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
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.