Chase Me (18 page)

“Kate,” she whispered bringing my focus back to her. “I already told Mike when he came by. He went to the bank, and came back with a check, giving me every dime he had and even gave me the deed to his house. Henry is taking it along with this one to cover my bills. The last thing I want is to leave a burden on any of you.”

Mike had given her everything he had.

Brooklyn was leaving.

My mom was dying.

Kurt might go free, and…

The one person I wanted to share this with was arrested because of me. What else could the world take from me before I hit bottom. I had thought I was already there, but I learned in the last few minutes that I wasn’t at bottom. This was it, and the feeling sucked.

Chapter 15

The next day came and I was terrified out of my mind to walk into the building. I closed my eyes as I stared up the skyscraper. I can be Kate, I can be Kate, I got this because I am Kate. I chanted it over and over again as I tried to find courage.

“Hello,” I asked as my phone rang without even checking to see who it was.

“How is the cherry to my coke?” My mom asked and I smiled.

“You always seem to know when I need you,” I replied and I could almost envision her interest getting piqued.

“What is going on?” She asked and I explained where I was and what was going on. “Kate, listen to me. I know the two of you don’t like each other very much, but that is my fault. Had he been allowed to know about you things would be different.”

“Why did you hide me?” I asked the one question I never dared to ask before. I didn’t want to know, but I did.

“I was like you, Kate. I didn’t spend more than a night or two with a man. It was a very lonely life, and when Henry came along he was fun, always going places. He was different, he gave me a reason to stay.”

“Did you love him?” I asked and held my breath while I waited for the answer.

“No, I never got a chance to fall in love with him, because a month into my relationship with Henry I met Mike. I loved him the second I saw him. I just always wanted to be near him, and tell him everything. I wanted to make him dinner and tell him every joke I had ever heard. He was the one, but he didn’t take me being pregnant with someone else’s baby while we were dating as a good thing.

“Mike loved me so much that even though we broke up he stayed. For the next twenty-seven years we lived in a partnership of love.”

“Why did you have to tell him you had his child? I mean mom he is the anti-christ.”

“I was getting sick a lot more frequent and wanted you to know where you came from. More importantly I wanted you to stop living your life the way you were before something bad happened-,” my mom sighed into the phone, and I knew she had more to say, but she was thinking about Kurt and was starting to cry.

“I’m fine, mom.” I replied. “Don’t cry for me.”

“You are not okay, Kate. You found your Mike in Eddie. Everyone around us can see it. When you are with him you aren’t angry or bitter. You have fun, laugh, smile, and you are whole.”

“Mom, he is not going to be your son in law,” I quickly retorted.

“Just take the day and think about where you would be right now without him. Don’t tell me now. Tell me when you come to dinner tonight.”

I agreed and hung up the phone. Then I walked inside. I took a deep breath as I walked into the security office and everyone stood up and greeted me with apologies. It merely made me mad.

“Where do I need to go to start today?” I asked and they all looked at each other.

“Mr. Huntington didn’t put you on the list. He said you couldn’t work for him so he was going to stick you with someone else, but never told us who.”

That just pissed me the hell off. I dragged my ass out of bed at 5AM to take a shower, and be here by 6:30AM so I could start his work day, and he didn’t even know what closet of an office he was shoving me into. I snatched up securities phone and dialed his extension.

“Mr. Huntington’s office,” one of the blond minions answered.

“Tell him his spawn of Satan is on her way up.”

I walked away from everyone at that point and took the elevator up to the seventy second floor. As the doors parted I heard the protesting that I had hung up on and walked right past them. I flung open the office doors.

“Hello dad,” I shouted over the staff members seated in his office. “I thought I would come tell you myself that I was quitting my birth right given job here and taking up prostitution. There is good money in it. I love the drugs, cock, and my pimp treats me good.”

Henry had the room cleared in under five seconds it was a sight to see. I internally smirked that my mouth had won some imaginary clear the room award.

“Kathryn, what the hell is your problem? Were you raised by wolves? Did your mother forget to teach you manners?”

I squinted my eyes and snarled as the rage I felt coursed through me heating my veins as I stared at the bullseye on his face. I wanted to punch him.

“My fucking name is Kate! Get it right and while you are doing that get me a position because I didn’t come all the way down here for nothing!”

His assistant came in the door and I turned to look at her. “What the hell do you want Cara?” I asked and she started closing the double doors.

“Her name is Carly,” Henry corrected me.

“Oh sure you know her fucking name,” I yelled sarcastically.

“How do you even know her?” Henry asked and I smirked.

“I ate her pussy in the office of your garage,” I lied as we stood there across from each other. Neither of us seemed to want to back down.

“Well then at least you have one friends here. I had someone volunteer to take you on. They were warned about your attitude, attire, and asinine judgment.

“There are rules. The first one is a given, do not get fired. If you do get fired you will be moved to another part of the office, something with longer hours and less pay. Do not have sex in the office, or with any of my staff. Dress like you want to keep your job and not like you just stepped off the street corner. You will show respect when talking to me or about me in this office as well. Lastly, when Liza is in this building you will refrain from calling her anything derogatory which includes ‘slurpy slut’ which is what you addressed her Easter card with.”

“One last thing, no more flowers from your sexual partners it is ridiculous.”

I crossed my arms while I stewed over everything he said. All I had to do was file papers, and be nice to him and his wife.
This was going to be harder than I thought.

“What partners are you talking about?” I asked because I was pretty sure the men I met didn’t fall into the Monday through Friday, Seven to Seven type jobs.

Henry wiggled his finger and opened a door to an empty office that across from him. Inside sat almost a hundred bouquets.

“What is this?” I demanded to know.

“They have been coming evert half hour or since yesterday. It has to stop.”

I walked in and picked up one of the cards that a teddy bear was holding.

Please call me.

I miss you.

I love you.

Kurt.

“He was released on bail,” Mark replied as I sat in a conference room with Taylor and him. “The judge felt that a five-million-dollar bond was high so she dropped it to two million and he put his house up.”

“So he is out there?” I asked as I placed my hands on my hips.

“I’m so sorry Kate,” Taylor spoke in a manner that had me looking at him crossly. He couldn’t even look me in the eye.

“What is it you are not saying?” I demanded. Then I looked over at Mark. “What?”

“They threw out the security video of the attack because it was not obtained with a warrant. The original detective said someone delivered it to his doorstep and he never obtained the warrant to collect the actual one instead of the copy.”

“You can get a warrant and go get the original then, right?” I asked as I grabbed a chair and sat down.

“I’m sorry Kate, the video overlaps every five days and by the time we found out it was gone.”

Mark walked over and put his hands on my shoulders as he leaned down and kissed my head.

“Kate,” Mark spoke quietly. “I want to put a detail on you for a little while.”

“Why?”

“Just a precaution,” Mark stated as he pulled out the chair beside me and took my hand.

“You gonna marry Brooklyn?” I asked changing the subject and Mark took the bait.

“Think she will have me still? You can wear a fluorescent orange gown to match those traffic cones Eddie was talking about.”

I rolled my eyes and then my attention turned to the door. Taylors assistant walked in and handed him a note. He read it, signed it, and passed it back.

“Kate,” Taylor asked with restraint, he looked like he wanted to punch someone, but his voice was cool and mellow. “Can you tell me how many sexual partners you have had?”

“That is none of your business.” I declared.

“It is now. Kurt’s lawyer is stating that he can bring in your sexual partners to say that you had sex with them in exchange for alcohol.”

“Maybe, the alcohol made me drunk and I made bad choices,” I replied sarcastically.

“Kate they want you charged with prostitution. That you exchanged sexual favors for things of monetary value.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked as I stood up and my chair went flying. “I’m a hooker because I didn’t want him to put anything of his on me, or in me.

I marched out of the office with fury racing through me. I wanted to get fired. I wanted to go down in a blaze of glory. I looked at my hand as I got in the elevator and pressed the thirty ninth floor.

I fucked people for no reason. Some bought me drinks, some didn’t. Just like some were good in bed and others became the reason I got pickier.

I exited the elevator, walked down a hall, and flung the last office door on the corner open. I took my purse off over my shoulder with my back to whoever it was.

“I need you to bend me over this desk, spank me, fuck me, and smile for the camera,” I stated quickly I had to shake off the flowers, the possible charges and piss off Henry in that order. There was no better way than to fuck for free. My need for a fix was high.

The glass walls had a white film on them to keep people from seeing inside the office, but I knew security had cameras in everywhere. I turned to look at the choking noise to see Eddie coughing out his coffee.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Chapter 16