Jane sobs in her pillow until she falls asleep. She wakes up at about nine p.m. and rolls out of bed. She reaches for the phone to call her mom.
“Mom, I’ve had it. I’m done with New York. I’m coming home.”
“What? Why? I thought everything was fine there.”
“No, it’s not, Mom. I’m lonely, I hate this city, and my dreams are getting crushed. I’m done with ballet.”
“Oh dear, sweetie. Maybe you just need a break away from things. You know you can come home anytime.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Well, I have to save up some money for your plane ticket. Can you give me two weeks?” says her mom earnestly.
“Yes, of course. Thanks, Mom. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I love you, sweetie. Don’t you worry. We’ll take care of you.”
Jane starts sobbing and feeling guilty she lied to her mom. She didn’t tell her that she’d been away for a week, or that she slept with a strange man who is now a wanted criminal.
“Oh Jane, you know what’s crazy. I saw in the New York Star about that billionaire, Brad Halliwell, that everyone keeps talking about.”
“Oh, really? I haven’t been following.”
“Well, that bastard hasn’t been paying child support to a woman he slept with years ago. What a jerk! These people with money, I tell you,” she says.
“Yeah, that’s awful, Mom. Where do they get off?” Jane replies, feeling a pit of shame in her stomach. “Mom, I have to go. I’m not feeling too well. Thanks for everything.”
“Yes, dear. Take care of yourself. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Jane hangs up. She rolls over, hugs her teddy bear, and falls back asleep.
Chapter 47
Brad wakes up in the morning and sees Jane laying there. Her hair is light and wispy, laying on the satin pillow so beautifully. He strokes the strands, and she whimpers a bit.
He kisses her shoulder and caresses her arm gently. He looks at her with infatuation.
Whispering in her ear, he says, “You are the most precious young woman, Jane. I adore you.”
She doesn’t hear him and even rolls over to get comfortable again.
There is a knock at the door. Brad goes over to open it and finds that it’s room service. Right, he forgot he ordered it the day before as part of this whole experience. He was going to suggest they lay in bed all day and just make love, eat in, and do nothing else.
“Where would you like me to put it, sir,” asks the waiter.
“Right over there, please. Thank you,” he says.
The waiter leaves after Brad gives him a tip.
Brad goes back to the table to make sure everything is in order. He notices the New York Star on the table and sees the headlines.
“Oh, fuck!” says Brad. “What the hell?”
Brad doesn’t want to upset Jane, so he gets dressed quietly and leaves the room to go call his lawyer downstairs from the private meeting room. He pulls out the gift he was going to give to Jane tomorrow while he is off doing business, the finger vibrator. He writes a note to her, just in case she wakes up, hoping that she will not.
This is not what he wanted for today, and he is horrified he has to leave Jane behind. He hopes he can make a quick call and come straight back upstairs.
Brad panics. Even though he knew this could be a consequence, he didn’t realize how much he would be affected. His heart races with anger and fear.
He lets the front desk know not to disturb him in the private meeting room. They have heard the news and they see the panic in his eyes.
“Would you like us to bring you a coffee and a muffin, sir?”
“No, I hope it won’t be long.”
An hour passes by and Brad is on and off the phone with various people, including the media. He’s trying to explain himself and get his side of the story out to the world.
After Brad hangs up and leaves the room, he bumps into John.
“Good morning, John,” Brad says.
“Good morning, sir,” John says, but with disdain in his voice.
Brad has not heard that side of John before. He asks what is going on with him and if there was something he has said or done to upset him.
“Sir, with all due respect, I have to say I don’t like how you treated Jane. She is a fine young lady with a trusting heart,” John says.
“I don’t know what you mean, John, but I agree she is a fine woman. She is the first woman who has trusted me so openly.”
Brad walks up to his room, shaking his head, wishing people would just stay out of his personal life. He opens the door and walks in.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he says to Jane. He is ready to go over to the bed and kiss her from her head to her toes and send shivers up her spine, then make love to her slowly and gently.
As he moves into the room, he notices the note card crumpled on the bed, the vibrator tossed on the floor, and the pillows in shambles. There is no Jane.
“Oh my God, where is she? Where did she go?” Brad is in tears. He starts to leave the room and passes by the breakfast table. He notices the newspaper has been opened up.
“Oh God, she saw the headline!”
Brad is horrified. He falls to the floor and starts sobbing.
“I didn’t do it, Jane. It’s not my child. I swear to you!” He cries on the floor, afraid he will never see Jane again.
He gets up to go knock on her door. No answer. He goes down to the front desk and asks if they have seen her.
John comes up to him. “Jane has her dignity, Mr. Halliwell. She left about an hour ago. I called her a private jet and put it on your tab. Fire me if you want, but it was the least I could do for her. She heard the news about you, and is really shaken up about it. Quite frankly, all of us are,” John says courageously.
“I understand, John. Thank you for taking care of her. Honestly, this is not my child they are talking about. I’ve never met this woman, and even if I have, I had no idea she was pregnant. She’s just using this to defame me for some reason.”
“Well, we don’t know who to trust, Mr. Halliwell, though we know you have treated us well. I hope what you are saying is true.”
“It is, John. It is,” Brad says, trying to redeem himself.
Brad calls the driver, Sam, to find out if her flight has left.
“Yes, sir, about 10 minutes ago.”
“Damn it.” Brad hangs up the phone. He’s beside himself. He can’t go to the States to reach her and explain things. This is a nightmare.
Brad goes to the beach and tries to settle down. He orders two piña coladas and sucks them back.
“All I can do at this point is wait,” he sighs, falling back on the lawn chair and catching the sun.
He’s so depressed that he can’t be close to Jane and comfort her right now. All he wanted to do was make her feel special and desired today.
He had plans to sleep in, feed her strawberries, roll over onto her, kiss her tits and her belly button, lick her inside and out, and get her all juicy. He wanted them to spend the day in the room, naked, aroused, and making love. Not this.
She must be absolutely devastated right now and that tears him up inside. Worse, he can’t go and make it right. This has to be the worst day of his life.
Chapter 48
Jane has slept in her bed for two days, not opening the blinds, not taking a shower, and not answering the phone. She has hardly eaten anything.
There is a knock at the door.
“Jane? Jane. Are you there? It’s me, Martha. I’m worried about you. I know you’ve been home for the last couple of days. Brad called me.”
“Go away, Martha. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want you to see me this way.”
“I’m not leaving, Jane. Let’s talk, please dear. I will only listen. No judgement. I brought you some cupcakes, your favorite kind, chocolate peanut butter. Come on, sweetie,” Martha encourages.
Jane slowly walks over to
the door and unlatches the lock.
“Oh, Jane! Dear, you look... oh gosh…” Martha is shocked at how disheveled Jane looks. “Come here, sweetie,” she says, reaching out to hug her.
Jane falls into Martha’s arms and starts sobbing.
“He lied to me, Martha, he lied to me. I hate myself. I should have known better.”
Jane sobs and sobs.
“There, there, sweetie. Let it all out. It’s okay. Just keep it coming,” Martha assures her.
“I hate men, Martha. They are all liars, and they just use you for one thing,” Jane says, jumping to a ton of conclusions from her pain.
“Now, Jane, there, there,” she holds her. When Jane stops sobbing so much, Martha grabs her face and looks her straight in the eyes.
“Okay, Jane, I have to tell you something. You have to listen to me, okay. You may not believe what I have to say, but I have to tell you this.”
Jane nods.
“Dear, I’ve had my heart broken three times in my life. I vowed I’d never let it happen again. I hated men, and saw them as nothing but dirty, cheating bastards. I wanted nothing to do with them, and you know what? I stopped talking to them.
“Until I found out I was wrong about one of them. I turned my back and wouldn’t even listen to anyone who told me differently about him. I was stubborn and set in my ways, and it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life, you hear me?” Martha explains.
Jane nods.
“Well, I’m going to tell you, Brad is not an asshole. I don’t know what he did to you. I don’t know what happened. All I know is, you are here. He is still there. There is a newspaper headline saying they want to arrest him, and he’s stuck on the island.
“He’s called me five times in the last two days, desperate to get through to you. He wants me to assure you that he is innocent. He is absolutely frantic and wants you to believe him. He also said, and I don’t know what this means, but he had beautiful plans for the two of you that morning. He only thought he was going to be out of the room for 10 minutes. He is so sorry, and he never wanted it to be this way.”
“Oh Martha, I desperately want to believe you. I keep getting mixed messages from people. This is terrible on my nerves. I fall in love with him, but then I hear awful things about him.
“What if he isn’t innocent? What if he really does treat women this way? I’d be a fool to get involved with this man at this point.”
“Jane, I’ve met a ton of people in my life. I can smell a jackass from a mile away. I’m sure Brad isn’t innocent in some things. He’s a very powerful man, after all, but when it comes to you, I’d put my money on the fact he is as sincere as a newly born lamb.”
Jane sniffles, lifts her head, and dries her tears.
“I’m just so naïve, Martha. I really am. I have to tell you a secret, and you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”
“Yes, of course, dear, what is it?”
“I lost my virginity with him,” Jane says, terrified that Martha will judge her.
“Oh, Jane, that’s wonderful. Was it enjoyable for you? I hope he treated you like a lady.”
“Oh, he did, Martha. He was so respectful and patient with me, and it was the most memorable experience of my life. He has no idea how it made me feel, but then to have this taint it all, is so… painful.”
Jane starts tearing up again.
Martha puts her arm around Jane and rubs her back.
“Oh, Jane, don’t let this misunderstanding harden your heart. Please,” she reassures. “I know he cares about you. I just know it.”
“But he’s hired escorts before, Martha. People have told me this, and he even admits to it. Can I really trust him?”
“Dear, a lot of men have hired escorts. My sense is that he has been waiting for that special someone in his life. His heart is tender, and he won’t let just anyone in.”
Jane feels relieved that she can talk to Martha this way. She was holding it all in and had no one to talk to about all of this.
“Oh, Martha, you’re making me feel better. Thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t come over.
Can I make you some tea?” Martha offers.
“Yes, that would be lovely,” replies Jane.
“Let’s get you back on your feet, dear. Here, I’ll help you clean up.”
In a matter of half an hour, Martha makes her way around the apartment and tidies everything up.
“Come back to class, Jane, okay? We all miss you there.”
“Well, I’m not sure everyone misses me there, Martha, but I know it would be good for me to go back. Thanks again.”
Martha eventually leaves the apartment, and Jane goes to freshen up. She takes a walk outside, and life feels sunnier again.
Chapter 49
The next day, Jane arrives at the dance class. She looks refreshed, put together, and she is on time. She likes the feeling of things being back to normal. It’s as if she hadn’t left.
“It’s good to see you back, Jane,” proclaims Martha. “Let’s get you in line.”
“Yes, ma’am, it’s good to be back,” says Jane.
Jane isn’t sure how much the other girls know. Do they know she went away with Brad Halliwell? That she performed for an elite crowd? That Brad is wanted for a crime? That Jane is heartbroken? She feels like everyone can see through her, and it all seems very humiliating. Did Martha keep her word?
“Now, Jane, since you’ve been away, we learned this new step. Watch the other girls as they do it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jane obeys.
When they finish their class, Martha brings the class together. This is unusual for her, as they usually just keep to themselves.
“I have an announcement to make. Jane, can you come to the front, please?” Martha commands.
Jane feels embarrassed and nervous. She knew she shouldn’t have told Martha anything. Oh God, what is she going to say or do? Jane looks at Martha with wide eyes, as if to say, Whatever are you doing?
Martha just nods back a reassuring glance, as if to say everything will be okay.
Jane gets up in front of everyone.
“Now, ladies, we do this for anyone who has news like this, so don’t think I’m giving Jane special treatment, okay? I want to announce that this morning I received an email saying Jane is invited to be the premiere ballerina at a notable gala event in Iceland,” Martha announces.
Everyone gasps, and a few of the girls roll their eyes in disgust.
“Let’s applaud Jane for all her hard work. She has impressed a few very important people.”
Everyone claps, and some of the girls go up to Jane to hug her. Jane is stunned herself and has no idea how to respond.
“Oh my gosh, Jane, we had no idea! Is that why you were away for a week?” some of the girls asked.
“Yeah, it’s all happened pretty fast,” says Jane, looking over at Martha. “I’m not sure what to think, really.”
“Have you ever been to Iceland?”
“How did you meet these people?”
“Can we come to see you dance?”
Questions were coming at her from left and right. Jane liked the attention, and it seemed to ease the sting of what had happened in the last few days. She is a bit concerned, though, that there is some kind of string attached.
“So, Jane will be leaving on Friday for Iceland,” Martha furthers.
Jane is stunned again. Her Mom is busy making arrangements as they speak to bring Jane back to Utah in less than two weeks.
“How long will I be there for, ma’am?” Jane asks, not wanting to reveal why she is concerned. She’s yet to tell Martha she was planning on giving up all together.
“They want you there for a week, Jane. I am sure you can arrange that!” she says.
Jane gets flustered and runs to the change room. Does she have to pay for her ticket? She can’t afford it. What if she wanted to say no?
Valerie follows Jane in.
“So, whose cock did you have to suck to get this gig?”
Jane felt ashamed because Valerie was right this time. It’s quite possible Jane is being invited because Brad pulled a few strings and wants to see her.
Jane turned and walked away from her.
“I’m sorry, Jane. I shouldn’t have said that. Really, I’m proud of you. That’s pretty phenomenal, and you should be proud of yourself,” concedes Valerie.
Jane can’t believe what she’s hearing. Valerie has never apologized to her before. What has shifted?
“Martha spoke to me, Jane. She said I was being too hard on you, and I should ease up. I can see her point. I’m so sorry I hurt your feelings.”
“That’s okay, Valerie. I get that you have more life experience than I do. I’m a bit wet behind the ears.”
“Well, break a leg in Iceland, okay? Don’t forget about us when you hit the big time,” Valerie says, doing an air punch on Jane’s arm.
“Oh, I’ll never be able to forget about you guys! That’s for sure,” Jane says.
“By the way, where were you last week? You just seemed to up and vanish.”
“Oh yeah, it was a family emergency. I had to head home,” she said.
“Oh, okay. I hope everything’s okay.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Jane says. She is uneasy about all the lies she’s been having to tell lately, just to save face.
Valerie leaves the change room, and Martha walks in.
“Are you okay, Jane?” she asks.
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know. What do you think? Should I go?” she asks.
“Well, Jane, as far as I’m concerned, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It could chart the rest of your career,” Martha encourages.
“I guess so.”
“I thought you’d be more excited about this. I’m so thrilled for you.”
“Well, it’s just, you know, I don’t know how much of this is my ability and how much is because Brad feels sorry for me and wants me back. It just seems a bit icky, if you know what I mean.”
“I can see your point, Jane, but if you need to know, it was the President of Iceland who personally contacted me to request your presence. I really think it’s about your talent,” Martha explains.
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