Part 32 (1/2)

I followed her to the door and then headed to Drew's office.

I was stoned stupid when I stood outside listening to the conversation between him and Derik.

”She's not your little slave anymore. I'm telling you, she is going to make trouble,” I heard Derik say.

”Don't worry, my friend. I will have her back to knowing who her master is in no time flat.”

I walked quickly past the door and into the kitchen with Marta, the cook.

”Can I get a cup of coffee?” I asked. My hair and makeup was done beautifully, and all I needed to do was pull on my dress. I didn't want to go anywhere with Drew.

I felt sick. Slave? Master? What did that mean? Why can't I remember? I really need to remember. Something dreadful happened there. I could feel it.

I tried to tell Drew that I didn't feel well, and I should stay home, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was making me go, and all of my nerve to tell him no had disappeared with the slave and master remark.

I reluctantly went with him. Derik drove us, and I wondered what role he played in Drew's business. He seemed to always be around. I stared out the window and jumped when Drew took my hand and smiled at me.

”You okay?” he asked.

No. I wasn't okay.

”I'm fine,” I smiled a weak smile.

We had to stop at one of his stores on the way to the party, and that did seem familiar. I looked straight ahead in a daze as I took in the jewelry store.

”I've been here before,” I stated, mostly to myself.

Drew snorted. ”You've been here a lot of times.

Go pick out a new set of wedding rings,” he said looking down at the watch on his wrist. ”We have to hurry.”

”Where are the ones that I had?” I asked, not understanding.

”They cut them off of you in the wreck.”

”Oh,” that made sense.

I didn't care about the fancy diamonds, and picked the first set that my eyes landed on.

There weren't a lot of people at the party. I was glad of that. I did notice right away the man in the wheelchair. I couldn't remember the name. He wheeled over to us with a smile. He took my hand and admired the wedding set.

”How are you doing, Morgan?” he asked.

”Better,” I lied. I wasn't better at all, maybe physically, but certainly not emotionally or mentally.

”Well, you look radiant,” he said.

”Thank you.”

Derik's wife joined us next. She was said to have been my best friend there. I didn't think so. She didn't seem like someone that I would be friends with, but I didn't think a lot of things that seemed to be my life.

”It's so good to see you,” Jena said.

”I'm sorry,” I apologized.

”Jena,” she offered. ”I'm Derik's wife,” she smiled.

Poor girl.

We were all led to a table and sat with the man in the wheelchair, his caretaker, Derik and Jena. I mostly listened to the conversation around the table. Everyone seemed fine with that except for the man in the wheelchair.

Callaway, yeah that was his name.

For some reason he was more concerned with my wellbeing than my husband was. He wanted to know what the doctor had said at my appointment that week. I wondered how he knew about that. I finally had to ask. I couldn't take it a second longer. Drew choked on the wine that he had just put into his mouth.

”How do we know each other?” I bluntly asked. I expected that he was going to tell me that he knew me through Drew.

”Let's just say that it has been a goal of mine ever since I found out about you, to make sure that you were always taken care of,” he smiled.

I hadn't even seen Drew get up. The next thing I knew he was by my side. He held out his hand for me.

”Would you dance with me, Mrs. Kelley?” he asked.

”I don't think I know how to dance,” I admitted, already taking his hand.

”I happen to know that you are a remarkable dancer,” he smiled. He could be so charming and yet turn into such a d.i.c.k when I least expected.

I could dance. How did I know how to waltz around the floor like that? I moved with Drew like we had done it a million times.

”I take it we have done this before?” I asked as he spun me back into his arms.

”Yes, you used to love to go out dancing.”

”Drew.”

”Yes, Mrs. Kelley?”

”I'm not sure that I am okay with what happened last night.”

Drew looked down at me as though he was clueless.

”What do you mean,” he asked.

”I just wasn't expecting our first time to be like that.”

He snickered and pulled me closer to him. ”It wasn't our first time, Morgan, and I was just trying to give you what you liked. You know? Hoping to jog your memory.”

”I liked that?”

”I do miss that a lot,” he admitted. ”That was actually mild to what you normally like.”