I texted Ellie to see if she was at home. Perhaps if I used her as a diversion, the urge would leave. She was busy. So much for old friends.
I walked into the bedroom and opened my closet. Fumbling through the boxes, still unpacked, I found what I was looking for. I pulled it out and opened it. Lying in the depths of the box was a group of masks and my black suit. Did I dare? Or should I close it up and forget such a crazy idea? I just couldn't make it go away.
Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket I made the call. "Jake? I’m back! See you at eleven. Be prepared!"
I knew I was taking a chance, but I needed to see, one last time, if it was still there. The high, or whatever you want to call it. Like an alcoholic, or drug addict, fighting the urge. That's where I was.
Jake met me at the door ten minutes before eleven just like always. Violin in hand I turned to him as I quietly placed my other items in a small dressing room. "So, who won the wager?"
"What wager?" He grinned.
"The two thousand pounds to get me to come out of hiding. I think it belongs to me."
"Where have you been?"
"Taking a break, writing," I lied. "Why?"
"Well," he said as he prepared to walk out and introduce me, "you're in for a treat this evening, Archangel. It would seem the Tudor brothers and friends are here for some entertainment."
With that he led me on stage and introduced Archangel.
Oh my God, what have I done? As I stood, preparing to begin I noted my brothers and their entourage, including Daniel, making their way to the front of the stage. My first thought was to bolt, but that wasn't going to happen.
I began. And through the next three songs, I ignored them. Never looking down, never toying with them like the last time I had, with Daniel.
Just as I picked up my violin again for the next piece , Daniel made his way onto the stage, violin in hand. No, he wasn't! He flashed that gorgeous smile my direction, walking nearer. Too close. Standing next to me, he leaned over and whispered a piece he wanted to know if I knew. I nodded, knowing if I said anything I'd give myself away. There was still a chance he didn't know it was me.
Then he leaned back, looked at me and came closer. "I know who you are, Archangel. Mary Queen of Scots." He pulled back, a dark look crossing his face for a moment. Then it was gone.
The crowd, and my brothers in particular, had begun to chant. Daniel lifted his violin to play nodding for me to do the same. His face was unreadable; but being the entertainer he was, he'd never let me, nor anyone else, know what his feelings truly were at that exact moment.
We played through the piece. I stood next to him as we took our bows at the end and then I turned and fled the stage. I was so fast Daniel didn't have time to react or hold me back. Making my way backstage, I found the dressing room Jake provided. I shut the door and flipped on the light, only to have Daniel sling it open right behind me. He quickly entered and shut the door, locking it behind him. He stood there for a second staring at me, then reached out and tore the mask from my face.
"It is you! I knew it!" He hissed as he lay his violin down on a shelf.
"Daniel…"
"Enough! I don't want to hear another word. Right now I don't know what to think. Sure, I suspected, but I thought after all our time together you would have shared this with me. Instead, it's just another one of your secrets-- another one of your lies. Isn't it, Mary?" He was furious, but trying to whisper so we wouldn't be discovered. I had never truly seen Daniel angry before. He was shaking, his face dark with fury.
I stood there in front of him. What had I done? Had I just ruined my relationship with the only man I'd ever loved? "Daniel I'm so sorry…"
"We'll discuss this later. Right now I need to get you out of here before anyone else discovers who Archangel really is."
He handed me back the mask, then picked up his violin and bow. "Put this back on, lock the door and wait for me. Don't you dare think about leaving. You understand?"
I nodded my head, watching him as he turned and walked through the door. I locked it behind him and waited, like someone waiting to go to their execution.
A short time later, I heard some commotion out in the hall, followed by Daniel's soft knock and voice. "It's me. Open the door." I opened it to find Daniel, Jake and a couple of his bouncers. "Come on, Archangel, your cab awaits. I thought, if you didn't mind the company, we could share the ride."
I nodded my head and exited the small room to the waiting cab. Daniel trailed close behind, silent the entire walk. Once inside the cab, I could feel the anger permeating off him. He was furious and I suppose he had every right to be.
"Daniel," I began, but he raised his hand.
"I told you we'll discuss this later, at home. This is not the place…"
"I wasn't going to go there. If you'd let me talk I was going to ask just how you intend to sneak Archangel into your place without being seen? You know as well as I do, Danny, the paparazzi have been snooping around since my brothers came to town."
"You're right." He peered down at a case I had placed on the floor with my violin. "Do you have a change of clothes in there?"
I nodded.
"Throw something over the top to cover your…your get-up. And get rid of your mask and do something with your hair. We'll enter through the studio. I don't think they know that it’s attached."
"Good thinking." I began the transformation and by the time the cab pulled up in front of Daniel's studio door, it simply looked as though it were the two of us returning from an evening out.
He opened the door and held it open as I entered. He never looked at me; or, if he did, I didn't catch it. I walked over to a side table and placed my violin on top. I turned only to see his back as he went through the door and into the apartment.
Silently, I walked past where he was seated in the living room on his phone. I suddenly felt the urge to take a shower. Standing in the bedroom naked, I threw everything back into the box and shut it. Then I headed into the bathroom where I cracked open the hot water tap and waited.
As I stood under the warm water, I silently contemplated what to say to Daniel. I didn't want to fight with him, but knew there was probably no way of avoiding it. When I dried and walked back into the bedroom, he was waiting, sitting on the side of the bed.
Our eyes met. For a second I saw my old Daniel, but in a flash the angry Daniel took over. "Get dressed and come out to the living room. We have to talk."
I nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."
He stood up from the bed and looked at me before he left. "Do you know what you did tonight? What almost happened?" He shook his head, "No I suppose you don't."
I joined him a few minutes later. He was finishing off a glass of wine. He lifted the glass to ask if I wanted some. I nodded, not sure if I should speak. I watched as he poured two glasses of red wine and walked toward me, handing me the glass, and then sat across from me.
He shook his head, his hair loose now, and pushed a stray lock behind one ear, looking at me. "I don't even know where to start, Mary. Part of me is so damn proud of you for having the balls to try something like this…"
"But, the other?"
"The other side of me is furious with you. Not because of the lies and the secrets, but about what could have happened to you."
"What are you talking about, Daniel?"
He shot a look at me, his brown eyes hard. "What am I talking about? Have you no clue, sweet? Do you not know how wide open and vulnerable you left yourself? Why, any pervert could have snatched you the second you left the security of that club."
"Daniel, Jake would have never…"
"Enough! I don't want to hear your ignorant excuses. Do you not care about me, about us? Do you not know how much I love you? If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
"I'm sorry, Daniel. This was the first time I've been out since we've been together. Does that not count for something?"
He said nothing, taking a sip off his wi
ne. "Of course it does, but the first time we're apart and look…"
"Would it help if I told you it won't happen again?"
"No! You expect me to believe you, now? No Mary, there have been too many secrets, too many lies."
I picked up my wine and took a long swallow. I was afraid of the direction this conversation might be taking, and I didn't want to go there. "How do I make it up to you, Daniel? Please tell me."
"I'm not sure you can," he replied.
I felt the tears begin to flow and was nothing I could do to stop them.
"Please, Mary, don't. Tears aren't going to help this time. I was forgiving about your family and the reasons for you leaving and starting a new life. But this, this is different. All this time you've said nothing. Oh, sure, I suspected, as I did before; but I wanted to hear it from you—and you never told me, Mary. You simply went on living the lie."
"That's because I thought she was gone. I thought once I met you and had everything that Archangel was seeking, that she had also found peace. I guess I was wrong."
"Yes, you were, weren't you? Question is, where do we go from here, sweet?"
He stood up out of his chair and looked at me with those eyes of his. They were cold. Not the mischievous ones I had come to love. He started walking toward the bedroom. He stopped and turned back to me. "I cannot stay here, tonight. I can't be here with you. I am too angry, too hurt, to be anywhere around you. I'm going to stay at a hotel. Perhaps if we have some time apart, we can both think about what just happened and whether we can repair our relationship."
I stared in disbelief and watched as he turned back around and disappeared into the bedroom. My hand flew up to my mouth as the tears began. There was no talking to him. Not now. And could I blame him? I lowered myself into a fetal position on the sofa and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Some time passed and I thought I heard him, but I didn't dare look up. My heart was breaking and he was leaving-- all because of my inability to trust him with my secrets. I was still sobbing. It felt as though it would never stop. I heard him moving across the entryway to the front door. It opened and Daniel walked out and into the night.
The next day I did nothing but lay on the sofa, getting up only when I had to. I was unaware of time. Nothing mattered. Finally, I heard the chirping of my phone and sat up. Thinking perhaps it was Daniel, I grabbed it off the table. Texts from my brothers and a voice mail from Amadeus, as well as a text from Elle telling me we'd catch up over the weekend. Nothing at all from Danny. I kept hold of the phone and lay back down, putting it under the throw pillow, under my head.
Getting through the second night without him was pure hell. I thought it would never end. I just wanted Daniel to walk through the door and make everything alright. But he didn't.
The sound of my phone roused me and, without looking, I answered it. That's how bad I wanted to hear his voice.
Instead, the voice on the other end was Diane.
"Mary, it’s Diane. Are you okay? What is going on with you and Daniel?"
"Diane. I'm sorry, I'm not feeling too good…"
"My dear, I know something's going on because he called here, earlier."
"He called? Daniel called you?"
"Yes, and he sounded awful. He said the two of you argued and he left to clear his head."
"It was all my fault, Diane. We've never argued. But I did something stupid and Danny was fearful something could have happened to me." I didn't want to go any further. I wasn't sure what he had shared or not shared with his mother.
"Then the argument was overdue, my dear, because every couple argues. You wouldn't have a normal relationship if you didn't. Don’t take the brunt of the blame on yourself. There is plenty to go around. Danny feels awful. He said he let his temper override his common sense."
I giggled at the thought of him admitting he had a temper. "He is right on that point. I love him, Diane, and I'm terrified I've ruined everything.”
"Nonsense. After talking to both of you, I don't know who sounds worse. Mary, go take a shower and get something to eat. Danny will be back. Just give him some space to swallow his pride."
"I will, I promise. Thank you, Diane."
"You call whenever you want to talk. You are the best thing to happen to my son. He is head over heels in love with you. He simply does not know how to act or react."
"Thank you. I love him something fierce, too. It's killing me knowing we're both hurting."
"Well, I know you don't want to hear this, but get off the pity party and pull yourself together. Danny needs to focus for this tour and I believe he'll do much better knowing the two of you are okay. Remember, call me if you want to talk."
"I will, and thank you, again."
I hung up wondering why I couldn't have these sorts of conversations with my own mother. But no, everything revolved around my brothers. Always had, always would. And Diane was right, I needed to take a shower and eat.
Standing up, I grabbed the two wine glasses from the other night and took them into the kitchen. I was hungry, but hadn't really noticed until Diane mentioned it. I opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a block of cheese. I tore off a piece without even bothering to get a knife. I resealed the bag and put it back. Grabbing a bottle of water I shut the door and headed down the hall to the shower.
After toweling off and drying my hair, I wandered into the bedroom and found a pair of jeans to put on. I noticed a tee shirt of Danny's laying on the bed. Picking it up, I put it to my face, smelling him. Then I pulled it over my head.
Slowly, I walked back into the living room. Sitting on the sofa, where I'd been camped out for the past couple of days, sat Danny. He looked like hell. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair haphazardly pulled up and he hadn't shaved. Not that he did every day, but he'd let it grow longer than normal.
I didn't know what to do, what to say or who should start, for that matter. I caught a glimpse of his things sitting off to one side.
He stood up and walked toward me. His eyes were dark, but I wasn't frightened. I didn't sense anger in them. He kept coming toward me. Grabbing me by the arm, he pushed me down to my knees, his mouth on top of mine. It was not a passionate kiss between two lovers. No, he was showing me a more forceful side of him. Standing up, he undid his jeans, pulling them to the floor. He was camo underneath. He was hard as granite, pulling me against him. Not saying a word, I took him in my mouth. I heard him groan as my mouth encased his entire rigid cock. For the next few minutes I pleasured him, my tongue exploring every inch of him, knowing where he liked it and how. As soon as I sucked on his cock and nibbled the tip with my teeth, he had me on my back, on the floor.
He undid my jeans and removed them, slinging them across the room. He then straddled me, forcing my legs open and plunged his cock inside me, as hard as he could. He began pumping hard and furious. His hands finding my face, he forced a kiss on me as he fucked me harder. I felt his teeth biting my neck and I threw my arms around his neck and shoulders.
A few minutes later, he climaxed hard, pushing himself as deep as he could. I could feel his breath in my ear as he roared, "Mine."
Lying on top of me, his breathing subsiding, he rose up and whispered, "You are mine. Do you understand? You are mine! I love you and I will not share you with anyone."
"I love you too, Danny." I replied my eyes locking with his.
"Promise me we've seen the last of Archangel."
"I promise."
"I will not risk you going out like you did. Not until something can be figured out. For now, no more, understood? I have a tour to prepare for, sweet. I can't focus if I'm worried about you."
"I will, Danny, whatever you need me to do, I will. Just tell me, talk to me." I bit my lip trying to measure his emotions. "Do you still want to move to New York?"
"Right now, all I want to do is get through your brothers being here, get myself ready to resume my tour, and know that we're going to be okay. But yes. We'll discuss it later, though, not now."<
br />
"I understand. I just want you to know that I'm open to the idea."
"Fresh start for us?"
"Yes."
"Well, I can do us one better. We have access to your step-father's cottage in Scotland until your brothers invade that country at the end of their European tour. Then they'll be joining us. Peter and Amadeus say it's private and quiet. I could do a lot of practicing and we would be totally alone. Just the two of us."
"So, what's stopping us?"
"Not a thing. I apologize for being so rough just now, sweet. I had to let you know how I feel."
"Danny, I know you love me…"
"Not only that. I want you to know I don't share. You belong to that one percent of my life the outside world has no access to and I won't share you."
He lifted off me and began to withdraw. I shook my head, pulling him back into me. "Make love to me, Danny. I really need that from you, right now."
His body lowered as he thrust himself back into me. He stopped and stared down at me for a moment. "We will be okay, angel-mine. It will take me time to understand everything you've done and why. I admit I'm new to this serious relationship stuff. Bear with me is all I ask."
We lay wrapped in each other's arms in the middle of the floor in total silence. "Daniel, let's get off the floor. The last thing you need is to get sick from lying on a cold floor."
"Yes, let’s. Are you hungry? Because I have hardly eaten."
I sat up and as he sat up he pulled me back to him. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Always."
Later, as we sat at the small kitchen table, we ate in silence, Daniel taking my hand from time to time and looking at me with those haunting brown eyes.
"When do we leave for Scotland?" I asked.
"If I weren't so bone tired, I would say we leave immediately and drive all night. But, I think we could both use a good night's sleep, first. It may be the last one we get for a few days." He squeezed my hand and winked.
Encore! (Tudor Saga Book 1) Page 13
