I do not own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, although I do rather enjoy borrowing them from time to time.
A/N Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews, and welcome to the new readers. I really got a kick out of the reviewer who said they stayed up till dawn reading the story. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
Author – ToryD
Choices
Chapter 14
Christine awoke with a start as her internal clock registered the lateness of the morning. Jumping up she saw that she was alone in the massive bed; the only evidence of Erik's presence was the telling indentation of his rumpled pillow. Spying a peach satin robe resting at the foot of the bed, she reached out and slipped her arms into its silky softness, tying the belt with a firm tug, she began to search for her husband. Walking to the doorway to her left, she was astonished to see that it revealed a dressing room so luxurious that she was unable to prevent herself from gaping at its sheer lavishness. Walking towards the built in vanity, she looked in horror at her reflection. Her makeup from the night before had smudged most unattractively, giving her the appearance of a drunken raccoon. Seeing an expensive jar of cold cream, she opened it and began to wipe away the offending sight. "Oh God, poor Erik! What a sight to have to wake up to." She groaned to herself as she wiped off the cream with several tissues. Grabbing up the silver brush she began to run it through her tangled hair. Satisfied that she was at least somewhat presentable she renewed her search for Erik. Turning she walked quickly over to the doorway that was situated closest to the Erik's side of the bed. Looking inside she was equally enthralled by the richness of what appeared to be Erik's dressing room, for the room was decorated with a more masculine feel. As she turned to cross the room to the third and final doorway, she wondered to herself if she would ever get accustom to the splendor in which Erik lived his life.
Erik hearing the bedroom door open looked up sharply to see Christine enter the sitting room with her eyes reflecting a slight sign of unease as she slowly approached him. "Yes, that will be fine. I'll see you at the airport in an hour." He said into his cell phone, never taking his inquiring eyes from his wife as she hovered nervously near the door. "Good morning Mrs. Desmond." He said with a welcoming smile on his lips a he rose from his chair to close the distance between them.
"Erik, I'm so late! Please may I use your phone? I need to call Meg and…" Her anxious tone was silenced effectively by Erik as he took possession of her soft pink lips. Almost unable to think straight, Christine pulled away from his embrace to once again convey the need for the use of his phone. "Erik, please I need to get to work…"
Erik smiled down at her obvious distress; incapable of resisting her he settled his mouth once again on hers to claim her in a kiss that demanded an answering passion.
Christine felt the heat of Erik's kiss all the way down to her toes as he kissed her with a thoroughness that left her gasping for breath.
Looking down into her contented expression, he smiled as he brushed away a stray curl that adorned her cheek. "Come, Darius has already sent up breakfast." He said as he tenderly took her hand and pulled her towards the small table that held an assortment of fresh fruit and flaky fresh baked croissants.
Christine was pulled back to reality as Erik broke the spell of his lingering kiss. "Oh, Erik, please let me use your phone. I need to let Meg know that I will be late for work." She said as she reached for his phone.
Erik hid his smile as he poured her a cup of coffee from the antique silver coffee urn. Placing the steaming cup in front of her designated plate, he took the phone from her dialing hands as he pulled the chair out for her.
Christine frowned up at him as she dutifully took his proffered seat. "Erik, I really need to call Meg!" She informed him with a slight edge to her voice.
"No, Christine you really don't." He told her as he resumed his seat across the small table from her. "Meg is not expecting you today." He said as he lifted his half-empty cup to his perfect lips. "In fact Christine, she will not be expecting you back for three weeks."
Christine's face took on a questioning expression as she processed Erik's bizarre comment. "What do you mean she is not expecting me back for three weeks?"
"What I mean Mrs. Desmond is that you will be accompanying me on an extensive honeymoon for the next three weeks." He informed her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"But I can't just leave without any notice. There is a very strict policy regarding requests for leave." Christine tried to explain to her new husband.
Erik, never one to follow the rules had already succeeded in securing the time off for his beautiful bride. "Trust me Christine. I have already spoken with the school board superintendent, your leave has been approved and a suitable substitute has been hired to fill in for your absence."
Releasing a relieved sigh, Christine leaned back in her chair and selected a ripe piece of melon. Cutting into the pale orange fruit, she speared a juicy section to lift it to her mouth. Just as she was about to take a bite she realized that Erik had yet to tell her where they were to go on his secretly planned honeymoon. "Erik," she called to him with a sweet tone to her voice. "You haven't told me where we are going." She reminded him with a small smile dancing on her lips.
"You're quite right; I have neglected to tell you." He said as he picked up the fax that he had been reviewing before she entered the room.
Noticing that he was not volunteering the information she once again decided to ask him where he planned to take her. "Erik, may I please know where it is that you are taking me?"
Smiling smugly at her curiosity he decided to keep his little secret for just a little while longer. "No, I think that I would much prefer to surprise you."
"But how will I know what to pack?" She asked him with a worried expression on her face.
"I have already made arrangements for a suitable wardrobe to be made available to you." He countered with a small amount of gloating present in his silky voice.
"Erik!" She all but stomped her foot in frustration. "Please will you at least give me a hint?"
As he looked at her pouting lips, he decided to allow her one small detail of their upcoming trip. "Alright, I can see no harm in letting you know that we will be leaving in forty minutes." He informed her as he reached for this half-eaten croissant.
"Forty minutes!" Christine jumped to her feet and headed in the direction of what she assumed was her dressing room. Stopping abruptly, she realized that she had only the clothes that she wore yesterday as well as the beautiful gown that she had worn in the ceremony last night. "Erik, I don't have anything to wear." She said with a slight bit of alarm in her tone.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that she was biting nervously on her lower lip. Standing he strode to stand directly in front of her. Placing one fingertip upon her delicate lower lip, he freed the soft tissue as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "There should be several items for you within your closet."
Christine shook her head in astonishment at how utterly generous and thoughtful Erik was with her. Standing on her bare toes, she placed her lips upon his and kissed him in a sweet lingering manner, conveying her gratitude for all of his foresight. "Thank you Erik," she whispered softly as she looked up into his half-masked face. "If you're not careful, you will spoil me."
Threading his hand in her thick tousled hair, he brought his mouth down to hers to take her lips in a deep and seductive kiss.
Leaning into him, Christine felt the stirrings of desire shoot through her as she allowed herself to just let go and meet Erik's passion with an equal passion of her own.
Erik drew back and looked down into her desire filled eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tried to bank down the almost overwhelming impulse to pick her up and return to their bed. "If I don't let you go now, I fear that we will spend the entire three weeks within this suite."
Christine blushed at his comment. Reaching up she left him with a quick kiss as she turned and walked quickly towards the shower, not seeing the intense longing in his eyes as he stared after her until she was no longer in his sight.
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Marcel waved his linen napkin at Janelle from across the crowded coffee shop.
Janelle took a chair opposite of her best friend. "What is so pressing that I have been awakened for the second time this week mind you before 8:00 AM!" She spat him in a haughty manner.
Marcel had the good manners to look remorseful at his early morning call. "Janelle girl, you know that I would never have interrupted your beauty sleep if it weren't a dire emergency." He countered with a hurt expression on his handsome botoxed face.
Janelle leaned back and picked up the menu to view the extensive list of imported coffees. "And what is this so called emergency?" She questioned him in a bored tone.
Marcel seeing that she wasn't paying him the slightest bit of attention, stubbornly waited in silence for her to once again look up from her menu.
Janelle rolled her eyes at Marcel's childish action. Carefully placing the menu on the table, she looked up into a somewhat smug expression of her irritating friend. "Marcel?"
Marcel settled back into his chair, satisfied that he was once again the center of attention. Clearing his throat in a dramatic fashion, he took the page six column from this morning's edition. Handing it to her, he waited with a secret thrill of anticipation as she read the latest gossip detailing the deepest secrets of New York City's high society.
Janelle put her hand to her mouth to hold in her gasp of shock. "Oh my God! I knew she was pregnant! Did you see her last week at the Hospital benefit, she looked like a whale." Looking up at the ceiling, she let her mind wonder in speculation. Grabbing Marcel's hand, she squeezed it tightly. "I bet you a manicure that it's not her husbands! Remember the affair she had last summer?" Smiling gleefully, she relished the downfall of yet another one of the snottiest wives of one of the richest men in the city.
"Janelle," Marcel called to her. Seeing that she was still not quite with him he called to her with a little more force. "Janelle!" Unfortunately, the restaurant was at an uncommonly quite moment causing his voice to ring throughout the small room with a resounding boom.
Blushing Janelle looked disapprovingly at him. "Really Marcel, try to maintain some decorum." She admonished him with a shake of her long blond hair.
Hissing between his teeth, he tried to bring her attention to the reason for their uncharacteristic early morning meeting. "Would you please just keep reading?"
Holding up the column, she continued to read.
Marcel waited patiently for her to reach the item involving Erik Desmond. Hearing her shock intake of breath, he hid his glee as she finally read about the elopement of Erik and Christine Desmond.
"OH…MY…GOD!" She looked pale as she placed the newspaper down on the table. Looking up into Marcel's carefully blank expression, she shook her head in disbelief. "What are we going to tell Cara?" She whispered in a desperate tone.
"What's this we business?" Marcel said with a jaunty shake of his perfectly styled head. "She's your best friend." He reminded her with a smugness that set her teeth on edge.
"Marcel!" Janelle's voice whipped out with the force of a gunshot. "If you value your hide you had better get it through your thick skull that you're in this a deep as I am!"
"Ha!" Marcel snorted in an undignified fashion. "If your so 'in this', where were you a couple of nights ago when I had to take super bitch to the opera, Hmm?" He pinned her with a piercing stare.
Janelle had to good sense to look a little sheepish. "Uh, Victor wouldn't let me go." She said in a quite voice.
"Why?" he asked in a tone that demanded an explanation.
Sighing with a slight bit of aggravation, she knew that he wouldn't let it go until he had all the gory details. "Apparently Victor does a lot of business with Desmond Enterprises and he felt that it would be best if I did not involve myself with any of Cara's escapades."
Marcel threw back his head and laughed uproariously at the absurdity of the situation. "Here I am, getting my gorgeous hair cut against my will, escorting super bitch all over town and you sit there and dare to tell me that Victor won't let you get involved?"
Janelle lifted her chin in defiance at his misplaced amusement at the dire circumstances surrounding them. "I fail to see the humor in this Marcel."
"Well honey that is one thing that we can agree upon!" He offered as he sobered up to the ridiculousness of it all.
"What are we going to tell Cara?" She asked with a sad little sigh.
Marcel's normally good humor failed to surface at the thought of Cara's devastation upon hearing the news of Erik's marriage. "We could just let her hear about it on her own." He offered with a hopeful expression, which earned him a furious look from Janelle.
"We will both go over to her apartment and tell her together." She said with a firm voice that would brook no argument.
Rolling his eyes in an exaggerated manner Marcel slumped back in his chair in an overly dramatic gesture. "Fine." He said a he crossed his arms across his chest as he continued to sulk in silence.
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Christine relaxed back in the soft leather seat as Erik's private plane whisked them off to who knows where. The only dark cloud marring the day was when they were met with the obtrusive barrage of press standing guard over Christine's building. Fighting their way through the news hungry photographers, they managed to retrieve her passport and sneak successfully out the side entrance.
Erik ended his call with Nadir as he stood to stretch his tired muscles. Smiling to himself, he thought of the intolerable predicament he had left Nadir in. Not only did Nadir have to deal with the multitude of press who were all worked up into frenzy at the news of his marriage. No, his poor assistant had to deal with his mother as well. Not that he didn't deserve it after the kiss that he had given Christine last night. Chuckling lightly to himself, he rose from his desk and left the small office that he had custom built on the plane. Opening the door, he walked down the short isle to take the seat next to Christine.
Smiling up at him, she once again tried to find out where he was taking her too. "Erik," she called to him in a soft seductive tone.
Erik felt a jolt go through him at the sound of her silky voice. "Yes?" He said with his eyes sparkling.
Linking her arm through his she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Now that we are in the air, will you please tell me where we are going?"
Taking a deep breath, he savored the scent of her perfume as it invaded his senses with its delicate beauty. "Hmm, I could." He said with a vagueness that was becoming quite irritating.
Reaching over with her free hand, she cupped his strong jaw to turn him to face her. Leaning up she kissed his lips in a soft whisper of a kiss. "Erik," she paused as she feathered yet another kiss upon his lips. "Will you please tell me now?" She said as she continued to tease his mouth.
Erik felt his breath coming in short gasps at the instant desire she ignited in him. Reaching out he took her abruptly into his arms to take her teasing lips in a passionate kiss that silenced all thoughts of their impending destination from her mind. Unbuckling her seat belt, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a closed door at the back of the plane.
Christine's own breath was shallow as she recovered from Erik's passionate kiss.
Opening the door he stood aside so that she could enter before him, once inside he pulled her securely in his arms and renewed his exploration of her mouth.
Moaning softly Christine called out his name. "Erik,"
"Later, Christine. I'll tell you later." He said as he began to unzip the back of her dress.
Christine leaned into him and felt a shudder pass through her at the feel of his hands caressing her bare back. "Hmm, yes…later." She got out just before Erik swept her off of her feet to cross to the awaiting bed.
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Janelle and Marcel stood waiting outside of Cara's door for the second time this week. Lifting her hand, Janelle once again knocked forcefully on the cold metal door. "Cara, its Janelle. Open up!" She yelled through the door.
Marcel leaned against the hallway wall as he studied his hand made Italian shoes. "Maybe she's not home." He offered.
Looking at him with a slight wrinkle to her plastic surgery assisted nose, she once again reminded him that they were in this together. "Shut up Marcel! We are not leaving until we see Cara."
Sighing Marcel wondered if having friends was really all that it was cracked up to be. Over the last few days, his normally blissful life had been turned upside down by his so-called friends.
They were both pulled from the thoughts at the sound of the unbolting of the deadbolt lock on Cara's door. Janelle waited with a nauseous feeling in her stomach as Cara opened the door slowly.
Cara stood with red-rimed eyes, her cheeks reddened with blotchy patches. "Hhhhee…hhheeeeee" she was crying so hard that it was difficult to understand her words. "Hhhheeee…mmmarrrieed thhaaat bbbbiiittch!" She finally got out between wails.
Marcel winced in disgust at the sight of the snot that was running out of her nose the second time this week. "Here we go again." He said under his breath, but unfortunately for him, not quite soft enough for he earned a fierce scowl from Janelle over the shaking shoulders of Cara.
Janelle led Cara back into her apartment and turned to order Marcel to find a tissue.
Marcel was already off to retrieve the unmentioned tissue, for he registered her intention before her words hit her angry lips.
"Oh honey, he's just not worth this." She said in a soothing tone.
Marcel returned to hand over the box of puffs with aloe. He thought that she would need the soothing aloe if she was going to avoid chaffing from the repeated wiping of her snotty nose. Yes, he thought to himself, I am a thoughtful and caring friend, even if they didn't appreciate it. Taking a seat in the chair opposite the sofa that held Janelle and the blubbering Cara, he felt a strange sense of relief that Cara would now be forced to concede defeat and leave Erik and his new wife alone.
"Honey, he's not worth ten of you!" Janelle offered comfortingly. "What you need is to find someone who will appreciate all of your wonderful qualities."
Marcel raised an eyebrow at Janelle's comment. Wonderful qualities? What wonderful qualities? Well if you count being a cast iron bitch a wonderful quality. He looked up to see Janelle shoot him with a look of hatred. "What?" he mouthed silently.
"You know what!" She mouthed in silence back at him with a fuming look in her blue eyes.
Holding up his hands in defeat he surrendered and chose to look away to avoid being chastised yet again.
Sniffling Cara leaned back from Janelle's embrace. "I don't want anyone else! I only want Erik!" She collapsed again in a heaping pile of tears.
Janelle continued to try to soothe her friend with soft reassuring words and a comforting hand on her back. "Cara honey, you are going to make yourself sick. He's not worth all of this."
Shaking her head Cara pulled out of Janelle's embrace. "No, you're wrong, I love him! He is the only man that I will ever love!" She cried in a frantic tone that alarmed both Janelle and Marcel.
"Sometimes things don't always work out as we hope Cara." Janelle said in a calm voice. "All you need is some time to get over Erik. You will see, in a few short months you won't even remember his name."
Cara's face took on a far away look that instantly sent chills down Janelle's spine. "No amount of time will ever change how I feel about Erik." She said in a voice that held an absolute resounding truth. "I won't ever get over him. I will always love him. He is meant to be mine, and nobody is going to get in the way of that. Nobody." Cara's words, although spoken softly radiated throughout the room with an unmistakable threat.
Marcel looked up sharply to see the same frightened look that he was sure on his own face reflected in Janelle's pale features.
"Marcel," Janelle once again called to him silently. "What do we do now?"
Marcel shook his head in hopelessness, for he knew that they were both powerless to stop what was about to occur, what was about to destroy so many lives.
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A/N Well that was a longer than normal chapter, again. You can expect a bit of honeymoon as well as hurricane Simone in the next chapter, poor Nadir! Let me know what you think in the reviews.