by Anna Brooks
I don’t owe my mom anything because she hasn’t given me anything, but she’s still my mom. If she’s scared, I have to believe that there’s a legit reason for it. I might not know exactly the reason right now, but I will find out … and when I do, I’m getting the hell out of here.
Eddie sits next to me at dinner, and when dessert is served, I get up to use the restroom, leaving and coming back unnoticed. I bet that if I were eating with Pierce, he’d notice. Maybe he’d stand when I got up, too, like they used to in the old days. The entire fifty-five minutes I’ve been sitting here with Eddie he’s ignored me, talking business with our fathers. I’m not paying attention to what they’re saying because I’m trying to figure out how I can get out of this. How I can have a normal life with someone like Pierce. No, fuck that. With Pierce.
Dad looks at me and slowly nods; I guess that’s his final seal of approval and any hope I had to get out of it just dissipated into thin air.
Arranged marriage. Fucking wonderful. My life rocks.
The rest of the night goes by painfully slowly and I thank whatever god will listen when the Tellanos leave. As soon as the door shuts behind them, I storm to my room. My dad follows closely behind, and I spin around.
“No.”
“No?” he questions.
“Yes. No. I’m not marrying him. I just want to leave. You don’t have to give me anything. I’ll go on the fucking streets. Just let me leave.” Tears clog my throat as the enormity of the situation bears down on my chest. Is it going to be worse with Eddie? Will he force me to have sex with him? Is he going to hurt me?
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ruby. This is what’s best for the family. Eddie is a nice gentleman. He’ll treat you well.”
“Like you treat Mom?”
“Your mother wants for nothing.”
“I do, though. I want a normal life. I want to be loved.”
“I love you very much, Ruby. So does your mother.”
“No, you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t make me do this. I don’t want my dad to tell me who I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. I want to get out of here.”
He nods his head sympathetically. “I understand. But unfortunately, the deal is already signed. You must do this, Ruby. I only want the best for you, and Edward will make sure you’re taken care of. He will be back here tomorrow afternoon to collect you and your things.”
“Tomorrow? You don’t even give me twenty-four hours? Fuck you! I hate you!” I scream and run to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind me. I strip off my dress and get in the shower before the water turns warm. Tears stream down my face, and I choke on the truth of what’s about to happen.
Am I going to be forced to push out babies so they’ll carry on the Tellano family name? What will my name be? Is he going to make me take his, or will I keep my own?
I numbly wash my body and hair then get out of the shower and throw on a pair of sweats and a hoodie. My contacts slide out easily from the tears that so helpfully moistened my eyes.
I tiptoe my way to the back stairwell and take a deep breath before I open the door to the roof. This is the last night I have to pretend my life will ever be somewhat ordinary, and I can’t think of a better person to play make believe with. If I weren’t planning to meet Pierce, I’d still come up here, but I’d do it alone with nothing but the stories in my head and a pen and paper.
Meeting Pierce last night was a blessing and a curse. He showed me, even in the short time I was with him, that real men do exist. That falling in love is a possibility. But damn him, I didn’t think it was real before, and I’m kind of regretting that I know the feeling. It sucks it’s getting ripped away from me faster than it was introduced, but I suppose at least I’ll have the memories. From memories, I can remember instead of just pretending. And I intend to make some more tonight.
He sits on the lounger with my blanket draped over his knees, hands steepled with his forehead resting on them. His head whips in my direction and he stands, wiping his palms on the back of his jeans.
“Hi.” He smiles and takes a step toward me, his excitement calming some of my nervousness.
“Hey.” I walk up to him, and before I can say anything else, he pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me.
“I’m so glad you showed up. I was worried you weren’t going to.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
I soak up his embrace and push my fear of the future aside. I’m going to pretend that dinner didn’t happen and that Edward isn’t going to be here for me tomorrow. I’ve lived my whole life using my imagination, and tonight it’s going to be put to the test. Just the thought of Eddie makes my skin crawl, so I’m really going to have to force myself to forget.
I give Pierce a squeeze and step back. He cups my face with his hands and kisses my forehead so gentle, but the meaning so powerful.
“How was your day?” He looks into my eyes when he talks to me, showing me he cares.
“Fine. How was yours?”
“Lonely without you.” He entwines our fingers together and leads me to the lounger. He sits down and widens his legs for me to sit between them. I lean back against his strong chest, and he wraps both arms around my stomach. “Comfortable?” His breath slides across my cheek and I grab his hands with my own.
“Perfectly.”
“Me too.”
The silence passes, and it’s not necessarily awkward, but I don’t want to waste time inside my head, so I figure I should talk, ask questions, something.
“So can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”
“Hmm.” His Adam’s apple vibrates against the back of my head and it sends a chill down my spine. “I can’t reme— Oh! Yeah, I forgot. I wanted to be a garbage truck driver.”
“What?”
“It used to be the highlight of my week. I thought it was so cool how they could crush stuff.”
“That’s hilarious!”
“What about you?”
“Guess?”
He gathers my hair in one hand and drapes it over my shoulder, leaving my neck bare. “Teacher?”
“Nope.”
“Nurse?”
“Nope.”
“Veterinarian?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, so not cliché, which doesn’t surprise me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap defensively.
His hands squeeze my arms. “Just that you’re different and I should have known better. But good different, so good.”
“Oh, okay. That’s an acceptable answer.”
“Let me think.”
I crane my neck and find him tapping his long finger against his chin in contemplation. He snaps his fingers and squints his eyes at me. “Got it. An astronaut.”
“Damn, how did you know?”
He shrugs. “I’m just that good.” He winks and I roll my eyes. “Nah. You were talking about how small we are compared to the world, and I dunno, it was a lucky guess.”
I turn back and look up at the sky again. “Do you want to have kids?” I blurt the question out and am surprised when he answers right away.
“Yeah. For sure. I want to get married, have a family, all that stuff. Why? Don’t you?”
I pause before I answer, thinking how I can word it without seeming like a weirdo. Although I thought for sure he wouldn’t come back tonight, so he must not think I’m that weird. What logical person meets a strange girl on the roof in Vegas? I mean this attraction between us is insane; my body literally heats up just thinking about him. It’s more than a spark … a small inferno is closer to accurate.
“Yeah, I do. But it has to be with the right person. I don’t get why people have kids who aren’t even in love. Or they think having a baby will somehow fix their relationship.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Wh
at do you want?”
He presses his face into my neck and inhales then pulls back, leaving a kiss there. “I want to marry the woman of my dreams.”
“What’s on your list of qualifications?”
Pierce mindlessly runs his fingers through my hair. The combination of his smooth voice and the security I feel with him causes my eyes to become heavy. Like he’s telling me a fairy tale. “Well, let’s see. She should be about five five. Light brown hair and equally as light brown eyes.”
“Kind of like you?” I tease.
“Or like you,” he jokes back. “She’d have to be kind. I want my wife to be able to make me laugh with her witty sense of humor and sarcasm.”
“Like a mail order comedian who happens to cook you dinner?”
“Exactly.”
I laugh at my own joke and relax further into him.
“What about you? What’s your dream man?”
“Hmm.” I pretend to think about it, but in reality, I know the exact qualities I want in my husband. My chosen husband. “I’d want him to have a positive outlook on life … ya know, to balance my negativity and eternal pessimism.”
“Okay.”
“And he would have to be able to cook. I’d want him to be the kind of man who wants to do stuff. I don’t want to be stuck in the house for a long weekend. I want to be able to explore the world with him.”
“Why is that?” He turns my body a little and I lay my head on his chest and look into his eyes; all the while my hair lightly twists throughout his fingers.
“Because I’ve never had the opportunity.”
“Your family has never been on a vacation before?”
“Nope.” My answer is final. I don’t want to talk about them tonight. It’s not about them.
“What else?” He wisely changes the subject.
The fingers on his other hand cause a tingle as they trail up and down my arm. “He’d have to have light brown hair and equally as light brown eyes.” His hand stills for a moment before he laughs and continues his feather light touches. “He’d have to be successful, and owning his own business would be a plus. He’d have to have a good relationship with his mom and siblings. I’d want to feel safe with him … like he’d die before he let something or someone hurt me.”
He entwines his leg between mine and wraps his arm around me, squeezing me so tight it’s almost painful, but since I know I’ll never get this again, I soak it up for all it’s worth.
* * *
The sun set long ago, leaving us in the same peaceful darkness as last night, and as much as I fight it, my eyelids begin to get heavy to the point that I’m scared I’ll fall asleep. I know he won’t let me go easily. If I were in his position, I wouldn’t let him go either. But I have no choice. I’ve already risked too much being with him these two marvelous nights.
“Pierce, I should go.” I attempt to push away from him, but his arms are like steel beams, locking me in place.
“Stay, just a little longer. I’m leaving tomorrow. I know we’ve avoided talking about it, but I really want to see you again.” His voice sounds panicked, and I silence him by putting my finger against his lips.
“I want that more than anything. In fact, I wish I could go home with you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I can’t, though, but he doesn’t need to know that. I don’t want to ruin his happiness. I’m fully aware that I’m being cowardly, and when he wakes up in the morning without me, it’ll crush him. If there were any other choice, if I had even half a chance of another option, I’d take it.
I yawn and he grabs the blanket, enveloping us underneath. “Sleep, then. We’ll figure it out in the morning. No matter what it takes, we’ll figure it out. I refuse to let this slip through my fingers. Nobody has ever made me feel the way you do, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make you feel the same way for as long as you’ll have me.”
I smile against his chest. “I think I could put up with you for a lifetime, Pierce.”
* * *
The door creaks shut behind me, and when the heavy steel clamps as it locks, I shudder at the irony of the symbolism. I quietly walk back to my room avoiding the security cameras. Once I reach my door, I unlock it and dive under my covers, finally letting the weight of my emotion free. A sob erupts from low in my belly and rises painfully as it tears through my chest.
“Ms. Russo, is there a problem?”
The covers are ripped away from me, and I quickly wipe my tears as my bodyguard, Stanley, stares down at me.
“No, I’m fine.”
I try to pull them back over, but he grabs the comforter and yanks it from my hands. I glare at him, and his eyes assess me. With a not-so-gentle shove, he tosses the covers back at me then walks out. Once he’s out of sight, I heave a sigh of relief and force myself to try to get some sleep.
A few hours later, after I’ve succeeded in getting no sleep, I take a shower and get dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a black tank top with matching ankle boots. I throw my hair up in a ponytail and apply some light makeup before grabbing my key and going to the hallway. Since it’s Sunday, the halls are pretty busy because a lot of people are checking out and going home… their vacations over too fast. I often wish I could go with them. Just hop on a plane and disappear. But I can’t. No way would Dad let me out of his sight. Not only do I have Stan breathing down my neck, but every single employee here knows who I am and that I’m not to leave unescorted. I have tried one too many times and failed.
My father owns this hotel and casino. I’ve grown up living in a penthouse suite. Room service, a bodyguard, private tutor, enough money to buy anything and everything I could want… except love and acceptance. A dad who shows up for a dinner every now and then. A mom who follows my dad around like a lost puppy … it’s so pathetic.
Stanley has been by my side since I outgrew the nanny at age thirteen. He follows me everywhere I go, which really isn’t anywhere other than around the casino. The only time I get away from him is when I sneak up to the roof. I wasn’t even going to go two nights ago, as Stan had already warned me not to try and sneak up there again. I am so glad I did, though. I know I’ll never see Pierce again, but that doesn’t stop me from getting downstairs to try and catch a glimpse of him as he leaves.
I smile at the front desk staff as I slide behind the counter and go into the security room with all of the cameras. “Hey, Rick.”
Rick is the nicest and best man that I know. He’s also six foot six and bald with tattoos covering his entire upper body. The ink is barely visible on his dark skin, but if you look close enough, you can see the intricate detail in the tattoo artist’s work. As head of security, he often comes in this room in the morning for a couple of hours to review tape from the night before along with the live feeds. I often come here to get away from Stanley. I also get ideas for my stories by watching people and learning about body language and emotion.
The most interesting thing is what people do when they think no one is watching. And not just picking creepers or boogers, but when you see them checking out someone who is not their significant other. Or when they notice their partner checking out that person, how they pretend not to notice and wipe their eyes. I can’t believe how many times I’ve seen a man try to hit on someone else’s girlfriend or wife. And the different reactions always amaze me. There’s the guy who takes no shit and just punches the idiot for talking. Or the one who does nothing. Even the guys who pretend they’re going to do something by being all loud, but really they’re just waiting for security to step in. The ones that I like the most, and are few and far between, are the men who gently pull the woman aside, and with nothing more than a few words and a backward glance, put fear into the other guy. It’s not about showing off but airing confidence that he’d be best to walk away.
“Ruby, girl, come have a seat.” He looks back at Stanley who is around me so much I don’t even notice him anymore. “You can wait outside, man. I�
��ll page you when she’s ready to go.” His tone leaves no room for argument, and I smile at him, silently thanking him for having my back.
Without a word, Stanley glares at us then leaves the room, slamming the door on the way out. He’s such an ass, and no matter how much I beg Dad, he won’t fire him.
“Can you pull up a reservation for me?” I ask, anxiously tapping my foot.
“Sure. What’s the name?”
“Pierce …”
“Pierce what?”
I cross my arms and sigh. “I forgot. He never said … Oh, wait!” I remember now. “It’s Kelly. He told me about his family’s bar. That’s gotta be his last name.”
“Where did you meet this fella, Ruby? You know you’re not supposed to be talkin’ to the guests. Your daddy finds out about that and he ain’t gonna be happy.”
“On the roof.”
“What was he doing on the roof? That’s supposed to be locked.”
“Guess he climbed up the fire escape.”
“Damn.” He types on his computer and shakes his head. “I ain’t gettin’ a hit on that name.”
I was afraid of that. He said that he came with friends, so there’s a possibility the room is under one of their names. “Mind if I hang out and watch the monitors?”
“Course not.”
I look around the room and scoot closer to Rick. “What do you know about Eddie Tellano?”
“Why?”
“’Cause he’s going to be my new husband.”
“Say what?” Anger lances through Rick’s words and I give him a reassuring smile.
“It’s fine. Whatever. Gets me the hell out of here.”
“Ruby, girl. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s cool. Seriously. Nothing you can do, and I figured something was going on. Honestly, I suspected this would happen. So whatever. It is what it is, ya know?”
“Damn.” He curses under his breath, and I pat his arm.
