-1Chapter Sixteen:
"Sweetheart?" Neil called out hesitantly as he knocked on the door to Lauren's bedroom and waited for her to respond. "May I come in?"
"Just a sec!" she replied and he could hear her moving around the room before finally opening the door and permitting him to enter.
"My God," Neil gasped as he took in the sight of his only child. "That dress…" She was wearing one of his most recent designs, a floor length evening gown that clung to her curves without the use of straps. Diamond studded sequins lined the neckline, standing out in stark contrast to the silky black fabric that hugged her hips and flared out at the ankles. "It's stunning."
"Well, you did design it after all." Lauren pointed out, offering him a warm smile as she walked over to the bureau and began rummaging through her jewelry box.
"I can't believe how grown up you are." Neil commented as he moved to stand behind her and reached out to help fasten the diamond necklace around her slender neck. "You look just like your mother."
"Is that a good thing?" She chuckled, but it sounded forced and Neil noted the way her eyes darted away from his uncomfortably. They rarely ever talked about Joanna. When his wife had left him twelve years earlier, Neil had tried his best to keep Lauren happy in the wake of her mother's abandonment. But it hadn't been easy and sometimes he wondered if the pain and anger his daughter felt would ever go away.
"I loved your mother, Lauren." Neil declared resolutely, placing his hand on her shoulder as their eyes met in the mirror's reflection. "I still do."
"Why?" She questioned disbelievingly, turning away from the mirror so that they were once again facing each other. Neil's heart broke when he saw the tears in her eyes and he gently reached out to wipe them away.
"When you love someone so completely, it's almost impossible to stop." Neil explained, his voice growing hoarse as a familiar pang of loneliness hit him unexpectedly. "No matter how badly they may hurt you." Lauren didn't respond, her eyes searching his for authenticity. After a few moments of silence, she nodded in understanding and moved to sit on the edge of her bed.
"I should finish getting ready," She declared, putting an end to their conversation. "I don't want to keep Michael waiting."
"The poor guy's downstairs pacing a hole in my living room floor as we speak." Neil chuckled, noticing the way her lips twitched upward as the ghost of a smile flashed across her face. "This one's special, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Lauren whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "He sure is."
"I suppose this is where I should give you the old 'take things slow, you're both too young to be in love' speech huh?" Neil said teasingly as he sat down beside her on the queen sized mattress.
"You could," She grinned. "But you'd be wasting your breath."
"When did you get to be so stubborn?" He chided her playfully, watching as she leaned over to do up the straps on her open toed heels.
"I learned from the best." Lauren replied confidently, standing up from the bed and reaching for her purse. "I'd better go put Michael out of his misery."
"Honey, wait." Neil placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from leaving.
"What is it, dad?" She asked, staring at him in confusion.
"I just want you to know," His voice began to crack and so he stopped, taking a moment to try and keep his emotions in check. "How proud I am of you - of the woman you've become."
"Daddy…" Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes at his compliment.
"No, let me do this." Neil said resolutely, clearing his throat in an effort to keep the tears at bay. "It's my baby girl's prom night, can you blame me for getting a little sentimental?"
"I guess I'll let it slide this once." She replied, smiling through her own tears.
"I realize I've been a bit of a workaholic lately…"
"Lately?" Lauren said teasingly, but he recognized the accusation in her voice.
"For a long time now," Neil admitted, nodding his head regretfully. "Too long."
"It's okay dad," she said, smiling at him reassuringly. "I know your work is important to you."
"You are the most important thing in the world to me, Lauren. Everything else is inconsequential, you should know that." Neil declared, sighing in resignation. "And the fact that you don't only proves my point."
"Daddy…"
"I let you down." he finished, interrupting Lauren's objection. "When your mother left, I should have made you my top priority. But instead, I buried myself in my work."
"You were hurting too," she reasoned compassionately, "I get that."
"That's no excuse." he shook his head, unwilling to accept her forgiveness. "I'm your father, I should have put your happiness ahead of my own grief."
"But I am happy, dad." Lauren assured him, smiling brightly to let him see the truth behind her words. "Completely, deliriously happy."
"Because of Michael." Neil smiled knowingly, pleased that his daughter had found someone.
"And because of you." she declared, reaching out take his hand in hers. "You aren't giving yourself enough credit, dad. You're an amazing father. After all the mistakes I've made, all the trouble I've caused, you never once gave up on me."
"You're a good kid." Neil argued confidently.
"That's not what you said when I was fourteen and you had to come and bail me out of jail for shoplifting." Lauren reminded him, a hint of a smile on her face as she recalled the unpleasant memory.
"You were going through a stage," he shrugged, remembering how scared she'd been when he showed up at the police station. It seemed like a life time ago now. "I should be thankful that's the worst trouble you ever got yourself into...That is the worst thing you've ever done, right?" He noticed the way her gaze shifted away from his uncomfortably and he instantly knew that she was hiding something, something he was positive he didn't want to know about.
"Uh, sure." Lauren mumbled, offering him a mischievous grin. "Well, besides running off to New Orleans with Michael and Kevin of course."
"I understand why you did that now, and I'm not angry." Neil assured her. Pride didn't even begin to describe how he felt when he thought about the lengths his daughter had gone to in order to help those two boys escape from Tom Fisher. "I just wish you'd come to me from the beginning."
"I didn't think you'd understand." she reasoned.
"Of course I would have." Neil said compassionately. "You obviously care very deeply for this boy and his little brother, and I would have done everything in my power to help them."
"I know that now. I guess I just got caught up in the moment." she explained, shrugging her shoulders self-consciously. "I wanted to handle it myself."
"You've always been extremely independent." he declared, grinning with pride. "Heck, you were changing your own diapers by the time you turned three."
"Oh God, please no baby stories." Lauren groaned, rolling her eyes at his nostalgic comment. "You'll be pulling out my old photo album next."
"There is a really cute picture of you in the tub with your rubber ducky that I'm sure Michael would love to see." Neil taunted, chuckling when he saw his daughter's eyes widen in horror.
"You wouldn't." she gasped and Neil grinned, letting her know that he would. Lauren glared at him mock threateningly until she could no longer keep a straight face. After her giggles had subsided, she glanced down at her watch and sighed. "Speaking of Michael, I really should get going."
"Alright," Neil agreed, offering her his arm as he escorted her out of the room. "Now, I want you to have a wonderful time tonight. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"I promise to be on my best behavior." Lauren promised and for the first time in years, he believed her. He stopped walking when they reached the top of the stairs and pulled her into a fierce embrace.
"I love you, princess." he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"I love you too, daddy." she replied, smiling up at him warmly when they pulled apart. And with that, he took her by the hand and slowly lead her down the winding staircase to greet the boy who had stolen his daughter's heart.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"The Four Seasons?!" Michael said in disbelief as he poked his head out of the limousine's sunroof and gazed at the brightly lit hotel in the distance. "Your prom is being held at the Four Seasons?"
"That's what it says on the ticket." Lauren replied nonchalantly, grabbing his arm and pulling him back inside the car. He plopped down beside her on the leather seat, smiling in excitement.
"My prom was at the Holiday Inn." Michael said, shaking his head in disbelief at the thought of spending the evening in a four star hotel.
"If you'd like, we can skip this whole prom thing and find a Holiday Inn of our own? Haul up there until morning?" Lauren whispered in his ear suggestively, laying her head down against his shoulder as she began tracing patterns on his chest with the tip of her well-manicured finger. "Just you, me and a king sized bed with questionably clean sheets…"
"Nice try, babe. But I wouldn't miss tonight for anything. Besides, there'll be plenty of time for that later on." Michael promised, leaning forward to capture her earlobe between his lips and nibbling on it playfully. She squirmed in her seat as he continued to whisper softly in her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. "I can't wait to show you off." he declared, flicking his tongue over her sensitive lobe one last time before pulling back slightly to look her up and down. "You look gorgeous by the way."
"So do you." Lauren replied, running her hand down the lapels of his suit jacket. "I missed you today."
"I missed you too." Michael said honestly, wondering how on earth they were going to cope when he moved to New Orleans when spending a few hours apart that day had proved to be unbearable.
"You could have come to the beauty salon with me like I suggested." Lauren teased.
"As riveting as that sounds, I'm kind of glad I stayed home." he admitted, a look of quiet contemplation crossing his face. "I had a really interesting conversation with your father. He's a pretty amazing man."
"Yeah, he is." Lauren agreed, glancing at him suspiciously and he knew she was wondering if their talk was about her. It wasn't, but he decided to keep quiet and let her squirm. "Your father seems pretty amazing too."
"Yeah." he mumbled, glancing out the window as they pulled up in front of the lavish hotel. "I guess."
"Give him a chance, Michael." Lauren said pleadingly, placing her hand on his thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "He may just surprise you."
"Yeah, well…" Michael stepped out of the limousine and reached back in to help her up. "I don't like surprises."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Lauren! I didn't think you were going to show up!" A shrill, familiar voice rang out from across the room when she and Michael entered. They were late and everyone else was already seated at their designated tables, dining on what looked like soup and ceaser salad. Lauren's stomach growled at the sight, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything all day.
"Teresa," Lauren said in way of greeting, offering her a warm smile. Teresa Lancaster was one of the few girls at her school that Lauren actually got along with. She wouldn't go so far as to call the other girl a friend though. Especially since she had slept with her boyfriend two years ago, a fact that Teresa was still blissfully unaware of. "You know I'd never dream of missing senior prom. What made you think otherwise?"
"Well, I heard about you and Danny and I figured that since you didn't have a date…" her voice trailed off as she finally seemed to notice the handsome young man whose arm was wrapped possessively around Lauren's slender waist. "But it looks like I was mistaken."
"Teresa, this is Michael Baldwin." Lauren introduced, unsure if she should introduce him as her boyfriend. Is that what he was? It sounded so inadequate, but she couldn't very well introduce him as her soul mate. "Michael, Teresa Lancaster."
"Nice to meet you." Michael said politely, reaching out to shake the other girl's hand. She looked him up and down lasciviously and Lauren felt the familiar pangs of jealousy pierce her gut. This is why she didn't have girlfriends.
"He's cute." Teresa surmised, her eyes glued to Michael's as she spoke. Lauren was about to tell the bitch to back off when Teresa's boyfriend saved her the trouble.
"Babe, come on. Your soup is getting cold." the jock called out from his seat at the table, a blush creeping across his chiseled face when his gaze met hers and Lauren could tell he was remembering their night together. "Hey, Lauren."
"Marcus." she grimaced, hoping Michael wouldn't pick up on her uneasiness but knowing instinctively that he would. They never should have come here. Marcus Reynolds was just one of the many, many mistakes she'd made in the past and Lauren wasn't entirely sure she was ready for Michael to find out about that part of her life. She wished they were back in New Orleans, where new beginnings seemed possible and the past was a distant memory.
"Come on, Michael. Let's find our table. I'm starved."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dinner was awkward, but reasonably uneventful. Lauren had surprised him by asking one of the waiters if they could be seated at a different table than the one they had been assigned to. He had never been one to promote stereotypes, especially since he himself had been branded as a freak back when he was in high school. But glancing around their table, it was painfully obvious that they were sitting with the geeks. Michael wanted to ask her why she didn't want to sit with her friends, but they hadn't had a moment alone since being seated at their new table.
He was also anxious to find out what that little exchange between her and Marcus was all about.
"I'm just going to powder my nose." Lauren announced, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn't even noticed her get up from the table.
"I'll come with you." he declared, already starting to stand.
"You're going to come to the washroom with me?" she asked, smiling at him in amusement.
"I want to talk to you about something." he explained, taking her hand in his. She looked up at him worriedly, her smile fading.
"Okay." she replied softly, lacing her fingers through his as they walked out of the crowded ball room hand in hand.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So," he sighed, turning to face her when they were finally alone in the relatively empty hallway. "Marcus?"
"It's a long story, Michael." Lauren explained dismissively, refusing to meet his gaze. "And not one I particularly like to tell."
"You slept together." he said. It wasn't a question.
"Just once," she replied truthfully, still not looking at him. "It was a mistake. One of many."
"And I take it Teresa doesn't know?" he inquired, not the least bit surprised when she shook her head 'no'. What did surprise him were the tears he saw in her eyes when she finally raised her head to meet his curious gaze. "Hey," he cooed softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. "What's wrong?"
"I just…" she stuttered, trying not to cry and failing miserably. "I just didn't want you to have to know about that part of my past. I'm not exactly proud of what I did."
"Lauren." Michael sighed, gently stroking her face as he gazed into her eyes reassuringly. "This is me you're talking to, remember? I know better than anyone that you can't hold someone's past mistakes against them."
"Michael…" she started to protest, but he cut her off.
"You never judged me because of my past, what makes you think I'd judge you?" he wondered, a little hurt to know she thought so little of him.
"I'm not an idiot, Michael." she bit out angrily, swatting his hand away from her face. "No guy wants to be with someone who's been ridden like the town bike."
"Lauren," he growled, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up against him. "I could never think that about you, do you hear me? Never." he swore to her vehemently, desperately trying to erase her insecurities before they consumed her. She was crying again, shuddering in his arms as sobs wracked her body.
"I'm sorry." she whispered, but he wasn't entirely sure what she was apologizing for.
"It's okay," he replied soothingly, running his fingers through her hair as he held her close. "It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does." she argued, her voice muffled by his shirt as her face remained burrowed in the crook of his neck. "You can say it doesn't, but it does." The self loathing in her voice tore at his heart and he held her a little tighter, wishing he knew what to say to make her stop hurting. How could he make her see that none of it mattered? He didn't care if she'd slept with every damn guy in her school! She was his now, and that's all that mattered.
"I hate myself sometimes." she whispered, so softly that he wasn't sure she had said anything at all. The admission broke his heart, and he was determined to mend hers.
"That's okay." Michael replied after a few minutes of silence. He leaned back slightly and cupped her tear stained face in his hands. "I'll love you enough for the both of us."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Lauren!" Someone shrieked as she walked back into the crowded ball room. She had spent the last ten minutes in the washroom re-doing her makeup so that nobody would be able to tell she'd just finished crying her eyes out.
"Hey, Claire." Lauren said, silently congratulating herself for managing to remember the blonde's name. She had no idea why people who she'd barely said two words to over the past four years were suddenly so determined to talk to her tonight. Didn't they know she couldn't care less about any of them?
"Where have you been?" Claire asked anxiously. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"We?" Lauren asked in confusion, hoping to God there wasn't more of them.
"The other girls who were nominated," she explained, rolling her eyes at Lauren's lack of enthusiasm. "For prom queen! They're about to announce the winner. Come on!"
"Claire, wait. I don't…" she barely had the words out of her mouth before the other girl had dragged her up onto the stage. Lauren blinked frantically as she glanced out at the crowd, using her hand to try and shield her eyes from the spotlights. She instantly spotted Michael standing off to the side near the punch bowl. He smiled at her warmly, lifting his glass in salute.
"Good luck, girls!" Claire said enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear at her competition. Lauren tried to remember if the blonde had always been this goddamn perky.
"Alright everyone, can I have your attention please!" The noise in the room lowered significantly and all eyes focused on the stage, on the five girls eagerly waiting to find out if they would be awarded the coveted title of prom queen. Well, four girls anyway. Lauren could care less. She turned her attention back to Michael. Their eyes met instantly and it was like no one else in the room even existed. "It's time to crown this year's prom king and queen!"
"Help me." Lauren mouthed silently, grinning when she saw Michael chuckle in response. Mrs. Fernley, the school's vice principal, stood in front of the microphone. She held two gold envelopes in her hand and a diamond tiara in the other. Lauren inwardly cringed. Why had this all seemed so important to her before? Before Detroit. Before Michael. Before she knew what it was like to be loved by a man who already treated her like a queen, even if her crown was broken.
"Without further ado, the girl who earned the most votes in this year's race for prom queen is…." Mrs. Fernley paused for affect, slowly opening the envelope even though she already knew the results since she'd sealed them herself.
"Lauren Fenmore!" She barely had time to register that her name had been called before Claire and the other three girls swarmed her in a group hug.
"Congratulations, Lauren!" one of them squealed.
"I knew you would win. I mean, how could you not!" cried another.
Lauren was baffled. She knew she had a reputation for being one of the popular girls, but she hadn't expected to win. In fact, she didn't know how she'd managed to earn a single vote in a school full of people she either ignored or bullied.
"Alright ladies, off the stage." Mrs. Fernley instructed them. The other girls dutifully began walking back down the stairs, with Lauren following close behind them.
"Not you, silly." The older woman chuckled, grabbing Lauren by the arm and leading her back towards the centre of the stage. "You need your crown."
Lauren sighed in resignation, standing perfectly still and allowing the vice principal to place the sparkling tiara atop her head. She looked out at the crowd with disinterest, searching for the familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes that would set her soul at ease.. She gasped when she finally saw him. He was staring back at her, pride clearly written all over his gorgeous face. He smiled at her warmly and without hesitation, she smiled back.
The crowd started cheering as Mrs. Fernley handed Lauren a large bouquet of red roses and stepped aside to let the teen enjoy her moment in the spotlight. Her gaze was still focused solely on Michael, but she looked up at the ceiling when a bucket of confetti was poured over her head. She was expecting pig's blood.
"And what's a queen without her king?" Mrs. Fernley continued, opening the second envelope and announcing the results. "After calculating all of the votes, I am pleased to announce that this year's prom king is none other than our very own rockstar, Danny Romalotti!"
Lauren's eyes widened in terror. Oh God, no. Please don't let him be here. Please don't let this be happening. This is not happening!
"Hey, babe." The familiar voice of her ex-boyfriend rang out as he leapt onto the stage and slipped his arm around her waist. "Long time no see."
Look at Michael, Lauren instructed herself desperately. Just focus on Michael and pretend Danny isn't here. It's Michael's arm around your waist, not his. Michael's breath assaulting your skin, not his. Just focus on Michael and try not to scream.
"Let's have a round of applause for this year's king and queen!" Mrs. Fernley proclaimed and the crowd cheered, screaming their names and encouraging them to kiss. Luckily the DJ chose that exact moment to begin playing the next song. The song she and Danny were supposed to dance to. Together.
"They're playing our song." he whispered lasciviously, his breath smelt like booze as it hit her face. She turned to look at him and noticed that his eyes were glazed over, his speech slightly slurred. Danny was drunk. And touching her. He was touching her like he did that day in her bedroom and all of a sudden it was too much. Everything came flooding back to her. The way he had pinned her up against the wall, his knee shoved hard between her legs as she pleaded with him to stop…
"Get away from me!" she screamed, startling Danny and everyone else in the room as she pushed him away. "Don't touch me, don't you ever fucking touch me again!"
"Lauren!" Mrs. Fernley gasped, shocked by her language.
"Stop being such a little bitch." Danny snarled, reaching out to grab her arm. He never saw it coming as Michael leapt onto the stage and began pounding his fists into Danny's startled face.
"Michael!" Lauren shrieked, trying to pull him off of Danny before he beat him half to death. "Michael, stop! He's not worth it."
"Quick! Someone call security!" Mrs. Fernley screamed in horror while the other kids in the room cheered them on. Danny was fighting back now, his knee connected with Michael's stomach and he doubled over in pain.
"Not so tough now, are ya?" Danny taunted, swiping his hand across his lips to wipe away the blood that had pooled there. Michael had broken his nose.
"I'm gonna kill you, Romalotti." he sneered, glaring at the wannabe rockstar in pure, unadulterated rage. Lauren moved to wrap her arm around Michael's shoulder, trying to get him to focus on her and not Danny.
"Awww, how noble of you to defend her honor." Danny said, grinning sarcastically. "Too bad she's a slut! We've all had a piece, haven't we boys?" No one else in the room said a room. Apparently none of her ex-lovers were willing to risk having Michael unleash his rage on them as well. He was just about to pummel Danny again when two security guards worked their way through the crowd and came to stand between the two feuding men.
"What's going on here?" The taller guard demanded to know.
"This guy just attacked me for no reason!" Danny chimed in first, pointing towards Michael who was still trying to catch his breath. "And he doesn't go to this school, he shouldn't even be here."
"Is that true?" the guard asked, turning his attention to Michael.
"I…"
"He's my guest." Lauren interrupted, moving to stand in front of the security officer to draw his attention away from Michael. "And I do believe that Mr. Romalotti has violated our school's policy regarding intoxication. Check his coat pocket, there's probably a mickey in there." The man looked at her suspiciously as his partner moved to search through Danny's pockets.
"Jesus, I can smell the booze on him from here." he exclaimed, reaching inside Danny's coat and pulling out a silver flask. He opened the lid and took a whiff, determining that it did indeed contain alcohol. He nodded to the other guard who grabbed Danny by the arm and began dragging him down off the stage.
"Alright, kid. You're outta here."
"What?! You can't throw me out. Do you know who I am?!" Danny screamed in righteous indignation.
"Give it a rest, kid. You know the rules." One of the guards informed him dismissively as the continued leading him out of the ball room.
"You fucking whore!" Danny yelled, glaring at Lauren before he was dragged through the open doors. "This isn't over, bitch! You're gonna pay for this. No one makes a fool out of me!" And with that he was finally, blissfully gone.
"Hey." Michael said, reaching out to take her hand in his. "You okay?"
"Yeah." she replied softly, turning to face him "You?"
"I'll live." he grinned, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it gently.
"Well, that was quite the show." Mrs. Fernley interrupted them, disapproval evident in her gaze. "Completely unacceptable."
"We'll leave if you want." Lauren offered, anxious to get away from the prying eyes of her peers.
"Nonsense." Mrs. Fernley said, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "What kind of person would I be if I kicked the prom queen out of her own prom, huh? Besides," She turned her attention towards Michael, offering him a warm smile. "I would have slugged him too if you hadn't gotten to him first."
"Thanks." Lauren replied. She still wanted to leave, but was grateful to the older woman for giving her the option of staying.
"Don't mention it." Mrs. Fernley smiled before turning her attention to the crowd of onlookers. "Alright everyone, show's over. Now back to our scheduled programming. DJ, please start that last song over again. It's time for the prom king and queen to share their first dance together."
"But Danny's…" Lauren began to state the obvious when the older woman interrupted her.
"After his appalling behavior, Mr. Romalotti has officially been dethroned." she declared, glancing between Michael and Lauren expectantly. "I assume you'll be able to find a suitable replacement?"
"Oh, he's more than suitable." Lauren grinned, gazing at her white knight in wrinkled Armani and borrowed shoes.
"Good." Mrs. Fernley replied, satisfied that everything had been settled. She returned to the microphone and instructed everyone to: "Clear the dance floor!"
"Come on, my queen." Michael whispered, holding out his arm to her in invitation. "Let's show 'em how it's done." And with that, she allowed him to lead her out onto the now empty dance floor. She knew that all eyes were on them, but she didn't care. Michael slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, his other hand grabbing hold of hers and lacing their fingers together as they began swaying to the music. Her gaze met his, and the rest of the world just faded away.
Till now, I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
"It's our song." Michael whispered in her ear as he pulled her close, running his hand up and down her back to try and erase the memory of Danny's touch.
"What about Journey?" Lauren teased, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"Oh don't worry, I'll never stop believing." he assured her jokingly. "But I've come to a realization since then."
"What's that?" she asked curiously, lifting her head to look at him.
"I 'Heart' you." he declared, letting go of her hand momentarily to trace the shape of a heart over his chest.
"Oh, God." she groaned, rolling her eyes at his corniness. He gave her a lop-sided grin before pulling her close once more. She laid her head down against his broad shoulder, both arms wrapped tightly around his waist. There wasn't a sliver of space between them, but it still wasn't close enough. Lauren wanted to crawl inside of him until she couldn't tell where he ended and she began.
They stayed that way, clinging to each other for dear life through the entire song. And the next one, and the one after that. Lauren could tell that other couples had joined them on the dance floor, but she didn't both looking up to check. She was perfectly content to spend the rest of the evening wrapped in Michael's arms, breathing in his scent with every inhale and exhale she took against his heated skin.
Her eyes were closed, and so she didn't see the man approaching them until she felt the tap on her shoulder.
"Excuse me, Miss Fenmore?" The maitradee asked, clearing his throat to get their attention. Reluctantly, the two teens stopped dancing and pulled apart.
"Yes." Lauren responded impatiently, glaring at the little man for breaking the spell she and Michael had been under.
"Sorry to interrupt, but your father is outside and he would like to speak with you."
"About what?" Lauren asked suspiciously, wondering why on earth her father would show up at her prom.
"He didn't say. Only that it was urgent." And with that, the maitradee turned and left the room.
"I wonder what your dad wants?" Michael wondered out loud, looking just as confused as she felt.
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Lauren declared, glancing towards the front doors. Whatever her father had to say, it better be good.
"Hang on. Just let me get my suit jacket and I'll go with you." he offered, already heading back towards their table to retrieve the jacket off the back of his chair. Lauren noticed the way he was limping slightly, the fight with Danny must have hurt him more than he was letting on. She followed him to the table and placed a hand on his shoulder to still his movements as he began to put his jacket on.
"Why don't you stay here and rest for a bit?" She suggested, offering him a warm smile. "I'll only be a minute."
"I'm fine." he argued.
"I know you are, but I want you to be well rested for the after party." Lauren said suggestively.
"After party?" Michael repeated, intrigued by the glint in her eye. "We're going to an after party."
"Mmhmm." Lauren replied, stepping forward so that she could run her hands up and down his chest before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't worry, it's a very short and exclusive guest list."
"Am I on it?" he asked hopefully, leaning forward nuzzle her nose with his much larger one.
"You and only you." she assured him, placing gentle kisses along his jaw line. "And me of course."
"Of course." he chuckled, dragging his hands along the length of her arms as she stepped back and began moving away from him.
"I'd better go and see what daddy wants." Lauren declared, sighing dramatically as she began walking backwards towards the door. "I'll be right back."
And with that, she was gone.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lauren stepped outside into the nearly deserted parking lot, glancing around in search of her father's car. It wasn't there. Not the BMW or the Mercedes Benz. Her father was nowhere to be seen. She was about to walk back inside and give the maitradee a piece of her mind, when she noticed a dark figure seated on a wooden bench inside the hotels garden area. Figuring that she should first check to see if it was her father seated on the rickety old bench before she jumped down the maitradee's throat, Lauren started walking towards the garden.
"Daddy?" she called out as she got closer. The figure on the bench hadn't moved. "Daddy is that you?" As she drew even closer, Lauren stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that the figure on the bench wasn't a person at all, but rather a bag of leaves that one of the hotel employees must have left on the bench after raking them up.
Shaking her head in amusement, Lauren turned and started walking back towards the hotel. Before she knew what was happening, someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with a rag that smelled suspiciously like chloroform. Lauren's final thought before the darkness consumed her was that their after party guest list just got even smaller.