by Linda Ellen
Then smiling again at Louise and Vic, he graciously intoned, “I believe you will find everything to your satisfaction, sir. Meals are, of course, included. You may avail yourselves of room service, or enjoy dinner in the main dining room. Enjoy your stay at the Brown,” he finished his customary speech.
Louise tried her best to act as if she were used to such treatment, although she was gripping Vic’s arm so tightly she almost made him wince.
The bellboy nodded at them formally and mumbled, “Follow me, please.”
The couple dutifully followed him over to the elevators. Even they were opulent, with their shiny brass doors, polished wood interiors, and crisp uniformed operator. Their bellboy mumbled the floor number to the other as Vic and Louise entered. Vic placed his hand over Louise’s on his arm and smiled down at her. Neither said a word. Everything about the building made them feel like whispering.
At the sixth floor, they followed the bellboy around the corner and he set their bags down to unlock the first door on that hall, casting them a look out of the corner of his eye. Vic figured the boy was wondering why a patron at the Brown used a duffle bag, and he unconsciously reached up to straighten his already straight tie, glad the CCC logo had been stamped on the bottom, out of sight.
The young man then swung the large door open wide and as Louise made to step inside, Vic gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ah ah,” he murmured before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her over the threshold. “First thing’s first.”
As he set her down, the bellman handed Vic the key as he informed, “Dinner begins serving at five-thirty in the main dining room, sir.”
Vic nodded and reached in his pocket for a tip, which he slipped into the young man’s palm, hoping it was enough. He’d never had to tip a bellman before. The boy nodded his thanks and backed toward the door as he offered, “If you have need of anything during your stay, pick up the telephone and dial zero.” Then closing the door firmly behind him, he was gone.
The newlyweds looked at one another wide-eyed and then slowly around at the luxurious rooms that would be their home away from home – for one glorious night. Hand in hand, they wandered forward.
“Oh Vic, this is lovely,” Louise murmured in awe.
“Sure is…”
Their suite consisted of a sitting room and adjacent bedroom. The sitting room was lavishly decorated with floral drapes, a thick floral designed area rug, expensive blue damask covered sofa and armchairs, shiny dark wood tables with brightly lit lamps, and a small crystal chandelier. The walls were a soft white, decorated with gold-framed pictures of thoroughbreds and rolling fields of flowers. In one corner was an elegant secretary desk with glassed in bookshelf, a supply of crisp white hotel stationary and writing pen ready for use.
Turning her head, Louise gazed toward the bedroom, where the bellboy had deposited their bags. Walking to the doorway, still hand in hand, she and Vic surveyed the lovely room with its smooth white walls, blue and gold patterned carpet, and a large, dark woodframe bed with a light blue spread. In front of the curtained windows were two armchairs bordering a small table on which sat the aforementioned telephone. On the next wall sat a large bureau with mirror, and a small corner table with a lamp. Tucked into the corner next to a drapery-covered window, a steam heat register kept the interior pleasantly warm. A closed door on the other side apparently led to the private bath.
Louise shook her head slowly, in awe. Aside from the Dove Creek Country Club those ten days during the Flood, she had never stayed in a more elegant place.
Feeling Vic’s hands come around her from behind and begin to help remove her coat, Louise turned to her new husband, slipped her arms around his waist, and gazed up into his eyes.
“Alright, Mr. Steve Baugh. You want to explain that now?”
He grinned down at her and leaned to kiss the tip of her nose. “I’ll tell ya later…right now, I got other things on my mind…” He murmured the last few words as he moved his arms around her, nuzzling her ear. “You’re finally mine. Been waitin’ a long time for you, girl. I aim ta blast away everything and everybody from the past five years if it’s the last thing I do.”
Taking her lips in a fierce kiss, his head slanted to the side as he devoured her mouth. She tried to match his ferocity, but something about his last statement and the force of his kiss made her feel off balance. Nagging doubts assailed her mind, and tiny clues she had been picking up all day seemed to swirl together in one glaring fact. Vic had always treated her with the utmost respect and gentleness…but now she realized that underneath it all, he resented that she had married another man. Apparently, he resented it quite a bit. The realization jarred her, so much that she broke off their kiss and pushed against his chest, trying to take a step back, but he held on tight.
The flame of passion flared in his eyes as he murmured, “What’s a matter, babe?” He tried to lean in again to resume their kiss, but she turned her head, his lips landing on her cheek.
“What’s this?” he mumbled, confused. He had thought she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Over the weeks leading up to their wedding, they had shared quite a few passionate kisses and embraces, each one hotter than the last. She’d always said she couldn’t wait until they were married… Was she worried about getting pregnant?
Holding her tightly up against his body with one arm, he slipped his hand into his pants pocket and drew out a small, thin packet, letting her see what it was as he tossed it onto the nightstand. He turned his head back, thinking that would solve the problem, and tried again to zero in for a kiss. She resisted, and he allowed a small sigh to escape his lips.
“I…um…” she stammered, guilt over the frustration in his eyes making her heart pound ferociously. This was not going at all the way she had pictured and dreamed. She’d been hoping for sweet romance, but now…it seemed as if Vic intended to side step preliminaries and get right down to business. Try as she might to stop it, the similarities to her first wedding night sent a lightning bolt of unease jolting through her system.
“I’m hungry, Vic. Could we…go eat first?” she asked, her voice not much more than a whimper.
Ashamed that he had come on like gangbusters without thought of her needs, Vic drew in a breath and loosened his grip on her body, allowing her to take a small step back. Unaware that his earlier comment was the problem, not to mention the unconscious messages he had been sending during the day as he fought the nagging thoughts of his bride and another man, he told himself to settle down and give her time. She just needs to get used to things, I guess. Or maybe she really is hungry…she didn’t eat much at our reception…
Reaching up to gently cup her cheek, he nodded, glancing at the watch on his other arm. “It’s five twenty. I guess we can go down and get a bite to eat,” he agreed with a soft smile, gently teasing, “Can’t have you faintin’ from hunger, can we? Besides, might as well shoot the works, huh?”
Relieved, she nodded and reached up to cover his hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
“I, um…I need to go freshen up…”
He inclined his head in a nod, releasing her and watching as she crossed to her overnight case and opened it. She didn’t meet his eyes again, but rummaged through the interior for a small bag and then disappeared into the bath, closing the door.
That last action caused him some concern. She was acting as if she was uncomfortable around him…but she hadn’t been…at least he didn’t think she had. He wondered to where his sweet, affectionate Mary Lou had run off. At that moment, TJ’s snide remark about Louise being useless as a wife whispered in his mind, but he mumbled an oath and shook his head. Silently cursing his nemesis, he took in a slow, deep breath and walked to the window adjacent to the closed bathroom door. Parting the drapes, he stood staring down at Fourth Street; the people, automobiles, and streetcars looked like toys from that height. Many of the seventeen floors of the Heyburn Building across the street still had lights burning, the sun nearly set. It looked
like a scene from a big screen movie.
As he stood there, leaning against the window frame and wishing dearly for a cigarette to calm his nerves, Vic wondered for the umpteenth time if Louise was comparing him to her first…and if she would later. They had never spoken of her years with her first husband, other than in general. He had no idea what their love life had been like at first, or where they had spent their wedding night. Perhaps he’d taken her someplace nice…
“Aggh,” he muttered, jamming a hand in his pants’ pocket and encountering the familiar feel of his father’s lighter. As he unconsciously ran his thumb over the inscription of his father’s name on its smooth case, it gave him a bit of reassurance. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what had just transpired between he and Louise. Had he said something wrong? He tried to remember exactly what he’d said, but he’d been too caught up in the moment.
I hope she just needs time to adjust… He shook his head. Women. Fuming the word silently, he wished his father were still alive so that he could ask his advice.
He was starting to think he didn’t know his new bride as well as he thought he did.
‡
CHAPTER 17
Honeymoon at The Brown
“What’s wrong with you?” Louise whispered to her image reflected in the brightly lit, gilt-edged mirror in the lovely bathroom. The clean, white tiled opulence of the room went unnoticed by the new bride as, with a shaking hand, she powdered her nose and touched up her lipstick, all the while wondering why her stomach seemed to be teeming with large winged butterflies. I should be out there with him…kissing him…making love with him…we’re finally married, it’s what I’ve longed for, for nearly five years…why am I holding back? She grumbled to herself.
But, she knew the reason. TJ. He was ruining things again. Somehow, the unfortunate reality of her first husband had risen up like a wall between her and Vic, in spite of everything they had been through together. Rage began to bubble up inside her, threatening to explode with a vengeance. Never had she felt more anger and downright hatred for anyone in her life than she did toward TJ at that moment, and she wished for the millionth time that she had NEVER agreed to marry him. Indeed, she realized, it would have been better to remain an old maid for the rest of her life if she couldn’t have had Vic, than to be suffering what she was right then.
She shook her head, knowing thoughts like that were getting her nowhere. Dag nabbit, it’s your wedding night with Vic! Snap out of it, Mary Louise! She pressed both hands to her chest for a few moments, trying to calm her racing heart.
Finally mustering her courage, she carefully opened the door and saw her new husband standing at one of the windows, gazing downward, seemingly deep in thought. He didn’t notice her at first, but then turned his head and smiled.
“Ready?”
Moistening dry lips that the fresh coat of lipstick had not helped, she nodded, searching his eyes and trying to gauge his thoughts. His expression gave nothing away. She knew he had been disappointed when she had slammed the brakes on their passion a few minutes ago, and she desperately wished she knew what he was thinking now – but she just couldn’t get up the nerve to come right out and ask. Vic patted his jacket pocket to make sure he had the room key as he motioned for her to precede him out the door.
Out in the hall, she watched him lock it and pocket the key, and striving to make conversation, she smoothed her dress with her palms and offered, “I hope I look all right.”
Vic tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and smiled tenderly. “You look beautiful. Prettiest girl in the whole place, I’d say.”
His words pleased her and she relaxed a bit as they reached the elevator. Vic slipped a possessive arm around her waist as they settled inside the lift, pride filling his chest as he noticed the subtle admiring glance the young operator surreptitiously gave Louise. Vic tilted his chin up a bit. Eat your heart out, Bub. She’s all mine. Then following the young man’s directions when they reached the ground floor, they soon found themselves at the doors of the hotel’s lavish restaurant. A sign in the doorway read, Please wait to be seated.
While waiting, they gazed around at the opulence of the large main dining room, filled with rows of tables covered in crisp white cloths, a single short, fat, red candle in the center of each. The ceiling was decorated in the Art Deco style, while the walls had what appeared to be elaborate grille work between smooth rich wood panels. Tiered white and silver chandeliers echoed the design in the ceiling.
As it was still a bit early, there weren’t very many patrons dining yet, so they were seated quickly. Their waiter, a thin dark haired, blue-eyed young man who introduced himself as Phillip, smilingly suggested various wines and other liqueurs as he handed them their menus. The couple glanced at one another, unsure what to choose, as neither were big drinkers. When Louise shyly mentioned that it was their wedding day, the man smiled again and quickly congratulated them before excusing himself, indicating he would give them time to decide. A minute later, he returned with a bottle ensconced in a small bucket of ice. It was champagne!
With a grin at their shocked expressions, he explained, “Compliments of the house. It’s a standing order from Mr. Brown for newlyweds who choose to spend their wedding night in the hotel.”
Louise clamped her lips together and nodded as he popped the cork and poured the sparkling liquid into two long-stemmed glasses. Waiting until the waiter once again left them alone to peruse the menu, she leaned toward Vic and whispered, “Champagne? Goodness, Vic! Who is your boss? This must be costing a fortune!”
His eyes gleaming with mischief, Vic glanced around as he reached for his glass, giving his head one shake to tell her it wasn’t time for revelations just yet.
To Louise’s credit, in spite of the fact that she was about to scream with frustrated curiosity, she let out a sigh and lifted her glass. As their eyes met over the rims, she smiled and reached with her glass to gently clink it against his.
Holding his gaze, she murmured, “To You and I.”
“Yeah, to you and I.”
Something in the intense gaze with which his eyes held hers made her heart speed up again as she took a sip of the white sparkling wine. Moments later, he chuckled softly as she gasped and wrinkled her nose against the bubbles.
“Oh, you,” she gently rebuffed his teasing. Then carefully placing the glass down, she murmured, “We should be deciding what to order…”
Opening their menus, they scanned the many items, some of which they had never heard of and had no idea what they were. Then at nearly the same time, their eyes landed on an item they were both familiar with and they looked up as one, murmuring, “How about a Hot Brown?” This made them both chuckle and it was decided. What could be more appropriate, and it brought back memories of their first real date after their reunion.
Closing his menu, Vic leaned close and mumbled, “Now we’ll see if that waitress at Pearl’s…what was her name?”
“JoAnn?”
“Yeah, JoAnn…we’ll see if she was right when she said their Hot Brown is better than we can get at the Brown.”
Louise grinned in conspiracy and sent him a cute little nod, her eyes once again sparkling with joy the way they normally did. He realized he had missed her vivacious norm, as she had been a bit down that week, and even earlier in the day. Now, Vic silently drew in a breath as her beauty rendered him momentarily speechless and an intense love for her rolled through him like a tidal wave. It gripped him so tightly, his heart hammered in his chest. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. It was as if every pestering doubt was blasted apart, like a firecracker on the Fourth of July. The past was gone, over and done with, and it suddenly didn’t matter anymore that he wouldn’t be Louise’s first lover. Heck, he reasoned, I ain’t no virgin, either. He just hoped that whatever had disturbed her in their room earlier was over. He hoped once they finished their meal, Louise would be ready and they would make their way back up to their room for some ser
ious loving.
Once their order was given, it seemed no time at all until one large Hot Brown in a skillet of a thing was brought to their table, with two plates. Rolls and asparagus tips completed the meal. The Hot Brown was mouth-wateringly delicious and they both agreed that although the one they’d shared at Pearl’s Café had definitely been tasty, this one seemed to have an ingredient that set it above. Chuckling softly, however, Vic quipped that he wouldn’t want to have to live on the difference.
For dessert, their ever-attentive waiter suggested Angel Food Cake topped with strawberry compote and candied pecans. They took him at his word that it was scrumptious. And it was. Everything was positively delightful and they were given way too much food. By the time Louise squeezed one more bite in her mouth and sat back in her chair, she was quite satisfied – and the many sips she had taken from her glass of champagne made her feel positively giddy.
Vic had been watching her, trying to gauge her mood. When she sat back, he casually wiped his mouth on the large cloth napkin and leaned near, capturing her hand in his.
“You ready to go back up?”
Once again, her eyes twinkled with effervescent joy and what could have been a little bit of mischief, as if her happiness was too much to contain and threatening to erupt. He grinned at her, raising her hand to his lips.
“You keep givin’ me that look and I’m liable to promise you the moon,” he confessed with a chuckle.
She sat gazing into those eyes she loved, wondering what he would say if she would suggest…
She worried her bottom lip for a few moments as her thumb caressed his, and then ventured, “Vic? You know what I would really love to do? Something I’ve never done and always wanted to…”