by Deena Remiel
“Yeah, I’m getting water and ice ready for her. She’s gone up to her room for a backpack to carry it.”
“Thanks, man.” He walked over to the elevators and pressed the button to go up. The doors opened immediately and he stepped in. Staring at his feet, he tapped his fingers against his thighs and waited impatiently for the elevator to reach his floor. Can this thing go any slower? The doors opened and he squinted from the bright sunshine washing over the entire hallway. I hope we didn’t pass each other like two ships passing in the night.
He stuck his card in the lock and opened the door. Something wouldn’t let it open all the way. “Hope?” He looked down as he pushed the door open a bit wider. Walking into the foyer, he saw what had blocked the door from moving freely. Hope’s crutches were on the floor. What are they doing there? “Babe, are you all right?” He walked deeper into the suite.
“Your babe is fine. Can’t say the same about the cow on the bed.”
“What the hell? Hope!” He ran straight over to the bed closest to the window. There she laid, unconscious with blood dripping down her temple.
“She took a mighty tumble, poor thing. I guess whacking her with a crutch helped her along a bit, but being built like a heifer, I’m surprised it didn’t take more than one hit to knock her out.”
He turned to find the psycho model from hell sitting naked on the other bed, glaring at him. “Holy shit, Brittany! You’ve gone way too far, you sick, twisted bitch.” He grabbed a pillowcase off a pillow and pressed it to Hope’s head in an effort to staunch the flow.
“No, you have. How could you two-time me with the likes of her? I told you I forgave you for being mean to me the other day. That we could still be together. But you didn’t answer any of my text messages or phone calls. I had to do something to get your attention.” She whipped out a gun and pointed it directly at his chest. “Do I have your attention now, James?”
“Yes, Brittany, you have my attention.” He froze where he stood. “What do you want?”
“I want you to listen to me. I want you to hear the love I have for you in every word I say. And I want you to move away from ‘No Hope’ over there. Come to me, James. She’s going to wake up soon and I want her to see what a couple should look like when they make love. Not like the two of you the other night. I’m sure you agree that our performances were far superior. You agree, right?”
“Of course.” He spoke through gritted teeth.
“Move over to the foot of the bed and take off your clothes. Time for an erotica photo shoot, minus the photo. Shoot to be determined.”
He did as she directed, taking his time undressing, wishing Hope would wake up and provide enough distraction for him to get the gun away from Brittany.
“Lay down on the bed right here.” She patted the empty space beside her, but got up from the bed and moved by Hope. She pointed the gun to her head and he moved quickly to the bed to lie down. “Tell me you want me.”
“I want you.” To die a thousand deaths.
She touched her breasts with her free hand. “Tell me I’m the only one for you.” She reached down between her legs.
“You’re the only one.” Who’s gonna pay for your insanity.
She slunk over to the bed and slithered up his body. His chance to get the upper hand closed in. He felt something cold down below. Son of a bitch, she plans to neuter me!
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for such a long time, James. Kiss me, hard, like you did in our last shoot together.”
As she grabbed his hair with one hand, the other with the gun still resting on the family jewels, he heard Hope stir and moan.
“Oh good, I can hear she’s awake.” She giggled maniacally and called out, “You’re awake for the best part, loser! Watch and learn how real love is made.”
She kissed him hard, nipping his lips and sucking on his tongue, and writhed on top of him like an eel. Thoroughly disgusted, he wanted to puke, but could do nothing as long as the gun stayed trained on his ‘gun’. Suddenly, he heard a shriek and watched as Hope slammed her body into Brittany’s, effectively knocking her off of him. He immediately went for the gun and wrenched it out of her hand. Turning it on her, he took the safety off. Damn it. She had the fucking safety on? I didn’t have to wait to make a move? She scrambled back against the headboard, confusion and rage reddening her face.
“No! It’s not supposed to be like this! You’re supposed to love me! Only me!”
“You’re a sick woman, Brittany, and you need help. Hope, call 911, and find me something to tie her up with, please.”
“Got it.” Hope stumbled about the room until she found some loose lamp wiring for the nighttime shoot.
The next few minutes were a blur as they secured Brittany and covered her naked body. The police were on their way, as well as an ambulance. Hope didn’t feel well and he told her to lie back down on the other bed. Brittany seemed to have lost all reason, mumbling incoherently about destiny and love, Jamie’s name laced throughout her ramblings. He joined Hope and cradled her in his arms. Hard decisions needed to be made. He’d be miserable, but Hope would be safe.
Chapter Eight
A possible overnight stay at the hospital for Hope put Jamie in a very noticeable and quite awful funk. Thank goodness he’d had to leave her for a while to give a statement to the police and tie up loose ends at the hotel. When he returned to find out she had to stay over, his mood sunk from grizzly to brooding. At the moment, he stood looking out the window of her room, seemingly contemplating the fate of the world.
“Hey, Jamie.” He turned, his face etched with weariness and shadowed by a long day. “I’m only here as a precaution, standard procedure and all. I’m feeling much better, and look, I got a designer Sesame Street Band-Aid on my head. I asked for it special. Gotta keep your sense of humor, you know?” He smirked and nodded. “Come here, lovey. You are seriously out of sorts.”
He walked over to her bed, slipped off his shoes, and looking like a forlorn puppy, nestled into her awaiting arms. She stroked his hair, kissed his head, and held him so he’d feel good and safe. She felt him shake and heard him sniff, and knew he was upset. “Sh, sh, shh. Baby, it’s all over. She certainly scared the shit out of us, but she’s gone now and everything’s going to be fine. She can’t hurt us anymore. Shhh.” Her heart ached for this man whose physical beauty and charming personality were both blessing and curse.
“I nearly lost you today, Hope. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you. It’s all my fault. I brought you to the hotel. I should have had you stay home.”
“You couldn’t know she’d be there. Even the police couldn’t track her. No, there’s no second-guessing insanity, honey. But now, she can’t prey on anyone else, thanks to you. So something good’s come out of all of this.”
“Yes, that’s true. But it won’t end, you know. There’ll always be someone else who can’t keep fantasy and reality separate. They’ll go too far just like Brittany did, and one of these days, something much worse could happen.” He snuggled in closer.
She gently raised his head up so he could see her face. “Now you’re generalizing and anticipating the worst, Jamie. You can’t foresee the future, so why paint it so horribly?”
“I’m just tired of it, Hope. I don’t mind being considered an object of desire.” He leaned his elbow on the mattress and his head in his hand. “That’s my business, enticing women to buy books with my pictures on them. But I’m tired of the bullshit I gotta put up with behind the scenes. And I never thought I’d ever put someone I care about at risk because of it. Something has to be done.”
“Before you haul off and make any rash decisions, sleep on it. It’s been a trying few days for us both. Let it be for now. Hey, maybe if we’re really quiet, the nurses won’t notice that you’re still here and you can stay the night.” Grinning wickedly, she raised her eyebrows a couple of times.
“How do you do it?” He laughed and shook his head.
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“How do I do what?”
“How are you able to take the worst situation and turn it into a positive?”
“Well, ever since I tore my foot apart and met you, I’ve been able to see the positive in a lot of things.” She leaned in and kissed him lightly on his lips.
“Well, it’s time for me to put the ‘wuss’ aside and be the man that saved you in the first place.” He wiped the lingering moisture from his eyes with the back of his hand, scooted up further on the bed, and wrapped his arms around her, every inch of his body touching hers. “My turn to comfort you.”
“Mmmm.” She closed her eyes, luxuriating in the feel of his strength, his power, surrounding her like a cloak. “God, you’re just what the doctor ordered. I’ll scream if they kick you out.”
“The door’s closed. Are you well enough to tempt fate?” She felt him harden against her thigh and looked up to find desire burning strong in his eyes.
She pulled his head down to hers and whispered into his mouth, “I thought you’d never ask.” A blazing fire ignited in her belly and spread like the wildfires of California to all the secret places Jamie had found the other day.
Her hospital gown scrunched up easily. His clothing proved the bigger challenge. “I’m feeling all sorts of wicked right now. Just undo your pants and stay under the covers.”
“Man, are we lucky I happened to put a couple condoms in my wallet this morning. I figured we’d have a little fun at the resort after the shoot.”
She giggled like a nervous schoolgirl, but turned into a wanton woman when their lips met and he entered her without so much as a “hello”. She gasped at the intensity of his need blending with hers. The necessity for restraint and the risk of being found out only heightened her explosive response to his touch and to their joining. Climax hit them hard and fast like a bullet train. Jamie consumed her lips as she made an effort to squelch the cry bubbling up from the most primal depths of her. He pulled back and his eyes, a rich golden-amber, sought what? What is he searching for? He looked as though he would speak, but instead he fell to his side and groaned. Hope, replete and exhausted, fell asleep still wondering.
***
He couldn’t sleep a wink. After the nurse had come in to check Hope’s vitals, only to find him resting next to her, she booted him out. Wide awake from his drive home, he could now tell anyone who cared to know, how many wooden slats make up the blinds in his bedroom. Disgusted, he threw the covers aside and walked the entire house. The ferocious romp in her hospital bed had him twitching for more, much more. But he’d been waging a war in his head since finding Brittany in his hotel room with Hope lying unconscious.
He’d fallen hard and fast in love with her. But how could he stay with her? For sure there would be more “Brittany’s” in his life. How could he, in good conscience, continue to have a relationship with her knowing that it would put her at risk? How could he have a relationship with anyone? He couldn’t, but to leave the business, as much as he wanted to, was unrealistic. It had been his livelihood for so many years now, what the hell would he do instead?
I have to do what’s best for Hope. Even if it means the worst thing for me. Tomorrow, I have to end it.
***
“You’re awfully quiet over there.” They’d been in the car twenty minutes and the silence had become deafening. Hope reached over and ran her fingers through his hair, resting her hand on his shoulder. “We’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of us. Wanna talk about it?” He shrugged his shoulders and turned on the radio. Guess not. She took her hand back and returned it to her lap. Looking at the road ahead, she could see a newly paved surface, but it belied the rough patches they were truly driving over.
She dosed off and on throughout the rest of the car ride, intermittently singing softly along with the tunes on the radio, and every now and again asking him if he needed anything. When they finally reached her house, she couldn’t wait to get out of the car and away from Mr. Shoulder Shrug. She didn’t wait for him to open her car door or walk her to the front door. She feared at any moment she would explode from frustration. He dutifully followed her up the sidewalk.
“Okay then,” she started saying as she unlocked her door and turned an icy glare on him. “I guess I’ll talk to you whenever. I hope you’re able to go home, take a nap, or do something to shake whatever’s taken hold of you.” He began to object, but she interrupted him. “It’s obvious you don’t want to be around me right now, I can see you’re nearly crawling out of your skin, so don’t let me keep you from anything. Good bye, Jamie.” She opened the door and closed it quickly behind her, not interested in giving him a chance to respond. She waited and listened to his fading footsteps, the slam of the car door, and the angry screech of tires tearing up the road.
Son of a bitch, he’s dumped me. He can’t handle his job and a relationship with me at the same time. He’s scared and running away. But damn it, why does he have to run away from me? She slid her body down the door and when she hit bottom, she leaned her head back and had a good cry.
Chapter Nine
Hope sat on her back porch, watching the sun peak out over the horizon. Her foot rested awkwardly on the porch railing. She wouldn’t go walking the beach again for a bit for fear of stepping on another ragged shell in the early morning dusk. One bandaged foot was quite sufficient, and one heartbreak more than enough for a lifetime. Three days had come and gone with no sign or hint of Jamie coming around. Her heart was empty and she fought a hard battle not to lay in bed all day, every day moping. Their meeting had been unusual, their desire for each other immediate, and the subsequent harrowing events brought out burgeoning feelings of love. So why did he end it? It made no sense to her.
She picked up her camera and started shooting. She enjoyed photography and zoomed in tight on a pelican diving into the ocean for its breakfast. She pulled back to get shots of the orange fireball’s ascent. Immediately a face came into focus, not the sun. What the hell? And the face got bigger even though she wasn’t zooming in. She put the camera down on the table beside her, crossed her arms, and waited for Jamie to speak.
“Would you mind picking up your camera again and taking one more picture?”
She arched a brow, but obliged him. “What would you like me to take a picture of?”
“Me.” He positioned himself standing tall, hands holding something behind his back, smiling. “Okay, go ahead.”
“Arrogant jerk,” she mumbled to herself and raised the camera to her face. She looked in her view finder and her breath hitched. He stood by the dune holding a huge sign in front of his chest that said, “I’m sorry for being such an ass. I can’t stand one more minute without you. I need you. Please take me back.”
She lowered her camera and stared at him. His hair tossed about in the ocean breeze and he needed a shave, desperately. Even from the distance at which he stood, his eyes conveyed a sadness and yearning for something out of his reach. Me, perhaps? Well, I didn’t put myself there. He did that on his own.
She walked down the short flight of stairs directly to him. “Why? Just tell me why you gave up on us.”
He bent his head down and took a deep breath, then looked at her with all due solemnity. “I thought that being so in love with you, I should give you up to keep you safe from the lunatics that hover about my life. I can’t give up my career, Hope. That’s just a pipe dream. So I gave you, us up instead, to protect you.”
“You’re in love with me?” He nodded and took a step toward her. Her heart fluttered and her stomach flip-flopped, but she kept the expression on her face reserved. “But you’d decided we couldn’t be together because your life is too dangerous?” He nodded again and raked his hands through his hair, looking thoroughly wretched. Silly little boy. She found it hard to keep from laughing aloud, but maintained her composure and took a step toward him. “You decided on your own, using some cock-eyed logic of yours, as if you could protect me from all the dangers of the world. You did it without even con
sulting the woman who fell in love with you, and left without any explanation.”
He tossed the sign aside and closed the distance between them. He raised his hands in defeat. “I’m a shmuck, Hope! I’m so sorry. At first, I thought it would be for the best, but I can’t take it anymore.” He reached out and grabbed her arms in appeal. “All I think about is you. Your laughter is stuck inside my soul. Your beauty has burned an image so deep, you’re all I see when I close my eyes. I’m miserable without you, Hope. I need you. Like that sun needs a horizon to rise and set. So, I’m just gonna have to be the biggest lout in history and put your life in danger so I can satisfy my selfish cravings. I’m sorry.” He stopped, took a breath and gave her a quizzical look. “Did you just say you fell in love with me, too?”
“Mmm hmm.” He grabbed her to him and held her so tightly, she thought she might faint. “Now hold it right there, Mister.” She pushed back against his chest so he could see her stern face clearly. “You think you can just waltz on over here after three days of putting me through hell, and with a sugary apology and puppy dog eyes win me back?”
“I’m kinda rooting for that end result, yeah.” He smiled down at her while still holding her body firmly against his.
“You look like crap, you know.” She mussed his hair with one of her hands and leaned her forehead against his. He chuckled. “That’s good. You should look that way, you big jerk. You done turned this here cow mad, you did.”
“Now what’s a cow doing at the beach?” He spun them and looked all around. “I don’t see any cow. I do however feel a luscious woman in my arms. And if that woman would let me, I’m gonna take her inside and ravish her….” He plundered her lips in a searing kiss. “… and feast on her…..” He suckled on her neck, sending shivers straight to her toes.
“Till the cows come home?” She sighed with her eyes closed and cupped the nape of his neck, encouraging him to linger.