By the time Dominic and Marianne returned to his hall, Melanie was already downstairs. After a warm, cordial welcome, she took her friend upstairs. Dominic’s heart was still racing. He could still taste her lips in his mouth; yet, the stiff look on Jean’s face did not allow him to savor the moment. As soon as he laid his eyes on him, Jean ran both hands through his hair and turned his attention to the fireplace. Predictably, his reaction did not go down well with Dominic. Too happy to bother though, he chose to keep his mouth shut and join his friend by the fireplace.

“Good evening, Jean.” He said with a grin. “How’s every…”

“Childish…” Jean groaned, staring at the roaring fire. “You are always so childish. Sometimes, I think I’m dealing with a thirty-year old child.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Dominic smirked. “What’s up?”

“Melanie told me about the painting.” Jean spoke in a softer voice. “You seem to be missing the point here. That girl is here to interview you, not to become your mistress; not to mention that this situation feels painfully familiar.”

“I’m not expecting you to understand, my friend.” Dominic strove for a more serious tone. “I did what I thought was right.”

“What happened the last time you did something similar, Dominic?” Jean turned to him, furrowing his brow. “Do you remember? I know I can’t forget.”

“Of course I remember.” “Dominic sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor as his eyes darkened with sorrow. “Look, why are you acting like this? Is there a law against having fun or something?”

“Think Dominic …with a reporter?” Jean’s angry voice resounded through the hall, as he jumped from his seat. “What if she writes about this? What if she tells the whole world about how impulsive you are? What if…”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Dominic raised his hand at chest height. “Slow down, will you? You worry too much. What is she going to do? Write that the king drew her portrait? So what if I did?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t understand.” Jean spoke, his tone much lower than before. “I’m only looking out for you: she’s a reporter, Dominic; she’s young; ambitious; she could write just about anything.”

“She won’t.” Dominic assured, shaking his head sideways. “I’ll ask her not to, okay?”

“Be very careful,” Jean advised. “The interview hasn’t started yet, has it?”

“No,” Dominic was quick to respond. “She’s still a little jetlagged, I’m afraid.”

“Choose your answers wisely.” Jean advised. “Anyway, I promised Melanie I would take her out for dinner tonight. I will call you tomorrow.”

“Dominic; you are a naughty boy.” Melanie interjected, climbing down the stairs. “Do you always kiss your guests just after you’ve met them?”

“You kissed her?” Jean squinted at him.

“I saw the two lovebirds in the garden.” Melanie added, a perceptive smile on her face, as she walked up to them. “The poor girl was shivering. She had to change clothes.”

“I don’t think I need to say more.” Jean spoke, his tone firm. “You’re a grown man. Act like one.”

“Dominic, please do me a favor.” Melanie went on, her tone calm as she looked up at him. “Marianne is very special to me. Treat her right, please.”

“Why don’t you tell me more about her?” He requested, unaffected by his friend’s comments. “What’s she like?”

“She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever known.” Melanie replied, slipping her hand into her purse. “She’s written much more than that book I keep babbling on about. She was kind enough to send me some of her manuscripts: here,” she said, handing him over a worn, thick envelope. “I really wanted to discuss them with her tonight, but she looks a little too tired and I need to go. Goodnight.”

“Thank you. Goodnight, guys,” Dominic said with a nod.

The night has closed in on me. It’s the first night without you, the man I’ve been in love with since I was a little girl. To make matters worse, it’s snowing. Just recalling all the times we’ve played in the snow brings tears to my eyes, Tommy. You would chase me, I would chase you and we would end up lying in the thick snow, laughing so hard… And then, you would take me in your arms and kiss me. God… It’s only been a few hours since we broke up and I miss you already. But, how can I not miss you, baby? Eight years is a long time. I thought we had built a strong, real relationship. So did you. You sang that song so proudly… You looked me in the eye and said: ‘We built this house on rock’. We were both hopelessly wrong…

You see, that rock was resting on foundations of sand. You lied to my face, over and over again. There were never any late-night meetings in your law firm. Nor was it going to expand to New Jersey. You had been playing me for months. The honorable thing for you to do would have been to just tell me about her. But, you wouldn’t. You preferred running back and forth from Manhattan. That’s the kind of man you are: greedy, lustful and dishonest.

It broke my heart when I saw you two kissing in the subway. I lost the world under my feet. I cried: hard. I had lost the love of my life, the man I hoped I would marry someday. Then, I saw her belly… No words could describe my gut-wrenching pain. You didn’t just betray me, Tommy. You humiliated me. You trashed the one thing I had been holding on to all these years. My dreams went up in ashes. Now, here I am, trying to pick up the pieces. Will I ever get over you? Will I ever find the strength to fall in love again? I don’t know. All I know is that my world is shattered. I need some time to heal. Nah, who am I kidding? I may never heal. The wound is too deep.

Goodbye, Tommy. I send the best of luck to the mother of your child. Something tells me she is going to need it.

Susan”

Marianne’s short letter moved him. If anything, it proved how emotional she was. Upon recalling her earlier statement though, it sent shockwaves through his body. What if Susan was actually her? It was then that he discovered that, even though they had known each other for only a few hours, he was attracted to her. He didn’t want just to have fun with her. Instead, Dominic wanted to be in a relationship with her.

Get a grip.” He thought to himself, running his hand through his hair. She’s only going to be here for a week. She doesn’t belong here and you definitely don’t belong in the Big Apple. Damn it, Dominic… What the hell is wrong with you? Maybe Jean’s right. I’m a little childish. I don’t regret it, though. That painting was the heat of the moment. It was just a reaction to something that touched me deep inside: nothing more.”

Regardless of his feelings, he couldn’t resist the temptation of reading more. Indeed, Dominic liked her writing too much to pass on the opportunity. However, as he flipped through the pages, Marianne’s pale hand came into view. Gently, she took her manuscripts in her palm and folded them, as he rolled his eyes up to meet her gaze.

“Sir, we started off on the wrong foot.” She spoke, her voice calm and steady. “I really hope we can put what happened in the garden behind us and keep it professional from now on.”

“That’s fine by me,” he said, a hint of sadness in his baritone, as his mouth tightened in a grim line. “On one condition: Tell me, Marianne. Are you the woman in that letter? Are you Susan?”

“Yes.” She answered in a broken voice, tearing her gaze away from his, as he arose to his impressive, 6’3” stature. “I sent that to Melanie by mistake.”

“I’m really sorry.” Dominic whispered, staring at her trembling lips. “I can’t imagine the pain you’ve been through. But, I have an idea. Care to hear it?”

“Sure.” Marianne gave a small nod.

“You’ll be here for a week. The interview part won’t take up much of your time. Try to have some fun.” He advised, leaning over her, as she stared down at the floor. “You can borrow my limo. Take Melanie, go to Paris. I’m sure she’d love to go with you. It is six hours away. If you guys are too tired, you can spend the night there and come back the next day.”

“You’re being too kind.” She sighed, a bitter smile on her face, as she clenched her jaw. “But, I’m supposed to stay here.”

“You don’t travel to France every day, do you?” Dominic smiled. “Go ahead. Do what I said. You’re leaving tomorrow. But, you’re all mine for tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Marianne asked with a hint of worry in her voice as she looked up at him.

“Don’t worry,” he snorted in amusement. “We’re just going out for dinner. Wait here. I need to get out of these wet clothes.”

“Oh…” Relief flashed in her eyes. “Ok, then.”

Dominic gave her one last smile and moved around her. Her short response had confirmed his fears. It was clear to him that she was still recovering from her painful breakup. At any rate though, he would do everything in his power to make her feel better, even though he knew he could not have her.

You’ve suffered long enough, Marianne. These seven days are going to be all about the fun; your fun, at least. Try to forget about that son of a bitch. He’s not worth it, anyway. What kind of man does that? I mean, knock someone up and then pretend everything’s fine? For real? What a loser…”