"Yes," Wolf answered. "The beauty of a horse comes out from the rider."
If Holly wasn't mistaken, she detected the slightest bit of flirtation in his voice. She laughed to herself as she put the drawing carefully to one side of the table.
After their horrible first meeting they had become an odd pair. They balanced each other's moods. When he was despondent and brooding Holly could cajole him out of his dark moods. He in turn rewarded her by giving her his trust and telling her his story.
"Let's start with something easy," Wolf smiled.
"Wolf, I want to know how you met Alexis." Holly said. "Is that easy?"
"Once upon a time," Wolf started. He stretched his arms over his head and his eyes got a faraway look.
"Cut! Cut!" The director yelled. “Shit!” The horse neighed and fell in a quivering mass of torn flesh and blood. Wolf ran over to the horse. "There, girl, it will be all right,” he soothed to the horse, holding it's gaze, petting its nose. The horse had run through a wire in a fall and sliced its leg. Wolf glared quickly at the director who said nothing. The vet was there quickly. Fifteen minutes later the decision was made. Wolf did not break the animal’s gaze as the vet used his needle. The horse, named Charcoal, had trusted him. He had trained her for two years. Trust. Time. Patience. Even love.
And now, a life. A horse, but still a life. Dead for no reason. Horses died, of course, but never so stupidly as this. Wolf stood to his full height and sighed. An intern brought over a bottle of water. She was crying. Flesh and blood. Feelings.
He walked over to the hot-shot young director who had insisted despite Wolf's warnings that the scene was too difficult for the horses.
"How do you plan on shooting this scene now?" Wolf stood and waited. The others stood around staring at the ground. The silence grew like a wave. Wolf bit his lip, digging his own nails into the palms of his hands. The silence said it all. He had never wanted to kill a human being as much as right now.
The director looked at his shooting schedule, avoiding eye contact with Wolf, looked at the sky and squinted. "We have another hour of this light. I'll talk to Tony and see if there is a way we can shoot around this for today."
With that, Wolf was dismissed. No apology. As Wolf walked away his cell phone rang.
"Hi. A client wants to buy a horse," It was Kendall on the line, calling from Texas.
Irritated, Wolf said, "I can cut her a deal on a dead one, otherwise, I'm busy."
The phone rang again.
"She wants to buy a horse today. I need you to meet with her today. Obviously I'm not there."
There was that harsh undertone to her voice again. How he hated it. He sighed. He had fought with the director all day, then the accident. The heat had made the horses surly and uncooperative - like his wife. The last thing he needed this late in the day was another fight with his wife.
"Baby, I'm busy now. We have big problems. Charcoal got injured and we had to put her down."
"Then we need to make a sale so we can replace Charcoal. The buyer can come late. I'll tell her nine. Be there at the show corral."
Click.
The line went dead. Kendall didn't understand. She was as hard as the diamonds she loved when it came to business. Somehow Wolf got through the rest of the day, everyone was somber and just wanting to get it over with.
Wolf was fifteen minutes late. Two fancy cars were parked side by side near the show corral. It was nearly dark, no matter. There were lights. Wolf's mood had not improved, neither had he eaten since breakfast. He sipped a bottle of warm water as he drove, not even time for drive-thru.
Wolf pulled in and parked next to the cars. The woman eyed Wolf as he made his way to them. He had long confident strides and a swagger. How she liked that.
Wolf looked at the woman, she was beyond stunning. She was tall, particularly for an Asian woman, slim and dressed in distressed jeans, a plain black t-shirt and expensive boots. She carried a briefcase and the jewels on her hand shone even though the summer light was virtually gone. Her left hand rested lightly on the man next to her. An actor who Wolf thought he recognized, but he wasn't sure. Wolf didn't watch much television. Wiping his right palm on his jeans he extended his hand. They were Michael Allen and Alexis Lee.
After an hour, Wolf made an excuse to end the meeting. He had an early call, he apologized, gave them his number and said if Alexis wanted to come and ride a couple of horses on Sunday, he would arrange it. The cars disappeared into the night.
Wolf drove back and parked by the corral. He badly needed a shower but he needed to be with the horses for a few minutes. He was pretty fed up with people.
Then his phone rang. A strange number. He didn't want to answer, but maybe it was someone from the set.
To his surprise, the caller was the Oriental lady who wanted to buy the horse.
"Can we talk?"
"We've been doing what I call talking," Wolf protested.
"Yes, but now Michael is gone, we can speak more freely," she said. "Meet me in the parking lot at the café up the road and I'll follow you."
Wolf would have normally said no, but he was just too tired and she was just too beautiful, and, mostly, he was still mad at Kendall for not being sympathetic about Charcoal.
Wolf turned around and when the familiar car pulled up he waved his arm and headed for home. He blasted the radio and rolled down the windows and stared at the car in the rear view mirror. He pulled into his garage and waved her in.
Alexis followed him into the house. Before the door had clicked shut, he heard a clunk. One of her boots was on the floor, she hopped on one bare foot and pulled at the other one, giving him a seductive smile. She next pulled her t-shirt over her head. Her breasts were real and perfect.
"Do you mind if I change? I've been in these clothes all day."
Wolf pointed absently down the hall to where there was a guest room.
"Do you like pinot noir?" He called out as she headed down the hallway.
"Yes."
He opened a bottle and grabbed two glasses.
"Alexis?" Wolf called out.
"In here." A voice answered from the bedroom.
Alexis stood naked except for a tiny black thong. Wolf walked over and expertly tugged until it slid down to the ground. Their eyes locked. Wolf bent down and carefully picked up the tiny thong and dangled it on the door handle and pushed the door closed.
Click.
"That's how I met Alexis," Wolf's tone was mild, cautionary, even still astonished, his mind a cacophony of things past.
Holly smiled bravely. The twists of fate, impulsive actions, a roll of the dice…it made you want to stay in bed with your head under the covers.
Chapter 38
"It was a beautiful life once upon a time," Wolf began. Hot steam curled up and over the shower door and coated the bathroom windows with a light fog. The sound of Wolf singing came through the door.
"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling everything's going my way!"
The voice rang merrily. Wolf was happy. The night had been idyllic and the ring of the early morning phone had made the day even brighter. It had been a month since his first wild encounter with Alexis. He had money in his pocket, he drove a Range Rover, traveled first class with Kendall and had his hot Korean girlfriend on the side. He considered himself a simple man, it was like alternating bottles of red and white wine.
Now Alexis was calling to offer to come over and make him a home-cooked meal. He tried to remember if Kendall had ever cooked anything. In fact she regularly joked that she made only one thing well: reservations.
Before that he had lived in casino hotels, and before that with the model, who did even less than Kendall. She had hired some food service to bring three meals a day, and while expensive, all three were not even adequate for one meal for Wolf's frame and activity level.
He could not remember his last home cooked meal. Certainly not since his dear mama had cooked him his favorite Austrian d
ishes. It was an exciting prospect. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Kendall was out of town - again. Still, he wasn't going to take any chances. Rather than have them come to the house, he suggested meeting at the ranch. They could go riding first.
Instant family. Just add water. Wolf thought smiling to himself as he watched Alexis and her 'tween' daughter Naomi tacking the horses. Naomi loved horses and wanted to learn to ride.
Wolf taught Naomi to ride on Lightning. She should have started earlier, but she had her mother's long legs and perfect posture. She was a quick learner and soon was cantering and jumping fences. The daughter was a dead ringer for the mother.
Wolf couldn't help but notice the swell of her breasts against the thin fabric of her tee shirt and the shapely swell of her legs which reminded him of a young wild colt. As Wolf spent more and more time with Alexis Lee, the crazy thing was he began to find himself enjoying the package deal, and somehow, it was Naomi that kept tugging at his heart.
"The next morning I woke up to find Naomi standing over me," Wolf continued.
"Can you give me a ride to school? I'm late already," Naomi said. It was seven thirty. He never slept in. Alexis's spot in the bed was empty. The girl shrugged her shoulders and looked down.
"Where's your mother?" Wolf asked, trying to clear his head.
"How am I suppose to know? She left!"
"Yes, don't panic. I need two minutes. Go in the kitchen and wait."
Wolf peed and brushed his teeth, pulled on his boots and a clean tee-shirt. He looked at his phone, no messages. There was no note in the kitchen. He grabbed two apples as they went out the door.
"Eat this," he tossed one to Naomi as they got in the Range Rover. He took a large bite.
"I never eat breakfast."
Wolf hit the brakes on the car and sat there staring at her. Naomi said nothing, then took a bit of her apple.
"This is good," Naomi admitted.
"Where's your school?"
Naomi told him the cross streets. Wolf stepped on the gas. They were there quickly.
"I get out at 2:30," Naomi opened the car door and stepped down, not looking at him.
"Does your mother know, or do I need to tell her?"
"I think you should come," Naomi ground the toe of her shoe into the gravel.
"Please," She looked up at him. He saw fear in her eyes, and pleading. "Ok, ok," he said, wondering what was going on.
"Wait! Do you have lunch money?" Wolf asked.
"My mom's real busy. Sometimes she forgets," Naomi said without looking at him. He had left without his wallet, but there were crumpled bills in the console. He flattened them against his thigh and then folded them and handed them to her.
"Thank you, Wolf," she whispered, and then she was gone. Wolf watched a small group of teenage girls crossing the street in front of him, their carefully done hair, their smiles and laughter, the outfits they had put together, their general aura of confidence. Naomi was prettier than any of them, but she seemed so fragile, like a little bird that had fallen out of its nest.
At 2:30 Wolf was waiting outside the school gates when the bell rang. There was still no call from Alexis.
"Hey, Naomi," he said as she climbed into the dusty black Range Rover with a smile. "I did not hear from your momma," Wolf said mildly. "Did you?"
Naomi didn't answer.
"Shall I just drop you at home? I'm sure your momma will be there shortly."
"Um... I don't think there's any food," Naomi stared out the window, not looking at Wolf.
"Ok... let's go shopping," Wolf decided, trying not to show any frustration. But in the end he had fun with Naomi, perhaps it was the sweet way that Naomi chose some particular food or snack that she knew her mother liked, or that she imagined Wolf would - the girl just tugged at Wolf's heart.
It happened just like that. Wolf wasn't looking to move on from Kendall or change his life forever. It wasn't that he didn't love his wife or was madly in love with Alexis, either. It was just that he found himself liking the family life.
At one point, Wolf had decided to end it with Alexis, but he found he couldn't, because his heart now belonged to Naomi, who moved into his orbit like the moon around the earth.
It didn't help that Kendall was always flying off. Investing in a vineyard in Chile. A wine tasting in Bordeaux. Charming celebrity chefs in Aspen so they would promote her wines. The woman was never still.
Wolf was confused, yet suddenly happier than he could ever remember. Naomi. Math. Cookies. Riding lessons. Grooming the horses. Short of when he was taking a piss or shoveling horse manure, outside of school, the kid was stuck to him like glue. Going to buy hay? She was first in the truck. Getting a horse ready for a client? She was happy just to be with him. She chatted happily about kids at school, mean boys, teachers, her friends, horses. It was music to Wolf.
His first impression of Naomi had been of a quiet, lonely girl but she was blossoming now. Suddenly it seemed the days became weeks, the weeks turned into months.
Time passed, and with it fate turned the impossible into the possible, and then, finally, to the inevitable.
Chapter 39
The white wooden fences could be seen from the freeway. How Naomi loved them. They seemed to go on endlessly into the hills with promises of horses nearby. She looked out her bedroom window at the white fences in the moonlight, remembering what had happened earlier by the stables, her body tingling in happy memory.
"One day I'm going to jump bareback onto a horse and jump over the white fences and canter off into the hills and just keep going until I disappear," Naomi said, decisively. It was dusk and Naomi was keeping Wolf company as he brushed out the horses.
"No, no, my dear," Wolf corrected, his voice stern and serious. "You can't teach the horses to jump over the fences or they will all run away!"
Naomi's face flushed, red. She hid her face behind her long hair turning away. He had never reprimanded her before and her eyes welled up with tears. Wolf looked over at the young girl who had the awkward beauty of a newborn colt. She had upset this tall stranger who had moved in with them, bringing his horses and his wine and his clothes and his black Range Rover that he never washed and his pick-up truck that he did.
Wolf eyed his new little charge thoughtfully. After a moment he said, "Come here, come here." He stopped brushing out the horse and put down the brush, the bristles uneven with strands of the course horse hair caught in the bristles, the handle, worn and cracked with use and time.
He got down on his knees so he was eye level to the girl. "I'll teach you not only to ride, but to jump high fences," he gestured his own height, over six feet tall.
Naomi looked up at him and could scarcely believe it.
First, she didn't believe for a second she could ever learn to jump a fence that tall, and second, even if she could, she could never imagined him sticking around long enough to see her do it.
None of her mother's boyfriends ever stayed. But she really wished this one would. He was kind and never yelled like the others, and he knew how to ride horses. And he kissed her on top of the head and said things like "good morning" and opened the car door for her. She loved that.
Now, as Naomi looked out the window, she wondered how her mother had met him. He was an American after all, well sort of American. He said he was from Austria and to Naomi it was the same. He looked like the Americans. She couldn't tell the difference. Her mother had never dated an American before.
Naomi tilted her head to one side and resting her head on her arms stroking her shoulders slowly as she imagined his forearms thinking of how the muscles tightened as he pulled the saddle, tight, showing her the trick to make the horse exhale as you cinched the strap. He said otherwise the horses thought it was funny to hold their breath and then the loose saddle would roll upside down.
Naomi looked down at her own forearm and flexed. Nothing. Squeeze and tighten as she did there was no muscle movement. Maybe it was different between them and girls.
"Thank you!" Naomi breathed grabbing the diary he presented to her, and a tin of good drawing pencils, holding it just out of her reach. Naomi sat back, her eyes shining. The diary was red. It's cover a bouquet of hearts.
"You can write and draw about horses, even," he said, winking. When he winked, she turned bright red with happiness. It was Christmas every day with Wolf around.
Naomi loved to talk about horses and Wolf with her friend at recess or lunch.
"You should see how easily he can mount a horse," Naomi had confided. "You can see the quadriceps through his jeans," she said knowingly. She was proud of herself because she knew that word. Quadriceps. She had slipped into the library at lunchtime one day to look up the word because she wanted to know the name of the muscle that moved when you mounted a horse. "I need to know important words like that," she continued. "I'm going to be an equestrian one day." That was another word she liked. Equestrian. That had a 'q' in it, too, which was funny, as so few words did. She knew she had started late, but she would work double hard, as long as Wolf was coaching her.
"Naomi, be a love and open the gate for me, will you?" Wolf had called out to her. Naomi's heart raced and pumped as she ran to the gate as if it was the most important job in the world.
Her heart was racing. Nobody ever called her 'love' before.
Wolf noticed Naomi never asked for her mother. He also saw that the more time he spent taking care of Naomi the less her mother stayed home, which led to huge fights. One day, after a particularly bad fight, Wolf decided he'd had enough.
"I know you have to leave..." Naomi said, standing in front of him and snuffling, "... because it always ends this way. But I want you to know you were the best daddy I ever had."
Naomi flung herself into his arms and sobbed, her little body shaking and heaving against him. Wolf stroked her hair, soothing her, his heart melting.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered over and over until the sobbing stopped and the heaving of her body stilled. "I promise."
The prison guard opened the door. Holly looked up, so caught up in Wolf's story she hardly remembered she was in the prison visiting room. She smiled weakly. "Just thirty more minutes, please," Holly begged, prettily. Holly looked at Wolf, his face pale, he didn't even see her. But he began speaking again.
The Virgin Whore Trial: A Holly Park Legal Thriller Page 14