Deadly Passion, an Epiphany (2 page)

She spent the Saturday shopping for new jeans and a top, then got ready at her leisure. Cassie had told her to wear a mini skirt, but she felt more comfortable in jeans. She inspected the image in the mirror one more time and decided she would have to do. Her cheeks were naturally flushed from excitement about her first real night out in New York and meeting new people. She’d worn just enough eye makeup to accent her deep blue eyes and a darker shade of lipstick. The hair products she’d bought at a hair salon had really worked. Her blonde hair cascaded in shiny waves over her shoulders and back. The color of her top almost matched her eyes. Its deep neckline showed just enough cleavage to look sexy, but yet not skanky. She was ready to go and take on nightlife in New York.

The minutes crawled. Even the TV didn’t help. Cassie had said she’d pick her up at eight. They’d go for dinner first. The doorbell chimed. Megan jumped up to answer, happy that Cassie was early. She jabbed at the button. “Hi, Cassie. C’mon up. The door’s unlocked.”

She sat on the couch gazing at the TV, trying to look casual, as if this were just another ordinary night. When the door opened she turned around, ready to greet her new friend.

“Megan, you look stunning. That color brings out the blue of your eyes.”

“Mark! How…I mean, why…eh…I’m waiting for Cassie,” she stammered, wondering if Cassie had a hand in this.

“We had a date. Remember?”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“If I recall, you didn’t say anything. I took that as a yes.”

Why did this man make her feel like a bumbling schoolgirl? She fought to regain composure, tried to conjure up self-confidence. Her heart beat so fast she was sure it would jump out of her chest. She glanced down at her chest, wondering if he noticed her discomfort. “Cassie—“

“Won’t be coming.”

So Cassie had conspired with him.
Bitch.
Her stubborn streak surfaced. “Look, I don’t go out with complete strangers. I don’t know you really.” Though she was a bit put out by Cassie setting her up with Mark, at the same time he made her heart do somersaults. She had more than a passing interest in this hotter than hell man so she should be thanking her new friend instead of being pissed off at her.

“We’ll remain strangers unless you go to dinner with me. How about it, Megan? I don’t bite. Really I don’t.”

She looked at his hand held out to her. Hesitation, but only for a moment. Placing her hand in his it was as if lightning shot up her arm. She was sure the fine blonde hair on her arm bristled in protest. “I guess you’re right.” He squeezed her hand and pulled her toward the door, causing a tumult of conflicting feelings to jolt through her. Grabbing her purse and keys, she followed him. I could fall in love with this man, she thought.
Don’t be stupid. You barely know him. Don’t give your heart that easily. He might have a body to die for and a movie-star face, but what’s he really like? Take it slow. Go out with him, have a good time and get to know him better. He might just turn out to be the biggest jerk walking the planet. He might be just like…

Weird Dreams…

It felt as if she was spiraling up from the depths of the ocean. Desperately, she tried to surface, gasping for air. Water entered her nostrils, her mouth, and she could hear the pounding of her heart as the dark waters claimed her.

A flash of light blinded her. Something wrapped around her body. Tentacles. Oh, God, a giant squid was squeezing any air that was left in her lungs out of her. A rush of blood to her head. Her brain was about to explode as the beast dragged her through the water.

Suddenly she catapulted upward, then spun down to fall face first on a sandy beach. Inhaling air into her smarting lungs, she rolled over. Above her was an azure sky, a blazing sun sending its hot rays to her body. Once she could breathe again, nausea attacked. She got up on her hands and knees, her stomach heaving. She retched, and retched again, puking what seemed like gallons of salt water.
Where the hell am I? What happened
? She couldn’t think straight. Her body ached all over and her mind was cloudy. After she stopped throwing up, she wiped the sand off her face and sat on her knees. Before her was an endless stretch of calm ocean. Turning around she saw nothing but pearly sand and dunes. Nothing marred the quiet beauty of the dunes. Not a single rock, not a blade of grass.
How did I get here? Right, a giant squid attacked me and spit me out. How did I end up in the ocean in the first place?

Closing her eyes she tried to pierce the cloudy fog that occupied her brain, tried to remember.
Mark… What happened to Mark? We
were at Crimson Lights
.
He told me he loved me, asked me to marry him.
As if she were watching a slow motion movie, a hand appeared before her holding out an open red velvet box. In it sparkled a beautiful diamond ring. She’d reached toward it, was about to tell him yes when pandemonium broke loose. There was an explosion, fire, bodies and limbs hurling through the nightclub. She’d felt herself jerked away from their table. Saw Mark collapse. Fire edged toward her, licked at her feet. People were screaming, shouting, running and panicking, trampling her as she lay bleeding on the floor.

Tears streamed steadily down her face as the horror of it all penetrated the fog in her mind, as she felt tongues of fire lapping at her body once again, smelled her hair burning, her skin. She reached up. Her hair was wet, but it was all there. She was covered in blood, but when she wiped at it, her skin was fine and she had both arms, both hands. Her stomach revolted once again when she remembered her severed arm, the blood gushing from the wound. It was a nightmare. It didn’t happen. And she was still dreaming. Had to be. How could there still be blood on her body? The water would have washed it off.

She stood, somewhat wobbly, but she was able to move her feet. The sand was hot. So hot, it burned the soles of her feet. Walking faster now, as fast as the soft sand would allow, she headed for the dunes. There had to be something behind them, a house, people, anything or anyone. The sun was scorching. She could feel her skin burn. Clasping her arms around her, she realized she was naked.
Good God. I can’t show up anywhere
like this. Where are my clothes
? Now at the top of the first dune she held a hand over her eyes and saw nothing but miles and miles of sand and dunes and not a house or anything in sight.
Well, if the blast and the fire didn’t kill me, I’ll certainly die out here. Where is here?
She tried to yell but only a croaky sound came from her lips.

“Megan! Megan, can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”

Where did that voice come from? It didn’t sound familiar. She looked at her hands. Squeeze whose hands? She made a fist and shook her head in confusion.

“That’s it, dear. Squeeze again.”

I’m going crazy. Voices in my head telling me to squeeze a hand. Yeah, right.
She made a fist again and tried to giggle. Again, nothing but some frog like noises came from her lips.

“I think she’s coming to.”

“I’d like to put her into an induced coma. The pain will be too much for her,” a male voice said.

Megan shook her head, willing the voices to stop. She started down the dune, fell halfway and rolled down to the bottom. Instead of landing in more soft sand, she fell into a big hole filled with bright light.

Happy Birthday, Megan…

Megan grinned at her reflection. It was her nineteenth birthday and Mark was taking her to some swanky nightclub. He’d assured her he’d be able to get her in, even if she was underage. She’d bought a new outfit for the occasion, a cocktail mini dress in the color he liked her to wear the most, blue. Usually she was quite thrifty, but this time she’d spared no expense. She’d also purchased matching shoes and purse and had her hair styled. Twirling in front of the mirror she felt quite glamorous. The front door opened and closed. She’d given Mark a key to her apartment about a month after they started dating, the day after they’d first made love.

“Wow!”

He stood behind her. Placing a kiss in the nape of her neck, he cradled her against him. He towered over her and looked over her head at the mirror. “You look absolutely stunning, baby!”

Twisting in his arms, she stood on her toes and kissed him. “And you don’t look half bad yourself!” She kissed him again.

“Keep this up and we’ll end up in bed instead of going out.”

“Fine with me,” she whispered against his lips. “I’m horny as hell now.”

He grinned. “You’re always horny.”

“Because of you. You’re a fantastic lover, hon.”

“Says the all-experienced woman. And how many men did you sleep with before you met me?”

“Oh, a few dozen.”

“Is that all? I thought you had a different one every night of the week.”

Twisting out of his arms, she walked back to the mirror. “You’ve mussed my lipstick.”

“I thought it wasn’t supposed to come off.”

Her lips were fine, but she’d wanted to change the topic. It almost seemed as if he was disappointed that she hadn’t been a virgin when they’d first made love. She’d never really told him why, merely that she’d had a boyfriend for a brief period before she came to New York. It wasn’t true, but she was far from ready to talk about the real reason. That part of her life was locked away in her mind’s safety deposit box, not to be opened by her or anyone. It was a part of her life that would remain tucked away, something she didn’t want to be reminded of or ever think about again. Mark had killed the demons that had haunted her. After dating him for a few weeks almost every night, she realized not all men were monsters and she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him.

Applying some lipstick, she turned around to face him. “Ready to go?”

“I am if you are.”

“Do I look old enough to have a glass of wine tonight?”

“Sweetheart, I prefer your hair loose, but yes, having it pinned up makes you look in your early twenties. Also, since I can get you inside, it would mean you’re old enough to have a cocktail.”

“Good. I’d like to celebrate my birthday with a glass of champagne! Let’s go!”

He still hadn’t wished her a happy birthday. Was he deliberately ignoring it? She tried not to show her disappointment. Sure, he was taking her out for a special evening, but at least a rose would have been nice, a kiss, a hug, anything to acknowledge the day.

“What’s wrong, babe? You’re not your usual bubbly self,” he said while opening the car door for her.

“Nothing much. Missing my family and friends from back home today. Mom and Dad didn’t even call me. It’s weird. Unless the phone rang while I was out shopping. But surely they would have left a message?”

“Would you rather stay home? They might call while we’re out.”

“No! They’ve had all day to call.”

It was rather a long drive to the club. Mark had told her the name and location, which didn’t mean much to her. She’d explored her immediate surroundings when she first arrived in New York—Times Square, the city center, but that was it. She’d Googled the club and was shocked at the price of a table. The article told her the nightclub was frequented by movie stars, well-known artists, musicians, bankers, and business people. Several sites had photos and she’d bought her outfit based on the dancers pictured. The women wore a mix of mini, regular length and long dresses. She’d decided on the mini dress, because how often would she need a fancy long dress?

They arrived at the club. A valet took Mark’s car to park it and he offered her his arm, of which she was glad because she wasn’t accustomed to walking in stilettos. The doorman greeted Mark by name, which told her he’d gone to the club more than once.
With whom?
A pang of jealousy darted through her heart. Mark was nine years older than she and had lived the high life of a bachelor playboy. She loved him so deeply it was hard to imagine him coming here with another woman on his arm.

The interior of the club was all glitter and glamor. Huge chandeliers hung from high ceilings. Statues and plants decorated the walls. The dance floor, already filled with dancers, had a white and black and white checkered floor. Mark steered her to an empty table, but when they got there and she was about to sit, a bunch of people jumped up and surrounded her. In front of them all, he took her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

“Happy birthday, baby,” he said softly against her lips, just loud enough for her to hear over the din of the music. He let go of her and she found herself clasped against her mother’s chest, her father hovering behind. Cassie was there with her latest beau and her group of friends, and also Vera, her best friend from home with Chad, her boyfriend of many years and now her fiancé. Desperately she tried to control her happy tears. No one had forgotten her birthday after all. She hated to admit it to herself, but she’d been really disappointed that day not hearing from anyone.

“Your sister and brother will call tomorrow, hon,” her mother told her.

After all the birthday wishes and hugs, Mark settled her down at their table. “You thought I was deliberately avoiding the birthday issue, right?” he said, a mischievous glitter in his eyes and smiling slightly.

Megan nodded. “Thank you. You’ve got no idea how happy I feel right now. I love you so much for arranging all this.”

“And I hope to make you feel even happier a bit later on.”

“Nothing can beat this surprise. How did you—“

He placed a finger on her lips. “Never mind how I did it all. All that matters is that right now, my girl is glowing!”

It was hard to talk. Her mother had a thousand questions until Mark finally said, “You guys can talk all you want tomorrow. They’re staying in New York for a few days, Megan. Come dance with me, hon.”

His head rested on hers while they danced. Every now and then he’d bend down and whisper in her ear how much he loved her and how proud he was to be her man. Megan wished the night would never end.

Close to midnight she and Mark were alone at the table. She had no idea where everyone was, maybe dancing or at the bar. He reached across and took her hand in his while he produced a small opened red velvet box. Looking deeply into her eyes he said, “Megan, you’re the love of my life, my soul mate. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”