24. Winver
TWENTY-FOUR
It’s been a couple weeks since Axel gifted me the diamond necklace and I still have yet to do anything work related in regards to his hotel. I really enjoy staying home, but I can’t help but remain eager for when the day comes that I can become his business partner and even better…his wife!
I saw the cute, little velvet Tiffany Co. box wrapped around a gorgeous tiffany blue bow while I was rummaging through the closet, going through the things he had asked me to throw out since he doesn’t want me wearing them anymore. I was sad about it until he mentioned the reasoning behind it being a whole new wardrobe before I started working with him. It’s been three days since I first saw it and I’m practically on my hands and knees begging to whoever is above to hurry it up already.
It would be an honor to become his wife. To have and to hold from that day forward. I can imagine the wedding now. All rose golds and navy colors, scattering around the venue with peonies, hydrangeas, and delphiniums lining all the way down the aisle where my husband will be standing looking handsome as ever. I’ll be wearing the most long, elegant, pearl white wedding dress hugging my curves with a cute little up-do and jewels to pin it up. It’s going to be perfect and it’s going to be a day I’ll forever look forward to.
My phone goes off, pulling me out of the blissful daydream. Seeing it’s my mother, I answer welcomingly.
“Mom!”
“Hi, sweetie! How’ve you been? I miss you.” For a moment, gloom washes over me. I haven’t seen my parents ever since I first moved in. Anytime we all plan something, Axel has to cancel for work reasons. The one time I told him I’d go without him, he kind of freaked out. I found it odd that he didn”t want me going to a dinner with my parents without him, but he told me it was because it would be disrespectful. Whatever that means. I just let it go.
“I’ve been good. Just finishing up some things around the place before I have to start prepping for dinner.”
“I see. Well, I just wanted to give you a call and let you know I was in the area and coming to stop by! It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you.”
I can’t say no to my own mother, but if Axel knew she stopped by without his knowledge, he would flip. Even if he knew I was on the phone with her right now without him being here, he wouldn’t like it all.
“Uhm…o-oh-okay!” I say, clutching my diamond necklace.
“Perfect. I’ll be there in about five minutes. I’ll text you so you can let me come up.”
“Sounds good.” I hang up fast, checking the time to see that it’s only two in the afternoon. Axel wouldn’t be home for another four hours. Letting out a sigh of relief, I head to the kitchen and put a coffee pod in the coffee maker so that when she gets here, it’ll be ready to go. A ding sounds off my phone, seeing that she texted me letting me know she’s here. Running over to the elevator, I dial the bellhop, letting him unlock the door for her.
It’s not long until the elevator starts ascending, welcoming the woman I’ve missed for far too long.
“Mom!” I say, running over to her warm embrace smelling her signature Chanel No.5 perfume.
“Oh, I’ve missed you so much,” she says, kissing the top of my head and not allowing me to pull apart our hug.
“I’ve missed you, too, Mom.”
“This is a fancy place he has, isn”t it?” She looks around, walking over to the couch while I grab her cup of coffee from the kitchen.
“Mhm!” I hum out, setting the cup on the coffee table and having a seat next to her.
“Sooo, tell me all about him! How are you liking all of this?” She waves her hand around.
“He’s been nothing but amazing and kind. I was actually kind of uncomfortable moving into something this nice and not mine. Like, I wanted to work so that I could have my own money and help, but he hated that idea,” I chuckle out loud.
“He has the job and money to go with it…If he wants to take care of you, let him,” she says, shrugging her shoulders as she reaches to grab her coffee.
“Well, I guess you could say I’ll eventually be getting a job. He wants me to work with him!”
“Really?” she asks with confusion.
“Yup! He said that I’d be perfect to help him with his business. I just haven’t started or have even been told what exactly it is I’ll be doing.”
“And you”re happy about that?” She sips her coffee.
“Getting to become his business partner all while being in love? I’m so happy about that!” She slowly nods, humming out. Looking up and down my body, she squints her eyes.
“Have you been doing anything different lately?”
I look down at my body, not noticing any changes that I can see. “Uh…I don’t think? Why, do I look different?”
“Yeah, I just can’t point my finger on it.”
“Happy relationship weight gain is a thing you know,” I say, wiggling my brows.
“No, it’s not that. I just…I don”t know. Maybe paler?” she suggests. She’s not wrong, this is the palest I’ve ever been. Being inside all day will do that to you, but Axel hasn’t said anything about it.
We continue to talk for three more hours about everything that’s been going on with her and my father’s life. I didn’t realize being away for such a short period of time could have me missing them so much. This whole time has just made me realize we need to do these more often. I just don’t know if Axel will be okay with it. Our time coming to an end, I lead her to the elevator, waiting for it to open. She turns around, grabbing both of my hands. “Please don’t become a stranger just because you have a man,” she whispers, seeing the pain in her eyes like she just lost her own child.
“I won’t, Mom,” I whisper. The elevator doors pull open and she wraps me around in a hug one last time. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
As soon as the doors close, I quickly run to the kitchen, pulling out pots, pans, and all the ingredients I need to make dinner. I look at the time, knowing that I’ll have to rush making dinner so I have time to get ready.
I work faster than a race horse, throwing the diced chicken on a pan and the pasta in the pot of water while I start making the homemade alfredo sauce. With how fast I’m trying to go, I can feel sweat beading on my forehead. I catch the time again, noticing I only have twenty minutes left until he’ll be home. “Shit,” I mumble to myself, running through the living room and into our bedroom where I start changing into a navy blue lingerie set, throwing on some white heels to go with it. I fix up my makeup, only having time to do my eyeshadow and a red lip. I fluff up my hair, run out the room, and am stopped when I see Axel in the kitchen.
“Evening, my beautiful Winnie,” he smiles.
“Hi, my love,” I say, walking towards him with a smile on my face.
“Dinner looks amazing as always.”
“Thanks, handsome.”
He gives me a quick kiss before going over to the dinner table and sitting down. I fix his plate, grabbing a beer from the fridge as well.
“Thanks.”
“Mhmm!”
With both of us now sitting down eating, I have a strong urge telling me to ask about when I’ll be starting to work with him.
I take a gulp of my water, replenishing my dry mouth. “So…when do I get to start on this hotel thing with you?”
“Very soon!”
“Really?” I ask with excitement.
“You’ll be the face of it all in no time.” I can’t hide the red that forms on my cheeks while butterflies swarm my stomach with anticipation. Maybe the first day I start is the day he’ll propose. Maybe that’s why it’s taken him so long, because he wants everything to be perfect.
The rest of the dinner I listen to him complain about employees not doing their jobs and how he had to fire two of them because of it. It seems like just simple things such as maids not dusting the lobby properly or pillows not being fluffed, but I dare not say anything. I really do try to stay interested, but I can’t. The stuff he tells me about is stuff I have no knowledge of, so I can’t really put in my opinions, let alone advice. I should probably listen more since I’ll be working with him soon, but I can’t. It’s all too boring for me.
I take off my makeup and lingerie, crawling into bed with nothing on besides my necklace. Axel finishes up in the shower, walking over to me with just a towel around his waist. “You want to watch a movie tonight? Maybe Scream?” I widen my eyes and drop my mouth open, nodding my head. “Yes! I would love that.” He knows just how much I love that franchise. I told him the first time I ever slept over that we’d be watching it on repeat.
“I’ll go pop some popcorn and get us a glass of wine, okay?”
“Okay!” I squeal. “I’ll turn it on.”
The smell of buttery goodness seeps through the room. I love the smell of popcorn. It reminds me of when my parents would take me to see the children’s ballet of The Nutcracker over in Pondling, a few towns over where now a majority of it sits abandoned, including the theater. It’s such a shame that a place that beautiful can just sit there slowly rotting away.
Axel comes in holding a bowl of popcorn with his teeth and the two glasses in either hand. I crawl off the bed, grabbing the popcorn and my wine. I start the movie as we both start to get comfortable. I lay my head on his shoulder, sipping on my wine as Drew Barrymore pops up on the screen.
“My favorite part,” I whisper.
“This is your favorite part? She’s the first one to die.”
I playfully scoff. “Yeah, but it sets up the story.”
The longer I watch my comfort movie, the heavier my eyes grow. I yawn out, nuzzling my head into his shoulder before closing my eyes and drifting off.
“Twenty thousand going once…going twice…”
“Eighty thousand!”
“Eighty thousand going once…going twice…sold! Eighty thousand dollars to the man up front.”
Cheering and clapping break out from all around me. Slowly opening my eyes, I see a crowd of people standing out in front of me. To the side I notice a man behind a podium next to me. I look down at my body, seeing that I’m naked with my legs and arms spread apart on some type of wheel.
“Wh-what?” I mumble to myself, feeling like everything is in slow motion.
“Come and claim your prize!” The man behind the podium cheers, everyone else doing the same.
A man that looks in his mid-fifties steps up on the stage, his white dress shirt looking like it could bust open any second from his beer belly. The man from behind the podium walks over next to us with a small digital camera in his left d and a whip in his right. He gives the whip to the old man. “Here you go sir! Three whips before the licks!” his cheerful voice yells out.
“Hel-hello?” I mumble out to them, but they don’t seem to hear me.
“Hello,” I say now, raising my voice slightly, still not grabbing their attention.
“Hello!” I yell out to them, growing irritated that they aren’t listening to me.
I close my eyes but they’re quickly popping back open from the hard whip landing across my stomach. I cry out, listening to everyone cheer the old man on.
CRACK!
Another whip lands across my naked breasts, making me hiss in breath.
“Stop!” I yell, but he doesn’t even acknowledge my presence. It’s like I’m a ghost they can’t see.
CRACK!
This one landing right at my center, causing the tears to start streaming down my face. The crowd goes absolutely wild like their number one American football team just won the Super Bowl. The old man gives the other man back the whip.
“Proceed!”
The old man steps up right in front of me, looking everywhere on my body but my face.
“She’s just so fucking perfect,” The old man says, staring right at my chest.
“HEEELLLLPPPP!” I scream out, looking around the crowd to see if anyone noticed or heard, but they continue to ignore me.
His breath fans over my face, looking me dead straight into my eyes.
“You’re worth every penny.”
“HELP!” I scream, jolting awake, surprised by my own voice. Axel quickly sits up, waking him up by my sudden plea. God, that was a horrible dream.
“What’s wrong?” he says in a panic.
“Nothing, I just had a really bad dream.”
“Come here…” he whispers, pulling me into his body, kissing the side of my neck. He lightly scratches the side of my body, slowly stopping as he begins to drift off back to sleep.
I try to calm my heart rate down, slowly inhaling and exhaling. That was such a horrible dream…
Nobody was listening to me, my voice was silent even with the screams I brought with it.
I take a few minutes to calm down, feeling safe with Axel next to me as I shut my eyes. I guess a pro to having nightmares when you”re dating someone is that they’ll always be there for you when you wake up. And Axel makes me feel nothing but safe, loved, and protected.