“Nothing. While he was standing there, like the lying, philanderer he is, I wasn’t even listening. He explained it to me like it was nothing, all the while standing in the closet, sliding one of his precious, overpriced watches off his wrist and replacing it with another. He offered no apology. No explanation. Nothing. He spoke to me like he expected me to just accept it and move on.”
“Please tell me you didn’t cower to him this time.”
“Of course I didn’t. I lost it. I’m at my breaking point.”
Finally.
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say. I did. I snatched the box of watches from the shelf, ran downstairs, and dumped every last watch in that box out in our driveway. Then I got into my car and ran them over until all that was left was shattered pieces, just like our shattered marriage.”
I couldn’t have been prouder. “What did he do?”
“Fell to his knees in our front yard. He cared more about those damned watches than he cared about me.”
I slung an arm around her shoulder. “Look, I want you to know I meant what I said earlier. You and the kids can always come here. I have two spare bedrooms just waiting for someone to make good use out of them. I don’t mind changing my plans tonight. Honestly. Richard will understand.”
“I know, and I appreciate the offer. I have a locksmith coming tomorrow. Damon might have a lot of money, but my father left me that house when he died, and it’s in my name only. Once he can’t get in, it will be easier. I tried asking him to leave. Locking him out of the house didn’t work. He just used his key and came right back inside. The kids don’t understand, and he’s making me look bad, in spite of all he’s done.”
“They’re young right now. One day, when the time is right, they’ll know the truth. You’re doing what’s best for you and what’s best for them.”
She stood. “Anyway, thanks for the ear. I’ll call you tomorrow. I know I seem like a pile of mush right now, but I want to hear more about Richard, and all the details about your date tonight.”
I rose, clenching both of her hands inside mine. “Believe in yourself, Sasha. And don’t ask Damon to do anything. You’re done asking. It’s time to start telling. It’s all going to work out. You’ll see.”
The time had come for the thin, strapless, red dress to make its debut. I stood in my kitchen thinking about what a difference a few months and a new take on life had made.
New house.
New attitude.
New man.
I felt like a new person because I was one.
The new and improved Rae Hudson.
The doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock on my mantle. Fifteen minutes early. I’d been ready for forty-five. I didn’t mind. I opened the door expecting to see Richard and was met with an uninvited surprise instead.
“Damon? What are you doing here?”
Although I’d just asked a question, he wasn’t listening. He was taking in my dress, every last flesh-baring part of it.
I poked him in the chest. “Eyes up here, dipshit.”
“I ... uhh ...”
“What do you want? I have a date.”
“I can see that.”
“Sasha’s not here,” I said.
“Obviously.”
And yet he looked past me, ogling my sofa as if I were lying and he would see Sasha cowering behind it like a crouching tiger, hidden dragon.
“I won’t tell you where to find her either. So, we’re done here.”
I pushed the door, attempting to shut it. Damon wedged a shoe inside, keeping the door open. I kept pushing forward, thinking maybe with any luck I’d crush his foot, or break it, or both.
With a tremendous amount of force, Damon shoved back. The door flew open, propelling me backward. He stepped inside like he had a vested ownership in the place, like he belonged here.
“I’m trying to talk to you, Rae. I want to know where my wife is. And you’re going to tell me. Now.”
“You seem to forget something.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not Sasha. And you won’t speak to me that way again.”
“I’ll speak to you,” he spat, bravely taking another step forward, “any way I like.”
So be it.
I spared him the need to step any closer to me; I got right in his face. “Ten seconds.”
“Ten seconds?”
“To get out of here before I call the cops.”
He snarled at me. “Oh really? You’re actually going to—”
In a split second I witnessed the sarcastic contempt Sasha faced daily. I curled my hand into a ball, thrusting it forward with all the ferocity of a rattlesnake connecting with its prey. My fist collided with his jaw, his head snapping backward. Some girls slapped, which is probably what he imaged I might do, given Sasha’s submissive personality was what he was used to. After my fist connected, the heel of my five-inch Jimmy Choo pump came down on his oxfords so hard I thought I felt his toe dislocate.
At the onset of Damon’s verbal retaliation, Richard approached my open front door, looking at me, then Damon. He said nothing. And he didn’t need to. The tension in the room was enough.
Damon flipped around, eyes wide. He wiped a bit of blood from his cut lip and said, “Are you ... no ... you can’t be. Richard Brannigan? I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you’re standing right here in front of me. Wow. I’m a big fan.”
He uttered the words like Richard had appeared out of thin air for his own personal benefit, like he expected Richard to come to his aid.
Richard ignored him, looking around him at me. “Are you okay, Rae?”
I nodded.
Richard thumbed at Damon. “Sasha’s husband?”
I nodded again.
Damon’s chin turned a nice shade of red, the kind of red that would lead to a multicolored bruise later. Realizing what must have just happened between us, Richard brought a hand over his mouth, attempting to stifle a grin. Once he’d gathered himself, he extended a hand toward Damon. It was eagerly accepted. “Richard Brannigan. And you are?”
“Damon Chase. I actually know you. Well, I don’t mean to say I know you, know you. Obviously we just met. But I worked on a court case dealing with your—”
Richard leaned around Damon and kissed me, behaving as if Damon weren’t there. “Rae, if you don’t mind, I’d like a word with Mr. Chase outside. I’ll only be a moment.”
Damon’s eyes lit up a like it was Christmas day, and his wish for a Red Ryder BB Gun was about to be granted.
I nodded but left the door open a crack. A crack was all I needed. Damon and Richard walked over to Richard’s car. A man got out. A big, oversized, mountain of a man. Richard looked at the man. The two exchanged telling glances, and the man seemed to understand what he needed to do perfectly.
“Take care of this please, Abe,” Richard said.
Damon was escorted to and then strong-armed inside his own car.
As Richard walked back up the drive, he stopped and turned back. “Mr. Chase. I’ll not permit you to show up at Rae’s residence in the future. And I don’t believe it’s necessary for me to explain what will happen to you if you do.”
“How’s the hand?” Richard reached out, inspecting my hand, then the rest of my body like I was a wounded bird.
“It hurts, a little.”
He grinned. “I didn’t know you were a prizefighter in your spare time.”
“I didn’t know you employed a bodyguard.”
“Two actually.”
“But I’ve never seen them with you when we’re together.”
“Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there when I need them.”
“Is it because of what you’re worth?”
“Yes and no. The protection is in mostly place because of other women.”
“I don’t follow—so they won’t approach you?”
“More like so they won’t assault me.”
“That’s happened?�
�
“Several times, unfortunately. I spent a good deal of my twenties in the limelight after I’d made it big. Met a lot of people. Got invited to a lot of parties. At the time, I didn’t realize the repercussions of being photographed, exposed, recognized. By the time I understood the downside to fame, it was too late. No matter. I spend most of my days out of the spotlight now.”
“And if I were to assault you, what then?”
He trailed a finger up my arm. “In that dress, I’ll be the one doing the assaulting tonight.”
We moved to the table, and I tried not to rush through dinner. Tried even harder not to rush through the dessert I now wished I hadn’t made. Richard took his time, talking, eating, talking a bit more. He gazed at me like he was both confident and nervous, two feelings I was experiencing as well.
When the forty-five minutes it took us to finish our food had come and gone, he offered to help with the dishes. I refused, instead filling the sink with water and dunking the plates in. They could wait. The help I craved wouldn’t be achieved by removing a few crumbs off a pair of plates.
“What would you like to do now?” he asked when I’d finished.
I shouldn’t have felt nervous, but I was. I didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know if he was thinking what I was thinking.
“You haven’t seen the rest of the house yet.”
“How about showing me the bedroom?”
We walked hand in hand down the hall. I turned the corner, entered the bedroom, and reached for the wall.
“Don’t turn on the light,” he said.
The room was pitch black. There was no way to see otherwise.
“I don’t—”
“At dinner you said you have an electric fireplace in this room.”
“Yes.”
“Turn it on.”
In the dark?
I steadied a hand in front of me, like everyone does when trying to find their way in a blackened room. I reached the switch, flipped it on. The fire ignited in front of me, the intensity of the flames warming my skin.
He pressed himself against me from behind, his lips kissing their way down my neck, then released me. I stood still, not knowing whether to move, to talk, what to expect next. Several seconds passed. I tried to resist feeling timid as I twisted my head, catching him with his back against the opposite wall, admiring me. “I want to be with you tonight. All night. But only if you feel you’re ready. I won’t ever push you to do something unless it’s what you want to do.”
A sudden wave of insecurity swept over me as I realized he was waiting for me to respond. Old Rae may have said something awkward in this moment, something that would have blown what had the potential of turning into the best night of my life.
But that was in the past.
There would be none of Old Rae tonight or any night thereafter. I went to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m ready, Richard. I want to be with you, not just tonight. Always.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.”
“I love you, Rae. I’ve loved you since the moment I first set eyes on you.”
I wanted to cry, but I didn’t.
Staring into his eyes I knew I’d remember this moment for the rest of my life.
Morning shone its lustrous rays through the slit in the blinds on my window. My eyes opened. I’d spent the night having sweet dreams of the life I now had in front of me. Richard was curled up behind me, his hand entwined in mine. Without opening his eyes, he squeezed my hand and said, “You finally awake?”
I turned, gazing on his smiling face. “I’m glad you’re here. I mean—it’s nice to wake up with you next to me.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be. But,” he said, kissing my hand and scooting to a sitting position against the headboard, “I have to head out soon.”
I didn’t want to be nosey. I had no right to prod, but I wanted to.
“I’m headed to Paris this week,” he continued.
“For how long?”
“Three weeks. It’s for work.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. “I thought you were retired?”
“Yes ... well, I am, but I go stir crazy if I sit for too long. It may seem like I don’t do much, but the motor in my head is always running. There are always new ideas I want to try.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you when you get back then.”
“No, you won’t.”
Everything inside me said “don’t panic,” but I did anyway. He showered the back of my neck with kisses then wrapped both arms around me. “Hey, don’t go quiet on me. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“There is. Tell me.”
I remained silent, unsure of what to say.
“Is this about me just saying you wouldn’t see me when I get back?” he asked. “Rae. Come on. Talk to me.”
When I wouldn’t budge, he pried my arms backward, lifting me on top of him. He brushed a wisp of hair from my face. “I guess I should know better than to tease you too much. You won’t see me when I get back because you’ll see me before then.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Do you think after last night I’d ever survive being away from you for more than a day or two? Not a chance. I want you to come with me.”
“You’re taking me with you, to Paris?”
“From now on, I’ll take you anywhere you let me.” He smacked my butt from behind. “So get your sexy rear end out of bed and start packing. We leave this evening. Will that give you enough time to prepare and take care of business?”
I nodded. “I think so. Have you already booked the flights?”
“There won’t be any need to book a flight.”
Right. He had his own plane. Of course he did.
“I’d originally planned to tell you I was taking you on a date and then surprise you once we reached the plane,” he said, “but with everything your friend Sasha is going through, I thought it best to make sure you’re comfortable leaving her.”
“I’ll give her a call, make sure everything’s okay.”
“Even after we’re gone, if she needs you for anything, anything at all, I’ll fly you back right away. Make sure she knows that. Or I can fly Sasha and her children to us.”
It was one of those moments where I wanted to pinch myself and make sure what was happening was actually real, that he was real, that this new life wasn’t just a part of my wildest dreams.
“Need time to think it over?” he asked.
I slipped out of bed, bent down, and gave him a kiss. “I’m in. I’m up for anything, as long as it’s with you.”
“I’ll be sending you flowers and gift baskets for the rest of my life,” I admitted into the phone. “I’m so happy, Veronica, and I owe it all to you.”
“Good,” Veronica said. “I’m glad you found what you were looking for in life.”
“Richard is amazing, more than I ever thought possible.”
“And you’re more than he ever thought possible.”
“I just wanted you to know how grateful I am.”
“You’re not much different now than you were when we first met. More stylish, more confident and driven, but just as deserving then as you are now. Before I became a therapist, there was a time in my own life when I wasn’t the free-spirited woman I am today. I was like you were before. We all have hard lessons to learn sometimes.”
She was the strongest woman I’d ever met by a long shot. I couldn’t imagine the possibility of her being any different. “Forgive me, but I find that hard to believe.”
“I left that girl behind long ago when I took charge of my life, and now you’ve done the same. Sometimes women almost need to hit rock bottom when it comes to repeated mistakes so they’re open, ready to listen, malleable enough to become who they were really meant to be. The process of rediscovering oneself is like a rebirth of sorts, wouldn’t you say?”
“Exactly.” In the background Richard instruct
ed the pilot they were ready to leave. “We’re taking off, but I couldn’t leave without telling you how things are going.”
“Thanks for the call. I suppose the only thing left now is to say hang on to the Rae you are today, and don’t ever let go.”
When I returned from Paris a few weeks later, I arranged to meet Sasha for lunch. We’d spoken almost daily since I’d come home, and though she seemed broken and lost at first, lately she sounded a lot more confident. With the locks changed and Damon out of the house, I imagined every day brought her closer to her new beginning.
The view from the Chinese restaurant on the Las Vegas strip was one of my favorite. From the outside balcony, I had an impeccable view of a water show taking place in front of the hotel across the street. The water danced across the air to the melodic beat of a Sinatra song, vaulting so high into the air that, at one point a few droplets of water misted my face.
A woman wearing a fitted, tan and black halter dress passed my table, turned, and flashed a devilish grin in my direction. She raised two fingers to the thick, Audrey Hepburn-style glasses over her eyes and pulled them down. I looked into her eyes, and gasped.
I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start.
“Sasha, your red hair, It’s—”
“Black,” I know. “It’s a wig, just for fun. Like it?”
“I love it!”
“I don’t want to be Mrs. Damon Doormat’ Chase anymore. Did you know I’ve wanted to try a different hair color for years now? Years, Rae!”
“Why didn’t you?”
It was a question with an obvious answer.
“Damon. I mentioned it once to him once. He said he’d be repulsed if I ever went through with it. And I was stupid enough to believe him.”
“And you’re wearing a dress. You never wear a dress.”
She threw her hands in the air and twirled around. “What do you think?”
“I like it!”
She scooted a chair back and lowered herself into it. In a kind of a declaration, she said, “I am done wearing plain Mom jeans. I am done wearing T-shirts and twisting my hair into a ponytail day after day. I am done feeling like my life is over just because I have two adorable kids. They have a life. Why can’t I have one too?”
Sweet Dreams (Vegas Dreams Book 1) Page 6