Diamonds and Toads: A Modern Fairy Tale (11 page)

Sam let out a weary sigh. “I shouldn’t have
said that, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you need to apologize to, it’s
Isadora.”

Sam’s eyes swung in the direction of the
balcony and he stood up. “When you’re right, you’re right.”

Chas shook his head as he watched him stride
off. He held about as much hope for Sam and Isadora as Chas held
for himself and Dee at this point. He lifted his champagne to take
a sip and curled his lip. What he needed was a
real
drink.
He walked out of the ballroom toward the cash bar. No matter how
desperate he was, after what had just transpired with Sam, it was
clear that the timing was not right to beg a favor from the guy.
His love, it seemed, was doomed.

* * *

Delilah was still readjusting her garter and
stockings in the furthest stall of the powder room after Eudora had
finally deigned Delilah’s hair presentable again and left, when a
couple of familiarly catty voices entered the room a moment before
their owners.
Isadora’s friends. Great.

“Did you notice the ring she’s wearing?”

Delilah rolled her eyes, feeling pity for
whomever the spiteful felines were tearing apart this time.

“Yeah,” the other said with a sniff, “I don’t
think it’s even two carats.”

“Nooo! That’s not what I meant,” the first
one said, her voice lowering in conspiracy with each new word she
uttered. “Don’t you remember? That’s the ring Chas gave his
last
fiancée. We met her at the Freemont party last
February.”

Delilah’s heart stumbled and sank. Her lungs
closed up. Her knees turned to jelly. She leaned against the stall
door for support.

With a tinge of derision, the first one
continued, “She waved it under our noses like it was the Hope
diamond or something.”

The other one cackled with glee. “Ohmygod!
You’re right!” And then in a whisper that carried in the tiled
chamber, “Do you think
she
knows?”

“Surely not—but with that one, who knows? She
may have been so grateful to be asked, that she didn’t care that he
gave her his last one’s castoff.” Evidently done with whatever
primping they’d been about, the two left just as quickly as they
came.

Delilah wanted to cry, but she didn’t. She
wanted to rip the dress she’d spent so many hours picking out—with
Chas in mind—off her body and stomp on it, but she didn’t do that
either. Instead she fisted her hand on the door of the stall and
scowled at the ring on her finger. He’d lied to get access to her
money. That, she could deal with. In fact, in and of itself, it
wasn’t enough to prove malignance. But this—this was worse, far
worse.
He’d given her another woman’s engagement ring.
That
showed a lack of feeling for her—a lack of respect—at a level of
which she’d not seen from anyone since her father’s trial.  He
didn’t just not love her—he had no regard for her whatsoever. When
she thought about how she’d lapped up his every false word this
morning, convincing her that he adored her, adored her body, it
made her stomach tremble with fury. To him, she was no more
significant than a bug to be squashed.

A frigid calmness entered her and took up
residence.
I’m worth more than that.
With slow purpose, she
unclenched her hand and slid the ring from her finger. The only
indication that underneath her stoic façade an inferno blazed, came
when the door to the powder room banged and bounced against the
wall as she strode through it. She was out for blood.

* * *

Chas watched his last hope for selling his
thoroughbred before midnight walk out of the ballroom. He swiveled
around and leaned over the bar, swirling the dregs of his gin and
tonic around in his glass. Unfortunately, during dinner, and with a
table full of guests, his father had taken it upon himself to tell
Sam of Chas’s intentions to ask him to be his best man at his
wedding, so Chas had had no choice but to go through with it. Oh,
well. One more embarrassing mess to clean up tossed onto a plate
full of them hardly signified worrying about at this point.

A beefy hand patted his shoulder. “What’s got
you so long in the face, my boy,” his dad said, motioning to the
bartender to set two more of the same up for them.

Chas only hesitated for a moment.
What the
hell?
The choice was all but made, and his dad was going to
badger him about the details until he finally caved and told him
the whole crazy story anyway. Might as well tell him now, while he
had alcohol at hand to numb the blow and soften the edges. “I tried
to sell Blue Lightnin’, but it fell through.”

“You mean you tried again, with the same
party?”

“Yeah, but she’s stonewalling me.”

His father nodded. “That’s a real shame. I’m
sure it would have been the preferable choice for you, rather than
using your fiancée’s money.”

“Yes, but there’s a higher imperative than
pride at work here, Dad. I’ll lose Delilah for good if I use her
money.”

His father looked surprised. “Delilah’s put
that condition on the loan? Sure doesn’t sound like her.”

“It wasn’t her, Dad, it-it was—”

“Don’t tell me: That crazy Eudora’s stuck her
crooked claw into it, hasn’t she? Well, don’t you worry, she
can’t—”

“No, Dad. It wasn’t her either. Umm—Ever
heard the Perrault’s talk about magic and fairies?”

His father gave him a look like Chas had
taken a sharp left off Reality Road. But, clearly deciding to humor
him in his off the wall change of subject, he said, “Sure.”

Chas straightened, all ears.

“It’s part of their family legend. Supposedly
they have a covenant of some kind with the creatures, or did back
in the Middle Ages. Of course, it’s just a tall tale, much like any
other family legend.”

“Evidently, it’s not. Delilah’s money is
charmed, Dad. But more importantly, I was visited by the creature
in the wee hours of yesterday morning and she gave me a choice.
Essentially, I can either save our company or I can have Delilah,
but not both. I’ve got until midnight tonight to make my
decision.”

His father drank down the gin and tonic in
one long swallow before turning to him and placing his hands on
Chas’s shoulders. “You’ve been working too hard, son. You’re
confusing dreams with reality. But, I’ll tell you this: If it’s
truly a choice you must make between Delilah and the business, then
I’m going to say to you exactly what I said to you yesterday: You
backed a winner in her. The business will never be as important to
me as your happiness is.” He gave Chas a little shake. “Got it? So
go tell her.” Without waiting for a reply, he sauntered off toward
the ballroom.

Chas’s pulse doubled in meter. For the first
time in months, his shoulders felt lighter and his future looked
brighter. He glanced at his watch.
Ten forty.
Plenty of
time. Oh. But he needed to get the ring from his Dad. He strode
across the carpeted floor toward the same doorway his father had
passed under a moment before. He’d already finished whistling the
first verse of
Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend
when a
small but determined hand grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him
around. Love flooded his heart. “Hey, D—”

She yanked his palm up and dropped something
round and metallic into it. “Go to hell.”

Before he could process an answer, she
stormed away from him, heading straight for the elevators. He
jogged after her. He knew without looking what she’d given him, and
why, and his gut churned. “Wait! Dee, let me explain!” He tossed
the ring away and sped faster, not caring what wagging tongues
would say come tomorrow.

He saw her get into an elevator and turn to
face him. He began to run, but the doors started sliding shut
before he could reach them. “Dee!” he yelled, bolting forward, hand
outstretched, but he was too late. Just before they closed
completely, he heard her say, “And you can forget about the money,
too, you lying user sonofabitch!”

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Delilah was just
locking her car door outside her friend’s dungeon when Chas’s car
zoomed up next to her and screeched to a halt.

He leapt from the car and yelled, “You are
NOT
going in there!” His eyes bugged out as they traveled
down her body, taking in her newest costume. She’d bought it
earlier that day with him in mind, but he didn’t have to know
that.

“That—that’s obscene. You’re more than
three-quarters naked!”

Technically, he was right, but the horizontal
leather straps that made up the mini-dress, being held up by two
strategically placed vertical ones, concealed the parts of her body
that men found most interesting. Which was the point, of
course.

She raised her chin and walked around the
front of his BMW toward her friend’s place.

“Oh-h-h, no you don’t!” he said, sliding into
place directly in her path.

I am not speaking to you, asshole.
She
stood her ground and gave him a glacial stare. Why hadn’t she
brought her crop?

He glanced at his watch, “Get in the
car.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“
Get in the car,
Delilah.”

She turned her face away.

“Fine, we’ll play it your way.” Before she
had a glimmer of an inkling what he was about, he’d hauled her over
his shoulder and tossed her into the back seat of his car.

He poked his head in, a savage gleam to his
eye. “You are
my
woman. I don’t share,” he said and slammed
the door closed.

A thrill ran through her. She’d never seen
Chas—staid, conservative Chas—act like this before  and she’d
be the worst kind of liar if she didn’t admit that it excited her a
little. But she was through being a milquetoast, and it was time
he, and everyone else, learned it.
I am Delilah, hear me
roar.
She sat up and scowled at him as he settled behind the
steering wheel and put the car in drive.

Just before he pressed the gas pedal, he
caught her gaze in the rearview and said, “I should have known
you’d pull something like this. It took me forever to get another
elevator down and then I—don’t ask me why—but I thought you
might’ve gone to Eudora’s house since I saw her dragging your
sister into an elevator not long before you ran out on me. When I
didn’t find you there, I went to your house. I was actually headed
for that twenty-four hour diner you like when it dawned on me where
I’d probably find you.”

She lifted a brow at him.

He swung around to face her. “I love you,
Dee—”

“—Ha!”

“—and I’m going to prove it.”

“Don’t bother.” She relaxed against the seat
and gazed out the window. “I’m only letting you get away with this
because your caveman routine amuses me.”

He chuckled under his breath as if she’d
reminded him of a private joke. Facing forward, he put the car in
motion. When he met her eyes again in the rearview, there was a
distinct twinkle in them. “I can’t wait to get you pregnant—do they
make maternity domme costumes?”

How was it possible that he could turn her on
and
break her heart at the same time? “I’m sure I have no
idea. And, as far as the other—I swear to God, I’ll do the high
kick right into your groin if you even attempt to whip it out on
me.”

“Ouch.”

“Where are you taking me anyway?”

“Back to the gala.”

Her pulse pounded as she sat straight up. “I
don’t think so.”

“I’ve got something I want to give you, but
it’s in my dad’s possession at the moment.”

“This is ridiculous. Whatever it is, I don’t
want it. Just—just take me back to my car.”

“No. I’ve only got until midnight to change
your mind. That’s only”—he looked at his watch again—“a half hour
from now.”

“Why? Do you turn into a toad?” She snorted
at her own joke.

“Something like that.”

Her eyes narrowed. “This is still about the
money isn’t it?” She sat forward. “What? Your creditors want a
check by midnight, or something?”

“I don’t give a damn about the money. This is
about you and me. You, me, our life together, and love.”

She rolled her eyes and curled her lip.
Love.
Crossing her legs and arms, she sat back, giving him
her profile.
What a liar.

* * *

This was not going well. Not going well at
all. Chas took another peek in his rearview at the now deathly
silent and totally withdrawn woman he’d hurt so badly with his
thoughtlessly executed proposal. It was time to start explaining.
“That fairy of yours is a real freaky lady, isn’t she?

Delilah pierced him with her gaze. “How do
you
know?”

“She visited me.”

Delilah shot forward, both hands on the back
of his seat.  “When?”

“The morning after our engagement party. She
was—”

“What did she say to you?”

“She said quite a bit actually. But the gist
was that I could either have your money or have you.”

“Let me guess: You chose the money.” She
plopped back against the seat and turned her face from him.

Chas pressed his lips together in a thin
line. Now this was the tricky part. “Yes—and no. I wanted to choose
you over my dad’s company. Wanted to with all my heart—”

“Stop lying! The jig’s up, there’s really no
need.”

Chas was quickly losing confidence that he
was going to be able to change her mind—at least about the depth of
feelings he had for her. But he could at least show her he wasn’t
the monster she believed him to be. “I tried talking to my dad
about it—I told him that I might lose the company, you know, just
to feel him out. He was so crushed by the thought, especially so
soon after Mom’s passing, that I just couldn’t do it to him.”