Cassandra slowly stood up beside him, studying the woman closely. She took an instant dislike to the woman, without even knowing who she was, and that fact alone made her leery, simply because she knew it was not in her nature to judge someone immediately. In fact, she suddenly felt downright belligerent, which both confused and frightened her. What's wrong with me, why would I feel the need to attack this woman for no reason? She wondered.
“Martina, what do you want?” Granger hissed with a thunderous scowl, then moved closer to Cassandra and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.
Martina's eyes narrowed even further as bile roiled in her stomach. So, he feels he has to protect the precious little bitch! She thought, then put on her best smile and purred, “Granger, darling, I was here having lunch with a buyer, and saw you come in. I tell you, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.” she trailed off as she looked Cassandra up and down disdainfully, making it apparent she didn't approve of such casual dress for such an expensive place. Look at her, she doesn't even know how to dress, what does he see in her? She thought bitterly. “Well, I had to come over to see if it really was Cassandra who was with you! After all, she did abandon you and that sweet child of yours, Regan. You told me so yourself, remember? On one of those nights I was there to comfort you? I thought you said you never wanted to see her again?”
Cassandra stiffened and now openly glared at the beautiful redhead. She knew the woman was implying that she and Granger had been lovers, and judging from the sudden tightening grip of Granger's arm around her waist, the woman was telling the truth. Her own brown eyes narrowing as well, she sneered at the woman jealously, and turned to her husband. Putting her hand on his chest, she looked into his eyes and said, “Darling, I'm so sorry you had to.....settle, for something like THAT.” she finished as she looked back at Martina with a faint, mocking smile. “I know it was hard on you during my absence, and you had to settle for whatever you could get. Well, now I understand why you were so desperately seeking me. After all, once you've had the best, the real thing, a cheap knockoff would be so disappointing.”
Face flushing with humiliation and barely suppressed rage, Martina took one menacing step forward, and then stopped as she saw Malcolm rise from his seat several feet away and approach them.
Stepping out Granger's embrace, Cassandra gave him a saucy smile, then gave Martina a look that was pure alpha female. What the hell, wolves piss and mark their territory, I might as well mark my man in front of this bitch... she thought. Standing on her toes, she kissed Granger full on the lips, and let it linger. “I'll have Malcolm escort me to the suite. While you deal with...with THAT.” she murmured when she finally broke the kiss, not even gracing Martina with another glance.
With Malcolm in tow, she turned and walked away with a regal grace that would have captured any man's attention.
Watching her leave, Granger was stunned speechless. That sexy vixen is my wife? My Cassandra has changed.... he thought as he felt his manhood coming to life. The old Cassandra would have never been so brazen, so possessive, especially in a public place, and it was a surprising, unexpected turn-on for him.
The dazed and pleasant look on Granger's face enraged Martina further, and she sputtered, “Granger how could you allow that bi.....” she trailed off as he finally looked at her with murder in his eyes. Lowering her voice an octave, she put on her best wounded look. “Darling, she's making you look foolish and weak. A man like you should not seem so soft in public.” she implored as she reached out to touch him.
Batting her hand away like a pesky mosquito, he looked down at her and sneered, “Weak and foolish? You know, that describes you perfectly. Martina, I know pride isn't high on your priority list, but for the love of God, have some for once, and just leave me alone. It's over, you dig? There was never anything there to begin with anyway.”
Genuinely hurt, her eyes misted and she whined, “How can you be so cruel, so callous to me? Granger, you know how much I love...”
Throwing one hand up to silence her, he closed his eyes and muttered, “Martina, I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it would have been much more cruel in the long term if I had ever led you on. My wife was right, once I experienced her love and came to appreciate it, from that moment on, no other woman could ever make me feel what I do for her.”
***************************************************
Dropping her 'cool chick' act, Cassandra slumped against the elevator wall. Why did I act so aggressive? Jealousy, that's why, because you know she slept with Granger... she thought miserably.
Malcolm clipped his Blackberry to his trim waist, then pressed the button for the eighth floor. Casting a sideways glance at Cassandra, he chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?” she asked, close to tears. “I guess I made a complete fool out of myself, huh? Playing the role of alpha-bitch.”
“Hey, for what it's worth, I thought it was priceless. I've never seen that insufferable bitch Martina rendered speechless, until a few moments ago. Look, you've obviously been through a lot, and you have changed in some ways. But it's for the better, Mrs. Mortensen, at least I think so.” he said as he winked and gave her a smile of approval.
“Please, call me Cassandra.” she replied. Her curiosity piqued, she couldn't help but ask, “What do you mean, how have I changed?”
Silent for a moment, he seemed to be considering his reply carefully. “Before you left....” he finally replied, unable to bring himself to use the term before you were attacked...“Granger's mother nearly forced you off the estate. You allowed her to bully you, even though you had every right to be there. You could have sent her packing, but you were always meek around both her and Martina. You never stood up for yourself, not once did you ever act like or say anything like you did today. You took all your hurt and humiliation out on Granger. You threw tantrums, and towards the...uhhh...well, right before you left, you're behavior seemed...unbalanced, at best. It was a touchy subject with him too, even discussing it with me.”
Grateful for the man's honesty, she gave him a small, sad smile. “Guess it took a few whacks on the head to make me grow up, huh?”
With a grave expression, he replied, “Mrs. Mort...Cassandra, the last night you were on the estate you were demanding to leave with your son, Regan. You were rambling nearly incoherently, your speech was slurred, and you were stumbling around. It was almost as if, well, you were high on something. I couldn't, I didn't, allow you to take Regan off the estate.”
“I don't remember any of it.” she nearly whispered, feeling numb.
Running a hand over his face, his shoulders slumped from the weight of his guilt. “I allowed you to have the chauffeur take you off the estate, knowing you were in distress. But at the time, I figured, she's the boss's wife, I can't keep her here against her will. Well, when the chauffeur returned, he said you had had him drive you to a local hotel. From that point on we never knew your whereabouts. I failed you, Cassandra. I failed your husband, my friend, and most of all, I failed Regan. God help whoever it was who hurt you, because when I find out who did it, I will personally put a bullet between their eyes.”
Understanding for the first time how much of an impact her attack had had on everyone dear to her, she blinked back tears that suddenly threatened to overflow. Reaching out, she touched his arm in a comforting gesture. “Malcolm, listen to me, you did nothing wrong. Thanks to you, my child may very well have been saved, because whoever it was that hurt me, they would have surely done the same to him. You saved my child.” she said as she squeezed his muscular arm. “Malcolm, please don't kill anyone. I wouldn't want you to carry that burden for the rest of your life because of me. Whoever hurt me will have to answer for what they did, and they'll have to answer to a higher power. Believe me, they will be punished.”
Smiling at her with a rare look of genuine warmth, he replied, “You're still a bit of a softy. You honestly believe they'll pay, don't you?”
Nodding her head, she reflected on
the fact she could never live with the death of someone on her conscious, not even the person, or persons, who had hurt her.
The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened with a quiet whoosh.
Placing a large hand on her shoulder gently, he stepped out with her and led her to Granger's suite. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled the key card out, opened the door, then her handed the key to her. “This is an extra key. I'm just across the hall, number 806, if you need me.” he said as he pointed to the door on the opposite side.
“Thank you, Malcolm. Thanks for everything.”
“That's what I'm here for.” he replied, then looked at her in silence for a moment. “Cassandra, he loves you, he always has. Give him a chance.” he finally said in a soft voice. That said, he turned and entered his own suite, closing the door quietly behind him.
Stepping inside herself, Cassandra shut the door and threw the lock into place, then turned and surveyed her surroundings. The sitting room was done in royal blue and cream, there was an ornamental fireplace, and she thought that it was decorated nearly as eloquently as the lobby itself.
Kicking her sneakers off, her feet sank into the plush carpet as she walked towards the circular balcony. Opening the door and stepping outside, she was both humbled and awestruck by the scenic view of the beautiful valley below. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the fresh mountain air.
************************************************
“Mr. Mortensen, this arrived for you earlier by private courier.”
Taking the envelope from the young resort employee, Granger fished his wallet out of his pocket with one hand, pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill, then handed it to him, mumbling his thanks.
“Thank you sir, you‘re a very generous man!” the young employee beamed, then tipped his cap and left.
Glowering, Granger headed towards the nearest elevator, his thoughts in a whirl. He had spoken to Raidon earlier, they had received the test results for the ‘medication’ Brett Parker had been giving his wife, and just as he'd suspected, the results were both worrisome and frightening. While he felt the urge to strangle the man to death with his bare hands, he also wished to nail everyone involved in his wife's attack. That, and that alone, was the only thing keeping his temper in check at the moment. Raidon had informed him he was following some leads, and one of them appeared to lead to Mexico. He had said he may have found where Cassandra had been taken the first few months following her attack.
Getting onto the elevator, he pulled his new cell phone from his pocket and dialed Jocelyn, told her how Cassandra's doctor appointment had turned out, then asked if she would pack her a few toiletries and outfits.
Jocelyn warned him that Cassandra wouldn't like being forced to stay at the inn, then hung up to do as he asked.
“She's my wife, she needs to be with me.” he mumbled to himself as the elevator came to a stop.
Stepping out, he walked to their suite briskly.
***********************************************
Cassandra watched in silence as Granger tossed a thick envelope on the coffee table, then removed his jacket and tie, which he tossed on the couch.
Spotting her on the balcony, he stepped outside to join her while he unbuttoned his crisp white shirt and cuff links.
“So, did you have a nice, long chat with your comforting friend?” she asked sarcastically, unable to ignore the unpleasant stab of jealousy that was still coursing through her.
Granger groaned inwardly, he had hoped history wouldn't repeat itself, and waited tensely for her to start screaming accusations, but none came. Even though he could tell by the look in her eyes that Martina was eating away at her, she kept her cool, at least on the surface.
Walking up to her, he put his hands on either side of her, trapping her body between himself and the balcony rail.
Leaning back a bit, she looked up at him, and her eyes drifted to his lips as he spoke.
“Actually, I didn't chat with her. I left because I wanted to be with you, my beautiful wife, the only woman I want or need comfort from.”
Knowing the earlier scene wasn't his fault, she felt a stab of guilt and closed her eyes as his lips slowly descended on hers. She sighed contentedly as he pulled her into his arms, then wrapped her own arms around his waist and returned the kiss with equal passion. When she felt his hands slowly rise to cup her full breasts she felt as if an electrical current began running through her body, settling at her throbbing center. But the moment was lost as she suddenly remembered Martina's words earlier. Without even realizing it herself, she suddenly stiffened in his embrace.
Pulling back, he looked into her wide eyes and murmured, “I promised to go slow, and I will.” The words seemed to be more for his sake than for hers.
Thankful that he understood her uncertainty, she breathed a sigh of relief and rested her head on his hard chest. “Thank you for understanding.” she mumbled.
Resting his chin on her silky hair and caressing her back with both his hands, he replied, “Come on, there are some things I want to give you.”
Curious, she stepped back and took his hand in hers, allowing him to lead her to the sitting room.
Once there he pulled her down onto the couch next to him, then retrieved the thick package from the coffee table.
“What's that?” she asked, mystified and nervous at the same time.
As he opened the package, he explained. “These are copies of your important documents. Birth certificate, our marriage license, so forth and so on.” he said as he began pulling items out one at a time and handing them to her. “And here...” he replied as he dug deeper, “...here are your own personal credit cards, with no limit. If you can think of any others you prefer other than these, just tell Malcolm, and he'll see to it that you get them. And last but not least, here's your personal banking information, your accounts and balances in each.” he finished as he handed her a checking, then savings booklet.
Opening the checkbook first, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and her jaw dropped as she saw the balance contained seven figures. Shaking her head back and forth in denial, she flipped it shut and tried to hand it back. “Granger, I can't take this, I just can't. I'm sorry.”
Amused at her reaction, he made no move to take the booklet from her. “Cass, this is your money. You know, from before. Even after you went missing the accounts were kept active, and your personal investments were maintained.”
“Mine?” she asked weakly, feeling numb from head to toe.
“Oh, there's something else.” he replied as he picked his suit jacket up from the couch and rummaged inside one pocket. Pulling a tiny, elegant velvet box from the pocket, he opened it in silence and watched as her eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. Inside laid a ten-carat antique horizontal set marquise diamond with a band. “I had this shipped here overnight from the estate. This was, I mean is, also yours. Listen, I know we're supposed to go slow, but I would consider it a great honor if you would start wearing it again. I want every man alive to know you're married to me.”
Still speechless, she glanced down at his hand and noticed for the first time that he was wearing his wedding band. Has he been wearing his ring all this time? She couldn't help but wonder. But on some deep level, she instinctively knew he had. Taking a deep breath, she slowly extended her hand and allowed him to slide the beautiful rings on her finger. This is real. I'm actually married to this man... the thought finally hit home with incredible force as she sat mesmerized by the sparkling brilliance of the diamond.
Unable to read the expression on her face, Granger sat in nervous silence, wanting to speak, but fearing she would bolt if he did so.
Shaking her head as if snapping out of a trance, she stood uncertainly and began gathering the documents, the bankbooks and credit cards, which she placed in her purse. Still unable to look at him, she mumbled, “Thanks, Granger, thank you for everything, but right now I really need to get home and absorb all of this. Mom'
s waiting for me, I promised to take her to my favorite restaurant.”
Here it comes......Granger sighed, knowing she was pulling away. “Well, you see, your mother is already on her way here. I told her to bring some of your personal items, and a few outfits. Would you like something to drink while we wait?” he asked, feigning nonchalance.
Unable to help it, Cassandra's face suddenly burned with anger. While it didn't bother her that he wanted her to stay, the fact that he never bothered to ask her what she wanted to do did perturb her. “No, I don't want a drink, I want you to take me home. Or better yet, get your driver to take me home!” she snapped.
“Cass, would you please lighten up? I thought it would be nice to spend time together, and I would be more than happy to take both you and your mother out to dinner.”
Suddenly feeling like the world's biggest ingrate, she looked away sheepishly and muttered, “Alright, I'll stay in my mother's room, I'm assuming you made a reservation for her too? You've thought of everything else.”
Remember Me Page 27
