To Be Unbroken

by Stein Willard

  “Who lives here?” The Bells were an eccentric bunch, but building a luxurious apartment for a statue, was a bit over the top even for them.

  “I do.”

  Sara spun around at the unexpected voice. She immediately began to sway dangerously, but strong arms held her up before her knees gave out. Sara looked up into familiar ice blue eyes. She swallowed a few times to ease the dryness in her throat.

  “What’s going on, Mac?” she pleaded, praying that someone would clear up this confusion so she could take back control of her life again.

  “I did not know how to tell you.” Mac had a pained look on her face.

  She pushed against Mac’s arms, trying to put space between them. “Tell me what?”

  Mac’s intense gaze faltered for a moment. “I am Maxima.”

  Sara shook her head slowly as she took a step back and looked at Mac, really looked at her. Mac had changed out of the pantsuit she’d worn earlier. Instead she was dressed in leather pants with a leather vest over a dark cotton shirt. On her hips she wore a broad leather belt with a large sword hanging from it. Sara’s eyes trailed upwards until they met unreadable pale blue eyes.

  Taking in the warrior outfit and the sword, Sara’s mind flitted back to the painting she’d studied in the lounge earlier. Mac looked exactly like the warrior in that painting. Oh my . . .! Maxima Kodon. She stumbled backwards. It’s true! It’s all true. She felt her knees give away and again strong arms scooped her up before she crashed to the floor. She feebly tried to push Maxima away from her, but the strong arms refused to budge.

  “Let me go…please just let me go,” she mumbled as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Please forgive me, my love,” she heard Maxima’s soft plea. Too shocked and too hurt to give notice to it, she tried again to push out of Maxima’s arms.

  “Don’t touch me,” she ordered gruffly as tears began to course down her cheeks. “Just let me go.”

  With a dejected sigh Maxima helped her to sit on the bed. “Please, let me explain.”

  At the risk of looking juvenile, Sara clasped her hands over her ears and sat there with her head averted. She wanted to be away from here, far away from here. She pushed to her feet and felt her knees buckle. When Maxima reached out to her, she slapped at her hands.

  “NO!”

  On unsteady legs she pushed past Maxima and left the room. She came to a stop before the podium where only a few minutes ago, the statue of Maxima had stood. It was true. She’d seen it for herself. Sara was sobbing as she briskly walked out of the galleria. As she reached the front door, Andra stepped out of the lounge. At seeing her tears, Andra’s face registered concern and she quickly stepped closer.

  “Oh dear! Sara, what happened?”

  Sara took a shuddering breath as she looked at Andra. Just looking at the familiar features that were so like Mac’s…Maxima’s made her shake her head. They all had lied to her. Every one of them had lied to her. She pushed past Andra, opened the door, and ran into the night.

  CHAPTER 10

  Caroline smiled like the cat that got the canary as she held Sara tightly against her as they swayed to the slow song. Sara rudely ignored the lustful looks the model threw at her. She wasn’t that stupid to think that Caroline had asked her out because she had changed overnight from an asshole to a saint. This was still the same woman who had solicited sex from her and left her with a huge dinner check when she refused her. At that moment, Caroline smiled at her and Sara suppressed a shudder at the open lust she saw in the woman’s eyes. She tried to move away, but Caroline only pulled her closer, an amused twinkle in her eyes. Rolling her eyes, and not caring that Caroline saw it, Sara decided to not fight Caroline on this. Instead, she blocked out the woman’s advances as she had done a lot of things lately.

  After her disastrous Thanksgiving visit to the Bells estate a week ago, she fell into a routine of going to work and working until she almost dropped from exhaustion. It was only when her mother began to complain about never reaching her at home and showed genuine concern at how worn out she looked, that Sara had slowed down a little. Strange that Sandra hadn’t even asked why she was in the state she was in, but Sara wasn’t naïve enough to believe that her mother wouldn’t get to it soon. Instead she had enjoyed the temporary ceasefire between them and had even been for dinner at the mansion to spend time with her parents.

  She had tried hard over the past week not to think of Maxima or any of the Bells in case she began to cry again. She came close though when she went for dinner at the mansion and her father had wrapped her in his arms. Jason Laramie was a shrewd lawyer who headed his own firm, but he was also a wonderful father. A man of very few words, strange for a lawyer, he was a great listener and an even better observer. After dinner he simply led her out to the garden where he handed her a whiskey and one of his overpriced Cuban cigars. There on the patio of her childhood home, with the man she loved the most in the world, a sense of peace had come over her. Her father had kissed her on the crown of her head and in his deep baritone murmured that everything would be okay even though he didn’t know what happened.

  That night she stopped fighting the stream of visions which had intensified after her face to face meeting with Maxima. How else was she going to control something she had no control over? One thing she had control over, was that she didn’t have to see or speak to Maxima or any of the Bells unless she wanted to. She had refused Andra’s calls and trashed her unread emails. Two days ago Claire came to the gallery to speak to her, but her staff had been warned not to let any of them near her. Claire had left without when she was refused entrance without causing a scene. . . But she missed them all—a lot—especially Maxima.

  When Caroline called her yesterday, Sara was sure it was at her mother’s behest, and asked her to accompany her to the launch of a new nightclub, she had accepted. Sitting at home over a weekend ignoring her ringing phone and praying that Andra or Claire would not show up, was not a pleasant way to spend her time away from the office.

  “Would you like something to drink?” Caroline asked close to her ear, her warm breath caressing the sensitive surface. She turned her head away. She hoped Caroline remembered that this was a no strings attached date.

  “I’ll have a club soda, please.”

  “Are you serious?” Caroline asked. “Our drinks are on the house and you want a club soda?”

  Sara had to bite her lip to stop the sharp retort that was on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t trust Caroline enough to get tipsy around her. The woman was sure to pounce on her. It seemed to be part of Caroline’s nature to get what she wanted in whatever way possible. But she knew that already when she accepted Caroline’s invitation. She might just as well accommodate the woman a little. Suppressing her irritation, she shrugged. “I’ll have whatever you’re having…only smaller.”

  Caroline gave her a big grin, which made Sara think of a shark, before the model steered her to their table on the way to the bar. Sara knew instinctively that Caroline was going to get her the most potent drink at the bar. Otherwise she would’ve placed her order with one of the waitresses. The model obviously forgot the promise she made about keeping her hands to herself. Pushing Caroline to the back of her mind, she focused her attention on the dance floor where dancers bumped and writhed to the beat of the music. A few years ago she would’ve been found writhing and grinding to the beat, her body and mind a slave to whatever substance she’d imbibed. She wondered where she would have ended up had Merle not crossed her path. The fashion designer was notoriously jealous and hated sharing Sara with her horde of friends and the lure of the Boston’s nightlife. Within three months of dating, Sara found herself staying in more or sitting with Merle, as the older woman worked on yet another new clothing line. After a while it actually became fun to only share her time with Merle. So much so, that they started talking about buying a place together. Marriage was one of the commitment-laced words whispered a couple of times as they lay curled up on the sofa, w
atching movies. Then everything came tumbling down, when Sara least expected it. For months after their breakup, Sara had cursed herself for thinking that surprising Merle, on a shoot in Barbados, would be romantic. She got the surprise of her life, when she stormed into Merle’s suite with a bottle of champagne and a bouquet of roses. Merle wasn’t stupid and nor did she think the same of Sara. As she had stared at her girlfriend, frozen in shock, Merle had simply got out of bed and locked herself in the bathroom. There were no lame explanations offered. Instead, Merle simply gave her kiss on the cheek and stood looking at Sara with pain-filled eyes. They had gone out together once after that but the guilt and anger and lingering attraction had made it impossible to relax around each other. In the end they had allowed the distance between them to grow until they had stopped keeping in contact.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Caroline suddenly spoke next to her, pulling Sara back from her depressing thoughts.

  “I doubt it’s even worth that much,” Sara said quietly. She looked at two glasses filled with a lethal looking purple substance. “What do you have there?”

  Caroline held a glass out to her and giving the model a wary look, Sara tasted the drink. Her eyebrows shot up at the taste.

  “This tastes really nice. What’s it called?” At the look that came over Caroline’s face, Sara knew she was in for something. She carefully placed the glass on the table, suddenly alarmed.

  “It’s called a Leg Spreader.”

  Sara looked at the glass and back to Caroline before she rolled her eyes. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  The tall blonde gave her a slow, sexy grin. “Do you have any idea how hot you are? Had you been in my shoes, I doubt you would have given up either.”

  They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing. Sara reached for her glass and lifted it in a silent salute. Four hours later and two more Leg Spreaders, Sara was ready to go home. Whatever lurked in the purple depths of those tasty cocktails had gone straight to her head. She touched Caroline’s arm.

  “I think I’ll just call a cab and go home now.”

  Caroline wanted to protest, but Sara grabbed her purse and gave the sulking model a quick hug. Caroline was actually not too bad when she dragged her mind out of the gutter. Sara had fun tonight. When she stepped out of the club and into the fresh crisp air, she took a few deep breaths to try and clear her head from the effects of the alcohol. Rummaging in her purse she took out her phone. She searched for the number of the cab service she always made use of and was just about to call them when she became aware of being watched.

  She slowly moved back to the entrance of the club where a huge doorman stood. She gave him a weak smile before calling the cab service. Ordering a taxi she debated whether to wait inside for the ten minutes it would take for the cab to arrive or to wait outside. With the powerful doorman nearby she doubted if anyone would try to attack her. The inside noise spilled out and Sara turned to see the door open and a head peering out.

  “Lamar, we need you inside.”

  The doorman grunted and followed the other staff member inside. Sara turned to look around her. Even with the bright lights of the club falling on her, she still felt uncomfortable. Maybe she should’ve stayed inside. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she swung around. Maxima stood there. Slightly spooked by the woman’s sudden appearance, she took a step back.

  “What…what are you doing here?”

  Maxima was dressed in black, which combined with her size, made her look rather ominous. The pale eyes glittered in the light of club entrance. With the alcohol swirling around her body and the gorgeous sight before her, Sara felt her libido scream at her in frustration. She might be angry at Maxima, but it didn’t detract from the woman’s appeal.

  “I am going crazy knowing you are so close, yet so far,” Maxima said after a while. Sara watched as Maxima nervously licked her lips.

  A heat wave struck between her legs at the sight of the pink tongue tip. She hadn’t been with someone in over six months. She had been too busy to find the time to date or even to go to a bar to find companionship with the final planning for the gallery opening. Now here she was, being tempted by this gorgeous hunk of a woman who was convinced that Sara was her reincarnated lover.

  Sara had a flashback of them kissing in her kitchen the first time they’d met. Maxima had effortlessly lifted her into her arms, wedging her large body between her legs. She quickly looked away from the intense blue gaze. Maxima struck her as someone who wouldn’t think twice to pounce on her the moment she sensed a weakness. It was the way of a warrior to strike when an opportunity presented itself and Maxima was the ultimate warrior.

  “I’m not ready to talk to you yet, Maxima.” That was the truth. She was still hurt at having been befriended under false pretenses. She was made to fall in love with someone who didn’t exist. She was still angry and she didn’t know how long it would take for her to be at peace again.

  “I understand and I will give you all the time you need. But,” Maxima bent her knees slightly so she could peer into Sara’s eyes, “I love you and I never meant to deceive you. I only found out who you were after we kissed for the first time.”

  Sara felt herself soften a little at the heartfelt words. “Why didn’t you just tell me then? You pretended to be someone else and you made me fall for you.”

  Maxima nodded. “It was really stupid of me. There is no excuse, but I just went crazy when I finally found you after all this time only to have this other woman kiss you in front of me. I was so jealous that I stormed out.”

  Sara looked up into the smoldering blue eyes. “How would you have acted if you had been in my shoes?” She didn’t know why she asked the question, didn’t even know why it popped into her mind, but she was eager to hear the answer.

  A sad look came over Maxima’s face. “I would most likely have acted similarly. Knowing you as Anima, I would not expect anything less.” She inhaled deeply. “But never doubt my love for you, Sara. I will wait patiently until you are ready to talk to me again.”

  At that moment a cab pulled up at the curb. Sara looked at Maxima. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  ***

  Andra drained her glass and reached for the decanter again. The house was quiet with Claire and the kids sleeping already. She had no idea where Maxima had disappeared to. She had gone looking for her earlier, but no one was home. Dejected, she had settled on getting drunk alone.

  Since Sara had stormed out a week ago, the inhabitants of the Bells mansion had all fallen into a state of gloom. Claire spent most of her time with the kids and even when she smiled, Andra could detect the sadness in her wife’s eyes. Finding Anima had been such a highlight for the blonde and to fail to get the couple reunited had been a great setback for her. Her grandparents joined her parents on the Caribbean cruise soon after Thanksgiving and would be back in two weeks just in time for Christmas. Gemma had been looking forward to seeing Sara and Maxima united before Christmas and it was with a heavy heart that the Bells matriarch had left.

  Andra poured herself another drink. She had tried her best to reach Sara, but the woman refused to have anything to do with them. After Claire’s failed attempt to see her at the gallery, they had all decided that it would probably be for the best if they left the young woman to work through her anger first before they tried to make contact again.

  They all missed her tremendously. Sara had become such an integral part of their lives in the past month and a half. It was evident that even if she had turned out to not be Maxima’s soul mate that they would still remain close friends. As things stood now, they seemed to be the ones who had lost in more than one way. Maxima’s moping around the house and both Claire and herself had lost the blonde’s friendship and trust. The door to the study swung open and Andra was surprised to find Maxima standing in the doorframe.

  “I saw the light was still on.”

  Andra waved her in just as she wa
lked over to the bar to pour Maxima a glass of wine. Maxima smiled her gratitude as she accepted the drink.

  “I went looking for you earlier.” Andra said as she took a sip from her drink.

  “I met with Sara tonight.”

  Andra blinked in surprise. “You spoke to her? Where?”

  “She went out with that other blonde woman. I waited for her outside the nightclub and we talked for a short while.” Maxima took a sip from her wine. “She is very angry at us.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  For a few minutes they sat in silence, each busy with their own thoughts.

  “The visions have intensified. I cannot close my eyes without seeing her. I feel like I am going mad.”

  Andra heard a sliver of fear in the deep voice and it made her feel so helpless. “I’m sorry, Maxima. If I had been honest with her from the beginning we might not be in this mess.”

  Maxima pushed to her feet and went to get the bottle of wine. She refilled her glass and drained it with one swallow. “We were not sure if she was the one. I doubt it would have worked out any better had you told her upfront that you suspected she was the reincarnated lover of your two-thousand-year-old ancestor.” She smirked. “Knowing Anima’s temperament, Sara is not acting out of character. In fact, I find her to be much more accommodating.”

  Andra grinned at that. She had her own sparkplug sleeping upstairs. “Tell me again why you had to fall in love with the daughter of the biggest, baddest ruler of Greece?”

  A deep chuckle erupted from Maxima’s chest. “She wanted me and I wanted her. Anima was known for getting what she wanted.”

  “And so the big bad warrior fell under the gentle touch of the fair princess,” Andra teased.

  A sly look came into Maxima’s eyes. “Gentle? Back then, young girls were trained in the art of lovemaking. As the Crown Princess, Anima was expected to remain chaste until she was married off. Thus, she had practiced her skills on women.”