Dawning of Discovery

This is another piece to the Weathered story I am working on, and it falls in the beginning, after the bank scene but before everything else. For those joining for the first time, Blair is opening an art gallery and this woman, Regina, is out to destroy not only her dream, but her life. This piece is a conversation between Blair and her attorney, Bill {who also happens to be her lover at this point in time}.

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“Today started like any other day, Bill. And it went south fast. I don’t know what to do. This woman—she is all over everything I do. I have no idea what I have done to her, but apparently she claims she knows me from the past, as far back as college.” Her eyes caught site of her nails, the one torn from the adventure in the elevator earlier that day, and several others had been chewed over the course of the day. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done this. She noted briefly that she needed to contact her manicurist in the worst way.

“All the way back to college? Really? Why do you think that?”

“She left me a message on Facebook, asking if my father knew how I ‘cheated my way through college’. Yes, I made a mistake, but….OH MY GOD! Oh my god. Bill! Let me call you right back. I want to check something.”

His voice ended abruptly as she clicked her phone shut. She ran to her closet, shoving clothes aside as she searched for a box. She pulled it out to the living room, and sat on the couch as she went through it.

“Ah ha!” The slight smile captured on her lips as she pulled her college yearbook from the box. She skimmed through it quickly, until she got to the Senior pictures. She flipped through slowly until she came to the R’s. She was looking for R. Angelina Potts, her college roommate. When she found it, shock came over her face.

“Oh my god! Bill! You will never believe what I have just discovered!” She was a lot louder than she intended to be. “This woman? She really is my old college roommate!!”

“What? Wow. Are you sure?”

“R. Angelina Potts, Regina Adams, yes, I’m quite sure. I never paid attention to what the R stood for in school, but now that I think about it, I believe I do remember her being called Regina in school too. I can’t believe she is doing all of this because I borrowed her idea for art class! I just thought she was pissed because I wouldn’t hire her. Now it’s all making sense, what she said in the interview.”

“How do you ‘borrow’ an idea for art class? And no, I have a  feeling this is more than just revenge for an art project from 20 plus years ago. She has a vendetta. I wish you would let me put a security detail on you. You are far too trusting of those who don’t deserve it.” His voice had a hint of warning in it, but he knew Blair would ignore it. As it was, he had already hired someone privately to keep an eye on her.

“You are entirely too paranoid, Bill, but I love that you are that worried about me. Now that I know who I am doing battle with, the game has changed. Trust me.”

“I do trust you, but the problem is that I’m not convinced you really know exactly what you are up against. I think there is a lot more danger of scandal here than you are aware of. I wish you would let me help you. Please  just think about what I’m saying, okay?” He knew it was pointless because she wouldn’t do it. He tried to convince himself that at least he had tried to warn her and what happens from this point on was her own doing.

“My father…”

“You, sweets, are NOT your father.”

“No, I’m not, but I won’t be underestimated either. What she did in the elevator, Bill, was horrid. That won’t happen again.”

“And exactly how are you going to make sure of that?”

“Life goes on, Bill. Just trust me. I have my ways.”

“I hope for your sake you are right.”

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  I took some creative liberties with the 1st prompt from the Bloggy Moms’ Writer’s Workshop this week. The prompt was: Use this to begin your story:   The day started like any other. End your story with this: And so life goes.

What do you think? Concrit is always welcome.

Are you a mom? Do you love to write? Have you joined Bloggy Moms yet? What are you waiting for?

Business As Usual

This is another piece to my ongoing story called Weathered. You can find more pieces to it here. This piece happens immediately after the elevator scene.

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“Please don’t make me have to do this again. Please tell me you have the permits with you and you are here in this building somewhere?” Blair’s hands shook as she held the cellphone to her ear.

“What happened? You still haven’t told me. You sound really shaken up. Are you okay?” Bill’s voice filtered through the earpiece, calm and collected.

“No. If I have to be honest, I am not okay. Just, please, take the meeting for me. I need a few minutes before I can go in there.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” He felt guilty as he spoke. He knew full well what had happened in the elevator, and knew exactly what was still to come.

“Later, yes. Right now, I just need to put it out of my mind and focus on the board meeting. Okay? Please?”

“Ok. I’ll go run some interference for you. I do have copies of all of the permits, and everything is in order, just as it was before this morning. Relax. It will be okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes?”

She blew a long sigh before answering. She had been holding her breath and hadn’t noticed until that very second.

“Yes. I’ll be there in a few minutes. And Bill? Thanks.”

“Sure thing, sweets.”

The phone clicked quietly as she placed it in her pocket. Her eyes drifted once more to the broken briefcase. They flooded with water, just rising to the surface, but she shook it off before it could overflow her lids. Instead she diverted her attention to the floor, scanning the walls for a restroom. Her query a success, she moved quickly across the space.

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“Where is your client, Mr. Fortune?” The older man peered over the rim of his glasses.

“She’s had a slight emergency. She will be here momentarily. I am authorized to proceed in her stead.” He passed a pile of paperwork to the two gentlemen sitting in the room. “If you will take a moment to look through them, you will see that all the permits are there, and the construction is in fact, very simple. The biggest project is the living fountain, but as that is a work of art rather than a construction project, so we do not need a permit for that. Do you agree?”

“Hmmm. Perhaps we should look these over in detail before making that decision, yes?”

“Fine. Ms. Weathers can give you more detail on the living fountain, anyway. Please, take your time.”

Bill looked at his Rolex as the words rolled off his tongue. He had hoped that this would be an in and out meeting, as it usually was, but someone must have made some mischief because they were literally reading each and every page. Their heads turned slightly as Blair entered the room, perfectly coifed, no visible sign of distress. This was just one of many reasons why Bill admired Blair. He had to admit the woman was tough. He found himself wishing that he could know her without all the strings that were attached.

“My apologies, gentlemen. I appreciate your waiting for me. Shall we proceed?”

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    This is in response to prompt #50: Please don’t make me…

{Thanks, Galit!}

In the Raw

This particular piece can fit in several spots, so I’m leaving it as a separate entry in the continuing saga of Blair and Weathered. Enjoy!

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Blair’s doctor had ordered her to rest, and Anthony insisted that she stay at her father’s house rather than her Soho apartment. Her protests were weak, and she appeased him anyway. Anthony became a regular visitor, but when she came down to breakfast one morning to find him at the table in conversation with her father, she tried to hide their affections for each other.

“Hello, Anthony. What brings you out here at such an early hour?” A soft pink glow ran across her face as her hands caressed the soft aged denim of her jeans. She had slept in an old t-shirt and hadn’t bothered to change it. Droplets decorated the few loose tendrils that had freed themselves from her ponytail and curled about her face from a splash of water only moments before. She felt embarrassed in her natural state. He’d never seen her in the raw like this before. She squirmed slightly as she watched his eyes drink her in, not understanding that he found her even more beautiful in this moment than he ever had before.

“Good morning, Blair. I am here to discuss some bank business with your father.” His hands gestured to the pile of papers before him.

“Won’t you join us, dear?” her father’s head turned briefly to acknowledge her before returning to the paper he was reading. She had not intended to stay, at least not until she was properly fixed up, but her father’s request wasn’t one that could be denied.

Her deep sigh swelled her chest underneath the t-shirt. Her anger burned slightly, misdirected at Anthony for being there so early in the first place. Her eyebrows buried so far down her face that she was practically eating them. She slid onto the velvet cushion of her chair, directly across from her father. The slight smile of Anthony’s that Blair had fallen in love with did nothing to calm her this time. Her lips pursed as hot coffee flowed between them. Eyes peeping over the rim of the cup, she shot daggers Anthony’s direction, eliciting peals of laughter from her father.

“My goodness. Haha.” Her father’s laughter extinguished the fire that had been slowly building inside her. “Why are you here with me, Anthony, going on about numbers, when you would rather be there with my daughter?” More laughter interrupted his speech as he looked at Blair. “Perhaps those daggers would be better suited for me, my dear. After all, it was I who invited him to breakfast, seeing as how he has become like a piece of furniture around my house these days.”

“Hmmmmmph. Well, dear daddy, you are only saved by the fact that I haven’t heard your laughter in forever. You know, you could have given me notice!”

“But why? You are perfectly beautiful just the way you are, Blair!” Anthony joined her father’s laughter with a chuckle of his own. “I will never cease to be amazed at beautiful women who don’t realize how beautiful they really are, especially when you get to enjoy their natural beauty.”

Anthony’s chuckle turned to full on laughter as both Blair and her father’s eyes rolled at his statement. He knew they would both deny how much alike they were. It gave him a tickle to see them with the exact same expressions on their faces, so very much alike, and yet so very different.  Blair just nodded her head; her laughter finally joining in. It was refreshing in a way she had not felt in a very long time.

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A Write on Edge meme

This week’s instructions were easy: We all have a relationship with jeans. They can make us feel a range of emotions, and this week we asked you to write a piece in which jeans figured prominently.

Blair’s not usually a jeans kind of girl, reserving that look to early mornings alone. Anthony is still a character I am developing, so it was my hope that through this piece, he might endear himself to you further. Did it work? Please let me know what you liked best, and where you think it needs improvement.

Heartsong

This is another segment of Weathered, continued from yesterday’s story, called Awakening. Missed a piece? I’ve got them all tabbed here.

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The car ride home started out in a companionable silence. Thomas’s driving was smooth, though the streets through Manhattan were naturally gridlocked. The chocolate sky she viewed through the sunroof was filled with tan marshmallows. The slight breeze she’d felt between the sterility of the hospital and the climate controlled car had revived her spirit. She would have welcomed a nice walk, but the desire was quickly overcome by the rush of people on the sidewalks. She still didn’t trust her legs yet. She found herself suddenly touched that Anthony had taken such care in his consideration of her.

“Anthony, I…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t know quite how to finish or what she really wanted to say. She wasn’t quite ready to completely trust anyone yet even though his actions of late had proved that he wasn’t just around because of her name or fortune. The silver that met her blue was filled with understanding, and this time when he reached out to touch her, she didn’t push him away.

“Blair, I have so much to show you. I’m trying to give you time to recuperate, but I’m worried.”

“Worried? About me? No, I’m fine. In fact, I think I’m in better shape than I was before my hospital stay.”

“No. I know you are fine. I’m worried about the gallery. I’m worried about your ‘vultures’, the ones who are waiting for you to fail. They’d like nothing else. You and I both know that.”

“Yes, I know, but I’m not worried. I have no reason to be worried. A Weathers always overcomes.”

“If the process is slowed down any longer, you may lose your grants and loans.” His heart hammered as he watched her face crumble briefly before her composure reinserted itself.  “Even the Weathers name can only go so far, especially since your father isn’t backing this project.”

She winced at the slight reprimand. She’d never had repercussions for throwing her father’s name around. She never directly lied, she just let people choose to believe what they wanted, especially since things usually went her way. His suggestion angered her.

“Well. If your bank wants to withdraw its funding simply because my father isn’t backing my project, then so be it. I have other resources I can tap into.” The door bit her shoulder as she pulled her hand away from his. “If you recall, it wasn’t his money that I was borrowing. I got the loan free and clear of him.”

“Blair! I wasn’t suggesting…” Her eyes were captivated by the way his jaw hardened as he clamped his teeth together. She was amused by his aggravation. “I’m not suggesting that you did.” His words rolled out in a sigh.

“It sounded that way. What are you saying, then?”

“I’m saying that something has to give. The bank needs to see that this project is moving, that its end is in sight, and you will start turning a profit. Your biggest hold up right now is getting the patents you need to proceed, correct?”

“Yes. Apparently my uncomplicated ideas are a complication for the state of New York. Since they are new and untested, they are resisting giving them to me. Bill was supposed to be taking care of that for me.”

“He has. I can assure you of that. Do you mind if we stop by my place so I can grab my briefcase? I have things I need to show you. I think I have a solution for you. While you’ve been sleeping, I’ve been working. I think you will like what I have accomplished.”

The spark that suddenly appeared in his eyes was hard for Blair to resist. It went against her very nature, but she felt her resistance dissolving. Her heart warred with her head, her resolve. For every brick placed on her wall, her heart removed three. For every time she slammed the door, she found another piece of him had worked itself to the other side. Whatever he was doing made her feel as if she had jumped on the Berserker with a full stomach, but she also knew she didn’t want him to stop.

“Yes, I would like to see it.” Her hand slid back to the center of the seat, an open invitation she hoped he wouldn’t refuse.

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A Write on Edge meme

This week’s prompt was “A season of change.” We were instructed to write about a change for a character or ourselves, literal or metaphorical.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism.

This was also written in response to Prompt #2 from the Writing Workshop on Bloggy Moms. The prompt was “on the other side of the door.”

Won’t you join Bloggy Moms Writing Workshop today and see what all the writing craze is all about!

Awakening

Today’s story is a continuation of Blair’s story {called Weathered in the tabs above}. It picks up where Betrayal left off. Today’s segment is a response to Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop prompt #2: Write about a time you disappointed yourself.

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“Are you ready to go home?” Anthony’s voice was gentle.

“I am. I’m still not entirely sure why you are here, why you have been here consistently, and why I am letting you take care of me, but I am beyond ready to get out of this place.” Blair’s voice bounced off the barren walls around her, and she winced. It was a bit louder than she had intended. Her normally stoic face was unreadable to Anthony. He decided he needed to tread carefully.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. I’m just…just…disappointed.” If he hadn’t stepped closer to her, he never would have heard the last word as it dropped off the cliff of her lips.

“Disappointed? What? Why?”

A soft rush of air filled the room around him as her chest expelled.

“Because I let Louis get to me. He’s gone. He’s been gone 20 years. He shouldn’t get to me like this. I almost died!”

Long and eloquent fingers reached through the short space to her face, cupping it in the palm of his well-tended hand.

“Listen to me! What you have been going through lately is enough to send anyone into hysterics. The fact that it took you so long to crack is a testament to your strength. The last thing you need to be is disappointed in yourself.”

A sharp flick of her wrist and his hand plunged to his side.

“Everyone wants a piece of Blair Weathers. I’m surprised I didn’t see the vultures hanging out on the windowsill waiting for my lifeless body.” She rose testily from the hospital bed. The short walks with the nurses every day had gone a long way to reviving her land legs but she still felt leery to completely trust them right away. Anthony’s eyes flicked over the window, his ominous thoughts kept locked behind his tightly pressed lips. Now was not the time to tell Blair. He didn’t really know if there ever would be. He merely extended his arm to her, ready to sacrifice his strength for hers.

She accepted his arm and cast a last furtive look around the room that had been her home for the past six weeks. Her heart quickened slightly in her chest, and if Anthony felt the slight tremble, he said nothing. His fingers encased hers, filling her palm with needed warmth.

“Shall we go? Your vultures await you.”

Despite her will, her fingers moved to his face, leaving their imprint on the tiny half smile that had endeared itself to her. She felt her shoulders lighten as if he had taken a backpack filled with thick textbooks from her back. Her legs moved fluidly, and her heart settled back to its normal rhythm. Her chest tightened then loosened as her breath escaped its confinement. Wordlessly, she looked at him and smiled, a slight nod of agreement his reward as they stepped from the room, down the hall, and into the elevator.

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   Concrit is always welcome here, especially with this story. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you liked as well as what you didn’t like. Knowing what  doesn’t work is just as important as knowing what does.

    Thanks for reading!