In fifteen minutes, Alex will finally arrive and Piper will be able to breathe
freely again; to laugh at inappropriate jokes and to do what any good girl should
never do ---- cheat on her husband. Worse than that, she is going to like it and
she’s going to wish that she had never settled for a white-collar business man
with hard brown eyes and a pained smile.
Marcus had to leave for a flight at 11:15 -- the big conference is coming up and
everything had to be perfect. At 10, she had served him his favourite dinner
-- steak and baked potatoes. Apparently, the steak had been burnt. For this she
had received two slaps across the cheek. Yesterday, he had manically scrolled
through her e-mails to find one from an old high-school friend and for that he had
accused her of cheating, spat in her face and wrapped his hands around her throat.
Eventually, she had cooled his temper with soft words and the touch of her hand
against his cheek. If Marcus is a lion, Piper has become quite the lion tamer.
She just hopes that he doesn’t sink his teeth in one day and eat her up like a piece
of meat.
The incidents are getting worse, happening more frequently and are certainly
becoming harder to hide. Foundation does the trick for her neck, but what about
the dark patch around her left eye from three days ago? Or the marks along her
arms from Marcus’ tight grip? Or the words ringing over and over in her mind?
You stupid fucking slut, you’re nothing without me.
Nobody’s ever going to love you like I do.
A knock at the door makes her jump. Clearing her throat, she warily places
her glass of wine on the coffee table -- careful to avoid spilling -- and lifts
herself from the $10,000 black leather couch, speeding over to the door,
sparing a quick glance in the full-length mirror in the guest bedroom.
A short, black figure-hugging dress with a lengthy black duffle coat,
black mascara, a hint of eyeliner and a classy updo serve her very well.
Marcus likes it when she dresses like this, but Piper prefers to let her hair
down. Swiftly, she yanks the bobby pins out of her hair and shoves them in her
pocket, allowing her blonde hair to flow down just past her shoulders. Much better.
What strikes her the most though is the way her cheekbones stick out more than
they should and the way her eyes look hollow and drained and the way
her skin doesn’t look like it used to. Fuck, maybe it’s obvious, maybe
it isn’t --- she can’t separate her past and her present anymore.
When Piper opens the door, she looks at Alex like she’s the fucking
reincarnation of Jesus Christ. ‘Alex,’ she breathes, hooking her fingers
into the belt of Alex’s jeans and yanking her inside. Wasting no time,
she kisses the brunette like this is the last time they’ll ever meet because
in the back of her mind, she’s terrified that it is. It’s been a week since their
last meeting because fear has been eating her up and keeping her awake.
It doesn’t matter now --- not while he’s away, anyway. They have three
days alone.
