Earthbound Angels Part 1

by Sweet

  “Welcome to your new home-for a while at least,” Erick said, smiling.

  Hollianne's jaw dropped once more. This couldn't possibly be all hers for the foreseeable future.

  She had never lived anywhere so spectacular!

  Chapter Ten

  It was not just a room. It was a suite of rooms. The one Hollianne was standing in consisted of a sitting area with a large stone fireplace. Two love seats and matching overstuffed chairs sat in front of it. A coffee table and end tables completed the ensemble.

  Just beyond this grouping was a very nice dining table with four chairs around it. A doorway went into the bedroom itself. The bed was enormous with a canopy and curtains tied back. Off the bedroom was an en-suite that could comfortably hold a dozen people.

  On the other side of the main room was another entrance leading into a small but efficient kitchen. The overall impression, surprisingly enough, was not one of overindulged and expensive luxury, but one of comfort, well planned and tastefully furnished. It was an apartment designed to make life as comfortable as possible for the guest.

  “So what do you think?” Erick asked after she had walked through the entire suite.

  “I think I can't quite believe that this is all for me,” Hollianne said, her hand flat on her heaving chest.

  “Well, I did think about putting you out in the guest cottage, but I really felt having you under the same roof would be more convenient for us both.”

  “You have a guest cottage?”

  “Yes, actually I have three of them on the grounds, plus a housekeeper's cottage. My housekeeper and her husband live there. You'll be meeting them a bit later, by the way.”

  She didn't know why she was even surprised. I honestly don't know what to say.

  “Just say that you like it. If there's anything that you need, all you have to do is say so and it will be supplied.”

  Hollianne was overwhelmed.

  She had never had anything like this handed to her in her life, and would never have asked or expected it.

  She had worked very hard for everything she had. The trust fund from her mother only went so far. She had to pay the debt her father owed to many people because her stepmother had disappeared after using up her own inheritance - she was out there somewhere, now hiding from creditors.

  Holliane and Adam had both worked hard to stay above water and survive. Somehow, they had kept going, clinging to each other like castaways on a raft.

  But then, when they were finally over the hard times, he died. That had seemed to be the cruelest jest of all.

  She turned to Erick.

  “Thank you very much. I'm quite sure that this will be more than enough for my needs. It's very kind of you to go to all this trouble.”

  “It was no trouble at all, Hollianne. Besides, no one ever uses these rooms. You're actually doing me a huge favor by agreeing to stay in one.”

  Hollianne's mouth twitched and she burst into laughter, looking at him in shock and alarm, expecting him to be at best astonished and, at worst, offended. However, Erick found that her laughter was infectious and he joined in, his laugh full of relaxed and easy good humour.

  “Please forgive me,” Hollianne finally gasped. “It’s just that these past few days have been very stressful and this is all such an unbelievable relief.” She was fighting herself for control, yet the feeling of letting go like this was a release rather than a source of mortification.

  “Think nothing of it,” Erick replied. “I enjoyed that bit of levity myself. It's not something that I've experienced much, either. These rooms could do with a bit of laughter in them, so it’s doubly welcome. Now, take your time getting settled in. Dinner will be served at seven. Don’t worry yourself about what to wear. It’s my house and I favor comfort over formality.”

  “In the meantime, you should find that the kitchen is well stocked with refreshments. If you need or want anything else, just pick up that phone over there. It's the house phone and the extensions are clearly marked. Don’t feel shy about it, either; this is your home as long as you’re here, so my staff is fully at your service.”

  When Erick had left her alone, Hollianne sat down on one of the loveseats and simply looked around, unable to move for several minutes. She still couldn't believe her great fortune. In fact, now that she was here, she was starting to feel completely at home. The place felt neither strange nor oppressive, but peaceful and homelike; it invited her to unwind and stretch out. She hadn't felt like this in a very long time. She was so relaxed that she dozed off on the loveseat.

  As she napped, something tugged at her subconscious. There was a memory about Adam that lurked there but it didn’t seem to be a pleasant one and she tried to drive it away. Suddenly, beside Adam, there stood Erick in front of her. He was smiling at her slightly and held out his hand to her. Without even hesitating or glancing at Adam, Hollianne took Erick’s hand. He pulled her lightly over to him and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel the beating of his heart and the warmth of his body as he cocooned her against him. Now, she did look over at Adam. The expression on his face was one of anger mixed with regret. Now, how could she tell that? There was no reason for it, but she somehow just knew what he was thinking in that moment. Something else that she acknowledged was that she didn’t miss him any longer. She had Erick with her now and that was all she cared about.

  They continued to stand there, Erick’s arms around her. She slowly became aware that he was very lightly kissing her neck. These feather kisses felt so real and so exciting all at the same time. She leaned her head back against his chest and he continued to move his mouth all over her neck and earlobes. At last, he turned her around and claimed her mouth with his. The kiss was still light but passionate at the same time. Their tongues were exploring each other’s mouths with an abandon that Hollianne had rarely experienced. She knew this was a dream, but a very large part of her wanted it to be real.

  Feeling Erick’s arms around her and his mouth on hers somehow made everything much better. She wanted to live her life to fullest and that wasn’t a feeling she had enjoyed in a very long time. When she lost Adam, she felt she had lost everything, and that her hope in life had been one of those things.

  Speaking of Adam, Hollianne broke the kiss with Erick just long enough to glance back at where Adam had been standing. He was no longer there. For a brief moment, Hollianne felt responsible for Adam’s disappearance, but when Erick began kissing her once more, she only felt relief that Adam wasn’t there.

  “Everything is going to be just fine, Hollianne,” Erick’s deep voice reassured her. “You’re with me now. Your life is going to be amazing from this point on. Just wait.”

  As he spoke to her, he continued to run his hands over her body. This served to deepen her desire for him. Oh yes, she thought. I want this!

  When Hollianne opened her eyes, there were tears in them. She could feel her whole body humming with an unidentified energy. Her blood was singing and the rapid beating of her heart was like a scream that was making her whole body pant.

  She had never felt so aroused and yet so incredibly alive at the same time; it felt scandalous to be so ready and willing, but it was the most glorious experience in her entire life!

  What kind of a dream was that? What was it trying to tell her? Her body was so full of amazing feelings that she no longer felt entirely in control. Her feelings were running riot. She had once thought that loss of control should never happen, yet she now craved it

  Hollianne closed her eyes and tried to breathe as evenly and as deeply as she could. She was trying to calm herself, but was unable to put it out of her mind. She could still feel Erick’s mouth on her neck, then on her own mouth. The way he had touched her in the dream seemed to have left an imprint upon her body. She found that she was having a very hard time catching her breath and her heart thudded heavily in her chest.

  She tried to reason with herself. Maybe it was the aftermath of that dream. It was just so... extraordin
ary. She had only just met Erick. How in the world could she even entertain the idea that he might want her? Not only that, but that he was going to take care of her. There had also been love present in that dream. It was all so silly! How could she fall in love with someone she didn’t even know? More puzzling, how could she even think that someone like Erick could fall in love with her? This was well beyond reasonable thinking. But then, dreams could be that way, couldn’t they? Hollianne hadn’t experienced a lot of reasons to feel happy in a while. Now, though, this sensation that flowed through her along with the residual desire from the dream was happiness. In the past months, it had felt wrong of her to experience joy and feel happy over anything. Suddenly, it was clear that she had every right to be happy.

  It was a feeling that she wanted desperately to hold onto while also balancing it with normalcy. She should be able to do that, right? Happiness could become a normal part of her life and she could enjoy things just as everyone else in the world. Being abnormally depressed and miserable was something she was so very tired of feeling. Looking around at her surroundings once more, she let the happiness come through.

  “Please forgive me, Adam,” she whispered. “I’ll always have a place for you in my heart, but I’m still alive and I want to be happy. If you’re able to hear me, please don’t hold it against me. I need to be happy.”

  * * *

  Angel at Law 1: Picture Perfect Dream

  Chapter One

  “HONESTLY, DR. ADDISON! This is all a huge misunderstanding!”

  Dr. Dreama Addison studied the attractive young woman sitting across from her. She was a bit on the thin side with long, brown hair and deep brown eyes, but she was pretty enough. At the moment, she was fidgeting without seeming to notice it. To Dreama, this was a sign of lying.

  “Allison, do you understand why you’ve been court-ordered to see me?” Dreama asked.

  “Of course, I understand why the judge thought I might need some therapy sessions, but I promise you that it is all a misunderstanding!” Allison replied with her voice squeaking into higher levels at certain points.

  “Why don’t you tell me why the judge feels that you need to see me, Allison?”

  “Well, because Daniel said that I was stalking him, of all things! But I wasn’t stalking him. We just happen to eat and shop or whatever at the same places. Just because we aren’t together just now shouldn’t mean that I have change my favorite places.”

  “Allison, how long have you and Daniel been apart?”

  “Well, about six months ago, he said that we needed to take a break, but he’s going to come back to me.”

  Repressing a sigh, Dreama made a few notes and then looked back at her patient.

  “Allison, I was under the impression that Daniel and his wife had reunited. Is that correct?”

  “Oh that’s just what she says! You see, Daniel just had to pretend to go back to her, don’t you see? He’s just waiting for the right time before he comes back to me.”

  “Allison, let me explain to you what I’ve been told and then we can discuss it together,” Dreama said.

  Then she read all of the facts regarding her patient.

  Allison Gardner and Daniel Bradley had begun an affair over a year ago. Approximately, six months previously, Allison had begun to demand that Daniel leave his wife and commit to Allison. Daniel refused and, instead, left Allison after deciding to give his marriage another try.

  That was when all of the trouble began.

  Allison simply could not, or would not, accept that Daniel was no longer a part of her life. She began to stalk him, although she adamantly refused to admit that it was anything more than just running into him when they were both out dining or shopping. Of course it also made perfect sense to Allison that they would run into each other at such places as the public library, coffee shop, diner at lunch, and even the car wash. They simply must have maintained the exact same schedule for these things.

  There might not have been any action that Daniel could take if she had just kept to these places where anyone had a right to be no matter who else may have been there.

  However, Allison branched out to parking down the street from Daniel’s house.

  She also took to following Daniel’s wife all over the place and gave her threatening glares. These instances increased by leaps and bounds, but they still had not reached the point where any legal action could be taken.

  That all changed one night, when Allison broke into Daniel’s house while they were out.

  She went into the master bedroom and meticulously cut all his wife’s clothing items into ribbons with a pair of scissors. Then she left all of the evidence strewn across the, bed as well as the floor and dresser. Next, she poured bleach all over Daniel’s clothes, leaving white discoloration everywhere.

  Once she had left as much damage as possible, she went back outside to her car, which she had left parked a few houses down. In fact, she had not even attempted to hide. She had waited until Daniel and his wife returned home so she could witness their reaction to what she had done.

  This meant that she was still watching when the police arrived to investigate. This made it so much easier for them to arrest her for breaking and entering, plus malicious vandalism.

  Since Allison had a clean record with not even a parking ticket in her past, she was let off easy as long as she attended regular therapy sessions with a psychiatrist. Dreama offered to take a few court-ordered cases each month, depending on her caseload. She just happened to have a few vacancies at the moment so she had agreed to take on Allison as a patient.

  Allison was proving to be quite interesting. So far, Dreama could see that this woman was completely delusional. But that was only scraping the surface. There were many more layers to this woman’s personality and Dreama intended to uncover them all.

  She watched Allison’s face as she heard the accusations against her. It was clear that Allison didn’t accept them. She had excuses for all of the stalking incidents. As for the breaking and entering and vandalism, she simply refused to acknowledge or discuss that.

  “Well, Allison, you and I have quite a bit of work to do but I’ll be here with you every step of the way. The first step is for you to understand what has actually taken place and what the difference is between reality and what you perceive as reality. So far, you don’t seem to comprehend what your situation is and that is what we need to work on first. Do you understand what I am saying to you?”

  “Of course I understand what you’re saying! Do you think I’m a complete moron?” Allison cried.

  “No, Allison, I don’t think you’re a moron – complete or any other kind. But we do have some work to do so that you can fully comprehend what has happened. However, I cannot help you until you agree that you need treatment.”

  “I don’t need anything, Dr. Addison. That’s what I am trying to tell you! This has all been a complete and total misunderstanding!”

  “Allison, if you are refusing to work with me, you leave me no choice but to hospitalize you for a few days to stabilize you. In case you do not understand, the court has ordered that you either work with me or you will be remanded to custody.”

  “What does that mean? They can’t force me to do this!”

  “Actually, Allison, they can. But I would much rather that you work with me willingly rather than having to hospitalize you for a bit. That will be up to you, though.”

  At this point, Allison came completely unglued.

  Chapter Two

  ALLISON BEGAN SHRIEKING at the top of her lungs, gnashing her teeth and thrashing about on the sofa.

  Quickly, Dreama pushed a concealed button underneath her desk while opening a draw and withdrawing a syringe and a vial containing a sedative. She kept these on hand for just such emergencies. They didn’t happen often but one of these situations only had to happen once to insure that she wasn’t caught unawares again.

  Within seconds, Noah, her assistant was in her office and was in the p
rocess of restraining Allison long enough for Dreama to give her a shot. The sedative was fast acting and started to take effect almost instantly.

  Allison gradually stopped shrieking and started to fall over.

  Noah caught her and laid her gently on the sofa.

  “Wow,” he said as he stepped back and stood with Dreama. “What happened to her?”

  “She’s very delusional,” Dreama answered quietly. “I didn’t realize just how serious it was until it was too late. Thank you for your help. I’m going to have to hospitalize her. I’ll call and make the arrangements.”

  “Okay, Doc,” Noah said. “Do you need for me keep an eye on her for you?”

  “No, she will be fine. I expect she will remain unconscious until the ambulance arrives, but thank you.”

  “Sure thing. That’s why you pay me the big bucks,” he said over his shoulder as he left her office and headed back to the reception area.

  Noah Chase was a true lifesaver. Not only was he a registered nurse but was a body builder proficient in several forms of martial arts as well as a great office manager. With Noah, she got an office manager, emergency nurse and a bodyguard all in one. She damn well paid him what he was worth and then some.

  He was, quite simply, irreplaceable.

  Dreama made the phone calls to arrange what she needed for Allison. She had really hoped to avoid this step, but it was pretty clear that she had no choice.

  Allison was not functional enough to be on her own. She had at least 72 hours to work with Allison and try to get her grounded somewhat.

  Beyond that, she would have to see.

  The ambulance arrived in record time, and without flashing lights or sirens. Dreama had requested that they not draw any more attention to themselves than necessary. She had explained that the patient was sedated for now and was in no immediate danger.