Authors: Sabel Simmons
He nearly pounced on
her.
“Three years! You plan
to leave the country for three years! What then? Are you planning to commute
back here every second weekend? No? Where the hell are you going?” He was
shouting now, anger reverberating through his whole body.
Tears ran down her
cheeks. She already saw her whole future with Raymond laying in shatters in
front of her. She was right! He wouldn’t be willing to wait for her.
“I … I will not be able
to commute, it is too far. Only once or twice per year for a week or two.”
She grasped him by his
arms, terrified that he had already started to shut her out of his heart and
his feelings for her.
“Ray it’s only three
years, maybe less! We can work this out please! You can come visit me too.
It such a wonderful place, so….”
“Enough!”
The soft but rugged
word exploded from his lips. She knew that nothing she said now would matter.
Raymond would not listen. He has closed his mind against her.
Her hand tightened
around his arm. Her clear green eyes, now the color of the Caribbean Sea,
gazed imploringly into his.
“Ray, please! Don’t do
this to us! You have to understand …. You know how much I lo …”
He clasped her hand
clutching his arm and tightened his hand around her fingers. She gasped in
pain and let go of him. He flung her hand away from him as if it was a piece
of unwanted driftwood. Pain stabbed at her heart. He looked fiercely into her
eyes, his black-grey eyes blazed with scorn.
“Don’t do this to us?
Me? You really are …. Forget it! I’m not interested, Clarissa. You chose to
leave me out of this part of your life from the beginning. You chose, on your
own, without me, there were no us! You say you love me. The choice you just
made contradicts that … oh so deeply emotional declaration! Here is another
choice for you. I love you. I love you with all my heart, but you have
betrayed that love.”
“No … no, no Ray! I
love you, please! The past two years have been the happiest of my life! I
cannot imagine what life would be without you!”
“Well then, the choice
would be easy and it’s all yours to make. No relationship would last three
years of separation, especially not since we were supposed to be married in six
months! You choose, my darling. Stay and you would never doubt my love, leave
and well, you’ll have the Princeton Hotel to love!”
She clutched his arm as
he tried to walk past her, intended on leaving. “Please don’t leave like
this. Ray let’s talk about this. We can work this out!”
“No Clarissa, I’ve said
what I wanted to say. When you’ve made your choice and it’s me you choose, you
know where to find me. If it’s not … don’t bother. And you’re right; I
shouldn’t leave like this…”
Spitting the words at
her, he yanked her towards him so fast that she slammed into his hard chest,
gasping for breath.
His mouth swooped down
on hers. He covered her lips with his and forced her lips relentlessly open.
His tongue surged inside. He took procession of her mouth in such a way, that
she could feel the fury roaring though him like surf during a hurricane on the
beach.
She whimpered in pain
and tasted the blood in her mouth as the soft insides of her mouth gave way to
the force of his mouth on hers. His hand wound around her ribcage and closed
around her breast, his fingers fondling and she groaned as her nipple sprang to
life. His hand tightened painfully around her breast before he shoved her away
from him, turned around, and strode to the door.
Clarissa ran after him, but he slammed
the door in her face. She sagged against the door with her back against it.
She pushed her fist against her abused mouth as her legs gave way beneath her.
She crumpled down against the door with her arms in a death grip around her
knees. Tears streamed down her face as big dry gulps shuddered through her
body.
“To my baby girl, my only baby girl!
Congratulations my girl, I always knew you had it in you to be successful, to
make it in the big world. Be happy and remember … you will always be in our
thoughts even though you are thousands of miles away. On Clarissa!”
Raising his champagne
glass high, he shouted the toast so that it echoed through the restaurant and
heads turned in their direction.
Clarissa raised her
glass dutifully towards her dads’, forcing the smile to remain on her lips.
She took a sip of the bubbling, cold liquid, and had to swallow hard to get it
past the enormous lump in her throat.
Three weeks ago
tonight, Raymond St Claire walked out of her condominium, and out of her life.
Ever since then she has tried repeatedly to talk to him. After the first time
when she responded that she was still leaving, he threw the phone down in her
ear and refused to take any of her calls ever since.
Her whole family buzzed
around her, pulling her close for hugs and toasted her new future. Everyone
wished her well, oblivious to her inner struggle to balance the hurt and the
excitement about the new direction her life was about to take.
Clarissa smiled and
laughed along with all of them and wondered how her mother managed to get all
the cousins, nephew, nieces, aunts, and uncles together all at once. She
quietly withdrew from the singing, laughing crazy people her family has become
and walked towards the secluded balcony on one side of the restaurant.
Standing against the
railing, sipping the champagne, silent tears ran over her cheeks.
Why, oh why won’t Ray
listen to me? If I could just talk to him once more …”
With
a start, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder and before she could wipe the
tears from her cheeks, her mother faced her. Gently she wiped the tears from
Clarissa’s cheeks before cupping her face between her gentle hands.
“My dear, dear girl. I
cannot tell you how it pains me to see you suffering so much!”
Clarissa looked at her
in shock. She thought she hid her pain from them, specifically so they need
not worry about her.
“Oh Darling, of course
I knew! I’m a mother after all, and a mother always knows when her one and
only baby is suffering. Come here, you silly girl!”
She pulled Clarissa
against her and immediately the tears started to fall. Try as she might, she
could not stop the tears. Eventually she gave up and clutched her mother while
sobs shook her body.
Sitting on a bench in
the restaurant garden a while later, their hands clasped together, the tears
spend; Clarissa knew she couldn’t hide the truth from her mother any longer.
After she finished her
mother was quiet for a long time. She stroked absently back and forth over the
back of Clarissa’s hand as she looked in the eyes of her daughter, the twin
image of her own and sighed.
“Darling, it’s no use
reprimanding you now. From your pain and hurt, it is clear that you regret what
happened, especially the fact that you didn’t tell him at the time. Have you
spoken to him again?”
“Oh Mom, he refuses to
speak to me. He wouldn’t even take any of my calls. I am going to leave here
tomorrow without seeing or even talking to him again. Mom, I don’t know how I
am going to survive without him in my life! The past three weeks have been the
worst in my life and I hoped …”
In agitation, she
jumped up and stood wringing her hands. Her mother watched her with worry in
her heart. She has never seen Clarissa like this. She had always been the
strong one, the one who could withstand critique, hard work and even dealt with
the continuous rejections from the Princeton group over the years. She knew how
much she loved Raymond but her dream of being a Hotel Manager for the Princeton
Intercontinental Hotel Group had been with her for so long, it was all
consuming. It was what drove her. It was the only thing that she measured her
success against.
“What if I am doing the
wrong thing Mom? What if I am throwing away my only chance at real happiness,
what if this job doesn’t work out?”
“Don’t even think like
that! Of course, you’ll make a success of the job. Come on Clarissa, you have
always believed in yourself, why would you start doubting yourself now? If
Raymond really loved you, he wouldn’t just ha…”
“No Mom,” resignation made her voice
quiver, “Don’t put the blame on Ray. I know, even though I have tried the same
tactic to absolve myself, it is too much to expect from anyone to wait for three
years and hardly see each other during that time. I knew that, but I still
accepted the job even before talking to him about it. In his eyes, his opinion
did not matter to me, that the job means more to me than he does. But it
doesn’t … it doesn’t … The job might be over in three years, but my love for
him … never.”
“What!” The abrupt tone
was so
short; she nearly did not recognize Raymond’s voice when he answered the
phone. She gripped the receiver so hard her knuckles turned white.
“Hello!” The annoyance
was palpable in his voice.
“Ray … it’s me.”
Expecting him to slam the phone down in her ear once again, she was surprised
to hear silence answering her tentative greeting. “Ray…”
“What do you want?”
She swallowed the tears
back. “I’m leaving tomorrow and thought we could at least say goodbye. I miss
you, so much Ray!” His continued silence caused the tears to start flowing
again.
“Will you come over,
please?”
“Maybe you didn’t quite
understand what I said before. However, since then I have come to realize just
how clever you were to rope me in two years ago. You have used me good and well
… I hope it will keep your bed warm at night.”
With that, and the
distinct click of the connection being cut, she felt the final shattering of
her heart shudder through her whole being. She kept wondering about the
meaning of his callous comment, “You have used me good and well…” What did he
mean by that?
In her heart, she
admitted that all of a sudden the lure of the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean
Sea was not as strong, as it was three weeks ago.
After hours of crying
and lying in her bed gazing at the glittering lights of the city below her, she
closed her heart; locked all her love and feelings away with an imaginary key.
With resignation, she
accepted late in the night that she was the one who made the choice; that she
was the keeper of her own heart and future; with that acceptance, her usually
bright green eyes became smoky, lifeless, and empty.
Woken by chirping birds and the soft
surf breaking, Clarissa rolled out of the bed, walked to the window, and pulled
the curtains open. The bright rays of the sun played merrily over her face and
body and made her appear like a sun goddess of old. Her long chestnut colored
hair with the natural gold streaks shone like a bronzed halo around her face.
She stretched her arms
high above her head and arched her body to get rid of the tight knots in her
back. She turned and her eye caught her reflection in the mirror and she
stopped to stare at herself. She never even realized how much weight she lost
over the past six years. She used to be a little on the plump side, actually
more curvy than plump, but now she was thin, yet still curvaceous. She turned
sideways and noticed the gentle curve of her hips below her now tiny waist, her
breasts jutting proudly above her waist, an abundant handful.
Turning away with a
snort, she headed for the bathroom. She pulled the oversized t-shirt she
always slept in over her head and threw it in the washing bin. She stepped
into the shower and opened the water to cascade over her in lukewarm drops,
thinking of the picture of herself she just witnessed in the mirror.
She knew that she was
pretty, even been told by many that she was beautiful, but she never really
took it to heart. She sighed, shook her head, and reached for the shampoo to
wash her long, thick hair.
Clarissa was indeed
beautiful, especially now with her features more prominent and pronounced after
her weight loss, she was striking. Large almond shaped eyes, framed by
impossibly long and thick natural eyelashes, naturally curved eyebrows, small
perfectly formed nose, luscious soft coral lips with high cheekbones she was
difficult not to notice.
Her hair thick and
shiny had grown so long that it now nearly hugged her waist at the back. Her
figure developed over the past six years into what was near perfect, long lean
legs, narrow hips, and tiny waist with full breasts tempted people to stare
when she passed them by. Since arriving on the Island, she stayed fit and
enjoyed jogging most mornings before work, which made achieving and maintaining
her firm and shapely body easy.
However, Clarissa
hardly ever paid attention to the effect her looks had on the opposite gender.
This made her even more of a challenge to them and she therefore always tried
to avoid being in situations too often, where she was the center of attention.
She “dressed down” as
her secretary, Bette, chastised her on nearly a daily basis. According to her,
it was very unhealthy not to have a man in your life, more so in your bed. In
addition, Clarissa has shown absolutely no interest in any beau all the time
she has been on the island.
Bette could not fathom why any woman at
thirty years of age – Clarissa turned thirty at the beginning of the year -
wanted to spend her time alone. She was forever setting up dinner dates for her
boss but was disappointed every time as no romance ever developed.
With raised eyebrows
,
Clarissa
leaned against the doorframe of Bette’s office. Her usually friendly, stable
secretary seemed very flustered and upset. Maybe upset was not accurate, angry
was a better description of the emotion depicted on her flushed face.
Finishing her conversation over the phone with a curt, “Of course, Sir,” she
slammed the receiver down on its cradle with a bang. She continued an angry
relay while gesturing and waving her hands.
“What the devil does he
think we’ll do to the dear old man? If I could get my…”
“Harrumph.” Clarissa
cleared her throat to interrupt the angry one-sided conversation and Bette
looked up with a start.
“Oh Clarissa, I didn’t
see you standing there! How are you this morning?” Her smile this morning definitely
did not do her pretty face justice. Her lips were pinched and appeared more a
pained grin than a smile.
“Morning Bette, I am
indubitably better than you this morning. What or rather who has you up in
arms so early in the morning?” Pushing away from the doorframe, she walked
towards Bette’s desk and took the cup of coffee she just poured for her from
the peculator behind her desk.
Waving wildly with her
hands in front of her she sat back in her chair. Her eyes flared and she
smirked indignantly, “Our dear and beloved MD, Mr. Hammond. If he wasn’t so
far away, I would have…”
“Bette! What did he
want?” Clarissa felt a knot of anticipation tightening in her stomach. David
Hammond has been the MD of the Princeton Hotel Group for fifteen years and a
very demanding employer. Not always well liked, he was however respected by
all, but sometimes slightly arrogant and that was one thing that always got
Bette’s hair rising. Worried that Bette said something in anger she waited for
her to answer.
“Don’t worry, Boss. I
curbed my tongue and nearly bit it off in the process, but he gets me so mad at
times. However the dear Mrs. Hammond lasted by his side for twenty five years
I would never know!”
“It’s not for us to
talk or speculate about that, Bette. Tell me what happened.” Sipping her
strong coffee, she sat down on the edge of the desk.
“The BIG boss and his
long lost nephew are coming for a visit, and he wants everything to be spick
and span for him. Imagine, as if it’s not always spick and span!” She snorted
in indignation. “Anyway, he wants you to contact him as soon as you come in.”
“I wonder if it is
perhaps their anniversary. I believe they have been married for nearly thirty
eight years and it is his sixty fifth birthday on the same day apparently.”
“That is quite
possible. It seems he always chooses the Cayman Island to come and celebrate a
special occasion. They celebrated his and his wife’s sixtieth birthdays here.
One thing is for sure, Mr. St Claire knows how to treat and spoil his wife!
And it is so sweet that even though they are in their sixties, they still act
as if they just got married.”
Clarissa smiled in
agreement. Miguel and Retha were like lovebirds when together, hugging, and
kissing and always smiling at each other. That was what real love should be
like for everyone. Open and free for all to see. A love that could withstand
everything and theirs had to withstand a lot over the years. As a high-powered
hotel tycoon, he was always in the news and the tabloids were always linking
him to some gossip about affairs and young lovers.
Retha however was
confident in their love and relationship, which formed the backbone of their
marriage. Never once did she believe stories or doubted the strength of their
marriage. Never having had any children of their own, they only had each other
and Miguel clearly worshipped his beautiful wife. She frowned, trying to think
of any other stories about the rest of his family, but realized he always
managed to keep them out of the tabloids. Quite remarkable that he managed to
do that with the paparazzi forever hounding him. On the other hand, she
deliberately avoided tabloids over the past six years, not wanting to come
across news on Raymond that might upset her.
At first when she met
Miguel St Claire, she was taken aback by his surname being the same as
Raymond’s, but did not worry about it too much as St Claire was a common enough
name. He also bore no physical resemblance to Raymond, being blond with brown
eyes and a more rounded face. He never mentioned him in any way. She became
quite close with them over the past five years, had Raymond been family, he
would have said something. More so, Raymond would have been with the Princeton
Group, not worked his hands to the bone to build his own empire.
She walked into her
office and smiled in appreciation at the lovely lilies standing in a vase in
the small conference area. Bette always ensured they only brought her fresh
lilies, as she loved them so much. Stargazer and Casablanca lilies were her
favorites, but she was not particular.
Just as she sat down
behind her desk, the buzz on her phone sounded and Bette announced that David
Hammond was on the line. Smiling at Bette’s efficiency, she picked up the
receiver and greeted David cordially.
“Clarissa, good
morning. It is good to hear your voice. We have not spoken to each other
since the last Management conference in May. How have you been?”
“Wonderful. It has
been hectic, especially with all the system changes we had to implement. But
at least we didn’t have any problems.”
They spend the next
twenty minutes discussing the new systems, other general management issues, and
the guest intake. He expressed their appreciation for all the hard work and
how impressed they were that she managed to keep increasing the profits, even
over the recession period the world were in.
“You have really made a
positive impact since your appointment nearly six years ago. I must admit that
I had certain reservations in the beginning, but you managed to put them all to
rest.”
Clarissa bit her lip.
Why the philosophy all of a sudden? “Do I detect another but there somewhere,
David?”
“No, no of course not.
I just never really had the opportunity to mention all of this to you. Just so
that you know, you have no need to be concerned about the renewal of your
contract, or even transferal, to another hotel of your choice.”
“Thanks, I appreciate
that. Although I am quite happy here and wouldn’t want to leave just yet.”
He laughed. “Hmm, the
sun, surf, and beautiful Caribbean Sea got to you, I see!” She laughed with
him and relaxed for the first time since the beginning of the conversation.
“Miguel is planning a
visit in two months’ time. As you might know, it is his sixty fifth birthday
as well as their wedding anniversary. His nephew will also be joining them and
of course some friends closer to the actual date of his birthday. In total,
they will need approximately ten rooms and their usual presidential seaside
cottage for themselves, the nephew, and his son. Would that be a problem on
such short notice?”
Clarissa glanced at the
calendar, although she already dreaded that there might be a problem. Two
months from now would put them smack in the middle of the Pirates week and they
were always fully booked a year in advance.
“It might be. You know
it is pirate’s week from mid October, and if my memory serves me correct,
Miguel’s birthday is on the first of November?”
“Yes, that is correct,
however it will only be the St Claire’s and their nephew that will arrive at
that time, the rest of the guests only a day or two prior to the event. Please
check and let me know before the end of the day if there would be any
problems. It might even mean that we might have to look at accommodating
booked guests in other hotels. This is one occasion I am afraid you are going
to have to disappoint some people. If it is necessary to move people to other
hotels, we might have to offer them one night free on their next trip.”
“I would hate to have
to disappoint regular guests, and that time of the year too, most of our guests
are regulars who come here specifically for the festivities. The presidential
seaside double story cottage was booked just last week, but if we gave them
some sort of discount on the executive cottage, I’m sure that can be sorted
out. If the rest of their guests are only arriving towards the end of October,
we might be able to accommodate most of them. Some of the pirates’ week guests
start leaving after certain events.”
“See what is available and then we’ll
agree on actions to be taken to accommodate booked guests if necessary.” They
finished the conversation and Clarissa buzzed Bette to call the reservations
manager to her office.
“You look beautiful!”
Trace looked her up and down and devoured her with his eyes. She stepped
back, his closeness and hungry gaze made her feel uncomfortable and she
immediately regretted accepting his invitation to dinner.
Trace was a very nice
man with a good sense of humor and very attractive. He was a veritable sun god,
with his sun blond hair, baby blue eyes and gorgeous surfer body.
Unfortunately, also very vain and believed that all females found him
irresistible. Maybe the fact that she was not interested was what kept him
trying.
“Thank you. Shall we
go?” Clarissa immediately stepped outside and closed the door behind her,
preempting any suggestion from him to have a drink before they left. Tonight
she felt like relaxing and did not want to fight his advances on her the whole
time. Being amongst people at least ensured his best behavior.
At the restaurant in
the main street of town, she relaxed as she leaned back in the chair and smiled
at Trace.
“This is such a nice
place. The people and the atmosphere are so soothing, just what I needed
tonight.”
For a moment all Trace
could do, was stare at her. Her smile brightened her whole face and her
natural beauty shone like a beacon in the night. The kind of beauty to be
savored and sipped, a beauty that could soothe you and make you want all of
her. A beauty that had him in a trance since the day he met her.
Unfortunately he was
what they call a ‘ladies’ man, and do not know how to act differently with a
woman but in his usual flirty way. He sighed, knowing that he would never be
able to win her heart.