by Claire Adams
"It's easy when I have a great canvas to work with." She smiled as she gathered up her tools and prepared to return to the salon.
"Thank you so much," I said wondering if I should tip her, but not knowing how much.
"No tips," she said as if she'd read my mind. "Mr. Marks pays us well above the average rate, so we don't accept tips here."
"I see." I nodded. "Well, then please accept my undying gratitude."
"That I can do," she said and smiled as she headed out the door.
I walked back into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror again marveling at Donna's handiwork. Austin was going to be surprised.
Chapter Sixty
Austin
I had been waiting in the hotel lobby for twenty minutes when Emily emerged from the elevator and walked across the lobby. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her. She looked like royalty dressed in the Gucci dress with her hair done loose and flowing. The makeup artist had only put a hint of cosmetics on her and she looked fresh and beautiful. I shook my head and laughed.
"You clean up well, Ms. Warner!"
"Why thank you very much, Mr. Marks," she laughed with me. "It's all your doing."
"No, I only offered the tools," I said as I bent down and kissed her cheek. "You're the canvas upon which those tools look so stunning."
She smiled as she took my hand and I said, "Shall we?"
We headed out to the car and the driver whisked us off to dinner. I'd made reservations at Aureole, one of the most exclusive restaurants in Las Vegas. I wanted Emily to see the beautiful side of the city, even if it was only for one night. And if I was honest, I also wanted to impress her.
"Where are we going for dinner?" she asked as she slipped her hand into mine and smiled up at me.
"I thought that we'd have drinks at the Foundation Room at the House of Blues and then eat dinner at Aureole," I said smiling back at her. "What do you think?"
"Oh, Austin!" she gasped. "This is crazy, you know. Helicopter rides, luxury shopping trips, people doing my hair and makeup, it's all too much."
"No, it's not even the beginning of enough," I said quietly.
"Austin," she began in a tone that warned me I was dangerously close to tipping the balance and that it wasn't going to be in my favor if I pushed.
"Look, there are no strings attached," I said in a light voice. "I just wanted to take you away from your worries for a day and let you relax and enjoy things."
She nodded as she turned and looked out the window at the Vegas strip rushing by. I wanted so badly to gather her up in my arms and tell her everything would be all right, but I knew that doing that would drive her away. So, I talked about the history of the casino my father had built as a means of lightening the mood.
Emily soon relaxed and we spent several hours enjoying drinks and a delicious dinner. We dined on prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears, tender greens lightly coated in balsamic vinegar and topped with plump fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, and blue cheese-crusted filet mignon cooked to perfection. The sommelier had picked wines that were the perfect complement to each dish the executive chef had prepared as a special menu and poured them as Emily and I ate our way through the menu. We talked about books we'd read and the things we still wanted to read and as the meal wound down, I began to feel sad that I'd have to let her go again.
"I'll drop you off at home," I said as we climbed back into the car, both groaning because we were so full.
"No, it's fine, just take me to the hotel and I'll call a cab," she said with a worried look. "It's not a good idea, Austin."
"Emily, don't be foolish," I said. "Let me just drop you off at home, please?"
"Well, then take me back to the hotel so I can change out of my Cinderella clothes," she said. "I can't walk in the house looking like this." I nodded and told the driver where to go. It didn't take her long to change out of her finery and back into her every day clothes. She still looked beautiful.
"I'll have those things delivered to you in the morning," I said once we were back in the car.
She looked at me for a moment and then nodded and gave the driver her address. She didn't say a word on the drive, just slipped her hand into mine and looked out the window. When we reached her block, she told the driver to stop a few doors down.
"Thank you for the most wonderful day I've ever had," she said as she looked up at me with shining eyes. "I loved every minute of it."
"Emily," I said and then hesitated. Looking at her I knew what I wanted to say, but I was afraid of how she might react.
"Yes?"
"Emily, I'm so glad you had fun today, I did, too," I said and then barreling ahead I added. "I want to have fun like that all the time. With you. I want you in my life. For good. If you need money to pay off the gambling debts, I'll give it to you or if you need a place to stay, I'll arrange it. I want to help you in any way I can. I think I'm in love you, Emily."
Her eyes widened, and she pulled back a bit as she looked at me. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but then she looked down at our hands and said, "Austin, I...I...I don't think that we should see each other again until I officially end my marriage. It's too difficult and I don't want to upset the balance of things with Tommy. He's...volatile, and I don't want to break him. I think this is for the best, you know?"
I could feel my heart shattering into thousands of small fragments as she spoke. I wasn't sure what was not being said, but I knew the words coming from her lips didn't match her actions. She had to feel something for me.
"I care about you," she whispered as she leaned up and softly kissed my lips. "I care about you more than you will ever know."
Then, she got out of the car and trudged down the sidewalk toward her house. I watched her and knew that there was something not right about all of this.
"Wait here," I said to the driver as I got out and followed her. I told myself that I would just make sure she got inside safely, and then I'd leave her alone as she'd requested. There was no porch light on in the front of the house and I watched as she fumbled with the key as she tried to get it into the lock. All of a sudden the front door swung open and a large muscular man reached out and grabbed Emily's arm and yanked her inside. The door slammed shut and the block went silent.
The silence was shattered by a piercing scream that came from inside the house. I motioned to the driver to pull up in front of Emily's house and as he did, I yelled, "Call the police! Now!"
I took off running toward the front door, hoping that the man hadn’t had the foresight to lock it. I turned the knob and the door swung open. I looked inside and saw Emily lying on the living room floor, blood flowing from a deep cut in her lip and the man standing over her holding a baseball bat angrily yelling at the top of his lungs.
"You're cheating, are you? Out with someone else? What kind of a stupid fool do you think I am," he screamed at her as he raised the bat and brought it down on her arm. Emily screamed as the bat connected with her upper arm and I could see a red welt quickly rising on her skin. He hadn't heard me open the door, so I knew I had the element of surprise on my side. "I'm no fool, Em. I'm not a fool! I won't stand for this! You cannot leave me like this!"
"Tommy," she cried as she held the arm that he'd hit. "Stop it! I was out with a friend! You're being unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable, am I?" he slurred as he wobbled a bit on his feet obviously having had one too many beers. "I have been completely damn reasonable, if you ask me."
Tommy raised the bat and prepared to bring it down again, but I darted across the room and grabbed it, wrenching it out of his hands and throwing it to the side of the room before he knew what was happening. He turned with a confused look and yelled, "Who the hell are you?"
"Someone who doesn't think you should be hitting your wife," I shouted as I pulled my fist back and slammed it into his face. The shock of the hit sent him staggering backward a few steps, but he quickly recovered and was on me in an instant. His fist connected with my stomach and drove the
air from my lungs, and as I fought to breathe, he crossed the room and grabbed the bat. I looked up and saw him swinging the wood wildly as Emily screamed, "Tommy, NO! Don't hit him!"
There was a look of malicious hatred in his eyes as he swung the bat around and connected with my side. I dropped to my knees as I felt the air returning to my lungs and the pain in my abdomen radiate outward. From somewhere behind me, I heard Emily screaming as Tommy turned and began swinging the bat at her again. I fought through the pain and got to my feet, and when I saw him holding her by the hair with one hand while he raised the bat with the other, I knew it was now or never.
I lowered my head and plowed into his back right as I punched him in the kidney. He roared with pain, and as he instinctively grabbed his side, he let go of Emily's hair and she scrambled out of the way. I knocked him to the ground and unleashed the rage I felt on him, punching him over and over again until he lay beneath me groaning and begging me to stop.
It felt like hours, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes until the police arrived and barged through the door. They quickly cuffed us both and knowing that this would be resolved with Emily's account of what had happened, I didn't even fight. They took her statement and determined that it had been a clear-cut case of self-defense, so they let me go while they put Tommy in a police cruiser and drove him down to the precinct.
The officers left on the scene walked me to my car and took my contact information, telling me that they'd be in touch within the next few days to get my account of the incident. I asked where Emily was, and the officer told me that they'd transported her to the hospital for observation, but he refused to tell me any more than that. I nodded, thanked him for letting me know, and climbed into the backseat of waiting car.
"Let's go back to the hotel," I told the driver and he quickly whisked me away from the scene.
Chapter Sixty-One
Emily
A few weeks later, I looked up from a packing box in the living room and saw Trish come bonding through the door. She was dressed in a tank top and what could only be classified as Daisy Dukes.
"Trish!" I cried as I stood up and rushed to her. "You look beautiful, as always."
"Princess, you've gotten yourself into quite the mess, haven't you?" she gently teased. "Look at this place, it's like a moving team's worst nightmare! Who put you up to this?"
"Now, that's not fair," I protested. "I've been working on this in between flights. It's a lot to take care of all by myself."
"So, they put the slugger on probation, did they?" she asked.
"He’ll be monitored for the next year," I nodded. "They were going to put him away, but I argued that it wouldn't help matters. He's getting treatment in a facility where he can deal with his gambling addiction and alcoholism."
"Well, bully for him," she said as she rolled her eyes and flipped her coppery ponytail. "How about you? How are you, Princess?"
"I'm fine," I said looking down at the box between my feet. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"That doesn't sound very convincing to me," she said as she stood in front of me with her arms crossed. "How are you really?"
"I don't know, Trish," I said. "Some days are good and some aren't so good, but there are more good than bad, so I guess I'm okay."
"Are you seeing a therapist?" she asked.
"Yeah, a couple times a week," I nodded. "It's fine."
"And, are you seeing Mr. Marks?" she asked quietly.
"He seems to have moved on to greener pastures," I said, pasting a bright smile on my face as I tried to cover up the hurt I felt. Austin hadn't contacted me since the night of the incident, so I was left thinking that he'd simply walked away. "I mean, it's not like I blame him or anything. My life is a hot mess, you know?"
"Em, your life is your life, hot mess or not," she said as she patted my arm. "He'll be back, just wait and see. He's into you and guys like that don't just disappear. Do you know what happened to him?"
"I tried calling the hotel and asking, but no one will give me any information," I said. "I mean, would you give a complete stranger any personal information about your billionaire boss? Seriously?"
"You're not a complete stranger, but I get what you're saying," she agreed. She twisted the end of her ponytail around her finger as she stared off into space for a moment, then said, "Let me see if I can use some back channels to get some information on what's happened to Mr. Marks."
"Good luck with that," I said as I rolled my eyes. "Now, are you going help me with the packing or are you just going to stand there looking pretty while I do all the work."
Trish laughed loudly and grabbed a box and a roll of tape. She cranked up the stereo and we sang loudly as we pulled the ephemera of my life from the shelves and cupboards and packed it in boxes that would be picked up the next day. Having Trish with me was the safest I'd felt since before the night of Tommy's rage and I flashed her a grateful smile as we sang along with the radio.
A few hours later, we stopped and looked around. The house was almost completely boxed and labeled, and the two of us were starving. I suggested we drive into town and treat ourselves to something special, and Trish agreed. She said she'd run home to change and meet me at the restaurant in an hour.
After she left, I looked around and felt a sense of accomplishment. It hadn't been easy to pack up the entire house on my own, but I'd done it, and now I was ready to leave this all behind me as I moved on to the next phase of my life. I felt sad that Austin was gone, but I was also grateful that he'd shown me that I deserved so much more than I'd been getting with Tommy. I was also grateful that he'd intervened in the beating and saved me from something worse than what I'd received. My mind kept flashing back to the moment when Tommy had wound up and hit Austin with the bat, and each time I replayed it, I flinched knowing how hard that bat had connected with his body. I wondered if his lack of communication was an indication of the severity of his injury and if I could ever make it up to him.
I shook my head and looked at the clock. I'd been lost in my own thoughts for quite a while and now I needed to rush to get ready and get to the restaurant where Trish and I were having dinner. I took a quick shower and pulled my hair up off my face as I did my makeup. I was transported back to the hotel bathroom where Donna had made me look so beautiful the night that Austin had confessed his love for me. I looked away as I recalled how I'd told him it wasn't the right time. Despite my rejection, he'd come to my rescue. My knight in shining armor. And, he'd paid the price for it, too.
I shook my head and tried to clear my mind of regrets. I didn't have time for this. I needed to focus on getting ready to meet Trish and then look forward to the next day when I would leave every bit of my life with Tommy behind. I wanted a fresh start and if that didn't include Austin, well, then so be it.
An hour after Trish left my house, I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. I didn't see her car, and I laughed knowing that she would probably be running on Trish time, which meant at least fifteen minutes late. I shook my head and walked through the front door. The hostess at the front stand looked at me and said, "Please follow me, ma'am."
I was confused, since I hadn't said anything about meeting Trish or even who I was. I followed the woman back through the winding maze of tables to a booth in the back of the restaurant, and when I turned the corner I heard a familiar voice.
"Emily," Austin said, "I'm so glad you made it."
Chapter Sixty-Two
Emily
"Austin!" I gasped as I quickly realized that Trish had set me up for this. "I...I...what are you doing here?"
"Don't be mad at Trish," he smiled as he stood up and reached out to me. "I asked her to help me set this up. I needed to see you."
"You could have called," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him. "You never called."
"I couldn't," he said offering no explanation.
"Why not?" I pushed. "You had my number. You knew what I'd been through. Heck, you were there!
You saved me!"
He simply nodded as he held my gaze. This was maddening! He'd been in the house when Tommy had attacked me and he'd pulled my drunken husband off of me! How could he stand here and not offer any explanation for why he didn't call me or come see me afterwards?
"I don't understand you at all," I said trying to keep the hurt from rising out of my chest and into my voice. "We spend time together, I think you care about me, and then after the most traumatic night of my life, you just walk away!"
"Emily," Austin began.
"No! I'm done with you! This is just wrong!" I cried as I raised my arms to push him away, and as I did, I saw him wince and back away. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," he said, but I could see his jaw flexing as he tried to keep something from me.
"There's something going on," I said moving toward him and resting my hands on his chest. He backed up a few steps as he held my gaze. "Austin, tell me what's going on!"
"It's nothing," he said, but his muscles told another story. He was flexed and poised as if ready to fend off an attack.
"Austin!" I cried as I rushed toward him and threw my arms around his neck. "Talk to me!"
"Emily, no!" he groaned as he backed away and doubled over in obvious pain. I watched him as he rested his hands on his knees and fought to breathe through the pain.
"Austin?" I whispered. Now I was frightened. "What happened?"
"The bat," he panted as he kept working to breathe through the waves of pain that rolled through his body. "He broke my ribs and they punctured my lung. Hasn't healed yet."
"Oh my God," I whispered as I covered my mouth with my hands. "He really hurt you. Austin, please tell me what is going on."
He held up a hand letting me know he just needed me to wait. I reached out, but then pulled back when I realized that me touching him was what had triggered this wave of pain. I felt helpless and responsible as I watched him struggle to regain his composure. After a few minutes, he looked up at me and smiled.
