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The Tessarae Inn |
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Dreams In Amber Refrains CHAPTER 25 Blair felt tired. Profoundly tired as if the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders. As she slipped into the limo, Piper whispered to her that she was a big hit but it didn’t feel that way. Nothing seemed real. She walked away and left Travis backstage. It was over for her the minute they finished the song and he accepted his award. Travis would easily find someone else to decorate his arm at the after parties and press conferences. He had been angry but he didn’t try to stop her. She just wanted to go home but where was home? She felt disoriented and lost. Why did Todd always pull the rug out from under her feet? She walked into the living room of Travis’s penthouse. The room was dimly lit and the view was spectacular but tonight it seemed mundane and ordinary. The magic had been wiped out of her heart. The world of glitter and glitz was not her world. Her world was Todd and her babies and no one or anything was ever going to take that away from her again, including Todd. She stood close to the window and crossed her arms then hugged her sides. She closed her eyes to try to hold back the tears. There were decisions to be made --things to do. When she opened her eyes, she saw his reflection in the window. She caught her breath. Why did the sight of him always make her do that? “Traffic was terrible. We were stuck for over three hours. It made more sense for me to wait for you here.” Blair studied his reflection. She wanted to scream at him. Rail at him for what he did to her—to them. Yell to the high heavens but how many times had that scene played out between them? How many times had she wished they had just talked? How many times had she promised herself that if she could do it over, she would ask more questions, listen more and yell less? She turned around and faced him. “Did you sleep with her?” “No.” She sank straight down as if all of the strength in her body had been expelled in one loud rush. She didn’t realize how much the anger, fear and pain had been holding her upright. Todd reached out and grabbed her arms and kept her from hitting the floor. He pulled her back to a standing position, moved close to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I will never do that to you. I’m sorry if you thought…” “But you did. You almost did. I was there. I saw you with your hands on her.” “She had her hands on me… Nothing happened.” “Nothing? You let her put her hands on you. And for what? A football team?” “I never would have slept with her. You have to know that. You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t do that.” Know you? Yes, I do know you. She pulled back and stared at him. “That’s why you made sure I went with Travis, wasn’t it? What, I was in the way of your big plan?” He looked away. “That team was that important to you? You were willing to risk us for a stupid football team?” He snapped his gaze back on her face. “I wasn’t risking us. We were never on the table. I just needed some room to maneuver and then I could surprise you…and Starr and Jack. It was just going to be a big surprise.” “That bitch demanded you sleep with her as part of the deal?” Todd cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. “I be damned. She did, didn’t she?” “Yeah but…” “You thought you could snow her. Run a game on her. Wrap the horny bitch around your little finger.” “It was under control. I have it under control.” Blair opened her mouth but for a minute she couldn’t find the right words. Images flooded her consciousness. “She was there the day I came back.” “What?” “She was in the house. Was she there when we were making love? Was she watching to get her cheap thrill?” “The door was locked, remember?” “Shut up, Todd. Just shut up.” “She was gone,” he said softly, “and nothing happened then either. We were just talking business. She gave me the specifics of the deal they wanted to offer.” “I need you to leave now. Please, leave me alone.” “Don’t do this. We made promises.” “Yeah, I remember but do you?” He frowned and stepped closer to her. “I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you are with me.” Blair shook her head slowly. “We can work this out, Blair. We will work it out.” “I will be home tomorrow but I need some space tonight. I need to breathe at my own pace for a while.” “Like hell. You’re mad at me and I’m supposed to leave you here within a few feet of the rock star’s bedroom? Is not going to happen.” “I’ve been here for days and now all of sudden you are worried enough about Travis to stake a claim in his place.” “I’m not leaving. If you don’t want me in that room with you, I’ll give you your space. I’ll sleep here on the couch. Or, I’ll camp out in front of your bedroom door but I’m not going anywhere.” “Are you listening to me? You say I matter to you but then you refuse to care about what I want.” “Care about you? I love you. Until the end of time, Blair, and then I’ll start all over again.” She looked him in the eye then forced herself to look away. “Give me some space. All I want is some time. I put the pain in the music, Todd. I poured it into that song tonight and …” “I saw you. On the TV in the limo. You were so beautiful but you sounded so sad. I…I knew…” “That’s how you knew?” “I know you, Babe.” “So, if you hadn’t seen the performance and figured out that I saw you and Heather, you would probably be lying to me right now about what happened.” “Be fair, Blair. I’ve told you everything.” “I need time to think. I’ll be home tomorrow.” “Or the next day. Or six days from now. Or maybe three months…” “Now who’s being unfair?” “I can’t go through that again, Blair. I cannot. I will not.” “You always make it harder than it has to be but you have no choice about this. After everything that has happened you should know that. I will come home tomorrow.” He exhaled, glared at her then turned and walked out of Travis’s penthouse. =========== Blair played the scene in her head for the thousandth time. It was burned in her mind as if it was organic videotape. Play. Stop. Rewind. Slow motion. Play. She could see Heather looking and acting like a bitch in heat but Todd was letting himself be touched. Every time she played the tape she got angrier and angrier. Todd was willing to risk what they had for a business deal—and it was only business because even through the haze of her anger she could see the chill. Heather was nothing more than a sick covetous bitch who wouldn’t recognize love if it slapped her in the face and who was willing to take a cold, calculated fuck as validation of her worth. Blair walked into the living room and sat at the desk. She quickly found the card of the limo service Travis used. She called and made arrangements for them to pick her up at six in the morning. She was going home first thing tomorrow. She heard the door open. Travis was back. Good. She could get the goodbyes over with tonight and slip out in the morning without worrying about him. “How was the party?” “Which one? The party I’m about to throw now or the one I had with your husband earlier?” Blair stood up slowly. This bitch just made a fatal error of judgment. She walked over and stood in front of Heather then slapped her so hard Heather swayed backwards and then fell on her butt. Clive rushed into the room. He looked straight at Blair. “Are you okay? Do you need any help?” “That bitch just slapped me,” screamed Heather. “Mrs. Manning?” “I think I can handle this, Clive.” He smiled slightly then nodded his head. He walked out of the room and closed the door with a solid bang. Heather rubbed her face and stared at Blair. “We need to get some things straight. You put your hands on my husband and that will not happen again or I will personally cut them off.” Heather struggled to her feet. “You hit me.” Blair slapped her again. “Pay attention. Stay away from my husband.” Heather stared at her then rushed several feet away. She rubbed her face again. “He came after me.” “Yeah right.” “He did.” Blair sighed then walked over to the couch and sat down. She crossed her legs. “You can’t be nearly as stupid as you look. You must believe you own press. That’s always a big mistake.” “He wanted me like he hadn’t had any in years. At least none that was satisfying.” “Tell me how he likes it, Heather. Tell what you did to satisfy him.” Heather bit her lip and looked away. “Well, the first time in the limo, he was in a frenzy because he was mad at you for putting yourself in place to screw Travis all day and night.” “Shut up, bitch. You don’t know anything about my husband. You certainly don’t know what it feels like to have him spread your legs and make you scream his name.” “If he loves you so much what was he doing at your penthouse with me rolling on the floor? I know him better than you do. I know him in ways you’ll never know him.” “What are you talking about? Do you have any idea at all how stupid you sound?” “You can’t possibly understand a man like that. You don’t understand what really makes him tick. I do.” “Why don’t you tell me what I’ve missed in the last ten years?” “He lives for the deal. He understands and craves power like a drug. He knows how the world really operates and how to bring it to its knees to get what he wants. He always wins and never takes prisoners. You get out of his way or end up as road kill. He has low tolerance for weakness…” Blair whistled in a short bitter burst of sound then shook her head. “You don’t know anything about Todd. Not even the simplest thing.” “I just told you.” Heather’s voice had a whiny quality to it that set Blair’s teeth on edge. Suddenly, Treyscott’s voice filled her consciousness. She studied Heather for a minute. “Are you talking about Todd or about your father?” Heather’s eyes widened and she stepped back. Damn. “You are genuinely pathetic. You want Todd because for some sick reason he reminds you of your father.” “Shut up.” “Tell me. Does you father know how you really feel about him?” Heather gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. “If thinking sick fantasies floats your boat then go on and indulge yourself but here’s a little memorandum for you. Todd is planning to divorce you and marry me.” Blair laughed out loud. “You truly are insane.” “Am I? He doesn’t love me now but he will in time. For now all that matters is that I have something he wants bad and he’ll do anything to get it including divorcing your sorry ass. It’s not like he hasn’t done it before to get something he wanted.” Blair stood up and walked toward Heather, who backpedaled right into a wall. “I’ve been dealing with bitches like you all my life. Sorry excuses for human beings who try to suck everyone else dry because they are so completely devoid of genuine feelings. Let me buy a vowel for you. The problem isn’t the people in your life it’s you. Own it.” “Get away from me.” “Gladly,” said Blair. She stepped back and called for Clive who appeared immediately. “Will you please escort Miss Shuttlesworth out of here and do not let her return. If by some remote possibility Travis has a problem with it then tell him to take it up with me.” Clive nodded and locked his huge hand on Heather’s arm. “Take your hands off of me, you gorilla. You don’t know who I am.” “I suspect I know who and what you are better than you do,” he said then pulled her along as gently as he could manage. Heather struggled but Clive’s grip on her arm was too solid and he was too strong. She screeched insults but Clive kept moving her along and in quick order, she was gone. Clive returned a few minutes later and stood at the doors to the entry hall. “Anything else, Mrs. Manning?” “No, but thanks for taking out the garbage, Clive.” He winked at her and grinned. “My pleasure. Garbage is never worth worrying about.” Chapter 26 Dreams In Amber Refrains FAN FICTION |