Aftermath

Revised Chapter 6-'Crappy start to a day.'

"Voss, you can't dump me for some suburban housewife. It will ruin your career; I care too much about you to let that happen. Come home to me and we will figure this out, baby."

"Veronica, we both know that this is just for fun and show. I'm not ending our relationship for anyone else, but it does seem ironic you should sight that being the reason, since you never broke up with your old boyfriend from St. Louis. You still go home to make out with him at your parents country club every few weeks. You don't think Sam would read the same rags as you. The difference is I now don't give a shit. I don't have time left to waste. It took someone putting a gun to my head to teach me that I need to grow up."

"Voss, this is not over."

"I wish you well. Let's try to leave it like that."

"You're not breaking up with me over the phone." More fake crying, she really was a weak actor on top of everything else.

"When I get back, I'll be staying with Samantha until you move back into your place in Santa Monica." He'd never asked her to move in with him in the first place. Her stuff just seemed to migrate over to his place after the first week they started dating. She'd asked for a key the week she said her house was being fumigated. He'd never checked to see if that had just been a bullshit line to get a copy of his security code.

"I'll be waiting for you at home." She answered through her fake tears.

"I'll be in LA in a few days."

"Good. I'm sure Sam can talk some sense into you."

"Good-night, Veronica."

He lay in bed for hours trying to replay the last year. Why had he stayed with her after those first few dates? She was more famous than him in the beginning of their relationship and it was refreshing not to have all the attention. No one in LA knew about his family royal connections or if they did, they didn't give a shit, box office gross was more important. They had a lot of friends in common, but not a lot of actual interests in common. She seemed to get along with only the people she wanted to, and was at constant war with all the support staff in both their camps. His housekeeper Carmen would not be sorry to see her go.

With images of Lou in his head, he fell asleep. He was becoming used to dreaming about her, only now, after seeing her safe and well, his dreams were no longer images of horror, with her beaten and bloody. Now, she was wearing a tank top, jeans and bare feet. She was standing on the steps of her staircase and he took her in his arms and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and running his hands down her back to her round tight ass. She moaned and when he pulled back she had a smile growing across her face; she then pulled away from him and ran up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she turned back and gave him another inviting smile that said 'come follow me'.

He began to sprint up the never-ending staircase and woke with a painful hard on.

***

'Some Days You Shouldn't Get Out of Bed'

Lou swept her foot over to the left side of the bed and found the sheets cold, empty, nothing there, would her bed ever again be anything but cold and empty...like her heart. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet today and already she was soaking her pillow with tears. She cried for hours quietly in her bed.

She had gone straight to bed after Voss and his entourage had left last night and had surprisingly fallen quickly into a deep sleep--only then to wake up twice in the middle of the night with nightmares from Panama. The first was of the V-berth mattress on the boat. Her face was pressing down onto the filthy tweed fabric of the mattress cover, Victor's weight pressing into her from behind, the heat of his breath on the back of her neck. Her body was still surging with panic and fear from just recalling the dream. The second dream had been of Carter's eyes. He was slowly turning his head 'No' to stop her talking with Victor, to stop pleading and arguing with him over Eloise.