Glass Towers: Surrendered Read online

  12:30 PM

  Your Husband.

  I know. Me too. I love you Danielle. As soon as you are well, let’s go to Montreal. I want you to meet your new family.

  Gasp. I wasn’t prepared for that. I want to meet his family. The thought of it is just a bit much for me now, considering what I have been through. I eat a couple bites of chicken rice soup and sodium crackers then respond.

  12:33 PM

  Mrs. Towers

  When do you think we will go? I am nowhere near fit to travel yet. I have physical therapy to finish.

  12:35

  Your Husband

  I know. We have some time before you are ready. I just thought you would be excited about meeting my family.

  12:35 PM

  Mrs. Towers

  Oh, Harrison. I do want to meet your family. I am just not ready.

  12:36 PM

  Your Husband

  I was thinking we could go back to Montreal around my birthday and stay through the New Year.

  Oh my gosh! That is right! His birthday is in several weeks. With everything that has happened, I barely know what day of the week it is.

  12:37 PM

  Mrs. Towers

  Ok. I guess that will work. I am sleepy now. Can we talk about this tonight?

  12:38 PM

  Your Husband

  Yes, I have a conference call this afternoon but will come home right after.

  12:38 PM

  Your Husband

  I love you

  My insides get all tingly whenever I hear that. It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world to love and be loved. I don’t care how much I might sound like a sentimental sappy song from the seventies. I love being loved.

  12:39 PM

  Mrs. Towers

  I love you too. See you tonight.

  Chapter Ten

  Two weeks later and I am completely on the mend. I still have telltale signs that I had an accident. My slight limp and swollen nose give some clue to my recent history. Otherwise, I am feeling a lot better and my strength is returning. I am finally completely off the meds, which has helped with my nightmares.

  It has been six weeks since the accident, and I am terrified to leave the penthouse. Albert has stayed on with us. He is still here fulltime and we have two security guards, who patrol the Towers grounds. My parents went home to resume their life at the coast almost ten days ago. I am doing great with physical therapy on my knee. Today was my last day, in fact, and I am now cleared to resume normal activity. Except for running. I have no desire to go running anyway. I am opting for the treadmill Harrison has brought in and set up in one of the extra rooms. In fact, he had the guest room furniture removed and set up a makeshift gym for me. There is a nice executive gym in the Towers HQ, but he essentially doesn’t want me leaving the penthouse, unless it is for a doctor’s appointment. Harrison and Albert both accompany me to my appointments. I know he is trying to protect me, but I feel like a prisoner here.

  I have been unable to conduct my business, so I referred my new clients to a colleague. I know her from when I worked for the Davenport’s firm, back when I was still married to Bradley.

  Harrison just dropped me off after returning from my physical therapy appointment. I am heading in to take a shower, when the pile of boxes and suitcases catches my attention. I suppose I should work on getting the rest of those emptied and finish moving my stuff into my new home. It is hard to believe that I am now living in the place I decorated six months ago. You never know what twists and turns fate has in store. I just hope that Harrison and his men can expose Marion soon. I can’t take living in fear much longer.

  I walk over to the boxes and start unpacking. While I was in the hospital, Harrison had my condo packed up and all of my personal items were delivered here, but all of the furnishings were packed and stored. Simone packed up my things at her place, and Garrin brought them here. All of the things from my condo have already been put away neatly by one of the staff, I presume. The belongings from Simone’s are all that is left for me to unpack.

  At the bottom of one of the first suitcase, I find my pink velour tracksuit jacket. I start to re-fold it, when something falls out from one of the pockets. I reach down and pick it up. It’s a small silver metal emblem in the shape of a fleur de lis, about the size of a dime. It’s as if it came off a piece of jewelry or something. I am staring at it in my hand when it occurs to me where I have seen this before. My blood runs cold. This is the same exact emblem that was on the silver cufflink I gave to the detective. How can that be? I sit down on the edge of the bed to think. Why was this in my pocket? When is the last time I wore this jacket? Still staring at the emblem, it suddenly comes to me where I found this. I vaguely remember picking this up in Simone’s mudroom. I am struggling to remember the details, though. I stand up, walk over to my bedside table, and place the object next to my phone. I will save it and give it to Harrison. He can pass it on to the detectives.

  In the meantime, I have other things on which to focus, like getting ready to seduce my husband tonight. The doctor said I was able to return to normal activity, and having sex with Harrison on a frequent basis is certainly normal for us.

  After I finish unpacking, I have the new maid, Alicia, come in and remove the empty moving boxes and suitcases. Harrison hired her when I was on bed rest. She came recommended by the private nurse, Glenda. I warmed up to Glenda, but I felt very guarded around her at first. She always seemed to be watching me, and it was creepy. I’m relieved that she was only here for a week, and now she is gone. Alicia is a nice enough girl, but far too attractive for my liking. I would rather have an average-looking middle-aged woman. Instead, I have Alicia who is barely twenty-one, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a petite little figure and stands no more than 5 feet tall. I swear I have caught Harrison checking her out. Of course, that could simply be my insecurity rearing its ugly head. Having been cheated on profusely, turns even a secure girl into a raving, insecure lunatic. I fight the lunacy on a regular basis. It is not easy to trust, even when someone hasn’t given you reason not to.

  I shake myself out of my silly musings and decide to hunt down Philippe, to discuss my dinner ideas with him. I head down the hall to the kitchen and as I pass by Harrison’s study, I notice the door is ajar. I take a step toward it to peek in, and at the same moment the door flies open and out walks Alicia. We are both startled, but she is clearly surprised to see me standing there. As she begins to speak, I cut her off.

  “What are you doing in my husband’s study?’

  She stammers, “I...uh...was cleaning in there.”

  I look down at her hands and do not see any cleaning implements in her grasp. She must have noticed her faux pas as she quickly adds, “Well, I was about to clean in here, I wanted to take a peek around and see what tools I was going to require.”

  It sounds plausible enough, but I am just not buying it. I think she was snooping around.

  ‘So, what did you surmise?”

  She looks puzzled and nervous, “Excuse me?”

  “Well, what needs to be cleaned in here?” I step into the room and take a quick glance around to assess the room’s cleanliness. I notice some papers look to have been shuffled through. Now, why on earth would she be going through Harrison’s papers?

  She still has a puzzled look on her face, “Oh, just the usual. I’ll just go get the vacuum and duster.” As she brushes past me, I notice her put her phone in her front pocket. She has just given me more reason not to like her being here. I walk over to the desk and look at the papers; I notice that the top papers are copies of the permits Harrison had his contractor pull for the wiring and plumbing updates that are going to take place at the manor house. I quickly thumb through to the next layer of papers, and nothing jumps out at me. I drop the stack of papers just as I had found them, and move away from the desk right as I hear Alicia returning with the cleaning tools. “After you are done in here, please lock the door behind you.”

  Sh
e gives me a nod and mumbles, “Ok”.

  As I leave the room, I glance back to see her standing the middle of the room. She doesn’t seem motivated to get the work done. She doesn’t seem like a housekeeper at all. Alicia will not be here long, if I get my way. I continue on my search for Philippe.

  Around 7:00 PM, Harrison arrives home. I was beginning to get upset because dinner had been set for an hour earlier, but he had been waylaid at the office. I am waiting for him in the foyer with a simple emerald green silk wrap dress, black suede stilettos, and underneath, my black teddy with the green lace trim. I put on a pair of shear black thigh highs to complete the ensemble. I put some soft waves in my hair and used a couple clip-in hair extension pieces that Simone bought me to cover up the patch of missing hair. I felt sexy and ready to seduce my gorgeous husband.

  “Good evening, Mr. Towers, may I take your coat?”

  His megawatt smile spreads across his face, as he looks me up and down with obvious appreciation. “Mrs. Towers, what a nice surprise!”

  I walk over, take his coat from him, and hang it up in the adjacent closet. I turn back to him and see his eyes running up and down my body. I begin to walk toward the dining room, beckoning him to follow me with my eyes. We arrive to the dining room in silence but for the rain pounding against the glass windows and the sexy music thrumming in the background.

  Smiling, he turns to me, “Well, what have we here mi cheri?

  Ohhh, I feel my body reacting to his nearness and the way his voice vibrates through my soul.

  The sleek metal table is set with flickering candles and modern white dishware. The scene is sexy, with the drops of rain sliding down the glass windows, blurring the sweeping city views. I motion for him to sit down. He shakes his head no, walks over to me, without saying a word, and swoops me into his arms. His supple lips crash hard onto mine. He puts his hand behind my head to steady me and continues to seek out my tongue with his. My loins are on fire and burning out of control. He leans into me with his obvious arousal pressing against me. He moans and continues to assault my mouth with his own. When we finally come up for air, I realize that we are not alone. I struggle to regain my composure, as I am lightheaded, and my legs feel like rubber. I straighten my dress, and myself as Harrison turns to see what has me distracted.

  “Alicia, we didn’t see you there. Do you need something?” Harrison seems out of sorts.

  “Uh sorry, Philippe sent me in to ask if you are ready for us to start serving? Should I come back?” She seems jittery.

  I step forward and take charge, as Harrison just stands there staring at her. What the hell?!

  “No, Alicia, tell Philippe we are ready for the first course. And, Alicia, could you please bring out the Champagne instead of the wine? We are celebrating.” I give her the most authoritative look I can muster.

  Harrison sits down and looks at me with his eyebrow raised, “What are we celebrating?”

  I think quickly, “This is our first dinner together, eating in this dining room, as a married couple. Besides, the last time we used this table, I believe we weren’t eating.” I feel the flush travel across my face, as I remember the day he laid me out on this cold table and took my body to new heights. He must be thinking about that too, as he is slowly biting his lower lip and looking at me under hooded eyes.

  Alicia walks back in with a serving tray and lays out salads in front of each of us. I notice her hands are shaking, as she pours the champagne. I look up at her face and she isn’t even looking at what she is doing; she is busy looking at Harrison. Does she not realize that I am sitting right here and furthermore that he is old enough to be her father?

  Harrison is the first to speak. After she leaves the room, he lifts his glass, “To your recovery and to us and all the future holds.”

  “Cheers!” as I clink my glass with his.

  As we eat our salads, we discuss his day at work and my day at home. Then we move on to the holiday rapidly approaching.

  “Harrison, I was thinking we should invite my parents to Thanksgiving dinner and we could host it here.”

  He doesn’t hesitate, “I think that is an excellent idea. In fact, why don’t you invite Simone and whomever else you would like. It will be nice to entertain.”

  “That sounds great. I will call Simone later and invite her. Although, it is likely she will be spending it with her humongous family. Maybe she can work us all in.”

  “Since we are on the subject of holidays we haven’t touched on the Christmas season. I would really like to get you up to Montreal. My parents are excited to meet you.”

  I take in a deep breath. I know that I should be excited about meeting my in-laws, but I worry that I won’t measure up. Maybe, I won’t fit into their world or ideas of whom Harrison should marry.

  He always seems to know where my mind has traveled. “They are going to love you. Do not worry.” He takes my hand into his, rubs my ring, and brings my hand to his lips, planting a sumptuous kiss. As I gaze into his eyes, I feel myself practically swooning.

  “I love you Harrison.” I lean over to him and kiss him on the cheek. My naughty body is stirring, and I could care less about finishing our meal. Just as I am about to suggest that we skip the rest, in walks Alicia. Damn it!

  She walks over, removes our salad plates, and replaces them with our main entrée. Once again, she is hardly paying attention to what she is doing. As she is setting my plate in front of me, she practically knocks over my glass of champagne. My hand darts out to catch it before it spills.

  Her face is bright red, and she stammers an apology. Then she scurries out of the room.

  I turn to Harrison, who looks far too bemused. “Seriously? I really don’t know why you hired her. I am getting the feeling that she doesn’t know what she is doing, and she is far too interested in you.”

  He laughs, “Now. don’t let your imagination get away from you. She is just young.”

  “Yeah, and cute, with a killer figure.”

  “I hadn’t noticed, Danielle.” He’s not looking at me but seems to be rather engrossed with the contents of his plate. With Philippe’s help, I selected a fresh Chinook Salmon, which is in season right now. Along with roasted fingerling potatoes and a lightly seasoned steamed vegetable medley.

  “Yeah right, and I was born just yesterday.”

  He looks at me with a straight face. “Do I sense some jealousy?”

  “Sure, I guess you could say that. You, of all people, should know what damage has been done to me from my previous marriage. Trust is hard for me, after what Bradley put me through.”

  His look changes with the furrow of his brow. “Well, let’s not forget, I am nothing like Bradley. I don’t even want to hear his name brought up at my dinner table or in this house again. Do you understand me?”He snaps at me.

  “What the hell Harrison? I was merely reminding you why I might still be insecure from time to time. It was certainly no reason to bite my head off.” Sheesh.

  He continues to eat without responding to me. After a few minutes of silence, much to my relief, in walks Philippe. Smiling, he nods at me and walks over to remove our plates. Harrison looks down at my plate and then at me, “You didn’t finish your food.”

  “No, I lost my appetite, but it was good.” I add quickly, so Philippe can hear me.

  Philippe turns to Harrison, “Would you like your dessert now?”

  “No thank you, Philippe, perhaps we will have some later.”

  Harrison turns back to me after Philippe exits the room. He stands up and puts out his hand. “Come, let’s go to our room so we can talk privately.”

  Oh! I sure hope he doesn’t think he is getting me as dessert after how he behaved at dinner!

  We walk down the long hallway, toward the master wing. I notice that our bedroom door is slightly open. Strange, I remember leaving the door closed after I came out to wait for Harrison. My suspicious mind goes right to Alicia. I need to talk to Harrison about her.

  Ch
apter Eleven

  Once we are in our room, he shuts the door behind us. I reach over and flip the lock, which causes him to raise his eyebrow at me. I walk over to our seating area and switch on the fireplace. I sit on the sofa and bend down to remove my pumps. I curl up on the sofa and wait for Harrison to join me.

  He removes his tie and unbuttons the top three buttons of his shirt. I am mad at him right now, but my body has a mind of its own. He looks hot, and I would like to run my hands under his shirt, over his hard-carved muscles. Instead, I start twisting my hair around my finger. He sits in the stuffed chair with the ottoman and gets comfortable. Without saying a word, he looks at me with his piercing blue eyes. I take in a quick shallow breath. The tension in here could be cut with a knife.

  I can’t stand it anymore. “Harrison, why are you so angry with me?

  He doesn’t answer me right away. He seems to be thinking about something.

  “I do not like the way I am feeling right now, Harrison. I feel insecure and as if there is a distance between us that I can’t put my finger on. I need you to communicate with me.”

  “Danielle, I have never liked nor trusted your ex husband. It offends me to no end when you compare us or group me in with him. We are not in the same league, and it is careless of you to suggest anything otherwise.”

  I am taken aback. I had not realized that his dislike of Bradley ran so deeply.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I understand that you don’t like him, but do you have to be so volatile with me about it? ”

  He crosses his arms and studies me. I hate it when he does this. It makes me feel inferior to him.

  “What? Would you say something instead of just looking at me like that?’

  “You know, a lot happened while you were in the coma. The least of which, is that the letch tried to visit you. He actually told the nurses that he was your husband. I nearly got into a fistfight with him one day, when he showed up while your parents and I were there.”