Rock Bottom Page 15
Lifting her face to see mine, she gazes at me with her watery, coffee-colored eyes. “It’s perfect. You did well, Donnie.”
“Tomorrow you better put in your notice, little lady, because your dream is about to become a reality,” I tell her with a relieved grin.
She presses her candy flavored lips to mine and I relish in all that’s her. Her taste. Her scent. Her sunshine.
“You did well, Donnie.” Her words replay in my mind.
I scored Nora, my lady, so I think I did better than well.
I did fucking great.
Opening Night
As I stand in my gold-sequined evening gown, staring at my toes peeking out of my heels, I can’t help the smile that forms on my lips. I’m about to step out on stage and perform an array of songs with my boyfriend. The last time I stepped out on a stage to perform, I was sexually assaulted by two monsters afterwards. But this time is different. Much different.
Tonight, I will sing the songs Donnie and I picked out together. We chose songs that have meaning to us as well as songs we knew the crowd would love. This Vegas show is one people will talk about because, together, Donnie and I are one hell of a dynamic duo.
I can hear him through the curtain, wooing the crowd. They laugh at his jokes, especially the ones about Big Bertha. I giggle too. He’s in his element. Donnie is always the performer.
Even when he hit rock bottom and life tried to tear him down, he bounced around with a smile on his face, hiding the pain underneath. Little did he know that when he found me, he’d never have to hide again. Together, there will be no rain. Only sunshine.
“Please welcome the beautiful Lady Hurricane,” his voice booms.
I ignore the butterflies in my belly. Those butterflies aren’t from nerves or from worry—they’re from excitement. This is a dream come true. My man made that happen.
The curtain lifts slowly and tears well in my eyes. Every chair is filled—the place is packed. My eyes scan, seeing many familiar faces in the tables closest to the front, including Kenny, Bobby, Chaz, Ryan, and June. My dad, Libby, and Brandon are here as well. Even Donnie’s family and that asshole Leonard are here.
When Donnie turns to face me and our eyes lock, my knees weaken. He still does that to me every time I see him. Tonight, he looks sexy as hell in his tuxedo. He may look dapper and debonair, but I know there’s a hot, tattooed rock star hiding underneath. I love all of his layers.
“Doesn’t my lady look gorgeous tonight?” he croons to the crowd.
They all applaud in agreement, causing me to blush. He saunters over to me with a panty-melting grin on his face. When he gets close, he scoops me up in his arms, making my heart to flop in my chest. I squeal and the crowd cheers as he carries me over to the piano—the piano he still won’t tell me how much it cost him. Gently, he sets me on top. Once I’m settled, he turns back to the crowd.
“Tonight, we’re going to blow you away. This little lady and I have planned a badass—excuse my French—show. We’ve practiced tirelessly on each and every song for the past couple of weeks. Well, all but one.” He turns and winks at me.
Now I do have butterflies because I’m not sure what to think about his little change in plans. Whatever it is, though, I trust him. I’ll follow his lead, even if it leads me into the fiery gates of hell. But knowing my sweet man, he’ll take me somewhere far better. Some place happier. Into the sunshine.
“Not long ago, I dealt with some pretty messed-up shit. Sorry, Dad,” he chuckles when his dad shakes his head at his cussing. “And I fell about as low as someone could go. So low, I only saw one option. It was stupid and I quickly realized I had many more options—one in particular.”
My heart thumps when his eyes find mine and burrow into me. Not just at me but straight into my soul. That’s the thing with Donnie and me—we’re more. I blow him a kiss, earning some awwws from the crowd.
“While I was sitting on my rock at the bottom of life, my lady reached into that hole and pulled me right out. As darkness crept into me and I thought everything was lost, her voice fought its way into my heart, intertwined with mine, and never let go. She sang me a song that I’ll never forget, reminding me what a wonderful life this is. And now, I’m giving it back to her by singing her a song to let her know how grateful I will always be for her.”
I attempt not to cry as I remember how freaking scared I was that day. My lip trembles because that day was horrible. While at work with my boss glaring at me and my coworkers giving me raised brows, I sang my heart out for this man. He was a man who had fallen so low that he was almost gone. And if I had to do it all over again each day, every day, just to have him here with me, I would.
I watch as he walks over to the bench in front of Big Bertha and sits. From his position, he can look right at me while he plays. His deft fingers begin easily fluttering through the keys as he starts singing “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. The song is soft. Beautiful. Perfect.
Just like him.
My sir.
My Donnie.
My love.
The crowd all holds a collective breath as he sings to me. Only me. I watch his lips move and count down to the moment I can kiss them again. When he finishes, we grin like two lovesick puppies at each other. Sitting on Big Bertha, staring at my man while he sings to me, is quite possibly the most perfect moment in my life. He stands and saunters over so he’s standing in front of me.
“Nora?”
“Yes, Donnie?”
“I mostly love your morning breath,” he grins, reaching into his pocket.
“I sometimes love when you leave your shoes in the middle of the floor,” I tease. “Donnie?”
“Yes, Nora?”
“I always love the way you kiss my hair in your sleep,” I beam.
“I still love your hurricane hair and little boobs,” he winks.
“Nora?”
“Yes, Donnie?”
When he drops to a knee, my heart explodes in my chest. I have a new favorite moment in life. The image of the good-looking man knelt down and looking up at me with such hope, love, and adoration completely takes the cake for favorite moments.
“Will you marry me, little lady?” he asks, pulling a ring from his pocket.
I’m at a loss for words as tears roll down my cheeks. All I can do is nod emphatically. He stands and takes my left hand in his. Then I watch as he slides a huge, yellow diamond engagement ring on my finger. The diamond reminds me of him. Of my sunshine.
My sir.
My Donnie.
My love.
“Donnie?” I choke through my tears.
“Yes, Nora?”
“I love you, sir.”
“I love you too, little lady.”
His arms envelop me and he slides me off the piano and onto my feet. Big Bertha is probably sporting all kinds of ugly scratches—something tells me that she’s okay with it though.
When his lips find mine, the whole world disappears. And just like always, while together, we get swept up into the powerful, encircling winds of the perfect storm of the love we create. In the center of our storm, we find calm. Peace. Together, we are whole.
Well, almost whole.
We’ll be there soon.
“Donnie?” I murmur against his lips.
“Yes, Nora?”
“Is hurricane hair genetic?” I ask, a huge smile taking over my face.
Pulling his hand toward me, I place his palm on my stomach. His thumb tenderly strokes me through my gown.
“Holy shit,” he gushes out raggedly. “I sure as hell hope so, little lady.”
His voice is nervous and surprised, but he’s happy.
Nowadays, he’s always Mr. Sunshine.
And that makes me very happy.
The End
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
My entire life, I’ve done nothing but please and make the right decisions. It was always my way of pulling the attention away from my fun-loving brother and redirecting it to me. Not that I’m an attention-seeking whore. I’m far from that, but my sweet brother has had a target on his back since day one, and when I would go the distance to be perfect, I felt like it gave him a reprieve from our father.
Speaking of our father. I watch him from across the dinner table. He and Donnie might not get along, but I love my dad. He’s stern and serious, but he also pushes you to be a greater person. I always admired his love for his work and his competitive nature. The other surgeons don’t hold a candle to his skills—not even Leonard.
A chill creeps its way up my spine. In an effort to please my dad, I somehow got swept into going on a date with his colleague, Leonard. At first, he seemed okay. He was good-looking and successful. But as time went on, I began to hate his controlling nature. In fact, at Christmas, I was hell-bent on breaking up with him. That is…until he proposed.
I was shocked—horrified, even. But when I saw my father’s proud smile, I caved. Freaking caved. How you cave and give in to agreeing to marry an asshole is beyond me. And ever since that day, I’ve been scrambling to figure out how I’ll get myself out of this one.
“Daph, do you want to meet me for breakfast tomorrow and hit the shops?” Nora asks.
Leonard slides his palm onto my thigh and squeezes rather roughly. Clenching my teeth, I ignore the bite of his fingers digging into my flesh. He’s telling me without words that I can’t go.
“Of course. I’ll meet you in the hotel restaurant at eight,” I grit out.
Nora eyes me questioningly while Donnie glares straight at Leonard. He knows. She knows. Hell, they all know except for Mom and Dad. Leonard is a controlling, borderline abusive man who has somehow been able to whittle down even the strongest of women—me.
When I sneak a glance over to Leonard, his eyes burn a hole through me. He’s pissed. Well, he can go to hell. If I want to have a girls’ day with my future sister-in-law, then dammit, I will.
“What time is dress rehearsal this week?” Dad asks Nora.
Nora launches into the times and location of the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception. I can’t help but be jealous. She’s over-the-moon excited to marry my brother after a short, two month engagement. Of course he went all out and will marry her on the beach here in Maui. It will be romantic and intimate. But the moment they say, “I do,” I’ll be in trouble. I will be next on the agenda.
My own wedding is still in the “planning” stages. Really, I’m just putting it off as long as I can. Since Donnie knocked Nora up, they had to push for a quick wedding before she got too big and pregnant. It gave me an excuse to put Leonard off awhile longer while I figure out a way to break up with him.
And breaking up with him won’t be easy. I have to have a really good reason for my dad. Somehow, I’m afraid if I tell him that I don’t love Leonard and he’s sort of mean to me, Dad’ll tell me to suck it up. I can’t suck it up. There’s no way in hell I can live my life with that man forever. I’m not a saint. I’m not Mom.
“Baby, do you still have a headache?” Leonard croons, displaying his fake-ass love for me.
I turn and widen my eyes at him because I haven’t had a headache at all. I’m about to tell him that I’m just fine when he squeezes my thigh so hard that I yelp. “Ouch!”
“Leonard, she’s hurting. Take her back to the room so she can lie down,” my father instructs.
My eyes fill with tears and flit over to Donnie, who is about three seconds from flipping the damn table over to get to Leonard.
Before things escalate, I stand quickly and give them all a short wave. My flip-flops slap the tile as I hurry from the outdoor hotel restaurant, into the building, and toward the elevators. I’ve barely pushed the button when Leonard’s strong hand grabs my bicep.
“What the fuck was that, Daph?” he snarls through gritted teeth.
My heart rate quickens. “What?”
“You didn’t ask if you could go off all day gallivanting with Nora.”
I didn’t ask. When did my life come to this? Having to ask a man permission to do anything?
The elevator doors open, and I push down the nerves in my stomach as he hauls me inside. He mashes the button for the third floor and grabs my hips, slamming my ass into the wall as he presses his hard dick against me. This fucking turns him on. Sick motherfucker.
The doors almost close, but an arm stops them and they slide back open. My heart calms, knowing that Leonard can’t do anything in front of a stranger without looking like a total asshole.
But when a tall, dark-headed, muscular form steps inside, I know he’s no stranger. Over Leonard’s shoulder, my eyes lock with Kenny Stark, my brother’s friend and manager.
Now my heart is pounding away for a different reason. Kenny, with his charming smile and panty-dropping good looks, stares at me in surprise. I knew that he and the rest of Donnie’s friends would be arriving sometime tonight, but I wasn’t sure when. I’d secretly been anticipating seeing Kenny. From the moment he harassed me at the hospital to see my brother when he overdosed, I’ve been smitten.
“Daphney.” He smiles, flashing his perfect white teeth. Everything about Kenny is flawless, really. He’s tall and fit, and he dresses impeccably, like he’s on his way to a photo shoot every single time. His dark hair perfectly matches his dark eyes, and I always have a hard time looking away from his always-grinning lips.
“Kenny,” I breathe out, trying not to smile back at him.
Leonard is jealous as hell and has pretty much hated Kenny’s guts ever since Kenny punched him in the nose several months ago. Leonard still has a bump on the bridge that hasn’t ever corrected itself. He has an appointment next month with a plastic surgeon to fix it.
Leonard wrenches away from me to face Kenny as the elevator ascends and glares over at him.
“Looks like were on the same floor,” Kenny says smugly, his eyes still on mine.
Leonard growls something under his breath but wisely stays away from him. The fact is that Leonard is scared of Kenny. He just isn’t scared of me. With me, he can be the big, bad, tough asshole.
When the doors open, Kenny steps out, rolling his suitcase behind him. Leonard clasps my hand and squeezes tight as we follow him. I bite back a dark chuckle when I realize that his room is directly across from ours.
Leonard quickly inserts the keycard into our door and swings it open.
“Is everyone hanging out later?” Kenny asks me.
“No,” Leonard snaps, “she is not hanging out with anyone but me.”
Kenny’s brows furrow angrily at Leonard, and I see the same look in his eyes—the look he had just before he clocked my fiancé between the eyes. Leonard grabs my bicep again and hauls me into our room, slamming our door behind him.
“I fucking hate him,” he spits out as he drags me over to the bed and tosses me onto it.
I stare up at Leonard, blinking in shock at his aggressive behavior. He’s only become subtly worse each day. Today has by far been the most physical he’s been with me.
“Len, I think you need to calm down,” I start, but he raises his hand and pops me across the cheek. It didn’t hurt—just stung, really—but the fact that he hit me surprises the hell out of me.
“Leave,” I hiss, pointing to the door.
“I will not fucking leave my fiancée. Ever,” he snarls and shoves my shoulders hard so that I’m lying down on the bed.
Tears well in my eyes as I watch him drop his shorts. His mediocre cock points right at me.
“I’m not in the mood. I have a headache,” I lie, trying my damnedest not to cry in front of him.
“Well, I’m horny and we’re going to fuck.”
I yelp when his hand latches on to my ankle and he yanks me to him. Instinctively, I use my other foot to kick him hard in the stomach.
“
Fucking bitch!” he gasps but releases me. I watch him double over as he catches his breath.
“I’m leaving. We’re done, Leonard. You’ve crossed the line and are an abusive prick,” I tell him firmly as I scramble off the bed and head toward the door.
I cry out in surprise when he grabs a handful of my hair and jerks me back. He shoves me into a kneeling position, his hand still tangled in my hair, and turns to face me.
“We’re not done. You agreed to be my wife. We’ll never be done. Now suck me off so I can go to sleep.”
When I look up at him, my heart quivers in fear. The glare he’s giving me is one I don’t recognize. He’s a fucking monster, and day by day, he’s fully revealing himself to me. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
Deciding that my safest option is to pacify him, I open my mouth and force my tears back. He shoves his dick into my mouth and fucks my face hard and fast. Slobber pours down my chin as I try desperately not to puke all over him. I’m holding my breath as I pray that he’ll come fast like usual. His fisted hand in my hair pushes me all the way down until my lips are on the base of his cock. I feel so fucking degraded and helpless.
I hear him groan and then I gasp for air when he wrenches his cock out and begins stroking it. Seconds later, he shoots his orgasm all over my face. When he finishes, he hauls me back to my feet and glares at me.
After releasing my hair, he slides his palm around to the front of my neck. His grip is firm as his fingers curl around my throat. When I go to pry them off of me, I look into the eyes of someone malicious. His face scares the hell out of me.
“You won’t ever leave me, baby. Got it? I won’t ever let you leave me. Besides, Daddy’s perfect princess belongs with a great catch like me. He’d be so disappointed if you pass up an opportunity like myself and made heinous allegations of abuse. Successful surgeons like myself don’t hurt their future wives. You must be mistaken.” He squeezes just tight enough for me to see stars and then lets go. “Now go shower. You look like a whore.”