Glass Towers: Surrendered (28 page)

We are served the main course, consisting of steak and lobster with garlic and ginger mashed potatoes, mushrooms sautéed I a brandy sauce and a vegetable medley of carrots, green beans and pearl onions. The food is delicious, but my stomach has too many butterflies for me to eat. Despite my scarce appetite, I am having a lively conversation with Harrison’s cousin’s wife, Amelia. She is married to the cousin who was married to Marion several years ago. Awkward, to say the very least. I try not to grill her about the Wine Witch, but my thoughts do keep returning to the thought that we are both with men who have Marion as their ex. The irony does not escape me, and I’m sure if we compared notes, it probably occurred to her as well. I found out that she has been married to Harrison’s cousin for just over a year, and are already expecting their second child. A little too fast for my liking.

Once the dinner dishes are removed, the wait staff begins to serve a dessert of cherries jubilee, Harrison’s favorite dessert. They wheel three carts out, one at each table. Set atop the cart is what appears to be a copper domed lid. When the lid is opened, it reveals the cherries in a flambé pan. They each light their pans and the flames shoot up in a dramatic blaze. Once the liquor burns off, they spoon the delicious cherries over house made vanilla bean ice cream.

Mr. Towers raises out of his seat and clinks his glass with a spoon, as the excited cheers and applause from the dessert show die down. He picks up his champagne glass and looks around the room. “Does everyone have a fresh glass? I’d like to propose a toast, if everyone could raise their glasses…” He is cut off by a voice coming from behind him.

“I Don’t have a glass, would a bottle suffice?” The voice is clearly slurring. Mr. Towers turns around quickly, as he steps away from the table to reveal Marion, dressed in a wedding gown and chugging wine straight from the bottle. 

You could probably hear a pin drop at this precise moment. The entire room is silent, I think everyone is holding their breath. I know I am. Harrison makes a move to get up, but Marion yells, “Stay there, or I will doing something crazy.”

“Shit, like you aren’t already!” Clarke blurts out. Garrin is now on his feet along with men from other tables. Marion takes another swig of her wine, and then looks straight at me and points. Her face is askew, “You! Because of you, my life is ruined! Harrison belongs to me not you.
YOU STOLD HIM FROM ME AND I WANT HIM RETURNED…..NOW
!!! She is screaming this at the top of her lungs, with veins sticking out in her forehead and neck. As she throws her head back and takes another swig of her wine, I hone in on the dress she is wearing. I cannot believe my eyes, it’s MY dress.

As if Clarke and I had a mind meld, she seemed to notice it at the same time. “Hey wait! That woman is wearing your dress, Dani!”

“That’s right and I plan to walk down the aisle with it on tomorrow at MY wedding.” She grabs a stray steak knife from the table near Mrs. Towers. I hear several gasps as she shouts, “I said stay back!” Once again, her veins are popping out of her forehead, and she is waving the steak knife around as if to underline her command.

I am standing next to Harrison. I can feel that he is about ready to pounce, but he holds back, as she is standing way too close to his mother for all of our comfort with that knife.

“What do you want Marion?”

She laughs in a hideous cackle, “Isn’t it obvious? I want you my darling. It’s not fair that you married that tramp after all that I have done for you. Don’t you remember when we were kids you promised you would marry me when we grew up?”

“Come on Marion, we were kids. If you remember, I was also going to run for Prime Minister. Now, put the knife down and let’s talk like civilized
adults
.” Just as he said that, Lance comes barging into the room, which sends Marion into a tizzy.

“Get him out of here, or so help me I will use this!” She is now holding the knife to the side of Mrs. Towers’ neck.”

In a calm and soothing voice, Harrison holds his hand out, “You don’t want to do that Marion. Your mother would be very cross with you if you hurt her best friend.”

Marion spats at the floor, and then with a crazed look in her eye, “Fuck my mother. I could care less what she thinks. Besides, I didn’t come for sweet Yvonne, I came for that slut.” She points the knife right at me. She then lowers the knife and starts to cut at the dress with the serrated edge.

I steal a quick glance over at Clarke and Garrin. He is slowly moving toward the Towers’ table when she looks up from the shreds. “Stay put Garrin. You think this family is going to accept the handsome bastard son? Think again! You will never measure up, so don’t bother trying to be the hero.” She cackles.

Mr. Towers turns quickly to grab the knife out of Marion’s hand when she jabs at him and cuts his finger. He yells out in pain, but keeps grabbing for the knife. “Stop Mr. Towers, this does not concern you. You better back off, or I will hurt your precious wife and the slut your stupid son married.”

While I am transfixed on this crazed madwoman, it occurs to me so is everyone else. Nobody can do anything. It is as if we have to let this play itself out. My mother looks as if she might pass out. My dad is strategizing on how to get to her. I am surprise that the guards haven’t storm trooped the room from the other entries. I am guessing they are ready to pounce once they can do it without one of us being harmed.

Marion turns back to our table and fixes her sights on her ex-husband and Amelia. “Oh, look another slut who has wormed her way into the Towers family. Did you get yourself knocked up to trap him? He was a lousy lay and not as ambitious as my man anyway. You can have him.” She turns her attention back to Harrison, giving him a drunken lick of her lips. My God, this woman
does
deserve to be locked up. She shakes herself and then looks at me.

“Stand up, skank. Who would have thought we would wear the same size in a dress. I have to thank you, I burned my last dress, but this will serve as a fine replacement. Imagine my delight when the old key I used to enter through the servants entrance at the old Towers estate allowed me access to this wedding finery. Now, all I need is my groom, and I will be on my way.”

“Enough, Marion. We have allowed you to ruin our evening far too long. What the hell do you think you are doing wearing my wife’s wedding dress and coming here drunk, wielding a knife a my mother. Do you think after all that I will want you?”

She stops picking at the crystals on the bodice and looks up at Harrison, who has managed to take a few steps away from our table without her noticing.

“Do you? Do you want me now that you see what a beautiful bride I make? See. I can be the demure bride too.” She take her hands and cups them under her chin while batting her eyelashes.

I hear Clarke hiss from the other side of our table, “She is bat shit crazy! Why is everyone just sitting here doing nothing? She is one damned person, and there are twenty four of us! Get her!” She points to Marion as the entire room starts to roar. Marion realizes that she is outnumbered. As she waves the knife through the air clearing a path to our table, I feel Harrison moving to shield me.

I have had enough. This woman is going down. I am sick of being her victim and the dark cloud that she has put over my head for the last six months. I will not take this anymore, she had me marked for dead, and I will not let her take anymore of my life away from me.

I push past Harrison, and with a burst of adrenalin, I lunge forward and snatch the steak knife out of her hand. The collective gasp was palpable and it urged me on.

“You have had your say. Now is your turn to listen to me!”

She spats at me and screams. “Like hell I will, you home wrecking tramp! You wouldn’t even be here if that damned asshole had finished the job in the woods.” She laughs, “I mean what a complete idiot, all he had to do was give you one more blow to the head and your pretty little face would be six feet under by now!” She continues to confess her atrocities toward me in a sickening ramble, but I stop listening.

At that point, all the commotion behind me has become a blur and everything is now in slow motion. I feel as if I am in a horror movie. All I can focus on is this wicked sicko standing before me. I am ready to unleash.

I take the knife and hold it up to her. She stops; everyone stops.

I hear people hollering my name and the sounds of sirens getting close, but it all becomes silent as the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat in my ears.

With my face less than a foot away from hers, “You are wrong Marion, I did win, Harrison is mine. Now back off bitch!”

I step back and lower the knife. Just as I do, she dumps the rest of the red wine from the bottle she was holding all over the front of
my
wedding dress.

She cackles in my face. I gasp. And then I
slap
her hard.

The doors throw open and police storm the room, putting her in handcuffs and taking her out, while she continues spewing all kinds of venom.

I look up at Harrison as he slowly takes the knife from my hand and sets it on the table.

“Is it over? Is she gone, are they hauling her away?”

He has his arms around me now, and I feel safe in his embrace. I finally feel
safe
.

The clock says midnight, and I can’t sleep. It’s the night before our family ceremony, and you would think that I wouldn’t have butterflies, since we are already married. What an adventure the last few months have been! I grab a glass of water from the bathroom. Oh, Shit! I completely forgot to give Harrison the coin from Simone’s mother to carry in his pocket tomorrow for good luck. I am just dying not being able to sleep with Harrison, or even lay next to him the night before our wedding. We are already married; it is odd not having him by my side. I really will not get a restful night of sleep alone.

Oh, brilliant! What a perfect excuse to see him! I grab my bathrobe and secure the satin tie. Wait, I have a better idea. I remove my nightgown and panties, put on my sexy heels, and then put the bathrobe around me and tie it up. I grab the piece of metal and slip it in my pocket. Yes! He is going to love this little midnight treat! I am craving my husband so bad; I hope I don’t get caught sneaking out.

I open the door and tip toe down the stairs. I glance to make sure that the security system is armed. I go to the panel and punch in the code. I walk through the great room to the glass doors, unlock one of the doors, and walk quickly to the guesthouse.

I knock on the door and wait. Nothing! I knock again, gently so not to wake anyone else up.

“Good God, Harrison, it’s freezing out here. Open the door please!”

“Danielle, what is ....”

I push the door open and throw my hands around his neck.

“Shhh, don’t say a word,” I put my finger up to his lips.

Damn, he looks fine. He is wearing nothing but his boxer briefs on that chiseled body of his. I swear I can almost cum just from looking at him.

Harrison swings the door closed with his hand, and I push him back up against the wall. This evening made me so tense, and I really need to shake this pent up energy.

With his back to the wall, I attack his luscious lips. Biting at his lower lip drives him insane. Our bodies pressed against each other, I can feel his hard cock through his briefs. He smells good enough to devour. Something about a man that wears cologne and nothing else makes my body start craving sex. Harrison spins me around and slams me up against the wall. He can’t take it, and neither can I. His hands grip my hips and he pulls me closer, as his tongue explores every inch of my mouth, then travels to my neck. My head slams back against the wall when he works his tongue over my neck. His hands slide up and down my silk robe. He unties my robe, allowing it to flow loosely from my shoulders. Harrison Gasps!

“Jesus, you are beautiful. Your body is just made for me, Danielle.”

“Harrison, I need you inside me.”

He grabs both of my wrists and throws my hands above my head. He starts running his tongue down my neck as he squeezes my breasts and takes one at a time in his mouth. He reaches down, and his hands glide up and down my thighs, as he kisses me violently. His hand moves to my soaking pussy as he starts to rub on the outside.

“Fuck, Danielle, I want you so bad.”

He slips one finger deep inside me and pulls out. He repeats that move a number of times, and I can’t take the teasing any more.

He lifts me up and places me on the entry table, with my back against the mirror on the wall. He gives me that I-am-going-to-fuck-your-brains-out, look.

Down he drops to his knees, grabs my ass hard, and pushes my hips into his face, fucking me with that skilled tongue of his. This is hot. My body is tingling with pleasure as he has me almost on the verge of cumming.

“I want to ride your cock, Harrison. I need to fuck the hell out of your hard cock.”

He peeks up to look at me. I smile at him, his tongue still in me.

I push his head away from my pussy. I slide off the table. I turn around and lean over, sticking my ass in his direction. I peek around and catch the smile on his face. That look alone is enough for me to know what he is thinking. He grabs my hips from behind and leans into my ear, “You naughty, naughty girl. You want to be fucked hard tonight don’t you?”