The Prince Charming Hoax (8 page)

“
Yes, fine. I need to freshen up, that
’
s all.
”
Roxie smiled, but she felt unstable. When she reached the ladies room, she was relieved to see a lounge area with big, overstuffed chairs and a couch in the foyer of the rest room. She sat at the vanity and wet a washcloth to press against her face, then wobbled over and plopped down on a chaise.

She wondered why she was suddenly so woozy. She didn
’
t feel sick, just sort of detached from reality. She noticed her dress had hiked up when she sat down, exposing her tiny underwear, but she didn
’
t feel compelled to do anything about it.
“
What is happening?
”
she muttered.

“
Hey, are you all right?
”
Rita suddenly appeared and sat down on the end of the chaise. She stroked Roxie
’
s face.
“
You don
’
t look so good, honey. Is there something I can do?
”

“
I don
’
t know. I suddenly feel weird.
”

Rita moved her hand down Roxie
’
s face, over her shoulder, and then lightly stroked her breast. Roxie
’
s instinct was to pull away, but her body was on fire. She felt her breasts swell as her nipples hardened. Rita slid her hand down to Roxie
’
s thigh. Roxie knew she should be horrified, but it felt so good. Rita was leaning over her and whispering something, but Roxie couldn
’
t make it out. She felt like she was in a dream, like she was outside herself, watching. She felt her legs being gently spread apart, and Rita
’
s finger gently slipping inside her, but she didn
’
t try to stop it. She felt mesmerized by Rita
’
s blue eyes and soft whisper.

Rita dropped her gaze to look down at Roxie
’
s crotch, which was totally exposed now.
“
You have such a beautiful pussy.
”
She wet her finger and moved it deftly over the swollen area she had just admired. Roxie felt an explosive series of contractions begin inside her. Her hips started to rise and she quickly had an orgasm like she had never known before.

Rita smiled and sucked on the finger she had used to stroke Roxie.
“
You have a sweet, beautiful pussy, Roxie. Do you want to taste mine?
”

“
No. I—
”

“
What the hell is going on here?
”
D.J. burst in and knocked Rita over as he loomed over Roxie. He looked closely at Roxie
’
s glazed-over eyes and faraway look.
“
What did you do to her, Rita? Did you slip something in her drink?
”

“
I wanted her to have fun her first night here, that
’
s all.
”
Rita cowered, dragging herself backward across the floor, away from D.J.

“
What did you give her?
”

“
Oh, just a little Ex. Nothing that can hurt her.
”

“
You bitch! You know better than to mix that crap with alcohol. You could kill her.
”

He checked Roxie
’
s pulse and her pupils, which were dilated.
“
How much did you dump in her drink, Rita? You better tell me the truth because if anything happens to her, you
’
re going to die.
”

“
D.J., no!
”
Rita covered her face with her arm to protect herself.

“
I
’
m not going to hit you, bitch. How much did you give her and was it mixed with any other shit?
”

“
Only about a half a tab. It was clean, I swear!
”

D.J. lifted Roxie up and strode out, kicking Rita once as he left.
“
You better get your ass out of here, and I better never see you around again. And if you
’
re lying to me, no one will ever see you around anywhere again. You got that?
”

“
Whatever you say, D.J.
”
Rita ran into the restroom area and locked herself in a stall.

Roxie felt like she was watching the whole thing on a movie screen, except that she had a starring role. She had never felt like this before. She wasn
’
t connected, but she was totally connected. Every touch to her skin sent waves of electric excitement through her. She buried her face in D.J.
’
s neck.

“
Where are we going?
”

“
I
’
m taking you home, Roxie. Hang on, honey. I
’
m going take care of you.
”

“
Fuck me, D.J. I need to get fucked.
”

He placed her gently down in the limo.
“
Not now, Roxie. First you have to sit up and drink some water. Lots of water.
”
He reached into the refrigerator and took out a bottle.

Roxie took a swig.
“
OK, fuck me now. I am so hot!
”

“
Hold on. First we need to make sure you
’
re all right. Do you understand where you are and what happened?
”

Roxie was confused about what happened and she certainly didn
’
t want D.J. to know what Rita did.
“
I was feeling weird, and Rita was trying to help,
”
she lied.

“
Rita put a drug in your drink, Roxie. Did you ever take Ecstasy?
”

“
No. Is that why I
’
m feeling like this?
”
she asked dreamily. All she could think about right now was how sensitive every touch to her skin felt.
“
I
’
m feeling better now. I think the drinks were making me spin out, that
’
s all.
”
She undid the zipper of his pants.

D.J. pushed her hand away.
“
Roxie, drink the water. It
’
s important.
”

“
If I drink the bottle of water, will you fuck me, D.J.? I really want you.
”

“
I don
’
t want to take advantage of you, Roxie. It
’
s the drugs talking now, not you.
”

“
Hey, I wanted you yesterday, didn
’
t I? I sure as hell wanted you before we got here. So, now I want you more.
”
She stroked D.J.
’
s thigh, but he placed his hand firmly over hers.

Roxie leaned back and drank the bottle of water slowly. She took deep, long gulps until she reached the bottom of the bottle. She held the last swig of water in her mouth and then put her face in his crotch, placing his erection in her wet mouth.

“
Roxie, you are one incredible woman,
”
D.J. moaned. He pushed a button on the door and curtains rolled down around the outside windows and the window between the back seat and the driver.

“
Jack, let
’
s take a long drive before bringing the lady home,
”
D.J. ordered and then turned off the intercom.

Chapter
8

Leah woke up early to get some work done. If she didn
’
t send out some query letters to editors now, she wouldn
’
t have any assignments when she was ready to go back to work after the move. First she
’
d have to go through more than one hundred emails, though. She had never before gone two full days without checking email and decided never to do it again.

Twenty-nine were from Doug, all written from his secret Hotmail account. They
’
d had a good laugh over that one. Once their email correspondence started to steam up, Doug could no longer take a chance on using the company email, so he got a Hotmail address for their hot mail.

Leah no longer felt amused by anything related to Doug. She noted there were eight emails from him on Wednesday. Then he must have gone on a writing frenzy while on the flight to Paris and sent them all when he landed for a connecting flight at some point. Leah could see most of them were sent at the same time on Thursday. She highlighted them all and dragged them, unopened, into a folder marked DDD.

She had saved every email they
’
d exchanged since she began seeing him again nine months before.
“
The whole history of our relationship could be told with those messages,
”
she thought. She often went in and reread the love notes and sexual fantasy mail they exchanged while apart. The emails had been a source of comfort when she was lonely. But for now, she wanted them to remain out of sight so she could keep him out of her mind.

She stared at the folder with his initials. She had to admit she missed him and the long phone calls they shared while he was on the road. He also phoned her from his car while commuting to New York from his home in Connecticut. The best calls, though, were the early morning and late night calls from his hotel rooms. They
’
d have phone sex, and while it wasn
’
t nearly as good as doing it in the flesh, it was fun and gave her something to look forward to in the lonely weeks between his visits.

Leah let her cursor hover over the folder, debating whether she should read the emails or not. Her instinct guided her to turn her attention back to her inbox.

Two were from her new literary agent. Leah
’
s stomach did a flip-flop. Good news right now could change everything. Her original agent, who subsequently left the agency, had shopped her book proposal for
Sexcess in the Suburbs: Put the Ms-tery Back in Your Life After Divorce,
to a dozen publishers. The new agent was less enthusiastic about Leah
’
s prospects of selling the proposal, and she had wasted no time telling her so.

“
Please, please say someone wants me,
”
she whispered as she opened the first email.

To: Leah Gold
From: Robin West

Date: June 4

Dear Ms. Gold,

Attached are five more negative responses from publishers regarding your proposal. I am still awaiting replies from the editors at Hanover House and Arrow & Co.
Will let you know as soon as I hear from them.

Sincerely, Robin West

Leah moved onto the next email, saying a quick, silent prayer for a more promising message.

To: Leah Gold
From: Robin West

Date: June 5

Dear Ms. Gold,

Attached are the last two responses from publishers contacted in regards to your manuscript. Since none of the twelve publishers have expressed interest in SEXCESS IN THE SUBURBS: PUT THE MS-TERY BACK IN YOUR LIFE AFTER DIVORCE, I am withdrawing from my position as your agent for this book. As I explained when I took over your representation from my predecessor at this agency, I do not feel a connection to your writing or subject matter. This, of course, does not mean you should not seek representation somewhere else. Tastes vary widely, and someone who can wholeheartedly support your work may better serve your interests.

Best of luck to you,
Robin West

Leah clicked the reply button impulsively.

Dear Ms. Smug Fuck Face,

Your last note was so very encouraging. I can
’
t tell you how much I
’
ve enjoyed working with you. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,
Leah Gold

Leah sat back in her chair, glumly staring at the screen. She changed the salutation to
“
Dear Ms. West,
”
hoping the sarcasm of the note would come through anyway, and hit
“
send.
”
She closed her eyes and focused on numbing her brain and squelching her inner critic voice, which was having a field day at her expense right now.

The phone rang. She opened her eyes to check the call screen, but didn
’
t recognize the incoming number.
“
Please be someone I want to talk to,
”
Leah muttered as she picked up the phone. A voice broke in before she had a chance to say hello.

“
Leee-ah. It
’
s Friday!
”

“
I have a desk calendar, Jonathan. You could have saved your minutes. Where are you calling from, anyway?
”

“
I
’
m on a friend
’
s boat, using his phone. You told me to call you today, remember? To give you the details about the gallery opening tomorrow.
”

“
Oh, I forgot all about it. Sorry. You know, tomorrow
’
s not good after all. It
’
s Ali
’
s prom.
”

“
So you
’
re not going, too, are you?
”

“
No, but all the kids meet in one place before going to the prom and all the parents come, too. It
’
s a real photo opportunity.
”

“
What time is that?
”

“
I don
’
t know. Early, I suppose. What time is the opening?
”

“
Starts at 7:30, but we don
’
t have to be there until later. Why don
’
t I take you to Ali
’
s little get together and then we
’
ll go to the gallery? I
’
d love to see Ali all dressed up. I bet she
’
ll be the prettiest girl there.
”

Leah felt her ill humor softening. Jonathan really did care about Ali, which endeared him to her. Ali was crazy about him, too. They could talk for hours about their artwork, and Ali often consulted Jonathan to help her with her school projects.

“
All right. Come here around 6:30 tomorrow. That should be enough time to take her over to her party and take pictures, too. Remind me when you get here, and I
’
ll fill you in on her date disaster and why she
’
s going alone. I
’
m trying to get some work done now, though. See you tomorrow.
”

“
Later, Leah.
”

Leah scanned the rest of her email. Junk. She hit
“
Select All
”
and then
“
Delete.
”

“
There are a few people I
’
d like to be able to get rid of that easily.
”

Leah was restless. She felt like she had so much to do and yet nothing to do. She looked out at the lake, but her frustration remained.
“
The beach is calling my name. I think I
’
ll send out those query letters later.
”

She stuck her head in Ali
’
s room.
“
Ali, what time is your exam?
”
The pillow over Ali
’
s head muffled her reply.
“
Ali, do you have your alarm set? I
’
m going to the beach.
”

“
Yes! Leave me alone!
”

The big difference between Leah and Ali was their personal timing. Leah was a morning person—up at 5 a.m. and usually in bed, asleep, by 11 p.m. Ali was the complete opposite. Even as a little girl, she stayed up all night, singing and talking to her dolls. She never slept through the night as a baby, and she didn
’
t now. But although she preferred until sleep to noon, she was responsible about getting to school and work on time, so Leah left her alone.

It was a perfect morning for a run. The weather was unusually cool for June in Florida, and Leah felt the need to purge last night
’
s demons. She could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that came over her yesterday. Only two things helped when she was overcome with the fear. She could write in her journal or go to the beach. Weather and daylight permitting, she chose the beach. In the black of night, she wrote for hours in her journal.

But not even the one-mile run to the beach dispelled the demons this morning. She still had the nagging sense of doom. Hot and sweaty when she reached the beach, she bought a bottle of water and sat on her favorite bench.

Leah took out the small notebook she carried with her wherever she went from the pocketed sports belt she wore and jotted down some notes. She leafed through the pages of the book, reading random selections. While she was writing, she was rarely pleased with her work. Then, when she read it over later on, she
’
d be surprised at how good it was.
“
Somewhere in the pages of my journals is a great book,
”
she thought.
“
And one day soon I
’
m going to write it.
”
She smiled at the prospect.
“
Then Ms. Robin West will rue the day she dumped me. And so will that asshole, Doug.
”

Leah closed her journal and dialed Roxie
’
s cell. She was about to hang up when Roxie finally answered after six rings.

“
Did I wake you, Rox? I thought you
’
d be on your way to work by now.
”

“
What time is it? Shit, almost 8:30? Leah, it
’
s a good thing you woke me.
”

“
You must have had a good time with D.J., then.
”

“
Yeah. He was fine. But, if you can call having someone slip drugs in your drink a good time, then I had a blast.
”

“
What? He put drugs in your drink?
”

“
No! Some chick at the club D.J. took me to put Ecstasy in my drink. But, he got me out of there and flushed me with water. I
’
m fine. Actually, the evening went very well after that.
”

“
Rox, are you mad? You went to a club you
’
ve never been to before with a guy you barely know and get drugged. And you
’
re telling me the evening went very well?
”

“
Leah, did you ever do Ecstasy?
”

“
Never. But I do know the stuff
’
s dangerous when you take it with alcohol, especially when it
’
s put in your drink without your knowledge! And what do you know about this guy D.J., anyway? Mr. Hottie hardly seems your type to me.
”

“
Come on, Leah. I like being on the edge and taking risks. You know I
’
d never take the stuff intentionally, but I have to tell you, the sex was amazing last night. Even better than the first time.
”

“
Rox, I
’
ve had this overwhelming sensation since yesterday that something bad was going to happen to someone I care about. Do you remember if you used protection, at least?
”

“
Yeah, yeah.
”

“
Are you sure you
’
re all right?
”

“
Something very strange did happen to me, but I
’
ll tell you about it later. Right now I have to get going. I
’
m already in hot water over the other
’
s day disappearance. I
’
ll call you later.
”