Deadly In Stilettos (14 page)

             
As the night progressed, Demi felt more and more uncomfortable by Enry’s conversation. If she could have killed him right then and there, she would have without hesitation, walking out of the restaurant without a second glance. Enry thought he was a gift to all women. His arrogance was greater than she remembered. It made Demi sick to her stomach. She signaled the waiter and ordered a ginger ale. She would need it if she continued to sit there and listen to his foolishness. The migraine she’d had earlier was back in full force.

             
Demi tried to remain focused, but even the restaurant’s dim lights and muted noise was unbearable for her. Just as Demi was about to excuse herself in walked Laurel Cordwright. She was frowning as she made her way to their table. Enry looked horrified, nearly choking on her cognac.

             
Laurel greeted Demi with a friendly hug and then slid into the chair beside her, while completely ignoring Enry. She had seen from her corner table how hard Demi was struggling to retain her composure, and decided to rescue her. She wasn’t feeling well. Besides, it would be fun to see Enry sweat. All the admiration he’d been lavishing on Demi before she arrived turned into pure stone, Laurel gathered. If looks could kill, Laurel would have been dead on arrival, with Demi soon after from the look on Enry’s face. 

             
“So, Enry darling, why didn’t you tell me you were having dinner with Demi? I would have loved to join you. Instead, I get a call from my mother that you’re out with another woman. Imagine that!”

             
Turning around, Laurel waved to an older version of herself, who smiled back at her. Demi was shocked. She’d known Laurel would be there, but never thought she would involve her mother in this little shenanigan. Oh well, at least Enry wouldn’t think she had anything to do with it and her plan wouldn’t be jeopardized. It was also the perfect time for Demi to excuse herself and go to her room. The pounding in her head was more intense than ever. If she didn’t leave soon, she would surely empty her stomach on the restaurant floor. Laurel apparently sensed the urgency and offered to accompany her to her room. Enry looked suspiciously from one woman to the other, as if suspected he’d been set up somehow.

             
Seeming to read his mind, Laurel assured him Demi did not have any part in her deception. “Oh fix your face darling, people are staring. We wouldn’t want to give them anything to gossip about now would we,” Laurel whispered across the table. Enry glanced around the room, and immediately put a smile on his face.

             
Laurel helped Demi to her room, and when she was sure Demi would be fine on her own, she returned to join Enry. She ordered a martini on the rocks, and waited to see what he had to say for himself.

             
“You should know better than to come here like that!” Enry spat. “I feel humiliated! You will never get away with embarrassing me.”

             
Enry was not used to women putting him in his place, and he certainly was not about to start now. Laurel crossed a line and she would pay. As for Demi, he would indeed see her again, and soon. She would be his.

             
Laurel’s mother joined them at Enry’s table and clearly told him he was not good enough for her daughter. Enry couldn’t care less. He did not want to see any more of Laurel that evening or her crazy ass mother, and told her not to come to his place that night. He had another woman on his mind. Laurel was far from it. Deminis Bradshaw held his attention, and Enry wanted to keep it that way.

             
How could he trust someone like Laurel? Judging by the smirk on her face, she was not even the least bit sorry for the havoc she had wreaked on his dinner. Laurel Cordwright was turning out to be someone totally different from who he knew. It was like she was suddenly another person. And Enry most certainly did not like that person, not one bit. If his chance with Demi was ruined because of her, she would suffer greatly. Already he had decided he wouldn’t marry Laurel. He could never have a wife like her, or in-laws like her mother. His determination to win over Demi’s heart again grew more serious in that moment. Enry Williams was now more focused than ever on getting his prize.

             
Meanwhile, up in her hotel suite, Demi changed her clothes, put her shoes away, and was lying on her suite’s plush oversized sofa. All she could think of was Makei, and the message he left for her only a day before she watched him take his last breath. Startled by the ringing of her cell phone, Demi pressed decline sending the caller straight to voicemail. Whoever it was would have to leave a message. Her head hurt too badly for her to speak with anyone at the moment. Her phone beeped, indicating that she had a message. She dialed her voicemail and listened to the message. “What will it take to stop you? You are not going to get away with this any longer, so stop while you’re ahead.”

             
Demi was now extremely pissed off. Someone thought they were on to her. She was not going to let whoever it was keep her from completing her list. She always covered her tracks, so whoever making threats simply had nothing on her. Someone was playing with fire and would soon get burned. Demi saved the message and rested her head again on the sofa. She would use her tracking device later to locate whoever the mystery called was. The migraine was still pounding in her head and she felt nauseous. Why was it so bad? If she continued feeling like this, she would have to go to the emergency room. A though occurred to her, but she quickly dismissed it.

             
Rain began to fall throughout the city. As thunder boomed, Demi relaxed. Sleep swept over her. When she woke up the next morning, the rain was still falling. Good thing she didn’t have any meetings scheduled or she would have canceled them. Instead,

Demi ordered breakfast from room service, ate in bed, and went back to sleep. About four hours later, she awoke feeling rejuvenated. She walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her face was swollen and her eyes had dark
circles around them. She looked horrible.

             
“I think deep-tissue seaweed facial will do the trick,” she told her reflection optimistically. “Along with a full-body massage,” she concluded. A day of pampering was just what she needed to get her mind and body back in sync. The hotel had a luxurious spa, and Demi called to schedule an appointment. Thank goodness there was an opening, she thought. She hurried into the shower to freshen up.

             
As she stepped into the elevator to go to the spa, she heard a familiar voice call, “hold the elevator.” Demi stopped the doors from closing, and was surprised when a gorgeous man stepped inside with her. His eyes locked with hers as if they somehow belonged to each other. He smiled, revealing the most beautiful set of white teeth. His bald head glistened like the sun, freshly shaven to perfection. His smile was contagious, and Demi could not help but smile back at him. He reminded her of Makei.

             
“Thanks for holding the elevator,” he said. “I greatly appreciate it. Maybe I can repay you by buying you dinner?”

             
Demi was delighted, but kept her excitement at bay. She did not want to seem desperate, and he was a stranger, in an empty elevator shaft. She had no place to run and there were no witnesses if he attacked her. The elevator stopped at the floor the spa was on. Demi stepped off and was surprised when the man stepped off behind her.

             
She turned to him. “Are you following me? Or do you have an appointment at the spa today too?”

             
In truth, the man was intrigued by Demi’s beauty and innocence. He was sure at that moment that he would spend the rest of his life with her. Although he did not believe in love at first sight, his heart skipped a beat. The woman standing before him was beautiful, simply breathtaking. He wanted her to be in his life forever. They knew nothing about each other, but hopefully that would change quickly. If he had his way, they would be happily married in a year. He did not even know her name, but it did not matter, just as long as he was in her presence. Where were these thoughts and feeling coming from? He shook them away as best he could as the elevator reached its destination.

             
Demi walked up to the front desk and gave her name. The man listened carefully and was stunned by the name she gave. It could not be the same woman he’d spoken with on the phone a couple of days ago. That person was cold, bitter, and rude. Maybe under the circumstances, she was not as she seemed.

             
“Excuse me,” he said. “Did I just hear you say you name is Deminis Bradshaw?” Demi was somehow annoyed, but nodded in agreement. She turned to him again, frowning, but nodded again. Holding up his hands in surrender, the man smiled. “Wait…wait…wait, I am not following you, nor trying to get all up in your business. I just wanted to be sure before I made a complete fool of myself. We spoke on the phone a couple of days ago about your father.”

             
That was why his voice was so familiar, Demi thought. Detective Stanley, she presumed. “Oh yes! Let me apologize for my rude behavior, Detective.” She held out her hand. “I was just a little overwhelmed with the information about my father’s death. I am truly sorry for being so mean to you.”

             
“It’s okay,” he said. “I understand. You had just received some terrible news and I was pressuring you for answers. Let’s call a truce and start over.”

             
He held out his own hand. “My name is Greg…Greg Stanley. It’s nice to meet you.”

             
Demi shook his hand, saying, “Deminis Bradshaw, but please call me Demi. All of my friends call me Demi, not like a have tons. It is nice to meet you too, Detective…I mean Greg.”

             
The receptionist cleared her throat. Several other people had walked up to the front desk and they were blocking the counter, staring at each other. Demi smiled at the young lady and apologized.

             
“Not a problem, Ms. Bradshaw. Would the two of you like to combine your packages?” the receptionist asked naughtily. “We offer a great couple’s package with joint massages, facials, pedicures, and mud baths.” Demi looked at Greg. Before she could say anything, he was handing the receptionist his credit card. “Put it on my bill.”

             
An attendant gave them each a glass of refreshing cucumber water. Demi sipped slowly, enjoying the soothing taste. Another attendant escorted them to their assigned area. She felt butterflies in her stomach, but her head felt better. She was excited. How could a total stranger make her feel so special? Demi could not grasp that concept, but she was beginning to enjoy it. The attendant showed them where each of them could change, and then they lay down on side-by-side tables for their massages. They enjoyed the massages while learning a great deal about each other. The facials, pedicures, and mud baths where the best, Demi concluded, as was Greg’s company, she could really get used to having him around.

             
He was intelligent and down to earth, outspoken but gentle. He had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed sports and fashion. It was as if he had been created just for her, Makei reincarnated. Demi smiled, admired Greg as he talked about his career. Although she did not like the fact that he was a police detective, Demi could get passed it. If she wanted to be with Greg in the future, her other activities would have to be over soon. She could not risk him finding out about her past. More importantly, she did not want to spend the rest of her life in prison. Greg being a man of the law was sure to become a problem if they continued seeing each other. That saddened Demi because she felt a connection to him. After their remarkable time at the spa, they went downstairs to the hotel’s other restaurant for lunch.

             
The day was turning out to be great, Demi thought. The rain had finally ceased. The sun was shining bright and beautifully. It was as if God was smiling down on her, letting her know that he sent Greg to her.

             
When lunch was over, they exchanged cell numbers, promising to keep in touch. Demi was not scheduled to leave for three days. Greg would be in town the next four, visiting some relatives he had not seen in years. Before she stepped on the elevator to go up to her room, he leaned in close and kissed her on the cheek. “See you later, pretty lady.” It was one of the sexiest kisses she’d experienced, and she almost melted into his arms.

Clearing her throat, Demi smiled and stepped on the eleva
tor, falling against the back wall as the doors closed. Her heart pounded as if it was about to jump out of her chest. Just then the elevator doors reopened. Greg pushed inside and kissed her passionately. Demi kissed back with even more intensity, meeting his tongue with hers as they pleased each other with an unspoken urgency. They held each other tightly, wanting to never let go. The kiss lasted for what felt like forever. When they finally pulled apart, a few people were smiling at them. Embarrassed by her forwardness, Demi wiped her lipstick from Greg’s lips, and then kissed him again before all of it was off.

             
What was happening between her and the man she had met only hours ago? For all she knew, he was a womanizer and this was just his routine. She needed to guard her heart completely. No one else was going to cause her pain, especially Detective Greg Stanley. If he thought he could come into her life and turn it upside down, he was sadly mistaken.