ARTHURI looked around the elaborate venue. There were probably about a hundred people here.Doris and I were standing near the back, on the left side of the aisle. Doris had her hand on the inside of my elbow.Doris was wearing a dark blue sparkly dress with a low neckline. I was tall enough to see that she had a piece of material that matched her skin color over her breasts to protect her modesty.Even though everyone in attendance was beautiful, Doris would always be the most beautiful woman to me.On my other side was Nathan, and on the other side of him was Nina.The wedding march played, and we all turned around to look at the large mansion behind us. The doors opened, and Lisa and her father stood dramatically in the doorway.Lisa had dyed her hair a vibrant shade of red, which looked good on her. She was wearing a long diamond-studded white dress. I had to admit she was a beautiful bride.Doris sniffled. I never understood why women cried at weddings. Doris leaned against me,
ARTHURNathan and I asked everyone if they had seen Doris or Nina. I was just beginning to get worried when I saw them talking to the bride by the very front of the venue.We were only a few meters from them when a large white van sped up, the side doors opened, and a man wearing all black and a black mask leaned far out the door and grabbed Lisa around the chest.Doris, acting fast, got a death grip on Lisa’s dress. For a few harrowing seconds, there was a tug of war.When they couldn’t shake Doris off, the kidnappers simply grabbed both women and hauled them into the van.I ran as fast as I could, faster than I had ever run in my life. I got there just as the van door slammed in my face.The van floored it, speeding away at what must have been a hundred miles an hour.I grabbed the bumper and was dragged relentlessly across the gravel driveway for about twenty yards until my grip gave way, and I crashed hard, face-planted into the rough stones.I jumped up and looked for a way to fo
ARTHURWhen we got back to the wedding party, everyone was worried sick. In true actress diva fashion, Lisa detailed the entire thing as if it were a movie thriller regalia. I had no doubt it would make the news by tonight.When we finally made it back to the penthouse, we were both exhausted. Maybe me more than Doris because the thought of losing her had struck me with such fear it felt like I was dying.I lay in bed, holding her tight, forcing myself not to hold her so firmly I would bruise her with how hard I needed to squeeze her to me.My beautiful woman lay with her head in my chest, her breathing even. I guessed her adrenaline rush had faded, leaving her tired and relieved.I hoped my embrace made her feel warm and safe.Even though she was the day's hero, I hope she knew that I came for her fast and risked everything to save her.I hoped she knew if that was just one sign of how much I loved her.Doris started snoring softly, probably worn out from the day's events.She probab
ARTHURAmeriCapital had a small press release scheduled outside in Rockefeller Center in front of the iconic ice-skating rink and not far from where the grandiose hundred-foot Christmas tree was set up every winter.I stood on the large podium to Nathan's right and about a meter and a half behind him.
ARTHURI got out of the shower in the locker room. I just finished getting back into my suit when my cell phone rang.“Hi, Boss.”I laughed. “You’re literally my boss now, if anything,” I said. &ldqu
ARTHURIt took me a minute to remember Nina’s last name. Then, I had to go into Heritage Properties and look up her personnel file to find her address.Nina's apartment was over an Italian restaurant in the Little Italy section of the city. By the time I knocked on Nina’s door, it was almost 11:30 PM. The door swung open to reveal Nathan standing there.
DORISThe sound of me wildly slinging hangers from one side of the bar to the other, scratched and scratched like nails screeching down a blackboard. The sound grated. Each sound felt like mini daggers, flaying my skin, ripping my heart.I roughly pulled each of my new and old favorite dresses and blouses off the hangers and threw them as quickly as I could into the suitcases.
DORISI let myself have a good cry. I drank a lot of water to keep hydrated.I took out my phone and pulled up some videos of Cathy’s band. I watched her rock it a club in Berlin, singing to happy, screaming fans.I scrolled through my phone and deleted all my pictures of just Arthur. I couldn’t bring myself to delete any of Arthur with Mia or the three of us together.I went through an entire box of tissues.I found a channel playing sappy Hallmark movies from the 80s. I took off my shoes, lay down on the couch, and watched Michael J. Fox charm his way through a southern town and into the leading lady’s heart.Somewhere before the male and female leads’ first kiss, I fell into a fitful sleep.*ARTHUREthan called me again at lunchtime. He had looked at more CCTV footage from more of the intersections and had studied both pedestrian traffic and cars.“So far, I haven’t caught a glimpse of her on camera. It could be she was wearing a big hat. Maybe we just missed her. It could be she