Heart Of Stone (9 page)

“Let go of me Samuel. Don’t you dare make a scene. Especially not here.”

“I know that little cunny of yours gets wet when I manhandle it, so why don’t we go a round for shit’s and giggles?”

“I said let me go!” She tried to pull away as he pushed his fingers up against her through her dress.

There was a loud cracking sound in her ears and he was gone from her personal space and on the floor, his chair knocked back.

He held his chin, and spit blood on to the floor.

“I think she said to let her go.” Matthew spat, hardly winded towering over the now scrambling to get up Samuel.

The police security were on them both in an instant, as Donnella tried to explain. People stopped what they were doing to watch as the police officers ushered them all outside and pushed Matthew and Samuel into separate police cars, locking them down.

“Please you don’t understand!” Donnella pleaded. As they pulled away with them.

***

“What is taking so fucking long!” Donnella paced outside in the waiting area of the precinct where she and Harold had followed the police cars. “All I want to do is explain what happened.” She went up to the window again, just as one of the arresting officers came out from the back offices. “Finally! Listen, this is all my fault. See I was talking to Samuel, and he grabbed me!”

“It’s true officer.” Harold came to her side, his tablet in his hand, showing the officers a video. “As you can see, Mister Mayfield was attempting to stop Mister Sinclair from further assaulting my boss, Miss Donnella Stone.”

The officer looked to her, then the video once more. “Can I borrow this a moment?”

Harold handed it over.

“So you are Donnella Stone?”

She nodded, her face was flushed and her makeup smeared from crying. “I know I look like a two dollar hooker at the moment, but I assure you I am, Donnella Stone.” The cop handed her a handkerchief from his pocket and she wiped at her face. “Thank you.
Officer
?”

“O’Riley, Ben, O’Riley. That Samuel guy has one wild tale he’s shellin’, about you payin’ him to... Well I’m a gentleman, so I ain’t repeating what he’s been sayin’ but ya know where I’m goin’ with this?”

“He’s trying to get out of the fact that he sexually molested me, well you got it right there in color!” She countered. “Now please will you release Matthew Mayfield?”

“Will you be filing charges against Mister Sinclair? For the assault Miss Stone?” Ben asked, taking off his hat and fixing his hair.

“No, but you can hold him for the night if you’d like.”

He nodded with a smile. “We can do that, he did cause a ruckus at the Ball.”

Twenty minutes later and Matthew was being escorted out of the back by Officer O’Riley, who handed Harold the tablet and a card. “He’s all yours. If you ever need anything, here’s my card, for Miss Stone.” Harold nodded taking the card.

Donnella flew to Matthew, wrapping her arms around him, he let out an honest laugh mixed with the twinge of pain. “I thought they weren’t gonna let you out.” She mumbled into his chest, squeezing him hard.

“It’s okay, I’m right here, a little worse for the ware, and I’m not gonna be able to work very well for about six weeks, but I’m okay.”

“What?” She pulled away, seeing that he was wearing a sling and that his right hand was in a cast. “How?”

“Guys got a head like a rock, apparently. But I managed to knock out three of his permanent teeth, so I think that with you pressing charges you should be square.”

“I’m not pressing charges.”

“What?”

“We should take this away…” Harold insisted, grabbing them both by the elbows.

***

“How are you
not
pressing charges?” Back in the car Matthew was livid as he stared across the gulf of space between them.

“Because aside from putting his hands on me, he was right. I had been avoiding him to be with you.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” She huffed, then turned in her spot. “You knew about him? Since when?”

“Night one. Harold told me.”

Her eyes turned to Harold.

“He asked buttercup.”

“So you just told him?”

“Seemed like something he had a right to know. So there weren’t any misconceptions about his place in line on the totem pole.”

“Alright fine. Whatever. I’m still not pressing charges. But I can use this to void the arrangement. Walk away clean. No penalties for either side. If he wants to come calling we have the video to keep him away.”

“I’ve already sent it to the backup.” Harold smiled. “If you two could drop me home first, that would be great since I missed my ride at the Gov’s.”

“We can do that.” Donnella answered knocking on the glass. The partition dropped. “We’re taking Harold home first.”

Cordell nodded and the car slowed, turning around to head back to mid-town.

***

“Are you mad at me?” Once Harold had left the car Donnella attempted to talk to Matthew once more. He had said very little the rest of the ride, and she was growing concerned. They were still in their early stages and she wondered if perhaps, he was having second thoughts. “Do you want out of the arrangement?”

He looked at her briefly, then ran his fingers down the bridge of his nose. “No. I don’t know. It’s just been a lot. Really quick.” He sighed heavily. Looking down at his now broken hand. He’d never hit anyone before. Never had a reason to. What was this woman doing to him? “I’m tired and in pain. They gave me a prescription I have to get filled. Can we swing by a pharmacy?”

“Yeah, sure.” She tapped the glass again. “Pharmacy.”

***

When they arrived back at The Stone Tower Matthew was already feeling the effects of the OxyContin the doctors had given him. He had taken twice the recommended dosage, to try and dull everything swirling around inside his head and all that managed to do was make the world around him spin. Donnella had Cordell help her get him into the apartment and past Pepper who barked aggressively at Cordell upon entering with Matthew over his shoulder.

“There’s a spare bedroom, just over there.” She pointed Cordell in the right direction as she calmed down the concerned pup. “Shh, it’s okay, Daddy’s just a little high right now. I’ll let you outside okay?” She knew that in a pinch Pepper would use the grass pad Matthew had bought for the terrace, and she considered this to be a pinch.

When she came back without Pepper she found Cordell still in the apartment waiting for her. “Ma’am.”

“Go home. I’m responsible for that mess in there, time I cleaned it up.”

“With all due respect, I think the man needs a break. More than just the one in his hand. We need recharging too, and this guy has been running ragged for you.”

She looked at Cordell.  “I think that is the most you have ever said to me at one time… Like ever.”

“It needs being said, Ma’am. You’re other suitors… They didn’t take you into account. This one shows interest.” With those words Cordell turned and let himself out.

Donnella looked into the room, then at herself. Going back up the stairs, she retrieved Pepper and then silently took her leave of the apartment.

9

Matthew awoke to a throbbing hand and a quiet apartment. He looked around expecting to find some sign of Donnella milling about, sure she wouldn’t have left him in the state he had been in the previous night.

“Fuck, did I actually say I wanted
out
?” He ran his hands through his shortened hair. Sort of missing how it used to fall into his face more and curl behind his ears. Now it faded up and needed product to look presentable. He was still in the tux, and the sling. Going upstairs he let Pepper out while he stripped, waited for her, then climbed into the hot shower. Glad for the massagers that were built in, as he felt like he’d been hit by a train. Of course showering with his hand hanging out of the stall was rather annoying, but he was tall enough to accomplish the task with ease.

Scrubbed, and dressed at least partly, as he had on pants he fumbled with his phone. Using the left hand was not a simple task, when he was not a lefty in the least. He saw he had a voice mail, and a missed call from Donnella. He hit the call back first but it went to voice mail. “Listen it’s me, anything I said last night. Forget. I didn’t mean it. Please call me.” He hung up. Then dialed his voice mail.

***

‘Matthew,

Last night you were so far gone I didn’t want to leave, but I took some good advice given to me. I may be pushing you too hard. I see that now. I can be ravenous at times and selfish. I have some business to attend to over the next few days. Some taking me out of town. So take that time to decide what you need.’

“What I
need
?” He hung up the phone. “What I
need
is a kick in the head.”

***

Donnella sat at her desk inside The Stone & Co. Offices located in Lower Manhattan. The view it’s only saving grace. She’d spent the better part of three days trying to get around Donavan Kelly and the rest of his staff to get a meeting with Gerald M. Mcloughlin and been stonewalled every step of the way. Her proposal was solid. She knew the old man would go for it, if she could just get him to look at it. She growled tossing back her head. It was Christmas Eve, her least favorite of the holidays. All of her staff left early for the office party she let them throw in the lower levels, but never herself attended. All except Harold. He waited patiently for her to finish her little temper tantrum.

“You should just call him already.”

“I said I would give him the space he needed. Told him to call me. He hasn’t so obviously he’s still working things out.”

“Actually, from what Xavier told me, he took the train back to Connecticut to see his family and friends for the holiday.”

“That must be nice.”

“What’s that, the train? God no, it’s filthy and awful!”

“No, Harold, family for the holidays.”

“Oh, right. Your father sent another large check. With a snow globe from Aruba.”

“Back in the Islands. Good old dad.”

“Seems that way.”

She let out a deep sigh. “I’m done here, but do me a favor before you drink yourself into a merry little elf. Make a note to call Kelly on the twenty- sixth and tell him I want to meet. Anytime.”

“Yes, Miss Stone.”

***

“So now you’re home with your tail between your legs?” Mary, Matthew’s mother asked matter-of-factly as she took a sip of mulled cider. As soon as he walked through the door she could see the distress in his contact filled eyes. He had hugged her tightly and over a batch of her cider told her the whole story. Meeting Donnella, how they spent their time. He didn’t keep things from her, she knew about his other girlfriends. Not that that was what Donnella was. Not exactly. That was part of the rules too wasn’t it? He wasn’t even supposed to be telling her any of this. But this was
mom
. Mom wasn’t going to run to the tabloids. She didn’t run with the tales of his father, so why would she now?

“You’re in love with her?” She asked gently.

“I don’t know…
Maybe
.”

“Maybe?”

“I just don’t know. I mean it’s been what like a month since I met the woman? But she makes me
feel
things. I just don’t know.”

“What do you know?”

“That I want to see her again.”

“Then see her again.”

“You make that seem so simple.”

“It is. You pick up the phone. You call the girl, and invite her here for New Years. Either she say yes and comes or she doesn’t. Either way you have your answer. Now let’s go watch
It’s a Wonderful Life.
You can call her in the morning, and wish her a Merry Christmas.”

***

“Merry Christmas.” At 12:01 A.M. Mathew smiled into the phone. Hearing Donnella’s voice quietly answer on the other line, he knew he had woken her, but he wanted his voice to be the first one she heard that morning.

“Matthew?” She questioned more alert. He could hear her siting up and shuffling out of bed. “Where are you? You sound so far away?”

“Connecticut. I went to see my Mom for Christmas. We have a tradition of overpriced turkey and movies to watch.”

“Sounds nice.”

“I’d have invited you except you said you had work all the way through the week. I know how you are about that.”

“Yeah…” She leaned against her bathroom doorframe, the thought of him being so far off making her sad.

“You okay?” He asked hearing the change in her voice.

“I’m fine. I’m glad you called. I’ve, well to be honest, I’ve sort of missed you.”

Now it was his turn to lean. “Me too. What are you doing today?”

“Me?” She straightened up, as though he’d walked in the door. “Nothing, just some paperwork, probably order from the Chinese place down the street.”

“Why don’t you hop in that big old SUV of yours and come down here, it’s only an hour and a half ride? Probably less since there’ll be like no one on the road this time of night.”

She sucked on her lip, her hand to her neck, not saying anything. “Well, I…”

“C’mon.”

“Alright. Gimmie your address and I’ll punch it into the GPS.”

“Thatta girl.”

“Should I bring anything?”

“Just your overnight bag, and some warm clothes. Oh and those boots, it snowed tonight.”

***

Donnella sat in her Lincoln navigator, about three houses down from her destination according to her GPS, her fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. “What are you doing? You don’t chase men. You don’t do as they tell you. They come to you. They do as they are told.” She tried reminding herself that she was supposed to be the one in control of the arrangement. Yet at every turn he seemed to meet her, move for move. She started the car, ready to turn back when there came a tapping to the window and she jumped with a scream.

“For fucks sake!” She rolled down the window, seeing Matthew in his pajama pants, galoshes and a sweater. His arms wrapped around himself.

“It’s just down here, C’mon.” He ran around the car, hopping into the front seat with her. Warming his hands on the heat vents.

She pulled up to the house and stopped the SUV, but not turning it off, instead she just looked at him. He cracked a smile, and leaned over taking the little crocheted hat off her head and giving her a kiss.

Her arms instantly wrapped around him letting him pull her across the width of the vehicle. She shimmied underneath him as she unbuttoned her pants and he pulled down his own. She hit the recline, it took a little work and a bit of spit, but finally he was inside her. She let out a muffled gasp, as he rocked against her. She grabbed the handle above her head to keep her spot as he sped up. Letting go only to run her nails up the inside of his sweater digging into his back, causing him to thrust harder, and deeper. Forcing her to yelp into his shoulder. He grabbed her face, planting a hard kiss on her. His hands moving all around, as though he couldn’t make up his mind what part of her he wanted more. Her breasts, her mouth. He pulled up her top, she wasn’t wearing a bra, which let him have free reign over them, and he devoured her fleshy mounds greedily.

“Oh, how I’ve missed that mouth.” She panted as she came bucking hard against him. “And those hands...”

“These hands?” He asked, pulling back and out of her, only to fill her once more with two of his fingers, twisting them upward, his thumb rubbing her clit with purpose, the roughness of the cast against her flesh was a new yet pleasant sensation.

“Matthew…Oh…” She was grabbing the handle again, trying to get away, but he held her down as the orgasm built up on her again. He arched his back, really working on her, her essence filling the cabin of the SUV, his fingers were getting sufficiently soaked and he pulled them out slightly letting the sticky sweetness of her ebb out and down her backside. Easily he took his pinky finger and tapped her anus. She froze up, her chest heaving as she looked at him. “What?”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He promised, leaning over and kissing her again, more gently. As he did he eased his fingertip against her tightest of openings, and with a little push upward it gave to him. She let out a long moan, as he dipped his other fingers back inside her, now working her from each hot spot at once. Her eyes rolled back. She could feel every push, every prod of his callouses as he wiggled and bent his miraculous digits. His mouth working her mouth, his other hand on her breasts. There wasn’t a part of her neglected and she came, tightening around his hand. A fountain of liquid soaking him, and he let out a little laugh.

“W-what?” She gasped, still pulsing against him. As he pulled his fingers away watching her in awe in the full moon’s light.

“I thought
that
was a myth.” He chuckled.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” She tried to sit up but her legs were too weak to move her weight.

“You actually
squirted
.” He leaned up and kissed her again. “It was awesome to watch.”

“You should have felt it.” She dropped her head back on to the head rest, her chest heaving, heart racing. “You didn’t come…” She whispered, looking back down at him, seeing his raging hardon.

“We can worry about that after, but for now, can I try and make you do that again?”

Her eyes went wide, as he smiled fiendishly at her cracking his knuckles.

***

“So I see New Year’s Eve turned into Christmas Morning…” Mary quipped as Donnella and Matthew tried to sneak into the house at four in the morning. She was in a furry bathrobe and slippers with two cups of hot chocolate. “Thought you might be needing these. After being outside so long.” She handed them the mugs.

“Um, mom this is Donnella Stone, Donnella this is my mother, Mary Mayfield.”

Donnella held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Missus Mayfield, I’m sorry for the hour. Matthew and I we just-”

“I know what you
just
. What you need to
just
be doing is washing up and getting some shut eye,
now
. I’ll see you both in the morning.” She turned around and walked back up the stairs without shaking Donnella’s hand.

“Oh, wow.” Donnella turned three shades of red, looking up at Matthew, whose eyes were wide with embarrassment.

“I swear she isn’t usually like that.”

“Well I can see where you get your directness from.” She laughed. “But I get it. I’m thinking you’ve never brought a girl into the house before.”

“Come to think of it… No, actually. But it was her idea to invite you for New Year’s.”

“Which would have given her time to prep to meet me. Not have her run into me after you fucked my brains out in my car outside her house at four in the morning.”

“You raise an excellent point, see this is why you are the lawyer and I’m not.” He took a sip of the hot chocolate with a smirk.

***

“Never, like ever? I don’t believe it.”

“I’ve never even heard of it, let alone watched it, for twenty four straight hours.”

“Ma, she’s never seen
A Christmas Story
. Can you believe that?”

“Stranger things have happened.” Mary smiled without looking up from the asparagus she was snapping. While Matthew peeled potatoes and Donnella watched.

“We always went to the Hamptons for Christmas, and then it was stupid parties and mixers until New Years. Then to the Apple for the ball to drop.”

“Well you’ll find it rather dull here then, sweetie. Here we curl up by the fire, read some Dickens. Watch some old movies and just spend time relaxing and not fretting about the day to day crazy.” Mary tossed the asparagus in a pan to soak.

“Sounds wonderful.”

“It’s nice.” Matthew assured her, getting up from his chair, grabbing her by the arm. “Come here, both of you.”

His mother came over with a heavy sigh. And Donnella looked at him strangely.

“You two need to put the claws away. No, don’t protest, I can see it on both your faces. You both want my time. You’ll get it, in measure, too. But you’ve got to get along, there’s so much you have in common. You’re both strong women, both bust your humps day in and out for what you want. And let’s face it you both think I’m adorable.”