Authors: Vivienne Harris-Scott
“
There's that, but that's not only who he
is...
”
she hesitantly said. She wasn
’
t
sure he
’
d
like the explanation.
“
I'm not sure I follow you here...I mean
sure, he's famous and you'll need to get used to that once again, but what's
the problem?
”
he chimed.
“
Did you know Julian is Australian?
”
she asked, bracing herself.
“
Umm...I guess. Must have read it in one of
the rags... but...
”
his voice trailed, as she could picture him thinking about where this was
going.
“
He is, he the son of a prime minister.
”
she sighed, adding,
”
The longest standing one, ever
…
to be more precise.
”
“
Oh? Well
…”
he said in a puzzled tone.
“
He grew up in Sydney, where Ethan did.
”
she said firmly.
“
Oh...
”
was murmured in a much colder tone.
“
Yeah, oh is right. They know each other.
Very well. Or at least they used to...
”
she said in one breath.
“
Oh...
”
he repeated.
“
Fuck Kev, stop saying
‘
oh
’
like a bloody moron, I need some advice
here!
”
she let out, frustrated with his inability to catch on.
“
Well, what the hell do you want me to say?
”
he shouted back.
“
Nothing.
“
she said softly. She didn
’
t need to alienate her best friend. This
was her mess.
There
was a long silent pause until he asked,
“
Vi? Does he know who you are?
”
, as if suddenly understanding the
ramifications of the encounter.
“
No. I don't think so.
”
she replied slowly.
“
For sure?
”
he reiterated, a revived urgency in his
voice.
“
Yes. I didn't give him my name.
”
she asserted in a steady voice.
“
You're safe then. He doesn't need to know.
Do you plan to see him again?
”
he exhaled.
“
No. I
’
ve learned my lesson. I
’
ll never get involved with another man.
And, if I did, definitely not this one!!
”
she cried out, her voice rising.
“
Well, if you didn't tell him, and he
didn't suspect it, no one will tell him. You had your romp; it's done and
dusted. None will be the wiser," he retorted with a chuckle.
“
I pray you are right.
”
she sighed.
“
Vi?
”
he asked tentatively, clearing his
throat.
“
Yes?
”
she whispered.
“
You are fine. You are safe. He will not
find you,
”
he added steadily.
“
If he did Kev...
”
her voice trailed.
“
Well, he hasn't so far, and with the
amount of travelling you have done in the past few years, good luck to him! And
you haven't set foot in Australia ever since...
”
he paused, sighed heavily, and growled,
“
Never mind.... If that bastard dares to
come anywhere near you again, I will make sure his career isn't the only thing
he loses this time!
”
“
You said he swore
…
-
”
she started, but cut her train of
thought, and went on with,
“
Kev
…
Ethan is a very determined man. Why on
earth do you think he refused to grant me a divorce?
”
she asked, feeling her stomach grip.
“
Water under the bridge, babe. You may
still carry his name and after all, you earned it considering the price you
paid, but you are divorced...Thank God for the
Caribbeans
...
”
he reassured her in a cheerful tone.
“
I'm just scared he finds out I'm out here.
That's why I'm leaving tomorrow. I need to go, just in case...I can't take that
chance, especially when I don't know if Julian and him are as close as
they used to, and are on speaking terms.
”
she finished, determination in her voice.
“
Lord, you really know how to pick them!
”
he chuckled.
“
Fuck Kev, that's not even remotely
funny...
”
she yelled.
“
You
’
ve got to admit, it's a damn coincidence
though!
”
he continued, laughing,
“
The
first man you sleep with after five years of abstinence, in a different
country, strike that, a different continent no less, is one of your ex best
buddies? Shit, I would laugh if it wasn't happening to you!"
"Ugh,
you're impossible!" she couldn
’
t help the smile creeping on her face.
“
Yes, I know, but you still love me,
”
he countered, then added,
”
...On a more serious note, take all your
passports with you, just in case you don't come back to LA.
”
“
I always do.
”
she replied
seriously.
“
Good girl. I trained you well.
”
he said, reassured.
“
Fear is a great motivator Kev, but thanks!
”
she replied sarcastically.
There
was a silent pause until he said in a light tone,
“
Can I ask you something?
”
She
could hear the smile in his voice and knew what was coming...
“
Go ahead. Ask,
”
she sighed, knowing she had to
indulge him.
“
How was it? How was the sex?
”
he said in a low tone.
She
couldn't find her voice for a few second as the images flashed before her eyes.
“
Baby
look at me...
I
want you watch me taste you...
”
She
heard Julian's voice as clear as if he was there with her now.
“
The sex was incredible.
”
she whispered, feeling heat on her
cheeks.
“
I'm happy for you. You deserved it.
”
he said warmly.
“
Thank you.
”
she paused,
“
For everything...
”
she added, emotional and thanking
God for her best friend.
“
You realize we've been talking for over an
hour
…”
he cleared his throat.
“
You need to get to sleep. You have a long
day tomorrow. Call when you get to Dubai?
”
“
I will.
”
she promised.
“
I love you.
”
“
I love you too.
”
She
hung up, feeling back in control of her life.
She
finished her wine, brushed her teeth and went to bed.
Julian's
words still playing in her head.
((~~!~~))
The next morning at 9:30 a.m., her ticket
was booked. She was showered, dressed and ready. Her bags packed and her
driver waiting downstairs. She perused her living room one last time to make
sure she hadn't forgotten anything, shut the lights and opened her door...
Only
to be faced by what could only be described as a shady character, standing
there, blocking her path. The man was dressed in black leather clothing from
head to toe and spotted a menacing smirk on his somewhat youngish but
handsome face.
Anger
and fear rising within her, she tilted her head and gasped in shock:
“
Who the hell are you?
”
“
James Marshall.
”
was his calm reply.
Julian
Seven days. 7 fucking days. 6 long
restless nights. Over 150 hours and counting...
To
say Julian was pissed was an understatement.
“
Fuck Marcus! Are you sure about this?!
“
he screamed into his blackberry.
“
Jay, you've got to calm down...I swear.
The man is reliable. I've used him in the past and he always delivers...
”
he heard his friend sigh heavily.
“
How much am I paying this asshole?
”
he spouted in an angry tone.
“
5k...5k/day plus incidentals.
”
Marcus asserted as calmly as he could. He
didn
’
t
like being yelled at; even if it was apparent Julian was losing it
…
“
And for that kind of cash, the prick can't
even answer his goddamn phone?!?!! For all I know, he's getting tanned on a
fucking beach in Baja on my dime!
”
Julian retorted incredulously and he exhaled loudly. He was furious.
“
Look, there must be a reason he's not
answering. Let me try to see what I can dig out from Mercy Inc., and I'll
call you back, ok? In the meantime, man, pull yourself together. We've got a
board members
’
meeting this arvo, and you must attend.
”
Marcus stated.
Julian
threw the phone against the wall.
Where
the fuck was she? What was going on here?!
People
didn't just vanish into thin air!
The
first two days after she left had been awful. No matter what he tried to
distract his thoughts from her would only keep him afloat a few instants.
He
swam, tried to focus on some work as he had tons of business reports and
scripts to read, watched mindless TV, but to no avail; he couldn't concentrate
more than a few minutes at a time.
On
the 3
rd
day he called Marcus and Todd, almost begging them to come
to the Malibu house.
The
day had gone great; well, much better than the previous anyway, and by the
evening he was feeling a bit more like himself, more in control. For the first
time since she had left him, he was able to sleep through the night without
waking up every few hours.
On
day 4, he was determined to chalk up the whole thing as an unfortunate event
and felt blessed to be the man he was, Julian McCarty, God's gift to women,
ruthless businessman, and idol to the masses; and it would be a cold day in
hell before any woman could make him grovel for her attention.
Who
the hell was she? Just some bitch he had a moment of weakness with.
On
day 5, he had his bearings back. He could go home in The Hills, and resume his
life.
Yeah,
just one more day at the beach house, just to be sure.
On
day 6, it was time to go home. He was back in control. He was ready, indeed.
Victoryn
who?
He thought with a grin.
Locking
the door of the Malibu house he headed for his car. He would be home
in an hour, and all would be fine.
She'd
only be a memory. A distant one. A
Lemony
Snicket
.
He
chuckled. He was over her. Definitely.
Already
relaxed in his car, whistling, as he was driving home, his phone rang. He put
it on speaker and said,
“
Hello?
”
“
Hey Jul!
”
said a chirpy voice.
“
Hey Mel!
”
he smiled.
“
So, what's up little brother of mine? Are
we feeling better? Did you find her?
”
she asked in a singing tone.
He
felt his hands tighten on the steering wheel.
“
No,
”
he said flatly.
“
No
what? You're not feeling better? Or No, you didn't find her?
”
she asked, confused.
“
I didn't find her.
”
he replied in a cool voice.
“
Really? Didn't your guy come up with
anything at all? It's been a week, that's odd!
”
she said, her words tainted with
surprise.
“
Mel, I know exactly how long it has been,
but it doesn't matter anyway. I don't care if he finds her or not,
”
said his icy voice.
Melissa
knew this coldness could only mean one thing.
She
hesitated, but pressed on,
“
Jul?
”
“
Yes?
”
he said curtly.
“
Don't...
”
she started lowly.
“
Don't what?
”
“
Shut down...
”
she sighed.
“
I'm not shutting down. I
’
m driving home, and I'm just fine, thank
you.
”
he replied in a clipped tone.
“
Julian...
”
she said, irritated.
“
What?
”
he shouted back, a pout on his lips.
“
I know you. This has happened before. Do I
need to remind you how you acted after the Belinda episode?
”
“
Don't fucking dare to compare that bitch
to Vi...
”
he uttered, anger rising.
There
was a long silent pause until he whispered, contrite,
“
I'm sorry.
“
“
I know,
”
she said softly, adding,
“
You'll find her, you know...
”
He
cleared his throat, and feeling depressed, said,
“
I know. I just don't know how much longer
I can wait...
”
“
Well, the day isn't over, maybe you'll get
news tonight!
”
his sister replied in a cheerful tone. It always worried her when Julian lost
his natural optimism.
“
Sure,
”
he said, realizing that James hadn't rung
him back in the past six days. He was already thinking about ripping the man a
new one.
“
Ok, well, keep me posted. And, Julian?
”
Melissa asked tentatively.
“
Hmm?
”
he murmured.
“
I love you,
”
she said with conviction.
“
I love you too.
”
he replied tenderly, grateful for his
sister
’
s
existence.
He
finally pulled in his front of his house. Inhaling, he opened the door and was
greeted by his dogs. He went to the kitchen and stopped at the island. Caressing
it, he couldn't help but think of
her
.
He
went upstairs.
Consuela
had come, changed linens and made the bed in the guest room erasing any trace
of
her
that was left.
He
couldn't bear it.
He
rang James Marshall, left yet another icy message and started to wait.
Once
again, he was unravelling.
Waking
up on day 7 at 7:00 a.m. without having heard back from the investigator,
Julian was getting angrier by the hour as he had left him a message every hour
until 11.45 a.m. hit and he had yet to hear anything from the man.
So,
he rang Marcus, and unleashed his sour mood on him.
Who
the hell did James Marshall think he was?!
((~~!~~))
James
He had been waiting in her corridor for hours.
Finding her had been a fluke, really. It was clear the woman was hiding
something.
With
the little data Julian gave him the day prior; namely a physical
description, a first name, a surname, and a phone area code, he had started to
make some calls within the hour to gather information. Taxi companies and
airlines produced nothing, which was odd in itself, so he called on one of his
contact at LAX and asked if he could get the airport security tapes,- against
compensation of course-, for the day Julian picked her up. Bingo! He had her!
She had flown in with Cathay from Hong Kong.
From
then on, getting one of his hackers to peruse the passenger
’
s manifests of every single flight
arriving from that day to narrow the number of potential candidates had been a
breeze. He was still stuck with 73 women's names, but it was progress.
The
McGregor surname was none of them, neither was the first name Victoryn, but he
knew in his guts, her name, her real name, was in one of these manifests.
Lucky
for him, since 9/11 everyone entering the country had their name and
contact details in the US sent out to the Homeland Security and ICE before
being allowed entrance on US soil. An invasion of privacy if he ever saw one,
but this was a blessing for people in his line of work.
He
called one of his contacts in DC, and within 45 minutes, he had addresses
and digits for the 73 women.
He
eliminated 31 that were only transiting through LAX, and confirmed they had
boarded other flights.
He
was left with 42. He checked the phone numbers on the list and only 11 had
the 415 area code.
During
the next hours, he called every single one of them. She was #7 on the list and
the only one whose phone was on voicemail. She didn
’
t state any name on her recording. He
didn't leave a message as the voice requested, but upon hearing it, he knew, it
was hers. She had a sensual slightly accented radio voice, and he felt his
groin area stir.
At
1:00 a.m., picture in hand, address and phone number confirmed, he was certain
she was the woman he was looking for.