Moments Lost and Found Read Free Page B

so slick with sweat that hands were sliding off of them and
then grabbing harder to hold on. She twisted and turned, trying to break free.
She felt like she was being pulled in all different directions and then
suddenly, finally, she heard a voice that broke through all the yelling. “ Get
the fuck off of her, NOW! So help me I will kill each and every one of you. MOVE! ”
    Hands flew off of her, dropping Sam to the ground
as the crowd separated, turning their attention, cameras and flashes to that
voice. She looked up to see Laurent reaching towards her. His expression was
one of anger and fear and determination as he lifted her up and into his arms.
The yelling and flashes continued as Sam buried her face in his shoulder as he
carried her safely inside, her arms wrapped around his neck holding on for dear
life. Hotel security and bellmen were running towards the crowd to keep them
out as Laurent made their way to the elevator. Sam was in a state of
semi-shock. She had never been attacked before, and this, whatever it was, it
all happened so fast. The whole incident must have been over in less than a
minute. But it wasn’t the length of the assault, it was that it happened at
all. Sam was trying to process it, trying to figure out what happened. Why were
they so interested in her and why were they grabbing at her?
    Laurent would not let her go. Even though Sam
could have stood, could have walked, his grip on her was vice-like. He
whispered, “I am so sorry, Cheri , I am so, so sorry.” Over and over
again as he stroked her hair. He carried her to their room and finally set her
down so he could open the door. Once he got it open he reached as if to carry
her in, but Sam held out her hand stopping him. She was still angry and hurt
and confused, and even given everything that just happened, it had only been a
couple hours earlier that they weren’t speaking to each other.
    Reluctantly, he backed off, letting her go in.
Once the door closed Sam was surprisingly calm and focused. All of the
adrenaline from what had just happened manifested itself into clarity as Sam
looked at him and said, “I am going to take a shower. I need to wash the sweat
and their filthy hands off of me.” She paused, looked down and took a deep
breath. She knew that he wanted to hold her, she could see that he was holding
himself back from wrapping his arms around her as if that could change
everything. But he bit his tongue and forced himself to be still, letting Sam
continue.
     “When I come out, we need to talk. You need
to tell me what the hell happened last night.” He started to open his mouth but
she wasn’t finished. “Laurent, I’m more confused about who you were last night
and this morning than about what just happened out there.”
    He nodded his head and, resigned, said, “ok, when
you’re finished with your shower, I will tell you everything.”
     
    It wasn’t often that Laurent felt compelled to do
something that he didn’t intrinsically want to do. In fact, it was almost
never. There were few people he wanted or needed to please. Most everything in
his life was done on his terms. If people didn’t like that, he was always happy
to walk away. Very rarely did the other party not capitulate. But those other
people were typically business relationships, people who wanted whatever it was
that Laurent was offering, and in the end, Laurent got his way. As for the
other women in his life, Laurent could take ‘em or leave ‘em if they didn’t
want to play by his rules. But all of that was before Samantha. It was obvious
that shutting her out and doing things his way wasn’t going to work with her.
So Laurent took a deep breath and sighed, realizing that this, what he was
about to tell her, was just another moment that made it clear just how
different things were with her.

CHAPTER 2
     
    Sam spent a long time in the shower. She scrubbed
her body over and over trying to wash everything away. She knew she was lucky.
She knew