“Is everything all right, sir?” Darius asked, his eyes shifting from Zach to Deborah.
“Everything is fine, Darius. Just an experiment to show Miss Carmichael she has a voice.
The guard’s eyes shifted to Deborah’s. “Miss Carmichael, are you all right?”
Deborah’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes, thank you. He wasn’t harming me.”
“Thank you, Darius for responding.” Shutting the door, Zach turned his attention to Deborah. “Our voices are powerful weapons.”
She pushed him aside in a show of anger. “I know that, and thank you for pointing out my deficiencies.”
“I did no such thing. I’m teaching you that you have the power.”
She spun on him, eyes wide. “By proving how weak I am?”
“No, by showing you that you always have the control. Now we’re going to practice screaming.”
Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I want it to be as natural to you as breathing.” He pulled out his cell phone and called Darius. “I’m going to be teaching Miss Carmichael to scream. Yes. Thank you.” He tucked it back in his breast pocket. “As clichéd as is its, a woman’s natural instinct is to scream when she’s frightened. Which is good. It draws attention, as you saw. For some reason, yours is stuck inside of you. I’m going to help you bring it back out.”
“I know how to scream, Zach.”
“All right, then show me.”
“This is ridiculous.”
He grabbed her arm as she turned to leave and he heard the quick intake of breath. “Scream.”
With a roll of her eyes, she screamed. Halfheartedly.
“You can do better than that.”
Narrowing her eyes, she raised it an octave.
“Good, a little higher and louder.” She didn’t disappoint this time and belted it out good and loud. He gave his ears a rub. “I knew there were lungs in there somewhere. Now go outside the hall and come back in.”
Heaving a sigh, Deborah did as he asked. This time he left the lights on and hid in his bedroom down the hall. He heard her enter, felt her pause. What would she do now?”
“Zach? Come on, this isn’t funny.”
He heard her moving, could gage where she was going. If he was correct, her back was to him. He changed into a spider—what woman didn’t have a fear of spiders and yes, he knew the risks—and headed down the hall. Sure enough, her back was to him. As quick as his little legs would take him, he scurried to her, running up the side of her leg.
She looked down, saw the spider and did as he suspected. She freaked out, screamed and swatted him away. Momentarily dazed, he was quick enough though to change back before she stomped on him.
She screamed again, throwing her hands to her chest.
“See, I knew you had it in you.” She slugged his arm good and hard. “Ouch!”
“That was not nice. I hate spiders.”
He fought the smile but he knew it was useless. “As I suspected.”
“I could have killed you.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t.”
“That was not nice.”
He took her hands in his, letting the smile out. “But it worked. You screamed, not once, but twice.”
“I don’t like you very much right now.”
She was adorable when she was mad. “Hmm…I can’t have that. Let’s see if I can change your mind.” Dipping her over his arm, he sunk his mouth down on hers in a hard kiss then slowly softened it as he pulled her to a horizontal position. He didn’t release her but instead ran his hands up along her back while his lips seduced. He felt her relax, felt her give in and enjoy the moment. When he finally released her, he thought how dreamy she looked as her eyelids fluttered open.
“I’m not sure I’m ready,” she murmured breathlessly.
“There’s time.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sitting at the kitchen table, Jacobs Cove Daily Post in her hand, Deborah sipped from her cup. The hot lemon tea was helping a great deal for her raw throat. Two days in a row of screaming was doing a number on it. But Zach was right; it was as natural to her now as breathing. Still…she hoped she didn’t have to continue that lesson.
Setting her cup down, she flipped the page to the entertainment section and was utterly surprised to see her face staring back at her. It was her current press photo which had been taken only a month before her ordeal. Above it the headline read, “Famed Pianist Returns To Her Roots.”
With her heart racing, Deborah read the article which told of how she’d been born and raised in Jacob’s Cove before finding fame with gifted fingers and a talent to bring music to life on the piano. She relaxed thinking the article wasn’t too bad until she came to the section detailing how she’d been abducted and assaulted by a crazed fan.
Closing the paper, tossing it in the trash, Deborah finished off her tea.
She didn’t want to be known as a victim yet that was exactly what she was. She hated that she’d been attacked, hated how people looked at her now and hated how vulnerable she felt. Sure, she wasn’t as terrified to enter a room now as she had been weeks ago, and she didn’t jump as much when someone touched her unexpectedly. Still…
Would she ever get her life back?
“’Morning.” Ginny sauntered into the kitchen, sliding her feet lazily, her voice still groggy from sleep.
“Afternoon to you. Coffee’s ready.”
“You sound like crap.” Pulling a cup out of the cupboard, Ginny helped herself to the full pot of fresh brewed coffee.
“My throat’s raw. I’m drinking tea in hopes it will help.” So far it was only temporary and she was growing tired of drinking it.
Ginny plunked herself at the table, set her cup down. “Is it?”
“A little; I think I may need to grab some throat lozenges though.”
“I have some in my purse and some in the medicine cabinet.” When Deborah tilted her head, Ginny explained. “I suck on them after my shift. Screaming over the noise and the smoke in the room plays havoc on me.”
“Ah…I never really thought about it but I suppose it would. I’ll grab them later. So what are your plans for today?” She knew it was Ginny’s day off and she suspected that she might want to spend it with her sweetie.
“If you’re okay with staying here by yourself, I was thinking of spending the night at Mitch’s. We plan on going to dinner and a movie.”
Deborah pursed her lips. “I’ll be fine, Ginny. But I don’t want you to feel like you can’t come home with your boyfriend. I won’t be here tonight anyway. I’ll be at Zach’s all night again.”
Reaching across the table, Ginny touched Deborah’s hand with her own. “It has nothing to do with you. Mitch has the evening all planned including going back to his place after the movie. To be honest, I think he might…propose to me tonight.”
Deborah squealed, grabbing Ginny’s hands in hers. “Oh my god! You think so? Oh, I am so happy for you.”
“I could be mistaken and if I am I’m going to kick myself, but…he’s been hinting about our future for a while now and last week he asked me if I ever thought about marriage. Oh, I don’t want to get my hopes up, yet…” Now Ginny squealed, squeezing Deborah’s hands.
“I’m going to be on pins and needles all evening. You have to call me and tell me as soon as—no, no that’s just stupid. Why would you call me right after he proposes? You’ll be too busy boinking him with happiness.” Deborah laughed. “Oh, Ginny, I am so happy for you.”
“Don’t get all gushy yet. Let’s just wait and see what happens tonight, okay. Now, I’m starved.”
While Ginny scrounged for something to eat, Deborah found herself still smiling. This was just what she needed. A reason to enjoy life again.
***
It felt odd, coming to the Demon’s Lair without Ginny. Thinking about her friend and what the evening may have in store for her still made Deborah smile. It was nice to know someone’s life was moving forward.
Pulling up a seat at the bar, Deborah smiled at the bartender. “Hey, Wade. How’re you doing tonight?”
“Couldn’t be better. And you?”
Deborah felt the smile creep up as she responded. “I’m pretty damn good, Wade. Thanks for asking.”
“You look good, happy, like someone who knows something. What do you know?” He slid her usual glass of cola across the bar to her.
“I am happy, and I do know something, or I might know something but I can’t say anything about it because I’m not sure it’s going to happen.”
Wade stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. “I think I need a few moments to think that one over.”
“I’m sorry.” She laughed, lifting her glass to her lips.
“Aren’t women usually terrible at keeping secrets?” He filled an order, handed it off to the waitress at the end of the bar.
“We’re the best secret keepers. Men are the ones who blab everything to their pals.”
“Not all men,”
The hand on her shoulder didn’t make her flinch as it once might have. Instead, Deborah turned her head and smiled at Zach standing behind her. “True, not all men. I was just going to ask Wade to call you.”
“I was doing my rounds when I saw you come in. You look rather radiant today, though your throat sounds awful. No screaming today.”
“Thank you.” Swinging her legs around, she slid off the stool. “So what do you have planned for me today?”
“A confrontation with a dummy.” He waved at Wade as he led Deborah through the crowded bar.
“Excuse me?” They entered the elevator, the doors closed and her heart did a little flip but the nausea and dizziness she usually felt was absent this time. She really was starting to heal.
“You’ll see. So what brings this smile to your face?”
The simple brush of his fingers on her cheek made her pulse race. “I can’t say. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Oh hell. Ginny might be getting engaged today,” she blurted it out, unable to keep it to herself any longer.
The elevator doors opened and Zach held his hand out to her to exit. “Is that so? Well…congratulations to her.”
“Yeah, but you can’t say anything because she isn’t sure if he is proposing tonight or not.”
“Mum’s the word.” Opening the door to his suite, he waited for Deborah to enter first.
She did, without any hesitation.
“Now that is progress.”
“What?” She turned to him as he closed the door.
“You just walked right in.”
She had; hadn’t she? “I guess my mind was preoccupied.” Then she turned around and saw the rag doll like dummy held up by posts on either side and she frowned. “What is that?”
“Your enemy.” Taking her hand in his, he led her to the dummy. “Meet Buster.”
“Buster?”
“He’s here for you to beat on.”
With her brow lifted, Deborah replied, “Come again?”
“I can feel you hesitating when I’m teaching you self defense. I know it’s because you don’t want to hurt me, so this is my solution. Today, you’ll put everything you’ve got into Buster. Now, go get changed so we can get started.”
“You want me to pound on this rag doll?”
“I do indeed. He can take it.” To demonstrate, Zach threw out a right cross that had the dummy shaking on the release.
“Huh. Well…I guess I’d better get changed then.” He grabbed her arm as she turned away and when she looked back, he pulled her into his arms. She welcomed the kiss, melted with it and when he released her, he was smiling. “What?”
“It’s great to see you happy.”
It was great to be happy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Deborah stood before the rag doll dummy with pursed lips. Zach had just explained to her that she should apply all her force when punching the dummy, yet she felt foolish doing so. Not to mention she worried that if she did, the poor thing would topple over or break.
“You can’t hurt it.”
“I know that,” she sighed, then balled her hand into a fist and jabbed it at the dummy’s belly.
Zach snorted beside her. “My grandmother can punch harder than that. Come on, Deborah, give it all you’ve got.”
Deepening her frown, she jabbed the dummy one more time, with a little more heat.
“If he had a voice he’d be laughing at you right now. Hit him, Deborah!”
Shooting Zach a heated glare, she balled her hand and plowed it into the dummy’s gut. It rocked, it teetered but it remained standing.
“See. Now kick it.”
“I will not.”
“Oh for pity sake, Deborah. It’s an inanimate object. It has no feelings. Kick it.”
He was beginning to piss her off. Lifting her right foot, she jutted it out at the dummy with enough force to have it rock back and forth several times before coming to a stop. “Happy?”
“Not particularly, no.” He walked behind the dummy and lifted one ragged arm. “Is that all you’ve got? Come on weakling, bring it on.”
Rolling her eyes, Deborah laughed. “Now you’re just being foolish.”
“Look at you, all frail and scrawny. Those arms are like toothpicks. You can’t take me; you’re too weak.” Zach played the dummy while lowering his voice.
“Why do you want me to beat on this poor, defenseless object? We both know I can punch and kick.”
“Why did I get you to scream for two days?”
“Because you’re a sadist?”
One blond brow lifted. “I’ve never been called that before. No, it was to open you up, bring out the fighter in you. Now kick me, Deb and do it with meaning.”
“You never call me Deb.” She hauled off and planted her foot in the dummy’s leg. She was sure if Zach hadn’t been behind it, the thing would have toppled over.
“Because Deborah suites you better. The dummy called you Deb. Do that again, only this time with your left.”
She did, but she didn’t have as much power in her left as she had in her right.
“Good, now try the side kick I showed you and go for his mid chest.”
“This is all fine and good for a dummy, but there is no way I can do this to a human.” But she did as he asked and shifting to her left, raised her right leg and jammed it into the dummy’s chest.
“Yes you can and you will. Now go with the left.”
She repeated the move with her left, frowning at Zach. “No I can’t and I won’t. I can’t hurt someone.”
“Oh, so you would rather they hurt you. It’s your life or his—which one do you value more?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“Answer it.”
“Mine,” she demanded with a determined expression.
“I don’t think you really mean that,” Zach taunted, flapping the dummy’s arms at her. “Say it with conviction.”
“Mine,” she repeated a little firmer, throwing her right fist out to the dummy’s abdomen.
“Still not good enough.”
“Mine,” she demanded and this time put everything she had into the kick. She gasped when both Zach and the dummy went flying. Zach came down hard on his back, dummy resting on top.
“I am so sorry! Are you all right?” Rushing to his side, she pushed the dummy away, noticing how heavy it really was, and placed her hand on Zach’s face.
“Now, that was better.” Looking up at her, he smiled.
“Are you hurt?”
“Nothing I can’t manage.”
The air rushed from her lungs as he yanked her down on top of him and plastered his mouth over hers. She was too dazed to reject him, and by the time her mind cleared, her body was reacting with delight. His lips were so smooth, so gifted and as he took the kiss deeper she felt herself melting. His arms wound around her waist as his hands came to rest on his chest. She felt his heart beating against her palm and realized suddenly that hers was matching his.
He rolled them until she was on her back and he on top. He braced one hand to her left keeping his weight from crushing her. His free hand strolled lazily along her side, over her arm until he reached her face. Then he did something so sweet, so sensual it made her body quiver. With only the tips of his fingers, he traced her face from chin to forehead and back as he turned the kiss from an urgent battle of lips to a slow melting of mouths.
She felt herself floating and never wanted to come down.
Then he released her mouth and rested his forehead on hers. “Yep, that did the trip. I feel much better now.”
“Why did you stop?” she murmured. When her eyes opened she found them connecting with his. They were so blue, so…beautiful.
“How foolish of me.” His lips curving in a smile, he leaned back down and continued his seduction of her mouth.
Her body felt alive, for the first time in a long time, and it felt glorious. She needed to feel him and so she let her hands search for flesh. Pulling his plain cotton polo shirt from his slacks she ran her nails up his back and took great pride when he moaned against her mouth. She continued the motion as their lips danced. His fingers skimmed along her face and she could feel the weight of him pressing into her pelvis.
“Touch me,” she pleaded against his lips. When his fingers skimmed down her face, over her chin and down her neck she braced with anticipation. But instead of trailing over her breasts, he skimmed along her arm. Disappointed, she dug her nails into his back a little more.
Then his hand slipped beneath her lycra shirt, touching her bare side and made her suck in a breath. Slowly he trailed his finger tips along her belly from side to side. She parted her legs wanting to feel more of him. “Touch me, Zach. Make me feel alive.”
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 08] Page 13
