Proserpina
He had left after delivering his ultimatum, and I sat, heartbroken, too numb to weep.
A slight knock on the door after Lucien had stridden out, made me turn warily.
I wiped my eyes hastily and tilted my chin proudly as Daniella Eton walked in. She was a tall woman, with a cap of short icy blonde hair that swung as she moved her head. Her small green eyes were keen and observant and I saw her take in my appearance in a swift glance, my swollen mouth, and red-rimmed eyes, all in one sharp glance.
She handed me a large shopping bag and said,
'Clothes for you. I think I know your size by now.'
Nodding, I stretched my hand out and mumbled a thank you as I turned to make for the washroom. The sudden jolt of pain that shot through me, made me stumble and I let out a hastily stifled gasp but kept moving although just the act of placing one foot before the other was torture. All the way, I could feel Danielle's eyes on me.
Standing beneath the hot spray in the decadent-looking bathroom, with the erotic pictures on the walls (!) I shut my eyes and let the water run over me.
Washing away my sins, I thought randomly and stifled the urge to giggle hysterically.
The tears were coursing down my cheeks now, but I titled my head and stood, fighting for control.
A deep longing for my uncluttered, simple life in Bhutan overcame me and I broke down all of a sudden, sobbing loudly in abandon.
There was a sharp rap on the bathroom door,
Daniella called out, her voice betraying the barest hint of concern,
'You ok, in there, girl?'
I nodded my head and then realized stupidly, that she could not see me.
' Yes, I'm ok!' I cried, my voice almost breaking.
I stepped out of the shower cubicle after a while and found that I had left the clothes on the couch. Wrapping myself in a huge fleecy towel, I went back into the room.
To my surprise, Daniella was still there, smoking a cigarette. She had one of the dreadful clamps in her palm and she was frowning. She had also removed the offending bedsheet, I noticed. Raising her head, she gave me a searching look. I felt my face flaming and I walked forward, stiffly, trying not to show the pain in my behind as I went.
When she spoke, her voice was softer,
'How old are you anyway, kid? 'she said.
I stopped and stared. And caught a glimpse of myself in one of the large mirrors in the obscene room.
With my long mahogany-coloured hair falling down my back in waves, and my face scrubbed clean of makeup, I looked younger than I was. My curves were camouflaged in the bath towel, and my small feet were bare.
'Twenty... ummm... twenty-one...,'I stammered. It came out like a forlorn squeak,
She smiled, like a person facing a timid, beaten animal, trying to put it at ease. She puffed on her smoke and said, as though to herself,
'I'm sure Grace would like to meet you,'
I watched her warily, Now WHO was THAT? Another of Lucien Delano's ex-lovers?
Seeing the look on my face, Daniella smiled, bringing softness to her otherwise hard, almost handsome face,
'Grace is my wife. '
She said it simply.
My astonishment must have been evident. She smiled grimly as I studied her curiously. The tall, well-built woman with green eyes and a small mouth, painted a shade of red that grabbed your attention willy-nilly. Almost flat-chested, slim-waisted, and long-legged. She had been dressed in a formal, no-nonsense way the first time I had run into her at the club. Even at the party last evening, she had stood out in her elegant, charcoal grey suit.
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes as she spoke, almost contemplatively,
'Delano...I've been working with him for seven years here. He's a decent sort,' and seeing my comically incredulous expression, she gave a half-smile and took another drag.
'He's a womanizer, all right.' She shrugged dismissively. 'But then, you can't blame the man. Women throw themselves at him too. Disgusting, but true.'
Here she stopped and looked me full in the face as she spoke,
'Look kid, he's my boss. I work for him. But I hadn't seen him so serious about a woman before you came into his life. When you did a vanishing act, '
Her lips twisted as I stared at her in shock. Mockingly, she blew a perfect smoke circle and said candidly,
'It's no secret. Boss was besotted with you. Still is, I think. He never got hitched ever before and he has run through hundreds of women.'
I sank onto the bed, watching her.
What does she want me to say, I thought bitterly.
Stand up and applaud?
Ignoring my snort of derision, she continued,
'Yeah, we all saw the change in him when you ran away. He was so crazy, furious, and uncontrollable. ' Turning, she caught my look of disgust and said, gently,
'Well yeah. Earlier, he did have affairs, but they were one-night stands. Or a few months stands, ok. But once you came into his life, ...'
She came closer and sat on the table, resting her booted foot on a knee.
'It was totally different. And then you ran away. He changed. It was like he was on the edge, totally desperate. And he began to drink, like...'
I bit my lip hard and spoke up, my voice a soft whisper, shaking my head, trying not to let the tears flow as I hugged myself.
'No. You don't understand. He doesn't care...'
My shoulders tensed as I tried my best not to cry but the tell-tale tears slipped down.
'You know his mom was a slutty whore who'd have slept with a pig if he got her a fix, don't you?' growled Danielle, her eyes never leaving my face.
My jaw dropped and Daniella frowned.
'Yeah, Delano got his fancy name after the hospital he was born in. The Delano Charity Foundation or some such sh*t. That's who ran the charity hospital in the slums. His mom was too d*ped to fill in any forms, I think. '
She gave a small chuckle, humourless and harsh.
"So the good nuns took it upon themselves to give him a surname'
She gave a snort of disgust. And went on,
'He grew up on the streets. Him and Shark. They had each other's backs. Though Delano did most of the protecting, I'd say. Yup, he was a street fighter, used his knuckles to survive.'
I opened and shut my mouth.
She puffed at her cigarette, letting out a long breath and went on,
"He'd never let another person into his life. he's always been remote and indifferent. Till you waltzed into his life and turned it upside down.' Sighing, she stood up and paced on the rich red carpet as she spoke,
'But the man's in deep now; he can't figure out what he's feeling for you.' She gave a derisive laugh.
"It's not the typical Use 'em and Leave 'em Delano stuff he's doing now. And I think he's scared you might leave him like the last time. '
She turned to look at me and shook her head almost admiringly,
"You are one helluva kid. You've got him on his knees.'
Tossing the stub into a wastebasket, Daniella turned to leave.
'Look kid, I don't know what the trouble between you guys is, but you look a decent sort. Hang on there. You're tougher than you think you are. '
As she began to head towards the door, I called out,
'His mother?... You said... What...Where is she?'
'Dead. Soon after Lucien killed her pimp who was caught raping his half-sister. The kid was a little girl of three,'' she said breezily as she stepped out.