m afraid I still think they deserved it, they probably deserved worse. Please don’t ask me why. Just know that they were killing me, Stanley. As it is, I’ve barely escaped. Until a month or so ago I was convinced that they had managed to steal my life, but leave my body. That I would live out the rest of my days in some hospital, wandering the corridors and painting scenes of a world I would never see. But now I’m here, with you,” she concluded as she stretched against him like a cat.
“Had you seen me? Before?” he asked hesitantly.
“No,” she responded, smiling, leaning up on one elbow. “Isn’t that deliciously normal? I mean I found your van that first day you were here, but I hadn’t seen you.”
Stanley brought his hand up and caressed the side of her face. “But you see me now?”
“No, silly. It’s way too dark in here. I can’t see a bloody thing. Stan?”
“Yes?”
“You can undress. I can feel that you’re burning up. I promise to control my sexual impulses,” said Jennifer.
“Who says it’s you I’m worried about?”
“I’m not a virgin, you know. I have had sex,” she revealed as he slipped from the bed to remove his t-shirt and sweatpants. When he returned he wore only his boxers.
“I don’t want to just have sex with you, Jennifer. You deserve so much more than that. Probably deserve much more than me,” he said as he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close so that he could curve his body around hers.
“Someday, soon, you’re going to make love to me Stanley Houghton,” she said softly.
“You see that, do you?” he asked smiling, as he kissed the back of her head.
“No,” she said as she pushed her bottom back into his rapidly growing erection, “I feel this. You won’t be able to resist my sinister charms forever.”
“Don’t want to resist forever, Jen,” he admitted. “I just want to do this right, give things time to grow between us a bit. You’re so young and so vulnerable. Not to mention that you have a brother that will kill me if I screw this up. Hey, what’s your favorite flower?”
“Daisies, I think. They’re so cheerful. Do you like daisies? I planted some in the garden at Broadmoore, but they didn’t take. I’ve never had luck growing things, Stanley,” she admitted, sadly.
“Yeah? Well, your luck is about to change,” whispered Stanley right before he kissed Jennifer’s shoulder and drifted off to sleep.
“Yeah,” thought Jennifer, “but only if I can make Carter go away. Otherwise, it will all be ruined. Ruined for me and Stanley and for Elizabeth and Will.”
“Stan?” she asked softly. “Do you think that sometimes it’s okay to do the wrong thing? If it’s for the right reasons?”
There was no response. Jennifer listened for a moment in the darkness and heard only the sounds of his steady breathing.
“Good!” she whispered as sleep began to overtake her too. “Glad you have no objections!”
Chapter 16
Jennifer wheeled the mail cart down the hallway of the hospital towards Carter’s office. It was Friday morning and she’d been working four hours per day at the hospital since securing a volunteer position on Monday. Carter had been released from the hospital just yesterday. Her plan was already set in motion. When she reached the door to Carter’s office she took out a master key, unlocked the door, and slipped inside. She’d “borrowed” the key on Tuesday, from the box marked “Master Keys” in the top-drawer of the Security Manager’s desk. There were at least a dozen such keys in the box, he wouldn’t miss just one, not for a couple weeks probably, and it would be back long before that.
Jennifer picked the box up off the cart that was addressed to Carter. There was no return address. “Oh well,” she said, “if it’s the wrong one I’ll just tape it back up.” Jennifer walked over to Carter’s desk and after picking up a tissue, opened it and pulled out a pair of scissors. She used the scissors to open the box, then slipped them into the deep pocket of the pink lab-coat that volunteers wore to distinguish themselves from the rest of the employees. Before she could remove the packing and check the content she heard it, two short knocks, followed by a long. Jennifer moved quickly over to the door and opened it.
“What’s with the funny knock?” asked Jennifer.
Andrew, Michael, and Walter quickly slipped in. They were all dressed in black pants and black t-shirts. “Remember? That’s the secret knock, two shorts, followed by a long,” Andrew reminded her. “Everything set?” he asked nervously.
“Yes,” said Jennifer, rolling her eyes. “You know it’s still daylight out, right?” she asked taking in their all black clothing.
“Yeah,” said Michael, “but it makes us feel more secret agenty.”
“Why are we doing this again?” asked Walter.
“Because Jen needs our help,” said Andrew emphatically.
“And she is the one responsible for that awesome grade and the fact that Professor Stevens entered our commercial in the state-wide competition,” added Michael.
“Today the state-wide, tomorrow Project Greenlight. I so want to meet Ben Affleck,” said Andrew dreamily.
“Here, Walter,” said Jennifer, handing him the box. “This should make you happy, a brand new toy. If you’re very good you can keep it when we’re through. There should be installation instructions inside. Start studying them. You probably won’t find it as exciting as the little project you’ve been working on that you hide under your bed-”
Walter broke off eye contact and immediately began to rummage through the box.
“What’s she talking about?” asked Andrew.
“Nothing,” said Walter, obviously embarrassed.
“Although, on second thought, I’m sure you could find many interesting uses for this when we’re finished with it,” added Jennifer.
Walter pulled out the instruction booklet he found just below the first layer of packing materials and after reading the first few pages looked up at Jen and smiled. “Really? I can keep it?”
“Absolutely! But you can only use it for good,” she said, with a wink.
“What is it?” asked Andrew attempting to read over Walter’s shoulder.
“A hidden camera. It’s concealed in this fire alarm dome. See? It’ll give a 360-degree view of a room and transmit the feed live to either a closed circuit or over the Internet. This must have cost a fortune,” said Walter as he turned the page, studying the specs in detail. “What are we going to do with it?”
“You’re going to install it tomorrow in someone’s bedroom, and set it up to transmit,” explained Jennifer.
“What do I get to do?” asked Michael, now obviously getting into the spirit of things.
“You’re going to start embellishing a history for a hard-drive. We want it to look like there’s been months of searches and time spent on various Internet sites. Sites of questionable nature,” said Jennifer.
“You mean, porn?” asked Andrew hesitantly.
“Reading, videos, toys, you name it. Oh, and some sites where they would sell equipment such as that hidden camera,” added Jen.
“Is the Internet access password protected?” asked Michael.
“Not here,” said Jennifer as she nodded towards the computer on the desk. “I used that computer and his credit card to purchase the camera, and I want to keep it looking that way. I don’t know if his home computer is password protected, you’ll have to check that out when we get there.”
“What you’re suggesting isn’t something I can do in a couple hours,” said Michael. “We’re talking a lot of work here. And, I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with this.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask what my job is,” moaned Andrew.
“You’re going to be editing the video and sound feed to pull out what you think are the choice pieces of tape. There’s no sense in everyone seeing all of it,” explained Jennifer.
“Ok, Jen. What’s the story?” asked Walter sitting on the sofa alongside Michael and Andrew.
“Have you boys ever seen ‘The Sting’?” asked Jennifer. “You see? I’ve been struggling with how to solve this mess and, well I saw the movie earlier this week and everything just started falling into place.”
“You know what I thought was always totally unbelievable about that movie?” asked Andrew.
“What?” responded Michael.
“That girl from the diner. I mean here’s Redford, totally, hot and we’re supposed to believe that he’d sleep with her?” explained Andrew.
“Now, Demi Moore is believable. Did you see ‘Indecent Proposal?’” asked Michael.
“That was so not believable. I mean, really, which one would you rather sleep with Woody Harrelson or Robert Redford. Let’s just leave the entire money thing out of the equation for now,” said Andrew.
“I’m pretending to be a woman, right?” Michael clarified, uncomfortable.
“Sure! Whatever,” answered Andrew waving his hand carelessly in the air.
“Am I married to Woody, like Demi was in the movie?” asked Michael.
“Could we please get back on topic here?” begged Walter.
“Thanks. This is Carter Etheridge,” said Jennifer holding up a framed photograph of Carter accepting some kind of award that had been sitting on his desk. “He is the one.”
“The one what?” asked Walter.
“The one we need to make go away,” said Jennifer slowly.
“Go away?” asked Andrew, nervously. “You know that we, ah, don’t want to, like, hurt anyone.”
“Oh, I don’t expect you to hurt anyone. You boys are the technical support of the operation. I’ve got someone else in mind for the muscle, should that become necessary,” explained Jennifer and right on cue came another knock on the door.
Jennifer walked over to the door, placed her hand on the door-handle and turned to face them. “Are we ready for the game to begin?” asked Jen as she casually dragged her right index finger across the side of her nose.
One by one Michael, Andrew, and Walter repeated the gesture. Jennifer took in a deep breath, opened the door, stepped aside and said, “Hello, Diggs. Come on in. We’re just about to review the timeline.”
~
“Thanks for the ride back to the hotel,” said Stanley.
“No problem,” answered William as he pulled onto the interstate.
“And thanks for letting me intrude on your dinner,” Stanley added.
“Well, you are starting to feel a bit like family,” said William glancing over at Stan, who he suddenly realized seemed uncomfortable. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No!” said Stan, a little too quickly. William raised an eyebrow and glared at him. “It’s just that, well, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Well, are you gonna make me guess?” asked William as he turned the radio on and searched for a station to listen to.
“Um, no. You see I know she’s quite young. But, I’ve been getting to know her a bit and, well, I’d like to get to know her better and, well, what I’m trying to say is…” Stanley trailed off, losing confidence.
“So!” said William, slapping Stan on the knee. “Some lucky bird caught your eye and you’re hesitant to make a move? I’m not sure that I’m the best one for giving dating advice. Now, I could introduce you to my friend Alan, he’s a player. Not a girl he can’t get to shag him when he puts his mind to it, I’m sure he could give you all sorts of advice.”
“No! That’s not… I’m not… Will, its Jennifer,” said Stan, hesitantly.
“What about Jennifer?”
“She’s the girl that I’m interested in.”
William’s jaw tightened and he looked straight ahead at the road, saying nothing. Endless seconds went by.
“Does she know?” he asked.
“Is there much Jennifer doesn’t know?” mumbled Stanley.
William turned and glared at him. “I mean, have you told her? Do you intend to tell her? Or… What do you intend to do, exactly?”
“I’d like to get to know her better, date, see where it leads,” said Stan, nervously.
“I don’t want her hurt,” said William, pointedly, as he pulled off the interstate. “If you hurt her-”
“You’ll kill me. I know,” finished Stan.
William smiled and turned to look at him as they stopped for a stoplight. “Only after hours and hours of brutal torture,” added William.
“Yes, well, glad that we were able to reach an understanding,” said Stan as he rubbed his hands on the legs of his pants.
The light turned green and William proceeded to drive. “Some risk you’re taking, mate,” teased William.
Stanley nodded solemnly, “I know, but I’ve got to try. Don’t I? Otherwise I’ll always wonder.”
William pulled into the driveway at the hotel, turned off the car engine and popped the trunk so that Stan could retrieve his bag. “Do you want to stop and pick up Jen for dinner tonight? We’ll eat at Elizabeth’s around 7:00 o’clock?”
“It would be my pleasure,” said Stan smiling.
“Oh!” said William, throwing his head back. “She’s got you but good, hasn’t she?”
Stan climbed out of the car, walked around to grab his bag from the trunk and proceeded over to the driver’s side. “Thanks again for the lift. See you at seven.”
“You do know that my sister is…complicated. I mean you know her history, right? It’s not going to be easy, Stan,” warned William.
“Nothing worth having comes easy, Will. You and I both know that. I’m willing to pay the price because, well, I think we could be great together,” finished Stanley.
William nodded, resolutely. Then he put the car back in gear, waved at Stanley, and drove home.
Twenty minutes later he walked into Elizabeth’s place, tossed his keys on the entry table and called out, “Honey! I’m home!”
“That didn’t take long! Thought you were going to the grocery store to get something for dinner?” said Elizabeth walking out of the bedroom, fresh from a shower, dressed in her silk robe.
“Do you know what Stan just told me? Guess! No, you’ll never guess, not-”
“That he’s in love with Jennifer?” interrupted Elizabeth.
“He did not use the love word!” said William, emphatically. “And, how did you know? Were you not going to say anything to me?”
“I didn’t know. I had suspicions. Due to all of the calls during the past week,” said Elizabeth.
“What calls?”
“I must have walked in on Stanley at least a half-dozen times when he was talking to Jennifer on the phone. It’s not like he tried to hide it. How is it that you can be so observant about absolutely everything and missed this?” challenged Elizabeth.
“Well, I-I guess…” William stopped and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah! How is that?”
“You didn’t want to see it?” asked Elizabeth.
William sat down on the sofa, looking defeated. “I don’t want her to get hurt. Relationships often end badly. I’m not sure she can tolerate that.”
“But, they can also bring joy,” said Elizabeth kneeling before him, “and love,” she added placing her right hand over his heart, “and life,” she finished taking his right hand in her left and placing it over her stomach. “Jen deserves a chance at those things. I think that she and Stanley could be great together.”
William gathered Elizabeth into his arms and pulled her onto his lap. “How did you get to be so smart?” he asked.
“You’ve been making me watch Public Television with you!” she said pouting.
“Not me!” he replied. “It’s the little one! He likes to watch it. It’s not my fault that your forced to come along when he wants to watch the telly with his ‘Da? Now is it?”
“You expect me to fall for that!” said Elizabeth, incredulously.
“No,” shaking his head as he leaned her back gently onto the sofa and moved in to kiss her, “I expect you to fall for this.”
Two and a half hours later William walked in with stuff to make hamburgers, pre-made potato salad, and a bag full of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. “How are we going to explain not having the homemade spaghetti with Bolognese sauce that you promised your sister?” asked Elizabeth as she started emptying the grocery bag.
“We tell her that we got distracted by a two-hour shag fest and that I didn’t have enough time to both curb your insatiable appetite and cook a gourmet dinner,” suggested William.
Elizabeth gasped. “You better not!” she said, wagging a cucumber at him.
William pulled the cucumber out of her hand and set it on the counter, just as the doorbell rang. “Don’t threaten me with the cucumber, doll. Besides, we both know that the cucumber is just a symbol for that residual, pent up, sexual tension. You just haven’t had enough of me, yet. Have you?” he said grabbing her around the waist and kissing her on the neck. The doorbell rang again.
“Is that all you think about?” asked Elizabeth, laughing.
“No, sometimes I think about how I haven’t had enough of you!” he said, playfully biting her neck.
“Ow! Door! Now!” yelped Elizabeth, pushing him away.
Dinner was relaxed and easy. William grilled burgers while they sat on the back deck and caught up with one another. The evening was lovely and in no time at all the sun had set, leaving the deck shrouded in darkness. “I should maybe get some candles,” observed Elizabeth.
“Actually,” said Stan, “I think we should call it a night. Thanks for dinner! I really appreciate the invitation.”
“Our pleasure,” said Elizabeth, smiling as she stood up and started to follow Stan over towards the door.
“Jennifer? Would you like me to take you home?” asked Stanley, realizing that Jennifer had not followed.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” said Jennifer looking at William.
Elizabeth and Stanley went into the kitchen, picking up on Jennifer’s desire for a bit of privacy.
“What?” said William, defensively.
“It’s going to be alright, Will. I promise,” she assured him.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” he explained.
“I know. I don’t want any of us to get hurt. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good. You know that. Elizabeth is an amazing woman. Just think how different both our lives would be right now if you had never taken that one job. I mean, before her you didn’t even really have a life. Did you? I know I didn’t. She’s been our salvation. I’m not about to let him ruin this, you can rest assured of that,” finished Jennifer as she leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek.
“What are you talking about, Jen,” asked William, slightly alarmed. “I don’t want you to do anything rash. I don’t want you to hurt anyone.”
“No, love,” assured Jennifer. “But I must stop him.”
“Who?” asked William.
“The one whose been watching and planning. I know that you can take care of yourself, William. But the child is innocent. He thinks that it’s what’s holding you and Elizabeth together. He’s wrong, of course, but he’s not thinking clearly. He’s stubborn and arrogant and obsessed,” she said.
“It’s Carter. Isn’t it?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I’m not going to tell you,” said Jennifer. “I want you to stay out of it. You have everything to lose and I have nothing. Let me do this for you, Will!”
“Jennifer, you have no idea how bad people can be, doll. You do have something to lose, you have your entire life ahead of you,” said William, softly as he caressed her cheek.
“No, unless I do this, we’ll have nothing,” she said gazing into his eyes intently. “We’re family. We take care of each other. It’ll be alright, you’ll see,” she said as she kissed him softly on his lips.
Jennifer stood and began to walk towards the kitchen.
“Jen?” he called.
“Yes?” she said turning around.
“Be careful and don’t…I don’t want to see you put away again,” he whispered.
“No,” said Jennifer. “No worries. It’ll be alright, you’ll see,” she said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and waved goodnight.
~
William stood in the shower, letting the hot water run over his tense and tired shoulders. Elizabeth was to return to work tomorrow and he wasn’t sure if Carter would be there. He assumed he wouldn’t be ready to return to work yet, but he wasn’t certain, and that left him uneasy. He would need to find out when he dropped her off. He was grateful that Gail had agreed to let Elizabeth work just the two 10-hour days on Saturday and Sunday. It allowed Elizabeth to continue with the work she loved, and for the two of them to travel back and forth between San Diego and Napa.
His thoughts drifted, briefly to his father, who he anticipated would be calling tomorrow to again try to persuade him to get married in Westminster Cathedral. William already explained that he and Elizabeth were planning on a small, intimate wedding in her local church, but his father was nothing if not persistent.
He then remembered that he needed to get Elizabeth to sign the loan documents and overnight them to the bank so that they could have everything in place in time for the closing of their new home. William leaned forward, placing his hands against the back wall of the shower to stretch out his back.
Next he thought of Jennifer and he found himself hoping she was right. That everything would be alright, and they would all get their happy ending. William noticed the water starting to feel cool. He’d managed to drain the hot water heater. He shut the shower off, wrapped a towel around his waist and shook the excess water out of his hair before emerging from the shower “Note to self,” he said as he opened the bathroom door, “buy one of those tankless hot water heaters for the house. An endless supply of hot water, what more could a man need?” He had no sooner finished the thought than he started to take in his surroundings.
Elizabeth had unmade the bed and rolled the bedding all of the way down. The room was aglow in candlelight and there was the briefest hint of soft, sultry jazz playing in the background. She was lying there on her stomach, looking up at him, nude against the black silk sheets. In her hands she held up a bottle of massage oil. “Do you mind?” she said, holding the bottle out towards him.
“Mind?” he asked as he reached out for the bottle.
“Yeah. I’m feeling all tense. Right…Oh, pick a place,” said Elizabeth smiling suggestively.
William pulled the towel off of himself and threw it onto the chaise. He walked over to the door that led to the outside deck and opened it as well as the windows so that they could enjoy the soft evening breeze. He climbed onto the bed and straddled Elizabeth from behind taking position at the tops of her thighs. He poured a generous amount of the orange-ginger massage oil into the palms of his hands, and then rubbed them together, to warm the oil.
He started with her shoulders, placing his hands, gently over the muscles mid-way between the curve of her shoulder and her neck. Applying a firm even pressure he began to knead the muscles, gently pulling them towards him. “Mmmm,” she moaned.
“How’s the pressure?” he asked.
“Good,” said Elizabeth absently.
“Would you like it harder? I can go deeper,” suggested William, as he increased the pressure gradually. “You tell me when it’s just right.”
“Oh! Right…yeah…like that,” she moaned.
William smiled as he worked across her shoulders to her neck. He used his thumbs and the tips of his fingers to ease away her tension. “Aww,” she groaned as he removed his hands from her body.
“Just getting more oil, love,” he assured her as he poured more into the palm of his hand. After rubbing his hands together for a few moments he picked up working on the muscles across and down her upper back. Using his thumbs first, then the heel of his hand he patiently worked loose the knot that had taken root in her shoulder blade. Her upper back glistened from the oil and the smell was exotic. William could feel his arousal growing. He leaned over her, his chest against her bare back, and he whispered in her ear, huskily, “I want you.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Oh, I’ve heard about guys like you. I bet you say that to all your customers.”
William leaned up slightly and grinned, playing along, “Oh no, Miss Reynolds’, I swear! I’ve never done anything like this before! In point of fact, you’re my very first customer. Please! Let me continue, don’t send me away.”
“You must promise to be good,” said Elizabeth.
“Oh, I’ll be good, baby.” William assured her sitting back up and taking a minute to stroke his now fully engorged erection. “I’ll be very, very good.”
He added a bit more oil to his hands, and with both hands he cupped her right shoulder and lifting it gently, stretched the muscles in front. He proceeded to work down the length of her slender arm, taking his time, thoroughly kneading the muscle groups in both the front and back. As he reached her hand he pulled slightly on each finger, stretching them, and then he finished by using his thumbs to massage her palms. When he was through he placed her now flaccid arm, gently down at her side.
“My left arm is feeling left out,” whispered Elizabeth.
“Demanding chit,” said William as he started on her other arm, “I’m getting to it.”
“Now, now,” scolded Elizabeth. “An attitude like that just might affect your tip, Mr.”
“Sorry, Ma’am,” he said as he finished her arm and returned to her upper back.
“Anyone ever tell you that you have great hands?”
“Well, there was this one girl.”
“I don’t want to hear about any other girls,” said Elizabeth, abruptly.
“Other girls?” said William, recovering quickly. “How could I possibly think of anyone else when I’m with you Miss Reynolds’?”
“What are you thinking about?” asked Elizabeth, coyly.
William added more oil and began to work on her mid-back. He worked from the center with this thumbs and fingertips and pushed upward. The cords of muscles along either side of her mid-spine were tense. As he leaned into it, applying additional pressure a low moan escaped Elizabeth’s lips.
“Too much?” asked William.
“Just right,” she responded.
William moved down the length of her back, and across her hips to the area just above her ass. After spending time working on that area he warmed more oil in his hands and rubbed a generous about directly on her firm globes.
“So,” Elizabeth persisted, “what are you thinking?”
“I’m just trying to stay focused Miss Reynolds’,” said William. “I want to do a good job. I hope I’m pleasing you?”
William began to work the muscles of Elizabeth’s upper thighs with his thumbs. After a minute he began to use his fingers and with long firm strokes worked each side starting from her lower back, then moving over the globes of her ass, across the backs of her thigh and finishing as he worked the muscles of her inner thigh.
Elizabeth involuntarily began to part her legs slightly, giving him better access. On each stroke he moved closer and closer to the one spot that Elizabeth wanted rubbed more than any other.
“You’re getting close to pleasing me, William,” she whispered.
William slipped an oil-drench digit between her folds. She was already slick with her own juices. “Oh, yes!” moaned Elizabeth, as she instinctively lifted her hips off the bed, craving more contact, more friction.
William pulled back just a bit and used his knee to coax her legs apart. “Don’t move,” he whispered, as he brushed the head of his cock up against her waiting center. Elizabeth gasped and started to lift her hips off the bed, “No, no, no, you naughty girl,” said William as he placed his hand on her lower back and pushed her down. “You’re supposed to just lie still and enjoy yourself, let me do all the work.”
Elizabeth bit her lower lip and tried desperately to concentrate on not moving. William entered her ever so slowly initially penetrating just an inch or so deep. “Is that what you need?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
William backed off a half-inch, the slight friction causing Elizabeth’s level of arousal to increase even further. William took a steadying breath and moved in another inch. She was wetter now, even more ready for him. “Is that better?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, her voice breathless.
“But you’d like more?” he asked her as he backed off another half-inch.
“Yes!” she moaned. “More!”
William moved in another inch waited a moment, tilted his hips upwards, stretching her pleasurably, then backed off a bit again.
“Like that?” he asked.
“Yes! No! I need more of you! Please!” begged Elizabeth struggling to lie still.
“How much more of me?” asked William, as he leaned over and took one of her earlobes between his teeth and bit down playfully and pulled out just a bit.
“Stop teasing me!” Elizabeth accused. She focused her concentration and squeezed the muscles of her vaginal wall as he moved to slip a bit further inside.
William’s eyes rolled up and his mouth fell open, a small gasp escaping, “What? What are you doing? You feel so…oh!”
“You like?” asked Elizabeth, clearly enjoying the effect that she was having on him.
“God, Yes!” said William as he continued the pattern of pulling out slightly and pushing back in just a bit more. “You’re so wet, so tight,” he said as he worked his way in deeper and deeper with each stroke.
Elizabeth’s breathing was getting raspy and so was William’s as they did their best to concentrate on pleasuring one another. She continued to time her contractions to coincide with his penetrations. “Elizabeth, love, how?” he asked almost on the verge of losing control.
Elizabeth smiled. “Thank Walker, they’re prescribed exercises for pregnant women,” she said making an extra effort on the last thrust for emphasis.
William growled and in one, swift motion wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up onto her knees. Elizabeth was a bit stunned as she felt him bury himself to the hilt and bite down on her shoulder. She yelped in surprise as the forcefulness of his thrusts propelled her forward a bit, throwing her momentarily off balance. He regained control long enough to coax first one of her arms, then the other to hold onto the top of the wooden footboard of the bed. “Hold on, love,” he instructed. “You tell me if it’s too much. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Never,” said Elizabeth.
“Oh, God! Elizabeth, I love you. You are…all…I want,” cried out William as he came.
Elizabeth sunk slowly onto her stomach. William moved off of her and rolled her over so that he could search her face. “Are you okay,” he asked, hesitantly.
Elizabeth smiled. “More than okay, Mr., I shudder to think the kind of tip I’m gonna have to come up with for that!”
William caressed her face and leaned down to kiss her, her eyes, her cheeks, her nose, her jaw-line, and finally her lips. “That ma’am, was my pleasure,” said William as he rolled onto his back, shook his head slightly in an effort to clear it and shouted one, loud, “Whooo!”
Elizabeth giggled. “Did I just make the big tough guy go ‘whooo’?”
“No!” he said, indignantly. “I was the one doing all of the work. You were just lying there. That means I get the credit for the ‘whooo’.”
“What? Are you kidding? Take that back!” said Elizabeth as she moved in to tickle him.”
Carter stood on the other side of Elizabeth’s fence. The neighbors to the back of her were obviously out of town. Several days worth of newspapers were piled up on their front porch. It had taken him only a couple minutes to create a hole in the fence with his hand drill. He could see some through the slats in the fence alone, but this was much better. Or, perhaps worse, depending on one’s perspective. There he was, fucking her. And, there she was, taking it, like his whore. What on earth was he doing to her? Whatever it was, it had to end. That was clear. Carter stumbled slightly and leaned heavily on the fence. Perhaps Jennifer had been right, he should have stayed in. He was tired and felt weak, only he couldn’t quite bear to take his eyes off of them. “I’ll find a way,” he whispered as he saw William get up from the bed and turn off the bedroom light.
Carter lost his advantage as the lovers and their room became cloaked in darkness. Then, he saw William standing, naked, in the doorway to the back deck. His flawless, alabaster skin covered in a light sheen of sweat, bathed in the moonlight. William stretched his neck first in one direction, then the other. He next tilted his head up slightly, towards the sky and inhaled deeply. Then, as he brought his head back down, his eyes settled on the specific area of the fence that sheltered Carter. Carter held his breath, startled. He was afraid to move, afraid to breath. William stood still as a minute, then three past.
“Come to bed?” called Elizabeth. “I can’t seem to sleep without you any more.”
“Yes, love,” said William, as he stepped back inside, and locked the door.
Chapter 17
Jennifer opened her eyes slightly as she began to stretch, languidly. “I like sleeping with you,” she said as she ended her stretch and curled up once more against Stanley. “Did you sleep well?”
“Not really,” said Stanley, honestly.
Jennifer felt more awake now and leaned up on one elbow so she could get a better look at him. Although the curtains of the hotel room remained drawn, it was clearly morning and the room was dimly lit. Stanley’s face was covered in stubble and she reached out to feel the texture of his morning beard. “I’m sorry,” she said, softly.
“It’s not your fault. You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” said Stan moving to get up.
“Wait!” said Jennifer, placing her hand on his shoulder to stop him. “I want to talk about it. I-”
“Jennifer, I made a mistake. I’m sorry. Last night, here in this bed, with you in my arms, holding you, kissing you, it made me want more. I’m glad that you stopped me and I’m disappointed in myself for being so bloody weak. I’m sorry if my trying to touch you scared you or, or made you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t scare me. And, I’m not uncomfortable. I just didn’t want you to regret it. You had said that you wanted to take things slow,” said Jennifer.
“I know that I said I wanted to take it slow. That’s still true. Unfortunately I also want to pin you underneath me and shag you senseless.”
“You do realize that those are two totally different things, don’t you?” asked Jen.
“Yup,” nodded Stanley. “The closer I am to you, the more I’m with you, the more ridiculous the ‘taking it slow’ thing sounds. I think, perhaps, we’ve successfully accomplished the ‘taking it slow’ thing.”
Jennifer smiled and leaned over to kiss him. Stanley quickly brought his hand up to her shoulder to stop her. “You don’t want to kiss me. My beard is all scratchy and I haven’t brushed-”
Jennifer brushed his hand aside and leaned over, pressing her lips to his in what started out as an almost chaste kiss. Before pulling away Jennifer took his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down, gently, while tugging on it. Stanley groaned and she quickly took advantage of his now partially opened mouth. Jennifer released his lip, her tongue darting across it licking the spot where she’d nibbled. Stanley’s arms wrapped around Jennifer’s waist and pulled her on top of him.
“Mr. Houghton, you totally underestimate your kissing appeal,” teased Jennifer.
“Yeah?” asked Stanley. “Well, maybe it was all a part of my master plan. It appears I have you trapped, Miss Bennett.”
“That you do, sir,” Jennifer whispered into his ear. “I am but your slave and you are my lord and master. I am at your disposal and your servant. Command me.”
Stanley rolled them over, pinning Jennifer beneath him. She could feel his erection straining against the fabric of his boxers. He stared intently into her eyes, searching for something. Then he pulled back slightly and said, “Don’t tease me, Jen. I want this. I want you. But, I don’t want this to be casual or clandestine.”
“Do you think that perhaps, some day, you might even love me?” asked Jennifer hopefully.
“I think I may already,” answered Stanley, tenderly caressing the side of her face.
“I- I’m afraid I need a little time. I’ve never done this before, a relationship. I have some things I need to do first. Some things to figure out, get closure on,” finished Jennifer.
Stanley nodded and rolled off of her, “Anything I can help with?”
“No,” said Jennifer as she climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom, “I just want to do this right.”
“Can I see you tonight?”
“Not tonight, I have plans with Andrew,” said Jennifer from the doorway to the bathroom.
“Can you stay and have lunch with me?” asked Stanley realizing how much he was going to miss her.
“I’m meeting Elizabeth at the hospital for lunch. Why don’t we go over to the Espresso Pump, get some
coffee and muffins, and visit until I need to go meet Elizabeth? Besides, aren’t you supposed to go with William today to the meeting about the Imperiale wedding?” reminded Jen.
“I had nearly forgotten. Yes, I have to be there at noon. You go shower first,” suggested Stan.
Jennifer nodded, winked, and then proceeded to close the bathroom door. Stanley leaned back and released a sigh. Jennifer opened the door back up and called out to him as she peered around the corner, the door shielding her body.
“Yes, love? Need something?” answered Stanley.
“I just wanted to tell you not to worry. And- and that I might love you too,” she said, nervously.
Stanley smiled. “You make sure to let me know when you’ve decided for sure?”
“Yes. And you’ll do the same?”
“Absolutely,” he responded.
The remainder of the morning went by quickly. After showering Stanley and Jennifer drove over to the Espresso Pump. They sat at a table for two drinking coffee and wiling away the morning. By 11:45 a.m. he’d dropped Jennifer off at the hospital and was on his way to his appointment.
“Thanks for meeting me for lunch,” said Jennifer as Elizabeth walked into the cafeteria.
“No problem! William made us lunch, how about we do this outside by the fountain? I’m afraid I only have about a half an hour though,” said Elizabeth.
“Sounds good,” said Jennifer as she followed Elizabeth through the hospital out the entrance that had the fountain in front of it. “There’s something important that I have to talk to you about. Something private.”
Elizabeth sat down on a bench and opened up the sack that she’d been carrying. She pulled one container out and handed it to Jen. “One Carlton special Chinese chicken salad for you.” She placed the second container on her lap, “And one for me.” After distributing water bottles and cutlery Elizabeth looked at Jennifer and said, “I can’t promise to hide things from William. If there’s something I think he should know I’m going to tell him. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m stuck deceiving him.”
“I won’t ask you to do that. I’m not asking you to do that,” clarified Jennifer. “It’s just that some things are private, not easy to talk to a brother about. If you feel you need to let him know, you can.”
Elizabeth nodded, “Ok, shoot,”
“I think that I’ve made a terrible mistake and I don’t know how to get out of it,” said Jennifer, softly, staring into her salad.
“What kind of a mistake?” asked Elizabeth putting her hand on Jennifer’s forearm. “Whatever it is, we can talk it through, figure it out.”
“I slept with someone and now I wish that I hadn’t. You see? Now there’s Stanley and, well, I think that I may be falling in love with him,” said Jennifer as she closed the lid on her salad. “Oh, I’m not even hungry. My stomach’s all tied up in knots. I think he may be falling in love with me too. What on earth am I going to do?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Jennifer, I’m sure that Stan has had lovers before. What you’ve done before, what he’s done before, you need to put in the past. Focus on the now and the future. I know that Reginald was only a few months ago, but it might as well have been a lifetime ago.”
“I’m not talking about Reginald, I’m talking about Carter,” said Jennifer just as Elizabeth tilted the water bottle to her lips to take a sip.
Elizabeth choked, spraying water all over the place. Jennifer instinctively patted her on the back, “Oh, sorry, bad timing.”
Elizabeth caught her breath and looked at Jennifer as if in shock. Jennifer tilted her head to the side then brought her hand up in front of Elizabeth’s face, snapping her fingers twice. “Hello? Elizabeth?”
“You slept with Carter?” asked Elizabeth incredulously.
“Stupid, I know,” said Jen, nodding, her face filled with regret.
“Why? When? Why?”
“I was lonely, and a bit scared. We started up right after meeting at Raven’s. Elizabeth, he seemed so handsome and smart. Not to mention rich and successful. He seemed like the kind of man that I’ve dreamt about my entire life. Only, he lacked the, well the kindness,” finished Jennifer, embarrassed.
“I don’t quite know what to say,” said Elizabeth.
“Tell me how to get out of this with Carter. I don’t want Carter. I want Stanley,” said Jennifer, her eyes now glistening with tears. “I don’t even like Carter.”
“Have you slept with Stanley?” asked Elizabeth.
“No,” said Jennifer, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “But I want to. We’re taking it slow. And, I thought that was a good thing because I didn’t want to jump into another mistake. But, now, it’s not such a good thing because…because…”
“Because you’re sure he’s what you want?” suggested Elizabeth.
Jennifer nodded and licked her lips nervously. “How do I end it with Carter?”
“Just tell him it’s over,” said Elizabeth. “Just be honest. Explain that you’ve met someone else and that you need to end it with him. Be firm and be clear. I’ll go with you if you want.”
“No, I can do it. It’s my mess. I’ll clean it up. Thanks, Elizabeth,” said Jennifer leaning over to drop her salad container back in the bag. “Sorry about not being hungry.”
“It’s okay. I understand. As soon as you clear the air you’ll feel better,” she assured Jen.
“I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you how it went,” said Jennifer.
“Ok. Call me sooner if you need anything,” said Elizabeth giving her a hug. “And Jen? I don’t think I need to tell William. If it goes bad, if Carter gives you a hard time I’ll just slap him around myself,” finished Elizabeth with a sweet smile.
“Really?” said Jennifer, holding her hand over her heart. “You’d do that for me?”
“Well, for you, and to keep William out of jail,” said Elizabeth laughing. “Seriously, I’ll tell him if things get out of hand. But, for now it sounds like you’ve got things under control.”
“Yes,” said Jen as she spotted Andrew pull into the parking lot with Walter and Michael in the back seat. “I’ve got it all under control.”
~
“Ok,” said Jennifer as she closed the car door and leaned back in through the passenger’s window, “you boys come back in thirty minutes.”
“Let’s synchronize our watches, I’ve got 1:15 p.m.,” said Michael.
“I’ve got 1:17 p.m.,” said Andrew. “What time do you have, Jen?”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever time you have on your watch add thirty minutes to it! Sheesh!” she said. Jennifer waved them off and then turned to walk up the drive and knock on Carter’s door.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” asked Carter, as he wrapped his arm around Jennifer’s waist and pulled her inside.
“I missed you, sort of,” she said with a shrug of her shoulder.
“Sort of?” he repeated. “Well, here I am! Is there any specific part of me that you’ve missed? I know there are parts of me that have missed you. Take this part right here for instance,” he said as he grasped her hand and placed it over the bulge that was forming in his trousers.
Right on time the doorbell rang. “Don’t answer it,” whispered Jennifer as she stepped a bit closer to him, her warm breath tickling his ear.
Someone then pounded on the door, “Open up, doc, I know you’re in there.”
“Shit!” said Carter. “Ignore it.”
“Oh, no!” said Jennifer. “I don’t want you getting in trouble again.” She stepped back and opened the door. “Well, hello Mr. Diggs. Nice to see you again.”
“Jennifer,” he said as he casually wiped his finger across the side of his nose and walked into Carter’s house.
“How’s Lorraine? Doing well I hope?” said Jennifer, politely.
“She’s doing okay. It’s rough, you know?” said Diggs.
“Who the hell is Lorraine?” growled Carter.
“Lorraine is his lady, they’re expecting in March, just like Elizabeth and Will,” said Jennifer with a smile.
“What do you want, Diggs? I thought we were even,” said Carter sweeping Jennifer behind him in a protective gesture.
“Oh no, we’re miles from even. You’re our doc now. While you’ve been recovering, no one has checked on my boys. That’s what we’re going to do now. Then we’re going to go see my Nana. She has arthritis, complains all the time about pain in her hip,” said Diggs.
“Diggs, I’m a surgeon, I’m not going to treat your Nana’s arthritis,” Carter asserted.
“I ain’t askin’, doc. I’m tellin’. I’ll have you back in a few hours all unbruised. Alright with you, Jen? Can you entertain yourself for a bit?” asked Diggs as he again opened the front door.
“Sure! ‘Star Wars’ starts in just a few minutes on the WB. I’ve never seen it you know. I’ll just sit tight and await your return,” finished Jen, as she blew a kiss in Carter’s direction.
Fifteen minutes later she heard the knock on the door, two short knocks followed by a long one. “It’s showtime,” said Jennifer on her way to the door. As Andrew, Walter and Michael entered one by one they wiped their finger across the side of their nose. “That’s really not necessary,” said Jennifer.
“We know,” said Andrew, “but, it’s cool.”
“Hey! ‘Star Wars’ is on,” interrupted Michael as he made his way over to the sofa and sat down in front of the television.
“No!” said Jennifer as she pulled on Michael, “you are working in the office. Let me show you where it is. Walter, you come too, the bedroom is right across from the office. You need to remove the current fire alarm and replace it with this one.”
“But I get it back when you’re done, right?” confirmed Walter.
“Yes, yes!” agreed Jennifer as she led Michael and Walter through to the back of the house where they would be working.
Five minutes later Jennifer returned and sat on the sofa next to Andrew. “What am I supposed to be doing?” he asked.
“You’re watching the movie with me! Hey, want some soda and popcorn?” chirped Jennifer.
“Neat! Sure!” said Andrew nodding eagerly as he reclined on the sofa, his eyes glued to the big screen.
“Relax now, tonight you’ll need to be on your toes capturing the feed. We’ll start editing tomorrow. I can trust you with this, right Andrew?” asked Jennifer.
“You can trust me, Jen. I won’t show it to anyone. When we finish the work we’ll delete all of the extra clips,” Andrew assured her.
“No copies!” Jennifer stressed.
“No copies,” Andrew agreed.
“Okay! Popcorn and Coke coming up,” she confirmed as she walked off towards the kitchen softly humming.
Jen placed the popcorn in the microwave and while it popped, she wandered over to the kitchen table, and sat down. Open in front of her was a copy of the latest version of the Physician’s Desk Reference. In addition there were several other books about medications. The PDR was open to a section on prenatal vitamins, the section that contained true to size photographs of each of the pills. Carter had attached several post-it notes to the page. Written on the post-its were the names of other medications and the pages that they could be found on. Jennifer heard the microwave beep and ignored it. She spent a few minutes flipping back and forth feeling more and more agitated.
“Commercial time,” said Andrew, “where’s the popcorn?”
“Look at this,” said Jen, standing up and walking over to the microwave to get the popcorn. “What do you think he’s up to?”
Andrew spent a few minutes studying the same pages that Jennifer had looked at, and then he looked up and said, “Well, it looks like he’s compiling a list of medications that look similar to various prenatal vitamins.”
“Andrew, why would someone want to do that?” asked Jen.
“To swap them out?” responded Andrew, hesitantly. “But that could be really dangerous, really bad and-”
“Really evil,” finished Jen.
“Does Elizabeth take prenatal vitamins?” asked Andrew.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” said Jen vehemently as she handed him the bag of popcorn and a soda. “Let’s go watch the rest of the show.”
~
Carter came home to an empty house. Jennifer had left a note that said that she had gone for a walk, but that she would be back. It was already 6:00 o’clock. Carter scribbled on the bottom of the note that he was going to run to the store and would return shortly.
It was almost 7:30 p.m. when he returned. He found Jennifer, sitting in his hot tub, drinking a glass of red wine. “Hello, handsome! I feel like I’ve been waiting for you all day!” she said.
“I thought you might be hungry. I went to forage for food. I picked up some fresh ravioli from an Italian deli and a bottle of red, but I see you’ve already pulled something out of the wine cellar.
“Go and get yourself a glass and come join me!” suggested Jennifer.
Carter disappeared and Jennifer quickly drank down her entire glass of wine. She was horribly nervous and hoped the wine would relax her. Jennifer took a calming breath and assured herself, “You can do this,” as she refilled her glass.
Carter came out wearing only his robe and carrying an empty glass. He set the glass down on the edge of the hot tub, shed the robe, and hopped in, sitting on the high step. “I’ll sit here with you for a bit, but I don’t think getting in is a good idea. I’m already tired and still not quite 100%. I think I’d rather save my strength for other activities,” he said.
“Of course,” said Jennifer standing up and walking over towards him. As she stood, the water from the hot tub cascaded off her body. She tilted the glass to her lips just as Carter reached out and pulled her towards him. “Oh!” she gasped as a splash of the cabernet escaped her glass and landed on her collarbone.
Carter watched, in rapt fascination as the small amount of wine pooled above her collarbone, then crested over. A tiny rivulet of red snaked its way over her left breast to cling to her nipple. Carter pulled her up and drank from her. He laved her breast with his tongue, meticulously, getting every last drop.
“You taste wonderful!” he groaned. “I have to admit, I’ve missed you.”
“It’s not me,” said Jennifer, “it’s the wine.”
“No,” said Carter, after taking a sip of the wine. “It’s the wine on you.”
Carter moved so that he was seated just on the edge of the hot tub and he pulled her along with him. He took the glass from her and demanded, “Lean back, I want to confirm my theory.”
Jennifer leaned back, both hands splayed out behind her on the deck to support herself. Her feet still submerged in the hot water as they dangled over the edge of the tub. Carter climbed out and reached over, sliding his arm under her knees. He lifted her legs out of the water and swung them onto the deck. Jennifer looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he placed a hand on her chest and pushed her down. “Lie down,” he commanded as he picked up her glass of wine and poured it over her lips, neck, breasts, stomach, and between her legs.
Jennifer gasped as the wine splashed over her body. Since her skin was so hot, the wine felt cool and soothing. The breeze wafting over her skin and the heat of Carter’s tongue provided several contrasting sensations. As he devoured her she did her best to stay focused on other things. She started to concentrate on the classes that she had been debating between. Then she moved on to once again examining her plan for any loopholes. She felt Carter’s hand start to dip between her legs. She knew she wasn’t ready. She quickly grabbed his wrist, “The deck is uncomfortable. Let’s move to the bed. I brought you a present. It’s on the nightstand. I want to try something new.”
“Something new?” asked Carter. “Like what?”
“Well, I know that you’ve been feeling a little, I don’t know…weak lately. I thought we could play a game. I could be your hostage and you could be totally…and completely…in control,” Jennifer finished as she stood up, grabbed the bottle of wine taking a sip directly out of it, strolled off to the bedroom.
Carter felt a strange mixture of anger and arousal. He had felt weak lately, damn it. Somehow in the past few weeks his confidence had slipped. It had started that night, the night Elizabeth came to the hospital with him. Carter realized how stupid he must have looked, sitting on that patient. Then he flashed on Imperiale’s party and the way Elizabeth looked in that beautiful red dress. The way she smelled, the way her leg felt as he caressed her skin. Next came the image of her in the bath, touching herself. He imagined for a moment that she was thinking of him. Suddenly, without invitation, came the memory of
Elizabeth and Carlton going at it like rabbits. “Naughty girl,” he thought, as he stood up and walked towards the bedroom. In his mind he replaced the image of William with himself. He pictured himself riding Elizabeth from behind, buried up to the hilt. Pushing in deeper and deeper, until she screamed. And then, fucking her just a little harder, just a little bit…more.
As Carter walked into the bedroom he was greeted by the pleasurable sight of Jennifer, lying nude, stretched out on the red sheets of his bed. The bedding had been pulled off and was in a pile on the floor. Jennifer was wearing a blindfold and she had handcuffed herself to the headboard. “Is that you? Carter?” she asked, her voice sounding hesitant.
Carter smiled and walked up to the bed, there was a fresh container of lubricant on the nightstand and he poured some over his cock. “Shh… You’ll speak when spoken to, bitch, or I’ll have to punish you,” he said as he grabbed her ankles and pulled her down further, stretching her arms out.
“Is that nice and uncomfortable?” asked Carter.
“Y-yes,” answered Jennifer, then after waiting a moment she tilted her head up and to the side, speaking into her shoulder she added, “Hurt me, please?”
Carter flipped her over and climbing on top of her, he entered her slowly from behind, “You know I wouldn’t really like to hurt you. Don’t you Jennifer? You like it rough? I can do rough. But you let me know if you need me to stop. I won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he said as he pulled out and poured more lubricant on. “Gotta admit, the thoughts of your screams…such an aphrodisiac.”
Jennifer closed her eyes and did the best she could to conjure up memories of Stan and how it had felt to wake up in his arms. It was the same trick that she’d used before…years ago…when she was being assaulted. Just go someplace else, be someplace else. She imagined the two of them together; her waking up safely in his arms as he showered tender kisses over her face and whispered words of love.
“Jennifer? Jennifer?” Carter called out to her as he pulled her blindfold off.
He had already unlocked the handcuffs and placed them adjacent to the key and lubricant on the nightstand. “Sorry if I got a bit carried away there. I didn’t even notice if you came. Do you still need to be taken care of? Don’t want you leaving all unsatisfied, you might start looking for someone else to get you off,” he said reaching between her legs. “That just wouldn’t do. I want you all to myself. You are to be at my beck and call, whenever and wherever I please.”
Jennifer attempted to push his hands away but he was being persistent she reached out and slapped him across the face as she yelled, “Stop it! Stop it!”
Carter on reflex brought his arm back and backhanded her, striking the side of her face, “Oh, God!
Jennifer? Look, I’m sorry,” he said as she scrambled to the opposite side of the bed and rolled into a fetal position. “Are you ok? Let me get some ice.”
Carter left the bedroom and Jennifer quickly picked up her clothes, opened the sliding glass door that led from his bedroom onto the back deck and exited the room, closing the door behind her and walking a few steps into the darkness. Jennifer counted slowly to ten and re-entered the room. Dropping her clothes where they had been. Jennifer looked up at the fire alarm and gestured, dragging her finger across her throat.
“Cut,” said Andrew, wiping the beads of sweat that had gathered on his forehead. “God, you are one crazy girl, Jennifer Bennett,” he said as he picked up the can of soda that was sitting next to his keyboard and drank it down. He powered down the hard-drive, turned off the monitor and left the computer lab to go pick her up.
Chapter 18
It was Sunday morning. Elizabeth and William walked hand and hand up the stairs of St. Patrick’s Church. As William pulled the large wooden entry door open, Elizabeth slipped inside. He followed her in and stood still for a moment, allowing his eyes time to adjust. It was only 7:00 a.m. and the lights had yet to be turned on. The entryway to the church was small and dark. Just ahead William could see another set of doors and Elizabeth was standing just inside the doorway.
“Are you sure this is where we are supposed to be?” whispered William.
“Yes, come on. Father Clavin said we should meet him in here. Mass doesn’t start until nine o’clock but he planned on practicing the Homily before. He said anytime between seven and eight-thirty.
Elizabeth held out her hand and William again interlaced his fingers through hers. They walked, quietly into the small sanctuary. There was a center red carpeted aisle leading down to the Alter, a row of approximately 40 wooden pews was along either side. The only light was that which flowed into the church from the stained glass windows. William paused for a moment and looked around. The smell of incense permeated the air. There were four stained glass windows on either side, each depicting one of the eight Beatitudes.
Standing on the altar in front of them was the man William presumed was Father Clavin. His back was to them as he lit a candle, made the sign of the cross, and bowed his head in prayer. He was dressed in black slacks and a black shirt. Elizabeth led William down the aisle to one of the front pews. She paused before sliding into the bench and genuflected; bending at her knee she touched one knee to the floor and bowed her head. As she slid onto the bench she noticed William was still standing there, not quite knowing how to proceed. Elizabeth gestured to the floor and William quickly replicated her actions, and then slid into the bench along side of her.
A minute or two passed before Father Clavin turned around and smiled benevolently upon them. He was heavy set, clearly in his sixties, his skin was freckled and his red hair contained a fair amount of gray. “Elizabeth!” said Father Clavin as he stepped down from the alter, walked over, and slipped into the pew in front of them, “and you must be William.”
“That would be me, sir,” said William extending his hand.
Father Clavin shook William’s hand eagerly. “So, you two think you’re ready to enter into the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony?”
“Yes, sir,” said William, “we’re quite certain.”
“Elizabeth?” asked the Priest.
“Yes, Father, absolutely certain,” she confirmed.
“And you want to get married in the Church?” he asked her.
“Yes, I know I’ve been away for a while, but I want to come back,” she trailed off, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
“Why?” he asked, simply.
“I feel like spirituality was a missing component from my first marriage, an important missing component. William and I both want religion to play an important role in our home, in our family,” Elizabeth finished.
You’re planning to adopt?” asked Father Clavin.
“No Father,” answered Elizabeth, breaking off eye contact. “I’m pregnant”
“Elizabeth!” exclaimed the Priest, reflexively making the sign of the cross. “Last time we talked you said-”
“I know, Father,” said Elizabeth, “but nonetheless, it’s true. I’m due to deliver in March.”
“Are you Catholic?” Father Clavin asked William.
“No, sir. But, I’ve already made a commitment to Elizabeth that we could get married in this Church, raise our children as Catholic,” he explained.
“How soon are you wanting to do this?” asked the Priest.
“Very,” answered Elizabeth. “We plan on keeping it very simple and very small. We thought the sooner the better.”
“Like tonight!” said William eagerly as he brought Elizabeth’s hand up to his lips for a kiss. “I’m free after 7:00 p.m., is that good for you Father?”
The Priest chuckled at the young man’s eagerness, “Well, you need to get the license and the two of you need to complete the Pre-Cana Program. For the most part we hold workshops, but there isn’t anything scheduled for a few months. Due to the circumstances I’d be willing to do individual instruction. Elizabeth, why don’t you give the rectory a call on Monday morning? We’ll schedule sessions.”
“Fine, but we’re spending Monday-Friday in Napa. That’s where William is currently working. We’re here for a bit Monday morning and will be flying in Friday evenings,” said Elizabeth.
“Maybe we can meet early Monday’s and late on Friday’s here, then set something up over the phone for Wednesday’s? I imagine we could be through the required instruction in two weeks, three at the most,” said Father Clavin.
“What sort of instruction are we talking about, exactly?” asked William.
“It’s more of a process of exploration really, to encourage honest discussion and a frank assessment of your strengths and opportunities for growth as individuals and as a couple. We’ll spend time taking a look at your beliefs and future goals with regards to family living, communication, finances, sexuality, the Sacrament of Matrimony, and your roles in the Church and society,” explained Father Clavin.
William looked at Elizabeth and asked, “Three weeks from yesterday?”
Elizabeth nodded eagerly, “Three weeks from yesterday! Father? Can we do it?”
“Three weeks from yesterday, that’s August, 16th. 8:00 p.m.?” suggested Father Clavin with a wink. Elizabeth and William smiled at each other, and then nodded. “Now, be off with you. I’ve got a homily to finish.”
Elizabeth and William left the church and proceeded to the parking lot. They’d chosen to drive separately and go their individual ways after this morning’s early meeting. William had a day of sailing planned with Conner, Alan, and Stanley. Elizabeth on the other hand was heading to work. “I have to admit, I feel a bit guilty, not giving you a proper wedding,” confessed William.
“And what would that be, exactly?” asked Elizabeth, placing her hands on his hips.
“You know, the kinds of weddings I’ve helped other folks plan,” said William with a smirk. “A wedding that involves lots of expensive and time-consuming planning. What if we start a new rage and I find myself out of a job?”
“I don’t want that kind of a wedding. Do you?” she asked.
“I just want you, doll. How it happens? I don’t give a fig about that,” he replied honestly.
“So, in the church, a ton of candles, a few friends, no ushers, no bridesmaids-” she started.
“But we need music, and a special wedding night, and you need a proper dress and a bouquet-” William added.
“But something simple,” said Elizabeth, “I don’t have long.”
“You just tell me what it should look like. I’ll arrange it,” suggested William.
“I can’t let you do that! That would be bad luck. Oh no, mister! You hear nothing about the dress until the big day. You make yourself busy with the candles, the music, and the wedding night. Let me worry about the dress and bouquet,” said Elizabeth as she kissed him on the lips, opened her car door and climbed inside.
“Three weeks,” said William leaning in through the car window and kissing her again, soundly on the mouth. “Three weeks until you’re my wife...”
~
“Hey, Stan! How’s it hanging?” asked Veronica as she opened the door to let Stan in.
“It’s ah, hanging just fine, Veronica. I’m here to pick up Jen. I know I’m a bit late,” he answered.
“Jennifer needs to cancel, she tried to call your cell and there was no answer,” Veronica responded.
“I went sailing this afternoon and left my cell in the car by mistake. Is everything all right?” he asked, concerned.
Veronica shrugged her shoulders, “Let’s just say she’s not feeling up to it.”
Stan tilted his head to the side, “What’s going on Veronica?”
“You’ll have to ask Jennifer, but not tonight. She doesn’t want to see anyone tonight,” said Veronica, pointedly. “I’ll tell her you stopped by.”
“I’ll tell her myself,” said Stanley, feeling uneasy.
“Come on, Stan. Be a good boy and just run along,” said Veronica with a plastic smile on her face.
“I’m not leaving until I see her. Now, you can tell me which room is hers, or you can stand back while I search the place. Either way, you’re not going to stop me,” he responded, much more calmly than he felt.
“Third door on the left,” said Veronica, defeated, “down that hall.”
Stanley moved determinedly down the hallway. He stopped in front of the door, knocked twice, and opened it. Jennifer sat on her bed facing away from him, gazing out at the window. “Jennifer? Sweetheart? Is everything alright?”
Jennifer was exhausted. She and Andrew had stayed up all night selecting clips and completing a rough script so that he could continue to work on editing. When she returned mid morning Veronica greeted her and she’d had to spend considerable time convincing the feisty brunette that everything was under control. “Just one more week,” Jennifer said to herself. “One more week and it will all be over.”
“Jennifer?” Stanley repeated.
“Stanley,” said Jennifer, sadly. “I can’t go out with you tonight. I’ll see you next weekend. Alright?”
“No, it’s not alright. I want an explanation,” he said, stepping into the room and closing the door.
Jennifer turned, angling her body further away from him. A chill ran down Stanley’s spine and he walked swiftly over to her, grasping one of her shoulders, “Look at me!” he commanded.
Jennifer turned her head and his stomach clenched. She had a small cut on her cheekbone and the area there and around her eye looked tender and bruised. “You’re hurt!” he gasped.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse, much worse,” said Jennifer.
“Who did this to you?” he asked sitting on the bed alongside of her.
“I fell,” she responded mechanically.
“I don’t believe you. Don’t lie to me Jennifer. I-I love you. I’ll protect you,” said Stan.
“You won’t love me anymore,” said Jennifer, quietly.
“Have faith in me, Jen. I have faith in you,” he responded.
Jennifer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “There was someone I met, when I very first arrived. I was frightened and lonely. I-I slept with him, Stanley,” Jennifer started.
Stanley instantly broke off eye contact and visibly winced.
“I’m sorry,” she continued. “It was before I knew how I felt about you. It meant nothing. When I had lunch with Elizabeth, I told her everything. I told her about him, about you. How stupid I had been. She was wonderful.”
“I knew what I had to do. So, yesterday afternoon I had Andrew drop me off so that I could end it. And, I did. He’ll never touch me again,” finished Jennifer.
“He did this?” Stanley asked; his jaw clenched so tight that it was ticking.
Jennifer nodded. “Can you forgive me? I’m afraid I’ve made a mess of things.”
“There’s nothing to forgive you for,” he said, placing an arm protectively around her and pulling her
close. “What happened before doesn’t matter. But, Jennifer?”
“Yes, Stanley?” she asked, looking up at him wide-eyed.
“Don’t let him near you again. If he hurts you again I’ll have to-” he was cut off as Jennifer placed her fingertips over his mouth.
“Hush, don’t give it a second thought. Just,” she started to say as she began nibbling on his left ear, “make…” she added a lick up the side of his neck, “me forget about him,” she concluded as she slowly brought her lips down to meet his.
Stanley stopped her. “Who is it?” he asked.
“Why?” she said with alarm.
“I deserve to know. I don’t want to bloody guess,” he said.
“Carter Etheridge, a doctor at the hospital. But, don’t do anything stupid Stanley. We have a future here, don’t do anything to ruin it,” said Jennifer, panicked.
“No,” agreed Stan.
“Maybe I should go with you after all,” suggested Jennifer as she placed her hand on his chest and began to unbutton his shirt.
Stanley placed his hand on top of hers. “Stop. When I make love to you, it will be to create a beginning for us. Not, to erase the memory of something you had with someone else.”
Stanley watched as tears quietly rolled out of the sides of Jennifer’s eyes and down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“Me too,” said Stanley. “I just can’t. I’m just not made that way, Jen.”
Jennifer nodded. “It’s over then? Between us?”
“Over?” asked Stanley. “No. I just need a bit of time. You told me you had lovers. I’ve had lovers. We just need to put it in the past. Hell, we haven’t even started yet, you and I! Next Saturday night, you save
for me. Shall we try 7:00 p.m. again? Only next time I will be on time. Promise.”
“Then what?” asked Jennifer.
“Then we’ll see where we can take each other. I’m betting it’s someplace great!” he said quietly as he kissed her on the forehead and left her alone in her room.
Jennifer walked over to her window and watched him drive away, “I love you, Stan,” she murmured as she placed her hand on the glass. “I love you.”
It took Stan just slightly over an hour to locate him. One hour, twelve minutes and fifty-three seconds, to be exact, but who was counting? Stanley sat outside his house. He grabbed his utility belt and made his way around to the back. He jumped the fence after confirming that there was no security around the perimeter. There were no curtains on the windows along the back. He could clearly see a man, sitting at a computer, steadily drinking bourbon, in what looked like an office. Stanley crouched on the ground and waited and watched.
Two hours later the man got up, stretched, and moved to the bedroom. He stripped off his clothes, tossed them into a hamper in the closet, and proceeded through to the bathroom. This was his chance. Stanley waited a moment to ensure that he was in the shower. Then he pulled on a pair of gloves and tried the door. It was locked. Stanley smiled as he extracted a glasscutter from his utility belt. After placing the suction mechanism next to the handle, he swung the laser cutter in a full arc, completing a circle. Removing the circular piece of glass, Stanley reached inside and unlocked the door. It slid open with ease. Stanley could hear the shower running behind the closed door. He quickly turned off all of the lights and waited.
It was a full twenty minutes before he heard the water turn off and the shower door open. Moments later the bathroom door opened and Carter stepped into the bedroom. Stanley swiftly reached behind him, firmly grasping the back of his neck, and flattening him up again the bedroom wall.
“Doctor ‘I have to hit girls to feel all manly’ I presume?” said Stanley in his crisp British accent.
“Let me guess,” said Carter, dryly. “Bond. James Bond.”
“No, you ass. I am Stanley Houghton. And this?” he said pulling the hammer back on his brand new gun so as to unmistakably engage the bullet in it’s chamber, “is my nice, new Glock 19.”
The cockiness quickly vanished. Carter suddenly sobered and became aware of the seriousness of the situation. “What do you want?”
“I came to deliver a message,” said Stanley, pressing the barrel of the gun into Carter’s skull. He could feel Carter starting to tremble. He felt his knees start to buckle and he moved in closer to support him against the wall. “If you should ever strike Jennifer Bennett again? I will be forced to kill you. As a matter of fact, if you so much as cause a hair to be displaced on the head of Jennifer Bennett, I will be forced to kill you. You know? Let me take that just one step further. If you ever even take it upon your sick, pathetic self to gaze upon the lovely Jennifer Bennett, do you know what will happen?”
“You…you’ll kill me?” said Carter hesitantly.
“Good! You’re not quite as stupid as you look. Although it’s been rather pleasurable, I admit, I hope that we will not be speaking again in the future. If I find I have to come here again, what do you think that will mean?” asked Stanley.
“That you’ve come to kill me?” squeaked Carter.
“Quick study! I like that in a bloke. You might just live yet, Carter! Pity!” said Stanley as he brought the gun down on the back of Carter’s head with enough force to knock him out.
~
Jennifer sat beside Andrew in the Computer Lab. It was Friday morning and he’d been working on editing on and off all week. “I think this is it,” he said, obviously tired. “Hit the “Play” icon and tell me what you think.”
Almost instantly the screen filled with a fuzzy image. It appeared out of focus at first, but within a second the image was clear. The lighting in the room was soft. Jennifer could be seen, lying nude, stretched out on the red sheets of a bed. She was wearing a blindfold and she was handcuffed to the headboard. A man could be seen walking into the room, though his face was slightly obscured. “Is that you? Carter?” Jennifer asked, her voice sounding frightened and hesitant.
The man walked up to her and began stroking himself, saying nothing at first. Suddenly he reached down and with a rough jerk grasped her ankles and pulled her down further, stretching her arms out. “You’ll speak when spoken to, bitch, or I’ll have to punish you. Is that nice and uncomfortable?” asked Carter.
“Don’t hurt me. Please!” Jennifer could be heard begging, her face hidden from the camera as Carter climbed onto the bed, on top of her.
“You like it rough, don’t you, Jennifer? I can do rough,” Carter could be heard saying as he flipped her over and penetrated her from behind.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Jennifer could be heard yelling.
“Gotta admit, your scream’s….such an aphrodisiac,” said Carter as he climbed off of her.
Carter could be seen pulling her blindfold off and unlocking her handcuffs. Jennifer pulled her hand back and slapped him across his face. Without a moment’s hesitation Carter struck back, the blow knocking her against the headboard. Jennifer grabbed her face and crawled into a fetal position.
Carter climbed off of the bed, seemingly through with her, and left the room. Off camera he could be heard to threaten, “You are to be at my beckoned call, whenever and wherever I please.”
Seconds later Jennifer scampered off of the bed. She could be seen frantically gathering up her clothes, before hurriedly escaping out the back door of his bedroom into the darkness. So frightened, so shaken, that she hadn’t even bothered to dress first.
“It’s wonderful,” whispered Jennifer, in awe.
“It’s horrible,” said Andrew looking over at her with tears in his eyes.
Jennifer pulled her chair closer to Andrew and taking both of his hands in hers said, “I’m alright.”
Andrew looked away embarrassed.
“And that,” Jennifer said nodding towards the computer screen, “was a walk in the park compared to some of the things I’ve endured. It was nothing. More importantly, it’s over. You’ve done some great work. I mean, the way you edited it. How you managed to remix the dialogue. Andrew, you need to appreciate that.”
“This isn’t the kind of work I want to do,” said Andrew feeling a bit ashamed.
“I won’t forget what you’ve done for me, Andrew. How much all three of you have helped,” Jennifer assured him as she gave him a big hug. “Now, lets call Diggs and tell him we’re right on schedule.”
Carter’s doorbell rang. He’d gone into the office today for a bit to start catching up and he was tired. It was Friday night and he was starting back on limited duty at the hospital on Monday. When Carter opened the door and saw Diggs standing there he groaned, “Please, not tonight, Diggs, I’m tired.”
“No work for you tonight, Doc,” said Diggs as he sauntered in.
“Tonight’s a thank you. My Nana’s invited you to dinner. Her hip hasn’t felt this good in ages. She’s making chicken enchilada’s and she won’t take no for an answer.”
“Really,” said Carter, “I can’t.”
“You’re not gonna insult my Nana, are you?” asked Diggs menacingly.
“No!” said Carter. “Let me get my coat.”
Three hours, one dinner, and four margaritas later, Diggs brought Carter home. Diggs supported him while he used Carter’s keys to open the front door. “Those were some margarita’s your Nana made!” marveled Carter. “I feel great. But, you know what would make this a perfect evening? Jen! Call her up. Tell her to come on over,” said Carter as he swayed unsteadily.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night, Doc,” Diggs replied as he escorted him back to his bedroom depositing him on the bed. “Night!”
Diggs turned out the lights and quickly left the house. Once outside he leaned against the side of his car and made a quick call to Jennifer. “Jen? It’s me. Everything go alright with the three stooges? Yeah. We’re good on this end. I’ll be over in a half an hour with the package. We’ll meet.”
Approximately forty minutes later Jennifer could see the headlights of Diggs car as it approached the end of the street. She’d slipped out and walked around the block to meet him at the appointed spot. “Here you go,” he said, handing her a plastic bag. “I took care of the house. Everything still a go?”
“Yes,” said Jennifer, sounding a bit uncertain.
“What’s wrong?” asked Diggs.
“Diggs? Do you think that sometimes, it’s alright to do the wrong thing if it’s for the right reason?” Jennifer asked.
“You do realize I’m a criminal, right?” he responded.
“Oh, Diggs!” exclaimed Jennifer patting him on the knee, “Seriously! Tell me what you think!”
“It’s not like I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it,” started Diggs, “but…what really makes a thing wrong?”
“Huh?” said Jennifer.
“The way I figure it, the things, the stuff you do…it’s not what really matters. It’s the effect that you have on people, it’s the motivation behind what you do that’s most important. Not the action itself. Sometimes you need to sacrifice a little something to save more,” he concluded. “By the way, I called Woods, like you suggested. I’m going to meet him on Sunday, at the park in Southeast. I’m gonna listen to his story, and- and I don’t know.”
“I’m glad to hear it Diggs,” said Jennifer, as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for all of your help. I need to try to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s the big day.”
“You sure you don’t want to go with my plan? It’s not too late. He’s so stoned he’d never hear anyone entering his place,” Diggs asked, leaning out the driver’s window.
“No!” said Jennifer, emphatically. “By the way, how did you do it?”
“Cocaine alkaloid in his margaritas tonight,” answered Diggs.
“He’ll still be positive tomorrow?” asked Jennifer.
“Hell yes!” said Diggs. “Taking cocaine like that isn’t the best way to get a high, but it’ll work. We needed to get it in him without him knowing, right?
Jennifer nodded, uncertainly.
“Look, the acid in his stomach will slow down absorption into the blood stream, but about a third of it will go through. Trust me. I know this stuff. It’s all that we need, really. He’ll pop positive tomorrow. I guarantee it,” Diggs assured her.
“Diggs?” asked Jennifer.
“Yes?” he responded.
“You’re really smart,” she said.
Diggs smiled brightly as he brought his index finger up to his lips, “Don’t tell anyone. I have a rep to protect,” he said, before driving off.
Jennifer heaved a big sigh as she stuffed the package into her pocket and returned to her room to await Stanley’s call.
Chapter 19
It was early Saturday morning and the sun had barely risen as Elizabeth opened her eyes. William was still sound asleep. Last night had been wonderful. William had worked hard all week and Stanley had been almost a constant presence in their lives. She liked Stan, really. But she desperately wanted William to herself. So last night, after their session with Father Clavin, they came home and stayed in, just the two of them. They cooked dinner, talked about their plans for their new home, and made love before falling asleep in one another’s arms. Elizabeth realized that she had never in her life felt this happy.
She walked into the bathroom and quietly closed the door. Elizabeth crouched down, reached under the sink, and pulled out the package that Samantha had picked up for her and left there. Elizabeth plugged the DC adapter into the wall, placed the headphones on her head, rubbed a bit of Vaseline onto her abdomen, then pressed the sensor to her stomach. She moved it around a bit, angling it just so, then she heard it. A heartbeat. Tears filled her eyes and as her heart filled with joy one spilled over. She felt almost giddy with excitement as she removed the headset and quickly brushed her teeth.
Elizabeth tiptoed through the bedroom to the kitchen to make coffee. As she entered the kitchen she noticed a post-it note stuck to the coffee maker. She flashed back to the note that Hugh, no, Aidan had left her; it seemed so long ago now. William had written, “Wake me up before you leave so I can tell you that I love you.” Elizabeth smiled to herself as she turned on the coffee.
While the coffee brewed she went to retrieve the newspaper from the front step and scanned the morning headlines. Elizabeth shook her head in dismay as she tossed the paper on the kitchen table and poured both she and William a cup of coffee.
She quietly slipped back into the bedroom, set the steaming mugs on the nightstand next to his side of the bed, and went back into the bathroom to retrieve the Doppler. Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed and softly reached out to touch William’s cheek. “Honey? Wake up. I have a present for you.”
William opened his eyes and yawned, “Morning. Have you been up long?”
“No, just a few minutes. Coffee?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said accepting the cup. “Did I hear you say something about a present?”
Elizabeth nodded and said, “Put your coffee down and sit up.”
William quickly did as she asked, “Now what?”
“Listen,” she said as she placed the headphones over his ears.
Elizabeth untied the sash of her robe and placed the sensor over her stomach, where she had previously detected the heartbeat. They both sat completely still. Elizabeth could see that William was concentrating, and then suddenly his eyes widened and he broke into a brilliant smile.
“You hear it?” she asked.
William nodded while placing his finger over his lips. He reached over, grabbed the other pillows on the bed and stacked them behind his back. He then sat up, slid over a bit, and patted the space in the bed beside him. Elizabeth removed the sensor just long enough to ease back into bed alongside of him. She replaced it as she crawled into his waiting arms. After a few minutes William removed the headphones.
“Thank you,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.
“You’re welcome. Unfortunately, I have to get ready for work though, and my stomach has to come with me.”
“Can’t you leave it here with me today?”
“No,” responded Elizabeth, giggling, “we’re a package deal. You could come meet me for lunch?”
“You’ve got yourself a date,” he said, placing a kiss on her lips before sliding down and whispering to her stomach, “and you, too.”
Elizabeth climbed out of bed and headed to the shower.
“Doll?” he called.
“Yes?”
“Don’t forget to pick up those vitamins at the hospital pharmacy that Walker wanted you to start as soon as the nausea died down,” he reminded her.
“Check,” she said with a wink and a nod before closing the bathroom door.
It was late morning and Elizabeth had just finished an assessment in the emergency room when Carter walked up to her.
“Hey! You’re back?” she asked.
“Not full-time,” he responded. “Just came in to catch up on some overdue charting. Seems I’m on the medical records departments bad boy list. I’ve been trying to catch up. I was up in pharmacy chatting with Tom, he told me you were working weekends now.”
“Yeah, I’ve cut down my hours, I’m only working Saturdays and Sundays for a while. That reminds me, I’ve got to run up to the pharmacy myself,” said Elizabeth.
“Everything alright? With the baby I mean?” asked Carter.
“Yup!” responded Elizabeth. “Peachy, even. Just need to start taking prenatal vitamins.”
“I’m going back over there in a few minutes to pick up my own prescription. How about I save you the trip? I’ll swing by here and drop them off on my way out,” offered Carter.
“Great! Thanks! I’ll call Tom and tell him to give them to you,” said Elizabeth.
Fifteen minutes later Carter walked down the hallway on his way back to the emergency room. As he walked he casually tossed the vitamin bottle up into the air catching it in his right hand.
Walter had been watching as Carter walked into the pharmacy. When he emerged, minutes later, Walter began to hurriedly walk down the hall. His head was down and he was carrying some flowers as he bumped into Carter.
“Watch where you’re going,” barked Carter as he bent over to retrieve the bottle of pills that he’d dropped.
“Sorry,” mumbled Walter as he continued on, down the corridor.
As Carter walked past his office door he saw Elizabeth emerge from the emergency room. He paused and held the bottle up in the air, shaking it slightly. Elizabeth smiled and began to walk towards him. “One a day! Guaranteed to produce a healthy, happy baby!” said Carter as he opened the bottle and took out one tablet.
Elizabeth unscrewed the cap on the water bottle she was carrying and reached out for the pill.
“Elizabeth!” called Jennifer startling them both. Carter watched as the pill slipped from his fingers onto the floor. Jennifer approached them quickly and as Carter bent over to retrieve the dropped tablet she innocently stepped on it while casually bumping up against him, knocking the bottle from his hands. The pills scattered as the bottle slid across the floor.
“Oops!” said Jennifer as she picked up the empty bottle and started gathering up the pills. “Sorry, Elizabeth.”
“No problem,” said Elizabeth kneeling down to help. “You’re working today?”
“No, I came to find you,” she whispered. “I need to speak with you about something, in private.”
Jennifer added the last of the pills to the bottle and stood up. She cleared her throat and asked, “Carter, could we use your office for a few minutes?”
“Sure. I’m supposed to be meeting Imperiale in his office to go over my schedule. Take your time,” he said, unlocking the door.
“I spoke to Will this morning,” started Jen. “He sounds on top of the world. He and Stanley are going to pick me up here in a bit. We were thinking about having lunch, then going for a sail.”
“What’s up, Jen?” asked Elizabeth as she closed the door to Carter’s office.
“Let me make a quick call first,” said Jennifer, picking up the phone and dialing.
“Charles? It’s Jen. Would you mind meeting for your coffee break at the hospital instead of the Espresso Pump? I know the coffee isn’t nearly as good, but something came up. Really? Great! How about I meet you in ten minutes outside of the emergency room.”
“Who’s Charles?” asked Elizabeth, curiously.
“A new friend,” said Jennifer with a shrug. “Look, we probably don’t have much time. I have to show you something,” she said as she walked around Carter’s desk and turned on the computer. As the computer booted up Jennifer surreptitiously tossed the bottle of pills into the trashcan underneath Carter’s desk.
“What you want to show me is on the computer?” asked Elizabeth.
Jennifer nodded, “It’s an e-mail that Carter sent me around 3:00 a.m. this morning. I- I’m frightened Elizabeth. His behavior has been getting more and more bizarre. And, well, you know that I have a pretty high tolerance for the wacky. He’s spooking me. The day that I went over to his house and told him it was over? He didn’t say anything, not one word. Then I got this,” she finished as she brought up her web-mail account and selected the first message.
From:
[email protected] Date: August 2, 2003 @ 0300 To:
[email protected] Subject: Mine
Jen,
It will never be over. Look at how beautiful we are. You belong to me. See you at midnight.
P
“Sit down and click on the attachment,” directed Jennifer.
Elizabeth sat down in Carter’s chair and opened the attached file, within seconds an image filled the screen.
~
As the clip ended Elizabeth jumped up from the chair, ran into the bathroom, and emptied the contents of her stomach. “I’m alright,” called Jennifer, running in behind her. “It happened a while ago. And, and it wasn’t as bad as it looked.”
Elizabeth’s eyes met Jennifer’s in the mirror before she bent over and took a sip of water to rinse out her mouth. Elizabeth washed her hands, dried them off with a paper towel, and walked out of the bathroom.
“Say something,” said Jennifer.
Elizabeth walked over to the desk and picked up the phone, “I’m calling William.”
Jennifer nodded, resignedly. “He’ll be here shortly, anyways,” she said.
Elizabeth set the phone back down. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and released a sob before walking over to Jennifer and enfolding her in a loving embrace.
They stood like that as Jennifer counted down, looking at the clock on the wall behind Elizabeth. “We probably should get out of here,” said Jennifer. “Write down the URL for my hotmail account. I’ll give you my login ID and password. When Stan and Will get here I’ll say I’m not feeling well and ask Stan to take me home. It’s true. I’m not feeling so hot. Then you can show Will. I don’t want Stanley to see,” finished Jennifer.
Elizabeth nodded. After releasing Jen she walked back around to Carter’s desk and opened the top middle drawer in search of a pen and something to write on. As she stared at the contents of the drawer she froze.
“No pens?” asked Jennifer. “Try the drawer on the left.”
Elizabeth didn’t respond at first. She merely pulled the chair back out and sat down. “You said he was behaving bizarrely,” started Elizabeth. “Did you ever see him taking any drugs?”
“You mean medications?” asked Jennifer, looking perplexed.
“No, I mean street drugs,” said Elizabeth.
“I’m not sure I would know. He seems to drink an awful lot. Why?” asked Jennifer, innocently.
“Because, I’m pretty sure this is cocaine,” said Elizabeth, pointing inside the drawer. “And there are bags of pills here and-” Elizabeth stopped as there was a knock on the door.
“And what?”
“And prescription pads from various doctors on staff here, lots and lots of prescription pads,” finished Elizabeth.
The knock came again, this time more insistent. Jennifer walked over and opened the door, “Good afternoon, Jennifer!” said Dr. Imperiale as he walked into the room. “Carter and I had a meeting.”
“He thought it was in your office,” said Jennifer.
“It was, originally, but he sent me an e-mail early this morning changing it to here,” said Imperiale as he stuck his hands into his lab-coat. “At least we’re getting closer; yesterday he stood me up altogether. I used to be able to set my clock by that boy,” he finished shaking his head.
“Vince,” said Elizabeth. “I think we have a problem.”
“What do you mean?”
Elizabeth motioned him over and pointed to the contents of the drawer. “Shit!” said Imperiale as he pulled out first the bag of white powder, then the pills, and then the prescription pads. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”
“Yeah,” agreed Elizabeth. “Kind of explains a lot, doesn’t it? It explains his erratic behavior that night at your party, for example? He wasn’t just drunk. He was impulsive, uninhibited, he wasn’t even thinking about getting caught. You said he’s been forgetting things. And- and there’s been some violence,” said Elizabeth, looking over at Jennifer.
“It wasn’t rape,” insisted Jennifer.
“It looked pretty damn close!” Elizabeth countered.
Imperiale looked back and forth between the two. “What happened?” he asked. Elizabeth looked at Jennifer and received a nod. She then leaned across the desk and clicked the play icon once again, allowing the clip to roll. In the few seconds that it took for the film to play out Vince Imperiale’s face went from its normal tone to a pale white, then pink, red and finally, it settled on a deep purple. Imperiale picked up the phone, dialed the operator and said, “Put me through to security.”
Elizabeth and Jennifer exchanged glances. “Mark? It’s Vince Imperiale. I need you to find Dr. Etheridge and bring him to his office. Tell him I’m waiting for him. He’s probably over near my office, so look there
first. What? No, everything is not alright. Just bring him here. I’ll explain then.”
Imperiale hung up the phone and asked, “How did you come to find this?”
“Jennifer asked to speak with me in private. Carter offered his office. She showed me the e-mail from him and the video clip was attached. She was upset and didn’t know what to do. I was looking for a pen and some paper so that I could write down the address and show it to William. That’s when I found the stuff,” concluded Elizabeth.
“Let me step out for a minute to let Charles know I’m running late,” said Jennifer as she opened the door and left the office.
Carter rounded the corner with the security guard and noticed that Jennifer was talking, in hushed tones, to a police officer. As he placed his hand on the doorknob a chill ran through him. He looked back to find that the officer was glaring at him, menacingly. Carter shrugged it off and entered the office.
“What’s up, Vince?” he asked. As he walked in, Jennifer slipped in behind him.
“Mark, wait outside the office. Carter? Would you care to even try to explain this?” asked Imperiale, gesturing to the contents that were piled on top of the desk.
Carter walked over, looked at the pile, shrugged his shoulders and simply said, “Looks like pills, prescription pads, and…I don’t know, maybe cocaine?”
“Care you explain why it was in your desk?” asked Imperiale.
“That was not in my desk,” insisted Carter.
“That’s where I found it,” replied Imperiale, calmly.
“Then somebody put it there,” countered Carter. “It’s not mine.”
“Don’t you keep your office locked?” asked Imperiale.
“They were in here,” said Carter becoming agitated as he, pointed back and forth between Jennifer and Elizabeth.
“Paranoia,” whispered Elizabeth to Vince.
“I am not paranoid!” said Carter. “Something funny is going on here. You people are setting me up!”
“Carter? Calm down. I’m going to ask you for a blood sample. If you haven’t been using, then there is nothing to worry about. Right?” asked Imperiale.
“Right!” agreed Carter. “Let’s get this over with!”
Imperiale picked up the phone and paged Conner. “Come to Carter’s office,” he told him when he called in. “Come prepared to do a stat blood draw. We’re screening for cocaine.”
“This is ridiculous!” snarled Carter as he pulled off his lab coat, rolled it into a ball, and threw it onto the sofa.
“Why don’t you have a seat,” suggested Imperiale as he grabbed the coat hanger off of the back of Carter’s door and handed it to him. Carter walked over to the sofa and picked up his coat. As he began to straighten it out they all heard something fall to the floor, it was a small glass vial, a vial containing a white powdery substance. All four of them watched, in rapt attention, as it rolled across the floor and stopped at Imperiale’s feet.
“I suppose that’s not yours either?” asked Imperiale, dryly.
“No,” said Carter, gritting his teeth, “it’s not.”
Conner knocked, and entered the office. He scanned the room, his eyes settling on Imperiale who gestured over to Carter.
“Carter?” he said, as he pulled the paraphernalia out of his pocket.
Carter leaned on his desk, rolled up his sleeve, and confidently extending his arm said, “You’re not going to find anything, because there is nothing to find.”
Conner swiped an alcohol wipe across the inside of Carter’s elbow, then placed a tourniquet around his upper arm to apply pressure and restrict the blood flow through the vein. He deftly inserted a needle into the vein and watched as the blood collected in an airtight vial. Conner removed the tourniquet, pulled out the needle, placed a cotton pad over the puncture site, then looked at Imperiale for instructions. “Walk it up to the lab personally. Have them run it right away. You stay there and watch. Then you bring me the results.”
“Yes, sir,” said Conner, solemnly.
The silence in the room was interrupted by Elizabeth cell going off. “Hello?” she answered.
“What are you wearing?” asked William.
“This isn’t a good time,” whispered Elizabeth.
“Oh, Sorry. Punish me later?” teased William. “Stanley and I are on our way to the hospital to join you and Jennifer for lunch. We’re running a little ahead of schedule, it she there yet?”
“Yeah, we’re in Carter’s office. We’ll meet you in a bit outside of the emergency room,” said Elizabeth adding, “I love you, too,” before hanging up.
Carter looked over at her, understanding dawning on him, “He put you up to this! Didn’t he?”
“What?” asked Elizabeth.
“It’s all some elaborate cover, Vince. He’s really, like, in the mob or something. Something drug related. I’m telling you!” said Carter, adamantly.
“Who’s in the mob, Carter?” asked Imperiale.
“Carlton,” said Carter.
Imperiale raised his eyebrows and said, “William Carlton, my daughter’s wedding consultant, is in the mob? Are you even listening to yourself?”
“I’m telling you Vince-” Carter started to say before being interrupted by Imperiale holding up his hand.
“Stop. Do us all a favor and just- just stop,” said Imperiale. “You disgust me. You know that? You were a brilliant surgeon. Here you are, throwing it all away.”
They all sat, in silence, listening to the clock tick on the wall. Just as Carter was about to say something there was a quick knock on the door and Conner entered. He slipped inside, looked directly at Imperiale
and said, “It was positive.”
“Liar!” yelled Carter as he lunged for Conner. Imperiale stepped in quickly, inserting himself between Carter and Conner.
“Get a hold of yourself,” said Imperiale, calmly. “You don’t need for things to get worse.”
“Yes, Carter, calm down,” added Elizabeth from across the room.
“And you!” yelled Carter as he swung around to face her. “You’re nothing but his whore! Doing his bidding. Why are you doing this to me?”
“I’ve done nothing to you, Carter. It’s the drugs. They’re making you paranoid,” said Elizabeth attempting to appeal to his rational side.
William and Stanley walked into the hospital and headed towards the emergency room. “Well, if it isn’t Officer Woods!” exclaimed Stan as he rounded the corner and spotted Charles Woods leaning against a wall. “What brings you here?”
“Actually,” said Woods, “I stopped by to take a quick coffee break. Was going to visit a bit with Jen. She said she’d only be a second, but that was like twenty minutes ago. She’s in there,” he said, nodding towards the door. “I didn’t just want to abandon her without an explanation, but I need to get back. Will you tell her we’ll have to reschedule?”
“Sure!” said Stanley, shaking his hand. “It was nice seeing you again.”
Just then they heard it, Carter yelling, “I’m not paranoid! You people are all out to get me!” Then there was a scream.
“That’s Elizabeth,” said William alarmed as he ran for the door. When he opened the door he saw that Jennifer, Conner, and Imperiale all stood close to the entrance. Carter had crossed over to the other side of the room and was standing threateningly in front of Elizabeth. Her back was to the wall and he had his hands placed on either side of her head, blocking her escape. “Confess!” he screamed, his face red with rage. “Confess!”
“Let. Her. Go,” said William calmly.
“This is all your doing!” Carter yelled as he released Elizabeth and charged at William.
“Mark! Call a code!” yelled Imperiale as he, Stanley and Woods simultaneously moved to restrain Carter.
“Code Green, Emergency entry. Code Green, Emergency entry,” could be heard overhead. Jennifer quietly stepped outside of the office and waited. As the code team from the psychiatric unit entered the hallway she calmly directed them to Carter’s office and she watched as they injected him with Haldol and Ativan, placed him in 4-point restraints and strapped him to a gurney.
“You’re all in this together aren’t you?” he accused, looking frantically from one face to anther. “He threatened to kill me!” he screamed, when his eyes settled on Stanley. “He broke into my house! I was naked! He pushed me up against the wall and- and-” he trailed off as they began to push the gurney out the office door towards the elevator.
Diggs happened to be standing in the hallway with his girlfriend Lorraine, who had just checked out of the hospital. They two of them were thanking Charlie for all of her help. As the gurney wheeled past them, Carter lifted his head up and shouted, “You put drugs in my food last night? Didn’t you? You bastard!”
He then noticed Walter, standing against the wall, holding the same bouquet of flowers, “And you! You planted that shit on me! Vince! Vince! You’ve got to help me Vince!” Carter’s screams were cut off as the elevator doors closed.
Imperiale walked over to Al, the nurse who had taken charge of the code, “Get me the 72-hour hold forms. I’m placing him on a 5150-involuntary commitment. Move him to a seclusion room and page McDaniel. We’ll want to transfer him to another facility as soon as he’s stabilized. The medications should kick in quickly. We can move him by ambulance. I don’t want him here. He wouldn’t want folks to see him like this either.”
“Where do you want to transfer him to?” asked Al.
“Someplace far away, I’d wager. Conner? Get me the number for the California Medical Board’s Physician Diversion Program,” asked Imperiale.
Minutes later Al returned and handed Imperiale the hold papers. Imperiale quickly filled them out, then he requested that Al complete the patient advisement. Imperiale exhaled deeply, suddenly exhausted. Conner returned, minutes later, with the telephone number. “I’ll be in my office,” said Imperiale, sadly, as he accepted the scrap of paper with telephone number on it.
“Right,” said Conner, nodding. “Vince? Did you notice, there at the end, how he was incorporating everyone into his delusion? Do you think he’s going to be okay?”
“Not for a long time, son. Not for a very long time. Best-case scenario? He’s going to be looking at six months of aggressive treatment and three to five years of careful monitoring by the board,” answered Imperiale.
“Will he still be able to practice medicine?” asked Conner.
“Not here,” said Imperiale before walking away. “That’s for damned sure.”
“Who the hell would hire him after this?” Conner wondered out loud.
“The Peace Corps,” answered Jennifer walking over to stand by Conner’s side. “He’s going to hate the weather in Botswana,” she murmured, a little regretfully. “But, then again, adversity does build character! Does it not?”
William walked over towards his sister and extended his hand. Jennifer reached for it and was pulled into a comforting hug. William leaned down and discreetly whispered, “It’s over?”
“Yes,” she said, quietly, “It’s over.” Jennifer left his embrace, walked over to Elizabeth, took her hand, and led her back to William. She then gently placed Elizabeth’s hand in his. After a moment, Jennifer leaned towards them, kissing each of them on the cheek. As she pulled away Jen released a contented sigh, leaned her head back and spread her arms open wide, “Oh! Isn’t life glorious? I just love it when things work out! We have nothing to do now but…. live our dreams.”
Jennifer spun around, laughing for a few seconds, then stopped abruptly, in front of Stanley. “Come along, Stan! Let’s give the love birds some privacy,” she said, smiling sweetly at him before turning away and gliding back down the hallway towards the exit. As they watched, Jennifer proceeded down the corridor humming a soft tune and gently running the fingertips of one hand along the wall.
Epilogue
Elizabeth stood alone in the entry of the church, butterflies swarming in her stomach. There had been no rehearsals. They’d promised one another they would keep the ceremony simple and they had. She was wearing her hair down, in loose waves, like she usually wore it. Her make-up was simple and in her hand she held a petite nosegay of red roses. Her only extravagance was the dress. She spun around, letting the skirt flare out and then nervously smoothed the white chiffon. The knee-length dress was fitted through the waist with a delicately layered skirt that appeared to float as she moved. The dressmaker who had made it required multiple fittings, including a last minute one this morning, but it had all been worth it. It was exquisite and she had never felt so beautiful.
She heard the opening bars of Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Op.43. As it began to play she closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. Then the altar servers opened the doors leading to the sanctuary. There, standing at the end of the aisle was William. Her William. He was wearing the same black tuxedo that he’d worn to Imperiale’s party. But the expression on his face was one that she’d never seen before. He appeared completely enraptured as he watched her walk slowly towards him.
There were no lights on in the church, but the glow that suffused Elizabeth’s face was one that William would never forget. The only other illumination came from the hundreds of candles lining the altar and the aisle, a nod to that night in London, when Elizabeth had first told him she loved him.
As Elizabeth reached the end of the aisle William took the bouquet from her, laid it on the steps of the altar, and softly kissed both of her hands. They climbed the alter steps together and stood before Father Clavin.
Few people had been invited to the ceremony. They’d kept the guest list limited to close friends, and family. The decision to invite Daria and Aidan had been hotly debated with William finally relenting and sending them an invitation. Quentin had come and insisted on arranging the couple’s brief honeymoon. Conner and Charlie were present as were Samantha and Marsha, Alan and Raven, and Jennifer and Stanley.
“Over the past few weeks,” began Father Clavin, “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with William and Elizabeth. I have gotten to know them as individuals, and as a couple. They come before you, today, for what they hope to be a simple celebration, a celebration of their love, and a celebration of life.”
“William and Elizabeth, this blessing I give to you.” The Priest continued, “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.”
"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only on the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight."
"William,” asked Father Clavin, “will you take Elizabeth here present, for your lawful wife according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"
"I will," responded William as he looked into Elizabeth’s eyes and smiled. Father Clavin handed him Elizabeth’s ring. William took her hand in his and repeated, “I, William, take you Elizabeth, for my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. With this ring I thee wed, and pledge thee my troth."
William slipped the wedding band onto Elizabeth’s finger and looked up at her. Elizabeth smiled and looking into William’s eyes said, "I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
She then turned towards Father Clavin as he asked her, "Elizabeth, will you take William here present, for your lawful husband according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"
"I will," responded Elizabeth accepting William’s wedding band from the Priest. As she slipped the band on William’s hand she repeated, “I, Elizabeth, take you William, for my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. With this ring I thee wed, and pledge thee my troth."
"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” said William as he stepped closer to his bride, holding both of her hands in his and lifting them to his heart.
“You may now exchange a kiss,” announced the priest as he clapped his hands together.
William wasted no time. He wrapped one arm around her waist, placed his other around her back and bent over her, dipping her slightly back he crushed his lips passionately to hers. “I love you,” he whispered softly as he pulled away and gazed into her eyes. “You are so…mine.”
“Always and forever?” she asked, smiling up at him.
“As You Wish,” he answered before leaning down to kiss his wife once again.
The End
Lara has been writing for a little over three years. Her background in the medical and specifically the psychiatric field often allows her to bring a unique perspective to her characters and stories. Lara aptly spins rich tales, weaves together interesting plots and engages our interest. She is very excited to be amongst Linden Bay’s team of authors and would love to hear from you:
[email protected]
Other works by Lara Williams:
In the Still of the Night It begins with a chance meeting on a train. Psychiatrist Wesley Atherton meets the woman of his dreams, but when the train derails, a series of events are set in motion that has Wes racing against Death itself in order to save his new love, Katherine. Confronted by the unimaginable, Wes struggles to hold onto his own sanity as the couple fight against the dark force that endangers them and all those they hold dear.
Wes and Katherine quickly realize that it's a fine line between madness and mysticism, and between what's normal and what we don't understand. And it's a line they must cross to win.
Lara Williams weaves an intricate tale of love threatened by ultimate evil. In the Still of the Night delivers a knock-out punch that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you begging for more.
This is a publication of Linden Bay Romance www.lindenbayromance.com