Inseparable

We go back to work, but I find it hard to concentrate. I really look forward to Brad’s surprise and I cannot imagine what it might be. I wonder if he’s going to play me some more music on his guitar… or if he’s perhaps going to take me to a special restaurant for dinner. When the clock ticks over to 5 PM I shut my laptop and say goodbye to Stacy. She assures me that she has plans for the evening and I rush outside to go and see where Brad is. I expect him to be waiting there for me next to his art, but I see no one.

“Do you need me to wait around here for a while?” The security guard asks when he sees that I’m looking around for someone.

“Yes, I would actually appreciate that,” I say and we stand around there for another ten minutes or so and shoot the breeze while I’m waiting for Brad. The security guard tells me that he’s also planning something special for himself and his wife that evening and I find myself wondering if my own evening is actually going to work out… What if Brad got caught up somewhere? I feel fairly certain that he won’t let me down without a good reason, but I’m not entirely sure whether he perhaps has to take care of some kind of business with his international hotel chain from time to time. Whatever the reason for his delay, I only get his answering service when I tried to call him and the longer he stays away the more I start feeling worried that something might have happened to him. What if he had an accident on his bike… Or what if that crazy biker friend of his broke out of jail and attacked him? A thousand insane thoughts suddenly rush through my mind and I tell myself just to stay calm.

I find myself thinking back to what happened after the guy came to threaten me at my office. I totally lost at that time and I’m determined not to act the same way again. Whatever the reason for the fact that Brad is not here to pick me up, I trust him now and I’m not going to doubt him for even a second. I think of the last couple of days we spent together and realize that we have a very strong bond and I tell myself that nothing is going to come between us again from this point on.

Just when am about to really start panicking, I hear the familiar sound of Brad’s Harley Davidson and when I look up I see him driving up at high speed towards me.

“Hi there baby! I’m so sorry I’m late, but I got caught up with my… erm shopping,” he says with a broad smile and I fling my arms around him and give him a hug “I don’t care… I’m just really glad to see you,” I say and get on the back of his Harley.

We drive off and after a while I notice that this is not the way to Brad’s own place. I figure that he’s probably taking me to a restaurant or a night club somewhere, so I just relax as we drive along the unfamiliar road. We drive right up to a very rich neighborhood of Los Angeles and stop in front of a very large, imposing looking gate. Brad presses a button on a remote and the gate swings open in front of us. We drive up the long driveway and, even though I would never have thought it could be possible, this place looks even more expensive than Brad’s own house.

We stop in front of the place and get off the bike. I take a moment just to get used to my surroundings and looked up at the massive house. There is something incredibly serene and peaceful about it, even though it is probably the largest human dwelling I’ve ever laid my eyes on in my entire life.

“Wow! This place really is a palace!” I say and look at the mansion in front of me with absolute awe. It has three stories and long, pointed spires at the sides which makes it look like one of those castles in the English countryside.

“My dad actually based the design of this house on one of the castles he saw during a visit to the English countryside,” Brad says with a smile, “the place has been standing empty and I’ve just not had the heart to rent it out to someone else… I guess I have too many good memories of the times I spent here with my parents when they were still alive.”

“You know that I would live with you in a small little shack and that material things really don’t impress me… but I have to say that this is really special!” I say and run up the stairs with Brad. A young servant girl of no more than twenty-five years of age opens up for us and beckons us inside. The place looks incredible insight and there are many golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Brad takes me on a little tour of the inside and it takes us more than an hour to visit all the rooms, with the servant girl walking right behind us. When we finally get downstairs again, Brad takes me to the dining area and there is a long table with enough space to seat that at least forty people.

“This is the large banquet hall where my dad used to have large work functions for all of his international staff,” Brad explains.

“The place looks fit for a king estimation mark” I say and Brad nodded his head.

“That is exactly why I brought you here tonight… You are my Queen and nothing less than a royal banquet hall will do for what I have in mind.”

“Okay Brad, just break the suspense already! What is this big surprise that you have for me tonight?” I ask.

“What? You mean me bringing you to this castle is not enough of a surprise?” Brad teases and I slap him playfully on his shoulder.

“You know what I mean… you said that you were going shopping and that it had something to do with the surprise?”

“Oh yes, that… Why don’t we have some dinner first and then I will get to the big surprise,” Brad says and we sit down at the table. The servant girl walks over to an antique table and switches on the modern sound system resting on top of it. She turns up the volume and the most beautiful violin music fills the air. She claps her hands and the next moment three neatly dressed waiters appear with the first dishes. We immediately start digging into the crumbed mushrooms, goat cheese salad and other delectable dishes.

Soon the waiters bring out the main dish and it’s one of those pigs with an apple in his mouth, just like you always see in the medieval movies. They slice us each some of the succulent meat and it tastes magnificent with sweet apple sauce on top. The meal is rounded off with some ice cream and chocolate sauce.

“And now my love, it is time for your Valentine’s Day surprise,” Brad says and gets up from the head of the table. I look at him expectantly and wonder just exactly what kind of surprise he’s going to spring on me. He walks out of the room and leaves me there, hanging on in suspense. I find my mind wandering back to the incredible past couple of weeks with Brad. I can still recall how I picked him out from the rest of his biker friends the night at the mansion, just after I took part in the virgin auction. Even then there was something about the sparkle in his eye which suggested to me that there was something more between us than just the purely physical aspect. I can still recall how I pushed him away every time he tried to get near to me… I think of those times he showed up at the office and phoned me at work, only to have the door shut firmly in his face. I think of the day when he showed up with his guitar and started singing the most beautiful songs to me right outside the office… how I looked at him with new eyes and realized that there was much more to him than just a lust filled biker looking for fun. I think of the time we spent together in San Marino and how wonderful it was to go to that little sushi restaurant with him. I think of all the times we spent at his mansion and the wonderful music show he gave me and Rawlins. As I go through all of this in my mind I suddenly don’t care whether the surprise of the evening lives up to my expectations or not… the most important thing is that Brad and I are still together, despite all of the challenges and obstacles we had to overcome to reach this point.

I hear footsteps coming and look up as I hear Brad approaching. He walks back inside the room and he has his guitar with him. I look at him with unashamed love in my eyes a

nd he looks straight back at me the same way.

“I have written you a song and I am going to sing it to you tonight,” Brad says.

He starts playing me the most beautiful original song and I have tears in my eyes as I listen to him singing. This really is the most incredible surprise he could ever give me and just the mere fact of having him here in front of me, singing my very own song to me in that beautiful, deep baritone voice is like heaven on earth.

“Thank you Brad, that is really the most beautiful song I’ve heard in my whole life and this is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had,” I say and walk over to him. I have tears in my eyes when I bend down and kiss him on his lips.

“Wait… there’s more,” Brad says and I cannot believe my ears. This day is already perfect as it is and Brad has more surprises in store for me? I watch in a daze as Brad gets up from his chair and kneels in front of me. He takes a small little box out of his pocket and then opens it up. Inside is a ring with a massive, shiny diamond and I inhale deeply with delighted shock and surprise.

“Beautiful Jenny, will you be my queen and my wife?” Brad says and I look at him through my tears.

“Yes Brad….yes, I will be your wife,” I say and kneel down with him. We kiss for the longest time and he slides the ring onto my finger.

“There, that’s a ring fit for royalty,” Brad says with a proud smile. I look at the ring and am absolutely stunned by the sheer size and brilliance of the diamond. Then I look at Brad and realize that each of my wildest dreams have come true in this moment.

“Now, if you will be so kind as to accompany me, I would love to show you the master bedroom on the third floor,” Brad says with a smile.