Love Story

Chapter 14

"Valleri, where have you been?"

"Around" Valleri smiled remembering David's words.

"Parker's been talking to your guests alone for the past hour"

"I'm sorry Daddy, I needed some fresh air"

"Go, Parker is at the bar with The Wilsons"

Valleri didn't move. She just stood watching him look at her. She turned to see Parker standing at the bar. He smiled at her and she just rolled her eyes.

"Go" Daddy said again.

"You want to know where I was?" She asked, looking back at Daddy.

"I thought you said you'd gone out for fresh air"

"I lied" She said as they continued to stare at each other. "I was in the library"

"What were you doing in the library?" He asked folding his arms over his chest

"I was with David' she whispered as the party continued on around them. "He followed me out of the parlour, but I'm sure you saw him leave" she could see his eyes growing dark with anger, but knew he wouldn't do anything. Not here, not with all these important people around.

"He fucked me Daddy, in the library, up against the shelves, Just now"

She watched his lips form a hard line.

"You want so badly to hit me right now, but you can't, not with all of your friends here on the night before your daughter’s wedding because we're the happy Cruises aren't we Daddy? You wouldn't dare let them know you hit me. You won Daddy, I'm going to marry Parker, but I still got under your skin. I still got to fuck David, in your library, while you were in here, completely oblivious."

They stood quiet for a minute before Valleri spoke again.

"There's a broken wine glass in the hallway from when he snuck up behind me, go look  if you don't believe me"

She turned around and walked to the bar where Parker was talking to Mr Wilson about the condition of some stock market Valleri had no interest in hearing about. She poured herself a drink; Parker grabbed her hand stopping the flow from the bottle.

"Easy Val, you don't want to be hungover tomorrow"

She glared at him. "Don’t call me Val, I told you that once, and I meant it. I'll drink all I want"

Parker let go of her hand, and she poured more in her glass just because she knew he was watching her.

"What did you do to your neck?"

"You've never seen a hickey before?" She asked pouring her pop, not looking at him on purpose.

When he didn't say anything she looked at him sideways. "Looks pretty fresh doesn't it?"

"Mmmm" he nodded

"Wasn't from you, was it?"

She smiled at him taking her glass off the bar. "Mr Wilson" she nodded before turning on her heel and leaving the parlour, walking up to her room.

She closed the door, her dress swinging back and forth on the hook. She rolled her eyes and flopped down on her bed.  She felt a breeze blow in through the window and turned to look. Had she left that window open? No, she was positive, she'd closed it the other night after David left. Then she noticed something leaning against the frame of the window.

Valleri pulled herself up off the bed walking over to the window. It was a book; she picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It was her favourite book, Alice in Wonderland; it was the copy Daddy kept in his library, but how?