The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
AFFLICTION
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
38 |
CHAPTER 38
Todd made his way down the penthouse stairs, freshly showered and changed into a gray sweater and jeans...his hair damp and long, his goatee starting to grow in. Stepping into the livingroom he turned and looked out at Llanview as he customarily did...at the twinkling lights of the darkened city. In the kitchen he could hear Spanish music and Tea moving around having insisted on cooking dinner for the two of them on returning from Windsor Lake. For a moment he just stood in the center of the room listening to the sounds of her... her feet gently clicking on the black, tiled floor, the tinkle of silverware being shuffled around, and her voice above the music, humming sweetly and softly. Looking around at his livingroom it all felt different...it felt full...filled with her presence... and...he felt full... filled with her essence. He gasped a little, his chest filling with air and his eyes misting at the power of her nearness...at the power she had over his life...and his happiness.
Strolling over he stood for a moment in the kitchen doorway watching her moving around in blue jeans and a black, lace t-shirt with her hair loosely pinned up, chopping tomatoes and placing them into a large glass bowl filled with lettuce. Some flamenco music was coming from a CD player on the counter and she moved her hips slowly to the beat of the melodic strumming guitars. Everything she did seemed wondrous to him, mystically feminine...her womanly grace as she danced, her ability to cut tomatoes into perfectly uniform crescents, and the way she arranged them over a bed of lettuce with a coquettish turn of her head...it all seemed magical somehow.
Walking up behind her , his fingers seeking the soft, exposed strip of skin below her lacey t-shirt, he pulled her against him tightly.
“What’s for dinner?” he whispered in her ear.
Tea smiled and leaned back against him.
“Boring, plain American food...your favorite. Steaks, baked potatoes and a salad,” she said as she continued cutting the bright, red tomatoes on a white marble board.
“What? No spicy Spanish junk?”
“Not with your ulcer, amor...”
“My ulcer’s all gone...you cured me,” he said, kissing the side of her neck gently, rubbing his rough beard against the delicate skin causing a delicious friction that sent a tremor of desire throughout her body.
She dropped the knife and shimmied around in his arms.
“Are you hungry, baby,” she asked, slipping her arms around his neck and nuzzling him playfully.
Kissing her neck tenderly, he moved his lips to her ear taking the small, round lobe between his teeth and biting it gently, letting the tip of his tongue lick the skin lightly.
“Lately, it seems I’m always hungry...” he whispered, picking her up quickly and placing her on top of the island behind him, kissing her slowly as she sighed blissfully. Her thighs rose up, engulfing his hips as he pulled her closer and let his fingers slip under her lacy top, caressing her bare back as he kissed her more deeply.
Out of breath he pulled away from her slightly, moaning softly into her hair.
“I like this, Tea...the way we are right now...it’s good.”
Tea smiled at him and nodded, overcome by his plaintive words.
“I’m taking Shorty to the movies tomorrow. Come with us.”
Surprised at his proposal, she raised an eyebrow and looked away from him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Todd. I’m sure I’m the last person Starr wants to see right now...she must hate me for breaking up her family.”
“No...Starr loves you.”
“Starr LOVED me...past tense. That was long ago...and I’m sure by now Blair has filled her head with all sort of stories...” she said, as tears welled in her eyes.
Tea pulled away from him and jumped off the counter, keeping her face averted.
“You didn’t break up my marriage, Tea...it was broken before it began. And...Starr...she’ll come around,” said Todd, sorry that he had mentioned Starr and spoiled the perfect moment between them. So many land mines around them...so many subjects to avoid. He walked over to her, lifting up her face to him and wiping the solitary tear that trailed down her cheek.
“I’d rather crawl across a field of broken glass on my knees than cause you pain, Tea. I’m just so...I feel so good...I want to share it with Starr...I want to share you with her.”
Tea leaned her face against him and let him hold her.
“It’s not you, amor. It’s me. I can’t help remembering when Starr loved me like a mother...and didn’t see me as a monster that stands in the way of her happiness.”
“Starr isn’t happy, Tea! I’ve been fooling myself for some time, pretending that she was just unique and strong-willed, but even I know better. She hates seeing me and Blair go at it...and that’s all we do when we’re around each other...she pretends to be tough...like it‘s all some stupid game...but I know she’s hurting. I’m telling Starr about us tomorrow and she’ll understand....you’ll see. How could she not love you.....”
Todd continued to hold her as she began to relax and sway in his arms, her hips moving softly to the beat of the beautiful sound of the tinkling guitars.
“What are you listening to, Delgado?”
“You like it, amor? It’s Paco De Lucia, he’s a world renowned flamenco guitarist.”
“Yeah...I like it...it’s alright,” said Todd, as he began to move with her.
Tea looked up, snaking her arms around his neck and moving her hips and feet more deliberately, instructing him silently. At first she lead him through the simple steps, but he quickly took charge, holding her tightly and moving with surprising grace and rhythm around the kitchen island and across the shiny floor. She recalled how he had stunned her at their wedding by dancing a perfect waltz...but then, Todd Manning always had a way of surprising her.
“Querido...I’m so impressed...I never knew you could dance like this!”
“Well...I’ve been watching lots of telenovelas...”
Tea threw her head back and laughed as they moved their hips and feet to the mystical strumming of Paco De Lucia in perfect synchronicity, a sensual union of body and music and spirit. It was one of those definitive moments in their life, simple and magic, filled with a joy they could barely contain...a bursting exaltation that yearned to be released in this moment...in this kitchen....in this dance.
They danced playfully for a while...happy....laughing...kissing.... but as the music slowed down, so did they, and they held each other closely as they moved slowly, barely moving, in the same spot for a while...suddenly overcome.
“God, I love you. Don’t ever leave me, Tea. Promise me...no matter what happens,” he whispered into her hair.
Tea stopped dancing and looked up into his hazel eyes, troubled eyes begging her for reassurance.
“Never...I’ll never leave...not willingly. I will always love you...no matter what happens.”
They came together, their lips hungry for one another‘s, losing themselves as the elements around them disappeared and all they could feel was the rush of blood...and the feel of skin...and heat...and wetness...and they only existed in this moment...in this kiss.
A loud chime startled them into reality, followed quickly by a loud pounding on the door.
“MANNING...I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE. THIS IS THE POLICE. OPEN THE DOOR...OR WE’LL BREAK IT DOWN!”
“What the fuck,” said Todd, as they ran to open the door.
Swinging it widely Todd saw Bo Buchanan standing there, flanked by three police officers...one of them Antonio, who looked at them anxiously.
Bo slapped a piece of paper on Todd’s chest.
“This is a warrant to search the premises,” said Bo as he forced his way in, followed by the officers, who were all wearing rubber gloves.
“A warrant? What the hell for...I haven’t done anything!”
Tea walked over and pulled the warrant out of Todd’s hand.
“Let me look at that,” she said, her brow furrowing as she perused the warrant quickly.
“On what grounds are you issuing this search, Bo?” asked Tea.
“On the grounds that BOzo has nothing better to do with his time, Tea! Is this part of that big swan caper your working on,” yelled Todd sarcastically.
“We received an anonymous phone call from a woman who recognized you from your newspaper. She said she saw you running from Llanfair the morning of Ben’s death a few weeks ago!”
Todd and Tea exchanged a nervous look.
“What? That’s bullshit...I was nowhere near Llanfair.”
Bo ignored him and turned around barking instructions at the officers. “You two...search upstairs...Antonio...you search down here. Check everything....start with the kitchen and diningroom...I’ll look in here.”
Antonio walked away reluctantly as the other two officers moved quickly up the stairs. Tea walked right over two Bo.
“Todd wasn’t at Llanfair that morning. He and I were at Vicki’s cabin that morning up on Llantano Mountain...we spent the night there....together. So you see, Bo...you’re just wasting your time.”
Bo stared down at her disapprovingly.
“And I’m suppose to believe you? Sorry, Tea, but where Todd Manning is concerned you’re not the most credible witness. I don’t believe you.”
Todd jumped in front of Tea, fire in his eyes.
“Are you calling her a liar, you sanctimonious piece of crap,” shouted Todd in Bo’s face.
“TODD, DON‘T!” screamed Tea as she pulled him away.
“You try that again, Manning and I’ll arrest you for assaulting a police officer. And as for your little alibi, Tea? Did anyone know you were there. Did anyone see you? Did you stop anywhere...for food...gas?”
Tea stared at Todd desperately.
“No,” she said quietly.
“Yeah...that’s what I figured,” said Bo, arrogantly. “Get out of my way while I do my job”
He pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and slipped them on quickly as he began searching the place. Todd and Tea walked over toward the window and leaned against it as they watched their life being invaded and their home being ravaged and violated. They could hear things spilling upstairs, drawers opening and closing and in the kitchen the sound of dishes, and pots and pans being rattled and disturbed.
Todd watched Bo with dark contempt. There was too much hatred between them...too many crimes that Todd got away with under Bo’s watch...and Bo Buchanan was just looking for payback. Bo yanked up the carpet, he pulled out the sofa cushions and ripped the lining underneath looking for God knows what? Looking behind every picture, in every urn, lifting ever knick-knack, he was determined to find something...but became increasingly frustrated as he found nothing.
The music was still playing in the kitchen, lending a strange, surreal absurdity to the whole scene as these strange invaders tore up the place to flamenco music.
Finally after a half hour the police officers returned from upstairs with nothing. Bo called to Antonio, but he found nothing as well.
“Great...now that you’ve found NOTHING kindly put my house back the way it was...or I’ll sue the ass off of your department, Bo!” shouted Todd form across the room.
Bo shot Todd an angry look when suddenly he noticed the fireplace.
“Antonio...I haven’t looked in there. Why don’t you take a look.”
Antonio shot an apologetic look at Tea before he fell to his knees and started searching around in the fire place. As he put his hands near the flue some black cinder fell away and a large, heavy object wrapped inside a black sack, fell into the grate. Antonio quickly wiped himself off and grabbed the sack, thrusting it toward Bo.
“Open it,” commanded Bo.
Antonio nodded and loosened the string that gathered the sack closed with his gloved hand, feeling around inside. His face turned pale suddenly as he looked at Todd and Tea with a despairing look. Finally he removed the object. It was a golden gun!
They all stared at the glittering object with wonder, almost hypnotized by its intrinsic beauty, a spell-binding and dangerous beauty, and for a moment silence reigned and all that was heard was the strumming of guitars coming from inside the kitchen.
“Dios mio,” whispered Tea, touching Todd’s hand.
Bo looked up, with a look of contempt that barely disguised his joy.
“Take that down to the station....I want it checked out by ballistics ASAP! Check it for everything! This is top priority...call extra people in if you have to, I want that done tonight,” he said to Antonio who walked out with the gun, reluctantly and grimly.
“Manning...your coming with me to the station.”
“What the hell for! That’s not my gun...I don’t know how that got there!”
“Until I hear from ballistics I want you where I can see you. And if that’s not your gun...than you’re in possession of a firearm without a permit! That’s illegal and we have to fill out a report. Let’s go!” he barked at Todd.
Tea looked up at Todd, her face in anguish.
“Querido...let’s just cooperate. We have nothing to hide,” said Tea, squeezing his hand , but she could feel the tension in his body as he nodded. She went into the kitchen, shut off the stove and turned off the music, looking around sadly, remembering she and Todd dancing around in that kitchen an hour ago...it already felt like years ago. When she returned to the living room, Todd was by the door waiting for her and they all walked out together followed by Bo.
to be continued...
2002 Copyright by Trog
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