I grabbed Arthur’s arm. I had to wait a moment until some of the catering staff went back to the kitchen. My palm tingled with how good it felt, resting on top of the soft material of Arthur’s expensive suit jacket.When there was no staff close by, I said. “I don’t get it. How did you manage that so smoothly?”“I’m great with people. I have amazing acting skills,” Arthur said.“Oh?”Arthur continued solemnly. “You know what Shakespeare said, ‘All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players’.”I looked at him quizzically.“Life is like a play,” Arthur continued. “It all depends on acting skills.”“So you’re just pretending?” I was stunned. There had to be more to it than that. There just had to be.“Of course.” Arthur said and nodded, “I am just a stripper after all.”“...!”“Oh my God, your acting skills are un
Doris stared out at the crowd for a moment. From the stage the ballroom looked much bigger. It looked like there were four hundred guests there!For a moment, Doris was paralyzed with stage fright.Then the band started playing “Every Breath You Take”, and Doris started to sing.From the very first note, Doris had the crowd in the palm of her hand. All that singing she did in college paid off. Doris forgot about everything but singing as well as she could.Everyone was conquered by Doris’s beauty and heavenly singing voice. Many guests asked who the beauty on the stage was.Doris looked radiant and sounded fantastic. She had that kind of X-factor that stunned audiences and judges on reality shows.None of her colleagues could believe that shy little Doris could sing like that. First, she arrived in a limited edition Dior dress; then she had a movie-star-worthy handsome date who knew fin
DORISThe words to confess my love were on the tip of my tongue. I had finally summoned the courage to express my feelings to Arthur, but as fate would have it, the universe had different plans.“Arthur… Arthur, I want to tell you—”Arthur’s cell beeped with a message and then his phone rang. Arthur ignored it.Just as the interruption settled, Arthur’s watch alarm chimed. He glanced at his very expensive-looking Patek Philippe watch.“What is it, Arthur? Is this about the tech conference?” I asked.Arthur nodded. He pulled out his phone and looked at it.I couldn't see the whole text from where I was standing, but I caught the words 'get here now' and 'deal worth a hundred million dollars', 'thought you'd be here…' and 'confidential'.I watched as Arthur's eyes darted between his phone, his watch, and me, his expression filled with regret. 
I couldn’t wait to rush to "The Strip," where I met Arthur for the first time. I needed an answer.I started toward the club, walking fast. I was going by myself, but after walking a few blocks, I texted Nina and asked her to meet me there.It was still early as far as New York City nightlife went. I asked one cocktail waitress and all the bartenders if they had seen Arthur. I gave a detailed description.The waitress said she might have seen him once with a bunch of other men in suits, but she couldn’t be sure.All the bartenders said they didn’t know Arthur. They definitely didn’t know of anyone working at “The Strip” that fit his description.I looked around in frustration. I saw Nina walk in the door. She was wearing dark jeans, a sparkly tank top, and a cool leather jacket.She looked good.I looked down at what I was wearing. I wasn't exactly dressed for a trend
ARTHURI got home late Thursday night and peeked in Mia’s room.Even in the dim light, I could see she had a bluish tint to her skin and lips.I ran into the room and to her bedside.Her rapid and labored breathing hurt my heart."Mia? Sweetheart?"She feebly opened her eyes. “Daddy?” She sounded scared.“How are you feeling, pumpkin?”“I don’t feel too good.”I put my hand on her forehead. She was running a slight fever.Mia was sick, no doubt about it. I called my chauffeur and told him to get here right away.“We’re going to take you to the hospital, sweetie. Just to be on the safe side.”“Okay,” my daughter said weekly.It was easy not to think about Mia’s congenital heart disease because she’s been okay for so long. Maybe this was just a cold or the flu, but I had a feeling she was seriously ill,
DORISI went to the HR woman at Cushman & Wakefield and asked her straight out what the turn around was about. She hemmed and hawed and tried to get out of telling me.But I pushed, and she finally told me the truth.Andrea made her do it.Andrea had contacted everyone she could in the industry and told them not to hire me.“That’s…that’s…”"I know it's not fair," the lady said to me, holding her hands out. "But there's nothing I can do. I'm just an HR person."“Arrgh.”This was really bad news. As soon as my temp job was over, I was in serious trouble.I couldn't believe how low Andrea stooped. Sabotage and revenge. She was the one who blew up my life. She ruined my relationship.It wasn’t enough she stole my boyfriend and made it so I had to leave my job? She had to sabotage my job search too?What a bitch.I trie
ARTHURThe first rays of dawn filtered in through the slatted blinds.I sat in the private luxury ward on the top floor of the hospital, staring at Mia’s finally calm, little body.Her breathing had improved and her color looked better.“How’s she doing?” The private night nurse whispered, coming in quietly. This nurse was the best money could buy, as evidenced that she was stopping by again at the end of her shift.“Mia’s sound asleep, finally,” I said, whispering back. “This is the first really peaceful sleep since she got here.”The nurse checked Mia’s charts at the end of her bed and left.I knew I should try and take a quick catnap. I’d barely slept in days.Focusing on Mia was paramount.Still, I had a batch of documents that needed to be signed. I would do it quickly and then just close my eyes for a minute.I was engrossed in the d
DORISI shook with stage fright. It was more anxiety than I should have. My mouth felt as dry as the desert.Being socially awkward by nature, the idea of singing in front of such a crowded club seemed unthinkable.I forced myself to sing as the band started playing, but the sound that came out made me grimace with self-awareness. Even though I was anxious, I was aware that I was off-key.The audience's response was immediate and ruthless.“Boo! Boo!” A chorus of disapproving jeers and boos pierced through the air like sharpened arrows.“Get off the stage, lady! You can’t sing!” It was a dagger to my already fragile confidence, threatening to shatter the little resolve I had left.No, Doris, I told myself. You can do it.My heartbeat pounded loud in my ears. Doubt flooded me.“Don’t doubt your abilities,” I told myself firmly. “Try ag
DORISI sang, and every song felt effortless.I went to the ladies' room at the break right before the last set, and when I came back out, there were 400 red roses all throughout the performance area. I knew this was Arthur’s doing. How did he get so many vases of roses into the Salton room in such a short time?The entire room smelled like a florist shop and looked like Valentine’s Day had come to the performance.I smiled at Arthur from up on stage and sang every romantic song I could think of.When we finished the last song, it seemed like the applause from the audience was louder than ever. Maybe all the roses put everybody in a good mood.Just as I was about to walk off the stage, Arthur came up and stopped me.“He stood in front of me at the bottom of the stage “This woman is the most amazing woman I have ever seen.”Then he walked up on stage and stood by my side. “Doris, from the first moment I met you, I knew you were special. You captured my heart and became part of my famil
DORISArthur and I exited the elevator of the penthouse and walked across the lobby, arm and arm. We had decided to work from home that morning, and I was happy that we had gotten so much work done.We were almost to the doors of the lobby when Andrea walked in. She was wearing a big cloak that covered her whole body.She opens her cloak to reveal a little baby in a sling strapped to her chest. The boy was swaddled in a light blue blanket. He was adorable.With all that had been going on in our life, I had forgotten that Andrea had probably had her baby by now.“Congratulations," Arthur said stiffly.Andrea beamed.“What are you doing here?“ Arthur asked.“The baby looks so much like you when you were a baby," Andrea said. "It made me nostalgic for when you were a child. All those times before…“ She let the sentence trail off, and I remembered how Arthur’s father died.Arthur must’ve been thinking of the same thing because he grimaced."It was a magical time,“ Andrea said. "And I want
DORISThe good news continued to roll in the next day. Mr. Owens' assistant called and said one of the hottest new songwriting teams had two songs available for me and the band to record. We set up a time to listen to them and decided we liked the first one better.Mr. Owens had an amazing recording studio and sound engineer professional lined up for us to use. I asked if Arthur and Mia would be allowed to come, and the record executives, the sound engineer, and the rest of the band hall said of course. Arthur cleared his schedule.It was an amazing week.We recorded the song. Even though it was hard work, it still went well. I was happy with the initial results, and I was sure it would be a hit.For a moment, it was all I could think about.Arthur and I were lying in bed that night. When I looked at his face, I could tell something was still bothering him.“Arthur, what’s on your mind?”“It’s Cathy. Not only don’t I understand why she did what she did, I can’t let her get away with i
DORISThe liquor store next to the Italian restaurant had a narrow fake hallway between the two stores. Interestingly enough, there were peek holes in the wall that allowed us to see from the liquor store into the restaurant.This worked out well for us because Nathan, Arthur, and I all got to peek out and look at Nina while she had dinner with Dr. John and Jeff.Nina looked absolutely gorgeous, and Dr. John and Jeff were entranced.We could see Dr. John and Jeff's faces completely and see Nina face in profile. We could hear them clearly thanks to the wire that Nina had stuffed down her bra.She had plied Dr. John and Jeff with liquor and flirtatious comments throughout dinner, staying clear from any serious topics.I perked up when she got to the good stuff."I can get a job with Arthur's pharmaceutical company as they rebuild," Nina said, "and I bet I could find out any secrets and new formulas they have." She let that offer hang in the air. The implications were like a tempting fru
ARTHURMonday morning, I got up while Doris was still sleeping. Despite a wonderful weekend with Doris and Mia, I hadn’t slept well.It had been a month since the fire, and I hadn’t made any progress in finding out who did it.I had my driver take me out to the pharmaceutical company. I stood in front of the charred remains of the original office building, lab, and factory.I had chosen to rebuild on another part of the property, leaving the destroyed buildings as they were as a show of what could happen when I let my defenses down.The sight of the blackened buildings filled me with grief and also a vile rage. The anger was almost too violent to control. My stomach felt like a volcano had taken up residence there and was churning, ready to explode.I had worked so hard on this pharmaceutical business. It wasn’t just the money that I lost having to rebuild that angered me. It was all the people who would have to wait longer before they could get treatment.It was the fact that formula
DORISArthur got me and an assistant for Heritage Properties, who had just gotten her real estate license. She was efficient and eager, and she took over all the real estate deals I thought would close soon.Arthur recommended an entertainment lawyer, and she went over my music contract and said it was very good, so I signed it.
DORISArthur hauled me against him. He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist and plastered myself against him."I need you in our bed," Arthur growled. "Right now."He carried me. I was too busy enjoying the feel of his body against mine— a sensation I wasn't sure I'd ever feel again— to pay attention to the elevator ride.I was too busy kissing Arthur’s neck to focus on him unlocking the penthouse, carrying me over the threshold, and kicking the door shut with his foot.Arthur kissed me like I'd been gone for months, not just a day.Arthur spun us, and my back slammed up against the drywall in the entry hall with a force that made me wonder if we left a dent.Arthur pinned me against the wall with his hips. He pulled up my shirt and stared like he couldn't believe I was here with him.His growl made my blood simmer and my breath catch. For the rest of my life, I'd never forget that animalistic sound of want and approval.My nipples hardened. Need roared through me like a
ARTHUREven though I could sense that Doris wasn’t in the apartment, I immediately began to search, going from room to room.I saw two of her suitcases in the smaller bedroom, and I immediately relaxed.I whirled around and
DORISI slept better than I thought I would. I didn’t know what my next step should be. Should I quit Heritage Properties and look for another real estate job?I was jolted out of my reverie when my phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize. My first thought was that perhaps it was Arthur trying to trick me, calling from a different number.