Alice was sitting in the dark at her large dinner table with a cup of tea. She hadn't even bothered to get undressed. She just sat with her cold tea, looking out of the window at the lights of the city wondering if Rainer even given her a second thought after he had left her. He sure hadn't given her a thought since he had arrived in New York.
Her thoughts bounced back to how heartbreakingly handsome he had looked in his tux. Her thoughts were confusing her, and head was throbbing, but she couldn't move. She was numb.
How could she still be friends with Grace and Cassie? It would take all of her will power not to ask about Rainer, not to let them know.
There was a knock at her door and it jerked her out of her trance. It was probably the neighbors at this time of night. They had occasionally locked themselves out when they got too drunk so they had given her a key for emergency situations. She walked to the door and looked out the peephole to see a mass of familiar red hair.
Rainer
He knocked again.
Slowly, her hands trembling, she unlocked the door and opened it.
When he saw her his gaze raked over her from head to toe. The heat of it made her step back, and he took it as an invitation and entered, closing the door behind him.
"You, Alice, are not easy to discard," he rasped before he claimed her lips in a scorching kiss. She should be fighting him, she should be telling him to get out and leave her alone, but she couldn't. All she could do was feel his lips, his hands, as he buried them in her hair, and the hard length of his body as she fell against him.
He deepened the kiss, his hands moving to cup her bottom and lift her to him, and her arms had wound themselves around his neck, pulling him in deeper for the kiss, then her legs were gone because she couldn't feel them.
Just as quickly as he had started the kiss he ended it by wrenching his lips from hers and setting her away from him, and Alice had to lean against a chair for support as he started pacing.
"I did think of calling you when I got to New York. I wanted to, but I knew that it would hurt more in the end, when it didn't work. We had made a clean break, I thought it was better to leave it as it was because I didn't expect to see you again. I knew you would move on and find a nice guy, someone who would be around."
Alice didn't say a word because she didn't know what to say.
"I have been down the road we would have gone down. Only seeing each other every now and then, the worry the doubt that comes when we weren't together, it would end up tearing us apart. We would eventually hate each other."
"Like you hated Yvonne?" Alice said softly.
She had figured out, in a matter of moments, what he couldn't. Rainer looked at her stunned, sitting down hard at the table. His love for Yvonne, and if he was honest it had been love, had turned to hate.
"I don't want to hate you Alice."
"I don't want to hate you either." She moved to sit next to him.
"I'm so sorry that I hurt you." He grabbed her face with his hands, beseeching her with his eyes.
She nodded, forgiving him. That is what love was, forgiveness.
"I only said that you sought out my family because I was angry at myself, and I needed to push you away. I didn't really believe it. You are the most honest person I know."
"I couldn't do that, I know what it feels like to be used. I couldn't do that to Grace or Cassie."
They were silent.
All Alice could think about was being in his arms once again. She shouldn't want to be after the way he had treated her, but she needed him as much as she needed air to breath, and as much as she knew it would hurt tomorrow she needed him one more time. If for no other reason than to show him without words how much she loved him.
She took a deep unsteady breath. "Will you stay tonight? One last night then strictly friends."
He reached for her arm pulling her towards him. The move forced her to rise from her seat as he pulled into the space between his legs and looked up into her eyes, searching for an answer, and he must have read what he wanted to because after a few moments he gave her a wicked smile. "It will be a pleasure to help you out of that dress ma'am."
*******
When Alice woke the next morning she rolled over and looked at Rainer's sleeping form. Just friends, could she do that? It was either that or nothing.
She slowly got out of bed and started to get dressed because she knew that if she didn't they would end up saying one last time again.
She was in the kitchen making breakfast when there was a knock at her door. Wiping her hands on a towel, she moved to the door, looking out of the peephole, and she was surprised when she saw Frank. Her initial reaction was that something had happened to her sister, so she opened the door without thinking.
"Frank, is everything all right?"
It was too late, and after she opened the door she realized he looked a little worse for wear as he pushed past her into her apartment.
"Frank your drunk."
"No, I'm not, I was, but now I'm sober. I think that you dressed last night for me. Is that right?" he asked, coming directly to his point as he moved into her space, cornering her between the table and a chair.
"No, I dressed last night for me."
"Hmmm, well I like this new you, I think that it is sexy as hell, and I also think that we should try it again."
"No, you're married to my sister, and I don't like you," she said honestly, trying to push him away. "Besides, if I am quite honest, you aren't that good at sex."
He blinked at her, shocked, then started to laugh. "Oh like you would know, you were a little innocent when I took you."
"Took me... you can say that again," she mumbled, trying to push him away. When he still wouldn't budge she tried again.
"Trust me, I know and you weren't anything to remember fondly." Her comment had the opposite effect of what she wanted, instead of moving away he moved closer to her, grabbing her wrist.
"Why you little slut." Then he laughed. "That's fine, maybe you've learned a thing or two."
"No thanks to you Frank." He reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. "You stink, will you get away from me." She gave him one hard push with all of her strength and knocked him off balance.
When he recovered he looked at her, shocked by her strength. "So it's gonna be like that is it." He lunged towards her but before he could reach her, a hand clamped down on his shoulder spinning him around.
"I think you were just leaving," Rainer said, his voice like steel. His jaw was set and his eyes were cold. His broad shoulders were tensed and ready for a fight. He looked awesome, he was only wearing his suit pants and the muscles flexed in his back as he physically forced Frank towards the door.
"You will not come here again, you will never again be alone in a room with Alice, and you will most definitely never touch her again. Are we clear?"
Alice had never heard him use such a menacing tone before. It frightened her and he was on her side.
Frank just looked at him then looked at Alice, dumfounded, and when he didn't respond Rainer started to squeeze his shoulder and Frank buckled to one side. "Yes, Yes," he begged "we're clear."
Keeping his hand on Frank's shoulder, Rainer escorted him out the door, slamming it shut on his face before he turned to look at Alice. "Are you alright?"
Alice nodded mutely, shocked that mild mannered Rainer had become so fierce.
"Are you alright?" she asked in return.
Rainer grinned, easing the tension. "Yes, but I think Frank may have peed in his pants a little."
Alice laughed then ran to him, giving him a hug. "Are you hungry?"
They spent the rest of that morning eating and talking like they had in Texas. It felt good to laugh again.
Alice ate everything on her plate and helped Rainer clear his as well, and when it came time for him to leave he gave her a tight hug and a brief friendly kiss.
"Please, keep in touch this time," Alice begged.
He took her face in his hands and met her eyes squarely. "I promise, I will."
"Please tell Grace and Cassie about Frank. If you can omit my role that would be good," he paused taking a breath, "it's not that I don't want my family to know about..."
Alice pulled his forehead to rest against hers. "It's just between us."
Rainer nodded. "If you tell Grace and Cassie I know that Bryce will hear about it, and he'll keep an eye on Frank."
"That sounds a bit mafia-ish." Alice laughed.
Rainer shrugged then gave her one last kiss. "I'll keep in touch," He promised and then he was gone again.