Heart Of Stone (17 page)

“So she changed your name?”

He shook his head. “No
, I
wanted
that
, when I was twelve. See he used to come around, when Constance would be out of town. Sniffing around my mom. I didn’t get it at first. But when I came to understand how badly he was misusing her… I didn’t want to be his son anymore. I gave up the name and we cut ties. He still tries to make contact, but I’ve shut that door. All he and that company do is use and abuse people, but he’s got the name so he gets away with it. I wish he’d just disappear but he holds on to some shred of hope that I’ll come around and take over.”

She looked at him with sad eyes. Fighting with herself. Should she tell him how deep she was in with his family business? How Donavan Kelly had so used and abused her that night?

“Why don’t you? I mean you could have everything you want at your fingertips.”

“Sure, without
working
for it. I’ve busted my ass to get this far. I won’t take the easy road now. I don’t want this bloodied money any more than you want your father’s. So you see I do know where you’re coming from.”

She bit her lip, she couldn’t tell him. It would enrage him, or disappoint him. She didn’t want to see either in his soulful blue eyes which looked at her so tenderly at just that moment. Kissing him she reached for his T-shirt, wanting,
needing
its protective covering.

“I’m going back to work in the morning.” She stated matter of factly. “I feel better. It’s time. Besides you’re working so hard, it’s about time we finish the space for your show, don’t you think?”

“Are you cross with me? For not telling you about who I’m related to sooner?”

“No.” Donnella turned to him. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. If you want to leave something in the past. The last thing you do is bring it up… Right?”

“Right… When can I see you again?”

“Since I’m staying right upstairs I’d say rather soon. Oh and I’m keeping the T-shirt. It smells like you.” She smirked.

17

“Welcome back, Miss Stone. I see the circus is still in town.” Harold smiled holding out a large carrot muffin with cream cheese frosting on top. “Peace offering?”

“You
are
lucky I don’t fire you.” She smirked taking the Espressino he had gone across town for and the muffin from his outstretched hands.

“I think the suspension was punishment enough.” He gingerly laughed. “I hated not working. Look at me I gained twelve pounds!” He gripped his stomach, there was a little pooch of skin in his delicate hands.

“Serves you right calling my father.”

“I panicked, you were in surgery. If something had happened and nobody had called him…” He closed her office doors, behind them.

“Okay, I get your point, but now how do we get him to go?”

“Beats me... But he’s been holding up space in the boardroom for two days.”

“Now that I’m back in the office that shit’s gonna stop.” She stood up, straightening her black calf length pencil skirt and wide necked purple silk blouse. She’d chosen the outfit because it kept her mind on more pleasant memories from the previous night, it looked good for the office but made her feel sexy at the same time. She unclipped her hair, letting it fall down in bouncy thick curls. “I’ve got to get him out of here…
Today
.”

***

Using the secondary walk-in closet as a dark room was the best idea Janet had about the use of the some of the extra space in the apartment. When Matthew awoke, he made a large breakfast, and was happy to look downstairs to find that the camera crew seemed to be gone. After a four mile run with Pepper, he took to developing the film from the night before. He also pulled out the camera from Christmas, wanting to see how the seashore photographs came along. When they had been separated he avoided developing them, not wanting the reminder kicking around the apartment. As it was he never touched any of her things. They had boundaries, and he kept to them. It was why he never tried to see her or bother her while she worked. Her world and his were different in that regard. What he did was open and honest, what you saw, was reasonably the fantasy of what you had. Her sorcery, it made people rich, in cash, his made them rich in life. Or at least that was the way he saw it. He hated the corporations, the politics. He just wanted to make people happy, and none he realized as her cinnamon freckled face came into view, more than Donnella Stone. “I’m in love with you.” He whispered to the air as a knock came to the door. Carefully he hung the photo to dry and answered the door. There was no one there only a package at his feet. He picked it up going inside. It was rather weighty, and addressed to him. Tearing it open some papers fell to the ground unnoticed as he found a camera, it was turned on and appeared to have something recorded on it. Curious he hit
play
.

***

“This is going to stop.
Today
.” Donnella demanded as she stormed into the boardroom Harmon Stone had taken as his personal office in her absence. He was sitting stoically at the head of the large desk with three of the shareholders who seemed frightened as she slammed the door shut behind her. “You come in here with your armed security. Push my people around like you still own the place. The fact is Father, you have not had a say in the goings on here for a decade! Do you realize that’s three years over my being able to have you declared legally dead? Which I would have done, had you not already given me the company upon what was to be your permanent sabbatical!”

Harmon strummed his fingers along the table with a grave look upon his face. Not saying a word. The three men sitting down from him shifted in their spaces uneasily.

“And you three. How could you be in
cahoots
with him? Haven’t I made you a dizzying amount of money? Don’t we stand to make even more now that I’m going to be acquiring Mcloughlin Financial?”

“That’s just the thing my child.” Harmon spoke up finally. “Seems Mcloughlin doesn’t want any part of you now that this has surfaced.” He slid a package across the table.

She picked it up, opening it, it was addressed to her father. Inside was a camcorder and a bunch of photographs which she ignored, she stared at the post it that read
Play with me?
She pressed the play button. The scene which played out in front of her she didn’t have to watch for long, it was the Surry Hotel, the penthouse suite. Donavan Kelly, Samuel Sinclair and
her
. Although the angle was just right as to hide their faces, her’s was in perfect view as Samuel bent her over the couch and tore off her skirt, the camera focused in on her tattoo. She realized someone else must have been there, someone else had been filming. Disgusted she smashed the camera across the room. Holding her arms around herself tightly. Looking down she saw the photographs. They were yellowed, showing signs of wear and age, at the corners but she remembered them. She remembered every humiliating pose her body had been twisted and forced into. The gag in her mouth, the hood over her head. The tightness of the corsets and the tail they shoved in her, to make her look like a good little pony as they rode her hard that night. She’d heard the camera shutters, felt the flashes of light even as she couldn’t see them. It was why she had hated the camera. Why she hesitated for so long when Matthew had asked. Now it was all coming back to haunt her. But why? Why would Donavan be so cruel? She knew it was him. He was the only one left who would do such an ugly thing to her. She should never have begged her father to spare him. Now he was practically untouchable. And since he never spoke on camera and his face was never in the shot she couldn’t even nail him for what he’d done on the tape. As watching it all the way through would have shown her struggle, her trying to get out of their grip. It proved compulsory rape. That is if the tape went to the end it did. But she’d destroyed it. Now she wouldn’t know. She held back the bile that rose up in her mouth. “Di- Did you watch the entire thing?” She managed without throwing up.

“We couldn’t stomach it.”

“
We
?” Now she was certain she was going to lose it. Her hands shook and she had to pace to keep from screaming. “You showed
them
?”

“No, my child. They were all sent a copy. Every one of the shareholders has seen this…”

“So I assume you are here to enforce your take back clause. To oust me then?” She was in tears. She couldn’t hold them back any longer.

Harmon stood up taking his daughter in his arms. “I would never think to do such a thing. We are right here for you. We are going to help you get in front of this. How we don’t know just yet. But-”

“But? But if you’ve watched it all then you would know that half way through I wanted it to stop, that they forced themselves on me. Daddy, it was college all over again. That was the night I ended up in the emergency room. That was New Year’s Eve!” She pointed at the smashed camera.

He kissed her head gently. “Shh it’s alright. I’ll figure out a way to take care of this. No one is untouchable. I’ll get to that son of a bitch Donavan. I promise you. As for Mcloughlin, I’ll iron him out too if I have too.”

“No, Daddy. I’ve got to deal with this, myself. I don’t know what Donavan wants. Or why he’s doing this, but I will find out.”

“Why don’t you go home for now, sweetie? This is all so unpleasant. We can hold down the fort today.”

“No, I think I’m going to go down to the gallery. I wanted to see about the space for Mathew’s show. It’s coming up soon and I want to be sure that it’s going to be perfect. Besides it will help settle me down. Seeing his work calms me for some reason.”

“If that’s what you want to do. Just take Anthony with you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

***

“You may not want to go anywhere right now.” Harold poked his head into Donnella’s office as she was collecting her things.

“Why’s that?” She turned looking exhausted. She’d managed to fix her makeup from the crying but only just, and Harold could tell there was something very wrong.

“Well I just got word that we should turn on the T.V.”

She picked up the remote control fumbling with it her hands shaking. “No, no, no.” She pleaded as the channels flicked. “What channel? She stopped on the nightly news as she heard the name.

‘Stone… Apparently our very own blue blood was quite the wild cat in her heyday folks. Photos have surfaced showing the Fortune 500 mogul in shiny leather and get this, a
tail
!” The reported made the sound of a horse braying. “We have reports also that just as recently as this past New Year’s Eve she recorded a very raunchy sex tape with not one but
two
high society men.
Oh
... it’s
too
spicy for television but we understand it may be available online.”

“Wonder what that adorable painter boyfriend has to say about it.”

“Oh yes, he has his debut show coming up in just a few weeks…”

Donnella dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as Harold turned off the television. He walked over to her and sat down on the floor.

“Donavan?”

She nodded.

“Has he made contact? Asked for anything?”

“No… I don’t’ think he plans to either. I think he did this as punishment.”

“For what? You haven’t seen him in what ten years?”

“I don’t think he ever got over my giving up the baby…”

***

Donnella had to use the service entrance to get into The Stone Tower, from there she took the elevator to Matthew’s floor. She stood in front of his door, relief washing over her, soon she would be in his arms and everything would feel perfect. She would have to tell him everything, but on her own terms. He would understand. He had to, if her father could, certainly Matthew would. She reasoned as she slipped her key into the dead bolt unlocking the door.

***

Matthew was sitting on the floor when she came in, the stereo was blaring and he was staring down at his hands. Pepper laid down at his feet. It took Donnella a moment to realize what he was holding but when she did, her heart sank. In his hands was the very same type of camcorder as the one her father had handed her and around him were what she assumed to be copies of the very same photographs. He would know it was her. He would recognise the lines of her body, the tattoo on her lower back. The curve of her breast. She turned off the stereo and he looked up, tears in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I…”

“That night in the hospital, you could have told me, what really happened. They… They brutalized you. And you just took it?”

She turned away from him, slightly. “Matthew you don’t understand, I was trying to…”

“Trying to what? Seal a deal with my
father
by
fucking
his
lawyer
? Yeah, I know who this guy is, now that I’m seeing him. I’d seen him with Gerald a few times. A real
scumbag
.” His voice was venomous. “Is this how you like your men to treat you?” He got up, walking briskly to her, grabbing her by the wrists tightly.

“Stop you’re hurting me!”

“Yeah but you like a little pain. I’ve seen it in your eyes. Every time I’m a little rough you light up like a fucking firecracker. Is that what I need to do so that you’ll want to stay with just me?”

“Matthew please, you’re gonna break my wrists.” She pleaded as he lifted her partly off the floor. He let her go. She fell, hitting her shoulder with a crack. She cried out, but he was so angry and hurt he didn’t care.

“Get out.”

“Matthew.”

“Get the
fuck
out!”

She scrambled to her feet clutching her arm, and ran from the apartment. Matthew sank to his knees, with a sob as his phone began to ring. He pulled it from his pocket.
Mom.
“Mom.” He cried. “I fucked it up. I was so fucking stupid and I fucked it up. I’m gonna lose her.”

“Calm down baby. Calm down. Pull yourself together. She needs you right now. Don’t leave her to deal with this shit storm alone. Go to her. Now!” She hung up on him.

He pulled his legs out from under him and got to his feet, running for the door, it swung open without any effort, on the other side crumpled and weeping was Donnella. Her legs having given out, she couldn’t go any further, and Cordell was nowhere to be seen. Matthew bundled her up and she gave out a heavy sob wrapping her arm around him as he carried her back inside.

“Baby I’m sorry.” He pleaded sitting her down on the couch, she clung tightly to him, her face buried deep into his shoulders and chest. “I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me. I- I love you.”

She froze, her sobs seizing in her throat at those three little words spoken aloud. She pulled back from him, staring up into his abysmal blue eyes. “Don’t say that… Don’t say that and not mean it.”

“Don’t you know me at all by now? I couldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” He brushed her hair from her face, wiping at her tears as she wiped at his. She reached up and he leaned down to kiss her softly. “I love you, so much more than I thought possible.”