by J. L. Perry
“I may have to stay here for a few days, baby,” he said. “How about I get Claire to organise you a flight for tomorrow morning so you can join me?”
“That sounds good, but I’m not looking forward to spending the night without you.”
“I miss you,” he said.
“I miss you, too. I love you and will see you in the morning.”
“I’ll call you tonight before you go to bed,” he said before hanging up.
I had a nice lunch with Ellen. She was so lovely and I liked her a lot. She explained that she and her husband were leaving for an overseas trip in a few days. “He takes me away every year after the concert,” she said. I thought it was sweet. Ellen worked so hard all year so she really deserved a nice break.
Later that night, Jill made me a nice dinner, then I decided to go upstairs and soak in the bath. I was missing Logan so much, and I knew I wouldn’t sleep well without him. When I got out of the bath, I got dressed in my pyjamas. I hadn’t worn clothes to bed since I had been living here. Jill had already left for the night so I made myself a hot chocolate and decided to watch some television.
I was lying on the lounge thinking of Logan because he hadn’t called me yet. I desperately wanted to call him, but I knew he was probably busy so I would just wait to hear from him. Just after 8:00 p.m., I heard the elevator doors open so I quickly sat up.
I thought maybe Logan had changed his mind and came home, but I was surprised to find an older lady, probably in her fifties, standing there. She was quite attractive for her age, but the scowl on her face didn’t do much to enhance her looks. Logan’s elevator was private and you could only access it with a key so she wouldn’t be here by mistake. I quickly got up off the lounge and walked over to her.
“Logan is not home,” I said, nervously. “Can I help you? I am Brooke, his girlfriend.”
“I know exactly who you are,” she replied, angrily.
The way she spoke to me surprised me. “Who are you?”
“I am Logan’s aunt,” she snarled. “John’s wife!” Now everything was starting to make sense.
“What can I do for you?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You can start by staying away from my husband!”
I walked over so I was standing in front of her. “Excuse me?!” I snapped. How dare she come here and talk to me like this!
“You heard me,” she said through gritted teeth. “You will never be a part of this family so I suggest you don’t get too comfortable living here. Logan will eventually figure out that you are nothing but a gold digger, just like your mother was, and he will get rid of you—like he does with all his whores.”
Now I was pissed off. How fucking dare she! “I beg your pardon?!” I snapped as my temper started to rise. I just wanted to slap this bitch for speaking about my mother like that!
“You heard me,” she replied. “You will not get one cent out of my husband so take my advice and stay away from him, or I will make your life a living hell.”
“For your information,” I said through gritted teeth, “I don’t want anything from your husband. He was the one who approached me, not the other way around. I suggest you get your facts straight before you come over here and accuse me of wanting anything from him. And how dare you speak about my mother like that. She never asked my father for one cent when I was growing up. She worked hard her whole life to care for me.”
“Your mother was a tart, and John probably isn’t even your father,” she retorted. Now she had gone too far, and I could feel the tears filling my eyes.
“I am warning you,” I responded. “I don’t care who you are or how old you are. If you say one more word about my mother, I will slap you.” I had never hit anyone in my life, except for the one time I slapped Jake when I found out he was cheating. But there was no way I was going to stand here and listen to this bitch talk about my mother. My fists were clenched so tight that I could feel my nails digging into my hand.
“My mother was the kindest person I have ever known! That’s probably why your husband fell in love with her!” I screamed. “If you weren’t such a cold-hearted bitch, maybe he wouldn’t have had to find happiness elsewhere!” I was shocked when she slapped me hard across the face.
“I am warning you!” she screamed. “Stay away from my husband or you will be sorry!” Then she turned around and got back into the elevator. I just stood there with tears running down my face, holding my cheek. For an old lady, she had one hell of a backhand.
After she left, I turned and ran up to the bedroom, threw myself onto the bed, and sobbed. I couldn’t believe she had said those things about me or my mother. Also, I had no intention of taking money from John…or from Logan, for that matter.
Logan
It was nearly 9:00 p.m. when I got into the elevator. I didn’t want to be without Brooke, so I decided to come back to Sydney for the night, then we could both fly back to Melbourne tomorrow morning. I hadn’t spent one night apart from her since she had moved in with me, and I was missing her.
When I stepped into the penthouse, I noticed the television was on, but I didn’t see Brooke anywhere. I took the stairs two at a time up to the bedroom. The door was open and, as I got closer, I could hear her crying.
She was lying face down, and I could see her body moving up and down as she cried. It broke my heart. I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms. “What’s wrong, baby?” I asked. “Why are you crying?”
Brooke threw her arms around me and sobbed harder. “Oh, Logan,” she cried, but she didn’t say anything else.
I pulled her away from me so I could look at her. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying?” I asked again. As I looked over her beautiful face, I noticed a big red welt on her cheek. You could see the finger marks. My blood started to pump through my body.
“What’s fucking going on, Brooke?” I snapped. “Who slapped you?” She tried to tell me, but she couldn’t get the words out through her sobs. My head was spinning, and I didn’t know what to think. I pulled her back into me and held her tight.
“It’s alright, baby,” I said as I stroked her hair. “I need you to tell me what happened.”
She pulled back from me and wiped her eyes, then took a deep breath. “Your aunt came here,” she said in between sobs. My heart was breaking. “She told me to stay away from her husband, and she said I was a gold digger like my mother. She also said that my mother was a tart and that John probably wasn’t my even my father.” Then she started to cry again.
That fucking bitch!
I couldn’t fucking believe it. How dare she come to my house and say these things to Brooke, and how fucking dare she hit her? I could feel the anger rising inside me as I held Brooke tight against me. I reached down to get my phone out of my suit jacket.
I dialled my aunt’s number, but the gutless bitch didn’t answer. My uncle was still in the hospital so I didn’t want to bother him. I also knew he wouldn’t know anything about this so I dialled my father’s number. We had spoken on the phone on my way home from the airport earlier so I knew he was still awake. He answered after a couple of rings.
“Do you know where your fucking sister is?!” I screamed into the phone.
“No. What’s going on?”
“If you see her before I do,” I replied angrily, “you tell her that she is no longer welcome at my house, and if she comes anywhere near Brooke or lays one finger on her again, I will fucking kill her!”
My dad was shocked. “Logan, what happened?”
“She came to my house while I was in Melbourne, threatened Brooke, called her and her mother names, and then hit her!”
“She did what!?” my father screamed. “How fucking dare she! Leave it to me, son,” he added. “I will find her and give her your message, and add in a few choice words of my own. I am sorry she did this to Brooke, son, but don’t worry. I will see to it that it never happens again.” I thanked him, then ended the call.
Brooke had calmed d
own a bit since I got off the phone so I stood up and quickly undressed. I pulled back the covers on the bed before lifting her up onto the pillow. As I climbed in beside her, I pulled her into my arms.
“I am so sorry this happened, baby,” I said. “I will make sure she never comes near you again.”
She wrapped her arms around me. “I am so glad you’re home.”
“I am, too,” I whispered. “I came home to surprise you because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep without you. The last thing I expected was to come home and find you like this. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”
She lifted her head up and kissed me. “I love you,” she said. “And I hope you don’t think I am a gold digger.”
“Oh baby, I could never think that about you,” I assured her. “Don’t listen to a word that bitch said. She’s fucking crazy. There is no way my uncle would have anything to do with this, either. He will be furious when he finds out she came here. She is a nasty piece of work, Brooke, and she will stoop to any level to get her way.”
I rolled onto my side so I was facing her, and gently stroked the side of her face where my aunt had hit her. The anger was still coursing through my body. Brooke had been through so much lately, and this was the last thing she needed. I have always hated my aunt for the way she treated my uncle, but now? Now I hated her with a vengeance. I was going to call that bitch again in the morning and make it perfectly clear that she better stay away from Brooke.
My heart was hurting as I lay there just looking at her beautiful face. Even with puffy red eyes, she was beautiful. I leaned in and gently kissed her lips.
“I love you so much,” I said. “Would it help if I make love to you?” I needed that connection with her, and I was glad when she gave me the cutest little nod and smiled.
Adorable!
I was so gentle with her because I wanted our love making to be slow and passionate. I needed her to know how much I loved her.
When we woke the next morning, the mark on her face had gone. I kissed her and told her that we needed to get up because we had a plane to catch. She had packed herself a bag last night, and had also packed a few things for me since I had flown to Melbourne yesterday with no luggage.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked.
“A lot better, actually.”
“Do you still want to come to Melbourne with me?”
She nodded her head and frowned. “I don’t want to stay here by myself.”
“Baby, I never want you to worry when you stay here. I’ll be getting the elevator key back from my uncle. I’ve never given my aunt a key to this place,” I explained. “She must have taken it from him.”
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused to you and your family,” she said sadly, hanging her head. The fact that she even thought she was responsible for all this upset me.
That’s the last fucking thing I wanted!
I gently cupped her face in my hands and tilted her head up so she was looking at me. “I am going to say this once, and once only,” I said softly. “You have nothing to be sorry about because you cannot be held responsible for anything that has happened. The only reason you are even here is because I practically forced you into staying. What Jake did to you and my uncle was all his doing. He was fucked up, Brooke, and you can’t be held responsible for that.
“As far as my uncle goes, you didn’t shoot him. He made the decision to jump in front of the bullet to save you, his daughter. After everything he put you and your mother through, that was the least he could do…in my eyes. My aunt is a cold-hearted bitch, and is probably jealous that my uncle never loved her the way he loved your mother. So please, don’t you ever apologise for any of this. Do you hear me?”
She nodded her head and gave me a sad smile as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Oh, baby,” I said, pulling her to me. “I love you so much, and I’m sorry that you’ve had to deal with all this shit.”
She put her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. The overwhelming desire I had to protect her was consuming me. I just held her tightly for a few more minutes because I wanted to cocoon her with my love. Just thinking about all the terrible things that happened to her over the years made my chest hurt. If anyone deserved a break in life, it was her.
“Are you sure you are okay?” I whispered. Brooke nodded her pretty little head again so I gently kissed her. “We better get showered and dressed. Otherwise, we are going to miss our plane.”
Brooke
Logan was so compassionate and understanding towards me, and I loved that about him. Surviving all this drama without his love and support would be hard. He always knows the right thing to say to make me feel better.
When we arrived at the airport, Logan checked in our luggage. We then made our way to the departure gate. I can’t say I was surprised when we were ushered onto the plane before the other people. Of course we are flying first class! I thought, smiling.
I’d only flown that once coming back to Sydney from Melbourne, and it had been economy class. First class was so different. The seats were bigger and so comfortable—more like a soft lounge chair than a seat on a plane. There was also twice as much leg room. Our chairs even laid all the way back. We had our own personal airhostess, who offered us freshly squeezed juice or cappuccinos. She even gave us a menu to choose what we wanted for breakfast. She brought us a warm towel to clean our hands when we were finished.
I asked Logan if I could sit next to the window because I wanted to see everything I had missed on my last flight. He held my hand all the way, and even pulled it up to his mouth a few times so he could kiss it. He was such a sweetie!
Once arriving at Melbourne, Logan hired a car for us to drive while we were there. He usually brought Chris and Jill with him, but since we were only going to be here for a few days, he decided not to. He had given them both the time off instead. We headed straight for his penthouse.
I’d never been to his place in Melbourne and I was looking forward to seeing it. When we I arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. It was a little different than the one in Sydney, but just as grand.
It was still high up with a beautiful view of the city of Melbourne, but nothing could beat the view back in Sydney. There was nothing quite like Sydney Harbour. This penthouse only had four bedrooms, whereas the one back in Sydney had five. It had a large living room, huge kitchen, a library, and an office, but the layout was a different.
It was decorated simular to the Sydney penthouse, but instead of darker colours, it was light and fresh. The colours were more neutral, combined with whites and blues. I liked it, but didn’t really care where I was as long as I was with Logan.
“I have to go into the office, baby. Do you want to come?”
“I’ll just stay here,” I said. “I will only get in your way.”
“You would never get in my way,” he said, wrapping me in his arms. “But you would definitely be a distraction.”
I laughed. “I’ll be fine here on my own. Maybe I’ll go for a walk around the city.”
“Claire is here, too,” he explained. “I have a few things I need her to do for me this morning, but how about I meet you for lunch, then you two can go shopping this afternoon.”
“That sounds nice,” I replied with a smile.
“Great. I’ll send Claire over to pick you up at 12:30.” I kissed him goodbye before he left.
Logan
On my way back down the elevator, I tried calling my aunt again, with no luck. I called my dad to see if he had any luck tracking her down. He told me that after I had spoken with him last night, he called her, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. So he had gone to her house this morning.
“I warned her to stay away from Brooke,” he said. “Apparently, John explained everything to her, and he also asked her for a divorce. She was just angry and hurt and, unfortunately, took it out on Brooke. I am sure you won’t have any more problems with her, son. But if you do, contact me
immediately.”
When I arrived at the office, Claire was waiting for me. We had a lot of problems to iron out so we got right down to business. I decided that I really needed someone here to run the place full-time. Working half the year in Sydney and the other half in Melbourne wasn’t working for me anymore.
I’d already been giving it some serious thought, and I had some great people in my employ. I knew it wouldn’t be too hard to find someone I could trust to look after the Melbourne side of the business. I would still be the boss, but I would have somebody here full-time to keep an eye on things and make sure it was all running smoothly.
I mentioned my idea to Claire and she agreed. Claire and I have worked closely for years now. She knew the company as well as I did, and I trusted her opinion.
About 12:00 p.m., I asked her to go to the penthouse and pick up Brooke. I was going to stay and fix up few last minute things, then I would meet them at restaurant.
It was 12:30 p.m. when I left and walked down the street to the restaurant. When I walked in, Brooke and Claire were already seated. As I approached the table, I watched them talking and laughing. It was good to see.
I sat down next to Brooke and leaned over to kiss her. “How are you, baby?” I whispered.
She smiled at me and put her hand on my leg. “I’m good.” I looked over at Claire and she was smiling at us.
“You two make such a cute couple,” she said.
After lunch and before I headed back to the office, I said, “Claire, look after my girl.” I wrapped Brooke in my arms as I kissed her goodbye. “I’ll see you tonight, baby,” I whispered in her ear. “Claire, make sure she gets home safe when you are done shopping.”
Before Claire left to pick Brooke up earlier, I’d given her my credit card, and said that she was not to let Brooke pay for anything. I knew she wouldn’t take any money from me, but I was hoping Claire could convince her to let her pay for whatever she wanted.
I don’t know why I have to overwhelming feeling to give her everything, but I do. Maybe it’s because I know how hard things were for her growing up. Or maybe it’s just because I love her so much and would do absolutely anything to see her smile. Material things don’t matter to her, I know that, but I still want her to have anything her heart desires.