Heartless Lover by Faith Summers

33

Summer

Eric comes back to the apartment a few hours later and I wonder what more he did with Ted.

Aiden waited with me in the living room. Neither of us spoke but he sat with me while I curled up on the sofa.

I only straighten when Eric walks inside.

When the two see each other, they speak in Russian and Aiden dips his head toward me.

“Goodnight,” he says.

“Goodnight and thank you,” I reply.

“My pleasure.”

He leaves and when Eric turns to face me, I rush over to him and throw myself into his arms.

“I can’t thank you enough,” I say, holding back tears. These are different tears. “How did you get him.”

“I did what I did best,” he replies, and I pull away slightly to gaze up at him. “I found out his dirty secrets and gave him the option of exposing him or him doing it himself. Either way he was dead and the only option he ever had was to die fast or slow. One more monster to go, Summer.”

I stand on the tips of my toes and kiss him.

It doesn’t take much for the kiss to turn into the hot ravenous kisses I’ve grown accustomed to getting from this man.

He scoops me up and carries me into his room and that’s where he devours me.

As the hard length of his cock slams into my body I feel like I belong to him. Fire and passion consume us, but there’s something more in his touch that holds that spark of possession I felt weeks ago. I realize then it’s because he’s making love to me. I’ve never made love before, and tonight is one night I won’t forget as long as I live.

* * *

When I wake the next morning, I lay in Eric’s arms for a while just savoring the feel of him holding me.

He’s still asleep, which is different because usually he’s the one watching me sleep. Instead, I’m watching him.

I’m cocooned against his chest, resting my head on solid, corded muscles and I feel like a new woman.

It’s like when I opened my eyes, I was somebody else and all the terrible things that happened didn’t happen. All the terrible things except Scarlett.

I want to call her and tell her what happened to Ted. If she were alive, I know she would have seen the news last night and my phone would be ringing nonstop.

Thinking of her moves me to slip out of Eric’s arms, careful not to wake him.

I pull on one of my nightshirts I left in here and head back into my room.

When I get there, I reach for the box with her things for the play. I haven’t looked at the things in there since I packed them. They’re all what she’d call her work stuff. There’s a tape recorder and her copy of the script.

I’d seen the little tape inside when I packed it, but I was worried about how I’d feel hearing her voice. The last time I heard her voice was on the message she left me telling me she was on in Monaco. I got that message two days after she died.

I press play and when her voice comes on reading lines from the play no words on earth can describe how much I miss her, but there’s something inside me that feels comforted for hearing her talking. It’s like when she’d call me, and we’d do lines.

There’s a section where she stumbles over the lines and I can just imagine the face she makes.

“Ughh, Summer I wish you were here,” she suddenly says and my attention breaks. “Dammit I forgot the lines. You never forget lines. You channel your inner Vivien Leigh and I channel my inner you.” She starts laughing and I shake my head like we’re in the same room.

“Scarlett you were amazing,” I mutter to myself.

She stops laughing and continues to talk. “I always think of you when I get up there on stage because acting comes second nature to you. This is my biggest role ever and I’m so glad I got this part, but this character is you all over. When we were practicing the lines last night, they came so easy to you and I wished it was you who was playing this part. I wish this was your opportunity to shine. Your Carpe Diem moment. I almost feel like this part was made for you. I would have been honored to watch you in this play. Dammit the tape’s going to run out and I just realized I’m talking to myself. I’m just going to call you.”

She’s gone and silence fills the space around me. I’m sure I would have taken that call and we would have talked all night.

Movement by the door catches my attention and I look up to see Eric standing there shirtless, leaning against the door frame.

I think he must have been standing there long enough to hear the recording.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi.” He walks in and crouches beside me.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to know you channel your inner Vivien Leigh when you’re acting.” He grins.

“She was my favorite actress and the character my sister was going to play was like many of the roles she played. Scarlett and I used to practice lines together even when I wasn’t acting. So, I know the whole of this latest play. Deep down I also wished I could have been acting in something like that. I want to go back to school when I can. I was going to tell her that. It would have made her happy.”

He looks at the tape recorder in my hands and runs a finger over my knuckles. “Why don’t you do it?” he suggests, and I widen my eyes.

“Do what?”

“The play.”

“No, I couldn’t do that.”

“The plan was to tell the director she turned the job down. We have a week until rehearsal resumes right?”

“Yeah.”

“I have an idea that should pan out in regard to Robert and Micah. So, I don’t think there’s any harm in waiting a week then speaking to the directors and letting them know you want to do something to honor your sister.”

“I’m far from qualified to do something like that.”

“You have experience and a good background. I’m sure they’d at least give you a chance if you show them how good you are. It sounds like she’d want you to do it. I think she’d be honored if you filled in for her. Carpe Diem, right?”

I contemplate what he’s saying to me, and it brings a smile to my face.

“Carpe Diem.”

His phone rings and he reaches into his pocket for it. He frowns then looks at me.

“It’s your father. He’s called several times since last night. I’m sure he’s seen the news and there would have been a sizeable deposit in both your accounts this morning.”

My mouth drops. “Deposit?”

“From Ted. We’ll talk about that later. Do you want to talk to your father? You can say no.”

I’m feeling stronger now. The truth is out, and it doesn’t matter who believes me and who doesn’t.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Eric hands me the phone and I answer it.

“Dad,” I say first.

“Summer, my God. I’ve been trying to call. I saw the news last night.”

“Oh, you did?” I answer in a flat tone.

“I’m so sorry my dear. Please can I see you?”

I glance at Eric who nods. “Yes.”