Chapter One
“Teddy! Teddy where are you?” Sam shouted into the living room, then into the kitchen as he rushed into the house.
“Up here.”
Strands of her long dark hair fell from the loose bun on top of her head as Theodora sprawled across the bed in her pajamas, scrolling through her laptop. She had been working all morning, hoping to finish a commercial script before the weekend.
As she read through her work, she smiled and nodded approvingly at the screen. She knew it was good. She enjoyed working as a copywriter on marketing media, especially for Stroupe, a prestigious theatre company which ran an outreach programme for youths with disabilities. This particular company always paid well, but she’d been flat out over the last few weeks and was looking forward to handing it in and taking a break.
Sam came through the bedroom door with a huge grin on his face. Even after all this time together, his breath still caught when he looked at her. Every day, he thought back and wondered how on earth he’d managed not only to catch her eye, but also found the nerve to talk to her after she gave him that heart stopping smile of hers.
He watched as she bit down on her bottom lip, full and naturally red, and his smile widened. It was a habit of hers that he would never tire of watching.
“Someone’s in a good mood.” Theodora beamed up at Sam.
He was still dressed in his work suit, but he’d undone the top buttons of his white shirt and loosened his tie. He had obviously been running a hand through his short black hair as it had lost the just styled look he’d left with that morning.
She loved it when he looked like that.
With his ruffled hair, and salt and pepper stubble coming through, she had often told Sam he reminded her of the actor who played the playboy billionaire scientist in her favourite superheroes movies. He always laughed as he considered himself less of a superhero and more of a nerd.
“Guess who was just assigned as the new auditor for NocLife Leisure?” Sam smiled smugly as he sat down next to Theodora and began taking off his jacket and tie.
“Seriously?” She gasped.
“Yep.” Sam grinned.
“Well done, babe.” She leaned across and gave him a peck on the lips. “That's amazing news. Does this mean you’ll get a raise? Actually, forget money. Does it mean you’ll get to meet the big boss?”
“The elusive Mr Pierce. I doubt it. Apart from Mr Montgomery, I don’t think any of the people who work for him knows what he looks like. That's the rumor anyway.”
“That’s just crazy. I wonder why he’s the only one who’s seen him. Oh, I know, Pierce is probably like Bruce Wayne. All broody with a tragic secret past that keeps him in hiding, and Montgomery is his version of Alfred. Or he’s scarred from some horrible accident, which is why no one has ever seen his face. Like the phantom of the opera.” She gushed out her thoughts as usual making Sam smile.
“Phantom? Bruce Wayne? Seriously. What is it with you and these comic book men. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think the only thing he has in common with Bruce Wayne is the obscene money he has. And I’m sorry to shoot another hole in your theory, but he’s at least a multi-billionaire. So if he were horribly disfigured, he’d probably have the best surgeons money could buy come to his house, fix him up in his bedroom and be on the cover of GQ before you could say handsome bachelor. I can already see the wheels turning in that head of yours, Teddy. All the wild ideas running around up there. You’re hoping he turns out to be like one of your book boyfriends.” Sam teased.
“It’s comic book boyfriend, and there is only one. Thor and I are exclusive these days.”
“You’re crazy, you know that, right?”
“Yep!” Theodora grinned.
“Look. I just don’t want you getting all excited thinking I’ll get to meet him. So don’t go getting your hopes up”
“I won't. Wait, I bet he’s an eighty-year-old recluse with a huge house and lots of dogs.”
“So now you think my new boss, entrepreneur Lyzander Pierce, is the old man version of the cat lady?”
“I like that.” Theodora nodded. “Instead of Batman, Lyzander Pierce is Catman.”
“Really?” Sam tried to hold back his laughter as he listened to his wife ramble on.
“Ooh, even better, what if he is actually a she? Dun dun duuuun.”
Sam couldn't help but laugh out loud at her dramatic revelation sound effect.
Theodora continued on, talking over him. “What if Lyzander is actually a Laura or Lucy? You could be working for crazy old Lilly Pierce and never know it. I mean no one has ever really seen ‘the guy’, have they?” She gasped, making the air quotes.
“You. Are. Crazy!” Sam chuckled while leaning down to take off his shoes and socks.
“I’m nuts, baby, but that’s why you love me. And I love you because you’re sexy.” She pulled him back up for a kiss. “You’re smart.” She continued to kiss him after each reason she gave. “– and funny. And now you're a big shot auditor for one of the biggest names in entertainment.”
“I don’t think the words big shot and auditor go together.”
“They do when it’s about you. You’re amazing with numbers and figures. I’d suck at your job.”
“I know which figure I’d like to work on right now,” Sam drawled as he slowly moved his hands towards her in a playful manner.
She slapped them away. “Hands off, buddy. No distractions. Genius at work here.” She waved her hands over her work area.
“I’ve been trying for so long to get one of the big accounts, but I can’t believe I got them.”
“You must have really impressed some of the higher ups.”
“It had to have been Prichard. I’m glad he finally sees my worth. I start auditing them on Monday, and I’ll be working out of their London office.”
“London.” Theodora groaned loudly and threw her hands up, looking very unimpressed.
“Yeah, and I was thinking maybe you’d want to come with me,” Sam hedged.
“Why does it have to be London?” Theodora groused.
“What’s wrong with London?”
“Nothing, it’s just that I could really use some sun.” She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed to inspect her skin.
“Teddy, you don’t need any sun,” Sam eyed her naturally olive skin.
“I didn’t say I needed it, silly. I just really miss it. I know I should be used to it by now, but your horrible English weather is killing me.” She teased with a playful pout, bumping shoulders with him.
“So, it’s my weather now?” Sam raised an eyebrow at her.
“It is when it rains like this. And as much as I love living in Manchester, it seems to rain more here than anywhere else in the country. Or the whole damn world actually.” Theodora mumbled, gesturing over to the window.
It was only just after midday but it was wet, dark and ominous outside, as though something bad was on its way.
“I’m just saying, it would have been nice if you got assigned somewhere like France. We could have gone to Paris or California. We could have stayed with mom.” She sighed dreamily.
“Well, I’m sorry my promotion doesn’t meet your high standards, Missy,” Sam said jokingly and bumped her back.
“Why couldn’t it have been the LA office? It’s been so long since I saw my old friends.” Theodora sighed.
“Firstly, you’ve been to France loads of times. And as for LA, you always get bored when you go back home. You argue with your mother, then tell me you’re ready to come back within hours of getting there.”
“Okay, so you might have a point about my mother. But not about France. I may have been there lots of times, but not Paris. It would have been cool to stay in the city of love with my husband. I’m just saying, NocLife have clubs and casinos all over the world. But you get the London office two hours down the road.”
“Ungrateful woman, do you want to come or not?” Sam grabbed a pillow and hit her in the face, knocking her back onto the bed.
“Yes please.” Theodora laughed from underneath the pillow.
“We can get a train this afternoon from Piccadilly and book a nice hotel. By the time we get there, it will be too late to do much of anything, but we can spend the next two days doing all the touristy things you’re always going on about. Then I was thinking on Friday, we could check out one of the NocLife clubs. There’s one not far from Soho called The Veil. I can enjoy the club before I have to be there in work mode. What do you think?”
“Sounds like fun.”
“We could go dancing.” Sam laid down.
“It’s been ages since we went out dancing,” Theodora sighed.
“And maybe get something to eat,” he added cautiously.
“Ooh, Soho Sushi here I come,”
“I was thinking more like room service, not restaurants. It’s been ages since we did something else as well,” Sam rested his hand on her stomach and moved it lower.
Theodora sat up immediately, displacing his hand. She didn’t know what to say. She loved Sam, but she hadn’t felt at all sexually attracted to him for some time.
Not since the miscarriage.
They hadn’t known she was pregnant. Three or four weeks along, the doctors had called it a chemical pregnancy. They hadn’t planned it. She didn’t even know she was pregnant until she wasn't, but it still left her feeling hollow.
She had thought that was the only reason she felt this way towards Sam. But as the weeks went on, she realised it wasn't just that. It was something else entirely, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Everything would be amazing between them, but when he touched her, she’d go cold. She couldn’t understand why. In her mind, she wanted to try to be with him that way, but the touch which used to excite her, now left her cold and uncomfortable.
They stayed in an awkward silence for some time.
“Sam, you know it’s not you. I just...after what happened...I’m still not ready.” She hated using that as the excuse. It was a partial truth, but she didn’t know what else to tell him.
“I know, Teddy. I didn’t mean to push...but...it’s been months since we–”
“I know,” Theodora cut him off.
“I’m not saying we should try for another baby, but we need to move forward. We need to reconnect.” Sam sat up and took her hand in his.
“I know. I’ll try,” she whispered.
“That’s all I’m asking. You’re not mad?”
“No, not at all.” She bumped his shoulder.
He retaliated by going for the ticklish spot on her side.
She squealed and slapped his hands away, leaving them both laughing.
“So does that mean you’re coming to London with me?”
“If I can get this piece in before we go, I’ll have the next ten days off.”
“Do you have much to do?”
“This is my final read through. Then I can send it off to the client. Just give me thirty minutes to finish this off and I’ll start packing.”
“London here we come.” Sam kissed the back of her hand before leaving her to her work.
◆◆◆
“This place is packed,” Theodora shouted over the loud music blaring from the speakers above them. “No wonder they make so much money.”
Sam had found them a table in a corner close to the bar. There was a constant flow of people coming and going with drinks, but she was just relieved to have a seat. They had been dancing non-stop for at least an hour, and although she felt like one of the older ones in a young crowd, she loved the music and just wanted to dance.
She couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something about this club, The Veil, that made her feel free. Probably the booze, she thought.
“So, what do you think of the place?”
“It’s a good business. Seems well run, a real money spinner,” Sam replied stiffly.
Theodora laughed. “So much for saving work mode for Monday,” she teased.
“I like the place. It’s just not my usual scene that's all.”
“I’m not sure what my scene is anymore, but I’m loving it. This place is huge. Did you see the upper level?”
“That’s where the VIPs go,” Sam commented.
“Really? Well, we can go up there next time. I’m enjoying this level far too much,” She joked.
“Never mind the VIP section. I think I’m ready for the OAP section.” Sam glanced around at the younger crowd.
“My god, it’s so hot in here,” Theodora groused as she picked up a beer mat and fanned herself.
“Do you want to go outside and get some air?”
“Yeah, but let’s get a drink first. I'm thirsty as hell.” Sam leaned in and she kissed him gently.
Theodora laughed to herself as he walked away. He was now wearing her red lipstick, but she wasn’t planning on saying anything to him about it until much later.
One beer and a shot of Tequila later, she had all but forgotten about going outside. She was ready to dance. She laughed as she dragged her reluctant husband onto the dance floor. She closed her eyes, enjoying the euphoric feeling that washed over her.
She felt hands on her hips, and then the press of a body that wasn’t Sam's mold into her back.
“Dance with me.”
She opened her eyes and turned to find a very drunk young woman, who was trying to ignore the advances of an even drunker man, who seemed to be doing some sort of acrobatics to entice them.
“Dance with me please,” the girl begged. “I lost my friends and this guy won’t leave me alone.”
The girl seemed more annoyed than worried before Teddy nodded and pulled the girl into her.
Sam smiled then gestured toward the table and his feet.
She knew he was getting tired, so she nodded back and he left them to it.
They danced to a few more songs before the guy finally got the hint and disappeared. A few songs later, the girl’s friends showed up next to them and dragged her off to the bar for shots to thank her for rescuing their friend.
As the girls waited at the bar for their drinks to arrive, she shouted over to Sam. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just enjoying the show.” He shook his head as one of the girls placed a shot in front of her.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all. Have fun.”
“I am,” Theodora announced with a beaming smile before turning and did her shot with her new friends.
She was just about ready for another dance when she started to feel very strange. At first, she thought it was the shot. But for some bizarre reason, she knew it had nothing to do with the alcohol. It was as though she was being pulled from the inside out. Her breathing picked up and she knew she had to get out of there.
“Are you okay?” Sam shouted over.
“Yeah, I just need the bathroom and some air.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
She shook her head. “No, you stay there. I’ll be back soon.”
She didn’t wait for a response as she turned and made her way across the dance floor. She didn’t want to freak him out, but something was really wrong. Although wrong wasn't exactly how she felt. Her breathing was harsh now, and though she was worried, she felt an unexpected wave of excitement wash over her.
She pushed her way through the hordes of people on the dance floor until she came to the mile long queue for the bathroom. She was about to get in line when, as if on autopilot, she turned and walked away in the opposite direction towards the back of the club. She came to a staff-only corridor but it felt like the right direction to go. Straight ahead, at the end of the corridor, was what looked to be a door to an office. But before that, on her left, was a door with a sign that said ‘staff bathroom’.
“Oh, screw it,” Theodora muttered and shoved through the doors as though she was being chased.
Thankfully, the bathroom was empty and no one saw her fall into the sink. She ran the cold water and splashed it onto her face and neck. She felt warm and tingly, but she knew it had nothing to do with alcohol or the heat of the club.
The tugging was still there but it was different. It no longer felt like she was being pulled somewhere. But rather, something was tugging inside of her. The film Aliens flashed into her mind and, although she knew it was ridiculous, she panicked, thinking something was trying to tear its way out of her.
“What in the hell is wrong with me?” She huffed to her reflection as she splashed more water.
Apart from her dark brown eyes being the size of saucers, she didn’t look any different. Her reflection was normal; she was dressed in a casual black vest top and skinny jeans with her long brown hair hanging just below her breast. But she was a mess on the inside. It felt like a tornado was twisting its way around her body. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and she could hear it getting louder and louder.
“I’m too young to have a heart attack,” she exclaimed as she held onto the sink and tried to breathe steadily.
The beating of her heart picked up again to a scary pace, and so did the volume in her head.
Then, after what felt like hours, it all abruptly stopped.
The room was silent, apart from the sound of her heavy breathing.
She placed a hand on her chest. Her heartbeat was normal once more. The tugging now felt like a pulse. There was something inside her, warm and pulsing.
“What the hell is that?” She moved away until her back hit the wall and slid down into a sitting position. “Okay, Theodora. Deep breaths. Take a minute, get your shit together, get Sam and get the hell out of here.”
She placed her head between her legs and took several deep breaths but nothing got better.
Maybe I’ll take five minutes, she thought as she continued to slowly breath in and out.