by Marie Astor
To think of all the absurdities she had put herself through for this boy. This very morning, fearful of David seeing her face without makeup, she had woken up an hour earlier to primp herself in the bathroom. God only knew what would have followed next. She might have gone on so far as suggesting that the two of them move in together.
Claudia supposed that, in a way, she owed thanks to David. Unknowingly, he had saved her from becoming the very cliché she despised. In the blinding light of pristine ivory stationary, Claudia had seen the reflection of what she had become – an aging woman hanging on to a younger man in a desperate attempt to reclaim time that was no longer hers to have. She had been telling herself to break it off with David for weeks, yet each time she had found an excuse to stall off the inevitable. Now the Gordian knot had finally been severed.
But if David Lawson thought that Claudia Block would leave without having the last word, he was as naïve as he was young.
Claudia picked up the phone. “Hi, Maury. Yes, it’s me, Claudia. About that story you wanted to do on me for the longest time – are you still interested?”
His hands locked over his head, David paced the floor of his living room. Less than two hours ago, Claudia had been here. The outline of her body still lingered on his bedroom sheets upstairs, but now David was left with nothing but the stale smell of burnt French toast. He was determined to beg for Claudia’s forgiveness. It did not matter that just a day before he was thinking of breaking it off with her: the reality of Claudia leaving him was enough to unravel him, enough to tell the old man to sock it. For the hundredth time, David reached for his phone only to hang up just as quickly. What was he going to say? Sorry, Claudia, I meant to tell you about the wedding, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. By the way, we can still continue seeing each other, slinking around like thieves.
David had been so consumed by his thoughts that when his cell phone rang, he nearly jumped.
“Claudia?” David’s voice trembled in disbelief. Claudia’s number was unlisted, of course, but recently she had finally let him know the precious digits and he had logged the number into his cell phone.
“I’m afraid I’ve been a dreadful fool,” Claudia purred coyly on the other end of the line.
David was too stunned to speak. He had expected an avalanche, a tsunami. Instead, he was getting an apology.
“Yes, dear. I’m afraid you’ve turned me into a jealous woman. Will you ever forgive me?” Claudia continued.
“Claudia, please, there is nothing to forgive. This is all my fault.” David stammered. He had been known to hold a hard line when it came to female demands, but before Claudia, he turned into jelly. “I’ve been meaning to tell you about the wedding…”
“Not a word more,” Claudia hushed him. “I have to see you, David. I know we must part, but I can’t let us part like this. It’s all wrong. Let me make it up to you. It will be our last tryst.”
David could barely breathe. How could Claudia sound so calm and collected when his world was turning upside down? He simply could not bear the thought of leaving her. Yes, it was the logical thing to do, but there had to be a way for them to be together.
“Please, we needn’t rush into anything,” David began.
“I’ll see you Sunday night at eight.” Claudia cut him off. “Good night, darling.”
After Claudia hung up, David realized that he did not have her address. He was about to call her back, but then decided against it. Knowing Claudia, the omission had been intentional. She probably would not want him to know the address until right before their date.
David stretched out on the sofa and locked his hands behind his head. He had until tomorrow to figure out a way to convince Claudia to stay in his life. Just then, he noticed the blinking light on the answering machine and pressed the play button.
“David, call me back as soon as you get this. We need to talk,” Claire’s voice filled the silence in the room.
Chapter 19
At seven o’clock sharp on Saturday night, David opened the door of his apartment. He had exactly thirty minutes to shower and get dressed. His life was starting to resemble a bad vaudeville. He had just spent the day indulging his fiancée so that he could spend the night with his mistress.
Claire had been hysterical, so much so that she threatened to call off the wedding. Well, not threatened, David corrected himself, suggested was more like it. Still, the mere thought unnerved him. He had underestimated Claire from the beginning. For most women, being engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in New York would have been enough, but not for Claire. She would not be appeased with wedding plans. She wanted concrete proof of David’s love, and David had to deliver.
But the details of the afternoon already faded away in pale irrelevance. In less than an hour, David would be with Claudia. True to her nature, she had waited until the last moment to send him the address for their tryst, tormenting him with anticipation, so that when he received Claudia’s text message at six o’clock, David almost cried out with happiness.
Although David was fairly certain that he would be fine without any outside stimulants – the sight of Claudia was enough to keep him hard for ages – he gulped a tonic he had acquired from a Chinese herbalist for days like today. The potion was supposed to increase potency, something that he definitely needed now. He had made love to Claire in the afternoon, and he could not risk even the slightest chance of disappointing Claudia.
As he lathered up in the shower, David rehearsed the speech he would present to Claudia. The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that there was no need for him and Claudia to separate. Sure, Claire might give him a hard time as a blushing bride, but once they were married, he would be a free man. A man whose task it was to carry the weight of the Lawson empire on his shoulders – a man whose time would be in high demand, and alas, a man who could spend only so much of it with his wife. And once the children would come, Claire would have her hands full, leaving David to do as he pleased.
Claudia applied her makeup meticulously. She was determined to be especially beautiful tonight. That was how she wanted David to remember her. She had her cosmetologist come in during the day and do one of those marvelous oxygen treatments. Her face looked flawless now, especially when she dimmed the lights.
Dinner was cooking in the kitchen - lobster and baked potatoes – her favorite. She had dismissed her housekeeper and prepared the meal herself. That was the least she could for David, considering the plan she had in store.
Claudia glanced at her watch. Five till eight; David would be here soon. The boy was as punctual as a clock.
Precisely five minutes later, the bell rang.
“Darling.” Claudia motioned for David to come inside. “It’s so good to see you.”
Instead of answering, David swept her into his arms, his mouth closing hungrily over her lips.
God, it feels good, Claudia thought. She would miss David greatly after tonight.
“Good morning.”
The sound of Claudia’s voice brought a smile to David’s lips. His goddess was lying right next to him. Was such happiness possible? Today nothing would go wrong, no misunderstanding would disturb their idyll.
“Hi, there.” David stared at Claudia. The woman was utter perfection. Even when she woke up, she looked gorgeous. He stroked her face, wanting to ascertain that she was not an apparition.
“You should get going soon.” Claudia shifted away from him.
“But I thought we were going to spend the day together.”
“We can’t. We might be seen together.”
A wave of tenderness rushed over him. How considerate Claudia was, how undemanding!
“We could adopt a disguise. We could wear masks like Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
“I don’t think so.” Claudia slid off the bed in one fluid movement. The nightgown she was wearing covered her body in lace. “I mean it, David. It’s time for you to leav
e.”
“Claudia, wait. Please give me a chance to explain.” David’s thoughts raced frantically. This was not going at all the way he had planned it. “I love you.” The words flew off his lips before he could think, and now there was nothing left to do but wait for Claudia’s answer out of her icy silence.
“Oh?” Claudia looked at him over her shoulder as she shook out her hair. “And what about Claire Chatfield, the girl you are going to marry?”
“It’s just marriage, Claudia. It does not mean anything.”
“Just marriage?”
The steely notes in Claudia’s voice made David’s hair stand on end. He had no idea the passionate, wild Claudia he knew could transform into this ice queen. “Yes, just marriage. I’m doing it to please my father. You know how much I have at stake. I stand to inherit the company. I can’t risk that.”
“No, of course not.” Claudia smiled. “And your father would not stand for his son dating an old woman.”
“Claudia, that’s not what I meant…” Everything was spinning now. Claudia was slipping out of his grasp, forever.
As if sensing his desperation, Claudia sat back on the bed, taking David’s hand into her own.
“I understand, David, I really do. I used to live in the public eye myself. I’ve done some things I’m not proud of, but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to condone you doing them. Claire is innocent. She must not suffer because of our selfishness.”
“So this is goodbye?” David hated his voice trembling like a school boy’s.
“Yes. We’ve had a great run, but it must end now, just like all the good and bad things do.”
“But the bad ones last much longer.” David could not muster a stronger argument as the future of his bland marriage stretched indefinitely before him.
“You will always have your pick of women to amuse yourself with, but it can’t be me, David. There’s too much standing between us. Now, be a good boy and get dressed. I’ll make breakfast. This time I promise not to burn it.”
When David came out of the shower, Claudia presented him with a plate of the most exquisite-looking Eggs Benedict he had ever seen, but his stomach was too knotted up for him to try any of it.
“It’s the last time I’m ever going to cook for you, David. The least you could do is eat your breakfast.” Claudia glanced at the food on David’s plate. “If there is anything I know how to do right, it’s a plate of Eggs Benedict.”
Silently, David stuffed the meal into his mouth. His teeth meticulously ground each bite without him tasting anything. His mouth had gone dry at the thought of never kissing Claudia again.
“Well, I’ve always felt that brief goodbyes are the best.” Claudia kissed David on the cheek.
“Claudia, wait. Please let me explain. I know we can find a way to make this work.” David’s head was spinning. He could not remember how he had made it into Claudia’s foyer from the kitchen. He felt as though he were playing a part in a slow-motion sequence in a movie, only this was not a movie. This was his last chance to keep Claudia from slipping out of his life.
“Goodbye, David. We’ve had a jolly good time together.” Clad in a lilac peignoir that cascaded in silky folds over her statuesque body, Claudia stood perfectly erect as she placed her hand on the front door handle. She looked the most beautiful David had ever seen her – her skin luminous, her eyes bright, her hair golden.
“Claudia…” David’s lips trembled. This could not be happening: he felt as though he were in one of those terrible dreams where you are about to fall from an enormous cliff. In a moment, he would walk through Claudia’s front door, and he knew that he would never be allowed back in again. If only he could think of something to say - anything to make Claudia change her mind, but his brain seemed to have turned to mush, as he stood there like a mute.
“Cheer up, dear boy. It’s not all that bad. It’s only the end of an episode for you. There’ll be plenty more to come.”
The sting of Claudia’s bravado burned like hot coals. He would not be insulted, not even by Claudia Block.
“Don’t keep your fiancée waiting.” Claudia swung open the door.
Alas, there was nothing he could say, so David walked out the front door and headed down the stoop.
“David.”
At the sound of Claudia’s voice, David leapt back up the front stairs of her townhouse.
“I’ve forgotten something.” Claudia leaned in, and her lips touched his.
David’s vision blurred as he reached for Claudia, grasping feverishly for every bit of her he could get.
Suddenly, there were lightning flashes and clicking noises.
At first, David thought he was hallucinating. It took him several moments to realize that the flashes were not coming from his head, but from a photo camera.
“Claudia, get inside, quickly!” David rushed to the front door, desperate to get Claudia into the house.
All the while, the camera kept clicking, as a ponytailed paparazzi kept snapping away. No matter, David would deal with the bastard later. A few grand would surely settle the matter. Right now, his main concern was Claudia’s safety.
David reached for Claudia’s hand. The poor thing must have been disoriented by the sudden attack, but what he saw next made him freeze.
“Thank you, Maury. You always know the camera shots that suit me best.” Claudia flashed a bright smile, striking a pose as though she were at a photo shoot.
“What the hell is going on here, Claudia?” David refused to believe what he was hearing. “You know this sleazebag?”
“Oh, David, darling, there’s no need for such language. Maury is no sleazebag. He is the head photographer at Flashlight magazine, and he was ever so kind to have agreed to take a few pictures of us.”
David’s blood was pounding in his ears. “You mean you have arranged this? Are you trying to set me up?”
“Oh, David, I would not put it that way. Let’s just say that I wanted a memento of our time together. Don’t you think I’ve earned one?” Claudia’s eyes blazed with green triumph.
“You venomous, cold-hearted cur of a woman…” David hissed, his fingers curling into fists. He could no longer think straight: all the longing he had felt for Claudia a few moments ago turned into blind rage. He wanted to destroy her, to make her suffer the same pain she had caused him.
“Now, let’s not get in over our heads.” The slimy photographer stepped in, and David swung his fist at the maggot. The creep turned out to be more agile than he looked and scurried away nimbly from the blow.
“You filthy coward. At least face me like a man,” David spat at the paparazzi. The man was no more than five seven in height. With his slender build and small, animated features, he reminded David of that annoying talking lizard in the Geico commercials.
“David!” The panicky notes in Claudia’s voice made David smile. At least the woman was still capable of some emotion.
“Leave now.” The lizard drew himself up to his entire meager height.
“Or what?” David flexed his fists.
The lizard did not even flinch. “Or I’m calling the police. And I don’t think your father will take too kindly to the news of his only son being arrested for disorderly conduct.”
The lizard’s words were as sobering as a bucket of ice-cold water. David blinked, wondering how on earth he had ended up in this ridiculous situation. He felt like a sleepwalker who had woken up leaning over the edge of an open window, about to jump. This could not possibly be happening to him. He was David Lawson, heir to the Lawson empire, an upstanding citizen, and a loving son.
David held up his hands. “I must say I’ve overreacted a bit. It’s just that you jumped out of nowhere… Now, we’re all adults here and I’m sure that we can come to a mutually beneficial financial agreement.”
“There’s no need for that.” Claudia’s voice had regained its earlier calm. “Maury won’t publish the photos.”
“Claudia, don’t let this bully scare yo
u. This is a news-breaking story; it could catapult your career,” the lizard began.
“Save it, Maury. I’m sorry for the trouble. I thought I could go through with it, but I can’t after all.”
“As you wish.” The lizard shrugged.
“I’m sorry, David. I don’t know what came over me.” Claudia looked away, but not quickly enough for David to miss tears in her eyes. “I was so angry. I wanted to hurt you. I thought getting back at you would make me feel better, but instead, I only feel worse now. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Maury is a man of his word.”
“I’d like to see the camera, please.” David’s voice sounded alien even to himself.
“Here you are.” The lizard handed over the camera.
David looked through the picture file. It was blank indeed.
“Goodbye, Claudia.” Without as much as a second look, David walked away. This episode of his life was over.
“I’m so sorry, Maury.” Claudia murmured after David had disappeared behind the street corner. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I must be getting old indeed.”
“Nonsense, Claudia.” Maury squeezed Claudia’s arm. “You are still beautiful. You’ll always be beautiful.”
“Please, no pity, Maury. You and I both know the state of things. But then you are still young…”
“I’ll be forty this September.”
Claudia shook her head. “That means we’ve known each other…”
Maury nodded. “Twenty years.”
“I remember I was shooting that dreadful low budget movie. The entire production was terrible. We didn’t even have decent makeup people. They were supposed to take my picture for promotion posters, but the photographer did not show up, so I threw a dreadful row. I was really being quite a pill, and then you stood up and said that you were a photographer, and that you’d like to give it a shot.”