One afternoon when Janie and Elizabeth were visiting Elsie, the girls talked Elsie into showing them some of her designs. The girls fell completely in love with Elsie’s clothes and they finally persuaded her to let them buy some of her dresses, including the ones they all are wearing tonight.
The production company had also sent Mabhe over when Elsie was ready, to check on her and to bring her a gift basket with all of her favorite things. Rachelle Lefevre had asked Mabhe to pick up some pieces that Elsie had chosen for her from her collection. The company assured her that when she’s ready to come back to work, the job would be waiting for her.
“You ready, El?” Janie asks her softly.
“Yeah, let’s do this,” Elsie says taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders.
The girls know their table is in front of the stage so they make their way through the steadily filling room. They’ll be sitting at Marco’s table with Elizabeth, he’s the host of the function, so everyone who passes on that stage will have no problem seeing them. Especially John.
The thought makes Elsie’s stomach flip-flop with nerves, as she takes her seat next to Elizabeth. Janie and Elizabeth have put Elsie between them, as more of an act of protection and comfort than anything else. This is Elsie’s first big night out since the attack, and even though the therapist and Elsie felt she was ready, no one, not even Elsie, knows how she’s going to react to being in a room full of people.
Elsie has kept herself locked up these past months, not going out in public, unable to work, and it was only recently that she started doing her own shopping and going out for walks alone. Tonight is a huge step for her.
“Hi! You made it before it started,” Elizabeth greets Elsie and Janie excitedly as they take their seats at the table with her.
“Of course we did, you’re the one who’s always late,” Janie tells her as she scans the room looking for familiar faces.
“Not anymore, huh, Lizzie girl, bet he’d give you a nice spanking,” Elsie teases Elizabeth.
“You got that right, and not the fun kind either,” Elizabeth says rolling her eyes.
“Alright, you two shut-up. I don’t need to hear about all of your kinky fuckery, Liz. It’s bad enough I have to go months without it, even with a boyfriend,” Janie grumbles.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t thought about it for months,” Elsie mumbles under her breath.
The two other women look at their friend compassionately. They each take one of her hands in a show of support.
“Maybe tonight’s gonna change all of that, Elsie, you’ve come so far so fast,” Elizabeth tells her.
“Yeah, Kiddo, you are an incredibly, strong woman. If you want John back, I know he’ll come back to you in a heartbeat,” Janie says squeezing Elsie’s hand.
“Alright, no water works tonight. Let’s just watch this meat show spectacle,” Elsie grunts out through the lump in her throat, fighting to keep the tears from falling.
The lights begin to dim and the crowd of women filling the room goes quiet, as everyone takes their seats.
The editor-in-chief of Wilma, a prominent local women’s magazine, takes the stage.
“Welcome,” her cheerful southern drawl pours out over the loudspeakers. “Thank you so much for joining us for the first annual Bid-A-Date charity auction, the proceeds going to…,”
Elsie’s eyes begin to search the dark for a familiar silhouette, a big, powerful, and dominatingly sexy form of a man. Her heart is racing and she’s starting to sweat despite the cold night air.
What if he never wants to talk to me again? Alarms begin to rise in her. No, I don’t care, even if he doesn’t want me, I know he’ll give me a chance to explain. He’s a good man.
Resigning herself to the very real possibility that John won’t want to have anything to do with her, Elsie tries to convince herself that if she can just explain, that will be enough for her. Which is total bullshit.
Can she take it if he rejects her? Does she want to find out?
Elsie starts to panic. She pushes her chair back from the table. Janie grabs her arm.
“It’s ok,” Janie whispers to her with a ghost of a smile on her face.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the very debonair, very successful, and may I say very attractive, Mr. Marco Kastanopoulis?”
Elsie freezes as the lights go up.
There he is. John. Standing in line with the rest of the men up for auction tonight. Brian is right next to him. And Rico too.
Elsie can’t move. The whole world has been sucked in like a vacuum, only John is in her vision, the only thing she can see. And his eyes are on her too. Everything has stopped, no sound, no other movement, nothing except them.
There’s a flicker of something in his eyes. Is it hope? Relief? Desire? Anger?
Elsie’s hands are clutching the side of the table, her eyes are fixed on him like a deer mesmerized in bright headlights, and she lets go of the deep breath she’s been holding.
God, he’s so beautiful, so perfect, so much leaner, not thinner but more chiseled. He looks more solid than he did before too, is that even possible?
“…everyone will have an opportunity to bid on a date with these lucky gentlemen,” Marco explains, as his voice fills the room.
He begins to introduce the men, each in their respective uniforms and official attire. John and Brian are in their military fatigue pants and their government-issued green t-shirts with combat boots. They’re both sexy as sin, but John, John has Elsie’s heart. It’s gripped firmly in his hand, and it’s up to him now whether he’s going to crush it, then throw it on the floor, and step on it, mashing it in the ground with the bottom of his boot. Or will he caress it lovingly and bring it back to life.
The bidding begins. Women go back and forth for the best looking men. Rico’s bids went as high as $300. Brian’s went as high as $500. There was an audible ‘aw’ when the bidding stopped, the war going back and forth fighting for the date with him was exciting.
John’s up next. Elsie is a nervous wreck. She can’t stand the thought of another woman going out with the man that she loves. He belongs to her, dammit, and she’ll be damned if she’s gonna let that happen.
“John Wolfe, decorated Marine, MMA fighter and all around good guy. Can we start the bidding at $100,” Marco suggests.
There’s a gleam in Marco’s eye, as he turns to look at John with a smirk curving the corner of his mouth. It appears he’s enjoying making a spectacle out of John and is going to milk it for all it’s worth.
John is fully aware of what Marco’s up to, he sees his mocking look and raises it with a daring glare.
Elsie’s waiting to see how the bidding is going to go. Janie and Elizabeth steal glances at her trying to gauge what she’s thinking and feeling. Their looks are puzzled.
“We are up to $500 ladies. It seems like Mr. Wolfe is a hot commodity, do we have $550?” Marco continues.
Elsie raises her hand.
“$1,000,” she says evenly.
Marco, Janie, Elizabeth, and even John, look at her stunned.
Elsie smiles triumphantly.
“$1,500,” calls a female voice from the back.
The crowd does a collective neck turn towards the voice, followed by a wave of whispers.
“The lady in the back bids $1,500,” Marco says disbelievingly.
A hush falls over the room.
Elsie chews on her lip, wondering what to do now.
A pregnant moment passes as everyone waits for a new bid.
Marco points to Elsie.
“The lady in the beautiful red dress in the front, $5,000 for a night with Mr. Wolfe, going once, going twice, sold to the lady in red!”
A loud ruckus ripples through the room as Elsie sits transfixed to her seat.
What the hell just happened? Elsie thinks, lost, her mouth hanging open.
Elsie’s eyes shift to John. His face is expressionless as he winks at her.
Why that naugh
ty little boy, he had this whole thing planned, Elsie thinks, narrowing her eyes at him and smiling.
Elizabeth and Janie fall against the backs of their chairs, each sighing in relief.
“Holy shit, that was so freakin’ cool,” Janie exclaims.
“I know, right,” Elizabeth chuckles.
“Just wait ‘til I get my hands on him,” Elsie says, shaking her head slowly.
“I think that’s exactly what he’s counting on, El,” Janie laughs.
*
The auction was a huge success. Marco did a wonderful job hosting, always ensuring the crowd was thoroughly entertained. Now that the bidding is over, he’s finally free to join Elizabeth at their table.
“You two totally had that planned, didn’t you?” Elsie accuses him when he sits down.
“That’s something you’re going to have to talk to John about, but I don’t think you’ll have long to wait,” Marco answers, laughing and looking out into the crowd.
Elsie turns to see what he’s looking at. John, Brian, and Rico are all moving stealthily towards their table. There’s a momentary glimmer of amusement in John’s eyes, and Brian has a shit-eating grin on his face, while Rico finally looks relaxed amongst everyone.
Rico is the first one to reach Elsie,
“Hey Elsie, how are you? You look fantastic,” Rico says, giving Elsie a big hug.
“I’m great, thanks. How’ve you been? Sorry I haven’t called in a while. You know…,” Elsie says, a little embarrassed, shrugging her shoulders.
“No, don’t be. Like they say, no news is good news. It’s just really good to see you,” Rico says, sincerely happy to see his friend.
Brian is standing behind him, shuffling back and forth from one foot to the next, impatiently waiting his turn.
Rico finally steps aside and Brian swoops in, taking Elsie in his arms and spinning her around.
“Jesus, Elsie, it’s so fucking good to see you, Baby Girl!” Brian yells, squeezing her tightly.
Elsie laughs, hugging him back hard. Brian’s like a ray of sunshine, shining brightly.
“It’s good to see you too, Brian. And, again, thanks so much for the flowers…and all of your emails and chats, they really helped.”
No one had known about their communications. She’d made Brian promise that he wouldn’t tell anyone. But it was her little place she allowed herself to feel an inkling of affection. Brian’s easy-going personality was a balm to Elsie’s aching soul at those moments, one that she allowed herself to indulge in only every so often. And it really helped her.
“I wish I could have done it all in person, but you’re here now, and that’s all that matters…,” his smile is so big it feels like it’s going to split his face.
“I see you’re still breaking the women’s hearts,” Elsie teases him. The genuineness that Brian exudes warms Elsie to her core.
“Well, it’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it,” he says, setting her down gently and giving her a sly wink.
“Behave yourself, Brian,” Elsie laughs.
Brian steps aside.
John is standing there, waiting.
Time has frozen, the past few months no longer exist, it’s just John and Elsie, here, now, together.
No one knows that the entire world has just shifted off its axis, and that time no longer exists.
“Hi, Angel,” John greets her quietly, his endearing name for her is like sweet music to her ears.
John is the fire that ignites her and brings her back to life.
She looks so fucking perfect, so beautiful. Her hair’s longer, and I can tell she’s nervous, but she’s more relaxed. She’s come out the other side and is more…everything, John thinks, devouring every inch of Elsie with his eyes.
He’s not hiding what he’s feeling for her, there’s no reason to. She proved that she wanted him by bidding. When he saw his collar wrapped around the porcelain column of her neck, his heart stopped. She belongs to him, she always, and always will.
He’s not going to lose her again, by keeping his feelings to himself. She could run if he does, thinking he doesn’t want her.
His adoration for this strong little woman is bright enough to light up the room.
“Hi, Mountain Man,” Elsie says almost breathlessly. The mere sight of him breathes hope and love into her.
John takes a step towards her.
She lifts her face to him.
That is all the invitation he needs. John slips one big hand behind Elsie’s neck, tilting her face towards his, and pulling her close with the other one, wrapping it all the way around her small waist, and kisses her. This hungry possessive kiss has waited for months, simmering, the need growing while time gave them the opportunity to come back together. This is a kiss that you long for your entire life, and if you’re lucky, once, just once, you’ll get it.
Their lips separate and John touches his forehead to Elsie’s as their breaths dance together, their hearts beat against each other, and they relish the feel of each other.
“Hi Mountain Man, have you got any more surprises for me?” Elsie asks him, as she stands on her tip-toes and pulls John’s ear closer to her so she can whisper in it.
John holds Elsie tightly as he leans in closer, so close he feels her warm breath licking his ear.
“Maybe one with the crop or my present?” she whispers quietly so no one can hear her but him.
Hope, desire, passion, and love burst within John, “Anything for you, Angel. I’ve got so many surprises planned for you, every day for the rest of your life, I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers to her. There are so many promises in the words they’ve shared. And they’re everything both of them have been waiting for.
They have gone through the fires of hell together, and are stronger and more in love than they were before.
“Let’s get a bottle of champagne,” Marco says.
“Make it two,” Brian adds in.
Everybody takes a seat, Janie shifts down one seat, to make room for John to sit next to Elsie.
Elsie starts the conversation.
“How are things going with the case, Rico?” Elsie asks.
All eyes turn to her. No one was expecting the topic of the attack to come up tonight.
She shrugs her shoulders.
“I haven’t talked to him in a while, and I know you guys want to know as well,” Elsie begins. “I’m fine, really.”
Rico takes a deep breath as he leans back and crosses a leg over a knee.
“Well, now that we’ve got convictions on everyone I can talk about it. And just for the record,” he scans each face at the table, “I’m not the total dickhead I made myself out to be.” He pauses, “Just half,” he laughs.
This lightens the mood at the table a bit, which makes everyone feel more comfortable talking about the night Elsie got attacked.
“As it turns out, Bambi was dealing heroin. I’d been watching her at the gym, so I ran a few checks on her. Things were not adding up on how she was supporting her expensive lifestyle. So, I became friendly with her,” Rico rolls his eyes.
“But she wasn’t the street guy,” John adds in.
“That is correct. Her cousin was, the one that worked on the set with Elsie, he was also at the exhibition fights in Myrtle Beach. He had the degenerate running for him, Elsie’s attacker,” Rico’s tone has gone into formal mode.
“It turns out, according to testimony, Bambi had asked the two men to pay Elsie a little visit on set, to shake her up a little. Apparently out of jealousy. But all three testimonies confirm that Bambi didn’t order the attack. So the attacker is going down for that alone.”
John has his arm around the back of Elsie’s chair, and draped across her shoulders. He pulls her in closer when he feels her tense under his arm from the conversation. He would give his life to take away all of the pain she’s gone through, to blot out all of the misery she’s endured. But he can’t. All he can do is love her, protect her, and spend the rest of his
life adoring her.
“So, are they all in prison now, Rico?” Elsie asks tightly.
She wants everything out in the open. She’s sick and tired of people walking on egg shells around her, afraid if they say the wrong things, that she’ll snap. But what Elsie wants most of all is for this to be finished and behind her, so she can get on with her life.
“Yes, the convictions came in last week. They’ll be gone for a while,” Rico says looking at Elsie with understanding in his eyes.
“Dude,” Brian begins, laughing and shaking his head, “When it came out you were a detective, I think I can speak for us all when I say, you shocked the shit out of us. We thought you were a lot of things, but never a cop.”
Rico chuckles and lowers his head shaking it.
“Then I did my job, that is exactly how we needed it to be. No one could know what I was doing here. In fact, I’m going to be here a while,” Rico smiles at them.
“And Bro, I’m sorry I was such a dick to you,” Rico continues, turning to John. “You know, man, when you want to be a bad-ass you’ve got to take on the biggest guy. That, unfortunately, was you. Believe me, I was not happy about it. And that pulled Elsie in by default. For that I will forever be sorry. I can’t tell you how many nights my heart broke for this woman and the shit that got thrown in her lap,”
“It’s ok Rico, it’s done and over with, it’s not your fault the bitch was crazy,” Elsie cuts in, not wanting a pity party to start.
The champagne arrives and the rest of night is spent with friends enjoying each other’s company, laughing and joking, without a care in the world.
Just for tonight.
And when the night is over, John takes Elsie home.
Where she belongs.
With him.
The first night of the rest of their lives.
*
Elsie walks silently into the partially filled room. It’s a room like you’d find in the basements of churches, or those big cold empty spaces filled with rows of folding tables, where you can visualize the furls of smoke wafting up into the air from the cigarette smokers playing Bingo.
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