Deceived - Part 3 Chloe's Revenge (11 page)

Epilogue

Standing barefoot at the water’s edge, I barely noticed the warm waves licking at my ankles. Once again, I had left my shoes behind in the loose white sand. It reminded me of the somber night in the Hamptons, nine months ago, but this time it was different. While I was staring at the velvety deep blue sky over the horizon, I realized my life had changed 180 degrees, a complete opposite of that dark night.

The warm tropic wind playfully whipped the blue and white flowered sarong around the sun kissed skin of my thighs, and the sound of the waves washing onto the North shore of Oahu, Hawaii, muffled the voices of the other vacationers on the beach. An indiscernible sound echoed in my ear, drawing my attention. I held onto my wide brimmed floppy straw hat, as I turned to look back in the direction of our lounge chairs, straining to hear the sound repeated. Nothing came. The chairs stood empty, the green and white striped beach towels flapping in the breeze. The wind gusted harder, an odd juxtaposition against the bright noon time sun, filling my ears only with its blast. I pivoted to walk back up the beach, holding my hat to my head with one hand, and smiled, relieved to see Patrick walking down the beach towards our chairs, holding what I assumed were drinks in his hand. Exhaling an audible sigh, I ran up the stretch of sand between us, digging my toes into the soft turf, as I tramped right past my pink sandals, half buried in sand. I had to yell over the sound of the gusting wind.

“Where did you go?” I shouted, as I approached. He came closer, and a wide open smile spread across his face. Dressed in tan flip flops and blue board shorts, he extended an elaborately decorated Mai Tai, garnished with a red cherry, a pineapple wedge and a little pink paper umbrella, in my direction.

“For you. And wait, there’s more,” he said, with a sheepish grin. He pulled a Hawaiian lei out of a bag, strung with purple and white plumeria flowers. My eyes danced with delight as he ceremoniously placed the lei over my head, draping it around my neck, and leaned down to kiss me sweetly on my lips.

“I love it, Patrick.” I blinked up in adoration at him.

“Now you have been officially welcomed to Hawaii, my dear.” We both laughed and relaxed back into our lounge chairs under the straw covered umbrella, enjoying our tropical drinks and the view of the white capped waves rolling into the secluded cove, at our resort.

“Cheers,” Patrick said holding up his drink, waiting for my clink. “To conviction.”

“To conviction. She deserved three years for what she did.” I smirked. “I’m happy with three years.”

“I was hoping for ten but... I’ll take three years. The important thing is that her empire has crumbled. Most of the clients are now ours, and by the time she gets out of prison, she will have to start over.” The ping of a cell phone urged Patrick to lean over and retrieve it from the bag. After a few moments with his eyes on the screen, he snorted. “Ryan just texted me that Francisco was extradited to a French prison.” He looked up from the phone and turned his face to me. “Apparently, the U.S. federal prison system was a little too painful for his sorry ass,” he said, shaking his head with disgust, and turned his gaze out to the water, squinting off into the horizon. A laugh escaped my lips, in spite of the fact that I felt slightly guilty about poking fun at someone’s misfortune, but Francisco had made his own bed, and how he had to lie in it. The handsome and talented artist just didn’t have the integrity to resist the temptations of fast money, or people who wielded their power over him.

I squinted up into the sun, pursing my lips together and broke the silence. “I guess all things must come to an end, eventually.” Another big gust of wind blew up our beach towels, capsizing all of our belonging into the soft sand, and sending my straw hat flying, as I wasn’t quick enough to plop my hand on my head this time. The high pitch notes of my squeal blew away on top of the wind, as we simultaneously grabbed at the items hurled into the sand by the powerful Trade Winds, so common at this time of year in Hawaii.

“Let’s go in.” Patrick said. “This wind is crazy and I think I’m starting to burn anyway. I don't want to be red as a lobster and not able to have you touch me,” he laughed, collecting up the tousled items, and putting them in my customary oversized beach bag.

“Lobster, eh? I like lobster,” I teased. Placing my lips slowly and deliberately around the straw of my Mai Tai, and not breaking eye contact, I sucked hard on the straw, draining every last drop of my drink, until it made a gurgling sound. His eyes widened, as a growl erupted from deep in his throat, and a boyish smile revealed his gleaming white teeth, decadent against his tan skin.

“I’m ready,” he said, urgently and frantically scooped up the beach towels in one stroke, comically over-exaggerating his movements, to show his eagerness to return to our bungalow. The resort offered standard hotel rooms with balcony views of the ocean, apartments where people could actually live here on the North shore, and open, breezy bungalows, set along the stretch of sand to the west of the main hotel building, just a few steps past the pool area. We had opted for one of the bungalows, as it had its own beach access, fire pit, and hemp woven hammock strung between two trees. Straight out to the front of our bungalow, was a breathtaking view of white capped waves, their snowy caps enhanced by the deep blue of the sky, constantly in rhythmic motion. Our little piece of heaven for the week.

Back in the bungalow, Patrick impatiently released the bag from my shoulder, his eyes dark and blazing with desire, and swooped me up in his arms, rolling us onto the bed, pushing his hands through my hair and claiming my mouth with his, in a raw act of possession. Passion pounded the blood through my heart, chest and head, and I couldn’t resist his bundle of demanding fervent energy. Seductively sliding down between his legs, I made good on the suggested promise, implied earlier at the beach when I sucked hard on the straw. The remainder of the afternoon was filled with writhing, arching, and thrusting, as the heat index of the room rose to a sweaty crescendo and we released our deeply felt passion for each other, burning the sheets off of the bed with our fire filled lovemaking.

Our warm bodies gracefully rolled apart from each other, and I flung my arm out to feel the cool sheets against my skin. I turned my head to look at Patrick and he was smiling contentedly at me. Gazing at his handsome face, the face of my own security and happiness, the face of the center of my world, my mind wandered back in time, back to when my future was more elusive. But I stopped that thought; I didn’t want to dwell on the past, as the last six months, after the arrest of Francisco and Anna, had been wonderful. His smile relaxed, his eyelids fluttered and rested shut. He looked magnificent lying there, and he had proven to be the perfect boyfriend any woman could dream of. With the sour anxiety of Anna’s manipulations long gone, we were able to focus on developing a much deeper and more trustful relationship. I still had my apartment, but I no longer felt the need to move slowly. A future with Patrick next to me, for the rest of my life, would be heaven. I was more than ready to move forward and I felt this trip to Hawaii was the first big step in that direction. I trusted and believed he felt the same way too, and succumbing to the numbed sleep of the satisfied lover, I blissfully slipped into the twilight state of altered consciousness, until it was time to get ready for dinner.

“Wear something nice,” Patrick said, in a low and authoritative voice. “Nice and sexy,” he added with a smile. “I’ve made a reservation for us at the finest restaurant in the resort. A coat and tie is required for me so... you get the picture.” He playfully swatted me on the bottom, his hand guiding me in the direction of the shower, as I buoyantly skipped a step, and tried to avert the sting of his hand. A warm glow flowed through my body as I stepped into the shower to prepare for the evening. I knew exactly which dress and heels to wear, and after fixing my long auburn hair into loose flowing curls that swept down over my sun bronzed shoulders, we headed over to the main hotel building. Patrick looked as dashing as ever, his dark suit, fitting his well-toned frame like a model off the pages of GQ magazine. The shiny, black, silver edged cufflinks provided a clean contrast to the crisp, white color of his dress shirt.

When we passed through the pool area on our walk over, I noticed how Patrick’s East coast formal attire stood out among the usual vacationers. Although the overriding trend in Hawaii was to dress casual, tonight’s venue required the exception. The guests at the pool area were in shorts, but it was nearly eight o’clock at night and his dark suit would fit right in, once inside the dimmed lights of the restaurant. Walking arm in arm, I glanced up, cocking my head to the side, drinking in Patrick’s handsome profile, proud to be seen with him, as we paraded past all the wide-eyed girls, sipping coconut flavored drinks at the outdoor pool bar. I threw a cautionary glance their way thinking, “
Yup, he’s mine!”

Once inside the elegantly decorated restaurant, the maître de sat us at a cozy, linen draped table for two. The mood was right, the lighting was warm, the music softly piped into the room wrapped us in a cocoon of serenity, and the combination of the entire decor, created the perfect backdrop for a romantic dining experience. The waiter appeared at our table, and speaking in what I assumed was a Czech Republic accent, handed Patrick the wine list for his perusal. Hawaii attracted people from all over the world who longed to live in its paradise-like, tropical climate, where the weather was nearly always a constant, seventy-eight degrees all year round. After scanning the list for a few moments, he said, “I think tonight we should celebrate with champagne,” he announced, looking up with a twinkle in his eye.

“Yes, let’s do. We can celebrate the Baroness’ conviction and all.” I said, lightheartedly.

The waiter returned and Patrick ordered a bottle of one of the best champagnes on the wine list menu.

“Yes, the Baroness’ conviction, but let’s not talk about her anymore. I was thinking more along the lines of celebrating that I am now, officially, a co-owner of the agency with Ryan, and no longer just his employee.”

“You’re right, to hell with her. Let’s focus on brighter things, like the future. Let’s celebrate it, and we can make a toast to things working out as we had planned,” I said, nodding in agreement.

A few moments later, the waiter returned with the champagne, popped it, and presented the first taste for Patrick’s approval. A nod of affirmation and our glasses were filled with bubbles, dancing to the top edge of the slender fluted glasses. The waiter spun on his heels and exited the table, as we tipped our glasses to success and the future. After a sip, Patrick set his glass down and leaned forward in a manner that indicated he had something important to say. I mirrored his movement and leaned in slightly, to listen.

“Before we left, I had a meeting with Ryan about your future in our company. As we move forward with the agency, it could be difficult for a couple like us to work together, one as a boss and one as an employee.”

I drew back a little in my seat, perplexed at this announcement. I furrowed my brow and said, “You’re not firing me, are you? Because if you are, you could have told me before we left for this...”

“No, silly.” He shook his head and laughed at my assumption. “Why would we fire our most talented employee?”

“Well, what then?” I asked, incredulously.

“Ryan and I agreed that it would be best if you would become a partner.” He leaned back and spread both of his hands apart, palms down, as if he were smoothing the tablecloth.

“You mean, partner with you and Ryan?”

“Yes, that way there won’t be any employer slash employee status between us and besides, you deserve it, baby, you’re the greatest.”

“Oh my God, that’s amazing, hunny. Are you sure?” I asked, wide eyed. My nerves fluttered in my stomach, as the news of such a great career move began to sink in.

“Yes, I’m sure. Plus, Ryan is a silent partner, he’s rarely around and I need a working partner on deck to help with all the decisions.”

“Well, then definitely, a big yes.”

“There’s just one problem. What are we going to do about the name of the business? It would look old fashion as, Barrick, Collins and Swanson. It sounds too much like some old farts.” He cocked his head to one side and stroked his chin like he was thinking. “It just doesn’t have the right, zing, to it.”

I was appalled, and rolled my eyes at his dissatisfaction with my name. “You are saying you don’t like my last name? That’s crazy. That’s the name I’ve had my whole life and I’m proud of it.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I just would prefer, Barrick, Collins and Collins.”

Oh my God! Is he going to do what I think he’s going to do?
My pulse picked up and all I could hear, for a moment, was the rush of my own blood, racing through my veins, as the realization hit me.

With a smooth dip of his hand, into the inside coat jacket pocket, he pulled out a small black velvet box. At the same time, he stood up and moved around to my side of the table, getting down on one knee next to my chair. At that moment, everything went into slow motion, as his actions could not register fast enough in my brain and the next part was like being in a dream.

“Tonight is not the first time you have taken my breath away. I’ve always believed that when the time was right, I would find the woman I was looking for. I knew it would take a lot of effort, I knew I had to learn to open up, but all it took was finding you. You're the one, Chloe. You are my, once in a lifetime. Please let me be your best friend, let me protect you, and give me the opportunity to be with you for the rest of our lives. Please give me your, forever. I love you, Chloe. I am truly, deeply and madly in love with you. Will you marry me?” His eyes were brimming with honesty, and the most sincerity I had ever seen in my life.

I trembled, as I held his face in both of my hands, tears spilling down my cheeks, and said, “I would love to marry you, Patrick. I love you too and you’ve just made me the happiest girl in the world.”