Gold, Fire & Refinement

Chapter Twenty

"Debate is so much better than denial." ~Julie Walters

Sunday evening, just several days after the fire, Zarah and Harvey arrived in Memphis, at the luxurious and famous Peabody hotel. They reserved the "Romeo and Juliet" suite—one with a romantic spiral staircase leading up to a luxurious loft bedroom. Even though there was a Wilson hotel in Memphis, they decided to stay at the Peabody. Harvey liked keeping an eye on the competition, so he chose a competing hotel where they were less likely to be recognized, and where he wouldn't be tempted to work. 

He made sure a very expensive bottle of champagne greeted them—a 1990 Roederer, L Champagne Cristal Brut. Chilling on ice, it was waiting on a table right inside the door when they walked in. Once he poured them each a glass, Zarah toasted with "To a lovely spiral staircase ... and no 'love police' in sight." She took a sip, smiled, then winked and said, "Challenge." He went to the door and put out the Do Not Disturb sign. Without speaking another word, they put down their glasses and, before racing for the staircase, started shedding items of clothing. Harvey won the undressing race and the race to the top of the stairs. As the loser, when Zarah got there she fell on the bed in front of him wearing nothing but black lace bikini panties and black Manolo Blahnik mesh and embroidered lace stilettos. Leaning back on her elbows, she crossed her legs and looked him up and down, admiring his well-toned physique. "Hmm," she said, "somebody's been thinking naughty thoughts. I think you're more than ready for me." She uncrossed her legs and he walked in between them, accepting her invitation. As he kissed her, he guided her down on the king-sized bed and, in the next moment, nothing else existed in the world except them and the love they were making. The evening had been a long time coming.

Later, after taking a shower together, they ordered room service. Dinner consisted of filet mignon with mushroom Marsala wine sauce, pan-seared flounder served with crabmeat, lemon and caper butter, and wedge salads with blue cheese dressing, bacon, and pecans.

They went to bed after dinner but Harvey awakened her in the middle of the night, ready to go again. She closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around him. The feel of his touch was all she needed and, uninhibited, soon she was leading the direction and rhythm of their love. Then, her needs met, she surrendered to the urgency of his every demand. Afterward, with sensual feelings still lingering, lying in each other's arms, they listened to the beating of their hearts. That night, completely exhausted, they both enjoyed their best night's sleep in weeks.

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As the sun came up the next morning, they were kissing and clinging to each other again, beginning the day with love. On their first full day in Memphis, they didn't leave the hotel until late evening. After taking a bath together in their suite's luxurious Jacuzzi tub, with hearty appetites, they walked to Beale Street and had ribs for dinner at a restaurant called Rendezvous. It felt very much like a very hot date between lovers who had spent too much time apart, so, during dinner they talked about everything—except anything having to do with Grandma Betty.

When they started walking back to the hotel, Zarah knew why she was avoiding the inevitable conversation they needed to have, but she wasn't sure why Harvey was avoiding it too. It was time for them to talk about something neither of them wanted to talk about: his grandmother. Feeling a bit tipsy from the bottle of wine they shared at dinner, she finally found the nerve to bring up the topic. "I saved your grandmother's life," she said. "My feet and hands are healing, but they're still sore, and she's still trying to think of ways to hurt me. Do you realize that? That's why she made you take her to stay with Dinah after she got out of the hospital. And you know what else? To this day, she hasn't thanked me for saving her life. I risked my life to help that old woman, and now? Now she's at Pinehaven with Dinah ... acting like what I did meant nothing. Absolutely nothing."