Destiny felt her fortitude fail, and she quickly slid from the bed. She softly sobbed as she slipped back into her slippers and grabbed her robe.
“Destiny!” Bill grabbed for her arm.
But she was already rushing down the hallway, pulling her robe on as she went. Destiny tried to maneuver the stairs, her tears blinding her. She slowed, her chest heaving with her sobs, as she tried not to cry out loud and wake the guests. She held her hand over her mouth as she climbed the third flight and rushed into her room. Then she fell onto her bed and sobbed profusely. She felt embarrassed. Humiliated.
Suddenly, there was a light knock. Maybe if she ignored him, he would go away. The tap came again. The door creaked open, and she realized in her haste, she failed to lock it. “Go away,” she managed to whimper. Then she felt him lean on the bed beside her.
“Destiny,” Bill grabbed for her arm.
She rolled away from his touch.
“Destiny, please,” he pleaded. “It’s not you.”
Destiny rolled over and glared at him, reached behind him, grabbed a handful of tissues, blew her nose, and wiped her face. She finally stood and looked down at him. “I knew this was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
Bill gently took her hand. “Destiny, please,” he begged, until she sat beside him on the bed, sniffing.
“I want to explain something to you.” Bill slid to his knees before her to ensure she was looking at him, still holding her hands in his. “I want you more than you know,” he said. “Maybe more than I should,” he continued, as she finally faced him. And I didn’t want to stop. I wouldn’t have stopped,” Bill assured her.
“Then why did you?” she asked, mystified. “We’re two consenting adults. And I was consenting,” she said, blowing her nose. “I put myself out there; I trusted you.”
“That’s exactly right. You trusted me,” he reiterated. “And you have to trust me now. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman. I love you more than I’ve loved any woman.”
“But?”
“But suddenly, I saw Sydney.” Bill climbed from his knees and sat beside her again. “And I was suddenly ashamed. How would I want someone to treat my little girl?” He tilted his head toward her. “Would I want some guy to treat her the way I was treating you?” He looked away, embarrassed, shaking his head. “God, the fact that I’m even thinking about that already is disturbing on so many different levels.” He turned back to her and drew in a deep breath. “Point is if I want that for my daughter—if I want someone to respect her and love her and wait for her until he marries her, shouldn’t I do the same?”
Destiny wiped her eyes once more, chewing on what he said. “So, it wasn’t me?”
Bill chuckled. “Oh, God, no,” he assured her, turning and hugging her. “I love you. I want you. Some things are obvious,” he added, looking down at his lap. She followed his stare, then looked back up at him, blushing, a small smile crossing her lips. “I can hide some things, but…” he said, shrugging; eyebrows raised. “So, it’s definitely not you. It’s all me.”
Destiny fell back onto her bed, and Bill fell back beside her. “I guess snuggling is out of the question.”
“Snuggling, kissing, petting, being in the same room.” Bill turned to smile at her. Slowly, his fingers reached across and gently took her fingers. As he glanced down at their hands, he added, “Holding hands is permitted.”
“Oh, thank God!” she exclaimed. “I was starting to think we were going to have to have sex without actually touching at all.”
He looked up at the ceiling. “Somehow, this is going to be harder than I ever thought it would be.”
“So, what happens now?” she asked, rolling onto her side, and leaning on her elbow.
“If we get married tomorrow, Sydney will be in bed by nine, ten at the latest. We can finish this conversation tomorrow night, at say,” he looked at his watch. “Ten-o-one.”
Destiny smiled down at him. “There’s a hearing on my civil suit tomorrow.”
“Darn it!” He rolled back onto his side, and leaned on his elbow as well, looking at her like he had an epiphany. “If there’s court, there’s a judge, right? We can ask for an adjournment and then he can marry us in chambers. We’ll ask him to excuse us for, say,” he looked at his watch again. “Five minutes.”
Destiny laughed. “Five minutes?”
Bill raised his eyebrows and looked up. “It has been, uh, how old is Sydney, and then add six months?”
Destiny laughed again and took his hand. “So, is this you proposing?”
“Just proposing a means to an end,” he sighed, looking into her eyes. “No, this is not me proposing. When I propose, it’s going to be right. It’s going to be perfect.” He sweetly smiled, reaching for her shirt.
Destiny immediately held up her hand to create a barrier.
Bill narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to make me pay for this, aren’t you?”
Destiny grinned. “Absolutely.”
Bill rolled onto his back again, staring upward. He sighed. “Why does life have to be so complicated?”
“Life is messy,” she agreed.
“Justine requested a blood test, saying Sydney might not be mine,” he said weakly before looking over at her.
“Oh, Bill! No!”
“Yeah. How am I supposed to tell Syd?”
“Do you have to?”
“Well, they want to do a blood test on her and me.”
“No, Bill.” Destiny was pensive for a moment. “You can fight it.”
“Yeah. Dale said I could, but then I’d be in default of a court order and could be arrested. And then what would happen to Sydney?” he asked looking at her. “And in the end, he said, I’d still have to do it.”
Destiny thought for a moment. “Tell her that she has to have it for school.”
“Lie?”
“Absolutely,” she insisted. “Then she’ll never have to know why.”
“Unless…” he began.
Destiny’s hand moved to his chest, then to his face, and she turned him to face her. “She’ll never have to know,” she smiled sweetly.
Bill looked down at her hand. “What happened to the protective barrier?”
“Pity touch,” she grinned.
Bill rolled back to his side, his hand moving to hers. “And she has a sense of humor, too.”
“It’s part of the chastity training.”
Bill’s smile grew. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He stood and looked down at her, eyeing her from head to toe and back. He contemplated what he was walking away from and shook his head.
“Good night,” he said, walking to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, then reached in and checked the doorknob and the lock. He looked back up at her. “I suggest you lock this.”
“I’ll be fine,” she offered. “I trust you.”
“Lock the door,” he reiterated. “I don’t trust me.” He disappeared through the door and pulled it closed behind him, wriggling the doorknob for effect.
Destiny smiled to herself, pulling the pillow to her chest and hugging it. She could feel his hands all over her, his tongue in her mouth, his breath on her neck. Suddenly, she heard the doorknob rattle again, and her eyes popped open. She slid off the bed and walked to the door. It rattled again.
“You there?” Bill whispered against the door.
“Right here.”
“I needed to tell you…” he murmured, hesitating. “I am going to propose to you, Destiny. In a way that you deserve.” Destiny’s hand went to the knob. “And I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me. Showing you that I love you more than life itself.”
“I love you, too,” she said through the door. She felt the knob turn slightly in her hand. If she let him in, she knew she wouldn’t let him leave. She heard him sigh, and then he wiggled the doorknob one more time.
“Just testing,” he said. “Good night.”
/> Destiny grinned to herself and dropped her cheek to the door. “Good night,” she whispered to the locked door, knowing it was as close as they would get tonight.
Chapter 49
The preliminary hearing started late. It would be the first time she would have to face Winston since he showed up at Lisa’s, and considering what she’d been through, her attorney wasn’t sure it was a good idea. The prosecutor, however, was thrilled. He thought if Winston knew that his victims weren’t afraid of showing up in court, he would be intimidated. Dr. Villarreal was on the fence about the whole appearance, ultimately leaving it up to her and not trying to persuade her one way or the other. The civil case was to make a point, and to drive that point home. Winston’s failed attempt to do harm to Destiny and remove her from the equation only strengthened the prosecutors and Destiny’s case against him. The DA’s goal was still wanted to try him to the fullest extent of the law, and make an example of him. Destiny was their star witness, but, not their only witness.
She looked around the room, noting two other women there who sat solemnly on their own. One of them, Ginger, Rita’s former secretary, sat at the end of her row, closest to the wall. Destiny stood and made her way toward her. When Ginger saw her, she rose and nodded. Destiny hugged her and squeezed her hand. “You okay?” she asked.
Ginger nodded.
Immediately a man from her legal team came over and stood beside them. “You two can’t be talking,” he said, taking Destiny by the arm and leading her away. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Ginger, who smiled faintly in return.
Destiny sat back down. Suddenly, she felt someone standing next to her.
“Mind if I join you?”
Destiny looked up and smiled. “What are you doing here?”
“There’s no way I’m going to let you do this on your own,” Bill said, smiling down at her. She moved over as he sat beside her. He looked around the courtroom before looking back at her and taking her hand. “Hand holding allowed, remember,” he winked.
Destiny smiled as she looked forward. When Winston entered the room, her smile faded. She stared at him until his eyes met hers. He smiled at her. The gesture alone made her ill, but she held his stare, refusing to look away. Destiny felt Bill squeeze her hand tighter, and it gave her confidence.
The bailiff announced the judge as he entered, and the court was in session. He listened to motions by the defense, which were all denied. Both attorneys approached and haggled over legal details that no one else could hear. Every so often Winston would look her way, but she averted her eyes. She didn’t want to face him again. It only disgusted her more. Destiny could hear the attorneys arguing, and the defense attorney pointed in her direction. She felt her face get hot. A moment later her attorney walked over to her and said that the judge wanted to talk to her. He told her not to worry. It was simply intimidation by the defense. Was she okay with talking to him? Destiny swallowed hard and then nodded.
The walk to the front of the room felt so lonely and long. She had to walk right past Winston and his smug airs. Destiny was determined not to look at him at all if she was able to avoid it. She sat quietly until the bailiff asked her to raise her right hand. She raised her hand and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
The defense attorney asked her name and where she worked, then pointed to Ginger and asked if Destiny knew her. Destiny said that she did. He asked if she had spoken to Ginger since the case had begun, before today. She said she hadn’t. Then they asked her if she’d spoken to her today, asked her what they talked about and why she approached her. When Destiny had answered all their questions, they reworded them, twisting them in a more divisive manner. They accused her of approaching Ginger deliberately to discuss the case and sway her testimony. They asked her the same question almost ten different ways. Her attorney continued to object, stating that the questions had been asked and answered. The more they repeated their questions, the more melodramatic the defense attorney behaved. Finally, Winston’s lawyer stated he was through with the witness and allowed Destiny to return to her seat.
Bill took her hand and squeezed. “You did good,” he whispered from the side of his lips.
Destiny smiled.
“Hey, while you were up there, did you ask the judge about what we talked about last night?” he whispered again. Destiny elbowed him in the side, fighting a smile.
The lawyers approached the bench again, argued some more, and then the judge called for a short recess. Winston lowered his head as his attorney spoke into his ear, and he cast a glance Destiny’s direction. Only, this time, he wasn’t smiling. She held his gaze again, refusing to look away first. He turned away quickly. Destiny could tell he was rattled, by his demeanor. She glanced to the end of her row, and Ginger was no longer there. Destiny hoped she hadn’t been deterred by what had happened. The defense’s tactics were meant not only to intimidate her but also any of the other witnesses in the room.
The judge clapped his gavel, and her attorney stood immediately and came to her. He leaned over and patted her hand. “You did great.”
“How does it look right now?” she asked.
“His attorney requested a meeting, so we’ll see.”
“So, is this guy going to do hard time?” Bill asked, concerned for Destiny if he got out.
“Oh, yeah, that’s a no-brainer at this point,” the balding man assured him. “It’s just a matter of how long, and that all depends on this little lady here and the other witnesses.”
“And the evidence?” Destiny asked.
“And the evidence,” he concurred. “Look, don’t stress yourself out over a trial until we get past the grand jury.”
Destiny smiled slightly and nodded.
“Thank you,” Bill offered, somewhat relieved. Then he turned to Destiny. “How about lunch?” His phone rang at that instant. He looked at it and then quickly answered it.
“That would be nice,” she replied flatly, as Bill held up his hand to quiet her. She turned to pick up her jacket and dropped her phone, which fell over the first bench and by the railing that separated the front of the court from the back. The attorneys conferred at their tables, while Winston sat, his head hanging at the defense’s table. Bill was still on his phone, so she stepped around him, moved to the railing and leaned over to pick up her phone. Only, a hand picked it up before she arrived and held it out to her. Destiny found herself looking into Winston’s eyes, just inches from hers.
“Hi, Destiny,” Winston cooed softly.
Destiny froze. She felt her skin crawl at just the sound of his voice.
“Miss me?” he whispered.
Destiny could feel her heart racing, and she couldn’t move. Somehow she couldn’t hold his stare this time.
A moment later Bill stepped up beside her and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Winston. He could feel her shaking. Bill glared hatefully into Winston’s eyes, looked down and saw Destiny’s phone in the man’s hand.
Destiny’s attorney turned and instantly saw that Winston was interacting with Destiny and Bill. He turned to the bailiff, who was speaking to the judge. “Bailiff!” he yelled, pointing toward Winston.
Winston held out the phone to Bill, a smug smile on his face. As Bill reached for it, Winston leaned toward him and said, “She’s a sweet piece. I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I did.”
Winston’s attorneys turned the moment Bill took the phone and realized from Bill’s face that something was about to happen. They lunged to grab their client, but they weren’t fast enough.
Bill tried not to react to Winston’s taunting gaze, but it was too late. All the anger and frustration of the past few months had culminated at this point, and all reason, all sanity left him. He dropped his coat and in one swift motion punched Winston in his not-so-completely-healed nose, breaking it again. He was about to jump over the barrier when her attorney, the bailiff and one of the other men in the audience grabbed his arms to prevent him from re
aching over the banister and pummeling the man.
“Dammit!” Winston screamed, in apparent pain; his new $3000 suit ruined. Not to mention he would need a reasonable repair of his nose, again, at county expense. “I want him arrested.”
Destiny, who had fallen on the first bench in the melee, reached up and grabbed Bill’s arm. She tried to get him to face her while everyone else had their hands on him, pulling him in other directions. She looked at him perplexed. “What are you doing?”
The bailiff held Bill back. “What just happened?” he asked.
“He baited me,” Bill defended, as they walked Winston from the courtroom, his hands and face bloodied.
“What did he say?” he asked.
Bill took Destiny into his arms and exhaled loudly. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does, Son. You just assaulted another man in front of witnesses. In a courtroom.”
Destiny stood by Bill and took his hand. “What does that mean?”
“It means, that they are going to arrest him.”
“Arrest him?”
Bill realized his stupidity. He dropped his head and then handed his phone and his coat, his ring, his watch and everything in his pockets to Destiny. He gave her his phone password. “Call Dale and ask him to meet me at the jail.” He looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry. Please don’t tell Sydney,” he pleaded.
Destiny nodded.
A moment later, an officer walked over and began talking to her attorney, the bailiff, other witnesses, and finally, Bill.
And then they arrested him.
Chapter 50
Consuelo slid over in the California king bed and kissed her shoulder multiple times, the simple act bringing goose bumps to the surface of her soft skin. His hand slid down her arm to her naked, shapely hip, her buttocks and back. He usually traveled with her when she was in the States. Sometimes even when she wasn’t, depending on how bored he was. He always kept it exciting, surprising her when she least expected it. Tonight, he ordered room service in, after which he massaged her with exotic oils, teasing her with every touch before he made love to her on the bedroom floor.
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