The Assassin

Chapter 13

London (January 11, 2010)

I was talking to one of my neighbors, Travis, from a mile down when I suddenly heard in clear fluent Polish, "Tatus! Spójrz na mnie! Czy wyglądam pięknie?" Daddy! Look at me! Do I look beautiful? Harley was yelling at me pulling Janice behind her by the wrist all while Janice was trying to pick up the skirt of her dress so she didn't trip. I was mixed with humor and confusion upon wondering why Tabi wasn't with them. I tried to look further behind them but she wasn't to be seen. Travis next to me looked confused at the two woman running toward me. A few other people here turned to look and laughed a little.

When they got to me Harley wrapped her arms around me tightly and I laughed, "Yes Harley, you look lovely. You too Janice." And she smiled in approval. That's all she'd ever looked to me for, approval. I wasn't her real parents and I knew that, I never would be and no matter how many times I'd tried to remind Harley of that she still thought of me as her tatus, or daddy, even occasionally as papa which speaks for itself.Janice referred to me as papa more than anything. I turned to Travis, "These are my two lovely daughters," with this his eyebrows raised, "On my left is my old," I teased, "twenty-five year old daughter Janice and on my right is my twenty-one year old daughter Harley. Girls this is Travis."

He shook both there hands and then they were off to socialize, "So daughters, you weren't lying when you'd told me you were forty-six. If it hadn't been for them then I would have never believed you. So then where's the wife?"

I laughed, "I don't have one, they are both Polish, adopted." He just stared, "I found them alone in the streets one night when I was much younger, and so I just kind of picked them up and took them in. I was learning Polish at the time so when I brought them back here I taut-" At that moment I noticed Tabi walking this way and my words slurred off. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, I couldn't get over it.

The minute she was next to me I knew she was barefoot because she hadn't grown an inch and the dress was just long enough to cover her toes. She smoothly wrapped her arm back around my waist as she moved in and I put my arm over her shoulders, "Like I was saying, Travis, I'm not married, but I do have this wonderful woman in my life. We've been together for quite a while and sometimes she gets angry that I haven't popped the question yet." I pinched her shoulder for her to play along.

She laughed, "Of course this old stinker won't marry me." She jokingly put her hand beside her mouth but still spoke loud enough for me to hear, "Sometimes I think he's just with me for the sex." She winked at Travis who chuckled.

After Tabi got there I wasn't so much on edge anymore and the party ran smoothly. Once it got dark Gerald lit the fire and put a gate up around it so the younger kids wouldn't get hurt. Tabi made many friends and drank a glass of wine throughout the night. After that she secretly would sip at my wine glass but I didn't care much since red wine wasn't really my favorite. Around ten-thirty some of the couples with younger children started to file out and then at eleven everybody else started getting up and collecting there things. At eleven-thirty everybody was gone and the servers had already cleaned up. Gerald put out the fire and went to bed, same with Bill and Janice and Harley kissed me on my cheek after saying their goodnight and followed them out to the mother-in-law house.

It was finally just Tabi and I. We started our way up the stairs to the second floor when it dawned on me that since Philbert was gone it really was just Tabi and I in the house. I of course wouldn't push this onto her or remind her that we were alone but if she started anything I wasn't for sure going to stop her. I lead her to the bottom the stairs that led up to her room and bent down to kiss her forehead goodnight.

London (January 11, 2010)

He bent down to kiss my forehead and I made a split second decision and moved up on my tip toes just enough for our lips to meet where my forehead had been seconds ago. He gasped in surprise and pulled away at my sudden movement. Then I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him back down to my lips. They were soft but rough all the same with age. He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up just a tiny more and I ran my fingers through his hair. He started to pull away and I tried to pull him back but he was obviously stronger than me.

Then unexpectedly he threw me over his shoulder and started toward his room. Once the door was opened he set me down and pushed me back into it. I'd never seen his room before, his king sized bed was covered in black covers and sheets with matching pillow cases. The headboard was a dark mahogany color and the balcony to his room was on the opposite side of the house that mine was, of course his bedroom was also on the opposite half so through the long white curtains you could see a bit of the road at the end of the driveway.

Before I could finish looking I was turned around and the door was shut behind Daniel. He'd taken off his suit jacket and vest and pulled me close to kiss me again. His kisses were gentle with a hidden fierceness and his hands on my hips drove me crazy. I wanted to feel his hand on my skin. I wanted to feel his skin on mine, it seemed no matter how close he pulled me to him it just wasn't enough.

His mouth teased mine and he bit my bottom just right so that my mouth opened against his. He started to lift my dress up over my head and of course I suddenly became aware of how flat my chest was. When it was off it was like he knew what was I was thinking because concern filled his eyes and my cheeks reddened in embarrassment: What if I wasn't what he expected? What if I'm not enough for him and sends me home right here right now because I'm not woman enough for him?

"Your beautiful, Tabi. Don't every think that I think any different. Big boobs or not I still love you for you." With that I leaned up on my tip toes and kissed him hard, he was all I wanted for the rest of my life. I turned grabbed him around his wrist, pulling him up onto his bed with me.