Emma hated the Fourth of July. She wasn’t un-American or anything, but this holiday blew. Red, white, and blue looked awful anywhere but on the flag. Fireworks scared the shit out of her. Sticky little kids running everywhere unchecked. The crowds, the noise, the patriotic music... ugh.
ThisFourth of July, however, she was feeling very Stars and Stripes Forever.
The River Club was one of the most exclusive private clubs in Manhattan. It sat on the East Side, just north of the United Nations Headquarters and overlooked the river. A logical deduction would be to think that the club housed a marina for New York’s seafarers, but no, this was more of a sophisticated après-boating spot. There was a large reception area for the occasional wedding or anniversary party, a cozy lounge for drinks or an intimate meal, and a long, narrow brick balcony, where she currently stood, that was the perfect viewing spot for several waterfront firework displays.
Nathan was running late, but she knew he’d be there. After the other night, their attraction had grown into a need. Emma felt his absence like an injury. It was strange to think she had always missed him like this. When he went away to boarding school years ago, she was inconsolable. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. Nathan’s mother had brought over a few things from his room to get her out of her funk—a Derek Jeter jersey and an old iPod with his playlist. She was just starting to adjust to his absences and look forward to his homecomings when she was taken.
This time though it was different. She was standing on the deck at The River Club overlooking the surprisingly bucolic setting as evening descended on the city. Her white halter sundress was billowing, and she shifted nervously from one nude Gucci sandal to the other. She was on her third glass of champagne, which was buckets for her, and it was doing nothing for her nerves. They were going public. They were going to take things further physically—much, much further. They were unlocking some dark memories in both their minds. Oh, and small detail, she was in love with him, hopelessly, irretrievably, uncontrollably in love. And unlike the soothing, safe calm she felt in his presence as a child, this feeling was... incendiary.
Emma made small talk with a few of the K-B executives. Most were initially suspicious of a reporter from her organization, but they warmed to her quickly. She fit in and they knew it. She was, as they say, to the manner born.
She should have eaten something, but the promise that this night held had Emma chewing on her nails, not the shrimp puffs. The band broke from their USA-themed repertoire and started to play “Fly Me to the Moon.” The wind kicked up, and she felt him, almost as if Nathan’s presence had caused the gust. She stepped inside the buzzing room and spotted him at the bar. He was holding a bottled beer and kissing an older woman on the cheek. He stood out in a sea of red, white, and blue, wearing a dove-gray blazer. Emma could see the streaks of auburn in his chestnut hair. He turned his head, and their eyes locked. He gave Emma an intense assessment, set his beer on the bar, and turned to walk the length of the dance floor. Emma waited like a girl at an eighth-grade dance, which in some ways she guessed she was. That’s when she saw it. He was dreamy from head to toe, tousled hair, white button-down, his hands shoved carelessly into his pockets. And around his neck, a cornflower blue tie. The cornflower blue tie. The identical tie to the one she had held the night she had been drugged on a date. The same tie she had stashed in her lingerie drawer. The people in her periphery started to blur as she stared at the tie the mysterious stranger who rescued her had worn. She started to see spots. The tie she refused to let go of, even unconscious. She swayed on her feet. Nathan had saved her that night. The room spun. In a final, long stride, Nathan stood in front of her. His cocky smile of affirmation turned to panic, as, once again, Emma grabbed onto that tie like a lifeline.
And passed out.
Again.
Her eyes fluttered open, and Emma was lying on a couch in a quiet room. Nathan was sitting over her, pressed into the crook of her side, holding a cool cloth to her forehead. She beamed at him and his answering smile was one of relief.
“Is it the tie?”
Emma burst out laughing and grabbed onto it, pulling him in for a kiss.
“I still have the old one.” That surprised him. “I hold onto it when I get anxious. It calms me down.”
“It was my favorite tie, and some passed out blonde wouldn’t let go of it.”
“I should give it back to you.”
“Hey, if you play your cards right, I’ll give you this one too.”
“You hang onto it. Somehow I think you may have more inventive uses for it than I would.”
“Oh, Sunshine, you have no idea.”
“Take me to your place.”
“With pleasure. Can you walk?”
“Yeah, I just got a little light-headed. Happens a lot around you.”
“I have been known to have that effect on women.”
“You should list swooning as one of your special skills.”
“Nope. You swoon. I, I don’t know what I do.”
“You save me.”
He let out a weary sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “When I think about what could have happened that night....”
Emma shuddered, and he pulled her into his lap. “I couldn’t think clearly. I just needed to get somewhere safe.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I guess I found it.”
“I will keep you safe, Em. I’ll do whatever it takes.” A wave of anger surged through him, and she remembered something.
“That guy, Tom?”
Nathan stiffened, not from nerves but from rage. He ground his teeth.