The first thing that Tom noticed the following morning was a throbbing headache. As he tried to open his eyes the light stung to the point of bursting his head but nonetheless he managed to open his eyes and the scene before him stood right out of his nightmare. He was in the room where the nightmare called life had began for him. The moth-eaten grey walls hadn't changed in twenty three years. Neither had the feeling of a warm hand placed across his chest that was not his. He was convinced that it was the same recurring nightmare that had plagued him for the greater part of his youth till his eyes moved to the woman whose hands they were. They looked younger and the head buried in between the pillows had hair of a lighter colour. She was a blonde like Daisy and his heart ached a bit. He took in the appearance of the woman. Her dress sleeve was torn, her wrist had marks of large fingers imprinted in them. There was some blood under her fingernails. Tom looked at his own hands and noticed the bloodied scratches. He wasn't worried about getting an infection or anything. Demons weren't blessed to just fall sick and die. In fact he didn't remember one incidence of his falling severely sick. A cold and a flue aside and not counting his mental illness as a disease he had never been to a doctor. He placed his palm on the woman's bruised wrist and verified that it was him who had given her the marks. He shook his head at himself. Getting drunk was never a good idea for him. He waited for her to stir from her sleep which wasn't a long wait. When she turned around to face him Tom gasped in horror.
The first thing she did was scream. Tom cringed at her reaction. What had he done? 'You really are a monster, aren't you?' she accused him.
Tom's head hung in shame. 'You are no different then Jon, or Dave, or Ramone. All men are the same and I was stupid to believe otherwise. Mr. Bartolli was right. You are dark and I am glad that you blocked me. I really am.'
'Daisy, I don't have the words to apologize. I am dark. I pretend to not be but I alcohol brings out the worst in me.' Tom confessed to the woman he had wronged in an attempt to spare her from his darkness.
'Then why did you have to get dead drunk to bring me to a hotel and pass out on top of me? You know that you almost suffocated me with your weight? I tried to push you off and you rolled onto the floor. I was so worried that you may have hurt yourself and then I tried to pull you to the bed but you would't budge and I fear I may have scratched you a bit. Are you alright?' Daisy complained with a hint of concern.
'You mean these scratches? I will live. What did I do to you though? You called me a monster for blacking out on top of you?' Tom asked bewildered.
'No, of course not. You don't remember? You called me a bitch. You said that everything is my fault and then you pulled me into this house and bring me straight to this room and black out.' Daisy said.
Tom was a bit shocked. He rubbed his face for a while before facing her making sure that he was wide awake despite his hangover. 'That was all I did?'
'You call that all you did. Well it is a lot. You didn't even let me hug you or cry on your shoulder. You blamed me for Ramon trying to rape me and then you black out on top of me. Oh before I forget you also blocked me. If you hadn't blocked me I wouldn't have agreed to Ramon's date come interview anyways.'
Tom couldn't help but smile at her flustered expression. Then something struck him. 'Wait, the PR guy tried to do what?'
'Rape me. R-A-P-E. You know the word.' Daisy said exasperated.
'Why were you meeting him in the first place?' Tom asked.
'Well, I got fired. I even got kicked out of my home because the company paid the rent. I tried to call you from the phone that Mr. Bartolli gave me. I didn't want to call but he said it would do you good but you cut the line.
'Earlier on Ramon had been blackmailing to get me to go on a date with him, otherwise he would get me fired and I was supposed to go on a date today but since I already am fired he said he would just try to make up for being an asshole on earlier occasions. We had food at a fancy location and then he offered to drive me home which was actually Stella's home because I don't have one anymore.
'Then he took a wrong turn and when I objected he parked the car and truied to force himself on me. I managed to push him off me so he hit his head on the steering wheel. I got the car to open and ran as fast as I could. The first sign of life were these women standing on the pavement and then I see you and you say that it is all my fault. How could you?'
Tom tried to process everything. Then he reached for his phone in his pocket which was not there. He had probably left it at the bar last night. 'Do you have your phone on you?' he asked.
'I couldn't call 911 because I didn't know my location. I never have been to this part of the town and...' then the waterworks started. Tom pulled her to his chest feeling contentment after a long time.
'I need your phone to make a call. I left my phone at the bar.' he whispered while rubbing his hand along her back. She nodded and moved away from him. The separation felt odd and empty. She reached out under the pillow and handed him the phone.
'Is this some hotel or something?' Daisy asked wistfully with her chin resting on his shoulder.
'It's a brothel Daisy and not a place I would have liked to bring you to. This was the brothel where my mother worked. She was a prostitute.' Tom told her with clenched teeth.
Daisy raised her head to look into his eyes. There was anger and un-shed tears there. She cupped his face into her hands and pressed her forehead against him. Tom closed his eyes to take in the feel of it. It felt extremely comforting. Despite having been with hundreds of women in his lifetime this was a kind of intimacy he was not familiar with. But he had to make the calls. The first number he called was Fred.
'I am at the brothel. I need you to send a car with a fresh set of clothes for me and Daisy and I want you to send your valet and not anyone else. I do not want a scandal.' he said in a monotone.
Daisy couldn't hear the other man guffawing on the other side of the phone but her face turned red nonetheless. The words brothel, clothes and scandal conjured an image in her head she was not proud of. She wanted to bury herself in sand when she heard Tom continue. 'One more thing, destroy Ramon Mendoza in every way possible. If necessary use your old contacts. Tell them I need payment for an earlier favour. If they ask just say Porta Rico. They will know what I am talking about. Yes I mean it.'
With that done Tom looked at Daisy with a cocky smile. 'Now are you happy?'
'Do you have illegal contacts?' Daisy asked him.
'It's not a crime to have illegal contacts as long as I am not doing anything illegal.' Tom defended.
'Is hurting Ramon not illegal?' Daisy asked.
'Nope. It is payback.' Tom challenged.
Daisy shook her head. It was impossible to argue with him. 'Whom did you call and how will he get a dress for me? You didn't even mention my size.' Daisy said.
'I called the only person who had your number. I called Fred. And he will just called Madame M's Boutique to get the details of your recent purchases and get something of that size for you.' Tom explained.
'Oh'
'Daisy, why did you buy a wedding gown from Madame M' Tom asked.
'It was the most expensive thing they had and I wanted to teach you a lesson. I didn't even open the dress. Actually I returned it yesterday afternoon. They said they would refund the money by today lunch time. They had some inspections to do for damage.' Daisy explained.
'I like to spoil you Daisy. I can you know.' Tom explained.
'I don't like to be beholden to anyone. I don't like to be bought with material things'
'I wasn't trying to do that. I was just trying to take care of you in every way I can. I have never had anyone to take care of.'
'I guess I do not react well to such grand gestures. Why do you think I prefer artificial insemination to actually get into a relationship with. It is scary for me. I suffer from trust issues. I don't know why I trust you even but I do and I don't want to risk what we have.' Daisy explained.
'You are still thinking of that, Daisy?'
'Thinking of what?'
'Sperm donors and all.'
Daisy shook her head. 'No, I can't afford it anymore. Not without getting a job and a place to live.' she said.
'But what if you had a job and a place to live and you also had a chance of actually wearing that wedding gown and had everything like a girl like you should have?' Tom asked.
'I don't know what a girl like me should have but I know one thing that I don't see myself in a fairy tale romance. I am too damaged for it.' Daisy said.
'So you want a random stranger to become your sperm donor?'
'Why not? At least I would know he is not incarcerated or something.'
'Just by looking at him!'
'Yeah!'
'What about me?'
'What about you?'
'Would you like to have my baby?'
Daisy gaped wide mouthed at Tom like he had grown a pair of horns.
'You can't be my sperm donor.'
'Why not? You think I am not potent enough? I will even pay for the entire procedure. All you have to do is carry my child and when you have her just keep me updated on her well being. I wouldn't demand her time or affection. I just want to be there in the background making sure that she never wants anything.'
'You specifically want a daughter?'
'I am not picky but I would like to have a miniature version of you rather than myself. If you couldn't tell I really don't like myself at all.' Tom admitted.
Daisy snickered. 'Ok. I will let you do that for me. But before that I need to find a job, a job where my getting pregnant won't interfere with my performance.' Daisy said.
'I know the perfect job for you.' Tom said.
'What is that?'
'You will be the legal consultant to Melinda International.' He simply stated.
'As if that were so simple. I don't even have a firm and Osborne lost the Melinda account. I don't know who it will go to next.'
'It's not going anywhere. It is remaining in-house. You are working for me now.' Tom explained.
'You work for the Chairman?' Daisy asked awed.
'Something like that.'
There was a knock on the door. There was a scrubby old man outside. 'Some posh guy in a car gave me these to give it to you.'
Tom retrieved the clothes they needed to wear. He closed his eyes as Daisy changed and then changed his own shirt with her turned around.
'There is something else Daisy. If you are to have my baby you have to do one more thing.' he said.
'And what is that?' she asked sceptical.
'Sign some papers that make the child legitimate and not like me.' Tom explained with a stab of pain shooting through her at his words.
'Don't think of yourself like that.' Daisy tried to say.
'But will you do it?'
'Yes, anything for you.' Daisy promised.
That brought a smile to his lips. He took out her phone and dialled a number. 'Hi Fred, get the gang ready along with the Cessna. We are going to Vegas to get married. One more thing, tell Bert to get the dress from the boutique. Daisy returned it yesterday.'
Then Tom turned to a stunned and stupefied Daisy. 'So let us get married then. Ready?'
Daisy shook her head from side to side.
'You said I had to sign some papers.' Daisy droned.
'Yes, marriage registration papers, that will make our child legitimate. Don't worry only my closes friends are coming with me. I would clarify to them that this is purely business and only for the sake of conception. No one will think you are crazy or a gold digger. I promise you.'
'Gold digger, Tom you own a twenty seat bistro. May be you have some millionaire clients but that doesn't make you a potential target for gold diggers.' Daisy argued.
'Oh, Daisy, your ignorance is sometimes refreshing. The car is waiting downstairs. You can change into the dress on the plane. Shall we start then?' Tom asked.
'I guess' she said and off they went.