Chapter Ten
I stumbled a bit and grabbed Lauren to stay upright. She laughed and then made some sort of barking noise that I didn’t want to explore any further. I tried to shush her but couldn’t really remember why we needed to be quiet. Lauren and I locked eyes and couldn’t stop laughing, again.
“Are they still at it?”
I heard Paige but didn’t see her. “Pagiepoo?”
Lauren and I knocked hips and laughed more. My stomach already hurt but it didn’t matter. I needed this. After my little run in with Dale outside I’d decided to head in and start the ritual shot marathon with the girls. So far, I was winning.
“What do you want to hear next, Liz?”
I looked straight up for the sound of the voice. I only found multi colored strobe lights and silver beads. I twirled a little too fast and grabbed hold of the closest thing I could find. Looking up, I found Dale standing there. I snarled and Lauren followed suit.
“Come on, Liz. I think you’ve had enough,” Dale said, reaching for me.
I jerked my hand back and then shook my finger at him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Liz, what do you want to hear?”
I looked up again. “Is someone talking to me or have I officially lost it? God, is that you?” I laughed.
Lauren slammed into me and took hold of my hands, “Shhh, he’ll hear you.”
“Who?”
“Him.”
Now I was really lost. “Him who?”
“You know him.” Lauren clutched tight to me while we looked at the ceiling.
“Oh, right did we ever name him? Don’t call him Dale or I will throw up. And before you say it, no, you can’t name him Brad Pitt.”
Lauren’s green eyes locked on me and grew the size of half dollars. “I’ve got it! We can name him....”
Paige stepped in front of us. Her large breasts eclipsed everything. Grabbing our chins, she lifted our faces to look at the Disc Jockey booth. “Him is Drew the D.J. and he wants to know what you want to hear next.”
Lauren and I stood. She shook her head. “I don’t like him being called Drew. Let’s call him that pretty name ... the one ... umm ... yes. Remember when I asked why you were so comfortable with a guy as your best friend?”
I shook my head yes. “No. Why?”
“Elizabeth, you have no memory.” She kissed my cheek and we started to dance again. Dale, Megan and Paige kept us corralled by the booth. “You told me that your best friend from home was a boy ... errr ... man.”
“Huh?”
“You can forget a man you were best friends all your life with? Damn you are good. Let’s name him, him. Oh, and we’ll dedicate a song to him!”
It dawned on me then. “Oh, him! His name is Dakota.” I grabbed Paige’s hand and forced her to dance with me. She seemed a bit reluctant. It hit me that I’d just said Dakota’s name. Why had I said that? I never talked about him. Ever.
Dale stepped forward and took my hand from Paige’s. “Who is Dakota?”
Lauren jumped forward and put her finger to her lips. “Shhh, Elizabeth made me promise not to tell anyone about him. I only know because I accidentally let him into the building.” She gave me a hug. “He told me he was a good friend of yours from home.”
I patted her back gently. “You smell really good. What is that?”
“I don’t remember, but you bought it for me.”
“Hmm, it smells really good on you.”
Dale stepped in front of us. “Ladies if you could just focus for a minute here. Who is Dakota and why didn’t I meet him when he came?”
Lauren threw her hands in the air and caught my hair in her hand. Dale untangled us and she carried on. “I’ve got this one. You did meet Dakota, you just didn’t pay attention to him. But he paid attention to you and the fact you’d come out of her apartment. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to tell him that you were always there. He wasn’t happy. Time for a new song!”
I nodded and looked at Drew the DJ. “In honor of Dakota we should pick one that covers it all.”
Lauren smiled wide. “Then it’s gotta talk about a hella hunk. That boy was fine with a capital T.”
“You mean capital F,” Megan said, softly.
Lauren pointed and nodded at her. “She is really smart. Oh, the song also has to talk about the two of you being best friends for like ever.”
Nodding, I pulled her to me and hugged her tight. “Never be friends with a man. Trust me, they all hurt you in the end.”
“Dale, what the hell is going on?” Paige asked, making me jump slightly from the threatening tone in her voice.
Dale cleared his throat. “Liz, kicked me out.”
“She did what?” Megan pushed forward and I put my attention back on Drew.
“Here, find this and it will be the perfect song. It has to talk about what Lauren said, by the way, I love you, Lauren ... It has to cover accidentally falling in love with him, listening to his lies about how he loved me too, and talk about being engaged.” I looked at Lauren and shook my finger. “Never get engaged, it will only hurt you. And the song should tell about how he broke our engagement off, over the phone, about twenty minutes before I had to start my first day interning here in New York.”
I turned and glared at Dale as I dropped my voice down to impersonate Dakota. “Dammit, Liz, I’m not playing here. If you stay there, in New York, we are done. Is that what you want? Do you think you’ll find better there? Honey, you’re a hillbilly in their eyes and they’ll never let you forget it. You’re bad for their image. And you’ll always be second rate next to those polished little rich girls. They’ll take a roll in the hay with you and then move to greener pastures. Is that the life you want? When you decide, call me, better yet, don’t bother to call. I’m done.”
Dale’s face went white and I laughed. Glancing at Lauren, I nodded. “Turns out he was psychic after all. We should have the song mention that too.”
Lauren took hold of me and we began to slow dance to the fast song. It worked for us so we kept it going. “Aww, you’re forgetting one of the good parts. Tell Drew how you met Dale like an hour after Dakota broke up with you. He thought you were nervous at work. He didn’t know your entire world had just crumbled. Aww, sweet Dale.”
The beat picked up into a funky little punk groove. Lauren and I began bobbing our heads and moving around. No one else moved with us. “They are certainly downers.”
Lauren nodded. “I agree. We better leave out the part where Dakota showed up out of the blue two years later and wanted to make it right with you.”
I spun over to Megan and took her drink from her. She protested, but I ignored her. Taking a sip, I coughed. “Bartender, I’d like a little ice with my vodka.”
Lauren took it from me and tried it. I think she felt the same way because she spit it out. “Yuck, Megs, that’s harsh.” She glanced at the D.J. and smiled wide. “Did you find a song that works yet? We named him Dakota and he needs a song. Make sure it covers how he and Liz almost worked it out and at the last minute he put his foot down about Dale being in her life. She sent his ass packing to Ohio and never told anyone he was ever here. Except me, but I already covered that one.”
Drew leaned over and gave me a concerned look. “Sorry, sweetie I don’t have one that covers all that. How about this one, though.”
I listened as the sound of someone playing a piano came on, followed by Gloria Gayner’s angelic voice singing I Will Survive. I blew Drew a kiss and began to dance with Lauren more.
Suddenly, I was sandwiched between Lauren, Paige and Megan. They held me tight and we walked a tiny circle doing the oddest dance I’d ever seen. They pulled back and I saw Megan and Paige crying. “Oh, don’t be sad. He taught me a valuable lesson. The person you love and trust the most is also the one who can hurt you the worst. I convinced myself it was just a Dakota thing but it’s not. I learned today that it’s the truth. The Dakotas of the world make the Charleses look like gods.”
> Paige pulled me back to her and hugged me again as she continued to cry. “You should have told us you were going through all of that.”
Megan wiped her eyes and hugged me too. “Sweetie, we could have helped you. You shouldn’t have dealt with that on your own.”
Patting their arms, I just smiled. A wave of dizziness swept over me but passed quickly. “I wasn’t alone. I had Dale. He came back from one of his man bimbo dates....” They all nodded their heads, understanding exactly what I was talking about. “I couldn’t stop crying and he thought I was on my period. I didn’t correct him. He grabbed a pint of double fudge ice cream out of the freezer and we lay quietly on my bed talking about how horrible his date was.”
Paige pulled back a bit and gave me an odd look. “You gave up a man you loved for my worthless brother and then he spent the night talking about his date with another woman?”
“Yep, in a nutshell.” I held tight to Paige and swayed a minute. The room spun a bit more, but I didn’t fall.
Instantly, she launched at Dale and smacked him in the back of the head. I thought she was done but then she used her pink Prada bag to do it again. I found the scene funny. So did Lauren.
Megan took Paige’s handbag from her and gave her a dirty look. “Leave our Dale alone. He helped her all along and didn’t even know he was.”
I leaned forward to whisper to them and the room spun again. “Did the floor just move?” Dale was suddenly next to me with his hand on my waist. “This is not our Dale. Someone took him and left this one in his place. Let me tell you, he may have the same face but he’s mean, vindictive, heartless....”
Paige didn’t let me finish. She launched at Dale again. How she didn’t hit me too is a mystery. “What in the hell did you do to her? She’s drunk off her ass and telling us shit she wouldn’t have dared to when sober!”
I pulled him behind me and lost my footing a bit. He steadied me as I looked at Paige. “Don’t yell at him. It’s not his fault. It’s mine.”
Her brow furrowed. “Yours? How?”
“Because you can’t yell at him if what he says is true.” I closed my eyes a minute trying to get the spinning to stop. “I’m a hillbilly who is second rate and good for a quick roll in the hay or should we say bathroom only. And I do hurt his image. See, you can’t yell at him because he’s right. I didn’t even know what Bolognese sauce was.” I put my hand up to stop Paige. “Dakota loved me and told me the truth. I should have listened. It’s not Dale’s fault. I knew better. I knew I wasn’t good enough. It’s why I stay away from men like Dale and use ones like Charles. I know, entering the arrangement that it’s just sex, just a game. I don’t put my heart into it. Shh, it’s not his—”
“Ohmygod, Elizabeth,” Paige said, tears filling her eyes. “My brother is an asshole. Tell her you’re an asshole, Dale.”
Dale stared at me, his lips pressed together tightly. I could see the pain in his eyes and wanted to erase it. Putting out my hand, I touched his smooth cheek. “Don’t be sad, Dale. You weren’t as bad as Dakota. You don’t love me. You’ve always seen me for what I am. The girl with a twang who doesn’t always understand your high society ways.”
“Liz, that’s not true,” he said as he tried to pull me into a hug.
I pushed him off me and let out a wicked laugh. “Oh, no. You lost the right to try to comfort me.” Dancing in a circle, I did my best to keep my balance. “Besides, I don’t need or want a constant reminder of all the things I’m not. I have a mirror that works just fine all on its own.”
Megan pushed between Dale and me. “I can’t believe you were engaged and never told us.” She gave me a quick hug and kissed my cheek. “Well--,” she choked back tears, “--at least you didn’t get saddled to a man and farm, since you wanted to get away and all.”
Paige huffed. “Saddled? Nice, Megan. Real nice.”
I pointed at her. “Remember the gift I got—the one that came with yellow daisies? You couldn’t believe someone would send me those instead of roses.” I staggered a bit but managed to stay upright somehow.
She nodded. “Yeah, whoever sent those put all kinds of rodeo pictures and books in a box with them.” Her eyes widened. “It was him. Dakota. I remember the name on the picture of the hella hunk. Ohmygod, Elizabeth, you were going to marry an honest to God cowboy?”
Nodding, I let out a soft laugh. “He’s famous, Paige. I knew he would be. He told me when I was sixteen that he’d do something great with his life so he could buy us a ranch of our own and fill it with lots of little ones.” I shook my hips to the beat. “And the yellow daisies were to let me know he never forgot.”
“Never forgot what?” she asked.
“The day we lost our virginity.” I winked. “It was in his family’s back property. He rode me out on the back of one of his horses and laid a blanket out in the center this field. It was close to the river. Anyways, he took his time with me. We spent the entire day exploring each other. I fell asleep in his arms and woke up to find him putting a yellow daisy behind my ear. He told me that he loved me for the first time that day.”
“Aww, how romantic,” Megan said, wiping her eyes.
Paige leveled a hard look on Dale. “What did you do to her, Dale? What did you say?”
“That what happened between us was substandard. That I was fine for a ‘roll about’ but nothing else. And, I think you already know how he feels about me being ... umm ... a hillbilly.” I touched her shoulder. “Don’t yell at him, Paige. He’s right. It just hurts to hear the truth from someone you trust and can’t be without.” It was my turn to cry. “He thinks I don’t notice him—that I don’t care if he’s around or not. Paige, I can’t sleep if he isn’t with me. I fidget and watch the clock endlessly until Dale enters the room and then I’m suddenly calm. If I’m at Charles’ house, I can’t sleep or even get comfortable. I lay there, sick with a feeling that is so close to guilt I can’t explain. I scrub until my skin is raw and rush home, praying Dale will be there. Why? Why do I do that?”
She cupped my cheeks. “Because you clearly fell in love with my brother when you weren’t looking but were too terrified of being hurt again to open up and let yourself acknowledge it.”
The song changed and I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard what Drew decided on. It was a redone version of These Boots Were Made for Walking. It had a dance vibe to it while having a distinct country sound to it. Lauren was on me in an instant, dancing and singing along. I shook my head. “You don’t have the accent. Here, like this.” I began to sing with the music. I pulled out some of the line dancing skills I’d learned living back home and Lauren followed.
A group of men approached. Lauren and I wagged our brows. She leaned over. “Bet they don’t treat you like shit. I bet they worship the ground you walk on.”
“Liz, don’t do this,” Dale said, his voice low.
I arched a brow. “I think it’s time I took the bull by the horns and fuck anyone I want to. Or, rather, give them a lame lay, but you know what I mean.”
“Liz-B.”
I swallowed hard my stomach clenching as the room seemed to shift again. “What?”
“I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. I was jealous of Charles, Liz. That’s why I opened my mouth and inserted my foot. I didn’t mean anything I said. I love you, honey.”
Megan gasped. “Did he just...?”
Paige nodded. “Uh-huh. He said he loved her.”
Another wave of dizziness hit me and I was powerless to stop it. Paige’s blue eyes were the last thing I saw before darkness enveloped me.
Chapter Eleven
I stirred slightly and opened my eyes slowly. Megan was bent down near my bed doing something. “Megs?”
“Go back to sleep, Elizabeth,” she whispered.
My head was pounding, so it sounded like a good idea to me. I let my head sink back into the pillow and drifted off slowly. I was just this side of sleep when I heard light murmuring. I tried to open my eyes bu
t I was afraid my head would split open. It already felt as though someone had been prying at it with a crowbar. Someone tapped my arm and I peeked out at them reluctantly, ready and willing to bite if necessary.
Paige sat on the edge of my bed holding a glass of water in her hand and a bottle of aspirin in the other. “Here--,” she handed me three tablets, “--take these and then get some rest.”
I obeyed and no sooner did she leave the room then I was out again. When I drifted awake again, I felt something warm pressed against me. My back was ice cold in comparison. Needing to warm myself, I snuggled against the warmth. It was familiar. I moved in closer, until I could go no further.
The warmth seemed to wrap around me and I let it. Something silky inched up and over my back and shoulders, totally taking away the chill. The sound of classical music playing lightly pulled me slightly from my sleepy state.
There was only one man who loved silk sheets and classical music. “Mmm, how did I get here? The last thing I remember was doing shots with my girlfriends. Oh, I didn’t call and wake you up did I?”
Running my hand over the warmth in front of me, I groaned slightly. “Are you happy with yourself? You finally got me to stay over. I’d be nicer, but I like waking up in my own bed. It smells like patchouli and spice.”
Shifting slightly against him, my bare leg brushed over his silk pajama bottoms and an unpleasant thought occurred. “You did wear something didn’t you? Don’t lie. I’ll check the trash. I know how you are and my answer has not and will not change. No slipping anything in me without a condom.”
He tightened and I ran my fingers over his smooth chest lightly. “When did you shave your chest? I’ve only been after you to do that for months.”
“Hmm,” he murmured so light I almost didn’t hear him.
I yawned and arched my back, pressing my bare breasts to him as I went. Rolling over onto my side, I snuggled back against him. “Before you fall back asleep and while you’re almost naked and can’t be behind a suit to yell at me—I’m going to turn a formal resignation in when I get back. Now, before you say a word just hear me out. The pressure at work about us is to the point I dread going in. It’s for the best that I move on. I live below my means and my friend Jeffrey is a financial advisor who has been helping me make the right investments, so I’ll be fine. In fact, I think I might actually take a few months and spend them home with my family. I could get lucky and find a position in Cleveland. That’s easily within driving range to Fairfield.”
Executive Decision: A Romance Novel Page 12