I shake, and then, I remember the frightening moment in the pool, my hands bound, my heart pounding, buoyed in the water only by my trust and his strength.
Having relied on my ability to stuff my feelings, I thrived on the practical and the controllable aspects of my life. Then in one night, over his lap, I opened all the old doors. I can still feel his heavy hand rubbing my trembling ass, the sharp sting of the brush smacking my skin over and over, punishing me, pushing me, burning through my defenses, my denials and getting the very core of my being. I cried that night, releasing the pain and letting go of all regrets. He smoothed the tears from my face and entered my body with the nurturing healing pulse of his being in me. He transformed my tears into the wet joy of passion as I moaned under him.
Through it all, the hot and angry f**king, the slow and beautiful loving, the trials and temptations, his patient teaching and my stumbling submission, it always ended the same. He held me gently with kisses and kindness telling me it would always be okay. His words from the pool echo inside me now, providing the last life line I have left.
“I’ll never let you fall.”
“Julia!”
I snap out of my trance and realize the whole cell is staring at me. I blushing, hopeful they can’t guess what’s been going on inside my head or my responding, swelling cleft.
“Sharp! Julia!” The guard’s agitated tone evidences her impatience.
“Yes Ma’am?” I walk over to the cell door, shocked to see her opening the heavy grate.
“Let’s go, Sharp,” she grumbles.
“I thought I didn’t get a call?” I ask, clearly confused about what’s happening. It’s way too soon for them to be sending me to court. I am just not that lucky.
“You don’t.” She sighed. “You got friends in high places, Rich Bitch, I’ll grant you that. You’re not even getting arraigned.”
“I’m not? What’s happening to me then?” She’s so glum I can’t tell if something good or bad is going on. She walks me down the narrow hallway and out the same door I came in. We end up in the center of booking. I look around terrified that something happened and I have to start the whole process again when I see a familiar face.
“Hello, Miss Sharp. Lovely to see you again.” He smiles broadly, holding the manila envelope containing my few personal items.
“Mr. Clank! What are you doing here?” I stand still in the center of the room fuzzily aware that the guard has let go of my arm and walked back to holding.
“Making a deal and helping a friend.” He hands me the envelope and taps my arm. “I saw you when I walked in. I called Mark and he told me about the violated restraining order. They wanted me to stall on bailing out the Arturi brothers and I wanted them to speed up your release, so it worked out. We don’t have time to talk now; you’ve got to get to the courthouse. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Clank walks me quickly through the maze of the station. I glance at the clock and it’s ten past one. I have twenty minutes left. I expect him to take me into the parking garage but we end up on the sidewalk in front of the station.
“By the time we get the car out of here and find parking at the courthouse you’ll be late.” He points up the street. “The courthouse is three blocks that way. Run!”
Realizing that this is going to be the most important sprint of my life, I drop my shoes at his feet and take off. I won’t fail and I won’t fall. I know it.
Chapter 26
Running into the courthouse, breathless and crazed, I’m not entirely surprised they stop me at the door. I slow down long enough to run some fingers through my hair, transitioning it from an “I just got out of jail” look to an “I just woke up and starting running around like a banshee” style. I manage to hold it together long enough to go through the metal detector which is pretty easy considering I had tossed my envelope and my shoes at Mr. Clank’s feet. Amazingly, they let me go.
“I need to sign something. I’m looking for the business court, transfers and judicial something or another,” I say to the guard. He manages to choke down a laugh. I can tell what he is thinking, but to his credit he doesn’t say it out loud.
“Third floor. Court is three-sixteen; Bailiff signings is three-ten on the left.”
“Thank you.” I nearly kiss him, but run off instead. The elevator doors are closed so I don’t even bother with it and take the stairs bounding up two or three at a time. It takes a minute for my vision to adjust to the bright lighting of the corridor. I dash to 310 as soon as I see the number and open the door to see a group of people standing around a desk.
Mark is there, with Paul Fries, Kevin Johnson, our former IT person, some blonde woman I don’t recognize who looks like she belongs with the streetwalkers in my holding cell, and signing a document in front of the bailiff is Valerie James.
Oh, no. It’s too late.
“No!” I call from the door with as much of a voice as my oxygen-deprived body can produce. I stumble into the room, everyone turning to look. I try to get to the table as quickly as I can, with this weird idea I can stop her before she finishes writing her name and reverse the entire last month of my life. Mark steps in front of me.
“Julia,” Mark says rationally.
“No!” I shout. I begin hitting him with my useless balled up fists. Over and over I smack him in the chest. “No. No. No. No. No!”
“Julia!” he hisses sternly through clenched teeth. “Julia, stop!”
“It’s gone,” I whimper as I put my head on his chest, collapsing like a deflated balloon. “Lynx is really gone.”
“No, Julia it’s not.” Mark grabs me by the arms and holds me up so I can look in his eyes. “Lynx is fine. Lynx is going to be yours for a long, long time.”
“Really? Then what the hell is she doing here and what is she signing?” I attempt to point at Valerie but my arm is too tired to raise more than six inches.
“She’s signing a deposition.” Mark replies factually. “Now take a second and catch your breath. You’re making a scene.”
I take his advice and stop for a second to let my body slow down and my brain speed back up.
“I don’t understand,” I finally confess. He walks me toward the desk where everyone is still staring at me.
“Valerie gave a legal deposition about Blake. She told the court all about how Blake broke into her files and took her personal documents and photos. She testified that Blake offered her Lynx in return for personal favors. She laid everything out before the court. She made the case.”