The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
LIES FEARS & LOVE
BY TROG |
CHAPTER
37 |
chapter 37
TODD’S PENTHOUSE
As Todd stood in the elevator he checked his watch. It was seven o’clock. His secretary had informed him his decorator had called and told him there was some emergency at the penthouse so he rushed over on his way to Dorian’s. Blair was planning another family night and avoiding that as long as possible was fine with him.
The elevator hummed as it climbed up the building and Todd thought about Briggs’ story and “the missing piece,” the link that pulled everything together. Maybe that’s how he had to approach this thing with Blair, follow a trial all the way back to Dr. Parker.
Thinking of Tea and Leo hundreds of miles away from him in New York made him lonely and morose. Today had been a good day but at the end of it all he had to go home to Blair and her albatross of a fetus when all he wanted to do was rush to his plane and fly away to Tea and Leo. And then there was Starr and how she would handle all this. She loved her mother, but he had custody and he wanted her with him.
“My life’s a fucking mess.”
When the doors opened Todd looked for his key and slipped it in the lock. On entering the room he just stood there as the door slammed behind him.
“Hi, honey, you’re home,” Tea said jokingly.
She was lying on a sofa, reading the evening edition of The Sun, wearing jeans and a pink, backless halter, and she was barefoot. Looking up as he came through the door, she smiled at him radiantly, pushing her long hair back behind her shoulder.
Todd’s heart flamed with excitement as he walked over and hopped on the sofa with her, burying his mouth in her neck, then finding her mouth and kissing her passionately, trying not to crush her slender body with his clumsy frame.
“Gee, I was really expecting to spend an evening with my decorator,” he said smiling down at her.
“Disappointed?”
“Devastated,” he said laughing and sliding his mouth down her neck and finding her breast, kissing it through the pink, silky fabric of her halter top.
Tea giggled as she pulled him up to her.
“Querido, control yourself...we can’t do this here,” she said smiling up at him.
Todd looked at her with some confusion than heard a rustling noise behind the sofa. When he looked over toward the window he noticed that the tablecloth had been removed from the table and jumping up quickly, he started looking around. Walking around the sofa he saw Leo crawling around behind it playing with his football. Leo smiled up at him and reaching down, Todd picked up his excited son, and pulled him into his arms as Leo grabbed onto his fathers neck and laughed.
“Leo...” said Todd laughing.
Todd twirled him around as Leo screamed with excitement and Tea got up and joined them.
“How did you get here?” asked Todd.
“I called your pilot, Dan Butler....told him we wanted to surprise you.”
Todd pulled her into him as Leo clung to his neck.
“How long can you stay?”
“Forever...,” said Tea looking up at him misty-eyed.
Todd stared at her, his eyes watering and his nostrils flaring with emotion as he fell against her and nuzzled her face. Suddenly, he noticed Lourdes coming down the stairs.
“Good evening, Mr. Manning,” she said smiling at them.
“Hey, Lulu...how’s it going,” he said, a little embarrassed.
“Very, well. Your home is lovely...and I love my room.”
“If you want to change it just let me know...whatever you want...this is your home too,” he said looking at Tea who looked so happy as she wiped her eyes.
“It’s perfect, Mr. Manning. It suits me just fine. Now I’ve finished unpacking Leo’s things and putting them away and now I’m going to warm up some dinner for you two and then I’ll put Mr. Leo to bed,” she said as she made her way into the kitchen, the brown curls of her hair bouncing around as she spoke. For a certified misanthrope, Todd found himself liking this pleasant, tough little woman.
Leo wriggled in Todd’s arms and Todd put him down as Leo took off like a bug, chasing his football around.
“What made you change your mind, Delgado,” he said, still recovering from Tea’s surprise.
She reached up and touched his face tenderly.
“I think we’ve spent enough time apart, Todd...to hell with everyone else and what they think, including Blair. I love you...and I‘m going to be with you no matter what.”
“Damn straight, you are,” he said pulling her into his arms.
“Delgado, I want Starr here with us. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked looking at her.
“No. But querido, perhaps you should wait and tell her about Leo first. It’s not right to ambush her like that. She‘s already so upset that you‘re not marrying Blair. She may resent me Todd, and blame me for everything,” said Tea looking away sadly.
“ No, she won’t, I won‘t let her. If there is anyone to blame it’s me and my stupidity. But I’m telling her tomorrow and I’m moving out on Blair. Starr may get pissed but I’m her father and she’s going to do what I say.”
They just stood there for a moment when Todd suddenly grabbed her and lifted her up, spinning her around as Leo watched his parents playing and started crying, wanting to be picked up. Todd and Tea fell to the floor and played with their son as he climbed on to his father’s chest and Tea laid beside them. After they played for a few moments, Todd got up and walked over to the phone. Tea picked up Leo and watched her handsome lover with his wild hair in his black, tailored suit as he dialed quickly.
“Blair, let me talk to Starr.”
“Starr’s not here, Todd,” said Blair’s voice sweetly on the other end.
“Where is she at this hour,” said Todd checking his watch and getting angry.
“She’s sleeping over at her friend Angela’s...I said she could. I thought you and I could have a nice, quiet dinner alone and it would give us a chance to talk.”
Todd stared at the phone than put it back up to his ear.
“Sorry, Blair, I can’t make it. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, hanging up before she had a chance to answer.
He put the phone down and turned to Tea who was holding Leo and looking worried. Lourdes came out and took Leo from Tea.
“I think its time for Mr. Leo to go to bed and try out his new room.”
“Hey, Lulu...let me do it, okay...I want him to get used to me.”
“Certainly, Mr. Manning...Oh, his pajamas are in the dresser by the crib,” said Lourdes as she handed Leo to Todd. “I’ll set the table for dinner.”
Todd took Leo and ran up the stairs with him as Tea looked on after him, smiling.
(LATER)
Todd and Tea whispered to each other as they laid on the sofa side by side--their faces close, their bodies closer. The room was illuminated by a few candles that flickered on the table along with the lights which filtered in through the windows from the buildings surrounding the penthouse.
Todd had told Tea about his conversation with Briggs and was thrilled that Tea shared his excitement for this story involving Asa and Mayor Minnelli. He wanted her to be proud of him.
“What about Blair...anything new?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah! First I followed her to the bank where she gets one hundred grand in small bills--cash--then she takes it to RJ. Then RJ takes it to some ambulance chaser in Pilot.”
Tea sits up and stares down at him in astonishment.
“Blair and RJ are paying off some lawyer? Why?”
“I have no earthly idea...at least not yet. But I will. And there was one other weird thing...RJ tried to kiss Blair...and he touched her face like this,” said Todd, caressing Tea’s cheek.
“What? Are they involved romantically?”
Todd sat up smiling.
“Hell I hope so. As long as it keeps her away from me.”
“Querido, that makes no sense. Blair’s gone through great lengths--unbelievable lengths--to hold on to you. I doubt she’s involved with RJ in that way. It has to be something else. But why RJ, Todd? Why not Max Holden, isn’t that who she usually turns to?”
“Yeah, but Max is not too happy with her--she shot him, and she tried to scam him with this baby--so she needed someone else to help her. Who better than RJ, he’ll do anything for a buck, and if he can get some revenge on you and me in the bargain, then why not RJ? I can’t believe you ever took up with that loser!”
Tea laughed and smacked him playfully.
“Temporary insanity, I think! But I think you’re right, Todd, this definitely has something to do with revenge for RJ. When I ran into him at The Palace a few weeks ago, he was filled with hatred for us. It caught me off guard after all this time.”
“So okay, Tea, it’s revenge for RJ, but what‘s Blair getting out of it. And what’s that lawyer dude all about?”
Tea looked at him and suddenly got excited.
“You know, querido, I could help. I could go and see this lawyer, you know, pretend I’m job hunting or something and maybe I can find something?”
Todd stood up.
“No way, Delgado! You’re not getting into this!” he shouted.
Tea stood up and put her hands on her hips.
“And why not? I could help!”
Todd scowled and looked away.
“Come on, Todd. Let me help. This is my life too that their playing with here. I’m not working right now and my mind is already atrophying!!”
“Well, can’t you just play happy homemaker for a while...or take up shopping...or knitting...like other chicks.”
Tea started laughing and walked closer to him, slipping her hands around his waist.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not the knitting type...let me do this, mi amor, I can help you. What’s his name.”
“Artie Vogel. Attorney at Law, esq. Se habla Espanol.”
Tea smiled, moved away from him and began running up the stairs.
“I’ll be right back,” she yelled back.
A few moments later she returned with a laptop. She sat on the sofa and started typing into it very quickly as Todd sat beside her watching the screen curiously.
“Here we are, querido. Arthur Vogel. He’s from Los Angelos, he got his law degree through a correspondence course from Farmington School of Law in New Mexico and he’s practiced in LA, New York City, Cincinnati, and most recently Pilot, PA. And he was disbarred in the state of Ohio for two years for unethical practices.”
“So, he’s a slimeball. Big deal--he’s a lawyer.”
“Hey, hey, hey. No denigrating lawyers, specially when you’re sleeping with one.”
Todd smiled at her.
“Well, Delgado, everybody knows lawyers are great at...screwing people.”
Tea grabbed a pillow and beat him with it until he fell on the floor and pulled her down with him.
“So what you’re actually saying Todd Manning is that I’m a great lawyer.”
“Delgado...your the best damn...uh...lawyer I’ve ever had,” he said laughing. “In fact, I specially like when you use that legalese...you know, those Latin terms you use on me.”
Tea’s hand slid down his belly and rubbed the front of his pants softly.
“So, mi vida...you prefer the Latin?”
“Oh yeah,” he whispered, laying back and closing his eyes.
“Well, querido, why don’t we go up to our room and practice some of that Latin that you like so much.”
Todd smiled and shot up quickly, he snuffed out the candles with his fingers and grabbed her hand, pulling her up the stairs.
“You know, Delgado, I always say it’s never too late to learn a second language.”
to be continued...
2001 Copyright by Trog
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