I glance sideways at Lars and can’t decide how he’ll react when I pretend to hurt myself.
I lead Thunder into the horse pasture and Lars leads Bessie. It’s been a while since she’s been mounted due to her pregnancy, but Lars thinks it’s time to ride her again.
“So, are we just going to trot them?” I ask. “Or are we sprinting?” My performance will be more believable if we’re sprinting, but it will be much easier to fall at a slower pace.
“We shouldn’t sprint with Bessie just yet. She’s still healing from giving birth,” he says.
We each mount our horses and begin trotting through the field. There aren’t many options of places to fall off inside the horse pasture, but I’m afraid Thunder will spook and run if I fall, so I would rather it be in an enclosed area.
“How is the new baby doing?” I ask, referring to a foal that was born in the early hours of the morning. Neither Lars nor I were present. Only Chance and one of the other men were there to guard and help if necessary.
“She’s funny. She likes new people.” Lars laughs and I memorize the sound. I love hearing him laugh. “Just like her mama.”
“Will I get to meet her?” I ask with a smile.
Lars doesn’t respond for a moment. “You can see her if you stay a couple more days,” he says. The tone of voice is heartbreaking, and I know I have to jump now. There aren’t any bushes near me, and I don’t know how safe the fall will be, but if I don’t finish this job, I’m afraid I won’t ever leave Lars’ side.
I slide from the saddle and push myself to the side while reaching upward, as if I’m trying to get hold of the reins. A small screech escapes my lips as I fall backward. Then everything happens in slow motion. My senses become extra sharp. A clear thought flashes into my mind. You idiot. You don’t even have insurance. I see the ground approaching fast and remember to turn myself midair so the brunt of the force will not be on my head.
“Damn, Tamara,” I hear Lars curse as I land on the hard ground.
I feel my ankle pop and an intense pain shoot through my leg. My brain goes into disbelief mode. Oh god, did I just break my leg?
Thunder bolts across the field. It takes less than five seconds for Lars to be at my side. I lie on my back and grind my teeth together, not needing to fake the pain radiating from my ankle.
“Where does it hurt?” Lars shouts urgently, crouching next to me, his face pale under his tan.
“I think I broke my ankle,” I groan.
“Don’t move,” he says, grasping my foot with both his hands.
“Oh no,” I cry, looking worriedly at my booted leg. “What are you doing?”
“Getting this boot off.”
Tears swim in my eyes as he takes the boot off and tosses it away.
“Shhh…I’ll take care of you. It’s okay,” he says as his cool fingers gently and quickly move over my skin. He looks up at me, relief etched in his face. “It’s not an obvious break.” He takes a deep breath. “God, Tamara, you need to be more careful. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” he says.
“Gave you a heart attack? I’m the one who’s hurt.”
“You can’t imagine how fast my heart is beating. Fuck, when I saw you go down… Thank God, it’s only a sprain or a fracture.”
“It hurts like hell.”
“Sometimes a sprain can hurt more than a fracture.”
“Whatever it is, I won’t be able to ride for my father.”
“Of course not. You can ride for him another time.”
“No, I don’t think I ever want to get back on another horse,” I say quickly.
He looks at me strangely. “We’ll see how you feel later. Can you stand?”
“I don’t know.”
He stands up and helps to pull me up. To my surprise, it doesn’t hurt as much I thought it would. Maybe I got lucky. “I think I can still walk on it,” I admit.
“It’s good that you can stand on it, but let’s get some ice on it straight away.” He sweeps me into his arms and carries me back to the house. Lars wants to call a doctor, but I refuse. I know by how little pain I am feeling that I haven’t done any real harm and it’s more fear than anything else that made me panic before.
I lie on the couch with an icepack on my ankle for the next hour. It is badly bruised, but that is only because I bruise easily. The swelling itself is minimal. After a while, I realize that I can walk quite well on it. I still want to attend the ball and have a dance with Lars. He comes in with some bandages and wraps my ankle. He also brings a pair of crutches.
“Do you want to give the ball a miss? We don’t have to go.”
I shake my head. “No, I want to go.”
“All right. I have to go meet the governor so I’ve asked Chance to bring you. I’ll see you there, okay?”
“What if you don’t recognize me?”
“Baby, there’s not a mask in the world that can hide you from me.”
“I’ll see you at the ball tonight.”
His eyes pierce into mine and my tears begin stirring. I broke my ankle—or greatly injured it—and I didn’t cry. But as I watch him suffer with the same turmoil I have been for weeks, I want nothing more than to curl into a ball.
Chapter 47
Cass
I take two Vicodin and hobble into the bathroom. I may still be in shock to think that I have done the dreaded fall and that it is all coming to an end tonight. I take a shower and am cautious not to get my bandage wet. When I get out, I find Selene, Tamara’s hairdresser, standing on the patio.
“Hey,” Selene says. “Ms. Moore sent me to make sure you have exactly the same hairstyle as Her Highness.”
“Okay, where do you want me?” She points to a chair and I go sit on it.
For the next forty minutes, she works on piling my hair into a complicated updo. When she is finished, she picks up her bag and walks toward the sliding doors. “Right, I’m off. You look amazing, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
I stand up and walk to the mirror and take in the sleek beauty of her work. Cautiously, without ruining my hair, I get into my dress. The dress is comfortable and feels like silk on my skin. I slip into the heels and feel a twinge of pain, but when I walk, it doesn’t feel too bad.
I paint my eyes dramatically as I know Tamara would and apply a layer of Cherry Lush lipstick. The last piece of the outfit is the mask. I cross the bathroom and grab the mask before bringing it to the mirror. It’s a stunning black half-face mask with sharp edges and teal and blue designs that make it both pop and match my dress.
I slip the plastic over my face and look in the mirror with wide eyes. Tonight will be the last time I’ll ever see Lars.
Chapter 48
Lars
I usually avoid public gatherings like the plague, but Tamara has changed everything. I can’t wait to see her, dance with her, and then take her home and make love to her all night.
Realizing that she is on the verge of leaving, I finally admit to myself that I love the woman. When she fell off her horse and got hurt, I felt as if a part of me had shriveled up and died. At that moment, I knew I’d give my own life to save hers. I have never loved anyone the way I love Tamara, and I won’t lose those feelings. I plan on being with her forever. I don’t understand what’s going on with her, but I know she’s hiding something. I can see how cut up she is about leaving, but she insists on going. I know she loves it here, so I can’t understand why she wants to run away tomorrow. I must find a way to convince her to stay.
I will tell her everything about myself tonight. There are so many things she needs to know, and once she does, I won’t let her go.
I will do whatever I have to do in the few hours I have left to get to the bottom of this mystery and convince her to stay.
I stand on the balcony and scan the crowd for Tamara. The entrance is above the ball itself, so I am able to look over everybody inside. From above, they all look unidentifiable in their strange costumes and masks, but it only t
akes me a second to find her. Her head of bleached blonde hair stands out beyond everyone else’s as she arrives on Chance’s arm. I see that everybody has turned to watch her. She is, without doubt, the most beautiful woman in this hall. My heart swells with pride even as I curse every man who lays eyes on her and thinks a dirty thought.
I walk down the steps and as I near Tamara, I notice her wince in pain and my heart drops. She’s gotten so many injuries since being here and I couldn’t stop any of them.
“Tamara,” I call out.
She turns around and I stare at the bright blue dress that hugs her body in every area. It’s a body I’ve seen up close, sucked, licked, bitten, and entered many, many times, but I can’t help but gawk at how beautiful she is.
“It’s you,” she whispers coming in my direction and smiling with the same, shy smile that got me up all knotted up around her little finger.
“Of course, who else would it be?” I ask, handing her a glass of champagne.
She smiles.
“How’s your ankle.”
She shakes her head. “Vicodin took care of it. It doesn’t really hurt at all.”
I raise my glass. “A toast.”
She raises her glass.
“To the most beautiful woman here.”
“I’m not,” she says.
“Every man in this places wishes he was me,” I tell her truthfully.
“You’re not so bad looking yourself,” she says, taking a delicate sip.
Taking a step closer, I bow and open a hand to her. “Will you do me the honor of dancing with me? It gives me an excuse to feel you up in a public place,” I tell her with a wolfish grin.
“I’m not very good at ballroom dancing,” she says, taking a small step back.
I take the glass from her hand and leave it by the ledge. “All you have to do is follow my lead, baby.”
She puts her hand in mine and I pull her toward me. Wrapping my arm tightly around her to help take some weight off her ankle, I lead her toward the middle of the dance floor.
She looks up at me. “I feel as if I’m a princess in a fairytale,” she whispers, and her breath is like a magic mist.
“Well, for what it’s worth, you make me feel like a prince with a kingdom,” I say as I twirl her about the room, lost to everything but her lovely face looking up at me. I let my fingers trail down her naked back and feel her take a sharp breath. Circling her waist, I take her through a series of spins that leaves her breathless and wide-eyed.
“We need to talk,” I say into her ear. I feel her shiver beneath me and bury my nose in the top of her head. I can’t let her go. I will never let her go.
“How about we talk after the dance?” she compromises. I notice her eyes start swimming with tears again. She blinks them back furiously.
What the hell is going on? “After the dance,” I agree. I’d agree to almost anything for her.
She presses herself against me and allows herself to move in every direction that I move. I could stand this close to her all day and be perfectly content, but my contentment will only last until she moves. She continues looking into the skylight and at the slowly darkening sky, but I don’t know why.
As the ending melody of the song plays, I look down at her. Her phone rings. “I need to go to the bathroom,” she says with a sad smile. “We can talk after that, all right?”
I nod and give her a small peck on the cheek. I reach to the floor and grab her crutches for her. “And you’re going to tell me the verdict on your foot,” I say.
“It’s sprained,” Tamara whispers. “Okay, I’ll be back. I’ll miss you, Lars,” she says before turning and walking away.
I stand in place and make small conversation with the people around me for a while. I check the clock periodically, wondering where she could have gone. She’s got a bad ankle, but she shouldn’t be taking this long.
I begin walking around and scanning the crowd. My nerves grow tense the longer I look, so I ask people around me if they’ve seen her.
Chapter 49
Cass
Lifting my long skirt, I hurry as quickly as I can to the ladies’ room. There are only two women in there, chatting and touching up their make-up. As I walk past, one of them smiles at me and compliments me on my dress. I thank her distractedly and go quickly toward the last stall.
I try the door and find it is locked. I knock softly and Tamara opens it instantly. Glaring at me, she yanks me in and closes the door. She is dressed exactly like me and her hair is done up like mine too. The only differences are her breasts are bigger and her waist is smaller. Selena told me that she had had a rib taken out to achieve that look. The only way Lars won’t notice is if she gets him really drunk. Or maybe he won’t care. Maybe he will prefer her narrower body and bigger breasts.
“What took you so long?” she whispers fiercely. “I’ve been stuck in this smelly toilet for nearly an hour.”
“Ms. Moore called me less than three minutes ago,” I say.
“Whatever,” she huffs. “So, where is he?”
“By the pillar on the left-hand side of the main room.”
“What’s he wearing?”
“A white shirt, black tux, black pants, and a black mask.”
She wriggles her shoulders and pushes her chest out. “How do I look?”
“Great.”
“Better than you, anyway,” she says nastily and fits her mask over her face. She giggles. “This is such fun.”
I don’t say anything.
“Is he good in bed?”
I look at her coldly and refuse to answer.
“Never mind, I’ll find out myself tonight. I might send you a little video of us doing it.”
“Why would you want to do that?” I ask her.
“Because I want you to watch the man you love fuck me.”
“Why would you do this to me?” I ask.
“It’s hard to find entertainment in show business,” she says with a shrug.
I know she is lying. “That’s not why you’re doing it, is it?”
Her eyes flash with temper. “Because even though you brown nose me all the time, I know you think you’re somehow better than me.” She jabs me in the chest. “Well, Miss Holier Than Thou, you’re not. You’re nothing but dirt at the bottom of my shoe. And I can take your man any time I want. I’ll take him, I’ll suck him dry, then I’ll kick him to the curb.”
I stare at her in astonishment. She is horribly jealous of me. I have no money, or fame, or celebrity status. I don’t get to experience the high life the way she does. Why would she be jealous of me?
“You hurt your leg. Which one?” she asks, suddenly changing the subject.
“Right ankle.”
“What did you do? Sprain it?”
For a second, I don’t answer. Then my mouth opens and out it comes, the lie that I hope trips her up and gets her into trouble. “I fractured it,” I say.
Her brow furrows. “Is that like a break?”
“Exactly. I’ve broken my leg. Make sure you hobble up to him and complain a lot about the pain.”
“Hobble?”
“Uh…huh. Like this,” I say, making an exaggerated hobbling movement in the confined space.
She doesn’t look happy about it. I’ve earned this small satisfaction. This is my pathetic little revenge for all the times she has woken me up in the early morning hours for no reason at all, for when she pushed me to the ground, and for taking the man I love and rubbing it in my face. As many times as I have cursed her, let me give her a reason to curse me instead.
“Oh, and I guess I might as well give you my bandage too. Otherwise, he’ll see that your leg is not swollen.”
“Hurry up,” she urges impatiently.
I quickly remove my bandage and give it to her.
She lifts her skirt. “Put it on me,” she orders.
I crouch down next to the toilet and quickly wrap her ankle. “It’s done,”
“There’s the window.
Now get through it.”
I look at the small window, my eyes widening. “You want me to go through that window?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think I’ll fit.”
“Of course you will. If you get stuck, I’ll give you a shove from this end.”
“Why can’t I just walk out. Nobody will notice.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “And if someone does?”
I look again at the window. Maybe I can squeeze through it. “Where do I go once I get out?”
“There a car waiting for you outside.”
“A car?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, go already.”
I take a deep breath. The sooner I get out of her presence the better for me. I slip my shoes off, put my good foot on the toilet seat, and climb on to it. The window is not locked, so I push it open and put my head through. The ground is not too far away, it is grassy, and there is nobody around.
“Watch that your fat ass doesn’t get stuck,” Tamara chides.
I get the first half of me through easily, but the skirt of the dress is big and I struggle to free my hip. I give a good tug and hear a loud tearing sound, but my hips are through.
“Hurry up,” Tamara says impatiently.
I drop to the ground and feel a sharp pain in my ankle. I stand up. The skirt of my dress has been ripped away and is still caught in the window. Only the tulle underneath is still attached to the bodice of the dress. Tamara throws the torn skirt after me.
“Pass me my shoes,” I whisper, holding my hands up to the window. Instead of giving them to me, she flings them out. What a bitch! I find one but can’t find the other, and my ankle has started to throb with pain. I see a long black limo waiting by the curb. Someone opens the back door from the inside. My carriage awaits.
The Promise Page 60
