The Beautiful People (21 page)

All the décor and the
furniture were in various shades of rich chocolates and vanillas that blended
together to create a lavish, yet cozy atmosphere. A living room area was set-up
near the windows, but the focal point was a fire flickering in the gas
fireplace. Above the mantel sat a flat screen TV. While Dom tipped the bell hop
I inspected the room like a child at Disney World; something would capture my
attention and I would run over to it, then something else would catch my eye.

Through open double
doors off of the living room and dining room, I spied the bedroom and ran off
to check it out. I flopped on the bed and took in my luxurious surroundings. I
really was Cinderella in her castle. My Prince walked through the doorway and
paused to look at me. I smiled at him and beckoned for him to join me. He
didn’t hesitate and soon had me in his arms, curled up tight next to him. I was
getting used to being touched again and felt safe with him.  Feeling more
serene in this unfamiliar bed than in our own, I fell asleep. I fell asleep
without the need for a million drinks or bong hits to render me unconscious.

Dominic’s lips brushed
against my cheek and my eyelids fluttered open. The room was bright with
sunlight.

            “Morning
Sunshine,” he whispered.

            “Unnn,”
I grumbled. “What time is it?”

            “Time
for brunch, come on get up.” He clasped my hand and yanked me up into a sitting
position.  I stretched and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. We had only slept for
about six hours, but it was the best night’s sleep I’d had in over a month.
There was a light rap on the door and Dominic went to answer it. I heard him
talking to someone in the other room. I slipped into the bathroom and shut the
door.

The bathroom was the
one room I didn’t inspect and it was like I had unknowingly saved the best for
last. I thought the bathroom at our condo was spectacular, but this one put it
to shame. Between the marble bath tub and the giant walk in shower, I didn’t
know which one to choose. I decided on a bubble bath and ducked into the shower
at the end to rinse off the suds and wash my hair. The plush towels were warm
from the heated shelf they were stacked on and big enough to wrap around my
body twice.  A soft, oversized cotton robe hung on the back of the door and I
reached for it. As I did, I caught a glimpse of my body in the mirror above the
marble vanity. My ribs stuck out and the outline of my vertebrae was clearly
visible. My skin, usually fair with rosy undertones, had taken on a sallow
tone.

My reflection was
unsettling. I knew I had lost weight, but hadn’t really paid attention to how
much. What was most disturbing is I almost didn’t recognize the shell I had
become. I ran my hand across my ribs and felt the closeness of the bones. My
stomach, normally flat, had become concave. My eyes sunk into my head and my
cheekbones jutted out like fins from my sunken cheeks.

The encounter with Luigi
Genovese had taken its toll. The fact that he had been murdered by Dominic
didn’t make a difference. The damage was already done. I sighed, feeling the
self pity creep in. This time something different happened. Instead of
retreating into sadness and fear, I got angry. The anger ruptured forth from
some deep reserve. I refused to be the victim anymore. Mr. Genovese was dead,
he paid for his crime, but I didn’t have or shouldn’t have to pay for it any
longer. I wanted my life back. Tying the robe tight around my too thin waist, I
stood up straight with an assurance I hadn’t possessed since before my attack.

Dominic was sitting at
the dining room table drinking coffee. I sat down next to him and poured a cup.
Although I wasn’t hungry, I forced myself to eat. Dominic had ordered an omelet
for me that was stuffed with ham, mushrooms and Swiss cheese. I took a bite and
discovered that it was quite tasty and I ate another forkful. Dominic stared in
shock.

“I
don’t believe it, you’re eating!” He was smiling like he had just won the
lottery.

“Um
hmm,” I acknowledged with my mouth full. I took a sip of fresh squeezed orange
juice to help clear my throat. “I need to. It’s time.”

Dominic didn’t say
anything; he just continued to stare in disbelief as I managed to eat half of
the omelet. That was all I could consume. My stomach had shrunk and it filled
up quickly. I set the napkin on the table in surrender. It had taken a lot of
effort to eat that small amount, but I could already feel my body thanking me;
it had been running on empty these past few weeks, and the fuel was quickly
absorbed. I leaned back in the chair and stretched, feeling full and satisfied.
The sun pouring in the windows warmed the room. The Atlantic sparkled for as
far as my eyes could see and sailboats dotted the horizon.

“How
was your breakfast?” Dominic asked.

“Filling,”
I answered and patted my tummy.

“I’m
glad you ate something. I’ve been worried about you.” He reached over and
caressed my cheek.

“I
know. I just needed some time and still do.”

“Take
as much time as you need. I won’t rush you.” I could see the love he felt for
me reflected in his eyes. Even as broken as I felt, he still loved me.

There was light knock
on the door and Dominic jumped up to answer it. He was talking to someone and
the voices grew louder as he walked towards the living room. When he appeared
in the doorway he was accompanied by two women, one blonde and one brunette,
who were wearing what looked like hospital scrubs.

“You
can set up in here, by the windows,” Dominic instructed. Both women turned and
headed back towards the front door.

“What’s
going on Dom?” Several options raced through my mind: were we going to get
tattoos…maybe a piercing?

“You’ll
see,” was his cryptic answer.

The women returned
seconds later and each carried a folding table. They assembled the tables side
by side. Once set-up I realized they were massage tables. I forgot the concierge
had reminded Dom of our massages when we checked in. They draped cream colored
sheets over the tables followed by a deep red chenille throw and set out an
assortment of oils.

The blonde woman turned
to me. “Hi, I’m Helen and your massage therapist.” I shook her hand.

“I’m
Natalie.”

“Have
you ever had a massage before?”

“No,
I haven’t,” I admitted.

“You
and your-“ she quickly looked at my left hand before continuing, “boyfriend are
getting the Live Like A Rock Star massage and you have a choice of Swedish or
Deep Tissue.”

“What’s
the difference?”

“Deep
tissue is deep, and really works the muscles. It works out any toxins that are
trapped in your muscles and tissues. Swedish massage is gentler and helps to
increase circulation and release stress. Since you haven’t had a massage
before, I would recommend the Swedish.”

“Ok.”
I took her word for it. “Dom, which one are you going to do?” I turned to look
at him and found he was already face down on the table and it looked like he
was naked, except for a towel draped over his butt. He looked just fine wearing
nothing but a towel. His massage therapist answered for him. “Deep Tissue and
he’s already asleep.” She smiled and then continued on massaging Dom’s broad
shoulders, the oil making his tattoo seem darker.  

Helen gestured for me
to hop up on the table, like a pediatrician to a child. I started to climb up,
when she stopped me.

“You
should probably take off your robe first.”

I hesitated before I
disrobed. My body was probably going to be a shock to this woman. I shyly shrugged
the robe off and placed it in Helen’s outstretched hand. She looked at my body
and didn’t have to say anything, her expression said it all. I looked at her
apologetically as I climbed up on the table. I was uncomfortable at first
having a stranger touch my body again, but Helen’s hands were gentle and the
repetitive motion was soothing. It didn’t take long for my muscles to loosen up
and for me to doze off.

“Baby,
wake up,” Dominic whispered in my ear. I jerked awake, my face felt squished
from being pressed against the massage table.  “The massage is over.” I rolled
over onto my side and Dom helped me up into a sitting position. I was sleepy,
but felt refreshed at the same time. All the tension that I had been holding in
my shoulders had been released and the tightness in my neck was gone.

“Wow,
that was amazing!” I exclaimed. “I feel awesome!”

“You
look radiant,” Dom commented. “I didn’t think you could be more beautiful.” I
blushed and looked away. “I mean it,” Dom added and kissed the top of my head. I
eased off of the table and held onto the sides until I knew my relaxed legs
would support me. Helen smiled when she saw me upright. She must have seen that
she had done her job well. Dom handed me my robe and I quickly slipped into it.

The massage therapists
packed up their things and left. I lounged on the sofa with my legs stretched
across Dom’s lap.

“Is
there anything else you have planned?” I eyed Dom with suspicious eyes.

“No,
this was it. Now we can just do whatever we want.” He traced his fingers along
my shins. “Is there anything you want to do?”

I looked out the window
at the cloudless, sunny sky and realized it was too nice to stay inside. I
jumped up of the sofa and reached out for Dominic’s hand. “Let’s go to the
boardwalk!” I hadn’t felt this good in over a month and wanted to keep the demons
at bay as long as I could. He picked up on my enthusiasm and grabbed onto my
hand and heaved himself off the couch. I ran into the bedroom to get changed.
He followed right behind. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved v-neck
black shirt. Since Dominic was watching me get dressed I think he noticed that
I didn’t put on a bra or any underwear. I turned to watch him dress and he stared
at me with hungry eyes. I knew what he wanted, what he had so patiently been
waiting for.  The thought of being intimate with him made me nervous, but I
knew I needed to try.

“Later,”
I promised.

“Really?”
He beamed at me.

“Yes.
We’ll try,” I assured him. Now it was his turn to be radiant and his excitement
didn’t help to quell my nerves.

Even though it was the weekend,
the Boardwalk wasn’t as crowded as during the summer season. After Labor Day
the crowds slowly dwindle. This late in September, the days were still warm and
the Boardwalk businesses remained open. Dom and I first visited the Ripley’s
Believe It or Not! Museum and made our way down to the Central Pier and Arcade
Speedway. With each video and skee ball game we regressed. The fried food on
the Fairway didn’t smell particularly appetizing, but I wound up eating it
anyway. At the end of the day, we sat to watch the sunset. First we shared a
bench that faced the ocean.  The water changed pink and orange to match the
hues of the sky. As the sun set further, we crossed the boardwalk to face west.
The clouds were as pink as the cotton candy I held in my hand. Once the sun had
dipped below the horizon, Dominic and I strolled slowly down the boardwalk, hand
in hand. We took a cab back to the Borgata. The casino was teeming with
activity and we quickly made our way to the elevators and up to our room.

Dominic led me to the
bedroom and I knew what was on his mind. It had been on my mind all afternoon
too. Only, it was with more dread than anticipation. I was afraid of not being
able to give in and allow myself pleasure. My hands felt cold and clammy and my
mouth went dry as Dominic turned towards me. He leaned in to kiss me and I
froze.

“Dom,
I want to try, just take it slow with me okay?” I pleaded.

He pulled me close to
him and ran his hand down my cheek. “I’ll go slow, just let me know if you want
me to stop and I will.” His words helped me relax. I knew I didn’t have to
worry about him hurting me. He placed his lips on mine and the connection
flared. This wasn’t an ashtray disguised as a mouth. These were Dominic’s soft
lips that still held traces of cotton candy. I greedily returned the kiss. All
the dread and hesitation dissipated with that first kiss and we fell onto the
bed together.

Dominic kept his word
and went slow, deliciously slow. The massage had left every nerve ending in my
body awake. He trailed soft kisses down my neck to my breasts. His touch was
magnified twenty times on my sensitive skin. I begged him to enter me. When he
did it was a perfect as our first night together. All the sparks were still
there. I hadn’t lost them after all. Tears of relief escaped my lashes and Dom
kissed them away.

            “Are you ok?”
he whispered.

            “I’m more
than ok.” I kissed his neck. “That was incredible and I am so glad for that. I
really didn’t know how I was going to react.” I nuzzled up close to him and he
hugged me closer. And despite sleeping in and napping through my massage, I
fell asleep again.

Dominic’s cell phone
pierced the silence. He gently rolled away from me to answer.

            “Hello?”
His voice was husky with sleep. He sat with his back to me, hunched over.
Suddenly his shoulders stiffened and he sat up straight as the person on the
other end spoke. I was more awake now and listened in the dark to the one sided
conversation.