by Eden Rose
Ronnie approached me and hugged me. "Savannah, Tony is going to be your escort," Tony came up and raised his hand for me to shake it.
He is actually pretty hot. Dark blue eyes contrasted against his olive skin and he had high cheek bones. If I had to guess, I would say he is a little younger than myself but not by much. "You are absolutely stunning," Tony complimented me and gave me a hug. "Moretti is the dumbest cafone in the world!"
Ronnie gave him a dirty look and broke up our embrace. "You just escort her. Nothing more."
"Say what you want, man. But this woman has taken my breath away," he leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I'm speechless.
This is so awkward. I don't even know why I'm here. How Ronnie is acting is showing me that he has something up his sleeve and I don't know what it is or want to know. But my suspicion is that it has to do with Vincent.
Being around all of these guys is making my mind whirl in circles. Anne is my only real friend here but that doesn't explain why I am. I know that being the ex of Vincent might have something to do with it but aren't I supposed to be casted away and then forgotten? I wish that were the case since I just know that Vincent will be there.
I have made it a point to avoid all clients that could connect me to Vincent. There is just no way that I'm ready to see him or hear from him. Vincent shattered my heart after my heart is just taped back together and now I'm alone again.
"Excuse me everyone!" Anne shouted while clicking her wine glass with a fork. "We wanted to be the first ones to tell you that we just bought a penthouse in Manhattan and we are moving tomorrow!"
Anne is smiling so big that her cheeks could crack. As I walked over to her, I tried to be happy for her. Secretly I'm incredibly jealous that she got a happy ending and I live in the guest room of my ex marital home. Yippie. "Congratulations!" I called as I hugged her.
"Vans, I also wanted to invite you to move in with us. I don't think it is right for you to be living with Joel any longer."
"Yes, Savannah. We have got your room painted and ordered you a bed. We will help you move tomorrow."
"Um, thanks. Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked nervously while scanning the room. The last thing that I wanted is to be a burden on someone. I guess I'm a nomad now.
Ronnie came in and pulled me in for a hug. "Don't be silly. Its already taken care of."
I miss Vincent. This is insane. He broke my heart and now all I want for him to laugh and say he is just kidding.
I smiled at both of them in order to downcast how much pain I truly am in. "Thanks! I will move out as soon as I find a place of my own!" Anne squeezed me and then Tony came up behind me and placed his arm around me. It is comforting in a sense but it is the wrong man.
"Come on everyone. The limos are here!" Johnny announced.
Tony readjusted himself and put his hand on my naked back to lead me out to the limo. His finger tips were pointed right into my skin and I'm hoping he didn't feel me shiver. It isn't as if I were attracted to him, I just felt some sort of comfort being close to him.
As much as I want to tell Vincent that he should go kill himself, I just know what would happen if he put his hands on me again. I would fall into his arms and instantly forgive him. What does that make me? Does this make me a weak person? I don't want to be weak but I miss him so much.
The drive to the hall is quick and easy. Tony engaged in small talk with me. However, I'm not interested in anything that he is saying.
The hall is beautiful just like I imagined. There were flowers all around and candles that lit the space. Truly romantic. Made me miss that jerk. Damn. The deejay is playing classical music that lightened everyone's moods and couples were dancing together. A majority of everyone in here, I have met via Vincent or his friends and I just know they are staring me down wondering what the fuck I'm doing here. I feel you on that, boys! I don't want to be here either!
"Savannah," Tony said in my ear while holding my lower back, "let's find our spot."
"That sounds amazing," I replied and let him lead me to a table that is covered in silver and gold accents. I knew that sometime soon Vincent would probably show up. Although I'm worried about seeing him, I decided to be the best date I could be to Tony.
"What may I bring you to drink?" Tony asked me while standing up.
"A glass of wine, surprise me," is my answer as I smiled at him.
"Of course," he scurried off and left me sitting at the table alone.
"Savannah? How are you doing?" Sammy asked me as he sat down.
How do you think I'm doing? I'm fucking miserable. Your friend shattered my heart and left me... Of course, I didn't say any of this. Sammy didn't need to know how I felt. Time to put on my beauty queen smile and wish for world peace. " I'm well, how are you?" I smiled at him even though my heart is pounding.
"Who did you come with?" He smiled at me as he adjusted his suit jacket.
"Tony."
"Hi, Sammy. Thank you for keeping this beautiful woman company while I'm gone. I can take over from here," Tony said as he handed me a wine glass.
Sammy stood up and gave Tony a nasty death stare. "Don't get too comfortable," then he walked off.
While Tony is still standing, he held his hand out to me. "Shall we dance?" I took his hand and smiled. I let him lead me to the dance floor and put my right hand on his shoulder but kept my left in his hand. "You are a beautiful dancer."
"Thanks." I heard someone yell "Moretti!" And my back tensed. "So, Tony... Tell me about yourself," I redirected my attention back to Tony.
We danced for a total of four songs. He is a good dancer and very attentive to me. After the fourth song ended, I excused myself to go to the ladies room. Once in the bathroom, I fixed my makeup and fluffed my hair out.
I needed to get myself in check. Seeing Vincent isn't the end of the world. The world will still turn on its axle and today will end with tomorrow being new. Okay, so what if the mere thought of him is making me want to jump out of my skin? That's normal, right?
Believe me when I say that the irony of the situation is borderline insane. We have been broken up for longer than I have been with him and I'm mourning as if we have been together for years.
I miss him. So very much.
Upon leaving the bathroom, I ran into someone. "Excuse me! I'm so sorry," I looked up and noticed who it is. "Millstone. What a surprise." Get away from me, get away! He is so... slimy.
"Savannah, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you and Joel reconciled." The way he spoke seemed as if he knew the answer already.
"That is really none of your business," I retorted and tried to walk away. He grabbed my elbow and pulled me back in. "What can I do for you? Do you have another fake listing to list or are you going to threaten me?" I stared back at him and felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
"You know for being someone who keeps popping up in my life, you sure are snotty." I gave him a fake smile. "You do know why you are with Joel again, don't you?"
"What are you getting at?" I felt my cheeks burn and my voice raise. Ronnie came out of the door and stood by the hall. "Spit it out!"
"Its because since you are such a dumb bitch, you have a price tag on your head."
"Hey! This isn't the place for this!" Ronnie yelled and went back into the room.
"You know what, Millstone?" I stuttered out as I glared at him. "If I have a price tag on my head," I lifted my arms above my head and waved them around like the crazy person that I'm , "then get it over with! I'm right here! Would you rather we walk outside, is that more private for you?" I knew I'm playing with fire and I would most certainly lose, but I'm tired of being a target.
"Savannah! Come on." Ronnie tried to grab my arm and pull me away but I'm not having it.
"No! Don't tell me to come on. I'm tired of this!" I screamed at Ronnie and yanked my arm out of his hold and then directed my fury towards my old client. "My personal life has nothing to do with you. If you a
re going to kill me, do it! I'm done with this!" This whole situation is getting annoying. For some reason, I felt safe. I knew that he could pull out a gun to shoot me but I'm tired of being afraid. "Well?"
He opened his mouth but Ronnie came back out... hmm, when did he leave again? "Savannah, Tony is looking for you. You should go find him"
Millstone faded to the background as if he were a ghost and I walked and stood in front of Ronnie. "No, I want to settle this right now, Ronnie. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm marked. Millstone just told me I have a price tag on my head. If that is true, then get it over with."
"We know," Ronnie said as I stared at him. "That's why you moved..." His voice trailed off as Vincent appeared in the doorway.
I didn't look at him. I couldn't see his face or hear his voice. I'm still very hurt and madly in love with that prick. What if he were to just touch me? Would I let him? Yes, yes, I would.
"Go inside," Ronnie said.
"Fine! This ends now! Millstone, I'm tired of this crap! If you are going to do it, I'm right here!" As I stormed out of the foyer, I walked past Vincent and made sure to not touch him. There is that magnetic pull that I felt as I walked by. I had to fight myself to not grab on to him and have him take me away.
Tony came running up to me. " I'm so worried." He places his arm around my waist as we walked towards the bar.
" I'm fine, let's go get something to drink," is my reply.
Vincent tried to approach me twice. Tony kept my attention the whole night by telling me stories about how he is in college and then talking about his siblings. Surprisingly, Vincent didn't pull rank and demand that Tony leave me alone.
" I'm going to get us another glass, I will be right back." I pushed my chair back and walked to the bar. Vincent is standing at the bar talking to Sammy. "Hi! I need two glasses of Merlot, please," I said to the waiter.
*Chapter 44*
Vincent is staring me down. I felt his eyes burn through my body and suddenly I felt naked from him. I know I shouldn't want his eyes on me but it felt so good. The way he looked at me made me feel like I'm the only one in the room. Even though he shattered me, I so badly wanted him to just grab me and make love in the bathroom. Yeah, bathrooms may not be romantic but it would be a ton of fun.
"What?" I asked him as Sammy left and Vincent coughed. "What do you want to say to me? You have been staring at me this whole time." Man, I have some big brass balls right now. Huge.
"May I talk to you in private?" He whispered as I received my glasses.
"Savannah," Tony said as he put his hand on my back. " I'm wondering what is taking you so long." He grabbed his glass and took a sip. "Moretti, she is a beautiful woman, isn't she?" He smiled at Vincent and Vincent looked as if he were going to kill him. Tony's arm snaked around my waist. Vincent's eyes widened as Tony tickled my side and I giggled from the tickle.
"Yes, she is. Don't you have an errand to run? I need to finish talking to her," he grabbed my arm and led me outside. I didn't fight him as I let him practically pull me out.
Once we arrived on the terrace, I turned on him. "What? What more can you possibly say to me?" Now that he is in front of me, I couldn't remember why I'm so angry with him.
Oh yeah. He kicked me out of his house in front of them.
He sat down on a bench and then patted the seat for me to sit down as well. " I'm really sorry about everything. Can you give me a few minutes to explain what happened?" He looked sincere. Those eyes captivated me and my legs would have given out if I hadn't already been sitting. I nodded since my is begging him to kiss it all and make it all better. "If you would have stayed with me, the Dice would have killed you."
"Millstone told me. I'm tired of people trying to tell me what I need to do."
"I had you move in with Joel," he swallowed hard, "to save you. If you were back together with him, then they couldn't kill you."
"Why do you make these decisions for me and not let me in on them? You broke my heart." I willed myself to not to cry even when the tears poked my eyes.
"Watching you leave with Joel killed me. I didn't want you to leave. However, John said that if you didn't leave with him, the Dice would kill you. When I called Joel to come get you, I felt like I died." He took a deep breath and looked out into the night before his shoulders started to move up and down. "I did... I did die."
"Okay..." I whispered and looked away.
"Once we heard about the contract on you, I had to protect you. If I could do it over again, I would have just taken you away. Seeing you with Joel that night at dinner is the most pain I have ever felt. Please, accept my apology." He fingered my wrist that once held my bracelet. "I want to tell you something else, vivo per lei."
What he said is sinking in. Did Vincent actually follow me? Crazy. "What does that mean?" I asked as I looked at him again.
"It means 'I live for her'." My heart pounded. He finally is talking to me. His words were so sweet. "Please tell me what you are thinking. Sitting this close to you and not being able to touch you is killing me. I missed you so much and seeing you around with your ex husband made me so jealous that I would have killed to replace him." Normally, this man threw around his power but right now he only showed vulnerability.
"I don't know what to think," I answered honestly. Part of me wanted to tell him that I forgave him. However, the other part outweighed that decision and held on to the grudge. "I really don't know. One minute we are making love and planning a wedding and then the next you threw me away to my ex husband. The worst part about the whole thing is that you did it in front of all of them," I waved my hand at the hall.
"Please, Savannah. I love you so much, please come back to me." He begged and tried to grab my hands but didn't touch me.
"How am I supposed to know if this is real? We were living together and you just kicked me out of your house. You broke me. You broke it all," my voice is raising as the hate and pain raised again.
"I will do anything to make it up to you. Please just let me take you home tonight... to your home. We can talk more." His voice cracked and he looked away from me but then caught my eyes again. "I will do whatever it takes to have you back in my life." Vincent slipped his hand into his pocket and then brought out my bracelet. "I have carried it with me every day since... since..."
"Vincent... I..." I could have cried. I wanted to run into him and have him hold me but my pride wouldn't let me. "I... I..." I wanted to tell him that I still loved him and that I missed him but I couldn't. Above all else, he broke us.
"What, baby doll?"
My heart crashed as he called me that. Is this what a heart attack feels like? "What about Tony? I think he has grown attached to me." That is what came to my mouth. Wow. I didn't care about Tony. Fuck.
"He is here to do a job, to make sure you came." He stood up and helped me off the bench. "You are truly the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm a fool to let you leave me. I..."
"You, what?" I stood up and glared into his eyes.
He didn't say anything for a few minutes and we stood there. Frozen in time. I'm afraid that if I got closer to him that I would fall apart. "I love you. Please give me another chance. Whatever you want, we will do." He held on to my hands and rubbed my fingers with his palms.
I knew I should leave him and let him know what it feels like to be heart broken, but... "Wait, I don't want to go home. Its weird seeing my ex husband hooking up with a hood rat."
"Well, we don't have to take you home yet. Let's get you something to eat," he turned away from me and walked back into the hall. I stood in the same place that he left me in. Trying to process all of this is brutal.
I needed some time to process everything. Okay, he broke my heart to save me. I'm still technically breathing but I'm not alive so that plan sizzled. Everything he is saying sounded so good. Like a dream but I can afford to be living in a dream anymore.
Will I take him back? That is a positive. Will I make him make it up to me? That is correct.
Who am I kidding? I would walk across a snake pit for this man. I love him and I think he is telling the truth. His pained eyes matched my own... I need him.
Despite my confused state, I did listen to the sounds around me. I heard someone walk up behind me, I didn't face the person.
"Savannah, please come with me," a pair of hands took and wrapped my hair into their hands and forced me to walk away from the hall. "Do you know who I am?"
That's easy. "Yes, yes I do. Millstone?" I let him drag me away willingly. I didn't know what is about to happen as I heard a car door open and I'm being shoved in.
