Champagne Romance (Romance Novel) (18 page)

Meanwhile, it was time for Swan and Slater to
depart back to Newport and reunite with their precious baby boy.
They climbed into the twin-engine plane and headed for their life
back at the beach hoping for a quick heal from their harrowing
experience.

Swan curled into a protective ball after the
twin engine took off from the private runway. She soon fell asleep
from all the drama of early morning. Slater was a little worried
about her, but he knew that this delegate woman was a steel
magnolia and would be eventually be all right.

CHAPTER 40

A sober Swan and Slater entered her Newport
condo. The lights were out and there was total silence. There was
no running of little feet to greet them, which caused Swan to go
into near hysterics as her imagination began to run amok. Slater
was immediately on his cell trying to locate Maria when the lock in
the door clicked and a bundle of energy flew into Swan’s arms.
Maria’s grandson had broken his leg in a soccer game and she had
been needed immediately at the emergency room.

Quinn, oblivious to his mother’s churning
emotions, began to elaborate with the enthrallment and excitement
of a three year-old. He excitedly told of the hospital’s loud
speakers, twirling red ambulance lights, and the white coat medical
staff. He shared every detail that he could think of as his
distraught mother held him and tried to listen tentatively. Now
that Swan had returned, Maria said that she would be returning to
the hospital and would be helping her daughter over the weekend.
She went into pack her bag.

When the door shut behind Maria, Slater
looked directly at Swan as his eyebrows wiggled up and down at the
prospect of being alone and spending the weekend in her bed. Swan
had other ideas as he soon was going to find out in spite of the
delectable weekend that they had shared in Malibu.

Slater didn’t even remember how it started,
but immediately after Maria left and putting Quinn to sleep, Swan,
still extremely emotional from not finding Quinn tucked safely in
bed when she arrived home, stiffly escorted him into the living
room. Suddenly, the weekend events were all his fault and they were
in a full fledge argument. He left slamming the door behind him and
shouting that he wasn’t responsible for everything that had gone
wrong in her life, but somehow he didn’t think he had convinced
her.

For the insecure and irrational Swan, the
sound of the door banging shut only signified that another chapter
of her existence had closed. In her irrational mind, when Slater
left to get the newspaper in Malibu, he had let her down just like
everyone else in her life. She was not going to let it happen again
nor would he have the opportunity to let her son down as well!

Slater’s night was restless. He was furious
with Swan--partly because she was being unreasonable and partly
because he felt a little guilty for not being in the hacienda when
she was attacked. He had never had anyone jerk him around like she
did and he didn’t like it one bit! He lit a cigarette and decided
that she needed to call HIM and apologize and then maybe he’d think
about taking her back. Who was he kidding, if she called, he’d be
there in a split second.

By Monday morning, a stubborn Slater was in a
real bitchy mood. It was 10:00 A.M. and Swan had not appeared to
put the finishing touches on his office. He finally gave in and
called her condo---no answer. He called her cell---no answer. He
had a sick premonition that Swan might have disappeared just as she
did in Breckenridge.

By mid-afternoon, Slater finally located
Maria who had spoken to Swan. She only told him that she and Quinn
would be away for a while and not to worry. Slater got off the
phone and angrily threw the arrangement of flowers that were on his
desk against the wall. He rarely lost his cool, but then again
things usually went his way. Right now, they were not going the way
he wanted! Damn her for running away again and damn her for taking
Quinn with her! He drummed his fingers on the desk and then shot
into action.

Swan had never had a relationship or a
special someone in her life. Interacting and giving was a difficult
concept. It, also, was a scary one. She was much like a turtle,
when the going got tough she retreated back into her protective
shell. If she really thought about it, she was scared. To put total
trust in someone was giving a part of herself and taking a chance.
If she were to take a gamble and things did not work out, she was
afraid that she would break into a million tiny pieces. For her,
suddenly the risk was much too great. The shattered weekend had
given her an excuse to end something before it continued and before
Slater could dump her and Quinn. She had worked hard to keep her
life simple and uncomplicated without turmoil. What she didn’t
realize that there were never any guarantees in life and that
taking a risk with someone else was what life was all about.

When Swan didn’t hear from Slater all
weekend, she accepted the end of a relationship and because of her
insecurities retreated back into her safe cocoon. Packing her bags
in her silver Mercedes on Sunday afternoon, she, Quinn, and
Cleopatra headed for a friend’s beach house in San Diego, which was
only a few hours south of Newport.

Slater had contacted all his sources for
information. Swan had not left the country by plane, train, or bus
that much he had deducted. So, she probably was headed to somewhere
nearby. He put an alert out for her silver Mercedes with the Orange
County license tag 759385. So far, his search yielded nothing. He
didn’t think that she would be gone too terribly long, but the
anxiety of not knowing was a little disturbing. He wanted her back
and he wanted her back NOW! He had tried to contact her again by
cell. She either had turned it off or had chosen to avoid his
calls. Either one, more than pissed him off! They obviously needed
to have a conversation and get a few things understood and he was
just the one to initiate such a verbal confrontation if necessary.
He had finally figured out that he had better get a ring on her
finger so that just maybe he could get the ring out of his
nose!

CHAPTER 41

Quinn was delighted to be living in a beach
house. It was a private stretch of sand with a little distance
between other homes. It was like living in a dollhouse as the
entire backside that faced the ocean was glass. A sundeck off the
bedroom was on the top floor. The bedroom contained a king sized
bed and fainting couch in the corner, which was a perfect size for
Quinn. It was a comfortable “get away” for Swan.

All the rooms were painted a soft white with
white modern couches, lamps, and drapes. Cleopatra blended right
into the surroundings and almost was totally camouflaged. The
drapes were linen and let in a lot of light whether they were shut
or open. Various palms and flowering cactus plants gave it an
inviting homey look. It was simple, but sophisticated.

Her dearest gay friend, Ted, owned the beach
house. He extended an open invitation to Swan whenever it suited
her. Most of the time, Ted’s business took him out of town, but
this weekend he would be there for part of the time. Swan was
relieved, as she needed his help and guidance on what was going on
in her life. He always helped center her. He also had been like an
uncle to Quinn since the day he was born.

Ted was the first one to appear in the
hospital room with flowers the day Quinn came into her life. He
looked like Troy Donahue and everyone at the hospital speculated
that he must be the father in spite of Quinn’s dark hair.

Ted also knew about Slater, he just didn’t
know what had transpired in the past few weeks. Swan had the need
to share all aspects of this complicated relationship with one of
her best friends. She knew that he would be comforting and
nonjudgmental.

Ted arrived at his beach home the next day.
Swan was relieved to talk to him and did so for hours, not leaving
out one detail of her new relationship with Slater. He listen
tentatively, gave sound advice, and friendship comfort.

The week ended all too soon with an outing to
Sea World. Quinn squealed with delight at the whale show. But, his
biggest thrill was petting the dolphins. Watching Uncle Teddy with
Quinn made her wish that Slater were here. With a sigh and some
regret, Swan hoped that Slater might someday want to take Quinn
back to this water world and have the opportunity to watch his
happy baby boy.

CHAPTER 42

It was a long trip back from San Diego. The
traffic was more horrific than usual and took twice as long as it
had to travel south. The only consoling travel bonus was that
Swan’s friend, Ted, had offered to ride back with her, as he wanted
to visit another friend. Swan was happy to have his company as
Uncle Teddy had kept a cranky Quinn entertained with antics and
stories until he fell asleep in exhaustion. They arrived at Swan’s
condo around midnight.

Ted handed a sleeping Quinn over to Swan in
the parking lot. Then, he lightly touched her face and gave her a
soft peck on the lips before giving her a little bear hug. It was
just a friend giving another friend solace, but to Slater who
couldn’t sleep and had decided to cruise by Swan’s place in hopes
of catching a glimpse of Swan’s arrival, it looked like a weekend
spent with a lover.

Slater was livid as his black jag raced past
the two people at the entrance of the condo oblivious to his
presence. His grip on the steering wheel almost cracked it apart.
He knew he needed to keep going as his hands had an urge to ram the
handsome face of Swan’s lover into the nearest concrete wall and
smash it beyond recognition.

Not once during the entire week did Slater
ever picture Swan in someone else’s arms, loving him, holding him.
The very thought made him see red with rage. Jealousy was a new
emotion for Slater. He didn’t realize how irrational and out of
control it could make one feel. It was just another thing that he
didn’t like one bit!

Now, that Slater was getting the concept of
jealousy, he contemplated how he could use it to his advantage. He
was getting a little tired of Swan yanking on his dick and it was
time that he returned the favor. He was gambling on the fact that
Swan had the same emotion. He intended to get her attention by
jerking her chain a bit as well. With Quinn in the picture, he was
not averse to using him as a bit of leverage if necessary so long
as Quinn was not involved and knew nothing about it. One thing for
sure, under no circumstances would he ever let his son slip from
his life. He would fight for this relationship if he had to go to
every court in the land. Hopefully, he could get things resolved
long before any legal antics came into the picture.

With the incentive of a dangling carrot in
front of his nose, Slater proceeded to put a plan in action. It was
time to renew some old acquaintances. The first woman that came to
mind was Lolita. She was fun, stunning, and lived up to her name.
Dialing her number, he turned on his charm and soon had a lunch
date for the next day.

Slater arrived at a popular lunch bistro that
he knew Swan frequented with Lolita hanging on his arm. Lolita was
her usual clingy self, which was just what Slater was counting on
as they weaved in and out among the tables upon which sat a single
colorful daisy adorning the tablecloths. Lolita dressed a little
flashy, which was just what Slater had hoped for when he made the
date. He wanted to be noticed. He got his wish.

Lolita wore a clingy tight dark green knit
with a very low neckline that bordered on tastefulness with lots of
gold jewelry, most of which had been given to her by Slater when
their relationship had been in full swing. She had shoulder length
blond hair, very red nails, and very red lipstick, which she always
enjoyed smearing on an annoyed Slater. She liked to swing her hips
with just enough tail to invite everyone in the restaurant to look
and insinuated that maybe you would be lucky enough to be invited
to touch---the perfect woman of choice for Slater’s plan.

Swan picked Madeline up for a lunch date at
the local French bistro that they often frequented unbeknown that
Slater would be there with a date. Madeline was part of Swan’s
circle of friends that she had acquired at the Balboa Bay Club in
Newport. She was not an original California gal, but was born,
bred, and wed in Connecticut.

Unlike Kat and Swan, Madeline came from
wealth. She had grown-up in a large household with servants, cooks,
and gardeners. She never knew anything different. She was the only
princess of a divulging mother and father. She had traveled the
world by the time she was eight. She was well versed in art,
culture, and other languages by the time she was twelve. Before she
went away to college she knew all the social graces and was able to
present a dinner party at a moment’s notice if necessary.

Most of Madeline’s summers were spent in
Hyannis Port with her cousins swimming, horseback riding, and water
skiing. All the families came and were members of the elite yacht
club. All the parents of Madeline’s cousins were also graduates of
Ivy League schools. There was never any doubt that when she grew up
that she would be educated at Wellesley just like her mother.
There, she would be married to the man of her dreams just like her
mother.

The union of Madeline and her husband-to-be
was approved by both sets of parents as they became pawns to their
wealthy families doing what was expected. She would even be
miserable just like her mother. The men in the family always seemed
to have a roving eye for some young thing that sauntered by with
invitations in their big round eyes. Unfortunately, Madeline’s
husband soon joined the club of the unfaithful and the cycle
continued.