Waves Of Passion

“Fine Eliza. Look at the life you are living now. It is so much different from the one you had when you were with me.”

“And I am loving every minute of it.”

“But it is not you…this life….” He shook his head. “You belong in the streets of Paris and Milan. Living it up like the princess you are.”

She shook her head.

“Just so you know, you silly incompetent jackass…” she started.

“No need for all the name calling,” he pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

“Like I was saying you incompetent jackass…I would never trade this life for anything. Especially not the hell I had with you back in Philadelphia.”

“Baby, I gave you everything you ever wanted back in Philly. I gave you everything I possibly could under the sun because you meant everything to me….you still mean everything to me.”

Justin’s heart skipped a beat. Did he just call her ‘baby’? Were the two an item or something of the sort? What was he missing?

“If I meant anything to you at all, then there is no way you would have used me to close a business deal.”

“You did not mind to do it in the beginning.”

“Drinks with your business partners and posing as arm candy as I blew on your dice was something else. You actually pawned me off to your business partner.” The woman sounded more upset than she actually looked. “You offered me to your…I don’t even know who he was…Russian pig for a few more zeroes on your bank balance than you had planned for? And I was the most important thing to you?” she asked and the man reached for her hand. But just as soon as he held her she yanked her arm off and looked into his eyes. “You are dead to me, Allan. Learn to live with it.”

She was about to walk away when the man reached for her hand again before the woman pulled away from him, this time a little more violently than the first time. Even from where he stood, he could tell that she was angry. He was having a hard time deciding whether to walk up to where she was. Maybe she needed his help but at the same time, the one thing he didn’t want to do was overstep his boundaries. She began walking towards the beach and the man followed her closely. Justin found himself doing the same, following them. But they were a little too fast for him. By the time he got to the beach, it was all quiet. The only sound in the air was the water as it made waves…the water rushing up to the shore. But there was no sign of the woman who had saved his life and the man she had been talking to…or arguing with. He was unsure of which way he should have gone when he suddenly heard the woman’s voice high and sharp. It was almost a cry for help. He ran towards the direction of the woman’s voice and saw the man holding her a little too tightly in his arms. She was fighting to get free but the man was clearly stronger than she was.

“Hey!” Justin called out as he made his way towards the two. The man released the woman and looked at Justin as he walked towards them. The woman was already trying to get away from him but the man was adamant. He was still trying to follow her. “Is everything alright?” he asked as the woman approached him. Now that she was close enough to him, he could tell that she was a little shaken up. She suddenly threw her arms around him and he felt his heart skip a beat. He was not sure what he really felt but the release of endorphins was hardly something he could ignore. He slipped an arm around her waist and held her tightly as he looked at the man over her shoulder.

“Eliza,” the man called.

“Go away,” she said in a muffled voice, her mouth pressed against his shoulder.

“You heard her, man,” Justin said.

“This is none of your business!” The man said in an annoyed tone.

“Go away, Allan,” the woman said again, this time pulling her head from his shoulder. She looked at him and even though Justin could not see her face at that moment, he could tell that he was angry. He could feel her heartbeat going hard and strong as they both waited for the man she had called Allan to walk away.

“You heard her,” Justin said as he looked at the man. “You better leave.”

The woman turned back and buried her head in his shoulder. She was breathing heavily as Justin put his other arm around her shoulders, securing her even more in his arms. It felt like forever before the man finally walked away and Eliza began gasping into his shoulder.

“Okay….hey…he’s gone. It’s okay,” he said in a soft voice, his hand gently running up and down her back. “He’s gone,” he said again.

He was not sure if it was just a simple panic attack or the relief of the man leaving but she seemed both scared and excited. He could feel her shivering in his arms and no matter what he did or what he said, nothing seemed to calm her down. When she sunk to the sand, he knelt next to her, still holding her until she finally calmed down. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. They seemed to shine under the moonlight and there were a few curly strands stuck to her forehead.

“Long day?” he asked but she didn’t answer. He figured that she was too emotionally drained to give an answer.

“Actually, it seems like it is a tough first week for you,” he thought as she rested her head on his shoulder once more.

The atmosphere was all quiet. Except for the raging waves and the Wave Tide party revelers who could only be heard from a distance. She pulled her head from his shoulder and looked at him.

“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice after a long silence.

“Any time.”

“I’m Eliza Warren by the way,” she said in a soft voice.

“Justin Frank,” he said and she smiled.

“I know who you are,” she said and he forced out a laugh. “And I think that this is maybe not the best way to meet one of our chief patrons…or the number one patron.”

He shook his head. “Actually, I should be the one honored to meet you.”

“And why is that?” she asked.

“You saved my life a few days ago,” he said and she shook her head.

“I was just doing my job and maybe this was the world’s way of allowing me to return the favor…not that your life was ever in danger or anything, at least I hope,” he said smiling.