#perhaps i’ll finally venture downstairs in the morning and ask what the fuck i’m supposed to do bc as cool as the deal or no deal channel is

[heartual]

this tv is so hard to figure out i give up i’m watching naruto in spanish

[justjessame]

Diamonds Are A Boy’s Best Friend Chapter 21

When I walked in the house, after being gone for hours, I wasn’t surprised to hear my father call out requesting for my presence in the dining room.  Sighing and hoping that I could keep the soup and crackers down, I complied.  He and Lily were finishing their dinner in, and I leaned against the door frame waiting for him to goad me.

“You look oddly rested.”  He was chewing with his mouth open and I wanted to vomit for a different reason than whatever bug I was afflicted with.  “Odd, considering you spent the entire day in a room with Isaac.”  

I sighed loud and dramatically.  “Here we go again.”  I glared at him, ignoring Lily entirely.  “I look rested, because I am rested.”  Shaking my head and keeping my eyes locked on his.  “Not everything I do is sexual, Father.”  

He was smirking and studying me.  “Considering your self created extra ‘lessons’, you would have to understand my assumptions are well founded.”  I rolled my eyes.  Of course she’d told him all about that.  “If not sex, then what were you doing in that room, Liz?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, my purse still in my hand with the medication the doctor prescribed inside.  “You tell me, you know everything.”  

“Not sex.  You’ve been sick.”  His grin grew, and he took a last bite of his food and ate with relish.  “A doctor visited, which Ike rushed out for while his pet maid kept you under careful watch.”  He truly did know everything.  “Did you take a test today, darling daughter?”

“Again, you know everything, you tell me.”  I was bored with this entire game. With him.  With Lily.  “If I took a test, let’s just say I’m very certain the outcome isn’t what you’re hoping for.”  

My father nodded like he was humoring me.  “You’re quite certain about that, Elizabeth?”  I watched him, looking for signs of why he’d be picking this particular hill to take his stand on.  “Are you so clever in your fucking around with random men that you KNOW for sure that the test is gonna come out the way you think?”  

I felt a chill run through me.  “A brat or two-”  I shook my head.  “Stacking the deck, that seems to be your way.”  He was studying me as I thought about how he could have done it, how he could have made certain that the pill wouldn’t work.  “You horrible-” My eyes landed on Lily.  “How dare you.”  

“Now, now.”  My father again.  “Lily’s making sure that my plan works flawlessly.”  I shook my head at the utter betrayal.  “I told you to remember who you belonged to, Liz.”

“Perhaps I should call my bubbe?”  I felt the thrill of a well placed shot when he stopped talking.  “Sy, right, Lily?”  And a second one as he glared at her.  “I’m sure the operator will have no problems patching me through.”  Before I stalked away, I let the ice I felt flowing through my veins come through in my parting shot.  “Never, for one instant, imagine that I wouldn’t call him up and tell him about your little threat, FATHER.  And neither of you-”  I took a deep breath.  “Ever assume that I’ll share another sliver of information about me, Ike, or what I do behind closed doors with him.”  

I’d hoped, after a long warm bath and tucking myself into my locked room, that I’d feel like dealing with the truth of my current predicament.  Somehow, and I was willing to suspect Lily had a hand in it, he’d replaced the pill with something else.  Something ineffective.  Something to push Ike and I more firmly together.  

I replayed conversations with Lily and I shook my head.  Didn’t she pound the idea that I could give Ike the children Vera couldn’t.  Hadn’t she tried to make it a selling point?  And stupid me, during a moment while we were shopping admitted that I had a way to make sure it didn’t happen to me until I wanted it to. All she would have had to do was find them, and they weren’t hidden, why would I hide my own things in my own room?  Once again, I’d been out-gamed by two expert level players.  

I was probably pregnant with Ike’s baby.  Not probably, definitely.  I’d smugly allowed him to-  I couldn’t think about that now.  I had to decide what to do now.

Drifting off to sleep, I wondered what he was doing, and prayed it wasn’t Vera.

I woke up and ran for the bathroom, sad but resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to get to keep the soup after all.  It was morning, and I had rested, but this-  I flushed the toilet and stood up shakily.  This was for the birds.  Brushing my teeth, rinsing my mouth out, I got ready for the day.  Hair up, makeup minimal, and one of my signature black dresses and shoes, and down the stairs I went.  I hoped that the kitchen was stocked with something soothing for my stomach, since the doctor wasn’t certain the medication would work for what truly ailed me.  

“Liz,” it was Lily’s voice, but I ignored her and kept moving.  “Come on, you can’t ignore me forever.”  

Well, let’s find out, I thought and kept walking.  She caught up easily, damn her longer legs and the fact that she hadn’t just vacated her stomach into the toilet.  I sighed, but kept my progress.  Maybe soda crackers, since the ones Ike’s kitchen had served were saltines.  

“You have to understand,” she was saying, but I kept my eyes ahead, a goal in mind.  “He won’t kill you, Liz, but I’m fair game.”  Why’d you marry him, I wanted to ask, but didn’t.  “Having Ike’s baby isn’t torture, but what he would do to me-”

I’d had enough, she was right, I couldn’t ignore her forever, but I could try to make her understand that I didn’t care about her fate.  “And who chose to do something that had the possibility of this horrible fate that could befall you?”  She was shocked when I stopped so she ended up in front of me.  “You knew who and what he was, Lily.  You chose to marry him.  You chose to go along for the ride.”  She was staring at me like she hadn’t expected me to speak, or to tell the truth to her face.  “You did what you did, knowing full well what the consequences were if you were caught, so don’t tell me that giving me up on a platter was for anything other than saving your ass and throwing mine down a well.”  

I brushed past her and finally made it to the kitchen.  I asked one of the women if there were any soda crackers and they found a tin, sighing gratefully, I took it and turned to leave.  Lily was standing in my way.

“Someone’s blackmailing him.”  I waited, not caring but seeing she thought I would.  Why would I give a rat’s ass about someone extorting my father.  “Not him, HIM.”  Stevie?  “There was proof, he was supposed to destroy it, and now-”

“And now, what?”  I opened the tin and took out one of the bland crackers, biting into it, I chewed carefully and swallowed.  “What do you want me to do?”  

“Call Sy.”  She whispered, and I glanced behind us to see that the women had flicked on the radio so they couldn’t hear us.  Or could pretend they didn’t.  “Call him and tell him what Ben said to you.”  I waited to see why she refused to tell him about her own issues and wondered why he hadn’t come before, as she’d told me she thought he would.  “I tried.  He doesn’t care.  About me, anyway.”  

“How would him coming to my rescue help you?”  I took another bite, happy that so far the bland, tasteless thing stayed down.  

“You’ve never seen Ben around Sy, he doesn’t make waves, he’s careful.”  I wanted more information, even if I did want to meet my grandfather.  “Please?”  

“I’ll think about it.”  I walked back upstairs with my tin, not inviting her to join me because those days were long gone.

When I ventured back downstairs, happy to have found that soda crackers seemed to be the answer, I found my father practically crowing about something.  I nearly went back up, but he saw me when he came out into the hallway.

“Liz,” he gestured for me to come to him and I was close to screaming at him.  “Come here, I won’t bite.”  

“What do you want?”  I asked, taking the seat he’d offered me when I was sick on my stomach.  

He sat in his pseudo throne and I waited.  This lord on high act was getting old.  “Isaac had to make a trip to visit the State’s Attorney.”  I felt myself pale.  “Oh, come now, Liz, why would you worry?”  

“I can’t imagine that visiting the State’s Attorney is never a sign of happiness and prosperity, Father.”  My hands were tightly clasped, and I waited, even though I had a million questions.  

“Probably not,” he nodded.  “I mean, can you imagine if word got out that Ike Evans, the King of the Miramar was called in by the authorities?”  He was so damn gleeful that I wanted to toss one of the crystal ashtrays at his head.  “You might want to check on him, who knows how frayed his nerves are.”  

I sighed and stood.  “Is that all?”  He nodded.  “Good, I need to go see if the kitchen has more soda crackers.”  

“Your mother swore by seltzer water.  She said the bubbles calmed it.”  An oddly helpful suggestion.  “She couldn’t stand the sight or smell of food for months when she-”  He stopped, and offered a different smile, the same one he had upstairs while looking at our family photo.  “If they’re out of crackers, tell them to restock.”  I nodded and left, thinking my father had such strange shifts in his mood that it was like living in a pendulum clock.

Vera called while I was in my room resting.  I heard a soft knock and then Lily quietly told me I had a call.  “Hello?”  I put down the book I’d been falling into, smiling at my roses and hoping that it was Ike.

“Liz,” I shut my eyes and took a beat.  “I was hoping you’d join me for dinner.  Ike’s so busy, I thought we could have a girls’ night.”  

“I wish I could, Vera,” I took a deep breath.  “I’ve been under the weather, though, and I’d hate to give it to you.  Or Lauren.”  

“Oh.”  She sounded disappointed, and I could hear what sounded like turning pages on her end.  “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.  Another time?”  

“Of course,” I opened my eyes and Ike’s roses looked like a scarlet letter.  “I’ll tell you when this bug is gone.”  Around nine months from now, I thought, feeling my nerves fray.  “Have a good evening, Vera.”  

“You too, goodbye.”  

I hung up the phone and settled back into my pillow.  Ike was busy.  Vera was lonely.  Lily was frightened.  I couldn’t handle another bit of stress.

The next afternoon, when I ventured downstairs on my new routine second trip, my father called me into the den again.  

“Elizabeth, I’m going to have to ask you to spend the evening at the Miramar.”  I opened my mouth to argue, but he stopped me.  “I’m having a get together, and I think the noise would keep you from resting.”  I didn’t believe him, not caring about my rest anyway.  “Pack an overnight bag, and I’ll have Al take you and stay at the hotel to make sure you’re comfortable.”  

“Fine.”  I didn’t feel like arguing and it gave me a reason to see Ike.  “I’ll go pack my bag.”

“And, sweetheart?”  I glanced back at him.  “Have a nice, restful, quiet night.”  It would have sounded like well wishes from another father, but out of his mouth, it sounded vaguely threatening.

“I’s like to check in, please," I sighed to the front desk agent.  As he was gathering my key and I was signing the paperwork, I heard a voice call out my name that I wasn’t expecting.

“Miss Diamond,” I turned and saw Meg Bannock smiling and walking toward me.  “Are you a frequent guest here?”  Curiosity killed the cat, I wanted to warn, but instead I smiled back.

“Hello again, Miss Bannock.”  I took the key from the worker, and turned, handing it off to Al.  “Could you take my bag up, please?  I'll follow in a moment.”  He nodded and shot a look at Meg.  “No, I’ve only stayed here one other time.”  A memorable time, that probably played a huge role in my current predicament.  “Another meeting with Ike?”  

She nodded, “yes, business, it never ends.”  I wondered if she actually worked, or did anything other than counted piles of money.  “Call me ‘Meg’, though, I insist.”  Great, I would have to offer her the same courtesy.  

“Liz.”  It was Ike’s voice that offered it, not mine.  “I thought you’d left, Meg.”  She was smiling at him like she owned him, and a glance at his cheek told me why.  

“Oh, you have a little,” and she reached over and wiped her brand from his dimple.  “Sorry about that.  I was on my way out when I caught sight of Liz.”  

His eyes were back on me, clearly wondering why I was checking in.  “My father’s having a party and he felt that I should come here so I wouldn’t be disturbed.”

“Disturbed?”  Meg Bannock, font of wonder.  “Why would a party disturb you?”

“Liz hasn’t been feeling well,” Ike again, answering as though he owned me.  “I’m sure Ben wanted to make sure she could rest.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she was staring at me with what I had to assume was faked concern.  “Don’t let us keep you, Liz.”  And I was dismissed.

“Yes, well, I’ll go make sure Al didn’t toss my bag onto the balcony.”  And without a goodbye for him or her, I made my way to the bank of elevators and entered the first one that opened.

Al was waiting inside my room, the door propped open a crack for me to enter.  “Thank you for bringing my case up.”  He nodded, and gave me a half smile.  “Could you do me another favor?”  I handed him cash from my purse.  “I need soda crackers, NOT saltines, and seltzer water, please?”  He looked at the money and shook his head.  Tucking it back into my hands, he moved for the door.

“The boss told me to take care of you, Miss Diamond, that’s what I’ll do.”  I hoped that meant he was off to get my crackers and water.  

When a knock came a few moments later, I assumed he was back.  I opened it and found Ike, looking like he had an explanation locked and loaded.  “Come in, Ike.”  I was already tired of this day and it wasn’t even two o’clock.  I walked ahead of him and was thankful he wasn’t reaching for me.  He was learning.

“Liz,” I was about to take a seat in the chair, but he stopped me.  “Shouldn't you lie down?”  I huffed out a laugh.  “You look exhausted, sweetheart.”  

“I am,” I admitted, and kicking off my shoes, I pulled down the blankets and crawled in.  “Let’s hear it.”  He smiled.  

“You don’t sound as angry as you looked downstairs.”  

“I’m not,” I rolled my head on the pillow to get comfortable.  “I’m sure there’s an innocent explanation for why her lipstick was on your cheek.  And since it wasn’t on your mouth, I’m reserving judgement.”  His smile grew.  “Although, if she ever dismisses me again as though I’m beneath her-” his eyes widened.  “I’ll have to remind her of what family I came from.”  A warning, through and through.

He shook his head and sat in the chair I had been planning on taking.  I watched as he took off his shoes then stood up and took off his jacket to lay it across the back.  Then he loosened his tie, and crawled into bed behind me.  His arms went around me like he was made to hold me, and he sighed into my hair.  

“She came to tell me that she wasn’t willing to invest.”  I nodded.  “The lipstick came from her goodbye, it wasn’t even full lips on cheek, I swear.”  I knew that, I’d seen it, but I let him go on.  “Meg is used to everyone being beneath her, Liz, I don’t even think she notices that she does it.”  My hands were covering his under my breasts.  “I won’t stop you, though, if you bite back.”  I smiled.

“She wouldn’t give you the money for Ben?”  I felt him shake his head.  “How much do you need?”  

“At least $100,000,” I thought about his options.  “Don’t worry, Liz.”  Easier said than done.  “Stress isn’t good for you, or the-”

“No,” I stopped him.  “We are NOT assuming anything, Ike.”  Even if I was sure he was right.  “Until the test confirms it, I am simply ill.”  I felt him chuckle.  “It’s not funny.”

“You’re stubborn.”  He kissed my temple.  “I love that.”  

“I’m sure you won’t in a few years.”  My fingers were drawing patterns on the skin of his hands.  “She called me.”  He didn’t ask who, or grow stiff, he just listened.  “I hate the thought of hurting her.”  

“I know,” his breath was tickling my hair.  “I don’t like it either, but I won’t keep faking a life when I can have the real thing, Liz.”  

“Ben said that you were called in-”  Another sigh.  “Is it bad?”

“It could be worse.”  He offered, not exactly soothing.  “They drug a limestone quarry I own.”  I waited, knowing that a search that turned up nothing didn’t warrant a trip to the authorities.  “They found-”  

“A few of my father’s art projects?”  A clever way of describing it, but it seemed that my father was proud of his reputation, so why bother hiding my knowledge of it.  He nodded.  “Why assume that you had anything to do with it?  It would be stupid to dispose of anything somewhere you own.”  

“The art projects,” I could hear his smile in the way he took up my code.  “They’re former associates of Ben.  Partners.”  Damn.  “I don’t think that they think I had anything more to do with it than giving him access to the dump site.”

“They want you to turn.”  He tucked my head under his chin and rubbed my arms with his hands.  “What a mess.”  

“Yes, it is.”  We heard a knock and Ike went to answer it when I told him about Al’s errand.  

“I got soda crackers and I got seltzer water.”  I smiled at the goon my father had saddled me with.  “Since you appear to be well guarded,” he shot Ike a look that I didn’t want to contemplate.  “I’m heading to the Atlantis.  If you need me, call the bar.”

He waited for me to nod my agreement, then walked toward the door.“Thank you,” I called as he walked out.  “That wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it would be.”  

Ike laughed as he brought the tin of crackers and the bottle of water to my bedside table.  “Sadly, I can’t guard your body all afternoon.”  I shook my head.  He found me a glass and brought it to join my meal for the evening.  “I’ll try to check on you before I-”

“Go home?”  I smiled sadly at the reminder that he’d be in the penthouse with Vera while I slept down here alone.  “It’s fine.”  

“No, it isn’t.”  He sat down on the edge of the bed, and took my hand.  “It isn’t, but it will be, Liz.  I promise.”  Then giving me a breathtaking kiss, he moved to the chair and put back on his shoes, straightened his tie, and put his jacket over his shirt.  Drinking in my fully clothed form in bed, he shook his head.  “I really don’t want to leave you.”  

“Which makes it marginally easier to let you go,” I smiled at him.  Watching him leave, I waited until the door closed to let the smile drop and my sadness from his departure roll over me.