DORISMia was taking an after-lunch nap. She looked adorable and peaceful. Her color had gone back to normal.Cathy had called and insisted she would stop by later in the evening. I had decided I would leave before she got here. There was no point in me sticking around. Unfortunately, she arrived two hours earlier than expected, just when I was preparing to leave.“Hello, everyone,” Cathy said in an overly cheery voice. She swept into the room like she owned it.The first thing I noticed was she was wearing an extremely sexy black and silver dress that showed a lot of cleavage.“Auntie!” Mia said, looking extremely happy to see Cathy. “Beautiful darling,” Cathy said, fawning over Mia. “I brought you some gifts.”Cathy opened a big pink shopping bag. "First, my darling Mia, for my brave girl..." Cathy took out a little purple stuffed bear holding a red heart. The heart read, 'My Good Girl' in white letters on the front.I didn’t like that Cathy gave Mia a heart with the words my
DORISWhen I got home from eating lunch with Nina, I had that post-afternoon slump that came from too many french fries and not enough coffee. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Nina had said. If Cathy was desperate, she would do anything.But why would Cathy be desperate? I thought she had a great singing career, lots of friends, lots of fans, and lots of money.I remembered what Nina said about Google-able, so I googled Cathy. What I found surprised me. First was the information about her band. She hadn’t exaggerated. They were famous within the alternate rock niche. There were plenty of pictures of Cathy performing.But when I looked carefully at the more recent articles, I found out that her drummer had stolen all of the band's money. The drummer, who was also her ex-boyfriend was a scum-ball of the highest order.The drummer had not only stolen the band’s money, and Cathy’s money, but also hacked into all of the other supporting team's bank accounts and stolen their money from
ARTHUR"Have you packed your bags yet?" I asked Doris when we finished lunch. Her eyebrows went up, and her facial expression said she was clueless.I waved my hands open. "The Oscars, Little Dove. The Academy Awards. They're tomorrow. I thought we'd fly to Los Angeles tonight and stay in a fabulous hotel. A friend of mine owns it. If we leave tonight and stay there, we'll be fresh for the red carpet tomorrow."She put both hands to her cheeks, a character of surprise. "Oh, my goodness, with all that's going on, I didn't realize they're this weekend.""They are," I said."I have nothing to wear!""You could wear that beautiful Dior dress that you wore to the wedding." I couldn't bring myself to say Andrea's wedding or my mother's wedding, so I guess I was still angrier than I thought.Doris didn't say anything, so I said, "Or we could spend this afternoon randomly shopping for a new dress, or Wheaton Werther, who I just happened to finance when he was still in fashion school, might ha
DORISI leaned my entire body against Arthur in the elevator on the way back up to the penthouse."I don't know how you manage to fly around the world and not get jetlag," I said. "We just flew back from California and I'm tired.""You're tired because I wore you out in the bedroom, not because of the plane ride."I chuckled. "That might be true."Arthur kissed my hair. "Glad to tire you out anytime, little dove."Arthur opened the door to the penthouse, and Cathy was lounging on the couch, wearing a skimpy tank top and loose boxer sleep shorts with little hearts on them! Her hair was artfully tousled in a sexy way, and she looked relaxed and inviting. What the hell!How did she even get into the apartment?Mia ran to greet us. "Mommy! Daddy!"That's how. All Cathy had to do was knock on the door, and Mia would let her in. Why wouldn't she? Mia thought Cathy was her aunt.Cathy moved her legs so one knee pulled up towards her chest and the other stretched out enticingly. One side of t
ARTHURI looked around the elaborate venue. There were probably about a hundred people here.Doris and I were standing near the back, on the left side of the aisle. Doris had her hand on the inside of my elbow.Doris was wearing a dark blue sparkly dress with a low neckline. I was tall enough to see that she had a piece of material that matched her skin color over her breasts to protect her modesty.Even though everyone in attendance was beautiful, Doris would always be the most beautiful woman to me.On my other side was Nathan, and on the other side of him was Nina.The wedding march played, and we all turned around to look at the large mansion behind us. The doors opened, and Lisa and her father stood dramatically in the doorway.Lisa had dyed her hair a vibrant shade of red, which looked good on her. She was wearing a long diamond-studded white dress. I had to admit she was a beautiful bride.Doris sniffled. I never understood why women cried at weddings. Doris leaned against me,
ARTHURNathan and I asked everyone if they had seen Doris or Nina. I was just beginning to get worried when I saw them talking to the bride by the very front of the venue.We were only a few meters from them when a large white van sped up, the side doors opened, and a man wearing all black and a black mask leaned far out the door and grabbed Lisa around the chest.Doris, acting fast, got a death grip on Lisa’s dress. For a few harrowing seconds, there was a tug of war.When they couldn’t shake Doris off, the kidnappers simply grabbed both women and hauled them into the van.I ran as fast as I could, faster than I had ever run in my life. I got there just as the van door slammed in my face.The van floored it, speeding away at what must have been a hundred miles an hour.I grabbed the bumper and was dragged relentlessly across the gravel driveway for about twenty yards until my grip gave way, and I crashed hard, face-planted into the rough stones.I jumped up and looked for a way to fo
ARTHURWhen we got back to the wedding party, everyone was worried sick. In true actress diva fashion, Lisa detailed the entire thing as if it were a movie thriller regalia. I had no doubt it would make the news by tonight.When we finally made it back to the penthouse, we were both exhausted. Maybe me more than Doris because the thought of losing her had struck me with such fear it felt like I was dying.I lay in bed, holding her tight, forcing myself not to hold her so firmly I would bruise her with how hard I needed to squeeze her to me.My beautiful woman lay with her head in my chest, her breathing even. I guessed her adrenaline rush had faded, leaving her tired and relieved.I hoped my embrace made her feel warm and safe.Even though she was the day's hero, I hope she knew that I came for her fast and risked everything to save her.I hoped she knew if that was just one sign of how much I loved her.Doris started snoring softly, probably worn out from the day's events.She probab
ARTHURAmeriCapital had a small press release scheduled outside in Rockefeller Center in front of the iconic ice-skating rink and not far from where the grandiose hundred-foot Christmas tree was set up every winter.I stood on the large podium to Nathan's right and about a meter and a half behind him.