Disclaimer: I don't own Orlando Bloom or any living person depicted in the story. They deserve my utmost respect.
----------------------- CHAPTER EIGHT-----------------------
The background music was perfect, as was the soft, subdued light from the small lamps on the side-tables.
However, Orlando soon realized that all his careful planning and preparation had been wasted on Melanie. Even before she finished the first half glass of whisky, she was all over him, her swift hands already diving under his shirt.
"Easy, Mel," he said, while he held her head steady and started the exploration of her mouth. Soft, pliant, desperate mouth. His hands outlined her body, pressing into her. He stroked her breasts and she arched towards him.
While he was kissing her, her hands never stopped wandering over his body and it was driving him nuts. She stroked his length through the jeans. He was hard for her.
"Slow down, love. We have plenty of time. Enjoy." He told her, stopping her hands with his own. He nuzzled her neck, diving into the neckline of her T-shirt .
Melanie looked at him in bewilderment. "Orli, I thought we were going to, you know, get wild!! I am so hot for you, Orlando. I want you."
God, she was eager and he wanted her as well. Orlando started kissing her again, while Melanie was rubbing herself against him like a cat.
He slid his hands into her pants, seeking her out, while his mouth tasted her, when he thought he heard muffled noises in the house.
He stopped and tried to hear anything else, but it was silent again. Melanie pulled him back to the couch and began unzipping the fly of his jeans. Orlando moaned softly and began roving over her body, shedding her clothes, reveling at the feel of her soft skin.
Orlando had just pulled Melanie's T-shirt over her head when a little voice called from the door to the main house "Orli?"
Orlando jumped up from the couch and fixed his clothes, before running to the door. There stood Zoë, in her PJ's with a scared look in her huge brown eyes.
"I had a bad dream, Orli. I am scared. And when I am scared, Mamma lets me crawl into her bed, but she isn't here and I thought that maybe I could stay with you until she comes home. May I stay with you? Please?" said the little girl, looking frightened and anxious. He could not send her to bed alone, and he couldn't leave Melanie back at his place either. He had to think.
FUCK! Talk about bad timing and rotten luck.
He sighed loudly and picked up Zoë. "Sure munchkin, you can stay with me. But right now there is a friend of mine here and I want you to be nice to her. Will you do that for me?"
"I would do anything for you, Orli, even go to the dentist," she said, hugging him.
When they reached the couch, Melanie was already sitting there composed, sipping her drink.
"Who is the kid?" she asked Orlando.
"Melanie, meet Zoë, my princess. She is my best friend," he told her.
"Isn't she a bit too old to be carried around?" asked Melanie, still not acknowledging the child.
"I enjoy carrying Zoë, Mel. She is a great girl, aren't you, love?" he said to the girl, rubbing his nose with hers. Zoë was looking at the blonde with distrust.
Melanie was upset. The little beast had interrupted in an awful way. Hell, she was so hot for Orlando Bloom, she couldn't believe it. And then the little demon had to go and ruin it.
Zoë looked at Orli and then at the woman. She had promised Orli she would be nice.
"Good evening, Miss Melanie, how do you do?"
Orlando chuckled at the look of disbelief on Melanie's face.
"I am fine, thank you Zoë. Aren't you up after your bedtime? Shouldn't you go to go to sleep?" she asked sweetly.
Zoë looked to the woman unhappily. Her little eyes narrowed exactly like her mother's.
"It is not my fault. I had a very ugly dream," she said, hugging Orlando's neck even tighter.
"Munchkin, stay here with Melanie and be friends, while I fetch you a glass of juice, okay?" he said. He needed to go to the kitchen, cool down his hormones and figure a way out of the situation. As fast as possible.
The moment Orlando was out of hearing range, Melanie slid over to Zoë and hissed, "Kid, you better get out of here in a hurry. Orlando and I were busy with adult stuff and you should be sleeping, so just be a nice little creature and get lost, understand?"
Zoë felt afraid of the mean blonde woman, but she was not going to leave Orli alone with her. Never! Even so, she nodded and sat still.
When Orlando returned from the kitchen, Melanie was sitting on a sofa, away from the couch.
On the couch, in a corner, was Zoë, her arms wrapped around her bent knees, looking with apprehension at Melanie. He gave her the glass with juice and Zoë smiled at him, huddling deeper in the corner of the couch.
Orlando surveyed the scene again and made up his mind.
"Melanie, I am very sorry, but I think you should leave now," he said.
"WHAT? What the fuck are you saying? Come on Orlando. We were having a good time until the bug here showed up. Let's put her to bed and continue where we left off. Orli, you know that we were onto something, don't you?" she purred, approaching him and sliding her hand up the collar of his shirt and around his neck, leaning into him.
Orlando's eyes went to Zoë who was looking at Melanie's behavior with big eyes, and a look of shock on her face that felt to him like a slap in the face.
He took hold of Melanie's hand and pulled her away from him.
"Melanie, stop it now. Please leave. I'll call you a cab," he said reaching for the phone.
Melanie looked from him to the girl and back. She was furious. "Don't bother, Bloom. I can leave on my own. I have obviously wasted my time here."
After saying that, the blonde picked up her bag and jacket and left the apartment, shutting the door with a loud bang.
Orlando sighed, cursing under his breath. Then he walked over to Zoë and pulled her onto his lap. The child did not hug him though.
"I am sorry Orli. She wanted to be alone with you and told me to go away. But I could not leave you with her. She was mean! Are you upset with me? You liked her, right? She is your friend and it is my fault she went away," she said softly.
Orli hugged Zoë closer. "It's okay, princess. I prefer to be with you now. You need me. Want me to go downstairs with you? We could read together until you're ready to go back to sleep," he said.
"Would you do that for me? Even though your friend went away because of me?" Zoë asked and Orlando saw unshed tears in her eyes.
"I would do anything for you, love. Even go to the dentist. Let's go."
*********************
At the restaurant, Verena was having a fabulous time. Viggo was a charmer and fantastic company. It had been much too long since she had actually dated someone.
Viggo felt refreshed by Verena. She was an amazing woman, independent and strong but also reserved and sensitive. He was intrigued by her, and the fact that she had taken up the position of Orlando's Public Relations Agent added to the intrigue. That line of work was definitely not her style.
Since they had met a couple of days ago, Viggo had researched a bit on Verena Devereaux. And having the woman playing chaperone or whatever it was to Orlando was a disgraceful waste of talent.
She had graduated from journalism Summa Cum Laude and while the main papers of the country had been quarreling to get her on their staff, she had taken up the job as assistant to a war correspondent and had left for Afghanistan.
From then on, he had found her name connected to many well known magazines and newspapers around the world, all of which had leapt at chance to publish her pictures and articles.
She had won a fair amount of awards and mentions. And somewhere Viggo had read about an almost deadly assignment in Chechnya for Life Magazine in 1997. Then Verena's name had disappeared from photojournalism for an entire year.
There was this aura of self-assurance and strength about her. And then there was the loneliness in her green eyes. Viggo was fascinated.
Verena couldn't help the attraction she felt for Viggo. Beyond being a very handsome man, he was intelligent, sensitive, and caring. She felt herself immensely drawn to him. Damn, she wanted to be drawn to him. He made her feel beautiful and desirable, smart and interesting. She had been alone for much too long.
After dinner, Viggo suggested a walk on the beach. Verena took off her shoes and walked with him.
It was a warm evening, full moon shone on the dark ocean, shallow waves splashed on the beach. They walked a couple of meters until they reached a secluded spot where they sat on the soft sand. Verena looked relaxed and at ease.
Viggo knew this was the opportunity to ask the reserved lady about herself.
"Excuse me Verena," Viggo said, "This is none of my business, but I must admit that I am very intrigued. You left a brilliant although very dangerous career behind … and disappeared. You were among the best in your field and now you settle for taking care of Orlando's public image? I mean, what happened?"
Verena felt comfortable with him but there was still a long way before she trusted him fully.
"It is a long story about choices and opportunities, Viggo. I took both and was also thrown into some of them. I do miss my work, but it is not an option for me anymore. So I do what I can," she said.
Viggo knew he was not going to get any more information on the issue. But he was patient, he would wait. She was definitely worth it
A while later, when Verena came home and checked in Zoë's bedroom, she found the child sleeping in Orlando's arms. Zoë was under the covers and Orlando on top of them, but he still held her close. They were fast asleep, both of them. Verena tiptoed to the closet, retrieved a spare blanket, carefully removed Orlando's shoes, and covered him with the blanket. She whispered, "Sweet dreams, dear ones." And turning off the nightlight, she left.
**************************
A week later, Verena decided to invite some friends of Orlando's to her place. She still felt guilty about having gone out with Viggo several nights that week while Orlando was stuck at home.
Viggo had suggested a nice evening with friends and food, and Verena thought it was a great idea. Viggo would invite the friends and she would take care of everything else. She prepared salads and dips, as well as both meat and vegetarian dishes for the night.
Orlando was content with the party but seemed somehow distant, even among his friends. Elijah was there, as well as Sean and Christine, Spence and some friends from the LOTR crew, about twenty people in all.
The food was great, people were having fun, and the music was loud. But Orlando just stood around, having glass after glass of whisky.
"You okay, Orli?" asked Viggo. They had organized the little party for Orlando and he didn't look very amused.
"I'm fine, Vig, thanks mate," he answered, not really caring. There was something amiss and he could not get a grip on what it was. It wasn't only that Melanie's visit had been such a fiasco, but something else. He was getting depressed.
Lij approached Orlando as well. "Hey OB, you don't look as if you're having a good time. Look if you still need some … errr, toss in the hay, we could try to set something up again. I have other friends …"
"Forget it Lij. Not now," he said, and went to the table to look for another drink. There wasn't any more ice in the bucket, so he went to the kitchen to find some.
Verena was there, washing dishes. She stood by the sink, clad in jeans and a black T-Shirt with a wide neckline. She was dancing and singing to the music in the living room. She was swaying softly to the rhythm, singing in Spanish, something that Orlando did not understand. But it sounded good.
He stood there, watching her for a short while, as Viggo came into the kitchen. The older man gave him a knowing look, and went to Verena, putting his hands on her hips. "You should leave this and come dance with me, bonita," Viggo said, whispering softly in her ear, causing goose bumps to appear on her skin.
She turned around and saw Orlando standing in the kitchen, with the ice bucket in his hand, looking at them. She blushed.
"Later, Vig. Can I help you, Orlando?" she asked him, embarrassed by the way Orlando was staring at her.
Orlando shook his head. "No thanks V, I just want some ice ... in the freezer, right?"
Verena nodded. Orlando was behaving strangely tonight.
After filling the ice bucket, Orlando turned to leave, and saw Viggo helping Verena with the dishes, both exchanging phrases in Spanish. They seemed to be very at ease with each other. Orlando felt he needed another drink right away.
A while later, Viggo came out of the kitchen and began searching for a CD in the stack next to the stereo. He found something and put it in the CD player.
An unfamiliar fast Latin rhythm thrummed from the speakers. He went back to the kitchen and dragged Verena out of there.
"Okay kids, now we will see if this lady has the rhythm in her blood, as I suspect she has, and whether I've forgotten all my years in Venezuela. Come on, bonita," Viggo said.
Verena blushed again, but took Viggo's hand and joined him for a dance.
Orlando had never seen a dance like that before. Both dancers swayed and moved on the balls of their feet, their whole bodies adapting to the rhythm, from their shoulders, over their waists and their hips, to their feet moving in short paces. Their bodies seemed to fit together, never touching, but coordinated in every move.
Viggo had a great sense of rhythm, but Orlando could not take his eyes off V. She had a sexy smile on her lips as she moved closer to Viggo, undulating, enticing.
Orlando watched her and was absolutely hypnotized. He barely heard Spence, who was standing next to him, say, "She's a great dancer, isn't she? And Viggo can do it too ... his years in Latin America, I guess. We cannot do that, ever. They have the rhythm in their blood. I figured out I was in love with her the first time I saw her dancing in Colombia, many years ago."
Orlando took a couple of minutes to register what Spence had said.
"What? You're in love with her?" he asked. 'Stupid Bloom, of course he is, you saw them together ' he said to himself.
Spence gave him a wide grin, "Yeah, sure. Who wouldn't be? But I know she sees me as her younger brother or something like that. She's a special lady."
'Yes, she is. And she is getting to me, blast it!' Orlando thought to himself.
************************
It was close to three in the morning when the guests left the house. Verena was gathering glasses and Orlando sat in a swing out on the veranda, thinking. He knew he had consumed more alcohol than usual, but he wasn't drunk. At least not enough to slur his thinking. He was thinking just fine, pondering his life and his current situation.
He wasn't happy, but he had gotten used to this current way of life he was leading. And the thoughts that had been plaguing him through the party weren't helpful at all. He found himself attracted to Verena, the witch, and hating Viggo for the easy closeness he shared with her. And he didn't want to feel any of those emotions.
He stood up and walked to the stairs, but he stumbled on the first step. Maybe his reflexes were a bit impaired, he thought.
"Can I help you get upstairs, Orlando?" asked Verena, walking out of the kitchen.
Orlando leaned against the wall, focusing on walking up the stairs on his own.
"No thanks, V. I'm fine."
He judged the first step of the stairs correctly but stumbled on the next. 'What the fuck is wrong with me? I am definitely NOT that wasted,' he thought.
"Orlando, there's no use in having you end up with a broken neck out of stubbornness. Lean on me, and I'll help you get to your place," she told him.
She put his arm over her neck and supported him all the way up the stairs.
When they reached his apartment, she guided him to his bedroom, settling Orlando on the bed.
"Will you be all right?" she asked him ,tousling his hair lightly. He looked troubled but also very charming in his slightly dazed state.
"Verena, do you hate me?" he asked her suddenly.
"No Orlando, I don't hate you. Why would you think that?" she replied.
""You get along with my friends really well, you even care about Viggo. But I sometimes think you don't care about me at all. Do you?" he asked her.
"Of course I do, silly kid!" she said and turned to leave.
Orlando leaped from the bed and caged her between his outstretched arms, her back against the wall. He caught her by surprise, and she did not react.
Verena looked into his soft brown eyes and waited for his next move. What the hell was he up to?
"V, I am not a kid. And I need to know that you care for me. Show me, please?" he said softly. His eyes were clear and focused.
Verena debated with herself about what to do. She was able to force him to let her go, but that was not the right course of action now. A friendly peck would probably appease Orlando and then she might leave.
"Okay, Orlando. I care for you," she said and gave him a soft, chaste kiss.
She was not ready for him to bend his arms and crush her to the wall with his weight, his lips taking possession of hers as his tongue delved deep into her mouth. He tasted every corner of her mouth, licked her lips, nibbled on them, and for a moment, she was lost. Her tongue joined his, she relaxed in the embrace, shutting out reality.
He left her lips and began tracing her jaw with his mouth, while his hands went down to her hips, grasping as he ground himself against her body. He groaned and said hoarsely in her ear, "God, I want you V."
As if a bucket of ice water had been tipped over her head, Verena came to her senses. She pushed him firmly away from her. They looked at each other, both flushed, breathing raggedly, and trying to bring their bodies under control.
"Verena, I ..."
She held her hand up to silence him. "Orlando, this never happened."
Then she turned on her heel and left.
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