Painless (67 page)

“Now you’re blackmailing me?”

“Yup.”

“Fine. What are you going to do?” He sounded scared. Good.
 

“Well,” I said, “I’m going to the ER, like I said. They’ll use a rape kit to collect evidence. Then I tell them I don’t know who it was. It was dark, I didn’t get a good look at your face, it all happened so fast and you ran off afterward. If you don’t drop your suit against Christos, I suddenly remember who you are. It’s that simple.”

“You’ve thought this all through, haven’t you?”

“And you didn’t? Did Christos tell you his family was rich, or did your lawyer figure it out for you? I know how lawyers think, Hunter. Lawyers like yours have been trying to rip off my family for decades. Like I said, Hunter. You’re a leech, and you want what isn’t yours. This is your last chance. Deal or no deal?”

Hunter clenched his jaw and glared at me like he wanted to kill me.

So what.

Chapter 29

CHRISTOS

I lounged on the double chaise under the San Diego sun the next morning. Samantha lounged beside me. We were catching rays on the deck by our pool.

We’d been out so late, we crashed when we got home. Neither of us had any energy for sex before bed. I think we’d both used up all our adrenalin during the excitement of my solo show and afterward at the Belly Up. We’d just fallen asleep in each other’s arms. As long as Samantha was by my side, I never cared what we did.

After breakfast this morning, all we wanted to do was rest. It had been a long year.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Samantha asked. “Your lemonade is empty.” She was laying on her back, her bikini top unknotted. She had no idea how incredibly hot she looked, all tan and brown.

“I’m good,” I muttered. Luckily, we were both tan enough to lay out for a long time without getting fried.

“Good, because I’m too tired to stand up,” she giggled, resting her cheek on my shoulder and her arm on my back.

“I’m going to have a Samantha tan line,” I joked. “It’ll be a silhouette in white of where you curl up on top of me.”

“It’ll look stylish. We’ll invent couples tanning. It’ll be all the rage by the end of the summer. Make your own fancy pattern on your lover. Unlike a tattoo, it’s easily removed.”

“That’s genius. Why hadn’t we thought of that before,” I chuckled.

My cell phone rang on the glass table next to me.

“You don’t have to answer that now, do you?” Samantha asked.

I picked up the phone. “It’s Russell.”

“More bad news?” Samantha sighed.

“I hope not. I should answer.” I put it on speaker phone. Samantha may as well know. “What’s up, man?”

“Christos! You’re never going to believe this,” Russell said enthusiastically.

“If it’s bad news, I probably will.” I smirked at Samantha.

She rolled her eyes.

“I got a call from Hunter Blakeley’s attorney this morning.”

“Fabulous,” I sighed.

“He wants to settle.”

“Yeah? For how much? A half million?” I said sarcastically.

“Twenty-four thousand.”

I sat up in my chaise. “What?”

“You heard me. Twenty-four thousand. Eleven thousand for Hunter’s medical bills and lost wages, and thirteen thousand for his attorney’s fees.”

After last night, I could easily cover that. Not that I wanted to throw away that much cash on an asshole like Hunter, but considering I’d hit him instead of walking away, twenty-four grand seemed a small price to pay to get him off my back for good. “What the fuck happened, anyway? I thought Hunter and his lawyer were holding firm.”

“I have no idea,” Russell said dramatically. “I’m as surprised as you are, Christos. There must be an angel out there watching over your ass.”

An angel. I shook my head. Why not? Stranger things.

“Now,” Russell admonished, “Before you go getting the idea that it always works out like this, that you always win your cases or get off easy, may I remind you that it would be far simpler in the future to avoid fighting altogether?”

I chuckled, “Hey, would you believe I actually walked away from a fight last night?”

“You did?” Russell said, all excited. “Good for you.”

“And you’ll never guess with who,” I chuckled.

“Hunter Blakeley?”

“How’d you know?” I chuckled.

“Lucky guess. But that sure is strange.”

“I can’t explain it either. But I’m telling you, he got up in my face and I didn’t lift a finger.”

“Good for you, son. I’m proud of you. With any luck, this will be the last time you ever require my legal services for behaving like a tough guy. Promise me we can keep our relationship entirely social from here on out?” He sounded amused and hopeful at the same time.

“It’s a promise. But I need to ask you one more thing first.”

I could practically hear him rolling his eyes over the phone. “Christos, do I even want to know?”

I glanced at Samantha. To Russell, I said, “You know what? I’ll tell you about it later.”

“All right, son. I’ve got work to do. Let’s talk again soon, all right?”

“Will do,” I smiled and ended the call. I turned to Samantha and grinned.

“Wow,” she said, “that’s good news, right?”

“Totally,” I smiled.

“I mean, it’s a lot of money, but I guess you have enough?”

“Yup.” I laid my head back on the chaise and gazed up at the pure blue sky. “For the first time in years, I finally feel like I can put all the shit in my life behind me.”

“That’s awesome,” Samantha said.

After awhile, I stood up. “Want some lemonade? I’m going to go make a fresh pitcher. We finished off the one my grandad left in the fridge.”

“Now you’re making it too?” she grinned.

“Hey,” I smiled, “it’s a Manos tradition.”

===

SAMANTHA

Christos and I spent the afternoon under a sun umbrella. All I wanted to do was be outside and relax with him in the perfect San Diego weather.

He made me dinner, which was fresh gyros, because neither of us wanted to bother with anything extravagant.
 

“Hey, where’s Spiridon?” I asked. “He should join us.”

“I don’t know,” Christos said. “He’s been gone all day.”

I sort of wanted to talk to Spiridon about the show last night, but it would have to wait. Christos and I ate outside at one of the deck tables, watching the ocean waves roll in. The food was super yummy.

A cooling breeze picked up around seven o’clock.

“Hey, you want to go for a hike?” Christos asked.

“Do we have to? I’m so tired.”

“Come on,” he smiled, “we can watch the sunset from up at the bench on the hill.”

“That’s a long hike,” I groused. “Can’t we watch the sun go down from here on the deck?” A dusty hike was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

“The exercise’ll do you good.”

“I ran yesterday morning. I don’t need any exercise.”

“I can carry you,” he said.

“Don’t do that, Christos. I would feel like an invalid. Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I promise we’ll go tomorrow. First thing, if you want.”

“No, it really has to be tonight.”

“Why are you acting weird?” I asked.

“It’s nice out. I just want to go on a hike. Is that so weird?”

I sighed. “Why don’t you go without me. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“We’re going,” he said as he stood up from his chair at the table, bent over, and picked me up out of my chair.
 

“Christos! I’m too tired,” I pleaded, but I was sort of laughing.

He carried me upstairs. It had been awhile since he’d carried me places. I never got tired of it. He set me down on the bed.

“Why don’t we have sex instead?” I suggested as I flopped back on the bed.

“Naw, a hike is better.”

I sat up suddenly. “What alien kidnapped my Christos and replaced him with the celibate version?”

He chuckled as he pulled on socks and running shoes. “Let’s go for a hike.”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“No,” he said as he pulled out my shoes and socks.

“Fine,” I groaned. “But you’re going to have to carry me. I don’t care if I
do
look like an invalid.”

“I can handle that,” he grinned his dimpled grin.

“I believe you can.”

Ten minutes later, we were walking toward the trailhead near the house, holding hands.

“The hill?” I groaned. “You’re going to make me hike all the way up to the bench, aren’t you?”

“It’s good for your shapely legs,” he smiled.

“Don’t try to compliment your way out of carrying me,” I joked as we trudged up the hillside.

Half way up, Spiridon came hiking down, followed by Nikolos.

“What are you guys doing here?” I blurted.

“Oh, nothing,” Spiridon said as he jogged past. He was in a great shape for an old guy.

Nikolos was right behind him, “See you two later.”

I stopped and watched them disappear down the hill. “What were they doing up here?”

“Who knows,” Christos said. “Come on, before the sun goes down.”

I shrugged and we hiked up the rest of the way to the family bench. To the place where Christos and I had shared so many important firsts, including crazy caveman and cavewoman sex under the moon not too long ago. I’d been a wild woman that night. I blushed just thinking about it.

As always, I was huffing after making it up the steep hill. I took the final steps around the bushes that circled the Manos family bench, and turned the corner.

The view that awaited me was, as always, stunning.

But the content of it was drastically different.

And not because of the summer sun.

But because of the rose petals that made a carpet of red leading up to a small white wooden altar that overlooked the view of the Pacific Ocean.

On top of the altar were bouquets of roses sitting on both sides of a small golden center piece. The center piece was like a little filigreed riser. On top of the golden riser was a big seashell, opened to reveal a red velvet box holding a glittering ring.

My body filled with chills. My throat tightened, my eyes burned, my knees shook. I couldn’t take another step. I held my fingers to my lips, which quivered like crazy.

“Do you need me to carry you?” Christos asked, holding his hand out to me.

I nodded.

He picked me up and carried me the few steps to the family bench and set me down on it. Then he stepped up to the altar and lifted the ring box out of the sea shell.

He turned to me and kneeled at my feet.

The ring glimmered in the dazzling sunlight, a thousand sparkling stars dancing off of it. It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.

“Samantha,” he said, “
agápi mou
, you are truly the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. The ways in which you make me happy are beyond measure. You make my life better, you make me better, and without you, I would only be half the man I’ve become. The first time I took you up here, I told you this place was sacred. Only family comes up here. Now it’s time to make it official.”

His eyes were brimming with tears. Mine were running silently down my face in rivers.

He cleared his throat, choked up with emotion, “Samantha Anna Smith, will you marry me,
agápi mou
?” he whispered.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice gurgly with emotion.

I had secretly wished that Christos and I would be together forever, but I’d been too frightened to ever say it out loud.

Now my dream had come true. I could say it as loud as I wanted, except I could barely speak.

Christos slid the ring onto my finger. I couldn’t tell whose hands were shaking more, his or mine.

It didn’t matter.

Christos and I were now and always forever.

Forever.

LOVE.

Epilogue

SAMANTHA

“Are you nervous?” Kamiko asked.
 

“I’m okay,” I said, fanning my face. It was a bit warm inside the hotel room at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, despite the perfect seventy-five degree weather outside. I think it was partially my nerves. Or maybe the fact the room cost $600 a night. I guess you paid extra for the doormen wearing kilts. Yes, kilts, because they had a golf course. But it wasn’t cheesy at all. The grounds were so incredibly lush, and the hotel had such a rustic, romantic charm, I had instantly loved the place when Christos and I had visited here in June.

“How can you be nervous?” Romeo asked. “It’s your wedding day. After today, you’ll be able to fuck Christos without having to wear a scarlet A on your chest.”

“Romeo!” Kamiko groused.

“What? It’s technically adultery if you’re not married.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “What century are you living in?”

“The seventeenth?” he smiled.

“That’s what I thought,” I giggled.

“I’ll turn up the A/C,” Madison said. I was so glad she and Jake were able to fly back from surfing in Hawaii to join us for the wedding. I’d never seen Madison so tan. She was practically dark brown.

“Can you just open the sliding glass door?” I asked. “I think it’ll be quicker to get a breeze in here.”

She did, and cool air drifted inside. I felt immediate relief. I loved the smell of the fresh ocean air. At least my wedding gown was off the shoulder, so I had ventilation. I just hoped I didn’t sweat my makeup off. “Who thought of this whole thing where the groom can’t see the bride before the ceremony? I swear, I’m going to melt by the time I see Christos.”

Madison and Kamiko wore matching pale lavender bridesmaid dresses. It was a high-low pleated maxi design with a thin belt around the waist, perfect for the warm weather. I wanted my girlfriends to look as sexy as me. I didn’t go in for all that business about being the star of my wedding. They were important too.

“Are we ready?” I asked.

Madison and Kamiko nodded.

“Now I’m nervous,” Romeo said. He wore a matching pale lavender tuxedo.

“I can’t believe you insisted Sam make you a bridesmaid, Romeo,” Kamiko grinned.

“He’s totally one of the girls,” I joked.

We made our way out of the hotel room, and down to the Arroyo Terrace behind the hotel. It overlooked the croquet lawn behind the eighteenth hole of the golf course. Blue skies and lush green lawns surrounded us. The ocean kissed the sky in a peaceful white line on the western horizon.