A Fight For Love

Chapter 2

As Desiree felt Leon’s lips on her, all she could think was ‘please don’t let this be real…please don’t let this be real…’. She quickly put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. She could feel her cheeks flush, almost as if she was blushing. She looked into Leon’s oddly tender eyes and sighed.

“Leon…what the hell do you think you are doing?” she asked as she looked at him.

“You felt it too, Dee. I know you did,” he said in a hoarse voice as he looked at her. By the way he was looking at her, Desiree could tell that he was one breath away from nuzzling her neck, then, slowly and sensuously, undressing her, or at least attempting to, like he used to do when they were still together. She shook her head and looked up at him.

“Felt what? Leon? There is nothing to feel. Not anymore,” she said.

“You can keep denying it Dee,” Leon said as he pulled her closer to him. “But I can still feel the chemistry between us. It is more alive than ever, and now, now that I can shout our love from the rooftops, we can finally be together. We can be us again, Dee,” he said as he looked at her. She shook her head and pushed him away once more.

“There is nothing here, Leon. Not anymore,” she said as she looked into his eyes. She made sure that she was looking right into his tarnished soul as she said it, so that he would finally get just how serious the matter was. “Whatever we had, was good…actually great, Leon. But the minute I discovered you decided to have me as your dirty secret was when you ruined any chance of me and you having a happy ending. This is it. We Are Done, I am done, and if you can’t respect my decision, I…” her words trailed off as she looked at him.

“What, Dee?” he asked. Although his voice remained level, his blazing eyes were hostile, and the tenderness of the kiss receded from memory.

“If you can’t respect my decision, I, I will get the police involved Leon. I will get a restraining order,” she said in a low but firm voice. The way Leon looked at her spoke volumes. She knew that he was twisting apart inside, hurting, but furious as he looked at her. “So, no more calls, no more texts, no more emails and, definitely, no more flowers. You are my past Leon and you will to see it like that and concentrate on your own future. Patch things up with your wife or get some other naive woman. But it will definitely not be me because I promise you that the restraining order will not be as private as you may want it to be,” she snapped, thrusting herself towards the elevator. She took a long, deep, breath as she stepped inside. She maintained eye contact with Leon until the elevator doors shut tight. As she rode down she wanted to scream. She pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear as she walked out of the elevator and out of the Royale. She got into a waiting cab and sat in the back taking the same deep, measured breaths. She did not know how long she had been there, and was barely aware of her surroundings, until the cab driver spoke up.

“Where to, lady?” he asked.

“Um…I don’t know…just take me to 1614 fifty third street,” she stammered. She rode in silence, replaying what had happened at the Royale penthouse in her head over and over again. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. This was, almost, the worst thing that could have happened. She had no idea of the wisdom of telling Taylor. If she did she might ruin something special, if she didn’t she was being felt duplicitous. However, Leon, if nothing else, had proven how important honesty was in a relationship Telling Taylor seemed like the only thing she could do. The only decent thing anyway. Leon had kissed her. She had not kissed responded…or had she? She looked outside the window and sighed. She needed to say it, get it off her chest.

“We’re here,” the driver said when they pulled up in front of Taylor’s house. She was breathing hard and fast now, almost hyperventilating as she handed the cab driver a twenty dollar bill. She got out of the car and took a long, calming, breath as she began walking towards the house. “Your money, lady,” the driver called out embarrassedly. She turned around and smiled wistfully.

“Keep the change,” she said in a dejected voice. She walked to the door while rummaging through her bag for the keys. She knew that Taylor’s truck not being there almost certainly meant that Taylor was out. She walked into the house and looked around, her anxiety causing her to see the neat, homely apartment with fresh eyes. She went upstairs and stripped off with jerky, awkward movements before taking her second, and infinitely more needed, shower. As she stood under the running water, she could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest, so loud that she could almost hear the resounding thuds in her ears. She soon found her eyes brimming with tears: the thought of telling Taylor causing an anguish akin to physical pain. She did not know how long she showered, but eventually she heard the front door open. She got out of the bathroom and, suddenly uncomfortable, wrapped her wet naked body in a towel before slowly walking out of the bedroom.

“Dee, is that you?” she heard Taylor’s husky, but mild, voice from downstairs. She leaned against the wall collected herself.

“Up here,” she called out before she walked back into the bedroom. She dried herself and sat on the edge of the bed as she waited for him to come upstairs. “I thought you were going to have a lazy day in bed,” he said when he finally got to the bedroom.

“I…had errands,” she said in a not so sure voice.

“Are you asking me or telling me?, he grinned. You sound like you are not very sure why you are out of the house,” he said with a smile. She tried to reciprocate but she just couldn’t. “What kind of errand did you have to run?” he asked with faint suspicion as he walked to the bathroom. She shook her head as she watched him washing his hands in the bathroom sink.

“I thought you were working the whole day,” she said.

“I had two cancellations so I went to Tony to finalize the investment deals. Which reminds me, Tony said he had some paperwork for you to sign. So, make some time to go see him,” he said as he walked out of the bathroom. She looked up at him and sighed as she tried finding the right words to tell him everything. “Did you shower here? Something wrong with your pipes?” he asked smiling. Desiree looked up at him but didn’t have the words to answer. Taylor walked up to her and pulled a chair in an avuncular fashion. He sat down and looked into her eyes and that was when he saw it, that her eyes were a bit puffy. “Are you okay? You look…sad, unsettled even,” he said awkwardly. She looked up at him and shook her head. “Have you been crying?” he asked. She shook her head and pulled her phone out of her bag. She scrolled her texts before she handed it to him. “What?” Taylor asked as he looked at the phone.

“I got a number of these, and emails too,” Desiree said in a low voice.

“And?” he asked.

“I went to see him, to stop him from doing this and…he…” her words trailed off as she looked at him.

“What? Dee? What did he do?” Taylor asked almost angrily. “Did he hurt you? Because if he did I swear I will castrate the bas*ard,” he shouted, shaking with anger. Desiree shook her head.

“No, he didn’t,” she said. “You have to promise me that you won’t do anything stupid,” she said.

“Dee, what the hell did that degenerate piece of sh*t do to you?” he asked.

“Promise me,” she repeated.

“Why is this so important to you? What did he do?” he was yelling uncontrollably now.

“Until you promise me I am not going to say anything,” she said I almost the same tone.

“Fine, I promise. Now, tell me!” he looked into her eyes.

“He kissed me,” she finally said. He looked at her, surprised and angry with himself for putting himself in an impossible position. Desiree knew that given a choice, he would have definitely marched right out of there and used his gym-toned muscles to full effect on Leon’s slightly flaccid stomach.

“You went to see him?” he asked.