Glass Towers: Surrendered

by Adler

  I hear a soft knock at my door and open it to find Clarke standing in front of me with a somber look on her face. I am alarmed, as she is usually so perky.

  “What is it Clarke?”

  “Is the mogul here?” She peers into the room looking for Harrison.

  “No, he said he had some groom things he needs to take care of.” I roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders. “He should be back pretty soon, though. What do you need him for?”

  She is shaking her head. “Oh, no I don’t need him. I want to talk to you without him around. I finally shook your mom, but I don’t know how much time we have before she tracks me down again. Seriously, I love her but she has been clinging to me the last couple days. I think it’s her nerves or something.”

  I giggle, “Sorry honey! I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She is making me a little crazy too! Every time a wedding present delivery shows up, she whips out her notepad to make notes of when it arrived and the description. I am not sure what she is doing that for, but it keeps her busy, I guess.”

  “So, I heard from Bradley this morning.” She says with her back to me, as she heads over to a seat by the fireplace. I walk over and sit on the sofa next to her.

  “Ok…and?” My stomach does a flip-flop.

  “Well, he wanted me to relay a message to you.”

  “Is it something that is going to upset me? Why did you agree to speak with him anyway?”

  She sighs, “It’s just pathetic actually. He texted me and asked me to wish you luck tomorrow. He said that he is sorry for everything and that he is moving back to Spokane, so you don’t have to worry about seeing him.”

  I grunt, “Pfft. You are right! He is pathetic. At least he is smart enough to get the hell out of town. I hope I never see him again. You can relay a message back to him; tell him I said for him to go to hell!”

  “Are you sure you want me to do that because I would so love to tell him that myself. I deleted him out of my phone, but he still has my number. I will figure out a way to block him before I send that last message.”

  “You know, on second thought, Don’t send that message. Despite the low-life shit he has pulled, he did come forward at the risk of receiving Harrison’s wrath to warn us about Marion and her plans. I guess that counts for something.”

  “What? One minute you are sending the guy to play poker with the devil and now you are playing harps and forgiving him. What the fuck, Dani?”

  “Just tell him you relayed the message and that, while I appreciate it, he needs to move on with his life. I am gone from his life for good.”

  “That sounds too soft, not enough oomph.”

  “Ok well, you word it with some impact, but just make sure he understands there is to be zero contact from that point forward.”

  With a sly smile, “I know just what to say,” She types on her phone. “Dani accepts your apology, doesn’t ever want to see you again. Now go get a life and leave us all alone.” Then she hits send.

  “Well, I guess that takes care of him.” She says smugly. “What time are the ladies showing up from the spa for our pampering?”

  “Oh! I completely forgot that we have them coming! I believe they will be here around 2 PM. They are giving us massages, seaweed wraps, and then doing our hair and makeup. We have to be at the church by 5:30 PM for the rehearsal.”

  “Oh good, enough time for a nap, as long as your mom leaves me alone. Garrin is the ever ready bunny, he just keeps going all night long!” With that, she leaves the room.

  I stand there in her wake. That was probably more information that I needed. Shaking my head, I look at the time. Hmm. maybe a nap is in order for me too. I lay down on my bed, hugging Harrison’s pillow to my chest. The smell of his spice market sent wafts into my nose, making me feel high on love. I drift into a delicious afternoon snooze.

  The rehearsal at the old church goes off without any glitches. Now I am just hoping that tomorrow goes as well. We ran through where everyone will stand, what the minister will say to us and the exchange of vows and rings, then the minister will say his prayer and final blessings. It seems a little odd to be doing this all over again, but I know that I will forever be thankful that we did this to include our loved ones.

  We all pile into the two black Hummer limos Harrison seems to prefer and head downtown to a swanky hotel that Mrs. Towers selected for this evening. I figure after a few rounds of the free flowing Towers Vineyard Private Reserve at dinner, the wedding party will most likely give slurred toasts revving up for tomorrow’s festivities.

  Pulling up to the austere hotel, with international flags from Europe flapping in the chilly wind, I am both excited and nervous for the evening. My nerves are simply on edge, I just don’t feel right. I forget about my uneasiness the instant the door opens to the limo and I am hit with an arctic breeze. The wedding party and the ample bodyguards pile out of the limos, We are greeted by a man who introduces himself as the Hotel General Manager. He is welcoming us, while showing us into the warm, ornate lobby.

  A staff of waiters are waiting with trays of champagne. I gratefully take several sips of the tasty bubbles, as we are ushered through the lobby. We escape the stares of other guests into a beautiful private dining room off to the side of the steak house. Our coats are taken and we are seated at three round tables, each seating eight people. I look around the room and notice that the bodyguards are nowhere to be seen. I lean to Harrison, “Where are the guards?”

  “They are stationed outside this room. We should be secure in here.” He leans over and kisses my forehead.

  I look around the opulent room lit up by flickering candles on each table and chandeliers dripping with crystals. Everyone looks amazing in this lighting. I love how the stylists did my hair and makeup. We used this as a trial run for my hair and makeup tomorrow; though, I will wear my hair a little differently for the wedding and reception than tonight. I have my hair pulled back into a loose clip at the back of my head with soft waves throughout. They used a soft brown palette on my eyes, making the green pop, and a nude lined lip with a glossy center. They lined my eyes more than I am used to, but the results are very sultry. I chose to wear a long black, silky jersey knit dress that has a plunging v-neckline and a gold clustered necklace. It is a three quarter sleeve, so I wore a chunky gold cuff bracelet, and I topped it off with a set of large twisted gold hoop earrings. I feel very sexy tonight, and Harrison can hardly keep his eyes off me. But, of course, I can hardly keep my eyes off him either. He is wearing his slate blue, modern fitted suit that has the black piping around the lapel. He has a white button up shirt underneath with a black slim tie and Italian loafers. He smells like a freshly showered man, and I could just devour him now! I look down at his neatly manicured hands and love how the simple platinum ring looks on his finger. I reach down and trace my finger over the metal, feeling how warm it is against his skin. He looks at me intently, leans over, and kisses my neck, sending chills down my spine.

  “I wonder if anyone would miss us if we snuck into the coat room?” I whisper in his ear.

  “Don’t tempt me. By the way, you look ravishing tonight. Too bad we are in separate quarters; otherwise, I would take you in any way I could. I want to rip that dress right off of you and do unspeakable things.” I can hardly hear what he is saying, as he is speaking in a hushed tone. But, I heard enough to feel my sex get wet as hell and my face and chest feel like they are on fire.

  “Honey, are you okay? You look flushed?” Oh mom, now is not the time.

  “Oh Donna, can’t you see the lovebirds need to get a room?” My dad blurts out. Whoa, maybe he should lay off the wine. I think it has already gone to his head.

  I look over at Clarke, who clearly has her own intimate conversation in progress with Garrin. Just as the salads are being delivered, she looks up and catches me looking at her. She fans herself with her hand and then gives her attention back to Garrin.

  The room is buzzing with conversation as smooth jazz music plays soft
ly in the background. At one point, Harrison grabs my hand and kisses it. When I look up, I see Mrs. Towers watching us. I give her a tentative smile, and she gives me the same megawatt smile that Harrison hooked me with. She lifts her glass to me, I do the same to her, and we both take a drink, together, from across the room.

  We are served the main course, consisting of steak and lobster with garlic and ginger mashed potatoes, mushrooms sautéed I a brandy sauce and a vegetable medley of carrots, green beans and pearl onions. The food is delicious, but my stomach has too many butterflies for me to eat. Despite my scarce appetite, I am having a lively conversation with Harrison’s cousin’s wife, Amelia. She is married to the cousin who was married to Marion several years ago. Awkward, to say the very least. I try not to grill her about the Wine Witch, but my thoughts do keep returning to the thought that we are both with men who have Marion as their ex. The irony does not escape me, and I’m sure if we compared notes, it probably occurred to her as well. I found out that she has been married to Harrison’s cousin for just over a year, and are already expecting their second child. A little too fast for my liking.

  Once the dinner dishes are removed, the wait staff begins to serve a dessert of cherries jubilee, Harrison’s favorite dessert. They wheel three carts out, one at each table. Set atop the cart is what appears to be a copper domed lid. When the lid is opened, it reveals the cherries in a flambé pan. They each light their pans and the flames shoot up in a dramatic blaze. Once the liquor burns off, they spoon the delicious cherries over house made vanilla bean ice cream.

  Mr. Towers raises out of his seat and clinks his glass with a spoon, as the excited cheers and applause from the dessert show die down. He picks up his champagne glass and looks around the room. “Does everyone have a fresh glass? I’d like to propose a toast, if everyone could raise their glasses…” He is cut off by a voice coming from behind him.

  “I Don’t have a glass, would a bottle suffice?” The voice is clearly slurring. Mr. Towers turns around quickly, as he steps away from the table to reveal Marion, dressed in a wedding gown and chugging wine straight from the bottle.

  You could probably hear a pin drop at this precise moment. The entire room is silent, I think everyone is holding their breath. I know I am. Harrison makes a move to get up, but Marion yells, “Stay there, or I will doing something crazy.”

  “Shit, like you aren’t already!” Clarke blurts out. Garrin is now on his feet along with men from other tables. Marion takes another swig of her wine, and then looks straight at me and points. Her face is askew, “You! Because of you, my life is ruined! Harrison belongs to me not you. YOU STOLD HIM FROM ME AND I WANT HIM RETURNED…..NOW!!! She is screaming this at the top of her lungs, with veins sticking out in her forehead and neck. As she throws her head back and takes another swig of her wine, I hone in on the dress she is wearing. I cannot believe my eyes, it’s MY dress.

  As if Clarke and I had a mind meld, she seemed to notice it at the same time. “Hey wait! That woman is wearing your dress, Dani!”

  “That’s right and I plan to walk down the aisle with it on tomorrow at MY wedding.” She grabs a stray steak knife from the table near Mrs. Towers. I hear several gasps as she shouts, “I said stay back!” Once again, her veins are popping out of her forehead, and she is waving the steak knife around as if to underline her command.

  I am standing next to Harrison. I can feel that he is about ready to pounce, but he holds back, as she is standing way too close to his mother for all of our comfort with that knife.

  “What do you want Marion?”

  She laughs in a hideous cackle, “Isn’t it obvious? I want you my darling. It’s not fair that you married that tramp after all that I have done for you. Don’t you remember when we were kids you promised you would marry me when we grew up?”

  “Come on Marion, we were kids. If you remember, I was also going to run for Prime Minister. Now, put the knife down and let’s talk like civilized adults.” Just as he said that, Lance comes barging into the room, which sends Marion into a tizzy.

  “Get him out of here, or so help me I will use this!” She is now holding the knife to the side of Mrs. Towers’ neck.”

  In a calm and soothing voice, Harrison holds his hand out, “You don’t want to do that Marion. Your mother would be very cross with you if you hurt her best friend.”

  Marion spats at the floor, and then with a crazed look in her eye, “Fuck my mother. I could care less what she thinks. Besides, I didn’t come for sweet Yvonne, I came for that slut.” She points the knife right at me. She then lowers the knife and starts to cut at the dress with the serrated edge.

  I steal a quick glance over at Clarke and Garrin. He is slowly moving toward the Towers’ table when she looks up from the shreds. “Stay put Garrin. You think this family is going to accept the handsome bastard son? Think again! You will never measure up, so don’t bother trying to be the hero.” She cackles.

  Mr. Towers turns quickly to grab the knife out of Marion’s hand when she jabs at him and cuts his finger. He yells out in pain, but keeps grabbing for the knife. “Stop Mr. Towers, this does not concern you. You better back off, or I will hurt your precious wife and the slut your stupid son married.”

  While I am transfixed on this crazed madwoman, it occurs to me so is everyone else. Nobody can do anything. It is as if we have to let this play itself out. My mother looks as if she might pass out. My dad is strategizing on how to get to her. I am surprise that the guards haven’t storm trooped the room from the other entries. I am guessing they are ready to pounce once they can do it without one of us being harmed.

  Marion turns back to our table and fixes her sights on her ex-husband and Amelia. “Oh, look another slut who has wormed her way into the Towers family. Did you get yourself knocked up to trap him? He was a lousy lay and not as ambitious as my man anyway. You can have him.” She turns her attention back to Harrison, giving him a drunken lick of her lips. My God, this woman does deserve to be locked up. She shakes herself and then looks at me.

  “Stand up, skank. Who would have thought we would wear the same size in a dress. I have to thank you, I burned my last dress, but this will serve as a fine replacement. Imagine my delight when the old key I used to enter through the servants entrance at the old Towers estate allowed me access to this wedding finery. Now, all I need is my groom, and I will be on my way.”

  “Enough, Marion. We have allowed you to ruin our evening far too long. What the hell do you think you are doing wearing my wife’s wedding dress and coming here drunk, wielding a knife a my mother. Do you think after all that I will want you?”

  She stops picking at the crystals on the bodice and looks up at Harrison, who has managed to take a few steps away from our table without her noticing.

  “Do you? Do you want me now that you see what a beautiful bride I make? See. I can be the demure bride too.” She take her hands and cups them under her chin while batting her eyelashes.

  I hear Clarke hiss from the other side of our table, “She is bat shit crazy! Why is everyone just sitting here doing nothing? She is one damned person, and there are twenty four of us! Get her!” She points to Marion as the entire room starts to roar. Marion realizes that she is outnumbered. As she waves the knife through the air clearing a path to our table, I feel Harrison moving to shield me.

  I have had enough. This woman is going down. I am sick of being her victim and the dark cloud that she has put over my head for the last six months. I will not take this anymore, she had me marked for dead, and I will not let her take anymore of my life away from me.

  I push past Harrison, and with a burst of adrenalin, I lunge forward and snatch the steak knife out of her hand. The collective gasp was palpable and it urged me on.

  “You have had your say. Now is your turn to listen to me!”

  She spats at me and screams. “Like hell I will, you home wrecking tramp! You wouldn’t even be here if that damned asshole had finished the job in the woods.” She laughs,
“I mean what a complete idiot, all he had to do was give you one more blow to the head and your pretty little face would be six feet under by now!” She continues to confess her atrocities toward me in a sickening ramble, but I stop listening.

  At that point, all the commotion behind me has become a blur and everything is now in slow motion. I feel as if I am in a horror movie. All I can focus on is this wicked sicko standing before me. I am ready to unleash.

  I take the knife and hold it up to her. She stops; everyone stops.

  I hear people hollering my name and the sounds of sirens getting close, but it all becomes silent as the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat in my ears.

  With my face less than a foot away from hers, “You are wrong Marion, I did win, Harrison is mine. Now back off bitch!”

  I step back and lower the knife. Just as I do, she dumps the rest of the red wine from the bottle she was holding all over the front of my wedding dress.

  She cackles in my face. I gasp. And then I slap her hard.

  The doors throw open and police storm the room, putting her in handcuffs and taking her out, while she continues spewing all kinds of venom.

  I look up at Harrison as he slowly takes the knife from my hand and sets it on the table.

  “Is it over? Is she gone, are they hauling her away?”

  He has his arms around me now, and I feel safe in his embrace. I finally feel safe.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The clock says midnight, and I can’t sleep. It’s the night before our family ceremony, and you would think that I wouldn’t have butterflies, since we are already married. What an adventure the last few months have been! I grab a glass of water from the bathroom. Oh, Shit! I completely forgot to give Harrison the coin from Simone’s mother to carry in his pocket tomorrow for good luck. I am just dying not being able to sleep with Harrison, or even lay next to him the night before our wedding. We are already married; it is odd not having him by my side. I really will not get a restful night of sleep alone.