Port in a Storm

I fished out my phone, pressed a number on speed dial.

"Mum? I'm coming along with you this evening," I said. "Where do I meet you?"

*

Sunlight glared on my face, streaming right in through the window, flooding the room. I'd forgotten to close the blinds again, and I grumbled as I reached a sleepy hand out, fumbling for the button. Didn't find it after a minute of fumbling.

I finally opened my eyes, hoping the sun didn't give me a headache again. I tried to sit up a little, felt something heavy weighing me down.

An arm. Dave's arm.

I looked behind, saw my man fast asleep, his mouth slightly parted as he breathed gently. He was naked on top, his sculpted muscles standing out.

I touched his arm, frowning. He shifted a little, swallowed a few times.

"Where did you come from?" I asked, knowing he was right on the edge of waking up.

"Close the blinds, please," he mumbled. I reached out again, found the button this time. I turned back at him, smiling stupidly.

"You cheeky shit!" I bent over him, kissing his forehead. "You said you're returning tomorrow."

He smirked, eyes still closed. Then he pulled me in closer, put his arm around me again. I closed my eyes, feeling relieved.

"When did you get in?" I asked, entwining fingers with him.

"Six-thirty." He breathed into my hair, shifting against me. I felt a morning erection through his briefs. "Thought I'd surprise you."

"I'm really surprised." I laughed, happy to have him with me again. "I missed you."

"Tell me about it." A kiss dropped on to my hair. "I missed you too. You've been okay?"

"Yeah...I..." My chest turned into a knot. I turned around, wanting to see his face. He looked gorgeous, all sleepy and flushed. I didn't know how to say it but I had to. "I signed the contract with Simon."

"Oh. Good." His voice sounded unaffected. He hadn't even opened his eyes yet. "Congratulations."

"Six months contract. Big money." I laughed a little. "I won't need to do anything for the next year or so."

"You'd hate that, busy bee." A hand ran down my hips, grabbing my arse through my pyjama bottoms. "When do you start work?"

"Next week, probably. The place is huge. It's going to take some time before work is complete. It'll give me enough time to plan the campaign." I breathed into his bare chest, taking in the warm musky aroma that I'd become so familiar with. "I don't know why I said yes."

"It's just a job."

"Yes. It is." I looked up at his face, touched a stubbly cheek. "How long are you here?"

"I just got here." He stretched slightly, yawned, and opened his eyes slowly. I felt my stomach flip. I loved him so much, more than I ever thought I could love anybody. "You're beautiful."

"Yeah? Downstairs head speaking?"

He sniggered, reaching for a kiss. Our lips met in a languid kiss, my leg thrown over his bare thighs. I felt his erection digging into my leg, making me shiver.

"Hungry?" I asked, ghosting my lips against his. "Did you eat on the flight?"

"Mmm. Wouldn't mind breakfast, though." He inhaled, pressing against me. "Wouldn't mind this, either."

"Shameless." I slapped his arm, got a laugh. "I wouldn't mind it either. I have a day off."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "So we can sleep in, wake up for brunch, and then drive to the beach?"

I laughed, pecking his nose. "Of course we can," I pushed him onto his back, then straddled him. He smiled sleepily, holding my hips, as I bent down to kiss him again. Felt his tongue against mine, his nose against my cheek. He felt warm and snug, just perfect.

"Shit." He breathed, his eyes squeezing shut as I reached down to grab his arousal through his briefs. His balls felt so heavy. "Will you hurry, please? We haven't got all day."

"Sure we do." I began to pull off his briefs, squeezing him, making him groan again. I'd just about pulled the whole thing out when he smirked, held my waist, and flipped me over. I yelped, then laughed.

"Gotcha." He pinned me to the bed, pressing kisses down my throat. "I love you, my bride-to-be."

I only giggled, as he reached for his wallet. He took a moment to roll on a condom while I pulled off my bottoms, and then he kissed me as he slowly eased inside of me, my wetness helping him. I felt my own body tightening round his, and his body surged in answer. I moaned out loud when he started moving slowly, my fingers curled in his hair, holding him hard against me. He lowered his mouth and latched on to my throat, sucking hard enough to probably leave a mark there. Then he licked his way up my throat, until my mouth was beneath his. And he claimed it again with a deep, seeking kiss.

"Dave..." I formed his name, even with his tongue inside my mouth.

He drove himself into me hard and deep. I helped him, pressing down with my legs around his hips, groaning low as he filled me completely.

"Oh..." I groaned, shuddering when he found the swollen center of my pleasure. He stroked it as I rode him, driving me higher.

Within moments, I cried out in ecstasy and then reached my peak before I knew it. I was carried on a wave of sensation as feeling after feeling flooded me. My body undulated around his of its own accord, massaging him into his own frenzy of need. With a hoarse oath, he grasped my hips and pumped into me. And then he was coming, too. His fingers sinking into my flesh, and then with a final thrust, he took his own release.

He looked up, still panting, and smirked at me.

"Good morning, baby."

*

It was a good day at the beach. Dave and I had had a lazy brunch after our morning nookie, and then set out for the beach. It was a little over an hour's drive from our place, great for a day out or a late afternoon walk.

Dave loved the sea. As comfortable as it was to have a swimming pool at home, he always complained that it was nothing like the sea. So we often ended up at the beach, whenever our schedules allowed us. Dave loved to swim, and to surf a little bit.

Today, however, he was dashing across the beach, with me in hot pursuit. He had picked me up and dunked me just at the edge of the surf, the water making me squawk. I'd been chasing him in a moment.

"You rascal!" I shouted, running after him. "I'm going to get you!"

Dave didn't reply, just ran for it, feet slipping on sand while I growled and dashed after him. He laughed when I tackled him into the sand, clawing and biting. We rolled over and I yelped when he landed on top, his weight pinning me to the sand. The beach was pretty crowded, and the people who'd been watching our little chase laughed when they saw us kiss.

"You'll never change," I laughed, panting. Dave sat up, dusting off sand from his arms, shorts, and sweatshirt.

"You want me to?" he asked, helping me up. I snuggled close to him, not caring that we both were covered in sand.

"No." I giggled, tugging at the sleeves of my shrug. "You're fun."

"I am." He wrapped me with one arm, stroking me through the fabric. "You okay? Not too cold?"

"I'm fine, Dave," I retorted, giving him a grin. "Mother hen."

"Fine, be cold."

"Okay, I will." I playfully squeezed his hand. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." He kissed my head, smiling. There were many children swimming in the sea, enjoying the warm water. "Did you see that girl again?"

I shook my head. "She's on leave. Should be back sometime next week." I sighed, bunching my hair to a side. "I hope she's alright. Her wounds looked bad that day."

"She's an adult, Vivienne. What will you do if she won't press charges?"

"Yeah." I stared out at the sea, biting my lip. "You're okay with me working for Simon?"

Dave laughed. "You've always worked for him. The hundreds of thousands of employees at his hotels, they all work for him. He has a job for everyone." He crossed his arms against his chest. "Why? You think he has some hidden agenda behind this?"

I shrugged. "It was a long time ago," I murmured.

"Exactly. If he wanted you in any way other than professionally, he wouldn't have sat quietly and watched you get engaged to me." He held my shoulders, pulled me close to him. "You're overthinking."

"Maybe." I relaxed, smiled at him. "You want a swim?"

"Umm...no. Not today." He looked at the sea. "The water looks rough. I wonder if the kids should be there."

"It's okay. There are guards here. They'll ask people to leave if they sense danger." I took his hand, tugged at it as I got to my feet. "I read about your conference in the paper. You looked sexy in the picture."

"Uh-huh?" There was humour in his voice. "Not as sexy without you by my side. Come here." He pulled me in for a kiss, with me giggling and squirming in his arms. We broke apart only when we heard screams.

We looked at the sea, found the water rising.

"It's a rip current." He looked horrified, green eyes sparkling with fear. There were people in the sea. Everyone was screaming. The next moment, Dave had slipped off his shirt and rushed into the water.

"Dave!" I screamed, the shoes dropping from my hand. "No! Dave!"

He was already in, pulling out the kids first, dragging them to the shore. I watched with my heart in my mouth, my throat drying in fear. Dave was an excellent swimmer. And with his broad, strong structure, he could easily grab a number of kids at once. By the time the guards jumped in, all the kids were on shore. Dave remained in the water, helping the guards bring everyone to safety.

A couple of kids had swallowed water. Dave helped them too. I was still standing on the same spot, almost frozen with fear. Dave saw me, waved. I nodded back, relieved that he was okay. Everyone was okay.

"I almost died!" I hugged him when he came up to me, not caring that he was dripping wet. "God. You...are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He laughed, picked up his sweatshirt from the sand. "Phew. That was some current. Didn't expect it."

"It was brave of you." People were leaving now. The beach was being closed. Dave took my hand, smiled and nodded when people thanked him for saving them or their kids. We were familiar at the beach. The guards knew him very well.

"It was just the call of duty," he told a man who had come up to thank him for pulling his son out of the water. "It could've been our children."

"You gave me a fright, though," I smiled at him, finally calming down.

"Yeah. When your loved one gets into dangerous territory to save others, it's always frightening." We made it back to our car where he sat wiping his hair for a moment. "You know what I mean?"

I nodded. "You knew you could do it," I said softly.

"Hmm-mm. More importantly, these people wanted to be saved, so they grabbed my hand." He turned in the seat, leaned closer to me. "Will she take your hand?"

I sat there with my head hanging low, bottom lip caught between teeth. I'd taken his hand all those years ago because I'd been looking for one. Dave had been my anchor in a stormy sea, guiding me back to safety. Just like he'd brought those people to the shore a while ago.

I wasn't sure if Amy would want me to do that, or if she even wanted help at all. She hadn't reached out despite knowing that I wanted to help.

"Let's go," I said finally, managing a small smile. "It's getting dark."

"It is." He agreed, putting the towel away and starting the car. I leaned back in the seat, staring out of the window, the sun going down behind the trees in the distance.

*

The next week was a complete blur. Dave was going from conference to conference, and I was busy sorting out my work with Michael. I hadn't seen Simon yet. Michael said he was out of town, but would be back soon.

The thought unnerved me a little.

The place was big. I remembered it'd been an old building not too long ago and had been sold. I didn't know it was Simon who had bought the property. I thought he'd had enough already.

But it was Simon. It was never enough for him.

Work was already in progress. Michael took me around the place, showing me the property still under refurbishment. I'd to do a month by month timetable for at least three months beyond the opening to include activities to sustain the momentum beyond the initial announcement: promotions, events, news releases, cause-related marketing, strategic alliances and more.

But I also noticed a few problems with the club, a couple with the pool. The suites could also do with a slightly different approach. I didn't say anything, though. That wasn't why I'd been hired.

I returned to my office past noon, felt the beginnings of what seemed like a bad headache. I poured myself a coffee, sank into my chair, and massaged my temples while the computer booted. A little later there was a knock on the door. I looked up, found Kristin entering.

I jumped out of my chair when Amy followed her inside.

"She said you wanted to meet her," Kristin looked at her and then at me. "I--"

"I did." Amy looked better. The black eye had healed, the bruise was almost entirely gone now. She was wearing make-up over it so you could barely see it. Her face looked clean today, just a little yellow around the edges.

"Give us a minute, please," I said to Kristin. She nodded and left the room. Amy looked like she wanted to leave as well.

"How are you?" I asked her, motioning her to sit. She hesitantly sat in the chair, but avoided eye contact. I gently touched a shoulder, as if to make her speak.

"I was told you wanted to meet me," she said softly, still staring at the floor.

"Yes. I heard you were on leave. Is everything alright?"

She nodded. I knew she was lying. Her face said not everything was okay.

"Why did you take leave, then?" I asked.

"I...I wasn't well."

"Did he hit you again?" I frowned. She shook her head.

"I had planned to leave," she said very softly, "I thought I was going to live with my mother for a while. Then I listened to a voicemail left by him. I thought he deserved to know so I rang him. I told him that I was leaving because I needed to get away from him and that I was scared of him. At first he was angry saying that he would never take me back if I leave. And then he was all tears and apologies. He said that he would go to anger management and stop drinking."

"He said that?" I couldn't hide my surprise.

"Yeah... He said I am all he has to live for."

"And you fell for it?"

"I decided to give him another chance."

"Another chance? What happens when he uses that chance to abuse you again?"

"I want Aaron to change, Ms Robinson." She finally looked at me. There were tears sitting in her hazel eyes. "I want to—"

"Wait." I cut her short when something caught my attention. "What did you say?"

"I want Aaron to change."

"Aaron?"

"Aaron Hill, my boyfriend."

"Aaron Hill." I tried to process the thought. I used to know a certain Aaron Hill. Had last seen him twelve years ago, ambushing me, then forcing himself on me in a dark, lonely field.

I finally sat down. Thought I was sweating a little.

"How long have you been with him?" I asked her.

"About a year." She gave me a glance, looked away when our eyes met. "He wasn't always like this. It's...it's just..."

"What? Anger? Alcohol? Some of your fault?" I crossed my arms against my chest. "Nothing can be an excuse to hurt another person. I'm surprised you didn't admit the truth to the police."

"It wouldn't have worked anyway."

"Why not?"

"He has connections. Lots of them."

"Amy, why don't you just get out? There are shelters for women. You'll be safe."

"I can't." She swallowed slowly, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My mouth seemed to be getting dry.

"You need to get out," I repeated slowly. "Why are you putting up with him?"

"I can't leave, okay?!" Amy's voice rose a little, even as the tears continued to roll. "He's threatened to kill my mom in front of me, then torture me until I pray for death. He told me he could have someone else kill me and he could be 100 miles away having dinner with witnesses who would back him up."

She covered her face with her hands, sobbing. I moved closer and put an arm around her, felt her crumble. She sobbed against my shoulder, trembling in my arms.

I recognised the fear. I knew it so well.

"What does he do for a living?" I asked, filling my lungs with air. Amy looked up, wiping her tears off. It didn't help. There were fresh tears working down.

"Business. He runs a financial company." She bit her lip as she said that. "He doesn't share details with me, but I know he's got a lot of investors and connections and all that stuff."

"How old is he?"

"About thirty."

"What does he look like?"

"He's tall. Strong. He has sandy hair."

No. Not enough information. Anyone could be tall and strong with sandy hair. I shook my head, my confusion not clearing.

"Umm...what else?" I asked carefully. "Like, any identification mark or something....?"

"Dimples." She said quietly. "He has dimples." She moved away and frowned at me. "Why do you want to know? What---are you going to do anything?"

"Do you want me to?"

She shook her head. "Don't involve yourself in this," she warned, her voice dropping. "He'll hurt you."

"Does he know that you're pregnant?"

"Yes. He...he's been good to me since I told him. He hasn't even been drinking a lot nowadays..." She looked at me through lowered lashes. "The baby might change him."

"Nothing changes them, Amy," I reasoned.

"For god's sake!" She jumped out of the chair. "I want my man to change, okay? I want to give him another chance! What's your fucking problem?"

I recoiled, my heart hammering in my chest. I hadn't been like that. I had sought help from the first day that he hit me. Amy was different. She didn't see her own danger or that of her baby's.

"You want me to leave, and then have him find me and kill me!" She continued to say while sobbing. "Is that what you want? Have him kill me, my baby, my mother...?"

She turned around and bolted out of the room, leaving me sitting there in stunned silence. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes.

Amy's boyfriend was Aaron Hill. The guy who had ruined my life twelve years ago.

*

I vaguely heard my phone ringing on the bed above the deafening thumping of my heart, while I sat trembling on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor and tried to breathe. Had been trying for the last ten minutes or so. I felt dizzy, my stomach churning, throat drying. It almost felt like the beginning of a heart attack.

The phone stopped ringing, then started again. My vision was blurring. I grabbed my head with both hands, trying to stop the room from spinning.

The phone wouldn't stop ringing. With my heart thudding uncontrollably, I slowly crept out of the bathroom on all fours, leaning against the bed, and grabbed my phone from the mattress.

"Vivienne, where are you?" Dave sounded concerned on the other end. "I've called you at least five times so far. Are you still at work?"

I couldn't talk. Couldn't breathe. I coughed, and my stomach churned again. I was this close to throwing up.

"Vivienne? Are you there? Talk to me, Vivienne."

"Can't breathe..." I managed to mumble. I closed my eyes and dropped my head against the mattress, felt the bed sway.

"What's happening, baby?" Dave was more concerned now. "Are you having a panic attack?"

I couldn't answer. Only coughed and heaved, voice muffled by the bed.

"Vivienne, breathe through your nose," he instructed me. "Breathe through your belly. Do as I say. Breathe in and breathe out. Vivienne, are you listening? Try to relax. There's nothing wrong. Everything's okay. Stop thinking. Breathe through your nose. Breathe nice and deep. Feel your belly rise and fall..."

I concentrated on his soothing voice, followed his instructions to breathe in and out. Breathing through my belly made me feel a tad better. My heart was slowing down as well.