| 13. “Do you hate me that much?” he asked, trying to give her his best smile.” “Yeah, I think I do,” she said. He immediately changed his tactic. “Look honey, I know I was wrong,” he began, hoping that maybe taking all the blame would work. “I made a huge mistake. And everyday I’m paying for it. You know I never really stopped loving you.” “Well that makes one of us,’ she said, biting into a breadstick. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that after all the time we were together you could forget me that easily?” “Believe whatever you like,’ she told him. “I’ll admit, I was hurt by what you did....very hurt. But you know something? I’m glad you did what you did. Because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have run into Glenn, I wouldn’t have discovered what a wonderful man he is and I wouldn’t be as happy as I am right now.” “Are you telling me there’s no chance for us at all?” “Hulk Hogan has a better chance of getting back into the WWF.” “And you know what? I’ve changed my mind about lunch. I’d rather eat alone.” She picked up her purse and stopped to give him one last look. “You know, if I wanted to be nice....I’d wish you all the best. But I really don’t give a damn.” She walked off, feeling better than she had in months. As she drove back to the arena she smiled at the thought of Glenn. Two weeks ago the future had been something she dreaded...now it was something she couldn’t wait for. But Torrie had arrived back at the arena before she did, primed and ready to destroy Dara’s happiness once again. The first thing she did was look for Glenn. She found him, sitting alone, reading a magazine. She made sure that he heard her when she walked into the room. He glanced up at her and then returned to his reading. “Hmmm, “ she said quietly, looking at her watch. “I thought Dara would be back by now. Steph has been looking for her and I thought she might be in here with you.” “No, she’s still at lunch,’ he said, keeping his eye on his magazine. “I guess she and Don must have had a lot to talk about,” she ventured, watching closely for his reaction. His head snapped up and she turned away, hiding a triumphant smile. “What did you say?” She turned back, a look of phony concern pasted on her face. “I saw them having lunch together at the hotel. I guess he really meant what he told me.” “And what was that?”Glenn asked, almost sure he didn’t want to know the answer. “He’s determined to win her back. And from what I saw....he just might be doing it.” Glenn stood up and threw the magazine down, storming from the room. Torrie stood there, grinning like the cat who swallowed the canary. “You chose the wrong woman to mess with, Dara,” she thought. “I took one guy away from you. And I’m about to do it again.” 14. Glenn paced back and forth for several minutes, a clear vision of Dara having a romantic lunch with Don, burned into his brain. He wasn’t stupid, he knew the reason Torrie had told him. But what bothered him most was the fact that never in a million years did he think that Dara would be less than honest with him. When he finally saw her coming down the hall, he suddenly realized that along with anger, his heart was breaking at the thought that he just might be losing her. “How was lunch?” he asked, coldly. “It’s funny you should ask,” she began. “Funny?” he repeated. “What’s so funny about lying? What’s so funny about sneaking around behind my back to see your old boyfriend?” For a split second, Dara was speechless. “Glenn, I wasn’t....” “Save your story,” he said angrily. “I know where you were and I know who you were with.” “I was with Don,” she told him. “I said I know,” he yelled. “What were you doing, setting another wedding date?” “No. As a matter of fact, I was telling him that today was the last time I ever wanted to see or hear from him again.” “You couldn’t have done that over the phone?” he demanded. “Believe me, I tried that. So I figured the only way to make him see that I meant business was to talk to him face to face.” Glenn stood there, shaking his head slowly. “That’s not a bad story actually. Now all you need to do is come up with a good reason why you chose to keep it a secret from me.” “I wasn’t planning on keeping it a secret. If you had given me half a chance I was just about to tell you.” Well you’re a little late. Torrie beat you to it.” The mention of her name sent a cold rage through Dara. “Torrie? What does she have to do with it?” “She saw you two together,” he explained. “And she couldn’t wait to run back here and tell you, could she?” “What are you so angry about?” he asked. “The fact that you got caught? Or the fact that she told me something that you should have?” “You really want to know what has me so angry? It’s the fact that I was once again stupid enough to believe that any man could accept me....and love me. I have never once lied to you. I planned to tell you the entire thing. If Don and I were sneaking around, then why were we right out in public? If I didn’t want you to know, why was I just about to tell you everything? Why is it you’re so anxious to believe Torrie?” When he didn’t answer, it suddenly dawned on her. “She’s done it again, hasn’t she?” she said quietly. “What?’ he asked, growing nervous at her sudden change of tone. “She took Don away from me.....and now she’s taken you.” The sound of her voice and the pain in her eyes combined to jolt him into a realization. She was telling him the truth. “Dara..no. She hasn’t...” But she slapped his hand away as he reached out to touch her. “Don’t you dare,” she hissed. “I went to see Don today to tell him that it was completely over between the two of. And you want to know why? Because I fell in love with you...that’s why!” “God, I feel like such an idiot,” she moaned, dropping her face into her hands. “Honey...no. It’s all been a mistake.” He reached out once more to try and take her arm. “You’re damn right it’s been a mistake,” she cried. “My mistake. I never should have believed that your feelings for me were genuine. You’re really just like Don, aren’t you? She gives you one fake smile, she tells you one bare faced lie, and you’re ready to take her word as gospel and believe the worst about me!” Honey..no..that isn’t true.” “Of course it’s true,’ she continued. “And you know what else is true? I can’t take any more. If you want her..fine..you can have her.” She spun away and quickly headed down the hall. “Dara, wait. I’m sorry. I know she was lying. You have to forgive me,” he pleaded. “I don’t have to do a damn thing,’ she shouted. “I refuse to spend one more second trying to force you to believe that my feelings for you are real. I really do love you Glenn. But if you can’t find it in your heart to have a little faith in me...then the whole thing is pointless.” She pushed her way through the door to the stairwell and disappeared. 15. Dara headed up the stairs, not at all sure where she was going. All she knew was that she was furious. Furious that Torrie had once more interfered in her life and furious that Glenn had chosen to believe her. When she got to the next floor she shoved the door open and that’s when she saw her. Leaning against the wall and talking to Test. Dara watched with disgust as she reached up and playfully tangled some of his hair. They turned at the same time when they heard the door swing closed. “Do you mind? This is private,” she said. Dara moved slowly towards them. Test had no idea why, but the look on her face scared the hell out of him. “Andrew, would you mind if I spoke to Torrie for a minute? It really is kind of important.” Something told him that he would regret it if he refused, so he began to back away. “Sure, no problem,” he said. “I’ll talk to you later Torrie.” “That’s if she still CAN talk,” Dara mumbled. Dara walked up to her and stood only inches from her face. “I’ve had it with you,” she said in a fierce whisper. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Torrie said, trying to move past her. Dara grabbed her arm and slammed her back against the wall. “You aren’t going anywhere. Not until I’ve said everything I came to say.” Torrie looked down where Dara had a death grip on her arm. “You’re hurting me,” she whimpered. “Sweetheart, I haven’t even started,” Dara whispered. What Dara didn’t know was that a small crowd had gathered behind her. Everyone knew that Torrie and Dara would come to blows sooner or later. It looked like sooner had arrived. “When you managed to take Don from me, I chalked it up to his stupidity and your talent for being a slut,” Dara began. “But now I realize it’s a lot more than that. You have some kind of problem with seeing two people who are happy together. What I haven’t managed to figure out is why you seem to have it in for me. I’ve never given you any trouble. Hell, even when you managed to convince Don to leave me, I never said a word to you. Although thinking back, I probably should have ripped your head off then.” Torrie glanced over Dara’s shoulder, silently pleading with anyone who was watching to come to her aid. But her [leas were going to be ignored. Everyone had been wishing that Dara would finally stand up for herself. And it looked like their wishes were coming true. When Torrie realized she was virtually alone, she decided to fight back. “You want to know why I had it in for you? Ok, I’ll tell you. When I first met Don, I was very attracted to him, and to be honest I didn’t much care that he had a girlfriend. The problem was that he never seemed to stop talking about you. Do you know what it feels like to be with someone who constantly talks about someone else? I knew he wanted to go back to you. And I also knew you would never take him back.” “You’re making even less sense than usual,” Dara said. “Why did you come between me and Glenn. Why did you make him think I was going to leave him for Don?” “Why? I’ll tell you why. Nobody dumps me. And when I realized that Don wanted to leave me for you, I decided that you’d have to be the one to pay.” Dara’s breath was coming in short gasps. It was taking all her will power not to lean back and slap the taste right out of her mouth. “Well congratulations,” she seethed. “Your little plan worked. You convinced Glenn that I was having a romantic lunch with that jerk.” “I have no control over what Glenn thinks,” she said with a shrug. Dara reached up and grabbed her face in her hand, squeezing just hard enough to hurt. “Thanks to you, I’ve lost an incredible man. Only this time I don’t plan to stand by and do nothing.” Torrie began to sense that she might just be in some real danger. “Oh calm down,” she told her, releasing her face with a savage jerk.”The way I feel right now, I could cheerfully beat the life out of you. But frankly, I’m not sure you’re worth the effort.” Torrie visibly relaxed. “What you don’t seem to realize is that the people who work here are like family. If you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. How long do you think it will take for the tale of your little exploits to get around? How long do you think it will be before you pretty much become the most unwelcome person here?” Dara could see tears forming in Torries’s eyes, but she continued on. “Don’t you dare cry. I’m the one who should be in tears. I lost a wonderful man because of your immature, selfish, disgusting games. And if you think I’m ever going to forgive you....think again. You are going to regret the day you ever thought about crossing me.” She finished this last sentence with Torrie pressed hard up against the wall, her eyes squeezed shut. Dara took a final breath and walked away. The crowd behind her broke into applause and Torrie turned crimson with humiliation. She turned to leave when she saw Glenn standing there. He had followed Dara up the stairs and had stood silently by while she ripped into Torrie. She walked up to him, forcing the tears from her eyes. “Did you hear what she said to me?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I sure did,” he replied watching Dara’s retreating figure. “I just wish I’d been the one to say it first.” And Torrie stared in disbelief as Glenn and everyone else walked away, leaving her standing alone. 16. Dara was still at the boiling point when she walked into the cafeteria. She paused and then kicked savagely at a nearby chair. “Hey, settle down there tiger....what’s wrong?” She looked up to see Rikishi smiling....but still keeping his distance. “I’m sorry,” she said, dropping into one of the chairs she managed to miss. “It’s been a lousy day.” “Torrie?” he asked quietly. “How did you know?” “It’s a small company,” he replied, pulling up a chair next to hers. “Thanks to that .....witch...I’ve lost a great guy.” “What makes you so sure?” “Rikishi, I walked away from him. He tried to apologize and I didn’t want to hear it.” “Doesn’t sound all that unforgivable to me,” he offered. “You know, I’ve known Glenn for quite a while. He’s not one to hold a grudge, and for what it’s worth, everyone around here pretty much knows how he feels about you. If I know him like I think I do...he’s the one looking for a way to make it up to you.” “I wish you could guarantee that,” she said. Dara dropped her eyes down , not wanting to let Rikishi see her tears. “Honey...I’ve seen you two ...you belong together. Don’t let some brainless idiot come between you.” “It might just be too late,” she whispered. She tried to keep herself buried in work so that she wouldn’t have to think about what a mess she had made of everything. When his match began she sat and stared at the monitor feeling an ache in her heart that was almost paralyzing. When the evening was over she sighed as she packed up her things. She had been secretly hoping that maybe he would try to find her....try to make up with her.....but aside from seeing his match, she hadn’t laid eyes on him all evening. The parking garage was nearly empty when she walked through the doors. She was halfway to her car when she heard the deep purr of an engine behind her. She stopped and turned in time to see a shiny, black limo pull up beside her. “What in the ..?” But before she could finish the sentence the rear door swung open, and Glenn looked out at her. “Going my way?” he asked, flashing the smile that always made her heart skip a beat. “Glenn, what are you doing?” she asked. “I’m trying to make up with the woman I love,” he said. “How am I doing so far?” “Not bad, “ she said with a laugh. He held out his hand and she took it, letting him pull her inside. Leaning back against the soft, upholstered seat, she marveled at what was around her. Soft music wafted around them. Champagne was chilling in a bucket and the most wonderful man she had ever known was sitting next to her, trying to convince her that he still loved her. “This would make a great movie,” she said softly. “Maybe,” he said. “But only if I end up winning the heart of the heroine.” “You’ve already done that,” she said, taking a glass of champagne from him. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to believe Torrie,” he said. “I trust you more than anyone in this world.” “I should have told you I was going to see Don,” she replied. “I never wanted it to be a secret. I just wanted to do it and get it over with.....so I could come back to you.” “Maybe we were both wrong?” he asked, melting her heart with his warm, blue eyes. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, kissing him so fiercely that it took his breath away. “Nothing will ever come between us again,” she told him. “I promise you.” “I’m glad you said that,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket for an envelope. “I was afraid I bought these for nothing.” She opened the envelope and took out two tickets. Scanning them quickly, a smile spread across her face. “Bermuda?” “It took a lot of begging....but Vince gave me a few days off. I thought you and I could finish making up.” The smile on her face pretty much gave him his answer. She checked the flight time and stared up at him. “This flight leaves in an hour!” “I know,” he said sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to give you a chance to back out.” “But I don’t have any clothes with me.” “That’s ok.....something tells me you aren’t going to need any.” 17. (Final Chapter) It was almost dawn when they arrived. Riding along in the cab, she stared in wonder as the sun came up over the ocean, casting a rosy glow on everything. “How did you manage to find this place so quickly?” she asked. “Well, it isn’t exactly what you’d call one of the major hotel chains. It’s a small seaside inn.....but the travel agent guaranteed that we’d love it.” Ten minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of an old, but beautifully maintained Victorian mansion. “Glenn...this is gorgeous.” She could see him visibly relax. “Thank goodness....I really didn’t want to have to go back and chokeslam that guy.” When they got inside. they were shown to a beautiful oceanfront room on the third floor. It was decorated in soft pastel colors and the sea breeze gently stirred the lace curtains at the window. “This is paradise,” she whispered. “No it isn’t...making love to you is paradise.” Before she could respond, he had her in his arms and locked in a burning kiss. “I want you Glenn,” she murmured. Without speaking he lifted her and placed her on the bed. Within minutes they were undressed, clothes strewn around the room in their eagerness. Dara released a sigh of contentment as his hands ran down her body slowly, feeling every smooth curve. When she felt the warmth of his lips against her neck she moaned in anticipation. Sliding her fingers through the tangled mass of his hair, she brought his head around for long, searing kiss. “Touch me,” she begged him as once more she could feel his hands begin their slow, sensuous journey. And touch her, he did. He caressed her breasts gently, before bending his head to follow with his tongue. Then slow and deliberately he slipped his hand between her legs smiling when her felt her complete and total response to him. “Now Glenn...please,” she urged. Slipping his hands underneath her, he raised her hips and moved deep inside of her. “Oh God...yes,” she groaned. He began to move, holding her gently, guiding them both along. Gradually they both began to feel that beautiful urgency begin to overtake them. Reaching down he wrapped her legs around his waist and moved harder and faster. Within moments, they were both caught up in an amazing release, the warmth enveloping them like a soft blanket. They laid together for some time, simply enjoying the closeness. “We should come here more often,” she teased. “It’s funny you should say that,” he said, playfully tugging at her hair. “I was just thinking the same thing. In fact...I was thinking that this would be a great place for a honeymoon.” It took a second for his words to sink in. “A honeymoon?” she repeated. He nodded silently, smiling shyly. “I’m not real good with words....I don’t always know the most romantic way to put things....but what I’m asking ....what I really want....” He took a deep breath, terrified that she would turn him down. “Dara....I want you to be my wife.” A slow, sweet smile spread across her lips. “Who says you’re not good with words? That sounded pretty romantic to me.” He continued to look at her....waiting for her response. She didn’t have the heart to tease him any more. “Glenn, more than anything in this world, I want to be your wife.” “You do?” he said in surprise. “Yeah..I do.” “Whoo hooo!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, causing her to laugh out loud. “I think you just woke up the whole island,’ she laughed. “Who cares? I’m gettin married!” He wrapped her in a huge hug, holding her so tightly she almost had trouble breathing. “And to think none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Don.” “Who’s Don?” she said, pulling him close for the first of a lifetime of sweet, warm kisses. Copyright © 2002 To Be Continued All rights reserved |